The Only Woman in a Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 2 Chapter 43 - The Meaning of Yet Another Memory (1)

Dayoung headed toward the temporary shelter with Minho, who had been waiting for her in front of the bathhouse. 

 

Minho simply patted her back quietly to comfort her without saying anything else. 

 

Lying down, Dayoung couldn’t fall asleep easily. There were so many things she was curious about, so many things that felt strange. But since she couldn’t figure out the reason, she just felt frustrated.

 

Morning dawned, and during breakfast, Dayoung quietly spoke up.

“There’s a military base about three hours southwest of the shopping mall. I think we should go there.”

“Noona, why there?”

“We have guns now, but we don’t have many bullets. After what happened yesterday, it seems like our weapons might work on zombies but not on humans. We need more bullets. And more weapons.”

“That’s true. But places that aren’t barricaded yet will take a long time to get through. And we don’t even know the way.”

“I… know the way.”

 

A location that had come to her since dawn. 

 

It was an army base, but one where special forces were also stationed—and for some reason, she could recall the route there in detail. 

 

Dayoung was bewildered. But since there must be a reason it kept surfacing in her mind, she decided they should go there first to gather weapons and bullets. 

 

Maybe once they arrived, she’d understand why.

 

“Then let’s move as Noona says. I… think we’ll need guns too. Many of us have never even seen a gun before. We should get as many as we can and practice. So we can protect ourselves. We can’t stay here forever anyway.”

 

Ian agreed with Dayoung’s words. 

 

Just the other day, they had risked danger to go to the gymnasium in response to a rescue request, only to find themselves at the mercy of those who suddenly pointed guns at them. 

 

The memory of their own weakness—how they couldn’t even put up a proper fight because they were terrified of the guns those people carried—kept haunting him.

 

Because of that, Dayoung had to come all the way to the gymnasium and endure humiliation. 

 

The sight of Dayoung screaming that she had killed someone, the sight of her being captured and violated by them—Ian vowed never to let the group face danger again.

 

“As you know, the military bases have already collapsed, so we can’t even call for rescue, and we can’t expect anyone to come save us. Minho did a five-month broadcast, but no one came to help. Almost no one showed up, right? People are probably moving around in groups like us. When food runs out, they’ll move to another area. It’d be great if we could join forces, but that might not happen. In a situation like this, food is limited everywhere. We need to grow stronger.”

 

At Dayoung’s words, the group stared at her blankly. She was completely different from her usual fragile and shy self. 

 

But if asked whether they disliked this side of her, the answer was no.

 

In this era, as long as someone had strong willpower and could lead the group, it didn’t matter whether they were a woman or a man.

 

“Wow, noona, you’re so cool??”

 

In the heavy silence, Dohun blurted out, his lips twitching. 

 

Clutching his hands together, he gazed at Dayoung as if enchanted by something mesmerizing, causing her ears to turn red instantly.

 

“It’s not like that… I just heard things, too. I followed that group for a while. As my memories come back, I’ve learned more information.”

 

“Then, let’s prepare tomorrow and head south before turning west. It’ll take too long to clear a path southwest from here. You’re planning to come with us, right?”

 

“Yeah. I know the way, and I also know where the weapons are. We should take the cart too. It’s better to bring everything in one trip rather than thinking about going back.”

 

“Okay. Then, let’s leave after breakfast tomorrow.”

 

“Noona. Were you really a shooting athlete?? Can’t you show us some of your skills?”

 

At Dohun’s words, Dayoung and the group headed to the rooftop. 

 

Dayoung upended the backpack Minshik had brought up, spilling out various guns. She picked up a large rifle.

 

“I used a shotgun before. I’m not sure if I can handle a rifle.”

 

Despite her small frame, Dayoung lifted the K2C1 rifle and climbed onto a nearby chair. The effortless motion drew soft gasps of awe from the group. 

 

Half of them had never served in the military, so to them, Dayoung handling a gun looked incredibly cool.

 

“What should I aim for? We don’t have many bullets, so just two shots.”

 

Dohun pointed at a fast-moving zombie circling the same spot in the distance.

 

“There’s a zombie spinning in place up ahead. The one with no arms.”

 

“Got it.”

 

A moment later—Bang! 

 

A loud shot rang out, and the zombie’s head burst open as it collapsed. The group erupted in applause.

 

“No way!! That was so cool!!”

