Patty opens the door to... Troy. A beat of silence, then...
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
The room's a buzz. There's mixed emotions, or none at all.
And this goes double for River and Amanda. AMANDA steps up
fearless, fueled by adrenaline. River sinks into the group,
slowly retreating, fueled by fear.
AMANDA
Who are these people?
Patty senses the tension, schemes, for a solution.
TROY
People I found--
FARRAH
I'm Farrah. My little one Amira.
(beat)
Are we not welcome here?
Before anybody can answer, Patty jumps in. Ever the
politician --
PATTY
Of course you are. We don't have
much for food or water though.
Farrah studies Patty, then the room. Then, nods her head.
FARRAH
Many thanks.
AMANDA
(to Troy)
Can we talk outside?
EXT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Troy and Amanda exit. He scans the ares, searching. But
there's nothing.
He turns around to Amanda holding a gun to his forehead. At
first, he's surprised, on edge. But then he controls it.
AMANDA
I should shoot you for what you
did.
Fueled by nerves, rage, her gun hand shakes.
TROY
You don't wanna do this.
AMANDA
I do. I really DO!
TROY
Your hand's shaking. You have no
control. Fear has a hold on you.
You shoot me. Those things come.
You don't want that for the group,
do you?
He's in her mind. Her arm falls to her side, defeated.
AMANDA
You killed my father.
TROY
And you hit me with a gun. Left me
to die. I'm not crying about it, am
I?
Wrong thing to say. Her arm shoots up like a rocket, but
Troy's quickness deflects it to the side just as she pulls
the trigger --
-- POP! The shot RINGS OUT...
SOMEWHERE IN TOWN - SAME TIME
Walkers are aimless. No zest, hunger. Nothing at all. Then...
the gunshot echoes throughout.
Something's different. A slow reaction: like lights turning
on after being off for awhile.
ANOTHER STREET - SAME TIME
Walkers scavenge what they can. Options are limited on this
street. Then --
-- the shot echoes out, pulls their attention upward. A
hopeful gleam as their eyes search.
They're moving now, searching.
ANOTHER PLACE IN TOWN - SAME TIME
Devoid of activity. Looks like it's been like this for
awhile. Walkers are dormant.
Then... the shot. Their heads spring up, eyes search. They
start to rise like morning sunset.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
Farrah interacts with the group. Amira playfully scans the
room, notices CONNIE: having a conversation with... well
nobody.
Unable to understand, she starts tugging on Farrah's clothes.
This pulls Farrah's attention away from her conversation,
puts it on Amira.
FARRAH
Whaddya want. You see I'm talking?
AMIRA
(pointing to Connie)
What's wrong with her?
Farrah's eyes divert toward Connie causing a curious
expression to materialize. Then... the shot!
The GROUP is stunned. What just happened?
INT. SUV - DAY
A big hulk of metal and space on four wheels. Suits Bear
perfectly as he drives comfortably. Colin sits in the
passenger seat.
Ashton is sprawled across a spacious backseat. Elisabeth sits
with him, her lap used as a headrest for the ailing young
man.
A somber look of disbelief as Elisabeth gawks, mouth agape,
through the window, notices as they drive: cars overturned,
sporadic fires, glass and debris everywhere. As a specially
horrific bonus, dead bodies peppered throughout.
BEAR
This is insane.
ELISABETH
I can't believe this. This is
unbelievable.
COLIN
(intense eyes)
It's nothing new.
(beat)
I've seen it... just not here.
A burning silence. Then --
BEAR
You think the rest of the country
is like this?
ELISABETH
It can't be.
Silence as that thought marinates.
The harsh silence is violently broken by coughs, choking. And
strained, lumbered breathing.
The audible intrusion reels Elisabeth's attention back to
Ashton.
ELISABETH
Guys, it's bad. We almost there?
Colin peers over his shoulder, his seasoned but worried look
gives the impression he's seen this before. And it isn't
good.
He faces front, takes a beat. Then --
COLIN
How about going faster?
BEAR
I don't want a ticket.
Colin looks around dumbfounded.
COLIN
There's no cops. Everybody's gone.
BEAR
Then why we even going?
Colin sits back in his chair, stumped, as a viable answer
eludes him.
EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY
A warzone. Cars overturned, abandoned. Most windows and doors
boarded up, the ones not, shattered or broken.
And the walls teeming with bullet holes. Not a few here and
there, some kind of firefight happened here. A desperate last
stand?
The SUV screams into the parking lot, takes a beat to come to
complete stop.
INT. SUV - DAY
A ghastly site. Pale, sickly, Ashton coughs up spittle with a
reddish tint. Festers at the corner of his mouth.
ELISABETH
He doesn't look good. We gotta get
him help.
Colin peers over his shoulder.
COLIN
He's going into shock. We have to
get him antibiotics.
They look up at --
THE HOSPITAL
is boarded up, the purpose seems to be keeping things out.
ELISABETH
How do we get in?
BEAR
He's not gonna make it. We should
just go.
ELISABETH
No. He needs help. I have to help
him.
Elisabeth produces a gun, points it at Bear.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
Hands off the wheel. The keys. Now.
Bear takes the keys out, hands them to Elisabeth.
COLIN
Hold on. I'm with you... I am. But
it's not gonna be easy. We'll clear
it you stay with the kid. Okay?
