-Blood water-

grandson

01:43 ━━━━●───── 03:50

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   The morning came and Taehyung found himself being shaken awake. He blinked and the first thing he saw was Daryl leaning over him, "Never thought your face would be the first thing I see in the morning." Taehyung rasped, earning himself a blank stare and a quirked brow before Daryl pulled away to collect his stuff.

Taehyung yawned into his hand and rubbed at the crust in the corners of his eyes before he sat up with a groan. His eyes dragged across the room, taking in the chatter and movement from the group. They were packing their stuff in preparation to get back on the road and Taehyung was glad. He not only wanted to get to Terminus as quickly as possible but he also wanted to break away from this group.

He couldn't put a finger on why he felt so off in their presence, yes, they pointed their weapons at him but that's what any sane person would do when encountering a stranger. Maybe it was Taehyung's prejudice and judgment aimed at bikers with a rough-and-tumble demeanor, or perhaps it was the way they had beaten one of their own without a care in the world.

Speaking of the said man, Taehyung's eyes flickered around the room in search of him but he couldn't find him anywhere. All that was left of him was splatters of dried blood on the concrete floor. Taehyung knew that Daryl had noticed the blood and the man's lack of presence, hence the shared look they between them, but Daryl didn't say anything, only grabbed his bag and stood up.

Taehyung followed his actions by grabbing his own bag off the ground and pulling himself up to his feet with the help of a car. The group began to trickle out of the building - a man with a gun and short hair led the group while a man with a rat-like face trailed behind him. What caught Taehyung's attention was Len's bow strapped to the first man's shoulders.

Taehyung pressed his tongue into his cheek and stared at the back of Daryl's head, wondering if he should say something about it. But he knew that Daryl wasn't stupid, he had probably noticed it sooner than he had. So, he kept his lips pressed together as he trudged behind Daryl, leaving a trail of leftover dreams in his wake.

As soon as they left the building, Taehyung stretched his arms over his head with a groan, pausing when Daryl suddenly stopped to peer over the ledge of the stairs, "What is it?" Taehyung voiced his question, dropping his arms to his sides and stepping up to the man to peer over his shoulder.

Daryl pressed his hand into his chest to push him back but Taehyung had seen it already. Len's body had been dumped over the porch, his skin was drenched in blood and clothes looked as if they had been soaked in buckets of it. Taehyung could barely see his skin through it and when he did, it was swollen and tinted blue. The finishing blow was the arrow sticking out of Len's eye - clearly one of his own.

"Fuck." Taehyung huffed with a scrunch of his nose, taking a step back and tearing his eyes away to look at Daryl. He could see the surprise and alarm seep into Daryl's face. He looked up from Len and over to the group, watching as they walked away laughing and talking. Daryl hooked his crossbow over his shoulder and reached down to grab the sheet lying on the ground. It was dirty and bloody yet Daryl wasn't phased as he uncurled it and shook it out before hovering it over Len's body.

Then he paused and stared.

Taehyung's brow quirked and he shifted from feet to feet, wondering why Daryl had frozen so suddenly. He received his answer when Daryl shook his head and threw the sheet onto the ground, "Nah." He turned away from Len and nudged Taehyung in the back to make him move, "Let's go." Taehyung sent a lingering stare at Len's uncovered body and the sheet draped across the porch before pivoting on his heel and following Daryl.

"You sure you want to stay?" Taehyung dared to whisper, making sure his mumble was as quiet as the wind. He didn't get a response nor a glance from Daryl but he did notice the man's face grow colder and eyes narrow at the group walking ahead of them.

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They were trudging through a field and Taehyung could see the rusty metal of a railroad in the distance. He was trailing behind Daryl and Joe, at the very end of the group. The two men in front of him were walking side by side and Taehyung had no desire to join them. Though he couldn't remove his eyes from their backs and couldn't shut his ears off to not listen to their occasional conversation.

He was a bit worried that Daryl would get attached and wouldn't want to leave because Taehyung didn't think these men belonged in their group. But he kept quiet because he decided to have some trust in Daryl and his judgment.

