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28 DAYS 'TIL THE RETURN OF THE NIGHT OF THE DAWN OF THE EVIL DEAD RESIDENTS Story by Graham Paschall Written by Graham Paschall PROLOGUE (PRE-CREDITS) INT.- BEDROOM, DAWN A man (Cilian Gunn) sits on the floor, his blood stained legs splayed out in front of him. His body leans against the wall… in his right hand, he clutches a pistol. There is a banging noise coming from the closed bedroom door followed by excessive moaning. The man puts the very tip of the weapon into his mouth. BANG! Blood and fragments of the man's skull splatter against the wall with a vicious sound. ACT I (POST-CREDITS) SCENE 1 INT.- SMALL OFFICE, AFTERNOON The same man now sits at a desk. Across from him another man, Cilian's brother, James Gunn, sits in an adjacent chair. The blood stains are gone. JAMES And how is my favorite brother? CILIAN James… I'm your only brother. And, yes, you will be getting a share of the cash, but only to pay off your debts. JAMES Hey, you can't blame me! It's not everyday a family member hit's the jackpot. CILIAN What can I say? God bless Atlantic City. JAMES Amen, brother… amen. And how's my niece? Cilian looks at a photo of him and his girlfriend, Jesse. CILIAN Unborn. JAMES When's she due? CILIAN Not for another five months… I think we're going to name her Dawn. James rises from his seat. JAMES Well, keep me posted. I have to get back on the streets. Cilian's brother produces a police badge on a chain. He puts it around his neck. We see that there is a gun around his waist. CILIAN What's on the agenda today? JAMES Hell if I know… "The Cannibal Killings" I suppose… that is, if the S.T.A.R.S. ever get here. You? CILIAN (SIGHING) I just have to type this column and I'm done. JAMES Well, I've got to get going. See you later bro… CILIAN Yeah, see 'ya. Oh, and thanks for the info. JAMES No problem. James exit's the office. Fade out. INT.- SMALL OFFICE, NIGHT Cilian now sits at a desk typing at a computer. He writes an article: CANNIBAL KILLINGS GRIP RACCOON CITY Nearby, a radio plays the melancholy tune of "It's A Wonderful Life," as performed by SparkleHorse. Cilian leans back in the leather chair, resting his arms behind his head. The phone rings and he dives for it, his hand immediately picking up the device. CILIAN Hello? FEMALE (V.O.) Cilian!? CILIAN Jess… JESSIE (V.O.) You said you'd come home an hour ago! CILIAN I know. I got- Cilian glances at a clock which reads 11:36 p.m. CILIAN (CONT.) Jesus, you're right. I think I'm the only one still here… gives me the creeps. JESSIE (V.O.) (GIGGLING) I started the movie without you. CILIAN Gee, thanks. Jessie continues to laugh. CILIAN (CONT.) I'll be home in five minutes… I promise. JESSIE Alright, just please hurry up! CILIAN Trust me, I'm not lingering around this place any longer. I love you, bye. JESSIE (V.O.) Love you too. Bye-bye. She hangs up and Cilian stands out of the chair, stretching. He shuts down the computer just as the song is interrupted. RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.) We interrupt this program to bring you a special repo- Without a second thought, he turns the radio off, puts on a trench coat, and leaves the office, his car keys in hand. SCENE 2 INT.- SUBURBAN HOUSE, FIRST FLOOR, NIGHT Jesse Griffin, Cilian's girlfriend, sits huddled on the couch, watching Cannibal! The Musical on a TV. Without pressing pause, she rises from the couch and enters the kitchen. Once inside the new room, she opens the refrigerator and thumbs through the assorted food and drinks. She takes out a bottle of water and- A shuffle is heard followed by a loud bang as well as a moan. She sets the bottle down and travels to a back room facing the rear yard. A very pale looking man knocks his two fists lightly on the window from outside. A very slight trickle of blood leaks out of his mouth as he moans softly. JESSIE Excuse me, but what the hell are you doing to my window!? Something seems to spark within the man as his eyes open wide and his mouth gapes wider. More blood continues to pour out of the strange man's orifice. JESSIE (CONT.) What the fu- With strange jerky movements, the man takes off for the backdoor, where-in he immediately begins to bang very hard upon it. Jess is put back. She begins to walk away slowly from the room… her back hits against the wall