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Click-

I frantically pressed the switch in the room to turn on the light. Then, I hurriedly felt all over my body.

Did I get shot? I don’t feel any pain now, but with adrenaline surging, I might not even notice if a bullet had hit me.

‘Ah. Thank goodness.’

No gunshot wounds. No blood, no holes in my body. The pastor hadn’t prepared by switching to live ammunition.

On the other hand, if the first shot had been live…

A chilling shiver 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 dangerous enough these days.

I quickly reflected on the lessons learned from this incident.

‘If anything seems suspicious, get out. Don’t fight directly. Secure medical personnel.’

Around that time, Jeondohyeong approached.

“Pastor…!”

A loud, echoing voice.

I glanced back and saw Jeondohyeong trembling as he looked down at the pastor’s corpse, blood dripping. He must have rushed over in a panic—his face was pale, and he wasn’t even wearing a mask.

It’s understandable to be scared after almost getting shot.

I smiled and nodded.

“Jeondohyeong. You did well. Thanks to you, we were able to kill the pastor. Thank you.”

“Me, I…?”

Is he being humble? I decided to play along and praised him for what he did right.

“You drew their attention, so I could shoot safely. If I had messed up even a little, I could’ve died.”

“Ah, ah.”

Jeondohyeong slumped down as if his legs had given out. His hands came together as if in prayer, then flailed aimlessly in the air.

I slowly furrowed my brows. This wasn’t the reaction I expected… Could he already be brainwashed by the religion? Well, I was almost swayed too.

Anyway, there was no need to worry about him anymore. Despite his current state, he’s killed people by locking doors and seen zombies and people die right in front of him. He’ll come to his senses on his own.

What’s more important now is manipulating the scene.

‘First, the bullets.’

I picked up the pastor’s handgun with gloved hands. There were two live rounds left.

I loaded one into the Thief Elder’s gun. The remaining bullet, I hid in my hoodie pocket. This way, no one will know whose gun killed the pastor.

After that, I went back into the room. Just in case, I checked if he was recording anything on his phone like a dying message.

A low voice came from behind.

“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 felt like more explanation was needed, so I added a few more words.

“The pastor, he already had zombie blood in his mouth. This is just a vaccination. It’s better to go through this early and prepare properly. If the pastor turned into a zombie three weeks later…”

“Ah…”

I continued explaining while looking around the room. Since I hadn’t mentioned this plan before, I needed to show my promising pillager members a bright future.

For example, new companions.

“Where do you think I got this gun from?”

“Did you kill one of the elders?”

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

“No. I didn’t just kill someone for no reason—well, getting a gun is reason enough, but I’m not that reckless. I’m not a madman.”

“…”

“The elders cooperated. They thought this would be more beneficial. We’re going to reduce the religious influence, fortify the place, gather talent, and move in a more hopeful direction.”

Jeondohyeong, who had been staring at me with gloomy eyes, lowered his head. Then, clenching his fists, he spoke in a weak voice.

“You won’t touch the people from other churches, right?”

“Why would I? They’re all potential labor.”

Farming, defending, gathering resources—people are power.

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

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

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

The video of the professor I had introduced as my teacher. Next to the phone was the notebook the pastor had been diligently studying. I looked at the most recent entry.

– What can we grow in the land where we’ve removed the paving stones?

A question I had casually mentioned once. And his answer.

– Potatoes? Turnips? They grow well even in barren soil.

I was swept by a strange feeling as I slowly flipped through the notebook. It was filled with densely written notes, like a Bible.

There were only questions, investigations, and answers. Just like the pastor’s enigmatic personality, there were no personal thoughts written anywhere.

Suddenly, I turned my head and looked at the pastor’s corpse with a hole in the back of his head.

‘I really don’t get him.’

Belatedly, curiosity arose. What kind of person was he? What was he thinking? Did he really have the antibodies? Did he truly believe he was chosen?

There were so many questions, but they were all buried in the past. There’s no way to know anymore.

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

‘Pastor. We will carry on the hope you left behind.’

Hope isn’t material. Just as gold and guns can’t be hope, neither can material things like antibodies. True hope is something spiritual.

I pictured the pastor’s face in my mind, following the chairman and the professor. A leader who proposed the final form of pillaging and handled betrayal with skill.

Their teachings have been passed down to me, and these teachings will become a beacon of hope, illuminating the world. Just like the name of this church, Hope Church.

“Pastor. I will develop the community you left behind.”

“You’re really a madman…”

And so, a morning dawned with the sun shining brightly with hope.

***

I deliberately didn’t sleep. I was extremely sleepy, but to perform a convincing act, I needed bloodshot eyes.

I slowly spoke in a choked voice to the elders gathered around the pastor’s body.

“We heard gunshots early this morning, and when we arrived, it was already… The first-floor window was open, so it seems they came in through there…”

“This, this…”

The elders all looked down at the pastor with shocked expressions. It seemed like their faith was crumbling, or they were doubting reality, or perhaps despairing.

It felt like everyone’s brains were paralyzed by the intense shock.

But as always, after the initial fear, irrational emotions emerged.

“A betrayer…”

“Judas! There’s a Judas among us! A scoundrel who sold the pastor to Satan!”

A witch hunt. A game of mafia where someone has to be hanged to end it. And I was confident. Confident that I could deflect the blame onto someone else.

‘Seven elders. Me and the Thief Elder make two. If two disappear and I recruit one more, the church will be in my hands.’

