-Blood on Your Knees-
Suzanne Santo
01:43 ━━━━●───── 03:50
⇆ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤㅤ↻

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

The train cart was shrouded in darkness, the veil of black only being torn apart by shards of light.

"They seemed nice enough, but I was ready to go."

Tension and anticipation seeped in through the cracks, filling it to the brim until the air felt stifling.

"We just got here but, damn, it was time to go."

The sound of something metallic being scraped against wood was followed by the stretch of leather. Taehyung looked up from the chunk of wood he was sawing off with the chain of his necklace. Rosita, the girl with the pigtails had wrapped her belt around her fist with the prongs squashed between her knuckles. Rick was filing off a piece of wood from the wall, and Glenn was breaking his belt apart.

"When I told them about D.C and Eugene having the cure,"

Their previous conversation bounced around Taehyung's mind. Abraham had told a story of how they ended up there and while he was speaking, he revealed that Eugene, the guy with the Mohawk, was a scientist and had a cure to fix the world.

"A wink and a nod from the head asshole in charge, they pull their guns and it was right back to our regularly scheduled shitstorm."

Did Taehyung believe them? He wasn't sure, he didn't even have time to think about it, he had bigger problems to worry about. One of them being how to get out of here alive.

"Before they put you in here, you didn't see Tyreese?"

"No."

"Good."

Taehyung grabbed his belt, tugging it out of the hoops before pressing the buckle against the ground and crushing it under his weight.

"They could be in the other train carts."

The prong on the belt broke off and Taehyung picked it up, twisting around to offer it to Rick, who had broken off a chunk of wood from a wooden beam. The leader took it, pressing the prong against the end of the wood shard before smashing it against the ground to push it in.

"Black car with a white cross painted on it. I tried to follow it, I tried."

Daryl had explained that Beth had been taken by some people, that was another thing they had to do if they got out.

"But she's alive?"

"She's alive."

Taehyung grabbed the chunk of wood he was sawing off of the wooden beam and pushed his weight into it. The wood cracked and Taehyung grunted, pushing even more until the chunk of wood broke off.

"He fell into a river, before that we agreed to come here. He could be alive."

The sound of a radio being turned on and static voices coming through it, made them all pause and look up. Daryl was standing by the door, peering through the measly gap it provided to see if anyone was coming. The voices on the radio were followed by a call, "Right there." And then footsteps, "Everybody shut up." The voices grew louder and closer before someone shouted outside, "Shut up!"

"All right," Daryl spoke up, breaking the silence that filled the cart, "There are four of them pricks coming our way." Daryl stepped back from the door, turning to look at them.

The group stood up, finishing their last touches on their weapons - Rick slipping his wooden piece up his sleeve and Taehyung tightening his grip on his chunk of wood, "You know what to do." Rick rasped as the group formed a circle around the door, everyone had their arms up and makeshift weapons grasped in their hands, "Go for their eyes first." Rick brushed past them to be the one closest to the door, "Then their throats."

Taehyung was standing next to Glenn, on the other side of Rick. His unblinking eyes had narrowed on the door and his heart thudded in preparation to attack, "Put your backs to the walls at either end of the cart. Now!" A voice shouted the orders from outside, prompting Rick to glance back at them and give them a firm nod, confirming that they were about to open the door and they should be ready to pounce.

Taehyung licked his lips, curling his fingers into fists and raising them to his chin. He swayed back and forth - body being moved by adrenaline and eagerness to kill. A creak came from above them and Taehyung stiffened. Everyone snapped their heads up and watched as a hatch in the roof was rolled open. Light spilled onto their faces and made Taehyung's eyes sizzle in protest, only for it to be followed by something being dropped into the cart.

The metal thing crashed against the ground and Taehyung's eyes flickered down to see a smoke bomb, "Move!" Abraham shouted and everyone jumped away from the can. Taehyung ducked to the side with his sleeve pressed against his nose. And the very next second, the smoke bomb exploded and filled the cart with heavy smoke.

All Taehyung could see was white, it made his eyes burn to the point where he had to squeeze them shut. The smoke crawled up his nose and flooded his mouth before dragging itself down his throat and filling his lungs. His throat felt like it was shredded apart and lungs burned from the toxins. Harsh coughs pushed against his chest and tumbled over his lip, he wheezed, trying to inhale fresh air, only to be met with more smoke filling his chest.

Taehyung continued to cough and tried to blink his eyes open to see past the fog in front of him, only for the smoke to crawl over his eyeballs and make his eyes water. He tried to drag himself across the floor in search of an exit from this maze but didn't end up going anywhere before hands grabbed him by his armpits, dragging him across the floor and then down some steps.

