Previously on Z Nation...
I think we're getting near the Grand Canyon.
What's that?
Listen. There's a massive Z storm headed your way.
It's miles wide, and it's moving fast.
They're coming. I can feel it.
Turn around! Turn around!
I have to save them! I have to save them!
The day is coming when you're gonna have to decide
what you are, human or zombie.
Warren!
Four!
Murphy!
It looks like a hotel.
I thought we killed all these Zs last week.
Maybe the Grand Canyon filled up.
- Not funny. - I wasn't kidding.
Heads up.
Let's check it out.
Anybody in there?!
- You think it's deserted? - Give me that.
Any time now, Murphy!
Alright! Alright, I'll give it a shot.
Why don't we just break the glass?
No, 'cause then the Zs will be able to get in.
I'm not comfortable with this decision.
We haven't considered all the possible negative outcomes.
Me. I agree.
We need to lean into the realities
and conceptualise the ramifications.
Me. I don't like the looks of that tall one.
- Why is he blue? - We don't need any outsiders.
OK, we've come to a decision point now.
Who's in favour of implementing the current policy
and letting Darwin determine the fate of the outsiders?
It's been more than a year since we've seen outsiders!
Maybe they have information we can use.
- Keep your voice down. - We can't leave them out there.
- Iggy, you're defying consensus. - Iggy! Don't!
If you open the door, there are gonna be consequences.
There's somebody in there.
Open up or you'll be sorry!
Thank you.
Welcome.
♪ Have mercy... ♪
♪ Oh, have mercy. ♪
Ah!
- Lower your weapons! - Turn around.
And go back the way you came.
Look! We don't want to hurt you.
But we cannot turn around.
There are way too many Zs out there.
Not much oxygen either.
- Who's in charge? - My name is Gideon Gould.
I'm the facilitator here.
But we don't really have a leader.
'Cause everyone here participates
in our decision making.
Great, we just need some shelter until the smoke clears
and some of those zombies move on.
OK, well, I think in order for us to put together
a mutually beneficial agreement, we're gonna have to create
a little framework of trust here.
I'd feel more trust if you point your weapons someplace else.
Sure. It's OK, everybody.
Hmm. What you got in mind, Mr Gould?
Popcorn circle process?
You know what? That's exactly what I had in mind.
That's a great idea. Yes, ma'am. Come on down here.
What the hell is it? Movie night?
- May I? - Yes, ma'am.
Thank you. Don't worry.
It's not a weapon. It's a tool.
We call it the talking stick.
We use it to facilitate dialogue.
When we make decisions, we pass it around the circle
like a bowl of popcorn.
Only the person who is holding the stick is allowed to speak.
It makes it so much easier to be heard.
- Speak softly. - Carry a big... log.
Except for... this stick is used
for peaceful conflict resolution and communication.
- Dr Gould... - Gideon, please.
You know, it's funny. We don't really get many visitors here.
No kidding.
Gideon was a... I'm sorry...
is a world-renowned expert in corporate communication
and conflict resolution.
We were all at his seminar in the hotel
when the outbreak happened.
We would all be dead
if we didn't have a way to communicate.
It's a way to build trust.
Thank you.
Hopefully, we can all build enough trust here
that we'll all lower our weapons, OK?
We're gonna play a quick game. It's called honesty inventory.
I give you my first impressions of all of you
without filtering anything.
So let's see. Hmm.
You.
You are the leader. You're a natural.
And you have a wisdom.
But it's born of loss.
You are the enforcer, brother.
You're tough.
But your scars can cloud your judgement.
You're the strong one. Right?
There's a lot of loss in those eyes.
I think it's more loss than you can handle.
She relies on you.
Brother, sir.
You've got a face that's etched with sadness.
And yet somehow,
you've managed to keep your sense of humour.
Man, I need a hug. Can I have a hug?
- Is it OK with everybody? - Yeah.
Son, you've got a good heart.
But you're a little bit angry.
You don't like him. You two don't like each other.
That's what it is. Hmm.
