Season 1: Monuments

"*Beware the dark...*"
—Tagline of *Monuments*[src]

**Season 1: Monuments** is the first season of *So Help Me God*, a rewrite of the miniseries of the same name as part of *Strain Zero*. It began in January 2023 and consists of six episodes.

Shortly after waking up in the midst of the apocalypse, an amnesiac survivor named Antony Eden heads into the ruins of Sacramento to find shelter and recover his lost memories, only to uncover a greater mystery.

## Plot

*Sacramento, California. In an overgrown world where the dead now rule, a lonely wanderer seeks meaning, purpose and answers, things he may find when he crosses paths with a survivor that has learned to embrace the madness of the new world.*

## Synopsis

### "Urbs Indomita"

A young man awakes, dazed and confused, on a moth-eaten couch. He faintly hears a woman's voice - "Antony, Can you hear me? Antony! Can you hear me?" - and takes in his unfamiliar surroundings. Clutching his head he desperately tries to remember how he got there, but only a few details flash back: a college, screams, a bright white light and a single name: "Antony Eden". He realizes that his hands are covered in blood and decides to check the house for help; finding nothing, he heads out into the street, where a single muerto aimlessly stumbles around. He remembers the outbreak - as well as how to kill the creatures - and continues searching the house; he finds no food and little water, as well as a wooden baseball bat in a bedroom. Half dressed, he slings on a black shirt and suit jacket and retrieves a bag, in which he finds a map of northern California. A stack of letters gives him the name of the town he is in and he traces the distance to any nearby cities; he discovers that Sacramento, the state capital, is about a day's walk to the west. Feeling drawn to the city, he packs up and heads out.

The walk is uneventful apart from stacks of crashed cars and wandering muertos; he finally reaches the city limits to find it eerily quiet. He calls out for help but receives no response. He searches aimlessly for signs of human life until he gives up and rests on a bench, hungry and tired. His rest is interrupted by faint, whispering voices; his attempts to follow and find them result in him discovering the California State Capitol building. He discovers that the entrance is barred but finds an open fire exit on the right side of the building, through which he enters an underground security area. Inside he finds a lounge room, a tightly locked door, and a janitor's closet; the latter contains the hanging, reanimated corpse of the janitor. Eden kills it with a blow to the head with his baseball bat and decides to stay in the lounge, where he finally finds some food. He finds a notepad filled with doodles and decides to keep a diary.

The next morning Eden decides to check the ground level and find the key to the locked basement door. He cautiously walks up a flight of stairs and finds the Capitol's entrance hall in disarray: smashed windows, broken furniture and random debris. He finds and kills two muertos: one in the cafeteria and another wearing a security uniform; he finds a key on the latter, as well as a stock of tinned food in the cafeteria. The key unlocks the door in the basement; inside Eden finds a generator, a water reserve and a fully-loaded Glock 22. In his diary he estimates that he could survive a month here if he rations food and water.

A week or so passes; his diary entries are his only method of communication. He desperately tries to remember more details of his life, but his efforts only result in recurring hallucinations; he finds that they get louder and clearer the closer he is to his bat. One afternoon he hears screaming outside the Capitol and rushes to help, bat and pistol in hand. The screams start moving further and further away and he desperately cries out that he is trying to help. He stops at the edge of a large sinkhole as the screams grow louder; when he turns, he is jumped by a shrieking woman covered in blood. He screams and falls backwards into the sinkhole, tumbling over a car and landing in the mud. He curls up and cries, apologising to the whispers in his head.

After several hours exposed to the elements, Eden manages to climb up the car and out of the sinkhole, despondent and desperately lonely. He finally returns to his home in the Capitol's basement and inspects the Glock; his inspection triggers a flashback of him holding a pistol at a person whose face is obscured by his own blurred vision. Eden pleads to the disembodied voices to leave him alone and sticks the barrel in his mouth; he almost applies full pressure but stops when he hears rustling above him; grabbing his bat, he realizes that the noises are too fast to be a muerto. He carefully climbs the stairs to the ground level and checks every cleared room; a sharp noise comes from the cafeteria. Moving slowly, he sees a woman searching the empty cafeteria, her back to him. Unsure whether or not she is real, Eden stealthily approaches and hits her over the head with the tip of his bat; she falls to the floor, dazed. Eden considers killing her until he realizes that the voices have gone silent. Unsure what else to do, he drops the bat and drags her downstairs.

### "A Stranger"

After dragging the barely-conscious woman into the basement, Eden reluctantly ties her hands around the radiator with a cable tie and quietly apologises. He paces around the room, questioning what he has done, before finally sitting down to think. After a few minutes, he realizes that the constant stream of noises and voices in his head has fallen silent. Remembering the screaming zombie, he internally debates whether the woman is even real. Still debating, he leans close to the woman, who suddenly wakes and headbutts him in the nose. She immediately begins screaming and demanding to be released, threatening to kill him if she breaks free. Eden points his Glock at the woman but she remains unfazed, telling him to use it or he will regret it.

