Day Z: Survivor Diaries

Chapter 7: A place to call home.

It's been several months now. Our supplies are dwindling, and it's apparent that Maddi is in fact pregnant. She started to show about three months ago. So I'm guessing she's close to four months along. It had been so long, Maddi and I agreed that we were married, at least when it came to social reasons. That way we would be less likely to be separated if we joined a settlement. I began to worry whether or not we would find anywhere to call our own. We didn't dare settle in a town, because bandits would be our main problem. Trusting people was hard, and after the 'kindness' we had been shown by the Valkyries, we decided ultimately to not trust anyone. However there was that scientist….the one who had saved us. I constantly wondered what became of him and his brother. One day. One day I would go back for him, but I had to keep Maddi safe first. The dog we had found was now nearly full grown. She had to be at least a year old, and we had given her the name Sandy. Simply because we met her at the beach. She was with child, and I wouldn't let her be running constantly like that.

"Jack! Watch out!"

Maddi's shouting woke me from the dazed state I was in, just in time to swerve and evade hitting a group of survivors in the road. After I had stopped, I sighed and received a light punch in the arm from Maddi. I rubbed the spot on my arm and unbuckled my seatbelt, hopping out to meet the survivors, of course, I held my gun drawn. The group of survivors all held their arms up at the sight of my gun. I held it aimed at who looked like their leader as our dog began barking in the background.

"Alright, if you have any weapons, drop them. We don't want any trouble, we just wanna talk."

My voice seemed to ring out like a gunshot. The words hit my own ears, and it was like a totally different person was speaking. A year and a half ago, I wouldn't be holding anybody up like this. As several of them dropped their weapons and kicked them across the cracked asphalt, I lowered my pistol and tucked it away. I sighed in relief, glad I wouldn't be killing anyone just yet. I walked over and extended my hand to them.

"I'm jack. It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry about the whole gun thing, but you can't trust everyone."

The group seemed to understand, because they nodded to me. Then one man stepped forward. He was tall and built with short blond hair and a light tan. Most everyone did, in fact, because hardly anyone out in the vast emptiness had shade. The man who had stepped forward also wore military green clothing. A name was sewn into his uniform, but I could not read it, because of the massive blood stain on it. He extended a hand and spoke up.

"I'm Sargent Dylan McLellan. Pleasure to meet you Jack."

I nodded and took his hand, giving a firm and calloused handshake. After seeing the group, they had no guns. Only a few had any weapons whatsoever, and they were mostly men who had minor injuries. Of course, McLellan was the only one wearing military garb. Realizing that these people were of no immediate threat, I looked to McLellan and pointed to the truck.

"I have a woman in there, my wife. She's pregnant, and we need to find somewhere to hide until the child is born. By your lack of guns, I'm guessing you're either a scouting party for a settlement, or a random group of survivors. At any rate, I believe we can work together."

McLellan seemed to grow a devilish grin at my mention if Maddi. He nodded along with my statements as they came, but all the while, his gaze kept drifting to the truck, as if trying to spot Maddi in the window. Once I had finished, McLellan spoke up.

"Well, you're in luck. We have a small settlement down the road, and we were just hunting for supplies. So in exchange for food and weapons, we'll allow you to hide there. We have a doctor there, and he's really a genius. He can take care of your wife."

In my heart, I didn't want to trust him. I didn't like the way he acted at my mention of Maddi. The others seemed to also be concerned when he did that. As if he had a history of it. Still, it was our best chance, and I took it.

"Alright, but no weapons. We hardly have any as is. We're only going to stay until the child is born. Then we'll be out of your hair."

McLellan nodded and extended his hand again. I took it, and shook it. Then I got back in the truck and started it back up.

"What happened?" Maddi questioned as I buckled my seatbelt.

"We've found a place to stay. In exchange for some of our food, they're letting us stay until the baby is born. They even have a doctor to help in case there are complications."

