Life After Death

Chapter 40

Despite what they had all, even Jace, been silently hoping and waiting for, no survivors passed down the road ahead of them throughout the night. None of them, no matter who was on watch duty, saw so much as an animal patter along the gravel.

However, while this felt like a disappointment, they also had to accept the win that was the fact neither had any Reapers seemingly been there way. A win was a win.

They hadn't really timed their stints of watching - mainly because they lacked the means to do so - and so they instead continued until they felt they couldn't keep their eyes open or keep focused any longer. Javon went first, followed by the rest one by one. Besides from Vivian, who the other four had mutually - and silently - agreed was due a complete night's sleep after the previous was quite obviously restless - even if she hadn't directly told them such.

"You never woke me up!" She appeared to scold to Jace as she woke up that morning, realising it was the first time she had all night.

Just as the previous morning, it was the growing brightness of the rising sun which stirred them all awake in the morning. Jace was the one watching their surroundings at this point, using the steering wheel to rest his arms, in which he proceeded to rest his head.

Jade was crammed in the middle this night though, which although gave her less leg room, she had decided was the warmest seat by far.

"Yeah, well you were like a day behind us all on sleep," Jace replied, his words harsh, but his tone threaded with a hint of gentleness.

This time, it was Whitney who occupied the passenger seat, with Javon now in the back. Vivian presumed they must have switched when Whitney's turn to stay awake came around, for while the middle seat might have a decent view straight ahead, the ones either end in the back had but one side window to look out of.

And it was Whitney who must've been deepest in sleep, because she was the last one to be roused.

"Tonight, I'm tying a shirt over my eyes and calling it a sleep mask," Whitney spoke as her first words of the day, her eyes failing to adjust to the brightness as quickly as she would want.

"I'm assuming no one saw anyone overnight," Jade stated more than questioned, the disappointment in her voice hard to not notice.

"No, but that also means no serial murderers came across us looking for a free slaughter, so, every cloud as they say."

Javons words resonated more with Vivian and Jace than with Jade, but she could accept the point.

"I'm going down the road to see if I can see anything," Vivian announced, leaving no room for a disagreement as she opened the door and stepped out. But Javon also got out.

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you remember what happened last time we went searching somewhere together," She responded, recalling the memory of the hardware shop and Axels demise, as Jade also shimmied out the vehicle.

"Completely different," Javon dismisses, "And also, there's no one here to rat us out."

Briefly, the area went into a stiff, awkward, silence, as the words fell from his lips without thought. Jade, stood right there, frowning for a fleeting moment as the raw wound of Austin was stung, before recomposing herself and shrugging.

"Well, he isn't wrong."

"Either way, it's not necessary-" She continued, clearly still in no mood to be potentially cornered into a conversation about what happened now two days ago.

"Too bad, I'm an adult, and have decided you need a chaperone."

While his comment was meant with a slight side of humour and sarcasm, he also meant it completely. Realising also, that using their age against them this far in, after all they had done and been through, was a slightly low blow.