INT. DANIEL'S VAN - DAY
The two of them drive in stony silence. Jamie turns on the
radio, hoping for a scrap of news, but Daniel just turns it
right back off.
Suddenly, the van sputters and starts to slow. Daniel
doesn't bother steering it to the shoulder as it crawls to a
halt.
DANIEL
shit.
JAMIE
(nervous)
What happened? What's wrong with
the van?
DANIEL
(embarrassed, after a
pause)
...ran outta gas.
Jamie lets out a bark of a laugh that surprises even
himself.
JAMIE
(hysterically)
Oh, that's good.
Daniel turns to face him directly. A rarity.
DANIEL
you gon' keep bein' a drama queen
or are you gon' get out and help me
find some more.
Jamie huffs.
EXT. MULDRAUGH, KY - DAY
The summer heat beats down on them mercilessly. Especially
Daniel. He's stubbornly keeping on the hoodie and jeans,
even though he's red as a tomato.
This particular stretch of road is barren - no foliage, no
shade, no cars, no people. Just dry grass browning in the
heat. They've clearly been walking for awhile, judging by
the sweat.
JAMIE
You know, I think that was uncalled
for.
DANIEL
(bewildered)
what?
JAMIE
The name-calling.
DANIEL
(panting, out of breath)
what... are you...
Jamie looks back at him, taking in just how drained Daniel
Jamie looks back at him, taking in just how drained Daniel
looks. By contrast, Jamie's holding up remarkably well - he
manages to walk and talk at the same time. Long strides.
Confident.
JAMIE
Are you good?
Daniel just stares up at him, trying to catch his breath.
Jamie keeps walking, giving him little choice but to follow.
JAMIE
You might wanna lose the hoodie.
DANIEL
'm fine.
JAMIE
Seriously, the last thing I need is
for you to get heatstroke.
DANIEL
'm *fine*.
Daniel glares at the road ahead and stubbornly keeps
walking. Concern flits over Jamie's face. But just for a
moment. Then he shrugs and folds his arms behind his head,
forcing himself not to act like he cares.
EXT. CROSSROADS
At long last, in view of a four-way intersection, Daniel's
eyes light up. Two sedans sit square in the middle, their
fronts crumpled where they'd smashed clean into each other.
He approaches the wreck carefully with Jamie close behind,
fingers curled around a crowbar. The red sedan's driver-side
door is open; the blue sedan's windows have been smashed
open from the inside. But both are, thankfully, empty.
Daniel kneels at the gas cap, gas can in hand, and pulls a
length of hose from his duffel bag.
DANIEL
watch my back.
JAMIE
...What are you doing?
Daniel doesn't respond. Instead, he starts siphoning gas,
sucking hard on the end of the hose.
JAMIE
Jesus, man, you're gonna make
yourself sick!
Daniel pulls it from his mouth just before gasoline spills
from the end. He spits.
DANIEL
you got any other ideas?
He does not.
In the distance, branches rustle amongst the brush.
In the distance, branches rustle amongst the brush.
INT. DANIEL'S VAN
Daniel flops inside the driver's seat and blasts himself
with air conditioning as soon as Jamie's done refueling.
DANIEL
(tiredly)
...swing past them cars again. get
s'more gas.
JAMIE
How much do you think we can get?
DANIEL
enough.
JAMIE
(frowning)
...Sure you don't want me to drive?
Daniel closes his eyes.
DANIEL
i'm sure.
He knocks back an entire bottle of water before hitting the
gas pedal.
EXT. CROSSROADS
There's only one more can of gas left in the blue sedan, but
the red one takes longer. Jamie flinches as something
crackles in the distance.
JAMIE
Hey, uh, no pressure or anything,
but are you just about done, or...?
DANIEL
almost.
Jamie can't stop himself from pacing in circles, wringing
his hands together, gritting his teeth through every
excruciating drip into the gas can. Daniel's quiet, but
attentive - his eyes keep flicking to either side.
