[/align]FADE IN:
INT. HYBRID - NIGHT
... we find ourselves inside the hybrid. The occupants are
rattled, confused. Debris and metal shards butcher the
interior.
Roxy: a hurried pace of incoherent rabble ensues:
She can't even muster up back to back words, mostly confined
to syllables and high pitched screeches.
Roxy squirms, tries to wiggle free: the seat belt defiant,
stubbornly confines her upside down, unwilling to relinquish
its bond with the buckle.
Hysterical. Then --
ASHTON
(pained, but forceful)
STOP! Shhhh. Listen.
Silence. Then --
-- grating moans and rabid snarls. Close. Too close.
All four people try to escape the confines of this accidental
prison. Restrained by their belts, pressure locked.
ASHTON,
on the other hand has a little bit more dubious confinement:
his leg is held in place by the car itself -- a smashed
panel. IT'S BAD!
A shuffling. Something scrapes across the dirt, clumsily.
It's close, getting closer. It's on top of them, then --
-- silence. The foursome look back and forth, trying to
figure where the sound originated from.
Nothing. A long tense beat before --
-- BAM! A slab of death slams down next to Roxy, starts to
reach, claws for her.
It can't quite get the right angle, with debris and metal in
the way. Just enough to make it a continuous game of cat and
mouse, both tortured.
It reaches, claws. Desperate. Hungry. Then --
-- POP! Shot rings out, then... SPLAT! The walkers head
explodes, chunks paint Roxy's petrified face.
POP! POP! POP... more shots, then --
-- more bodies crumble to the ground. Dead!
Colin materializes. Unsheathes a knife, then cuts the seat
belts, starting with Roxy. He guides her so she won't get
hurt. He cuts Trixy's belt then Sara's, guiding them down as
well.
Colin helps them out of the car. He looks back at Ashton,
notices the leg, but doesn't say anything. To the girls --
COLIN
Go. Back to the motel!
They reluctantly listen, running off.
Colin waits a beat, then turns his attention back on Ashton.
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
The rest of the group is right where we left them, bunched
hopelessly together in the motel parking area.
Bear steps up, takes charge.
BEAR
We need to get outta here.
AMANDA
We gotta wait. Ashton, the girls...
they could be--
Bear looks down. Evasive.
BEAR
I don't think so.
TARA (O.S.)
Wait, isn't that them?
The group turns, as --
-- the three girls appear. Untouched, alive. But frightened
as hell.
Amanda steps up and meets with Roxy. They embrace. It's a
happy moment. Pleasantries, hugs abound.
Amanda looks around.
AMANDA
Where's Ashton?
Tara notices something: Connie wondering aimlessly. A walker
closes in on her. Tara points. The group turns as a...
... single walker stalks from behind. Almost on top of Connie
when... Pop! Shot RINGS out, echoing into the distance.
A hole opens up in its skull. Neck whips back, the body
crumbles to the floor. Then... an eerie silence. The group
turns to reveal --
-- Elisabeth with a gun. Smoke lightly billows from barrel.
A raspy moan sweeps through with the wind, at a whisper.
Distracted, and you would miss it.
Bear didn't.
BEAR
What was that?
The group looks around. Searching. Puzzled.
What started as a whisper... now slowly builds. It's
something large.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
Colin sits in front of Ashton, head down. Evasive. He has
something to say, but it's not going to be easy.
ASHTON
What's going on?
COLIN
Gotta take the leg.
ASHTON
What? No. Just get me out.
COLIN
Look. Kid... it's not happening.
I'm sorry.
ASHTON
Whaddya mean?
COLIN
You're not goin' anywhere, your leg
stuck like that. I can't stay. I
have my mom to look after. The leg
needs to go. So do I.
He starts to back out of the car but Ashton grabs his shirt.
Screams out in frustration. Then --
ASHTON
Take the leg!
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
... the loud rumble.
TARA
That, I can hear.
Amanda goes to Connie and grabs her hand. Ushers her to the
group. Connie, with a blank smile --
CONNIE
Colin. Where's Colin?
Her voice, so sweet, you almost want to cry: she's not long
for this world.
Death descends on the group from all directions. In the form
of snarling, moaning walkers.
Walkers closing in, hunting. Something has drawn them out.
River retreats back to his room. Patty and Bear share a look.
BEAR
Get to the rooms.
Elisabeth fires extremely accurate rounds, each kill shots.
The bulk of the surge, starts to shift focus. They head for
the noise: Elisabeth.
Bear noticing: the shift of focus. Slow, but it finally
registers --
BEAR
Stop shooting. The gunshots... the
noise attracts them.
He backs up to the motel. Slowly. Cautiously.
Patty grabs Amanda. Indicates for her to follow.
Amanda's reluctant, being more concerned with the group.
PATTY
Lets go.
On the way to the room, she's cut off by Walkers.
Bear notices in his peripheral. Backtracks, quickly.
He grabs the walker, by what's left of its clothes, throws it
head first into wall. Smashes the head.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
Colin has his knife out, set beside him.
COLIN
You smoke?
(off Ashton's spiteful
expression)
For the knife. A lighter...
ASHTON
(confused)
Yea... the glove compartment.
Colin slowly weaves his way through the wreckage on his hands
and knees.
