"Because you're the General."

Those words pierce Jungkook's heart like a two edged sword being pushed through him mercilessly, leaving him for dead.

Jimin is about to begin his ascent when Jungkook's hand snaps out, grabbing hold of Jimin's wrist. Jimin trembles, trying to control himself as Jungkook parts his lips to speak in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Aren't you at least glad to see me?"

Jimin's eyes flicker away from Jungkook's gaze, and his hand loosens from his grip.

"I was, until you..." He trails off, cutting his sentence short before pulling his hand away and continuing to climb out of the tank.

Jungkook's breath increases, as sadness begins to weigh down on him. He had already been going through so much for the past few days, and he was beginning to grow weary from the weight of everything being tossed onto his shoulders, and most painfully, his heart.

"Please don't do this to me."

Jungkook says with a wavering voice, and Jimin halts in his ascent. There was nothing but a frayed thread holding Jungkook together at the moment, and he felt the strings beginning to snap one by one.

Jimin grips the bars tightly, his back still facing Jungkook.

"Please don't shut me away over this. I-I don't know how to explain it, but I just felt... like I was healed when I heard you were here."

"Is it still all about you?" Jimin whispers, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Do you know the horrors I've seen?! The friends I've lost?!"

He yells, his voice cracking as Jimin startles.

"I-I thought... of you everyday. I thought of everyone every single day I opened my eyes in this godforsaken place, and I thought you'd be happy we're at least together in this!"

Jungkook trembles, sniffling uncontrollably as raging hot drops of burning sorrow escape his eyes. He felt like the fire that burned his heart from the inside was seeping out through his eyes, now scorching him from the inside out.

"I d-didn't want to do this, and you know it better than anyone else. I try to stay strong for the other soldiers that probably feel the same way as I do, b-but I just..." He lets out a soft cry, rubbing his eyes.

"In reality, I-I'm a coward that's ready to abandon them j-just to get back to you and everyone else."  He lets out more desperate sobs, when a pair of arms gently wrap around him and a hand strokes the back of his head.

"I'm so fucking sorry."

Jimin whispers in his ear, coaxing him softly. Jungkook buries his head in his shoulder, and Jimin's arms hold him up as his body racks helplessly in his embrace.

"I just wanna go back home, and everything t-to go back to the way it was." Jungkook splutters into his neck, his tears and saliva travelling down Jimin's neck.

"I do too, I do too."

Jimin whispers, playing the role of a mother coaxing her crying, helpless son.

"Kook, I-I've just been so angry at everything and I'm s-sorry that I-"

Jimin begins to slowly melt from the burning man in his arms, the melancholic heat beginning to transfer to Jimin's heart, encapsulating it in it's sorrowful blaze that mercilessly pricks at every part of him.

The two men that were the backbones of their families, were slowly bending under the pressure of the events happening around them.

It was just a matter of time till they could bend no more.

And all that's left, was to finally snap in half.

_______________________________________________________

Nothing but the sound of the car's engine rumbled silently around them and the light snores of the women and child in the back as they continued along the bumpy path beside the road full of vehicles.

"How are these people still stuck here?"

Yoongi mutters, glancing at the furious people in their cars.

"Most of them are abandoning their vehicles and walking." Taehyung whispers, his head leaning back on his seat, his eyes fluttering shut.

Yoongi scoffs. "They'll never make it out in time."

"Don't say that." Taehyung snaps, peeling a single eyes open to stare at an exhausted, frustrated, sweaty Yoongi that had been driving for the past half an hour in the scorching heat of the day.

He sighs, sitting up.

"Let me drive."

Yoongi glances at him, shaking his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Shut up and let me drive, Yoongi."

"Fine."

The older man easily gives in with a sigh, the car slowing to a stop. Both their doors pop open, and they walk around to either side. Their peace is short-lived when a bunch of what seemed like teenagers and young adults, jump down from the road to them.

Yoongi stares at them cautiously before slowly closing the car door shut. He exchanges glances with Taehyung and he does the same.

"Well, well. Look what we have here!"

One of the young men shout mockingly.

"What do you want?"Yoongi snaps, leaning against the car door.

Eunbi's eyes flutter open from the noise and she gasps, tapping Ellen's shoulder hurriedly. The men stroll towards the car, and Yoongi steps in front of them, Taehyung joining soon after.

"Leave." Yoongi growls, and the taller man stares down at him before erupting in a hysteric laughter.

"Why would we do that? This is our vehicle, after all."

Yoongi scoffs, shoving the man backwards.

"Listen up, you're not taking shit from us. So you and your baby boys better scram before I beat the fuck outta you!"

In a swift move, a sharp ragged knife is placed at Yoongi's neck, the cold metal teasingly brushing his skin.

"What the hell are you doing?! We have a child inside the car!"Taehyung screams, approaching the man when two other men grab hold of him.

"Now, you listen here. We're taking this car and you can either do this the easy way, or the hard way. Do you really want to die in front of your kid?" The man growls, a menacing smirk plastered on his face as he taps the knife against Yoongi's neck.

