Epilogue
Jungkook's journey of finding himself wasn't easy. After spending the first few months of the start of the apocalypse trying to search and create ways to get to South Korea, Jungkook had to accept the fact that he would never see his family again. He didn't even get to mourn his mother or wonder what happened to her, which led to him creating an imaginary world inside his head where the apocalypse was only happening in America and where the rest of the world was fine.
Jungkook has never been the one to accept or face the harsh reality, so creating the images of his parents hosting a funeral for him and then moving on, was better than accepting the truth that his mother was ripped apart by bloodthirsty walkers.
Unfortunately, this little habit played a large part in his downfall. Instead of accepting the truth that Marley had died, Jungkook denied it and believed that she was waiting for him in the woods. Jungkook's little fantasies were the exact thing that made his sanity chip away and his health crumble. And if it wasn't for the rest of the group, Jungkook knew he wouldn't live long enough to run into Katelyn and get a harsh slap of reality from her.
Katelyn did what everyone else feared and avoided to do. She wasn't soft or sympathetic with Jungkook, and she didn't excuse the murders he committed. Katelyn completely shattered the false illusion of Jungkook being the good guy and forced him to face the harsh truth- which was something he had always struggled to do.
Even though it was hard to listen to her words, and even harder to accept them, in the end Jungkook opened himself up to the possibility that what she was saying, was true. Jungkook realised that he wasn't okay and he had to change, the things he did shouldn't be excused just because he was hurting and grieving. Jungkook still had a long way to go, but this time, he was ready to grow and evolve, he was ready to embrace the change.
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A small butterfly sat on top of a yellow petal of a blooming flower. It's midnight black wings with a pinch of dark blue in the mix, contrasted against the brightness of the flower. The small butterfly basked in the bright morning sun, it's wings occasionally fluttered as it rose in the air and perched on top of a different flower.
The little thing wasn't aware of the eyes watching it dance from a flower to a flower, as it tried to find the best spot to observe the sun caressing the tips of the trees. But the peaceful morning and serene atmosphere was crushed by the heavy boot of car engines, which made the butterfly flap its little wings and scramble away.
The brown eyes lifted away from the butterfly and focused on the field on the other side of the fence. Jungkook watched the edge of the trees with anticipation as he continued to listen to the rumble of busses getting louder and louder until the tip of an orange school bus peeked out from between the trees.
"Are you nervous?"
Jungkook's eyes didn't leave the orange bus, nor the two other grey busses following after the first one. The only indication that he had heard what Taehyung said was the twitch in his lips and the small scrunch in his nose. Jungkook continued to stand tensely in the middle of the courtyard with his hands crossed against his chest and eyes following the busses that drove closer and closer towards the prison.
"I'm nervous." Taehyung continued to speak with a small shrug, he, too, was carefully observing the buses before tilting his head in Jungkook's direction and eyeing the side of his face, "It's a lot of people to take in, I hope Rick knows what he's doing."
"If any of these people even try to lay a hand on any of you..." Jungkook's lips finally parted to allow his voice to escape. His eyes tore away from the busses and he turned to gaze back at Taehyung with a sugary sweet smile, "...I will kill them before they could breathe in your direction."
A snort erupted from Taehyung and a smug smile tugged at his lips. Taehyung huffed out a deep chuckle and shook his head, "Why did I expect anything less from you?"
Jungkook's lips stretched out into a matching grin before he pressed his lips together and turned away- trying to hide his smile as the gate to the courtyard was pulled open and the busses drove in. Jungkook straightened out immediately and dropped the smile into a guarded expression, his eyes followed the busses as they drove towards him and stopped right next to him.
The cars turned off, allowing the silence to return and wrap around the two young Koreans watching the busses. Both boys held their breaths and allowed their eyes to travel over to the windows, only to see many old wrinkly faces, and even some extremely young ones staring back at them.
