Just Survive (Complete)

Chapter 4

Colby woke up from a nightmare, feeling scared, confused, and alone. The dream left him with a headache that refused to fade. He rolled over to face his pillow, hugging it tightly. He could still hear the screams,  smell the blood, hear the crunch of bones, feel the pain. He wanted nothing more than to forget. But the memories haunted him like a ghost. He tried hard to remember, hoping to rid himself of the dreams, hoping that they would stop haunting him in the dead of night. He remembered the pain, remembered the fear.

Ashley stirred in the bed, rubbing her eyes.
"You okay, Colby?" She asked groggily.
"Just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep." He responded quietly, trying to ignore the pain in his head and the pounding in his chest.
"If you say so...." Ashley muttered, pulling the covers up closer to her ears. She rolled over to Jenny, rubbing the baby's back gently. She started crying softly.
Colby sat up, trying desperately not to cry. He was a man who never showed weakness, who never cried. He was a soldier. He did not cry. He was Colby Matthews...he did not cry.
He stood. No more nightmares.
He walked to the window, looking out on the desolate town.
"It was about your family wasn't it?" Ashley said, sitting up in bed.
"How do you know?" Colby asked, his voice tight.
"You've seen me have my own nightmares, Colby...so many nights where I have to relive the trauma of losing my family all over again....it scares me sometimes..." She admitted quietly.
"You shouldn't worry about me...I'm fine..."
"But I care about you! I know we're just traveling together, but we trust each other, right? And you're having horrible nightmares every night, even when you try and hide it from me. You can talk to me if you want to....even though I don't understand what happened....but whatever it is you want to tell me.....I will listen."
Colby turned away from the window, facing Ashley.

"We've lost everything, Ash! And seeing you get attached to a baby when the odds of surviving are so slim. Let's find a compound somewhere, where there's a thriving community, and leave Jenny with someone who can take care of her.  We've got months of traveling ahead of us...what will we do when winter hits? How long until there's nowhere to stay? What if we run out of supplies?  What if we die? What will happen to Jen, to you?" His voice cracked with grief.
Ashley sighed, knowing he was right.

"Jenny needs to be safe, Ashley. Didn't we promise her mother we'd do that? Handing Jenny over to someone else isn't breaking that. It's doing what's best for all of us." Colby stated.
"Yeah...you're right. I'm sorry for waking you. We'll stay here for a few days to rest up and then we'll keep going." Ashley replied.
They both lay back down, trying to fall back asleep.  The minutes ticked by, slow and heavy. Finally, finally, they drifted off to sleep.