Carter had always had issues with sleeping. In his mercenary days he had been tasked with killing many people, but the most popular job they were sent on was surviving in the Hellscape. They would be sent in there in groups, sometimes for weeks at a time, and tasked with killing the undead, or trying to bring one alive to scientific labs for experimentation since it would always bring in the most money.

Carter had always thought it stupid to willingly go into the Hellscpae before he became a mercenary, and even during his days as one. But  look where he was now, hypocritically going against his own beliefs for a bit of cash. Suddenly, Carter couldn't fault those who would go to extreme lengths and put themselves on death's doorstep for money. He had been inadvertently doing that his entire life.

Carter was sat slumped against a tree, staring daggers into the flames of the fire before him, the four of them had just shared a tin of raw beans, quite a rarity in this barren Hellscape. Meanwhile, Carter was trying to count the reasons in his head why he shouldn't gag and restrain the blabbering ginger boy next to him, who wouldn't stop going on about the only time he had experienced Christmas when he was 7, although from his description it seems more like Halloween. So far the only reason he could come up with was the money, and that was the only one that mattered.

Mistakenly, he had given Jesse his name, trying to scare him off only seemed to draw his attention and sweet Jesus the boy would not shut up. For 2 whole hours. Carter was beginning to recognise the accomplished smirks from from the other two travellers. Occasionally catching Naoko and Violet's mocking glances the other two shot at him as if to say, "Hah! Now you have to listen to his endless ramblings!"

"-the day after Christmas, I ended up falling asleep in my skeleton costume! I still had sweet rappers stuck in my hair and I had to rush to the bathroom at 5am where I threw everything up! I felt so bad for my dad, he had to clean everything up since I only made it to the door- hey what are you doing?" Jesse questioned.

Laying down on the ground with his role up blanket, Carter ignored the boy and looked at the cloudy sky with one eye open; he had a habit of sleeping last every night he slept in the presence of someone else-never knowing if they were going to stab you in your sleep.

Jesse looked down at him shrugging, "Going to sleep? Ok!"

Then he laid down and tugged part of the blanket from Carter's arm.

Carter's other eye shot open and glared warningly at Jesse, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to sleep?" Jesse said slowly as if it was obvious.

"I can see that stupid, why here?" Carter retorted.

Jesse grinned as if he had just said something amusing, "Cause' there's only two blankets? I'm not letting one of my sisters sleep alone with a strange man."

Carter glared at him with an unimpressed look, "Really? And if I was to do something do you think you'd be safe from me?" 

Then Jesse laughed out loud.

"What's so funny, huh?"

"Calm down Rambo! You wouldn't stand a chance against me no matter how many knives you've got in your sleeves." 

Jesse smiled sweetly again and wrapped himself in Carter's blanket.

The confidence in Jesse's voice made him wary, but he decided to enquire about that at a later time. That night, Carter fell asleep in 40 minutes, a personal record since his childhood. 

Although he would eventually regret the decision of not asking what Jesse meant there and then.

~~~

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Sorry today's update is a bit shorter, but there will be a double update on Friday!