Episode 2

"What happened to you guys?" asked Abraham, looking at his daughter's broken nose and bruised face.

"We met the neighbors. Turns out they're a bunch of assholes. Some big wig said he wanted to talk to you and punched Bella in the face," explained Dale, and Abraham looked at him in question.

"And you didn't do anything about it?" he asked, and Dale scoffed.

"How could I? They had guns pointed at our damn heads. The guy wouldn't even let me answer the radio!" he exclaimed.

Abraham sighed and nodded.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry for getting riled up," he said, patting Dale's shoulder, and Dale nodded.

"I get it. I want to kill that son of a bitch for touching her, but I wasn't going to get us or the kids shot."

Abraham agreed and looked at his daughter.

"You alright, Bell?"

"Yeah, it stings, but it also feels weird. I can feel it healing," she said with wide eyes, and her father chuckled.

"Are you still up for going on the supply run with us?" he asked, and Bella scoffed.

"Does bacon come from pigs?"

Abraham and Dale snickered, and she laughed.

"Yes, Dale and I will go change, and then we can head out," she said, heading toward the house, and Dale chased after her.

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"Hey, hey," Dale whispered, catching Bella and shutting their bedroom door.

He pushed her against the wall, kissed her deeply, and ran his hands up her back. He rested his forehead against hers, and Bella licked her lips.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, and Bella nodded.

"I am now."

Dale smiled and let her go.

"I'd like to punch that asshole in the face. See how he likes it," she said, pulling off her clothes, and he respectfully turned his back.

"You would probably knock him out. I could hold him down if ya want," Dale laughed, and Bella snorted, putting on her black pants, boots, and white tank top.

"Let's just hope we never have to see his face again. If we do, I feel sorry for him," she teased, and Dale grinned.

"Agreed."

They put on their holsters and headed out the door.

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"What do you want to do about them, boss? You know they're going to retaliate when they see what you did to that girl's face, and the kid said they had an army," said Chris, and Wess laughed.

Chris had dark brown hair and eyes, tan skin, and he was muscular. Wess looked out the window and back at Chris.

"We have more people than they do, and if they come looking for a fight, then we'll give them a fight," he said, and Chris looked at his boss oddly.

"Now that I think of it, you should have knocked that girl out as hard as you hit her. You broke her nose, and she didn't even cry," said the other man, and Chris scoffed.

"Shut up, Morton!"

Wess sighed and shook his head, raising his hand.

"Boys! Now, Morton brings up a good point. She didn't even shed a tear, but maybe the firebird is stronger than she looks," he said, shrugging, and Chris and Morton looked at each other.

"Prettiest girl I've seen in a long time," Chris murmured, and Wess chuckled, grabbing his shoulder.

"I can agree, but she's a young one. Let them be for now. I'm sure my message will be clear to them," he said.

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Bella, Dale, Abraham, and Andy found an abandoned superstore a few miles further than they usually traveled on supply runs. They were surprised to find it still stocked with food, supplies, and other valuable miscellaneous items. They parked the vehicle and went inside.

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Bella was in the back of the store, sweeping for the undead, when she heard the eerie whisper.

"We won't hurt you."

She shivered, shining her flashlight, and said five decaying mutants staggering in place. She sighed, pulled her knife, and walked toward them.

"We don't hurt the Alfa or chosen pack. We protect. All you have to do is call."

Bella stopped, shook her head, and stared in disbelief as the small group staggered away from her.

"What the hell?" she breathed.

She heard Dale's chirp and headed toward the front of the building.

"All clear?" asked Abraham, and Andy and Dale nodded.

Bella looked toward the back of the building in question, and her father touched her shoulder gently. She jumped and looked at him.

"Is there something back there?" he asked, and she gave him a strange look.

"Yeah, I mean no. I mean, there was. About five of the freaks, but they walked away from me," she said, creasing her brow.

"They just walked away from you, just like that?" asked Andy, and Bella nodded.

"Strange," said Dale, and Abraham agreed.

