Basket in hand, a man with shaggy hair and an unkempt beard shatters branches and other feeble materials beneath his feet whilst scrounging for food. Dirty, baggy drapings dangling over his body as clothing, the man goes about his business, picking up berries and other leaves without a care to be had. Wrapping his hand over a piece of long grass waving in the breeze, the man notices a toppled planter just a few feet off, dirt spilled amongst the ground.
Head shaking, the man stands up and glances at the planter further, wondering to himself how much wind could have toppled such a heavy object. His shoulders jerking forward, the man approaches the potting and takes it by the rim until he notices an unfamiliar sight out of the corner of his eye. Taking the moment to glance back, the pair of shoes the man had seen are soon accompanied by the sight of Salem, her rifle held directly at his head. Instinctively throwing his hands into the air as a signal of surrender, the man soon discovers others lurking behind the cover of nature until his fate is inevitably sealed. From behind, an arm wraps around the man’s hip, burying a blade in his gut and placing a hand over his mouth. “Your people hurt mine, and now I’m gonna hurt you” John whispers, his voice carrying the faint tickle similar to that of a serial killer, watching the man collapse with his pressed hands trying to stop the bleeding. His head jolting in different directions to differentiate between silent commands, John helps Salem as she takes the body by the ankles, dragging him into cover. A rope tied around his neck, the man finally bleeds out, the red running down the pile of leaves atop him only matched by that of a number of other survivors having met the same fate. “What now?” Emilio asks, John losing himself at the sight of the bodies for a moment. “Now we wait until they come back” John replies, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and venturing back out into the middle of the overgrowth. “Where are you going!?” Emilio calls out, his moderate shout covered safely by the thick layer of trees and other assortments of untended weeds. “For a walk” John replies, his hands wrapping around the straps of his backpack as he disappears into the forest. A displeased look on his face, Emilio watches the man walk until he no longer remains in sight, every impulsive departure threatening their safety as a unit. Upon nightfall, the final of seven undead bodies return to form, hissing and growling at the sight of their murderers, which have now become just the same as food. Leading the undead by the necks, John’s group closes into a small settlement, the warm glow of a small campfire suggesting an unaware, easy slate of victims. Leaving the leash in the possession of Emilio, John nods towards Salem and Katie, the girls venturing off into different directions with their rifles drawn and ready to fire. Turning back towards the rest of the group, John leaves Emilio in control, a concept which is quickly lost when the rope to one corpse snaps, freeing the beast before the final directions can be given out. In a sudden need to respond, Emilio lunges forward for the rope, not having told his brain to keep the grip on the remaining six leashes in time. In one error, all seven bodies are left to stumble forward ahead of time, John left furious at the sight, scrambling to get everyone into position. After the first few screams, John keeps his composure and holds the fire off until the homes can be safely vacated in time for their opportunity to capitalize. After a few seconds, John finally gives the order, the group laying gunfire into anything that walks, screams of terror at the sight of their undead loved ones turn into yelps of panic, worry that cover will not be found in time. Their focus having been left on dealing with the undead, the campsite’s survivors stand little chance, hit from behind by enemy gunfire and left to bleed out amongst the deep ground of overgrowth. Refusing to waste a second, John leaps towards the settlement before any campers have the chance to escape, kicking doors in and scanning the area for remaining survivors. Whilst Katie and Salem round the undead together, Jess, Jack and Alicia go around putting the final nail in the survivor’s above-ground coffin. Finally done with the final measures, John looks back to the undead, all regathered, ropes held back by Franklin. His breathing becoming heavier, the man looks back at Emilio and takes his moment to lose his composure, blowing up on Emilio for having let go of the ropes. “What the fuck did you do that for!?” John shouts, Emilio caught by surprise at the deal of anger originating from the man. “Do you think I did that on purpose?” Emilio asks, John answering by getting in the man’s face, warning him that there are no accidents in war. “You slip up, people die… That’s the rule” John replies, his voice dehumanizing Emilio, who watches the man walk off with a face full of anger. “Get the fuck back here, John!” Emilio shouts, the man refusing to turn back, continuing to walk off as Emilio gives out the order to his remaining group to clear out the settlement. The remaining survivors doing as instructed, Emilio is left with his hands on his hips, watching John disappear through the overgrowth again, the distance intended to be kept between himself and the rest of the group starting to signify something more than the need to clear his head. = Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards = Beckoned for by the knocking at her door, Heather cautiously approaches the eyeslot, Ameil having informed her of it being a custom in the city to look away from the view finder to afford residents with comfort. Opening the door a smidge, Heather greets Ameil, who promises not to take up too much of her time. Allowing the man into her home, Heather takes a seat to begin conversation, Amy running up to the man with a warm welcome, eager to meet new people. “She’s got a little cabin fever” Heather informs, “she’d been inside the motel gates for most of the last year, so a new place tends to mean new pockets to explore.” Taking a seat beside Heather, Amy smiles at Ameil, who is left with little response other than to smile back, the young girl essentially welcoming him to have a seat himself. Accepting the invitation, Ameil glances at the kitchen, the countertop remaining nearly as bare as it was when he introduced the pair to the home a few days prior. Brushing this off, Ameil pulls out a chair and opens the line of dialogue with an update regarding her group’s current fight. “John radioed in almost an hour ago to let us known they made their first stand” Ameil proclaims, “no casualties on our side just yet, and we’re hoping to keep it that way.” “That’s good” Heather replies, “I was hoping we’d escape with a minor injury, so that’s even better than I was hoping for.” With a smile, Ameil admits that he was joyous at the news, though remained skeptical about their remaining encounter. “The settlements from that point on get bigger the further in they trail” Ameil explains, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the middle of the island had been turned into an outright city by this point… So it’s not going to be easy.” With a smile, Heather admits that she’s just glad to have gotten through the first fight as they had. “Is that all you came for?” Heather proceeds, Ameil shaking his head with his hat scrunched up in his hands. “No, I also wanted to check in with you” Ameil replies, “make sure you’re getting acclimated to everything well.” With a nod, Heather assures the man that they are, noticing his reluctance to take her on her word almost immediately. “I may not have been out in the field when I was serving in private military, but I know when someone isn’t buying what I’m selling” Heather continues, Ameil knowing he’d been found out. “Well I didn’t want to point out the barron counter first thing, but here we are” Ameil replies, “are you afraid to go out into town?” Her lips puckered, Heather shakes her head at first, the rapidity of the shaking slowing gradually over a few seconds, knowing Ameil to have not believed her fairly quickly. “It’s new and you’re caring after a young one” Ameil replies, a cheerful Amy interjecting to say ‘hi!” and wave. “I get it, it’s safer to be together away from a bunch of strangers than in the middle of a crowd of them” Ameil explains, “I understand completely.” Nodding, Heather accepts that the man is genuine in his reassurance, but remains disappointed within herself, the dangers of the world on the mainland being greatly worse than Sun City. “I should, no… I really should” Heather admits, her anxiety levels starting to rise slightly until Ameil holds his hand out, the woman’s arms crossed atop the table allowing the hairs to stand on end at the touch of the man’s hand. “I know the world moves faster now than it did before, but that’s no excuse to rush into things” Ameil explains, the woman giving him her full attention. “You’ve been here for such little time and you have no reason to rush into things” Ameil explains, wanting to follow his statement before ultimately thinking better of it. With a smile, the man removes a notepad and pen from his coat pocket, telling Heather to write down a grocery list. “I’m not going to make you go shopping for me” Heather replies with a generous smile, the man doubling down on his offer, assuring her that it is no waste of his time. “I’m immune-from-infection mayor’s brother” Ameil explains, “unless there’s a rare fleet of ships hitting the mainland, I’m here in the city doing nothing… It is no waste of my time.” Still refusing, Heather thanks the man for his offer, genuinely flattered when he doubles down for a second time. “Again, I don’t mind” Ameil replies, “in fact… the two of you are pretty likeable, so that only helps more.” Beginning to blush, Heather drops her head once Ameil smiles, the wounds on his lip from her group’s actions days prior healing quickly. “If I’m going to make you go shopping for me, the least I can do is face my fears and go with you” Heather replies, the man’s smile only growing further. “It’s a deal then!” Ameil exclaims with anticipation, a cheer coming from Amy as she realizes she’ll finally be able to get out of the house. | Surrounding the whimpering fire, John and his group remain seated in silence, helping themselves to the fresh kill the original settlers would have had in much the same fashion. “What’s for tomorrow?” Katie asks, Emilio looking towards John, who ignores the stare and continues taking in the much-needed calories. Shunned, Emilio smiles back at Katie, suggesting the golf course to be close enough to return to camp safely in the coming days. “Wrong move” John mutters, Emilio having opened his mouth to take another bite from the rack of ribs in his hand freezing in time, lowering the food from his mouth and looking back to the man. “What is your problem?” Emilio asks, John looking towards him with wide eyes, a poor attempt at looking surprised. “Who says I have a problem?” John asks, his shoulders shrugging as Emilio explains that it seems a lot like John himself does. “I don’t know what it is that you’ve got a problem with, but I feel like I should remind you that you asked me to be the man in charge on this” Emilio explains, John hanging his head in disappointment, allowing Emilio to continue for a few moments before cutting him off. “It’s got nothing to do with you, Emilio!” John shouts back, refusing to speak any further unless actively questioned, returning to his food. “Then why the fuck does it seem like you volunteered to have Jess’ period for her this month?” Emilio cuts back, the group’s original leader throwing his meal to the ground and leaping to his feet, both he and Emilio getting in each other’s faces. “Just because I know that we have to kill innocent people in order to get to the bad ones does not mean I have to be proud of it” John replies, “when you’re in the military, you swear on everything to protect life, I don’t have to like the fact that I have to do anything but now.” Pulling away from the man, John returns to his seat beside his wife, wiping the bramble away from the deer leg and returning to his meal. Biting his lip, Emilio lays down the gauntlet, making it known to the group that none of this will be flying anymore. With a chuckle, John symbols his amusement in Emilio’s attempt to look commanding, the smirk on his face wiped off when Emilio lays the man back with a straight punch to the face. Explaining that they will all coexist with each other, Emilio keeps his eyes on John, who lays on the ground with his legs still propped up on the log. Knowing what happened, the man climbs to his feet and approaches Emilio, who rolls up his sleeves until Katie gets between the two, stopping any further conflict from escalating. “If you don’t think I’m making the right decisions, maybe you should thank the man from three days ago that put me in this spot!” Emilio shouts. Before he can reply, John is interrupted by the woman standing between them, Jess finally taking his arm and pulling him back as the rest of the group remains seated, almost unsurprised this happened. “You know he’s right” Katie explains, genuine surprise this time coming across John’s face, his intellect finally kicking in. “You knew you’d disagree with his choices which is why you didn’t want the authority to make them” Katie replies, John calming himself down enough to agree. Turning back towards Emilio, Katie tells the man that he needs to stop trying to be something that he’s not. “You’re not ‘the man’ around here, you’re not a bad ass, you’re not a fucking leader… At least not yet” Katie explains, Emilio taking a deep breath and hanging his head upon the admission, “you’re a place holder until John can get out of army mode and then you’re just like the rest of us.” Not afraid to tell the truth, Katie warns both men that she’ll shoot either of them without a care in the world if they break out into conflict again. “Both of you quit acting like children and man the fuck up” Katie declares, both Emilio and John returning to their seperate seats. “And stop making me have to get up and take a stand while you’re at it” Katie mutters under her breath, only few hearing her honest disgust for having to take on leadership amongst two already designated leaders. Returning to her seat, Katie continues to eat until Emilio speaks up, directing a question towards John. “What’s your problem with going towards the golf course?” Emilio asks, John caught by surprise at the quick turnaround. Clearing his throat and wiping his mouth, John responds with a shocking answer. “It’s the wrong way” John replies, a curious Emilio sharing an equal amount of confusion with the rest of the group. “The golf course is east, John” Salem replies, the man her correction is directed at knowing well where the golf course is located. “We shouldn’t be going east, we should be going west” John replies, the remainder of the camp both curious and intrigued. The group attempting to dissuade him from steering off course, John cuts through all the responses and gets to the thick of things. “All of the populated camps are located east, the west is full of a bunch of tiny settlements and pirate camps according to Dawson and Ameil” John replies, “it’s also the direction we need to go to the island.” Eyes narrow, Emilio reminds John that Dawson gave them specific direction to go east, only for John to use that statement to admit that he’s got a slight problem with Emilio’s decision making. “You trust their directions too much” John explains, “this isn’t a decision I make out of not wanting to kill, it’s a decision I make knowing which option gives us a better chance at survival.” Intending to brush it off as just the ramblings of a man refusing to trust any form of government, Alicia attempts to continue the group’s attempts at dissuading John, only for Emilio to hold his hand out, wanting John to continue. “We’re a small group, we have a better chance at taking on small settlements scattered across a portion of land than we do against big communities” John replies, “this gives us a fighting chance.” Hands folded, Emilio presses his knuckles to his jaw and points with both fingers towards John, asking him about what that plan has to do with the island. “Disagree with whatever decisions you wanted me to make, but I’m not deaf” Emilio explains, “you mentioned the island for a reason, and so far that reason hasn’t shown up.” With a deep breath, John explains that he doesn’t want the group in the war zone for much longer. “If we can board one of the pirates boats, we’ll cut across the water safe enough to reach the island” John explains, Emilio reminding him that such a move would only be seen as betrayal from Sun City. “We’re not all going to the island” John replies, the entire group quieting down more than the hush they had embraced moments prior. Having taken a moment to understand what John as saying, Emilio suddenly cocks his head back, telling John that he refuses to go along with the man’s plan. “I put you in charge for more than just keeping me in check, Emilio” John explains, the man continuing to refuse his change of path. “We’re not leaving you behind, John… It’s not happening!” Emilio shouts, John making it known that he’s only doing what groups in their position need to. “There’s a chance plenty of us don’t make it to the island, but I’m making sure that there’s a chain of command in case one of those people happen to be me” John explains, Emilio continuing to refuse the notion that they’d leave John to fight with Sun City. “You don’t have a choice, you’re the only one fit to lead now” John explains, Emilio continuing to refuse. “I’m not following what’s going on” Lauren explains, “there’s too much yelling and screaming for me to understand half of what you guys are saying.” With a deep breath, Emilio turns towards Lauren and breaks it down for her as simply as he can. “John put me in charge because he planned on taking us west instead of east and made an excuse for it” Emilio replies, “he wants to load us on a boat and have us set sail for the island, while he stays back and gets himself killed so his redirection doesn’t count as treason to Sun City, knowing that I’ll now be able to take over as leader in his place.” “JOHN!” Lauren shouts, immediately backtalking the man as he continues to plead his case. The shouting returning to incoherent rumbles of nonsense, John finally snaps, shooting to his feet and raising his voice louder than the rest. “If we go east, we’re all fucking dead!” John shouts, huffing for his breath as the rest of the group quiets down, his wife’s head tucked in her hands. “Maybe I have more than just that as a motive, but the truth remains!” John shouts, “if we go west, you’ll all get to leave AND stand a chance!” With a deep breath, John captures the attention of the entire ring, the destructive contempt he has for the world he finds himself living in showing through his clenched jaw. “I murdered a kid’s family in front of him, and then shot that same kid after he pissed himself in fear” John explains, “and somehow… That’s not even the worst thing I’ve seen since it all started.” On the verge of tears, John fails to notice the entire group beginning to notice something in the man’s stature, the normally calm and decisive leader of the group no longer holding the same confidence he once had. “I’ve become jealous of that kid” John admits, his confession breaking a lot of the confidence much of the group has intact, “we don’t live in a good world, and we’re not good people.” The expression on the man’s face slowly changing, shifting gradually over time into the look of a man having finally met his match. “We’re all gonna go to the island and try to settle down, but we’ll have our hands forced and flee again to survive” John continues, “find a new place, rinse, wash, repeat.” “This doesn’t end, we meet new people and we lose the ones we’ve known since this all started” John explains, slowly breaking over time, the tears finally collecting enough to begin falling down his cheeks. “There’s no point to surviving when all we do is lose more every day” John admits, Jess getting up and wrapping her arm around the man’s neck. “I never thought I’d take some war zone in the middle east over anything back home… But here we are” John concludes, “the same villains we used to root for the downfall of… Same result, too.” Head hung, John explains that the only reason to keep fighting left is to remain alive when all of it settles. “When no one is left, and we’re the last men standing” John mutters, “this whole thing… The whole time… One big, fucked up game of last man standing.” Pulling away from his wife, John walks into the depths of the woods, Jess’ calls for him to come back stopped when Emilio takes her by the hand and nods. “Katie, make sure everyone stays safe… I’ll be back in a few” Emilio calls out, following John into the night, the remainder of the camp watching the pair walk off, their faces half orange in the glow of the fire, the other the cold black like the night sky above. | Walking with Ameil into town, Heather and Amy slowly march through the rows of the Chinatown-inspired storefronts, old buildings renovated into bustling service centers. “I heard you guys mention Sheol a few nights ago… We were slightly familiar with their set up” Ameil explains, “how does this fair in comparison.” Giving it some thought, Heather admits that she never joined the group at Sheol, but can only come to the conclusion that Sun City’s set up isn’t nearly as large as theirs was. With a smile, Ameil nods, giving Heather the impression of being insulted. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Heather replies, the man immediately correcting his reaction. “I’m unhealthily addicted to making Sun City look like a beacon of light” Ameil explains, “so I hope for things to look better here than anywhere else.” “In comparison to what I’ve seen since all of this began, I like this the most” Heather replies, a proud smirk being contained by the man beside her. “Thank you for doing this” Heather adds, not wanting the man to go without thinking she’s anything less than grateful, even despite his assurance that he’s more than happy to do so. “Above all else, I want people to feel welcomed here” Ameil replies, “none of them get this level of welcome, but it serves the same purpose.” Another smile on her face, Heather quickly has her mind ripped from the gutters when Amy points out a stand with candy they almost unknowingly walked past. “What’s that?” the young girls points out, a confused Heather responding with “that’s candy!” Confused at first, the woman soon realizes just how long the world has been left in a state of disrepair. “What’s candy?” the young girl asks, Heather’s mouth wide for the moment that it takes her to realize that Amy had never grown up in a world without the product. “It’s… Uh” Heather begins, struggling to find the words until Ameil completes the sentence for her. “It’s on the house” the man replies, his hand held out to a pleased woman, who hands him a small box of sour sweets. “It’s gonna taste sour at first” Ameil warns, Amy responding in much the way Ameil assumed, her eyes puckered and lips smacking together at the tart sensation. “I don’t think her tastebuds are familiar with that concept yet” Heather replies, taking Amy by the hand and thanking Ameil, who shrugs it off as nothing more than a nice gesture. | “Got enough time to clear your head?” Emilio asks, catching John by surprise despite the man not giving much of a reaction. “It’s as good a place as any out here” John replies, the high-tide carrying a few pleasing waves crashing onto the shoreline, ending just a few inches away from John’s feet. “I guess it is if you’re really trying to clear your head” Emilio replies, pausing for a moment before making another suggestion, “or if you’re just trying to distance yourself from the group.” Taking a seat beside John, Emilio looks out at the waters, putting the conversation on hold for the moment to enjoy the scenic views they’ve been afforded. “This place used to be a beach” John quips, “the whole island was like their own little community, so most of them would gather around the beach during the holidays.” “I didn’t know that” Emilio replies, his face turning towards the man whilst John remains looking out at the waters. “I don’t think this was how any of us expected to be living five years ago” Emilio admits, John shaking his head in outright agreement. “What were you doing when all of this started?” Emilio asks, the distraught John having finally composed himself well enough to recall the days before the outbreak with anything other than contempt for how good everyone had it. “Probably getting ready to vote for you” John replies, both men laughing at the response. “Yeah, I guess the gay hispanic card had a few perks in regards to voter turnout” Emilio jokes, the laughter continuing until it eventually begins to die out. “I never thought I’d actually trust a politician with my life until I met you” John says, acknowledging his hatred for government to have rooted in wounds far greater and deeper than before he left the military. “You see how little it gets so many other people that it becomes difficult to really trust anyone with that amount of power” John continues, “like you have less control over your own safety than they do.” With a shrug, Emilio tells John that he and his family were lucky he was no average politician. “I viewed it as public service… The way it should be” Emilio replies, thinking over his statement for a moment before correcting himself, “well, I guess the way it should have been.” After a few more seconds of silence continue, Emilio tells John that he’s correct about everything he said back at camp, whether the group would like to admit it or not. “We. not you… But we shot and killed a boy and his family” Emilio responds, “if that doesn’t drain all the humanity we were fighting to ensure the survival of… I honestly don’t know what could.” With a sigh, John drops his head, admitting that he still fights regardless of what the end result may be, he just hates that the fighting is no longer worth anything. “I made the decision to leave the military once I found out Jess was pregnant with Amy whilst I was on leave for a few weeks before getting restationed” John recalls, “I thought going back out into war now would remind me of how great things were when they eventually became normal again.” Disappointed in having to admit it, John comes to grips with the fact that it was never war that he was going into, it was simply more of the same. “Every time we said ‘no chances’... We were making a justification for the wrongs we knew, deep down, that we were doing” John explains, “and when you need to make justifications for something, that something tears away every ounce of moral decency you have left.” “You’re right” Emilio replies, John admitting that his greatest fear of all would be that they’d continue to do the actions that they had, only without feeling the need to make justifications any longer. Taking another few seconds to appreciate the sights before them, Emilio and John watch the water finally reach the tips of their feet, a weird sense of calmness coming with the rising tides. “I believe there’s a Sheol out there… A good Sheol… One with moral values AND a decent chance to live” Emilio explains, “and I believe there’s no reason we can’t try to make another one here.” His head hung, John admits that he knows Emilio’s right, but his concerns lay in what happens after this new Sheol is established. “What happens when we get comfortable living the lives as closely as to what we had before?” John asks, “what happens when someone else wants it for themselves?” Nothing reassuring to offer, Emilio states that they pick up the fight to defend what they have rather than take it that time around. “We fight for survival right now as it is” Emilio explains, John looking up to the man before he can finish his statement, “when that day comes, in that dream of a new Sheol, we’ll fight that dream instead.” With a nod, John looks back out at the water, the tide finally reaching the full front of his boot, a smile finally appearing on the man’s face. “We have to fight to get there first” John responds, a smile spreading on Emilio’s face as John finally stands up, offering his hand to help Emilio to his feet as he concludes his statement. “Let’s fight for it.”
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Sat in a room stripped straight out of the pre-industrial era, the remaining survivors keep to themselves, their lips refusing to part for any statement, decry or words of encouragement. A torch in the back of the room creating a warm glow over the twelve continuing to share space amongst the living, everything is still, calm with a poorly-hidden anger boiling within each of them.
Their silence squandered by Dawson pushing the front door open, John welcomes the chance to be the first to speak up, leaping to his feet and hurrying towards the man. On instinct, John grabs Dawson by the shirt and forces him against the wall, demanding to know the location of those responsible. “You can’t take on an army of thousands, John!” Ameil responds, the man currently pinning his friend against the wall suggesting otherwise. “I’m not letting them get away with it!” John shouts, having to be ripped away from Dawson, Emilio directing him back to the corner with his family. “Who did this and why?” Emilio asks, refusing to spend any more time controlling John than he has to, wanting answers much like the rest of the group. “We call them the pirates” Dawson responds, acknowledging the lack of creativity behind the name, “and they’re very protective of the waters you entered.” “So this is our fault?” Salem asks, Dawson declining that notion at first, only to redirect it elsewhere. “It’s his” Dawson replies, his finger aimed across the room at John, who is forced to subdue his rage when Jess holds him back, allowing Emilio to inquire to reasoning as to why. “He drove off before we could ask where you were going” Dawson replies, “had you told us you were heading towards Fishers Island, we wouldn’t have let you go.” “So that’s what the pirates own?” Emilio asks, “all that empty land out there they’re just letting stay abandoned?” His head shaking, Dawson informs Emilio that the land isn’t abandoned like it would seem to be. “They let nature grow around the island to cover their camps” Ameil replies, “any way they can stay tucked away, they’ll most likely take.” “So we just can’t get to the island?” Katie asks, “everything we’ve been working for is just gone because a couple of loons like to shoot on sight?” Nodding, Dawson responds in agreement, making it known that anything past the start of Fishers Island is controlled and overseen by the pirates. “So you just let us go out into the waters to get killed?” John asks, his arms draped over his knees, eyes looking towards Dawson. “At first, we were hoping you’d be going south from where you left the docks” Dawson admits, “we got caught in some bad waves and only caught up to you when it was too late.” When reminded that they could have used their microphone to tell us to turn back, Ameil refuses the suggestion. “Once you crossed into their waters, they were shooting you down regardless” the man replies, “you stepped on their turf and needed to learn a lesson.” “And you didn’t care to at least mention that before we even started to board?” Emilio asks, “what? Just never crossed your mind?” Head hung, Dawson admits that he wishes he had known sooner. “Again, we don’t meet many people from the mainland” Dawson reminds, “anyone not from Sun City is usually aware of the water territory.” “So you’re saying this is my fault?” John asks, Emilio and Dawson both looking to the man, “had I been a little more keen-eyed, we could’ve kept this from happening?” His jaw widening, Dawson soon rethinks what he was about to say, thinking it over in his head before ultimately responding in kind. “If you had told us where you were going, yeah… Probably” Dawson replies, John’s head hanging low as his eyes shut tight. “So what do we do now?” Emilio asks, reminding the pair that they still have graves to dig on behalf of the lost. “You’re free to stay here as long as you need until you find a second plan” Dawson replies, immediately confusing Salem, who begins to ask what he means by a second plan. “I mean, you’re free to be here until you find a new place to go” Dawson replies, “we’ll get you a new boat and some supplies to make up for what you lost as best as we can.” “I’m sorry, I need to ask this again” Katie replies, standing to her feet and wiping the dirt from her knees, “these fuckers killed my brother and you want us to just let that slide?” A heated look of confusion on Emilio’s face, the man asks Katie what other option the group has left to play. “Take revenge on the people that killed my family! Our family!” Katie replies, “even if we all have to die, we’re not letting these bastards get away with this!” Immediately worried this will turn into a familiar conversation, and thus, familiar result, Jess speaks up, shooting down Katie’s impassioned decries to fight another war. “We still haven’t fully recovered from Sheol, and you want us to fight another war after losing more people?” Jess asks, Katie responding in kind. “Even before Sheol, everything we had been doing was to get to that island” the young woman replies, “and now we’re just gonna let that slip because a bunch of sea-cunts said so?” “We don’t have any choice, Katie!” Alicia replies, “our numbers have been cut from fifteen to twelve, and we’re not exactly sure what these fucks can handle!” His arm extended, Franklin responds that there is a slight choice they have, leaving the group intrigued. “Just because they fight on water, doesn’t mean that’s where the fight needs to take place” Franklin replies, Emilio’s eyes widening as he realizes what Franklin is getting at. Looking back to Dawson, Emilio watches the worried expression take the man over, his head hanging at the suggestion made by the one-armed counterpart. “I don’t know you guys very well, but I’d hope you wouldn’t be dumb enough to go onto their land and fight on their turf” Dawson responds, Emilio stating that they’ve fought on unfamiliar soil before. “But this isn’t a group of scavengers or whatever else you’ve all fought!” Dawson shouts in return, “these are savages so brutal it made us take on a fucking democracy!” Head shaking, Emilio returns his own point to the man, explaining how they took out a connected string of compounds with nuclear capabilities, making pirates a bit less intimidating. “I don’t think you heard me correctly” Dawson replies, his hands held out as his tone grows less inviting, “these are savages, they don’t fight like your traditional scavengers.” “These people will skin you alive and roast you over a campfire” Ameil interjects, “they’ll rape every woman in this room, and they’ll keep the kid as undead bait.” The disturbing remarks voiced doing little to phase the group, John informs Ameil that they’d have to conquer his family in order to accomplish any of that. “They will” Ameil replies, “the second you step onto land they know, own, and control with a tight grip… You’re dead.” With a deep breath, Emilio places his hands upon his hips, turning back to the group for their input, Angela being the first to speak up. “Troy told us to go after that island” the woman replies, “he gave his life for all of us and that goal, so I’ll do the same.” With Angela’s seal of approval, Emilio looks at John, making it clear that they won’t have a chance unless they have their military leader fronting the charge. “Someone would have to stay behind with Amy” John replies, “I’m not letting my daughter get caught up in this fight, especially not if what Dawson said is true.” Teeth clenched, Emilio begins to worry about that decision, their fate practically sealed upon that declination. “I’ll stay behind with her” Heather replies, immediately injecting Emilio with hope, John and Jess questioning why. “Your daughter seems to like me, and I flew in the air force because I didn’t like fighting on the ground” Heather responds, “if anyone is a good choice to stay back here, it’d be me.” His eyes on Jess, Emilio tells the woman that the group will need both of the Callis parents in order to make it out alive, Jess glancing towards her husband for his decision. “I’ve trusted Heather since the New World Order” John replies, “if she’s staying back with Amy, I’m going with you.” A smile on his face, Emilio glances back to Jessica, the worried expression on her face preceding the nod of compliance. “You already know I’m in” Salem adds, Katie happily offering her services next, the group’s sniping force retained. “I’m in” Franklin replies, “I think this can work if we handle it properly.” Concerned, Alicia looks back to her boyfriend, the man shrugging, leaving the decision up to her. “I’m in” Alicia replies, comforting Jack and Lauren enough to eagerly include their names into the fight. Looking back to Dawson, Emilio watches the head of the man hang low, accepting the decision made by his fellow survivors. “I can’t say I believe in you guys” Dawson responds, “even if it were reassuring, I think you’re signing your death warrant.” Nodding, Emilio turns his attention away from Dawson and back towards John, the man intending on making something clear to him. “If we’re going to treat this like a war, I want no part in making the decisions over this group” John responds, “I want you to be the sole man responsible for deciding which course of action is best when we’re out there.” “Wait, you want Emilio to be the leader?” Katie replies, John glancing back to the woman, admitting that she’s free to see it that way if she pleases. “Regardless of what you want to call it, I want you holding me back from getting too trigger-happy while we’re there… Got it?” John asks, Emilio extending his hand and shaking that of John’s accepting the promotion. = Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards = “This will be your place” Ameil explains, welcoming Heather and Amy into their new home within Sun City, the space not large in size, but spacious enough for comfort. “You get a stipend every month, don’t use it too quickly or you’ll go without anything to spend until the next one comes in” Ameil reminds, Amy quickly running towards the bed and jumping on the stuffed mattress. “John’s talking to Dawson about getting some people from Sun City to help in the fight, but I don’t think it’ll end well” Ameil admits, “I wanted you to know in case I was sent out with him.” Understanding, Heather thanks Ameil for helping get Amy and herself situated, appreciative of what he’s done for them. “I’m going to be honest, you’re all probably being treated so well because of how shocking it is to find decent people anymore” Ameil replies, “but at least it counts for something.” Smiling to hide a heavy mountain of shame, Heather responds by thanking Ameil for everything he’s helped with. With a smile, the man walks off, leaving Heather and Amy to get situated into their new home. “Why are mom and dad leaving again?” Amy asks, beginning to grow tired of her parents always being away. “They have to go somewhere dangerous that you shouldn’t see” Heather replies, a frown beginning to form on the girl’s face. Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, Amy hangs her head, immediately raising the hidden instinct in Heather to attempt to comfort the only familiar face in town. “Mom and dad do a lot to keep you and I safe” Heather replies, taking a seat beside Amy and putting her hand on the young girl’s shoulder. “They’re not the best parents, but they don’t have much of a choice” Heather responds, “the fact that they’re still doing it well years after they started is amazing.” Sprouting a slight smile, Amy silently nods, still disappointed that she finds herself waving her mother and father away once again. “They love you no matter what happens, and I think you should know that” Heather continues, watching Amy look up to her, “and they do all this to keep you safe.” “You’re not going anywhere, right Heather?” Amy asks, the woman sprouting an ebullient smile hidden as best as she can shaking her head. “I’m staying right here with you” Heather replies, the young girl finally sprouting a more visible grin, comforted in knowing that she wont be alone through any of this anymore. | “If there’s a chance we can take over the island, why wouldn’t you want to seize it?” John asks, Dawson stubbornly refusing to send anyone into a fight he’s not confident in. “If you were doing this for a more logical reason other than honoring your dead friends, maybe I could get behind that” Dawson admits, “but this is just a battle you’re waging on high emotions over people that are dead, gone and not having to be involved in this.” “Why we’re fighting has nothing to do with what you have to gain if we win” Emilio interjects, “we gain control of that island, and Sun City gains control of the entire Long Island Sound!” With a sigh, Dawson reminds Emilio that the group is lucky he’s replacing their boat for this venture, warning them not to push it with full-frontal military funding. Head hung, John asks Dawson what they would have to do to install confidence in their venture, the man left rolling his eyes. “I’m serious” John replies, “okay, you don’t have confidence in it now… That’s evident. But what would you have to see before you could confidently throw troops into the mix?” Looking around the room, Dawson begins to think to himself exactly what he’d be confident in, the man responding by holding his ground. “John, I seriously don’t think you’re gonna see me have confidence in any of it” Dawson responds, John holding ground himself, telling Dawson to think hard. Folding his hands and placing them against his lips, Dawson thinks about how bloody such a war would be, knowing the amount of casualties would be turned into a political statement. “A majority of land controlled” Dawson replies, “if you can control a majority of the land, I’ll be confident enough to send in backup.” His eyes trailing towards Emilio, John watches the man admit that it’s better than nothing at all. “At what point, we’d be able to control it ourselves without your help” John explains, continuing to force the envelope open, “what would voters think if you not only didn’t fund this, but created a third power entirely?” Speaking up to halt her husband, Jess is interrupted when Dawson begins to warn John not to push it. “You haven’t even been given the boat yet, I wouldn’t try to play with power here if I were you” Dawson explains, John reminding him that they have different definitions of what balls are. “I’m engaging in a war you wouldn’t fight, clearly some of us have more guts than others” John explains, Emilio attempting to cut in before John shuts him out. “If I lose anyone in the process of gaining a majority of Fishers Island without any help from you, things will get sour” John explains. “How do you suppose that, John?” Dawson asks, the man’s finger planted against the table they both sit at, his point being made clear enough for Sun City’s leader to understand. “If we accomplish what you deem necessary for support, we’ll be the strongest opposition force” John explains, “and when that happens, voters will be deciding how to fight against us, not those pirates.” “The ole’ two birds with one stone method?” Salem asks, beginning to back John’s statement, “I like it.” The pressure beginning to mount against him, Dawson listens into the group amidst a haze of disagreement, splitting into equal support of pressing their luck and appreciating what’s already been given. Tensions mounting, John tells Dawson to rethink his offer or watch his entire term in charge of Sun City vanish before his eyes. “How would that happen, Johnathan?” Dawson asks, a smirk across John’s face spreading wide as the man gives him his answer. “How about I go out into the center of town and announce how their leader is helping create a third enemy group?” John asks, standing from his chair and heading for the door whilst Emilio shouts for him to come back. “Wait!” Dawson shouts, every voice in the room other than his own dropping, John turning back towards the man with his hand on the doorknob. Head tilted towards his folded hands, Dawson bites his lip as John repeats the same request just uttered from the man, phrased as a question. With a deep breath, Dawson stands from his seat and walks over to John, making it known that he doesn’t appreciate having been backed into a corner here. “I don’t appreciate you thinking we’d be dumb enough to blindly do your bidding for you and be grateful that you would come and take credit for our work” John replies. Clearing his throat, Dawson tells John that he’ll send a small crew of men out to the island if they can control roughly a fourth of the area. “We’ll clear what we can, send more in as you get further, and let you take your stupid fucking island” Dawson replies, telling the man that any slip ups will be paid for dearly. “If you wish to force my hand… Fine, have it your way” Dawson responds, “but if you don’t expect to have your hand forced eventually as well, you’d be sorely mistaken.” His head tilting to the side, John admits that he more than understands, but he’ll take the looming threat in order to fulfill the promise he made to everyone that fought beside him. With a nod, Dawson pulls the door open and leaves, John remaining in the room with the remainder of his quiet group. Scanning the room, John notices the expression on every face holding contempt for him, Jessica’s expression especially holding the most disgust. “We don’t know these people or have any idea of what they’re capable of” Alicia explains, “threatening the leader of the group you’re leaving your child in the hands of was not smart.” Angry, Jess leaves her spot and walks for the door, passing by her husband in silence before slamming the door shut. “My point proven” Alicia adds, Salem arguing that they were left with little choice. “We all know this is a death sentence without at least some help” the woman explains, “if we couldn’t get soldiers with us when we reached shore, at least we know what we have to do to earn some backup.” His arms crossed, Emilio remains silent, a posture the group easily points out, calling into question. “I don’t think I trust the guy” Emilio explains, “you don’t lose that kind of ‘welcoming’ attitude regardless of how much you’re threatened if it isn’t somewhat common.” “You’re saying he’s gonna screw us?” Jack asks, Emilio admitting that he thinks it’s a fair possibility. “That doesn’t give me any more comfort than I just had a minute ago” Alicia replies, Salem the first to quell concerns as best as she can. “He doesn’t expect us to get a fourth of the island controlled, but he’d be put in his place in we did” Salem explains, “doing that would show him that controlling a majority would be possible… And that’s what he wants to avoid.” “If he truly didn’t think we could get a majority of the island, he wouldn’t have budged on his original offer regardless” Jack explains, “he would’ve let you go out there and look like an idiot once you got killed.” The lines drawn, John takes the side of Salem and Jack’s belief, whilst Emilio resides with Alicia and Jess on their allegiance with concern. “We’re locked into that agreement regardless” Emilio explains, “the best we can do is face the situation if we come across it.” Unable to agree on what to expect when push comes to shove, the group as a whole agrees that they are left with little more than knowing that they’re destined to enter war. “Let’s do this as only we can” John exclaims, Emilio nodding, preparing himself for the unknown that comes next, whatever rests in the near future now officially unavoidable. | A knock at his door forcing him away from his work, Dawson greets Jess with surprise, having not expected her company. “I want to talk to you for a minute if I can?” Jess asks, the man answering by making room for her to enter, pulling a chair out opposite his kitchen table. “I’m sure you pieced together the fact that my husband is a veteran of the military by now” Jess explains, “so please don’t be offended that he saw an opportunity to negotiate.” His head hung, Dawson tells the woman that he’s certain she has a very good heart, but makes it known that John lacked the awareness to realize that their encounter was no place for negotiation. “I understand that it’s been a while since any of you have had to abide by democratic law, but you’re not in the wilderness anymore” Dawson explains, “I played nice because I knew John didn’t realize any negotiation wasn’t one of survival, but one of political importance.” Appreciating Jessica’s willingness to apologize for actions not of her own, Dawson breaks down to her the complications of Sun City upfront. “Everyone gets a vote, everyone understands the importance of remaining well-informed, everyone understands the importance of somethings and the unimportance of others” Dawson explains, “I’m not going to let your husband make me look expendable.” Nodding in agreement, Jessica admits that she understands, hoping to ensure Dawson knows the origins of John’s actions. “We’re a community here” Dawson responds, “I’m as aware of John’s reasonings as my people are of how inflation, conflict, employment, service and anything else works.” With a deep breath, Dawson calms himself and approaches his kitchen, pouring Jessica and himself a small glass of wine, admitting that Sun City is a very fragile place. “We did business with that woman on the mainland because we needed as much as we could on tap” Dawson claims, “these people aren’t used to the mainland anymore… Most people out there are irredeemable at this point.” Thanking Dawson for the drink, Jessica asks the man how aiding in the war at any point would make him and his government appear. “That would depend on the result” Dawson admits, “I’d be voted out of office in the next set of elections if I sent a fleet with you on the shore and didn’t come away with control of the waters.” Nodding, Jessica proceeds to ask a follow-up, one that catches the man off guard. “What else could quietly boost your support out here?” Jess wonders, the man’s eyebrows stammering for a moment as he thinks over different minor causes. “Patrol reform, bribery, territory control are all things that people want but understand are long-term causes” Dawson admits, the success of John’s fight being one thing that would make Dawson’s government heavily favorable in the eyes of the civilians. “Would you think capturing the leader of the pirates and holding a trial for his crimes to be something favorable?” Jess asks, Dawson holding the cup he originally began lifting to his lips in mid-air. “I think that would go a long way in getting me re-elected” Dawson replies, a smile on the woman’s face beginning to form. “Would you say it’d be enough to earn the island my group and I want the rights to being an autonomous region under Sun City’s influence?” Jess asks, Dawson intrigued. “If you can get Sun City the Fishers Islands, I’m sure a referendum can be held to make that happen” Dawson replies, the smile on Jessica’s face spreading. “We govern ourselves, make our own rules, and retain the protections, support and potential tourism of Sun City?” Jessica proceeds to ask, a clarified agreement being looked on favorably by the man on the opposite end of the table. “I’m more than certain that could be arranged” Dawson replies, a grateful Jess tipping her head to the man, letting him know that he’ll hear from her soon. With this statement, Jess confidently downs the remainder of her drink and exits the home, walking a few yards away before finding a pair of familiar faces. “How did it go?” Franklin asks, the woman continuing to sport her smile. “You two haven’t lost your political touch” Jess replies, Franklin and Emilio sharing the positive hopes. “We taught her well” Emilio replies, fist-bumping his former lieutenant governor choice and ensuring their wishes fully depend on whether or not they’re able to finish the job. | Amidst the rising sun, John and Emilio lead the group out of their temporary housing and into the shoreline. Saying their departing words to their daughter, John and Jessica promise to make sure Amy has a comfortable bed to sleep in forever. “The one in our house sucks… I can’t bounce on it!” Amy replies, an amused John and Jess pulling their child into a hug. “Thank you for doing this” Jess says to Heather, who pulls away from Alicia’s hug to assure her of it being no issue at all. Approaching John, Dawson hands the man a radio, telling the man to keep in contact. “There’s gonna be a marina a fourth of the way in there, it’ll be called ‘the pirates hole’” Dawson informs, “when you get there, radio in and we’ll send in the force you need.” “And go right when you hit the mainland” Ameil adds, “it won’t look like it, but there’ll be an an airport when you first touch land, take it from there.” With a nod, John takes his instructions to heart, shaking the hands of both Dawson and Ameil, who remind him how much each side has to gain from this being successful. “I may not hold much hope, but I’m not rooting for you any less because of that” Dawson explains, “get this done for both of our sake.” Understanding, John departs, stationing himself behind the wheel of the boat whilst Emilio traces seven lines in the sand. Adding three herself, Salem makes room for an additional one from Angela, offering their peace with the lost. “Good luck” Dawson calls out, John responding in kind as the boat rides off. “No going back now” Emilio exclaims, John kissing the dog tags in his hand as the island in the distance slowly grows closer. “For all that we’ve lost” Jess declares, the memory of those needed to be lost in order to get to this moment being honored by everyone in the repetition of that statement. The last to repeat the lines, John narrows his eyes towards the island, island, the group keeping their eyes on him, patiently awaiting his addition. With a nod, John clutches the tags in his free hand hard, looking out at the seas they had once failed to pass this land on as he finally voices his part. “For all that we’ve lost.” His hand on Ameil’s shoulder, John leads the prisoner through the backroads, Meghan taking out any of the undead that happen to find themselves unlucky enough to stumble into the wrong meeting. The asphalt below their feet covered in heavy amounts of sand and dirt from the years of mismanagement, it soon becomes noticeable when the ground below becomes wood, each step bringing a creek throughout the ground rather than a cloud of dust being kicked up.
“Where are we going?” Ameil asks, his hands tied together and his eyes covered by a facewrap, soon hearing the waters waving as he begins to understand what’s happening. “It’ll all be over soon, Ameil” John replies, the fear in Ameil’s voice clear, his worries quickly rising as he realizes that each step could be his last. “I can help you, we’re not bad people!” Ameil shouts, pleading for his life, John nodding his head in response, continuing to lead the man onward. “I’m very certain you can and are, Ameil” John replies, the tone in which he responds as welcoming as the voice of a man disappointed in the actions he is about to take. Continuing to hear the waves crash over the coastline, Ameil begins to breath heavily, John’s reminders that this nightmare he’s been forced to endure soon to be over in one moment. “Please, sir” Ameil replies, “I’m telling you we can be your ticket somewhere better!” His hands shaking enough for the metal handcuffs to annoyingly jitter, Ameil pleads with John to have mercy on him and consider his offer. “I’ve already considered your offer, Ameil… You wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t” John replies, finally tapping the man on the shoulder to stop walking. Looking to his side, John nods towards Meghan and removes the blindfold, taking a few steps back as Ameil glances behind him, continuing to plead for his life. “I’m gonna need you to turn back around, Ameil” John replies, the fear in the man’s heart forcing him to look down rather than looking back, tears dropping from his face. “I don’t want to die” Ameil mutters under his breath, John admitting to him that no one truly does. “We don’t know what happens next, but we do know what we have right now… And it’s not much worth living for” John explains, “please, turn back around.” His head dropped and face broken like a sad dog being berated by his owner, Ameil nods and steadily returns his glance to the sea ahead, the landmass in the distance lit in the night. “Please, you guys” Ameil continues, John’s head dropped as Ameil continues, “just let me go.” With a deep breath, John nods to himself before admitting that they are, telling him to keep his eyes forward. Hand on John’s back, Meghan looks at the man and nods, accepting what has to be done, despite the clear look of concern on John’s face. Shaking in fear, Ameil lets out another trembling plea for his life which John refuses to answer, the removal of a firearm from the man’s waistband the only suggestion offered to Ameil of what is to come. “We’ve made up our minds, Ameil” John replies, the man hanging his head as his restraints give him no other option than acceptance. Weapon in hand, John’s arm lifts from his side and steadies towards Ameil’s head, the man continuing to tremble at the knowledge that everything is about to end in one, ultimate moment. With a deep breath, John steadies his weapon, taking aim at the sights forward and fires, a bright burst of light shooting off into the distance, a shocked Ameil looking up to see a flare zip through the air and over the waters. Struggling to catch his breath, Ameil looks back to find John returning his flare gun to his waistband, looking towards the man and explaining what he’ll tell his group. “The lady in the winery is dead, and they can have everything she left behind and her utilities” John explains, “they can also have you, unharmed and as alive as they left you, in return for one boat.” Nodding in appreciation, Ameil’s fear finally dies off and a smile is left behind, his thanks being shared to the man, who walks up to him with caution. “I’m going to be honest with you, Ameil… We haven’t had good luck out here since everything started” John explains, “but we’ve sacrificed every lesson we’ve learned over that time to let you go back home in exchange for one, miniscule thing in return.” With an anxious breath, John puts his hand on the man’s shoulders and tells him to make sure John isn’t left to regret this decision. Looking back at Meghan, John explains to the man that she’s been bit and she doesn’t have too long. “I want you to make sure she’s as comfortable looking after you until your people get here as possible” John explains, “she means a lot to us, and if your people threaten us, we’re gonna take that sadness and turn it into rage, understand?” With a nod, Ameil promises John that his people are just as he propped them up to be, a worried John explaining that his greatest hope is that Ameil is telling the truth. Looking back to Meghan, John nods, the woman smiling back putting comfort in the man’s face, allowing him to depart the docks with a slight amount of ease. “Your people won’t regret this” Ameil assures Meghan, the exhausted woman finally showing the first signs of the illness as she responds with shared hopes. = Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards = Called for by the knock at his door, Emilio leaves his kitchen and approaches his main entry, pulling the door open to find Cameron awaiting his response. “Hey, Emilio” Cameron greets, a curious Emilio left to respond in kind, inquiring about Cameron’s reason for visiting. “I wanted to talk to you about something” Cameron admits, and intrigued Emilio stepping aside to allow Cameron an uninterrupted entry. “There’s too many things this could be about, so I’m not even gonna bother guessing” Emilio admits, opting to suggest moving past the gestures and getting straight to the point. Struggling to find the right words, Cameron asks in the simplest way whether or not Emilio is planning on departing with the group. “I don’t think I have much of an option, Cameron” Emilio admits, “after all, I’ve got my little place in the woods, so I’ve sacrificed the comfort of a wall in favor of privacy.” “Well it’s not like you would have done much back then anyway” Cameron replies, “I mean, I don’t think anyone blamed you for wanting to go out into the woods and be on your own.” Hands tucked into his pockets, Emilio admits that the death of his husband came with some rather hefty baggage to live with. “The fact that I’m still here is a surprise to me even still” Emilio replies, “my husband’s goodbye came in the form of suicide, so that’s enough reason to check out itself.” Feeling the conversation to have begun getting off track, Emilio inquires Cameron’s reasoning for the visit a second time, the man hanging his head in contemplation. “I