Chapter 2 Transcript

Music Intro

Narrator
We're Alive, a story of survival, Chapter 2, The Two Things.

Michael
Nothing used to scare me. I didn't fear death and what might be there on the other side if today was my day. That was then and this is now.
(Beat)
We arrived on the top floor after four hours of going through the rest of the building. My eyes were starting to blur, so it took several attempts to bring down the last of those things we found on the ninth floor. There would be time to rest later. We only have one more to go.

Guns loading

Angel
You ready?

Michael
All set. Saul, you good?

SAUL
(Yawn)
Whatever.

Michael
Hey, keep your shit sharp. Only one more to go.

SAUL
Man, ain't no one up here.

Angel
On three. One, Two, THREE!

Door opens, Shotgun blasts

Michael
Fall back!

Bill
Get back, motherfucker!

SAUL
Who the fuck is shooting at us?

Michael
Hold your fire, hold it!
(Beat)
We're not them! We're normal!

BILL
Why don't you peek your head out around the corner and let me see.

Pause for Michael to look around, followed by a shotgun blast, Bill laughs

Michael
Fucking asshole! I am not one of them!

BILL
See! You fall for my tricks. But, I am not going to fall for one of yours.

MICHAEL
Datu, who the hell is this guy?

Datu
It's Bill!!? He owns the building, well, he "inherited" it. I don't know he was still here.

SAUL
Do you want me to open up with the SAW? He only got a shotgun. If I blind fire around the corner, we'll shred him-

MICHAEL
I may hate this fuck, but we're am not going to kill him.

DATU
Why not?!

SAUL
See, Datu agrees with me.

RILEY
Hey, Michael is right. He's only acting in self defense.

PEGS
Maybe you should try reasoning with him?

MICHAEL
What do you think we've been trying to do?

Riley climbs up the stairs a little bit

RILEY
Bill, it's alright. We're here to help. How could I be talking to you right now if I was one of them?

Bill
Maybe your different. Why should I take a chance if I don't have to?

RILEY
You just need to trust us.

BILL
Sure, I'll trust you. Why don't I set my shotgun down so you can come closer and tear my fucking face off like the others?

Pause

MICHAEL
Saul, knife.

Riley
What are you doing? You're not going to-

MICHAEL
I'm just using it for its reflection. Hell if I am sticking my head out again.
(Beat)
Alright, he's created a barricade outside his apartment with furniture. Um.. It's just like the other floors. He's half way down the hall, facing away.
(Sigh)
We don't have a clear shot. Datu, is there any way around?

Datu
Yeah. You could take the elevator to the other side but he has a clear shot of that, too. His penthouse spans most of the floor, with a few rooms along the back. There's no way around.

MICHAEL
Well... At least we know he is not one of them.
(Beat)
Come on, we're going to head back down.

SAUL
We're what?

MICHAEL
Look, we can deal with him later. We will seal off this door. Datu, you have some nails and some wood.

Datu
Yeah, I think so.

MICHAEL
Yeah, alright, lets lock him in. I am more worried about the lobby right now. Let this asshole sit it out.

ANGEL
Alright, Datu and Riley, you seal off the door. Micheal, Saul, and I will head downstairs to the lobby.

Michael
Riley, if he comes out at all and you feel threatened, go ahead and take him out.

RILEY
I am not doing that. Its one thing to shoot one of them, but he's still human.

MICHAEL
Alright, Saul, you watch the door. Riley and Pegs help us in the lobby. After that, we will call it a day.

SAUL
God, what time is it anyway?

ANGEL
Quarter past ten.

MICHAEL
Once you've sealed off, meet us downstairs.

Michael (V.O.)
Roof access was going to be a problem, but we could deal with it later. A man with a twitchy trigger finger was the least of my worries. It's amazing what you can do past the point of exhaustion. Everyone could barely find their feet. But, they knew what was at stake.
(Beat)
We each pulled our part. Putting furniture and doors from upstairs apartments over panes of glass windows. We worked as quietly as we could. Each strike of a nail could be heard by one of those things beyond the darkness. We were lucky that night. Just one of those had seen us, it might have all been over.

Pegs nails in the last nail. They all sound tired due to lack of sleep.

Pegs
That's the last one.

