The police who rushed in hesitated and retreated. The infected person's momentum was close to madness. Even as his skin was torn and blood flowed, he threw his whole body against the bars.

"Aaaah!"

Saliva sprayed like a spray bottle.

The police wearing masks recoiled in fear. A perplexed voice came out.

"Can we subdue this?"

"No, the problem is not subduing. We need to provide first aid to the uncle bleeding over there first!"

The police's gaze turned towards the zombie, beyond the drunk uncle. I also glanced at the drunk uncle. The blood flowing from his neck was spreading thickly. If we don't stop the bleeding now, even if the emergency medical team arrives, they won't be able to save him.

And that would be a burden for the police. There is a difference between someone dying in the holding cell and being rescued and put in an ambulance.

I prayed with both hands.

'Please open the door.'

Because that's the only way I can be safe.

The police looked at the violent tattooed youth zombie, gritting their teeth.

"If someone dies here, it will become a big problem. That infected person is also dangerous if left like that. Open the door first. Restrain the infected person so he can't escape. And you, bring the taser gun!"

"Yes, sir!"

The person who seemed to be the supervisor spoke, and two people moved. One person carefully approached the holding cell with the key, the other rushed to get the taser gun.

I secretly moved my body backwards. It's dangerous to just go out as soon as the door opens. The zombie's path may overlap with mine.

As I expected, the zombie moved. As soon as the iron gate opened, the zombie rushed towards the open door.

"Ah, here it comes! Stop it!"

"Ack!"

The zombie and the police became entangled. The zombie tried to bite with its chattering teeth, and waved its hands to hit the police. One police officer fully engaged the zombie, while the other officers grabbed the zombie's joints or swung their batons.

"Get off! No, damn, it doesn't seem to be listening?"

"Can't catch it! It's too strong!"

"Aah! I, I'm being hit!"

It's a mess. The downpour of attacks indiscriminately poured down on the attacking zombie and the police who had embraced the zombie, and the hit police screamed in pain.

Around then, I quietly got up from my seat. Chaos is an opportunity. My gaze was fixed on the wide open door of the holding cell and the entrance to the holding cell.

Now I can escape.

But should I run away?

- The virus dispersal by Immortal Company has been confirmed to have occurred 3 weeks ago -

I had seen on TV. The scene of Immortal Company's drones spraying the virus. The terminal where snow was piled up and the rally banner with the date 3 weeks ago.

A scenario was built in my head.

'The dispersal was 3 weeks ago. But the zombies have just appeared now.'

This means the incubation period of the zombie virus is around 3 weeks. And the virus can be transmitted even during the incubation period. Even with COVID-19, it can be transmitted 3 days before the symptoms appear, right?

I clenched my fists tightly.

'The apocalypse is coming!'

There are no symptoms until turning into a zombie. Even that tattooed youth suddenly transformed without any signs. It's impossible to estimate how many people he might have spread the virus to during that asymptomatic period.

This is not just a simple zombie apocalypse. Zombies are the symptoms, the real threat is the virus. It's as if both a zombie apocalypse and a pandemic apocalypse have struck at the same time.

Even the most advanced modern society cannot withstand this. The virus is spreading unchecked in all directions, how can anyone endure this?

'Let's run away!'

I naturally stepped out of the holding cell, striding along the wall.

If the apocalypse is coming, there's no need to wait for a trial or anything.

'In time, the courts and the police will all lose their function.'

I moved to find my freedom.

***

The key is to be natural.

To not feel awkward or out of place, to make people feel like background objects, like movie extras. Noticed by the eye but not recognized.

I walked calmly, like a backdrop in the holding cell.

"Aaah! Stop, stop hitting me! I'm going to die! Ack! Bone, bone, bone!"

The police who came to assist were completely focused on the zombie. They had no time to spare for a small fry like me. They swung their batons, only seeing the infected.

First aid had disappeared from their minds, faced with the actual threat of the zombie.

Meanwhile, the zombie, perhaps agitated, thrashed about violently. Fortunately, the zombie's attention was concentrated on the police.

The zombie's fierce attacks and the police's response.

I left the holding cell without any interference and entered the major crimes office beyond.

'Where are the detectives?'

Judging by the commotion in the holding cell, the detectives must be busy with many serious crime reports. The major crimes office was quiet, except for the ruckus behind me.

This reality reinforced my assumption.

'Even killing zombies is considered murder...'

Then the citizens who committed serious crimes against the zombies would all be targets for arrest by the detectives. Apparently, there are many zombies out, keeping the detectives busy. Too busy to even guard the major crimes office.

The situation was very favorable.

Discreetly, I naturally stole a detective's clothes from a nearby desk. I put on the cap, the leather jacket hanging on the chair, and thoroughly disinfected my hands with the full bottle of hand sanitizer.

In my mind, the Immortal Company CEO who was dragged away flashed by.

