A piece of rotten flesh was stuck to the wheel of a white jeep. Blood dripped and caressed the surface of the wheel as it rolled across the grey pavement, leaving behind a path of scarlet red. The rolling of the wheels began to slow down until finally screeching to a halt in front of a rundown store.

The door of the white jeep was pushed open and a foot slipped through, followed by the sole of a black boot smashing into the ground. Taehyung's tan fingers lifted to readjust his sweater, only to travel upward and grab the small bun sitting on top of his head. He tightened the black hair tie and dropped his hands to his sides as he shut the door behind himself and eyed the store in front of him.

A tall fence wrapped around the store like a protective bubble, hiding the military camps within. A hole was torn in the side of the fence with loose pieces of flesh hanging off of the jagged wires and blood dripping onto the pavement. The red liquid had dried and crusted, leaving the once bright red color a deep shade of brown.

Taehyung's shoes smacked against the ground as he approached the tear in the fence and observed the military tents through it. The rest of the group left their cars and approached the store too - keeping their steps hesitant and barely audible.

Daryl brushed past Taehyung and gestured towards the fence, "Army came and set these fences up, made it a place for people to go to. There were a bunch of walkers behind the chain link, keeping people out like a bunch of guard dogs." Daryl mumbled, hooking his fingers through the fence and peering through it in case a few walkers had been left behind.

Sharp brows pushed together, creating a crease on Taehyung's forehead. His ebony-coloured eyes dragged along the rotten pieces of skin hanging off of the sharp edges of the wired fence before bouncing over to the store looming behind the military camps. The lingering scent of rotten corpses slipped along Taehyung's nostrils as he inhaled a deep breath, prompting him to rub his finger underneath his nose and turn away.

"So they all just left?"

Taehyung glanced in the direction of the voice from over his shoulder. The man who spoke, Bob, had introduced himself to Taehyung in the car on their way here. Just by the toothy grin on his face and the lingering traces of genuine kindness in Bob's eyes, Taehyung allowed himself to smile back and shake Bob's extended hand. As the trip here progressed, Taehyung quickly realised that Bob was an easygoing, optimistic guy, who had always something hopeful to say to lift everyone's mood. So even if Taehyung was feeling like he was dipped into a bowl of sourness after greeting Jungkook, he managed to crack a little smile in Bob's presence.

Glenn snorted with a shake of his head. He smiled at Bob and gestured towards his ears, "Give it a listen."

And Taehyung did just that. He tilted his head to the side and lowered his eyes to the ground as he tuned out the people shuffling around him and listened to the distant traces of music blaring somewhere a kilometre away. With a quirk of his lips, Taehyung lifted his head back up and nodded in approval, "You lured them out. Smart." Taehyung's deep voice cut through the air easily, immediately demanding everyone's attention.

"It was actually Jungkook's idea." Sasha commented, stepping towards Daryl to slip past the fence after him.

Taehyung's smile faltered and eyes hesitantly flickered over to Jungkook. The younger boy was leaning against the hood of the car with the small of his back. Strands of raven hair fell into his eyes, only to be swept away by his long fingers. Jungkook's tongue was pressed against his cheek and glare was cast to the dagger twirling between his fingers.

At the mention of his name, Jungkook stopped twirling the sharp object and lifted his head to stare at Sasha's retreating back before sparing a fleeting glance at Taehyung. Their eyes clashed together in a whirlpool of coffee brown and a deep shade of pitch black.

The startled, confusion-filled look on Jungkook's face cracked and shattered before being replaced by hostility. Taehyung winced with a small smile, pressing his lips into a thin line and standing up straighter when Jungkook pushed off the car and stomped towards the fence. With every step he took in Taehyung's direction, Taehyung's heart pounded louder and the lump in his chest traveled up to his throat. He parted his lips to say something to Jungkook, only for the younger to push past him and slip through the fence.

"Fuck." Taehyung hissed under his breath, hooking his hands around the swell of his hips. He whirled around on his heel and stared after Jungkook with a small grimace.

