Past the Static (Act 2, Scene 1)
Written by Niomi Dylan Sass
(START OF ACT II)
Scene One: Two is Better Than One
Three hours have gone by. Dylan quietly enters from the upper-window with his bag full of supplies: a filled up gas can, bolt cutters, a machete along with his crowbar, gun, flares and long-range walkie talkie. He unloads his bag onto the desk and turns his walkie on to turn on CHANNEL ONE.
91.1
I just made it back! There wasn’t a soul in sight and I got more supplies there. Thank you again for the help, it means more than you could imagine. I was still scared sh*tless, but mission successful! I think my luck is finally starting to turn around.
Static. No Response. He grabs the gas can and heads towards the generator when he hears a scream for “help” coming from outside. He sets the gas can down and goes to the window to find out what’s happening.
91.1 (CON’T)
Shit, she’s running fast as f*ck…F*ck there’s like three of those deadies following her! Aaaaaannnddd she’s running towards the building, why not?
The voice cries out from offstage: “open the door please, I won’t make it to the second story!” He rushes to the desk to grab the bolt cutters and heads to the chained up front door. He cuts through the steel chain-linked lock and it plops on the floor.
91.1 (CON’T)
I hope I’m not gonna regret this.
He flings the door open and a WOMAN enters tripping on the chain, but instantly getting up. Her clothes tattered and dirty like she has been running for hours, she tries to catch her breath and says.
WOMAN
Close the door! We can wrap the chain back around it!
91.1
I just cut open the lock!
WOMAN
We have to buy ourselves some time to come up with a plan on how to kill those f*cks!
They wrap the chain back around the doors.
WOMAN
Weapons?! I dropped my lucky bat trying to get away from them.
91.1
Here take this!
Dylan grabs the machete off the desk and hands it to the woman. He grabs his crowbar. The three undead start banging on the front door.
WOMAN
If we don’t take them out quickly, the noise could attract more this way.
91.1
Or, or , or we can wait for them to hear something else and run off.
WOMAN
I don’t know about that. There were at least 10 of them on my ass about 30 minutes ago until I ran through the corn fields. There’s only three of them outside right now but those things heard up like sheep. So if those other ones are running by and hear them pounding on the damn door, they’ll join the party.
91.1
You gotta be twisting my tits here. Are you sure we can take them?
WOMAN
We survived this long, right?
91.1
Do we have a choice at this point?
WOMAN
We got one shot! What’s the plan, man?
91.1
Okay… I’ll open one door, you open the other, and we let them run in. I’ll try to get two of them and you get the last one. Don't let them touch you! I am not dying today and neither are you, we got this!
WOMAN
We got this!
They go to the door. As soon as they take the chain off, the dead come barreling through the entrance. One falls to the ground and the other two both set their eyes on the WOMAN. She steadies her footing and is ready to fight.
WOMAN (CON’T)
I don’t think I can take out both!
As she lunges forward to swing her blow at the first dead, Dylan uses the curved part of his crowbar to trip the second dead on the floor, and the third one is stumbling back up from the ground. The WOMAN’s machete hits the first dead’s neck, the dead falls to the ground, twitching and gargle-screaming with the machete lodged in its neck. Dylan pulls the second dead closer to him on the floor, flips his crow bar to the straight part and jabs the undead in the head. The WOMAN runs for the second story as the last undead is chasing her. Dylan tries to pull his crowbar out of the dead but it’s stuck.
WOMAN (CON’T)
He’s right on my ass, I could use some help over here!
91.1
I’m trying lady!
Dylan runs to the desk, grabs a flare, sparks it and yells:
91.1 (CON”T)
Look over here you decomposing c*nt!
This grabs the attention of the last undead. It whips around his focus to Dylan and he throws the flare by the front door. The undead chases after the flare. Dylan pulls out his silencer-equipped handgun. The undead picks up the flare and begins to let out an unworldly scream. Dylan lines up his shot.
