Chapter 17
“Shall we go in? There might be something we need.”
I nodded quickly. Having people around would be better, but that seemed impossible. I just wanted to gather any useful items we could find. After confirming my agreement, Kim Doyun moved forward with purposeful strides, paying no mind to the shadows.
Compared to Kim Doyun, I felt pathetic and conflicted by how frightened I was. Unconsciously, I tried to avoid the shadows as I walked, then gritted my teeth and forced myself to step forward. The dirt and concrete debris crushed beneath my toes.
The path to the building was particularly thick with trees, making the shadows dense. However, there were fewer trees beside the building, so much of it was bathed in sunlight, and some of the pavement blocks still remained. This made the building seem more intact compared to other places.
I looked up at the building that stood apart from the shadows. Though I’d said it was in good condition, the exterior was severely cracked and distorted, making me worry that the moment we opened the door, the whole structure might collapse. That small worry instantly grew and tumbled around in my mind.
“Wait a moment.”
I stopped Kim Doyun, not wanting to be crushed to death by a collapsing building. He turned to look at me as he was reaching for the door.
“Will this building be safe?”
I examined the building carefully with a serious expression. Kim Doyun briefly considered the precarious structure. He showed no sign of frowning or concern. He tapped his chin, quickly finishing his assessment before smiling. His calm was almost bizarre.
“It should be fine.”
Without hesitation, he pushed the door open with force. The cracks in the doorframe widened, and debris from the ceiling came crashing down, leaving a dusty coating on the floor.
I suppressed my heart, which felt like it had split open along with the cracks. Though dust had scattered everywhere, the building was indeed intact as Kim Doyun had said. If it had collapsed, then Kim Doyun and I would have… I swallowed dryly. Meanwhile, Kim Doyun, standing firmly at the entrance and scanning the interior, nodded toward me.
“The inside is cleaner than I expected.”
“This isn’t so much clean as…”
I peered through the space where Kim Doyun had stepped aside. Sunlight streaming through the windows was warming the interior of the building. A family restaurant, abandoned by both owner and customers, greeted us with a musty smell, having lost its former neatness. I clicked my tongue, waving my hand through the dust.
There weren’t any intact pieces of furniture in sight; everything was collapsed. The floor was uneven and covered with broken tiles, making it difficult to walk. It was better than the forest full of undergrowth and roots, but the clattering sounds our steps made were irritating.
Kim Doyun began searching for useful items, rummaging through the floor and tables. I joined in, moving a table that was rolling on the floor, and searched the drawer underneath it, pulling out a large garbage bag. I also found three or four tablecloths and handed them to him.
Kim Doyun shook out the tablecloths and put them in a plastic bag. It seemed like they would keep us warm in our sleeping place for a while. He fiddled with the bag, then took out another one and tore it to create an easier-to-carry shape.
“That’s good.”
I was satisfied after lifting the bag with its newly made handle and shoulder strap a couple of times. But Kim Doyun examined the remaining bags and shook his head, saying:
“We had no choice this time, but next time let’s use vines.”
True, we probably wouldn’t need bags much in the future, but it was better to save them as much as possible since we didn’t know what might happen. As I was agreeing with him, a clattering sound came from somewhere. My spine stiffened, and my smile froze.
“…What was that?”
My voice diminished to something as faint as the beating of a fly’s wings. I clamped my mouth shut in fear, and Kim Doyun lightly patted my shoulder before looking out the window.
He pointed outside and picked up an iron rod lying on the floor. It was a curtain rod, hollow inside but thick. I wanted to grab his arm. It seemed like a dark monster, or some unknown entity we hadn’t seen, might try to devour Kim Doyun.
This building had an unusually large number of windows. The large windows that once provided good lighting now hung in tatters, having lost their frames. It was still daytime and there was light, so perhaps it would be fine if we stayed near the windows. But we didn’t know the entire building, nor how far the windows extended or how far the dark tree shadows stretched.
Feeling like a freshwater fish caught in a trap, I grabbed a broken table leg. But Kim Doyun took my wrist and lowered it.
“?”
