The gunshot and the drop that follows. Y/N had sobbed against Taehyung's chest, and Taehyung tore his gaze away from Seokjin. He tried to wipe his own bitter tears, yet they endlessly kept rolling down his cheeks, dying on his lips. Jimin dropped the gun and then cried. He pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. Grief hammered in their chest like an animal desperate to break free.
Taehyung was the first to settle. With swollen eyes and puffy cheeks, he wiped the remnants of his tears with the back of his hand. “We need to go, we can't stay here much longer.” He sniffled and glanced over Y/N who was on his right, hugging her own knees and whispering to herself that it was her fault. Then at Jungkook who was on his left, legs lay flat and his head leaned on his shoulder. She looked at him, then Jungkook lifted his gaze to him too, then the three exchanged glances. Then they all looked at Jimin who looked utterly devastated.
An elbow rests on one knee, blonde hair draping over his forehead like the last shower of winter. Jimin heard Taehyung's words and stood up, not bothering to pick up the gun that was on the floor after it had slipped off his hand like silk sheets. What for? He already used the last ammo on Seokjin, precisely on the head. Buried the last bullet on the flesh of his sallow skin tinged with purplish veins.
Each of them took one steel bar Seokjin disassembled from a metal rack, saying that “We could use this to protect ourselves! Not each of us is equipped with a gun like Jimin.” and he laughed. His laughter echoed inside their chests.
“Where are we going?” Jungkook asked. He spoke barely more than a whisper, but they still had caught every word— the draught had a gift of keeping everyone silent without lifting a finger. He peeked at the blinds and the sunlight cascaded over him, streaking a golden glow over his face.
“Anywhere or nowhere.” Taehyung practiced a swing with the steel bar, slicing the air. “Honestly, we don't know what's waiting for us out there.” He answered.
“He's right.” Says Y/N stiffly. She didn't meet their eyes as she wiped off the blood that clung on her hand. “You've seen what happens.”
She stands up and helps Taehyung take down the guitars they've stacked to barricade the door, while Jimin and Jungkook take away the tables. Then, Jimin slowly twisted the knob and jerked the door open. He looked over his shoulder at the three who followed him as he slowly stepped outside.
The streets were bustling. She turned her head in every direction as they walked, trying to look at everything at once, the people scraping every store and stealing cars that blares its alarms on its way down the road. The three took cautious steps and hustled close to each other. “Come on, this way.” Jimin nodded towards a car that had been left ajar.
“This is illegal.” She says as she hops in quickly.
“We don't have a choice.” Said Jimin breathlessly while buckling his seat belt.
“Zombies should be illegal.” Mumbled Taehyung as he settled on the passenger’s seat next to Jimin who started the engine once he had heard Jungkook got in and shut the door.
The car roared and hurtled past the chaos, every now and then Jimin would take a sharp turn and roughly hit the brakes for a while if they reached a blocked road. Y/N nibbled on her bottom lip and leaned against the window. Even when they're already inside the car, they could still hear the screaming and whacks outside. Jungkook glanced at her, she looked like she had been clenching her own throat trying to stop herself from cracking a noise.
“Are you alright?” Jungkook asked her, he reached for her shoulder but she dodged his hand like a bullet.
“I’m fine.” She replied, Jungkook tried to catch her eyes yet she still dodged him.
“You know, you can't blame yourself for what's happened—”
Something came banging on the window on Jungkook's side as he spoke and he flinched. Jungkook ducked as he saw a face, unnaturally pale, banging its head with bone-crushing force, causing large cracks to trail down the window from the center. Y/N had her back pressed against the door and stiffened when she saw a man's face wedged between the thick gush of red blossoming through the glass like a wildflower.
“Jimin, drive!” Taehyung yells, gripping the head rest of his chair tightly, his knuckles already turning white. Jimin kicked off the gas so ferociously that the dead swung clean off and landed with a distant thud down the road. Jungkook pants and clutched his chest, his heart was pounding loudly, it rings in his ears.
The car screeched to a halt directly in front of a Super Market. People ran frantically everywhere carrying foods and supplies, crashing the carts they pushed on anything solid they ran across. The four hurried outside and slammed the car doors shut.
