The tank tore down the outer fence of the prison and rolled into the field, the main gun of the tank twisted and tilted upward before shooting with a loud bang. The bullet hit the front of the prison, creating a loud explosion of falling concrete and a cloud of shattered glass. The Cars rolled into the field after the tank, they crushed the crops under their wheels and slammed through the wooden huts built by the community.

The people leaning outside the windows of the cars raised their guns towards the prison and shot carelessly, hoping to hit someone. One of them pulled out a hand grenade and activated it before throwing it into the storage with fresh crops. The grenade exploded into a ball of fire and sent the wooden logs and crops flying through the air.

The driver of one of the cars sneered as he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, speeding towards the only gate separating them from the inside of the prison. Sweat dripped off his forehead and his eyes were blown wide open with adrenaline as he drove forward with only one goal in mind.

A bullet cut through the front window of the car and slammed into his head, killing him on the spot and leaving his body an empty shell. His hands slid off the wheel and the car swerved to the side. The others in the car yelled and cursed as the vehicle hit a hole in the ground and tipped onto its side. The car rolled onto its back and skidded to a halt, the people in the car immediately turned to glance at the dead driver, staring at his empty eyes and the trail of blood rolling down his face as the reality of the situation dawned on them.

On the other side of the bullet, a man hid behind the fence with a rifle in his hands and eyes glued to the tank rolling towards the inner gate. Jungkook curled his lip into a snarl and glanced over at Daryl from the corner of his eye, "We have to take it out, do you have a plan?" He gritted and lifted the gun once more, aiming at the people trying to crawl out from underneath the tipped car.

He slammed his finger down on the gun and the bullets went flying - some hit the car and some hit them. The other group immediately slid back into the car and Jungkook knew that they'd be waiting for a bit before trying again, unfortunately, he didn't have time to wait them out because the tank was on its way to break down the last gate and he was sitting right next to it.

"I'll take care of it, find Taehyung and get out of here." Daryl grumbled back, lowering his gun and turning around to look at what he could use to his advantage.

Jungkook swung his head towards him, "You're gonna take out a tank all by yourself?" He lifted a brow in disbelief, only receiving a glance from Daryl before the man jerked his head in the direction of the prison.

Jungkook huffed and lowered his gun, hunching down as he brushed past Daryl and slid behind another wooden pallet placed against the fence for cover, "Rick and Michonne are still out there, I could take a car and get them." He proposed the idea, but Daryl immediately shot him down.

"Too risky, they'll have to get out on their own. You need to get as many people as you can on that damn bus, this place is done."

It was the harsh reality of their situation, wasn't it? With the fences down the prison was useless and with the loud sounds from the tank and guns, walkers were already on their way here. They'd flood the prison and would aid The Governor in taking them out. The crops and watchtowers were gone too, and the tank was creating holes in the main building as they spoke.

The reality was that no one was getting the prison, it was ruined and all they had left to do is get out of there before they were killed. But Jungkook wouldn't run with his tail tucked between his legs, not after they murdered Hershel in cold blood.

Jungkook pushed himself off the ground and ran through the courtyard, ducking behind a dumpster as a few bullets were shot his way. He lowered himself to the ground until he was laying flat on his stomach before lifting his gun and peering around the dumpster. He was quick to locate the shooter on top of a speeding car - the destination being a part of the inner fence.

Jungkook didn't hesitate to press the trigger and shoot at the wheels, the windows, anywhere he could before it could slam through the fence. Two things happened at once - the bullets cut into the wheels, causing it to swerve and the man on top of the car to fall down before the car slammed through the fence and screeched to a halt a few metres away from Jungkook.

Jungkook's blood ran cold as his eyes connected with a woman sitting inside the car and the doors began to crack open. He rolled behind the dumpster but now his side was pressed against the fence and he was exposed to the people on the field. He was practically out in the open - visible to the enemies still on the field, targeted by the ones inside the car and in danger from the tank that he would be facing when it breaks through the fence.

Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the gun, brushing his sweat away with his sleeve before opening his eyes and chewing on the inside of his cheek. He could hear the bangs erupt from the direction of the car and see the bullets hit the pavement next to him. Jungkook pushed his tongue against his cheek and lifted his eyes, watching as the tank ripped through the fence and rolled into the courtyard.

There was a man on top of the tank, controlling the smaller gun on top. Jungkook was facing them and he knew that he'd be noticed sooner or later. He was completely surrounded by enemies and he didn't see a way out - if he decided to tackle the ones by the car, there was a possibility for the man in the tank to notice him, if he were to take on the tank, then the ones by the car would snipe him down.