Then the last of it trickles through. The cap goes back on.
The tension deflates.
DANIEL
let's get the hell out of here.
JAMIE
(relieved)
I never thought you'd ask.
Daniel can't help one last look inside the cars, though...
DANIEL
hey. there's a can of dr. pepper in
there.
JAMIE
JAMIE
(perplexed)
Okay?
DANIEL
kinda thirsty.
JAMIE
Then get it? I don't know what you
want me to tell you.
Jamie heads toward the van.
JAMIE
(muttering to himself)
Weird fucking guy.
Daniel opens the front door on the blue sedan.
A sudden peal rings out - a car alarm, its shrill warble
blaring into the trees. A flock of sparrows kicks off in
fright. Wings buffet the air.
Daniel swears. Jamie's head turns back, eyes wide with
terror.
Something lurches from the woods.
JAMIE
(voice high)
Turn it off!
DANIEL
(frustrated and
panicking)
i don't know *how*!
And then another. And another.
DANIEL
get in the van!
INT. DANIEL'S VAN
He snatches the Dr. Pepper before vaulting into the driver's
seat. Ignition: on. Gear: reverse. Pedal: floored. Daniel
brakes, hard, then shifts back into drive, executing a tight
right turn while cracking open his soda with his free hand.
The living dead stumble out of the brush, drawn first to the
alarm, then to the van. A throng gathers in the distance.
Directly in Daniel's path. There's too many for them to
dodge. Far too many, and they're swaying closer and
closer...
DANIEL
hang on tight.
JAMIE
Daniel?! *Daniel*--
Jamie white-knuckles the oh-shit handle and howls like
Scooby Doo as Daniel guns forward.
Sheer momentum crushes the first few zombies in front of
Sheer momentum crushes the first few zombies in front of
them, and Daniel stubbornly keeps accelerating through,
rolling the tires over a few more. But then... they start
slowing down. Rotten fists pound at the windows. The door
handles jiggle ominously.
The two of them stare at each other. Then Daniel pulls a
pistol from his jeans.
JAMIE
(terrified)
H-Hey, we never talked about a
fucking suicide pact--
Daniel rolls down his window partway and starts firing out
at the crowd. Gunshots roar in the confined space. Jamie
jams his fingers into his ears.
Zombies fall with loud, metallic thumps against the van. The
poor beast's horsepower struggles against the force of the
horde, and finally starts to chug along, shedding more and
more of them...
But in their haste, they left a door unlocked. The one right
behind Jamie. It slides open, and bony hands grab at him,
twisting him.
JAMIE
*FUCK!*
He tries in vain to wrest his arm back. They yank at his
shirt, his hair; he cries out in pain, then slams his head
back, headbutting a zombie so hard it instantly drops.
DANIEL
JAMIE!
Daniel slams on the brakes, slamming the rear door shut on
their arms through the power of inertia. Then he reverses
again, backing over something horribly bumpy, before veering
to the left and speeding off, away, away from the rest, too
fast to follow.
Jamie collapses back in his seat, hyperventilating.
DANIEL
(one eye on the road)
are you okay, jamie?
JAMIE
No!
DANIEL
are you hurt?
JAMIE
(after a sullen pause)
...No.
DANIEL
good.
They drive in silence.
DANIEL
well. that went pretty well. i
well. that went pretty well. i
think.
Jamie stares at him like he's grown a second head. He shakes
like a leaf.
JAMIE
You think?
Daniel sips his drink. It's loud in the closed space.
JAMIE
(terror bleeding into
anger)
We almost fucking died!
DANIEL
ain't like i--
JAMIE
And for a-- for a single can of
fucking Dr. Pepper!
Daniel shrinks into himself, suddenly contrite.
DANIEL
(mumbling)
i know. i know. i--
JAMIE
I can't-- I don't wanna--
DANIEL
it's... i didn't...
