Page 24 of Cora

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I grumbled, bending down to pick up the book and maps. “And I wasn’t asleep for long. I read the trapping book, and with what I learned and the maps inside, I think there’s a good chance that we could have rabbit stew for dinner.”

“Really?” Derrick asked excitedly as he followed me into the kitchen.

“Yes, but you can’t have any because you woke me up like an asshole,” I replied.

“Try and stop me,” Derrick retorted. “What do we have to do?”

“We need to gather the rest of the traps. I’d like to get a few lines set today for some of the smaller game and then try for larger game over the next few days,” I told him as I filled the tea kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat.

“I’ll go grab the traps!” he said, rushing from the kitchen. Now that there was a real chance for better meals on the line, the grouch was all sorts of ready to help. I heard him leave the house and then a surprised shout. Seconds later, Derrick came storming back into the house. “There was a fucking zombie out there!”

“Oh yeah,” I said as I popped a tea bag into my mug. “I heard one bumping around last night.”

“And you didn’t think to fucking warn me?” Derrick fumed.

“It’s the zombie apocalypse,” I replied. “I kinda thought you knew.”

“You thought I knew?! Well, thanks a hell of a lot for that, Isaac,” Derrick shouted, shoving me. “It’s a good thing I had my fucking knife on me.”

“What is with all the shouting?” Trent asked, running into the kitchen, followed closely by Remi.

I turned and shoved Derrick back. “Don’t fucking push me.”

“Your brother is a fucking asshole,” Derrick growled. He rushed me, dipping low and slamming his shoulder into my stomach. He used his momentum to lift me slightly and propel me backward, slamming me into the counter.

I punched him in the side a couple of times to try and get him to release me. “I fucking forgot about it! It’s not like I didn’t tell you on purpose!”

“Hey!” Trent shouted as he and Remi dashed forward to pry us apart. “What the fuck has gotten into you two lately?”

“If we start fighting with each other, things will get weird,” Remi added, placing himself between us as Trent hauled Derrick to the other side of the kitchen.

We glared at each other, breathing heavily. When he made no move to apologize, I bit the bullet and took the first step. “I’m sorry for forgetting to warn you about the zombie in the yard. I promise I hadn’t done so with any sort of malice.”

Derrick’s eyes narrowed slightly before he spoke. “And I’m sorry for pushing you. It had just startled me; honestly, it was a little closer than I would have liked. Because of that, I lashed out at you more strongly than I should have.”

“There, see,” Remi said as Trent released Derrick. “That’s more like it. We can’t afford to let rifts build between us.”

“We get it, Dad,” I replied, playfully shoving him before returning to my tea.

“That’s Daddy to your brother,” Remi retorted, snorting when I accidentally dropped my spoon.

“I didn’t need to know that.”

My groan got lost in the laughter of the three men behind me.

Chapter eleven

Cora

My heart was still pounding from watching Derrick and Isaac fight. It dissipated quickly, but there were a few nail-biting moments there where I was worried for them. I didn’t know what to do if they fought and split up. I’ve grown entirely too attached to all of them.

Now, they were making up a plan for trapping. Sneaking Daddy’s book and maps upstairs was risky, and I was happy to see that it was Trent standing guard last night. If it were one of the others, I wouldn’t have been able to make the drop. With Trent, I just had to bide my time and wait for him to fall asleep.

From the sounds of it, they planned to be out all day, giving me time to sneak more food upstairs. However, I’d have to get more creative with where I hid it. Of course, if I hid the food in a location that was too obscure, they might not ever find it.

“Where did you find this book?” Derrick asked Isaac.

“It was on the table when I got up in the middle of the night,” Isaac replied. “I assumed one of you must have found it and left it for me.”

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