The Weakest Link

With Joanna reunited with her boyfriend, the group stop in a nearby town for resources while deciding their next move, but soon realise the true meaning of stranger danger. Meanwhile, Ben and Liz begin their trek from Maine to find the former's niece, but face some hurdles on the way. And, in flashback, the virus breaks out at Ali's college, and as she barricades herself on the roof with other survivors, they soon learn the difficulties of surviving in the new world.

Plot[]

	Previously on The Wiking Dead...

Josh is arrested by Joanna under suspicion of murder, but they crash on the way to the station. Josh rescues Joanna from a walker.
- They take shelter in Jo's cousin, Rachel's, shop with Justine, a pregnant woman, and James, a young adult. Jo makes contact with her professor boyfriend Matthew and he tells them to look out for a firework signal.
- They attempt to leave the city, but soldiers Brad and Mary prevent them as they're trying to contain the infection. However, after the group distract the guards with walkers, they manage to escape.
- Joanna is finally reunited with Matthew, who is travelling with assistant professor Joe, and a student, Alison. Alison suggests they head to her uncle's island.
Ben, Ali's uncle, meets a woman named Liz in a town. They decide to team up to survive. They decide to head to Washington, near to where Ali studies.
Government official Joey warns Brad and Mary to watch out for Ben, for he is suspected of starting the virus infection.

Teaser[]

Two weeks ago

Ali steps through a fire-exit of her college in Maryland, taking her to an exterior staircase that runs down the side of the building. She rests her elbows and head on the banister, overlooking the college town from the top floor of the staircase. There's someone in the distance walking towards the college, but too far away to make out clearly. The door behind her opens, and a young blonde steps out. "So this is where you went,' she comments to Ali, closing the door behind her. "I just needed some air, Chloe," Ali replies. "Jack's looking for you," Chloe says. "Isn't he always?" Ali retorts. "What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe asks. "I love Jack," Ali explains, "But it's like he wants us to be joined at the hip. He didn’t even want to do a graduate course. He only stuck around at college because I was staying." "You have been dating since high school," Chloe says, "You can understand it'd be hard for him being apart from you." "I guess," Chloe replies, but she doesn’t look convinced, sighing, "I just wish I'd be given some space." "Come on, Ali, as if you could survive without Jack," Chloe says with a laugh, "He's your rock. Now, come on, we're gonna be late for class." "I'll be right there," Ali tells her. Chloe enters back into the building, leaving Ali to continue looking out over the college town. Suddenly, a loud clang gives her a jump. She looks down to see that the figure she was watching earlier has made it to the college's gate. It's a man, and he steps into the gate, his head clanging against it. He doesn’t look fully aware and blood is seeping from a gash on his arm. He steps into the gate again, causing another clang. Ali furrows her brows, watching intently. Someone else on campus has also noticed the oddity of the man's behaviour and approaches him, asking the man if he is alright. The man responds by sinking his teeth into the friendly stranger's flesh, and a bloodcurdling scream echoes throughout the campus. Ali steps back, gasping, and turns for the door, running for help.

Act I[]

"WELCOME TO MOUNT AIRY - HAVE A LOVELY STAY", a sign on the side of a deserted road leading to a little town reads as Ali, Josh, Jo, Joe, Matt, Justine, James and Rachel walk past it. "So how are we gonna sustain ourselves on this island?" Josh asks Ali, who explains they’ve got plenty to keep them going, "There’s fishing docks at every corner, there are gardens we can plant food in and last time I was there we had a chicken coop!... Although I don’t know if anyone has been there to feed them in the past, um… six years." Justine wonders if there’ll be enough space to house everyone, "With the baby on the way I don’t want to become a nuisance" she worries, but Ali assures the soon to be mother that there’s room for everyone, "And more!". "It all sounds too good to be true," Josh says, causing Joanna to interrupt, "What he means is that we’ve only just met you and now we’re expected to follow the plans of a stranger." Ali nods understandingly, but Matthew speaks up, pointing out that there’s nowhere safe left in the world, "What choice do we have? Besides, I know Ali and I trust her. This will be good for us," he says, smiling at Jo, who smiles in return, "Okay… okay. I’m with you," she responds. Josh, however, still seems uncomfortable, "I don’t know," he sighs, "It all just seems so...permanent." Matthew gives Josh a frown and looks him up and down, "You’re more than welcome to not come with us," he says bluntly, shocking Joanna, who reminds him of all Josh has done to help her. Josh looks Matthew up and down in return and then turns to Jo, "Don’t worry, I don’t plan on leaving. Wherever you go, I go. I’ll protect you." There’s an awkward silence between the group for a while as they begin entering the quaint little town of Mount Airy. "Well I for one think it’s a fabulous idea!" James chimes in, causing Ali to blush and smile. Watching Ali, Joe raises an eyebrow.

