Miho the Killer
Chapter 63: Intruders

Chapter 63: Intruders

As I opened my eyes, I saw Miho’s face. Concerned.

Noticing that I was awake again, she leaned down a little, bringing her face closer to mine. Strains of her hair draped down and tickled my cheek.

"Are you alright?"

She asked me in her gentle, husky, yet soothing voice.

I was a little disoriented and couldn’t exactly remember what happened immediately before, but I sure was happy to see her the first thing I woke up.

"What happened?" I asked her, confused.

"You had a sudden seizure. Doctors couldn’t really tell what caused it, but they say the medication they gave you should help. Do you feel better now?"

"I suppose... Thank you... Miho."

"Sigh... I’m glad you are OK now. I was worried about you."

"I’m sorry."

"I shouldn’t have thrown you that thing. I didn’t think things through."

"What thing-"

Then my memory came back - holding Kwon’s vertebra, possibly a neck bone by the size of it. Although I watched him die, I never ever had physical contact with him while he was alive. Touching him, or even worse, having him in my hand brought an intimate connection to his death, the death that I caused.

My body started to shake again and Miho unexpectedly kissed my forehead and stroked my head.

"Sh... it’s OK."

It was all so sudden but it didn’t shock me, rather, it comforted me like a kiss from a mother to a wounded child.

Miho then laid next to me and hugged me. Just as I’d been doing while she was asleep during her recovery. The warmth of her body, the cotton fabric of her patient’s wear that rubbed against my skin, her uncombed hair spreading onto my bare neck, throat, and then onto my chest - I felt fully engulfed.

We laid like that a very long time. The sun has gone down and the outside has become dark, and without turning on the light the room also became colorless except for the hint of red on Miho’s lips.

I was still oscillating between the tangible memory of Kwon and the calmness of Miho’s world. I wish I could be torn apart, leave my one half behind, and move on with the other half, but it was impossible. It was just as what I realized in one of my sessions with Dr. Yang - that I must live on with the burdens of my own actions, the consequences, the guilt, the cross that I will nail myself onto once I reach the peak of my uphill life.

I drifted in and out of sleep, and so did Miho. At one moment our eyes met and we both giggled like little girls. In other moments I watched her sleep, and in yet another moment I was sure she watched me sleep too. After what felt like endless cycles of hide and seek while hugging each other, I heard the door open.

I was immediately alarmed and feared that it might be Shin. He did warn me that I shouldn’t be here when he comes back. If he saw me now, tangled up with Miho - what would he do?

Before I could even confirm who it was, I was nervously shaking Miho awake, whispering into her ear.

"Miho-, Miho-, wake up."

"Mm-hm, what is it?" Luckily she woke up almost instantly, and that is when I realized that we were in trouble as a looming figure emerged from the shadow created by a slightly open door and launched itself onto us, and in a split second, I saw the moonlight reflect on a blade.

"MIHO!!!"

Then like a lightening, Miho rolled off the bed, ducked, propelled herself upward with the spring of her knees, and landed what seemed like a jaw-crunching uppercut to the mysterious figure’s chin. The man - I assumed - promptly fell to the ground.

But it wasn’t over. Two more shadowy figures entered the room, and my eyes - by now adjusted to the darkness - saw both of them holding knives. Those weren’t short blades, or kitchen knives, but seemed more like short swords that were at least the length of a forearm.

My feline heroine was quick.

With incredible reflex and flexibility, she dodged one man slashing down with his weapon with a spin, grabbed his sword-holding wrist, and smashed his elbow inward with her own. I heard a loud crack and the masked intruder didn’t even get the chance to scream as Miho’s punch on the jugular cut his breath - another one down.

The third shadow seemed to be taking a step back, but the awakened predator wasn’t going to stop now. She whacked the attacker’s left knee from the side and just as he winced and lost balance, Miho got right behind and put a headlock on him. He did not last long either and fell limp onto the ground.

"Are you OK, Sohee?"

She then came running, kneeling next to me to see if I was alright.

All I did was lie down paralyzed with fear... why is she even asking if I was OK?

"I suppose you didn’t need my help after all."

A sudden voice from the corner of the room - near the window - boomed and Miho instinctively turned and dashed toward it, but I heard a short but sharp thump and more blunt sound of Miho falling to the ground.

"NOOO!"

"Keep it down, please."

The last attacker then walked toward the window and I could finally see who it was from the faint light that came in.

"Sh...Shin?"

"It’s Mr. Shin for you, young lady."

"What did you do to Miho?!"

"She’s just sleeping. She will come around shortly."

"You’ve been here all this time?!"

"Well, it was pretty boring sitting around for hours. But Miho put on a worthy show."

"You... set us up? Who are these guys?"

"Just some small fish who came after Miho. I think."

"You knew they were coming."

"And you weren’t supposed to be here."

"Screw you."

"Don’t be rude."

Then there was a rustle as Miho slowly got up from the ground.

"Eh? Uncle? What are you doing here?"

"How are you feeling, Miho?"

"I don’t know. I’m very confused..."

"It’s time to check out. Let’s go."

With that, Shin took off his overcoat and put it around Miho.

"Thanks. Are we really going home?"

The innocent girl sounded excited.

"Yes."

I wasn’t sure what to do, but when Miho came over and helped me up, the choice was already made for me.

"Let’s go together, Sohee."

I just couldn’t resist her smile.