Chapter 9: Weight of One’s Sins

Time quickly flew past by. We were all so mesmerized by the floating particles of light that we did not realize that more than 15 minutes had passed. I frowned as I stared at my watch. Not far from me, Jerry was wearing a satisfied smirk after devouring his share of food. Kristine was leaning her head on her brother’s shoulder, eyes droopy, while Franchesca was merely staring at the floating specks of light.

I broke the serene sight. “Time’s up,” I said with a loud clap. “Let’s move out.”

Almost groaning, the members of my group stood up one after another. I gripped my sword as I stared at the tunnel in front of us.

What kind of monsters would be waiting for us this time? Normally, I would have not been bothered by this, but the Stone Golem from before was living proof that not everything from the previous timeline was going to happen in this one.

Once again, we continued our journey. No one asked why we were going to that particular station, but I was pretty sure that everyone had an idea by now that I knew something about this apocalypse. They merely refused to ask, probably out of fear of the answers.

I could see that Kristine was limping a bit, but I pretended to have not noticed.

What was with that little girl? Her image as human baggage was starting to solidify further as time went by. So useless.

Soon enough, the plant-covered ground vanished entirely. We were back to cobbles, stones and metallic rails. The fragrant scent of flowers was replaced by the pungent stench of stale air and sewer rats. The familiar sound of water dripping down was background.

We kept walking, and minutes quickly turned into hours. We passed by occasional dead bodies, broken trains, stations, and scampering rats.

By the time we arrived at our destination, it was already late in the evening. A few hours more and the second wave would arrive. I hastened my pace after that thought.

“We’re here,” I said as I flashed the light towards the steel placard. It clearly showed the words: Nagan Station.

My legs felt numb from all the walking, and I was panting. This current body of mine was not fit enough for these things, and if not for the added bonus stats from Pioneer Title, I would have been severely struggling like everybody else.

“Finally,” said Jerry in relief. “I’ve been carrying this bag for God knows how long. Damn it.”

I smiled wryly. I would have volunteered to carry it, but I was the only one within our group who knows how to fight. Restricting my mobility was never a wise decision.

I flashed the light throughout the station. It was empty.

And I soon understood the reason why.

Above, near the end of the flight of stairs leading to the outside, numerous Demonic Fly Traps blocked the path. They instantly screeched violently the moment the light touched their bodies. The members of my group took steps back.

“We’ve killed these bastards before,” I said in assurance. I could make out the figures of dead human bodies below the plant monsters. “Relax.”

I looked at Jerry, “The torch.”

He nodded then took out one of the few woods we have left. I grabbed and lit it.

“Nice to see more of you guys here,” I grinned. The plant monsters repeatedly screeched and wailed as the smoke from the torch touched their bodies. “I’ll reach level 3 easily at this rate.”

Seconds passed and eventually, their bodies turned flaccid. I unsheathed my sword and killed them one after another. An easy prey.

“I wish the demons outside are like these.” I licked my lips.

By the time I’ve finished slaughtering the damn bastards, an anticipated notification popped up.

You have leveled up!

A devilish snort came out. I was broadly grinning when I said, “System, allocate all available points to agility!”

Do you wish to allocate 5 points to agility?

The confirmatory message appeared once again. I simply said yes.

5 points have been added to agility!

I was still basking in self-elation when Franchesca tapped my shoulder. She whispered, “Chase… behind us.”

The sound of unfamiliar footsteps was heard as I turned and looked at our rear. From within the shadows, three figures emerged. I gripped the hilt of my sword, and bloodlust oozed out my body.

“W-Wait!” said one of the figures. He probably felt my murderous glare.

The light from the torch touched the three of them, revealing two skinny men and a young woman.

For a moment, I stared at the young woman. There was something eerie within those eyes. It was as though hope had vanished from it entirely. On the contrast, the two skinny men were agitated, but their eyes continued to blaze with life.