(she agrees)
Then we'll bring out help. Just
keep him alive.
Elisabeth lowers the gun, agrees. Bear isn't happy about the
gun to his head.
EXT. MOTEL - DAY
As Troy deflects the gun, shot rings out, Troy also takes the
gun, pushes Amanda away. She stumbles, falls.
A horrible thing compounded by the fact at the same moment,
Patty and the rest of the group exit the room.
PATTY
What's going on here?
TROY
Nothing.
RIVER
Doesn't look like nothing.
TROY
(eyes pinned on Amanda)
Step back boy.
(turns to River)
Not the time.
River's legs buckle for a beat.
RIVER
You're not gonna do nothin'. Your
terrorist girlfriend would have
nowhere to go then.
Troy stomps toward River, pistol whips him in the nose. He
drops like a sack of potatoes.
Troy stands over River, gun trained at the forehead. Patty
steps up, hands up.
PATTY
That's enough!
She indicates for him to follow her to the side, a private
conversation. He follows.
PATTY (CONT'D)
I need you to calm down.
Troy swallows his anger, simmers down.
PATTY (CONT'D)
I know he's a loud mouth. God knows
he tries my patience. But I love my
boy.
Patty brings Troy in real close. Her tone turns serious.
PATTY (CONT'D)
I'll give you that one.
In the b.g. Amanda helps River up. Troy tries to speak but
Patty isn't finished.
PATTY (CONT'D)
-- no, I'm still speaking. Because
I wanna make this completely clear.
(beat)
You touch my son again. And I'll
kill you. I know you're dangerous.
But so am I. I will wait 'till you
least expect it. Years from now, in
an hour. You won't see it. I'll go
in for a shake, we're best friends,
you see where I'm going with this?
Troy backs up wearily. Studies her. She instantly switches
gears, smiles. Turns to the group.
PATTY
This is what's gonna happen. Got
some chores to settle us down. To
work as a group. Can't have this
mess carrying on. Girls are gonna
do the laundry, but not you Amanda.
You, our new guest, and Troy here
are going to get food. Sort your
shit out or stay away. Can't poison
the group. I'll watch the child.
Troy looks at Amanda, swallows his pride. Then stuffs the gun
in his pants, walks off.
EXT. ANOTHER PART OF HOSPITAL - DAY
A group of aimless walkers. A kind of hungry moan like a
feral chuff from a sickly tiger.
ANOTHER SIDE OF THE HOSPITAL - SAME TIME
Colin and Bear trace along, try to find a point of entry.
But everything is boarded up. There's no weak points.
Nothing.
Until they come across a small slit between two wood sheets --
blink and you'd miss it.
Colin doesn't, notices --
COLIN
Over there.
BEAR
You're kidding right?
COLIN
This is our way in. Just need...
He trails off, looks for something.
BEAR
We should just face facts. I saw
that kid. And if I saw it, I know a
badass seal would see it too. That
kid is dead. We don't have the
time.
COLIN (O.S.)
We gotta try man. He's just a kid.
We're here.
Colin walks by Bear with a long slender piece of metal
debris. Wedges it in between the wood panels, uses it like a
crowbar.
The wood is fastened pretty tight. Colin uses everything he's
got, veins pop out, muscles bulge.
Bear looks on unimpressed. Finally steps in, grabs hold of
the crowbar, shoos Colin off to the side.
He wedges the bar back between the pieces of wood, puts his
full weight into it.
And after a beat, the panel begins to pop out of place.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Dark as death in here. Could be a small room, or a long
hallway. Doesn't matter, can't see anything.
Then a stream of light pierces through the black,
illuminating a grizzly site.
PULL TIGHT
on a pair of eyes, strained and ghoulish. Hollow.
PULL BACK
as a cracking sound. Then a small amount of glass breaking.
And the door is forced open, violently, letting in a powerful
tsunami of light, flooding the corridor.
Dead bodies throughout. Walkers feast on those bodies. And
light fixtures hang broken from the ceiling.
COLIN
That hallway. Lets go.
Colin darts off. Bear slow to follow. Walkers rise from their
feasts, wanting of this fresh meat. A foot race ensues.
Colin and Bear make the cross corridor first, but find that
it's not a corridor at all, but a deep indent to a room.
They open the door, disappear inside just as the walkers
arrive.
INT. SUV - DAY
Ashton's state deteriorates, his head in Elisabeth's lap. She
clenches tight to her handgun, head swivels looking for
trouble.
Nothing is out there right now. She looks down at Ashton who
struggles.
ELISABETH
Honey, I need you to stay awake.
You need to be strong.
He gargles an incoherent response.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
C'mon Ashton. Stay awake. Tell me
what it was like working with Clint
Eastwood. Try to remember. His
office, what you did, stuff like
that.
A struggle to respond, but manages --
ASHTON
H-, His office. It was like a
museum... the things he...
(coughs)
... I wasn't supposed to be...
A reddish tint mixes with his pearly smile. A forced
reciprocation.
ELISABETH
That's it. What happened next?
ASHTON
I had ba-, babe ru-, ruths. A ball
signed by him. Even being how old
he is, the... force he commands.
A body shift. More of a spasm than anything else. Very
uncomfortable.
He smiles, the reddish tint seeps out the sides of his mouth.
