Yohan’s face turned ghostly pale. Among the countless grotesque, misshapen monsters, Red Heads were a rare breed known to appear consistently all over the world. They always manifested near medical institutions, and their most distinctive trait was the swollen, flashing red head that resembled the siren on an ambulance. Some claimed they were mutated creatures, transformed by lingering impressions from living near hospitals.
WEE-OOO—WEE-OOO—!
As the monsters witnessed one of their own die, their heads lit up in pulses of red, emitting a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ warped, siren-like wail. Yohan instinctively shrank back and pressed himself against a wall. Meanwhile, Lee Hyunmook grinned and ran straight at the Red Heads.
Through the refracted crimson light, Hyunmook collided with the pack. Claws and teeth flashed white as they tore at the intruder—but none of them managed to land a hit on him.
Surrounded by the feral, red-headed wolves, Hyunmook fought with even more brutality and savagery than the monsters themselves. His heavy fists crushed bones and snapped limbs. He tore through flesh and hide, ripping them apart with his bare hands. Watching him fight, Yohan’s face drained further of color. Hyunmook was a hundred times more terrifying than the Red Heads.
In just over ten minutes, Hyunmook had exterminated the entire pack—each one at least a Class 5 threat on the ten-tier danger scale. It was the kind of feat only a world-class high-tier Awakened could pull off. Yohan swallowed hard.
'He’s insane... but he must still have some reason left.'
Red Heads were known to secrete highly corrosive fluid, making their heads the most dangerous parts. Yet Hyunmook, as if fully aware of that, only targeted their bodies. Their disembodied red heads lay scattered on the floor, flickering weakly. As Hyunmook began moving again, Yohan forced himself to walk through the field of siren skulls.
“L-Lee Hyunmook... wait for me...”
Terrified, Yohan trailed behind, his voice trembling like a frightened goat. But Hyunmook ignored him, striding forward—until he suddenly stopped. He stood there, staring blankly at the wreckage of the emergency room, unmoving, as if stunned.
“...Lee Hyunmook?”
It was only then that Yohan remembered—before Awakening, Hyunmook had been a doctor. A resident, to be exact. Maybe something in the ER scenery had stirred an old memory. Feeling unexpectedly sympathetic, Yohan fumbled through his backpack and pulled out a rare chocolate bar, unwrapped it, and gently placed it in Hyunmook’s hand. Hyunmook stared at the bar vacantly.
“I’m gonna look around a bit. You... go ahead and eat that.”
While Hyunmook quietly gnawed on the chocolate, Yohan stepped into the emergency room, its walls still dimly pulsing with the leftover glow of the Red Heads.
Signs of the chaos from the rift event a month ago remained untouched. Upturned gurneys, torn curtains, shards of who-knew-what scattered on the floor, and dried black-red stains... Yohan shivered as he began searching the room thoroughly.
After a long search, all he found was a slightly bent but usable scalpel, and what appeared to be no-longer-sterile gauze. With a sigh, he wrapped the scalpel in gauze and stuffed it into his bag. No disinfectant, no meds—his leg ached worse than ever. Limping, he exited the ER.
The Red Heads’ glow was finally fading. What lay ahead now was a long hallway from which suspicious noises occasionally echoed. Yohan swallowed dryly and pulled out the flashlight he’d been saving. Click. The beam lit up the corridor—and something darted away at the edge of the light.
“That... that’s not a cockroach, right...?”
His voice trembled, barely holding back tears, but Hyunmook just stood there, as blank and silent as ever. Feeling even more forlorn, Yohan hesitated before limping into the hallway. The only comfort he had was the steady sound of Hyunmook’s footsteps behind him.
“Do you... know where the medicine would be?”
No reply again. With a sigh, Yohan turned forward—and jumped. Something was watching him from the darkness. He panicked, stepped on a chunk of debris, and fell face-first to the ground.
“Ah!”
He cried out—he’d landed right on his injured leg. The pain flared sharply, and tears welled up again. As he writhed, trying to suppress a sob, he flinched at the sight of Hyunmook looming directly above him, expression unreadable and dry as sand.
“Ugh...”
What filled Yohan’s mind then were thoughts of his family, his friends—anyone who might’ve said something kind if they’d seen him like this. But the only one by his side now was a contaminated madman. That simple, bitter fact broke his heart, and tears brimmed in his eyes again. Still, he wiped them away with his sleeve and forced himself upright.
