wayfaring stranger.

jieun had been just skating by time after time since well the end of the world or seemingly so. finding a group to stick with now-a-days was difficult. people were already within their own groups and letting in newbies was almost unheard of. sure she had a group that she traveled with, and she wouldn’t say that she didn’t like that but it was a means to survive that they stuck together. but ever since coming into a huge hoard the group broke off quite a bit, smaller groups sectioned off. but being stuck with people day in day out could be a task in itself.

the smaller group of five she was stuck in were always at each others throats, never having enough weapons, or food things they should be looking for instead of arguing. it was increasingly more dangerous to stay with them like this, so volatile it wasn’t worth it. they had been heading towards a safe house, miles away she knew the general information and figured it’s be best to leave. she packed up enough for herself and a few weapons before heading out. though being on her own probably wasn’t the smartest. 

it wasn’t long before she had dodge a group of clickers by slipping into a forest. she waited a while  before moving deeper in after hearing running water. now would be a good time to get something to drink fortunately to her she had a few filters to try to make the water safe to drink.

when she was approaching the river she looked up and put her hands up and saw the naked male holding a guy up to her before turning her head. “ah –” she paused for a whole minute unsure of what to say. “i wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.” she mumbles a bit at first. “i was just trying to get some water –i’m not here to take anything from you.” she said keeping her eyes diverted from the male before her even as he lowered the weapon.

it takes a few moments before haeun finds himself lowering the gun. he doesn’t know how many times he’s seen the shy, timid women role in play. his firefly group leader loved to use it when he was still a part of them, and she was more dangerous than haeun was. though after a few moments of checking her out it did seem as though she wasn’t worth much of a battle--at least for now. once he got out of the water it could be a whole other story. 

he still keeps his eye on her as he wades back to the shore, shameless in his nudity as he pulls himself up and out of the lake. a slight shiver rakes his body, and it’s only when he’s placing his boxer-briefs back up and over his hips does he look away from her. haeun makes sure to keep listening, though. one could never be too sure. 

the clank of his belt seems to be the only thing heard as he fastens it back around his waist, and haeun tucks his revolver into the back of his pants before turning to face her once more. a hand comes up to brush wet locks away from his face. 

❝ the last thing you should be drinking is straight lake water, unless you’re looking for a lovely case of dysentery. ❞ an eyebrow perks, and haeun takes a moment to throw his ragged, white ( stained ) shirt back over his head. ❝ but be my guest. might be worth the risk, who knows. ❞

his eyes widen at the sounds of the gunshot. fuck. he jolts to his feet. he knows it can’t be his guns—it doesn’t ring the same. still, his hands automatically check his pistols. one at his thigh, the other…tucked in the back of his jeans ( god forbid if that one fires off ).

guns in check, he whips around to check his surroundings. there has to be a reason someone fired their gun. unless he was about to encounter a newbie who hadn’t been versed in the ways of loud noises and the lovely infected. the dying screams draws his attention—not nearly a foot away—and he scrunches his nose. okay, not so lovely.

he grinds his jaw. he missed the clicker. he doesn’t want to admit he dropped his guard, just for a moment. he’s not lazy or even unskilled, but he has a newfound confidence recklessness ever since he got bit and lived to tell the tale ( or, rather, lack of ). instead, he’s usually hauling ass from skeptics. it got old, really, how he’d say he was fine, but they’d pull their weapons on him anyway. and then he’d find himself alone…again. he pulls at his sleeves to double check said bite is covered.

chanseong rubs the back of his neck with a short, slightly, nervous laugh.   “  yeah, shit, that would’ve been bad.  ”    hopefully, it passes off as just nerves from the clicker.    “  thanks for the save,  ”    he barely gets out before he hears the wave of runners coming. because it can never be that simple in a apocalypse.    “  we either run or we fight them. don’t know how much ammo you have.  ”    not that he wants to make more noise, but once the infected were upon them, guns would be the best bet at making it out.

just his luck that he’d have to blast a clicker down in the middle of a damn courtyard. honey can only imagine how many runners and clickers are wandering the broken down city, and if anything, he had just alerted at least half of them to their presence. regrettable? somewhat. if only because now there’s a chance of both of them dying instead of one. jeno always says honey’s soft heart is going to be the downfall of him. maybe he’ll actually be right today. 

his heart feels as though it’s stuck in his throat, and no attempt to swallow it down makes it go away. ammo? sure, he had some ammo. enough to make it out of a horde? chances were slim. it’s not as though he was carrying his sawed-off shotgun. pump-actions where good for getting the bullets out quickly, but only into a single target. 

