A storm had passed, leaving an uneasy peace in the villa district. The residents drove away any zombies they spotted with boiling water, and the withered lettuce slowly regained its vitality.
Best of all, the cheerful children returned. Escorted by police, they ca running back but stopped when they noticed sothing missing.
"Huh? Where's Stupid?"
"Maybe it went inside because of the rain?"
They circled the spot where our virus generator and the children's plaything had been tied up. As they looked around disappointedly, they suddenly lifted their heads.
Their mother ca rushing out, nearly collapsing as she gathered them in her arms.
"Children!"
"Mom!"
The police officer watched the family embrace with satisfaction, adjusting his mask before lowering his head and leaving.
I watched the scene from my window.
'Is the school safer than expected?'
During those stormy days when zombies swept through the streets, I thought the open school would be dangerous, but it seed to have held up surprisingly well.
The children chattered away while holding their mother's hand.
They saw soldiers shooting guns, the rain killed everything planted in the playground, sleeping in the big gymnasium under blankets was fun, they wanted certain foods...
Their voices gradually faded as their mother hurried them back into the villa. Even the children were now scanning their surroundings for zombies.
I tapped the windowsill quietly.
'Will the school keep running?'
Just commuting had beco difficult. With dangerous streets, wouldn't many parents give up on school?
But things unfolded differently than I expected.
The school didn't stop operating. The teachers, who would beco re survivors if the school failed, ca up with a new solution.
Dormitory life.
No need to commute - living, eating, and sleeping at the school.
Barbed wire on the walls, soldiers guarding the narrow entrance, police stationed inside - better security and protection than most survivor groups.
Parents seed easily convinced by a school selling safety alongside education. Despite having to provide more food, news spread of parents making sacrifices to send their children to school.
The villa district mother was no exception.
"Make sure to brush your teeth before bed, and call right away if anything happens."
In the street in front of the villa, under the police officer's watch, the mother held her children's hands while giving instructions. The children hung their heads glumly.
They knew they'd have to leave their parents to live at the unfamiliar school. With subtly dark expressions, they quickly bowed to the district residents to say goodbye.
"Take care everyone."
"Yes, co back when you can."
"Call imdiately if there's trouble."
The surviving villa residents gave the children candy.
Having lost many people, they seed to view the children as symbols of hope. Perhaps like backup USBs - wanting to be rembered by the children even if they died.
I hid in a corner, trying to suppress my irritation.
'What a waste of resources.'
Loss of labor, loss of resources. What was the point of all this...
The children hesitantly approached . Perhaps rembering how I'd teased them before, they showed subtle tension and fear.
"Goodbye mister."
"Tell us when you catch another zombie!"
Though I had neither a taser nor saw any lone zombies to capture.
After a mont's pause, I pulled out my water gun. Though I wasn't sure if the virus was still alive, it contained zombie saliva.
"Shoot this at anyone who bullies you."
"A water gun? But they said we shouldn't shoot people with it."
"It's made for shooting people. Do it secretly. You can put it in cups or mix it in water too. You could even spray it on masks or mouths while they sleep."
It was a weapon ant for use on people after all.
At that point, the police officer who'd been talking with their mother ca over and nudged the children. Ti to go. The villa residents, mother, and children waved goodbye for a long while.
***
Ti passed and the lettuce grew large. We harvested it before it was too late, picking the large outer leaves first and dividing them equally.
I happily took my share ho.
The sound of water washing the lettuce, the drops flying as I shook it - everything felt refreshing.
"Wow, it's been so long."
It had been ages since I'd eaten fresh vegetables. After endless als of rice, kimchi, canned food, instant als, cereal, and ran, I finally had a chance to eat real living food.
Suddenly fond of farming, I looked at the green lettuce leaves. The result of my sweaty labor. How should I eat this?
Should I grill so spam? Wrap it with rice? Season it with soy sauce and vinegar? Or just eat it raw?
I unconsciously put a lettuce leaf in my mouth and closed my eyes. The texture of fresh vegetables. A vitality you couldn't get from canned or instant foods.
And then, bitterness.
"Ugh."
It was bitter. It tasted bad. Maybe because we couldn't water it properly. It was tough too. I frowned deeply as I forced myself to chew and swallow the lettuce.
I couldn't spit it out. This was a resource only obtainable through farming. No matter how much you searched the city, you couldn't find it. Fresh food had either been eaten or rotted.
