The Stranger

While on a trip beyond the walls, Austin is haunted by his past; Edward encounters a charismatic wanderer. In Worthwood, Lloyd uncovers a dark secret, while Kate begins to fight back against the council.

You can read the transcript here.

## **Synopsis**

Opening with a flashback, George exits his truck outside of Austin's Bar in Willamette. He goes inside, and finds the bartender himself sleeping behind the counter. He wakes Austin Kingston up by yelling at him. Sitting up, Austin is clearly not in a good mood. He grunts and groans, pestering George with questions as he washes his face. George says that he's just here to get some alcohol, as he takes a seat, handing Austin a bill. While Austin is getting George his glass of bourbon, they talk, and Austin learns that George has just moved down to Willamette from a town in Minnesota. After getting his drink, George begins to ask the bartender questions of his own - mainly why the front door was left open if he was sleeping, wondering if Austin lives in the bar. "Might as well live here," Austin grumbles in response, before complaining about his wife at home. George relates to him, having been previously married himself, but is now divorced, and after listening to Austin complain more about his wife, suggests that he divorce his wife as well. But Austin sternly replies "No," clearly being offended that he'd suggest such a thing. Shrugging, George finishes his drink, before he gets up and says that Austin sells good alcohol, and that he'd be back so long as he was in Willamette. "Hope your marriage works out," George comments on his way out the door.

Later that night, Austin arrives home, drunkenly stumbling through his house, searching through his fridge. But after nothing appetizes him, he sighs, and is about to hit the hay, before something out in the backyard stops him. He sees his wife, Irene Kingston, smoking, and quietly crying. He wants to go out there and comfort her - but can't bring himself to do it, stepping away from the back door and going to his bedroom to get some sleep.

In the morning, Austin gets up and prepares for the day, heading out into the kitchen, where he sees Irene making breakfast for their son Ryan Kingston. He greets her, but she doesn't respond, instead calling out to Ryan to get out of bed. As Austin is looking through the fridge, he suddenly remembers what he saw last night - and admits this to Irene. She doesn't want to talk about it, but Austin continues to pry, and eventually Irene confesses that she was thinking about him - but more specifically, what a worthless alcoholic Austin is. Sighing, Austin has heard all of this before, and isn't in the mood to hear it again. But Irene continues, telling her husband that she wishes she'd picked anybody but him. She's about to say one more thing - but pauses, and walks away, while Austin calls after her to no avail. Defeated, Austin sits onto the couch, smiling briefly when Ryan walks by to get his breakfast. After Irene leaves to take Ryan to school, Austin gets up and collects his things, heading out to his truck. Before getting in, his neighbour Jeremiah Hurst, who's also just leaving for work, greets him from next door. Austin mutters a "Good morning" in response. Quickly, before Austin gets into his truck, Jeremiah asks Austin if Ryan would be interested in coming to his son's birthday party, to which Austin tells him to talk to his wife about it. He then gets into his truck and drives off.

In the present, Austin awakes very early in the morning, before the sun is even up. Slowly, he gets ready for the day, and grabs a backpack on his way out of his lodge.

A few minutes later, Austin is seen approaching a large garage with an RV parked out front. Genna Brohem and Mackenzie Brohem are there too, getting ready to leave. When Austin walks up to them, he angrily complains about how early it is, and wants to know why they have to leave this early. Mackenzie, stumbling on her words, tries explaining how it's beneficial to them to leave early since they have a long drive. Genna, in an effort to make Mackenzie feels better, agrees and backs up what she's saying, telling Austin to quit it with the attitude. Grumbling, Austin follows the two sisters into the RV, before they leave Worthwood through the main gate.

It's a quiet evening, and somewhere in the middle of the woods. Edward's group is packing up the campsite. Edward himself is still yet to return from his trip alongside Elliott Rowe and Kyori Hyoteki. However, just as the group is finishing packing everything except for the tents up, Edward, Elliott and Kyori come walking back into camp alongside Leona Holloway. Stanley Peck at first thinks it might be intruders, and so he raises his gun, but lowers it after Edward yells at him. Immediately, Nancy Warner asks about Patrick and what happened to him, expecting the worst. Edward happily reveals that Patrick was killed, stating that he had tried to kill Elliott. Elliott confirms this, but stays quiet, shaken up from the event. He then walks off to get his cut looked at by nurse Evelyn Nelson. Meanwhile, Edward tells everyone else to get some rest, and they'll figure things out in the morning. He starts to walk off towards his tent, but as he is, Nancy calls out to him, telling him that Solomon Reed is waiting inside. Edward simply sighs.

Upon stepping into his tent, Edward is confronted by Solomon, before quickly telling the man that Patrick is dead. Edward claims that Solomon forced his hand, which Solomon finds insulting. He scolds Edward for being unnecessarily cruel to Patrick. "This isn't who we are," he says. "It's kill or be killed in your world." Upon hearing this, Edward argues back that he killed Patrick to prevent him from coming back for retaliation. He then mentions how Patrick was going to kill Elliott, which seems to change Solomon's mind a little bit. But he still finds Edward's ruthless beating of Patrick to be disgusting, and says that the whole thing could have been avoided if he did things more civilly. Edward swallows his anger, and remarks that it doesn't matter how he treats scum like Patrick. After a pause, Solomon then brings up Clyde Rollins, reminding Edward that he was once a prisoner too, and had Edward treated Patrick civilly, he could have become a valuable ally like Clyde. Fuming with rage, Edward states that Clyde was not his prisoner. "You've heard stories. That's all," he tells Solomon, before telling Solomon to get his loyalties in check and get out of his tent. Solomon mutters in anger on his way out.