91.1(CON’T)
Shut the f*ck up!
With one direct shot to the head, the final undead ceases to yell and falls to the ground.
WOMAN
You had a gun the whole time?
91.1
I was trying to conserve my ammo.
He proceeds to shoot the other two undead in the head.
91.1(CON’T)
For good measure.
WOMAN
So much for conserving ammo.
91.1
I still have three bullets left…Are we cool?
WOMAN
I mean you just saved my life, I kind of owe you one.
91.1
So, we’re cool then?
WOMAN
Thank you, honestly. Not many folks would have helped out. I can’t say I would have done the same these days. You can’t just put your trust into anyone anymore, those times are long f*cking gone. But, I do appreciate it, truly.
91.1
I understand…Should we drag out the bodies—
WOMAN
And close the door? Yes, please, I don’t feel safe talking with that thing wide open.
They both thrust their weapons out of the undead. Then one-by-one drag the corpses out and close the door. The WOMAN starts to chain up the door, again, while Dylan sparks a cigarette.
WOMAN (CON’T)
This set up is nicer than I thought.
91.1
You know about this place?
WOMAN
Anyone with access to a radio knows about this place.
91.1
(Beat)88.8?
WOMAN
(Beat)Hey, how you doing?
Silence.
WOMAN (CON’T)
I know what you’re thinking. I’m a b*tch, I know this, and you know what? This world made me this way and I’ve learned to not be sorry about it either. For this instance, I am terribly f*cking sorry dude—
91.1
I was begging you for help.
WOMAN
I just said I’m a f*cking asshole dude. What more do you want?
Dylan angrily gets in the WOMAN’s face. She doesn’t flinch but slowly begins to put her hands up.
91.1
Give me one good goddamn reason why I shouldn’t throw you out there with those decaying sons-of-b*tches?
WOMAN
Because karmas a b*tch, okay? We got dealt the same damn cards.
Dylan breaks off to the other side of the room.
91.1
What are you talking about lady?
WOMAN
They took down my fucking camp. Unleashed a whole ass horde at our fence. Twelve, people, twelve really good people, dead. Guess who was on guard duty?
The WOMAN gestures to his cigarette.
WOMAN (CON’T)
Can I bum one of those?
Dylan scoffs but lights one then gives it to her.
WOMAN (CON’T)
Thanks.
91.1
You didn’t see them coming?
WOMAN
Not until it was too late. I got in contact with a lady from the military on one of the stations. She said an expedition team was going town-to-town to any settlements to drop off a portion of supplies. Said it was the least they could do for the remaining survivors since all safe zones were contaminated. It sounded too good to be true. She could have won a Tony for that damn performance. It was some real Sarah Paulson-Jessica Lange type commitment. She said if I gave her the coordinates to my location, they’d be sure to arrive by midnight. I gave the b*tch some coordinates a few thousands feet away from where we were actually held up at. Once it reached midnight, I stood there for a few minutes, trying to talk myself into holding out on my doubts, until I finally decided to listen to my gut. I ran back to the camp but I took too long to make a damn decision. I knew this b*tch was lying, and yet I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that was actual support I passed up…I killed them. It was all my fault. As soon as I got back to the camp, I saw those fucking cannibals driving away with the two teens from my camp in their truck. I had to make another decision: run after their car or try to help the others at the camp. I tried to get into our outpost from the front, I couldn’t. I tried the back entrance of the house that leads to the cellar we used as our saferoom. When I opened it, everyone was there besides the two teens, all cramped up in that small room, being torn apart, limb from f*cking limb. I screamed and emptied my clip into as many of the settlers down there as I could. I was not about to let them turn into those things, too. Some of the dead heard me and started chasing me. I ran as fast as I could.
Silence.
WOMAN (CON’T)
What was I supposed to do?
91.1
Maybe not leave your friends for dead?
WOMAN
I deserve that. If you've been what I’ve been through, in order to still be alive, you wouldn’t judge me. Are you done being shady now? I get it, you seriously don’t have to rub it in. I feel like a class ass piece of sh*t, and probably will for the rest of my life.
