F | Chapter 1

Prologue | Birth of a Hybrid

From the evening, it was as if the sky had a hole in it, pouring down rain. Sister Agape, holding a small lamp, hurriedly entered the sanctuary after wandering around the church. Water dripped from her black nun’s habit, and her small hand holding the lamp trembled with cold.

“Sister Agape, what happened?”

Andrei, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed over.

“No matter how much I look, I can’t find him. I have no idea what’s going on.”

Since Matteo hadn’t returned even after curfew hours, it was clear something had happened to him. Matteo, who turned 16 this year, sometimes went outside the zone and had been caught by the guards before. Although not as much as before, there were still infected people, deepening the worry on Sister Agape’s face.

“He didn’t leave the zone, did he?”

“Darn kid. I’ll go look for him, so you stay here, Sister.”

Andrei threw on a poncho-style raincoat. Just as he was about to rush out of the sanctuary, the door slammed open. A flash of lightning struck, and Sister Agape screamed at the silhouette that appeared in the darkness.

“Matteo!”

Sister Agape stopped in her tracks. Matteo, who had disappeared without a word, appeared supporting a woman. The woman, barefoot, stood precariously, wearing a coat larger than her frame.

“What on earth is going on? And who is this person?”

Matteo carefully laid the woman on the floor, breathing heavily. Silence filled the church. As the large coat the woman was wearing opened, her belly was revealed, swollen like a balloon. Andrei cautiously reached out to check on her condition.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Before his hand could touch her face, Andrei’s arm was suddenly grabbed in mid-air.

“Wait, let go of my arm… Damn it! What strength… Agh!”

Screaming, Andrei managed to free his arm and stepped back. The woman’s eyes slowly appeared between her eyelids.

“What is that…?”

“Oh my god…”

Everyone held their breath as they belatedly noticed the sharp fangs visible between her cloudy eyes and lips.

“An infected!”

As Andrei shouted and picked up a nearby club to strike the woman, Matteo blocked his way.

“No!”

“Move, Matteo! Are you out of your mind? Bringing an infected here!”

“Calm down, Andrei!”

“Sister, how can I calm down!”

He knew why Andrei was trembling. Andrei had lost his entire family a few years ago. When he arrived home, his family, from children to adults, had all been killed by an infected attack, leaving only a few heads and fingers.

“We have to kill her! Otherwise, we’re all dead!”

Suddenly, Matteo drew a knife from his waist and cut his own arm. As Sister Agape gasped and covered her mouth, Matteo brought it close to the woman’s lips. Matteo! As they hurriedly pulled Matteo away, the woman twisted to the side, retching. Ugh!

Seeing this, Matteo pleaded with the two.

“See! If she were really infected, she would’ve devoured my arm by now. This woman saved me when I was in danger near Zone C! Thanks to her, I got here safely!”

“You’re crazy. You went there again? You idiot!”

“Both of you, stop it. This isn’t the time to fight.”

If Father Joseph were here, they could ask for help, but he had been bedridden for days due to illness. As Sister Agape pondered, she noticed the woman’s pained expression. Andrei, ready to strike at any moment, tightened his grip on the club.

Meanwhile, water mixed with red blood flowed from under the woman’s legs. Her water had broken, indicating that birth was imminent. Having assisted with childbirth a few times, Sister Agape immediately called Andrei.

“Andrei, go get clean cloths and warm water.”

“Sister!”

“Hurry!”

Faced with Sister Agape’s firm demeanor, Andrei couldn’t argue further and turned away.

“I’ll help!”

In the meantime, Matteo carried the woman to a small room at the back of the sanctuary. As thunder and lightning continued to strike, the woman’s face grew increasingly pale. Sister Agape held the woman’s face in her hands, looking directly into her eyes. The cloudy eyes, without focus, made it impossible to tell where she was looking.

“Listen to me. You need to push. It’s the only way to save the baby.”

“…”

“Did you understand?”

Andrei brought the water and cloths, and soon after, Sister Agape ordered Andrei and Matteo to leave.

