CTLI — Chapter 6

Bang!

Between the monster’s screech and the gunfire, it felt like I was underwater, sound dulled all around me. But I was lucky enough to see sparks fly from its back as it thrashed in pain.

“It’s the back. Aim for the back—!”

“Get inside the guard post first!”

The guard post? Did he not see that building just get demolished?

I gaped in disbelief, but the words never made it out. The wounded creature writhed violently, then whipped its long tail directly at me and Choi Dohyun. Pain exploded in my body as I was flung into a wall.

“Guh…!”

The back of my head was ringing. A lump of black blood burst from my mouth, and my vision blurred. Unlike when I used to wish for death, the vivid pain now made me desperate to live. I gasped and groped for the shotgun on the ground.

“Hyung!”

I could barely make out Choi Dohyun staggering toward me from where he’d also been thrown. He didn’t seem seriously hurt—thank god—but could he really hold out until I got back up? Even if by some miracle he killed that thing, could he reach the train station alone?

“Guh… khak…!”

I vomited another mouthful of blood and, choking, aimed the shotgun at the creature’s writhing back.

Bang!

Its back scorched black, but unlike before, it seemed more enraged than wounded. It thrashed harder, and the ground beneath us shook with relentless tremors.

Choi Dohyun lost his balance and fell. The monster, now close, raised its tail with clear murderous intent. I desperately fired several more times, but its massive tail was tougher—and stronger—than a few shells.

“I’m okay, hyung! Just try again—!”

Crash!

The ground shook violently. Dohyun managed to dodge the brunt of the attack but not entirely—one of his legs was crushed beyond saving. I wanted to scream for him to run, but even my voice had abandoned me.

He was crawling toward me now, hand dragging across the floor, just as a massive shadow loomed overhead. I lowered my head, my shoulders sagging in defeat. I’d wanted to save him. I’d wanted to bring him safely to the safe zone. I didn’t even know where it all went wrong.

I never expected a monster like this to appear. If I’d known, maybe I should’ve been nicer—even if he talked too much, even if he argued, I should’ve been kinder. I tried not to grow attached, afraid of dying so meaninglessly… but in the end, all I had were regrets.

I guess I’ll wake up alone again.

As my eyes began to close, I saw Choi Dohyun’s body crushed beneath the monster’s tail, blood spraying everywhere. My eyes stung.

The consciousness that sank like I was drowning in deep water—it was cruel. Sounds faded away, and just as I thought I never wanted to wake up again, awareness suddenly snapped back into focus. There was no pain anymore. No grotesque sounds from the monster. It was as if someone had cut the tape.

I jerked my head up. Time had stopped—everything was frozen. Before I could react, the world around me began to rewind rapidly, like an old video being rewound at high speed. I blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Then I realized—I was standing back inside the building. At the entrance, just before the tremor began.

What the hell is going on…?

“Hyung, run!”

In the middle of my confusion, someone grabbed my wrist and started running. I burst through the glass doors, and only then did I realize—Choi Dohyun was running ahead of me. And once again, the ground was shaking violently.

“…Choi Dohyun?”

Hearing my muttering, Choi Dohyun, who had been running ahead, turned back and gave me a wide grin. I could only stare blankly at his mischievous smile, unable to process anything else.

Was it a dream? A hallucination? Or had I finally lost my mind and started seeing things? Dragged along helplessly by Choi Dohyun’s hand, I floundered in the depths of confusion.

Crash! As the sound of a building collapsing echoed behind us, the monster I had just seen began crawling up in exactly the same way as before. The only difference was that this time, we were already far from the spot where it had first appeared.

Dozens of eyes gleamed menacingly in our direction as if the creature were stretching itself awake. Just as I was about to reach for the shotgun on my back, repulsed by those slick, glistening eyes, the sound of a heavy door slamming shut rang out.

Bang!

The moment the door closed, I frantically looked around. A corpse with half its head blown off, blood splattered across the walls… Ah, this was the guard post we had first entered.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

Maybe worried by my vacant expression, Choi Dohyun reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Gasping for breath, I instinctively cupped his cheek. It was warm. He was alive. His leg was intact.

Trying to ignore the tremble in my hands, I steadied my breathing and barely managed to speak.

“Are… are you okay? I saw you, you were crushed under that monster’s tail…”

At my stammering, Choi Dohyun blinked rapidly, his expression confused.

“…Hyung, you remember?”

Remember?

It was a strange question. Eyes wide, Choi Dohyun gripped my shoulders tightly. The disbelief on his face—he hadn’t even looked like this when he was about to be crushed to death.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a monster’s screech rang out from outside and made me flinch.

[Graaaagh.]

“We have to get out of here now…!”

“It’s okay. This place is safe.”

I shouted in a panic at the sound of the monster, but Choi Dohyun responded calmly, as if to soothe me.

