-I'll be good-
Jaymes Young
01:43 ━━━━●───── 03:50
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     Taehyung threw his empty bottle away, not caring that he needed to fill it with water from the river. The bottle rolled down the riverbank before pausing just at the edge of the water. Taehyung stayed seated on his ass - hands thrown over his bent legs and puffy eyes staring blankly at the rolling waves. He didn't know how much time had passed but he couldn't find it in himself to move. Perhaps it was because his body had decided that he needed a break or perhaps it was because a part of him hoped that Jungkook would return and leaving would mean he wouldn't, leaving would mean that Taehyung would be abandoning him and moving forward.

Taehyung wouldn't allow himself to move forward but this new world didn't wait for him to finish grieving, it had no such mercies for the living. Hence why, eventually, the sound of groans reached his ears. The footsteps of the oncoming walker could be heard behind him and Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut - for a brief moment he wondered if not moving would be the best course of action. Natural death is just a part of this new world. Because in reality, all of them would eventually die and the natural life span of a person had decreased drastically.

Walkers weren't even the main problem, now they had to fear illnesses, starvation, dehydration, other people and accidents like Jungkook had experienced. It was likely Taehyung would die too before he even reached the terminus, especially now that he was all alone. He wasn't sure if he'd even see anyone ever again, they could all be dead and Taehyung could be the last survivor from the prison. Perhaps dying now would save him a lot of pain in the future.

The walker tripped and slammed into the ground, Taehyung could hear it digging its feet into the dirt and crawling forward on its belly. Taehyung's eyes fluttered open and he blinked at the river he despised so much. How cruel of it to take such a precious soul away and not care for it, how cruel of it to witness Taehyung's misery and keep flowing as it intended, how cruel life was that it wasn't even a walker Taehyung could push his anger onto but a river he could do nothing against.

The walker reached out and twisted its fingers into Taehyung's shirt. He exhaled his irritation and peered over his shoulder, his lips titled into a bitter smile at the sight of the walker. It was dressed in a hospital gown, the string holding the gown together was nearly torn apart and the walker's ass was hanging out.

"Look, Kook-ah, this one's naked." Taehyung snorted and blinked away the tears clinging to his lashes as he reached down and pulled out his knife. He plunged it into the walker's skull before twisting back around to face the river, "How pathetic of me, you'd kick my ass if you saw me like this and knew what I was thinking." A huff of air, resembling a laugh puffed past his lips before the smile turned wobbly and dropped into a frown, "I didn't know you helped me keep going and gave me so much hope that we'd find the others until I lost you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." The words weighed nothing in the air but they were crushing Taehyung's chest this entire time, scraping them off his heart and allowing them to leave his tongue felt like he had freed himself of the burden, "I want to take a break." Taehyung snorted and shook his head, trying to force himself to smile yet he couldn't force his lips to move, "I don't want to see Terminus and find out if they're alive or dead, if you're alive or dead. I don't want to leave the river in case you come back to me, walking away feels like walking away from you when you need me the most."

"Fuck." Taehyung hissed as a tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek, he was quick to wipe it away and blink up at the sky to force the others away, "Don't make me leave." Taehyung whispered, trying to fight away the thought that perhaps Jungkook was watching him and yelling at him to get himself together, yelling at him to go to Terminus because the others were waiting for him, yelling at him to do what they intended to do together and finish their goal so he could rest easily, "Just for you." He mumbled eventually and shifted to sit up, "I'll reach that forsaken place and find the others, come watch me do it."

Taehyung pushed himself onto his feet with a low groan. His legs ached and cracked with the movement, and the bag on his shoulders weighted them down until he was slumping into himself. Taehyung stepped over the walker and crawled up the creek until he reached the forest. His feet froze at the edge of it, refusing to move until he spared another glance and an apology towards the river. He silently promised Jungkook that he wasn't abandoning him, all he wanted to do was complete Jungkook's last wish of the group being together again.

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Funnily enough, losing Jungkook and the others hadn't crossed Taehyung's mind. He knew the dangers of the world and the fragility of human life yet he always believed that they were stronger than the dangers they faced. He almost believed them to be invincible. How foolish and naive of him, just as naive as forgetting how it felt to walk through this world alone. He had forgotten the loneliness that accompanied him as he walked through the woods with no one to talk to about his thoughts or no one to annoy with his jokes. He had forgotten the uncertainty that came with being alone - wondering how he'd be able to sleep or if he was making the right decisions.

Taehyung knew the tracks to Terminus were behind him, he wasn't sure where the herd was and didn't want to find out. So, he kept moving through the forest, trying to follow the direction of the sun and the map he had memorized from the Terminus sign. Eventually, he came across a walker feasting on something. The walker was sitting down on its knees, its mouth and hands were bloody as it kept chewing. Taehyung heard small crunches from the walker grinding its teeth onto the rodent's bones until they snapped and crumpled under the pressure.

"Disgusting." Taehyung sighed and marched up to it. The walker barely moved its head before Taehyung kicked it over and shoved a knife into its eye, "Can't believe these things are the ones that will eventually replace us." Taehyung mumbled, eyeing the walker's jiggly belly and the hair that covered its bare chest.

Taehyung sheathed his knife and spent a moment to breathe. He was tired - not his body, his body was ready to keep going, but he felt tired emotionally. He didn't want to keep going, he had no energy to move his legs and walk for miles to reach the terminus, and he had no energy to keep killing walkers or even search for supplies. A part of him wanted to sit down and eat but the thought of using his energy to unzip his bag, open the can of food and then chew through it felt like too much work. He wished he could teleport to Terminus or take a long nap so long that when he woke up, the apocalypse would've ended because someone magically found the cure or he'd wake up and realize he'd been in a coma this entire time.

