Beyond Good And Evil (DD)

"Beyond Good And Evil" is the eleventh episode of Season 1 of Dark Days. It is the eleventh episode overall. It premiered on November 6, 2019.

Synopsis
"The remaining group of students try to make progress. Elsewhere, other survivors break free."

Plot
A flashlight shines down the dark halls of the basement. Wilkes rounds a corner, slowly looking around. He glances behind him, before briskly walking down the corridor to the dim light at the far end. The man emerges from the darkness and into the anteroom of the basement, where he sees Dahlia on her knees, back to him and body still.

“... Dahlia?” He approaches slowly, looking around her to see what she’s looking at. However, WIlkes stops the moment he catches sight.

Dahlia exhales through her nose, acknowledging him but refusing to look. “Leave me be, Wilkes.”

Her eyes are fixated on the corpse of Raye Pence.

“Oh…” Wilkes shakes his head. “... I think we should clean this up--”

“No.” She spits, pursing her lips and closing her eyes. “No, just… no.”

Wilkes’ nose twitches, and the man cringes at the sharp stench of the body’s decay. “... so, what… you’re just going to sit here and… look at him, when there’s still work to be done?”

“I look at it so I can remind myself of why I am where I am right now.” She replies quickly. “I look at it, and I feel… nothing. I just tell myself that… I did this, and it led to this moment. And now I need to just… keep going.”

“... Dahlia you heard all of them, they want to know what happened to the boy.” The man mutters. “Don’t you think this has gone on long enough?”

“I’m doing what I need to do, Wilkes.” She opens her eyes and looks over her shoulder at him. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better. That’s just how these things go.”

“But we’re keeping them prisoner, when the point of all of this is to coexist.” Wilkes argues, gesturing to the hall behind him. “They’re tired, restless, confused, angry, scared -- and all we’re doing is making this worse!”

“''I-I made this decision! THIS WAS MY DECISION!''” Dahlia shouts, standing up and jabbing a finger into his chest. “Sometimes there’s a bump in the road. I know, everyone is stressed, and we just had an incident… but once Dr. Nole gets there, then--”

“Then what, you save a life and act like they’re indebted to you?!” Wilkes retaliates. “Dahlia, I’ve trusted your judgment this far… but now three more of our people are dead. Everyone is getting anxious. Not to mention this all started because you--”

“I KNOW WHAT I DID!” Dahlia bellows, clenching her fists. “And I made that decision. And I do not regret it. And I never will regret it. And you will stand by it.”

Wilkes’ gaze softens from shock to weariness. “... listen, Ms. Dwelton, I just… I’m worried about our people, I need to prioritize them. Phoebe would’ve wanted that. She only wanted peace. And… it feels like we’re going against that.”

Dahlia sighs, lowering her head. “... I know what she wanted, and I want the same thing. And I know that I can get us all there. You just need to trust me.”

There’s silence between the two, as Wilkes’ gaze also falls to the floor.

“... well?” Dahlia mumbles, both of them looking up to meet at the eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“... yes, I…”

BANG!

The roar of a lone gunshot shatters the tension between them. In seconds, Dahlia shoves past Wilkes and rushes into the dark and narrow corridor. Wilkes watches her leave for a moment, before he makes chase.

“What the FUCK was THAT?!” The girl navigates the basement corridors with ease, and in a short time, she arrives at the wider hallway that leads down to the ironing room.

The door to the room is open, and out of it stumbles…

Warren.

The blonde’s eyes are trained on the room. He is covered in blood. A large bone is in his hand.

“The coast is--” He stops short of speaking to who else is in the room, and turns to see Dahlia.

Their eyes meet. Silence.

Dahlia breaks into a sprint for the room.

Warren snaps to attention and runs for the set of double doors between them.

Dahlia is barely able to reach them in time as the young man slams them both shut, sliding the bone between the handles. The girl slams into the door with a grunt. She rams it once more, before starting to pound her fists against it.

“Dammit, dammit, FUCK!!” In a blind rage, she kicks the door, panting and stumbling back as Wilkes reaches her.

The man goes to place his hand on her shoulder. “D-Dahlia, we can--”

“Get the fucking soldiers, Wilkes!” Dahlia snaps, turning to him with a glare. “Th-This is fucking BAD, go get everyone armed RIGHT NOW!”

She doesn’t even wait for a response as she storms off down the hall to her right, his left, vanishing around another corner, her fast and fierce footsteps echoing softer and softer, as Wilkes processes his orders and considers his options.

Dahlia reaches the end of a long passage, and pulls open the door to a small room. Inside, tied up with rope, amidst several crates and boxes, are three survivors. The one in the middle cranes his head up to see the girl, while the others remain still.

And he jumps.

“You BITCH!!” Oliver fights against his restraints hard, attempting to get to the girl in the doorway. “LEMME THE FUCK OUT!!”

“Relax.” Chad grumbles to his right. “Acting like a bratty little shit isn’t gonna get you anywhere.” He looks up at Dahlia for a moment. “Fuck you, by the way.”