Relenting, Eden cleans his now-bloody nose and demands to know her name; she refuses to answer and tries to wrestle free of her restraints. Sitting on his couch across from her, Eden continues questioning her - where she is from, why she is here, and, once more, what her name is - but receives insults or grunts in return. He tries to calm her by introducing himself but she says she isn't interested, and once more demands to be let go. Frustrated, Eden grabs his baseball bat and threatens to strike her again; unafraid, she tries to stand up and lunge for him, but cannot reach him. Eden gives up and sits down, telling the woman she will remain restrained until she tells him her name.

The pair sit around for hours, with the woman continuing to fight her bounds and Eden silently watching her. Evening comes and Eden makes dinner; he offers the woman a plate but she sneers and refuses. In the night, both unable to sleep, Eden is forced to listen as the woman insults and threatens him, calling him a "mad basement dweller". She eventually calls him "crazy" in passing; the voices in Eden's mind suddenly increase in volume and he explodes, ranting that she is not real as he holds the gun in her direction. He finally breaks down in tears and drops to the floor; his gun slides over to within the woman's reach. As Eden cries, she successfully reaches it without him noticing and holds it up to his head; instead of trying to disarm her, Eden begs her to shoot him, adding that he cannot be alone anymore and does not want to be tormented any longer. Unable to pull the trigger, the woman lowers the gun.

They each sit in silence and pass in and out of sleep; morning comes and Eden makes breakfast, once again offering some to the woman. She finally accepts and they eat in silence until the woman demands to know why Eden is wearing a suit. He scoffs and the woman guesses that he worked in an office. Eden replies that he doesn't remember where he worked, nor anything else for that matter. He suddenly feels as if he faintly recognises the woman and asks her if they have ever met before; the woman says she does not remember him. She then asks how Eden knows about the zombies but not his own identity; Eden also replies that he does not know but that he faintly remembers going to college. The woman explains that she was "dumb" in school and was never going to college. Eden says that the building has its own library and he can fetch her some books; the woman declines.

The pair go back and forth exchanging what few stories they can until Eden suddenly stands up and grabs a pair of scissors; he uses them to cut the woman's bounds. He says he cannot hold her anymore and that he doesn't want to become a monster. He follows her to the exit and she wishes him good luck before disappearing. Alone again, Eden breaks down in tears as the noises in his head grow loud once more; retreating to the basement, he attempts to shoot himself but is unable to pull the trigger. Instead he collects a roll of cables and a chair from the cafeteria, deciding to hang himself in front of the Capitol door so he can see one last sunrise. As the morning sun peaks over the buildings he prepares to tip the chair; before he can, the woman suddenly appears at the door. Eden climbs down and removes the makeshift noose before opening the door; the woman steps inside without a word.

In the cafeteria, the woman asks if he wants some pot; Eden accepts and they share a joint. The woman finally reveals her name to be Sasha, and she asks whether Eden believes in destiny; a bemused Eden responds that he is still figuring that out. He adds that Sasha is welcome to stay, as long as she respects the fact that it is "his house"; Sasha reluctantly accepts. Eden decides to move to the Governor's office while Sasha keeps the basement; later, while sorting out his bed, Sasha interrupts and says that she doesn't want to sleep in a room alone. They each set up a makeshift bed of either side of the office.

Four years go by. During that time, Eden and Sasha grow closer, slowly learning more about one another. Initially they keep apart, with Eden studying mathematics and American history in the library while Sasha kills zombies in the Capitol Park; one evening she finds the derelict rose garden and decides to tend to the flowers, which later expands into a vegetable garden. They take turns scavenging in the city until deciding to go together; they find lights, mattresses, portable stoves and even building materials. They clear the debris from the ground floor, secure the entrance and add comfort to their living space. They begin cooking and eating meals together and even participate in each others hobbies. Still keeping a diary, Eden privately admits that he is falling for her, especially after they start taking walks together through the city's ruins.

One night, while drinking and smoking the last of Sasha's stash, they drunkenly decide to exchange blood; during the ceremony, Eden kisses Sasha. She initially retreats before kissing him in return; she stops herself before it escalates. That night Eden has a nightmare of chasing an unknown woman through a forest, followed by a vision of holding a gun to their head; he awakes, disturbed, to find Sasha stood beside him, half-naked. She warns him that its only "an outlet" before climbing into bed with him.

The following afternoon, Eden retrieves a rabbit from a self-made snare and cooks lunch and dinner. As they eat, Eden tries to open a discussion about their relationship; Sasha refuses to talk and make it complicated. Before Eden can press her, they both hear a series of sudden gunshots. They stand to prep themselves, listening as the gunshots grow closer. Through the front window, Eden watches four people run into the street; one of them, a man armed only with a pistol, fires at an unseen assailant. As the man reloads, another man stands up to fire but is promptly shot in the head. Eden decides to help them but is stopped by Sasha, who pleads him to not allow anyone to ruin their home and the peace they have built. After another brief flashback of holding a woman at gunpoint, Eden says that the living must be helped, otherwise they're no better than the dead. He opens the door and calls out to the group.

### "Gasman"

Eden barrels out the front door, shouting at the group to run towards him. One of the two women see him and starts shouting orders at the man and the other woman. Still on the Capitol steps, Eden watches as muertos start pouring out of nearby buildings, some moving slow and others moving quickly. The two women begin running for the Capitol, one being led by the other, while the man lays down covering fire and tries to drag his friend's body. One of the woman tells him to leave the corpse and the man reluctantly agrees; he sprints towards them, firing in all directions. The women eventually reach the steps and Eden hurries them inside; the man is tackled by a muerto, forcing Eden to sprint to him and kill the monster with a blow from his bat. He helps the man to his feet and they both sprint into the building, sealing the doors behind them.