Having started their long trek from Maine to Washington D.C., Ben and Liz hike on the empty freeway. Liz appears lost in thought when Ben asks, "So you were hiking?" "Huh?" she replies. "Hiking," he explains, "You said you were doing the Appalachian Trail when the virus broke out." "Right," she says, "I was." "You must be a fast walker," he comments. "What do you mean?" she wonders. "You said you started four months ago, right?" he asks, remembering. Liz nods. "Well, takes most people six," he replies. "Guess I am quick," Liz says. Ben nods with a smile, clearly not believing her, but he doesn’t press it. "What about you?" she asks. "What about me?" Ben wonders. "Where did you come from?" she presses, "You have family?" "Just my niece," he replies, "She’s all I have, and she’s out there alone, in this terrible world." "It's not a terrible world," Liz retorts. Ben looks at her and comments, "I don’t mean to be rude, but you just lost your family, how can you not think this world is terrible?" "If it is, we might as well just kill ourselves now," Liz states. "Maybe we should," Ben considers. Liz gives him a look, but then they stop in their tracks upon spotting someone else on the road. A man stands in front of them, and he holds up a gun. Ben and Liz freeze, holding up their hands to the man. "Whoa, dude!" Liz yells. "You murdered my wife!" the man states to Ben. "There must be a mistake," Ben replies, "I haven’t killed anyone." "She was one of the dead," the man replies, beginning to sob. "Oh, well, yeah, I’ve killed plenty of those," Ben says. The man's eyes narrow on Ben and his finger grips around the trigger.

Back in time, news has spread over the virus on campus, and people are running around chaotically. "An emergency is taking place," a voice says over the intercom, "Follow your professor's instructions and evacuate." The voice repeats and then suddenly turns to a scream, with the announcer being attacked, and the intercom goes dead. Amongst the crowd, Ali and Chloe look at each other, crying. "We need to stick together," Chloe says. "Take my hand," Ali replies, grabbing her friends palm, "Jack said to meet him on the roof." Ali shows her friend the text message from her boyfriend, and Chloe nods, before the two of them begin dashing through the crowd, heading for the staircase. Around them, in the crowd, the walkers are multiplying, biting all of those around them. Running up the stairs, Ali is suddenly pulled back by Chloe. She turns to see that one of the walkers has grabbed Chloe's leg. The walker bites Chloe and she lets out a scream. Ali sobs for her friend, then tries to lift Chloe from the walker's grasp, but more of them are at her friend now, weighing her down. "Help me!" Chloe yells, the walkers wolfing at her leg. "I'm sorry," Ali replies, trying to free her hand from Chloe's, "I'm so, sorry." But Chloe doesn’t let go, and as the walkers pull her further down the staircase, her grip on Ali's hand tightens and she pulls Ali down with her. Ali clutches onto the staircase to stop herself, then again tries to free her hand, but Chloe won't let go. "Don't leave me!" Chloe shouts. "I'm sorry," Ali cries, and then, desperate to free herself, she boots Chloe in the face. Chloe is still dragging her down to the walkers and, so, Ali kicks her a couple more times, causing blood to splatter all up her grey boots (See ("The Walking Dead"). Chloe releases Ali's hand and is then pulled down by the walkers, and devoured, while crying, Ali runs for an emergency exit. The exit leads to a staircase which takes Ali to the roof. There, she is met by Jack, who holds her, and exclaims, "Ali, you made it! Where's Chloe?" But Ali just cries into her boyfriend's arm, holding him tight. Also on the roof, is teachers, Joe and Matthew, who proceed to shut the door to the roof.

With Matthew leading the way, the group enter the heart of the small town, Mount Airy. As they walk down the main street, everyone glances around at the empty shops and restaurants. "There's no one here," Justine comments. "We should look around," Josh suggests, "See if anything has been left behind." "Yeah we should," Matthew agrees, facing the group. Josh eyes him as Matthew says assertively, "Let's split up and check all these buildings." "We got this far by sticking together," Josh argues. "That'll take too long," Matthew waves him off, "Just look out for each other as you search. Let's go!" The group break off to investigate the buildings, while Josh confronts Matthew, commenting that the town may not be safe. "Look around you," Matthew tells him, "There's no one here. Now, Josh, Jo told me what you did for her, and I appreciate it. But I've been looking out for this group, and I'm not going to do anything that will put Joanna in danger."
Meanwhile, inside a small supermarket on the main street, Ali and James are searching the empty shelves for any remaining resources but are coming up empty handed. "This place is even more scarce than the city," James comments. "What's the capital like?" Ali wonders. "Not good," James replies, "There's nothing left and too many people." "Well, looks like there's nothing here either, but certainly not too many people," Ali says. The brunette then spots a large tray of dirt by the window. She steps closer to examine – from the sprouting green stems, it's clear the tray of soil has been recently planted with vegetable seeds. "James," she says, her face pale. "Yes?" he asks, looking over. "Someone's here," she tells him. He sees it, too, then suddenly, a couple of rifles are placed at the back of their necks from the shadows behind. They both feel the cold metal against their skin and raise their hands, while Ali begins to sob. "Don't move," a voice tells them.
Back outside, Josh and Matthew are still talking; "So this girl with the island," Josh says, "Who is she to you?" "My PhD student," Matthew replies. "And you trust putting Jo's fate in her hands?" Josh wonders. "Absolutely," Matthew replies. "Good," Josh says. Matthew eyes him and then asks, "If you don't fancy her then why are you so concerned about Joanna?" "She's all I've had since the virus broke out," he replies. "You don't have any family?" Matthew wonders. Josh shakes his head. "I'm sorry about that," Matthew says genuinely. They both hear crying and turn their attention to the supermarket. Ali and James soon appear, followed by a man and a woman who are holding up guns to them. Josh and Matthew go to dash over, but then they see everyone else also step out of the buildings – Joe, Justine, Rachel and Joanna, also followed by people with guns. "We don't care for intruders inside our town," a voice calls. Everyone looks to see a man, Robert, step towards them, dressed in a blazer. "We mean no harm," Matthew replies, "We're starving and just looking for some food." "We're all starving," Robert responds, "I've heard about the gang from the capital. They rob towns and take what they want. But we will defend ourselves." "We're not part of any gang," Matthew assures him, "And we didn’t know anyone was here." "Maybe not," Robert comments, glancing over the group, noticing the pregnant woman, and then Joe dressed in his knitted cardigan. "Especially not him," he says, pointing out Joe. "So you'll let us go?" Matthew asks, "We won't be a problem." Robert considers this and then decides, "I'll tell you what – take care of the gang from the capital for us, and then we won't have a problem." "What?" Matthew asks, "We don't even know where this gang is!" "They're not far," Robert replies, "Our scavengers have spotted them. Los Locas are getting ready to attack and rob us, just like they did to all the other towns." "Los Locas?" Josh questions. "It's Spanish," Robert replies, "for the Crazy Ones, and they're fucking crazy." "We don't want any trouble," Matthew makes clear, "Please, just let us leave." "Deal with Los Locas for us," Robert maintains, "And then I'll let you all go." "What do you mean all of us?" Josh asks. Robert's eyes turn to Ali and he reveals, "Until you get back from the gang, I'm keeping the girl." Ali screams as the armed man behind grabs her. "You're not taking anyone!" Josh yells, dashing over, but one of the men slam the butt of their rifle into his stomach, flooring him. "I could just shoot you all now," Robert points out, "So think carefully." "Please don’t leave me alone!" Ali cries. Matthew looks at her and thinks it over, then tells Robert, "We’ll go pay a visit to Los Locas. Just don’t hurt anyone." A large grin plastered over his face, Robert replies, "Then get moving,"