Gets to the glove compartment but... it won't open. Beats it.
Walkers are getting close: the roar of their snarls gives a
sense like they're on top of them.
Colin beats and pounds on it even more.
With every beat, Ashton deflates a little bit more. His EYES,
are an open book: he's given up.
Colin stops, sits back, slouches. Defeated isn't something he
feels that often. In fact, he sucks at it. Frozen.
A walker appears, grabs at, claws at Colin. He shakes it off.
Another walker materializes. Scrapes and gropes at Ashton.
Colin darts over and stabs the walker in the head. Brain
matter evacuates when the knife is pulled out.
POP! POP! Shots echo from a distance. A shift happens. Colin
notices and indicates for Ashton to be quiet. Still.
Colin frozen. Listening, as... lumbered footsteps track away
from the crash. Colin motions Ashton to stay quiet. Then --
-- the glove compartment unlocks, slumps down. Like a gift.
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
Walkers funnel into the parking lot from everywhere. A morbid
shamble towards the divided group.
The group splinters off, all for one right now.
Bear, Patty and Amanda get to the room. Amanda looks back for
the others. For Elisabeth.
Elisabeth: her momma bear instincts kick in --
ELISABETH
Get inside. Stay with Patty.
Hell with the noise, Elisabeth aims her gun and fires,
multiple shots. The majority hitting her intended targets.
The walkers gravitate toward her.
Noticing. Elisabeth breaks from the rest of the group,
pulling the herd toward her. Continues to shoot.
The twins, Roxy, make a go of it. But, they get cut off.
Bear wants to help but he's cut off. He punches one to the
ground. Stomps it's head in. Another attacks. He palms the
face, pushes it, causing it to stumble back.
It falls, head hitting the wall. It starts to move. Beyond
it, a group of ten close in.
Bear takes this in. Looks at the frightened girls. Then, his
family, safe. But not for long.
An abashed sigh. Bear retreats to the room, closes the door.
The girls are done for. No hope. Then, a squeal gets
Elisabeth's attention.
Noticing: the girls surrounded, the door closed. Then, Connie
about to be lunch for the walkers.
She hurries, shooting smartly, conserving ammo. An odd site.
ELISABETH
Girls. My room. Hurry!
Sara turns around. Elisabeth tosses the keys to her.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
Get them inside. Now!
Sara gets the girls. Ushers them to the door.
Elisabeth grabs Connie and pulls her toward the room.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
Colin holds a lighter under the knife. The knife blushes.
Ashton looks uneasy as the knife scolds different shades of
red.
COLIN
You got a pen or something in here?
Ashton's lost in desperation. But manages to indicate the
glove compartment.
Colin duck walks to the glove compartment -- still open.
Sifts through... finds a pen. Moves to Ashton.
COLIN
Bite down on it. It's gonna hurt.
The knife smolders. Gleams reddish orange. It's ready.
Colin angles it toward Ashton, placing it below the kneecap.
It presses gently against skin when --
ASHTON
W-, w-, wait. I can't. I can--
COLIN
(poignant)
Do you wanna die?
They share a look. After a beat, Ashton realizes. Then, his
eyes give Colin his blessing.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Elisabeth stands, back braced against the door. Relieved to
be inside, especially as grotesque ruckus builds outside:
groans, feral moans, scratching, and clawing.
Everyone tries to deal with it in different ways: Roxy, sits
in the corner, checked out, rocking back and forth in place.
Sara tries to console Trixy. Tara, furiously tries to get a
hold of someone, via her phone. Connie, sits with an empty
smile, staring at the wall.
Sara, shakes some sense into Trixy. Captures her gaze.
SARA
We're safe. They aren't getting
into that door.
Sara's eyes are contrary to what she just said.
Trixy is lost, unable to come back to reality. A silence
between them, the chaos around them, muted. Then --
TRIXY
My camera.
(looks right at Sara)
Where's the camera?
The reverence that spills from her mouth when she mentions
the camera, scares Sara.
Sara backs off, ponders. She has to change gears. Turns to
Elisabeth, who peers through the peephole.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
It's done. Colin has cut off the limb. He's in the process of
cauterizing the wound, with the scolding knife.
It's painful. Ashton's eyes float into the back of his head.
Lids are fluttering, getting heavy. He starts to fade. The
pen drops out of his mouth.
Colin puts the knife to the side. Lets it cool.
He takes off his shirt and ties it tightly around the wound.
Ashton slips in and out of consciousness, eyes fluttering.
Colin slaps Ashton lightly, trying to gain his attention. It
works for a moment but, he slips back. Unconscious.
COLIN
Hey. You ready?
Nothing. Colin grabs the knife, then duck walks out of the
car, carefully. Turns, then drags Ashton out.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Sara goes to Elisabeth. Taps her shoulder. Indicates she
wants to use the peephole. Elisabeth is reluctant, but --
ELISABETH
Fine. Five minutes
Sara peaks through the hole. Her body tenses, then a sharp
intake of breath. Hopelessness.
Sara backs off. Tries to stay tough but whatever she saw,
weighs her down. She's speechless, can't talk. Then --
POP! POP! POP... gunshots ring out! Distant, but still loud
enough to rouse everyone to their feet.
