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

Countdown

Chapter warnings: Mild language

Word count: 1289

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They started with ten. Dropped to nine. Then ten once again. Then eight. Then seven. After visiting Johnny, it was soon to be six. Was she now left to fear that they were down to five?

She had driven for as long as she physically could, but finally stopped as Taeyong put a hand on her shoulder.

"Y/N... look at me." She turned her head, chin dipping in exhaustion. Picking up her face by the jaw, he looked into her eyes. Her eyelids were fluttering as she struggled to keep them open.

"You'll get into a crash if you stay like that. We'll set up camp here for now."

"But... but the ocean, and Taeil, and-"

"There's no point in killing ourselves by rushing. Don't worry about it." Letting her muscles relax, she fell asleep nearly seconds later, slouching back into the seat. Taeyong sighed, looking to the back.

"Jaehyun, set up a fire if you can. Mark, just grab the sleeping bags, no point in the tents tonight, it's a clear sky. Doyoung, throw something together for dinner, we've been eating nothing but cereal and shitty canned tuna for days. I'll put Y/N to bed and handle Taeil." The boys assumedly agreed as she heard the car doors beginning to open.

She really wanted to get up herself, tell Taeyong that he didn't need to worry about her, that there was nothing wrong. Unfortunately, she may as well have been completely out aside from her occasional seconds of hearing. She felt him open her side of the car, picking her up with a sharp breath, and walking through the dirt and crunchy grass. Before she knew it, she was zipped up in her sleeping bag near the warmth of a fire, met with no choice but to pass out cold.

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but when she woke up, there was a lot to deal with. First of all, the sun was high overhead, suggesting that it was close to midday. Her eyes and mouth felt dry, sticking as she tried to swallow. Looking around, her vision was blurry for a moment, then focused in front of her.

Jaehyun was sitting cross-legged, facing away from her and looking towards where the fire had assumedly been (although it wasn't roaring at the moment). She occasionally heard the clink or scratch of metal... he must have been sharpening a knife. Other than that, she didn't see anyone else. There were two tents set up, as well as a few sleeping bags on the ground in the open- including hers.

Wait... she thought they weren't setting up tents? Sitting up, the bones in her back popped, prompting her to crack her knuckles as well. Somehow hearing this, the man near her turned.

"Ah. You're up."

"What's happening?"

"Well, you fell asleep as soon as we got here. Everyone else ate. Taeil started talking, thank God, but... he hasn't been able to keep anything down. He's not getting any nutrients or water. As much as he wants to, his system is rejecting it, so he's kinda been in and out." This caught her attention.

"Can I talk to him?" At this, Jaehyun met her eyes.

"You want to?" She nodded. "Fine, on one condition." Strange... still, she agreed, nodding curiously. "I want you to remember what's happened every time that I've warned you or anyone else about something, and then you've gone against me anyway. I respect Taeyong's decisions, I really do, but Taeil ended up this poorly."

"What's your point?" She demanded under her breath, glaring.

"Hold yourself accountable. And don't make the same mistakes twice." He said ominously, pulling himself up to a standing position. "Taeil is in the blue tent. If you still want to speak with him." Finally, he left her alone, walking off. Did she? Of course she did. Jaehyun was just trying to psyche her out. Still... what could he have meant? She would have time to ponder it later. For now, she had a visit to make.

"Taeil?" She called softly, unzipping the tent flap and stepping inside. The light was dim, just the little sun that managed to filter through the material of the tent. It smelled terrible, stinging her nose and her throat. This was presumably from the continued eating and throwing up. The boy himself was lying next to a crate, covered in a blanket. He thankfully moved just slightly, turning to see her.

"Y/N..." He managed to stutter, voice cracking painfully.

"Hey... How are you?"

"...Is that a joke?"

"No, sorry." She said, sitting down. "I just-"

"It's fine, lighten up." He said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but it took him a moment to get his voice going again. "S-sorry, it kinda hurts." She watched intently as he formulated his sentences carefully, not wanting to interrupt.

"I'm gonna die soon. Today, maybe tomorrow." He said. This caused her hair to practically stand on edge.

"What are you talking about? Don't joke like that! You're here now, it's fine."

"I'm not joking, Y/N. How am I supposed to live if I can't eat or drink? I'm only telling you because I know you can handle it. Everyone has come to terms with it. It's just what's going to happen." Sighing, he coughed. There was blood. It was to be expected, but it still made her sick to her stomach.

"I'm sorry for pressuring you." He said. "And messing up your relationship with Mark. I was just... alone. And afraid. And you help with that. Make sure you help everyone else too, okay?" She didn't know what to say.

"Hey, don't look so down." He tried to laugh. "Like I said, it'll all be okay. I'm sure heaven is way cooler than this shit. I bet they have a killer highway." Tears started to roll down her face as she looked at his smiling face. He did look happy, but... how? Maybe he was delirious? He seemed like he knew what he was saying, though.

"Hey! Hey! No crying allowed! You wouldn't wanna upset the dying kid, would you?" She laughed a little at this, wiping her face quickly with her wrist. "Have you eaten yet?"

"N-no?" She said.

"Go grab something. You never realize how much it really means until it doesn't work anymore." He joked. Not wanting to disagree with him, she stood, leaning down to hug him quickly before headed towards the entrance. "And Y/N?" He said as she began to leave.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." Thank you... for what? She just shook her head. Taeil was definitely still a mystery to her. She zipped up the tent behind her, walking to the car. Maybe she could find a loose can of something, or if she was lucky, come across Doyoung to ask for leftovers (not that those usually happened). When she made it to the vehicle, she slid open the door, meeting Jaehyun once again.

"Did you see him?" He asked, as if he had been expecting her.

"Yes."

"Good." At this, he handed her a Tupperware container. It was full of some sort of liquid- a stew maybe? "Yesterday's dinner. I saved you a bowl."

"T-thank you!" She said, grabbing its surprised. As she popped the lid to smell it, the man lifted his head. Just as he did this, she heard footsteps walk up behind her. She turned to see Taeyong, water marks staining his face.

"Taeil, he..." She tried to meet his gaze, but it shifted away from her as his bottom lip struggled to stay still. She reached out to hug him as he began to cry. Taeil was gone.