Act II[]

In flashback, atop the college's roof, Ali, Jack, Joe and Matthew all sit, staring at a news broadcast on Joe's phone. "The mysterious virus which has spread across the states has yet to be put under control," says the reporter, "Meanwhile in London, the city has been set ablaze, shadowing the same fate as the cities of Moscow and Beijing." "So this is happening everywhere?" Ali asks. "That's insane," Jack comments, "Everything was normal when I was on the internet during class, just a few hours ago." "There is reports of the virus across all the continents," Joe tells them. "It spread worldwide in mere hours," Matthew adds. "But they'll stop it right, Professor Branigan?" Ali asks. "You can't stop a pandemic," Matthew answers, "It's like the Spanish Flu, when over 600 million people became infected, or the bubonic plague, which wiped out a third of Europe's population. It can't be stopped." "Well, how did those outbreaks end?" Jack asks. "They usually stop when enough humans have died," Joe chimes in, "And so, it's no longer possible for the disease to spread." "But this time, the dead are the ones spreading the disease," Matthew adds. "So it can never stop?" Jack asks. "Not unless there's a cure," Matthew states. "Well someone has to be working on a cure," Jack exclaims. "My uncle," Ali suddenly realises, taking out her phone. "Your uncle?" Jack asks. "My uncle works for the Department of Defence," Ali explains, "If the government are working on a cure, then he'll know about it." "You have the number of the D.O.D.?" Matthew wonders. Ali nods, dialling the number, and explains, "It's a number that he told me to call only in the case of an emergency." "Well, I think this counts," Jack exclaims. Ali calls the number and then a male voice says, "This is Joey Dickerson, Secretary of Defence. Are you calling with word on the President?" "Hello," Ali replies, "I'm looking for Benjamin Walker. I'm his niece." There's a pause. "Hello?" Ali repeats. The call hangs-up. "Um, what?" Ali asks, sad and confused at the line going dead. Everyone sighs unhappily, and then suddenly they turn upon hearing a thud from the other side of the fire-exit. The door bursts open, and a walker appears, having come up the stairs from the college to the roof. Matthew immediately picks up the metre stick he's been using as a weapon, and smacks the walking corpse across the face. He then jams the stick into the walker's chest, ripping through the rotten flesh, and expects it to be over, but the walker keeps moving. "How is that thing still going?" Jack exclaims, running over to hold it back from Matthew. "No, stay away from it!" Matthew tells him. "It's okay," Jack assures him, his arms wrapped around its chest, but the walker then bites into his arm. Jack lets out a yell of pain, squirming to get free, but the walker won't release his arm from it's mouth. Ali screams in horror at the sight, and Joe cowers, while Matthew whacks his stick against the walker to try and get it off Jack, but seems to have no effect, and then he gets the idea to slam its head. It's brains squished, the walker collapses, freeing Jack, and telling Matthew that only killing the brains kills the walkers. "Are you okay?" Ali asks her boyfriend, running over to him. Grasping his arm, James replies, "It's just a bite. I'll be okay," and Ali hugs him relieved. Matthew, however, eyes him cautiously, and then orders Joe, "Barricade that fucking door!" The professor's assistant dashes over, taking Matthew's stick, and then uses it to jam the fire-exit.

