Chapter 196 - Children of Men
The children Sato and the others rescued could be seen to be in poor nutritional status at a single glance. Every child was skin and bones, and those who carried the children who became unable to walk along the way were surprised by the lightness of their bodies.
He heard that food had almost completely run out, and the adults—though they were university student teachers—had even cut back on their own meals to satisfy the children's hunger. Without satisfactory weapons, and on top of that carrying children, they couldn't do something like approaching a city with abundant supplies but many infected. Until now, they had continued moving mainly around the suburbs of cities, but such places seemed to have had their supplies snatched up by the ones who came earlier, and they said they could hardly get anything.
"It's surprising because even dog food and cat food were taken."
The youth who named himself Shimizu, the leader of the group, said while sipping soup.
Sato, who learned they were starving, had contacted the base to prepare meals in advance, and as soon as they arrived at the Reclaimed Land, they jumped at the prepared meals. That said, it's not good to suddenly give solid food to those in poor nutritional status, so only things easy to digest like soup and porridge were served.
Even with such meals, the children poured them into their mouths without complaining and requested seconds many times. At the sight of them clad in dirty, tattered clothes, there were even those among the adults who shed tears. Since there are no children in the Reclaimed Land, some might have remembered their own children.
Meanwhile, the boy, Sato, and Aki, who returned late, were also lost for words at the unusual sight of the children. The brilliance characteristic of children had vanished from their eyes, and only the colors of fatigue and fear could be seen on their faces.
"...It's a piece of shit."
Sato muttered. He couldn't forgive the current world that had made the children like that. Children of an age who should originally still be studying at school and playing without any anxiety about the future are thus starving and hurt. Sato doesn't believe in the existence of a god, but if there is a god in this world, he must be a person with very bad taste.
"Why are you guys only bringing children?"
"We were in the middle of student teaching at an elementary school. When the school became a shelter, we participated as management staff just like that, but..."
Like shelters everywhere, the elementary school where Shimizu and the other university student teachers were was attacked by a swarm of infected. It was natural because for the infected, a shelter is the same as a hunting ground where a large number of prey are gathered. Except for some where heavy security was laid by the JSDF and police, no shelter that could weather the attack of the infected existed.
Shimizu and the others attempted to escape from the shelter amidst a hellish scene of agonizing cries. At that time, they found students who had evacuated to the school together and took them out on impulse.
"Weren't the parents together?"
"When we found them, it seemed they were playing tag... and there were also quite a few children who got separated from their parents."
Finding things that could become weapons like bats and crowbars, Shimizu and the other university students and elementary school students escaped from the shelter. However, days of receiving attacks from the infected continued even after that, and they say 5 people died in the first few days.
"It was truly hell. The children wanted to see their parents and wanted to return to the shelter, and we also wanted to confirm the safety of our families. But it doesn't go that way, right? Phones don't connect, TVs don't show anything, and corpses are rolling in the streets... we had no choice but to live while holding our breath."
They found hunting rifles from corpses to secure weapons and also gathered food at supermarkets and the like, but with a large group exceeding 10 people, those also run out immediately. On top of that, because they were still elementary school students, there were also children who took selfish actions. There were children who slipped away from the hideout while the university students weren't looking and went to look for their parents. Or there were children who couldn't endure the life of living while holding their breath, or felt stress from the situation where it wouldn't be strange to die at any time, and perhaps something broke, and they took their own lives.
"Children's sense of value for life is completely different from us adults, isn't it? Children unconcernedly crush swarms of ants and don't even feel guilt about it. It's the same for their own lives. They die because the current situation is unpleasant. Or because this is a bad dream, they might wake up on their usual bed if they die. Is it because the time they've lived is still short compared to us adults?"
Though, it doesn't change that adults are also committing suicide all over the place. Shimizu added that.
It's not only children who take their lives out of pessimism for the current situation. However, unlike adults, children have lived for a short time. That's why they might see the value of their own lives and the lives of others as light, unlike adults.
"Where were you before coming here?"
When Chiba asked, Shimizu answered, "All over the place."
"Anyway, we couldn't settle in one place. There were infected, and there were people who seemed dangerous... even if there's a safe place, it's meaningless if there's no food."
"...It was tough."
Because large cities have many convenience stores and supermarkets, there were many humans, so the number of infected is also high by that much. As you move away from the center of the city or residential areas, the infected also become fewer, but since it's a region where the population was originally small, the number of shops where food and the like can be obtained is not that many either. Survivors are often moving through the suburbs to avoid encountering the infected, and for that reason, supplies disappeared early from supermarkets and convenience stores in areas other than urban areas.