Jamie grips his hair.
JAMIE
(voice breaking)
I don't wanna die, man.
DANIEL
(quietly, looking at the
road)
don't wanna die neither.
JAMIE
Not like this. Not without--
He cuts himself off, mouth hanging open on the next word for
a moment before it closes.
DANIEL
...god. wanna go home.
Jamie spins in his seat to face him.
JAMIE
(animated)
We can! We can go home! You can
come home with me!
DANIEL
there's-- i-- i wanna go to *my*
home, man.
Jamie's face falls. As if he hadn't even considered it.
Jamie's face falls. As if he hadn't even considered it.
DANIEL
just hole up inside my garage...
weld the doors shut, maybe.
JAMIE
...Daniel, how well do you think
that's going to work?
DANIEL
(derisively)
better'n louisville.
As soon as the words come out of his mouth, even Daniel
winces.
JAMIE
A-Are you serious?
DANIEL
...sorry. that was--
JAMIE
(bitterly)
I was trying to be *nice* to you.
DANIEL
i-- i just--
Jamie glares out the window and folds his arms. Daniel's
words die in his mouth.
JAMIE
No, you know what? It's fine. It
was stupid.
His voice goes quiet.
JAMIE
Should've known better.
DANIEL
i just... dunno if... anybody is.
safe. anywhere.
JAMIE
We'll just-- We can just-- Go our
own separate ways. Once we get out
of town.
DANIEL
(talking over him)
that's not what i meant.
JAMIE
If that's what you want.
DANIEL
you know that ain't what i meant.
JAMIE
Than what *do* you mean, Daniel?
DANIEL
(emphatic)
(emphatic)
just don't want you running off and
getting yourself killed, okay?
JAMIE
...Wasn't planning on it.
DANIEL
louisville ain't safe. we can't
hardly deal with this shit all the
way out *here*... imagine a big box
store. it'll be carnage.
Jamie stays quiet for a moment.
JAMIE
So what do you propose we even do?
You wanna fucking-- you wanna go
back to the mountains? They're
hours away on a good day! And today
is not a good day!
DANIEL
long-term. maybe. but short-term...
The sparse woods start to give way to a more residential
area. Picket fences. Vinyl siding.
DANIEL
find somewhere quieter. try to stay
alive.
Jamie's face is unreadable. Thunderous.
DANIEL
c'mon, jamie. think about it.
JAMIE
If we can find somewhere. Somewhere
safe...
He sighs.
JAMIE
I'll think about it.
DANIEL
deal.
Daniel makes a sharp turn to avoid another mass of zombies
down the road. Down this way, the houses are made of
sturdier things, like brick and stone.
DANIEL
if we can fix up the van. *maybe*
we'll head towards louisville.
JAMIE
(pained laugh)
Don't tell me that right now.
DANIEL
just gotta be smart about this.
ion't wanna lose you, jamie.
Jamie's face and ears turn pink. He stubbornly looks out the
Jamie's face and ears turn pink. He stubbornly looks out the
passenger window.
JAMIE
Thought you'd be eager to get rid
of me.
DANIEL
(stilted, weighing his
words)
i'm... we're stickin together.
survivors gotta, right?
JAMIE
Hah. Yeah.
Daniel slows as he passes by one house in particular: a
brick two-story, surrounded by an imposing wooden fence
eight feet tall. There's a shed, a garden, a swing... and
boards hammered across every window, every door. Every
curtain drawn tightly shut.
He stops.
DANIEL
looks like somebody's holin' up.
JAMIE
(anxiously)
I think we should keep moving,
Daniel.
Daniel turns off the van and hops out.
EXT. BRICK HOUSE - EVENING
Jamie follows in a desperate attempt to reel him back.
JAMIE
What if there's somebody inside?!
DANIEL
(resting a hand on his
pistol)
either they're friendly or they
ain't.