Outside, Nancy approaches Leona to awkwardly introduce herself. Immediately it's made clear that Leona doesn't have a care in the world about Nancy and the others, and is just waiting for her payment from Edward before she leaves. Just then, Edward comes strolling over, and sends Nancy away to chat with Leona privately. Quickly, Leona discovers that Edward is wasting her time by asking pointless questions, and confronts him about it. Edward admits that he is, but then remarks about how skillful Leona is, and that he could use someone like her with him. Leona once again declines his offer, which gets Edward to ask about the backpack Patrick supposedly stole from her, and what was in it. Leona at first refuses to answer, growing uncomfortable, until she finally tells him that there was a scrapbook with pictures of her and her girlfriend in it. The last pictures of her. Nodding slowly, Edward realizes that Leona could have chosen to interrogate Patrick for the location of the bag, but chose to save Elliott instead, which he finds admirable. He once more tries getting her to join up with him and his group, but Leona answers with a hard 'no'. Having given up, Edward goes to get Leona some supplies so that she can head out.

Hours later, right around eight in the morning, Kate Bloodstone wakes up, gently removing Marcus Downes' arms off her as she gets out of bed. A half-asleep Marcus mumbles, asking Kate to stay in bed a little longer, but she says she's got work to go. She washes up in the bathroom and gets dressed, before leaving her lodge.

At Worthwood's castle, Gerald Roland is sitting at the head of the table in the council chambers. The rest of the council is there too, as they are going over some usual talking points. It's business as usual. The topic at present revolves around Worthwood's construction crew, who are becoming dissatisfied with the rations they've given. Justin Bennett scoffs, sarcastically wondering if they should get a banquet, while Naomi Stafford doesn't care and Richard Neuble thinks that the construction crew has no right to complain - everyone gets the same amount. Naomi finally speaks up, confronting Justin about the drugs he uses, and is angry that he's using substances like coke around her son, Henry Stafford. She tries to get her husband Chester Stafford to back her up, but Chester's mind is somewhere else, daydreaming, not even knowing what Naomi is talking about. When Chester eventually does try to speak, Justin immediately quiets him by telling him to shut up. Sighing, Gerald gets back onto the topic of the construction crew, and says that they can up their rations by a little bit. Gerald then complains about his headache, and kindly requests that everyone stops bickering. Just then, the door to the council room opens, as Kate comes strolling through, greeting them all casually. Naomi is immediately alarmed, wondering how she got in here, thinking that they have armed guards outside, which makes Justin laugh. Naomi snaps at Justin, quieting him, before she turns to Gerald for an answer as to why Kate is here. But before that can be answered, Heather Solis speeds into the room at great delay, apologizing for Kate storming in. She then sighs, and walks out, as Kate explains to everyone that she's here because of their talk at the party. She wants to keep things moving forward, and wants to know how things are managed here in Worthwood. Justin and Naomi look at Gerald, and are shocked when he actually allows Kate to proceed. Naomi looks at Gerald with fiery eyes, remarking that they shouldn't just be allowing Kate to get away with her disrespect. She looks around at the others for support, and it's Richard who speaks up, agreeing with Naomi. He tells Kate that if she won't respect them, she should at least respect herself, remarking how she's made a fool of herself every time she's come in here. He assumes that Kate must just enjoy hearing herself talk. Kate, this time remaining calm, simply says that they can talk more about that later if he wants. But right now, Kate walks up to a sixth and vacant seat at the table, one that was directly opposite Gerald. She untucks the chair, scraping it along the floor, before taking her seat. "...let's get started," she says, as Naomi and Richard look on with shock, while Justin leans back, amused and frankly impressed.

Elsewhere in Worthwood, Dean Howards walks up to the community's church, staring up at it for a moment - feeling nervous, knowing that inside would be normal people - people who can't relate to him. He adjusts his collar, then makes his way up a set up steps, pushing open the front doors. He walks through, seeing people seated around at pews, and at the end of the building, Father Donovan stood on stage. He sees Dean enter, and acknowledges him excitedly, as he hobbles off the stage with his cane. The priest pats Dean on the shoulder, happy to see that he made it, before guiding him to one of the seats in the front row, as close to the lord as possible. Dean shuffles awkwardly to the bench and takes his seat, as Father Donovan then introduces Dean to all of the churchgoers. He says that Dean was the only one from the new group to come to church. "The only sinner who is interested in being cleansed and born anew with the Lord's blessing," the priest says, saluting Dean. But then Donovan looks to Dean, and demands that he confess all the sins he's committed. Dean's lip quivers. He was no longer smiling, as he tried his best to clear his head of all the things he's done. Respectfully, he tells the father that he isn't comfortable talking about that yet. But Donovan insists, and so Dean decides to answer vaguely, mentioning how he and his group have both seen horrible things -- have lost numerous people along the way. He says that they've had to take the lives of others - but only to protect themselves. "I don't regret all of it," Dean says, shocking the priest. He tells Dean that he must regret his sins. "Taking life is no joke," he remarks, before calling Dean a coward multiple times. Dean is taken aback by the sudden hostility, but stays calm, and politely says that's not what he meant. He wishes he didn't have to take lives, but he has, everyone in their group had to. Father Donovan exhales, taking a deep breath, before telling Dean that he must come to terms with the fact that he is a terrible person. "The lord will not extend you an arm if you are still in denial of that fact," he says. Dean's blood starts to boil; he was growing more vexed with Donovan by the minute. He says he's sorry, and says that he won't be confessing, trying to get him to back down. But Donovan persists, calling Dean a coward again, and a wolf among the sheep. He asks Dean to think of all the people he's killed, and if he even regrets it. Finally, Dean loses his cool, and shoots to his feet, grabbing the priest and slamming him against the wall, yelling at him to just shut up. He huffs, thinking about Jim Butterman, and how much it still haunts him. He tells Donovan that he still thinks about him every day. "You think I'm vermin," Dean says, not just to Donovan, but to everyone in the church, who are now looking at him in horror. "You've got no idea what it's like to be out there," he angrily comments. "I'm no saint." He finally lets go of the priest, who falls to the ground, wheezing and coughing, desperately reaching out for his cane. Looking to the crowd, Dean says that he knows he isn't a good person, but he's alive. "My family is alive. That's what counts." Charles Hopkins rises from his pew in an attempt to defuse the situation by telling him that Father Donovan acted out of line. But to Dean, that doesn't matter. He knows he doesn't belong here, and so he starts heading for the door, while Donovan yells that he's going to regret this.

