A House Divided

At Worthwood, William stands trial against the council, while Gerald hides a dark secret. Austin returns to Worthwood as Aldus leaves on a trip with Bud. Tobias takes Edward to Wichita Bank.

## **Synopsis**

Early in the morning the day after Todd Glover's death, Gerald Roland stands on an open road a few miles away from Worthwood. Roman Stroud is to his right, Allan White to his left. And behind them is a pickup truck, the bed of which is filled with boxes. Boxes that are in the process of being unloaded by Daiki, one of the bikers. Shiro Shizuko sits on his motorcycle ahead of Gerald, as do a few other bikers. As Daiki is unloading the boxes, he bumps into Allan on purpose, getting a reaction out of the man. But Allan quickly calms down, apologizing. But Shiro doesn't find his apology sincere, and has Kaido knock some sense into Allan by punching him to the ground. Gerald and Roman watch angrily, nothing they can do. As Allan gets back up, Shiro looks at Gerald, dismounting his bike. He approaches, and it's clear that something has him in a bad mood. He reminds Gerald that he and his gang of bikers could barge into Worthwood and kill everyone if they wanted to - but they don't, because Gerald pays them well. Gerald angrily asks what his point is, and that's when Shiro lashes out in anger, calling out Gerald for killing Johnny. Gerald flinches, raising his hands while saying that it must be a misunderstanding. But Shiro knows it's not -- he knows that Austin Kingston, as well as Genna Brohem and Mackenzie Brohem drove back to Worthwood. Gerald starts piecing things together in his mind, and swears that he didn't know. But to Shiro, that doesn't matter. He's willing to let this all go, as long as Gerald does one simple thing for him: The next time they meet, in two days, Shiro wants double the amount of usual supplies - and he wants both Austin and the girls to be handed over to him. Frowning, Gerald tries reasoning with the biker - which only makes things worse. Shiro threatens to raid Worthwood and kill everyone if Gerald doesn't do what is asked of him. In fact, Shiro is even willing to let the girls walk scott free, but he wants Austin, given that they have reason to believe he killed Johnny - not that Johnny mattered to Shiro; this is about Shiro setting an example. He forces Gerald to say "I understand" out loud, before telling him to leave. Defeated, Gerald turns, walking back to the truck with Roman and Allan. They drive off.

In Worthwood, Bud Davis steps over to a pickup truck, spotting Aldus Paxton exiting the driver's seat. The truck is ready to go, the two of them planning on heading out on a hunting trip today. However, as Bud examines the map that Aldus hands to him, he notices that the destination they're headed to is not an area for hunting deer - it's the small town of Colby; Bud's hometown. The place where Bud's zombified wife is at, trapped in a basement. Aldus frowns, apologizing for the surprise, but says that it's better late than never. They need to put Christine, his wife, out of her misery. Bud stands there in shock, closing his eyes. But he realizes Aldus is right. Aldus asks if Bud will be able to handle it, and he says that he can, the two men getting ready to leave.

A bright fluorescent light flickers on above William Reynes, illuminating a cramped prison cell. William stirs on a little bunk, reluctantly opening his eyes. He wearily sits up, his hands a broken, bloody mess from when he killed Todd. Jon Matthews greets William from a cell opposite his. He's a bit jealous that William was able to get some sleep while he got none - but says that William will need it. "I get the feeling that one hell of a shitstorm is approaching, William," he says. And William knows it. He apologizes to Jon for dragging him into everything, but Jon responds that he'll always have William's back - and Todd had it coming anyways. The door to the room they're in suddenly unlocks and opens, and Randall Forster steps in, greeting both of them with a voice full of sadness and anxiety. He apologizes for taking so long to come and see them, remarking how they haven't been allowing anybody to visit - not even Rebecca Dawson, who he says has been going mad not being able to see William. William falls silent, and says sorry to Randall for putting him in that position, but Randall says it's alright, as he reckons that he would be treated the same way no matter what. Randall then begins explaining more of the situation to them, revealing that most of the people from their group have been getting strange looks, and people seem to fear them. Father Donovan has even started some kind of rally against William for being a devil. And then Randall lets William know that he'll have to face the council in private, and they will decide what to do with him. "I'll face them," William replies. "And I'll beat them at their own game." Randall scratches the back of his head quietly, a bit uneasy, before leaving the two of them be.

In the lobby of the Worthwood Police Department, Paul Baird chews on a donut and asks Randall how William and Jon are doing. Randall walks with Paul through the station while informing him that they're doing fine considering all circumstances. As they walk, they pass by Cody Wakefield and Kevin Norton, who're both bruised after Jon's attack. Both of them insult Randall as he walks past, and Paul apologizes for their behaviour - but Randall shrugs it off, used to being treated like that back in Willamette. Randall then stops, wanting to have a serious discussion with Paul about changing things up around the department. Paul doesn't seem to take him seriously at all, instead focusing on calling over Trent Colins and having him fetch his coffee. Randall grows annoyed with the Chief, and tells him to listen for a fucking second, which takes Paul off-guard. He voices the same concerns that he had days earlier - that the community isn't ready for an attack. Kevin, in the background, says that they don't need Randall's advice because everything is fine as is. When Randall angrily retorts by making fun of Kevin, Cody stands, defending his friend. He pushes Randall, and asks what his problem is. Paul can see the tensions rising, and attempts to defuse the situation to no avail. Both Kevin and Cody glare towards Randall, having grown tired of him. They no longer trust Randall, and would rather see him get kicked out of the community, along with the rest of his group. Randall argues back, warning them both that if a group of raiders were to roll up to the community, they'd be done for. Paul finally yells, breaking up the men and making Kevin and Cody return to their seats. He then follows Randall outside, and tells the man that's not how they handle things. To Paul, Randall is being a disobedient officer. Randall stands his ground, and clenches his fists as Paul walks back inside to drink his coffee before it's cold. As Randall stands there, Trent is seen slinking his way over, and in a whisper, tells Randall that he agrees with him. Randall looks down at the young man, and nods respectfully, thanking him.

