Endless Debt

York frowned and looked at the vast ruins not far away. People were working hard on the ruins, clearing away the rubble and searching for the buried corpses. Most of them were rotten and dry at this time, but people could still The first thing they recognized was that they were their family members.

Cries could be heard from time to time in the ruins, and the hysterical sadness touched York's heartstrings. He gently wiped the cross on his chest and lowered his head in prayer.

When York raised his head again, he noticed that the ruins were suddenly crowded with people. Everyone seemed to be discussing something continuously, and faint shouts and curses could be heard.

Afraid of causing a disturbance, York strode over and maintained order. When he squeezed through the crowd, he only saw a sad woman holding a rotting corpse and crying bitterly.

Such tragedies have become commonplace in Greystone Town after the disaster, and York doesn't understand why there was a riot this time.

"Father...Father York..."

Seeing York, the woman sadly called York's name. People around her didn't need to say anything. The woman spread her hands, completely exposing the body to York's eyes.

York knew why she was so sad.

The deceased was the woman's son, but the body seemed to have been desecrated. All the clothes and accessories on the body had disappeared.

York knew that before the disaster, their family was considered a wealthy family in Greystone Town, and someone took away the belongings of the deceased.

"What's going on?" York asked in a low voice to the person next to him.

"We searched here a few days ago and found no bodies, but today suddenly there was a body here. We dug it out, and this is what it looked like."

The man was the town's police chief, who had very few police officers left after the disaster, and his face bore the same exhaustion as York's.

"We suspect that someone dug it up somewhere else, took all the money from it, and buried it here again."

"Blasphemy!"

York looked angry and growled in his throat.

The disaster had caused so much sorrow. York had not expected that someone would desecrate the corpse in such a tragedy. Even a gentle man like York felt a surge of anger at this time.

"Any clues?" York asked.

"No," the police chief looked up at the high walls around him. "At night, you can't see anything clearly here."

The woman hugged the dead man and continued to cry. She cursed the sinner who desecrated the body in a low voice, vowing to make him experience the pain of thousands of arrows piercing his heart.

York half-knelt beside the deceased, grabbed the stiff hand, lowered his head and prayed for the deceased.

"Thank you, Father," the woman said.

"nothing."

After the prayer ended, York stood up again. He looked around and noticed a sneaky figure in the distance.

His vision was a little blurry, but York still recognized the other person, it was Gami.

For a moment, York remembered last night's confession.

"I did something wrong. I got wealth that didn't belong to me from the dead."

Reminiscing about the change in Jiami's clothes, the incident became very clear. Jiami did this.

York suppressed his anger, crossed the crowd, and strode towards Jia Mi. Jia Mi also noticed York's arrival. His expression was a little flustered, but he quickly calmed down, and then a strange smile appeared. meaning.

Gami is always like this, standing in the shadow of the alley, smiling like this at the people on the street. People say that he is like a poisonous snake spitting out letters.

"Did you do it?" York's voice was low.

There was a trace of panic in Jami's eyes, but he quickly calmed down, "What do you mean? Father."

"Don't act stupid, you did it, right?"

York grabbed Gami's hand. Gami wore a silver ring on his fingertips, and dark red blood stains could be seen in the gaps between the patterns.

Gami broke free from York's hand and took a step back. More shadows fell on him.

"Are you accusing me? Father," Gami said without giving up, "you need evidence."

"The evidence is your confession to me last night!"

York was approaching again. He thought that Gami had turned a new leaf, but it turned out that he was walking on the dark road without looking back.

"Confess? Have I confessed to you?" Jami asked, "If I confessed to you...why do you know that the person who confessed is me?"

York was speechless for a moment, and his rising anger also cooled down a bit. According to doctrine, when listening to a confession, the priest must protect the privacy of the penitent. Even if he knows who the penitent is, he must pretend not to know. What's more, in last night's confession, there was a In the darkness, York didn't see Gami's face at all.

"I will not shield criminals," York said.

"You accuse me of being a criminal. Where is the evidence?"

Gami had a tough attitude, "Someone confessed a few words to you in the middle of the night. You suspected that that person was me and that I did all this. Father, you can't slander an innocent person."

York didn't know what to say for a moment. Just like Gami said, he really had no direct evidence to prove Gami's crime. The only thing that could be considered a testimony was his confession to himself.

"Are you going to tell others about my...no, that person's confession to you, so that others can judge?"

Jiami took advantage of the victory and pursued it, "Before there are established facts, wouldn't this go against your beliefs?"

York's face was livid and he said nothing. The smile on Gami's face became even brighter. He raised his hand and knocked the cross on York's chest.

