Previously on Z Nation...
Z-Weed? What the hell?
They grow it in this abandoned agro lab in Minneapolis.
- They use zombies for compost. - No way!
- Z-Weed. - What?
I heard they're working on an herbal zombie cure too.
Murphy!
Marijuana, zombies and GMOs. What could go wrong?
Be careful, man, OK? Don't cut anything that bleeds.
You heard what the man said, OK? These things can feel.
Shut up. They can hear too.
Let's just get the seed pod and get out of...
Hey...
Hey. Where'd you go?
Agh!
No! No! No! No! No!
You all came here because you have hope,
hope for a cure, hope for a tomorrow.
But hope has a price.
And for some of you, that price will be your lives.
But without hope, what do we have to live for anyway?
And for the one who succeeds,
there is the promise of life,
not just for himself, but for all of humanity.
Somewhere in that greenhouse
is the hope we all came here for -
Batch 47,
the herbal vaccine against the zombie virus.
It's a suicide mission.
I mean, where's your proof?
Proof? Well, the proof's all around you.
For years, Batch 47 has been hidden away, lost to the world,
until I discovered the evidence that a cure exists.
All you have to do, go in there
and harvest a few seed pods.
Now, who here has what it takes?
OK, OK!
- Me, me, me! - Whoa! Don't worry.
It's a big greenhouse. You're all gonna get your chance.
Hmph.
Maybe we don't need to go to California after all.
Let's get those vans loaded up before our friends get here.
I don't want any trouble, not when we're this close.
How long since we heard from the last two harvesters?
- 20 minutes, maybe more. - Call it. Send the next two in.
Gotta keep at it round the clock.
- We can't let it grow back now. - Hold it right there.
- I need to talk to your boss. - No, you don't.
You need to wait in the garage with the other harvesters.
Oh, he's gonna wanna hear what I have to say.
- What's wrong with her? - Not a damn thing.
If you're here for Z-Weed, we're closed for retail sales.
- Come back tomorrow. - I don't want Z-Weed.
Although she might.
I have a proposition you're gonna wanna hear.
You got two minutes.
- Interesting conversation piece. - Test subjects.
What is this?
It's a phyto-zombie. Part zombie, part plant.
How do you do that?
It's a gift.
Perhaps you've heard of me.
- May I? - Sure.
You're the Murphy.
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. That's our secret.
OK. If you're the Murphy, let's see the bites.
Oh, ye of little faith.
I thought you were a myth, some post-apocalyptic rumour.
- You know, like zombie bigfoot. - Oh, I'm real.
The question is, how real is Batch 47?
Oh, it's proven effective.
Double blind experiments on human subjects.
They wrote it all down here in their lab records.
Yeah."Subjects receiving Batch 47
"remain symptom-free of the HZ1 virus
"after direct infection by zombie bite."
So, what happened to them, the test subjects?
It doesn't say, I imagine they were all killed
when this place was overrun during Black Summer.
- Well, how about side effects? - Oh, those records are lost.
Look, anything short of turning into a zombie is good, no?
Yeah, don't be so sure about that.
I know it's in there. I know it.
I just gotta find somebody to go in there and get it.
OK, that fresh kill is gonna trigger a growth spurt.
Let's go. Harvesters, you're up.
If I don't make it, tell my baby her mama loves her.
You'll be the one. I can feel it.
Now go on.
Murphy-
♪ Have mercy!
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh Have mercy. ♪
"Seen most recently in Minnesota..."
I wonder who's been seen recently
and who's talking.
But, hey, two years of high school Spanish
did not go to waste.
..- zero... - ..Z.
Z? Somebody's calling for me by name?
Somebody's out there, just not the somebody I need.
This is Citizen Z calling Delta X-ray Delta.
Delta X-ray Delta, this is Citizen Z. Come in.
You guys harvesters here for the cure?
Yeah, that's right.
- You're armed. - Uh... yeah.
Good.
Harvesters wait in the garage until you're called.
The others inside will give you the run-down.
You think Murphy's here?
Yeah, he's here. I can smell him.
I think you're smelling the Z-Weed.
Help me! Get it off!
Somebody, get it off!
Somebody help! Somebody help me!
Somebody, get it...
Help!
Help! Get it off me, please!
Get it off me! Get it off, get it off!
Get it off!
Hey!
Told you people to move into
the garage, where it's safe.
- Safety first, huh? - You got a problem?
No. No, brother.
Just here for the cure.
Mmm. Good shit.
Uh, thanks. That's our new hybrid.