You got the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Don't you? I can see it.
You do more for these people than they even realise.
You never really get the respect that you deserve either.
Let's everybody look around you now.
I think we've all taken a really big step
in resolving this conflict.
It's all about process dialogue
and filling the pool of shared meaning.
I told you guys a story.
And then it resonated with you, hopefully.
And now we have a common narrative,
which is, of course, the basis of trust.
What do you think?
We'll stand down.
Gee, now that we're all friends and stuff,
maybe we could get some food?
I'm starving.
Is he alright?
Vitamin deficiency.
OK. You know what I think we should do, guys?
Let's do a process committee.
Why don't we do, like, two from each group?
We'll all discuss specifics.
Who'd you like to join you in representing your stakeholders?
Addy.
And I think our stakeholders will be represented
by myself and Dana.
Alright. Thanks, everybody.
I smell food.
All this corporate doublespeak is making me hungry.
Yeah, sit tight.
Warren's negotiating for some food.
Well, that's unusual.
Told you it was thick out there.
So, if you ladies are willing to accept
our process for doing things,
you're welcome to stay here till the fire dies down
and the Zs thin out.
Thank you very much.
We will be happy to leave as soon as we can.
We do have someplace we need to be.
OK, well, we can share food.
We are just limited to 1,000 calories per day.
It's been a while since I counted calories.
Uh! Ah!
- I'm still hungry. - And I still don't care.
We kept losing people all through Black Summer
until we, uh...
Voila!
Couldn't defend the whole hotel, so...
Ooh! Sorry.
We abandoned the rooms to the zombies.
Kinda like a zombie roach motel.
Yeah.
Guys been here the whole time?
We thought about going. At least, I have.
But the group always vote me down.
My company sent me here for a weekend retreat
to work on my people skills.
That was four years ago.
- Gibson onions? - May I?
Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Huh?
- Mmm. - Yummy. Yes.
I wish that was gin!
I never stayed in a hotel before.
You guys have a pool? I always wanted to swim in a pool.
You're drinking it. Don't worry.
We filter and boil everything.
This is my masterpiece.
Let me show you
where we keep the food
under lock and key!
We lock up all the food since we discovered
some was disappearing.
I do all the cooking and cleaning and...
Regular Cinderfella.
I even clean up after the janitor.
Guess I should be glad I'm alive.
Hmm! This way.
Why don't you guys relax in the ballroom?
And I'll see if I can scare up some blankets.
You know, these satellite dishes are useless
unless hotel porn makes a comeback.
Lovely as that would be,
hotels would need to make a comeback first.
I mean, if we're lucky enough, there's enough circuitry left
that we could reorient one of these dishes
and get another satellite going here.
But. . see'?
- Yeah. We're not lucky. - Great.
- All the way from New York, huh? - Yeah.
Seems impossible.
Um...
For some of us, it was.
You know, we've been inside this hotel since day one.
- Nobody tried to leave? - Lots of people.
Some of them escaped. Some were banished.
Yeah, I thought they were the lucky ones.
Then they'd always turn back up a few days later.
Zombies.
After a while,
you just quit trying.
Well, it makes sense you stayed.
- You had food and shelter. - Yeah...
- Will you spot me real quick? - Yeah.
Stay here.
Sometimes I thought I was going insane.
- Gideon's very controlling. - Huh.
I just wanted to be somewhere without a ceiling.
You know, breathe in some fresh air.
Out in an open sky.
It's dead.
See different faces.
Got to tell you, it's, uh...
It's pretty effed up out there.
How do you keep going?
I mean, there must have been places
for you to stay along the way.
I promised a friend I'd get him to California.
Gives me someplace to go.
Someplace to go.
I like the sound of that.
Hey, Murphy? Murphy!
- Help! Somebody help! - Goddamnit!
Hey, where'd that shot come from?
It came from here. Door's locked.
One...
Murphy-
- Easy, easy. - Looks like he's still alive.
- He's bleeding bad. - Yeah.
Greg's been shot. God, right in the heart.
- He should be dead, man. - What happened?