Bob, Tyreese, and Zach- who Taehyung found out from Bob, was Beth's boyfriend- tried to ignore the pitiful exchange. Taehyung was grateful that they hadn't commented on the matter, yet he was aware of the small wince from Zach and raised brows from Bob.

Once the entire group was through the fence, Taehyung stepped closer to it and hunched over. He tried not to touch a centimetre of the bloody wires- knowing that if he accidentally cut himself on the sharp edges, the walker blood would enter his body and he'd be infected.

"Alright, let's make a sweep. Grab what you can, we'll come back tomorrow with more people." Daryl called out, twisting his head in all directions as he led the group forward. His grip was tight on the crossbow and the leather vest strained against his muscles.

A deep hum rumbled in Taehyung's throat at Daryl's words. He dragged his feet after the group, lingering in the back and observing everything around him. The openings of the dark green tents flapped and swayed in the wind, sometimes revealing the empty crates, and hospital beds with dead walkers on top, hiding within. Taehyung passed by the tents and raised his hand, brushing the tips of his fingers along the length of an IV drip stand.

A loud crunch, followed by a pop, slithered through the air until it met Taehyung's ears. His hand dropped back down to his side and his head flung up into the direction of the noise. He was greeted by the sight of Jungkook staring back at the group with wide, sheepish eyes and a scarlet red blush.

"Sorry." Jungkook muttered quietly and quite awkwardly while lifting his boot off of the bag of chips he had just stepped on. The bag had popped open from Jungkook's weight, which resulted in the chips bursting through the seems and some even crushing into a pile of dust.

A faint smile tugged at Taehyung's lips before he cleared his throat and turned away. The rest of the group looked away from Jungkook and continued to approach the store. Daryl was the first one to reach the large glass windows running along the front of the store. He could barely see through the windows from the blood and dust covering them, yet Daryl still raised his fist and pounded it against the glass before taking a seat on the edge of the window.

Taehyung stepped closer to the group and leaned against the side of the store with his shoulder. Michonne leaned on the wall next to him and faced Daryl and Zach, who immediately plopped down next to Daryl. While Sasha, Bob and Tyreese hovered by the door and combed through the tents in case they found something useful.

A hint of tension dripped into the air around them, forcing the group to sit in awkward silence. Taehyung thought that the atmosphere would have continued on, only for it to be interrupted by Zach,

"Okay, I think I got it."

Taehyung perked up in curiosity after hearing a huff of amusement come from Jungkook. And once he looked in the direction of the boy, Taehyung was met with a familiar bunny smile, "Oh, god, not again." Jungkook shook his head with a small snort, leaning his weight more on his left leg.

Taehyung furrowed his brows and turned back to Zach, not missing the ghost of a smile on Daryl's lips, "Got what?" Taehyung asked cautiously, not wanting to pry into something that may be too personal.

But when Zach smiled wider and twisted his head around to look into Taehyung's black eyes, the worry in him dispersed, "I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." Zach answered easily, offering Taehyung a small shrug.

Taehyung's lips quirked up to reveal the tips of his pearly white teeth and brow cocked upward too. He straightened out against the brick wall and waved his hand at Zach for him to continue, "Alright, I have to hear this."

Michonne, too, was staring at them with a growing smile, waiting for the answer. The whole situation had created questions in both of their minds and now they, too, were wondering about what Daryl used to do before the world went to shit.

"Well..." Zach trailed off, placing his gun between his legs and flickering his eyes between each member of the group before setting his gaze on Daryl, "With the way you are at the prison. You're on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people. Yet you're still being kind of...surly."

"Homicide cop."

A large grin split Taehyung's face apart and a deep chuckle bubbled through his chest. He sunk further into the brick wall behind him and listened to the sound of Michonne releasing a wheeze at Zach's words. Jungkook, too, bit at his lip to stop himself from bursting out into laughter from Zach's career choice.

Yes, it would explain quite a bit about Daryl, but none of them could ever see Daryl working in such a job.

Daryl seemed to take playful offence to the chuckles around him, "What's so funny?" He spat with no real aggressiveness or hostility in the words.

