Episode 16

Abraham and Steve walked through one side of the forest, and Dale and Bella were on the other. They spotted a group of turkeys and decided to use their bow and arrows instead of guns.

"So much for father-daughter time, huh, Abe?" asked Steve, and Abraham chuckled.

"Yeah, I knew it wasn't gonna happen. She seems to like the kid, and he's been good to us all. Bell's happy, and at least I'm not back at camp worrying about her."

Steve made a face and scoffed.

"You know what kind of people his kind is. Thieves, drug addicts, all the above, and you are gonna let her run around with him?" he said, and Abraham stopped, shaking his head.

"If it were his brother, then I'd be worried, but Dale's just a kid himself."

Steve snorted, and Abraham started following the turkey trail.

"Well, if she were my daughter…"

"But she's not, and if she were, she'd be doing this shit behind your back or worse. Now, back off and focus on the task at hand," Abraham sneered, and Steve scowled.

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"Bell, look," whispered Dale, pointing.

Bella saw how close three of the turkeys were and smiled as Dale stood behind her, helping her aim the bow.

"Thanksgiving's coming early this year," she whispered, pulling back the string, and Dale placed his hands over hers, guiding her posture.

She was still learning how to use a bow and arrow. Dale said it would be good for her to learn a new skill, and Bella was excited to learn.

"Now, just like I taught you. Take a deep breath and let it out when you let the arrow go," he whispered.

Bella nodded, looking down the arrow. She blew her breath and let the arrow fly. Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the forest, and Bella and Dale felt explosive pain in their upper bodies. The bullet went through the top of her shoulder and into Dale's bicep.

Bella fell limp against Dale's chest, dropping the bow, and they toppled to the ground.

"Bell?" he gasped, wincing and saw blood staining her white shirt.

He pulled the collar back and realized she'd been shot clean through the shoulder. Dale's looked at his arm with wide eyes, seeing he was shot too. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, but the pain started creeping up his arm.

"Bell, no. Please, wake up," he said, shaking her face with his good arm, but she was unconscious.

"Abraham!" he screamed, and Abraham and Steve ran to them.

"What happened?" asked Steve.

"I don't know. She's been shot!" Dale cried.

He got to his feet, pushing through the pain, and hoisted Bella up with his good arm. Abraham stared with wide eyes and began to sob.

"No, not my little bird."

"Where did the shot come from?" demanded Steve, looking around and saw a slender man dressed in overalls running toward them.

"Oh, no! Did I shoot somebody?" the man cried.

Steve stepped toward him and grabbed him by the collar.

"You shot a kid, man!" he yelled, and the man put his hands up.

"I swear, I didn't see her," the man cried.

Dale felt a sharp pain shoot through his arm, making him dizzy, and he looked at his bleeding arm. He blew a shaky breath and looked at Abraham.

"What do we do now, man?" he breathed as everything went dark, and Abraham and Steve watched them fall to the ground.

Abraham ran to them, and he discovered the wound in Dale's arm. He stifled a sob and looked at Steve.

"Dale's been shot, too," he said, scooping his daughter in his arms, and Steve gave him a clueless look.

"What do we do now?"

The man sighed, knowing his family wouldn't be happy about strangers coming onto the property, but he knew he had to do the right thing. He sighed and looked at Abraham.

"My farm isn't far. It's about half a mile through the field. We have a doctor," he said, and Steve sneered at the shooter.

"You're gonna help me carry my niece's boyfriend," he said, and the man nodded.

"Name's Marcus," he said as Steve let him go.

Steve and Marcus hoisted Dale on their shoulders and ran toward the man's farm.

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

Sarah Cline was on her front porch when she heard yelling from the field and looked through the sight of her shotgun. She saw her brother Marcus and another man carrying a young man and another man carrying a teenage girl.

"Waylon! Marshall!" she yelled, and two thin brown-haired men wearing overalls came out of the house.

Abraham, Steve, and Marcus approached the porch, and Abraham sobbed.

"Please, help my daughter and her boyfriend. They've been shot by one of yours," he cried, and Sarah looked at her brother, baffled.

