Mad World Pilot episode Act Two

Mad World Pilot episode: Act Two.  The Zombie virus has made its way into Sierra Verde but is still in hiding.  This is the last day that the citizens of the quiet town will have to themselves in a normal world.  

Here are the Teaser and Act One.

ACT TWO

INT. JOHN RILEY’S HOME – LATE AFTERNOON

POV SOMEONE WALKING INTO ROOM – JOHN SLEEPING

John is in a fitful sleep.  His eyes are ringed in gray.  His face is shiny with sweat.  He tosses as if in a nightmare. 

A small hand reaches for John’s shoulder.

John is startled awake before the hand touches him. 

RETURN TO SCENE

DARLA RILEY, 5, stands next to the bed.  She has a crayon picture in her other hand and her stuffed bunny tucked under her arm.

DARLA

Daddy, You ok?

JOHN

Yea, Darly, I’m just a little tired. 

John looks at the alarm clock.

INSERT – DIGITAL CLOCK - 4:27. 

JOHN

Oh, But daddy’s ready to get up now. 

John gets up and sits on the edge of the bed. 

DARLA

Here you go daddy, I made this for you.

John takes the picture.  It’s a series of crudely drawn people with red covering their mouths.  They each hold a body part and some are eating them.

He goes to question it but then.

DARLA

It’s you, me and mommy playing in the backyard.

John looks again and it is just as she said.  John, Rebecca, and Darla in the backyard, the family dogs are with them.

JOHN

Darly, that’s nice.  Where’s mommy?

DARLA

She’s in the kitchen.  Making dinner.  Daddy your hand is bleeding.

John’s bandages are soaked through with blood.

JOHN

Oh, watch out honey!

John rushes into the master bathroom.  He grabs a towel. 

BLOOD SPLATTERS on the clean white surface of the sink as John un-wraps his bandages.  The skin around the bite is dark red.  Striations cover the rest of his hand like a spider web.

DARLA

Daddy you’re bleeding on the sink.

The skin around his stitches is swollen.

JOHN

Go get mommy, honey.

Darla runs through the house her STUFFED BUNNY SWINGS by its ears.  She slides to a stop in the brightly lit kitchen.  Rebecca stands at the sink washing vegetables.

DARLA

Mommy, daddy’s sick.

REBECCA

I know honey, let him sleep.

DARLA

No, he’s bleeding on the bathroom sink. He said you need to come.

Darla grabs her mom’s pant leg and pulls her.

REBECCA

Okay. Hold on. 

She grabs a towel and dries her hands as Darla drags her through the house.

INT. MASTER BATH

John is unconscious on the floor.  Blood is smeared on the sink counter top, down the cabinet doors and pooled on the crisp white tile around his infected hand.

REBECCA

John!! 

Rebecca rushes to her husband’s body. She wraps his hand in the dishtowel. 

REBECCA

Darla, bring me the phone! 

Darla runs over, grabs the phone next to the bed. 

DARLA

What’s wrong, Mommy!

REBECCA

(Dialing 911)

Don’t worry, Darly, He’s going to be fine.

INT. CACTUS SPADE BAR – EARLY EVENING

The bar is dark.  Two men play pool at one of the three pool tables.  JARED SPRUCE, 45, wipes down the bar.  He walks over to two men sitting at the end of the bar. 

JARED

Refill?

He takes their empty glasses.  SOLOMON CHASE, a muscular middle aged, black man, shrugs.

SOLOMON

Sure, Andy’s at the shop.  One more couldn’t hurt.

Dillon Spruce barges through door. Before the door can close TONYA CRUZ, a scruffy, mid twenties woman, hurries in behind Dillon. 

DILLON

Damn it, Tonya! Go home!  You’ve been babying me all freaking day long.  Let me alone. 

TONYA

No, Dillon, Doc Puntz said you need to be resting in case your bite gets infected. 

Tonya grabs Dillon’s hand to stop him but he jerks it away.

DILLON

I just want to drink some beers then I’ll go home. 

The other people in the bar watch.

Tonya grabs Dillon’s left hand which is red and a little swollen.  Dillon winces and quickly pulls away. In anger he slaps Tonya. 

The on lookers at the bar turn away. 

Tonya shrinks away, one hand on her cheek.  She begins to cry as she leaves the bar.

Dillon nurses his left hand as he walks over to the bar.  Jared walks over. 