"Nothing." Michonne straightened out, not removing the grin from her face, "It makes perfect sense." She pushed out, trying not to release another wheeze in the middle of her sentence.

"Actually..." Daryl nodded slowly, sucking in his cheeks and pressing his lips into a straight line, "The man's right. Undercover."

A huff of amusement, followed by a shake of the head came from Taehyung. He pushed off of the wall and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows before swatting away the stiffness in his shoulders by rolling them in a circle. Taehyung took a few steps away from the group and spared a fleeting glance around the camp, all while listening to the group talk.

"Wait, really?" Zach's smile crumbled into a look of shock and he quickly straightened out.

With a firm nod and a straight face, Daryl parted his lips to allow his words to escape into the air, "Jup! I mean...I don't like to talk about it because a lot of heavy shit, you know?"

Zach blinked in confusion, glancing at Jungkook for some clearance to see if Daryl was lying or not. But Jungkook's head was lowered, allowing his hair to fall into his face and hide the large grin parting his lips. Zach turned towards Taehyung and Michonne, but was greeted by a broad back and a small smirk.

Defeated and extremely confused, Zach turned his attention back to Daryl, "Dude, come on, really?" He managed to push out through all the thoughts swarming his mind.

Daryl's head twisted around and his eyes connected with his. His face was blank and eyes showed boredom as he raised a brow, "No." Daryl grumbled out just as a loud bang came from behind them.

Taehyung whirled around and ripped out a throwing knife from his thigh harness. His grip on the dagger was tight and eyes were narrowed at the window. The rotten corpses of two growling walkers filled his sight. Their bloody fists raised into the air and smashed against the window, causing it to rattle, and their breaths caressed the surface of the dirty glass, leaving behind traces of fog.

Michonne was the first one to push off of the wall and pull out her katana. She sent Daryl an amused smile and nodded at the entrance of the store, "Gonna do this, Detective?" Michonne teased lightheartedly.

Daryl merely grunted and stood up from his seat before approaching the store. Taehyung lingered behind the group, watching them with calculative eyes, before turning his head sideways towards Jungkook. The latter hadn't moved an inch and was staring at the ground with a small haze over his eyes.

"Jung-"

Jungkook's head snapped up into Taehyung's direction before the latter could allow the name to roll down the length of his tongue. The two stared at each other for a moment - Jungkook's eyes portraying so much emotion that Taehyung wasn't able to pick up on a single one before they were all lost behind a wall of hostility. Taehyung's shoulders dropped and tongue dipped out of his mouth to run along the edge of his bottom lip. He turned away from Jungkook with a small shake of the head before approaching the rest of the group instead.

Sasha, Tyreese and Bob had rejoined the group - Sasha standing on the side of the double doors, leading into the store, with Michonne on the other side. Bob was staring down at the cut-off legs of a walker and Tyreese was staying further away, yet still keeping his eyes glued on them.

Daryl was standing in front of the door with his crossbow raised, and as the door was pulled open by both females, Daryl pressed down on the trigger of his crossbow. An arrow shot out and plunged into the skull of one of the walkers, resulting in it tumbling to the ground with a thud. The second walker dragged its feet along the ground and stretched out its arms towards the group, only for a dagger to cut through the air and hit the walker right between its brows.

The group's eyes flew back and landed on Taehyung. The raven-haired male straightened out and rolled his right arm around in a circle, trying to hide the pain from the harsh throw. The wound on his arm ached and burned, yet when the attention fell on him, Taehyung straightened out and allowed his arm to drop back down to his side.

"That was awesome." Zach breathed out, glancing between an approaching Taehyung and the tip of the throwing knife peeking out from the walker's head.

The group gave their comments on the knife throw - all of them ending as compliments for the clean, swift movement - before dragging the bodies out of their way. The group pooled into the dark store, but not before pulling out flashlights and turning them on.

Taehyung took confident strides through the door, allowing the store to cut off the sunlight and engulf him in darkness. Shelves filled to the brim with supplies and all kinds of random things, greeted Taehyung. His brows rose at the pleasant sight and stomach rumbled- reminding him to grab a quick snack and fill the ache in his tummy.