But that could potentially mean the people he had met wouldn't exist. He didn't want them to be a figment of his imagination, he wanted to see them all again and seek strength in their presence but the thought of moving forward took so much energy out of him that he didn't know if he had it in him.

Taehyung sat down next to the dead walker and the half-eaten rabbit. He sucked in a deep breath and blinked up at the blue sky peeking down at him through the trees, "Why was the math book sad?" Taehyung mumbled under his breath as he glanced down at his dirt-coated shoes, splatters of dried blood soaked into the laces and there was a hole forming in the sole, "Because it had too many problems under its cover." Taehyung finished - feeling a ball of something dark and heavy shift in his chest when the only response he received was wind howling in his ears.

"Jungkook would find it funny." Taehyung grumbled to the dead body of the walker as he grabbed a handful of leaves and tore a few apart, "Okay, okay, he wouldn't and he'd let me know but I like to think that he finds them funny and pretends like he doesn't to seem cooler." Taehyung nudged the walker in the guts with his foot, "He's like that, you know? Pretends to be all cool and badass because he looks up to Rick and Daryl but in reality, he's all soft, cuddly and gooey inside."

Taehyung looked down at the walker's face - its eyes were milky white and blank as they stared off into space. Its chest remained unmoving and cracked lips were peeling off its face, revealing the rotten teeth in its mouth, "You would've liked him, everyone likes Jungkook, I like Jungkook. He's grown so much, I can see how mature and confident he's become." A small smile bloomed along Taehyung's lips as he reminisced, "He used to stutter a lot, was shy as fuck and now he's the one flirting with me. What a menace."

Taehyung's chest felt warm at the thought of Jungkook. He hadn't noticed the way Jungkook's smile and laughter grabbed his heartstrings in a fist and tugged at them, hadn't noticed the way the world felt so light when they laid side by side late at night or the way he wasn't afraid of anything when they ventured beyond the gates on their own, hadn't noticed how much he loved the annoyance on Jungkook's face when Taehyung whispered puns into his ear and didn't know he could spend the rest of his life doing something until he watched Jungkook draw, only then he realized he wanted to watch Jungkook's face slacken into a soft frown as the tip of the pencil skidded across the page.

Taehyung knew he hadn't appreciated the moments they had spent together, hadn't appreciated the simplest thing - being able to touch Jungkook and watch him smile. The thought of never being able to do that, the thought of Jungkook's body lying at the bottom of the river crushed his heart to the point where it felt difficult to suck in a breath.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, lifting a hand to his face to wipe away his tears before curling into himself, "Please find me, bun."

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The knife cut through the air in a breathless whoosh before piercing the chest of the white rabbit bouncing through the grass. The rabbit didn't release a sound - the life leaving its body as soon as the knife cut into its chest. Blood soaked its white fur as it dropped to the ground with one last twitch of its leg.

Taehyung pushed himself off the floor and stood up, he stepped out of the bushes he had been hiding in and approached the rabbit. He picked it up by its ears and used the knife in its chest to cut its stomach open. He put the knife away and started walking back to his little camp as he did that, he dug his fingers into the rabbit's chest and tore out its organs. He dropped its intestines on the ground, quickly wiping the blood off on his pants before tying the rabbit to his belt.

Taehyung walked through the forest without a single thought in his mind or even a simple caress of emotion against his heart. Once he reached his camp, he plopped down on the log he had rolled over and untied the rabbit. A fireplace crackled in front of him with a few sticks lying on the ground next to him. He placed the carcass on the ground and pulled out his knife, he sliced into the rabbit's skin until he could slip his fingers beneath the fur and start pulling it off its body - starting from its front paws until he reached the back paws.

When the rabbit was skinned, he wondered if he should cut off its head, he pressed the blade into the rabbit's neck and started slicing. The knife latched onto the bones of its spine but Taehyung shifted the knife and put more weight into his cuts. The rabbit's head was off and Taehyung started to cut it into smaller pieces. He cut off its paws and split its chest into four chunks, when he was done he grabbed the sticks and started the stab the meat onto them before hovering the two sticks above the fire.

The flames licked at the meat, ferocious in their attempts to gobble up what was presented to them. Yet Taehyung didn't lose this game of temptation, twisting the sticks when the fire had caramelized one side of the meat. The smell of meat made Taehyung's mouth water, he licked his lips and blinked at the roasting meat. His stomach growled again, forcing him to think about the ache of hunger he had felt since morning.

The meat had become brown, and even had some chunks of black on some corners when Taehyung pulled it away from the fire. He laid one stick down next to him and held the end of the other up to his mouth. He blew on the meat before cautiously sinking his teeth into the meat. The heat made his teeth grind together and tongue curl away yet he still tore off a piece and started to chew. He stared into the flames as he ate the tasteless meat - lips stained with grease and belly finally satisfied with the weight of the food.

Taehyung gobbled up the meat chunks until nothing was left, only then did he stand up and start kicking dirt on the fire to extinguish it. When only a few embers remained, he stomped on them until nothing was left. He bent down and picked up his backpack, throwing it around his shoulders before walking forward once more.

Taehyung tilted his head up to look at the sky beyond the treetops, taking note of the darkening clouds that promised rain. He knew his next check mark was to find shelter before it started raining but everywhere he looked, all he saw were trees. He worried because staying in the rain meant being soaking wet, which would turn into being cold and eventually, being sick. He couldn't risk it, not when he was alone and on the road.

So, he kept walking and walking, even as the sun set and enveloped him in darkness, he walked until the skin on his feet tore apart and started to bleed until he could no longer feel his legs, until his soles broke apart and he felt his socks become wet. He walked until the sky rumbled and cried its first tears. He walked despite the water droplets falling onto his face and walked until he came across a road.

