Episode 2

Bella and Jordan stood before the decaying disgusting mutants, and Abraham and Andy hid behind an old, rusted truck with missing wheels. Jordan looked at Bella as she sneered at the horde, showing her golden fangs. The mutants snarled at them but didn't stagger toward them, and Bella and Jordan thought that was odd.

"You ready, baby girl?" he asked.

Bella nodded, glancing his way and flexing her hands.

"Go ahead, girl. Do your thang," he teased, and she snorted.

She took a deep breath, making her eyes glow brighter, and she and Jordan heard the creatures whisper.

"Not our Alfa. Must protect Alfa."

Bella gave Jordan an odd look, and he only nodded encouragingly. She closed her eyes and exhaled.

"We don't want your Alfa. Does your Alfa need help?" she whispered.

"Inside. We not harm true Alfa and beta."

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Andy gave Abraham a thoughtful look.

"What are they doing?" he asked, and Abraham shook his head.

"Doing their thing, I guess," he said, and Andy sighed.

"I'm never going to get used to this," he breathed.

Bella's father snickered and nodded.

"Me either."

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Bella and Jordan looked at each other in question.

"There others like us?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Maybe," she breathed.

"Where is your Alfa?" Jordan asked the creatures.

The horde turned, pointing their bloody, mutilated hands, and Bella noticed a storm cellar.

"Down there."

She grabbed Jordan's hand, ran to the storm cellar, and opened the rusted door. He didn't mind when she held his hand when she was scared. It made him feel as though she needed him.

The energy between them was more vital than ever, but Bella kept her heart guarded, and Jordan understood why. She recently lost the man who loved her so much that he sacrificed his life to save her little brother. He couldn't compete with a love that strong, but he knew there was something substantial between him and Bella, and he decided to wait as long as it took.

They leaned the choppers against a nearby wooden post and stepped on the concrete steps leading down. They cautiously crept down the stairs, and Jordan linked his fingers with hers. The calm washed over him, making his mind wander, and he blew a breath. Bella squeezed his hand gently, and Jordan shook the thoughts from his head.

They reached the bottom step, looked around, and saw a dark-haired man and woman huddled in the corner.

"Hey, we're coming down. We're not going to hurt you," said Bella in a friendly voice, and the couple stared at her and Jordan.

"Are you human?" Jordan said bluntly, and Bella winced, squeezing his hand.

The couple looked at each other and back at the striped pair oddly.

"What do you mean? By the looks of you two, I'd say you weren't from around these parts," said the man, and Bella gave him a thoughtful look.

"Actually, we aren't. We were infected and somehow survived. The reason why my partner asked if you were human was that the freaks out there called you their Alfa," she explained, and the man only stared.

"Don't know what that means, but we were bitten," said the woman as she and her husband lifted their shirts.

Bella and Jordan saw that the nasty, black, and bloody bites were already worsening, and the infection was spreading rapidly. Bella grabbed Jordan's arm with her free hand and gasped.

"How long?" Jordan asked the man, and the man sighed.

"About an hour. Not sure how much time we have left," he breathed.

The man and woman were sweating profusely, and Bella sensed they were dying, not healing. Why would the horde call them their Alfa? She looked at Jordan with unsure eyes, and he rubbed her hand with his thumb.

"I don't understand. Why would those freaks try to protect you if you're dying?" she asked, and the couple shook their heads.

Jordan sighed, and Bella looked at him in question.

"Looks like we gots lots to learn, baby girl," he said softly, and she pressed her lips together.

She looked back at the couple, saw they were gone, and hung her head.

"There's nothing we could have done," whispered Jordan.

"I know," she whispered, let go of his hand, and grabbed her knife.

He grabbed his side knife, and they prepared for what they had to do.

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"Why'd they go down there and leave the freaks?" asked Andy, and Abraham shrugged.

"Not sure, but the mutants aren't attacking, so Bell must have gotten through to them," he whispered, peering around the front of the truck.

"It's so weird seeing the freaks act like that," whispered Andy, and Abraham raised his hand, watching the mutants.

Andy's eyes widened, and he held up his rifle.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know. Something's not right," Abraham whispered, and Andy peered around Abraham.

The disgusting horde of monsters snarled and growled, turning toward Abraham and Andy, and their eyes widened. One of the creatures growled at Abraham and staggered toward the old truck. The rest of the horde followed the mutant, and Abraham blew a breath.

"We've got trouble headed our way. Get ready," he said, cocking his gun.

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The man and woman convulsed uncontrollably, and the woman turned her head, growling at Bella and Jordan. The man snarled, looking at them, and Jordan raised an eyebrow. Bella sighed, looking at Jordan, and he gave her a knowing look.

"Shall we?" he asked, and Bella nodded.

Bella walked over to the woman, grabbed the back of her hair, and stabbed the mutilating zombie in the back of her head. The man grabbed her arm, about to bite her, but Jordan stabbed the mutant in the head before he could. Bella blew a shaky breath, looking at Jordan, and he touched her face.

"See, baby girl. I got you."

She searched his eyes and nodded. Suddenly, they heard gunshots, and Jordan grabbed her hand, leading her up the steps. They saw the horde attacking Abraham and Andy, grabbed the side choppers, and started attacking the mutants from behind.

Bella swung her weapon, decapitating four creatures, and made a face as coagulated blood and gore splattered her body. Jordan sliced through the last few left, and Abraham and Andy sighed, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, a horde of crazed mutants ran out from behind the building and charged toward the group. Bella yelled angrily, swiping the chopper, slicing through five monsters, and throwing decayed flesh and blood, and Jordan cut a few mutant's heads off.

Jordan looked at the long gore, covered weapon as blood dripped down his face, then at Bella. He was never into gore, but now watching her, covered in blood, taking out monsters bigger than she was intrigued him. He watched her elegantly slice through the mutants and stab two more.

"Bella, look out!" yelled Jordan, seeing a crazed monster run toward her.

Bella turned her head as the mutant reached her, and a gunshot echoed through the air, making her jump. She watched the mutant's body fall to the ground and looked at her father, blowing a shaky breath.

"Got your six, little bird," he breathed.

She nodded, breathing heavily, and then she wholeheartedly laughed. Abraham chuckled and wiped his face with a rag. Andy and Jordan looked at each other in question and then at the father-daughter duo.

"What's so funny?" asked Andy, and Bella shook her head.

"Near-death experience?" she suggested, and Jordan snickered, wiping his chopper on the grass.

"I guess that explains it," laughed Andy, and Abraham nodded.

"Alright. Why don't we move the bodies to the back corner and burn them? Then we can go get the rest of the crew," he said, and Bella, Jordan, and Andy agreed.