The Silence After Battle
The world was quiet again, but it wasn't the kind of silence that soothed. It was the silence that pressed against their lungs, heavy and suffocating, reminding them of what had just been torn away. The group sat in the ruins of the street, their bodies trembling, their weapons slick with blood.
Kai. Taehyun. Beomgyu.
Gone.
The names echoed in Y/N's mind, each syllable sharp, each memory raw. She could still hear their voices, still see their faces, still feel the warmth of their laughter. And now, only silence remained.
The First Cracks
Jimin was the first to break. His voice trembled, his eyes filled with tears. "They were… they were family."
Taehyung sat beside him, his boxy grin gone, his face pale. "I thought we'd all make it. Together. But…" His voice broke, and he turned away, his shoulders shaking.
Soobin's gaze was distant, his voice quiet. "We were so close. The shelter was right there. And we lost them."
Yeonjun's jaw tightened, his voice sharp. "We should have been faster. Smarter. Maybe then…" He stopped, his words choking in his throat.
Namjoon's voice was steady, but his eyes were heavy. "Don't blame yourselves. The infected… they were too many. We fought as hard as we could."
But the words felt hollow.
Y/N's Grief
Y/N sat on the ground, her chest heaving, her eyes filled with tears. She had seen death before, but this was different. These were her friends, her family. And they were gone.
Her brother placed a hand on her shoulder, grounding her. "We have to keep moving. For them."
She nodded, her throat tight. "For them."
But inside, her heart was breaking. She remembered Kai's quiet strength, Taehyun's calm wisdom, Beomgyu's laughter. She remembered the way they had fought beside her, protected her, believed in her. And now, they were gone.
The Memories
The group sat in silence, each lost in their own grief.
Jin spoke softly, his voice trembling. "Kai was always the first to volunteer. Always ready to protect us."
Jimin nodded, his tears falling. "Taehyun… he was calm. Even when everything was chaos, he kept us steady."
Soobin's voice broke. "Beomgyu… he made us laugh. Even when the world was ending, he found joy."
The memories hung in the air, fragile and painful.
Y/N whispered, her voice trembling. "They were more than survivors. They were family."
The Bonds
Jungkook sat beside Y/N, his hand brushing hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I should have protected them."
She turned to him, her eyes filled with tears. "You can't protect everyone. None of us can."
His jaw tightened, his eyes burning. "But I wanted to."
Her brother's voice was steady, grounding them both. "We honor them by surviving. By reaching Busan. By living."
Namjoon nodded, his voice firm. "We carry them with us. Every step. Every breath."
The Ritual of Grief
They couldn't bury the bodies — the swarm had taken them, torn them apart. But they could honor them.
Namjoon gathered the group, his voice steady. "We speak their names. We remember them. We carry them."
One by one, they spoke.
Jin: "Kai. Brave. Loyal. Always ready."
Jimin: "Taehyun. Calm. Steady. Wise."
Soobin: "Beomgyu. Joyful. Bright. Family."
Y/N: "They were more than survivors. They were my brothers."
The words hung in the air, fragile but defiant.
The Whisper of Busan
The shelter loomed in the distance, its walls rising against the horizon. Salvation was within reach, but the cost had been heavy.
Namjoon's voice was steady, though his eyes were filled with grief. "We keep moving. For Kai. For Taehyun. For Beomgyu."
Jin nodded, his voice firm. "We don't stop. Not now."
The group rose, their bodies trembling, their hearts heavy.
Y/N closed her eyes, whispering to herself. "Please let Busan be real."
Her brother heard, his hand brushing hers. "It will be."
Jungkook's voice was steady, fierce. "And if it's not, we'll make it real."
The group moved forward, their footsteps echoing against the earth. The shelter shimmered in the distance, fragile and defiant.
But the weight of loss pressed against them, heavy and suffocating.
Kai. Taehyun. Beomgyu.
Gone. But not forgotten.
They carried them in their hearts, in their memories, in their steps.
And together, they walked toward Busan — carrying the weight of grief, the whisper of hope.