Jungkook and Taehyung slowly began to relax as they watched the door of the busses open and elderly people slowly climb out. The Woodburians turned their heads around and observed their new home with fascination and a hint of excitement. And as they took a few steps into the courtyard and approached Carol, who was about to give them a tour, their position as the Woodburians crumbled, and they became The prisonerians.
Jungkook snickered at the thought, followed by a muffled chuckle coming from Taehyung. The younger's smile faltered and eyes narrowed before he snapped his head towards Taehyung, "What?" Jungkook spat, thinking that Taehyung was laughing at him, but as Taehyung crossed his arms over his chest and continued to gaze at the Ex-Woodburians with a hint of a smirk, Jungkook quickly realised that Taehyung found something else amusing.
"I get that these people haven't been outside those walls since the apocalypse started, but come on, look at what they're wearing!" Taehyung spoke in perfect Korean, his words were laced with a hint of accent but Jungkook knew it was normal since Taehyung probably spoke in Korean rarely. Despite that, Jungkook realised that he would never get used to Taehyung speaking Korean because the familiar language made so many good emotion bloom in his chest. He wished Taehyung could continue speaking only in Korean to him because it brought him a sense of comforting nostalgia.
A deep sigh left Jungkook's nose as he decided to entertain Taehyung and look in the direction he was staring. At the sight of a young male stepping out of the bus with bright red swim-shorts and a white tank top, Jungkook released a snort of his own, only to quickly turn away and smack his hand against his mouth.
"Fucking dumbass." Jungkook hissed at Taehyung, reaching out and smacking his stomach to stop the older from chuckling under his breath. Taehyung merely grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him a step closer before leaning down and whispering in his ear,
"And look at that woman, she's literally wearing a floor-length summer dress. Floor-length!" Taehyung huffed out a raspy chuckle right into Jungkook's ear, all while keeping his hand curled around Jungkook's forearm and eyes glued on the girl.
Jungkook briefly wondered why did Taehyung pull him closer and whisper when he was speaking Korean and no one would understand him anyway. But Jungkook chose to push away the thought and turn to catch a glimpse of the female. He noticed her eyeing the prison with wide eyes and a frown etched across her face before she grabbed a hold of her dress and followed after her group.
"Okay, I can admit that they look a bit funny...but you're making it obvious that we're talking about them." Jungkook mumbled back, shuffling on his feet and looking away as if he was looking around the area, but his eyes still occasionally drifted back to the new people. He looked at Taehyung, only to see the older observing the group with an amused smirk, "Stop looking!" Jungkook hissed with scarlet red cheeks.
Taehyung merely chuckled and finally tore his eyes away from the new group, instead, he slid his arm up Jungkook's arm until it settled on his shoulder. Jungkook's eyes became round and hands clammed up as Taehyung leaned in and purred under his breath,
"Have I ever told you that you sound hot when talking in Korean?"
Jungkook reeled his hand back and smacked Taehyung on the back of his head, "Shut up!" Jungkook hissed through scarlet red cheeks and wide eyes. He looked around as if anyone would understand Korean, only to make eye-contact with Maggie and Rick who were standing a few steps away from them and watching them with confused expressions.
Rick opened his mouth to say something, but in the end furrowed his brows and looked away- his confusion never wavering. Maggie, on the other hand, continued to peer at them with raised brows and a glint of endearment shinning through her eyes.
"You don't have to hit me!" Taehyung grumbled back at Jungkook, pressing his hand against the back of his head and caressing the spot there.
Jungkook's expression dropped in the one of disbelief as he shot his eyes back to Taehyung, "Be happy I didn't pull a gun on you." Jungkook scoffed, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling.
"But I loved it when you threatened me and pulled your gun on me." Taehyung winked back, turning to look back at the Woodburians. All of them had climbed out of their busses and were grouping in front of carol- ready to head inside and choose their cells.
