𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐨𝐧𝐞
-Disturbia-
Rihanna
01:43 ━━━━●───── 03:50
⇆ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤㅤ↻
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
"Hey, what the hell was that?"
Taehyung shook his head, trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears. He managed to pull it off from the floor and dragged his eyes over the group. Rick and Bob had fallen too but Taehyung couldn't see what was happening behind him. He turned to Rick but the leader was looking at the two men behind him. Taehyung could hear them shuffle around with grunts and assumed that they had fallen too.
Taehyung shifted on his side and stretched his neck to look over his shoulder. Daryl and Glenn were sitting on their knees, while the two butchers were trying to stand up, looking dazed and worried as they turned to Gareth for some answers.
The Leader was speechless, his eyes wide and lips parted in shock, "Mary, do you copy?" Gareth's radio turned on, allowing a static voice to fill the eerily silent room. Gareth seemed to snap out of his state of shock, immediately lifting his arm and pointing at the two butchers, "You stay here." He ordered them, turning to leave.
"Gareth, these guys aren't going-"
"Stay here until I know what's happening!" Gareth screamed back with a tint of panic bleeding into his voice before rushing out of the room.
The butchers were distracted and Taehyung made sure to use this to his advantage. His heart thudded with adrenaline as he wrapped his fingers around the zip tie and tried to snap it off his wrists by jerking his arms towards his hips
"So, we should just sit here?" The butcher with the knives asked in disbelief and reluctance towards aimed at Gareth's order. He turned to the other butcher to see what he thought about this but the man didn't seem as worried.
The butcher with the bat shrugged, "We got a job to do."
The knife-guy scoffed, whirling around on his heel to march away from the tub. He lifted his radio to his mouth as he walked, "You there, Gareth?" He spoke into the walkie-talkie, pacing around the room.
"He's busy." The bat-guy sang, not a tint of worry in his voice. When the worried butcher ignored him, the guy huffed and followed him towards the side of the room, leaving the group just lying on the floor.
A flicker of movement from Rick made Taehyung's attention bounced towards the leader. Rick's face was scrunched and dripping with sweat as his arms moved up and down in sharp jerks. Taehyung furrowed his brows and observed the continuous movement, only to freeze when Rick's arms popped free. The leader still lay on his side as he slid his legs closer to himself, reaching down to cut through the ties keeping his legs together. Only when Rick started cutting, did Taehyung notice that he was using the chunk of wood from the traincart.
"You smell the smoke? You hear the shots? He could be dead!" The knife-guy shouted in the background but Taehyung was too busy watching Rick's zip ties break and legs straighten, "The hell we doing here? The whole place could be going up."
"You went on one roundup and you blew protocol. We don't deal with security, that ain't our job. This is." The bat guy tried to calm him down, his voice remaining light and airy. The knife guy stared at his partner in disbelief before scoffing and turning his back to him. He started shaking his head, mumbling something under his breath as he paced back and forth, "Hey, look at me." The bat guy called out, trying to calm him down.
The panicked butcher slumped in defeat and turned around, "What?" The guy opened his mouth to respond but before he could say anything, Rick pounced on the guy from behind, stabbing the chunk of wood into the butcher's throat. Blood splattered onto Rick's face and the man crumbled to the ground, gurgling on his blood. The leader's gaze snapped up to the remaining butcher in the room. He stepped over the dead guy's body and marched up to the other one, "No, no, no." The knife guy stumbled back, falling onto the table behind him, only for Rick to jump on him and stab the shard of wood into his neck, then chest.
The guy slumped into the table, choking and coughing before crashing to the ground. Rick was panting, clutching onto the bloody piece of wood as he glanced between the dead butcher and the chopped-up body lying on the table, "Rick!" Glenn's muffled voice called out to the Leader, forcing him to turn around and march back to the others.
Rick dropped down next to Taehyung, quickly slicing through the zip-ties around his wrists before cutting into the ones on his ankles. The Leader disappeared to help the others, leaving Taehyung to pull the gag out from his mouth and stumble up to his feet, "What the hell was that?" He hissed as soon as his mouth was free, referring to the explosion that had occurred.
"They got problems, we got a chance." Rick panted around his words as he cut Daryl's bounds off.
Taehyung helped Bob up to his feet before stomping over to the side of the room where a tray with all sorts of tools lay on a table. He slammed his hands down on the counter and allowed his fingers to skim over the tools until he settled on a scimitar knife.
"Sounded like a bomb." Glenn pushed out, sauntering over to the table where Taehyung was. The others followed just behind him, grabbing random tools they could use as weapons before reaching down to kill the two butchers.
"Don't." Rick's voice made them pause and look up, "Let them turn."
Taehyung shrugged and stepped away from the bodies, following Rick out of the room with the knife clutched tightly in his fist. They entered a dark concrete hallway with not a shred of light in sight. Rick ducked to the right, running in the opposite direction Gareth had ventured in. The group ran through the hallway until they stumbled upon a room with barred windows.
As they were walking past the barred window, Taehyung's eyes caught a glimpse of what was inside and his footsteps slowed to a halt. Hanging from hooks on the ceiling were human torsos, the limbs and heads were chopped off. The bodies were drying out, making the skin cling to the bones and stretch around leftover muscle.
It was revolting and barbaric.
They stepped into the room, revealing empty hooks on the ceiling, containers with slabs of meat and body parts on the tables. Bowls of blood, chunks of torn-off skin and bones, some pieces of skin even had specks of hair on them. Butcher knives, all varying in different sizes and for different purposes were positioned on any surface available, along with a few cutting boards. In the center of the room were furnaces and Taehyung could see that on the metal tray, there were specks of burnt flesh. The room reeked of blood, feces and guts, it clogged his nose and seeped into his throat, promising to remain there for the days to come.
"Cross any of these people, you kill them. Don't hesitate." Rick's voice felt loud in the eerily silent room, "They won't." The leader whispered as he eyed the butchered bodies.
The group moved through the room, Taehyung having to duck under one of the rusty hooks to get by. His eyes caught sight of a machete on the table and he made sure to grab it since the rest of their group in the train cart were weaponless. Bob also grabbed a similar weapon, while Daryl tore off a pole from one of the furnaces to be used as a weapon.
They reached one of the doors leading to the outside and heard the sound of screams coming from the other side. Glenn and Taehyung peered through the window of the door, catching sight of a red container slowly being surrounded by a group of walkers. Bangs and screams came from inside, attracting more and more walkers with each passing second.
Rick stepped up to the door, placing his hand on the handle, "If we run, we can get by them." The leader nodded at the opening between the walkers, "They're distracted."
"We got to let those people out." Glenn denied, staring at the container with eyes filled with empathy. Taehyung's brow lifted and he glanced between them, wondering who would win this argument. He personally didn't care - he wanted to get out of this place with all of them alive but he also wanted to make sure no one else from their group was trapped in a container.
Glenn noticed the looks he was receiving, "That's still who we are, it's gotta be." He stated with an edge of steel, glancing between them until Taehyung peeled his lips apart to mumble.
"Could be one of our own in there." Taehyung peered over at Rick, "Carol, Tyreese, Jungkook, they weren't in the traincarts. Could be in there." He nudged his chin into the direction of the cart without breaking eye contact with Rick.