Maddi threw her arms around me and smiled, but I just kept my eyes locked on McLellan. I made eye contact, and he grinned at it. Almost as if he could see clean through the blacked out windows of the truck.

After everything had been settled, we were led to the settlement by the survivors. As soon as we reached the gate, McLellan was approached by who appeared to be his superior. The two argued silently, their sounds blocked out by the window, and we were finally let through. Once inside, some officers stopped us. I rolled the window down and they spoke up.

"Sir, we're going to have to take this vehicle. It's needed for scouting parties, so that they can more safely collect supp…"

I cut him off mid sentence.

"No…."

"Sir, I need you to comply, otherwise I'll have to det-"

"I said no! I only agreed to give food. Nothing more. So unless I'm driving a fucking can of sardines, I don't think this qualifies as food." I said angrily.

McLellan approached the officer and whispered something. The officer nodded and left. McLellan gave his devilish grin and nodded to me before walking off. The officer returned and motioned us to follow. He then escorted us to a small and run-down house. All of them were like this. It seemed that they had turned an empty town into a settlement. After the officer had left, I got out and helped Maddi down from the truck. I let her into the house to lay down as I locked the truck. I still kept my pistol tucked in the back of my pants. I didn't trust McLellan. Not one bit.

I went into the house and sat on the couch next to Maddi. She smiled lightly and gave me a little kiss on the cheek before yawning. Sandy followed and immediately claimed the couch as her own.

"You should go to bed." I said as I looked to her. She shook her head and smiled.

"No. I'm not really tired."

I disregarded her objection and took her hand, pulling her into the bedroom and making her lay down. She passed out almost immediately, and I laid down with her. The night seemed to pass quickly, and I woke up at about five in the morning. Maddi was fast asleep, so I just laid there next to her for a while, softly rubbing the large bump sticking out from her stomach. It seemed so strange to think that in there, a human being was forming. Then I felt a kick. I smiled and felt another soon after. Then I decided to wake Maddi rather reluctantly. She got up and gave me the death stare, but it only lasted a moment before her morning sickness set in, and she dashed for the bathroom. After a few minutes of vomiting, she and I cleaned up and changed clothes before heading outside. Shortly, McLellan showed up.

" 'Scuse me, but your wife has an appointment with the doctor in thirty minutes, and you have a meeting with the town's leader in ten. I can escort her if you wish."

"No." I said as I firmly gripped Maddi's hand. "I can take her, and I can retrieve her once her appointment is over."

McLellan nodded and walked off. I then walked Maddi down to the doctor's office. Once we entered, there stood a gaunt man with a large white unibrow and thinning grey hair. He stood no more than five feet tall, so he was shorter than both Maddi and I, and he wore a stained white labcoat. His attention was locked on Maddi, or more specifically, her large baby bump.

"Hmm….yes….so she is ze voman I have heard of." the old man said in a strange and foreign accent as he took the stethoscope from around his neck and put it up to Maddi's stomach. He nodded, seeming to understand something that was unknown to us.

"Come vis me." The man said as he lead Maddi into the back room. I followed, completely disregarding the meeting I was supposed to be at and wanting only to b with Maddi.

In the back, the doctor had Maddi lay down on a bed as he lifted her shirt up above her stomach. He then began to spread a sort of gel across her stomach. Then he took a strange device like a remote control and started using it to scan her stomach. All the while, there was a monitor, showing an image on it that looked fuzzy, and sort of like a radar.

"Erm….doctor, what exactly are you doing?" I asked, having no clue what it was.

He cleared his throat and said "Zis is ein Ultrasound. It vill check to make certain zat ze baby is healthy, and even help determine ze gender."

Maddi seemed to light up at his statement and she watched the monitor closely. I did as well. The doctor would occasionally point things out on the screen, noting what was the baby's head and legs, feet, etc. It seemed both Maddi and I were intrigued, for there was our child. Right there on a monitor, being formed, was a human being.