The strangers catch their breaths, thanking Eden profusely. Eden, however, tells them to quieten down as several muertos approach the doors, still on the group's scent. All five of them stand low to avoid catching the eye of the undead; while glancing out the window, Eden finally sees the group's assailant: a huge man wielding a rifle, his face covered by a large helmet and gas mask. As he strolls into the square, he is strangely ignored by the surrounding muertos. The man turns his head towards the Capitol and pauses; Eden gets the uneasy feeling that the man is staring at him. The man continues walking through the square, never taking his unseen eyes off the building. Despite the muertos banging on the doors, the man eventually turns away and exits into a side-street.

One of the women asks the man, Sergei, if the "Gasman" is gone; Sergei replies affirmative. A few more minutes pass and the muertos lose interest, retreating back down the steps. The survivors back away from the windows; Eden calmly tries to ask the group their names, but Sasha interrupts by holding them all at gunpoint, firmly demanding their intentions. Sergei complies and introduces himself and the women: the hardier Nancy and the softer Yasmine, who continues breathing shakily from the shock. Yasmine finally looks up and Eden realizes why she was being led: her eyes are covered by a blindfold. Sasha orders the group to leave but Nancy desperately asks her for a first aid kit; Sergei reveals a deep flesh wound on his side. Sasha refuses but Eden talks her down and offers whatever supplies they have. Suddenly, Yasmine cries out and looks in Eden's direction, screaming "Monster! Monster!"

A sudden gunshot sends them all to cover, coming from the direction of the east door to the gardens. Eden, Sasha and Nancy agree to check it out while Sergei calms Yasmine. As they approach the door, another gunshot forces them to take cover; peering from behind their cover, they spot the masked man firing shots into the halls. His shots attract muertos, including a few revenants, that all ignore the masked man. Taking her chance as the man reloads, Sasha empties her revolver into his chest; he grunts and staggers away, blood pouring from his torso. Several muertos reach the steps and trip over a wire, triggering a shotgun trap built by Eden. The sound draws a revenant that also triggers a wire, firing off another shotgun that kills it; a second revenant recognises the sound, snarls and retreats. Eden resets the traps before they all retreat into the Capitol.

The three of them reunite with Sergei, who has calmed Yasmine into sleep. A frustrated Sasha holds the three of them at gunpoint again, demanding to know where they came from, why they are here, and what the masked man was. Sergei looks to Eden to calm Sasha, but he raises his bat and orders them to answer. Nancy agrees and begins to tell their story: Sergei and Nancy attended college together and were friends with Yasmine, who studied on another campus. In August 2003, a shooting occured at Yasmine's campus, during which Yasmine's boyfriend, Antony, was killed. Yasmine subsequently became a recluse; in October, Sergei and Nancy decided to take her to the mall and try to cheer her up. On their way to the mall, the outbreak reached critical mass, forcing the trio to drive aimlessly for weeks until they stumbled upon a gas station that had been reinforced by other survivors. For the next four years the trio lived at the gas station, which grew into a bustling community. One night, however, a decaying revenant somehow learned to climb a damaged portion of the fence that surrounded the community; the ensuing gunfight drew more undead, causing the fence - and the community - to fall. Only seven survivors made it out, including the trio; they approached a working truck, believing it to be others who had escaped, only to find the "Gasman".

The Gasman kept them captive for months and treated them like children: he fed them expired meats and tinned food, gave them toys and even tried to play games with them. However, he would grow angry when they tried to escape, and never allowed them to see his face. Three of the captives died of starvation or food poisoning, leaving the trio and a fourth survivor left. One day, Yasmine accidentally saw the Gasman's face; he subsequently gouged her eyes out. Shortly after this the four of them escaped, and the obsessed Gasman began hunting them relentlessly. They fled into downtown Sacramento, and Nancy finishes by telling Eden and Sasha that they know the rest. To reward their honesty, Sasha gives them some medical supplies and food; Sergei promises that they will be gone by morning.

That night, Eden struggles to sleep, troubled by his recognition of Yasmine and her reciprocal screaming. Frustrated, he heads downstairs to confront her, only to find that the trio have left. Sasha joins him and asks what's wrong; Eden reveals his belief that Yasmine knows who he truly is, and that he has to find and convince her to tell him. Sasha demands to know why it matters; Eden adds that the voice he heard when he first woke up, with all his memories wiped, was Yasmine's, calling out to her dead boyfriend. Eden believes that he was there when the shooting happened or that, to his own horror, he *was* the shooter, and took on the name of Yasmine's boyfriend as it was one of the few things he could still remember.

Sasha expresses her doubts, reminding him that he does not like killing muertos, let alone people, and that he doesn't have it in him to hurt a living person. Eden retorts that, when he first met her, he struck her over the head and tied her up in the basement, implying that he believes he is capable of much worse. With Sasha speechless, Eden dresses, packs a bag and grabs his bat, deciding to find the group and get answers from Yasmine. Sasha suddenly grabs his arm and begs him not to go, weeping that she can't be alone again. Eden kisses her passionately and she reciprocates before he pulls away, locks the door and runs into the streets, leaving Sasha to plead and cry.