GUNSHOTS! A commotion. Snarling swells. More gunshots,
then... silence. After a beat --
-- BAM! BAM! BAM! The room hesitates. Frozen. Then --
COLIN (O.S)
Let us in. Hurry!
Sara snaps to it, opening the door, revealing --
-- Colin, with Ashton draped on his back.
Behind, more walkers enter the lot. Hungry! Angry!
INT. PATTY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Amanda struggles with River. She wants out and he doesn't.
Patty steps in.
PATTY
It's not safe.
AMANDA
My mom. I... we can't leave her.
Amanda starts for the door. Patty motions for Bear to block
the door. He's confused, so --
PATTY
Yes, block the door Ronald.
He reluctantly does. Looks down evasive.
PATTY
I can't let you open that door.
It's too much of a risk, won't let
you endanger my family like that.
Patty calmly goes to the counter and sifts through her purse.
Fishes out her phone. Dials.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
Ashton's sprawled out on the bed. The shirt, tied around the
wound, is now blood soaked. Sara is huddled by Ashton.
OFF TO THE SIDE
Colin talks with Elisabeth. It's somber. Poignant.
COLIN
He's lost alot of blood. We could
get him first aid, but that's only
a band-aid. He needs a hospital.
Elisabeth's phone rings. She answers it.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
It's Patty. Everybody okay?
ELISABETH
We got everybody.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
I'm glad to hear everybody's okay.
ELISABETH
Not exactly. One of Amanda's
friends is hurt. He needs a
hospital.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
We need to be smart about this. Is
this boy going to slow us down? We
gotta think about the whole group.
ELISABETH
Can't watch another person die. Not
when I can do something about it.
Ashton can sense the conversation is about him. Shifts
around, uncomfortable.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
Don't be foolish.
ELISABETH
I'm not going to leave him behind.
Colin and I will find medicine.
This is news to Colin. She reassures him with a smile. Ends
the call.
COLIN
You're on your own. I'm not leaving
my mom.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT
A crimson horizon gives hint to a rising sun. The glow
partially illuminates this depressed neighborhood: dehydrated
grass, boarded up windows and doors, wild growth where lawns
should be, broken windows, trash strewn across the street.
Looks like this plague has been here for years. Even a police
cruiser, parked at the end of the street, looks old,
decrepid: like they used personal vehicles and slapped some
paint on it, lights.
INT. POLICE CRUISER - NIGHT
OFFICER JAKE STRONG and his partner OFFICER SALVADOR "SOL"
GOODE, converse over a early morning snack.
JAKE
Damn Sol, Mary done it again.
SOL
She loves to cook. Even with the
baby... I mean, I thought they slow
down after child birth.
JAKE
My taste buds thank her. I mean it.
This stuff is to die for. Almost
makes it worth waking up at this
god forsaken hour.
SOL
It's not that bad.
Jake stops eating. Ponders, getting serious.
JAKE
I want you to come with me this
weekend. Do something meaningful.
SOL
I'm a father now. That's
meaningful. Plus I'm a cop.
JAKE
Barely. Really Sol, we're cops in
the desert. I bet teachers in LA
see more action than we do.
Sol smiles, undeterred.
SOL
Look, I'm sorry you're not
fulfilled. I can't help that. But I
love my life. My wife, baby Wyatt.
This job is perfect for what I want
in my life right now.
JAKE
I'm just saying, we have a chance
to do real good. Some crazy shit is
happening in LA and I want to help
out. I've already cleared the next
few days. After our shift today,
I'm headed out... I need you.
He shovels food into his mouth. Chews aggressively. Sol
sighs, doesn't want to disappoint, but --
SOL
I'm not going to be able to. Gotta
think 'bout my wife and kid first.
Jake shovels more food in. Irked. Then --
JAKE
Twenty-three years of friendship.
That's it. Just blowing me off.
SOL
I'm not blowing anything off. I--
JAKE
It's fine. I'll handle it. It's--
KABOOM! He's cut off by a huge explosion that rocks the
neighborhood. Car alarm's wail! The officers are knocked off
balance in their seats.
Both men look up, gaze at a large fireball, impregnating the
night sky with severe light.
JAKE
Call the Sergeant.
Sol fumbles to get his phone out. Dials a number. A couple
beats... nothing. Puts the phone away.
SOL
No answer.
JAKE
We can't wait. Gotta go!
Sol agrees. Jake reaches over and turns on the siren.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
Everybody's in a various stages of shock, shaken. Elisabeth
peers out the peephole.
TARA
This is so wrong. It's so messed
up. I don't wanna be--
ELISABETH
They're leaving.
She steps back from the peephole. Turns --
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
I think they're going after the
explosion.
COLIN
They're all gone?
ELISABETH
Pretty much. They're moving away.
COLIN
We still gotta be careful. I still
don't like it.
EXT. HIGHWAY CRASH - NIGHT
The hybrid is a fireball now. The cruiser creeps up on the
scene, stops.
The two officers exit, move in quickly.
JAKE
Check the other car.
A wall of flame leads between the two cars. Sol moves quickly
around it to the other car.
The driver is long gone. So much so, he skipped the walking
dead stage right to just plain dead! Charred.
EXT. CRASH - NIGHT
Jake walks the crash site. Tries to feel out what went on.
THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
We can see that Sol is in the cruiser using the scanner.
