Episode 8

Bella slowly opened her eyes, and the basement room came into view. The men torturing her, Dale, and Jordan were gone, and they had been gagged and still suspended from the ceiling. Her wrists hurt where the chains dug in, and she whimpered softly, trying to ignore the pain. She blew a breath, and the smell from the gag was awful.

Bella rubbed her face against her arms, and the disgusting cloth slid from her mouth. She sucked in a deep breath of fresh air and looked at Dale and Jordan. They were still unconscious, and she sighed. She looked around the room and followed the chains to the ceiling, noticing the metal beam they were chained to.

She wondered if she had the strength to lift herself high enough to reach it, and she grabbed her chains. The pain in her wrists throbbed, but she ignored it. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Bella closed her eyes, limping her head. She cursed in her mind, realizing she had forgotten about the gag.

A large round man entered the room, looking at the hostages, and put his radio to his mouth.

"No, they're still out cold. Meet you at the front gate," he said, and Bella heard the man walk toward her.

She felt the man touch her side and slide his hand underneath her shirt. Bella gritted her teeth but tried not to move.

"I can't wait till my turn. We are going to have so much fun together," he said, rubbing his thumb on her hip.

She sneered and decided to show these assholes a thing or two.

"I like having fun," said Bella, wrapping her legs around the man's waist and looking at him with glowing red eyes.

The man gasped and tried to back up, but she tightened her grip.

"Look. I was only fooling. I wouldn't dare touch a freak!" he said, and she growled loudly.

"Too late. You already touched me, and I hate being touched by strangers."

Jordan and Dale opened their eyes, hearing the noise, and stared at Bella wide-eyed. They watched as she headbutted the man, and as he stumbled backward, she kicked him as hard as she could in the jaw. His neck made a sickening snap, and the large body fell lifelessly to the ground.

"I forgot to mention. I like to play rough," she said, glaring at the dead body, and Jordan and Dale made a muffled sound.

Bella looked at the guys and laughed.

"What? He rubbed me the wrong way. You know I don't like being touched," she said, and Jordan and Dale got their gags off.

Dale chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Jordan, and Jordan snickered.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" Dale breathed, and she giggled.

"So, what's your plan, baby girl?" asked Jordan, and she looked at him thoughtfully.

"Watch and learn, boys."

Dale and Jordan watched Bella lift her body to the support beam and swing her legs over it. She pulled herself up and undid the chains from her wrists. She crossed the shaft, let the guys down, and stood steady on the beam. Jordan and Dale undid their chains, and Dale looked at her oddly.

"Babe, what are you doing? We gotta go," he whispered, and she blew a breath.

"Hang on. I'm calling for help."

She closed her eyes, felt a tingling sensation in the back of her mind, and blew a breath. Jordan gave Dale an odd look, and Dale shook his head.

"We will explain later. I know we owe you one," he said, and Jordan only nodded.

They heard rapid footsteps heading their way, and Dale and Jordan hid behind the door. Two men entered the room, and Bella jumped off the support beam, using her chain to swing toward them. Before the Bandits could react, she kicked them in the head, breaking their necks, and landed on the floor.

"Ready?" she asked, looking at Dale and Jordan, and they nodded.

"Let's go."

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

Bella and Dale helped Jordan outside, and they stared in shock. Six decaying white tigers and a horde of mutants attacked the Bandits around the building, and Jordan swallowed hard.

"What are they?" he asked, and one of the tigers jumped in front of them, growling at Bella.

She smiled, reaching toward the beast, and Dale snatched her wrist.

"Are you crazy?" he asked, and Bella looked at him thoughtfully.

"It's okay. They're on our side," she whispered, rubbing the creature's blood-stained fur, and Dale pulled his hand back.

The undead animal swished its tail back and forth and growled softly.

"Come on," said Bella, adjusting Jordan's arm over her shoulders, and they followed the beast out of the compound.

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

"What are we going to do?" asked Megan, looking at Abraham, and he rubbed his face, shaking his head.

"I don't know," he said, stiffling a sob, and she rubbed his back.

"Terry knows where Wess is. Why don't we just ask him?" asked Andy, and Mike shook his head.

"You think he's going to talk to us after Abraham beat him to a bloody pulp?"

"He's gone," said Sarah, walking into the room, and everyone looked at her.

"What?" asked Mike, and she nodded.

"He took Teresa's car and left."

Andy scoffed and shook his head.

"We have to figure out something," he said.

"They took Liam and Teresa, and we couldn't do anything to stop them from killing them. No telling what they're doing to Bella, Dale, and Jordan," said Sarah, and Abraham looked at her in question.

"Jordan ain't one of us?" he said, and she gave him a determined look.

