Michael wakes Bella early in the morning just as the sun is coming up. The snow has stopped falling but there is still a sharp and bitter chill in the air. Before Bella can ask the purpose of the early wake up call, he places one finger against his lips, motioning for her to remain silent. She fears some undead have wandered into their camp and quickly looks back at Jaxon, who is still sleeping; blissfully unaware of the impending danger. Listening intently for a moment and hearing nothing more than the wind blowing through the trees and the occasional chirp of an early bird catching its worm, Michael hears nothing unusual. His worried, young wife whispers, "For crying out loud, Michael. Please..." "Shhhh...Bella. There are no intruders in our camp, at least of the undead variety. I would know how to handle that." He quickly tells her what had transpired during the night and that even though there no longer appears to be any immediate threat, it was the last part of their ominous message which had him concerned. "...we want what you have." He tells her he's concerned enough to move them to town...as quickly as possible.
Bella whispers, "What on earth could we possibly have they would want? The tent? Our meager supplies?" Michael replies, "Perhaps. We're not waiting around to find out. Get everything in the tent packed immediately and I'll take care of everything else. The tent will be the last thing packed. It'll take about 30 minutes to get to town but we'll need to hustle. Fast!" Bella nodded that she understood. Trying to expel whatever fear he knew she must be feeling, Michael gave her a quick squeeze before unzipping the flap, stooping down and disappearing outside. What he was thinking however, was quite different. "I'm not afraid of what I can see...it's what whispers through the trees in the dark that scares the hell outta me!"
Michael could hear Bella at work packing things for travel. He could also hear Jaxon starting to stir. Bella needed to hurry. Meanwhile, Michael, who was keenly listening for any unusual sounds, made short order of getting everything outside ready for travel. Having already strapped his snow shoes on, he laid Bella's out at the entrance to the tent so she could step right into them. He even put a quick, makeshift "papoose" together so he could deposit Jaxon right into it. Michael stuck his head into the tent and said, "Honey, leave something out for Jaxon to eat on our way. Hopefully it will fill his tummy and keep him busy until we reach town." Bella grabbed a pack of mini, chocolate-covered donuts then she helped Michael carry their few blankets and supplies from the tent. The last precious item left to be scooped up was Jaxon. Bella immediately put her snow shoes on while Michael placed the homemade papoose on her back and safely secured their little boy inside. He kissed his son on the forehead as he gave him one of the donuts. A sweet smile from Jaxon told dad all was well. "I know he's heavy, Bella. Just let me know when you need a 5 minute break." Michael said as Bella replies, "I'll make it work, Baby. After all, your pack is as heavy if not heavier than Jaxon. We're a team. Always will be" Michael shoots her a smile and starts tearing down the tent, rather unceremoniously. Michael says in joking fashion, "Not exactly according to the manual's instructions and totally against the warranty but I won't tell if you don't." He feigns a smile. Then taking the lead, they head cautiously into the woods.
With only 2 very short, 5-minute breaks, the trio finally makes it to the edge of town. Michael points out a small 2-story hotel right next door to a cafe. The quaint hotel is aptly named, "The Culpepper Inn". Bella notices a sign hanging right above the hotel marquee which reads, "Bed & Breakfast? No, but we could bee!" There were sweet bumble bees painted on the sign and had an arrow pointing in the direction of the cafe, which seemed to be directly connected to the hotel. The name of the cafe? The Humble Bumblebee. What else? Bella couldn't help but giggle which was followed by her quick looking to see if anyone had heard her.
Before allowing his family to enter the hotel, he peers through the window. Not seeing anyone, he quietly opens the front door and proceeds to walk into the lobby, Bella and Jaxon following close behind. Bella not only closes the door behind her but also makes sure it's locked securely. Meanwhile, Michael is looking around the lobby. He notices, right away, the old-fashioned decor which makes him think this may have been specifically done to attract tourists. There's even a stand located near the front door, displaying a variety of dusty, lesser-known scenic tourist destinations.
