Episode 18
Four staff members of the Oriental medicine clinic, including a doctor.
Three middle-aged men waiting for a checkup.
Elderly person with difficulty moving, four.
One elementary school kid.
And… an E-class hunter.
Considering that the gate that burst in front of our noses was a level 2, it was the perfect Suicide Squad.
Not the DC Comics anti-hero group, but a literal suicide squad.
“It won’t burst… They said that if you’re close to the gate, data won’t burst, and it was true.”
“But it’s better not to use your cellphones as much as possible because they might explode later. You need to save battery.”
“Why does the electricity keep going out? It’s fortunate that we have a radio. If there had been no disaster broadcast in this situation, it would have been really……”
“What the hell! All you do is say things like a parrot telling us to stay inside because it’s dangerous! You’re just going to blockade us like this and just let it go? That’s why the government is like this! I didn’t even elect this fucking bastard in the first place!”
“No, sir, why are we talking about politics in this situation?”
The young nurse was about to shout at him, but his wife next to him struck him down. They had no time to argue among themselves in this desperate situation.
The disaster broadcast said it was a large-scale fissure disaster.
It is said that sporadic explosions occurred not only in Yongin but also in Uijeongbu, Cheonan, and Sokcho.
In particular, the explosion in the Seoraksan area was equivalent to a level 1 disaster, and many high-level forces were said to have headed in that direction.
The Jukjeon and Bojeong areas, which were finally judged to be level 2.5, are temporarily blocked off.
The military and hunters continued to fight, but…
The monsters, led by the hellhounds, pushed forward with numbers and were not easily annihilated, but continued to stir up trouble in the area.
Disaster broadcasts continued to strongly advise people not to go outside.
Awww- Awww-!
Outside, in the pitch-black darkness, a creepy howling continues.
‘I might have to hold out longer than I thought…..’
Kyeon Tae-seong patted his daughter’s back, who had been quiet since earlier.
“Our Geo, you’re going to become really close with dad this time. Right, Geo?”
“……Ugh.”
“My daughter, why are you so weak? Look at your father.”
“Does the baby have a fever? Just wait.”
Ian Jeong, the woman who was talking to Geo earlier, hurriedly touches her forehead.
Then he bit his lips and hit Kyeon Tae-seong’s arm hard.
“There’s a fever! The baby is so hot, and you don’t know it even though you’re holding him? Anyway, this is what dads do! Doctor! Doctor! The baby is sick! Quickly, quickly!”
“G, Gio!”
March 23, 20xx.
Suji and Giheung districts are blocked off due to a level 2.5 crack.
A Oriental Medicine Hospital, Bojeong-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si.
1 hunter, 12 civilians.
The current time is 22:07.
Six hours of isolation.
* * *
“Then you’re going to keep staying here like this? Shouldn’t you at least let people know that there are people trapped here!”
“Didn’t you hear the disaster announcement? They said never to go outside. They said not to use the stairs because the monsters are so intelligent that they can enter buildings. What are we supposed to do? Isn’t this situation frustrating for us too?”
“This is driving me crazy. Are you really going crazy and trying to destroy everything like this?”
“Hey, look at how young a person can speak in front of adults. Then, Hee-seop, you should go out yourself!”
“Why me when there’s a hunter!”
……
……
“Teacher, Geo, how is our Geo’s condition?”
“The fever has gone down to 37.5 degrees. The progress seems to be fine, but… Are you going to go out? I don’t know how you’ll hear this, but just make up an excuse about the child and stay still. The rescue team will come. You’re taking care of the child and the grandmother… Everyone is excited, so don’t get swayed by public opinion and cool your head.”
……
……
[Chiik- Chik- …… It appears that the level 1 crack in Mt. Aksan will last longer than expected. As public opinion is growing critical of the government for the unannounced forced blockade, the Disaster Management Agency has announced that it plans to deploy rescue helicopters to the blocked-off area.]
……
……
Kwaang- Boom Boom!
‘Fuck! It’s locked!’
‘Oh, no. Ugh. Is there anyone inside? Open up! Over there!’
‘Let’s go up!’
‘It’s blocked by rocks, I can’t go! What should I do?’
“…..Hey, open it! Quickly! From the voices I can hear, it sounds like they’re children!”
“Well, if monsters come in then……”
“Are you crazy? If they keep doing that and die, we’ll kill them! Open it!”
……
……
“We’re all students at D University. We were hiding in a Starbucks near the school, but monsters came through the glass and we all……, ugh, everyone died and we ran away……”
“The gate is currently blocked by the Center Hunters. The Guild… the Guild guys, the government, everything, they’re all rotten bastards who will kill you all. Aside from the Eunsaja in Seoraksan and Hae-ta in Uijeongbu, no one, no one is moving.”
“President Kim Geun-young, that crazy bastard, he sealed off people to kill them, then showed up a long time later and started talking nonsense and fell asleep! Now everyone is making a fuss about impeaching him.”
