Beggars
We followed the stairs down, and a half-lowered pipe shutter came into view. In front of it stood a barricade cobbled together from assorted furniture and chairs.
"Halt."
As we drew closer, heads appeared one by one beyond the shutter. Every face looked threatening, and they were armed with spears fashioned from kitchen knives and baseball bats.
"What business brings you here? Looking to use the subway, or looking to trade?"
"We came to trade, but what do you mean by using the subway? The trains can't be running right now."
"You want that for free?"
At his words I reached into my pocket.
"Halt!"
"I'm not going for a weapon. You wanted payment, didn't you?"
I slowly withdrew my hand, opened my palm to show a stick of candy, and tossed it to him. He caught it neatly.
"That enough?"
The corner of his mouth lifted as he gave a short nod.
"You're a man who knows how to talk. Using the subway means using the tunnels. They connect to other stations."
"Are there groups like this at the other stations too?"
"Around here, we're the only ones. But I've heard other stations have them from time to time. The way they run things varies a little, but most of them are set up like us."
"Are you cooperating with the other groups?"
The man shrugged. Whether that meant he didn't know or simply didn't want to say, I couldn't tell. What was clear was that I shouldn't push it, so I changed the subject.
"So if we use the subway tunnels, we have to pay for that too?"
"That's right. Anyone coming or going through here pays an entry fee. And that includes this place."
The look on his face said not to ask any more questions, but this one I had to ask.
"Are the subway tunnels safe?"
"How much do you think one piece of candy buys you?"
The bald man scowled and growled. Cheap bastard. No wonder he had no hair.
"Just answer this and we'll come in quietly."
I answered while thinking something far less polite. He clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.
"The tunnels are safer than up top. At least there are no zombies. But I can't guarantee the safety of any station that doesn't have an owner."
"Because of raiders."
"Yeah. That's all I can tell you. So decide. You coming in, or you leaving?"
"We're going in. What's the entry fee?"
"Depends on what you hand over."
I thought for a moment, then pulled a pack of hardtack from my pocket. It was something I'd been given earlier and told to eat during a rest, but I hadn't been hungry enough, so I'd stashed it.
"Will this do? For all three of us, of course."
"Heh. Sharp kid. That's plenty. Come on in."
I held the hardtack out through the gap in the shutter, and the man nodded. The shutter rose a little farther, and the barricade blocking the way opened just enough.
I gestured to the women and stepped inside. Once all of us were through, the entrance sealed shut again.
"You're not going to search us?"
"If we confiscated weapons at the door, who'd bother coming in? But if you start trouble inside, the security detail might put you down, so watch yourselves."
"Understood. Then."
I gave a short bow and set my foot on the escalator. With a low hum, the steps began to carry us down.
"Discipline's tighter than I expected. You'd think they'd at least give So-hye and me a dirty look, but there was nothing like that."
"Proof that whoever runs this place has a real grip on the group."
"Just setting up and running a market like this is evidence of some real competence, isn't it?"
"Probably."
At the bottom of the escalator a wide corridor opened up, and I saw several people curled on the floor under blankets.
"P-please, something to eat!"
"O-our child is starving! Please, have mercy on us!"
"I'm hungry…"
The moment we passed them, they begged as if they'd been waiting for us. Asking for free food that people had risked their lives to bring in from outside. Disgust started to well up inside me.
"Oppa."
So-hye had come up beside me without my noticing and spoke in a small voice.
"If you're thinking of donating, don't."
"…You could tell?"
"Yeah. You're soft-hearted enough that I figured you'd feel sorry for them. I get how you feel, but giving them food is pouring water into a bottomless jar."
There was no reason to beg inside a subway station you had to pay to enter. That meant these weren't outsiders — they were people who'd already been living here.
Even with food as critical as it had become, a subway faction like this would still be short on manpower. Leaving them like this meant the group had already written them off.
"Still…"
"You're thinking of giving something to that mother and child over there, right?"
"Yes. They look so pitiful…"
"Giving them anything might actually put them in more danger. Look around. The guys nearby are watching us."
If we weren't careful, those men could jump the mother and child the second we were gone. Their eyes alone said they were starving.
"…Then we could just give something to everyone."
"What are we, charity angels? I already hate that we spent hardtack just to get in. You're saying we should feed every single person here? Have you lost your mind?"
"Please! Just help us once!"
"If you give us food, we'll think of you as our saviors!"
Maybe because Ga-hee's voice had been loud, the beggars dropped flat and started pleading harder.
"…Tsk. Parasites. Just walk past them. Are you going to help every person like this you run into? That's not how this works."
"Even so, if the circumstances allow it, I want to help. I know I'm being unreasonable, but… what about this instead?"
"What?"
"We give the mother and child some food, then wait until they've finished eating. Once it's in their stomachs, nobody can take it from them, so they won't get jumped."
It was at least a realistic plan. But it still meant burning through our supplies.
"You're really something… Fine. Do whatever you want."
Ga-hee let out a heavy sigh and gave up, and So-hye glanced at me nervously. The way she fidgeted was a little cute and a little pitiful at the same time. And a little frustrating.