“W-Wait!” repeated one of them. The taller of the two men stepped forth, then with a shaking voice, he added, “Y-You… How… How did you do that? Y-You easily killed those monsters!”

I have no obligation to answer that question. I shrugged. “That’s none of your business, old man.”

He was clearly taken aback by that statement. Unyielding, he continued, “Y-You’re planning on going up, right? You p-plan to leave this.. this tunnel, right?”

“Of course,” answered Jerry. “We are.”

Damn, this friend of mine. He should shut the hell up. Couldn’t he see that there was something wrong with these three?

I shot a glare at Jerry, and he immediately understood my intentions.

By now, the Demonic Fly Traps had all turned to dust.

“We’re wasting time here,” I said. “Let’s go.”

The members of my group nodded, and we started climbing the flight of stairs.

“Take us with you!” said the smaller guy. His voice reminded me of a squirrel. Annoying.

I slammed a foot on the ground, and the reverberating sound made them jolt. These three were suspicious. Too suspicious.

At the corner of my eyes, I could see that Franchesca and Jerry wanted to take the three of them with us. I sighed mentally.

I pointed my sword at them. They took a step back in reflex. I once again stared at the young woman.

“Why should I take the three of you?” I smugly said. And I meant it. The last thing I needed right now was additional human baggage.

The taller guy was the first to respond. And what he said afterwards were nothing but bullshits, to me at least.

“We’re fellow humans!” he squeaked. “You saw those monsters, those demons too! If we’re not going to help each other, then who will?”

If I was my former self, I would have been convinced by that simple statement—and the members of my group seemed to have been convinced by that too.

But I was a different person now. I have survived decades of endless carnage back in the previous timeline. And I have encountered all sorts of people. Reliable people. Truthful ones. Liars. Backstabbing bastards. Fence sitters who would jump at the biggest bandwagon. And even those that were truly evil to the core.

Right now, my instinct was screaming at me that these three were not to be trusted. Well, honestly, I was not so sure about the young woman. Her eyes were empty, as though she had experienced something so horrible that she went into a state of blank. Her clothes were torn and tattered, and despite the darkness of the tunnels, I could see the numerous bruises that had crawled through her skin.

Suspicious. Definitely.

“I refuse,” I said. “If you want to leave this hellhole, then go on your own. I won’t stop you.”

“Then let us follow you!” said the smaller guy. “Please!”

“That’s right!” said the other one. “You're strong, aren’t you? Please!”

Even now, the young woman remained dead silent.

I was about to retort when Franchesca’s voice rang out.

“Let’s take them with us,” she said. The way she looked straight into my eyes sucked my breath away.

Damn, that’s cheating. Damn it.

“Yeah, mate,” said Jerry. “W-We can’t just leave them alone, r-right?”

Somehow, there was nervousness within his voice. Was I that scary?

I sighed. It was definitely wishful thinking to try and save everyone we meet along the way. Such a naïve mentally would get us killed sooner or later.

“Please,” said Franchesca.

All reasoning within me vanished entirely. Those eyes of hers—there was no way I could refuse if she asked me that way.

“I’ll consider it,” I said. “But first, answer some of my questions.”

The two men nodded vigorously. The young woman, on the other hand, merely stared into space. Was she a walking doll?

My eyes swiveled from the taller guy then to the other man. “Before I killed these monsters, I scanned this station for the presence of any survivors. There was none.” I said. “Why did you appear only now? And after I’ve killed those plant monsters.”

The two skinny guys glanced at each other. I was pretty sure they communicated within that single instance.

“W-We were scared,” said the taller guy. “We thought that more monsters are coming this way!”

It was a plausible statement, but I inquired further. “Monsters?”

“You’ve seen it, right?!” he said. “Those demons above! Those abhorrent monsters that killed humans like some hunting game! Those bastards! Those damn bastards!”

There was a snarl within that voice, and the blaze within his eyes flickered for a moment.

“I see,” I nodded. “And despite knowing that those demons roam the surface, you still wish to come with us?”

