Episode 12

Dale and Bella turned onto the main road, and Bella did tricks, making Dale laugh. She gained speed, popped a wheelie, and spun the bike on its back tire. He shook his head, and Bella dropped the front tire on the pavement. A few minutes later, they slowed to a stop and pulled to the side of the road.

Bella sighed, looking out at the afternoon sky, and fidgeted with her hands.

"Your Dad can be a hard ass on you, sometimes," said Dale, and Bella shrugged, lighting a joint.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it. I've lived with him for seventeen years, and he's never changed," she sighed, handing him the joint, and Dale laughed.

"Well, now it's just you and me for the time being," he said.

Bella dramatically put her hands up to her face and inhaled deeply.

"Oh, whatever shall I do? I'm alone with a strange man and so far away from camp," she said.

Dale laughed as Bella got off her bike and got on the front of his, facing him. Dale scooted back, giving her room, and she gave him a clever look.

"You don't want to kill me, do you, Dale?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

He chuckled, taking a hit and blowing out the smoke.

"Far from that," he said, and she blushed, taking the joint.

She blew a breath, adjusting herself, and took a puff.

"Good. I don't think you're on my kill list, either."

Dale looked at her oddly.

"You don't think, or you don't know?"

Bella shrugged, pulled her hair out of the messy bun, let her hair fall over her shoulders, and put the scrunchie around her wrist.

"I haven't decided yet," she said, leaning back, and Dale saw the scar peeking out from the bottom of her shirt.

Gently, he ran his fingers across it, and Bella shivered.

"That feels so weird," she giggled, and Dale pulled his hand back.

"What happened?"

She pulled her shirt up, showing the scar from her armpit, and disappeared underneath the waistband of her jeans.

"This is my first motorcycle battle scar. About a year ago, I was riding one of the military cycles, and a dog ran out in front of me. As I slid across the pavement, the fender sliced me," she explained, running her finger down the scar and pulling her shirt down.

"Brutal. So, how did you know what to do? I mean, your Dad said you're the reason my brother and the others got out of the city alive."

Bella chuckled, pulling her hair up, and straightened.

"I used to read these comics when I was a kid about zombie apocalypses, and when Dad and I woke up, it was like the stories had come to life, so I did what the main characters did. Stab them in the head, cut off all brain functions, and they die," she explained, playing with a loose string of Dale's jeans.

"You mean like Dead Alive? That was my favorite, growing up," laughed Dale.

Bella leaned on her hands and looked at him thoughtfully.

"So, you don't think I'm crazy?"

"Nah, I don't think you're crazy. Honestly, when things went to shit, I thought the same thing."

She smiled and gave him a clever look.

"So, we're both the crazy ones stuck in a world full of clueless old people."

Dale laughed, and Bella leaned back on the handlebars.

"I guess you could say that," he said and threw the roach.

Suddenly, Bella heard a strange noise in the distance and turned. Oddly, she saw a large, thick cloud of dust and looked at Dale with wide eyes.

"Do you have binoculars?"

"Yeah, here in my saddle bag," he said, pointing.

"Lean back."

"What?" he asked, and Bella sighed.

She leaned over Dale, making him tilt backward, and reached into the saddle bag. She pulled out the binoculars and searched his eyes.

"Thanks," she said, and he blew a breath, nodding.

"You have pretty eyes," Bella said, spinning around and facing forward.

She looked through the binoculars at the enormous cloud and the ground. Her eyes widened as she gasped, seeing hundreds of the undead stampeding toward them, and Dale scooted against her back.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

His breath tickled the back of her neck, sending tingles down her spine, and she blew a shaky breath.

"Look," she whispered, handing him the binoculars.

Dale looked through them and inhaled sharply.

"There's gotta be thousands of them," he said, and Bella nodded.

"We better alert camp," she said, grabbing the radio, but Dale grabbed her hand.

Bella turned her head, and he searched her eyes.

"Why did you pick me to come out here with you?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I like having you around," she said, smiling and bumping his chest with her shoulder.

"Why did you agree to come with me?"

Dale looked at Bella and smirked.

"Well, when a pretty girl asks a man to ride with her, you don't say no," he said, and Bella smiled shyly.

"If you want to see where this is going, we have to alert the others and stay alive," she whispered, and Dale yearned to kiss her.

He only nodded, letting go of her hand, and smiled.

"Yeah, I'd like that," he breathed, and Bella smiled.

"Me, too."

Dale chuckled, lighting a cigarette, and Bella put the radio to her mouth.

"Little bird to papa bear, do you copy?"

Bella pulled the smoke from Dale's mouth, took a few drags, and handed it back.

"Little bird to papa bear, do you copy?" she asked again louder, but there was still no answer, and Bella sighed heavily.

Dale rested his chin on her shoulder, and Bella leaned against him.

"Maybe we're too far away. Why don't you get on your bike, and we'll head back?" he said softly, and she nodded.

Reluctantly, Bella pulled away from Dale and got on her bike. She smiled at him, starting her motorcycle, and he grinned.

"You've just become my new best friend," she said and drove off.

Dale shook his head and sped after her.