Barely audible footsteps approached Taehyung from behind, making the male well aware of the eyes burning into his skull. He straightened out and stood still, keeping his eyes locked on the shelf filled with gum and chocolate bars.

As Jungkook walked past him into the store, the bunny boy paused next to him and stretched out a hand toward him. Taehyung turned his head sideways, admiring the way the shadows slipped along the slope of Jungkook's nose and caressed his sharp cheekbones. His dark hair and raven lashes made his glare appear deadlier and brought out the hint of tan in his usually pale skin.

Heat crept up Jungkook's neck at Taehyung's piercing stare on his face, "Fucking take it." Jungkook rumbled lowly, pushing the extended flashlight into Taehyung's chest and quickly escaping from Taehyung's eyes by ducking into one of the aisles.

A small breath of amusement rushed through Taehyung's nostrils as he stared after Jungkook, all while tightening his grip on the flashlight and switching it on. Taehyung took a few more steps into the store, eyeing the aisles next to him before screeching to a halt in front of the aisle Jungkook disappeared into.

Taehyung debated whether he should head in or not. Jungkook didn't seem as angry as he was before the ride here, yes, he was still pissed off, but Taehyung was sure that a small conversation could possibly clear up the air between them. But perhaps pushing Jungkook into trying to make up when he's not ready to forgive him, would lead to Jungkook getting angrier and actually smacking him on the mouth.

Will Taehyung risk it?

Obsidian-coloured eyes flickered left and right to make sure no one was watching before he took a confident stride forward and stepped into the aisle.

Yes, he will.

With each step Taehyung took forward, the sound of Jungkook stuffing packets of food into his bag, grew louder. His fingers tightened around the flashlight and lifted it up to allow it to fall onto Jungkook. The latter froze and flung his hand up to his eyes to shield them from the bright light.

Taehyung lowered the flashlight back on the ground and stopped next to Jungkook, "Can we..talk?" Taehyung muttered under his breath, staring down at the side of Jungkook's face and ignoring the aggression in the way Jungkook zipped his bag shut.

"No."

And with that, Jungkook flung his backpack over his shoulders and grabbed his flashlight from the shelf. He swayed around on his feet and stomped his boots down the aisle.

Taehyung's lips parted a bit and nose scrunched up, he followed Jungkook with hesitant footsteps and slouched shoulders, "I know you're angry-"

"No, you don't!" Jungkook swerved around and hissed at Taehyung, shoving his finger into his chest and flaring his nostrils, "How would you know that when you were gone for three months! How would you know anything at all! That's the thing, Taehyung, you left us in the middle of the night without saying anything. No goodbye, no hug, not even a stupid little handshake. Nothing! And when you come back, you expect everything to be the same as if you never left!" Jungkook spat, glaring into Taehyung's eyes. Tears nipped at the corners of Jungkook's eyes from the frustration he felt over the situation.

Taehyung exhaled a stuttering breath and lowered his head, he didn't say anything as Jungkook shook his head and took a step away from him, "A lot of things have happened in these past three months and you weren't here. Just like a lot of things have probably happened to you, but I don't know anything about it because you didn't allow people to be there for you either." Jungkook's voice grew softer at the end and all the previous anger slipped away, yet Taehyung still kept his head lowered and eyes downcast.

"I just wish-"

A loud crash cut Jungkook off mid-sentence, followed by an even louder boom washing over the store. Taehyung's head flung up and body straightened out, his eyes briefly connected with Jungkook's before both boys jumped into a sprint and dashed towards the noise.

The sound of barely audible groans and hisses, and something dripping down on the ground, was what attracted them to the source of the scene. The closer they got, the more the scent of wine was prominent in the air. Taehyung and Jungkook rounded the corner of one of the aisles and screeched to a halt at the sight in front of them.

A large shelf filled with wine and alcohol had fallen over right on top of Bob. The top of the shelf was pressed up against boxes of beer, creating a space for Bob to lay underneath the shelf without being crushed by the weight. The dark-skinned male was surrounded by broken shards of glass and was practically soaking in the red liquid.

