End of the World Broadcast

“If someone asked you to name the most important characteristic that distinguishes humans from other animals, how do you think you would answer?”
After confirming the location of the large supermarket from the rooftop, I transferred the route to my map and immediately came down from the building.
Perhaps because I had walked up a building with more than 20 floors, my legs screamed in protest as I tried to move with my heavy bag.
But with the snowfall gradually intensifying, there was no time to rest.

“For me… I would answer ‘free will’ without much hesitation.”
This conversation is partly to distract myself from the pain in my feet and legs.
And partly my selfish desire to share thoughts that came to me while observing this halted world and people who met their deaths for various reasons.
Isn’t there something romantic about discussing topics based solely on experience—topics that may not have, or shouldn’t have, a correct answer—for hours on end?

“Of course, small animals like cats and dogs also have their own thoughts and will. I’m not disrespecting them. But is there any other creature in this world that tries to realize its will as extensively as humans do, even to the point of denying everything else?”
Warm clothes that prevent us from freezing to death, despite temperatures so low they stop corpses from decaying.
Numerous foods processed and modified to allow us to eat more and for longer.
And streetlights to drive away darkness that prevents humans from functioning properly and puts them in danger.
All of these were born from humanity’s will to deny what they lack or find uncomfortable.

“Cold. Hunger. Darkness. All living beings struggle and strive to survive, but most creatures grow thicker fur, or grow wings and migrate according to seasons, or are active during the day and rest in their burrows at night.”
But humans were different. They chose to confront the obstacles of life head-on and completely erase them from their lives.

“…If you try to force an object larger than a box can handle into it, it will tear or burst. You can wrap it with strong tape to some extent, but if you keep putting things in the box, eventually even the strongest box or tape will fail to hold and burst.”
Clothes, food, and numerous machines including streetlights.
They alleviated the various discomforts humans felt while living, but at the same time, they placed burdens in places invisible to the ordinary person’s eye.

“You know what? Even in this city that seems like it will be winter forever, you can occasionally see summer clothes.”
If this city were located in a place that’s always winter, like Greenland where the Inuit lived, would such clothes have been necessary?
I can’t definitively say that environmental issues, which were major problems in the era I lived in, are the direct cause of this snow-covered city, but they surely had some influence.

“Anyway… what I want to say is that humans’ will to fill deficiencies and eliminate discomforts is amazing and admirable. But we should have thought about the side effects earlier and more deeply.”
People from the past who could easily obtain food forgot how to produce food themselves, leaving not a single blade of grass in the city.
And the buildings constructed by people who overcame the constraints of height and the fear of darkness now, with the passage of time, became darkness themselves, threatening me.

“It’s really dark.”
The spaces between buildings, which naturally evoke the term ‘concrete jungle,’ are always pitch black no matter when you enter them.
It’s not like I’m exploring inside a building or deep forest—the fact that I need a flashlight just to walk safely on the street is something I couldn’t have imagined before.

“That’s why I try to stick to main roads as much as possible.”
Even if the shadows are artificially created, darkness is darkness—the fear and anxiety that come from not being able to see an inch ahead are felt all the same.
Even though I know there’s nothing threatening me as long as I watch the ground, when I occasionally feel something strange under my feet or hear something being stepped on, my body flinches and I break out in a cold sweat.

“Phew… by the way, I thought it was just an old object, but it’s quite sturdy.”
Despite the fierce wind and increasingly strong snowfall making my body sway, the drone doesn’t shake much and maintains a constant altitude.
In many ways, it looks crude and simple, so I was worried it might fly away and break in the strong wind, but it seems that was unnecessary concern.
Rather, now I should be worrying about myself, not the drone.
Perhaps because I climbed up and down the building earlier, my legs tremble every time I pull my feet out of the deep snow.

