CHAPTER 43: STILL ALIVE

Riku’s eyes fluttered open when he noticed the color of the sunlight streaming through the pane glass. It was turning orange, and there was an analog clock mounted on the wall and checked the time.

"Five-thirty," Riku read the hands of the clock. So it’s almost night time huh?

He stirred slightly, and that’s when he felt it. Something soft, warm, pressed against his left shoulder. He tilted his head and found Miko. Her face rested against him, strands of pink hair brushing his neck. More surprising was the way her arms had snaked around his side at some point, clutching him tightly like a lifeline.

Riku blinked. For someone who had been unconscious just hours ago, this was a good sign. She wasn’t in some dead faint anymore. She had shifted on her own, clung to him like she knew somewhere deep inside that he was the only haven left in this nightmare.

A sigh escaped him. Relief.

He gently gave her shoulder a small shake. "Miko. Hey, wake up."

She stirred, her brow furrowing before her eyelids fluttered. Slowly, she blinked up at him, her eyes glazed at first, then sharpening as recognition dawned.

"...Riku-san?" Her voice was faint, scratchy.

"Yeah," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He raised a hand, brushing back strands of hair matted with sweat and dirt. His palm lingered against her cheek, the warmth of her skin grounding him.

"You’re alive. You had me worried for a while."

She leaned into his touch instinctively, her lips parting as if to say more, but words failed her. Instead, she closed her eyes again briefly, her face softening against his hand.

Riku exhaled, his thumb brushing along her cheekbone. "Good. That’s all I need to know. You’re still here...wait seriously you are going back to sleep again?"

"Not okay?" she replied in mumble.

"I’m not saying it’s not okay but we have things to do. One of which is updating Suzune and the others."

As Riku said that, he grabbed his walkie-talkie and then reached out to Suzune.

"This is Riku, does anyone hear me?"

The walkie-talkie crackled with static, a harsh hiss that made both of them tense. For a few seconds, nothing but white noise filled the bookstore. Then, finally, a familiar voice broke through.

"Riku? This is Suzune. We hear you." Her tone was sharp at first, but it softened a little at the sound of his voice. "Are you safe? Did you get the supplies?"

Riku exhaled in relief. "Yeah. We ran into trouble. Heavy trouble, but we managed. Looks like we are not going to be able to return there promptly."

"Why what happened?" Suzune asked.

"We got attacked by something. Our vehicle was destroyed and Miko was injured. But she’s safe now, she’s with me. We just have to rest and once we think we can go, we will go and head there immediately."

"I see...we are worried about you two. Please be safe, we are waiting on you, Hana is waiting."

"How is my little sister?" Riku asked.

"She’s sleeping peacefully," Suzune answered and continued. "Good thing nothing seriously happened to you two. We can take care of ourselves since there’s still plenty of food left."

"Okay, I’m counting on you to watch them, I’ll be updating you later. Good bye."

"Take care, Riku," Suzune said before ending the transmission.

Riku stowed the walkie-talkie before patting Miko gently on the shoulder. "Hey, Miko. I need to ask you something."

Her eyes fluttered halfway open again, still heavy with exhaustion. "What... is it?" she whispered.

"Do you feel pain anywhere in your body?" Riku asked, his tone steady but edged with concern. "Any sharp aches, broken bones, or anything you can’t move?"

Miko blinked slowly, gathering herself. Her lips moved faintly before words came. "My... head throbs. Like it’s pounding. But... manageable. Other than that, I’m fine."

Relief spread across Riku’s chest like a wave. He exhaled, tension loosening from his shoulders. "Good. That’s good." He ran his hand softly across her cheek, brushing away strands of hair that clung to her sweat. "You scared the hell out of me. Don’t ever do that again."

A faint smile tugged at her lips, even through the pain. "I... don’t think I had much choice."

Riku huffed out a dry chuckle. "Fair enough."

Her expression shifted, the faint smile fading into a puzzled frown. "What... happened? I remember... we were in the SUV. Then... something hit us. Everything spun, and then... I woke up here, with you."

"We got attacked," he said simply. "Not by the regular kind either. A special infected. A Juggernaut. Huge thing—arms like tree trunks, body built like a wall. It was the one that flipped the SUV by throwing a rubble at us."

Miko’s eyes widened faintly, her grip tightening weakly on his sleeve. "A Juggernaut?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. "But it’s gone now. I took care of it."

Silence lingered for a beat. Then Miko blinked at him, her lips parting slightly as if searching for words. Finally, her voice came.

...You’re really... dependable, Riku-san. Strong. Like nothing can stop you."

Riku shook his head, though her words warmed something deep in his chest. "Don’t make me out to be more than I am. I just did what I had to."

But Miko only closed her eyes briefly, her hand still clutching his sleeve as though anchoring herself to him.

"...Still. I feel safe... because you’re here. You’ve been saving us ever since...the apocalypse started."

Riku could feel his arms being wedged between her bosom, and it felt soft. And when he glanced at it, something stirred in him.

"Shit..."

Riku pulled his arms and rose to his feet.

"Miko, we are not going to stay here for long. We’ll have to leave eventually but I’m not going to force you if you can’t. And if that’s the case I might consider staying here for the night."

Miko tried to stand up, one hand bracing against the wall, but her knees buckled almost instantly. Riku stepped forward, catching her before she could fall.

"Easy," he said firmly, steadying her by the shoulders. "You’re still weak. Don’t force it."

"I can..." she muttered, though her voice lacked conviction. She gritted her teeth, trying to straighten, but her legs trembled like a fawn’s.

Riku shook his head. "Don’t be stubborn. You’ll just tear yourself down more." He guided her back down to sit against the wall. "Tell me the truth—does it feel like your body can move properly, or not?"

Miko let out a soft breath, shoulders slumping. "...Not really. My legs feel heavy. My head... still hurts."

Riku crouched in front of her, meeting her eyes. "Okay, I’m getting concerned about your head injury. I just hope it’s not serious, still we need to find a doctor that can check you up..."

"A doctor? It’s impossible...this time..."

And she was right. They can’t just go to the hospital and get checked up by a doctor. However...there is another way.

He leveled up earlier and he has ten new skill points. He could allocate it to medical skills on his stats.

"Okay...I’m going to do just that," Riku said to himself.