A few younger girls seemed to have spotted Taehyung and Jungkook standing off to the side, which made them blush and giggle to themselves. Their eyes continued to flicker over to the two boys until Taehyung caught their gazes and raised his hand to wiggle his fingers at them. The girls immediately spun away with scarlet red cheeks and small gasps, leaving Taehyung to snicker to himself and Jungkook to scoff and roll his eyes with a sour scowl.
The scoff seemed to have caught Taehyung's attention, which led the older to peek at Jungkook and see him sucking in his cheeks and staring at the new people with narrowed eyes. A touch of smugness brushed against Taehyung's features as he reached out his hand and placed it against Jungkook's lower back. Taehyung's eyes never turned away from the side of Jungkook's face as his fingers caressed the skin hidden behind his shirt and leaned down to murmur against the shell of his ear.
"Don't worry, Koo." Taehyung breathed out, watching with a smirk painted on his lips as Jungkook shivered and bit his lip, "You're the only one my eyes are on."
A scarlet red dust traveled up Jungkook's neck until it reached his ears. He could feel his stomach churn and heart pound in his chest, but instead of responding the way Taehyung had expected, Jungkook swallowed down the lump in his throat and stuttered out, "Did you...did you put out stuff in ou..our cell to make sure they don't occupy it?"
Taehyung jumped back and immediately whirled around to face the prison. His eyes widened in realisation before he offered Jungkook a nervous smile and raised his arms up in surrender, "To be fair, I kind of...might have...forgot." Taehyung trailed off cautiously, slowly backing up with each word. And just as he finished speaking and Jungkook opened his mouth to say something, Taehyung turned around and sprinted away to the prison.
Jungkoo's lips smacked shut before twitching into a timid smile. He continued to stare at Taehyung's broad back until he disappeared inside the prison.
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The prison group had agreed to let the Woodburians move into the prison and stay with them since The Governor and all the other leaders were gone, which left the elderly and younger people vulnerable and defenceless to any potential danger.
Jungkook saw this as an opportunity to try and redeem himself, not only to himself, but to his group and the people of Woodbury. Jungkook knew that some of the people that he had seen, may have been the loved ones of the people that he had killed. This realisation and thought felt so heavy on his shoulders, that when Taehyung approached him with the offer to go on a run together, he immediately accepted and both left the prison in a hurry.
But before they headed off on their mission, Jungkook had to do something important.
Birds chirped around him and leaves crunched underneath his boots. Jungkook walked through a familiar forest on his own- his hand curled around multiple necklaces and bracelets, and eyes bouncing around the tree tops looming over his head.
Jungkook stopped walking as he reached a wall of bushes and spent a few minutes of silence staring at it. Jungkook finally gathered enough courage to push through the wall of bushes and reveal a single grave hidden between the trees.
Jungkook's footsteps were slow and steady- each step placed with caution and a hint of fear. His footsteps faltered as he stood in front of the grave and eyed the make-shift wooden cross on the opposite end of it.
A long breath rushed through his nostrils before his legs bent as he crouched down in front of the grave, "Hi." Jungkook managed to push out, allowing his eyes to drop down to the jewellery resting in his open palm.
Jungkook did what he had promised to do, he killed every single person who was involved in Marley's death. He had avenged her, and now...now it was time to move on. And what better way to move on than to come talk to her one last time.
"They're all dead." Jungkook breathed out quietly, keeping his eyes locked on the silver bracelets spilling out of his palm. The pads of his fingers ran over a bloody necklace before he gulped and forced himself to look up at the grave, "I killed them all, I avenged you, and now....now you can finally find peace." The edge of his lips quirked up into a breezy smile and his fingers curled out the bracelets before he shoved them back in his pocket. He didn't want to leave anything that had to do with Kolten's group near Marley's grave, he just wanted to prove to her that he had done it incase she didn't see.