Then a morbid switch.
ASHTON (CONT'D)
I don't wanna die. Please, I--
ELISABETH
You're not. They're inside right
now getting a doctor. He'll be out
here any minute.
More spasms. And they're not pretty.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
C'mon, stay with me. Stay awake for
me. What happened in the office?
With the baseball?
He tries to answer, but coughs instead. It's violent,
grotesque, horribly constant. And bloody.
EXT. SUV - DAY
The door swings open, rushed. Elisabeth shoots out from the
seat. She looks in all directions, like she's crossing a
street. Slams the door...
EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE HOSPITAL - SAME TIME
A placid group of walkers. A silent undisturbed ambience.
Until a light wind carries the sound of the slammed door. A
kind of ominous on switch.
Now a sense of purpose. They start to move, track a scent.
BACK WITH ELISABETH
The bulk of Ashton's weight draped on her. A frantic search
for options. A grim proposition.
A strained pucker in her expression.
INT. DARK ROOM - DAY
Shades are drawn. But they are a little broken too, letting
in small pockets of light. The room's been tossed, plundered
of any useful objects.
And the room is decorated with bloody parts.
Scratching and clawing from the outside. Along with rowdy
groans and raspy moans. Symphony of hell on Earth.
A heavy footed pacing by a large silhouette. With heavy
arduous breathing. Like a caged animal.
The groans and snarls swell. With no sign of letting up.
BEAR
Forget this waiting around shit.
Lets open this shit up and have a
party. Take out as many of those
god forsaken--
COLIN
No. The kid is counting on us.
BEAR
Bullshit. He's a dead as we are.
And I don't wanna go out like no
punk.
An unusual site as Colin springs to his feet, grabs Bear's
collar tight in his hands.
COLIN
(desperation)
You wanna die, I'm happy to oblige.
I'm not getting caught up here.
(lets go of shirt)
My mom needs me.
BEAR
You're a pussy.
Colin stands back, analyzes the situation.
COLIN
You do what you need to do. I'm
finding a way out of here.
A sort of peacocking from Bear, with a show of strength. He
lifts Colin across the floor like a feather, backs him up
against a wall.
BEAR (CONT'D)
It's over. I'm going to open that
door and we're going to take as
many of those things with us. Okay?
Maybe the last thing Bear says as...
COLIN -- hammers down -- both arms -- splitting Bear's grip --
then -- open palm to throat -- repeated twice -- a sweep of
the legs -- gets on top -- peppers with strikes --
-- a sound from somewhere. Colin rolls off, searches.
Listening. Snarls. Clawing. Faint whispers, hard to decipher,
then --
-- labored breathing, gasping.
Colin's attention pulled back to see... a bloody mess choking
for air.
He goes to Bear, kneels, abashed.
And helps with breathing techniques, tempering Bear's rhythm
like a mid-wife does for a woman in labor.
COLIN
Slowly. That's right. It'll come
you're alright. C'mon. You're okay.
Slowly... that's it.
A steady rhythm of breathing. Bear regains some color.
And Colin extends his had for Bear. A beat goes by. Finally
Bear takes it.
All Colin's strength is used to get this beast of a man back
to his feet.
Bear slowly regains his legs.
COLIN
You alright?
BEAR
Well you just made me feel like a
punk. You should'a killed me. Or
let me out there. I don't know
how...
COLIN
It's a thing. Doctor labeled it
PTSD. I thought he was full of
shit, paid off to get me outta the
seals. Guess he was right.
BEAR
Look, just lemme go. I want to go.
COLIN
I can get you outta here. Just
trust me.
Bear shoots him a look.
BEAR
I don't do well with emotions. Just
lemme go.
COLIN
I heard voices. Human. There's
others in the hospital. I know it.
(off Bear's denial)
Just try it out. If I'm wrong we'll
do it your way. Just try.
Colin cuffs his hands as to say he'll give Bear a boost. Bear
nods his approval.
Colin lines himself under a service hatch.
INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - DAY
Small. Two sets of washer-dryer combo's. Coin operated.
Roxy sits on one of the dryers, innocent. Sophomoric. Her
attention's on something she scribbles on. Trixy's bunched in
the corner, solemn. Sara folds clothes.
SARA
Trix, I need you to say something.
This isn't normal.
ROXY
What's normal?
Sara stops folding. Glares at Roxy, who's attention is still
in her scribbling. Sara watches, but stays silent.
Sara continues to fold. Changes her focus back to Trixy.
SARA
I know things are bad right now.
But we've got through much worse.
(beat)
Our parents died, as we were moving
to LA. I got a call from our uncle
saying they died. We were in LA,
dealing in visa limbo when--
Sara realizes Roxy isn't looking at her.
SARA (CONT'D)
Am I boring you?
Sara watches Roxy for a beat. Then... grabs a shirt. A
calculated toss, distracts Roxy. Meanwhile she leans over,
takes the paper.
Under protest, Sara reads the contents of the page to
herself.
SARA
This is beautiful. You've got
talent.
Roxy looks up, a mousy smile. Nods.
SARA (CONT'D)
No, really... you're good. Who
would've thought... I mean, this is
brilliant stuff you have here. Why
didn't you write, I mean, instead
of trying to act?
Roxy speaks. A soft, gentle tone.
