{weakness}
It had been a solid week since Taehyung begun to run his experiments, and a week since Vee had entered into their cottage. With nowhere else to stay, she'd been welcomed as the newest member of the squad, a much needed doctor.
Tucking a loose strand of short black hair behind her ear, Vee stopped in front of Hoseok's room. Letting out a sigh, she straightened herself up as she rose a fist, knocking against the wooden door, "Hoseok?" she called out, "We kinda need you..." she finished, stepping back a little as the door handle began to jitter.
The old wooden door swung open as Hoseok emerged from his bedroom, eyes falling to meet with the girl's smaller form. Noticing the girl's nervous stance, he gave a warm smile of reassurance, "Ahh... Vee right?" he cooed, leaning himself against the doorframe as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I don't think we've officially met." he stated.
Rubbing a hand sheepishly against the back of her neck, Vee gave an awkward smile, "No, we haven't."
Shaking his hair from his eyes, Hoseok chuckled, "Yeah, sorry about that... I don't think I ever visited the medical bay whilst you were recovering..." he gestured towards her bandaged leg, "How're you holding up?" he asked with genuine sincerity. He noticed the way Vee was leaning slightly more on her right side, taking the pressure off of her left leg.
"I'm healing." she spoke, the corner of her lip twitching up into a small smile, "You guys are very welcoming here, I'll be just fine." she reassured, raising her hand as she gave a thumbs up.
Hoseok gave a nod in understanding before pulling himself away from the doorframe, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his tracksuit pants as he rose a brow, "So... what can I do for you?" he asked, curious as to why he was needed.
Smile falling from her face, her gaze lowered to the floor, "It's kinda serious..." she murmured, causing Hoseok to stiffen at her expression. "You of all people should know the food supply has been running short this week," she gulped, raising her eyes to meet with Hoseok's, "We're on our final supplies, therefore," she gestured towards the orange haired male, "we need to take a trip all the way into town to gather supplies." she explained.
Biting down on his lower lip, Hoseok ran a hand through his hair. He knew this was coming, that sooner or later his expertise would be needed once again. Over the past two weeks at the cottage, Hoseok had earnt a much needed break. With no where to travel, he'd been able to spend some time alone and collect his emotions, something he was grateful for. But now, he was needed again, needed to travel back out into the dangerous environment beyond the safety of the cottage walls. Shoulders dropping, Hoseok reluctantly nod his head, "Alright." he spoke up, causing Vee's expression to lighten up at the good news. "We'll need to gather everyone in the living room so we can discuss the best course of action."
----
The tattered blinds blew softly in the cool autumn breeze, channeling through the open window and into the living room where the nine squad members had gathered. The air was frisky and cold, a warning to the group of the approaching season of winter ahead. Stumbling into the room, Hoseok clutched a stack of papers tightly in his grasp, a pen balancing on-top as he made his way to the table, dumping the notes down with a drastic sigh. Sweeping his lengthy hair from his forehead, Hoseok took ahold of a few glass cups he'd brought into the living room, placing them down against the paper to ensure they didn't flutter around in the breeze.
"What've you got there?" Tessa spoke up, leaning forwards in her chair as she scanned the paper scattered over the living room table. Some were covered in Hoseok's writing whilst other sheets remained blank.
Bending down to his knees, Hoseok leant over the table, "I've mapped out the town centre." he began to explain, gaining the squads attention as he took a pen into his hands, "It's all from memory of growing up in the area, so it might not be one hundred percent accurate, but it's close." he stated, bringing the pen to his mouth as he pulled off the lid in-between his teeth. Placing the tip of the ballpoint to the paper, Hoseok began to drag the pen along the rough sketches over the map, placing small x's and circles in certain areas.
Watching from the lounge, Jimin rose a brow, "What do the x's and circles mean?" he asked, watching as Hoseok finished marking the map.
"The x's are all the places to be careful of, places that are likely to contain undead." he muttered, "The circles on the other hand are places that might still contain supplies."
Jimin let out a hum as he understood what Hoseok was implying. They simply had to avoid places where the undead might be located to make it safely in and out of town, Hoseok had mapped out a single line which managed to avoid any dangerous places and lead them to the old town supermarket, a place most of the squad who grew up in the area would be familiar with. Hoseok chuckled, "I actually use to work at this supermarket." he smiled, "It was my part time job."
Eyes widening in shock, Taehyung snapped his fingers in realisation, "That's where I recognise you from!" he exclaimed, earning confused stares from the rest of the squad. "I remember when I first met you a few weeks back... I swore I'd seen you somewhere before!" he explained, earning a raised brow from Hoseok, "I use to steal snacks from the local supermarket," he chuckled lowly, "I guess you were one of the workers."
"Seriously!?" Yoongi and Hoseok both shout simultaneously.
Yoongi shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose in denial, "God- I was the cop in the area, but I was doing a shitty job."
Rolling his eyes at the bickering males, Jungkook spoke up, "Let's get back on topic." he groaned, bringing everyone's attention back to the task at hand. "Hoseok, Jimin and Yoongi... you guys should be the ones to go." he spoke up, task as squadron leader returning, "I trust you guys will know what supplies to gather."
