Marauder of the Apocalypse

Chapter 21: Hope [7]

Click-

I hastily pressed the switch to turn on the lights in the room. Then I quickly felt all over my body.

Maybe I got shot. I don't feel the pain right now, but what if the adrenaline is masking the bullet wound?

'Ah. Fortunately.'

There is no gunshot wound. No bleeding, no holes in my body The pastor didn't even switch to live ammunition.

On the contrary, if the first shot had been a lethal round...

A shudder ran down my spine. I don't even want to imagine it. I don't want to die instantly, and I don't want to get injured either. Hospitals are so dangerous these days.

I quickly recalled the lesson I learned from this incident.

'I'll withdraw at the slightest suspicion. I won't fight directly. I'll get medical personnel.'

Around that time, Jeon Do-hyeong approached.

"Pastor...!"

His voice echoed loudly.

Glancing back, Jeon Do-hyeong was trembling as he looked down at the pastor's body, from which blood was flowing. His pale face showed he had rushed over in a hurry, without even wearing a mask.

No wonder he's afraid, since he almost got shot.

I smiled and nodded.

"Jeon Do-hyeong. Well done. Thanks to you, we could kill the pastor."

"I, I...?"

Is it humility? I decided to go along with that rhythm. I praised him specifically for what he did well.

"You drew the aggro, so I could shoot safely. If I had slipped up, I would have been the one to die."

"Ah, I see."

Jeon Do-hyeong collapsed onto the floor, as if his legs had given out. His hands came together as if in prayer, then flailed aimlessly in the air, having lost their direction.

I slowly furrowed my brow. This wasn't the reaction I had expected... Could it be that he was already indoctrinated by religion? Well, I was almost swayed too.

Anyway, I didn't need to worry about it anymore. Even in this state, he had locked the door and killed people, and had seen zombies and people die right in front of him, so he would come to his senses on his own.

More importantly, I need to tamper with the crime scene.

'The bullets first.'

I picked up the pastor's revolver with my gloved hand. The remaining ammunition was two lethal rounds.

I loaded one into the gun I would return to the thieving elder. And I hid the last remaining round in my hoodie pocket. This way, no one would know whose gun the pastor was killed with.

Then I went back into the room. Maybe there's a dying message being recorded on the phone.

A low voice came from behind me.

"What are we going to do now? Why did you kill the pastor?"

"We need to take control of the church."

I answered lightly. But it seemed like an incomplete explanation, so I added a few more words.

"Pastor, you've already got zombie blood in your mouth anyway. This is just a preventative measure. It's better to go through it earlier when it's less dangerous, and prepare properly. If you turn into a zombie in 3 weeks..."

"Ah..."

While looking around the room, I continued explaining. Since I had never mentioned this incident before, I had to show a bright future to the excellent plunderer member.

For example, a new colleague.

"Where do you think I got this gun from?"

"You killed which elder?"

The answer came out without hesitation. I turned around, feeling perplexed.

"No. I didn't just kill for no reason, I mean, the gun acquisition is a good enough reason. But I don't just go around killing people. I'm not a madman."

"..."

"The elder also cooperated. This is more beneficial. Now we'll reduce the religious color, proceed with fortification, gather talents, and go in a more hopeful direction."

Jeon Do-hyeong, who had been looking at me with gloomy eyes, lowered his head. Then, clenching his fist, a weak voice came out.

"You won't touch the other church people, right?"

"Why would we touch them? They're all labor forces. Farming, defending the fortress, gathering resources, people are the strength."

I gradually lost interest and focused on what I had to do.

The pastor's cell phone on the desk. When I pressed the power button, the screen lit up, and the title of the video he had been watching appeared.

- How to be self-sufficient in the city / Professor Kim

The professor I had introduced as my mentor's video. Next to the phone was the pastor's notebook, where he had been diligently studying. I looked at the most recent sentence.

- What can we grow on the land where the paving blocks have been removed?

The words I had casually mentioned before. The answer to that.

