How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 245

This place, where the walls are filled with a symbol combining a cross with a diagonal line drawn from top left to bottom right, is called the Church of Purification, established as the heart of EL.

Located at the very center of Bakersfield, it had grown through repeated expansions to rival the size of a small domed stadium.

In the deepest part of the church, in the conference room where the elders gathered to hold meetings, an old man covered in blood as if stabbed all over his body was gasping for breath in the seat of honor.

And on the floor around him were five corpses, similarly stabbed and killed.

In front of the old man gasping for breath with death at his doorstep, Randy stood holding a blood-stained dagger, smiling eerily.

"You’ve lived long enough in this era, haven’t you? Elder?"

Gurgle gurgle

The old man called Elder foamed blood at the mouth.

"You’re no longer needed now."

The old man stopped his labored breathing.

Snap!

Randy snapped his fingers.

Then the conference room door opened, and believers who adored Randy entered and began carrying out the elders’ corpses.

Marvin, who entered belatedly, approached Randy.

"Bishop. The preparations for the inauguration ceremony are complete. All the believers are waiting only for you."

"Mmm, good. Very good."

"Would you like to change your clothes? They’re covered in blood."

Randy waved off Marvin’s words.

"No, this is just right. I need to show the believers too. That it was I who personally slit their throats."

He left the conference room with a smile tainted by madness.

In the very center of the church building, hundreds of believers were looking at the platform prepared in front of them in a square about the size of a soccer field.

The huge door behind the platform began to open.

Creak!

As the door fully opened, fanatics carrying six corpses from inside the building threw them onto the platform under EL’s modified cross, making sure the corpses were clearly visible.

Ooooh!

The believers below the platform began to roar fiercely as if going berserk.

And behind that roar, Randy’s figure began to appear.

He took each step slowly and deliberately.

As his figure gradually emerged right behind the platform, the believers’ roars grew even fiercer.

Wooaah!

-Randy! Randy! Randy! Randy!

Randy savored the believers’ roars and climbed onto the center of the platform, spreading both arms wide.

After listening to the believers’ voices for a moment while looking at the sky, Randy brought his index finger to his lips.

At that, all the berserk believers suddenly fell silent.

Randy looked over the quieted believers and opened his mouth.

"A month ago, I returned here. Then the elders asked me. Why I purified Las Vegas, why I simply burned them instead of making them believers of EL."

Randy’s eyes began to be tainted with madness.

"We will soon begin our holy war, bearing the sacred flame."

Randy raised his voice even higher.

"Therefore, we had to declare war on the impious who do not believe in the flame! With that, we lit our beacon! Behold! This is EL! This is the sacred flame! We will light EL’s flame all over the continent!"

Ooooh...

The believers exhaled groans filled with ecstasy.

"The elders behind me tried to interfere with our flame. So I! The Bishop! I personally! Had no choice but to execute them."

Randy knelt and pleaded.

"Believers, let us go together. We will purify this entire continent with our flame. When that happens, then we, EL, will all live eternally in God’s embrace! I, Randy... declare my inauguration as the 2nd Head of Eternal Light...!"

Ooooh!

-Randy!! Randy!!

-Long live EL!!

-Live eternally!!

The believers began to cheer.

Ten fanatics took their places behind Randy.

As the cheers gradually subsided, Randy raised his voice once more.

"These are the faithful believers of the flame who will announce the first opening of the holy war! They will lead the vanguard! Let us all take up arms! Following the path led by the flame! We will go to LA. O corrupt city, LA! Welcome EL! Our flame shall purify you!"

-EL! EL! EL!

-O flame!

-It’s holy war!

-Oh! Head Randy!

Thus, the inauguration of Randy as EL’s 2nd Head and the declaration of the attack on LA began.

The fanatics’ roars and cheers continued unabated.

* * *

"Las Vegas has been devastated by fanatics, the entire camp burned and disappeared."

"..."

Ava had been in intense meetings with the LA city government for a month about the defense system.

Then, today, Aiden rescued some junk dealers who miraculously escaped from Las Vegas and conveyed the situation of the burned Las Vegas, which is now.

The LA government couldn’t say anything.

They had just started making the vaccine.

Soon, they would be free from the fear of zombies, and it would be possible to restore civilization as before.

