John Anderson

"“Spec. John Anderson, HHC 1st and 111th Infantry Division, 56th Brigade, 28th Division. I’m empowered by the United States Government to commandeer this building if I see fit, and since I’m currently on active duty, I can force its owners to provide me with provisions. So I suggest you listen to me, or I’ll place you under military arrest. Since Delaware County is currently under martial law, I can detain or execute you if I find you unruly. Any questions?”""- John Anderson, to a group of squatters in Life After: The Arising"John Anderson is a major character in the Life After novels.

A Specialist in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Anderson is on active duty during the events at the marching band competition at Thomas Massey high school immediately prior to the zombie apocalypse. After being deployed to a military check point at the Springton Reservoir outside Newtown Square, Anderson manages to meet up with his best friend Jeff Grey during the events of Life After: The Arising.

Appearance and Character
Anderson is fairly tall with piercing blue eyes, a diamond-shaped face, distinguished nose, average complexion, light brown hair, a burly physique, and, by the events of Life After: The Void, a thick beard. Though he regularly smokes, his routines suggest the practice is more occasional than habitual.

Anderson is shrewd, practical, resourceful, loyal to a fault, and possesses an inimitable balance of rage and restraint in combat that occasionally fails him in open argument. While by no means withdrawn, Anderson tends to express himself through more tactical than emotional means, preferring empirical analysis to subjective experience, making him both acutely aware of the group's strategic effectiveness and blind to each individual's perception of his tactics; when implementing an eminently flawless strategy to defend TMHS from outside attackers, he fails to instill the rest of the group with the confidence necessary to carry out the plan.

While occasionally blunt, Anderson is often deeply affected by situations that frighten him, particularly when he first encounters the zombified Steve Parmacek and finds the apparent suicide victim in the locker room at the Gauntlett Center, turning fearfully soft-spoken in a manner that troubles Jeff. Befitting an attitude avoiding any outward display of emotion, Anderson refuses to reveal the details of his intimate relationship with Shar Antosky and declines to acknowledge the status of his courtship with Helen Cleary.

Despite his shortcomings, Anderson repeatedly proves himself an effective leader through his methods of planning, delegation, and implementation. He remains tireless in his efforts to improve both himself and the group dynamic, minimizing risk and waste through careful analysis of procedure and practice. His accomplishments in this regard, while impressive, are somewhat waylaid by a streak of vanity that further impedes his ability to rally the group in support of his causes.

History
Born between April 21st and May 20th in 1985 to Barbara and James, Anderson was raised in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania alongside his oldest sibling Alicia, older brothers Eric and Brett, and younger sister Joanna. Very early on in life, Anderson established a lasting friendship with Jeff, leading to their mothers becoming friends as well. As a travelling salesman, James was frequently absent, but Barbara remained at home with their children and was by all accounts a loving, doting mother until she was taken by cancer in 1991.

Her death left the family in tatters, though James, who had been unfaithful to Barbara, quickly married his paramour Missy Crumley and installed her as the new head of the household. This further complicated an already fraught domestic situation; the passing of their mother was particularly difficult for Alicia and Eric, who feuded frequently until the former left to go to college and ultimately moved just outside Michigan. With Brett's autism spectrum disorder and Joanna too young to fend for herself, Anderson became the primary target for his older brother's unstable, drug-fueled temper, leading to constant physical altercations.

At Langstoon Chase middle school, Jeff and Anderson shared the same girlfriend; Anderson dated her first before she left him for Jeff, and after she and Jeff broke up, she went back to dating Anderson. This arrangement did not affect their friendship in any way, even though Anderson stayed with her until his sophomore year of high school. Sometime before his freshman year, Anderson met Shar for the first time. When Anderson and Jeff began high school, he and Jeff joined the marching band alongside mutual friend Colin Mursak, with whom they would eventually form a band called The Noctambulists. By this time, Anderson considered joining the military, knowing that his father wouldn't pay for his college as he had for Alicia, and sought any excuse possible to get himself out of the house.

