episode_0151

I re-fastened the vest draped over my shoulder and lit another cigarette. Memories of a past time came to mind, when I used to sneak into marts, take a break, and smoke. Back then, there was a faint sense of guilt about smoking indoors in a public place. Now, that feeling is gone, but there’s a slight discomfort, I suppose. It’s similar to a child becoming accustomed to mischievous pranks. The first time is difficult, but after that, it becomes easy. ‘…Is it not old memories after all?’ In reality, not much time has passed, but it feels like a long time. It might also be proof of how hard I’ve been running around… A whisper of laziness, suggesting it wouldn’t be so bad to loot this building today and then take it easy, using Incheol’s injury as an excuse, shook my heart. Conflicted by this dilemma, I slowly surveyed the interior.

There was nothing special. Next to the moving walkways, a vast parking lot was visible. I passed the 5th floor, then the 4th floor in quick succession. From the 6th floor down, it was all parking lots. Even at a glance, it didn’t seem like there would be anything. ‘Damn it… that guy lied.’ When I asked the last guy outside, he mumbled something about the 4th floor, but it was a lie. The 4th floor was just a parking lot. I briefly thought about searching, but decided against it. There were just some abandoned cars, and not even a corner of a box was visible. It would be fortunate if zombies didn’t pop out from among the considerable number of abandoned vehicles. As I absentmindedly passed, I noticed blood splatters on the windows facing the parking lot. The trail led from the parking lot exit all the way to the moving walkway I was on. ‘…’

The path at the end of the floor below was blocked. I took a step closer and saw that various things were cleverly stacked up, firmly blocking it. “Where did these bastards come up from….” I lightly hopped over the moving walkway’s railing, bypassing the obstacle. It was a height that could normally cause injury, but it wasn’t an issue for me. Thud! Thump- I stepped onto the moving walkway leading down to the 2nd floor, then sprang back up, leaping into the 3rd-floor store.

It seems these bastards are indeed the thoughtless type. If they intended to block it, they should have blocked everything from the top down. ‘I shouldn’t do that.’ Learning has no end. Having learned a lesson from the mistakes of these inadequate fools, I surveyed the quiet 3rd floor.

[ 3F Appliances/Kitchen/Lighting… ] [ 2F Produce/Meat/Seafood… ] [ 1F Parking Lot ] I checked the sign, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the windows. The large, transparent exterior windows, which I’d thought would be a pain to clean, were now unsightly, covered in grime and dust. Aside from the sunlight entering through the aesthetically compromised windows, there was no other lighting. The area around the moving walkways, where I had been walking, was bright, but the interior of the store was dim. It was the same building, yet the contrast between light and dark was stark. Long, stretched-out shadows cast an eerie ambiance. ‘…Why does it look even scarier?’ There were clearly no zombies, but the sheer darkness of the space created a chilling sensation. To the point where I didn’t particularly want to step further inside. Perhaps, by comparison, it felt like an innocent child stepping into a haunted house for the first time. I took out my SuperBright from my inventory and shined its light.

The vast space illuminated by the light was a mess. It was a thoroughly ransacked and desolate sight. It seemed everything usable had been taken out. I slowly stepped into the dim 3rd floor. The shelves and display stands, which should have been full of products, were covered only in dust. The white, gleaming floor tiles were cracked or heavily fractured. And upon them, footprints and drag marks were etched, unerasable. Amidst this, the sound of wind from somewhere reminded me that this was an empty space. ‘…Is there nothing?’ I walked into the store, sweeping my flashlight from side to side. I inspected everything one by one, but found nothing. All that remained were the remnants after the core had been completely removed. I looked around, thinking it was a wasted trip, and was about to move on when something caught my eye in a corner.

[ Staff Only ] I noticed light leaking through the gap in the staff passage door. I slowly approached and opened the door, seeing light-emitting bulbs sparsely strung along. And a very faint engine-like sound was audible. I slowly started walking towards the source of the sound. It wasn’t very bright, but the bulbs, doing their job, allowed my vision to clear. On the staff passage floor, footprints that appeared to belong to adult men were chaotically imprinted. I added my own footprints on top of them, following the trail. As I followed, the faint noise gradually grew louder. ‘Is this it?’

The room before me was where the sound, similar to that of a running tiller, was coming from. A long yellow reel cord stretched out from above the door frame. I gently turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, immediately understanding the source. ‘It’s a generator?’ Though quite dirty in appearance, a makeshift generator, commonly seen on construction sites or in rural areas, was humming. The low, table-sized generator emitted noise and intense heat. And the air was incredibly thick due to the exhaust fumes from the engine. Around the generator, white jerry cans were stacked. I approached to check and found some were empty, while others were full. Most of the contents were diesel, with a small amount of gasoline.

