Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The Harsh Season (4)

***

A large hospital in the center of Seodaemun.

As we arrived, a look of fear crossed Jinwoo’s face.

“It’s so eerie….”

His words, uttered with a shiver, were understandable.

Abandoned hospitals have long been a staple of horror movies, even when civilization thrived.

I chuckled and patted Jinwoo on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! The only thing that might come out of there is a zombie. That’s all.”

“Isn’t that even scarier?”

“It’s winter, remember.”

Jinwoo let out a nervous laugh, seeming somewhat relieved.

I then turned to Ki-hyun and asked,

“Ki-hyun, are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

Ki-hyun replied with a yawn.

The tip of her nose was red from the cold.

Despite this, her relaxed expression showed she wasn’t feeling any tension at all.

I worried that she might get careless, but it was better than being too tense and making a mistake.

“Alright, let’s enter the hospital. We’ll stick together from the first to the third floor. After that, we’ll split into two teams.”

“Is that necessary?”

“From the fourth floor on, we only need to check the nurse’s stations and medicine rooms. There’s no need to waste manpower.”
T h i s wa s co p ie d f ro m k in g m t l .o r g

As I explained, the old man spoke up.

“How will we divide the teams?”

“You, Jinwoo, and Ki-hyun will be one team. I’ll go alone.”

“Are you sure…?”
T hi s w a s co pi e d f r o m ki ng mt l . o r g

Concern appeared on the old man’s face.

Why was he suddenly so touching?

I laughed and answered,

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course.”

The old man laughed too.

With the atmosphere lightened, I took a step forward.

“Let’s go then.”

Our exploration of the hospital began.

***

A hospital without electricity is eerie.

The waiting room chairs, once filled with sick patients, creaked as their surfaces peeled away, and the reception desks, where staff used to call out names, were now shrouded in darkness.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n gm t l . o r g
Creak-.

Creak-.

The floor, with its peeling paint and lifted tiles, made strange noises with each step.

In the dim sunlight filtering into the hospital, Jinwoo spoke.

“Ugh… I really don’t like this.”

T hi s w a s c op ie d f ro m k in g mt l . o rg
True to his fearful nature, Jinwoo was visibly uncomfortable with the eerie atmosphere.

Ki-hyun, on the other hand, yawned indifferently, while the old man tightened his grip on his tools, leading the way.

I scanned our surroundings intently and then spoke.

“Let’s check the emergency room first. It’ll be easier to find emergency supplies there.”

“Ah, yes.”

We walked cautiously.

It made sense.

Even though it was winter, zombies in narrow hallways could lead to accidents.

Especially if one appeared around a corner.

Creak-.

Creak-.

We carefully approached the corner near the emergency room, and I raised my hand to stop the kids.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i ngm t l . or g
Peering around the corner, I saw them.
T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k ing m tl . o rg

‘Two of them.’

Two zombies at the emergency room entrance.

I signaled with two fingers, and the old man whispered as he approached.

“I’ll take the one on the left.”

I nodded.

Then, with a loud thud, I charged forward.

It was a signal.

The old man followed right behind me.

Two zombies with their heads against the hallway walls.

Without further words, we swiftly crushed their heads.

Crunch-!

The sound of breaking bones echoed, followed by silence.

After catching our breath, the kids joined us.

From within the emergency room, a moan echoed.

“Grrr….”

“There are zombies inside too.”

This was a good sign.

Zombies inside meant no one had visited this place recently.

‘It’s either already looted or there’s still something left.’

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, the old man and kids guarding my sides and back.

One, two, three.

‘…No, five.’

Five overlapping moans from inside.

“Get ready.”

Jinwoo swallowed hard and answered.

“Yes…!”

Five zombies.

Under normal circumstances, they would be formidable foes, but not now.

Winter was harsh for both them and us.

Crunch-!

***

“Not bad.”

After dealing with the zombies and rummaging through the emergency room, we had a decent haul.

A box of bandages, two bottles of anti-inflammatory drugs, and although we lacked painkillers, it was still a good amount of emergency supplies.