ROXY
I write for fun. The love of
writing. Once money gets involved,
the process gets perverted, impure.
I don't think I could ever do that.
I really just liked the beach, like
the waves, the endless repetition.
No matter how bad your day is, you
could go to the beach and watch the
waves. They would always be there,
one after another. Natures assembly
line.
SARA
Not sure I would say that.
ROXY
I went once. It was nice.
SARA
Once. You went once? You lived in
LA for years, and you only went
once?
ROXY
Yea, it was nice.
TRIXY
I can't speak.
A stunned look on both Sara and Roxy's face. And speechless.
TRIXY (CONT'D)
(slowly)
I see the world differently. I
don't think I can share my
thoughts, they don't seem for this
world. What goes on in my head is
scary. I don't want to be gawked
at. Become a freak... or a pariah.
An awkward moment. Sara can't help but laugh. But not in a
malicious way.
SARA
You're not alone. With all the
horror movies ever made. Those
weren't made by people with...
normal minds. People loved them.
TRIXY
I love death. When someone breaks
their bones, gets cut.... blood. It
all excites me. It's my poetry.
Death doesn't frighten me. These
things, and these times, I'm not
frightened by these things. I know
the world isn't ready for such
things, that's why the camera was
so important. It let me express
myself, but it could also give it a
falsity, that I'm not a freak, that
it could be just something I made,
that it's just art.
ROXY
(disturbed, but open
minded)
I think I understand, or sort of.
My poetry acts sort of the same
way. Like, it's my words... but
also it's not.
Trixy appreciates the effort. They continue to fold in
silence. Only the droning of the machines can be heard.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Connie sits in the corner, talks to nobody. Patty teaches
Amira how to play poker. River draped lazily on the bed,
watches the news. His nose stuffed with tissue.
Quick shots on the TV: looting in large cities, mounds of
dead being scorched by men in hazmat suits, the dead walking,
and cities ablaze.
REPORTER (V.O.)
...If your local news is still
operating find out where safe zones
are near you, and if they aren't
check online, but you'll have to do
it quickly as experts predict that
our usual lines of communication
will eventually go dark. CB radios
and police scanners will become
only line of communication, as the
bulk of...
The TV settles on MIKE JACOBS, a reporter with a kind face,
smart eyes and a pretentious tone. He looks to be on an army
base, flooded with civilian refugees. SOLDIERS scurry about
carrying out orders.
MIKE JACOBS
... concentrated efforts go to
rescuing survivors, people trapped
in cities. The new president was
sworn in via his heavily fortified
bunker, as told to us by his Chief
of Staff who is a roll over from
the late previous President. What I
can report is, in seventy two
hours, a targeted attack will be
brought upon Los Angeles, New York
and Boston, as well as Atlanta. If
you hear this broadcast and are
still in one of those cities, try
to get out...
but if you can't, find somewhere
secure and bunker down. We've been
told the new President has signed
into law the use of US military
force on US soil, a law that
supersedes the Posse Comitatus Act
with the full support of what's
left of congress signing on...
The information bleeds into the background as Patty plays
poker with Amira.
The words, actions on TV get overwhelming, Patty turns to
River --
PATTY
Turn that off.
No response.
PATTY (CONT'D)
So help me god River, you turn that
off...
Amira looks on with curiosity. Patty searches, finds and
grabs a shoe, throws it at Rivers head. BULLSEYE!
RIVER
I'm bleeding right now, what's your
problem.
PATTY
Turn it off. The child doesn't need
to see it.
River sulks, rubs his head as he turns the TV off.
AMIRA
What's wrong? I was watching that.
PATTY
Little girl like you doesn't need
to see such things. It's
inappropriate.
Has death on it and... actually
that's enough. You don't need to be
watching it.
AMIRA
Are you afraid?
Patty's caught off guard.
AMIRA (CONT'D)
Momma says death is a part of life.
Don't we all die?
PATTY
Yes, but--
AMIRA
(childlike curiosity)
Why does it seem so scary to you if
you know it's coming?
PATTY
We don't know.
AMIRA
You just said we all died?
Patty doesn't know how to respond. A long beat, then --
PATTY
You love your mom right?
Amira gives a gleeful nod.
PATTY (CONT'D)
You like being around her right?
Same nod.
PATTY (CONT'D)
Would if you lost her, never to see
her again? How'd you feel?
Amira thinks for a beat. Then a horrific expression of fear
materializes on her face. She begins to cry. Patty does her
best to calm her down.
INT. CAR - DAY
Small, compact. Everything feels stacked on itself. There's
no escaping the tension. Troy drives with Farrah up front,
Amanda sulks in the back, fuming.
They pass the Rite Aid. Then the overturned police car.
Amanda half expects him to stop, but he doesn't. Nothing is
said as he drives through.
EXT. ANOTHER STREET - DAY
A lone walker scuffs against the pavement, wobbly. A starved
scowl etched into its rotted face. A feral wheeze.
PULL BACK
as a small car roars by, the wake pushes the walker off it's
staggered path.
But that only just activates it, hope glistens in it's
wanting eyes. Follows the path of the car.
EXT. DINER - DAY
That same small car is parked behind the diner. Troy exits,
but before he closes the door, looks back inside.
