Episode 9

"Thank you," said Edmond, and Abraham nodded.

The group was in the sitting room, and Bella poured everyone a drink. Mya and Jimmy volunteered to stay on watch while they got Edmond, Bianca, and the girls situated.

"So, what happened?" asked Abraham, and Edmond sipped his drink.

"We couldn't find the rest of our family, so we found an old farmhouse to stay in. We were there for a short period of time when these men who call themselves the Bandits or some shit chased us out of Baker County. We've been running ever since, and we lost Amelia to the freaks. It's been rough, man," he explained, and Bianca helped his hand, holding back her tears.

Andy and Abraham exchanged glances, and Mike and Sarah sighed sadly.

"Yeah, we know all about the Bandits," said Andy, and Bella hung her head.

Charlie hugged his sister, and Jordan rubbed her back.

"They killed Megan, Teresa, Liam, and Dale," she whispered as a tear slid down her cheek, and Bianca looked at Bella, Abraham, and Charlie sadly.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed, letting her tears fall.

Bella nodded, fidgeting with her rings, and sniffed.

"He wanted to marry me."

Bianca huffed a sob and put her hand to her mouth.

"You poor thing."

"I'm sorry about Amelia," Bella whispered, and she nodded.

Jordan put his arm around Bella's shoulders, and she leaned against his chest. The group grieved momentarily, and Edmond lifted his head, wiping his face.

"So, what's been going on with you guys?" he asked, and Abraham rubbed his face.

"We left the county about a year ago and have been here ever since. We have room if you want to stay," said Sarah, and Edmond nodded.

"Thank you. So, what happened to Steve?" asked Bianca.

Bella snorted as she and Jordan sat on the couch, and Sarah and Andy snickered. Abraham gave his daughter a disapproving look, and she raised her eyebrows, laughing.

"What? The dude was a total psycho, and Charlie shot him. He was going to shoot me in the face, remember?" she asked, leaning against Jordan and crossing her legs.

"Yeah, he did. How could I forget? You taught him how to shoot," said her father sternly, and Bella tried to hide her smile.

"You taught Charlie how to use a gun?" asked Bianca, surprised, and Bella blew a breath.

"Yep."

"Yeah, she did. Behind me and his mother's back," he sighed, and his daughter shrugged.

"It's the apocalypse, Dad. He needed to learn to defend himself."

Abraham shook his head, and Jordan snickered.

"I can't believe little Charlie shot his Uncle Steve. How did that happen?" asked Edmond, and Bella glanced at her father.

Abraham nodded and looked at Edmond's little girls.

"We'll explain everything once you get settled. We've had something strange happen and haven't told Jimmy and Mya yet. Why don't you guys get cleaned up, eat, and when the kids are settled in? The adults can talk? We can discuss it," he said, and Edmond nodded.

"Sure. We could use a little break from the strange and the weird," he said, and Sarah agreed.

"Oh, there's a shower room with running water. It's cold, but clean water," said Mike, and Bianca happily sighed.

"I don't care if it's cold. Better than bathing in the river," she said, and Mike nodded, giving her a knowing look.

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Jordan and Bella took Edmond and Bianca through the horde of decaying mutants, drove by the monster felines, and back to the compound. Edmond and his wife went inside to process everything with Abraham and Sarah. They weren't sure what to think.

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"You ready?" laughed Bella, looking at Jimmy. He swallowed hard and watched Mya climb on Jordan's motorcycle.

"Come on, babe. The freaks didn't hurt Edmond or Bianca. Bella isn't going to let anything happen to you," Mya yelled over the engine, and Jordan gave his brother a reassuring look.

"Come on, Jimmy. Just hang on tight. I got you," said Bella, putting her hair up.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bike. She looked at him with care, got on the bike, and gestured for him to do the same.

"If you're scared. You don't have to come," said Bella with conviction, and Jimmy raised an eyebrow.

"Scared. Girl, slide over," he said, getting on behind her, and Bella winked at Jordan.

"Aight. Let's go," he said, and Bella grinned, starting her engine.

Jordan chuckled, and he and Bella headed toward the horde. Jimmy pressed his body against Bella's back and wrapped his strong arms around her torso. She laughed as she sped faster, and his grip tightened.

Jordan saw what Bella was doing and laughed. Mya looked at him oddly, and he grinned.

"I think Jimmy's in trouble," he yelled, and her eyes widened.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Hang on tight," Jordan yelled, and Mya tightened her grip as he sped faster.

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"Bella!" yelled Jimmy, and his eyes widened as the horde separated, letting them pass.

He turned his head, watching everything fly by, and laughed.

"They're not attacking us," he exclaimed, and Bella laughed.

"That's because you're with me," she said.

"Whoo!" Jimmy shouted, raising a fist but not taking his other arm from around Bella.

He looked around, fascinated, and Bella giggled as they rode out of the horde. One of the tigers roared and began chasing them. Jimmy's smile faded, and he wrapped his arms around Bella tightly.

"We're being chased, Bell!" he exclaimed, and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Not chased, my friend. We're being challenged to a race."

Jordan pulled up beside Bella and raised his eyebrows. Bella snorted, shifted into a higher gear, and sped in front of him.

"Her bike's faster, bro," laughed Mya, and Jordan nodded.

"I know. This was Dale's bike. He was more into cruising," he said, and she only nodded.

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A month passed since Jordan and Bella told Mya, Jimmy, Edmond, and Bianca the big secret, and it took them a little while to get used to the idea. Abraham, Mike, and Andy turned part of the backyard into a garden and grew small crops. Like she promised Charlie, Bella turned their father's old truck stereo into a speaker system and set it up in the sitting room.

Bella and Jordan moved their mattresses together on the floor and put the small dressers, side by side, on the bottom bunk. The wooden structures fit perfectly, and the top bunk was used for extra storage. Jimmy and Mya saw how they did their room and wanted to do the same with theirs. Bella and Jordan helped them rearrange their room and were happy with the outcome.