Successful novelist and mom by day; bada** zombie-killing machine by night—when it comes to the Infected, Serena Rouge knows what it takes to make the killing blow. When the FBI forces her into a Special Ops, Serena’s all well and fine with the mission . . . until her targets kidnap her children. Then, all bets are off and she’s looking to kill.
“I’ve trained for years to learn how to take down the zombies–and avoid them the rest of the time. Now the FBI wants a writer to go undercover and get information? My gut says something isn’t right, and the rest of me will pay for not listening to that instinct.”
—Serena Rouge
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Getting kidnapped by the FBI is pretty low on my list of things I want to do. It’s right up there with meeting terrorist groups and writing their side of the story. Why a successful novelist like me? Turns out I’m a scapegoat for someone with some serious health issues—they’ve contracted the zombie virus.
I’m a zombie killer, killing them as quickly as I can. But I’m only one woman. You’d think being an Immune was great, but no. Ever since the government purposely tried to infect me with the zombie virus, they watch me closely to see if I turn. Not happening.
The FBI wants me to accomplish something big two thousand miles from home. When I arrive in El Paso, Texas after my strenuous drive from Washington, my contact agent, Joseph Connelly, isn’t available. Being tortured by a zombie for two days is an excuse I can accept after saving his ass. These aren’t your Hollywood zombies; not right away. They never get sick, their IQ triples, and their sex appeal? Off the charts. Until they die and resurrect as true horror flick zombies, with brains. Trouble is, some of them have developed a taste for meat—human meat—before they die.
Problem with governments screwing around with our DNA is things never go as planned. When terrorists kidnap my kids, all bets are off, and Agent Connelly agrees. If we don’t save my kids and steal the antivirus without getting killed, the whole world is going to have a really bad day.
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Mayhem in Mexico will be available on Amazon, All Romance eBooks, iBookstore, and Nook on Halloween for $4.99. Click HERE for more details.
*Warning: strong language and graphic violence
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Leona Bushman goes by many names, but the most common one is Superhero. She earned this name from saving a kangaroo from a tree—and yes, that is as hard as it sounds. The dragons taught their queen how to write, and Queen Leona hasn’t looked back. Even when her muse tries to muck things up.
She can be found goofing off and loving dragons and other creatures of the supernatural at the following sites:
Being alone is rarely a pleasant thing. Humans crave contact with others, need the interaction to keep themselves happy and mentally healthy. Finding companionship in the zombie apocalypse is next to impossible. From what we’ve learned on the show since day one, human nature demands that most folks take care of numero uno first, then their family. If you’re a stranger, kindness has to be earned. Even after making that vital, living connection, there are moments when a person may find themselves surrounded by others, yet utterly isolated by circumstances no one else can understand. This week on “The Walking Dead” we saw a lot of people suffering on their own, forced to make terrifying personal sacrifices in order to keep one step ahead of not only the walkers, but also the illness plaguing the prison population.
Spoiler Warning: This review contains potential spoilers. If you aren’t caught up with the show, what are you waiting for?
The graveyard in the prison yard is larger than the garden. That alone speaks volumes about the harshness of life for the characters on the show. By the time this illness plays out, many others will join the dead already in the ground. At some point, they’ve stopped creating new life and instead focus on tending to those who’ve passed. Rick tried to convey the importance of focusing on the living to Tyrese, explaining how his time was better spent securing their future food sources than looking into the past and crippling himself with their losses—a rare moment for Rick considering how far afield his mind wandered last season after losing his wife, Lori. Is justice something that even factors into their world? How far can it go toward righting wrongs in a lawless world full on unnecessary death? Tyrese is uneasy killing walkers, even those who are an immediate threat to his survival, yet he demands the head of whoever killed two of their own. We’re seeing a turning point in his life. He’s consumed by rage, becoming a different man. Rick is still on that road and no longer recognizes himself, especially after his fight with Tyrese. What will Tyrese do when he learns the truth? Venturing too far down that road leads to trouble.
Glenn wishes he could move on into the future. He’s never been one to linger in the past, with the exception of Maggie’s abuse at the hands of the Governor. The couple have been the poster children for a promising future since they finally got over that awkward relationship stage in season two. Despite all odds, they found love. They’re planning to marry. At some point, Maggie wants to start a family—when Glenn feels it is safe enough to birth and raise children. Everything they do is focused on tomorrow, what it could bring in the way of happiness and an end to their troubled times. The two of them aren’t stupid. Nothing is going to be fixed overnight. And now, the bright lives ahead of them are in trouble. Glenn is sick and without him to keep her grounded, Maggie turns to her family. Only they’ve been separated from her because of the illness.