Jungkook tried to find Daryl with his eyes but only saw some of the prisoners scattered throughout the courtyard, fighting their own battles against the Governor's men. He briefly glanced out at the field, only to see a hoard of walkers stumbling through the front gate and across the field, "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Jungkook exhaled and tried to push his panic down, hoping this wasn't where he would inhale his last breaths.

"He's right there!" A feminine, unfamiliar voice called out, followed by a few more shots in his direction. They hit the metal trash can and made him wince.

Jungkook's thoughts were scattered, body was desperately fighting against the fear threatening to paralyse him, and somewhere in the back of the mind, he wished he could slip back into the mindset he had when he was hunting down Kolten. That Jungkook was fearless, psychotic even, he wouldn't be trembling behind a dumpster as he waited for someone to gun him down.

But wasn't he still that man?

Wouldn't it always be a part of him?

Why was this situation any different?

Didn't he just lose someone he loved?

Jungkook gritted his teeth and tightened his hold on the gun, pushing himself off his ass and onto his knees.

Hershel is dead.

He turned to face the dumpster and hooked his fingers around the edge, just as a loud bang erupted from the tank behind him and another hole was created in the prison.

And they killed him.

Jungkook threw open the lids on the dumpster and shoved the tip of the gun between the two lids, peering through them to see his targets.

They killed the man who introduced him to the group.

Jungkook shoved his body against the dumpster and began to roll it forward, aiming at the woman peering back at him from behind the car.

They killed a friend.

Jungkook pressed the trigger and the bullet went flying, hitting the wide-eyed woman between her brows. She went crumbling to the ground and Jungkook immediately tilted his gun towards his next target - a man that was now prepared to see a dumpster used as a shield and a weapon simultaneously.

They killed a father.

Jungkook ducked as the bullets from the two men pierced through the lids, only to press his gun and hands against the dumpster to push it forward. His boots dug into the ground and muscles tensed from the weight yet he kept pushing until it slammed into their car.

They killed the epitome of hope and humanity.

Jungkook slipped out from behind the dumpster and crouched down to round the car until he was able to jump out next to the two men. He lifted his gun and shoved the tip into the blond man's temple, pressing the trigger without hesitation. Blood splattered onto the pavement and his body left behind a thud as he slammed into the ground.

Jungkook immediately tilted his gun up and shot the other man before he could turn towards him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body slid against the car, leaving behind a trail of blood where his head had come in contact with the car. Jungkook turned his body away from them without lowering his gun, immediately spotting a woman hiding behind one of their makeshift huts and aiming her gun at an oblivious Theo.

Jungkook shot without a second thought and didn't bother watching her fall before he rushed over to Theo. He immediately noticed why he was just standing out in the open without paying attention to his surroundings. The man Theo was facing was sitting on his knees, staring up at him with desperate pleas for his life stumbling past his lips. He still had a gun in his hand and Jungkook figured out what had happened - he ran out of bullets while shooting at them and Theo wasn't able to kill a weaponless man.

Jungkook marched up next to Theo and lifted his gun, "Wait, ple-" Jungkook pulled the trigger and didn't feel a thing as the man's plea was cut off and he tumbled to the ground lifelessly.

Theo stared down at his dead body with wide eyes, "What the..." He exhaled, glancing between Jungkook's empty eyes and the dead man, "He....he was...he wouldn't." Theo stumbled over his words, trying to make Jungkook understand why it was wrong to kill him but Jungkook didn't see it that way.

"Don't be stupi-" Jungkook turned to face him with a sneer, only for his words to be cut off by a bang and a bullet.

It pierced through Theo's temple and Jungkook had a first-row seat of watching how his eyes lost their fight and how his life bled out of his blue irises. Droplets of blood splattered on Jungkook's cheek and he stumbled into a crouching position before swinging his head to the side. A glaring woman stood there, out in the open with her gun now aimed at him.

Jungkook didn't even think before he grabbed Theo's dead body and heaved it up to use it as a shield. Not even a second later, bullets pierced Theo's dead body and Jungkook stumbled back with a grunt as the body fall into him. He dug his heels into the ground and waited for another round of bullets, but nothing followed, nothing except for a measly click in the air.

