Telltale's Walking Dead: Last Man Standing

Episode 1, Chapter 2

Several hours later, Cain stands before the leaders of Mountainview as he gives his account of the events that happened earlier in Pyne. Jokingly called the "Town Council", the leaders of the settlement normally inspire and calm him, but now, he feels as if they're his judges. As he recounts the terror of the night before, of the blood and smoke and raiders, he studies each of them for their reactions. They're all annoyingly silent, and Cain fears that he and his own actions are being judged along with those of the raiders.

Seated in the center of the table is Abram, the unofficial leader of the council. A dark skinned man in his late thirties, Abram was a marine on shore leave when the outbreak first started, and as far as cain knows, he was the one who first started putting together Mountainview. To his left is his wife Bonnie, a woman who is maybe in her early thirties, but her watchful eyes and her hard look make her seem years older. Her red hair is cut close to her face, and although Cain hasn't personally talked to her much, he's heard that she came to Mountainview a few years ago after escaping from a settlement that turned too brutal. She's proven that she's a capable survivor and leader, though, and has been named the overseer for Mountainview's farming and food supplies.

On Abram's left is a short man in his early forties with a sandy colored beard. His name is Bryan, and apparently he used to be a big guy in the construction business. Understandably, he know oversees the building and expansion efforts of the settlement, drawing up plans and overseeing the construction personally. And beside Bryan, about a foot away from the rest of the leaders, sits a young woman dressed in a leather jacket and dark jeans. She looks like she's of Asian descent and her black hair reaches down to her waist. Her green eyes flashed with burning anger when Cain mentioned about finding Ella's body, and he can understand why. Her name is Nyssa, and she's the leader of the Mountainview's runners, the fastest, smartest, and bravest of them all who go on supply runs and scouting missions. Ella was one of my their most promising prospects. Now, she's lying dead in the dirt somewhere. Cain's as pissed as Nyssa is.

Cain finally finishes giving his testimony, and the council room is suddenly eerily quiet. It stays utterly silent for a few seconds, before Bonnie mutters a quiet, heartfelt "Shit..." Abram nods his head slightly, his eyes closed as if in prayer. Bryan seems lost in his thoughts, staring vacantly off into space, and Nyssa is the only one that looks to Cain. The young man swallows around a lump in his throat and feels the urge to look away under her burning gaze, but he stands his ground. He has spoken his truth, and will accept any instructions or judgement the council gives.

Surprisingly, it's Nyssa that's the first to really talk. "This isn't your fault, Cain," she says in a voice that's somehow both emotionless and gentle. "I know you think this is a trial for you somehow, as if you were responsible in some way, but you're not. No one could have stopped something as senseless as this shit from happening, not even you."

Abram nods slowly in agreement, his deep voice echoing his sentiment across the room. "You acted bravely, as I would expect from you. A withdraw back here with the remaining survivors was the best choice to make, given the circumstance. It sounded like a lose-lose situation, but you chose the option that would save the most lives."

"But you also left our own to die, or worse, in the process," Bryan notes, snapping his attention back towards Cain. "I'm not saying you did wrong but... most of the people from Pyne who aren't dead have been carried away by God knows who, and are we just going to sit here and do nothing about it?"

That stung, but he's right. Cain feels the weight of that decision even know, under their watchful gaze. He feels some of the burden relieved after Abram's praise, but until their own people are back home, Cain doesn't think he'll be sleeping much.

"Hell no," Bonnie protests. "We're goin' after these fuckers, and we're gonna get back what they took from us. But we have to be careful about it, we don't know who these people are or what they want."