2026
In a room, an sixteen-year-old Kyle is resting in bed with a young African-American woman.
Kyle: Hello, pretty lady...
Sheila: Hello, yourself...so you gonna think about it?
Kyle: Think about what?
Sheila: What we talked about?
Kyle: Zeus Corps....honestly, Shawn's convinced me to join, but I'm just not entirely sure....it's a good offer, but we'd be leaving the orphanage.
Sheila: Yeah, but Shawn keeps on pestering you about it...
Kyle: That's because he's got a military family record to keep up....
Sheila: Well, what if I joined with you?
Kyle: You'd do that? Despite your opinion on Ryder...
Sheila: Well, him I don't trust. He sees opportunity, but Shawn's your best friend and I just want you safe...so if I join you, what do you say?
Kyle smiles.
Kyle: Okay....let's do it.
Present Day. 2029. One day after Dante's Death
In the helicopter, Kyle is woken up by Nora.
Nora: Kyle! Kyle!
Kyle: What is it?
Nora: Billy says that we're about to run out of fuel....
Kyle: Does that means we're about to land?
Nora: I think....
Kyle sits up.
Nora: Are you okay?
Kyle: No....still thinking.
Nora: About Dante?
Kyle: Yeah....
Kyle stands up, walking past a sleeping Sarah and Ashley. James sits, pondering while Nathan is checking his gun.
Nathan: You good?
Kyle: Yeah...just restless.
Nathan: You and me both.
Kyle: How long your sisters been out?
Nathan: Bout as long as you have.
Kyle and Nathan walk up to the front of the helicopter, where Billy and Walter are, piloting the chopper.
Walter: Morning, ladies....
Kyle: Morning....where are we landing?
Billy: It's not good where we're landing, actually....The City of the Damned.
Nathan: Goddamn it. Is there another option?
Billy: Yeah. We land and we try to get some fuel.
Walter: Then bolt the fuck out before any Blood Hogs in the area notice we're out in the open.
Kyle: Alright.
Nathan: Let's get everyone ready to move, then.
Nathan and Kyle walk to the back of the helicopter. Kyle wakes up Sarah and Ashley.
Sarah: What's going on?
Kyle: We're almost out of fuel. We gotta land in the City of the Damned.
Ashley: What?
James: Dude, the City of the Damned? We couldn't have gotten anywhere, further.
Nathan: Well, James, we've been in the air for two days straight and gotten nowhere. It's not exactly our best plan, but-
Suddenly, the helicopter turns, jerking everyone around.
Kyle: Fuck!
James: Jesus!
Billy: Shit!
Kyle and Nathan rush up to the front of the helicopter.
Kyle: What was that?!
Walter: Blood Hogs! They got rocket launchers!
Nathan: Well, there goes the element of surprise!
Billy: Hang on!
Walter: Oh, shit!
A rocket hits the tail end of the helicopter, causing it to spin out of control and crash on the top of a rooftop.
Walter: Get out now!
Billy: Go! Go!
Nora, Nathan, Walter and Ashley manage to exit, but the helicopter collapses in a roof caving.
Nathan: Run!
Kyle, James and Sarah become trapped along with Billy while Nora, Nathan, Walter and Ashley fall through the building on the top floor. Kyle stands up, looking around the destruction to find James and Sarah trapped. Billy exits the pilot's seat.
Kyle: Billy! I need a hand!
James: Kyle! We can't get out! We're stuck!
Walter calls from above.
Walter: Billy! Kyle! You guys okay?!
Sarah: Walter! We're stuck! We can't get out!
Nora: Just hold on! We're on our way!
Suddenly, Skinners and infected screech then begin to swarm around the downed chopper.
Nathan: Shit! Guys! We got company!
Kyle: Goddammit!
Kyle pulls out his Zeus Corps assault rifle and shoots down the Skinners.
Kyle: Billy! I got this! You get them out!
Kyle holds off the Skinners while Billy attempts to free James and Sarah from the wreckage. Suddenly, a Skinner pounces on Kyle, clawing at him.
Kyle: Get this fucking thing off me, goddammit!
Walter appears and stabs the Skinner in the head, before Nora, Nathan and Ashley arrive to help James and Sarah out of the wreckage. The group then travel through the building onto the streets.
James: Dude, our luck is shit right now.
Nathan: Of course, we landed in the middle of a fucking infected horde.
Sarah: Well, there's gotta be a faster way through them, right?
Nathan: Like, where?!
Billy: Somewhere....hmm...how about that?
Billy points out an RV.
Walter: Sweet....but fixing it could make a lot of noise....
Kyle: and draw that Skinner horde right to us.
James: I can fix the RV.....but I prefer not to do it with the risk of Skinners watching us.
Kyle: We need a distraction.
Nathan: I got an idea.