The leader pressed his tongue into his cheek but still nodded before pulling the door open. It creaked but the walkers were more attracted to the sound of screaming coming from the cart. The group snuck up on them from behind and only when they were close enough, did the walkers turn around to face them. The group pounced, each member grabbing a walker and swiftly killing them.
Taehyung pulled his scimitar knife out of the walker's skull and pushed it back, letting it crash to the ground. He eyed the surrounding area, making sure nothing crept up on them from behind, while the group opened the cart to let out whoever was inside. As soon as the door swung open, a man came rushing out. He slammed into Glenn, startling the others and making them run to help. The man had long, tangled hair that fell around his shoulders, his face was covered in grime and sweat, forehead and cheeks were decorated with tattoos. His stench and hole-ridden clothes revealed that he had been in the train cart for a long, long time.
"We're the same!" The man screamed into Glenn's face, only to be shoved away by the latter.
The man laughed, stumbling and falling into Rick, "Back off!" Rick shouted, pushing him back.
The man's eyes were blown wide with insanity as he grinned around a huffed laugh, "We're them!" He kept laughing as he staggered away, keeping his eyes locked on the group. Taehyung raised his knife, ready to defend the group if the crazy guy decided to attack them. It didn't seem like he had to worry though because the very next second, a walker jumped out from behind the cart and sunk its teeth into the man's throat.
They fell to the ground with the man screaming and the walker feasting. Glenn jumped forward and started smashing his metal baseball bat into the walker's skull until it fell dead. Taehyung lowered his knife, watching Glenn beat the walker into a mush. The sound of growls and shuffling reached the group and Taehyung looked up in time to see a herd moving through the street behind the train cart.
Daryl jumped forward, grabbing the back of Glenn's shirt and tugging him behind the cart to hide from the herd. Taehyung pressed himself against the opposite side of the cart. He peered around the corner and observed the walkers drifting down the street with a trail of groans echoing behind them. He pushed his tongue against his lower lip and looked at Rick for further guidance on what to do.
The leader was hovering a few steps in front of them and between both ends of the cart, he glanced from one corner of the cart to the other. His thoughts were skimming through his eyes, every single one being picked up and depicted by Taehyung's keen senses. He understood that they would have to wait them out and then make a run for the cart that held the rest of their group.
As they were waiting for the herd to pass, bullets began to fly down the street. They hit the walkers, some slamming into their shoulders and making them stumble, while others pierced their skulls and made them drop dead. The bullets were followed by the sound of shouts and then a rush of footsteps. When the last walker fell dead, they witnessed a group of Terminus people march down the street with guns in their hands.
"Just wait here." Rick ordered and before anyone could react, the leader ran out from behind the cart and ducked behind one of the rusty cars next to the street.
"Rick!" Glenn hissed, only to be shushed by Taehyung. The two made eye contact and Taehyung shoved his finger at the approaching group of men. They ducked behind the cart, trying not to be seen as the Terminus group marched past them and eventually, past the car Rick hid behind.
A walker came stumbling out from one of the side alleyways, but instead of approaching the Terminus group, it dragged its feet over to Rick. The leader hadn't noticed its approach and Taehyung jumped forward with a hushed 'fuck' falling over his lip. He dashed across the lot until he reached the walker that was about to grab Rick. Just as the Leader noticed it and whirled around, Taehyung grabbed the walker by the scruff and shoved a knife into the back of its head.
The walker fell and Rick looked up at Tae, giving him a quick nod as a thanks. Taehyung bobbed his head back and noticed another Terminus man saunter down the street after the group. Taehyung was quick to crouch down behind the car, watching as the man fired his gun down the street. The man walked past the car they hid behind and Rick jumped out from their hiding space. He pounced on the man, grabbing him into a chokehold and latching onto his gun. The man grunted and dug his finger into the trigger, causing bullets to spray out of the nozzle and fly into the air.
Rick ripped the gun out of the man's hands and shoved him to the ground before aiming the gun at the group down the street. They all had their backs to him and it was easy for Rick to pull the trigger. The bullets sprayed and hit the people in the back, causing them to fall like dominoes and leaving them to be easy targets for the dead.
Taehyung stepped out from behind the car, eyes wide as he stared down the street and witnessed the walkers drop next to the injured people. They leaned down and sunk their teeth into their skin, chewing and clawing anywhere they could reach, "Ruthless." Taehyung muttered, clearly impressed by the leader's actions. Rick hummed in return, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was behind them while Taehyung stepped up to one of the fallen people and pulled their gun out of their hand.
As Taehyung was straightening back out, the woman's eyes snapped open and zeroed in on Taehyung. She coughed out a mouthful of blood and snapped her hand towards him to curl her fingers around his ankle. Taehyung hissed through his teeth, twirling the gun around in his hands before slamming the butt of the gun into her head. He repeated the action until her face was bloody and hand had slackened, allowing him to take a step back.
Taehyung's attention was pulled towards a group of approaching walkers. Some were dropping to the ground and eating the people Rick had shot, while others were stumbling towards him. A hand grabbed Taehyung by the back of the shirt and tugged him back. Taehyung yelped and whirled around, only to see that it was Rick.
"C'mon." The leader pushed him forward, snapping Taehyung into a run. The pair rejoined the rest of the group and ran to find the train cart with their people.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
This was power.
Walking through the ring of flames still licking at the pavement while leading a herd of walkers into Terminus. The dead themselves brushed against him yet didn't let their touch linger as if they sensed the danger wafting off of him. The sound of blood-curdling screams echoed through the air, filling his ears with the sweet melody of their terror.
It was power and it tasted good.
Jungkook's lips curled into a chilling smile as he walked side by side with the walkers. He slipped through the torn fence, the flames flared and curled around the metal bars, causing it to melt and drip on the ground. The warmth caressed Jungkook's body and he inhaled a deep breath filled with smoke. He peered through his hood and noticed a screaming woman lying on the ground as a group of walkers tore her chest open and scooped the organs out of her belly.
Jungkook dragged his feet past her, not a lick of sympathy caressing his heart at the sight. He saw another man be cornered against the side of the building. The man tried to fight back with a knife but soon got overpowered. His screams clung onto Jungkook's shoulders like a cape and only fuelled the honeyed satisfaction filling his belly.
The walkers were everywhere, spreading through the front yard, drifting into the little alleyways and dragging themselves through any open door available to them. They rounded on anything living and the people tried by firing guns and stabbing one walker after the other but eventually, the walkers overwhelmed them and brought these people down to their knees.
Everywhere Jungkook looked, he was greeted by pools of blood and dismembered corpses. A woman with her face torn off and a walker chewing on her nose, a man who was still breathing as he lay with his chest torn open and a walker digging its hands into his belly, a man who tried to push two walkers away from himself only for the walker to lean in and bite his fingers off, a woman who was staring up at the sky with tears running down her face and eyes blank as a group of walkers surrounded her to try and get a piece of her. They pushed and shoved each other, crawled on top of each other, and jerked her hands between themselves until they tore them off.
Jungkook didn't look away, drank in every single death he had caused with satisfaction brimming in the back of his throat. He drifted with the crowd of walkers, feeling a sick sense of belonging filling him as he followed the walkers to a crossroad. The herd started splitting apart, one half venturing forward to wrap around the building while the other half stumbled into a small alleyway. Jungkook followed the later half. He was met with the sight of some sort of courtyard leading off to four different sections in Terminus.
