Wincing as pain exploded through his gut, Killian stumbled back and clenched his teeth, narrowing his eyes. He balled his hands into fists once again, swinging a brutal punch into Amel's jaw, grabbed the other man by the neck and slamming his face down into his knee. Dazed, Amel dropped to the ground with a low groan, rubbing his head with his hand. He glared up at Killian, "Christ, you really haven't lost your touch." He muttered, getting to his feet and wiping his bloodied nose on his arm.
Rolling his eyes, Killian's lips pulled into a small snarl as he snapped, "You thought I would? No way in hell I'd survive for this long if I had." Taking back the knife that Amel had snatched from him, Killian set it back in its place at his belt and stalked back across the alleyway to where Jackson was casually sitting on a dumpster and leaning against a building, watching with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Tilting his head to the side Jackson said, "Damn kid, don't think he'll be messing with you for a while yet." The other man was casually sharpening his own knife, using a piece of shrapnel from a broken down car just outside of the alley. Behind the chain-link fence that closed off the area between the two buildings, several biters snapped at them and clawed at the gate. Renier was back at the camp with Jeremiah, Nora, Diego, and the rest of the gang--which Killian hadn't gotten to know just yet.
In the week that he'd been gone, Killian found himself growing more and more agitated, just like before all of this had happened. He was a lot more trigger-happy to say the least, just as he should be. The people in this group were ruthless. Renier had killed one of his own the previous day just for forgetting to feed Nyx. That boy cared for his vultures a bit too much for Killian's liking. What would happen if any biters got ahold of it? Would he just jump in to intervene before one of his precious raptors got eaten?
Scowling, Killian clenched his knife in his hand and muttered, "Come on. Let's get out of here. We've waited for those idiots to get here for too long." Without a reply in return, Killian made his way over to the biters, ripping Amel's gun out of his hand as he did so. He wasn't going to waste some arrows, but he didn't care about wasting other people's bullets. He wasn't good with a gun whatsoever, but point-blank shooting was easy enough. Putting the gun to the first biter's forehead, Killian pulled the trigger. The recoil shocked him--it had been a while. The weapon was heavier than he'd expected as well.
Five bullets was what it took to get rid of the biters outside of the alleyway. Jackson raised his brows and kicked himself off of the dumpster, while Amel jerked the gun out of Killian's hand with a low snarl, "Touch my gun again and I'll shoot you dead."
"As opposed to shooting me alive?" Killian muttered.
The other man grasped Killian by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, teeth bared into a fierce snarl. "What'd you say, punk?" He spat savagely. "I might have let you deck my face for your knife, but you ain't worth shit when the other man's holding a gun to your pretty little face." Killian forced himself not to flinch as he felt the cold metal against his temple, simply narrowing his eyes.
This wasn't the first time he'd gotten a gun pointed point-blank in his face. Both times, he had kicked the other guy's ass. But he'd never been afraid. When his life was threatened before, he'd barely stopped himself from daring them to pull the trigger. He'd had nothing to live for, even before the world crumbled. But he'd promised Jasper he'd be okay. Now, he had something to lose, and he was terrified. Jackson shoved Amel off of Killian roughly, "Come on man. Chill. He just got a bit antsy to get out of here, he wasn't threatening you."
At least this group was open about their dislike for some others. Killian had hated the way Tom's group would glare, but never say anything. Exclude him, silently threaten him but never make a move to hurt him. At least now he knew what to predict. Jackson waved an impatient hand, "Come on, let's go then. Diego's patrol isn't gonna meet us up here like they said they would."
A smile spread across Killian's lips as he said softly, "Can't wait to see who Renier gets pissed at now. He likes his borders patrolled nice and regular. When he finds out Diego and the boys aren't doing what they're supposed to," He felt his stomach twist sickeningly, but managed to keep his façade, "Somebody's going to pay."
Sharp laughter bubbled up from Amel's lips as he said, "Aye. Hopefully it's Nora this time, I swear that bitch stole some of my water the other day." Clearing his throat, Killian ran a hand through his curls and then began to head back to camp. Every footstep brought on a new sort of pain. A pain he hadn't felt until he was away from Jasper. He missed his friend, but there was no going back now.