'Won't people refuse to farm? It tastes terrible.'
When I checked my phone, surprisingly genuine excitent flowed through the group chat.
Soone posted a recipe for fresh kimchi, another shared photos of grilled spam wrapped in rice, there was talk of expanding the farm, people asking when other crops would be ready.
It seed to be about freshness rather than any long-term perspective or resource managent.
I tilted my head.
"No, but this is too bitter? Have people's tongues gone weird? ...Is it just mine?"
Did soone play a prank? When I carefully asked if others found it very bitter, they responded that it was fine considering the circumstances. Soone said to think of it as dicinal herbs.
If everyone suffered together, I could endure it. I put the lettuce in my mouth with rice and red pepper paste.
'Well, it does feel healthy...'
As I reluctantly continued eating, the children's mother suddenly sent an urgent ssage.
Sothing seed wrong at the school. The children might be in danger. Her hands must have been shaking from the many typos.
The chat went quiet briefly. Then worried ssages flooded in. What's wrong? Aren't there soldiers? Calm down first...
I watched the screen quietly.
'It'd be good if the school failed.'
Suddenly the lettuce tasted sweet. I happily scooped up the remaining rice with my spoon.
***
Right after finishing my al, I was summoned by the man to a house in the villa. When I entered, he and the mothers were sitting apart, having a serious discussion.
"The school..."
"Isn't there any way to rescue-"
Did it really fail? When I deliberately made my footsteps loud to announce my presence, their conversation stopped.
"I'm here. What's the matter?"
"Ah, good you ca. Seems there's trouble at the school."
The man waved his hand. A casual gesture to sit down. I sat far away, blinking as if confused.
"What trouble could there be? Even zombies that co would leave."
Did they shoot people with the water gun I gave them? Did the school collapse? Did water or electricity get cut off? What else could be dangerous?
The man sighed.
"Seems zombies breached the main gate and only a few people are holding out behind a narrow barricade."
"Zombies?"
"See for yourself."
The children's mother urgently held out her phone. There were photos, and I slowly flipped through them to assess the situation.
Though unclear, zombie and soldier corpses were mixed together at the main gate, with zombies streaming across the playground.
Photos taken while fleeing in panic, showing police firing at zombies from the back of the formation.
Pictures of zombies taken from behind welded barricades.
I tilted my head.
"Yes, I've seen them."
It was impressive they took photos while fleeing. But I didn't understand why they called . After thinking briefly, I quickly offered feedback.
"We had a similar incident. When going out on the streets, we should probably post lookouts on the roofs."
Surprise attacks were a problem. During the recent zombie wave, people died when zombies suddenly sward while they were working in the streets.
Defense wasn't just about standing still holding a shield. Observation was essential.
However they interpreted my words, the man nodded slowly.
"Right. ...A rescue would be impossible."
"How can you say that! The children are still- nevermind. I'll go alone."
The children's mother suddenly stood up.
I understood the situation a bit late. They wanted help rescuing the children? My words were interpreted as a refusal.
The man reached toward empty air briefly before rubbing his face.
"Wait. Police and other groups have children there too. They'll move. Our group doesn't need to act when we're already short on people."
"That's right. If it's urgent, you could hire the delivery vigilantes or the firefighters' security company."
I added appropriately. This was a personal matter, so I suggested solutions fitting for an individual.
But the children's mother collapsed, her legs giving out. She hung her head and mumbled.
"What if they die before then. I don't even have food to hire anyone..."
True, though villa residents had helped, she must have spent a lot on tuition and boarding fees.
Asking street residents for help seed difficult - they'd already shown goodwill and had little food to spare. And no one was volunteering to join a rescue effort.
Just then, the mother's phone in my hand rang. ssages and photos from the children.
A ssage saying to stay quiet until the zombies left, no calls. And saying the zombie we had tied up had appeared in front of the barricade.
Looking at the zombie photo, I made an incredulous expression.
'What did this one learn?'
The virus generator was torturing soone behind the barricade. It had roughly tied up a wounded, dying teacher and stuffed garbage in their mouth.
Suddenly a chill ran down my spine.
Zombies learned by watching people. But this virus generator I'd captured had unlimited observation of people's daily lives.
People coming and going on the streets, children's innocent tornts, making crosses, people working in the streets, Park Yang-gun practicing climbing gas pipes...
There was a zombie there that had learned more about human daily life than any other.
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