In Season Five of Z Nation, Warren has survived the drone crash but our heroes soon learn that Black Rain had a totally unexpected effect. Instead of melting Zombies for a reset, post-Black Rain new Zombies are conscious and able to talk, giving rise to a new kind of Zombie, TALKERS. Depending on the condition of their body, a TALKER might pass for human--as long as they have plenty of bizkits (is the secret ingredient really brains?) to keep them from going rabid Z. Newmerica, it turns out, is still just a group of independent outposts, but Warren and our heroes arrive as they are holding a historic vote that will unify the outposts. It will also determine if humans and Talkers will both be citizens, or if Talkers will be shut out--just a new kind of Zombie threat. Warren meets up with an old friend, a charismatic young leader named George, who is leading the movement to unite humans and Talkers. It’s a hopeful exciting time, almost like America in 1776, until an explosion kills many citizens and delegates, and the results of the vote, which came out in favor of human Talker unification, are drawn into question. Altura, the largest of the Newmerica outposts, declares martial law, locks down borders and begins rounding up Talkers, as rumors circulate that renegade Talkers arebehind the bombing. A Talker underground develops; humans sympathetic to Talkers help them escape the Altura militia and hide in safe houses, one of which is a wild, circuslike casino, run by Murphy and his Blends. Even still, things are about to get much worse for the Talkers, and our heroes, when the supply of bizkits grows scares, then stops altogether. Talkers begin reverting back to brain-eating Zombies driven to attack humans. To solve the mystery of who is behind the attacks on Newmerica, Our Heroes must journey to the different outposts under attack and try to get the supply of humanizing bizkits flowing again before the Talkers all turn full Zombie.