Standing in front of one of the alleyways were three men, they were shouting something to each other as they lifted their guns and started firing at the approaching herd. More gunshots echoed from above him and Jungkook tilted his head up. He peered through his hood and saw men with guns standing on the roof, shooting at the walkers in the alleyway.
The walkers around Jungkook started crashing to the ground, forcing the boy to drift closer to the brick wall to avoid the bullets. One of the bullets hit the walker right in front of Jungkook and the thing fell into him. Jungkook gritted his teeth, forcing himself to not move as he let the walker roll off his chest and fall to the ground. He stepped over the corpse and kept walking until his eyes latched onto a door just ahead of him. He kept his eyes locked on the three men at the end of the alleyway while they reloaded their guns.
Jungkook reached the door and grabbed the handle just as the men lifted their guns and continued shooting. He cracked it open and slipped inside, right as he was pushing the door shut, a bullet hit the doorframe where he once stood. Jungkook gritted his teeth and slammed the door shut. Walkers immediately began to bang against the door, trying to break it down and get inside.
Jungkook turned around to face the room. It was spacious and airy, with workbenches and terminus maps scattered on one side of the room, and random junk filling the other half of the room. Jungkook's gaze skimmed over the random junk until he noticed metal stairs leading up to the roof. He could hear the sound of muffled gunshots coming from above and immediately approached the staircase to head upstairs and kill the snipers.
A sudden thought struck him and Jungkook paused at the bottom of the steps. He gazed up at the spiral staircase before peering over to the door he had entered from. Chewing on his lip, Jungkook mulled over his thoughts before twisting on his heel and stomping back to the door. He ripped it open, revealing the flood of walkers combing through the alleyway. Jungkook reached out to grab the nearest one and tugged it inside. The walkers surrounding the door snapped their heads towards him and Jungkook was quick to swing the door shut in their faces.
He faced the walker he had pulled inside and lifted his leg to smash its head in before it could even snap its teeth at him. Once the walker was lifeless, Jungkook reached down and hoisted it over his shoulder before sauntering back to the stairs. His steps were light as he ascended the stairs, his footsteps barely left a sound and the stairs didn't even dare creak under his weight. A droplet of sweat rolled down the side of his face from the weight on his shoulder but he pushed on until he reached the top of the stairs.
There was a long hallway leading up to a single rusty door. Jungkook could hear gunshots beyond the door, along with muffled voices. He approached it and lowered the dead body to the ground before pulling his rifle off his shoulder. He made sure to check the magazine before slowly pushing the door open. Once a small gap had formed between the door and the frame, he inserted the tip of his gun into the gap and dared to peek through it.
There was a man on one of the other buildings, he pushed the door further, revealing two more men standing at the edge of this rooftop. They were leaning over the edge of the building, firing bullets into the street below. The radios strapped to their waists occasionally switched on, allowing a static voice to filter through the air.
They all had their backs on him, not noticing the door drift further open and a person step through the doorway. Not until Jungkook tugged the rifle up and shot the two men nearest to him, before the man on the other building could even turn around, Jungkook pressed the trigger and fired a few shots at him. The bullets blasted out of the gun, they sliced through the air and flew over the alleyway between the buildings before embedding into the gunman. A few bullets hit him in the spine, another one in the upper thigh, and the third in the back of the head.
The three men slumped over the edge of the roof, their guns hung lifelessly from their fingers and one gun even slipped from their grasp and fell into the street below. Blood soaked into the concrete wall and dripped onto the gravel floor. Another bang echoed through the air but this time it didn't come from Jungkook's gun. The man flinched back behind the door, pulling it halfway shut to use it as a shield. The bullet hit the edge of the door and bounced up, diving into the ground instead.
"Piece of shit." Jungkook spat through a flare of anger, releasing his hold on the door and drifting back into the hallway leading to the rooftop. He bent down and picked up the dead walker with one hand, hoisted it up in front of his body and marched back outside. The walker was dangling in front of him and Jungkook fully ducked behind it to shield himself, his arm burned from the weight but he pushed on. Jungkook lifted his leg and slammed the door fully open, still holding the dead walker in front of himself as he faced the man on the other rooftop.
The man fired the gun and the bullets hit the dead walker, Jungkook gritted his teeth and readjusted his hold before lifting his rifle and aiming at the man. The man's smile faltered while Jungkook's lips stretched into a taunting grin. He pressed his finger against the trigger, causing bullets to fly and the man to duck for cover. He wasn't quick enough, Jungkook could hear his yelp and see his blood splatter as the bullets hit him in the chest before he fell.
Jungkook's eyes lingered on the place where the man disappeared before swiveling around on his heel to eye the other rooftops. He didn't see anyone else and Jungkook dropped the walker to the ground. Before he could leave, the echo of bangs came from the alleyway below the rooftop.
Jungkook pivoted around on his heel and marched towards the edge of the roof. Once he reached the edge, he peered down and saw a group of people marching through the alleyway while firing at the herd. Jungkook lifted his rifle and aimed at the group. The cold metal dug into his cheek and his shoulder strained from the force of each gunshot as he fired at the group. The bullets rained down on them and they all fell one by one, yet Jungkook continued to empty the gun into the group until the magazine clicked and they all lay dead.
He pulled himself away from the edge of the roof and threw the empty gun onto the ground. Jungkook marched over to one of the dead bodies and leaned down to tear his gun out of his stiff fingers. He surveyed the roof one last time.
He didn't see anyone else hiding around the corner, no one was there to guard the entrance and stop the herd from marching into the compound. They had free rein to roam around Terminus and kill these people off one after the other. Jungkook felt like he was their master and they were his pets, like he had come here for the sole purpose of making sure the herd had something to eat.
He snorted at the thought and drifted over to the door to walk back downstairs. As he pressed his foot against the first step of the staircase, he heard a door being thrown open downstairs and someone rushing inside. Jungkook froze, pulling his foot off the stairs before pressing it back down. He could hear the door slam shut behind the person, followed by the sound of muffled voices of men.
Sounded like there was a group of them.
Jungkook tightened his hold on the gun and carefully made his way down the stairs. He peered around the corner and gazed into the room from above. The group of men were pacing around, some were counting their bullets with trembling hands while others were arguing about whether to split the bullets among them. A man with a braided beard stated that no one should split the bullets because it wasn't their fault that the blond man had shot without aiming properly. That led to a fight breaking out with punches being thrown and the other men scrambling to break them up.
While the commotion was happening, Jungkook drifted down the stairs unnoticed and hid behind the boiler in the room. He looked at the door to his left and heard the muffled groans of the walkers outside. They were drifting by silently in search of a meal and Jungkook was ready to serve. A loud bang from the group of men pulled the walkers' attention towards the building and it wasn't long before they were pounding at the door.
The men hadn't noticed, still fighting and throwing things at each other, nor had they noticed Jungkook shuffle over to the door and stand behind it. They didn't notice until Jungkook pulled the door open and walkers started spilling into the room. Jungkook hid himself behind the door, watching the men scramble to grab their weapons to defend themselves. Only a few got to fire their rounds before the guns clicked and the walkers pounced on them.
