Mad World Pilot episode: Act Four

Mad World Pilot episode: Act Four.  

This is the last act of the pilot episode.  David and two of his friends are at his library awaiting the zombie apocalypse to begin.  After failing to rescue Nora, his friend, he must plan his next move as his preparations are slowly falling apart. 

Here are the Teaser , Act One , Act Two ,  Act Three . 

ACT FOUR

EXT. NORA’s HOUSE

Bloody footprints trail up the wide cement path to Nora’s house.  Bloody hand streaks mar the white porch near the open front door.  A PAIR OF BARE FEET can be seen just inside the gaping entrance.

DAVID

You ready? 

Solomon looks at the house. 

SOLOMON

That’s a lot of blood.

DAVID

Yea, it is. You don’t have to do this.  You can stay in here with Slick, I’ll go in.

SOLOMON

I’m sorry Dave, I can’t go.

David gets out of the car.  Solomon watches a determined David walk in front of the car.

SOLOMON

Dammit. 

Solomon gets out of the car.

David nods at him.  They make their way up to the house.

DAVID

Ok. Stay behind me.

David and Solomon quickly walk up the staircase.   

Slick sits in the back seat of the car watching. 

INT. NORA’S HOUSE

Nora’s mom lies dead on the floor.  Her face, neck, and chest a bloody mess of torn flesh. 

SFX. Consistent rhythmic pounding.

DAVID

(whispering)

Solomon, stay behind me. 

Solomon nods.  He keeps glancing down at Nora’s mom.

UPSTAIRS

David and Solomon slowly creep up the stairs.  David has his pistol pointed in the direction of the noises. 

A young man throws himself against the door at the end of the hall.  The door is a mess of blood and shattered wood. 

Solomon freezes in fear just at the top of the stairs.   

David looks back briefly, he nods at Solomon.  He makes a signal to wait. 

David turns back to the Zombie at the end of the hall.

DAVID

NORA!!

The zombie stops suddenly mid step.  It quickly turns to David and charges down the hall. 

David flinches slightly as he fires the gun inside the small confines of the hallway. 

The body falls lifeless on the carpet. 

A second zombie emerges from an open door at the end of the hall.  This zombie is a large man with a gore filled beard.

David pulls the trigger again.  GRAY SMOKE WAFES IN FRONT OF HIS FACE.  The zombie’s dead weight shakes the HAPPY FAMILY PICTURES on the walls as it slams onto the floor. 

David rubs his ear. 

DAVID

(deaf yelling)

Damn, that was loud. 

David steps over the two dead zombies.  He looks into the second room that the big zombie came from. 

A man in torn and bloody pajamas lies near the bed.

David looks down the hall way to Solomon. 

DAVID

NORA? TYLER? YOU GUYS HERE? IT’S DAVID. 

No answer.

David tries the door knob.  It turns. 

DAVID

(Puzzled)

It was unlocked. 

David pushes a few times and the door barely opens. 

BEDROOM

A large dresser is pushed behind the door.  David pokes his head into the room.

Tyler’s empty bedroom is messy.  His unmade bed is next to an open window and his clothes are scattered in random piles.  It’s a typical 13 year olds room.

David squeezes through the doorway.

DAVID

Solomon!? They aren’t here. 

A blanket is tied to the bed post and hangs out the window.

DAVID

You’re kidding me.

He looks out the window and

Solomon comes running into the room.  He SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT and braces himself against it. 

David turns around and

Something slams into the door. 

SOLOMON

Two more.  They came running into the house.

David runs over to the door to help. 

DAVID

This door isn’t going to hold much longer.  Push that dresser back over here. 

Solomon reaches over and pulls the dresser back against the door. David slides around the dresser and braces it against the door.     

DAVID

Ok, see that window.

SOLOMON

No way?!

David nods. 

DAVID

You go first, I’ll hold this.  Then I’ll follow.

SOLOMON

Ok.

Solomon nods. 

DAVID

GO!

As Solomon steps away from the dresser the door opens.  A bloody arm shoots in.  David throws all his weight back against the dresser and bones snap in the forearm of the arm. 

SOLOMON

Shit!!!

DAVID

Hurry, SOL!!

Solomon begins to climb out of the window.  He quickly disappears below the windowsill.  As he climbs further down the bedpost begins to snap. 

DAVID

SOL!!! IT’S BREAKING, DROP FROM THERE!!!

EXT. NORA’S HOUSE

Solomon looks down.  He lets go and falls to the ground.  He quickly gets to his feet and pulls his gun out of his belt. 

SOLOMON

OKAY, DAVID!!! COME ON!!