In the evening hours, standing on guard duty outside of Wichita Bank are two twin brothers, Mac and Jac Steiner. As they're idling chatting, they are approached by Tobias Duke, his two companions, and the team Edward Remar brought with him. The twins step forward, and not knowing who Edward or his people are, ask them to reveal any weapons they have. Edward, though, has no intentions of doing so, arguing with the twins, who argue back, making fun of Edward's crippled leg. Finally, Tobias intervenes and has the twins back down. As Edward and the others start to walk inside the bank, Tobias pulls Edward aside to tell him that the bank's leader didn't just die - he was murdered, and so tensions are a little high here.

The group enters the bank, a prestigious, big, clean bank with marble flooring. Tobias apologizes for the twins, but Stanley Peck then asks him about the murder of the bank’s leader, and if that means the murderer is still roaming about here then. Tobias, treating this like it’s nothing serious, jokes about it being like a game of Clue. But when he catches Edward’s glaring eyes, he admits to them all that the murderer **might** have been Patrick… who was a prisoner here at the bank. Edward is beyond furious that he kept this from him until now, and Tobias tries calming him down, telling Edward once more that **he** is the right person to lead this bank. Afterwards, Tobias leads them all through into the main lobby, where Wayne Guzman is in the middle of a passionate speech about why he should be leading the bank. Walter, Ron Robson and Wayne’s wife Linda Guzman are some of the people who nod approvingly. Miles Pennington, son of the recently murdered leader, Douglass Pennington, responds by saying that it should be his duty as a son to take after his father’s footsteps and lead. All of Wayne’s warmth and friendliness from before vanishes in an instant, as he retorts in frustration, calling Miles out as nothing but a boy who’s in over his head, and only cares about his girlfriend Kara. It’s then that Miles’ mother Sandra Pennington steps forward to defend her son. She and Wayne argue until Sandra silences the room, yelling that her husband is dead. Tobias then announces himself to everyone, and Wayne tells everyone to take ten. Wayne, Walter and Ron approach, and Tobias quickly tells Wayne about his new companions, presenting Edward to him, who informs Wayne himself that he’s here to be the new leader of the bank. Wayne and his friends Walter and Ron chuckle in disbelief, making light jokes about Edward, who quickly begins to lose his cool. He tries telling them that he’s more capable of leading than any of them, but Ron is quick to say that they have no reason to trust anything Edward says. Wayne agrees, and goes a step further by informing Edward that they are not barbarians like him. He orders Edward to get out of his sight, but when he refuses, Roy Dickson comes strolling over with an assault rifle to escort them away, while Damian Holt and Lamar Adams have a chuckle over Roy’s last name.

Edward, Stanley, Leona Holloway, Kyori Hyoteki and Elliott Rowe huddle around a corner inside the main lobby of the bank to discuss how to proceed forward now that they’re at the bank. Stanley likes the place and thinks they should bring the rest of their group here, while Elliott comes off as nervous and unsure. Leona whispers to Edward, asking why he brought Elliott along, pointing out how much of a nervous wreck he is. “It’s nice to have a normal opinion in the mix,” Edward responds. He then looks towards Elliott, and asks him to give his honest opinion about what’s on his mind, and Elliott answers honestly, admitting that he doesn’t trust Tobias and thinks that he’s using them. Edward nods, knowing that he could be right, but Edward believes that this is a golden opportunity for them -- a fortress of a bank, and a community that he could lead. He tells Elliott that he won’t force him to stay - and if he wishes to go back to camp, Stanley can take him back. But after considering this for a moment, Elliott sighs and says he’ll stay, putting his trust into Edward.

Inside Worthwood's infirmary, Genna is seated beside a bed, where Mackenzie is seen sleeping. She sighs quietly to herself, before hearing somebody limping up behind her. It's Austin, who's gotten patched up since arriving back at Worthwood - though he still complains about being in pain. He asks how they're doing, and Genna says that they're a lot better off thanks to Austin saving them. She can't be more grateful - but Austin doesn't want to hear it. He says that he wasn't just going to leave them behind, even if he's "not a good man". Genna shakes her head, telling Austin that she doesn't know why he keeps calling himself a bad person when everything he's done since she met him has proved otherwise. Frowning, Genna then looks back at Mackenzie, starting to blame herself for what happened. She knew that Mackenzie was too naive to be coming on the trips with her, and yet she still allowed her to come. Austin approaches slowly, telling her that it's not her fault, and that no matter what, Mackenzie will be safe in Worthwood from now on. Nodding, Genna thanks Austin once more. Smiling slightly, Austin then thanks her as well, for being nothing but kind and understanding to him. Austin then pulls something out of his pocket -- the radio that Kayumi gave him. He still hasn't heard from anyone yet, but Genna tells him not to dwell on it, and he'll hear something in due time. Austin agrees, putting the radio away, before deciding that he'll leave Genna and Mackenzie be. He nods once, and then turns to leave.

