Episode 45 (E2)

"No Way Out" is the fifth episode and mid-season finale of Season 5 of KeepOnKeepingOn's Walking Dead: Edition Two. It is the 45th episode overall. It premiered on November 27, 2017.

Synopsis
"A threat strikes the Stable."

Plot
"Open up!"

Ethan turns around and looks at the gate. "Holy shit..."

Anton pulls open the gate and in steps Jake, several other Stable residents watching him curiously. He walks casually through the crowd as Ethan rushes over.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asks, slightly irritated.

"Thought it was obvious. I wanna be with my goddamn best friend." Jake huffs. "I left Trace in charge. But I also need to speak to Madela."

"Handgun, now." Ethan pushes him back and holds out his hand. "You can't just barge in here. And I'm not gonna risk you shooting her."

"Why is this important?" Jake tosses his handgun aside and walks past him. "I'm going to talk to her and then we're gonna hang out."

"You're gonna go back to the manor." Ethan argues.

"I'm gonna be with my best friend." Jake glares. "Ethan, why are you so fucking blind?! Why can't you see I just want to spend time with you after we've been separated for months, thinking each of us were dead?!"

Ethan sighs. "Jake, I... I love you, I do. But you came to us with a request to join you in a war. We're all stressed and freaked out, okay? There's time for after, but with what you presented, there's no way out of it."

Jake stares at him before looking down. "I'm sorry... but I just... want to make sure we're together. We could both die in this fucking war."

Ethan is about to respond, but Madela approaches before he can speak.

"What brings you here?" She asks, somewhat irritated.

Jake turns and glares at her. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't. You need to leave--"

"You shot my leader." Jake cuts her off. "So now I'm in charge of the manor."

Madela looks taken aback, before she glares at the boy. "I'm the one in charge of this whole operation. The Stable will pull out of this war if you don't accept the terms of agreement."

"It's two leaders working together for two communities fighting to stay alive." Jake spits. "You need me, just like I need you."

"I don't need anyone alongside to take the reigns." Madela takes out a pistol and aims it at the boy.

"NO!" Ethan, without thinking, rushes forward and tackles Madela, knocking the gun out of her hands. Jake stumbles back as he watches Ethan pin her down. "You DON'T get to kill him!"

Madela gasps for air as she suddenly feels the breath being taken from her. Ethan gets off of her as she pulls herself up. "Ethan..."

"Madela, this isn't how we do things. No unnecessary death. That goes for both sides." Ethan glares. "C'mon. It's getting late. Jake, you might as well stay the night."

Jake steps back and picks up his handgun, putting it in its holster, before he nods and follows Ethan in silence to one of the barns, the evening sun on the horizon.

Late that night, after the Stable has essentially powered down and gone to bed, a figure appears on the hill behind it, barely audible growls in the background. In the darkness, the figure looks through the binoculars they have at the Stable. Only one person is outside, and it is an unnamed male on the watch tower. The figure lowers their binoculars.

It's revealed to be Carlton.

"Perfect..." Carlton is wearing a poncho smeared with blood and guts. He sets down his belongings and places his binoculars in a backpack. He holds up a rifle he carried with him and attaches a flare to it. Aiming through the scope, he momentarily looks behind him.

A giant herd of walkers, coming his way.

"Following those manor idiots was a good idea..." Acting fast, Carlton aims through the scope and fires.

The flare soars silently through the air before it lands precisely in the skull of the watchman, his head briefly lighting up before he falls over dead.

"Time to move..." Carlton packs up his belongings and begins to slowly walk through the herd as it makes its descent towards the Stable.

That morning, Jake wakes up to the sound of barely audible growling. He stands up, yawns, stretches, and climbs down the ladder from the loft of the barn that he and the others were sleeping in. Ethan, Skylar, Anton, Bridget, and Jean are still asleep. Madela is also there sleeping, instead of in her normal building.

Deciding he should leave, Jake goes over and pushes open the barn door.

A single walker pushes through, out of the hundreds outside, as the growls become louder.

"What the FUCK?!" Jake pulls the door shut tight as he falls back, the walker on top of him. With a grunt, he grabs his survival knife and stabs the walker in the head, killing it.

Quickly getting up, Jake rushes back up the ladder. "GUYS, WAKE UP, WALKERS!"

The others groan and try and pull themselves up from the shouting. Skylar grunts as she stands up. "Jesus Jake, what...?"

"Everyone get the fuck up, there's walkers everywhere." Jake grabs his gear. "They stormed the fucking community. We're packed in with no way out."

