Episode 52 (E2)

"Down By The Creek" is the second episode of Season 6 of KeepOnKeepingOn's Walking Dead: Edition Two. It is the 52nd episode overall. It premiered on January 6, 2018.

Synopsis
"Despite having shelter, the survivors aren't comfortable in their new location."

Plot
Ethan is among the first of the survivors to wake up the following morning. Despite the size of the cabin, the number of bedrooms is quite small, so they have to sleep on the first floor or in the basement. The sun shines in through the small cellar windows, but the sky outside is still a bleak, empty white and gray. Ethan pinches out a nearby candle as he pulls himself up from his mattress, stretching uncomfortably. He never had the chance to know of the comfort at Westchester Manor, not much anyways, and the living conditions of the Stable were less than favorable.

Thinking back, way back on all of their former homes, makes him feel sad. The Campgrounds. The CDC. The Colony. Westchester Manor. The Stable. All of them had fallen or been abandoned. Ethan isn't even sure if they're in Georgia anymore, with how far all of them have traveled.

Aside from Ethan, the survivors who slept in the basement included Mike, Matthew, Sarah, Trace, Amy, and Dwight, meaning the first floor had Skylar, Zach, Stefan, and Carol, while the second floor had Larry and Charles. Ethan understands this, as he figures Larry doesn't have full trust in the survivors completely.

Matthew, Sarah, and Mike are still asleep, indicating that Trace, Amy, and Dwight have woken up and gone up to eat what little rations they have. Unless Larry has food, though he doesn't expect it.

The moment he reaches the first floor, he is met with a blast of warm air, which he notices is coming from an electric heater plugged into the wall. Surprised, he turns from the cellar door and enters the kitchen and dining room, where Larry is making pancakes on the stove with Dwight and Carol. Charles giggles from the kitchen table as Amy feeds him, Trace watching with a smile. Zach and Stefan play a card game to the side, and Skylar enters from the porch door, slinging a rifle over her shoulder, having just returned from a watch lap around the building.

"Holy fuck." Ethan mutters with a dry chuckle, looking around. "This is the last thing I expected."

Dwight glances over his shoulder with a smile. "Indeed, it's been quite some time since we've been able to have a taste of such commodities."

"Not just that, but... wow." Ethan even notices a light fixture hanging over the stove. "Larry, where'd you get this food?"

"This was my family's vacation home. Goes without saying it isn't anymore." The man says, still focusing on making pancakes. "We had plenty of things stored up. Food, board games, books... nothing major."

"And what about the electricity?"

"And as for the electricity, well..." Larry flips a pancake. "We actually powered this building via a wind turbine. There's one a bit of a ways from here."

People stop what they're doing and look to the man in shock, unsure of what to say. Skylar is the one to break the silence.

"A wind turbine?" She asks, her face riddled with skepticism. "You're making this small house seem like a major paradise, but it sounds too good to be true."

"And you have a better explanation for the electrical power?" Larry says, turning off the stove and setting the finished pancakes on a plate. "Like I said, the turbine is a ways away, so going there to check it out when there are problems is a hassle. But it powers this cabin and other buildings within the area. If the wind isn't blowing, it's connected to some solar panels, with a backup gasoline generator inside if it's dead in the night."

"And are there problems often?" Carol asks, crossing her arms.

"Not really, no. Mother Nature doesn't hate me yet." Larry chuckles dryly. "Well, enough about the power supply. Is there really any reason to distrust me over a turbine? Let's eat."

Larry sets down the plate on the dining room table as activities resume, with breakfast being had. Ethan stares at it and rubs the back of his head, a pit in his stomach as he feels very uncomfortable and undeserving of the situation.

"I'm gonna go fish." Ethan says. "No offense but... it's good to practice. We can't take food for granted anymore."

"Ethan, no, sit down and eat with us." Sky takes his hand. "Seriously, just... relax, okay?"

Ethan slowly pulls his hand back and shakes his head. "I haven't been able to relax in two years. Please, just... I need air."

Sky stares at him but recognizes the indestructible wall in his eyes. Recognizing his ever-so-lengthy grieving process, she sighs. "Okay, just... don't be out there for too long, and watch your back."

"I'll just be down by the creek, it's not far." Ethan nods. "Thanks, but... I think everything will be okay."

Skylar doesn't respond as he immediately turns around, leaving the cabin in a hurry. Larry stands next to Sky and watches, before he looks to her with confusion and discomfort.

"Pardon me, miss, but... what's wrong with him?"

Skylar shakes her head, not responding.

Ethan checks the shed for a fishing rod, surprised to find about five in good shape. Relieved he does not have to make one, he grabs it and whatever equipment he may need before he starts away from the cabin and towards the river they had passed before finding the cabin. Halfway down, he looks back and notices the distance, realizing that fishing may not be the most ideal solution for gathering food.

"Christ, it didn't seem this far when we found the cabin..." He mutters to himself, before he continues on to the riverside. "I guess no fishing before dark..."

He reaches the curb near the riverside and slides down onto the gravel and sand, but before he can settle down to fish, something catches his eye to the left of him, down the shoreline. Ethan squints to see a humanoid figure squatting down.