After leaving the infirmary, Austin limps down the street, passing by strangers giving him strange looks. Towards the end of the street, he sees a familiar man sitting on a bench - Dean Howards. Austin approaches, greeting him as Dean invites him to sit. The two men talk, simply catching up with each other, given it's been a little while since they last talked. Dean lets Austin know what Kate has been up to, and he's just hoping she can knock some sense into the council. When Dean then asks Austin if he's got any plans - Austin then lets Dean in on what he's been doing the past couple of days, very vaguely explaining what had happened to him. He's a recruiter now - and that's the way he plans to keep it, because Austin knows that he doesn't belong here. He leans back, thinking, before asking Dean if he was married. Slowly nodding, Dean's mind drifts to past memories, as he starts to admit how much better he could have done in his marriage. He looks at Austin with soft, understanding eyes, telling him that he knows what it's like, to not feel belonged. He knows it too well -- reflecting on the times when he used to wish death upon himself every day. But he's glad that he didn't - because if he did, he'd never have been able to forgive himself and not be there to protect the people he cares about. "You're important, man. You're one of us," Dean tells Austin, urging him to believe. Austin sits there, contemplating Dean's words in his head. He gazes down, lightly shaking his head. He hears what Dean is saying - but that doesn't change the past. "I'm a terrible fucking person," Austin says, regretting everything he's done in life. He considers himself to be a failure in all regards, but most importantly as a husband and father. He blames himself for what happened to his family - and feels especially guilty because his son spent his entire life hardly seeing Austin because he was always out drinking. Tearing up, Austin looks away, thinking back to what happened out on the road with the bikers, part of him wishing that he'd just died then and there. "But you're not telling the whole story," Dean responds, pointing out how much Austin's changed. Dean reminds Austin that he saved Genna and Mackenzie - he risked his life saving them. "You didn't die... for a reason," he says to the man, telling him that if Austin is who he thinks he is, he wouldn't have done that - he would've given up and abandoned them. But he didn't. "Your family would be proud of you," Dean says, telling Austin that he's honouring them by simply being alive. "I don't see the monster you think you are. I see you," he says. Austin sits there in silence, listening to the man, shutting his eyes tightly. Dean's words hit him hard - and he asks Dean if that's what he really thinks. "Think? I know so," Dean says, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tells him that there's a future in all of this - and Austin can't go. He looks at Austin, a great pressure being lifted from Dean's soul - one he'd felt when he looked upon Jim. "...Thank you," Austin replies, wiping his eyes.

On the road, Aldus and Bud are driving towards Colby. The two of them are chatting, getting to know each other. Aldus learns a lot more about Bud, including the fact that he did a lot of work around the country, including on the World Trade Center. But a sadder fact that Bud tells him is that of when he was diagnosed with leukemia - which he would fortunately recover from. After the health scare, and after Mary Davis was both, that's when Bud's wife convinced him it might be time to settle down somewhere and think about retiring, which Aldus thinks was smart, praising Bud for being a good father. Bud thanks him, as the two continue driving, passing by wrecked cars and bodies along the sides of the road. Bud reveals how hectic it was when he and Mary were leaving Colby at the start of the outbreak, and how a group of soldiers went rogue, shooting at innocents. Aldus mentions that Worthwood will need some serious improvements to stop guys like that from attacking them. They continue driving, as Bud hopes that they aren't too late, scared that people might've broken into his house and killed his zombified wife already. Aldus hopes the same. As they pass a sign that tells them Colby is still ten miles away, Aldus apologizes again for surprising Bud with this trip. "It's the right thing that we've got to do. It's now or never," Bud says.

Edward and Elliott explore Wichita Bank with Tobias, meeting some of the various faces here. The first person they meet is Marvin Young, the former manager of this very bank, though their conversation doesn’t last long when Tobias cuts him off and continues showing Edward and Elliott around. The next people they meet are Miles, his girlfriend Kara, and their friend Simon. Miles appears completely oblivious to them, continuing to kiss Kara until Tobias speaks up, and introduces the two groups to each other. Right off the bat, Edward gets down to business, telling them that he’s here as a third candidate to lead them - but when they don’t really take him seriously, Edward becomes impatient, and bickers with Tobias before they’re interrupted by Sandra approaching and greeting Edward and Elliott. Edward offers a polite smile, giving his condolences to her late husband, Douglas, and asks how the murder investigation is going. Sandra reveals that Douglas was pushed from the second story window to his death, and both she and Miles are sure that it must’ve been Wayne that killed him. Edward considers the possibility that it might have been a suicide, but Sandra doesn’t believe Douglas would do that. Miles chimes in, remarking that he’s going to bring honour to his name if it’s the last thing he does. With encouragement from his mother, Miles then starts listing out all the different types of defenses he wants to implement - some of which are pretty far-fetched ideas. With the conversation coming to an end, Sandra offers to walk Edward to the door - but Edward states that he’s not leaving. He then turns, and hobbles away with Elliott trailing behind.

Now by himself, Edward walks down the bank’s main hall, taking in the scenery as he goes, passing by Roy as he goes, who glares at him suspiciously. Nearby, Edward sees Marvin chatting with a woman named Pam, who is his ex-wife. Marvin is hoping that there’s still something there between them, but Pam calls him gross and walks away. Frowning, Marvin then looks up and sees Edward watching from afar - that is until Linda Guzman steps in front of Edward, blocking his view. She immediately tells him to walk and talk, and Edward decides he’ll play. He begins to walk alongside her, learning that she and her husband Wayne were lawyers. Before continuing, she offers him a cigarette, but Edward declines. Next, as Linda starts to smoke, she asks why exactly Edward is here - and he makes it clear to her that he’s here to lead them, a bold statement that Linda takes note of. Edward then begins asking questions, including why Patrick was their prisoner in the first place. Linda dodges the question at first, encouraging Edward to keep his nose out of their business, but when he persists, she answers. Patrick comes from another large group in the area, and so when they caught him trying to break into the bank, they took him hostage to keep his group from attacking them - until Patrick escaped. Edward looks down, muttering to himself that Tobias has a lot of explaining to do. But Linda tells him not to trust a word Tobias says. With this new information, Edward realizes that neither Wayne nor Miles is going to be able to lead these people - only he can.

Edward hastily goes to meet with Tobias privately in the manager’s office, outraged by the information Tobias was withholding from him. He jabs at him with his cane, yelling and calling him names before Tobias snatches the cane and tries pulling it away. As they’re both tugging at it, Marvin opens the door, and looks on in shock, before Edward and Tobias yell simultaneously for him to get out. Marvin sadly leaves his office, and finally Tobias lets go of Edward’s cane - just for Edward to hit him once more when Tobias calls him a lunatic. Stepping back in pain, Tobias apologizes and finally begins to explain himself - and he drops a bomb onto Edward, revealing that Patrick wasn’t just some prisoner -- he is the brother of Jadis Miller, leader of the armed militia in Wichita. “And you and your friends killed him,” Tobias adds. A furious Edward begins to pin the blame onto Tobias for letting Patrick escape in the first place, but Tobias says that they shouldn’t be pointing fingers right now -- since Jadis is going to stop by any day now for a welfare check on her brother. When Edward questions why Tobias doesn’t just leave the bank if he’s so scared, he explains that he rather likes this bank and doesn’t want to just abandon it - and he can tell that Edward feels the same way. Edward stares silently, boiling with anger, as Tobias tells him that he’s got nothing left to say; it’s up to Edward to decide what he’s gonna do next.

