Clara Xhang awoke with a jolt, the scream escaping as more of a short moan. The nightmares had become a regular nocturnal occurrence. She understood the necessity of postponing the resuscitation of the others, at least until recently. She and Adam could at first not be sure of food enough for themselves, and just staying alive had been a full-time job. They had endured months of short rations before they even got here, and the rations got shorter once they arrived. It was natural to want to enjoy the relative surplus, but they were postponing the inevitable. Their long journey from Mars had left them both weakened and depleted, and Mother Earth had not exactly welcomed them back with open arms.