Tess

Another one watching suddenly became concerned and asked:

“What if Michael finds out?”

“How long is he going to keep all the good stuff to himself? This kind of thing should be shared.”

“Why are you struggling so much? You would have been gentle with Michael, right?”

“Are you discriminating because I’m not the leader?”

The evil beasts bared their teeth and giggled. They drooled with bloodshot eyes gleaming. Each time the flickering flames illuminated their faces, he confirmed in their eyes that they planned to gang-rape him. Now they would tear him apart with their dirty hands. After his breath was cut off, they would tear and devour his flesh. After gnawing all his flesh, eagles and hyenas would eat what remained, and finally nothing would be left—he would disappear like dust.

Crack, crack. Only the indifferent sound of burning wood reached his ears. He extended his hand that had been scratching the ground toward the heat. The moment he finally grasped the burning ember, he swallowed a silent scream.

“Argh!”

The fireball crushed the beast’s face, making him scream. The pain of his own burning hand was nothing.

“Aaagh, my eyes! My face!”

As the others hesitated, surprised by their comrade’s convulsions, Iliya pushed him off and escaped. He cleared a path, grabbing and swinging a burning stick. He began running blindly in a place where nothing was visible. When their moment of confusion passed, the enraged men rampaged to catch Iliya.

“Huff huff, huff huff…”

Where was there to hide in the wasteland? Where should he go? Where, where, where on earth? Despite asking so desperately, despite shouting so loudly, why did no one answer? He became a panicked rabbit. No matter how he ran, his enemies pursued close behind. Though he gasped as his breath reached its limit, he couldn’t even control his breathing freely.

“I’ll kill you! You filthy Omega bastard!”

Covering his mouth with both hands, he ran. His only hope was that it was night.

*

*

“What do you mean?”

Josh rushed in urgently. Andrew’s face showed clear dismay.

“It seems the cult leader has caught wind of our information from somewhere.”

“Damn it!”

“They say they can’t allow law enforcement into their sanctuary, even if it’s a legal enforcement. Once someone enters the sanctuary, punishment is God’s domain. They’re inciting people, claiming it’s an Alpha conspiracy targeting them because the Spiritual Church is hostile to Alphas.”

“That’s why we composed the team with only Beta inspectors and police.”

Though they had tried not to give any grounds for objection, the resistance was stronger than expected. Andrew turned the monitor toward Rus.

“It’s a local broadcast hostile to Alphas, the only one the Spiritual Church allowed in. They’re broadcasting the cult leader’s claims unfiltered.”

The fringe station reporter dramatically reported the breaking news using sensational language. On screen, believers waved Spiritual Church flags. Their synchronized pounding of flagpoles against the ground resembled the rebirth of the KKK.

– We will not surrender!

– Alphas and Omegas, stop persecuting us!

Andrew held his forehead with a deep sigh. Rus continued watching the broadcast. The person Rus was looking for wasn’t among the believers whose faces were exposed in the footage. Had he simply not stepped forward? The cult leader wouldn’t miss using such a good face for propaganda.

– It’s all because of you, you Satans! Because of you, my mother…

A familiar face appeared on screen. The girl ranting toward Alphas revealed a deepened hatred. The reporter interviewed her as she sobbed, calling her “Miss Nancy.”

“Wasn’t the name written on the note also Nancy?”

“It’s a common name, but… She’s saying her mother died, could it be…”

“Ah…”

Though uncertain, he had an ominous feeling. As Rus grabbed his coat to leave, Andrew stopped him.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to go see for myself.”

“What? It’s too dangerous!”

Partly because his father had expressly forbidden him from going anywhere near there, Andrew didn’t want to go to any risky place. But if Rus was going, he had to follow. Though Rus himself probably didn’t particularly need him.

“There’s nothing you can do even if you go.”

“There’s something I must confirm.”

“I’ll drive!”

