Marauder of the Apocalypse

Chapter 19: Hope [5]

Is this a real miracle?

In fact, it's unbelievable that I haven't been infected so far. The pastor is the only non-infected person in the church where everyone else is infected. He fought hand-to-hand with zombies without a mask, but his body is intact.

My hands are trembling. My heart is pounding. I have irrational thoughts. A miracle. A clue that could ruin the chairman's grand plan.

Faith and rational thinking collided with a rough sound.

'Could the pastor have antibodies? Immunity? Asymptomatic?'

If that's really the case, he must be killed.

If the government takes the pastor and researches him to develop a cure, I, who have been living well in the apocalypse, may end up in the prison of the returned normal world. No, perhaps the normal world itself was a prison all along.

I clenched my fist tightly. My nails dug into the palm of my hand. My wavering gaze fell on the pastor, who was surrounded by candlelight like a halo.

The sight of the pastor continuing the service without wavering even in this situation.

'You appeared too early.'

Just thinking about Pandora's box, all kinds of disasters and evils burst out, and hope comes out at the end. But the world is not ruined enough for hope to appear already. There is a lack of disaster and evil.

As I thought about it, the name "Hope Church" and the existence of the pastor felt like an omen of true, fateful hope.

The murderous intent sank deeply within me, sharpening.

'Yes, hope shouldn't appear this early. This is wrong.'

It would be right for me to appear after the police records and databases are all messed up, and the record of me killing someone on the first day of the zombie outbreak is erased. Or in an era 30 years from now when I can live using someone else's identity.

The murderous intent was mechanically refined, like editing a sentence that doesn't fit the plausibility when working on a scenario.

"Amen."

- Amen!

Around this time, the service was hastily concluded. Even though the power outage was not over yet.

"We will end today's service early. Hmm, it seems there might be a problem when you leave in the dark."

The pastor spoke hesitantly.

I quickly came to my senses and waved my phone as a flashlight.

"I will guide you one by one!"

"Ah, Deacon Kwon. Please also disinfect, especially those who have had contact with unbelievers."

I'll leave that to the evangelists. I nudged him.

"You stand at the entrance and make sure everyone gets disinfected."

"Uh, yes. Amen."

Deacon Kwon hurriedly leaves the church, feeling possessed by evil spirits.

"Please get up carefully and follow me."

I smiled kindly and guided the people from the back row, thinking to myself. The service is over, so I can turn on my phone, but the people are just passively following me.

I need to kill the pastor and shake the faith of these believers. No, I should first completely destroy this threatening group, and then degrade them to a level where I can conveniently use them.

***

The service that day ended in a commotion.

The pastor, with blood splattered on his lips, had a gloomy expression and shuffled back to his room. Before closing the door, the pastor said,

"The situation seems to be getting worse. I will pray, meditate, and discern God's will."

The elders, while worrying about the pastor, scattered and prepared to return to their own homes. The pastor seemed full of concern and thoughts, but they just trusted the pastor without much deep thinking.

Suddenly, the grandmother smiled at me.

"Our Deacon Kwon, please take care of the pastor. It seems he hasn't even had dinner. Later, I'll boil some instant noodles for him. There's also the kimchi I made in the fridge."

This is a request that only I, who live in the church, can fulfill. In fact, I could also do it for Deacon Kwon, but strangely, they trusted me more than Deacon Kwon.

The elders nodded.

"That's right. The pastor is also young, and the burden must be heavy. Since you're around the same age, you can keep him company."

"If there's a delivery place, order something. Here's some money to help. Noodles can fill the stomach."

"Ah, my dear. Delivery fees are so expensive these days. Here, take this."

Several 50,000 won bills were handed to me. I smiled awkwardly as I took the money.

Even though the delivery drivers had significantly increased their fees due to the zombie threat, the money was still generous.

"You didn't have to, but I'll use it for the pastor."

"Yes, enjoy the meal and please keep watch over the church tonight."

The six elders rushed out.

I looked at their retreating backs with an expressionless face, then turned to the grumbling Deacon Kwon.

