34. Three Siblings
34. Three Siblings
I took care of the Walkers and Runners.
ㅡBam!
ㅡSplat!
A Walker died, spraying blood on the wall as if I'd hit it wrong.
ㅡGurgle
A Runner collapsed.
The Infected crawled toward the sound, but there was nothing there but the corpses of their own kind.
ㅡSplash
ㅡSplash
After taking care of the dozen or so Infected, I walked forward.
ㅡSplash
ㅡSplash
A barricade.
The place the Infected had been pounding on.
I couldn't feel any signs of life inside.
Still, just in case, I opened my mouth.
"Hey. Is anyone in there?"
"......"
"It'd be nice if you could answer if there's anyone."
None?
Well, of course there wouldn't be.
It's been over two months since the world ended, even as of today.
Even if it was a shelter, the food would have run out, and everyone would be dead.
However, that was the moment.
"...Are you a person?"
From inside, a cracked man's voice was heard.
'Ah.'
#
Judging by the voice... hmm.
Age seems to be between teens and twenties.
I narrowed my eyes and said.
"Yes. I'm a person."
"...I...suppose so. By any chance, are you a rescue team from Sejong?"
Sejong?
A rescue team?
"No."
"...Then..."
"Let's talk face-to-face first. I killed all the ones in front of here."
"You killed them all? Then that sound earlier..."
"Yeah."
"......"
Silence.
After that, the man's demeanor changed slightly.
"...I don't think I can open it for you."
"Why."
"It's this kind of world. Plus, the fact that you killed them means you have a weapon capable of doing that."
ㅡCough cough, Oppa?
ㅡStay inside.
Behind him, I heard a girl's voice and a voice slightly younger than the man's.
Two men, one woman.
The man seems to be in his 20s, and the girl... a teen? 20s?
"Seems like there's someone sick. Judging by your voice, it sounds like you haven't been eating well either."
"...That's none of your business."
The tone became slightly sharp.
Well, whatever. It's not like I'm responsible for them.
But I am curious.
"Don't you have superpowers?"
"...What kind of nonsense are you talking about."
I cut him off.
"Why is it nonsense? There wasn't even a gunshot, so how do you think I got here?"
"......"
"How do you think I killed all these Infected?"
"...Please just go."
"Well, fine. I do have something to ask, so let's at least ask that."
"...Alright. I can do at least that much."
The man spoke politely.
Actually, I'm grateful for even this.
It was the normal reaction, too.
That was the moment.
ㅡHyung. Let's open it.
"Young-jun-ah."
ㅡThere's already no answer. Yu-rim is practically on the verge of death, and honestly, Hyung, you can't hold out much longer either.
"......"
I could sense the man hesitating.
For a long while.
"...T-there should be a locked door if you turn to the back of your side. It says emergency exit."
He's actually opening it.
"Well, yeah."
"If you go there, I'll open it. There will be a lot of Infected on the way."
"Yeah."
"How many are there?"
"Just me."
"...I understand for now."
I headed to where the man said.
ㅡCrack
ㅡCrack
There were some staggering bastards on the way, so I cleaned them up.
The ones that seemed to be following some unknown Infected command.
'It seems like that Infected is the reason this place went to ruin, too.'
Well, I can just ask these people.
'Is it that one?'
End of the hallway.
Where the emergency exit sign is.
Though the LED has been off for a long time.
ㅡClatter
ㅡClatter
Sounds from inside.
"Kieeee."
"Kiee."
The Infected that noticed him were clinging to it.
I sent my hammer to take care of those bastards too.
ㅡCrack
ㅡCrack
Crushing skulls. ㅡThud, the sound of them falling.
I cleaned up all the Infected that swarmed in response with my kitchen knife and hammer.
A hallway splattered with blood.
The door I arrived at by riding that momentum.
"I'm here."
I opened my mouth.
The door opened cautiously.
What I saw was a gaunt, young-looking man. He was holding something like a steel pipe in his hand, and I could see he was extremely tense.
The door opens.
The man is shocked once by the dead Infected, and once by me holding a gun.
'What should I do?'
Be polite?
