THEY had been following him, hunting him down like angry villagers with their pitchforks on a witch hunt. Jimin flattened himself against a break in the hallway wall as closely as he could. His breathing had become harsh front the nonstop sprinting. When he heard the footsteps he clamped his mouth shut tightly with both hands. His exhales were loud and when he tried to control them he felt like he was losing his consciousness.

“I heard something.” JB spoke just a few meters away. It had been him, JR Sehun and Youngjae after Jimin’s life. They were the most dangerous and had Jimin knew better not to get on their bad side he would not have been so persistent about working together. All it did was make him a target first.

“Honey.” Jimin’s stomach churned at JR’s affectionate name calling. The two had never been close despite having several school house lessons together. However, that was the reality of their fate. The Tundra is where they sent illegal children to die. It was a cold, lonely mountainous place with nothing but work. The death rate was constantly high. The children who survived the years as well successfully got through their labors were considered strong and deemed worthy enough to fight for the great Lord Kim in a global war and be granted their citizenship.  Minor education was applied throughout the adolescent years. Jimin had never paid attention to his lessons. He couldn’t stand sitting in one spot for long periods. His labor was machinery so he was used to moving around which sometimes involved running and jumping from manufacturing vehicle to vehicle, servicing the engines or repairing the hauls. His labor is what has kept him alive so far.

“There he is.”

Jimin sprinted. The four trailed behind but an arrow head nearly missed his shin as he pivoted sharply around the corner. The long corridors provided too many openings and not enough hiding places. He ran precisely stagger as more lethal objects flew past him and barely missed. He was thankful that the boys hadn’t had any labor that could have aided their aim. Up ahead he could see the next turn to another corridor but something seemed different about it. As he got closer Jimin’s heart sank. There was a small barricade of desks and chairs blocking the turn point. It wasn’t impossible to get through, but as soon as he anxiously climbed over the awkward thin metal legs and angled surfaces,

“Gotcha.”

It felt like a pinch, but his foot went limp immediately and then the pain swelled. Sehun, who had been using the bow and arrow had finally made a hit and the arrowhead pierced through Jimin’s fibula and Achilles tendon cleanly. It slowed him down tremendously, but he yelled as he continued to climb and land on the wounded limb. At the peak of the barricade the boys had caught up but he threw himself down onto the other side. They weren’t good climbers and fought with the complexity of the obstacle. Jimin stood up, wincing in pain with an arrow still stuck in his foot. He limped slowly trailing blood behind.

It’s over, he thought. As soon as they would get over the barricade, they were going to capture him. He almost wished it’d be over already but then dreaded the idea of suffering an agonizing death. He stopped walking and waited in the middle of the hall for the boys to finally be successful in their hunt. He waited, but then he was pushed aggressively into a classroom. When he came to his senses he saw that Jackson was pulling himself from over him and scrambling to his feet to check the classroom door on alert. There were six Kids in the classroom. Some familiar, some not. Youngji was at Jimin’s hurt leg. He didn’t know what she was doing until she broke the arrowhead and pulled out the shaft. Jimin tried to yell but someone covered his mouth. Youngji took off her tracksuit jacket and white t-shirt. She wrapped the shirt around Jimin’s bleeding foot and tied it tight.

“Can you run?” She asked quietly. Jimin knew time was not on their side and nodded. They were all trying to avoid his assailants. She exchanged looks with Jackson who gave a signal that it was clear. The Kid that had covered Jimin’s mouth was Dongho and he bowed apologetically.

“One of them just landed over the barricade,” Jackson announced, “Let’s go!”

On cue, everyone sprinted towards the door on the other side of the classroom leading to another corridor. Jimin’s wound did not fair with him nicely. It hurt just as much with the arrow out than it was in but his will for survival had been restored. He trailed slowly behind the others and then heard JB’s voice from behind.

“Hey, they’re on the other side! Stop climbing and go around!”

The Kids panicked, but they continued to flee. Jimin realized none of them had weapons. Soon, he wasn’t able to see them anymore. They had gotten so ahead of him and worried about being captured that he was left behind. He found a restroom and stumbled through the opening. Had his foot not given out and made him fall, the trap he triggered just then would have impaled him at the entrance. He almost yelled in relief but the running he heard in the halls made him cover his mouth. His body was tired and his wound would not allow him to move at the pace he needed. He could not start this cycle over. Jimin looked around his surroundings, looking for an idea, looking for reassurance, and then he found it. A ventilation door above the middle sink.