Joe reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a flask, he screwed it open and pressed the flask against his lip - throat bobbing as he drank whatever was inside. He pulled the flask away and wiped his lip before offering it to Daryl, "White lightning." He explained when he saw Daryl's dubious expression, "Easiest thing to make with the least amount of supplies."

Daryl took the flask, briefly inspecting it before tipping it back and chugging. Joe's lips twitched at the sight, "I'd start slow if I was you, your stomach's probably emptier than you think." Daryl pulled the flask away after hearing that and gave it back to Joe. The latter peered over his shoulder to look at Taehyung, sending him an open grin as he offered him the flask, "You want some?"

"What's White lightning?" Taehyung asked with furrowed brows and a skeptical flicker of his eyes.

"Moonshine." Both men responded in sync, only for Joe to expand on that, "Whiskey made at home." He stated easily, still holding the flask towards Taehyung.

Taehyung reached out a hesitant hand and curled his fingers around the metal flask, and under the weight of Daryl's and Joe's gazes, he brought it up to the lips. The liquid burned at his tongue, carved a path down his throat, and sparked a flame in his lower belly. His face scrunched and he swallowed a few mouthfuls before pulling his lips away to give the flask back to Joe.

"I ain't been lit at dawn since everything fell apart." Daryl rasped, stepping over a hole in the ground. The plastic trash bag with his stuff swayed by his side, crunching under his harsh grip.

"Fell apart. I never looked at it that way." Joe spoke with raised brows and a hint of amusement, taking another swing from the flask, "Seems to me like things are finally starting to fall together." Taehyung looked up at that, hating himself for having the same sentiments as the man, that was until Joe uttered his next words, "At least to guys like us."

Taehyung rolled his eyes and scowled at Daryl's back.

"Living like this, surviving, we've been doing this from the start." Joe finished just as they reached the railroad stretching across the field and trailing into the forest.

Taehyung perked up at the sight of a wooden sign stabbed into the ground next to the railroad. He picked up his pace until he brushed past Daryl and Joe. He stepped out of the overgrown grass and onto the tracks. The man with the bandana had paused in front of the sign, staring at it with intensity before his lips quirked and he shot a glance at Joe, "Getting closer." He uttered and pivoted around to move onward.

Taehyung's brows knitted and eyes bounced between them, only to shake the words away and turn his attention to the sign. The same text he had seen when he was Jungkook was written on a wooden slab, 'Sanctuary for all, community for all, those who are, survive'. Underneath it, he saw a map and their current location. Terminus wasn't that far, they'd reach it in about a day.

Hope bloomed in his chest like a flower growing between cracked concrete and Taehyung didn't notice the smile that had grown on his lips until he heard Joe's voice, "Oh, yeah." Joe nodded in response to whatever Daryl had asked, "I'll tell you what it is. It's a lie." Taehyung's smile fell and eyes swung towards him like the knives he threw at walker skulls, "Ain't no sanctuary for all." Joe continued, not noticing the glare Taehyung sent him. Daryl did and Taehyung couldn't read the look he gave him, "Ain't gonna welcome guys like you and me with open arms." Joe nudged at Daryl before brushing past them and following the rest of the group down the tracks.

Taehyung's jaw was clenched and eyes were staring at the side of Daryl's head until the man tore his gaze away from the sign to look at him, "Maybe you don't belong at Terminus," a flash of something sharp and cold zipped through Daryl's eyes before Taehyung uttered his next words, "But you don't belong with them either." He nudged his chin in the direction of Joe, "You're one of us and you belong with us, wherever that may be."

The sharpness in Daryl's eyes softened and his brows relaxed, he didn't say anything in response, only released a deep hum and started walking. Taehyung could only hope that his words latched behind Daryl's ears, more than Joe's did. He was aware that the man had taken a liking to Daryl for unknown reasons and he didn't like it one bit. It also made him wonder if Len had actually stolen the rabbit or if it had been Joe who had planted it to manipulate Daryl into feeling closer to them.

The group continued walking and Taehyung swatted his thoughts away to pay attention to Daryl's and Joe's conversation. He didn't want the man to whisper stupid thoughts into Daryl's ear and fill his mind with nonsense, "Is that where we're heading?" Daryl asked Joe, readjusting the strap of his crossbow.

