Infected - Chapter 21



Only Noblemtl

Episode 20

Finance opened his eyes to the sunlight tickling his eyes.

It was difficult to tell if it was a dream or reality.

But the feeling of frustration, as if someone was covering his mouth, was clearly felt.

The pattern of the tiles visible on the ceiling became clearer and blurred several times.

I barely came to my senses, but I couldn’t get up because of the inexplicable lethargy that was washing over my entire body.

I tried to move my arms slowly, but something kept getting in my way.

I reflexively lowered my gaze.

A hose was wrapped around his arm, connecting his face to an oxygen tank.

Above it was a wrinkled ringer, like a crop withered by drought.

For a moment, my chest felt tight.

I could barely swallow saliva through my throat that was so parched and dry.

Phew-

The emperor roughly took off the oxygen mask.

My hands and feet started to tingle because the mask was actually preventing me from breathing.

How long have you been lying down?

With just one movement, pain shot through my fingertips.

As I was about to press the call button to call a nurse, I looked around because of an unfamiliar feeling.

The only person lying in the double room is Jae-Jeong.

The bed on the other side was completely empty.

The chairs piled high in front of the door and the glass windows cracked here and there made the finances even more embarrassed.

I tore off the blackened tape that was covering the ringer’s needle.

The tattered needle was so weak that it looked like it would come out if struck lightly.

Finance once again rose up with renewed strength.

I lowered my head to the dizziness that was creeping in, but the bloodstains scattered in the hallway poured cold water on my half-asleep mind.

Crash!

“Ugh!”

I managed to get out of bed, but collapsed as soon as I set foot on the bed.

I couldn’t find any strength in my legs.

He was rubbing his body on the bare floor as if he was paralyzed from head to toe.

Only after a few minutes did the finances stand in perfect condition.

I didn’t even have time to put on slippers.

He just walked towards the glass that gave a clear view of the hallway with a blank expression.

The hallway was a mess, as if a war had broken out.

As I walked down the long hallway to the nurse’s station, there was nothing standing or standing still.

Not only were there dried bloodstains scattered on the walls and floor, but the electricity didn’t even seem to be working properly.

I looked around calmly once again.

I tried to understand the current situation as I watched Ringer’s medicine run out and the oxygen mask stop producing oxygen.

But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

“ah…….”

I was about to say something, but my throat got so dry that I had to swallow my saliva.

A rough sound like metal grinding echoed through the quiet hospital room.

“Is there anyone?”

I spoke with some force, but my voice was so quiet that it would have been difficult for anyone in the hallway to hear.

The voice that could not get out came back as an echo through the walls.

A slight feeling of uneasiness crept in.

“If anyone is there, please open the door!”

Now that he had come to his senses, he spoke much louder than before.

I listened in just in case.

But there was no sound in return.

It was clear that at least on this floor, no one could hear the voice.

I turned around, sat down on the edge of the bed, and drank the water that was on top of the refrigerator.

As the lukewarm water entered my body, my mind gradually cleared.

How many minutes passed?

Suddenly, I looked out the window at the sunlight that tickled my eyes.

Part of the outside scenery was visible through the half-open blinds.

Jaejae, who had been blankly staring at the gap, suddenly stood up as if he was about to start a game.

Then he walked towards the window as if possessed by something.

As the blinds slowly rolled up, the scenery outside came into view.

Finance couldn’t close its gaping mouth.

This was the identity of the strange feeling that had been creeping in since I opened my eyes.

The scenery unfolding before my eyes.

As soon as I saw this strange yet familiar scene, I got a severe headache.

Black smoke rising everywhere and buildings burning brightly.

A street with cars overturned in a mess and not a single person passing by.

I rubbed my forehead as the pain grew increasingly worse.

I looked around, forcing myself to take a deep breath.

After several confirmations, I realized that it wasn’t a dream, but memories from before I fell asleep came flooding back to me in a jumbled manner.

Memories came together so quickly and intricately.

‘But why am I alone?’

Finance was looking around for his belongings in a hurry.

But Jae-jae’s clothes were nowhere to be seen in the hospital room.

There was nothing, not even a cell phone, shoes, or a wristwatch.

Let’s think, let’s think.

No matter how many times I tried to remember what the situation was and why I was here alone, all my memories after falling asleep had completely disappeared.

Let’s think about it slowly.

I met Min-yeong, went through selfish people, and met Anna on the rooftop.

Only Young, who knew how to operate the transceiver, succeeded in communicating with the military unit.

After that, I washed up and lay down in the storage room and listened to Minyoung’s story before falling asleep.

It felt like I had been sleeping for a very long time, but it was strange that I felt so tired that I almost collapsed.

But why are you in the sickroom?

That was when.

As Jae-jae was staring at the blazing pillars of fire outside the window, something flashed before his eyes.

Someone was standing in the hallway outside the hospital room, reflected in the glass window.

I quickly turned around at the strange feeling of incongruity.

That’s right.

There was someone standing in the hallway.

An old man with gray hair and wrinkles and a young man in a neat suit were looking at the finances.

They stood there motionless, but their faces had a bluish tint to them that made me feel uneasy.

But the strange thing was that the faces I was seeing for the first time somehow seemed familiar.

‘Who is it? I’m sure I’ve never seen your face before.’

While Finance was tilting his head, urgent footsteps were heard from the hallway.

