„Fuck, shit, fuck! "

Ah, what a wonderful day it was. Yoongi tried to sit up but the thin branches and leaves that were getting stuck on his clothes were making it hard for him. Regaining his balance, he put his leg over the thickest branch he could find and swung himself and his backpack up and off the ground. He could hear his blood pumping through his body, the adrenaline kicking in one moment after the other and while getting stuck on a fucking tree wasn't his favorite activity, getting eaten by a bunch of half dead creatures wasn't exactly something the pale man would like to join in.

Cursing god and the world, he finally found a spot comfortable enough for him to stay for a few hours, so he could take out his rope and tie himself to the tree. He hadn't gotten enough sleep since, well, forever, and he didn't want to fall off the damn tree in his sleep. He had been stupid enough to do this before on his journey and it's how he ended up in this situation in the first place. No family, no friends, only one arm and even his hair looked bleached as hell.

Wonderful.

Then again it wasn't his fault that some scientists decided to just let a virus out into the world in the hopes that it would cure cancer. Oh, how wrong they had been. Yoongi couldn't blame them for trying to make the world a better place but after everything that had happened he didn't find it in himself to forgive them.

He observed the cuts and bruises on his arms and legs and wondered how he got them. He had been injured countless times and he wondered why he was even still alive. Slowly and carefully he wrapped the rope around his midsection, careful to avoid his belt, and slumped back against the tree. When he was finally done he took a look into his green army backpack, which he borrowed from his friend, Taehyung was his name, before the whole chaos went down in 2029. Yoongi wasn't sure if his energetic and kind friend was still alive, but he dearly hoped that he was somewhere safe, hidden from all the gruesome things the world had offered them in the last few years.

He didn't remember much before his transformation, but he knew that it was something humans couldn't stop even if they had tried harder, even if they had noticed the symptoms sooner. The thought gave the 25-year-old both a feeling of relief and panic, because, if they couldn't stop it before, would it be possible to stop it now?

He took out his water bottle and noticed it was empty. "Damn it!" Yoongi growled angrily and almost threw the plastic down on the ground. He remembered that it was the only thing left for him to carry water in and decided to keep his rage to himself. He was never good at containing his negative feelings and now that his mother was gone, he could swear and punch all he liked. Yoongi still missed his family but he wasn't treated like a child should have been treated and so he distanced himself more and more from them before he started his journey.

He wondered what his mother would say if she saw him like this, white hair, dark circles, bloodshot eyes, protheses on his left arm, ripped clothes. Nothing about him was the same anymore.

Would she be terrified?

Would she abandon him? Would she hold him in her arms and tell him it was fine? He shook his head and leaned back a bit. He had asked himself the same questions over and over but he never got an answer and he didn't mind. He didn't want to know. He didn't care. Just like they didn't care about him in the past. In times like these Yoongi wishes he still had Taehyung with him. Sure, he was annoying and quite a handful to deal with but he was a nice guy nonetheless and always supportive of him. He called him Suga.

"Why Suga? That's so dumb." "But you look so cute when you smile!"

And that's just how it went. Now depressed, tired and thirsty, Yoongi decided that it was time to sleep. He hoped that he would wake up and the world would be the same as it was before.

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After what seems like only a few hours Yoongi is jerked awake by a noise. He takes out the knife which he placed inside his right shoe and waits for things to happen. He slowly loosens the rope and waits. Several minutes pass.

Thump. Clack. Rustle. "OW!"

What?

What?

Did he just? Yoongi listens more closely. Breathing. Someone or something is breathing very close to him. Trying to see more, he opens his eyes a little wider, instinct in the back of his head, calling him to make a move. In the corner of his eye he sees a silhouette of which seemed like a small person. Quick as a bullet he turns around and points his military knife at whoever decided to intrude on his hiding spot.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

He notices how the eyes of the boy seemed to widen when he spots Yoongi from his position a few branches down the tree. Realization seems to dawn on his features as he reaches for his back in a panicked fashion and tries to get a hold of something, anything, to defend himself with. The boy decided to go with his gun.

But he was way too slow and Yoongi already had the sharp object at the poor boy's throat before he could even turn back around. "Y-You! You!" the black-haired male stuttered. Fear was written clear on his face and Yoongi wondered if he had ever seen someone that terrified of him in his entire life.

"Why are you here?" the blonde asked. It was kind of a dumb question, Yoongi decided. There were zombies everywhere after all but he demanded to know why this guy, this kid, decided to choose the same tree as him as a hiding spot. "Please don't hurt me!" the boy yelled desperately and held his hands up. How did this kid even survive until now?

"I said. Why are you here?" Yoongi repeated.