Taehyung's vision was cloudy and his head was dull as he was thrown to the ground. His cheek pressed into the pavement and his eyes flickered around - barely able to see the masked men looming over him. They had plucked some of them from the cart and laid them on the ground in a line. Taehyung watched as one of the men kicked Rick in the face to knock him unconscious but it only left the man looking dazed.

Taehyung's arms were grabbed and pulled behind his back before something was wrapped around his wrists. He coughed dryly, wheezing desperately and trying to blink away the lingering fogginess clouding his mind. His hair was grabbed in a fist and his head was pulled back before a cloth was shoved between his teeth and tied around his head.

Then he was being hoisted up by his armpits. His head lolled eyes caught sight of Bob being dragged in front of him. Taehyung's eyes slipped away to look down at the pavement and he found that his legs weren't working and were merely being dragged across the ground. He slumped in their hold, not bothering to fight the masked men as they carried his limp body into a building.

It felt like they were dragging him along for ages, hallway after hallway that bled into one another until he could no longer follow the map he had drawn in his head. Eventually, he was pulled into a room and the rumble of a chainsaw bounced off of the walls. Taehyung's eyes flickered to the side. The sight that greeted him made him pale and jaw slacken around the gag in his mouth. There was a body lying on a metal table with two men looming over him. Blood splattered on their aprons and gloves as one of them used the saw to cut the man's legs off. A metal tray with all kinds of tools was seen next to them and then three large containers with burn, feed, wash written on each one.

Taehyung was heaved up to a metal tub and was hoisted up on his knees before the hands on him disappeared. He fell forward, chest digging into the side of the tub and eyes staring back at his own reflection he saw through the metal surface. He tore his eyes away and tilted his head to the side. Daryl and Glenn were dumped next to him. He looked over to the other side and found Rick and Bob sitting on their knees to his right.

Four more unfamiliar men were dragged into the room, kicking and struggling before being dumped on the other side of Glenn. The men from Terminus approached each of them with zip ties in their hands. Taehyung didn't struggle as his legs were nudged together before being tied by the ankles. His eyes were flickering between Rick and Daryl on either side of him, only to bounce over to the table with the dead body in the corner of the room.

The guy was naked, it was clear. The men who were currently chopping him apart like a cow wore plastic aprons like the ones butchers wore, goggles, and rubber boots. One of the men grabbed a can of some chemical and started spraying it onto a pool of blood on the ground. They were doing it with such ease and lack of emotion that it felt like they were just gutting a big, rather than a human.

The two men were called over and Taehyung watched as one of them put the saw down before walking over to a metal tray to grab two butcher knives. The man started dragging one blade against the other, sharpening the blades and filling the room with the grating sound. It sent a shiver down Taehyung's spine and made him grunt against the piece of cloth between his teeth. The other man picked up a metal bat and started swinging it against the air as if he were preparing for a baseball match.

Taehyung had to look away, he tried to ignore his reflection shinning back at him from the tub, and looked around the room instead. His eyes skimmed over the doorway and the empty hallway beyond it, then flickered over to the windows, then settled on the weapons he could see lying on the tray. His mind desperately scribbled down different ways to get out of this situation but all of them ended up getting crumbled and thrown into a bin.

"All right."

Taehyung stiffened when the men walked past them to approach the other end of the line. His eyes bounced up and nostrils flared with each pant he exhaled, his eyes briefly met Glenn's panicked ones before he looked at the guy at the end of the lineup. He had short, platinum-blond hair and wore a black tank top. The butcher with the knives and the one with the bat stepped behind him. The guy's face scrunched with fear and he started crying into his gag.

Taehyung's heart thudded against his ribs and lungs clenched in fear as he witnessed the butcher roll the bat between his palms before lifting it over his shoulder and slamming it against the blond's skull. The hit had so much force, that the blond fell against the tub - his eyes dazed and blank, it looked like his frontal lobe was damaged and even if someone saved him, he would no longer be able to function properly. The man with the knives stepped up, grabbing the blond by the hair and pulling his head up to reveal his neck before dragging one of the blades across his throat.

Blood squirted out from the cut and as the man was thrown against the tub, his head was hovering above it, causing the blood to trickle inside. A muffled scream came from one of the unfamiliar men, and the next one in the line started shaking and dry heaving. The butchers didn't seem bothered, only stepped up behind the next guy, lifted the bat and delivered another swift blow to the back of his head. Taehyung gritted his teeth and looked away before he could witness his throat being slit. But despite looking away, he could still hear the blade glide through his skin and the spray of blood splash into the tub.

