In the Dead of Winter || •PJM• ✔️

The Curious Case of Mr. Kim

Day 831

"Namjoon's gone."

Those two words have you halting in your tracks, trickles of water dripping off your washcloth and into the water bowl seated on your lap. Jimin freezes as well, his glistening head shifting to turn towards the door. Jungkook and Louis are there, leaning against the doorframe while you and Jimin sit on his bed. You're sure the two of you seem desperate right now. Maybe even terrified.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Jimin asks, about to stand when you drop the cloth and grab his shoulder, forcing him to stay in place much to his dismay.

"Namjoon's gone. We've looked everywhere for him, and he's no where to be found. Not in his office, bedroom, nurse's office, outside - he's disappeared," Jungkook says.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We should find him," Jimin replies.

Jungkook and Louis share a glance, but it's Jungkook who answers. "With all due respect Jimin, we're waiting on you. You're our leader now, after all."

Jimin's face says it all, and you sigh and rub his shoulder as he speaks. "Gather a squad. Julia, Louis, and Sky. Go out searching for him. Get Katherine on high ground and have her search for him. Jungkook, you and Y/n search the rest of the campus. Every single corner, got it?"

"On it boss. Y/n, let's go."

"I'll catch up. Meet me near the nurse's office in two minutes," you say.

Jungkook, although hesitant, agrees. He and Louis depart, you shifting your attention to Jimin. He's quick to hold up his hand. "I'm the new leader, yet I'm crippled. Ironic, isn't it? That's why I'm upset, that's all. That and Namjoon's missing. It doesn't sit right with me, but we don't have time to stall." He kisses your head, motioning to the door. "You should go, don't keep Jungkook waiting. Namjoon needs us, let's go get him."

You hop up, giving him one last worried gaze as you go. To your surprise, Jungkook's waiting at the end of the hall. You go to him, and he meets you halfway with his eyes expanded. "I'm not sure where to search first. We looked everywhere."

"Let's do the nurse's office again. From there, let's check every bedroom, closet, and bathroom. Don't leave a single room unchecked. You have your knife?"

He takes it out from his leather jacket. "Always."

"Good. We don't know if someone broke in and took him, or maybe there's zombies or what, so let's stay prepared."

And the two of you searched. You ran into Hoseok and asked him if he saw Namjoon. The answer was no. By the time you finish, Jungkook kicks the wall and runs a hand through his hair. There's no point in trying to calm him. The truth is, you want to do the same as him. Kick the poor cream-shaded walls of this corridor. Kick and kick until a hole forms. Maybe Namjoon will be in that hole. It's the only thought that brings you enough of a smile to get through today.

"Where could he have gone if he's not on-campus? There's physically no where for him to go," you say, stroking your chin with your fingers. Jungkook leans against the wall beside you, fiddling with the sleeves on his leather jacket while you attempt to figure it out. "There's only two options. Either someone forced him to leave, or he left on his own accord. Did you ask everyone if they said anything to him or if they saw him?"

"We did. Everyone said they same thing: they don't know. No one here's a liar, so that's not the issue. The issue is, why would Namjoon leave all of a sudden? He was acting strange last I spoke with him, but I thought it was because of the stress of leadership. Do you think he left because he couldn't handle the apocalypse anymore?"