Episode Recap: Little Red and the WolfZ

10K manages to survive his plunge into the Spokane rapids, but once he makes it back to shore (with the bag of the original vaccine, aka 'Murphy's medicine,' in tow), it's just one crisis after another. Murphy's head goon Will is already in hot pursuit, and he picks up 10K's trail into the woods pretty quickly thanks to the convenient blood drops made by 10K's latest stomach wound.

10K finds an unexpected guardian angel in this harsh wilderness: a vision of Red, his fallen would-be ladyfriend we met in Episode 1 of this season (which took us back to an untold story from Season 2). Red helps 10K traverse these badlands, and it's a good thing, too: there's some sort of new menace that's tracking our hero, something that appears to be a pack of wolves but … different.

10K's able to snag a motorbike and a gun from some poor dude just passing through, though he's soon the victim of a booby trap left by a couple of bandits and ends up chained to an abandoned automobile. Stripped of his usual weapons of choice, 10K has to resort to using car parts (windshield wipers, hubcaps) to fend off some attacking Z's. Will shoos off the remaining zombies (thanks to the powers given to him by Murphy's bite) and takes 10K prisoner as they follow the bike tracks to the bandits and, hopefully, the stolen bag of Murphy's medicine.

Will doesn't understand why 10K wants to be out of Murphy's graces; after all, it's Murphy who saved Will's family, and took away the fear. After a Z attacks and 10K is helpless to defend himself against it, our hero starts thinking that Will may have a point.

Just then, they come across the stolen motorbike … and the remains of one of the bandits. Who — or what — did this? So many tracks, leading in all directions. Will freaks out a little and insists they return to Murphy immediately, but 10K makes a run for it, making it look like he killed himself by jumping off a cliff.

Just then, 10K hears the cries of his fallen protege, 5K (the boy raised by crows we met in Episode 1 this season). He follows the sounds to a clearing, where what looks like several wolf-like creatures are huddled. 10K kills them all with a metal post … and is shocked when he rolls over 5K to reveal the female bandit, now turned Z.

After finishing her off, 10K reclaims the bag of Murphy's medicine and enjoys one last hallucination with Red and 5K (who, in this dream world or afterlife or wherever we are, has the ability to speak … and is now up to 1,139 zombie kills himself).

Meanwhile, Murphy's losing it a little (well, more than usual, anyway) as he interrogates the bloody remains of Dr. Merch, who sacrificed herself to the Z's in the zombie moat rather than serve Murphy a moment longer. Murphy doesn't understand why Dr. Merch would take her own life rather than live in the world he's trying to rebuild … nor does he understand any of the mumbo-jumbo in her notes. How is he supposed to finish the Blend vaccine now?

Giving into his urges since he hasn't been taking his medicine, Murphy proceeds with eating Dr. Merch's brain … and subsequently can now understand all of the science-speak in her journal. It looks like he'll be able to continue the work she started after all!

The episode ends with Will returning to Murphy, claiming that 10K is dead. Murphy doesn't believe it and figures 10K will return to Roberta and the gang. Time to prepare for the ultimate battle for the future of humanity!