I'm still alive

'I'm on my way.'

As time passed, Detective Kang, who came before us, He was more cautious and courteous in his attitude toward us, as if he had heard detailed explanations from people. And behind Detective Kang, many people were pouring desperate eyes.

Save us, save us. I slowly assimilated into the face of a strong human desire to survive, even though I didn't listen to them. None of them wanted to die. And they desperately grabbed the rope thrown in front of them.

'Okay.'

I answered right away without any worries. And I felt strangely as if I had gone back to the past when I met the eyes that were desperately looking for help. [This part was drawn with a ballpoint pen as if he wanted to erase it.] Although it was a relatively large number of people, Eden is not far away, so it is expected to arrive soon. But the problem was a blizzard blowing frantically outside.

The old man kicked his tongue, looking anxiously out of the window. The Yongpal brothers diligently checked the equipment and prepared to leave, but soon after they noticed me, they gently put down their bags. And as I approached the side of the window and looked outside, the old man murmured silently beside me.

'You can't go out. You'll all die if you go out.’

I've never seen so much snow in Seoul. No, the snow was a problem, and so was the crazy wind. It was a pure white night or a mist of snow outside that I couldn't really see. Is it weather change? I've never heard of snow like this in my country.

I checked my wristwatch. It's 1:10. It's a long time to be active, but we're stuck on the earth's alternative. Fortunately, it was inside a building that could avoid the cold and snow, and there were barricades blocking the door.

Yeah, we were safe, and we just have to wait for the snow to stop. I exhaled a breath of anxiety, soothing myself. And turned around and said, looking at the people.

'When the snow stops, we'll move. Keep your strength in the meantime.’

People showed signs of disappointment. Women coughed dry and men sneak out of their seats. Some of them were children, but they looked as if they were about to collapse. Is there no food? I said, looking at policeman Um.

Are you out of food?’

Then Eom dazed for a moment and soon bowed his head weakly.

I've been saving a little bit, but......... We're all out after the day before yesterday.'

Fear paralyzes people. Even though they were starving, they did not think about going out and getting food. But I didn't blame them or think they were pathetic. I know how scared I am of the feeling of fear.

First, I kicked my tongue and looked at people's condition. Due to the already heavy snow, it will consume a lot of energy. Considering that, I had to reserve as much stamina as possible before I left and I had to unpack the food we had brought.

'Yong-pal, how long have you brought?’

Then Yong-pal, who was listening to the conversation, turned over his bag and spilled food on the floor. Is it because of the experience of starving in the shelter? We always carried extra food like obsessive compulsive people. And now I was looking at the benefits.

I gave all of the food to Eom, except for what we ate. Although there were only foods like chocolate and energy bars, no one could grumble at the menu under these circumstances. Eom accepted it and quickly went inside the globe.

After a while, cheers will burst from inside the squad. As we spent a long time here, I believed they would share well with each other. Detective Kang, who was crouching on the other side, bowed to me and I nodded facing him without any emotion.

* * * * * *

'......it's a long way to get here.

The old man murmured out of the window. Wrapping a blanket next to him, I had no choice but to give a deep sigh. It's already 4 p.m. After waiting for a long time, the snow did not stop and it was about to get dark. It'll be dark after five o'clock.

Completely isolated. He had to return to Eden before sunset, but considering the time he went, it was almost impossible. And time passed and by 4:30 I decided I had to give up my return. The old man woke up the Yong-pal brothers who were dozing off in a corner.

'I'm gonna spend the night here.’

When I spoke to Yong-pal, who woke up, Yong-pal looked outside with a worried face, and Doo-sik scratched his back head with a expressionless face, as always. The moment the decision was made, it was our turn to act. Once I brought some paper or cloth to block the windows, checked the barricades and checked the defenses.

Then from behind, Detective Kang called us.

What's the matter?’

As we moved busily, we seemed to have come to the door. I answered, inserting a chair into the barricade.

'I'll stay here tonight and move early tomorrow morning.’

Detective Kang then nods, scratching his greasy head, perhaps expecting roughly. But he replied bitterly, looking inside the zone, as if he was left with regrets about not starting today.

'......everyone was looking forward to it, but that's too bad.'

The value of the name Eden was considerable. I don't know where or what kind of rumors I heard, but to the refugees, Eden was not just a community of humans, but it really seemed to be a biblical Eden.

Of course it wasn't a great place to be called paradise. But for those who have lived in hell for more than a month, Eden, where civilization remains, may have seemed like an ideal. As I fully understood them, I felt bitter about the inevitable situation.

I advised Detective Kang to be careful.

'I can't be too excited. Good luck with that.’

Detective Kang nodded with a bitter smile as if he knew. Then he looked at the front door and tried to get inside soon, and without realizing it, his eyes turned to Detective Kang's shoulder holster. And a silver handcuff hanging from the waist below it came into view.