"He is now. He was taken under my care, which makes me responsible for him. If he's not one of yours, then he's one of mine."

Abraham only nodded. He had nothing against the kid and knew he wasn't part of a trap. Wess wanted to kill the man. He walked over to the window and wished he'd wake up from this ongoing nightmare, wondering if his daughter was hurt, scared, and alone. Was she with Dale and Jordan, or did they separate them?

He let his thoughts wander, and Megan rubbed his back.

"Bell was right. In a world like this, with people like the Bandits. We need to realize it's just not us against the undead anymore," she said, and he sighed, nodding.

"I know that now, but this isn't easy," he said, and she searched his eyes.

"They have your little girl. They're going to kill her, Dale, and Jordan out of spite," Megan whispered, and Abraham's eyebrows shot down in anger.

"It's not murder if they try to kill you first. You need to kill that bastard and get our daughter back."

He looked at the tears pooling in her eyes and sneered.

"We leave in the morning," he said, turning, and Mike, Andy, Waylon, and Sarah nodded.

"We get them back and leave Baker County," said Megan.

Everyone agreed and started making preparations.

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

Bella laughed, spinning and grabbing Dale's arms.

"Did you see that shit!" she exclaimed, and Dale and Jordan laughed, nodding.

One of the undead tigers brought Jordan his crutches, and he hobbled independently. Bella let go of Dale and danced to a silent tune in her head, spinning, making her hair fan out. Jordan chuckled, watching her, and one of the beasts snorted. They walked down the road with the pack of undead tigers and left the Bandit's compound in shambles.

Jordan watched Bella dance and hoped he would get to know the beautiful creature who saved his life twice. He was glad she and Dale made each other happy and wanted to be part of their family. The tiger next to him groaned, and he chuckled nervously. The creature was missing half of its face, and he saw the exposed muscle, dripping coagulated blood.

Jordan made a face, hobbling closer to Dale, and Bella laughed.

"Don't worry, Jordan Baker. You're one of us now. They won't hurt you," she teased, and Jordan nodded nervously.

Dale looked at Jordan and gave Bella a knowing look.

"I think we should start explaining. It's a long walk home," he said, and she agreed.

"So, Jordan, how much do you know about the freaks.."

The tiger next to Dale growled at him, and Dale put his hands up in defense. Bella snorted, petting the beast, and it started purring.

"They don't like that word," she said softly.

"My bad. Didn't realize the undead had feelings," Dale teased, and Bella giggled, nodding.

"They do."

"Uh-huh. So, anyway, what do you know about them things?" asked Dale.

Jordan looked at him and nodded.

"If they bite you, you turn into one. The only way to kill them is to stab them in the head, and they don't like noise," he said, and Dale looked at him thoughtfully.

"It's not that they don't like the noise. It's like ringing a damn dinner bell," he said, and Jordan nodded.

"Never thought of it that way."

He watched Bella petting one of the bloody tigers and made a disgusted face.

"You gonna wash your hands before you eat anything, right?" asked Jordan.

She snickered, turned around, and pretended to lick her blood-stained fingers. He gave Dale a disgusted look and snorted.

"You gonna kiss that mouth after this?"

"Maybe after she bathes and brushes her teeth," Dale chuckled.

Bella wrinkled her nose, winked at Jordan, and danced to her silent tune.

"She a handful?" asked Jordan, and Dale snorted.

"You have no idea, but let me get you up to speed. A little over a year ago, Bell got bit, and we all thought she was gonna die. I mean, I think she did for a second, but I'm not sure about that part. The bite healed and gave her abilities. Speed, healing, and strength, and her newest one is talking to the undead. Sarah said something in her blood made the virus evolve her into something else," he explained.

Jordan watched Bella sing to one of the tigers, and the beast seemed to enjoy the song. Her bright, blood-stained hair fell past her hips, and blood covered her hands to her elbows. He watched how she treated the ugly creature, and it touched his heart.

"So, she's like a super freak?" he asked, and one of the beasts snarled at him.

"Sorry."

The creature groaned, and Jordan looked at Dale.

"So, lemme get this straight, dog. The bite turned her into a super mutant, and she called these things to help us?" he asked, and Dale shrugged.

"Guess so."

Suddenly, one of the tigers turned, snarling, and the others did the same. Three tigers laid on their bellies and guided Bella, Dale, and Jordan on their backs.

"Come on," laughed Bella, mounting the tiger, and Dale and Jordan got on theirs.

Jordan sighed in relief, finding his beast's fur intact and not messy. The beasts rose to their feet and started sprinting toward the farm. Bella looked behind and saw the other beasts attacking a two-car convoy. She looked at Dale and Jordan, and they smiled at her.