The Greene family firmly believe in duty above all. If there is any way they can be of help to their fellow survivors, they do it. Maggie remains on duty as a council member and one of the guards while everyone she cares for is taken away from her. Beth has grown in leaps and bounds emotionally since leaving the farm and accepting the reality of their world. She doesn’t behave like a teenager, takes responsibilities no one should ever ask from someone her age. Would anyone so young willingly be locked away from her loved ones to care for a child who isn’t part of her blood family? Not only that, Beth has learned to accept her father’s calm demeanor. She’s become the voice of reason for the family, allowing Maggie and Hershel to act in instinct—something their positions on the council require. There’s not a lot of time to think when one threat to their survival will eat them alive, and the other takes no prisoners and cannot be stopped in a world where modern healthcare is as rare as a unicorn. Hershel sets the bar for honor and sacrifice for his girls when he willingly walks into the quarantined section of the prison to care for the sick, knowing full well the medicine they need may come in a day, or a week—there are no guarantees in their world.
“We don’t know if we get a tomorrow.” Unlike Glenn and Maggie, Carol is not as convinced they can make everything work in their favor. She’s stood by, quietly caring for everyone under their roof as she’s always done. But there came a point when she knew it wasn’t enough. Being the quiet, motherly figure wouldn’t keep the children from getting sick. Wouldn’t provide the water they need to keep going on into a future she can’t even fathom at this point. Her hand aren’t tied by the position she’s in with the council. At one point or another, they’ve all done horrific things to protect the group. In this episode, we saw just how far Carol would go. Her transformation throughout the series is astounding. We met Carol when she was broken, powerless in the face of her husband’s abuse. After she lost her daughter, her only living relation, she adopted the group as her new family. Some of the impotent rage she suffered then, simmering over the weeks spent searching for Sophia, blew up this week. She went to the dark place and gathered that rage close in order to do what she thought necessary to protect everyone. Only time will tell if it changed her like Rick’s kills changed him, and Tyrese’s rage is beginning to morph him into a colder man.
Too many lives hang in the balance. It is impossible to figure out what will happen next on this show. Daryl, Michonne, Tyrese, and Bob are on foot, surrounded by thousands of walkers. We have no clue how many folks in the prison are sick, or will be sick and waiting for medicine that may never arrive. How long can the remaining council keep them safe and healthy with two of their best fighters in the field?
Did Carol go too far in this week’s episode? Could you have done what she did? If not, what would you have done differently to stay one step ahead of the illness in the prison?
Last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” must have been the writer’s idea of the calm before the storm—despite the attack at the store and unfortunate death because of it. This week, we really got to see how quickly things can go wrong for a group living in a fortress when someone is working from the inside to sabotage everyone’s safety. Not to mention, the zombie FX for the second episode in season 4 were some of the sickest we’ve seen to date, but not quite as downright disgusting as the Well Walker. KNB EFX outdid themselves . . . again.
Caution: Spoilers below! You guys know the drill.
Who the heck is dumb enough to feed the walkers? This mystery saboteur must be crazier than a basket of cats, hamsters, and puppies combined. The prison was secure, safe. Whoever is at fault for luring in the walkers puts themselves at risk, right alongside a large group of people who only have the council to fight for them. Aside from one or two of the newcomers, for the most part the council takes care of the killing. And scouting. And runs into nearby towns for supplies. There’s a handful of folks working their backsides to the bone to protect the strays Rick, and then Daryl, brought under their wings. Is it fair? No. But they know better than most, the vast majority of people can’t do what is necessary to protect themselves from the undead and living threats in their newly reformed society. Look how fast cell block D was overrun with walkers. The threat started inside and ate away at the living like cancer. In less than an hour, about a quarter of the people living in the cell block were eaten or turned into walkers. It was a great reminder of how quickly things can go downhill. The fallout from the attack drove the final nail in the coffin—without the council, these people would be food—when the two girls failed to fully understand that their father wasn’t their father anymore, and the walker they’d claimed as a pet of sorts, would rather eat the soft meat of their livers than play tag. Sure, they’d be running, but once he caught them it was game over. Permanently. This is why Carol’s scheme to teach the children weapon’s skills is vital.