Dahlia turns up her nose in disgust at him, before looking at Oliver fiercely. “Calm down -- I’m checking to make sure nobody else got free. Especially not the cult rejects.”

Oliver stops his struggle and looks at her, wide-eyed. “F-Free? The others… they’re OUT?!”

“Fuck…” Dahlia sighs, putting her head in her hands. “Just… FUCK, okay -- whatever, just… fuck it!”

She turns and storms out of the room.

“Hey, WAIT--!!” Oliver’s shouting is cut off as the door is slammed shut, leaving the trapped survivors alone.

“Can you shut the fuck up?” Chad growls, glaring at Oliver. “Jesus, you whine…”

“Hey, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re kinda compromised right now!” Oliver retorts. “I’m at least trying to get out of here, I don’t see you or your bitch girlfriend doing anything to help!”

“Cause I’m tryin’ to sleep!” Erika mumbles, voice slurred from where she’s slumped over.

“Don’t call her a bitch, Blake!” Chad kicks at Oliver, landing a blow to the side.

“FUCK!” Oliver jerks to the side, right into Erika and forcing her to attention.

“DAMMIT-- fuck you guys!” She shouts.

“'''We need to get OUT OF HERE! BOTH OF YOU STOP ACTING LIKE FUCKING ASSHOLES!!'''” Oliver shouts. As Chad opens his mouth to reply, Oliver stops him. “NO! There’s bigger problems right now than your fucking ego, Chad! Our friends need help, okay? We’re on the same side!”

Chad scoffs. “Really? Don’t act like you’re some pure, spotless angel. Don’t make it look like you’re good and I’m evil.” Oliver stares at him.

“... I’m not.” The young man shakes his head. “Because we’re beyond good and evil. This is a matter of self-preservation, not righteousness.”

“He’s right.” The two men look to see Erika, her hateful gaze having softened to one of uncertainty. “Chad, just… he’s right.”

Chad raises an eyebrow, shaking his head. “We wouldn’t even be in this fucking mess if this asshole just killed Parker with us! Kate woulda been able to deal with this.”

“You’re still hung up on that?!” Oliver scoffs.

“In case you didn’t notice earlier, Kate was a psycho bitch who killed everyone else, and then got herself killed.” Erika argues. “I know your dumbass kept us both from dying then, but continuing to be a dumbass now will just get us killed either way.”

Chad snorts, but shakes his head, deciding not to respond. Oliver looks between them both. “... wait, what? That… yeah, that doesn’t make sense -- why didn’t you guys end up there?”

“In the library?” Chad asks, to which Oliver nods.

“Chad couldn’t read the note she left for us.” Erika rolls her eyes. “Never thought my illiterate boyfriend would save us both.”

“Hey, I’m not illiterate!” The blonde boy groans. “I’ve never been made to read calligraphy before, okay?! Besides, what kinda psycho goes out of their way to write murder notes that professional?”

“I mean she did turn out to be a serial killer…” Erika mumbles.

Oliver blinks in confusion. “... wait, she didn’t send me a note.”

“She sent everyone in the cult notes. You left the cult.” Chad rolls his eyes. “No shit you didn’t get one.”

Erika shakes her head. “... wait, no -- Chad, she exiled us. So why did you get one?”

Before any of them can respond, the door opens. All three snap their heads up, as a young girl stands there. She holds a small canteen in her hand, and has a rifle slung over her shoulder. She looks between the three of them apprehensively, before she shuts the door behind her.

“H-Hi.” She mutters. None of them respond. “... s-sorry, um, I’m actually not supposed to be here, but… I don’t know how any of the prisoners are doing. And I felt bad, and um… I, uh…”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Oliver nods. “We’re not gonna bite, or anything -- heck, we can’t even attack you, even if we wanted to. Which we don’t, um… sorry, that sounded less threatening in my head.”

The girl snorts a bit, kneeling down and uncapping the canteen. “I brought water… don’t tell anyone I’m doing this.”

Oliver chuckles a bit in response. “Well, thank you… we are pretty thirsty.”

The girl reaches her arm out, allowing Oliver to take a generous sip of the water. When it’s Chad’s turn, the boy turns away.

Oliver purses his lips. “You’re not gonna drink it?”

“You put your spit all over it.” Chad sighs. “I’m not gonna--”

“Chad, drink the fucking water.” Erika groans. Chad eyes her, before complying and taking a sip. Erika then does the same without much apprehension.

Oliver watches her put the water away and raises an eyebrow. “... um, I don’t think I caught your name.”

The girl smirks at him and tucks her belongings away. “Rosa. Rosa Benevidez. My mom’s one of the guards here.”

“Really? Well then, Ms. Benevidez…” Oliver began. “... think you could let us out?”

Rosa’s smile fell, and she began to pick herself back up to leave. “I-I shouldn’t be here, I…”

“No, wait.” Oliver gets to his knees as best as he can. “We’re Dahlia’s friends. We know her.”

