Episode 27

As Calyps had predicted, those inside the building were growing restless, arguing over whether they should finally reach out to the people on the fortress wall. The debate was growing increasingly heated. Watching the pointless discussion unfold, Dennis shook his head in frustration.

“I mean, seriously… We’ve had no contact for two days. Do you really think they’ll just pick up like nothing happened?”

“Exactly! This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t turned off the damn radio—”

Liam had been the one to remove the battery, but the order had come from Dominic. As Gale began to berate Liam, he hesitated, casting a wary glance toward Dominic.

‘Tch. What a load of crap.’

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Dennis let out a dry chuckle. At this point, arguing over who was to blame was beyond ridiculous. They should have gone to help as soon as the mutant zombie had been killed.

Yet, despite the mutant’s death, they hadn’t moved. The reason was simple—fear.

Jason, who had been observing the scene alongside Dennis, suddenly stepped forward to block Dennis, stopping him from storming out in frustration. Taking a deep breath, Jason addressed the room.

“We have enough food for now, but you all know the truth. This won’t last. We need to work with the people on the wall while they’re still there.”

If they didn’t, they would only end up further isolated. The weight of his words settled over the room like a heavy fog. A tense, chilling silence followed as everyone nervously glanced toward Dominic, who sat in the corner of the meeting room. No one dared to speak first.

Unable to hold back any longer, Dennis scoffed and muttered,

“At this rate, we’ll be dead from the stench before we even run out of food.”

Even as Dennis bluntly stated the obvious, the room remained silent, aside from a few hushed sighs. They were civilians, not soldiers. Neither Dennis nor Jason was blind to the overwhelming fear they felt. But that didn’t mean they could just sit and do nothing.

For now, they were surviving on their stockpile, but there was a limit to how long that would last. And it wasn’t just about food. Just like on the fortress wall, the people inside the building were suffering from the overpowering stench of rotting corpses. The smell was driving them to the brink of madness.

As the complaints grew louder and the suffocating stench worsened, Dominic finally made his decision.

“Reconnect the radio battery.”

At his command, they reassembled the radio, but no one volunteered to make the call. After a brief hesitation, Dennis stepped up and grabbed the radio. A short signal later, the connection was made.

Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, Dennis broke into a wide grin. Relief flooded his expression as he exclaimed,

“I knew you were still alive.”

Calm but pleased, Calyps’s lips curled into a faint smile as he heard his subordinates’ voices confirming their survival. However, the reunion was short-lived. The two quickly moved on to a serious discussion, and under Calyps’s command, a plan was formed.

Yet, when those listening to the plan realized what it entailed, their faces turned deathly pale.

“W-We’re going down there?”

“If we stay here, this will never end. We need to settle this once and for all.”

Calyps’s firm words sent a ripple of unease through the group. They exchanged nervous glances, their breathing growing heavy. Watching their reaction, Calyps spoke again, his voice calm and measured, as if trying to soothe their fears.

“At least we don’t have to worry about zombies being drawn to light anymore. If we move quietly, we can handle this without issue.”

If they could at least block the breach in the wall, they could prevent the zombies from swarming inside.

A heavy silence fell over the fortress wall.

No one could deny that Calyps was right. Their ammunition was running low, their arrows nearly depleted. Worse, more and more people were falling ill due to the relentless stench of rotting corpses. They were reaching their limit.

Even knowing all of this, descending the fortress wall to silently take out zombies was a terrifying prospect.

Calyps understood their fear. So, rather than rushing them, he simply waited.

Once the panic had settled somewhat, he resumed explaining the plan.

“First, we’ll divide into groups. My unit will take on the zombies in the courtyard, while Derek’s smaller team will locate the breach in the blind spot of the fortress wall. And…”

Calyps paused for a moment, glancing at Noah before continuing.

“Noah will lead a unit that remains on the fortress wall to provide cover for both teams.”

“What?”

Noah, who had been silently observing the discussion, furrowed his brows in surprise at the sudden declaration.

“Since when was that decided? If anyone’s going down there, it’s me. You stay up here.”

His sharp tone carried an unmistakable tension.

“You’re planning to go down there with that arm? Are you insane?”

Noah’s frustration was clear, and truthfully, Calyps understood his point. Even now, despite the painkillers, the throbbing ache in his arm was enough to make his brows knit together.

But he had no choice. If he didn’t take the lead, no one else would step forward.

Back at the border, he had fought with worse injuries. He wasn’t about to back down because of this. Seeing the determination in his eyes, Noah realized words alone wouldn’t stop him. So, he responded even more firmly.