Iggy, get the door. We're gonna move 'em out to the bar.
There's more light over there. Danny, get the first aid kit!
- Warren! - Hurry!
- They're in here! - 10K, make sure nobody leaves.
- Addy, cover this door. - I got him.
- Who put you in charge? - I did.
I was a cop for 10 years. This is a crime scene.
- Someone tried to kill our prisoner. - Prisoner?
- I can't stop the bleeding. - You need to mercy him.
- Wait. He's not turning. - Can't mercy before he's dead.
- No time to discuss this. - Hey, hey, hey.
We have to process this without violence.
We can talk about this later.
What you need to do is tie up your man and secure him
before he turns or I will mercy him myself.
- Alright. - How is he?
Bullet went clean through. I'm worried about this head wound.
He must have cracked it when he fell.
He's definitely got a concussion. Maybe worse.
Dana. We need to interface.
Please don't mercy him before he's dead.
I won't. I promise.
Unless something unforeseen happens.
- What do you think? - Well, I only heard one shot.
So we have one bullet, two victims.
Judging by the bullet's trajectory, the shooter was here.
He surprised Murphy, sees the food, fires once.
The bullet hits Murphy in the shoulder, continues on,
hits victim number two in the heart.
Now, wait. Hold on.
You're telling me that the bullet passed through Murphy
and hit this dude in the heart?
Well, no wonder he ain't turning.
He's looking just like Cassandra.
You better keep your eye on him.
- Damn straight. - Hey, guys?
OK, everybody.
Could I ask you to come in here and join us in the trust circle?
We're gonna resolve this conflict peacefully.
Without violence.
Well, that's not gonna be easy.
Considering one of you just shot one of us.
- Do you have any proof of that? - OK, listen. Everyone.
Violence can spread like wildfire.
It just takes one spark to burn down the bridges of trust
between all of our fellow human beings.
And once it's started, fire doesn't care who it burns.
I know that we can resolve the issues between us.
The issue between us? The...
The issue between us is that one of you shot Murphy.
Imvume. You said Murphy was your prisoner.
Maybe he tried to escape and one of you shot him.
OK, Meg. Meg, thank you.
Will you please sit down?
We all have to trust.
lmvume.
I saw him sneaking around where the shooting happened.
Imvume.
I saw him there too.
Right after the shot was fired,
he was acting suspicious.
Thank you.
Clearly, there's some unresolved conflict between you and Murphy.
10K doesn't miss.
Hold on.
If 10K wants something dead, it's dead.
And he would never try to kill Murphy.
Kick him in the nuts a few times, maybe.
But...
he would never try to kill him.
You care to defend yourself?
Murphy's not my friend.
He never will be.
I have more than enough reasons to want to kill him.
And when the time comes, I will kill him. Happily.
But it's not the time.
Why should we believe you?
'Cause he didn't fire that shot.
One of you did.
My God! Look at all that food.
It's more than 100,000 calories there.
Found this hidden on top of the cabinet
near where Murphy was shot.
We knew someone was stealing the food.
But we thought they were eating it.
Sounds like someone has a getaway stash.
Murphy must have stumbled upon it
and got shot.
Well, if it turns out to be true
that one of us has been stealing food,
it's our agreed-upon policy...
that the punishment is immediate banishment.
Now, there's only one person,
other than myself, who has access to our food supply.
I didn't do this.
Where were you when the shots were fired?
- Did anyone see you? - I didn't steal that food!
Wouldn't be the first time.
That was a few candy bars more than a year ago.
And I've been on lowered rations since.
You sure don't look like you've been on 900 calories a day.
- What are you talking about?! - Iggy.
Iggy.
Ignatius.
We've had these issues with you before.
You're the only one with a key, and you've made it clear
for a long time that you wanted to leave.
I wanted all of us to leave!
This place is a deathtrap!
Iggy.
Brother, if you want people to start believing what you say,
you gotta start telling the truth.
The truth!
I am telling the truth, you bastard!
No! Please!
- Don't do this! - Washington.