Nathan runs off and shoots into the air, drawing the Skinner horde.
Nathan: Hey! Hey over here! Come on!
Nora: is he fucking crazy?!
Kyle: He's your boyfriend.
James fixes up the RV as Nathan continues distracting the Skinner horde. Struggling to stay on his feet, Nathan trips before standing up and shooting down the Skinners chasing him.
Nathan: Come on! Come on!
Suddenly, the RV pulls up as James kicks the door open.
James: Come on, Nathan!
Nathan manages to enter the RV as James helps him in.
James: Okay! He's in!
Kyle: Hang on!
Kyle presses his foot on the accelerator as he speeds off into the horde of Skinners. After getting clear, Nora hugs Nathan.
Nora: You're out of your fucking mind.
Nathan: That's why you love me.
Ashley and Sarah hug their brother.
Nathan: Hey! Hey...hey....hey.....hey...I'm all right....I'm all right...
Ashley: That was a close one....
Nathan: I know....
Walter hands Nathan a bottle of water.
Nathan: I'm fine, man....
Walter: Man, you're dehydrated.
Nathan: Yeah...all right...
Nathan takes the bottle of water and drinks it.
Nathan: Man.....those fucking things...they don't stop.....they just don't stop.....
Kyle: Could've been something bigger.
Nathan: Thanks....
Sarah: thank Billy.....he's the one who noticed....
Kyle: Yeah, Billy....thanks....
Billy: Don't thank me, guys....I'm just glad I saw it in time.....
Nathan: Okay....do we have any plans?
Kyle: One....
Nathan: Good or bad?
Kyle: Well, we've still got friends...Oden....
Nathan: Hell no. Definitely bad.
Kyle: Hey, you wanted your sisters there in case this got bad....why not? Buy us some time. A couple of nights until we have a plan on how we get to Fort Warren.
James: Their hideout must have some kind of armory.
Billy: If I recall, didn't he say, "no more favors"?
Kyle: He'll help me out of a situation no matter what.
Billy: I'm not sure about this.
Nora: I think Kyle can handle this....after all; he did handle the situation with Oden without losing anyone on either sides.
Nathan: That was back when there were more of us....now there's eight of us...
Nora: Nathan...we really don't see any other choice.
James: Sound like plan?
The Cratersville Survivors quietly accept before driving up to the "Shit-Canned" gate. The Cratersville Survivors exit the RV as Sarah speaks.
Sarah: You think they're still hanging on? What makes you think they'll take in us?
Walter: shit, the ammo we gave em; they better fuckin give us sanctuary.
Kyle examines the gate.
Kyle: Strange.....where's the guard? There's always a guard on the gate.
James climbs onto the gate to examine inside of "Shit-Canned".
James: Shit....
Walter: What?
Nora: James, what is it?
James: Bad....
The Cratersville Survivors climb over the gate into "Shit-Canned" to discover that it has been overran by creatures known as "Stitchers" as they are devouring many corpses of the "Shit-Canned" Residents including Reggie and the arrogant "Shit-Canned" Guard.
Nathan: What the fuck?
Kyle: Stitchers....unlike the Stitchers, they're lethal if they get their hands on you.
The Stitchers notice the Cratersville Survivors and begin to close in onto their position, before Kyle pulls out his pistol.
Kyle: Fuck ammo.
Kyle, Nathan, James, Walter and Billy open fire onto the Stitchers. Kyle reloads his pistol, before entering Oden's home, only to find more Stitchers and corpses.
Ashley: Oh, my god....
Sarah: Ashley! Don't look....
Walter: Uh...are we staying or are we leaving?
Nathan: It's getting dark. We don't have the fuel. We hold down here for the night.
The Cratersville Survivors check around Oden's home, only to find rotting corpses. James finds a man's corpse with a self-inflicted bullet hole.
James: Wow.....
The Cratersville Survivors barricade Oden's home with objects such as furniture and fridges. Meeting in the gym, the survivors have a meeting.
Nathan: Upstairs will be our best option. We've cleared the rest of the place out. This should be okay for a while.
Ashley: Are you sure? Just saying; don't need another bullshit fantasy about us staying somewhere.
Sarah: That's not fair, Ashley....and now's not the time to say something like that.
Nora: what the fuck happened?
James: What do you think? They tried to live in Oz and failed....same as us.
Walter scoffs.
James: Something to say, Walter?
Walter: Yeah, how about trust, but verify. This wasn't no ordinary attack.
James: What makes you say that?
Walter grabs a corpse with a blade in his stomach.
Walter: Think he stabbed himself right in the gut? No.....there was a fight. He lost. Another gang; Blood Hogs or Tycoons....hell, maybe Butchers....they did this....killed all these people....took all their shit....guess Oden was able to make it out....or right now is whoever did this' prisoner....
Kyle: Well, fuck the fucker.