Or...
I agonized for 2 seconds.
And.
I raised my gun.
And opened my mouth.
"Hands up."
"......"
"If you don't want to die."
#
I see the man frozen stiff.
"......"
The man dropped the steel pipe with resigned eyes.
I floated the hammer and kitchen knife.
The man's eyes went wide.
Then, I plunged the kitchen knife into the head of the Infected next to me.
"See that? Go up just like that now. Even if you rush me and try to take my gun, you'll die in that instant. You know that, right?"
Floating in the air
Hammer and kitchen knives.
"......"
Watching that
The trembling man slowly heads upstairs.
What I see is the 2nd-floor hallway.
"Where is it?"
"...Next to the stairs."
"Go and call them."
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
The man walks to the door in the center of the 2nd floor.
The man stands in front of the door and opens his mouth.
"Young-jun-ah, Yu-rim-ah."
"Hyung. You're here? Did you bring that person?"
"....Oppa."
"I'm sorry."
"......"
"......"
The man's apology.
Just from that, it seems they realized what happened inside.
I opened my mouth.
"Open the door."
"......"
ㅡCreeeak
The door opened.
What I saw was one gaunt man, and one woman lying wrapped in a blanket, her face pale blue.
They looked once at the man in front of me with his hands up.
Looked once at the gun I was holding,
And then, looking at the hammer and kitchen knife floating in the air, they wore expressions of shock.
I opened my mouth.
"Everyone strip down to your underwear."
"......"
"......"
The man named Young-jun bit his lip,
And the woman shed tears.
"If you don't want to die."
#
They didn't try to attack.
Well, it seems they didn't have the stamina for that anyway.
The girl even coughed, probably because she'd been starving and suffering quite a bit.
"Cough, cough."
If I left her like that, she'd probably be dead by tomorrow or the day after.
She was shivering, probably because she was only in her underwear even now.
I checked their clothes and threw them at them.
"Put them on."
"....."
"......"
There was no need to go out of my way to do this, but conversely, there was no reason not to.
You can't trust humans.
I took all their weapons and made them sit inside the blanket.
Of course, several kitchen knives and hammers were floating above their heads.
The girl staring blankly at it.
Flowing silence.
In the midst of that, I sighed and opened my mouth.
"Well, I'm sorry for acting like that from the start. But, I had no choice."
The atmosphere becomes strange.
"Because it's a fucked up world. You guys know that too, right?"
"......"
Silence.
But silence is affirmation.
"Well, since it's come to this, let's take it easy. Before that."
ㅡGrrrr
I hate hearing this sound that keeps ringing.
Doesn't look like they've just been starving for a day or two.
Since I acted like an asshole, it's fine to give them this. I have enough for at least one meal.
I took out the food I'd brought in my bag.
And with my gun slung on my back, I pushed the food with my foot.
ㅡRoll
Canned goods rolling.
The kids' eyes went wide.
They watched me, then took the food.
#
Chomp chomp
I can hear them eating.
Somehow, I feel like I've seen this before.
'Ah, Seo-yoon.'
It was like this when I first brought Seo-yoon too.
ㅡHiccup
The boy even burps. ㅡHiccup, wait, the girl is doing it too.
I watched them eat.
I don't care if they get indigestion from that. They'll figure it out.
"....."
"......"
So, the mealtime ended, and only then did they look at me cautiously.
It's funny, really.
I asked.
"So, first of all, I'd like you to introduce yourselves."
#
Since I gave them something to eat, the atmosphere loosened up in an instant.
Still, they're maintaining a safe distance.
About 2m or so.
I heard their introductions.
The man who opened the door was Ahn Tae-jun.
The girl was Ahn Yu-rim.
The boy next to the girl was Ahn Young-jun.
22, 21, and 20 years old respectively. Three siblings born in consecutive years.
"So, why were you here."
"That is..."
After the incident occurred.
The cultural center, which was a temporary shelter, had many people gathered.
That was the same for the 3 siblings who lived in the GP Apartment in southern Cheongju.
The 3 siblings' parents were at work at the time, so they couldn't come.
"About how many people."
