Page 23 of Dyana (Love in the Apocalypse #3)

Chapter nine

Jack

A s soon as the sun lit the sky, I was out of bed.

I wasn’t surprised when Bryce and Evan were, too.

None of us had slept the night before, knowing that Dyana was out there somewhere and we couldn’t get to her.

I had wanted to go after her right away, but Cora told us that if we went after her in the dark, anyone who made it back alive wouldn’t be welcome on her property.

I could make the argument that technically the tower wasn’t her property, but it wouldn’t do any good but piss Cora off.

Something about that tiny blonde terrified me.

Once we found Dyana I had half a mind to turn her ass red for running off like that, for running away from me.

I was attempting to let go of those angry feelings.

Dyana was scared. I couldn’t begin to explain why she was scared of me, but I knew that approaching her with anger wouldn’t resolve anything.

After a long talk the night before, we devised a plan when we found her.

I’d let Evan and Bryce take the lead with Dyana.

She didn’t seem to mind their presence as much as mine.

We’d take it day by day from there. Slowly, she would come around.

I was sure of it. We headed down the hill as soon as we had everything we needed.

Cora and her guys were in the yard waiting for us when we descended.

When we reached them, Trent asked, “Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?”

“I’m sure,” I replied. “I know my way around town. It shouldn’t be hard to find her.”

Cora rocked her baby in her arms, giving me a stern look. “Bring Dyana home or don’t come back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.

We hurried down the mountain, significantly reducing the time it should have taken. I led us straight to Dyana’s house, hoping she was still there.

“Dyana?” I called. I checked the first floor quickly before rushing up the stairs. Her room was empty but showed signs that she’d spent the night there. At least we knew she was still in the area.

“Where is she?” Evan asked. “We would have passed her if she had gone home, right?”

I nodded thoughtfully. There were several places Dyana could have gone.

“I think I might know where she is. Come on.” With all the old memories getting dredged up, I had a hunch that Dyana might have gone to our spot.

As we neared the park, I saw her sitting by the pond and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Stay here,” I ordered.

Bryce grabbed my arm as I took a step toward Dyana. “I thought we agreed that Evan and I would take the lead with Dyana.”

“Trust me. This is our spot. I’m the one who needs to talk to her.”

Bryce looked at Evan for agreement, and at his nod, he released me. “Don’t fuck this up. We’ll only get so many chances.”

I nodded as I left them and crossed the overgrown grass.

Nobody knew that more than me. I approached Dyana quietly and sat beside her on the bank, looking around the pond.

Nature had run wild here. The grass along the edges was long and tangled.

The reeds were thick and tall. A family of ducks swam lazily around the pond.

“It sure has changed over the years without anyone maintaining it,” I commented.

“It has,” Dyana replied.

“I like it better this way. Change isn’t always bad.”

“Jack,” Dyana warned.

“No, hear me out,” I pleaded. “This feels like home. Not the place, the person— you. You are my home, Dyana, and I don’t care how many notches you have on your bedpost or bodies stuffed in the closet.

You’re my home, and I know a part of you still feels the same way.

Why else would you be here? In our spot, where we first said ‘I love you’?

If you truly want us to go, we will, but please let us stay.

Please don’t take away the only place I feel safe.

The only place I feel at peace. You make me feel like as long as we’re together, it’s going to be ok.

It hasn’t felt ok in four years, Doll. Somehow, in the fucked up world, I found you again.

That has to mean something. We’re meant to be together, and nothing else matters. ”

Dyana didn’t say anything as she continued to watch the ducks swim, and I began to get nervous.

“But listen, Bryce and Evan like you too,” I continued anxiously.

“Actually, I think they’d use love if they didn’t think it would scare you away.

We’re yours, Dyana. However you want us.

And if you only want them, or me, or one of them, or none of us, we will accept that and won’t push.

But please don’t make us leave. There are all kinds of families in the world, Dyana, and we’re the only family each other has left.

Bryce and Evan are like brothers to me. Give us a chance to show you. ”

I was unsure if I just fucked everything up, but I spoke from my heart and that had to be good enough. All we needed was a chance to prove ourselves.

“You don’t have to leave,” Dyana finally said. “But I’m not sure if I want to be with anyone. I don’t think I deserve to be, but I’ve been thinking about it. You’re my last connection to my family, and I can’t throw that away. But...”

She trailed off, and after nearly a minute of silence, I prompted her to continue. “But...?”

Dyana looked at me for the first time since I sat beside her, and the torment swirling in her eyes broke my heart. “But watching you inevitably walk away from me will kill me.”

Slowly, so I didn’t spook her, I reached a hand out and stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers before tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear.

I always loved her natural hair best. “Why are you so certain that I’m going to walk away from you?

” I whispered. “I’ve never walked away from you, Doll. Ever. And I’m not about to start.”

She didn’t believe me. I could see the doubt in her eyes.

That was ok. I would prove it to her. When she went back to watching the ducks, I gestured for Evan and Bryce to join us.

Movement caught my eye, and as I watched Dyana’s bag between us, it moved.

Cautiously, I unzipped the top, and a little head popped out, startling me.

“Who is this?”

Dyana pulled the kitten from her backpack and nuzzled it.

