Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Nineteen | Killian

They'd been away from the group for four days. That last day was one of the most painful and frustrating things Killian had ever gone through. With his leg injured and not being able to be tended to, Jasper had to disinfect it as best as he could with the alcohol Killian had used on his wounds in the bar. They had some band aids with them—but it sure felt like he needed more than that. The others wouldn't even look at his leg, only Jasper.

When Killian had asked him why, Jasper's only reply had been a wry smile and a blunt, "I've seen much worse." He didn't elaborate, which simultaneously comforted Killian and made him more uneasy. Whatever Jasper had seen during his days in the military couldn't have been good. Not to mention the things he'd witnessed when trying to fight for the city. Killian couldn't imagine everything Jasper must have been through, even before he joined Tom's group.

Every once and a while Killian had thought of asking for a rest, but reminded himself that he couldn't. If the group was in danger then he could wait. Only the guilt of his injury and using up the rest of the medical supplies was making him uneasy. Casimir would no doubt have a problem with that. He wondered just how uneasy Cohen would be as well.

Although the past day had been tough, with Killian having to hang back if they encountered any biters, he was relieved when Jasper murmured in his ear, "Just a bit longer. We're almost home."

"At this point maybe we should just chop it off." Aubrey joked. Killian glared at her, wondering how she could possibly think that was funny. Not everybody had the strength for one leg in this cruel world—it wasn't as if humans were that good at adapting to changes like that. "Well if a dog could do it I'm sure you can." Aubrey insisted.

"Dogs have four legs, I've only got...well, one working now." Killian snapped. He hated having to lean against Jasper most of the time, seeing how quickly the others got around. Killian had never really taken the time to appreciate his reliable mobility, but now he was definitely jealous of the others. He bristled at the snide comments Chris made about him, the paranoia the other man consistently put him through. He'd been right about the flies, for one thing. There weren't too many, but he could hear a buzz from time to time. It was terrifying, knowing that even if he wasn't bitten, he could possibly still rot from the inside out...

"Come on, head out of the clouds. We're almost there, chin up." Jasper said. Wondering why he could possibly need any more encouragement, Killian glanced up and realized they were at the bottom of the gully they'd walked through before. Jasper had remembered their route exactly, which both surprised and fascinated Killian. But as he looked up at the ledge, he could feel his heart sinking. There was no way he could climb up that.

By the time Chris and Harley had hauled themselves up to the top, Killian was still trying to figure out how he'd actually start. Aubrey almost started climbing as well, until Jasper shot her a withering glare. She paused, an apologetic smile crossing her lips.

The only thing Killian could do was stare, feel the dread weighing him down and take an anxious hop backwards. "You can do it." Jasper said encouragingly. "Trust me, it's all in the arms."

"But I don't have muscles like yours." Killian snapped. He didn't realize how brash and cold his tone was until he already spoke. Still, Jasper seemed unfazed. He just stared at Killian, unwavering. Although kind, his eyes were stern. Jasper really thought he could do this?

"Killian," Jasper finally said, "If you were all alone and your leg was broken, what would you do?"

"Try to climb the ledge." Killian mumbled.

"So what's stopping you now?" The other man inquired, raising a curious brow. "Last time I checked, you wouldn't let anything hold you back. So why are you making excuses now?" He lifted Killian's chin. "You lived in that city all by yourself, survived being stabbed in the gut, outran a whole hoard of biters, survived almost drowning, and adapted to living in a new group just for me." He tilted his head to the side, "Where's that Killian?"