Run.

23

The wind howls again, sending red and orange leaves skittering across the pavement. The sky continues to darken, threatening to open up and send rain pouring down on your heads at any moment. You hurry forward, staying close to Jungkook, who slips forward in front of you, gun held in steady hands. You can feel Taehyung right on your heels as you head down the street towards your first planned stopping point. Corner after corner you turn, mercifully only seeing a few monsters here and there.

Rounding yet another corner, you screech to a halt, very narrowly avoiding colliding with a frozen Jungkook. Taehyung, on the other hand, is not so lucky. He crashes into you, effectively pushing you straight into Jungkook's back. Luckily for the both of you, the ebony-haired man in front of you has the physicality of a brick wall, and is unswayed by the pile-up. He whips around, hand shooting out to steady you as you teeter backwards, trying to regain your balance.

"Aish, what is it?" Taehyung hisses, readjusting his pack.

"Big crowd ahead. Namjoon is trying to decide the best move." Jungkook whispers back, voice barely audible. Taehyung nods, concentration settling once again over his features.

Your heart thumps painfully in your chest as you wait for Namjoon's decision. The seconds stretch out, feeling more like hours. Finally, Jungkook gets a message from down the line. He nods, turning quickly to relay it to you.

"We're rerouting. Move back around that last corner." He instructs quietly. You pass the message to Yoongi, who moves back wordlessly, hand on the hilt of his sword. Everyone backs around the corner until Namjoon comes in to sight. Your fearless leader looks down the line, making sure everyone is accounted for, then turns and heads down an adjacent street.

We're already running in to problems...I shouldn't have let them come with me...what if...

You shake your head, trying to dispel your racing thoughts, knowing your regret won't do you any good now. You need to focus on your surroundings, or you definitely will not make it. Even worse, you could end up being the reason the boys don't make it.

Pushing away your thoughts, you take stock of your surroundings. The once-magnificent city that immediately captured your heart has rapidly decayed, losing all of its luster in the wave of horror that overcame it. The empty buildings are a ghost of what they used to be, haunted by the memories of carefree laughter and families at home. Many are just barely standing, the bombs that the government dropped having all but leveled them. Craters dot the streets, another product of the same bombs that, for all their destruction, couldn't stop the tide of monsters flooding the city. Bricks and broken glass cover the sidewalks, and you all step delicately, trying as hard as you can not to step on the debris. Every little sound grates on your nerves, like every fiber of your being is screaming for quiet.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling shriek splits the air. Somewhere in the back of your brain, you register that the horrifying sound is somehow coming from above you.

You look up.

There, right above your head, what was formerly a woman tumbles over the railing of a balcony, inhuman screech still pouring out of its mouth as it falls. Everything is in slow motion, yet you can't react fast enough. You're frozen, unable to tear your eyes away from the monster hurtling towards you from above. It's eyes are milky white, soulless as they stare at you. It's teeth are bared, arms reaching for you. Ready to devour. Your brain screams for you to do something, anything, but your body won't listen.

Suddenly, you feel two hands roughly shoving you back. You're thrown backwards, crashing painfully to the concrete. You hear a sickening squelch and a thud. Gasping, you sit up, eyes locked on the spot where you stood a moment ago. Your insides twist.