- Potatoes? Turnips? They say they grow well even in barren land.

I was engulfed in a strange emotion as I slowly flipped through the notebook. The densely written letters, like the Bible.

There were only problems, investigations, and answers. Just like the pastor's personality, which I still couldn't understand, there was not a single personal thought written down.

Suddenly, my head turned, and I saw the pastor's body with a hole in the back of his head.

'I really don't know.'

Curiosity arose belatedly. What kind of person was he? What thoughts did he live with? Did he really have the antibodies? Did he really believe he was called to a mission?

There are too many curious stories, but they are already buried in the past. There is no way to know more.

I looked at the notebook again. Potatoes and turnips. My eyes closed.

'Pastor. We will carry on the hope you left behind.'

Hope is not a material. Just as gold and firearms cannot be hope, the material of antibodies is not hope either. True hope is something spiritual.

I had drawn the pastor's face in my mind after the chairman and the professor. The leader who skillfully proposed the final form of plunder and expertly dealt with betrayal.

Their teachings were passed on to me, and these teachings will become the beacon of hope that illuminates the world. Just like the name "Hope Church."

"Pastor. I will develop the community you left behind well."

"What a crazy person...."

And so the morning with the sun shining with hope approached.

***

I deliberately didn't sleep. I'm very sleepy, but for the sake of a genuine performance, to create bloodshot eyes.

In a muffled voice, I slowly spoke to the elders gathered around the pastor's body.

"There was a gunshot heard in the early morning, and when we went to investigate, it was already... The first-floor window was open, and it seems he entered through there...."

"This, this."

The elders all looked at the pastor with shocked expressions. It seemed like their faith was collapsing, doubting the reality, and despairing.

The intense shock seemed to paralyze everyone's brain.

But as always, after the fearful shock, irrational emotions burst out.

"Traitor...."

"Judas! There is a Judas among us! The scum who sold the pastor to Satan!"

A witch hunt. A mafia game where someone has to be hanged to end it. And I was confident in myself. I had the confidence to push others instead of myself.

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'Seven people. Me and the thief elder. Roughly two will disappear, and if I recruit one more, the church will be in my hands.'

While thinking about that, I suddenly came under attack. The elder in charge of security and quarantine pointed at me.

"You! What did you do all night! You, who live in the church, should have protected the pastor."

"I... As soon as I heard the gunshot, I woke up and went to find him...."

I tightly closed my eyes. Showing my weakness, the security elder raised his voice further.

"In the first place, if you had properly managed the safety...."

"Security elder. Isn't this your fault? Why didn't you secure the window? If the window had been locked...."

The thief elder's assistance came in at the right time. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw the security elder jumping around with a red face.

"This thief! You, you did it! The only person who can sneak in at night is you!"

The thief elder didn't remain silent either. Apparently, he had a lot of pent-up anger, and he shouted with a voice full of fury.

"Thief, thief! Am I a thief who steals people's lives? Except when I was in the military, I've never fired a gun!"

That's right. He only lent me the gun.

Around then, the evangelism elder cleared his throat. Looking at the back of the pastor's head, he said,

"He died from a gunshot wound. Everyone has guns, right? Let's take them out and see if the bullets are spent."

"Here, look!"

The thief elder was the first to take out his gun, and the other elders quickly took out their guns as well. Soon, their gaze turned to the one without a gun.

Originally, the grandmother and I passed by, towards the pale-faced administrative elder.

The administrative elder hurriedly waved his hands.

"No! I just gave it to my daughter! The world is dangerous these days! For self-defense-"

"You? You?"

"No, really! Why would I?"

I remained silent and then raised my hand. The suspicious elders looked at me with bloodshot eyes, and it was like a zombie scene.

"Deacon Kwon. What."

"By any chance, is there someone who would benefit the most if the pastor passed away?"

At those words, momentarily puzzled expressions flashed across their faces. As if such a thing could never happen. But the elders, who had already planted seeds of suspicion, found their own reasons and created a culprit.

