Dystopia Of Night - Chapter 2 Part 6

On that night, the rain stopped.

The people who had washed their bodies by walking around in the rain for a long time gathered around a pile of firewood and lit a fire, their faces now clean. They were all relieved, especially after Sehan brought back plenty of fruit to fill their stomachs.

However, except for the criminals who had been tied up and targeted again and again, everyone else was calm.

“The sun will rise soon! Please untie us quickly!” 

A man, wearing a blue prisoner uniform with the number 4883 written on it, shouted.

They ignored his words as if they hadn’t heard them. 4883 pleaded with a different attitude.

“After the monster bastards first came, only five of us survived, but now we’re down to two. Wouldn’t it be nice if you at least freed us when they come? There are two police, so they can just monitor each of us.”

One big college student, who was holding a baseball bat, approached 4883.

“You’re so damn noisy.”

The two were similarly built, but 4883 was tied up, and the college student was holding a weapon, a baseball bat.

“Look here, mister. Why is a trash bastard like you talking so much? Be grateful we’re not using you as bait.”

He kicked 4883 in the shin.

“Argh!”

With a thud, 4883 fell to the ground and writhed. The college student kept kicking him.

The criminals who were only making annoying noises were now a minority. The people thought they should be isolated away from them and were unhappy with the fact that they were living together. It was natural for the 4883 who committed crimes to be punished.

But what was different about that student who used such violence to 4883?

They were confused, but no one spoke out. Hansol, the leader of the college students, was no exception. Instead, he cheered with a satisfied face.

Yuju, who thought of the students as cute freshmen, was shocked. She took a step forward, thinking that it wasn’t right.

Sehan’s eyes narrowed as he clicked his tongue.

“Stop.”

Sehan pulled Yuju into his arms. Hansol, who was laughing beside him, grabbed the student who was stomping on 4883.

“Hey! What are you doing, Cha Kyeong-joon?”

“No, hyung. That jerk is acting like a bastard.”

“Do you know what situation we’re in now? What are you doing, acting crazy when those monsters could pop out at any moment?”

Hansol’s words, whispered coldly instead of shouted, were persuasive. Kyeong-joon’s shoulders trembled at those words, and Hansol chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“Why bother dealing with those kinds of bastards? Just ignore them.”

Kyeong-joon nodded in defeat and spat on 4883’s face, whether intentionally or accidentally, the saliva landed on his face.

The eyes of 4883, who was trembling on the floor, became bloodshot. Suddenly, he rushed forward. Kyeong-joon, whose ankle was caught, hit his head hard on the ground. Taking advantage of the moment when Kyeong-joon was unable to recover his senses, 4883 climbed on top of him and squeezed his throat tightly with his big hands.

“Die! You son of a bitch! Die! Die!”

“Cough! Cough…!”

With such forceful choking, Kyungjun’s eyes rolled back, the whites of his eyes showing.

“Kyeong-joon!”

Three students rushed over desperately, trying to free him from 4883.

“Uwaaaaak!”

4883 resisted and thrashed around, still bound in shackles. The students who had initially only tried to restrain and push him away started cursing and hitting him, kicking him with their feet.

The situation was chaotic, as if they couldn’t feel the ominous atmosphere approaching from outside.

Sehan was the first to come to his senses among those who watched the scene blankly. His eyes widened and he immediately drew his gun.

“Sehan?”

“Hyung-nim?”

When Yuju and Hansol called out to him, the others looked at Sehan too.

It was a pitch-black night, with the sun still not risen. For three days, the monster had appeared at dawn, but he couldn’t be sure of anything with just three samples. Sehan’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“It’s coming. Get ready.”

“But, we’re not ready yet…!”

Zzzt! Zzzt!

There was a strange sound of something sticking and then falling away. It was the sound of the tentacles of the monster moving.

Hyeong-jin, who was about to object to Sehan’s words, stopped speaking and turned pale. The people grabbed their weapons. Yuju stood where she had gathered a pile of fist-sized stones.

Those who had become somewhat experienced in hunting the tentacle monster aimed for its head to bring it down. The problem was the moment they were relieved to have killed all four.

Thump! Crack! Thump!

There was a sound of something breaking. The flames flickered, illuminating something that looked like hard scales. It was difficult to distinguish the dark body that was completely submerged in the darkness, and only a few people, including Sehan, felt uneasy.

“What is that…”

Sehan took a piece of burning wood and threw it in that direction. The strange creature wriggled and made a strange ultrasound-like sound.

“Ugh!”

Their brain was burning with pain. It was when the unusually red sun of this world spread a faint red glow over the land.

The snake monster was very large and black. Its eyes, teeth, and tongue were all black, making it inconspicuous in the dark, as if it had camouflage.

The snake monster sniffed and licked its tongue, freezing the people’s gazes. Did it not intend to attack? While they were wondering, the snake rushed at them like a hawk snatching its prey.

“Move!”

Someone shouted, but it was too fast to avoid.

Bang! Sehan’s gun fired a bullet, spewing white smoke. The bullet pierced through the snake’s forehead precisely. However, its steel-like black teeth were already aiming at 4883.

The snake didn’t die right away but writhed in pain, making that strange ultrasound-like sound.

While everyone was covering their ears and falling to the ground, Sehan painfully pulled out a few pieces of firewood and approached the monster. Then, he shoved the burning firewood into the monster’s mouth, which was screaming.

The small fire spread in an instant. The snake’s head, which looked like a pile of straw, was burning fiercely. As the small sun-like flames that wrapped around the round head fiercely swayed, the snake’s head disappeared as if it had been chopped off.

Thud! The remaining body fell to the ground after losing its head. It was truly a creepy scene.

Everyone looked at Sehan who was carefully examining the dead snake.

“Sehan, are you okay? Did your arm get hurt?”

Yuju was the first to rush out and examine his body. He hugged her affectionately and said to the people.

“This snake seems to have a weakness for fire.”

“How do you know…”

“I was lucky to notice that its skin touching the fire quickly shriveled up.”

Sehan pointed to the body of the crumpled snake monster, which was hit by the pile of firewood he had thrown a moment ago.

“Usually in this situation… you can’t figure out something like that.”

Hansol chuckled and looked at Sehan as if he were possessed.

With Sehan, he could survive even in this terrible world. Hansol’s eyes trembled with hope as he thought that.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.