“This is Killer. I found him tangled up in some ribbon in the basement,” she explained.

Killer settled in Dyana’s lap and purred as she stroked his nose.

There was nowhere else in the world that the kitten wanted to be than right where he was. I understood the feeling.

“Dyana has agreed to let us stay,” I said as Bryce and Evan sat on Dyana’s other side.

I didn’t mention her insecurities. I could do that later when we were alone.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while.

It was so peaceful that we could almost pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist. That the outbreak had never happened.

That is, until we heard the unmistakable groan of a zombie, bringing reality crashing down around us.

“I guess we should get back,” Evan said reluctantly.

Dyana tucked Killer back into her backpack, and we got to our feet. As we started walking toward the bridge, Bryce spotted a rooster at the edge of the trees. We froze and stared at it, trying to decide what to do.

“I’m going to catch it,” Bryce announced.

“No wait,” Dyana said, holding him back. Before we could ask her why, the rooster ran off.

“And it’s gone,” Evan pouted. “We could have had chicken for dinner.”

“You’ll understand when we get back,” Dyana assured us. Her eyes glittered with amusement. This was the happiest I had seen her since arriving, and if that were what it took, I’d give up chicken for the rest of my life.

We got back to Cora’s without any issues, and as we stepped into the yard, Cora ran out of the house and straight into Dyana’s arms. “If you ever scare me like that again I will seriously kick your ass, Dyana!”

“I’m sorry. I should have shared my plans with you.

Next time, I will,” Dyana promised as we went inside Cora’s house.

I stepped inside for the first time and curiously looked around the little cabin.

According to Evan, a massive bunker was stocked below it with all sorts of goodies.

I wouldn’t mind checking that out at some point.

Dyana’s bag meowed loudly, and Cora’s eyes widened in glee as Dyana pulled Killer out. “You found a kitten!” Cora squealed.

Dyana handed the kitten to Cora and then turned and scooped up the baby.

She snuggled him close, and the boy quickly settled into her embrace, wrapping a lock of her hair in his tiny fist. The image of Dyana with a baby was like a punch to the gut.

Once upon a time, I had imagined what our kids would be like.

The fantasy of what if had kept me going many nights when I wasn’t sure I could face another morning.

And for the first time since finding Dyana, I realized that it might not be a fantasy anymore.

Evan slid closer to me and subtly smacked me in the back of the head. “I swear to God, Jack,” he said just loud enough for me to hear, “if you even begin to voice the thoughts running through your head right now, I’ll kill you where you stand. Don’t even think about it.”

I hadn’t thought I was being that obvious, but while the girls were oblivious, all the men in the room were watching me with knowing looks. Well shit, I had better bury those thoughts, because if Dyana even suspected I had kids on my mind she’d never stop running.

“I want a pet!” Cora said.

“Are you serious?” Trent asked. He looked at her like she was crazy. “What the hell do you call them?” He pointed first to his son in Dyana’s arms and then at Cora’s growing belly.

“Our children are not pets, Trent,” Cora laughed. “I’m serious, I want a pet.”

“They may as well be,” Isaac joked. “We’re not getting a pet, Cora.”

“Are you sure about that?” Cora challenged, a stubborn look crossing her face.

“I’ll find you a pet,” Dyana assured her.

“Anything with four legs lives with you,” Isaac replied.

“Speaking of animals,” Dyana laughed, the twinkle in her eye returning as she turned toward Derrick. “We saw RC on our way out of town today.”

“Where?” Derrick asked as he jumped to his feet.

“Here we go,” Remi groaned. “Why, Dyana? He just stopped talking about him, and you went and brought it up again.”

“Who is RC?” Evan asked, confused.

“Rooster Cockburn,” Remi replied. “Derrick is obsessed with tracking him and figuring out where he is keeping his hens.”

“We will have chickens!” Derrick exclaimed passionately. “And eggs! Just as soon as I figure out where the little fuckers are hiding.”

“The chickens went wild and are smart,” Dyana explained. “They hide in the woods somewhere, but we haven’t been able to find them yet.” She turned back to Derrick. “He was on the east side of the pond and went into the woods there.”

Derrick went into the kitchen and spread a rolled map out onto the kitchen table. He grabbed a red marker and studied the map before leaning over and marking the latest sighting. I looked over his shoulder at the map and saw that it was a map of the town with red dots all over it.

“You weren’t kidding,” I commented.

“Nope,” Trent chuckled. “He’s more obsessed with chicken than bear jerky.”

“How do you know he has hens?” Bryce asked. “Maybe it’s just him.”

“I thought the same thing,” Isaac said, “except we’ve seen him with chicks a few times, so the hens are out there somewhere.”

“Next time I go into town, I’ll look for them,” I offered. “I grew up in those woods. I know them like the back of my hand.”

“Dyana has been all over the woods looking for them and hasn’t found them yet,” Cora replied.

I scoffed. “Dyana may not mind roughing it now, but back in the day, she didn’t care much for dirt or the woods.”

Dyana stuck her tongue out at me and rolled her eyes. The action was so familiar that it took us both by surprise. A slow smile spread across my face as Dyana blushed.

It may take time, but we’d be fine.