All of the pressure to be the savior is starting to weight on Daryl. He’s fully stepped into Rick’s abandoned post, doing everything necessary to keep the people safe. Only, Daryl doesn’t have the massive guilt handicapping Rick. From a young age, he was forced to fend for himself—to survive growing up and endure his messed up family. Life hardened Daryl’s heart long ago, something Rick is only developing now with the loss of his wife, his best friend, and the hazy future for his son and daughter. But can Daryl learn to open himself up again? Last week there were glimpses of a softer side to his personality. We even saw a smile or two, though they were hard to spot past the mask he wears to keep everyone at arm’s length. This week, there was none of that. Is there time for emotions when Death comes knocking on your front gate every day? Not when everyone relies on your skill as a killer to make it to tomorrow.
A cold-hearted killer is what Michonne set herself out to be once the first walker attacks happened. Or so it seems. We know so little about her history, about how she came to be the woman who saved Andrea with two mutilated walkers in tow. Heck, we don’t even know who she was before the undead rose, before everyone was infected with the virus. Michonne is a pro at not forming relationships. She doesn’t do permanence, relies on herself to get by, and yet still stops in to visit with the prison council. There’s a part of her true self leaking through her uncaring mask. A part which shattered her calm when she held Judith for the first time. Not only did we see her break, we saw her vulnerable. A position she is never in. She’d rather be eaten than have someone see her unable to fend for herself. The shadows haunting her eyes while she held Judith were heartbreaking. Did Michonne have a child, or maybe a younger sibling she raised? It is possible. Her past is by far one of the greatest mysteries on the show. In time, we’ll learn more. But only when she’s ready to open up.
Rick and Carl spent quite a bit of time opening up to each other, trusting each other again. For quite some time, it seemed like Carl blamed Rick for stripping him of his childhood, for putting a gun in his hand and turning him into a killer. After all, it was Carl who cleaned up Rick’s two biggest mistakes—Shane and Lori. But even when he loathed his father, Carl still wanted to immolate him, using Rick’s passed-down deputy hat as his totem for when he meant bloody, violent business. Carl didn’t seem happy with his invisible farmer’s hat. Then again, neither did Rick. Despite putting distance between himself and violence, it still found Rick. Only now, only after the attack on cell block D, does Rick understand it has to be all hands on deck. He has a skill the others need. Now he just needs to learn how to distance himself, to find the cold, calm place where he’s capable of pulling the trigger and not killing a piece of his soul. Is Rick’s return to the fight too little too late? They’ve suffered massive casualties and more are bound to be on the way with the mystery person baiting zombies and taking out anyone who may be infected with the deadly strain of flu going through cell block D.
The prison has been compromised. Unfortunately, there’s nowhere for them to run—not with so many people in tow. What would they do with those suffering from the flu, leave them to die alone in the prison, locked in a cell on death row? Could Tyreese’s conscience handle that? Or is he too far gone after the attack on Karen? We’re two episodes in and so far, there’s a slew of questions to answer.
Here’s a few questions for you, readers. What would you do in the council’s shoes? How would you deal with this deadly flu outbreak?
It has been far, far too long since we’ve had the opportunity to sit and catch up with our favorite band of zombie apocalypse survivors. “The Walking Dead” returned to AMC this week with a whopping 16.1 billion ravenous viewers, crushing every other show airing Sunday night with their ratings. While we at the ZSC know we love this show, it is staggering to see how many others are out there watching, and screaming at the TV, alongside us. So, what have Rick, Daryl, Carol, Glenn, Hershel, Maggie, and all the others been up to in the time they’ve been absent from our televisions?
Caution: There may be spoilers below.
Apparently Rick fancies himself a gardener nowadays. As Hershel said, all he needs is a pair of overalls and a piece of wheat to chew on. Rick spent the weeks since bringing in the survivors from Woodbury transforming the yard in the prison into a small farm, complete with vegetable garden and livestock—although the pig, Violet, keeled over for unknown reasons. From what we were able to glean from Hershel’s talk with Rick, the former sheriff’s deputy has taken the passive road since the Woodbury showdown with the still-missing Governor. Rick was resistant to orders to take his iconic Python pistol with him when he goes outside the fortified fences of the prison. All of the violence, and his tango with insanity, turned Rick into a new man. He hesitates to draw his gun. He’s isolated himself from the community for the most part. It seems he’s content to be the absent caretaker for all of these people—the true number of which we’re not sure. Rick’s new take on life is tested when he finds a lone, starving woman in the woods while checking the snare traps they use to gather rabbits for food. It’s hard to say if he passed or failed the test. A lot of the ugliness inside his head was reflected in this woman’s circumstances, giving viewers an all too clear look at how bad he could have gotten after Lori’s death.