Anderson infrequently spent time with Jeff's other friends Alan Taylor, Jack O'Connor, and Drew Ruscitto, sometimes joining them on trips to the Grey family cabin near State College, PA. His desire to join them more frequently in the summer was hampered by his employment as a counselor at a Boy Scout camp throughout high school; upon returning home following the summer of his sophomore year, he discovered that Missy had finally had enough of Eric and kicked him out. Anderson met Don Mason for the first time at the beginning of his junior year, then later introduced Jeff to freshmen Ava Vaziri and Julia Marino, his "little sister", before Jeff returned the favor with John "John Squared" Johnston in their senior year. At some point during the latter half of his senior year, Anderson lost his virginity to Shar, never knowing that she'd been in a serious relationship with Adam Wilent.

Though Anderson had enjoyed his two-year reprieve from Eric, it was short-lived; upon his high school graduation, his father presented him with a suitcase and told him he was to move out immediately. Though Anderson knew he could turn to the Grey family in times of need, he elected to enlist in the Pennsylvania National Guard and remain homeless until reporting to Fort Knox for basic training, during which his marksmanship got him one target shy of sniper certification. Following his successful graduation, he was assigned to the HHC 1st and 111th Infantry Regiment, 56th Brigade, 28th Division, where he trained as a scout and a Stryker driver, eventually attaining the rank of Specialist. Between monthly guard duties, Anderson lived in Secane, Pennsylvania, working at a pizza shop and continuing a casual sexual relationship with Shar until she finally came clean about Adam.

Life After: The Arising
Though Anderson very much wanted to be at the marching band festival of his alma mater, he was stuck fulfilling a drill weekend, going so far as to call Jeff to lament about his predicament. Within twelve hours, however, Anderson discovers that his unit is being deployed to establish a check point at the Springton Reservoir, ostensibly to contain some sort of riot in the Newtown Square/Broomall area.

Anderson helps set up a barricade designed to prevent the infected from leaving the area while allowing civilians through so they can be escorted to the Lima Mall rescue center. Their arrival came as a relief to the local police, who could finally receive medical treatment for injuries sustained maintaining the quarantine in a tent on the far side of the reservoir. After nightfall, the soldiers heard screaming from the far side; seeing several uniformed cops charging at them, Anderson and his fellow Guardsmen assumed that the police were being chased by the infected, not realizing until the last moment that they actually were infected. In the ensuing chaos, Anderson threw himself into the reservoir, swam to shore, and managed to acquire two Beretta pistols before trudging toward the next check point at the I-476.

As fate would have it, he would be spotted along the way by Jeff on the roof of their former high school. Having found them, Anderson's next goal was to lead the group to the nearest check point and reattach with the Guard after getting some sleep. Before he does, he meets Richard McKnight and endures a bitter introduction to Melody Landon. That evening, a throng of undead sieges TMHS, splitting the group in half as they scramble for an escape; Jeff, Julia, Melody, and John Squared go one way while Anderson, Jake, Ava, and Rich go another. A chase across the roof leads Anderson's quartet through the auditorium roof access, where his group is set upon by the undead and Ava is killed. Anderson, Jake, and Rich finally escape from the high school, linking up with Jeff, Julia, and Melody, who were forced to leave John Squared behind.

With Anderson in the trunk of Jeff's car, the group first drives to the nearest major thoroughfare, finding both lanes blocked with a line of abandoned vehicles. They divert to the Broomall police station, which was supposed to be a rescue center, but it seems to have been recently abandoned under unsettling circumstances. Against Anderson's initial protests, they stop by a local sporting goods store to arm themselves, acquiring a district school bus to unburden themselves from travel in Jeff's two-door sedan.