Later, Shawn is in his apartment packing up his stuff, before he grabs a faded photograph of himself and James as a children, Colin and Burton. Shawn softly laughs, before a Zeus Corps Soldier approaches him.
Zeus Corps Soldier: Sergeant Burton. Shuttles' ready for you.
Shawn walks outside into a Kronos Shuttle that lifts and takes off. Back in "Shit-Canned", nightfall, Nathan and Kyle walk into a room where Billy, James, Nora, Sarah and Ashley wait.
Nathan: They ransacked the kitchen.....the whole infirmary...and the armory....
Kyle: This is unbearable, man....
Nora: What now? We can't keep living like this.
Ashley: Anything to drink?
Nathan pulls out a bottle of water.
Nathan: Nothing besides water....
Nathan gives Ashley bottle of water.
Nathan: Take a few sips. It's the last one. Same goes out to everyone.
Kyle is looking out the window.
Sarah: What else do you have?
Nathan pulls out a bag of cinnamon gram crackers.
Nathan: Gram crackers. Cinnamon. Wanted this as a little snack, but in this case, it's dinner.
Nathan pulls out a bottle of wine.
Billy: Where'd you get that?
Nathan: Figured Dr. Fenix wouldn't miss this....so....
Nathan looks at James, offering the bottle of wine.
James: I'm not old enough, man.
Nathan: Back when your Uncle was-
Nora: Nathan...
Nathan: Sorry, man....I didn't mean to-
James: It's cool, but-I'll pass...
Sarah sighs.
Billy: You okay?
Sarah: Yeah....I'm in a building that smells like shit. There are corpses everywhere inside and out....and each day, I'm hoping I don't get raped....beaten to death...turned into a cannibalistic fucker...same routine for the past twenty years....
Billy: Twenty one....there's only a few days left of the year....
Billy walks outside to bring Walter some food.
Billy: Here....you need something to eat.
Walter takes some snacks.
Walter: Thanks, Billy....how's your eye?
Billy: It's healing.
Nora stands up and talks to Nathan.
Nora: What's the next step?
Nathan: Fort Warren.
Kyle: You still wanna try there?
Nathan: Why not?
Kyle: It's a hell of a trip to the north.....and a hell of a risk.
Nathan: You got any better ideas? Maybe another friend of yours? We go there and hope to God that it's not like this shithole.
Nora: Nathan....come on...
Kyle: No, Nora....he's right.....I was wrong....I'm sorry....saved us a lot of grief....maybe....changed things with Dante...
Nathan: It was his choice.....that's not on you, man....
Kyle: He saved my life.
James: This wasn't Zeus Corps....that's for damn sure....they didn't kill all these people...come in here. Guns blazing...kill every man...woman...and child....that's fucking disgusting....guess we are in hell.
Nora: I don't think we should talk about this right now.....look, I may have a lead on weapons and medicine before we make the trip to Fort Warren.
Nathan: Where?
Nora: There was this guy who I know.
Nathan gives Nora a look.
Nora: Hold on before you judge, asshole. Anyway, this guy he kind of owes me some favors. He did dealings with Cratersville. Medicine and weapons. He's a black-market dealer. His name's Miguel. Miguel Santos.
Kyle: I know who you're talking about...guy's a scumbag. Ran into him and his crew on a few Zeus Corps ops...so where is he now?
Nora: Old Amazon warehouse near the docks.
Nathan: All right...we go there tomorrow morning....
Nora: Nathan, if we all go there, he'll know something's up.....I'll go....I'll take Kyle with me.
Nathan: Uh.....
Nora: what?
Nathan: Why can't I go with you?
Kyle: Because I know Miguel also....and he'll run if he sees anyone else....
Nathan: Okay...let's turn in for the night...James....
Kyle, Nathan and James walk outside as Kyle and Nathan chastise him.
Nathan: I don't need you giving my sisters nightmares, man.
James: I'm sorry.
Kyle: We're all tired. No one's thinking right, but we need to do so now. Their lives depend on it....so do ours....
Nathan: We can't lose our shit again. Not again.
Kyle, Nathan and James join Billy and Walter in the stairs.
Nathan: Back in Cratersville, good people died....before and after...it didn't have to be that way.
Kyle: Fort Warren. That's the plan.
Walter: Sounds better than here.
Kyle: We need to siphon on gas....that RV will do us good for a few days, but then....we'll have to try something else.
Nathan: Good start....Kyle, when you and Nora go make this deal with this guy....
Kyle: I'll make sure she gets home to you.
Nathan: All right....let's just try to get some sleep.....Walter, I'll trade with you in an hour.
Walter: Got it.
Later that night, Kyle is resting as he is having memories of himself and Sheila together.
Sheila: Kyle....
Kyle awakens, sighing in despair of Sheila.
Kyle: Goddamn it.