Antisocial Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Threat

Even compared to before the zombies spread, Bo-yeon seemed quite harmless.

If he had to describe her, she was like a “dog.” A dog that would run away in surprise when a stranger stomps its feet, but then lowers its body and slowly wags its tail. If this was acting, it would be less interesting.

“Excuse me….”

She finally spoke. He observed Bo-yeon with an indifferent expression and corrected her.

“Joo Do-kyung.”

Joo Do-kyung. Bo-yeon rolled the name of the man she had just met around in her mouth. The name that sounded kind somehow didn’t seem to fit his appearance.

“Ah. I’m Moon Bo-yeon….”

He said his name first, and Bo-yeon repeated it. But his expression was cold, as if he was asking what she wanted.

“How’s it outside…?”

It was hard to call him by his name, so she couldn’t decide on a proper title. She was curious about the news outside, and she also needed the information.

Unfortunately, the only person who could answer her was Joo Do-kyung, who was right in front of her. He seemed to have been walking around Seoul all along. He was even armed.

“Didn’t you check with your drone?”

“I, I did see it, but… there were only… zombies… and I didn’t see any people…”

He slowly explained, feeling annoyed at Bo-yeon, who seemed to not know even the essential information for survival.

“People don’t move during the day. It’s the zombies’ time during the day.”

“Why…?”

“Typical zombies have no intelligence, and their hearing is worse than humans’. They also have night blindness. They’re just so strong that it’s hard to deal with them without a weapon. It’s safer at night if they hide their presence.”

“But… didn’t you move during the day today?”

“You really only live here.”

He said it as if he were sighing. His eyes looked a little annoyed.

“Immunity.”

“Ah….”

Immunity. I see.

Bo-yeon also knew what an immune person was. At least she was very envious of the man who didn’t have to worry about becoming a zombie.

“I saw it on the news. There are quite a few immune people…”

“They estimate it to be around 1%.”

1%. 1 out of 100 people. Bo-yeon wondered if she was one of those odds.

“You have to get bitten by a zombie to find out if you’re immune or not…?”

“If there’s no other test kit.”

He answered nonchalantly. Then, did he get bitten by a zombie too?

“They want more infected people. If they think they’ve become the same species as the ones they’re eating, they suppress their appetite and look for other prey. Those stupid guys don’t attack again because they think the immune people they’ve bitten once are already infected.”

“Are you saying there are zombies that aren’t like that?”

“Don’t you know about mutants?”

“Mutants…?”

He clearly had the look of someone who had taken on a troublesome task.

“Mutants are those who eat both zombies and humans. They grow and regenerate by eating. Some are intelligent, some are extremely strong, some have strange appearances, and they are all different.”

“…….”

What is that? Does it mean they constantly evolve?

There is something called ‘selection pressure’ in the ecosystem. When a crisis that puts survival at risk comes, they choose to evolve in order to survive. However, the evolution process usually takes a huge amount of time. Yet, it was completely different for zombies.

Bo-yeon, who couldn’t even guarantee victory against a single normal zombie, had a hard time imagining how much hell the world had become.

“Even normal zombies eat and regenerate.”

“Ah….”

In that regard, there were zombies that she saw through the drones whose clothes were completely torn off, but whose limbs were intact.

The zombies were medically dead because their cardiopulmonary functions had stopped. Even so, their bodies did not rot or harden but rather grew stronger.

Could it be because there was another way to recover? Something close to regeneration?

“They eat all the dead bodies on the streets while they roam. There’s no decay because they simply eat them all.”

Eat them all… Bo-yeon unconsciously frowned at his words. It was proof that she had become less afraid of Do-kyung after hearing this explanation.

Bo-yeon, who was half-asleep after hearing his explanation, didn’t notice her actions.

***

“Choose whether to follow me or to wait tied up.”

When the dark night fell, he took out the mountaineering rope that Bo-yeon’s grandfather must have bought and asked.
“Where are you going…? Why are you tying me up…?”

Bo-yeon asked naively, perhaps relieved that nothing had happened while they were eating.

“I’ll bring something. You might do something stupid in the meantime.”

He was openly saying that he didn’t trust Bo-yeon. However, Bo-yeon reacted beyond his expectations.