Joe's brow quirked and lips twitched with a smirk, "So, now you're asking?"

"That's right." Daryl hummed.

The corners of Joe's lips lifted ever so slightly but he stayed silent for a moment, then he began to explain their destination, "We were in a house, minding our own business and this walking piece of fecal matter was hiding in the home. Strangled our colleague Lou and left him to turn. Lou came at all us." Joe's shoulders lifted in a shrug and his head swayed from side to side, "He lit out, we tracked him to these tracks, one of those signs and thus we've got a destination in mind."

If someone hurt Taehyung's group, he would chase them across the world just to kill them. So, while he could understand wanting revenge, Joe's tone of voice lacked the grief that usually came with losing a friend. To Taehyung, it sounded more like these men were using Lou's death as a reason to hunt down random people like they were animals. It also gave them a purpose and destination, and a way to release pent-up aggression.

"How will you know it's him when you see him?" Taehyung's voice drifted into their conversation and carved out a place for him to join in.

Joe waved at the man wearing a bandana, "Tony saw his face, that's enough for a reckoning." The man he mentioned had slowed down and was staring at something next to the tracks.

"Claimed!"

Taehyung's eyes whipped towards Daryl. The words poured over Taehyung like a bucket of cold water, not because someone uttered them but because it had been Daryl who had said them. It felt like the man was slowly accepting this new group and his role in it, and it only made Taehyung's chest twist uncomfortably.

Taehyung could do nothing but watch as Daryl stepped forward to pluck a plant out of the ground. He tossed it up and down in his hand, trying to make the dirt fall away, before pulling the leaves apart to reveal a plump, scarlet red strawberry. He tore the strawberry off the stem before tossing the plant away. Taehyung's eyes bounced towards Joe and he found a small smile grazing the seam of his lips.

And then he watched the smile fall when Daryl twisted around on his heel and extended the strawberry towards Taehyung, "Here." He gruffed without looking at him, while Taehyung's wide eyes flickered between the strawberry and Daryl's face.

Blood seeped into his cheeks and his lips stretched into a smile he tried to bite back, "Thank you." Taehyung murmured, gently taking the strawberry and lifting it up to his mouth to take a bite. Taehyung looked at Joe and stared directly into his eyes as his teeth sunk into a fruit. They curled into a small smirk when the man turned away and continued walking. The sweetness of the berry twirled around Taehyung's tongue and made his face soften in delight. He pulled the rest of the berry away from his lips and rushed forward to walk by Daryl's side.

Taehyung's eyes flickered down at the fruit grasped between his fingers before he nudged Daryl in the side. The man looked at him and Taehyung extended the other half of the berry towards him, "If you keep giving me these peace offerings, I might start blushing, Daryl Dixon." The said man quirked a brow and glanced down at the strawberry offered to him. His arms remained unmoving for a few more seconds before he scoffed and snatched the berry out of Taehyung's palm.

Taehyun's smile broadened into a grin and he watched Daryl throw the strawberry into his mouth.

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It was dark by the time the group found the man they had been searching for. Taehyung wasn't there when they split apart and wrapped around the area like a pack of wolves - too busy taking a piss. When he came back to the spot he had last seen them, he only found Daryl waiting for him. The man had used Taehyung's momentary disappearance to his advantage by telling Joe that they'd catch up to them and to go do what they needed to do.

When Taehyung returned, he found out the real reason Daryl had waited, "Let's go." The man pushed off of the tree he was leaning against and marched up to Taehyung, their shoulders brushed as he slipped past him and Taehyung was forced to turn around, "We're leaving?" He questioned in a shocked hiss of breath, wondering if he was hallucinating this moment.

"Yeah," Daryl nodded and continued walking, "Don't wanna stay in a group like that." He said but didn't elaborate further.

Taehyung felt like his boots were stuck in concrete as he watched Daryl put more and more distance between them, "We're not even gonna see who it is?" He called out yet didn't dare raise his voice louder than necessary - afraid the other group would hear him.

