A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

45: The Catalyst

"Are we close to the bridge?" Namjoon asked as he resumed his work. Jungkook huffed, words strained as he replied.

"We're actually pretty close. There's about a mile or so left, it shouldn't take long for us to finish," Jungkook said, "Why?"

"I miss being home," Namjoon casually replied, leaving Jungkook a bit surprised.

"That makes two of us."

Beside the two, Taehyung and Jimin filled in gaps between cars, stepping carefully into stores and retrieving useful objects. Jimin bore his gun as he did so, the silencer glinting in the sunlight as he cleared out the decrepit bank. The walls once made of glass had shattered, giving way into the small space. Blood was splattered on the glass divisors but only no corpses were visible in the lobby. The door to the restricted area was ajar, sunlight filtering into the dark hallway. Curious, Jimin stepped into the hallway, lighting up the path with his flashlight and quietly approaching the doors.

"What are you doing?" Taehyung called out, causing Jimin to jump. He turned to Taehyung with wide eyes.

"Holy shit dude, can you make your steps a little louder. You pop up out of the blue and scare the living daylights out of people," Jimin whisper-yelled, turning back around and continuing to walk forward. He opened all of the doors, only seeing empty spaces, offices and conference rooms.

Taehyung chuckled, "I call that my piéce de résistance. Many crave my godlike skills-"

"Shh!" Jimin hushed, eyes glued to the room he stood before, "Tae, come here."

Taehyung noticed his smile, surprised to have been called by a nickname. He peered over his shoulder to the others, who were far too busy to pay them any mind. Taehyung shrugged and followed Jimin, staring at the way his eyes almost twinkled. Taehyung raised a brow, standing behind Jimin and into the room.

Taehyung's skepticism dropped, his own eyes widening. They stood stunned, turning to each other with widening smiles.

The two ran into the room elated, their footsteps echoing and their laughs like old tunes bouncing from wall to wall. They stepped into the vault, the safe door wide open, giving access to the seemingly endless and tall stacks of cash. They were dusty as Jimin and Taehyung picked them up, and though they coughed after inhaling it, they cracked up and excitedly waved the cash around.

"Oh my God!" Jimin laughed, his eyes watering at the amount of money. The memories of hungry nights they spent in their studio apartment in the worst neighborhood in town seemed to come to the pair almost simultaneously. The harsh winters and hot summers without AC or a heater, only having each other to keep them warm or wave the fan in the other's face. They'd always hoped to splurge on useless purchases, however the lack of funds and having to live paycheck to paycheck did not give any leeway for entertaining purchases.

Now they had money to throw up in the air.

And so they did.

Taehyung ripped off the seals that bound several stacks of Benjamins, which influenced Jimin to follow suit. There were some stacks which had been eaten away by insects and vermin. The vault had been open for who knows how long, letting in the passage of time and the course of nature.

Together, Taehyung and Jimin they threw the bills above their heads, watching them fall with reminiscent eyes and joyful laughs. The paper rose and fell like confetti, covering the ground and stomped on by their dirty boots. The careless pair simply ripped more seals and threw more paper as if they were bound to no responsibilities in that moment. They absolved themselves of guilt for slacking off, giving their younger selves the luxury of healing, just for a few minutes.