State of Mind

Jim is saved by someone. Benjamin tells a story that shocks his companions. Jacob goes on the hunt when he locates Badrick.

You can read the transcript here.

## **Synopsis**

Jim Butterman hobbles through the woods trying to escape The Rastas that are hot on his trail. As Jim discovers a building up ahead, a slaughterhouse, a Rasta charges out at him, pushing Jim to the ground. Suddenly, the Rasta is sniped in the back of the head. Michael Hall hurries over and ushers Jim inside the slaughterhouse.

Inside, Michael gives Jim some water before sitting down and beginning his questioning. After sharing names, Michael asks about the people who were chasing Jim. A frightened Jim explains that they're from a gang, and that they attacked his home; the mall. When he learns that Jim is from the mall, Michael ends his questioning, and instead confesses that he was also from the mall, before leaving to work with The Rastas. After abandoning Badrick and The Rastas, Michael chose to live alone. Michael gets up, telling Jim that he can rest here as long as he wants.

At Willamette High School, Jacob Feldman is going through a box of guns when Lloyd Waller asks if he can have one. Although refusing to let him carry a shotgun, he isn't going to stop him from taking a pistol for safety. As Jacob wanders off, Lloyd takes a pistol from the box. Kyle Douglass shuffles into the room, calling out Lloyd's name when he sees him. He freaks out when he sees Lloyd's pistol, but Lloyd pleads with him to calm down and not tell anybody else. It looks as though Kyle might just do that, but when Lloyd admits that he's going out on a supply run, Kyle goes haywire, and tries talking Lloyd out of it. As he's pacing back and forth, Lloyd rummages through the weapons box and finds a grenade, which he pockets in case of an emergency, going against Kyle's advice to leave it. Kyle fears that he and the rest of the kids are going to be forced to leave the school to go on supply runs as well, but Lloyd assures him otherwise. When Jacob reenters the room, Kyle quickly comes up with an excuse that they were talking about girls, and nothing else. Lloyd then says his farewells to Kyle, before walking off with Jacob, Kyle watching him go concerningly.

Angela Jaegar wanders through Willamette Mall, stumbling across Jon Matthews shooting his silenced pistol at windows. He tells Angela that it's target practice for Badrick. Angela sighs, informing Jon that Da'Jonte Woodard was back, and that he didn't find anything at Jim's cabin; it was abandoned. After he and Angela regroup with Da'Jonte, they decide that they should try going back to the coffee shop. Before they leave though, they hear the whir of an engine approaching.

Outside, Kate Bloodstone, Marcus Downes, and Aldus Paxton get out of their truck and approach the entrance of the mall, having been following the trail of Badrick's truck. They nearly get shot when Jon pops out of cover with an assault rifle, but he lowers the weapon when he recognizes them. Jon woefully informs them about Curtis Van Horn's death, before explaining the rest of what happened, including the fact that Badrick still has Dean Howards in his control. After Marcus tells him about Teddy Powell's demise and Jim's unknown status, the group all decide that they'll stick together and travel back to the coffee shop. Once everyone squeezes into the truck, Marcus drives off.

Jacob and Lloyd walk out into the courtyard where Bruce Boseman and William Reynes are already waiting. After Bruce confirms the fact that he wants to bring Lloyd along, he goes over his plan: to search a cargo ship down at the docks that's supposedly full to the brim with food. The group then set out on their mission, with Jacob suspecting that Lloyd may already be having second thoughts.

Bruce leads them down the street, taking down a zombie with a tornado kick and a stomp to the head, impressing Jacob and William. The three adults realize that Lloyd is not with them, but the boy quickly appears again with a baseball bat, claiming to have found it in a nearby house. Bruce is happy to see him already looking for supplies, but warns him to wander off again. Lloyd then immediately runs back into the house and soon emerges dressed in football armour for protection. Wearing his new armour, Lloyd confidently approaches a zombie and whacks it in the head with his bat. He hits it a few more times, before dropping it and killing it. The adults applaud him for his good work. Jacob and William walk ahead, quietly talking to each other. Jacob tells him that he heard one of the kids mention girls back at the school, and that its reminded him of Erin Monroe again. He describes the horrifying moment that Erin was shot, and how he can't get it out of his head. William replies by reminding him that Erin would want Jacob to get himself killed "over something as pointless as vengeance." Jacob nods slowly, saying that he's going to do his best.

Damerae Badrick sits in the back of a truck with Dean, Derrick Williams, and one other Rasta, maneuvering through the streets of Willamette. After patiently waiting, Badrick's radio begins to crackle, and a voice comes through the other side, apologizing for being late. The voice belongs to Manji Fayard, one of Badrick's lieutenants stationed in New York. Badrick demands that Fayard immediately dispatch a large group of Rastas from New York to Willamette, and he wants them within the week. Although knowing it'll be difficult, Fayard promises to have them shipped there in a week, along with crates of weapons and ammo. After signing off, Badrick looks down at Dean, who's begging for water. He grabs Dean and says that he can have it if he gives up the rest of his friends, but Dean doesn't give in. He then lets go of Dean, stating that they'll be making base at the Willamette docks until his men arrive.

