The Pastor's Whereabouts
Arin entered a room that was on fire but otherwise empty, sat Gaeun down in front of her, and laid out everything she knew.
She'd only arrived a day earlier, so her knowledge was limited to the internal layout and the ash piles wandering around inside.
But even scant information was better than none, so Arin explained in as much detail as possible before asking Gaeun,
"Remember the anomaly training? About countermeasures or rules?"
"Hang on... Yeah, if it's not a relocation but a transformation of an existing place, there'd be a trigger—like some related object or incident that caused it."
"Like that outpost incident a few years back where soldiers worked. It turned into a village bombed out in the war half a century ago."
Gaeun continued, saying the countermeasure had been finding all the wooden dolls that appeared inside the transformed outpost and evacuating in time.
She glanced around.
"Church and fire... Witch hunt or something?"
"Could be human sacrifice by a cult, straight out of a horror flick."
"No way..."
"Whatever the reason, fire's probably key."
If only we had a few more clues to work with, Arin thought, arms crossed, trailing off.
Without clues, she could've brute-forced it with this cursed body given enough time.
But they didn't have time.
"Up ahead's nothing much. Just watch for the black piles."
"When'd you scout that far...?"
Pooling their knowledge, the two walked the corridor.
"These charred boards... Thought they were desks at first, but now they look like signs."
Unlike their earlier panicked sprint, traveling together made it less scary, so Gaeun leisurely scanned around and commented on a blackened plank.
"Huh, yeah. Looks like writing on it."
Arin wondered why signs would be in a church building but shrugged it off— the layout had long deviated from any church structure anyway.
After that, whenever they hit a junction or room, they checked inside, marked visible spots, and pressed on.
Then people appeared ahead.
In stark contrast to the humanoid ash piles, these were covered head to toe in reflective silver suits, faces hidden by huge visors, busily hauling something.
"Thos—!"
As Gaeun spotted them and brightly called out in relief, Arin clamped her mouth shut and pulled her into an embrace, ducking behind the corner.
Shh, quiet, Gaeun.
Mmph! Mmmph... Pwah! Why?!
Gaeun shook off the hand and whispered back, Rescue team, right?
Arin replied, Rescue team wouldn't dress like that.
It's a burned building, so fire suits?
Fire suits make sense, but real rescuers would have gear for actual saving. Firefighters don't just wear suits—they bring tools.
...Yeah, now that you say it, rescuers would've been yelling everywhere looking for us, not sneaking quiet.
Arin added they'd seen no sign of rescuers or suited groups when entering, and these had popped up deeper inside.
She peeked out.
Wary-eyed, she watched them march confidently—like they knew the layout—carrying mysterious gear.
They were heading the same way she wanted to go. Arin clicked her tongue.
Arin, we need to go that way too, right?
Yeah.
What now? We've checked everywhere else.
Arin pondered: wait and observe, or risk tailing them?
She weighed dragging this out against the churchgoers' worsening situation—and Gaeun's safety.
We'll tail them carefully.
Tsk... Fine.
Stick behind me. Run if shit hits the fan.
Ooh, confident in your skills?
They started a bit later, but the suits' silver gleamed even in the dark—easy to follow.
Whenever the group paused, Arin crept closer, hoping to eavesdrop.
But they seemed to communicate via earpieces—nodding but only mumbling externally. No real intel.
How long had they walked? In the dim light, relying on faint glows, Gaeun looked exhausted.
Arin stopped.
"You okay? Let's rest a bit."
"But... weren't we following them?"
"They're plenty visible anyway."
Arin pulled a fresh distilled water bottle from her bag, uncapped it, and handed it over.
Gaeun tilted her head but thanked her, gulped it down, then slumped against the wall.
"Haa... Damn it, where the hell is Mom?"
Face buried in her knees, she sighed heavily.
Arin reached out, then pulled back, scratched her head, and asked,
"Seoyeong... your mom. What's she like?"
"My mom?"
"Yeah, just... you know, you brought me home. Most people wouldn't."
"...Hmm, kinda dumb."
She continued slowly.
