Dead Land: A Zombie Apocalyptic Fiction(JeongTae SS)

Chapter 1

After 8 months

I frantically ran my eyes around the forest where I had been staying for the past few weeks. My feet move forward, trying to locate Jungkook.

Deep within the Forest is the best place to hide from the infected. So far, only a few infected have stumbled through the forest, which is manageable. Even though we are somewhat protected here, we must keep an eye out for wild animals. Fortunately, we encountered only a small fox. 

There are survivors outside, in town. Who knows, maybe someone lives in the same forest as us. After fleeing our home, we had no one to guide or assist us. Initially, it was difficult. Sometimes I wondered if I should ask for assistance.

However, seeing a perfectly healthy man push his companion against an infected person made me lose faith in humanity. They do not care about anyone but themselves. Yeah, I know. I do not care about anyone except myself and my brother. And I will undoubtedly finish whoever comes for us. But I will never, ever hurt someone who is innocent and does not bring me bad luck. Even if I wanted to, Jungkook would not let me.

Back then, while watching Train to Busan, I told my family that humans are scarier than zombies and ghosts. They laughed at me, and I laughed along with them. But is not this true? I am experiencing and witnessing the cruelty of humanity. Those who are infected are not humans; they are unaware of their past. But what are those who are healthy doing? They will kill you coldly, without regard for you as a human being, for the sources you possess. The citizens' atrocities turned the land into a brutal environment. And I am afraid to return to the open, in the presence of the survivors.

Talking about living in this infected land and trying to survive is difficult. We must move from place to place, avoiding the crooked eyes of both infected and surviving humans. It was my luck that I survived until now. Food sources are becoming more scarce by the day. We have some crackers, granola bars, canned food, and other snacks that I do not recognize. We do not want to use it right now; instead, we are saving it for using later. And in this wilderness, we can hunt and eat. And, Kookie, have I told you? He excels in every field. He made a bow and arrows out of tree branches and can shoot well. So we have got plenty of food for now. We have plenty of water, too. After deciding to stay in the wilderness, the first thing I wanted to do was find a water source. We were able to find it. We are staying 1.5 kilometers away from the stream. If anyone comes looking for water, this is the best place to hide away.

By the way, I forgot to mention that my main weapon is an axe. It is lightweight and portable, and it perfectly cracks the infected's skull. I got it from the little house where I had stayed before moving deep into the woods. I have two handguns and enough bullets that I scavenged from a gun shop. However, I cannot use it; the least I wanted was to attract them.

I examined everything over the last few months and learned some facts about these infected. There are two types of infected: walkers and runners. Walkers are manageable because they move as slowly as a sloth. However, runners are quick, aggressive, and strong. It is best to avoid them at all costs. Once you are in front of them, you are dead. I think I can handle them, but I am not sure because I only encountered one runner. I remember how it dashed towards me, its nasty mouth producing inhumane growls. It died after a single shot, but I unintentionally attracted more infected. And since they were walkers, I was able to run. Benefits of having long legs. Back to my knowledge, once bitten, you will turn within two to three hours, maximum four--I believe it varies depending on your immunity level.

After arriving here, we made a sleeping arrangement above the ground, on the tree; I know it is uncomfortable. But, you do not want to die, right?

Well, we were sleeping earlier. We lack sleep, but we need it to move forward. When I woke up, Jungkook was not there. It was his turn to keep an eye out, but who knew if he would vanished when I awoke.
It is daylight. But my brother's absence made me angry. What if some infected attack him? This little boy will never listen to me.

I put my thoughts aside and focused on finding him. The crackling sound of the dried leaves under my boots is the only thing heard.
An infected, a walker luckily, is stumbling towards me. The infected resemble a lady due to their dress and hair. Her skin was rotting and appeared to be about to fall off her bones at any moment.

In my panic, I forgot to bring my axe and any sharp objects. 'Good thing, Jeongyeon-si; now what? Want to be the 'food'? I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts.

I moved backwards, keeping an eye on the disgusting creature that moved slowly towards me. I saw a broken branch of a tree lying on the ground. I quickly grabbed it and swung against the infected's head. It easily falls to the ground and attempts to get up. I truly admire its "never-give-up" attitude.

'Oh shoot'...there goes my mind again.
Using all of my strength, I stomped on its head twice with my thick boots, crushing it under my feet and stopping its movement. Told ya it was rotting and easy to crack.

I sighed and stepped back from the oozing blood, wiping it on the dried leaves. And I started looking for my careless brother again.
Shuffles of feet could be heard to my left, and I looked in the direction expecting to see another walker or runner. But it was Jungkook. His hands are full: his right hand is holding the bow, the arrow is swinging on his back, and his left hand is holding a live rabbit.

"Noona," he said, looking at both me and the dead walker.

"Where did you go?" I asked him seriously. He should have informed me before leaving. Heck, we should stay together until the end.

"I...I went hunting," Kookie said slowly, probably feeling guilty.

"And"? I asked, my gaze drawn to the rabbit in his hand.

"And I found him, but I could not kill him." He gave the rabbit a sympathetic look.

"You should not have left in the first place, Kookie." I'm frustrated right now. He went hunting alone and came back with a live one.

"But I want to help you," he said quietly, placing the bunny on the ground. It hopped away back into the wild.

"You do not have to, and if I had wanted to, I would have asked you," I said as I walked towards where we were staying.

"But I wanted to do it myself," he insisted.

"Kookie, you are the only one I have left. I never left you alone because I did not want to lose you. We have enough food and water for two weeks and will continue to collect it. It is not that I do not trust you alone, but you are too young. I do not want you to fight with them. You should enjoy...nevermind. "Just do not go alone again," I pleaded helplessly.
That is how I am feeling. How will I make him understand that I am scared?
I sat down on the ground, tired, against the tree's bark.
He joined me and gave me a tight hug.

"I will never do it again, Noona," Kookie sniffled, he is still a baby.
I soothed him.

"Am I controlling?" I asked him. I know I am preventing him from carrying out his wishes.

"No, noona, you are just protective, and I like it," Kookie replied.

"Aha!" This made me laugh. I tickled him, making him laugh.

That is when I heard the sound. A gunshot was heard about a kilometer to our right. It is dangerous.We need to leave. It is no longer safe here.

_____

Stream "Butter" by BTS

A buttery bye💛
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