This time a woman appeared wearing a white gown.

The woman, with a fearful expression on her face, tried to drag the two of them somewhere.

But the men didn’t move from their spot.

Even though the woman cried, blew her whistle, and pulled at his arm, he didn’t move an inch like a stone statue.

Right then.

The old man who had been standing still suddenly called out to Jaegyeong.

“you…….”

A tremendous amount of tinnitus came rushing in.

The old man’s voice echoed in my ears like a bell ringing, and it went through my head.

Finance staggered around in pain, clutching his head, and eventually collapsed.

“Look here… … .”

The voice echoed again, piercing into my ears like a wave.

I screamed like a madman in unbearable pain.

“Stop! Stop it!”

Jae-jae, who had been screaming, opened his eyes with a start.

“Are you okay?”

As I took a deep breath, Youngman’s palm waved before my eyes.

Youngman stood with a worried face.

Jae-jae let out a long sigh and rubbed his face.

I had a fucking nightmare.

“… Yes, it’s okay. No, I think so.”

“It looks like you had a nightmare. Well, it would be stranger if you didn’t. Take this.”

Young-man held out a cup filled with water.

Jae-jae accepted the cup silently and stroked his throbbing head.

“Come out when you feel better. I have some good news.”

He answered by nodding his head.

I wanted to tell him I understood, but I didn’t feel like it, and I didn’t have the energy to do so.

It was such a vivid dream.

I didn’t think I’d have nightmares like that because so much had happened in one night.

Isn’t it because I’ve experienced things that are hard to believe rather than simply because I’ve experienced a lot of things?

Finance took a sip of water and sat up.

I definitely felt better after sleeping.

Judging by the fact that the sun was just beginning to rise outside the window, he must have slept without moving until dawn the next day.

“after…….”

He rolled his stiff shoulders and sighed again.

Finance slowly got up.

The steps leaving the warehouse were much lighter than before.

The people scattered across the third floor were no longer interested in the appearance of finance.

It seemed as if hostility had crossed the line into indifference.

Jaejung sighed slightly and shook his head at their appearance, then walked up the stairs to the rooftop.

Clank-

The rooftop I returned to was completely different from the afternoon the day before.

There was a cool breeze, and dark clouds that looked like they would pour down rain soon.

Anyway, it wasn’t bad.

A cool breeze seeped through my still-dry T-shirt.

It wasn’t just the weather that had changed.

Perhaps it was because of Youngman’s unexpected ability, but Anna and her group seemed to have become much more amicable.

Young-man was operating the machine and saying something, while Beom-sik, Min-yeong, and Anna were surrounding him.

The sight of him carrying a large bow was quite unfamiliar.

The group that had just discovered Finance on the rooftop all looked back.

“What’s the good news?”

Finance asked, running his hands through his windblown hair.

Then Minyoung answered.

“I think we’ve established contact, and they should be able to send a helicopter here sometime tomorrow. I think the rescue team will have to come back.”

“How many?”

“I told them about our staff and they didn’t reject me. I guess they can accept it.”

“Even if we have enough personnel, we won’t be able to fly a helicopter because of the weather.”

Jae-jae muttered as he looked up at the dark clouds.

Beomsik laughed at the sight of such finances.

“How can you sleep so long in this day and age? And how loudly you snore.”

“What kind of times are these? You need to sleep well and eat well to have strength. Did you get some sleep?”

“I don’t sleep much, like most people.”

When Jae-jae laughed as if he found it ridiculous, Beom-sik also raised the corners of his mouth.

“They said the rescue would arrive the day after tomorrow… So have you thought about what you’re going to do in the meantime?”

The group just stared at each other’s faces without answering.

I worked very hard to get here, and after going through many things, I finally got some sleep in two days.

So I never thought about what would happen next.

In the first place, it was meaningless to make plans for the future when Min-yeong’s survival was uncertain.

Honestly, I never thought Minyoung would be alive.

‘But if the four of you have been putting your heads together until now, you must have talked about something.’

Finance stepped forward, pushing aside the thoughts running through his head.

“No, you’ve only been listening to the transmissions so far? What are you going to do if the soldiers don’t come? Are you going to starve to death?”

“Do you have any good ideas?”

Jaejae nodded to Youngman’s question and walked around.

“Listen carefully. In my experience, support comes when it comes, and it comes when it’s right in front of you. Until then, we have to find a way to survive. The 2nd and 3rd floors of the annex, and the rooftop are safe, right? Then we have to check how much food and drink there is. Since rescue is promised, we have to figure out the remaining supplies and go distribute them. Right?”

Everyone nodded slowly.

“As I said earlier, support may not come. Considering that, you should share food and drinks as little as possible. Lee Beom-sik and I will take care of the second floor, so the three of you will take care of the third floor. You said Anna, right? If you and Min-young take care of the third floor and there’s anyone who doesn’t cooperate, curses, or makes you angry, remember them and tell me.”

“I don’t really like to nag. And I’m not good at dealing with people. So someone else goes to the third floor. I’d rather fight those zombie bastards.”

Anna said in an annoyed voice.

“Then don’t say anything and just stand behind me. That’ll be fine.”

“If you act unlucky, you never know what you might do. But that doesn’t matter, right? Just don’t say anything later.”

“Wait a minute, I didn’t tell you to go yet. Just wait.”

Finance called out to Anna as she was coming down the stairs.

Infected people