IZSTASL Chapter 2

Fucking monster.

“Hey… what’s it like outside?”

At my question, Yoon Si-chan turned to the window and pulled back the classroom curtains for the first time.

Beyond the schoolyard and the main gate, the shopping district came into view.

The schoolyard was packed with zombies, and the shopping district wasn’t any better.

A twisted horde of grotesque figures stumbled around, bodies contorting unnaturally as they moved.

Some zombies were running—probably chasing after someone still alive.

“Fuck… where’s the goddamn military? Shouldn’t they be here by now?”

My voice wavered at the sheer hopelessness of the situation.

Or maybe the military was screwed too…?

Then again, if there were freaks stronger than Yoon Si-chan, they’d probably be in the army.

And what if the outbreak was just localized to this area?

If that was the case, the military should be fine.

Yoon Si-chan, still completely unfazed, replied in a tone dripping with irritation.

“If they come, they’ll just shoot us too, dumbass.”

“What? Why?! We’re not infected!”

“You think they’ll bother checking? It’s easier to just bomb the place or kill everyone outright.”

The way he casually crushed my last bit of hope made me want to tell him to shut the fuck up. But I held it in and muttered instead.

“We’re still minors, though…”

“The world’s fucked. You think that matters?”

“Shit, do we at least get a pass since we’re underage?”

I reached into the pocket of my hoodie, planning to check my phone—maybe call for help, look something up—anything.

But my fingers grasped nothing.

What the hell?

Where’d it go?

I must’ve dropped it while running earlier.

Fucking great.

I checked my pants pockets too—completely empty. My face twisted in frustration as I turned to ask,

“Hey, you still have your phone?”

“Gave it to the zombies for lunch.”

“Fucking hell…”

I had asked, knowing there was no way he’d just lose his phone. But that didn’t change the fact that we were screwed either way.

Annoyed by the sight of zombies and corpses outside, I pulled the curtains shut.

As I let out a sigh, biting my lower lip in frustration, Yoon Si-chan finally spoke.

“Let’s head upstairs.”

“Are you seriously going?”

I flinched at his response, but he simply nodded and tapped his bat lightly against the floor.

“First, find the broadcasting room.”

“The hell are we supposed to do there?”

“Just find it.”

Yoon Si-chan furrowed his brows slightly, like he couldn’t be bothered to explain.

I shut my mouth.

Even if I pressed for details, this bastard wasn’t going to tell me anything.

Saying we’d leave in five minutes, he stretched out on top of a desk, staring through the small gap in the curtains at the outside world.

“Hey.”

I had been clutching my broom, lost in thought about how fucking awful this situation was, but turned my head at his voice.

His gaze was still fixed on the window.

In the sliver of sunlight breaking through the curtain, his dark pupils were faintly visible.

“If I get bitten—”

Yoon Si-chan started, then abruptly stopped.

The hell?

Why was he saying this?

Was he trying to test me or something?

If I got bitten, I’d make sure to take him down with me.

Whatever he was about to ask, I decided I’d just agree for now and betray him later.

“I’m gonna die immediately. If I can’t, you kill me.”

I blinked in surprise.

What kind of bullshit was that?

If you get bitten, the logical thing is to take other people down with you.

Why should only I die?

Didn’t he fight like hell because he wanted to survive?

“The fuck are you talking about?”

That one sentence summed up all my thoughts.

After saying it out loud, I realized it almost sounded like I was worried about him, which irritated me.

“You planning to die as a zombie?”

His gaze shifted to me, unreadable, as if I was the one who didn’t make sense.

“I’m just not gonna die. Do you want to?”

“No.”

I asked because I couldn’t wrap my head around his logic, but his reply came back sounding utterly dumbfounded.

“But—”

“Turning into a zombie would be fucking disgusting.”

Yoon Si-chan said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, then turned his gaze back outside.

I followed his line of sight and saw a horde of zombies tearing into someone’s organs, sprawled across the stadium bleachers.

The sight made me gag, and I quickly turned away.

Yoon Si-chan, on the other hand, was studying it like he didn’t want to miss a single detail, his pupils shifting carefully across the scene.

