I'm still alive

Residents who had not eaten much have not been able to properly consume dried food. We had to look for warm and soft food, and first we began to look for food ingredients that might be cooked. But do we even have that kind of food we brought? All they had was a high-calorie energy bar and dried food that needed to be chewed.

We put our heads together for a while, and we finally decided to mobilize everything we had to make at least something we could blow into. However, our men's cooking skills are the worst of the worst, but it was not that the only women, Kim Hye-jung and Park Da-hye, were good at cooking. Still, cooking was a sincere effort, and the food that was born with heads together was Eden's hard-boiled bread porridge.

A combination of hot water-stuffed dried bread and sweet star candy. The grotesque food had to be booed by the party as soon as it was put into the bowl, but the residents even enjoyed it. The taste of eating sweet cereal hot? Our party, which had skipped meals, sat down with the residents and shared rice porridge. It felt like a warm fire was lit in the gloom. Residents, who were about to die, took a long time to laugh and relax.

We prepared to spend the night in the apartment complex. Because the old man and I came up with a long-standing conclusion: 'We can't move right now.' Of course, if only skilled parties marched, they could quickly reach Eden, but residents who were in poor condition were a little tired. No, I'm sure he'll be isolated on the road, let alone rescued.

And the biggest variable was a variant of the apartment complex. There was testimony that he, who was originally a ostensible goal, would fortunately appear after sunset, but the word absolute could never have been in a variable. What if I meet him on the move? Just imagining it makes me dizzy. It was a much wiser choice to make a shelter for the residents at least in one place, and to prepare for defense in case he attacked.

At the same time, residents also reserve the stamina to move to Eden.

Our team 2 was an excellent hunter and also a knack for making things well. As soon as the order to build the facility was given, the Park Dae-bak team scattered in a moment and cut down the street trees that they did not know where they had found, and soon disintegrated and made a strong barricade. I'm confident in carpentry! Yong-pal was forced to sit in the corner and suck his fingers. What do you think? I made it roughly, but it's useful, right? Me and the old man had to laugh dumbfoundedly for a while after hearing Park Dae-bak's joke.

We wandered around looking for a place to accommodate a large number of people, and soon settled down in a senior citizen center near the management office. The senior citizen center was full of dust and trash as if no one had been in and out since the end of the year, but once it was regrettable, it was cleared up and let the residents in there. Residents' heating was replaced by packed hot packs, not fire, and we didn't forget to keep our rats dead.

Barricades blocked entrances and windows, and wing traps brought for hunting were also installed everywhere. It is 5 p.m. when all preparations are completed. At this rate, it was reassuring to say that the strain was attacking. Turning his eyes and looking out, the twilight, about to pass, hung between the apartments. The sun will probably set in about half an hour.

Let's have a simple dinner and get ready for the dark night. I gathered my party and began to brief them on the nightly invasions. It was necessary to deploy more people than usual in a situation where they were convinced that the strain was attacking. And at a time when I thought everything was coming to an end, it was the clique of factions walking away toward the senior citizen center.

The senior citizen center was briefly concerned because it was close to where the factions were. But with nothing to be desired, we quickly picked up the gun and put the gun through the window. Already, their relationship with them has been severed, and even the feeling of sympathy has gone against them. I was willing to pull the trigger without hesitation if I had the same attitude as before or attacked the residents here.

'Come on, hold on! Just a moment, please!’

The man who hurriedly raised his hand and tried to talk was the bank account that I met earlier. He walked with both hands on whether he wanted to say he had no intention of fighting, followed by three men he had never seen before. But the four were not all. The twilight light projected a woman's shadow, and when she opened her eyes thinly, Kim Ji-young, who was among the men, came into view.

Just before sunset, it was time for me and my party to be the most sensitive. The atmosphere of the party has become brutal, and residents hide in the corner looking around. And now the number of guns that pop out between dusk and dusk that begin to disappear begins to increase. If they make a fool of themselves, they'll be turned into hives in less than a second. I sent the warning into the cold wind.

