Season 1

**Season 1**, subtitled **'The First Year'**, is the first season of *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*. It is the first season of the '*Life and Death*' series. It is followed by *Season 2*.

## Plot

*Harry Edwards, a 16-year-old student from the British Isles, is on a trip of a lifetime with his friends to the USA. During their stay, they are invited to attend the Clarkson School in the city of Upswitch. Homesickness is settling in for everyone, just as everyone over the age of eighteen starts to get sick. Then, one day, they all die. Then they get back up again. Then they start eating the surviving kids. Trapped within the school, Edwards and his friends, stuck in a world they do not know, must quickly learn how to survive a world where the dead now rule. Join the Clarkson Survivors on their desperate journey to survive in this cruel new world, a journey that tests them to their physical and mental limits.*

## Synopsis

### 'And So It Begins'

A small group of British exchange students are living in the city of Upswitch, attending Clarkson High School. Less than a week into their trip, everyone over the age of eighteen succumbs to a mysterious disease, causing them to return as zombies. The group are left in the school by the military evacuation and awaken to discover the world in ruins. Harry Edwards takes charge and together the group clear out the school's ground floor.

A week passes and nobody comes to rescue them, and the emergency evacuation signal is now playing on a loop. Realizing that they will be in the school for a long time, the group makes a plan to recover building supplies to fortify the fence. A small team discovers wooden beams and sheets of metal in the construction class, as well as an assortment of weapons, including a hatchet, which Edwards takes. Cut off from the school entrance by a cluster of roamers, the team fight their way through the walkers and back to the cafeteria.

Suddenly, the emergency broadcast is interrupted by a man's voice, broadcasting essential survival information, messages of goodwill, and the use of the term "walkers" to refer to the zombies. Inspired by the broadcast, the group decide to use the term "walkers" and fight back against another large group of invading zombies.

### 'Friend Or Foe'

Four months after the outbreak, the group have built up the school but are running low on food and other supplies due to the presence of several herds. Following an unsuccessful supply run, Jess reveals to Edwards that she is pregnant with Alex's baby. The group are confronted by two adult men, Matt and Kyle Mitchell, the first live adults the group have seen since the outbreak. The group agree to trade some of their fuel and weapons in exchange for food from their farm.

A small group heads to the Mitchell Family Farm, where they meet the family patriarch, Andre, and his daughter Lisa. The group agrees to check the farm's perimeter, where they are attacked by bandits. The family reveals they made an agreement with the bandits: food for protection. Harry, James and Justinas head out with Matt and Kyle to counterattack, killing many of them.

That night, the family are revealed to be cannibals, having survived by feeding on the flesh of children and tourists to their farm; they explain that they have managed to remain human as human flesh appears to hold back the disease that created the walkers. Upon learning that Jess is pregnant, the group manages to fight back, killing all members of the family, with Edwards battling Andre in a gruesome duel. The group burns down the farm and leaves as walkers approach. Now knowing about Jess' pregnancy, the group start planning more supply runs. Outside the fence, a group of bandits watches the school closely.

### 'A Long Road Ahead'

A year after the outbreak and eight months after their encounter with the Mitchell Family, the group are arguing over whether they need to leave Upswitch for somewhere safer. Following a chaotic supply run in the city, Edwards discovers a herd heading for the school. Without enough time to set up their defences, the group is forced to gather whatever supplies they can and leave the school, losing Ashleigh and Daniel in the process. With morale low, the group heads to their old student house and take up residence. Two weeks later, Edwards orders that the group depart for somewhere safer, eventually deciding to head for a place that Justinas mentions: Greencole, a military facility located far to the north. They aim to commandeer a freight train to the city of Port Collier, whereupon they will find a boat and cross the lake to Greencole Valley. The group head north out of the city and are ambushed by the few remaining Chester Woods Bandits on the highway. While they survive the attack, Sarah is bitten on the leg by a walker. In an RV they recovered on the highway, the group hastily amputate Sarah's leg and head north.

Upon finding the massacre of the evacuated Clarkson School students from a year ago at a train station, the group head further north, finally coming across a working train, where they meet a lone survivor named Liam. With Liam's help and Ben's engineering skills, the group are able to start the train's engine and continue their journey. Over the course of the next few days, the group scavenge supplies from a railroad outpost, spend a night drinking, and Edwards and Holly sleep together. Finally, they realize that Sarah won't survive much longer and she agrees. Ben volunteers to take her into a nearby forest and finish her off. After hearing a gunshot, Edwards heads into the woods. He finds a traumatized Ben, who refuses to get back on the train after suffering a mental breakdown. After Ben runs off into the woods, the group are forced to leave without him, finally seeing the skyline of Port Collier in the distance.

### 'Around All Corners'

The group make their way into the city, searching for the port. While arguing about whether to stop and rest, the group are ambushed by a large, armed group, who surrounds them. The group is introduced to their leader, Francis, who mocks their mission to find a boat and demands that they accompany his people back to their community, Hopeville. The group are saved by an unseen figure, who gives them cover with homemade smoke grenades. In the ensuing shootout, Aaron is shot in the leg and Emma is streaked by a bullet below her eye. Moving through several burnt houses, the group makes a run for it, ending up at a sealed-up mansion, where they find a reanimated family. Having made camp at the mansion, Edwards and Aaron head out to find a boat.

