Hi all! This will be an interlude chapter before the official start of season 3, connecting the two groups: The farm survivors, and Dr. Grant's group. This chapter will take place five months after the fall of the farm. Considering that the time jump between season 2 and 3 of the show is about eight months, this will give the survivors a chance to get to know each other before they get to the prison. Going forward, in season 3 onward, I will be incorporating more tv elements. For example, including scene cuts, camera panning/zooming, etc. and I plan on representing these with bold and parentheses. I will try this first with season 3, and if it turns out people dislike it, I will simply stick with what I did for the first two seasons, so please let me know what you think! I will also try to help dialogue flow a little better, by not always adding who said what in lines of dialogue. Anyway, enjoy the prologue to season 3!
Three cars sped down a visibly worn down backroad in a Georgia forest. Jacob, now sporting a short beard instead of his usual stubble, pulled down the sunshade from the driver's side ceiling to shield himself from the rising sun. He scratched the light brown hair on his face and couldn't help but wince as he noticed flecks of dry skin fall onto his dark gray jacket. It had been months since he, or anyone had taken a proper shower or bath, outside of the occasional rainfall. He looked in the back seat via the rearview mirror to see Zach asleep, now in his own winter jacket. Even though winter was dying down, it was still cold. Sure, it wasn't the sheer cold of New England he was used to, but it was still cold. Billy was in the passenger seat next to him. His hair had grown out since the farm, and he had to push some of it back underneath his baseball cap as he checked his revolver's cleanliness, looking it over a few times and then opening the cylinder. He sighed when he saw that he was down to three bullets.
"We're almost out of ammo. Food, too," he said, flipping the cylinder back in place with an audible click. Jacob nodded in agreement.
"Water's not gonna last much longer either. We're gonna need to find something soon, or start rationing. Or find somewhere to settle down for more than a few nights. Either way's gonna be a challenge. Rick will steer us in the right direction though," Billy eyed him, unsure.
"You think so? We barely made it out of that Costco two weeks ago because he didn't think to check for nests. Like I suggested. T-Dog nearly got a raptor bite to the neck, and Glenn has a gash on his arm bigger than yours. Most of our medical supplies went towards making sure they were ok," Billy gestured to Jacob's scar he had gotten back at Hatlin's almost six months ago. Jacob turned his eyes to Billy and then back to the road.
"He's kept us alive, hasn't he?" Billy sighed.
"Yeah. He has. I'm just saying-" A honk of a horn came from Rick's car before Billy could finish his sentence.
"What now?" Billy asked. Jacob shrugged and pulled the car to the side of the road.
"Always something," he said. He tapped Zach on the leg from the front seat. Zach groaned groggily and rubbed his eyes.
"C'mon bud. We're stopping for a bit," Zach nodded but didn't say anything as the three of them climbed out of the car. As Jacob stepped out, he could see what looked like a convenience store just up the road and could see Rick already scoping it out with his binoculars. Jacob walked up next to Rick.
"Supply run?" Rick lowered the binoculars and handed them to Jacob, who put them up to his own eyes. They were sweaty and smelly. Just like everyone in the group. He ignored the smell and cased the convenience store himself.
"That's what I'm thinking. Maybe a place to stay a few nights too," Rick said. "Place looks untouched,"
"They always do," Jacob said, handing the binoculars back to him. "Until they aren't," he joked and Rick cracked a smirk. A now much more visibly pregnant Lori came walking up to them. Rick seemed to turn away when she approached.
"Any requests before we run in there?" Jacob asked, trying to break the tension.
"If they have any sports drinks, I'm feeling a bit dehydrated," Lori said. Jacob gave her a smile.
"You got it. I'll grab Glenn and Billy and we'll head over there," Rick handed him a walkie talkie. A very cheap looking walkie talkie; one of two that they had picked up from another convenience store a few weeks ago. Jacob was pretty sure that it had originally been priced at $5.99 and wasn't convinced about its integrity. He took the walkie all the same and turned it on.
"Take Daryl with you. If you run into any trouble, I'm on channel two. Keep an eye on your sides. We don't need another raptor incident. Once the coast is clear, we'll get everyone in there," Rick said. Jacob nodded, and clipped the walkie to his jacket pocket.
"Got it," he walked over to Daryl who was taking inventory of his arrows. Glenn and Billy joined them, with Maggie giving Glenn a kiss on the cheek before joining the scavenge crew.
"Mind watching Zach while we're over there, Maggie?" Jacob asked. She nodded with a smile as she and Zach sat on the tailgate of Rick's truck. He was forever grateful to both her and Glenn for getting him off the farm alive. And it seemed as if Zach had taken a liking to her as well.
"We goin' or what?" Daryl asked, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. He started walking towards the convenience store. Glenn and Billy had some medium sized duffle bags that could fit a decent amount of food and supplies. Jacob gestured for the two of them to walk ahead of him.