just as the door knob tears off of the door, and slams into the space just between her feet. The door slides open with a sly creek, and the man is fully seen. He is covered in blood and his forearm seems to be missing pieces of flesh. JESSIE (CONT.) Alright… just get out, and I won't call the- She is cut off as the thing rushes towards her with almost super-human strength. It lets out a blood curdling screech as he lunges his jaws into Jessie's shoulder. Jess screams as blood pours out of the wound and she manages to shove the man off of her. He slams against the opposite wall. As she runs for the phone in the kitchen, the man regains his composure, letting a low moan escape out of his mouth. Her hand clutches the receiver just as the creature attacks once again, this time knocking her against a drawer. She quickly opens it and fishes out a small yet sharp knife. The phone hangs off the wall. JESSIE (CONT.) Get back! Without hesitation, he lunges once more. The undead thing grabs her wrists. As he gets ready to bite down once again, Jess manages to take him off his feet. Within a heartbeat, she takes to the floor, picks up the knife, and begins to repeatedly stab the creature. As the blood flies out all over her, the thing seems to die. She rests for a moment before clutching her shoulder wound in extreme agony. SCENE 3 INT.- NIGHT CLUB, NIGHT We open in on a bartender- he fills a glass with water from a faucet. In the background, patrons dance to a techno rendition of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride." The bartender walks from the faucet to one of the party-goers. He hands the sweaty man the drink, where-in he promptly chugs it down. Thanking the bartender, the man walks back to the dance floor. He begins to dance wildly, letting the groove of the music take over. Only something is not right. The man is not dancing, but rather his entire being is convulsing. Blood begins to spurt out of his mouth, landing on a fellow dancer, a woman. The woman feels the man's blood seep into her mouth, and begins to cough herself. The blood pours out just like the man before her, spraying nearby dancers. Soon, half the dance floor is filled with the ravenous creatures. Each one is spurting blood and growling… only it is seen as dancing… …until the things begin to attack the still-living. The bartender goes for a phone, but is tackled by three of the infected whom dive over the bar. CUT TO- EXT.- NIGHT CLUB, NIGHT The double doors leading to the night club burst open. The undead patrons pour out on to the city streets, howling and clawing at nothing. INT.- CILIAN'S CAR, NIGHT Cilian's vehicle speeds down the seemingly empty streets. A CD player blasts the tune of Granddaddy's "A.M. 180." He stops at a red light. Nearby, the water drinking patron from the night club stumbles from out of the shadows. He begins to lurch towards the car. Cilian taps his hands against the steering wheel, listening to the beat. He turns his head to the right and notices the drunk-looking man as he stumbles his way towards the car. CILIAN Wonderful… The man gets close enough to put his hands on the window of the front-right door. CILIAN (CONT.) Come on! Get off the car! The patron seems to slide his hands against the glass until he is pressing against the windshield. His lips plant themselves on the glass… blood and saliva spill out. CILIAN (CONT.) God damn it! He steps out of the car… the infected man's eyes glisten as his head jerks to the side. CILIAN (CONT.) Hey asshole! Off the hood! The man lets a growl out, his eyes now a shimmering red. He leaps off of the vehicle and begins to make his way slowly towards Cilian. The light turns green. CILIAN (CONT.) It's too late for this shit… He climbs back into the car and speeds away from the wandering zombie. SCENE 3 EXT.- SUBURBAN HOUSE, NIGHT Cilian's car pulls up to the front of the house. Stepping out of the vehicle, a single gunshot is heard. Cilian pauses, listening. There is silence. He shuts the car door, and walks towards the comfortable home. INT.