JAKE,
sees something. It reels him in. He kneels to the level of
the window and reaches past the shards of glass. Comes back
with a seared video camera.
Feverish moans permeate the air. Jake looks around,
searching. It closes in. From all directions. He belts out --
JAKE
Sol! Sol! Get out here!
Sol leaps out, gun at the ready. Jake indicates for him to
lower the gun.
Jake steps up to meet the walkers, slowly, with his hands up.
Non-threatening.
SOL
Whaddya doin?
JAKE
They're sick. It's our job to help.
SOL
The news says we wait for help.
JAKE
We're cops. We are the help.
Sol is uneasy. Cautious.
JAKE (CONT'D)
This is our job.
Jake slowly approaches. Sol hangs back, covering from afar.
JAKE (CONT'D)
We're here to help.
The walkers aren't interested. Continue to advance, hungry.
Jake slowly moves on the walkers, hands out. Helpful.
JAKE (CONT'D)
I'm here to help.
A snarled whine. Drool pools from snaggled, razor teeth.
Jake starts to second guess himself.
JAKE
Call for back-up. Now!
Sol retreats back to the cruiser. Just as he opens the door,
Jake yells out in distress.
Sol cranes up to see, just as a walker bites Jake's neck.
Jake shakes it off, shoots it with his gun. Then, the others.
Undeterred, they continue to stalk forward...
... pushing him back -- into more walkers. They claw and bite
into him, getting their fill.
Sol moves to help but runs into new walkers. Gets bit on the
wrist by one. Quickly, he shoos it off, puts a bullet in its
head. Picks off two others with quick, successive shots.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
ELISABETH
We can go out the front.
COLIN
You sure they're gone?
ELISABETH
The explosion drew them away.
There's only a few left. And we got
guns to cover ourselves.
COLIN
How many? What kind? Where?
ELISABETH
Don't know. Alot. At least one for
everybody. They're in the car I
came in.
Trixy sits in the corner. Silent.
Sara's with Ashton, holds his hand. He's passed out.
SARA
I wanna go.
Elisabeth and Colin share a look. Not amused. But she's
serious. Looks to them, unrelenting.
EXT. POLICE CRUISER - NIGHT
Sol looks down at the bite. It's bad, already starts to puss,
fester. He looks to Jake, being eaten alive.
He tucks tail, jumps into his cruiser. A beat before --
-- the car ROARS alive, accelerates out of there.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
Colin and Elisabeth continue their argument with Sara.
COLIN
No. You should stay here. With the
other girls.
SARA
Yea, that's not demeaning or
condescending at all.
COLIN
That's not what I meant, besides--
SARA
Ashton is my friend. He would do
the same for me.
(beat)
I'm coming.
They see she's serious. Don't bother to argue.
ELISABETH
I'll stay here then. Watch things.
COLIN
I'll get the guns.
ELISABETH
The beat up one. Back seat.
Colin nods. They move toward the door, ready, when --
ELISABETH
(looking through peephole)
Wait. There's one. It looks lost.
But searching? I dunno. Like she
knows this place?
Tara looks up, tense.
TARA
What's she look like?
Elisabeth pulls back, turns. Off her look --
TARA (CONT'D)
No, like before. Clothes? Hair?
(off her expression)
Like, conservatively dressed,
tasteful? Alot of horizontal...
Elisabeth doesn't want to answer. Tara senses that, wells up.
Elisabeth goes to her. Gives her a motherly embrace. She
ushers Tara to the side. Sits with her.
COLIN
I'm going.
He opens the door, cautiously. Slips out.
MOMENTS LATER
A KNOCK at the door gets Elisabeth up. Moves to it, opens it.
Colin comes back in. Colin puts the duffle bags on the bed.
As they sift through the bag --
-- Tara sneaks behind them and...
EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS
... exits the room.
Tara pans, searching the lot. Nothing. Until --
-- she sees it: a walker, it's back toward us, dressed in
conservative attire, adorned with horizontal lines. Blood
stains. Skin's pale, sickly.
It's tries to get into the motel office. Has trouble figuring
out the door handle.
Tara moves on the walker slowly. Quiet. She keeps a diligent
eye on a few walkers hunting the perimeter.
She's almost on top of it now. Reaches out, but stops right
before contact. Hovers for a beat, then...
... slowly retracts. She can't. She looks around and then
slowly backs up.
The ROOM DOOR flies open, forceful.
COLIN
Whaddya doing?!
The perimeter walkers slowly turn their attention toward the
lot. The commotion acts like a morbid Pavlov's Bell. Colin
and Elisabeth advance, shooting.
The office walker lumbers around, then, toward Tara. A chunk
of her face ripped off. Exposing rotten, but sharp teeth.
Tara falls to her knees in distress. Frozen. Distraught.
The walker is almost on top of her. She doesn't flinch, as if
she wants it. Invites it. Then, as it's about to pounce --
-- POP! A back chunk of the walker's skull gets dislodged,
exploding outward, painting the pavement behind it. Crumbles.
Tara looks up, mouth agape. Tries to touch the corpse, but
Colin runs up, hurried. He grabs her and starts to pull her
away, but --
-- walkers descend from all directions. They have no choice
but to bring her along.
