Tears filled Colby's eyes. He looked at his older brother's face; he looked like a younger version of their father.
"Shit, you got old!" Colby joked through his tears.
Zach laughed.
"What happened? What are you doing here?" Colby asked, breaking their embrace.
"Let's get out of here first. My cabin isn't far from here."

Zach glanced over at Ashley; his gaze fixed directly on her face.
"Who's this?" he asked, motioning toward Ashley.
"That's...um...my wife," Colby replied quickly. "The baby is Jenny."
"My little brother got a family huh?" Zach laughed quietly.
"I guess you could call it that," Colby said, picking up their supplies and putting his arm around Ashley. Zach led them through the woods.
It wasn't long until they made it to the cabin. Zach opened the door; his face lighting up immediately. Inside, he sat down at a dining table, motioning for Colby and Ashley to take seats across from him. Ashley sat down and held Jenny close as Colby laid their supplies on the table.

As the crackling fire in the cabin cast flickering shadows on the worn wooden walls, the atmosphere was heavy with a mix of nostalgia and determination. Zach leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on a distant memory as Colby's eyes searched his brother's face, eager for every detail of the years they had spent apart.

"How'd you get out here, Zach? Is Kelly still alive? Is Mom?" Colby's voice trembled with a mix of hope and fear, his heart racing with the possibility of reuniting with his family.

Zach's expression softened, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips. "Easy! It's been years! The night you and Dad escaped, I stayed with Mom and Kelly. Remember?"

Colby nodded, his chest tight with emotions he hadn't allowed himself to fully feel until this moment. Memories of that fateful night flooded back, the chaos and fear etched into his mind.

Zach's voice turned somber as he recounted their harrowing journey. "After we left that night, I took Mom and Kelly to a building nearby. We hid there for a while, hoping the chaos would settle. But the guards found us, and there was gunfire. Mom...she got hit." The pain in Zach's voice was palpable, his grief raw and unfiltered.

Colby reached out a hand, a silent gesture of support and understanding as Zach continued, recounting the years of survival, loss, and resilience that had shaped him. Ashley held Jenny close, her eyes mirroring the sorrow and strength that resonated through the cabin.

"After a few years, Kelly fell ill," Zach's voice wavered slightly, the weight of his past burdens evident in every word. "I had to leave her in a settlement for better medical care. She survived, Colby. She's alive."

Colby's eyes widened with a glimmer of hope, a spark of determination igniting within him. "We have to find her, Zach. We have to bring our family back together."

Zach nodded firmly, his gaze meeting Colby's with unwavering resolve. "That's the plan, little brother. But first, we must ensure the safety of Jenny and ourselves. This world spares no one, and we can't afford to be complacent."

Colby's grip tightened on Ashley's hand, a silent promise passing between them. "We'll protect Jenny, Zach. Together, we'll face whatever comes our way."

Amid the dimly lit cabin, surrounded by the remnants of their past and the uncertainty of their future, the Matthews brothers forged a bond strengthened by shared pain and unwavering love. As they prepared to embark on a journey fraught with danger and hope, they knew that with their family by their side, they were ready to conquer whatever challenges lay ahead.
*****

Zach and Colby stood outside the remote cabin, watching Ashley play with Jenny.
Zach looked at his brother, whom he had been reunited with for less than a day.
"How did Dad die?"
"It was a few weeks before I met Ashley. We were attacked by raiders." Colby explained, feeling his chest tighten.
"There were too many of them. We fought them off as best we could, but Dad was shot. I didn't leave his side....he said that I was going to be a soldier like him. He took his dog tags off and pressed them into my hand. He told me to do everything I had to do to stay alive. So I did. I kept walking. I found a settlement and met Ashley. "

"He'd be proud of you. I know I am." Zach said, looking out at the woods.
"How did you make it out there?" Colby asked, his voice tinged with concern. The weight of the world seemed to rest on his shoulders as he leaned against the porch railing. Zach sighed, his gaze fixed on the ground as he struggled to find the right words.

"I joined a faction..." Zach finally admitted, his voice heavy with regret. The admission hung in the air like a thick fog, enveloping the brothers in a moment of tension. Colby's eyes widened, disbelief etched on his face.

"What?! Zach...you joined...you killed..." Colby's voice trailed off, unable to comprehend the truth that had just been revealed. The bond of brotherhood that had once seemed unbreakable now trembled on the precipice of fracture.

"I never meant to kill anyone!" Zach interjected, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and desperation. He looked directly into his brother's eyes, hoping to convey the truth that lay beneath his actions. "But...the faction leader wanted to use me, so..." His voice trailed off, the pain of his past experiences etched on his face.

Colby's anger began to dissolve, replaced by a newfound understanding. He took a step closer to his brother, the porch creaking beneath their weight. "They coerced you into joining...they manipulated you," Colby said softly, his voice filled with empathy.

Zach nodded, his gaze filled with a mix of guilt and resignation. He couldn't erase the choices he had made, the compromises he had succumbed to to survive. "I got lost in the woods and was injured. One of the members found me and took me to their hideout. They offered me a deal...they gave me my freedom if I joined them," he explained, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Colby's brow furrowed, his mind racing to comprehend the extent of his brother's struggles. "So they captured you, brought you out here, and forced you to go out hunting for their weapons?" he asked, his voice heavy with disbelief.

"Yeah..." Zach replied, his gaze drifting back towards the safety of the house. "That all ended a few months ago. The group's leader...his name's Kerrick...he brought a prisoner back to the hideout. It was a kid! Maybe fifteen. Kerrick killed him for the rations in his pack. I knew I couldn't stay after that. I left as soon as I could, but not on good terms with Kerrick. He wants revenge...I'll probably end up getting dragged back in the middle of the night to fight the guy."

Colby's heart sank, the weight of their circumstances pressing down upon him. He reached out a hand and placed it on his brother's shoulder, a silent reassurance that they would face whatever came next together. In this unforgiving world, they were each other's only constants, their unwavering bond the flickering light of hope in a sea of darkness.

"We'll get out of here together, Zach. I've spent too long trying to find you. I can't wait until we find Kelly and have a proper reunion."

Ashley scooped Jenny up and walked back up to the porch. Jenny reached her arms out.

"Ack!" she squeaked. Ashley smiled.
"She's trying to say 'Zach'." Ashley clarified. Zach smiled.
"I guess that makes me Uncle Zach," Zach said as he bent over slightly, taking Jenny from Ashley's arms.
"You'll always be my big brother, Zach. Even though things are bad, we don't regret making you a part of our family."

They all went into the cabin and sat in front of the fireplace. Colby felt like his family was almost complete. They had Jenny, but they needed another member. They'd leave in a few days and go to the settlement where Kelly was living. The family would be reunited and they'd all go to Jackson together. He hoped that wasn't too unrealistic. Zach gave Ashley, Colby, and Jenny the spot by the fireplace to sleep. The future looked bright, but the danger was always following.