⚠️ Trigger warning! ⚠️

   When Jungkook was a child, a boy purposefully tripped him, making him trip and slam against the ground. A feeling of pain and fear washed over him as he helplessly laid on the ground, staring up at the blue sky, only to be blinded by the blaring sun.

He remembered how he felt weak and pathetic- tears rolling down his chubby cheeks and loud cries leaving his chapped lips. But then everything was better, because a pair of arms grabbed him by his armpits, and lifted him off the ground and into his mother's warm embrace.

Jungkook remembered her sweet murmurs and her gentle caresses as she rocked him side to side. He remembered how the ice cream tasted, when she brought him to an ice cream shop to cheer him up. He remembered how his high pitched giggles mixed together with her breeze like laughs. He remembered how the sun shone on her through the window, illuminating her delicate features and making her skin glow like an angel.

Jungkook remembered it all- all the little details and all the unimportant stuff, because to Jungkook, that's what mattered the most- the little things. And maybe that's why it was so hard to breathe when he was laying on the ground- sharp grass digging into his exposed skin and sun glaring down at him. Maybe it was because it reminded him too much of when he was little, but this time, there was no one to pick him back up.

Jungkook swallowed down the lump in his throat and rolled onto his stomach, looking around in confusion. Gunshot after gunshots echoed throughout the air, stabbing him in the eardrums and making his head pound.

Everything had happened so suddenly- the first gunshot pierced through the air and Taehyung didn't waste time as he pushed Kook to the ground for cover. Jungkook was too shocked to protest and before he could even say anything to Taehyung, the male had left him to crawl over to Hershel.

Jungkook's hair fell into his face as he looked down at his dirt covered hands. He continued to listen to the gunshots before shutting his eyes and steeling himself. The fear and confusion, in him, washed away, becoming nothing but a jumbled mess of emotions that he had pushed down.

Jungkook's eyes fluttered back open and he swung his head around to look at Hershel and Taehyung- the latter helping him to the ground before pulling out his gun and checking the amo. Taehyung looked so serious and confident in the moment, not seemingly bothered by the sudden attack. Jungkook admired how he looked so calm and collected, as if he had all the answers in the world and as if he knew what to do in this situation.

The calmness radiated off of Taehyung, and Jungkook sucked it right up. His expression hardened, and he pushed himself off of the ground and onto his knees. He peered over the tall grass, sharp gaze immediately falling onto the pickup truck outside their gates. Jungkook could see men standing on top of the truck and some even surrounding it, but what caught his attention was the tall man in a trench coat. He was swinging his gun around with a grin on his face, not caring about the bullets he had just wasted or who he shot.

Uncontrollable rage bubbled inside Jungkook as he realised that some of his people may be injured, or even killed, yet this man was grinning and laughing without a care in the world. Jungkook's breathing deepened as he drowned out the sound of gunshots and swiftly pulled out his gun. His lip curled into a snarl and his gripped on the gun tightened as he aimed it at the governor before pressing the trigger.

Bullet after bullet flew through the air, some kitting the metal fence and bouncing off, but most of them shooting towards the governor. The grinning man merely ducked or stepped out of the way, causing the bullets to hit the white car behind him. Jungkook grew more furious as the man turned to his direction and smirked, raised the gun towards him.

A hand curled around the back of Jungkook's throat, slamming him against the ground, pushing his body into the dirt. Jungkook groaned in pain, struggling against the hold, only to freeze as he felt bullets whoosh past his head.

The person's hand loosened around his neck and they pressed against the ground next to him. The gunshots continued and the bullets barely missed their bodies as they laid on the ground motionlessly. Jungkook opened his eyes, only to stare into Taehyung's glaring ones, the male looking a bit angry as he stared back at Jungkook.

"What the fuck were you doing? The priority is to get out of here, not kill him." Taehyung hissed quietly, acting like there weren't bullets flying over their heads and slamming into the ground around them.

Jungkook's face hardened and he carefully reached out to push Taehyung's hand away, "Killing him is a priority! You think he's gonna spare our lives when he barges in here?" Jungkook growled, brown hair falling into his face and fists curling against the ground.

Flashes of different emotions rushed through Taehyung's face, all too quick for Jungkook to process. He inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut before exhaling and looking back at Jungkook, "You don't know what their plan is. Executing governor right now may piss them off, and then they could ignore their plan completely and actually barge in here to kill us all." Taehyung explained calmly, eyes flickering up when he realised that the governor was no longer shooting at them. Actually...no one was shooting. A thick silence fell over the area, coating the air like a sprinkle of snow.

