The Final Bell (Zombie Apocalypse AU) (NCT127 x Reader)

Tattoos and Trouble

Chapter warnings: mild language

Word count: 1932

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Five days. That's how long it had been since they'd seen Taeil.

Four days. That's how long it had been since they had watched Jungwoo get eaten alive.

Zero days. That's how long it had been since any of them thought about it.

They were satisfied with how much of the city they had searched, and honestly, none of them wanted to stay a second longer. When they made it back to the van, they were unsure of what to do. Taeil and Jungwoo were really the only members who were good at driving. Y/N could do it, but she was still having a borderline panic attack. She had thrown up two more times on their way back, and was only able to stop because of the lack of food in her stomach.

They sat in the car, silent as she stared at the wheel.

"Y/N, I can try and drive if you want." Taeyong said. "Really, I watched Taeil do it all the time, I'm sure I could figure it out."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." She muttered, looking down, ashamed at her pathetic display.

"I have to agree with her on that one, there's no use in us getting into a car accident." Jaehyun said, leaning forward. Shaking her head and trying to snap out of it, she forced a smile.

"Really, I'll be fine. I can drive- where are we headed?"

"Back to Johnny's." Taeyong said. He hadn't explained his reasoning for this, but no one was really in the mood to argue. Putting the car in drive, she set off.

Since then, they had made it to Johnny and were now getting their tattoos fixed. Again. He had offered to let them stay there for as long as they needed. Jaehyun was against this, demanding that they had to find Taeil, but Johnny was insistent that he would be fine. That being said, she wasn't expecting them to stay this long. It was only on the fourth day that they even started the tattoos. She guessed everyone just needed some time.

The sun was just setting, bathing the area in what felt like a menacing orange glow. Taeyong was getting his line done first. It took more than a moment for each person, both because of the sanitation, as well as the fact that each was likely to have a conversation with Johnny. After all, he hadn't actually interacted with them much since they had arrived.

They were sitting around the fire, much like they had not even a week before when they came to get tattoos. Y/N was staring into the flames, struggling within her own mind. There was so much to think about, and yet she didn't want to consider any of it. It was a constant fight within her head to keep herself from letting the reality crash down. Of course she hadn't known these boys long, but they were already so ingrained as a part of her that to lose any of them was a living nightmare.

This world was cruel and awful and terrible, and it had taken three people from her, undoubtedly more from the others. It was the world that was turning Mark from a cheerful kid into a walking anger issue. It was the world that shut Jaehyun off from his emotions. It was the world that was forcing Taeyong to step up well beyond his comfort zone. It was the world that ripped friends apart, the world that dumped Taeil in the desert alone. She hated it.

Thankfully, the distraction that she was unable to create for herself appeared in the form of another victim.

"Hey. How are you holding up?" Mark came and sat down next to her, leaving an overly large distance. Whether he was worried for her discomfort or his own, he was obviously nervous.