Be Thankful (SWB)

Synopsis
The Trading Post faces trouble after an accident.

Plot
In the locker rooms, Gale had previously taken the lockers and benches out and placed mattresses and cots for people to stay in. Spencer’s group was among those staying there.

Caroline wakes up and begins stretching as Lana and Monet begin to wake up as well. “Did anyone else’s neck hurt from sleeping on these things?” Caroline asks, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Well, compared to the tent I had at Peter’s, this was honestly heaven for me.” Lana replies, shrugging her shoulders as she stretches. She looks around the rest of the people waking up, but frowns. “Where’s Spencer?”

Caroline looks to his mattress and sees it’s been unused. She motions for the others to follow her and they all head to The Booths and end up finding him at a table with Lilly, Nathan and Kenny. Lilly is sitting in a wheelchair since she lost her leg.

“You didn’t sleep again?” Caroline asks as they approach. Spencer looks up at them, shaking his head.

Lilly smiles to them. “Hey, everyone! I don’t think a lot of us met, but I’m Lilly Keller. I helped you guys out at The Reserve.” She greets.

Lana smiles to her and Nathan. “I’m so glad you guys got out of there.” She says to them, Lilly giving her a friendly smile as well.

“So, what’re you guys talking about?” Caroline asks before Gale approaches and sits down, three other people behind him. “Alright, I gathered a few volunteers here. They’ve all agreed to assist you on the search.”

“Wait, what search?” Monet asks.

Spencer looks up to his group. “For the others. Gale agreed to let me take a few volunteers to find them.”

“Absolutely not, Spencer!” Monet denies. “You haven’t been sleeping, you can’t be out on the road again.”

“I’ll do whatever I have to. They’re my group, they’re my responsibility.” Spencer argues. “If I don’t go, then who will? Are any of you willing to go back out there?”

The group looks to one another, each of them silent. “I will.” Caroline speaks up.

Lana nods. “Yeah, and I can go with her. I’m a pretty good shot, if I do say so myself.”

Spencer sighs. “Fine. Just… Make sure you find as many of them as you can.”

“Alright, now,” Gale says, looking to the volunteers, “This is Warren Dotson, Dahlia Dwelton and Jerry Harbor. They’re the ones you’ll be traveling with. Jerry has an RV that he offered to let you all drive to Asheville in. Warren and Dahlia are apart of our supply runners, so they know their way around Asheville.”

The three volunteers greet them.

“So, when do we head out?” Caroline asks.

Warren shrugs. “We were thinking about heading out in ten. Can you two be ready by then?”

Caroline and Lana nod before heading off to grab their things. Warren and the others begin going outside. “Tell them to meet us outside.”

Monet begins walking to find Caroline and Lana. “I’ll tell them.”

Kenny stands. “Well, I should go, too. Sydney and I are supposed to be showing Chase around so he can be a guard.”

Kenny walks away from the table and walks down the stands, Sydney and Chase both waiting there, talking.

“Finally, Kenny!” Sydney says when he approaches.

“Hey, I was with Gale.” He defends. Sydney doesn’t seem to care and just begins walking around the stands, Chase and Kenny following behind.

“So, as I said previously, the diamond is used for what we call biter fighting. Vendors and patrons bet on whether the person will survive the fight against the biters in the cages.” Sydney explains as the walk.

Chase looks at the biters in the cage, many of them sticking their arms out, reaching for them. He frowns and looks to Kenny. “Do people die?”

“I mean, of course.” Sydney says. “That’s what people bet on.”

“Have they ever gotten out?” Chase questions. “The biters, I mean.”

Sydney stops in her tracks and looks at him, and crosses her arms. “No. And they never will. Our guards, like Wilson and Darren over there, always make sure they don’t.”

They begin walking up to the gate, turning to walk down to the vendors. “Also, you said something about some vendors selling people, what is that about?”

“This place is for survivors who want to trade supplies. Some people pay with other people, some sell people. I just choose not to question.” Sydney says without making eye contact, Kenny looking slightly uncomfortable. Chase looks between them before scoffing.

“So, you ignore the fact that people are being sold? That’s a little irresponsible, don’t you think?” Chase questions.

Sydney turns around, looking angry that Chase is arguing, but before she can begin speaking, they hear a gunshot followed by a horrified scream. They all look behind them to see a crowd forming. They run up to it, pushing themselves through the people. They find Axel standing a few feet away from a man’s dead body, pistol in hand and trembling.

Sydney’s eyes widen in horror. “Axel, what did you do?”