Within the small town, Mount Airy, Ali is inside Robert's house, sitting at the table in his dining room. Robert stands beside the table, pouring wine into a glass. "I've managed to keep a few luxuries hidden safely for special occasions," Robert says, sniffing Ali's hair as he pours her drink, "And you, dear, are a special occasion." Robert sits across from her at the dining table, sipping a glass of wine for himself after giving it a good inhale and swirl. "Try it," he says. Ali merely cries in response. "Please, try it," he insists. The brunette still doesn’t reach for her glass. "Drink the wine, you ungrateful cunt!" he suddenly screams, turning red. Startled, Ali quickly picks up the glass and gulps it down. Robert's wide grin swiftly returns, and he asks, "Lovely, isn't it?" Ali nods, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "In the old world, I was denied such luxuries," Robert says, "A blue-collar guy like me could never afford wine like this. And I could never get a girl like you. But we're not in the old world anymore, are we?" He stands to his feet and makes his way over to behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, which causes the brunette to shiver. He leans down, sniffing her hair again, and wipes away her tears, before then whispering in her ear, "When I was a boy in school, there was a girl who looked like you, beautiful. I offered her my heart, but she rejected me. In this world, though, a man like me can take what he wants. Momma woulda been so proud if I had brought a beautiful girl like you home." He begins kissing her neck, and she cries some more. "You don’t need to go away with your friends and starve," Robert tells her, "You can stay here with me. Live with me. We'll run the town together. And I'll treat you well. We can have wine and whatever food you'd like whenever you want." "I want to leave with my friends," she sobs. "It matters what I want now," he replies, caressing her, "And I want you. It’s for the best, really. After all, you need someone like me to look after you. It’s a scary world now, and a little princess like you can’t look after yourself."

On the road from Maine, Ben and Liz are being held at gunpoint. "You had no right to kill my wife, even if she was a walker," the man states, holding the gun. "I'm sorry," Ben replies, "but she wasn't your wife anymore. The virus had already killed her." The man continues to stand there, holding the gun in his trembling hand, and sobbing. Ben and Liz both look at him, wondering why he's hesitating about doing anything. "You don't really want to kill me," Ben deduces, "What you want, is for someone to kill you." "What are you talking about?" the man questions. Looking into his dead eyes, Ben becomes even more certain of his deduction and remarks, "You don't want to live without your wife, not in this world, but you don't want to take the easy way out. You pursued me because you thought dying while trying to avenge your wife would be a more honourable death than suicide. But I won't kill you." The man lowers his gun, still sobbing, and begs, "Please kill me." "I won't," Ben persists, "If you want the easy way out, you'll have to kill yourself." The man's eyes turn angry and he raises his gun again, but this time at Liz. This causes Ben to pull out his own pistol and hold it up to the anguished man. "Don’t bring her into this," Ben orders him, "This is between us." The man returns his gun's aim to Ben, and says, "Shoot me before I shoot you, or I shoot her too." Ben's eyes narrow on the man, and they continue standing, pointing their weapons at each other.

The group - consisting of James, Joanna, Joe, Josh, Justine, Rachel and Matthew - are walking along a quaint country road just outside the town of Mount Airy. "I’ll go to the gang alone from here," Matthew tells them. "What? Are you crazy?" Joanna replies. "It’s too dangerous," Matthew argues, "We can’t bring a pregnant woman to a violent gang." "Fine, but I’m going with you," Joanna assures him, and then before he can argue further, she holds up her hand and adds, "And you can’t convince me to do otherwise." Matthew sighs in defeat, and then asks if anyone else is determined to go along, too. Josh and James both step forward, but Rachel says she will stay behind with Justine. "I’ll stay, too," Joe says quietly. Matthew then leads the way, with James, Joanna and Josh following behind.
Josh, Joanna, James and Matthew are walking further along the country road. Standing between them and a small warehouse in the distance are a pair of walkers, who are currently unaware of the living meat approaching them. Josh draws his antique sword and storms forward, ready to take care of the vermin, however, the sword is snatched from his hand, and Josh is left speechless as Matthew runs ahead of him, taking care of the walkers himself, albeit not as swiftly as Josh would’ve. Once the dead drop dead to the floor, Matthew stands still and breathes heavily, silently holding the blood dripping sword with his head hanging low. Confused and disturbed by this behaviour, Joanna approaches her partner and places her hand on his back to comfort him, "It’s…okay?" she says, unsure what else to tell him. "No" he tells her, shrugging Joanna’s hand off of him, "It isn’t. It’s my fault that Ali is in danger," he sighs. Joanna assures him that it isn’t, but Josh chooses not to say anything, agreeing with him. "You couldn’t have possibly known this would happen, and besides, it’s one thing that we have to look out for these monsters, who knew the living would want to hurt us too?" Joanna asks. Josh steps forward, "We can talk about this later, but we need to get a move on to find Los Locas". Matt nods in agreement and so the four continue ahead. "And don’t ever touch this again," Josh warns, snatching back his antique sword. The four continue walking for a little while, but Joanna notices something out of the corner of her eye. "What was that?" she asks, stopping. Josh, James and Matt stop to look too, but they don’t see anything. "Nothing. Come on, let’s keep going," Josh urges. They do so, but the sound of bushes rustling can be heard, and this time by everyone. "It’s probably a walker" Matt suggests, but Josh isn’t quite sure. "Who’s there?" he calls out, drawing his sword ready for action. "Drop the butter knife, kid. You don’t wanna do anything stupid now," a man with a strong Mexican accent responds, emerging from the bushes holding an assault rifle. Josh drops his sword and then he, Jo, James and Matt hold up their hands, terrified for their lives. The Mexican smiles, "Welcome to Los Locas".