As Edward leaves the manager's office, Linda and Wayne spot him from afar. Wayne doesn’t seem too concerned about the little man, and even thinks that he’d be good fodder if Jadis attacks. “When she attacks,” Linda corrects him, before telling Wayne to pull himself together and take charge before Miles does - or else Edward will.

Lloyd Waller pushes Rebecca down one of Worthwood's streets, the area being strangely quiet; everything has been feeling different since Todd's death. But Rebecca assures Lloyd that he did the right thing. Still, Lloyd doesn't know how to feel, since it was Violet's father after all. He wants to talk to her, and Rebecca thinks he should too. They then start talking about William, and it's clear Lloyd is worried about him. But Rebecca tells him that he'll be okay - and that they won't be going anywhere. As they continue down the street, they come across a rally being led by Father Donovan. There's at least thirty or forty people there listening to Donovan preach, ranting about how William and all of his group are devils. Daniel Rockwell and Lolida Windfield are seen walking up to the rally, and when Donovan spots them, he points them out to the crowd. Daniel, upon realizing that Donovan is talking about them as being devils, starts to get angry, his eye twitching. Lolida tries to calm his friend down, but it's too late, Donovan had already reeled Daniel into his trap. He starts taunting Daniel, refusing to back down, and so Daniel loses his cool, charging forward, before being caught by Lolida, who prevents him from attacking anyone. Donovan uses this as proof that William and his group's first instinct is always violence. The Father continues preaching, while Daniel and Lolida walk away, finding Claire Noble and Clyde Rollins nearby. Rebecca and Lloyd join the four of them as well, all of them agreeing that it doesn't matter what Donovan or anybody else says. Rebecca says that they're staying here - asking them if they really think William or Jon would be intimidated by anyone here. Frowning, Clyde wonders if they're the bad guys - but Claire says that they aren't; they've been plenty patient with the people here. "Too fucking patient," Daniel mutters. Randall then comes walking over, agreeing with Daniel. He quickly lets everyone know what's going on with William and the private hearing he has, which Claire thinks will be rigged against William no matter what. Clyde is worried about what'll happen if they find William guilty, but Randall reminds everyone that they're all in this together, and won't let them do anything to William. He still wants to try and work things out with the council, which Daniel thinks is already way too far out of reach. "I admire your patience, but fuck them all," Daniel says with contempt, turning to walk away.

Kate enters Worthwood Castle, Marcus in tow. She speeds on over to the reception desk where Heather Solis is sitting, and she asks to speak with Gerald. Heather tries explaining that he's busy right now and not in a mood to see anybody, but Kate disregards that, and starts heading towards Gerald's office anyway. Marcus apologizes to Heather, before following Kate. They make their way over to his office - but stop when they see Roman standing guard in front of the door. He's not allowing them inside. Marcus kindly asks him to move aside, but when Roman refuses to, Marcus decides that Roman's duty isn't as important as them seeing Gerald. He tries to enter the office, but Roman throws a quick punch to the center of Marcus' face, causing him to stumble to the floor, in pain, but also impressed. Kate checks on Marcus as he stands back up slowly, wondering just who Roman is. "CIA," Roman answers simply, which Marcus believes. Having grown impatient, Kate yells through the door at Gerald, cursing at him, before she punches a portrait on the wall and storms off. Marcus goes to follow her, but she's already long gone, and so he goes to use the bathroom instead.

But while Marcus is looking for the bathroom, he takes a wrong turn and enters a room that is definitely not the bathroom. It's an extravagant looking bedroom - and across from Marcus, he sees Justin Bennett in the middle of snorting some cocaine. At first, Justin is expectedly unhappy that someone has just barged into his bedroom, and wishes that there was security in this castle after all. But after Justin finds out Marcus was just looking for the bathroom, he decides to offer Marcus to have a drink with him. Marcus figures why not, and takes a glass of whiskey with Justin, as he jokes about how the room is filled with precious jewelry and colourful robes, asking if he likes to play diva. Justin chuckles at the joke, beginning to rather enjoy Marcus' company. He admits that all of the valuable items he keeps in here is just because he likes shiny stuff. The two keep talking, and that's when Marcus tells Justin that he's Kate's boyfriend, and that they met at the party - something Justin doesn't recall. Marcus assumes that Justin must hate Kate - but he admits that she's not actually all that bad; just a bit annoying, is all, and Justin loves to watch Kate bicker with Naomi. Marcus nods slowly, wondering if Justin has any misses of his own -- and it's apparent from the get-go that this is a touchy subject for Justin. He says that he was married - but doesn't disclose any further than that. While on the topic of marriage, Justin wonders why Marcus and Kate haven't done exactly that yet. Marcus wants to - but says that the time never felt right, and he was waiting until they were settled... which Justin points out is where they are now. Marcus, however, still doesn't want to when things are this dramatic. But Justin isn't an idiot - and he knows that no matter what, William and his group aren't leaving this place, whether they take it by force or not. And so he encourages Marcus to make his move on Kate before it's too late, as he opens a glass cabinet full of jewelry and rings, allowing him to take his pick -- so that if his group ever takes over Worthwood, Marcus can say how much of a good guy Justin is.

