The Long Wait
The church building I visited after so long had transformed into something closer to a true fortress. I felt that atmosphere from the very entrance. A person keeping watch from the rooftop. Several cars were parked tight against the church walls, functioning like barricades, and electric lanterns hung from the second-floor windows to provide light during blackouts. It might be called a church, but it was a war fortress. It would take the military to bring it down, and ordinary zombies probably couldn't even set foot inside.
Park Yanggun quickly scanned the building and shook his head. "Wow. No way I could even think about robbing this place. See how they've blocked off all the first-floor windows?"
"...I see it."
The glass was broken, but something had been reinforced from inside the rooms. At a glance, it looked like they'd ripped out actual doors and jammed them into the window frames. I couldn't help but feel impressed. At the same time, I spotted the weaknesses.
A closed-off building that's hard to breach from outside. If zombies get inside, escaping would be just as difficult.
In other words, it was a sealed room. Tightly shut so no outside contaminants could enter, but nothing could get out either. It would be vulnerable not only to infectious disease but to fire as well.
"I'm here!"
At that moment, Jeon Dohyeong approached with an excited wave, and the car window blocking the entrance rolled down to reveal a familiar face.
"Dohyeong's here. You came to see Yeji?"
It was the face of the patient I'd seen at the hospital. Jeon Dohyeong must have visited often on his own, because the patient reacted like a friend had arrived. Jeon Dohyeong spoke loudly.
"I came with Deacon Kwon and Elder Do Sanggun too."
"Hello! Oh, right. I'll open the way for you."
Vrrr— The engine started and the car moved forward. Instead of the glass windows that had shattered during the previous zombie wave, I saw crude doors made from torn-off body panels that had been welded on. They were now swinging open.
...Why does this building alone have such a different vibe?
It was a genuine apocalypse stronghold. While other places still looked like ordinary buildings, this one was overflowing with that recycled, fortified aesthetic. True to the group carrying on the pastor's legacy, they were one step ahead in their preparations. If the pastor had survived without any issues, this place would have carried the contagious nature of a cult as well.
The patient leaned out the window and pointed upward.
"The elders should be gathered in the third-floor office. Feel free to rest while you're here."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
And so we slowly made our way up through the church building. Jeon Dohyeong split off on the second floor.
"I'm going to meet Yeji."
His steps were light, almost buoyant.
"...Is that guy dating someone? Youth really is something else," Park Yanggun muttered with an easy tone while I exchanged greetings one by one with the community members I hadn't seen in a while.
"Oh, Deacon Kwon! You're back?"
"Yes, hello. Have you been well?"
Their faces were bright. They were bound together by a sense of belonging and camaraderie. As I passed by, I noticed countless plastic bottle planters hanging from the ceilings and windowsills inside the rooms. Fresh green sprouts were poking out. For some reason, it put me in a foul mood.
"Things are running incredibly well here."
It hadn't been like this when we were around. Back then it was all fanatical atmosphere under the pastor's guidance, anxious tension from strange interference, and after the pastor died, pure depression. That was all there was.
Around then, we arrived at the office. Knock knock. The door opened after I rapped on it. The evangelist elder, the administrative elder, and one middle-aged man with a rough face.
"Deacon Kwon? Elder Park is here too? Just visiting?"
"It's been a while, Deacon Kwon."
The familiar faces exchanged pleasantries for a moment before the evangelist elder introduced us to the unfamiliar man. He pointed at each of us in turn.
"This is our new security elder. He used to work with the metalworkers' union and has been an incredible help. This is the former safety officer, Deacon Kwon, and the supply officer, Park Yanggun—"
I see. A veteran from the metalworkers' union who could actually conduct a siege in the modern age. In that case, what should I do about the Hope Community?
My mind spun rapidly. It wouldn't be easy to cause chaos now. The people were far too united, and if something strange happened right after we returned, it would look suspicious. On the other hand, burning the place down and running wouldn't benefit me either. This community wasn't causing me any losses.
A scenario that actually benefits me...
Completely destroying them and swallowing their church resources felt a bit ambiguous. My own resources weren't lacking at the moment. Adding them to my reserve plunder list would be enough.
For now, keeping them as a friendly ally seems best.
To maintain the community, they'd need to stockpile plenty of resources anyway. Let them work hard gathering supplies for me until the day they inevitably collapse.
After thinking it over, I extended my gloved hand with a friendly gesture.
"Nice to meet you. I never imagined the place could be fortified this much. It's impressive."
"...What's with the overly dramatic handshake? No thanks."
The security elder with the eccentric face bluntly refused. Was he lacking in social skills? If so, I could join up and just get rid of this guy later. He'd probably already had all his useful knowledge sucked dry anyway—
For a moment I glimpsed the exciting possibility of causing trouble, but I held myself back. The atmosphere I wanted for my marauder group was one of joyful plundering, not becoming so addicted to it that I couldn't tell front from back. Plundering was simply the optimal means, not the goal itself.
"Haha. The security elder certainly has a unique personality."
"He has that craftsman vibe. I like it."
I responded smoothly to the evangelist elder's attempt to smooth things over and began my proper social performance.
"Have you all been well? I've heard the waves have been frequent lately."
"They do come occasionally, but we can hold out."
Allies were important. Communities had their own advantages too. Numbers could never be ignored. If I ever needed to plunder on a large scale or take major action, I should at least leave behind enough goodwill for potential cooperation.
The ultimate form of plunder. Steal people's hearts and their labor. I faithfully followed the vision the pastor had shown me.
