The Lone Surviver

S E V E N

Saturday 15th March 2075

Author's POV

Three weeks. It has been exactly three weeks since Taehyung had first met those people.

He stayed quiet, he didn't eat much. He didn't talk much. He wanted to stay on their good side in hopes of not causing any trouble.

"You need to go."

It is so dark that Taehyung can barely figure out what direction the voice came from.

"They don't trust you."

He clears his throat. "They don't need to trust me," Taehyung whispers. "There's six of you and one of me."

"They're going to hurt you if you don't leave." It was a girl's voice. Taehyung still doesn't know their names.

"Taehyung. Leave before they kill you."

"I never told you my name."

"Your blanket."

His mum had sewn his name into the corner of one of his blankets a few years ago. He'd forgotten about that.

"We're running out of food and they blame you. We haven't gotten to another store yet and with an extra mouth to feed, who do you think is going to take the blame?"

Taehyung grumbles as he tries to sit up. He rubs his eyes before slowly standing up. He picks up his blanket and folds it into his backpack quietly. He grabs his bag and slides it onto his shoulders before making his way away from the group of strangers. He's spent most of this time on his own so he can do it again.

I wonder why she helped me, he thinks.

***

Taehyung's POV

I'm sitting on a hill. The sun is starting to rise. The sky is all kinds of hues of orange and yellow and pink. The clouds look like something of a painting. I marvel at the colours. It's beautiful.

There's a few deserted cars all along the road. No matter where you go, there's always a car, but no fuel.

I set my backpack down beside me and lay on the ground. The grass feels cool against my skin. I can hear birds chirping. The gentle wind is cold but the sun is warm. I feel a shiver scurry through my body.

I don't even know what I look like anymore. I try not to look at my reflection in windows. I'd rather not see. I've got blood on my hands and I don't want to look at the person behind them.

I imagine my hair is very dishevelled and the dark circles under my eyes, running for miles. I can feel my beard growing too.

I need more clothes.

I hadn't brushed my teeth in a few days but I managed to grab some toothpaste and a toothbrush from a corner shop while I was walking in the early morning.

I pull them out and squirt a little paste onto the brush and scrub my teeth clean. I spit out the toothpaste and take a swig of water from my bottle before gargling and spitting it out onto the grass. I put a little water on my brush to rinse off the toothpaste.

There's most likely not much food left in any store. Anything that was freshly made had been taken long ago or has expired. I found some water and crisps in the backroom though.

I sat in there for a little while. I wonder where everyone went. Is the entire world like this?

The cell service towers stopped functioning months ago. I still have my phone in my bag but it can't do much with no service. Just in case. Just in case the world ever gets back to normal.

I scroll through my camera roll a lot. I look at pictures of mum and Nayeon. They look so happy.

I wonder how mum would've been in this situation. Would she-

A growling disrupts my thoughts. I slowly turn around and see a walker making its way up the other side of the hill. It hasn't seen me yet.

It's time to go.

I don't know how much longer I can live like this.

But I have to. I still have to find Nayeon.

I push myself up, sling my bag onto my back and head down the hill. How can I rest knowing that she's out there somewhere?

Thursday 21st February 2076

I overestimated myself, didn't I? I've been searching for her for two years. I'm never going to find her.

It's her birthday in two days and I'm going to miss another one.

"I can't believe you're gonna be 18. You're still a baby," I mutter to myself.

"Taehyung?" A voice says.

"Wow I must've reached my breaking point to be hearing her voice," I shout, looking up at the sky, "you've made me go crazy too, on top of everything else!" I shake my fists above my head. "You made me go crazy too," I whimper.

"You're not crazy, Taehyung," I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I slowly lower my hands and turn around, reaching for my gun at my back.

My lips part.

My breath is stuck in my throat, I can't even make a noise. Carefully, I raise my hand up to her face and gasp softly when I can feel her warmth against my hand.

She's real.

"Nayeon?" Tears prick my eyes.

Her hair is tied up in a low ponytail at the base of her neck. She has a few scratches on her face.

"It's me," she places her hand on top of mine. Her eyes well up with tears as she nods quickly, a painful smile etched onto her face.

"Oh it's really you," I sigh deeply before clutching her to my chest tightly as if she's going to disappear any second. The tears escape my eyes, as I sob quietly.

She wastes no time in wrapping her arms around me, crying just the same.

We stay like this for a few minutes, I don't want to let her go. I'm scared she's going to disappear as soon as I look away.

"I missed you so much," she pulls away from me, cupping my cheeks.

"I missed you too," I bring her into my arms again. I don't want to lose her again.

"I wasn't sure if it was really you but when I saw you talking to yourself, I was certain," Nayeon's voice muffled.

I step back to give her space to breath. I scoff, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

"I never stopped looking for you, I promise. I've been walking endlessly to find you. I tried so hard and I thought I was gonna die before I saw you again," the tears fill up my eyes, blurring my vision.

"I'm here," Nayeon takes hold of my hands, squeezing firmly. "You found me."