Ropes dug into Jasper's wrists uncomfortably, his neck ached as he stared down at the muddy ground beneath him. They hadn't given him his jacket, his body shuddered violently in the biting cold, the wind stung his eyes. His breath shuddered, but not just from the chattering of his teeth. Fear clamped down on his chest, taking ahold of any other emotion and shoving them away. He only felt fear. Not the fear of death, the fear of never getting to say goodbye.
An inescapable, agonizing void of grief and torment ripped at Jasper's heart. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. Darren's desperate screams were muffled, every voice blended into the background, the only dominant sound was the beating of his own pulse echoing in his ears. Every time Jasper let out a choked gasp for oxygen, a swirl of mist blinded his eyes when his warm breath hit the air.
"You can't do this," Jasper couldn't even hear his own voice. It was muffled just like the others. His vocal chords refused to work properly, as if they'd been covered in ice and were shaking themselves. "You didn't even let me say goodbye."
"Jasper, Jasper no!" Darren's panicked cries sent shooting pangs that pierced Jasper's heart. He'd never see his friend smile again, he'd never see Killian's face again. Only his own blood across the snow.
As the afternoon sun assaulted Jasper's eyes with a blinding light, a blood-curtling scream sent shivers down his spine, just as a gunshot echoed through the lonely field. The ground rushed up at him, his body hitting the cold mud and melted snow. Desperate gasps for air left his lips, he could see his own pool of inky-black, scarlet blood leaking across the white ground. A burning pain slowly radiated out from the side of his head.
But the cold was strange. Jasper's panic began to slowly subside, only to be replaced with an odd sort of satisfaction, peace. The world blurred in front of his eyes, the screams slowly faded away, his muscles relaxed more than they ever had for a long, long time. The only thing he could see was the fiery-orange and pink sunset—beautiful. The edges of Jasper's vision grew dark, his chest heaving for air and tightening. But he felt no pain, the cold only brought him a dull numbness.
"Jasper, no!" A distantly familiar shriek and the sound of clumsy, rapid footsteps accompanied it. Somebody grappled onto him, turning him over onto his back. Then there was nothing but unadulterated pain. A splitting headache jerked him away from the initial shock, a burning that spread through his skull and tightened his jaw.
Jasper could feel his heart racing, his body suddenly growing uncomfortably hot. The wind battered against his body viciously, snow clung to his eyelashes, making it had to see or blink. His limbs felt stiff, exhaustion dragging at his body. The blood on the side of his face where the bullet grazed him was blazing against his cold flesh.
"He's freezing," He heard an echoing voice say. Was it shaky because his mind was growing fuzzy, or were they scared?
"You monsters! You let him outside without a jacket in a snowstorm?" Another voice demanded.
As they world began to fall away and the ground beneath him became soft and comfortable, Jasper's vision blurred. The last thing he could feel was a tingling pain like needles over his skin and somebody spitting, "He was going to die anyways."
❖ ❖ ❖
When Jasper tried to open his eyes, it was painful. He forced his lids to blink several times, tears rushed to dampen the dried out surface. His heart drummed hard in his chest, almost like he couldn't catch his breath. He was laying on a soft surface. As his vision began to recover, the first thing he was was a fireplace of the farmhouse living room.
A soft weight covered Jasper's whole body, several blankets were piled on top of him. His boots lay on the floor a few feet away. There was somebody sitting on the floor next to him, pressing a warm cloth against his forehead. He knit his brows together with confusion. Moments ago he'd been outside, what had happened? Enraged yelling pierced his ears, he winced as the blood roaring in his ears dulled away and his regular hearing returned.
"Jasper, are you waking up now? Don't go back to sleep, please don't fall asleep again." A warm, melodic voice murmured. The person's name was on the tip of his tongue, he only remembered it as the confusion began to fade. Killian. His partner, lover. The beautiful young man he was lucky enough to love.
A raucous cough jolted Jasper's chest. It rumbled at the back of his throat, clawing at his neck. "Killian," As he tried to speak, another cough nearly interrupted his rasping voice.
"No, shh, don't talk. Just breathe." Jasper attempted to haul himself up, but Killian placed a delicate hand on his shoulder to keep him down. "Don't move. Wait until you're all warmed up again."
"Wha're they saying?" Jasper slurred, narrowing his brows. Focusing on the rage-fueled voices coming from the kitchen, he tried to take a deep breath, only to cough again. "It's so...cold."
"I know, but you're getting warmer now." Killian soothed. A kiss was placed just above his brow. It wasn't until then that Jasper realized his face and jaw hurt.
Wincing, Jasper clenched his hand—or tried to. His movements were sluggish, he couldn't seem to grasp at anything. Frustration tugged at his stomach, "Headache," He mumbled.
"Well, I would think so." Killian's chuckle made Jasper feel even warmer.
"Mm. Is my face alright?"