Droplets of sweat ran down Taehyung's nose and drenched his hair, it dripped into the tub and soaked his black shirt. He flinched when he heard the sound of the bat smashing against the next man's head and couldn't help but look at Rick. The Leader was gritting his jaw, watching as they slit the third man's throat. There was a thread of acceptance sown into his eyes but that feeling was overshadowed by the clear shine of bloodlust.

Taehyung saw something dark red through the corner of his eye and peered down to see a stream of blood rolling through the tub. It curled around the sewage drain before sipping in through the holes. Taehyung has seen blood, has been basked in it, but the sight of the scarlet river, made his head spin and hands shake. Panic was slowly taking over his mind like an invasive worm and he could no longer contain his breaths. They were harsh and panicked, quick and shallow. He swallowed around the gag - eyes zipping across the room, flickering between Glenn and Daryl who would be killed before he was.

"Please, no, no!" The fourth man in the lineup tried to scream through the gag, only for a bat to connect with his head and then a knife to drag across his neck. The man fell limp and quiet, bleeding out into the tub.

A flicker of movement made Taehyung's eyes bounce up, just in time to see Gareth saunter into the room with a notebook in his hand, "Hey, guys, what were your shot counts?" Gareth asked as he scribbled something in the notebook.

"Thirty-eight." The man with the bat responded. Taehyung's eyes connected with Glenn's and his heart dropped when he watched the two men step up behind him. Glenn forced his eyes shut - face scrunching in preparation for the blow. The man lifted the bat and started to swing.

"Hey!"

The two men froze and snapped their eyes towards Gareth, "Your shot count?" He looked at the guy holding the knives.

The man rolled his lips together, shifting his weight between his feet before stuttering out, "Crap, man, I'm sorry. It's my first roundup."

Gareth sighed and rolled his eyes, "After you're done here, go back to your point and count the shells. Kaylee won't be gathering them until tomorrow." Gareth ordered before looking back down at his notebook.

"Hey!" Bob shouted through his gag - desperation and panic visible in his rising tone, "Hey, let me talk to you!"

Taehyung glanced between them, hoping that perhaps Bob would say or do something to prevent this from happening. But it looked like Gareth didn't care about whatever Bob had to say, "Five from A, four from D?" Gareth dragged his finger over the lineup and took a few steps closer to them.

"Yeah." The bat guy hummed, thankfully, still keeping the bat limp by his side.

When Gareth was walking right in front of Bob, the man started shouting again, "Hey, let me talk to you! Let me talk to you for a minute!"

Gareth exhaled a deep breath filled with annoyance but still walked up to Bob, he tugged the gag out of his mouth, "What?" Gareth spat.

"Don't do this, we can fix this." Bob pushed out through rough breaths.

"No, you can't." Gareth bent down to shove the gag back into his mouth.

Bob pulled back and shouted before he could be gagged, "You don't have to do this!" Gareth huffed and straightened out, staring at Bob with an unimpressed twitch of his brow, "We told you there's a way out of all of this, you just have to take a chance." Bob peered over at the rest of the group, "We have a man who knows how to stop it, he has a cure, we just have to get him to Washington. You don't have to do this, man, we can put the world back to how it was."

Gareth pressed his lips into a mockingly sympathetic smile, "Can't go back, Bob." He stepped up and shoved the gag back into Bob's mouth. The latter shouted his protests, but Gareth seemed done with him.

Gareth smacked his notebook shut and pivoted on his heel, he stepped towards Rick and crouched down in front of him with one hand placed on the tub for balance. He exhaled a deep breath and reached out to tug Rick's gag out. Rick immediately spit something out of his mouth while Gareth wiped the saliva from the gag onto Rick's jacket.

"We saw you go into the woods with a bag and come out without it. I had to go pull my spotters back before we could go for it. What was in it?" Gareth explained why he had singled out Rick, but what Taehyung gathered from this piece of information is that they did have guards, they were just hiding to appear weaker than they were.

When Rick didn't say anything and just continued to glare at him, Gareth continued to push, "You hid it, right? In case things went bad? Smart. Still, we'll find it." Gareth's gaze drifted towards Taehyung, the latter clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes back at him, "But it's too dangerous to go out there right now." Gareth muttered, reaching down to whisk out his dagger before shooting his hand out to grab the back of Taehyung's neck.