The group arrives at the I-476 check point shortly before dawn, finding a massacre. Having known most of the soldiers manning this post, Anderson is quietly devastated. An errant vehicle trying to merge on the interchange is stopped by the few remaining undead, so Jeff and Anderson rescue the occupant, former nurse Karen DeMarco. The group resupplies at a local supermarket and stops by Jeff's house, where Anderson allocates supplies before they begin a trek to the Lima Mall, the last known local rescue center. Their path takes them through the Springton Reservoir check point, so they must clear the barriers before moving any further. Having not slept for almost a day, the group agrees to take a break and spend the night at the Delaware County Community College. The building is attacked by the undead in the night, revealing another small group of survivors whom Anderson intimidates with his status as an active duty soldier in an area governed by martial law.

The next day, Anderson and his compatriots continue to the mall. When they arrive at yet another deserted rescue center, Anderson determines that he will abandon his efforts to reconnect with the Guard, ratifying a previously suggested three-way leadership platform of himself, Jeff, and Rich. While the group spends the night at the mall pending their next move, Anderson helps ensure that Julia can make the most of an opportunity to get Jeff alone and take their relationship to the next level.

When the mall is riddled with zombies the following day, the group hurriedly exits and decides to loot a nearby hospital for medical supplies. The mission goes well until Julia is badly cut by an errant swipe from a zombie with a scalpel wedged in its fist; having apparently committed suicide with the same instrument, the zombie's blood gets in Julia's open wound. Julia quickly resigns herself to her fate, asks to be rendered unconscious, and shares one last tender moment with Jeff before being executed by Rich. Under Anderson's direction, Jeff is locked up in a room by himself, leaving Anderson and Rich to oversee the elimination of a brief incursion by the undead.

By the next day, Jeff is a shell of a man, so Anderson and Rich take control of the group when they abandon the hospital and return to Newtown Square; at this point, Rich agrees to teach Anderson how to drive the bus while Anderson agrees to teach Rich how to shoot a scoped rifle. When Jeff regains some of his senses, he suggests that the group fortify TMHS to survive the worst of the crisis, bedding down in the nearby community center to avoid working and sleeping in the same place.

While scouting the community center, Jeff and Anderson find the body of a young girl who apparently committed suicide, and soon thereafter, they cross paths with Robert Proctor, a disoriented loner. A survey of TMHS the following day yields the discovery that the zombified Steve has remained untouched in the greenhouse, and not only do they find the zombie of John Squared, they also discover the resurrected corpse of Matt Hughes in the basement, believing that he may have led the siege back to them after his ill-conceived exodus. Once they've dispatched all of the remaining zombies within the building, the group returns to the community center, where Karen cremates Julia's body in an old kiln. While the rest of the group sleeps, Anderson routinely stays awake to keep an eye on things, much to Jeff's surprise.

The following morning is spent using the abandoned cars around TMHS to barricade the major egresses, during which Anderson and Grey have a heart-to-heart on the subject of grief. When they return to the community center, an ethical and spiritual debate erupts between Rob, Rich, and Anderson. The work continues the next day, with most of the time spent improving internal fortifications before a break in the action sees Anderson taking Robert to the local sporting goods store for a rifle to complement his pistol. A news report later in the evening suggests that the epidemic has spread to Europe, but a more pressing concern develops when Jeff finds Rob injecting drugs. An improvised intervention goes south and Rob nearly murders Jeff with his own rifle before Anderson intercedes. Enraged, Jeff runs outside to single-handedly engage a throng of undead under the watchful eye of Anderson, who brings him inside once he's had enough.

When the group continues working on TMHS's defenses the next day, Anderson reveals that he's acquired several smoke grenades that will primarily become useful if the group needs to evacuate a fight they can't win. Later in the day, Jeff and Anderson survey the football field and find Mursak holed up in the concession hut. While pleased to see his friends, Mursak's first and only concern is that his younger sister Elena is still at home with his mom and dad, so Jeff, Anderson, and Mursak undertake a dangerous journey to Havertown, taking a golf cart at avoid larger road hazards. The rescue of Mursak's sister is a success, but the trip back is complicated by large swaths of zombies in the streets. Improvising a solution to a narrowing escape window, Anderson cuts a strip of cloth out of Jeff's flannel shirt and stuffs it in a gas can, creating an improvised explosive to clear their path and lead them back to the high school without further incident.