The doctor looked from the screen to Maddi, and then to me.

"Vould you like to know ze gender of ze child?"

I looked at Maddi, wanting her answer before I gave mine. Maddi shook her head at me lightly. I then looked to the doctor and smiled.

"No. We would rather it be a surprise. It's a little more enjoyable that way."

The doctor nodded and printed out a picture of the Ultrasound. He gave it to Maddi and shut off the machine.

"Vell, other zan some minor checkup formalities, you von't be here for much longer. I just need you height, veight, and age."

He motioned for Maddi to stand, and I helped her up. We walked her into a room with a scale, and she was made to stand on it. The doctor sharted her weight and her height. He then asked her for her age. Maddi paused. She couldn't remember her age, nor could she remember her birthday.

"She's nineteen." I said, speaking up for her.

I kept track of her age, and mine. Why I did it, I don't exactly know. Mostly just to pass the time I guess. Either way, it came in handy. The doctor nodded and wrote it down before putting his chart into a file cabinet.

"Vell, from ze looks of things, you vill be due in three months. Ze date is the fifth of September. So around ze ninth of December vill be your due date."

He dismissed us and we headed back to our house. Once there, Sandy greeted us at the door. I had Maddi sit on the couch and relax while I fed the dog and made us Lunch. There we spent the rest of the afternoon, just relaxing and talking. We decided that it would be best to stay a bit after the baby was born. That way the baby could grow up a little and be able to stand the travel. However, I didn't like the idea of staying. I didn't want to stay in one place, and especially one so big. The people were nice, but I felt something off about this place. It seemed almost too convenient.

That afternoon, Maddi and I also decided on a name for the kid. If it was a boy, we were to name it Alexander. Alexander was my father's name, and he was a great man. Then if it was a girl, the name would be Melissa. That was my mother's name.

The months between that day and Maddi's due date went by quickly and seamlessly. They were fairly uneventful. Then came the big day. The day Maddi went into labor.

"Nnng….Ah!" Maddi shouted as she was wheeled in a wheelchair down to the doctor's office.

"Maddi, it's okay, you're doing great." I said as I held her hand and pushed her.

Maddi's had was clamped tightly onto mine. Her grip was like an iron vice squeezing me nearly to the point of crushing my hand. However, I held firm and didn't try and pull away. Once we were in the office, the short doctor we had seen for her first appointment began to lead her into a room at the far end of the facility.

Maddi laid there on a bed with a blanket draped over her legs, which were spread apart. She groaned and writhed in pain until the doctor quickly pricked her arm with a needle. The anesthetic set in, and Maddi calmed down some. It didn't work fully, but it helped a lot, since her iron grip on my hand was loosened. I sighed in relief and sat in a chair next to the bed, still holding onto her hand.

"Alright, let's see vat ve have here." The doctor said as he disappeared beneath the blanket. He then spoke up again. "Alright, now I need you to push."

Maddi nodded and she began to push. I reminded her to watch her breathing, and stay calm. After about fifteen minutes of pushing and breathing, finally, the doctor emerged holding a child in his arms. A nurse, whom was male, came in and wrapped the baby in a blue blanket.

"It's ein baby boy!" The doctor announced before handing him off to Maddi.

Maddi smiled, her hair a mess, and her face as red as a sunburnt lobster from all the struggling. As she took the baby boy into her arms, she held him lovingly and kissed his forehead.

I smiled as I watched Maddi hold onto our child. For a moment, it seemed the world was at peace. As if time had stopped only for that instance. It was magical.

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Alright, it's finally done! I finally put out the new chapter, and this one is BIG! Not just in amount of content, but in a few areas. Anyways, tell me how you liked it. Or hated it. Criticism is welcomed, but only constructively. Don't tell me I suck and call me a fag. Tell me why I suck. Anyways, so long, see you next time.