Chapter 19: Hope [5]

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?"

"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.