Faced with the biting wind blowing with a gun, the men gulp down their saliva. And Kim Ji-young, who was behind her, was busy backing away with her face turning pale. I'm annoyed. Tell me if you're here. I snapped away the curtains covering the window with a gesture of displeasure.

'The sun will set soon. Go back quickly.’

I politely issued a congratulatory order. It was also a warning that he didn't want to speak for a long time, and a sarcastic remark that he shouldn't stand here and bring danger to himself. They must be well aware of the meaning of sunset. The orange light began to scatter through the gathering darkness, and now even those who were just in front of them are hidden among the shadows.

At my congratulatory address the bankbook looked at us.

'Excuse me...... sir. I think there was a misunderstanding for a moment. How could you come over to us for a meal?….’

The passer-by told me with his back and head down. The disgust that faced pretense began to creep in from the inside how servile the figure looked. There's a danger of metamorphosis just around the corner, so maybe you need our help. In the meantime, however, he didn't want to sell all his pride, using the words 'misunderstanding' and 'treat.'

'Do you understand? Isn't that your fault?'

I answered him, licking my cracked lips in the cold wind. Misunderstanding is a word that comes only when both sides misinterpret each other's actions or words. But Park Da-hye is a victim, and the man you have is an assailant. This was not a misunderstanding but clearly the fault of one side. However, he tries to talk to me in a business-style manner by saying that he really wants to reach an agreement.

'Ha ha, there's a situation. And please consider your group leader's position. Let's join from old times, let's join. You sang a song, and......... Wouldn't it be a bit awkward if you go with us like this? Right?

The bank account might have picked up its own core, but it hides its light meanness through servile laughter. Yeah, I thought I'd come a little late. They were given orders that might have been our weakness, as if they had been working hard at the management office. Any ordinary team in the group has no choice but to worry about it. Sometimes orders from groups were prioritized over personal feelings and thoughts. Especially in this situation.

A false smile popped out of my mouth. That's great, that's right. The attacks of remorse they threw were really sharp and appropriate. I slowly sent a signal to the party to lower the gun. Then the bank account looks arrogant with meanness, perhaps thinking their numbers worked.

'Haha, yes, you should have done that earlier.’

He was already speaking informally, as if he were a quick-changeable person. When we didn't say anything, they won, and they thought power was higher. I lowered the gun with my party and instructed Yong-pal to bring my bag. Then Yong-pal ran out like a squirrel and brought me my bag in a flash, and I put my hand in it.

Chick.

The radio I pulled out gave out a short noise. An item that I received when I first met with the head of a group, and the only thing I have in Eden. The little noise broke the silence that had been maintained, and brought everyone's eyes here. The bank manager questioned my sudden behavior, and so did the residents in the senior citizen center. But only our party was waiting in my direction with a serene smile.

Sir, this is a rescue team. Did you eat?’

a walkie-talkie connected directly to a group leader The walkie-talkie had been making noise for a while and soon sent out the voice I wanted.

[I just ate. Oh, and I just got the radio that says I'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry, I've given it to Mr.Sullyeon.]

His voice was dripping with intimacy and honey. If the risks and experiences we have experienced have made our party strong, the results of the situation and Lee Sang-eun filled the trust between me and the group leader. Relationships in which one another uses one another, now acknowledged and believed as human beings. The head of the group was the most reliable background for our team.

'I'm calling because I have some inconvenience on my mission. The other faction has sent a message to join us. May I refuse?’

This is a ridiculous request for a team that moves under orders. Bickering? No, this was like a bunch of baseless people. Me and my party were fully aware of that, and those inside and outside the senior citizen center also recognize that this is a deterrent. The face of my bank account, which was mesmerized by my ridiculous radio, is distorted with absurdity and anger.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.….’

[Go ahead.]

