EXT. DARKWING HELICOPTER – AERIAL SHOT – LATER THAT MORNING

The majestic darkwing cuts through the air with a strange grace. It sails toward the downtown core of TORONTO. While the city’s skyline is usually an ultra-urban collection of skyscrapers and huge domed buildings, it is now a landscape of destruction and chaos.

It is hard to deny the former presence of the military: buildings have been destroyed, streets have been bombed, cars smashed to oblivion. Abandoned, gore-spattered tanks adorn every intersection. The very world that people have once held dear has been turned upside and inside out.

And still, the undead march through the city streets, scavenging for whatever leftovers of humanity they can find. Without any immediate human presence, the zombies are listless and confused.

Aside from the ever present ghouls, the streets are littered with decaying bodies of people too mutilated to become zombies.

JILL, CLIVE, GHOST, BECCA, and ASHFORD watch this chilling aftermath of entropy from a bird’s eye view.

INT. DARKWING HELICOPTER – CONT’D

Chilled to their very souls, nobody dares speak as Jill flies them over the ruins of their former city. That is, until Ghost decides to break the silence.

GHOST

The Air Canada Centre. Look at

the fucking Air Canada Centre.

Everyone’s glance drifts towards the ACC, which has been reduced to nothingness. Crawling through the ashes are the pale, ghastly bodies of the undead. Glumly, Jill takes her eyes off of it and spies something even more devastating in the distance.

JILL

Holy Jesus.

The top dome of the C.N. Tower is on fire. Black soot and smoke rises into the air; the very reason why the sky has been blackened, despite it being late morning.

It’s a terrible, sobering sight. Jill does her best to hang on.

JILL

This is bigger than I thought.

CLIVE

Just keep flying, Jill.

JILL

Our good friend Bruce didn’t

exactly leave us with a full

tank of gas. We have to set

down somewhere eventually.

Ghost eyes Ashford in the backseat, chained to the passenger side door. He’s rocking himself gently. Ghost leans forward towards Jill, his voice dropping to a whisper.

GHOST

Was it entirely necessary to

bring Dr. Strange along for

the ride?

JILL

(offended)

As opposed to what?

GHOST

Uh, leaving him for dead?

He threatened you with a GUN,

Jean. I didn’t think it was

that hard to get on your

badside.

JILL

Look, we’ll figure out what

to do with him later. Right

now, nobody gets left behind.

Becca, meanwhile, spies a metal suitcase underneath her seat. She leans down and brings it out, only to discover several more metal suitcases with it. Like a kid at Christmas, she practically rips the suitcase open to discover… dozens of boxes of HANDGUN BULLETS.

Clive takes notice of this and opens another suitcase. Nothing but shotgun shells. He opens another one – three magnum guns. Another suitcase – more bullets.

Clive smiles for the first time in what feels like forever.

GHOST

Look – there!

Everyone immediately looks below, to see a series of railroad tracks.

GHOST

It’s the only sort of

transportation that hasn’t

been fucked up with traffic.

The railroads are stone clear.

It’ll lead us right out of

the city.

JILL

Sounds good to me.

GHOST

How much gas does this thing

have left?

JILL

Another ten minutes, I’d

say. Where’s the nearest

freight station?

CLIVE

Right by Canada Meat Packers. My…

He stops himself, but he’s already gathered everyone’s attention. Ghost raises an eyebrow. Taking a breath, Clive says evenly…

CLIVE

My dad used to work there.

GHOST

And what exactly is “Canada

Meat Packers”?

CLIVE

A slaughterhouse.

A beat. Ghost settles back into his seat.

GHOST

Oh.

CUT TO

EXT. CANADA MEAT PACKERS – COURTYARD – LATER

A gigantic series of warehouses sets nestled on the edge of this industrial slice of Toronto. The exterior walls are dashed liberally with rust; intricate streaks of brown and orange, painting a surrealist landscape.

The entire perimeter of this decaying structure is fenced in with tall, stone walls and barbed wire. The darkwing touches down in the middle of the huge parking lot, which is lined on both sides with large big-rigs.

Everybody gathers out. Except for Ashford, they’ve all upgraded their weapons and stocked up on ammo. Clive wears a bullet-holding strap over his shoulder and across his chest. In addition to his handgun and katana, there’s a magnum strapped to his ankle.

Both Ghost and Jill have taken magnums as well, in addition to Jill’s glock and Ghost’s sawed-off shotgun. While Becca still isn’t sporting any guns, she now has an addition machete – a really sleek, chrome, army-standard one. They both rest in sheathes on her back.

A gun jabbed at Ashford’s back, Jill takes a glance around.

JILL

So, this freight station?