TROY
Stay here. I'll be back.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
The room's a buzz. There's mixed emotions, or none at all.
And this goes double for River and Amanda. AMANDA steps up
fearless, fueled by adrenaline. River sinks into the group,
slowly retreating, fueled by fear.
AMANDA
Who are these people?
Patty senses the tension, schemes, for a solution.
TROY
People I found--
FARRAH
I'm Farrah. My little one Amira.
(beat)
Are we not welcome here?
Before anybody can answer, Patty jumps in. Ever the
politician --
PATTY
Of course you are. We don't have
much for food or water though.
Farrah studies Patty, then the room. Then, nods her head.
FARRAH
Many thanks.
AMANDA
(to Troy)
Can we talk outside?
EXT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Troy and Amanda exit. He scans the ares, searching. But
there's nothing.
He turns around to Amanda holding a gun to his forehead. At
first, he's surprised, on edge. But then he controls it.
AMANDA
I should shoot you for what you
did.
Fueled by nerves, rage, her gun hand shakes.
TROY
You don't wanna do this.
AMANDA
I do. I really DO!
TROY
Your hand's shaking. You have no
control. Fear has a hold on you.
You shoot me. Those things come.
You don't want that for the group,
do you?
He's in her mind. Her arm falls to her side, defeated.
AMANDA
You killed my father.
TROY
And you hit me with a gun. Left me
to die. I'm not crying about it, am
I?
Wrong thing to say. Her arm shoots up like a rocket, but
Troy's quickness deflects it to the side just as she pulls
the trigger --
-- POP! The shot RINGS OUT...
SOMEWHERE IN TOWN - SAME TIME
Walkers are aimless. No zest, hunger. Nothing at all. Then...
the gunshot echoes throughout.
Something's different. A slow reaction: like lights turning
on after being off for awhile.
ANOTHER STREET - SAME TIME
Walkers scavenge what they can. Options are limited on this
street. Then --
-- the shot echoes out, pulls their attention upward. A
hopeful gleam as their eyes search.
They're moving now, searching.
ANOTHER PLACE IN TOWN - SAME TIME
Devoid of activity. Looks like it's been like this for
awhile. Walkers are dormant.
Then... the shot. Their heads spring up, eyes search. They
start to rise like morning sunset.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - SAME TIME
Farrah interacts with the group. Amira playfully scans the
room, notices CONNIE: having a conversation with... well
nobody.
Unable to understand, she starts tugging on Farrah's clothes.
This pulls Farrah's attention away from her conversation,
puts it on Amira.
FARRAH
Whaddya want. You see I'm talking?
AMIRA
(pointing to Connie)
What's wrong with her?
Farrah's eyes divert toward Connie causing a curious
expression to materialize. Then... the shot!
The GROUP is stunned. What just happened?
INT. SUV - DAY
A big hulk of metal and space on four wheels. Suits Bear
perfectly as he drives comfortably. Colin sits in the
passenger seat.
Ashton is sprawled across a spacious backseat. Elisabeth sits
with him, her lap used as a headrest for the ailing young
man.
A somber look of disbelief as Elisabeth gawks, mouth agape,
through the window, notices as they drive: cars overturned,
sporadic fires, glass and debris everywhere. As a specially
horrific bonus, dead bodies peppered throughout.
BEAR
This is insane.
ELISABETH
I can't believe this. This is
unbelievable.
COLIN
(intense eyes)
It's nothing new.
(beat)
I've seen it... just not here.
A burning silence. Then --
BEAR
You think the rest of the country
is like this?
ELISABETH
It can't be.
Silence as that thought marinates.
The harsh silence is violently broken by coughs, choking. And
strained, lumbered breathing.
The audible intrusion reels Elisabeth's attention back to
Ashton.
ELISABETH
Guys, it's bad. We almost there?
Colin peers over his shoulder, his seasoned but worried look
gives the impression he's seen this before. And it isn't
good.
He faces front, takes a beat. Then --
COLIN
How about going faster?
BEAR
I don't want a ticket.
Colin looks around dumbfounded.
COLIN
There's no cops. Everybody's gone.
BEAR
Then why we even going?
Colin sits back in his chair, stumped, as a viable answer
eludes him.
EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY
A warzone. Cars overturned, abandoned. Most windows and doors
boarded up, the ones not, shattered or broken.
And the walls teeming with bullet holes. Not a few here and
there, some kind of firefight happened here. A desperate last
stand?
The SUV screams into the parking lot, takes a beat to come to
complete stop.
INT. SUV - DAY
A ghastly site. Pale, sickly, Ashton coughs up spittle with a
reddish tint. Festers at the corner of his mouth.
ELISABETH
He doesn't look good. We gotta get
him help.
Colin peers over his shoulder.
COLIN
He's going into shock. We have to
get him antibiotics.
They look up at --
THE HOSPITAL
is boarded up, the purpose seems to be keeping things out.
ELISABETH
How do we get in?
BEAR
He's not gonna make it. We should
just go.
ELISABETH
No. He needs help. I have to help
him.
Elisabeth produces a gun, points it at Bear.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
Hands off the wheel. The keys. Now.
Bear takes the keys out, hands them to Elisabeth.
COLIN
Hold on. I'm with you... I am. But
it's not gonna be easy. We'll clear
it you stay with the kid. Okay?
