Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The apocalypse was fair to everyone.

***

A truly shitty world had come.

Isn’t that right?

It was already hard enough to make a living day by day, and now, on top of avoiding zombies, I had to be wary of other people as well.

It was the same now.

One whole hour.

These supplies were the result of walking for an hour through a zombie-infested area.

And now I was on the verge of losing that hard-earned loot to armed robbers.
T h i s w a s co p i e d f r om k i n g m t l. o r g

How could I be in a good mood?

The moment the gun was pointed at my temple, the emotion I felt was none other than resentment.

‘Damn…’

If I give this up now, how much more suffering will I have to endure?

It’s enough food to last a month, and I only have two days’ worth of food left at the hideout. If this keeps up, I’m not going to die from a zombie bite but from starvation.

I was resentful and angry.

With such feelings, I started to roll my eyes to find a way.

‘Two of them.’

Whether it’s a small shelter or they came out for a patrol because the shelter is nearby, there were only two.

Moreover, their builds were small.

Judging by their height, which barely reached my shoulder, and their frail frames, I thought I’d win in a physical fight.

‘The problem is that gun in his hand…’

In fact, this was the only problem.

No matter how great a world champion in martial arts, no one can move faster than the speed of a finger pulling a trigger.

“Put the bag down.”

The muffled voice from the gas mask echoed again.

‘…Voice modulation.’

They probably had some device inside the gas mask.

Well, considering shelter people have many enemies, it’s understandable they would hide their identities.

I slowly put down the wrench and started to take off my bag, showing that I had no intention of resisting.

Of course, I didn’t really intend not to resist. I was just making such a gesture.

Isn’t that how people are?

No matter what they do, when success is within reach, they tend to lower their guard without realizing it.

I was aiming for that gap.

“Hey, gentlemen… Can we talk this out? Look at me. I don’t want to fight with you guys~.”

I spoke with maximum softness, and the guy with the gun nodded.
T h i s w a s co pi ed f rom ki n g mt l.o rg

The guy behind him, holding a crowbar, approached me.

It seemed like he’d keep the gun pointed at me.

‘Damn, so suspicious.’

…Actually, that’s the right thing to do, but still, it pissed me off.

I swallowed curses as I watched the guy with the crowbar rummage through my bag.

The guy with the crowbar nodded and slung the bag over his shoulder.

Then the gunman nodded at me.

“Get lost.”

They probably meant for me to leave.

Don’t make me laugh.

I had no intention of leaving like this, even if I died.

‘Let’s think…’

A physical fight will do.

Then I will surely win.

The most important thing in a brawl is one’s build, and I’ve never lost a fistfight in my life.

I can’t lose to such scrawny bastards.

A gun.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki ng m t l . o r g
A crowbar.

T h is w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
And what I have is a monkey wrench.

I held my breath.

‘They can’t just shoot wildly.’

Think about it.

Why do you think I, a civilian, don’t carry a gun even though shelter people do?

Because it’s hard to get?

No, getting a gun is so easy it’s boring.

Guns left by soldiers during the initial chaos are scattered all over the streets.

Is it hard to shoot?

Don’t be ridiculous.

Who can’t pull a trigger?

The reason I don’t carry a gun is simple.

‘You don’t want to become zombie food either, do you?’

This is right in the middle of the road.

Surrounded by buildings.

Even if they cleaned up the area, there must be remaining zombies.

Zombies react sensitively to sound and impact.

A gun creates both, so they wouldn’t shoot recklessly either.

‘You don’t kill zombies with guns.’

Bullets have a narrow impact area.

In other words, they’re the worst weapon for smashing a zombie’s skull.

So, guns are tools used by shelter leaders to threaten people.

‘Now…’

The gun was against my temple.

What does that mean?

It means the gunman is within my attack range.

Holding my tension, I waited for an opening.

And finally, the moment came.

“Hup!”

The moment the guy inhaled, I jerked my head back.

The startled gunman moved.

This w a s cop ied f r o m k in g mt l . o r g
I quickly closed in and tackled him with my shoulder.

“Ugh!”

The gunman groaned.

“Die, bastard!”

I clenched my fist and punched the gas mask.

Thud!

The gunman’s head bounced off the floor.

T his w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i n gm t l. o r g
Judging by the sound, they had something padded on the back of their head, too. Well-prepared, aren’t they?

While I was thinking that, my body moved quickly.

I reached out and grabbed the gun the guy was holding.

Disarming the guy who was weakened by the impact was easier than eating cake.

All this in one breath.

Immediately, the guy with the crowbar, who reacted late, tried to attack me.

Click.

“Freeze, you bastard!”

I grabbed the guy I subdued by the neck and pointed the gun at his temple.

“Where do you think you’re going, you little bastards? Acting all high and mighty.”

I grinned menacingly as a threat.

I wanted to show that I’m a crazy bastard who can laugh even in this situation.

That I’m a lunatic who could shoot at any moment.

The guy with the crowbar flinched as if he was scared.

I gestured with my eyes for him to put the crowbar down.

Clang.

The guy with the crowbar dropped it on the ground.

He raised his hands above his head.

Judging by how he looked at the guy I was holding, they seemed quite close.