"Remember your vows, Father."

After Gami finished speaking, he turned around and left. York looked at his back and said loudly, "You actually have regrets, right?"

At a certain moment, Jami must have felt regret, otherwise he would not have asked himself to repent, but this regret could not overcome his greedy desire.

The leaving figure of Gami paused for a moment. He turned his head and shook his head, "I don't understand what you are talking about, Father. You know, I don't believe in God."

There was a pause in the words, and Gami continued as if mockingly.

“Justice always has its hands tied.”

Gami disappeared at the end of the alley. York turned his back to the ruins and clenched his fists. The woman's cry lingered in his ears and refused to go away for a long time.

York suddenly felt very confused. He knew that Gami had done this, but he could not correct him due to faith and other reasons. Even a wise priest could not help but become confused and at a loss at this time.

In the next few days, more and more corpses were found in the ruins. Like the previous corpses, their belongings had been stripped off. People were angry about the desecration of corpses. The police chief in the dilapidated town An investigation was launched within a short period of time, but no progress was made.

Greystone Town had too many problems to face at this time, and the crime of desecrating a corpse seemed unimportant.

York had thought about telling the Sheriff, but this was about Gami's confession, and as Gami said, York had no evidence to directly prove Gami's crime, not to mention that he could not conclude that the penitent was Gami. Just keep it a secret.

Looking at the sad faces and desecrated corpses, pain grew in York's heart. He knelt in front of the statue, in great pain.

"what should I do?"

York prayed to the statue, but the cold statue received no response.

According to the summary of teachings, confession is absolutely private and involves a person's morality and personal privacy. Priests should not disclose the content of confession. This is a basic ethical principle.

York was caught in an ethical and moral contradiction. He felt pain and confusion about his beliefs and moral responsibilities. On the one hand, he was bound by his own doctrine and on the other hand, he was bound by the iron rule of the law.

"I need to make him repent," York murmured, "I need to convert him."

In such a predicament, the only way York can think of is to warm up Gami, make him realize his mistake, and surrender to the police chief.

York believed that he could succeed, and he also believed that there must be some goodwill left in Gami's heart, otherwise he would not repent to himself, even if he denied it.

"God, please help me."

York said piously.

…

Under the thick darkness, the lights of Greystone Town have long since dissipated, leaving only the lonely streets and the heavy breath on the ruins. The towering cliffs block out all light, making it impossible to see even one's fingers in the darkness.

The drizzle of rain hit the ruins, making a crisp sound, and the atmosphere became more gloomy and desolate.

The ruins were barren of vegetation and devastated. Some abandoned houses collapsed to the ground, exuding a strong smell of decay. Gami bowed in the darkness, silently dragging the corpses, stuffing them under the ruins, and burying them again. .

The truth is almost as the police chief suspected. Gami found these corpses elsewhere, plundered their belongings, and threw them back into the ruins.

But what the Sheriff didn't expect was that the truth was even more cruel.

"sorry Sorry."

Jami whispered while burying it. The darkness covered the face of the corpse, but Jami remembered his face and everyone's face.

As a casino thug, he managed to escape from the underground casino when the disaster occurred, but the wealthy gamblers were not spared. While others were busy rescuing, Gami secretly excavated the buried casino alone. As a shadow place in Greystone Town, most people don't know where the casino is.

To Gami, that sad ruin is a treasure trove waiting to be mined.

"Help me, Gami."

There was a rumble of thunder in the sky, and at the same time, a ghostly voice sounded in Gami's ears.

Gami's movements stopped for a moment, and the body beneath him seemed to come alive, grabbing Gami's hand and praying to him.

The surrounding scene changed, and Gami returned to the excavation of the casino at that time. In the excavated mound, he saw the dying gambler. He begged Gami for kindness, but Gami was beaten by the man beneath him. Attracted by shiny gold coins.

For a moment, Gami did think about saving him.

"You are all a group of scum of society...not to mention, you are already dead."

Looking at the other party's desperate eyes, Gami hypnotized himself while swinging the shovel and smashing his head.

Blinking, the rain brought an icy chill, awakening Jami's gradually collapsing mind. He broke away from his memories. There was no casino in front of him, only a gray ruin.

Gami speeded up the work at hand and dealt with the corpses while no one was paying attention.

Just as Father York guessed, at a certain moment, Gami was indeed overwhelmed by the guilt in his heart. He sought the priest's confession, but in the dark confession room, when Gami realized that once he admitted his crime, he would When he was about to miss out on wealth, Gami hesitated.