Yoongi ran a hand through his tousled hair, "Do you and Taehyung need any more medical supplies?" he asked, not wanting to have to make two trips into town.
Seated comfortably beside Jungkook, Taehyung shook his head, "No. I'm progressing well with what I have... as a matter of fact," Taehyung smirked as he nudged Jungkook on the shoulder, "we're making great progress... just waiting for a breakthrough." he shrugged as the rest of the squad looked towards the pair in awe. It was surprising to say the least, that they'd progressed so far since the beginning.
"That settles it then." Hoseok piped up, rising to his feet, "Lets get a move on."
-----
As Jimin jumped out from the back of the car, the cold began to prick at his face, creeping underneath his thin layer of clothes and spreading across his skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter beach. With purple lips tinged with blue and gently chattering teeth, he wrapped his arms tightly around his body, "I think we should pick up some warmer clothes too." he breathed, shuddering as he watched Yoongi and Hoseok climb out of the car, "Winter is coming and we're all completely underprepared for the seasonal change." he explained. Winter was going to be brutal, and no one wanted to risk getting hypothermia.
Rubbing his hands together, Yoongi gave a nod of approval, "Lets gather anything we seriously might need." The cold that'd seemed mild just this morning now numbed his face. With each breath more heat rose in puffs of white vapour, and with each gust of wind, more heat dissipated. The only things the members were currently wearing were t-shirts, pants, and combat boots, with the lucky exception of Hoseok who was wearing a tightly fitted black turtle neck.
Reaching into the still open car, the orange haired male grabbed out his gear, slinging his bow and arrows over his shoulder before shutting the car door. "Lets quickly get a move on." he spoke up, adjusting the bow hanging around his form, "We shouldn't spend any more time here then we need to." Hoseok gestured for the two males to follow closely behind as he lead the way to the store. Yoongi cringed at how the once vibrant footpaths were now overgrown with weeds, blocked drainage systems causing puddles of stagnant water to form around the crumbling roads. Store fronts had been shattered, bikes, papers and belongs sprawled over the streets as a grim reminder of the struggles that came along with the escape on day zero.
Stopping in his tracks, Hoseok let out a breath of warm air as he paused in front of the supermarket. The bright neon sign was half hanging against the wall, wires hanging loosely from its side. Sparkling shards of glass littered the pavement after the windows had been completely shattered and the walls were beginning to chip away. Hoseok shuddered, not at the cold, but at the dark abyss that lurked inside the store. The light which was shining from behind the building shadowed the inside, leaving the male's to rely on limited lighting to see what lay ahead. Raising a hand, Hoseok wrapped his fingers firmly around the metal door handle of the store, swinging open the door with an easy push. Jimin flinched as the sound of the store bell chimed loudly through the silence, an almost haunting sound as they shuffled inside the supermarket. The floor was damp and muddy, some places inside containing water damage as they took a few steps forwards, "I'll start in the furthest isle," Hoseok spoke up, picking up an old plastic basket by the front door, "You guys split up, one in the middle and one on the end." he explained, gesturing towards the isles before spinning on his feet and heading to the edge of the store. With one basket remaining, Jimin took a trolly instead, wheeling it away as he head to the other end of the store, leaving Yoongi to take the middle.
With sharp feline eyes, Yoongi strolled down the middle isle of the store, not surprised to see an abundance of different supplies on the shelf. Most people left this town on day zero thankfully leaving behind a generous amount of food, the downside however was that the squad had to locate things that weren't already out of use by date.
Raising a hand to the shelf, Yoongi let his fingers glide along a few packets of flour, smiling to himself when his hand touched upon a packet of rolled oats. Taking a few packets into his hands, Yoongi threw the food into his plastic basket, happy that they weren't going home empty handed.
Through the gaps created in the shelf Yoongi caught Hoseok's eye, watching as the orange haired male stocked up on tinned food. Yoongi watched as Hoseok parted his lips to speak, but they both stiffened at the haunting sound of a low groan coming from the centre of the store. Heart sinking into his stomach Yoongi watched as Hoseok took a step back, eyes wide and lips quivering as he gestured for Yoongi to turn around. So swallowing his fear, that's just what Yoongi did.
Slowly and cautiously Yoongi began to spin around, lowering his basket of goods to the ground as he reached for his handgun in his pocket... and that's when he saw it. Through the small gaps of the isle across from him, Yoongi found his breathing hitching in his throat as his wide eyes met with a couple of wandering infected.
Runners.
This was bad. Runners were infected that could actually see... infected that they needed to hide from. In a supermarket like this it'd be easy to hide, but just as easy to be cornered. Yoongi gulped, throat growing dry as the runner began to stagger towards the end of the isle, "I'm way to sober for this." he murmured.
Watching from the isle next to Yoongi's, Hoseok was quick to take action. With a runner slowly dragging it's heavy limbs in his direction, Hoseok stumbled along the back wall, letting out a sigh of relief when his hand wrapped around a handle to an old storage cupboard. Sucking in a breath, Hoseok carefully opened the door, face shrivelling up as a small creak echoed throughout the store. He tensed as he noticed a single runner beginning to turn down his isle, so in one swift movement Hoseok pulled open the creaking door, quickly swinging himself inside.
