Infected – Episode One:

Outskirts of Hell

By

Sean Elwood

© 2006

seanel12@yahoo.com

INT. WOODS – DAY

A small river flows down a mountain towards a large populated city. The sun begins to set, casting a yellowish orange glow over the region.

The wind blows the trees around, scattering the birds into the sky and a few brown leaves fall to the ground.

One of the large, brown leaves falls next to a dead wolf cub, it’s body already half decayed, critters scurrying around in its tissue and fur.

A vulture swoops down at the wolf cub, and it swoops down again, observing the carcass. It finally lands on the ground and begins feasting on the cub.

INT. SCHOOL BUS – NIGHT

A woman’s eyes open, revealing beautiful baby blue eyes. The pupils dilate and the woman’s breathing calms down. VALERIE THORNE (24) slowly begins to stand up, looking around her, bringing herself back together.

She looks at lunchboxes, backpacks, and children’s coats scattered on the bus aisle, the windows stained with dry, splattered blood, and some of the seats are torn from their structures.

She turns around and walks to the emergency exit at the back of the bus, shaking the handle, trying to get it open, but it’s jammed.

MAX (O.S.)
(Startling Valerie)
I wouldn’t go out there if I were you.

She stops trying to get the door open and looks at MAX MANDWELL (25), sitting up from one of the front seats, holding a crumpled newspaper in his hand.

VALERIE
Who are you?

MAX
Does it really matter? Is it important to know everyone’s name?

VALERIE
How did I get here? Where am I?

MAX
I think that is the least of our worries right now. We just need find out how to get out of here.

VALERIE
No, please! You have to tell me what is going on!

MAX
I don’t know what is going on. Your guess is as good as mine.

Valerie begins to cry, covering her face in her hands. Max sets his hand on her shoulder.

MAX
Hey, it’s going to be fine.

VALERIE
No, no it’s not. I don’t know how I got here, I don’t know what is going on, I need to find my family...

MAX
Your family?

VALERIE
I have a husband and a son.

Max sighs and walks back to the front of the bus.

MAX
Newspaper says that they’re escaped prisoners or patients from the insane asylum or whatever.

VALERIE
Who’s “they”?

Max is interrupted by a light banging on the side of the school bus. Valerie stares at him in confusion and she begins to move towards one of the windows.

The back of a head pops into her view, startling her. Before she can scream, Max grabs her and covers her mouth. She begins whimpering and Max begins whispering into her ear.

MAX
Don’t scream. They’ll know we’re in here.

He takes his hand away from her mouth.

VALERIE
What’s wrong with them?

MAX
They’re not like us. They’re people, but they ain’t like us.

He hands her the newspaper.

MAX (CONT’D)
I don’t know what they are, but I haven’t heard of anybody being able to walk around with a broken neck or get stabbed in the stomach, and still come at you.

VALERIE
Well we have to get out of here quick, before it’s too late! We have to get out of here, find my husband and son, and get the hell out of here!

MAX
We can’t do that.

VALERIE
Why not?

MAX
Because if one of those things out there knows we’re here, all the rest will too.

Valerie looks out the window again. She sees a few zombies stumbling around flipped over cars. Trash litters the streets and fire erupts from almost every building.

Valerie gasps and sinks back into one of the seats, looking at Max with an unhopeful stare.

VALERIE
Where am I?

MAX
I hate to be the one telling you this, but you’re probably as close to Hell as you’re going to get.

INT. WOODS – DAY

The vulture continues to eat the rotting wolf cub. It slices at the meat with its sharp beak and rips away flesh. Another vulture comes down and snaps at the other one, making room to eat.

The two screech at each other, and more vultures join in for the feast. They begin to get more violent with the cub, flapping their wings and snapping at each other.

One of the vultures gets startled by another, accidentally knocking the cub into the river. The cub flows downstream, getting drenched and having the blood pour into the water.

INT. SHELTER – NIGHT

Dozens of people lay on cots and on the floor, holding each other tightly, afraid of what could be outside the walls of the building.