Jungkook saw an opening between the walkers and slipped outside. One walker brushed against him and their eyes connected. Jungkook held his breath at the sight of the walker's cloudy eyes and the rotten skin peeling off its cheeks. He ducked under his hood and slipped away, leaving behind the sound of screams coming from the men being torn apart.
Jungkook drifted through the courtyard. The tables were overthrown and the blackened stove was still smoking from being used. The three men who had once fired at the herd were now lying against the wall in their own blood. Walkers sat around them, scraping their organs off the ground and lifting them to their bloodstained mouths.
Jungkook walked past them, not paying the walkers much attention. He ventured further into terminus, sometimes stumbling upon a person or two perched on top of the roofs, other times noticing a small group of survivors standing at the end of the alleyways, firing guns rapidly to try and stop the herd. But there were too many of them and Jungkook bore witness to how the walkers cornered them and tore them apart limb by limb.
After drifting around for a while with no destination in sight, Jungkook came across a door with a big 'w' drawn on top of it. He hadn't seen that on any other door and couldn't help approach it. The walkers flowed around him and Jungkook let them pass by before he dared to open the door to slip inside. He pushed the door shut and let his eyes skim over the dark hallway. It led in two different directions. Jungkook chose to venture down the hall to his right and kept his footsteps light to not attract anyone to himself.
As he walked, he noticed a doorway here and there but none of them stood out to him. Eventually, he reached the end of the hall with another passageway leading to the left. He turned to it and noticed an open doorway leading into a room. Jungkook stepped inside the room and his face lit up at the sight of weapons. Guns of all sizes and purposes were strapped to the walls, along with bows, machetes, even a medieval sword and a spear. Boxes of bullets were placed on top of the tables and as Jungkook approached, he noticed a thread of bright red tnt sitting right next to the bullets.
"Now, look at that." A breathless chuckle slipped through his lips at the sight and ideas flashed through his head on how he could use the explosives to his advantage.
Jungkook tore his eyes away from the explosives and reached down to grab the boxes of ammo, he opened his satchel and shoved them inside. He rounded the table and approached the wall of guns. His eyes skimmed over the guns and his heart sang with the desire to take them all. He settled on grabbing a handgun and shoved it into his bag, he then turned to the bigger guns and his attention was immediately drawn to the biggest gun there.
Jungkook reached out with wide eyes, his fingers glided over its length and then curled around its barrel. He pulled the weapon off the wall and into his arms. This one felt massive against his body and made his arms tense from the weight, it looked badass with its sleek black exterior and the silencer attached to the tip. He tilted it to the side and caught sight of the label engraved into the side 'HK417'. Jungkook felt as if the weapon was whispering to him, telling him it would serve him well, saying it was just as angry and bloodthirsty as he was.
Jungkook's lips stretched into a breezy smile and he pulled the gun over his shoulder. It weighed him down but felt nice and snug as it lay against his back. He then reached down to pull the drawers open. Three silencers rolled around from the movement and Jungkook swiftly shoved them into his bag. He also grabbed a handgun off the wall and pulled it open to check the bullets. As Jungkook was clicking it shut, he heard the sound of footsteps and panting down the hall. His head snapped up just in time to see a man skidding to a stop in front of the door.
The man froze at the sight of him and before he could react, Jungkook lifted the handgun and fired a single bullet. The bullet slammed into the man's forehead and the life whisked out of the man's eyes. He toppled back and slumped against the wall behind him before sliding down and plopping onto his ass. A trickle of blood leaked down the hole in his head, staining his features red.
Jungkook hummed with a nod, lowering his arm and eyeing the gun he caressed with his fingers, "Works well." He murmured his approval and shoved the gun under his poncho and into his belt. Jungkook twisted on his heel and approached the wall with other weapons. His eyes skimmed over the array of katanas, knives, axes, even saw an interesting weapon with curved blades on each end and a smaller one attached to a leather chain.
A row of five hand-sized steel knives caught his attention and Jungkook's mind was lured towards Taehyung. The throwing knives looked sharp in the glint of the sun, its handle was wrapped with a black cord and at the end there was a circle-shaped space for your fingers. They were bigger than Taehyung usually used but Jungkook knew it would be a perfect gift. Although, he needed to find a way to carry them.
Jungkook threw open any cabinet he could find, stumbled upon more ammo that he ended up shoving into his satchel, found a scope he could attach to a gun, even saw a bulletproof west and a military helmet. He opened one of the cupboards and finally saw a pile of holsters lying inside. He yanked them out and started skimming through them until he found a thigh strap for five throwing knives. He wrapped the thing around his thigh and walked back to the knives, pulling them off the wall and shoving them into the sheath one by one.
When he looked up, he surveyed the wall of weapons one last time to check if he wanted to take anything else. For a moment, Jungkook felt like he was shopping and it was funny because he wasn't in the position to shop, he was at war with this community. Still, he took his time and took in every weapon because Daryl and Michonne had signature weapons and Jungkook wanted one for himself. He wondered if he should grab a katana because it was the most effective when fighting the living or the dead, Michonne could even teach him how to handle it. But he also felt like he wanted something a little different, something of his own.
Jungkook noticed a forearm-sized battle axe, it was black and matte, both ends of the axe were sharp and the handle was leather. He pulled the axe from the wall and hooked it into his belt before looking back up. His eyes latched onto two twin blades, they were hidden inside a double sheath but Jungkook could see the leather handles wrapped with string. They were black and the weaving had created an intricate design that spread around the handles in a spiderweb design. Jungkook pulled the double sheath off the wall and pulled one of the twin katanas out of its sheath. A blade, sharp and long unravelled before his eyes. Its black steel surface seemed to shine under a stream of light.
Jungkook slammed the katana back into its sheath and pulled the rifle off his shoulder to pull his hands through the straps and attach the katanas to his back. The leather sheath pressed between his shoulder blades and the straps felt tight around his shoulders. The weight and tightness felt satisfying though, like some sort of safety net being pulled around his shoulders.
"Okay, that's, enough. If I take anything else I won't be able to walk." Jungkook grumbled under his breath as he reached down and picked up the massive rifle. He bounced it up and down in his arms to get used to the weight before making his way out of the room. Before leaving, he made sure to stop by the table and slide the explosives off the surface. He noticed a pack of cigarettes lying next to the pile of bullets and quickly grabbed those too. With the weapons weighing down his body and the explosives under his arm, Jungkook made his way out of the room and eventually, the building.
The door fell shut behind him and Jungkook surveyed the area. The herd had passed through here and now the alleyway was empty but he could still hear their groans just around the corner. Jungkook turned his head, glancing down the alleyway before blinking at the door leading to the armory. He peered up at the rooftops, noting that they were empty and checking their line of sight. Once he mapped out his next move, he bent down and placed the explosives by a barrel next to the door, making sure that he could see them from his chosen point atop the rooftop.
Once the explosives were set, he marched towards the building and threw the door open. He breezed through the cafeteria, brushing past the tables and the countertop with plates of food. His nose twitched at the scent of meat and even a few vegetables yet his main focus was the metal stairs leading to the rooftop. He bounced up the stairs until he reached the metal door at the top, he threw it open and stepped outside.