He has been wallowing in the mud for too long. Gami is eager to change, but he doesn't know how to change. He realizes with horror that this may be his only chance.

Greed overcame guilt.

"I won't be too greedy," Gami murmured, "I just need to make enough money. I will leave here and go to a new place. I will use this money to start a new life..."

Jia Mi felt a slight pain coming from his armpits. He noticed that tough black feathers were emerging from his skin. They were densely packed and connected together. Jia Mi's mouth became a little convex, and his flesh began to turn black. , hardened and turned into a sharp beak.

"Like a carrion bird."

A ghostly voice sounded behind Gami, and he turned around suddenly. The strange hallucinations in his senses also disappeared, and those illusory feathers and beaks disappeared.

He is still human, but different inside.

Turning around, a blurry outline in the darkness gradually became clearer, and Jami could clearly see the person coming.

It was a young man with a noble and cold appearance, wearing a black suit and a white shirt, with a ruby ​​brooch embedded in his shirt.

The face has deep contours, the skin is as smooth as silk, and the eyes are the same color as the gems on the brooch.

Vibrant crimson.

Jiami's breath stagnated. The other person's existence was so perfect. Jiami concluded that the other person was definitely not a mortal. He was either a god or a devil.

The man walked towards Gami, his movements were slow and quiet, his steps were light and elegant, each step was very rhythmic, as if he was dancing an extremely gorgeous and beautiful dance.

Jami's eyes gradually faded, but soon they gathered together again, and he gripped the shovel vigilantly.

"Stop!"

The man stopped approaching and stood not far away with a smile.

"Who are you?" Gami asked.

"A traveler," the man raised his hands, pointing his palms at Jami, "Don't be nervous, I have no hostility towards you."

He said, looking behind Gami and looking at the half-buried body, "I didn't see anything."

"Traveler?"

Jami's breathing became rapid, and the muscles all over his body tensed, "Are you kidding me that you are traveling to Greystone Town at this time?"

"Huh? To be precise, I am looking for someone, a woman who looks similar to me...Have you seen her?"

The man said and took a few steps forward, trying to let Jia Mi see his eyes clearly, "She has the same pupils as me."

Those were a pair of ruby-like pupils. Even under the shroud of darkness, they still emitted a strange glimmer of light, just like the light passing through crystal glass, flowing with an irresistible fascination.

When looking carefully, Jami seemed to be able to see his own figure reflected in these eyes, as if the whole world was turned upside down by these eyes.

"Her name is Olivia Villeless."

The man continued to ask, "Have you seen her?"

Jami was stunned for a while, and it took a few seconds before his mind came to his senses and he shook his head, "No, not..."

"All right."

The man paid attention to Gami again. He didn't say anything and turned around to leave. The moment he turned around, his dark figure disappeared as if it merged directly with the night.

Jami rubbed his eyes. He could no longer find any trace of the man, as if everything he had just experienced was just an illusion.

This strange encounter did not bother Gami for too long. He continued to be busy with the things under his body, laboriously burying the corpses. These corpses were his key to a new life, and he did not stop for a moment.

When daylight fell again, people found Gami's body buried last night on the ruins that had not yet been cleaned up, and sad cries echoed over the town again.

People are already suffering from the death of the living, and now the desecration of corpses is like a sharp knife, once again opening up the scars that have not yet healed.

The Sheriff was furious and vowed to arrest the bastard, and the townspeople also cursed the man with vicious words.

York stood in the crowd, silently praying for the deceased. When he looked to the side, not far away, York saw Gami again. He still had that cynical look, turning a blind eye to people's sorrow.

"Gami..."

York stepped forward. Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Gami.

"Father, if you want to correct me, you'd better come up with actual evidence." Gami had a smile on his face, and there was madness in his eyes.

York couldn't help but feel sadness on his face. He was witnessing Gami's degradation but could do nothing about it.

"Think about how they felt, think about what you did..."

"Father, are you trying to influence me?" Jami shook his head, "This is too ridiculous."

“I’m showing you God’s favor.”

"Enze?"

Gami suddenly approached York and whispered in his ear, "What can God's favor bring me? Food, or housing? Or a new life?"

“Spiritual abundance.”

"Spiritual? Please, Father, it's hard for me to live. Does spiritual wealth mean anything to me?" Gami laughed at him, "You are too self-righteous."

York was speechless for a moment. He could only say, "I know you did it."

"So what? Where's the evidence?" Gami knew that York was rigid. He was indeed a pious priest, but his mistake was that he was too pious. "Are you going to tell a stranger's confession? Use A stranger’s confession to accuse me?”

York couldn't say anything. As Gami said, he was too kind and pious, so he was restrained in every way.

