Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the Alexandrians stand at the top of a granite quarry filled with thousands of walkers. As Rick begins to make a speech outlining his plan to lure the walkers out of the quarry and away from the Safe-Zone, a rock collapses beneath one of the trucks that had been blocking an exit, freeing the walkers. Rick is forced to immediately execute his plan, a day ahead of schedule, while the Alexandrians who haven't been told the details flee for their lives. Flare guns and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus)'s noisy motorcycle are used to lure the walkers out in a parade, turning them west and up a valley.
Black-and-white flashbacks show select events following the town council meeting where Reg and Pete were killed. Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) brings Nicholas (Michael Traynor) in for medical treatment, concealing his actions. Tara (Alanna Masterson) awakens. Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh) blames Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) for turning her against Rick's group. In the morning, Heath (Corey Hawkins) returns from a two-week supply run with his team of Scott and Annie. Morgan Jones (Lennie James) tells Rick about the Wolves, when they encounter Tobin (Jason Douglas) and Gabriel burying Pete and Reg's corpses. Rick stops them from burying Pete saying the killer should not be buried within the walls while the grieving Deanna tells them to discard Pete's corpse in a lonely woods. There, Rick and Morgan discover the quarry where they deposit walkers accidentally attracted by Pete's oldest son Ron (Austin Abrams) who had followed them. Rick realizes that the quarry serves as a walker trap that had helped keep Alexandria safe, but it now represents a serious threat with hundreds of walkers behind barricades which will eventually fail. Morgan has been provoking Rick to question his conscience, and in Ron's presence Rick changes his mind and begins to dig a grave for Pete instead of dumping his body like trash.
Rick warns Alexandria about the threat of the herd in the quarry. Grieving, Deanna has mentally checked-out and effectively cedes authority to Rick, who voices his intention to free the walkers from the quarry and lure them 20 miles away from the Safe-Zone. Rick's group present a strong and united front against protests from the Alexandrians, though Carter (Ethan Embry) is brave enough to raise valid objections at the risks in executing Rick's plan. Later, when an unarmed construction team is building a wall intended to turn the herd, Rick unexpectedly holds back his armed people and allows walkers to close with them, in an effort to teach them to defend themselves with their tools at hand. Shocked, the construction team panic and falter, and Rick's people defy his orders to save the Alexandrians' lives. Carter is outraged and secretly meets with Spencer Monroe (Austin Nichols), Tobin, Francine (Dahlia Legault), and Olivia (Ann Mahoney) in the armory and proposes to assassinate Rick before he kills someone else. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) is caught overhearing the proposed plot and Carter contemplates killing Eugene but is stopped by Rick who arrives in force with Daryl & Morgan. Rick takes Carter down to his knees and holds Carter's pistol to his head for several moments, thoroughly dominating Carter before letting him up to serve his plan.
In the present, Daryl, Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), and Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green) act as bait to lure the escaped walkers away from Alexandria. Abraham shows signs of PTSD over Rick's slaying of Pete while Abraham was restraining him. Glenn leads Nicholas and Heath to kill walkers trapped in a store along the route, whose noise might otherwise distract the herd. Glenn is concerned about Nicholas being ready but Nicholas does more than his part.
Rick has lines of people in the woods on either side of the road and tells them they need to watch the walkers like "cops at a parade" to ensure walkers do not stray off. Carter runs to the front, thoroughly submissive and trusting his life to Rick's plan rather than his own judgement, and is grabbed and bitten in the face by a walker unexpectedly trapped amongst the trees. Carter's terrified screaming attracts the walkers on the road, so Rick has the group fire guns to redirect them back to the course. Rick finds Carter and kills the walker attacking him, then stabs the screaming man in the head.
They are nearing the green marker where Rick believes the parade of walkers will continue on course without further intervention, when a distant horn starts blaring. The rear half of the parade turn toward the noise and break into a loose herd as they filter through the woods. Rick and Michonne immediately realize the sound is coming from Alexandria, and that Rick's plan has no contingency for this.
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The Walking Dead
FanfictionA Rewrite of AMC's The Walking Dead Sunday Nights 8/9 On AMC The Walking Dead is an American television drama series developed by Frank Darabont. It is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charli...
