Wake of the Dead | One

Chapter twelve

The chirping of birds was the first thing Killian heard the next morning. It was a simple sound, but there was something comforting about hearing it when the city had been so eerily silent in contrast. Sunlight filtered through the red fabric of the tent; even though it was bright outside, there was a crisp chilliness in the air. Fall was approaching quickly, which meant they'd have an even harder time finding food and keeping warm. Pushing himself up off of the blankets beneath him, Killian's chest jolted as he sneezed when leaf-dust tickled his nose.

Gathering his crossbow and hoisting it onto one shoulder, Killian checked his belt for his hunting knives as well. Once he was sure he had all of his weapons secured, He made his way out of the tent. Just outside of the tent, Killian barely noticed Jasper sleeping in time to avoid tripping over him. He paused, watching the calming rise and fall of the other man's muscular chest. Jasper's hair tuft fell over his eyes, and Killian also couldn't help but notice how the other man had fallen asleep with a knife grasped firmly in his hand.

Soft footsteps greeted a patrol as they entered the camp. There were three people, a girl and two boys. The girl seemed to be leading them, with a smile on her face. She was a blonde, with sun-kissed freckles and a cute button nose. Jasper peeled open one eye and mumbled, "Mm? Oh, hi Boy Scout."

It seemed as if everybody in camp was stirring now with the return of their fellow group mates. A large dark-bearded man left a tent on the other side of camp, with Doctor Cohen following behind him. Was the bearded man Tom, the group leader? What had they been talking about? The morning had begun as peaceful, but now there was a sudden burst of activity.

"Welcome back, Samantha." Killian could hear Tom say in the distance. He watched them, wanting to join in with everybody but unsure where to even start. Tom continued, but he was too far for Killian to make out his softer words. Jasper stood up behind him, and Killian heard the uncomfortable crack of cramped joints when the other man stretched.

Killian glanced up at his friend when Jasper approached him, "A new patrol just got back." Killian said bluntly, unsure if there was anything else to talk about.

Jasper tilted his head to the side, blowing the tuft of hair out of his eyes. "It looks like the found something interesting, if they have to make their way back to Tom immediately." The other man commented, his voice a bit hoarse from just waking up.

As Killian's eyes scanned the camp, his heart jolted when a girl's voice startled him, "Morning, Jasper; and his friend. Forgot your name, my bad." She added to Killian. Her hair was a blazing, fiery ginger.

"My name's Killian." Killian said bluntly, taking a few wary steps back. This girl looked way too chipper to have just woken up. It was almost unsettling, the way she smiled so brightly. Her emerald eyes looked up at Jasper, brushing Killian off as easily as if he were a fly. Killian narrowed his brows irritably and let out a sharp, short exhale of breath. Crossing his arms, Killian's foot tapped the ground impatiently. He wanted to get the day started, not stand here while Jasper talked to some girl. 

"Killian, this is Aubrey." Jasper introduced his friend, and Killian wrinkled his nose with distaste. What kind of name was Aubrey anyways? The red-headed girl obviously didn't even bother to say hello to Killian, so why would he say hello to her? Maybe that was a childish way of thinking, but he didn't care all too much. If she was going to be rude, he was going to be rude in return. "Say hello you two." 

"I'd rather die." Killian said bluntly, and pushed past them. He didn't like talking to strangers, or just people in general. He could almost feel Jasper's annoyed gaze piercing into the back of his skull; no matter how many times he tried to ignore it, he couldn't. So the only reasonable thing would be to avoid Jasper at all costs until the other man was no longer annoyed. No reason to face a problem if it would just go away, right? After all, from what Killian had seen Jasper was very forgiving. So why did he still feel guilty about being rude to Aubrey? He didn't know, and didn't want to know. Feeling guilty wasn't going to get him anywhere, and it certainly wasn't going to feed the group.