Michael leaves Bella and Jaxon in the lobby for just a moment to check out the other rooms on the first floor: a good-size housekeeping closet, a supply room and a small office. There is also a back entrance, which he quickly secures as well as the few windows he sees. Once he returns to the main lobby, they start up the stairs. But before they are even halfway up the stairs, they suddenly hear the sound of someone trying to get the front door open! "What the?!?" Michael quickly tells Bella to get down. The glass pane window in the door rattling loudly. The next thing they hear is the sound of someone calling out, "Hey, who locked the door? Is there someone in there? Please come and let us in." All Bella and Michael can do is look at each other in shock! Michael tells Bella to stay put while he sneaks down the stairs and carefully peers through the torn curtain hanging in the front window. What he sees is even stranger! Standing at the door is a man and woman, looking just like wonky tourists! How crazy is that? Over 14 years into the apocalypse and here they stand looking like a couple of people on a road trip! "What are ya'll looking for?? A room for the night?" Michael thinks to himself. He calls out, "What do you want?" The man in the worn khaki shorts and wrinkled, button-down polo shirt, answers back in a thick New York accent, "We'd like to get back into our room, if you don't mind." "What's he talking about...his home!?" Michael thinks, looking back at Bella who only shrugs her shoulders. They sounded friendly enough but admittedly, neither Bella nor Michael knew exactly what their next move should be.
It was the woman who spoke next, "We don't mean you any harm. We really do live in the hotel. Check upstairs, Room #17. All our stuff is in there. We found this place about 2 months ago. Great, huh?" The man continued, "Right. Come on, it's really cold out here. Maybe we can ban together and be neighbors here. Run the whole town. I'll be the mayor and you can be the sheriff!" Mr. Khaki said, laughing now. Michael looks over at Bella once more saying, "Run upstairs and check out that room, what was the number? Oh yeah, Room #17. Hurry. Let me know if it looks like someone's been living there." He then turns to the door and says, "Hang on for a minute." Bella is only gone a couple of seconds when she comes hurrying back. "It's definitely being lived in, Michael. There's even a family photo on the nightstand, shoes and clothes in the closet and the bed's been slept in too." Michael looks up at Bella, shrugs his shoulders with a questioning look on his face as if to ask, "What do you think?" Bella tilts her head and nods her approval before saying, "I think they might be okay." He nods back as he turns to unlock the front door; letting their new "neighbors" inside. He opens the door but now instead of 2 people standing there, they have been joined by three other sinister-looking people. The man in the khaki shorts says, "Howdy neighbor! Sorry to crash the party. Now, move aside and tell me where the little lamb is?"
They violently push their way into the hotel lobby, violently knocking Michael against the wall. Bella screams, grabs Jaxon and tries to run upstairs but is stopped by a scruffy man wearing dirty, denim overalls. He slaps her in the face and she tumbles down the stairs, leaving three year old Jaxon crying uncontrollably. The man roughly snatches the little boy up and begins his descent of the stairs. "Hey Idiot! Don't hurt the tyke! Jeremiah won't take too kindly to seeing bruises on his little angel. We have what we came for." Mr. Khaki says. Suddenly one of the women enters the hotel. "We've got some unwanted dead approaching. I could use a bit of help." The others go outside to quickly dispose of the walkers.
With their leader left alone in the lobby, Michael seizes the opportunity. He grabs Bella and they head for the back door as fast as they can. Michael can clearly see two men blocking the door and though the pair puts up a valiant struggle, they are quickly subdued, brought back into the lobby and tied up. No matter how they beg their captors to tell them where they've taken their son, the man walks away without another word. "You can't just leave us here!" Bella cries, struggling against her ropes. Her remark is met only with silence. Moments later, they hear the sound of several motorcycles being started. Michael says, "They must've hidden the bikes behind the hotel." Michael and Bella wait several long minutes; listening for their return but there's nothing more.
Chapter After Thoughts
Well...just when you think we've run the full gambit of villains,
a new snake lifts its ugly head.
Who could they be and what do they want with Jaxon...the little lamb?
Stay tuned, vote and comment. Please and thank you!
Chapter 9 - "He's Missing In Action"
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Leaving the Apocalypse Behind | The Walking Dead
Fanfiction*Here is where I enter my disclaimer regarding any and all pictures, .gifs, .jpegs, music and/or videos used in the writing of this fan fiction. I give my undying gratitude to those who used their talent to make them and post on the internet for al...
