Noriko's breathing grew heavier. Shogo's medicine didn't seem to be having much effect. It was close to 2 p.m. All of a sudden Noriko's cheeks appeared sunk in. Shuya used up a water bottle to moisten Noriko's handkerchief, and wiped her sweaty face, and then placed it on her forehead. Noriko kept her eyes closed, but nodded as if to thank him.
Shuya looked back at Shogo. Shogo remained in the same position, leaning against a tree all this time, smoking with his legs crossed. His right hand gently touched the grip of the Remington shotgun resting in his lap.
"Shogo."
"What?"
"Let's go."
Shogo raised his brows. "Where?"
Shuya's lips tightened. "I can't stand it anymore." He pointed to Noriko. "She's getting worse every second."
Shogo glanced at Noriko, who was lying down with her eyes closed. "If it's from septicemia, warming her up and letting her rest won't cure her."
Shuya did his best to restrain his impatience. "According to the map, there's a medical clinic on the island. We might be able to find some better medicine for her there, right? It's way north of the residential area, and it's not in any of the forbidden zones."
"Oh yeah." Shogo exhaled smoke from the corner of his mouth. "That's true."
"Let's go there."
Shogo tilted his head. He took another drag and then rubbed out the cigarette. "That facility is at least one and a half kilometers away. It's too dangerous to go there now. We have to wait until dark." Shuya clenched his teeth. "We can't wait until dark. What if that area becomes a forbidden zone?" Shogo didn't reply.
"Hey," Shuya said. He wasn't sure whether it was from impatience or the mere thought of having to risk falling out with Shogo, but he was beginning to stutter a little. He had to say it though. "I-I won't say you're trying to get us killed. But why are you so afraid of taking any risks? Your life that precious?" Shuya looked him in the eye. Shogo didn't change his calm expression.
"Shuya…"
Shuya heard Noriko's voice behind him and turned around. Noriko had her head turned toward him. The handkerchief on her forehead was lying on the ground.
"Stop it. We won't make it without Shogo," she managed to say in between heavy breaths.
"Noriko." Shuya shook his head. "Don't you see how weak you're getting? You can't die before we can make it out of here." Shuya turned to Shogo again. "If you say you're not coming, I'll take Noriko with me on my own. You can forget about our deal. You're on your own." That was his parting remark as he got ready to get their bags.
"Hold on," Shogo said. He slowly got up, approached Noriko, and checked the pulse of her right wrist. It was what he did every twenty minutes. He rubbed his increasingly stubbly chin again and looked at them. "You won't know what medicine to use." He tilted his head slightly, looked at Shuya, and said, "All right. I'm coming with you."
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