|Jungkook|

   Some consider knowledge to be a burden, but the burden of knowledge is lighter than the joy of ignorance. In Jungkook's case, the realisation that someone is following him, lead to him perceiving every little snap of branch as threatening. He couldn't get the sound of footsteps and the feeling of eyes crawling over his skin, like thousands of ants, out of his mind.

Yet the heavy weight in his chest was still better than walking around with a false sense of security. Maybe this realisation was exactly what Jungkook needed to bring him down to earth and realise, that no matter what he does, no matter where he goes or who he's with, he's never gonna be safe.

So Jungkook was left with no other choice- he ran. His footsteps and pants could be heard throughout the eerie quiet forest. But maybe if Jungkook wasn't so desperate to hear the familiar sound of footsteps behind him, he would hear the sound of birds chirping and walkers growling in the distance.

Sweat clung to Jungkook's skin, soaking in his grey shirt and creating a path of dark grey down his chest. Wet, sweaty strands of dark brown hair fell down his forehead, covering his brows and reaching his eyes.

Jungkook pushed past trees and branches, dodging the grabbing hands of any stray walkers. His chapped lips released a row of shallow breaths and his backpack swung from side to side as he ran.

Pushing his legs to move faster, Jungkook pushed through the curtain of leaves and jumped into a road. Jungkook paused and slowly crossed the road, glancing over his shoulder to try and see if anyone was there.

He entered the forest on the other side of the road before hiding behind a tree and staring at the forest he had just left. Maybe it was Daryl. Maybe Rick sent him after me. Jungkook thought, eyeing the forest behind him, only for the sound of wind howling and birds chirping to fill his ears. No sound of leaves crunching under the weight of a person could be heard. Maybe Jungkook was just paranoid being out there alone, maybe solitude wasn't influencing him in a good way.

Warily, Jungkook pushed away from the tree and began to follow the road, knowing that there had to be some kind of store along the road.

|No one|

A few days prior

   For the first time in a while, a tranquil heaven of piece and serenity covered the prison. There was no sound of bickering or arguing, no sound of angry growls coming from walkers and no actions that questioned the authority of Rick Grimes.

Yet the peaceful atmosphere and the feeling of happiness, from Hershel being alright and awake, was shattered by a shrill call coming from Maggie.

"Rick!"

The said leader stopped talking to Daryl and looked at Maggie, who was marching towards him with a ripped piece of paper in her hand. Her face was scrunched up in distress and her eyes had a thin layer of tears coating them.

"What is it?" Rick immediately questioned, worry hidden between his words as he thought of the worst- Hershel got worse and was no longer with them.

Rick met her halfway, taking the paper offered to him."It's Ju...Jungkook," Maggie gasped out, her breathing quickening as she slowly began to panic,"I thought...I thought he was just angry because he wasn't allowed to go with you, so I went to check up on him, but his stuff is gone and the only thing left is this." Maggie explained, chewing on her nails and gesturing towards the paper in Rick's hand.

Confused, Daryl snatched the paper out of Rick's hand and quickly read what's written there,"He doesn't want us to follow him." Daryl scoffed dropping the paper to the ground before grabbing his crossbow and swinging it over his shoulders,"I'm going after him."

"Daryl, wait." Rick hissed, stopping Daryl from going anywhere. He swallowed thickly and ran a hand over his face,"We have to be smart about this. He can't have gone far, so let's check the prison first, maybe he's still here."

"Yeah? And what if he's not?" Daryl grumbled, shuffling on his feet to try and keep himself from going out there and tracking Jungkook down. Honestly, all he wanted to do was find the brat and drag him back by his hair.

"He's right. Every second we waste here, Jungkook will get further and further away from the prison." Maggie pipped in, crossing her arms over her chest and blinking away her tears.

"What's going on?" Glenn and Lori asked as they walked out of the block C and into the common area. The sound of Maggie's panicked voice echoed throughout the Cell Block, capturing the attention of the rest of the group.

"Jungkook ran away and we're going after him." Maggie stated, her face scrunched up in determination before she grabbed her gun and began to prepare herself.

"Wait what? Jungkook's gone?" Glenn exclaimed, his eyes going wide and his lips parting to release a breath of shock.

Maggie nodded,"And I'm going after him, you can all stay here, but I'm not leaving him out there alone." She stated firmly, looking into the eyes of each group member as she pulled a jacket over her shoulders,"Not when he needs us the most." She trailed off quieter, slowly realising that Jungkook had been giving them hints about leaving the group for weeks.

All the questions about where he could find supplies and clean water, the nights he spent sleeping away from the group, in darkness, or all the times he went out to hunt alone. Maybe it wasn't because Jungkook wanted solitude, maybe it was because Jungkook was slowly preparing himself for the time, when he actually did leave the group and would be alone. Yet all of them were so occupied with themselves, that they completely missed the cries of help coming from Jungkook.

