Annihilation

Power

When the youngest three returned, coated in a sheen of sweat and with a scent of the grossest bonfire to ever exist layered on their skin, they were still bouncing with energy. I watched from the corner of my eye as they went back and forth in a way that left me with no idea what they were doing, acting on every random thought and impulse that popped into their heads.

"You three just left me outside alone." Jin scolded as he stepped into the unit, his hands covered in dirt as he balanced plastic cups filled with soil between his fingers.

Before the others could apologize or face further reprimand the lights and air conditioning clicked on, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin all cheering with the whir of power.

A second behind the lights was the blaze of the same alarm that rang through the building on the day of the riot. I was instantly transported back to that day, curled under my desk and hoping for someone to come save me.

Everything started to distort and I lost consciousness of my surroundings, the alarm a muffled sound in my head and five concerned faces flashing in front of me. When I came to after a few minutes the alarm faded, the room silent with the five of them giving me wide-eyed stares.

"What happened?" I asked, still disoriented as I stood, shaking my head in an effort to feel clearer.

"You were screaming." Jimin stepped closer to me, his brows raising with worry just as Namjoon and Yoongi rejoined us in the unit, satisfied smiles on their faces.

I was thankful for their entrance, for a chance to distract from whatever trauma response everyone had just witnessed. "The generator is back running, but we need a few to help clear the hallway that leads to the infirmary. We were able to see about twenty on the other side of the doors but there could be more. Yoongi, Jin, Hobi, Taehyung, and Jungkook." Namjoon reported, calling off names for his next assignment.

My eyes flickered to Jungkook's, a look of protest crossing his face before he shook it off, turning to speak to Jimin who nodded assuringly in response.

I watched as they gathered weapons, walking in a formation with two in the front and three behind on the way to their next task. "Alena," Namjoon's brow pulled together as he approached me, "I want us to go over some stuff if that's okay." He held out a hand, gesturing for me to sit at one of the seats by the table that Hobi and I had been working at all day. The maps we labeled were still spread around the tabletop, Namjoon's attention caught by the plethora of places we identified.

"I was able to remember some of the places around here pretty well." I clarified with a smile. Jimin pulled up his own chair, turning it backwards and resting his chin against the back.

Namjoon nodded while he scanned the maps, finally looking up with an approving glance. "That's great, I want to go over some of the rules we live by." He started, moving into his agenda with a confident ease. "No one goes out by themselves or is left completely alone."

I cut my eye toward Jimin, a finger held to his lips as we remembered that Jin had just been left alone.

"At the same time, you have to be prepared to be out there alone. We'll get you started on some training with Jungkook and Jimin tomorrow. There will be a lot of learning from everyone. No one in the group is useless and we all have our strengths, so we teach each other everything we know." He continued.

There was no room for feeling overwhelmed or stressed, so I focused on logging his every word to memory, repeating them in my head as he finished.

"The last rule comes down to people. The undead are just part of the danger, but you already know that. This world really brings out the core parts of humanity, good and bad." He eyed me for a reply.

"Understood, but I thought there would be more rules." My lips tugged into a surprised smirk, Jimin responding with a chuckle.

He leaned over his seat, pushing it onto two legs like a young boy in school. "There are more rules." Jimin laughed, pushing his hair away from his forehead.

"That you'll learn better along the way." Namjoon confirmed.

The others returned quicker than I thought, using cloths to wipe blood from their faces and dropping bags full of supplies on the floor. Jin immediately began to sort through their haul, organizing medication and first aid tools with ease. They looked exhausted from a day's worth of making the prison a safe base, crashing into seats on the floor just as light shining into the room changed with sunset.

With clean hands Jin started to prepare canned vegetables and meat, the others moaning with a satisfaction that made me wonder how much of a struggle for food they bore in their journey. They kept portions small, just enough to hold us through to the next meal, Namjoon nodding at me as he ate quickly. "I forgot a rule. If we have food, everyone eats." The others held their bowls in the air with a silent toast, the rule giving me the picture of seven boys sharing one small can of food to survive another day.

I slept better on that night than the one before, finding a few hours of rest between streams of waking abruptly, sure I'd find myself back in the comfortable bed of my apartment.

The smallest amount of light woke me and I lay listening to the sound of others, keeping as quiet as possible as they discussed plans for the day. Jungkook appeared at the door to my cell as soon as he heard the squeak of my mattress.

"Namjoon wants me to start training you this morning." He smiled, proud that Namjoon gave him something to take charge of.

It was of no use, but I wished for a large coffee, sweetened with sugar and caramel creamer, rubbing at my eyes and sipping at the bottle of water next to the bed instead. I took another minute to fully wake, looking around to see that the unit was already empty by the time I left my cell. Jungkook led us down the hallway I quickly recognized as the one that'd take us to the entrance of the roof, his head turning back and forth as he looked out around every corner and made sure I stayed by his side.

Unlike the first time, the scent didn't hit me quite the same, assuring me that I'd somehow adjust to the new world. I stepped out onto the roof to peer over the grounds, Jin making outlines in the dirt by the far end of the yard and a few of the others crouched by a creek just outside of the fence.

"Have you ever boxed before?" Jungkook asked, flexing his wrists and squatting to stretch his legs.

The memory came back easy as I answered with a chuckle. "Once while Shelby and I were in grad school. We were both so stressed and she swore it would help, but we were both tapped out in the first ten minutes. Hardest workout of my life." I caught him looking at me with a gaze I couldn't read. "Sorry, not really. Is that what we're doing?" My shoulders sank in preparation for how tired I'd be.

He smiled. "We all have our own workout routines so we can keep in shape, but boxing with me," he stepped closer, pulling my hands up and balling them into fists that rested at my chin, "will teach you to act on your instincts and read your opponent, two very basic skills you need for being out there."

He remained serious, giving me instructions to perfect my stance before holding up his fists to demonstrate a basic combination. We went back and forth as he sparred with me, giving corrections on the speed of my jabs and the breaths I took until we were both drenched in sweat.

We shared a bottle of water when he decided we'd done enough for one day, sitting with our legs stretched out on the rooftop while we caught our breath. "How do you feel?" He asked, leaning back on his palms.

"Exhausted, how am I supposed to feel?" I replied, arching a brow at him.

He laughed, contemplative as he tilted his head to the side to look at me. "I want you to feel powerful." He said it in such a way that I was sure just the words could get me there.