"Marcus?" she asked, and he nodded sadly.

Sarah shook her head and looked at Abraham.

"Can you help them or not? Man said you had a doctor?" said Steve, and Sarah nodded, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah. Waylon, grab the medical supplies and bring them to Dad's room. We will take them in there," she said, and her brothers nodded, running into the house.

Sarah nodded to Abraham and Steve.

"Bring them inside."

Abraham carried Bella inside the room and put her on one side of the bed. He helped Steve with Dale and laid him next to her. Sarah made Abraham and Steve step back while she looked over Bella and Dale's wounds, and she saw they weren't as bad as she'd thought.

"Alright. Looks like the bullet went straight through muscle and missed the bone in your daughter's shoulder. She's gonna need stitches on both sides and plenty of rest for it to heal. Your son is gonna need the bullet removed from his arm and stitches. I can help them. I have everything I need here on the farm except something for the pain," Sarah explained.

Abraham nodded, rubbing his face, and then put his hand up.

"Wait. We have stuff for pain. My daughter raided a few hospitals on our travels, and Dale isn't my son. He's her boyfriend, sort of. They're like a thing. I don't know," he mumbled, and Sarah only nodded.

"Alright, perfect. Bring me what you have, and we can see what we have to work with," she said.

Suddenly, Bella's eyes flew open, and she saw Dale lying beside her, not moving. She felt the unbearable pain in her shoulder and tried to move. The pain surged, and she started sobbing.

"What happened to us?" she cried, and Abraham went to the bedside.

"Bell, honey. I'm right here," he cried, kneeling beside the bed.

"Daddy, it hurts so much," she sobbed, and her father held her hand.

"I know, little bird, but don't worry. We'll get you and Dale fixed up in no time."

Bella looked at her father with wide eyes, and tears ran down her cheeks.

"What happened to Dale?" she whispered, and Abraham rubbed his daughter's hand with his thumb.

"You both were shot," he explained, watching Bella's eyes flutter and close.

He kissed her forehead, rising to his feet, and Sarah looked at him.

"We need that medication, now," she said, and Abraham nodded, rubbing his face, and Waylon stepped through the door.

"I can drive you. Where you folks staying?" he asked.

"Grandmal Park, out at High Point," said Steve, and Waylon nodded.

"It's not far. Come on."

Abraham nodded, looking at his daughter and Dale, and left the room.

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

"Mom!" yelled Charlie, splashing and swimming around, and Bonnie splashed him, giggling.

Megan, Andy, and Teresa sat on the pool's edge with their feet in the water and watched the kids play. Suddenly, they heard a gunshot in the distance and looked at each other.

"That was a gunshot," breathed Megan, worried.

"Didn't Abraham and Steve go hunting with Bella and Dale?" asked Teresa, and Megan nodded.

"Yeah, but why the gunshot? Dale taught them how to hunt with bows," said Andy, and Megan shrugged.

"I don't feel right," she said, and Andy touched her shoulder.

"I'm sure they're fine."

Megan only nodded, but she felt a tingling on the back of her neck and a gut feeling he was wrong.

"I just hate when they go out there. I worry about them all the time," she said, and Teresa nodded.

"Of course you do. That's your family," she said, and Megan gave her an unsure look.

"But something about this time. I have a bad feeling."

Andy rubbed her shoulder and gave her a thoughtful look.

"You know your daughter is a fighter. During the attack, she took out eight of those things in one swipe. I think Bella can take care of herself and won't let anything happen to her father or Dale," he said, and Megan nodded.

"Those three are the ones I'm worried about. Steve is still on a rampage, and I don't trust him anymore," she confessed, and Teresa snorted.

"Your kids don't even like him. No one in the camp likes him. Everyone is just tolerating him until you and Abraham decide what to do with him."

Megan looked at Andy and Teresa, and Charlie swam up to him.

"Yeah, Mom. No one likes that guy," he said, and Megan stared at her son.

"Question is, what do we do with him?" he asked and swam away.