The Golden Goose

Dean is tormented by Badrick. Benjamin leads his dysfunctional group to scavenge for fuel.

You can read the transcript here.

## **Synopsis**

Inside of a warehouse, Derrick Williams, a Rasta, is beating the living hell out of Dean Howards, while Damerae Badrick watches. Eventually, Badrick gets up, holding out a bowl of fruit to a barely conscious Dean. However, he takes it away before Dean takes one, and gives Derrick a fruit instead. After setting the bowl aside, Badrick reaches under a table to grab a bag, demanding that Dean open it. Dean does so, and inside it he lays eyes on Teddy Powell's decapitated head. He covers his face in horror, but Badrick forces him to take his hands away or he'd cut off the rest of his fingers. In a desperate attempt to get the torture to stop, Dean tells Badrick about a secret place under the ruins of Willamette Mall. Badrick orders Derrick to take Dean to the truck, warning his hostage that if was lying, there would be a price to pay.

Up on the roof of the warehouse, Kate Bloodstone spies a truck leaving with Dean and Badrick in it. She gives the information to Marcus Downes and Aldus Paxton who are prone on the roof as well. She wants to go after the truck, but Marcus insists that they search the warehouse for Teddy and Jim Butterman first. Kate reluctantly agrees.

The three of them climb off the roof and sneak inside the warehouse, where they come across two Rastas yelling at each other. Marcus and Aldus move up together, each of them taking down one. Once the hall is secure, they enter an empty room, Kate following. As she enters, Kate notices a bag on the floor and goes to open it. When she does, she gasps, stumbling back into Marcus's arms, sobbing. Aldus approaches the bag and opens it. Both he and Marcus look on at Teddy's head inside. "We're going to kill them for this," Kate says. Marcus and Aldus, both angered at the discovery, agree.

They search the rest of the warehouse, but come up empty handed. Most importantly, Jim was not there, suggesting to them that he may have escaped. With tracking vehicles being easy, Marcus then suggests they follow the truck Dean left in to save him and kill Badrick. Kate and Marcus are on board with the plan. Outside, Marcus breaks into a spare vehicle and works on getting it started while the others keep watch.

Jacob Feldman is sitting in the foyer of the high school with Lloyd Waller. He finishes up telling the boy about everything that's happened to him since the beginning of the outbreak. Lloyd then tells him that most of the teachers and classmates died early on, and Bruce Boseman has been protecting everybody left. After hearing the boy's story, Jacob stands up, sorry to hear about what happened. Before Jacob walks out, Lloyd expresses how good it is to have him back.

Benjamin Taylor emerges into the living room of his house, announcing to Edward Remar and the others that they'll be heading out to a gas station soon to collect gasoline for the bus. Clyde Rollins questions what their plan afterwards is, and Benjamin states that they will kill Badrick. After deciding to let Jared Kellings stay behind and sleep, everybody prepares to leave for the trip. Robin Clarke and Benjamin bicker with each other over past events, before heading outside.

The group travels down a back lane. Benjamin and Robin's bickering with each other continues until Robin brings up Sarah Taylor in a disrespectful way, provoking Benjamin to punch him in the face. Robin apologizes for the comment, but goes on to tell Benjamin that he had no regret in sending him away when he was leading their men to the slaughter against The Rastas. Benjamin decides to ignore the rest of Clarke's comments, and walks ahead with Mike Simpson. The group soon arrive at the gas station, noticing that the place is infested with zombies. Solomon Reed and Clyde rush forward to begin filling up gas cans and loading them into the back of a truck. Robin, meanwhile, works on getting that truck started. Benjamin, Mike, and Edward focus on distracting and clearing out the zombies. Once the truck is started up and filled with gas cans, everybody climbs aboard and they speed away.

Curtis Van Horn is standing out by Quincy Atherton and Monica Reynolds' graves in Willamette Mall. He's approached by Jon Matthews and Angela Jaegar, asking him if he's ready to leave. Still mourning the death of his friends, Curtis isn't sure about leaving yet. He also doesn't consider the rest of the former mall group to be his friends. Jon sits with him, recalling about how he distanced himself from the mall group as well, but came to learn that they embraced him as part of the group, and Curtis as well. Before they can get up to leave, they hear a truck rolling up outside. Believing it to be their group, they get up and go to check it out.