“Go outside and wait. I’ll call if I need you, so don’t go far.”

Reluctantly stepping outside, Matteo fidgeted nervously while Andrei glared at him.

“Great job. Not only did you cause trouble, but you brought that thing here?”

“I told you, she saved me. And how could I ignore someone in danger?”

“Someone? Do you still think that’s a person after seeing those eyes? If anything happens to Sister…”

Aaaah-!

The woman’s piercing scream made both of them tense and watch the door. Sister Agape’s voice urging her to push came and went, then suddenly stopped. At that moment, a thunderclap struck, and Matteo and Andrei exchanged anxious glances.

“S-Sister… Sister Agape?”

There was no sound from inside, and Matteo rubbed his face in frustration. Unable to hold back, Andrei opened the door with the club in hand, and the smell of blood hit them. The woman seemed unconscious, her eyes closed, and Sister Agape, crouched at her feet, was trembling slightly for some reason.

“S-Sister?”

A small creature was cradled in her arms as she turned her face towards them.

“…”

“What the…”

Andrei, as if expecting this, erupted in anger and snatched the baby from Sister Agape’s arms. As Matteo tried to intervene, Andrei lifted the baby high, ready to throw it.

“Andrei!”

“Damn it! I knew it! I knew it… Look, Sister! Does this look like a human baby to you? Huh? Does this look human to you? Matteo, if you have eyes, look properly!”

Andrei shook the baby roughly, shouting. As Sister Agape approached to calm Andrei, the baby let out a wail. At the same time, the ground beneath them vibrated slightly. The crying grew louder, and now even the furniture in the room shook.

Andrei’s face turned pale, and his eyes filled with fear as he looked at the baby. Terrified, he screamed and threw the baby, but Matteo quickly caught it.

“It’s a demon! This is a demon!”

Andrei screamed and ran outside, while Matteo soothed the baby in his arms. Sister Agape, regaining her composure, approached and looked down at the baby.

“Sister… That just now…”

“…Earthquakes… happen often.”

Though neither said it, the unsettling feeling from the recent event lingered. Sister Agape took the baby from Matteo and examined it closely. Inside the open mouth were tiny fangs, and the hair was a grayish-white, with eyes that mixed gray and blue, creating a mysterious hue.

While it was rare for babies to be born with teeth, they were usually front teeth, not fangs. So, it was understandable why Andrei had panicked and fled. But aside from those peculiarities, the baby was incredibly endearing, not like a newborn at all.

Already making baby expressions, it smiled brightly. Seeing this, Agape tried to suppress her uneasy feelings and turned with the baby in her arms. The woman, who had been unconscious, was now watching them intently.

Matteo approached the woman with a slightly excited expression.

“Are you conscious? Don’t worry. The baby is safe.”

As he tried to show the baby’s face, the woman slowly shook her head and moved her lips. Sister Agape handed the baby to Matteo and leaned closer to the woman.

“It’s a healthy baby boy. He looks just like his mother.”

The woman, breathing heavily, began to speak slowly. When infected by the virus, people lost their reason and acted like beasts, but aside from her appearance, the woman seemed no different from a regular person.

“…Yo…”

“Huh?”

“…seyo…”

Sister Agape leaned in closer to the woman.

“What on earth…”

With a sudden crack, a short scream escaped Sister Agape’s lips. When Matteo turned his head, an unbelievable scene unfolded before him. The sharp scissors that had just cut the umbilical cord were now piercing the woman’s own head.

Blood splattered everywhere, and Sister Agape, pale with shock, desperately tried to pull the scissors from the woman’s hand. Matteo quickly set the baby down and rushed over.

“Are you crazy! What are you doing!”

Even as they tried to stop her, the woman didn’t budge, pushing the scissors deeper from the opposite side. With a horrifying sound of cracking skull, blood gushed, and the woman’s eyes slowly submerged in darkness.

…Oh my god, Lord.

Amidst Sister Agape’s sobs, the woman’s gaze finally turned to the baby. With an expression that was impossible to decipher, whether smiling or crying, she looked at the baby and took her last breath.