Sleep is essential to the human body, it can improve concentration and productivity, along with affecting emotions and social interactions. Unfortunately, Taehyung was no stranger to nights of forcing himself to stay awake, in order to escape the nightmares he'd ensue. The only way he'd allow himself to fall asleep is, if he's so exhausted that he's reached the point of collapsing. This way, Taehyung ensures that he'd be too exhausted to allow his nightmares to haunt him in his most vulnerable state.

A yawn tore of out Taehyung's mouth as he ruffled his raven hair and blinked down at the drawing on the ground. Glenn and Carl were sitting on opposite sides of the drawing of the layout of the prison. Carl was trying to explain to Glenn where he had found Tyreese's group, so that they'd know where the weak spot in the prison was located.

"Right." Glenn muttered, using the chalk to draw another room to the layout, "Now you said that you found Tyreese's group here?" Glenn looked up at Carl, tapping his fingers against the box he had just drawn.

Taehyung released a deep sigh and shifted on his feet, pulling up his sleeves and crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed almost bored as he watched Carl nod, only for Glenn to furrow his brows and huff, "We secured this."

Carl bit his lip, eyes flickering from Glenn to the drawing, before he leaned over and pointed at another room, "He thought he came through here."

"That mean's there's another breach." Glenn sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead and running it down his face, "Okay." Glenn pulled his hand back and looked up at the rest of the group. Carol and Axel were sitting at a metal table, while Maggie and Beth were leaning against the wall to Glenn's right. On the opposite side of them, stood Michonne and Taehyung, who were leaning against a weird cage thingy.

"The whole front of the prison is unsecure. If walkers just strolled in, then it's gonna be a cake for a group of armed men." Glenn sighed, eyes dancing between the group members until they ended up glued to the prison layout under his feet.

"Why are we even so sure he's gonna attack?" Beth asked softly, shifting her weight from one foot to another, "Maybe you scared him off." He shrugged.

Taehyung's lips twitched into an amused smile and he looked down at the ground, trying to hide the smile from everyone. The girl's nativity to the situation and the true nature of the people, was quite amusing and adorable to Taehyung.

But while one part of him was amused, another part of him was jealous, jealous because he had never truly experienced this level of innocence. Taehyung was exposed to the horrors of the world and the true nature of humans, at a very young age. It had completely shattered his trust in humanity and destroyed his naive way of viewing the world.

Taehyung had always wondered how it would feel like to have a normal, loving family- Would he be the same as he is now? Would he even be here right now? These questions would never be answered, but if Taehyung closed his eyes, he could always imagine.

"He had fish tanks full of heads. Walkers and humans. Trophies." Taehyung's smile faltered and he looked to his right at Michonne. The two made eye contact before Michonne looked back at he group- her face expressionless and her eyes cold, "He's coming." She muttered with confidence.

"We should hit him now." Glenn spoke immediately after her, eyes glossing over with determination and thirst for revenge.

"What?" Beth gasped, lips parting to release a breath of shock. She looked at Maggie for help, but Maggie's face was void of emotion as she stared down at her shoes.

"He won't be expecting it. We'll sneak back in and put a bullet in his head." Glenn's voice raised slightly and his eyes got hazy, imagining how it would feel like to kill the governor and get his revenge for what he did to him and Maggie.

"We're not assassins." Carol scoffed, hands tightening around the metal cup she was holding.

Glenn ignored her and pushed off of the ground to stand up. He approached Michonne, making Taehyung tense and straighten out. His eyes were sharp as he observed Glenn in case he tried to attack, "You know where his apartment is, you and I can end this tonight." Glenn whispered to Michonne, lips pressed into a tight line and brown knitting together.

Taehyung's face hardened and he took a step closer to Glenn, "Don't pressure her. You want to kill the governor? Do it yourself." He spat- voice low and deep, dripping with venom and hostility. His raven hair fell into his eyes, reminding Taehyung to cut it, so that his black eyes would be more visible to others.

"I will." Glenn spared him a small glance, shoulders tensing as he met Taehyung's ebony eyes, "Just need her to show me the apartment." Glenn's eyes switched back to Michonne, who was staring off to the side, thinking. Taehyung looked at her too- eyes running over the side of her face, only to widen when she looked back at Glenn and gave him a small nod.

"Okay." Glenn nodded back at her, turning around and walking away.

Taehyung's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he hissed, "Michonn-"

"He didn't know you were coming last time and look what happened." Taehyung was cut off by Hershel, who had limped further into the room and was now standing next to Carl and the layout of the prison, "You were almost killed." He looked at Michonne before shaking his head and looking back at Glenn, "Daryl was captured." Hershel's soft features grew sharper as he gestured towards Glenn and then back at Maggie, "And you and Maggie were almost executed."