Outside of Willamette Mall, Badrick pulls Dean out of a truck and shoves him towards the mall, instructing him to lead the way to the secret place he had told him about. Before Dean can do so, Curtis, Jon, and Angela are seen exiting through the main entrance. Badrick immediately points a rifle up at them and opens fire, hitting Curtis in the chest several times. Dean looks on in disbelief, and in shame in himself. Badrick praises Dean for ratting out his friends, unaware that Dean had done so accidently. Inside the mall, Jon brings Curtis to cover. Meanwhile, Badrick, Derrick, and a few Rastas enter the mall, and are shot at by Angela. Being covered by Angela, Jon is able to take Curtis further back into the mall to safety. Angela quickly runs out of ammo after taking down two Rastas, and is then caught by Badrick and thrown back into the hands of a couple Rastas.

Further into the mall, Jon lays Curtis behind some cover. Jon is adamant on not leaving Curtis to die, even as he hears Angela's screams, but Curtis argues with him to stop acting tough and go rescue her. Jon listens to his friend and gets up, leaving Curtis with just his rifle.

Badrick and Derrick walk through the mall with a group of Rastas, bringing Angela back to where Dean is. When they get there, Badrick drops Angela off with Dean, and instructs Derrick and a few other Rastas to keep guard on them. Badrick walks off into the mall with the rest of his Rastas. After a few moments, Badrick is heard yelling for Derrick's assistance. Derrick immediately runs off, and as he does, Jon appears, executing the three Rastas left guarding Angela and Dean. After ensuring Angela and Dean are safe, Jon turns and sprints back towards where he left Curtis.

Badrick and Derrick sit behind cover as Curtis finishes killing the third and last Rasta that was accompanying them. Believing Curtis to be an easy target to kill, Badrick stands out of cover, but is then shot in the arm by Jon, who came sprinting over. Derrick opens fire at Jon, forcing him into cover while Badrick flees the area. Derrick soon follows. In the Entrance Plaza, Angela runs at Badrick, but is easily punched in the face by him, sending her back to the ground. Derrick picks up a traumatized Dean, carrying him out to the truck and tossing him in the back. Jon comes running out, opening fire at the truck as both Badrick and Derrick get inside. It speeds away before Jon can land a shot on any of them.

Jon curses to himself before turning back and heading into the mall. He picks up an unconscious Angela, carrying her through the mall to where he'd left Curtis. However, when he goes to check up on his friend, he finds Curtis laying against a wall, dead; he'd bled out from his wounds.

Back at the school, Jacob enters the principal's office, taking a seat in between Martyn Ford and William Reynes. The three of them are facing Bruce, who gets right down to business by admitting that they're scarily low on food. He suggests that Martyn stay behind to watch the kids while the other three men (Bruce, Jacob, and William) go out to scavenge. Everybody agrees. Before exiting the office, Jacob says that his group should be arriving back soon, and if they don't, he'll have to go out and look for them.

Later, Jacob is walking through the foyer when he encounters Lloyd again. Lloyd pressures Jacob into revealing what the meeting inside the principal's office was about, and when he hears what the food situation is like, he asks if he can help scavenge. Jacob says that if Lloyd wants to go, he needs to ask Bruce himself. Jacob then walks off, asking Lloyd to send William up to the roof if he saw him.

Lloyd walks over to the principal's office, finding William in the hallway outside it. He tells William what Jacob had said about meeting on the roof, before entering the office to speak with Bruce. Lloyd is straightforward with the former principal, assuring him that he is ready to go out and help look for supplies. Because Lloyd was earnest with him, Bruce allows Lloyd to go on the trip with them, but only on the condition that none of the other students can know. When Lloyd asks why, Bruce says that it's because he wouldn't be so lenient on them.

William finds Jacob alone on the roof. When he questions Jacob about what's wrong, Jacob admits that he's worried about the rest of the group, pointing out that they should be back by now, and even thinks that Badrick may have attacked again, or will attack. On the topic of Badrick, Jacob tells William that he won't feel any closure for Erin Monroe's death until he kills Badrick himself. William agrees that closure is what Jacob deserves after everything he's been through. Jacob says that as long as he can create the feeling of happiness and safety for his group, it'll be enough for him. However, as William points out, that won't happen until Badrick is dead. Both of them agree that Badrick has to die.

In Willamette Mall, Jon finishes burying Curtis' body next to Quincy and Monica. He steps back, reading the sign that he had placed over the grave: "Here lies Curtis. A changed man."

## **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
* Robin Clarke
* Theodore "Teddy" Powell *(Corpse)*

#### **Guest Starring**

* Solomon Reed
* Mike Simpson
* Lloyd Waller
* Bruce Boseman
* Martyn Ford
* Curtis Van Horn
* Derrick Williams

## **Deaths**

* Curtis Van Horn
* 10 Rastas