Outside, the revenant from earlier returns to the gardens and is attracted by a noise. It stumbles upon the Gasman as he pulls bullets from his chest with little trouble, and ignores him. The Gasman loads his rifle, leaves the gardens and spots Eden running from the Capitol and into the streets. Watching intently, the Gasman whispers a single word: "Arthur..."

### "Concrete"

While Sasha weeps, the revenant outside figures out how to step over a tripwire, avoiding the shotgun trap. It walks up the Capitol steps, snarling and looking for prey.

Meanwhile, Eden rushes through downtown, looking for any sign of Sergei, Nancy and Yasmine. Thinking that they will stick to the open streets, Eden searches the main roads and eventually stumbles on Yasmine's blindfold beside a dead muerto. Guessing that the trio were jumped, he spots two buildings that they could have fled into: an apartment block or an unfinished department store. He decides to search the latter; as he moves towards it, he spots a large gathering of muertos slowly shuffling forwards in the streets ahead.

Eden enters the unfinished store, calling out the trio's names. In his desperation, the voices in his head grow louder. He spins around and finds a stationary muerto dressed in bloody clothes; it tilts its head and snarls at him, "You don't have to do this". Eden covers his eyes, then opens them to find it was another hallucination. The tormented Eden slumps to the ground, frustrated, before he hears a short cry above him. Climbing the unfinished service stairs, he heads to the floor above and finally finds Yasmine, cowering behind some boxes. Eden approaches but Yasmine screams upon hearing his voice, demanding that he leave her alone. Eden places his bat down and calmly approaches, telling her about his amnesia and how he is no longer the person she believes him to be. He then confesses that he heard her voice when he first woke up, and pleads that she tell him his true name. Now calm, she finally answers: "Arthur?"

Yasmine's speech is suddenly cut off by a crash behind her. Yasmine seizes up and coughs blood into Eden's face, causing him to fall backwards in terror. A fist bursts through the plaster wall, followed by the entire hulking body of the Gasman. The creature shakes Yasmine's limp corpse off his arm and stares directly at the cowering Eden, who watches as Yasmine's body begins convulsing. At that moment, Sergei runs across the scene and screams Yasmine's name before firing his pistol; several shots hit the Gasman, who is unfazed. Ignoring Eden, the Gasman makes straight for Sergei, who is forced to run. Meanwhile, Yasmine's body reanimates, growling and snapping as it rises to its feet. Blinded, the reanimated Yasmine cannot see Eden, but hears him as he stands and runs away. Yasmine gives chase.

Back at the Capitol, the revenant begins bashing at the east door, which was weakened during the Gasman's earlier attack. With only a few revolver shots remaining, Sasha is forced to find a melee weapon to deal with the muerto. Elsewhere, Eden runs into a dead end with the reanimated Yasmine behind him; unable to see, the muerto starts snapping its jaws, creating sounds that it uses to navigate. Eden prepares to kill the creature but finds himself unable to; bizarrely, the reanimated Yasmine comes within half an inch of his face but does not attack. Instead, it is drawn to Sergei's yells nearby.

Eden bashes it over the head as it turns its back and runs to help Sergei; before he leaves he spots another motionless muerto in the dead end, wearing a bloody football jersey. It growls that he is "a pathetic piece of shit" before Eden turns away and runs to help Sergei, who is desperately trying to escape the Gasman's iron grip.

Sergei tries to pry the Gasman's gas mask from its face, to which the Gasman responds by strangling Sergei and lifting him into the air. Eden watches as the Gasman drives its other hand under Sergei's ribs, causing him to silently scream in agony. Enraged, Eden charges and brings his bat down on the Gasman's head; the Gasman drops the choking Sergei immediately and falls to its knees, its helmet dented. Eden helps Sergei to his feet and swings his bat again, striking the Gasman in the face and breaking its gas mask.

Believing it to be down and out, Eden and Sergei prepare to leave just as the reanimated Yasmine bursts onto the scene. She chases them through the building and into a narrow gap between the unfinished walls; as she tries to slide in after them, she is suddenly tackled by the Gasman. Seizing their chance, Eden and Sergei escape the gap and watch as the Gasman violently tears Yasmine's skull in half, killing her for good. The Gasman turns to look at them, revealing its face to be heavily disfigured.

At the Capitol, the revenant breaks through the doors; Sasha throws a ceramic bust at the muerto and strikes it in the head, killing it. Sasha screams cathartically.

The Gasman lumbers up to Eden and Sergei, growling "Arthur..." while starring at Eden with its one good eye. Eden tells Sergei to run; the Gasman pursues them until the pair arrive at an elevator shaft and jump, landing on the elevator car. Sergei opens the hatch and they drop down, now on the ground floor. They hear gunshots nearby and rush into the street, where they find Nancy shooting at approaching muertos. As the horde shambles forward, the trio take refuge in a nearby coffee shop, while the Gasman, ignored by the muertos, leaves the store and walks down the street towards a manhole cover. The creature removes the cover and retrieves two grenades from its belt before dropping them down the hole. The Gasman finds shelter and covers its ears.

