Seeing that Jungkook couldn't keep me from going on more runs and our continued mapping of the area surrounding the prison, he usually insisted on joining. We started the summer at ease with a plentiful stock of food and supplies, spending our days making sure the fence was clear of the undead and lulling about the prison.

Jin was the first to notice that something was changing, able to feel it as he worked in the garden more than anyone. He reported back to the group on an evening in mid-July, the deep line between his brows a sign of concern. "There isn't much moisture in the soil. I think we might be heading toward a drought."

Namjoon lifted his head from the medical textbook he was reading, closing it with a thud as he stood. "Alright everyone, you heard Jin. I've noticed that the creek has been a little low too and it's been three weeks without rain. You remember how dire things can get without water, so we need to jump into rationing and come up with a plan to look for more water sources." His voice showed urgency but was absent of worry.

Hobi pinpointed areas that he guessed would have streams or creeks for us to gather water, but as we ventured further from the prison, we found that any water sources were quickly drying, the closest we got to any water over the next couple of weeks a pile of mud left at the bottom of a creek.

Every run we went on was a disappointment as we exhausted ourselves trying to find water, all while draining our supply. I watched as Jin's face started to show fear as he poured tiny cups of water from the few jugs we still had, and Namjoon and Yoongi had more hushed conversations, whispers of alarm between them. We lost any positivity with every disappointment and last drop of a drink, our moods starting to change, more irritable with the heat and desperate for change.

"We should try to check this area." Hobi shrugged, the most weary of us all as he went out on every scavenge. He pointed out the last area on the map to explore, just over twenty miles away.

Namjoon rubbed at his chin, shaking his head. "It's too far in this heat, especially since we ran out of gas. We'd all be risking dehydration if we go." He responded, considering the group's health.

"I'll go, it'll only get worse if we continue like this. There's enough gas in one of the bike's to get me about twenty miles. I'll ride for ten and walk the rest so I can get back with the other half." Jungkook stepped in.

"Okay, Jungkook and I will go." Hobi nodded, refolding the map.

I cleared my throat. "Let me go instead, Hobi. You've already been out there too much." I reminded everyone.

"Absolutely not." Jungkook chimed in immediately.

"None of your crap right now. I know everyone has been giving the two of us the most water anyway." I was always attuned to the way the rest of the group showed favoritism toward him as the youngest and me as the only woman. "Plus, I'm less likely to get dehydrated as a woman."

Namjoon chuckled at my scientific defense, Jungkook letting out an aggravated huff as the rest of the group agreed to the plan.

We decided it would be better to leave just before dawn to get in a few miles before the temperature rose to an unbearable high. The others stayed awake to pack bags filled with supplies and empty jugs while Jungkook and I got some sleep.

I was already awake when Hobi showed up outside my cell, summoning Jungkook and I to go over the details they'd worked out through the night. Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hobi all leaned over the table, laying out everything with simplicity.

"Take the south exit nine miles out. Then you'll walk southwest for around fifteen miles. Based on some of the altitude maps I'm thinking there may be something around here." Hobi circled his finger around a section of the map as we looked on.

"The walk will take at least seven hours, but it's never that easy. You might have to stop to sleep. If so, there are two abandoned sheds near the route, here and here." Namjoon pointed.

Yoongi sighed as he held out a bag to Jungkook, stocked with food and supplies. "We only had enough for one water bottle." The look of stress across his eyes told me that we were down to the last, that this trip was our only hope.

The bags that we draped across our bodies and hung on the motorcycle were light. Jungkook hugged Namjoon before swinging his leg across the seat, the bike growling to life as he turned the key.

"Be careful out there and get back to us." Namjoon wrapped his arms around me, patting Jungkook's shoulder as I climbed on behind him.

I slipped my arms around Jungkook's waist and felt his hand adjust my arm, making my hold tighter. Namjoon and the others stepped away from us, their gazes drowning with desperation as they watched us speed off.

My hair whipped with momentum and I had to bury my face in Jungkook's back as he drove, the air dry as it beat against my eyes. On the short ride ten miles out he grabbed onto my hand a couple of times, giving it a squeeze and waiting for one in response to make sure I was okay.