"You really didn't have to prepare all this for us."
After learning the Molotov cocktail recipe and how to tear off car hoods and doors, we left carrying an armful of gifts with grateful expressions. We obtained weapons that they had made in excess. Two slingshots fashioned from thin pipes and taut rubber bands, along with a few bolts for ammunition. Honestly, they weren't great weapons. The accuracy and power left something to be desired.
The evangelist elder spoke in a friendly voice.
"You're not exactly outsiders. Deacon Kwon, we've kept the safety officer position open, so you're welcome to return anytime."
"You didn't leave a spot open for me?" Park Yanggun asked, sounding a bit sulky. The administrative elder laughed and gestured at the people around us.
"With this many people, we can't leave the supply management position empty! Still, if you feel like you're about to starve, come back anytime."
Meanwhile, Jeon Dohyeong was holding Na Yeji's hand and having a fresh, youthful conversation. I took in the atmosphere of the Hope Community one last time. A small community satisfied with simply surviving, without any grand goals. They had somehow armed and prepared themselves, but the chance of them growing into a massive group seemed slim.
No need for me to eliminate them myself. On the contrary, they're worth using.
It wasn't entirely intentional, but we'd managed to build a decent relationship with this group. They would diligently stockpile large amounts of resources on my behalf, and if needed, I could borrow a sizable workforce.
I bowed my head.
"I'll see you again later, if we all survive."
"Yes, let's meet again alive."
After we finished our farewells and were on our way back to the villa, Park Yanggun kept glancing behind us, apparently drawn to the seemingly perfect Hope Community.
"Are you really not going back? No matter how I think about it, isn't it safer over there?"
"No. We're safer."
I spoke with certainty. I genuinely believed it. Waves? Unlike the church that kept getting attacked by under-evolved zombies, we simply didn't fight at all. The first-floor units in the villa were completely empty, and naturally had no food, so even zombies ignored them. No matter how well armed you were, you couldn't be safer than those who didn't fight.
And a completely sealed building like theirs...
"If a fire breaks out, everyone dies. They're also vulnerable to the virus because of their communal living."
In terms of virus prevention, we were far more perfect. One house per person. We ate, washed, and slept separately. Whenever we met, we wore masks. I explained my thoughts carefully, and suddenly Jeon Dohyeong's hands began to tremble violently.
"You... you're not thinking of doing a virus terror attack on the church or setting it on fire, right? You're really not, right?"
"...."
Even Park Yanggun looked at me with curiosity.
"It's not that I haven't thought about it. But why bother? We have plenty of resources right now."
I had no intention of plundering recklessly yet. And even if I did plunder, fire was truly off the table. Once it spread, it would be impossible to control. Above all, there would be nothing left to recover from a place consumed by flames. Arson should only be used when you truly wanted to annihilate your opponent.
"Anyway, for the time being, let's hunker down in the house until our food runs out. There's no need to do anything more in the current situation."
It was the nomadic style. If there was no grass left for the beasts to eat, they moved on. We too decided to stay put in the villa until the food in our mouths began to run low. Waiting for the day we would eventually plunder, we crouched down in the villa.
The time of waiting flowed on. The time we spent confirming how much our food supplies dwindled as we ate, waiting for the day we would set out to plunder. The time when someone else in the world waited for the day a cure would be developed.
In the crude plastic bottle planters that Jeon Dohyeong and I had made, the onions and green onions were rotting away. I stared blankly at the calendar.
How many days has it been since the zombie outbreak began?
So much time had passed that even counting the days had become tiresome. I looked out the window. Even though it was daytime, there were many zombies. The zombies had crossed the boundary of twilight and begun to claim the bright daylight as well. It was because all the people had shut themselves inside their homes. As human activity shrank, the world felt like it had even more zombies than their actual numbers suggested.
Dominoes...
The dominoes were falling. The city was dying quickly. Logistics had dried up to the point where cars on the roads were rarely seen. Corpses and filth were rotting everywhere on the streets, and weeds and wild animals were growing fat by feeding on the corpse of the city. Most of all, there were the zombie packs that moved with organized purpose, like packs of wild dogs.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Even with the mask on, the scent of ruin seemed to brush against the tip of my nose.
At that moment, I heard the beeping sound of the door lock opening.
"Why did you call us?"
"It's about food, you idiot."
Our reliable marauder members had arrived. I turned away from the window. A slight smile crept into my voice without me realizing.
"It's time to plunder."
There was still quite a bit of rice left. We had plenty of soy sauce, salt, and gochujang too. But other things were running low. We'd finished all the tuna and Spam, and we'd eaten every side dish that had been in other people's refrigerators. In other words, we were short on fruit, meat, and vegetables. You needed to eat a balanced range of nutrients to stay healthy.
"We are short on side dishes. We can't live on just soy sauce and kimchi."
"...So, do you have a place in mind?" Jeon Dohyeong asked, his legs shaking slightly.
I explained slowly. The plunder list I had prepared. Other houses around the villa, Professor Kim's apartment, the church's visitor register. The resources I wanted were tuna cans or Spam. Or multivitamins or protein supplements.
A laugh suddenly escaped me.
Yes. This is how an apocalypse should be.
Moving to obtain medicine, to obtain firearms, to obtain food, to obtain fuel, to obtain family. In the end, wasn't the apocalypse all about moving to fill one's deficiencies?
We set out to plunder in order to prevent the serious problem of nutritional deficiency.