Jungkook glared at Taehyung, his cheeks going red and jaw clenching. He swallowed thickly and pushed off of the ground to sit on his knees before his sharp gaze connecting with Taehyung's yet again.

"Hershel is missing a limb, getting him out of the fire is a priority." Taehyung huffed at him, gesturing towards Hershel, who was laying on the ground. He eyed them both, gaze soft and filled with worry before he looked up at the main prison, trying to spot his daughters.

Jungkook inhaled sharply and allowed his gaze to drift to Hershel. He eyed the old man, face softening and anger diminishing before he looked back at Taehyung and gave him a nod.

Taehyung breathed out in relief, running a hand through his hair, "Okay, okay, you have more amo?" He asked, pressing his hands against the ground and hunching over slightly to avoid any bullets coming their way. Jungkook shook his head with a frown, eyes occasionally glancing back over to the governor and his men, "Fuck, shit, oka-"

Taehyung stopped talking when his voice mingled together with the sound of a distant rumble. Jungkook tensed and sat up straighter, eyes falling onto the truck speeding down the dirt road. The bunny boy went pale and wide eyed as the truck drove faster and faster, speeding towards the gates of the prison.

"It's...not slow-" Jungkook's stutter was cut off when the truck slammed into the front gates, ripping them off the hinges. The tension rose and the silence seemed almost suffocating as the truck drove through the field before screeching to a halt in the middle of it.

The car continued to rest there for a few more seconds, as if the driver was allowing the group to become more anxious and scared. But eventually, the gate on the back of the truck, creaked open and slammed against the ground. As soon as the gate was open, growls and snarls filled the air as walkers stumbled out of the truck and began to spread through the field.

"Shit." Taehyung hissed, realising that the walkers weren't that far away from where they were hiding. The walkers were spreading too fast for them to run away with Hershel, and he knew that if they tried, they'd just be shot down by the governor.

Jungkook's hands clenched into fists and his eyes gleamed with rage. He ignored Taehyung, who tried to help Hershel up, and continued to watch the truck. The door slid open and someone stumbled out of it, the guy pushed away the walkers around him and began to run through the field.

Gunshots came from all directions- the prison, where Maggie and Carol were, the outside of the gate, where the governor was, or even from just a few metres away, where Rick was fighting against a horde of walkers, that stumbled out of the forest. Jungkook's head was pounding from all the noise yet he didn't care enough to wince, too busy staring at the guy, that came out of the truck.

The sound around Jungkook dimmed, the only thing he could hear being his shallow breathing and his heart thumping in his chest. Jungkook slowly pushed off of the ground and stood up on his feet, eyes glued to the Male running through the field. His eyes squinted and head tilted to the side, and then he saw it.

He knew him.

Jungkook knew that dark skinned Male, he knew his muscular, lean body and the scruff that rested on his chin. Jungkook knew him because he was Sean- the guy, who did nothing, but watch, as Marley slowly died in his arms.

Jungkook's whole world froze and everything around him seemed to blur together into a pile of nothingness. His emotions mixed together into surplus, but Jungkook could make out one of them, one emotion that took over his body and mind completely.

Hatred.

A growl ripped through Jungkook's throat before he jumped into a sprint, running towards Sean. He didn't even hear Taehyung scream after him or realise that there was bullets shooting at him, Jungkook just dashed across the field, shoving away everything in his path, not caring if it was a walker or not.

Raw hatred and anger made him oblivious to his surroundings and made his vision go red. Shallow pants left his chapped lips and his muscles ached as he ran, yet he ignored it all. The distance between Sean and Jungkook slowly disappeared- the other Male being oblivious to the danger looming over his head.

A bullet shot through the air, flying past Jungkook's head and grazing his cheek, barely missing his skull. Jungkook didn't even realise that blood poured out of the wound and trickled down his cheek. But he did see a pickup truck speed into the yard, towards Sean. The truck stopped next to him and Sean quickly climbed into the open cargo area.

Jungkook's expression darkened and his legs moved faster until he was a few metres away from the car. Sean's eyes widened as his gaze fell on Jungkook before he slammed against the window of the truck, alerting the curly haired female sitting at the wheel.

"Drive! Drive! What the fuck!" Sean shouted, Jungkook not even noticing that his voice was deeper than Sean's, too focused on the fact that the car began to roll away with Sean still in it.

The bunny boy ran towards the driving car, grabbing onto the edge of it and pushing off of the ground, hoisted himself inside with a grunt. Jungkook's feet slammed against the back of the truck before he straightened out. The wind blew his hair back, exposing his forehead, and his tall, muscular frame towered over Sean's cowering one.

