Willamette, Colorado

An overview shot of the town

Willamette, Colorado is a town in the state of Colorado and the main setting for the first four seasons of Route to Paradise. The town is home to approximately sixty-three thousand people.

## **Pre-Apocalypse**

A small town in the middle of Colorado, this town isn't know for much besides its gigantic mall that serves as the main tourist attraction.

## **Post-Apocalypse**

### **Season 1**

#### **Early Days**

Willamette, much like many other places in America, was hit hard by the apocalypse. While the undead attacked all over town, the two hotspots were Willamette Parkview Mall and Willamette General Hospital. Countless lives were lost at those two locations in the first few hours.

After the first day or so, when things began to cool down, Benjamin Taylor and his army began to scour the town for his missing daughter, Sarah Taylor. Meanwhile, inside the mall, two main factions are formed on opposite sides of the building, and tensions are rising.

By the end of the third day, the mall has been cleared of zombies, and Jacob Feldman's faction has come out on top, now the sole inhabitants of the mall. They become known as the mall survivors. One member of the group, Edward Remar, leaves town with the intent to find his family.

Following a foolish mistake made by Albert Hanson, he helps steal back a case of supplies from Benjamin's group, and unknowingly gets followed back to the mall. Benjamin's army then retaliate by attacking the mall, but are fended off.

### **Season 2**

#### **War in Willamette**

Two weeks into the apocalypse, a gang known as The Rastas arrive in town, having been led their by Edward, who's reluctantly become the protégé to their leader, Damerae Badrick. Quickly, The Rastas come across a sick girl who they learn is Sarah, the daughter of Benjamin.

Not yet knowing that his daughter is in the hands of Badrick, Benjamin, Wilbur Wright's crew, and the mall survivors come together and align with the goal of fighting the Rastas out of town. Their first attack is on a farm that the Rastas have set up as an outpost.

When Benjamin discovers that Badrick has Sarah, he is forced into doing Badrick's bidding if he wants to have his daughter returned to him. Benjamin's one task is to destroy the mall and all its inhabitants - which Benjamin doesn't want to do. But in order to try and fool Badrick, Benjamin blows open the mall's Entrance Plaza to give the impression that he killed everyone. Badrick, however, is told about the trick by his scouts, and so Sarah is not returned to her father.

Meanwhile, Edward is growing to care about Sarah, and he feels sorry for the girl, who is dying of cancer. Not wanting to let her die in Badrick's hand, Edward plots with Clyde Rollins, one of Badrick's prisoners, to break out and return her to Benjamin.

At the same time, Wilbur's crew and the mall survivors attack the Rastas once more, an attack that is mostly a failure.

Around this time, Clyde is freed from his cell by Edward, and he escapes with Sarah, making it to Benjamin's base just in time. However, just as Clyde arrives, Sarah dies from her cancer in Benjamin's arms.

With nothing to stop Benjamin from attack the Rastas, a war soon begins in Willamette. Dozens of men are killed on both sides, as the town is slowly destroyed.

Several more attacks take place against the Rastas from both Benjamin's army and the mall survivors, as Edward abandons the Rastas to join the other side. In one of these battles, a major loss is suffered in the death of Erin Monroe, Jacob's pregnant girlfriend.

Eventually, Benjamin is kicked out of his own group, and Shane Haywood takes over. Just after this, the final battle of the war occurs at the mall, where the Rastas, Shane's army, and the mall survivors all battle against each other. In the end, the mall is completely and utterly destroyed and filled with zombies. Shane himself is killed, and all of his soldiers either die or flee. The mall survivors flee the mall too, but not without numerous losses. The Rastas come out on top, but not without having suffered major losses themselves.

### **Season 3**

#### **Hunted**

As snow begins to fall and the winter season begins, the former mall survivors move from location to location, being hunted by The Rastas. Several members from their group are captured, notably Dean Howards. Meanwhile, Edward and Clyde have formed their own group of misfits, including Benjamin, and are hunting down Badrick.

Badrick, down to his last few Rastas, continues his hunt for the mall survivors over the next few days, while Jacob's group move into the Willamette High School, meeting new people.

Everything comes to a head when Jacob and Badrick come face to face at the Willamette docks. Jacob, who's been unable to accept Erin's death, and has been seeking revenge for her, commits suicide with a grenade, intending to kill Badrick in the explosion as well. While it appears that Badrick was indeed killed, he miraculously survives when Derrick Williams, his last Rasta, saves him.

Badrick, now with half his face a burnt mess, and suffering from many infections, starts gathering a horde of zombies. It's around this time that he meets Nathaniel Shepard, leader of a nearby community at a stadium.

Edward's group finally run into Badrick, but they miss the chance to kill him after Badrick stabs Clyde in the eye, forcing them to get Clyde to safety so he can be saved.

Jacob's group, now known as William Reynes's group, finally start to settle into the school - just before they are attacked by Badrick and his horde of zombies. Many lives are lost, as William's group has to flee again. This time, they end up in the clutches of Nathaniel's group, being imprisoned.

### **Season 4**

#### **Defeating the Rastas**

While William's group begin plotting their escape, Edward's group discover Badrick's former traumatized hostage, Dean, and learn that Badrick is still at large.

