Wake of the Dead | One

Chapter five

Killian was gently coaxed awake by something nudging him repeatedly. It was a massive effort, but he managed to force his eyes open, despite the exhaustion that still weighed his muscles down. Killian couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment when the grogginess of his mind began to clear. When he was asleep, he was safe. Maybe things in the outside world could hurt him while he was down, but he wouldn't feel it. "Can't you see my eyes are open? I'm awake!" Killian sat up and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. In between them shutting and closing, he caught sight of Jasper's boots heading towards the kitchen.

"Rise and shine, kid!" The man's voice echoed through the house with a cheeriness that made Killian's stomach churn unpleasantly. Could this man be any more annoying than he already was? Was that even possible? Killian's nose wrinkled and his lips tugged down into an unhappy snarl. Before he could find his voice and tell Jasper to shut up, the other man continued to speak. "We've got places to be, things to do, and monsters to kill."

"Monsters?" Killian prompted as a large yawn split in between his words, "Wha' monsters?"

Jasper returned to the living room and started packing his bag up for travel. He looked at Killian expectantly, and the younger man rolled his eyes, then started doing the same. Shaking the last bits of drowsiness off, Killian shimmied off of his blanket and started folding it up. "You know, the undead ones?" Jasper prompted, raising a brow. "What, have you been living under a rock for the past five months?"

"Right," Killian snapped. "Well, if we're gonna be traveling together--against my will--then we'll have to come up with a word for them."

Jasper began to fold his own blanket and neatly set it in his pack. Killian paused, then looked back at his own blanket that was hastily shoved into his bag with barely any room to spare. "Well, what do you call them?" Jasper asked as Killian let out a frustrated huff and dragged the blanket out again to try and fold it just as Jasper had done.

"I call them 'biters,'" Killian said bluntly. "You know, because they bite." He noticed Jasper watching him struggle to pack his things up, looking rather amused. Killian hated it. Especially when he noticed how quickly Jasper had been ready to set off. For a few moments he was baffled, until he remembered; Jasper had been in the military. He was trained to get up and move quickly. Killian especially hated the way Jasper was leaned forwards with his chin on one hand, watching Killian patiently.

"'Biters' it is then." Jasper said. Killian finally managed to fold his blanket just right, and slipped it into his pack. He took his old bandage and unceremoniously shoved it in his front jeans pocket. Setting his hunting knives back in their place, Killian slung his crossbow over his shoulder and then his pack to follow it. Jasper took two of the remaining cans of food to carry in his own bag and Killian took the last one. Opening the cap to the pain medicine, Killian forced himself to swallow one pill. It scratched his throat uncomfortably on the way down. Killian screwed the cap shut and then shoved the bottle into his bag.

"Alright," Jasper said. "Are we ready to go, then?" The man stood up, and Killian tried to follow suit. His wound hurt a bit less than the day before; he could walk okay at least, but the way he stood up was definitely not as dignified as he would have liked. He stumbled, and landed face-first into Jasper's muscular torso. "Whoa there kid, you alright?" Jasper's voice rumbled pleasantly in his chest. Killian hastily shoved himself away from Jasper.

"Of course I am!" Killian snarled, bristling at Jasper's inquiry. Embarrassment made his stomach feel nauseous. He made a visible effort to move away from Jasper as quickly as possible. "If anything, you were the one in the way." He added. Killian's words were as sharp as the knives he carried with him. He shot Jasper a cold glare; a warning for the other man to keep his distance.