"I'm coming with you." Glenn's voice brought Maggie out of her thoughts, stopping her from beating herself up even more. She chewed on her lip, watching as Glenn grabbed his weapons and got ready to go out there too.

"You can't go out there, it's dangerous." Lori spoke up, watching Glenn and Maggie with wide eyes. She looked at Rick as he paced and tried to think of a plan,"Rick! It's dangerous!" She marched up to Rick and grabbed his arm in order to grab his attention.

Rick glanced down at her before looking up as Carol and T-Dog entered the common area with confusion.

"Where are you going?" Carol questioned, eyeing Maggie, Glenn and Daryl as they turned around to go and leave the building.

Rick pushed out of Lori's hold and ignored the piercing gaze on the side of his face,"Rick!" Lori hissed, only for Rick to ignore her and walk towards the three to quickly stop them from leaving.

"Glenn, T-Dog, I want you to look for Jungkook inside the prison. Maybe he didn't go anywhere and is hiding right under our noses, waiting for us to leave so he could leave too." Rick instructed Glenn and T-Dog, the latter still being confused about what's happening. Glenn nodded, landed a kiss on Maggie's temple before going towards T-Dog to explain what's happening.

Rick turned towards Maggie and Carol,"I want you to check the outside of the prisoner- the fences, the watchtowers, he could be hiding in there too." He instructed them, receiving a sharp nod from Maggie and a confusion filled look from Carol,"Even if he's not, there could be something that tells us where he's going." Rick finished, grabbing two knifes from the metal table and placing them in his belt.

"Jungkook? What happened to Jungkook?" Carol asked in slight alarm, the sight of everyone rushing around and panicking, made her panic even more.

"Jungkook's gone." Maggie informed her nonchalantly, nodding for Carol to follow her outside,"He left." She finished, so that Carol could know what happened.

Carol's eyes widened after hearing that and she gasped,"I...I just saw him." She muttered in disbelief,"He said he's gonna go kill some walkers by the fence." She told the group, making Rick's brows raise.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Maggie asked immediately and looked at Carol with an accusing glare, trying to shift the blame on someone else to try and lessen the feeling of guilt inside of her.

Carol looked at Maggie and grew confused,"I just found out he was gone. I thought he was out there."

"You shou-"

"Stop," Daryl interrupted them from fighting, making them both shut up and look at him,"This ain't helping anyone and it ain't gonna change the fact that Jungkook's missin'. Lets just find him and bring him back." He grunted, looking at Rick to see if he was ready to head out.

The leader nodded,"He's right, the sooner we find Jungkook, the better." Rick turned around and followed after Daryl, while Glenn and T-Dog had already gone to look around the prison, and Maggie and Carol went outside to check around the fences.

Lori stared at everyone in disbelief, shocked that they would risk their lives to run after someone, who clearly didn't want to be found. She ran up to Rick and grabbed him by his wrist,"Rick!"

Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes at her before turning around and heading towards the exit,"I'll wait by the gate." He grumbled, the words directed at Rick.

Rick huffed and looked down at Lori in annoyance,"I don't have time for this, Jungkook is out there and I have to help him."

"Jungkook clearly doesn't want to be found! Stop risking your life for him!" Lori hissed, her nose scrunching up in anger and her cheeks gaining a pink tint to them. Noticing that Rick was staring down at her with a calm expression and a hint of annoyance, she sighed and softened her voice,"You have a family to take care of here, Rick, you can't just...just run around after someone, who doesn't want to stay here."

Rick pushed her arm away, knowing what she's doing but not mentioning it as he turned around to walk towards the exit. Lori gaped at his retreating back before huffing and calling out,"Rick! Just stop and think about this!"

Rick grabbed the handle of the metal door, running his tongue over his teeth before shaking his head and looking down at the ground,"I told him that he didn't have to fight alone anymore, that he's not alone. I told him that he was a part of this group and I'll look after him."

Rick sighed and shook his head in disbelief,"He's been alone for months." A bitter chuckle escaped his lips before he gripped the handle of the metal door tighter and pulled it open,"I broke my promise once, I'm not breaking it again."

|Jungkook|

   Jungkook raised his fist and landed a few solid knocks on the door in front of him. After a few minutes of waiting for growls, Jungkook pushed past the door and entered the gas station.

A bell rung above his head and glass crunched under his feet as he walked through the building. There were four isles in the gas station, the shelves were a head taller than Jungkook, making him momentarily surprised.