Aldus and Bud stop their truck outside a house on the outskirts of Colby. It's a nice house, and looks to be untouched from any people that might've come by looking for supplies. Aldus asks Bud if he's going to be okay to do this - but Bud can't bring himself to do the deed himself. And so Aldus says that he'll put down his zombified wife, the two of them hugging. As Aldus heads inside, Bud retrieves a shovel from his shed. Then, he stands by the truck, waiting. For the longest time, it's silence, before the sound of Aldus' silenced pistol goes off. It was done, and Bud can't hold back his tears.

The two men bury Christine Davis outside the house, carving her name onto a wooden cross above the grave. Bud takes a moment to express how much he'll miss her, before starting to cry again, and even getting Aldus teary-eyed. After they both hug it out, Bud steps away, thanking Aldus for doing this for him. He won't forget it. Nodding, Aldus and Bud head back to the truck, and start driving back home.

At the police department in Worthwood, Rebecca is sitting in her wheelchair outside of William's cell. Randall stands there too, having let her in, and Jon is sitting in his cell. Rebecca expresses a bit of anger at William for not telling her and the others before doing what he did, and William knows that he's wrong. He looks down, ashamed, apologizing for what he did. But just because William did what he did, he's not giving up on Worthwood, promising to make this work for all of them. Jon agrees, standing in his cell, as he begins to suggest that maybe the time of waiting around for the council has come and gone, and they need to take control of William's private hearing. "And how do you propose we do that?" Kate asks, stepping into the room. William looks over, happy to see her - and says that he needs Kate to do something for him. He needs her to get the word out to everyone from their group, about them flipping the hearing on the council. Randall steps forward with a frown, hoping that they aren't planning on hurting anyone. "Not unless they try to hurt us," Jon says with a shrug, but Randall is serious. Kate nods, and says she'll get it done.

Lloyd comes walking up to the Glover's lodge, gazing at Todd's blood staining the cobblestone path. On the approach to the front door, he finds it to be left ajar, but he knocks anyway before entering. Inside the house, he finds Violet, who's just starting to clean up the mess that her father made before he was killed. She makes it clear to Lloyd that she's "okay", but Lloyd doesn't think so. He just wants Violet to know that he's sorry for betraying her trust, and didn't know that William would do what he did. "He's dead now. It doesn't really matter," she says, and even admits that it even felt good when she punched Todd. But Lloyd still feels bad that Violet didn't get any closure, even if her father was a scumbag. To that, Violet asks Lloyd if he ever got closure with his parents - and Lloyd confesses that he didn't. As Lloyd falls silent, Violet tells him that Todd had wished death upon her in his last moments - and she knows that he meant it. Violet turns to Lloyd, and begins to recall the events of what made Todd the way he was. She remembers her parents, her sister and herself trying to get to one of the military safe zones. They had stopped to camp by the side of the road at night, before Todd left Violet to watch over her mother and sister while he went to find supplies, even giving Violet his rifle. But while he was gone, zombies attacked them, and there was nothing Violet could do. She had tried to save her family, tried to save her mother - but she thinks that her mother had already accepted her fate, and allowed herself to be killed. And so Violet tried to climb a tree with her sister Ruby - but Ruby didn't make it up in time. And it's because of that, that Todd blamed Violet, and never forgave her. She believes that Todd only kept Violet alive and safe out of spite - just so he could honour his dead wife by keeping her last child alive. Lloyd stands there, simply speechless, before he steps forward, gently embracing her in a hug, while uttering that he's sorry, and that Todd can't hurt her anymore. Violet stops speaking - and starts sobbing into Lloyd's shoulder.

At a makeshift camp a few miles from Worthwood, Shiro dismounts his motorcycle, striding into camp. He unsheathes his bloody katana, ordering Asuka to clean it. But Heiwateki Korosuku steps forward, resting a hand on Shiro's shoulder, and telling him that he should take care of his own blade. Shiro's first thought is annoyance - but he saves his complaints, and with a sigh, takes his katana back from Asuka. He and Heiwateki walk through camp, remarking that it is diligence like that that Shiro's father respected most. But Shiro retorts that his father isn't around anymore. Heiwateki responds, telling him that even though the world has changed, he needs to "let tradition be the compass that steers us in this sea of uncertainty". Looking away, Shiro rolls his eyes, but responds with grace, telling the man that he's right. And that's why Shiro leads with an iron fist, believing that his father would be proud of what he's done. Heiwateki doubts that, given Shiro was bested by a "fat cowboy". Shiro turns, fire in his eyes, arguing that he was not bested by him, and that he is dealing with him right now.

After, Shiro goes to find his sister, Kayumi Shizuko, who is sitting inside of a tent reading a book. She sighs as Shiro enters the tent, listening to him rant at her for letting Austin and the others escape. Kayumi says that Shiro should just leave it - asking her brother when they became a group of people who killed innocents. "Since fucking ALWAYS, K!" he yells back at her, reminding her that he is doing this to be strong like their father. Kayumi says that their dad isn't here anymore - and he doesn't have to bear that burden anymore. Scoffing, Shiro tells her that it's not a burden. He asks Kayumi if she's on his side; he wants to be able to trust her, because they're family, but he doesn't know if he can anymore. Kayumi avoids that question, continuing to point out how Shiro is stuck trying to make their father proud. "You're better than that, Shiro," she says. Shiro scoffs again, telling her to just quit it. He tells her that no matter what she thinks - Worthwood will give him Austin, and he won't see it coming. Kayumi sighs as her brother walks out of the tent.