Datu
Good, we're almost out of nails.

MICHAEL
Alright, nice work. We'll get some more when we start doing the supply runs.

PEGS
Supply runs?

Michael
Well, not everything we need is going to be in this building. But, uh, we'll worry about that later.

ANGEL
Alright, uh, everyone take a room on the second floor. No need to spread out, in case something happens.

MICHAEL
Yep, good call.

SAUL
Shit, don't have to tell me twice.

Door to stairwell opens and characters begin to climb up them. voices echo.

Michael
Keep your doors open, so I can call to you if something happens.

ANGEL
Hey, Datu, the water heater still work here?

DATU
Yeah, pretty sure.

ANGEL
Good, 'cause I smell like a fish.

Riley
Well, I know what apartment I want. Pegs, you coming?

Pegs
Yeah, um, just a second. Aren't you coming up, too?

Michael
Uh, no. Someone needs to watch the stairwell, make sure no one gets in while you all are up there.

PEGS
But, you're exhausted. Can't we just, like, block it or something?

MICHAEL
By the time you know something is wrong, it would be too late. It's alright, I will sit in the stairwell with my back against the door. I'm sure to wake up if something tries to get in.

Pegs
Um, okay. Um, goodnight.

MICHAEL
Night, Pegs.

Pegs
Oh and, um, thank you, too. I, I appreciate what you've been doing.

MICHAEL
That's what I am here for.

Pegs
Yeah. Well, night.

Pegs closes the door

MICHAEL
Hey, keep it open!

Pegs opens the door.

Pegs
Sorry, I forgot.

MICHAEL
Oh, man, this is going to be a long night.

Music Bridge

Michael (V.O.)
I remember not being able to the entire night, just kept feeling small vibrations against the door. Maybe they were explosions far off in the distance or just someone moving around up stairs.
(Beat)
It all blurred together as the stairwell gave no sense of time, no light or darkness from the outside. It might have been twelve minutes or twelve hours when I heard the pounding.

Pounding on a door

Michael
Saul, Angel, get down here!

Saul
What? Shit, what time is it?!

Angel
Uh, coming.

Michael
We've got something.

ANGEL
Is it in the lobby?

Michael
I don' know, come on.

ANGEL
Aren't we going to wait for-

MICHAEL
No, no, no, no time, come on!

Lizzy and Todd at the door, saying stuff at the same time

LIZZY
Let us in! Oh god, let us in! Please hurry.

TODD
Please, please, just let us in.

Michael
Front door. Come on, where's the key?

ANGEL
Fuck, it is upstairs in my uniform!

MICHAEL
Go get it!

LIZZY
Oh god.

Michael
Getting the key. Hold on, how many are you?

Todd
Just two of us, man. Please, please let us in. Oh, oh shit, there they are.

The famous Zombie Call

LIZZY
God, There coming. Please, let us in.

MICHAEL
Damn it. Step away from the door.
(shot fired, chain breaks, door opens)
Get inside.
(Pause as zombie runs towards them)
Get over here.

Todd gets attacked

Lizzy
TODD!!! Let go! we need to get him!

Michael
Oh shit! Get in the stairwell.

Another famous zombie call as the two run to the stairwell, the door closes.

Angel
They're inside?

Michael
It's too late.

Angel
What the fuck happened?

Michael
I had to shoot the lock.

Angel
You what?

LIZZY
We have to go out there. Please. Todd is still out there. Please!

MICHAEL
Get over here! I can't hold this door on my own.

SAUL
Hey, you guys need help?

Michael
Where the fuck have you been?

SAUL
I was, I was upstairs-

MICHAEL
Just get Datu. Find whatever you can to board up this door. They keep pounding like this and the hinges are going to go.

LIZZY
Please, please, you need to do something.

Angel
Look we can't, don't you understand what just happened?

LIZZY
Todd, he can't be dead! He just can't be dead.

RILEY
What happened?

LIZZY
Todd!

MICHAEL
Riley, take her upstairs.

LIZZY
No! No, I don't want to go.

RILEY
Come on, come with me.

LIZZY
We have to go back.

RILEY
I know. Come on, there we go. It's alright.

LIZZY
Todd is all I have left. He is all I have left.