Military officers and police officers bring in supplies such as food, bottled water, clothing, and blankets, handing them to the citizens.

A teenage boy, DARREN CANTRELL (18) walks through the crowded, gym-sized room, stepping over sleeping victims. He accidentally knocks over a bottle of water, owned by a girl, HANNAH TABER (18), who is reading a book.

Darren bends down and picks up the water bottle.

DARREN
Ah, sorry.

HANNAH
Oh it’s okay, I wasn’t really drinking it.

Darren stares at her with a warm smile.

DARREN
How can you be reading a book at a time like this?

HANNAH
Keeps me calm. We’re surrounded by the military and we aren’t allowed in most places in this building so I might as well keep myself busy.

DARREN’S MOM (O.S.)
Darren get over here!

DARREN
(Looking at his mom)
Great. Now what?

HANNAH
You better get over there.

A loud commotion draws everyone’s attention towards the entrance of the shelter building.

Military officers bring in a terrified looking man, blood splattered on his shirt and face. He thrashes about, but the officers are able to keep him under control.

MAN
(Crazed)
I saw her die! I saw all of them die! Haha! It’s true! The world has come to an end! I knew it!

Darren looks at Hannah and smiles. Darren’s mom calls for him again and he gets up.

DARREN
Yeah I better get going...

HANNAH
Hannah.
(Stands up)
I’ve seen you around school.

DARREN
Right. Well, I’ll see you around?

HANNAH
(Shy smile)
Yeah.

Darren walks away and Hannah watches him leave. She smiles and returns to her book.

Darren walks up to his family consisting of his mom, SHERRY (31), and his little brother, BEN (9).

SHERRY
Jeez, Darren, when I tell you to come, come!

DARREN
(Irritated)
Sorry, Mom.

BEN
He was just too busy talking to his girlfriend!

DARREN
(Shoving Ben)
Shut up, faggot!

SHERRY
Darren!

DARREN
Mom he’s pissing me off!

SHERRY
Well that doesn’t give you the right to be calling him names.

Ben pulls out his inhaler and uses it. He shakes it and hands it to Sherry.

BEN
I’m almost out.

SHERRY
Okay, honey, I’ll try and find you one. Maybe they have something in the supply closet.

BEN
What if it isn’t the same prescription?

SHERRY
Just try and stay calm.

A military officer walks up to the front of the shelter room. He clears his throat.

OFFICER
Excuse me please. May I have your attention? We’re shutting off the lights for people to rest.

The officer walks off and the lights begin going off one by one.

Everyone begins getting ready to go to sleep. Sherry hangs onto Ben as they begin to rest, and Darren stares up at the ceiling, fiddling with his hands.

EXT. SHELTER – NIGHT

A gunshot echoes through the area and a zombie falls to the ground, dead for a second time. Blood leaks out of the tiny hole that has formed in the middle of its forehead.

Two men stand on the roof of the shelter. One of them is DRAKE CHANDLER (34) who laughs as he blows the smoke away from his pistol. He is dressed in a full camouflage outfit while smoking a recently lit cigarette.

DRAKE
Goddamn bastards don’t even have eyes and know we’re here.

Sitting in a lawn chair, TUCKER WALSH (29), also dressed in a full camouflage outfit, is reading an Entertainment magazine. He looks up at Drake who is reloading his pistol.

TUCKER
Will you put a silencer on that thing? It’s going to be our asses if the people below us begin to panic because they hear gunshots.

DRAKE
Alright, alright, whatever you say.

An army truck pulls up next to the shelter and two men get out. One of the men looks up at Drake and Tucker.

ARMY MAN
Alright you two, time to switch shifts.

TUCKER
Already?

ARMY MAN
Yeah, we do two hours of searching and you two do two hours of patrolling. Vice versa.

DRAKE
Hey, did you bring us any beer while you were out?

ARMY MAN
(Holds up six pack)
Right here, but you can have one once you come back. I don’t want you two getting drunk and getting yourselves killed out there.