Daryl stopped yet didn't turn around, forcing Taehyung to look at the wings stitched into the back of his vest, "You wanna live with yourself after you see their faces?"

Taehyung's lips stretched into a tight smile, "There are worse things I have to live with, this won't be one of them." And with that, he twisted around on his heel and started following the echo of voices. His ears stretched to hear the sounds behind him and his shoulders pulled tight with tension after not hearing anything, only relaxing when he heard Daryl scoff out a puff of air and then the sound of his footsteps trailing after him.

Taehyung nearly bumped into a tree as he walked, unable to see anything beyond the tip of his nose. The only reason he stumbled out of the forest and into the open road was because he followed the trail of voices from the group. Taehyung's eyes briefly paused at the blue truck sitting in the middle of the road, only to tug them away and step closer when he heard Joe's taunting laugh.

"Now, who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh?"

Taehyung saw the man with a beanie and another one wearing a red flannel aim their guns at someone. He rounded the car and felt his heart drop in his stomach at what he was seeing. Joe loomed behind Rick with his gun aimed at the back of his head and next to him sat Michonne with a gun digging into the side of her face. The fat man with the receding hairline was pressed up against the window of the car, wearing a twisted grin as he stared at Carl who was sitting in the backseat.

"Ten Mississippi."

"Nine Mississippi."

"Eight Mississippi."

With each taunting call, Taehyung's heart thudded louder and his head began to reel a bit faster. He tried to grasp at his scattered thoughts, trying to force them together to form a solution to this situation, only for Daryl to take control by brushing past him and calling out Joe's name. The said man fell silent. And everyone's eyes snapped up to them. Taehyung watched the shock bleed into Rick's and Michonne's faces, just like he watched Joe's face fall into an expressionless facade.

Daryl had his crossbow lowered as he approached them with caution, "Hold up." He breathed and the words popped the balloon of stupor Taehyung had been suffocating in. He lifted his hands ever so slowly and took one step at a time until he was just behind Daryl and right next to the guy with a beanie.

"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl!" Joe raised his voice - irritation and a hint of anger tainting it a shade darker.

Daryl was still approaching Rick and Muchonne, positioning himself right in the middle of the circle the group had formed around them, "Just hold up." He mumbled.

Taehyung's heart was slamming against his ribs, breaking them apart and causing the broken pieces to pierce into his lungs. His wide, panicked eyes flickered over the group, drinking them in as he tried to draw out scenes of potential outcomes. It didn't look good. He was panicking and couldn't think straight. Taehyung's breaths became harsher and his right hand inched downward until the tips of his fingers brushed against one of his throwing knives.

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about." The man standing behind Daryl spat out with his gun still aimed at Rick but his eyes sliced into the back of Daryl's head.

Joe's face relaxed at that and his voice grew calmer, "The thing about nowadays is that we got nothing but time." He invited Daryl to speak with a wave of his hand, "Say your piece, Daryl."

"These people," Daryl took a cautious step, gesturing at Rick and Michonne, "you're gonna let them go." The softness in his voice was replaced by a tremor of harshness, "These are good people."

Taehyung witnessed the shadows of the night seep into Joe's face, twisting his features and making him appear sinister, "Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom." The man dragged out in a calm matter, pointing at his chest.

"There must've been a reason for it," Taehyung found his voice and made all eyes bounce to him, "They're good people." He repeated Daryl's earlier words, briefly making eye contact with Michonne.

Joe's eyes cut into his skin like knives and his next words rubbed the salt into the cuts, "Are you saying he deserved it?" While his words were light and his face was lit up by a smile, Taehyung could taste danger on his tongue.

"Yes."

There was a moment when the air stilled and then sparked as if it had been drenched in gasoline and sparked to life. Joe's grin turned sharp and dangerous as he lifted his hand and pointed his finger at Taehyung, "That's a lie." Joe exhaled into the air.

"You want blood, I get it." Daryl jumped forward with a hint of urgency, he dropped his crossbow and bag onto the ground and spread his arms wide open, "Take it from me, man, cmon."

