❗️ Honestly, 'Down to the second' by Zach Berkman is so accurate to the second half of this chapter and honestly throughout the book after this...

   Curly strands of raven hair escaped the small bun sitting on top of Jungkook's head, they swayed against his sweaty forehead and licked at his knitted brows as he stumbled out of his cell with puffy eyes and a pout painted along the seam of his lips. Jungkook lifted his hands and curled his fingers around the hem of his shirt, tugging it down until it shielded his flat stomach from the morning sun's curious gaze.

The usual poems of the wind and bird serenades, that announced the arrival of the morning, were replaced by the sound of forks scraping against metal bowls and the quiet murmurs shared between the sleepy prisoners. Jungkook's lashes brushed against his cheeks as he blinked to sweep away the blurriness coating the view of the stairs. He tilted his head to the side to greet the blonde woman walking up the metal stairs and shared a small smile with her - noticing how her eyes seemed to be outlined with a red string as if she had been crying the entire night.

A soft sigh slid down the length of Jungkook's tongue at the reminder of the loss the prison had faced due to the virus. He hoped that the new surge of grief washing over the prison wouldn't be the core of an upcoming riot. And while Jungkook was aware that him and his group were much more skilled fighters and were more experienced in the art of war, he also knew that if the prisoners rallied together, they could easily take out the group of ten or so people.

The bunny boy stumbled down the last step and sauntered through the prison - puffy eyes gulping down the sight of the sun spilling over the windowsills and into the dusty room. Jungkook glanced inside one of the cells to his right and noticed the lump of a man still sleeping underneath a grey blanket. Similar lumps were seen in other cells - displaying the fact that it was still early in the morning and many were still being cradled in the soothing arms of sleep.

The sound of murmurs and hallow chuckles increased with each step he took in the direction of the main room until he rounded the corner and was greeted by the sight of few prisons scattered around the room. Jungkook's bambi eyes flickered down to the bowls in front of them and brow crawled up his forehead as he watched an elderly man, Trevor, scoop oatmeal out of his bowl and lift it up to his lips.

A quiet rumble nudged against the skin of Jungkook's stomach, causing his tongue to dip out of his mouth and glide along his bottom lip. He turned away from watching the groups of people eat their morning oatmeal with a glob of raspberry jam placed on top and shuffled closer to the counter serving the food.

One young man with glasses on his nose and head shaved clean to reveal the scar on the back of his head noticed Jungkook walking past his table and parted his lips to call out, "Good morning." He greeted lowly as if not wanting to disturb the other prisoners.

Jungkook's footsteps slowed and head twisted around in the direction of the voice, his hair smacked against his temples and eyes dropped down to connect with the man's. Jungkook recognised him as Theoden, who went by Theo - a man that had only joined the group two months ago after Daryl and Sasha had crossed paths with him during their hunt for radios. Jungkook didn't have the opportunity to speak with the man, yet what he had heard from others was that he was pleasant to be around and had the hands of gold. He was always tinkering with mechanics and helping people out, even dared to offer Daryl help with his motorcycle before the latter told him to keep his grimy hands off her.

"Good morning." Jungkook murmured through a small smile, pressing his hand against the back of his neck before turning away and continuing to walk over to the counter.

Jungkook could feel the lingering gazes of some of the other prisoners bouncing over to him, only for them to avert their gazes after being swept up in a new conversation. Jungkook's stiff shoulders slumped as soon as he stepped in front of the counter and gazed back expectedly at the black girl. Her curls were cut short to reach her jaw in order for walkers to not grab her and a jagged scar adored her neck bellow her right ear.

"One or two?" She questioned with a cocked eyebrow and her arms crossed over her chest, not moving to fill Jungkook's bowl with the oatmeal cooking in the pot behind her. Jungkook's face scrunched up in confusion - the emotions visible in the crease of his nose and pout on his lips, "You want food only for you or that other guy too?" She asked once more to clarify what she meant, even though she seemed to already know the answer to her own question.

"O-oh, two." Jungkook stuttered out, feeling the ruby dust of embarrassment be blown onto his chiseled cheekbones. He pressed his fingers onto the metal counter and tapped them against it softly as he watched the girl push off the counter behind her and grab two bowls.

The girl swept a curl behind her ear before grabbing the spoon in the pot and filling the bowls with oatmeal. The delicious scent sauntered through the air and glided along Jungkook's nostrils. Another rumble clawed at Jungkook's insides and made the blush in his cheeks deepen, along with the sheepish look on his face when the girl turned to look at him.