An evening news report confirms what Jeff and Anderson intuited from several earlier encounters with the undead: the first wave that left Newtown Square a week prior has grown and is set to return to the area within the next few hours. The group prepares to spend one last night in the community center, but the building is besieged and the group splinters in the confusion. By the time Anderson marshals almost everybody out of the building, he realizes that Jeff is missing and gets Mursak to follow him back inside for a rescue mission, ultimately finding him fighting the undead hand-to-hand on the roof. They escape to TMHS with rest of the group safely on the bus.

The group takes various positions around the high school to observe the approaching wave of zombies, but the undead seemingly take no interest until a young woman runs screaming out of a house adjacent to the school. Partially seeking to save the girl, and partially seeking to avoid testing the high school's defenses, Anderson runs out to intercept her while Rich tries to lure the undead away using the bus. Jeff radios that saving this girl might not be worth the risk, but Anderson ignores him, welcoming Helen Cleary to the group under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Life After: The Void
Two months after the events of Life After: The Arising, Jeff, Anderson and Rich have settled their band of survivors into a new life at the freshly fortified high school, where the group tensions have largely abated into a realm of amicable mutual respect. Over the intervening weeks, Anderson has drawn close to Helen Cleary, who remains passively at odds with Jeff. Anderson remains indifferent to their newest arrival, a psychology student discovered holding up in the otherwise abandoned Lima Mall named Althea Luangrath, spending far more time with Rich, making various improvements around the building, including the installation of an amateur closed circuit video system in and around TMHS.

Having spent several weeks cooped up, Jeff proposes that he, Mursak, and Anderson travel to their former domiciles to collect computers and personal effects while scouting the surrounding region over Helen's strong objection. Jeff and Anderson undertake a long awaited trek to the cemetery adjoining TMHS, where it is confirmed that the undead at ground zero literally rose from their graves. Shortly thereafter, the plan to depart is solidified when Rich, whose previous intense rejection led to a physical altercation with Jeff, finally relents and agrees to select their vehicle and make travel arrangements for the following day.

Jeff, Anderson, and Mursak wake up early and hit the road, negotiating various obstacles and musing that they may not be the lone residents of the greater Newtown Square area. They first travel to Anderson's apartment in Secane by way of a local consumer electronics store, where they discover a group of well-armed squatters, barely escaping with their lives thanks to Anderson's marksmanship. Anderson and Mursak next search the apartment complex, with Anderson musing that he still has the keys to Shar's apartment. Once finished gathering Anderson's necessities, he and Mursak find Jeff dispatching a throng of undead with a display of unnecessary violence and aggression, for which they subtly chide him. They next travel to Jeff's dormitory at Temple University Ambler, finding the campus abandoned until they encounter a large swatch of the zombified student body. While gathering supplies in the kitchen, Jeff tries to dig for details in Anderson's relationship with Helen, but Anderson ignores his questions.

Shortly thereafter, Mursak's steadfast insistence upon gathering medical supplies from a nurse's station winds up putting Jeff and Anderson at risk, and though Anderson's aggressive driving tactics help them escape unscathed, an ensuing argument reveals that Mursak blames Jeff for Julia's death. Jeff's aggressive threats to Mursak cloak the trip to his Havertown residence in silence, but not before yet another unsettling reminder that they are not the only survivors in the area.

When the group returns to TMHS, Anderson conducts an after-action review, after which he attempts a nap that is interrupted by a brief incursion on the front lawn. A short time later, Jeff joins Anderson, Helen, and Melody for an early dinner in the cafeteria, but an underlying tension quickly boils to the surface, leading to a vicious verbal altercation that results in Anderson and Jeff directly challenging each other. Jeff later decides to put down an incursion on the front lawn by himself, drawing Anderson's ire.