Joe's face opened and eyes grew round with sadness. For a moment, Taehyung thought the self-sacrifice had placated him and even moved him. But then Joe opened his mouth and spoke, revealing that the plastic sadness on his face was aimed at Daryl betraying him, "This man killed our friend, you say he's good people." Joe still wore his fake sadness like a crown as he shook his finger at Daryl, "See, that right there is a lie." The mask slipped away and revealed the true emotion beneath, the emotion slipped into his words and made them rougher, darker, and louder, "It's a lie!" Joe yelled out and Taehyung only needed a second to react.

His fingers wrapped around his knife, he ripped it out and reeled his hand back to throw it at Joe's head, only for someone to crash into him from the side and slam him against the hood of the car. A fist slammed into his cheek and the knife slipped from his hand. Taehyung's head whipped to the side and eyes briefly caught sight of Daryl being kicked to the ground before Taehyung was tugged off of the car and a knee slammed into his ribs.

"Teach them, fellas, teach them all the way."

Taehyung was thrown onto the ground with a grunt and a leg slammed into his stomach. A choked grunt puffed through his lips as his breath was knocked into his lungs. He tried to push himself up and another kick was delivered to his stomach. Taehyung fell onto his side and caught sight of the fat man pressing a crying Carl to his chest, sniffing his hair, and holding a knife to his throat.

"It was me! It was just me!"

Fury like fire exhaled by a dragon set Taehyung's body aflame and made him roll around in search of his fallen knife. He saw it lying by the heel of the car and crawled forward to reach for it, only for a boot to slam into his outstretched hand. A sharp cry erupted from his throat and the boot lifted to deliver a kick against his spine. He was squashed against the ground and couldn't breathe from the weight pressing down on his back.

"See, now that's right. That's not some damn lie. Look, we can settle this, we're not unreasonable men."

The boot disappeared and Taehyung was tugged up to his feet by the collar of his shirt. He wheezed as it dug into his throat and stumbled as soon as he was up on his feet, yet despite his blurry vision and ache in his stomach, he reeled his hand back and slammed his knuckles against the man's face. The man flinched back for a moment before a fist was flying at Taehyung's face. It slammed into his nose and Taehyung was knocked out of his body.

"First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death."

Taehyung's soul was ripped back inside his body as he fell into the car. He latched onto the mirror and tried to pull himself up. The man raised his leg and slammed it into his chest, causing him to crumble to the ground in a heap of choked wheezes and croaked grunts.

"Then we're gonna beat Taehyung to death."

A boot dug into his ribs and pushed him onto his side. He didn't even feel the fall but he did taste blood on his tongue.

"Then we'll have the girl."

A guttural sound tore his vocal cords to shred as he tried to force himself to push against the ground. He was grabbed and tugged to lay on his back before the man climbed on top of him.

"Then the boy."

Jungkook

A fist collided with his cheek, whipping his head to the side and knocking any thoughts related to the boy out of his head.

"Then I'm gonna shoot you and then we'll be square."

Taehyung couldn't see and all he could feel was his cheek swelling up, all he could taste was blood pooling into his mouth, and all he could hear were Daryl's grunts of pain and Joe's laugh.

"Let him go."

"Stop your squirming."

Another hit to the head and Taehyung felt like he was floating.

A loud bang cut through the air, causing Taehyung to freeze, the worst-case scenarios descended on him like vultures and started picking at his skin. The man on top of him momentarily paused to look up, giving Taehyung an opening to grab his shirt, tug him down, and crash his fist into his jaw.

The man keeled over and Taehyung threw him off of himself just as another bang sliced through the air. His eyes snapped up and he wheezed in relief when he saw that Rick and Michonne were alive, while Joe was holding his nose.

"I got him, oh, it's gonna be so much worse now!"

Taehyung pushed himself onto his feet and spat out a glob of blood, he tried to wash away the dark spots swimming in his vision with rapid blinks. The man who attacked him staggered to his feet and rushed towards him. Taehyung stumbled away and reached for his gun. Just as he pulled it out and was starting to lift it, he was thrown against the hood of the car. The gun fell with a loud clunk. Hands wrapped around Taehyung's throat and squeezed, Taehyung was quick to lift his leg to kick the man away.