Only then he perked up and picked up his pace, he rushed towards the road and was relieved when he saw an abandoned car. He was quick to pull the door open and climb inside. The dust particles made his nose tickle to the point where a sneeze forced its way out of his nose. He sniffled as he pulled his backpack open and unzipped it, he grabbed an empty can he had saved from the day prior and opened the door to place it outside on the ground before slamming the door shut.

Taehyung pulled the bag down on the ground and stretched himself out on the seat, he pulled his gun out of its holster and kept a tight grip on it as he stared up at the roof of the car, listening to the sound of rain pounding against the car. His eyelids begged to slip shut but Taehyung forced them back open every time - each blink became longer and every time it was harder to keep his eyes open until he could no longer resist the sweet lull of sleep.

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The morning came with rays of sunlight shining in his face and a walker stumbling past the window of the car. Taehyung stayed motionless for a few more moments, his side hurt from the buckle digging into his skin and his legs felt numb from being bent all night. The gun was heavy in his hand and Taehyung only tightened his grip, glad he was alive to see the sun come up and glad he hadn't released the weapon in his sleep.

He exhaled a breath and finally shifted to sit up, his bones cracked from the movement and his neck refused to turn without a pang of pain. He ignored the feeling and cracked the door open, allowing the breeze to fill the car with the scent of yesterday's rain. He glanced down at the can he had left outside and found it full of water, he reached down to grab it and brought it up to his lips - greedily drinking the water until his throat no longer felt like sandpaper.

The can was empty and Taehyung licked the remaining droplets of water off his lips as he shoved it back in the bag. He climbed out of the car and stretched, groaning as he did so. He eyed the surrounding area, in the daylight he could see the pool of blood on the side of the road and as he walked closer, he saw the half-eaten remains of what was once a woman. He shook his head and walked around the car, pulling open the door to peer at the ignition lock cylinder.

There wasn't a key but it didn't deter Taehyung, it was merely a stump in his path. He pulled the seat back and used his knife to twist the screws out of the plastic cover on the steering column. Once the screws were out, he pulled the cover off and saw a roll of electric wires. He carefully reached his hands inside and found the wiring harness connector. This is where the tricky part was - one of these is the primary power supply for the ignition switch, one is the ignition wire, and the other is the starter. The color of each one depends on the manufacturer but sometimes the ignition wires are brown and the starter wires yellow, but the battery wires are most usually red.

He used his knife to strip about 1 inch of insulation from the battery wires and twisted the ignition and battery ones together. He then used the pieces of insulation he had stripped away to tie them together. Taehyung wiped away the sweat on his forehead and grabbed the remaining starter wire. He stripped it too before carefully touching the starter wire to the connected battery wire. The car roared to life and Taehyung quickly jumped into the driver's seat to rev the engine.

He took a peak at the gas tank and found that he could drive it for a bit before it died. It would have to do so he pulled the door shut and put the car in the first gear, he twisted the wheel to the side to turn the car around. When the car was facing the direction of the terminus, he started picking up speed and changed gears. As he drove, he rolled down the window to let the breeze in.

The wind combed his hair away from his forehead and cooled his skin. He felt like he could breathe more easily with fresh air filling his lungs. Most of all, he was glad to be off his feet, even for a second, and he knew his next destination would be to find a store or a town where he could get new shoes.

Driving in silence and staring down the empty road was daunting, it left his mind vulnerable to thoughts and Taehyung constantly had to bat them away. He refused to think about the bridge or Jungkook, knew it would only bring pain so he moved forward without much thought towards anything. He saw a few stray walkers here and there, even saw an abandoned backpack lying on the ground. He slowed down and drove around any stray cars on the road but didn't pay anything much mind.

It was as though he had carved the emotion, and the pain that came with it, out of his chest, and as a result it left him feeling like an empty shell of who he once was. He didn't know for how long he could run from his feelings but he was hellbent on doing it for as long as he could.

Taehyung occasionally checked the gas and watched the little arrow shift the longer he drove. Thankfully, fate had decided to give him a small break because he saw a sign in the distance. As he drove closer he skimmed past the town name and saw that he had 25 km to go. He knew he could make it and he was right. At the 20km mark, he started to see the trees split apart and give way to the town - small buildings lining up the streets and one larger one made of steel. The biggest building looked like it was some sort of garage but what truly mattered were the tracks running through the town.

Taehyung couldn't fight a smile from tugging at the corners of his lips at the sight - a weight falling off his shoulders and relief setting in at being back on track. He drove over the tracks, bouncing in his seat, and stopped in front of one of the houses. He took his foot off the pedal and allowed the car to die on him, he sat in the car for a brief moment before heaving a breath and climbing out. He grabbed his bag from the backseat and approached the house.

The lawn was overgrown with weeds to the point where it was breaking through the fence. Taehyung grabbed the gate and tugged it open, wincing at the squeak it let out at being moved. He stepped through the lawn until he reached the bottom of the stairs. He pulled out his knife and bounced up the steps before pounding his fist against the door and waiting for a minute or two for walkers to come to the door.

As the clock ticked, he surveyed the area, mostly eyeing the tracks leading off into the distance. When he was done waiting and no one came to the door, he entered the house. He could immediately see that it had been abandoned long before the apocalypse started. Most of the rooms were empty, furniture probably taken after someone moved out. The only thing that was left in the living room was a dusty, flower print couch and a coffee table that used to hold a tv.

As Taehyung moved through the dining room, he entered the kitchen and saw that the fridge and stove had also been removed, leaving behind wires sticking out of the walls. He walked through the other door in the kitchen and stepped into the main hallway, noticing a door leading out into the backyard and a door in front of him. He opened the door and was greeted by what appeared to be a bedroom with a large wooden dresser in the corner.

