Episode 4.7: The Third Horseman

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The Third Horseman is the seventh episode and see's food shortage put a strain on the community.
==Synopsis==
A food shortage puts strain on the community. 
==Episode==
We open on a deserted farm, the house long burned down; a charred husk and a reminder of the way of the world. Despite this the fields surrounding the farms are wild and overgrown. Some is just tall grass but the rest are corn and wheat fields.
Slade: Moe, I think I might be ready to reconsider religion.
Adam: Ditto, my mom was into that stuff, always told me the good lord would provide in times of crisis.
Cage: Well it took him long enough, (looks up to the sky) an apocalypse you don't bat an eye but a food crisis and you come running.
Moe: He does work in mysterious ways, still we should be carful.... there might be more than crows and food in those fields.
Slade: Tell that to the pioneers over there.
He indicates a buss behind them where workers and soldiers from the city are getting kitted with gear. Tamera and Karina are also present but the others are absent. The guys are already kitted up.
Moe: I don't feel good.... splitting like this.
Cage: I know but Tobias had a point, with a food shortage things might get a bit crazy in town, its better the others hang back to help manage it and keep and eye on Penny and the kids.
Adam: Agreed, storm fucked a lot more up than we realized, turned to food stocks into wet pulp and mush. 
Slade: Tell me about it, surprised they managed to fit such big "farms" into the city.
Moe: Adaptabily, scavenging will only allow a group to last so long, if you going to thrive you have to produce your own food.
Slade: Look at you spend a few days community service and suddenly your a model citizen.
Moe casts him a sideways glance but says nothing.
Moe: Look I'll admit there this something about this place I cant put my finger on.....
Slade: Perhaps your just paranoid.
The others chuckle and Moe waits for them to finish.
''
Moe: Perhaps that is all, so I am going to try and find my proper place here, help rebuild the world. If that puts the feeling to rest the I will know it was just a fear of this place being to good to be true.
Adam: Dare I ask what you are going to do is that's not the case?
Moe is about to answer only for a voice to distract them.
Karina: Come on its time to get going.
Cage: Well you heard the lady.
They join Karina and Tamera and a crowd of people before a head worker who is explaining things.
Head worker: Ok we all know why we are hear, but that's no excuse to act stupid. Those of you will notice you only have bags and no heavy tools.
Moe, Slade and Karina are in this group a long with a few others. While everyone does have guns most are armed with knives and other more quite weapons.
Head worker: Now we could have brought some farm equipment out here but the last thing we need is mauraders or a pack of maggot bags coming out of the woodwork.
Has if on cue a single desacated walker crawls out of the remains of the house. No one really pays it any mind treating it like a stray dog. Before it can get to close it is shot by a man with a silencer.
Head worker: And that is also why you have your meale weapons, those things are a lot quieter than a gun.
Adam(muttering): I think he is stating the bloody obvious.
Moe( In reply): Indeed, but a lesson like this will stop people acting wreckless or panicking.
Karina and Tamera rib them to quite down since the man is looking at them impatiently.
Head Worker: Has I was saying a mele weapon is a lot safer than a gun but that does not mean you should not be without one.
He plucks out his own gun and draws it across the crowd. No one moves though some flinch in slight fear and shock.
Head Worker: A last resort I hope none of you have use and should you have to perform a mercy I hope you have the balls to pull it off.
He puts the weapon away.
Head worker: The rest of you will be spotters and scaverngers. The spotters, well you job is simple, you keep the rest of us safe from the dead. Scavengers, find anything of use. I don't care if its alarm clock or some machine parts, if you think its good bring it back here. Any questions?..... Good right we meat back at five.
Cage (puts an arm on Adam): Well I guess we are on a scavenger hunt.
Adam: Yeh, hey Tamera you make sure to nail a few walkers for the rest of us.
Tamera: You got it.
She heads off to join the other spotters while Adam and Cage head off to the remains of a barn. Moe, Slade and Karina look between each other before heading to nearby field. The pause in front of the overgrown wall of green.
Slade: Shit these are some big plants.
Karina: Well Mother Nature's got free reign now that the population been scaled back and you don't see many walkers wandering around with weed wackers.
Moe: Still we should be serious, the visabilty is going to be low in there, pleanty of place for a walker to hide or be pinned.
Slade: Invisible biteing land mines.... brilliant.
Karina: Not to mention I don't fancy getting separated in there, don't want to wind up stabbing one you guys or someone else with a pulse.
Moe ponder this for a moment and rummages through his pack and inficates the others to do the same. Pulling out some rope from each meant to secure any large food supplies or act as spare cord for the food bags.
Moe: We make a chain, that way we are connected even is we can not see each other.