Over in Willamette's neighbourhood, Clyde Rollins excitedly announces to the group that the bus is refueled and they can get back on the road. Edward Remar looks to Benjamin Taylor for an answer of where exactly they're going to go. Benjamin nods, and stands in front of everybody, bluntly confessing that he had a role in the creation of the zombie virus. Pacing around the room, he explains how his wife died of cancer, and soon after his daughter contracted the disease as well. During this time, he had met Cornelius Dance, a wealthy businessman who promised to find a cure for cancer if he received the funding from Benjamin's business, Taylor & Co. And so he funded them, which led to Cornelius and another man named Anton Lesser creating the zombie virus and unleashing it across the world. Edward and Clyde remain speechless, and Solomon Reed is stunned at the revelation. Benjamin states that he intends to hunt Cornelius and Anton down and kill them, but not until Badrick is dead. While Clyde thinks Badrick may already be dead and they should move on, both Benjamin and Edward aren't going to be happy until they know he's dead.

Jacob, William, Bruce, and Lloyd arrive at the docks, walking up a ramp onto a cargo ship. Jacob and Lloyd split off to search the upper decks, while William and Bruce go search the lower decks.

Below the main deck, William and Bruce clear out a few zombies while searching the area. Their conversation leads to Bruce remembering the events of the beginning of the apocalypse, and how he failed as a principal to save all of the students. Most of the students and teachers who survived the slaughter left almost immediately. William tells Bruce that he did the best that he could do, and that he's been able to keep everyone who stayed at the school alive. Bruce nods slowly, thanking William before continuing on through the ship.

Above deck, Lloyd and Jacob are finding it suspicious that there's so much supplies that haven't been looted on this ship, but they shrug it off and keep going. Suddenly, Jacob stops in his tracks, noticing something in the distance: a truck, and stepping out of that truck - Badrick. Jacob, knowing he can't miss this opportunity to kill Badrick, tells Lloyd to go and get William and Bruce. As Lloyd obeys and rushes off, Jacob keeps his focus on Badrick in the distance. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Badrick is already aware that Jacob and the others are on the ship. Dean begs Badrick not to bring any harm to them, but Derrick shuts him up with a punch. Just as Lloyd climbs back onto the main deck with William and Bruce, Badrick opens fire with his AK-47, striking William in his arm. As those on the ship find cover, Badrick, Derrick, and the one other Rasta push up towards the ship. William and Bruce try talking Jacob into leaving, but Jacob isn't having it. However, after some convincing, Jacob agrees that they should leave. Jacob covers William and Bruce as they make it off the ship, shooting and killing the unnamed Rasta with Badrick. Jacob yells at Lloyd to leave, but Lloyd doesn't want to leave Jacob behind. Badrick begins making his way onto the ship, as does Derrick, but not before knocking Dean out cold. Once onboard the ship, Badrick notices Lloyd running off somewhere, and he orders Derrick to chase him. While Derrick runs after him, Jacob and Badrick engage in a fist fight.

Derrick chases Lloyd through a maze of large containers on the ship, and eventually he loses sight of the kid, running off in a different direction than where Lloyd had gone. Lloyd runs up a deck, and then runs over to a railing, looking down and seeing Jacob and Badrick fighting. Jacob, full of vengeance, once again demands that Lloyd go. Unable to convince Jacob to go with him, Lloyd decides to drop the grenade down to Jacob for him to use, before hurrying off the ship. Badrick taunts Jacob about Erin, provoking Jacob into charging him first. Badrick manages to get the upper hand, and drives a knife into Jacob's gut, sending him onto the floor, bleeding profusely. Jacob takes hold of the grenade and threatens to pull the pin. Badrick approaches Jacob, unfazed by his threats, asking Jacob if his life is that meaningless to him. As Jacob coughs, he mutters, "You're not understanding what I want most. To see you die." And he pulls the pin to the grenade. Badrick yells and sprints back. The grenade explodes, blowing up Jacob and forming a crack in the ship that causes it to start sinking into the harbour. Badrick screams in pain as he's set on fire, half his face being severely burned. He quickly passes out and falls down into the water, sinking below.

Lloyd drags Dean's unconscious body to safety, laying him on the grass nearby. William and Bruce are resting nearby, and they all look on at the sinking ship. Lloyd and William are speechless as they see Jacob's mangled corpse floating in the water nearby.

## **Cast**

#### **Starring**

* Kate Bloodstone
* Marcus Downes
* Aldus Paxton
* William Reynes
* Dean Howards
* Jon Matthews
* Edward Remar
* Clyde Rollins
* Benjamin Taylor
* Jacob Feldman
* Damerae Badrick

#### **Also Starring**

* Angela Jaegar
* Jim Butterman
* Robin Clarke

#### **Guest Starring**

* Solomon Reed
* Mike Simpson
* Lloyd Waller
* Bruce Boseman
* Kyle Douglass
* Michael Hall
* Derrick Williams

## **Deaths**

* Jacob Feldman
* 2 Rastas