if we survive

f o u r

a s h

"Ashton, where are we going? What were the stories?" Colman asked, jogging carefully to keep up and not disturb the baby in her arms. I glanced back at her then back at the boy gracefully holding my hand and walking casually down the street.

"Uh..." I couldn't find the words. It was hard to remember these stories but I knew them. I'd shoved them into the back of my mind but now they were all coming back to me. Somehow, they just sounded cooler the way the young boy said it. "I...um. W-When my brother and I were little...we um, we used to play this game. I was the knight, Rory was the lion, and m-my mother was the lion's prisoner. My mom and I used to tease Rory about his sign language, he could never figure out how to roar in sign language."

"Sigh language?" Colman interrupted.

I just halfheartedly nodded "My mother was deaf." The boy was looking up at me excitedly like he was eager to hear the stories from my point of view. "My brother and I would play fight each other, Rory always let me win and I 'saved' my mom every time." I smiled slightly.

"Tell her the one about you in the cave!" The boy exclaimed with a wide grin. I had to wrack my brain for that one. I'd never been trapped in a cave, but I knew what he was talking about.

"Rory and I used to play 'deaf hide n' seek' with my mom. Rory always hid under my bed, I changed my hiding spot every time so that I wasn't easy to find. One time, I'd had the great idea to hide in the cupboard. I got stuck and they couldn't find me for hours. Rory and Mom were freaking out but they eventually found me." I looked back at Colman and I could see her holding back a giggle.

"You got stuck in a cupboard?" She asked. I shrugged.

"And Mr. Holden said that you lost your little finger in a fight with big bear." The boy said holding up my left hand that he still held. I giggled slightly at that.

I looked back at Colman and shook my head. I mouthed the words "wild dog" and she giggled. My family lived in front of a forest before the dead ate the living, there were always wild animals roaming the woods at night. My brother snuck me out of the house one night to go get ice cream without our parents permission and I was attacked by a wild dog. The only harm it did was mentally and physically scar me. It'd bit my pinky clean off.

"So, what do you do at your camp?" Colman asked the boy. She kept having to take her bow string away from the baby who'd become rather intrigued with the weapon.

"We protect Benji and Miss Jade, mostly. We all have our own jobs to do but everyone has to protect Benji and Miss Jade." He said casually, picking up his walking pace.

"What's so important about them?" I asked trying not to sound too eager.

The boy shrugged. "Miss Jade has a baby sleeping in her tummy. I don't know what Benji does."

"What's your name?" Colman asked, bouncing the baby in her arms to keep it calm and quiet.

"Zac." He stated then pointed at the baby. "That's Eliza-Jane."

"Why are you and Eliza-Jane out here all alone?" Colman asked.

"We were with Mr. Dean, monsters got him." Zac mumbled sadly. I glanced at Colman who's expression fell. She almost looked mournful.

We approached the forest once again and Zac led us down a trail hidden by stray tree branches and leaves. He let go of my hand and walked ahead of us happily. I slowly started hearing voices and happy squeals in the distance. My nerves started making themselves known in my stomach. I was worried these people wouldn't accept us. I became more aware of the dried blood on my face and clothes, I made a desperate attempt to wipe it off. We followed Zac towards an opening. In that opening there were tents aligned in a circle with a campfire blazing in the middle of them. Zac ran towards a woman watching over a chunk of meat cooking over the fire. I couldn't help but wonder how she'd gotten any type of meat, I hadn't seen an animal in so long. I'd survived purely in wild berries, acorns, and edible flowers. Occasionally, I'd find a can of beans in an abandoned store. I saw some of the people enjoying themselves stop and look at Colman and I. Zac pointed us out to the brunette woman he'd run up to. I saw her turn and the first thing I noticed was her stomach. It was round and stiff. She was pregnant. Very pregnant.

The woman approached us prudently. I didn't even think about reaching for my knife, I just took note of the easiest way to take hold of it in an emergency. The closer she got, the more she started to smile. She was really pretty, her hair was clean and freshly brushed, she wore a maternity dress that reached her knees. Her eyes were light brown, much like mine. She looked to be in her late twenties.

"I can't believe it. Ashton Fitzgerald?" She asked once she was close enough to where I could hear her. I nodded nervously. "Holden talks so much about you, he's convinced you're dead. He tells the children all about you."

I smiled. "Yeah, Zac told me the stories. He made me sound like a badass instead of a dumb kid."

She held out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Jade."

I shook her hand and nodded towards Colman. "That's Nathalia Colman, and Zac kind of left her to take care this child."

Jade took Eliza-Jane from Colman. "You two look like you're starving, the food is almost cooked. I'll take you to Holden while we wait if you'd like."

I didn't hesitate to nod. She waved us to follow her and made her way to a tent at the farthest point away from the entrance. "He's taking a short nap, but I'll wake him. Wait here." She ducked into the tent and I turned to Colman. I couldn't stay still I was so nervous and excited at the same time so I bounced on the heels of my feet wiping the sweat from my hands onto my jeans.

"I can't believe this is actually real." I said to Colman and she smiled.

"Aren't you glad I saved your life?" She punched my shoulder playfully. I didn't reply. Finding my brother had been a dream of mine since I was fourteen. I'm seventeen now and I finally get to see him again. The nerves were killing me. Zac appeared by my side still grinning up at me. He was fan, and I didn't know how to deal with fans. There was a comfortable silence between us, everything seemed calm for once. It was kind of nice but eerie at the same time...Almost like the calm wouldn't last long, and it didn't. Looking back at it, I wish it could've stayed this calm. It never does and never will again.