“Today, I shouldn’t move far—just find something to eat…”
Still, the situation was better than usual.
Usually, even when I was this tired and in pain, I had no one to talk to, so I had to endure.
And since I couldn’t distract my consciousness from the pain by talking about other things, it was physically and mentally difficult.

“Ah. Well, I think I’m almost there.”
The electronic displays that would have provided information about the buildings have all lost their light, so most buildings have lost their names.
Nevertheless, I could tell that I had reached the commercial district at least, looking at the densely packed buildings that naturally evoke the term ‘concrete forest,’
with their walls of glass unsuitable for human habitation, or colorful walls.

“Just looking at the cars crashing into each other, or the many corpses wearing clothes stained inappropriately red, you can tell this is an important place, right?”
Many people gathered where food could be found because food had become a limited resource.
And the people who gathered naturally caused various incidents and casualties.
Human free will wasn’t designed to deny only phenomena like cold, hunger, or darkness.

“First, let’s go inside, find something to eat, and after resting a bit, look around the warehouse to see if there are any useful items. If we’re lucky, we might get more things like heaters.”
I’ve developed a habit of speaking optimistically when I’m in a mentally or physically difficult situation. This time was no exception.

“Preserved food seems to have been unpopular, as there’s been a little left everywhere I’ve been so far… I guess there will be some left here too? If so, I’ll have to eat until my stomach bursts today.”
No matter how accustomed I had become to desperate landscapes and death, there was a limit.
The cruelty of humans, which even the snow that covers everything to make it look quiet and pure couldn’t hide.
With each step I took, it weighed heavily on my heart.

“Now I don’t even need a flashlight anymore.”
Anyway, the places I can step on are covered with snow.
And places that aren’t, have things I shouldn’t step on piled higher than the snow.

“I said earlier that large supermarkets and shopping malls have characteristics that make them recognizable even from a distance.”
This is it.
I gave a bitter smile.

“Just a moment, I’ll take a short break before going in.”
After much effort, I arrived at the large supermarket and decided to take a brief rest before entering.
I put down my heavy bag for a moment and took out what I assume to be—and have been treating as—a white pack of cigarettes along with a gas torch.

“Phew….”
I light the rolled paper and inhale a puff of smoke from what’s burning inside.
Perhaps because I only smoke when I really need mental stability, considering various factors like physical condition and addiction symptoms, my chest stings as I’m still not used to it, even though it’s been quite a while since I first put a cigarette in my mouth.

“Hah.”
But my frozen body warms up as I breathe in the cold air.
And the sensation of my complex mind, filled with savage scenery, becoming numb as it fills with smoke.

“You know, I used to really hate people who smoked.”
As much as I hate to admit it, it gave me a pleasant sense of stability.

“Why put such trash in your mouth? It’s bad for your health and expensive too—why on earth do people smoke? That’s what I used to think.”
But somehow, since picking up a cigarette next to a corpse, I’ve become a wretched person who reaches for cigarettes whenever I’m mentally pressured.

“Still… given the situation, cut me some slack. I’ll dispose of the cigarette butt properly.”
I press out the fire of the half-burned cigarette with my gloved finger.
I carry it to a nearby trash can and drop it in.
Even amid all the dirty, unsightly things around.
My cigarette butt made a thump sound as it reached the bottom of the trash can.

“I’ll warn you in advance. What you’ll see inside is… not very pleasant. You probably already suspect as much.”
Given how the exterior of the building is like this, there’s no way the interior would be fine.
Clearly, there will be remnants of an even more violent and cruel past inside, just as there has been until now.

“So if there are children or sensitive people among those watching this video, take a break for a bit. Reading a book… or listening to peaceful music would be good.”
Because these terrible sights are enough for people like me who are already accustomed to them.

“By the way… I wish there would be some response soon, anything would be fine. Aren’t you all sleeping too late?”
[Is this a movie filming?]
[Does anyone know what this is about?]
With a final sigh at the unchanged display on the controller window.
I stepped into an ancient hell.