JAMIE
Wow, you've just described
*literally everybody*.
DANIEL
(ignoring him)
stay behind me.
Jamie hunches down behind him, trying in vain to make
himself smaller than Daniel. There's no car in the driveway,
no sound or movement to be discerned. Just a single point of
egress: a door around the back, flung wide open.
And a grave.
They both look at it, but Daniel raises a finger to his lips
and points to the door.
INT. KITCHEN
INT. KITCHEN
The lack of light casts long shadows, throwing most of the
house into total darkness.
The two of them step carefully so as not to make any noise.
Jamie turns on the flashlight on his phone and sweeps it
around them in erratic, nervous jerks.
JAMIE
(whispering)
Should we be in here?
DANIEL
think we're past "should".
They step through an orderly and clean kitchen into the
living room, which looks similarly untouched.
INT. LIVING ROOM
It's got two plush suede couches, a big-screen TV, and
bookshelves with a tasteful amount of knick-knacks (and the
occasional book). Not a single thing looks out of place.
DANIEL
it's empty.
JAMIE
Somebody *had* to have been here.
DANIEL
(perturbed)
with the grave out back...
JAMIE
Why would they just leave the door
open?
Daniel shrugs. They give a bathroom a once-over before
heading upstairs.
INT. UPSTAIRS HALL
There's not a soul to be found upstairs, either. They comb
through two bedrooms, the master bath, and a spare room
filled with unpacked boxes, but all is quiet. The only sign
of life is a bed, unmade.
JAMIE
This doesn't feel right, Daniel.
DANIEL
maybe... maybe they got bit. walked
out.
JAMIE
You'd think there'd be more signs
of a struggle.
DANIEL
(with a little snort)
didn't reckon you'd complain about
not having blood everywhere.
didn't reckon you'd complain about
not having blood everywhere.
Jamie lets out a single, quiet "ha" of laughter.
JAMIE
Yeah, well. Look.
The corner of Daniel's mouth turns up. He's pleased and
surprised in equal levels.
Jamie looks around the hall, and his face slowly falls.
JAMIE
If they-- if they come back. I
don't want-- It wouldn't be right.
To stay.
DANIEL
squatter's rights.
JAMIE
(flatly)
I'm not going fucking castle
doctrine on a house that isn't even
*ours*.
DANIEL
it's ours as long as we live here.
JAMIE
Please, Daniel. Just promise me
you're not gonna fucking--
He cuts himself off, mouth snapping shut audibly. Daniel
narrows his eyes.
DANIEL
not gonna what, jamie.
JAMIE
Don't fucking kill them, okay?
DANIEL
(incredulous)
*what*? why would i fuckin'--
JAMIE
I know how you guys get!
DANIEL
"you guys"?
Jamie throws his hands up.
JAMIE
Oh, come on!
DANIEL
(dangerously)
what're you tryna say.
JAMIE
I've seen you creeping around your
place with a fucking shotgun
before!
DANIEL
DANIEL
(baffled)
...yeah?
JAMIE
I'm just saying!
DANIEL
you never done target practice?
shootin' cans, man.
Jamie laughs like he doesn't buy that in the slightest.
DANIEL
ain't about to blow somebody's head
off for no reason.
JAMIE
Well, I'm glad you're so sure of
that!
Daniel crosses his arms.
DANIEL
i'm sure.
JAMIE
Good. Glad we're on the same page.
DANIEL
(pissed off)
same.
A tense silence stretches out to fill the space between
them.
JAMIE
(haughty)
I think we could use some shut-eye.
DANIEL
sure. there's two bedrooms. see ya.
He walks to the master bedroom. Jamie chases after him.
JAMIE
Hey! Why do you get the--
The door shuts in his face.
JAMIE
...Fine! Fine. Doesn't fucking
matter to me!
He storms back to the smaller bedroom and slams the door
hard enough to knock a picture off the wall.