INT. HYBRID - NIGHT
... we find ourselves inside the hybrid. The occupants are
rattled, confused. Debris and metal shards butcher the
interior.
Roxy: a hurried pace of incoherent rabble ensues:
She can't even muster up back to back words, mostly confined
to syllables and high pitched screeches.
Roxy squirms, tries to wiggle free: the seat belt defiant,
stubbornly confines her upside down, unwilling to relinquish
its bond with the buckle.
Hysterical. Then --
ASHTON
(pained, but forceful)
STOP! Shhhh. Listen.
Silence. Then --
-- grating moans and rabid snarls. Close. Too close.
All four people try to escape the confines of this accidental
prison. Restrained by their belts, pressure locked.
ASHTON,
on the other hand has a little bit more dubious confinement:
his leg is held in place by the car itself -- a smashed
panel. IT'S BAD!
A shuffling. Something scrapes across the dirt, clumsily.
It's close, getting closer. It's on top of them, then --
-- silence. The foursome look back and forth, trying to
figure where the sound originated from.
Nothing. A long tense beat before --
-- BAM! A slab of death slams down next to Roxy, starts to
reach, claws for her.
It can't quite get the right angle, with debris and metal in
the way. Just enough to make it a continuous game of cat and
mouse, both tortured.
It reaches, claws. Desperate. Hungry. Then --
-- POP! Shot rings out, then... SPLAT! The walkers head
explodes, chunks paint Roxy's petrified face.
POP! POP! POP... more shots, then --
-- more bodies crumble to the ground. Dead!
Colin materializes. Unsheathes a knife, then cuts the seat
belts, starting with Roxy. He guides her so she won't get
hurt. He cuts Trixy's belt then Sara's, guiding them down as
well.
Colin helps them out of the car. He looks back at Ashton,
notices the leg, but doesn't say anything. To the girls --
COLIN
Go. Back to the motel!
They reluctantly listen, running off.
Colin waits a beat, then turns his attention back on Ashton.
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
The rest of the group is right where we left them, bunched
hopelessly together in the motel parking area.
Bear steps up, takes charge.
BEAR
We need to get outta here.
AMANDA
We gotta wait. Ashton, the girls...
they could be--
Bear looks down. Evasive.
BEAR
I don't think so.
TARA (O.S.)
Wait, isn't that them?
The group turns, as --
-- the three girls appear. Untouched, alive. But frightened
as hell.
Amanda steps up and meets with Roxy. They embrace. It's a
happy moment. Pleasantries, hugs abound.
Amanda looks around.
AMANDA
Where's Ashton?
Tara notices something: Connie wondering aimlessly. A walker
closes in on her. Tara points. The group turns as a...
... single walker stalks from behind. Almost on top of Connie
when... Pop! Shot RINGS out, echoing into the distance.
A hole opens up in its skull. Neck whips back, the body
crumbles to the floor. Then... an eerie silence. The group
turns to reveal --
-- Elisabeth with a gun. Smoke lightly billows from barrel.
A raspy moan sweeps through with the wind, at a whisper.
Distracted, and you would miss it.
Bear didn't.
BEAR
What was that?
The group looks around. Searching. Puzzled.
What started as a whisper... now slowly builds. It's
something large.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
Colin sits in front of Ashton, head down. Evasive. He has
something to say, but it's not going to be easy.
ASHTON
What's going on?
COLIN
Gotta take the leg.
ASHTON
What? No. Just get me out.
COLIN
Look. Kid... it's not happening.
I'm sorry.
ASHTON
Whaddya mean?
COLIN
You're not goin' anywhere, your leg
stuck like that. I can't stay. I
have my mom to look after. The leg
needs to go. So do I.
He starts to back out of the car but Ashton grabs his shirt.
Screams out in frustration. Then --
ASHTON
Take the leg!
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
... the loud rumble.
TARA
That, I can hear.
Amanda goes to Connie and grabs her hand. Ushers her to the
group. Connie, with a blank smile --
CONNIE
Colin. Where's Colin?
Her voice, so sweet, you almost want to cry: she's not long
for this world.
Death descends on the group from all directions. In the form
of snarling, moaning walkers.
Walkers closing in, hunting. Something has drawn them out.
River retreats back to his room. Patty and Bear share a look.
BEAR
Get to the rooms.
Elisabeth fires extremely accurate rounds, each kill shots.
The bulk of the surge, starts to shift focus. They head for
the noise: Elisabeth.
Bear noticing: the shift of focus. Slow, but it finally
registers --
BEAR
Stop shooting. The gunshots... the
noise attracts them.
He backs up to the motel. Slowly. Cautiously.
Patty grabs Amanda. Indicates for her to follow.
Amanda's reluctant, being more concerned with the group.
PATTY
Lets go.
On the way to the room, she's cut off by Walkers.
Bear notices in his peripheral. Backtracks, quickly.
He grabs the walker, by what's left of its clothes, throws it
head first into wall. Smashes the head.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
Colin has his knife out, set beside him.
COLIN
You smoke?
(off Ashton's spiteful
expression)
For the knife. A lighter...
ASHTON
(confused)
Yea... the glove compartment.
Colin slowly weaves his way through the wreckage on his hands
and knees.
Gets to the glove compartment but... it won't open. Beats it.
Walkers are getting close: the roar of their snarls gives a
sense like they're on top of them.