Drake whines and the two begin climbing down a ladder on the side of the shelter. Tucker gets in the driver seat of the truck while Drake gets in the passenger side. The two army men get up on the roof and begin to have a conversation.

INT. WOODS – DAY

The wolf cub continues to flow down river until it is stopped bye two jagged rocks protruding out of the water. Tiny fish nibble at the wolf, and blood continues to flow down the river.

INT. BUS – NIGHT

Valerie sits in a bus seat across from Max. He continuously folds the newspaper, unfolds it, and folds it back up again.

VALERIE
So do you know how you got here?

MAX
A little bit, yeah.

VALERIE
How?

MAX
It’s a long story.

VALERIE
Don’t worry, I have the time.

They laugh uneasily and Max sits up, setting the half folded newspaper in his lap. He rubs his five o’ clock shadow chin and scratches his head.

MAX
It started this morning, when I got dressed...

FLASH BACK

INT. HOUSE – DAY

Max, cleaner looking, walks down the stairs into the kitchen.

MAX (V.O.)
It was just me and my wife living in the house. It was quieter than usual, but I didn’t really put any thought into it.

Max walks over to the stove where scrambled eggs sizzle next to a few sausage links. He turns the stove down and walks through the kitchen.

MAX
Honey?

He walks into the entryway of the house and he sees his wife standing at the door, looking out the window, her body slumped and her arms dangling freely at her sides.

He walks up to her and wraps his arms around her.

MAX
What are you doing?

She twists around, growling, throwing him back against the wall. Her eyes are milky white and her cheek bones protrude from her skin, her face skeletal-like.

Max pins himself against the wall, watching his wife stumble towards him. She lunges at him, ripping his shirt sleeve.

He fights her off of him and he runs back into the kitchen, his wife chasing after him. She lunges for him again, missing him and hitting the island counter in the middle of the kitchen.

Her hand swipes a glass of water and it falls, shattering on the floor. Water spills out on the floor Max stares at his wife, the two separated from the island.

MAX
Janice, what’s wrong with you?

She jumps onto the counter and Max backs away into the stove. He grabs the pan and eggs and sausage splatter onto the ground.

She jumps from the counter and Max whacks her with the pan. She slides across the floor and Max throws the pan on the ground, knocking a few dish clothes onto the stove. They catch on fire and spread onto the wall and counter.

Max looks over the counter and sees his wife struggling to get up, her bones popping and her skin purple and blue from bruises.

MAX
I’m so sorry...

Janice pops her neck and stands up, slowly turning towards Max. He runs out, but slips on the water and falls, grabbing the counter and helping himself up, his feet kicking in the air.

Max runs out the front door, slamming it shut, trapping his wife inside as the fire begins tearing the house apart. He runs to the side of the house and opens the fence gate.

BACK TO SCENE

INT. BUS – NIGHT

Valerie is now at the edge of her seat, listening closely.

MAX
When I went out to the front yard, I saw my neighborhood on fire. All of those things were everywhere. I saw my neighbors attacking others...like this whole thing happened over night.

VALERIE
How did you get here? Like in this bus?

MAX
I left my keys in my house and I sure didn’t want to go back in there, so I stole an abandoned truck that had the keys in ignition. I brought it here before it flipped on its side after someone ran into me while crossing an intersection.

VALERIE
Well at least you are okay.

MAX
Yeah, most of those things weren’t around when I got here, but that was when I found you here, knocked out cold in the backseat.

VALERIE
Did you see anyone get off the bus when you got here?

MAX
Nobody.

VALERIE
Well——

A loud banging on the bus door startles both of them. Max and Valerie stand up and the door begins to open.

MAX
(Whispering)
Beneath the seats!

They crawl under the seats and Valerie begins hyperventilating. Max holds his index finger up to his mouth and Valerie nods.

VALERIE’S POV

She looks at the front of the bus and the door opens all the way. Two pairs of shuffling feet walk up the steps and get in the aisle.

