Undead

Chapter 1

"Merciful God, you welcome the new soul into the realm of eternity, light, and joy, among the fellowship of the saints in heaven, when the Lord Jesus comes again, those who have died in Christ will rise from their graves and receive eternal life."

"Amen."

The priest kissed the silver cross, and the faint daylight filtered through the high stained glass windows of the church, casting light on the black pine wood coffin. A white woman in a black veil knelt down, covered her mouth with cold hands, held back her sobs, and embraced the young boy beside her.

"...Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Does God love everyone?"

"God..." the woman trembled, took a deep breath, and hoarsely said, "God loves all living beings, and He gave His only begotten Son so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

"Then why do we lose our freedom, face plunder, and imprisonment?"

"..."

"Are people born unequal?"

The large door behind the woman burst open with a crash, and numerous figures rushed into the church, shouting and exclaiming in the backlight. The woman only had time to take the pendant from her neck and forcefully place it into the boy's hand, and then she was grabbed by several fully armed soldiers and forcibly dragged backward.

"Run, run quickly!" The woman's cries pierced through the chaos as she struggled. "Run, get out of here!"

"Don't look back, don't give up!"

"Mom loves you!"

The church collapsed with a loud noise, and the flames turned black and white, rushing up to the cloudy sky. Screams and cries turned into nothingness, and the wind scattered the ashes over the vast and desolate land.

The young boy stood in the field, running, with soldiers and hunting dogs chasing him. In the distance, a sea of lights began to appear, and a massive city emerged below the cliff. The boy leaped into the abyss amidst the angry shouts of the pursuers!

The howling wind swept through his ears, lifting the pendant on his chest.

In the midst of a rapid descent, the last thing reflected in his black pupils was a lonely, cold, and endless night.

"The dead will rise and receive eternal life."

In his heart, he said:

"Amen."

2019, City T.

"Ah!"

In the darkness, the young man sat up, and the next moment, a sharp pain surged through every nerve like an electric shock, causing him to immediately retch.

However, a stomach that hadn't been fed for a day couldn't bring anything up, and nothing happened except for the visceral constriction. After a while, he finally managed to catch his breath, and his blurry vision slowly focused. He saw that he was in a small, dark cell, and weak light came from outside the iron bars.

...Where is this place, a prison?

How did I end up here?

He tried to gather any useful information from his chaotic mind, but he couldn't even remember his own name, and any attempt at thought brought unbearable headaches. Just as he tried to get up from the low bed, he suddenly heard footsteps and voices outside the cell.