I threw the pills into my mouth. Yes, I have to die. This is my fate. It's the fate of my old friend too.
_______: "Stop calling me your friend. Even if we're going to die, don't address me by any name in your final moments."
I sighed, thinking, You already read my thoughts anyway. Even if I don't call out to you, you'll hear it whenever you want.
_______: "Then stop thinking."
Just then, we heard a few laughs from behind.
_______: "..."
I started crying. I wasn't going to die again. They were going to take me to a hospital.
_______: "Sorry, but these are soldiers. Not civilians or doctors."
I sighed again, What were soldiers doing here? At a place like this beach? That meant I was dead. They wouldn't even bother to take me to a hospital. My stomach needed to be cleaned urgently. Whatever, I thought. This is what I wanted. I fell asleep due to the effects of the medication.
---
Colonel Kaito had noticed the old man lying on the ground even before the Kuragari had. Before Major Kuragari could say a word, he shouted to everyone:
"THERE'S A DAMN OLD MAN LYING THERE! SOLDIERS, CHECK HIS PULSE IMMEDIATELY!"
Kuragari ran to him and checked his pulse.
"HE'S ALIVE, COLONEL!"
Everyone was shocked. How could someone like that be alive? Who was this old man? How had he survived after the Collapse?
"Plans have changed, guys. We're taking this man to the shelter. Wrap him in a radiation-proof tarp."
Just then, the man murmured something.
"Please... my stomach—"
This was an unexpected development. Then Kuragari noticed the drug (pill) packages on the ground.
"I understand what he meant, Colonel," she said, pointing to the ground. The colonel let out a shocked laugh and shouted:
"What the hell was this old man trying to do here in this godforsaken city with those drugs?"
Maybe he tried to commit suicide from the loneliness, but one thing was clear — the real mystery was how this man had survived the radiation. They had to take him to the research division immediately. Maybe he was the key to saving Japan, even humanity. Surviving for six months like this was impossible. Even if the place had been abandoned, it needed to be investigated. His clothes were work uniforms after all.
Wait... this man looks really familiar, he thought, starting to panic.
---
The team arrived at the shelter and took the man straight to the hospital section. This was on the third floor. They used the space next to the artificial farm for healthcare. First, they gave the man first aid, then they pumped his stomach. Then came the radiation test...
"This is nonsense. First of all, the man is wearing work uniforms. It's clear he's been living outside for six months. He has cuts all over his body. There are severe burn marks on his right hand. Dried blood stains in his mouth. Despite all this, the man shows no signs of radiation exposure. The result is... this man has full immunity to radiation."
said Doctor Baku.
Everyone was shocked. This man was the only person who could survive outside. Everyone wanted to begin experiments on him. The meeting ended there, but the colonel had a frozen face, holding back tears — because that man was his father.
---
10 hours later:
The middle-aged man — that is, me — opened my eyes. This place looked like a hospital. The ceiling was white, but I could tell I didn't recognize it. Looking to my left and right, I thought this place resembled a submarine.
A female doctor approached me and asked how I was feeling. I ignored her, but the thing I feared had happened. My dear old friend was gone again…
To Be Continued...