It was a cold January morning, surrounded by the same old grey skies, and the same pale brown ground. Everything is the same old same in the apocalypse. This is year two, or is year three? Hell, I don't know. The days blend together, its a never ending pain of living these days.

I want to go back to my old life. I want momma, and mom again, I want our little puppy again. But non of that will happen ever again. I still have hope in finding momma, but she left us about three months into the apocalypse. I remember that exact day, it was around February.

"Dream, stay close to me, keep Scarlet close ok?" She ordered, her voice softened. We stumbled upon a raider came, and they had a shit ton of supplies we could have, but the camp was surrounded by thousands of army persona, momma isn't the most agile of people, nor the most quiet.

I don't know what she was thinking when she was coming here, but everywhere she went, I had to too, since mom left us. She took the easy way out. Damn fool killed herself. Its not that I really care though. She deserved to die. Jesus Dream, listen to yourself. You're no better than those damn zombies. She's no smarter than those rotting flesh bags. She has been abusing me, and Scar our entire life. Not physically, but verbally. Calling us retarted, a waste of space, all those nice words. The only reason momma stayed with mom, is because mom brought her self esteem so low, that she thought if mom ever left her, she would never find love again, which isn't true in the slightest of ways. I have never ever seen a woman as nice as momma, oh momma, I hope you're ok. I remember exactly what she said when she left,

"Dream, you are seventeen now, I cant do anything for you anymore, I need you to go, and make a life of your own, things will work out ok for you guys. I don't want you to see me like this. Take Scarlet, and get down to Amber City, you know where it is. Find a group, a good group, and get safe. Please, know that I'm doing this for you. I cant be responsible for you guys getting hurt. and God forbid dying when I knew I could have saved you. Know that I love you, and I'll see you soon. Stay strong my beautiful daughter." She gave me a quick hug, then let me go, while she went into the woods, to continue this journey alone.

I know she did this for us. She was so mentally unstable, there was no way in hell she could handle the stress of having two kids with her. I have been trekking for a long time now, trying to train, and keep Scarlet as healthy as much as possible. There is only good thing about having a six year old child with you on all of this, she can cover for a lot of my mistakes.

"PLEASE SIR!! I HAVE A LITTLE CHILD!!"

I cant tell you how many times I've had to use that. I'm only nineteen, I am still very susceptible of making mistakes, which I do quite often. I wish poor Scar didn't have to experience all of this bull shit. She is literally only six, She has the brightest red hair that I've ever seen, she is such a precious child, I don't want her to suffer. I want to play Barbie with her, have nice little tea parties, have her dress me up in feather boas, and paint my nails, and half my fingers with some crusty nail polish that momma lent her, while mom told us we were wasting our time, because no makeup can make "that ugly piece of shit any prettier" But we wouldn't care, because momma would make everything better again.

Ok, before anyone gets confused, mom, and momma are two different people. Mom is an abusive piece of shit, named Carly Greenberg. Momma is the nicest person to ever exist, that I'm surprised I'm living without, named Molly Laken. When momma married mom, I never waned it to happen, but I wanted momma to be happy, so momma let me keep our last name, Laken, instead of Greenberg. That name makes me want to throw up. I hated Mom from the beginning, but momma wanted me to call her mom anyways, instead of Carly, maybe then she would accept me. Biggest lie ever.

Thank god Scarlet took after momma. With her bright red hair, and dark chocolate brown eyes, and speckled with adorable freckles, and little dimples. I took after whoever my donor dad is. I have light-ish brown hair, with red highlights, and bright blue eyes. No freckles, but dimples. Whenever I look at Scarlet, I smile, because I can always see momma in her. She's such a beautiful little girl.

"Dreamie?" There was a slight tug on my torn, dark purple jacket, followed by the wispy voice of a tired six year old. I looked down into her beautiful, pain riddled brown eyes.

"Yes beautiful?" I stopped, figuring that she wanted to stop, and eat, or rest.

