Marauder of the Apocalypse

Chapter 20: Hope [6]

Day 40 since the zombie outbreak.

Hope is shaking.

***

Trials come to the church. Perhaps because the world has become harsh, strange things have started to happen one after another.

"What a scoundrel is playing this prank."

The cross hung in the church hallway would fall or flip over.

"Children came to the church in the name of the church and opened the door for us, but suddenly they attacked!"

"Our house was also completely ransacked!"

Believers who were beaten to the point of swelling on their faces complained of the pain from the attack by a juvenile crime group. It was as if the visitor log had been leaked.

Sometimes an apocalyptic madman would burst into the service.

Pushing in tightly bound zombies into the sanctuary, and spraying red water as if mixed with zombie blood.

"I heard there is a miracle here! Prove it! That you are the Savior! Quickly! Repel this zombie and virus!"

That madman who was trying to find antibodies and hope was physically, no, "repented", but the problem did not stop.

"This is the police. We heard there was illegal activity here..."

Several police officers came rushing in. The pastor responded calmly, but it was meaningless.

"We are following all the quarantine rules, and there has been no criminal activity. Please take a look."

As society collapsed and government agencies were ruined, the police, who were corrupt public officials, appeared.

The unmoving police officers grinned and said nonchalantly,

"These days, crimes just happen if we nitpick. Hey, pastor. Moderately, okay? You know?"

The police rubbing their hands.

The pastor, who had been moving his lips, firmly closed his mouth. Instead, another elder flushed his face with anger.

"What are you? Which police station are you from!"

"Even if you know, what can you do? Gratitude, investigation, discipline, all meaningless now?"

The police officers fiddled with their guns or tasers. Complex expressions flashed on the faces of some. Greed-stricken police, police mixed with self-loathing and resignation, police with a desperate desire for survival or revenge.

There was no way to stop the openly insane police. The belatedly awakened elders remained silent.

Finally, the pastor sighed.

"How much do you want? We don't have much money either. It's hard to even share masks and disinfectants..."

"That's exactly it. The quarantine supplies and food stockpiles, just a little."

It seems the city police have also reached the ultimate form of looting. Seeing them covet the fruits of others' labor instead of the increasingly meaningless money.

In the end, the church had to hand over a few boxes of masks, disinfectants, and instant noodles with a short shelf life.

"Here you go. Take it."

"Alright, we'll be on our way then. Pastor, you can get away with a decent amount of trouble. We'll help cover it up."

The police, as if they had their own thoughts, left after exchanging tangible resources and intangible benefits.

The pastor, with a deep shadow on his face, rubbed his face a few times and looked around at the elders. It's unclear whether the emotions reflected in his eyes are doubt, fatigue, or faith.

He seems to be carefully observing the elders who are either indignant or worried.

The pastor spoke slowly.

"The world has been stained by corruption. Only those who have faith will have a chance to survive. Of course, we must prepare to protect our faith from those tainted by sin."

"Ah, yes. The stronger the trials, the more we must prove our faith."

The elders hurriedly said. Of course, I was mixed in with them. I nodded faithfully, looking only at the pastor.

"I will only follow the pastor's guidance."

The world is truly frightening. Unscrupulous criminals, zombie blood-spraying madmen, police turning into gangs. Above all, distrust and betrayal. It was a truly difficult time to live in.

***

The meeting began. The pastor, six elders, and me, the security manager. Out of the eight people, two were traitors, and the pastor roughly grasped the situation.

The pastor spoke from the platform.

"It seems that someone is deliberately targeting the church. There may even be a traitor among us."

No matter how much he thought about it, the trials coming in this way were unnatural, so he judged that someone's malice had reached them. It was a good judgment, and a subtle warning.

"That can't be."

"Are you saying there is an unbeliever among us?"

The elders looked at each other with wide eyes. Although they could not believe it, they were searching for someone to suspect.

A sound of a solid bond cracking can be heard. Suspicion, distrust, and vigilance. Once those feelings take root, they split people apart like splitting stones.