INT. BUS – NIGHT

The zombie shuffle down the aisle, one of them with a long, rusty metal pole impaled through one side of the zombie and out the other.

They observe the seats and objects that the children had left on the bus. One of them picks up a locked lunchbox. It tries opening it up, but can’t. It begins throwing the lunchbox against the seats as it walks down the aisle.

Valerie tries to calm herself down, but gasps when one of the zombies steps on her hand. The zombie stepping on her hand stops when it hears Valerie gasp. It looks around, trying to determine where the noise came from.

Valerie’s eyes begin to swell up with tears and her hand begins turning red. She looks at Max he stares at the two corpses with concentration.

Tears begin rolling down her cheek and the zombie stepping on her hand continues to walk down the aisle. Valerie snatches her hand back, oblivious to the two creatures.

The zombie with the lunchbox breaks it open and food spills out on the floor. It bends down and sniffs the food, observing it and puts it in its mouth, tasting it.

It spits it out and begins walking back to the front of the bus. The other zombie with the pole impaled through it bends down and begins testing the food also.

The other zombie walks off the bus and Valerie and Max’s eyes are locked on the one zombie.

It begins walking forward while getting up, but its pole is blocked by two seats, keeping it from moving any further. The zombie is unable to think about standing all the way up to get the pole over the seats.

Max looks around him and sees a coat beneath the seat in front of him. He grabs it and looks at Valerie. He motions her to stay there and begins to crawl back towards the back of the bus.

He gets to the very back and gets onto the aisle, holding the coat in front of him. He finally stuffs the coat sleeve into the zombie’s mouth, muffling its moans and growls.

MAX
Valerie!

Valerie crawls out form her hiding place.

MAX
Get something sharp! Like a tool or something!

She runs to the front of the bus and searches around the driver seat. She seas underneath the first passenger seat a small, orange tool box. She opens it up and finds a long screwdriver.

Max tries to hold down the struggling zombie and Valerie runs up and begins stabbing the zombie in the stomach and chest with the screwdriver. Blood begins spurting from the zombie’s mouth, but it is still alive.

VALERIE
It’s not dying!

MAX
The head! Try the head!

She brings the screwdriver up above her head and brings it down into the zombie’s right eye. She continues to stab at it, even though it becomes motionless.

Max falls back and Valerie still stabs at its eye. He grabs her and gets her to stop impaling its eye. He grabs the screwdriver and throws it away, holding Val by the shoulders.

Her chin begins to quiver and she tackles Max with a hug, crying, her cries muffled by his shoulder.

MAX
Shhhh you’re okay...you’re okay...

INT. SHELTER – NIGHT

Darren tosses around in his sleeping bag. He throws his arms up into the air and lets out an irritated sigh. He unzips his sleeping bag and stands up, looking around him.

He walks over to a table that has bottles of water on it and he grabs one, takes the cap off, and gulps down about half of the bottle.

HANNAH
(Startling Darren)
Sleep much?

DARREN
I don’t know how anyone can.

They sit down it some chairs.

HANNAH
Look I told you before, you’re surrounded by the military. What’s the worse that can happen?

DARREN
A lot.
(Beat)
You said you know me from school. What am I known for?

HANNAH
(Chuckling)
Well that one time when you went streaking across the football field during one of the games.

DARREN
Look I can explain that, it was cold out, I was nude——

HANNAH
You don’t have to explain.

DARREN
Well, I guess I shouldn’t, should I?

HANNAH
You also went out with Amanda Nightly, didn’t you?

DARREN
And I regret it.

HANNAH
Why?

DARREN
She was such a control freak. Every night she would control me, telling me what to wear, what I should buy her, where should we go, etcetera...

Darren bows his head and takes another drink from his water.

DARREN
And now I feel bad for saying that. I mean, after what is going on...

HANNAH
You shouldn’t. I feel the same way. I just broke up with my boyfriend, and he really liked me. I mean, I really liked him but I just think we should have moved on. He’s been going through hard times after I broke up with him and this isn’t making it any better.