A breath of relief fell past Taehyung's lips, unfortunately, with Daryl gone and Rick losing his mind, the one in charge was Glenn. The issue with him being in charge, was that Glenn didn't think with his head and allowed his feelings to get in the way of rational thinking. Hence why he wanted to march into Woodbury and kill the governor without thinking about the consequences his actions would cause. Taehyung wished that he could be the one leading the group, but he knew that none of them trusted him enough to do so, so he was left to watch Glenn struggle.

"You can't stop me." Glenn hissed, marching up to Hershel and glaring up at him.

Hershel shook his head, voice still calm and soft as he addressed Glenn, "Rick would never allow this."

"You really think he's in any position to make that choice?" Glenn scoffed in disbelief, eyes narrowing and glaring into Hershel's soft ones.

"Think this through clearly." Hershel's voice grew sharper and firmer as he noticed Glenn's resilience and determination, "T-dog lost his life here. Lori, too. The men that were here, it isn't worth any more killing." Hershel's lips tilted down into a frown before he nodded at the metal door, leading out of the prison, "What are we waiting for? If he's really on his way, we should be out of here by now."

"T-Dog's dead?"

Everyone's gaze snapped over to Jungkook, who was leaning against the doorframe of the main room. He was clad in a white shirt, that was rolled up to his sleeves, and black skinny jeans. The first thing that popped into everyone's eyes was the lack of crutch as Jungkook stood up on both feet, not an ounce of pain on his face.

(A/N. If anyone's confused, Hershel took the stitches out of Jungkook's leg. I know gun wounds don't heal this fast and it could take weeks and even months, but let's just close our beautiful eyes and ignore this illogical move of mine for the plot.)

Taehyung ran his tongue over his bottom lip before sinking his teeth into it. He shifted from foot to foot, eyes running over Jungkook until they returned back to his eyes. Taehyung wasn't blind, nor was he a liar, he couldn't deny that Jungkook was beautiful, nor did he want to hide the fact that he was attracted to him. Taehyung just wished there was an easier way to get through the walls, that the younger boy had built around himself and see what he was hiding from the people he didn't trust.

"I was wondering where he was." Jungkook nodded nonchalantly, eyes empty and face indifferent as he pushed off of the door and stepped into the room, "Guess that answers my question." Jungkook huffed out a chuckle under his breath, stopping next to the metal table with the weapons and grabbing himself a gun.

"Jungkook-"

"Yes?" The said boy spun around, brow cocking and lips still tilted into a small smile as he stared back at Maggie. He noticed the concern in her eyes and released a small laugh, waving her off, "It's cool, no worries. People die all the time, so it's not a big deal. Anyway...." Jungkook dragged out the word, checking the gun's amo before grabbing a holster and attaching it to his belt, "I'm gonna go outside for a bit, check the perimeter and all that jazz, since there's no one on the watch right now."

"Wait..what?" Glenn eyes widened after hearing the last part and he stood up straighter, eyes following a smiling Jungkook.

Taehyung wasn't a fool, he could see through the boy's mask of indifference because he, too, once wore a mask like that. All you had to do, was look at the way Jungkook's hands trembled when he held the gun or the way the his smile didn't reach his eyes, or even the small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, that he hastily blinked away. All these little details, gave away the fact that Jungkook wasn't okay and he needed someone with him throughout his journey of healing. Taehyung knew that he wasn't that person, but if these people didn't see through Jungkook's mask, then he had no choice but to be exactly that.

"All of you can just...go back to whatever you were doing." Jungkook waved them off, walking over to the exit of the prison. He ignored the stares burning into his back as he slid open the metal door and marched through it, slamming it shut behind himself.

"Damn." Taehyung muttered, brows still raised and eyes glued to the door, that Jungkook left through. His eyes flickered back to the still shocked group members and he released a husky chuckle, "One of your people is broken."

Maggie's eyes snapped over to Taehyung and she sent him a nasty glare, "Shut up." She hissed, lip curling into a sneer.

Taehyung cocked his head to the side and grinned back at her, displaying his boxy smile, "Just because you don't like what I'm saying, doesn't mean that it's not true." His voice was quite soft as he said this, yet his facial features remained sharp and intimidating as he stared back at a glaring Maggie.

"Anyway, the point is, we're not going anywhere. Not when we have a baby..." Glenn spoke up, causing everyone's eyes to fall on him, while his attention turned to Hershel and he nodded down to his missing limb, "And not when you only have one leg."