Taehyung exhaled a defeated sigh, if the house was abandoned then it was unlikely he'd find any shoes there, he would have to search another house. Still, he opened the dresser and wasn't surprised when all he found was a pair of socks and a shirt with a rock band logo on it. He took the socks and as he turned around to leave, he heard a faint whistle and the porch creaking.

Taehyung's spine snapped straight and he jumped towards the wall next to the door, pressing his back against it and holding his knife up to his throat in preparation to attack. He glared at the doorway, hearing sharpening to pick up on the barely audible creaks of wood. It was clear someone was here and had noticed him drive into the town, Taehyung hoped the person wasn't hostile, if they were, he hoped they were alone.

The creaking of wood came closer but what made Taehyung freeze was that the sound came from different directions - one of them came from the direction of the living room that was also attached to the bedroom by a door. Taehyung's eyes flickered between the doors, wondering how he should proceed in this situation. But any comprehensive thought unraveled in his mind as a man stepped through the doorway to his left. He jerked forward without thinking, grabbing the man and forcing him into a choke hold with his blade pressed into the man's throat.

"He's here!" The man's yell was followed by a rush of footsteps and the door to the living room being thrown open. Taehyung gritted his teeth and dug the knife deeper into his skin, swinging the man around so that he'd be shielding himself with his body. He glared at the man ahead of the group. He was in his sixties with a greying beard and white head of hair, he wore a jean jacket and a black colored shirt with roses on it.

"Woah, there pal, put the knife down and we can talk like rational men." The greying man offered a grin and raised his hands in surrender, stepping further in the room, "Assuming you can think rationally and haven't lost your mind."

Taehyung huffed a breath through his nose and dragged his eyes towards the men piling in behind the leader. One of them was fatter than the others and was balding to the point where his hair wrapped around his head in a C-shape. Another one had darker skin, which could be a tan or he was Mexican, and wore a bandana around his head. Another had a shabby black beard and shoulder-length black hair, he looked younger than the others but still older than Taehyung. He also had a bow and was aiming it right at Taehyung's head.

"I can put an arrow through his head and be done with it, Joe." The shaggy-haired man spoke, earning himself a small smirk and a quirked brow from Taehyung.

"Easy there, Len, we're not here to make enemies." Joe still wore that fake grin of his as he replied, never removing his eyes from Taehyung.

Taehyung licked his lips and glanced between the group, "You shoot and I guarantee you'll kill this guy." Taehyung tapped the edge of the knife against the guy's throat, causing him to shift away from the sharpened blade, "Before you can reload your next arrow, there'll be a knife in your skull and you're gonna be next, presuming you're the leader." Taehyung's eyes pierced into Joe's, causing the man's smile to curl into a smirk.

"That's a nice little fantasy of how things could play out, I can tell you it won't happen like that." Joe lowered his hands, nudging his chin at the man Taehyung held hostage in his arms, "Lower the knife and let's talk."

"Talk about the different ways your little lap dog is gonna put an arrow through my eye?" Taehyung barked a short laugh, "Yeah, not happening."

"Let me do it, Joe." Len shifted on his feet, clearly eager to release the arrow.

Joe's smile threatened to falter as he gritted through his teeth, "I told you to wait."

"I have a knife against my throat, do something for fucks sake!" The man in Taehyung's arms shouted, causing Len to release the arrow. Taehyung ducked to the side, feeling the arrow barely brush against his skin before embedding in the wall. The man he held hostage had fallen so Taehyung reeled his hand back and was ready to throw it right at Joe's throat when another person stepped into the room.

Taehyung's head snapped to the right and his breath got knocked right back into his lungs at the sight of Daryl, "Daryl?" Taehyung managed to push out, causing Daryl's eyes to snap up from the rabbit he was holding. When Daryl saw him, his eyes grew wide and he took a step back as if the sight of Taehyung had smacked him in the face.

The man was speechless for another moment before his eyes flickered to the other side of the room and he saw Len reload his arrow. Daryl jumped in front of Taehyung with his hands raised in surrender, "Hey, hey, hey, I know him, he's not a bad guy and he's not the one you're looking for."

"He held a knife to Harley's throat, threatened to kill us off and you say he's not a bad guy?" Joe's chest vibrated with a disbelieving laugh.

"He didn't kill anyone and he could've." Daryl retaliated, still shielding Taehyung with his body, "Can't be too careful when you run into a bigger group."

Len, the guy with the bow, snapped his eyes between Daryl and Joe like a drug addict, "He's lying, Joe, I say we kill the guy and teach Daryl a lesson."

Joe didn't say anything, only watched Daryl, causing the latter to address only Joe, "You can punish me all you want but you ain't touching him."

Taehyung's eyes grew wide in disbelief at what Daryl had said. He and Daryl had always had a weird relationship, the man sending him side eyes and giving short answers whenever they came across each other at the prison. It had made Taehyung think that Daryl hated him for some unknown reason, so hearing that Daryl was willing to take some kind of punishment but didn't want anyone to harm him, was a heartwarming shock. But he also didn't want this group to harm Daryl and if it came to that, Taehyung was willing to risk their lives to kill this group. Overall, he was just confused about Daryl being here and with this group.

"Put your weapons down, if Daryl vouches for him, let's trust him. The man's right, after all, can't blame the kid for being cautious in this world." Joe smiled once again, finally tearing his eyes away from Daryl to pointedly stare at the men behind him until they lowered their weapons, "If the kid steps out of line, it's on you, Daryl." Joe called out his parting words as he brushed past the men to exit the room.