Jungkook straightened out and peered back at the woman over Theo's head, smirking at the sudden glimmer of fear in her eyes. Jungkook threw Theo's body to the side and lifted his rifle, he pushed his finger against the trigger, only to freeze when his own gun created a similar sound that hers did. Jungkook scowled and glanced up, making eye contact with the woman before shrugging and throwing the rifle to the side.

And then he was running at her, not even bothering to grab his handgun. He wanted to feel this one personally, wanted to kill her with his bare hands for killing one of his own in cold blood, for being a weak coward who could only use a gun in war but couldn't meet his eyes without fear when confronted with death.

The woman whirled around to run away but Jungkook was quicker, he slammed into her from behind and both of them went tumbling to the ground. The woman screeched and threw her elbow back to hit him, only for Jungkook to latch onto her hand and shove it behind her back. He held it pinned to her back as he sat on top of her, reaching down to tangle his fingers into her black hair before ripping her head back.

"I don't discriminate." He sneered down at her and slammed her head down on the pavement, over and over and over again until her face was an unrecognisable mush and the only sound she could release was a weak moan of pain.

Jungkook tightened his grip on her hair and was about to continue, only to hear the rough growls of walkers and the scraping of feet against the pavement. His head snapped up towards the Walker closest to him and he released his grip on the woman, reaching for his gun before pausing in thought. He dropped his hand and stood up, taking a few steps away from the woman's unmoving body.

Without tearing his eyes away from the scene, he watched the Walker fall down on its knees in front of her before leaning down to tear a chunk out of her shoulder. A gurgled scream erupted from the woman's throat and Jungkook took a few more steps backwards, his eyes drifted upward - pausing on the tank that was now burning.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his mind travelled towards Daryl keeping his word of taking down the tank all by himself. The smile didn't last when he caught sight of the remaining few people shooting at the walkers, only to get gunned down themselves.

The fight was over and no one was the winner.

Jungkook's shoulders relaxed and he took a few more steps backwards without tearing his eyes away from the courtyard in case he noticed someone familiar. He did see a few Woodburians but Jungkook couldn't find it in himself to care enough about them to tear through the walkers in the courtyard to get to them.

A hand latched onto Jungkook's shoulder and tugged him back, a grow brushed against his ear and a rotten breath slid along the back of his neck. Jungkook jerked forward and reached down to grab his gun, just as a bang erupted from his left and the Walker fell against him. He stumbled forward yet immediately whirled around and pushed it away.

Jungkook swung his head to the side and froze at the sight of the man behind the gun.

Taehyung was slouching against the metal stairs of the prison with two bags hanging off his shoulders and a gun hanging limply by his side. He looked dishevelled - skin coated with a layer of sweat and clothes stained with a few splatters of blood. His hair was ruffled and he wore a simple pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.

Taehyung took a trembling step in his direction and Jungkook immediately rushed over, taking the bags off his shoulders and hoisting them over his own, "What happened?" Taehyung whispered as he drank in the sight of the torn-down fences, the burning watchtowers, the walkers digging into the corpses and the tank.

Jungkook shook his head and took a hold of Taehyung's arm, pulling it over his shoulder and wrapping his own arm around Taehyung's waist before pulling him away from the courtyard and towards the side of the building where the bus was supposed to wait.

Taehyung furrowed his brows at the silence and peered over his shoulder to try and find someone he knew, but all he could see were pools of blood under dead bodies, flames eating everything they could reach and a hoard of walkers travelling through the field. His heart twisted at the sight of the prison and the lack of familiar faces, he could distantly hear a rare shot of a gun going off somewhere in the area, even an occasional scream.

"Don't look, just keep going forward." Jungkook tugged on Taehyung's arm with a barely audible whisper - voice the complete opposite of his hardened eyes and blank expression.

Taehyung swallowed his questions and turned around, almost freezing in his steps when he saw the crushed body of an elderly man under a piece of fallen concrete. His fingers were still twitching and Taehyung would've thought he was turning into a Walker if it wasn't for the fact that the piece of concrete had smashed his head and shoulders.

He averted his eyes and the pair stumbled around the corner of the prison. Jungkook paused in his steps when he noticed that the bus was gone, leaving behind tire marks on the pavement and an open fence. He sucked in a small breath, chewing on his lip before shaking his head and tugging Taehyung towards the hole in the fence.

The pair kept walking forward, through the fence and down the small gravel road, not looking back at the burning pile of rubble that they once called home.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

  The only sound in the forest was the crunching of leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird. Taehyung didn't dare utter a word, nor did he try to keep up with the younger, he noticed that he was lost in his head and was leading them with purpose. But he couldn't prevent his mind from asking the questions.