Oh, that's OK. You keep that.
So how'd you get into the Z-Weed business anyway?
I stumbled on this place.
The cannabis was growing out of control.
All I had to do was harvest it and get the word out.
Needless to say, it was a blockbuster product.
And what about Batch 47? What makes it so special?
That greenhouse hid a top-secret crash program
to develop an herbal vaccine against the zombie virus.
They were growing all these dangerous plants
in all these different kinds of zombie compost.
Hmph, and to think we were worried about
genetically modified tomatoes.
When this place was overrun, plants grew out of control.
- Workers were trapped inside... - Becoming phyto-zombies.
Gotta love the post-apoc world.
We haven't been able to get close enough to Batch 47
to get a proper sample.
So how many harvesters have... gone before me?
Rounded to the nearest 10?
Too many.
You might be the one.
Yeah. I've heard that one before.
Ah!
- You alright? - Yeah, I think so.
Mama.
Hey, baby. Hey.
Mama's here. I came back to you just like I promised.
Did you find it?
Not yet, sweetie, but we're getting close.
OK. You need to lay down.
I love the smell
of zombies in the morning.
- Which way? - Follow the machete marks.
Uh! Hew
Oh!
What is it? Why did you stop?
I got a stabbing pain.
I'm alright. Let's go.
Murphy...
Let's go.
Look! 46. They tested this batch.
The results were promising, but it had lethal side effects.
Are you OK?
I can feel them.
How's she doing?
She's burning up.
I can't keep her fever down.
Have you tried antibiotics?
Nothing worked.
Drug-resistant bacteria of some kind.
I don't think she has much longer.
Is that why you became a harvester?
I had to mercy her father in front of her after he turned Z.
She made me promise not to let that happen to her.
You're a good mom.
That's the funny thing.
I'm not her mom.
Her mom's dead. Her whole family's dead.
So is mine.
All we have is each other.
And even not that for long.
All these folks need what's in that greenhouse.
Even if it kills them.
Hey. This thing have a radio?
Yeah.
Radio, air conditioning, leather seats...
I used to drive one on my dad's farm.
Excellent
Now, if only the batteries are charged...
- What's up? - Think I know where Murphy is.
Huh. Cassandra.
Kid's right. Murphy won't be far.
- Must be in the greenhouse. - What's he doing in there?
- There it is. - I knew it was true.
Just get a few of the leaves and a seed pod.
There, near the base. Just enough to run a few tests.
I don't want to stress the plant out.
Good thinking.
The seed pod. Hurry.
Oh, God! Help!
Sorry.
Mama? I'm afraid.
They're getting close, baby.
I just want to go to heaven, Mama.
If I turn, God won't let me go.
Don't let me turn.
Shh.
Does anybody copy? Over.
This is Citizen Z at Camp Northern Light.
Does anyone copy? Over.
Citizen Z. This is Delta X-ray Delta.
It's me. It's Addy Carver. Are you there?
Citizen Z. It's Addy Carver from Delta X-ray Delta.
- Do you copy? - Addy!
Yeah. Yes. Delta X-ray Delta. This is Citizen Z.
- I copy you. - Copy you, Citizen Z.
- But, hey, you're breaking up. - I'm glad you're alive.
Uh, things here are... Listen. I can't talk long.
I'm losing the light. Do you have an update on Murphy?
- Murphy is alive. - Can I talk to him?
He's currently out of contact,
but we think we know where he is.
- Is he off mission? - Roger that.
Murphy is indeed off mission.
And getting weird.
You must get Murphy back on mission. Repeat.
You must get Murphy back on mission.
The CDC lab in California is still awaiting your arrival.
There's still a chance for a vaccine.
Citizen Z. Citizen Z. Where...
The last known coordinates for the CDC lab are as follows.
Damn it.
The last known coordinates are 34 point...
point nine degrees west longitude.
Do you COPY?
Citizen Z? Citizen Z, are you there?
Damn it!
Addy, do you copy?
Damn it.
How do we know if this stuff works?
Well, if the dosage is right,
it should reverse the effects of the zombie virus.
Yeah? And Moe here gonna sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner'?
Um, no.
I would be happy with any crude sign of latent humanity.
Will you do the honours?
The nasal passage gives me direct access to the brain.
- Oh!
I guess that's a no.
"Subject one - two grams.
"Failure due to uncontrolled side effects."
I'm gonna half the dose.
Ugh!
Nothing. Not even a zombie buzz.
"One gram. No visible effect."