It was not me who cut off the bank account, but the head of a group beyond the radio. Without hesitation, he replied, "Why are you asking me that?" The bank account closed its mouth and began to shake its eyes in front of an answer with 100% trust and trust. I and the group leader exchanged good words for a while and ended the radio with a smile.

Silence embraces the surroundings. Then the group picked up the gun they were putting down again.

Chin

The sound of placing a lump of iron on a tree rings heavily over the cold wind, as if it were a sentencing hammer. I said, staring into the bankbook through the barricades.

Anything else?’

The words I uttered hovered in the air, unable to sink anywhere else.

* * *

Every hour, five people stand on the night watch. It's a rather tight schedule, but this was the best arrangement if you thought you were preparing for the strain. The party nodded without complaint, and all the fires in the senior citizen center quickly disappear. A situation in which complete darkness has taken over the surroundings. Inside, there was only the breath of man and the sparkle of starlight.

It's quiet. It's winter, so I can't even hear the sound of grass bugs. The sound of the wind whistling through between the building and the building, and the leaves and trash that fall on the floor scrape through the air. Two hours later I lay between sleeping bags laid down by my party and carefully took out my diary from my bag. And leaning against the softly shining night sky, Chae-yeon spends her time looking at each painting. My heart was as black as the night sky.

'Can't you sleep?'

I could only hear the breathing sounds of the residents and the party. But the old man lying next to me quietly opened his mouth and asked me if the silence was boring. I breathed out and nodded at the question. Of course, my body and mind were tired. But caffeine-like tension gripped my eyelids. I put my hands on the quietly fluctuating heart, and fixed my eyes on the ceiling of the dark senior citizen center. Strangely, I missed the stars.

‘ and, should move again tomorrow.’

'Yes, go to sleep.’

The old man said so and slipped into his sleeping bag. Everyone's breathing sounds changed evenly, as if they were sleepy in this tension. In the window, non-invasive personnel yawn and croak their guns to change their stiff posture. I closed my heavy eyes using all that sound as a lullaby. The cold winds wrap all over the body and the anxiety shakes like a haze.

When I lay down to sleep, fear would come late. Have nightmares, and see hell that lasts forever. But from one Sanga it all disappears, and it begins to dream of stars floating on the ceiling. Like Chae-yeon's painting, the stars embroidered with the ceiling sparkled brightly as if they were pouring over my head right away. The head clears and the heavy eyelids cool like mint candy.

Chae-yeon sings, and the cute shark family and whales swim through the twinkling stars. Oh, when Chae-yeon waved her hand, my hand goes up by itself and shakes. I realized I was dreaming, but I didn't think of getting out of it. I just sat there still and stared at the scene like a dreamy forest. In silence the stars flowed as the night sky represented the passage of time.

‘’

And the stars are shaking.

‘.’

‘!’

empty stomachs

Someone's calling me and shaking me. At the same time I took a breath like a dead man. And my hands, like a reflex, began to look for a gun they had left around, and in their sleep, the crushed eyelids flash and open. The field of vision brightens and Yong-pal's serious face comes in.

'......brother! He's here, he's here.’

Ah! I got up in a hurry from my seat with a single exclamation. And shook his face furiously and rubbed his eyes to drive sleep away. All the party in the room rose from their seats and began to move busily. I passed by and thrust my face through the window of the old man's beckoning.

Clink, clink!

The quiet apartment complex turned into a violent ice sheet for a moment. The sound of a window breaking in sight rang out, and I rubbed my eyes again and tried to restore my vision. The old man helped me out and turned his head exactly in the direction of the man. And I was finally able to confirm the location and appearance of the strain.

He was on the second floor of the apartment where the residents lived. Long waist-length hair and a large height beyond the arm's length. The head, curiously bent from side to side, as if it had touched the ceiling, was frantic, looking for people to be here.

His big mouth kept poking, and his hands and arms wriggled as if they had convulsions.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

A deafening cry resounds.

It's him.