❝ i like to think i’m a pretty fast runner. ❞ the fastest out of the rest of the group, anyway. long legs make it easy for him to go, and man they probably should really be going right now. he holds his hand out, looking over the stranger’s shoulder before back to his face. probably not enough time to make a truce, but dammit he had to make a truce. 

❝ i’ll watch your back if you watch mine. ❞ oh would he. four eyes meant there was a least a little more chance of survival. ❝ sound good? ❞   

bomin’s nose crinkles, and he moves the jar of rancid peaches away from his face with a grimace. the hope that they had been properly sealed to last is diminished as quick as it had grown, and with slight defeat he places it back onto the shelf. the market is all but barren, which is too be expected, but the sight of it still makes him feel slightly defeated. glass crackles underneath his feet softly with each step he takes, and every so often he has to stop to lift a shelf back up and out of the way. this was a bust, and bomin can’t help but wonder how honey does it so well. 

a soft noise catches his attention, and silently bomin grabs the compound bow off his back. he knocks an arrow, pulling the string taut but leaving it down by his side as he walks back towards the front of the shop. the telltale sounds of a clicker were nowhere to be heard, but having a run-in with a runner was usually decidedly worse. he swallows thickly, holds his breath, and turns the corner.

❝ oh. ❞ the breath that leaves his chest is almost relieved. not a runner, but a stranger. bomin keeps his bow drawn just in case for self-defense. he nods towards the jar of peaches in their hand. ❝ i wouldn’t if i were you. they’re expired. like really expired. ❞

the cool water of the lake causes haeun to shiver, and he lets out a soft breath as goosebumps run down his arms. the weather isn’t too cold but also not quite warm enough for the water to be comfortable, but it looked clear enough and he wasn’t one to turn down getting clean--especially because their water was down until dowoon could figure out how to get the pumps working again. it was moments like this haeun cherished the most. there wasn’t much alone time now that he was connected to a group again. he closes his eyes, relishing in the silence of the small forest around him. 

his head perks forward a bit as he hears a crack in the forest. could be nothing, but also could be a clicker. it was hard to tell anymore. he listens for the telltale sign of a clicker trying to locate him, but instead he gets another crackle in the bramble. haeun listens, trying to find the direction it’s coming from as he wades quietly to the shore to grab his revolver. the bullet loads into the chamber just as the perpetrator of the noise comes into the clearing. haeun raises his gun. 

not exactly how he wants to be jumped ( if he is getting jumped ), naked in the middle of the lake with nothing but his gun...but at least he’s been in worse scenarios. 

❝ you know, a lot of people would recommenced not sneaking up on someone in the middle of the apocalypse. ❞ he keeps his revolver held steady until it’s deemed safe enough to lower it. ❝ i don’t have anything worth taking if that’s what you’re looking for. ❞ he jerks his head to his backpack, only filled with his clothes and a granola bar or two. ❝ though i do ask that you won’t make me walk back home naked. ❞  

it was days like this, days were there wasn’t much going on, where jeno was left it his own devices. he got too restless, never been too much of a homebody, and it was only a few hours into the day before bomin ended up asking him to leave and find something to do.

whatever, s’not like he wants to be around that stuffy asshole anyway. in fact, he’d much rather be here, laying on his stomach on top of an old gas station and taking out stray runners and clickers as they wander through. a waste of ammo? sure. is it keeping jeno entertained? also a yes. a win in his book. 

❝ ah, here we go. come to daddy. ❞ his finger rested lightly on the trigger of his hunting rifle, one eye closed as the other looked through the scope. the outline didn’t match that of a clicker, too humanoid. if anything it was probably a runner. shit, maybe a newly turned one at that with the way they were walking. jeno’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, though he’s ready to shoot the moment the runner comes into view.  

with a curse his finger fumbles, and it’s just pure luck that jeno didn’t end up pulling the trigger. that was definitely not a zombie of any kind. and jeno almost shot them. 

❝ oi!! ❞ he stands up to call out at the slowly closing in figure, palm over his eyes so he can see out into the distance under the light of the sun. jeno throws his free hand up like really? ❝ i almost fucking shot ya! ❞  

❝ well, you’re not going to die so i guess that’s a good thing. ❞

nimble fingers work quickly with the bandage in his hand, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he works. it’s not something that soobin would usually do for a stranger, but honey or dowoon would, and that’s what he tries to remember. just because he didn’t feel anything at the sight of a hurt survivor doesn’t mean that somebody else wouldn’t.

guess it’s a good thing he brought extra supplies with him today, but that also meant now they’d be down a set of bandages and antiseptic cream. he grimaces slightly at the realization. 