What the hell happened?

Who caused this mess?

What do we do now?

With each passing minute of silence between them and the endless walking in an unknown direction, Taehyung felt like he was losing his mind. The situation finally dawned on him - the prison was gone and they were separated from the group. He didn't know if he'll ever see Michonne and Rick again, or even if they were still alive, he knew he had to hope for the best but it was almost impossible to hope when their situation looked so bleak.

He also knew that this entire thing must've been even more painful to Jungkook, who had built the prison into what it had become and was an active part of whatever they had going on there. He also knew that he had special bonds with every member of the group, even the Woodburians, so Taehyung couldn't imagine the pain he was going through from having that be ripped away from him right in front of his eyes.

It explained the tense silence hanging between them and how Jungkook didn't utter a single word to him, didn't even look back to make sure Taehyung was still with him. It surely explained the way Jungkook viciously and brutally killed all the stray walkers they stumbled across. It was haunting and slightly nostalgic - the way Jungkook marched up to the walking corpse and stabbed his knife into its skull with a vicious hiss. His hand shook from the tight grip he had on the knife and the Walker stumbled back from the sheer force of Jungkook slamming into its body.

It made Taehyung wonder what had happened at the prison, he knew he should ask to make sure Jungkook was okay but another part of him thought that perhaps he needed a moment of silence.

So, they kept trudging through the forest in an unknown direction, killing the walking in their way and not uttering a single word to each other. Until Taehyung felt his muscles ache with each step he took. He brushed away the sweat clinging to his forehead with a trembling hand and looked up at Jungkook's muscular back, only for his vision to become splotchy and for the world to tilt on its axes.

Taehyung's feet stumbled and his limbs immediately took it as a sign to give in to his exhaustion. His legs crumbled and he slammed onto his knees, panting and licking his cracked lips as he sat on a pile of leaves, "Jungkook." Taehyung croaked weakly, not knowing if the man had noticed his state.

But Jungkook proved him wrong by crouching down next to him with an already uncapped water bottle. Taehyung curled his fingers around it and pressed it against his lips, quenching his thirst by gulping down some of the water. He eyed Jungkook over the water bottle - taking note of his wandering eyes and tense shoulders, of the way he didn't meet Taehyung's eyes and kept his jaw clenched.

Taehyung lowered the water bottle and licked his lips, "Where are we going, Jungkook?" He asked the other softly, tilting his head to the side as though to catch Jungkook's eyes with his own.

Jungkook pursued his lips and chewed on the inside of his cheek, "I..I don't know." He whispered softly, sparing a quick glance at Taehyung before looking away, "Right now to a safe house me and Daryl found, maybe one of them went there? After that, I don't know." He exhaled and pushed himself up to his feet, offering his hand to Taehyung.

A soft sigh escaped Taehyung's lips before he grabbed Jungkook's arm and allowed him to pull him up. He swayed ever so slightly, but Jungkook was quick to take the water bottle from him to screw it shut before grabbing Taehyung's arm to wrap it around his shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me what happened at the prison?" Taehyung asked cautiously as they began to walk again, wondering if he made a mistake when Jungkook tensed and sucked in a quick breath.

Taehyung's eyes flickered over to Jungkook and squinted at the sight of tears clinging to his lashes, "Not yet." He managed to push out before clamping his lips shut.

A ball of concern was lodged in Taehyung's throat at the realisation that something horrible had happened, something far worse than losing the prison. A possibility of what had caused Jungkook to tear up nudged against the back of Taehyung's head yet he brushed it away in fear of confronting it.

"We'll make it." Taehyung uttered softly to encourage Jungkook, "And so will they."

Jungkook swallowed thickly and turned his head away, tightening his hold on Taehyung's waist, "I hope you're right."

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

"This is the place you and Daryl found?" Taehyung questioned cautiously from his place by the door, while Jungkook was checking the cabin to make sure it was safe.

The cabin was quite small - with a bedroom, living room and kitchen conjoined in one room, while a separate room was dedicated to the bathroom. There was a small fireplace on the opposite side of a dusty, worn-out couch and a double bed with only the mattress on top. From his spot, Taehyung caught a glimpse of two water bottles, a can of soup and a note sitting on the kitchen counter.

Taehyung pushed himself off the wall and stumbled over to the kitchen until he reached the supplies. He grabbed the note and unfolded it, skimming his eyes over what was written inside and tensing with each word he read. The note was yanked out of his hand and quickly crumbled under Jungkook's grip.

