During the grueling six months starting with New Year and ending in the late days of June, Shiro Nagai has undergone the most horror inducing and subtle transformation, that seeped into the nightmares of every survivor who has come in contact with his work. There are two ways to go about it. Either Dr. Nagai has suffered a serious psychotic afflicted following the traumatic episodes of losing his family's loss in a prior volcano incident, OR he has truly come into contact with a supernatural and dangerous entity known as Shiryo Mother. Through the months, he secluded himself in various remote hideouts and facilities, producing pages and pages of horrific, mad writings, ramblings, and losing stability by the day. Many survivors tried to find and help him, but Shiro was as clever as he was elusive. Misguided or not, Angela Linderman saw scientific method to his occult writings, as if his mind was still that of a scientist, while an occult force or sickness had overcome it. Soon it became apparent that Dr. Nagai was slowly changing into less and less recognizable shape, becoming unhinged, obsessed, and deeply affected by his findings, all culminating in him constructing a dark temple to The Mother, with aim to involve a group of survivors in a rebirth ritual. As Angela Linderman survived a single bite from an infected and beat down the virus, Shiro started referring to her as The Nurse, allocating her a role in his dark game. Angela was once again bitten, and that time, the infection took to her. As she neared the end, she became more invested in Shiro's ritual, hoping to unearth a clue about the vaccine, that might be hidden in the occult research. Ishida, Penny, Angela, and the corpse of deceased Tyler were the four participants in the ritual. They went in with a plan to fake some parts of it and subvert it, although Angela's mind was overtaken midway by some force or condition unknown, which resulted in the ritual going more towards the way Shiro wanted. Doctor Shiro Nagai and Nurse Angela worked together in perfect harmony to bring about the closing of two worlds together - that of the living and the dead. Whether or not the ritual's intended goal has been achieved remains circumspect, however. A deep fog and never-ending cloudiness seems to have permeated the county after their mutual demise. Sober minded and in clarity, they worked in tandem to show the other survivors the cure to all their woes - while in their fugue state sought to seal their fates. Dr. Nagai met his end in the culminating climax of the ritual, a sacrifice by fire. He and Angela were to be The Lovers, given to The Mother as offerings. At the sight of the flames, Angela gained lucidity for a brief moment, deeply affected by the zombification virus already, a final push of her will forced an attempt to stop the ritual, as she produced a pistol hidden in her corset, and put 7 bullets in Dr. Nagai to prevent the sacrificial burning. Although Angela killed him, the fire was set by the spectre of Shiro's dead wife (??), and Shiro (with Angela) perished in the flames.

What the hell, right?

Shiro holds rank #5 in the top 5 survivors, preceded by Angela Linderman by only a few seconds. The two died together.

Tyler died as he lived. Wild, unruly, unbalanced, and untamed. He had no plan and no method in life nor in death. Raw talent, which had to be guided by others. The first follower. Exceptionally skilled with many useful tools, he himself was the exceptional tool. Pointed and directed by anyone other than himself, he achieved greatness and never took credit. King of the Sidelines. His last moments were in a poorly planned battle defending a lady he wasn't into during a romantic date he didn't want to go on. And such an epic demise is no sneeze to accomplish. What a day, first you learn that your crush got knocked up by your friend, a few hours later you're dead.

Be it as it may, Tyler died better than many, protecting Marla Murdoch's life during their improvised date night to Riverside. There truly wasn't a thing that Tyler was not part of. He's visited every major hideout, and most people benefited from his help. An expertly master carpenter, he's helped build and fortify many compounds, including Rob Langdon's lodge and Marla Murdoch's home. Ask any survivor out there, Tyler had a hand in their life.

After his demise, Marla Murdoch went back home, distraught and broken. She ripped up the beautiful blue dress she wore for the date, cut off her hair, and, once equipped and recovered by her friends from a suicide attempt, went back to Riverside to retrieve Tyler's body. To get to him, she cut out a good section of the Riverside infected, but by the time she got there, Tyler was already one of them. After attempting to communicate with Tyler and touch him, Marla realized that the man only wants to gnaw on her crotch in a feral manner. So, she had to incapacitate him permanently.

A week after dying, the King of Jokes had one last role to play. Friends kept his body in his red corvette back at the Murdoch Manor. For Dr. Shiro's ritual, Tyler's body was brought along to play the role of the Jester, where his final contribution to the sealing of the worlds was made. Despite the unassuming personality, and his propensity to make awkward jokes, earning himself the Jester title in Shiro's ritual, Tyler was quite the competent warrior, having killed a staggering 1052 infected, and lasting for 6 months, claiming the #7 survivor rank in the top 7.

Mitch was a hard survivor. Those who met him described him as ruthless, but a few called him friend. Mitch perished when moving supplies and clearing a place of a swarm of zombies. A car, a van, and a trailer nearby, it was ultimately the winter and struggle for supplies that got Mitch surrounded on three sides. Desperation, overconfidence, and greed - are the apocalypse's most lethal tools.