A grunt erupted from Taehyung's throat as he was ripped forward until his chest was squashed against the side of the tub. A dagger hovered just inches before his face. Taehyung's eyes glided along the blade, taking in its sharp glint and its closeness to his cheek. Taehyung's nose scrunched and eyes flicked towards Rick, the leader looked stiff with anger as he stared at Gareth with silent threats flashing across his eyes.

"What was in it?" Gareth taunted while holding the knife up to Tae's face, "I'm curious." He pushed on, "And it was a big bag." Rick still kept his lips clamped shut and it only made Taehyung more sweaty, "You're really gonna let me do this?" Gareth tilted his head, gesturing towards a panting Taehyung.

Rick dug his tongue into his cheek before offering a shrug, "Well, let me take you out there." He leaned back and gazed at one of the entrances, "I'll show you." His heavy gaze settled back on Gareth.

Gareth's features twitched and lips tugged into a tense smile, "Not gonna happen." He paused for a second before pulling Taehyung towards the blade, "But this might-"

"There's guns in it."

Taehyung had frozen in shock, staring at the tip of the dagger that hovered just a hair width away from his eye.  He didn't dare blink or breathe, too scared of the blade accidentally nicking his eyeball. Thankfully, Rick had spoken up just before Gareth could slam the knife into his eye socket.

"AK-47, 44 Magnum, automatic weapons, Nightscope," Rick started to list off everything that was in the bag, making sure that the knife wouldn't end up in Taehyung's eye, "There's a compound bow and a machete with a red handle." Rick finished after a deep, thoughtful hum and let his eyes fall back on Gareth. There was a moment of silence where they just stared at one another before Rick leaned in and stated, "That's what I'm gonna use to kill you."

Taehyung clenched his teeth around the gag to stop his lips from twitching into a smile. He appreciated the threat but he would also appreciate it if Rick didn't threaten people when Taehyung had a knife millimetres away from his eye.

Gareth blinked back at Rick, still holding the knife to Taehyung's eye, only to exhale a chuckle the very next moment and release Taehyung. He tugged himself away until his ass pressed into his calves. Gareth smiled as he shoved the dagger back into its sheath before leaning up to nudge the cloth back into Rick's mouth, "Thanks!" Gareth chirped mockingly, patting Rick's shoulders.

The man picked up his notebook and stood up, walking backward to the door, "You have two hours to get them on the dryers, then we go back to public face." Gareth addressed the two butchers, "Now's the time we can get messy but we need to dial it all in by sundown." He sent a pointed glance at the dead body on the table.

"Got it." The man with the bat uttered, readjusting his grip on the weapon.

"Yes, sir." The other one mumbled with some leftover dejection from his previous scolding.

Gareth turned to leave and the two men behind Glenn got ready to continue their job. Taehyung's hands were shaking and his shirt was sticking to his skin from anxiety. He didn't even want to look at Glenn as he heard the butcher lift the bat in the air. Gareth was about to leave the room and the butcher started to swing. Taehyung clamped his eyes shut, not wanting to listen to the sound of the bat crashing into Glenn's skull.

Two gunshots, one after the other, came from the outside.

Taehyung jumped at the sound, whipping his head around as if he could see through the concrete walls, "Hey, Chuck." Taehyung swiveled his attention back to Gareth when the man turned on his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. When no one responded from the other side of the radio, Gareth started to look worried. The two men behind Glenn shared a glance but ultimately brushed the issue off by reeling the bat back once more.

As the weapon was flying through the air, aimed at the back of Glenn's head, another gunshot rung from outside. This time the sound was different - as if a bullet had hit something metallic. Everyone jumped and Taehyung shared a look with Rick. Taehyung didn't know what was happening outside and who was shooting but perhaps they could use it to their advantage. Somehow. They just had to find a way to get out of these bounds which was easier said than done.

There was a moment of tense silence where no one moved, not even Gareth. One second, Taehyung was eyeing the exits and the weapons lying on the table and the next, an explosion made the walls rattle and the ground shake, the sharp sound of something being blown up made their ears squeal and minds reel in surprise. Taehyung lost his balance, as did everyone else, and slammed into the ground on his side.

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

"We're close." Carol spoke up once she saw the sign next to the tracks. Jungkook hummed in agreement, readjusting the rifle hooked around his shoulder. They were close to Terminus, it was just around the corner, maybe an hour of a walk, "I'm gonna get you three there, make sure you're safe but I'm not gonna stay."