Rosa stops, looking at him with a frown. “... ugh, I get it. This is what prisoners always say. Now I know why you’re locked up.”

“No, seriously. Dahlia Dwelton.” Oliver continues, catching Rosa’s attention. “She’s twenty-two. High school grad, valedictorian and top of her class. I’ve known her for a few years now. Her boyfriend is Warren Dotson, one of my close friends and also a prisoner here.”

The girl bites her lip, looking between the three hesitantly. “... I don’t… know if what you’re saying is true.”

“It is. Dahlia even came in here and said everyone else got out.” Oliver nodded. “Look… I know how this may seem, and I know I’m jumping to a lot of shit right now -- but we’re not hostile. I’m not hostile. These two are not hostile. If you let us go, and just help our friends… literally all we’ll do is just walk back upstairs and leave you all alone.”

Rosa looks at the ground, considering his words. The girl then shakes her head, and turns away. “... but… but we want to go upstairs too. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

“... no, no WAIT!” Oliver screams as she walks away, thrashing hard against his bondage. “'''Please, let us out!! LET US OUT!!'''”

Rosa exits the room, slamming the door shut.

In the large living area, amongst all the tents, a few people gather around a crate, armed with weapons and discussing things. Among them is Wilkes, Jimmy, Mona, Jesse, and a tall, bald white man known as Ivan.

“... which is why if we circle around here…” Wilkes scribbles a few lines on a makeshift map of the basement’s layout. “We’ll end up catching them off guard before they can get to the stairwell.”

“But there’s three stairways total.” Jesse points out. “There’s the boiler room stairwell, the side stairwell, and… the backout. Can we guard all three?”

“To get to the boiler room stairwell, they’d need to come through here.” Ivan notes.

“So what does that mean for us?” Mona asks, looking between them all.

“It means we need to be ready.” Wilkes answers, nodding to her. “We can station someone in the back hall at the corner.”

“Can’t someone just lock the doors?” Jimmy suggests. “Keep them out, keep us in?”

“No, because Dahlia’s the only one with the keys, and she won’t approve of this.” Wilkes shakes his head. He looks at each of them. “We need to do this ourselves. If the end is what she wants… we need to reach that end.”

Ivan nods. “Then in that case, I can take the eastern halls, since there’s one long hallway that circles to the pumps, and then to the backout.”

“Perfect, which means Jimmy, you can cycle out with Bob at the pumps and watch that hallway, and you can both cover each other.” Wilkes replies, earning a nod from the man.

“Then that means if my daughter is where she’s supposed to be at her post, I can watch the intersection near the side stairs.” Mona adds. “Now all we need is someone for the back hall.”

Jesse looks around and nods. “I think I know someone… hey Leroy! C’mon over here!”

The small group looks to see a young, lean, scrappy looking teenage boy with brown hair approach. “What’s… going on?”

“Prisoners got out, and we’re gonna catch ‘em. I need you to guard the back hall.” Jesse shoves a pistol into his hands, making him stumble back. “Don’t hesitate to kill a couple. Rumor is they’re bloodthirsty.”

“Jesse.” Wilkes hisses.

Jesse holds up a hand and looks back to Leroy. “That asshole cop shot your best buddy Cam. His asshole wife and asshole son are running free ready to kill everyone here. You gonna let that happen?”

Leroy looks to the gun in his hand, then glares at the others. “Fuck those people. Cam was my best friend, they don’t deserve to live.”

Before anyone can argue, he storms off to exit the room and guard his respective position.

Wilkes sighs. “Jesse, the point of this is to keep them alive for Dahlia. You’re going against what she wants.”

“I know.” Jesse nods, crossing his arms. “But so are you. This whole plan ain’t what she wants. So if you can break the rules, so can I.”

Wilkes bites his lip, unable to find a compelling argument. He shakes his head. “... fine, fine. Just… fine.”

“Will this plan even work, Wilkes?” Mona suddenly asks.

The man looks at her, then looks out at the various tents, seeing the young children and their families, the older men, older women, the sick… and he eyes Mona with determination.

“It has to work.” He states. “It has to. No exceptions. We’re going to round them all up, and then we’re going to fix this. It will be hard, we’ll be split up and risking a lot… but it will work. No more conflict.”

That earns nods of agreement from the rest of them. Mona nods, smiling. “Well, in that case… hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo, Wilkes.”

Wilkes smiles back. “Hasta que--”

“No estamos aquí para convertirnos en demonios.” All of them turn to see Dahlia storming towards them, glaring at Wilkes. “I don’t appreciate being conspired against, Wilkes. I don’t appreciate seeing my friends and my family working against my orders.”

“Dahlia…” Wilkes sighs. “Please, just listen, we understand that you want--”

“What I want? What I want?!” Dahlia scoffs. “What I want is for you to listen when I give you a fucking order. I’m stressed as hell trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and you’re making plans behind my back?!”

Nobody says anything.

“... oh really? Alright. Shoo, all of you.” Dahlia glares at everyone. “Wilkes stays. But all of you, go on. Get out of here. Do whatever the fuck you want. Go ahead. Act like I don’t exist anymore.”

