I'm still alive

The third floor, which came up on the moving walk, was quite different from the lower floor. The large windows, where the sunlight came in, were all covered by newspapers or large curtains, and at the same time as the disgusting smell, a chilly atmosphere licked through the skin. We had no choice but to take back the flashlight we had put in earlier, perhaps because of our dark vision. I leaned down and looked all around, and the old man came up next to it and asked.

'There might be more left.’

I nodded. After hearing the noise from downstairs, the vagrants left on the third floor came down in droves. It was probably a number that might not have been able to be dealt with without the Molotov cocktails being prepared. And there was no guarantee that there would be no tramps at all on the third floor where we were. I had no choice but to think for a long time before my unsecured vision.

'Let's check first.’

Hesitation is poison, and hesitation is like a fire pit. I decided to give orders without hesitation and leave everything to the instinct that has shaped me. If there were no holes to go back and no way to retreat, it would only run forward as it has been. We gathered our flashlights in one place to get as much visibility as possible.

The more I got out of the moving walk, the stronger the disgusting smell began. Now I have a rotten me who is so strong that I can't breathe. I hurriedly pulled out the cloth and blocked my mouth and nose, and the old man and detective Kang also pulled out the cloth with a frown. The closer we got to the center, the more careful our steps became, and the cloth covering our nose and mouth began to stretch one or two sheets.

We could soon find the source of the disgusting smell.

"Oh, my God..’

The old man dropped the cloth on the floor and spat out a small curse. I couldn't believe what I saw in front of my eyes realistically, so I forced the head of the flashlight to the floor without any energy. Detective Kang, who was next to me, reacted furiously, covering his mouth, and soon began to squander on the floor.

It's a pile of bones.

How many are there? Double digits? No, more than that. All of the bones of those who appeared to have been killed by vagrants were clumped together. The remains, which were not neatly stacked, but as if they had abandoned the bones of an animal left to eat, were scattered wildly, giving off a curious atmosphere and a cold chill.

The bones were still marked with flesh, and near them there are clearly traces of fire burning. And the obvious tooth marks that remain between the musculoskeletal fibers and the hairs still attached to the skull let the vomit itself out.

I can feel the intangible energy. This is malice, hatred, and blood-stained injustice. The despondency and anger of people who had to be eaten by humans, not monsters. I closed my eyes quietly, feeling all that feeling through my skin. The old man, unsure what to do, circled the pile of bones, and Detective Kang struggled to breathe heavily to keep his composure. Soon after, the radio rang loudly in my arms.

[Brother!] Second floor is over! We've rescued them all!

The Yongpal's voice over the radio was very loud and loud. The voice clearly contained the pride that I had saved another person and the pride that I was contributing to the team. But standing on the third floor, I couldn't answer with a bright smile. I ordered the old man and detective Kang in a quivering voice.

'Find the survivor. And all the vagrants are looking for them.’

The old man gritted his teeth at my command, and Detective Kang hardens his face. And the two picked up the weapons they dropped on the floor and scattered in all directions. Maybe there's no survivor I'm looking for. This must have been a place where vagrants throw away food waste. I slowly reached out and put my hand on the pile of bones.

I was constantly concerned about the value of existence. What am I, and what were these bones-only people? Can I confidently say that I will kill the vagrants for their revenge? I asked myself again, staring blankly at the unanswered skull. What are you, a hero? Selfish? Or are you a simple vengeance now? The mudslinging inside is frantic along the tide.

[Brother?]

Yongpal is constantly asking for answers over the radio to see if he is worried about me without an answer. I grabbed the radio with trembling hands and turned my head to a moving walk that sounded hollow. Is he rushing up? I quietly asked Yong-pal, who was supposed to clean up the mess.

'Yong-pal, wait a minute from there and come up.’

[Sorry?]

As I laid down my voice quietly, Yong-pal replied in astonishment. Quietly turning down the radio volume, I slowly got up from my seat, opening my closed eyes. And I quickly looked around and found a screen that I used to cover up the products and dragged it here.

Then he gave strength to his arms and shook off the dusty shroud. After checking the condition of the screen, I immediately placed it over the mountain of bones. When the screen covers them like a blanket, the skulls and bones, which used to have a scary and chilly atmosphere, hide themselves in a moment as if everything were mirages.

It must have been cold. And it would have been scary. I had no choice but to stand like that for a long time as my shoes fell into the mud. Soon after, Yong-pal rushed to the moving walk and shouted to me, sitting still.

'Brother?! You're hurt!’

I clenched my teeth. Then he got up from his seat, touching a pile of bones. My legs were heavy and my head was pounding, but I quickly shook off this familiar feeling. Then he lifted the crossbow on one side and loaded the bolt quietly.

'Yongpal, let's go up together.'

What? Any other survivors?’

At the end of the Yongpal's question, my flashlight went out, and a deep darkness lay around us. And between the darkness comes a terminal exhaling by drugged vagrants. The old man and Detective Kang, like demons, ran aimlessly through the pitch-black, and I followed them with heavy steps. This was a time of blood and darkness different from the outside.

I murmured quietly to Yong-pal.

'Send the radio to the security team. There are no survivors on the third floor, so just come up.'

'Yes......?'

Yong-pal sends a reply as if he doesn't mean anything. But I spoke to Yong-pal again without any explanation.

