A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

27: Poison Ivy

Mara froze in place as Taehyung stormed off, knocking his shoulder into Mara's and leaving behind a bitter taste on her tongue. It didn't quite explain how Jimin was alive, but it did explain why she had been left alone to slowly die on the roof of that dreaded school bus. In her chest, betrayal blossomed like poison ivy, vines growing wildly and enveloping her heart.

Was it a mistake to try and stay here?

Mara sighed, running a hand through her hair. She replayed the memories of months ago, thinking back to the time Jimin had tried to run away. She'd thought of it as ridiculous and risky, and she'd proceeded to scold him for attempting to leave. Sure, she'd saved him from the brutes that had tried to eat him, but that desire to go back to where he belonged had strongly resided in his heart, so much so that he risked his life for it.

Jimin hated being with her, or at least living where she lived. Maybe he grew to accept her company, but the conditions she had lived in weren't quite favorable. That, and she was quite behind on progress. She had nothing to offer; nothing but protection from brutes.

I forced him to stay with me for his safety, but instead for him it felt like torture.

Mara looked back, watching their camp from afar. Their achievements were stunning. She coveted their fortitude to continue and make something out of nothing. She was simply a squatter, a directionless and unaccomplished runaway that could kill brutes but was too squeamish to defend herself against other people.

Who am I to come here and ask for shelter when I've offered nothing in return?

Jimin must've felt so torn.

I now know why he wanted to leave so badly.

"What am I doing here?"

Taehyung could've absolutely said things in a nicer way, but the gist of the point he wanted to make was clear. She understood his frustration and his way of seeing things, and although he was very wrong in his insinuations, she could tell he had been very affected by Jimin's disappearance. She didn't know their relationship inside out, nor how protective Taehyung would really be.

Come to think of it, she didn't know anything, not even how Jimin ended up back with his group. It was a painfully untouched itch in the back of her brain that begged for an explanation.

How does Taehyung know I was on that bus?

Why didn't Jimin do anything to help?

Just as she'd assumed Jimin was dead, the possibility of Jimin doing the same for her was up in the air. One thing for sure: Taehyung was there to see her passed out on that bus. If he perceived her as a lost cause, that would've explained why they left her to die.

Is that why Jimin is hoping to get me to stay?

Because he feels guilty?

The meeting they'd had to discuss her placement had suddenly made so much sense. Jimin had denied the whole accusation about 'feeling as if he owed her', but had it been because he knew she was listening, was he in denial, or was he being genuine?

Several questions now swirled around Mara's brain like a swarm of angry wasps, ready to painfully sting. She stood there for a while, attempting to preoccupy herself with the bolts she was supposed to find. After having found only two of them, the girl groaned in frustration. She couldn't have possibly fathomed having to deal with so much emotional stress after just a couple days of being conscious. Having to constantly prove herself was exhausting, but it was all she knew at this point. It was all she could do in an attempt to clear her name.