Antisocial Chapter 40

Chapter 40. Wall

While taking a break for lunch, white snow began to fall heavily. Without any weather forecast, the snow felt like a sudden surprise.

“It’s almost March. Why is it snowing?”

“Won’t it pile up on the road if it keeps snowing?”

Since there was no one around to spread calcium chloride¹, the road to Seoul would surely become a tough course.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go before it piles up more?”

Bo-yeon asked him. Do-kyung, who didn’t seem to care much about the snow, was staring intently at one side of the road.

“Huh? It’s a car!”

“Isn’t that a police bus?”

A blue police bus was driving down the snowy road. A few zombies were hanging from the back of the bus, but they fell off on their own as the bus entered Do-kyung’s deterrent area. The bus came to a stop in front of them.

Kiik. The trio stood up nervously.

The driver’s window rolled down.

“Do you guys have any mutants?”

At the driver’s question, Bo-yeon absentmindedly looked at Do-kyung. Her neck stiffened. The trio stood there without much reaction, no one answering hastily.

Tension hung in the air between the two groups.

The passengers on the bus were pressing their faces against the window, staring at them.

They didn’t look like police officers; everyone appeared quite shabby. It had been so long since Bo-yeon had seen so many people that she didn’t know how to react.

“Since this isn’t far from the defensive line, could they be from a nearby refugee camp?”

Bo-yeon glanced at the noisy bus interior and asked Do-kyung. The trio also looked to him for guidance. However, once Do-kyung learned the identities of those approaching, his expression shifted to one of indifference.

“Take care of it.”

“Yes! Hyung!”

Led by Ji-won, who quickly responded, the trio moved busily to organize their camping gear. On the other side, it seemed they realized the group was preparing to leave, so an old man opened the window and shouted.

“We’re all civilians! The zombies attacked the refugee camp, and we had to escape! Please help us!”

Others quickly joined in with their pleas.

“The bus is out of gas!”

“We can’t go far like this!”

“We can’t even turn on the heating! We’re all shivering!”

The passengers had hollowed cheeks, their eyes heavy with exhaustion. Some were visibly shivering, unable to afford thick clothing.

It seemed they couldn’t even turn on the heating due to the lack of gas. It was a sight that naturally stirred sympathy.

‘What can you do?’

But suddenly, those words came to mind.

“I” couldn’t do anything for those people. If Bo-yeon tried to act alone, she would surely become prey to the zombies before she could accomplish anything.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to simply sit back and do nothing while people were in need. Finally, she spoke, her gaze fixed on Do-kyung’s expression.

“H-how about letting them follow us to a nearby building…?”

The area was too exposed. If they left them here, zombies would inevitably attack the bus again. A building to hide in would provide much better protection.

In Bo-yeon’s eyes, it was the bare minimum of humanitarian aid. It wouldn’t be too difficult for them either.

“If they have common sense, they’ll move on their own.”

It was a form of permission. Bo-yeon nodded and prepared to signal for them to follow.

However, Do-kyung grabbed Bo-yeon and stopped her.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? They’re civilians, but there are no elderly people or children.”

“Huh?”

“And there aren’t many people on the bus.”

“What…?”

Bo-yeon turned around and glanced at the bus. There were about ten people, but the bus had plenty of empty seats. There were no elderly people or children among them.

They had claimed that the refugee camp was attacked by zombies and they fled, but only the quick ones made it onto the bus?

The bus, which could fit 50 people, was barely half full. Why such a small group?

Bo-yeon felt a wave of confusion.

“Just leave them alone.”

“……”

The atmosphere on the bus shifted suddenly, growing tense as the passengers scrambled to get off.

“You’re telling powerless people like us to die, what are you talking about!”

“You have so much!”

“I’m hungry!”

“Just take us! There are only five of us!”

“Yeah! The others should fight even if they die!”

Their faces twisted with desperation as they huddled together, pushing forward with growing aggression.

“What should we do?”

Do-kyung leaned close to Bo-yeon, his voice low but urgent, as the passengers seemed ready to erupt into a riot at any moment.

“R-right now, we need to act calmly…!”

Bo-yeon paused before speaking, suddenly aware of the eerie silence around her.

The people stood motionless. The trio and the passengers resembled frozen plaster statues, as if petrified by Medusa’s gaze.

“What happened to them…?” Bo-yeon asked, her voice low.