At a construction site some ten miles from Worthwood, the Worthwood construction crew is busy gathering materials from the site, loading them into two large trucks. Among the crew is Ed Anderson, who's exhausted already. Maeve and Carter joke about it with Ed, and Maeve suggests that Ed should think about getting a different job. Ed wants to - but tells them that this is where the council placed him. Bryan Marsh then comes walking past them, urging them to get back to work. And so Carter brings Ed over to one of the trucks to help load some bricks into the vehicle. While doing so, he informs Ed about a new compound they've been assigned to build; Carter assumes that it's an agricultural expansion, which sounds fine to him given that there'll be more food to go around. When Ed mentions the amount of food there was at the welcoming party, Carter says that's because it was run by the council - and the council does whatever the hell they want. Just then, the construction foreman Norman yells to everybody to prepare for an incoming attack from some zombies. Carter sighs, remarking that zombie presence has been especially bad as of late. As the crew drops what they're doing to pick up some weapons, it quickly becomes apparent that there are more then just a few zombies. Norman doesn't want to risk it, and yells at the crew to pack it up quickly. However, the zombies move quickly, and they surround one of the trucks. The crew begins to battle against the zombies, taking down some of them, while Ed decides to run for the one truck that isn't surrounded. As Carter is running past a few zombies, he suddenly trips up, and is overwhelmed by zombies that start to bite into him. People rush over to try and save the man, but their efforts are futile. One man, Goran, refuses to give up, desperately trying to pull Carter out of the zombie horde, as Ed is seen driving up behind the crew with the truck. Most of the crew jumps on board the truck, while Bryan and Maeve pull Goran away from Carter. But when Goran looks down at his wrist, he sees that he's been bitten. He climbs into the truck, and as they start driving off, Maeve tells Bryan that they need to cut off Goran's arm now. Bryan is hesitant at first, but he picks up an axe in the truck, and then swings it down, chopping his arm off. Goran's screams fill the back of the truck.

In Worthwood Castle, Gerald is standing in his office, looking out a window. Roman stands near him, and his son Fletcher Roland is sitting on a couch, bored. And then there's Allan, who's pacing back and forth, ranting at Gerald, warning him that William's group are animals, and they're going to try and take this place away from them. "Are you just wanting a repeat of last time?!" Allan yells, wondering why Gerald hadn't kicked them out yet. Gerald affirms that this won't be like last time, reminding Allan that William is to have a hearing that day, and that he'll be sentenced accordingly for his actions. Fletcher finally speaks up, and he personally doesn't see why William killing Todd is a big deal -- since he knows that Todd abused Violet anyway. But Gerald says that it's still not a reason for him to be murdered. Meanwhile, Allan is still ranting about how they need to kick out William's group before it's too late. Fletcher thinks that William would have taken over the community already if that's what they were planning. Furthermore, Fletcher believes that his father should be focusing on the more important matter - that being Shiro Shizuko and his demands. He half-jokingly suggests that they go and tell William that Shiro is beating his daughter, and maybe William will kill him too. With that, Gerald has enough and tells Fletcher to get out. Fletcher is followed shortly after by Allan, who warns Gerald that he's making a mistake by not kicking William's people out. Finally, it's just Gerald and Roman left in the office. Roman turns to face Gerald, and tells him that Fletcher has a point -- the business with Shiro is top priority. As Gerald sits down behind his desk, he asks Roman if he thinks they could really use William and his people to take care of the bikers. "I wouldn't... rule out that possibility," Roman responds. Gerald looks down in thought, and says they should keep that possibility between them for now.

Elliott stares ahead at Edward, in utter shock after Edward’s just told him and the others from their group about who Patrick really was. Losing his calm, Elliott is adamant that they should leave the bank now before they get caught up in a battle they don’t need to be in. Leona looks at him, finding his panicked state to be embarrassing, while Edward remains silent. Elliott continues, pleading with Edward to use his head and realize that staying here and fighting Jadis’ militia is absurd. He looks to Stanley and Kyori for support - but Stanley shrugs, agreeing with whatever Edward thinks is best, and Kyori thinks they should stay. Leona, becoming fed up with Elliott, encourages Edward that if he wants to achieve great things and lead a group, then he has to stay at this bank and fight for its people. She then calls Elliott a coward, which angers the man into continuing his pleas, trying to tell Edward that there are other ways to achieve what he wants. He says that staying at this bank would be something Kurt would do, which finally gets Edward to speak up, a sour look on his face. He refrains from yelling, but he comes across as greatly upset that Elliott would compare him to Kurt. Then, there’s a familiar, deep chuckle that echoes in the back of Edward’s mind - Badrick. “I am right,” Edward finally states, making it clear that they aren’t going anywhere.

Elsewhere in Wichita Bank, Wayne is sitting at a large desk, talking with Walter and Ron. They’re upset at their group for even considering Miles as a leader, though Ron assures him that everyone will come around and realize Wayne is the only one who can lead them. Suddenly, without knocking, Edward enters the room with Leona, who’s carrying her sniper rifle. He hopes that they could talk - but feeling uneasy with Leona, Wayne tells Edward that they’ll only talk with him if Leona stays outside. Edward agrees, and so Leona leaves the room. Then, Edward begins. He takes a seat, and starts talking with Wayne, who makes it plainly obvious that he does not like him. He says that he intends to hold a good standard when he’s in charge, before asking Edward what he did before all of this. When Edward answers that he was an inventor, Wayne scoffs and asks if he invented anything he’d know - and when Edward stays quiet, Wayne takes that as a no. Wayne continues, expressing his pride for having built his career as a lawyer from the ground up. He lists out numerous different major criminals that he helped take down - some of whom were associated with Damerae Badrick. Then, when he asks Edward what he’s done, he simply replies with, “I killed Damerae Badrick.” Walter and Ron chuckle at what they think is a joke, but Edward doesn’t find it funny. He says that he’s more capable of leading than anyone else here, remarking that most people here probably haven’t even killed a zombie. Wayne’s response is to tell Edward that zombies aren’t even a threat anymore -- it’s the people. At last, Edward loses his patience when Wayne makes a joke about him. He lunges forward and grabs Wayne by the collar, demanding that he listen to him, while Walter yells for Roy. Within moments, Roy zooms into the room, drawing his gun. Leona enters after him, pointing her own gun at Roy. Before the situation gets worse, Tobias arrives on scene, and Wayne yells at him for bringing these lunatics to the bank. Tobias tells them to calm down, and he escorts Edward out of the room.