A gentle breeze greeted him by peppering kisses along his sweaty cheeks. Jungkook marched across the rooftop until he reached the edge, he peered over it to make sure he could see the explosives hiding behind the barrel before setting his rifle onto the ledge and bending down to peer through the scope. Jungkook's poncho dangled around his knees and the hood draped over his forehead, hiding the tense pull of his brows and the sharpness of his eyes.
He was patient as he waited, not moving an inch or looking away from the explosives. He waited for what seemed like hours, ignored the walkers drifting by and the stray person running through the alleyway in pure terror. He didn't even blink when a walker caught a blonde woman and sunk its teeth into her arm, only watched as she killed it and stumbled away while clutching the bite on her arm.
For a moment, he wondered if his wait had been in vain and if he should leave but then, he heard it. Quiet voices and muffled steps, a group of men and women crept through the alleyway toward the armory. Jungkook's eyes narrowed at them as they crept along, making sure they remained quiet to not attract the herd. They shuffled past the building Jungkook was perched on and stepped into the alleyway with the clear intention of reaching the armory. The man ahead of the group grabbed the door and as he pulled it open, Jungkook pressed the trigger.
A single bullet blasted out of the gun, causing it to snap back and slam into Jungkook's shoulder. He winced yet didn't dare look away. The bullet sliced through the air with such force and precision, that no one even got to blink before it pierced into the stick of TnT. One moment the group froze and snapped their heads into Jungkook's direction and the next, an explosion enveloped the group in a whirlpool of flames.
The ground trembled beneath Jungkook's feet and his ears rang as he watched the walls crack and bricks fall out. The flames burst through the air, wrapping around the group before sending them flying through the air. The ones closest to the explosion were unrecognizable with their charcoal skin and burnt flesh, all their features had melted together and their joints were stiff. The next ones were torn apart, limbs flew through the air and splattered onto the ground, their clothes were burning when the rest of their bodies slammed into the ground. The ones furthest from the explosion flew back, some hit the wall and some slammed into the pavement. They seemed dazed but snapped out of it when they felt the flames curl around their bodies and eat at their skin.
Jungkook pulled his gun back and stood up to his feet with the help of the wall. His eyes lingered on the destruction he had caused and a sick tug of satisfaction unravelled in his chest. The burning people were running around and rolling around the pavement, trying to extinguish the flames wrapped around their bodies. Their screams echoed through the air and bounced off of the walls until their skin became black and features melted away, until they fell to the ground and no longer moved.
Jungkook's eyes lingered but then he tore them away. He made sure no one reached the armory and judging by the flames kicking at the metal door and the cracks in the walls, no one else would. These people would be left defenseless, they could either run or they could stay and die.
Jungkook turned his back to the sight, tugging the hood further down his head as he walked towards the door.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
Everything was on fire, the buildings were burning and creating a cloud of smoke in the air. It stayed low to the ground, shielding Taehyung's vision and making it difficult to see the approaching walkers. He heard them though, they were surrounding them, all coming from different directions and in massive groups. He could hear the sound of gunshots and the slashing of knives being stabbed into walker skulls from all around him. Most importantly, he heard the sound of Rick ripping the door to the traincart open to let the rest of their group out.
"Come on, we fight to the fence!" Rick's scream was barely audible beyond the sound of growls and the footsteps of the oncoming herd.
Taehyung aimed at the group of walkers in front of him and shot them all dead but as soon as they had fallen, it revealed another group stumbling forward. The sound of gunshots from behind him was followed by another group to Taehyung's right falling dead, creating a small opening for them to run through.
"You do not leave his side!" Abraham shouted as he pushed Eugene out of the cart by the scruff.
Taehyung whirled around and noticed the rest of the group following after, he immediately lifted his gun and shot the walkers to his right, making the opening bigger, "Go, go, go!" Daryl shouted and Taehyung jumped into a run with his gun raised. He could hear the rest of the group follow behind him but tried to focus on the path in front of him. He shot any tray walker that stumbled out in front of them, shot until the gun emptied, and then pulled out his knife.
The others ran to his side and together they stabbed through the walkers, forming a circle. Abraham used a piece with a chunk of wood on the tip to slash at a walker. He sliced through its neck and caused its head to roll onto its shoulder. The walker continued to walk, its head flopping around and teeth snapping in the air. Taehyung kicked it in the chest, pushing it over before continuing to run. He pulled out the machete he had grabbed and called out to Abraham who was now leading the group, "Hey, catch!" The redhead snapped his head around and thrust out his arm to catch the machete thrown at him. He immediately whirled around and slammed it into an approaching walker, the blade sliced through the walker's decaying scull, almost cutting it completely in half.
Daryl used his pipe to smash in a walker's head, causing its eye to pop out and skull to shatter under the force of the blow. Michonne used a makeshift weapon that resembled her katana, it was a pipe that had wooden chunks attached to both ends with her shoelaces. She stabbed the walker in front of her before jerking the weapon over her shoulder to stab the walker attacking Carl.
Eugene who was in the middle of the group flinched away with a cry as a walker reached out to grab him, only for Sasha to grab the thing by its scruff and shove a gun into its mouth. She pulled the trigger and made the walker's brains splatter into the air.
The group continued to run with Rick staying at the end to fire at the walkers behind them and Taehyung and Maggie leading the group. The cloud of smoke made their lungs ache and eyes burn but they pushed on until they stumbled upon the fence. They crowded around it. Rosita shoved a knife through the fence and stabbed the walker on the other side while Taehyung and Maggie grabbed a rag off the ground and threw it over the barbed fence.
Taehyung crouched down, along with Abraham on the opposite side, and interlocked his fingers, "I'll boost you up." He rushed out and Maggie was quick to place her feet into his palms and grab onto his shoulders. Taehyung pushed her off and the woman immediately grabbed onto the fence, pulling herself over and allowing Carl to step up. Taehyung pushed him over while Abraham shoved Eugene over, followed by Michonne.
They continued this and Taehyung only tore his attention away when he heard Rick fire his gun. He glanced over at the leader while he was pushing Tara, a girl with a ponytail and the one Glenn had met on the road, over the fence. Rick was aiming the gun up at the rooftop and Taehyung just barely caught sight of Gareth ducking for cover. Rick continued to shoot in that direction until the gun ran out of bullets.
"Rick!" Taehyung's raspy yell snapped the leader out of it, making him twist around and run to the fence with a herd of walkers hot on his heel.
Abraham turned to Taehyung, "Come on." He nodded Taehyung over and the latter didn't waste time to step forward. He placed his foot between Abraham's interlocked fingers and allowed the man to push him up. Taehyung winced as his injured palm dug into the wire yet he still managed to pull himself over the fence. He dropped down on the floor and was pulled up and away by Michonne. He stumbled and turned back, watching as Rick rolled over the fence, followed by Abraham. It looked like they barely made it over because as soon as Abraham's feet touched the ground, the herd slammed into the fence.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
Jungkook was drifting through Terminus, drinking in the sight of flames spreading from building to building, latching onto anything it could sink its claws into and spreading its smoke throughout the area. It was getting difficult to breathe, not to mention the heat. Jungkook's clothes were sticking to his skin and his hair was drenched, darkening the strands into an inky color. The strands of hair stuck to his face and Jungkook would have to shake his head from time to time to make them move.
