A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

45: The Catalyst

(A/N: This AI image is freakyyyy )

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"We can save the chat for later, please focus!"

A sweaty Owen pushed carts filled to the brim with scraps of mental, his voice carrying through the streets as he addressed everyone. He passed by Oliver, who was just as disheveled as his brother after running back and forth. Regardless of being the overseers of the project, as they had been assigned to by their leader Hyunjae, the twins refused to stand by as their peers worked hard. The guards surrounding the area were the only ones allowed to stand around, keeping everyone inside safe.

"Owen, the roamers are getting a little antsy, we better reinforce the barricades," a guard spoke, stopping Owen in his tracks. The latter sighed in frustration, turning to the guard and wiping his forehead from sweat.

"Who's been down there? Around the enclosure?" Owen asked.

"There's several guards around there. We can't leave it unsupervised," the guard shook his head.

"Try to stay out of view. The more you parade yourselves around them, the more they're going to push back," Owen sternly commanded, picking up the handles of the wheelbarrow and moving along. The guard seemed unsatisfied with the answer, fidgeting in place before catching up to Owen once more.

"So we don't do anything?" He asked.

Owen shook his head, "They shouldn't be able to break through, we made sure to keep it a tight fit. Plus, it would be using up too much material that we need out here."

"Owen, I really think-"

"Look man, I'm in charge here," Owen interjected, "We left them alone before we started working in the area and they made no effort to break out. Out of sight, out of mind. If they don't see you, they won't try to eat you," Owen sighed, "Just...work with me here, I don't want to be a dick."

The guard scowled, but nodded nonetheless, storming back to his post with a huff. Owen watched him leave with a disappointed sigh. He put the plight behind him, pushing the wheelbarrow down the road, through and around the several workers that worked under a bright sun. It was amusing to see the people avoid the shadows cast by the buildings, opting to stand in the sun to keep warm. Hands would become stiff and feet would grow cold, and people could only take a small break before resuming. It was not easy, even for those that were always ambitious and above average in strength.

It wasn't easy even for Namjoon and his people, who had once built the very walls of their camp with their bare hands. They were back to helping create a safe haven for others, possibly including themselves. The leader, once a submissive, fearful man had dug himself out of rock bottom, building his future from the ground up and refusing to let any ounce of cowardice jeopardize it. His fear of failure became his flaw, and as time progressed, Namjoon turned cold and heartless. For the good of everyone, his own people grew accustomed to his indifference, but now that there was someone new to hold him accountable for his behavior, Namjoon seemed to grow aware of his actions.

"Namjoon!"

The man blinked, turning to Jungkook distractedly. The boy searched Namjoon's gaze, stepping back from his task. Namjoon cleared his throat, nodding and approaching the car once more. Jungkook stopped him.

"I've been calling your name two or three times," Jungkook said, "You alright?"

Namjoon kept his stern expression, appearing unfazed by Jungkook's concern. Jungkook felt rejected by the walls Namjoon had placed around his heart, but he was used to it.

"I'm fine," Namjoon shrugged off, just like Jungkook knew he would.

"Okay, let's focus then," Jungkook muttered.