JARED

I told you not to bring that girl in here?  She’s crazy.

DILLON

I don’t care.  After the day I had I don’t want to hear your crap.  Just give me a beer.

Jared pours Dillon a beer and sets it in front of Dillon’s left hand.

JARED

Jesus, what happen to your arm?

Dillon takes the beer in his right hand and chugs it down.

DILLON

Give me another.

Jared refills the empty glass.

DILLON

You guys know John Riley? Well he picked up a couple of Mexicans this morning.  One of them, get this, one of them tried to play dead and when we dropped him in the body bag I guess it pissed him off and the damn spic got up and bit me. 

Solomon and Brian are listening in. 

JARED

What?!  Why was he playing dead? 

DILLON

Who knows?  Maybe he thought we’d just let him go, stupid Wet backs. 

Dillon finishes off the second beer.

BRIAN

What happen to him?

DILLON

What do you think?  He went to attack John and I pulled out my gun

(miming the action)

And I took a bead on the nappy head of that Mexican and I

(points finger at brian’s head)

Kapow!!

SOLOMON

You killed him?

DILLON

Yep, blew the top of his head off.

Dillon taps his empty glass on the bar. Jared refills it.

SOLOMON

Shouldn’t you be at home, or getting counseling?

DILLON

Counseling for what? He was a criminal.  He attacked two federal agents.  I was just defending me and my partner.

He stands up from his barstool.

DILLON

Pool anyone?

JARED

How you gonna play pool with that hand? 

DILLON

Darts anyone, my right hand still works fine when it’s not holding a beer.

Brian looks back at SOLOMON.  SOLOMON shrugs.

BRIAN

I’ll play ya. 

Brian and Dillon walk away from the bar with beers in hand. 

BRIAN

(To Dillon)

So have you killed anyone else?

Jared walks over to Solomon.

JARED

Want another?

SOLOMON

Nah, I need to go check on the shop

(quietly)

Hey, Jared, I know he’s your cousin and all but watch him tonight.  He might be on some pain meds or antibiotics that don’t mix well with alcohol.

JARED

Ah, he’s fine. 

Solomon gets up and leaves the bar.  Brian and Dillon play darts. 

EXT. CACTUS SPADE- EARLY EVENING

Solomon walks down the sidewalk from the bar, waving as people honk or shout his name.  People are driving home from work and kids are riding their bikes around town.  Two blocks from the Cactus Spade is Solomon’s Tire Repair shop.  The garage door is open.

SOLOMON

Andy? You here?

ANDY

Yea, Boss. 

ANDY CLARK, 23, is dressed in greasy overalls. 

ANDY

Where else would I be?

SOLOMON

Did I miss anything?

ANDY

One of the Keohler Boys called, wanting to know if their parts came in for the dune buggies.  I guess they have a race next month.

SOLOMON

Yea.  I’ll call’em tomorrow. 

ANDY

And old man Jefferies called.  Something about his riding lawn mower and his grass is knee high now. 

SOLOMON

(chuckles)

That man has a five foot square patch of grass in his back yard and he needs a riding lawn mower. 

Andy and Solomon stand in the garage entrance, watching the evening traffic.

SOLOMON

He wants me to deliver the mower to him.  I’ll throw it in the back of the truck and drop it off tomorrow.  Can you be here early so I can make the rounds?

ANDY

Sure, boss.  Seven early enough?

SOLOMON

Yea. 

ANDY

Later boss.

ANDY

Hey, wanna join me for a beer?

SOLOMON

Nah, thanks though. 

SOLOMON goes through the garage locking everything up. 

PHONE RINGS

SOLOMON raises the garage door back up.  He answers the phone inside the garage.

SOLOMON

Solomon’s Repair. 

INT. SIERRA VERDE LIBRARY

David is closing up the library.  He’s on his cell phone on his way out the door.

DAVID

SOLOMON, this is David, you wanna grab a beer?

SOLOMON

Actually, Dave, I just came from there.  How about coffee tomorrow at the Donut shop?  I have some errands to run early so we can get there right when they open.

DAVID

Sounds good. I’ll call you.

SOLOMON

Great, see you in the morning.

Solomon hangs up. 

EXT. SIERRA VERDE LIBRARY

David stands at the top of the steep library stairs and looks around.  Someone honks and waves.  He smiles and waves back. 

END OF ACT TWO