Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Fifteen | Jasper

Mossy green, soft eyes looked up at him as Aubrey skipped over. Wrapping her arounds around him, Jasper couldn't help but notice just how gentle she made sure to be, to avoid hurting him any further. "I'm glad you're okay." She said, pressing her face against his chest. "I was really scared, you know?" 

"Then why didn't you come over to make sure I was okay last night?" Jasper teased, giving her a playful glare. "If anything, you just abandoned me." Sighing dramatically, Jasper feigned despair, "Left me to sleep, alone, in the cold and unfamiliar night." 

"I will elbow you." Aubrey threatened. Not a moment passed before her serious glare was replaced with an impish grin, however. "But, I thought you'd be grateful. You know," Her smile broadened, a mischievous twinkle in her catlike eyes, "Having more alone time with hothead over there." Aubrey nodded towards Killian, talking with Chris and Harley just across the room. 

Embarrassment heated up Jasper's cheeks, irritability jerking at his stomach. Was it really that obvious how he felt about Killian? What if Killian figured it out before he wanted to tell him? Would the other man reject his feelings? What would happen to their friendship if he did? "Relax, Army Man," Aubrey interrupted before Jasper's paranoia could get the better of him. "I'm the only one who's guessed, surprisingly."

Shaking off whatever worries that were building up in his mind Jasper snapped, "Okay, whatever. Thanks for being my wingman when I didn't need one." He admittedly felt a bit guilty, snapping at Aubrey like that. But from one glance, he could see that she was more amused than anything else. Shaking his head he muttered, "Come on. We need to get moving now, we're wasting daylight." 

"The sun just came out-"

Ignoring her protests, Jasper made his way across the bar and over to the other three patrol members. Harley and Killian were locked in a deep conversation about their next stop, while Chris was listening skeptically. "If we keep moving without any stops, we can make it there by the next sunrise." Killian was saying, his arms crossed and brows knit together. He and Harley had set the map on the floor, looking it over. It was a relief to see Killian getting along well with one of the other patrol members, at least. Chris seemed to be the only one who was still wary of the other man, but he kept his worries to himself--for now. Hopefully he would come around, but Jasper wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. 

"But we could move even faster if we take one more day," Harley said. "We're bound to get tired. Walking for that long will only leave us exhausted and vulnerable." The boy shrugged, his dark eyes fixed on Killian's. His voice was definitely oppositional, but it wasn't aggressive. At least one person in this group knew how to negotiate without getting too heated. "I know we're all worried about the group back home, but they can last a week without us." 

Sometimes it took statements like that for Jasper to realize just how much the leaders of the group kept from the other people. Not telling them about the growing problem with the biters over the ridge in the forest was a bad idea, but Jasper wasn't the spokesperson of the group. Tom's reasoning for not telling them was a good one; not causing a panic. If everybody stayed nice and settled down in the farmhouse without straying too far, then the biters wouldn't take too much of a notice in them. Jasper's main concern was with the hunters of the group, though. Casimir and Samantha would be exhausted trying to feed the group on their own. 

Finally making up his mind, Jasper crossed his arms and raised his voice, demanding the patrol's attention. "We're worried about the rest of the group, and rightfully so. We need to get the supplies and return as quickly as possible. But we also have to worry about ourselves, too." He shot Killian a warmer smile, hoping the other man wouldn't be irritable with him for siding with Harley. Much as he loved Killian, Jasper knew that the young man could be a bit too stubborn for his own good sometimes. "Without us, the supplies won't ever get to them. If we wear ourselves down, we could be taken out by another group, or even some more biters." Fixing them all with a hard stare he snapped, "We'll go as long and far as we can, without complaint, then rest for the night. Understand?" 

The others hesitated for a few moments, but Jasper forced his gaze not to waver. Finally Aubrey said, "That seems like the best thing we can do." Chris nodded silently to add his support. 

Harley was already in agreement with Jasper, leaving Killian. It took a lot of nerves for Jasper to look at the younger man, to meet his gaze with those beautiful golden-hazel eyes. Finally after a few minutes, Killian nodded. He looked away, but there was a small smile on his lips as he rolled the map back up and slipped it into his pocket. As everybody began to gather their weapons and packs, Jasper could have sworn he saw a blush on Killian's cheeks. What was that for? He'd directly disagreed with Killian's plan, but for whatever reason, Killian hadn't snapped like Jasper expected him to. He was well aware that Killian had a crush on him, but he'd never really seen Killian actually blush. 

As he hiked his pack over his shoulder, Jasper couldn't help but keep his stare on Killian. He could feel the heat building up on his own cheeks, so he painstakingly ripped his gaze away. "You make a good leader." Killian said bluntly as he walked over, ready to leave. Jasper could barely hide his surprise, blinking. Did Killian really think so? Jasper had never thought of himself as a good leader. A follower? Yes. A leader? Not so much. 

"You think so?" He chuckled, ruffling Killian's curls playfully. 

Killian batted at his hand, shooting him a tough glare. "Yea." He replied, voice edging on annoyance. "I do. I think you're the only one who doesn't." 

"If you say so, Boy Scout." Jasper mused. As the other three patrol members joined him and Killian at the entrance of the bar, he nodded to the others. "Everybody ready?" 

"Ready." Aubrey said enthusiastically with a little hop. 

Nodding, Jasper didn't wait for the others to join in, and pushed open the door of the bar and back into the unfriendly world beyond.