Inside of Evelyn's tent, Elliott is being treated for the small scar on his neck, which Evelyn assures him has no lasting damage. She praises Elliott for his bravery, just as Edward limps in, and tells the young man to get his maps and meet him in his tent.

In Edward's tent, Elliott goes through numerous locations on a map of the surrounding area. All areas sound promising, but Edward sees something else on the map Elliott didn't mention - a railyard. He proposes the idea of making camp at the railyard, commenting about how the train cars could work to form a perimeter. Elliott quietly agrees, but asks that he not be part of this scouting team. Edward understands, but then asks Elliott if he wants to learn how to protect himself better. Although nervous, Elliott says that he does, and so Edward says he'll make sure Stanley starts training him properly.

On a rural road, Genna is driving the RV steadily towards their destination. They've been driving for a few hours now; the sun was just beginning to rise. Mackenzie is going through a bag, while Austin is sitting, resting his head on a table, wide awake; he can't sleep. Groaning, he stood up, walking towards the front of the RV, sitting in the passenger seat beside Genna, looking bothered. He stretches his legs, and then rather sharply asks Genna how they're even supposed to go about recruiting people, since he was never fully told. Genna tells him to relax, and that she was going to tell him along the way. She explains to him that she and Mackenzie drive around to different areas looking for people - and then they watch them for a little bit to make sure that they aren't bandits who'd kill them if they walked up. When they've done that, they simply approach the people, and do what Austin has already seen when she and Mackenzie first approach him and his group. It doesn't sound too difficult to Austin - but there's one thing that he disagrees with - and that's the fact the two sisters approach groups unarmed, which he thinks is ridiculously stupid. Mackenzie then looks at Austin, and quietly speaks, asking why he is so angry. "You have somewhere to live now. You don't have to be angry anymore," she tells him. Austin says he's not angry, and that's just trying to give them advice - but by the tone of his voice, it's obvious he is angry. Genna and Mackenzie go on to explain that the reason they go up to groups unarmed is to build trust. Grumbling, Austin gets up, walks back to his seat in the back of the RV, and tries to get some sleep.

Back in the past, Austin is behind the counter of his bar, pouring some drinks for two customers. Then, he sees George entering the place, smiling his whole way to the counter, where he orders another glass of bourbon. Austin wordlessly gets the man his drink, and then pours himself a glass too, which George is a bit surprised, commenting on it. After taking a sip of his drink, George, clearly seeing that something is bothering Austin, asks him what it is. "--Family problems," Austin says in response, which George takes as meaning wife problems, which he can totally relate to. He goes on telling a story about his wife, laughing about it the whole way through. All this does is leave Austin saddened at the thought of Irene. As George starts to tell another story, Austin looks at a bottle of whiskey on the wall, George's voice fading away. He finishes the glass that he currently has, then grabs the bottle of whiskey.

Later that night, Austin returns home from the bar drunk, stumbling into his house - where inside, he finds something strange - his belongings packed away in a few bags by the front door. He calls out Irene, who comes walking over, slowly. Frowning, she tells Austin to just leave - and that's when it starts to come together in Austin's head. He asks if she's still angry about that morning, to which she says it's not that. He angrily asks what it is then. Irene, staring at Austin with rage, tells him that he's been a pathetic drunk for half the time they've been married, and she's done with him. She can't believe it took her this long - as she remarks about how she was wasting her life away with him. A drunken Austin starts to rant about how he's been working, earning money so that they can live here - that's what he does, he says. Irene, now tearing up, tells Austin to please just go someplace else for the night and calm down. Austin steps back, taking everything in for a few moments. He then looks back at his wife, and apologizes for everything. He tells her that they can sit and talk this out, but Irene once again tells him to leave, having already made up her mind. Every ounce of sympathy and regret Austin just had vanishes from his face, as he screams that he's trying to work with her. Irene stays quiet - but Austin, after taking a second to calm down, then says that he's taking Ryan. This gets Irene fuming, as she tells him that Ryan is staying with her, and that he's a 'good-for-nothing drunk'. Just then, Ryan is seen walking over to them, having been awoken by the yelling. Irene tells him to go back to bed, but Austin interjects, kneeling down in front of Ryan and attempting to get his son to come with him willingly, but all he does is embarrass himself. Irene shoves him away, and says that she won't let their son grow up around the likes of him. When Austin angrily responds what that means, Irene yells at him, bringing up how worthless Austin is, the fact that he comes home drunk every night, or doesn't even come home at all. She points out how Austin is never here for Ryan, and he can't be trusted with him. She brings up Jeremiah, and asks Austin why he can't be normal like him. "...What happened to you?" she questions at the end of her rant, quietly. Austin falls quiet for a while, before, in a last ditch effort to stop this, tells Irene how sorry he is, and that he promises to change for the better now. But Irene knows he won't, and tells him as much. Realizing that it's over, Austin turns, grabs his bags and storms out of the house.

The next day, in the evening, George arrives at the bar, where he orders some bourbon again. Austin gets his drink - moving at a snail's pace. George takes note of this, and after getting his drink, asks Austin if he's dealing with more family problems. Austin says that he's fine, but George sees right through his facade, and gets Austin to admit that his wife is divorcing him. George is a bit shocked, and says he's sorry - before he tries to make the man feel better by saying it's not the end of the world. Austin frowns, telling the man that he's lost, and doesn't know what to do now. After considering what to say next, George goes on to tell Austin that it's best he focus on his business now, and that he'll find a new woman. Austin considers his advice for a second, before concluding that it's stupid, and sighing. George then continues by saying that he's even found himself a new woman that same day, and they're going on a date the next night. Austin isn't interested, but George doesn't realize this, continuing to speak about his date, and even asking Austin if he knows of any good restaurants in town. Having had enough, Austin slams his fist against the counter, and angrily makes it clear to George that he isn't interested in what he has to say. Scoffing, George stands, saying that he was just trying to help, before he leaves the bar, getting the last word in before he steps out. When he's gone, Austin takes a deep breath, leaning back into his chair, as he grabs a bottle of whiskey behind him.

