Episode 41 (E2)

"A Gray Dawn" is the first and debut episode of Season 5 of KeepOnKeepingOn's Walking Dead: Edition Two. It is the 41st episode overall. It premiered on November 13, 2017.

Synopsis
"As they bury their dead, the manor survivors face what may be their last days on Earth."

Plot
WESTCHESTER MANOR

Jake sighs and wipes sweat and dirt from his forehead, tossing the shovel aside as he stands over the graves he had just finished, all dug up, bodies buried, and then refilled. Walter's grave is the last to be completed, and as he finishes, Ethan comes over.

"I never really knew the man." Ethan mutters. "What was he like?"

Jake stares at the makeshift cross before he sighs. "Walter was... kind. Benevolent. Smart. Hopeful. A beacon in the world, a pillar of strength. Proof that anyone, young or old, can make it. He didn't have to die."

"I know he didn't..." Ethan sighs. "But... at the very least Madela--"

"Fuck Madela." Jake glares. "I wouldn't be surprised if you betray us."

Ethan's eyes widen before he glares back. "It's been months since we've last seen each other, and your first thought is to accuse the Stable of backstabbing? Jake, Jesus Christ, that fucking hurts."

Jake frowns and looks away. "I-I'm sorry... everything is so messed up, I just... can't think straight. I'm so happy you're back but... why do so many people have to die just so others can live? Why do good people have to die?"

"Nobody has to die." Ethan pulls him into a tight hug. "I know things are fucked, and we're faced with a gray dawn. But before it turns red, let's get this shit done and make it bright."

Silently, Jake nods and pulls away. "C'mon. You came all this way, I'm giving you a tour of the manor."

Just as Ethan nods, though, all of the manor survivors appear, facing Jake and Ethan, though primarily eyeing Jake. The boy blinks and looks around in confusion.

"... what?"

"We're going to war, Jake." Trace says. "We get what Madela said but... you're the leader now. Got anything to say? What's your call?"

Jake's heart skips a beat as he feels his skin burn, his body shiver. "... everyone, I... I can't be your leader. Not again, not anymore. It's... it's too much responsibility for me to handle."

"No. You've got this." Ethan places a hand on his shoulder. "I'd rather follow you than anyone else. And I'll be here to help. And I'm not going anywhere. Not again. You have me by your side for good."

Jake stares at Ethan before smiling. Still nervous, he looks out to everyone.

"I have to be honest. We will lose people. We may even lose our home. It goes without saying that we're going to fight a battle we could lose. But that doesn't mean victory is impossible. It is. It's the only option we strive for. It's the only thing we want.

"Months and months-- no, almost a whole year ago, when this whole epidemic began, Ethan and I were trapped in a convention center. We faced assholes and idiots, and we had no idea what was going on. We had to grow some balls to get out. And now isn't the time to give up. I don't care how immature this sounds; let's all grow some fucking testicles and beat the shit out of some assholes.

"And that's all we have to do. To win, to live, to fucking prosper. I can't lie when I say most of what I'm saying has a sixty-six-percent chance of being complete and under bullshit. But it'll be true if we fight." He raises his pistol to the air. "And fight we shall!"

The survivors cheer and hurry to the manor to gear up.

THE STABLE

Bridget and Anton arm themselves with crossbows and practice aiming at scarecrows. Jean hands out guns to several adult residents. Skylar watches from afar and smiles, before looking over her shoulder at Madela.

"This is great. We're so organized now, and we're finally gonna be ready to help the manor." She says.

Madela crosses her arms and looks around before sighing. "I honestly don't know what I'm doing right now. I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

"We've gotten ourselves into something huge." Skylar says. "No matter what, there's no denying that this is gonna wipe out a lot of people on each end. We're just gonna have to be ready to go down fighting."

Madela is silent for a moment. "... Dmitri was my agent."

"... what?"

Madela nods. "Dmitri was my agent. Even before this, he was always my right-hand. He made me famous. I made him money. And we... tried things. We experimented. And it went nowhere, but I never bothered to tell him. He let the thoughts die. And even after the end of the world, I let him run around pretending he held power. When in reality, the roles finally reversed. Yet even then, even when we began working together, when he booked me my first role on the silver screen... I never really liked him."

Skylar is silent, before she responds. "So you only had him by your side... to maintain power?"

"Yes. And that's why I have Ethan now." She smiles. "Not for power this time, though. For... image. For consciousness. For the sake of playing the true neutral. If we're going to take down someone bad, we need the morale of someone good. And I see the good in him."

Skylar smiles. "Yeah... so do I."

WOODBURY

Carlton climbs back over the wall of Woodbury after having snuck out again. The moment he does, he lands near the makeshift graveyard. He sees Stephanie's grave and kicks it over before walking down the path. He catches sight of Tyler and walks over.

"What're you doing at Eraldo's grave? I thought you hated each other." The boy says.

"Shut up." Tyler mutters, kneeling down. "He was my friend."

"But that's irrelevant. People don't matter when they're dead. And he failed the rush against the manor. So we should just give in, forget, and move on." Carlton says. "Plus, he was a nobody. Like you. You two were really different."

"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK!" Tyler screams, standing up and towering over the boy. "Those people are monsters. They killed Eraldo! My mentor! My only FRIEND! So we're NOT letting it go! We're NOT stopping! We're gonna storm that fucking base and kill them all! We're going in and not coming out until every single one of those fuckers is dead."

Tyler storms off, leaving Carlton to stare after him. The boy shrugs.

"I don't care how you feel. I just wanna kill some people." He mutters, wandering off.

Meanwhile, Christie yawns as she wakes up, sitting up in the bed, sloppily dressed, next to a nude Brian, who wakes up soon after. He smiles upon seeing her and yawns.

"Today's a new day." She says.

"And one of the last, before the war." He sighs. "I'm not ready. I don't... want to lose anymore people."

"Losing people is inevitable..." Christie shakes her head. "I don't want to force anyone into the battlefield, but... we have to fight. I don't want to. But we have to."

Brian looks to her. "... why do you not want to fight?"

"Because I don't want to lose anyone here." Christie says. "It's not cause of those assholes anymore. Fuck them."

"Who leads them?" Brian asks.

"A little boy." Christie replies, staring at him with little to no emotion. "A little fucking asshole named Jake Barley. And I'll take pleasure in putting a bullet in his brain."

Deaths

 * None

Trivia

 * With this episode, Christie has fully defected to Woodbury.