Annihilation

Restless

Jin took a look at Jungkook while I talked with Namjoon and Yoongi. From where I hadn't been able to see, the first part of our plan to escape went seamlessly, with such ease that Jin and Namjoon made a detour to nab as much food and medicine as they could carry in their backpacks. It caused them to separate but they made it out of the same point of exit and found each other quickly.

Over his shoulder I could see the grimance on Jungkook's face when Jin pressed into his ribcage and swirled a swab inside of his nose to clean away the dried blood, counting him lucky that it wasn't broken.

For the first time we had no destination, no plan or direction. We didn't know where or if we'd find somewhere safe after leaving, and despite my lack of rest I still couldn't sleep. Nightfall darkened the building and I could only see their fair skin, cheeks pressed against old booth seats for cushioning as I passed through the restaurant blindly.

I pushed past the double doors that led to the kitchen, testing the sturdiness of the ladder that was positioned through the open entrance to the roof before climbing up, a ricketing sound following my every step.

Yoongi sat on the edge of the building, his legs swinging back and forth over the ledge with a rifle strapped arcross his back. It was so quiet that we would have heard a pin drop from any direction. I slung one leg over the concrete edge, leaning back so that I looked up at the sky, empty of stars but with the full moon illuminating the night.

"Did you get any sleep?" He asked, turning his gaze back and forth over the city.

"I can't. I'm too worried about everything." I confessed with a sigh. I yearned for the stars so that I had a million little bolts of brightness to wish upon.

There was an understanding between us that accompanied the shared silence. Though there wasn't a single star above, I made wishes until the sun started to rise, for Shelby and Taehyung, for the rest of us, for safety and solace, for protection and resources, and for life.

Yoongi giggled at me, neither of us able to keep calm through our morning sun salutation poses as he recanted the way I drifted between the lightest sleep, mumbling incoherent wishes under my breath. Our low laughter was interrupted by Namjoon as he popped his head through the entrance to lure us down to eat.

We ate very little, just enough to tide us over until the next meal and I left immediately after, returning to my place on the roof to look out for any sign of Shelby and Taehyung. Each of them switched out, accompanying me in my watch and urging me to get some rest. They went back and forth between expressing hopefulness that Taehyung and Shelby would join us to talking aloud about moving further inland or toward the coast.

I was tuning out Jin's repetitive debate on the thriving farmland that could exist to the west and the potential for fishing as a resource closer to the shore, taken off guard when he went silent, pulling me to lay flat on the rough concrete surface.

"Look." He whispered, peering over the edge of the building cautiously. I followed his eyes to where two large SUV's creeped quietly along the road. They stopped in the middle of the highway, every door opening until twenty armed men filed out. I spotted Gideon immediately, nearly blacking out with rage.

I didn't realize I'd raised the rifle I carried, lining it up to fire at him from much too far away until Jin gripped my shoulder, tugging me back down. "If we do something and they find us we'll have to leave." He held onto my face so that I looked at him, coaxing me back to rational thinking. "That means we'd have to leave without Taehyung and Shelby."

"The others." My eyes widened as the men turned to our direction, splitting into two groups to comb through every business in the vicinity.

Jin was sure, his faith in the others unwavering. "They'll have seen them too. Don't worry, they'll hide."