The elderly man with white hair, the service elder. The elder who manages the parishioners who help with farming or labor.

"Service Elder."

"Why are you looking at me like that? What would I gain?"

The service elder spoke calmly, but it didn't work. One by one, they threw out words.

"Weren't you an elder originally? If the pastor is not in his position, the service elder would become the leader."

"Surely not because you desire the church?"

The service elder sighed.

"At my age, I wouldn't desire such things. If I'm suspected like that, I'll just leave. Seeing the situation, it's probably best. Since the pastor is no longer here, there's no reason for me to stay."

With those words, the service elder turned his body. His drooping shoulders and heavy footsteps faded away.

The security elder kicked the wall with a thud, and his face scrunched up in pain from his sore toes.

"Ugh. Seeing them already shooting at each other, there's no future. ... Let's just divide the food stockpiled in the church and go our separate ways."

"Aha! There's a real thief here! Was that the purpose, the stockpiled food?"

Before the thief elder could sneer, the security elder went berserk. He clicked his gun and aimed it. The thief elder didn't back down either, putting his finger on the trigger.

Indeed, the thief elder showed the talent of a plunderer. The audacity of one who has nothing to lose. The corners of his eyes crinkled maliciously.

"Why? Like you shot the pastor, should I shoot you too?"

Admiration came naturally. How did he mix lies so seamlessly, as if breathing?

That's when a trembling cry was heard.

"Stop, stop it... I'm scared. Why, why..."

It was the grandmother. Crying tears like a child, her body trembling. I quickly supported the grandmother.

"It's okay. Nothing's wrong. Everything will be fine."

I patted her and slightly averted my gaze. The thief elder and the security elder, ready to shoot each other at any moment. I showed a tense expression, as if I was afraid of them.

The two were silent for a moment. Eventually, they both sighed and put down their guns. Deep fatigue and faint fear were cast over their faces.

"What is all this?"

"... But the pastor must have gone to heaven. He was such a good person, so the Lord must have taken him first."

At that point, the evangelism elder shook his head.

"I don't want to report this to the police. There are gun issues too. Let's first take the pastor. We can't just leave it like this."

"Oh, that's right."

The situation was roughly resolved. I naturally handed the grandmother over to the thief elder, and took the opportunity to approach the security elder.

"Security elder."

"...What."

"Are you leaving the church?"

The security elder frowned deeply.

"Why's that."

"Since the pastor is no longer here, the church seems unable to be maintained. If it's okay, would you like to come with me to the supply warehouse?"

As I discreet spoke, the security elder looked around. Coincidentally, the others were busy taking care of the pastor's body.

The security elder nodded slightly.

"Let's go."

We naturally went to the supply warehouse. The door swung open, revealing the abundant resources piled up inside.

Nearby were disinfectants, masks, and ramen. Further in were rice, seaweed, hardtack, and canned goods. And there were sacks of salt and sugar stacked up.

"When did they stockpile all this."

The security elder stepped in with wide eyes. In other words, he had turned his back to me. I silently picked up a hammer.

He must have sensed something. The security elder turned back, but it was too late.

"Deacon Kwon, what are you-"

The hammer expanded over his widely dilated pupils. I had mercilessly struck him. A dull impact. With a brief groan, the security elder staggered. His hand instinctively went for the gun.

I swung the hammer again. That was the end of it. He fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

I belatedly let out a cry of shock.

"Oh my god! Security elder! Theft? And you threatened me with a gun! No, there are even lethal bullets in your pocket?"

My hands moved quickly. I stuffed the lethal bullets, which I had diverted from the pastor's gun, into the security elder's pants pocket.

I struggled to suppress a laugh.

'The service elder left on his own. The security elder is now framed and dead. The thief elder is on my side. If I can just win over one of the administration or evangelism, or the grandmother, I'll have the majority. Or I can prevent the three from uniting.'

The scale may be reduced, but the community would be helpful.

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