Sean's face paled and he held up his hands in surrender, noticing the murderous look on Jungkook's face, "Hey, hey, hey! Lets talk-"

Jungkook didn't even hear what he was saying, too observed in his own grief and hatred. He marched over to a stuttering Sean, grabbing him be the back of his throat and ripping him up to his feet.

"Hey, let...let's ta-" Jungkook cut him off by throwing him over the edge of the open cargo. A sharp scream followed after the heavy thud, making Jungkook's lips twitch up. His hand curled around the side of the truck and he leaned forward, cold eyes watching Sean slam against the ground and roll around.

Jungkook's hold on the truck tightened before he jumped over the side of the driving car, following after Sean. His body slammed against the ground and rolled a few times before stopping. Jungkook pushed off of the ground and stood up, ignoring his bleeding knees and dusting off his clothes as he marched over to Sean, as if nothing happened.

Jungkook's face was stone cold as he loomed over the terrified guy, who was crawling away from him, "You...broke my leg!" Sean shouted, one hand clutching at his broken leg, while the other grabbed the dirt.

Jungkook tilted his head to the side, face stone cold as his eyes slowly trailed down to his leg, "Oh." He breathed out, staring at the bone sticking out of his leg. Blood poured out of the open wound, rolling down his jeans and soaking into the dirt, "I'll help." Jungkook beamed before raising his leg and smashing it down against the broken bone, creating a loud crack.

An ear piercing scream ripped through the air, overpowering the sound of walkers growling and the rumble of a car speeding off. Jungkook hummed at the sound, eyes glinting with satisfaction as he cooed softly, taking a step closer to Sean. The latter continued to scream and cry, hands clutching onto his leg as he laid on the ground limply.

"That better?" Jungkook's lips twitched up, yet his eyes remained void of all emotion. The feeling of contentment washed over him as he listened to the pitiful sobs and whimpers before bending down next to the broken leg, "Wait, wait, wait. Sorry, I can do better." Jungkook threw his head back and released a sinister laugh before straightening out and wrapping his fingers around the exposed bone.

Jungkook's hands dripped with blood as he grinned and twisted the bone harshly, snapping it off. Another scream tore through the air, making Jungkook wince before he composed himself, "Oops." He gasped, hand dripping with blood as he held up the bone to his eyes, "I think you lost this." A dark, malicious smirk appeared on Jungkook's face as his eyes connected with Sean's teary ones.

"Oh well." He shrugged, ignoring Sean's screams as he lifted the sharp bone and slamming it into his stomach.

His surroundings blurred together and the noises around him dulled, the only thing Jungkook could hear was Sean's gurgled screams and pleads to stop. Unwanted memories flashed through Jungkook's mind as he raised his hand and stabbed the broken bone into Sean's stomach repeatedly. Blood splattered across his face and clothes, yet his face remained emotionless and eyes hazy.

Jungkook's hand moved on its own, stabbing in and out, even after Sean's screams stopped and his body went limp. The veins in his arms popped out from how hard he was gripping onto the bone, and his once grey shirt was now a dark crimson colour.

A hand latched onto Jungkook's shoulder and like a dam had been broken- Jungkook snapped out of his murderous daze and growls filled his ears. He immediately whirled around, pushing the walker to the ground and shoving the bone through it's eyes.

Jungkook panted as he laid on top of the motionless body, wide, frantic eyes connecting with the walker's grey ones. His eyes trailed down to his bloody hand and he uncurled his fingers from the bone, memories flashing through his mind as he looked down at his bloody hands.

"Marley?"

The whisper left his lips without thinking before he realised what he said and where he was. Yet once he came back to reality, Jungkook shook his head and rolled off of the body, plopping down on his ass. His gaze lifted from his hands and he looked around, realising that he was sitting in the middle of the dirt road, surrounded by trees. He could see the prison at the end of the dirt road, realising that he wasn't that far away from it.

Jungkook released a breath of relief, hand raising to brush his hair out of his face, only to smear blood across his forehead. He ripped his hand away from his face and blinked down at it before lifting his gaze towards the dead body a metre away from him.

Jungkook immediately scrambled up to his knees and crawled over to the dead body. His eyes ran over his torn up stomach, that consisted of mashed organs in a pool of blood, before looking up at Sea-

Jungkook froze, eyes widening and a sharp gasp falling past his lips. He leaned over the body, hands grabbing his chin and eyes running over his face.

It wasn't him.

The man he had killed wasn't Sean, nor did he look anything like it. The guy's eyes were narrow and a bit too far away from each other, and there was a small scar above his thin lips. His lifeless eyes gazed up at the sky before Jungkook released his chin, allowing his head to roll to the side.