At the infirmary, Doctor Joslyn Larkin is sitting with William Reynes and Rebecca Dawson, explaining to them what the incident with Rebecca at the party the night before could have been. It's caused by minor hemorrhaging in the brain, and is seen mostly in people with dementia, or people with brain tumors. But the doctor says that it's completely possible that Rebecca could just heal up, and this was just a once-off thing. Still, to be safe, she wants to have Rebecca stay in the infirmary for a few nights just to keep an eye on her, and to run some tests. William looks at the doctor, with an expression of misery and defeat. He asks if there's not something better she can do, but Doctor Larkin says that this is the best way to handle the situation. Rebecca appreciates everything Joslyn has done, and tells William that she'll stay here a little while longer. Doctor Larkin then stands and exits the room to give them a moment alone. When she's gone, William gently takes Rebecca's hand, and says he's sorry. Rebecca is confused why, to which William says that it's because of how he was treating her before she had been put into a coma. He was meaning to say sorry, but then Rebecca was gone, and he didn't know if he'd ever have the chance to apologize again. Rebecca shakes her head, and leans forwards to be nearer him. "You don't... need to say any of that," she tells him. "None of it is your fault." Wordlessly, William nods, a massive weight being lifted off his chest. He smiles softly, and says that he needs her here with him. "I'll always be here," she responds.

At school, Todd Glover is speaking with William, who's here for his first day as a teacher of Worthwood. William is still a bit nervous about everything, and wonders what he should teach the kids. Todd, who was a teacher before the outbreak much like William, tells him that he threw together a textbook when he first got to Worthwood. He himself usually teaches history to the kids, but since William was a biology teacher, he suggests that William teach the kids about the human body, how to protect it, and other things that would be helpful to know these days. William nods slowly, understanding, as he thanks Todd.

In class, Melanie Hopkins is talking with Joseph Benson and Christopher Woods. She tells them about what happened at church that morning, since she was there with her parents to watch it all unfold. But none of the three kids are all that bothered by it, since they don't like Father Donovan anyway. At the back of class, a beaten up Jerry Rhodes is sitting with Tristan and Blake Christian. Joseph and Christopher both glance at Jerry, seeing how injured he was; a black eye, bruised nose, and he had an icepack pressed against his cheek. Just then, William enters the classroom, and not far behind him is Lloyd Waller, who allows Violet Glover to enter before him. As the two of them approach their seats, Lloyd takes notice of a pair of sunglasses that Violet is wearing, finding it odd. To begin, William introduces himself to everyone, and then says that he'd like everyone to go around, say their name, and one thing about them. Joseph's hand shoots up in flash, waving it around, as he goes first, introducing himself, and telling the new teacher that he loved baking. During this, Violet nudges Melanie, whispering for her to give her a piece of paper and a pen. Without asking why, Melanie does that. Henry Stafford goes next, quietly saying his name, and that he liked working on circuitry, adding on that it was his plan to go into engineering before the apocalypse. When Violet finishes writing her note, she folds it up, then flicks it behind her at Lloyd's face, the paper bouncing off his cheek and landing on his desk. Wordlessly, Lloyd picks up and opens the note, reading it to find that it simply reads "Meet back here at 8pm". Joseph sticks his head over to Lloyd so that he can read the note too, and with a grin, says that he knew Violet was into him. Sighing, Lloyd guesses that he'll be coming back here at 8pm.

On a breezy, fall morning, Edward stands atop a large hill, overlooking a familiar looking town. Willamette, Colorado. From behind him, a voice calls out, and it's Badrick. He approaches the little man with a cigar in his mouth, asking Edward what he sees. Edward plainly answers that he sees a town, but Badrick sees it all differently. He sees free real estate, resources, all of which can be his. He jokes that he wants to run the new world like the Roman Empire. Edward quietly says that he likes the world better this way, which Badrick wholeheartedly agrees with. He remarks that while most people are crying and mourning the deaths of their loved ones, he and Edward shouldn't let the deaths of their family weaken them. Now is the time to focus. After a long pause, Edward glances at Badrick and asks the crime lord why he's telling him all this. After taking a puff from his cigar, Badrick says that he sees something in Edward. He sees a rat that will stop at nothing to survive, even murdering people. He thinks back to when he found Edward just after he had butchered the men who killed his mother, and was astonished. He says that he views Edward as his very own attack dog, but that in joining Badrick, Edward will have part of the world carved out for him. "The opportunity of a lifetime," he says. Badrick then walks back to his limousine, where a familiar man opens the back door for him: Derrick Williams. After looking on at the limo for a moment, Edward gazes back out towards Willamette.

In the morning, Edward marches out of camp with Stanley, Kyori and Seth Haynes. Edward and Kyori are walking quietly, keeping their eyes peeled. In the back, Stanley is going on to Seth about stories from back in the day, which Seth doesn't really have any interest in. Suddenly, a zombie appears ahead of them, but is instantly shot dead by Kyori's bow. Edward praises Kyori's skill, and asks her if this is what she always wanted to do. "Always," she replies, telling Edward that her life has been set on this path since she was a girl. Stanley chimes in, and asks Edward why Leona didn't end up joining them. Edward says that she's stubborn, but if she ever wants to find them again, she can with her tracking skills.

Back at the campsite, Solomon is sitting alone, pondering his thoughts, when Waita Mathani comes walking up to him, slowly. He announces himself, before reminding Solomon that he did the right thing in letting Patrick go. He makes it clear that he does not trust Edward anymore, but knows that his friends Kyori, Seth and Evelyn would never leave, being too scared to go out on their own again. With this in mind, he asks of Solomon to make sure he has a plan to talk Edward down from showcasing his cruelty that he displayed to Patrick. Solomon admits that he'll try his best to think of something, as all he wants to do is ensure his group is at peace, and not at each other's throats.