Seoyeong had gotten her via speeding ticket—figuratively. Dad bailed irresponsibly.
Church? Just liked the regular people and volunteering.
Gaeun turned to Arin.
"Runaway kid came to church once asking for help. Someone random on the street dragged 'em there."
Church folks did the obvious: fed the kid, listened, called cops and shelters—everything.
Reassured them not to worry.
Kid handed to police. Soon after, news: kid dead.
"Turns out cops just sent 'em home. Mom beat 'em half to death. And get this—Mom was one of the church folks who met the kid that day. Couldn't report you to police 'cause of it."
Gaeun called her mom a fool for self-blaming over no fault of hers.
Arin nodded, realizing Seoyeong's kindness toward her wasn't pure charity.
"Whew! Stamina's back. Let's go—I can't hold back worrying about Mom anymore."
Gaeun dusted off and stood.
They headed where the suited folks vanished.
Soon, the narrow corridors and rooms opened to a vast plaza.
Not quite a full plaza—too small—but too high-ceilinged for a room, multi-leveled.
Center: a pillar with something impaled.
Suited people circled it, fiddling with unknown machines.
"This... doesn't feel like just a big room. More like a department store lobby."
"Explains the sign debris we saw."
They hid behind stairs to the upper level during a blind spot.
The suits signaled and dispersed.
The two slipped out.
"Arin, looks like you were right—not rescuers."
"Hoped I was wrong."
Arin scanned the stairs above, debating paths.
Gaeun clamped her mouth, gestured frantically.
Arin rushed over.
Gaeun pointed at the pillar.
"That... it's... our church pastor...!"
Hard to see through burns, but clothes and glasses matched, she said.
Arin realized the black mass pinned to the pillar—arms wired overhead—was a human shape. She groaned.
Gaeun trembled, shocked at seeing an acquaintance's corpse.
Arin covered her eyes, hugged her tight, opened her mouth—
A raspy voice mixed with metallic clanks echoed from the pillar.
[Gaeun... sister...?]
"Eek!"
"Haugh!"
Words from the pastor's fire-exposed mouth—bones and muscle bare—drew involuntary screams.
No time to flee; he continued.
[They said... 2nd floor clean room... has people... Go up. Looking for... Seoyeong sister... right...?]
His sharp, eerie rasp held unexpected kindness.
They froze mid-escape, turned, suppressed panic, and asked,
"P-Pastor, are you oka— no, what happened...?"
[Not long ago... those wicked ones... for their cause... demanded this church... I refused... Now our church... like this. My fault... couldn't stop them... knowing beforehand...]
"No, but you're burned—how are you alive...?"
[Our Father God...! For sinners! Descended to hell's eternal sulfur flames... to tend them Himself! Compared to that... these petty... cult's vile sorcery flames...!!]
Such weak fire could scorch his body, but not his faith or spirit, he proclaimed.
He coughed smoke and ash, urging them on.
[Sisters... find Seoyeong sister, other brothers... sisters... escape together... I pray...]
"Thank you, Pastor. Sorry we can't help!"
"Pastor sir, first one I've met, but you'll be the most faithful in my life."
They nodded farewell and climbed the stairs into the 2nd-floor corridor.
Pondering "clean room," they checked rooms—like old storefronts.
At corridor's end, they chuckled bitterly.
"Haha, clean room..."
"Literally spotless."
Tiles ahead were pristine—no soot.
Farthest door: utterly unmarred wall.
But they couldn't rush.
Ash humanoid piles lurked where soot ended—at least six shadows.
Gaeun sweated, tense, lamenting the blockade.
Arin placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hide here a sec."
"Huh? Why? What're you—?"
"Come out and run when I signal."
Arin shoved Gaeun behind the pillar, drew a steel pipe from her back.
Focused on its heavy chill through her gloves.
Sprinted forward—no running start—swung full momentum.
"You crazy bitch!!"
Ignoring the screamed scold, Arin toppled the first black shadow in dust, lunged pipe at the next.
Path cleared—she yelled,
"Now—run!"
"Huh...? Fuck yeah!"