Episode 12

"So, I was wondering something," said Dale, and Abraham looked at him thoughtfully.

Abraham, Dale, Mike, and Andy were in an abandoned building, and Dale and Abraham were in an office.

"Yeah, and what's that?" asked Abraham, searching through a box.

"It's gonna sound a little silly with the world going to shit, but I want to marry your daughter," said Dale.

Abraham looked at the kid and grinned.

"Ask her and see what she says," he said, and Dale smiled.

"Really? And you're okay with it?"

Abraham nodded and chuckled.

"I would be honored to have you join my family. I mean, you sort of already are."

Dale hugged Abraham, and they clapped each other on the back.

"You think she'll say yes?" asked Dale, and Abraham gave him a knowing look.

"It might be a while, but eventually, she'll say yes."

Bella smiled, and a tear slid down her cheek.

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

Suddenly, the vision changed, and Bandits surrounded her father, Dale, Mike, and Andy.

"Give it up, Abraham. You're surrounded," said a man, and the group sank to their knees with their hands up.

"Bell, I love you," whispered Dale, and the vision faded into another.

"No," she breathed.

Two men dressed in black grabbed Charlie and Bonnie from the yard, and two others grabbed Megan and Sarah from the house.

Bella's eyes flew open, and she grabbed Jordan's arms, searching his eyes.

"They have them. I saw them," she whispered as a tear slid down her cheek, and Jordan touched her face, wiping the tear away with his thumb.

"Where are they?" he asked angrily.

Suddenly, one of the tigers snarled, running toward them, and pushed Bella away from Jordan. The undead beast growled at him, clawing his arm, and he screamed in pain, falling backward. Bella glared at the creature and growled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snarled.

The beast groaned and growled as it trotted away, and Bella looked at Jordan.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at the gash, and his body shivered.

"Damn it," she cursed, kneeling beside him and putting his head in her lap.

"Just relax," Bella sniffed, nodding and holding his face.

"Nice pets you have there," Jordan breathed, and she noticed the infection was spreading faster than she'd ever seen.

He started turning pale, and his skin became cold and clammy.

"I'm gonna die, ain't I?" he asked, struggling, and Bella nodded as her tears hit his skin.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as more tears hit his wounded arm.

Jordan blew a breath and chuckled.

"Well, then, don't get mad at me, baby girl," he whispered, and she looked at him oddly, pulling her hair behind her ear.

"Why would I be mad at you, Jordan Baker?"

Jordan looked at her and blew a shaky breath.

"For this."

He grabbed her by the back of the neck with his good hand and kissed her passionately. She felt the calm wash over her and kissed him back. She pulled back, opened her eyes, and was about to slap him, but his eyes fluttered closed, and his body went limp. She gasped, looking at him, and lowered her hand.

"Jordan?"

He didn't respond, and she searched his face.

"Jordan!" she cried, shaking him, and his body was cold and limp.

Bella put her ear to his chest and heard his heart beat its last two slow beats.

"Jordan, no," she sobbed, grabbing a handful of his t-shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Jordan."

Her tears soaked his chest, and Bella thought she felt him move. Suddenly, Jordan inhaled a deep breath, and she jumped away from him, staring in awe. He stared at the sky and put his hand on his forehead.

"What happened? Am I dead?" he asked, sitting up, and Bella shook her head wide-eyed.

Jordan looked at his arm, and the gashes turned into three scars. The beast groaned, looking at Bella, and she could tell it was proud of itself. Did the undead animal know he would live?

"Like you."

Jordan heard the whisper, and he looked at Bella in surprise.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, and she nodded.

"It's the undead."

He blew a shaky breath, resting his elbows on his knees, and scratched his head.

"So, this mean I'm becoming a superhero like you?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I think so," she said, wrinkling her nose, and the tigers roared.

"I guess that's a yes."

"Okay, Imma go with it. So, what now?" Jordan asked, and Bella snorted.

"Okay? You're just going to go with turning into a superhero monster and not freak out about it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jordan thought momentarily, feeling the new power coursing through his veins, and nodded, chuckling.

"Yeah, I guess I am, baby girl. I'm alive," he said, enjoying the new feeling.

Bella eyed Jordan suspiciously and watched him flex his hands with a satisfied look on his face. She remembered the first time she felt the power but didn't enjoy it as he did and thought it was strange. She shook her thoughts from her head and shrugged.

"Okay," said Bella, getting to her feet and holding out her hand.

"Okay?" Jordan asked, raising an eyebrow and taking her hand.

A calm washed over them, and they locked eyes. Bella felt a strong connection between them, and Jordan felt it too. She noticed a green tint to his eyes, making them look like they were out of a color fantasy storybook, and tilted her head.

"What? Why you staring at me like that, baby girl?" he chuckled.

"Your eyes. They're a different color," she said, pulling him to his feet, and he held her arms, chuckling.

"Please, don't tell me they purple like yours."

Bella grinned evilly and headed toward the truck.

"Well, since I busted all the windows and mirrors, I guess you'll never know," she teased, and Jordan shook his head, laughing.

