"When I met with the governor, he offered me a deal."

A head full of brown locks lifted and coffee coloured eyes focused on the leader standing in front of the group. Jungkook sat on the edge of a metal table in the courtyard of the prison- his boots pressed against the metal bench and elbows resting on his knees. He was surrounded by his group members- all of them sitting quietly and staring back at Rick, who had called an important meeting between them.

"He said..." Rick continued, the words died out on his tongue and his eyes dropped down to his shoes before he shook his head and looked back up at the group, "He said he would leave us alone, if I gave him Michonne and Taehyung. And I was gonna do that....to keep us safe." Rick whispered hoarsely- voice cutting through the air like a bullet.

Jungkook's head fell forward and shoulders squared, his fingers intertwined with each other and he shut his eyes at Rick's words. He couldn't deny that he was disappointed at Rick for almost making this decision, but he trusted Rick in doing the right thing and making things better in the end.

None of the group members said anything, but Jungkook could feel them siting up straighter and sharing shocked glances. He shook his head, allowing his brown locks to bounce around as he listened to Rick's next words,

"I changed my mind, but now...Merle took Michonne and Taehyung to fulfil the deal, and Daryl went to stop them, and I don't know if it's too late." Rick rambled, hooking his thumb around the waistband of his jeans. He eyed the group in front of him with guilty eyes before pressing shaky fingers against his brow, "I was wrong not to tell you..." He stated firmly, dropping his hand back to his side and lowering his head, "And I'm sorry."

Jungkook's gaze lifted and he finally looked up at Rick. He sat up straighter with a sigh, pressing his palms against his thighs and drumming his fingers against his jeans. Of course a simple sorry wouldn't make it better, especially if Merle had already turned Taehyung and Michonne in, but maybe Rick recognised his mistakes, and they can go take them both back just like they did with Maggie and Glenn.

Jungkook's head turned in all directions in order for him to see the reactions of the group around them. None of the group members looked angry or irritated at Rick, their looks varied from shocked, to worried, and even to disappointed. Their lips stayed sealed shut, and eyes flickered between Rick and the pavement in front of them as they listened to Rick speak.

"What I said last year, after the farm....it can't be like that." Rick pushed out with a shake of his head, "It can't." He spat, making eye-contact with Carol, who watched him with a frown and gentle eyes. Rick turned away from her and swallowed a mouthful of saliva before clearing his throat and steeling his voice, "What we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call. It can't be. I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good becaus...because we are the greater good." Rick pressed his hand against his chest and waved his other hand in the group's direction. Jungkook blinked back at him with a scowl and furrowed brows, trying to make his face appear more on the neutral side.

Rick took a step towards them, dragging his boots against the ground and dropping his hands to his sides. His eyes rushed over the group in a fleeting glance and his lips parted to release another string of words, "We're the reason we're still here, not me. This is life and death. How you live....how you die....it isn't up to me. I'm not your governor, we choose to go, we choose to stay. We stick together. We vote." Rick took another small step towards them and jabbed his finger into the ground, "We can stay and we can fight, or we can go."

The corner's of Jungkook's lips lifted into a timid smile after hearing Rick's words. He pulled his sleeves over his fingers and nodded at him- following the leader with his eyes as Rick slipped past the group and left the courtyard.

The silence fell on the group and their eyes became hazy as they sunk into their thoughts- trying to process the information dumped on them and trying to weight out which decision is the best. Jungkook took this as his chance to slip off the metal table and scrambled after the leader.

Jungkook's shirt flared after him as he dashed out of the courtyard and eyed the surrounding area. He noticed the metal door to one of the watchtowers slowly slip shut, making him squint his eyes and run towards it. Jungkook's hand curled around the door handle and he pulled the door open with a swift tug before slipping inside.

Darkness washed over him and dust filled his lungs as Jungkook entered the watch tower. His vision was filled with barely visible metal steps, only for the door behind him to creak shut and cut off the only source of light provided to him. Jungkook huffed and reached out a hand, blindly trying to grasp the railing.

