ODDS OF SURVIVAL - TAEKOOK

CHAPTERNINETEEN

The headache wasn't gone, not completely, but the throbbing of fresh bruises all over his right forearm took a lot of attention away from it.

Or maybe the rush of endorphins from the new injury had dulled the ache in his head and neck.

Whatever the case, his headache was easy to forget now when every little twinge of pain from his arm was a reminder of how close he'd come to death, and how much he hadn't wanted to die in that moment.

It was also a reminder of the look of pure terror on Taehyung's face. Not because of the zombies, but because he thought Jungkook had been bitten. It was an image Jungkook didn't think he'd ever be able to forget.

They stopped at a couple more stores and houses, collecting anything that might be useful.

In one of the houses, Taehyung loaded a box with an assortment of cups, plates and bowls, casting wary glances at Jungkook all the while as though he expected to be mocked. Jungkook wasn't in the mood to make fun of Taehyung anymore, so he stayed quiet.

When the sun started to dip toward the treetops, Jungkook contemplated heading home. The car was getting full, he was tired, and he didn't want to get stuck driving home in the dark.

Maybe if they were lucky there'd be enough time left to take a shower before the sun set. The cool water would probably feel nice on his bruises.

Beside him, Taehyung's hand shot out to point at something beyond the windshield. "There! Pull over!"

Jungkook slowed the car and looked in the direction indicated to see a small outdoor plaza with a book store.

He pulled to a stop at the curb and Taehyung was already unfastening his seatbelt to get out when Jungkook put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I'm not sure we have time for that right now. It'll be dark soon. We need to go home."

Taehyung shrugged Jungkook's hand off and glared at him. "It'll only be a few minutes. I just want to see-"

"If they have survival guides, or books on farming or off-grid living, or any of a thousand other topics that might be helpful?"

Taehyung balked at being interrupted and took a breath to argue, but Jungkook cut him off again.

"We both know you don't want to rush through and grab one or two books that might be useful. We need to come back when it's early enough in the day that we have time to comb through it thoroughly. Just mark it on the map so we can find it again, and we can come back tomorrow or the day after."

Taehyung's glare didn't waver, but he seemed to deflate slightly in the face of calm logic.

"Fine, but can we at least look in the window first, to make sure it hasn't been completely ransacked? We don't want to schedule an entire day to drive back here and look through the place if there's nothing much left to find."

After a silent moment, Jungkook relented. "Okay, but I wanna' be quick so we can get home. I need a shower."

Taehyung was already half-way out of the car as soon as the word "okay" had left his mouth.

The windows that covered more than half the front of the store were, of course, dark. It had been over a month since they'd found a building that still had working electricity.

Jungkook checked the door to ensure that it was safely locked before shading his reflection with his hands and leaning close to look inside, Taehyung doing the same beside him. There were definitely things out of place.

A couple of shelves were turned over, books and loose pages on the floor, but there were quite a few books just from what he could see through the dark window.