Seeing York's appearance, Gami smiled and promised.

"Don't worry, Father, I'll be out of here sooner or later."

Jami said and turned around to leave. Looking at his back, York felt pain that he had never felt before.

York always believed that as a clergyman, he could not reveal anyone's confessional secrets because it would violate his faith and professional ethics.

Deep down, however, York knew that this sinner must face the consequences of his crimes and bear legal responsibility. He knew that if he did not inform the authorities of the criminal's crime, he would be allowing the criminal to escape justice.

The two conflicts almost tore York's spirit apart, and he said to his back.

"I need your confession, Gami."

Jami didn't look back, as if he hadn't heard.

When night fell again, Gami picked up the shovel and started his work again.

The drizzle of rain kept falling in the dark night. They washed away the dust on the ruins, as well as the dirt and blood stains on the corpses. After many times, Gami was already familiar with the process. He waved the shovel repeatedly, and soon it was Another body was dug out of the pit.

After a month of continuous work, he had almost cleaned up the corpses in the underground casino, but the piled up corpses were still a little difficult to deal with.

Forget it, this has nothing to do with Jami, he just needs these people's money, strips off their jewelry and property, and then throws the bodies aside, Jami is like a carrion bird, eating away at their remaining wealth.

The rain poured over him, and the cold and humid air poured into his lungs. During the monotonous work, Jia Mi thought about his future. He wanted to go to Fengyuan Highlands to take a look. It is said that the environment there is great and it is very suitable for starting a new life. new life……

Ruby-like eyes broke into Jami's imagination. In the past few days, he would always think of that mysterious man, that ghost-like guy. The man brought Jami a very special feeling, which made Jami carefully. Even if he tried to describe it, he couldn't come up with a result.

It just keeps lingering in my mind like a lingering sound.

Slight footsteps came from the rain and darkness. Gami turned his head warily. He guessed it was that man. For some reason, Gami was looking forward to seeing that man again.

But when he turned around, what he saw was a golden cross shining in the dark.

York held a kerosene lamp and looked at Gami digging the grave. He said sadly, "I got the evidence. Gami, is there anything else you want to say?"

Gami has no heart to repent, and York is bound by doctrine. In the conflict, he only thinks of this method. He wants to catch Gami personally, listen to his confession, and bring him to the Sheriff.

Seeing York, Gami froze on the spot. His awe for divine power made him unable to hold the shovel in his hand.

"God...Father."

Gami's voice was filled with panic, much to York's satisfaction.

"Do you have anything else to defend? Gami." York strode towards Gami as if he had won.

Gami showed a look of remorse, which made York even more happy. Before York could take the initiative to speak, Gami said it himself.

"I confess to you, Father."

Jami took the initiative to kneel down, liquid streaked across his face, he didn't know if it was tears or rain.

"You are indeed a devout priest. Until now, you have still kept secrets for me," Gami murmured. "But your piety is sometimes too extreme... so extreme that it makes people feel ridiculous."

Just when York didn't understand why Gami said this, Gami had realized that York was the only one coming. He suddenly picked up the shovel and swept it across York's ankle.

Under the severe pain, York fell directly into the mud. At the same time, Gami quickly stood up, swung the shovel, and repeatedly hit York's head. The pain soon swallowed up York's reason, and there was only blood in front of his eyes.

Once, twice!

York's screams were masked by thunder, and the blood sprinkled on Gami's face was washed away by the rain. When Gami exhausted all his strength, he stopped waving, and York under him was already bloody and dying. Only the cross on the chest was left, still golden.

"You're too religious, Father, and sometimes that's not a good thing."

Gami laughed at York and kicked him into the deep hole he had just dug.

Severe pain and chill were wrapping around York little by little. He felt handful after handful of soil covering his body, and the increasing weight was about to crush his bones.

"It's okay, Father, your sacrifice will be the beginning of my new life."

"They will find you. It may take a few days or months. Anyway, I will have left by then."

"Thank you for your kindness, Father."

Gami's voice gradually became weaker, and York knew that the soil was completely burying him. When he couldn't hear anything, absolute silence filled his mind.

At the end of his life, York couldn't help crying. He didn't know why he was crying. It might be his kindness, his ridiculous piety, or it might be nothing at all.

In despair, York did not see the angels who came to the world, nor the warm kingdom of God, but only coldness and numbness, and a scarlet color gradually emerged in the absolute darkness.

Like a hallucination, York saw a man emerging from the darkness. He had a pair of charming ruby ​​eyes.

In the world after death, there is no heaven opening its door to you, only evil that is pressing every step of the way.