Tobias takes Edward into the bathrooms, angry at Edward for trying to strong-arm his way into being the boss. He tells him that he has to win the people over, before he walks out of the bathroom, leaving Edward there, alone. Sighing, Edward looks at himself in the mirror, before he jumps at the sound of Badrick’s voice, expressing how proud he is of Edward for becoming more and more like him. Edward shakes his head, hitting himself, and yells out that he’s not - and that this is just in his head. He slides down against the wall, as Edward asks to be left alone. Badrick’s voice responds, “But… I am alone.” Edward looks around the room as the voice leaves his head. He was alone.

Having returned back to Worthwood, Aldus is walking down a street with Mary. She's still under the impression that he and Bud went on a hunting trip - and Aldus doesn't want to be the one to tell her where they really went, and so he lets her know that she should go and talk with her father. She's a bit confused, but decides to go do it nevertheless.

At the Davis' lodge, Mary approaches Bud, who's sitting in the kitchen, and asks why he and Aldus are being so weird about the hunting trip. Bud glances up, and tells Mary to have a seat. When she does, Bud reveals that it's about her mother. He confesses that when Christine got bit and turned, he couldn't bring himself to put her down - and so that's where he and Aldus went, to finally put her out of her misery. Mary is rightfully angry, eyes watering as she listens to him. Bud knows that her anger at him is warranted, and he doesn't defend himself. He knows what he did was wrong, but he's truly sorry. Mary doesn't even know if she can trust him anymore -- but she starts to cry, hugging her father.

The construction crew returns to Worthwood, and Goran is rushed to the infirmary while Charles Hopkins approaches the rest of the crew, looking concerned. Norman shakes his head, sadly telling Charles what had happened - and Charles' response is to ask about the second truck they left behind. Bryan, overhearing this, suddenly storms over, his hands covered with Goran's blood, and goes off on Charles for asking about the truck when Carter is dead. He rants, while Charles tries to explain that he just wanted to know so he could inform the council. Bryan snaps at the word 'council', and pushes Charles into a wall, ranting about him and the council both, before he's taken off by Norman, and Bryan storms off. The rest of the crew start to head off, while Ed approaches Charles with tired eyes, and is surprised when Charles doesn't even know who he is. Charles nods embarrassingly, introducing himself as head of the crew.

William sits at the edge of his bed in his cell, until hearing a door squeak open. It's Kevin and Cody, and they approach William's cell, unlocking it and pulling the man out. Jon, sitting in his cell, taunts the officers, who bicker back at him, but ultimately don't do anything else. William is taken away by the officers.

One lengthy walk later, and William arrives in a large chamber within the castle, escorted to a little hearing stand by Kevin and Cody, where he is then handcuffed by Paul. Sitting ahead of William is the council, and sitting off to the side are some of the community's most important members, among them are Allan and Charles. With the cuffs set in place, Gerald opens the hearing by reminding William of his crime, and asks what he has to say for himself. William's answer is long, but in his speech he makes it clear that he did what he had to do to save Violet's life, and even blames the council to an extent for not doing anything about Todd sooner. Naomi Stafford's eye twitches, and she is the first to respond, criticizing William for even trying to defend his monstrous actions. The council didn't know Todd was abusing Violet, and so Naomi is furious that William would try to accuse them for not taking action. Gerald adds on by stating that William directly went against what he said, and took the law into his own hands. Gerald is sure that he would have been able to handle the situation. William's defiance holds steady, and he defends himself from Naomi's accusations, before focusing his gaze on Gerald and says that if he hadn't taken action against Todd when he did, Violet could've been the one who died, not him. Then, it's Richard Neuble's turn to speak up, and he makes it abundantly clear that he despises what William did, and is horrified that he's trying to defend what he did. He reminds William that this isn't "out on the road" anymore, this is a civilized community. During Richard's speech, Father Donovan hobbles into the church, mumbling and apologizing for being late. Chester Stafford agrees with Richard's statement, but as he's explaining why, his wife cuts him off, and simply tells William that he is a terrible person. Gerald, seeing that they're just going in circles at this point, is about to move forward to the next stage of the hearing - but Father Donovan does it for him, rising from his seat to rant about how savage William and his people are, and that William should be exiled. William quips back, asking the priest if that's what his God would do, which infuriates Donovan. The Father goes to respond, but breaks into a coughing fit, so Gerald moves on to William's punishment. Being aware that William's group would not let William be exiled, Gerald and the rest of the council instead come to the conclusion that William will be imprisoned for life, while Jon will serve six months.

Just as Gerald is about to wrap up the hearing, the chamber doors open with a clack, and Randall steps in - followed by Jon. Kevin and Cody look on from beside William, while Randall apologizes for it having to come to this. Claire and Clyde then enter the room behind them, pointing pistols at the two officers and demanding them to put down their weapons. Everyone in the room begins to panic, people standing and yelling. Allan is one of them, who stands in an outrage, yelling that he knew this would happen. Soon, Dean enters as well, and so do Aldus and Austin, all of them with guns, leaving the council in a state of panic, unsure of what to do. Kevin and Cody reluctantly put down their pistols, while Jon steps forward with a smile, picking up both of their guns before removing William's handcuffs. Allan continues to rant in the background, being ignored by William and the others. It's then that Marcus and Kate finally enter the room, and Gerald demands to know what's happening. "It's a takeover," Richard spits, but Kate says that it doesn't need to be. Father Donovan curses at her, and to shut him up, Jon points his pistol at Donovan's head, scaring him until he tumbles over and curls into a ball. Then, Kate looks to Gerald and the council, explaining to them that all of them can keep their fancy titles and positions - so long as they co-exist with William and the group. William's group will be responsible for security around the community, and Kate will join the council. Gerald simply sinks into his seat in defeat, and although Naomi tries to argue, Gerald knows it's over and he must accept her terms.

