Page 58 of Dyana
We approached the closet, guns drawn, and at a nod from Bryce and Evan, I reached out and yanked the closet door open. A screaming flash of red exploded from the closet, and I had to drop my rifle to hang by my side to keep the attacker at bay. Instantly, I knew it was Dyana, but I had never seen her like this. I hissed as she cut my arm as I struggled to get control of her. I started to question everything when she leaned down and bit me. It couldn’t be true...
“What the fuck, Dyana?” I yelled, tightening my grip on her. She stopped struggling, and I looked at Bryce. “Tell me she isn’t a zombie.”
He brushed the hair out of her face, and I saw his relief before he spoke. “She’s alive, for now. Right now, I want to strangle her.”
“Bryce? Evan? Jack?” Dyana asked. She sounded confused, like she was coming out of a haze. I understood the feeling; that was how I felt this morning after she drugged us. I madesure Dyana was steady on her feet, and as soon as I released her, Bryce and Evan moved in to hug her while I assessed my injuries. The cut wasn’t as deep as I thought it was, though it was still bleeding a decent amount. She had bitten me hard enough that her teeth imprints already showed bruising.
“All clear, nobody is here,” Derrick said as he entered the room with Isaac right behind him. “Dyana! Thank fuck you’re ok.” His eyes moved to me and widened when he saw the blood. “What the hell happened to you?”
“She did,” I replied, pointing at Dyana.
She turned to see what he was talking about, and the blood drained from her face when she saw my arm. “Oh my God, Jack! Are you ok? I am so fucking sorry.”
“It’s fine. It looks worse than it is,” I assured her. Isaac pulled a bandana from his pocket and handed it to me.
“Wait,” Dyana said, turning back to Derrick. “Did you say the building is clear? As in, Harris is gone?”
“Yeah. But his car is still outside, so he’s probably nearby,” Derrick replied.
“It’s a trap. Cora! He knew you’d come after me. He wants to make me watch everyone I love die. He’s going after Cora! We need to get home!” Dyana chattered as she rushed from the room.
“What do you mean it’s a trap?” Isaac demanded as we rushed after her.
“If he isn’t here, he has to be at the house. You didn’t see how delighted he was when he made Amber kill herself. Hurting me physically wasn’t going to be enough for him anymore.” As soon as she got outside, she started jogging toward the bridge.
“Maybe not. His car is still here,” Derrick reminded her.
Dyana stopped and turned around. “The car! Oh, please, God, give us this.” She rushed to where it was parked and opened the driver’s door. “Yes! He left the keys in it. Let’s go!”
“I’m driving,” Isaac announced.
“You really think he’s at the house?” Derrick asked.
“I think Dyana thinks he is, and that’s good enough for me. She knows him best.” We piled into the car, and Dyana climbed into my lap as Isaac sped toward the bridge.
“Please, please, please,” she chanted quietly as she rocked anxiously in my lap. “Not Cora. Not Johnny. Don’t do this to me. Don’t take them.”
I tried to comfort her by holding her closer, but Dyana shook me off. “Please don’t touch me,” she said softly before returning to her pleas to God.
The closer we got to home, the thicker the tension in the car grew. We didn’t know what we would be coming home to.
“They’re ok,” Derrick said. “Trent and Remi will protect them. And we know Cora can take care of herself. They’re fine.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than reassure us.
“Stop the car!” Dyana yelled when we were nearing the house. Isaac slammed on the brakes, and I had to wrap my arms around Dyana to keep her from flying forward.
“What the fuck, Dy?” Isaac asked.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. We should go the rest of the way on foot so Harris doesn’t hear the car approaching.”
“Good idea,” Evan said.
As we approached, the smell of something burning sent us running. Initially, I thought Harris had set the cabin on fire, but that wasn’t the case. He’d dragged anything that would burn over the metal doors that led to the bunker, set it on fire. He was trying to smoke them out of the bunker. He must not have realized there was an indoor entrance. I was confused about how he’d found the hidden entrance until I saw Trent’s body nearby. Harris must have caught him as he exited, but not before Remi got the door relocked.
Harris didn’t realize we were there until Derrick was on him, tackling him across the flames. While Isaac checked on Trent, the rest of us helped Derrick with Harris. The man was surprisingly scrappy, and it took four of us to restrain him. “Hold him,” I growled when we’d gotten control. “This is for Dyana.” I reared back and punched Harris in the face. Blood spurted from his nose as I broke it. The sound and sight felt good. I’d make him pay for what he’d done to her and everyone else after her.
“The fire!” Isaac yelled.
I turned to see it working its way toward the house. If we didn’t act fast, the entire cabin would go up in minutes.