don’t exactly know how to say this without it feeling harsh” Cameron replies, Emilio insisting he not try to mince words. “When Bill died, I was depressed” Emilio replies, “I didn’t call it ‘being sad and needing space’, I called it ‘depression’.” With a clear mind, Emilio tells Cameron that it’s better to be harsh and upfront than soft and docile. “I’m a big boy, Cameron… If you have something to say, just say it the way you thought of it” Emilio responds, watching as Cameron nods in an understanding. “I don’t wanna go to the island” Cameron replies, the confession not surprising Emilio in the slightest, “I’ve put in too much work on this gate to let it go to waste by running when shit got tough.” Clearing his throat, Emilio walks over to his kitchen and pours two cups of coffee, Emilio informing Cameron that he’s figured what his stance would be for a few months at this point. “None of us were more devoted to keeping that place standing more than you” Emilio replies, “but this isn’t running because shit got tough, this is escaping because shit became deadly… Some might even say ‘toxic’.” “I understand that, but we didn’t this work in for nothing” Cameron replies, “We’ve rarely run into people in the past year we’ve been here, and this might be the final horde we ever have to face.” Head hung, Emilio hands the beverage to Cameron and takes a seat at his dining room table, jokingly following Cameron’s admission by wondering which horde they’ll find on a secluded island.” “I’m not saying we’re gonna run into a horde again out there, either” Cameron replies, “but there are more people that will come after that island than there are that will want our motel.” Eyes widened, Emilio’s mouth opens whilst he nods, finding the deeper reason behind Cameron’s lack of enticement at departure. “You don’t wanna have to worry about running into more people” Emilio replies, a smile on his face being wiped away when Cameron refuses. “It’s not running into new people that I’m worried about” Cameron responds, “it’s the bad ones that will kill us for what we have that I have an issue with.” Thinking over Cameron’s reasoning for a moment, Emilio starts taking in all of these viewpoints before offering Cameron a seat, wanting this conversation to continue. | “Hey, how’re you doing?” Angela asks, peering her head into Jess’ room to find the woman folding each article of clothing her family owns. “I’m just going with the flow, Angie” Jess replies, continuing to tuck away each folded shirt, each coupled sock, and each tidied pair of pants into the bulky suitcase. Walking inside, Angela shuts the door behind her and watches Jess brush the sound away, continuing to put her mind at ease by following through on the simple task in front of her. “I’m sorry about Meghan” Angela replies, “I know a lot of people have already said it, but I wanted to let you know personally that I feel awful for you.” Wiping her nose with her arm, Jess thanks Angela for her compassion before admitting that she’d rather be alone. Stepping forward, Angela jumps back when Jess snaps, turning around and telling Angela that her prior response was a hidden request to be left alone. “You shouldn’t be alone” Angela replies, Jess laughing off the response, shaking her head and telling Angela that people tend to want the opposite of that when faced with such loss. “Look at Emilio for fucks sake!” Jess replies, “his husband dies, he goes into Sheol wanting to get himself killed!” Asking Jess her point, Angela watches the woman turn around and point out the events that followed. “We all built a wall around a motel at the end of what used to be a cul-de-sac, and he fucks off into some rundown, piece-of-shit hut in the middle of the woods so we wouldn’t bother him!” Jess exclaims. “He’s still fucking living out there even now!” Jess shouts, “there’s some pain that doesn’t fucking go away, Angela!” Taking in a deep breath, Jess explains that, regardless of how much the post-apocalyptic aftermath has distanced them from one another, they’ll always be sisters by blood. “Emilio lost his husband, and he needed time alone” Jess explains, beginning to calm down, “I’m about to lose my sister, and I have to know that days before she’s even actually dead.” Turning around, the woman returns to her current task, taking in one deep breath at a time as the tears continue running down her cheek. “Why do you have a problem with Emilio having never stopped living out there?” Angela asks, having begun to return to the door until the thought pops into her head. “Because it makes it seem like he never got over that loss” Jess replies, “like even a year after it happened, he’s still never fully gotten over it.” Her heart aching for the woman, Angela notices where Jess’ fear truly comes from. “So you’re hurt that you’re losing your sister, but you’re scared that you’ll never overcome it?” Angela questions, the woman stopping in her tracks, the half-folded shirt in her hand remaining that way as Jess holds in the breakdown she truly wishes to let out. “Yes” Jess whispers, her teeth clenched and her eyes squeezing the tears out, the emotions becoming too much to hide. Refusing to leave the woman to her vices, Angela approaches the woman and gently pulls the shirt out of her hands, dropping it to the folded pile below and pulling Jess into a hug. “He might not have stopped on his own, but he’s stronger now than he was before” Angela replies, reminding Jess that Emilio’s story didn’t end in a tragic fashion, “you still have a husband and a child… Meghan would rather you fight for them than mourn for her.” Her head tucked onto Angela’s shoulder, Jess refuses to hold her tears back anymore, letting out the cries and sobs, her mechanisms of defense crumbling at their base. “There’s so much to fight for” Angela recalls, “and we fight until we make it for everyone that couldn’t see it through to the end.” Finally wrapping her arms around the woman, Jess allows the beating this world has given her to consume for the moment, taking the chance to mourn now in order to fight what comes next. | “They’re on their way” Ameil declares, Meghan remaining on her post, watching the faint lights of the boat grow closer in time. Soon, the small fleet of three boats floats into the docks, Ameil greeting his fellow survivors, who all look on in worry. “What happened?” the convoy’s leader questions, Ameil quickly assuring him that there’s nothing to be worried about. “There was a little misunderstanding of who I was at first, but that’s all settled” the man says, hugged by his friend. “Who’s this?” the man asks, looking towards Meghan until Ameil tells him that she’s not of any danger. “Dawson, there’s something I’ve been instructed to inform you about the moment you reached shore” Ameil explains, Dawson looking towards him as if to suggest he hurry up. Explaining the deal, Ameil tells the man that the group left him to tell everything without restriction. “They wanted total honesty” Ameil explains, “and they’re not asking for much.” “What do they want in return for all of this?” Dawson asks, John immediately answering his question, walking from in the distance with Katie and Salem beside him, approaching with guns at their hips. “Sorry for the interruption, I wanted you to see him first so you wouldn’t be paranoid before you stepped off the boat” John explains, “your boy isn;t lying. You can have everything she left behind, you can have him, we’re not going to go back on this.” “What happened to the woman?” Dawson asks, John clenching his teeth as he admits that his group killed her. “They were passing the entrance to her place and she opened fire on them” John explains, “we returned fire just like you would have in the same situation.” Letting out a sigh, Dawson admits that he had these worries for a long time. “Trigger happy never works out” Dawson admits, “your move on letting Ameil deliver the message was a pretty good move.” “I’m glad you appreciated it” John explains, “I hope you’ll appreciate the little that I ask of you in return for all that he just mentioned equally.” Shrugging, Dawson opens himself to barter, John finally reaching the pair, standing on the opposite side of Ameil. “We want a boat” John replies, “We don’t want a big boat, just enough for my group and our stuff, and as full of a tank of gas as you can manage.” With a chuckle, Dawson asks what the catch to the deal is, John refusing any further dealings. “We’ll give you everything we mentioned in return for one boat and a full tank of gas” John replies, “straight up, no cards up the sleeve.” Caught by surprise at the simplicity, Dawson asks John if he realizes how short-changed he is in this scenario. “We’ve heard of a horde coming this way, which is why I assume you want the thing” Dawson explains, “but this is awfully lopsided.” “Hopefully, if we ever come to you looking to trade anything, you’ll remember our generosity” John replies, “we’re not difficult people to work with, we’re just dangerous if you fuck us over.” With a smile, Dawson looks to Ameil, admitting that he didn’t expect any survivors from the mainland to be more than savages. “They did waterboard me at first, but they were pretty welcoming after that” Ameil explains, “I was just as surprised as you are.” “Tell me we have a deal then” John replies, his arms uncrossing when Dawson offers his hand, responding in affirmation, a smile across John’s face as they finally meet their way forward. | Unlocking the cuffs on Ameil, John begins the final sunrise within the motel by granting Ameil his freedom, the man treated as one of their own as the final preparations unfold. “Look who decided to join us” Troy calls out, Emilio arriving through the gates with two bags of his belongings, the most excited he’s appeared for anything since the first days of the outbreak. “I haven’t seen you smile in forever” John proclaims, a perky Emilio admitting that the combination of convincing Cameron to leave the motel behind and the ability to get on the move has put him in a fairly decent mood. Offsetting this joyous response, Meghan stubbornly refuses assistance, not needing to bring any of her belongings as she stumbles away from Jess and into the van. “Why do we have to let her stay this way?” Jess asks, the sight of her sister in pain making her wish Meghan were open to getting this over with. “She wants to try to see this through to the end” John replies, looking back at the woman, who appears as though the illness has only worsened faster, “we’re gonna do what we can to make that happen.” Looking back to Emilio, John watches the final van door close, the entire group loaded into their vehicles and ready to begin the final stretch. Leaving the motel behind, the group watches the building fade further and further away from view, that story finally having come to an end in favor of the ultimate prize. Reaching the docks, John and Salem park their respective vehicles by the docks to a warm welcome from Dawson and the Sun City guards. “You all look like you’re moving into your new house” Dawson exclaims, watching the eagerness to hop aboard consume the group. “She getting any better?” Dawson asks, John looking back to Meghan, who struggles up the short incline into the vehicle. “She’s bit” John replies, “she’s not getting any better… We’re just trying to make her final moments as comfortable as we can.” His head sunk, Dawson pays his respects to John and his group, apologizing for their final moments with her occurring such a way. “Where are you guys heading out?” Dawson proceeds, the look of John’s face expressing a concern for giving away anything more than he’d like. “We’re not sure yet” John replies, “we have a few places in mind, but nothing much further than that.” With a nod, Dawson watches the man return to his boat, telling him to be careful. “I plan on it” John replies, “we’ve gotten too far to fall short.” With a nod, John boards the vessel, finally powering up the engine and driving off. “You need to be careful out there, John!” Dawson calls back, the man still shocked at the reality-altering sight, much of the group left to the same surprise as well. “We’ll figure it out” John replies, Dawson giving up on the efforts, knowing it to be a matter of seconds before the group races off into the distance. Looking to Meghan, Dawson notices her head drooped over the side of the boat, hand lingering over the edge as her eyes stare at him. Taking these final seconds of their presence for what they’re worth, Dawson looks to Meghan and tells her to not stop fighting. With that statement, John drives the boat forward, kicking up water as Dawson and Ameil are left to worriedly look on at the departing vessel from the shore. “I really hope they pay attention to the warning signs” Dawson admits, Ameil afraid they hadn’t discovered enough about this group as they should have otherwise done. The morning having departed in favor of noon, John continues to drive onwards, passing the second massive island with the lighthouse in their sights. “We really need to start talking about what we’re gonna do when we get there” Cameron explains, “I mean what happens if it’s already occupied.” “We take it” Jess replies, her statement cold and unwelcoming, the harsh response immediately picked up on by the group, who stare at Jess as she fixates her look towards the ground. “We’ve come too far to negotiate now” Jess continues, doubling down on her statement and making it known that it is either their island, or no one’s. Hitting a larger wave, the boat jolts the group out of their seats for a moment, each survivor left to return to their prior positions. Looking down, Jess finds Meghan slumped over her lap, unmoving and unwilling to make an attempt. “Come on, Meg” Jess grunts, picking the woman up and returning her to her seat, eventually coming to be returned to her worry when she and the group watch Meghan’s head back over the edge of the boat, the woman unresponsive to any requests for her attention. Her head shaking, Jess whimpers “no” over and over again as she, Emilio and Angela leap forward, immediately hurrying to Meghan’s side to look for signs of life. “We’re almost there, keep her with us!” John commands, Emilio placing his ear to her mouth to notice the lack of breathing, Angela taking notice of the lack of a pulse. “What’s going on back there, guys?” John calls out, Emilio and Angela looking towards each other before splitting their views. With Angela turning towards Jess, Emilio stands up and walks over to John, his hand pressing against the man’s shoulder. “She’s gone” Emilio replies, his somber tone immediately leaving a spike of frustration to run down John’s spine. Looking towards the island just less than half a mile away, Jess turns back to Angela, who pulls her in for a hug again as John eases up on the drive. Before long, the boat glides to a halt, floating of its own power over the waves as John hunches over, head in his hands as Emilio returns to his original seat, punching the side of the boat in anger before slouching down. The ship quiet, only the sound of waves crashing into each side of the boat left for the survivors to sit through. Moments turn into seconds, and seconds turn into minutes of sitting on the rocky seas, forcing themselves into the mourning period. With a deep breath, Emilio deems it time to ensure another victim isn’t made out of the loss of their fallen friend, pulling his switchblade from his pocket and preparing to lean down. “Let me do it” Cameron replies, his hand holding Emilio back, keeping him from exiting his seat. “I can handle this” Emilio replies, Cameron telling the man that he’s more than aware of that. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should have to” Cameron replies, his hand held out. Letting out a sigh, Emilio settles back down, the blade being placed into the palm of Cameron’s hand, leaving the job up to him. His hands placed against the seat, Cameron pushes himself up before a ring proceeds his body dropping to the floor in a heap. Jolted out of their time of mourning by the sound of rapid machinegun fire, the group drops away from sight upon watching the blood run from the bullet hole in Cameron’s head. “What the fuck’s happening!?” Jess cries out, the group forced further into hiding at the shocking speed in which everything falls apart, bullets whirling through the air without any end in sight. “He’s dead!” Troy shouts, his face nearly level with the widened eyes of Cameron’s corpse. “We’re under attack!” John calls out, crawling back to starboard before forcing himself back to the ground once the bullets begin targeting him. “Halt your fire!” a voice cries out from afar, its sound carried out by a fleet of mounted megaphones. The rapid shots now being directed towards the source of the plea, only a few small bursts of gunfire actually direct themselves towards John’s vessel, prompting Troy to hurry for the starboard. Upon Troy’s impulsive call, Salem ducks out of cover with her rifle drawn, bullets sent in Troy’s direction halted by a single shot delivered with precision from Salem’s gun. “Nice shot!” Katie calls out, taking her moment to deliver the fatal blow, putting a halt to their current bullet-dodging attempts for the moment. “Get this thing to shore!” John calls out, Troy unable to get the motor started again, the boat having taken too much damage to continue operating. “The thing’s not going” Troy replies, turning back to the group, who stare at him in awe. “What?” Troy asks, Salem continuing to fire at the savages in the suspect boat as the man looks down at his shirt. His hands shaking, Troy pulls the fabric away from his chest, the light gray color it once sports now shared with a bright, pooling blood-red. Muttering the man’s name, John watches Troy drop to his knees before collapsing at Cameron’s feet, adding to the blood running down the boat. “We’re taking on water!” Salem shouts, putting down the final pirate across the seas as water rushes over the edge beside her and quickly fills the boat. The final blow delivered to the culprits in the last possible second, the group holds their breath, the boat quickly falling below the surface and suddenly placing the remaining survivors into a fight against the current. With Jack and Lauren swimming beside Alicia and Franklin, Emilio pulls John over to Jess, his wife calling out for Amy. “I’ve got her!” Heather calls out, floating on her back with Amy held atop her. Unable to swim, Angela flails around the surface for the moment before Emilio saves her from disappearing beneath the waves. Salem and Katie having been the first to enter the warm waters, the pair float back to back, dishing out life rings to every survivors they come across. Now all swimming together in a clump, the group watch the bodies of Meghan, Cameron and Troy float by, face down in the water until a surviving boat finally reaches them. “I really wish you hadn’t left before we figured this shit out” Dawson exclaims, holding his hand out to Amy first, taking children, women and men aboard in that order. The final survivor left in the waters, John looks out towards the floating bodies of his newly-lost friends, ignoring Dawson’s extended arm. Tapping the man on the shoulder, Emilio ushers Dawson back to the starboard before reaching in and pulling John aboard. “I couldn’t save them” John mutters to himself, refusing to even acknowledge the man ripping him from the violent waters, his eyes just locked on the bodies of the fallen as he repeats, “I couldn’t save them.” Refusing to leave the fallen without mercy, Salem readies her rifle once the boat begins driving, putting a bullet through the heads of the fallen, putting them to rest well before they should have been. “I give you mercy” Salem mutters beneath her breath, her rifle returning over her shoulder before she throws herself into a seat and shares the same look as the rest of the group, not one set of eyes leaving the three deceased bodies as the final stretch finally reveals it’s price. Being unable to sleep for another full night, John leaves the bed shared with his wife and throws on a flannel shirt, grabbing his cane from its place against the nightstand. “You should be trying to sleep” Jess mutters from under her breath, wanting her husband to do his best to fall into rest despite being unable to sleep herself. “I don’t think I can get any sleep knowing what I do” John replies, limping back to his wife and giving her a kiss on the head.