...
The fire crackled in front of Killian, it's orange glow spreading across the floor of the camp. They'd moved a bit farther from the town now, on Renier's orders. Killian knew a patrol had tracked Tom's group to make sure they left the town. He silently thanked Jasper for not making them stay an extra day, or for sticking around too long. If they did, then some of them would be laying dead on the pavement. He'd never told Renier's gang about the farmhouse the group had been planning to go to, just to keep them safe.
Tapping at the empty can in his lap, Killian couldn't help but remember the weeks prior when he and Jasper had first met. Surviving in cans of soup and beans, all tasteless, but overall something to keep their bellies full. That was a good time, having just him and Jasper wandering together. That felt like a lifetime ago now.
Killian lifted his hand to grasp onto the metal dog tags around his neck. Huddling deeper into Jasper's jacket, he felt a stab of disappointment when he could no longer breathe in Jasper's unique, comforting scent. He remembered when it had smelled like mint, spices, and a pleasant, masculine musk that he couldn't quite describe. He closed his eyes tight, then nearly jumped out of his skin when somebody sat beside him. Dropping the empty can on the ground, he tensed up, only to relax again when he realized it was only Jackson.
The man tilted his head to the side with a small smile, "Hey. You thinking about them again?" Killian swallowed back a lump in his throat and nodded silently, leaning his chin in his hands and shutting his eyes tight. More than anything he wanted to stop thinking about Tom's group. About Dominick. That still hurt. Seeing Dominick laying on the pavement, blood surrounding him. That gunshot would forever echo in his mind, haunting his dreams. Jackson nudged his shoulder, "Come on now, it's really not that bad, is it?" He chuckled, "You told me yourself you hated them and the way they treated you, right?"
A bitter grin soon followed Jackson's words, and his next statement sent a shudder down Killian's spine. "Maybe not as bad as your father, but still pretty bad, right?" A sickening twist in his stomach whenever Jackson mentioned his father made Killian want to throw up. Nothing about that man brought up any pleasant memories.
Hiding his dismay and snorting with amusement instead Killian replied, "No, but he doesn't exactly set the standard. Shouldn't, anyways." His voice lowered into a bitter growl as he muttered, "Nobody like that should."
As his cousin shook his shoulder playfully, Killian let his nose wrinkle into a disgruntled snarl. "Anybody in particular you met that you miss?" Jackson inquired, raising a brow. Killian felt a cold chill cover his whole body as a few glanced from the others were sent his way. He knew what they were all thinking. They were thinking about how close of friends he and Jasper were. That was definitely not a welcome thing here.
With a smile to hide his fear Killian said, "That redhead sure caught my attention. Was a shame I had to leave her behind," His heart ached, feeling disgusted with himself as he continued to lie, "But other than good looks, girl was a bitch. I don't have time for that, don't want a burden of keeping somebody ungrateful safe."
"Isn't that the truth," Diego muttered, taking a swig of his water. "Same reason I never paid child support." A few snickers spread throughout the group, but Killian was beginning to feel a cold sweat bead on his forehead.
Thankfully, Jackson noticed Killian's discomfort. He stood up and stretched, "Alright, I'm going out for a hunt. Too restless. Wanna come with?" He added to Killian. Silently thanking his cousin, Killian remembered that nobody else in the group was really a hunter. Getting away from them with an excuse would be the best way to clear his mind freely. Nodding, he stood up and hiked his crossbow over his shoulder. Leaving the campfire side, Killian followed Jackson out of the abandoned patch of woods in an old park that they'd moved to, just on the outskirts of the town.
The gaze of Jackson burned into Killian's skin as he stared at the ground, hands in his pockets and focusing on nothing but his footsteps. The pavement was rough on the ground, an old car crash littering pieces of metal across the road. Soon they came to the end of the town, where the backroads moved away from the highway and a massive patch of woods put a distance between the town and countryside farms. Crickets chirped, stars gleamed cold and unwelcoming in the blackened night sky. It was hard to see with only small bits of moonlight filtering through the sparse branched above to light their way.