I exhaled deeply and looked at the medicines displayed on a wall.

‘Not knowing what’s what….’

I couldn’t tell if they were useful or not.

We could take everything back and ask Helen or Mr. Park, but it would be too much to carry.

‘Better to take what we’re sure about.’

I sighed and turned around.

“Alright, if we’ve got everything, let’s keep moving.”

The kids adjusted their backpacks.

The old man, having gathered scalpels and alcohol, joined me.

We had to hurry.

Even if we searched the entire hospital, the chances of getting everything we needed were low.

We had to finish this hospital in the morning and move to another one in the afternoon.

After thoroughly searching the examination rooms and medicine storage up to the third floor, we barely managed to fill two backpacks with supplies.

They were the ones others had missed, lying on the floor.

‘Damn it.’

Much more had already been looted than I had expected.

And there were more zombies than I thought.

‘This is probably a bust.’

The presence of so many zombies indicated the place had been looted long ago.

T hi s was c o p i e d f rom k in g m tl . org
Standing before the stairs to the fourth floor, I hesitated.

‘The chances of finding anything useful….’

Were low.

Higher floors usually had fewer supplies and more patient rooms, hence more zombies.

Even in winter, it was too dangerous considering our stamina.

I made a decision.

“…Let’s withdraw. Even if we go to the upper floors, it’ll be hard to meet our target.”

“Do you know any other hospitals?”

“I have two more places in mind. Let’s hope they have what we need.”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g

The old man agreed.

“Good thinking. No need to take the kids to dangerous places.”

I looked at the kids’ faces.

Although they hadn’t broken a sweat due to the cold and the quick fights with zombies, they seemed mentally exhausted.

“Let’s go, kids.”

Their expressions brightened a bit.

Suppressing my uneasy feelings, I led them out of the hospital.

***

The next hospital was about 700 meters away.

A ten-minute walk if we moved quickly.

But I deliberately took a winding path through narrow alleys.

The kids were puzzled by my actions.

“Uncle…? Why are we going this way?”

It was a reasonable question.

I always advised them to take streets or main roads, yet now I was choosing alleys.

I didn’t give them an answer.

Their confusion grew, and the old man seemed to catch on, frowning.

“Is it him?”

He whispered.

I nodded.

“He doesn’t use main roads.”

Why was I taking alleys?

I was looking for someone.

The Artist.

The second purpose of today’s outing and one of Seoul’s blacklisted individuals.

I might have explained before.

To be blacklisted, one had to pose a physical threat to a shelter or be a thinker who could disrupt the shelter’s system.

The Artist fell into the second category.

A bizarre figure who appeared only in winter and painted strange murals all over the city.

I hadn’t explained him to the kids for this reason.

‘We mustn’t meet him.’

The Artist was a terrifyingly persuasive speaker.

He could negatively influence the kids if they encountered him.

It was best to keep his existence unknown to them.

“Uncle…?”

Jinwoo’s voice broke my thoughts again.

Startled, I answered.

T his w as c opi e d f r o m k i ngm t l. o r g
“…Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“That’s okay but….”

Jinwoo scratched his cheek.

I forced a smile and explained to Jinwoo.

“I just have a bad feeling. I think we might run into other people if we take the main roads today. It’s winter, so let’s try using the alleys for a day.”

It was a hastily made-up excuse, but luckily, Jinwoo seemed convinced.

I took a deep breath and looked ahead.

‘Roughly three more blocks.’

We would reach the hospital by then.

I had to find any trace of the Artist before that.

‘I’ll send the kids and the old man to the hospital and meet him alone.’

It was still noon.

Considering the amount of work he completed over a season, he might have already done something in Seodaemun.

My senses sharpened.

My eyes moved busily.

Finally, I found his trace just one block away from the hospital.

T hi s w a s c op i ed f rom k i n gm t l . o rg
In a spot where the kids couldn’t see, behind a pile of trash, was an unfinished mural.

A boy hugging a zombie.

End of Chapter