She opened the door and brushed the broken glass off the seat. He opened the passenger side door and did the same.

"My Dad's going to kill me," she sighed, and they got in the vehicle.

"So, what's the plan, baby girl?" Jordan asked.

Bella looked at the tigers and whistled. The beasts bowed their heads and ran off.

"We build an army, and we kill them all," she said thoughtfully, driving back to the farm.

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

"What's gonna happen to us?" asked Charlie with tears in his eyes, and Megan pulled her son close.

"I don't know," she whispered.

Megan, Sarah, Bonnie, and Charlie were in a cold, damp room with cement walls, and a dull yellow light hung above their heads. Suddenly, the door swung open, and the Bandits tossed Abraham, Dale, Andy, and Mike into the room.

"Dad!" cried Charlie as his father hit the floor, and Abraham crawled over to his family.

Mike and Andy crawled toward Sarah and Bonnie, and Dale leaned against the wall next to Abraham, Megan, and Charlie.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Mike asked, grabbing Sarah's face, and she shook her head.

"Where's Bella, Waylon, and Jordan?" asked Dale, and Megan shook her head.

"They were out in the west field fixing the fence, and I don't think the assholes saw them," Sarah said softly.

"So they don't have them?" asked Abraham, and Sarah and Megan shook their heads.

He nodded and gave Dale a knowing look.

"You know, when she finds out they took us, she'll come for us. They just made the biggest mistake of their lives," he said, and Dale looked at him in question.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, and Abraham sighed.

"Because she's gonna kill them all."

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

Bella gathered her knives, put them in the backseat, and heard the CB crackle.

"Little bird, little bird. Do you copy?" Wess asked cheerfully over the radio, and she scoffed, grabbing the mic.

"Well, if it isn't the shit stick asshole himself," she sneered.

"Ha! Ha! Now, this is why I like you, little bird. I love that fire in you. Hmm. Maybe I'll start calling you firebird."

"Where's my family?" she demanded.

"Oh, they're around somewhere. Don't worry, they're still intact, for now," he said.

Bella's eyebrows shot down in anger, and she clenched her teeth.

"So, I have an idea. Why don't I arrange a family gathering? Say, midnight tonight?" he asked, and she thought momentarily.

"Name the place, and I'll be there."

"How about where I killed Liam and Teresa? It will be poetic, don't ya think?" said Wess.

Bella growled, putting her foot on the dash and lighting a cigarette. She looked out at the field where the tigers were corralling hundreds of mutants, and one of the beasts looked at her, bowing its head. Jordan practiced his new powers out there, and Waylon worked in the shop, improving Bella and Jordan's weapons.

"Do we have a date, firebird?" asked Wess impatiently, and Bella tapped her finger on the steering wheel.

"Change of location. We'll meet at Main and Fifty-nine at midnight."

"That's fine. I'll see you there, hell, we'll all see you there," he chirped, and she scoffed.

"Asshole."

She mumbled under her breath and set the mic down.

"But know this and listen good, firebird. If you try anything or harm one hair on my people's head. There will be no family to reunite!" he added, and she grabbed the mic.

"Listen, asshole, and you listen good. If you harm one hair on my people's head, none of you will walk away alive!" she snarled.

The radio went silent, and Bella sighed, hanging the mic on its hook. She bit her bottom lip and slammed her hand against the steering wheel. She looked at the tigers, bit her knuckle, and jerked her head toward the intersection. The decaying beasts roared and pushed the horde toward the road. She nodded and noticed Jordan walking toward her.

He noticed her look of frustration and looked at her.

"Was that him?" he asked, and Bella sighed, nodding.

"We got this, baby girl," Jordan said softly, resting his hand on her shoulder, and she searched his eyes.

"You see, that's your problem," he said, and she looked at him in question.

"Excuse me? What is my problem?" Bella scoffed, and Jordan leaned against the door.

"You doubt yourself. Stop doing that, or you never gonna handle this shit."

She rolled her eyes, scoffed, and threw the butt on the ground.

"Yeah, easier said than done. Sorry, Jordan Baker, not everyone is an actor like you. It's not a switch you can just shut off," she snapped, getting out of the truck, and Jordan blocked her path.

"Move!" she sneered, and he shook his head, giving her a challenging look.

"Nah, we ain't doing this, girl. You gonna grab that fear, all that anger, all that doubt and embrace it. You ain't gonna get nowhere holding that shit in."

She searched his eyes, scowled, and ran her tongue over her teeth. She knew he was right but didn't want to admit it. She blew a breath, bit her bottom lip, and looked at the ground.

"I don't know how," she whispered.

Jordan cupped her chin and looked into her eyes.

"I'll show you," he whispered, feeling the connection between them grow stronger, and Bella searched his eyes, feeling it too.

She saw his eyes shimmer and thought it was beautiful. They felt the calm wash over them, and Jordan slid his arm around her shoulders.

"I told you. I am whatever you need me to be. Come on, let's go see what kind of new toys Waylon made us," he said, steering Bella toward the shop, and she let him lead her.