Slade: Got ya, anyone gets into trouble yank hard twice, you get a full bag yank one and we all come out.
They all nod and secure themselves at the waste. There is enough legnth so they can cover a good area to gather food but not enough for them or something unplesent to trip them up.
Slade: Ladies first.
Karina: Charmed.
She shrugs and with a deep breath steps into the undergrowth. Its green as far as the eye can see, intercut with stalks of corn that in the hazy light look like nuggets of gold.
Slade (V.O): Warm in here.
Moe (V.O): Close actually, take it slow, don't want anyone keeling over.
Karina: Roger
Slade (V.O): Your, the boss.... time to do a little harvesting.
We go into a montage of the days events. Tamera talking with some of the spotters before taking down a walker that was crawling out from under an overturned car. Adam; superviving others with what parts to take from some labtops recovered from the area while Cage work with a few other men to hall some parts from some long abandoned farm machinery. Moe, Karina and Slade continue to work in the field along with a shots of a few others.
Soon it is afternoon, its difficult to tell the time but from what we can see of the sun's position its close to the end of the day. Many are heading back to the bus. Moe, Slade and Karina are carrying loaded bags of corn to a pile of other recovered food.
Slade: Man am I beat.
Karina: Well just remember its all for a good cause.
Slade: Well so long as they are paying us a bit more in credit I don't care.
Moe: A man of simple tastes.
Slade: Hey what can I say so longs as I can get food on the table at the end of the day id walk the walker infested continent in a pink bunny costume.
Karina: Now that's a scary thought.
The three chuckle amoung themselves and drop the bags with the others where a man is taking stock of the returned bags.
Moe: I think that's the last of it.
Man: We are still missing three bags, you the last but one group.
Slade: Well they better hurry Its a long walk back to town without the bus.
Karina: When did they last drop some bags off?
Man: Bout an hour ago.
Slade: Well its a hot day, they are proba....
A gun shot rings out from one of the fields followed by a stragled scream.
Moe: Or there might be trouble.
The three run to the field which only has shoulder length overgrowth.
Karina: Do you see anything?
Moe: No.... the shot could have come from anywhere.
Slade: Over there by the scarecrow.
We follow his finger to a frightened woman clinging for dear life to the roof of the remains of a combine harvester half in tombed in the undergrowth. A man with a bloody stump is trying to get at her while two walker; one a freshlhy turned and half devoured worker are pawing at the back of the viechle.
Karina: I guess someone had a fucked up view of mercy. We need to get in there.
Moe: Yes, Slade is help coming?
Slade: Yeh but the boots are not going to get here fast enough.
We see the soldiers are organizing themselves but between that and trying to keep other people calm and safe the woman might be dead before then.
Moe: Karina you and Slade deal with the walkers, but watch your backs this mess is bound to stir others.
Slade: Moe your not going to try and talk that guy down are you?
Moe: I will try but if I cant we have to get to the girl, she at least has a chance.
The group splits to deal with their roles. And we switch to the frightened woman.
Mira: Just stay away from Clive, I swear to god!
Clive: Will you shut the fuck up Mira and listen! I cut it off for god sakes I'm fine!
He shows her the bloody stump but by the way it been cut its impossible to tell if it was done right and blood is dribbling through the improvised tourniquet and has left a trail that is bound to attract unwelcome attention.
Mira: I saw what you did Kevin.
She look over to the freshly turned walker who does not notice something stalking up behind it and its companion. Mira is also to focused on her danger to see it either.
Clive: He was going to shoot me Mira! I had to defend myself.
Mira: So knock the gun out of his hand! You didn't have to throw him to that walker!
Clive: Mira, just get down here now and we can......
Before he can finish the sound of the two walker bodies dropping against the combine harvester distracts the two. We se Slade and Karina each with a hunting knife buried in the head's of the creatures.
Mira: Help he los....
Before she can finish Moe pounces from the undergrowth; having used the event as a distraction. Clive is caught off guard and Moe gets him into a sleeper hold.
Clive: Let me go its not what it freakin looks like.
Moe does not say anything.
Head worker: Let him up Moe.
He turns to see the head worker with two soldiers behind him with cuffs in hand. Moe complies and Clive is quickly cuffed and taken of shouting.
Head worker: You three did good.
Moe looks at Mira who is weeping in front of Kevin's body.
Moe: What will happen to them?
Head worker: We will give the body a proper burial and the woman some leave and extra credit.
Slade: And stumpy?
Head Worker: He will get a trial, if he lives through the night. If not well justice is done.
Moe mulls this over, its as fair as can be given the circumstances.
Head Worker: Come on bus wont wait for ever.
The group heads off.
End''