“Not sleeping for multiple nights isn’t going to change anything” Jess replies, her husband combing her hair back with his thumb, “we’re still working on a time crunch with or without you.” With a breath-heavy laugh, John reminds his wife that his entire job was to go nights without sleep. “This is normal for me, don’t let it be that for you” John replies, another kiss to his wife’s head signalling his departure. Retiring to the fact that she’ll never change her husband’s mind, Jess silently lets him walk off into the night, hobbling to the side, his hand pressed down atop the handle of his new wooden cane. A worried look on her wide-eyed face, Jess remains laid on her side, arms crooked beneath the pillow, staring at the wall as a sufferer of the same dilemma. Limping his way towards the office, John glances towards the metal gating to find Angela and Cameron sat atop, serving lookout for the group currently abroad. “Someone outside the fences?” John calls out, Cameron looking back to reply with the names of Jack and Lauren. “Why are they out so early in the morning?” John asks, an amused Cameron looking back to him and replying, “you mean so late at night?” Shrugging, John says “sure”, Cameron doubling down on his statement, returning to lookout as John enters the office. Muffled in the back, the wailing sounds of gagged screaming and tortuous beatings tuck themselves away in the unseen portions of the building. Not stopping until he reaches the very end of the office room, John turns to his right and reaches out for the doorknob to the basement, desperate groans growing much louder as soon as the door glides open. Supported by the railing, John descends the staircase, finally reaching the cement ground as the beating comes to a halt, Emilio, Alicia and Franklin stepping away from the prisoner. Hands tied together and restrained behind the back of the chair, the captive man whimpers through his cloth gag, eyes red and cheeks stained with tears. “Is he going to talk?” John asks, looking towards Emilio first, who is more than happy to respond with everything he can. “He claims he doesn’t know anything more than what he’s sent out to collect” Emilio responds, “so you’re told nothing about anything other than what your responsibility is.” Thinking over that for a moment, John looks back to Emilio, inquiring about what they were sent out to collect. Rather than using hiss own words, Emilio reaches out to pull the gag away from the man’s mouth, his sobs holding pleas for his life in each breath. “If you want any hope at being useful to us, you’re gonna have to tell us what you know” John informs, making it known to the man that they have a mass grave for anyone that can’t supply them with that. In fear, the man agrees to share everything he knows, quick to answer any question the man asks. “Every week, we come back to the mainland to collect supplies” the prisoner responds, “one captain, one guard to look after him, all others go to land.” Using the curved end of his cane to pull a chair before the man, John takes a seat and tells the man to continue sharing, hands folding as he begins to piece together his next moves. “That’s really all there is, we’re not told much more” the man responds, “they suppose this task is an easy job, so they don’t feel the need to tell us to look out.” “Why wouldn’t they think this was difficult?” Alicia asks, her arms crossed as she leans against her boyfriend’s side, refusing to allow any holes in his story. Stuttering for a moment, the man takes his eyes away from Alicia and returns them to John, his follow-up coming through a tone resembling that of shame. “We thought everyone on the mainland would be dead by now” the man responds, a smile on John’s face being followed by a laugh. “Okay, so I guess there’s another big question left to ask” Emilio exclaims, Franklin jumping in to finish his sentence, “what do you mean by they?” Splitting his look between both men, the prisoner responds with a question, simple curiosity over what they mean by the question. “We’re asking, who are your people?” John responds, cutting the redundancies and watching the man’s eyes narrow, a puzzled look taking over his face. “Our community” the man responds, “the one over on Plum Island?” The four groupmates looking around to each other in confusion, Emilio informs the man that they have no idea who his community is. “We’re not native to Long Island” John replies, “up until about a year ago, you would’ve never seen us in these little excursions.” “Does your community have a name?” Alicia immediately follows, the prisoner looking back to her with a very slight amount of joy, a somewhat smile forming on his face. “Sun City” the man replies, Alicia looking to John without a change of expression, the man sharing her same response. “What did you come over here looking for?” Emilio asks, his arms crossed as per usual, stood still looking over the man, who admits that there was nothing more than typical supplies. “Medicine, food, water, ammunition” the man responds, “all the basic things you would expect to need nowadays.” More interested in the source, Franklin asks where he would find all of these things. “An old barn a few miles out from the coast” the man responds, “we trade with an old woman that makes a whole ton of things from the place.” Keeping their distance from this topic, Alicia and Franklin maintain their silence for the moment, John and Emilio continuing the interrogation from this moment forward. “What do you mean by ‘makes’ these things?” John asks, the prisoner running down the different ways to make dairy products, medical supplies, and even medical alternatives in the simplest forms. “When supplies are hard to come by, it’s a valuable commodity to be able to make them yourselves.” Feeling the need to push in, Alicia interrupts the follow-up by asking whether or not the woman had supplies this time around. “No” the prisoner responds, John having taken his eyes away from their captive and imprinted them upon Franklin and Alicia, noticing their look from a great distance away, “she never answered, so we headed back to the boats.” “What’s your name?” John asks, returning his eyes to the man, the bloody-lipped, wet-faced man responding with, “Ameil.” Looking back to Emilio, John asks him what elements of torture he was put through. “Waterboarding only” Emilio replies, “he hit his face on the watering can when he tucked his head down, but that’s all we needed for him.” Nodding, John tells Ameil to sit tight as he stands from his seat, requesting that Franklin and Alicia join him in the corner of the room. “I’ve seen that look a thousand times from many different people” John explains, “you know something about this and I want to know what it is.” With a deep breath, Alicia admits that they killed the woman without hesitation, John’s expression taking a slight change into disappointment. “She opened fire on us first for what that’s worth” Alicia follows, Franklin remaining silent, “Katie took her down with one shot, his people came the day after.” “So their main supplier in Long Island is now in a ditch somewhere?” John asks, Alicia and Franklin both quietly nodding. With a deep breath, John places hsi free hand to his hip and looks back to Emilio, requesting his presence as well. “Any chance we take a chance on this guy and take advantage of this situation?” John asks, Emilio immediately becoming skeptical, but refusing to make any assumptions without John’s further explanation. “It sounds like our boat-finders killed the chick two days ago” John responds, Emilio sarcastically referring to how great that news is to hear, “what if we picked up where she left off?” Confused, Emilio finds himself equally intrigued, wanting John to continue, the man doing so with glee. “Chances are the woman had a stockpile set up for this next pickup” John explains, “what if we gave ‘em the kid and the rest of the inventory in return for a boat?” “You think they’re just gonna give up a boat like that?” Emilio asks, John reminding him that he’s not looking for a fleet, but simply one boat. “They get one of their runners, the remaining supplies there is left, and we get ourselves a ticket away from this horde” John responds, Emilio finding himself lured into the suggestion. “We’ll look through what she left behind, take what we need, give them the rest and hope it works out?” Alicia asks, “I actually like those odds.” Looking back to the man, John calls out Ameil’s name, the younger man looking up towards the least-hostile member he’s encountered. “Today might be your lucky day” John exclaims, a smile on his face as he nods to Emilio, the three members remaining looking over Ameil as John ascends the staircase, beginning the stages of putting his plan into motion. = Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards = Waking up in a sweat, Meghan gasps for air, panic in her eyes slowly settling into dread as she sits up in bed, wiping the crumbs from her eyes and tossing the covers away from her body. “Heading out?” Troy asks, Meghan caught by surprise as she emerges from her room, sweater wrapped around her as she jumps at the sound of the man’s voice. “Sorry” Troy responds, “I didn’t mean to scare you.” “What’re you doing out here?” Meghan asks, Troy throwing his arms out as he looks back to the boat he sits beside, admitting that Heather needed someone to take after it. “If that horde’s coming soon, we’re gonna need everything we can to have a chance at outrunning it” Troy replies, “I guess trying to make sure we have a boat qualifies as that.” A passing smirk, Meghan attempts to continue walking, the man calling her back, asking why she seems so off. “I’m not off” Meghan replies, “I’m just going for a walk.” Hand dropping over his knee, Troy calls the woman on her bluff, stating that there is a clear issue present. “It’s the middle of the night, it’s the back half of summer and you’re freezing, should I go on?” Troy asks, “because if I did, I’d point out the fact that it’s the middle of the night a second time.” “What do you care?” Meghan asks, the man throwing his hands out, asking why she would think that he didn’t. “You’re never around unless the group goes off to do something together” Meghan replies, “you’re just doing your own thing until it becomes a group effort.” His head hung, Troy nods in agreeance, admitting that being a part of a group had never been his strong suit. “I’ll give you that, I’m not always a team-player” Troy admits, “but don’t let that make you think I don’t care about any of you.” Shrugging, Meghan tells Troy that she never suggested such a thing, the man nodding in compliance, watching her walk off. Suddenly, Meghan stops in her tracks, Troy hesitantly allowing her to walk off by returning to work on the boat until the woman turns back, calling out a question to him. “Why aren’t you into the group thing?” Meghan asks, Troy caught by surprise by her sudden interest, “why do you prefer being alone?” Not needing much time to think about it, Troy answers Meghan’s question by asking her what she remembered first learning about him. After a moment, Meghan responds by recalling a time where he had a pet snake named after a Seinfeld character. With a chuckle, Troy corrects her approach. “It was named after a House character, and his name was Laurie” Troy responds, “and he was very clearly my best friend.” Nodding, Meghan asks what his pet snake has in regards to his reasoning for remaining alone. “Exactly, that… My best friend was a pet snake” Troy responds, laughing at himself, “I was never the one that was a part of the big groups, just the one that the big groups picked on.” Taking in a deep breath and sighing away the air that had once filled his lungs, Troy admits that he’s just naturally been someone that found more value in being alone. “If I’m being honest with myself, I’d have to admit that I’m not very good at not being alone” Troy replies, Meghan nodding, prepared enough to resume her walk. “Everyone at the camp likes you in the rare times they see you” Meghan responds, putting a smile on the man’s face, “try getting better at not being alone.” With a nod, Troy watches Meghan walk away before slowly returning to the fix-up of his boat, continuing to smile much like Meghan, only for the latter to slowly drop her smile into another frown as she continues onward. | A new day carrying the same weight as every day before it, the group groggily walks into the office, very little rest having come from the night prior. Sat behind the desk, John watches the group walk in, one after another appearing through the door. “I’m gonna get started so we aren’t wasting anymore daylight” John explains, “I think we have a somewhat viable chance at getting off this island.” Leaning forward, John folds his hands together and looks at the collective group, the picture of every remaining survivor differing greatly from their first days post-pandemic. “I’m going to leave the decision up to you at the end, so I want everyone paying close attention” John calls, any members of the group having slumped in their seats now sitting up with great anticipation. Explaining the events that led Alicia’s group to killing the winery owner, John begins adding the Sun City traders into the scenario, the group slowly becoming aware of how this is set to work. “We’re left with a few options, none of which hold any guarantees which is why this isn’t a decision only I should be able to make” John explains, “that said, I want you to vote based off what you’re most comfortable with.” With a deep breath, John looks towards each member of the group as he labels these choices, watching their expressions change with each afforded choice. “Trade Ameil and the supplies for a boat, kill Ameil and keep the supplies to grab a boat from them next time around” the first two options bringing cautious faces, “the curious attempt at joining the Sun City community if possible, or remain at the motel behind our walls and wait the horde out.” Immediately concerned, Emilio lifts his hand and inquires about the latter-most option, curious as to what John means by ‘waiting out the horde’. “We know the horde moves based off landmass, so they could reach the end of Long Island and start moving back” John replies, Meghan immediately finishing John’s sentence, “or they could just stay and linger around just outside the gates.” Lips puckered, John nods in compliance, the choice of staying coming with the uncertainty that the horde will ever walk off of their own accord. “So there’s a chance we end up hiding from a radioactive horde in this cramped piece of shit for who knows how long?” Cameron asks, ensuring his vote remains uncasted for staying put. “Jess and I were talking about this a little the other day” Angela begins, her voice softer than the rest, quieter than most, “is this the best time to start asking what happens if there’s already people on the island?” Glad to hear it mentioned, Salem thanks Angela for finally bringing up the elephant in the room. “We just killed a family the other day because we supposedly take no chances, that would answer Angela’s question, we’d just kill them and take it” Salem explains, “but if we’re now considering taking a chance on this kid and this group, the answer isn’t so clear anymore.” Nodding, John agrees, admitting that discussing the original option goes against everything they have put in place to maintain their own survival. “I understand the worry, but if there was any time to throw aside taking no chances, it would be for something like this” John explains, “our hands are tied and we’re being handed a pair of scissors.” Arms crossed, Emilio explains to John that the scissors could find themselves lodged in their necks at any second. “I know that” John replies, his voice lowering, Emilio knowing his sincerity, “but Sun City might be a place willing to make this deal.” “Sure, Sun City could be as shiny and bright as the name would suggest” Angela replies, “but it could also be another Sheol.” Head hung, Angela pauses for a moment as silence befalls the group, speaking up with a follow seconds later. “Or it could be another New World Order” Angela replies, the hung heads of the group springing up, John looking up to the woman in disappointment. “Cameron was telling me about everything you guys saw before we met on the gates” Angela explains, “I heard all about the walls and the camp, the scavengers and everything.” With a deep breath, Angela thinks over her words, the people having experienced what she now finds herself talking about awaiting a third-party take they had never experienced prior. “If we don’t even know where that Charlotte chick is now, we can’t be sure about anything with this Sun City” Angela admits, the group nodding in agreement. “She may not have lived through it, and hell, most of you probably don’t know what Salem, Alicia and I had to go through” Franklin admits, “but that doesn’t make her any less right.” With a somber tone, Franklin admits that they’ve never had luck with big communities before, pointing out that people only regress in morality the longer they experience the world. “Sure, they get a ton of shit and one of their guys back for a boat, but who’s to say they take no chances either?” Franklin asks, “and we all remember why we started looking out for ourselves first.” “We can talk about all the people that fucked us over until we’re blue in the face” Troy exclaims, one leg crossed over the other, “but unless we get out of here, there is no ‘us’ to look out for.” Clearing his throat, Troy accepts his part as a member of the group, letting his foot fall to the floor as he leans forward. “We can talk about ‘no chances’ when we get this done” Troy replies, “but in order to make sure we survive, make sure everyone we’ve lost hasn’t been for nothing, this is the time for chances.” Collectively, the group begins to fall in line with Troy, the point he makes unmistakable in nature, a bitter pill to swallow necessary to ensure survival. “We still don’t know how to interact with these guys” Emilio responds, “as good of a point Troy makes, there are many things we still don’t know.” “We can call for them and make the offer tonight” John explains, “we’ll get everything set up and make the trade in the morning.” Looking around the room, heads begin to nod, everyone coming into agreement. “The only question left is who goes to meet these guys?” Emilio asks, immediately offering to go himself. “I don’t want one of my most dependable hands going out to meet these guys alone” John replies, looking towards Alicia’s group for an offer. “We’ll go, no problem” Alicia replies, a smile on her face being turned into confusion as Meghan refuses, making the demand that she go alone. “We’re safer off having four go instead of just one alone” John replies, Meghan telling John that he can’t risk their lives, the danger of these people as of yet unknown. “You send them out there, and there’s a chance they don’t come back” Meghan replies, “it’s best you send someone out there that doesn’t care about those risks.” Confused, John double-checks Meghan’s offer, asking if she’s suggesting that she doesn’t fear whatever baggage these citizens bring with them. “I don’t” Meghan replies, “my life is less valuable than any one of theirs, so I, and I alone, should go.” Confused, the group looks at Meghan, John on the verge of laughing at the suggestion, Jess telling Meghan not to think of herself in such a degrading way. Holding his hand out to signal to his wife to halt her efforts, John asks Meghan why she would suggest anything of the sorts, the woman closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. “Meghan?” John asks, the woman sporting an anxious look as everyone begins to take notice, “what’s going on with you?” Lip quivering, Meghan begins to tear up, looking towards Jess and Amy before beginning to tear up, the remainder of the group looking on in a great deal of concern. “Meghan?” John calls for a second time, the optimism had from coming to a final vote thrown out of the window upon the display,, Meghan looking back at John with her hands cupped together in her lap, the man repeating the question, “what’s wrong?” The discussion having passed so quickly, Meghan was left dreading having to speak, seeing the ultimate opportunity to do so when volunteers were necessary. Catching her breath as the anxiety continues to rise the longer she goes without speaking, Meghan eventually becomes overwhelmed and lets her fears take control, confessing her reasoning to a horrified reaction from the group. “I’m bit” Meghan mutters, a few gasps coming from an equal few people, the remainder just watching on in silence, either their jaws dropping or their eyes beginning to water. Leaning forward, Meghan pulls the collar from her shirt down, showing the imprint of a bite on the back of her neck, John’s head immediately dropping. Assuming its place of origin to be as he believes it to be, Emilio shuts his eyes, beginning to force his emotions down. “Emilio and I were trying to board off that building yesterday, and some shit hit the fan” Meghan responds, Emilio’s head dropping before he walks off without a word. “One of them grabbed me by the hair and… And this happened” Meghan concludes, the power to finish her explanation being lost. Unable to bare any further explanation, Jess sits Amy on her chair and walks up to her sister, pulling her into a hug as the rest of the group partially dies on the inside. “What are the chances she can survive it?” Troy calls out, his mind not wanting to admit that one of their own has been lost, instead coping by sifting through his head for a feasible excuse. “If this is a disease, then there’s nothing we can do about it” Troy continues, the rest of the group having been too depleted to cut him off, “but people can be immune to diseases! It happens all the time!” The room silent, Troy looks around, the survivors around him staring with eyes of refusal, a faint “right?” leaving his lips as his final ounces of hope disappear. Standing from his seat, John slowly leaves his desk, walking through the door and noticing the gate left partially open. Somberly walking over, John peers outside to see Emilio approaching a small crowd of the undead with a rock, the cane in John’s hand now pulled into readiness. Hobbling beside Emilio, John looks to the man and nods, a nod returned as they hurry up to the dead and level them with their chosen weapons. Refusing to kill any, John and Emilio simply hit them hard enough to drop, but leaving them able to get up and return fire. Emilio using the rock as a miniature battering ram, each strike comes with a grunt. Taking another approach, John hooks the dead and trips them, beating them whilst they’re down as the group emerge from the gates. Exhausting their energy, John and Emilio simply stand against each other’s backs, watching the dead struggle to lift themselves to their feet. Knowing their fun had come to an end, Salem pulls her rifle forward and takes the group out, one falling after another all around the men. “I caused this” John admits, “had I never gone up that fucking tower, none of this would have happened.” His head shaking, Emilio refuses to allow the victim of a radio tower collapsing blame himself for a death that followed after. “I ran us into that building after you, and I went after the shelf” Emilio responds, “had I not tripped over a stupid fucking pile of junk, she’d still be safe.” “I don’t blame either of you” Meghan calls, having departed the group and approached the men, their exhausted breaths signalling the beginning of an attempt to cope. “In fact, I’m glad I’m the only one this happened to” Meghan admits, Emilio and John both looking at the woman in disapproval of their own actions. “He didn’t hesitate to go in after you, not for a second!” Meghan shouts to John, her finger pointed towards Emilio, telling the former to be proud. “You impacted this group in such a way that he didn’t stutter, his only thought was to get you out of that shit” Meghan recalls, the response existing as proof that the group needs John. Turning to Emilio, Meghan threatens to slap the man if he apologizes anymore than he already has. “The second he went down, you didn’t stand back and panic about what to do next, you took action” Meghan replies, “you saved his fucking life, and you didn’t even have to think about it.” Reminding both men of all they’ve seen, Meghan implores them not to let this hiccup derail everything they’ve worked for. “Maybe I should be more mad than I am, but I don’t really care to play by norms right now” Meghan replies, “we’ve fought too hard to let something like this cost us everything we’ve been working for.” Heads hung, John and Emilio nod in agreement, finding little reason to be worked up over someone’s demise if that person couldn’t care less themselves. “If you wanna remember me, build me a headstone when you get to the island, or fuck it, build us all a headstone!” Meghan responds, “but actually finish the job and get to the fucking island first.” With a deep breath, a slight wheeze coming, Meghan tells them not to let her down, and push the short distance they have left to run. Nodding, John and Emilio promise to do what it takes to avenge her efforts, a tear running down Meghan’s cheek as she hears that. With a smile, the woman looks at both of them, genuine passion behind the whispered hush of her simple, yet notable response. “I know” the woman replies, wrapping her arms around both me, continuing to whisper, “you make me so proud to have shared this road with you.” Beginning to cry again, Meghan stumbles over her words, another congested whisper flutters from her lips, “keep making me proud.” The sun finally lifting over the horizon, the soon-to-be blue sky burns a light orange, the group left at the gates, trying to keep their emotions in check on what should be the final day of uncertainty. A mixture of a promising future meeting the stubborn wall of a valiant fight to the end, the new day brings along one final effort, an effort one year in the making, and an effort to close the approach-altering chapter in their post-Sheol world. See the job through to the end. Asleep in her half-empty bed, Jess rests her hands below the pillow beneath her head, face directed at Amy, who sleeps on an air mattress just a few feet away. Outside their room, John sits with his hands folded and feet crossed on a wooden bench, alone as the night sky begins to welcome new life into a new day. Continuing to replay the events of last night in his head on repeat, John soon becomes entrenched by the thought, playing each expression at nauseum.
