"Marston returns home on a stormy night with an uneasy feeling he can't quite put his finger on. John then inquiries about Uncle's whereabouts, but Abigail was under the impression that John and Uncle had been together. She tries to assuage John's apprehension by making light of the situation and reminding John that Uncle can take care of himself. This does not, however, set John's mind at ease, and the family has dinner without Uncle." "Upon arriving in Blackwater seeking the aid of a doctor for Abigail and Jack, John finds the town deserted and assumes the townsfolk are hiding."

"In Tanner's Reach, Marston will come across a frightened frontiersman shooting randomly into the wilderness and yelling about Sasquatches." "Marston approaches the Old Bacchus Place to find Seth Briars 'playing' poker with his friend, the newly Undead Moses Forth. John declines the invitation to join the card game and begins questioning Seth about an explanation for the Undead Plague. Seth seems disinterested in the conversation and makes light of the situation, saying: "It ain't nothin'." "Once John Marston has cleared MacFarlane's Ranch of the undead, he was greeted with open arms by Bonnie MacFarlane, who is relieved to see him considering the current crisis." "Marston visits Marshal Leigh Johnson in his office."

"Nigel West Dickens is selling his tonic to the residents of Fort Mercer when John Marston interrupts him and is disgusted at Dickens selling it to the miserable people for 100 gold coins, forcing Dickens to give to the people for free." "Marston finds D.S. MacKenna in a tent in Plainview with his camera and a hogtied zombie. MacKenna tells John about his dream of making a movie about the zombies and asks John to capture a Retcher for his film." "Inside Fort Mercer, Marston encounters the American Army Captain putting up a poster. Thinking that the captain has been given the work of underlings, Marston jokes with him about it. The captain rounds on John, tersely pointing out that the posters are of people who are missing throughout the frontier and need to be found before they meet a grisly fate. Seeing that it is not a laughing matter, John decides to help rescue the missing person."

"Nigel West Dickens has heard reports and rumors that the undead plague is not as pronounced in Mexico and suggests Marston go there to see if he can discover if those rumors are true and to see if he can find out how they're handling the plague, and maybe even discover the cause along the way."