A woman named Dianne is sobbing on her knees next to the body, hugging her son close to her. “H-He shot my husband… ‘’He shot… my husband!’’” She cries.

“You son of a bitch!” Lisandra, a woman in the crowd, steps forward and shouts. “Henry didn’t do anything wrong!”

Axel lowers the pistol and shakes his head. “N-No, I… I didn’t mean to! I thought he was stealing, I swear!”

“That vendor was trying to cheat him out! He was taking back what was ours!” Dianne shouts. “Your job is to watch over us, to protect us! Is that how you do that here? Shoot first, think later? You monsters! You’re all fucking monsters!”

Sydney grabs Axel. “Come on. You’re going to talk to Gale.” She says harshly, dragging him away from the shouting people. Chase and Kenny follow, looking to each other with concern as a few people begin chucking objects at Axel.

Later, in Gale’s office, Gale is standing behind his desk, arms crossed. He is glaring at Axel, Sydney is behind the younger man. Spencer and Chase are on either side Gale.

“You shot someone in the middle of the vendor square.” Gale says to wrap his mind around it, shaking his head after. “You fucking idiot.”

“Gale-” Spencer tries to enter the conversation, but Gale interrupts.

“No, you don’t get it, Spencer. The crowd out there will start protesting. A riot could break out.”

“There won’t be a riot. Alright? We can work something out.” Spencer says. “We just need to talk to that woman Dianne and we can sort this entire situation.” Gale begins to protest.

Sydney sighs, but hears shouting behind the door and turns to it slowly. She cracks it open as the others continue to talk. She pokes her head out and sees a crowd of people walking down the corridor towards them.

She panics. “Gale, now’s the time to start working something out.”

The group exit the room and come face to face with Lisandra, Dianne and several other survivors.

“Alright, no one has to die here.” Gale says.

“Someone already did. In fact, I’m pretty sure this has happened a few times.” Lisandra says.

Spencer steps in front of Axel. “Look, we can work something out. Gale’s rig-”

“Alright, kid, the adults are speaking right now.” Dianne says with annoyance. Spencer doesn’t protest, just steps back silently.

“We don’t want this murdering son of a bitch alive. We want him gone.” Lisandra says angrily.

Gale sneers at her. “No one is dying tonight.” He says forcefully.

“We will take him by force if we have to.” Lisandra warns. Gale ignores her and looks at Sydney. “Go get Nathan.”

Sydney begins to walk down the opposite direction when one of Lisandra’s men steps out and points a rifle at her. Gale sees and shouts, “Sydney, duck!”

Sydney turns around to see why he yelled at her before a bullet zips through her head, her body collapsing almost instantly. The others stare at the body in horror, Gale’s eyes widen in horror.

Gale turns to Lisandra angrily. “She didn’t have to die!”

“I told you we will take him by force. This is your last chance. Give him up or we kill the rest of you to take him!” Lisandra says.

Gale and Lisandra sneer at one another before Gale looks to Axel, then to Spencer. He huffs, looking down in shame before looking back to Axel. “Alright, kid, go with her.”

“Fuck.” Axel whispers fearfully.

“Gale, you can’t be serious.” Spencer says.

Gale gives him a quick look before looking to Axel. “Go.” He demands coldly.

Axel hesitates before walking forward. Lisandra and Dianne both look angry, Dianne especially. Lisandra has one of her men grab his arms. “Come on.”

As they turn and walk away, Spencer looks at Gale with disappointment before stepping forward. “You can’t do this.” Spencer calls, making them stop. Lisandra turns to face him.

Lisandra starts walking back down the corridor to them until she comes face to face with Spencer. “Kid, you should be glad we’re doing this. I mean, are you really willing to risk your life for some kid who has never done his job correctly? I’d be thankful for Gale coming into your life. You clearly need some of his influence.”

With that, Lisandra turns and walks away with the rest of her group. Spencer sighs and looks back to the others. “That wasn’t right.”

“Why, because we sent him to die? Spencer, he hasn’t done his job properly. I’ve had to replace the fence outside multiple times because he doesn’t kill walkers properly and now he shoots a man in the middle of vendors square. I can’t show mercy to people like him.”

Spencer argues, “But they killed Sydney.”

“Yes, Spencer, they did kill Sydney. And they were about to kill you, Chase, myself and anyone else that got in their way. I saved you, Spencer. I saved your group, which you constantly say you want to protect them. Well, they’re protected, so be thankful.” Gale says harshly before entering his office, slamming the door shut.