“It’s complicated.”

Do-kyung replied, his tone flat. He released his power, and the people slowly returned to their senses, exchanging confused glances.

“……”

Bo-yeon’s mind drifted to the mutant that could control other zombies.

After defeating the gourmet mutant, Do-kyung had gained the ability to camouflage by absorbing the red fog. While he had been influenced by the Gourmet’s camouflage, it seemed he could also use its control abilities to a certain extent.

The white snowflakes swirled fiercely, biting into Bo-yeon’s nape.

Do-kyung’s ability to surpass human limits was becoming increasingly unsettling.

* * *

Do-kyung made an unexpected choice.

“You’re going to take those people to the refugee village?”

“You said humans should live in society.”

“T-that’s right, but…”

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Bo-yeon couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It was as if she had received a fortune telling her that today’s luck would be bad.

“You should go check it out. See what happened to the society you were talking about.”

“……”

Do-kyung hid the weaponized car in the parking lot of a nearby building and climbed into the car the trio was driving. Though it was a large SUV, the backseat felt cramped due to the amount of luggage it was carrying. The trio squeezed together, trying to make room.

“Um, can’t we just wait here…?”

Hyun-seop asked, leaning forward uncomfortably.

“If a refugee crosses the border, they could die. But I’ve escaped once… haha.”

“What does that mean?”

This was the first time Bo-yeon had heard this information, as she knew little about refugee camps.

“Isn’t martial law in effect nationwide? If you try to cross the defense line and get caught, you could be shot. Anyone who steps outside the defense line risks becoming a zombie—a threat to the military. They need to set an example for those who don’t follow orders.”

“Ah….”

Bo-yeon, who had grown up in a democratic society, felt a sense of emptiness but reluctantly agreed. That was the reality of martial law. In a wartime situation, even basic human rights were disregarded.

The more dire the situation, the stricter the military law had to be.

“Is the refugee camp situation really bad enough to risk your life and cross the defense line?”

“Yes.”

Hyun-seop, who had most recently escaped the refugee camp, answered firmly.

“We, we’re immune, and we’ve been captured once…!”

Ji-won, his face also pale, timidly raised his hand in protest.

“Your slaves… their loyalty is terrible. Why don’t you raise something else?”

Do-kyung turned the steering wheel and glanced at Bo-yeon, though he wasn’t addressing her.

“Haha. I didn’t say anything.”

“I lied for a moment! I’m sorry!”

“I’m sorry!”

The backseat instantly became noisy.

Bo-yeon, dumbfounded, watched as people were being dragged toward the refugee camp. Not only the trio, but also the bus passengers, were being cornered.

As the pier area shrank along the path Do-kyung was taking, zombies began chasing the bus from behind. The others followed Do-kyung, driven by the need to survive.

“Are you really going into the refugee camp…?”

At that point, Bo-yeon felt like she should stop Do-kyung.

“It’s clear when you see it with your own eyes.”

“…….”

Do-kyung rarely reversed a decision once he’d made it. Without hesitation, he pressed the accelerator.

Soon, he came upon soldiers armed with tanks and heavy weapons, their positions marked by barbed wire.

“Stop! Stop!”

Do-kyung brought the car to a halt upon seeing the signal.

The soldiers guided the new refugees with practiced efficiency. At this point, the refugees were typically those who had fled other camps overrun by zombies, now searching for a safer place.

“Wait outside this line!”

The people who exited the car stood in the line the soldiers had pointed to. Bo-yeon felt a cold sweat running down her body as she saw the numerous gun barrels aimed in their direction.

She had the sinking feeling that any reckless move would result in bullet holes.

The waiting area was nothing more than a stretch of road, likely for visibility. Bo-yeon, bundled in thick clothing, felt her toes freezing, while those without proper winter gear shivered uncontrollably from the cold.

In contrast, Do-kyung seemed unfazed, wearing only thin clothes. His body was clearly beyond human capabilities. Watching him only made Bo-yeon feel colder.

After enduring the biting wind for about ten minutes, they were finally granted permission by the soldiers.

“Please come in one by one, in a single line.”

The stiff, sharp tone made her tense. Bo-yeon carefully followed the instructions.

As she entered the tent, she saw administrative soldiers along with others holding guns.

“You can sit down and fill out the forms.”

“Yes.”