As soon as Glenn finished speaking, Maggie pushed off of the wall and left the room. Her footsteps echoed throughout the silent prison as everyone watched her run up the stairs to her cell. The hostility on Glenn's face crumbled as a look of sadness and longing took its place. He stared after Maggie, swallowing down the lump in his throat and looking away, when she walked out of his view.

"Alright." Glenn cleared his throat, gaze falling into his boots before he looked back up, "We'll stay put. We're gonna defend this place, we're making a stand." He mumbled, giving Hershel a nod before bending down and addressed Carl, "Carl, you and I will go down to the tombs, we need to figure out where the breach is." He tapped his fingers against the prison layout.

"You got it."

Michonne stepped forward, "You'll need some help."

"No, in case anything happens, I'll need you up here." Glenn shook his head, eyes jumping from member to member until he stopped at Taehyung.

Noticing Glenn's stare, Taehyung pushed off of the metal cage with an eye roll and walked towards the exit. He grabbed onto the railing and climbed the steps, feeling Glenn's gaze burning into his back. Before Glenn could speak up, Taehyung called out as he grabbed the door and flung it open, "I only follow Rick's orders!"

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The sun glared down at Jungkook, caressing his exposed skin and causing a thin layer of sweat to appear on his body. His shirt clung to his stomach, showing off his six pack and his thin waist.

The muscles on his arms flexed and his brows knitted together as Jungkook picked up a metal plate and placed it against the edge of the fenced archway. The group wanted to create a cover against gunfire, in case the governor showed up. They used the metal from the yard and placed it along the sides of the metal fence before grabbing wooden planks and pressing it against the metal.

"What happened to the rest of the prisoners?" Jungkook finally spoke, interrupting Carol's and Axel's lighthearted conversation. He placed another metal plate against the fence and whirled around to face the duo.

Carol's eyes met Axel's before the later coughed and awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, "Big Tiny got bit by a walker and Tomas smashed his head in with a crowbar." Axel's words were heavy with a southern accent.

Jungkook nodded at him, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the metal plate with his hip. He nodded for Axel to continue- face still cold and eyes guarded as he stared at the anxious prisoner.

"Tomas tried to kill Rick, so Rick killed him and then tried to kill Andrew." Axel continued, moustache moving along with his lips and eyes flickering away from Jungkook, due to how intimidating Jungkook looked with his muscular frame and cold exterior.

Carol nodded at Axel's words, grabbing another metal plate and placing it along the archway, "He was alive and he tried to kill us by releasing a horde of walkers inside the prison. T-Dog died....he died by saving me." Carol's voice got quieter by the end before she cleared her throat and straightened back out, gaze falling onto Jungkook, "I was trapped in the tunnels for a few days until Daryl found me."

Jungkook nodded slowly, releasing a sigh through his nose and running a hand through his long hair. He turned his back to Carol and Axel, who continued their conversation after a few seconds, allowing Jungkook to keep to himself.

As Jungkook placed another wooden plank against the metal plate, his eyes snapped up towards the field of the prison. He straightened out and squinted his eyes, leaning closer to the fence and hooking his fingers through it to see better.

The sight of Taehyung and Hershel walking through the field and talking to each other as they approached the edge of the fence, made Jungkook frown and sulk. He quickly released a huff and blew a strand of his hair out of his face before spinning around on his heel and sauntering towards to prison.

"I have something to do!" Jungkook called out, running into the prison, and after Hershel and Taehyung. He didn't want Taehyung to trick Hershel into trusting him, nor did he want to risk Hershel's safety by leaving them alone.

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"Does he think we don't see him?" Taehyung whispered under his breath, not looking at Hershel as he addressed him.

Taehyung and Hershel had seen Rick walking outside the fence, looking for something. The two had agreed to go over to talk to him, while he was still lingering outside the forest and not going inside. But while they were in the middle of the field, Taehyung had noticed Jungkook lingering behind them- a heavy scowl on his face and his eyes squinted in distrust.

They had ignored Jungkook, thinking that he wanted to catch up to them and walk with them, but they were proven wrong when Jungkook remained 8 metres behind them with his eyes glued onto their backs.

"Let the boy follow, he's not doing any harm." Hershel murmured softly, limping through the tall grass with his eyes squinted at the metal fence.

Taehyung hummed in agreement, lips pressing together as he heard Jungkook stumble forward and release a soft curse. Taehyung hung his head- eyes squeezing shut and face scrunching up as he tried to stifle a laugh.