Abraham searched Bella's eyes, and she nodded.

"No worries, they're gone," she said.

"Okay, gather what you can, and let's get the hell out of here. This place already gives me the creeps," said Abraham, and everyone agreed.

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Bella filled her duffle bags with medical supplies, clothes, and odds and ends and wandered into the toy section. She found a few things for Charlie and Bonnie and smiled as she put them in one of the bags. Suddenly, she heard a growl and turned around, pulling her gun.

Surprisingly, she saw a decaying woman hiding behind a shelf, and Bella looked at the creature oddly.

"Bella. They coming. Get out!"

Her eyes widened, realizing the undead woman was speaking to her, and she shook her head.

"You're talking to me, right?" she whispered, and the mutant bobbed her head.

"Go now. They coming."

Without another word, she grabbed her duffle bags, ran to the front of the store, and whistled. Abraham, Andy, and Dale ran toward her with their bags, and she hit the front door.

"We have to go now!" she said, running outside and throwing her bags in the back of the truck.

"Why? What'd you see?" asked Dale as he, Abraham, and Andy threw their bags in the vehicle, and Bella gave them a thoughtful look.

"I'll explain later. Just trust me. Let's go."

Abraham, Andy, Dale, and Bella got in the truck, and Abraham stepped on the gas. Bella looked out the back window and saw two vehicles drive up to the super center as her father turned onto the main road. She blew a breath, leaning against the seat, not sure what had just happened, but in a way, glad it did.

Dale looked at Bella, and she smirked.

"I think I've developed a new power," she breathed, and her father glanced at her in the mirror.

"What do you mean?" asked Andy, and Bella looked at Dale.

"Remember when we were at High Point when I heard something telling us to leave, and we ended up running into those goons?" she asked.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, I heard the same whisper back there, and it was coming from a freak. It said to get out of there. They're coming, and look, the goons showed up. The group in the freezer section at the other place said they must protect me and my pack. I think I have some sort of mental connection with the undead or something. I know I sound like a complete nutcase right now," she babbled.

Andy looked at her momentarily and nodded.

"I agree. Complete and total nut job. Good luck, Dale," he teased, and Bella wrinkled her nose.

"So, you're saying the undead warned you?" asked Abraham, and she leaned on the back of the seat, nodding.

"You know, Sarah took my blood. She tried to figure out how I survived and if there was a cure, but she didn't find one. She can't even figure out how I became a super freak," she breathed, and Dale rubbed her back.

"Yeah, I know she did. For the record, I'm glad you survived," said her father, and Bella nodded, fidgeting with her hands.

Dale scooted closer to Bella and looked at her with care.

"You're not one of those things, little bird. You're one of a kind," he said, and she smiled, leaning into him.

"I know. I just wish I knew what I was and what to expect."

"We'll figure it out, and until then, you can keep them things at bay," he teased, and she snickered.

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"Bell!" exclaimed Charlie, running to his sister as she got out of the truck. Bella hugged her brother and pulled a duffle bag from the backseat.

"I found some stuff for you and Bonnie. Take this in the living room, and you two go through it," she said, and he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah, like what?"

Bella sighed, resting her hands on her hips, and gave him a thoughtful look.

"Oh, you know, some race cars and Barbies, just a bunch of pointless toys we don't need lying around."

Charlie sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Bell. Race cars and Barbies? I'm about to be twelve, and Bonnie's fourteen. We're not little kids anymore, and we don't play with toys!" he said, and Bella reared her head back, making a face.

"Well, excuse me. I didn't realize you turned into an adult. I guess High Point is out of the question now because adults don't play on playgrounds or in pools," she teased, raising an eyebrow, and Charlie laughed, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should go play race cars and Barbies with Dale. You play on the playground and in the pool!"

Bella snickered and shook her head.

"Take this bag into the house and go through it with Bonnie before I decide to stuff you in it instead," she said, pushing her brother gently.

Charlie laughed, took the bag, and ran into the house with it.