Back at Washington D.C., the military soldiers, led by Brad and Mary, are now greatly struggling to contain the infected city, as larger and larger mobs make their way to the bridge and try to burst past the barricade to leave the city. Amongst them are families desperate to evacuate, infected walkers, and angry protesters, opposing the tyranny of the military. "Get back!" the soldiers yell, "Anyone who is potentially infected must be contained!" Secretary of Defence, Joey Dickerson, is over-watching the situation, appearing displeased. Brad approaches him and says, "Sir, at this rate, they're going to get past the barricade." "You told me everything was under control!" Joey yells at them, "Containing this city is our best chance at saving the country and ensuring public safety!" Grabbing Mary's gun, Joey barges past Brad and Mary, then makes his way over the barricade. At the other side is the protesters, demanding to get past and to leave the city. "You need to stop this," Joey says to them, calmly. "No way!" the leader of the protest group responds, "You need to let us leave!" "I can't do that," Joey replies, and then he lifts up the gun and fires at the protester, shooting him in the head. "Gun them down!" Joey yells. People in the crowd run back towards the infected city, while the soldiers shoot down the remaining protesters. Joey marches back over to Brad and Mary, slamming Mary's gun back into her front, which she takes off him. "We must do whatever is necessary to save this country," he tells them, "And if that means we must sacrifice the capital city, then so be it." He marches off, leaving Brad and Mary to continue taking control of the situation, but they both look at each other uneased.

Act III[]

The crazy Mexican brings Josh, Jo, Matt and James into the courtyard of the warehouse they saw in the distance along the little country road. They pass by numerous vicious chained up dogs, entering the main building through a large bolted door. Inside are dozens of other hispanic men, all of which turn to see who is coming through the door. As our group are brought through the crowd, they all try to avoid eye contact with the gang members, however, Joanna happens to glance at one of them who is licking his lips with a big grin. "Name’s Brian, sweetie," he whispers, winking. Disgusted, she rolls her eyes and looks in the opposite direction, but this time notices something through an open door into another room - a middle aged woman, tied to a chair, being interrogated by one of the men. She takes a step in the direction of the room, but noticing what she’s trying to do, Matthew pulls her back. "Leave it," he mutters under his breathe, "You can’t help her." Eventually the group are brought to the front of the warehouse and out of the crowd, "Hola, gringos," a man calls out from above them. They all look up to see a long haired Mexican man sitting on a platform. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he smiles. Nobody in the group responds, so the man speaks up; "Thank you for bringing these delicious looking people to me, José," he says to the man who brought the group here. José gives his leader a thumbs up and goes to stand with the other Mexicans. The group however, look up at the man with fear. "Oh, relax. I wasn’t being literal. I’m not gonna eat you… yet. We’re only two weeks into forever, ain’t no need to resort to that savagery just yet," he smiles. "Anyways!" he continues, "I’m Rena Melancia, and who might you be?" he asks the white folk standing before him. Josh steps forward. "We’re here on behalf of Mount Airy. We want to negotiate a deal" he announces, causing Rena to smile and stroke his beard. After a moment of stroking, he feigns a gasp and puts his hand on his chest, "Oh no! If you’re here… does that mean… my good old pal… No! Robert! Robert, no!! How did he pass? Was it quick? Where was he bit? Did it hurt… did it hurt a lot?!" he asks, leaning forward, ready for the gory details. "Robert is just… fine," Josh reveals, causing Rena to slump back in his seat and sigh, "We’ve come on his behalf. Actually, he’s got one of our friends, Alison." "Got?" Rena questions. "Yes, he’s taken her prisoner… says if we can persuade you to leave the town alone then he’ll let her go". Rena laughs, wiping a tear from his eye, "Boy, Robert sure has got some balls for a guy too chicken to come talk to me himself!" Josh ignores the crazy man and clears his throat, "Anyways… is there any way we can come to some agreement?" he asks. "Hmm…" Rena ponders, getting out of his seat and walking around his platform, "Hmm… HMMMM…" he hums, now coming down a staircase to ground level. "Is she pretty?" he finally asks. "What?" Josh responds. "Your friend, the girl. Is she pretty?" he asks, getting agitated. "What does that have to do wi--" Josh says, getting cut off by Rena, "Answer the God damned question! IS YOUR FRIEND HOT? SPICY. SEXY. VA-VA-VOOM!" he yells. Josh is taken aback by this, "I...yes...I guess so?" he says, making Rena smile. "Nice," he chuckles, "Tell you what, I’ll promise to leave little Robert and his little town alone - and trust me - leaving that town will make me very, very sad. Very sad indeed. We’re low on supplies, but I am willing to sacrifice a few of my men if you’re willing to let me spend a night - cough - week with your super hot friend." James barges forward, pushing Rena in the chest, "Hey, cut it out, man!" he squeaks. Rena looks down at the young man before him, and up, and down, and up and down again. He laughs, "Oh. Alright, kid. Calm yourself down. Reny is just playing with you!" he smiles, playfully grabbing James by the shoulder and shaking him, "I don’t want your friend". He heavily pats the boy, almost knocking him over. "There’s plenty of fish in the sea, heck, we even got some here with us right now," he says, turning to Joanna. She shudders as they make eye contact, but this only arouses him further. "I’m gonna make you deal. I get my way with this lovely chica, I leave your town alone". Matthew steps forward, stomping his feet, "Absolutely not!" he growls. However, Joanna nervously touches his arm, "Matt…" she says. "No. Joanna, you can’t!" he argues, disgusted by the idea of his girlfriend with the crazy man. "I… I have to, it’s the only way we’ll get Alison back," she explains. "I like her," Rena chimes in, "I agree, it is the only way you’ll get Alison back". Matt curls his lip with repugnance. "I’ll take good care of her," Rena promises, leaning towards Joanna, sniffing her neck and then licking it. "Get the fuck away from her!" Matt yells, grabbing Josh’s sword once again and swinging it at Rena. Everyone in the warehouse gasps. "Matt, no!" Joanna cries out as he’s tackled by José. Rena wipes his hand across his cheek, noticing blood when he looks at his palm. His cheek has been sliced a little. "Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy," he laughs, "You stupid gringo. You just couldn’t help yourself. You fucking MORON!" he screams. "What the hell have you done?" Josh grunts, panicking like crazy. Rena begins pacing back and forth, trying to hold himself back from a fit of rage. Eventually he stops and turns to José, "Get them out of here!" he yells. José and and several other hispanics grab Josh, Jo, Matt and James and begin dragging them to the exit of the building. As they’re taken away, Rena yells out, "Tell Robert he can expect us by sundown. Because we’re coming for you. And your little friend? She’s mine. MINE!".

