Chapter 12: Highway to Nowhere

“Nothing much in that alert.”

“Yeah. Just says to stay home.”

“Let’s turn on the radio.”

“How?”

“Just press anything.”

Several channels had no signal at all.

One station was discussing the current disaster.

[Unprecedented events continue worldwide. Strong earthquakes ranging from 5.3 to 7.8 magnitude have struck globally. Tragic and shocking news keeps coming in. Reporter, what have you confirmed so far?]

[That’s right. In times like these, public anxiety is rising, and fake news is spreading rapidly. At 11:20 a.m. today, the government announced that rumors about strange creatures and global extinction circulating on internet communities and social media are mostly groundless.]

[However, reports of monster sightings continue to pour in.]

[Yes. Citizen reports are nonstop. The government remains silent on this matter, which is likely to increase confusion among the public.]

Even after listening closely, there was nothing concrete.

Just government statements and citizen reports repeated over and over.

Since no one understood why this was happening, they were grasping at clouds.

Clearly, no one truly understood the situation.

We arrived at a large supermarket slightly outside the city center.

A government control order had been issued that morning, so all stores were closed.

The sign lights were off.

As I drove down toward the underground parking lot, I noticed the glass entrance door was shattered.

If a monster was inside, we’d better go somewhere else.

“Jun, why do you think the door’s broken?”

“Hm. Doesn’t look like a monster did it.”

“Why?”

“Only one panel’s cleanly shattered. If it were a monster, wouldn’t everything be wrecked?”

Sharp observation.

Impressed, I gave him a thumbs-up.

It looked like someone like us had broken in.

Most people were probably still trembling at home, following government instructions.

Maybe tomorrow or the day after, when food ran low, they’d start coming out.

I was looting because I knew what was coming.

But someone had beaten us to it.

Clever bastard.

“Let’s get inside.”

“Yeah.”

There were no monsters inside.

Just shelves ransacked like burglars had swept through.

No overturned racks or clawed walls.

A large crack in one wall showed unrepaired earthquake damage.

We grabbed two carts and pushed them separately through the store.

If this were normal times, security would have arrived.

But the roads were a mess.

“Jun, how about this?”

“Not bad.”

“This one?”

“Looks good.”

“Should we grab this too?”

“Sure.”

“Hey, what about this?”

“……Yeah.”

The hypermarket had everything.

Food, clothes, appliances.

I shopped like it was a festival.

We grabbed thick down sleeping bags.

Batteries, lamps, gas canisters, a tent.

Even found self-powered flashlights and a self-charging radio.

Winter would come after autumn.

We added padded jackets and heavy clothing.

Before we knew it, both carts were full.

“We need more.”

“That’s enough. It’s already too much.”

Reluctantly, I scanned the aisles while Han-jun dragged me away.

When we loaded everything into the van, the trunk was finally full.

Seeing it packed gave me relief.

“Now I feel safer.”

“……Good thing you didn’t buy a bigger car.”

With our looting done, we headed toward the Gyeongbu Expressway to leave the city.

Once we hit the national road, it opened up wide.

It felt almost refreshing.

For a moment, I thought about driving all the way to Busan to see the sea.

I rolled down the passenger window slightly.

Cool autumn air rushed in.

Han-jun’s hair whipped wildly.

“Feels like we’re going on a trip, right?”

“Yeah. Honeymoon maybe.”

A joke from him.

Unusual.

Maybe the world going insane had loosened him up.

I burst into laughter.

Nothing was funny.

But when things get extreme enough, you start laughing because there’s nowhere lower to fall.

“Should we stop at a rest area? Road trip means rest stops.”

“What if there are monsters?”

“You handle them.”

“Me?”

You’re the savior, after all.

I looked at him expectantly.

He blinked, slightly overwhelmed, then nodded awkwardly.

“Ha. Guess I’ll try.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I’ll guard the car.”

A deep sigh came from the passenger seat.

I nudged him.

“Any music on the radio?”

“In this situation?”

“Try switching.”

He flipped channels.

And unbelievably, one station was playing music.

[……Next song is requested by a listener from Dogok-dong. In times like this, you requested this song? Our message board might explode! But we’ll play it anyway. For our listeners, any song goes. Up next, “One Hour Before the End of the World.”]

Perfect timing.

Strange clouds still floated overhead.

Yet the autumn sky remained brilliantly blue.

The wind through the car was refreshing.

The singer’s eerie voice filled the silence.

We drove on quietly.

As we traveled along the national road, we occasionally passed military trucks packed with soldiers heading toward the city.

Monsters were appearing everywhere, but troops seemed focused on densely populated areas first.

Whenever we saw military vehicles, we pulled over and shut off the engine.

Fortunately, no one stopped us.

Movement restrictions had been announced, but enforcement wasn’t strict yet.

We passed Cheonan and Nonsan and entered Jeollabuk-do.

Three straight hours of open road.

I pointed out the window.

“Jun, look.”

“Whoa.”

A long-necked creature like a giraffe walked slowly near the forest road.

Smaller than a giraffe.

About three times the size of a deer.

Red leopard-like spots covered its body.

Despite its threatening pattern, it looked gentle.

It felt like being dropped into a safari without fences.

Fortunately, it was grazing and didn’t notice us.

We drove past quietly.

“That’s pretty big.”

“Yeah. Where do these keep coming from?”

“……Must be holes opening somewhere.”

In the book, monsters grew larger over time.

Eventually skyscraper-sized ones rampaged through cities.

Buildings collapsed.

Casualties soared.

Cities became uninhabitable.

The military had to deploy heavily armed forces.

In Korea, only one giant appeared.

But in China and the U.S., dozens, even hundreds emerged.

North Korea even dropped a tactical nuclear warhead to kill one.

A hundred kilometers flattened.

Madness.

By late afternoon, we stopped at a highway rest area to refuel.

The sun dipped behind low mountains.

“Let’s rest here tonight.”

“You must be tired.”

Han-jun kneaded my shoulders.

Cute bastard.

I leaned into it.

“Ahh, that’s good. Harder. Yeah, right there.”

“……I’ll drive tomorrow.”

He sounded annoyed.

“You know how?”

“I have a license.”

“Dusty one.”

“I’ll improve.”

“Remember. Sixty-month installments.”

I patted the steering wheel meaningfully.

“Okay.”

I wasn’t convinced.

But he’d need to drive eventually.

We stepped out and scanned for monsters.

The rest area was quiet.

Only birds and rustling grass.