Page 8 of Dyana (Love in the Apocalypse #3)

“That was my favorite color, but now I have two. I’m rather fond of the color of blood now.

You should keep that in mind.” I turned away from them and mentally chastised myself for interacting with them.

I needed to be careful because it would be all too easy to fall back into how things used to be between me and Jack.

There was a familiar comfort there that I hadn’t expected, but I couldn’t embrace it.

If Jack ever found out the things I’d done or who I’d become, he’d run away as fast as he could, and I wasn’t sure I could handle any more heartbreak in this lifetime.

Past

A week and a half after the incident with Riggs, I entered the kitchen to get a drink of water and found several officers gathered there with Victor. On the counter was a delicious-looking chocolate cake.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I wanted to apologize for the scene I caused last week, so I baked a cake,” Victor replied.

“It’s not for you,” Riggs said quickly. “I better not fucking catch you with a piece of cake.”

I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Since the incident, Riggs lost his standing as one of the top deputies.

I felt he didn’t deserve to be an officer, but I didn’t think any of them did, so that point was moot.

Because of this loss in status, Riggs was hyper-focused on anything he could control.

Two days ago, it was the amount of toilet paper I used.

Today, it was chocolate cake. Neither thing was high on my list of shit to care about.

When I opened the cupboard to get a glass, Victor asked, “Dyana, can you hand me a stack of plates?”

“Sure.” I grabbed a stack of plates, and as I handed them to him, he slipped a scrap of paper into my hand. I quickly slipped it into my pocket, grabbed my glass of water, and left the kitchen. Once I was safely back in my room, I read Victor’s note.

Don’t eat the cake! I laced the frosting with sleeping pills. Get ready; we’re leaving today.

Clever little sneak. If this works, most of the officers will be unconscious when we make our escape.

I went around the room and organized everything I wanted to bring when we left, so I could quickly pack it into a bag when the time came.

We just had to hope nobody figured it out before everyone fell asleep.

In an effort to mask my excitement, I stretched out on my bed to read a book, but I never turned a page.

Instead, I stared at my door, waiting for any sign that the sleeping pills had started to work their magic.

How long would it take? About an hour later, there was a light knock on my door.

I knew it must be Victor because none of the officers had bothered to knock. I opened the door and let him in.

“It’s time,” he announced quietly. “Are you ready? I already snuck food and my things into your truck. I also filled up the gas tank and added extra cans to bring. Even if we run out, what we have should get us far enough away that they won’t find us when they wake up.”

I quickly threw all my stuff in a bag and turned to him. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Victor put his finger to his lips and gestured for me to follow him.

Just because they were asleep now didn’t mean they couldn’t be woken.

If we were caught trying to escape, they would know what Victor did, which wouldn’t be good for him.

We crept through the station, past the officers still in the office, slumped over wherever they had been when the pills took effect.

Sheriff Finley’s office was the last door before the rear exit, and I peeked in as we passed to see him sleeping with his head on his desk.

I grabbed Victor’s arm to stop him and gestured toward Finley’s office.

The only things I hadn’t gotten back were my weapons, and we would need those.

Victor shook his head rapidly, but I ignored him as I tiptoed into the office.

I went to the glass case where they were being held, but it was locked, and the key was on Finley’s belt.

I held my breath and carefully worked them free.

Victor stood watch in the doorway, casting me nervous glances over his shoulder.

I brought the keys back to the case, and it took me several tries to find the key that fit.

I winced as the sound of the lock tumbling seemed to echo through the room.

Luckily, most of the weapons and ammo were still in the bag I had packed them in, though it felt lighter than I remembered.

I shoved whatever guns, knives, and ammo Finley had stored in the case into the bag and zipped it closed again.

I took a few steps toward the door, stopped, and returned for the keys.

Not having his keys would be pretty problematic for the good sheriff.

Victor cracked the back door open and stuck his head out to make sure the coast was clear.

Once he determined it was, we ran to my truck and threw everything in the backseat.

As we were about to climb into the cab, screams reached our ears.

