I'm still alive

My body fell badly on the stagnant floor. I exhaled rough breaths, exhaling dirt and water that came into my mouth.

I finally got out of the drain. Patting my trembling legs and numb arms with my hand, I lit up with a flashlight. Lightning is a dangerous act. But I couldn't afford to care about it now.

The surrounding area was dense with trees and the mountain was clear from the sloping terrain. Is it the entrance to the mountain? I tried to think by rubbing my eyes, but I soon gave up thinking. The short year was completely lost and a chilly biting wind swept over my body.

It's ankle-deep water. I climbed up the rocks to get out of the icy cold water. The clothes soaked with water weighed heavily on my body and the cold weather gradually drops my body temperature. My heart beats slowly and my eyes are blurred.

I crawled away. Then I looked around, shining a flashlight all over the dark place. Then I found a space between the valley and the slope, and I crawled towards it without any worries. When the rock stopped the wind, I slowly put down my bag next to me and put down my gun.

I tried not to get my bag wet, but it was very wet. I took off my wet coat and rubbed my body with my palm. When I thought I was going to freeze to death, I quickly crawled out and climbed the slope to the mountain.

Then, lighted the flashlight around and collected the branches that fell on the floor. You have to make a fire. Only that thought filled my head. It was not difficult to find branches because it was a mountain around. I took an armful of branches in my arms and headed back to the shelter where I left my bag.

I put the flashlight down to one side for a moment and gathered the branches together. And opened the bag carefully and took out the diary. Then tear off a few ends. My precious diary, torn heart but needed a firecracker.

Then, with trembling hands, he took out the lighter he had brought when he brought the candle. And lighted the paper. At that moment the fire flared up and I hurriedly put the paper between the branches of the tree.

There was a little bit of water, but the fire could not burn at once, and only smoke flowed out. However, the fire soon flared up as they continued to add firecrackers. I approached the fire holding my trembling hand. A sigh broke out of itself when I met the warm warmth.

I rubbed my hands in front of the fire and melted the frozen body temperature. Thanks to the small bonfire, the neighborhood became a little brighter and I turned off the flashlight I had left on. And first I started to take off my clothes. Wearing wet clothes in the winter mountains is like committing suicide.

I left my clothes aside to dry and added trees to keep my firepower high. And I blocked the narrow entrance using the bag and the branches with the leaves attached. It's a clumsy bargate, but at least it will keep the light from leaking out.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Then he stared blankly at the burning flames, melting his frozen body and clothes. There was a great deal of hunger. I crawled towards the bag and found the last half of the water bottle. Do you want some water from the valley? I thought I would, but I shook my head soon.

I drank the remaining half of the water very slowly and little by little. And is there anything left to eat? I searched my bag for something to eat with the thought of doing it. Then he found a biscuit at the bottom of the bag and shouted joy inside.

The biscuit was wet. a biscuit with a wrapper torn from its wrapper That was all the food left in my bag. I rushed it out and came back to the fire. Then put the wet biscuit in front of the fire and slowly dried the water.

I drank all the water I had left while looking at it.

Chae Yeon came to mind first. And the faces of the other party passed before my eyes. Do you think he arrived safely? Where is this place? Where should we head now? I sighed deeply and swept down my rough face with my hands.

It was very sad and hard. But you shouldn't cry. How long are you going to cry like a baby? I couldn't cry when I thought back to myself. Then, holding my heart firmly, I sniffed my runny nose because of the cold. I slowly closed my eyes, always remembering the faces I missed. Be at peace.

He reached out and grabbed the biscuit. It was still wet, but I stuffed it into my mouth. The amount was small and the taste was disgusting because it was wet. Nevertheless, I closed my mouth and forced myself to swallow. You must endure the night here. And as soon as the sun came up, I had to leave here and check where I was.

Kang Soo-ryeon must have guided me to meet with the party, so I have to go there.

I wore pants and top clothes that were a little wet. And put on socks and still wet shoes beside the fire. The thick coat showed no sign of dryness. I tried to keep my body warm by crouching as much as possible.

The bonfire should be kept overnight. To keep the fire going for a long time, I slowly reduced the firepower. And leaned against the rock and slowly closed his eyes. Don't fall into a deep sleep. While sleeping lightly, he had to put in firewood from time to time and watch his surroundings.