MICHAEL
Poor girl.

ANGEL
Who cares?

MICHAEL
Excuse me? You, of all people, should have some sympathy.

ANGEL
You jeopardized everyone's life by letting them in. You could not have made it to this door in time and everyone upstairs would be dead or worse by now.
(Beat)
Sympathy aside, This is an entirely different situation.

MICHAEL
Well, maybe I did make a bad choice, but we saved one more person. And it could have ended badly, but it didn't.

ANGEL
Some use that girl is going to be. She's a mess. What good will come of this?

MICHAEL
What good is she to us? You need to shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you. I don't care what bars are on your shoulder.

ANgel
Look, you may not like it, but I am right. I need to focus on the mission and the safety of everyone as a whole. I need to make the call when it comes to someone living or dieing. Is one person out there really worth all of the people upstairs?

MICHAEL
Shh, listen to that. I think they are leaving.

Datu
Here, this should hold them.

ANGEL
Do it. We'll keep holding the door.

MICHAEL
Just keep doing it. Make it go all the way across, so we can remove it when we need to.

DATU
Got it.

Hammering of Nails

ANGEL
Alright, that should do it.

DATU
One more for me.

ANGEL
Saul?

Saul
Right here.

ANGEL
Watch the door. Michael needs a break.

SAUL
hey, hey, I am sorry that.....

ANGEL
Look, don't be sorry. Just do it.

Michael and Angel go to the second floor.

MICHAEL
where is she?

DATU
Riley took her into their room. She was pretty shook up.

ANGEL
Don't worry about her.
(Beat)
Here we are. Saul and I stayed in here last night.

RILEY
What's wrong with him? Is he ok?

ANGEL
Uh, he is just exhaused.

MICHAEL
how is the girl doing?

RILEY
Oh, Lizzy should be alright. I found some meds in the cabinet to calm her down.

MICHAEL
Thanks.

ANGEL
Quit stalling and move it already.

Michael (V.O.)
There wasn't much I remember after that. Seconds after hitting the mattress, my whole world went black.
(Beat)
When I woke, it was already morning. Someone had taken off my shoes and pants, but I wasn't about to ask who. For a minute, I had forgotten what happened to the world. The morning sunlight burned by eyes. The place seemed so different with the lights on. The smell was different, too. Pancakes.

SAUL
Oh, Shit, look who's up already.

MICHAEL
How long was I out?

SAUL
It's Friday.

MICHAEL
(Confused)
I slept 24 hours?

SAUL
There was no waking you up, Sarge.

MICHAEL
Wait, Where is everyone? What's going on?

SAUL
Relax. Nothings happened. They stopped pounding on the door about an hour after we boarded it up. Well, we haven't heard anything since. Angel is watching it right now.

MICHAEL
And the others?

SAUL
Oh, they are gathering supplies from the other apartments. Man, you should have seen them speed off after that. Something about raiding other people's shit just lit them up.

MICHAEL
You make some of those for me?

Saul
Hm. Like I am not going to take care of my sarge. besides, got to use up the eggs before they go bad. The girls are gathering up everything that expired in the building. We are going to have some feast tonight.

MICHAEL
Man, you have no idea how good those smell right now.

SAUL
When was the last time you ate?
(beat)
When my cooking smells good, you know there is something wrong with you.

MICHAEL
(eating)
Oh, god, these are great, Saul. You having some?

SAUL
(Laughs)
I already had a full stack. Go nuts.
(Beat)
Hey, I overheard what Angel said to you in the stairwell.

MICHAEL
(Eating)
You did? yeah, well...

SAUL
He is an ass, don't listen to him. You did what you had to do.

MICHAEL
(Eating)
Yeah, but, um, he was right in a way. I could have done some damage.

SAUL
You know what? You did a hail marry pass and that shit wasn't intercepted, so, it's alright. Everyone just appreciates the win. Especially me.

MICHAEL
What does that mean?

SAUL
Oh, you know what I mean.

MICHAEL
Uh, uh, out with it.

SAUL
Lizzy, man. That is one fine piece of ass. I mean, we have to start repopulating, right? Think about it.

MICHAEL
Hey, her boyfriend was killed by those things like a day ago. I don't think you have much of a chance.
(Beat)
Wait, what happened to your girl? The one you keep on trying to call.