It was an instant moment, but the memories that I had so far began to pass quickly in my head. One thing I was missing, that identity, like a scattered puzzle, made me nervous and stuffy. But the moment I happened to find a clue, I automatically reacted and remembered the scene.

'Excuse me.

And before I could finish thinking, my mouth dropped first. I called up Detective Kang, who was about to walk inside the squad, and he looked back at me with a face full of questions. I asked the old man and Yongpal for a moment and left the rest of the work here. and approached him with a little impatience.

* * * * * *

I brought him into the stockroom where no one was there. Confident that we were rescuers from Eden, Detective Kang showed a more favorable attitude than ever before. Perhaps that's why he followed me here, accepting my proposal to talk separately in a place where there are no people.

What's going on?’

After I had been quiet for a while, Detective Kang opened his mouth first. I closed my eyes for a moment and spoke carefully to Detective Kang after thinking.

'Do you carry handcuffs?’

I checked earlier that you have handcuffs. However, I needed Kang's help, so I had to refrain from suspicious behavior and asked him for his understanding before I could bring up what I wanted. And when Detective Kang nodded, I whispered quietly.

Can I see your handcuffs for a moment?’

Detective Kang looked embarrassed when I asked him to show me handcuffs out of the blue. However, I scratched my back head, feeling embarrassed that I had read my serious eyes and soon nodded my head.

'Yes...... well, I'm not asking for a gun...….’

A jingle of silver handcuffs slipped out of his arms. I reached out my hand and accepted Detective Kang's handcuffs and soon began to stare at it. Then I grabbed the memory that was passing through my head and began constantly contrasting it with my vision.

Apparently, the handcuffs I saw at the time were right.

The day I first met a vagrant. The moonlit forest was still strongly embedded in my mind. the blood that poured out like a fountain and soaked the earth's And the only clue we've found in the less human-like.

They were obviously wearing broken handcuffs like bracelets. Without any circumstance, I passed it without thinking, but the moment I saw the handcuffs again earlier, the memory of something important flashed through my head like a thunderbolt. I put my handcuffs on Kang again.

'......are other handcuffs of the same kind?’

Detective Kang accepted the handcuffs I put out. And he looked at me with a face asking me why I asked such questions and answered with a nod.

'Yes, it's mostly the same.’

The chances are high that the vagrants were criminals. No, you'd be right to say it's almost right. Although the world went down and the end came, it was only over a month ago. However, it was too abnormal to think that there were crimes committed in a group that would never be imagined by cannibals or ordinary people until the end of the century.

Most humans live within the boundaries of law and ethics. Of course, the end came and the rim was peeled off in an instant, but the trace still remained by our side. Therefore, most of the survivors tried to stay near or keep the border.

But the vagrants were different. They eat people and even treat others like livestock as if law and ethics had not existed from the beginning. Like an act unimaginable to ordinary people, literally a prepared "devil," the vagabonds were steadily adapting to this end.

The end didn't change them. They were just like that originally.

At that moment Detective Kang shouted to me.

'Hey, if anyone calls, please answer me! I don't want to be nervous.….’

When I came to my senses and looked ahead, Detective Kang was looking at me like a dog in a shit line. Oh, did you call me? Deep in thought, there was no sound around. I smiled awkwardly and apologized for my apologies.

'I'm sorry, I need to investigate.’

When I roughly equivocated, Detective Kang looked at me with a look of curiosity. It was a strange act even to me. He suddenly calls someone and asks them to show him handcuffs, and then he suddenly falls into thought and stays still.

Even if Detective Kang looked at me strange, I could fully understand.

But it was not an issue to tell others, so I tried to leave the place roughly. However, Detective Kang kept asking me what kind of investigation he was looking for. Nevertheless, as soon as I kept my mouth shut, I gave up and went inside the zone.

I headed for the earth's gate with a feeling of relief and discomfort. I just found a clue that I wanted so much, but I felt like I was just out of the starting line. The feeling of hopelessness and uneasiness about what to do in the future held me back today as well.

As I headed to the gate of the patrol division, I saw a strong reassembled barricade and windows completely covered with cloth and paper. And next to him, the party sat still on the floor and watched outside frantically.

The old man whispered quietly to me as he approached here, keeping his eyes open.

Did you find it?

It was a word with many connotations. I walked up to the old man's side with a blanket and flapped on the floor. And curled up and nodded.

'Found it.'

The old man did not answer. The silence meant that he believed in me, and there was also a simplicity to hear more. The search for pieces of glass on the sand has now changed to the level of catching fish in the river.

Of course, it was very easy compared to the former, but that didn't mean it was easy to catch fish with bare hands. The destination we had to go felt too far. I crouched under a blanket and slowly left myself to the sound of the wind.

I missed Chae-yeon.