Episode 5

Bella spun her cycle in front of the SUV, making the Bandits slam on the breaks, and they began shooting at her. She revved the engine, driving past the vehicle, and a bullet hit her in the shoulder. She winced, almost losing control of the bike, and steadied herself. Her eyebrows shot down angrily as she saw the gas tank and aimed her gun.

Bella pulled the trigger three times, and the bullets hit the tank, exploding the SUV. The vehicle rose ten feet into the air and came crashing to the ground. She spun her bike around and sped toward Liam's truck. Jordan stared, seeing the blood on her shoulder and shirt, and he looked at Dale.

"Say, man. She been hit!" he exclaimed.

Dale looked at Bella, seeing the spreading blood stain on her white shirt, and his eyes widened. She looked at him oddly, and he pointed at her shoulder. She pulled to the roadside and looked at the bleeding wound. Andy stopped the truck, and Dale jumped out.

"You alright, little bird?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Those assholes got me."

She sighed, reaching two fingers into the bullet hole, and screamed in pain as she pulled the bullet out. Bella dropped the piece of metal on the ground with a shaky hand and blew a couple of unsteady breaths. Dale pulled the strap of her shirt back and watched the wound begin to heal.

Jordan stared at them and swallowed hard. They acted like this was normal for them, and this was far from ordinary. Mike and Andy looked at the man and chuckled.

"Looks like you have some explaining to do, little bird," said Dale, and Bella snorted, seeing the look on Jordan's face.

"Yeah, we can do that when we get back home," she snickered.

"Go, now. Pack not safe."

Bella heard the eerie whisper and gave Dale a knowing look.

"Time to go," she said, and Dale jumped into the truck.

"Go, go, go!" he exclaimed.

Andy stepped on the gas, and he and Bella sped back to the farm.

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Chris pulled up to the shopping mall, saw the smoke from the crash, and looked at Morton.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Morton, looking at the fire, and Chris sighed.

"Damn it! Go! Make sure that asshole in the basement is still there. I'll go check the fire," he said, and Morton's eyes widened.

"By myself? What if those things are in there?" he asked, and Chris rolled his eyes.

"Stab them in the head, you moron! Now, go!"

Morton reluctantly got out of the vehicle, and Chris scoffed, driving toward the fire.

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

Wess was back at his home base, which was an old prison he had worked at when the world changed, and he had lived there ever since. Some of the Bandits were inmates, and others were survivors who straggled in over the months.

He sat at a table in the tower, and one of the men threw him an apple.

"Boss, we have a problem," said Chris over the radio, and Wess sighed, grabbing the handheld.

"And what shit news do you have for me today, Chris?" he asked, biting the apple.

"The guy from the mall is gone, and he killed Rick and Meryl."

Wess sighed and looked at the man in front of him.

"So, Terry. What do you think we should do?"

Terry chuckled and lit a cigarette.

"Maybe the man escaped, or Abraham's group took him. Either way, you told them to stay out of the east, and you were keeping that man in the way south. I hate to bust your bubble, but if they did take him, that's on you," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Wess smiled and put his radio to his mouth.

"Why don't you and Morton head back to base? We have a little trip to take."

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Andy radioed ahead they had an injured survivor, and Charlie and Sarah set up Megan's three-bedroom tent, preparing it for their guest. Bella and Andy pulled into the farm and parked. Bella and Dale helped Jordan out of the truck bed and into the tent. Dale kissed Bella and left to help Andy and Mike with the duffle bags.

Bella brought Jordan some food and water, and Sarah dressed his wounds.

"Sorry, we don't have room in the house at the moment, but you're safe now. I'll leave you a radio. If you need anything, all you have to do is call," said Bella, setting the radio on the table next to the bed, and Jordan grabbed her hand gently.

She looked at him, and he searched her eyes. She felt the strange connection again, and a calm washed over her.

"Thank you, baby girl," he said softly, and Bella smiled.

"You're welcome, Jordan Baker," she said, squeezing his hand and letting go.