The tips of his fingers brushed against the cold metal of the railing before curling around it. Jungkook's lips lifted into a victorious smile and his legs instinctively gravitated towards the metal steps. While keeping a tight grip on the railing and sliding his fingers along it, Jungkook climbed the metal steps to the top of the watchtower.

Jungkook reached the top in no time and pushed past the metal door easily, revealing a small space on the top of the tower. The small space resembled a small room, that had windows lined from all sides of it-allowing him to see the outside of the prison. Jungkook approached the door on the opposite side of the room, and exited it in order to step onto the space that allowed him to walk around the watchtower.

Jungkook pressed his hand against the railing and enjoyed the wind whipping him in the face. He stared at the treetops going along the horizon and meeting with the blue sky, before turning around to look at Rick.

The leader was standing a bit away from him, hunching over the railing and placing his elbows on top of it. Rick's brows were knitted in distress and eyes glared down at the ground below them.

"I think you made the right decision, one person shouldn't carry the weight of these decisions or deal with the consequences of them." Jungkook murmured awkwardly, taking a few steps towards Rick and pressing his hand against the back of his neck.

Rick's lips parted to release a sigh and he pressed his palms against the railing to stand up. His gaze didn't leave the woods surrounding them as he nodded at Jungkook's words and muttered, "Hopefully the rest think the same way, and hopefully Daryl got to Taehyung and Michonne in time."

"We can always go bust them out like we did to Maggie and Glenn." Jungkook's lips parted to reveal his bunny teeth and a soft chuckle rumbled in his throat.

Rick bit the inside of his cheek and frowned deeply, "That is if we win the war and if the group doesn't decide to leave."

Jungkook's head snapped towards Rick and the smile on his face vanished in the blink of an eye, "If we're leaving, we should take the opportunity of the governor coming here, to head over to Woodbury to save Taehyung and Michonne. We can't just flee and leave them behind to suffer." Jungkook scoffed with an eye-roll and clenched fists.

Rick nodded in agreement and ran a hand through his hair, "We'll figure this out, I'm sure of it." Rick turned around and reached for his gun that rested against the side of the watchtower.

Jungkook fiddled with his fingers, and watched Rick pick up the gun and lift it up to his face, "How are you even...you know...handling everything that's happened?"

"Shouldn't I ask you that?" Rick teased lightheartedly, offering Jungkook a small smile before he placed his eye against the scope.

The corner's of Jungkook's lips stretched out into a small smile and he awkwardly shuffled his weight from foot to foot. It was a bit awkward for Jungkook to talk to Rick after not talking to him for a while, especially if there was only two of them. But Jungkook didn't want to avoid contact with the leader just because it was a bit awkward. Jungkook admired Rick just as much as he admired Daryl, he wanted to learn from them as much as he could because both of them were good people and seemed to have their shit figured out.

Jungkook's lips parted to say something, but the words on his tongue died out as he watched Rick's face scrunch up before he quickly lowered his gun. Rick stared at something with wide eyes before a smile graced his face, "Ri-" Jungkook began, tilting his head to the side and reaching out a hand towards him, only for the leader to suddenly slip past him and run into the watchtower.

Jungkook's eyes followed Rick through the dusty windows before he shook his head and followed where Rick had been staring. Only then, Jungkook noticed the dark skinned female and Korean ravenette approaching the prison from between the line of trees.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Slim fingers grabbed a stack of neatly folded clothes and pressed them against Katelyn's chest. Loose strands of blond curls fell into her face and covered her scrunched up features. Her lip was bloody from all the nipping and her eyes were wide, her fingers shook and face nearly lost the slight tan.

Katelyn turned around and scrambled over to the dark green bag sitting on her bed and she shoved the clothes inside of it. Underneath the clothes, there were three water bottles, 7 cans of corn, beans and soups, and even a few packets of dry noodles. Inside of a smaller pocket of the bag, there were two small boxes of ammo for her gun.

Katelyn pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear before quickly gathering her hair into a ponytail. Her eyes squinted down at the bag as she shoved her clothes inside of it, stuffing it full to the brim before grabbing the zipper and zipping it shut.

