The Girl Wants to Be Murdered

TL/Editor: Butter Cat

Status: 4/week mon-thurs

Illustrations: none

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〈 Chapter 96 〉 888. The Chapter of the Girl and the Zombie (8)

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The inside of the supermarket was so dark that we couldn't see an inch ahead without flashlights.

Naturally, there was no way the supermarket, which didn't even have electricity, would turn on the lights just for the four of us, so we had to wander around in the darkness, unable to easily make out even the shape of a person standing right in front of us when turning a corner.

Even haunted houses, which are supposed to be scary, at least have enough light to see where you're going.

And there are no zombies that will get you 'out' if you get bitten even a little.

So, what can you do.

Like a squid fishing boat luring squids with bright lights, we had no choice but to turn on our flashlights even though we knew this thin beam of light would attract any nearby zombies, like swallowing bitter medicine while crying.

I didn't want to turn it on either, but we literally couldn't see anything, so there was no other way.

Of course, these lights might draw in zombies, but we concluded that the danger lurking in the pitch-black darkness was more threatening to us than the immediately visible danger.

From the start, our goal wasn't to avoid being detected by zombies, but to secure food supplies and return, even if it meant having to fight after being discovered.

And if we have to face danger, isn't it better to face a danger that we can handle to some extent.

Rather than not knowing when and where the enemies will pop out, it's better to be in the current situation where we can at least tell which direction they're coming from, even if the enemies come first.

After all, even without this light, the zombies we know would have been able to find us just by the small sounds of our footsteps.

…Well, this might seem no different than riding a bicycle in the wrong direction on the road because you're afraid of cars coming from behind, but that's just my feeling.

As much as possible, let's pray that not too many of them rush at us.

—Step, step.

"........."

"........."

One step at a time, cautiously watching out for zombies that might suddenly pop out from around corners.

We firmly gripped our weapons with both hands and carefully entered the supermarket.

And after about ten minutes of searching, we learned one shocking fact.

That is—

—Tap.

"—There are no zombies?"

"....It seems that way. Did they all leave?"

The surprising fact that there were no zombies inside this large supermarket.

Even after turning up the brightness of the flashlights, which we had kept at minimum setting just in case, to maximum.

Even after Yeon-ah, who was standing next to me, stomped her foot forcefully as a test, when she wasn't satisfied with just that.

[.....................］

"...Are they really not here?"

"...Should we wait a little longer, Hwa-min sunbae?"

The horrible sounds of what sounded like corpses wailing, sounds we’ve been hearing every night for two months, could not be heard.

And not only that.

Neither the sound of squelching flesh hitting something hard, a sound that would immediately be heard if there was even the slightest movement nearby.

Nor that unpleasant sound of them rapidly clicking their teeth up and down that we'd always hear looking out windows.

["......................"］

Inside the pitch-black supermarket, only a strange, eerie silence prevailed.

Actually, it was a situation that we had expected to some extent.

Of course, saying this result was expected is not much different from saying heads or tails will come up when flipping a coin. It was either the supermarket would be crawling with zombies or they'd be mostly gone and quiet, but it was an expected result nonetheless.

"....Well, it's a relief if there aren't any."

It made sense, since two months had already passed since the zombie outbreak.

Except for special-purpose buildings like schools or hospitals, the building with the most foot traffic in this area at the time of the outbreak would probably have been this supermarket.

And to put it another way, it meant that this was one of the first places where hell broke loose, just like the massacres that occurred in schools and hospitals, where zombies mixed in with the people who were running away without knowing what was going on.

Judging by the absence of any barricades made from surrounding objects to block the zombies, or any traces of human life like empty cans, it seemed that the people who had been in this supermarket had been swept away without any resistance by the zombies that had entered on the first day of the outbreak, as expected.

And now, after so much time had passed since then, it wasn't entirely unreasonable to think that the zombies who had been wandering inside the supermarket might have left after hearing the sounds of survivors moving around outside.

In fact, even Yeon-ah, before we came to the supermarket, had listed various possibilities and said that this could happen.

Were the bloodstains on the floor, looking like something had been dragged along, all created at that time?

It was probably a trail left by those things moving around.

And if that was really the case—

"—Jackpot."

Our course of action was clear.