Solomon looks over to the street, EMPTY.  He looks toward the backyard, EMPTY.   

He turns around to the downstairs window and

Nora’s mother stands in the window.  Blindly she stumbles against the window.  Lace curtains stick to her skinless face.  Her throat gurgles in muffled moans.

Solomon staggers back.  He points his gun at her.

INT. BEDROOM

The door is splintering on the inside as the pounding continues. 

DAVID

SOL, Here I come. 

David takes a deep breath.  In a mad dash he leaves the door.  The dresser falls.

The door flies open.

David is at the window.  He throws his legs out the window, sits on the sill briefly to see

The zombies trip over the fallen dresser and a basket of dirty laundry next to the door.  One zombie’s frantic grasps pull the other zombie down. 

David slides off the window sill, grabs the blanket and

CUT TO: BEDPOST SNAPPING

DAVID

SHIT SOL!!!

David slams into the ground. 

David looks up to see two zombies grabbing and struggling in the bedroom window.  He looks up at Solomon who is watching the first floor window.

Nora’s mother claws at the window.

DAVID

Little help, Sol?

SOLOMON

Sorry. 

David limps a little as they make their way to the car. 

SOLOMON

She’s blind.  She can’t see us. 

DAVID

We need to hurry.

INT. CAR

Solomon sits behind the wheel.  He suddenly bursts into laughter.

David smiles.

SOLOMON

What the hell?  Those were zombies.  We just climbed out a two story window to get away from them and Nora’s mother is probably still clawing at the downstairs window. 

DAVID

No, she’s right there.

David points to the house. 

Solomon looks over. 

Nora’s mom is blindly stumbling her way through the front door.  As she gets one foot out the door the two zombies from upstairs come crashing out.  They all spill onto the porch. 

SOLOMON

Can we leave now?

DAVID

Yea, let’s get out of here. 

EXT. LIBRARY

Solomon’s car comes to a stop in front of the library.   Dillon’s lifeless body still lies in the street.

INT. CAR

Solomon stares at the body.  

SOLOMON

How bad do you think it is? 

DAVID

I don’t know, Sol.

EXT. LIBRARY

Solomon and David run up the sidewalk to the library and quickly up the steep stairs.  David and Sol stop at the top of the stairs.   

SFX. SCREAMS and GUNSHOTS

INT. LIBRARY

A chain rattles through the thick cast iron door handles.  David snaps a padlock on it. 

DAVID

I’m going to leave the key in the lock, just in case we have to get out in a hurry. 

David and Solomon leave the front doors to the library.  They walk across the lobby and

Margaret sits at the info desk. 

MARGARET

You boys ok? 

David and Solomon are startled.

MARGARET

Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you.

They walk over to the info desk.

DAVID

How long have you been here? 

MARGARET

Shortly after you called.

DAVID

Are you ok?

Margaret stands up.

MARGARET

I’m fine, I wasn’t bitten.

SOLOMON

You know?!

DAVID

How did you figure it out?

MARGARET

I’ve worked for you a long time David; and I’ve come to learn a lot about you, your notebooks, and the cage downstairs.  I’ve also been making preparations.

She points to a small red wagon loaded with boxes. 

DAVID

Margaret, you’re one clever old lady.

MARGARET

Thank you, David.

INT. LIBRARY

David snaps his cell phone close.  Solomon and Margaret look over at him from the large windows at the front of the library.

DAVID

No answers.  I’ve called everyone else and all I get are voicemails. 

MARGARET

I’m sure Nora is fine. 

SOLOMON

Who else did you call?

David pulls out his notebook.  He flips a few pages and comes to a list of names.

DAVID

You and Margaret, Officer Sarah Allen and her partner Matt, Doctor Puntz, Andy, Nora, Ben Williams but I’m not really worried about him, he lives outside of town, and then the Mercers, Alfred and Renee, I think they’re probably up at the school...

SFX. SCHOOL BELL IN THE DISTANCE

MARGARET

Oh, David, the kids. 

EXT. SIERRA VERDE LIBRARY

The first bell of the morning from Roosevelt school, two blocks from the library, stops ringing.  No kids have arrived at the school.  Teachers are in the parking lot, waiting to enter the building. 

The rear entrance to the school is unlocked by a man dressed as a janitor and the teachers all enter the school.

A woman runs up before the door can close.  She throws the door open, and run inside.  Blood smears the edge of the white door.  Three others run into the building.

SFX. SCREAMS OF FEAR AND RAGE

FADE OUT.

    

END OF ACT FOUR

END OF PILOT EPISODE