Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 77: Merry Christmas

Once again, Christmas had come.

There were no cakes, no carols, and no motels in this world anymore. Yet, on our message board, we kept up an annual tradition since the war began—a small event of our own: decorating a virtual Christmas tree.

In the past, FoxGames would set up a tree site every Christmas season, allowing users to add ornaments to the tree as a way to share heartfelt messages with one another. But this year, there was no sign of such a gesture.

FoxGames had gone silent.

Since their magnum opus, Monster Park, had literally turned into a mountain of corpses, they seemed to have lost all motivation. After admitting that running Monster Park was no longer sustainable, they hadn’t posted anything since.

The scattered graves in Monster Park had been moved to a central cemetery, so FoxGames was presumably still alive. But it seemed their spirit had been broken.

Some users grumbled, saying they didn’t understand why FoxGames was acting so weak. After all, death had become an annual event during winter.

But I understood.

Hearing about mass deaths and witnessing them firsthand are entirely different things.

Monster Park was FoxGames’ dream, a creation they poured their heart and soul into after the war. That dream had become buried under death. Feeling defeated was only natural.

And it wasn’t just FoxGames whose resolve was wavering.

I felt a little uneasy myself.

The Defender siblings had set their moving date.

I heard the news just as I was riding the wave of popularity from my latest post—a sort of comeback moment for me.

Defender contacted me.

“Sorry, this came up suddenly.”

The exact date hadn’t been set, but they’d be leaving before the year was out. Less than a week.

If no delays cropped up, they might leave as soon as tomorrow. The schedule wasn’t up to them but decided by the Legion faction.

"..."

Even though I knew this day would come, the thought of people leaving my life hit me harder than I’d imagined.

My former teammates would’ve been shocked to see me now.

The same Park Gyu who could remain stoic while fighting alongside a dying comrade was now getting sentimental over someone moving away.

Some might say I’d grown weak. Others might claim I’d simply aged.

But what could I do?

The truth was, I felt uneasy, and I had no intention of denying it.

In a world that was falling apart, showing weakness wasn’t a crime.

Pretending to be strong wouldn’t make the apocalypse go away.

And it wasn’t just the Defender siblings who were leaving.

Rebecca and her daughter were also planning to depart soon, heading toward others of their kind.

They’d heard about a fully operational U.S. military base near Daegu.

The base housed about 150 people—soldiers who hadn’t managed to evacuate and their families. It was well-equipped, closely collaborating with the city government, and even had its own school.

It was probably the school that swayed Rebecca.

One by one, the people around me were leaving.

I used to think being alone was natural, but now that I was facing it again, I wasn’t so sure.

Even though I didn’t talk or interact much with my neighbors, just knowing I could reach out when I needed to was a significant difference.

VIVA_BOT014: We’re not planning to appoint a new board moderator~ And even if we did, we’d never pick you, Skelton~

Desperate for some form of connection, I reached out to VivaBot.

But that cruel, black-hearted foreigner had no intention of helping me.

After some hesitation, I decided to contact Rebecca.

“Skelton, what’s up?”

“Hey, Rebecca. Today’s Christmas, and I was thinking...”

“No.”

“...?”

Her abrupt response caught me off guard.

“Um, I was just wondering if we could grab a bite together or something.”

“No, Skelton. Don’t contact me again today.”

The call ended.

What the hell was that?

Had I done something wrong?

Weren’t we the kind of neighbors who’d at least share a light meal or a cup of tea on a day like this?

I thought about calling her back but decided against it.

In my already fragile mental state, facing rejection again would likely leave lasting damage.

During my days as a professor, people used to whisper about how I had a heart of steel.

They couldn’t understand how I could remain so composed after a teammate died.

To some extent, they were right. I was shameless and selfish. I didn’t deny it.

But that didn’t mean I was unaffected when someone I knew became a cold corpse before my eyes.

I simply chose not to think about it.

It was like flipping a mental switch.

I first discovered that switch when my family was massacred by monsters.

At their funeral, while listening to relatives argue over the meager inheritance my parents had left, I shut off the switch for the first time.

You could call it escapism, but it worked.

The key was not to waver.

Focus only on what was happening now, not the reasons or the past. The important thing was me.

As long as I didn’t falter, nothing else mattered.

Lost in thought, I noticed commotion on the board.

FoxGames: Sorry, I was recovering for a bit.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

FoxGames had returned.

He had something to say.

FoxGames: I need to confess—I wasn’t a good person. Back at my company, I was heavily involved in manipulating probabilities.

He detailed the shameless tricks they pulled, like adding an impossible number to lottery draws to ensure no one could win.

FoxGames: Eventually, I grew disillusioned and quit. But once I left, I remembered my childhood dream—to create games. Not rigged gambling systems, but real games. You guys always thank me, but I’m the one who’s truly grateful. Thanks for making my lousy games enjoyable.

FoxGames: It’s late, but the Christmas tree is open! Please leave kind messages only!

I nodded as I sipped my coffee.

This was what it was about.

This was why I had joined Viva! Apocalypse!—for moments of connection like this.

I logged into the Christmas tree site and added my ornament.

What ornament would you like to choose?

A stocking to fill with heartfelt wishes.

Enter a warm message.

Hang in there.

Short but powerful, signed with my handle, Skelton.

Ornaments quickly filled the tree. Every message was warm, even humorous.

But soon, I received an alert.

SKELTON’s Tree (1)Instead of kind words, my tree was filled with:

GloomColdAdversityHungerPainBetrayalLonelinessThen came a second tree.