"I can't." Taehyung choked out, face turning read before he huffed and whirled around to face Jungkook. The said boy's eyes grew large before he quickly ducked and hid into the tall grass, "Kookie, sweetie, you can come out, we know you're there!" Taehyung cupped his mouth and called out, trying to suppress a laugh since Hershel sighed and shook his head at him.

Taehyung placed his hands on his hips and pressed his tongue against his cheek as he watched the grass ruffle and move. He could see the grass parting as Jungkook crawled closer to them, thinking that he'll stay hidden if he stays low enough. Taehyung nodded slowly, pressing his hand against his face and dragging it down as he watched Jungkook come closer and closer. When he was close enough, Taehyung smirked and pounced on him, slamming into a crouching Jungkook and pushing him against the ground.

"Whatcha doing?" Taehyung smirked down at a startled Jungkook- hands caging in his head and body hovering over his smaller one. Taehyung's raven hair fell into his face, casting shadows onto his sharp features, while the sun shone down on Jungkook's face, lighting up his features and causing his face to scrunch up.

When Jungkook finally came to terms with what had happened, he was quick to sneer before pressing his hands against Taehyung's chest and shoving him off. Taehyung rolled off of Jungkook and plopped onto his back, a chuckle rumbling in his chest as he gazed up at the blue sky.

"Asshole." Jungkook grumbled, standing up and dusting the grass off of his clothes. He glanced down at a Taehyung, who was slowly sitting up and smirking back at him, making Kook roll his eyes with a huff. Jungkook pushed past the tall grass and went to stand next to Hershel, who was watching them with amusement, "He's an asshole." Jungkook whispered to Hershel, glare directed towards Taehyung, who brushed the dirt off of his pants and marched over to them.

Taehyung opened his mouth to say something, only for his gaze to flicker over Jungkook's shoulder and towards the fence. Rick dragged his feet as he walked out of the forest- eyes hazy and body sweaty. His eyes were glued to the ground before he looked up at the group near the fence. Taehyung brushed past Jungkook and Hershel, walking over to the fence and standing in front of it.

"Rick?" Tae asked softly, head tilting to the side and hair falling into his eyes, "Rick?" He asked again, finally catching Rick's attention, making him look over to them.

Taehyung felt Jungkook's and Hershel's presence next to him, yet his eyes stayed glued onto Rick, who sucked in a sharp breath and blinked until his eyes cleared. Rick took them in as he slowly approached the fence, eyes momentarily pausing at Jungkook's leg and Taehyung's worried face before stopping at Hershel, who spoke up,

"You know I wouldn't have hobbled all the way down here if it wasn't important. Are you coming back soon?" Hershel called out softly, his voice drifting through the air like a gentle breeze. Rick didn't respond, only shifted on his feet anxiously while looking around as if something would jump out on him, "Glenn's on the warpath. As smart as he is, he can't fill your boots. I'm afraid he's reckless, so we need you now more than ever."

"Well if you're so worried about him, you lead." Rick muttered, waving his hand in Hershel's direction before looking over his shoulder at the forest behind him.

"They don't need me, they need you, Rick." Hershel shook his head, hands shaking from holding his body up for so long.

"Then...then let Jungkook lead." Rick waved at the frowning boy, making his eyes widen before he shook his head and took a step away. Rick barely noticed Jungkook's reacted but when he did, he pinched the bridge of his nose and gestures towards Taehyung, "Or...or Taehyung. He's a good kid, he can lead."

Taehyung's lips tugged down and he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth before speaking, "They don't trust me to lead, Rick, and they need you, not me." Taehyung's voice was soft and his eyes had grown warmer as he gazed back at the leader. Taehyung wanted desperately to help Rick, but helping people with their mental struggles wasn't something he was known for.

Jungkook was the same, despite crying people making him uncomfortable, he wanted to help Rick to the best of his ability. But Jungkook didn't know what to do when Rick was pushing himself away from everyone to go wonder around the woods. He wished that he could be more like Rick and know what to do, or how to comfort people, in situations like these.

"Rick, what are you doing here?" Jungkook whispered, stepping closer to the gate and curling his fingers through the holes.

Rick swallowed thickly, eyes shooting around in all directions and body turning around to face the forest, "I've...I've got...stuff out here...stuff." Rick trailed off, eyes wide as he shifted on his feet and continued to look towards the forest.

"How much longer do you need?" Hershel questioned.

"I don't know.....I don't.."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Taehyung stepped forward, one hand grabbing onto the fence, while the other curled around his chest harness. His eyes connected with Rick's and they didn't say anything, only stared at each other.