“Fine. But if you’re going, then so am I. If someone as injured as you can fight, why the hell can’t I?”

Calyps shook his head at Noah’s defiant response.

“We need someone to provide cover in case things go south.”

“Then you should stay up here.”

“You know that’s not an option. Not in my condition.”

With his injured arm, precise shooting was out of the question. And if they left it to the untrained fighters, stray bullets could end up hitting their own people. The only one here with the skill to shoot accurately under pressure—aside from Calyps—was Noah.

In the end, the majority sided with Calyps, leaving Noah with no choice but to stay on the fortress wall. His lips pressed into a tight line, frustration evident in his expression. But despite his resentment, he knew this was the plan with the highest chance of success. Even as he silently cursed the decision, he didn’t reject it outright.

“It’s too late to act now. We’ll proceed with the plan at dawn.”

“Are we really sure about this? Going down there?”

“What if the people inside the building refuse to help?”

Even though they had mostly come to terms with the plan, uncertainty and doubt still flickered in their eyes. But as Calyps spoke again, their voices fell silent.

“Even if it’s not safe, we have to go down. That’s the only way we increase our chances of survival.”

Before they realized it, the fear and hesitation in their gazes had been replaced by something else—the raw instinct to survive.

* * *

Dawn broke in a dim glow. As planned the previous day, the two teams carefully descended from the fortress wall. Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads from sheer tension.

Calyps, now on the ground, carefully selected his targets. Moving with even more caution than ever before, he silently approached a zombie from behind and, with a swift and unhesitating motion, stabbed it in the back of the head. Before the corpse could collapse, the team members behind him quickly grabbed hold of its body. They lowered it slowly to prevent the sound of its fall from attracting other zombies.

“Urgh!”

“Mmph!”

People covered their mouths, forcing themselves to swallow the nausea rising in their throats. The sensation of the rotting flesh against their hands, combined with the overwhelming stench clinging to their bodies, made it nearly impossible to suppress their gag reflex. Calyps paused momentarily, allowing them to regain control of themselves before proceeding. Then, moving slowly and as silently as possible, they continued eliminating the zombies in the courtyard.

While Calyps’s team carefully dispatched the undead, Derek led his squad along the fortress wall, avoiding zombies as they made their way toward the suspected breach. It was a war fought in complete silence.

Time crawled by at a suffocating pace. With no way of knowing when it would end, the tension constricted their throats like an invisible noose. Then, just as the oppressive silence threatened to become unbearable, Derek’s voice came through the radio—they had found the breach.

A faint smile crossed Calyps’s lips as he received the message. He signaled toward the fortress wall, where Noah was watching.

“That’s the signal!”

Noah, having kept a sharp eye on the situation from above, immediately relayed the message to Dennis through the radio. Right on cue, the gates, which had been sealed for four days, creaked open.

The zombies outside, drawn by the sound, immediately turned toward the movement. Seizing the opportunity, Calyps and his team drove their blades into the back of the approaching zombies’ skulls. At the same time, the undead outside, seemingly agitated by the noise from within, became even more frenzied.

From atop the wall, Noah took aim and fired. The gunshot rang out like a signal, and as if in response, the remaining survivors inside the building rushed out to join the fight. Working together, they swiftly dispatched the remaining zombies. Meanwhile, the breach in the wall was temporarily patched with wooden planks.

It was only a temporary fix, but the moment the hole was covered, an immense wave of relief washed over the survivors. People gasped in exhaustion, hugging one another as tears streamed down their faces. Even Noah, who had been observing everything from above, slowly made his way down from the fortress wall.

As soon as he stepped outside, Cedric came rushing toward him.

“Young Master! You’re safe!”

“Yeah. Is everyone else alright?”

Noah scanned the faces around him. In the distance, he spotted Dennis and Jason talking to Calyps. He didn’t see Dante or Jacob, but considering they weren’t combatants, they were likely still inside the building. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, he froze at Cedric’s next words.

“What… did you just say?”

“It’s Jacob, Young Master. We can’t find him. I thought he might have been with you on the fortress wall, but…”

“What do you mean?”

“Before the mutant zombie appeared… Jacob mentioned he was worried about you and headed toward the western tower…”

Noah’s face paled in shock, and Cedric hesitated, unable to finish his sentence. But even without hearing the rest, Noah understood.

Jacob was missing.

And the moment Jacob disappeared, the mutant zombie had appeared.

An image flashed through Noah’s mind—Calyps, injured. Then another—Jacob, torn apart by the mutant zombie.

‘…Just like Calyps.’

Noah’s pupils quivered with unease.