Jungkook looked over at that, right, that conversation was still happening. Carol felt like she wasn't ready to face other people, not after Karen and David, especially not after the girls. Despite Tyreese forgiving Carol for what she did, Jungkook knew the woman also had to forgive herself and it looked like she hadn't. He didn't want her to leave and knew the others wouldn't want that either but they've had this conversation for the past two days and Carol still hadn't changed her mind. 

Jungkook peeled his lips open to respond but was cut off by a walker stumbling out of the woods behind them. He looked at Tyreese who was closest to the thing, only the man stepped back and turned to them with sad eyes, "I can't, not yet." Jungkook gave a swift nod, rolled the strap of the gun over his head to make sure the weapon wouldn't fall and pulled out his knife.

As he was marching up to the walker, he heard Carol's voice behind him, "You're going to have to be able to." Jungkook didn't say anything to that, only grabbed the walker by the neck and stabbed the knife into her forehead. She fell to the ground, tugging herself off of the knife as a result. Jungkook straightened out, wiping the blood onto his already filthy poncho and tilted his head up.

A flicker of movement flashed in the corner of his eye and he turned his gaze towards it. He was met with the sight of a herd stumbling through the woods, heading towards them. He ducked down and whipped his head around to whisper to the others, "herd." That was enough to make them scatter into the woods with Jungkook following swiftly behind. They hid behind a small hill next to the tracks, peering around it to watch the herd approach, "You want me to put Judith under my poncho?" Jungkook asked in a measly exhale, turning to eye the silent baby in Tyreese's arms.

"No," Carol shook her head, eyes still glued on the herd, "We should move, could try to catch one of them and cover ourselves in blood." She whispered back, pushing herself away from the hill in preparation to run, only for gunshots to echo through the air and make the walkers stop in their tracks. They twisted their heads towards the sound and started stumbling down the tracks, heading in the direction of Terminus.

The booming of gunshots continued and they stayed silent, not wanting to redirect the walkers towards them. When the last walker was out of sight, they walked out from behind the hill and stepped back onto the tracks, "That gunfire, it could've been from Terminus." Tyreese spoke up, looking behind them to make sure no one was sneaking up on them.

"Someone was attacking them," Carol muttered, walking forward with lazy steps, "Or they were attacking someone." She added as an afterthought.

"Do we even want to find out?" Tyreese dared to ask and his words slammed a hot rod of anger through Jungkook's chest.

The man huffed a sharp breath and brushed past the pair, "Yes." He spat through his teeth, marching down the tracks.

"Jungkook," Carol hissed, making him roll his eyes and twirl around with annoyance smeared across his face, "There's another track due east, it'll get us there." She explained the reason why she stopped him, when she earned a hesitant nod from him, she turned to Tyreese, "We'll be real careful."

Jungkook was just done with the indecisiveness about going to Terminus, he would go there regardless if the other two wanted to stay behind. He knew Taehyung was going there and now that he's heard shots, he had to make sure he wasn't the one being aimed at.

The trio broke away from the tracks, following the direction of the sun and drifting to the east. They ventured through the forest, keeping track of the sun and any stray walkers but it seemed like all of them had gone towards Terminus. The sun was slow in its steps as it sauntered across the sky, while the trio that walked through the woods started picking up their pace until they reached a wooden cabin.

There was a car parked in front of it with one of its doors thrown open. A muffled voice came from the front of the house. Jungkook crept around it, pressed his back against the wall and peered around the corner to check who was there. A man was crouching on the ground and talking into a walkie-talkie while he set up fireworks on the ground. He wore a cap that shielded his face but Jungkook could see some scruff outlining his jaw. He wore a grey shirt that was rolled up to his elbows and had a rifle strapped to his back.

Jungkook determined that he was a part of the Terminus community and strained his ears to hear what he was saying into the walkie-talkie, "You don't have to tell me, I wipe my own ass." The man said with a hint of a laugh in his voice before he stood up to approach a bag he had lying on the ground, "Alex didn't get it, see, I knew the chick with the sword was bad news. Bitch looked like a weapon with a weapon." He smirked around his words as he pulled out two more fireworks from the bag and set them on the ground.

Jungkook stiffened at his words, alarms flaring in his mind and thoughts whisking up an image of Michonne being gunned down by them. Perhaps that's what the gunshots were about. Jungkook looked back at Carol and Tyreese who were behind him, making eye contact with the woman to make sure she had heard. After Carol gave him a nod of confirmation, Jungkook pulled his gun off his shoulders and crept out from behind the house.

As they were sneaking up on the man, a woman's voice echoed from the walkie-talkie, "He was always a sloppy-ass motherfucker." the guy in the cap huffed out a laugh and continued to speak into the walkie-talkie, not a worry in the world breaching his words, "Yeah, I told Albert I want the kid's hat after they bleed him out."