Eden, Sergei and Nancy argue about their next move before the ground starts violently shaking. As the grenades explode, the foundations are damaged and the weakened ground starts to crack. The sound of the explosion causes the Gasman great pain, and Eden is similarly affected. As the ground continues shaking they return to the street to find a large sinkhole between them and safety. They turn to face the incoming herd, at the head of which is the unmasked Gasman. The muertos suddenly stop in their tracks behind the Gasman, who growls the name "Arthur" several times. Having never heard the Gasman speak before, Sergei and Nancy deduce that the creature is talking to Eden, who cautiously approaches the Gasman. The muertos suddenly start moving again, ignoring Eden and heading straight for Sergei and Nancy.

Another gunshot catches their attention; Sergei and Nancy turn to see Sasha, armed only with her revolver, kill a muerto before grabbing a wooden board and dropping it over the sinkhole, creating a bridge. Sergei and Nancy make it to safety, but Eden, tunnel-visioned on the Gasman, ignores Sasha's desperate cries. The Gasman looks down at the cracking ground and simply says "Arthur. Home."

Without warning the ground beneath their feet collapses, and Sasha can only watch as Eden and the Gasman disappear into the rubble.

### "Flood"

Sasha screams in agony as the sinkhole expands, swallowing Eden and the Gasman. With muertos now approaching from behind, Sergei and Nancy drag Sasha away and back to the Capitol; led by snarling revenants, the muertos follow the trio all the way back to the Capitol. Now safely inside, Sasha places Eden's death on the two of them and demands that they leave; Sergei tries to argue but Nancy talks him down, and they agree to leave before the muertos arrive. All alone once more, Sasha loads her revolver with the last of her bullets, planning to commit suicide before the muertos arrive. In her and Eden's bedroom, she flicks through a scrapbook she has secretly been making containing photos of their time together. She then clutches her necklace and remembers her old boyfriend's smile, as well as his death at the hands of raiders.

Some time after the collapse, deep in the sewers, Eden awakens, upside down and swinging. He realizes he is being carried on the Gasman's shoulder, and sees his bat in the Gasman's free hand. Eden demands to be let go and asks what the Gasman wants with him; the Gasman simply repeats "Arthur, home". They reach a junction and the Gasman finally drops him and his bat before turning to walk in the opposite direction. Eden takes his bat and strikes the Gasman several times, demanding to know what is happening. The Gasman quickly stops his attack and pushes him towards an open door, repeating "Arthur, home". Eden demands that the Gasman stay away from his home and his friends, but is too exhausted to chase it through the tunnels. Completely lost, he decides to head through the open door and search for an exit.

His headache and the constant voices quickly disorientate him, and begins slipping in and out of reality; he hallucinates several motionless muertos, all taunting him with growls and unintelligible pleads, before slipping into a fugue state. He finds himself in an unfamiliar corridor, filled with college students, and dressed in an all-black outside. He searches his pockets and finds an automatic pistol. A hand is suddenly placed on his shoulder; he does not recognise the man that appears, who asks him if he is ready. Against his own will, Eden nods affirmatively before screaming internally as he removes the pistol from his concealed holster.

Eden returns to reality, now in a completely different place. He realizes that he has unconsciously navigated the tunnels and now stands before a locked gate with distant light on the other side. He tries to open it, only for the voices to grow louder. He starts crying as he kicks at the door, desperate for it to open; it suddenly swings open and he finds himself in a well-lit library, aiming his pistol at a pleading man that says "You don't have to do this". Eden's attempt to resist is futile as he pulls the trigger, killing the man. He hears other gunshots but ignores them as he patrols the library, killing two more people that resemble the motionless muertos he has been seeing. He is confronted by a male voice behind him but returns to reality as he turns, now standing in a dimly-lit service room. He looks around and spots a large, white "C" surrounded by six white stars painted on the wall. Puzzled, he looks over his shoulder to find a large cargo elevator and a single blinking red light on its console.

Eden tunnel-visions on the light and returns to the library, where he aims his gun at a man in a football jersey. Unafraid, the man calls him a "pathetic piece of shit" and Eden shoots him, screaming his sorrow internally as he is powerless to stop himself. The man falls to the ground, bleeding from his neck, as a woman emerges from under a desk to stop the bleeding. Eden approaches as the woman pleads "Antony? Can you hear me? Antony! Can you hear me?" Eden recognises the woman as Yasmine, and finally breaks free as he turns the gun on himself.

Eden awakens, now stood on the elevator and holding the tip of his bat against his chin. Clearing his head, he pushes a lever forward and the red light turns green; an alarm starts playing as the elevator begins its descent. The alarm turns into distant police sirens as Eden finds himself holding the gun in Yasmine's face. His accomplice suddenly bursts through the door, reassuring Eden that what they are doing is "mercy". Eden hears the calling of police as his accomplice is shot to death; Eden drops the gun and surrenders, watching the motionless corpse of his final victim as he is cuffed. In the real world, a dazed Eden stands as the elevator comes to a stop at an underground facility. Eden marches forward to investigate and spots a word - "VAULT" - above the entrance to an unlit corridor. Another memory returns to him, one of him in tight restraints as he is led into the facility. Eden grips his bat and walks into the darkness.

