Chapter 8 Preparation (4)

After closing the convenience store door and lowering the blinds, I found myself watching the commotion outside the window for quite some time. Before I knew it, a considerable amount of time had passed. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it read 2:15 PM. It seemed clear that continuing to operate the convenience store would be difficult. If an infected person suddenly entered the store and attacked, there would be no way to handle the situation in the confined space, and I wasn't confident that I could subdue an infected person without getting hurt, given my physical condition.

I went to the office in the convenience store, grabbed some A4 paper, and wrote a simple note to announce the suspension of business. Looking through the blinds, I saw that the police and 119 rescue team had arrived and were subduing the aggressive infected individuals and transporting the patients.

'Good. It seems safe to go out now.'

I checked to make sure the back door of the convenience store was properly locked, then opened the front door and stepped outside. 'How do I lower the shutter door again?' After a moment's thought, I remembered that there was a hook in the corner of the entrance to lower the shutter. I went back into the store, grabbed the hook, and used it to lower the shutter.

Creak, creak, clank, clank, thud! The shutter, which had not been used many times since the store opened due to the 24-hour operation, closed with a screeching sound, likely because it had not been properly maintained. Despite the lack of maintenance, the shutter door looked clean and sturdy, probably because it hadn't been used much.

'In this situation, the store manager will understand if I close the store.' I quickly locked the shutter with a padlock about the size of a thumb and attached the note I had written. I also made sure to check that the lock was properly secured.

The lady who had seen the meteor with the manager and showed unusual symptoms made me more cautious. Entering a sealed space without a lock was particularly nerve-wracking. I changed my mind about taking the elevator and decided to use the stairs instead.

Dragging my heavy body up the stairs, I reached the fifth floor and saw a sturdy security door. Beep, beep, beep, beep! After entering the password, I found that the corridor was cluttered with luggage, leaving only enough space for one person to pass through.

'Ugh... It's so narrow. I need to organize these things.' I decided to take a short break and then move the items to the rooftop storage. I needed to quickly think about what to do next and how to survive. As I pondered the situation, I suddenly thought of my mother back home.

'Oh... I almost forgot about Mom. I hope nothing has happened to her.' I quickly found her phone number in my smartphone's address book and called her.

"Hello? Mom! Is everything okay?"

"Have you experienced any coughing, red eyes, dizziness, or chills?"

I was worried because she usually had a weak constitution and often caught colds during the seasonal changes in spring and autumn.

"Phew... That's a relief. Have you been watching the news lately? The news about the respiratory disease that's spreading."

"Even if you haven't caught the disease, you need to be careful if there are any patients around. They show initial symptoms and then, after 4-7 days, they become aggressive and attack people."

I could hear Mr. Baekhoon and Reia greeting me over the phone.

"That's good. Mom, the situation is serious. Can you put Mr. Baekhoon on the phone?"

Mr. Baekhoon was a close friend of my late father, having served in the military together and been deployed to many countries. He treated my mother and me like family after my father passed away, and I grew up looking up to him like a father. He was also a 'prepper enthusiast,' and his influence played a significant role in my becoming a 'military enthusiast' and a 'prepper enthusiast.'

"Haha. There's a certain charm to city life. But have you been watching the news lately?"

"It's not the time to be complacent. Infected people show symptoms like red eyes and coughing during the incubation period of 4-7 days, and then they become aggressive and attack people like rabid dogs."

Mr. Baekhoon was a former Army Special Forces soldier who had seen many battlefields. However, if the future I was worried about was real, his experience alone might not be enough to ensure survival.

"Uncle, I'm being serious. What we used to simulate and discuss as a hobby might actually happen. You need to start preparing now. It might already be too late."

"I'm serious. If communication breaks down, you might need to use amateur radio, which you used to do as a hobby."

"Got it. Take care of my mom. I'll call you again if I have new information or if the situation changes."

Hearing my unusually serious tone, Mr. Baekhoon took me seriously. 'Phew... I didn't realize he had prepared so much. That's a relief.' Knowing that someone would take care of my mom made me feel much better. In this situation, no one could be more reliable and supportive than Mr. Baekhoon and Reia.

After hearing my mom's voice and the well-being of Mr. Baekhoon and Reia, a warm feeling welled up inside me. 'I need to prepare thoroughly. I will definitely go back to my hometown and survive with Mom, Mr. Baekhoon, and Reia.'

I went back to the fifth floor and started moving the items stored in the corridor to the rooftop storage. Huh, huh... I was already out of breath after carrying just a few boxes. Carrying boxes up the stairs without using the elevator or a cart was much more labor-intensive than I expected. My 120kg weight clearly showed that I had been living a lazy life.

However, the will to survive, which had been dormant due to my comfort-seeking lifestyle, began to burn fiercely. In the past, I would have given up on physical labor quickly, but now, the thought that stopping would reduce my chances of survival made it impossible to quit.

How much time had passed? It was already dusk by the time I finished organizing all the items from the fifth floor into the rooftop storage. Sitting on a chair in the corner of the rooftop, I could hear the noisy commotion from the neighborhood. The police and 119 rescue team were subduing infected individuals and transporting them to the hospital, creating a chaotic scene. To me, it felt like something happening in another country. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of what else I needed to prepare for survival.

While I was lost in thought, my phone, which I had put in my pocket, started vibrating.

'An unknown number? Who could it be?'

"Hello? Who is this?"

"I'm not the manager, but I'm an employee at GU Convenience Store XX branch."

"Oh! Are you in front of the convenience store?"

I peeked out and saw a delivery truck with its hazard lights on in front of the store.

"I'll come down right away. Please wait a moment."

I rushed down to the convenience store to receive the ordered items. The delivery driver, surprised to find the store closed, asked what had happened. I explained that the store was under internal repairs and that the delivered items needed to be moved to the rooftop storage. I asked him to unload the items at the building entrance.

I was on high alert, not knowing when or where an infected person might appear, and there was no guarantee that my one-room apartment was safe. However, each delivered item was crucial for my survival, so I couldn't afford to give up. I carried the boxes to the elevator, holding a metal pipe in case of an emergency.

After a hectic time of moving the delivered items to the corridor inside the security door on the fifth floor, I finally finished. 'Phew... Finally done...' Fortunately, nothing happened while I was moving the items.

After the third delivery truck, I had received all the items I had ordered. The rooftop and the fifth floor were now filled with items, leaving barely any space to walk through.

Reflecting on the situation, my one-room apartment had become a supply warehouse. The shelves in the closed convenience store on the first floor were stocked with a considerable amount of goods, and the store's warehouse was full of food and daily necessities. The fifth floor, secured by a security door, was a fortress that no one could enter, and I suspected that the manager's house also contained some supplies, though I hadn't checked yet.

The rooftop storage contained even more supplies than the convenience store, including a small generator capable of producing 7kW of power and three drums of diesel fuel to run it. There was also a 3000L water tank and materials and tools for building maintenance.

'I was lucky. I managed to receive all the ordered items before the situation worsened... With this amount of supplies, I could probably survive alone for a few years.'

While I had a supply warehouse-level of resources, maintaining it was a different issue. To meet my mother and Mr. Baekhoon and his daughter, I needed to prepare a lot more.

I will definitely survive.