You Need To Survive

The Prologue (Part 1)

        Taehyung sat in the alley thinking of what he just did.
        He looked at his hands. His bloody hands. The signs of a murderer.
        Jungkook didn't kill Jin. He didn't stab him with a glass shard.
        But Taehyung killed his Appa without a second thought.
        He took out a water bottle and tried to wash the blood off his hands, his shirt. Tried to wash away the memory.
        After he was done, he took out his phone.
        He wouldn't answer. Taehyung knew he wouldn't. But he still called.
        "Hello?"
        Taehyung licked his dry lips. "Hyung," he managed. His voice trembled.
       "Taehyung? What happened?"
        "I want you to come here...please..."
        "What? What happened? Hello?"
        That lump was back in his throat. Taehyung swallowed hard and tried again. "Namjoon hyung...please come here..."
        "We just dropped you off a couple minutes ago! Nothing bad could have hap-"
        He couldn't help it. He started crying again, reopened the wounds that he tried to close. He ended the call. It didn't matter. J-Hope was wrong when he said they would always be there for him. No one was here. No one should be here because Taehyung didn't deserve anyone.
        Taehyung hugged his knees and looked at the puddle of water in front of him, stained with his Appa's blood.

                                                                                                              *        *        *

        Taehyung laid on a mattress outside, holding up the picure. It was his Appa, with Baby Taehyung in his lap. He put his finger on Appa's face. He wasn't there anymore. Because of him.
        He crumpled the picture and threw it to the side.
        He heard footsteps and looked up. Namjoon was there, smiling like an idiot. He pushed Taehyung's knee. "What are you doing?" He laughed and pushed it again. Then he grabbed Taehyung's hand and pulled him up. Taehyung looked around and saw the others. They pushed him, hugged him. "What happened while we left you?" Jimin laughed. "Did our baby get into trouble?"
        Jungkook heard a noise and looked to the side. He gasped and pointed. "Look-it's Jin hyung!"
        Everyone looked to where Jungkook was pointing. Sure enough, it was Jin hyung, recording them all. He stopped recording, closed the camera, and walked to them. He stopped in front of Taehyung.
        He could barely form the words. "How-how? You were-were-"
        Jin stopped him with a hug. Taehyung hugged him back tightly, trying to keep the tears back. The others smiled and hugged both of them.
        In the back of his head, Taehyung heard a small voice.
        "You can smile as long as we're together."
        He smiled. They were together.