If they were a group of only adults, they could have also gone out to urban areas to procure supplies while risking danger. However, Shimizu and the others had children they had to protect no matter what. That's why they had no choice but to wander all over the place seeking food and a safe place.
"And, about the future..."
Shimizu brought it up in a way that seemed fearful. Of course, "the future" would be about their place to stay from now on.
"If it's not a nuisance, we'd definitely like to be allowed to stay here... of course, we'll do our work properly. We'll also look after ourselves as much as possible."
He's saying it without confidence, perhaps because he's overwhelmed by the guns the people around him have. Although they were helped, he likely realizes that they are uninvited guests. Food isn't infinite either, and there's no leeway. If the number of people in the community increased by more than 10 at once in such a situation, the consumption speed of supplies would rise by a different level.
If you think normally, there's no one who welcomes an increase in the number of people to be fed. That's why Shimizu is likely frightened that they might be kicked out of here with guns pointed at them. The university students also have guns, but they are only side-by-side double-barrel shotguns they picked up. He seems to understand that if Sato and the others, who are equipped even with JSDF machine guns, got serious, they would be turned into mincemeat in an instant.
"Hey, if it's okay, shall we look after those children at our place?"
"That's right. It's already been decades since my son left, but I can still look after children even now."
Seeing the children devouring the meal, an elderly couple who are residents of the Reclaimed Land offered. Originally, the residents of the Reclaimed Land that was in the middle of development weren't that many, and the ones living there were only couples who had reached mandatory retirement age or middle-aged couples without children and the like. That's why Sato had been wondering if it was okay to accept children, but it seems it was a needless worry.
"Is it okay? The supplies here aren't that abundant either. If the number of people increases, things might become difficult ahead, you know?"
Sato personally thought it was pitiful to throw the ones they helped back outside again and intended to accept them from the start, but he hadn't obtained the consent of all the residents. Although he has obtained the consent of the squad leaders of each squad where the residents gathered, there would also be people who don't want the number of people to increase.
"We don't mind. Right, dear?"
"Yeah. If there's a guy who says to throw such children back outside again, I'll give him a piece of my mind. Sato-san, you aren't the kind of person who would say such a heartless thing either, right?"
But that concern was apparently a needless worry. Starting with the elderly couple, residents one after another offered to look after the children. They were all couples of a generation whose children had grown up and become independent. Seeing the children starving and dying, they might have become unable to just stand by.
To think they would become this gentle, when until a little while ago they weren't even trying to accept the people from the former Brotherhood. Perhaps because the Brotherhood, the greatest threat, vanished and some leeway was born in supplies starting with food, the leeway of heart to accept others was also born in them. At the very least, the people here have the extremely proper human ethics of helping children.
Sato reconfirmed that and was somewhat relieved. He had been wondering what to do if they had said, "Even if they are children, we can't increase the mouths to feed. Kick them out."
Sato risked danger to defeat the Brotherhood and is still fighting for them now precisely because he thought the people living in this Reclaimed Land were an existence worth protecting. But if they were the same as the Brotherhood, people who only cared about themselves, he wouldn't be able to call them an existence that should be protected.
"By the way, you, why did you go out of your way to do something dangerous?"
Aki, walking next to the boy who is heading to return his weapons after finishing the rescue of the children, asks. The dangerous thing likely refers to him remaining alone on the roof of the multi-tenant building to draw the infected.
"It's fine, isn't it?"
"It's not fine. I understand that at that time there was no time and no other good ideas came up. But, why can you do something like throwing away your own life so easily? If things went poorly, you would have died, you know?"
"If there's an existence that should survive, it's not me but those children. Those children are still young; they have plenty of future. If one of us has to die, I'm better."
I'm a much better existence than myself who has sacrificed others to survive and couldn't even face that properly—the boy swallowed those words. At the very least, those children haven't killed anyone until now. They aren't an existence smeared with sin and blood like the boy. If you say which one can create a proper future, it would be the children.
"You, you're saying such things like an old man, but you aren't that different in age from me, right?"
"...Well, that's how it is."
"And what stupid thing are you saying about who should survive or who has to die? Listen, now and in the past, everyone is an existence that should live equally. There's no superiority or inferiority in life, and it's also wrong to measure if value is high or low... or so I think."
"Is that so?"
"It is. Besides, it's a problem for me if you die. You're a person who can fight, after all."
The last part seemed to be to hide her embarrassment. "So, don't think about stupid things anymore," she said, patting the boy's back, and Aki went back.
At the very least, she seems to think of him as an important companion. Just knowing that made him somehow happy. The fact that there's a person who thinks of even someone like himself as important gave a slight warmth to the boy's heart.
I look forward to your opinions and impressions.