SAUL
I am sure she is not going to mind. But, Lizzy! I may not have a chance right now. But give it some time, I mean, we are going to be stuck here for a while and let's face it, look at our other options. Pegs, sure she is cute and all. But, pretty fucking uptight if you ask me. She won't even touch a gun. What the hell is up with that?

MICHAEL
Have you even talked to her? I wouldn't go judging before you get to know her.
(Beat)
Not everyone grew up with guns like you did, OK? I didn't until the military. She may be really afraid of them. I don't know. Maybe something happened to her and someone she cared about got hurt.

SAUL
So, I guess you thought about this a lot, huh.

MICHAEL
I am just trying to figure everyone out. That Intel side of me. The more I know the better I can deal.

SAUL
Whatever. As I was saying. Now, Riley is on the other side of the corner. I don't mind a little bit of her spunk but I like to be the one in charge of a relationship. OK, she is like a WOman, if you know what I mean.

MICHAEL
it seems like you have been thinking about this a lot.

SAUL
Yeah, well, it beats thinking about whatever else is out there. Gives me hope and something to look forward to. I mean, it is a pretty small pond now. I might have a chance.

MICHAEL
WOW.

Knocking on the door.

SAUL
Who is it?

RILEY
It's Riley.

SAUL
Shit, you think she heard us?

MICHAEL
Come in!

RILEY
(Enters)
Hey, we were going through upstairs and we found this! Look's like a Colt 45.

MICHAEL
Wow, you know your guns. Any ammunition?

RILEY
Just a box, here.

MICHAEL
You find anything else interesting?

PEGS
Yeah, Lizzy is upstairs gathering medicine from everyone's cabinets and bringing them down here.

SAUL
Why here?

RILEY
See, that is why I wanted to talk to you. I was thinking maybe we should have a little store or something that we keep everything valuable. That way we know what we have and what we need. If someone gets hurt, and we need antibiotics, we wouldn't go looking through every room to find it.

MICHAEL
That's a good idea. You run up Angel, he's the officer.

RILEY
I thought I could run it by you and maybe you can mention it to him.

SAUL
Or why don't you just do it? Why are you asking us in the first place?

PEGS
Well, cause you're in charge. Not Angel, right?

SAUL
What?

MICHAEL
Pegs, technically Angel is an officer. So, he's higher up then me.

RILEY
But, you have more experience, right? You actually know what you are doing.

MICHAEL
I knew this might come up. um....
(Beat)
Look, Angel is an officer, which means he is trained to look at the big picture. To look at the overall mission. Sometimes I need to be reminded of that. I am supposed to look after how we get the mission done and to look after all of you. It's just how it works.

RILEY
Still, I feel better talking to you. Would you mind talking to him about it?

MICHAEL
Well, I will do that, but you can go ahead and get started on the shop.

RILEY
Thanks, Michael.

MICHAEL
Wait, where are you setting up?

RILEY
There was a large three bedroom at the end of the hall. Its big enough.

MICHAEL
hmm. And your idea.... it's very clever. Nice work.

Pegs
Thanks.

RILEY
Pegs? How about you go find Lizzy and help her out? I'll catch right up.

PEGS
You sure? I mean I can wait for you and...

RILEY
No, no, no, It's alright. Just go, go, OK?

PEGS
Oh, OK.

Pegs leaves the room.

RILEY
Please, would one of you give her something to do? She hasn't left me alone for more than two seconds.

MICHAEL
Well, I am not sure what we can do about that right now. The garden on the roof is a great idea, but until we clear out Bill, she needs to do something else.

RILEY
Uh, But she is driving me crazy. Ever since I took her to the roof of the flower shop, she hasn't left my side.

MICHAEL
Well, you found your niche, the store. Why don't you put her in charge of something so she has a niche as well?

SAUL
What about the power? Or the water! What if we run out? uh, maybe have her fill up all the bath tubs in the building? No matter when it goes, we'll have a decent supply.

RILEY
Hmm, I like that. It's great. Uh, I will go and let her know.

MICHAEL
Where's Datu?

RILEY
He is with Angel. Why?

MICHAEL
Saul, you give me an idea.