An unlikely savior, Daryl has stepped into the savior role Rick abandoned. He’s still rough around the edges, keeping everyone at arm’s length. However, there’s a gleam in Daryl’s eyes when he’s thanked for finding someone and bringing them into the safety of their prison community. His relationship with Carol is unclear. They seem to have found a comfortable rhythm with each other—which is adorable to watch. This will be the season when we see what truly keeps Daryl going. He’s lost Merle for good. There’s no longer the off chance that he’ll be reunited with the only remaining survivor in his family. Perhaps that lack of blood family has Daryl reaching out for connections with others. Even the most solitary person needs a touchstone to remind themselves they’re human, that they matter in the grand scheme of things. It is far too easy to drown in the miserable existence in the show’s world without human interaction.
That interaction is what keeps Michonne around. She seems to spend most of her time outside the prison, with her gorgeous horse, searching for traces of the Governor and other things that’ll keep the few people she considers family happy. Michonne is far from soft and cuddly, but it spoke volumes when she brought back a stack of comic books for Carl and a beard trimmer for Rick. She’ll never find the closeness she had before with Andrea. That line of trust has been severely damaged. But she won’t leave these people who fought by her side, took her in when she surely would have died on her own. Michonne’s code of honor is warped, yet functional.
Glenn and Maggie are still the strongest pair from the original group of survivors—though plenty of others have found love in the weeks since season three ended. Unfortunately for Maggie, Glenn’s need to protect her lingers at the edge of their relationship. Maggie was the one to step up and become the protector, the backbone, for her family after the disease took the majority of them. Hershel did what he could, but he lived with the belief that there was a cure, something Maggie dismissed long before her father. She has to be an active part of the community in order to feel like everything is okay. She’ll never, ever sit back and be the little lady. However, she knows when to pick her battles. Stepping back from going outside the gates protected Glenn from worry. They feed on each other’s emotions. If he were upset, she would be too. They’re still finding a balance after the Governor threw them for a loop. Maybe they’ll even find a way to settle down. Once Glenn feels it is safe enough to start a family. Judging by what he said toward the end of the show, it is a ways off.
“How can you say that after today, after Lori?”
Maggie responded with, “Because I don’t want to be afraid of being alive.”
And that is the theme for these two, staring Death straight in the eyes and refusing to step back because they have each other and a small, strange family of people they’ve chosen and trust.
The season premiere tackled the psychological issues hitting the survivors. There’s plenty of walker action, no doubt, but it wasn’t anything on par with the mess inside everyone’s heads. Tyrese grows increasingly uncomfortable with killing walkers. Some of the new folks want to help, but may find themselves in Tyrese’s shoes, or dealing with deeper, darker secrets. Poor Beth is so accustomed with death, she can’t cry when they add another death to the growing tally. And Carol worries so much about the children they’ve brought in, she’s been secretly teaching them how to fight walkers.
We weren’t left without a mystery to solve at the end of the episode. What do you think happened to Patrick? Could it be connected to the pig’s sudden, unexplained death?
While duct-taped to her chair… a memo from the Chief, Juliette Terzieff
Okay… you know how much I love the Oracle, but I have to be honest … it scares the bejeebus out of me when LK says the words, I’ve been thinking…. I mean seriously, the entire command center shudders with the utterance of those words. So imagine my terror when I heard she was giving an entire interview … UNSUPERVISED??
If you haven’t read it yet, Green-Fly Media put out an ALL zombie magazine this month. The Oracle’s interview starts on page 47. She didn’t do half bad … even if I DO say so.
Heads up! We’ve got a tasty treat for you today for Lt. Blue Brigade, with some down home cooking from Iowa! In other words….DESSERT!
Grandma Corabelle’s Fudge Brownies
1 cup butter
12 heaping tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 large fresh eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if ya like
Mix together butter and cocoa in dutch oven (or saucepan) and heat slowly till the butter is melted. Let it cool till it’s lukewarm. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Beat the eggs in, one at a time. Stir in flour and salt just till it’s mixed, and fold in nuts.
Bake in dutch oven with low fire/coals for about 25 minutes, and the top has lost its shine. Use a knife to scrape the sides for easier removal, or just scoop it out into bowls!
Thanks to fellow ZSC member Beth of Orange Brigade for offering up this wonderful family recipe!
