Chapter 20. Patriot (26)
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The road between the southern and western districts, which was said to have been rammed by a crazy elephant, was surprisingly clean. This was because the higher-ups in the church issued an order to ‘clean the roads, even by mobilizing heavy equipment, including bulldozers.’
Miscellaneous items the size of a vehicle quickly become cover. This means that it becomes easier for gangsters to break in. It was important not to give room to the denomination, which was in itself a loss to engage in combat to prevent it.
“We did the organizing work right away. “It was difficult to patrol because I had such a bad flu!”
Elian, who was sitting in the passenger seat of car 1, joked with Catherine, who was sitting in the back seat.
“Oh my god, this is the first time I’ve ever felt so sick! The pain was so bad that it even throbbed in the bones between her fingers. Not just me, but even the kids in our patrol unit, everyone. If anyone had seen it, they would have thought it was becoming a zombie. “It was comforting to know that we were not the only ones who were sick.”
It is said that ‘even a dog can catch a cold in the summer’, but this cold, accompanied by chills and high fever, passed through people like a ghost even though it was the middle of summer. Catherine, who worked at Shelter No. 32, Saw many such patients and suffered only mildly.
“A lot of other people got it too.”
“No, I mean it was more than that. How noisy must it have been to sweep the road with a bulldozer? A lot of zombies died in the chaos, but they still came.
But they also covered my body and were shaking, coughing so hard that their faces were red, and sweating so much that I thought they were exhausted?”
This was like a joke. ‘Zombies will roam the streets whether it’s raining or snowing, but won’t they catch a cold or lung disease? No, she might get heat stroke or frostbite at the very least, right?’ Is the joke.
People now know that even zombies run around looking for shelter when the weather is too bad, and she also knows that zombies also get heatstroke. Moreover, we learn that she shows uncanny resilience, so her life is not the only thing that is lost.
Some people had hope during the cold winter. The story was that when it snows a lot and it becomes difficult to move around looking for food, the number of zombies will naturally decrease. If you’re lucky, zombies that have survived the winter may get frostbite.
‘If we can survive until winter, that is.’
While I was having gloomy thoughts, I saw a sign indicating that I was entering the ‘Central District’.
“Can you see over there?”
Elian pointed to the building outside the window. It was a two-story house with a large yard and a low fence. It seemed to be a housing complex, and the houses around it were all similar in style, but nothing was the same.
“Was your original house there?”
“Is that possible? My dream was to make money and buy a house over there. Of course, to do that, I would have had to live and earn money for 30 years. Hey, I’ve been thinking about nothing and I’m hungry. “Just get some supplies.”
Hunger comes to everyone in unprotected areas. So the Humvee was loaded with food. From military rations such as MREs to ready-to-eat foods that can be eaten simply by opening the package. It was a product from Cybele, a company famous for being tasteless, but the quantity was large and it was worth eating.
When the Humvee driver had finished eating all the bread, the first hardship came.
“The road is blocked.”
Elian was not surprised. When she set out, she did so thanks to Catherine’s forewarning. A series of vehicle collisions is blocking an eight-lane road, and it would be better to find a detour rather than trying to clear it.
“So, guide teacher. “Where should we go now?”
“Our target is the public health center, Elian. Not just any public health center, but a public health center in Silver Town. In that case, it would be easiest to continue along the outskirts road.”
“I guess you don’t like alleys?”
“If you get stuck in an alley or narrow road, you will be trapped and die. Even if you take a little detour, if it’s a big road, there’s a way to take a detour. “I can’t guarantee that it’s 100% certain.”
It made sense. Elian ordered her car to turn around. Before I had gone less than 300 meters, I saw a group of zombies gathered together for some reason. They were humanoid zombies, and there were no animal types to be seen.
“I guess I’ll have to drill through there.”
Catherine thought that Elian looked somewhat excited. She instructed Elian to grab the microphone of her Humvee and say something. Five Humvees lined up on both sides of Car No. 1.
“Extrude!”
As soon as Car No. 1 Moved forward, the other cars also moved in a wedge shape. The soldier sitting next to Catherine grabbed the M60 machine gun mounted in the middle of the Humvee.
“Fire!”
Tatang! Tatang! Machine gunners did not fire bullets carelessly. It’s a machine gun, so if you fire it, the gun will overheat, especially on a summer day like this.