On the surface, Sergei and Nancy carefully make their way through downtown. Sergei suggests that Sasha may kill herself, allowing the pair to return and claim the Capitol; Nancy refuses and steers the conversation to what they have learned. She recalls that the shooter at Yasmine's campus was called "Arthur" and how terrified Yasmine was when she heard Eden's voice. Nancy theorizes that Antony Eden is actually Arthur and that he must have escaped custody during the outbreak; she backs this up with the Gasman addressing Eden by the name "Arthur" and guesses that the two were both incarcerated in a mental hospital. Sergei dismisses her theory, calling it all a coincidence; Nancy is unconvinced. As they move forward, a manhole cover in front of them is pushed upwards as an enraged Gasman emerges. Nancy and Sergei retreat as the still-dazed Gasman falls to its knees.

Deep underground, Eden explores the Vault facility, finding it abandoned except for a few emaciated muertos. Most of the doors are locked except for one that leads to "CONTAINMENT & LIVE ANALYSIS". Eden descends into the corridor, finding numerous skeletons, and enters a large room filled with observation rooms. He takes a closer look and discovers restraints, medical tools and cameras in every room. He pauses at the final room and spots a numeral beside the door: IX. He suffers another flashback where he is pulled into the room, tied down and injected with numerous vials. He feels a sudden burning on the base of his back and sees an IX brand in his reflection. He spots a larger observation room at the end and enters.

Sergei and Nancy are chased through the streets by the Gasman and surrounding muertos. With no choice, they run back to the Capitol, where they burst through the doors and draw Sasha's attention. She makes to shoot them but instead helps them bar the doors as the faster revenants arrive. Outside, the Gasman throws his final grenade, drawing every muerto for several blocks to the Capitol.

Inside the observation room, Eden finds a tape recorder; still working, he takes a listen. The recorder is revealed to be the lab notes of Dr. Gurmen, Head of Lives Analysis at the Vault, who describes the operations of "Project Lazarus". He explains that several test subjects from the U.S. prison system were selected to undergo treatment with modified "LBI", an abbreviation for "Lazarus brain infection", turning them into creatures they termed "einherjar".

As the doctor's voice explains the process, Eden's memories finally snap into place: born in an abusive family that was part of a doomsday cult, Arthur only loved one person, his younger sister Ida, who drowned in the bathtub when he was seven. With the cult believing that the apocalypse was imminent, Arthur and his accomplice were assigned the job of attacking the Davis campus of the University of California, thus "sparing" many students from the horror that was to come. In the aftermath of the shooting, instead of going to jail, Arthur was sent to Project Lazarus to be experimented on; he and the other einherjar developed inhuman strength, speed and durability upon total brain death (TBD), as well as enhanced senses and accelerated healing. One of the subjects, Subject II, a man with intellectual disabilities, insisted on being his friend. Arthur's lifetime of abuse somehow allowed him to retain much of his higher reasoning when he was "activated".

Overwhelmed by the truth, Eden's hallucinations begin taking corporeal form, surrounding him in a circle as he wrestles with the truth. He initially demands that they back off, only for them to grow closer and closer. He kneels down with his head in his hands as he remembers the escape from the lab, during which the einherjar massacred the staff, escaped to the surface, and attacked innocent people, ultimately triggering the fall of Sacramento and the entire west coast. After months of pillaging and murdering they found a group in the middle of the road; Eden chased a single survivor into the forest. He stops remembering at that moment and finds himself outside the lab beside the elevator. He whispers to himself that he is a monster; suddenly, the hallucinations converge into a single form: his past self, Arthur, who insists that *he* was the monster and that Eden is now free to be and do what he pleases. Arthur reassures him that the scientists made him to be "more", so he should "be more" and conquer the monster within. Arthur then transforms into a vision of Sasha, while the real Sasha fights with Sergei and Nancy against the zombies invading the Capitol. Filled with clarity, Eden embraces his old self and makes his way to the surface.

### "Among Men"

Unable to hold back the muertos, Sasha, Sergei and Nancy secure the doors as best they can, collect anything they can use as a weapon, and seal off the main foyer, which is quickly flooded with muertos. Soon the east and rear doors also come under attack, and the desperate, exhausted trio decide to make a final stand. Nearby, the Gasman, still dazed from a blow to the head and struggling to breath without its mask, sharpens its machete.

Outside the Vault below the city, Eden remembers the route he and the other einherjar used during their escape and finally emerges from the sewers just a few blocks from the Capitol; a few muertos nearby snarl but ignore him. Before running toward the Capitol he spots a machine shop down the street; breaking in, he finds a roll of barbed wire. He puts on a pair of gloves and wraps his bat with the wire, smiling at the result. He sprints through the streets of Sacramento, ducking through stores to avoid the sinkholes, and arrives as the square beside the Capitol gardens. He walks towards the front entrance to see it shrouded in muertos.

Taking a breath and gripping his bat, he approaches the herd and carefully enters the mass of rotting bodies. He receives a few snarls and snaps but is ultimately left alone. Smiling, he quickens his walk, brazenly shoving muertos aside only for them to ignore him. He crosses the threshold and shoves his way to the barricaded door; his knocks are drowned out by the muertos around him. Frustrated, he shoves his way through the dead and back outside before moving to the west entrance; he knocks on the door furiously until it opens, revealing Sasha. The pair embrace one another, relieved that the other is still alive.