"So..." She trailed off once the two bowls were filled and the scoops of jam were dropped on top of the oatmeal. She pivoted around on her heel and stepped closer to Jungkook, not breaking eye-contact as she set the two bowls down between them and observed him with pursued lips, "I saw Rick and Daryl earlier, they seemed to be arguing about something. Perhaps you'd know what it was about?" She inquired as if she didn't care much of it, but with a simple flicker of her eyes up in Jungkook's direction, the younger boy could see the desire to know.

"Not really..." Jungkook breathed with a step back, gulping as he reached out to grab two spoons from a basket on the counter and slid them into his pocket. The girl squinted her eyes and stared at him expectedly, only for Jungkook to clear his threat and lean as far away from her as he reached out to take a hold of the bowls, "N-no? I really don't know, but even if I did know, I'm pretty sure that's classified information." He murmured and quickly snatched the bowls, just as the girl's lips parted and eyes raised at the sudden tint of attitude in Jungkook's words.

Jungkook sent her a fleeting glance before whirling around and scurrying away from the counter, he could feel her sharp eyes digging into his back like nails, causing him to scrunch his face in distaste. Jungkook's muscular thighs pushed against the confines of his skinny jeans as he moved forward until he was about to brush past Theo's table, only for the man to stretch out an arm and stop him.

Jungkook's came to a breezing halt and tightened his grip on the bowls in order to not drop them. His head snapped towards a smiling Theo, who pulled his hand back and pushed his glasses further up his nose, "You can sit here, you know." He jutted his chin in the direction of the seat on the opposite side of him.

Jungkook glanced at the deserted seat and bit the corner of his lip, he shuffled his weight from foot to foot and turned back to Theo, "I'd really like to, but Taehyung-"

"The guy that came here with that samurai chick?" Theo mumbled in confusion, trying to piece the name together with the memory of the man.

Jungkook hummed with a matching nod and released his bottom lip to smile and say, "Maybe another time?" He suggested - already stepping back even before Theo could peel his lips apart to answer.

The man bobbed his head up and down and twirled his spoon around the bowl as he watched Jungkook breathe out in relief and turn away, "Wait!" Theo suddenly perked up with an eager call of his name.

Jungkook came to another halt and exhaled in annoyance, he glanced down at the two steaming bowls of oatmeal grasped between his slim fingers before rolling his eyes and turning back to face Theo with a forced smile, "Yes?" He questioned with a tinge of plastic squeezed between the letters of the question.

Theo scratched the back of his neck and seemed to murmur something under his breath. The low volume didn't give the words enough strength to make the float through the air and reach Jungkook's ears, causing the bunny boy to tilt his head and release a noise of  confusion. Theo straightened and looked back up, not bothering to hide the silver strings of curiosity from embedding in his features, "Are you and that Tate guy dating?"

Jungkook flinched back as if smacked by the words spilling over Theo's lip, the grip on the bowls tightened until the blood leaked out of Jungkook's fingers and the emotion on his face drained along with the words on his tongue. He gazed back at Theo and tried to grasp for an answer, but after noticing the petals of hope blooming along his rosy lips in the form of a smile, Jungkook peeled his lips apart and uttered the first thing he could,

"Yes." Jungkook stated confidently, he turned to leave but stopped and glancing down at Theo over the tip of his nose, "And his name i-"

Just as Jungkook was about to correct him about Taehyung's name, a loud explosion rattled the prison. The walls shook and created a dust cloud, pebbles fell into Jungkook's hair and made him cough into his elbow. The two bowls of porridge he was holding slipped out of his hands and clattered to the ground, Jungkook ignored the mess and swung his head around in order to see what could've caused the explosion.

His eyes slid along the terrified, panicked faces of the prisoners before gliding across the concrete walls and intact windows. The damage wasn't done to this cell block and the sound seemed like it came from outside, yet the result of the explosion could still be seen in the cloud of dust in the air and the fallen cans of food. Some of the prisoners that had been standing were clutching onto tables and walls to prevent themselves from falling.

Jungkook's heart thudded against his chest and mind split apart as he glanced between the door to the other cell block and the direction of Taehyung's cell. He was frozen on the spot - not knowing wether he should run back to the cell to get Taehyung or run to find Rick to see what had caused the explosion. Maybe it wasn't something to panic about, perhaps one of the boilers in the prison had malfunctioned and exploded.

The silence in the main hall was slowly broken by the panicked whispers from the prisoners and Jungkook was forced to put his heart aside to make a decision, "Everyone calm down and follow the emergency protocol!" Jungkook cupped his mouth and shouted above the murmuring prisoners. They stilled and turned to look at him, allowing Jungkook to offer them a forced smile before the Korean man stepped over the spilled porridge and began to stomp over to the exit.