I'm gonna split the difference.
This should be just right.
OK, Goldilocks.
- I think he's looking at us. - Hmm.
Need more of a reaction if it's gonna be clinically significant.
Brains.
'Brains'! He said 'brains'!
I knew it! I knew it!
Batch 47 has anti-zombie properties.
Phase one of clinical trials is a success.
- Partner. - Partner.
Now what?
Now we have to harvest the rest of the seed pods.
Gonna need help.
They're here.
And I have just the people for the job.
Cassandra just went into the lab. I think she saw me.
What do you want to do?
Wait for Murphy to come out and jump him?
No, I don't like waiting. Bad things happen when you wait.
We can take the guards hostage, search the compound for him.
I like that. Doc and 10K, you guys create a diversion.
Or you could just walk up and say hello,
like civilised people.
Hello, my ass.
You know these folks?
Oh, we've covered a bit of ground together.
Yes, we have.
And, dude, seriously, I'm getting tired
of chasing your bony ass all over the damn apocalypse!
What are we messing around for? This man is our prisoner.
- We're taking him to California. - Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Chill out, Rambo.
- That ain't gonna happen. - Why not?
Because the whole trip to California won't be necessary.
There's a cure for the zombie virus
right here in that greenhouse.
And all we have to do is go in there and get it.
Batch 47 is real.
We just tested it.
A bona fide zombie miracle.
Well, think about it.
No more relying on me to save the human race.
It's a win-win. Right?
- No, that's not our fight. - Please!
If there's any hope.
Your job is to return to Batch 47
and harvest the rest of the seed pods.
And not get killed, right? That's part of the plan?
Well, it's a secondary consideration, but sure.
- I have protection for you. - That's OK.
I'm gonna go like this. I need to be able to move to fight.
Yeah. I like to be able to run from danger.
I wouldn't take your guns. Bullets don't kill plants.
I would take these.
Alright, well, I'll take the Garden Weasel.
Always wanted one of those.
I still don't know why we're risking our meal ticket here.
If we don't come back, you shoot somebody or something.
Glad to.
Besides, I have allergies.
It's your show.
Lead on.
It's like some kind of giant shop of horrors.
Watch it!
3,216.
Hey, you should be dead.
That won't work here!
They're all interconnected by the vines.
You can't kill one without killing all of them.
There it is.
Let's do this and get the hell out of here.
Doc and 10K, you guys harvest the leaves.
Murphy and I will get the seed pods.
Careful! Remember these things have feelings.
Reminds me of my days back in Humboldt.
Easy now. You're gonna wake him.
Quick!
I can't hold this for long!
I'm losing it!
Argggh!
Murphy!
OK, let's go! Come on! Let's go!
Ugh!
It's alright. You're safe now.
Kurian?
I thought...
You bastard!
Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now.
I'll give you two. Number one.
Batch 47's never gonna work. It's a dead end.
And number two. We lose.
Humans won't survive.
But you will.
You and your kind will outlive humans and zombies.
You will inherit the earth.
And here's how I'm going to help.
And by that time, nobody will be able to stop us.
OK, OK, you make a good point, but tell me, why should I trust
an irradiated mad scientist with an ear that looks like Elvis?
Because you know I'm right.
That's not good.
- You know those guys? - Zeros.
They financed my work after the government collapsed.
That's how I knew how to find you in Fort Collins.
They were responsible for that madhouse?
Yes. They're after both of us.
What are they doing here?
They distribute all the Z-Weed. Odegard works for them.
We got to get out of here. Let's go.
Argh!
Oh! señor Escorpion!
You're fired. señor Escorpion.
Hector. Bienvenido. Bienvenido.
Stop the Spanish crap, Odegard.
- You really suck at it, huh? - Yeah.
Where's my shipment for this month?
Well, the van's all packed and ready to go.
Excellent
You know, if you keep up with your quotas,
you might be in line for employee of the month.
- Make sure everything is there. - Si, señor.
Who are all those people out there?
Oh, temps. We had this huge harvest.
So we had to hire all this cheap labour.
Odegard,
how am I supposed to be an effective manager
if you insult my intelligence by lying to me?
You've been searching for that loco Batch 47 again.
- Haven't you? - You don't understand.
- Callate! - OK.
La Reina was very specific - no more fatalities
searching for this ghost plant.
It's bad for branding.
Besides, you're killing our customers
faster than the zombies.
We tested Batch 47.
We got a zombie to say 'brains'.
A talking zombie?
Well, this I got to see.
