Chapter 2: Sanctuary In Hell

 

Kim Seokjin was making breakfast for the others on the wood stove in the mansion they had managed to find when they had fled the city. Far enough out of the way that the zombies couldn't seem to find it, on the off chance they did stumble into their midst, it was surrounded by a high, sturdy, iron fence to easily keep the rotting monsters at bay. Nothing was getting into their safe zone unless something incredibly drastic happened. In the time that they had lived there, Seokjin had created a successful vegetable garden and various vine and bush fruit patches, even managing to obtain a few untainted chickens and a cow.

 

Five years had passed since their escape from the festering hoard at their school. Despite the fact that life as they knew it would never be the same and everyone they ever loved were probably dead, they were surviving pretty comfortably. Some of them still called out for their mothers in their sleep but they had all become accustomed to their new reality. Even he had managed to adjust and find happiness in the touch of Namjoon or the smile of Hoseok or the laughter of the kids.

 

Sighing, Seokjin reflected on their evacuation from the city. Himself and the younger members of their survival group had tried desperately to call their parents, their families, their other friends, but to no avail. Buildings were on fire and bodies were everywhere; it had looked like a scene from the horror movies Jungkook had loved to watch... Only it was more than 3D and high definition special effects, it was a hell thriving on Earth.

 

"Jinnie you're burning the eggs." Namjoon's sleepy voice brought him back to the current world and he cursed, looking down at the now gray, scrambled mess in his frying pan.

 

"..." Groaning, he dumped it in the sink to start over.

 

"Where's your head at, babe?"Questioning, his boyfriend kissed Seokjin's cheek, wrapping his arms around him from behind. Leaning into Namjoon, he started stirring the eggs, grateful to be in his embrace.

 

"Life, baby. Life." Replying with a weak smile, Seokjin rubbed Namjoon’s cheek gently. "Go ahead and call the kids for breakfast."

 

 

Park Jimin had been awake for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. Still tired, the urge to urinate had brought him out of slumber, but with Jungkook's arms around him he found his willpower to crawl out of bed was nonexistent. Hope that his younger love would wake up before his bladder exploded welled up like the liquid inside of him. Nobody would want to clean up that mess.

 

"Yo. Breakfast." Calling into the room as he trudged past to wake the others, Namjoon’s words gave him an out.

 

"Jungkookie~" Rubbing Jungkook's cheek to wake him up, he pecked him gently on the lips. "Mom made food."

 

"Mom and dad didn't have morning on the eggs again right?" Mumbling, Jungkook’s eyes were still closed, reluctant to wake.

 

"We promised not to do that anymore. It was one time. Get over it." Rolling his eyes, Namjoon walked by again, a still mostly asleep Yoongi shuffling after him. Laughing, Jimin watched as Jungkook sat up and ruffled his own hair sleepily.

 

"Alright. As long as the eggs aren't fertilized." His soft smile drove Jimin crazy. "Hey there Jiminnie." Pullinh him into a tight hug, Jungkook’s embrace made Jimin feel as though his soul would melt. God, he really did love this boy.

 

 

Jung Hoseok led his boyfriend downstairs for breakfast, attempting to continue the pretty heated make out session he had started before they left the bedroom. Giggling, Taehyung’s back crashed into the wall halfway down the staircase as they attempt to deepen a kiss while moving. Luckily they managed to stay on their feet without parting their lips from one another.

 

"Holy ing hell, you two." Scoffing, Yoongi walked passed with a plate of eggs and fruit and a large mug of coffee. "Stop face for 30 seconds to at least make it down a floor." Shaking his head, he continued on to the living room to eat.

 

"Yo Yoongi! Don't hate because your biggest love affair is with swag." Smirking, Hoseok quipped back playfully. "I'm sure the cow outside could use some romance in her life."

 

"That is no way to talk about Seokjin. And he isn't even outside." Firing back, Yoongi shook a fork at them.

 

"Yo! That cow is getting plenty of romance, thank you very much." Yelling from the kitchen, Namjoon’s words made Hoseok flinch a little, almost ruining his mood with Taehyung.

 

"Hey! I'm getting a lot less now, you ." Complaining, Seokjin appeared in the kitchen entryway, giving Hoseok a quick shared glance. "You two morons just get in here and get food already."

 

"Looks like we have to behave." Pouting Taehyung held a disappointed face before it crumbled into a fit of giggles, clinging to Hoseok’s arm. Mornings like this one made it easy to forget the horrors that still existed outside of the forest. Those mornings, Hoseok freely enjoyed his happiness with the one he loved without feeling any guilt toward those whose lost their lives without ever coming across that feeling.

 

"You'll have a harder time at that then I will." Taehyung grinned and grabbed his wrist, causing Hoseok to laugh and allowed his boyfriend to lead him to the kitchen.

 

 

Kim Namjoon wrapped his arms around Seokjin, making a kissy face at him in hopes that he'd get himself out of the pit he had dug himself by calling his lover a cow. Alas, his effort was to no avail. Pushing him away, Seokjin finished dividing the food onto plates.

 

"I'm sorry. You're not a cow. You're a queen." Groveling, Namjoon tried to give him a kiss and Seokjin rolled his eyes.