The next morning, Jeff and Anderson vaguely reconcile the previous day's argument, and Anderson begins to hesitantly discuss his misgivings about his relationship with Helen, but the conversation is interrupted by Melody announcing a news broadcast. The program describes the use of a nuclear weapon in continental Europe and goes on to detail ongoing rescue efforts by the military, militias, and paramilitary groups within the United States. Anderson and Rich quickly agree that they should advertise their presence for a rescue, but Jeff's impassioned rebuttal leads to the group agreeing to a tribunal where Rich will argue to leave, Jeff will argue to stay, Anderson will serve as a mediator, and the rest of the group will cast their vote for either Jeff or Rich's initiative. After privately conferring with Helen, Anderson is blindfolded by Rich prior to the group forum. After a split vote, Anderson aligns himself with Jeff's initiative, much to Helen's dismay.

The next day, Anderson spots a young woman with an infant in front of the school. After getting Mursak to wake Jeff, he and Anderson debate over what they should do before deciding to invite Tracy and Jimmy Dantis to spend the night. After Jeff decides to privately welcomes Tracy, a gunshot brings Mursak and Anderson to the bathroom nearest the lobby: Tracy pulled a gun on Jeff, absconded, and apparently committed suicide. A cursory examination of her body reveals that she'd been bitten on the foot. Anderson decides to deal with Tracy's corpse, leaving the cleanup to Jeff. Shortly thereafter, the two of them briefly jam together in Jeff's room, after which Anderson begins officially rooming with Helen.

The following day, Anderson agrees to participate in an intervention for Jeff, but the confrontation results in disaster when Jeff lashes out and secludes himself in his room. The next morning, on Christmas Eve, Anderson is awakened before the rest of the group when he hears two Chinook helicopters approaching the high school. In spite of ridiculous odds, Anderson recognizes one of the scouts as an acquaintance from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard; he eventually decides to meet the soldier outside in secret, keeping the conversation private before conveying to Jeff and Melody that their group is to remain inside and avoid interfering with the soldiers, who are assisting the CDC with a scientific investigation of Brookwood Cemetery.

After taking a nap, Jeff apologizes to Anderson and Helen, Rich, and Karen for his conduct during the intervention, the latter conversation leading to a brief analysis of a CDC report on the undead Anderson retrieved from his friend in the ANG. When the helicopters finally depart, Anderson celebrates by having a few drinks with Mursak and Rich. Jeff joins them several hours later, when Anderson is clearly drunk, at which point Helen announces a vehicle approaching from the street. Jeff, Anderson, and Jake scramble for reconnaissance, but when the approaching camouflaged men open fire, Anderson insists that they take arms and defend themselves. The result is a brutal firefight in which several of the intruders are killed and Anderson is rendered unconscious after taking a bullet to his helmet.

Following a brief coma, Anderson awakes to find Jeff at his side. Jeff haltingly tells Anderson that the firefight led to he, Rich, and Mursak assaulting and killing their marauders at DCCC. Following this stunted recap, Jeff alerts Helen to the fact that Anderson is now awake. Later in the evening, the group watches a news broadcast where an earlier report of a non-nuclear explosion in Eastern Europe is refuted, confirming that a nuclear airburst detonated over Romania, kicking off a series of questions about how the United States will respond and whether they will consider doing the same. Later in the feed, it is stated that wounds on the extremities, such as those suffered by Julia, may not be as fatal as initially thought, stirring Jeff. The group finishes watching the telecast after reports on a tsunami in the Indian Ocean and the undead closing in on highly populated areas of California. After a brief debate over the issue of nuclear weapons, Jeff elects to show the group The Day Afterto clarify the risks, but Anderson and Helen leave the screening early.

After another two days of rest and convalescing, Jeff enlists the help of Anderson and Rich in reviewing the security footage they've obtained from the front lawn. When informed of Jake's dirge project, Anderson selects "Hero of the Day" by Metallica as his funeral song. In reviewing the footage immediately thereafter, they quickly discover that the group who attacked them days prior may not have intended to provoke them, after which Anderson reveals Helen claims Mel told their abductors that she wanted to abandon the group at TMHS. Jeff then informs them of his trip to the Gauntlett Center, suggesting that Rob may well be a murderer. Rich entreats Jeff to talk to Mel while he and Anderson mull over the situation with Rob.

