Episode 21 (E2)

"Beyond The Trees" is the first and debut episode of Season 3 of KeepOnKeepingOn's Walking Dead: Edition Two. It is the 21st episode overall. It premiered on July 7, 2017.

Synopsis
"The group encounters a problem on the road."

Plot
Four weeks have passed since the destruction of the Colony. A walker stumbles about from the treeline and over a cleared forest path. It notices something down the road coming towards it and growls, before a bullet zips through its head. It falls to the ground dead, and Jake is the one to approach it. As the rest of the group passes him, he kicks the corpse and looks up towards the sky with a smirk.

"Alright, you've had your fun! Get down here!" He shouts to a nearby guard tower sticking out from the trees.

From the guard tower, Ethan lowers a rifle and chuckles, calling back, "Oh cmon, dork! All we can do today is have fun!"

Jake rolls his eyes and flips him off before beckoning him to come down. After a few minutes, Ethan climbs down and rejoins the large group of survivors, walking with Jake down the forest path.

"Look at us... on the road again, as per usual." Ethan sighs. "The campgrounds fell, we left the CDC, and the Colony burned down... we just can't catch a break, can we? I'm tired of this...

"And besides... even if we're all suffering, I can't take seeing you like this. My best friend, struggling with everything, carrying so much weight on his shoulders... I wish I could help you with that.

"The only thing I can think to do is try and keep you happy... if we're all going to try and survive, the least I can do is give myself reason to do so. And my best friend is a good reason. I just wish life would stop trying to force me to give up. Force us all to give up..."

After a bit of silence, Jake smiles and chuckles, hugging him tight. "Dork... I'm not leaving, and you're not leaving... you're my best friend and I love you. Don't give up. Okay?"

As Ethan hugs back, he is about to respond when Trace signals everyone from the front to go quiet. Suddenly, everyone ducks down and goes entirely silent.

"I hear walkers..." He whispers, looking around.

And then, from in front, walkers crawl out of the treeline, a large number of them at that. As the group's eyes widen, they turn to run before seeing walkers coming from behind.

"Oh fuck, a horde!" Satchiel shouts, readying his weapon. "We're surrounded!"

"No, hold on, go that way!" Maria grabs hold of Sarah and Carlos and points towards an opening in the trees, and a handful of the group follows her.

Jake and Ethan look at the dead before eyeing the opening.

"C'mon, we gotta go!" Jake hurries to follow. Ethan starts off as well before hearing a shout. He turns to see Allen and Donna struggling with walkers. Ethan runs to help them, stabbing a couple of walkers with his knife and urging them towards the rest of the group.

Jake turns and sees Ethan now struggling with more of the undead. He reaches for him as Allen pulls him back. "N-NO! We've gotta go back, E-ETHAN!!"

Walkers engulf him, and Ethan falls back as he vanishes from sight.

"No...!" Jake already feels tears running down his face, and he keeps trying to run back as Allen holds him back, carrying him towards the rest of the group.

"NO, ETHAN!!!"

Deaths

 * None

Trivia

 * As of this episode, Ethan Langer has now been separated from the group.
 * A message from the creator: "I can confirm Ethan is not dead, and he has simply gotten away in the opposite direction."