"Can, can I ask you a question sissy?" She asked, with her eyes pleading.

I laced my long fingers around the arm straps of the tattered, weather ridden of my brown backpack, that held all of supplies, which luckily, we always seemed to have enough.

"Of course Scar, what is it?" I smiled.

"Do, Do we have anymore toilet paper?" Her cheeks flourished as red as her hair. I tried not to giggle.

"Let me check hun. Number one, or Number two?" I smiled, unstrapping the bag from my shoulders, and digging through it, trying to conceal my laughing.

"I gotta pee sissy!" She crossed her thin legs, and bounced up and down. I couldn't help but laugh. She's so adorable. I smiled, as I got to the bottom of my bag, and found a thin roll of toilet paper. We're running low. I have to see if I can find some more.

"Here you go darling. Do you want me to come with you?" I asked. She took the roll, looked to the forest, then turned back to me, and nodded ashamedly.

"Hey, Scar. There is no reason to be scared ok? I will always be here for you, and I will always have you. Let's go." I smiled, as I grabbed her little hand, and we walked out into the forest.

When she finished, I looked at the sun. Momma taught us how to tell the time through the sun's shadow.

"Hey Scar, what time is it?" I smiled, as she pulled up her little, stained purple leggings. And looked to the field.

"Um,, five thirty?" She tried.

"Almost! Try again." I prompted. She squinted, and looked again.

"Six?" She guessed.

"There you go! You're so smart, and what does six mean?" I smiled.

"SUPPER TIME!!!" Her face instantly elated.

"Bingo!! You're so smart honey! Lets go over in the shade of the big oak tree, and start a fire ok? I'll let you pick what we eat ok?" I smiled, and took her hand, over to a bundle of trees.

"Yay!!! I love when I get to choose! You're the best Dream!" She smiled, and started ripping into the backpack, like it was a present on Christmas. It makes me so happy seeing her so happy. But it also extremely depresses me that looking for food is her Christmas. Give and take Dream, give and take.

I forced a smile, as I sifted some sticks around, into a nice little bundle that I could soon start on fire. I watched her face fall, and her eyes get darker, and fill with a tear.

"What's wrong Scarlet?" I asked, getting really worried.

She blocked out what I was saying, and kept starting at the thing that she wouldn't let me see, because it was being blocked by the backpack. I scooted over, and looked down. I felt my heart freeze. It was a picture of momma, Scarlet and I. My heart started beating really slow.

"Momma,," She said, in her softest voice.

"Yeah, she's so beautiful."

"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" She asked, gently laying down the picture, and looking to me with those big puppy dog eyes.

I sighed, and decided weather to tell her the truth, or lie.

"Of course Scar, she said that we'll meet down in Amber City. And she will. You know that momma never lies." I guess I'm a liar now.

"Really? Yay! I cant wait to see momma again! And I found some rabbit meat! Can we have that?!" She smiled, picking up the slightly stinky meat, wrapped nicely in a bundle of grape vines, keeping them fresher.

"Of course! That sounds good! Start unwrapping it, and ill get the fire." I smiled, striking one of our abundant matches across my weathered jeans, soon to hear that satisfying flame start to dance around the stick, slowly coming down to my finger. I have always loved fire. It was just lighter than Scarlet's hair. I smiled, as I gently spread the little fire around the pile of leaves. Soon it was a crackling, bubbling life savior. She looked over, and instantly smiled, and started to tear the vines off faster. I looked to the big tree we were under, and snapped off a branch, that was doused in honey from the bee hive above. I didn't even notice this.

I tore off the pronged end, then stuck it about three inches in the ground, put another pronged edge on the other end of the fire. I looked to Scarlett, who had gotten the meat fully unwrapped, and presented it like wine at a fancy restaurant. I smiled, as I shoved it onto a stick, then stuck it in the stick, then placed them all over the fire, to cook nicely.

