S3, E6 | Mercy, Necessity, Choice

“You still haven’t answered my question” a perturbed Marta calls out, following closely behind Lou and his reunited friend. “And what question was that, young one?” Theo replies, carrying a rifle across his chest, remaining just a few steps ahead of Lou. “You said you found my father and took him in” Marta responds, pants and jacket soaked, “you never told us why.”

The pleased look on his face dissolving each time their female counterpart speaks, Theo answers without a hint of emotion. “My camp has around fifty people in it, so when you know who everyone is, the people you don’t know blend in poorly” Theo explains, his pants covering thick pads over each knee, “that goes double for people that run around the woods like paranoid loons.”

Remaining quiet, Marta leaves the conversation up to those ahead of her, Lou’s silence striking Theo as odd. “What’s up with you, Lou?” Theo inquires, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk, his friend’s eyes aimed at the ground before him, “we find each other after all this time and you give me radio silence?”

With little enthusiasm, Lou answers the question, his head tilting to the side. “I think everything’s just settling in, man” Lou replies, his expression almost painting a distaste for the discussion being had. “Just settling in? Man, we haven’t even gotten started!” Theo responds, gleefully building anticipation for their journey’s end, “wait until you get to camp.”

After half a kilometres walk, Lou and Marta follow Theo’s guide through a gap in the trees, an open field littered with tents and large vehicles occupied by a few dozen survivors, all talking amongst each other. “Find a few friends on your travels, Theo?” an older man inquires, his beard greyer than his hair, which too shows signs of losing its colour. “Go ahead and look at the man yourself, Norman” Theo jokes, stopping in front of the pine trees, “tell me what you see.”

Guiding his eyes toward Theo’s company, Norman inspects the one armed man and his inexperienced friend, a concentrated look swiftly becoming eager with wonder. “This isn’t the ‘Silver Slayer’ you’ve been chirping about, is it?” Norman replies, the smile that spreads across Theo’s face answering the question. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, young man” Norman responds, draped in a polyester jacket, “Theo’s spoken highly of you.”

Trying to quell the impressed look on his face, Lou bows his head toward the much older gentleman. “Likewise” Lou murmurs, Norman’s eyes drifting backwards, finally landing on Marta. “Is that one Ally, Jenn, Elsie or Halston?” Norman inquires, the hidden smile on Lou’s face falling quickly, replaced with a subdued look of dolour. “None of the above” Theo replies, acknowledging her for one of the first time’s since their introduction, “this is Marta. One of the friends Lou’s made.”

“What do we know about her?” Norman asks immediately, his questions directed at Theo despite his eyes remaining focused on the young woman. “We brought in that nut job earlier, and this kid’s his daughter” Theo responds, his own tone dropping from its original, cheerful pitch, “other than that, we know nothing.”

“Why is she here then?” Norman replies, finally pulling his stare away from Marta, returning it to the man whose questions are intended for. “She travels with our Silver Slayer” Theo responds, tossing the rifle over his back, it’s strap gliding across his chest, “she gets a free pass.” Snarling, Norman ends the conversation, remaining hunched over a balcony overhead, crossing his arms atop the railing as the trio enter the greater campsite.

Waiting to speak until they’re walked another few metres, Lou restarts his conversation with Theo with a question. “What’s up with the old guy?” Lou wonders aloud, watching Theo’s eyes take toward him, confused by the inquiry, “does he hate women or something?”

“Oh, Norman?” Theo replies, half a smirk kept upon his face, his shoulders shrugging as he answer, “not if they’re strangers.” His eyes pressing together, Lou looks at Theo with a curious face, insinuating a desire to hear more. “Look, as I said, when you’ve been here long enough, you’ll know everyone by name and face” Theo explains, answering the question respectfully, “I’ve talked enough for everyone here to know your name and face already, but strangers- they’re dangerous.”

“Is that why you give me the side-eye?” Marta asks from behind, sensing a feigned politeness coming from Lou’s friend, less than willing to match such a response herself. His eyes taken toward Marta, Theo continues walking forward, continuing to stare at the young woman without an answer. “Come on, I’ve got someone to show you” Theo responds, instead choosing to evade Marta’s question all together, his pace picking up in hopes of leaving the conversation behind.