Jungkook pressed the tip of his gun against the guy's head, shaking in anger from what he had just heard, "Keep your finger off the button and drop it." He hissed through his teeth, keeping his eyes locked on every move the man made.

The guy in the cap had grown stiff and remained like that for a few more seconds before he started to lift his hands in surrender and weakened his hold on the radio until it fell to the ground. A voice rattled from the other end of the walkie, "They're only doing nine before public face, don't wait on it." Jungkook didn't understand the meaning of the words but the mention of Michonne and Carl was enough as a death sentence for these people.

"Listen, y'all don't have to do this." The cap guy uttered through loud smacks of his tongue. To Jungkook, the fact that he was chewing his gum so loudly without closing his mouth was another reason to kill him, "Whatever you want, we got a place where everyone's welcome."

"Shut up, man." Tyreese huffed in slight disbelief at him trying to deceive them after everything they'd just heard. He bounced Judith in his arms to calm her and shifted further behind Carol.

"Okay." The gum-guy gulped with a nod.

Carol was holding her gun up to the side of his face, "We're friends of the chick with the sword and the kid in the hat." She elaborated, while Jungkook lowered the gun, knowing that if anything were to happen, Carol would blast a hole through the guy's head.

Jungkook hooked his gun around his shoulders before grabbing the guy's rifle and yanking it over his head, "We'll take this." Jungkook threw the rifle behind him and started patting the guy down to make sure he had no other weapons on him. He found a knife in his shoe and jerked it out carelessly, not caring if he nicked him. He threw the knife next to the gun and snatched the guy's arms, restricting them behind his back, "Up we go." Jungkook sang mockingly, hoisting the man up to his feet.

"Listen-"

The man tried to speak, but Jungkook quickly stomped out any further conversation they could have, "I'm just itching to kill you right now, so if you don't shut up this very second, I'll be happy to put a bullet through your head." He hissed into the man's ear as he pushed him towards the wooden cottage. He saw the man gulp and lick his lip but he ultimately chose to stay silent, allowing Jungkook to drag him into the house without any protest.

Carol and Tyreese followed right behind him. The woman had grabbed the rifle and the knife Jungkook had stolen from the man, she threw the weapons onto the table in the cottage before focusing her attention on the bag sitting next to the door. Carol hoisted it up on the table and immediately began to rummage through it until she found a roll of duct tape.

She approached the pair and Jungkook released the guy's arms to swivel him around and pull his arms out in front of him. Jungkook forced his hands together while Carol rolled the tape around his wrists. When she was done, Jungkook pressed his hand against the man's chest and shoved him back with so much force he slammed into the wall behind him. The guy grunted and slid down, plopping onto the ground with his legs spread out in front of him.

Jungkook stepped back, briefly eyeing Tyreese as he bounced Judith in his arms. He stepped up to Carol, grabbing a black satchel off the table and dumping out the contents. A box of ammo, a bottle of water, a packet of gum and a few granola bars. Jungkook gritted his teeth at the fact that there wasn't anything useful inside except for the ammo but still decided to take the satchel.

"They attacked us, we're just holding them."

Jungkook didn't pay him any mind and continued to rummage through the guy's stuff, allowing Carol to respond, "I don't believe you." She stated distractedly, shoving a handgun she found into her belt.

"Who else is with you? Do you know their names?" Tyreese asked, which made Jungkook curious enough to stop and look up.

The guy's eyes bounced between them and teeth smacked as he chewed the gum, "We just have the boy and the samurai, that's it. We're just protecting ourselves!"

Jungkook's eyes grew cold, he took a threatening step forward and jabbed the knife he held in the guy's direction, "Bullshit." He spat viciously, not believing a word that came out of his mouth, "Protecting yourself against one person and a kid?"

Jungkook shook his head and pivoted away from him, just in time to see Carol pull open the bag she had grabbed from outside. It was filled with fireworks, they shared a look before the woman zipped the bag shut and placed it on the ground.

"There's a bunch of us out there in six different directions." The man added almost desperately. Jungkook rolled his eyes but focused his attention on the rifle he had taken from the guy, the One Carol had brought inside. He released the magazine, quickly counting how many rounds were inside before clicking it back shut, "There's a lot of gunfire back home, we need to set off our charges all at the same time to confuse the dead ones away." The guy continued, trying to appease them to make them back away but his words only made them more determined, "That's good for you too!" He waved his tied hands at them.