Back in the castle, Naomi is scowling at Kate from across the table. Kate is in the middle of asking Gerald about how they manage their resources here. Gerald answers all of her questions, happily explaining that they get all of their food from their supply runners, but also from crops they grow and livestock that they have here in Worthwood. Kate then begins questioning how they decide where people live - pointing out how Gerald and the other council members seem to live extravagantly in the castle. Gerald scoffs, and remarks that he and the council members are the leaders, and nothing would be here if it weren't for them; his reason for why they live in the castle. Justin couldn't agree more with Gerald, while Richard is seen sitting as still as a statue, his face scrunched up. Gerald continues by listing out all of the luxuries they have within Worthwood: clean water, working power, high walls, a police force, education system, and more. But Kate sternly says that most of those things could use some work, once again reminding them all that they aren't prepared for what lies outside the walls. Then, while staring around at the council, says that she isn't even sure why most of them are sitting at this table. Naomi gasps in the most exaggerated and offended way possible, jaw dropping. She begins to rant about how Kate isn't bringing anything to the council either, except her rude, demeaning attitude. Richard sits up, agreeing with Naomi. With narrowed eyes, the old man wonders if Kate is just playing the long game - and that maybe she and her group are waiting for the right moment to slit their throats in their sleep. Kate looks at him, and boldly states, "And if me and my people wanted to, we could just take this place." Everyone looks around, stunned, including Gerald, who asks Kate if that was a threat. Kate stands, beginning to pace around the table, while explaining that if they didn't take over this place, someone else would. She admits that Worthwood is a great place with lots of potential, but if they don't want to work with her, then maybe they will force a change in leadership. Gerald sinks into his chair, and with a shaky voice, says that he doesn't appreciate her attitude. Naomi and Richard are scowling at her, while Chester looks at her sadly. Justin meanwhile smiles, with a look of respect, saying that he's totally turned on right now. Just then, Heather rushes into the chamber with urgency, and says that Father Donovan is outside, furious, having just been attacked by Dean. Naomi is shocked that someone would attack a priest, and says that Dean should be locked up. But Kate interjects, and tells Naomi that she'll do no such thing. She's going to handle this on her own, and Gerald allows her to, angering Naomi. As Kate is walking out, Gerald tells her that he hasn't forgotten about her threat, and they'll talk about that another time. Kate is thankful, and on her way out of the castle, she spots Donovan in the lobby, leaning on his cane. He angrily exclaims that her and her people are animals, but Kate cuts the old man off by telling him to fuck off, as she walks past him in a hurry.

Sitting under a gazebo, Dean sits quietly, nervous, knowing that he'd never be able to fit into the community now. He's then approached by Kate, who steps into the gazebo with him, asking him about what happened. Dean sighs, bluntly saying that Donovan was a prick who deserved it. He asks how Kate is, and she explains how she'd just threatened the council, but doesn't really feel sorry about it, since they're all dicks too. But she drives the conversation back towards Dean, wondering what Donovan could have done to set him off. Dean nods, explaining that he doesn't feel bad about it - but not because Donovan deserved it, but because the people saw what he did - to show them that they're trying; that they're people too. He knows that he could have done a lot worse to Donovan, admitting that he wanted to strangle the old man to death, but was able to hold back. Kate agrees, knowing that most of the people here don't know how hard it is to shift back into a normal life after everything they've been through. She then tells him that they could honestly take over this place overnight if they wanted to. Dean knows they could, but hopes it won't come to that, feeling a little bit of sympathy for the people on the council since they've never experienced what he and their group have. Kate nods in agreement, and says that the people in Worthwood just need some help stepping out of their bubble - which will only happen with her, Dean and everyone else from their group's help. "We'll make this work, Dean," she assures him.

Somewhere in the middle of the Kansas, Tobias Duke is searching a railyard with his men, Damian Holt and Lamar Adams. The railyard isn't anything special either. There's an overpass above it, and a few old, abandoned warehouse buildings. Scattered along the many train tracks are train cars, creating a sort of maze - this is a graveyard for trains. It's clear that Tobias and his men are looking for a particular man, and Tobias is insistent on finding him. He forces Damian and Lamar to split up and go look for him.

Across the yard, Edward and his team are just arriving - and are beyond disappointed by it. Edward, in his anger, just wants to go back to camp, but Stanley convinces him to at least look through the train cars for supplies.

Back down in the railyard, Tobias, who's minding his business, is suddenly accosted by three mean looking men. Lancel speaks for the three of them, revealing that he is already familiar with Tobias. Through dialogue, Tobias reveals that Lancel and the two others, Devon and Cameron, work for 'The Don', who has claimed the railyard as his. Tobias apologizes for not knowing that the Don owned this territory, and starts to slowly walk away, being escorted by Devon. Nearby, Edward and his team are hiding in one of the train cars, peeking through a dirty window to watch everything. Tobias, who's taking reluctant steps, is shoved forward, and then into the ground for being too slow. Suddenly, Lancel stops them, meanders over, and demands Tobias empty his pockets. Hesitantly, Tobias empties his pockets, before Devon pats him down to make sure he's clear. Just then, Damian hollers out to them from behind, Lamar with him. Tensions rise, as Lancel and his men don't know who Damian or Lamar are -- but as soon as Lancel discovers that Tobias is working with them, he screams for Devon and Cameron to kill them. Before either man can even react, Cameron is shot in the throat, and Devon in his kneecap. While Cameron bleeds out, Devon struggles to unsling his rifle, long enough for Lamar to hurry over and decapitate him with a katana. Lancel's hand shoots for a radio strapped to his chest. He yells for backup, stating his location, before having his head blown open by Damian mid-sentence. Damian and Lamar start celebrating, proud of how easily they dispatched the men. But Tobias cuts them off, reminding them that Lancel had called for backup. "Forget Patrick," he says. When Edward, who's still in the train car, hears this, he comes to the conclusion that they must be looking for the same Patrick he killed. He says that he's going to go out there - which freaks Seth out, who yells in a panic. Tobias, Damian and Lamar hear the shout, and point their guns at the train car, demanding they come out. Sighing, Edward limps over to the door and opens it, greeting the three men happily. He climbs out, assuring that he's not with Lancel. Believing him, Tobias says that Edward and his team can go - before he's cut off by Edward himself, who mentions Patrick. He's just about to continue when an explosion rocks the ground, a train car being blown apart nearby. Some people dive to the ground, others run to cover, but they've got nowhere to go. Standing on the overpass above the railyard is Don Clements. Beside him is a woman, Ulga, holding an RPG. And behind them is a small convoy of military jeeps. With a megaphone in hand, Clements orders Edward, Tobias and everyone else to turn themselves in, and they might be shown mercy. Huffing, Edward looks up at him, and can only wonder what he had just gotten himself into.

