Ext. RUINED SUBURBS - LATE AFTERNOON
A YOUNG MAN tattered by survival is walking nonchalantly down the middle of a desolate and demolished street. His footsteps echos out into the air, a crow “caws” in the distance. He smirks silently to himself even though he looks worse for wear.
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The street is littered with abandoned cars, the orange glow from the sun reflects off of their metal. It is not likely that the young man will be run over, the once busy suburbia is just a ghostly version of itself. He passes ransacked colonial style houses with empty front yard playgrounds. Perching his head up, there is the sound of bicycle clanging ahead of him.
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1st Person POV - Young man
A STRANGER in a dirty red hoodie is cycling towards the young man, a wooden baseball bat pokes out from the duffle bag securely wrapped around the back. The hood cloakes the stranger’s face.
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1st Person POV - Stranger
There are dirty and bruised hands on the handlebars while the young man draws closer and closer in front of us.
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1st Person POV - Young man
Just before the masked rider speeds by the young man, the hood blows back off of her head. The stranger is a GIRL with big brown eyes and short hair.
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While heading towards the camera, the young man smiles and blurts out.
YOUNG MAN
He-Hello!
The female cyclist passes the young man out of shot. He shuts his eyes for a moment and then opens them, shrugging off the chance meeting.
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The young man continues his route.
GIRL
(V.O.)
Hey!
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The girl slowly glides back into the shot and slows down beside the young man. Stepping off her bike, she shoulders it and keeps pace with him.
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The two travelers leisurely meander through the apocalyptic environment of the background.
GIRL
Do I know you?
YOUNG MAN
No… I don’t think so.
GIRL
Are you from the neighborhood? I mean- before or after?
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Sitting in the backseat among the fallen passengers of a vehicle, through the broken glass from the window of the driver’s side door the young man and girl come into the shot.
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The couple’s head turn as they leave behind a disabled minivan with a compressed front and the remains of a family that did not survive.
YOUNG MAN
(V.O.)
After…
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Their pace slows as they continue through the suburbs.
GIRL
Do you have food? Do you have a place to stay?
They stop and face each other.
YOUNG MAN
Not really…
GIRL
I found extra food. My place is not far, we can get there before it gets dark.
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Ext. HOUSE - SUNSET
The travelers stop in front of an old white victorian with cracked windows and hanging panes. The large wooden panel front doors are wide open, the front yard is filled with furniture and miscellaneous household items.
YOUNG MAN
(V.O.)
This is uh… Where you stay?
GIRL
(V.O.)
Not really… Come on, I’ll show you.
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EXT. SIDE OF HOUSE - SUNSET
Along the side of the house in a walkway narrowed by the neighbors weatherbeaten fence, the couple reach the outer entrance to the basement.
GIRL
This is an old house. I don’t think it had a basement like this.
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The basement’s angled metal shutters are tightly sealed by an elaborate chainlink with a lock. Above it on the side of the house is a small rectangular sliding glass window. The young man examines the lock.
GIRL
Whoever lived here was planning for something. I don’t think they expected what happened.
YOUNG MAN
Did anyone…
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The young man shakes the chains.
GIRL
I never got that to open. But I can get in easy enough.
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The girl lets the bike fall onto the ground.
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She fingers the small sliding glass window, it slides jaggedly and sticks several times before she has it ajar. She takes off her duffle bag squeezing it and the bat through the opening.
GIRL
Mi casa es su casa.
The girl lays flat on the shutters to the basement and inches into the side window. The young man sees her feet disappear.
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INT. Basement - Night
Inside, the basement is trashed. Whatever was organized is now spilled and cluttered. As the young man slides in with relative ease from the side window collapsing to a conveniently placed mattress, the girl is frantically rummaging through the room.
GIRL
Shit, shit, shit!
Shit, shit, shit!
The young man picks himself up, keeping distance from the girl.
GIRL
Shit, shit, shit! How the hell did this happen again!
She screams in frustration, picks up her bat and starts swinging it at shelves and other breakable furniture.
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The young man’s eyes follow the girl’s hysterical violence.
FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. House - DAY
1st Person POV
From across the street, the girl climbs out of the side window of the old victorian house. She puts on her bag, slides her bat into it, gets on her bike and rides out of shot. The camera races towards the side of the house.
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The young man frantically jerks on the chain and lock of the basement doors. He then finds the window.
MONTAGE OF DIFFERENT DAYS AND INSTANCES
A) The girl leaves, the young man enters the basement through the window.
B) The young man exits with assorted food spilling out of his arms.
C) The girl leaves again, the young man enters and emerges with bottles of water.
D) The girl leaves again, the young man re-enters
E) In one instance the young man leaves with only an apple.
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INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Falling to her knees the girl drops the bat and hides her face in her hands.
GIRL
(Sobbing)
Who is doing this to me?
The young man approaches her and kneels beside her. He slowly embraces her.
YOUNG MAN
I-I love you…
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