Wake of the Dead | One

Chapter fifteen

A collective, irritate grumble filled the group as heavy raindrops began to fall from the sky. Jasper hastily opened his bag and stuck the bookmark Killian had gotten him in between two pages of his book, then closed his bag up so it wouldn't be ruined by the rain. The weather gradually got worse whenever the wind began to pick up, and Jasper could feel himself freezing. Even Killian was now shivering under his jacket. Jasper noticed the other man pulling it even closer to him, shutting his eyes tight. He wanted to pull Killian close to share a bit of warmth, but knew that would probably result in him just getting a firm smack on the wrist. 

Soon, the rain had soaked through his shirt, sticking the clothing tight to his skin. He saw a few of the women in the ground self-consciously peeling their own shirts away from their chests, and he felt a bit bad for them. He was self-conscious too, but knew the girls probably had it way worse. Especially when the all of the other guys eyes began to wander a bit. Of course, Jasper didn't see the appeal. But there was a few moments when he noticed that Killian didn't even seem to be giving the girls a glance whatsoever. It looked like Killian was glancing towards him instead. Jasper knit his brows together with confusion, giving Killian a questioning glance. But Killian just looked away quickly and averted his gaze. 

Shrugging it off as just nerves, Jasper could see Killian wrapping his jacket around his chest, almost as self-consciously as the girls in the group. The rain clouds were darkening the sky even more than they had before, and Jasper tensed as he could see flashes of lightning in the distance. At least the rain was washing the sweat from a long few hours walk off of his body, and Jasper could try to ignore the thunder as long as it didn't get too loud. The cold was almost unbearable, like icicles jabbing through his skin. Needless to say, Jasper was eager to get to the motel. Not only from the safety the enclosed walls promised from the hoard, but for the warmth away from the freezing wind. Even without heating, the motel rooms would be a lot cozier than the relentless breeze and sharp rain.

Doctor Cohen shouted from the front, "Do not take your blankets out. They'll only get wet and you won't be able to warm up when we get to the motel." Jasper could barely hear Cohen over the wind. Aubrey tugged on his soaked shirt sleeve to get his attention, and Jasper leaned down to hear her. 

"What did he say?" Aubrey shouted over the ever-growing torrent. 

Jasper raised his voice so the others around him could hear what Cohen said as well, "Doctor told us not to use our blankets to block out the rain; they'll just get too damp and won't be able to be used when we get settled down." Jasper was getting concerned for Killian though. He knew the other man would never admit to it, but he was looking a bit weak. His steps were stumbling, his body shuddering uncontrollably. In all honesty, he looked a bit pitiful with his soft curls flattened against his head. On top of recently almost drowning after getting hit by a massive log and a stab wound that was still healing, Killian was having a bit of a rougher time than the others.

Finally, Jasper reached out and offered Killian a hand. Killian looked up at him, and Jasper's breath hitched with alarm when he saw how fatigued and dull his hazel eyes were. Still, Killian was hesitant for a while, until he leaned against Jasper's side for some sort of support. Through the vicious rain Jasper could hear Casimir speaking up, "I can see the motel!" Excited murmurings echoed through the group, and Jasper could see a few of them running ahead of everybody else. But above that, he could hear the loud and haunting snarls of biters behind them. Aubrey and Jasper exchanged alarmed glances. 

Jasper did what he first thought of, knowing everybody was too tired to fight off an oncoming hoard. "Run!" The rest of the group who hadn't joined the ones running ahead glanced back, confused. Tom suddenly widened his eyes and gestured for Jasper to duck. As he did, Tom pulled out his gun and fired. A biter who had leapt from behind Jasper flew over him and landed in a heap on the ground, writhing and clawing at him. Jasper felt nauseous. If Tom hadn't seen it, both him and Killian would have been bitten. "Go, I'll catch up!" Jasper shouted.