A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

12: Merry-Go-Round

"Anything fishy?"

Mara patted Jimin's back, studying the side of his obscured face before looking over the city. Now at a higher vantage point, both could see farther then they could have from the previously occupied building. From the roof, the tree line that led to the forest could be seen, along with the mountains that enclosed the city from afar.

Jimin let the binoculars fall and lightly fall against his chest. He glanced at Mara.

"Same horde from the last few weeks," Jimin muttered, pulling down the bandana that covered his mouth and breathing in deeply. Mara nodded, looking from the horizon to the streets below.

Jimin sighed, "I don't get it. Usually hordes come and go, but they don't go in circles like some kind of merry-go-round. At least, I don't think."

Concerned, Mara pointed at the binoculars and extended her palm out. Jimin brought the string connected to them over his head, placing the binoculars into her hand. Without another word, she looked through them, watching the pack of brutes stumble through the streets. There were more than a hundred, from what Mara could tell, scattered in their path but nevertheless one large group. They all followed one another, all drawn to whatever moved in front of them.

Mara peered ahead of the horde, finding nothing but an empty street with only straggling brutes that eventually joined the large group. She continued to look around, hoping to find the source that was drawing the brutes in circles, leading them to stick around and make runs more difficult for the two.

Both had been going out more often, in the search for whatever was left that could possibly serve use. Mara noticed how Jimin had been gaining confidence with the axe, albeit growing nervous every now and then. She didn't blame him.

An axe got the job done, but required them to be close. Being so close to brutes was always unnerving, but Mara tried her best to encourage Jimin into losing the fear.

Her words of comfort were of aid for more than just the brutes. Mara had expected that Jimin not lose hope of being found, but as the days—the weeks—passed, he would often say "we" and "us" and "home", in reference to the two of them, without hesitation. Though she loved the idea of having someone next to her from now on, she couldn't help be sympathetic.

"You're right," Mara sighed, giving the binoculars back before leaning over the railing.

"You think something's up?" Jimin asked, side-eyeing Mara. She pursed her lips in thought. Both continued to look, this time lazily over the crowd and streets and windows.

"It is pretty strange. We should keep an eye on it. This could be a little tricky when we're out running for supplies," Mara spoke, taking the map from her back pocket and scanning over the many faint circles and Xs that marked where they'd been and where they planned to go. There wasn't much left to search except for dangerous places Mara could not risk going into.

"That's exactly what I was...thinking," Jimin trailed off.

Jimin peered through the binoculars at a particular building, seemingly distracted. He looked away, then back, and then away again with a frown. Narrowing his eyes, Jimin pulled up the bandana that covered his mouth, turning to Mara. He looked over her shoulder at the map, harsh stare softening at the many circles with Xs through them.

"Not much left Mara. What do we do when we've run out of places to scavenge nearby?" Jimin asked, returning to watch the building he'd previously been eyeing.

Mara's expression turned grim, as she knew this would eventually happen. It had been a year of her being in the same hideout, going out almost every single day to search for anything.