Y/N sat apart from the group, her back pressed against the cold wall of the ruined farmhouse. The others whispered in low voices, but she couldn't hear them — all she could hear was the echo of Kai's scream, Taehyun's fading whisper, Beomgyu's last breath. Her hands trembled as she stared at the bloodstains on her clothes, the knife still resting beside her. "It's my fault," she whispered, the words breaking in her throat. "If I had been faster… if I had warned them… if I had done more, they wouldn't have…" Her voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. Jungkook crouched nearby, his eyes filled with worry, but she shook her head violently. "Don't tell me it wasn't. I should have saved them. I should have—" Her brother placed a hand on her shoulder, firm but gentle. "You can't carry this alone, Y/N. We all fought. We all lost. It wasn't your fault." But the guilt gnawed at her, relentless, whispering that she had failed them, that their deaths would forever stain her hands.
The group had stopped for the night in a half-collapsed farmhouse. The others were scattered in silence, some tending to wounds, others staring blankly at the floor. Y/N sat alone in the corner, knees pulled to her chest, her hands trembling as she stared at the bloodstains on her clothes.
Her voice was barely a whisper, but it carried. "It's my fault. All of it. Kai, Taehyun, Beomgyu… they're gone because of me."
Jungkook, who had been sharpening his bat with a piece of stone, froze. He looked at her, his jaw tightening, then set the bat aside. Slowly, he crossed the room and crouched in front of her.
"Y/N," he said softly, his voice steady but urgent. "Don't do this to yourself."
She shook her head violently, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Don't tell me it wasn't. I should have seen it coming. I should have warned them. I should have—"
Her words broke, her breath hitching.
Y/N's brother appeared then, his footsteps quiet but firm. He sat beside her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. "You can't carry this alone," he said, his voice low but grounding. "We all fought. We all lost. It wasn't your fault."
Y/N turned to him, her eyes wide, desperate. "But I could have saved them. My immunity… it's helped before. But this time… this time it was useless. They were bitten on the neck, Bro. I couldn't do anything. I watched them die."
Her brother's face softened, his own grief flickering in his eyes. "You think you failed them. But Y/N, no one could have saved them. Not even you. The wounds were too severe. You didn't fail — the world failed them."
Jungkook leaned closer, his voice sharper now, cutting through her spiral. "Listen to me. You fought harder than anyone out there. I saw you. You kept moving, you kept fighting, you kept us alive. If you hadn't been there, more of us would be gone. Don't you dare blame yourself."
Y/N's tears fell faster, her voice trembling. "But they trusted me. They believed in me. And I let them down."
Jungkook's jaw clenched, his eyes burning. "No. You didn't let them down. They died fighting, Y/N. They died protecting us. That's not failure. That's… that's the cost of this world."
Y/N's brother squeezed her shoulder, his voice softer. "They wouldn't want you to carry this guilt. They'd want you to keep going. To survive. To reach Busan."
Y/N buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled. "I can't. I can't keep going like this. Every time I close my eyes, I see them. I hear them. I feel their blood on my hands."
Jungkook's hand hovered for a moment, then he placed it gently over hers, pulling her hands away from her face. His eyes met hers, steady and fierce. "Then let me carry it with you. Don't carry it alone. If you're drowning, let me be the one to pull you back."
Her breath caught, her chest tightening.
Aarav leaned closer, his voice firm but kind. "You're not alone, Y/N. You have me. You have Jungkook. You have all of us. We're still here. And we need you."
For a long moment, Y/N just stared at them, her tears falling silently. The guilt still gnawed at her, but their words pressed against it, steady and grounding.
Finally, she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't know if I can forgive myself."
Jungkook's voice was quiet, but strong. "Then don't. Not yet. Just keep moving. Keep fighting. Forgiveness can come later. Survival has to come now."
Y/N's brother nodded, his hand tightening on her shoulder. "We'll carry this together. For Kai. For Taehyun. For Beomgyu. For everyone we've lost."
Y/N's breath shuddered, but she nodded slowly, her chest heavy. "Together," she whispered.
The farmhouse was silent again, but this silence was different. It wasn't suffocating — it was fragile, tentative, filled with the faintest thread of hope.
Y/N leaned against her brother, Jungkook sitting close beside her. The guilt still lingered, sharp and relentless, but she wasn't drowning anymore.
Together, they carried the weight.