Day 831

"Namjoon's gone."

Those two words have you halting in your tracks, trickles of water dripping off your washcloth and into the water bowl seated on your lap. Jimin freezes as well, his glistening head shifting to turn towards the door. Jungkook and Louis are there, leaning against the doorframe while you and Jimin sit on his bed. You're sure the two of you seem desperate right now. Maybe even terrified.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Jimin asks, about to stand when you drop the cloth and grab his shoulder, forcing him to stay in place much to his dismay.

"Namjoon's gone. We've looked everywhere for him, and he's no where to be found. Not in his office, bedroom, nurse's office, outside - he's disappeared," Jungkook says.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We should find him," Jimin replies.

Jungkook and Louis share a glance, but it's Jungkook who answers. "With all due respect Jimin, we're waiting on you. You're our leader now, after all."

Jimin's face says it all, and you sigh and rub his shoulder as he speaks. "Gather a squad. Julia, Louis, and Sky. Go out searching for him. Get Katherine on high ground and have her search for him. Jungkook, you and Y/n search the rest of the campus. Every single corner, got it?"

"On it boss. Y/n, let's go."

"I'll catch up. Meet me near the nurse's office in two minutes," you say.

Jungkook, although hesitant, agrees. He and Louis depart, you shifting your attention to Jimin. He's quick to hold up his hand. "I'm the new leader, yet I'm crippled. Ironic, isn't it? That's why I'm upset, that's all. That and Namjoon's missing. It doesn't sit right with me, but we don't have time to stall." He kisses your head, motioning to the door. "You should go, don't keep Jungkook waiting. Namjoon needs us, let's go get him."

You hop up, giving him one last worried gaze as you go. To your surprise, Jungkook's waiting at the end of the hall. You go to him, and he meets you halfway with his eyes expanded. "I'm not sure where to search first. We looked everywhere."

"Let's do the nurse's office again. From there, let's check every bedroom, closet, and bathroom. Don't leave a single room unchecked. You have your knife?"

He takes it out from his leather jacket. "Always."

"Good. We don't know if someone broke in and took him, or maybe there's zombies or what, so let's stay prepared."

And the two of you searched. You ran into Hoseok and asked him if he saw Namjoon. The answer was no. By the time you finish, Jungkook kicks the wall and runs a hand through his hair. There's no point in trying to calm him. The truth is, you want to do the same as him. Kick the poor cream-shaded walls of this corridor. Kick and kick until a hole forms. Maybe Namjoon will be in that hole. It's the only thought that brings you enough of a smile to get through today.

"Where could he have gone if he's not on-campus? There's physically no where for him to go," you say, stroking your chin with your fingers. Jungkook leans against the wall beside you, fiddling with the sleeves on his leather jacket while you attempt to figure it out. "There's only two options. Either someone forced him to leave, or he left on his own accord. Did you ask everyone if they said anything to him or if they saw him?"

"We did. Everyone said they same thing: they don't know. No one here's a liar, so that's not the issue. The issue is, why would Namjoon leave all of a sudden? He was acting strange last I spoke with him, but I thought it was because of the stress of leadership. Do you think he left because he couldn't handle the apocalypse anymore?"

"It's possible, but he didn't really show signs of depression until, what? When you spoke to him? He was always a strong leader. Never once backed down from a challenge. So why would he give up leadership to Jimin so easily, and why would he disappear without a trace or last word?"

Neither of you have an answer. The silence is enough for now. Even the hallway is dead silent. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and also quiet enough to hear the soft breaths Jungkook's taking. You eye the rise and fall of his chest, finding brief consolation in the way he breathes. It sounds silly to admire the way someone exists, but Jungkook is your comfort. He brings you comfort just by giving you a soft smile and a wave. After the news of Namjoon, you need all the comfort you can get.

Without a word, you take his hand and squeeze it, leaning against his side. "Remember before the apocalypse, back at home, when our neighbor snuck out?" you ask, Jungkook chuckling.

"God, what was his name? Ryan? It was something generic, I know that."

"Let's go with Ryan. He snuck out, and we had to go find him because apparently we 'knew him well'. Yeah right, we don't even remember his name anymore." Jungkook and you share a laugh at that. "The point is, you know how that story ends?"

"We found him."

You hum and shift your body towards him. "We found him. If we can find some basic bitch named Ryan without much effort, I'm sure we can find our best friend. We're his right hands, and we won't fail him. We never have, and I know he has faith in us. So what do you say, Jeon? Want to get back on the horse?"

"I'd love to." He gives you a side hug, rubbing your arm before taking you through the campus again. Jungkook and you search and search, but nothing ever comes up. Not until a shout is heard in the distance, and you freeze up, Jungkook doing the same.

