Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Seven | Jasper

Standing up for Killian was something that Jasper hadn't regretted at all whatsoever. There was no doubt in his mind that, even if Killian could fight his own battles, insulting Casimir had been for Jasper as much as it had been for Killian. The other man annoyed Jasper much more than anybody else in the group. Besides being popular in general, lately it seemed like Casimir was trying to replace both Jasper and Killian.

As he held the door to the farmhouse open for Killian, Jasper was surprised to see the rest of the group sitting and talking excitedly amongst themselves in the living room. Tom, Cohen and Darren all sat on the couch. Keagan and Wilson shared a recliner, with Casimir and Samantha sitting on either side of them. Wilson, Chris and Harley had dragged some dusty old pillows from the upstairs and prompted to take their seating on the floor. Aubrey hopped down the stairs and sat herself right next to Harley.

"Jasper," Tom said with a friendly smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "I was just telling the group about the scouting mission." So that's what they were talking about. Crossing his arms, Jasper already knew Tom would put him in charge of the mission. Now, the rest of the group were excited to see who got to go with him. Jasper could easily assume they were all looking for some sort of excuse to stretch their legs.

"You want me to choose who's coming with?" Jasper guessed, raising a brow. Tom didn't even have to answer for Jasper to know that's what he wanted. Now faced with the whole group, Jasper would have to make his decisions quickly. "I already promised Killian and Aubrey they could tag along." He immediately began. Darren had gone with him in the last raid, so had Keagan. He'd be picking favorites if he brought them along.

At the same time, Jasper didn't want anybody who was particularly aggressive in the scouting patrol either. Fighting amongst one another was the last thing he needed, and Killian definitely wouldn't be happy with him if he brought along somebody like Casimir or Wilson. Before he could stress himself out any further, Jasper chose the most neutral two he could think of, "Chris and Harley."

The other two young men grinned excitedly. Harley wasn't one to express much emotion, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him smile. He couldn't help but be aware of the disappointment from the rest of the group, but that was something that just couldn't be helped. "How long will it take to prepare?" Harley asked, tilting his head to the side. Killian crossed his arms, looking quite pleased that nobody had protested to him going. 

Shaking his head, Jasper replied, "I'm not sure. But we should gather more supplies than we did last time. I'd say we have a day or two, maybe three." Running a stressed hand through his hair, Jasper had to admit that he was definitely a bit anxious at the thought to leaving the safety of the farmhouse yet again. Last time he'd lead a raid to another town, they ran into a gang instead. That hadn't ended well. Some of the group were still recovering from their injuries, even Jasper himself, who still felt the occasional ache in his ribs. Wherever they were going, they had to be much more careful than they were before. Not to mention the stranger who'd shown up around the barn. What had they meant by, 'A few more to go,' after dumping Nora's body there like it was nothing? A cold shudder ran down Jasper's spine once he realized that could have easily been him, or Killian, or anybody else in the group. 

Stuffing his hands in his pockets Jasper continued hastily, "We should do some patrols around the forest more often. If that stranger comes back, there's no telling what they'll do. They made it clear that Nora wasn't going to be the first." His gaze flitted throughout the group, feeling the pressure of their eyes bearing into his skin. "It's possible they could just be insane, but what if they're part of another group trying to take over? It wouldn't be the first time...obviously." 

At first Jasper thought Casimir was going to make some sort of smartass remark, but the blonde man simply knit his brows together and pondered aloud, "Assuming they're even after us. If he dropped Nora's body--somebody from Renier's gang--in the barn, he might be after the gang instead of the group." Casimir shrugged, "They might not even know that we're here, and could be using the barn for their dumping ground to keep the biters away from their camp."