The sound of knuckles hitting against the wooden door of her apartment, filled the eerily silent air around her. Katelyn's eyes widened and throat bobbed as she swallowed, she peered at the front door with wide eyes before sparing a glance down at the bag on her bed.

"Open the door, I know you're in there."

Katelyn's face scrunched up and she winced at the sound of the Governor's voice. She quickly grabbed her bag and placed it on the ground d before sliding it underneath her bed. Katelyn eyed the room one last time, quickly grabbing her knife and shoving it into an open drawer, before scrambling over to the front door.

Katelyn's hand gripped the door-handle, while the other turned the key in the lock. The door squeaked open, revealing a frowning Governor. The man observed her carefully before wordlessly pushing past her and entering the apartment.

"What were you doing?" The governor asked lowly, stepping in the middle of her living room and carefully dragging his eyes over every surface of the room. His eyes stopped at her bedroom before he turned around to face Katelyn and rose a brow at her.

"Girl things." Katelyn spat with a sarcastic smile, slamming the door shut with a small bang. She ignored governor's eyes piercing through her, and walked towards the kitchen that was just a small corner in her living room, "Want anything to drink? Tea? Coffee? Lemonade?"

"Have you heard about Milton and Andrea?" The governor ignored her questions and approached her, staring down at her with suspicious eyes and thin lips.

Katelyn forced a smile on her lips and filled her cup with bright yellow lemonade. She brought the cup up to her lips and took a sip of the tangy beverage, "I heard that Milton disobeyed your orders, along with Andrea. If you ask me, Andrea's traitorous shenanigans were expected, kinda surprised about Milton though." Katelyn snorted against the cup, while taking another sip of the lemonade.

The governor nodded and released a gruff chuckle, he leaned against the counter with his hip and grinned down at Katelyn, "You know, I find it kind of...intriguing that Rick's group shows up and suddenly all my closest people betray me." The smile on the governors face crumbled and he placed his hand on the counter behind Katelyn before leaning down, "Don't you?" He rose a brow.

"They were weak to get manipulated by Rick's group into betraying you." Katelyn spat, setting her cup down and turning her body around to face the governor. Their eyes connected and she sent him a harsh glare in return, "Are you implying something?" She questioned lowly.

The tension between the two rose at the silence from The governor's side. They continued to stare into each other eyes with unnerving glares and sour scowls, only for The governor's face to split apart into a bright grin.

"Of course not." The governor chuckled, straightening out and patting Katelyn's shoulder. His hand stretched out and he grabbed a hold the lemonade pitcher as he slipped past the blonde girl on his way to the front door, "Get some rest and prepare for tomorrow, we have a long day ahead of us." The governor called out through a shark-like grin.

Katelyn watched him from the kitchen with a forced smile, "Can't wait." She exclaimed, sending the governor a grin of her own as he turned around to face her, before leaving the apartment with a loud slam of the door.

Katelyn's smile immediately disappeared and she quickly scampered over to the door to lock it before marching back over to her bag.

Woodbury were supposed to attack The prison tomorrow, but Katelyn won't be there to experience it.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Jungkook was bouncing on the heels of his feet- his grin so bright that Taehyung could see it from the other side of the fence. But as the gate was pulled open, and Taehyung and Michonne were let inside, Jungkook's grin faltered at the sight of Taehyung's blank face. He fell onto his feet firmly and blinked at Taehyung as the Male slipped past everyone without giving them a glance, and began to make his way over to the prison.

Taehyung legs led him into Jungkook's direction, making the boy perk up and part his lips to speak, "Tae-" Jungkook's words died out as Taehyung brushed past him without paying him attention.

Jungkook's face dropped and eyes followed Taehyung's retreating back, he spared a small glance at the rest of the group who were talking to Michonne before scampering after Taehyung. Jungkook's legs moved quickly in order to catch up with Taehyung's long strides. And as he did, Jungkook whirled around and stood in front of a blank faced Taehyung, blocking his path.