"Just do it!" the man roars, shooting a warning shot next to Liz, who ducks in fear. Ben is disgusted by this and his face fills with anger, "No!" he yells, stepping towards the man and placing his gun against the man’s head. Feeling the cold of the metal against his temple, the man is instantly soothed, so he lowers his gun and opens his arms out, welcoming his fate, "Do it," he calmly says with a hint of a smile. Ben’s aim begins to shake and his grasp on the trigger begins to tighten, "Okay…" "Okay," the man whispers to himself, his heart racing. Ben holds the gun for a few seconds, slowly building up the courage to pull the trigger...BANG! The gun is shot, but Ben finds himself being thrown to the ground as Liz tackles him. The man jumps at the sound of the gun, and once he realises he’s unharmed, he sighs with relief. "Oh, my God!" she yells at Ben, "You were actually going to kill this man?!" she asks, disgusted. "He would have killed you instead," Ben tries to justify, his voice trembling. Liz shakes her head, turning to the man. "I don’t believe he would hurt me," she explains, pointing out that he’d had many opportunities to do so. The man is now crying uncontrollably, so Liz approaches him and grabs him by the shoulders with both hands, straightening his posture, "I know you’re in pain now, I understand that. You’re lost and alone without your wife." The man wipes his tears, listening to what she has to say. "I know what you’re going through because I’ve lost everyone I love too," she reveals. "I’m sorry," the man says sincerely. Taking a moment to compose herself, Liz then asks what the man’s wife was called. "Anne. Her name was Anne," he cries. "And what is your name, sir?" she asks, so he introduces himself as Tyson; "My name is Tyson Robinson". "Well, Tyson, think about what Anne would want for you. She wouldn’t want you to be weak and give up… to die like a coward. You have to be strong for Anne." Tyson sobs, "But I wasn’t strong enough to save her when she was alive… how can I do it now I’m alone" "You don’t have to be alone. I thought I was alone at first, but then I found Ben, and we look after each other. You can come with us, we can look after you," she offers. Tyson contemplates this. "You’re right, but I don’t want to come with you, thank you for the offer though," he responds. Puzzled, Liz asks why he won’t, so he explains that he needs to be alone right now. Looking into his eyes, Liz realizes she won’t be changing his mind any time soon, so she nods and respects his decision. "Thank you," he says again, then asking her name. She introduces herself as Elizabeth, "Liz for short," she smiles, holding out her hand to shake his. He shakes her hand in return, "Thank you, Liz".