They share a few awkward, nervous glances, before they retreat, leaving Wilkes alone with Dahlia. The girl, though smaller than the man, still glares daggers at him, arms crossed.

“What. What is it.” Wilkes throws his hands up, turning away. “The fuck is it this time. What’s the big deal you need us to throw a tantrum over.”

“Nole’s dead.”

That makes the man turn quickly. “... what?”

“Haven’t seen him. Haven’t heard from him. He was going for chamber when the gunshot went off and then before I know it everyone’s free.” Dahlia shrugs exaggeratedly. “Pretty fucking sure they murdered him.”

“Dahlia, we don’t know--”

“He’s dead?” Before either of them realize it, Trevor is there, standing between the two. “Dr. Nole… Dr. Nole’s dead…?”

Dahlia sighs, putting her hands on her hips. She purses her lips. “... yeah, yeah he is, Trev. Assholes murdered your friend and now your dad doesn’t want me to fix things.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.” Wilkes hisses. “Don’t talk to my son like that.”

“Keep going. Keep going. Tell me what else I shouldn’t do.” Dahlia storms off. “Since you clearly know better than I do.”

Wilkes watches her leave, sighing heavily and rubbing a hand against his temple.

“... dad, I-I…” Trevor shakes his head, trying to find the words. “I-I still… n-no, he can’t be dead. I-I’m not a doctor. I have n-no idea what to do, I-I can’t…”

“Hey, hey…” He places a hand on his son’s shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. “We’re not making anyone do anything. We’re not ignoring anything. Something happened and we’re just… taking a moment to blink and realize it.”

“So many people are sick, dad…” Trevor shakes his head, looking solemnly at his father and removing his hand from his shoulder. “If Dr. Nole’s dead, then… shit, th-they’re gonna keep dying. We have no medicine, we don’t got a doctor, we’ve got no real way out…”

Wilkes frowns. “Look, I just… I thought this would be what Dahlia wanted. We just need to focus on--”

“Is this even what you want, dad?!” Trevor steps back. “Phoebe’s dead, Cam’s dead, Barry’s dead, Percy’s dead… it’s been a day, dad, and suddenly we’re being killed. I-I don’t want us to keep dropping dead.”

“I want what’s best for everyone too. Just like Dahlia.” Wilkes nods.

“Yeah you say that, but what do you want??” Trevor exclaims, grabbing his father’s arms and shaking. “I don’t… I don’t think I want what Dahlia wants anymore.”

Trevor looks into his son’s eyes, and his demeanor tenses slightly. The two look down silently, staying there for some moments.

Meanwhile, Dahlia arrives at a tent across the room, where she slows to a stop as soon as she takes sight of Natania, who is sitting on a pillow, reading a small book. The woman takes one, unapologetic look at Dahlia, then gestures for her to sit beside her. Once the girl is on the floor, she exhales a heavy, long sigh, staring at the wall ahead of her.

“Talk to me.” Natania mutters.

Dahlia groans, the girl placing her head in her hands. “... I’m just tired, and angry, and dealing with everything.”

“I know you are.” Natania says. “I know people are dying. I know who we’ve lost. Yet I’m the only one sitting through it.”

“And I don’t know how you do it.” Dahlia responds.

“Because ever since the day you found me I’ve been watching people die. It’s sad, but I’m used to it. Heaven knows it’ll take a lot to make me cry, even more to make me beg.” The woman turns the page of her book. “Dahlia, sweetie, I love you like a daughter. I know you know those people, but if they’re getting problematic, you’re gonna have to start killing, like it or not. You realized that a long time ago.”

“Oh please.” Dahlia grunts. “I can’t even remember the first person I killed.”

“That’s a damn lie and you know it. You never forget that.” Natania shuts her book and glares at her. “First man I ever killed was my husband. Never gonna forget that.”

Dahlia’s eyes widen. “You… you killed him?!”

“Mhm. Not even cause he was bitten or dyin’ or anything.” Natania shakes her head. “Mm-mm. He was abusive. I shoulda shot him one afternoon, but instead, I went out on a supply run. Got too scared, thought about it all day.”

“... and… then what?”

The woman opens her book again and resumes reading. “Came home to him crushin’ our daughter’s head against the counter. Screamed like a banshee, wasted no time blowing his brains out.”

Dahlia’s breath catches in her throat, and she averts her eyes. “... J-Jesus…”

“You never forget your first kill. Ever.” Natania nods. “Wilkes told me the story of what was apparently your first. Sounded gnarly.”

“... I just want everything to be okay.” The girl looks to her. “Ever since I started doing this, you’ve been like… a mother to me. I’m not ready to just… lose everyone today, not after all my hard work.”

“You say that like you don’t care about all of them.” Natania retorts. “Which I know is not true. But you know keeping everyone alive is impossible, right?”

The girl doesn’t respond; her eyes remain fixated on the wall.