“Alright, alright. Let’s come to an agreement. First, put the bag down.”

The guy with the crowbar put the bag down.

Wow, he listens well.

I complimented him inwardly and then gave him another instruction.

“Okay, now take off that gas mask. I need to see your face.”

Click.

I tightened my grip on the gun as I said that, and the guy with the crowbar hesitated.

Well, I understand.
T h i s w as co p i e d fr o m ki n gm tl.o r g

As I said before, shelter people have many enemies.

If their identities are revealed, they’ll have to be more cautious of people than zombies.

Of course, that’s none of my business.

Even in this situation, the guy with the crowbar kept flinching like he was sitting on an invisible electric chair.

The guy I was holding struggled and shook his head.

I spoke, deeply moved by their bond.

“What are you waiting for? Do you want me to put a hole in your friend’s head?”

If there’s hesitation, a good person should remove it.

I said in a cheerful tone, and the guy with the crowbar, clenched fist, put his hand on his gas mask.

“Don’t…!”

“Hey!”

T h i s w a s c op i ed f ro m k i n gm t l .o r g
The guy I was holding tried to speak, but I tightened my grip on his neck to stop him.

It sounded like he was grinding his teeth inside the mask.

Poor thing, that will ruin your gums.

While I was worrying, I heard a ‘click’ sound, and the clasp of the gas mask was released.

Revealing the guy’s face.

And then.
T h is wa s c op i ed f r o m k in g m tl .o rg

‘…A kid?’

My movements stopped.

A boy, who looked like a middle schooler at best, with baby fat still on his cheeks, stared at me with a scared face.

“…Please, let us go.”

Suddenly, my heart sank with a thud.

*

Who do you think is the rarest kind of person in a ruined world?

The elderly?

No.

Most of the elderly couldn’t adapt to the harsh life and died, but there were still many old people alive, and most of them sat at the top of the shelter hierarchies.

Then, women?

Sorry, but that’s also wrong.

Even though the world has ended, it’s only been five years. If you try, you can still find living women anywhere.

…I think you roughly know what I’m getting at.

Yes, it’s children.

The rarest kind of person in this ruined world is a child.

Children have no means to protect themselves.

They lack the judgment to adapt and survive the apocalypse, the strength to fight zombies, or the political power to form groups.

They were the ones who died the most and were most likely to die after the apocalypse, so they are rarely seen.

So, I didn’t consider it.

Even though the armed robber had a small build, even though he seemed awkward for some reason, even while holding him in my arms.

I never imagined they were children.

I turned my creaking head toward the gas mask in my arms.

I unlocked the clasp of the gas mask with a dazed mind and looked at the face revealed inside.

‘This one too…’

It was a child.

A pretty girl who would be in every school.

Like the middle school girls I used to teach.

She glared at me with fierce eyes.

As if looking at a horrible monster she couldn’t tolerate.

“You bastard…!”

She spat out a curse, filled with malice.

My head hurt.

“This is…”

I tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

I grimaced and clenched my teeth, barely managing to speak.

“…Who are you?”

T h is w a s c op i e d f r o m k in g mtl .o r g
Why are you kids out here?

Why aren’t you with adults?

A shelter, right?

It’s the only remaining society in this ruined world, right?

No matter how rotten the shelter is, they wouldn’t let kids out on their own.

They wouldn’t give kids guns to hold… would they?

A question filled with countless doubts.

There was no answer.

I made my face even more menacing and asked again.

“…Who are you? Which shelter are you from?”

Maybe my expression was too scary.

The boy with the crowbar standing opposite looked terrified.

The girl in my arms bit her lip and said.

“…Let him go.”

Her face was full of resentment.

My heart pounded.

Unable to find any words, I opened and closed my mouth, then let out a hollow laugh.

“You have no guardians, do you?”

The girl’s face turned pale.

What surfaced was a deeper look of defeat.

It was certain.

These kids were without guardians.

The reason for their pale faces was obvious.

Fear.

They were terrified of what I might do.

The fear had overwhelmed them.

My arm loosened.

One thought occupied my mind.

‘Why…’

Not ‘How did you survive on your own?’ but ‘Why are you on your own?’

That thought tormented my mind.

What does it mean to be middle schoolers now?

It means they were elementary schoolers when the world first fell apart.

In a world where elementary school kids couldn’t survive on their own, these kids were living without guardians.

It only meant one thing.

They ran away from someone who was supposed to protect them.

‘Damn…’

How did the world come to this?

No matter how ruined it is, this isn’t right.

As such indescribable emotions welled up in me.

“Run!”

The girl took advantage of my loosened grip and tackled me.

I tried to regain my senses and stop her, but she acted quicker.

Bite!

“Ugh…!”

The girl bit my right wrist that was holding the gun.

The sudden shock made me react instinctively.

Bang!

The hand that had been on the trigger moved.

A loud, ear-piercing gunshot echoed through the air, making my mind go cold.

The girl smiled with a fierce expression.

“Die, you bastard.”

As if she was willing to die, she clung tightly to me.

And behind her voice, a chilling death cry echoed.

Grrraaaaah-!

End of Chapter