"Come on, Let's see what you've got."

The grip on his throat loosened and Taehyung pressed his hand against the car, trying to push his body weight into the man's to throw them both to the ground. The guy curled his fingers into Taehyung's shirt and then dragged them upward in search of Taehyung's throat, only to brush them against his lips. Taehyung peeled them apart and clamped his teeth down on the man's fingers, his jaw clenched as he bit as down hard as he could.

"Get away from him before I..."

"Huh? Right over there."

A guttural scream cut through the air as Taehyung bit two of the man's fingers off. Blood filled Taehyung's mouth and the fingers rolled around his mouth before he leaned off to the side and spit them out. The man shouted again before pouncing onto Taehyung. He grabbed Taehyung by the hair and slammed him belly-first onto the hood. Taehyung's head was ripped back and a knife appeared in his vision. His arm shot out and he grabbed the man's wrist before the blade could slit his throat.

His hand shook as he tried to pull the man's hand away and blood leaked out of his nose, rolling over his lips and dripping down his chin. His eyes flickered up for a brief second. A second in which he saw Joe wrap his arms around Rick in a bear hug and laugh like a maniac.

"What the hell are you gonna do now, sport?"

A second in which Rick shot forward and sunk his teeth into Joe's throat. Joe cried out and Rick ripped his head back, jaw still locked and teeth clenched hard on his jugular. A chunk of meat was missing from Joe's throat and blood spurted out from it. His grip around Rick slackened and he started falling back as he choked on his own blood. Rick's beard was drenched in red, he tilted his head up and spat the blood out of his mouth. It sprayed through his teeth and formed a cloud under the caress of moonlight.

The hand in Taehyung's hair disappeared but he was still reeling from the shock of what had happened. He was only snapped out of it when the hand he had clenched in his own tried to slip away. Taehyung's eyes snapped down and zeroed in on the knife in the man's hand. His grip tightened on his wrist and he whipped his other hand out to wrench the knife out of the man's slackened hold.

A shot rang through the air, just as Taehyung pushed himself off of the car and forced the man behind him to stagger away. He twisted around to face him and found the man's terror-filled eyes bouncing from Rick to Taehyung.

Taehyung wiped the blood off his mouth and started marching towards the man, "Wait," The man stuttered, raising his hands in surrender, but Taehyung just grabbed him by the shoulder and thrust the knife into his belly.

The blade pierced through his skin and Taehyung looked him right in the eyes as he sliced the blade across his abdomen. Guts and blood poured out of the man's stomach, he fell onto his knees in front of Taehyung and reached down to cup his organs. He watched the life bleed out of the man's eyes in sick satisfaction, only looking away when he hit the ground.

The knife tumbled to the ground and Taehyung shifted around with a sway. He saw Daryl stomping on the head of one of the men until his skull cracked and his brain turned to mush. Witnessed the fat, balding man hold Carl against his chest and dig his knife into his throat. Noticed Michonne point her gun at him and order him to release Carl. Allowed his lips to curl into a bloody grin when Rick leaned down to take one of Joe's knives.

"He's mine." Rick gritted and began advancing on the man. The fat man released Carl, allowing the boy to stumble away and fall into Michonne's arms. They tumbled to the ground with Carl pressed into her chest and her palm laid over his ear.

Taehyung staggered forward until he could lean against the car for support. The fat man raised his hands in surrender, falling over himself to get away from Rick, "Stay back, please-" Rick grabbed the man and dug the knife into his gut with so much force, that the man's body jolted back and had to get pulled back onto the blade. Rick ripped the knife out and stabbed again, and again and again

Again

Again

Again

The wet sound of the knife being stabbed into the man's body accompanied the moon across the sky and Taehyung never looked away.

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Taehyung stared at himself through the sun visor mirror. A purple ring wrapped around his left eye, and similarly colored flowers bloomed along his cheek, trailing all the way down to his jaw. Dried tears of blood dripped from his nose and coated his chin. A cut wrapped around his lower lip, reopening from time to time and causing a fresh pebble of blood to seep into his mouth.

