- Gene Page/AMC
- Alex (Tate Ellington) and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in The Walking Dead
Whenever I have zombie apocalypse nightmares—which I do a lot; it’s awful—zombies aren’t the antagonists. Instead it’s the gang of men with leashed Dobermans who want the last of the canned food I have stashed in the strange bedroom I’ve hidden in for weeks, living in darkness so no one knows I’m there. Something like that. Or exactly that. The zombies are more like inconveniences—hungry, moody, overgrown toddlers with spoiled meat rattling around in their papier-mache skulls.
At one point or another, each individual group, upon finding lodging and even some food if they’re lucky, considers staying where they are, settling for a somewhat safe existence, even if it means never seeing the rest of the group ever again. Of course, that option was taken off the table for Rick, Carl, and Michonne when their temporary accommodations were rudely invaded by a band raping, farting, murdering apocalypse pirates, who become an important part of the late-season storyline (at least temporarily).