 

"Too bad I didn't score myself a knight." Irritated, Seokjin shot him a dark look before handing out plates. While he did so, Namjoon found it difficult to ignore the way it seemed like Seokjin and Hoseok's eyes met and hands lingered a little too long. Noticing the slight blush on both of their cheeks, Namjoon wondered what might have happened between them and why Seokjin hadn’t told him something about it as Hoseok scampered away, his lips locked with Taehyung's once again. Maybe his poor, sweet Seokjin just had such an issues coping with such a frequent display of between Hoseok and Taehyung. Sure, Namjoon and Seokjin weren't much different but Seokjin was certainly more shy about it than Taehyung was and it must embarrass Seokjin to be near them.

 

"Moooom!" Whining, Jungkook made their way into the kitchen with Jimin. Amused, Namjoon always got a chuckle at the kid calling him and Seokjin 'Dad' and 'Mom'.

 

"What is it?" Already exasperated, Seokjin questioned as he handed the couple their breakfast.

 

"My shoes are getting a hole." Pointing down at his feet, Jungkook scuffed his foot against the floor and Seokjin sighed, writing something on a sheet of paper on the table, most likely a list. Scowling, Namjoon couldn’t deny how long that list was getting.

 

 

Min Yoongi was enjoying the juicy fresh strawberries that Seokjin must have picked that morning as everyone else gathered around him. All in, all the morning felt pretty mundane, business as usual. Yet, something was nagging at the back of his mind and he just couldn't focus enough to figure out what it was.

 

"Well it's that time again." Announcing loudly, Seokjin entered the room with Namjoon and their own breakfast. , that was right, shopping day. About once every two months they had to go into the devastated town and restock on supplies, occasionally refreshing their wardrobe. Running from zombies was hard in tattered shoes and oversized pants.

 

"Do we have to?" Nervously questioning, Jimin held tightly onto Jungkook. "Like... Is shampoo really a must have?"

 

"Oh come on." Ridiculously confident, Namjoon smirked . "Don't be afraid. They've never gotten us before. They're just a bunch of gooey idiots that smell funny, anyway."

 

"I'm not afraid of a few dead guys with bad limps and worse breath." Chuckling, Hoseok flexed his bicep muscles. Admiring their ability to dismiss the dangers they faced so easily, Yoongi felt a little jealous. Leaving after breakfast, if they made the trip as fast as possible their safety had better odds, but it didn't ease his concern.

 

Zombies stayed in hiding during the heat and daylight, taking refuge in dark, cool places. Except for the first day, the day of their invasion, Yoongi had never seen a zombie in the sunlight. As far as he could tell, that initial morning they had been driven by their animalistic need to feed, but once that was satisfied, their primitive instinct to survive took over. Taking into consideration the decomposition of a corpse, he figured the heat and sunlight sped up their abnormally slow rotting process much like it did to normal corpses so they avoided it unless alerted to the appearance of prey. Which, with their group, was honestly surprising they never managed to blow their cover on these restock missions.

 

"Pack the weapons as soon as you finish eating so we can get this over with." Instructing them, Seokjin began to quickly consume his food, the rest of their meal spent in grim silence.

 

 

Kim Taehyung poked at his food, leaning into Hoseok for comfort. Appetite gone from fear, he couldn’t help but hate going into town. Disregarding his deep voice, he was honestly just a teddy bear at heart. Just the smallest chance of running into a zombie had him shaking.

 

After they finished eating he kissed Hoseok before going to the kitchen to tackle the dirty dishes. It was the easiest way to keep himself calm and they wouldn't get insects in the house while they were away shopping. Plus, he hated helping gather the guns and knives after that time he accidentally almost shot off Jimin's big toe when he tripped…

 

Sounds of packing could be heard upstairs. Glancing up from scrubbing a plate, he look out the window at the chickens. Hoseok and Seokjin were feeding the cow across the yard. Watching, he saw them smiling and talking, standing close to each other until they went back into the shed to put away the livestock food.

 

Wishing they never had to leave their sanctuary, he honestly didn't know what he'd do without a single one of these people in his life. Thinking about those potential losses alone brought tears to his eyes. He loved them all, they were his family and he needed them all to be a complete person, to be the Taehyung he was okay with being.

 

 

Jeon Jungkook held the pistol up, looking down the barrel as he aimed it at a tree, letting off a shot. Satisfied with it's accuracy, he unloaded the clip and slipped them into the back of the van. Honestly, he found the whole zombie thing to be a tired concept in horror movies and to have to be living it was bothersome to say the least.

 

Frustrated, he could count the number of zombies they had run into since the first day on his hands with fingers to spare. Grateful for the safety of their home and the fact his love and their friends were well protected almost every day, he still couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Desire to be out there fighting, he was sure he could eradicate their city of the undead. Action, that's what he yearned for most.

 

Silently, he wished this trip was more eventful than usual as he tested another gun. Need for some excitement in his life was strong or he'd go crazy. He wasn't worried for the others. Rare as it would be, on the off chance that anything were to happen, he'd keep them all safe.

 

Chortling quietly to himself, sure, Hoseok and Namjoon were outwardly confident, but they were happy to play it safe. True courage was in Jungkook's silence. Show boating only cheapened the experience, but Jungkook was a true champion, a lion among wolves.

 

Testing the last gun, Jungkook looked over as Yoongi and Namjoon loaded the back with ammunition. His sweet Jimin brought an arm load of hunting knives. It was almost time and every nerve ending was tingling in anticipation.