'That person, even as he was being taken away, he was smiling.'

No matter how I think about it, that is not the expression of a person whose terrorist attack has failed. That mocking smile is etched in my mind.

With the confidence of a mad scientist. Laughing at the whole world.

I found myself muttering unconsciously.

"I believe. I believe in Immortal Company. I believe in the chairman. The apocalypse is coming."

It is a logical assumption as well as an emotional belief.

If the apocalypse doesn't come? Just trial, imprisonment, social stigma, a ruined dream, a dark future.

On the contrary, if the apocalypse comes? It's just a ruined dream and a dark future. It would be better if the apocalypse came, as I would lose less. I desperately wished for the apocalypse and walked on.

In the meantime, the police officer with a taser gun hurried back to the holding cell, but fortunately, I was not recognized as a criminal and apprehended.

"I just borrowed it!"

The police officer muttering that the tasers were all deployed on the scene brushed past me.

And so I left the police station.

The rising sun shone its bright light, dazzling my eyes. I pulled my cap down to cast a shadow over my face.

The commotion will only be temporary. The police will soon realize that I have escaped. In this fleeting moment, I must move quickly to seize the opportunity.

I counted on my fingers, roughly calculating the timing of the zombie apocalypse and the I-virus outbreak.

"About a week? I just need to hold out for around that long."

The virus may have already started spreading before the symptoms appear. But it's certain that zombies will soon overrun everywhere, as the incubation period of the initial infected ends.

Countless people will turn into zombies, following those who showed symptoms quickly. The police won't even be able to pay attention to me.

So now,

'Let me escape the police and prepare for the apocalypse.'

On the 2nd day of the zombie crisis,

I, who was once a zombie skeptic, became a fervent apocalypse believer, and moved to survive and be free.

***

The world is still normal.

In the early morning, people are commuting, buses are bustling, and cars are lining the roads. Despite the zombies, people are diligently heading to their workplaces.

The only difference is the masks. Apparently, the lessons learned from the coronavirus outbreak years ago made everyone pull out their white masks. People with tired eyes were walking like zombies.

For now, this is a good thing.

'The more people, the better.'

Blending into the crowd will make it harder for CCTV to track me.

I also subtly changed my appearance every so often, taking off my hat and jacket, deliberately hunching to look different in height and build, and flipping my hair back.

I'm not sure if this is actually effective, but I did my best.

Around this point, my mental strength reached its limit.

My steps suddenly stopped.

"What am I doing right now?"

In the distance, the wailing sirens of police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks echoed through the city. Every time the flashing lights swept across my face, my heart sank.

What if they're coming to catch me? My hands trem with fear. My conscience and small-town mentality were shaken.

I walked on, unaware of my own thoughts.

"Aaaaah!"

"Get out of the way!"

I saw a staggering bus up ahead. The bus, driving erratically between thealk and the road like a drunkard, sped madly, and the pedestrians scattered, screaming. A person who was hit flew like a cartoon character, brushing past me.

"Ah!"

My mind suddenly snapped to attention. I let out a sharp scream and quickly jumped to the side.

Wooooosh-!

My reaction was a bit late, but fortunately the bus turned the steering wheel towards the road. I turned my head to chase the bus, my eyes wide open even as the wind blew.

In the moment the bus and I crossed paths, the scene inside the bus was vividly imprinted in my mind like a photograph.

The bus driver gritting his teeth. People falling over or clinging to the handrails in the shaking bus. Two zombies glowing.

Belatedly, with a screech, the sound of brakes being pressed, the bus came to a stop. The windows almost simultaneously opened, and countless hands reached out from them. Shouts were heard.

"Run! Zombies, zombies, ahhh!"

"Please save us!"

People fell out of the windows one by one. Someone was caught by the ankle by a zombie and dragged back in, while someone else limped away after a bad landing. Faces filled with terror.

As I turned my back to avoid seeing the scene, a thought crossed my mind.

'Public transportation is dangerous. Confirmed.'

It's fortunate that it's just a bus, if it were a subway, airplane, or a bus on the highway, zombies appearing would truly be deadly.

I, who had been solely focused on safety, suddenly let out a wry laugh. The laughter came out strangely.

"The apocalypse. Yes. Useless worries are not important."

Survival is the issue, isn't it? Conscience, the future, all of it is a waste of time. I will struggle to live day by day.

I approached the person who had fallen in front of me. A person who had been hit by the bus while riding a bicycle. He was groaning while holding his leg.

"Leg, ah. Is the bone broken?"

My shadow fell over him. Feeling my presence, the person looked up. I pretended to help him by lifting the bicycle, and the fallen person said,

"My phone is broken, can you call 119? Uh, the bicycle, the bicycle! It's a bicycle thief!"

I laughed loudly and stepped on the pedal. The fallen person's plea faded behind me, and even the sound of the escapees from the bus quickly disappeared.

The blowing wind felt refreshing.