- SUBURBAN HOUSE, FIRST FLOOR, NIGHT Within the house, the film still plays out on the TV. Besides the movie, there is an eerie silence throughout the house. Cilian picks up a remote control, turning the TV off. Now, the noise is of a shuffling being coming from the nearby kitchen. A shadow moves back and forth from within. CILIAN Jess? He steps slowly towards the kitchen. As he gets closer, the feet of Jessie's earlier attacker are seen sticking out from behind a counter. CILIAN (CONT.) Jesus! He runs forward, walking right out into the kitchen. Kneeling down, Cilian investigates the body, holding his hand just over the many stab wounds. From behind him, Jess creeps forward… her arms are outstretched, blood leaking from her mouth. Her shoulder wound has developed into a large, purple bruise. Cilian spins around, spotting Jessie coming towards her. She seems to have a strange grin on her face. CILIAN (CONT.) Jessie… what happened? He rises, taking Jess into his arms. Right as her head comes to rest on his chest, she begins to growl, her fingernails digging into his back. With quick reflexes, he grabs her neck, just below her chin. Holding her face away from his body, "Jess" continues to growl, chomping her teeth down into thin air. With a violent shove, "Jessie's" body smacks against the wall. She quickly regains her composure and begins to shuffle towards Cilian. CILIAN (CONT.) Jess… get back… The creature continues to move forward, her arms still outstretched, reaching for Cilian. CILIAN (CONT.) (SOBBING) Jess… please get ba- With a loud, violent growl, the zombie lunges forward, taking Cilian to the ground. He knocks against the shelves and cabinets. As she gets ready to lunge once more, Cilian's hands search all around until his fingers wrap around the handle of the small knife. Without even thinking, he outstretches his arm just as "Jess" attacks. The blade lodges into her skull. She still kneels forward, a thick foam beginning to pour out of her mouth. Cilian is shocked, unable to do anything but watch as a stream of thick crimson blood begins to leak out of the wound. He lets go of the handle, and her body falls to the floor dead… again. Without waiting, Cilian jumps to his feet, running out of the kitchen, into the living room, and up a nearby flight of stairs. INT.- SUBURBAN HOUSE, SECOND FLOOR, NIGHT Cilian enters a bedroom, quickly shutting and locking the door. Looking out the window, a living person sprints by; he is pursued by a very fast cadaver. He speed walks to a TV and turns it on… …there is a special news announcement: INT.- STUDIO, NIGHT A reporter sits at a desk, papers in hand. His thick glasses are crooked, his tie is pulled down, and his sleeves are rolled up. REPORTER …at this time. Once again, authorities are saying to stay in your home until this "phenomenon" has come to a conclusion. A hand juts into the frame, handing the reporter a new set of papers. He quickly scans the print. REPORTER (CONT.) It seems that there are many strange theories pouring in at this time, but this seems to be the official statement… [CLEARS THROAT]… "As is reported by hospital officials as well as morgue attendants across the country, it seems that…" He looks up from the papers, as if glaring at an unseen producer off screen. REPORTER (CONT.) (LAUGHING UNCOMFORTABLY) "…it seems that the recently deceased whom are not properly disposed of by either a shot or other heavy trauma sustained to the head will reanimate shortly after death… and attack the living…" The reported seems to scoff at the idea. REPORTER (CONT.) (SIGHING) Experts at the Philadelphia Institute for Science and Technology are dismissing that hypothesis, calling it "utterly preposterous and erroneous." He looks once again at the unseen producer, and nods his head. REPORTER (CONT.) Alright, it seems like we are getting a live feed from Pittsburgh correspondent Daniel Boyle… let's go there now. Danny? CUT TO- EXT.- STREETS Reporter Daniel Boyle holds up a microphone. Behind him, a S.W.A.T. officer beats one of the creatures over the head with a night stick. Meanwhile, Boyle clutches a bloody wound on his arm. DANIEL Yes, George, this is Daniel. I'm reporting live from… He winces. GEORGE (V.O.) Danny, are you alright? You look hurt. DANIEL Oh, I'll be fine. It seems one of the creatures decided to bite my arm. But that's not important. Right now, I'm here with Lieutenant Savini of the local police department. The police officer stops beating the zombie, whom is now completely dead, and takes the microphone from Danny. The camera centers in on his face. SAVINI Look, these things are everywhere! The only way to put them down is a severe blow to the head! It's the only way, no matter who it is! GEORGE (V.O.) And what of the causes for the phenomenon? SAVINI At this time, all I know is that the infection seems to spread through the attackers' bites- He is cut off as the infected Daniel Boyle lunges forth, grabbing Savini from behind. His teeth dig into the officer's neck as the camera zooms in. Out of nowhere, a second zombie appears, attacking the camera man. We hear the technician's screams as the device hit's the ground, and the feed is lost. CUT TO- INT.