You’ll need a pot to cook over a fire, tongs, gloves, a bowl and an instrument to mash like a potato masher.
Pick fruit with gloves and tongs. You don’t want to prick yourself with those needles! There’s a reason it’s called Prickly Pear.
While holding the fruit under running water with the tongs, brush off the needles with a wire brush. Yes, a wire brush.
Place them in a pot. Cover with water and boil until tender (about 1 hour). Cut them in half after cooking, as they will mash easier. Drain and mash with a potato masher. Strain with double thickness cheesecloth (juice should be clear, no needles, etc.). Put pulp in garbage, not disposal (if indoors).
Measure 2 cups prickly pear juice with 1 ¾ oz. pkg. pectin, assuming you’ve got some with you. If not, raid a local grocery store because let’s face it, no one’s going to be yanking pectin off the shelves during an apocalypse. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.
Add 3 ½ cups sugar and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice. Boil—rolling boil—for 3 minutes . . . stir constantly.
Remove from heat and skim off foam.
Pour into glass jars and seal.
Mmm mmm good! Now you have jelly to go with whatever your apocalypse breakfast will be!
You’re welcome.
Jinxie G
PS: Jinxie would like to thank her wonderful Aunt Pat for this recipe! =)
Here at ZSC headquarters we receive volumes of information from all parts of the globe on a daily basis, alerting us to potential zombie activity. Most of the evidence coming in is suspicion rather than concrete fact, so you can imagine how exciting things got around here when we had actual film footage of zombie activity.
Now that we have the footage, we are studying it from all angles to glean what we can. At our focal point is the violin phenom, Lindsey Stirling. Is she friend? Or has she joined forces with the zombie underground? Through the actual footage it is hard to tell. At some points she appears to be able to hold off a zombie attack through music and using the violin bow like a sword to threaten the oncoming zombies. BUT she also joins their band.
Not surprisingly, the zombies are deflected from their purpose momentarily, but then remember they want to eat and a tender morsel has wandered into their midst. All of our research indicates zombies have a firm grip on their single purpose — which is to wipe out humanity one bite at a time. Watch the video yourself and tell us what you think. Is Lindsey friend or foe?
In 2010 she was voted off America’s Got Talent and a short-sighted Piers Morgan told her the world had no place for a dancing dub-step violinist. The world has disagreed. Lindsey has gone her own way since then building her fan base doing the thing she loves most, playing the violin and dancing. A true joy to watch and experience. She now travels the world to share her amazing talent with everyone.
Her fabulous YouTube station has a little bit for everyone as she mixes her original compositions with covers of theatrical, video games, and pop. Amazing performances in every one. And if you even half way like the Phantom of the Opera, check out her stunning video. Music is a powerful force and one which can be harnessed to unearth emotions in people … And apparently it can unearth zombies as well. How did Lindsey know to use music against the zombies? And why does she play and dance with creatures who want nothing more than to make her a midnight snack? More research will be required and we’re going to start with her debut album:
Plagued: The MidAmerica Zombie Half-Breed Experiment
When Tom, the son of a powerful Senator, becomes stranded in the Plagued States of America while searching for his lost sister, his only hope of survival rests in the hands of a few grizzled veteran zombie hunters and a mysterious half-breed zombie woman he thinks may know where to find his sister.
I was asked to review this book, and chose to purchase it myself rather than receive a review copy.
One can’t say this book by Better Hero Army lacks action. In fact, it’s full of enough action and detail to really keep you reading. The first three chapters move quickly and are very well-written. Beginning with chapter four, however, the editing errors creep in and take over, though the action and detail never stop.
I was impressed with the detail throughout the novella. Better Hero Army does an excellent job in describing the people and surroundings, giving a good layout of the land, enough to give the reader a good visual. Logistically, I had a few issues, but other than that, it was well done.
Tom is the main character, of course, and I’d consider Penelope—the half-breed zombie—the other main character, as Tom grows quite attached to her and the story centers around the two of them. The only part that bothers me with Penelope is that a certain thing I can’t discuss here because it’ll be a spoiler doesn’t get explained in the end. Cliffhangers are one thing; leaving the reader hanging without an explanation is another.
Tom is desperately trying to find his sister for penance, for the mistake of a scared twelve-year-old boy. There is a good plot to this story, background is well thought out, but it doesn’t wrap up everything at the end. I know there will be other books to follow, so I’m hoping this isn’t one of those ‘let’s split one book up into five’ deals. As much as I enjoyed the story—though not totally enthusiastic about it—it drives me bonkers when an author splits a story like that.