Sarah looked at them and shook her head, chuckling.

"Hey, little bird. You might want to go talk to your father. He's not happy with you," she said, and Bella shrugged, leaving the tent.

"She's something else," breathed Jordan, and Sarah chuckled, wrapping his ankle.

"Yeah, she is. She has become the light of the group. Makes the world not so crappy."

"Especially with that bright hair," he teased, and Sarah giggled, handing him two pills.

"Take these. They'll help with the pain. Listen, I'm not sure if you're going to be able to stay, but if you made a good first impression on Bell, she will end up saving your ass again. Her father is the leader of our group, and he's a hard ass when it comes to protecting his family. Stay on Bell's good side while you heal," she said.

Jordan nodded and took the medication.

"I'll try my best. Hey, would you do me a solid?" he asked, pulling Dale's gun out of his waistband, and Sarah's eyes widened.

"Nah, I'm not going to use this. I just want to make sure it gets back to Dale. The Bandits showed up, and he lent me his piece."

She blew a breath, taking the gun, and Jordan chuckled.

"No worries. I don't hurt people who go out of their way to save my ass," he said, and she looked at him with care.

"Get some rest. I'll come back and check on you soon. I'm sure Abraham will come talk to you in a little while."

He nodded, and Sarah left the tent. He felt something poking him in the leg, and his fingers found a metal ring on his bed. He picked it up and noticed it was one of Bella's rings.

"Stay on Bell's good side."

Sarah's words echoed inside Jordan's head, and he slipped the ring on his finger. The pain medicine kicked in, and soon, he was fast asleep.

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

"You did what?" exclaimed Charlie, grinning.

The group stood around Abraham's truck and went through the duffle bags.

"You should have seen it. Your sister shot their gas tank and blew them up," laughed Andy, and Bella chuckled.

Abraham's eyebrows rose, and he looked at his daughter.

"You didn't get hurt?" he asked, seeing the blood on her shirt, and Bella's smile faded as she shook out her long hair.

"Well, sort of. They got me in the shoulder, but I pulled the bullet out, and I'm all healed," she said, pulling her collar back.

He touched her smooth skin and shook his head.

"I'm never gonna get used to that. And you're telling me this guy saw everything?"

Andy, Mike, Dale, and Bella nodded, and Abraham sighed, rubbing his face.

"He did, but we haven't told him anything yet. He just needs to rest. We can worry about the details when Jordan is feeling better," she said, playing with the button on her father's pocket.

Her father sighed and searched her eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea, telling him everything. I'm not sure if he's even gonna stay, Bell. He's a stranger to us," he said softly, and Bella gave him a stubborn look.

"Dale was a stranger. Mike, Andy, Teresa, Liam, and even Sarah. All strangers, Dad, and you gave them a chance without a second thought. So make me understand what is so different this time. The Bandits killed his family, his wife, his daughters and tied him up in a basement with no food or water for days!" she exclaimed, searching her father's eyes, and Abraham blew an unsteady breath.

He hated it when she gave him that look. It made her look like her mother.

"Well, that was before we knew people like the Bandits existed. What if they wanted us to find him? What if he's not who he says he is? Honey, you gotta think about stuff like that. What if he's one of them? What then?"

Bella straightened and gave her father a determined look.

"Well, if that's the case. I'll kill him myself."

Andy, Mike, and Charlie looked at Bella and only nodded. Abraham looked at his daughter in shock, knowing she was serious, and tilted his head.

"We don't kill the living, little bird. You know that. It's not who we are," he whispered.

"Well, Dad. I don't know about you, but I've already started killing the living and with people like the Bandits. You might want to rethink your morals. They're trying to push us out of Baker County, and it's about time we start pushing back. We can either run with our tails between our legs or man up and stand our ground. It's your choice, not mine."

She glared at her father and walked toward the house.

"Bella!" he yelled, but she ignored him.

"Heads up! We've got vehicles approaching!" yelled Mike, and Bella stopped, reaching the steps.

"What now," she breathed, running toward the truck and grabbing a rifle.