Memories prick at the back of your mind to the last time you heard shouts on-campus. It meant a war had started, and you were thrusted into the spotlight to deal with it. You almost lost everything, and in a way, you did. So many were taken or died. Is that what happened to Namjoon? No, no. Don't even think like that, L/n.

"Y/n! Jungkook!" a voice says, and you freeze. No, that's not just any voice. You almost didn't recognize it because he said your name instead of mom, but that's Ves calling you, his tone echoing down the halls as footsteps sound off. "We have visitors, come on!"

Ves rounds the corner, nearly crashing into you and Jungkook. On instinct, you hold his shoulders and try not to pant, your eyes meeting his. "What's going on?" you ask, Ves waving you off for a moment while he recovers from his long run.

"People at the gates. We think they're Ranglers. Where's Jimin? He needs to see this."

You turn to Jungkook and hand off Ves to him, the two locking hands and nodding as if already knowing your plan. "You two go out and handle this, keep whoever's there talking. Keep the peace until I get Jimin and help him out, okay? Grab weapons but keep them holstered, got it? Show our strength without being aggressive. That sound good?"

"Sounds good. Good luck with grumpy," Ves says, but you can see the pain hiding behind his eyes and smile.

"I think you'll need the luck more. Now go, don't keep our guests waiting. Is someone out there now?"

"Yoongi and Taehyung."

"Go help them. Now." Jungkook and Ves dash off, leaving you to do the rest. You rush down the hall, twisting and turning, ignoring anything you may see. All that matters is getting Jimin and praying this doesn't turn into a fight. Jimin's in no condition to fight, and if he's on the front lines now, his injury could get worse. Worse. That one word forms goosebumps on your body as you go, swallowing what saliva is left inside your mouth in an attempt to bring moisture to your throat.

Jimin's bedroom comes into view, and you go faster as a result, bursting open the door without bothering to knock. Jimin's leaning against his desk, groaning with every second he's standing. His eyes whip around to you, and his jaw drops upon seeing you there.

"Honey? What's wrong? Did you find him?"

"I wish. We have visitors, and we think they're the Ranglers. We need you outside, now."

Jimin pokes his tongue against his cheek. Although his eyes are narrowed, it seems as though tears are pricking and prodding at the tips of his eyelids. "Help me," is all he replies with. In any other circumstance, you'd hug him, kiss him, and tell him it's okay. But for now, you have to keep your strength before it's too late.

You go to him, and he wraps his arm around you as you go. He limps, holding his hip and putting most of his weight on you as you encourage him to do so. He mumbles little 'sorry's when he bumps into you, but you ignore it and continue down the corridors.

The outside approaches you faster than anticipated, and you throw open the doors. Right away, you see Taehyung, Yoongi, Jungkook, and Ves by the front gates, speaking to someone you can't see. It appears as though there's 3 people there. Two men donning all black attire with masks covering the lower halves of their faces. There's another there, but he's being blocked by Jungkook's intimidating build.

"Come on, let's see what's going on," Jimin whispers, and you agree, holding his body and his hand as you guide him forward. Eventually, you come close enough that you can hear the conversation. You wish you can close your ears the second you pick up on their words.

"We already took most of your people. I'm giving you a chance to do this peacefully before we take what's left by force. Either turn yourselves over to us, or die in the process," a male says, Jimin almost tripping.

His eyes expand, and you glance at him, shaking his chest lightly. "Hey? What's going on?" you ask, lowering your tone.

Jimin shakes his head, keeping his eyes on the back of Jungkook's figure. The man is still hidden. His voice doesn't remind you of anyone, but with Jimin's vast experience in the apocalypse, you wouldn't be surprised if there's a connection there. However, based on the way his body is stiff, and his skin is moistening up, you can tell you don't want to find out who the mystery man is.

"What happened to your old leader? That one I shot a rocket at," Jungkook says, resulting in a chuckle from the other party.

"He died from his injuries. I'm the new leader."

A single tear falls down Jimin's cheek, him pushing away from you while you grunt. He limps forward and shoves Jungkook away, you sprinting to his side. Jimin's gaze remains on the new man, and you take a step back upon seeing the man's face. He doesn't even need to speak. Neither of them do. You can see the resemblance, the way they both have the same face shape. The same depth behind their eyes. Only Jimin has a different depth, and the new man has a sense of rage behind his. Fortunately, the rage softens when he glances at Jimin, the leader of your group and the leader of theirs staring each other down. But Jimin is the one who speaks first.

"Jihyun?"