(she agrees)
Then we'll bring out help. Just
keep him alive.
Elisabeth lowers the gun, agrees. Bear isn't happy about the
gun to his head.
EXT. MOTEL - DAY
As Troy deflects the gun, shot rings out, Troy also takes the
gun, pushes Amanda away. She stumbles, falls.
A horrible thing compounded by the fact at the same moment,
Patty and the rest of the group exit the room.
PATTY
What's going on here?
TROY
Nothing.
RIVER
Doesn't look like nothing.
TROY
(eyes pinned on Amanda)
Step back boy.
(turns to River)
Not the time.
River's legs buckle for a beat.
RIVER
You're not gonna do nothin'. Your
terrorist girlfriend would have
nowhere to go then.
Troy stomps toward River, pistol whips him in the nose. He
drops like a sack of potatoes.
Troy stands over River, gun trained at the forehead. Patty
steps up, hands up.
PATTY
That's enough!
She indicates for him to follow her to the side, a private
conversation. He follows.
PATTY (CONT'D)
I need you to calm down.
Troy swallows his anger, simmers down.
PATTY (CONT'D)
I know he's a loud mouth. God knows
he tries my patience. But I love my
boy.
Patty brings Troy in real close. Her tone turns serious.
PATTY (CONT'D)
I'll give you that one.
In the b.g. Amanda helps River up. Troy tries to speak but
Patty isn't finished.
PATTY (CONT'D)
-- no, I'm still speaking. Because
I wanna make this completely clear.
(beat)
You touch my son again. And I'll
kill you. I know you're dangerous.
But so am I. I will wait 'till you
least expect it. Years from now, in
an hour. You won't see it. I'll go
in for a shake, we're best friends,
you see where I'm going with this?
Troy backs up wearily. Studies her. She instantly switches
gears, smiles. Turns to the group.
PATTY
This is what's gonna happen. Got
some chores to settle us down. To
work as a group. Can't have this
mess carrying on. Girls are gonna
do the laundry, but not you Amanda.
You, our new guest, and Troy here
are going to get food. Sort your
shit out or stay away. Can't poison
the group. I'll watch the child.
Troy looks at Amanda, swallows his pride. Then stuffs the gun
in his pants, walks off.
EXT. ANOTHER PART OF HOSPITAL - DAY
A group of aimless walkers. A kind of hungry moan like a
feral chuff from a sickly tiger.
ANOTHER SIDE OF THE HOSPITAL - SAME TIME
Colin and Bear trace along, try to find a point of entry.
But everything is boarded up. There's no weak points.
Nothing.
Until they come across a small slit between two wood sheets --
blink and you'd miss it.
Colin doesn't, notices --
COLIN
Over there.
BEAR
You're kidding right?
COLIN
This is our way in. Just need...
He trails off, looks for something.
BEAR
We should just face facts. I saw
that kid. And if I saw it, I know a
badass seal would see it too. That
kid is dead. We don't have the
time.
COLIN (O.S.)
We gotta try man. He's just a kid.
We're here.
Colin walks by Bear with a long slender piece of metal
debris. Wedges it in between the wood panels, uses it like a
crowbar.
The wood is fastened pretty tight. Colin uses everything he's
got, veins pop out, muscles bulge.
Bear looks on unimpressed. Finally steps in, grabs hold of
the crowbar, shoos Colin off to the side.
He wedges the bar back between the pieces of wood, puts his
full weight into it.
And after a beat, the panel begins to pop out of place.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Dark as death in here. Could be a small room, or a long
hallway. Doesn't matter, can't see anything.
Then a stream of light pierces through the black,
illuminating a grizzly site.
PULL TIGHT
on a pair of eyes, strained and ghoulish. Hollow.
PULL BACK
as a cracking sound. Then a small amount of glass breaking.
And the door is forced open, violently, letting in a powerful
tsunami of light, flooding the corridor.
Dead bodies throughout. Walkers feast on those bodies. And
light fixtures hang broken from the ceiling.
COLIN
That hallway. Lets go.
Colin darts off. Bear slow to follow. Walkers rise from their
feasts, wanting of this fresh meat. A foot race ensues.
Colin and Bear make the cross corridor first, but find that
it's not a corridor at all, but a deep indent to a room.
They open the door, disappear inside just as the walkers
arrive.
INT. SUV - DAY
Ashton's state deteriorates, his head in Elisabeth's lap. She
clenches tight to her handgun, head swivels looking for
trouble.
Nothing is out there right now. She looks down at Ashton who
struggles.
ELISABETH
Honey, I need you to stay awake.
You need to be strong.
He gargles an incoherent response.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
C'mon Ashton. Stay awake. Tell me
what it was like working with Clint
Eastwood. Try to remember. His
office, what you did, stuff like
that.
A struggle to respond, but manages --
ASHTON
H-, His office. It was like a
museum... the things he...
(coughs)
... I wasn't supposed to be...
A reddish tint mixes with his pearly smile. A forced
reciprocation.
ELISABETH
That's it. What happened next?
ASHTON
I had ba-, babe ru-, ruths. A ball
signed by him. Even being how old
he is, the... force he commands.
A body shift. More of a spasm than anything else. Very
uncomfortable.
He smiles, the reddish tint seeps out the sides of his mouth.