In addition, we had to save ammunition. Most zombies cannot recover from being hit by just one or two 7.62Mm bullets. There is no reason to get excited and fire five shots at the guy in front.
So, the Humvee was advancing at a speed that made you think it was a person walking. In the meantime, dozens of zombies had already died, but many more came running screaming from behind.
“A twist!”
As if they had made a promise, the five Humvees simultaneously turned 180 degrees clockwise. The gunners also stood looking behind them.
“Leave!”
The wedge-shaped formation changed into a /-shaped formation. Each Humvee drove as if the center line of the road lane was a guideline. The Humvee’s gunners also fired only at zombies running in their lane. The speed of the Humvee also increased from the walking speed of a normal adult to a running speed.
“If I just shake it one or two more times, it will break through in no time!”
Elian shouted cheerfully. White teeth sparkled on his dark skin. It seemed to Catherine that the zombie formation would soon collapse.
In the meantime, the gunners did not fire at either end lane. Driving on a road piled with corpses not only feels psychologically unpleasant, but also has a negative impact on the car’s performance. It would have been much better to leave an empty lane and drive in that direction.
‘The situation is much worse than when we left.’
Catherine recalled the time when she was being evacuated from the public health center. There were a lot of zombies back then, but they tended to gather in places where there was a lot of noise, so it was easy for her to avoid them. But it seems like there are more zombies now than back then.
‘In a situation like this, you’re asking me to come see the situation at some guy’s public health center. I wonder if gangsters broke in and stole medicine. ‘That’s funny.’
Suddenly, she wondered if she was still out of the military. Now she is not a soldier but a civilian belonging to the church. There is no reason for her to follow orders unconditionally just because they are given from above….
– Weee!
“What the f*ck!”
A harsh sound erupted. A machine gunner, startled by the sudden sound of a siren, fired his gun into the air.
– It’s an air raid! It’s an air raid! Citizens, please evacuate to the nearest air raid shelter immediately! It’s an air raid!
“What kind of air raid is this?”
Even Elian, who was easy-going, was flustered.
“Stop shooting and take the underpass on the left, quickly!”
Catherine shouted sharply. Under normal circumstances, it would have been easy to wonder, ‘Why should we go underground in this situation?’ But Elian, who was in his right mind, radioed and said, ‘Stop shooting, everyone move to the underpass!’
Thump. Thud. Thud!
There was a loud footsteps that could be felt even from inside the car. They are zombies. The guys who were hiding in buildings, in the shadows, and in remote places were running out all at once, yelling, and fighting among themselves.
“Huh. Whoa. Why the underpass?”
“… Even zombies get excited when they hear sirens. In this case, it’s better to just be invisible. “When it gets a little quieter, I’ll go up there.”
Catherine sighed and leaned her body against her sheet. Her sigh of relief came out naturally.
“Whoa, whoa. “You’re amazing.”
Even the driver expressed his admiration. After a while, the siren sound went off.
“No, more than that, why is that siren sounding? “If it was this loud, it could have been heard in the eastern or southern districts.”
Catherine also had the same thoughts as Elian.
“Isn’t there a short circuit in the system? “The warning system itself is designed to be powered by solar batteries in case of an emergency.”
This time the machine gunner answered. When Catherine looked at her in surprise, she smiled humbly and said, ‘I know that much because I am a low-level civil servant.’
“Anyway, I won’t be able to shoot a gun if it continues like this. When will the commotion up there calm down….”
Elian interrupted her and raised her hand. ‘Power on, silence’ on the radio. ‘Get down low,’ she whispered. On the other side of the underpass, where the light poured in, a person’s shadow was cast.
Two. Three. About four. My posture was awkward, and it felt precarious, as if my feet were lame. They were zombies.
“Don’t worry. The Humvee doors are strong and the windows are reinforced, so they can never be broken through. Just close the top hatch quietly.”
The gunner quietly got up and pushed the hatch. However, it did not close properly due to rust. Her face was red and she was about to use her strength when Catherine came to her aid. It closed quietly.
“Shh. Hurry.”
Both the driver and Elian tilted their seats back. The gunner and Catherine in the back seat lay on their sides. A disgusting body odor wafted out.
“Crung. Kak.”
Tung. Zombies came down at some point and touched the Humvee body.
“Kyaaak!”
Is it because I touched a very hot iron plate with my bare hands? The guys were annoyed. Other guys came around the screaming zombie.