However, the ambition of EL, the fanatic forces, gave them a different kind of frustration.

"In this situation where it might take decades even if all of humanity works together... a psycho group crazy about religion..."

One of the city council members said weakly.

Meanwhile, Ava gathered her thoughts and began to explain.

"No one could have predicted the annihilation of Las Vegas. But everyone knows that now is not the time for us to worry about Las Vegas."

At Ava’s words, all the government council members raised their heads.

"Reports are coming in that fanatic forces are setting up camps in front of the main defense lines on the outskirts of the city, supplying weapons and preparing as if to wage war."

Ava spoke quickly and then, feeling thirsty, took a sip of water before continuing her explanation.

"We can sufficiently predict that they are moving to target LA based on the reports so far. However, the problem is that the fanatic forces are more numerous than imagined. Moreover, they may have been consistently planting spies inside the barrier. Whatever their purpose, we must thoroughly search the interior of the LA barrier, continue to crack down on any suspicious supplies, increase our forces, and prioritize building defense lines."

"I request permission to conscript young people with LA citizenship into the military as soon as possible to prepare for this situation where we don’t know when their attack will begin."

"We must protect LA. I will approve it unconditionally."

The representative of the LA city council approved without hesitation.

"The conscription announcement..."

"Of course, as the military commander, I plan to appeal directly to the citizens."

At Ava’s words, the council members sighed.

This would place all responsibility on Ava.

Some council members requested to join the front lines themselves, but Ava firmly refused.

There were now several thousand citizens in LA.

To control and lead them, they couldn’t be sent to the front lines. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Ava finished the meeting, bid farewell to the council members returning to their respective departments, then collapsed into her seat and said, grinding her teeth:

"Damn crazy bastards, I’ll kill them all for sure."

* * *

Two days later, in a place called the LA Citizens’ Square, Ava began a radio broadcast across the entire LA barrier.

Along with her appeal for conscription, Ava concluded her announcement by speaking about the danger of the fanatic forces, saying that if LA falls, there will be no hope left for humanity on the American continent, and asking for strength so as not to spend anxious days as wanderers or looters amidst the dangers of zombies, cannibals, and fanatics.

At Ava’s announcement, the citizens were confused at first, but they quickly came to their senses.

The citizens also knew.

That the vaccine, safe living spaces, and civilized life with electricity were being threatened by deranged fanatics.

The citizens were angry, and the heat of anger spread to everyone.

That anger was also conveyed to the junk dealers in Beyond.

They couldn’t continue their dangerous junk dealing forever either.

It was natural for them to want an ordinary daily life like others when LA became safe and the vaccine was distributed to everyone.

Even the junk dealers skilled in combat began to flock to cooperate with the military.

Meanwhile, Aiden was meeting with Arian and Sadie, explaining the course of action.

"Sadie, this is your choice too. Listen carefully."

At Aiden’s words, Sadie’s eyes shone as she listened attentively.

"From tomorrow, Arian and I are scheduled to be deployed to the northwest defense line of LA at the military’s request. If the military is all broken through and LA is in danger of collapse, don’t look back and just flee to the southwest where the Santa Ana River is."

"Riverside?"

"Yes, there will be a city college there. If you escape there, we will definitely come to find you."

Arian added a word.

"Sadie, don’t forget to bring your weapons before you run away. Got it?"

"I can fight too..."

Arian cut off Sadie’s words.

"No, Sadie, this fight is not like the battles with zombies or petty looters we’ve had so far. This is war."

Arian grasped Sadie’s hand tightly.

"War is for adults. So Sadie, won’t you trust and follow me and Aiden?"

Sadie could only nod at Arian’s sincere words.

"Then shall we all go for a walk today? You’re leaving tomorrow, right?"

Sadie had left her only mother and had always been with Aiden and Arian, trusting them from Pittsburgh to LA.

For Sadie, the two were family itself.

Aiden and Arian could understand Sadie’s feelings, so they nodded.

The three left Sadie’s house and walked inside the barrier.

Aiden was still walking indifferently, wearing his black helmet pulled low.

Arian held Sadie’s hand and listened to her chattering with a smile.

Even while walking through the tense and excited interior of the barrier, the three were full of peaceful appearances.

Just like a father and mother walking with their young daughter.

The very picture of a happy family.