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I have the keys collected after killing the people in the villa. I checked each sticker on the keys one by one and unlocked the villa’s doors.

The narrow stairs were crowded with people, and my low voice echoed as I explained the house.

“Of course, you won’t use the first floor or the basement. The windows here are broken, so it’s unusable.”

“Only five houses are usable? It’s cramped… Can’t we use the rooftop? It looks like four people could stay up there.”

The hiking club president, dressed in black hiking gear, dropped his heavy bag on the stairs with a thud and looked up. It seemed that with so many hikers, space was tight.

Maybe they’re preparing an escape route. They could jump from rooftop to rooftop. Or maybe they want to manage the water tank themselves.

For a moment, my head ached.

‘I wanted to trap and kill them, but why are there so many escape routes?’

Not just the rooftop, but they could also escape through the gas pipes like Park Yang-gun. It doesn’t seem like I can just block the entrance and starve them to death.

I nodded nonchalantly.

“Do as you please. The rooftop door is open.”

“Good, good. I need to check how much water is left in the tank.”

I calmly watched the hiking club president, who smiled as if relieved. Various scenarios ran through my mind.

‘Arson? Too dangerous if the fire spreads. Zombie wave? They can’t open the front door.’

No good ideas came to mind. In times like these, the first idea is the best. Trap them and starve them. Break the water tank and give them three days without water.

***

Outside, Park Yang-gun was talking with his family. He leaned casually against the car or sat on the hood, but there was an awkward distance between them. It felt more like meeting an old acquaintance than family.

Park Yang-gun spoke kindly to his daughter.

“You’ve grown so much. Last time I saw you, you were this tall.”

“I must take after Mom.”

“Better than taking after me.”

The conversation stopped. Neither Park Yang-gun’s daughter nor his ex-wife spoke. Either they had too much to say and were speechless, or they had nothing to say at all.

Eventually, Park Yang-gun glanced at them and continued with meaningless small talk.

“Zombies are a mess. They’re not even dead.”

“At least they’re alive. …So how did you survive? I heard you left the church. Did you get kicked out again for messing around?”

Park Yang-gun’s ex-wife spoke bluntly, and Park Yang-gun, tapping the car, flared up but then sighed.

“Community life just wasn’t for me.”

True. He’s the one who teamed up with me to kill the pastor. He’s also the one who ruined the atmosphere of the Hope Community with suspicion and distrust. Maybe a pillager group suits him better than a community.

After quietly observing the awkward family, I cleared my throat and approached them.

“Uncle Park Yang-gun. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Talk. It meant helping to block their escape routes and kill them.

It wasn’t entirely his fault they came, but he was the cause. It’s only right that he takes the lead in cleaning up.

Park Yang-gun looked around at his family and slowly turned.

“I’ll rest for now. I have things to do.”

And so, Park Yang-gun and I returned to my house in the farm villa. Sitting casually, I got straight to the point.

“Those people, we’re trying to trap and kill them. Can you make sure they can’t escape through the gas pipes?”

“…I’m not sure. Can we just cut the gas pipes? That would make a lot of noise.”

Park Yang-gun muttered, seemingly intrigued.

From a thief’s perspective, blocking escapes must feel interesting. It was like a hacker pointing out security vulnerabilities.

“Grease or candle wax on the gas pipes should block them. Candle wax works because gas pipes have some heat resistance.”

Park Yang-gun didn’t disappoint. This could work. I jingled the bunch of keys. The key to the rooftop door is in my hand.

Now, only one thing remains.

Block the door late at night, make the gas pipes slippery, quietly kill those on the rooftop, and wait.

I glanced at Park Yang-gun.

“Then, get your family out tonight. Say you’re sleeping as a family, and you can naturally get your wife and daughter out. Once everyone’s asleep, coat the gas pipes with wax.”

“Sleeping as a family is harder. Anyway, got it.”

Park Yang-gun muttered and returned to his family. I took deep breaths and quietly gripped the hammer.

***

Late at night. On the rooftop of the villa where the hikers stayed, I saw blood soaking my gloves. Around me were torn tents and four corpses.

