We might die

Chapter 5

It is nearing the evening when it happens.

In a way, Namjoon isn't too surprised that Hoseok is the first to go. He's trusting, and he has a shotgun, which he would never use. And Yoongi has only a mixtape. It's bound to happen sooner or later, with the way the smaller of the two keeps eyeing the weapon slung on his friend's shoulder.

They are going through one of the abandoned houses, searching for a reasonable place to spend the night. It's hard to see with the camera angle, but Namjoon can just barely note a huge, almost human-sized opening in the wooden wall. Hoseok sees it too, humming happily as he wanders around.

"There's a hole," he points out to Yoongi. "Wonder what's on the other side?"

Yoongi frowns his famous-classic-tired-of-this-shit-Suga frown. "Probably leads to the back of the house or some shit."

"I'm gonna explore," Hoseok announces. The shotgun isn't going to fit, so he puts it down in the ground. "Watch that for me, will ya?"

Namjoon can't control the sudden quickening of his pulse. His body picks up sooner than his brain does that something is wrong, very wrong. His breath catches in his throat.

And Yoongi has the gun in his hands in a heartbeat. Hoseok has already gone through the opening, Namjoon can't see him. He isn't sure whether he should be glad about this situation because at least he won't witness the death of everyone's angel and hope and sunshine, or whether he should be sad because he does want to see that warm, friendly face one last time.

The sound of the gun shot rings through the eerily quiet room. Namjoon glances at the monitor at the lower-left corner, where all the players are represented on the map by small, blinking dots that measure their heartbeat. On the players' collars are the same blinking light, which will go out once they are dead, and thus deactivating the collar's function. It's a precautionary measure so that the soldiers won't accidentally blow themselves up when gathering the bodies after the game.

Hoseok's light goes out.

Damien comes rushing in, exasperation all over his face.

"You should have yelled at me to come in! I don't want to miss the fun!" he moans.

Namjoon is trembling in his seat. From horror, from agitation, from heartbreak, he doesn't know. He isn't the one who's been shot, but still he feels like there's a gaping hole in his heart. "I... I had no idea he was going to fire!" he exclaims, and Damien nods understandingly.

"Yeah, the ones before you were like that too. Didn't believe their group were capable of killing each other." He pats Namjoon on the back. "Well, now you know!"

Now he knows. Yes, now he knows. And he can only watch as Yoongi emerges from the man-sized opening some agonizingly long moments later, blood on his hands, spattered over his green shirt. He must have touched Hoseok's body in order to get everything in Hoseok's pack, his food and water supplies, into his own. He would be able to last three days easily with the two loaves of stale bread and two bottles of water.

But as Namjoon watches in silent terrified apprehension, he realizes that Yoongi is probably not even planning on using the entire three days. He is headed out, eyes cold in determination. The eyes of a cat locked on its prey. The eyes of a hunter.