Liver CancerRheumatismHigh FeverMyocardial InfarctionHemorrhoidsTetanusNeuralgia"This is absurd."

It was clearly a deliberate act of malice by someone with a grudge.

I sighed deeply.

Just when I thought I’d regained some positivity, it all drained away.

Turning away from the screen, I was left with the heavy silence and darkness that had always surrounded me.

The darkness I had chosen.

A darkness that now revealed itself fully.

And I knew—this darkness could drive people insane.

The ones who couldn’t endure it had died long ago.

I’d survived for years in the hellscape of the battlefield, so there was no way I couldn’t handle this darkness. Still, being consciously aware of it was far from what I wanted.

I had hoped to push this awareness aside—to a time when everyone else was gone, leaving only me behind to become a legend in an empty world.

But now that it had revealed itself, there was no choice but to face it.

With my finger poised over the mental switch, I stared quietly into the darkness enveloping my bunker.

"..."

The darkness seemed to try and swallow me whole.

I let it.

After all, it could consume me all it wanted; nothing would change.

Tomorrow, I’d still be alive.

Whether that life had meaning or joy, I couldn’t say.

Vrrrrroooom—

Suddenly, the sound of a vehicle reached my ears.

The noise came from the southwest.

It wasn’t an ordinary car. The engine was loud, indicating a high-displacement, heavy vehicle.

The time was 6:10 PM, with the temperature at -14°C.

Click.

I grabbed my firearm and peered through the periscope.

In the distance, headlights pierced the growing darkness. While I couldn’t make out the exact type of vehicle due to the early sunset, it seemed military-grade.

Just one vehicle.

Equipped with a snow-camouflage poncho and recoilless rifle, I stepped out of the bunker.

The vehicle, its headlights blazing, approached my territory, following an unpaved road barely distinguishable from the snow-covered terrain.

"..."

Could they know my location?

Despite the lack of clear road markings, the vehicle stayed perfectly on course, heading directly for the dirt path leading to my domain.

One name flashed through my mind.

Kim Daram.

Was she here to kill me?

I’d done nothing to provoke her, but I had become the object of her animosity.

Kim Daram was the type to strike first.

She was a meticulous woman.

And what timing—delivering a gift like this on Christmas.

With a bitter smile, I moved to a vantage point and aimed my recoilless rifle.

There was no need for words.

Once the vehicle was in range, I’d simply fire and eliminate the threat.

The sound of chains on the tires, the vibrations, the glow of headlights—it all grew closer.

The engine noise, though slightly distorted, felt familiar.

A Humvee.

An American military vehicle.

As the word "American" registered, Rebecca and Sue’s faces flashed through my mind.

It was likely just an involuntary association, but thinking of them brought a small pang to my chest.

I hadn’t yet confirmed their true intentions. Whatever the case, the outcome would reveal itself eventually.

Lying flat on the cold snow, I waited for the target to come into view.

It appeared.

One pull of the trigger, and the threat before me would be eliminated.

But wait.

"..."

Was Kim Daram this careless?

I hadn’t taught her to be sloppy.

If it were me—or her—I’d set up a death trap so well-hidden that by the time the target noticed, it’d already be too late.

Stopping myself from pulling the trigger, I let the vehicle come closer.

It wasn’t like me, but some foolish hope compelled me to wait.

"Skelton!"

A young voice carried on the wind.

Sue’s voice.

The vehicle stopped in front of my bunker.

There was no doubt—it was Rebecca’s Humvee.

"Skelton! Where are you? Why didn’t you answer my calls?!"

Rebecca’s voice followed, sharp and urgent.

Slowly, I emerged with my weapon still in hand.

"Skelton!"

Rebecca’s eyes locked onto the recoilless rifle.

"Are you insane?!"

"Uh, no. I just heard a vehicle—"

"Then why didn’t you answer the comms? I tried to contact you!"

"..."

I dodged her question, instead focusing on the Humvee.

"What’s going on with this?"

Sue hopped out of the vehicle, standing proudly as she tapped the engine hood.

"Mom and I fixed it."

"What?"

"We looked it up online."

"You fixed this using the internet?"

"I even fixed my bike, too."

Sue looked up at Rebecca with pride.

"Mom even quit her beloved internet for a while to get it done."

Rebecca, visibly flustered, averted her gaze.

"We’ve been taking so much from you, and since we’re leaving soon, we thought we should give something back. Consider it a Christmas gift."

"A juicy surprise gift," Sue chimed in confidently.

The mother and daughter stood together, facing me with expectant smiles.

"Merry Christmas, Skelton!"

"..."

For a moment, I hesitated.

Should I flip the switch in my heart off or leave it on?

"...Merry Christmas."

Let it be.

Let myself waver.

On this sacred day marking the birth of a savior, it was okay to be a little vulnerable.

The heavily-armored Humvee, complete with a 12.7mm machine gun, barely fit into the cramped garage. As I returned to my bunker, ready to shut down my computer, I noticed a notification.

Probably more insults.

Still, I figured I’d take a look.

Click.

"Hmm?"

Was it from the Defender siblings?

What’s with the heart?

There’s more.

"..."

So it was them.

The culprit behind the negative decorations on my tree.

mmmmmmmmm: Oops, you caught me lol.

But it wasn’t just them.

Further down, more decorations appeared.

Ballantine: Merry Christmas, Skelton!

And another simple message:

Merry Christmas.

"..."

For a moment, I smiled.

Even in the cold, harsh world I’d chosen, there were still flickers of light.

Merry Christmas.