Jungkook knew that he couldn't drag Taehyung out of his bed so soon after the illness. He had to find out the cause of the explosion, not only to ease Taehyung's mind after going back to him, but also to calm down the other prisoners and potentially prevent any rebellions.

Jungkook pressed his palm against the metal door and slammed it open, not bothering to shut it as he began to run as soon as he was out of view. Steady breaths puffed past his lips as he rushed through the hallways until he reached the main door leading to the courtyard. He ripped the door open, squinting at the harsh sunlight glaring down at him and immediately swinging his head to the side when he saw Rick, Daryl and Tyreese run towards the field.

Jungkook furrowed his brows in confusion and immediately jumped down the metal steps, wondering if the explosion was caused by something other than a malfunctioning boiler. Jungkook rushed after the three men, briefly making eye contact with an equally confused Tyreese before glancing over at a stone faced Rick.

The small group of four reached the front gate separating the field and the rest of the prison - Jungkook immediately greeting Maggie and Glenn, who were already at the fence with pale faces and wide eyes. Jungkook's confusion only grew, along with his alarm, when he noticed the tremble in Maggie's fingers and Glenn's stiff shoulders. He rushed over to Maggie, parting his lips to ask her what had happened, only to fall silent once he saw what they had already seen.

One of the watchtowers, the one Taehyung and Jungkook had used to spend their memorable night together, was up in flames. The room on top had been completely destroyed and all that was left, was a cloud of smoke rising in the air and rumble littering the field bellow.

And as Jungkook's eyes slid past the tower, he saw the cause of the explosion.

Six cars and a tank, a small army of people with guns and determined scowls, stood on the other side of the outer fence. They looked confident, almost at ease for being the ones who stood outside the prison, for being the ones to face such a large group. And in the middle of them, the looming presence of The Governor could not be mistaken. He looked the same as he did six months ago - the same daunting eyepatch on his right eye, the same cocky smirk and the same punchable face.

Pure rage bubbled in Jungkook's chest as he watched the man stand on top of the tank with his hands on the hips - no weapon or fear in sight as though he wasn't scared to get snipped down, as though he knew they weren't able to do it.

"What is this?" Jungkook gritted and stepped closer to the fence to curl his fingers through the metal wire. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the Governor and his new group, could only watch and question how he had gathered so many people and even a tank in only six months.

Jungkook's question went unanswered but he was never seeking an answer anyway. He already knew what this was, revenge, greed, blood-thirst. The Governor came here with the excuse of getting the prison, when in reality he wanted revenge by killing Rick - the one behind his fall from grace, the one who had taken in the Woodburians, the one who had built what he couldn't, the one who had what he didn't - and Michonne, the one who had killed his Walker daughter and had stolen his eye.

"Rick, come out here, we need to talk!"

Jungkook swallowed the ball of anxiety lodged in his throat and tore his eyes away from the scene to glance at the said leader. Rick pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he dragged his eyes over the small army, Jungkook could see all the possibilities of how to defuse the situation run through his head before the leader's face hardened and he clenched his jaw.

"It's not up to me, there's a council now, they run this place!" Rick shouted back, trying not to let his emotions slip into his voice - knowing that he couldn't allow his people or The Governor to sense that this situation created a pang of fear inside him.

The Governor continued to stand fearlessly on top of the tank, "Is Hershel on the council?" He yelled back, looking way too pleased as he waved his hand at someone without removing his gaze from the prison.

Jungkook's brows furrowed at the question, shoulders tensing when a woman approached one of the cars and ripped open the back door. She reached inside and pulled someone out of the car. That's when Jungkook's heart plummeted into his stomach and breath was knocked out of him. He could do nothing, but watch as the woman dragged Hershel out of the car and over to the tank. He heard Maggie choke back a cry and Beth exhale a whimper, yet he couldn't look away from the sight of one of their own being held in the clutches of the enemy.

"What about Michonne, she on the council too?"

Jungkook felt lightheaded as soon as the question registered in his mind, followed by a man dragging Michonne out of the same car. His skin prickled and fingers twitched, he wanted to tear himself out of his physical body and reach them before the Governor could lay his filthy hands on them. Instead of doing something irrational like running across the field to save them or firing his gun at the smug man on the tank, Jungkook exhaled a shaky breath and twisted his attention onto a furious Rick.

The leader exhaled through his nose before spitting the words out of his mouth as though he had swallowed a pile of dirt, "I don't make the decisions anymore!"

"You're making the decision today, Rick!" The Governor yelled back, "Come down here and let's have that talk!"

Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head as soon as the offer was presented. There was a moment of stillness before Jungkook opened his eyes, pushed off the fence and took a step closer to Rick, "If he decides to fire, it will be a death sentence, you'll be out in the open." Jungkook hissed quietly, eyeing the open field with a glare.

Rick didn't tear his eyes away from the scene as he gritted back, "If he decides to fire the first people he kills will be Michonne and Hershel, I won't stand for that." The leader looked away to send Daryl a small nod, he then looked at Jungkook and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Jungkook gazed into Rick's eyes and allowed the fire burning inside the Leader's gaze to spread through him too. He hesitated for another second before giving him a nod and stepping away to allow Rick to face his son.

Rick cupped the side of Carl's neck and peered down at him, "We can do this. All right?" He murmured, earning himself a firm nod from the teenage boy, not a hint of hesitation visible in Carl's face.

Rick nodded to himself and moved towards the gate, Jungkook and Daryl grabbed it and pulled it open for him, allowing Rick to march through it and begin his walk across the field towards the Governor. Jungkook didn't allow his eyes to stray away from the Leader as he pulled the gate shut, not even as he took a few steps back to stand next to Maggie and slipped his hand into hers for reassurance.

"We can't take 'em all on." Daryl drawled quietly, making sure everyone heard him before continuing, "We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned, we ain't got the numbers no more. When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"

"The day we hit the big spot." Sasha responded without tearing her eyes away from Rick's walking form, "We were low then, we're even lower now."

"We'll manage." Jungkook hummed and responded in Daryl's place, sending them a look over his shoulder.

Daryl nodded in agreement and eyed the people around him, "Things go south everyone heads to the bus, let everybody know."

Tyreese glanced over at him, following Daryl with his eyes as the archer brushed past him and approached the container with guns, "What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad? How long do we wait?" He questioned with furrowed brows and concern.

Daryl paused in his steps and clenched his jaw, "As long as we can." He uttered before resuming his march to grab the guns.

Jungkook nodded to himself and turned to look back at Rick just as the leader reached the fence. He couldn't hear a word they were saying from the distance separating them, but judging by the displeased expressions on their faces, the situation was far from being settled. It only made Jungkook more anxious, especially when there were three people he loved so near a man who desired to kill them.

Jungkook knew he won't be able to save them if shit went south - Hershel and Michonne were both tied up and weaponless, while Rick had nothing to hide behind if one of those twenty people decided to blast their gun at him. He knew his only option right now was to sit still and trust Rick, otherwise they'll all be ripped into a war, a war where three of them would be slaughtered right away.

As both leaders were talking, Daryl pulled over the container with guns and conspicuously slid a few to each person. He grabbed a rifle and a handgun before approaching Jungkook, the latter didn't react as Daryl loomed over his shoulder and slid the weapons into his hand, only tightened his grip on them and offered him a small nod. Daryl stepped away and Jungkook slowly pushed the handgun into the holster before pulling the rifle comfortably into his arms.

That's when his mind began to drift towards Taehyung and he started to debate whether he should get him into the bus before the fight started. He immediately scolded himself for not believing that Rick could defuse the situation, but the realistic part of him told him that it was impossible to make an agreement with a psychotic man, who wanted the prison for himself. Jungkook also knew that the group needed him right now and he couldn't be selfish in this situation, Taehyung was strong and he could manage on his own even if a fight broke out.

The sound of gunshots made Jungkook snap out of his thoughts and freeze in fear, only for him to exhale in relief once he saw that the Governor only shot a few stray walkers in the head. Though the gunshots were enough to rattle him and make him step closer to the fence, he pushed the tip of the rifle through the wires and aimed at the group - now prepared for anything to happen.

As the group sat in the ocean of tension and anticipation, watching Rick talk to the Governor, and eyeing Hershel's and Michonne's kneeling forms, Carl licked his lips and tightened his hold on his gun, "We have to do something."

"Your dad's got it." Daryl immediately shot down Carl's straying thought.

Carl huffed, "They're talking, we could kill the Governor right now." The boy argued back, aiming at what Jungkook presumed was the Governor's head.

Daryl only scoffed and offered him a glare of disbelief, "From 50 yards?"

Carl pressed his lips into a thin line and squinted, "I'm a good shot, I could end this right now." He stated confidently, causing Jungkook to look at him.

"No, you gotta trust him" Jungkook hissed quietly, earning himself a small glance from the teenager, "Even if you do end up killing The Governor, the others will start shooting and the first ones to go will be your dad, Michonne and Hershel."