Colin beats and pounds on it even more.
With every beat, Ashton deflates a little bit more. His EYES,
are an open book: he's given up.
Colin stops, sits back, slouches. Defeated isn't something he
feels that often. In fact, he sucks at it. Frozen.
A walker appears, grabs at, claws at Colin. He shakes it off.
Another walker materializes. Scrapes and gropes at Ashton.
Colin darts over and stabs the walker in the head. Brain
matter evacuates when the knife is pulled out.
POP! POP! Shots echo from a distance. A shift happens. Colin
notices and indicates for Ashton to be quiet. Still.
Colin frozen. Listening, as... lumbered footsteps track away
from the crash. Colin motions Ashton to stay quiet. Then --
-- the glove compartment unlocks, slumps down. Like a gift.
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
Walkers funnel into the parking lot from everywhere. A morbid
shamble towards the divided group.
The group splinters off, all for one right now.
Bear, Patty and Amanda get to the room. Amanda looks back for
the others. For Elisabeth.
Elisabeth: her momma bear instincts kick in --
ELISABETH
Get inside. Stay with Patty.
Hell with the noise, Elisabeth aims her gun and fires,
multiple shots. The majority hitting her intended targets.
The walkers gravitate toward her.
Noticing. Elisabeth breaks from the rest of the group,
pulling the herd toward her. Continues to shoot.
The twins, Roxy, make a go of it. But, they get cut off.
Bear wants to help but he's cut off. He punches one to the
ground. Stomps it's head in. Another attacks. He palms the
face, pushes it, causing it to stumble back.
It falls, head hitting the wall. It starts to move. Beyond
it, a group of ten close in.
Bear takes this in. Looks at the frightened girls. Then, his
family, safe. But not for long.
An abashed sigh. Bear retreats to the room, closes the door.
The girls are done for. No hope. Then, a squeal gets
Elisabeth's attention.
Noticing: the girls surrounded, the door closed. Then, Connie
about to be lunch for the walkers.
She hurries, shooting smartly, conserving ammo. An odd site.
ELISABETH
Girls. My room. Hurry!
Sara turns around. Elisabeth tosses the keys to her.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
Get them inside. Now!
Sara gets the girls. Ushers them to the door.
Elisabeth grabs Connie and pulls her toward the room.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
Colin holds a lighter under the knife. The knife blushes.
Ashton looks uneasy as the knife scolds different shades of
red.
COLIN
You got a pen or something in here?
Ashton's lost in desperation. But manages to indicate the
glove compartment.
Colin duck walks to the glove compartment -- still open.
Sifts through... finds a pen. Moves to Ashton.
COLIN
Bite down on it. It's gonna hurt.
The knife smolders. Gleams reddish orange. It's ready.
Colin angles it toward Ashton, placing it below the kneecap.
It presses gently against skin when --
ASHTON
W-, w-, wait. I can't. I can--
COLIN
(poignant)
Do you wanna die?
They share a look. After a beat, Ashton realizes. Then, his
eyes give Colin his blessing.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Elisabeth stands, back braced against the door. Relieved to
be inside, especially as grotesque ruckus builds outside:
groans, feral moans, scratching, and clawing.
Everyone tries to deal with it in different ways: Roxy, sits
in the corner, checked out, rocking back and forth in place.
Sara tries to console Trixy. Tara, furiously tries to get a
hold of someone, via her phone. Connie, sits with an empty
smile, staring at the wall.
Sara, shakes some sense into Trixy. Captures her gaze.
SARA
We're safe. They aren't getting
into that door.
Sara's eyes are contrary to what she just said.
Trixy is lost, unable to come back to reality. A silence
between them, the chaos around them, muted. Then --
TRIXY
My camera.
(looks right at Sara)
Where's the camera?
The reverence that spills from her mouth when she mentions
the camera, scares Sara.
Sara backs off, ponders. She has to change gears. Turns to
Elisabeth, who peers through the peephole.
INT. CRASH - NIGHT
It's done. Colin has cut off the limb. He's in the process of
cauterizing the wound, with the scolding knife.
It's painful. Ashton's eyes float into the back of his head.
Lids are fluttering, getting heavy. He starts to fade. The
pen drops out of his mouth.
Colin puts the knife to the side. Lets it cool.
He takes off his shirt and ties it tightly around the wound.
Ashton slips in and out of consciousness, eyes fluttering.
Colin slaps Ashton lightly, trying to gain his attention. It
works for a moment but, he slips back. Unconscious.
COLIN
Hey. You ready?
Nothing. Colin grabs the knife, then duck walks out of the
car, carefully. Turns, then drags Ashton out.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Sara goes to Elisabeth. Taps her shoulder. Indicates she
wants to use the peephole. Elisabeth is reluctant, but --
ELISABETH
Fine. Five minutes
Sara peaks through the hole. Her body tenses, then a sharp
intake of breath. Hopelessness.
Sara backs off. Tries to stay tough but whatever she saw,
weighs her down. She's speechless, can't talk. Then --
POP! POP! POP... gunshots ring out! Distant, but still loud
enough to rouse everyone to their feet.
GUNSHOTS! A commotion. Snarling swells. More gunshots,
then... silence. After a beat --
-- BAM! BAM! BAM! The room hesitates. Frozen. Then --
COLIN (O.S)
Let us in. Hurry!