DARREN
(Sarcastically)
Well then I think we both deserve this.

MAN (O.S.)
Of course you do.

They turn to the terrified man who had come in earlier screaming, who is now known as CARL DASH (32). He has changed into cleaner clothes and the blood from his face has disappeared.

CARL (CONT’D)
We all do.

DARREN
Why?

CARL
Well the world’s gotta end one day.

HANNAH
This isn’t happening to the rest of the world. There aren’t any news reports of this happening in Chicago or France, or Australia or wherever.

CARL
But it will. Those things are there are real. Once they get out of city limits, they’re going to infect everyone in sight.

DARREN
What do you know about them that we don’t?

CARL
How oblivious are you? They’re dead.

HANNAH
Dead? Those things out there aren’t dead.

CARL
Actually they are. You can’t just walk out there and see a man who’s been stabbed in the heart or half of his body is missing and say he isn’t dead.

HANNAH
Well how did they become...undead?

CARL
Only God knows how this happened. The most important thing you need to know is not to get bitten. One bite will make you one of them.

DARREN
So it’s like a virus? Transmitted through...

CARL
The saliva.

HANNAH
Wait how do you know it’s the bite that kills you?

CARL
Trust me, honey, I’ve seen it happen before. Many, many times before.

Carl grabs a water bottle off the table and takes a few tiny sips.

DARREN
Jesus Christ so this is becoming to be like a zombie movie come true?

HANNAH
Oh please, there’s no such thing as a zombie.

DARREN
Well according to this guy, apparently there are.

CARL
Yup, the most we can do is just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Carl leans his chair back, puts his hands behind his head, and closes his eyes, humming an unknown tune while Hannah and Darren cautiously stare at him.

A little girl wakes up, held by her mother’s arms. She gets out of the cot and shakes her mom awake. Her mom groans and she shakes her more.

LITTLE GIRL
Mommy I’m thirsty.

MOM
(Half asleep)
Go get some water from the fountain or something...

Her mom falls right back to sleep and the little girl skips through the shelter room towards the doors.

INT. SHELTER HALLWAY – NIGHT

The little girl opens the door and begins walking hastily down the hallway. She walks over to a water fountain and begins gulping down the stream of water.

She wipes the line of water dripping from the corner of her mouth and gives out a refreshing “ahhh” as she leaves the fountain.

INT. SHELTER – NIGHT

The little girl walks back in, but suddenly, she stops. She coughs once, then again, and she suddenly falls to the ground, going into convulsions.

Darren, Hannah, and Carl’s attention fix on the little girl. She begins vomiting up some of the water she drank, along with blood. Her eyes turn very bloodshot and her fingernails dig into the floor of the shelter.

The three run over to her and Darren tries calming her down, but it doesn’t seem to work.

HANNAH
Hey! Help! Somebody help us!

People begin to sit up, rubbing their eyes, waking others up. Officers begin running in as Darren tries to control the little girl.

She spurts out blood and it sprays on Darren. He falls back and the little girl becomes motionless, bloody water running down the side of her mouth. Her mom runs past the crowd of people surrounding the girl.

MOM
Oh my God! My baby! What did you do to my baby!

DARREN
I didn’t do anything!

The mother begins rocking her dead daughter, humming a quiet lullaby, squeezing her tightly.

OFFICER
What is going on here?

MOM
(Sobbing)
My baby...my baby...

The little girl wakes up and chomps down on her mother’s arm. She screams and throws her daughter on the floor, looking at her bite mark and her daughter and back at her bite mark.

The little girl stands up and the crowd backs away, people crying out loud.

OFFICER
Shoot her! She’s one of them!

Another officer runs in with a handgun. He shoots the little girl and her mom screams out loud even louder. Hannah and Darren look away, but Carl looks at the little girl, studying her.

MOM
No! Brittany! No...!