First, a logical suspicion.

"The people who were attacked said they heard the church's name... The visitor log! Who leaked the visitor log!"

"A lot of people can access that, though."

"Did the police or that crazy person call them?"

Since there was a lack of clues to find the culprit, the next was an emotional suspicion.

"Elder Park. Didn't you used to be a thief?"

"When did I repent? And even if I was a thief, I wouldn't do this kind of thing. I'm the one who's suspicious of you."

The elder who was a thief narrowed his eyes and shot arrows of suspicion in all directions.

"You, you cursed the pastor, didn't you?"

"That was in the past-"

"Why does this evangelist not get along with the senior pastor, I clearly heard him cursing. And this elder, you also often showed a lack of faith towards the pastor."

"Where did this son of a thief start spouting nonsense-"

The interpersonal relationships, history, and conflicts that I was unaware of began to erupt.

I had goosebumps. There were only two of them - me and the thieving elder. But this church was shaking.

'I said it was a riot (焚蕩).'

The dictionary says it means to completely destroy the property of a household, to cause a very chaotic and bustling disturbance, to metaphorically refer to plundering or looting other people's belongings.

Just the riot of these two people...

Around this point, suspicious glances were also directed at me.

"Deacon Kwon. Could it be you?"

"I don't even know what kind of person he was in the first place. Is he really the professor's disciple? I didn't even verify his academic credentials."

It's natural. When such a situation arises, they would suspect the newcomer first. Of course, I don't have a graduation certificate to prove my academic background.

I quickly recalled the basics of psychological manipulation that I had learned from the professor's broadcasts. Using logic, emotion, and authority to persuasively spread apocalyptic ideas, just like the professor.

"Elders, I understand your suspicion of me. I'm a newcomer who joined late. But why would I do such a thing? What would I gain from it?"

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With appropriate logic and a voice full of the injustice that everyone empathizes with.

"I only saw hope in the pastor and tried to save more people. Farming, church defense, disaster response, I just..."

I finally closed my eyes and bowed my head towards the pastor. Since my authority is lacking, I leave the judgment to the pastor.

"If the pastor finds me suspicious and uncomfortable, I will leave immediately. But please continue the methods I have left behind."

Surely, he won't suddenly tell me to get out, right? He must have some interest, or else why would he...

I heard the elders speaking awkwardly.

"No, Deacon Kwon. It's not that we specifically suspect you... we're suspicious of everything."

But the pastor is silent. I clenched my sweaty palms. Could it be that the pastor was suspecting me?

Fortunately, the pastor postponed the search for the culprit.

"Deacon Kwon Dain, please raise your head. Elders, also calm your emotions. I will slowly resolve this issue."

Alright.

I raised my head with hopeful eyes. The elders also stopped arguing. They will wait for the pastor's judgment.

Of course, the pastor would first try to resolve the conflict, warn the unknown culprit to deter their actions, and stall for time to gather more clues, but it was a misjudgment.

'I'll kill him today, how are they going to try to find me.'

Now, the remaining task is simple.

"Kill the pastor, expel the suspicious and conflicting church elders, and take control of the diminished church.

And then, night fell.

***

Click-

I inspect the gun. The police gun that I don't know how I got into the church, the gun borrowed from the thieving elder. I replace the blank rounds with live ammunition.

After recalling the safety procedures and shooting techniques, I slowly got up from my seat.

Today is the day of the final battle.

Whether the pastor is the true hope or a zombie-to-be, he dies today. Thump, thump, my heart beats slowly. This isn't the first time I've killed someone, but I'm tense because the opponent is not an easy one.

'If he's sleeping, I may not even need to use the gun.'

Step by step, I headed towards the pastor's office where he resides. Unfortunately, he seems to be awake, as a white light was visible through the crack in the door.

I briefly aimed the gun barrel over the door. If I knew where he was, I could just shoot and kill him right away.

But then, I heard a voice. It's the pastor.