“Everyone gather what you need— take this cart.” Taehyung pushed one to Y/N. “Jungkook, come with her, Jimin and I will look around.”
“Wait—”
“Hurry up.” Taehyung dismissed her attempts of declination without a blink of an eye. A frown drew its way on her face. She looked at the man beside her who wore a solemn and impenetrable look.
“Let's go.” She huffed and went inside. The place was bustling, the shelves were barely stocked; almost cleared. “We’ll need this.” She says, throwing batteries that rattled the cart. She pulled her hood over her head in hopes to null out the noise of the place. Jungkook hastily dropped canned goods on the cart and grabbed what they could, pliers, batteries, water, ready-to-eat foods, anything that hasn't been scraped yet.
She teetered on her toes trying to reach for a first aid kit hidden between boxes of baby formulas, though it was beyond her reach. Her arm strained and her fingers wiggled trying to grab it, then a weight pressed itself on her back, a hand lodging on her hip when she stumbled, and another took the first aid kit she was reaching for.
Warmth spread through her chest. Not the one that'll make your heart pound endlessly, enough to make your chest feel small, but the one that'll fill your lungs with so much air, it feels like it would explode. The roof of her mouth came dry, her tongue tasted sour, and her throat rasped. She glanced up at Jungkook, who looked back down at her with his brown eyes. She used to be able to read every single thought behind those eyes, but right now it was just like a blank page.
“Thanks.” She murmured and took the kit off his hand, his hand dropped down from her hip to his side when she excused herself and went to the other shelves. There was barely anything to look at and it was plainly stupid to stand in front of these almost empty metal racks. “I think we should go.” She slowly turned to Jungkook, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants.
Jungkook nods and leads the way out of the hustle and bustle that seems suffocating. The pair moves to the last aisle, with the squeaks of the cart he pushes accompanying them. “We can get out of there,” He points at the fire exit ahead. “Then go ‘round and wait for Taehyung and Jimin in the car.” Said Jungkook. For a split second, Y/N thought she had heard a shrilly scream. She glanced at Jungkook who didn't seem to budge. Then the clatter of boxes ahead followed and they stopped dead in their tracks.
“Hear that?” Jungkook asks.
She nods slowly and looks around in wary. The sound summoned them to the edge of the aisle, just a few steps before the exit door. “Must be someone gathering supplies, we all are.” She mutters and Jungkook hums in agreement, but as if on cue, erratic sounds of guttural moans emerged from behind the pile of boxes. That's where it hit them. Jungkook slowly peered through the small gap between boxes where light streaked through. It was a blur, yet it looked clear.
Clear enough for him to distinguish the man on his knees in front was on to something rabid.
Bile burns on the back of his throat and he stills in an instant. Jungkook sees the face of a man, blood coats its entire mouth as its head slowly rises from its victims neck, twitching to their direction. He backed away fast and faced her. “It's there.” Are the only words he could muster, but enough to set fear aflame in her eyes. “We can make a run to the door, it's just five steps away. We'll get there.”
He had no time to sugarcoat his words to comfort her with death being a sliver away. “On three.”
“One,”
“Two,”
“Three— Go!” With sheer force, Jungkook lunged forward, pushing the cart towards the door which flings it open. She quickly followed— her steps faltered as the dead got ahold of her arm and pinned her to the ground.
“No!” She cries, trying to push it away. As it growls, it flashes a row of red-stained teeth, a purple hue creeping up its neck and its eyes— sickeningly white. The way it pierces at her tightens her chest. Everything faded into a buzz behind her, every movement became slow and ragged— Was this how Jin felt? She thought. Her defense softens to mush and she lets out a breath before closing her eyes.
Jungkook reacts as quickly as the scene unfolds and kicks off. He seized the dead by its shoulders and shoved him to the ground. Y/N gasps and Jungkook grabs her wrist then pulls her away. He hastily shut the door and let go of her. “We need to go.” He spoke as the banging on the metal door came.
They made their way outside the market and went around it. When they reached the main entrance, they found Taehyung and Jimin loading the trunk with supplies they gathered. “I found someone trying to steal the car when we got out and had to scare them off with a gun.” Jimin chuckled, Taehyung laughed a bit too, then jabbed him on the ribs as he saw the two coming.