"No, it isn't." Carol stated and pulled a blanket off the table, she used her knife to cut a hole in the middle of it, turning it into a makeshift poncho, "There's a herd heading to Terminus right now, we don't want to confuse them away, we're gonna need their help." She asserted with some mock, folding the poncho into a square and throwing it over the duffle bag before hooking the bag over her elbow.

"It's a compound, they'll see you coming." The guy scoffed, relentless in his pursuit to make them back down. When he saw Jungkook's indifference and lack of attention toward him, he tried another approach, "If you even make it that far with all the cold bodies heading over." He tried to ridicule but Jungkook only continued to strap himself with weapons.

The rifle was pulled tight between his shoulder blades, while the poncho draped over his chest hid the knives and handgun decorating his hips. Jungkook then threw the satchel over his head until it laid against his thigh and once they were ready, Carl and Jungkook shared a look and started to make their way towards the door.

Before they could slip through the threshold, Tyreese stopped them with a hand on Carol's bicep, "How you gonna do this?" He asked under his breath, eyeing the weapons attached to their bodies, the fire burning in Jungkook's eyes and the lack of emotion in Carol's.

"We're gonna kill people." Carol uttered in return, voice lacking remorse or concern for what they were about to do.

Tyreese lowered his hand and they lingered in the doorway for another moment before Carol finally stepped through the door. Jungkook didn't look at Tyreese as he brushed past him, mind too busy trying to conjure up an attack plan. He knew they had to be smart with how they proceeded, the two of them were literally planning to take down an entire community.

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

Jungkook's hands were sticky with blood as he dug into the walker's chest and pulled out handfuls of mushed organs. He smeared his palms against his poncho, making sure that a fresh layer of rot was covering him. Carol was sitting on the other side of the walker, her own makeshift poncho covered in blood and all kinds of guck.

Jungkook's nose twitched from the stench yet he bit back his disgust and watched as Carol pressed her fingers into the dirt and started smearing it onto her cheeks, "I'm not doing that." Jungkook mumbled with disgust, grabbing the hood of his poncho and pulling it over his head, "Do you have a plan?" He asked as he pushed himself up to his feet.

"Something like that." The woman replied ominously, making Jungkook quirk a brow and peer in the direction of Terminus. They had reached the fence that wrapped around the compound, the only thing left to do was think of a plan that would turn this war in their favor.

"We're gonna use the fireworks to our advantage, make the herd come here and tear down the fences." When Jungkook looked at her, Carol's hair was colored red from a mixture of blood and dirt, as was her face. She looked unrecognisable, almost deadly with the gun she carried. The thing was bigger than she was and Jungkook couldn't help smile at the sight.

"Let's go." Carol stood up, brushing her palms against her pants to wipe the blood away. She walked past him, approaching the fence with Jungkook just behind her. As they walked, they came across some sort of trap with spikes on it. A walker was hanging off one of the spikes, grunting and growling, swinging his hands and shuffling forward to try and get off.

They walked right past it and the thing didn't even blink at the sight of them, not being able to detect them under the stench of rot that coated their clothes. Jungkook stepped up to the fence and crouched down, keeping himself low to the ground as he pulled the sniper rifle off his shoulder and slipped the tip through the fence. He leaned in, squashing his cheek against the cold metal and peered through the scope.

His eyes needed a moment to adjust before he started to move the rifle to the side to see something other than the pavement. He dragged his view along the ground until he was met with something red. He leaned back and squinted to see a traincart in the distance. Jungkook leaned back in and dragged the gun to the left until he was met with a cloud of smoke obstructing his vision.

"There's smoke, it's hard to see." Jungkook murmured to Carol, still looking through the scope as he waited for the wind to scatter the white cloud.

"There's some sort of commotion." Carol whispered back, just as a flicker of movement could be seen through the smoke. Jungkook squinted and paid close attention, following the flashes of color until the smoke disappeared and showed him what hid behind it.

When his brain digested what he was seeing, Jungkook's nostrils flared and fingers grew tighter around the gun, "I see Rick." Jungkook dragged out with a clenched jaw, watching as the leader was pulled off of the ground and dragged away.

Leftover smoke wrapped around the scene but the wind continued to sweep it away, "Daryl." He recognized the wings on Daryl's vest. Three other people were lying on the ground tied up but it was difficult to see them between the men standing around them. The other people were revealed only when two men hoisted Daryl up and carried him away, "I think that's Bob, maybe Glenn too." He hissed with a wince, shuffling to his right to try and get a better view.

