On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons-Chapter 308: #Side Story: Series Completed but Continued for Personal Reasons (3)

The man stared at the unconscious little girl in terror. He clutched his head, gritting his teeth.

“I can’t die yet!”

After gathering the dishes and utensils from the room, he rushed to the rooftop. Then, he threw them in every direction with all his might.

Clang clang!

However, the sounds only distracted the zombies briefly instead of driving them away.

“Damn zombies!”

-Krrrrr!

The zombie horde surrounded the building like a net.

The man stared at them, sparks flying from his eyes. “Alright! Catch me if you can!”

He took out the bottles of gasoline, inserted the wicks, and lit them with a lighter.

Pow pow!

The zombies at the building entrance were engulfed in flames.

-Kieeeeek!

They wriggled like squids, screaming in agony. Startled by the sudden flash, the rest of the zombies quickly backed away from them. The man threw a Molotov cocktail in another direction.

Booooom!

The explosion echoed like thunder, and flames engulfed the zombies again. It’d seem like a glimmer of hope.

We can’t hold out much longer at this rate!

Unfortunately, there were far too many zombies and far too few Molotov cocktails. The rain was still pouring down heavily.

-Roooooar!

-Kyaaaak!

Moreover, the loud explosion drew zombies from afar. The man and I knew that this was nothing but futile struggles.

“Not yet.” The man tightened his grip on the axe, whose blade was covered in dried blood. “I must go back.”

-Krrrrrr!

Bang bang bang!

The zombies pounded at the door, which shook violently as if it’d break any moment. The man watched with despair, tugging his shirt buttons.

Bullets?

Hidden under his shirt was a necklace with an index-finger-sized bullet.

“Huff! Puff!” Gasping for breath, the man clutched the bullet and closed his eyes in prayer. When he opened his eyes again, his resolve to fight to the death was clear as day.

No, they will all die if this continues...

The streets were swarming with zombies.

-Kyaaaaa!

How could a lone man prevail against thousands of zombies with a single axe?

-----

[Resurrection Quest]

Bring about a miracle in a world on the brink of destruction and restore your divine title, All Phenomena Author.

-----

I gritted my teeth as I stared at the resurrection quest. What they needed now was a miracle.

I can do this. I can do it.

Standing by the rooftop railing, I raised my index finger at the zombies swarming like ants below.

Crushing Forefinger of God!

Nothing happened.

Convicting Middle Finger of God! Regressing Pinky Finger of God!

I tried to use my other powers, just in case they would work by chance, but...

-Krrrrrrr!

-Kyaaaaa!

The zombies cried as if mocking me. Unable to withstand their frenzy, the entrance collapsed. At that moment, I realized that I was merely a ghost. A helpless bystander. Meanwhile, the protagonist of this world—a man destined to perish soon—clutched his axe tightly and rushed down to save the girl.

-Kyaaaaak!

Crack!

A zombie was about to pounce on the girl. He swung his axe fiercely, splitting its skull open.

“Get out of here, you filthy corpses!”

Crack!

The zombies’ screams, the black blood, and the man’s cries echoed in the area. Cradled within the man’s arms, the girl stared blankly at the chaotic struggles between life and death.

Just then, whether by chance or fate, my eyes met the child’s.

Her lips parted ever so slightly.

What did she say?

“Quiet...”

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Bell...?

The sound of a massive bell rang out through the pouring rain. The sacred sound, akin to a ringing church bell, echoed through the city as if cleansing it.

-Kikikikiki!

The zombies seemed to have heard the bell as they turned their heads in the same direction.

-Gaaaaah!

-Krrrrrr!

The zombies were slowly moving away. Just like that, the intense battle was replaced by an eerie silence, as if everything had been frozen in time.

Thud!

“Haa...! Haa...!” The man collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Despite having escaped death, he didn’t look relieved or happy, but rather in disbelief.

“W-what’s happened? Is this a miracle? Really?” the man muttered, clutching his head like a madman.

No, that couldn’t be. There’s no such thing as god. If there were, something like this wouldn’t happen. It shouldn’t have happened.

Startled by the sound, the man raised his axe once more. However, what appeared before him wasn’t a zombie, but a human. An elderly man in his sixties, with gray hair. He was dressed in a faded priest’s robe, with a golden cross hanging around his neck.

The priest spoke kindly to the man, “Don’t worry anymore. You have been saved.”

The man’s expression twisted oddly at the word save.

***

The priest led them to an underground tunnel connected to a sewer. The ceiling was illuminated by yellow light bulbs, presumably powered by a generator.

On the way, the priest casually mentioned that this was originally one of the underground bomb shelters built for high-ranking officials. He added that they never got to use the shelter and died.

“Here we are.”

The priest stopped in front of a massive iron door that seemed thick enough to withstand a cannon.

Creaaaak—

He turned the handle on the door, then commented jokingly, “Welcome to Eden.”

True to its name, the air raid shelter was surprisingly clean. The air was so fresh, anyone wouldn’t believe it was underground.

The priest administered first aid on the young girl, then put her on what seemed like a glucose drip.

“She's just malnourished. You'll feel better after this drip is done. Have some of this if you're hungry,” said the priest while handing a chocolate bar to the girl.

She ate the chocolate. Finding her cute, the priest patted her gently.

Then, he offered another chocolate bar to the man watching them. “Would you like some?”

The man shook his head and replied, “I'm good.”

The priest smiled awkwardly. “I just realized I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I am Gabriel. What is your name?”

Seeing the man remain silent, the priest changed topic. “Is she your daughter?”