He took hold of his water bottle and dabbed some onto a cloth he had found in the car. He lifted the cloth to his face and started wiping the blood away, wincing when it latched onto his aching nose and the cut on his lip.

A breeze whisked through the parted windows of the car, carrying Daryl's and Rick's voices along with it, "I didn't know what they were." He heard Daryl say and tried to tune them out to give them some privacy.

He failed, Rick's voice still drifted into the car and filled the space silence once occupied, "How'd you wind up with them?"

"I was with Beth, we got out together." Taehyung heard Daryl pause, and just kept wiping away the blood from his face, only dropping the cloth into his lap when his face was clean of it, "I was with her for a while."

"Is she dead?" Rick choked out with a rasp.

"She's just gone."

Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut at that and melted against the seat. His own mind drifted towards Jungkook and any fragile trace of relief in his body was swept away at the thought of him. He peeled his eyes open and reached out to shut the sun visor.

"After that, that's when they found me and then I found Taehyung." Taehyung's lips twitched at that. More like he had found Daryl, "Taehyung told me we should leave, find y'all. I mean, I knew that they were bad but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid. But it was something. It was enough."

There was a moment of silence before Daryl continued, "Said they were looking for some guy, and last night they said they spotted him. Taehyung had to take a piss and I was hanging back to wait for him, I was ready to use that chance to leave." Taehyung looked down at his split knuckles and the cut on his palm, he hadn't even noticed that it had opened until the adrenaline left his body, "Taehyung wanted to stay, said he wanted to see who it was, I thought it was stupid. But I followed him. That's when I saw that it was you three."

Taehyung rolled his head around to look back at Michonne. She was sitting in the backseat with Carl stretched out across the seat and his head in her lap. The boy's jaw was scratched raw from being pushed into the pavement and his eyes were wide open as he listened in on the conversation. Taehyung made eye contact with Michonne and offered her a weak twitch of his lips, causing her eyes to soften with pain at seeing his bruised face.

"I didn't know what they could do."

Taehyung averted his gaze and pressed his palm against his belly, pulling his hand back when his body twitched in protest to the touch. He knew the skin was bruised, as were his ribs. His body was practically a field of purple and blue roses, sadly it wasn't as beautiful as it sounded.

"It's not on you, Daryl."

Rick's voice met Taehyung's ears and he couldn't help but feel relief at hearing that. He knew that Daryl needed to hear those words, perhaps he would listen to them if they came from Rick.

"It's not on you. You being back with us, here, now, that's everything."

Taehyung exhaled a slow breath and pressed the back of his head against the seat, staring at the plastic wrap covering the windows. The next words that Rick uttered caused a small smile to crawl onto his face and his heart to pump with sweet honey.

"You're my brother, Daryl."

The air felt lighter after that and the morning sun shining into the car earned a golden tint. Tension dripped out of Taehyung's shoulders and soaked into the dusty seat, it felt like oxygen was finally able to fill his lungs.

"Hey, what you did last night...anybody would have done that."

The tension rushed back and Taehyung couldn't help but look back at Carl, he found that the boy's eyes had grown darker at the memory and a scowl was digging its claws into his cheeks.

"No, not that."

"Something happened," Daryl pushed back, "That ain't you."

"Daryl you saw what I did to Tyreese." Taehyung mind flitted to the memory he spoke about and he remembered the way Rick had pummelled Tyreese into the ground, "It ain't all of it, but that's me. That's why I'm here now, that's why Carl is. I want to keep him safe, that's all that matters."

Taehyung noticed the tears gathering in Carl's eyes and shared a worried glance with Michonne. The woman exhaled a slow breath and started combing her fingers through his hair. Taehyung twisted back around and stared at the window before allowing his eyes to slip shut for a moment of peace.

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lol not Taehyung and Joe literally playing tug of war for Daryl

Also, one of the reasons I had Taehyung and Jungkook split up, was the scene of Ricking biting Joe's throat out. Definitely, one of my favorite scenes of the show, if not favorite. I feel like that was the turning point in the show and the turning point for Rick.

Also, next chapter is the last chapter of season 4, then we start season 5! My favorite! I might do two chapters, we'll see how it turns out.