Trouble Afoot

"**Trouble Afoot**" is the fifth episode of season 1 and the fifth episode of the show overall. It acts as the mid-season finale of the first season.

## Plot

*Infected threaten to destroy everything the group has built. Blake and Joely go on a difficult mission. Cain chooses his loyalty.*

## Synopsis

### Part One

The episode opens on a shot of the school early in the morning. Frank and Charlie go to the field to burn the bodies of the bandits. Frank wonders aloud why they shouldn't bury them, but Charlie tells him that if he wants to "spend hours digging graves for these pieces of shit, go right ahead". Frank then agrees and they begin pouring gasoline on their bodies. Right before it cuts to the title sequence, Logan's face can be seen.

Cain is beating up a tied up Tim in one of the abandoned classrooms. He is handcuffed to a radiator, bloody-faced and trying to speak, but Cain punches him whenever he tries. Blake holds him back, telling him to "give him a chance". He then repeats the question of "How many more of you are there?", but Tim insists that there aren't any. Cain says "bullshit" and goes to punch him again, but Blake stops him and Joely tells him to stop acting "like a thug". He then storms out, pushing past Maeve, who watches on.

Claire and Chloe sit at the gates. The lock has been mended back on, but Chloe remarks that "if enough infected pile up, the gate won't last". Claire agrees and reminds herself to tell Blake about it. After a moment of silence, Chloe asks if Claire is okay "after what happened yesterday". Claire shuts her eyes and tells her that "it worries me how okay I am" and says that killing the bandit was "easy". She asks Chloe if that makes her a "monster", but she tells her that she feels the same way, and that "if I had to kill someone to save you or Maeve, I'd do it in a heartbeat". Claire smiles at her, avoiding eye contact. It looks like she's about to say something before Frank appears and tells them that "something bad's happening". They follow him and meet up with the others, who are gathered at one end of the field. A herd of infected are piling up against one of the fences, attracted by the fire Frank and Charlie started.

### Part Two

The group watches on as the infected press against the fence. When Charlie asks what they should do, Cain says "what *can* we do?" and states that they can't kill that many. Claire tells them that if the infected get to the gate, it won't hold. Cain looks at Blake, who still stares at the herd, and tells him that "we tried, okay? But we need to get out of here while we still have the chance". But Blake shakes his head, saying that "there's another way". He turns to the group and asks if anyone knows how to drive. Joely says that she "started having a few lessons before this all went down". Blake then tells them his plan to distract the herd away from the school. Claire tells him that "that's suicide" and agrees with Cain that they should leave while they have the chance, but Blake doubles down and says that "we don't have to give up on this place" and that his plan will work. Cain tells him that he isn't going to let Blake "put everyone's life at risk so you can feed your ego with another one of your goddamn 'plans'". The two almost have a fight, with Blake even stating that he is "sick and tired of you second-guessing me at every fucking turn", but are interrupted when Joely says that she'll go.

Later on, at the front gates, Charlie asks Blake if he is "sure about this", to which he says that he isn't, but has to try anyway. He and Joely prepare themselves, packing lightly and carrying a machete and Hockey Stick respectively. Before they leave, Blake tells Joely he's "sorry for dragging you into this", but Joely tells him it's fine and that "it's better than running". Charlie opens the gate for them and tells them "good luck".

Back at the common room, Claire is trying to gather her things and telling Maeve to do the same. When Chloe finds her, she tells Claire to "have faith" and that Blake's plan will work, but she says that she isn't "going to risk my sister's life to find out" and asks her to come with her, to which Chloe agrees, albeit reluctantly.

Blake and Joely sneak into the car park outside the school, there are a few infected, but the herd can be heard nearby. Only a few cars are left. Joely finds one with a zombie still inside, opens the door, and kills it before it can do anything. She takes the keys and tells Blake to get in the other side. When he asks how many lessons she had, she tells him "just the one". Blake is about to say something, but the car starts and she drives off.

### Part Three

Claire, Maeve, and Chloe approach the gate, but Charlie appears behind them and asks what they are doing. When they tell him, he demands to know why they "would just abandon us like that". They argue with him, Claire stating that "we can't risk it". Charlie gets heated, telling them that "Blake was the one who saw what could be done to this place. He saw that we could clear it". Cain overhears this from the courtyard. Claire looks at Chloe, who says that she "believe[s] in him". Maeve finally pipes up and tells Claire that she doesn't want to go. Claire then sighs and takes her backpack off. In the distance, a car horn can be heard.