He was getting annoyed by this kid's behavior. "I-I was just trying to, to, um, not get eaten? But I don't understand. You are? Aren't you? I mean. Not to be rude or anything but could it be that you are one of them? One of the beings?"

Did he hear that correctly?

Yoongi wanted to laugh. This kid, trying to be polite even when he was being threatened? Who even does that?

"What the hell. God, just. Get up there. And don't threaten me. Bullets can't kill me anyway." Yoongi took his knife and put it back where he kept it. Why was he like this? Scared? Of someone like that? Yoongi chuckled to himself. The kid wouldn't be able to hurt a fly.

"What? But." The blonde shot him a glare. "Okay." The boy got up on Yoongi's (really? Yoongi's?) branch and tried not to lose his balance, which he seemed to regain pretty quickly. Well, this was awkward. It's been a while since he met someone who looked even remotely human. He mostly just saw deserts, trees, fields, zombies, zombies, stone, wind, zombies and even more zombies.

What a boring life he's had until now.

"Stop moving. If we fall we are both dead for sure." Both of them looked down and observed how some of the beings circled the trees in interest, their reeking bodies piling on one another to try and reach their newly found food. Their bodies were covered in mold, flesh barely recognizable and eyes white as the moon at night. Yoongi couldn't believe he could have turned out to be like that.

"Um, thank you?"

After what felt like hours Yoongi finally heard the boy speak. His voice was soft and innocent, something that didn't belong somewhere where blood and violence was common and necessary.

"Whatever."

He didn't have time to deal with this. God, it was so awkward. What was he supposed to do? Comfort the kid? He wasn't a babysitter. He was never good at interacting with others anyway.

"How long do you think they will stay h-here?" The black-haired boy asked. It was clear that he was still scared. Yoongi wondered how old he was. He seemed very young. "Probably just until tomorrow. They usually walk away after not getting food for a long time. Those idiots." After a short nod, his new roommate (treemate?) decided that it was for the best to stay still for a while. Yoongi's annoyed expression didn't seem to stop him from talking, though. "I'm Park Jimin, by the way. And you are?"

Are you fucking kidding me? This wasn't the time for introductions, he decided but answered anyway. "Min Yoongi." he mumbled and turned away to observe more of the creatures' behavior. Jimin smiled at him and turned to get something out of his backpack. So, when Jimin offered him his water bottle he just couldn't refuse. It had been days since he had been properly hydrated, saving his water for when he felt particularly hot or tired. It was hard to get clean water after all.

But here was this kid, offering him this to him as if it wouldn't be a problem at all. Like someone giving him water after gym class. It was surprising how emotional Yoongi got at the thought. So, when he was done drinking the cool liquid down, he had the decency to thank him. The kid just smiled at him, eyes and all and Yoongi was confused at the sincerity of it. Who was this guy to pretend like everything was fine? Then again, it kind of was, wasn't it? He was alive and somewhat healthy, ignoring the virus that was apparently stuck in his body.

"So." Jimin began, shifting a little and looking at Yoongi from where he was sitting on their shared space. Yoongi didn't look up at first, fiddling with his tracking device, which Jimin seemed to be very confused by. After a few minutes Yoongi finally looked up. "What? What is it?" he asked, sighing as he tried to fix his device as best he could. Why wasn't this thing working? It did just a few hours ago. "Um I'm not sure if it's ok to ask you this but- "Yoongi interrupted him. "If you are not sure about asking something, then you shouldn't do it." Jimin shut his mouth slowly, nodding and playing with his hair. "Sorry. But uh, how old are you? That is something normal to ask right?" He grinned and once again the other man questioned himself why he was dealing with this person in the first place. "26. You?" Jimin's face lit up, happy that he answered his question. "I'm 22 years old." Jimin said and Yoongi wondered why someone so young would be heading through this world on his own.

Sure, in these kinds of times it wasn't unusual for people to be traveling on their own but Jimin didn't struck Yoongi as the type to go on a journey alone on purpose. He was too soft, too weak, too innocent. Then again, it wasn't like Yoongi to care about other peoples' business so he decided to drop the thought.

Some time went by, neither of them saying a word. It was a tense silence but not as awkward as before. Yoongi and Jimin observed how most of the zombies disappeared and went to search for something to eat somewhere else.

He decided then that this was the moment to escape before the sun rose in the east. He started packing his things, checking his prothesis and getting ready to climb off the tree. Jimin seemed to catch on and packed his things as well, fast but clumsy movements shoving his belongings back into his backpack and following Yoongi close behind. "Why are you following me?" Yoongi hissed. He didn't mean to be an asshole to this guy but he really didn't need anyone following for god's sake. He decided right on day one that he would travel alone. No companions allowed. But Jimin didn't seem to care as he followed Yoongi closely but silently, not even answering him on his way down. Yoongi huffed. What was up with this kid.