Terminus had also grown silent, no more gunshots or screams, only the sound of the dead roaming around and the fire crackling in the distance. There was nothing left here, Jungkook and Carol had torn this place to the ground. Oddly enough, he felt a surge of pride run through his chest. The thought that he had caused this destruction and had completely obliterated an entire community made him feel confident and powerful as walked through the graveyard that was Terminus.
Until a hand clamped down on his shoulder and pulled him to a stop, Jungkook jerked himself away and thrust his gun up to point at the person, only to be greeted by Carol's dirt-covered face. She pushed the tip of his gun down and nodded in the direction behind him. Jungkook hummed low in his throat and turned around to make his way towards the nearest fence.
They had done what they needed to do, now it was time to check if their group had made it out alive. Jungkook didn't know where Carol had disappeared while they were walking with the herd but judging by Daryl's crossbow strapped to her back, she had a story of her own. Perhaps she would tell him if he asked but now wasn't the time or place to share their war stories.
They made it to the fence and Jungkook pushed Carol up before pulling himself over. He dropped to the ground with a grunt and followed the woman into the woods. They walked for a while, making sure that the fence was far enough before Carol slid to the ground and pulled the poncho over her head. She turned it inside out and started wiping the gunk off her face.
Jungkook exhaled a breath and reached down to pull out the packet of cigarettes he had found. He placed one between his lips and pulled out the lighter that was in the box. He lit the thing and sucked in a lungful of smoke, his gaze flickered into the direction of terminus and lips stretched into a whisper of a smile at the sight of smoke wafting into the air.
Jungkook pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and turned to Carol, "What happened in there?" He questioned through an exhale of smoke, quirking a brow at the swirls of darkness he could see in Carol's eyes. The woman merely looked at him with her lips pressed together as she continued to wipe her face clean, "You shouldn't feel bad." Jungkook shrugged, inhaling another puff of smoke before tapping the excess off the tip, "We are who we are and we do what needs to be done for us to live."
Carol sighed yet didn't respond, instead dropped the dirty rag onto the ground and pushed herself off the ground. Jungkook rolled his lips together, watching the ghosts of her actions weigh down her shoulders, "I don't regret the people I killed and you shouldn't either. It will start to haunt you, destroy you from the inside, and make you doubt everything you do. Your decision-making will get cloudy and that will cost you, maybe your life, maybe someone else's." Jungkook threw the cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out, "So, don't look back and just keep moving forward."
Carol stared at him for a while, dragging her eyes over the slope of his nose and the stretch of his jaw, eyeing the ease of his brows and the lack of remorse in his eyes. Jungkook had no regret for the ones he killed. His shoulders weren't weighed down by guilt and his eyes were clear of ghosts, maybe the clearest she had ever seen him look. He had accepted his actions and sins, had processed them and swallowed them, had engraved them into his chest like medals and now knew they were a part of him. He fully accepted and embraced who he was whether that meant being a monster or a man who just wanted to protect his loved ones.
"We should wrap around the area, check if they're anywhere around." Carol cleared her throat and started walking, being immediately followed by Jungkook who still wore his walker-gut poncho, "If they're not anywhere near Terminus, we can head back, make sure they aren't trapped inside."
"What if they're dead?" Jungkook's tongue formed spikes and dug into the roof of his mouth when he uttered the question. He hoped it to be an unlikely scenario but knew that it was a possibility with the herd tearing through Terminus.
Carol shook her head, waving off the possibility, "They're not weak, they're either trapped or they escaped. No other option exists, not to them."
Jungkook hummed in agreement. It was unlikely that a group that had Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Taehyung would be slaughtered so easily. They had to escape, they were strong and smart, and together they were nearly unstoppable.
So, they kept moving on, following along the fence and surveying the area in hopes of stumbling upon the group.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
The group was exhausted and worn out by the time they reached the place where they had left the bag with guns. Rick and Daryl were the only ones still pushing on with long confident strides, while the others were trudging forward with exhaustion weighting down each step. Taehyung was one of the tired ones, the rifle was heavy on his shoulder and the leftover heat from the battle made him sluggish. What he wouldn't do to take a nap right there in the middle of the woods.
What made him keep going was the realization that they had all made it out alive. He didn't know whether to call it luck or skill but they were all together and unharmed. Just as Jungkook had wanted. At least Taehyung had done that, the next step was to accept that Jungkook wasn't coming back and to keep moving forward.
Daryl paused and gestured at a spot on the ground, "Right here." He crouched down and brushed the leaves away from the ground, revealing the shovel Rick had hidden. He threw it at the leader and Rick crouched down and started digging up the ground while everyone else surrounded him.
"The hell we still around here for?" Abraham called out from behind the group, taking heavy steps forward to see what Rick was doing.
Taehyung crossed his arms with a sigh and leaned against one of the trees, while Rick answered without looking up, "Guns, some supplies." Rick wiped the sweat off his brow and kept digging, "Go along the fences, use the rifles, take out the rest of them."
That made Taehyung straighten out and look at Rick as if he had lost his mind. On one hand, he understood where the leader was coming from, they should make sure that none of these people would follow them. He knows that cannibals would be horrible enemies to have. But on the other hand, they had barely made it out alive, the place was crowded with walkers and if they fired guns, the walkers would turn their attention onto them.
"Rick." Taehyung mumbled with a shake of his head, causing the leader to stop and tilt his head towards him.
Rick's bruised cheek and sharp eyes made Taehyung stiffen, "They don't get to live." And his words sent a chill down his spine.
The rest of the group looked just as stumped and dubious at what Rick suggested they do. They looked at one another, sharing looks filled with doubt and reluctance until Glenn huffed a breath and spoke up, "Rick, we got out, it's over." He dragged slowly, trying to dig the words into Rick's brain.
As soon as the blue bag was revealed, Rick dropped the shovel and reached inside to pull out his signature colt python, "It's not over till they're all dead." Rick murmured as he clicked the gun open and checked the bullets.
"The hell it isn't, that place is on fire. Full of walkers." Rosita spat with a jab of her finger in Terminus' direction. Through the treetops, Taehyung could see the smoke drifting through the air.
Abraham stepped forward, "I'm not dicking around with this crap. We just made it out."
Maggie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before peeling them open and looking at Rick, "The fences are down, they'll run or die." She softened her words, trying to make Rick see some sense.
Rick stood up, pushing his tongue into his cheek as his eyes flickered between each member of the group. Taehyung could see that Rick was reluctant to back down but if all of them refused, he'd accept their decision, "They're right, it's over, Rick." Taehyung added softly, still leaning on the tree with his shoulder.
A crack of a branch and a shuffle of leaves came from behind Taehyung. His spine snapped straight and eyes bounced up to the other members of the group. Their faces dropped and eyes widened, Maggie's filled with tears as she lifted a hand to her lips, Michonne's gaze grew soft with relief and lips tugged into a grin, similar expressions crossed everyone's features. All except for Abraham, Rosita and Eugene who grew stiff and cautious at the sight of whatever was behind Taehyung.
Ever so slowly, he turned around to see what they were looking at. The gun on Taehyung's shoulder slipped down and fell to the ground yet he didn't even register it because in front of him stood a man who had risen from the dead. Jungkook's eyes were as large as he remembered and black hair curled at the edges from the sweat. His skin glistened under the sun as if an angel was caressing his cheeks with its fingers. Splotches of blood and sot stained his face, yet it didn't hide the sharpness of his cheekbones and the crisp cut of his jaw. It didn't hide the curve of his rosy lips, nor did it hide the way his round eyes bounced around the group before settling on Taehyung.