Shallow pants left Jungkook's lips as he scrambled away from the body with his eyes still glued to it. He tangled his bloody hands into his hair, flinching when his hair became sticky. Jungkook pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, eyes still wide and hazy, and lips parted.

Jungkook didn't understand what had happened, he knew he saw Sean, he had seen him so clearly. But now that he looked at 'Sean', it wasn't him, but rather someone else. And after he saw....Sean, he felt like he was pushed out of his own body and some sort of primal rage had taken over. Jungkook looked down at his shaking hands, quickly growing terrified and repulsed as he stared down at the blood covering his hands.

Jungkook didn't regret killing the male because he knew that he deserved it for attacking his people and destroying their home. No, no. Jungkook was scared. But not of the governor or the walkers, that were currently stumbling out of the forest towards him, but himself. Jungkook was scared of himself, because what if one day he sees Kolten in Rick's place? What if he attacks Rick just like he had attacked this guy?

Jungkook didn't want to think about it, so he pushed off of the ground just as a walker finally reached him. He raised his foot and slammed it into the walker, making it stumble and fall over. Jungkook ignored it and turned around, walking down the road back to the prison.

His muscles ached and his hands dripped with blood, some droplets falling and soaking into the ground, yet despite that, Jungkook's face remained cold and his eyes remained emotionless. The adrenaline finally wore off, and Jungkook could feel his cheek stinging and his healed gun wound ache from the amount of running he did.

After a few minutes, Jungkook reached the front of the prison, his eyes immediately falling onto the three figures standing in front of it. Jungkook's steps slowed down and he eyed the three before noticing the familiar crossbow on one of their backs.

"Daryl?" Jungkook gasped, freezing in his steps. He watched as Daryl and Rick uttered a few words to each other, completely ignoring the third Male next to them. Jungkook suddenly perked up and jumped into a sprint, "Daryl!" He yelled, his voice attracting the attention of the three men and the onlooking walkers.

Daryl turned around, only for Jungkook to jump on him and pull him into a thigh hug. His face scrunched up as Jungkook bounced on his feet like an excited bunny- bloody arms wrapped around him and bloody clothes smearing blood into him. Jungkook beamed brightly, lips stretching out into a wide grin and eyes scrunching up in the corners.

"Yeah, yeah." Daryl grunted, awkwardly patting Jungkook on the back before softly pushing him away.

"Damn, brotha', never took you for a hugga'." Merle snickered, a wicked grin appearing on his face as his eyes ran over Jungkook's bloody clothes and arms, before stopping at the blood splattered on his face, "Damn." He whistled, "Chinese kid's got balls!"

Jungkook's smile quickly crumbled into a glare. He grew stiff as he watched the unfamiliar man, hand inching towards his gun, only to realise that he had lost it.

"Shut up." Daryl growled, grabbing Merle and pushing him towards the prison. Rick was already prepared to run through the field to the other side of the prison- his face absolutely livid as he eyed the damage done to their home.

Jungkook decided that it was best to give him some space and rather focus on what Merle has said. His eyes squinted into a glare and a pout appeared on his face as he huffed,

"I'm Korean."

"Hes Korean."

Jungkook and Daryl echoed- the latter rolling his eyes with a grumble, while Jungkook's lips stretched out into a smile. Their words made Merle snicker, only for Jungkook and Daryl to glare back at him.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

"We're not leaving."

"We can't stay here."

"What if there's another sniper? A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds."

"We can't even go outside."

"Not in the daylight."

Jungkook's head was pounding from all the discussions. He slouched against the stairs, shutting his eyes and leaning his head against the railing, only to hiss when Beth dabbed a wet rag onto the scrape on his cheekbone. His eyes shot open and he sat straighter, making Beth jump in surprise. Jungkook was quick to send her an apologetic look and let her resume cleaning his cut.

The group had been discussing what to do with the governor situation- Hershel proposed the idea of leaving, while Glenn and Rick were persistent to stay. Jungkook didn't want to leave either, not when Hershel only had one leg and not when they have a baby on their arms. They barely survived the winter, and now they finally have a place to stay and food to eat. Jungkook refused to give that all up because some asshole with an eyepatch didn't want to share the territory.

Jungkook placed his elbow on top of his knee and leaned his chin against his knuckles, allowing his eyes to fleet over the group. His gaze stopped at Taehyung, who was leaning against the concrete wall of the prison, twirling a throwing knife between his hands. Jungkook's eyes immediately squinted into a glare and his lips pressed into a thin line, only for his nose to scrunch up when Beth took a hold of his hand and cleaned another scrape on his palm.