When Carl didn't say anything else, only turned his gaze back onto the scene on the field, Daryl and Jungkook shared a look before following Carl's eyes. Jungkook swallowed thickly and rearranged his grip on the gun for the hundredth time. The weapon was cold and heavy in his hands, it felt familiar to him like meeting an old friend after being apart for months.

It wasn't far from the truth, in the past few months Jungkook had held weapons only when venturing outside the prison. He had gotten comfortable and hadn't even noticed it before their enemy was knocking on their door, and now all of them would be paying the price of lowering their guard in the middle of the apocalypse.

Jungkook blinked and noticed the way some of the Governor's men had grown tense. Their gazes drifted over to each other and the tips of their own rifles lowered ever so slightly. Jungkook squinted and tried to look closer, he couldn't tell if their reactions were towards Rick or the Governor since he couldn't see who was speaking in that moment. But the conflict in their gazes, the twist of doubt in their features was enough to tell Jungkook that the one speaking was Rick, and whatever he was saying, was creating some conflicting thoughts in their minds.

The Governor noticed this and in a war like this, soldiers with doubt and conflicting feelings towards the enemy, we're useless. The situation could get out of hand, the soldiers could rebel and take the enemy's side, so the Governor had two options - allow them to think and feel, or tear these tiny sprouts of hesitation out with the roots.

And to the Governor, the option was obvious.

The man jumped off the tank and marched over to Michonne's and Hershel's kneeling forms. On his way over, he reached out his hand and curled his fingers around the handle of Michonne's katana, swiftly pulling it out to reveal the sharpened blade. Jungkook sucked in a sharp breath and straightened out as The Governor marched over to Hershel and swiftly pushed the blade against the man's exposed throat.

Distantly, Jungkook heard Maggie and Beth cry out at the sight, yet he wasn't able to comfort them, couldn't even spare them a single glance. It felt like his eyes were glued to Hershel's kind face staring back at Rick as he kneeled before the Governor with a katana pressed against his throat.

Jungkook felt like the blood in his veins had been replaced by icicles, while his skin burned from the anger curling around his body. The worst part was that Jungkook couldn't do anything to stop him from pressing the blade against Hershel's throat, nothing but watch and hope for the best. He felt powerless in this situation and hated himself for it because he so desperately wanted to follow Carl's idea and shoot the Governor before he could hurt any of them.

A droplet of sweat rolled down Jungkook's nose and dripped onto his lips, his tongue slipped out of his mouth and his tastebuds exploded with saltiness at the taste. Jungkook's heart pounded against his chest and his lungs squeezed with each heavy breath he exhaled, his eyes watered from not blinking and his fingers ached from clinging onto the gun so tightly. His finger moved, hovering over the trigger as he fought against the small voice inside his head screaming at him to shoot, to eliminate the threat before he could hurt Hershel.

The anticipation, the fear, anxiety, tension, anger - all of it became a mush that split his head apart and tugged the parts in all different directions. It was too much to the point where he almost lost his mind. And then it snapped. It only took a split second for their world to shift. A split second where the situation tumbled out of their hands and exploded into their faces. A second where the Governor lifted the katana into the air before swinging it downward. A second where the blade sliced through Hershel's throat and sprayed blood onto the ground. A second where the light in his eyes began to dim and his body crumbled to the ground.

A second was all it took for Jungkook to lose his mind once again.

He felt numb, couldn't feel his fingers or legs as though his soul had ascended out of his body and he was nothing more than a mere spectator watching Hershel bleed out on that field. And then he came crashing back down into his body. The raw grief he experienced felt like a rusty knife being twisted inside his chest,  the memories of their time spent together were now tainted with agony, the love and gratitude he held for the man was nothing more than memories, and the anger, the pure, raw anger felt like an active volcano about to burst through his chest and destroy everything in its path.

It ripped a vicious scream out of his throat and made him slam his finger down on the trigger, causing the bullets to cut through the air and fly in the direction of the army. Jungkook didn't even notice the others next to him firing alongside him, didn't notice Rick and Michonne rolling away to duck for cover. The only thing on his mind was revenge, to kill as many of them as he could and then slice The Governor's head off just like he had done to Hershel.

The world tilted on its axes and Jungkook's heart clenched in his chest, he fired the gun viciously, aiming to kill them all. He was stuck in that bloodthirsty maze, stumbling through the numb corners of his mind to look for an exit, yet nothing helped snap him out of it, especially not the tank when it began to roll forward and tore down the outer fence. Not the cars driving into the field and running over their crops. Not the sniffles and sobs coming from Maggie and Beth.

Jungkook didn't allow himself to feel anything other than the simmering anger fuelling his body because he knew that if he succumbed to the pain and grief stuffed deep inside the back of his chest, he'd die.