Inside the red-lit ambulance, Ran lies on a stretcher, awake but clearly weak. Her left arm ends in a bandaged stump, and her right wrist is cuffed to the stretcher rail. Two EMTs sit nearby, their faces partially obscured in shadow. Despite her condition, Ran has a faint, sardonic smile as she looks at one of them. Medical monitors glow softly in the background. An ambulance speeds into the trauma center’s ambulance bay at night, its red lights flashing and a motion blur trailing behind it. The brightly lit hospital building looms above, with glowing red signs reading “TRAUMA CENTER” and “AMBULANCE.” A speech balloon from inside the vehicle adds a sarcastic remark, indicating the patient is still conscious despite the urgency.

Panel 1 Inside the red-lit ambulance, Ran lies on a stretcher, awake but clearly weak. Her left arm ends in a bandaged stump, and her right wrist is cuffed to the stretcher rail. Two EMTs sit nearby, their faces partially obscured in shadow. Despite her condition, Ran has a faint, sardonic smile as she looks at one of them. Medical monitors glow softly in the background. Panel 2 An ambulance speeds into the trauma center’s ambulance bay at night, its red lights flashing and a motion blur trailing behind it. The brightly lit hospital building looms above, with glowing red signs reading “TRAUMA CENTER” and “AMBULANCE.” A speech balloon from inside the vehicle adds a sarcastic remark, indicating the patient is still conscious despite the urgency.

Transcript

Panel 1
EMT 1: Miss Kimura, you’ve lost a lot of blood. We’re en route to the hospital. Try to relax.
EMT 1 (cont'd): The cops had you restrained. They wanna ask you some questions when you’re up to it.
Ran: Looks like they only needed half of the restraints.
EMT 1: Yeah, you’re definitely not making a run for it.
Ran: Am I at my limit for pain meds yet?
EMT 2: Yes, we’re at the limit. But I’ll keep an eye on you.

Panel 2
Ran: Push some more. What’s the worst they’re gonna do? Arrest me twice?

Dead shall rise – Chapter 2 page 2
Posted on June 23, 2025 by Maho Noir

Ran’s not one for vulnerability. Even strapped to a gurney with a fresh stump where her arm used to be, she’s cracking jokes-- and not the kind EMTs usually hear from someone actively dying.

This page slows things down just enough to let the weight hit. The restraints. The pain med limits. The casual mention of cops already waiting. It’s not just blood Ran’s losing-- it’s control.

But instead of panicking, she deflects with sarcasm. It’s her armor. And in this case, it’s all she has left.

The line about being arrested twice? That’s vintage Ran-- equal parts exhaustion and gallows wit. It’s not a laugh line. It’s a reminder that even when the world’s burning, she’s not done giving it the finger.

Next page, we check in on who’s still in her corner.