Jesse
Any minute now, I was going to have to get up and remove myself from the woman sound asleep on my chest. I didn't want to move, I didn't want to disturb her.
I traced the tips of my fingers down the soft tan skin of her arm, starting at her shoulder, moving to her petite hand on my sternum. Her breathing was slow, slower than I had ever seen it before. Every time that I had focused on her breathing, it was shallow, fast, absent. On some of those occasions, I found myself wondering if it were because of me being so close to her.
Light poured from the small triangle window a few feet off of my feet. It was nearing six in the morning, which meant I would need to be dressed, hustling all of the others out the door within an hour. Thankfully, the sun was on our side for the final day of our journey.
Regrettably, I shifted my shoulders, hopeful that I could squeeze myself out from Morgan's grip before she would wake, but she was vigilant, even in her sleep.
Her eyelids began to twitch, her fingers stretching out on my bare chest.
The more I moved, the quicker she woke.
"Sorry" I grumbled as she leaned up on her elbows
She gave a yawn and rubbed her eyes, erasing the night. She hadn't slept the way she had last night in years, I could see that.
"What time is it?" She groaned, squinting at me
"Time to go" I replied, running a hand over the side of my face, my eyes tracing involuntarily down her neck where the edge of her shirt remained.
Suddenly, her eyebrows creased as she sat up, arching her back forward
"What the matter?"
"I don't think my body is used to sleeping for such prolonged periods of time" She told me, tilting her head towards me over her shoulder.
I wished I could pull her back down with me, feel her fingers against my skin, in my hair. I wished we could relive the night, the night that had ended in us falling asleep on a dusty duvet on the attic floor twisted together as we fought self-control.
"You fell asleep pretty early" I told her, standing, searching for my t-shirt
"It's weird" She mumbled, pulling her hair up with her hands, twisting the loose strands into a high ponytail.
I forced my eyes away from her, each movement she made sending a rush of adrenaline through my body.
I pulled my shirt over my head and pulled my boots back onto my feet.
Morgan stood against the small triangle window, her face peering out into the sunrise. She gave a sigh.
I slowly moved towards her, wrapping my arms around her, burying my face into her neck. Her skin was warm, supple and smooth. I closed my eyes, wondering how I had ended up in the position I was now in.
I was entranced by a woman that I had not yet slept with, a woman that I had met under such unusual circumstances. What I found even more so difficult to understand, was that I didn't care about sleeping with her, I didn't care, just being near her, it made me feel things that I hadn't ever felt before.
"Jesse?" She asked, tracing her fingertips over my arms around her waist
I gave a small nod in response
"I don't know if I'm going to cope when I'm in this new Canadian camp"
"Whys that?"
She shrugged against me "I don't do well around people if you haven't already noticed"
I pulled my arms from her, gently turning her around to face me "If you haven't yet noticed, you aren't the woman you were when we first met, you've broken your own rules, even your own most cardinal rule, remember?"
She averted her gaze, unsure of herself "Because my self-control when it comes to men has wavered once again?"
I crossed my eyebrows and forced her eyes toward me with my fingers under her chin "I'm nothing like that kid down there"
The last thing I wanted her to believe was that I would mistreat her the way Talon had. I could never touch her the way he had. I had lost control of my temper because of what that man had done to her.
She gave a small false smile
"Hey" I smiled, coaxing her to trust me "I'll make you a deal?"
Her beautiful soft eyes smouldered on mine "What's that?"
"If you still don't like the camp after a few weeks, we'll leave. You and I both, we'll go" I bargained
Her lips parted, surprised "We'll leave?"
I nodded "Just you and me"
Her smile was suddenly genuine
-
If looks could kill, I'd probably be dead. Ronan stood a few meters from me as we stood out the front of the house about half an hour after we'd gotten up.
I tried to avoid his deadly gaze, but it was near impossible. I held my arms tightly folded over my chest, digging my boot into the dirt.
