Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 55: Scavenger

Becoming a zombie didn't seem to specially change their sensory organs. They didn't become more sensitive or duller. This meant if you hid well enough, even zombies could pass by without noticing.

That's why I wore clothes that could blend into the darkness as much as possible. From a black baseball cap to black sneakers. This was right for a city night during a blackout.

I also carefully prepared weapons. Emergency pistol, hammer, flashlight as a makeshift flash bomb, alarm clock for bait.

"Going alone makes me a bit uneasy..."

After finishing preparations, I looked in the entrance mirror and recalled the list of people. Since I'd just be secretly gathering weapons, I needed someone discreet. Since I wouldn't be sharing with street people, a marauder companion.

The few names that came to mind were crossed off one by one.

'Sa Gi-hyeok can't handle physical work. Do-hyung is iffy too. Park Yang-gun is really the only choice.'

Park Yang-gun, with his night vision and expertise in escape, was the optimal talent.

I checked the time on my phone. Not long until the blackout. I needed to convince him quickly. When I hurried to visit Park Yang-gun, he greeted me with a bewildered look.

"Going thieving? Why're you dressed like that?"

"Yeah. Going to get the weapons from the dead police and archers. Want to come?"

When I said that, Park Yang-gun scratched his head and went inside.

"Wait a bit. Let me finish eating. Need to fill up before working."

"Not much time until the blackout..."

"I'll eat quick."

I waited at the doorway. People lower their masks while eating. No need to get unnecessarily close.

Peeking inside, I saw Park Yang-gun eating pathetically. Without even a table, he just put a ramen pot and kimchi container on the floor, hunching over to hurriedly slurp up the noodles.

"Let's see, clothes that make less noise..."

After practically drinking his meal, Park Yang-gun roughly tossed his dishes in the sink and quickly gathered his gear. Dark colored clothes that wouldn't make noise, shoelaces and kitchen knife for weapons.

He spoke casually:

"How are we splitting what we find?"

"Half and half."

"Clean and simple... But will anything be left? Should confirm the info before going out to work."

A thief's words. The attitude of being careful from the preliminary work of selecting theft targets.

I suddenly thought:

'Is it because he's a criminal? Seems to think about profit before danger.'

Well. Logically, would someone who commits crimes care that much about danger and loss? In the end, they focus on the short term despite knowing they'll get reported and punished.

A nature fitting for a marauder.

"Something must be left."

"I don't know. Could've been recovered, other scavengers might've taken it, zombies might be carrying it."

Park Yang-gun put on a black mask and approached me saying:

"Why not hit other people instead?"

"...Other people?"

"Houses with candles or electric lanterns lit. Houses letting out food smells from dinner."

For a moment I was tempted, my heart pounding. Rob survivors who carelessly left traces? Food, soap, toilet paper, shampoo, disinfectant, masks - endless resources to gain?

But I came to my senses and shook my head. That wasn't the current priority.

"Weapons are most important. Replenishing our force comes first."

"If that's the case, nothing we can do. Just have to hope weapons are left."

Park Yang-gun shrugged. With that we left through his entrance. Right as we reached the first floor, the blackout hit, darkness falling as if someone had flipped a switch.

This was my first time walking the city streets since summer arrived. At night no less. The darkness was thick. With just a thin crescent moon, even the moonlight was faint on the streets. I could barely make out Park Yang-gun walking ahead.

Occasionally forms that were hard to distinguish between zombie and human writhed in the darkness. Sounds of stepping on trash or corpses scattered about.

"..."

"..."

With no street cleaners, trash was strewn everywhere. Each piece of trash was a trap. A trap that made noise when stepped on. A source that would reveal my position.

We kept our mouths shut tight and moved to the road which was somewhat less dirty.

It was suffocating. The hot temperature despite being night, leather clothes worn for defense with thick jeans and winter gloves. Plus the darkness severely pressed on our minds.

We'd startle terribly when something that seemed like an animal - cat or dog or rat or pigeon - brushed past, and when sudden footsteps came from nearby we'd turn around in panic.

Though I was hidden in darkness, so was everything else. It felt like assassins were lying in wait everywhere, searching just for me.

'Zombies, robbers, marauders... Wouldn't be strange to find anything.'