"Almost... I think there were over 30."
A center with about 30 people gathered.
They survived on the food each of them brought.
On top of that, luckily, the cultural center had food prepared for a recent event.
This was enough for about 30 people to survive for a month.
"You were lucky."
"...Yes. That was only for a month, though. Still, after that, we made contact with the military."
The military.
"Where with?"
"That, Young-jun-ah, where was it?"
"The 32nd Division."
The 32nd Division.
The unit that said rescue would come to Cheongju Elementary School.
Though they wouldn't have come.
Since they said they'd come to Cheongju Elementary School on February 13th~14th, but didn't.
However, their answer was different from what I thought.
"And, rescue actually came."
"Rescue came?"
"...Yes. A truck, an armored vehicle, and soldiers."
"When."
"About... February 10th."
"......"
So rescue actually came.
"Then why didn't you go."
"...They said 15 people was the limit even if they packed us in tight."
"The military from Sejong? Ah, was it one truck?"
"Yes... that's right."
"A 2.5-ton truck?"
"Th-that, what is a 2.5-ton truck?"
"You didn't go to the military?"
"No..."
"......"
Well, anyway, a 2.5-ton truck or even a 5-ton truck larger than that has a limit of 20 people.
Even if they packed them in tight, that's about it.
There would be soldiers too.
More than that.
"The military is alive in Sejong."
"...To be precise, they said it was a logistics center in Bugang-myeon. They said they made a temporary camp there, and if we go there, we can go to the main unit in Sejong."
"Bugang-myeon, main unit."
I turned on my smartphone and opened the satellite map.
Bugang-myeon was a rural village between Sejong Special Self-Governing City and Cheongju City.
A logistics center?
There are several places. Yeah.
It's probably one of those.
It's easier to take one of those places as a base and defend it than to defend in the city center.
It seems they gather people there and send them to the main unit in Sejong.
"But you guys couldn't go. Why couldn't you?"
"They said they would take the elderly and weak first. The adult men and women decided to stay."
"......"
Elderly and weak.
Isn't it better to take 20-year-old men than the elderly and weak?
Well, they must have had their own circumstances.
"Then how many remained. Here."
"14 people remained."
"Remained."
That means.
"...They all went out and didn't return. Or, they died while defending this place."
"Why?"
"They said they were going to get food at IN Mart, but they didn't come back. On top of that, there are people who died recently. Min-gu-ssi and Hyun-sik-ssi were here until recently..."
"They died?"
"...Yes. Because there have been frequent attacks recently. We haven't even been able to bury the bodies yet."
Frequent attacks.
There's no way Infected would attack frequently.
These bastards are the kind that sleep at night.
This is definitely the Variant attacking.
"Where are they."
"In the room at the end of the 2nd floor."
Then that... what should I call that Infected. Commander? Warlord? Nothing fits.
Let's just call it a Sentient Being.
So the Sentient Being leads Infected to attack groups of humans.
"Let's go."
"Ah. Yes..."
ㅡCreeeak
The door opens.
The corpses of two men.
They really have wounds.
It's all wounds torn by something, not something they could have killed each other with.
In several places.
It should be considered a miracle that they even retrieved the bodies.
Both must have had fatal wounds.
"Where did you get hit like this."
"...The front door stairs. We've completely blocked it with a barricade now, but... we didn't stand guard at night because it was usually fine."
"It was breached then."
"...That's right. Fortunately, we blocked it, but... the ahjussis..."
"Because it's a Variant. That makes sense."
"...A Variant?"
"Yeah. Outside, something that seemed to have intelligence was leading Infected here."
Unfortunately, it seemed they didn't have information about Sentient Beings either.
Or other Variants, for that matter.
Well, I'd have to ask to know.
"I have several things I want to ask."
"Ah. Yes."
They really didn't know.
"You don't know about Variants, you don't know about superpowers, and you don't know about guys like IN Company's special forces?"
"...Yes. Honestly, I don't really know what you're talking about."
"Yeah."
That would be the case. Because just holding out here was the limit.
However, just getting the information that there is a military at the logistics center in Bugang-myeon was a big harvest.
