I Became The Necromancer In The Post-Apocalyptic Zombie World

Chapter 6 

—–CROW—– 

It was a miracle.

Yoo Ha-yeon nibbled at the food the man had left, tears streaming down her face. 

She’d been resigned to death, and now she had a second chance.  

She didn’t want to die.  

Even in this hellish world, she wanted to live.

“Thank you…sob…thank you…”

She whispered her gratitude to the man who’d saved her, even though he was long gone, her words lost in the silence of the empty hallway.

‘Um…w-when will you come back?’

“[I’m not sure.  Maybe in two or three days.]”

She remembered their last conversation.  Three days.  The food he’d left would barely last that long.

‘He probably doesn’t have much food himself.’

To Ha-yeon, he was a saint.  Offering help to a stranger in this mad world.  Even in the midst of the apocalypse, kindness still existed.

***

Now, the key was knowing when to cut off the food supply.

‘Let’s see how she’s doing.’

It had been five days since I’d met Yoo Ha-yeon.  I’d visited her twice since then, bringing food and making small talk.  Her name was Yoo Ha-yeon, a student at my university, just twenty years old, four years younger than me.

‘Twenty years old, caught in the outbreak…high probability of being a virgin.’

Another reason to make her mine.

First, I had to gain her trust, her complete obedience.  I could threaten her with zombies or withhold food, but I wanted her to *choose* to be mine.  Forced servitude bred resentment, rebellion.  I’d learned that the hard way with the soldiers.  To eliminate that possibility, Ha-yeon had to willingly become my slave.

And for that, I needed a story.

“Ha-yeon, how have you been?”

“[I’m okay! Thanks to you, I’ve been managing.]”

Her voice, coming from inside the apartment, sounded stronger than it had five days ago. Back then, it wasn’t just hunger, but also hopelessness.  Now, after my third visit, there was a hint of optimism in her voice. She believed I would keep coming back, bringing her food.

Hope made people foolish.  A fragile thing, easily broken, yet people clung to it desperately, especially in times of hardship.

“I brought you more food today.  Lots of high-calorie stuff, like chocolate.”

“[Thank you so much, mister…you don’t have to worry about me, sharing your own food…]”

But what if…that hope was suddenly taken away?

“Um…about that, Ha-yeon.”

“[…Y-Yes?]”

She sensed the hesitation in my voice, her own voice becoming cautious.

“Like you said, I’m running low on food myself.  And it’s getting dangerous to keep coming here.”

“[…Yes…w-what do you mean…?]”

When hope was snatched away, it was replaced by an even deeper despair.

“So, this is the last time I can bring you food…”

“[W-Wait! Just wait a minute!]”

She’d believed in me, in my kindness, my compassion.  She’d been certain I wouldn’t abandon her.  And now, I was betraying that trust.  I had a good excuse, of course.  I was already being incredibly generous in this dog-eat-dog world.  But she wasn’t in a position to understand that.  Her life depended on my food.  That’s why I’d only been giving her enough to survive for a few days at a time.  She’d probably eaten everything I’d given her last time, confident that I would return.

“[M-Mister…? Mister! Don’t go! Please…!!  Sob…mister…!!]”

When I didn’t answer, she grew more frantic.

“I’m really sorry. But I can’t do this anymore. I’m struggling too, wandering around without a proper place to stay.”

A lie, of course. I was living comfortably in the department store, eating and drinking like a king.  But these details were important.

“I found a good place, but it’s too dangerous to travel back and forth from here…”

She trusted me, but she hadn’t opened the door.  She thought I was a good person, but she was still wary, afraid of what I might do.  And she was right.  If she opened that door, I *would* do things to her.  But all of this was just a setup, a way to make her open the door herself.

—–CROW—–

“[B-But I…! Mister…I-I know this is incredibly selfish of me…!  Sob…but I might die without you…!]”

Her voice was choked with sobs, close to the door.  She was probably sitting on the floor, leaning against it.  Desperate.  But still, she hadn’t opened the door.  I thought she would by now.  She was more cowardly than I’d anticipated.  But that’s how she’d survived this long.  If she’d been braver, she’d probably be dead by now, killed while scavenging for food.

‘I’ll need more time.’

I took a step back from the door.

“I’m sorry, Ha-yeon.  I want to live too.  …And you won’t even open the door for me, even though I’m standing out here in the dangerous hallway.”

“[…W-What…?]”

