Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Thirty-Two | Killian

Jackson's eyes glowered from the darkness, his lips pulled back into a small snarl. "Who is it?" He demanded, bristling from the sound of Killian's shoes on the stairs. When he reached the bottom, the half-biter hesitated. Seeing his cousin in the current situation was definitely not something Killian enjoyed, but if he wanted to build his trust with the group, then he'd have to tolerate it for now.

Tossing the squirrel over to Jackson across the basement, Killian settled himself on the ground, folding his hands with his dinner plate sitting neatly in his lap. "Do you want a plate too? I brought some cloth and water to clean you up again." He said, doing his best to keep the tone light and friendly. Jackson didn't say a word, only narrowed his eyes even further, the scowl on his face deepening. "Come on now, you've got to eat." Killian snapped, "As unpleasant as it is, it's your life now so you might as well get used to it."

"You're not the one who has to eat raw corpses," Jackson rasped. With half of his face covered, Killian's stomach felt uneasy. He couldn't see exactly what his cousin was thinking. "I only devoured that rabbit because I was starving," Jackson continued, "But don't talk to me about getting used to a new diet. Not when you don't have to swallow down blood and raw flesh every time your stomach empties, else you get violent."

Watching carefully as Jackson moved closer, Killian scooted back. He could see the hurt in his cousin's eyes as he did, sudden guilt aching at his chest. How am I supposed to be near you when you talk like that? "You think I like what I am?" Jackson demanded, his lip curling into a snarl. "Maybe I can take a bullet to one arm and not feel a damn thing, but you think I like the pain of my skin rotting off only to heal itself? For the rest of my life," He hissed, "It will be an endless cycle of decay and repair."

Letting out a contemptuous snort, Jackson grabbed onto the squirrel's tail and halfheartedly brought it up to his mouth, ripping into it with his powerful teeth. Killian knew the human jaw was incredibly strong, but something in the brain stopped them from hurting themselves. It appeared that Jackson had broken that barrier with his new appetite. A sudden thought occurred to Killian, "What about your head? Does it hurt?"

"If you're asking if half my brain is rotting, I'm not sure." The man replied. Killian's stomach churned uncomfortably as he watched Jackson voraciously dig in, choking down clumps of fur and flesh. That can't be good for his throat. Killian thought silently. What's going to happen if  eating like that scrapes the inside?

Trying desperately to change the conversation to something less existential, Killian forced a smile. "Well at least we're together again, right? I missed you." Jackson opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of whatever he was going to say, and continued to focus on his food. "I know this isn't the best for you..." Killian continued, "But there isn't much I can do about it. You know, Jasper is one of the leaders. He would have argued for better treatment but-"

"Favoritism?" The man interrupted, raising a brow. Killian found it hard to meet Jackson's eyes when there was blood and gore on his lips. "I don't know if your group is just a bunch of idiots or tone-deaf, but me and Muscle Man don't exactly get along."

Not knowing how to respond immediately, Killian took a reluctant bite of his own dinner, finding it hard to stomach down with Jackson tearing into a squirrel right across from him. Chewing contemplatively, Killian barely resisted the gag that heaved at his stomach. The iron scent of blood was almost vomit-inducing. A month ago Killian might not have minded the blood or gore, but the group had been spoiled with the comfort of a farmhouse--it was almost as if he'd forgotten about the monsters outside.

Killian finally managed to finish his dinner, while Jackson finished his off in a couple of quick, famished mouthfuls. The man then began to clean the blood away from his face and hands again. Killian silently hoped his cousin was still listening to him. "I know you two aren't fond of one another, but it isn't favoritism for you, it's for me. Jasper knows I care about you, so he wants to speak on your behalf just for that reason," He narrowed his brows, "He could damage his reputation and get a lot of flack for deciding to help us."