Jeff is awakened the next morning to help put down a small zombie incursion, during which Anderson discovers that Mursak has been hoarding supplies. Jeff suggests that this adolescent chicanery is beneath sharing with the group at large, but Anderson counters that Jeff is behaving as the group's de facto leader and should address the issue accordingly. When Jeff demurs, Anderson agrees to talk to Mursak about the hoarding. In their next meeting, Jeff suggests that the group needs to revisit DCCC and get serious about their plan to rescue Jack and Alan's group, and Anderson agrees.

The following morning, Jake and Anderson do some target practice to prepare for DCCC, after which it is decided that Jeff, Anderson, Jake, Mel and Karen will re-investigate the local college, though Rich expresses some misgivings about Karen joining them. While the scouting and scavenging aspect of their trip is successful, Anderson irritates Jeff and Mel with his nitpicking tactical analyses. When they have a moment alone, Anderson indicates an awareness that Joanna and Alicia are secure in a safe house outside of Michigan, and he'd last heard that Eric was on his way to acquire Brett, but he has no interest in attempting to reconnect with any of them. Shortly thereafter, they discover that Karen is sick; after debating what to do, they decide to stay put so as not to force her into action, but quickly find themselves in the midst of a zombie siege. Anderson's attempt to pick off a few corpses from the third floor windows sees him running out of ammo, something that deeply unsettles Jeff. After several close calls with the undead, the group takes a break in a supply closet.

When enough time has passed, Anderson prepares the group to leave, using several Molotov cocktails as distractions. While the plan works initially, the sprinklers douse the group in freezing water, hampering their evacuation. Though they manage to escape without incident, they notice a gigantic complement of undead advancing on the newly triggered alarm bells of DCCC. Once they return safely to TMHS, Rich reams Jeff for his failure to recognize Karen's illness, forcing Anderson to intercede before Jeff can assault Rich. Before going to bed, Anderson hands Jeff a bunch of wallets he collected from the bodies of their erstwhile marauders. The next day, Jeff wakes Anderson to help him catalog their newly acquired weapons and ammunition. Later in the evening, the group convenes to celebrate New Year's Eve, but Anderson and Helen abscond before the crossover, rejoining the group well after the event, only to leave again before the party concludes.

On New Year's Day, the group indulges in another extravagant breakfast as they recount their resolutions, culminating in the appearance of Rob, who appears to have rehabilitated. What would seem to be a minor siege from the undead turns serious when a few surviving runners attack, but the group maintains their composure and dispatches them. Once the corpses are deposited in the pool, Rich reveals that Karen has suggested some antiviral medications to combat her sickness. Knowing that the local drug stores have been cleaned out, Anderson details a complex and infeasible plan to locate looters and trade supplies before Mursak reveals that he successfully acquired the necessary medication at the Temple University Ambler health center. The group celebrates by getting drunk and playing computer games.

The next day begins with Jeff informing Anderson that he is to stay behind for the upcoming sojourn to State College, a mission Rob suggests calling Operation Prometheus. Anderson reluctantly agrees, but the following day, Anderson and Rich tell an exasperated Jeff they've decided that any aberrant behavior from Rob going forward will result in his immediate execution; considering the belief that he killed the girl in the Gauntlett Center alongside the certainty that he would've killed Jeff, Anderson asserts that Rob shouldn't get a chance at a third strike, insinuating that his history with his own brother gives him clarity on the subject of drug addiction. Shortly thereafter, Jeff, Anderson, and Rich spend the rest of the day amassing supplies, planning routes, and according a generous supply of automatic weapons and ammunition to Operation Prometheus. After conferring with Alan the next day, it is ultimately decided that Jeff, Rich, Mel, and Althea will make the trip, leaving Anderson, Karen, Mursak, Jake, Rob, Helen, Elena, and Jimmy behind.