Taehyung rushed past Jungkook and quickly knelt down next to the shelf, "You alright? Are you cut or something?" He asked Bob, shining the flashlight underneath the shelf to get a better look at Bob.

"Umm..no, no, man, but I...my foot is caught." Bob stuttered, holding himself up by his forearm and keeping his other hand placed on the thigh of his stuck leg.

Footsteps quickly approached Taehyung before Jungkook, along with Daryl and Tyreese, flanked him from both sides, "He's alright, just trapped." Taehyung informed them and stood up from the ground.

"Let's lift it." Jungkook said as he grabbed a hold of the shelf and looked up at Taehyung. The latter nodded and pushed his flashlight into an empty slot in his thigh harness. He curled his fingers around the edge of the shelf and lifted it along with Daryl and Jungkook. Tyreese took a hold of the shelf once it was almost up and straightened it out so that it wouldn't topple over again.

"I was moving fast, man, drove right into these drinks." Bob pushed out an anxious laugh, trying to ease the tense situation he was caught in.

Taehyung hummed lowly, pulling his jeans higher onto his hips and wiping away the sweat on his forehead. He approached the second shelf and just as his fingers were about to touch it, small creaks from the ceiling captured his attention. Taehyung straightened out and glanced up, the creaks grew more frequent and louder. But before he could warn the others, the roof broke in half and a walker fell through.

Pieces of the roof fell to the ground and a cloud of dust washed over the group. The walker slashed its stomach onto something sharp, which caused its guts to hook around a metal pole and stop it from smashing into the ground. The Walker swung side to side as it growled and threw its hands out to reach them.

Taehyung and Jungkook stood shoulder to shoulder, gaping at the walker hanging from the ceiling by its guts. It looked like a rather morbid Christmas decoration that was set up for Halloween.

Glenn, Sasha and Michonne rounded the corner and allowed their steps to falter at the sight of the walker, "Yeah, Umm...we should probably go now." Glenn stuttered with wide eyes and a tight grip on his gun.

Daryl nodded in agreement and waved his hand at the fallen shelves, "Bob's still stuck, we have to get him out-"

The roof caved in in another spot, followed by a walker falling through it and smashing into the ground. Its blood splattered against the tiles, leaving behind a pool of dark brown. The walker pushed its palms against the ground and dragged itself up to its feet, all while releasing snarls and throaty growls.

"Shit." Taehyung breathed out, watching the roof break in another spot and a walker fall through once more.

But that wasn't it. The roof broke again and again, followed by walkers falling through them and hitting the shelves or smashing into the ground. The holes in the roof allowed the sun and sound from more walkers stumbling on top of the roof to slip through.

The fallen walkers dragged themselves up to their feet and dragged themselves toward the group. Taehyung threw out his hand and grabbed one before stabbing his throwing knife into its skull. The walker fell to the ground, only for another one to pounce on Taehyung.

Taehyung stumbled back and hit the shelf behind him with his back. He pressed his hands against the walker's throat to keep it away while dodging its wandering hands. The walker snapped its rotting teeth in his face and watched him with yellow eyes. A loose piece of flesh slowly peeled off the walker's forehead and fell onto Taehyung's sweater, revealing the bone beneath.

A groan of disgust rumbled in Taehyung's throat before he raised his leg and kicked the walker away. The small distance between them gave Taehyung the chance to flip his throwing knife around and stab it right into the walker's eye. The walker fell forward and landed on top of Taehyung's chest.

Just as he was about to push it away, another snarling walker jumped on him. Taehyung grunted at the added weight and accidentally allowed his knife to slip out of his fingers. The throwing knife fell to the ground with a clutter as Taehyung tried to dodge the female walker's hands and snapping mouth. He winced when the dead body of the walker got pushed against the wound on his arm as the female kept trying to push forward, which resulted in the dead body being squished against Taehyung.

The ravenette hissed in pain, pushing his hand underneath the body of the walker to reach his gun. He smacked away the walker's hands and pushed against the dead body just as the tip of his fingers hooked around the end of the gun.

