Wake of the Dead | One

Chapter eight

Killian had woken up early the next morning, to the sound of rain relentlessly pounding against the windows of the gas station. Jasper had woken up even earlier than him. The man was standing by the window, drinking a paper cup filled with sub-par coffee. Killian didn't care where Jasper had gotten it, but he guessed it was possibly from the staff room behind the front counter.

Killian dragged himself to his feet and packed his bag up again. Jasper already had his ready to go. Walking up beside the other man, Killian's shoulders sagged. He was getting tired of this. Traveling around, with nowhere to stay. He wished for at least one day of rest. But he noticed a small, peaceful smile on Jasper's lips. Killian raised a brow. "Why are you smiling?" He inquired. "It's raining cats and dogs out there."

Jasper glanced down at Killian, "We're close to my group's camp." His smile faded, and a low sigh escaped his lips. "And you're getting better at moving on your own now. You ran pretty fast yesterday without any help."

Killian narrowed his brows, "Isn't that a good thing?" He asked suspiciously.

There was a long pause, before a bittersweet chuckle left Jasper's lips, "Well of course it is. Once we find my group, you can leave if you want. Can't force you stick around for much longer, can I?"

Killian's lips parted, unsure of what to say. Why was Jasper so reluctant to let him go? But despite every conflicted emotion he had towards this other man, part of Killian was hesitant to leave. Jasper had cared for him several times already. The two had faced death the previous day and survived, due to Jasper's quick thinking and willingness to put himself in danger. Most all, he had trusted Killian with his life; instead of running, Killian had actually stayed. But was his freedom worth having a group of people around him? Was Jasper worth that to him?

Killian cleared his throat. "Yea," he said. "I'll finally get rid of you." And pushed past Jasper towards the front of the store. His chest felt a sharp, unfamiliar pang. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he and Jasper had built up a small friendship over the past few days. Jasper was the only person he'd been able to trust so far. That didn't matter though. Not one bit. Killian wasn't going to stay in a group just to be bossed around by everybody.

It was still storming when he walked outside. Heavy raindrops pelted against his skin. The pavement beneath his feet was soaked, massive puddles had accumulated in the grass bordering the highway road. Thunder rumbled in the far distance, and the atmosphere was gloomy with dark storm clouds covering the sky. Jasper follow up behind him, shaking his hair in a way that reminded Killian of a wet dog. He wrinkled his nose with annoyance, but didn't actually feel annoyed. There was a negative emotion he was experiencing, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Think of it as a free shower," Jasper said, raising his voice over the thunder, "And less like drowning on land."

Killian was already shuddering from the cold. If only he had a jacket with him. Jasper was always wearing his, but Killian refused to ask for it. At least for now. The cold air was already biting beneath his skin, chilling him to the bones. "Whatever you say, Army Man." Killian replied. He narrowed his eyes against the rain to look up at Jasper. "Do you remember where your group is camping?"

Jasper nodded down the highway road, "About ten miles. There's a split in the highway, with a big forest towards the right side. We'll be able to find them if we follow the river there downstream."

Killian nodded, and then set off towards the road. He saw Jasper pull the crowbar from his belt, and that's when Killian noticed several biters lingering along the highway. There were not enough to make a genuine threat, but biters were dangerous either way. Killian watched as Jasper swung the crowbar into one of the biter's heads. It still moved along the ground, until Jasper dispatched it by bashing in it's skull. The man didn't bat an eye as he walked away from the corpse, and Killian shuddered—but not from the cold.