“…Are these bastards really crazy?” Aside from not knowing how precious fuel is, you don’t store fuel cans next to equipment. There’s a high possibility of a major accident, and what these guys did is truly… “It’s a miracle there wasn’t a fire.” I grumbled at the unknown culprits’ ignorance and gathered up all the considerable number of jerry cans. Whether diesel or gasoline, fuel is extremely precious. I didn’t have an immediate use for it, but it could also be used for offense. Definitely keeping it. Having collected all the fuel the culprits had stockpiled, I exited the hot room and closed the door.

And then the serious search began. The answer lay in the warehouses and break rooms located intermittently along the staff passage. “Excellent.” The space I entered was filled with cardboard boxes in perfect condition. The boxes, which showed signs of an attempt at orderly arrangement, were just a bit soiled from handling, but otherwise, they were all in good shape. All the boxes contained groceries. Immediately visible were various colorful canned goods. Vegetables like beans and corn, fruits, sauces, and canned fish were neatly stacked. Among them, the most appealing was, of course, ham. It felt like I had come to a canning factory; the space, perhaps originally a warehouse, had been cleared of all miscellaneous items and tightly packed only with food. Swoosh- Without hesitation, I reached out and swept them into my inventory with a brush of my hand. Since they were neatly organized, collecting them was quick. Starting with that, I searched every single room in the staff passage. And each room was a full haul. Furthermore, the boxes stacked in the staff passage were all food supplies. Although it made the already narrow passage even narrower, there was no room for complaints. I continued looting with the heart of a farmer harvesting potatoes.

‘Cans… cans… ramen… cans… damn it….’ It was difficult to expect fresh meat or vegetables, but the items were all pretty much the same. The food composition was so unbalanced nutritionally that I wondered if a person could survive just by eating this. “Beans are beans! Pineapples are pineapples! At least classify them! Come on!” As I picked things up, annoyance welled up at the haphazardly mixed items, despite them being somewhat organized. With half joy and half irritation, I quickly packed all the food items. Most of the items were long-preservation goods. Or things like cereal, which could be stored for a long time and eaten immediately. There was also a considerable amount of grains like flour and rice. But in contrast… ‘Water is scarce. What did these bastards drink to survive?’

The amount of bottled water was truly severely insufficient. I didn’t know if they had drunk too much or if the original quantity was low. Considering the water supply was cut off, it wasn’t surprising, but it seemed they hadn’t prepared any self-help measures. Perhaps they wouldn’t realize how precious water was until they suffered from thirst. Of course, this didn’t apply to those who were already dead, but I could only hope they’d learn their lesson if they were reborn as microorganisms in their next life. I left my condolences in the empty room and stepped out. I collected everything that filled several rooms and half of the main passage. Since I now had a rough idea of how these guys had hoarded things, I headed straight to the 2nd floor.

The state of the 2nd floor wasn’t much different from the 3rd. Immediately, I searched for the staff passage near the center, and finding a door from which light was also leaking, I moved towards it. The moment I pushed the door open and stepped inside. “…Who?” “……” I encountered men with dirty appearances who were standing guard, perhaps watching the passage. Ignoring their wide-eyed stares, I surveyed the interior. ‘Six.’ Two right in front, four further inside. They all held crude tools, stained heavily with grime. The moment I assessed their numbers and distance. “You’re an unfamiliar face, who— ” Thwack! I swiftly punched the jaw of the assailant who was speaking. The man’s head snapped back, his eyes rolled up, and he collapsed. “What, w— ” Slam- Thump! Crunch! I grabbed the face of the man who was dazed right beside me and slammed him directly into the wall. The man, his head stuck to the wall, slid down, leaving a long bloodstain as he crumpled. Thud-thud! I immediately sprang forward, charging at the four men inside like a hawk. Startled, the trembling men, seemingly shocked, clumsily thrust their tools forward. ‘Jaw. Jaw. Jaw. Jaw.’ Ignoring their attacks, which weren’t worth dodging, I swiftly threw punches. One punch per person, each impacting a jaw, pulverized the strike area. From the sensation left on my fingertips, it was clear those jaws would no longer function properly. And with the sound of bones shattering, the men jolted and then collapsed unconscious onto the floor. …I don’t know why their noses bled when their jaws were shattered. I dusted my hands off, stepped over the fallen men, and went inside.