We exchanged nervous glances as we walked to the entrance to the parking lot and looked down Main Street toward the screams.

There was one downside to drugging the officers that we hadn’t anticipated—the lack of security. Without them alert at their posts, a group of zombies had stumbled into town and was wreaking havoc on the townspeople. I exchanged a look with Victor, and we turned and ran for the truck.

“We need to get out of here!” I said as we jumped in.

“This is all my fault. We have to help them,” Victor said, rocking in his seat.

“Listen, I’m sorry that this happened, but if we don’t leave now, we might not get another chance,” I told him as I turned the key and the engine roared to life.

“We can’t just leave them!” Victor shouted. “Not everyone here is evil.”

“Maybe not, but everyone here knew what your father and the rest of the department were doing and did nothing to stop it,” I countered.

“It will take two minutes to kill them, then we can leave,” Victor pleaded.

“And what about the ones already infected?”

“The town can take care of those people themselves before they reanimate. Please, Dyana. Innocent people need our help, just like you needed mine.”

I sighed. “Fine. But we make this quick. Do you know how to shoot a gun?”

Victor looked at me like I was stupid. “Of course I know how to shoot a gun.”

“Then lock and load. I’m driving us close enough to shoot them, and then we’re leaving!”

I put the truck in gear and pulled out of the lot.

This was stupid. We were taking too big a risk.

I got close to the crowd and then made a U-turn so we could get away quickly.

Then, we both hung out our windows and began shooting zombies.

The added noise helped to attract their attention away from the fleeing townspeople.

“That’s good enough,” I shouted as I slid back onto the seat. We had taken out all but a couple, and the street mainly had cleared. They were on their own.

Victor stopped shooting and went to slide back into the truck when he was pulled from the window with a shout.

“What the fuck did you do to that cake, boy?!” Riggs shouted.

“Fuck!” I almost drove off. Almost. I climbed back out my window and pointed my gun at Riggs’ head. “Let him go!”

Riggs looked at me, his eyes devoid of all emotion except rage. “Who? Victor?”

“NO!” I screamed. Before I could pull the trigger, he pointed the gun at his son’s head and shot him.

“Now,” Riggs said, turning his gun on me and stepping onto the running board. “Get us back to the station. Give me any trouble, and I’ll drop you just like I did my worthless embarrassment of a son.”

Nope. I wasn’t going back. Either I was driving out of this fucking town, or I would die here in the street.

Deciding I would take my chances on being quicker than him, I started to squeeze the trigger just as a zombie came up behind Riggs and pulled him off the truck.

I relished his fate. I was about to get back in the truck and leave before I recognized the zombie.

“Oh, God. No! Kelly!”

Kelly turned her head toward me as if she recognized her name and snarled.

Judging by her appearance, Kelly had been dead a long time, possibly since the initial outbreak.

I had become a prisoner in this town because of my search to find Kelly, and in the end, she saved me.

Riggs shot her, but in his panic, he didn’t aim, and it only served to regain Kelly’s attention.

He screamed as she tore into him, and I quickly drove away, one eye on the rearview mirror.

When I was a safe enough distance away and felt Riggs had suffered enough, I stopped one last time and aimed at my baby sister.

With tears running down my face, I gave Kelly the final rest she deserved and then drove away.

I passed the police station just as Sheriff Finley came running through the front door.

I didn’t slow as he pulled his gun, but before he could take aim, something down the street caught his attention, and without another glance toward me, he ran toward the mayhem.

Victor was gone. Kelly was gone. Kelly had been my reason to live, and she was gone. I no longer had a reason to live.

Even as the thought ran through my mind, I rejected it with my entire body. No. I was done living for others. From now on, I’d live for me.

And I sure as fuck wouldn’t trust anyone ever again. The only person I could trust was myself.

Present

I jolted awake from the nightmare. I wasn’t surprised that I dreamed about that day, after where my thoughts were all day. Losing Kelly had been hard, but my time with Sheriff Finley had taught me several well-needed lessons, and I owe my time there a debt of gratitude.

I opened my eyes and screamed when I saw the three shadowy figures crouched over me.