- STUDIO GEORGE Danny? Are you still there? Static. GEORGE (CONT.) It seems we have lost our live feed. Though, I must make this apparent once more… stay inside your house- PRODUCER (V.O.) (OFF-SCREEN) Shut that damn camera off! They just broke into the lobby! George's face goes pale. He stands up. GEORGE Board up the God damn doors! PRODUCER (V.O.) (OFF-CAMERA) They're breaking in! George looks directly into the camera. GEORGE Ladies and gentlemen, this could be it for me. I want to say what a pleasure it has been reporting for you for the last ten yea- A zombie comes into the screen, tackling George to the ground. The camera itself drops down, pointing towards the floor. The screen goes into a test pattern. CUT TO- INT.- BEDROOM, NIGHT Cilian's face is completely pale. He remembers the news caster's words: GEORGE (V.O.) Stay in your homes! Repeat: Stay inside your home! Without a second thought, Cilian runs out of the room, down the steps, and out the front door. SCENE 4 EXT.- SUBURBAN HOME, NIGHT A cool wind blows against Cilian's face. He cocks his head to the left and right before sprinting for the waiting car. In an unseen distance, the creatures are heard, followed by screams and gunshots. Cilian tears open the door to the vehicle and slides into the driver's seat. The car starts and revs away. CUT TO- EXT.- ALLEY, NIGHT A single army jeep pulls up into an alley. Five commandos jump out, the leader wearing a beret. Parking the vehicle at an angle, the commandos use it as a weapons post. CUT TO- EXT.- CITY STREET, NIGHT Cilian's car speeds through the lonely town. Nearby, one of the infected lumbers out into the street. The car swerves, smacking the zombie to the ground. In a fit of panic, Cilian attempts to back up the car- the rear wheel runs over the cadaver's head, splattering blood, brain, and skull matter all over the street. The vehicle stops, the car completely stalled. Cilian pounds the steering wheel, muttering obscenities. With no other choice, he opens the door, and exit's the car. CUT TO- EXT.- ALLEY, NIGHT Beret speaks into a walkie-talkie to a helicopter pilot above. BERET Pilot, do you have a visual? PILOT (V.O.) No, I… JESUS CHRIST! BERET What? What do you see!? Overhead, a helicopter cuts through the air, away from the scene. COMMANDO #1 Where the hell is he going in such a rush? BERET Pilot! Come in! Silence… and then… PILOT (V.O.) Get out of there! Pull out! Repeat: pull out! BERET Damn it "Flyboy!" Get back here- Beret is cut off by the sounds of the undead. The commandos ready their various weapons. The moans get louder, followed by the sound of running footsteps. BERET (CONT.) Prepare yourselves soldiers… get ready to fire on my command… At the end of the alleyway, hordes upon hordes of the cadavers round the corner, heading right for the small platoon. COMMANDO #2 Oh, shit… COMMANDO #1 Sir… BERET Hold your position… ready, and… The zombies get insanely close. BERET (CONT.) Fire! Just then, more of the creatures round the corner to the commandos' rear. The assault begins from both sides. Three of the commandos are taken down immediately. All that remains is Beret and Commando #1. As the leader of the group fires off rounds from a handgun. Nearby, the lone commando uses a semi-automatic machine gun. Falling on his back, Commando #1 slides under the jeep. One of the cadavers hops the vehicle, landing on the soldier on the other side of the jeep. Grabbing its chin, the commando pulls out a sawed off shotgun from his side. He puts the tip of the powerful weapon into the creature's mouth. COMMANDO #1 Choke on this! He fires, sending a spray of blood on to his own face. At first disgusted, the commando's face soon morphs into a grin. The grin disappears as the Commando rolls on his side, puking up blood and vomit