Eden and Sasha rush upstairs to join Sergei and Nancy in the Governor's office; Nancy aims her weapon at Eden, hinting that she knows his true identity. Eden assures her that, whoever she believes him to be, he is not that person anymore. She is finally talked down by Sergei, who says he trusts Antony and gives him a nod. Eden gathers them and explains his plan for clearing the building: he will open the doors to the foyer and, reasoning that muertos react to the sounds and movements of other muertos, simply walk with them and draw them away, giving the others enough time to secure the foyer. All three claim it would be a suicide mission, but Eden reveals his abilities while offering little explanation. He simply orders them to trust him and they decide to move ahead with the plan. Before going downstairs, Eden asks Sasha for some vodka and her lighter.

Sergei, Nancy and Sasha stay hidden as Eden opens the barricaded door, causing several muertos to tumble forward into a pile. Eden shoves into the herd and starts shouting furiously, but his sounds are once again drowned out by the sheer volume of groans and snarls. He has a brainwave and cuts his palm on the barbed wire around his bat; the muertos smell his blood and are drawn to him, but do not attack. Now that he has their attention, Eden resumes his screams and shouts, slowly drawing the entire mass to his position. Struggling to move against the mass he swings his bat in an arc, clearing enough room for him to move. His roars and yells intensify when he crosses the threshold, while Sergei, Nancy and Sasha emerge from cover and bar the front door.

Eden leads the herd through to the other side of the plaza, several hundred metres from the entrance, where he stops roaring and kneels down to remove the vodka and lighter from his bag. He tears off a strip of his shirt and places it in the bottle before lighting it, creating a Molotov cocktail. He hurls it into the entrance of the USCIS field office, setting it ablaze and drawing the herd. Checking that all the muertos are attracted by the flame, he sprints back to the Capitol. As he reaches the plaza circle, however, he spots the Gasman sprinting out of a nearby street, yelling "Arthur!" in its awful voice. He avoids its charge and swings his bat, catching the Gasman in the back, before continuing his sprint and finally making it to the entrance. Sasha seals the doors while Eden catches his breath.

Injured and still dazed, the Gasman charges at the herd and roars in an attempt to return their attention to the Capitol. The herd ignores him and, in his rage, the Gasman slices several muertos in half. In the foyer, Eden reports his plan's success as well as the arrival of the Gasman, but is cut off by Sergei and Nancy: the rear and east entrances are still under muerto attack. With ammo sparse, the survivors are forced to use debris and pools to batter at the muertos as they break through the glass windows, hoping that the build-up of bodies will block any further waves from reaching the building. Their efforts are cut short when they see the Gasman charging at the Capitol from the gardens. The survivors back away and jump to the sides as the Gasman breaks through the east entrance with a roar, screaming "Arthur!" at the top of his lungs. In the chaos Eden is separated from the others and tells them to run as the Gasman advances on him.

Eden stands his ground, using his upgraded bat to open deep wounds in the Gasman's torso and deliver a lucky strike to his head; he dodges the Gasman's dazed punches and machete swings before finally striking the Gasman's arm, forcing the creature to drop his machete. Angered, the Gasman gets his other hand around Eden's throat and lifts him off his feet; Eden tries to swing but the Gasman disarms him, and his bat rolls away. Breathlessly, the Gasman growls "Arthur find family. Arthur *take* family! Me...show," to a confused Eden, who drives his thumb into the Gasman's damaged eye in attempt to escape his grip; in response the Gasman throws Eden against the walls of the hallway, breaking the plaster and exhausting Eden. He is carried to the end of the hall and spots Sasha at the other end, desperately loading her revolver. The Gasman repeats "Me...show" as he tightens his grip and twists Eden's neck, releasing a sharp *snap!*

Sasha watches in horror as Eden's lifeless corpse falls from the Gasman's grip and onto the ground, completely limp. She screams and unloads her revolver into the unbothered Gasman. As the creature begins approaching her, Sasha retrieves Eden's bat and starts swinging, only for the Gasman to catch it, wrestle it from her grip and throw it away again. It pursues her through the hallway, tossing muertos out of its way just as a shambler tackles Sasha to the floor. The Gasman pulls the muerto off her and stomps; Sasha barely rolls out of the way and continues running; the Gasman catches the rolled neck of her sweater and lifts her to eye level.

Around the corner at the far end of the hallway, Eden's lifeless body begins to twitch, then convulse, then contort. His veins turn black-red as his body convulses and his neck suddenly snaps back into place. His lifeless eyes are flooded with his darkened blood, while his pupils cloud to grey and contort into irregular shapes. He silently screams back into life, overcome by an incredible pain throughout his entire body. He gasps for air as he stands, his mind flooded with violent images and memories. His head snaps to the side once he hears Sasha's cries for help. Down the hall, the Gasman places his hand over Sasha's throat just as Eden emerges from around the corner, his pale skin criss-crossed with a web of black nerves. Eden's pants turn into a ferocious roar before he charges at great speed. The Gasman drops Sasha and turns to engage him as Eden lunges.