In the present, Austin awakes, after having been sleeping for maybe an hour. His family is now stuck in his mind, and he knows he won't be able to fall asleep again. And so with a sigh, he gets up, walking past Mackenzie, who's snoring on a small couch. Austin joins Genna in the front of the RV again, who hopes that Austin is less grumpy now that he's gotten some more sleep. After a few moments of silence, Genna asks Austin why he even came along if he was just going to complain the entire time. Austin knows what she's saying - and he explains that he's just been thinking recently. Genna presses to know what he's thinking about that's got him all bothered like this, and Austin reluctantly says that it's his family. He says that they died, but doesn't get much more into it than that. Genna says she's sorry, and asks how it happened - but Austin doesn't answer her. Instead, he explains how these past few days is the first time that he's actually had the time to relax - and it's because of that that he's been thinking about his family. He then admits to her that he had no idea what he was doing with his group - and was just travelling with them because he didn't know what else to do. With how much he used to drink, and with all of the battles he and his group went through - he's never had time to think about Irene, about Ryan. Until now. Genna can't even begin to imagine how hard it's been on Austin, and can relate to him in a way, having been fighting to survive before they first arrived at Worthwood. But now, Genna says that she has a purpose - not just to protect Mackenzie, but to find good people and recruit them to Worthwood. "You've got that purpose now too," she tells Austin, which Austin supposes he does. He then apologizes to her for being an asshole earlier, but she says there's no need to apologize. As Genna continues driving -- she suddenly sees something in the road ahead. Austin sees it too, instantly getting prepared to fight. Genna begins to slow down, as Austin goes to wake Mackenzie up.

In the middle of the road, three bikers are standing next to their motorcycles, chatting. Johnny is in the middle of telling a story about how he beat the hell out of someone that took his rations. Tex, one of the other men, says that he would have killed the man for stealing from him. Leland, the last biker, agrees with Tex, remarking that he shouldn't have gotten off with just a 'weak beating'. Johnny takes offense to this, thinking that Leland is calling him weak, but Tex tells him to calm down. Just then, Tex and the others see the RV approaching them, slowly to a halt a few dozen feet away. Inside the RV, Austin is shaking Mackenzie awake. She immediately realizes what's going on, seeing the bikers through the front windshield. She starts to panic, though Austin tries calming her down. Outside, Tex looks on at the RV, and waves innocently, remarking that they don't bite, and for them to come on out. Then, quietly, Tex looks to Johnny and Leland, and tells them that this will be the 'usual', and he'll get the party started soon enough. Mackenzie is having a full on panic attack inside the RV, as she is freaking out, unsure of what they should do. Genna doesn't know either. They can't go forward or they'll hit the men, and the road isn't wide enough to flip a U-turn in a vehicle as large as the one they're in. Austin is the one who stays calm, thinking rationally. He tells Genna and Mackenzie to keep the RV ready to go, and that he'll step out. Austin picks up a rifle, and exits the RV, keeping the gun lowered as he steps out in front of the RV, looking at the bikers. He greets them as kindly as he can in the moment, and asks if they need anything. Smirking, Tex jokes that usually you're supposed to make introductions, but then says that it's fine. Growing more and more suspicious, Austin tells Tex that he's not interested in talking, and they just wanna get past them. Tex, not going to let that happen, begins to go on about how they're just friendly people - something Austin hardly believes. Then, Tex reaches into his pocket -- and pulls out something that shines. It's a severed finger with a diamond ring on it. "Give us your shit," Tex says with a devilish grin, "Or you'll end up like Clark here." Laughing, Tex's tone completely changes, as he looks on at Austin. "Get the fuck out of our way. Now," Austin responds, something Tex doesn't like. He tells Austin not to try anything -- for he would be killed by Johnny and Leland if he even managed to kill Tex. Austin narrows his eyes, flicking his vision between Tex, Johnny and Leland, watching for any sudden movements. He begins to inch his way backwards. Suddenly, Tex draws a revolver in the blink of an eye, firing it through the windshield of the RV. Glass shatters, as Mackenzie flies backward, the shards cutting her face. She begins to cry on the floor, yelling, while Austin fires off three shots at the bikers, all missing. He jumps into the RV, as Genna hits the gas, going right for the bikers. The bikers scurry out of the way, while all drawing their guns and aiming for the tires of the RV. The RV smashes into Johnny's motorcycle as it goes, destroying the bike underneath the RV, absolutely infuriating Johnny. Then, two of the tires on the RV are hit. They pop, the RV starting to lose control -- but Genna doesn't notice, as her head is lowered below the dashboard in order to try and avoid getting shot. Because of this, she doesn't hit the brakes. The RV speeds off of the road, catching some air as it flies over a ditch, before smashing head-on into a large tree. Genna smacks her head off the dashboard, while Austin and Mackenzie are sent flying around in the back of the vehicle.