"Handsome as always," Killian reassured him, holding Jasper's cheek in his hand. "They almost got you, but Darren shoved Chris just in time. The bullet grazed your brow, so we had to stitch it up a bit. But you're okay."
A sigh of relief left Jasper's lips. He laid his head down again, closing his eyes and trying his best to focus on his lover instead of the heavy beating of his pulse. "Killian," He breathed, "Tom wasn't the one who shot at me?"
"He was going to but...it looked like he couldn't do it."
"Mm."
"Mm? What's that mean?"
"Hmm."
"Very helpful." Killian's voice was growing sharp with annoyance. Jasper's lips spread into a sluggish smile. He'd began to miss the sharp, fierce tone of his lover. It softened again—fickle as always. "You were knocked out all night. Darren and I have been taking shifts to look after you." He paused, "Aubrey, Darren and Jackson are ripping the group a new one. Casimir too."
Jasper narrowed his eyes with confusion, "Casimir?" He mumbled. "Why?"
"Because he didn't think you deserved this."
"And Cohen?"
"In the dining room with the others. As far as I can tell he's being watched by Cas and Tom."
"Anything else I should know?" Jasper mumbled, his eyes half-closed. He was warm now, but exhausted. Part of him longed to know exactly what had happened, but a stronger part didn't. Not that it mattered—he'd talk with Killian about when they'd leave the group and who would come with them later. But in that moment, he only wanted to be near Killian.
"No." Killian looked down instantly when he said it. Jasper narrowed his eyes, a frown on his lips. Killian had been a good liar when they didn't know one another that well. But ever since they'd been close, it was almost as if his ability to lie had dissipated completely.
"You're a bad liar, Killian." Jasper murmured. He wasn't irritated or even angry. Maybe Killian was thinking about something bothering him and just didn't want Jasper to know about it yet. That was alright—but he wished Killian knew he was patient enough to wait.
Killian tapped on the floor anxiously for a few seconds until he said, "When we leave, Jackson has to come with us. For Aubrey. Or else something bad might happen. She'll get really upset, might even refuse to come with us."
Deep down, Jasper knew Aubrey and Jackson had gradually become good friends, but that still didn't stop him from trying to deny it. Whatever happened between them, he didn't exactly like it. But no matter how protective he was, Jasper knew she was an adult and could make her own decisions. "Killian," Jasper said softly, "Can't you tell me why?"
"Uhm...it's not really my thing to tell." Killian mumbled awkwardly, setting his chin on Jasper's arm. "Just...we have to bring him with us, okay?"
There was a long pause. Jasper was very, very reluctant with who he would let join his group. The single decision Tom had made to execute him was enough of a push for Jasper to finally accept his place among the others—he was a leader. But he wouldn't lead a group of people who'd turned on him so quickly. He'd lead his own group. "Okay," He finally decided. Jasper hated the thought of letting Jackson tag along, but he knew the other man would boost both Killian and Aubrey's morale. He'd be useful as well—he was a good fighter.
"Anybody else you want to invite?" Jasper prompted.
To Jasper's shock, Killian looked to the ground again, fidgeting anxiously as he mumbled, "Casimir."
"Casimir? But you hate each other."
"Mhm. But...he's not getting along with Keagan and Chris anymore, and me and him hunt real well together. So he could be useful." Those striking, golden irises looked up at Jasper, melting his stern heart. "Plus, he did try to defend you, you know. He could prove his worth."
"If he doesn't earn his keep, then I won't have him along." Jasper muttered. Running a stressed hand through his hair, he let out a long, reluctant sigh. "I won't be happy with those two around. Might want to sleep with one eye open. But I'll tolerate them, for you." Jasper couldn't help but smile when he noticed a tiny bounce of excitement from Killian.
The younger man nuzzled Jasper, craving attention he was more than willing to give. Running his fingers through those soft chocolate-brown curls, he chuckled when Killian just said, "Okay." Jasper was well aware that Killian didn't always word his thoughts too well. He was only glad he could read his partner's emotions like the back of his hand. "Thanks."
"Mhm." Jasper looked up as he heard a heavy pair of footsteps approaching. Darren looked exhausted, but there was a fiery determination on his face. Who the hell fucked up so bad that it made Darren angry? His thoughts paused. Well. I suppose the whole group did.
"Killian told me about the plan to leave. Everybody knows by now. But something's come up," Darren's lips were parted, he seemed unsure of what he was going to say, until he finally managed to speak again. "Tom's resigned his place as leader. Nobody is sure they want Cohen in charge and I'm hardly the leaderly type."
Jasper's brows narrowed. He struggled to sit up, but Killian quickly came to his aid to help. As he stumbled up from the couch, the blankets clumsily dropped away from him. Jasper set a hand on Killian's shoulder to catch his balance. "What exactly are you saying, Darren?"
"Well, you're the only one left."