“It’s probably dangerous outside…”

Her round eyes wavered with faint worry, then fell into confusion. It seemed like she wasn’t sure if it was right to worry about the man who had threatened her without thinking.

“……”

Do-kyung stared at her face, which clearly showed her thoughts, silently, before pulling Bo-yeon’s wrist. He was planning to tie her up and leave.

“I’ll follow you…!”

Bo-yeon shook her head, pulling her hand away to avoid being tied up.

Maybe he thought she would change the bunker password so he couldn’t come in and hide inside alone. Bo-yeon had thought about it too.

Thinking about what Do-kyung had done, he wouldn’t let her off the hook. He would tie her up so tightly that she couldn’t move. What would happen to Bo-yeon if he didn’t come back?

She imagined her body slowly dying, painfully suffering from hunger and necrosis due to lack of blood flow. Bo-yeon thought it would be better to follow him. In a way, being left alone like that was scarier than death.

“But you’re doing this because we can come back alive, right…?”

“Just follow me without making a sound.”

He said it calmly. It was clearly a very dangerous and serious matter, but he didn’t seem to care. Bo-yeon’s life might be in danger as well. She grabbed his hand once more.

“Please save me….”

“……”

Seeing Bo-yeon sobbing, he felt a strange thirst and was overcome by an impulse. Without any regard for safety, he grabbed her small hand and pulled her.

In the end, Bo-yeon was dragged into the lawless night, with only the warnings to not make a sound and to follow him.

“……”

 

The night, devoid of light, brought great fear. Bo-yeon, who only remembered the bright, vibrant night view of Seoul, was bewildered by the darker scenery than she had expected.

All the artificial lights that had once decorated Seoul’s night were gone. Of course, natural light hadn’t disappeared.

Not only humans, but also nocturnal animals, could see nothing in the complete darkness without light.

The word “night” doesn’t mean complete darkness. Streetlights, car lights, and indoor lighting were gone, but natural light such as moonlight, starlight, and the diffused light from the night sky still existed.

However, human eyes could not perceive it. One’s night vision was very poor. It’s not that they couldn’t see anything, but on a night like this, they could barely make out blurry shapes in front of them.

Bo-yeon couldn’t understand Do-kyung. How on earth could he walk so normally and without hesitation?

He seemed used to nights like this, but Bo-yeon wasn’t. She realized she had been too complacent. It was largely Do-kyung’s fault. He spoke so casually that she thought it would be okay if she just listened to his voice.

However, as soon as Bo-yeon went outside, she lost her sense of sight. She knew that there would be zombies everywhere, but she couldn’t tell. She barely managed to suppress a scream when a human-like figure passed by her. Even the sound of chirping insects was eerie.

The only thing Bo-yeon could rely on was Do-kyung’s hand, briskly leading her forward. As she followed him, her mind became blank, and she longed only for that hand.

If Do-kyung were to let go of her hand like this, there was nothing Bo-yeon could do. She would be dead. Bo-yeon, who still lacked faith in him, felt as though she would burst into tears at any moment.

Her hands, soaked with sweat, desperately clung to Do-kyung’s. She had no choice but to hold on to him. The hand of the man who had mercilessly threatened her was now Bo-yeon’s only hope. He seemed to hear her unspoken plea in the small hand that clung to him, begging him not to let go.

I don’t want to. I’m scared. Please save me. Please save me. Please save me…. 

It was a moment when the corners of his cold lips twisted cruelly.

Do-kyung’s destination was very close. Even though he was walking carefully and their pace was slow, it didn’t even take five minutes. However, Bo-yeon was so nervous that it felt several times longer.

“It’s over now.” 

“No, nhn… Please, I’m scared…”

When Do-kyung closed the door and entered the sealed room, Bo-yeon was about to let go of his hand but clung to him instead, almost dizzy.

Click. The flashlight turned on. Bo-yeon’s face, trembling, was soaked with tears.

Do-kyung clicked his tongue inwardly as he examined her damp face. He hadn’t even started taming her yet, but her fragile will seemed to have already broken.

Her face, pale with fear, was gentle, and it made him thirsty again.