"I used to blame myself for what happened, but then I realised that it wasn't my fault. Everything that happens, happens for a reason, and even though I didn't want you to die, forcing you to live and change in this world would've been even worse." Jungkook gulped and kept his hands shoved him his pockets. He stared down at the small flower peeking out from the dirt on Marley's grave and allowed himself to smile at the sight, "I'm glad you got to escape this world before it took away your innocence and forced you to see the reality of how things are. Yet another part of me wishes I could've saved you and kept you safe along with the rest of my group." Jungkook sighed and pressed his fingers against his forehead to smoothen out the small crease, "But everyone eventually dies, and you would've died either way, just like me, just like Rick or Daryl, or..or Taehyung. We will all die and it's not something any of us can escape."
Jungkook's arm fell down and head tilted back to allow the sunlight to touch his face. He blinked up at the bright blue sky and followed a stray bird with his eyes, "I'm sorry if you saw that...bad side of me." Jungkook whispered with a small wince before turning to look back at the grave, "The things I did weren't good, nor can they be excused or pushed away. So instead of forcing myself to forget or taunting myself with these thoughts that I'm a heartless murdered, I chose to forgive myself."
A faint smile touched Jungkook's thin lips and his eyes glossed over with relieved tears. A breathy chuckle left his lips before he shook his head, "I want to accept everything I did and learn from my mistakes. I want to use the things I've done as examples of what not to do and who not to be." Jungkook spoke confidently and calmly, he pushed off of the ground and stood up on his legs, all while brushing the dirt away from his pants.
Jungkook straightened out and connected his hands behind his back, his gaze was soft and warm as he blinked down at Marley's grave, "I don't really know who I am yet, but that's okay. All that matters is that I'm ready to grow, evolve, and find the balance between the old me and new me. And the first step to do that..." Jungkook's smile faltered as he trailed off. His eyes flickered away and tongue felt heavy in his mouth, he struggled to look back at the grave and open his mouth, but after a few seconds, his lips peeled open and released the next few words, "the first step is to say goodbye to you."
A warm breeze ruffled through the trees until it reached Jungkook and tussled his brown curls. He exhaled a sharp breath and raised his head higher, "It's time for both of us to move on and be happy. I know this won't be the last time we see each other, so until then...please be patient and say hello to my mom."
Jungkook's lips stayed pulled up and small tears of joy gathered in the edge of his eyes. The relief of finally letting these things go and moving on, brought him immense relief and joy. The only thing Jungkook could do, was curl his fingers around his sleeves and stand by her grave like a smiling fool.
"Goodbye, Marley, Thank you for everything you have done for me."
And with those last uttered words, Jungkook turned around and left the surrounding area. He walked through the woods with a soft smile painted on his face and his body completely relaxed. He listened to the songs the birds played, and watched the dances the leaves performed as they whirling down from a tree and hit the ground. Jungkook could feel a new sense of calmness and serenity wash over his with each step he took until he finally reached the edge of the woods and could see the silver car parked on the side of the road.
Jungkook scrambled over to the car with a beaming grin before throwing the door open and sliding in next to Taehyung. The older was humming an unrecognisable tune as he drummed his fingers against the wheel and stared out of the front window. When Jungkook was done buckling and was sitting in the stiff seat with a growing smile on his face, Taehyung decided to drive forward.
Jungkook's eyes flirted to the review mirror and he watched as the forest went further and further away until he could no longer see it. Jungkook smiled once again and turned to look outside the front window at the road ahead. Jungkook realised that he didn't know the road Taehyung was driving, which made him feel more curious and excited than usual,
"Where are we going?" Jungkook twisted his head around to take a peek at Taehyung driving the car. He found the sight incredibly attractive but decided to keep the thought to himself.
An invisible string of amusement pulled at Taehyung's lips and he sucked in his cheeks to stop himself from laughing as he answered to the younger, "I found this sex sho-"
"No!"
The loud shout caused Taehyung to erupt into booming laughter. His laughter only increased as Jungkook threw a few threats at him before huffing and slouching in his seat. But eventually, Jungkook too broke out into a smile and released a few chuckles of his own.
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