“Oh no. My phone won’t work here…”
A Korean medicine hospital, 4 students from a nearby university join.
March 24th, 12:25 PM.
Twenty hours of isolation.
* * *
Tudadadada-.
Another helicopter was heard passing by.
According to college students, the emergency exit stairs are completely inaccessible from the third floor onwards due to debris.
It meant that the route to the rooftop was blocked.
There was even a suggestion to lean out the window, but the monsters that had been smelling the air for hours were loitering right next to us.
Geo could see his father’s face growing darker and darker.
The food the nurses had packed as snacks has long since run out.
Hunger was okay, but water was the problem.
As the mouth grew, it began to shrink at a frightening rate.
Since the first day blood was mixed in the water, the tap water hasn’t been turned on at all.
There’s still some room for now, but if it gets any longer…
The people he is carrying are an old man and a child. He himself is a hunter.
The gazes of those around him became increasingly harsh.
Kyeon Tae-seong began to spend more time alone and thinking.
Geo felt his father’s arms tremble as he held him.
“……I can’t do that. I, I’m outside……”
“Ugh! Dad!”
A fairly intelligent child also knew that he was smaller than his peers and that he was more easily liked than others.
Also, it is perfect for buying sympathy votes.
Nine-year-old Gyeonji cried out loud, calling out for his father.
It was my first time out of diapers, and it was an instinctive calculation.
The gazes that had been directed this way turned away awkwardly.
March 25th, 20:15.
Two days of isolation.
* * *
“Our princess, no, our majesty, are you here?”
“……it’s hard.”
“Of course it’s hard when you cry like that! You little punk… Dad and Mom were worried because our Geo didn’t cry at all, but it was for nothing. I didn’t know he could cry like this.”
“I’m the kind of person who does things when I have to.”
“Oh my, yes, yes. I live because of you, really.”
“Geoya.”
“……”
“There’s my dad, he’s a ‘hunter’. He’s a hunter who gave his power from the sky to save people from monsters. Geo even announced a long time ago that he was proud that his dad was a hunter. Right?”
“But the sky gave Dad too little strength.”
“That’s true.”
“Don’t go, Dad. ……. I, I’m honestly pretending to be strong, but I’m scared.”
“……”
“I hate the old lady who told me to come here, and I hate the people who keep looking at Dad strangely. The sound of monsters outside is scary, it’s really scary. But I can endure everything as long as I have Dad. So don’t leave Geo behind, Dad. Don’t leave him alone… Okay?”
“……”
“Huh? Answer me, quickly.”
“……”
“It’s an order, Kyeon Tae-seong.”
“……Okay. Got it, got it. Yes. Got it.”
“Promise me.”
“promise.”
“Copy and sign.”
“Okay. Copy. Saain.”
“good?”
“No, that’s not true.”
“……Geo really takes after his mother. When his father was Geo’s age, he just dug in the dirt. Whose daughter is this good at talking and strong?”
“When I go outside, everyone looks just like my dad.”
“Hahaha, really? That’s right. Yeah. Daddy’s daughter. Our Geo.”
My precious treasure, whom I love so much that I wouldn’t mind putting it in my eyes.
* * *
Big Tae.
Star.
A night with an unusually large number of stars.
A name given by the director of the daycare center, who said it came as a gift.
My father, who lived a life that was more brilliant and hard-working than anyone else, and was a kind person to the point of foolishness, may not have actually been such a great person.
Because I couldn’t keep even one promise I made to my young daughter.
“Grandma, where’s Dad?”
“……”
“Auntie, where did my dad go?”
Geo, who was sick and exhausted from crying, fell into a very deep sleep.
No one woke the child up. It was an agreement among the adults.
March 26th, 10:15 AM.
The fourth isolation.
E-class auxiliary hunter Kyeon Tae-seong voluntarily leaves for the purpose of requesting rescue.
No other resources available.
* * *
“……Damn it! Why aren’t you falling down! Geo, hold on! Can you hear me, teacher?”
“Geo, wake up. What should I do? Isn’t it dangerous for a child to have such a high fever?”
“Grandma was wrong… huh? Please open your eyes, my poor puppy… I feel sorry for you…”
“Oh, what should I do? Is that kid going to die?”
“Student, don’t say such unlucky things! Hey, my goodness, why is this place a Korean medicine clinic again? It’s a Korean medicine clinic.”
“That’s why I said let’s watch the child instead of sending him away!”
A fever that makes your whole body feel like it’s burning.
Even if a doctor other than a Korean medicine doctor had come, treatment would have been impossible.
Because it was not caused by humans or a human disease.
Kyeonji heard someone’s voice beyond the screaming crowd.
【Found it.】
A message from a far away place.
It was the first opening of the gate of stars and souls, the stigmata.
A guide to proper living for rankers.