“...Since we’ve come this far—sniff—it’d be nice to at least find some painkillers.”
He knew there’d be no answer, but he kept talking anyway as he staggered forward, dragging his injured leg. Hyunmook tilted his head slightly, watching.
Yohan wandered deeper into the hospital. The building’s twisted layout and the thick shadows made it feel like a labyrinth. Eventually, he came across a staircase leading up. He hesitated, then began climbing it cautiously.
Surprisingly, the second floor was even more complicated than the first. Holding his breath, he scanned with his flashlight—until the beam landed on a sign.
[...Blo○d (4) Dentistry (5) MR■ Room (6) In-House Pha○macy (7) My○ung Bank...]
“The pharmacy!”
The sign read ‘Ya-guk’—missing the final consonant, but it was clearly meant to be the in-house pharmacy! Yohan’s face lit up as he hurried forward. But just as he did, a rough hand snatched him up and dragged him away. Frozen in fear, he heard a low voice near his ear.
“Shhh...”
“Hh-uh... hhnngh...”
Yohan curled into a ball as Hyunmook pressed him into his chest and shut off the flashlight. They lay flat on the stairwell landing between the floors, holding their breath. Yohan was so tense, he didn’t even feel the pain of his stomach being pressed against the stairs. They stayed like that for what felt like ages.
Creak... rrrrumble... creeeeaak... rrrrumble...
A rolling noise echoed from far down the hall. Yohan, trembling, shut his eyes tight. Hyunmook, body expanded like a shield, almost completely covered him now. His eyes, dark and still, began to glow red.
Creak... rrrrummmble...
What was that sound? What was coming? Drenched in cold sweat, Yohan finally peeked.
Between Hyunmook’s body and the stair, he caught a glimpse—a wheel. A wheelchair wheel, rolling past the sign he’d stood at moments ago. It paused briefly. Yohan swallowed a scream.
Behind the rusty old wheelchair came countless legs. Human legs, seemingly—but the feet that touched the floor looked soft, unnatural, like squashed flesh. The wheelchair made noise, but the legs moved silently, smoothly. It was like watching a massive, human-legged centipede.
After several minutes—minutes that felt like ten years—the sound finally faded into the distance. Only then did Hyunmook release him. Soaked in cold sweat, Yohan dragged himself up the stairs. He wanted nothing more than to flee back to their safe little shelter and eat some canned spam.
But his fever was worse now. Chills racked his body. And so, summoning the last of his courage, Yohan decided to push on. Holding his breath, he double-checked the signs.
'Zone (6) was the in-house pharmacy. According to the map, it should be near the MRI room...'
He carefully confirmed his path and moved forward, making as little noise as possible. He double-checked signs as he passed by “G■ Internal Medicine,” “Obstet■ics,” “Dermatology,” and the “▲ Department,” then the MRI room—until finally, the pharmacy appeared.
A large sign read “Medication Consultation Room,” and just beside it was a prescription counter. Yohan scanned the area nervously and crept closer. He tried the door, but it only rattled uselessly. With a groan, he hoisted himself up to the counter. Then his face lit up.
To his relief, the pharmacy hadn’t been looted. The cabinets were lined with medication containers. That also meant the monsters in this hospital were that dangerous—bad enough to keep scavengers away. Hands trembling, he shone his flashlight on the labels—and panicked.
“What even is this stuff?”
Yohan only knew basic meds like Tylenol, aspirin, and iodine. The dozens of pill bottles and boxes packed with tiny, unreadable print were a nightmare. He fumbled through them, trying to read one—when suddenly:
Creak... rrrumble...
That sound again. Yohan flinched violently. This time, though, Hyunmook hadn’t moved to hide with him. In a panic, Yohan gestured wildly for him to get behind the counter and whispered in the tiniest voice:
“Lee Hyunmook! Come on, get over here!”
He stomped nervously in place, but Hyunmook just stared into the air, unresponsive. Creak... rrrumble... Finally, the wheelchair appeared from the darkness. Clatter, clatter... It rolled into view—and Yohan’s eyes widened.
“What? It’s just the wheelchair...?”
The moment he muttered that, something with soft, squishy feet—clinging to the ceiling—dropped straight onto Lee Hyunmook.
And then Yohan saw the full body of the creature that had been pulling the wheelchair all along.