91.1
You’re right. I’m sorry.
Dylan brings the WOMAN in for a long friendly embrace. She begins to break down crying, then Dylan does, too.
WOMAN
This shit is—
91.1
F*cking stressful, man.
They break apart from the hug. Dylan sparks another cigarette, and they share it.
91.1
So, no one is ever coming to save us, huh?
WOMAN
The only ones left that can do that is ourselves.
91.1
I can’t believe that people who still have a coherent brain are turning against other survivors for their own selfish ass reasons.
WOMAN
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there now. You can’t trust anybody for sh*t now-a-days. Especially that c*nt on station 101.01.
91.1
101.01?!
WOMAN
Yeah, that’s the b*tch that set me up. Why?
91.1
No. It can’t be. She told me she knew how I could save my husband from the cannibals.
WOMAN
Are you yanking my damn chain here? She’s one of those sick f*cks, probably their leader.
91.1
She told me she was a psychic.
Silence.
WOMAN
A what?
91.1
A psychic, a fucking psychic, man, did I stutter?
WOMAN
Military Chief, Psychic? I told you, somebody better give this b*tch a Tony.
91.1
She knew way too much though. She knew about a secret latch to a room here, goons coming to the station, my camp getting overran, and how did she f*cking guess my name was Dylan?
WOMAN
I’m Hayden.
Hayden goes in for a handshake but Dylan doesn’t notice and starts pacing around the room.
91.1
She’s the one who has my husband, then. How did she see us? Where was she getting all this f*cking information—she said she used to work here.
Hayden starts looking around for something.
91.1 (CON’T)
That’s how she knew about the latch. Sh*t, she knew about the goons because she probably sent them, but why would she help me hide?
Hayden continues to search.
WOMAN
That sicko was totally just f*cking with you, dude.
She finds something and points up to the corner of the ceiling.
WOMAN (CON’T)
Look a camera is right f*cking there!
91.1
She was watching me this whole time?! What am I on, the world's worst season of Survivor?
WOMAN
Or the best season of The Traitors.
91.1
Really?
WOMAN
Sorry. How did you not notice a camera though?
91.1
It’s been an extremely long night, okay.
WOMAN
You think it’s still on right now?
91.1
Can’t be, the generator isn’t on.
Dylan grabs his crowbar and moves a chair underneath the camera. He steps up and uses his crowbar to yeet the camera off the wall. He proceeds to smash it up.
91.1 (CON’T)
What am I going to do? How am I going to get him back?
WOMAN
We kill her, trick her using the same mind games. We’ll lure her here.
91.1
Once we turn the generator she’ll probably wonder why her camera isn’t working anymore and be on to us.
WOMAN
But if she reveals she has a camera then the jig is up, and she might just—
91.1
Our lie will just have to be more convincing than hers! Once I turn back on the generator, we can restart the broadcast. I’ll turn to her channel and let her finish what she was saying. She was about to tell me how I could find my husband before the generator ran out of gas.
WOMAN
Probably just trying to use your man to easily lure you to her hideout.
91.1
Well, maybe we should ambush them.
WOMAN
If we go there, you can consider us dead. There is no way to know how many back-wood-people-eaters are at their outpost. If we can lure her here, we can take her out. She thinks you're at this station alone. I can stay hidden and shoot her with that gun of yours. Then, like all organizations with no leaders, they’re gonna crumble.
91.1
Alright, but how are we going to get her here with my husband?
WOMAN
What’s the one thing they can’t resist?
91.1 & WOMAN
Eating people.
WOMAN
Right.
91.1
That gives me an idea! Let’s power up the station and get this show on the road.
Dylan picks up the gas tank, heads to the generator, and fills it up.
91.1(CON’T)
You ready?
WOMAN
I said I owe you, let’s do it.
Dylan powers on the generator. Static.
(END OF SCENE)
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