"Are we ready now?" Jaxon asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
Jesse nodded adjusting his sword in between his shoulder blades "We should be there before sundown"
"Good, let's get going then, we are after all behind schedule because of a certain sleep in" Jaxon smirked, his head tilted towards me walking slowly behind the four men.
My eyes narrowed on him, threateningly. He only winked, his eyes brushing over Ronan before surrendering.
I knew how this was going to play out, and expectedly, after about a half an hour of walking, Ronan was beginning to drop back, lingering closer towards me as I avoided him.
Thankfully, the sun had given us its beautiful grace and burned down into my face. Yet, the heat I felt from Ronan's eyes could have been the reason behind it. It was annoying.
"So are we going to talk about it?" He began eager
I shrugged "About what?"
He rolled his eyes, sighing as I noticed Jesse ahead of me quirk his head slightly sideward. He was attempting to listen in on the conversation, untrusting of Ronan's sharp false tongue.
"Don't play that game with me"
"I'm not playing any games Ronan" I told him forcefully, keeping my eyes forward
"You and Jesse, what happened?" He shot, intrusive and rude
My teeth gritted, tensing my cheekbones.
"You and Tricia, what happened?" I pulled back out angrily
I had surprised him, his footing stumbling slightly
He shook his head "Whatever you've heard, it's a load of crap"
I couldn't bite back the scoff, my hand lingering on my belt where my knife was.
"Let's not go there Ronan, shall we?"
"After what I told you about him, I thought you'd finally understand the extent of the danger you seem to enjoy putting yourself in around him" He continued anyways
"Ronan" I spat, turning, my voice louder than I had intended, all eyes spun in our direction
"This whole world is full of danger. Creatures are dangerous, clouds are dangerous. I'm dangerous, and he's dangerous" I pointed to Jesse "But you, you are manipulative and sly and I don't trust a single word that comes out of your mouth"
"Cool it off, we have to keep moving" Jaxon called, casual, exhausted
Staring down with Ronan, it only made me more interested in winning, in punching him in the throat. I wouldn't be manipulated and he needed to know that.
Slowly, willingly, Ronan held his hands up, taking a step back from me
"Fine, all good, that's a fair call" He nodded, giving me one last glare before storming forward. His eyes then travelled to Jesse who watched carefully, his fists flexing at his sides.
The rest of us stood motionless for a second, unsure, but we were wasting time, and we all knew that, so we continued behind Ronan.
Jaxon was soon walking alongside me, almost creating a barrier between me and the three men I'd seemed to entangle myself up in.
"I'm glad I too haven't fallen in love with you" He sighed "It's a bloodbath"
"Don't start Jax" I told him, exhausted
"You know, I can't blame Ronan for being this jealous, even when I was a kid I remember all the girls falling over Jesse, one half of the boys in school hated him, the other half befriended him for it, guess what side Ronan was on?"
I knew where he was going, so I decided to avert the conversation before he began asking any more intrusive questions as Ronan had.
"Can I ask you something Jaxon?" I began
He nodded "Depends what it's about, if it's about Jesse and his scores then-"
"No" I cut him off "It's about the Creatures"
"The Creatures?" He repeated, his eyebrows furrowing
"Do you think they're all bad?"
He looked at me with a narrow gaze, unsure
"Yeah, I mean, I've never been invited into an infected's home for tea before, have you?"
"No, but, there's something I should tell you, and Jesse" I started
"Tell me" He persuaded without a moments hesitation
"Yesterday morning" I started "There was a Creature, he wasn't like any of the ones I've ever seen before"
"Oh god, is this the part where you tell me you've fallen in love with a Creature, despite the mess already going on in your love life?" He sighed, throwing an arm over my shoulders
I rolled my eyes "No, just, listen okay?"
He nodded, using his fingers to zip his mouth shut "This Creature, he saw me in the middle of the street and he just stood there, watching me. I assumed he'd attack me, instead, he fell on his knees, expecting and waiting for me to kill him" I remembered the look on the Creatures face, it was an image I would never be able to erase from my mind.