Down at the docks, they find a single small cruising boat remaining that appears to be undamaged; a quick check reveals that both the gas tank and battery are empty. Aaron's efforts to start the engine draw in several clusters of walkers that block the way that they came. Harry and Aaron end up cornered in an ally with crowds of dead reaching for them, and they solemnly prepare to say goodbye. At that moment, something disperses the walkers and begins cutting away at them from the back of the cluster; the figure emerges and is revealed to be the cloaked swordsmen that saved them earlier. Calling himself Shadowman, the swordsman guides them back to the mansion through the sewers, navigating in the dark by clicking his tongue and feeling the rough walls. He reveals he grew up in Port Collier and encountered Francis and his goons before the outbreak.

Arriving back at the manor, Harry and Aaron introduce Shadowman to the group and tell them of their discovery at the docks. The group debate where they could find fuel and a battery, as well as medical supplies for when Jess goes into labour. Deciding that they cannot confront Hopeville directly, James proposes that they sneak into the community and steal what they need, and Shadowman - revealing himself to be completely blind - says that he can guide them to the community via the sewers using echolocation.

That night, they navigate the sewers and infiltrate the community, deciding to split up to find the stuff they need. Alex and Shadowman find fuel for the boat, during which time Shadowman reveals that his fellow orphans were killed by Hopeville soldiers. Holly and James search for medicine, where James confronts Gregory and subsequently tries to assault Holly. Harry and Justinas break into a factory to steal a battery, while Aaron and Liam keep watch from a guard post.

With the supplies collected, the group tries to sneak out, but they are caught by Francis and his people. Before they can be killed, however, an explosion destroys the main wall of the community, allowing a massive herd to enter Hopeville and massacre the residents. Liam is presumed killed, and Shadowman says goodbye to the rest of the group, deciding to return to the herd to find his reanimated friends.

As they head back to the manor, the group are cornered by a splinter group of the herd and flee into a derelict bank. They are chased up to the roof by walkers, where they end up trapped. Edwards spots a walker about to attack Aaron and cries out in warning as the episode ends.

### 'All That Remains'

The group are still trapped on the roof of the bank and plan to head back down the fire escape, distracting the herd with the grenades they stole from Hopeville. They run to the manor and pick up Jess and Emma. Following a brief argument, the group make their way to the harbour, where they discover the boat has been sabotaged. Inside the boathouse, they are attacked by Francis, revealed to have survived the fall of Hopeville.

Francis sets fire to the boathouse, trapping the group inside, and a brutal battle between him and Edwards ensues. Edwards loses his hatchet and is trapped under falling debris. Francis proceeds to attack the other survivors, but Edwards retrieves Sarah's machete and severs Francis' right hand. He further hacks and slashes before stabbing him in the stomach and kicking him through the fire and into the lake. As the fire spreads, Emma becomes trapped under rubble; Justinas runs in to save her, but the building collapses before he can help her, presumably killing them both. The rest of the group move on, but Aaron dies in a sinkhole as they head out of the city.

Hours later, Jess gives birth on the outskirts of Bennington National Park to a baby boy, but soon dies from exhaustion; she then reanimates and bites Alex, forcing him to amputate his own hand. That night, Harry and Holly affirm their relationship, naming the child Alex Junior, before witnessing James execute Alex, claiming that he had stopped breathing and died. James is restrained but escapes his bounds and leaves the others behind.

Holly, Harry and AJ head deeper into the park, finally coming across a cabin. Harry goes to patrol the area, coming across a cliff revealing the whole park. Harry briefly stops in awe before throwing away all but one of his locker keys from the school, turning his back and walking away as the episode ends.

## Credits

* Starring
* Also Starring
* Co-Starring

## Deaths

* Mr Dawid *(alive and zombified)*
* 'Ohio'
* 'Texas'
* Matt Mitchell *(alive)*
* Lisa Mitchell *(alive and zombified)*
* Andre Mitchell
* Kyle Mitchell
* Ashleigh *(alive)*
* Daniel Cottingham
* 'Washington'
* Francis *(alive)*
* Aaron Ganger
* Jess Black *(alive and zombified)*
* Alex Sutton
* 12 unnamed members of the FRS *(4 alive, 8 zombified)*
* About 240 million people *(confirmed fate)*

## Trivia

* The first episode, '*And So It Begins*', is a rewritten version of the original "Pilot" story written by EDStudios in 2012.
* The walkers change substantially between '*And So It Begins*' and '*Friend Or Foe*'. In the pilot, the zombies are described as moving quickly, almost at a jogging pace, and seem capable of using tools. In the second episode, the zombies move slowly, more like in classic zombie media. This is explained that freshly reanimated zombies maintain some movement ability, which gradually lessens as their bodies continue to decay.
* This season will be rewritten as *Season 1:* *Remake* as part of *Strain Zero*.

 **Season 15: A Last Showdown** | "The Final Stand"