29. Cora

Chapter twenty-nine

Cora

I kept my cool as I went into the bunker. As soon as the door closed behind me, I ran the rest of the way downstairs. I was so fucking tired of being treated like a child. I had the right to defend myself just as much as they do. I keep asking them not to shut me out of things, and that's all they seem to do, so now I'll have to show them what I'm capable of. I got to the armory and hit a hidden button on the wall as I entered the room. The shelving holding the guns pops forward and then splits open, the shelves sliding along the wall to reveal a hidden area behind them.

Daddy had his paranoid moments, and if the government ever decided to search the house for any reason, he didn't want to give them a reason to accuse Daddy of gun-running or anything bogus like that. The truth was that Daddy had plenty of weapons that should only be used in combat. Which is the exact situation we are in now. On top of the guns, he made sure we had tactical gear as well. I pulled on my all-black outfit and knit cap and laced up my combat boots. I grabbed my M4, magazines, and night vision goggles and headed to the hatch.

The guys had tried to get it open the first day they were here, and then, as intended, it was out of sight, out of mind. I climbed the ladder, spun the wheel at the top to unlock it, and slid the cover to the side. Climbing out of the bunker underneath the truck took some maneuvering, but I managed to do it thanks to being so small. The guys wouldn't have been able to. I climbed out from beneath the truck and reassembled my gear. Once ready, I used the house's shadows to make my way to the woods. It was time to go hunting. As I stalked toward the first pair of men, it became apparent that this would be like shooting fish in a barrel. They weren't armed unless you counted the bow and arrows they were fumbling with.

"Now?" one of them asked.

"Not yet. Queen said she'd give us a sign. Then we light the arrows and aim them at the house," his partner replied.

So they planned on burning us out. Fuckers. Hearing all I needed to hear, I killed them both and continued through the forest. Queen had brought far more people than I thought she had access to. Too bad they were all going to die.

The sound of gunfire on the other side of the house told me my guys had come out to join in on the fun. I'd have to make sure I don't kill them by mistake. As we closed in on Queen, I quickly swept the surrounding forest to make sure I hadn't missed anyone. I then crouched down to watch her. Pretty quickly, she realized she was fucked and turned to make a run for it. That's when I stepped out of the trees, aiming my rifle at her face.

"I don't think so, Queen," I said.

Her eyes bugged out. "You found your voice again!"

The guys came stomping through the woods, guns drawn, and Queen completely lost her shit. She crawled toward me to try and hide behind me. "Cora, don't let those monsters kill me, please! You know me, Cora. Now that you can speak, tell them you know me!"

I looked between the guys and Queen in shock. Did I know her? The irony that she was calling them monsters when out of all of us, I was the one who kept killing her people was not lost on me.

"How do I know you?"

Queen's eyes bugged out of her head. "Are you kidding me? I used to dye my hair black. Kelly's sister?"

My brain glitched for half a second as the girl I knew three years ago popped into my head. She was two years older than us, and I only saw her a handful of times, but her hair had been black for as long as I knew her. "Dyana?"

Relief flashed across her face. "Oh, thank God!" She stood and rushed toward me with her arms open for what I presumed was intended to be a hug. She stopped dead in her tracks when I lifted my rifle and pressed it into her chest, keeping her back. "What are you doing, Cora? It's me!"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Maybe so, but I've only just remembered who you are. You've known who I was this entire time and still came to kill me, my men, and take what is mine."

"I wasn't going to kill them if I didn't have to," Dyana admitted. "Listen, it's a tough world out there. You have to do what you have to do to survive. Not all of us had cushy doomsday setups in which to hide away. You'd be shocked to hear the things I've done to be standing here today. I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is. If it helps, I'll apologize for my actions and the actions of those acting in my name. I'll stop trying to take your men and your house. Just please, don't kill me."

I looked at my guys, who had expectant looks on their faces. They thought I was going to kill her. I'll admit, I was tempted, but if we only ever do the same things, the world will never get better. "We could let her stay in the watchtower," I suggested.

"You can't be serious," Trent blurted. "She sent people to kill you. Her people tried to rape Remi!"

"I had nothing to do with whatever happened to Remi!" Dyana protested immediately. "As a victim of some truly heinous shit, I would never condone that. Ever."

"I still don't think it's a good idea, Princess," Isaac said.

I could tell they were all leaning toward Dyana's death. "Everyone is doing what they can to survive. It doesn't excuse their actions, but perhaps people might find their humanity again with a little more grace." I met Remi's eyes.

Remi gave me a small, understanding smile. I had made my stance clear but ultimately gave him the choice. He was the one who was nearly raped in Dyana's name. He got to choose her fate.

"We can always kill her tomorrow," Remi said. "At least in the tower, we can keep a better eye on her."

"I was hoping I could stay in the house with all of you studs," Dyana said. My growl quickly had her correcting herself. "But the watchtower sounds delightful. I always wanted a place with a view."

"That's another mouth to feed," Derrick stated.

"Oh, don't worry. Dyana will be pulling her weight, won't you?" I asked sweetly.

"Absolutely. Whatever you need, I'm your girl," she purred.

I looked at her in disbelief. Is she for real? I moved closer and flicked her on the forehead. "What the fuck is wrong with you. They are mine! Stop flirting with them all the time!"

"Sorry! It's hard to turn it off. I've spent the last three years seducing everyone I've met to stay ahead," Dyana replied.

"Well fucking try because if you keep it up, I really will shoot you," I promised. I looked at the sky. The sun wouldn't be up for several hours still. "Alright, let's go to the house. When the sun comes up, we will bring you to the watchtower."

"We're bringing her home?" Remi asked.

"Do you want to climb up to the watchtower in the pitch black?" I asked him.

"House it is," he replied quickly.

"I appreciate this, Cora. I know I don't deserve your kindness, so thank you," Dyana said as she stepped beside me.

I nodded. "Kelly was my best friend. She'd hate me if I killed her sister, even if you were acting like a bitch."

When we got inside, she looked around curiously. I grabbed an apple from the kitchen and tossed it to her.

"Can you guys carry the couch into Daddy's room for her to sleep on tonight?" I asked, gesturing for Dyana to go down the hall. "You can sleep in here tonight. The bathroom is down the hall. The walls are thin, so don't get any bright ideas. This isn't immunity. It's a stay of execution until you can prove you aren't a threat to us, understand?"

"I understand," she replied. "I promise you won't have to worry about me again."

We left her to sleep and went to our room. "Are you sure about this, Cora?" Isaac asked.

I shrugged. "We have guns; Dyana doesn't. What's the worst that could happen?"