The windows were covered with dirt and dust, stopping the light from entering properly. The white tiles were covered with specks of blood but mostly with dirt in the form of footprints. But judging by the way the dirt had crusted and stuck to the ground, Jungkook knew the footsteps were at least 2 week old.

Packets of food were laying on the ground and the shelves were relatively empty. Jungkook crouched down and grabbed a pack of chips, immediately ripping it open and grabbing a handful. He shoved the chips into his mouth, munching on them as he approached the cash register.

Jungkook took off his backpack and placed it on the counter, before turning around and exploring the store. He made his way over to the refrigerators, the bag of chips still in his hand and his mouth still moving from chewing. Jungkook stopped in front of the refrigerators, pausing as his eyes caught a sight of his reflection.

Jungkook's brown hair reached halfway down to his ears, the strands being wet and soaked with sweat from running so much. His once chubby cheeks were long gone, replaced by sharp cheek bones and a strong jawline.

His brows had darkened, along with his hair, and had gotten bushier. Jungkook gasped as he noticed a wrinkle forming in between his brows from knitting them so much. His pink lips were still small and doll like, and his eyes were still the same whiskey shade as always. At least that hasn't changed.

Jungkook's once meek and small form was replaced by broad shoulders, firm muscles, that pushed through his grey shirt, and a tiny waist, that anyone would be jealous of. His once straw like legs had filled out and were pressing against his jeans, showing of the thickness of his muscles.

"Jesus." Jungkook muttered, eyeing himself through the glass. It felt like he was staring at a completely different person. But then again, he was no longer the person he used to be, so it was a different person.

Jungkook sighed and pulled open the refrigerator. He eyed the sodas and water bottles in it before grabbing a bottle of water and shutting the door.

The sound of the bell, above the gas station entrance, ringing, caused Jungkook to freeze. He stopped breathing for a second and slowly turned around to face the door, only for one of the shelves to shield the entrance.

Jungkook licked his bottom lip, before chewing on it as he listened to the sound of feather like footsteps stepping over the broken glass and walking further into the store. Jungkook slowly exhaled, afraid that the tiniest of noises could draw the attention of the intruder.

Carefully, Jungkook took a step towards the shelf to hide himself better and possibly step closer to the door in order to make a run for it. He slowly placed the bag of chips in an empty spot in the shelf before sliding his knife out of the holster.

The footsteps reached the middle of the middle isle before stopping. Jungkook held his breath, pressing himself against the shelf as he waited for the person to break the silence and fill the station with noise, so that Jungkook could hide his breathing among it.

He squeezed his eyes shut in relief after the footsteps continued down the isle towards the counter. The bitter feeling of realisation and regret dawned on him as he realised that his backpack was laying on the counter.

Jungkook winced and shook his head at himself before continuing to cautiously walk down the isle to the exit. He could faintly hear the other person stop in front of the counter before grabbing his backpack and sliding it off of the counter.

Jungkook reached the end of the isle, carefully turning right and walking around the shelf. His eyes glanced towards the cash register, only to pause, when he didn't see anyone there. Jungkook's face paled and the water bottle fell out of his hand as he stared at his backpack laying on the counter as if no one had touched it.

"What the fuck." Jungkook gasped, immediately walking down the isle towards his untouched backpack. His heart pounded in his ears and his hands shook from adrenaline coursing in his veins. Jungkook could feel sweat form on his forehead as he began to wonder if he was starting to hallucinate.

It would make sense- the hallucinations. What if the loneliness and desperation of wanting someone to care and come after him, mixed with the lack of nutrients and caused him to hallucinate? What if he unconsciously wanted Daryl to come after him, so he forced his brain into believing that he did?

As Jungkook reached the middle of the isle, the sound of a door creaking open and growls filling the air, made him stop walking. Before Jungkook could notice or realise what's happening, the shelf to his left began to tilt until it toppled over.

The falling shelf landed on top of Jungkook, making him fall and slam against the ground. Pain pierced his skull as his head hit the ground, yet the heavy weight on his chest barely allowed him to breathe, much less release a groan of agony.

Jungkook's face scrunched up in pain before his eyes shot open, he blinked away the blurriness in his vision and looked down at himself. The shelf was  laying on top of his chest, crushing his rips and stopping his lungs from properly sucking in a breath.

The sound of growls and feet dragging across the ground, captured Jungkook's attention. He snapped his head towards the noise, his eyes immediately falling onto a walker and the figure standing a little behind it.

A 10 or 11 year old girl, with shoulder-length pitch black hair and grey eyes, stood pressed against the other isle. She had a blanket, that was covered in walker guts, draped over her clothing, preventing the walkers from sensing her. Her face was hard as she stared into Jungkook's eyes before turning around and walking towards the cash register.

