Wake of the Dead | One

Chapter twenty-nine

"Hopefully we'll get warm soon." Aubrey said, pressing against Jasper with her eyes shut tight. A concerned frown twitched at the corners of Killian's lips. He and Aubrey weren't exactly friends necessarily, but they were mutual acquaintances through Jasper. If his friend cared about her, then Killian would have to as well. If what Jasper said was true--Killian had never known the man to lie, so he could only assume it was--then Aubrey could be in danger of freezing yet again. Though, perhaps the weather was on their side for once; it wasn't as cold as it had been the past few days. Still cold, but not freezing.

The road ahead of them was littered with abandoned vehicles. Overgrown weeds sprouted from deep cracks in the pavement, rust forming on the cars around them. Bordering the highway was thick, uncut grass. Trees had grown past the telephone poles with nobody to cut the branches down. Tangles of burrs and thorns left large patches of the woods looking suspicious and unfriendly. "Jasper," Killian muttered his friend's name, without even having a reason to. It was an impulse he hadn't realized he'd developed.

The other man gave Killian a quick glance, breaking off his conversation with Dominick to check on him. "Hey, Boy Scout. You alright?" Hearing Jasper's voice gave Killian the reassurance he needed. He took a deep breath and nodded. To his surprise, Jasper's eyes grew softer; more understanding. "We'll be okay, Boy Scout. No biter is going to take us all down." He nodded to the rest of the group, "There's a lot of us. We'll be just fine." A humorous glint formed in the man's eyes, "Besides, I'm the one who has to be careful, right?"

A small smile twitched at the corners of Killian's mouth and he nodded, butterflies fluttering through his chest. "Yea, right."

***

The journey definitely hadn't been as grueling as the one they'd made to the motel, but it was harsh nonetheless. Killian could feel the blisters that had opened up at the bottom of his feet and the back of his ankle, but those were starting to feel normal now. Of course, Jasper was the only one who was still full of energy. The man had endurance and dedication, Killian would give him that much at the very least. Tom seemed fine as well, and Killian was only restless because of the possible threat from biters. The group had encountered a few on their way, but the most they'd seen all together were five gnawing on a deer. None had posed a genuine threat.

Jasper suddenly passed Aubrey and Dominick, who were engaging in a very intense session of rock-paper-scissors to pass the time and keep Aubrey moving so she didn't get too cold. Killian pushed past them, following at Jasper's side. He accidentally bumped into Harley, whom he quickly apologized to, before finally reaching where Jasper had been headed. To his surprise, he'd left to walk at the very front of the group. Killian glanced anxiously over his shoulder as Casimir began to shove past everybody as well.

"Who told the kid he could help the marine lead the group into danger?" Although his voice was like cold velvet, his gaze was nothing but challenging towards Killian.

"I did." Jasper said sharply. Although it was a lie, the man looked confident enough to play it off. Killian's stomach twisted with a sickening anger as Casimir let out a snort of contempt, and he clenched his fists. How dare Casimir challenge him so openly in front of the group? Especially now that he was finally starting to get more comfortable around them.

Tom interrupted the three before things could get too intense, "Jasper was the one who talked to the other group's leader. It only makes sense that he would be the one to introduce us." He nodded towards Jasper, offering for the other man to speak. Killian could almost feel the anxiety rolling off of his friend in waves, so he gave the other man a small nod of encouragement.