Survival of the fittest - AmyMarie and Shadowfax

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee watched the woman run away. She sensed her brother wanted to run after her, but George decided that it would be better to give Ashelin some space. For the time being anyway. He turned around to address Sam.
"She had a nightmare" he then looked at his sister, "Are you alright?". Aimee nodded, pulling her jumper back on.

"George...". It was Aaron. George faced him and let out a groan. He was holding up the empty bags in one hand, and the supplies left in another. A few cans of soup, some coils of wire, a box of paracetamol and some cereal bars. "George, you are an absolute mug. He's nicked all our stuff. Please tell me we have more than this in my hand".

George rubbed his temples, not wanted to get angry. He was already stressed out because of Ash.
"We still have the bottles from the yesterday, and I'm sure Dan didn't go to the car. Your police stuff is in it right?"
"Yeah, I'll drive it down here as well. We can't leave it on the edge of the road" Aaron murmured, taking the keys from George and running off.
"Sam, you got anything buddy?" George asked.

[Shadowfax]

Sam poked his head out the tent and then disappeared behind it again. The boy emerged with his rucksack. It had a few bags of crisps, a loaf of bread, some bacon and a bottle of water in there.

"I got these because I know you like your crisps" He told the young man with a childlike smile.

Ashelin was oblivious to the fact that Dan had stolen from them. She was down by the lake looking out into the distance as a few tears ran down her face. Why? Why was this whole ordeal effecting her more than anything else that had ever happened? The day all her team were massacred had effected her greatly, but in a different way. Why was Matt so haunting? She grit her teeth and threw a stone into the lake with great force. She withered away in pain shortly after however, remembering the bruises all over her body.

"B****rd!!!! GET OUT MY HEAD!" She yelled foolishly across the lake.

Ash took a moment to calm down. A little voice inside her head told her to relax. She had to be strong. Matt was miles away and had no idea where they were. He wasn't going to hurt them anymore. After a few minutes Ash looked up and turned her head to look at the others who were worked up about something. Come on Ash... Be strong.. For them... With that, she turned and headed back towards them.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George couldn't help but smile at Sam,
"Yeah, I do love my crisps". Aaron seemed a little more positive at the thought of some bacon sandwiches, but knew that'd probably be their only meal for the day. All four of them heard the yell. The words were unauidable. George rushed to the edge of the tree's. She wasn't shouting at anyone. He watched her. Feeling a lump in his throat that he'd never felt before.

Aaron had returned with the car, parking it near the tents so that it was hidden by the tree's, it could act as another sleeping area. He had taken off his jacket, realising how filthy it was after weeks of use.
"It actually smells like a cocktail of drugs".

Aimee gave him a shocked glance and he chuckled. "I don't take them, I was just around people who do". The teenage girl's thoughts headed back to the druggie she had encountered in the gang and shuddered.

hat man was intent on 'buying' her, as was Harvey. She had a lot to thank Aaron for. She walked past him and took the jacket.
"I'll wash it for you".
"Thanks" Aaron responded, watching her walk away with a slight smile.

----One Month Later----

The group had been doing well, despite all the upset concerning the gang. All of them were quite convinced they wouldn't run into them again. If they did, they'd be ready. George had taken Sam on regular trips to the small town they had found. The pharmacy was pratically untouched, which surprised them all. Sam and George stuffed as much medication and toiletries in the bags as they could. George didn't forget about Aimee and Ash's needs either.

The Peacock's clothes shop was untouched as well, and the pair of them had collected various clothing items for them all to make sure they had some clean clothes and underwear to put on while the other's were being hand washed. The petrol station still had enough petrol to sustain the one car they had. The Co-Op Food had been almost cleared out, but they found lots of canned items and snacks still left. George had been able to indulge himself on Polo's, to keep the hunger away.

Aaron however had been using Polo's for a different use. He'd stay up ever night and have a few beer's while the other's slept, and ate about five to get the smell off his breath. He also took a trip to the town and managed to find beers in the cellar of the pub there to keep him well supplied.

Everyone seemed to have asserted themselves jobs. George was the 'road runner' as they liked to call him, going to and from the town, he also cooked for them all. Aaron was the fire maker and controller, which was a big job in it's self. Aimee liked to go fishing surprisingly, and was quite good at it.

Aaron went with her. Partly because Aimee didn't like to kill the fish herself, and partly because he liked spending time with her. Aimee also did some of the washing and tidied the place up from time to time. It was quite nice to feel like they belonged in their campsite, even if it was just that; a campsite.

It was late afternoon. The sleeping arrangements had changed slightly. Aimee decided she would rather sleep in the car to give Ashelin some space. She was, at that moment, sorting through a bag of new clothes and picking out a couple of tops she liked. George was cooking some fish and boiling some rare wild potatoes. Aaron was watching Aimee curiously from a distance. He strutted over to her after a moments hesitation.