Shana Reece got wounded in a car accident. With a broken arm and several deep cuts she reached a nearby village. Nothing seemed familiar in this place. As she took a rest to treat her wounds and check her health, her mind almost passed away. Suddenly some infected came out of the dark from both sides. Shane took her machete in her healthy hand and fought slashed through the dead meat around her. But one came from behind, out of the freezing dark and bit her neck. The pain made her stop for second, she looked up to the sky, snow touched her face and in the next moment she passed away, covered in blood.

RIP Detective Ruby Reece. A life claimed not by the undead, but the old faulty flooring. A decorated and proper undead slayer and Muldraugh cleaner, Ruby was decisive, short spoken, rough around the edges, and no doubt troubled by trauma of the apocalypse. Her default mode of meeting people was to aim a gun and command to freeze and hands up. She killed an astonishing 1014 zombies, favored firearms, and fell off the roof of the old warehouse she settled in during night watch, and broke her back. It was gravity and choice of location that ultimately slain the brave police officer. She did not turn into an infected, and her body remains clean in death. Muldraugh is lost again. Resistance against the undead failed in this part of the county. It is void of gasoline and overrun again. West Point survivors continue resistance. Turning the nightmarish hot spot into a safe community. With half of West Point under survivor control, there is still a lot to go. Ruby was the last owner of Bella Burton's radio van dish, having taken it from Marla's premise after Elizabeth disappeared off the air. Where ever Ruby died, is where the van was seen last?

June was surrounded by the infected in West Point and called for help. Marla Murdoch received the signal, came to the rescue, and intended to drive June to her home. June insisted on coming back for her ammunition in the abandoned car, and suggested to blast their way out. Marla, warned her against using guns in the city, but eventually, reluctantly, agreed, but the very first group of infected overwhelmed them, and June, who rushed ahead, was swiftly devoured and turned, leaving Marla to retreat.

After spending some time at the manor, Eliza felt she had to live on her own again. She was never really integrated in this group of dazzling personalities. Social contact brought more and more problems. When several people died and some strange things happened, Eliza didn’t feel safe around the house. It seemed to her like a golden cage. The only person she really had a deeper emotional connection was penny. But in the same time the relationship between her and Ishida showed her how lonely she was. Back at her house in the woods, with everything she needed, her beautiful garden, the fireplace and plenty of animals she hunted, dark clouds appeared on the horizon. On a sunny afternoon in July, an armed guy came up the alleyway to her house. He pointed a gun on her and shouted something about a girl named Lisa Gray. Eliza knew who he was looking for, but didn’t even think about telling this aggressive guy anything. So she challenged her luck, jumped over the nearby fence and fired two shots with her hunting rifle and hit him…

There wasn't anyone who met Barry who didn't like him. A lovable drunkard who easily connected with everyone he met and loved to grab a beer with friends. When Chris Burt shot down the USMC helicopter, it crashed in the woods in a secret military facility. Barry rushed over to loot the remains, and found weapons and uniform of one of the killed flight crew marines. He teamed up with Chris and assisted him in the exploration of the wreck site, where the two ran into Lt. Mervin Ladigan, fleeing after a brief shootout.

Shortly after Chris asked the team for assistance. Ishida, Penny, Chris, and Barry stormed the military research facility in hopes of finding answers about Patient Zero and the USMC agenda, but were overrun by the infected, as everyone in the facility turned, soldiers, patients, and scientists alike. Covering the overwhelmed team, Barry died a hero, his trusty crowbar at his side, he bought the others time to flee. An honorary bar in his name was built at House Murdoch, Barry's Bar, where his friends have a drink to remember him.

Rob made a safe haven for his community in a cabin he built with his two hands. He survived with a modest 250 kill count, which is still considerably impressive. Rob had one mission: to build a community. He found that community in his friends and associates at the cabin he laid the foundations for. He realized then he didn't want people, but a person - his lost love, a Knox County park ranger. He took the least valuable car from the cabin and drove to the ranger station she was placed at - cutting down trees on the overgrown dirt roads. The rain fell. Empty. He chopped his way north to the cabin. The storm developed. Empty. He wasn't well, having recently received a double fracture in his leg from a fall, and now in more isolation than he thought possible. A voice on the radio "bzzt-the camp-krrppzt". Forgetting his usual meticulous caution, Rob drove his way down to the lake, having to abandon his car due to the thickness of trees and his desperation for company - perhaps it was her voice on the radio. He limped around the lake to the camp, but all he found was dead and death. The fog, the storm, the splint on his damn leg and his lack of equipment - zombies spill from the doors and windows. He puts up a good fight, but he knows he faces the end. Eventually he is pulled down and is no longer alone.