"Isn't this discrimination? Why am I being ignored?"

"Oh, the electricity thief. Seems like they've caught the scent of your sin."

"What are you talking about, murderer?"

I was at a loss for words at Deacon Kwon's rebuttal. I was outmatched in logic. No, I can't lose to a subordinate. I quickly opened my mouth again.

"I've repented and been forgiven through prayer."

"If you put it that way, I'm the same, you know? You're a really strange person."

Lose in this childish argument? Of course, the ruthless electricity thief. As someone who was swept up in the disaster and only committed an accidental crime, I cannot defeat this shameless person.

I let out a deep sigh. The best choice is to not fight, and if I must, it's better to use someone else's knife. I chose the best option.

"This feels a bit sacrilegious. Let's stop."

"...Yes, forgive me, amen."

Jeon Do-hyeong, who has only learned strange things while living in the church, bows his head with his hands clasped.

The church then falls into silence, and the deep night has come.

The pastor refused the late-night snack that the driver had brought, saying he had no appetite, and I walked alone in the darkened church hallway.

Thump, thump-

Footsteps that have been muffled to a minimum stretch out soundlessly. I am immersed in deep contemplation in the darkness. A low, murmuring voice is heard.

"Betrayal..."

Is it really right to betray the pastor who says he is the embodiment of a miracle? Isn't this a bit irrational? The Hope Church group is so useful.

I slowly reworked my way of thinking. Rationally. Logically. Like shaping the personalities and behaviors of characters when writing a scenario.

Plausible logic flowed through my mind.

'If I'm just lucky, it could happen. Maybe he's already infected and could turn into a zombie at any moment.'

...Both are problematic.

How long will the luck last? The pastor, who reveals his uniqueness without even wearing a mask, is not strange to be infected at any time. I might even see the pastor zombie tomorrow morning.

Rationally judging, the collapse of the church is just a matter of time. Since it is an organization maintained solely by the power of the pastor, the moment the pastor becomes a zombie, it will collapse into a mess.

Suddenly, an epiphany came to me.

'Anyway, this is the time to betray!'

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My steps stopped. I felt the complex worries disappear, the chains loosen, and my body become lighter. Since the future has narrowed down to one path, I just have to run that one path, right?

Betrayal. An internal enemy.

What I have to do is simple. Dealing with the pastor, removing the church's expansive power, and plundering the church's resources.

That's when the scenario was written in my head.

"...?"

I tilted my head. The church, which only exists with the pastor, me, and Jeon Do-hyeong, has a light on in the warehouse. A white light shining through the crack of the door and someone's shadow.

'That's the warehouse where they store food, isn't it?'

Has a thief broken in? Have I finally come into contact with a thief? At the very moment I decided to betray? Is this the will of heaven?

I tried to calm my excitement and quietly approached the warehouse. As the distance narrowed, a faint voice could be heard.

"Miracle, my ass. The zombie blood splattered on my mouth, how can I be fine, right? I have to find my way to survive."

It's a voice I've heard before. The elder who manages the supplies. A middle-aged man with a cunning appearance.

I silently opened the door.

The elder is hastily putting boxes of hardtack, salt, sugar, and other long-term storable food into boxes. Staggering under the weight, but still pushing on.

I was seized with suspicion. Is the elder a thief?

"Excuse me. Are you a thief?"

"Huh, what?"

The thief elder's movements came to a complete stop. The elder awkwardly turned his body and looked at me. His gaze was focused on the hammer I was holding.

"Elder Kwon? What is this? I'm not stealing, it's just-"

"Are you a thief?"

Our eyes met. Seeing my eyes, the thief elder bit his lip tightly and quickly pulled a gun from his waist. He aimed it at me without hesitation. There was no trembling in his hand.

"Elder Kwon. Let's just let this go peacefully, okay? I have a family at home that I need to feed. I'll just take the food I need, and you just keep quiet. God said to show mercy, right?"

"No. I'm asking if you're a thief."

I blinked my eyes. I don't understand why he's not getting it. I'm asking if he's a thief so I can recruit him.

