Chapter 53 - Lily
Lily
“Ibrought your tea.”
Dean accepted the offered mug and took a sip. “Pretty morning, isn’t it?”
Somewhere, high in the trees, birds chirped their greetings.
“It’s stunning here. When people describe what home looks like, this is what they mean.” I breathed in the cool air and let the morning sun warm my face.
Dean shut the door to the chicken coop. “Let me bring in a few logs before we eat. It won’t take much.”
His grandfather had prepped for winter so well that over two-thirds of the wood remained for our use. Like the basement supplies, there was plenty to last a couple more years for when we returned.
I stared up at the branches above us. They showed more green and less white with each passing day. “Spring is coming.”
Dean followed my gaze. “Is it time to go?” He set down the wood to stroke my arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I had a dream last night.”
He tensed. “I thought the nightmares were gone.”
“This is different. Not a premonition; I don’t believe in those.”
“A warning?” he offered.
“A signal?” My nose scrunched as I searched for a better word and failed. “My father and Ryan. They’re hurting. Rose, too. I don’t remember any details now, only that they asked for our help.”
He shook his head. “Remember what I said about your subconscious?” Dean cupped my face and leaned in before continuing in a softer voice. “If it’s talking, we listen. Is it talking now?”
“I think so?”
Dean stared into the forest. With time, it’d become friendly, rather than the black hole we encountered when first arriving. Our neighbors were the birds and squirrels who had joined us the last few days.
The chickens clucked their opinion.
“Then it’s time to go,” he said, and smiled. “I’m not upset.”
My shoulders relaxed. “How did you know I worried about that?”
“Because I know you.” He stroked my cheek and kissed each one. “Besides, I promised we’d be back. If they need us, we go.”
My expression softened to match his. “This place is still our home.”
“Always, and forever. I have you, and you have me. When do we leave?”
“When can we be ready?” I asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“Are you ready?” Dean asked as we shut down our forest hideaway.
He made the bed while I cleaned the dishes.
“As ready as I can be. What about you?”
“You’re in charge,” he said. “My job is to play follow the leader. That, and protect you.”
We stepped outside, and I scanned the horizon with no luck.
“Where is it?” I asked.
“My best guess?” Dean pointed to the left of us. “Deer Lake is that way, as the crow flies. Unfortunately, we aren’t crows.”
Our backpacks held several days’ worth of food and supplies.
Knives hung from Dean’s hip, with the familiar shotgun strapped across his shoulder and back.
Without the motorcycle’s speed, we guessed three days of travel and planned for longer.
Dean plotted a route that let us hide at night, keeping us concealed until we deemed it safe to do otherwise.
I wondered if my brother had come home and about my father’s safety. I worried about Rose, who was afraid of her father.
“Let’s go then,” I said, closing the cabin door behind us. “Until we return. We will come back.”
“Until we come back.”
He took my hand, and we set out, back to Deer Lake, to our loved ones who needed us. We walked in silence, neither dawdling nor in a hurry.
“What happens if I change my mind?” I asked.
Dean didn’t hesitate before answering. “Then we change our minds together. After all of it, everything that happened, we’re together. There’s us, right?”
The early spring sun poked between two trees, casting its friendly light on us.
“You and me,” I said. Our arms swung, keeping time with our easy pace.
“Us.”
Thank you for reading Dean and Lily’s story in Us After All!
Rose and Ian star in book two of the In The After series. Coming soon!