Taehyung took a notice of the bags under Rick's eyes and how red the whites in his eyes were. His skin was pale and his shirt was unbuttoned to reveal his sweaty chest, indicating that he's been out here for a while and that he hasn't washed himself for a few days.

At the silence from Rick, Hershel released a soft sigh and turned around on his crutches. Taehyung's and Jungkook's eyes followed Hershel as he limped away, only for their eyes to snap over to Rick when he spoke,

"You...you see them too, right?"

Hershel turned around and looked at Rick, but the leader's eyes were glued to Jungkook. The boy swallowed down the lump in his throat, feeling everyone's eyes fall on him before he stuttered out, "Wha..what?"

Rick ran his tongue over his teeth and approached the fence, standing directly in front of Jungkook, "You said you...you said you saw them. The people who hurt you." He said with confidence and crazed eyes, making Jungkook shift uncomfortably.

Jungkook exhaled sharply and spared a small glance towards Taehyung and Hershel. He was quick to look away from them and look back at Rick, giving him a small nod. Rick breathed out in relief and pressed his forehead against the fence.

"I see...I see Lori." Rick murmured, clearing his throat and pushing himself away from the fence, "I know it's not really her....but there's gotta be a reason, it's gotta mean something." Rick whispered, eyes falling onto his dirt covered boots.

Jungkook's gaze softened before his eyes fluttered shut and he pressed his forehead against the fence, "Do you see them now?" He muttered softly, realising that Rick and him were in the same boat.

They were both hallucinating.

Rick eyed him before he turned around in a circle and allowed his eyes to wander. When he faced Jungkook again, he shook his head. Jungkook nodded, pulling his face away from the fence and straightening out. He ignored Hershel's confused and Taehyung's curious gaze on his back, instead, allowing his face to harden and eyes to gloss over with raw emotion.

"I know why you're out here, Rick.....you're hurting and you....you want to see Lori again, even if it's not real and even if it's just for a second." Jungkook swallowed down the lump in his throat, hands tightening around the metal fence to stop them from trembling. He inhaled shakily and looked into Rick's sky blue eyes, that contrasted against his brown ones, "But you can't move on, if you keep trying to run after her. You can't move on by pushing yourself away from us. Please....Please let us help you like you helped us," Jungkook breathed out, voice soft and pleading, and eyes glossing over with unshed tears, "We can't do this without you Rick, nor do we want to. You've done so much for us, so now allow us to help you in return." Jungkook breathed out, face hardening before he straightened out and pushed away from the fence. He took a step away from the fence and without breaking eye contact with Rick, he gestured towards the prison, "Let's go inside, Rick, it's not safe out here. We can go inside and just talk, you can tell me everything and I'll be there for you. For once, you can lean on me." Jungkook murmured through a wobbly pout, shoulders tense as he stared back at Rick.

Taehyung's eyes remained glued on Jungkook. His face didn't show a hint of emotion and his eyes remained cold, yet inside, his mouth was lifted into a genuine smile until the corners of his eyes crinkled. Pride and admiration swelled in the pit of his stomach as he stared at the younger male, realising that he was so much more than a pretty face and hostile glares. Despite his cold and heartless exterior, Taehyung quickly realised that getting past Jungkook's walls would be worth it, if it meant that he'd love him the way he loves Rick.

Shaking his head, Taehyung was quick to look away from an anxious Jungkook and over to Rick. The leader was staring down at the dirt, eyes occasionally flickering up at Jungkook and towards the forest behind him.

After a few seconds of silence and suspense, Rick shook his head and exhaled softly, "I can't." He murmured, eyes apologetic as he looked up at a crestfallen Jungkook, "I can't." He repeated before turning around and walking towards the forest.

"Rick!" Jungkook called out, running over to the gate and rattling it. He watched the leader go with tears in his eyes and slouched shoulders. Taehyung sighed and pressed his hand against his forehead, steps hesitant as he approached a distraught Jungkook.

"Hey." He murmured, standing next to Jungkook, who was staring at Rick's back and ignoring him completely, "He just needs time to heal." Taehyung whispered softly, raising his hand and allowing it to hover over Jungkook's shoulder. He sucked in his cheeks and curled his hand into a fist before allowing his hand to fall back down to his side, "Lets give him tim-"

Taehyung was cut off by the sound gunshots echoing throughout the air, followed by the sound of a scream. Jungkook's eyes grew large, but before he could realise what was happening, he was pushed down to the ground.

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Honestly don't know what's wrong with me. I have free time since it's summer so I could be publishing a chapter everyday, but something is stopping me from writing. I want to write so much and when I'm not able to do it, I get so frustrated with myself.

Any advice? Or theories on the book?

~Benikru