The ceiling above Taehyung broke and a walker fell through. Its body flew through the air and smashed into the shelf Taehyung was leaning on. The growling walker began to shift around, raising its head and sniffing the air.

Taehyung froze at the sound of the walker. One walker was trying to get to him despite the rotten corpse between them, while the other was looming behind him and breathing down his neck. Taehyung grabbed the gun and flipped it out just as the walker leaned forwards to bite a chunk out of his throat. Taehyung twisted his arm around and shoved the gun into the walker's gaping mouth before pressing down on the trigger.

The bullet shot through the walker's skull, causing it to flap limply over the shelf. A loud ringing noise filled Taehyung's head and his vision blurred for a second. He shook his head and blinked frantically, all while pushing the gun against the forehead of the walker in front of him and shooting it too.

Taehyung's grip on the two bodies loosened, allowing them to slip out of his hands and fall to the ground. He shook his head and stumbled forward, trying to get rid of the small fuzz around his head. Taehyung eyed the store with distress- immediately seeing the rest of the group members scattered around and fighting off walkers.

Taehyung's attention was captured by Jungkook. The man rushed through one of the aisles with five walkers following after him. Just when Taehyung took a step forward to go help him, Jungkook screeched to a halt at the end of the aisle and grabbed a hold of the shelf. Jungkook's muscles bulged and face scrunched up as he tugged at the shelf and made it topple over. The shelf fell on top of the walkers and crushed them under the weight.

Jungkook turned around with harsh pants and sweat rolling down his temple. He made eye contact with Taehyung, only for the latter's face to twist into a look of horror, "Duck!" Taehyung shouted in his deep voice, ripping out one of his remaining knives and flinging it in Jungkook's direction.

Jungkook immediately dropped to the ground, allowing the knife to fly over his head and plunge into the skull of the walker looming behind him. Jungkook panted and glanced back, noticing that the walker had started to climb over the fallen shelves. He reached out his hand and ripped Taehyung's knife out of the skull before straightening out and approaching the older.

The knife was passed onto Taehyung with small nods exchanged before they both turned their attention back on Bob. Daryl grabbed the walker trying to get to Bob and ripped it back by its legs. He lifted his own leg and smashed it against the walker's skull, causing blood to splatter out.

Taehyung and Jungkook ran over, and with their help, Daryl and Zach were able to lift up the shelf. Daryl released his hold on the shelf and grabbed Bob instead. With a swift tug on his wrist, Bob was skidding across the floor and out from underneath the shelf.

Taehyung's hands slipped away, along with the rest, allowing the shelf to fall back into its original place. He nudged Jungkook towards the group and scrambled over to them with the younger by his side, while Bob stumbled up to his feet with the help of Daryl.

A loud yelp grasped at Jungkook's heart and caused his head to snap around to look at the source. His eyes widened in horror and legs moved a step forward as he watched a walker latch onto Zach's leg and sink its teeth into his skin. Zach screeched in pain and called out for help, only for the walker to pull at his leg and make him fall to the ground with a thud.

Jungkook was about to rush over and help him, only for a hand to shoot out and grab him by his wrist. The person ripped him away from Zach and placed his other arm around his waist, holding him back to prevent him from trying to save him. Jungkook snapped his head to the side and saw Taehyung staring back at him and shaking his head with a grim look.

Jungkook's face scrunched up into a grimace before his eyes flickered back to Zach. The walker crawled up his body and lunged at his throat- sinking its rotten teeth into his skin and biting a chunk out of his throat.

Zach's screams of horror and agony intertwined with the sound of creaking and crashing. The roof above the group began to split apart and showcase the military helicopter that was about to crash into the store. With newfound determination and terror, the group turned around and dashed towards the exit to outrun the falling helicopter.

Neither Taehyung or Jungkook turned around, not even once, but they could still hear the helicopter crash through the ceiling and cut off Zach's screams. A wave of dust nipped at the heels of their shoes, followed by nearly the entire ceiling of the store caving in.

——

I wanted to say that in the previous version, Jungkook's hair was dyed red and I changed it to black. I'm editing the parts where I mention his red hair but if I miss some places, please tell me in the comments and I'll change it 💕