The Ascent

Chapter 21

Even though it was colder at night than when Jasmine first set out earlier in the day, she felt much warmer and safer having Asher with her. He chased the shivers away, both from the cold and from fear.

Jasmine might not have trusted him fully. However, his presence was still comforting in a world so drastically different than it was mere days ago. Her mind and heart were filled with a mixture of emotions she couldn't even begin to understand.

So, she stopped trying and focused all her attention on their surroundings as things didn't look the same as they did during the daytime. She needed to pay attention so as not to miss the place where she had laid down the girl's body.

"We are close," Jasmine said as they neared where she had first seen the poor broken girl.

Only when they finally reached the bushes did Asher pull out his flashlight, his hands far steadier than Jasmine could even dream of being.

"Maybe you should stay over there and let me deal with everything," Asher said, pointing at the large tree a few meters away.

Jasmine wanted to agree so badly that she had to squeeze her nails into her skin so hard that she almost drew blood to gather courage and do what she felt was right.

"No, I am the one who failed her. I will help with this at least," Jasmine said, determinedly stepping forward and taking the light from Asher's hand.

Although Asher seemed unsure of how much strength could be in her frail-looking body, he didn't make any further comments.

As she shone the light, Asher quickly inspected the body, noting that the injuries were most likely from a fall. He summarized that she was running from something but guessed the only way they would know what from would be after they read the journal.

"Okay, where do you want me to bury her?" Asher asked, unsure if there was a proper way to bury a human body under their current circumstances.

Jasmine wanted the best for the young girl who seemed to be just a teenager if a few years older, but what mattered when she had lost her life so early was beyond her. Still, she felt she needed to give her something more than being randomly buried.

"How about we bury her under that willow tree over there," Jasmine pointed out, remembering her own willow tree cut down before its time.

It occurred to her that this way, there would always be something beautiful above the girl's grave, keeping away the summer heat and winter snows.

Besides, it would be easier to find it if, one day, the world got back to normal, and they could pay her proper respects.

"Sounds good," Asher said, looking at the earth underneath the tree.

"Do you have anything to dig with?" Jasmine asked while he examined the ground as if he was taking measurements.

"Not really, but the soil is soft here, so that shouldn't be an issue," he said after scooping up a bit of the moist earth in his hands.

Jasmine immediately fell to her knees and started digging with her bare hands, eager to give the girl much-needed peace. Also, she needed to return Asher to his children, to the safety of the cave. However, Asher started looking around, and upon spotting a large flat rock, he started digging into the soft ground with it.

The reproaches about her being ridiculous and impractical for digging with her hands that Jasmine was expecting never came, making her wonder how it was possible. How could a guy she only knew for a few days under such dire circumstances understand what she needed better than her family ever did?

It was odd, but he seemed to know that she needed to do something, anything for the girl, and allowed her to do so even if it was illogical. They just continued digging together as if her digging like a dog was the most normal thing ever.

Noting how efficient Asher was despite her clumsy fingers often getting in his way, Jasmine couldn't help but worry about how he knew how to dig so efficiently without any tools.

"Have you done this before?" Jasmine asked, a hitch in her voice noticeable on the last syllable.

"If you mean buried people, no, but I have buried dead bodies before," Asher said, nonchalantly, never stopping with his work.

Jasmine quickly sprang up, shocked by her answer. A cold layer of fear started coating her skin.

What did she even know about the guy? The fact that he took care of his own children didn't necessarily mean that he was a good person. After all, who in their right mind would go around burying dead bodies?

"What?" Jasmine exclaimed far louder than she should have under their current circumstances.

Only then did Asher notice the misunderstanding, so he straightened up, wiping the sweat from his forehead to look at Jasmine's expression. The fear in her eyes was undeniable, and Jasmine could see the irritation in his eyes flicker in response.

"Hunters often have to bury the remains of animals they kill, the parts that they don't need, so as not to attract some larger animals," Asher explained, his eyes brightened by a layer of moisture that Jasmine refused to see as tears waiting to spill out.

He was a strong guy, a killer. Why would he lament killing animals? Why would he cry over their dead bodies?

Only later would she understand how wrong she was in her assumptions and in how many different ways. But for the time being, she waited for an explanation with bated breath.

"When I was a child, my father wanted me to be a 'real man'," Asher said bitterly, as he continued digging. "So, he decided that the best father-son bonding experience was hunting. Even though I was never interested in it. It was always his thing, something he did with his friends."

"Then why did you do it?" Jasmine asked as she resumed her vain effort to help dig the ground.

"The first time, I didn't really understand what was happening," Asher said briskly, brushing away a loose strand of hair that refused to be tamed. "I cried for days after shooting the deer. I never shot a gun after that."

"Then how did you get so good at this?" Jasmine asked, confused, looking at her nails which were already full of dirt.

"My father didn't take no for an answer. He insisted that we could compromise," Asher said in a tone that implied that not much compromising was actually done on his father's side. "So he taught me all about setting traps for smaller animals, how to kill without having to be the one to end their life, letting the traps do that for me. However, he insisted on building up my resilience, so I still had to bury the remains, the parts we didn't want or need. It was traumatizing, to say the least."

For the first time in a while, Jasmine wanted to offer physical comfort to an adult upon hearing the sadness in his voice. She wanted to stroke his hair and tell him how sorry she was that he had to got through that. That he was a man enough no matter what his father said.

However, Asher was still a stranger. She didn't know how to navigate the strange relationship they had. Even worse, she wasn't sure how to offer comfort to an adult. No one offered her any.

Children she had worked with were much easier to figure out. They always told her what they needed when they got upset. They were open and direct about it, with no room for second-guessing.

But offering support to a strong man... How was one supposed to do that?

She put her hand on his for the briefest of moments.

"I am sorry you had to go through that," she said gently, trying to express through her eyes everything that couldn't come out of her mouth.

Asher just nodded his head, and they continued digging in companionable silence.

Before long, they had a decent-sized grave ready for the fragile girl broken by whatever was going on.

They lowered her into it gently, at a loss for what to say.

She was only followed by Jasmine's bitter tears.