Safe? What made him say that? If he really remembered what had happened just moments ago, shouldn’t he be even more terrified? Didn’t he see how a single sweep of the tail had turned buildings into sandcastles?

“I think we should run. I’ll draw its attention, and you—”

“Hyung!”

Smack.

Choi Dohyun gently slapped both of my cheeks and lightly held them in his hands. I flinched and trembled, startled, then exhaled shakily and met his steady gaze.

He wore a faint, reassuring smile. No—his eyes sparkled with curiosity. I couldn’t say anything.

[Screeeeech.]

The monster’s cry rang out again. I twitched and began turning my head, but Choi Dohyun’s hands held my face more firmly, his gaze unwavering as he looked down at me.

“It’s okay. Hyung’s not going to die.”

No, it wasn’t myself I was afraid for… it was you…

“I’ll explain everything later.”

With that, Choi Dohyun finally released my face, patting my cheeks once like kneading dough. He picked up the shotgun strapped to his back, fiddled with the trigger like he was playing, then guided me to sit on a chair and turned toward the door.

“I can’t do it alone.”

“You said its weak point is the back, right?”

“Maybe we should just wait until that thing calms down…”

“Come on, it’s fine. Don’t you trust me?”

At the playful wink by his eye, I couldn’t help but slump my shoulders in exasperation. It all felt surreal. Was it because someone I thought was dead was now alive? Or because everything that had just happened vanished like a lie? Or was it because Choi Dohyun was smiling so casually even while remembering it?

When I stayed silent, lips sealed, Choi Dohyun quietly opened the door and pointed the muzzle of his gun through it. Peering through a narrow gap barely wide enough for one person to pass through, he stared at the monster. A faint growl could be heard—and then, gunfire.

It wasn’t just one shot. Bang, bang, bang—three times in a row. The floor rumbled beneath our feet.

“What’s with that speed?”

Choi Dohyun quickly pulled the gun back and slammed the door shut. Through the small window, I could see the monster, burned on its back, charging toward us. The building would collapse soon, and the pain would follow. Clenching my teeth, I braced for the worst.

But even while shrieking in agony, the monster never touched the guard post.

“See? I told you it’s safe.”

He turned to me and smiled brightly. I couldn’t believe it. What on earth was going on? Once the monster retreated slightly, Choi Dohyun cracked the door open again and repeated the same shooting pattern. The creature that once seemed impossible to kill dropped to the ground with a heavy thud after just six shots.

“Easier than I thought.”

He said it so casually as he lowered the gun, but his back was drenched in cold sweat. With a short sigh, he picked up a white A4 sheet and after a moment, turned to ask me,

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“…No.”

“Thank god.”

He placed a hand over his chest and sighed in relief. It was a strange feeling. Usually, I was the one asking if others were okay—and civilians were the ones saying thank you. But instead of replying with thanks, I simply stared at him and spoke.

“Can you explain what just happened?”

At my question, Choi Dohyun nodded—then suddenly paused. No, more accurately, it felt like time itself had stopped.

For a moment, I felt like even my breathing was being controlled. Then the man frowned and muttered a short curse. He ruffled his hair, a clear look of irritation on his face.

“Just…”

“…”

“I can sense where the safe places are. And when I die, time resets to just before that moment.”

It sounded like nonsense. He had said he could explain everything, but now it felt like he was hiding something.

Still, instead of pressing him with more questions, I simply nodded in acceptance. I couldn’t call it a lie—not when I had also come back from death. It lessened my guilt, and Choi Dohyun was alive. That was enough.

“…You believe me?”

“I do.”

“Why?”

Oddly, he looked more taken aback by my response. His lips moved like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. I looked down, then back up again. He scrutinized my face, but didn’t offer any more explanation.

“Does it matter?”

“Well…”

“To me, it doesn’t really matter.”

If what he said was true, then getting to the train station would be much easier. At the very least, he knew where the safe places were. And maybe now I understood why he always seemed so clean and uninjured.

In a world where zombies had destroyed everything, that wasn’t what mattered.

I quietly stepped past Choi Dohyun and opened the guard post door. The monster we had just killed lay limp and bubbling as it melted into the ground. I winced at the stench and covered my nose, only for Choi Dohyun to grab my wrist again and pull me along. Why did he keep grabbing my wrist like that instead of just saying something?

“We’re going to the train station now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Should we rest a bit before we go?”

I shook my head without thinking, then opened my mouth.

“Do you want to rest?”

He gave an awkward smile, embarrassed, and I replied that I understood. I got it. He was tired. Honestly, I was the one lacking consideration. If we had to reach the station within three days, it would be a tight schedule—but facing zombies while exhausted was worse.

We left the military base without exchanging many words. A few zombies did appear while we were looking for a place to rest, but they weren’t particularly dangerous. Just regular ones. We dispatched them easily and moved on.