They sent Taehyung lingering stares before walking away, Len was the only one with clear hostility and fury in his eyes as he reluctantly shouldered his bow and left. That left Daryl and Taehyung alone, the latter didn't know how to approach the situation or what to say. He was relieved to see Daryl, not only because he wouldn't be alone but also because the man was alive and Jungkook would be-

Taehyung's string of thought came to a halt at the reminder and his face soured, he tried to clear his expression as he watched Daryl turn around to face him. The man stared at him for a moment, silent in his observation before his shoulders drooped and his chest heaved with a heavy exhale.

"You good?" Daryl mumbled, shifting on his feet and hooking his thumb around the strap of his crossbow.

Taehyung swallowed the lump in his throat, still staring at Daryl as if he had descended from heaven, "Yeah." He croaked, trying to fight the surge to either throw his arms around the man or bawl his eyes out. He knew Daryl would push him away most probably but he was just so happy to see a familiar face that he wanted to glue himself to Daryl's side.

"You alone?" Daryl quirked a brow and eyed the room, even glanced out the window to see if anyone was hiding around the house.

Words abandoned him and Taehyung gaped, trying to find what to say until he managed to push out a weak mumble, "Yeah." The man nodded and pulled his crossbow higher up his shoulder, Taehyung continued to stare until a sentence popped out of his mouth without thinking, "Are you alone?"

Daryl's eyes snapped towards him, he stared for a moment before a barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he snorted. Taehyung's eyes widened at the sight of Daryl Dixon smiling and only snapped out of his shock when Daryl began to walk towards the door, "Wait, where are you going?" He rushed after him, causing the man to glance back at him in confusion.

"We're staying in the big concrete building." Daryl mumbled as he continued to move towards the entrance of the house with Taehyung following after him like a puppy.

"I kinda need to check another house, my shoes are breaking apart and I wanted to find new ones because we have a long walk ahead of us." Taehyung informed Daryl, causing the man to stop and turn around.

"Go where?" Daryl asked bluntly before nodding and pointing at the house across the street, "We can go check that one, I looked through the windows and it looked like someone had lived there."

Taehyung nodded in agreement and they stared to walk towards the said house. He glanced at the big building Daryl said they were staying in and saw a few of the men loitering outside, smoking and laughing, "We need to follow the tracks, head to terminus. The tracks are all connected and have signs, people from our group could've seen them and went there, it's worth checking them out."

Daryl exhaled a breath and pounded his fist against the door before turning around to face Taehyung. He looked defeated, like he didn't believe that anyone else was alive and that just made Taehyung angry, "You seriously don't believe they could be there?" Taehyung huffed, waiting for an answer but when Daryl remained silent, Taehyung's anger bubbled under his skin and spilled over his lip, "Jungkook believed that, he believed you were alive and you are, he wanted to see you, he wanted for us to be together again because he thought we were family but now that I find you, you don't want to believe anyone else is alive?"

The mention of Jungkook had caught Daryl's attention - the man straightening out and paying close attention to Taehyung's rant until he was finished. Only then did he speak, "Why are you talking like he's dead?" Daryl questioned, tensing as he watched Taehyung's anger deflate and face fall, "He dead?" He asked bluntly with no emotion but Taehyung could see the emotion brimming in his eyes.

"I-" Taehyung stuttered, the words catching in his throat as the situation and the emotions he had pushed down swarmed him once more. He felt too ashamed to explain how he hadn't protected Jungkook and hadn't been able to pull him up, and he didn't know whether to say if Jungkook was alive or not. The rational side of him knew it was nearly impossible for him to be alive but admitting that would confirm that Jungkook was dead and that was a beast Taehyung wasn't ready to fight.

Daryl opened his mouth and Taehyung could see his next words on the tip of his tongue, only for Daryl to snap his mouth shut and swallow them down. The man observed Taehyung, noticing his slumped shoulders and defeated stance, the way his face had cracked with pain, and his eyes held so much emotion it threatened to spill out of his eyes, and he decided to not ask any more questions, silently accepting the truth for what it was.

Daryl gave him a hesitant nod and pulled his crossbow off his shoulders, he pulled the door open and entered the house with his weapon raised. Taehyung hesitated by the doorway, staring at the wings on Daryl's back before following after the man. They were silent as they stepped through the house - Daryl going one way and Taehyung the other. The house had a similar layout to the other one but was a bit bigger and furnished.

"Found the bedroom!" Daryl's voice echoed through the house and Taehyung followed it until he reached the said bedroom. Daryl was already rummaging through the closet until he found a pair of army boots shoved in the back, "Try these." He stood up and gave Taehyung the boots.

Taehyung gave a silent thanks and plopped down on the bed, he pulled his shoes off his feet and winced at the sight of his filthy socks. They were soaked and had splotches of dirt on them, even some specks of blood from walking so much.

"Here." Taehyung looked up and barely managed to catch the ball of socks thrown at him. Daryl hooked his crossbow around his shoulders and leaned against the dresser with his arms crossed over his chest while Taehyung peeled the socks off his feet and replaced them with new ones, "I was with Beth when the prison fell."

Taehyung's head snapped up at that. Daryl was looking out the window as he told Taehyung what happened but Taehyung couldn't turn away from him because this was not only the longest conversation they've had but Daryl was also telling him something important and possibly making himself vulnerable.

"We were together for a while after that, we found this funeral home and were even thinking about staying there for a while." Daryl frowned at the thought, the expression on his face darkening as the events played out in his mind, "Walkers found us and we split apart, I fought them and she ran. I got out of the house and saw a car driving off, I think she was taken by someone."

"Who?" Taehyung spat, scared at the thought that someone kidnapped Beth and now held her hostage. The problem wasn't only that they didn't know where she was but also that they didn't know what this person was doing to her.