Secure the food in the kitchen. Keep it under guard.
- You made your decision for us. - Don't do this.
Don't do this. Please!
We cannot tolerate any violence.
What makes you so sure he's the guilty one?
- Where's your proof? - He knew the consequences.
If you send him out there now, that's a death sentence.
He'll be killed and turn for sure.
Oh, OK. Anything else you want to say before you leave?
- Bite me! - Ohh!
At least give him a weapon!
Wait. You shouldn't have done what you did, Iggy.
- Take this. - Please don't let me!
Please help me!
Travis! Travis, please!
Open up!
Dana! Dear God! Help!
Ah!
- How's he doing? - Not so good, chief.
I got the bleeding stopped,
but he still hasn't regained consciousness.
He just keeps moaning like that, like he's having a bad dream.
As soon as he can travel, we got to get the hell out of here.
Well, we're gonna have to wait till the swelling goes down
and he's conscious.
We try to move him now, it could kill him.
- And what about this guy? - Oh, man, check this out.
That thing about the bullet passing through Murphy
and hitting this guy in the heart blew my mind, you know.
Got me thinking, if that tiny amount of Murphy blood
could keep this guy from turning,
what would a little bit more blood do?
- Doc... - I know. I know.
But it's the apocalypse. I figure... go for it, right?
So I've been soaking this rag in Murphy blood
and letting Greg here suck on it.
- Doc. - I know. Bad idea, right?
But check it out. He's getting better.
His fever broke. He's breathing normally.
Which, I don't know how the hell you do that
with a hole in your chest the size of a silver dollar.
Look at his skin. It's turning that pretty blue, like Murphy.
Wow, this Murphy shit is real, isn't it?
Sure looks like it, chief.
Well, keep an eye on... him...
it... whatever.
- Keep Murphy alive. - Where you going?
I'm gonna go climb the corporate ladder.
I told you it was only a matter of time before they banish Iggy.
I know. You called it.
And since when has Dana started leading popcorn circle?
She never even finished her master's.
- If she wasn't sleeping with... - We... we don't know that.
Please. It's so obvious.
You see the way he looks at her.
- Excuse me. - I know. You called it.
And what about these new people?
Why are we sharing anything with them?
Who are they to us?
Iggy paid the price for that decision.
And he's gone. But we're still here.
We're going to need every bite of food they take.
I'm sorry you had to witness that.
Some people just leave you no choice, you know?
We've all had to make tough decisions.
- We make decisions as a group. - Yeah.
Takes more work, but then people feel like
they own their outcome.
And Iggy supported all the policies
that led to his banishment.
Why didn't you all leave a long time ago?
It was a real horror show.
Half the people in this hotel died
within one hour of seeing the first Z.
Yeah, somehow we were able to keep it under control,
thanks to the... teamwork rehearsal
we had done from our workshop.
- Hey, guys. How are you? - Gideon.
There were 120 of us.
Wow.
Lots of tough decisions.
- What's down there? - That's where...
the outbreak happened.
All the rooms are off-limits now.
Listen, I'm really sorry that your man got shot.
- Yeah. - And I'm sorry it was one of us.
I knew Iggy had a flawed character,
but I didn't think he had it in him to shoot someone.
- So I'm really sorry. - Thanks.
Let's see about getting you people some food.
Washington, let's get...
Washington? Washington?!
You OK?
Oh! Ohh!
Oh! Ah! Argh!
- Hey. You good? - Yeah.
5,075.
Whoever stabbed Washington stole the food.
Maybe Iggy came back for the food.
Doc! What happened?
Some zombie-loving bastard took a shot at me.
- Did you see who it was? - No! But they went that way.
Let's go. Addy. 10K, stay with them.
Zombies?
Human.
Zombies don't stop.
Watch my back.
Take me with you.
I don't want to die here.
I don't care. I don't care where you go.
I don't. I just...
Let me go with you. Please, Addy.
I'm so afraid.
All the time.
Please...
take me with you.
Ugh!
Everything alright?
Get up.
