Dust to Dust

3

The two had gone back to Jenny's house to pick up her things before walking back to the camp. Jasper had given her a few details about the people there, especially Asher. He said that he was extremely devoted to his religion, and would mostly keep to himself about it, but while he was quiet, he wasn't a bad guy.

"So he just walks around at night for no reason? Like he's not watching anyone is he?" the thought of some random guy watching her at night was definitely unsettling.

"No, at least not from what I've seen. He's either going hunting or giving offerings to the Lord." he did say that a good portion of people there were extremely religious. Not Christian, but they worshipped some sort of god they believed in. The name of that god was never clear to anyone, but Asher seemed to know. Nobody really asked either since he didn't force it onto anyone and kept it between himself and the others who were following him.

"Offerings? Like what?"

"I've seen a few. Dead animals, plants, herbs, he gets a blood vile every now and then. Most of the time from himself, but occasionally he'll ask others for a few drops." he said it so casually. "We're getting close, there's a path past the river we met at."

Jenny still couldn't get past the blood thing. Even if it was just a little bit, where was it going, and what was it used for?

"He won't try and take my blood will he?"

Jasper shrugged. "Dunno. He's only done it a few times but it's not a big deal. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. It's just a finger prick. I got one once, and I hate pain, so me saying it's not a big deal really means something, trust me."

He said it wasn't a big deal, but he was literally asking for other people's blood. And because nobody was aware of his religious beliefs, they most likely didn't know what the blood was even used for. Jasper said it was an offering to this god, but why did he need it and what difference would it make?

She stopped as they were about to cross the river.

"Jasper, this is really weird. Is it actually safe? Nothing bad's going to happen to me, right?"

He saw her concern and put his hand over his heart, looking back towards her. "Look, Jen. Nothing bad has ever happened to me here. And I get it if you don't trust me. I'm not making you come with me. If you're uncomfortable, you can leave. But it's really really not that bad, I promise. All you need to do is respect Asher and his beliefs. Again, he keeps to himself, he doesn't care if we don't agree with him about it. We just let him do what he does. That's what we've all done, and we're alive and well. Listen, I probably came from a similar background as you, so I know what it's like to be unsure. But it'll be good for you. You can keep your humanity and sanity. I know that's hard to maintain. But this place is completely carefree. You don't need to worry about social status, or anxiety, everyone's so understanding, really. For the most part anyway. There are a few angst machines here and there, but that's bound to happen. And hey, if you're unsure about anything, tell me, kay? I've got experience." he said with such confidence.

Having reassurance was nice, and he seemed trustworthy. But sometimes that was the problem. Trusting too easily. The fact that she had this opportunity at all had her feeling uneasy. But this was a chance to start over. She was overjoyed when she first met Jasper, so having a whole group of people with her every day had to be better than moving from house to house by herself. Her goal from the start was to find someone, and now she had, just not in the way she expected.

Taking a deep breath, she continued to walk next to Jasper.

"There ya go. Everything'll be fine. Once you see it, I think you'll loosen up a bit. It's actually really pretty."