"I don't know, just saw a cross on their car." Daryl grumbled, clearly equally as pissed and worried for Beth. Taehyung wasn't surprised to see him distraught because he knew Daryl cared deeply for the ones he loved, he just never showed it.

Taehyung hummed and turned his attention back to the boots. As he slipped his foot into the shoe and started lacing it up, his mind strayed towards the bridge and Jungkook. He wondered if Daryl told him about Beth because it would make it easier for Taehyung to tell him about Jungkook, and he found that maybe it did. He knew Daryl wouldn't judge him for the situation and wouldn't pry if he didn't want to say anything, he just wanted to know if Jungkook was alive or not.

"We got out of the prison together too." Taehyung's words were airy as he spoke, he tried to keep his emotions away by focusing on tying his shoes and pretending like Daryl wasn't listening to every word he said, "We were together the entire time until a horde found us. We started running but it kept chasing us, I think we ran for hours, it was hard to keep going but we did until we saw a bridge." Taehyung's words were jumbled, bouncing all over the place and emotion started to creep up on him as he dragged his fingers over the scene of the event.

"He fell in the river, it was a....the river was strong, I ran after him but I couldn't see him, I don't know if..." Taehyung stuttered, biting the inside of his cheek and blinking away his tears. He tied his shoe for the tenth time before hastily moving to slip on the other one.

Daryl didn't say anything for a while, only when Taehyung was done with tying his other shoe, did he part his lips, "He could be alive." The man uttered under his breath, not moving an inch as he stared down at the ground with furrowed brows and a scowl.

"Yeah." Taehyung exhaled weakly - tone of voice revealing that he wasn't confident about it, "If he is, he's heading to Terminus, that's where we last agreed to go."

Daryl sucked in a deep breath before pushing out, "Joe is tracking someone down, looks like we're gonna be following the tracks for a while."

"You want to go with them?" Taehyung furrowed his brows, staring at Daryl in disbelief, "They seem," Daryl quirked a brow and Taehyung forced a plastic smile onto his face, "Lovely."

"Not much of a choice." Daryl shrugged but didn't disagree with Taehyung's clear sarcasm about the group, "They have rules."

Taehyung rolled his eyes at that, "What rules?" He waited patiently for Daryl to list them off - it would be smoother for both of them if Taehyung just complied with the rules without protests.

"If you want something, you have to shout 'claimed' then it belongs to you and no one can give you shit about it. Make sure they hear you." Daryl looked annoyed while he told him the rules, clearly not liking them and thinking that they're stupid, "Second one is 'be honest', I think he has some weird shit with lying."

Taehyung couldn't help snort, "That's all? What if I shout claim at one of them and then kill them?" He teased, watching in satisfaction as Daryl fought off a smirk.

"Don't think it works like that." The man grunted and pushed himself off the dresser, "C'mon." He waved at Taehyung and started leading them out of the house.

The latter followed him closely, afraid that if he blinked Daryl would disappear as if Taehyung's imagination had molded him out of his memories. The pair stepped down the porch and started walking over to the building they were staying at. The closer they got, the clearer the group's voices became. He could hear them talking about the stuff they missed from before - picking up girls from pubs and taking them home, riding around the countryside on their bikes, and getting shitface drunk without worrying about a walker biting their balls off.

Taehyung understood why Daryl had stayed with them - perhaps to the man it seemed like he belonged among this group. They dressed the same, spoke the same and walked the same. But, to Taehyung, Daryl didn't belong with them, he was much more than they were. He was kind and caring beneath his rough exterior, took care of the group in a silent way and was ready to sacrifice himself if it meant at least one of them would be alive. These men could never live up to who Daryl was as a person and Taehyung knew he didn't belong here, he belonged in a place and with a group where he would matter.

They walked past the three men sitting on the steps outside, not before one of those men opened his mouth to taunt them, "All the trucks are claimed." Daryl merely grunted at that and Taehyung ignored them and continued to follow Daryl silently.

As they stepped through the metal door, Taehyung saw a large square-shaped room with cars and trucks littered throughout it. There were tables with toolboxes on top of them - some of the wrenches were scattered across the workstations and screws littered the ground. They eyed the trucks and walked around them - Daryl throwing his bag down on the ground before pulling his crossbow off his shoulder.

Taehyung spared a lingering glance at Len, who was watching them with a satisfied grin, before pulling his bag off his shoulders. Just as Taehyung was ready to plop down on the ground, Daryl stood back up and started walking towards the door. Taehyung perked up and rushed after him, following him out the door and down the steps. He ignored the glances Daryl kept sending him until the man came to a halt and whirled around to face him.

"Gonna watch me take a piss?"

Taehyung's face became red and he flinched back, stuttering for a moment, "Sorry, no, I just didn't want...yeah." He finished with an awkward smile and took a few steps back, allowing Daryl to continue walking until he was behind the building where he could pee in privacy.

Taehyung shifted his weight between his feet and glanced around as he waited for Daryl to return. He could hear the cackles from the men and tried not to cringe at the thought of staying in this group. He didn't like them one bit, they made his chest curl in an uncomfortable way and his hand itch to hold his knives. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep properly, always fearing one of them would decide to attack them out of nowhere, but Daryl wanted to stay with them and Taehyung wanted to stay with Daryl.

A few more minutes passed and Daryl finally returned - zipping up his pants as he sauntered towards Taehyung. He spared him a glance, clearly wondering why Taehyung hadn't gone back but he decided to brush it off and allowed Taehyung to follow him like a lost puppy. The duo rounded the building and bounced up the steps, being followed by the other men of the group who finished their cigarettes and decided to go inside.

They gravitated towards their sleeping place, Daryl lowering himself with a grunt before laying down with his head resting on his bag. The thing didn't look comfortable considering it was a mere trash bag but Taehyung didn't comment. He just plopped down on his ass and leaned against the car behind him.