This is the last vial of the first batch.
We can repeat my experiment any time you want.
Excellent. We should begin human trials immediately.
Wait a minute. You... Wait a minute.
Vamos.
Warren!
What's going on? Where's Vasquez and Mur...
Mmm.
Who are you?
My name is Hector Alvarez.
My friends call me Escorpion.
I'm the vice president in charge of sales for the Zero cartel.
How can I help you today?
Well, you can start by telling us what the hell is going on.
This?
Just a little business between friends.
I see you've been harvesting.
Let me guess. Batch 47?
I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to give it to me.
I know what you are thinking.
I know that guy. He's one of the top lieutenants in the Zeros.
- If he finds us, he'll kill us. - He'll kill you.
Me, they want alive.
Come on. I know where we'll be safe.
I'll take my chances out here.
But that was then, and this is now.
We are the new Zeros.
The more user-friendly Zeros.
Admittedly, the transition was not easy.
Yeah, well, change is always hard.
You see, you know.
But I digress.
Where were we? Oh, yes.
Batch 47.
So this is the cure everyone is talking about, huh?
Reminds me of the Cocodrilo we used to sell back in the day.
Step one. We need a fresh zombie.
Not that fresh, pendejo!
I am very sorry about that.
Good help is hard to find these days.
I've only ever tested it on a zombie.
I have no idea what a safe or effective dose on a human is.
There's only one way to find out.
I got a great idea.
The Power Vape 3000.
Solar-powered.
The stuff you potheads come up with.
I can control the dose with this.
Well, it only takes a microdose
to stimulate the immune system.
Any more than that could be fatal.
- Says who? - Hey.
Wait. No.
Say when. Say when!
Say when! Say when!
When!
Oh! Ha!
WOW!
I feel good.
Good.
Bring on the zombie.
A bite from this zombie and we'll know for sure.
Really? Now what?
Odegard?
Wait. Did you see him die?
What are you, some kind of living zombie?
Yeah. The world needs that like a hole in the head.
So much for Batch 47.
Grab the Z-Weed. Let's get out of here, huh?
Who's this?
- Dr Kurian? - Hello, Hector.
What happened to your face?
That looks like my mom's chicharrones.
It's a long story.
You can tell it to La Reina.
Put him in the trunk, huh?
- You two are in charge now. - Si, señor.
Burn the greenhouse down with Batch 47.
We need to get back to our core mission.
- You understand me? - Si, señor.
Vamos.
- Drop it. - How can I help you?
Your tattoos. Show me.
Do I know you?
Hey! Hey. Come on. Get out. You have to get out of here now.
Come on! Move!
You can do it!
Move! You can do it!
That's it.
That's it. Come on! Keep moving now.
You have to save yourselves! Come on, move!
Keep coming!
Ave Maria purisima! Zombie!
Tell him to back off! I'm trying to help him!
Incoming!
Murphy!
After him!
Warren!
Hurry! I can't control it!
Oh, shoot.
Will you hold still before I cut your foot off?
Oh, shoot.
- I tried to save you! - Dude, it doesn't care.
Get down!
10K! The vines. Help me.
Heads up, Doc! Heads up!
Keep pulling!
No, don't kill him!
You're not supposed to be in there! Hey!
No, no, no, no!
Go, go, go! Come on!
10K! Help Murphy! Addy, I need you.
Alright, I'll meet you. I'll meet you!
Hold on.
Hey. Hey. How's she doing?
It won't be long now.
- Did they find the cure yet? - Not yet, sweetie.
Well, here. I managed to save some.
Just have her chew on the leaves.
They're not concentrated, so she won't overdose.
Thank you.
Honey, it's here. Batch 47.
The doctor said you just have to chew on the leaves, OK?
We gotta go.
Hey.
Good luck.
Well, that was fun.
You shouldn't have killed him.
You're alive, aren't you?
Why are we headed south? Shouldn't we be going west?
Still too much fallout west.
We can turn west south of Missouri.
What the hell is some woman doing out here by herself?
It can't be. It's Serena!
No way! Murphy, is that your pie gm?
- Pie girl? - Pie girl.
Boy, is she pregnant.
- Pregnant? - Yeah, like 10 months pregnant.
No, no. You're not stopping for her, are you?
- Uh-huh. - Yeah.
No, drive. Go. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
Serena!
- Hey. - Addy!
Where are you going?
We're just looking for our baby daddy.
Daddy? Daddy?
Is that you?
Is that really you?
Hey.
He's here, baba.
Daddy's here.