Josh stepped forward, almost snatching the car keys. Even while heading toward Holyland, they continued monitoring the situation. Believers had set up barriers at the entrance and were singing hymns while holding torches. When the camera entered the church, the cult leader was giving a speech, inciting the believers. He had placed children around the pulpit like shields and was condemning the enemy, veins bulging in his neck. As the believers’ cheers grew louder and more intense, Josh, growing anxious, increased the speed. Just when they thought they had almost arrived:

BOOM!

Along with a ground-shaking explosion, flames shot up. Andrew quickly checked the broadcast. Fortunately, it wasn’t the church, but a building that looked like a warehouse was burning. The Spiritual Church had shot down another station’s drone, so they couldn’t see more.

“Damn it! Are they destroying evidence?”

An angry Josh struck the steering wheel. Peaceful entry now seemed difficult. Either side could trigger an unstoppable conflict by pulling the trigger.

“We can’t have minors and sexual offenders together in one place. They’ll force entry using whatever justification.”

Once started, neither side had any intention of backing down. All they could hope for was that they wouldn’t make extreme choices. As they were about to stop the car and get out where police cars and broadcast vehicles were visible:

“Yes, Mother.”

After checking the caller ID, Rus answered the phone he had initially planned to ignore. His face suddenly stiffened. After listening to the other person without replying, Rus hung up with a serious expression.

“I need to go back.”

“What? After coming all this way, now?”

“My father…”

Rus clenched his fist. His eyes stared at the burning scene. The person who began all this was inside. He still hadn’t heard what that person had wanted to say. He wanted to confirm with him that his judgment had been correct. But now he had to turn away, even with it right before his eyes.

“Get out quickly.”

“No, you should at least explain what—ouch!”

Sensing something unusual, Andrew forcibly pulled Josh out. Rus, who hurriedly took the driver’s seat, turned the car around.

“Come on, what’s going on?”

“It seems something has happened in the Briane family.”

Rus rarely changed his expression. It would have to be something affecting his family’s safety. Hoping that nothing was wrong, they turned toward the high-rising flames.

*

*

“Hah, ugh, huff, ugh, hah…”

His breathing kept breaking into short gasps. He couldn’t tell whether his body was hot because of the blazing sun, the heat from the ground, or the fever in his own body. Walking through an endless wasteland with nothing was madness. With each step, he was approaching death. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to keep moving. If he rested even for a moment, they might appear and capture him. No, they might just kill him and dispose of him without bothering to take him back.

No living creatures were visible except for ground-burrowing mice. His burned hand had lost all sensation, and he had forgotten his hunger. He wouldn’t last even a day, let alone forty days. Because he was not chosen by God. Because he had abandoned God. If the devil came to test him, he would surely fail.

“Ha, ha…”

Even so, a hollow laugh escaped him. It didn’t matter anymore. Even if he fell into the bottomless pit of hell, even if he burned in hell’s fires forever. No, he had no thoughts left.

Nothing exists, and no one exists. I don’t exist either.

*

*

When he opened his eyes, he saw the landscape quickly passing by outside the car window. He remembered collapsing as his body tilted. In his fragmented memories, he recalled the day growing dark and the soil feeling cold against his body. Then light shone, and someone approached. To his blurry eyes, it appeared to be the angel of death coming to take him. Though not an angel of salvation, he willingly extended his hand.

The truck driver tried to speak to Iliya a few times, but when he showed no reaction, the driver grew indifferent and turned on the music. The ear-splitting loud music sounded distant to Iliya. His head was dizzy, and his mouth was dry. Cold sweat ran all over his body. The driver, completely unconcerned with Iliya’s condition, sang along to the song.

Around dawn, the truck entered the city. It stopped at a traffic light in front of a large electronics store. The massive TVs that filled the store displays were all showing the same screen. Fierce red flames filled the screen, burning wildly. The shape of a snake burning in that red hell was visible. The breaking news repeatedly showed the same scene. Iliya briefly opened his eyes. His pupils were filled with the flickering flames. His body began to heat up as if burning within them.

It was a fever.