Three. Two. One.
- Did you get him? - Maybe.
Dana, I need to speak with you for a second.
Come on down here.
Come on.
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Oh, God!
We can't defend the perimeter much longer.
It's like they're suddenly attracted to this place.
OK. Open up.
There you go.
Yeah, take your medicine like a good little Z.
Yes.
- Doc. - I know. I know.
But I'm telling you, the dude's getting better.
What about Murphy?
Still in dreamland.
Man, I wouldn't want to be inside there.
The hotel Zs got out!
This gate's not gonna hold!
Oh, my God!
This way!
What the hell's going on here?
Uh, blood transfusion.
How could that possibly work?
- Alternative medicine. - Huh.
This is a really small space to spend the rest of your life.
Well, thanks for the positive vibe, sweetheart.
- Don't talk to her like that. - Hey, you can relax, buddy.
- He's being sarcastic and rude. - No, I'm not.
- You need to chill out, lady. - Don't talk to her like that!
It's the apocalypse.
- We should all talk and listen. - You need to calm down.
Shut up!
Now do your little stick thing.
Thank you.
OK.
Now more than ever, we need to resolve these conflicts.
Using the talking stick plus deductive reasoning,
we can navigate a journey of discovery
that will lead us to the true identity of the killer.
That's all I'm saying.
Or we could just ask Greg who shot him.
Look who just woke up.
Hey, Greg.
Who... shot... you?
Don't even think about it.
Not surprised a zombie figured it out
before you corporate morons.
- Who you calling corporate? - Shut it!
And if anybody moves, I will not hesitate to kill you.
Dana, get over here.
Come on, baby. We're getting out of here.
I never wanted anybody to get hurt.
Wait, wait, wait. Hold on.
Where exactly do you think you're going?
I would rather take my chances out there
than die in here listening to you!
OK, go. Go.
You're both liars. You're both murderers.
And you know what, we'll ride this out
and we'll live on and give you mercy.
- You talk too much! - Travis, don't!
Oh, my God!
- He got my gun! - Travis...
Hey. Whoa, whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Lower your weapons.
Everybody, be cool! Be cool!
Oh, my God!
Oh, my... Huh?! Ah.
Oh!
I never meant to...
I think it's time for you to go.
Unless that stick of yours shoots .45 slugs,
we're staying until my man is well enough to travel.
Is that somebody knocking?
- That's impossible. - That's not a Z.
Somebody's out there.
Somebody alive. Open the door!
10K and Addy. On three, open the door.
- Be ready for anything. - No, wait! Don't!
- Let's talk about this. - Three. Two. One.
Iggy.
You're alive.
No thanks to any of you.
I am so sorry.
Ignatius.
You have every right to be angry.
The process failed you.
So on behalf of everyone,
I just want to say that, uh, we're sorry.
You're... you're sorry?
You have a lot of complicated feelings right now.
But we need to work through those feelings.
Is there anything else you want to say?
There is something I'd like to say.
- Sure. - For all the people who...
who aren't here to s...
to speak for themselves.
- Thank you. - Sure.
They aren't here to speak for themselves
because you did all the speaking for them!
What did I miss?
They're leaving. The Zs are leaving.
I had the craziest dreams.
Thanks again for the food.
Thank you for the freedom.
If you hadn't come along, we'd still be right where we were,
under Gideon's control.
- Thank you. - Oh!
- Thank you. Thank you. - OK.
- Oh, OK. - Thank you.
Uh, so, what are you guys gonna do?
Take our chances out on the road, like you guys.
I've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon.
Uh, you might wanna... It ain't what it used to be.
Well, we gotta go.
Good luck.
Yeah, you too.
See ya.
How you feeling, princess?
I have an apocalyptic headache.
- Hey. - Hey.
I am so sorry.
You did what you had to do.
We all do.
And there's no chance?
Uh... no.
Then let's just say see you later. OK?
I really hope I see your face again.
I'd really like that.
I'm glad I never had an office job.
Those people were messed up.
- It's the corporations, man. - Yeah.