Seeing the look in my eyes, the elder slightly trembled his hand.

"Damn fanatic. You just don't understand. Your eyes are just-"

"Can't you hear well? Do you know how to open a door lock? Can you steal car oil? Do you have a cutter?"

"Huh...?"

This time, the elder blinked his eyes stupidly. Frustrated, I closed the warehouse door.

The elder flinched in surprise, still holding the gun. He slowly spoke.

"I did steal when I was young, but I repented and lived properly. But why are you asking about that?"

"Door lock, car oil."

"You need equipment for that, like a device that emits a bluish light and an oil pump. Wait, what is this?"

The confused elder. I smiled contentedly under my mask.

Finally, a thief has appeared. The main member candidate I've been longing for. Judging by how he immediately thought of the necessary equipment, he seems to be quite professional. This is fate. To betray and organize a group of plunderers, this is my destiny.

After briefly licking my lips, I blurted out excitedly.

"Elder in charge of supplies, why is your ambition so small? Didn't the pastor teach you more than this?"

"What the hell is this?"

The elder seemed to doubt if he was dreaming. Everything just seemed absurd to him.

I lightly kicked the sacks of rice and other supplies piled up in the warehouse.

"Are you really satisfied with stealing just one or two of these? Didn't the pastor himself tell you? The real theft is stealing people's hearts, people's time, and people's labor."

"Ah, it's a dream. No wonder. I must have fallen asleep while working, getting nervous."

Suddenly, the elder let out a hollow laugh, but he regained his senses when I slapped his cheek hard.

"Elder Kwon...?"

"This is reality, Elder. Wake up. And my real name is not Kwon Da-in."

The elder gently caresses his cheek and looks at me blankly. The mask on his face moves as he opens his mouth wide.

"The church has no answers. The apocalypse can't be stopped. You agree, don't you?"

"Uhh..."

"So what should we do then?"

"Survive, I guess?"

The elder answers like a parrot. I reach out my hand towards him.

"Let's overthrow the pastor and plunder all the church's resources. Let's join forces."

I was already having a hard time believing the evangelist, and I needed some suitable manpower.

But this supply elder, an internal enemy, turned out to be the thief I was looking for. I must recruit this person.

"But the pastor is a good person though. That's a bit..."

"Isn't he just a zombie? Not even wearing a mask. The living, the ones who want to live, they should live. And I, an expert in disaster countermeasures, am the true guarantee of the future, not just empty prayers."

I kept talking passionately for a long time, and the apostate who had already stolen the church's assets had no faith left, so he eventually succumbed to my persuasion.

It was similar to how the elder had entrusted himself to the pastor. I just presented a slightly more sustainable and reliable future.

In fact, I just took advantage of the crack in the psychological foundation that the pastor had built.

The thief elder, who had barely regained his focus, looked at me again.

"...But Deacon Kwon. Were you always this kind of person? I thought you were a devout believer."

"I'm just an ordinary person trying to survive the apocalypse."

I answered vaguely. And then I asked something I was curious about. It was also a question for the interview of the plunderer.

"Do you really have a family?"

"No. I was divorced, and my children were taken away too. ...Don't say anything about me lying. You're not Kwon Da-in either, are you? It's not like some devil is hiding your name or anything."

Approved.

Plunderers must be an elite few. There's no room for dead weight in the apocalypse.

Above all, I like the way lies flow out of him as naturally as breathing. And the mindset of quickly sensing danger and betraying, that's also good.

The thief elder, who realized we were kindred spirits, smiled.

"Alright. Let's hit it big."

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Elder."

We were about to shake hands while grinning, but quickly pulled our hands back. Virus caution. We just grinned ominously and started preparing various scenarios.

Day 35 of the zombie outbreak.

After wandering between faith and doubt, I found the answer and recruited the thief I had so desperately wanted. An expert in theft, an apostate who has abandoned his faith, a natural liar.

And in the shadows under the cross, a conspiracy was ripening. It was the season of betrayal, when distrust took root instead of trust. The apocalypse was here.

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