CHAPTER 38: RULE NUMBER FOUR

Riku drove the SUV as far from the convenience store they raided. And when he looked at the digital rear-view mirror, he saw them still running to catch up to them but it was futile.

They won’t be able to as he was already cruising speed. Still, it was a close call.

"Well at least we got the supplies we need," Riku said, chuckling to ease the tension that they experienced just now.

"I’m sorry Riku..." Miko’s voice was low, shaky, her hands clutching the seatbelt across her chest.

Riku glanced at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road. His grip on the wheel eased a little, but his tone stayed firm.

"You remembered the rule in the end. That’s what matters." He exhaled, forcing a small chuckle. "And besides, you kept your head when it counted. You went in and out, didn’t you?"

Miko nodded slowly, though guilt still clouded her face. "But what if I messed up? What if I got you killed?"

"You didn’t," Riku cut her off flatly. His eyes flicked back to the mirror one more time before focusing forward. The horde was long behind them now, only specks fading in the distance. "Miko, listen. Out here, regret will eat you faster than those things. You followed through. That’s what I needed from you."

The SUV’s suspension jolted as they rolled over a cracked section of road. The supplies rattled in the back—canned goods, bottled water, first aid kits, and a few other things Miko had managed to haul in those frantic minutes.

For the first time since leaving, Miko glanced behind them at the pile of supplies. A shaky smile tugged at her lips. "I guess I did alright..."

"You did more than alright." Riku allowed himself a grin. "We’ve got enough to last days now. That means less running around for a while—."

Something massive slammed into the SUV’s side with a thunderous crash. The entire vehicle lurched violently, tires screeching as metal shrieked against asphalt. Riku yanked the wheel, but it was useless—the SUV rolled.

The world spun into chaos. Glass exploded, supplies scattered, and the air filled with Miko’s sharp gasp before her voice cut out. The vehicle flipped twice before skidding to a crushing halt on its roof.

Riku’s head slammed against the frame, white sparks dancing across his vision. For a moment, the world was nothing but ringing silence and blood trickling down his forehead.

Then—groaning metal, the smell of diesel, and the sick realization: the SUV was done.

"Miko—!" he rasped, twisting toward the passenger seat. She was slumped against the deployed airbag, unconscious, blood streaking down from a cut on her forehead. Relief flickered—she was breathing.

Riku clawed his way out through the shattered driver-side window, boots crunching against broken glass. His body ached, but his hands still found the Glock at his hip, his M4 slung over his back. Instinct kept him moving.

And then he saw it.

The thing that hit them.

It stood in the middle of the road, chest heaving, shoulders hunched like a beast that had never been human. Its arms were grotesquely swollen, muscle tearing through mottled skin, each fist the size of a cinder block. Its legs, smaller in proportion, twitched and flexed under the bulk of its upper body, but still could support its enormous weight.

Its face was warped, jaw jutting forward, eyes sunken and glowing with a hunger beyond reason.

Recognition struck him cold.

"...No way." His voice was barely a whisper. "A Juggernaut..."

It was just like the mutated special infected from Left 4 Dead. A nightmare given flesh. And if this existed already, then so did others.

Riku’s gut twisted. No wonder the world fell so fast. If monsters like this roamed the streets, ordinary soldiers never stood a chance.

The Juggernaut bellowed, a thunderous roar that shook the broken windows around them. It pounded its massive fists into the cracked pavement, and then its clawed hand tore a chunk of rubble from the road as if it weighed nothing.

Riku’s eyes widened. "Shit—"

The Juggernaut hurled the slab of concrete straight at him. The projectile screamed through the air like a cannonball. Riku dove behind the shell of an abandoned sedan, hitting the ground hard, just as the rubble smashed into the car.

BOOM!

The frame detonated in a spray of shrapnel. Metal twisted, glass shattered, the roof caved inward. The entire vehicle groaned and collapsed on its side. If he had been a second slower, he would have been pulp under the wreckage.

Dust and smoke billowed, stinging his eyes. Riku coughed, pressing his back against the shredded husk of the car.

"So that’s what hit us huh?" Riku muttered under his breath.

And as if to make the situation worse, zombies from alleys, stores, and everywhere they can squirt out were heading towards him. He looked at the downed SUV where Miko lay unconscious.

He remembered the rule he set for them. Rule number 4. Never to throw your life away for someone else. No matter how desperate the situation looks. you can help without putting yourself in danger, do it. But if it’s a choice between dying and living, you choose to live. Every time.

And this is one of the circumstances where he couldn’t get Miko out.

He clicked his tongue. He knew if he were to get her out with her unconscious, they wouldn’t be able to survive due the sheer number of zombies approaching plus the Juggernaut. There was no way he could drag her out of the wreck.

His jaw clenched. Damn it.

He looked at Miko’s unconscious figure slumped inside. "Better me than you."

He knew what had to be done.

He vaulted out from cover and fired three rapid bursts into the closest pack of regular zombies. Their heads snapped back, blood spraying as their bodies collapsed in a chain reaction. He shouted at the top of his lungs, voice cutting through the chaos.

"HEY! OVER HERE, YOU BASTARDS!"

Dozens of heads swiveled instantly, their snarls rising in unison. The horde surged toward him like a tidal wave, leaving the SUV and its unconscious passenger behind.

The Juggernaut’s roar drowned out the lesser dead. It charged, its colossal fists pounding the ground with terrifying force. Riku didn’t wait—he sprinted into a narrow alley.