Apocalypse: Apparently, I Can See Zombies

A piercing screech echoed off the bathroom walls before a loud thud echoed out. That loud thud was Jin-woo falling onto his back after having a zombie suddenly charge at him. He had made it here only ever encountering zombies locked in classrooms. So, he should have been on high alert after entering the bathroom, but he had been completely careless.

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Jin-woo didn't have time to wonder why his 'spider senses' didn't kick in to warn him of the danger, the zombie's teeth were making an ominous sound as they snapped together in front of his face.

Being so close up, Jin-woo was forced to get a good look at the zombie's face, and he recognized this male student, he was someone from his class. If Jin-woo remembered correctly, he was the youth he had mistakenly thought had called out to him this morning.

With a complicated emotion rising in his heart, Jin-woo suddenly shifted his entire upper body to the right while moving his hands fending off the zombie to the left. Then in another quick maneuver, he grabbed the back of the zombie's neck and forcefully slammed its face into the ground.

Now on top of the zombie's back having successfully restrained it, Jin-woo hesitated, that complex feeling stirring inside of him growing stronger.

After a long while, Jin-woo released a stifled breath.

"I can't do it."

Jin-woo kept the zombie pinned down as he slowly removed the tie from around its neck. It wasn't difficult for him to tie the zombie's hands behind its back. After that was done, he dragged it into the first stall and left it on its back snarling and struggling.

This should restrain it until he left.

After picking up the now uncased gun, Jin-woo placed it on one of the sinks before quickly moving towards the last stall to retrieve his drawstring bag. However, on his way there he suddenly spotted something through the ajar door of the second to last stall.

Jin-woo stopped in his tracks and then turned and approached the stall door. Upon pushing it open slightly, the sight before him came into a full picture. It was that of a male student, seated on the ground while motionlessly leaning against the toilet.

This male student was also from Class 1A. Jin-woo recognized him as the chubby youth who the first youth had called out to this morning. He and the youth were friends.

One particular detail that Jin-woo immediately noticed about this chubby youth's appearance, was the black lines on his face and hands. But, upon further examination of the body from a distance, he also realized there were no bite marks visible as well.

Jin-woo's heart quivered.

What did this mean?

The virus wasn't transmitted through the zombies' bite… but something else.

Jin-woo's thoughts raced while panic soon settled in since if this was true, then the virus could have likely already infected him without him knowing.

'Is it airborne?'

Jin-woo asked internally, but suddenly shook his head and denied that thought. If that were the case, then he should have long turned.

Also, his senses hadn't alerted him of anything.

'But how was the virus transmitted to this person?'

As Jin-woo was trying to decipher this issue, he stepped into the stall hoping to flip the chubby boy over to see if he had a bite mark on his back or something.

However, the moment Jin-woo placed his foot inside the stall, he suddenly withdrew it. A sense of danger almost as strong as when he was about to pull the fire alarm had flared up in his mind, causing his heart to skip a beat.

Looking at the chubby youth leaning against the toilet, Jin-woo could easily tell this danger came from him.

'Was he a zombie but hadn't woken up yet?'

Jin-woo carefully looked at the chubby youth but ruled out that possibility. With brows furrowed, his thoughts began to race as he tried to understand why he sensed danger from this dead body just now.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Skin-to-skin contact?"

Jin-woo blurted out loud and his eyes went wide with panic. As if on instinct he swiftly turned around and went to one of the sinks to wash his hands.

Reason told him that his actions were futile if the virus could actually be transmitted through contact with a zombie. It wasn't something a little hand soap and water could get rid of. However, Jin-woo ignored this logical reasoning due to his panic.

After getting a bit of soap into his hand from the dispenser on the wall, Jin-woo hurriedly motioned his hand over the pipe to turn on the water. He was then about to wash his hands as thoroughly as he could, but a sense of danger so great it overwhelmed his panic emotions hit him and caused him to pause momentarily.

Jin-woo's hands were mere inches away from the water running from the pipe. He didn't move it away immediately despite the sense of danger in his mind growing stronger and stronger as time passed. He simply stared at the water coming out of the pipe in silence.

Like any normal motion sensor pipe, the water was soon cut off. The sense of danger rising in Jin-woo's mind quickly faded into nothing, and he finally shifted his hand from the pipe.

Jin-woo turned his hand over. The water from the pipe had hit the sink and splashed small droplets onto the back of his hand. However, the sense of danger still quietly disappeared from his mind.

Jin-woo stared at these droplets of water for a long while before he walked over to the tissue dispenser and grabbed a few rolls to wipe away the soap and droplets of water on his hands.

After doing this, Jin-woo then approached the last stall and removed his drawstring bag from the door before sitting down on the toilet seat. He then used this chance to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he consolidated all his knowledge into three main points.

'Firstly, from the sense of danger just now and the lack of bite wound on that body, the virus likely comes from the school's water supply. Secondly, the virus affects people differently, either it turns them into zombies, or it kills them immediately upon contact. And thirdly, the virus is transmitted differently based on the infected person.

It's transmitted from someone who has turned by being bitten, and then by touch by someone who had died immediately.'

After sorting out his thoughts, Jin-woo glanced down at the back of his hand and added additional information.

"The virus in the water only infects someone who has come into contact with it in high dosage."

Jin-woo's face shifted.

"No wonder I sensed danger when I was about to pull the fire alarm. I thought it was because the loud sound would rile up the zombies but turns out it was due to the water in the sprinklers carrying the virus."

Suddenly, Jin-woo looked down at the drawstring bag in his lap. He hadn't forgotten what he came here for. Hurriedly opening the bag, he ruffled through it and finally fished out his phone at the bottom.

After unlocking his phone, Jin-woo went to his contacts and redial the last number he had called.

The first ring…

The second ring…

The third ring…

The phone rang three times before there was a click… the call went through.

"Mom! Where are you, are you okay?"

Jin-woo involuntarily yelled after having the call go through. However, his relief of this fact suddenly got thrown out the window upon hearing the voice at the other end.

"Jin-woo? It's me, Madelyn. Aren't you still in school right now? I think lunch break is also a few minutes away from ending, aren't you afraid the teachers will catch you on your phone?"