Hollow Veins

Chapter Five; Smart Move? Yeah No.

They were on the outskirts of the town by the time the sky brightened. Ren's eyes felt tight. Even when it wasn't her watch, she still hadn't slept. Ren had noticed Jaden hadn't slept much either. Jaden wasn't a super open person, and Aaron had been snappy last night. He'd scoffed when Jasper let Jaden take the first watch. "How's he supposed to wake us?" That had taken it a bit too far. They'd all gone quiet. At first, Jaden hadn't seemed to notice as he'd rifled through one of their bags. Alice had moved away from Aaron, looking annoyed. That was probably why Aaron didn't notice Jaden creeping behind him with two of their cooking pans. The CLANG had jolted them all but not as much Aaron. He'd yelped and jumped. As he yelled about how reckless Jaden was, the others laughed, and Jaden smiled at him with a look that clearly said, "That wake you up?" Aaron hadn't spoken all day after that, and Alice was cold shouldering him. Jasper stopped and turned towards them. Gathering behind a small gas station, he spoke, "This is where it's gonna get harder, guys. We need to pass through here to reach the mountains, which are right behind the town. That's why the town's on a slant. We're definitely gonna run into some of Them. Which means we need to stay on the same page. And I know some of you guys don't like me..." He looked at Aaron and Alice, "But if we don't trust each other, we'll die that much faster. So listen to me and do what I tell you because if we're not working together one hundred percent we'll fall apart." They all nodded, "Ok. Let's go."

Jasper made his way towards the door. With a glance around, he raised his finger to his lips. He assured them inside, slowly shutting the door behind them. The lights flickered as the door closed. There were receipts scattered across the floor. Some were stained a dark crimson. Ren shuddered slightly at the recognition of blood. The metal racks were rusty and mostly empty. The cash register was on a counter to the right, it's drawer ajar. A stack of torn cardboard boxes were stacked in the far left corner. Ari started searching through the boxes. Prince looked inside the cash register. Jaden walked towards a door to the right of the counter. Alice and Aaron started checking all the racks for anything useful. Jasper went over to join Prince. Climbing over the counter, he searched the drawers lining the left wall. Opening a plastic box, he found a set of bolts, screwdrivers, and a mini hammer. "Prince, you think you can fit this in your bag," Jasper kept his voice low. Prince grinned and took it. "Found a key," Ari said, who had started to go through the receipts on the floor. Jasper looked around at her and motioned for it. He'd been fiddling with the lock on the door to no avail. Ari tossed it, and Jaden swept it from the air. That was when Jasper noticed it. A husky, almost breathing sound. The sound was emanating from the room Jaden was trying to get into. It wasn't quite human. "Jaden don..." But it was too late. The Infect leaped at Jaden, aiming for his throat.