Then a morbid switch.
ASHTON (CONT'D)
I don't wanna die. Please, I--
ELISABETH
You're not. They're inside right
now getting a doctor. He'll be out
here any minute.
More spasms. And they're not pretty.
ELISABETH (CONT'D)
C'mon, stay with me. Stay awake for
me. What happened in the office?
With the baseball?
He tries to answer, but coughs instead. It's violent,
grotesque, horribly constant. And bloody.
EXT. SUV - DAY
The door swings open, rushed. Elisabeth shoots out from the
seat. She looks in all directions, like she's crossing a
street. Slams the door...
EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE HOSPITAL - SAME TIME
A placid group of walkers. A silent undisturbed ambience.
Until a light wind carries the sound of the slammed door. A
kind of ominous on switch.
Now a sense of purpose. They start to move, track a scent.
BACK WITH ELISABETH
The bulk of Ashton's weight draped on her. A frantic search
for options. A grim proposition.
A strained pucker in her expression.
INT. DARK ROOM - DAY
Shades are drawn. But they are a little broken too, letting
in small pockets of light. The room's been tossed, plundered
of any useful objects.
And the room is decorated with bloody parts.
Scratching and clawing from the outside. Along with rowdy
groans and raspy moans. Symphony of hell on Earth.
A heavy footed pacing by a large silhouette. With heavy
arduous breathing. Like a caged animal.
The groans and snarls swell. With no sign of letting up.
BEAR
Forget this waiting around shit.
Lets open this shit up and have a
party. Take out as many of those
god forsaken--
COLIN
No. The kid is counting on us.
BEAR
Bullshit. He's a dead as we are.
And I don't wanna go out like no
punk.
An unusual site as Colin springs to his feet, grabs Bear's
collar tight in his hands.
COLIN
(desperation)
You wanna die, I'm happy to oblige.
I'm not getting caught up here.
(lets go of shirt)
My mom needs me.
BEAR
You're a pussy.
Colin stands back, analyzes the situation.
COLIN
You do what you need to do. I'm
finding a way out of here.
A sort of peacocking from Bear, with a show of strength. He
lifts Colin across the floor like a feather, backs him up
against a wall.
BEAR (CONT'D)
It's over. I'm going to open that
door and we're going to take as
many of those things with us. Okay?
Maybe the last thing Bear says as...
COLIN -- hammers down -- both arms -- splitting Bear's grip --
then -- open palm to throat -- repeated twice -- a sweep of
the legs -- gets on top -- peppers with strikes --
-- a sound from somewhere. Colin rolls off, searches.
Listening. Snarls. Clawing. Faint whispers, hard to decipher,
then --
-- labored breathing, gasping.
Colin's attention pulled back to see... a bloody mess choking
for air.
He goes to Bear, kneels, abashed.
And helps with breathing techniques, tempering Bear's rhythm
like a mid-wife does for a woman in labor.
COLIN
Slowly. That's right. It'll come
you're alright. C'mon. You're okay.
Slowly... that's it.
A steady rhythm of breathing. Bear regains some color.
And Colin extends his had for Bear. A beat goes by. Finally
Bear takes it.
All Colin's strength is used to get this beast of a man back
to his feet.
Bear slowly regains his legs.
COLIN
You alright?
BEAR
Well you just made me feel like a
punk. You should'a killed me. Or
let me out there. I don't know
how...
COLIN
It's a thing. Doctor labeled it
PTSD. I thought he was full of
shit, paid off to get me outta the
seals. Guess he was right.
BEAR
Look, just lemme go. I want to go.
COLIN
I can get you outta here. Just
trust me.
Bear shoots him a look.
BEAR
I don't do well with emotions. Just
lemme go.
COLIN
I heard voices. Human. There's
others in the hospital. I know it.
(off Bear's denial)
Just try it out. If I'm wrong we'll
do it your way. Just try.
Colin cuffs his hands as to say he'll give Bear a boost. Bear
nods his approval.
Colin lines himself under a service hatch.
INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - DAY
Small. Two sets of washer-dryer combo's. Coin operated.
Roxy sits on one of the dryers, innocent. Sophomoric. Her
attention's on something she scribbles on. Trixy's bunched in
the corner, solemn. Sara folds clothes.
SARA
Trix, I need you to say something.
This isn't normal.
ROXY
What's normal?
Sara stops folding. Glares at Roxy, who's attention is still
in her scribbling. Sara watches, but stays silent.
Sara continues to fold. Changes her focus back to Trixy.
SARA
I know things are bad right now.
But we've got through much worse.
(beat)
Our parents died, as we were moving
to LA. I got a call from our uncle
saying they died. We were in LA,
dealing in visa limbo when--
Sara realizes Roxy isn't looking at her.
SARA (CONT'D)
Am I boring you?
Sara watches Roxy for a beat. Then... grabs a shirt. A
calculated toss, distracts Roxy. Meanwhile she leans over,
takes the paper.
Under protest, Sara reads the contents of the page to
herself.
SARA
This is beautiful. You've got
talent.
Roxy looks up, a mousy smile. Nods.
SARA (CONT'D)
No, really... you're good. Who
would've thought... I mean, this is
brilliant stuff you have here. Why
didn't you write, I mean, instead
of trying to act?
Roxy speaks. A soft, gentle tone.