= RISE and REVOLT is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series from Season 1 onwards belong to Zachary Serra and his entity of Pacer1 =

Climbing the stairs, Courtney steps onto the cabin’s second level, her puffy eyes drifting from one corner of the room to the other. Her thumb gently wiping at the remnants of tears, Courtney carries herself across the wooden floorboards, the sliding door separating her from the second-level patio within her sights. Kissed by December’s frigidity, Courtney glides the glass door across from her body, joining Sebastian in his unimpeded view of the distant mountains.

“It’s cold out here, Sebastian” Courtney remarks, her dainty footsteps already distinguishable to Sebastian’s ears. “It feels less miserable out here” the man replies, his hair blown upwards by the racing winds. Bowing her head, Courtney walks to Sebastian’s side, gently resting her palms against the railing’s bannister. “My dad wants to kill Adrian” Courtney voices, a desire Sebastian expected of his gentle-giant friend, “I talked him out of it, though. You’re welcome.”

A breathy laugh held below his breath, Sebastian squeezes his eyelids shut, nodding through the bleak silence. “Am I making a mistake?” Sebastian finally asks, turning the conversation from it’s avoidance of the subject, the light-hearted banter amongst heavy-conscience material passing by. “I don’t know” Courtney responds, matching Sebastian’s sombre tone, an uncertain look on her face, “that depends on what you think, why you think that, and why you want him alive.”

Running his top teeth over his bottom lip, Sebastian’s nails pick at each other, scratching the tips of his fingers. “Ain’t it something?” Sebastian wonders aloud, his inner thoughts spoken aloud, “a week ago, we were all having dinner around the kitchen table. Now, we’re standing here- talking about whether or not one of our friends deserves to live.”

Her breathing steady, Courtney’s arm hairs rise when thinking of similar thought, understanding its necessity, but unflattered with its open discussion. “It gets a lot harder when you can’t hide from the dead in a cosy cabin, Seb’” Courtney replies, a more prominent, yet highly contained laugh earned from her leader. The eerie silence returning upon Sebastian’s laughter concluding, Courtney takes in the scenery ahead of her, the tops of pine trees waving with the wind keeping her calm.

“What are we gonna do with him when he gets back?” Courtney whispers, her nescience grasping her curiosity as if life depended on it, “how do we even move on from what he did?” Silent, Sebastian continues to stare at nature’s divine work, incapable of answering the question with more than the restrained shake of his head.

A disappointed look on her face, Courtney turns back to the home, her elbows pressing against the bannister as she leans against it. “I need you to figure that out, then” Courtney responds, her breath a thick, white fog when introduced to the air, “because Lou and Marta could be back with him any minute, and if you don’t have your mind made up by the time that happens, Lou’s going to decide for you.”

Again leaving Courtney without an answer, Sebastian sucks on his lips as the woman departs, carrying herself back the way she came until his voice calls out once more. “Maybe he should” Sebastian replies, stopping Courtney’s hand from pressing further upon the sliding door than it already has, looking back to the man. “Why do you say that?” Courtney responds, guiding herself back to Sebastian.

“Because he seems to have a better understanding of this world than I do- both of you do” Sebastian replies, doubt seeping into the darkest corners of his mind. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve made the calls since the moment all of this started” Courtney responds, her voice rising steadily, “I know Lou would make the right call in this decision, but I have a hard time believing you’ll convince Rudy, Sonya and Adrian of the same.”

“I’m sure Marta can convince Adrian otherwise” Sebastian replies, Courtney’s family remaining unaccounted for. “What about my father? And Sonya?” Courtney responds, the attention she gives Sebastian silently unreciprocated, “I’m sure they prefer being around Lou than they do Adrian right now, but I’m pretty sure they’d never take him seriously as their leader.”