Sara snaps to it, opening the door, revealing --
-- Colin, with Ashton draped on his back.
Behind, more walkers enter the lot. Hungry! Angry!
INT. PATTY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Amanda struggles with River. She wants out and he doesn't.
Patty steps in.
PATTY
It's not safe.
AMANDA
My mom. I... we can't leave her.
Amanda starts for the door. Patty motions for Bear to block
the door. He's confused, so --
PATTY
Yes, block the door Ronald.
He reluctantly does. Looks down evasive.
PATTY
I can't let you open that door.
It's too much of a risk, won't let
you endanger my family like that.
Patty calmly goes to the counter and sifts through her purse.
Fishes out her phone. Dials.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
Ashton's sprawled out on the bed. The shirt, tied around the
wound, is now blood soaked. Sara is huddled by Ashton.
OFF TO THE SIDE
Colin talks with Elisabeth. It's somber. Poignant.
COLIN
He's lost alot of blood. We could
get him first aid, but that's only
a band-aid. He needs a hospital.
Elisabeth's phone rings. She answers it.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
It's Patty. Everybody okay?
ELISABETH
We got everybody.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
I'm glad to hear everybody's okay.
ELISABETH
Not exactly. One of Amanda's
friends is hurt. He needs a
hospital.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
We need to be smart about this. Is
this boy going to slow us down? We
gotta think about the whole group.
ELISABETH
Can't watch another person die. Not
when I can do something about it.
Ashton can sense the conversation is about him. Shifts
around, uncomfortable.
PATTY (V.O.)
(filtered)
Don't be foolish.
ELISABETH
I'm not going to leave him behind.
Colin and I will find medicine.
This is news to Colin. She reassures him with a smile. Ends
the call.
COLIN
You're on your own. I'm not leaving
my mom.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NIGHT
A crimson horizon gives hint to a rising sun. The glow
partially illuminates this depressed neighborhood: dehydrated
grass, boarded up windows and doors, wild growth where lawns
should be, broken windows, trash strewn across the street.
Looks like this plague has been here for years. Even a police
cruiser, parked at the end of the street, looks old,
decrepid: like they used personal vehicles and slapped some
paint on it, lights.
INT. POLICE CRUISER - NIGHT
OFFICER JAKE STRONG and his partner OFFICER SALVADOR "SOL"
GOODE, converse over a early morning snack.
JAKE
Damn Sol, Mary done it again.
SOL
She loves to cook. Even with the
baby... I mean, I thought they slow
down after child birth.
JAKE
My taste buds thank her. I mean it.
This stuff is to die for. Almost
makes it worth waking up at this
god forsaken hour.
SOL
It's not that bad.
Jake stops eating. Ponders, getting serious.
JAKE
I want you to come with me this
weekend. Do something meaningful.
SOL
I'm a father now. That's
meaningful. Plus I'm a cop.
JAKE
Barely. Really Sol, we're cops in
the desert. I bet teachers in LA
see more action than we do.
Sol smiles, undeterred.
SOL
Look, I'm sorry you're not
fulfilled. I can't help that. But I
love my life. My wife, baby Wyatt.
This job is perfect for what I want
in my life right now.
JAKE
I'm just saying, we have a chance
to do real good. Some crazy shit is
happening in LA and I want to help
out. I've already cleared the next
few days. After our shift today,
I'm headed out... I need you.
He shovels food into his mouth. Chews aggressively. Sol
sighs, doesn't want to disappoint, but --
SOL
I'm not going to be able to. Gotta
think 'bout my wife and kid first.
Jake shovels more food in. Irked. Then --
JAKE
Twenty-three years of friendship.
That's it. Just blowing me off.
SOL
I'm not blowing anything off. I--
JAKE
It's fine. I'll handle it. It's--
KABOOM! He's cut off by a huge explosion that rocks the
neighborhood. Car alarm's wail! The officers are knocked off
balance in their seats.
Both men look up, gaze at a large fireball, impregnating the
night sky with severe light.
JAKE
Call the Sergeant.
Sol fumbles to get his phone out. Dials a number. A couple
beats... nothing. Puts the phone away.
SOL
No answer.
JAKE
We can't wait. Gotta go!
Sol agrees. Jake reaches over and turns on the siren.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
Everybody's in a various stages of shock, shaken. Elisabeth
peers out the peephole.
TARA
This is so wrong. It's so messed
up. I don't wanna be--
ELISABETH
They're leaving.
She steps back from the peephole. Turns --
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
I think they're going after the
explosion.
COLIN
They're all gone?
ELISABETH
Pretty much. They're moving away.
COLIN
We still gotta be careful. I still
don't like it.
EXT. HIGHWAY CRASH - NIGHT
The hybrid is a fireball now. The cruiser creeps up on the
scene, stops.
The two officers exit, move in quickly.
JAKE
Check the other car.
A wall of flame leads between the two cars. Sol moves quickly
around it to the other car.
The driver is long gone. So much so, he skipped the walking
dead stage right to just plain dead! Charred.
EXT. CRASH - NIGHT
Jake walks the crash site. Tries to feel out what went on.
THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
We can see that Sol is in the cruiser using the scanner.