Fucking psychopath.

He stared at it for a long while before finally standing up.

“Let’s go.”

As I watched him take the lead, I asked,

“Hey, but how are you planning to die if you get bitten?”

“I’ll bite my tongue off.”

“Holy shit. You’ve got some insane fucking guts. Don’t come begging me to save you later.”

Yoon Si-chan didn’t reply. He just rolled his wrists and ankles, warming up his body.

I got up, gripping my broom, and wiped my sweat-dampened palms on my hoodie.

“Hey, then how should I kill you? You cool with a really painful death?”

I was dead serious. I’d make sure it really fucking hurt.

“Do whatever you want.”

He stood at the back door as he said it.

Through the small window in the door, I could see that the hallway was even worse than before. The zombies were busy devouring the corpse I had kicked out earlier.

As Yoon Si-chan surveyed the scene, he suddenly grabbed my sleeve and pulled me in front of him.

The fuck?

“The fuck?”

The words just slipped out.

“You go first.”

“Are you insane? Why the hell would I? You trying to get me killed?”

Does this bastard take me for a fool?

He’s definitely planning to throw me out as bait and then escape.

“You run ahead and just block whatever’s in front of you.”

“Easy for you to fucking say.”

“I’ll handle the ones behind.”

“Of course you will, dumbass.”

The moment I slapped his hand away and stepped back, Yoon Si-chan grabbed me by the collar and shoved me straight out the back door.

This psycho!

Three zombies that had been crowded around the corpse immediately snapped their heads toward me.

“Fucking—HEY!”

I tried to rush back into the classroom, but Yoon Si-chan followed me out and shoved me forward again.

“What are you doing, dumbass? Run.”

His voice was disturbingly calm, like we weren’t in the exact same situation.

Well, of course he could stay calm.

I was the fucking shield.

Muttering curses, I sprinted toward the incoming zombies.

Their uniforms were mostly intact, but their mouths and eyes were ripped open, the flesh around them torn and rotting.

I swung my broom horizontally, blocking one zombie’s lunge before driving my foot into its gut.

The force sent it stumbling backward—straight into another zombie behind it, knocking them both to the ground.

One more left.

It took advantage of the opening and lunged.

I should’ve dodged. I should’ve swung my weapon.

But my body was still recovering from the last kick, and I wasn’t fast enough.

Shit!

If I get bitten, I swear to god, I’m taking Yoon Si-chan’s leg with me—even if I have to cave his skull in with my teeth.

Clang.

Just as my eyes were half-closing, a baseball bat swung from behind, taking off the lunging zombie’s head.

The crisp metallic sound echoed, and the zombies wandering inside the classroom all turned their heads at once.

Through the open front door, I locked eyes with an especially nasty-looking one.

One of its eyes had been torn out, its bloated flesh jiggled unnaturally, and its stomach was split open, intestines spilling out.

The moment our eyes met, the zombie twisted its body and let out a sickening wail.

At that signal, every single zombie lost their shit, shrieking as they rushed toward the open door.

“Fuck! Hey! Look at that!”

I sprinted forward, frantically pointing at the door.

When I turned back, Yoon Si-chan was still running, smashing zombie skulls with his bat as he went.

“Close the door!”

“How the fuck am I supposed to close that, you psycho?!”

“If you don’t, we’re dead, dumbass!”

If I ran straight to the door right now, I had two possible outcomes: I’d either barely manage to shut it in time, or I’d get bitten and fucking die.

I wanted to weigh my options, but before I could even think, my body was already moving toward the door.

The second my hand reached for the handle, the lead zombie lunged—mouth wide open.

“Shit—fuck!”

I shoved my broom straight into its mouth, ramming it back, then slammed the door shut.

But before it could fully close, another zombie’s arm shot through the gap, wedging it open.

“Shit, we’re fucked!”

“Move.”

Yoon Si-chan, who had caught up, snatched my broom and jammed it into the doorframe.

The door rattled under the pressure, but it held.

Fucking bastard.

So what was I supposed to use now?

I hesitated for a second, but Yoon Si-chan was already sprinting ahead.

At least the asshole had some conscience.