When Hael saw his brother, the serious expression that always adorned his face broke for a moment. Without saying a word, he turned on his heel and ran upstairs, evidently to warn the others. Elion pushed the door open wide and motioned to the rest of them.
—Come in, quickly.
One by one, they all went inside. The shelter was an old three-story house, worn but solid. The windows were reinforced with planks and the lights were dim, powered by what looked like a small generator.
Shortly after, hurried footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. Althea appeared first, with the puppy Max in her arms. Her eyes lit up when she recognized the people who had just entered. Stella also came down, although with more difficulty, holding onto the handrail as she descended carefully.
As soon as they saw Elion, the two of them—especially Stella, with a raised eyebrow—began to scold him.
—Do you think it's normal to take so long to come back? —Stella complained, her tone somewhere between relieved and annoyed.
—You had us worried, idiot —added Hael, who was coming back behind the girls, arms crossed.
Elion raised his hands apologetically.
—I ran into some other people, I couldn't just leave them. Besides, we needed more hands... and some luck.
At that moment, Althea and Reize's eyes met. The girl's eyes immediately lit up.
—It's you!
—Althea... —Reize whispered when she recognized her.
Without holding back, Althea put Max down on the ground and ran toward her. Reize greeted her with a big smile and hugged her tightly.
—I can't believe it... —Althea whispered—. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. It's amazing that you're all right.
There was a flurry of questions exchanged between them all: how they had arrived, where they had been, what had happened since they last saw each other. Their voices filled the space with a warmth they hadn't felt in a long time.
When Althea finished hugging Reize, her eyes quickly scanned the new arrivals until they settled on Arika. Her face lit up again, and without thinking, she quickly approached her.
—You're the other girl from the café, aren't you? —she exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and relief.
Arika, despite the obvious fatigue in her expression, smiled sincerely.
—That's right... I'm glad to see you again, Althea —she murmured warmly.
But Althea's joy turned to concern when she noticed the visible wounds on Arika's body. Her gaze darkened and, with a slight tremor, she asked:
—What happened to you? ... You're hurt.
Before Arika could respond, Koen, attentive, intervened in a firm voice:
—I don't want to interrupt the moment, but... Is there anywhere free where I can treat her and where she can rest?
Elion, who had been watching the scene, nodded immediately.
—There's an empty room on the third floor, you could use it.
However, before they moved, Stella—in her calm but determined tone—spoke from the back:
—In Arika's condition... she won't be able to go up to the third floor. It will be difficult for her. —she looked at Elion and then at Koen, her voice firm—. Let her stay in my room. It's on the second floor, on the right. She'll be better off there.
Koen nodded gratefully.
—Thank you... That will work.
Without wasting any more time, he and Reize helped Arika move carefully, while Althea followed them with her gaze, still visibly concerned.
Carefully, Koen helped Arika up the stairs to the second floor, guiding her to the room Stella had indicated. Reize accompanied them silently, attentive to anything they might need. When they arrived, Koen gently pushed the door open and they entered.
Koen helped Arika sit on the edge of the bed.
—Sit down calmly —he said softly, setting his backpack aside.
Arika settled down, letting out a slight sigh from the pain in her leg.
—I'm fine... It's not as bad as it looks —she tried to downplay it, although her expression gave her away.
Koen looked at her sideways, with that mixture of patience and stubbornness that always came out when he was worried. Without answering her, he opened his backpack and took out some clean bandages, alcohol, and other supplies they had managed to get on their travels.
—I'm going to check the wound on your leg first... —he said as he knelt in front of her.
Arika nodded silently. Reize, who was nearby, handed him a small bottle of water.
—Have some. It'll do you good while Koen takes care of this —she said with a slight smile.
Koen carefully removed the makeshift bandage from Arika's leg. His brow furrowed when he saw the depth of the cut.
—Because you pushed yourself so hard to walk, the wound has gotten worse... —he muttered, more to himself than to her.
—We had no choice, we couldn't stop —Arika replied, a hint of exhaustion in her voice.
—I know —he said, without reproach—. I'll start treating it... it will hurt a little, try to bear with it.
Arika nodded without protest. Then Koen gently cleaned the wound with a little alcohol. Arika grimaced in pain but didn't complain. Afterwards, he applied an ointment they had found in a pharmacy a few days earlier and began to bandage her leg tightly, making sure the bandage was snug but not cutting off circulation.
When he finished with her leg, he stood up and moved on to her arm.
—This too... —he whispered.
Carefully, Koen removed the bandage from Arika's arm. The cloth was stained with blood, showing that the wound had reopened slightly during the fight. His gaze hardened a little, but he said nothing. With the same patience as before, he cleaned the area and applied more ointment before wrapping her arm with a clean bandage.
Once finished, he let out a sigh and looked her straight in the eyes.
—All done. She should be more stable for now.
Arika looked at him with a slight, tired smile.
—I feel better, thank you... At least you bandage better than Reize —she joked, with a spark of humor.
Reize snorted, crossing her arms.
—Hey... I'm not that bad. I just haven't had much practice.
Koen smiled slightly and shook his head. Then he gently helped Arika settle onto the bed, allowing her to lie down comfortably.
—Get some rest. You need it —he said, lowering his voice.
—Thank you... —she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment.
Reize watched the scene from nearby. He crossed his arms, exchanging a glance with Koen.
—Come on, let's let her sleep —he suggested quietly.
Koen nodded. With calm movements, they both gathered their things and left the room. Before closing the door, Koen took one last look at Arika, making sure she was comfortable.
The two went downstairs, leaving Arika alone to rest and regain some strength.
Downstairs, the others had already gathered. The conversation slowly resumed as they waited for what would come next.
On the ground floor, the atmosphere felt a little warmer despite the circumstances. Althea was sitting next to Reize, asking rapid-fire questions as if trying to make up for lost time. Ethan, meanwhile, was silently checking his equipment, while Elion explained to Hael what had happened outside.
When Koen and Reize came downstairs, everyone looked up.
—How is he? —Ethan asked quietly.
—He's resting. His wounds are under control for now —Koen replied, his tone calm but tired.
—Thank goodness... —said Stella from a nearby armchair, with Max lying at her feet. Although her face showed fatigue, she looked relieved.
Hael crossed his arms, his suspicious gaze resting on Koen for a few seconds, but he said nothing.
Elion, trying to lighten the mood, spoke up:
—Well, at least we're all here... That's a miracle in itself.
—Yes —Reize nodded, exhaling as if she could finally relax—. And this time we're not going to be separated so easily.
Althea stood up abruptly.
—So what now? Are we going to stay here for a while? Or is there a plan?
Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
—First, we should all regain our strength... especially Arika. Then we'll see what's next. We can't stay in one place for too long, you know that.
Koen, standing by the wall, just nodded silently. For now, all that mattered was that they had survived another day and that Arika was safe.
In the middle of the conversation, Max approached Althea, resting his head on her leg. She gently stroked his back, smiling slightly.
Despite everything, and after so much, there was a little peace.