"Anything in there you think would suit me?" he asked her with a grin. Aimee grinned back and pulled out a checkered shirt that was his size. "Ooh, well look at that. I better try it on then". He took off his own shirt, so he was topless, deeming it warm enough outside to be allowed to do so. Aimee's cheeks turned a little red. Aaron slipped the new shirt on. "Well, does it suit me?"
"It sure does" Aimee replied putting his old shirt in the 'to be washed' bag. George had been observing, and he rolled his eyes at the two of them.

[Shadowfax]

The next month was alot more peaceful than the hellish week the five of them had gone through. The lake offered all natural resources, not to mention a peaceful place to think. For the first week, Ashelin had spent it mostly alone. She knew she had scared Aimee and for that she was guilty. Not to mention George, he had enough to deal with so she tried to keep her distance. She had taken to staring out at the lake for hours on end, trying to get back into her 'army' frame of mind.

The physiological and physical damage Matt had caused was taking it's time to go away, but after the seventh day at the lake, Ash began to return to her normal self. Though her temper was more controllable nowadays, for she knew she was among friends.

For two weeks she had been building little tents from the leaves and trees which were perfect for shade and keeping cool. She put them in her favourite spots by the lake. She had also been teaching the others basic self defence should they ever need it. She had wanted Aimee to learn most of all for obvious reasons.

Sam was very quick to learn with the disarming and she had him practice on Aaron once or twice and the nine year old had managed to disarm the can of beans he was holding. For safety, she kept the 'weapons' basic. She had also been showing George a few fighting moves and self defence on a one to one basis, for she knew he had the best potential and she also very much enjoyed his company.

By the third week however, something started happening to her which she started to get concerned about. For the first day she put it down to bad cooking (George was cooking that night) but when it continued she was starting to get a little concerned. Each and every morning for seven days, she had been sick. This raised suspicions, but there was no way it was possible.. The doctors said for her it was unlikely.. But still.. She wanted to put her mind at rest.

Ashelin was staring out across the lake lost in thought, when she suddenly stood up and wandered over to Sams tent. The boy was reading a magazine and had a can of coke in his hand as she approached.

"Oh, hey Ash" Sam said as she appeared at the entrance.

"Sam.. I am going to the town, is there anything we need?" She asked the boy.

"Not that I can think of... But chocolate would be good"

Ash smirked at that and nodded before departing. She spotted George watching Aimee and Aaron. Ashelin frowned as she walked over to him, but stopped just behind him, the wind tugging her hair.

"Hey.. I was going to head out to the town. Do you wanna come?" She asked him.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George had just finished assembling a new fishing net out of various materials, he was quite handy with a thread and needle but often didn't bring it up, because it wasn't a manly thing to do. When Ash asked him to head down to town, a wide grin appeared on his face.
"Yeah, I'd love to come".

He stood up and looked back at his sister and friend, "Anything to stop me from looking at them two". He felt a bit protective of Aimee. He knew Aaron was a good guy, he was his best friend for crying out loud; but Aaron was hiding something, and at times had been unpredictable. "I'm just going to the town" he called to them, "Want anything?"

"Could do with some battery powered lights" Aaron said, one hand resting on a tree, supporting him. "Not sure where you'd get some though".
"I'll have a look" George replied with a nod before leading the way to the car. The back had been made into a makeshift bed for Aimee, but the front was still normal.

"Wanna try out George's new fishing net?" Aaron asked Aimee, as soon as George was out of sight. She smiled and stood up.
"Yeah, sure".

[Shadowfax]

Ash returned the smile, pleased she was going to have some company for the trip. It would help her take her mind off things. When George remarked on looking at those two, she blinked with confusion but decided to say nothing on the matter.

When she got to the car she took the drivers seat this time and pushed the passenger door open for George. It was alot easier for her to manover now that her bruises had cleared up around her stomach.

Ash had only been to the town a handful of times, of which she was always totally on guard. Even though they were familiar with it, she still took her usual approach and would send out a firing shot to check if anyone was hiding within the town. The had only once come across someone, but it was just a couple taking what they needed as they passed through. Ashelin had no problem with that. Nobody owned anything anymore, it was take what you could carry. That being so, Dan stealing their things was wrong. The man had taken alot of their possessions, but luckily the town had replenished them. They'd not seen or heard from him since.

As soon as George was in the car, Ash started driving off down the road, checking her mirrors every so often, more out of habit than need.