As I was thinking this, suddenly, an attack came my way. The elder in charge of security and quarantine pointed at me accusingly.

“You! What were you doing all night? As a member of the church, you should’ve protected the pastor.”

“I… woke up as soon as I heard the gunshots and went to check, but…”

I closed my eyes tightly. Seeing my weakness, the security elder raised his voice even more.

“If you had just done your job properly-”

“Security Elder. Isn’t this your fault? Why didn’t you secure the windows? If the windows had been locked…”

Just then, the Thief Elder chimed in. I subtly opened my eyes and saw the security elder’s face turning red as he jumped up.

“You thief! You, you. It was you! You’re the only one who could sneak in at night!”

The Thief Elder didn’t stay quiet either. It seemed he had a lot pent up, as he shouted with a voice full of anger.

“Thief, thief! Am I a thief who steals lives? I’ve never even fired a gun except when I was in the military!”

That’s true. He only lent me the gun.

At that point, the Evangelical Elder cleared his throat. He looked at the back of the pastor’s head and spoke.

“He died from a gunshot wound. Everyone has their guns, right? Let’s check. See if any bullets are missing.”

“Here, look!”

The Thief Elder was the first to pull out his gun, and the other elders busily followed suit. Soon, their gazes turned to those without guns.

The grandmother and I, who originally didn’t have guns, were passed over, and the focus shifted to the pale-faced Administrative Elder.

The Administrative Elder waved his hands frantically.

“No! I just gave mine to my daughter! The world is dangerous these days! For self-defense-”

“You? You?”

“Really, no! Why would I!”

I stayed quiet for a moment, then raised my hand. The elders, filled with distrust, looked at me with bloodshot eyes—like zombies.

“Deacon Kwon. What?”

“Who stands to gain the most if the pastor dies?”

At those words, confused expressions flashed across their faces. As if such a thing couldn’t possibly happen. But the elders, already suspicious, began to find reasons and create a culprit.

The Service Elder, an old man with white hair. The elder who manages believers 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 started throwing accusations.

“You were originally an elder, right? If the pastor is gone, you’d become the leader.”

“Could it be that you wanted the church…?”

The Service Elder sighed.

“At my age, would I desire such a thing? If you’re so suspicious, I’ll leave. Seeing how things are going, that might be for the best. With the pastor gone, there’s no reason to stay.”

With those words, the Service Elder turned away. His slumped shoulders and heavy footsteps faded into the distance.

The Security Elder kicked the wall, then winced in pain as his toes hurt.

“Ugh. Seeing everyone ready to shoot each other, there’s no future here. …Let’s just divide the church’s stored food and go.”

“Aha! So there’s the real thief! Was that your goal? The stored food?”

The Thief Elder sneered, and the Security Elder lost it. Click, he aimed his gun. The Thief Elder, not backing down, placed his finger on the trigger.

Truly, the Thief Elder showed the talent of a pillager. The audacity of someone with nothing to lose. His eyes narrowed slyly.

“What? You want me to shoot you like I shot the pastor?”

I couldn’t help but admire. How does he mix lies so effortlessly into his speech?

Just then, a trembling cry was heard.

“Stop, stop it… I’m scared. Why, why…”

It was the grandmother. She was crying like a child, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking. I quickly supported her.

“It’s okay. It’s nothing serious. Everything will be fine.”

As I comforted her, I subtly shifted my gaze. The Thief Elder and the Security Elder looked like they were about to shoot each other. I pretended to be scared, showing a tense expression.

The two men fell silent for a moment. Then, they sighed and simultaneously lowered their guns. A deep fatigue and faint fear were etched on their faces.

“What is all this?”

“…Still, the pastor must be in heaven now. He was such a good person, they must have taken him early.”

As the atmosphere shifted, the Evangelical Elder shook his head.

“We can’t report this—we can’t trust the police. There’s also the issue of the guns. Let’s take care of the pastor first. We can’t leave him like this.”

“Ah, right.”

The situation was roughly settled. 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?”

“With the pastor gone, it doesn’t seem like the church can be maintained. If you’re okay with it, could you come with me to the supply warehouse?”

As I spoke quietly, the Security Elder glanced around. The others were busy tending to the pastor’s body.

The Security Elder nodded slightly.

“Let’s go.”

We naturally made our way to the supply warehouse. The door creaked open, revealing the stockpile of resources inside.

Nearby were disinfectants, masks, and ramen. Further in were rice, seaweed, crackers, and canned food. And stacks of salt and sugar.

“When did we get all this…”

The Security Elder’s eyes widened as he stepped inside. He had his back to me. I silently picked up a hammer.

Did he sense something? The Security Elder turned around, but it was too late.

“Deacon Kwon, what are you-”

The hammer loomed large over his wide pupils. I swung it down mercilessly. A heavy thud. A short groan, and the Security Elder staggered. Instinctively, his hand went for his gun.

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

I let out a belated scream.

“Oh my god! Security Elder! You were stealing! You even threatened me with a gun! Wait, you have live rounds in your pocket?”

My hands moved quickly. I slipped the live round I had taken 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 was framed and killed. The Thief Elder is on my side. The Administrative Elder, the Evangelical Elder, and the grandmother? If I can recruit just one of them, I’ll have a majority. Or I can prevent the three from uniting.’

The scale might shrink, but the community will be useful.

 

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