In the past, when we were first cluelessly fleeing from school, we hesitated to even break into a convenience store, questioning if we were allowed to do that.

We had wasted our time worrying about trivial things like what the police would do or if we would get a criminal record, despite being in a situation where we didn't even know if we could survive the next day.

But.

"Let's sweep it all."

"Hmm....The food aisles are probably in that direction, sunbae."

"Can't we just take the whole mart with us? It seems like a waste."

This time, no one hesitated.

'....Ah. Do you all just want to die together?'

Was it simply because we thought that since the world had already ended, there was no need to worry about anything.

—Tap.

'....Did, I lose?'

'Heehee. I finally won, Yeon-ah unnie!'

'Oh, Hee-ah beat Yeon-ah? Our little Hee-ah, you're so smart!'

Or was it because we had something precious and meaningful that couldn't be measured by values defined by others, things like sin or morality.

"....From here, downwards..."

Yeon-ah, the youngest among us, was already calculating the approximate locations of the items we needed by looking at the building layout.

"Yo, Hwa-min. Don't forget Hee-ah."

Jung-eun, the most impatient among us, shook her club in the air a couple of times before giving me a thumbs up and showing off the bag on her back.

And.

"....This is insane."

Seeing how much they had changed, I could only smile wryly.

Somehow, the kids had become so reliable.

But we've basically become a criminal gang now.

And so.

—Tap.

"Come on, Hee-ah, let's go over there too."

".......Okay. Got it."

Afraid of the dark perhaps, Hee-ah had been clutching my clothes without saying anything while staring at the pitch darkness spread out before us, so I covered her hand with mine.

Following everyone else, I slowly entered deeper into the supermarket, where the food should be displayed.

** (TL Note: Hee-ah’s POV. Just to let you know)

Squids instinctively move their legs towards the bright light pouring down from above the water's surface.

Moths fly toward blazing bonfires, believing them to be the moonlight from heaven guiding their way.

We who watch all of this from afar might click our tongues at their foolishness, while others might find it strange, wondering why they're being fooled by such a crude resemblance.

But the truly unfair ones are none other than them.

Because the ones who could tell them it wasn't the right answer were all already deceived.

They were all already dead.

There is no one in this world who can say they were deceived.

Because the moment you realize you were deceived, you are no longer the deceived one.

In this world, there are only those who haven't been deceived yet, and those who are already being deceived.

So everyone firmly believes they haven't been deceived.

Saying, 'I wasn't deceived.'

Saying, 'My choice was right.'

But, well.

Who was caught.

Who was truly deceived.

['........' '...........ㅏ' '.........ㅏㅏ' '...ㅏ.......ㅏ.....' '.............' '......ㅡ......ㅏ......' '......ㅜ...ㅣ' '..............' 'ㅡ.....ㅡ........' '.............ㅣ' '........ .' '.........ㅏ, ㅏ....' '..............' '............']

Like someone from above the water waiting for fish below the surface to enter the fish trap on their own.

Like a fisherman waiting for a fish nibbling at the bait to swallow the hook as soon as possible.

Quietly watching us, me, from the darkness.

['''''''''''''.........................'''''''''''''］

Looking at those dozens and hundreds of pairs of eyes showing no signs of life.

I murmured softly.

"—How Clever."

"...Hee-ah? Are you scared?"

Squeeze.

Small wrinkles formed on the hem of the clothes I was holding.

"It's okay, Hee-ah. I'm here too, and there's a gorilla up ahead too─ 'You bitch!?' ─so don't worry. Your unnies will take care of everything."

"Okay.....I trust you, unnie."

Did she hear my murmur?

Thinking I was scared, Hwa-min covered my hand, which was clutching her clothes, with her own.

While feeling reassured by that warm touch, I was also quietly thinking about what was about to unfold.

Scared, she says.

I carefully rolled that short phrase around on my tongue, like rolling a grape in my mouth.

.....

Yes.

Maybe she's right that I am scared.

Because I may not be able to see that beautiful sides of my unnies anymore in the future.

Because I won't be able to be together with them as they work hard to overcome all obstacles and move forward even in this dark world.

Really.

"—I'm scared."

And regretful.

So, so regretful.

And so, carefully, very carefully.

I slowly followed them deeper into the supermarket, where zombies lay in wait.

**

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