Hoseok was safe, but Jimin and Yoongi were still out in the open.
With careful steps, Yoongi backed down his isle as the runners began to stagger around the store. He kept his footsteps light, carefully rounding a close corner and making his way towards the exit of the store. Unbeknownst to him, laying on the ground before him was a single empty glass bottle, so with another step forwards Yoongi accidentally kicked the glass, sending it spinning into the wall beside him.
The glass shattered against the wall, echoing throughout the silence of the store. Yoongi cringed as the sounds of groaning became irritated, turning into piercing screeches as the infected became aware of his presence. Slipping a hand carefully into his pocket, Yoongi was ready to take out his gun, but froze in absolute horror when the sound of clicking came from behind him.
"Fuck." he breathed, realising what else had heard the noise. His palms began to sweat, fingers clammy as he failed to reach for his gun, all he could seem to think was to please please please not let this be what he thought it was.
Yoongi felt sick the moment a hand latched itself to his shoulder, tightening its grip with full strength. Yoongi spun himself around, swinging up a hand in defence and trying to push the infected from his trembling form. His eyes went wide... it was a clicker.
There was a struggle, a minute where Yoongi tried to defend himself with nothing but his raised fists, but his efforts were pointless against the clicker's monstrous strength. With it's deformed face and tattered arms, the clicker shoved Yoongi against the wall earning a grunt of pain from the blue haired male as his head hit the wall with force. The clicker's arms were flailing about, reaching at Yoongi's cowering form as it tried to reach in for a bite of his soft porcelain skin.
Trying to kick the clicker from his struggling form, Yoongi tried to slide a hand into his belt to reach for his gun, but froze when he locked eyes with a familiar blonde haired male charging down the isle. Yoongi's lips parted, "LEAVE!" He shout, watching as Jimin began heading towards him, "LEAVE NOW!" he rasped, still trying to free himself from the clickers vice like grip. Jimin stubbornly refused as he picked up speed.
With windswept hair and a look of both anger and determination, Jimin wrapped his hands around the end of a wine bottle, raising his arms above his head and letting out a shout. In one swift movement, Jimin sent a bottle crashing down against the clicker's head, forcefully pushing it aside and allowing for Yoongi to break free.
Within that split second, the clicker's bones snapped back into place, cracking in his neck as he turned his attention towards Jimin instead. Stumbling back into the isle behind him, Jimin tried to reach for his pocket knife, fumbling around with the weapon once he realised his condition. Blood trickled thickly down the heated skin of Jimin's palms, glass wedged deep in his hands after smashing a glass bottle over the clicker's head. There was no way he'd be able to hold a weapon, so squinting his eyes, Jimin awaited the on coming pain.
But it never came... because with one split decision, Yoongi grabbed ahold of one of the metal wracks, grunting as he pushed against the shelf. After straining against the heavy shelving, Yoongi gasped as it toppled over, contents falling from it's rungs as it landed flatly over the clicker, practically crushing it as it was sent to the floor. With sharp eyes and tight lips, Yoongi slipped his gun from his pocket, raising the weapon to the clickers skull and pulling the trigger. A loud bang rang throughout the silence as it pierced through dead skin and bone, sending the clicker to the grave.
Jimin tightly clenched his teeth together when he saw Yoongi turn towards him, steam practically radiating from the male's ears as he began to stomp towards the younger male. Reaching out his arm, Yoongi took a firm hold of Jimin's collar, tightening his grip as he pulled the male closer to him. Their noses were practically touching, foreheads rested against one another as Yoongi let out his built up anger, "What the hell is wrong with you!?" he exclaimed, cornering Jimin against the wall, "Why can't you listen to a single thing I say!"
Jimin scoffed, "I'm not weak Yoongi!"
"I know but-" he let out a breath of frustration, shoving Jimin away as he let go of his hold on the blonde male's collar, "I can't help but worry!" he shout, grabbing a fist full of his tousled blue locks as he paced back and forth.
Rolling his eyes, Jimin fixed his shirt, "Am I not aloud to help you?!" he bellowed, blood still tricking from his fingertips and dotting against the concrete floor. Yoongi paused, facial expression softening in the slightest as he realised just how battered up Jimin's hands now were.
Yoongi let out a dejected sigh, eyes falling to the floor, "You're important to me Jimin," he started, calming himself down, "no one has ever made me feel the way you do. I promised from the very beginning I wouldn't get attached to this squad, but I couldn't help but fall for someone as determined of protecting others as you." he explained, recalling back to his very first day in the squad where Jimin saved him from facing a horde alone. "I've always protected others... no one's actually gone out of their way to protect me as many times as you have." he spoke, lifting his gaze to meet with Jimin's stunned expression.
"Fuck- Jimin I like you okay!"
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{Author Note}
Oft. This was a super long chapter so I hope you all enjoyed! This book is about half way through, we're gonna start gradually building up to the climatic stages so buckle up and get ready for the ride!
(unedited)