Jungkook ignored her, sparing another glance towards Taehyung's throwing knives before looking at Glenn. The bruised man's face was stoic as he pushed off of the stairs and stood up, "Rick says we're not running, we're not running."

"No." A deep voice dragged out, followed by a husky laugh. Everyone's eyes fell on Merle, who was staring back at them through the locked bars of the main room, "Better to live like rats."

"You have a better idea?" Rick rose a brow, his voice calm as he addressed a smirking Merle.

Merle's smirk widened and he shoved his hand through the bars to lean against them, "Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now." The cocky male shrugged.

"I ain't scared of that prick." Daryl grumbled from the second floor, leaning against the railing and looking down at his brother with a scowl.

Merle huffed out a chuckle, running his tongue over his lips, "Yall should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to." Merle's cocky grin had vanished and a more serious look had taken its place.

"Let's put him in the other cell bloc-"

"No." Taehyung's deep voice interrupted Maggie from finishing, it cut through the air and captured everyone's attention. Jungkook pulled away from Beth with a scrunched up nose and allowed his eyes to stick to Taehyung, "He may be an asshole, but he knows the governor the best." Taehyung grumbled, eyes still focused on the knife dancing between his long fingers.

"This is all you! You started this!" Maggie whirled around and yelled at Merle, her voice bouncing off of the walls of the prison until they reached Jungkook's ears, making his headache increase. He pressed his fingers against his temples and rubbed the spot there, shutting his eyes with a deep sigh.

"What difference whose fault it is?" Beth exclaimed, pushing off of the stairs and throwing the bloody rag into the bowl of water, placed between her and Jungkook. Kook peeled his eye open and pursued his lips as he watched the red water splash around and run over the edges of the bowl, "What do we do?" Beth finished softer, eyes jumping from person to person.

"I said we should leave. Now Axel's dead." Hershel spoke up from his spot on the first step. He shoved his finger towards the ground, keeping up the eye contact with Rick, "We can't just sit here!"

Jungkook's face fell and he slumped as he watched Rick suck in his cheeks before turning around and slowly walking away from them. The fear and confusion in him grew as the leader turned his back on them and tried to leave without giving them any advice on the problem. Yet despite wanting the leader to speak and not leave, nobody said anything and just watched.

Hershel wasn't having it though, he immediately grabbed his crutches and pushed off of the ground, "Get back here!" Hershel shouted on the top of his lungs, making Jungkook flinch. Kook's nose scrunched up and he placed his hands up on his legs before resting his chin on top of his arms.

Taehyung finally looked up from his throwing knife, eyes flickering between Hershel and Rick before he shoved his knife back into its place and crossed his arms over his chest. His attention now fully on the scene in front of him.

The group fell silent, allowing an eerie silence to engulf the prison, only for Hershel's crutches to be the only sound heard. Rick stopped walking, yet his back remained turned to the group as Hershel limped closer to him.

"You're slipping, Rick. We've all seen it, we understand why, but now is not the time." Hershel stomped his crutch against the ground, eyes burning and lips tugging down into a firm line as he spoke to the leader. Rick shifted on his feet before slowly turning around to face Hershel, "You once said this isn't a democracy, now you have to own up to that." Hershel shook his head, exhaling softly before speaking more softly than before, "I put my family's life in your hands. So get your head clear, and do something."

Jungkook chewed on his bottom lip anxiously, eyes falling onto his bloody shoes as Rick fully faced Hershel. He felt quite awkward listening to Hershel's words and watching this happen. He knew what Hershel said was true, but he didn't want to push Rick after everything that he had done for him. But in the end, Jungkook was glad that someone said this to Rick, maybe that's what he needed to hear.

Taehyung, on the other hand, pressed his tongue against his cheek and eyed the pair. He thought that doing everything Rick asked him to, would be easy, but now he realised how truly difficult it would be. He just wished there was a way for him to repay Rick, but now he was just going back on his own words and it made him feel ashamed. But maybe Rick didn't need another person to command, maybe he needed someone to be there for him, someone for him to lean on. So if that's what Rick needed in order to heal, Taehyung was willing to be that person.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

BOOOOOOOM! Chapter! Don't know 'bout you, but I lowkey really liked this chapter! Anywhore, both of my books are close to being finished, and I'm wondering which book will I finish first- Xoxo or Ephemeral.

Oh, speaking of top/bottom/switches, I have decided that Jungkook won't top YET. I think it's too soon for the small, virgin bean to top daddy Tae. And just because he's a badass and has a muscular body, doesn't mean he's a top, he still BABY.

Anywhoooore, I have a little surprise for you in the next chapter. Any guesses?

~Benikru