Page 18 of Dyana
“Hello. I’m Pastor Jeff. This is my wife, Marta. Welcome to our church.” Pastor Jeff clasped my hand in both of his.
“Hi. I’m Dyana,” I replied.
“Dyana found me on the side of the road and brought me home,” Amber announced.
“Well, thank you for that, Dyana,” Marta replied. “Amber is the resident firecracker and gets herself into trouble sometimes. We’re grateful you were passing through and found her when you did.” Marta’s tone was warm, her words were kind, but there was something well hidden behind them that made me feel unwelcome. She didn’t want me here. Maybe it was an innate distrust of strangers. I could understand that. “Please, join us for a meal before you get on your way again.”
“Of course, if you wish to stay longer, you are more than welcome to,” Pastor Jeff added. He missed the look his wife shot him, but I didn’t.
“Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll take that meal for now and consider your offer to stay.” I replied. I hadn’t planned on staying, but I couldn’t ignore the potential here. As I ate, I observed the group. They didn’t have many weapons, and what they did have were a lot of what you might have lying around your house. They wouldn’t last long without proper weapons. I happened to have a small stockpile of weapons. Throughout my lunch, people continued to seek Pastor Jeff’s direction. It was clear everyone here looked to him for guidance. As long as he accepted me, the rest would have no choice but to follow suit, and with the preacher in my pocket, I’d be in control. I learnedduring my capture that safety lies in numbers. As horrible as those officers were, they kept the town safe and zombie-free. I also learned that men will do anything for a good lay.
“Do you have any guns to protect yourselves?” I asked.
“We’re a passive community,” Marta replied. “We don’t believe in guns or violence.”
I tried hard to school my expression, but by the shift in Marta’s, I knew I hadn’t succeeded. Of all the idiotic things to say. How the fuck were these people still alive?
“I can understand how you would prefer to live that way before everything went to hell in a handbasket, but do you think that’s a wise position to take going into the apocalypse?” I challenged. “I think it’s ok to use a little violence when necessary. It isn’t a pretty world out there.”
“Speaking of,” Marta replied, “Where did you come from?”
I considered how to answer this and decided to be straightforward. “I was held against my will and...” I glanced around at all the little ears hanging on my every word and censored myself. “was used by the local police force as their personal stress relief toy.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Pastor Jeff said. He reached over and squeezed my hand that rested on my thigh.
I slid my hand out from beneath his and covered it. I squeezed it, forcing his hand to remain on my thigh. “Thank you,” I replied. “It wasn’t easy. I thought I would be safe there, but I wasn’t. I’m just searching for a safe place to exist in a terrifying world.” I looked into his eyes, expecting to see the heated desire I had grown accustomed to, and all I found was earnest innocence. A tingling thrill shot through me, and though it was admittedly tinged with guilt, I knew in that moment how easy it would be to wrap the good pastor around my little finger.
“You’ll be safe with us!” Amber piped up, appearing between Pastor Jeff and me. Stars shone from her eyes. It would seemI gained an admirer. I removed my hand from his and chucked Amber under the chin. Pastor Jeff’s hand remained on my thigh. Maybe more than one admirer.
“You think so?” I asked Amber.
She nodded emphatically. “Right, Pastor Jeff?”
“Absolutely, Amber,” he replied, finally removing his hand. “We have plenty of space.”
“I appreciate it, but I want to contribute to the community. I have several guns and would be more than happy to share them with you. I want to help protect the church.”
“That would be wonderful,” Pastor Jeff exclaimed.
“Do you really think that’s necessary, Dear?” Marta asked from across the table. “We’ve gotten along just fine as we are.”
“Marta, you know as well as I do that we’re running low on food and supplies. We’ve needed to go out into the world for supplies for some time, but we hesitated because we didn’t have sufficient weapons. With Dyana’s help, we will. Dyana is right. The time for passivity is gone. We must be appropriately aggressive in our actions, and even more importantly, appropriately prepared for anything threatening our well-being.”
I nodded as he spoke and smiled approvingly when he glanced my way. Marta looked dismayed but didn’t argue, supporting my theory that they all looked to Pastor Jeff to lead them.
“If you’re done eating, Dyana, I’ll give you a tour of the grounds and show you where you can sleep,” Pastor Jeff said.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” I replied.
“Can I come too?” Amber asked.
“That’s up to your mom, Amber,” Pastor Jeff replied reproachfully. “You still have to be punished for sneaking off alone earlier.”
“That’s right. And you’ll start by washing the dishes,” Amber’s mom announced, ushering Amber toward the kitchen.
“I’ll catch up with you later, Amber,” I assured the disappointed girl.
“Shall we?” Pastor Jeff asked as he stood.