At daybreak, just before Operation Prometheus officially gets underway, Anderson gives Jeff a considerable sum of money, acknowledging the possibility that he may encounter someone receptive to bribes on the trip north, then makes it clear that their recent defense of TMHS and the resulting rescue mission to DCCC had more to do with defensive tactics and foreknowledge than luck or skill, insinuating that Jeff should not discount the impending disadvantage of being in unfamiliar territory.

By the early afternoon, the mob of undead spotted near the DCCC campus makes its way to TMHS, and Anderson is forced to implement defensive strategies with only Mursak and Jake to help. When the members of Operation Prometheus return later in the day, TMHS is in the throes of a debilitating siege. In short order, Jeff rallies the new arrivals to fight their way toward Anderson so he can apprise them of their forthcoming offensive; in doing so, Anderson briefly meets Nick Wilborn, the pale and heavyset loner he knows to have previously murdered another member of the PSU group, Lada Dragomirov, a sturdy Russian expatriate, Andy Kremens, a vaguely distrustful and soft-featured nerd, Levi Hazen, a fit and stone-faced black introvert, and Nancy Candler-Hollowell, a traumatized old-money outcast. While giving them the rundown, Rich drives off into the horde as a diversion.

The initial offensive goes quite well, with the unified group continuing to make progress against hundreds of attacking zombies, until a series of compounding setbacks results in a faltering defensive line, compelling Jeff toward a bold series of maneuvers that drags him further and further from the rest of the group. The ensuing combat gets close and tense as Jeff tries to fight his way back, and he nearly manages to get clear before his hand gets bitten. Rob yanks the katana from Jeff's belt and hacks off the affected appendage just before he's dragged inside. Despite a deep concern for his best friend, Anderson returns to the fight; though Jeff's tactics resulted in a grievous injury, he managed to buy them enough time to fortify the defenses and start driving back the undead once again.

A brief lull in the siege the following day allows the group an opportunity to withdraw; though the undead continue to build up around the TMHS perimeter and walls, Anderson assesses that their numbers are insufficient to threaten a breach. With Jeff unconscious, and Karen expressing doubts as to his survival, she and Anderson ultimately decide to give Jeff's possible recovery as much leeway as possible. Later, Nick and Andy suggest that killing Jeff is the smartest move, an insinuation that requires every bit of Anderson's self-control for him to remain diplomatic. When Nick persists in his arguments, Anderson punches him out. Suspecting that Nick might attempt to kill Jeff in secret, Anderson delegates the defense of TMHS to Mursak and Jake, choosing instead to stake out Jeff's convalescence. Sure enough, Anderson catches Nick's attempt on Jeff's life and shoots him before he can carry it out. After giving a delirious Jeff more morphine, Anderson brutally finishes off Nick.

The next day, Karen feels confident that Jeff won't turn, so she and Anderson wake him and inform him that, among other things, Rich has not returned or made contact following his diversion. When Jeff recounts some of the details of Nick's demise, Anderson sheepishly confirms that he killed him; having known that Nick murdered Dan, and then hearing that he shot Heather Chapman during Operation Prometheus, Anderson asserts that he prevented Nick from taking his third strike. He further alleges that the fires at DCCC, the arrival of the Chinooks, and presence of the zombified Steve at TMHS might've somehow contributed to the volume of the ongoing siege.

Knowing that Jeff is out of the woods, Anderson returns to the fray, directing the group's attempts to halt or slow the onslaught of undead. Seemingly low on definitive strategy, Anderson drives a truck that almost certainly contains Steve into the horde, laying on the horn and rolling out of the vehicle as it continues down the street while Jeff watches from a classroom in TMHS. Anderson throws a Molotov when the situation becomes more chaotic, and before long, he pops smoke, effectively admitting that fighting the horde in the street is futile, and that their last chance at survival means relying on the high school's largely untested defenses.