บท 5: 4. Zombie Attack
'.....'= Thoughts
"....."= Conversations
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Jin-soo's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the blue panel before him. "System Initiating" it read, followed by a welcome message to the universe of "All of Us Are Dead." Panic bubbled up within him as he tried to swipe the panel away, but it remained stubbornly in his vision. This was no time for exploring the system; the glass doors of the cafeteria were on the verge of shattering under the relentless assault of the zombified students.
Desperately, he tried to close the panel by willing it to close in his mind and finally the panel disappeared from his visi. Realizing he had more pressing concerns, Jin-soo turned his attention back to the chaotic scene. The glass doors finally gave way with a resounding crash, and the cafeteria was instantly thrown into pandemonium. Students screamed and scrambled in all directions, trying to escape the oncoming horde.
Jin-soo's heart pounded as he scanned the room for a potential escape route. Fighting off so many zombies was out of the question, even with his boxing skills. His eyes fell on the kitchen area at the end of the cafeteria. It was a separate section used for preparing food, and it might have something he could use as a weapon.
He sprinted towards the kitchen, pushing past frantic students. Inside, the chefs looked up in confusion as Jin-soo barreled in. He ignored their bewildered expressions and began searching frantically through drawers and cabinets until his fingers closed around the handle of a large knife. He turned to face the chefs, who were just starting to voice their protests, when the crashing sound of the glass doors breaking reached their ears.
"Get back!" Jin-soo shouted, but it was too late. Several zombies, their eyes glazed and their mouths agape, had already entered the kitchen. One of the chefs screamed as a zombie latched onto him, sinking its teeth into his shoulder. Jin-soo's mind raced as he held the knife tightly. He had to protect himself and find a way out.
A zombie lunged at him, its jaws snapping. Jin-soo swung the knife wildly aiming for the head or the neck, missing by an inch. He took a deep breath to steady himself and tried again, aiming for the neck as he had seen in countless zombie shows. This time, the blade bit into the flesh, slicing cleanly through. The zombie dropped to the floor, but Jin-soo struck it once more to ensure it was truly dead. He was panting, his hands trembling. It was the first time he had killed, and though the thing before him was more monster than human, the act still sent a shiver down his spine.
More zombies poured into the kitchen, and Jin-soo knew he couldn't stay there any longer. He had to get out before he was overwhelmed. He dashed out of the kitchen, knife still in hand, and looked for another escape route. The cafeteria was in complete disarray, with students either fleeing or being caught by the zombies. His eyes caught sight of a familiar face—one of the boys who had been sitting with Su-hyeok earlier. The boy was trying to escape through a window, a girl at his side.
Although he didn't recognize the girl, the boy's face was familiar from one of the clips he had seen in his previous life. Jin-soo's memory clicked; this boy was a main character in the series, someone likely to survive. Deciding it was his best bet to stick with someone who had a better chance of making it out alive, Jin-soo ran towards them.
"Hey, wait up!" he called, his voice cutting through the chaos. The boy turned to look at him, eyes widening in recognition. Jin-soo caught up and together they managed to pry the window open wider, just enough for them to squeeze through. The girl went first, then the boy, and finally Jin-soo, who had to pause to fend off a particularly aggressive zombie before climbing through.
They tumbled out into the open air, landing in a small courtyard behind the cafeteria.
Seeing that the same chaos was there in the courtyard too as many students were running to and fro with zombified students behind them, Jin-soo quickly looked at the two people and spoke, "We have to get away from here."
They started to run in order to find a safe place, but outside, zombies were everywhere. Jin-soo stood in front of them, trying to swat away zombies with the knife in his hand as they made their way through the chaos. Seeing that the outside was blocked by numerous zombies, he began to lose hope. Suddenly, a truck rammed into the high school building, knocking out a few zombies on the way. Jin-soo saw an opportunity.
"Let's use the truck as leverage to climb up!" he shouted.
Using the truck as a step, they climbed up into a gallery of the school. Jin-soo helped the girl up first, then the boy, and finally climbed up himself. They quickly entered the school premises through a window. Jin-soo and the two were forced to go inside the high school, finding some respite from the immediate threat of the zombies outside.
Inside the high school, the situation was slightly better. While there were still zombies, their numbers were relatively lower compared to outside. Moreover, the zombies were spread out, giving the three a chance to run and search for a temporary safe place. They initially tried to go downstairs, but multiple zombies were coming up, so they had to retreat back up.
As they searched for a safe place, they saw a room with four or five students inside. Jin-soo quickly banged on the door, desperate to get in.
"Open the door!" he shouted.
A girl inside shouted back, "Don't open it! What if they are infected!"
Cheong-san, whose name tag Jin-soo had noted, shouted at them, "It's us! Let us in!"
The guy inside who seemed to be friends with Cheong-san quickly opened the door and let them in.
They rushed inside, and the door was immediately closed and secured behind them by the two guys
The room was small but felt like a temporary haven from the zombies.
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