Natania sighs, setting her book down again and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Baby girl, I know you just want a happy ending… and as long as all of us are here, we’re going to try and get that. I know Phoebe only ever wanted peace, she was such a gentle soul, who was so strong through everything… I may not have cried when you said she was killed, but she was the first one to go in a long time that genuinely hurt.”

Dahlia nods, sniffling a bit and wiping a tear on her sleeve. “I-I miss her. She was a good friend, and… sh-she would’ve been able to solve all of this. But… but Daniel…”

“I know, I know what he did. I heard. They saw.” Natania nods. “But all we can do now is promise to do better by her, and honor her memory by reaching for peace.”

“And ending the conflict is how we get to peace.” Dahlia adds. She smiles at Natania, who returns the gesture. “... I just don’t want anyone else to die, if I can prevent at least one more death… I can live with that.”

“Then let’s shoot for one.” Natania nods. “It’s gonna get harder from here… lord knows, even though I’m used to it all, I don’t like having to resort to brutality. But, sweetie, you need to be ready to make those choices--”

“And I am.” Dahlia says quickly. “I am… and we have work to do.”

Natania nods, standing up and offering the girl a hand. “That we do. Shall we?”

Dahlia takes it, allows the woman to pull her to her feet, and she nods. “If you’re willing to take patrol… I’ll head around the back hall and take the long way. Don’t kill anyone if you don’t have to… just… try not to. They should… they should be able to listen.”

Natania nods again, shakes Dahlia’s hand, and the two share a smile, before they turn and head in separate directions.

Kylie gasps for air, choking out sharp and shaky breaths. Her body curls up and shakes, trembling violently on the cold stone floor. She whimpers, biting her lip and hissing, before she coughs in pain.

Bob silently pulls his robe back on, holding Kylie’s clothes in one hand. The naked girl can’t bring herself to look up at him, but she sobs softly when she begins to hear his footsteps. The man looms over her, looking over her small, quivering form. Kylie struggles to look him in the eyes, through the shadow cast by his tall figure.

He slowly raises a hand, pressing his index finger against his mouth. “Shh.”

Then he turns, crosses the room, and exits, the slamming of the door being the final sound before the room spirals back into a tragic silence.

Kylie shatters it with a strained sob.

She lurches over, pounding a fist into the cold stone floor beneath her. Her shaking body stabilizes, her agony being channeled into loud gasps for air. She grabs at her chest, where her heart is, and tries to stay steady.

It takes her several minutes, but her breathing eventually calms down, and she kneels there, silently staring at the floor.

She looks around. The rope used to bind her wrists is laying haphazardly nearby. The girl looks to her arms and cringes at the raw skin and harsh imprints of rope burn. Her eyes wander around, blinking tears out profusely.

Footsteps outside the room. The door shakes a bit.

Kylie gasps and leans against the wall, looking around for anything at all.

Jimmy slowly enters, closing the door behind him. However, the moment he sees Kylie curled up, he rushes over to her in shock.

“H-Holy shit!!” He exclaims, kneeling by her, as she rests her head in her lap. “Are you okay?! What happened?!”

“I-I… I-I-I… I…” She stammers, lifting her head and shaking it.

“Hey hey hey, I’m not gonna hurt you… what happened?” The man asks. “Are you hurt?”

Kylie looks him in the eyes sadly. “... I-I’m s-s-sorry.”

Jimmy looks confused. “... what?” A shard of glass plunges into his throat.

Kylie lets out a shout, Jimmy’s eyes widening as he suddenly chokes and wheezes. The girl turns the shard and rips it out the side, slicing Jimmy’s throat wide open, spraying blood all over her face and body.

He weakly reaches for his neck, gagging on his blood, but Kylie shoves him away from her and right to the ground. The overweight man crashes onto his back, kicking around frantically and clasping his shredded throat, blood seeping through his fingers and beginning to stream down his body and pool around him.

Kylie wastes no time in wiping the blood from her face, and getting her trembling body to her feet, ignoring the choking man’s pleading, strained reaches for her. She spots a holstered pistol on his waist, and carefully kneels down to take it. Jimmy frantically grabs at the girl with one final attempt, though once she recoils, his hands fall flat, and his gurgles slowly fade. Within seconds, he’s completely still.

The girl doesn’t move for a moment, though once she snaps out of her thoughts, she jumps forward, quickly taking the gun and standing back up. The pistol is cold and heavy in her hands, and not even the handle feels warm. She checks the magazine, finding it entirely full.

For a half second, she considers executing the man with one shot through the skull.

But she decides against it.

“Y-You can turn.” She mumbles to herself, shivering a bit and turning to leave. However, before she can go for the door, she looks back at the corpse behind her.

It doesn’t take her long to begin stripping the large man of his clothing, Kylie covering her naked form quickly with the oversized, sweaty, bloody garments. The disgusting, pale, bloody body of the man lays slumped in the center of the room.

Quickly, Kylie makes her way back to the double doors, and with slight hesitation, she pulls them both open and steps out into the hall. She looks around, wide eyed, dazed, terrified.

