The Tales of Flesh and Blood

Jaxon the Serial Killer

"Well, this is certainly interesting," I heard a voice say, cutting through my groggy state of mind. "Didn't take you as a heavy sleeper."

"Wha . . ." I mumbled, blinking passed the throbbing pain that decided to make due with my temples. A face settled in my line of sight, blurry, but non-threatening. His hazel-brown eyes reflected off a bit of the dull sunlight that peered through the dead branches, while his hair was gently brushed back out of his face. I frowned, not quite recalling what was going on and hating the stiffness in my back. I sat up, placing my hand next to me to gain a bit of balance, nearly slipping off of my branch as a result. Jaxon reached out to steady me, but I waved him off.

"Were you watching me in my sleep?" was the first thing I asked, wiping the bit of drool from my mouth with the back of my hand while stifling back a yawn. The boy in front of me was leaning up against one of the branches to my side, one leg dangling out of the tree.

"Just got up here," he explained. "Must admit, I haven't been in a tree in years." He looked around. "Didn't think I could still do it."

"Why didn't you just try calling me?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to get the sleep out of them - though I was careful not to apply too much pressure on my right eye. I didn't even remember falling asleep.

"I did." Jaxon smiled, but I didn't miss the way he looked at my bruises. My hoodie must not have been pulled up enough, because he also glanced at my neck, but whether or not he was concerned, I couldn't tell. He gestured his head towards the ground. "Do you need help down?"

I glanced at the patch of grass beneath me.

"I got it," I mumbled.

I soon found out that was a fat lie. My body was so stiff and sore from lying down on a branch that as I readied myself to jump, I all but landed on my face. In my defense, I got distracted. Jaxon was on the ground, watching me with a casual smile on his face, and I couldn't help but think about that night in his beat-up lemon of a car. He probably stole that car, too.

"Whua!" I yelped in mid-laugh when my foot slipped a moment too soon. Thunk!

"Oh, shoot," Jaxon exclaimed as I struggled to my feet, biting back a stringful of curses. "Are you okay-"

"I'm fine," I said, moving away from him. He had tried to grab my left arm - the one that I've been abusing the hell out of in the past twenty-four hours. The thought made me wince.

So much has gone on since.

"I thought you had it," Jaxon mocked, once I had managed to straighten myself out. I glared at him, then paused at the warmth flushing my cheeks.

"It's been a night, okay?" I said instead, struggling to find something else to focus my attention on other than my fellow senior.

"So I see." He hesitated, and one glance at his face told me what he was about to ask. "I don't suppose you would want to talk-"

"No," I said bluntly. Not unless you want to get your ass hounded on, too.

Too late, I realized that I must have said that thought out loud, because Jaxon frowned.

"What?"

"Don't worry about it." I turned, glancing up the hill that led to the road and parking lot. "Where are we going?"

As bothered as he may have been by my curt responses, I could hear the humor in his voice when he stepped up next to me.

"A series of places," he responded. Then, at my unamused look, he corrected himself. "Okay, two. I hope you're hungry, because you're about to get a taste of the best beef sandwiches Gallin has to offer."