The Only Woman in a Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 1 Chapter 13 - Isn't this a zombie story? (2)

The underground shopping center. 

 

They had to go to that underground shopping center. 

 

It wasn’t the usual kind filled with rows of clothing and accessories. 

 

This was a marketplace where agricultural and livestock cooperatives gathered. There were enormous amounts of food supplies there. 

 

Of course, since the power was out, the fresh produce would have already spoiled, but grains like rice and seeds of all kinds of vegetables would still be there. 

 

They had to retrieve them.

 

Going past the DaiX building, turning into the right alley, then the left—the novel had described the underground shopping center in detail. 

 

Not long after Ian’s group passed through, another group would loot the place. Though he felt a little guilty, those people weren’t exactly good-natured either, so they had to strike first.

 

“Minho, see you later! I gotta go too.”

“Huh? Dayoung? Where are you going? You mean outside right now?”

“I think we really need to go out together today! See you later!”

 

Dayoung quickly went to her room, threw on some clothes, grabbed a large backpack, and rushed downstairs. 

 

The scouting team members, who were preparing their gear, all turned their heads at the sound of hurried footsteps. 

 

There was Dayoung, running toward them with a backpack bigger than her torso slung over her shoulder. 

 

Afraid the group might have already left, she had sprinted with all her might and was now gasping for breath.

 

“Noona?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No. Huff… I… I’m coming with you.”

“Noona. You can’t.”

“Yeah, it’s too dangerous.”

“I have to go. Please take me with you.”

 

At Dayoung’s insistence on joining them, the scouting team members’ eyes widened. 

 

They looked her up and down, but her slender limbs made it clear she stood no chance against zombies. She probably couldn’t even swing a weapon properly.

 

“If there’s something you need, we’ll bring it back for you. You can’t come. It’s too dangerous.”

“But…”

 

Dayoung wanted to talk about the underground shopping center, but didn’t know how to bring it up. 

 

On the way to the gas station, they had to turn into alley after alley. 

 

If this place had the same layout as Seoul, it would’ve been easier to explain, but even though the names were the same, the streets looked different. She couldn’t exactly bring up the novel either.

 

“So, we’re heading east, right? There’s an underground shopping center in the alley east of the mall. You go into the alley next to the DaiXo building, take the first right, then another left, and you’ll find the underground entrance. At the far right end, there’s an NH Mart. Ugh, never mind. Let’s just go together, okay? I won’t be a burden, I promise.”

 

“But—”

 

“I’ve survived this long, haven’t I? I won’t do anything reckless. I can handle it.”

 

“Noona, you don’t even remember anything.”

 

Ian firmly shut her down. No matter how short they were on scouts, he couldn’t send a woman out there.

 

“But you’re all so capable! If anything dangerous happens… you’ll protect me, right? Huh? Ian… Jiseok oppa…”

 

“Sigh… Fine. Get Dayoung into some protective gear. And give me that bag. What the hell did you even pack in here? It’s too heavy—take this smaller one instead.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Like a cat from those viral internet photos, Dayoung blinked her big, round eyes, glancing back and forth between Ian and Jiseok. 

 

Finally, Ian let out a deep sigh and relented. He strapped the small bag onto Dayoung’s shoulder and slung the large one over his own. 

 

The group scavenged whatever protective gear they could find underground and suited her up, even putting a helmet on her head.

 

“You stick right by our side at all times. Got it?”

 

“Yes!!”

 

“If any of us is in danger, you run no matter what. Understood?”

“…That’s… kind of…”

“I’d do the same. Even if you were in danger, I’d run. So you have to do the same. Don’t ever put yourself at risk. Got it?”

“Yeah…”

 

Dayoung, knowing they’d rush into danger for each other, gave a vague nod at Ian’s words.

 

The group exited through the back door. Dayoung tried to steady her trembling heart. 

 

The original owner of this body had survived alone until now, but the real Dayoung had never killed a zombie, never even seen one up close. She had never even swung anything before—the only time she’d swung anything was a baseball bat in a video game. 

 

Determined not to be a burden, she followed the group.

 

Once past the barricade, Ian instructed the others to surround Dayoung. 

 

Being short, she could hardly see outside the circle of her companions. They moved toward the path they had prepared earlier. 

 

Dayoung peeked out from beside Ian to get a better look.

 

“Wow. They set this up really well,” she murmured.

 

It wasn’t a full barricade, but tightly strung lines on both sides prevented zombies from crossing.

The group moved forward as quietly as possible. When their prepared path ended, they proceeded with even more caution.

 

“Stay close to me.”

“Okay.”

 

“Grrrl—”

“Gaaah—”

 

The sounds of zombies grew closer. Ian whispered to Dayoung as they split into pairs, moving as silently as possible. 

 

After walking for about an hour, they could finally see the cause of the explosion. Thick smoke filled the air, and flames roared higher into the sky than they had expected.

 

The group split up to scout the area. 

 

How often would zombies set fire to a gas station? 

 

Though they moved quickly, hoping to find survivors, they discovered nothing. They regrouped to head back to the mall. 

 

The flames raged too fiercely to approach, and just like in the novel, rain began to pour.

 

Dayoung gazed up at the stormy sky.

 

The black smoke that had covered it was gone, replaced only by thick rain clouds. 

 

Witnessing events from the novel unfold before her eyes felt surreal. The sound of the heavy rain drowned out the voices of the group.

 

Noticing Dayoung drenched in the downpour, Ian took off his windbreaker and draped it over her head.

 

“Here, noona, put this on.”

 

“I’m fine, you wear it. You’ll catch a cold.”

 

“I’m healthier than you, so I’ll be fine. Plus, your clothes are completely see-through—is that okay?”

 

“Huh?!”

 

Dayoung looked down. Her light blue shirt clung tightly to her body, blatantly revealing her bra and even the cleavage between it. She hastily slipped on the windbreaker. 

 

As Ian rolled up the sleeves, which were too long for her, Jiseok approached.

 

“Dayoung, you said we had to stop somewhere, right?”

 

“Yeah! We need to go to the underground mall. This way.”

 

Remembering the DaiXo building she had seen earlier, Dayoung took the lead. 

 

They wound through alleyways and entered the underground mall. In the pitch-dark space, the group relied on their headlamps, stepping cautiously. 

 

Since there weren’t many zombies underground, they cleared the path as they advanced. Though long abandoned, the mall was cleaner than expected. 

 

However, the stench of rotting food assaulted their noses.

 

“Ugh. The smell. How did you know about this place, Dayoung noona?”

“It just came to me. They said there was an explosion in the east, and suddenly I remembered. I must’ve been here before.”

 

Dayoung brushed off the question and went inside. 

 

The group stopped by the most important place—the agricultural cooperative—to gather intact rice and grains. Since they had to carry everything in sacks, they piled them near the entrance and searched for plastic sheets to wrap them in. 

 

Dayoung stuffed vegetable seeds into her bag. She would’ve preferred seedlings, but without care for months, they had already dried out.

 

“What a waste. Seedlings are easier to grow than seeds.”

 

She packed all the seeds she could and filled the remaining space with canned goods like spam and tuna. 

 

The pockets of her windbreaker were stuffed with chocolates, and her shopping cart was loaded with dried seaweed, nuts, and other long-lasting foods. 

 

As she struggled to push the cart outside, the others burst out laughing at the sight of her bulging pockets.