“''Hey, she’s ESCAPING! STOP HER!!''”

She turns to see two men rushing after her, one brandishing a knife, the other aiming with a pistol, but instead of panicking, Kylie raises the gun and fires. The bullet rips through the knife-man’s head, sending him back into the other attacker and causing him to misfire. Kylie shoots again, catching him in the chest as he falls, before she turns and runs in the opposite direction, turning another corner, her gunshots echoing.

“Nice fucking going, moron.”

Chad glares at Oliver and slumps back down. “Because of you, we lost our one fucking chance at freedom.”

“I didn’t think I’d be agreeing with my boyfriend right now, but… yeah, good going idiot.” Erika grumbles.

Oliver mumbles something barely audible, and Chad sits up with a start. “What was that? You got something to say?”

“... I’m sorry…” Oliver shakes his head and growls softly. “I just… wasn’t sure what else to say.”

“You shouldn’t have said anything.” Chad retorts. “We should’ve stopped you…”

Oliver eyes him curiously. “... and why didn’t you stop me, exactly?”

Chad opens his mouth to respond, but he struggles to find the words. When he does, they stumble out of his mouth awkwardly. “... w-well… cause… cause fuck it, I dunno -- I’m desperate, I thought it would work or whatever.”

Oliver looks Chad over, and the blond boy slumps back down without another word. He, too, looks away, unsure of what else to say to him. Erika chooses not to add anything to the conversation either, instead just sitting silently and staring at the wall.

“... I’m sorry you guys got tangled up with the cult.” Oliver mumbles. “I mean, I know we aren’t sworn brothers and sisters or anything, but… I was glad to call you decent friends before everything got fucked.”

Chad and Erika say nothing.

“I guess I just let my emotions get the best of me when I joined the cult, but… I don’t even know what I was doing. I was an idiot.” He continues. “And you guys were idiots too… but, you guys got spared. Now it’s over, and we can move on. And it pisses me off that you guys don’t want to. I’m not sorry I left, I’m not sorry I got out of there. I’m not sorry Kate died. I’m not sorry you guys are mad. But I am sorry that I won’t be able to do anything for you both when your time comes. If you keep acting like this, you’ll be fucked faster than you think.”

Still no responses are given.

That’s when the door opens.

The three look up to see a young man enter with brown hair, a plaid shirt and denim jeans -- a face all three recognize. William Knight briskly walks by them, searching through the nearby crates and table drawers.

“Shit-- William! Help us!!” Erika quickly shouts, jerking in her bindings.

“Shut up.” William spits instantly, not even looking at her.

“He’s not gonna help.” Chad shakes his head. “You know William, Erika, this fucker’s not gonna--”

“I said shut up.” William interjects picking up a piece of shrapnel as he investigates.

Chad shrugs hard. “I’m not even doing--”

“I said SHUT UP!!” William suddenly screams, kicking Chad in the torso.

“FUCK!” Chad lurches forward in pain, before he angrily kicks at his assaulter in response, landing a blow to his groin.

“SHIT!!” William drops the metal and doubles over.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Chad yells, glaring at him. “The fuck you gonna do about that?! WHAT’RE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT THAT?!”

It’s not long before William recovers, drawing a knife from his pocket and lunging at the three. However, he narrowly avoids Chad’s kick and reaches Oliver, pressing the knife hard against his neck.

The curly haired man winces and hisses. “Sh-Shit, h-hey…! Don’t do this man…!”

“I said shut up, follow my FUCKING order!” William shouts, venom in his voice. “I don’t care about what happens to you fuckers, now shut the hell up.”

“Hey, leave him alone man!” Chad suddenly yells. William glares at him. “He’s not worth it, and you know it. Quit wasting time when all you complain about is other people wasting yours.”

The armed man glances at him, before he sighs and retracts his blade, standing back up and continuing to scavenge.

“Why the hell are you free?” Erika asks. “How did you get away??”

“I know how to hide.” He answers simply. “I need shit to get out of here. These people are time bombs.”

“Well no shit, they’re one stroke away from flipping out and shooting everyone…” Chad grimaces.

“No, that’s wrong. The sick are the problem.” William responds. “I saw some of them croak earlier. When the sick die -- and there’s a fuck load of sick -- they get wheeled off to the stairwells without being put down.”

“... what? Why?” Oliver asks. “Are they starting to move the bodies upstairs…?”

Erika’s eyes narrow as she comes to a bitter realization. “... holy shit.”

Chad looks to her, as does Oliver. “What is it, babe?”

“The walkers… they were never coming in from the outside.” Erika shakes her head. “They’ve been inside the whole time… when these homeless freaks die, they get sent upstairs and turn.”

Silence fills the room, Chad, Erika, and Oliver exchanging knowing glances. William, however, sighs and gives up, heading for the door.

Oliver notices and breaks the silence, bucking against the ropes. “Hey, wait--! Dude, let us out!!”

“I said shut up.” William doesn’t even look back at Oliver as he shuts the door behind him, sprinting off down the hall.

