Gasman (Episode)

**"Gasman"** is the third episode of *Season 1: Monuments* of *So Help Me God*, the remake of the miniseries of the same name*.* It is the third episode of the series overall.

## Plot

*Eden's memory stirs after a group arrives at the Capitol with something dangerous on their tail.*

## Synopsis

Eden barrels out the front door, shouting at the group to run towards him. One of the two women see him and starts shouting orders at the man and the other woman. Still on the Capitol steps, Eden watches as muertos start pouring out of nearby buildings, some moving slow and others moving quickly. The two women begin running for the Capitol, one being led by the other, while the man lays down covering fire and tries to drag his friend's body. One of the woman tells him to leave the corpse and the man reluctantly agrees; he sprints towards them, firing in all directions. The women eventually reach the steps and Eden hurries them inside; the man is tackled by a muerto, forcing Eden to sprint to him and kill the monster with a blow from his bat. He helps the man to his feet and they both sprint into the building, sealing the doors behind them.

The strangers catch their breaths, thanking Eden profusely. Eden, however, tells them to quieten down as several muertos approach the doors, still on the group's scent. All five of them stand low to avoid catching the eye of the undead; while glancing out the window, Eden finally sees the group's assailant: a huge man wielding a rifle, his face covered by a large helmet and gas mask. As he strolls into the square, he is strangely ignored by the surrounding muertos. The man turns his head towards the Capitol and pauses; Eden gets the uneasy feeling that the man is staring at him. The man continues walking through the square, never taking his unseen eyes off the building. Despite the muertos banging on the doors, the man eventually turns away and exits into a side-street.

One of the women asks the man, Sergei, if the "Gasman" is gone; Sergei replies affirmative. A few more minutes pass and the muertos lose interest, retreating back down the steps. The survivors back away from the windows; Eden calmly tries to ask the group their names, but Sasha interrupts by holding them all at gunpoint, firmly demanding their intentions. Sergei complies and introduces himself and the women: the hardier Nancy and the softer Yasmine, who continues breathing shakily from the shock. Yasmine finally looks up and Eden realizes why she was being led: her eyes are covered by a blindfold. Sasha orders the group to leave but Nancy desperately asks her for a first aid kit; Sergei reveals a deep flesh wound on his side. Sasha refuses but Eden talks her down and offers whatever supplies they have. Suddenly, Yasmine cries out and looks in Eden's direction, screaming "Monster! Monster!"

A sudden gunshot sends them all to cover, coming from the direction of the east door to the gardens. Eden, Sasha and Nancy agree to check it out while Sergei calms Yasmine. As they approach the door, another gunshot forces them to take cover; peering from behind their cover, they spot the masked man firing shots into the halls. His shots attract muertos, including a few revenants, that all ignore the masked man. Taking her chance as the man reloads, Sasha empties her revolver into his chest; he grunts and staggers away, blood pouring from his torso. Several muertos reach the steps and trip over a wire, triggering a shotgun trap built by Eden. The sound draws a revenant that also triggers a wire, firing off another shotgun that kills it; a second revenant recognises the sound, snarls and retreats. Eden resets the traps before they all retreat into the Capitol.

The three of them reunite with Sergei, who has calmed Yasmine into sleep. A frustrated Sasha holds the three of them at gunpoint again, demanding to know where they came from, why they are here, and what the masked man was. Sergei looks to Eden to calm Sasha, but he raises his bat and orders them to answer. Nancy agrees and begins to tell their story: Sergei and Nancy attended college together and were friends with Yasmine, who studied on another campus. In September 2003, a shooting occured at Yasmine's campus, during which Yasmine's boyfriend, Antony, was killed. Yasmine subsequently became a recluse; in October, Sergei and Nancy decided to take her to the mall and try to cheer her up. On their way to the mall, the outbreak reached critical mass, forcing the trio to drive aimlessly for weeks until they stumbled upon a gas station that had been reinforced by other survivors. For the next four years the trio lived at the gas station, which grew into a bustling community. One night, however, a decaying revenant somehow learned to climb a damaged portion of the fence that surrounded the community; the ensuing gunfight drew more undead, causing the fence - and the community - to fall. Only seven survivors made it out, including the trio; they approached a working truck, believing it to be others who had escaped, only to find the "Gasman".

The Gasman kept them captive for months and treated them like children: he fed them expired meats and tinned food, gave them toys and even tried to play games with them. However, he would grow angry when they tried to escape, and never allowed them to see his face. Three of the captives died of starvation or food poisoning, leaving the trio and a fourth survivor left. One day, Yasmine accidentally saw the Gasman's face; he subsequently gouged her eyes out. Shortly after this the four of them escaped, and the obsessed Gasman began hunting them relentlessly. They fled into downtown Sacramento, and Nancy finishes by telling Eden and Sasha that they know the rest. To reward their honesty, Sasha gives them some medical supplies and food; Sergei promises that they will be gone by morning.

That night, Eden struggles to sleep, troubled by his recognition of Yasmine and her reciprocal screaming. Frustrated, he heads downstairs to confront her, only to find that the trio have left. Sasha joins him and asks what's wrong; Eden reveals his belief that Yasmine knows who he truly is, and that he has to find and convince her to tell him. Sasha demands to know why it matters; Eden adds that the voice he heard when he first woke up, with all his memories wiped, was Yasmine's, calling out to her dead boyfriend. Eden believes that he was there when the shooting happened or that, to his own horror, he *was* the shooter, and took on the name of Yasmine's boyfriend as it was one of the few things he could still remember.

Sasha expresses her doubts, reminding him that he does not like killing muertos, let alone people, and that he doesn't have it in him to hurt a living person. Eden retorts that, when he first met her, he struck her over the head and tied her up in the basement, implying that he believes he is capable of much worse. With Sasha speechless, Eden dresses, packs a bag and grabs his bat, deciding to find the group and get answers from Yasmine. Sasha suddenly grabs his arm and begs him not to go, weeping that she can't be alone again. Eden kisses her passionately and she reciprocates before he pulls away, locks the door and runs into the streets, leaving Sasha to plead and cry.

Outside, the revenant from earlier returns to the gardens and is attracted by a noise. It stumbles upon the Gasman as he pulls bullets from his chest with little trouble, and ignores him. The Gasman loads his rifle, leaves the gardens and spots Eden running from the Capitol and into the streets. Watching intently, the Gasman whispers a single word: "Arthur..."

## Characters

### Main

* Antony Eden: a lonely survivor searching for purpose in the new world
* Sasha: a hardened survivor on the west coast
* Sergei: a survivor originally from Sovia and leader of his own group
* Nancy: a former college student and friend of Sergei
* Yasmine: a blind member of Sergei's group