"…What do you think, Oppa?"
"I don't think it's a great idea either. But if it'll put your mind at ease, go ahead."
Her eyes went round, and then she broke into a bright smile.
"But promise me you won't do this again. This is the first and last donation. Got it?"
"…Yes. I will. I'll take the food out of my own meals. And next time we go scavenging, I'll work even harder."
"Good. That's enough. Go on."
So-hye pulled food from her pocket and approached the mother and child. It was stuff we'd packed for ourselves. Probably her own share.
"Why'd you let her? Now I look like the bitch."
"If I'd shut it down, she would've gone along quietly. I let it happen so we can stop this kind of thing going forward — and so So-hye can feel better about it. She promised, so she won't do it again."
"And if she does it again?"
"Then I'll put a hard stop to it. So don't worry. And So-hye's smart enough not to make the same mistake twice."
"Hmm. Aren't you spoiling her a little too much?"
"She still does her job."
Ga-hee nodded, conceding the point.
"Well, true enough. Hell, you took me in when I was acting like a total bitch, so this is practically nothing."
"What are you doing!"
"Just a little more, just a little more! This isn't enough for me and my son both to fill up!"
At So-hye's sharp cry I hurried over to the mother and child. A middle-aged woman was clinging to one of So-hye's legs, screaming.
Thud!
"Aaaagh!!!"
I kicked her lightly in the shoulder and knocked her off. The woman shrieked and rolled across the floor. The child pressed harder against the wall, trembling.
"What? What happened?"
"I was trying to give them the food and leave, but she kept throwing a tantrum, demanding more…"
The woman scrambled to her feet and screeched.
"It's not a tantrum! You can give more! If you paid the entry fee and made it all the way here, that means you've got plenty of stuff! So you can spare a little more for us, can't you?!"
"Ha."
Ga-hee let out a hollow laugh. I was just as speechless.
"Pull someone out of the water and they demand your pack too? What the hell is wrong with this bitch?"
"Am I wrong?!"
"You fucking bitch."
Before I could step in, Ga-hee already had her axe out. It was still thick with blood from the zombies she'd killed earlier.
"You really want to die? Want me to put this through your skull? Maybe then you'll learn some shame."
"What's going on?!"
I turned toward the voice coming from the escalator. The bald man from earlier was coming down with one of his men.
Their eyes swept over me, Ga-hee, and the middle-aged woman in turn. The two of them, who'd been approaching at a quick clip, slowed to a walk.
"We didn't start the trouble."
"I know."
I made sure there was no room for misunderstanding, and the bald man nodded. Ga-hee took the hint and put the axe away, and he let out a long sigh.
"Fuck, lady. I told you one more scene and you're out. So why the hell are you pulling this shit again?"
"N-no! These people a-attacked me first! Th-this girl tried to kill me!"
She pointed at So-hye and screeched. So-hye flinched hard and shook her head.
"That's not true! Why would I do that? I only tried to give her food, and she demanded more."
"Hey."
The bald man barely pretended to listen, then jerked his chin. The subordinate beside him leveled his kitchen-knife spear at the woman.
"W-what do you think you're doing?!"
"Lady. Choose. You want to die right here, or you want to get thrown out?"
"I-I'm part of this subway too! You can't just handle it like this! Call the Station Master! Call the Station Master!"
"A bitch who came here because she didn't want to fight zombies sure has a lot to say. Shut up and decide in five seconds. No answer and I kill you on the spot."
The bald man started counting, and the woman answered immediately.
"I-I'll leave!"
"Good. Should've done that from the start. Leave your stuff and come with me."
"Why my stuff?! It's mine!"
"All of it was handed out by the subway. So leave it and get out."
The bald man scratched his head irritably and snarled.
"No, but this fucking bitch keeps pestering people? You want to die? Talk back one more time and I will actually kill you, so shut your mouth and follow me."
"Grr, grrrrr…!!!"
As the bald man turned and walked off, the woman glared our way. Bloodshot eyes, teeth grinding — pure filth.
"What are you looking at, you bitch."
I pulled out my hammer, and only then did she drop her head and trail after the bald man.
"Um, aren't you taking the boy?"
Even now, So-hye was worrying about the child. At that, the woman screeched.
"He's not my son!!!"
"…What?"
So-hye staggered as if she'd been hit. Ga-hee quickly steadied her and called out.
"Hey, mister! Is what that woman said true?"
"Mister? Hey, just because I'm bald doesn't mean I'm old. I'm still in my twenties."
"Yeah, yeah. So is it true?"
"Probably? How would I know. Not my problem. Who's got the room to look after some kid right now? He can figure out how to feed himself."
With that, the bald man hauled the woman away and disappeared. A brief commotion rose from the entrance, then died almost immediately.
"You okay?"
"…Yes. I'm fine. I caused trouble for nothing. I'm really sorry…"
She clenched her fists and lifted her head. Surprisingly, there were no tears or despair on her face. If anything, she looked like she'd steeled herself even harder.
"Let's go. We're busy."
"Yeah."
I glanced once at the middle-school-aged boy still sitting blankly against the wall, then followed So-hye deeper into the subway.