"Ignore that, it was a stupid idea." Jungkook huffed and tossed the note away, reaching around Taehyung to grab the supplies and shove them inside his backpack.

Taehyung lifted a brow and turned around to face Jungkook, crossing his arms over his chest as he observed him, "Creating a strong community and giving shelter to good people isn't a bad idea." Taehyung stated softly, yet firmly to make sure the words slid through the walls Jungkook had built around himself, "It's not stupid to offer sanctuary to good people on the road, we're on the road now and I'd like to think that we're good people who deserve a safe place to stay at."

Jungkook paused and chewed on the inside of his cheek, glaring down at the kitchen counter as he skimmed over what Taehyung had just said, "You were right." Jungkook exhaled into the air between them, "It was stupid to cling onto a fantasy, it was so stupid of us to hope that the prison would last. And now because none of us prepared for The Governor to come back, we're all separated and without a place to return to."

"I don't even know if I'll ever see any of them again, I don't know if they're alive or somewhere out there. I just know that it's impossible that all of us will be going in the same direction and we'll be together once again." Jungkook dropped the bag onto the floor and wrapped his arms around his waist, glaring down at the floor as he rambled, "How could we have been so stupid? How could I have been so delusional to believe that the prison could last and we could build something!" Jungkook hissed and snapped his head up to glare into Taehyung's eyes.

"You were right, you were so right to keep going out there. At least now you're ready to be paranoid and scared again, now I'll have to get used to it again." Jungkook paced through the kitchen as he rambled, tangling his fingers into the unruly strands of his raven hair, "I'll have to get used to sleeping with one eye open, to being prepared that I'll stumble upon other survivors I'll have to kill."

"Jungkook."

"I'll have to get used to starving and not showering, to pissing in the woods."

"Jungkook."

"To being used to the possibility that I'll get ripped apart by walkers or that I'll get bit and turn into one of them." A hand clasped Jungkook's shoulder and whirled him around, Jungkook's words got knocked back into his throat as his eyes connected with Taehyung's.

The man tilted his head to the side and gently placed his hands on Jungkook's shoulders, "I wasn't right." Taehyung spoke slowly, making sure to pronounce each word carefully so that they reached Jungkook's frazzled state of mind.

The doe-eyed man flinched and blinked at what Taehyung had said, shaking his head and stumbling over his words in confusion, "What?" He breathed.

"I wasn't right." Taehyung repeated once more, sliding his hands down Jungkook's shoulders until he was able to grasp a hold of one of Jungkook's hands, "You were right, so, so, right the entire time. The world has gone to shit, but it doesn't mean we have to give up and abandon every chance of hope that gets thrown into our faces. You were right to desire safety and protection in a world that values fear and violence, you were right to build something for people - a place they can feel safe, a place where they can sleep and eat without the fear of a Walker ripping them apart, a place to raise children and get married."

Taehyung sucked in a soft breath, releasing Jungkook's hand and allowing it to drop back against Jungkook's side, "I lied." He whispered without breaking eye contact with him, "You were right about that too. When we were in the cell at the prison, I said those things to you but all of it was a lie. I didn't go out there with Michonne because I didn't believe that the prison would be a sanctuary for us. I went out there because..." Taehyung hesitated, finally looking away from Jungkook to stare off at one of the kitchen cabinets, "It's personal and I'll tell you one day but, Jungkook, when I was out there the thought of having a safe place to return to, was what kept me going. And now the thought of not knowing where to go is terrifying."

Taehyung bit at the corner of his lip and slowly dragged his eyes up to Jungkook's watery gaze, "Right now, the only thing keeping me strong is that I'm not alone and I have you by my side." He breathed into the air between them - completely honest and vulnerable.

Jungkook didn't say anything for the next few seconds, only blinked his tears away and released a few shallow breaths before he gave Taehyung a jerky nod and yanked him into a tight hug. A huff was squeezed out of Taehyung as Jungkook wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face into his shoulder. Taehyung hesitated before exhaling a sigh of relief and wrapping his arms around Jungkook's waist. He slowly lowered his head and dug his nose into Jungkook's shoulder, inhaling the scent of smoke and sweat clinging to his clothes.

The two boys remained standing in the middle of a broken cabin's kitchen, hidden deep inside the woods - arms wrapped tightly around one another and eyes squeezed shut as they sought refuge in each other's embrace.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Bet yall wanna kith me rn for the double update and for not separating Taekook, but yall deserve it for being so patient with me