"It didn't attack me, he waited for me to kill him" I repeated point of fact
"Are you sure it saw you?" Jaxon asked, fully invested in the conversation now
"Positive"
"It could have been weak, blinded, a number of things" He excused
"It wasn't. It looked me dead in the eye, it wanted me to put it out of its misery, it was like his soul was still intact, but his physical state ruined by the virus" I tried to explain
"I've heard of it before" Talon's voice entered our conversation, his small frame beginning to walk backwards in front of Jaxon and I.
"You have?" Jaxon questioned him
Talon nodded
"When?" I demanded
"A few months after the outbreak, I saw a boy, it took 12 seconds for him to change, and when he did, he looked down at his hands, snarled and then, he jumped" He told us, casual
"He jumped?" I repeated
Talon nodded "He jumped off the 22 floor building to his death"
"It's almost as though some of their souls are remaining, even after they've turned" I spoke, intrigued, confused
"I wonder if the camp knows this" Jaxon mused
"Jesse!" He called towards his cousin a few steps ahead "What do you make of it?"
I realised then and there that Jesse had been listening to the conversation from afar.
"We don't understand the full extent of Creatures, so I wouldn't make any assumptions as of now, but there could be more to it than we think we know" He sighed, rolling his shoulders as Ronan now listened in on the conversation
"The sooner we get this cure to the camp, the sooner we will know more, there could be far more to both the virus and the cure than we can imagine" Said Jaxon
I nodded "How far away are we?"
"About two hours I'd say" Jesse peered up at the sky
I gave a sigh and stared ahead into the distance. I could see the street signs: we were close. The Canadian border was a few hours from our reach, this was where everything was going to change.
My mind travelled off, wondering what it was I'd do first. How many people were going to be there? What information would they have that we hadn't already discovered? Did they know about Shaun and the prison? We're Coby and the others there safe, drinking tea on the porch of their new homes? These were just the surface questions.
"How are you feeling?" Jesse's soothing voice awoke me from my thoughts as he walked alongside me
I nodded, blowing out a breath of air
"Nervous" I snickered
"Nervous?" He repeated looking down at me with a small crooked smile
I shrugged. I was barely a nervous person, but the idea of this camp changing my entire being, had me utterly worried.
"You remember what I said, don't you?" He quirked an eyebrow
I looked ahead, avoiding his gaze "I remember"
"I meant it you know"
"I know" I told him
"And whatever comes after that, we'll battle through it, together" His tone was low, but serious
I gave in to a small smile, keeping my head down. I enjoyed knowing that if I needed to escape the crowd, Jesse would be there beside me
"What about Jaxon?" I asked "You think he'd leave if you left?"
"Depends"
"Depends on what?" I questioned, looking towards his cousin who was swatting a fly buzzing around his face
Jesse shrugged "What the camp has to offer him"
"You're his family, surely nothing they'd have to offer would be greater than that right?"
"With Jaxon, it's hard to tell" Jesse scoffed
Another smile emerged from my lips as Jaxon held a tight closed fist, squinting through his knuckles to spy the insect he'd entrapped.
For the next hour, we walked silently beside each other. As always, Ronan sulked behind, his eyes burning into my back. Jaxon and Talon walked beside him, discussing their expectations of the survival camp. All I could focus on was the sound of Talon, his voice, his tone. He was talking about women in the same derogatory way he did when we had dated. I grit my teeth, shoving my hands in my pockets. Jaxon was egging him on, jokingly, yet Talon assumed he were serious, which coaxed him onward.
"Not long now" Jesse sighed, gruff
He rolled his shoulders, and I noticed his knuckles tense into fists. He was noticeably listening to the same conversation I was.
Tension was boiling and I could smell another fight nearing, at the hands of either myself or Jesse.