Mere moments later, Austin awakes, coughing and groaning. His back and one of his knees hurt, but he knows that he needs to get up. He crawls to his rifle, picks it up, and then starts to shake Mackenzie, who's lying motionless, blood spilling from her mouth, and from the multiple cuts on her face. Genna is moving slowly, still in the driver's seat, her seatbelt having likely saved her from being thrown through the shattered windshield. Mackenzie awakes when Austin sits her up -- as she gags up blood, spitting out a large chunk of her tongue that she'd bitten off during the crash. She continues to cough and gag, while Genna undoes her seatbelt and crawls out, her forehead leaking blood from a nasty gash. When she sees Mackenzie, she panics, not knowing what to do. But Austin does. He yanks Mackenzie to her feet, and tells the ladies to get the hell out of here while he holds off the bikers. He doesn't take the time to argue, and instead readies his rifle, stepping out of the RV, aiming it up at the road. He doesn't see anyone, but he keeps his gun trained up at the road while Genna and Mackenzie limp out of the RV behind him, hobbling into the woods. Austin moves slowly, getting behind a boulder to get some cover, his eyes focusing intently on the road. He winces in pain, but tries to ignore it. And then, there's a leaf that crunches next to Austin. "Boo," Tex says, firing his revolver into Austin's hip. Immediately, the rifle falls from Austin's hands, as he tumbles backwards, falling down a steep incline. He continues to tumble, his arms and legs smacking off trees and rocks as he goes. He yells, trying to stop himself to no avail. His head hits off of a tree on the way down, stunning him. And finally, he comes to a stop, having landed next to a stream, lying in shallow water. He can barely feel anything. Back up at the crashed RV, Tex laughs, as he yells at Johnny and Leland to chase after the girls, before he walks out of sight.

Late at night, Lloyd approaches the Worthwood School, like Violet had asked him too in her note. He arrives by the door, waiting, before Violet suddenly drops down from a tree, landing next to him, startling him, which she teases him about. Lloyd then asks Violet why she's still wearing her sunglasses, to which she says that it's simply just her style. Lloyd shrugs, and tells her she can dress how she wants. Lloyd asks her why she asked him to be here - and Violet reveals that she just wants to hang out with him... outside the walls, of course. Lloyd is surprised, not sure how to react. He doesn't know if it's a good idea to go out now that it's dark out, but Violet convinces him they'll be fine, and starts leading him down the street.

She takes Lloyd down towards one of the community's outer walls, an area shrouded in darkness under the night sky. She instructs Lloyd to just follow her lead - as she then begins climbing up a tree. Sighing, Lloyd follows her. Eventually they reach the top of the tree, allowing them to hop over onto the outer wall's walkway. They stay low, trying to not be seen by one of the guards. And then Violet grabs a rope sitting inside of a box nearby, tying it around one of the castle's turrets, and throwing the excess rope over the wall. It's obvious this is all routine for her. Lloyd watches her, finding everything to be pretty cool. Violet nods, digging through her backpack and pulling two pairs of gloves, one for herself and one for Lloyd, so that they don't burn their hands sliding down the rope. Violet goes first, and after gulping, Lloyd follows her.

When they reach the bottom of the wall, Violet exhales, smiling, feeling free. They begin to walk towards the trees, as Lloyd asks her why she even comes out here. Violet claims that she does it because she doesn't want to stay cooped up inside Worthwood, and so that she doesn't forget how to fight zombies. She shows Lloyd just how good she is at killing zombies when they approach one hobbling around in the woods. She takes out a knife, swiftly stabbing it in the head. Lloyd understands, and actually thinks that it's smart to do that. As they keep walking, Lloyd questions what it was like for her and her father before they got to Worthwood. She admits that it wasn't easy, tears welling in her eyes, tears that Lloyd can't see because she's still wearing her sunglasses. She says that it was Genna and Mackenzie who recruited them to Worthwood, and that she and her dad probably didn't have very many days left in them if it weren't for the two recruiters, something Lloyd can relate to. Violet then asks if the new teacher is from Lloyd's group, and Lloyd nods. This gets Violet to thinking about what happened to Lloyd's parents - and Lloyd quietly says that he doesn't know what happened to them, since he was at school when everything went down. Violet says she's sorry - before confessing to him that both her mother and sister died after the outbreak. She struggles to talk about it, and Lloyd tells her she doesn't have to. But Violet continues anyway, with a clear shakiness to her voice, and admits how she used to be a bully at school. Her sister, Ruby, was the only person that was actually her friend - none of her fake cheerleader friends counted. She says that her dad hates it when she sneaks out of Worthwood, even got the Worthwood police involved to try and stop her - which obviously didn't work. Lloyd can't blame her father, and says that he's just trying to protect her. Sighing, Violet apologizes for killing vibe with all of this talk of death, but Lloyd says that it's okay, and it's important. Nodding slowly, Violet says they should probably be getting back now before her dad finds that she's left again. She says that it's important she keeps coming out here - so that she doesn't forget how to kill a zombie in case she ever has to protect someone. She then frowns, thinking about her sister, who she couldn't protect. Lloyd approaches, trying to comfort her, as Violet says something strange, that she 'wishes she could tell him'. Lloyd looks at her, puzzled, and asks if he can see her, eyeing the shades she has on. When Violet nods, Lloyd removes the pair of sunglasses, gently, and sees a bruised eye, swelling around it. It's fresh. "He... blames me. For their deaths," Violet says, voice breaking. Frowning, Lloyd's heart sinks, as he hugs her. Violet blames herself too, saying that it was her fault that her mother and sister died, but Lloyd tells her that she did nothing wrong. Lloyd then says that they have to tell someone if her father, Todd, is hitting her. But Violet just wants Lloyd to stay out of it. Shaking his head, Lloyd insists that he can't do nothing about this. Again, Violet asks him to let her deal with her own problems, as she begins to start walking back to Worthwood.