 

“Wow, even I’d have trouble hitting that distance. But she nailed it?”

 

While the non-veterans admired Dayoung’s skills, the military veterans were more surprised. Though the K2C1 had low recoil, Dayoung’s small frame showed no reaction to the kickback, leaving them impressed.

 

“Noona, can you try an even farther target? That female zombie is near the tallest building over there.”

 

“Hold on.”

 

Dayoung raised the gun, pressing her face close to the sights as she closed one eye to aim. 

 

A moment later—Bang! The zombie dropped.

 

“Wow!! Amazing!! That was so cool!!”

“Hyung, can you guys do that???”

“Nah. Moving targets are tough for me.”

“Me too.”

 

The military veterans raised both hands and shook their heads. 

 

If it were a fixed object, they might have had some chance even at a distance, but seeing Dayoung take down a zombie from far away—and a moving one at that—they gave her a thumbs-up in awe.

 

“Noona should join the scouting team instead of the cooking team now. Talent, pure talent!”

 

Blushing at the group’s praise, Dayoung shyly lowered her head. 

 

After her firearms’ demonstration, everyone went their separate ways to handle their own tasks. Dayoung spent the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow’s outing. 

 

After dinner, she returned to her room, sat at her desk, and pulled out her diary.

 

Even though it was the same diary she wrote in every day, the same one she checked regularly, something felt different from the last time she’d read it.

 

“They say life is unpredictable. So true. I hope I can grab some gear from the military and just indulge in fiery sex.”

 

“??”

 

“What? What did I just say? Did those words really just come out of my mouth?? Kim Dayoung, you’re really going off the rails now.”

 

She was shocked by her own words. Sure, she enjoyed sex, but she’d never blurted it out like this. 

 

Maybe if she were drunk, but no—her body had simply been heated up when she’d given herself to them. 

 

Yet here she was, casually dropping the word sex without hesitation, even though she wasn’t in that kind of situation.

 

It felt like three versions of herself coexisted in one place: the embarrassed Dayoung, the Dayoung who loved sex, and the Dayoung who could say it out loud without restraint. But what unsettled her the most wasn’t any of that—it was the strange, unfamiliar memory lingering in her mind, one that didn’t belong to either her past or present self.

 

It seems like two memories are coexisting and pulling out different ones, but I can’t tell whose memories they are. 

 

Neither of Dayoung’s memories included anything about the military or guns. Not long ago, when preparing for the first-floor raid, Jihu mentioned something strange—wondering if there was something supernatural at play. 

 

Could it really be true?

 

“Am I getting possessed or something??”

 

Dayoung blankly stared at her hand, which was filling the diary page with the names of weapons. 

 

This was definitely some kind of possession!! 

 

The way she was unconsciously writing things down felt terrifying, beyond just eerie.

 

“I’m losing my mind. Seriously.”

 

🫧

 

The next morning, after breakfast, the group gathered at the back gate to head toward the military base. 

 

Jiseok, Minshik, and Seojun, who had completed their military service, each carried a gun, while Dayoung slung a rifle over her shoulder and tucked a pistol into her waistband.

 

“Dayoung noona, turns out you weren’t a shooting athlete but a killer or something, right?”

 

“That’s ridiculous. With a body like hers? She can’t even lift a sack of rice properly. And she has no muscles.”

 

“No, but look how naturally she tucks that gun into her waistband?? Do shooting athletes usually handle real guns that well?”

 

“How would I know? I don’t have any shooting athletes or killers around me.”

 

The group buzzed with chatter over Dayoung’s natural movements. 

 

Of course, it didn’t matter much to them whether she was a shooting athlete or a killer, but curiosity was inevitable.

 

Among the scouting team, Ian, Jiwoo, and Joohan, who hadn’t served in the military and thus couldn’t carry guns, looked enviously at the four while shouldering bags of supplies. 

 

Moreover, since even those from the cooking and management teams who had served were armed, the scouts who hadn’t been in the military felt unfairly disadvantaged.

 

For safety reasons, Dayoung didn’t give guns to those without military experience. She thought it would be better for their own safety to hand them out only after sufficient training. 

 

The group moved out, loading a large cart with smaller ones.

 

“Be careful out there.”

 

“Yeah. Hold down the mall for us!”

 

Dayoung waved cheerfully at those staying behind at the mall. The group then headed south, following the path they had prepared.