Joe, Justine and Rachel are sitting on the side of the road from Mount Airy, waiting on the others returning from their meeting with Los Locas. "I should have gone with them," Joe says pitifully. Justine and Rachel look at him, not sure what to say, as Joe shakes his head in his hands, feeling sorry for himself. They then spot James, Jo, Josh and Matt running towards them, and stand up worried, noticing the serious expressions of their friends. "What's wrong?" Rachel wonders. "We need to go save Ali," Josh explains. "Los Locas couldn’t be reasoned with?" Joe asks. Jo shakes her head, and Matthew looks at his feet, feeling guilty. "Let's go! Los Locas are on their way!" Josh orders them, and they all begin dashing back to town.
When they arrive at the outskirts of town, they look in horror to see Rena's men already entering the town, and Josh states angrily that they're too late. Joe seems to be contemplating something and then he announces to the group, "I have an idea." He takes off his bag to reveal a firework still inside (See:"The Walking Dead").
On Mount Airy's main street, Rena leads his men down the road, while the town's residents cower at the outskirts, taking shelter within the shops. Rena whistles and calls, "Robert, Robert, come out here, you little creep."
Inside his house, Robert looks out the window to see Rena standing in the street. He turns pale and shuts the curtains to hide himself, then turns to Ali and says anxiously, "Oh no! Quick, you have to hide!" "Why?" Ali asks confused, drying her eyes. "Because he'll take you from me," Robert explains, "And, trust me, you don’t want to go with him." Obviously, Ali doesn’t trust him, but still, out of fear for her life from the gang, she follows him to a door leading to the basement, where he tells her to hide. After locking her inside, Robert makes his way outside, but first, takes a few deep breaths to prepare himself. "There's that creepy fucker!" Rena yells as Robert appears outside, dressed in his blazer, "Hey there, little fuck-fuck. You're lucky you got here when you did, 'cause I was about to begin shooting some bastards." Robert plasters on a fake smile and asks, "How can I help you fine gentlemen?" "Whoa," Rena says, stepping back, "It's that smile, Robert, that makes people think you keep fucking heads in your basement." Robert's smile quickly dissipates, and he stands rather awkwardly, so Rena laughs, and assures him, "It's a joke, Robert." Robert makes a forced laugh, but it just makes things even more uncomfortable, so Rena moves on, stating, "I'm quite unhappy, Robert. I thought we had an understanding." "Oh, we do," Robert quickly says. "Then why did you send people to come settle things with me?" Rena asks, "Too afraid to confront me yourself?" "No," Robert replies, shaking his head. "Do you know what I've done to the neighbouring towns?" Rena questions. Robert quickly assures him that he does, knowing that Rena's gang have looted and devastated them. "But I made an agreement with you, that if you supplied me with enough, then I'd leave you alone," Rena continues, "Now, you've broken that agreement, so I need to take you for everything you've got. And boy, howdy is that a lot. I mean like… a lot!" "No, please! This is our home!" Robert begs. "It's too late," Rena states, and then he orders José to start with Robert's house. Robert drops to his knees, panicking. "You can't, please! That was my momma's home!" Robert cries from his knees, "My momma's!" "Fuck me," Rena says, "I bet you still keep her remains in the bedroom." Sobbing from the ground, Robert pleads, "Please don't spoil Momma's home!" "There's something you can do, Robert," Rena tells him, "That will keep your town safe." "What is it?" Robert asks. "Give me the girl," Rena states. Robert pauses for a moment, and then replies that he doesn’t know what Rena's talking about, so Rena orders his men to burn Robert's house to the ground. "Okay, she's inside!" Robert says, giving in, "She's in the basement!" "Because that's where you keep all your dates, don’t you, psycho?" Rena asks with a grin. He lifts Robert from his knees and then pushes him towards the house. "Oh, that's a nice blazer," Rena comments, pulling Robert along by the arm, "Shame you probably made it out of your mom."

On the college's roof, in flashback, three military helicopters fly over the building. "Down here!" Ali screams, waving to them, but the helicopters continue flying in the direction of the capital. "They're not coming to help us," Matthew states, "We have to look out for ourselves." "So long as we can work out how the virus is spreading," Joe adds, "we can protect ourselves." "It seems you need to get killed by one of those things in order to turn into one," Ali says, "I saw people getting bit in the neck before turning. The virus must contain something that keeps the brain active after death." "Any luck calling your girlfriend?" Joe asks Matthew. "She still isn't answering," Matthew says sadly, and then he asks if Joe has been able to contact his own family. "I have," Joe replies, "but they're in Spain, so there isn't much I can do to see them." There's thuds against the fire-exit door, from walkers trying to get through, but Joe's barricade is sufficiently keeping them out. Meanwhile, Jack is sitting against the wall, looking incredibly pale, and suddenly pukes blood everywhere. Ali dashes over to him, asking what's wrong, but once she gets close to him, she sees he's beginning to look more and more like a walker, with his skin deteriorating, his breathing slowing down and further blood seeping from his mouth. "They only need to bite you," Jack says slowly, "That's it. I'm turning." "No, that can't be," Ali cries. Jack look to Matthew and asks, "Help me?" "How?" Matthew questions. "Help me over the rails of the roof," Jack explains, "The impact of the fall will smash my head and stop me from turning. I don't want to become one of them." "No!" Ali screams, holding her boyfriend tight, "You're going to be okay!" But Matthew stares at the boy, knowing the truth, as Jack vomits more blood, and tells Ali to keep back. "No, I'm not leaving you, Jack!" Ali argues, "I won't let you die!" Jack begins to make moaning noises, however, becoming fully turned. "No," Ali yells, "You can't leave me, Jack!" Jack tries to bite her neck, but Matthew runs over to stop him, picking back up his stick, which releases the door. Matthew smashes Jack's brains, saving Ali, and behind, dozens of walkers emerge from the open door. "Run for the stairs!" Matthew yells, grabbing a sobbing Ali's hand and dragging her towards the fire-exit's exterior staircase, with Joe following them. "Why did you do that?" Ali cries, as they descend the stairs. "He was going to bite you!" Matthew tells her, "And you would have turned!" "So?" Ali argues, "I'd rather die that way, with him, than survive and do something as terrible as that!" "You don't mean that," Matthew states, "And Jack wouldn’t have wanted that for you either." As they make it to the bottom, Ali collapses to her knees, and cries, "I just don't want to be alone…" Walkers on the ground, however, begin making their way over, and Matthew forces Ali to her feet. "Keep running!" he yells, pulling her, and the three of them dash away from the college, heading in the direction of the capital.
With the trio now walking to Washington D.C., and Matthew leading the way, he looks back to a depressed looking Ali, and a lost looking Joe. Matthew turns his attention back to the road, and continues walking with a sigh, feeling an obligation to protect them both, and so slows his pace a little so they can keep up. His phone then starts to ring, and he pulls it out excitedly, causing the other two to dash over. "Hello?" he asks immediately. "Matt!" a voice replies. "Joanna?! Is that you?" he asks, full of sudden delight (See:"The Walking Dead").

