Dust to Dust

7

"So... did you guys know that he took your weapons? He said he didn't tell you before taking them." so many questions needed to be asked. That whole conversable act he put on last night could have been a lie, because after he said something he definitely shouldn't know, he was right back to being creepy as fuck. I hadn't even told Jasper my full name when we met, so he couldn't have told Asher. It was so confusing, because I knew we had never met before, anywhere outside of this camp. I would have remembered someone as unique as Asher. But I couldn't wrap my head around any other possibility. 

Erin was especially confused as to why I was freaking out so much, since I hadn't told them the key detail that he shouldn't know my name yet. "He didn't tell us until after he took them. I was pissed at first, but it doesn't really matter now, since I trust the guy. I think I have good intuition. He's alright." 

But was he though? It's like he just magically knew. I would need to confront him about it at some point, but how? It was a difficult thing to explain, and whatever answer I got, I probably wasn't going to like it. Even though he was the one that said it in the first place, I would still come off like I had a screw loose to him, accusing him of things that didn't make sense. Until I could figure out how to talk to him properly, I would go about everything normally, so I didn't raise any suspicions that something might be making me uncomfortable.

"I guess he just changed the rules. Did he mention anything about that?" Delilah added, as interested in the conversation as ever.

I nodded slowly. I figured that I should probably tell them about what was bothering me the most, since the previous statement about the weapons wasn't a huge deal. "Yeah, he did. But that's not what I'm really concerned about. He... said my last name when I'm positive I didn't tell him. Or Jasper for that matter, so it makes no sense how he would know me." Delilah looked confused when I said that, holding her first up to her chin, starting to think deeply about what I just said. "That is weird."

"You positive you didn't tell him? Because he wouldn't be able to know it otherwise. Unless you two met before, and he just happened to remember you, and you don't remember him. But you did walk here from like... ten hours away? That'd be a pretty weird coincidence, but still." Erin jumped back in, making the same points that had already run through my head.

"No, I think I would have remembered. I remember almost everything from my childhood, and everything beyond that and never once have I met Asher."

"Well you must have, because there's no other explanation. Maybe he looks a lot different than he did when he was younger. I mean, look at that mullet." Corey did have a point. What if we had met before, and his appearance had changed so much that I hadn't recognized him? It was so weird to think about, how could I not remember someone who was as noticeable as Asher? Again, I would have to ask him when the fear faded away. God, if I had just asked him the night before, it would have been so much easier. Now that she was waiting, the stress only grew, and I was stuck overthinking absolutely everything.

"I guess. There's no other logical explanation." I was still really unsatisfied.

Erin got up from their bed and ruffled up my hair like I was a little kid. "There, you've come to a decent conclusion. Now let's get out of here, it's so damn cramped." they yawned, stretching, and left through the front door of the cabin. Corey followed shortly after them, not saying anything more. It was a bright day outside, and who would have thought a morning in the woods would be this pleasant to look at? I definitely wouldn't have, I hated nature to be honest. That's probably why I never left the house when I was back at home, before and after the virus broke out.

My family really enjoyed it however, so I was dragged out onto hikes and such occasionally, and I was always complaining. I regretted it now of course, but there was nothing I could do about it.