"Oh god." Ellen whispers, as Hyunwoo wakes up, his eyes bulging at the sight before him. She grabs hold of his arms immediately, burying his face in her neck, shielding him from the horrid scene playing out. Eunbi trembles in her seat, her breaths becoming heavy and unnaturally shallow.

Hyunwoo yells, "What are they doing to Uncle Yoongi?!"

"I-It's nothing, he's just talking t-to an old friend, hmm?" She attempts to coax him, but the unbelieving boy suddenly pushes against his mother, popping the car door immediately.

"Hyunwoo! Get back here!" Ellen screams after him as he runs towards the man, grabbing hold of his leg and digging his teeth into the man's leg in a tight hold. The man yelps, startled.

"Leave my uncle alone!" Hyunwoo yells, and the man chuckles, his large fingers grabbing hold of Hyunwoo's hair, peeling him away from him.

"Stop! Don't touch him!" Ellen screams, unable to break free from the tight hold of the men on her arms as tears raced uncontrollably down her face.

Hyunwoo yelps, letting out a small wail when the man pulls harshly on his hair. "You little brat!"

"Stop this right now!" Yoongi screams, lifting his knee and colliding it with the man's crotch and he groans, lurching forward and letting go of Hyunwoo.

Eunbi steps out of the car, her hand defensively covered over her stomach when she walks up to one of the men holding Taehyung. Instinctively, her hand balls into a fist and it's only a second when her knuckles meet the rough face of the man.

Using the opportunity, Taehyung elbows the other man holding him, and Yoongi clashes his forehead against one of the men holding Ellen. The man stumbles backward, his head spinning.

"Get in the car!" Yoongi yells as Ellen grabs Hyunwoo, rushing into the back seat. The man who held the knife tightly in his hand, had sharp eyes when he caught the unusual bulge of Eunbi's stomach. He grins sadistically, grabbing hold of Eunbi's hand.

She lets out a scream when her hand is twisted harshly and he lifts the knife, ready to stab her in the stomach. In a split second, she's pushed out of the way, and the knife is plunged into the abdomen of the man before him.

Eunbi lets out a scream of fear, her hands covering her mouth when Yoongi seethes through his teeth, the veins and muscles across his body contracting. The man pulls it out with a snicker, when a loud pang is heard and blood is suddenly splattered across them as he falls to the ground, nothing but the mound of a limp corpse.

Taehyung trembles with the gun held in his hand, when he rushes to Yoongi who was lowered to his knees.

"Oh god, Y-Yoongs." Taehyung splutters, immediately wrapping a cloth around his waist tightly, covering the wound.

"I-I'm alright." Yoongi grunts when Taehyung lifts him up, placing him in the passenger's seat. Seeing their leader laying lifeless on the sandy ground, the young men retreat, disappearing among the ocean of vehicles above.

"Eunbi, get in."  Taehyung says, before suddenly stopping in his footsteps abruptly when he sees Eunbi standing where she was, eyes wide as she trembles, staring at the man that lay lifeless on the ground. He grabs her shoulders.

"Eunbi, look at me." Her eyes stayed trained on the man, as blood seeped out of his head, staining the ground red. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths as tears dropped from her eyes.

"Look at me." He shakes her shoulders and she slowly brings her eyes to his almond shaped orbs. Looking like she had seen a ghost, her skin had turned pale as Taehyung speaks softly, his silky baritone flowing through her senses, gently caressing her troubled soul.

"Breathe. Everything's alright. Take deep breaths." He coaxes, as she nods her head slowly, taking deep breaths. The shock she was enveloped in slowly began to subside as Taehyung's warm hands caress her shoulders, his twinkling eyes comforting her.

She stumbles forward, her head resting against his shoulder helplessly as he guides her to the backseat where Ellen held a trembling Hyunwoo. He gets into the driver's seat, roaring the car engine to life as Yoongi groans, unexplainable pain searing through his body.

"Y-Yoongi. Please don't die!" Ellen says between sobs, her hand reaching forward to hold his shoulder.

His hand reaches up to hers, patting it weakly.

"I-I'm fine, stop b-being babies."

Ellen's eyes widen in disbelief as wells of tears still rolled down her face.

"You idiot! Why did you have to act all heroic and hurt yourself?! Now you're going to die and"

"I'm not going to die, damn it." He winces, the uncomfortable bumping of the car agitating the deep cut that was pressed down on by the cloth.

"We might not make it in time, we need to go faster." Taehyung says, glancing between Yoongi and Eunbi. They nibble on their lower lips, their minds scrambling all over the place.

"Ok, you can pick up the pace." Eunbi says softly as Taehyung nods hesitantly, pressing on the accelerator.

"Y-you need my consent t-too, Eunb- ah!" Yoongi spits out when the car harshly goes over a stone, jerking his body up abruptly.

"You imbecile!"He yells as Taehyung presses his lips into a thin line, muttering.

"He's a twat even on his death bed."

"I heard that." Yoongi says, narrowing his eyes as his hand rests on the clothed wound.

"And for the last goddamn time, I'm not dying!"