But his body, limped with fatigue, wouldn't listen. I crouched my slowly closing eyes, looking at the burning flames. When the Sumah ate me, only the sound of firewood burning and my quiet breath came to my ears. I fell into such a deep sleep until dawn.

* * * * * * *

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!

What woke me up was a long scream coming in from afar. At that moment, my eyes open and my mind comes back fast. I looked around in a hurry. All over the place was blocked by rocks and where I was still hiding. The bonfire was extinguished overnight, and the body was hardened by the cold, and the hiding place was pitch-dark.

I quickly put on a half-dry overcoat and put on my shoes. Then he found the gun he had parked on one side and held it in his hand. I skillfully opened the ammo and just got up and checked the bullet with dim eyes. However, there were no remaining totals to see if they were all used in the sewers.

As I looked around quickly, I couldn't find the belt around my neck. When I thought about it, I remembered that when I used up all the bullets and went into the sewer, there were no bullets. I stopped looking for the ammo and soon put an empty cartridge in the gun.

In the meantime, there was another scream. A screams full of impatience and fear, not far from here. I leaned as low as I could and put the sharp sword forward. Then I removed the fallen leaves and bags that had blocked the entrance and looked outside.

The sun had not risen yet, so it was dark around. But I didn't take my flashlight and waited for my eyes to get used to the darkness. Darkness hides me. Darkness protects me and becomes a shield. Now the darkness was as friendly as my friend.

The scream was getting closer. It's obvious that you're passing by here. Or the destination may be here. And when a woman screams, she's being chased by someone. There was no need to distinguish the pursuers from the survivors. They are all a threat to me.

And the woman?

Someone will tell me. You have no obligation or responsibility to save a screaming woman.

But I was instinctively moving. Of course, reality and reason constantly clash. But now I didn't want to spend time worrying about it. What my brother shouted that day is in my head. Hey, Kwak Dong Yoon!

I raised myself and clung close to the rock. And slowly approached the place where the scream was getting closer. He crept up the slope and hid himself in fallen leaves among the trees. As I turned my head in the direction of the screams, a light was approaching me urgently.

The light was evident in the flashlight.

The chased woman was wearing a school uniform. The uniform was half torn and there was a cry between the screams of who was crying beside it. And I saw a child running with her hand clasping as I expected.

Lower grade in elementary school? She is a boy who looks about the same age as Chae Yeon.

And after a while, I began to see the men following me. Unlike women, they were carrying small torches. One who runs in the lead and one who follows. There are two in all.

There was no need to worry more. A woman and a child running away crying. And from the laughter of the pursuers, which appeared to be between torches, I felt licked in the gutter. I turned my head and spit in my mouth.

It's already a crazy world. And it's all an expected sight.

The boundary of the monster has already disappeared. Those who took off their humanity were no different from monsters. I've had a hell of a dark abyss and this is my own conclusion. The men chasing these two are no different from the monsters.

It doesn't matter if they go on like this. I was confident I wouldn't get caught and they wouldn't even know I was here. And after they pass, I'll hide like this and wait for the morning.

But I didn't want to.

It's out of the blue, but I remember the American drama I watched before. It wasn't such a big scene. Just a scene where the main character grumbles while doing volunteer work that he doesn't want to do. The scene where you poke trash on the floor with a long skewer and put it into the trash can.

I thought of the drama scene on the spot.

I slipped my gun and put it in front of my eyes. The sword shines sharply in the unusually bright moonlight. I pushed my saliva into the dry wooden nongun, blind with the sharpness. I remembered Chae-yeon, who always smiled doing the right thing.

I was telling Chae-yeon that it was wrong in this situation, but I was turning white like a black paper that was erased with an eraser.

The soldiers who kidnapped Chae-yeon are looking at them chasing children and women. The ones to kill, the ones to hit again and again. I started an endless self-justification where I thought they were the same kind of guys.

And at the same time, he began to look for a cause to kill them.

But I've been pondering for a long time. At the end, everything became funny.

Who am I going to excuse, and who am I going to blame later?

I lifted the gun.

Throw away the garbage in the trash can. Let's not take it for granted. Let's not deceive ourselves and make excuses. I'm doing what I want to do like a beast. The moon is thick, the night is deep. This dark night even deceived my guilt.