“Rough night?” a feminine voice calls out, at first not noticed by John, who remains coldly staring forward. Asking the question once more, Salem finally catches the man’s attention, watching him immediately reach up to rub his eyes. “No sleep is definitely not a good look for you” Salem exclaims, holding out a fresh cup of coffee as the sun begins to finally rise over the horizon. “It’s just tough sleeping after something like that” John replies, the woman he takes the coffee from knowing exactly what he feels. “Maybe I don’t pull the trigger, but I let you without a fight” Salem replies, “if you’re guilty for what happened to them, so am I.” Taking a seat beside the man, Salem places one leg over the other, resting her head back against the ciding of the motel walls. “At least you didn’t have to pull the trigger” John replies, lifting the cup to his lips as Salem assures him that she may as well have. “We were all in agreement with you” Salem recalls, looking towards the man, watching his eyes fill with the weight of three more lives lost, “you pulled the trigger, but none of us would have stopped you anyway.” His eyebrows lifting for a brief moment before falling back in place, John tells Salem that his job is meant to fall on the sword. “If a bullet needs to be fired, my job is to be the one pulling the trigger” John explains, “if I can’t do that, I have no claim to being the leader.” Her eyes lifting, Salem looks to the man and assures him that his claim to leadership stretches much farther than just being the assassin of the group. “Even still, it doesn’t feel right to call myself a leader and then saddle all of you with the dirty work” John replies, downing the remainder of the coffee before pushing himself up. Looking on, Salem lets John begin to walk off with little fight, eventually growing a sudden intrigue deep down that quickly pushes its way to the top. “Hey, John?” Salem calls out, watching the man turn around, legs still facing forward as his head looks back to the woman. “What was that horde they were talking about?” Salem asks, John’s eyes looking down for a moment before returning, telling Salem to gather the group in the courtyard at sunrise. “You can’t tell me now?” Salem calls out, her voice holding curiosity as John continues to walk away, hands tucked in his pockets as he directs himself towards the front gate. “I don’t know yet” John replies, disappearing around the corner, leaving Salem left to question the near future on her own. = Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards = “What’s going on?” Emilio asks mid-stretch as he emerges through the office door, noticing almost the entire group huddled around, awaiting John’s reasoning. After a few seconds, a groggy Heather enters the office, a lively “hi, Heather!” coming from Amy, who sits upon her mother’s lap with her hand flailing in the air. “Hello, little one” Heather replies, immediately setting her sights on the makeshift coffee maker. “Alright, seriously big guy” Emilio begins, “can we please get to the point of all of this?” Leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, John rubs his eyes and requests the entire group hear him from start to finish before asking any questions. His head hung, John begins to feel the dynamic of the room shift, all intrigue, suspense or potential excitement falling into pits of dread, worry, fear and concern. “When Emilio and I were talking with the family yesterday, they told us something that I still don’t know how to perceive” John begins, Emilio’s head tilting up as his arms cross. “What it ultimately boils down to is simple” John continues, the group remaining nearly on the edge of their seats, “they were running away from a horde not too far out.” With the mention of a horde, most of the group begins to fear the worst, recalling the earliest days of the pandemic. “I don’t want to take them too seriously or too lightly, so I’m going out there to see for myself” John admits, looking around the room for any volunteers. “You already know I’m coming with” Kate speaks up, Meghan quickly throwing her hat into the ring as well. Looking to his left, John stares at Emilio, his voice refusing to put the question into words, his gaze doing the talking for him, Emilio simply answering with a closed-eye nod of assurance. “I guess that leaves us to go out looking for a boat again” Alicia jokes, looking back to Jack and Lauren, who slam their hands against the desk they sit atop in anticipation. “Let’s get this show moving!” Jack cheers, the energy of the group only rising as John looks on with a smirk, grateful for how stubborn the group remains in refusal to allow such news to break their spirits. “Let’s not waste anymore daylight!” Kate exclaims, walking past John and giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Count me in, too” Salem exclaims, the rifle over her shoulder seemingly never left anywhere other than draped over her shoulder. From her seat, Jess walks over to her husband and pecks him on the cheek, telling him to come home safely. “Bye, Heather!” Amy exclaims with a wave, a confused, half-asleep Heather left with no other option than to silently wave back. | With a grunt, Franklin drives his hook hand directly through an undead’s head, allowing it to slump into the ground with a heap. “Where are we going anyway?” Jack asks as he adjusts the strap over his bag currently digging into his shoulder. “As far as we can make it without being left in the dark” Alicia replies, surveying the area for any impending threat. “Why are we even still looking for a boat?” Franklin asks, wiping the blood from his arm, “what’s the point?” “Did you forget that we’re trying to get off this place?” Lauren mockingly asks, the man rephrasing his statement. “I meant that if there really is a horde coming after us, shouldn’t we be getting more supplies to help Heather get that lug of metal ready for the water?” Franklin asks, Jack left to shrug. “That would mean that boat would actually have to be salvageable” Alicia replies, Franklin looking back to the woman intrigued. “The thing’s missing half its hull!” Alicia exclaims, “go ahead and fix a plane that’s missing a wing and the entire cockpit, and then tell me how that works out for you.” Continuing to kick dirt forward every few steps, Franklin finally accomplishes what he intended to, drawing another corpse out from the cover of the trees. Letting a whistle escape his lips, Franklin draws the corpse further out as the remainder of the group grows mostly quiet. Watching Franklin’s next attempt at mercy-offering, Jack and Lauren remain oblivious to the sights Alicia sets in the opposite direction, believing herself to have seen something through the treeline. With another grunt, Franklin swings his hook through the air and pierces the side of the corpse’s head, watching it stumble to the ground. As Franklin digs his hook out of the skull once more, he kicks up more dirt, catching the attention of another corpse as Alicia leans closer. Her sights still obstructed, Alicia notices a clearance just ahead, the fuzzy sights of stammering through the leaves enough to allow alarm bells to go off in her head. Preparing for a third consecutive kill, Franklin readies his hand and finds it remaining in mid-air as Alicia passes him, driving a knife in the corpse’s skull before hurrying further ahead. “Why you gotta ruin all the fun?” Franklin asks, the woman continuing forward without response, hurrying out from cover. “Alicia, what’re you doing!?” Jack calls, his arms extended as the woman peers around the treeline before dashing back in a hurry. “What the fuck is going on with you?” Lauren asks, Alicia refusing to answer with words, instead waving her hands downwards. Taking this as their signal to do as instructed, Jack, Lauren and Franklin all kneel towards the ground, Alicia sliding on her knees up to them as the questions begin to find themselves asked. “What is going on?” Lauren asks, Jack proposing the alternate query of, “what did you see?” Her finger pressed to her lips, Alicia slowly crawls off the trail, pushing away flora and fauna to provide a better view of the near coastline. Without verbal response once more, the group elects to follow after Alicia, crawling behind her until a favorable vantage point is finally stumbled upon. Without words, the group stares through the clearance at the sights afforded to them, many mouths dropped at the sight of something so coveted. On the docks, four different ships have various supplies wheeled onto them via an assortment of dolly’s, a small army’s-worth of men loading the equipment, tools, foods and weapons in bunches. “Have you ever seen this before?” Jack whispers, not a single member of the huddled-group replying in the affirmative, instead, simply stunned at the concept of such a large group. “This is all coordinated” Lauren whispers, “there’s no way this is just some small group trying to make it out on the water.” “We can’t exactly clear out that whole group” Jack whispers, allowing anyone else to bring an alternative to the table if available. Nothing to add, the remainder of the group grows quiet, letting the sights speak for themselves, the realization of not being the only ones with the idea of an island excursion beginning to settle in. “We need to go back right now” Alicia mutters under her breath, watching the four boats float off into the sea, the docks appearing as though they were never there. | “I don’t wanna venture too far out in case we run into someone coming up” John directs, having the van pull off the road near a radio tower. “You can’t seriously be suggesting one of us climb up that thing, right?” Meghan asks, John replying in kind. “Of course not” the man responds with a smile, Meghan nodding in response until John continues, “I’m climbing it.” With a chuckle from the driver’s seat, Emilio mutters under his breath, “of course he is” as the van slowly pulls onto the side of the road. Without hesitation, John places his handgun in the waistband of his pants and slides the van door open, emerging from the vehicle and immediately walking for the tower. “Please make sure we can get you home in one piece” Katie replies with humor, a smiling John looking back at her with his hands stretched, “always!” Stretching his fingers out, John feels the tendons strain within his skin as he reaches out for the metal, the heat radiating off of it not as bad as other days would bring. One by one, each metal rod becomes just another rung on a very weirdly designed ladder, the sights of the small Long Island community around being put further into perspective the higher the ascent. “I know I’ve already said it plenty before, but I’ll say it again” Emilio shouts, his arms crossed as he leans against the van, “please don’t die.” With a smirk, John calls back, “I assure you, that is the plan” as his ascent only grows greater. Looking out at the main road, Meghan calls for the group to be ready, a line of a few straggling undead turning the corner. “Meghan, back up!” Emilio shouts, his arms uncrossed as he hurries up to the woman, pulling her back as he notices something unusual about the situation. “What’s going on down there?” John asks as he climbs further, his voice growing fainter even at the loudest yell. “Nothing!” Emilio shouts back, “just hurry it up over there!” Turning to Emilio, Meghan tells the man to let John know what he’s seeing. “He takes one wrong step up there and he’s dead” Emilio replies, stubbornly refusing to add any more concern into John’s already flooded head, “let’s not add to his plate.” Her rifle drawn, Salem asks Emilio once more why he’s holding the group back, the man responding by lifting his finger towards the closest one. “They said the horde was covered in fallout from the bomb at Sheol” Emilio explains, “I don’t know about you, but that shit doesn’t look right.” The corpse in question struggles more than usual in their stagger, their jaws opening slower and their bones more brittle than others. Adding onto the concern, dust falls from the skin of the corpse with each prominent step taken, immediately putting Emilio on high alert. “You’re saying it’s covered in fallout?” Katie questions, Emilio looking back to her as he pulls Meghan further back. “No” Emilio replies, “I’m saying it’s probably radioactive.” Looking back, Emilio eyes Salem in a way that is taken as a non-verbal command, the woman climbing onto the roof of the van and staring down the scope. Nearly a quarter of the way atop the tower, John begins hearing the gunshots ring out below, pauses in between each as he shouts for information. “What’s going on down there?” John calls out, his voice too far away for the group to hear it in any feasible way, leaving him in the dark, no option other than to climb higher. Continuing his ascent, the man begins to feel the tower creek in the wind, it’s structure more unstable the further up he climbs, deterioration caused by a combination of the elements and time. Each pull higher coming with not only another deep breath, but another shot fired off below, responded to by the structure itself with more unsteadiness. Looking out, John spots the flooded streets miles off being too covered for a fair view, prompting further ascent. Handing Salem a second cartridge of ammunition, Emilio looks out at the remaining clip being emptied into one skull after another, the pavement below being sprayed in a harsh maroon. “Where do all these other fuckers keep coming from?” Salem mutters, another shot ringing through the air and taking out yet another undead, only for another to turn the corner in its place. “Keep your eye on ‘em and don’t hit me” Emilio orders, leaving the side of the van and storming towards the line of undead, walking around them as one corpse drops after another. Continuing to maintain his distance, Emilio arrives on the street just beyond the undead attempting to swarm the group, his eyes widening upon the sights he finds. “Okay!” Emilio shouts, his hands waving towards the ground, “we’ve got some trouble!” One after another, undead covered in radioactive fallout pour from corner shops and vacant apartment complexes, following each other into the street and towards the sound of gunfire. Returning to the group, Emilio orders Katie to assist Salem in providing cover fire, directing the woman towards a concrete barrier off to the side for positioning. Hoping to hold off the swarm for long enough, Emilio rests against the van again, staring up and watching John the rest of the way through. Continuing to climb, John finds himself continuously met with a poor vantage point, not even bothering to retrieve the binoculars on his belt loop. Not one to fear heights, John glances down the countless stories below to keep an eye on the group, noticing the lines of undead marching into the streets. Knowing they’ll take care of business, John returns his glance towards the metal bars above, only to think to himself for a moment about what he had just seen. Looking back down below, John notices a similarity between the look of the lines of undead just below and the covering of the streets miles away. Wrapping his legs around the divider, John reaches onto his belt and quickly pulls the binoculars to his face, his eyes widened upon this realization. Looking through the viewfinder, John’s jaw drops, his body beginning to tremble for reasons other than the uncertainty of the structure’s support below. In the distance, miles off, John finds the streets leading into Long Island covered in an army of the undead the likes of which scale into empire-run proportions. As far as the eye can see, a sea of millions of undead roam aimlessly throughout the streets, their one direction taking them into an inevitable, head-on collision with their motel camp. In awe at the sight, John loses awareness of the situation he currently finds himself in, nearly forgetting the events unfolding below. After a few moments, John returns to the now, his hands racing to return the binoculars to their place on his belt, the strap refusing to return to the hook before falling all together. Plummeting through the skies, the binoculars finally come to a rest thirty stories below, shattering on the ground and alerting the group. Looking up, the four survivors notice John beginning his descent, the speed of which being outmatched by the pace in which the radioactive swarm arrives. Feeling the metal desire to warp beneath the abnormal body weight placed upon it, John quickens his pace, trying to keep his frame as light as possible to avoid devastating losses. Suddenly, the vibration becomes too much to ignore, the metal clambering with each move downwards, and the bolts and screws rattling in their places with each move. In one moment, John moves his feet from beneath the metal supports, intending to move further before the vibrations increase. Every move forcing the metal to thrash and buckle worse, John begins moving as quickly as he can, nearly losing his grip on multiple occasions as each inch feels like a mile. The girls continuing to keep the horde at a distance, the fight remains against time, the group remaining calm until the subtle twists of metal begin to present themselves at ground-level. “Is that the tower?” Meghan calls out, staring towards the sky at the last possible second. Ten stories above, the tower twists in an unsettling position, losing its support and falling forward, John riding the tower back to earth to the horror of those below. In a flurry of expletives, the group watches John descend with the tower, crashing through the roof of a nearby storefront and disappearing within. Without question, Emilio orders Salem into the driver’s seat of the van, leading the group down an alley as Salem outdrives the horde. “How are we gonna get to him!?” Meghan clammers in a panic, a hurried Emilio gliding through cramped spaces with only one thought in mind. “I don’t know, we just will!” Emilio shouts, picking up a rock and smashing the backdoor open. After a few good shots, Emilio wears the hefty metal divider down enough to force it in with his boot. Without care, Emilio races into the building, followed closely by the rest of the group, who embrace the naturally-lit inners at once. | “You anymore busy than usual?” Jess calls out, Heather looking over the boat at the woman with Amy by her side. “Oh, y’know” Heather replies, “just making a boat, I suppose.” Running from her mother’s side, Amy climbs the stairs towards the boat, racing up to Heather as the woman watches her every step. “Amy really wanted to come see you” Jess says, watching her daughter quickly dash up the stairs, “she said she needed to help you fix the boat.” “Ah!” Heather replies, watching Amy finally climb into the boat and look up at her with a wide smile, responding with less than a high amount of enthusiasm, “wonderful.” “Just don’t let her do something that’ll mess her up” Jess requests, Heather suggesting that she’d do nothing of the sorts. “Can I help again?” Amy barks excitedly, Heather wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel, a defeated “sure” sparking a wave of joy through Amy’s tiny body. “Just don’t touch anything you’re not supposed to” Heather replies, climbing back into the hull before reaching out for her tool pile, finding Amy’s outstretched hand greeting her with a wrench. With a smile, Heather takes the wrench, watching Amy turn and walk towards the back of the boat before picking up the right tool and disappearing beneath. | “This is what you do all day?” Angela asks, her seat atop the metal gate shared with Cameron, who simply enjoys the same view each day. “There’s something to be said for being able to just sit down and not worry about getting shot in the face” Cameron admits, rubbing his hands together as the summer slowly turns into the fall. A view being one of the things she most took for granted once upon