When we slowed, pulling over to leave the bike hidden among the trees at the edge of the woods, he was already huffing with his breath, rubbing at his eyes and blinking to create more moisture as we dismounted the bike. I grabbed the water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack, pushing it into his hands even as he tried to stop me.

"Just a sip." I insisted. He took the smallest taste to savor before making me do the same.

We looked over the map one more time before heading southwest through the woods, keeping a small stack of rags on hand that we used to mark our path. It would have been easier if we were on flat land, but the trek came with hills to climb that we helped each other over. Though the densely packed trees allowed for less sunlight to penetrate the forest, providing a slight shade, we couldn't fight the heat and humidity that lingered in the atmosphere.

We took turns calling for small breaks where we shared from the water bottle and caught our breath. I noticed that we were over halfway through the bottle at only my guesstimate of ten miles out, the position of the sun through the trees indicating that it was already past afternoon. As we got deeper into our journey my worry increased, knowing that if we didn't find water on the way, we'd be drawing on the thinnest string of will to make it back without water.

I pulled out the map at our next break, Jungkook visibly frustrated as he shook the last remnants of our water around, tucking the bottle into his backpack with a groan. We had no way of predicting exactly where we were, but I traced the map to an approximate section, a marking on the page telling me that we were around one or two miles from one of the sheds Namjoon had labeled.

Jungkook moved so that he was sitting beside me, the breaths he took rapid without relief and his lips chapped from being dry. "If we can make it another mile or a little more we can rest at this shed until nightfall. Maybe it'll be cooler then." I looked into his eyes to see how much spark he had left, completely dwindled from his typical lively energy.

I reached out for his hand, its usual softness gone, replaced with a brittle chill as I helped him up from the ground. Though my limbs felt like jelly too, I draped his arm around my shoulders, bearing some of his weight as we continued our path, thankful that we were on a slightly downward slope.

My bottom lip split when I cracked a smile, squinting as I was sure I could see a small shed up ahead. At the same moment I became aware of footsteps, unstable enough to tell me it was the undead. I looked over at Jungkook, barely conscious and so close to the brink of fainting that I couldn't hold him up, shushing him as he stumbled to the ground.

"Come on, I need you to make it just a few minutes more." I was panicking, slapping at his jaw as he faded, all color drained from his skin.

His fall alerted our undead guests so that their moans grew nearer. I grunted as I propped Jungkook against a tree, pulling a knife from my leg to chuck at the one who was closest and hitting directly through their eye socket with precision. There were five so I grabbed the machete tucked in a holder on my back next, slicing through the first two easily, but turning to see that the others had their sights set on Jungkook. I reached out, grabbing one by the scalp just before it had the chance to bite into his shoulder. I jabbed my blade through its head, decapitating the other as it seemed to be deciding on which of us to attack first with the overwhelm of noise and our scents.

I fell to my knees when the last body hit the ground, drained as I crawled my way over to Jungkook, feeling at his neck, shoulders, and arms for any injuries. Through heavy breaths I smiled at him, his eyes opened just a hair. "You're bleeding." His words slurred, coming out with a crack.

Having to fight kicked up my adrenaline a notch, masking the dull pain of my bottom lip being split down the middle. "It's okay, it's just a busted lip." I leaned over to reach into his bag, tugging out the water bottle, just a swig left at the bottom. He gripped the container tightly, the plastic crunching with its final drops as he sucked down the liquid through labored breathing and a racing heart. "I need your help, just to get to the shed. Then I'll go, I'll find us water." I pleaded with him.

It took everything in me to drag him the rest of the way, moving with him inch by inch through the pine covered woods. My arms were on fire but I dug my heels into the dirt more, biting my lip to hold in every scream and groan I needed to release.

If I wasn't so close to dehydration myself tears would have streamed down my cheeks, first in anguish as I heaved him, cursing him for every muscle in his body, and then with the highest relief as my back hit the old wood of the shed.