Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 62
T h is w a s c op ie d f r om k i n g mtl . o rg

The Harsh Season

***

Winter is known as the time when biological activity is at its lowest.

Animals hibernate, and humans sustain themselves with harvested food.

That’s what’s commonly said.

However, the post-apocalyptic world is different.

In the post-apocalyptic winter, zombies are less active, making it the easiest season to stockpile supplies.

In a world where heating has become a lost concept, this applies indoors as well.

What am I trying to say?

Today, we’re going to raid houses that we haven’t explored yet.

“Wow!”

In front of a luxury apartment in Seodaemun, Jinwoo stared at the building with wide eyes.

Next to him, Kang Ki-hyun had her usual drowsy expression.

I patted the backs of the two distracted kids.

“Alright, stay alert. It’s winter, but remember, it’s game over if you get bitten.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jinwoo responded sharply.

Ki-hyun nodded vaguely from behind.

I chuckled lightly and led the kids into the apartment.

‘Let’s start with Building 1 and take it slow.’

The exploration period was set for three days.

Since this is a residential area, we can just find an empty house to sleep in.

‘The kids will be taken care of by the old man and Helen.’

No need to give up on long-term plans because of the kids anymore.

A thought crossed my mind.

‘It’s gotten quite crowded.’

I once thought I’d grow old and die alone, but now I had so many people around me.

It was quite comforting.

Having a place to return to made my heart feel warm, and I realized humans are meant to live in communities.

“Uncle.”

Jinwoo called me.

I looked up at Jinwoo standing in front of the entrance.

“What?”

“The door is open.”

“Damn it….”

My expression crumpled as I checked the entrance.

Just as Jinwoo said, the door lock was broken.

This only meant one thing.

“Looks like someone’s been here before us.”

Someone had already visited this apartment last winter.

It wasn’t surprising.

Even though Seodaemun has a low floating population, there are vagrants everywhere.

And even if they weren’t vagrants, exploration teams from shelters often visit places like this.

After a brief hesitation, I made a decision.

“Let’s check the upper floors. Usually, people who find things on the lower floors don’t bother going up.”

“Do you think there’ll be anything?”
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i n g m tl . o r g

“We can only hope.”

I gripped the monkey wrench tighter.

Ki-hyun’s expression darkened at the troublesome situation.

“Let’s go.”

We left the broken door lock behind and headed for the upper floors.

***

As expected, the lower floors were completely ransacked.

All three front doors up to the ninth floor were broken.

Considering the apartment had 21 floors, it was a disheartening outcome.

‘Persistent bastards.’

How could they think to loot half the building?

They should at least consider the people coming after them.

I grumbled about it, but….

Well, I would have looted as much as I could too, so it couldn’t be helped.

The only good news was that the door locks on the 10th floor were intact.

“Phew, I’m exhausted.”

I panted heavily, patting my waist.

The relief of finding an intact door lock made the tension drain away.

I missed civilization more than ever.

I resented the non-functional elevator ahead.

“Uncle, what should we do?”
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng m t l .or g

Jinwoo asked.

I swung the monkey wrench and replied.

“Break it.”

“Are you sure? What about the noise….”

“It’s fine; that’s why we came in winter.”

It was okay to make noise while breaking down the door.

Winter zombies were extremely slow, and even if there were zombies inside, our reaction would be faster than their approach.

“Both of you, step back.”

At my words, the kids stepped back.

I gripped the monkey wrench with both hands and swung it at the door lock.

Bang-!

The loudest sound I’d heard in a while.

The noise echoed satisfyingly, clearing my mind.

I swung the tool again.

Bang-!

Bang-!

Bang-!

After about three swings, the door lock was dismantled.

“Jinwoo, hand me the screwdriver.”

“Yes.”

I took the screwdriver from Jinwoo and fiddled with the exposed interior.

Click-.

The door lock finally fell off.

“Alright, let’s see….”

Th i s was c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g
I peeked through the hole left by the broken lock into the house.
T h is w a s c o p i ed fr om k i n gm tl . o rg

I saw two zombies slowly walking toward the entrance.

