Chapter 8: Apartment Enigma

Having faced a restless night, Ji-hoon hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. After the unsettling incident, he suspected that other residents in the apartment complex might have faced similar problems. Upon his return to the apartment after meeting Soo Won and Min ji, he found Min-jae waiting for him at the door. Though he was unaware of what was happening, he tried to reassure Min-jae that everything was fine, and they both went to bed. However, Ji-hoon couldn't sleep a wink.

As the day began, the sun shining brightly, a scream echoed through the apartment hallway, disturbing everyone's peace. Ji-hoon realized that it had become common, almost normal at this point, and after what had happened last night, he knew that the apartment wasn't safe. The scream only strengthened his resolve to find a safer place to live.

Ji-hoon and Min-jae stepped out of the unit's door together to check out the source of the noise, he had decided that since they planned to leave the apartment and they didn't know what they would find outside, it was better to start exposing Min-jae to some things.

Just then, they came across Soo Won and Min ji, who were about to knock on the door.

Soo Won faced Ji-hoon with a questioning look. "You heard the scream too, right?"

Ji-hoon, emerging from his unit with a baseball bat in hand, nodded. "Yes, we were on our way to check it out."

"Let's go check it together then." Min ji suggests from behind Soo Won

"Okay, let's go," Ji-hoon agreed.

As they made their way towards the source of the scream, Ji-hoon couldn't help but ask about So Mi.

"How's So Mi holding up?" he asked, a sense of concern etched on his face.

Soo Won reassured him, "She's still sane. No signs of transformation or infection for now."

This response sparked a debate in Ji-hoon's mind. He remembered the woman that transformed yesterday, it hadn't been more than a few minutes after she had died that she transformed and there was also the man that had swung the bat at the zombie as well, if he was also infected then it must have happened during the fight. That would mean he should have transformed while they were still discussing what to do with the corpse based on when the woman had transformed but he didn't.

Does that mean that different people had different resistance to the infection or was it just that the dead had no resistance to it at all and it takes more time for the living to transform or was it both?

He didn't have enough information to judge this since he had only seen one dead body get transformed. He could still test the theory that different people had different resistance since he was sure that other people had gotten scratched during the fight the previous day so he could check on them during the meeting that they planned to have.

If it was a matter of different resistance for different people though, then didn't that mean it was possible to be immune to the infection.

Just as he starting pondering on the implication of that, he was pulled out of his train of thought by Min-jae, Soo Won and Min ji suddenly stopping and collectively gasping.

Concentrating on what must have shocked them, he could see that most of the other residents were gathered already and were all staring at what seemed to be dried blood. He finally noticed what must have shocked the others after looking more closely.

The blood seemed to be following a trail that led straight to the exit of the apartment. Ji-hoon suddenly realized that the apartment might be even more unsafe that he had assumed before. As he stared at the trail of blood that led out a door that had been locked last night, he felt the urgency to leave the apartment as quickly as possible.

As he looked around at the other residents, he suddenly began to feel a sense of distrust among them. He couldn't really blame any of them since he felt the same especially after seeing the still functional lock that only residents knew the key pass to.

"I suggest we hold the meeting now and make it mandatory for everyone to attend," a resident proposed as everyone nodded in agreement.

Among the 17 residents of the apartment, only 9 were present excluding Soo Won who wasn't a resident, leaving 8 unaccounted for. The couple who succumbed to the infection, the man who attacked So Mi and Soo Won, and So Mi herself were part of the absentees. Apart from them, there were still 4 people yet to be located.

A few volunteers decided to go and call those absent to attend the meeting, and Soo Won volunteered to go and get So Mi after she discussed with the others. There was no excuse that they could give that wouldn't end up with the other residents suspecting that So Mi was infected and she didn't seem to have any signs of transforming so they decided it was better to let her attend the meeting.

It wasn't long before most of the residents were gathered including SK Mi, but 3 of them people were still unaccounted for, apparently nobody had responded when their doors were knocked.

Deciding to continue the meeting first and then find out what was going on with the absentees after, they began the meeting.

The meeting commenced with the Landlady addressing the gathered residents, her expression reflecting the gravity of the situation. "I'm certain that each of you is aware of the challenging circumstances both within our apartment complex and across the entire country," she began, her words carrying a weight that mirrored the collective concern in the room.

"An infection has begun to spread, and we all witnessed its effects yesterday when we had to confront the infected couple. It appears that the transmission occurs through bites and scratches from an infected person. As we've observed, even the deceased can become carriers," she continued, her tone steady yet underscored with a shared unease that lingered in the room.

"Based on everything I've said and we have experienced, I'm sure we can all see the need for cooperation and … " the Landlady's attempt to address the gathered residents was abruptly cut short as the same man who had suggested the meeting spoke up again.

"I agree with everything you've said, but shouldn't we deal with the most immediate issue first? We all heard the scream last night, and there's a blood trail leading out the door that can only be opened by the residents here. Doesn't that mean one of the residents who are not here now is the culprit and another is the victim? Shouldn't we be investigating that at the moment?" His words hung in the air, prompting a shift in the focus of the discussion.

The Landlady, momentarily taken aback, nodded in acknowledgment before responding.

"Indeed, your concern is valid. Investigating the recent disturbance and the blood trail is crucial for our safety. Let's address this matter first, and then we can resume our discussion about the broader issues at hand. Do you have any ideas you'd like to share??" she asked

"I believe we should find a means of opening up their doors first, we can find out what is going on after that" the man gave one last suggestion before sitting down.

"How do we get their doors open though without their key codes" another resident asked with concern on his face

" I have an override code for emergencies like this, we could use that" the Landlady replied solving that dilemma

With a plan in place, the residents followed the landlady as they prepared themselves for whatever they might find behind the locked doors.