a time, Angela looks to Cameron and asks how likely he finds a horde coming towards camp to be. With a sigh, the man leans back in his chair and admits that he’s seen worse. “A few months after everything started, we were all at this one place a while away from Sheol” Cameron begins, a smile on his face as he recalls the earlier days of the pandemic, “big place, made before it all went down.” “Why would you ever leave?” Angela asks, a curious smile on her face as Cameron’s eyebrows lift momentarily, admitting that there are more reasons to leave something good than one would think. “We had a process to pick which people could come in or not, meant a lot of people were left in the cold” Cameron replies, his smile beginning to fade, “most of them stayed outside the walls, just kinda waiting to either be accepted, or lose their patience and take matters into their own hands.” Her face continuing to rest upon Cameron, Angela leans back in her own seat and watches the man as he relives the experiences, any idea of the pandemic outside of Sheol’s walls having been with this group. “We called ‘em scavengers” Cameron recalls, “but I’m pretty sure anyone here would tell you that they were the second biggest thing to worry about.” Eyes narrowed, Angela asks how the dead could be any scarier than the living. “I get they’re cannibals, and we’re not really sure what’s wrong with them” Angela acknowledges, “but I’ll take dealing with a corpse over any of those people you’re talking about.” A smile, Cameron shakes his head, making it known to Angela that the dead were even farther down the list of concerns than the scavengers. “We dealth with something different” Cameron admits, “someone pretty bad.” A grin, Angela pops the cap off a bottle of beer and smiles, “I’m listening.” | “John!” Emilio calls out, the groaning and shifting of the undead present the moment they step foot inside the building. “Everyone be ready!” Emilio shouts, removing his knife and directing everyone to stand together, back to back in anticipation of what’s to come. “Hold your breath, squint your eyes and keep as much distance as you can!” Emilio shouts, holding out hope that their worst fears come to be unrealized. Within the dark, a dim green inches closer, climbing over the fragments of the building at the sight of Emilio and company. Taking it as his responsibility, Emilio marches forward first, quickly sticking the corpse with a blade and backing away from it within the same breath. “Anyone got eyes on him!?” Emilio calls out, marching forward and sticking a second corpse, high-tensions filling the air as the dead fall one after another, no sight of the man to be found. “Keep your eyes peeled!” Emilio shouts, approaching the front entry and reaching for a large shelf with the anticipation of blocking off the dead in the street. A groan coming from behind her, Meghan turns around to find Emilio holding back one of the undead having caught him off guard, his back pinned against the uneasy wall as he holds onto what life he can. In an instant, Meghan deviates from the course, running her shoulder into the dead and freeing the man from his predicament until things begin falling to pieces. Reaching behind the woman, Emilio jabs his blade at another one of the dead, tripping over Meghan and dropping to the floor. “What’s going on back there!?” Katie shouts, no longer able to keep her distance well enough, opting for the louder method of firing shots off whenever she can. “We’ve got it!” Meghan calls out, reaching down to help Emilio up before being shoved forward the moment the dead grabs a hold of her. Hair pulled back, Meghan groans in pain as she squirms out of reach, allowing Emilio to fire a round off and stop the danger at once. “Hurry up!” Emilio shouts, climbing over the debris and toppling the shelf over with Meghan’s help, securing a small enough amount of time to sift through the crumbled stone and plaster. “Search while you can!” Emilio shouts, knowing well enough that the shelf will only work for a short period of time. Ridding of the last of the undead, Katie hurries to the aid of Emilio and Meghan, kicking up every tattered remain before Katie catches the glimpse of a rubber boat in the corner of her eye. Swiping the ceiling tile away, Katie notices the leg begin to move before realizing whom the boot belonged to. “I’ve got him over here!” Katie shouts, the dead finally toppling the shelf over enough to climb over, Emilio and Meghan working together to pull John free in the last moment. Arms draped over Emilio and Meghan’s neck, John pushes himself to his feet and begins making the run to safety, arms finally able enough to begin hacking away with his knife. Rushing through the alleyway, the group watch Salem drag her tires along the ground upon first sight, motioning for them to make a break for it. Bolting for the finish line, the four outrun the dead failing to keep pace with them, collapsing into the van before Salem drives off, aware that the time remaining to locate a boat is slim at best, none at worst. Checking himself for bites, John feels the relief of a clean check, the same coming from Emilio as he sprouts a smile, patting John’s extended knee before collapsing backwards in joy. “You saved my life there, man” John says, Emilio looking back towards the exhausted man with his head shaking in refusal. “Nah, I was just doing what you would have” Emilio replies, a wider smile being flashed, “no man left behind.” A smile and a nod, John looks to an amused Katie and a distressed Meghan, patting the latter on the leg before tilting his head back for a much needed breather. Nearly a half an hour later, the van finally pulls into the sanctum of the front gates, John leading the group back onto familiar grounds. “I’m a little bit more glad to see this place today than yesterday, to be honest” John mutters, Emilio patting him on the back before taking the first steps towards the office. Walking through the door, John wastes no time in explaining the days events, introducing the statement before he can even look inside. “So we’ve got some news to share” John begins, stopping himself as he turns around to look inside, the group returning with him in equal surprise. “We’ve got some news to share, too” Alicia responds, taking note of the silence to explain the sight, a man left restrained in a chair with his mouth gagged and eyes covered. “What’s this?” John asks, his posture immediately becoming rigid, worried of what’s next to come. Her lips pressed together, Alicia takes in a deep breath, looking John in the eyes as the worry in his eyes becomes noticeable. In one moment, Alicia says enough to explain the sights and why the need to figure out where to go from here is an immediate conversation to have. “We’re not alone.” Season Four Premiere
Beneath the cover of night, the headlights of an older-model sedan light a small road devoid of much more than rundown storefronts and weathered wooden homes. “What’s the plan when we get there, Oscar?” an anxious woman hollers from the passenger’s seat, the man beside her not affording her much comfort. “I don’t know, we’ll figure it out when we get there!” the man yelps back, his wife dropping her head into her hand. “Are the zombies still coming after us?” their young son asks from behind, his mother immediately wiping away her exhausted expression and replacing it with a fraudulent smile. “No, sweetheart!” the woman replies, her hand reaching out to rest upon her son’s knee. “Jill, don’t lie to him” her husband replies, the woman’s face immediately turning sour upon redirecting towards him. “It’s not a lie, we’re all going to be fine” Jill replies, an aggressive tone to begin the reassuring statement as she looks at the man growing compassionate as her eyes return to her son. “We’re going to get to the coast and hide somewhere for a little while, okay?” Jill asks, her son’s expression sharing room between comfort and distress. “Shouldn’t we find a boat?” Oscar asks, his wife turning towards him and suggesting that such a treasure would be preferable. “While I’d like to think we’ll stumble upon a boat, I’d rather not make plans on hopes” Jill replies, “more realistic option would be to lay low somewhere and wait for the crowd to move on.” Shrugging his shoulders, the man looks towards the woman and asks how many bullets she has left to fire. Retrieving the gun from her boot, Jill opens the barrel of her revolver to find one bullet remaining locked and loaded. Taking in a deep breath, Oscar nods to himself before looking into the back mirror and calling for his son. “Hey Mathias, pick a track!” Oscar joyfully exclaims, his son lurking through his head for his song of choice as his father reaches for the dial to the radio. Suddenly, the family goes quiet, groaning at the feeling of their body losing control with the car. Having driven over a patch of something unfamiliar to them, Oscar desperately turns the wheel to regain control of a skidding car as Jill and Mathias clutch to whatever they can reach for. His eyes widening, Oscar finds the car continuing to skid toward a large rock on the side of the road. “Brace!” Oscar shouts, his arms reaching towards holding his wife and son back as any hope of regaining control of the vehicle in time is lost. Tires screeching across the asphalt, the car turns in such a way that its passenger’s side slams into the boulder, taking it off its wheels for a moment before returning to the ground with enough force to create a dust cloud. Windows shattered and the vehicle’s body crumbled and scarred, the headlights remain on, illuminating a patch of dirt as the horn blares. “Everyone okay?” Oscar calls, a cut over his eye the most damage suffered. “I’m alright!” Mathias calls out from behind, a heavier cut on his wife’s head the worst of it all. “I’m fine, too” Jill replies, wiping the glass from her lap as the sound of collective footsteps just outside put them on high alert. Surrounded on every side, the family is forced to look out of their windowless doors at people hurrying towards them, their faces cloaked by the night sky. “We’re alright!” Oscar calls out, his hand held up as a gesture of well-intentions, only to soon find his well-intentions go unreciprocated. Reaching in every window, the countless survivors swarming the car begin tearing at the seatbelts and ripping the family from their seats. The situation having gone from one of lucky fortune to grave survival, Oscar tries to fight back, only for a strike to the face to halt those efforts in their place. Pulled through the open window, Oscar is dragged onto the road, his sight blinded by a knapsack tossed over his face. Calling for his wife and child, Oscar hears the pair find themselves doomed to the same fate, his fighting no match for the survivors he’s outnumbered by. = Rise is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 3 onwards = “It’s looking great, Cam!” John calls, a smile from behind a heavy beard accompanying a friendly thumbs-up. “Whoever replaces us here is gonna be really happy with what they’re getting!” Cameron replies, stood atop a large, reinforced metal wall surrounding the parking lot of a rundown motel. “I’m sure you’ll get plenty of greeting cards from the dead once they figure out how English works!” John humorously replies, pulling open the door to the old motel office. “Good morning!” Alicia exclaims, Franklin, Jack and Lauren all following behind her, greeting John in much the same way. “Morning to you as well, where you hitting today?” John questions, the woman directing her foursome towards a well-crafted rifle holder. “We’re gonna give that old winery a chance” Alicia replies, “if rich fuckers can open a winery, they’ll probably have enough leftover to get themselves a boat.” “You looking for extra hands?” Katie asks, Meghan rolling up just after her with much the same offer. Looking back to John, Alicia gets the nod of approval needed to increase her group. “We’ll be back before sundown” Alicia replies, John left to watch the six head for the front gates. “Who would’ve thought we’d still be doing this over a year later?” Jess asks, John flashing a smile and a shrug as she does so. “We probably should’ve expected it” John admits, disappointment continuing to loom as the motel only grows more familiar with each day. “If you’re looking to outrun the undead, your best bet is probably over the water” John continues, “but at the very least, you wouldn’t expect it to take a goddamn year to just find one.” With a shrug, Jess reminds her husband that they technically did find one, watching the man’s eyes roll at the rememberance. “I can’t really call it a boat when half of the bottom is missing” John replies, “at that point, it’s just a very expensive sinking-machine.” Wrapping her arms around the man, Jess tells John that they’ll get their eyes on a boat one of these days, the only thing left stopping them from accomplishing their goal being to stay alive. “Well we’ve done that pretty well over the last year and a half” John exclaims, Jess giving him a kiss before returning to the motel, leaving John behind. “You ready to get this underway or do you need another couple seconds?” Emilio asks, his arms crossed as he leans against the wall. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” John asks, Emilio silently nodding his head. “That doesn’t mean we do things any differently” Emilio replies, John taking in a deep breath before nodding. Walking into a room only lit by the sunlight just behind a thin curtain, Emilio stands with his arms crossed whilst John has a seat. “Fuck you, all of you!” Oscar shouts, his wife and his son suffering from the same predicament as himself, hands tied behind their backs and feet tied to the legs of the beds they’re seated upon. “You can have whatever you want, just let us go!” Jill pleads, John and Emilio watching on in silence as the family tries unsuccessfully to squirm free. “What is it that you think we want from you?” Emilio asks, his voice and posture imposing, towering over the restrained family. “We clearly don’t lack anything in resources or shelter, so I don’t know what your eight granola bars are gonna do for us” Emilio continues, “but I guess I’ll amuse you for now.” “Fuck you!” Oscar shouts, Emilio’s attention immediately turning towards the man, responding with, “say that again and I’ll take you up on your offer!” Holding back tears, Jill puts a stop to the small conflict brewing between Emilio and Oscar with her eyes locked onto John. “You don’t understand what’s going on here!” Jill replies, “we don’t want to hurt you!” “I’m pretty confident you can’t do that anyway” John replies, his hands folded as he leans forward in his seat. “Even so, this isn’t about hurting anyone!” Jill replies, “we just wanna get out of here in time!” Eyes focused, John takes interest in the last comment, asking what it is they’re running from. “A crowd” Jill replies, John left repeating the words verbatim before Jill confirms. “A crowd of them, hundreds, maybe thousands just a few miles off!” Jill replies, Emilio asking if he is understanding the woman correctly. “You’re saying you’re on the run from a horde of undead in the number of hundreds?” Emilio asks, Jill correcting him by suggesting the possibility of it being larger than that. “How the hell would that even be possible?” John asks, a begrudging Oscar assuring him that it is. “They follow geographical forms” Oscar admits, “they feel a hill coming up, they keep walking until they’re at the bottom and then they keep moving downwards.” With a smile, John looks towards a similarly-amused Emilio bordering on the brink of laughter. “I’m not fucking around” Oscar replies, “they travel downhill unless they hear or see something worth diverting from!” “And why would there just be a thousand undead grouping together and storming Long Island?” John asks, Oscar suggesting a less-than-comforting reason to a less-amused duo. “There was a bombing a while ago from what I’ve heard” Oscar replies, John and Emilio looking towards each other with disappointment halfway through the explanation. “Not only are they all just aimlessly grouping together, but they’re all covered in ash.” Asking for the man to repeat himself, John and Emilio are informed that a large number of the undead walked through the blast zone. After a few seconds, Emilio and John leave the room and begin discussing this new information amongst themselves. “You convinced or are they feeding us bullshit?” Emilio asks, John not wanting to admit it, but residing to his better judgment and affirming his suspicion. “We’re a few years into shit by now, if they’re just aimlessly driving in the middle of the night, then they’re definitely driving away from something” John responds. “I hate to agree with you here, but I haven’t seen any cars drive by since we picked them up last night” Emilio replies, “I highly doubt they were running from a group.” Nodding, John turns to walk away and begin planning out his next steps until Emilio calls him back. “That kid’s probably the same age as Amy” Emilio says, John immediately widening his eyes and shaking his head. “Why would you say that, Em?” John asks, the man immediately growing disappointed. “If we’re doing this, the least we can do is tell ourselves the truth once as long as all we’re gonna end up doing is lying to ourselves about it later” Emilio replies. “I can lie about it all I want, to myself or anyone else” John replies, Emilio nodding in agreement. “But the least we can do for them is admit the truth to ourselves once” Emilio replies, John pushing his lips together before nodding. “I know, you’re right” John responds, looking back up at Emilio and saying the same thing with him at the same time. “No chances.” | The sound of jagged metal scraping against concrete luring it out, a lone undead staggers out of a tiny pharmacy, it’s skin deteriorated enough to begin falling loosely from the bone. Without a moment to react, the corpse is brought to a swift slumber by Jack, who digs the pickaxe tip he had swung like a baseball bat from the newly deceased eyesocket. Lured to the sounds, a few stragglers climb their way to the group, each finding themselves suffering the same fate, a final rest at the hands of Alicia’s group. “Anything?” Lauren calls into the pharmacy, Jack walking out empty handed in return. “Been swiped clean” Jack replies, a nonchalant “go figure” from franklin as he drops the final corpse between the group and the winery. “Keep on mov-” Alicia begins, only to force herself into cover at the drop of a hat when gunfire starts purring from the building at the end of the dirt road. “Stay the fuck outta here!” a voice hollers from the winery, wasting more ammo towards Alicia and her group. “How many are there?” Alicia calls out, Franklin taking note of the single gun firing. “I only hear one gunman” Franklin replies, Jack adding a second opinion behind the hook-handed man. Standing from cover, Alicia takes aim before hearing the countless bullets find the brick wall behind her, pushing her back into cover. “She’s a good shot” Alicia exclaims, a single bullet fired from the end of Katie’s rifle halting all gunfire instantly, only the groans of a wounded winery-owner to be heard. “And I’m a better one” Katie replies, pulling her weapon over her shoulder and beginning the walk towards the building. Approaching the downed woman, Alicia and her group confiscate her of her firearm and stand over her injured body. Her eyes lifting towards her boyfriend, Alicia says two words to the man as if she were asking a question, Franklin’s nod of approval giving her all the answer she needs. “No chances” Alicia says, removing a blade from her boot and plunging it into the woman’s temple. “Moment of truth again” Meghan exclaims, leading the pack of survivors through the front doors and inside. “It’s definitely pretty” Alicia says, the