'Say there's no one alive on the third floor.'

At that moment a scream came from afar. Soon after, a man-young leaps out through the darkness with that terrible scream. It's a vagrant, a scumbag who can't repent in front of mercy. The vagrant, who was running away from the old man and detective Kang, began to run madly toward me with tears and a runny nose.

When I saw his face crying like a human being, my arm automatically tightened, and my eyes hurt as if they were sticking out. I just lift the crossbow and stick it. Now the trigger was no longer heavy, and I was not afraid of the face of the man who was supposed to be killed with my own hands.

He found me on his way. Then with a wistful face, he stops slowly and comes out blank and looks at the shining bolt. The end of life, and the end of evil. What is the beast thinking? I pulled the trigger, and he talked to Bolt for the last time.

The old man, who was following him, quietly closes his red-tinted eyes and wipes the blood from the Great Sword. For a moment the movement of all the party stopped, and their eyes only turned to me. Give me orders. Give me instructions again. I lifted up my sleeves with such gaze, and wiped the blood off my cheeks. I heard my heart slowly wear away.

'Let's go up.'

All the way up to the third floor, there were no casualties on our team, and all the vagrants were dealt with. They rescued the survivors and safely evacuated them to Eden. One more floor and everything will be over and victory will come for us, but I didn't think I'd win. I could only hear the sound of my heart torn apart by defeat to this dying world.

I breathed out, and ran through the floor for the only end of the wound. Behind me, I could only hear the breathing and harsh footsteps of the whole party. Arriving in front of the moving walk leading upstairs in a moment, we were able to find the vagrants hurriedly blocking the middle of the moving walk.

'Oh, don't come. You bastards!!’

There was no way that the vagrants who remained at the big mart could not have noticed our presence. There were quite a few vagrants behind the moving walk, and the barricades in the middle seemed very solid.

I quietly gasped at the sharp spears held by the vagabonds. I don't know why they laughed, but the vagrants reacted violently to my laughter.

If we go up, you'll die, and we'll die! Huh? Please go away!!’

That's a bunch of course. You must have hidden something worse than this on the last floor, right? I walked slowly forward, stepping on the moving walk, and the party followed behind me, lifting up the crossbow. Soon after, our fire began as the vagrants began shouting and squealing.

Thong, thong, thong.

The sound of Bolt digging into the flesh resonates with the harmony of their screams. But I was slowly feeling uneasy, as opposed to a calm look. The old man loads the bolt and whisper quietly to the other party, as if it is the same as my idea.

'It's locked up properly.’

I had no choice but to nod softly. We may look absolutely advantageous when we fire long-range shots, but the reality is completely different. As a result of the slow approach of the bolt firing, we found that the barricade blocking the road was stronger than we thought.

In fact, there were more bolts stuck in the barricades than bolts that killed the vagabonds. If the war of attrition continues, our bolts will fall someday, and we will naturally be pressed for time. Shall we throw the Molotov cocktail like last time? No, if that barricade catches fire, we won't be able to get through that road either.

Is there any way? I shook my leg slowly, licking my dry lips. I had to find a breakthrough quickly now that the hour was urgent, but my head hardened like a stone, perhaps because of limited space and weapons. After all, should I use a gun? I closed my eyes and slowly put my hands on the gun I had been waiting for. But at that moment I heard the sound of crossbow falling from behind.

Our gaze naturally chased that dull sound, and at the end of that gaze was a doxik throwing the crossbow to the floor. Du-sik was hiding his feeling of something boiling in it with his expression of frustration. Soon after, it blushes as if it is about to explode and pokes its mouth angrily. Yongpal began to mutter nervously as he watched his brother's sudden behavior.

'Yum... ...what's wrong with you?….’

It was a very short moment. The innocent Doosik's eyes were colored with primitive anger, and the old man who caught such eyes quickly grabbed me by the shoulder. And Du-sik began to flex his whole body like a runaway locomotive, and soon began to run as hard as he could forward.

'Hey! Hey!!'

Detective Yong-pal and Detective Kang tried to catch Du-sik, whose face turned pale and ran out, but the old man quickly blocked their movements and made the way for Du-sik to run. Looking at his brother's crazy behavior, he looked at the old man with a look on his face, "Why did you stop the shocking dragon-pal?" But the old man was just smiling with his mouth up. The laughter contained the coolness of having made a breakthrough.

The least talkative person in our party was Du-sik. It was a really lucky day to hear a word a day, and on a day of two words, everyone was often surprised. However, Du-sik was a pillar of a strong team that listened to our stories and silently solved our problems.

And when there were no measures to move forward like now, we would come up with solutions in ways we had never imagined. It was the same when he punched a mutant near a large supermarket, and when he attacked the vagrants who killed his grandmother.

And the old man told me that Doosik yells like this when he is angry.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

It makes the ears tingle and the listener feel weak all over himself. The vagrants were just as absent-minded as we were, not being able to respond to Doo-sik's running like a tank. Soon after, Doosik locks himself in the middle of the barricade.

Bang!

It was literally smashed. The barricades, which had been quite solid, were broken as if they had piled up Lego blocks, and soon the debris was scattered everywhere. The vagabonds opened their mouths to the unreal sight. We didn't miss the moment, and began to run after Doo-sik.