That gets everybody's attention. They look out the window of the barn loft and see it's true; a massive herd, almost as far as the eye could see, covering the Stable. At that moment, they begin to hear distant screams, followed by nearby screams.

Jean places a hand over her mouth. "Everybody... is being eaten."

"No... how could this... how could this happen?" Bridget shakes her head.

"Holy shit..." Anton breathes. "I... I'm not gonna lie. These things... walkers... they've always terrified me. The thought of being eaten alive... is horrific. I'm starting to think that nightmare's gonna come true today. Fuck..."

As they climb down the ladder, Ethan asks, "Well what the fuck do we do?"

"There are soldiers stationed at the larger shed across the field from the entrance." Skylar says. "They're out of range of the herd, but we need to get to them."

"And how the hell do we do that?!" Jake asks. "We're gonna be swimming up shit creek with no paddles!"

Madela silently looks over the walker Jake had killed. "... we coat ourselves and walk through."

"... what?" Ethan walks over. "What are you talking about?"

"We cover ourselves in the guts of walkers, and we walk through them." Madela explains. "It was something Horace taught me."

"Well then what are we waiting for? I wanna get the hell out of here before we all die." Anton breathes, running hands through his hair. "Christ, my heart is pounding..."

"Anton, sweetie, it's okay. We got this." Bridget rubs his shoulder. "C'mon. Jake's cutting the thing open. We'll do this calmly and carefully."

Anton shudders as Jake begins covering his clothes and arms in the walker muck, and Ethan begins to do the same. Soon enough, they're all covered in guts, and they step back.

"Give it a second." Jake whispers. "Just be silent and still... then we open the door. Let them pile in. When I give the signal, we walk. And keep holding hands."

They all nod. And after several minutes, Jake finally reaches for the door and slowly pushes it open. It flies open as walkers swarm the inside of the barn, encompassing them. Anton looks around silently before Bridget squeezes his hand.

"Walk." Jake whispers. "Say nothing."

He begins to walk. Everyone follows. They exit the barn and begin to take the right to the entry gates, to exit and hurry off to the shed to find the remaining survivors.

Madela looks around at the fallen community around her. Everything she built is all gone, and now she has to leave it all behind. Yet she has no idea how this has happened.

"Almost there. We're making it guys." Jake whispers.

Suddenly, as Anton looks around, a walker brushes past him, and he lets go of Bridget's hand. He becomes surrounded by the unassuming dead, as the group continues without him.

"Bridget." Anton whispers, looking around frantically as he tries to shuffle along.

Bridget turns and tries reaching. "Anton, c'mon. Stay quiet."

"Bridget." Anton mumbles a bit louder, trying to push past, his fear of the walkers becoming more prominent.

The group turns and watches. Jake's eyes widen. "Anton, you have to be--"

Another walker pushes past Anton and he stumbles. "Dammit! B-Bridget!"

Just as he grabs Bridget's wrist, the plan goes awry as a walker chomps into Anton's shoulder. The man screams in agony as more walkers begin to grab and tear at him, biting into his neck and arm. He is pulled away from a screaming Bridget, as the group begins to fight their way out.

As Anton is devoured, Bridget's hand is suddenly bitten, skin being torn.

"Oh fuck." Jake finally pulls out his pistol and begins shooting. The group fights off the rest of the walkers as they finally make it out, hurrying off up the hill, killing the following stragglers, before they run to the shed.

"Bridget!" Madela grabs her knife and takes her arm. Before anyone can react, the woman begins cutting off Bridget's hand.

Bridget hollers in agony before she collapses, her hand falling off as she passes out.

As Jean and Skylar begin to cover the wound with bandages, Madela stares out at her fallen community.

"So much work... all lost." She mutters.

"We lost so many good people." Ethan shakes his head. "C'mon. Let's gather up the rest of the soldiers and get out of this hellhole."

Ben and Roberto are on watch as they suddenly see the long line of people approaching the manor. On further inspection, they see it being led by Jake and Ethan.

"Hey! Everyone! They're back!" Ben calls out.

"The Stable people have arrived!" Roberto calls, as the rest of the manor survivors exit the mansion and gather outside.

"Holy shit, Jake! Ethan!" Mike rushes towards the two dirtied boys, the rest of the soldiers stepping back. He hugs them both. "What the hell happened?"

For the first time in ages, Jake starts to cry, as Ethan shakes his head.

"The Stable is gone... got room for some newcomers?"

Deaths

 * Anton Bridges
 * Several unnamed Stable residents.

Trivia

 * Last appearance of Anton Bridges.
 * Last appearance of the Stable.
 * Bridget's hand is bitten and amputated.