The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

If someone is bitten by a virus monster, they’ll be infected and turn into one themselves.

‘To kill them, you have to target the head.’

The novel described infected humans as grotesque, monstrous beings.

Dealing with those transformed into monsters could be tricky. Depending on their pre-infection physical condition, some turned into hulking brutes, while others gained unnaturally fast speed.

‘But they had weaknesses.’

Their vision was poor, but their hearing was highly sensitive. That meant they could be easily lured using loud noises.

They were also vulnerable to heat and fire.

So, I’d prepared Molotov cocktails—just like in the movies. I filled wine bottles with kerosene, stuffed cloth into the necks as makeshift wicks, and packed them carefully.

As my main weapon, I brought an axe. It was strapped to my back in a holster and hidden beneath my oversized robe.

‘Throw a Molotov to scatter them, then go for the head with the axe.’

It was a solid plan.

While mentally rehearsing, I spotted a shadowy figure in the distance and instinctively held my breath.

It was clearly a woman. Her robe and cautious glances made her look as suspicious as I did.

‘Is that Aurora?’

In the novel, Aurora had come to 61 Notium Street because of an anonymous letter she received.

[Come to 61 Notium Street, and I’ll reveal the secret of your birth.]

That was the gist of it.

Aurora, the heroine, had been adopted into the Duke of Lancaster’s household after losing her memories at the age of fifteen.

The duke and her older brother, Ethan, showered her with love, but she was still curious about her origins—classic protagonist material.

However, the novel was discontinued before her secret could be revealed, and the sender of the letter remained a mystery.

“Eek!”

A startled cry snapped me out of my thoughts. The robed woman stumbled and nearly fell face-first onto the street.

She barely managed to steady herself, quickly looking around to see if anyone had witnessed her clumsiness.

‘She’s a bit of a klutz, huh? Kinda cute.’

Judging by how she was hovering near 61 Notium Street, she was probably Aurora.

‘This is dangerous.’

She was the protagonist, so she wouldn’t die or get seriously hurt, but you never know. The first virus monster was about to appear right there.

After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to head into the mansion myself.

The Elphinus Herb was supposedly inside, after all.

‘Let’s scale the wall.’

Once I made up my mind, I crouched low and slipped into the alley next to the mansion, staying out of sight.

The wall wasn’t too high, and the mansion looked completely dark—no signs of anyone inside.

I carefully adjusted the Molotovs in my belt bag to keep them upright before vaulting over the wall.

I landed quietly in the mansion’s yard and immediately checked the bottles. Thankfully, none had broken.

The mansion, dark and silent, felt unnervingly empty. That made me even more cautious—monsters could attack the moment I let my guard down.

I crept toward the front door. The tightly shut entrance looked less like a doorway and more like the mouth of a predator.

‘No, a monster’s den is scarier than a tiger’s lair.’

My lips felt dry, and my palms were sweaty as I slowly placed my hand on the doorknob.

I silently hoped that someone—anyone—would take care of the monster before I had to face it. But miracles didn’t happen.

I turned the knob myself.

Click.

The unlocked door opened with a groan, its rusty hinges squealing loudly.

Through the crack, I could see the first-floor lobby. It was pitch dark, the cold air pressing in from all sides. It looked abandoned.

‘No, I can’t assume that.’

In the novel, the infected person had holed up here for days before succumbing. How they were infected wasn’t explained.

‘Why did the author leave so many loose ends before dropping the story?’

Grumbling to myself, I scanned the room.

The monster had likely gone without food for days and would be starving.

‘I need to stay sharp.’

I gripped a Molotov in one hand and kept the oil lighter in my belt bag, ready to set it alight at a moment’s notice.

Thank God this world had an industrial-era setting. If it had been an 18th-century backdrop, I’d be fumbling with matches right now.

‘Honestly, a world without guns for dealing with zombies is ridiculous.’

I shook off the tension with pointless thoughts and stepped further inside.

Two staircases led to the second floor from the lobby. I paused in front of them, thinking about where the Elphinus Herb might be and where I should search first.

Thud.

A small box fell at my feet.

I was so startled my heart nearly stopped.

The surface of the box had an illustration of a plant that looked eerily like an insect.

An insect-like plant—this was it!

It matched the description in the novel perfectly. It was the Elphinus Herb box I’d been searching for.

‘What the hell? Where did this fall from?’

I quickly grabbed the box and stuffed it into my belt bag. But when I looked up, I locked eyes with a man staring down at me from the dark second-floor balcony.

Shit—!

The man’s eyes widened in panic.

“W-Wait! Wait!”

He screamed and bolted down the stairs. But halfway down, he tripped, tumbled forward, and crashed onto the floor.

Thud—!

He landed right in front of me.

What the hell…!?

“Help me! Please, help me!”

The man scrambled upright, breathing heavily. His right leg seemed broken—he staggered even after getting to his feet—but at least he didn’t look like he’d been bitten. No blood, no visible wounds.

I quickly shoved him behind me to shield him, pulling out my oil lighter to set the Molotov alight.

Thud—@@novelbin@@

The ground trembled.

Molotov in hand, I scanned the area, but the sound seemed to echo from everywhere, making it impossible to pinpoint.

Then, a thick, green liquid splattered onto the floor near my shoes.

Drip—drip.

Oh, shit.

Barely able to move, I slowly tilted my head upward like a broken machine.

And there it was.

Three massive eyes stared back at me from the ceiling.

The creature clung to the chandelier, its limbs unnaturally long and spider-like. Its swollen body looked like it had been bloated from soaking in water, and its head was twice the size of a normal human’s.

Its gaping mouth revealed sharp, pincered fangs that dripped with slimy green saliva.

I grimaced at the grotesque sight.

‘Disgusting.’

Was I supposed to deal with monsters like this from now on, once the world collapsed?

Frozen in disbelief, I couldn’t even move. My entire body felt locked up.

The monster stayed put.

Hiss—hiss—

It made strange, hissing noises, clearly on alert.

Gripping the Molotov tightly, I whispered to the man behind me.

“Were you bitten?”

“W-What? N-No…”

“Answer clearly if you want me to help. Did that thing bite you?”

“N-No! When I got here, it was tied up in a room! I came because my sister hadn’t contacted me for days, but then this thing…”

Tied up? That meant someone had restrained it here.

“Anyone else? Was there anyone else in the house?”

“N-No one. It was empty.”

I lit the Molotov’s wick just as the monster started moving its legs.

And then—it lunged at us.

I calmly hurled the flaming bottle.

Whoosh—

Fire erupted over the creature’s body.

Screech!

It collapsed, writhing and screaming in agony.

“Help me!”

The man seized the chance to limp toward the front door, kicking it open and bolting outside.

‘Good. Just get out of the way.’

I drew the axe strapped to my back and stepped toward the burning monster, aiming to finish it off with a blow to the head.

But the monster, surprisingly quick-witted, bolted out the open door.

“Damn it! No!”

I sprinted after it as it tore across the yard toward the gate—straight toward Aurora’s direction.

“Get back! Move!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs, praying Aurora would hear me as I ran like hell.

And just as the monster smashed through the gate—

I swung the axe.

Thwack!

I missed the head but buried the blade deep into its torso.

Screech!

The monster collapsed, howling in pain.

“Ahhh!”

The woman—probably Aurora—let out a terrified scream and fell to the ground in front of the gate.

Shit.