“Here's everything we got.” Said Y/N sternly, coming to a halt. She took the cart out of Jungkook's grasp and pushed it towards Jimin and Taehyung then stomped her way inside the car and closed the door with a deafening slam.
Jimin and Taehyung looked at Jungkook confusedly. “What happened?” asked Jimin while loading what's inside the cart.
Taehyung gasps. “The blood on her shirt— was she—”
“No!” Jungkook quickly shook his head. He sighs, “She was attacked.” helping the blonde male unload the cart. Jungkook glanced at Taehyung who leaned against the car, then nibbled on his lower lip.
“You should… try and talk to her.” He jerks his head towards Y/N who sat at the back of the car with her back facing them.
Taehyung couldn't tell if Jungkook was worried about her or simply just an ex-boyfriend who only wants the situation fixed. His expression was unreadable. Just the same mundane look on his face.
“Go on, we can handle this.” Added Jungkook, his voice straining a bit as he and Jimin basically tried to just carry the cart and dump everything in, which failed miserably.
Taehyung slowly walked towards the side of the car where Y/N went in. People jostled around him on their way. Taehyung leaned near the open window which she cracked to let the air in. “Are you okay?”
She didn't look at him, she only stared at a child's drawing that probably belonged to the previous owner's kid, taped at the back of the driver's seat. “Was that how Jin felt?” She chuckled bitterly.
“What?” Taehyung crossed his arms .
There was a slight tremor in her hands and she ran her tongue over her dried lips. “Was that how Jin felt?” She says again, “Under one of those things, unable to push them away?”
Taehyung frowned, only slightly. The wind blew her hair over her face like the last leaves of autumn. Dull and sad. His eyes bathed her with pity and she hated it. “It's not your fault.” He says, yet she believes otherwise.
Jimin shuts down the trunk and gives it a tap. “Let's go!”
Taehyung cast one last look at her which she didn't return before walking over to the passenger's seat. The doors swung open at once. Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin buckled their seatbelts before Jimin ignited the engine and drove off. Gliding across the lake, which was bumpy with rocks and pebbles.
“Shit— we're out of gas.” Jimin gruntled and slammed his palm on the steering wheel. “We have to travel by foot from here.” He says, unblissfully.
The car slowly dies down on a deserted road. Doors were firmly shut, windows were rolled down, and not a single person can be seen except them. Jimin and Taehyung were first to step on the sandy road.
“Shouldn't we just try and get some fuel?” Asked Y/N as she stepped out of the car.
“Yeah? Where?” Jungkook scoffs as he gestures at the road where not a single car stood.
She rolled her eyes, glaring at Jungkook who was smirking like a mad man. They unloaded the trunk. Sweat beads forming on their forehead down to the back of their necks as they walk their way ahead the road carrying heavy bags under the heat of the blazing sun.
Taehyung led their path. He took cautious steps, careful not to crunch a dried leaf beneath the sole of his shoes.
“Thank god.” He heard Jimin mutter behind him when the clouds swam over the sun and blurred the rays it elicits. He also caught the distant banter of the two at the back. “You two fight like an old married couple.” Jimin laughed.
“Ewww!” Y/N gags and Jungkook shuts his mouth, pressing his lips into a thin line.
“What do you mean ewww?” Taehyung mocks. “I remember you telling me you wanted to marry him.” His laughter erupts. Jungkook's eyes widened and he looked away, Y/N felt her cheeks down to her neck burn, and Jimin burst into a fit of laughter too.
“I think I remember Jungkook saying something like that too.” Says Jimin, wiping the tears that formed at the corner of his eye. Jungkook quickly jabbed him on the ribs making him groan.
Taehyung glanced at Y/N who still looked away, her brows were pinched, and was muttering something he couldn't pick up. The clouds had passed and the sun came once again. The laughter had turned into occasional chuckles until it had fully stopped. Taehyung's steps faltered when he had caught something in his peripheral vision.
Summary: Some absences don't echo— they take root.
Alone in a room scented with fresh linen and faded memories, you find yourself grasping for the fragments of a love that’s slipped through your fingers like ivy growing through bone.
Genre: Angst, No comfort
Warnings: Exes and will be. More on the inner monologue, Taehyung makes no appearance but said.