Feeling dejected and angry, Elliott wanders around the bank aimlessly, until he hears someone calling him from a room he passes by. Looking in, Elliott sees Damian and Lamar sharing a joint, and they urge Elliott to come and join them. At first, Elliott declines them - but they encourage him to come and sit down and think about it - so he does. He sits, and Lamar reclines the chair for him, telling him to relax, while passing him the joint. Elliott looks around nervously, unsure if this is what he should really be doing right now, but in the end, under pressure from Damian and Lamar, he takes a puff from the blunt. After a few moments pass, Lamar chuckles, grinning, and tells Elliott to have another, while Damian says that Elliott should tell them what’s on his mind. After coughing, Elliott, feeling a little more relaxed than before, takes a second puff, and then starts telling Damian about how angered he is with Edward. He and Lamar tell him not to worry about him, and to just chill like them. He leans over and fistbumps Elliott.

In the bathrooms, Edward is discovered by Linda, who came to check on him after seeing him enter the bathroom a while ago and not leave. Edward utters out that he’s okay, but Linda knows that’s simply not true, and tells Edward to get up, stroking his ego by telling him that he’s supposed to be their future leader.

Edward hobbles after her to a meeting room on the second floor of the bank, where she explains that he can get some rest if he needs it. But Edward doesn’t need rest - and when Linda asks him to explain himself, he responds, “You wouldn’t get it.” Linda, growing a little frustrated, tells Edward that if he’d stop moping around, he would realize that Linda does in fact get it. She reveals to Edward how her two children were slaughtered by zombies at the start of the apocalypse, and it shattered her. This gets Edward to talking, first mentioning his mother and how her death had shattered him. Then, he brings up Badrick and how he’d tormented him, angrily revealing how cruel and barbaric the man was, and how he’s fed up with certain people comparing him to Badrick and other cruel people he’s killed, since he’s not like them. Linda tells him not to care about what others think, and to do what he has to. She then asks him who’s been there to comfort him if not for his mother. “Nobody,” Edward answers quietly, before mentioning a friend of his that ‘died’, referring to Clyde. “Nobody has ever understood my goals. They only see a little freak. I’m the one they always underestimate,” Edward grumbles. Linda looks on, pondering all of this, and instructs Edward to come and sit beside her. Hobbling over, Edward does so, where Linda says that this group needs Edward if they want to fend off Jadis… even if he is a sickly, damaged little man. “Excuse me?” Edward retorts, but Linda shushes him, and says that she wants to help him, as she starts to caress him. Edward sits there, confused, before Linda places his head in her lap, running fingers through his hair. He lays there, deeply uncomfortable, before slowly starting to ease into it as Linda promises Edward that he’s in good hands with her, continuing to caress him. “Close your eyes… and rest,” she instructs him, and Edward does so, completely lost in the moment as he’s tended to like a little baby.

At Worthwood, sometime in the evening, Marcus enters his and Kate's lodge, finding her sipping on tequila. They gleefully talk about how things are finally going their way here, mentioning that Jon has been put in charge of hosting defense classes here. Kate smiles, feeling that they can finally settle down here like they've always wanted to. On the topic of that, Marcus takes his chance to pull out a fancy diamond ring Justin gave him, and he gets to one knee, proposing. Kate stares in shock, before grinning and excitedly saying yes, as the two of them embrace with a kiss.

At the same time, Austin is marching back to his lodge by himself, before hearing his radio beep to life. It's Kayumi on the other side, and she says to meet her at a burnt out shack in the woods near the community.

Austin leaves Worthwood, hobbling through the woods for a short while until finding the shack, where Kayumi is waiting for him. She explains that it's not safe to talk over the radio in case the other bikers are listening - before he starts to explain to Austin the escalating situation between the bikers and Worthwood, telling him about her brother Shiro wanting Austin's head, and the secret Gerald is hiding with the bikers. Austin tries to remain chill at first, cursing quietly to himself, unsure of what to do. Kayumi apologizes again and again, suggesting that he organize some kind of defense at Worthwood for when Shiro attacks. Austin gazes down, frowning, but says that she doesn't need to apologize - it's his own fault for getting followed to Worthwood. He falls quiet for a second, before finally snapping, pounding his fists against a tree and yelling in frustration.

## **Cast**

#### **Starring**

* Gerald Roland
* Aldus Paxton
* William Reynes
* Jon Matthews
* Randall Forster
* Austin Kingston
* Dean Howards
* Lloyd Waller
* Rebecca Dawson
* Daniel Rockwell
* Clyde Rollins
* Kate Bloodstone
* Marcus Downes
* Edward Remar

#### **Also Starring**

* Allan White
* Shiro Shizuko
* Genna Brohem
* Lolida Windfield
* Claire Noble
* Justin Bennett
* Violet Glover
* Kayumi Shizuko
* Ed Anderson
* Naomi Stafford
* Tobias Duke
* Leona Holloway
* Elliott Rowe
* Wayne Guzman
* Linda Guzman

#### **Guest Starring**

* Roman Stroud
* Heiwateki Korosuku
* Bud Davis
* Paul Baird
* Mackenzie Brohem
* Father Donovan
* Heather Solis
* Fletcher Roland
* Mary Davis
* Chester Stafford
* Richard Neuble
* Lamar Adams
* Kyori Hyoteki
* Damian Holt
* Stanley Peck
* Miles Pennington
* Sandra Pennington
* Roy Dickson

#### **Co-Starring**

* Daiki
* Kaido
* Asuka
* Cody Wakefield
* Kevin Norton
* Trent Colins
* Barry Challis
* Dorothy
* Jeff
* Barbara Rhodes
* Maeve
* Carter
* Bryan Marsh
* Goran
* Norman
* Charles Hopkins
* Mac Steiner
* Jac Steiner
* Walter
* Ronald Robson
* John Eisner
* Carrie Eisner
* Kara
* Marvin Young
* Simon
* Pam
* Damerae Badrick *(Hallucination, Voice Only)*

## **Deaths**

* Carter
* Christine Davis *(Zombified, offscreen)*
* Linda & Wayne Guzman's daughter and son *(Confirmed Fates)*