Slowly and quietly both of them sneaked through some of the bushes. The smell of smoke and earth was in the air, it was all too familiar to the 25-year-old, having spent the last two years on the run through this part of Korea. They finally made their way down a street surrounded by houses, trashcans and corpses, down what seemed to be an abandoned gas station. Yoongi covered his nose, the smell of rotting flesh hitting him in the face harshly. He would never get used to it.

It freaked him out at first, seeing dead people, but now it was just part of his lifestyle and getting emotional over something like this wasn't something Yoongi wanted to do. It was distracting and possibly threatening his life if he wasn't careful enough. That didn't mean that it didn't make him sick to his very core, though, thinking about whose family member this once might have been.

He heard Jimin gasp behind him, holding a piece of his shirt to his nose and exhaling shakily. "Keep it down." Yoongi ordered but his tone wasn't as harsh as Jimin had anticipated. He'd been in the same state Jimin was in when he first started to fight on his own. He wondered if Jimin had been hiding somewhere, in a place where he couldn't see the corpses. But his questions were forgotten when they finally arrived at their destination.

Immediately Yoongi opened the glass doors, sliding in swiftly and walking though the isles, stepping over fallen objects and heading directly towards the drinks section. Jimin followed behind him clumsily, though he was crouching down after a while, picking up a can of what seemed to be cherries. Yoongi took the first bottle of liquor he could find, messily opening it with his right arm and taking a swing of the burning liquid, sighing as he sat down on the floor.

"Really? The first thing you do is get drunk? Shouldn't one, well, you know, eat food first or drink something that doesn't have 40 percent alcohol in it?" Jimin asked, brows furrowed in confusion while sitting down in front of his newly found partner. Slowly opening the can, Jimin took out which seemed to be a spoon from his backpack and shoveling the fruits inside his mouth.

"Makes me feel good 'cause nothing in this world makes me feel joy anymore." Yoongi said. Jimin looked at him with a sad look on his face but Yoongi burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. God, did you really think I was that pathetic? I'm just drinking it because it distracts me from the pain in my arm. And I don't have any medicine with me." He lifted his left arm, showing Jimin his prothesis, which was attached to his arm, though the skin around it seemed to have started to bruise and swell, red spots lingering in contrast to the rest of his fair skin.

Jimin put the can down and leaned a little closer, observing Yoongi's arm with more interest now. "How did that happen?" he asked and Yoongi could see the shock on the other's face. He probably didn't mean to blurt out the words but he didn't mind. They were stuck there for a short while anyway. "Okay so you probably wondered why I looked like one of them but also kind of human?" he asked, Jimin nodding his head, shoving more cherries into his mouth. "I'm half transformed." The older man said like it was the most normal thing to say on planet earth and Jimin nearly spit out his food, coughing for a moment before looking at Yoongi in shock. "Y-You what? Half transformed? But that's not possible. Everyone who gets bitten turns into one of them. I have seen it." Jimin insisted, pointing a finger at Yoongi's arm.

"I cut my arm off before it could spread through the rest of my body." Yoongi answered coldly, lightly tracing over the edge of his injured arm. The younger boy sat back in disbelief, trying to comprehend what Yoongi just told him. He always got this reaction, that is, when someone actually tried to listen to him. Usually they just got scared and turned away from him. But this was rather amusing to him.

"I don't even know what to say." Jimin answered, still in shock by what the older man had just told him. "I had to do it to survive. There was no other way." Yoongi mumbled and took another swing from the bottle. He took a better look at the boy before him. Round cheeks, small shoulders, black hair and ripped clothes. He looked way too soft to be stuck in this world. How did he get this far? There seemed to be some scars and scratches on his face and hands, probably from climbing hiding. Yoongi eyed Jimin's loose pants, which seemed to be almost falling down his hips, only held up by his oversized black shirt.

"You should probably change into something else while we're here. I'm sure they have some clothes around here." Yoongi said, standing up and grabbing something which seemed to be a granola bar. Jimin took a look at his clothes, confused by his statement. "You're going to get stuck on everything with that much fabric on you. Pick something tighter. It won't get you killed." He said casually, sitting back down. "Oh. Right." Jimin stated lamely, standing up and looking for something to wear. Was this kid just going to listen to him?

Yoongi took a big bite out of his granola bar, cringing at how stale it tasted. But it was better than nothing. Stuffing his backpack with more food and water, he walked around slowly, looking for some medicine or anything to soothe the pain in his arm.

"Hyung!" He heard someone calling him from behind. Yoongi furrowed his brows. Hyung? Were they that close now?