Notes: It's been a while!
Kim Taehyung x Reader
The room smelled like fresh linen and weathered pages. Loneliness clung to each page like pressed flowers, etched between the spaces of the words you wrote like weeds through concrete. The sheets offer you company you could never accept, as your soul yearns for a company that had already walked away.
Your head pulsed, the back of your eyes throbbed, and your limbs felt heavy as though it was never yours. When you stretched your arms to reach for your phone, it felt as though thorns you never knew how to pull clung around your fibers. “Taehyung…” You whisper, your voice was too soft it barely disturbed the air. The phone sat on your palms hot and solid. Burning through the layers of skin that carried the salt of your tears.
You shouldn't do this, not when the only remnants of his presence began to seep into your bones like ivy you never planted, forcing you to carry the weight of his absence.
But you do miss him, yearning for him like a soil thirsting for rain.
Not just the shared touches nor the stolen glances. Or the bouquet of lilies he hands you after you blow the candles off every date night. But also the quiet. The comfortable silence of knowing that you have each other without having to voice it out, the sweetest poetry slipped under desks, quickly scribbled on a piece of paper.
“My universe”, “My juniper”
But it seems like the words stayed on paper and never bloomed into actions.
And before your mind tells you to stop, your thumbs were already typing words in.
I miss having you around.
That was it. Five words, as simple as water. “This is absurd.” You muttered softly, staring at your phone then threw it on the other side of her bed, landing with a soft thud. You stand up, slowly and precisely. Like your bones were glass, fragile enough to break within a simple step. You take one step— just one step forward — setting a foot down with the same reverence someone might use to place a cup of tea on a wooden table. Another step you took— that's when the jab on your ribs came. The pain wraps around you like morning glory vine and blooms petals that hold broken promises.
The night had already faded into a light buzz behind you. Perhaps everyone was asleep, lulled into deep slumber. But not you, you stand in front of the mirror that glistens under the warm streak of your lamp like a Cherokee rose glazed with a mother's tear.
By the time you woke up, the pale yellow silk nightgown you wore stuck on your skin. The air was as cold as a winter's breeze. You pulled the sheets to your chin like a child wary of the monstrous shadows on her peripheral. Then you slipped your hand under the pillows to look for your phone.
6 new messages though none were from him.
Halfway through this bundle of messages, you noticed something. A message sent to Taehyung, from you. Though you couldn't remember hitting send last night.
I miss having you around.
You opened the conversation, blinking once— twice— hoping a reply would pop up, a text bubble at least, but there was none. It's just a dream you wish. A dream that nestles on the narrow of your hip and paralyzes you from the waist down. But it wasn't, and right beneath it: Read 5:37 am
That's it.
No reply.
No text back.
Not even a damn reaction.
He had just read it. Maybe he just opened the message and didn't even register the petty message you've sent. As though you had inhaled something acrid, your stomach churned. Your throat rasped and felt rough like the wilted petals of a rose. When you sat up, your back ached, hunched like broken stems. You pressed the heels of your palms on your eyes— a sob. A cracked and hushed one.
7 years of relationship and he just folded that neatly away like a fresh set of laundry on a Saturday evening. “I'm done.” He says. “I'm breaking up with you.” Calmly, composed, like he had already practiced it several times while you were asleep. While he laid beside you with the smell of smoke mingling in the air. His words were soft as flannel and he knew even with this fragility, it'd still rattle you.
You shouldn't cry over this. You had already stripped grief away like how you stripped every memory, every speck that would trigger you.
Just a text it was, no big deal.
A ghost of someone who once planted daisies in your garden and braided them into your hair.
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I've been thinking of having romance as a sub-plot for ATLS. Although not entirely since the fact that Jungkook andreader are exes and still had bubbling unresolved feelings and they are basically the main characters and the story is leaning their way, I also want to focus on the depths of the situation they are in :))
In conclusion, there will be romance. But not as much as how you'd expect it to be. They'd be unraveling emotions in a glacier pace because I don't want to disregard how they are basically teetering at the sliver line separating life and death with those fuckass zombies.
I opened Tumblr earlier and saw an unsolicited dick pic and somebofy wanting to get raped to fulfill their CNC kinks and dark desires. What. The. Fuck.