Her hungry eyes flickered over the cooking meat, honey infused meat, just as the fire cooked it below. This smells so damn good, I cant wait to have some of it.

Ten minuets went by, before I touched the chard outside of the meat, and felt the temperature inside of it. Once the outside skin is chard, you know the inside is cooked. Momma taught us that.

"It's ready Scar! Come and get supper!" I smiled, as I pulled the steaming hot meat off of the stick, and put it on the very old, and multiple used paper plate that we always have to serve food.

"Already?!!! YAY!!" She whipped around from her drawing, and looked to me with hunger eating her eyes.

"Yup! Here you go honey!" I smiled, splitting the meat nicely, so she wouldn't have to struggle so much. I mean, rabbit isn't very much meat, but damn is that meat tough. Little bastards are fast!

Once we finished our meal, we wiped off out plate, and laid together, getting warmed from the nice heat from the crackling fire.

"We need to get a tent sissy." I said, petting Scar's soft hair.

"Yeah, but. you're nice too. You're really squishy, and it makes for a nice pillow." She smiled, and I laughed.

"Well, thank you?" I questioned.

"You're welcome!" She smiled, snuggling up on my leg. "Hey Dream?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you tell me a bedtime story?" Scarlet is the only thing left in this entire madness that keeps me sain.

"Of course baby... Once upon a time, there was a beautiful prince, named Bob,,"

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"You always tell the best stories sissy. You should write them down like you used to do! I loved reading those!" She smiled, cuddling with my apparently squishy leg.

I remember when I used to write. I used to draw really well too, but writing was always much more fun for me.

"Thank you Scar. I'm glad you liked them. Hey, what were you drawing earlier today?" I smiled. She instantly shot up.

"OH YEAH!!!!" She scuttled to the other side of the fire, and grabbed a little crumpled receipt that was caught in the bramble. She nearly threw it at me, with her eyes awaiting to see my reaction. I brought it a little closer to the fire, to see everything she did. It was actually amazing for her age. It was a picture of her in my arms, chopping the head off of a zombie, with the caption, "Dreem iss tHe bess sissy eVar!"

This made me tear up so much. I looked at her.

"Do you like it?" She asked in a soft voice.

I wrapped my arm around her neck, and pulled her in for a big hug.

"It's amazing Scarlet, Thank you so much. I love you." I let some un-seen tears seep in her soft blue hoodie, with SpongeBob on the front of it.

"I love you too Sissy." She smiled, and grabbed a piece of my hair that had fallen out of its side braid, and tried to stick it back to where it goes. I smiled, and left it where she placed it.

"I'll always have you honey." I smiled, as she laid back down, and started to drift off into slumber.

"I'll always have you! I love you." She smiled.

"I love you more!" I teased.

"I love you most!"

"I LOVE YOU MOST-ER!!!"

"That's not even a word silly!!" She giggled.

"Haha! I know, well you should get some rest. It's been a long day. Maybe tomorrow we can find a lake, and take a shower." I smiled, wanting that more than anything in the entire world.

"I'm gonna wash your hair with fish eggs!!" She smiled.

"Ew!! Gross! Well, I'm going to put a leach in yours!" I laughed.

"YUCKY!!! Ok, I'll just use water. You too ok?" She asked, while I laughed.

"Deal. Good night beautiful." I smiled, resting my head against the tree, but my fingers twirling her hair.

"Nighty night!" She smiled.

As we went to bed, all I could think about was that drawing. Nothing can take my mind off of. It's so nice. I smiled, and stuck it in the little pouch in my backpack. I will never ever lose this. I kissed her forehead, as she was fast asleep. A sad, yet true thought was still running around my mind. If only she knew, If only she knew how much we lost. If only she knew how fast everything can change. I don't want her to know, but I'm afraid I'll have to tell her, sooner than later. Everything, our entire life, our entire way of living. Everything we did normally, all of it.

Gone in seconds.

2476 Words