“Dammit!!” Oliver stomps angrily. “FUCK!!!”

“Hey, calm down, dumbass.” Chad says calmly, fidgeting where he sits.

“How can I be calm?!” Oliver exclaims. “We have no way out of--!”

“There.” Chad pulls his arms from behind his back, the ropes cut and the piece of shrapnel tucked in his hands. He smirks. “Dumbass dropped it.”

Oliver almost chuckles at the happenstance, before he jerks to one side to show his bound wrists. “H-Hurry up and cut us out then!”

Chad uses the sharp metal to slice the ropes, allowing Oliver and Erika to stand up and stretch. The blond holds onto the metal as a weapon, as the other two search around to arm themselves.

“Find something sharp or heavy. We need whatever we can to get out of here.” Chad notes.

“We’re not leaving without everyone else.” Oliver adds. “You heard what Dahlia said. They broke out, so we need to find them.”

“It’s way too--” Chad stops himself, looking between Oliver and Erika. After a moment, he nods. “... yeah, we’ll split up and keep an eye out.”

Oliver nods, picking up a large metal rebar from one of the crates, as Erika picks up a plank of wood. However, before the three of them can head for the door, a booming voice and fast footsteps could be heard outside.

“What’s with all the fuckin’ commotion?!” A male voice bellows.

The three face the door, readying their weaponry.

The door is kicked open, and in comes the tall, Caucasian guard, Ivan. He charges forward and aims a pistol, just as Oliver bellows out a war cry and attacks.

“GRAAH!!” He thrusts the rebar forward, piercing it straight between Ivan’s eyes before he can take the shot. The man drops the gun, the rebar being driven all the way through his head. As his corpse drops to his knees, Oliver kicks his chest to yank the rebar out, spraying blood out and allowing Ivan’s corpse to collapse to the side.

Chad and Erika step back in surprise, eyes wide and mouths agape. Oliver turns to them, blood staining his shirt and pants. Chad sighs. “Nice kill, dumbass.”

Oliver holds up his fist, which Chad bumps. “Thanks, bitchface.”

“If you two dorks are done, let’s get a move on.” Erika says, stepping over the body and exiting into the hall. The two boys follow, seeing different paths to take down long and narrow halls.

“I’ll go right, Erika takes left, Oliver goes ahead.” Chad states, before looking to the other two. “Shit gets gnarly? Double back to the storage closet.”

“Right.” Oliver nods.

“Stay safe.” Erika nods as well, and the three venture down their respective halls.

Oliver hurries down the hall, eyes fixated on the path ahead, hands tightly gripping the bloody metal bar. He doesn’t realize how much his pace quickens, and he turns a corner -- locking eyes with an approaching guard. The teenager, Leroy, gasps, and raises his gun.

“This is for my FRIEND!” He takes aim at the startled Oliver, only for the tip of a blade to jut out of his neck from behind. Leroy misfires, dropping the gun and collapsing in a spasming mess as the blade is ripped back out by its owner.

Virgil.

The older man’s grip on the blade loosens, and his fighting stance softens. “... O-Oliver…?”

Oliver nearly drops the rebar, as he stumbles into a sprint, running towards the man, as he and Virgil embrace. “''Virgil, holy shit! O-Oh my god…!!''”

Virgil laughs a bit, squeezing Oliver tight and patting his back. “I know! I know, I know I know I know… I know kid, I know…”

Oliver pulls back, hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “W-Where the hell is everyone else?? What’s going on?!”

“I’ll explain later, we got split up.” Virgil looks over his shoulder. “Shit’s really hitting the--”

He’s cut off as he catches sight of two people at the end of the hall. A mother and daughter. The mother trains her rifle on the two, as Oliver cocks his head around to see. “... Rosa?”

“QUIET!” Mona shouts, readying her rifle. “Do not fill mi hija’s head with your lies. I know what you said to her… and I know what it is you and your people have done.”

Her voice is low and threatening, contrasting the shot she fires. Virgil shoves Oliver to the side, and pulls the young man around the corner, while Oliver looks at Rosa worriedly.

They backtrack all the way to the storage closet, where they end up coming across Chad and Erika once again. The jock backs up, kicking a knife wielding woman in the shin, before thrusting his shrapnel into her eye, killing her. Erika, on the other hand, swings the plank of wood at a large man running at her. It snaps in two upon collision, though the man is dazed enough for Erika to pierce the shattered, chipped wood chunks through his eyes and skull.

Another shot rings out behind the two, as Mona rounds the corner, Jesse in tow but Rosa out of sight.

“Go, inside! NOW!” Virgil yells, pushing the three adolescents into the closet before entering and slamming the door behind them.

The four back up, readying their weapons.

And they wait.

And wait.

And wait.

The door handle clicks and wiggles.

It flies open, and Mona and Jesse enter with their guns trained on the four.

“Drop them.” Jesse growls.

