Even Zombies Have Fandoms

Chapter 2

“Most of the food I had stored was taken by others yesterday, so there’s hardly any left…”

With a heavy heart, Muyoung furrowed his brows.

The zombies in the building were mostly cleared out by him beforehand, so if they managed to get inside, it wouldn’t be a huge risk.

Yeah, if they could just get in.

Clearing out all the zombies around the building was beyond Muyoung’s capabilities alone. Therefore, survivors had to risk their lives to enter this building, and Muyoung hoped they would achieve results worthy of that risk as he ventured through the grotesque zombies to find supplies.

However, it was surprising for Muyoung, who had been relaxed, as he had never experienced survivors arriving at such a fast pace before. He thought of the current situation as his own blunder.

“Are the two of them friends?”

Before long, the CCTV showed two people keeping their distance while rummaging through items. It seemed they had deemed that more efficient. Yet, they checked on each other every few seconds, indicating a concern for one another. From that behavior, it was clear their relationship was good.

“Must be nice…”

Muyoung stared at them blankly, mumbling without realizing it.

When was the last time he had a conversation with someone? It felt like a distant memory, as if it had been cut off at some point.

He had simply come back to his hometown for summer vacation. But his parents, whom he intended to meet, had gone on a trip abroad, leaving him with an empty house. It was largely his fault for coming down without telling anyone to surprise them.

Looking back, that was the best choice he had made in his life. But at that time, all his childhood friends were in Seoul, so he was sulking about being alone.

That childish sulking led him to go out to the beach to see people, which was the last thing he remembered. At some point, he woke up in a hotel room he didn’t recognize, with one wrist tied to the bathroom doorknob.

With a clean mouth devoid of any blood and a mark under his rolled-up pants, he could only speculate that he had tied himself up to avoid harming others.

“I want to talk too…”

Muyoung’s eyes drooped like a puppy that had its snack taken away.

He was a being that didn’t have to live in constant tension for survival like others. Initially, he thought it was a good thing, but as time passed, he realized that having nothing to focus on meant he had more time to feel emptiness alone.

Still, he had been managing well enough, but watching the two display their friendship made a wave of loneliness wash over him.

“No! Get a grip, Kang Muyoung!”

He was scared he might take the risk of approaching the survivors and end up becoming a slave.

Clap! Muyoung slapped his cheeks hard with both hands. It didn’t hurt at all, but considering such things while trying to change his actions, his identity was still human.

“Is there anything I can bring them right now?”

Wishing for something he couldn’t do would only bring sadness. Determined to do something productive instead, Muyoung racked his brain.

Unfortunately, there was no food he could give them at the moment. Even if he rushed to nearby places, they had long been cleared out. And going to a distant place would take time…

In the meantime, it was certain that they would leave this place. Survivors never stayed in one spot for long unless it was a hideout they had chosen themselves.

As Muyoung groaned, a good idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

“Oh! I can secretly bring supplies and leave them in front of where they stay later.”

He would follow those two to find out where they were staying. Then he could secretly leave food in front of that place. That way, he could momentarily forget this loneliness, just like he always had.

Just as he was feeling proud of this satisfactory plan, his expression hardened as he saw the situation unfolding on the CCTV.

“Uh, uh? They shouldn’t go that way!”

A man wearing a hat was walking toward the logistics warehouse deep inside the mart. That was where he had corralled the zombies. He hadn’t been able to lock it up because he couldn’t find the key, so he had marked it with an X using a marker.

Usually, people wouldn’t open the door after seeing that warning, but since Koreans have a tendency to push when they don’t see the “Pull” sign, he couldn’t feel at ease.

Feeling unnecessary anxiety, Muyoung jumped up from his seat. The chair fell backward with a loud noise, but he didn’t flinch and quickly dashed out of the security room.

* * *

“Ah, there’s so little…”

Kyungho said, fiddling with his hat. He had found a box of instant noodles, but it was clear that wouldn’t last even three days. With a desperate heart, he bent down as if to bury his nose in the floor, looking around, but there was nothing edible in sight.

‘Well, if this mart is free of zombies, others must have come here first.’

A deep sigh escaped him.

He, along with his friend Junwoo and an older brother he had met due to this situation, had recently left their original place and come to this area.

Fortunately, thanks to his reliable brother and friend, he had managed to get by without much hardship so far, but he couldn’t keep relying on them forever. Kyungho wasn’t a coward; he had a conscience.

But no matter how thoroughly he searched the inside of the mart, he still couldn’t find anything to eat.

Just as Kyungho bit his lip and straightened his sore back, the flashlight beam illuminated a sign on the wall.

“…Logistics Warehouse?”

As Kyungho slowly read the words on the sign, his eyes sparkled.

“If it’s there, there might be something left.”

He couldn’t continue being a burden. In his impatience, Kyungho narrowed his vision and ran straight toward the sign without much thought.

“…”

Then, as he usually did, he pressed his ear against the door. No sound came from inside.

‘Maybe it’s full of food inside.’

Perhaps due to his anticipation, he felt his heartbeat racing in his ears.

Was it because he hadn’t found a single zombie in the mart? Kyungho fell into the dangerous illusion that this place was a safe zone and quickly relaxed, placing his hand on the doorknob.

“Lee Kyungho!”

Junwoo, who had belatedly realized the situation, called out to him, but it was already too late; the doorknob had turned halfway.

Kyungho looked back with a startled expression. Junwoo, his face pale, rushed over and shouted.

“You, get your hand off the door—”

Bang!

Before Junwoo could finish his sentence, a heavy weight slammed against the door with a dull thud. The impact caused the door to open a few inches, pushing Kyungho back a couple of steps. At the same time, a horrifying scream echoed from inside the warehouse.

“Gah!”

Startled, Kyungho gasped and instinctively leaned his whole body against the door to hold it shut. But it was insufficient to withstand the strength of the zombies searching for prey.

Bang. Bang bang—

The force from inside grew stronger, and the gap that had been slightly narrowed began to widen. Hearing the beast-like sounds from within, Kyungho’s heart raced.

“Crazy…”

As he leaned his head against the door, a red line that hadn’t been visible until just now came into his view.

“…!”

Following the line revealed by the flashlight, he quickly realized it wasn’t just a simple red line but a large X mark. Kyungho belatedly understood that he had made an absurd mistake and fell into despair.

In the midst of that, an arm, torn and exposing bones, suddenly crawled out through the widening gap in the door. The protruding arm flailed in the air, searching for prey. Each time the arm, which was flailing aimlessly, brushed against the door, it left behind dark streaks of blood.

“Ahhh!”

“Ugh!”

The vibrations felt through the door coursed through his entire body. The zombies’ eerie howls rattled his mind. The arm, desperately flailing in search of prey, also instilled a sense of terror. Kyungho’s breath quickened.

“Hey, get a grip.”

At that moment, Junwoo, who had rushed over breathlessly from a distance, stood close beside him and pushed against the door with both hands. With the added strength of one person, the door, which seemed like it would be pushed open, miraculously came to a halt.

“J-Junwoo. I’m sorry… because of me…”

Hearing his solid friend’s voice, Kyungho, who had been barely holding on, felt his resolve crumble. Facing the reality that his mistake had put Junwoo in danger made his eyes well up with tears.