And then, ever so slowly, Taehyung watched Jungkook's lips stretch into a grin so wide and carefree it made his eyes scrunch up and reveal his two protruding front teeth. Taehyung felt like he had been punched in the chest - breath stolen and mind hazy. He was floating somewhere in the back of his head, unaware of the things around him because all he could focus on was the mirage in front of him.
Perhaps he was dead, perhaps he had fainted because he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Jungkook stood there like a page ripped out of a storybook, grinning at him with so much relief and happiness it left Taehyung breathless. He was afraid of moving forward, of breathing or blinking, of touching Jungkook because then he would see if he was real or not.
Only when Jungkook took a small step forward and accidentally stepped on a branch, did Taehyung's lungs flood with air and his eyes fill with tears. He ran forward without thinking, each step he took towards the boy was drenched in desperation to touch him, to make sure he was really there and wouldn't disappear. He ran with eyes blurry from tears until he finally crashed into Jungkook.
The boy yelped and latched onto Taehyung's arms for balance, only to get crashed into a hug so tight he felt his bones tremble under the force of Taehyung's grip. Taehyung pressed his face into Jungkook's shoulder and the next second, hoisted him off his feet. Jungkook fully fell into him, and wrapped his arms around Taehyung's shoulders, while Taehyung held him with one hand wrapped around his waist and the other pressed between his shoulder blades.
Taehyung's tongue felt heavy in his mouth and throat had clogged with the relief seeping into his body, he pressed his face into Jungkook's neck and inhaled a lungful of his sweat, "Found you." Taehyung heard Jungkook whisper the tease into his hair - his words were as light as a flap of a butterfly's wing, as gentle as a mother's first gaze at her firstborn. It was everything Taehyung had dreamt of.
He carefully placed Jungkook back down on his feet yet still had his arms wrapped around him. Jungkook exhaled a breathless laugh, reaching up to comb his fingers through Taehyung's sweaty hair, "What's with you?" He wondered under his breath, the teasing tone still present in his voice until he felt something wet on his neck, "Tae?" His smile disappeared and he pulled Taehyung back.
As soon as Taehyung's face was out of his neck, he could see the string of red outlining Taehyung's eyes and the shimmer of tears bunched up in his lower lash line. They tipped over and rolled down his cheeks, reached his trembling chin and spilled past his wobbling lips. Jungkook reached out and tried to wipe them away, only for his hand to get caught in Taehyung's larger one and for the man to tilt his head to the side and press a kiss into his palm.
"I thought I lost you." Taehyung murmured against his skin and glanced back up at him with eyes shining with past grief and current shame at giving up on the thought of Jungkook being alive.
Jungkook's eyes softened and the corners of his lips twitched into a smile so warm it rivaled the sun, "Didn't I promise that I would find you?" Jungkook pulled his hand out of Taehyung's and reached out to wipe his tears away with his knuckles, "That would entail me breaking a promise and I would never lose like that." Jungkook's smile faltered for a moment when he registered the bruises on Taehyung's face, "Who the hell did that to your face? Was it those bastards? They got what they deserved, I made sure of th-"
One second Jungkook was rambling and the next, Taehyung leaned in and pressed their lips together. Jungkook's eyes fell shut and all thoughts were swept away by the feeling of Taehyung's smooth lips caressing his own. His heart twirled around his chest in a breathless dance and hand traveled from Taehyung's cheek to the back of his neck. They tilted their heads and pressed their lips together more confidently. Their bellies tingled as though a swarm of butterflies had been set loose in their chests and sparks of electricity zipped through them with every brush of skin. Jungkook's lower lip was caught between Taehyung's and then the man pulled away for a second to capture Jungkook's face between his palms. He leaned back in and pressed kiss after kiss against the seam of Jungkook's lips. With each press of Taehyung's lips against his own, Jungkook felt his heart inflate with the warmth of the sun. Taehyung pressed their lips together again yet this time he let his lips linger as if wanting to engrave the moment into their minds, as if he didn't have the strength to pull away. Only when someone cleared their throat did they pull apart and when they did, a barely audible smooch sound followed the break of the kiss.
Taehyung and Jungkook snapped their head to the side and found Rick standing there with a barely noticeable smirk and a quirk of his brow, "Do you need a few more minutes or can the rest of us say hello?" The leader nodded his head at the rest of the group who had already greeted Carol and were now shuffling around, trying to give them some privacy while they waited to greet Jungkook.
Taehyung swallowed and nodded, cheeks flushed pink as he reluctantly pulled away and took a step back, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead." He stuttered, causing Jungkook to snort and roll his eyes fondly before he faced the leader.
Rick stared at Jungkook for a moment, eyes growing serious yet lacking any negative emotion as they skimmed over Jungkook's features, "You and Carol did that?" He asked in a whisper, never breaking eye contact with Jungkook.
Jungkook's lips stretched into a smile, "Did you see the explosion? It was pretty badass, no?" The younger one shuffled from foot to foot under Rick's heavy stare and only relaxed when Rick huffed out a chuckle and stepped forward to pull him into a tight hug by the back of his neck.
Jungkook wrapped his arms around him and allowed Rick to pull his face into his shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, I felt it." Rick's words sounded wet and Jungkook pulled back to see if the leader was also crying. Rick's eyes were shiny but he didn't allow any of the tears to fall, he blinked and took a step back, "Thank you." Rick whispered firmly with a press of his hand against the side of Jungkook's head. He looked right into Jungkook's eyes as he uttered the words to make sure he understood how grateful the leader was.
Jungkook bit his lip and nodded back, allowing Rick to step back and give room to Daryl. Jungkook's eyes lit up and before he could bounce forward, the man was the first to approach him and pull him into a tight hug. Jungkook exhaled a surprised huff at the initiated contact and the tightness of the hug but he only needed a second to wrap his arms around Daryl and return it.
The hug didn't linger too long but Jungkook understood everything Daryl was trying to convey through it. Daryl stepped back and Jungkook's eyes flickered towards Glenn and Maggie, the two of them could no longer hold it in and rushed forward to scoop him into a group hug. Jungkook nearly fell onto his ass but was pulled back up by his best friends. Glenn's arms wrapped around him for a bit before the man grew tense and slowly peeled himself away, blinking down at Jungkook's poncho with a scrunch of his nose.
"What the hell is that?" He asked as he wiped the blood off on his pants, making Maggie pull back and eye him yet keep her hands pressed against Jungkook's biceps.
Jungkook glanced down at himself and offered a sheepish smile once he realized, "Poncho covered in walker guts, how else do you think we would've walked around that place when it was crawling with walkers?" Jungkook perked up and tugged his hood over his head, "Look, it has a hood too so I completely pulled off that assassin look." Jungkook pulled the hood back down and shook his hair out with his fingers.
Maggie shook her head, wearing a soft smile as she stared up at him, "Taehyung told us what happened, I'm glad that you're okay." She whispered with a squeeze on his arm.
Her words made Jungkook's joy mellow out and face grow more serious, "Yeah, had a dislocated shoulder for a bit but I'm alright."