Inside the basement, Ali has picked up a metal bar to use as a weapon. Standing, pressed against the locked door, she waits for someone to appear, hearing the footsteps. The door is unlocked, and then opens. She lunges at the first person she sees – Rena – knocking him over the head with the bar, and he falls unconscious to the floor. Ali takes a swing at Robert, but he's ready for her, and catches the metal weapon in his hand. He takes it from her, and then grabs her, wrapping his arms around her. She squeals in disgust, squirming to get free, as he rests his head on her shoulder and whispers in her ear, "Good job taking him out, now let's finish him off and then do it over his body."
Outside the house, José and the rest of Los Locas are waiting for Rena to return with Ali, when suddenly a firework goes shooting past them and hits one of the wooden homes, setting it ablaze. The gang members all turn to look at the fire, when suddenly, James, Jo, Joe, Josh, Justine, Matt and Rachel all dash from the shadows, armed with knives (and Josh with his sword), and place their weapons at the necks of the gang members. "Drop the guns!" Josh orders them all, and they all do so with annoyed expressions. "You'll regret this," José warns them, as they all pick up the guns.
Robert, inside the house, is forcing himself upon Ali, and trying to undress her, when she knees him in the crotch and gets away. She backs away to the dining table, and Robert angrily pounces at her, but she picks up the wine bottle and smashes it across his face, flooring him. Filled with sudden rage, she knees atop him and slams the broken wine bottle into him, stabbing his chest with broken shards of glass. She pulls up her arm and then stabs him again, again and again, until she is covered in his blood and all movement of his body has stopped. Ali then spits in his face, before standing up and running to the door. She opens it and finds all her friends outside, holding the guns of the gang members. She smiles at seeing them, and dashes over to join them, blood dripping from her hair and top. The group begin backing out the town, with Josh leading the way, and Matthew doesn't object to this, and the group tell Ali they're happy she's okay. "You should have shot us," José shouts after them with a grin. Once the group have made it out of the main street, José runs into the house for his boss. A puddle of Robert's blood has spread across the floor, which he dashes across, to Rena's unconscious body. He wakes up the gang's leader with a brief shake, and Rena then angrily stands to his feet. He makes his way outside, and upon seeing there's no sign of Ali or anyone else from the group, he lets out a fierce scream of anger. "Follow them!" he orders.
The group are now walking away from the town, heading for Ali's island which they have settled on as a plan. "Thanks for your help back there," Ali tells Joe, walking alongside him, "Jo told me the fireworks were your idea." "Well, everyone wanted you back safely," Joe replies. He notices Ali eyeing James, who's walking ahead, and adds, "Him, too. You moved on fast." Knowing he's referencing Jack, Ali replies she's never been one to mourn for long since she was a kid; "Though I've always needed the support of people around me. That's mostly why I was so upset over Jack. I just didn’t want to be alone. Selfish, right?" Joe doesn’t say anything. "It's also why I convinced you all to come to my island," she adds, "It wasn't because I wanted to give you all a safe place to live, but because I needed people to get me there safely. But, I promise, once we're there, we will all be safe." "Looking out for yourself isn't so bad in this world," Joe replies, "Just so long as you can pull your weight in the group. I had my doubts, but I think you proved today you can survive in this world. Now, I just need to convince myself that I' can." "I believe in you," Ali says, smiling at him, and they all continue walking, a long walk ahead of them to Lake Ontario.

Night time is upon us. Soldiers Bradley Mayes and Mary Serratos are sat in one of the tents in their quarters. The room only lit by dim candlelight, the two sit in silence as they listen to the screams and pleas from all the people behind the barriers, trapped in the city; "Help us!" "Please! I’ve got children!" "Don’t leave us to die," the people cry out amongst screams of pure agony as walkers devour them. The two soldiers remain stoic, helpless in the situation. Silence. Soon enough, there no more screams can be heard. Just silence. Mary and Brad share a glance before emerging from the tent, "Oh, my God…" Brad gasps. All the civilians trapped behind the barriers are now dead… or undead, "They’re all gone," Mary shudders, holding back tears. Now, instead of screaming, all the soldiers can hear are the low moaning of the ever-hungry dead. "Come in, Serratos. Mayes. Do you copy? Over." a voice, which we recognise as Joey Dickerson’s, is heard calling from a walkie talkie. Brad responds that he can hear him and asks what he’s calling for. "Code Red has been initiated, meet me in 5 minutes. Over," Joey says. The two soldiers share another glance. "It’s time to go," Brad tells her. She nods and they walk through their small camp, eventually coming across a large helicopter that Joey Dickerson stands behind. "Thank you for your services, soldiers, but D.C. is lost. It’s time to abort," he reveals. Brad and Mary both nod, and the trio board the helicopter. Once everyone is seated, the propellers begin spinning and the helicopter soon takes flight. Once a good distance away, Mary looks down at the camp they stayed in, watching in horror as the herd of walkers break through the barriers and leak into the real world. She goes sick in the gut thinking about what her fate would’ve been if she had stayed just a moment longer… but that doesn’t compare to the horror she faces just moments later. Dozens of fighter jets fly past them and over the city, dropping something into the infested streets. Napalm bombs. As they hit the ground, the streets are soon filled with fire, burning anything and everything they come into contact with, not discriminating against the dead or living. The glow of the deadly fire shines brightly on the shocked faces of Mary and Brad. They’re left speechless, so simply take a hold of one another’s hands, as they disappear into the night, the glow of Washington’s flames still burning in the distance.

The Weakest Link

Contents

Summary[]

Plot[]

Teaser[]

Act I[]

Act II[]

Act III[]

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