“No.”

“Then...”

“I picked her up on the way.”

“Oh, so you've been taking care of this pitiful girl. Impressive.”

“I'm bringing her along because she's useful.”

“...Useful?”

“She has a keen sense of smell—especially sharp when detecting the foul stench of zombies from several meters away. Even better than dogs.”

The priest’s frown deepened. “Dog? That's too harsh for a joke. How can you put chains on her neck?”

“She’ll run away without it. If she escapes, both of us would’ve died much earlier. I had no choice.”

“We are safe here, so I'll take the chains off of her.”

When the priest reached out to her neck, the man’s burly arms stopped him.

“Please don’t touch her. I’m the only one who can release those chains. Even if you’re our benefactor, I won’t forgive you.”

“Do you know that this is child abuse?! Even if the times are different, you shouldn’t do this to a child!”

“Stay out of this. It’s none of your business,” the man threatened, reaching for the pistol on his waist.

The priest retreated, albeit his face still showed dissatisfaction. “We shall have this conversation another time. I’ll have those hideous chains removed from her neck.”

“I won't change my mind.”

“But you will, eventually. This place is blessed by God—the safest, most peaceful haven in this world. Just relax and follow his teachings, and your tainted heart will be healed in no time.”

After the priest left, the man secured the door knob with wires. Then, he leaned against the bed where the girl had fallen asleep. It was only then that the exhaustion from the zombie ordeal washed over him. His eyelids began to drop.

Some time passed, and the girl woke up, quietly sitting up on the bed. She stared blankly at the man sleeping beside her for a few minutes. Then, she reached for the pistol at his waist, silently pulling it out. Slightly too heavy for her to hold with a single hand, the pistol was unintentionally directed at the back of the man’s head.

“Zzz...”

Seemingly too exhausted, the man snored loudly, sound asleep. Anxious, I stared intently at the girl in an attempt to stop her. It didn’t work as usual.

Sss—

After what felt like an eternity, the girl returned the pistol to where it belonged. She hid under the sheets, curling up.

Moments later, the man’s eyes slowly fluttered open. He seemed to be aware of everything that had happened, as his gaze was lined with worry.

What kind of backstory did these people have?

Ding!

Another random message from God-Maker.

[The incomplete Clear Eyes of God sees the man.]

Hadn’t I lost all my powers? I stared in surprise, but soon, their first meeting flashed before my eyes.

The man was standing in a strange city with a German shepherd in front of him. The dog wore a collar with the name “Lash” on it.

“What’s wrong, Lash?”

The dog had stopped mid-track, its ears perked up. It dashed off in the blink of an eye.

“Stop! Stop, Lash!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, but the dog didn’t listen.

Briefly, he froze when he saw the dog entering the basement of a half-collapsed building in the distance. Soon, he made up his mind, and hurriedly went after the dog. The basement was eerily dark, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

It was noon, but staying in that darkness for long was dangerous. The man, with a pistol in one hand and a flashlight in the other, cautiously shone the light around him.

“Lash? Lash,” he called out the dog’s name softly anxiously.

Moments later, he heard a faint whimpering in the distance. He followed it, and saw the dog scratching at a large refrigerator wrapped in chains. He scanned their surroundings to see only him and the dog around. Sighing in relief, he stroked the dog’s head.

“You scared me. Why did you run away? Is there something you like in there?”

Suddenly, the look on his face froze.

A faint groan was coming from inside the refrigerator. Thinking that it could be a zombie, the man cautiously brought his ear close to the door.

“Save... me...”

A person?

He reached out toward the chains on the refrigerator, but it wouldn’t come loose easily. Nevertheless, he didn’t give up. He clung to the chains, sweating profusely. The dog watched the man loyally.

Suddenly, its ears perked up, its fur standing on ends.

Grrrrr!

Lash leaped forward, biting the neck of the figure that had been trying to sneak up on the man.

“Huh?!”

Startled by the sudden attack, the man grabbed the lantern and pistol. At the same time, a dull blow struck the man in his chest. The lantern fell and spun around on the floor.

-Kyaaaak!

Terror flashed across his eyes when he saw a female zombie trying to crush and bite him. Moreover, they weren’t the only ones fighting.

The dog’s cries rang beside him. The man's anger outweighed his fear.

“No!” he screamed, shoving the pistol into the female zombie’s mouth and pulling the trigger.

With a loud bang, cold, spine-chilling blood splattered across his face. He picked up the lantern rolling on the floor, shining it to the side. A muscular male zombie and the dog were tearing at each other’s throats.

“Lash!”

But the one that turned its head at the man’s call was not the dog, but the zombie.

-Krrrrr!

The empty eye sockets stared at the man. The dog’s neck, clamped in the zombie’s jaws dangled, threatening to snap any moment.

“Aaaargh! You damn corpse!” the man cried out, pulling the trigger.

Bang bang bang! Plop!

The zombie’s head was rendered full of holes like a beehive, and it collapsed to the ground lifelessly.

“Lash! Lash!” The man buried his face in the blood-soaked fur of the dog, weeping bitterly.

Moments later, the man sprang to his feet. He aimed the pistol at the chains binding the refrigerator, pulling the trigger.

Bang bang bang!

The gunfire finally stopped when the chamber was empty. Tearing off the chains, he pried the door open and shone the lantern in it. The man’s tear-stained eyes instantly widened in shock.

In it was a skinny, blonde little girl. Her eyes, bloodshot like a wild beast, glared at the man as if she was about to kill him.