It was a single instance, but I saw the two of them glance at Franchesca’s direction. For a moment, I was sure that there was malice and lust within their eyes. I cannot be mistaken. My decades of surviving through hell clearly told me that.

A boiling hatred surged within my heart, but I quickly suppressed it. Now was not the time for that. I needed to hear their stories first.

“Yes,” said the other man. “We’ve seen how you killed those plant monsters. Y-You’re strong, right? And if my hunch is correct—” He glanced at the taller guy. They nodded at each other. “You know something about… about this—whatever this is, right?”

My evaluation of them shot to the roof. They noticed that immediately despite seeing us only for a short while. These guys were cleverer than they looked.

“That’s right,” I said. “I know a lot of things about this apocalypse.”

At the corner of my eyes, I saw the members of my group stiffen after that remark. Hey, what was so surprising about that? My head started to throb for some reason.

“Then, please!” said the two men. “Take us with you! We’re sure that we’ll be safer if we stick with you! If we stay here, what awaits us is starvation!”

I nodded. That was true. There was no point in staying here for too long.

But I still have some questions I needed answered.

“Demonic Fly Traps were blocking the exit of this station,” I observantly said. “By that alone, we can safely assume that all of you came from a different station. There’s no way there’re only the three of you. What happened to the rest of the survivors?”

I stared at their tattered garbs. What bothered me the most were not the holes and bruises, but the dried blood that clung to their clothes.

“And those blood stains,” I said. “They’re not from monsters.” The temperature within the tunnel seemed to have turned cold suddenly. “Those are human blood. There’s no doubt.”

It was amusing how the color within their faces faded away immediately after my statement.

“How many men did you kill before coming here?” I smirked. I have encountered humans like these before, from the previous timeline. Hyenas waiting to strike down their preys. “And for how long have you been abusing that woman over there?”

For the first time since we met, the young woman looked straight into my eyes. Her previously dead eyes regained their luster, but only for a moment. Once again, she blankly stared into space.

“C-Chase?” breathed Franchesca. She seemed to have realized what I was pointing out. “W-What do you mean?”

I let out a laugh. “Those people you want to help—those guys over there. They’re no different from demons.” I paused, then gave a diabolical grin. Murderous rage was evident within my eyes. “No, they’re worse than demons.”

I stepped down and approached the three, and the two men immediately took a step back. I gripped the scabbard of my sword. I stopped right in front of the young woman. Her brown eyes were dead, and her night black hair was ruffled all over. Cuts and bruises filled her skin. Yet despite that, her beauty was still evident even to the eyes of a stranger.

“Tell me,” I said to the young woman. “Do these men deserve to live?”

There were a few seconds of deafening silence after that. Eventually, like a violent geyser, the emotions within the young woman burst out. Tears quickly formed at the corner of her eyes, before flowing down like river. Her lips quivered, and her entire body trembled.

“No!” she snarled. It was the first time that she spoke, but her voice was powerful enough to shake the entire tunnels.

She shouted, “These bastards! These demons!” she spat at the two skinny men. “They killed my husband! They killed my son! They… they killed everyone! They raped the women! Made them their plaything! Then killed them after!”

She sobbed and wailed. She clutched her head and began pulling out her hair. She screamed, “They’re no worse than demons! They… they repeatedly took turns at me! They repeatedly touched and ravaged my body!”

Her screams decrescendo into whispers, but I was sure that everyone clearly heard it.

I glanced at Franchesca and Jerry. They were clearly stunned by the revelation.

This was reality.

This was human nature.

Within me, I wished that Franchesca and Jerry would come to accept it sooner or later. After all, it was an absolute rule that in this apocalypse, every man was for himself. There were only a handful of people you could actually trust in this reality-turned-nightmare.

I placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. For some reason, her trembling stopped.

“Well said.” I grinned. “Then, answer my question—do these men deserve to live?”

There was no pause. Only a hatred-filled answer. “No.”

I chuckled. I gazed at the two men, my eyes filled with malice.

