An Iron Fist (Remake)

**"An Iron Fist"** is the third episode of *Season 2: Remake* of *Strain Zero*, the remake of *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*. It is the eighth episode of the series overall.

## Plot

*Henry wonders who he can trust in a place where schemes keep you breathing. Reunited with friendly - and unexpected - faces, he finds himself torn and decides what the future holds for him and his family.*

## Synopsis

Stripped of his supplies, Henry is forced into an outside section of the building, where he is forced to fight a fellow newcomer, Dirk. After winning the fight, Henry is introduced to two other workers, Ron and Amy, while Dirk apologises and says he was only looking for some exercise.

Henry asks the trio if they have seen anyone matching Holly and Emma's descriptions; Ron reveals that two matching women participated in an attempted uprising two weeks ago, and are now prisoners alongside a larger group who led the uprising. Ron reveals that the prisoners are being kept in a storage shed at the edge of the property.

The next morning, Henry learns that Hometown has a strict ranking system put in place by their leader, Stoffman. Forced to work on the new extension, the four workers are attacked by walkers. Henry leads the workers in clearing out the walkers, forming an alliance with David, one of the guards. Four days later, having been denied an audience with Stoffman, Henry takes David hostage and threatens his way into Stoffman's office. Impressed by Henry's tenacity and nerve, Stoffman offers Henry a job as a guard, which he accepts.

Sent to the armoury to select a gun, Henry is reunited with his old friend Justinas, previously believed to have been killed in the boathouse fire a year ago. Justinas, unaware that Holly and Emma were in Hometown, gives Henry a pack of cigarettes and instructs him to bribe the guard that patrols the prisoner shed. Convincing the guard to let him inside, Henry is attacked by one of the prisoners, Drew Stanton. Hearing his cries, Emma reveals herself and the two tearfully reunite, quickly followed by a reunion between Henry and Holly. She introduces Henry to the other prisoners: Drew's pregnant girlfriend Becky, medical student Carl McKenzie, Gareth, Leyton, Stephan and Bethany. Henry promises to get Holly and Emma out of there and leaves, only to be confronted by Stoffman. Henry admits that he came to Hometown to find his family, which Stoffman understands; he then gives Henry an offer: Holly and Emma will be allowed into the community to serve their punishment through hard work, provided Henry serve directly under Stoffman. Henry reluctantly agrees to the deal.

Three months later, Henry has worked to become a trusted lieutenant to Stoffman. One evening, a large group of walkers attacks the community and Henry leads the defence, earning himself the role of rooftop lieutenant. Ron is named as the culprit and is thrown off the roof by Stoffman while Henry watches. Conflicted, Henry sneaks into Stoffman's office at night and discovers security footage of Stoffman sabotaging the extension wall with Ron's tools in an effort to frame him. Henry decides to play the footage on the community's TV screens, but to his shock none of the residents turn against Stoffman. Deciding to leave the community, Henry offers an alliance between his people and Drew's. However, their plans are interrupted by Stoffman, who was informed by a terrified David that Henry was responsible for leaking the footage. To demonstrate how loyal his people are, Stoffman kills one of his own men, Declan, in front of the others, to no protest.

Henry is locked inside an airless cold storage room with a walker; after killing it, he uses a coin to open a ventilation shaft. Crawling through the shafts, he makes his way to the armoury, where he begins collecting weapons and supplies. Justinas finds him and attempts to stop him; Henry convinces him to let him go, but Justinas says he will not come with him. Henry comes across David and forgives him, offering him a place in the group, before setting Drew's group, Holly and Emma free.

Henry splits up with the group and detonates the community's fuel reserves, attracting a large herd wandering nearby. Using the resulting chaos as a cover, the rest of the group unlock the parking bay door, but are found by Stoffman. Henry engages Stoffman in a brutal duel, during which Henry gets the upper hand and stabs Stoffman. However, Stoffman manages to grab a crowbar and viciously bashes Henry over the face with it, severely scarring him and knocking him unconscious. Stoffman is shot from behind before he can deliver the killing blow; the assailant, revealed to be Justinas, ends Stoffman with a shot to the head. With the herd approaching the east side of Hometown, Drew orders his people to carry Henry to safety on a stretcher. Laden with weapons and closely guarding Henry, the two groups escape into the wilderness.

## Characters

### Main

* Henry Ward
* Holly Parker
* Emma Goode
* Drew Stanton

## Deaths

* Ashley *(alive and zombified)*
* Ron *(alive)*
* Declan
* Stoffman
* 5 unnamed Hometown residents

## Trivia

* First appearance of Becky Grace
* First appearance of Stephan Lee
* First appearance of Leyton Jones
* This episode features the return of Justinas, who was presumed dead following the events of "*All That Remains*".

 **Season 5: Remake** | "Blood" • "Rules" • "Dissent" • "The Game" • "The Coming Storm" • "Brotherhood" • "Call to Arms"