“A couple.”

They were so decomposed it was hard to determine their age.

But it was a good sign.

The fact that they were zombies inside suggested they might have hoarded supplies and holed up in the house.

“Kids, grab your tools.”

I felt sorry for the couple, but the living had to survive.

After taking a deep breath, I grabbed the doorknob.

Then, I yanked it open and charged inside.

“Delivery!”

I shouted as I ran in, kicking the husband on the left.

T h i s w as co p i e d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
Thud!

The husband fell with a loud crash.

Without stopping, I swung my upper body and struck the wife on the back of the head with the monkey wrench.

T h is wa s co p i e d f rom k i n g mtl . o r g
Crack-!

Her softened flesh and skull shattered instantly, killing her.

Meanwhile, Ki-hyun and Jinwoo, who followed me in, crushed the husband’s head.

Squish-!

“Well done!”

I gave them a thumbs-up.

The two kids nodded, catching their breath.

I bowed my head briefly in silence for the couple we had just dealt with, then looked around the house.

‘At least the furniture is intact.’

The decorations and doors were all in good condition.

It was likely they became zombies due to the virus spreading inside rather than an external intrusion.

I walked further into the living room and smiled brightly.

“This is it.”

The window area was stacked with cardboard boxes.

The contents were likely preserved food.

“Kids, let’s open these.”

The kids approached.

I took down the top box and opened it.

Suddenly.

“Ham…!”

Jinwoo’s mouth fell open.

Th i s w a s c o p i ed f r om ki n g m t l .o r g
Ki-hyun and I had similar reactions.

We couldn’t help it.

Ham.

Canned ham.

The sight of it made our spines tingle with excitement.

“This is it!”

The first thing I did was check the preservation state of the cans.

While it’s said processed meat products can’t be eaten after three years, some might still be good depending on the sealing.

The top cans were swollen.

‘These are no good.’

I discarded them without hesitation and checked the layer below.

‘…Perfect!’

These were edible.

There were no visible abnormalities, and the quantity was abundant.

A quick boil would make for a good meal.

“Pack these up for now. I’ll check the other boxes.”
Th is w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m tl .or g

The good news kept coming.

Tuna, beans, and even canned peaches.

‘Why is their preservation state so good?’

We were lucky from the first house.

This was one of the best hauls I’d seen in five years of scavenging.

I didn’t know who these people were, but I thought they must have been incredibly thorough in their preparations.

My hands stopped unboxing.

A chilling thought crossed my mind.

There was no reason for it.

The feeling stemmed from my survival instincts.

“…Kids.”

“Yes?”

“Can you pack these up for a moment? I need to look around the house.”

“Alright!”

Jinwoo nodded.

Leaving Jinwoo behind, I stood up and surveyed the house.

‘…Three rooms.’

Being a high-end apartment, it had a spacious layout.

From experience, the far room was likely the master bedroom, and the other side was probably a storage room or study.

‘…Then.’

What about the closed room I passed at the entrance?

I walked slowly and looked again at the fallen couple.

I checked their accessories and clothing.

The husband wore a sweater and long pants.

Th i s w a s c o pi e d f ro m ki n gm t l . o r g
The wife wore a knit top and long skirt.

She also had a gold necklace around her neck.

‘Spring? Winter?’

I tried to deduce the season when they became zombies.

It wasn’t summer, and the thickness of their clothing suggested spring, autumn, or the middle of winter.

My brow furrowed.

‘It wasn’t an airborne virus.’

They became zombies for a different reason.

They were at least my age or a bit older.

The outbreak happened in the middle of summer, so they must have survived until then.

My gaze shifted to the closed room.

A hypothesis formed in my mind.

‘…A child.’

They were around my age or older.

Living in such an apartment, they chose to survive by barricading themselves inside.

This was a residential area.

An apartment high up, difficult to break into.

I hardened my expression and placed my hand on the doorknob.

With my other hand, I gripped the monkey wrench tightly.

Then, I opened the door.

Click-.

“Damn it.”

Inside was a zombie of a middle school boy tied to a bed, dead.

End of Chapter