After what felt like forever, Jackson broke the silence. "Looks like they believed you." He said, glancing at Killian very briefly. Killian still focused on the ground below him, his cheeks heating up with an embarrassing flood of emotions. He'd always hated the idea of being close to somebody. Never interested in relationships, he'd never truly had romantic feelings for anybody; he didn't even know what those sorts of things felt like. "But I know you well enough to know you're lying. You've never set your eyes on anybody before." There was a long, long pause. "Not the way you looked at him, at least."
With his breath catching almost violently in his chest, Killian forced himself to squash down the panic beginning to rise up, swallowing back a harsh bile that formed in his throat. "Obviously you didn't like that girl, but I know you cared about Jasper--you two were really good friends. But Killian," When Killian turned to look at Jackson, shrouded in the shadow of a large tree, his stomach sank. Something about that shadow was familiar. "You don't belong there with them."
It felt like somebody had hit Killian with a truck. His breath stuck in his throat, he took a step back, his eyes widening a bit. "You," His voice shook, "You were the one who attacked me that night."
The other man knit his brows with confusion, but his eyes grew cold. "Killian I don't know what you're talking about," He said. "There's no way I could have strangled you, we didn't even know you were all at the motel."
A sickening twist in his gut make Killian take another step back, keeping a hand on his knife. Right now, he wasn't angry about the betrayal. That would come later. Now, he was scared for his life. "Jackson," He said carefully, "If that's true, then how do you know they strangled me when they attacked me? How did you know we were at the motel? We never told you that."
The other man's face hardened, as if somebody had flipped a switch. Killian almost tripped over a tree root, his heart hammering hard in his chest. "Why?" He demanded. "Why did you do that to me?"
Jackson's voice was so cold that it sent a shudder down Killian's spine, dread falling down on his shoulders like an unbearable weight. "If you didn't feel threatened, you wouldn't have wanted to leave them. It was only good luck I was hunting late that night, tracking a deer that would have fed the gang for days. Only better luck that your friend happened to bring a patrol to the town looking for supplies." He took a step forward, his eyes softening, "I'm sorry, but you belong here with us. Of course," He added, "I also didn't want you to get caught in the crossfire."
"Crossfire?"
"Of course," Jackson said, and Killian's belly flip-flopped over and over at the casual tone in his cousin's voice. Like he wouldn't expect Killian to be terrified, as if this was all normal. "I couldn't tell you, but Renier made me track them to make sure they left our territory. And that place they found to camp? Overrun. But they took care of it." He added as an afterthought, "Of course we want that for ourselves now. But the only way to do that is to make sure they're gone for good."
Knitting his brows together Jackson said, "But they hurt you. You couldn't possibly care about them now, could you? Your best friend didn't even stay with you. Aren't you mad about that?"
Forcing a shockingly convincing, bitter laugh, Killian spat, "Of course I am. When are we going to kill those fuckers?"
Jackson wrapped an arm over Killian's shoulders, "First thing tomorrow, before the sun's up when they're sleeping." A sadistic grin cross his older cousin's lips, "Glad you haven't gotten soft, kid. Else Renier would have probably killed you by now." He tapped Killian's chest playfully, "Luckily, you're cousin's got your back, right?"
"Right," Killian agreed with a small nod. After turning around and heading back towards their camp Killian added, "Well, I've got to get some hunting done. How about I meet you back at camp? I know we've got to eat in the morning. Don't want to kill on an empty stomach, right?"
Knitting his brows together Jackson said after a long pause, "Can we trust you?"
Swallowing back a wave of overwhelming terror Killian said, "Of course you can. Why would I want to keep them safe? All they've done is hurt me."
The other man's gaze softened, and he pulled Killian into a brief hug. "Good. It's nice to have you back, kid."
Killian stood there as Jackson headed away, whistling a merry tune under his breath. Running a hand through his hair, Killian clenched his teeth. Jackson knew he was lying. Just like he'd said when Killian had lied about liking Aubrey, he knew Jackson could tell that he was lying now. His cousin was going to tell Renier.
But...he'd given Killian a head start.
One he wasn't planning to waste.
Without another thought in his mind, Killian whipped around and began sprinting in the direction of the farmhouse.