Sweat beaded heavily. Inside my gloves, mask, hat. My heightened nerves felt the discomfort sharply.

I wanted to immediately throw off my mask, hat and jacket, and turn on the flashlight brightly.

'Stay calm. Don't reveal your presence. The first one spotted dies.'

While barely following Park Yang-gun's presence ahead, I forcibly turned my gaze to the sky.

Though the ground was a mess, the sky was clear. Unlike the darkened city, stars were spread thickly. That was all.

Getting my mind back in order, I moved my feet one step at a time without sound. That's when it happened. Thud, my foot hit something. A light but dull sensation. A person or zombie or corpse.

"..."

I carefully raised my hammer while looking down. Something that seemed human was visible in the dark vision.

A person crouching against a nearby car. The part that appeared to be their face slowly rose to look up at me.

Confusion and terror suddenly rushed in. A figure right in front of me that I hadn't detected at all, something so close.

'What is this? Zombie? Human?'

No, was that important? Whatever it was, kill it.

I immediately swung down the hammer. Crack, I felt the heavy impact. The unknown figure slumped down. Only then did I let out a long breath of relief.

A whisper-like voice came from beside me.

"...Looks like a person."

I startled and raised my hammer again, but realized it was Park Yang-gun just before swinging and relaxed my arm. Instead I grabbed him with my other hand and hurried our pace.

Belated grumbling arose in my mind.

'What kind of person does that? Why are they out like that at night?'

Had they lost hope in life and come to the streets? Did something bad happen? Was that car their treasure they couldn't leave? I didn't understand why they'd scare people like that.

More heart-dropping moments continued after that.

While walking silently, I accidentally made a loud footstep, and heard someone else ahead also startle and step roughly.

"..."

Everyone seemed to peer into the darkness trying to gauge each other before awkwardly naturally moving apart.

Sometimes we'd kick a fallen can making noise and hurry away as fast as possible, sometimes I'd hear following footsteps and jump around to find just a panting dog.

I let out a deep sigh.

'I'm an amateur survivor too.'

Getting startled by little things. No matter how much I forcibly thought about raiding, or surviving by any means necessary, or other harsh thoughts, I couldn't help my weak mind.

I couldn't control the excessive tension. I'd never trained for or experienced this before.

Rather, many people had adapted better than me.

I recalled the figures I'd seen in the darkness. Though I couldn't tell if they were zombies or humans, there seemed to be quite a few humans.

'Seems like many people judge night safer than day and move around then.'

In a way it made sense. In broad daylight zombies and humans were clearly distinguishable, and the blacked-out city center was actually easier for sneaking around.

People wandering the streets hidden in darkness gathering resources. People who hadn't stockpiled enough resources like me, adapted in different ways while busy surviving day by day.

I gripped my hammer tight.

'Really no one to take lightly. Can't let my guard down.'

Just then, Park Yang-gun tapped me. We'd arrived. At the school.

I whispered quietly:

"Please find the items."

Better to have Park Yang-gun with his night vision search for items. I went to check the main gate first while watching our surroundings.

The quiet dark school. I reached out carefully, feeling the iron bars. Though I couldn't feel the texture and temperature through my gloves, I could find the handcuffs locked on the gate.

When I applied slight force, the gate made a creaking friction sound as it started to open before stopping.

Though this proved the gate was properly locked, I shook my head. There were many things beyond the gate. Things like desks and chairs. Objects piled like stairs.

'The zombies already escaped.'

They used tools to escape. Avoiding the barbed wire walls, they piled desks and chairs at the main gate to climb over. No, corpses too.

I leaned my face close to the bars to check the corpses' faces.

They'd made steps by randomly piling desks and chairs with corpses on top. Probably the virus generator's doing. Only that zombie had learned this much.

Maybe it had even packed all the school's food in bags before escaping.

'With this level of intelligence, it might come for revenge against me.'

Would it remember me shooting it with the taser, tying it outside, letting children torment it?

While I was lost in thought feeling my hammer, Park Yang-gun tapped me. There was a rustling sound and quiet voice.

"Got pistols, bullets, stab-proof vests. No bows or arrows."

"Let's head back."

I quickly turned around. Zombie revenge or whatever, getting back safely was the priority right now. Even with the weapons we'd wanted so badly in hand, death would end everything.