ROXY
I write for fun. The love of
writing. Once money gets involved,
the process gets perverted, impure.
I don't think I could ever do that.
I really just liked the beach, like
the waves, the endless repetition.
No matter how bad your day is, you
could go to the beach and watch the
waves. They would always be there,
one after another. Natures assembly
line.
SARA
Not sure I would say that.
ROXY
I went once. It was nice.
SARA
Once. You went once? You lived in
LA for years, and you only went
once?
ROXY
Yea, it was nice.
TRIXY
I can't speak.
A stunned look on both Sara and Roxy's face. And speechless.
TRIXY (CONT'D)
(slowly)
I see the world differently. I
don't think I can share my
thoughts, they don't seem for this
world. What goes on in my head is
scary. I don't want to be gawked
at. Become a freak... or a pariah.
An awkward moment. Sara can't help but laugh. But not in a
malicious way.
SARA
You're not alone. With all the
horror movies ever made. Those
weren't made by people with...
normal minds. People loved them.
TRIXY
I love death. When someone breaks
their bones, gets cut.... blood. It
all excites me. It's my poetry.
Death doesn't frighten me. These
things, and these times, I'm not
frightened by these things. I know
the world isn't ready for such
things, that's why the camera was
so important. It let me express
myself, but it could also give it a
falsity, that I'm not a freak, that
it could be just something I made,
that it's just art.
ROXY
(disturbed, but open
minded)
I think I understand, or sort of.
My poetry acts sort of the same
way. Like, it's my words... but
also it's not.
Trixy appreciates the effort. They continue to fold in
silence. Only the droning of the machines can be heard.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Connie sits in the corner, talks to nobody. Patty teaches
Amira how to play poker. River draped lazily on the bed,
watches the news. His nose stuffed with tissue.
Quick shots on the TV: looting in large cities, mounds of
dead being scorched by men in hazmat suits, the dead walking,
and cities ablaze.
REPORTER (V.O.)
...If your local news is still
operating find out where safe zones
are near you, and if they aren't
check online, but you'll have to do
it quickly as experts predict that
our usual lines of communication
will eventually go dark. CB radios
and police scanners will become
only line of communication, as the
bulk of...
The TV settles on MIKE JACOBS, a reporter with a kind face,
smart eyes and a pretentious tone. He looks to be on an army
base, flooded with civilian refugees. SOLDIERS scurry about
carrying out orders.
MIKE JACOBS
... concentrated efforts go to
rescuing survivors, people trapped
in cities. The new president was
sworn in via his heavily fortified
bunker, as told to us by his Chief
of Staff who is a roll over from
the late previous President. What I
can report is, in seventy two
hours, a targeted attack will be
brought upon Los Angeles, New York
and Boston, as well as Atlanta. If
you hear this broadcast and are
still in one of those cities, try
to get out...
but if you can't, find somewhere
secure and bunker down. We've been
told the new President has signed
into law the use of US military
force on US soil, a law that
supersedes the Posse Comitatus Act
with the full support of what's
left of congress signing on...
The information bleeds into the background as Patty plays
poker with Amira.
The words, actions on TV get overwhelming, Patty turns to
River --
PATTY
Turn that off.
No response.
PATTY (CONT'D)
So help me god River, you turn that
off...
Amira looks on with curiosity. Patty searches, finds and
grabs a shoe, throws it at Rivers head. BULLSEYE!
RIVER
I'm bleeding right now, what's your
problem.
PATTY
Turn it off. The child doesn't need
to see it.
River sulks, rubs his head as he turns the TV off.
AMIRA
What's wrong? I was watching that.
PATTY
Little girl like you doesn't need
to see such things. It's
inappropriate.
Has death on it and... actually
that's enough. You don't need to be
watching it.
AMIRA
Are you afraid?
Patty's caught off guard.
AMIRA (CONT'D)
Momma says death is a part of life.
Don't we all die?
PATTY
Yes, but--
AMIRA
(childlike curiosity)
Why does it seem so scary to you if
you know it's coming?
PATTY
We don't know.
AMIRA
You just said we all died?
Patty doesn't know how to respond. A long beat, then --
PATTY
You love your mom right?
Amira gives a gleeful nod.
PATTY (CONT'D)
You like being around her right?
Same nod.
PATTY (CONT'D)
Would if you lost her, never to see
her again? How'd you feel?
Amira thinks for a beat. Then a horrific expression of fear
materializes on her face. She begins to cry. Patty does her
best to calm her down.
INT. CAR - DAY
Small, compact. Everything feels stacked on itself. There's
no escaping the tension. Troy drives with Farrah up front,
Amanda sulks in the back, fuming.
They pass the Rite Aid. Then the overturned police car.
Amanda half expects him to stop, but he doesn't. Nothing is
said as he drives through.
EXT. ANOTHER STREET - DAY
A lone walker scuffs against the pavement, wobbly. A starved
scowl etched into its rotted face. A feral wheeze.
PULL BACK
as a small car roars by, the wake pushes the walker off it's
staggered path.
But that only just activates it, hope glistens in it's
wanting eyes. Follows the path of the car.
EXT. DINER - DAY
That same small car is parked behind the diner. Troy exits,
but before he closes the door, looks back inside.
TROY
Stay here. I'll be back.