As I was doing that, Tae-jun asked me.
"That... what is that thing similar to psychokinesis."
"Whether it's magic or a superpower, I don't know. Didn't you see the internet?"
"...No. We were evacuating at the time."
That would be it.
"If you eat Infected blood, you get superpowers."
"...Yes?"
"Well, I'm too lazy to explain the details. Just know that."
I asked him in return.
"Are you guys going to stay here?"
"......"
The man doesn't answer.
I narrowed my eyes.
"That girl over there looks like she'll be dead by tomorrow, aren't you going to look for the military?"
"...Honestly, I'm not expecting anything."
"Why."
"It's already been over a month. At this point, they've probably given up on us. Or, something happened there too."
That would be it.
"...Superpowers, it's true, right? The Infected blood."
"What reason would I have to lie to you."
"......"
I turned my body.
"Well, whatever. I've heard everything I need to. Honestly, since I gave you food and even gave you information, I consider the bullshit from earlier settled. If you get superpowers after eating Infected blood, live well on your own."
"......"
It's a pity for them, but.
That is that, and this is this. There's no reason to take them.
It doesn't seem like they would accept a slave contract either.
They didn't harm me, and they aren't people who received direct help from me like Eun-bin, Yun-ji, or A-rin.
And honestly, I wasn't confident I could handle them.
It would be different if they got good abilities.
"I'm going."
However, Tae-jun caught me.
"Excuse me..."
"Why."
The hesitating man.
"...Could you please take us with you?"
Tae-jun asks.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Who do you think I am. I could have just killed you and left."
"You didn't. I'll do whatever you tell me to."
People
Are pissing me off.
"Really? Then go and fuck your brother and your sister. Then I'll take you."
"......"
Tae-jun's face looks shocked.
"You said you'd do whatever I tell you to? Why aren't you doing it. Huh?"
I aimed my gun,
And narrowed my eyes.
"You guys are more than I can handle. Do you know what the situation is like outside right now? It's crawling with Infected, all kinds of Variants are crawling around, and those IN Company asshole bastards are operating special forces-like guys that would only appear in movies, shooting civilians. Food is scarce for me here too."
That's why I'm planning to go outside now.
"Adding three mouths means adding people I have to be responsible for. But you guys have nothing. It means adding three burdens."
Of course, they would be useful.
Whether I set them up as lookouts in that residential area, use them as porters.
Use them for farm work later on.
However, in my current situation, they are burdens.
Then, Tae-jun kneels down.
"Please. Or, at least my siblings."
"No."
"Oppa..."
As I was doing that, the siblings appeared from somewhere. These guys must have been listening from somewhere.
Or the soundproofing is just that bad.
The siblings crawl next to Tae-jun and kneel.
I don't know why they are doing this to me.
Has two months of time made the world like this?
I narrowed my eyes.
"You can live on your own, can't you? By eating Infected blood or something and getting superpowers. Honestly, I don't really understand. Doing this to someone you just met."
Especially the boys.
The kids begging desperately.
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're annoying."
"....."
"....."
I agonized for a moment.
"Just stay there for now. I'll go get some Infected blood."
"...Ah."
"I'm not saying I'll definitely take you. Just wait for now. Don't even get your hopes up. Even in a place with 100 people, it was rare for even one person to get a good ability."
#
"Ugh. Ugh."
Gulp
The 3 siblings ate the Infected blood.
ㅡGulp gulp
The siblings swallow it well.
Then.
"Uh.. uh?"
"Wow.."
"......"
The Nexus Core manifested in their hands.
It's really fascinating.
The Nexus Core that comes out in an infected situation.
"Write it down. What came out."
"Ah. Yes."
The 3 siblings wrote it down.
Then what I saw was.
Abilities with an aptitude in the 10% range.
Ahn Yu-rim, Strength Enhancement, Ahn Young-jun, Strength Enhancement.
Strength Enhancement siblings.
And. Ahn Tae-jun.
The man who opened the door.
His ability was unique.
An ability with a 69.2% aptitude.
"Uh. Hmm..."
"What is it."