She was taken aback.  She hadn’t considered that.  She hadn’t opened the door, not out of any conscious decision, but out of pure, unthinking fear.  I could understand.  She trusted me, but she hadn’t considered the implications of *not* opening the door.

“[M-Mister…! I…I mean…!]”

She realized how selfish she’d been.  She was safely locked inside, while the man who’d been bringing her food had been standing in the dangerous hallway three times now.

“[J-Just a moment!  I’ll…I’ll be right there…!]”

The sound of the lock turning.  I quickly moved away from the door.

“I’m sorry, Ha-yeon.  I hope you survive.”

I walked away, deliberately making my footsteps loud.

“[M-Mister—!! Mister—…!!]”

Her cries echoed from behind the closing door.

‘She still didn’t come out?’

I’d expected her to burst out and grab me.  But she hadn’t.  Maybe she’d decided it was too late, that I was already gone.

‘Hmm…I’ll come back in five days.’

I calculated the amount of food I’d left.  It would last her three or four days if she rationed it.  Or maybe she’d give up and eat it all in one day.  Either way, it would buy me five days.

There was a chance she’d give up and kill herself. But I thought that was unlikely.  Suicide required courage.  And she clearly lacked the courage to even open her door.  If she died, it would be from starvation.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter if she dies.’

I would be disappointed, but I’d just find another survivor.

***

The footsteps faded, the presence outside her door gone.  Still, Ha-yeon didn’t open the door.  Her trembling hand reached for the chain, unlocked one of the deadbolts, then hesitated at the final lock.  Fear, a primal instinct, overrode her rational mind.

Three days later…

“I should have opened it…I should have opened it…I should have opened it…”

She sat huddled on the floor, whispering the words like a mantra.  He was gone.  He’d abandoned her, left her to die.  He’d found a safer place, a better base.

‘…And you won’t even open the door for me, even though I’m standing out here in the dangerous hallway.’

His words echoed in her mind.  She hadn’t thought about it.  It had seemed so obvious, so natural.  He was risking his life, bringing her food he’d scavenged himself.  She’d been so focused on her own survival that she’d failed to consider his safety.

It was her fault.  He’d been kind, considerate.

‘If I…if I had just opened the door…’

If she’d welcomed him inside, he might have stayed.  He might have found comfort in her company.  They could have shared her apartment, survived together.  But she’d thrown away that chance, foolishly believing he would keep coming back.

“…I don’t want to die.”

Fear gripped her.  The food he’d left was almost gone.  She was going to starve to death.  She couldn’t bring herself to brave the zombie-infested streets.  She would die here, alone, helpless.

Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the floor, consumed by regret.  She’d thrown away her lifeline.

‘God, please…’

“Sob…please…please give me another chance…”

She buried her face in her knees, praying for a miracle.

***

“Alright, time to go.”

Five days had passed since I’d abandoned Ha-yeon.  She was probably out of food, desperate.  Imagine missing a bus, only to have it stop and wait for you a few moments later.  You’d run for it, wouldn’t you?

I’d pushed her to the brink.  Today, I expected results.

“Another beautiful day.”

I reached the apartment building quickly.  My initial caution, the fear of being seen by other survivors, had been unnecessary.  I’d scoured the area while bringing food to Ha-yeon.  She was the only survivor.  And the high concentration of zombies kept others away.

‘Hmm…I should move her somewhere else.’

I’d left the college girl zombie tied up on the second-floor landing, a deterrent in case Ha-yeon tried to leave.  But today, she wouldn’t be leaving.  I untied the zombie and moved her to the first floor.

‘Now…let’s see if she’s still alive.’

I approached Ha-yeon’s door, a flicker of doubt in my mind.  I could be wrong.  She might have killed herself in despair.

I steeled myself for the possibility and knocked.

—*Knock, knock.*—

“Ha-yeon…are you there?”

Silence.

—*Knock, knock.*—

“Ha-yeon? Please answer if you’re there.”

Panic rising, I knocked again.

“[M-Mister?]”

A faint, weak voice.

“[Oh…oh…m-mister—!!]”

Recognition flared in her voice, followed by a desperate cry.

*Click, click.*

The sounds of locks being undone.

—*Bang!*—

“Mister—!!”

The door flew open, and a young woman threw herself into my arms.

“Sob…mister…!!  Y-You really came back!  I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was so selfish…!!”

She clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably, not even bothering to confirm my identity.  Then she looked up at me, her face streaked with tears.

‘Wow…’

I hadn’t expected this.

She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

—–CROW—–