"You had a what?" Taehyung snapped his head over to them, ceasing the conversation he was having with Carol and Rick.
Jungkook chewed on his lip as he stared back at Taehyung. The urge to jump on him and cling off of him for the rest of his life was strong but Jungkook fought against it by shrugging his shoulders and brushing past the others to approach Michonne. The woman opened her arms and welcomed him into a hug and Jungkook was eager to return it, "I didn't find your katana," Jungkook whispered to her as he pulled away, "But I grabbed these twin blades." He pulled one of the katanas out of the sheath and presented it to her on the palms of his hands.
Michonne exhaled a slow breath and pressed her fingers against his wrist, lowering his hands, "It's alright, I think these suit you more." She paused to tilt her head and drink in the way the weapons looked on him, "I think they're also your souvenir from this place."
"All of you are my souvenirs from this place." Jungkook shot back, offering a crooked grin, "All of us, together, that's the only thing that matters to me." He mumbled and earned himself another quick hug. While they were hugging, Jungkook opened his mouth and whispered to her, "Also that big ass gun on my back is my souvenir."
Michonne smiled and pulled away, allowing Jungkook to step over to hug Bob and Sasha. As he was hugging them, he noticed the four unfamiliar people behind the group, "Who are you?" He didn't even notice that the world left his lips in a hostile hiss.
Not until Michonne stepped in his line of sight, "They're friends." Those words made the tension seep out of Jungkook's features and indifference replace the hostility that once pinched his brows, "This is Tara," Michonne pointed at the girl with a bob, she offered Jungkook an awkward wave of her hand before Jungkook dragged his eyes over to the rest of them, "That's Rosita." She pointed at the girl with pigtails and a hat, "Abraham." The big guy in a tank top and ginger hair, "That's Eugene." Michonne gestured to the guy with a Mohawk who stared at Jungkook with a tinge of cautiousness and fear, "Glenn met them on the road after prison, Eugene knows how to cure this disease."
Jungkook quirked a brow and eyed the said man. He didn't look particularly impressive, not with the way he was curling into himself and shying away from Jungkook's eyes by stepping behind Abraham, "Cure, huh?" Jungkook uttered without a hint of emotion, not knowing how to feel or react to the news so he just chose not to hope for anything.
"Precisely, we're on a mission to bring Eugene to Washington." Abraham spoke up and Jungkook's attention bounced up to him, "You and that woman blew that place up like a bag of Doritos and made those dick-swinging assholes dick swing right into the grave." His words sounded more like a question but not quite.
Jungkook furrowed his brows, staring at the man silently as his brow quirked up at his choice of words, "We did, yeah." Jungkook uttered after a moment.
"You covered yourself in walker guts like you were being oiled down by a bunch of raver chicks." Abraham paused and his face scrunched with thought before his eyes flickered towards Taehyung, "Or raver dudes." Something greasy and light bled into Abraham's eyes.
Jungkook's lips parted at that and face was shrouded with a bit of disbelief, he glanced over at Rosita to check if the man was alright and witnessed the girl rubbing the space between her eyes, "Yeah, I guess," he peered back up at Abraham, "To the gut part and the men part."
Abraham gave a firm nod and seemed to open his lips to say something else, only to have his words get shoved back into his mouth by Carol's voice, "Jungkook." The said man turned around to face the woman. She waved him over, wordlessly nodding at Rick and Sasha to make him understand.
Jungkook's face lit up and he faced the latter, reaching out to curl his fingers around Sasha's wrist and pull her forward, "There's something you should see." He murmured to ease her confusion and make her follow him. When she was walking on her own, Jungkook released her hand and marched to the front of the group where Taehyung was walking.
Taehyung's eyes gravitated towards him as if he could sense his presence by his side and he just stared at him as they walked, not caring if they tripped and fell flat on their face, "Stop that, you can stare at me when we're not walking." Jungkook reached out and pushed Taehyung's face away with a finger on his jaw, "You're acting so weird all of a sudden." Jungkook huffed through a laugh, dropping his hand back down.
"I just realized something." Taehyung muttered softly, his eyes still gooey and gaze still dripping with honey as he shifted his arm towards Jungkook's swaying hand and tangled their fingers together.
Jungkook slipped his fingers between Taehyung's and peered over at him with curiosity, "Realised what?" He questioned with a squeeze of his hand, smiling when Taehyung squeezed back and swayed their hands between them.
"I'll tell you later," Taehyung whispered with a flick of his eyes at the other group members, "When it's a bit more private."
Jungkook's brows raised and eyes narrowed in concern at the mysterious situation, "You can always tell me in Korean." He switched languages, feeling his tongue tense and refuse to move to form the words.
Taehyung's lips stretched into a grin and shoulders relaxed as soon as the familiar tongue brushed against his eardrums, "Just want it to be the two of us." He denied and lifted their connected hands to press a kiss against Jungkook's knuckles.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
When the cottage came in sight, Jungkook knew the others were confused as to why they had brought them here. But it all became clear once the door was pushed open and Tyreese stepped outside with Judith in his arms. Rick dropped his bags to the ground and sprinted towards them with Carl hot on his heel. He ran with such desperation and so much emotion that it made Jungkook's eyes burn with unshed tears. He blinked away his tears and watched as Sasha's face cracked and she started running towards her brother, relief palpable in her face.
Rick took Judith from Tyreese's arms and enveloped her in his embrace with the delicacy of a tender whisper. He pressed a kiss into her hair and turned towards Carl. The boy was tearing up as he lifted a trembling hand and caressed Judith's blonde locks with the tips of his fingers before fully pressing his hand against her back. Tears made their lashes wet and eventually rolled down their cheeks from the relief they felt at realizing Judith was alive. They continued to embrace her, dotting her and caressing her hair and back.
Sasha reached Tyreese and the man bent down to catch her into his arms. As soon as the woman was encased in her brother's arms, a wet cry left her lips and she started sobbing into his shoulder.
Jungkook tightened his hold on Taehyung's hand and looked at the man when he felt him shift around to face him. He stared at Taehyung through a layer of tears shielding his eyes and the tender squeeze of affection in his heart. Taehyung reached out with his free hand and wrapped his fingers around the back Jungkook's head. Jungkook didn't fight it as Taehyung pulled him forward, instead melted into his chest and smiled when Taehyung pressed his lips against the side of his head.
He exhaled his worries into the air, his breath catching on Taehyung's shirt. He watched the reunion happen from his place in Taehyung's arms and felt like honey was slowly trickling into his chest and mending all the broken pieces of his heart. It left a syrupy taste on his tongue and washed away the sot staining his soul from everything that had happened on the road.
Perhaps they didn't have a home or a place to return to, but they were together and that's all that mattered.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
Hope you enjoyed the reunion and everything that happened. Jungkook being an assassin and serial killer at this point is just...wow, look at how far he's come. My guy literary killed hundreds of people in an hour. Also Tae..my sweet summer child who used to be the dangerous one between them and now Jungkookie seems to be more dangerous. Idk, what do you think? The reunion tho, my heart is full, just let them be happy and in love - I say as if I'm not the one writing this. OH, what do you think Tae wants to tell Jungkook in private?
I saw this reel on Instagram and my immediate thought was 'Ephemeral Taekook'
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro