Episode 5

Bella sighed happily as she pulled her bags from her father's truck and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. She was surprised her father willingly let her and Jordan bunk together. Maybe he realized she wasn't a kid anymore, and it was time for him to let her make her own decisions.

"Bella."

Bella turned her head and saw a decaying woman hobbling at the gate. Half the woman's face sagged to her jaw, exposing part of the skull underneath, and her hair was matted and stuck to the side of her head.

"I was wondering if any of you would speak to me again," Bella whispered.

"Others. Not like us. Message from another."

Bella looked at the monstrous woman oddly.

"What message?" she asked, and the zombified woman stared with wide eyes and moved her jaw up and down.

"Bandits in the south. Stay northeast."

Bella nodded, heading toward the warehouse, and growled.

"Wess."

"Yes. Bella, pack safe. Stay northeast."

The whisper faded as the mutant staggered away, and Bella went inside.

************************************

"Hey, Bella," said Sarah as Bella walked through the door.

"Hey, Sarah. Is everything okay?" she asked.

Sarah nodded, putting her hands in her back pockets and looking around.

"Yeah, this place is great. Almost like being on the farm again."

Bella laughed and gave the girl a clever look.

"Except for the missing cows and wide open range," she teased, and Sarah laughed.

"I agree. This place was a great find. Better from jumping from place to place. I've had it with the Berzerkers," she added, and Sarah looked at her oddly.

"Berzerkers?" she asked, and Bella chuckled, nodding.

"That's what Jordan and I are calling the mutants we can't control," she explained, and Sarah nodded.

"I like it. I hope you're still hungry after snacking on your brother. Mike, Bonnie, and I are making something special for the group," she said.

Bella laughed and nodded.

"I'm actually starving. I should go put these bags in my room. Get this. My father. Stubborn, overprotective Abraham. I'm sure you've heard of him. Doesn't have a problem with me and Jordan bunking together," she said, and Sarah gasped dramatically, putting her hand over her heart.

"No way. How did you pull that one off?" she asked, walking up the steps with Bella.

"It was actually his idea."

"You're kidding. You and Dale snuck around for a while before telling your father ya'll's was together," said Sarah, and Bella laughed, nodding.

"I know. My Dad caught Jordan kissing me in the truck, and when he banged on the side, I thought I was about to get my ass chewed, but he wasn't even mad," she explained.

Sarah looked at Bella thoughtfully and sighed.

"Well, you're nineteen going on twenty. Maybe your father realizes you're not a kid anymore, or being with Dale broke the ice on the whole relationship thing?"

Bella blew a breath, standing in the doorway and watching her father and Jordan talking at the end of the hallway.

"Maybe," she breathed, and Sarah gently smiled, touching her shoulder.

"When you're finished unpacking, you and Jordan come down and get something to eat. Especially if ya'll planning to drink that," she said, gesturing to the bottle, and Bella laughed, nodding.

*************************************

Abraham and Jordan stood at the end of the hallway talking with Charlie, Bonnie, and Andy, and Bella walked into her and Jordan's room. She put in her earbud and swayed to the music, putting her stuff away and making the top bunk. When she was finished, she began twirling and dancing in the middle of the room.

She pulled her hair down, shook it out, and moved to the beat, singing along.

"Hey, Bell," said Charlie, walking into the room.

He stopped, staring at his sister, and she grabbed his hands, pulling him closer. Bella put the other earbud in his ear, and they danced to the beat. She made hand gestures, and Charlie nodded, singing along. They laughed as Bella twirled her brother around, and Abraham and Jordan stopped in the doorway.

Jordan snickered, and Abraham laughed. He was fortunate to have kids who got along so well and knew they would take care of each other if anything happened to him. Bella and Charlie collapsed on Jordan's bunk, breathing heavily and laughing.

"I wish we had a speaker system so everyone could hear what we're listening to and not think we're totally crazy," breathed Charlie, twisting one of his sister's rings around her finger.

"Tell you what. Maybe I can make something out of Dad's old truck system like how I made one for your class project," she suggested, and Charlie grinned, nodding.

"Alright. Come on, you two. It's supper time," said Abraham, and Bella and Charlie scrambled off the bunk.

Bella threw the earbuds on the bed and noticed Jordan giving her a strange look.

"What?" she asked, and Jordan shook his head.

"Nothing. It's awesome you and Charlie get along so well. Not many siblings have that type of bond."

"We're half-siblings. Megan was his Mom and my second Mom after mine died. That's why I stand out," she said, and Charlie pulled her out of the room.

Jordan gave Abraham a puzzled look, and Abraham laughed.

"She means the hair," he snickered.

"Oh," mumbled Jordan, and they walked downstairs.

********************************

"Bella," whispered Jordan, rubbing her forehead with his thumb.

Bella opened her eyes and smiled. He was shirtless, covered in fresh water droplets, and she noticed a towel wrapped around his waist. She looked at him with big eyes and snorted.

"Why don't you put some clothes on?" she asked.

Jordan snickered, touching her face, and snuck a kiss. Bella squeaked and turned over, facing the wall. He laughed, walked to his dresser, and pulled on his pants.

"Playing cat and mouse, I see. Don't worry, baby girl. I'm always up for a challenge," he said in a deep voice, hanging his towel, and Bella snorted.

"Sarah has breakfast ready. I believe it's powdered eggs and crackers. Time to rise, little bird," he added.

She made a face, huffed a breath, and pulled the blanket over her head.

"But I don't want to," she mumbled.

"Well, then, guess I better finds a new riding partner. Wonder if Sarah would like to go for a ride," he teased, smirking, and Bella pulled the blanket back, eyeing him suspiciously.

"See. You're already replacing me," she sighed dramatically, and Jordan scoffed, climbing the ladder.

He maneuvered between Bella and the wall and rested his head on his hand. Bella moved over and looked at him thoughtfully. He searched her eyes and gave her a knowing look.

"Girl, you're irreplaceable," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"I'm sorry if I struck a nerve. I was only teasing. Wouldn't want anyone else to ride with me. Just wanted you to get your fine ass out of bed."

Bella giggled. She noticed the scars on his torso and chest and lightly ran her fingers over them.

"What happened?" she asked, and Jordan sighed, enjoying her touch.

"My pops was a real asshole when I was a kid, and some are from when I was in the service. After being stabbed seven times, I retired and went into acting," he explained, and Bella searched his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jordan. I can't imagine what you went through. No wonder you look at my family the way you do. You never had that," she whispered.

Jordan chuckled, putting his palm on her cheek, and rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"You right. I never had that until I met my wife. After she and my little girls died, I never thought I would have it again until I met you," he said, tears pooling in his eyes.

Bella looked at him with care and put her hand on his.

"I'm not going anywhere, Jordan Baker. We're stuck together for as long as we live," she teased, and he chuckled, biting his lower lip.

"Likewise, baby girl."

Bella sighed, remembering the whisper from the other night, and knew she had to tell him. Jordan raised an eyebrow and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"What's wrong, love?"

She searched his eyes and chewed on her bottom lip.

"I need to tell you something," she said, slowly running her fingers across his collarbone.

Jordan sighed, feeling the calm wash over him, and closed his eyes.

"And what's that, baby girl?" he breathed, leaning his head against the wall.

"The first night we got here, I heard a whisperer when I went to get my stuff. She said to stay northeast. Apparently, our bandit buddies decided to leave Baker County as we did," she said, tracing the outline of his muscles, and he opened his eyes.

"So you mean Wess could try some bullshit again?" he sneered.

"Yep," Bella whispered.

Jordan adjusted his head and gave Bella a thoughtful look.

"You could have said something, baby girl," he said softly.

She searched his eyes and pulled her hands under her chin.

"You're not mad?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Nah. I'm relaxed, especially with you touching me, but you know you can't run off and kill the guy," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"But I want to, really badly," she whispered, resting her head against his chest.

Jordan chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, and she sighed happily.

"Let's just stay like this all day," Bella sighed, closing her eyes, and Jordan hugged her tighter.

"Aight. I'm down for that," he whispered, nestling his chin on her head.

Charlie walked into the room, yawning, looking at Bella and Jordan.

"You guys ain't up yet?" he asked, crawling on Jordan's bunk.

"Yeah, kid. We're up," sighed Bella as she pulled back and looked at Jordan.

He chuckled and pushed her hair behind her shoulders. Bella sat up and realized how little room they had.

"This bunk isn't big enough for the two of us," she snickered, and Jordan laughed.

She climbed down the ladder, and her brother looked at her. She had an oversized shirt over her shorts and slid her jeans on. Charlie gasped as she pulled off her shirt and laughed.

"Oh, you have another shirt on," he chuckled, and Bella gave her brother a thoughtful look.

"Duh! Do you think I would change in front of either of you if I didn't?"

Jordan chuckled, climbing down the ladder, and smirked at Bella.

"A man can dream, can't he?"

Charlie laughed, and she gave him a dirty look, sliding on her boots.

"You're a sick man, Jordan Baker," she said, and Jordan gave her an odd look.

"What?" he asked, looking at Charlie, and Charlie shrugged.

"Fantasizing about you and my little brother watching me change my clothes. Sick, man. You need some help."

Charlie hollered, laughing and rolling on the bed. Jordan stuttered, shook his head, and pointed at Bella.

"Aight, okay. Imma takes that L, baby girl, but remember I got you," he said, and Bella snorted.

Charlie laughed and gave Jordan a clever look.

"You can try, sir, but no man or boy has succeeded. Not even Dad," he said.

"We'll see bout that, little man," he said, and Bella looked at her brother.

"Well, come on, kid. If I'm up, you're up," she said, and Charlie blew a breath.

"Fine."

"Come on, guys. Let's get some grub," said Jordan, pulling on a shirt, and Bella and Charlie agreed.