Hollow Veins

Chapter Fourteen; Fighting Fire With Fire

Tiredness tugged at Jaden. They'd been walking for a good long while. Jasper had deemed it unsafe to try to sleep in the passage. "Almost there!" Called Jasper. After the first half hour, Jaden had discovered the scratches both from his fall and the fight with the Infected. They weren't deep, but they made walking a pain. "What I don't get," panted Aaron, "Is why they came so far up the mountains." "They... they might have followed me," Jasper said quietly. There was a silence in which Ari sat down safely through the crack. Alice and Aaron were next. And pretty soon, they were all out. Finally, Jaden could rest. Aaron caught his breath, then turned towards Jasper, "So what you're saying is that it's your fault." Alice gripped his arm, "Aaron he was-" He cut her off, "And those two almost died thanks to you!" He gestured angrily at Jaden and Ren. Jasper opened his mouth, "We knew -" "No! You haven't told us a single thing about this little trip! But you know don't you. You're keeping something back about it. And if we hadn't gotten lucky with that crevice, we'd still be back there!" They stood facing each other. "I knew about the crevice! I'm sorry if-" Jasper tried to slow his breathing and repeated, "I'm sorry if this isn't fun, but I never promised this would be. And you haven't realized, with these creatures lurking around, it is going to be risky. You knew the risks of traveling like this and these things were here before I ever showed up. Don't blame me for things that would have happened with or without me. I tried to tell you where we were going and correct me if I was wrong, but you showed any interest in it until it meant you could blame me for your problems. Maybe if you'd asked me I'd have told you more. But you've been too prideful for that. Anything I've tried to say that would be helpful, you've cut me off. You've been correcting everything I've said from making a plan to saying we're stopping for a break. And you know why? Because you're angry driven. So while I don't care whether you like me or not, you need to stop trying to cause problems for us. Because whether you like it or not I've been leading this thing. And I've kept us alive. If you've got a problem with that you can leave. Stop trying to find problems with everything I say. Just shut up and do what you're told!" There was a dead silence. Jasper folded his arms. Aaron spun on his heel and walked away, sitting down away from the others.

They all sat in silence. Jasper took a few deep breaths. It hadn't been the nicest thing to say, but it needed to be said. Most of it anyway. He turned away and studied the horizon. Trees were scattered across the landscape. He could even make out a hut or two in the moonlight. Alice watched him. He had gone and gotten the medicine. She could already could feel her temperature dropping. Ren fidgeted next to her, "Um, Jasper?" He didn't face Ren, "Yeah?" "It's just... well, about where we're going. How did you... well I uh..." She couldn't quite say exactly what she wanted to know. Ren blushed. Jaden thought he understood what she was trying to say, "I found an old radio and eventually got a message through to an active station. They said we'd need to hurry, but they had enough room. They gave me the coordinates, I have a device, a couple maps, and well Jaden's computer to help us get there." Jasper turned to face her, "Does that answer your question?" Ren nodded. Ari looked at him in disbelief, "They just said you could come?" Jasper nodded. "But there has to be some sort of price or reason. We're just a bunch of no-name kids." Jasper narrowed his eyes, "What makes you think that. Maybe the fact that we're just kids could be the reason they're letting us." Ari peered at him, "You mean compassion?" She scoffed, "A settlement didn't even let my parents bring me, and they were pretty important scientists. Though I don't think they put up much of a fight." "This isn't the same one." "Still those places are run by the nitty-gritty. They cut corners whenever they can, and I don't see why they're gonna let random kids in." Jasper pressed his fingers to his forehead, "Are you saying I'm lying?" "Or being conned." A tenseness rose up. "I'm not being conned, and I'm certainly not lying. I know what I'm doing."