When Jungkook looked through the sniper rifle again, he felt his breath get squashed out of his lungs and his heart be clutched in the cold grip of fear. His eyes softened with concern and he pulled himself away from the sniper, watching the men be dragged into a building one by one, "Taehyung." His tongue barely moved to form the name and eyes were still cloudy with the memory of a limp Taehyung being pulled off the ground. It was difficult to see him but Jungkook could recognise his black hair and tattooed arms anywhere.

Carol nudged at his arm, snapping him out of it and making him tear his eyes away from the scene. The two made eye contact and Carol nodded at something over Jungkook's shoulder. She then stood up and crept past him, following along the fence. Jungkook pulled his gun over his elbow and kept close to her, making sure to keep low to the ground so that no one could see them. They slithered by the fence, walking along Terminus until they reached the front of the main building

Jungkook stopped when Carol did and immediately pulled the sniper up to his face to survey the area, while Carol dropped the bag with the fireworks onto the ground. He heard her zip it open and pull out one of the fireworks. Jungkook looked through the scope, taking note that some of the Terminus' people were standing by the fence with poles in their hands. They shoved them through the gaps in the fence, stabbing through the heads of the approaching walkers.

A flash of red pulled his attention to the right side of the fence until he came across a sign that read 'Flammable: No smoking or open flames within 2.5 feet'. His eyes lit up and he jerked the weapon to the side, ready to lower the gun and tell Carol what he saw, but with the sudden movement, he revealed a propane tank sitting just behind the sign and right next to the fence.

Jungkook blinked at the tank, mind reeling with ideas and possibilities. He managed to pull his face away from the gun and turned to look at Carol. The words died on the tip of his tongue when he saw the woman already staring at the propane tank.

"You know what to do." The woman muttered without tearing her eyes away from the tank, "Let's blow this place up." She tilted her head towards him and their eyes clashed, thoughts flew through their eye contact until they both came to the same conclusion.

Jungkook's lips curled into a smirk and he gladly obeyed. He lifted the gun and slid the tip through the fence but before he could adjust his position to shoot, the sound of growls glossed over his ears. Jungkook looked up just in time to see the people at the terminus start to scream and run away from the fence. He twisted his head to the side to see what had them so terrified.

It was a herd of walkers and they were heading right at Terminus. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of them. Jungkook was aware that they would break down the fences and would kill anyone who was inside but these people also had guns and plans to fight back. So, the herd needed a little help to flatten Terminus to the ground and destroy everything these people had built.

"Just in time." Carol exhaled and unzipped the bag to pull out a firework, she shoved it into her gun before propping the weapon against the fence, "Shoot the tank." She ordered, prompting Jungkook to lift his gun and insert the tip through the fence.

His teeth rubbed against his lower lip as he aimed at the edge of the tank. Walkers had reached his line of vision and were about to press against the fence while the people in Terminus were running around in panic. Jungkook squinted his eyes, pressing his finger down on the trigger and causing two bullets to pop out of the gun. One of them hit the pavement and the other slammed into the edge of the tank with a clunk.

Jungkook gritted his teeth, briefly glancing up and readjusting his grip before looking back through the scope and aiming where he saw one of the bullets hit. He dug his finger into the trigger and caused a bullet to blast into the air. It slammed into the tank and pierced through the metal so effortlessly it looked as if it was carved of butter.

Smoke shot out of the tank with such force, that it pushed against the few walkers nearby and made them slow down. The sound of a lighter being flicked on made Jungkook turn to Carol. The woman reached down and set the firework alight before bending down and pressing her hands over her ears. Jungkook's eyes widened and he followed her example, crouching down and shielding his ears yet he still peeked through his arms to watch the firework go off.

The firework shot into the air, soaring through the sky and flying over the herd before hitting the cloud of propane. As soon as the firework made contact with the smoke, all it took was a millisecond for the air to be set on fire. The flames curled in a big ball of fire before combusting, sending burning shards of metal in every direction. The metal of the tank shattered and the fences were torn down, walkers soared through the air from the force of the explosion, burning to a crisp and splattering against the pavement. The ground shook and their ears squealed, and Jungkook couldn't look away.

It was beautiful, the fire tearing into the sky, swallowing anything that was nearby. It only kept spreading until it melted down the metal fence, allowing the herd to spill into the compound and attack the people inside. He heard their screams, watched them be torn apart limb by limb before being consumed while they were still alive. A chilling smile tugged at Jungkook's lips and he didn't fight its call, he allowed his face to light up with joy as he watched the destruction tear through Terminus.