inside appearing more like a restaurant than a typical winery, “but there’s still no boat.” In disappointment, Jack hops onto a barstool and pours himself a glass of wine, the remainder of the group placing all eyes on him. The glass half full, Jack lifts the drink to his lips before noticing the group all stood together with their attention belonging to him. “Am I not allowed to drink the produce?” Jack asks, the group collectively shrugging and joining him for a momentary drinking session. | “What’re you doing?” Amy asks the feet of a woman protruding from beneath a massive sail boat, hands tucked behind her back with the innocence of a pre-apocalypse child. Pressing against the intact side of the hull, Heather pushes the roller beneath her away and sits up to wipe off the grease on her hands. “I’m making a boat, little one” Heather replies, a smirk donned as the off-white cloth turns gray with every wipe. “But that boat’s already made” Amy replies, Heather left to nod and rethink her words more carefully. “Okay, then” Heather replies, “I’m making a boat that floats.” Nodding, Amy asks Heather why she’s the only one working on the boat, leaving the woman to turn back towards the broken vessel and consider her work. “Because I’m the only one that thinks this thing can be fixed” Heather replies, Amy assuring her in the simplest of ways that she’ll succeed. “All it needs is a new floor and it’ll float” Amy chirps, a chuckle coming from Heather as she thanks her for the kind words. Laying flat once more, Heather slides back under the boat and leaves Amy to her vices. Nothing else to do, the young girl eyes a flight of stairs and climbs into the boat, having a seat. Having overheard the tapping of footsteps, Heather slowly slides back out from beneath the boat with her eyebrows lowered. Climbing onto the boat herself, Heather takes a seat beside Amy and asks why she’s decided to use the boat as her chair. “I don’t know” Amy replies, Heather’s face dropping as she realizes that she’s now taken the turn from boat repair mechanic to babysitter. After a few moments, Heather asks Amy if she wants to help her fix the boat, putting a wide smile on the girl’s face as a silent nod accompanies it. With a sigh, Heather leads Amy down to the rolling board and gives her instructions, preparing for a long work day. | With a blade exposed, John leads Emilio into the motel room and closes the door behind them, watching the family quickly become anxious, fully expecting the blade to be for them. “Here’s what’s going to happen” John explains, watching Emilio shackle each member of the family around the ankle as the knife in his hand waves through the air. “If we’re gonna let you go, we need to make sure you wont make us regret our decision somewhere down the line” John explains, listing to each lock click into place. “We need you to do something for us, and when you’re done, we’ll let you go” John explains, “that sound fair?” With appreciation, Oscar and Jill nod and thank the pair for their kindness. Hesitant, John nods towards Emilio and hands him the switchblade, watching him cut the rope from behind the backs of each person before having completely released them. “You’re gonna follow us now, alright?” John asks, following Emilio out of the door until he overhears Jill suggest otherwise. Having removed her firearm from the boot, Jill holds the barrel towards John and Emilio, both of whom place their hands beside their head and tell Jill to think this through. “There’s a wall around this place that’s guarded twenty-four seven” Emilio explains, “you kill us and you’re still as good as dead.” His eyelids clenched, John pleads with Jill to think her actions through, “if you do this, you’re punching your ticket and there’s no going back!” Uncaring, Jill demands that Emilio give her the keys to the restraints, the tiny piece of metal dangling from the keychain loop in his hand. With puckered lips, Emilio refuses, telling the woman that he still can’t trust her yet. “I have a gun and I want the keys!” Jill exclaims, telling Emilio that she’s giving him one last chance. Stood just beyond the doorway, only the arch dividing John and Emilio from their captives, Emilio stares towards the crazed woman in stubborn refusal. “You’re gonna have to shoot me” Emilio replies, immediately triggering John’s instinct of calming the situation down. “Put the gun down and we’ll know we can trust you!” John shouts, “then we’ll let you go and we’ll never have to see each other again!” Her eyes watering with tears, Jill keeps her gun steady and pulls the trigger, the conclusion of John’s sentence bringing about enough quiet tension in the air for the clicking mechanisms of the gun to be heard going off. Despite tensions being high, no bullet is fired, leaving John and Emilio remaining stood in the doorway in perfect health. Dropping the act, John and Emilio let their hands fall to their side and watch Jill stare in shock at the gun, only to notice John retrieve a single bullet from his pocket. “You didn’t think we’d just untie you without having checked you for weapons, right?” John asks, the woman still in shock as her husband and child stare at the two men in complete paranoia. “Please, she fucked up!” Oscar shouts, “give her another chance!” Looking to each other, John and Emilio silently move to the side and extent their arm, signalling for the family to begin exiting the motel. Upon walking through the doorway, Oscar and Jill notice the remaining group members scattered around the front lot in anticipation for their exit. “I told you” John replies, “you wouldn’t have gotten very far.” After a few minutes of walking, John and Emilio find themselves approaching a tiny cabin out of the way of the main road and hidden behind a flock of trees. Patting John on the back, Emilio walks towards the cabin and settles into his residence for the evening, leaving the rest to John. “I want no more games being pulled, do you understand?” John states, the family nodding in fear. “You want your freedom?” John asks, watching the family nod and reply in affirmation before tossing three shovels at their feet. “Then dig a goddamn hole” John replies, the expression on his face showing the signs of a man tired of putting up with nonsense, “and I mean a big fucking hole!” Like a disappointed father, John walks off and returns to the motel, a comfortable Emilio sipping cocoa from a cup left to supervise from his cabin window. | “Arghahh!” Angela howls as she buries a meat cleaver in the end of another corpse with Jess decapitates another wise a razor-wire bullwhip. “You’re getting better every day” Jess exclaims, watching the smile on Angela’s face light up as she rummages through the pockets of the dead. “Tyler made sure I stayed alive” Angela explains, “I’m not letting him down by wasting the time I’ve got left!” Patting the woman on the back, Jess tells the woman that her former lover is looking down with a smile. “This world takes more away from us every goddamn day” Jess mutters, “the only thing to do when someone dies is to make sure they didn’t die for nothing.” Taking a seat on a decrepit bench, Angela catches her breath as Jess joins her, offering a cantina of water. “The real vengeance for someone’s death is to get to this fucking island” Angela replies, graciously accepting the offer. “We’re gonna need to get it done soon” Angela replies, her head hung as she conjures the possibilities of getting there too late would be. “When winter hits, we’ll be left on an island with very little food and very few resources” Angela explains, “and we haven’t even figured out what we’d do if there were already people on it.” Shaking her head, Jess admits that the lack of a boat has afforded her the luxury of refusing to think about it. “It’s all still a dream to me until we can get a working boat” Jess explains, “the longer we go without one, the more impossible this becomes.” In agreement, Angela tells Jess that it’s only a matter of time until their hand is forced. “Gasoline is already expiring, and we don’t have much of an alternative than to walk once that happens” Angela explains, her head hung. “What if there were?” Jess suddenly asks, overcoming the desire to leave fate up for when they come across it to begin laying out her plan while she still can. “What if there were people on the island?” Jess asks again, clarifying for Angela, whose mind begins to reach its most fearful depths. “I guess that would depend” Angela replies, her only suggestions deriving from a mind having been indoctrinated into this reality, “which side has the numbers advantage?” “Take me through either” Jess responds, watching Angela find herself stumbling upon the simplest of decisions. “If we’re outnumbered, we play nice” the brunette replies, “if we outnumber them, we take no chances.” Her head hung, Jess nods to herself until Angela proceeds to inquire the reasoning for the low face. “Isn’t that the motto?” Angela asks, watching Jess’s eyes turn towards her as she clarifies, “ever since last time, we take no chances?” Swallowing the spit in her mouth, Jess smirks and nods, assuring Angela that the motto remains regardless. “I just wish it didn’t have to be” the blonde mutters, “it doesn’t really speak well for us.” Understanding the disappointment behind such truth, Angela finds common ground with Jess, informing her that she wishes for the same. “We’ve taken too many chances with what we have” Angela admits, watching Jess look towards her again, “we can’t risk it being stolen again.” With a nod, Jess agrees and proceeds to her feet, suggesting she and Angela return to the camp whilst the sun remains out. Kicking the dust from beneath their shoes, Jess and Angela return the way they came, little to show for their efforts other than a clearer mind than before. Just off the end of the road they use to return to camp, a dock full of water and void of boats leaves behind a middle finger of sorts, their goal seeming so possible whilst being just as impossible the same. | “I don’t envy you right now” Meghan admits, pouring John a glass of wine from the barrel Jack had stubbornly rolled back to camp from the winery. “Everybody wants to be the leader until they realize what comes with the job” John exclaims, raising his glass into the air of the mostly-filled motel office before downing what swirls in his cup. Silently, the group awaits for Jess and Angela’s return, preparing themselves for another sleepless night. “How bad is it that it’s getting easier to sleep at night?” Heather asks, a light chuckle coming from Lauren, who admits that it’s truly not a good sign. “Don’t worry, sailor!” Lauren mockingly exclaims, her follow-up coming through depressed breaths, “you’re not the only one…” Head held low, John calms his breathing down to a minimum as the front doors open, Jess and Angela walking through and returning their guns. “It’s time” Jack mutters, John nodding in agreeance as Jess and Angela hang up their hats and down the glasses of wine awaiting them. “Let’s get this over with” Jess says to herself, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek and rubbing his shoulder gently. With a final breath, John steps up from his seat and leads the group through the door. Sat atop the large wall, Cameron tells John to lead the group back safely as he prepares to keep guard. “You know I’ll do my best” John replies, flashing a smile to the man always the first to volunteer to hold down the fort. The clean asphalt beneath their shoes gradually becoming covered in dirt before becoming dirt itself, the group navigates the forest before finally noticing the campfire. In the distance, muffled pouting and crying can be heard, immediately making John’s stomach as uneasy as any other night. Turning the final corner towards Emilio’s hut, John and the group find the homeowner sat upon his porch waiting for their arrival, the three family members tied up on their knees, mouths gagged with cloth. Tears streaming down their faces, Oscar and Jill kneel in front of Mathias, trying to shield him from having to see anything other than themselves. Head hung, John continues to walk forward, the large hole behind the family serving as a somber reminder of what survival in this world truly means. “We’re ready?” Emilio calls out, looking towards John, watching the eye in the corner of his face precede a nod of compliance. With a deep breath, Emilio rises from his seat and begins to rejoin the group, standing beside John and towering over the captive family. Reaching down, the patriarch of the group pulls the gag from Oscar’s mouth, the father’s desperation to catch his breath accompanying defeated pleas for their release. “We did what you wanted, just let us go” Oscar begs, John’s head hanging even lower as his eyes seal tight. Upon noticing the ashamed look on John’s face, Oscar begins to realize something imperative, prompting him to immediately change his focused pleas. “She wasn’t thinking clearly when she pulled the gun!” Oscar shouts, “you don’t have to do this!” With a deep breath, John allows the air from his lungs to slowly release as he admits that the gun being pulled wouldn’t have changed anything. “You were deceived” Emilio clammers, forced to stop when John holds his hand out, placing it against Emilio’s chest to calm him. “You weren’t going to be any less of a threat” John replies, returning the conversation to one of less hostility. “We’re not a threat!” Oscar shouts, “we just wanna move on! You’ll never see us again!” Looking towards Jill, John pulls the gag from her mouth and allows her to speak, conscientiously forcing himself to take in each word as the last the family will utter, wanting to feel the pain they feel as if to afford them some small amount of justice. “You can’t punish us just because we drove away from a crowd the wrong way!” Jill shouts, John nodding in agreement. “We shouldn’t be able to, but we have to” the man replies, telling the family that he believes everything they’ve said. “When you said there was a horde coming this way, I believed you” John replies, “and when you kneel there and promise that you’re not a threat, I believe you on that, too!” “Then let us go!” Oscar replies, a pain-filled smile on his face trying to convince John to change his mind. “I can’t do that” John replies, forced to uncover a hidden truth when asked why not, “because I believed someone when they said they weren’t a threat… And I was wrong.” Shaking his head, Oscar pleads with John to realize that he wouldn’t be wrong this time around, only for the man to shake his head in refusal. “I can’t take another chance after everything we’ve been through, I want you to realize that” John replies, Oscar continuing to refuse to accept such a truth. “You wouldn’t have this if someone came along and captured your family!” Oscar shouts, immediately pulling the final card he has left to play. “What would you do if you were in my shoes, huh?” Oscar shouts, “if a bunch of sickos put a gun to your wife’s head? Put a gun to your daughter’s head?” Knowing exactly what his answer would be, John admits that he would never allow such a thing to go down without a fight. “So you know that I’m fighting!” Oscar shouts, “you know that I won’t just accept this to happen to my family all because you sick fucks are too paranoid to have an ounce of mercy left to give!” Snot running from his nose, Oscar continues to plead with John, begging for the release of his family before an action, that cannot be undone, is taken. “I can’t let myself do this, Oscar” John replies, the man continuing to plead for the life of his family urging him to put trust in him. “I can’t take anymore chances, Oscar… It just can’t happen” John replies, the disgust with himself visible to Oscar, who immediately turns that against him. “Then you must realize that you’re no better than the people that proved you wrong!” Oscar shouts, immediately angering John, now finding himself placed into the same conversation as the enemy. “I’m nothing like them” John replies, his voice more stern than before, his focus placed on keeping his eyebrow from twitching. “If you just eradicate everyone you come across, you’re nothing more than a no-good killer!” Oscar shouts, further enraging John. Without hesitation, the man pulls the gun from his waistband and holds it towards Oscar’s head, the man’s defiant words turning into hushed sobs as Jill pleads to the chorus of a crying Mathias. “Just let us leave, we don’t mean you any harm!” Jill shouts, Emilio slowly pulling his gun and cautiously taking aim at Jill. “How different can you be to them?” Jill asks, “how much different can you be when you’re holding guns to our heads for no reason after lying to us!” “We’re every bit different!” John shouts, the lack of specifics in his words showing to their prisoners how aware he is of the accuracy in their claims. “You are if you do this!” Jill shouts, watching John’s eyes turn away from Oscar and directly onto her, “but there’s still time to change that!” Eyes low, John begins to repeat those words to himself as Jill and Oscar silently watch on, hiding their sobs as best they can. “John?” Emilio calls over, watching the man slowly look towards him, lips puckered before turning back to the family. Between Oscar and Jill, hiding from sight is a terrified Mathias, pants wet from having been soiled. His eyes closed, John thinks about where he finds himself for a moment prior to Oscar speaking again. “Please” the father says, his words bringing John’s eyes open slowly, the gunman locking eyes with his polar opposite as Oscar repeats his request before a silent John. After careful consideration, John looks to the dark night sky and takes in another deep breath. Slowly, John tilts his head back down and looks back to Mathias, turning his eyes back to Jill before finally placing them upon Oscar again. With a faint, somber tone, John parts his lips with his finger still placed still on the trigger. Emotionally drained, John looks at Oscar and directs his words specifically in the father’s direction. “No chances.” Not a second later, two shots fire, one from John’s gun and the second from Emilio’s, both Oscar and Jill’s bodies dropping to a heap on the ground as only Mathias is left watching. Tears streaming down his cheek, Mathias looks at the bodies of his parents before looking up at John, a look of sheer terror spread across his face. Eyes widened, body trembling and gasping for breath, Mathias silently stares at John with the gag still in his mouth. After another second, John redirects the gun, firing one shot through Mathias’ head and watching the smallest body fall backwards and slide into the mass grave. Letting out the deep breath, John slowly lets the gun fall to his side before whispering the same two words to himself again. “No chances” leaves his lips as the man turns around and hands the gun to his wife, telling Emilio to join the group back at camp after he’s done cleaning up with a broken voice. Stood in place as John solemnly walks through the parted group, every survivor looks towards each other as if it would offer them any closure. “No chances” Jess mutters, her words the first out of someone other than John or Emilio. “No chances” Kate replies from the back, the remainder of the group uttering the same words one at a time until only Emilio remains. Their eyes darting towards the man, the group watches Emilio pierce the ground with a shovel and begin to rest his chin upon it. With a deep breath and the attention of the entire group, Emilio mutters to himself loud enough for the rest to hear him. “No chances” the second gunman repeats, pulling the shovel from the ground and shoving the bodies into the hole as the remainder of the group slowly departs, leaving Emilio to his business. |
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September 2022
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