Episode 7

"So, how are things with the redhead?" asked Terry.

Dale sat at the table in the tower with his brother and Wess, and Wess poured them a drink.

"Going good. I can't complain. She makes me happy," said Dale, taking a drag of a cigarette, and Wess chuckled.

"You're a lucky man. Boy, she's a beauty," he whistled.

Dale sneered but remembered Bella gave him the broken nose and two black eyes starting to form and snickered.

"She's more than that. Trust me," he said, sipping his drink, and Terry snorted.

"I remember you being sweet on that girl her first day at camp. Taking her some squirrel and spending the night with her on the roof of her daddy's truck," he teased, and Dale chuckled.

"She was drunk and needed to eat something."

"But your whole plate? You didn't even eat that night."

Dale shrugged, downing the rest of the liquor, and shook his head.

"I didn't mind. She had snacks, and I ate."

Wess and Terry looked at each other, and Terry leaned on the table.

"So, what is your plan now? Are you gonna stay here with your big brother, or are you gonna go back to your lass?" he asked, and Dale shrugged.

"I'm going back. I'm not leaving Bella. She's probably freaking out right now because I up and left."

"Boss, we have a bike headed to High Point. It's the girl," said Chris over the radio, and Dale scoffed.

"You spying on us?" he asked angrily, getting up from the table, and Terry grabbed his brother's shoulders.

"Easy, now, little brother. He just likes keeping an eye on things. Nothing's gonna happen to your little peach unless you do something that forces our hand. Just sit down and relax."

Dale shrugged Terry off and sat down, sneering.

"Hold your position," said Wess and gave Dale a thoughtful look.

"Now you know just how much I know about your people. Where you go, what you do. I know your group was at that store in the south, and I want to know what you found and why my men are dead," he said, and Dale scoffed, shaking his head.

"Look, man. We found an abandoned gas station on Route fifty-nine. How you think I got a full pack of smokes? Found a couple of cases of water, a crate full of cartons, and my girl found a bag of green."

Terry could tell his brother was being honest and looked at Wess.

"He's telling the truth, Wess. They don't have your missing man or killed your men. Why don't you call off the Bandits and let the kids go," he suggested.

Wess sighed, looking at Dale, and nodded.

"Alright, take him back," he said and put his handheld to his mouth.

"Head back to base."

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

Bella sat on the monkey bars, sobbing and holding the cross pendant from the necklace around her neck. It was Dale's, and he had given it to her last spring to wear. She finished the bottle of rum she'd brought with her and threw it on the ground, watching it smash to pieces. She looked at the broken glass and screamed. The Bandits were all going to pay for what they put her family through and for taking Dale.

Suddenly, Bella saw bright headlights pull into the park, and she shielded her eyes, hearing footsteps approach.

"Dad, if you're here to lecture me, I don't think it's a good time," she said, clumsily climbing off the jungle gym.

"Nah, I'm not here to lecture you, little bird," said a familiar voice as the vehicle pulled away, and strong arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Dale," she whispered, hugging him, and Dale buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.

She pulled back, grabbed his face, and kissed him deeply.

"Bell, I'm sorry for taking off like that and making you worry. I needed to talk to my brother, and I knew you would try to stop me from leaving," he said, and she sniffed.

"Probably. He's one of the assholes now," Bella mumbled, and Dale searched her eyes.

"You done throwing your pity party?" he teased, and she huffed a laugh.

"Yeah, I think so."

Dale pulled her against his body, and she giggled.

"Good. Now, let's go home."

Bella nodded and climbed on the bike behind Dale, wrapping her arms around him. He smiled, hugging her arms, and sighed happily.

"Bell, you there? I mean, do you copy?" asked Charlie over the radio, and Dale grabbed it.

"Yeah, bud. Me and your sister are on our way home," he said.

"No! Stay there. The Bandits are here, and they found.."

Suddenly, everything went dark, and Dale and Bella fell to the ground, unconscious.

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"Found the man you brought back," said Charlie, but Dale didn't respond.

