Marauder of the Apocalypse
Chapter 149: Winter

Jeon Do-hyung lay dead on the floor, a hole in his head. Seeing this sight, Sa Gi-hyeok froze stiffly as he illuminated the corpse with his flashlight.

In contrast, Park Yang-gun quickly pulled out his pistol and aimed it precisely at my head.

"Kim Da-in. What is this..."

Park Yang-gun had drawn his pistol almost instinctively, but his mind seemed to stall, leaving him unable to finish his sentence.

I fiddled with my soaking wet hair, then removed my mask entirely. What was the point of wearing a mask when I was already infected with the virus?

Taking off the mask I'd worn constantly gave me a sense of liberation. Every breath in and out brought a refreshing feeling. With my face exposed, I displayed an unburdened expression and said:

"Jeon Do-hyung tried to assassinate me, so I killed him."

"Really? But there's no weapon on him..."

Park Yang-gun quickly scanned the scene and noticed that Jeon Do-hyung appeared unarmed, but soon saw that I was drenched in water.

"Yes. I'm infected."

I stretched widely. Though my body felt like it was dying from exhaustion, I strangely felt refreshed.

In our chairman's designed apocalypse, the virus was the most terrifying thing, but for someone already infected, there was nothing left to fear. It truly meant having nothing to lose. It felt as if all my shackles had been removed.

I glanced at Park Yang-gun and Sa Gi-hyeok and leisurely leaned back on the sofa.

"Did you eat the fried rice?"

"No... Don't tell me Jeon Do-hyung put the virus in it?"

"Yes."

Sa Gi-hyeok, who had been frozen like a statue, suddenly came to his senses and his hands began to tremble. The flashlight he held shook erratically.

"I didn't eat because my mind was preoccupied, but about half of our people already... Why would he do such a thing..."

Sa Gi-hyeok, looking down at Jeon Do-hyung's corpse with uncomprehending eyes, suddenly bowed his head as if having realized something. As if this kind of thing was not unexpected for people like us.

I tossed my mask away with a flick and grinned.

Half of them had eaten rice contaminated with zombie saliva. As expected of my murder supporter. A murder supporter who had learned by watching me at my side had moved with the resolve to die, and his talents were displayed without restraint.

'Virus terrorism, organization destabilization, information leaks to the enemy.'

Even though he couldn't kill people directly, the damage was horrific. I was almost proud to have been targeted by such an elaborate operation.

And Jeon Do-hyung's actions had inspired me.

What would I do with the three weeks I had left? What should I do to cause the greatest damage to the world's people in those three weeks? It all came down to support. Since there was a limit to what I could do alone, no matter how much chaos I created, I needed to encourage more people to become marauders and take action.

Just then, Park Yang-gun backed away and said:

"This is too sudden and bewildering. I understand for now. Get some rest."

He was retreating while still aiming his pistol at me. Sa Gi-hyeok, seeming to sink into darkness yet with eyes dimly reflecting the flashlight's glow, was lost in deep thought before turning away.

"Maybe. No, never mind. I'll first inform those who are infected about the situation."

"No. Don't tell them. Let them rest peacefully. I'll tell them tomorrow. Today is the last day they can sleep comfortably, isn't it?"

"Then how do I explain the gunshots?"

I closed my eyes and lay down on the sofa.

"I don't think there's any need to explain... Just brush it off somehow."

"Understood. ...Are you alright, Da-in? Even though you're infected?"

Sa Gi-hyeok was asking about my well-being. I waved my hand dismissively.

"I actually feel better. It's refreshing not having to wear a mask anymore."

I really was fine. In a way, I'd gained a weapon. Hadn't I become a virus generator? And naturally, the madness of someone with nothing to lose followed.

Sa Gi-hyeok closed the door and left. Left alone, I continued my thoughts in the darkness until I drifted into sleep.

***

Morning came. Had I slept maybe three hours at most? Perhaps because my body, abused all day yesterday, was crying out in pain, I woke before anyone could rouse me and stood by the window as dawn brightened.

"Snow?"

Outside, snow was falling. The first snow of the season. In the hazy world beneath dark clouds, fluffy white snow fell, turning everything white.

When I opened the window, a chillingly cold wind rushed in, blowing snowflakes into the room. Right on cue, the wind blew wildly, and a blizzard swirled chaotically.

This was no gentle first snow but a heavy snowfall.