"Hey!" Jungkook gasped out in pain, pressing his shaking hands agaisnt the shelf to try and push it off. Jungkook grunted in pain as he pushed the shelf away, the edges of it dragging against his stomach, creating bloody scratch marks on his stomach.

The walker, that came out of the back room, shuffled towards Jungkook until it's feet caught onto the edge of the shelf and he fell on top of it.

A sharp gasp left Jungkook's lips and his back arched off of the ground as the weight on his chest intensified. He desperately twisted his body around to try and wiggle out from underneath the shelf, but the walker crawling towards him made it almost impossible.

"It's nothing personal." The young girl spoke up, grabbing Jungkook's backpack from the counter and swinging it over her shoulder,"I just need you stuff. You can call it 'borrowing', of course without any returns."

"Stop!" Jungkook called out in disbelief, watching the girl as she turned around and walked towards the exit.

Jungkook cried out in pain- the walker pressing against the shelf and digging it further into his skin. Tears of frustration and pain appeared in the corners of his eyes before he hissed and pushed against the shelf again. The bell rang as the girl left Jungkook alone in the gas station.

"Fûck you!" Jungkook screamed, his voice bouncing off of the walls of the station.

The walker growled and stretched out its hands to grab Jungkook as it finally reaching the end of the fallen shelf. Jungkook's chest heaved up and down in panic, shallow breaths escaping his lips as he slid his arm over the floor to try and find something to defend himself with.

The tips of his fingers came in contact with a sharp piece of glass, making him grasp it. The sharp edges of the glass dug into his palm, making Jungkook hiss, and causing blood to spill out and soak the ground.

Jungkook pushed away the grabbing hands of the walker, as it tried to grab his face or hair, and stabbed the shard of glass into its eye. The walker fell limp, yet the weight on Jungkook's heaving chest didn't lessen.

Jungkook released the glass shard, leaving it stuck in the walker's head, before he pressed both of his hands against the shelf and started to wiggle his hips. His palm ached and bled as he pressed it against the shelf, leaving behind a bloody handprint.

With a grunt and a sharp intake of breath, Jungkook finally pushed the shelf off of himself. He laid on the dirty ground, his head falling back and his eyes squeezing shut as he desperately sucked in air.

A sudden feeling of anger ignited in him, causing Jungkook to release a throaty growl before pushing himself off of the ground. He clutched his aching stomach, lifting his shirt up to see the bloody scratch marks and red tints, that indicated future bruising, on his skin.

Jungkook huffed, shuffling over to the door and pushing past it. He looked down at the ground and found a faint trail of walker guts leading off into the forest. Jungkook's face scrunched up in anger as he pushed forward and limped towards the forest- his bleeding hand wrapped around his waist, while the other reached out for his gun.

He pulled out his gun as he reached the forest. Jungkook followed the trail of walker guts, until he heard a faint sound mumbles and shuffles.

Jungkook stopped walking as he spotted the girl sitting on the ground- her back pressed against a tree as she rummaged through Jungkook's backpack. Jungkook noticed the girl's innocent features, despite the heavy frown on her face. Her cheeks were chubby from still having her baby fat and her eyes shone with innocence.

Jungkook shut his eyes and tilted his head back, trying to push down the anger inside of him. He sighed through his nose before opening his eyes and looking back at the oblivious girl. How can one be so smart yet stupid?

Jungkook pressed his bleeding palm against his grey shirt to try and stop his palm from bleeding, but the action only caused the blood to soak and taint his shirt. Jungkook scowled and stepped forward, approaching the girl and raising his gun as he saw her freeze in alarm.

"Hand it over, brat." Jungkook grunted, his voice laced with annoyance and traces of fatigue.

The girl swallowed thickly, her eyes going wide before she looked at Jungkook. If possible, her eyes widened even more after seeing the gun pointed at her,"Uhm...it was a joke?"

"Nice try,"Jungkook scoffed, his lips pressing into a tight line and his face hardening after hearing her speak. He gestured towards his backpack,"Hand it over." He spoke slower as if talking to a baby.

The girl frowned and slowly pulled her arms out of the backpack. She zipped it shut and threw the backpack in Jungkook's direction.

"For fuck sake." Jungkook grumbled as he bent down to grab his backpack, only for his stomach to clench painfully. He grabbed it tighter, straightening out and sliding his gun back into place.

The raven haired girl watched him with a pout before slouching against the three like a grounded 6 year old. Jungkook scoffed, watching her before opening his backpack and grabbing a can of food. He threw the can of corn at the girl, the can landing by her feet.

"If you played nice, would've gotten more." Jungkook grumbled, swinging his backpack over his shoulders before turning around and walking away.

"I can help you with your injuries!"

"Fuck you!" Jungkook called out, raising his middle finger over his shoulder.