onto the street. We move back to Beret, whom aims his weapon at the now-infected Commando #1. A look of remorse crosses his face. The remorse is soon transformed into anger, as he is about to pull the trigger. Just then, he is tackled by a second creature, whom pulls him to the ground screaming. CUT TO- Cilian runs up the street, looking for anybody. He rounds a corner, and finds himself in the commandos' alley. It has become a feeding frenzy. Beret still screams as a group of the undead dig their hands into the warm flesh. The ribcage is separated, and Beret continues to shriek in pain and horror as his organs are displayed out in front of him. Nearby, other zombies pulls pieces of flesh and organ off of one of the other commandos. They eat it with a look of utter bewilderment on their faces. A handful of the cadavers are shocked to find Cilian standing just a few feet away. With a wild groan, three of the zombies take flight. EXT.- SUBURBAN HOME, NIGHT Cilian runs for his life down the street, back to his home. He bashes through the front door, shutting it behind him. INT.- SURBURBAN HOME, FIRST FLOOR, NIGHT Cilian looks around… the zombies pound at the front door. Thinking fast, he runs for the kitchen, and into the basement. INT.- SURBURBAN HOME, BASEMENT, NIGHT Once in the basement, Cilian locks the door. Crouching into a corner, he falls asleep to the sound of creatures pounding on the front entrance. SCENE 5 INT.- SUBURBAN HOME, BASEMENT, DAWN Cilian awakens. A small ray of sunshine bleeds through the basement windows. Going to the door, he opens it slowly. INT.- SUBURBAN HOME, FIRST FLOOR, DAWN The house is silent. Moving from the kitchen to the front door, our hero realizes that the zombies have moved on. He leaves the safety of the house. EXT.- SUBURBAN HOME, DAWN Cilian walks down the city streets… all is silent. EXT.- CITY STREETS, DAWN A few bodies lie on the streets. Some are severely torn up while others lack certain limbs. He moves to one body in particular… in its right hand, it clutches a sign: REPENT! THE END IS EXTREMELY FUCKING NIGH! Glancing around, he sees that the sign-holder clutches a shotgun in his left hand. Cilian picks up the weapon, pumping it. As we pull away, we see the mass violence caused by the "phenomenon." Bodies lie everywhere, as well as blood and strewn around organs. The screen goes black… …only for a moment. We zoom back in on Cilian's face; his eyes dodge frantically to the left and right. CILIAN Oh, fu- He is tackled to the ground by three of the creatures. They bite into his arms and legs as he screams. Somehow, he manages to get to his feet. Dropping the weapon to the ground, he (once again) runs for his home. EXT.- SUBURBAN HOME, DAWN Cilian jumps through the door… he does not even bother closing it behind him. INT.- SUBURBAN HOME, FIRST FLOOR, DAWN He runs right up the stairs… INT.- SUBURBAN HOME, SECOND FLOOR, DAWN …right into the bedroom, passing a bloody handprint on the wall. He shuts the door, locking it. He walks about five feet before hearing the first moan. He spins around quickly to find… …a zombified James appears. In his hand, he clutches a revolver… which promptly drops to the ground. Feeling the pain from his wounds, Cilian falls to the floor, next to the weapon. He picks it up, pointing it at James' face. He begins to sob. CILIAN No… Banging begins on the bedroom door… three zombies pound against it, desperately trying to get in. Cilian's face begins to go pale, the infection beginning to seep into his blood stream. He fires once… hitting James' right leg. He fires again, this time hitting his other leg. James fall to the ground, and begins using his hands to pull himself towards warm flesh. A third shot, and a single bullet rips through James' left arm. A fourth pins the other arm. Now complacent in one spot, James begins to moan softly. CILIAN (CONT.) I'm sorry… A fifth shot finds its way into James' skull, putting him down for good. Turning to the door, Cilian realizes there is only one shot left. Suddenly, the screensaver on a nearby computer turns off. Looking at the screen, Cilian's eyes widen in horror. He inserts the pistol into his mouth, and… …BANG! We zoom in on the computer screen to see a special report from CNN.com: JUDGEMENT DAY HAS COME! Fade out.
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