Falling silent again, Sebastian’s mouth moves despite the lack of words emerging from his core, a deeply unmotivated look worn on his face. “I’m not cut out for this, Court’” Sebastian finally confesses, an answer Courtney refuses to accept. “You’ve been the man in charge for this whole time, Sebastian” Courtney replies, failing to install confidence.

“I was the man in charge when everything was simple. I was in charge when we could put off the inevitable” Sebastian explains, his head shaking, “but now, I- I’m just not- I’m not that man.” Finally pulling his face toward Courtney’s, Sebastian's head continues to shake, adamant in what he’s saying. “I can’t lead like Lou would, or like you would” Sebastian explains, pulling away from the railing, “I helped get us through the first months, but this next part isn’t for me to lead into.”

Pulling away from the hand Courtney extends toward his shoulder, Sebastian maintains his refusal. “This isn’t something that you can coax me out of believing. These calls aren’t mine to make, and it’s dangerous leaving me in charge of them” Sebastian explains, retreating to the inner home’s warmth, “it’s a job for Lou and yourself, so argue amongst yourselves for the job, because it can’t be mine- it just can’t be mine.”

Left on the terrace, Courtney watches Sebastian vanish into the home, her ponytail-tied hair flapping in the winds of winter. Frustrated, Courtney vents to herself, uncertain of how to move on.

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Stepping through the curtains of a much larger tent than the ones they’ve recently passed, Lou and Marta tail Theo into a dim, open interior, hushed voices enveloping them from all sides. “Hey, Lee” Theo chirps, resting his rifle against a stack of crates with a pleased expression, “guess who I stumbled across?”

Taking a knife to the head of a stick, Lee takes his attention to the familiar voice, a brief moment of shock setting deep within his core, the face over Theo’s shoulder converting his haze into joy. “That’s not Lou under all that beard, is it?” Lee responds, the point of his knife held at the one-armed man, the quiet smile Theo replies with answering the question.

Wasting no time in setting his spear-crafting aside, Lee stands from his seat in the dirt to shake the man’s hand, his free arm pulling Lou in for a hug. “It’s good to see another familiar face!” Lee says with wonder, indulging in the high spirits his reunion brings. “Speaking of which, who else is here?” Lou responds, looking around at the pockets of spear-crafters surrounding the tent, talking quietly amongst themselves.

“Just the people that came with me from the boat” Lee replies, returning to his work station to fold his knife and set his spear aside, “we’ve been here since the start, but you’re the first to find us.” The pleasure taken from reuniting with old friends beginning to fade, Lou feigns a smile as his head nods. “I feel the same” Lee notes, recognizing the heavy heart Lou tries to hide, “but I’m still holding out hope for them. You should, too.”

“He does” Marta announces from behind, her presence having been unnoticed by Lou’s acquaintances, “he talks about them non-stop. It’s the only fuel he runs on.” His chin noticeably rising, Lee takes his eyes to the similarly-aged woman in the back. “Who’s the girl?” Lee responds, his less friendly, yet tolerable tone intriguing Lou. “She’s travelling with Lou” Theo replies, his hands coupling behind his back, “her dad’s the guy we brought in earlier this morning.”

“Your dad is the freakshow?” Lee responds, looking at the young woman with a suspicious glare. “My dad is the man you brought in earlier this morning, judging by the sounds of it” Marta replies, a pugnacious quiver in her voice, stubbornly divisive, “and I don’t particularly like how everyone keeps talking about him like he just left the psych ward.”

Taken back by the woman’s vitriolic response, Lee’s tone softens as beneath his aggressive eyes. “Apologies” Lee responds, still holding onto his apprehensions, “how else are we supposed to look at a man running through the forest mumbling ‘I murdered a man’ other than with caution?”

“With sympathy” Marta replies, the assurance on her face provoking a laugh from those she and Lou visit. “We have sympathies for the right people” Lee responds, walking through the coupled survivors they meet with hospitality, not caring to elaborate any further. “Let’s go get your father” Lee explains, taking the lead on the foursome’s departure, a blank look on his face, “and after, we’ll sit down and have a talk over lunch.”