Kim Doyun didn’t speak. He shook his head, then brought his finger to his closed lips and made a light gesture. His hand pointed to various parts of the building before ending at the bag. When he saw I didn’t understand, he slowly repeated the same action. Only after seeing it a second time did I grasp his intention. He was communicating with his hands while watching for danger outside.
‘I’ll go alone, search the building for useful things.’
I wanted to object, but Kim Doyun was firm. He caught my rising arm once more and pushed it down, shaking his head.
Kim Doyun wanted to go outside to investigate. If he saw anything dangerous, he would return immediately, and we would just grab what we needed and escape. But we had only found something to use instead of blankets and hadn’t explored the other areas yet. Feeling it would be a waste, I understood Kim Doyun’s thinking.
I stood in front of the bag, still holding the table leg. Kim Doyun looked at me with a slight smile before carefully disappearing outside. After confirming he had left, I quickly but carefully began searching the building. I didn’t want to do something stupid like making loud noises that would attract whatever might be outside. The plastic noise was unavoidable, but I tried to minimize the rustling sounds.
The bag quickly filled up with the items I was gathering. While wiping away sweat formed from tension, my eyes fell on an area I hadn’t searched yet. With only one small window, it was somewhat dark.
The restaurant kitchen was packed with a refrigerator, countertops, and sinks. There were also heavy curtains and precariously hanging cooking utensils. I was about to pass them by casually when I hastily covered my mouth upon seeing a dark curtain up close.
“…!”
A person who had hanged himself was dangling like a torn curtain. I couldn’t take my eyes off the corpse, which had lost all body heat and turned pale blue. It was the second corpse I’d seen since the accident. But it felt more vivid and frightening than the person crushed under the street tree. For good reason—the corpse’s face still couldn’t let go of the fear and pain even after death. The glass shards embedded in the man’s fingertips and arms made it even more distressing. Blood splattered around the kitchen, leftover food, and glass fragments. Nausea rose to my throat.
“Huk, heuk…”
I bent over, suppressing the scream that threatened to burst out and pressing my palm against my racing heart. This is not the time, this is not the time. Desperately repeating that thought, I forced my body to move. My hands trembled in fear as I searched through the refrigerator and shelves. I wanted to take down the corpse, but there was no time for such considerations.
The refrigerator inside had been out of order for quite some time, so there probably wouldn’t be anything usable, but I felt compelled to check anyway. While trying to search the refrigerator, I noticed a small iron door right next to it. The door, which looked thick at a glance, seemed to lead to a storage room. A storage room connected to the kitchen… I moved to the iron door without delay.
But in front of the iron door, various objects were piled up. Starting with concrete, there were commercial-sized seasoning containers, overturned chairs, and curtain rods. As I pulled these items out, I thought it was strange how they were stacked. It looked as if something had been locked inside. I stopped removing the objects and turned my gaze to the corpse.
“…No way.”
What if the man had trapped something inside and piled these things up? Suddenly feeling a chill, I quickly put the objects back where they had been. I started stacking them more firmly than before, but my hands were slippery, and cold sweat poured down. My heart nearly dropped to the floor when the chair I was holding slipped. I took a deep breath and carefully stacked the objects. That’s when a thudding sound came from the door.
Goosebumps ran all over my body.
Gritting my teeth and watching the iron door, I moved my feet. I almost tripped over a can but managed to keep my balance. The spoiled food released a foul smell as it was trampled, but I couldn’t spare even a bit of attention to that. Just as I finally reached the kitchen entrance and was about to turn my body, a black shadow greeted me.
Shhshik
I wanted to believe it was just a shadow, but I knew well that it wasn’t. Behind the pitch-black, glossy body, the light from the kitchen window was faintly visible. The door to the storage room hadn’t opened. So… were there two of them? The elongated claws scratched the floor, making a sharp sound. Swallows of saliva and sighs went down my throat.
Shhik
The monster’s split throat bulged and then contracted. The throat had a structure where the muscles were completely exposed without any skin. The thick blood vessels seemed to sprout from the throat muscles, intertwining here and there before being sucked into the head. The creature reacted to my gaze, which was slowly traveling up its body. Its mouth, with no trace of lips, twitched, and its exposed teeth reflected the pale sunlight.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