After a moment, Chad and Erika cave, setting their weapons down. Oliver follows not long after, and Virgil is the last to do so, with extreme hesitation. Their weapons on the floor, Mona rests her finger on the trigger of her rifle.

“I was weak, I saw loss… and it was Dahlia who pulled me back.” She mutters. “I must protect those I love… for my sake, and for hers.”

In an instant, she turns the gun on Virgil.

She smirks, holding onto the trigger. “Te veré en el infierno.”

BANG!

One, lone, fast bullet tears straight through the back of Mona’s head. Blood explodes out, and she jerks forward. The woman drops her rifle as her corpse falls forward, landing on the floor with a thud.

“Enough people have died today, bitch!” Candice Noire shouts, lowering her revolver and running towards the door to the storage closet. “You leave my family alone!”

Chaos ensues. Jesse frantically drops his gun in the confusion, grabbing the knife Virgil had put down and charging at the group. Virgil ducks out of the way, snagging the rifle next to Mona’s corpse.

He stands back up and aims for Jesse, the man having grabbed Oliver and holding the knife to his throat. He backs into the corner as Virgil aims his way.

“D-Don’t do it!” Jesse shouts. “If you try anything, this kid’s dead!”

Virgil is quiet. Candice enters the room and gasps, followed by Gina, who rounds the bend into the closet. She glares at the man and holds up a curved blade.

“Let him go, fuckhead.” She hisses.

“V-Virgil…!” Oliver winces, looking into the man’s eyes. “D-Don’t do it… I-I’m not worth it!”

Virgil’s grip on the rifle destabilizes. He struggles to hold it. Jesse smirks. “Go on then, commando… take the shot. Get your fuckin’ kid killed.”

Oliver shakes his head, wincing again. “D-Don’t…!”

The counselor sighs, glaring at the two and aiming. “... sorry Oliver, but… it’s not worth it.”

He pulls the trigger.

BANG!

Oliver shrieks, the bullet ripping through him. He stumbles forward out of Jesse’s grasp, clutching at his chest, near his shoulder. The clean hole and exit wound are visible. Virgil drops the rifle and catches the young man in his arms as he collapses.

Jesse drops the knife, staring at Virgil, blood leaking from the whole in his chest, right around his heart. Within moments, he’s on his knees, then he slumps to the floor.

“Th-There there, there… there… I gotcha…” Virgil coos softly, putting Oliver’s arm around him as he gently presses his hand against the bullet wound. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… there was no other way, I’m sorry…”

Chad and Erika look around at the others. Candice quickly goes to Oliver’s aid, and Gina approaches them. “Look at what the cat dragged in.”

Chad is silent, but Erika looks to her. “... you guys okay?”

Before she can respond, two more people enter the room. A tall, dark-skinned man slowly arrives, looking incredibly sullen, a far away stare in his eyes -- Blaine Parker. Then, a stoic blond young man hurries in.

Warren Dotson.

“I heard the shots, you guys o… kay…?” He stops upon catching sight of the wounded Oliver, grimacing. “Holy fuck…”

“I-I’m fine…” Oliver chuckles, mumbling weakly.

Virgil nods. “He’s… gonna be fine. Everyone else okay?”

Warren nods in response. “Rocky’s group is doubling back around. They should be around here soon.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Chad interrupts. “You kinda just… came outta nowhere.”

“We’re fighting back, dipshit.” Gina rolls her eyes. “We’ve already… well, we’ve already lost people. So gear up.”

“Wait, we’re just… going into the fight?” Erika asks. “Just like that?”

Warren looks to her and nods. “Well… yeah. Things are about to get crazy.”

-

Monica’s eyes open.

Your Rating
How would you rate the Dark Days episode "Beyond Good And Evil" out of ten? (If it's a low score, I'd love to hear why in the comments.) 10/10 9/10 8/10 7/10 6/10 5/10 4/10 3/10 2/10 1/10 0/10

Other Cast
Special Guest Stars
 * Nathan Kress as Raye Pence (Corpse)

Co-Stars

 * Camryn Manheim as Candice Noire
 * RJ Cyler as Trevor
 * Leonard Roberts as Bob
 * Eva Mendes as Mona Benevidez
 * Selena Gomez as Rosa Benevidez
 * Nick Jameson as Jimmy
 * Ian Butcher as Ivan
 * Camden Filtness as Leroy
 * Matt Winston as Jesse

Deaths

 * Jimmy
 * Ivan
 * Leroy
 * Mona Benevidez
 * Jesse
 * Natania's Daughter (Confirmed Fate)
 * Natania's Husband (Confirmed Fate)
 * Four unnamed Homeless members

Trivia

 * First (and last) appearance of Ivan.
 * First (and last) appearance of Leroy.
 * Last appearance of Raye Pence. (Corpse)
 * Last appearance of Jimmy.
 * Last appearance of Mona Benevidez.
 * Last appearance of Jesse.
 * The title of this episode refers to Oliver's quote to Chad and Erika about their situation, and why they need to drop their grudges and reform; "Because we’re beyond good and evil. This is a matter of self-preservation, not righteousness."