"What is it?" He asked. "I found this in the back of the shop." Jimin shouted happily, shoving which seemed like a container of cream into his hands. He seemed to have found clothes that fit his body better, now wearing tighter pants and also what seemed to be a black denim jacket. "I think it's gonna help with the swelling." Yoongi took a look at the label. "Expiration date: June 2034" he mumbled quietly, turning the container around. He opened it and put some of the substance on the part of his left arm where flesh met the cold material of his prothesis. Jimin grinned up at him. "You're welcome!" Yoongi just grumbled in response, going back to their belongings.

Yoongi took a look at his tracking device. The date read August 23rd 2032, 8:34 am. He had been traveling for almost three years now. It felt like a lifetime to him.

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They just sat there in silence, each of them either eating, cleaning themselves up or playing with something to pass the time. After a while Jimin asked "Do you wanna play a game?"

Yoongi looked up, having dozed off for a few minutes. "Huh?" "A game! I saw some cards back in the toys section. Wanna play?" Jimin stood up, looking at his new friend (were they friends?) expectedly. He considered his offer for a moment. Usually this wasn't the kind of activity Yoongi participated in, then again, he spent most of his time alone so this was like breath of fresh air to him. Even if he didn't like people at all. "Fuck it. I guess one round can't hurt." He replied, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

Jimin smiled at him, excitingly running down to the spot he said he found the cards, coming back moments later and scooching closer to his hyung. "What game do you want to play?"

"How about War?" Yoongi asked, leaning back and taking another sip from his alcohol. "I don't think I've played that before." Jimin answered, tipping his head to the side. "Can you teach me how to play?" "It's not that hard. It's actually a game for kids. I learned it from my brother." Yoongi said, Jimin listening to him with interest. He took the stack of cards into his hands to demonstrate.

"Okay so each player turns up a card at the same time." Yoongi took two cards into his hands, turning them around slowly. "And the player with the higher card takes both cards and puts them, face down, on the bottom of his stack, like this." Yoongi took both of the cards and lifted his stack to put the new cards underneath it.

Jimin nodded, following his hands with concentration. Yoongi smiled. It was fun to do this with someone other than himself. "If the cards are the same rank it is War. Each player turns up one card, see." Yoongi took two more cards but he didn't turn them around just yet. He selected two more cards, turning them around this time. "Face down and one card face up. And the player with the higher cards takes both piles, which are six cards. Do you get it?" Yoongi asked, shuffling the deck of cards to start the round. "I think I got it. Though I feel like I will get it wrong at the start." Jimin answered sheepishly. "That's fine. You learn by playing the game."

They started the round and he was surprised by how fast Jimin learned to play the game. He even won most of the rounds, which the older didn't accept so easily and challenged Jimin to another game. The black-haired boy giggled, clearly finding his opponent's competitive behavior amusing.

While Jimin selected some new cards, Yoongi thought about how bizarre this situation was. This guy just showed up out of nowhere and now here he was, playing cards with him. Was this ok? Was he allowed to attach himself to this stranger? It felt weird but also good after being alone for such a long time.

Yoongi smirked when he won the next round, watching as the younger frowned and looked at his cards in confusion. When the 22-year-old finally looked up, he was already standing up and collecting the cards, pushing them to the side. Yoongi decided it was time for them to secure the place for however long they would stay here so while Jimin sat on the floor, dealing with a cut on his wrist, he disappeared to the back, opening several doors and checking if there was anything useful for him to take with him on his journey.

However, all he did find were a broom closet, a dirty bathroom that smelled like piss, a kitchen or what looked like a workers' community room with nothing but used cups and plates, a storage room that was completely empty and a back door.

He decided that it was time for him to secure the back side of the supermarket. So, he took some of the supplies he could find and checked through the window if there was anything that could harm him. When he decided that it was safe he sneaked around the building, closing up openings and creaks to make the place a little safer for their stay. It wasn't anything necessary but Yoongi thought it was important since there could always be danger around.

And he preferred to keep his distance to those things that attacked him.

"Hyung?" Jimin asked. "Yeah?" "Where are you going after we leave this place?" Yoongi looked up, thinking for a few seconds. "I'm not sure but I guess I have somewhere I need to be. So, I'm going there." He answered honestly. He wanted to find his friends who had contacted him at the beginning of his journey, telling him to come to Seoul. They would meet up there when the time was right. "Can I come with you?" Jimin asked, his voice insecure but hopeful.

Yoongi looked at him in shock. He usually refused to let people come with him on his journey. But he missed having someone around to talk to and Jimin seemed to be a decent guy.

"Sure, kid." He answered, grinning a little at his new companion. Jimin grinned back at him, teeth pressed together in excitement, eyes turning into little crescent moons.

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Yoongi just hoped he wouldn't regret his decision later.