JAKE,
sees something. It reels him in. He kneels to the level of
the window and reaches past the shards of glass. Comes back
with a seared video camera.
Feverish moans permeate the air. Jake looks around,
searching. It closes in. From all directions. He belts out --
JAKE
Sol! Sol! Get out here!
Sol leaps out, gun at the ready. Jake indicates for him to
lower the gun.
Jake steps up to meet the walkers, slowly, with his hands up.
Non-threatening.
SOL
Whaddya doin?
JAKE
They're sick. It's our job to help.
SOL
The news says we wait for help.
JAKE
We're cops. We are the help.
Sol is uneasy. Cautious.
JAKE (CONT'D)
This is our job.
Jake slowly approaches. Sol hangs back, covering from afar.
JAKE (CONT'D)
We're here to help.
The walkers aren't interested. Continue to advance, hungry.
Jake slowly moves on the walkers, hands out. Helpful.
JAKE (CONT'D)
I'm here to help.
A snarled whine. Drool pools from snaggled, razor teeth.
Jake starts to second guess himself.
JAKE
Call for back-up. Now!
Sol retreats back to the cruiser. Just as he opens the door,
Jake yells out in distress.
Sol cranes up to see, just as a walker bites Jake's neck.
Jake shakes it off, shoots it with his gun. Then, the others.
Undeterred, they continue to stalk forward...
... pushing him back -- into more walkers. They claw and bite
into him, getting their fill.
Sol moves to help but runs into new walkers. Gets bit on the
wrist by one. Quickly, he shoos it off, puts a bullet in its
head. Picks off two others with quick, successive shots.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
ELISABETH
We can go out the front.
COLIN
You sure they're gone?
ELISABETH
The explosion drew them away.
There's only a few left. And we got
guns to cover ourselves.
COLIN
How many? What kind? Where?
ELISABETH
Don't know. Alot. At least one for
everybody. They're in the car I
came in.
Trixy sits in the corner. Silent.
Sara's with Ashton, holds his hand. He's passed out.
SARA
I wanna go.
Elisabeth and Colin share a look. Not amused. But she's
serious. Looks to them, unrelenting.
EXT. POLICE CRUISER - NIGHT
Sol looks down at the bite. It's bad, already starts to puss,
fester. He looks to Jake, being eaten alive.
He tucks tail, jumps into his cruiser. A beat before --
-- the car ROARS alive, accelerates out of there.
INT. ELISABETH'S ROOM - NIGHT
Colin and Elisabeth continue their argument with Sara.
COLIN
No. You should stay here. With the
other girls.
SARA
Yea, that's not demeaning or
condescending at all.
COLIN
That's not what I meant, besides--
SARA
Ashton is my friend. He would do
the same for me.
(beat)
I'm coming.
They see she's serious. Don't bother to argue.
ELISABETH
I'll stay here then. Watch things.
COLIN
I'll get the guns.
ELISABETH
The beat up one. Back seat.
Colin nods. They move toward the door, ready, when --
ELISABETH
(looking through peephole)
Wait. There's one. It looks lost.
But searching? I dunno. Like she
knows this place?
Tara looks up, tense.
TARA
What's she look like?
Elisabeth pulls back, turns. Off her look --
TARA (CONT'D)
No, like before. Clothes? Hair?
(off her expression)
Like, conservatively dressed,
tasteful? Alot of horizontal...
Elisabeth doesn't want to answer. Tara senses that, wells up.
Elisabeth goes to her. Gives her a motherly embrace. She
ushers Tara to the side. Sits with her.
COLIN
I'm going.
He opens the door, cautiously. Slips out.
MOMENTS LATER
A KNOCK at the door gets Elisabeth up. Moves to it, opens it.
Colin comes back in. Colin puts the duffle bags on the bed.
As they sift through the bag --
-- Tara sneaks behind them and...
EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS
... exits the room.
Tara pans, searching the lot. Nothing. Until --
-- she sees it: a walker, it's back toward us, dressed in
conservative attire, adorned with horizontal lines. Blood
stains. Skin's pale, sickly.
It's tries to get into the motel office. Has trouble figuring
out the door handle.
Tara moves on the walker slowly. Quiet. She keeps a diligent
eye on a few walkers hunting the perimeter.
She's almost on top of it now. Reaches out, but stops right
before contact. Hovers for a beat, then...
... slowly retracts. She can't. She looks around and then
slowly backs up.
The ROOM DOOR flies open, forceful.
COLIN
Whaddya doing?!
The perimeter walkers slowly turn their attention toward the
lot. The commotion acts like a morbid Pavlov's Bell. Colin
and Elisabeth advance, shooting.
The office walker lumbers around, then, toward Tara. A chunk
of her face ripped off. Exposing rotten, but sharp teeth.
Tara falls to her knees in distress. Frozen. Distraught.
The walker is almost on top of her. She doesn't flinch, as if
she wants it. Invites it. Then, as it's about to pounce --
-- POP! A back chunk of the walker's skull gets dislodged,
exploding outward, painting the pavement behind it. Crumbles.
Tara looks up, mouth agape. Tries to touch the corpse, but
Colin runs up, hurried. He grabs her and starts to pull her
away, but --
-- walkers descend from all directions. They have no choice
but to bring her along.