"Come in."

He sensed my presence. Or did he sense some kind of omen?

After a moment of hesitation, I hid the gun in my hoodie pocket, ostentatiously holding a hammer, and slowly opened the door. Beyond the door, the pastor sitting at the desk looked at me intently.

The gun in his hand. The police bulletproof vest on his body.

"So the traitor was you."

I swallowed my saliva and quickly shook my head. The opponent had already prepared for the attack.

"No, it's not like that. It's because of the recent situation-"

"At this hour?"

The pastor chuckled. Indeed, it's the deep of night. This is not the time to come for a consultation. I should have turned back immediately when I saw the lights on.

The pastor, with his finger on the trigger, aimed precisely at me.

"If there was a traitor, I thought he would come to find me. Regardless of the intention, the game ends when you kill me."

"..."

A sigh escaped from within me.

The pastor also knew the basics of the plunderer group. Betrayal and distrust are fundamental. He went even further. He inferred the actions of the traitor and prepared for it.

Are they attacking the church? It's easy to collapse if the pastor is killed. Are they after the church's resources? It's easier if the pastor is killed. Believing the results of this judgment, the pastor has used himself as bait to wait for the enemy's attack.

The pastor said,

"I won't ask for the reason. There are people who dislike Jesus, so any ordinary person like me can be attacked. But I'm glad it's you."

"If the elder had betrayed, he would have come with a gun, right?"

As I explained the reason why he was glad it was me, the pastor smiled. It seems to convey a sense of relief that the communication is working, and a sense of sadness that someone like me is the culprit.

Anyway, the thieving elder doesn't know that I've betrayed him and have the gun.

"I need an opportunity to take out the gun and shoot. Or I need to disable the pastor's gun. Should I make him let his guard down?"

My head is spinning. I don't have much time. The pastor could pull the trigger at any moment. I watched the pastor's hands closely and spoke.

"Pastor, since it has come to this, I won't hide anything."

"No, hide it. The thoughts of an unbeliever-"

As those words reached my ears, my arm twitched, and without thinking, I moved.

I pushed the switch next to the door with my elbow, and threw my whole body out the open door, stumbling.

Then a light gunshot rang out, followed by a voice.

"I don't need to know."

The church was shrouded in darkness. I gritted my teeth.

'Did it hit? Was it a blank? Did I not feel it because of the adrenaline?'

No, the important thing now is not my injury. The muttering pastor searching for my location. I have to deal with him now. Luckily, I also have a gun.

'The body is protected by the bulletproof vest. The head. I have to aim for the head.'

Holding my breath, I moved as silently as possible. I leaned against the wall next to the door.

"Is this fleeing? My arrows will drench him in blood, and my sword will devour his flesh - the blood of the slain and the captives, and the heads of the enemy commanders. You can't escape."

Boom! A heavy gunshot rang out. Was it a non-lethal round? Anyway, the bullet hit the floor by the door, sparking a red flame.

Thump, thump, the pastor's footsteps approached. I held my breath, my sweat-soaked hands raised roughly to the pastor's head height. I put my finger on the trigger.

Thump-

The moment the pastor stepped out the door,

A voice came from the end of the opposite corridor.

"Pastor! What's wrong?"

It's Jeon Do-hyeong. He must have heard the gunshot and rushed over in alarm. I felt the pastor's body turn, and a spark flashed from his fingertips as he fired a shot.

"Ah! What? Who is it? Pastor, are you okay? Could it be that crazy person again-"

"...Wasn't it the traitor?"

He must have judged me as the same traitor since I brought that guy. Seems like a fair assessment.

I chuckled and pulled the trigger. Sparks flashed from the muzzle, and I saw the back of the pastor's head graze past me. In that fleeting moment, I saw the pastor's head burst open.

Thanks to the help of my right-hand man, the ruthless elder thief, it was a perfect collaboration - me as the executor, the thief elder as the weapons provider, and Jeon Do-hyeong as the diversion.

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