Just Survive (Complete)

Chapter 3

They drove until late morning, deciding to stop on the side of the road to eat and sleep for a few hours. Ashley changed Jenny's diaper, knowing they were going to have to use cloth ones very soon.

"Just think, if we find an intact house or hotel or motel, we can get showers! " Ashley said brightly, smiling. Colby just hummed in agreement, yawning every few minutes.
Jenny had begun whimpering and crying in hunger. Ash looked over at her, hoping she would quiet down.
After several minutes passed with no luck, Colby frowned and reached into his bag. He pulled out a pack of crackers.

"Think she can eat these?" He asked.
"Probably. Give them to her." Ashley replied. Colby tore open the package and tossed it to Jenny.
"Here Jenny; try and eat this."
The baby stopped crying, reaching towards the cracker. Ashley broke it into smaller pieces and put it in the baby's mouth. She ate greedily, drool running down her chin.
The crackers were tasty, and Ashley knew they weren't much, but the crackers helped to distract Jenny from her hunger pains.
"We're almost there, honey. Soon we'll get you cleaned up and we can rest up for a few days." Ashley smiled softly, finding a small stuffed bunny for Jenny to play with.

After a few hours of driving, Colby found an abandoned store.

"Let's stop and look for some supplies; we'll need food, diapers, and some things like bottles and formula and such."
"Okay."
"First, I'll go in and make sure it's safe. If you hear me fighting or shooting and I don't come out, take the car and keep going! Understand?"
"Yes sir...but you're gonna take a gun?"
"Yep. Might as well keep it handy."
"Fine. But hurry."
"Be careful."
"You too."
Ashley watched as Colby entered the building cautiously. She held her breath when he was out of sight, the keys in the ignition ready to go.

About five minutes passed until Colby came back out, waving his arm.
"It's safe! Come on in! "
Ashley put Jenny on her hip and went into the building. It looked like it was maybe a bargain store or dollar store; the variety of a mini Walmart, but the space of a neighborhood pharmacy. There were shelves filled with different types of medicines that Ashley didn't recognize, and several shelves stacked high with canned foods along with a shelf stocked with medical supplies.
She followed Colby as he picked out what items he needed: bottles, formula, clothes, and diapers.
"We'll just grab what we need; the car can only carry so much."
"Yeah...that's true," Ashley said.
"Oh my gosh! Colby! We need this!" Ashley said, finding a shopping cart in the corner.
"For what?"
"When we have to ditch the car when it runs out of gas or the road's bad. We can load up the supplies we need and Jenny can be in the baby seat!"
"That's smart..." Colby agreed reluctantly.
Ashley nodded happily and grabbed the cart.
The two searched through the shelves in search of diapers.
Eventually, they found everything and began loading everything in the trunk.
"Think the cart will fit in the back of the car?" Ashley asked as they went back into the parking lot.

Knowing they weren't pressed for time, they decided to unload the whole car. There was stuff they knew they couldn't dump. They threw out a torn-up coat, a bulky air mattress, and some food that was expired. With some maneuvering, they got the shopping cart in."

"Looks like Jenny's parents knew what to pack; there's a few snowsuits for a baby and even several different carriers. They have a stroller too! It looks comfortable enough for Jenny to sleep on..." Colby commented.
"Yeah, it does...let's get going until we find a place to stay," Ashley answered, getting into the car. They found an abandoned hotel just before dark. Colby scouted it out, doing their usual routine to make sure it was safe. After making sure all was clear, Colby let Ashley and Jenny in.

"The power still works! let's get cleaned up and get some dinner made." Colby said enthusiastically as Ashley let Jenny crawl on the carpeted floor. Ashley had a quarter in her pocket and they decided to flip to see who would get a shower first. Ashley won.
She took off her clothes. The bathroom was empty besides a few towels and soap.
Ashley stepped into the shower quickly, letting out a sigh as the warm water ran down her body. Her hair hung in wet clumps, and Ashley washed her hair maybe three times. Colby went next, not wanting to take too long in case they ran out of hot water.

When he was finished, Ashley gave Jenny a bath. The baby squealed and splashed in the warm water. They didn't have any baby shampoo, so Ashley made do with a bar of soap and some men's body wash. After getting her clean, Ashley wrapped her in a towel and dug in a diaper bag they found in the car for clean clothes. She found a cute onesie with feet.
"Won't this look cute on you?" She teased, putting it on after changing the baby into a fresh diaper. The baby looked healthy despite her parents' transient existence, and Ashley hoped she and Colby could give her the safety she needed.
Soon enough they returned to their room and set about looking around for anything that might help them survive. They had no idea how many zombies they would meet. They could run into a couple, possibly even more if they had to fight them, but if they could avoid those they would be able to make it. Colby came into the room.

"I found the kitchen! there's lots of canned food and cleaning supplies!"

"What would we need cleaning supplies for?" Ashley asked, rolling her eyes.

"Washing clothes, cleaning our canteens and mess kits, we can use those square towels as diapers when we run out of the disposable ones."
"Sounds good...I guess we should take some with us then...we'll need them. Let's go check it out, maybe we'll find something better than what we've got!"
The two got dressed and headed toward the kitchen to see what they would need.

"Colby! There's a freezer that still works!"
He came over, taking a peek inside. It contained frozen goods.
"Let's heat some of the vegetables on the stove, and see what we can eat tonight. We can take the preserved stuff when we leave."
"Yes! I'm starving! We need to feed the baby too!" Ashley said, finding a high chair in the dining room for Jenny.

Colby sat the baby down in it, helping her get her bottle in her mouth, and then he helped Ashley set the table. Once they were done setting up the food, both took a bite.
"This is sooooo good!" Ashley moaned happily, smiling while she chewed.
"Damn right. If the weather is bad, we can stay here for the next day or two; get some rest and go through the supplies? Maybe see if we can get some more fuel so we can take the car as far as we can before we have to ditch it?" "Sounds good to me, Colby. We've been moving nonstop for the last three days, I really am tired." Ashley replied, sipping on her water.
"Me too, but I think it's worth the risk. I hope you don't mind that there's only one bed; I'll sleep on the floor."
Ashley laughed nervously, "I don't mind at all, but I want you close by, okay?"
"Of course. And I promise to be very quiet, no matter what happens, okay?" He said with a serious expression. Ashley laughed and nodded.
"Okay." They finished eating and went back to their room.

"Man! Where is Jenny going to sleep?" Colby asked.

"Do you know anything about babies? They sleep safest alone."

"She can't sleep in the laundry basket forever!" Colby reasoned.

Finally, they came up with an idea. They stripped the bed down to the fitted sheet, then moved it until it was flush in the corner. Then they took some extra pillows and blankets, making a little nest for Jenny to sleep in.
"There! It looks really cozy too!" Ashley observed, putting the sleepy baby girl in the soft circle on the wall side of the bed.

She watched as the baby curled up into a ball, drifting to sleep with the scent of new baby blankets surrounding them. She smiled fondly as Colby pulled a blanket over her sleeping form.
"Good night, Jenny...sleep well." He whispered.
"You softie!" Ashley teased, laughing when Colby frowned.
"Don't get used to it." He said, sitting on his sleeping bag
on the ground. Ash climbed under her covers.
"Alright..goodnight Colby."