Just Survive (Complete)

Chapter 23

"What's going on?" Ashley screamed.
"It baiters! Raiders who hole up in the zombie-infested area! They attack travelers because they're easy prey: they have to pass by the raiders to get to safety, but if they hit the zombies they're trapped. The barricaded area is probably where the baiters are holed up! Run! Hurry!" Colby ordered, firing his gun. He sprinted forward and wove to the building across the street. Ashley hesitated momentarily, looking between Colby and the herd of hungry zombies. She ran after him,   tripping and falling hard on her hands and knees. She picked herself up quickly, feeling Jenny wriggling against her. Colby was just ahead of her. The second she rounded a corner, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso. She was lifted off her feet and carried over someone's shoulder, while a heavy thud sounded against the pavement. She struggled to break free, but couldn't. She began kicking, hitting the person on the back repeatedly.
"Put me down you asshole!" She shouted. "Get away from me!"
"Shut up bitch!"  a gravelly voice answered, dropping her on the ground. Jenny started crying, and Ashley tried to hush her. Her attacker walked towards her. "I told you to shut the fuck up bitch! You're lucky I'm a nice guy or I would've killed that little girl!"
"You sick bastard!! Leave us alone!" Ashley growled. She reached inside of her jacket pocket. Before she could draw her weapon, the thug pointed his gun at her.
"Try anything, and I kill this little girl right fucking now."
"Don't." Came the response from behind them. Ashley jumped, turning around. Colby was holding his rifle. They glared at each other.
"Where'd you come from?!" The thug bellowed, before Colby fired. His bullet slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards. Ashley felt Colby pull her back into the daylight.
"That was very stupid, Colby! You could have gotten killed! We almost died!!" She scolded, shaking with anger.
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interfered but it was the only way to protect our daughter." He replied softly, brushing the hair off of her forehead to check if she was injured.
She looked around. They were still in danger. Colby reloaded his gun, making sure the coast was clear.  He took off toward the road in front of the building they hid behind, running as fast as he could.
"Go." He commanded, pointing at the opposite street.
She hesitated for only a moment. Jenny whimpered. He was right; it was dangerous staying near the horde. She ran toward the street, hearing shots from above. Ashley fired her handgun a few times in the direction of the gunfire. Just another block and they'd reach the fence separating the edge of town from an open field and the woods beyond.

A volley of shots  rang through the air, the sound ricocheting off of the buildings around them. She heard footsteps approaching rapidly. The noise grew louder, closer. Colby stuck close to her side.

"Ashley! You gotta run! I'll cover you!"
She nodded, running forward. She could feel the bullets pierce the air beside her. She kept her eye on their pursuers. She reached the fence, crawling under the chain link wire. Jenny was crying, which was good because it meant she was still alive. She kept pushing forward, dodging bullets, Colby just steps behind her. Then she heard him grunt and fall to the ground. She screamed his name. Another shot rang through the air and hit the fence where she had been crouching seconds before.
"COLBY!!"
The gunshots stopped suddenly. Ashley froze, listening for any movement. She heard nothing.
No, he was hurt. She had to get to him.
"KEEP RUNNING!" Colby yelled back.

Ashley ran towards the woods, her heart breaking. Colby would have wanted her and Jenny to be safe. But she couldn't leave without him. She ran into the thickest part of the trees, sinking onto the grass and sobbing in exhaustion. Jenny whimpered, her baby face covered in tears and snot. Ashley composed herself enough to comfort the baby.
"Don't cry, angel. Come on kid, it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay now. Colby will be here soon. He'll be alright." She whispered, trying not to scare her more than she already is. "Colby's gonna get help...and we will be safe now. I promise."

She stiffened at the sound of rustling, and got her gun ready. Whoever was there wouldn't get anywhere near her baby. They came closer until she caught a glimpse of brown hair and the silhouette of the figure standing there. She let out a relieved sigh and lowered her gun.
"Colby! Are you alright??" She asked as he walked out of the shadows.

"Just a couple of scratches. Don't worry about me. Come on. Let's go. We need to keep moving." He said as he sat down next to her on the soft ground. She turned to look him over and noticed that he was favoring one leg and  wincing from pain.
"How bad? How did it happen?"
"My ankle twisted when I fell, I think. It hurts like hell," he groaned.
She helped him stand up. She looked around, uncertain.
"Should we wait for the other groups?" she asked
"Look at our options; stay and wait and lose valuable time and risk getting captured or leaving now."
They both remained silent. They continued walking through the trees, trying to find safer paths so they wouldn't run into any other obstacles that would slow them down even more. They just hoped there wouldn't be any more dangers they had to face.