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Its metal hinges screaming, the storage unit entry opens with a gentle push, Sebastian’s hand guiding it inward. Spacious and cold, the freezer exists as Sebastian’s always known it to, produce separated from vegetables, frozen goods left to linger in the darkest corners. The sunlight not far enough into the day to provide the unit natural light, Sebastian’s hand lingers near the wall, flipping a light switch that protrudes from the line it’s connected to.

Flickering as they’re turned on, the lights bathe the frigid room in a cool white, Sebastian’s fingers beginning to grow rigid, his body almost colder with the lights on than off. His steps tapping loudly atop the concrete floor, Sebastian enters the freezer fully, his breath white enough to completely cloud his sights while it passes his face.

Stuffed in a corner, an air mattress with a thin blanket lays next to two small bags, both carefully placed beside a crate of apples. As if he knew his intentions were wrong, Sebastian glances back to the warehouse’s entrance, the front door still wide open, left for the world to enter. Reaching for the bag’s clasp, Sebastian unveils the bag’s contents, a framed photo contained amongst sharpened sticks, a few soft-cover books, and a large bag of American coins.

Reaching for the picture frame, Sebastian looks to the abundance of faces in the class portrait, the picture seemingly once too big to fit, it’s sides shaven down to fit the frame. Most of the young faces marked by a thick, black marker, those that remain unscathed draw Sebastian’s focus immediately. “Terrance York, Julian Hersch” Sebastian whispers aloud, burning the images of two black teenagers into his mind, the peace signs they throw speaking to their light-hearted nature.

“Jennifer DePhant” Sebastian continues, an arm wrapped over her shoulder, the face it belongs to marked with the familiar black ink. “Halston Walsh” whispered, a typical, joyous smile worn proudly on her person. “Lou Jack, Alison Resmin” Sebastian finishes, the well-groomed face he’d yet to meet holding a smile equally unfamiliar, an attractive young woman’s head pressing into the two-armed man’s shoulder.

“Jesus Christ” Sebastian murmurs, holding back the pain he’d grown accustomed to putting aside. Unable to stomach the thought of how the black slashes came to be, Sebastian leads the picture back into the bag, a last-second sighting changing his course. Pulling a tightly-folded map from the tightest slots of Lou’s bag, Sebastian takes a seat on the floor, sprawling the open map atop Lou’s mattress.

“Welcome to Vancouver Island” the guide reads in bold letters, a satellite trail leading from the bottom of Victoria to the tip of Port Hardy. Marked with slashes, ramblings, names, and locations, the map serves as Lou’s guide, a guide now in Sebastian’s possession. “This isn’t right” Sebastian mutters to himself, the frigid cold mixing with the sickened feeling that churns in his core, tempting him to fold the map and return the items he’d investigated.

Folding the map over once, it’s white background allows a single name in black marker to stand out, written in capital letters, and underlined three times. “Ally” Sebastian whispers, reading the name aloud before instinctively reaching back to the portrait, his eyes falling upon the woman beside Lou. Staring intently at the picture, Sebastian burns the woman’s face into the back of his mind, only returning Lou’s property the moment he’s satisfied with his memory’s handle.

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“By the time we got back to him, he’d swam halfway back to shore” Lee recalls, the spoon in his hand sifting through a can of cooked noodles, “we reached land, walked into the forest, and started going to work.” His protege reunited with her father, Lou gazes at the small group of people gathered around the central firepit, the soup in his can barely touched by his lips.

“So, you’ve all just been sailing through for the last couple of months down here?” Lou replies, his dinner held in his lap. “Not quite” Lee responds, reaching for a napkin he uses to dab his face, “it’s true we’ve been here since the ship went down, yes- but it took us a while before we started coasting.”

Placing his can to the ground, Lou hunches forward, his arm pressed against his thigh as he stares at Lee, the look he gives making the camp’s leader slightly uncomfortable. “We’ve tried to grow what we could since then, but with the weather, it hasn’t worked to our liking” Lee explains, a humiliated look on his face, “we’ve had to resort to thieving just to get by.”