"Dale, did you hear me?"

Charlie and Bonnie hid inside Sarah's closet while the rest of the group dealt with the Bandits, and Charlie was trying to warn his sister.

"Hey, kid. Dale can't come over and play right now. He and his girlfriend are a little tied up at the moment," Morton said over the radio, and Charlie gasped, dropping the handheld.

"They have Dale and my sister," he cried, and Bonnie hugged him.

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

"Now, we have what belongs to us," sneered Wess, dragging Jordan toward his vehicle and handing him to his men.

"What are you gonna do to him? You already killed the man's family. Let him go," said Abraham, and Wess looked at him, surprised.

"You people lied to me," he said.

"Boss, do you copy?"

Wess grabbed his radio.

"Go ahead, Chris."

"We have the cargo and headed back to base."

Wess smiled at Abraham and the group and laughed.

"Now, I have something of yours. If you want it back, we will have to come to some sort of an agreement," he said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Abraham.

"Your daughter and her boyfriend," said Wess and snapped his fingers.

Two men dragged a beaten, tied, and gagged Terry from a vehicle and threw him at Abraham's feet.

"You can have this back, though. I'll be in touch and let you know what kind of an agreement we can make, or I may just feed them to the freaks," said Wess, getting the red SUV.

Andy, Sarah, and Mike gasped, and Abraham huffed a sob, looking at Terry angrily.

"Get up, you son of a bitch!" he sneered and grabbed Dale's brother.

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"You shouldn't have lied to us, baby doll," said Chris, holding Bella's face, and Dale and Jordan sneered at him.

"I really hate doing this kind of stuff, especially to a pretty girl like you, but you gave me no choice," added Chris, searching her eyes.

"You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't like it, you piece of shit," Bella sneered, and Chris gave her a hurt look.

"I'm a good guy, and maybe, if you're lucky, you will be the one we leave alive, and then I can show you," he said, running his fingers through her hair, and she shook off his hand.

"I'll show you a thing or two," Bella growled, and Chris chuckled.

"I bet you would."

He pushed her face to the side and picked up a small, flat piece of metal hooked to a car battery. Bella looked at him, breathing heavily, and shook her head.

"Please, don't," she breathed, blowing her hair from her face.

Sweat dripped down her forehead and back, and she felt dizzy. The Bandits chained them from a support post on the ceiling and shocked her, Dale, and Jordan with their gadget.

Chris walked toward her and gave her a thoughtful look.

"Again. I'm sorry, baby doll. You lied, and we hate liars," he said and held the metal against her skin.

She screamed in pain, looking at the ceiling and the beast within coiled inside her core. Dale and Jordan winced and turned their heads. Chris pulled the contraption back, and Bella hung her head, breathing heavily.

"Stop it, man. You're killing her!" yelled Dale, and Morton punched him in the face.

"Shut up."

Chris chuckled and looked at Bella. She whimpered and rested her head against her arm. He felt sorry for her and wished he could let her go. He hated when Wess made him torture people. It's not what he signed up for, but it was the only way to keep his position and stay alive.

Jordan looked at Chris, and his eyebrows shot down in anger. Bella and Dale didn't deserve this.

"Come on, man. Ya'll got me. Let them go!" he yelled, and Chris laughed.

"Oh, did we find a replacement for the wife already? I have to say, man. What an upgrade," he said, looking Bella over, and Jordan glared at him.

"I'm gonna end you, dog," he breathed, shaking, and Chris walked toward him with the shocker in his hand.

"What'd you say?" he asked, and Jordan blew a breath.

"I said I'm gonna end you," he repeated through clenched teeth.

Chris nodded and straightened.

"Oh, that's what I thought you said," he said and shocked Jordan.

Bella closed her eyes, hearing Jordan's screams, and then he was silent. She gasped, opening her eyes, and saw Dale and Jordan's heads hanging limp.

"Should we shock them again? Make sure they're out?" asked Morton, and Bella shook her head, containing a sob.

Suddenly, she felt something hard hit the back of her head, and everything went dark.