"George... is there a pharmacist in this town? I can't remember" She suddenly blurted out before thinking.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George was watching the countryside roll past on the very familiar route. He turned to look at Ashelin just before she asked him a question. He raised a curious but worried brow. What would she be wanting to go to a pharmacist for?
"Yes, there is" he replied, not sure whether he wanted to ask her or not. It may be for something personal.

----

"Hey, Sam, mind keeping camp for a while?" Aaron asked him, patting him on the shoulder as began to follow Aimee to the lake with a twinkle in his eye. He didn't wait for an answer. He bounded off after her. The two reached the water's edge and set out the net, Aimee getting knee deep in water since she was wearing shorts. Aaron rolled up his slightly longer pair of shorts and waded in as well.

He appeared at Amy's side and grinned. "Wouldn't it be unfortunate if I slipped and accidentally pushed you".
"Yes, it would be very unfortunate, but you wouldn't dare-" Aaron tackled her almost gently into the water, he himself had managed to stay upright, but Aimee caught his hand and pulled him down. The two resurfaced, laughing hysterically and not feeling the cold of the lake for a few moments.

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin gave a sigh of relief at George's answer. She just hoped she could find what she needed. There was a sense of curiosity in the car and that made her feel uneasy, so she thought she'd better say something.

"Just because we are running low on a few things is all and I want us to have a good stash of medical supplies"

She placed a hand on her wrist where she had been stabbed all those weeks ago. That all seemed like a distant memory now.

When she came to the town, she rolled up behind another old car which the had drained of petrol a few days back. The pumps were getting dry now so Ash wasn't sure what they would do once they were on their last tank. She looked about her curiously, cast a look at George and ressumed putting her hand outside the window to let out a warning shot.

The bullet hit a window opposite and the noise echoed all up the street. Ashelin waited for a few minutes before turning to George.

"Coast is clear, let's go" She said leaping out the car and into the street.

**

Sam was so entranced in his comic that he merely grunted in response as Aaron passed him. After a few seconds he looked up to see they were off down at the lake and he laughed when Aimee and himself fell in. The boy then turned back to his comic, of which he was thoroughly enjoying.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George nodded, staring ahead at the road in front of them.
"Ah, ok". When they arrived, he jumped out of the car with her. "I'm going to check out the other shops to see if their are any battery powered lights, meet back here in about ten minutes?"

---

It had taken some time for the two of them to stop messing around and splashing about. Once they were focused on the task in hand, catching fish, they did quite well. They managed to catch one each for the four of them today; they were roughly medium sized. Aimee put it down to George's new net; Aaron put it down to Aimee. They both climbed out of the water, soaked through.

Aaron had helped her out of the water, for there was a little ditch she could manage to get down but never to get up. As she held onto his hands, he gave her the look. The look and the smile. Once she was out, she went back to the camp and entered a tent.
"I'm just gonna...just gonna get into some dry clothes" she mumbled, not taking her eye's off Aaron until she had zipped up the tent door. Aaron also decided to change, his mind traveling to and from the thoughts of "Aimee is really cool" and "Aimee is my best friend's little sister"

[Shadowfax]

Ash nodded and was somewhat relieved that George had said this. She wandered into the town and began scanning the area for the pharmacist. Typically it was right down the other end so Ashelin took out the gun and held it in front of her threateningly. The lights were all still on in the shop so she could navigate her way around easily. Before she was going to forget, Ash stuffed her bag full of chocolates for Sam and Aimee, plus some crisps for George. They were nearing their sell by date, but they were still edible.

Once that was done, Ash began to wander down each aisle looking for the dreaded thing she was seeking. When she finally came across it she shakily stood there for a moment before taking it off the shelf. Ash then darted for the staff room. She prayed they had a staff toilet, and luckily they did. She just wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.

She emerged from the cubical a few moments later, her arms shaking as she waited for the little stick to give her the results. Out of all of them, she'd picked the most expensive so this would give her an answer for sure. The sixty seconds felt like an age to Ashelin as she stood there staring down at the stick. She could even hear her own heart beating against her chest so much she thought it was going to leap out of her throat.

One line. Ashelin gave a slight sigh of relief, but then...

Two lines. Ash stared at it for a moment, her sigh of relief turning to utter panic as her eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"N... N..No... Oh god... oh no, no, no, no!" She yelled, throwing the pregnancy test across the floor.

She was shaking furiously now as she ran out the chemist and out into the street. No tears escaped her. She was not going to cry. How.. The army medical told her it was impossible for her to... Why? Why did this have to happen? She placed a hand on her stomach and dreaded what horrible beast was in there... Ashelin suddenly collapsed onto all fours and lost the contents of her stomach all over the road. She took a moment to pick herself up, but began to slowly make her way to the car. How the hell was she going to tell George and the others she was carrying Matt's child?