Here, too, a makeshift generator was running, drawing electricity. And the scene was similar to the 3rd floor. Boxes stacked high in the passage and rooms full of food supplies. I collected everything visible, checking each room one by one. ‘Found it.’ In one of the several rooms, I found what I was looking for. A large pile of mixed clothing. Some were unpackaged, and others were in boxes. Men’s and women’s clothing, winter coats, everyday wear, and underwear. Surprisingly, there was a lot of women’s clothing. I began by sweeping them up and then sorted out the clean ones. If I saw any hand stains or small marks, I immediately passed on it. It wasn’t OCD, but rather a precautionary measure. ‘…Should I give these to Shia?’ I picked up a pair of leggings, thinking they were thermal underwear, and stuffed them into my inventory. I also didn’t miss the small-sized children’s clothes lying underneath and took them. It was good that I collected them, but there wasn’t much for me to wear. Whether from zombies or people, I discarded any clothes that were covered in bodily fluids or blood. My inventory was almost out of clothes suitable for workwear (?). It seemed I would have to put in some effort to find clothes.

In the next room, which I emptied and entered, a small amount of medicines and medical supplies were stored. Perhaps they wanted to manage their health, as there were at least some painkillers, antibiotics, and bandages. Seeing the abundance of disinfectants, it seemed they had recognized the risk of infection, even if they were foolish. These were precious medicines, worth more than valuables in the current situation. Naturally, I meticulously scraped them all up and took them. Along with the medicines were various tools. I didn’t know if they had been used as weapons, but they had collected quite a diverse assortment. Most had signs of use and were crude, so I passed on them. I had plenty of tools and materials myself. And they were all new, high-quality, shiny items, a whole inventory full. Instead, I took all the welding equipment and welding rods. I didn’t have an immediate use for them, but wasn’t it equipment that stirred a man’s heart? Besides that, I was able to collect some stacked butane gas. With that, I had collected all visible supplies. The composition of items was quite skewed, but I figured I should be satisfied with even this much.

More than that, one concern arose. The shortage of drinking water. I had raided the two makeshift storages, but the amount of bottled water was really small. It was perhaps a ratio of one bottle of water per box of ramen. The water shortage made me conscious of future living conditions. I was less worried now since the shelter supposedly used groundwater. However, I thought I should refrain from spraying bottled water to wash off blood in the future. With these minor worries, I checked the remaining few rooms.

“Ah, damn it.” The purpose of the room I opened was immediately obvious. Inside, permeated with a faint, nauseating, fishy odor, a dirty mattress lay conspicuously. And around it, empty liquor bottles and trash were strewn. I held my breath and slammed the door shut. No matter how instinct-driven humans are, I wondered if they would really want to do *that* in such a filthy environment. If it were me, I wouldn’t even get started. Waving my hand to clear the lingering stench, I checked the remaining rooms. The rooms had similar uses, and I found myself frowning and muttering small curses one after another. And then I realized. The desires of lustful humans are beyond imagination. This was the only moment I felt these guys were amazing for managing in an environment that seemed impossible.

And then, the last remaining room stood before me. ‘…’ The room’s door was partially welded shut. A small rectangular window was completely blocked by a steel plate, welded into place. A skillfully attached latch on the doorknob side secured it with a chain. Crude, but effectively, they had created a kind of prison. A faint, sob-like sound could be heard from inside. Creaaaak- Crack! Crunch-! I immediately tore the door open with brute force. With a loud noise, the shattered door kicked up dust. Not a single ray of light entered the storage-like room. It was darkness, unilluminated even by the sparse lights on the passage ceiling. Whoosh- I turned on my flashlight and illuminated the room. ‘Whoa…’ More than ten people were trapped inside. Their eyes, seemingly pained by the flashlight’s beam, couldn’t open. They either bowed their heads or covered their faces with their hands. Thirteen were women, and two were men. They were clothed, but the garments were no better than rags. Aside from poor hygiene, their faces looked gaunt. Their tear-streaked faces were not just haggard, but utterly devastated. The people seemed disoriented. They merely huddled their bodies and trembled in fear, unable to even breathe properly. One woman covered her mouth to stifle her sobs, her eyes tightly shut. ‘…These bastards were clearly determined to break people.’ If a person is confined in a sealed space with no light, they break in an instant. And if violence is added, there’s no need to say more. Although it feels insufficient, I felt it was good that I had beaten those bastards like dogs earlier. I stood the flashlight upright at the entrance. Its light reflected off the ceiling, dimly illuminating the room. Simultaneously, the sniffling and ragged breathing grew slightly louder. ‘…Damn, what do I do about this…’ Unexpectedly, the people’s condition was far too poor. Normally, I would have just unlocked the door and left. It was right to let them handle the aftermath themselves. But their current state was so dilapidated that it wouldn’t be strange if they died immediately. Even for me, it was difficult to easily turn away. During that brief moment of weighing “should I go or stay” in my head. “…Wh-who are you?” A man’s voice, cracked as if torn, clutched at my pant leg.