"Move, Jeongguk." Taehyung uttered lowly- tone dead serious and eerily calm. His expression wasn't any better, his face was stoic and cold, eyes were squinted into a glare and lips were pressed into a thin line. The glare he sent Jungkook was deadly, making him believe that the darkness in Taehyung's eyes would spill out and swallow him whole.

Jungkook gulped and took a small step back at the look he was given. Taehyung's face immediately softened and a small frown appear on his lips, the deadly look on Taehyung's face disappeared, along with the sharp glare. Taehyung pressed a hand against his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut before exhaling softly, "Did you know?"

"Di..did I know?" Jungkook stuttered nervously, allowing his eyes to flicker past Taehyung's shoulder and over to the rest of the group. His eyes briefly connected with the squinted ones of Michonne, before Jungkook stepped to the side, making sure that Taehyung blocked him from her view.

Taehyung's hands dropped to his sides and the dangerous look reappeared. Strands of raven hair fell into Taehyung's face, casting shadows on his already darkened features,  making him appear more sinister and demonic. Jungkook's eyes grew large and he stumbled back as Taehyung took a threatening step towards him.

"About the deal." Taehyung clarified in a deadly calm murmur, not breaking eye-contact with a nervous Jungkook.

Despite being the same height, Jungkook felt like Taehyung was towering over him from his stare alone. The only thing he could focus on was the darkness in Taehyung's eyes and the firmness of his voice. Jungkook didn't even notice himself swallow a mouthful of saliva and stutter out a small, "No." before the eerily calm look on Taehyung's face slipped away and he took a step back.

"No?" He asked softly, tilting his head to the side and running his eyes over Jungkook in a fleeting glance.

Jungkook blinked back at him before quickly shaking his head, causing his curls to bounce around, "Rick told me only after Merle took you. I didn't know." Jungkook exclaimed, taking a more confident step towards Taehyung now that his intimidating demeanour had been swept away.

"Oh." Taehyung muttered, staring at the ground with furrowed brows. He shook his head with a sigh, peering at the rest of the group, and Michonne, from over his shoulder, before reaching towards Jungkook and grabbing his wrist, "Let's go." Taehyung ordered firmly, walking towards the prison and tugging Jungkook behind him.

"Wha..what?" Jungkook stumbled after Taehyung, trying to keep up with his long strides. He bumped his broad shoulder against Taehgung's muscular back, making them both wince and step away from each other. They both glanced at each other before shaking their heads and continuing to walk, "Where are we going anyway?" Jungkook rose a brow, rubbing his shoulder and following after Taehyung sluggishly.

Taehyung offered him a shrug while stomping up the metal steps of the prison and pulling open the metal door, "Library?" He suggested, gesturing for Jungkook to get inside the prison with a wave of his hand.

Jungkook's lips twitched and he nodded before frowning, "I thought you would maybe want to go to sleep." Jungkook muttered under his breath, stepping inside the prison and staring at Taehyung from over his shoulder. The older followed after him and shut the door behind them, cutting off the sunlight and emerging them in the dimness of the prison. After seeing the questioning look Taehyung sent him, Jungkook's cheeks lit a soft pink colour and he quickly stammered, "Well..bec..because you usually go somewhere during the night and you don't get enough sleep."

Taehyung paused mid-step and turned around to face Jungkook. He dragged his eyes down the length of Jungkook's body and released a deep hum, "Never thought you'd notice." He shrugged, turning back around and climbing down the rest of the steps.

"I sometimes wake up and see you leave." Jungkook explained, bouncing down the steps, making his shirt puff out and locks bounce along with him. His feet smacked against the concrete ground and he turned his head to the side to make eye-contact with Taehyung.

Taehyung offered him an apologetic smile and reached out to tap his fingers underneath Jungkook's chin, "I'll make sure to be quieter next time."

Jungkook's teeth sunk into his bottom lip and eyes didn't stray from Taehyung's dark ones. The tension between them rose and mingled with the dust floating through the air as Jungkook's pink lips parted and he breathed out,

"Or you could just stay."