Plagued is in need of a good copy edit by an experienced editor. I’m rating the book 3 stars (my star rating system: 1=hated it, 2=disliked it, 3=liked it, 4=really liked it, and 5=loved it) because while I enjoyed the story overall, there were a lot of distractions with misspelled words, lack of punctuation, passive voice, and formatting, etc.
I wish Better Hero Army the best of luck with the series and future endeavors.
Plagued can be purchased on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats.
Publisher: Punk and Sissy Publications Date of Publication: May 1, 2013
Number of pages: 156 Word Count: 25,769
Cover Artist: Designs by Charity
Book Description
A potion gone wrong, or right?
Single, unemployed, and in charge of her very own pet zombie, Ella Perry is cooking up trouble, and it’s raining men.
Ella has spent years searching for a cure for a zombie named Freddie. However, when an experimental concoction takes an unexpected turn, she gets a glimpse of the life she’s been missing by hanging out with the undead.
Zombies, Angels, and Pixies. Oh my! Don’t miss out on the first book in the new “Sexy Witches” series by Bestselling Author Charity Parkerson.
About the Author:
Charity Parkerson was born in Tennessee, where she still lives with her husband and two sons. She is the author of several books including fifteen Amazon bestsellers.
Her “Sinners series” was voted one of the top ten best books by an Indie author in 2011- Paranormal Romance Reads Her book “The Danger with Sinners” was named “Best Book of 2012” by Paranormal Reads Reviews and was a finalist in the 2012 Australian Romance Reader’s Awards for Favorite Paranormal Romance.
She was named as one of the top three Indie authors of 2012- EbookBuilders She is a member of The Paranormal Romance Guild, is a Goodreads moderator, a member of Coffee Time Romance, and co-host of The Melissa Craig and Charity Parkerson show.
She won author of the week in August of 2011, and is a five-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath.
Getting kidnapped by the FBI is pretty low on my list of things I want to do. It’s right up there with meeting terrorist groups and writing their side of the story. Why a successful novelist like me? Turns out I’m a scapegoat for someone with some serious health issues—they’ve contracted the zombie virus.
Leona Bushman goes by many names, but the most common one is Superhero. She earned this name from saving a kangaroo from a tree—and yes, that is as hard as it sounds. The dragons taught their queen how to write, and Queen Leona hasn’t looked back. Even when her muse tries to muck things up.
Being alone is rarely a pleasant thing. Humans crave contact with others, need the interaction to keep themselves happy and mentally healthy. Finding companionship in the zombie apocalypse is next to impossible. From what we’ve learned on the show since day one, human nature demands that most folks take care of numero uno first, then their family. If you’re a stranger, kindness has to be earned. Even after making that vital, living connection, there are moments when a person may find themselves surrounded by others, yet utterly isolated by circumstances no one else can understand. This week on “The Walking Dead” we saw a lot of people suffering on their own, forced to make terrifying personal sacrifices in order to keep one step ahead of not only the walkers, but also the illness plaguing the prison population.
“We don’t know if we get a tomorrow.” Unlike Glenn and Maggie, Carol is not as convinced they can make everything work in their favor. She’s stood by, quietly caring for everyone under their roof as she’s always done. But there came a point when she knew it wasn’t enough. Being the quiet, motherly figure wouldn’t keep the children from getting sick. Wouldn’t provide the water they need to keep going on into a future she can’t even fathom at this point. Her hand aren’t tied by the position she’s in with the council. At one point or another, they’ve all done horrific things to protect the group. In this episode, we saw just how far Carol would go. Her transformation throughout the series is astounding. We met Carol when she was broken, powerless in the face of her husband’s abuse. After she lost her daughter, her only living relation, she adopted the group as her new family. Some of the impotent rage she suffered then, simmering over the weeks spent searching for Sophia, blew up this week. She went to the dark place and gathered that rage close in order to do what she thought necessary to protect everyone. Only time will tell if it changed her like Rick’s kills changed him, and Tyrese’s rage is beginning to morph him into a colder man.
Pick fruit with gloves and tongs. You don’t want to prick yourself with those needles! There’s a reason it’s called Prickly Pear.
Place them in a pot. Cover with water and boil until tender (about 1 hour). Cut them in half after cooking, as they will mash easier. Drain and mash with a potato masher. Strain with double thickness cheesecloth (juice should be clear, no needles, etc.). Put pulp in garbage, not disposal (if indoors).
Plagued