Daryl threw his hand over his face and grunted, "How far is the terminus?"

Taehyung perked up, "I don't know, I never thought I'd find the tracks here and I haven't seen any signs yet. We'll probably see one if we follow the tracks though."

"I saw a sign, didn't pay it much attention, thought it might be bullshit." Daryl lowered his hand until it lay on his chest and stared up at the ceiling.

Taehyung frowned at his words, fidgeting with his sleeves as he replied in a quieter breath, "The prison wasn't bullshit." Daryl glanced over at him, Taehyung could see it in his eyes that he had shoved the prison into the darkest corners of his mind in order not to think about it, "You were the one who went out there and brought people back, is it so impossible that there could be another place like that out here?"

"That was before the governor rolled up to our gates with a fucking tank and.." Daryl spat, only to cut himself off and shake his head, rolling away from Taehyung to evade this conversation.

Taehyung stared at the angel wings on his back and flattened his lips into a bitter smile, "It wasn't your fault." He watched Daryl's back tense, "Hershel wasn't your fault and Beth isn't your fault either. Me and Jungkook didn't blame it on anyone, what happened, happened. All Jungkook cared about was finding you, all of you, and being together. It was as simple as that."

Taehyung didn't get a response and he didn't need one, all he hoped for was that Daryl would stop blaming himself for something he wasn't at fault for. He knew the prison had cut Daryl deeply, but losing Hershel and Beth, being left to think the others were dead cut even deeper.

"You've gotta be kidding me, Christ." Len's voice echoed through the room, easily catching Daryl's and Taehyung's attention. They turned to look at the man, just in time to see him throw his bag on the ground and whirl around to face them. Len's glare sliced into their skin as he stormed over to them, causing Taehyung to tense and Daryl to sit up in alarm, "Give it here." Len demanded with his hand extended towards Daryl.

"You step back." Daryl spat the warning, watching him carefully in case he decided to lash out and attack. Taehyung was equally as confused and alarmed, already inching to grab the knife strapped to his thigh.

Len took a step closer, now looming over Daryl, "My half was in the bag, now it's gone. Now ain't nobody around here interested in no half-eaten cottontail except you!" As Len was shouting, Daryl started to stand up until he was facing the man properly, "Ain't that right?" Taehyung carefully pushed off the ground and peered around Daryl, his eyes flickered over to Joe who was approaching the scene with slow steps.

"You're the only one still thinking about that crap!" Daryl raised his voice as he waved his hand at the man.

Len's face soured and eyes zipped towards Daryl's bag, "Empty your bag." He tried to reach down to grab it, only for Daryl to rip it away with a shout, "I said step back!"

Taehyung's face dropped and he immediately inserted himself in the situation by standing by Daryl's side. His fingers had curled around his knife and with the intense staring contest that was happening, his grip only kept tightening. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Joe approaching them until he stood next to them, yet he didn't pay him much mind and kept watching the aggressive man in front of them. That's until Joe reached out and snatched the bag out of Daryl's hand. Taehyung flinched forward, dagger already slipped out in preparation, only for Daryl to press his hand against his chest and push him back.

"Did you take his rabbit, Daryl?" Joe questioned calmly without looking in the bag, "Tell me the truth."

Taehyung's eyes bounced over to Daryl, watching as the man's face hardened and eyes glistened with the truth of his next words, "I didn't take nothing." He gruffed and Taehyung didn't need to know anything else - even if Daryl had taken it, he wouldn't allow these men to kill Daryl for it.

"What do we got here, c'mon." Joe sighed and opened Daryl's bag, tipping it over and shaking it until a balled jacket and the lower half of a rabbit fell out. Joe shook the bag again and the upper half of the rabbit fell to the ground with a splat, "Well, look at that."

Taehyung furrowed his brows, while Daryl gritted his teeth and zeroed in on Len, "You put that there, didn't you?" His voice raised in volume, "When I went out to take a piss!"

"You lied." Len taunted in a low breath, not blinking for a second.

Daryl pushed Len by the chest and yelled, "Didn't you?"

"You lied. You stole. We're gonna teach this fool or what, Joe?"

Taehyung tore his eyes away from the pair to eye the other men in the room. They had all stood up and were starting to surround them, if they played this smart they could attack first and maybe get out of this alive but with injuries. Taehyung had two throwing knives left and he was certain his gun had a bullet, he should take out the men with guns first, Daryl could fight Len and Taehyung could throw Daryl his crossbow, then they should kill Len and Joe last because even if they're the closest ones they were the only ones who didn't have guns on them right now.

Before the situation could escalate to that point, Joe physically stepped between Daryl and Len to separate them, "Woah, woah, woah, now Daryl said he didn't take your half of the rabbit so we have a little conundrum here. Either he's lying which is an actionable offense." Joe turned around to look at Daryl before his lips stretched into a smile and he started laughing, "Or you didn't plant it on him like some pussy, punk-ass, cheating, coward cop, did you?" Joe was still smiling as he spoke, which only made Taehyung shift uneasily and share a look with Daryl - the man warning him to stay down even if things took a wrong turn while Taehyung told him through his glare that he wouldn't, "Cause while that wouldn't be specifically breaking the rules, it'd be disappointing."

Len tore his eyes away from Daryl and nodded in agreement, "It would." Joe hummed while Len leaned into Joe's face to grit out, "I didn't."

"Good." Joe gave a firm nod and a pat on Len's arm before turning around to face Daryl. Taehyung tensed up, ready for a fight, while Daryl placed his hand on Taehyung's chest to push him back, "Well.." Joe trailed off, only to suddenly whirl around and swing at Len. The man fell to the ground with a yell, rolling around on his stomach and trying to push himself up to his feet, "Teach him a lesson, gents, the lying sack of shit I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way." Joe called out lightheartedly and Taehyung only watched as the men rounded in on Len.

