Episode 13 – The Devil That Stayed
The raid is over, but the farm's soaked in smoke, blood, and tears. Kelsey's scream cuts through the silence as she throws herself on John's lifeless body. Bob holds her back, grief shaking the group. Cainen steps forward, grim as ever, to carry their leader to his grave.
But the body jolts. Bones crack back into place. John—dead a second ago—stands. The glowing red eye fades to black. Cainen freezes mid-step, gun trembling in his hand.
John: "I thought I died too."
Cainen doesn't hear it. His fear outweighs logic—BLAM. A bullet tears John's arm. The group whips around, weapons raised, and John… doesn't fall. Doesn't even flinch.
He snarls, takes Cainen's gun, and drops him with a brutal kick. The farmhouse door looms behind him, but the barrels of every weapon stop him cold.
John: "You dumbasses still don't get it? I TOOK A SHOTGUN TO THE CHEST, POINT BLANK. I WAS DEAD."
His voice breaks, rage mixing with grief. "Do you know how pissed I am to realize I'm STILL here? With a bunch of dumbass idiots who begged me to lead?" His hand drifts to the black steel Python on his hip. His eyes burn.
"Bob. Kelsey. Travis. Makota. Jackjack. Cain. Freeman. I'll kill every last one of you if you want to treat me like some GODDAMN DEMON."
The group lowers their weapons—not out of trust, but out of shock. No one's ever seen John snap like this. Hours later, he's silent, tending the crops, fixing fences, doing chores like nothing happened. But the rest huddle upstairs, fear heavy in the room.
Bob: "…what the fuck did we just see?"Freeman, voice gravelly: "A goddamn undead walker."Kelsey: "…then why does he still talk like John?"Freeman: "Maybe he's still our John… or maybe he's a demon that just wears his face."