Back in Willamette, Austin is speeding through downtown, panic ensuing all around him. Zombies are stumbling out of storefronts, killing people, police cars and ambulances racing around the city. It's chaos. Austin speeds into his neighbourhood, and slams his brakes when he gets to his house. He grabs a shotgun from his passenger seat just in case, and starts walking up his driveway - when Jeremiah is seen exiting Austin's home. He meets Austin's eyes, and tells the man that he was just speaking to Irene and Ryan, and they agreed to come over to him and his family's household while they wait for the military to show up. Austin doesn't say anything - while Jeremiah jogs back over to his own home. Then, Austin speedwalks inside his house, seeing Irene getting ready to go next door, while Ryan is sitting on the couch, scared. Irene at first is a bit confused to see him, but shrugs it off, not caring since they were going to Jeremiah's place anyway. But Austin sternly tells them that they aren't, telling Irene to follow him outside to his truck. He says that it's not safe to stay here in Willamette, but Irene thinks otherwise. Austin insists, going on about how he was seeing people get slaughtered -- frightening Ryan. Irene cuts Austin off, and comforts Ryan, telling him that it'll be okay. After taking a second to say sorry, Austin then continues, trying to persuade Irene to come with him, but she won't. Getting stressed, Austin then wanders into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a can of beer. This is the final straw for Irene, as she then realizes that they'll only be in more danger with Austin around, and so she tells him to leave - she doesn't want him here. Austin, after taking a swig from the beer, tries one last time to convince Irene to come with him -- but she refuses. Austin snaps at her, screaming at the top of his lungs with rage, which gets the attention of Jeremiah, who comes jogging through into their house. Having made up his mind, Austin curses at Jeremiah on his way out the front door.

Meanwhile, Austin is still laying in the stream in the present, blood oozing from his hip. He's barely conscious - trying to call out for help. But there's nobody around. He starts to think of Irene and Ryan, and then of Dean, and of Kate and Jon, and everyone else. His breathing slows, as he shuts his eyes.

Two days after the apocalypse, Austin awakes in the backseat of his pickup truck, hungover. He groans, his stomach not feeling great, as he climbs into the driver's seat. It's early in the morning, as he drives through town slowly, going around the wrecked vehicles, until he makes it into his neighbourhood. He pulls up to his and Jeremiah's houses, stopping by the curb and stepping out with his shotgun. He sees Jeremiah's sedan still parked in his driveway - and thinks that maybe his family is still here. But as he walks up to Jeremiah's porch, he finds a shattered window, and discovers something to be blocking the front door when he tries pushing it open. When he does get the door open - he sees the corpse of an old man he knew; he was recently killed. Austin begins to panic, jogging through the mess of a house -- where he is horrified to find the corpses of Jeremiah's wife and son in the living room, accompanied by a few dead zombies. In the kitchen, he finds the body of another man he knew, and even more zombie corpses. His heart starts to race, sweat trickling down the side of his forehead, Austin terrified about what could have happened to his family. He's now in a full on sprint, searching through every room in the house - until he opens the last door -- and stops in his tracks. Irene and Ryan lay dead on the floor, being chewed on by a couple of zombies. Austin stands still, tears welling in his eyes. The zombie chewing on Irene stands up -- it's Jeremiah, who starts stumbling towards Austin. He raises his shotgun, and with a single shot, blows Jeremiah's head off. He does the same to the second zombie - before he drops his gun and falls to the floor, crying. He starts to scream and curse at himself, slamming his hands against the wall, until he's unable to stay in that room any longer. He gets his shotgun and quickly leaves, tears still dropping from his eyes, as he goes back outside to his truck. He remains there, parked outside of the house for a long while - staring into space. And then, finally, he does the only thing he can think to do: forget. He opens his glovebox and pulls out a half-full bottle of whiskey.

Austin's eyes flicker open again. He's still in the stream, slowly dying. He doesn't know how much time has passed. When he looks around - he thinks he can see somebody approaching him - a person. Weakly, he calls out to them -- before just seconds later he realizes that the figure he sees quickly pacing towards him is not a human being, it's a zombie. Lying back, Austin accepts his fate. He couldn't get up and escape even if he wanted to. As he lies there, he pictures Irene in his head, and for just a moment, he smiles, happy. And then Austin hears a splash in the stream, the sound of something heavy flopping against the water. He looks over, seeing that the zombie had been decapitated and fell into the stream. Standing there now is a mysterious woman, who sheathes her katana, kneeling down beside Austin. Austin doesn't even know if what he's seeing is real, as he begins to lose consciousness. "Don't worry. I've got you," the woman says.

After climbing back up the rope and getting back inside Worthwood, Lloyd and Violet walk through the streets, an awkward silence between the two. "This isn't okay," Lloyd says, again trying to convince her to tell someone. But again, she tells him to stay out of it, walking off.

When Lloyd arrives back at his lodge, he sees William sitting out on the front porch, covered by shadows. Sadly, Lloyd walks over, and utters, "Mr. Glover's hitting Violet." William sits forward, clenching a fist. Wordlessly, he looks towards Lloyd, and nods.

## **Cast**

#### **Starring**

* Edward Remar
* Solomon Reed
* Austin Kingston
* Kate Bloodstone
* Marcus Downes
* Gerald Roland
* Dean Howards
* Rebecca Dawson
* William Reynes
* Lloyd Waller

#### **Also Starring**

* Nancy Warner
* Leona Holloway
* Elliott Rowe
* Tobias Duke
* Genna Brohem
* Justin Bennett
* Naomi Stafford
* Violet Glover
* Kayumi Shizuko

#### **Guest Starring**

* Carson Burke
* Bonnie Harrell
* Stanley Peck
* Kyori Hyoteki
* Damian Holt
* Lamar Adams
* Don Clements
* Mackenzie Brohem
* Chester Stafford
* Richard Neuble
* Heather Solis
* Father Donovan
* Todd Glover
* Christopher Woods
* Joseph Benson
* Tex
* Irene Kingston *(Flashback)*
* Damerae Badrick *(Flashback)*
* Derrick Williams *(Flashback)*

#### **Co-Starring**

* Evelyn Nelson
* Seth Haynes
* Waita Mathani
* Lancel
* Devon
* Cameron
* Ulga
* Barry Challis
* Charles Hopkins
* Maggie Hopkins
* Melanie Hopkins
* Joslyn Larkin
* Jerry Rhodes
* Blake Christian
* Tristan
* Henry Stafford
* Johnny
* Leland
* George *(Flashback)*
* Ryan Kingston *(Flashback)*
* Jeremiah Hurst *(Flashback)*

## **Deaths**

* Lancel
* Cameron
* Devon
* Ryan Kingston *(Flashback)*
* Irene Kingston *(Flashback)*
* Jeremiah Hurst *(Flashback)*
* Kelly & Jamie Hurst, Clint, Jane, Dennis *(Flashback)*