"After you,"
Inside the convenience store
Kayla Watts looked out the shattered window of the convenience store to see four male figures headed their way.
"Psst. Grant," she leaned against the wall to the right of the door, her gun drawn.
"What? What is it?"
"More scavengers. We goin', or we makin' a play here?" she asked, looking at the other three, really posing the question to everyone. Grant picked up his hat off of the store's counter that had once housed a cash register.
"We can't lose all the food we've gathered from the Biosyn sites," he said.
"Well, maybe they've got stuff we can trade," Gerry said, standing up and dusting off his tattered jacket.
"Trade? They're armed to the teeth! I don't think these guys are interested in a few bags of goldfish!" Kayla said. The group of men were getting closer. Nima looked out of the back window.
"Well, whatever you're going to do, do it now. I think they just spotted the truck," The group of men were practically at the door now.
"Get down!" Grant whispered as he, Nima and Gerry hid behind the counter. Kayla tensed. She had her finger on the trigger as one of the men, a younger looking man with a short beard and jacket jostled the door until it came open. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the cocking of a pistol next to his head, and Nima had a rifle trained on two of the other men that she could see. One wearing a motorcycle jacket carrying a crossbow, which he had trained on her, and the other was an Asian kid with a shotgun, who looked more startled than ready for a fight. She still couldn't see the fourth man behind them. Gerry and Grant were still hiding behind the counter with their own weapons ready, in case Kayla couldn't convince the men to leave
"Easy," the man said.
"The hell are you?" Kayla asked. The man had his hands up.
"My name's Jacob. We're just out looking for supplies, we didn't expect anyone-" she cut him off and turned to the biker.
"You wanna keep your head on your body, I'd put the crossbow down there Rambo," When the man didn't say anything, Grant and Gerry popped up from behind the counter, their guns drawn on the other two men. This caused the Asian kid to raise his shotgun, and the final man pushed through with his own revolver.
"Wanna bet?" The biker said. There was an odd silence, and palpable tension for a good 5 seconds, until the final man searched the room. He lowered his gun and almost broke into tears. Grant lowered his gun and had a look of bewilderment.
"Al-Alan?" Grant dropped his gun on the floor with an audible clatter.
"Billy," Billy and Alan embraced with tears in their eyes and exasperated laughter. Kayla lowered her gun and holstered her pistol. Daryl did the same with his crossbow and Glenn with his shotgun.
"Sorry about that. You never know," Jacob chuckled and shrugged, then looked at Dr. Grant.
"Huh. I thought he looked familiar,"
"You know this guy?" Daryl asked Billy. Billy and Alan pulled away from each other.
"Hell yeah I do. These are the guys I got separated from," he turned to Nima and Gerry, and the three of them all hugged.
"Told you I'd see you again," the three of them laughed as they embraced.
"Billy, this is Kayla Watts. She saved our lives, more than a few times," Grant said. Billy smiled at her with gratitude.
"Goes both ways," Kayla said with a smile and a shrug. Billy walked back over to Jacob.
"This is Jacob, Glenn, and Daryl. We've uh, been through a lot together," Glenn gave them an awkward smile and Daryl gave a nod. Jacob walked up to Alan with glee.
"I-I gotta say, Dr. Grant. It's an honor to meet you. You were the inspiration for my thesis,"
"Thesis?" Grant asked, tilting his head.
"Paleontology. Well that and, we've both been on Isla Nublar," Jacob said. Grant's eyes widened but he smiled all the same.
"Well, then you're in the right place, Jacob," Grant turned and gestured to his other companions.
"This is Nima Cruz, and Dr. Gerry Harding,"
"Nice to-" before Jacob could finish his sentence, a click came from his walkie.
"What's going on over there?" Rick asked. Jacob didn't answer the walkie, but looked around the room before turning to the new survivors.
"Don't suppose you guys found any food here?"
"As a matter of fact-"
(Scene cuts to a bit later, with Dr. Grant and his crew handing out food from the Biosyn sites to the farm survivors, him and Billy catching up, and Jacob conversing with Rick and Daryl)
"And they just had all this stockpiled?" Rick asked, a bit skeptical. Jacob shrugged.
"Apparently. Worked out for us in the long run. Should keep us going for a bit. They've got some ammo too. Not a lot, but enough for a month or two," Rick just looked at the newcomers, not quite sure what to think.
"And uh, listen. Billy and I have been talking. What do you think about having them tag along with us? Wouldn't hurt to have a few more hands when the baby comes," Jacob said.
"I don't want them to just become four more mouths to feed," Rick said. Daryl leaned against the truck they were speaking near.
"Kid's got a point. Groups of walkers keep gettin' bigger. Dinos too. They seem like they can handle themselves," Daryl said, that last part looking at Kayla. Rick looked over the new group of survivors, and sighed, but still didn't say anything.