Badrick, slowly dying from his infections, stays at the stadium with Nathaniel's people while he awaits more of his Rastas to arrive from New York. During his time there, he finds out that the former mall survivors, the ones he's been hunting down, are imprisoned there. Nathaniel refuses his request for them to be killed.

When the Rastas finally arrive at the Willamette docks, Badrick is escorted there by some of Nathaniel's men - but along the way, he goes rogue, causes a car crash, and goes to the docks on foot.

Edward's group learn about Badrick's recent movements, and launch an attack on the docks before he can move. The attack is a major loss, resulting in the deaths of three members of Edward's team.

With a Rasta army in his hands, Badrick makes his attack against the stadium, intending to wipe out all the survivors there. During the fighting, Edward's group shows up to help fight off the Rastas.

In the end, although the Rastas manage to kill many of their enemies, they are defeated. Badrick, on his last legs, collapses in the parking lot, and spends his last moments taunting Edward and Benjamin, before being killed by the former man.

With the two groups finally reunited into one, they spend the next days at the stadium mourning their losses and preparing to leave Willamette for good. Thirty-six days into the apocalypse, the group finally leaves Willamette, headed for the state capital, Denver.

### **Season 5**

In season 5, Willamette appears in a set of flashbacks, where Officer Randall Forster helps to take down a drug operation.

### **Season 6**

Willamette appears again in a flashback with Edward, who stands on a hill, overlooking the entire town from a distance. This is when he, Badrick and the Rastas were just arriving in town at the beginning of season 2.

## **Locations**

* Willamette Parkview Mall
* Willamette High School
* Football Stadium
* Willamette Museum
* Willamette Docks
* Willamette General Hospital
* Coffee Shop
* Hardware Store
* Scrapyard
* Factory
* Willamette Train Station
* Electrical Store
* Willamette Bar
* Willamette Bus Depot
* Hotel
* Night Club
* Junkyard
* Willamette Town Hall
* Wilbur's Warehouse
* Warehouse
* Bowling Alley
* Derek's Compound
* Jim's Cabin

## **Inhabitants**

* Randall Forster
* William Reynes
* Kate Bloodstone
* Edward Remar
* Clyde Rollins
* Dean Howards
* Jon Matthews
* Marcus Downes
* Austin Kingston
* Aldus Paxton
* Solomon Reed
* Rebecca Dawson
* Lloyd Waller
* Daniel Rockwell
* Jared Kellings
* Albert Hanson
* Benjamin Taylor
* Damerae Badrick
* Jacob Feldman
* Felix Quarterman
* Erin Monroe
* Clayton Freeman
* Helen Cullen
* Ed Anderson
* Claire Noble
* Lolida Windfield
* Fraser Stiller
* Zac Barnes
* Angela Jaegar
* Nathaniel Shepard
* Owen Gliefield
* Jim Butterman
* Robin Clarke
* Teddy Powell
* Shane Haywood
* Quincy Atherton
* Alex Weiss
* Layton Zimmers
* Isaac Moses
* Kyle Douglass
* Bernie Ortan
* Vivian Finkling
* Nick Parker
* Michael Hall
* Wilbur Wright
* Mike Simpson
* Bruce Boseman
* Martyn Ford
* Derrick Williams
* Curtis Van Horn
* Jackson Foxx
* Monica Reynolds
* Robert Morgan
* Derek Monroe
* Steven Philips
* Leslie Staunton
* Skittles the Clown
* Quentin Richards
* Randy Wheeler
* James Graves
* Scotty Boyle
* Melody Neal
* Nicholas Burnett
* Logan Carlson
* Sasha McMale
* Delroy Shakir
* Grant Carver
* Da'Jonte Woodard
* Cassandra Baccarin
* Lee Hak
* Tony Marston
* Apollo
* Mickey Fahey
* Jeffrey Cortez
* Roger Hall
* Dexter Hall
* Don Holloway
* Darwin Thorne
* Sarah Taylor
* Tyrus Montel
* Numerous counts of unnamed civilians, Rastas, and soldiers.

## **Deaths**

* Randy Wheeler
* Quentin Richards
* Dexter Hall
* Helen Cullen
* Roger Hall
* Skittles the Clown
* Jeffrey Cortez
* Leslie Staunton
* Steven Philips
* Mickey Fahey
* Clayton Freeman
* Sarah Taylor
* Erin Monroe
* Erin Monroe's unborn child
* Derek Monroe
* Robert Morgan
* Monica Reynolds
* Quincy Atherton
* Jackson Foxx
* Felix Quarterman
* Shane Haywood
* Teddy Powell
* Curtis Van Horn
* Jacob Feldman
* Robin Clarke
* Jim Butterman
* Apollo
* Derrick Williams
* Owen Gliefield
* Martyn Ford
* Bruce Boseman
* Tony Marston
* Lee Hak
* Cassandra Baccarin
* Don Holloway
* Darwin Thorne
* Grant Carver
* Da'Jonte Woodard
* Mike Simpson
* Wilbur Wright
* Michael Hall
* Bernie Ortan
* Kyle Douglass
* Nick Parker
* Vivian Finkling
* Nathaniel Shepard
* Angela Jaegar
* Delroy Shakir
* Damerae Badrick
* Fraser Stiller
* Zac Barnes
* At least 97 soldiers from Benjamin Taylor's private army
* At least 284 Rastas
* At least 116 other unnamed survivors