I let out a hollow laugh.

"It failed."

With this much snow, even the fires would be extinguished. In the end, my attempt to burn the city had failed due to heaven's capriciousness.

No, it wasn't just the fire that had failed. Everything had failed. The alliance had survived, Jeon Do-hyung had betrayed me, and my marauder group would disintegrate.

Winter. True to the season of death, I had lost everything. The life I had sustained by stealing from others was coming to an end.

I stretched out my hand and felt snowflakes landing on my palm, melting away. Like my mind with only three weeks left, the snowflakes disappeared, turning to water.

'Three weeks is an excessively long time.'

A grin spread across my face. What did it matter if winter was the season of death? For someone who would become a zombie in three weeks, there was nothing to fear. Rather, it was a good season to move with death as a companion.

Just then, Sa Gi-hyeok burst through the door.

"You're awake?"

"Yes. It's snowing. Looks like winter has arrived."

"That's the problem. No, there are multiple problems. First, the snow makes it harder to move. We'll have to stay here until it stops."

That made sense. How could we walk outside in this blizzard?

"And we need to explain Jeon Do-hyung's terrorism from yesterday. What are you going to do?"

"I'll go out shortly and announce it to everyone."

I spoke without much thought. I wanted to personally inform them that they were infected, to see them fall into confusion and despair.

Jeon Do-hyung had launched this virus attack to bring me down, but even this was just another form of entertainment for me.

Sa Gi-hyeok nodded in understanding, then suddenly held out a piece of paper to me.

"Please take this."

"What is it?"

As I approached and took the paper, it appeared to be a handwritten letter.

"It's a letter left by Park Yang-gun. When I woke up and checked, he had left alone."

Park Yang-gun had gone? I briefly looked down at the letter. The writing was scrawled hastily, as if in a hurry. I could almost picture Park Yang-gun writing alone in his room.

"He has his reasons for leaving. That's the kind of person he is."

Instead of reading the letter, I recalled the past.

The master of betrayal and escape who had decided to betray us the moment zombie blood splattered on the Hope Church pastor's mouth. A survivor who sensed the timing to flee before anyone else.

The current situation was similar to that time. He must have fled immediately upon learning I was infected with the virus.

In a way, he had detected signs of the marauder organization's collapse before anyone else, and the fact that Park Yang-gun had turned his back meant there was no future here.

Sa Gi-hyeok hesitated, opening his mouth then closing it.

"I also have something to... No. I'll speak after you've explained the situation to everyone."

I quietly looked at Sa Gi-hyeok. The con artist. A man who valued exit strategies. Was he also planning to leave?

"Alright. I'll read the letter and then come out, so please gather everyone outside."

"But it's snowing. No, yes sir."

Sa Gi-hyeok closed the door and left. I was alone. Snow gusted through the open window, stealing my body heat. I turned my body to gaze at the white world outside before reading the letter.

Kim Da-in. A farewell may be unnecessary, but I've decided to leave this letter because the time spent with you was enjoyable.

I skimmed the hard-to-read handwriting. It wasn't a long letter.

With you infected, there's no future here. But I wonder, is there a future in running away? I'm not sure anymore. Running from my family, running from the church, and now running from your side. The situation has only gotten worse with each escape. I probably won't survive the winter.

Gloomy yet calm writing. Surprisingly, Park Yang-gun had accepted his predicted death. And sought something else as he departed.

So I want to try finding my family before I die. They might still be alive. It would be nice to see their faces before I die.

Having accepted death, Park Yang-gun had chosen to return to his family's side.

Park Yang-gun ended with a farewell tinged with humor.

I hope I never see you again. Kim Da-in, I don't want to face a zombie that used to be someone like you.

I smiled faintly, folded the letter, and tossed it into a corner. My weapons were malice and venom, but as a zombie, I wouldn't be able to use them.

Rather, I'd probably become a clumsy and weak zombie, having started to learn too late.

Looking out the window at the winter landscape, I offered a farewell that Park Yang-gun couldn't hear.

"Both your family and you will die. But."

Everyone would die. Winter was a harsh season after all. Nevertheless, I prayed with a small hope.

"I hope you kill more people before you die."

In this world, one had no choice but to take from others to survive. The longer Park Yang-gun lived, the more victims he would claim.

Having seen as much at my side as Jeon Do-hyung had, I hoped Park Yang-gun would use what he had learned from me to kill as many people as possible.