The woman collapses on the ground and begins bawling. One of the officers helps her up, wrapping a blanket around her. Another officer throws a blanket on the little girl and shakes his head to it.

Carl runs up to the officer.

CARL
Sir, can I speak to you for a moment?

OFFICER
Ha! So you aren’t that crazy after all.

CARL
It’s about the mom.

OFFICER
I can’t talk right now. They’ve gotten in the building and that’s not a good thing.

CARL
(Stopping the officer)
Look it’s going to get a whole lot worse if you don’t listen to me.

OFFICER
What is it?

CARL
Sir, do you know what happens when you are bitten by those things out there?

OFFICER
Does it really matter?

CARL
Well of course it does! What kind of officer are you? You sound like you don’t even know what you are dealing with!

OFFICER
And you do?

CARL
As a matter of fact, I do!

The officer sighs.

OFFICER
What is it?

CARL
Sir, that woman is going to die. She is going to become one of those things out there and she is going to put everyone in there in danger.

OFFICER
How do you know this?

CARL
How do you not?

OFFICER
So you’re saying she’s going to become of them because she’s been bitten?

CARL
Exactly. But I need to talk to her first.

Carl runs over to the insane mother who is rocking in an unrockable chair. She mumbles incoherently as she rocks and Carl kneels down beside her.

CARL
Ma’am...? Ma’am I need you to listen to me.

MOM
(Hysterical)
Listen? You want me to listen to you after I just saw my daughter get killed?

CARL
Well...yeah...Do you know where your daughter went before she died?

MOM
I told her to go get a drink from the water fountain.

CARL
The water fountain, huh?

Carl stands up and looks at the woman’s bite mark. She’s been through enough lately, so he decides to take it easy on her.

CARL
You might want to get that bandaged up so it won’t get infected...

Carl looks behind him and sees Darren and Hannah staring at him. He stares at them back and shakes his head. He walks over to them.

DARREN
What’s going on?

CARL
The girl must’ve had an unseen bite. I don’t know what else could have made her turn.

HANNAH
What are we going to do about her?

Carl looks back at the mom who continues to rock in her chair, staring into space, mumbling to herself.

CARL
We’ll just have to wait.

INT. WOODS – DAY

Two hikers are coming down the mountain, their backpacks stuffed with supplies. One of them carries an empty thermos. They stop next to the river, oblivious to the dead wolf cub stopped by the two rocks, some blood still washing off of it.

The hiker with the thermos bends down and fills it up with water, putting the lid back on. They continue their hike down the mountain.

EXT. WOODS – DAY

They reach the bottom of the mountain and walk to their open jeep. They throw their supplies in the back, including the thermos, which sits on the end of the jeep.

They get in and begin driving off.

EXT. JEEP – DAY

They drive towards the city; trunk door of the jeep begins to rattle. They drive into the city and they pass they city water system.

The jeep crosses the intersection before they are hit by another car running a red light. The trunk door flies open and all the hikers’ supplies fly out, including the thermos.

The thermos flies towards the water system, hitting a rock and busting open, the water splashing into the water system.

INT. WATER – DAY

CLOSE UP

The virus from the wolf cub’s blood begins to multiply rapidly in the water system. The virus moves towards the filtering system and passes through, unable to be filtered.

The virus moves through several pipes, twisting and turning like a large roller coaster. The water begins going into a more narrow pipe and sprays out into a clear glass.

INT. HOME – DAY

A woman fills a glass cup up and gulps it down. She is sweaty and is in a jogging suit. She finishes it off and fills up another glass.

EXT. HOUSE – DAY

A man fills up a tiny pool with a hose for his children who wait eagerly to get in the water.

INT. HOUSE – DAY

A woman watches a cooking show, following the instructions the cook does.

COOK
And now you’re going to want to add about a cup and a half of water into the bowl. But if you want my advice, I would use two and a half cups of water. But don’t tell anyone else that!

The cook winks and the woman walks over to her faucet and begins filling up a cup of water.

FADE TO BLACK