"If you start, I start, it wouldn't be a fair fight" I spoke under my breath, loud enough for Jesse to hear as I watched his right hand clench
"He aggravates me" Jesse mumbled back
"I think we've acknowledged that" I snickered, pulling my hand from my jacket.
I watched and waited for his hand to loosen, instead he continued to dig his fingernails into his palm. Ten minutes later, without thinking twice, I reached towards him, clasping my hand around his. His fingers flinched beneath mine, but within seconds, he eased up.
I felt myself smile, knowing that he too was releasing a crooked smirk at the un-Morgan like movement.
"Whoa, stop" Jaxon's voice rose, walking hastily ahead, his neck pulled up like a wary meerkat.
"What is it?" Jesse responded, releasing my hand, moving beside his now still cousin
"Look"
"Who are they?" I stepped forward, squinting into the distance of the highway.
Suddenly a shout came from the group of people ahead of us, walking up from the highway exit.
"We are headed to the camp, we aren't out for a fight" A male spoke
"As are we" Jaxon shouted back, Jesse and Ronan on guard like threatening pitbulls.
Slowly, we began forward, and within ten minutes, we were a few feet from the small group of civilians
"What's your name?" Jaxon asked the male at the front of the pack
"Chase" He answered back, outstretching his hand
From the short distance, I could see they were armed, much like us, only their group was bigger, containing about a dozen people varying from the age of toddler to elder. Chase had unusually dark eyes, his hair pulled back into a blonde ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was strong, muscled like the cousins who stood beside me
Hesitantly, Jaxon moved towards him, followed by Jesse. Then us.
"Jaxon, this is my cousin Jesse" Jaxon introduced "That's Ronan, Talon and Mor-, Arrow" I stumbled over Jaxon's introduction of my name, just as Chase's eyes moved over me
"Arrow. Interesting name" He looked me over
Closing in the final steps, I took in his full appearance. He had scars all over his arms, slash wounds, but that wasn't what had caught my entire attention, it was the bite on his shoulder
Without thinking, my mouth opened "You've been bitten"
Chase's lips curled upwards, his eyes narrow on me "I have. Vigilant, aren't we?" He smirked
"The bite, it's 4 months old"
"That's impossible" Jaxon shot instantly
"How?" Jesse questioned the man
He shrugged, his eyes on me "I'm not sure, I guess that's why we're here, isn't it?"
Quickly, eyes were on me and Chase, our stare locked.
"Morgan, do you know this man?" Ronan narrowed his eyes
I shook my head "No"
"Can you tell us what's going on then?" Ronan demanded, confused
Finally, I broke the stare on Chase and turned my gaze to Jesse. I shuffled my feet and shoved my hands in my pockets
"I should have told you" I mumbled
His eyes were solid, unblinking as he stared at my face.
"Morgan?" Jaxon turned towards me "What's going on?"
I pulled my gaze from Jesse and looked down at my waist. Slowly, my fingers lingered on the hem of my shirt, and in one quick motion, I pulled it upward revealing my stomach
"Oh my god" Ronan gapped
Instantly my eyes were on Jesse, awaiting his response
"You've been bitten?" He spoke, his tone indecipherable
I nodded
"When?"
"A year ago" I revealed
"The sun is setting, we should get to the border beforehand" Chase interrupted the tragic stare Jesse held on my healed over Creature bite.
As quick as I had pulled my shirt up, I dropped it, tucking it back into place.
Chase and his group began towards the end of the highway, slowly followed by Talon.
Instead, Jesse, Jaxon and Ronan all remained in place, staring at me
"Why didn't you tell us?" Jaxon asked
I shrugged "How was I to tell you, any of you? What would that have achieved?"
"Trust" Ronan shot
"Oh, do you not trust me?" I snapped back.
He folded his arms and shook his head, storming off in the direction of camp
"You should have told us" Jesse spoke, his voice hard
I looked at the ground "Chase is right, we should get going"
It was all I could say before walking off.
I had survived a Creature bite, and I had no clue why, but now, I knew, there were others just like me out there.