Spencer stares at the door before looking to Chase, who was staring at Sydney’s body. “Let’s get someone to get her.” Chase says. The two walk away from the office.

A gunshot in the distance is heard and Spencer stops, knowing Axel had just been killed. He follows after Chase.

Inside the office, Gale is sitting at his desk, fingers rubbing his temples. He opens a drawer and takes out a bottle of pills, pouring them on the desk. There’s only three pills and he stares at them before taking one of them.

In Asheville, Dale, Devil and Angel are all waiting in the house for Amber and Tobias to return. Angel is sitting by the window, bored, and lets out a long, exaggerated sigh.

Devil looks up from the book he’s reading and says, “Angel, stop.”

“Stop what?” She asks.

“Stop making it obvious that you’re bored.” Devil says. Angel looks to him. “Well, I am. D, you know I don’t like not doing anything!”

She walks over to him and sits in his lap, Devil adjusting himself so his arms are over her and they both are looking at the book. Angel reads one line then sighs. “This book sucks. Let’s go do something.”

Devil rolls his eyes. “Angel, we have to stay inside. It’s too dangerous to wander, you know that.”

“But what about food or water? We have nothing in this house! And after carrying those bodies outside and burying Eliza, I’m fucking hungry, Devil! You know how I get when I’m hungry!” Angel argues.

Dale, who is laying on the couch, groans and sits up, glaring at her. “Look, if we go scavenge the store for food, will you please shut up?” He asks, earning a smile and a nod from Angel, who scurries across the living room to the stairs. “I’ll get my coat!”

Dale sighs and looks to Devil. “You’re dating her?”

Devil looks to him offended. “Yeah. And we’re very happy together.” He states before walking towards the door, Dale following.

The three leave the house, walking down the street.

When they get to the grocery store, Angel grabs a carriage, Devil walking behind her, Dale close behind him.

“Alright, hopefully they have some good stuff.” Dale murmurs.

As the three walk through, Dale ends up finding some alcohol and stops to take a few sips from the bottle. The other two do not notice.

As he is drinking, he hears footsteps and looks to the source, only seeing darkness. He begins to back away, not seeing the person approaching behind him.

Angel and Devil walk up and down the aisles to find food. As Angel is grabbing a bag of chips, they hear something heavy land on the ground with a thud a few aisles down, making them both go silent. Devil looks around and notices Dale isn’t with them. “Where’s Dale?”

Angel looks and goes wide eyed. They abandon the carriage and begin sneaking to the exit, not wanting to get caught.

As the couple sneak towards the front, Angel trips over something in the dark. Devil immediately goes to help her up and she shines her flashlight on what she tripped over. Both of them go cold when they see.

It’s Dale’s body. Angel shines the light higher and gasps. “Wh-Where’s his head?” She whispers.

“Right here.” A voice behind Devil says.

They both turn and see a man standing there, in his hands is Dale’s head. Angel lets out a scream of horror and Devil helps her up.

They back away. “Aw, Angel… Did that frighten you?” The man asks.

Devil takes the flashlight and shines it on the man’s face. The couple stops backing away, Angel’s jaw dropping. “Marco?”

Marco smiles at them both. “You two thought you’d never see me again, huh?”

“I bet you thought you’d never see Jose either.” Another man enters the light, making the couple back away again. “Or Daniel. Or Ty. Or G.”

The five men walk closer to the couple, all five surrounding them. Marco smirks menacingly at the frantic couple. He pulls put his pistol and points it at them. "Oh, we have a lot of catching up to do."

Deaths

 * Henry
 * Sydney
 * Axel
 * Dale

Co-Stars

 * Tye Sheriden as Axel
 * Meaghan Caddy as Dianne
 * Cal Bartlett as Jerry Harbor
 * Dango Nguyen as Wilson
 * Jeremy Palko as Darren
 * Macsen Lintz as Erik
 * Kyle Gallner as Daniel
 * Corey Hawkins as Ty
 * Anthony Guajardo as G

Uncredited

 * Mikey Leo as Henry.

Trivia

 * First appearance of Warren Dotson.
 * First appearance of Dahlia Dwelton.
 * First appearance of Jerry Harbor.
 * First appearance of Wilson.
 * First appearance of Darren.
 * First appearance of Danny.
 * First appearance of Lisandra.
 * First appearance of Marco.
 * First appearance of Daniel.
 * First appearance of Ty.
 * First appearance of G.
 * First (and last) appearance of Henry. (Corpse)
 * Last appearance of Sydney.
 * Last appearance of Axel.
 * Last appearance of Dale.