His face lit by the campfire, Lou’s head falls, his breath fogging the air just before his face. “I’m not a fan of it either, but we do what needs to be done” Lee expresses, matching the hunched gesture Lou sits with, the bearded guest matching his eye contact, “I’m sure you’ve had to do something you didn’t want to, just as we did.”

Pressing his top teeth against his hairy chin, Lou subdues a nod before looking away, Marta’s voice taking over unexpectedly. “Does that mean that the dinner you’re serving us is our dinner?” the young woman replies, Lou joining Lee and the rest of the camp in turning their focus upon his shadow. “It could be, I won’t deny that” Lee responds, letting a second pass before adding to his response, “it’s nothing against you, personally.”

Not satisfied, an annoyed Marta conveys her inner thoughts, the bloody lip and black eye her father wears giving her a profound, uncharacteristic confidence. “Is it not personal for everyone else that you’ve stolen from?” Marta retorts, opening her mouth to speak until her father urges her not to. “Let’s not make anything worse than it already is, hun” Adrian whispers, the arm he’s laid over Marta’s back for support rubbing her shoulder.

“Adrian’s right. They’ve been kind to us, we should reciprocate that” Lou replies, the look her gives the young woman aiding Adrian’s efforts. “I didn’t think the girl was this rebellious” Lee jokes, a subdued chuckle held back, “I’m impressed.” Sharing the sentiment, Lou smiles at the young woman, pleased with her display. “The girl has a point though, Lee” Lou responds, turning his attention back upon his friend, “I’m sure you’ve stolen from plenty of people. What happens to the rest?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question” Lee replies, his answer being met with visible doubt, the turn of Lou’s head illustrating his lack of belief. “I think you do, Lee” Lou responds, the smile he wears turning into an almost defensive grin, “it sounds like you’ve stolen plenty, so what happens with the people that come down looking to get their stuff back?”

A ceramic bowl carried in his hand, Lee sets his dinner upon his lap, the warm meal contained within its sloped base warming his lap. “They either choose to die fighting, or they surrender into our custody” Lee replies, looking at Adrian from the corner of his eye, “if your friend over there hadn’t surrendered, we would have killed him in the forest.”

His half-pleased expression falling fast, Lou stares directly at Lee, never once taking his eyes from the camp’s leader. “What do you do with the people that surrender?” Lou responds, a strange feeling in his core tempting him to fear the question’s answer. “We take them into custody, hold them there for a few days, and ask them a few questions” Lee replies, an inquisitive look encompassing Lee’s face, “if they answer how we’d like, they do field work for us. Why?” 

“Do I really need to tell you ‘why’?” Lou responds, Theo’s once joy in his reunion with Lou now fading, Lee and Norman sharing the same curious look as each other. His head hanging, Lou thinks quietly amongst himself, his thumb rubbing against the side of his knee. “What are the questions?” Lou answers after a few short, yet long-feeling seconds, “the questions you ask the people that surrender?”

His curious look subsiding, Lee pulls his head back, no longer hunched forward like Lou. “I’ll only tell you if you agree to answer them” Lee responds, the corner of his mouth arching into a smirk. “I’ll answer them, go ahead” Lou replies with no hesitation, waving his fingers toward Lee in a gesture calling for no time to be wasted. “Let’s go, hit me” Lou doubles down, his eagerness turning Lee’s smirk into a smile.

Setting his bowl to the side, Lee indulges Lou’s request, rubbing his bare hands together. “First question” Lee pronounces, staring Lou in the eyes as the rest of the group watches on, unable to look away, “how many people have you killed out of mercy?” His tongue pressing against his bottom teeth, Lou bobs his head while looking at the ground, the group falling deathly silent.

“In other words, how many people have you killed because letting them live would have been evil?” Lee specifies, Lou’s head still nodding, “letting them live would have harmed others, or harmed them.” A deep breath pulled into his nose, Lou presses his hand against his knee. “Four” Lou responds, his left foot tapping against the frozen ground, “a son who killed his sister, the son’s mother, a racist in a mall I let the dead tear apart, and a man who would’ve been a sitting duck for the dead.”

