In the Dead of Winter || •PJM• ✔️

No Place Like Home

Day 851

Jimin lets the breeze go through his hair, the view of the school beautiful from Namjoon's office. The scenery is covered with blood, the tips of the long blades of grass stained in carmine. His hand presses itself against the window, a fire cracking its flames in the fireplace. Namjoon is there too, taking a sip from his glass. That man has secret liquor stashes all around campus, it seems. Not that Jimin can blame him. Especially after the day they've had.

As it turns out, Jimin's theory was correct. The zombies were banging on the front gates because they were chasing people. Everyone was back safely. They came back the same night of the siege, working through the zombies and helping each other get back inside. It seems as though Jimin and Y/n were the only ones who waited longer. Jimin freezes up.

Y/n.

He places his hands on the windowsill, pressing them against the texture and not caring about the small burn it brings. Namjoon finishes off his drink and comes over to Jimin, patting him on the shoulder. Both of them have their heads dipped. As if the Y/n news wasn't enough, the Jungkook news though...

Jimin swallows what's left in his throat, unsure of how to react to any of the recent events. Jungkook and Jimin had their last conversation. He's never going to see Jungkook again. Bile burns his stomach, working its way up his body until it sits at the back of his throat. Saliva coats the inside corners of his cheeks, overflowing his mouth until he needs to keep gulping down all the moisture. It combats his urge to vomit, and eventually, it subsides. He forces himself to relax, closing his eyes and hoping the room will stop spinning.

After Y/n fell asleep at Yoongi's compound, Jimin silently cried in the corner of the room. He let the tears fall, and he wasn't ashamed of them. Jungkook was a great man. A good doctor who had too much trauma for his own good. But he always tried to do the right thing. Like saving Jimin and Y/n from the Ranglers with a rocket launcher. He pretended he was okay with all that death, and he did all that just to save the people he cared about. Jimin admires that. He truly wishes Jungkook was still here.

"Would it be bad to ask how you are?" Namjoon asks, Jimin poking his tongue against his inner cheek for a moment.

"No. It's an important question. The problem is I don't have an answer." Jimin pauses, shifting his gaze to the taller man. "How are you after all that?"

"Not sure. Relieved. Stressed at the same time. It's not easy to think about. You think the Ranglers will come back for us?"

"If they survived the attack, you mean?"

"Yeah. If."

"I doubt it. Each time they came for us, we broke out and caused damage to them. At this point, it's just not worth it. They'll either try to get all of us, or they won't get any of us at all. Taking all of us risks everything for them. But at the same time, after that attack, they might be so desperate for people that they don't know what else to do. I really hope we're done with this bullshit. I'm ready to relax, mourn, and raise my son. Is that too much to ask?"

"Apparently so. The apocalypse doesn't care about our feelings. Sometimes I wonder if it's even worth it to keep living like this. Life used to be so peaceful, then those assholes came and decided to ruin it for us. But they won't be the only ones. Even in the apocalypse, people want power. Desperately. After the Ranglers, another will rise and take their place. Will the cycle repeat again? More dangerous people coming to take us from our homes, maybe kill a few of us in the process."

"I don't know," Jimin mumbles, "we lost a lot of people in the first attack. You think they got out?"

"Not sure... I didn't see any of them in my time there. You probably wouldn't even recognize them that's how long it's been. It's crazy to think how many we had before that attack, and now we're a fraction of what we used to be." Namjoon runs a hand through his hair, glancing at the fireplace and the blood stains on the ground. "How's Ves?"