I woke up to the sound of a door quietly creaking open, causing me to abruptly sit up in alarm.

"It's okay, it's just me. I got us some food for breakfast." Will soothed the jumpy Irishman, showing him the hand woven basket of fish in his hands.

"You like fish?" Will asked him as he went outside, motioning for Jameson to follow him.

I merely shrugged in response, unsure since I had never tried fish before.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Will decided as he sat the basket on the ground before gathering a pile of sticks to create a sizable bonfire.

"I think you'll like it." Will remarked as he drove a stick through one of the fish and set it up like a spit roast, kneeling down to light the fire with a small lighter from his pocket.

"You wanna come with me to get water?" Will asked with a grunt as he stood back up.

I hesitated as I gestured at the crackling fire, Will seeming to understand what I meant.

"I'll have someone watch it for us." Will assured me.

"The river is this way, we'll bring some back here and boil it to make sure it won't get us sick." Will continued as he walked off, with me following behind.

Will held a small clay jar in hand for the water, the outside covered in vibrant colors and intricate patterns.

"Have you ever even been out of Ireland before?" Will prompted casually as he carefully dunked the jar in the water.

I didn't answer as I shot a glare at him, the Colonel's expression becoming apologetic as he stood up with the jar.

"Look, I'm sorry." Will apologized softly, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Mark had told me about someone named Sean, and he encouraged me to take him. When I went into the pub, I found the man that fit his description perfectly." Will paused for a moment as he looked out at the horizon.

"As soon as I heard your name, I considered leaving." Will admitted, earning a hurt expression from Jameson.

"But then I saw that look in your eyes, like a part of you was missing. The kind of look I see in my eyes every time I look in the mirror." Will sighed softly with a sad smile.

"Once I knew your name, I had my detective friend research and send me all he knew about you." Will continued.

Jameson paused as he scribbled a single word down into his journal. Why?

"I wanted to see if you could he trusted, and I wasn't about to pair up with someone that would annoy me." Will stated with a slight mischievous smirk that made me smile back.

I'm not annoying? I questioned teasingly.

"Well, at least not entirely." The Colonel countered as I silently laughed, stuffing my journal back into my pocket.

"C'mon, let's get back so our food doesn't burn." Will instructed, a spark of joy shining in his eyes.

I nodded and turned to go back, only to move too fast and slip on the muddy bank of the river.

I yelped in surprise as I fell back into the water, my clothes quickly becoming soaked and muddy.

Will laughed at me hard enough to make him double over while I rolled my eyes in irritation, retrieving my journal to find it surprisingly dry.

"Need a hand?" Will asked as he offered me a hand up, smiling as I tossed my journal to safety before grabbing his hand.

I dragged Will into the river without warning so we could share in the suffering, Will laughing as he emerged from the depths with his hat floating a few inches away from him.

I chuckled silently as I slapped the dripping wet hat onto Will's head, causing the water left inside to cascade down his face like a waterfall down a cliff.

"Gee thanks." Will replied sarcastically as he stood up, brushing what mud he could off of him while wringing his clothes.

I stood up and shook my hair like a dog would shake its fur to send water droplets flying into Will's face, the Colonel stepping away and nearly falling back into the river once more.

"We should probably get changed before we eat." Will advised as he looked down at his dripping wet attire.

I nodded in agreement as I walked alongside the Colonel to the fire, finally feeling like I could be friends with him despite his quirks.

The same man that had greeted us upon our arrival was waiting for them with a clay plate covered in cooked fish, the fire gently crackling behind him.

I nodded in appreciation as Will carefully took the food, setting it down by the fire before retreating into the hut to put on fresh clothes.

Soon Will emerged in a cream colored long sleeve shirt and light brown pants that were held up by bright red suspenders, his wet black hair plastered to his forehead.

I had changed into what I was wearing when Will had met me, mainly because he felt comfortable in them.

We ate breakfast quickly before gathering necessary supplies for our long hike and disappearing into the jungle once more to look for our prize.

My expression turned thoughtful as I wrote my thoughts down in my journal, showing the Colonel the page as we trudged on.

Is there a whistle or something to attract elephants?

"Shh." Will abruptly whispered as he held a hand out it stop me, pointing off into the distance where an elephant was lumbering around.

Will motioned for me to follow him as he silently crept forward, his rifle drawn and ready.

We froze when I accidentally stepped on a branch, causing a sharp crack to echo around them.

The elephant noticed them and charged, provoked by the noise and strangers.

Fuck

"Move!" Will barked, pushing me out of the way as the elephant charged past.

"Take this." Will tossed me a familiar golden pistol, one bullet left in the chamber.

The elephant let out a mighty trumpet as it reared up on its hind legs, Will taking the opportunity to take a shot.

The bullet bounced embedded into the elephant's leg, causing it to cry out in pain and stagger to keep its balance.

I looked over to see a baby elephant wailing for its parent, its tusks not even grown in yet.

Will took another shot, this one making the beast collapse to the jungle ground with a defeated cry.

"Damn, this is out." Will cursed softly under his breath as he tossed the now useless rifle aside.

The elephant struggled to stand, but could only manage to lift its head before slumping back onto the ground.

"Jameson, give me your gun." Will instructed.

I glanced over at the baby elephant and shook my head, retreating back a step with the gun held close to my chest.

"Jameson..."

Will abruptly lunged out at me, wrestling with me for possession of the weapon.

"Let it go!" Will shouted.

I shook my head as I struggled to hold onto the gun, refusing to be a monster like him.

Will finally managed to have a hold on most of the gun, digging his feet into the ground to pull the gun back towards him.

A gunshot echoed through the jungle.

I looked down at my abdomen to see a dot of red appear and bloom like a flower on my blue vest and soak through my white shirt as my fingers slipped from the gun.

Time seemed to move in slow motion for me as I lightly pressed my fingers against the wound, looking at my blood stained finger tips before I crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Will snapped out of his shocked stupor and caught me just before I hit the ground, cradling my head in his lap as tears welled up in his chocolate brown eyes.

My final breaths were painful and shallow as I shakily managed to find my journal, my hands trembling as I fought to write down my last words.

Thank you for bringing me on this adventure, I just wished it ended differently.

"I'm right here, I-I can fix this." Will stammered, jaw trembling as he looked around for his bag of supplies he had set aside during the battle with the elephant.

I closed my eyes as a blissful white light overcame my vision, the Colonel's words sounding miles away from me as I breathed out one last time.

"It was an accident," Will whispered as I fell still, feeling like everything around me was disappearing as the pain in my abdomen ebbed away like it was nothing but a bad dream.

"I swear."