Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Twenty-Six | Jasper

The meeting with Tom had been brief. People were watching the group, so Jasper was voted into leading a patrol to check things out. With his gun at his side and tire iron in hand, Jasper had halfheartedly agreed. His compliance was mostly made up of his own curiosity. It wasn't even a large group watching them, only two people it seemed like.

The danger of the situation couldn't be underminded though. Jasper had chosen a select few able-bodied people to accompany him—few of which he actually liked. Casimir, Samantha, Darren and Harley. It wasn't that Jasper didn't like Harley, he was an alright kid from what he could tell, though they weren't particularly close. He wasn't close to Sam either, definitely not friendly with Casimir. Darren was really the only person in the patrol he got along with.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't respected. Jasper knew most everybody in the group had at least some sort of liking to him. Even if they weren't friendly, he was still considered some sort of leader. That in itself was cause enough, let alone the effort he put in to keep everybody safe.

Despite sleeping very well the previous night, Jasper was still tired. He definitely knew it probably wasn't a good idea to lead a patrol while his mind was occupied with other thoughts, but he couldn't help himself. He still longed to spend the day with Killian, laying in bed and holding his lover close against his body. His chest felt warm and fuzzy even just thinking about it.

The scars on Killian's back had been heartbreaking. It made him want to simultaneously cry and beat somebody's face in at the same time—specifically, the people who'd hurt him. He guessed Killian had a questionable past, but he'd never even imagined one close to what Killian had told him. Jasper wanted to hold on and never let go again, to shield Killian away from the dangerous world outside.

Jasper had his—very abundant—amount of casual hook ups and lovers in the past, but none could ever amount to just how special Killian was. There was no word he could even come up with to describe Killian, other than his name. He was grumpy, abrasive, a pain in the ass sometimes, had a major trigger finger with that crossbow of his, as well as hardheaded. But at the same time he was brave, passionate, ambitious, intelligent...so many things Jasper admired.

Jasper snapped out of his stupor as he felt a sharp jab in the ribs. Darren was giving him a pointed look, to which Jasper responded with a sheepish chuckle. A quick glance at the others showed that they thankfully hadn't noticed his daydreaming. "Come on, Romeo." Darren teased quietly. "When we're done here you can go back to your new boyfriend."

Clearing his throat Jasper replied, "Right," then forced himself to focus on the task at hand. It was nearing midday by the time the patrol had broke through the tall grass and onto the hostile stretch of land between the fields and the woods. At that point, Jasper hung back and let Casimir take the lead. He knew the hunter would do well tracking down their unwelcome intruders, better than he could himself.

With narrowed eyes, Casimir stared down the small path into the woods, cleared out by the strangers who'd been spying on them. The patrol pushed on, with Jasper narrowly avoiding getting his clothing snagged on some thorns. "I see some footprints but they're very faint." Casimir murmured out loud to himself. Jasper kept quiet, not wanting to interfere with whatever lead the hunter was onto. "If Tom would have let us come looking closer to sunset, then we'd have a clearer trail." Casimir continued to mutter under his breath.

The forest was peaceful, but it would always put Jasper on edge. Despite the sunspots dappled on the ground by filtered leaves, the shrubs lining roots of trees and the occasional shuffle of a squirrel in the undergrowth, something about its silence was eerie. How Killian and Casimir could possibly feel at home in a place where wind whistled through thorn bushes and rattled the branches above, he didn't know.