The two einherjar engage in a vicious duel; using their fists and feet they kick, scratch and tear at each other. Eden's rage and intelligence proves a match for the Gasman's sheer strength, and they fight to a stalemate while Sasha, Sergei and Nancy clear the halls of muertos by unloading the last of their ammo. Soon, the Gasman's strength turns the odds in his favour and once again gets Eden's throat in his vice-like grip. It tries to tell "Arthur" that it is sorry, to which Eden responds "Arthur dead. *I* remain". He suddenly digs his entire hand into the burned remains of the Gasman's face, finally causing the creature to screech in agony.

Eden punches the Gasman's grip from his throat and unleashes a brutal assault, forcing the Gasman to the ground. Spotting his bat, Eden takes it and beats the Gasman into submission, finally subduing him when he strikes him over the head; the force of the blow breaks the bat into splinters. With blood pouring from its shattered skull, the Gasman tries to beg for mercy; fuelled by adrenaline, Eden ignores him and digs his thumbs into the Gasman's eyes. With tremendous strain, Eden exerts enough force to savagely pull the Gasman's head apart, splitting it in two. Eden roars as a plume of blood shoots up from the Gasman's neck, covering his face and chest, before he finally releases his grip and the Gasman falls limp to the floor. Eden triumphantly roars, reveling in his victory.

Eden returns to his senses only when Sasha calls out to him and places a hand on his shoulder; he calms immediately and his skin, eyes and veins return to normal at her touch. Exhausted, he tells her that he loves her and that she is the only thing in his life worth living for, and promises to never leave her again; the more rational Sasha says that they will talk once the Capitol is clear. The bloodstained Sergei and Nancy stumble across them with questions about the Gasman; Eden says he is tired and will answer later. Sergei suddenly raises his weapon, noting that Eden's sickly skin and cloudy eyes are indicative of infection; despite Sasha's rebuttal, Eden agrees to isolate himself until morning, claiming that he trusts Sergei and wants to earn his trust in return. Eden enters his old bedroom in the basement and sits on the couch, covered in blood and exhausted. He finally falls asleep.

In his peace, his memories finally become clear. He relives the einherjar's massacre of the people in the road and his chase on the sole survivor, a woman. He finally catches and prepares to shoot her, but lets her go when he realizes that she bears a striking resemblance to his dead sister Ida; the woman is revealed to be Sasha, whose painful memories of that night prevented her from recognising Eden when they first met in the Capitol. After letting her go, Arthur, overcome with the guilt of everything he had done, single-handedly kills the other einherjar; he is unable to kill subject II but burns his face with a Molotov cocktail, thus birthing the Gasman.

Exhausted and injured, Arthur finds refuge in a random house, where he suffers a complete psychotic break that triggers psychogenic retrograde amneisa, causing him to forgot pivotal parts of his life, including his true name. The last thing he remembers before his mind is wiped is a woman calling out to "Antony"; moments later he wakes up, bruised, covered in blood and with no memories of his past aside from the muertos. He unconsciously combines "Antony" with "Eden" upon glancing at a botany magazine called "Garden of Eden". Not remembering that Sacramento was the location of Project Lazarus, Eden feels drawn to the city, setting the events of the last four years in motion.

Eden wakes up, covered in dried blood. He empties a five gallon bottle of water into the sink and uses a rag to clean himself before heading upstairs. The ground floor remains covered in dead muertos and he finds Sasha, Nancy and Sergei in the cafeteria. They decide to get some fresh air and sit together on the Capitol steps as the sun rises. Eden and Sasha agree to go on an official date before inviting Sergei and Nancy to live at the Capitol; with nowhere else to go, they agree until they figure out their next move.

Eden suddenly hears a distant noise that none of the others can hear. He stands up, alert, when he realizes that it is rapid gunshots. As they others begin hearing the noise Eden hears another that sounds like footsteps - *many* footsteps - that grow audible just as a single man armed with an automatic rifle emerges from a street to kill two muertos. He gestures before a large convoy of people, at least 60 in number, emerge into the plaza. The leader and several armed survivors kill the muertos around the fire as the group rushes back inside the Capitol. They spot the leader beckon to the building and the convoy moves towards it.

Unable to fight, the group agree to confront them directly; before heading out Eden finds and keeps a metal baseball bat. They exit the building with their hands up; one of the convoy leaders spots them and orders the soldiers to hold their fire. Grabbing a bag, he runs up to the group, offers them food and blankets, and introduces himself as Dylan Emerson. The soldiers' leader, Aurora, orders that the survivors be restrained despite Dylan's protests. Eden resists and is promptly knocked out by Aurora, who reassures the convoy that they have reached "The Colony".

## Characters

### Main

* Antony Eden: a lonely survivor searching for purpose in the new world
* Sasha: a hardened survivor on the west coast
* Sergei: a survivor originally from Sovia and leader of his own group
* Nancy: a former college student and friend of Sergei
* Yasmine: a blind member of Sergei's group
* Gasman: a hostile survivor with a connection to both Sergei's group and Antony

### Supporting

* Marcus Aurora: a soldier of Alpha Force
* Dylan Emerson: a member of Alpha Force

## Deaths

* Sasha's father - killed following reanimation
* Unnamed man - shot in the head by the Gasman
* Yasmine *(alive & zombified)* - chest torn open *(alive)* and head torn in two by the Gasman
* At least twelve unnamed survivors - killed by muertos