“What an interesting story, gentlemen,” I snickered. “Well, isn’t this fun? Honestly, I don’t believe in God. And even if he does exist, I have no need for a God who abandons his people. But you see… there’s this thing we call ‘being humane’—you damn bastards.”

The two of them shrieked after receiving my bloodlust, and a second after, they pulled out rusty daggers from their backs.

No, those were not rusts, but blood stains.

“D-Don’t come near us! You monster!” said the taller guy.

“Hahaha!” I chuckled. I was broadly grinning. “That’s right. I am a monster.” The last word was emphasized the most.

This single statement seemed to have struck the two at the core. Without warning, they aimed their daggers and struck at me. I simply evaded then struck back with a simple punch.

Immediately, they both fell down their knees.

“How does it feel to kill innocent people?” I playfully whispered. “How does it feel to rape women?”

The two men were violently trembling. It was without doubt evident to them by now that they were no match for me.

“W-We did nothing wrong!” said one of them. “She’s making things up!”

“Lies!” shouted the young woman. Her rage was so great that even I felt suffocated for a moment. “You damn bastards! Demons! You’re no different than monsters!”

“What are you talking abou—”

The taller man stopped midway in his retort. He screamed as I struck the blade of my sword deep into his thigh.

“Aaahh!” his scream echoed. The smaller guy who saw this turned even more pallid.

I crouched then twisted the sword further in.

“S-Stop! Pl-Please! Stop! Ahhhh!”

I smirked. “Look, I’m not the type to be patient in these things.” I stared straight into his eyes. “Tell me the truth. The first one to speak will be spared. But I’ll kill the other one. Not a bad offer, yes?”

“I-Is that true?” said the taller guy. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I promise.” I grinned.

And the first one to speak was the smaller guy. “It’s him! That damn bastard was the one who killed those guys! He also forced me to rape the women! It’s him! It’s him! I swear I did not do it! I swear to God!”

The taller guy was in deep rage, but after I twisted my sword lodged into his thigh, he screamed in pure agony.

“Ahhhh!” he cried. He glared at the other man. “You fucker! You sold me out! You damn piece of—”

And his head rolled down the ground.

Silence befell us all.

I struck the air, and the blood that clung to my sword fell down the ground.

“It’s a waste to listen to a dead man talking,” I simply said as I stared at his headless corpse. “Now, for the next one.”

The smaller guy seemed to have realized my intent. His eyes grew so wide that for a moment, I thought they would pop out of the sockets.

“W-Wait! What do you mean?” he squeaked. “You told me that you’ll spare my life! You promised!”

I chuckled. “Promise? What promise?”

I clearly saw the transition of emotions within the man’s eyes. From terror, to confusion, to rage, then back. It was an amusing sight.

“You dumb fuck! You told me! You promi—”

And another head rolled down the ground. I once again struck the air to remove the blood clinging to my sword, then sheathed it into the scabbard.

I have killed numerous humans back in the previous timeline, but this was the first time my present self has killed one. As expected, I did not feel anything even after beheading those two.

I dusted off my garb.

“What a waste of stamina,” I said. I looked straight into the young woman’s eyes. “You’ve been through a lot. I know that you’ve probably thought of death numerous times by now—”

I tilted my head to the side. “—If you wish to die, I will gladly help you with that.”

Silence befell us.

The young woman bit her lips. Tears still continued to flow down her cheeks.

“But if you want to continue living, come with us.”

She closed her eyes and conveyed all of her emotions into a single statement.

“There’s no point in living,” she said. “Please.”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

“My name’s Chase,” I said. “Chase Marcus.”

She smiled, revealing a dimple on her left cheek.

“Marissa,” her soft voice was angelic. “Marissa Corvan.”

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly. I should have been used to killing fellow humans by now, but for some reason, I felt a light squeezing sensation in my chest.

“Chase,” she said. “I’m sorry. And… thank you.”

The sound of the wind was heard.

Her head fell down the ground.