They were the night watchmen on the rooftop. They set up tents to sleep, taking turns to keep watch. One greeted me warmly before I smashed his head, and the other three had their throats slit while they slept.

Water from the forcibly broken tank mixed with the blood.

Park Yang-gun suddenly climbed over the railing, trembling as he struggled to pull himself up. Then he pointed to the gas burner in front of me.

A gesture that we didn’t need to melt the candle wax anymore. He whispered quietly.

“I coated the pipes by the window. They were all asleep, probably tired.”

“They must’ve trusted the night watchmen.”

Good. Luck is on our side for once. Just then, the rooftop door opened, and Sajihyeok and Jeondohyeong struggled in. They looked exhausted from the effort, their arms hanging limp, their steps unsteady.

“It took more effort to move quietly.”

“I’m really not cut out for physical work.”

They must’ve worked hard moving chairs, boxes, or folding tables. I patted their shoulders and took out the rooftop key.

“Let’s go.”

We locked the door and went down. The pillager companions followed me quietly, breathing heavily. In the darkness, I caught glimpses of scattered debris.

The front entrance was tightly blocked, making it impossible to open.

From now on, this place isn’t a home—it’s a prison. The only way out is to jump from the window.

Standing at the prison villa’s entrance, I casually said to Park Yang-gun.

“Make sure no one opens this door.”

“Got it.”

“Just in case, take turns keeping watch. We need to monitor them. …I’ll take the first watch since I still have energy.”

I easily killed four people. Then I melted the candle wax and handed it to Park Yang-gun. It made sense for me to keep watch since I still had energy.

The companions, exhausted, waved their hands and headed home. Their hurried steps showed they wanted to sleep quickly. Gradually, their shadows disappeared into the darkness.

I went up to the fourth floor and sat on the stairs.

“It’d be great if it ends like this.”

My quiet muttering echoed in the silent space. I wasn’t without worries. I left them their phones. They could easily contact others. Mercenaries linked to the fire department might come, or the Delivery Vigilante Group might show up.

If they’re on the second floor, they could jump down, risking injury.

Tap, tap, tap. I tapped the stairs, lost in thought.

How much time had passed? The moon set, and the sun rose. Pale dawn light filtered through the narrow window on the stairs.

Then, noises started coming from behind the closed front door. Living in the mountains, they must’ve developed a habit of waking up at sunrise.

I slowly got up and went to the creaking door. A panicked voice came through.

“Is the door broken? It won’t open!”

“Hey, the water’s not working either!”

They didn’t seem to grasp the situation. They didn’t think someone had locked them in, just that something had gone wrong.

I stayed silent and listened to their voices. How long would it take for them to realize the truth? What would they try to do?

Meanwhile, I snooped on their chat room using the unlocked phone of the dead night watchman. They must’ve woken up around the same time, as the chat was active.

– Did you check the headcount? Who’s missing? Why isn’t the night watch responding?

– Park Yang-gun? His family isn’t here.

– This is the night watch. Everyone, we’re trapped.

I tapped the phone.

– What? How are we trapped? Hey, help us!

– No. Throw your handgun out the window, and I’ll open the door.

– …Who are you?

Did I not mimic their tone well enough? I approached the entrance where the club president’s voice was coming from and raised my voice.

“This is the night watch.”

“…”

“Can’t hear me? This is the night watch. Everyone, we’re trapped. The water tank’s broken. If you want to live, throw all your weapons and resources out the window.”

Heavy footsteps approached. A voice filled with suppressed anger came from behind the cold door.

“Why are you doing this? We were getting along fine.”

“Then why did you settle in someone else’s territory so recklessly? Just hand over your weapons and resources, and I’ll open the door. Think carefully. Three days without water? Plenty of time.”

Bang, the door was hit. I chuckled.

Time is on my side. Fake threats will make them deliberate and waste time. Even if they don’t fall for it, it’s fine. Just stall, and they’ll die of thirst.

“Don’t even think about escaping with ropes. Someone’s ready to throw desks from the rooftop.”

“Do I look stupid to you? Wait. I’ll call for help.”

Of course, they’d call for help. But it’s pointless. I spent the night preparing to persuade anyone who comes.

I went up to the rooftop.

 

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