"What...?" He lifts the binoculars around his neck and looks. "What the... it's a living kid."

Indeed, a young boy of around ten or eleven years of age is sitting on the gravel, a smile on his face as he draws with a stick in the sand. He is seemingly alone. Ethan slowly begins to make his way towards the kid. Unsure of what else to do, or if the kid is with anyone, he figures he should at least make contact.

He gets about halfway before he hears a click and feels a metal barrel press firmly against the back of his head.

"Don't move."

Stopping cold in his tracks, Ethan stands perfectly still, breathing out a sigh as he raises his arms up. "You're probably sick of hearing this but I mean no harm."

It's a male in his mid twenties with brown hair. He walks around and pads Ethan down, still keeping a black pistol trained on him. "I get that a lot and I don't buy it."

He finds Ethan's pistol and takes it, followed by his knife. Ethan lets out another sigh as the man steps back, standing before him and pointing the pistol at his chest.

And he holds up a walkie-talkie, clicking it on. "Trent, come in."

"Read you loud and clear, Tate." The crackly voice returns.

"One of them was gonna attack Max, I got him at gunpoint. Be careful on your way to the cabin." The man known as Tate replies.

"Roger that." And the voice crackles away as Tate places the walkie-talkie back on his belt.

"Oh, so you're bandits then." Ethan looks in the direction of the manor. "Please, my people-- you can take me hostage, you can take my shit, our shit, the cabin if you so damn want... but please, don't hurt any of my people."

"We ain't bandits. But we don't know if you are or aren't. And that ain't a risk I feel like taking." Tate shoves the gun for emphasis. "We're scouting. And I'll kill if necessary. I don't need to run into another big group of assholes who flash their guns and their home like they feel the need to run the world."

"So I'm assuming you... fell out of a group then." Ethan breathes, trying to keep the situation calm. "Tate, was it...? What, you lost a lot? No more home?"

"Don't talk to me like we're buddies, alright?" Tate has a bit of force in his voice that concerns Ethan to some degree. "What happened to my family and I is of no concern to you."

Ethan is silent, before he mutters three words.

"Shoot me. Please."

Tate blinks, stepping back. "What?"

"I said shoot me." Ethan repeats. "Please. I'm a grieving man."

"You can't be fucking serious, I've seen the suicidal, but never before it was too late." Tate shakes his head. "What, you watched your girlfriend get devoured? A shit ton of people saw that, you're not special."

"I watched my best friend in the whole world get shot in the head when I could've prevented it." Ethan says through grit teeth. "I can tell you're not a bad person. Jake would-- I mean, my friend... he would be able to tell it, too. There are kids in my group, too. And they feel like family to me. You can't touch them. You can't. But I lost my everything two years ago. So fuck everything. Kill me so they can live, and so I can be at peace."

Tate stares, unsure of what to do.

"Uncle Tate?"

The boy approaches, coming up from behind.

"Not now, Max." Tate says. "Please, go play in the sand. Stay close."

"Uncle Tate, please..." The boy's smile fades, and Ethan notices the boy's face is somewhat deformed. "Please, don't hurt anymore people... we've passed so many families, so many people who needed our help... I don't wanna see anyone else die."

Tate glances over his shoulder and frowns at Max. "Max, please, I... I don't want to kill--"

Ethan takes his chance and rushes the distracted Tate, tackling him to the ground as Max lets out a shriek and scurries back.

"What the-- augh, fuck!" Tate falls back with an angered grunt as the gun flies from his grasp, Ethan punching him in the face and pinning him down.

And it's over in an instant when Tate stops resisting, as Ethan grabs his gun and points it right at Tate's temple.

He grabs the walkie-talkie and clicks it on, holding it to Tate's mouth. "Call it off. Whatever you're doing, call it off now."

Tate pants and winches in pain as he starts to cough. "T-Trent, stop. Back to the sh-shore, c'mon."

The static crackles before another click is heard.

"Who is this?"

Ethan recognizes the voice and hastily holds up the walkie-talkie to his own mouth. "Trace, this is Ethan. I found these guys by the shore, what about their group?"

"Group?" Trace asks. "It was just one guy. We took care of him."

Tate's eyes widen, and Max looks scared as he walks back over. "W-What... w-what are you gonna do to Uncle Tate? W-Where's dad?!"

"No, no, my brother... n-no..." Tate shakes his head. "Fuck... n-no, is he...?"

"Is he dead?" Ethan asks. He gets no response. He clicks in again. "Trace, is he dead?!"

A click. Trace responds.

"No. He's alive. We knocked him out and took him hostage. What do we do with him? Your call, boss."

"Don't... don't call me that." Ethan sighs. He looks down at Tate, who still stares at him with wide-eyes. Max whimpers in fear.

He gets off the man and offers him a hand. Tate, reluctantly eyeing Ethan, accepts. Max immediately runs to hug him, the two embracing, as Ethan clicks the walkie-talkie back on.

"Untie him, tell him we're coming back. Nobody has to die, we're bringing in another family."

Deaths

 * None

Trivia

 * First appearance of Max Ford.
 * First appearance of Tate Ford.
 * First appearance of Trent Ford. (Voice Only)