Blake and Joely drive down a crowded street, Joely has one hand on the wheel, the other pressing on the horn while Blake leans out of the window, yelling. The infected begin to follow them as they drive by and Blake sits back down. He tells her that it appears to be working, Joely lets go of the horn and tells him that she hopes so, "otherwise, it's too late for the others". He then asks her if they "should have just run", to which she says she doesn't know, but she tells him that she's "glad we're trying".

Later, they drive more slowly to try to keep the infected following them, but soon enough, the engine begins to break down. Joely begins to freak out, but Blake tells her to keep calm and opens the door. When she asks what he's doing, he tells her that they need to get out of sight of the dead before they can head back to the school. They ditch the car and run down the street, the herd of infected following behind them. They go down a narrow alleyway between a couple of houses and emerge onto another street. Blake redirects them into one of the houses just as the herd rounds the corner. Joely shuts the curtains and they hide in the kitchen. Blake tells her that they "really need to stop getting into these situations", which makes her laugh.

The rest of the group, including Maeve, kill the remaining infected through the fence. Only a few are left, and Claire admits she was wrong, much to Cain's chagrin, who tells her that "we got lucky". Frank, however, says that "Blake was right. He knew there was a better option than running". Cain scoffs and walks away, but Claire tells herself she should apologise to Blake when he returns.

### Part Four

Blake and Joely remain quiet as the herd move outside. He notices her clutching her Hockey Stick with trembling hands and apologises again for "dragging [her] into this mess", but she shakes her head and tells her that she wanted to feel "useful" after what happened with the bandits the day before. He tells her that "none of that was your fault...it was mine". He tells her that he blames himself for sending out all of their strongest people for one run, saying that "if I hadn't done that, then maybe Claire or Chloe wouldn't have had to...". She then decides to meet him halfway and tells him "I guess we're both screw-ups". Blake laughs, but Joely ends up telling him that she believes that they "wouldn't have gotten out of that canteen alive"

At night, the street has now become deserted and Joely and Blake make their way back to the school. Frank and Charlie welcome them back, but Claire can be seen from across the courtyard avoiding their gaze. Blake tells them to "get some shut-eye" and that he'll take watch over the gates. He approaches Claire, who tells him that she "almost ran" but that she's sorry. Blake tells her that she was justified in thinking of running, but that he's glad she stayed.

Cut to Claire and Chloe sat across from one another in Chloe's room. Claire asks her if she's a bad person for coming so close to abandoning the school, but Chloe tells her that she "had every right" and that she was "only thinking about your sister". Claire then tells her that she "wasn't *just* thinking about my sister". A moment passes before Claire kisses her.

In the morning, Blake opens a snack bar in the common room and shares half with Joely. When she asks what the plan is for the day, Cain approaches and tells them that "the food we were gonna take from the supermarket is still just lying there" and suggests going to retrieve it. Blake agrees and to go with him and when Joely offers to go with them, he asks her to stay, stating that "I don't wanna take that risk again".

At the supermarket, Blake and Cain pass by Tony's dead body and enter the supermarket. Blake turns to Cain to tell him something but is cut off when Cain stabs him in the stomach. He tells Blake that "we'll all be better off without you". Blake reaches for his machete but is stabbed again and drops it on the floor. Cain lowers him to the ground and tells him that he's "weak" and he wasn't "going to survive in this world, anyway". He tells them he's going to "take care of the others" and leaves him. Blake tries to follow him, even managing to stand up, but collapses outside.

## Important Quotes

"Blake was the one who saw what could be done to this place. He saw that we could clear it. He has risked his life over and over again for us. For the school. He's fought for us so that we can survive. But you can't risk *your* lives for *his*?" - Charlie convincing the group to stay.

"The truth is...I wanted to go. After all the shit that happened yesterday, I wanted to feel useful. That bastard tied me up *after* he got Frank. I froze...I just watched him do it. By the time I realised what was going on, they..." - Joely on why she came with Blake

"Y'know, after all that's gone on...after all we've seen, I don't think any of us would have gotten out of that canteen alive if it weren't for you" - Joely to Blake.

"You're weak, Floyd. You weren't going to survive in this world, anyway. I'm just letting everyone suffer *now* so that they don't suffer any worse later."

## Trivia

* Last appearance of Logan (*corpse*)
* This episode marks the beginning of Claire and Chloe's relationship.
	+ It is also the first relationship in the show.
* In this episode, Blake becomes the first member of The School Group to be presumed dead.
* This episode acts as the first mid-season finale of the show.