Chapter 15: Consciousness.

Whatever it was, if it was a living creature, it needed sleep.

You could fall into a long sleep for a long time, take a short nap, be drowsy in a semi-sleeping state,
Or you could fall into a deep sleep from which you would never wake up.

In that sense, zombies, beings that can no longer be defined as normal living creatures, do not sleep.

From the moment they open their eyes, they just wander aimlessly around the world until their end comes, which they don’t know when it will be.

Also, the reason why I, who belong to them but am not included, bother to carry this sleeping bag, which is only a burden and takes up space, is that I myself am still human, which is the meaning and evidence.

I have always kept this rule for 6 hours out of 24 hours a day, unless there is something special going on.

I don’t fall asleep even if I spread out the sleeping bag and lie down.

I just close my eyes and close all senses from the outside, calmly organize the events that happened that day, and calm my mind.

‘Chirr…’

Under the faint moonlight where only crickets were crying, less than 2 hours had passed since I had fallen into the act of so-called sleep when I noticed that some kind of anomaly that made chills run down my spine had occurred in the quiet mountains.

‘Whoosh’
‘@#%$^*&!!’

I didn’t feel any warning signs.

I watched some people chopping firewood during the day, but starting a fire was a very natural act in the new society of the 21st century that had returned to a primitive era where water and electricity were cut off.

That act has various meanings, from being for cooking purposes to warmth or driving away threats from possible beasts, but

‘AM 2:24’

The G-SHOCK luminous watch on my wrist is not showing the correct time at all.

The fact that not one or two people, but the entire group, are making a campfire in the church courtyard at this hour of the dawn is something that a normal survivor camp would not do,

It was an act that I couldn’t understand at all in my head.

Of course, from my point of view, which has only just begun to observe, there may be some reason for their actions.

For example, festivals, events, execution of traitors, camp emergency meetings, etc…

If I had to pick the worst case scenario, it would be a cult ritual…

“Ah! Dear ardent believers, the time has finally come!”

According to the original plan, I was supposed to observe from afar without being detected, but

It is not easy to grasp the situation here by just watching from afar, so I took the risk of being discovered and sneaked close to the campfire.

“As the Lord says, the great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastening quickly, even the voice of the Lord’s day. The warrior cries out bitterly there!”

Fortunately, perhaps because everyone is engrossed in this kind of event or ritual that is taking place at this campfire, the sentry is nowhere to be seen.

Well, in the first place, who would imagine that someone would come to the middle of this mountain…

“Oh! Lord!”

“Hallelujah!!”

Something… The atmosphere here seems more serious than I thought.

“…Therefore, the time of judgment has come! Bring the sinner!”

“Punishment for the sinner!”

“It’s the day of judgment!”

If there is any information I have gained by taking the risk to come here, it is that these people are crazy.

What’s worse, they all seem to have gone crazy together, regardless of whether they are believers or the pastor.

Society has become a messed up zombie apocalypse, but this is a bit much.

I feel that the robber and plunderer gang I saw earlier felt more normal.

‘Squeak!’

‘Thud!’

As soon as the cult leader finished speaking, as if they had been waiting for it, the church door opened and a middle-aged man with a swollen face was dragged out while tied up.

Judging from his appearance, he doesn’t seem to be a member of this camp, so is he an enemy?

“The Lord is angry at the immorality of this world, so the world has come to an end. In order to calm that anger, we must abandon all the wealth we possess and return to the beginning,”

“This man is a sinner who could not abandon his greed until the end!”

“Ooooo!!”

“Punish him!”

I know that these guys are crazy cultists, but what did the dragged-in man do wrong?

Hearing what they said, did he try to steal something here?

“I. I’m innocent! Why is it my convenience store! You guys came out of nowhere and…”

“Can’t you shut that unholy mouth?! How dare you commit violence against the followers who have given everything to the Lord, not to mention not giving everything you have?!”

“Fck you! You son of a btch! You guys took my da… Keugh!!”

“Our ardent follower left our side first because of the weapon you wielded, so you are a sinner who can never be forgiven!”

Judging from the situation roughly, that ajusshi is in the position of being unfairly dragged in because he was holed up in his convenience store and ganged up on.

In other words, these psycho bastards even plundered,

“Keugh! You bastards!! My daughter! You guys! Keugh!! Ugh!”

“He was a person who rejected the opportunity even though he was given the opportunity to be with us. How can we show mercy to someone who has no purpose in life!”

Plundering and even murder added… Okay, you guys won’t end up well.

“Whoever opposes His will, no matter who he is, will not be forgiven! Believers, what should we do with this man?!”

“Send him to the swamp of repentance!”

“To endless pain!”

Honestly, I feel sympathy for that ajusshi, but there’s nothing I can do right now.

Even if I’m a zombie, it’s impossible to intervene in this situation with only a K1A submachine gun and no support around.

All I can do now is…

“I will decide the punishment for this man! Send the sinner to the swamp of repentance!”

“Waaaa!!!”

“Punish him!!”

But what they’ve been saying since earlier is that the swamp of repentance is not what I’m thinking about, right?…

“Aaaagh!! Let go of me! Keugh! Ugh! Save m… Cough cough!”

“Ggrrr!!”

“Ugh!!”

“Sh*t, is that really what it’s for?”

“N. No! Don’t push me! Save m… Kaaaaa!!! Aaaack!! !@#$!!”

Is this really something that a person can do?

In a corner of my heart, I wanted to set the fire selector to burst and shoot at them right now.

But I have to be patient. At least for now…

“No one has ever received true forgiveness from the Swamp of Repentance. If the Lord descends a warrior, the Swamp of Repentance will not be any hindrance…”

I didn’t want to stay in this place any longer.

I just want to ignore whatever else that cult leader babbles and leave.

I needed time to think. Simple death is not enough for these people.

I could put a scope mount on the K-2 rifle in the jeep right now and snipe them, but even that is a luxury for them.

A way to make them as painful as possible and shatter their faith…

‘If the Lord sends down a warrior, the Swamp of Repentance will not be any hindrance…’

Right, you guys are a cult, aren’t you?

I had an idea to give those guys a true hell.

It will require some troublesome preparation, but if it is to obtain that result…

A week has passed. There have been many things going on during the preparation, but that’s in the past.

Now it’s time to raise the curtain on the play I’ve been preparing for.

‘Thud thud’

“Ggrrr…”

“Ugh…”

“Ah… Ah, no way…”

“That’s…”

“Oh… Lord…”

In the middle of the mountain, zombies who have had their arms and jaws cut off and been rendered helpless and a girl wrapped in a pure white veil standing in front of them appear.

“Behold the tolling bell that will lead you to hell and destruction.”