Sempiternal: • A.L.I.V.(d)E(ad)? • || BOOK 7#

32. Kid's play

"SHIT!"

Jungkook manages to pull them with him to an open and not so crowded establishment. The three of them breathe shakily, eyes wide open with the same question transiting their heads: is this really another outbreak? Here? Jungkook tries to peek out again, but the crowd seems to have this street as the only way to go.

"Are you guys okay?" asks Jungkook, Jimin nods, settling his headphones. And petting Hye to calm her down. Yoongi does the breathing exercises he's so learned for this moment. He needs it urgently so he doesn't have a panic attack.

Jungkook doesn't bother to roughly grab a long sleeve shirt nearby, using it to wipe the sweat on Yoongi's face, his neck and check that she doesn't shake too much.

On his side, the crowd half dissolves when it's a huge crossing in different directions, allowing Jin to stand in one place without being carried by anyone. He looks around, somewhat dizzy and dazed even. "TAEHYUNG! TAEHYUNG!" he calls out, indifferent to bumping into some people. He must find him.

He's sure he saw him not too far from him as the tide carried him away. It must be around here somewhere. In five minutes, he locates him, halfway up a pole precisely to be higher. He shakes his arms and the man comes down from his place, running towards Jin.

Taehyung holds him tightly by the right forearm, thus making sure that, indifferent to the force that may be against him to go in the desired direction, he does not move away from him. They know they must get back to where they were. Most likely the others will still be at the same point. Now separated, the sensible thing to do is to stay in the same space.

Jin pulls Taehyung with all his strength, thus preventing Yagtalja from knocking him to the ground. It was a split second where he could detect their approach. They take a look at each other before they start to run and push whoever is in the way.

Namjoon and Hoseok for their part are in the same process, trying to keep as many people from diverting them and checking where the others are. Namjoon is especially worried about Jimin, Yoongi and Jungkook. Those three together are the most dangerous time bomb with the characteristics present now.

Scandal.

Crowd.

Danger.

Open space.

It looks like some kind of bad cocktail.

The vibration in his pocket sends him rushing into a small empty shop, answering the call. Hoseok gasps with his hands on his knees. He had been a long time without this amount of tension in his body. He had lost the habit by now.

"Are you all right!" Aeyoung's voice had NEVER sounded this worried "Where are you! Shall I come get you? Can I-"

"No, nono, stay in the hotel" Namjoon orders hurriedly. "This can escalate very, very fast: stay there, I need you to tell me where the evacuation points will be, which way we can go so they can let us out- How big is the infected space. There are too many helicopters.

"According to the news, a quarantine zone was made. They are letting out those who don't have bites. You have your IDs, you will be able to leave without a problem once near any checkpoint" she explains with the necessary speed not to tempt fate with the signal. "It looks like the hotel is not in the area, but I can't say for sure yet."

"We split from the rest" Hoseok says loudly, Namjoon activated the speaker. "We find them and then tell you where we are? Any suggestions?"

"Avoid biting as much as possible. That way the process of letting them out won't take so long. IDs or not, you want to avoid hassles at checkpoints. Letting out someone bitten while leaving others behind tends to cause disaster."