Taehyung's heart was still pounding and he couldn't look away as the men started to kick and punch Len repeatedly. He only dragged his eyes away when Joe approached them with a small shrug, "I saw him do it."

Daryl looked shocked for a moment before hissing out, "Why didn't you try to stop him?" That was what Taehyung was thinking, another thought that crossed his mind was about the disregard these men had towards their own group members. They were beating Len mercilessly, Taehyung's ears rung with his pain-filled grunts and the sound of their fists coming in contact with his skin.

"He wanted to play that out. I let him." Joe offered unapologetically, unbothered by what was happening behind him, he lifted his hand and pointed his finger at Daryl, "You told the truth. He lied. You understand the rules. He doesn't." Joe bent down and grabbed the upper half of the rabbit, throwing it at Daryl's chest, "Looks like you get the head, too."

Taehyung watched Joe walk away before looking towards the group still beating up Len. He couldn't see the man between the men surrounding him but Taehyung could hear his sounds of pain, just like he could see the blood staining the concrete ground. He wondered when they would stop and if they would, wondered if this is what they would've done to Daryl and realized he couldn't stomach that thought.

Before he could float away in his thoughts, Daryl tugged on his arm and nodded towards the door, "Come on." He mumbled and nudged Taehyung towards the door, the latter shuffled forward with Daryl following after him. He couldn't ignore the weight of eyes on his back and as he peered over his shoulder, he noticed Joe watching them leave with a cigarette hanging off his lip.

They left the building, Daryl slid the door shut behind them, cutting off the sound of the group beating Len, and just stood there in silence. Daryl shook his head and stepped around Taehyung to lean against the wall. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled packet of cigarettes. He fished one out and popped it between his lips before lighting it.

Taehyung inhaled the cloud of smoke and stared off into the town, he peeled his tongue off the roof of his mouth and parted his cracked lips, "You don't belong here."

Daryl scoffed around the cigarette before pulling it out of his mouth, "What do you know." His words escaped in a cloud of smoke.

Taehyung turned to face him, staring at the side of Daryl's face in disbelief, "What? Do you want me to believe you would be able to beat your group like that? You can try to bullshit yourself but that won't work on me." He huffed with a small head shake, "Yeah, the man who named Judith 'little ass-kicker' and bottle fed her, the man who went out to hunt for food to feed the group, went out to get medicine as quickly as possible when we got sick, the one who told Rick not to attack Tyreese when he pushed you up against the wall? You're not like them."

"I'm no better than them." Daryl hissed in return, his irritation shining through his glare. Taehyung stared back at him without flinching, causing Daryl to huff and push off the wall, "You don't know shit, I grew up with men like them, I ran with men like them, I am like them so don't bullshit me about something you don't know jackshit about."

"What's jackshit is that you think that you belong with this group when you don't. You may look the same, act the same and talk the same, hell maybe you even experienced the same shit when growing up, but what sets you apart from them is that you actually care for other people, especially those you love."

"I don't want to hear this philosophical shit, especially from you." Daryl jabbed his cigarette at Taehyung, earning himself an offended flinch.

"The hell is wrong with me saying that?" Taehyung placed his hands on his chest, glaring pointedly.

Daryl released a cutting snort, "You always walk around like a cocky bastard like you're better than everyone else, it makes it look like you were one of those rich boys growing up, you also always try to smooth talk everyone so you come across like that Governor prick."

Taehyung felt a slice of pain zap through his chest at those words and he needed a moment to collect his words before he was able to utter something back, "Did you seriously say I'm like the Governor?"

Daryl huffed, observing Taehyung's face shift with each word he uttered, "Didn't say that, just said you're a smooth talker and it makes it hard to believe everything you say because it leaves you wondering if you're just bullshitting or if you're being real." He put the cigarette between his lips and sucked in his cheeks with his next inhale.

"Is this the reason you don't like me?" Taehyung wondered softly, "I didn't...I.." he trailed off, genuinely lost for words. He remained silent as he took a few steps away and sat down on the railing on the opposite side of Daryl, "I wasn't a rich boy, you know? Our family did have money but we had other issues. The reason why I knew Rick from before all this was because my brother was a pedophíle and my parents turned a blind eye to it, Rick was the officer in charge of my case. He took me out of my family, was there for me during the trial, and was there when he sent me off to live with my aunt." Taehyung looked up from the ground and managed to meet Daryl's eyes, he ignored the mixture of shock, anger and sympathy he saw in them and continued to speak, "I'm not saying this to be manipulative, you just seem to have a wrong perception of me and I do actually like and respect you so I want to fix this."

Daryl inhaled deeply and gave a small nod before pushing himself off the wall and walking over to Taehyung. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his packet of cigarettes, he pulled the pocket open and extended it towards Taehyung. The latter couldn't fight the smile from breaking out on his face as he took the last cigarette from the box, "A peace offering?" He teased while Daryl tossed the empty packet away and pulled out the lighter to light Taehyung's cigarette.

"Don't get used to it." He grumbled with the cigarette between his lips yet his words lacked their usual bite, instead, they came out as light and airy.

Taehyung bobbed his head and filled his lungs with smoke, "A shame, I quite like this." He huffed a short laugh, picking up on the barest twitch of Daryl's lip.

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Daryl and Taehyung

Daryl and Taehyung 🥹

DARYL AND TAEHYUNGGGG 😭

What's a duo you didn't expect? Did you expect Daryl and Taehyung bonding time? I felt like these two needed to bond and form a connection and honestly, I'm in love with the relationship they have 😭