Not once returning his eyes toward Lee, Lou waves his hands at the man again, “gimme the rest.” With a nod, Lee obliges the request. “How many people have you killed out of necessity?” Lee wonders aloud, “people you killed because, had you not, you’d be the one dead.” Sucking on the corner of his lip, Lou remains fixated on the ground, its dirt covered with a sleek ice. “One” Lou replies, finally looking up at the man before him, “you already know who Matt is.”

His eyes widening, Lee nods with a chuckle, the look on Theo’s face insinuating an even greater surprise. “Come on, give me the next one” Lou responds, Norman’s unwelcoming voice correcting him closeby. “There’s only one more question” the older man remarks, stirring his soup with a plastic spoon, Lou’s eyes drawn back to Lee. “How many people have you chosen to kill?” Lee concludes, “in other words, people you didn’t have to kill, but chose to anyway.”

“None” Lou replies with ease, not needing to take longer than a moment before answering, the quickness of the reply surprising those around him. “I’ve never killed unless it’s been out of mercy, or out of necessity” Lou responds, retrieving his soup from the ground, the conflicted expression on his face dying off, “that was the easiest quiz I’ve ever taken.”

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“I don’t think I can go back, Marta” Adrian whispers, his hands trembling from both cold and fear. “Sebastian ordered me to bring you back alive, and I’m not disobeying Sebastian’s best wishes” Lou replies, wrapping a rope around Adrian’s wrists, “I also know the people inside will be less keen on killing you if you’re defenceless.”

“Lou, I don’t deserve to-” Adrian pleas, the stinging handprint left from Lou’s slap across his face cutting his plea short. “I don’t care what you deserve- it’s not my problem” Lou responds, graciously accepting the bag of canned goods from Theo’s outstretched hand, “you didn’t want to cooperate with me, so you can go cooperate with your friends.”

Placing his bag over Marta’s shoulder, Lou’s attention is called for by Lee, a distant voice asking for a private word with the man. Looking Marta in the eyes, Lou speaks in a whisper. “You know the route back home, right?” Lou inquires, a quick nod emanating from Marta’s hair-strewn face. “Follow that path, and I’ll catch up with you soon” Lou replies, pulling the rifle from over his shoulder, and gently lifting it over Marta’s head.

“What’s up, Lee?” Lou responds, casually strolling back to the man, his expression welcoming. “I just wanted to let you know that, despite our caution with outsiders, you’re always welcomed here” Lee explains, Theo stepping up to the leader’s side, showing unity in the offer, “and, since you’re looking for our friends just as we are, if you need people backing you up on that search, we’re here.”

Shaking Lee’s outstretched hand, Lou gives another silent nod, watching the man depart to presume his guidance over the camp. “Not only do I agree with Lee, but I’d go a step further” Theo replies, looking back at his friend with a smile, “you should stay here with us.” Surprised, Lou’s eyebrows raise, his head turning toward the distance as Theo elaborates.

“I’m not trying to say the people you’re running with are bad, or they’ll kill you, or something like that” the man clarifies, his hand left atop Lou’s shoulder, “but it’d be nice to have another familiar face sticking around long-term.” Conflicted, Lou scratches at the back of his head, unsure of how to respond. “You don’t need to answer now. Just give it some thought?” Theo voices, the clarification comforting the one-armed survivor, “it’d be nice to have my best friend around again.”

Pressing his fist against Theo’s, Lou turns around with a nod, walking off through the trees to rejoin Marta and her father in darkness, their journey back just beginning. “You need me to give them a follow, boss?” Norman wonders aloud, sat at his bunk in the trees, watching Lou’s figure vanish into the night. “Not yet, Norman” Theo responds, his strong, rigid reflexion returning, “I trust Lou enough. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“Your choice, boss” Norman replies, turning back to his book, its grainy pages illuminated by a dim lantern. Silent, Theo watches Lou’s figure fade into nothing, buried beneath the darkness whilst Theo, himself, stands there, looking on.

== RISE and REVOLT ==