❝ pretty deep cut for something that’s not a runner bite. ❞ his gaze flicks up to their own, not necessarily weary, but more so in critical questioning. if he was wasting--lending--his supplies out, soobin felt like he should at least know the story. ❝ what happened? ❞

❝ oh my god. is that a car or am i absolutely hallucinating this right now? ❞

it surely wouldn’t be the first time, but that’s not exactly something dowoon felt the need to share with his new travel partner. the rugged pack hanging across his shoulder drops onto the broken gravel with a slight thunk, forgotten as he jogs up to the small honda that’s haphazardly parked against the curb of the city. 

a car potentially meant a working car. a working car meant getting back to his group. it’s not the first time he’s been separated from them, but it surely isn’t one of dowoon’s favorite things. he gets worse quicker when he’s alone. a ticking time bomb.

he smears the dust that has settled across the window away with the palm of his hand so he can lean in and look into the interior. it’s...not exactly the prettiest, but it’s free of blood ( thank god ) and doesn’t look too busted. dowoon tries the handle, but luck isn’t that on his side. the car is locked. 

❝ if there’s a way we can get the car unlocked without damaging it then i can try to get it started. might not get far, but it’s better than being out in the open when the sun goes down. we’re lucky we haven’t ran into any clickers already. ❞

bomin exhales quietly, compound bow pulled at the ready, one eye partially shut as he tracks the small doe that’s currently grazing in the middle of the large city park. he only brought a few arrows with him, which means this shot is the one that counts the most. his heartbeat rings in his ears, fingers ticking against the bowstring, and he waits one, two, three more seconds until--

a noise startles him, and with a curse the arrow goes flying. bomin watches in dismay as it misses it’s mark. the doe is startled, head perking up to look around her surroundings before she’s bounding off into the overgrown trees. 

he closes his eyes tightly, bringing the bow back down by his side in favor of pinching the bridge of his nose. bomin takes a deep breath before turning towards the source of the noise. 

❝ well, there goes dinner. ❞ he places his bow back into the carrier on his back, and bomin’s hands find themselves on his hips. ❝ guess we’re splitting a granola bar. ❞  

the shot is loud. so loud it leaves honey’s ears ringing and skull rattling. the first rule, the one bomin presses so severely anyway, is to shoot only if it’s a last resort. honey wouldn’t say this is the last resort for himself, but had he not done it then someone would have surely been runner food. 

he cautiously steps forward, loading the shotgun once more, and only then does he feel safe when he hears the clack of the shell falling into place. 

the clicker twitches on the ground, grotesque with the way the fungus surrounding it’s face swallows the scream of agony. honey gags softly, face turning away from the sight before him. he’s always had somewhat of a weak stomach. things like this definitely didn’t help.

❝ you good? ❞ he finally finds it in himself to wheeze out after his gagging fit. his stomach still feels sour, but he makes sure to swallow it down. there wouldn’t be much time for throwing up anyway. with that shotgun blast it was only a matter of time before the courtyard they were standing in was covered in runners and clickers alike. ❝ like woah dude you almost got the bite. just like, two more seconds and-- ❞ he brings his hands up, miming like his fingers are a jaw full off teeth clamping down. 

haeun kept his revolver steady, years of training evident in the way his hand didn’t once waver. his finger laid lightly on the trigger, but he made no movement to pull it. it would be rash jumping to that kind of conclusion. if haeun was lucky the stranger before him would be as ready to be on their way as much as he was.

besides, what was a little stand off during the middle of the apocalypse but another monday evening?

❝ do you know where you are? ❞ it wouldn’t be the first time someone stumbled across their camp due to word of mouth. honey had a penchant for telling everyone and their brother about their base. sweet at heart but completely stupid. not every stranger was there to be your friend. some were there to take what you worked so hard to keep.

❝ lower your weapon and i’ll lower mine. ❞ 

❝ pretty great first meeting, huh?  ❞

with a small grunt jeno hoists them up, bicep flexing with strain, and deposits them right next to his side. giving his arm a small shake ( he’s a little out of practice, okay? ), he then leans over the side of the crumbled wall. the clicker is standing still, fingers twitching, head tilted as it tries to find their location out in the darkness.

this is why he didn’t do scavenging runs. he always ended up in a fucked up situation just like this. just his luck.

jeno sniffs in disdain as he falls back into a sitting position, posture at ease and legs spread as he leans back onto the palms of his hands. his attention is then brought back onto the stranger next to him.

❝ anyone ever tell you you’re loud as shit when looting? if not then i’m telling you now. almost made yourself clicker bait there. ❞