"Dr. Grant's knowledge of dinosaurs won't hurt either. I think Dr. Harding has some medical training too," Jacob said. Rick's eyes widened a bit.
"That's Alan Grant?" Rick asked. Jacob cracked a smile.
"You a fan?" Rick shook his head.
"Not me. But my brother was. Read all of his books," Rick paused and glanced over at the newcomers once more.
"Ok. If you think they can pull their weight," he said. Jacob nodded with a smile.
"I'll go give them the good news,"
Meanwhile, Billy and Alan were catching up, sitting on a log near the cars.
"So," Grant started. "A farm huh? And you came to the rescue?" Billy chuckled.
"That's about the size of it, yeah. This group-I'm not sure I'd be here if not for them," Grant nodded with a smile.
"And this uh, Rick. He's an okay guy?" Grant asked. Billy opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to find the words. He wasn't happy with how Rick had kept a secret from them, but he couldn't deny that if Shane had been in Rick's place, they likely wouldn't have even made it off the farm. And that Jacob had been right.
"Yeah," Billy said. "He's a decent enough man, and he's kept us all alive," Grant gave him a warm smile.
"Quite the group you've found, Billy," Billy smiled back at him.
"I'm just glad I found you. All of you," the two of them embraced again. As they pulled away, Grant put his hand on Billy's shoulder, and the two of them rejoined the larger group.
Meanwhile, Daryl was checking his ammo reserves, leaning up against Jacob's car, and Kayla walked up to him, her arms crossed in an intimidating, yet non-threatening way. Daryl looked up as she approached, but simply nodded to her and said nothing. She leaned against the car next to him.
"Hell of an arsenal you got there," she said. Daryl shrugged as he attached an arrow to his crossbow, ready for quick use.
"Gets the job done," he said. "Sorry for pointin' it at you," Kayla smirked and chuckled.
"Sorry for putting a gun to your buddy's head. What'd you do before all this? Hunter? Country singer?" Kayla nudged him playfully. Daryl grunted out of amusement
"Somethin' like that. You?" He asked.
"Pilot," Kayla replied. Daryl nodded in understanding, notching another arrow into the crossbow. The two of them stood in an awkward silence as the other newcomers got familiar with everyone. They talked about shared experiences; Gerry and Hershel sharing veterinary knowledge, Nima and Jacob both talking about their experiences with running from dinosaurs, and how Rick's way was the only way. A sentiment that didn't seem to sit right with Dr. Grant, but he respected that Rick was likely made leader for a reason. After thirty or so minutes of handing out supplies and getting to know one another, Rick gathered everyone around the cars.
"I know some of you are new here. We appreciate the food and ammo, but I need to know you can all contribute, and I don't just mean supplies," Rick said. "And that goes for all of you. Lately feels like only a few of us have been pulling our weight," there were some uneasy looks in the now four person larger group, but they were steadily put to rest when Rick next spoke, as if seeing their uncertainty.
"And I know I've been pushing. But that's only because I want us to live. Not just survive, but really live. I don't want us to keep jumping around from place to place. I want us—I want us to live somewhere. A place where we don't need to worry so much if we're even gonna make it to the next day. So I'm gonna push. If it means we get a second chance, I'm gonna push," Rick paused for a moment before he next spoke.
"We're gonna hole up in this convenience store for the night, maybe two. And then maybe—maybe we can find that place where we can truly live," The looks of unease in the crowd seemed to dissipate and Rick looked to Daryl who whistled.
"Let's get these cars in front of the store. Let's move!" Daryl called. As the group dispersed, Grant looked to Billy with a slight smile.
"As far as speeches go, that was pretty good," He said. Billy laughed and the two of them assisted the group in getting the supplies to the convenience store. A while later, the group was unloading supplies and getting ready to hole up for the night, when a booming roar echoed in the distance. But not far off in the distance, which caused visible worry on everyone's faces.
"So much for settling down for the night," Jacob said, looking off in the direction of the roar.
"That's a tyrannosaur," Grant said. He looked at Rick. "I know coming from the new guy my opinion might not be worth much Rick, but if we stay here there's a good chance we won't make it to the next morning," Rick sighed and nodded.
"I agree. Everyone!" He called. "Get everything back in the cars, now. We need to move in five minutes," another shorter roar came from the same direction. It was getting closer.
"Better make that three," Kayla said. Everyone frantically packed up their things. They stopped trying to make sure it was organized, and just haphazardly threw everything into the trunks of each car. Billy cocked the Marlin and aimed it in the direction of the forest.
"We're set! Let's get the fuck out of here!" Daryl called. Everyone, the four new survivors included, piled into the cars and sped off. As they turned tail, Zach watched from the rear windshield of Jacob's car, now joined by Dr. Grant, as the hulking and scarred Tyrannosaur stepped out of the forest, and roared thunderously, before sniffing the air, and carrying on in the opposite direction of the desperate survivors…
To be continued in Season 3