Page 33 of Dyana
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 theworld 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.”