CLIVE

It’s over this way, outside

the courtyard.

They all head in the direction with Clive in the lead, until Clive sees that the main gate has been closed.

CLIVE

Oh, fuck. I forgot.

JILL

What?

CLIVE

We can’t go through.

GHOST

Why not? We’ll just shoot the

lock.

CLIVE

A fine theory, but…

Clive stabs a finger towards the large red light hanging above the steel-enclosed gate.

CLIVE

That will go off, and believe

me when I say it’s LOUD. I was

six years old the first time I

came here with my dad, which

also happened to be the first

time the alarm went off, which

also happened to be the first

time I developed an intense

fear of loud noises and

flashing red lights.

JILL

Well, your phobia aside, we

don’t have a choice.

Ghost pauses to think.

GHOST

Actually, we do. Shoot the

lock – alarm goes off – a

whole army of zombies greets

us on our way to the tracks.

CLIVE

Yes, thank you. They’re attracted

to noise. And believe me when I

say that that alarm will have

them creaming themselves.

JILL

So what can we do?

GHOST

Let’s just take the chopper as

far as we can, then. Like I

suggested NUMEROUS times.

JILL

(annoyed)

I drained the chopper dry. Which

I’ve told YOU numerous times.

We can’t go any further on it.

CLIVE

We’ll just have to go through

the slaughterhouse, then. The

exit’s on the other side, it’ll

lead us right to the train station.

On this note, Clive heads toward the front entrance. Everyone follows him, warily. Ghost, annoyed and tired, rubs his forehead.

GHOST

This’ll be a shitload of laughs.

Clive arrives at the front entrance before anyone else. He reaches into his wallet and brings out a keycard – and observes it for a split second –

FLASHBACK: A quick, grainy shot of a younger Clive being carried around on the shoulders of his father, Morgan, in front of this very door. The younger Clive puts the keycard into his mouth.

- and swipes it through the reader. His heart beats a skip faster, and an accepting “DING” opens the heavy front doors. The rest of the gang arrives behind him. Clive regains his composure.

CLIVE

Everyone be careful, and watch

where you step.

He steps into the dark doorway first. Grimacing at the smell, the rest of them follow.

INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE – MAIN FLOOR – CONT’D

Except for the glaring light pouring in from the open front doors, the place is pitch black. Clive gropes the adjacent wall for a light switch. He comes upon several – he flips the first one, and the sound of GRINDING METAL screeches into the air. He flips that one off and tries the next one – and a dim, flickering light turns on.

While it is low, it’s enough to illuminate the gigantic room before them. It’s basically a huge warehouse filled with grating and steel and pipes and huge equipment dedicated to slicing and gutting animal meat.

GHOST

It smells like a cow died,

came back to life, then died

again.

CLIVE

Not just one.

They all start walking through. The light flickers several times more, and goes completely dark for a few seconds. When it comes back on Jill crashes head-on into a shelf of equipment. It tips over and smashes onto the ground in a huge metallic clang. Sharp pieces of razor and blood-spattered knives scatter across the floor.

Becca squeezes Jill’s hand as Jill tries to catch her breath. Ghost is about to say something, but something in the corner of his eye catches his attention.

A tall shadow. It darts away quickly, out of sight.

GHOST

What the hell was that?

Everybody looks around. Another shadow appears on the other side of warehouse. It, too, darts out of sight. Jill, however, is worried for a different reason.

JILL

Where the fuck did Ashford go?

The insane handcuffed doctor is, indeed, nowhere to be seen. Shit.

CLIVE

Fuck him. Just keep moving.

Clearly frustrated, Jill slams a fist against a metal locker and moves along with the rest of the group.

QUICK CUT: The main panel switch that Clive was fiddling with at the front of the room. A pair of cuffed hands come into frame and flips on the very first switch.

Several working machines in the warehouse suddenly BLARES TO LIFE. That familiar clanging of metal against metal rises into the air. Buzz saws, meat grinders, and steel presses groan as they do their repeated duty.

The chaotic, disturbing symphony of metal makes it hard for anyone to hear each other, even as Ghost calls attention to the shadows reappearing along the walls.

QUICK CUT: The same pair of cuffed hands leaning over a buzz-saw, and cutting the chain link between the cuffs right off.

The strained groaning grows louder and louder, until it becomes more than apparent that it’s not just the machinery that’s making noise.

Ghost ducks just in time as a long chain with a hook on the end of it comes swinging towards him. He looks back in horror to see dozens more hook-chains unravelling from the ceiling.

GHOST

EVERYONE MOVE!!!

Jill, Becca, and Clive frantically take cover as the chains fall from the sky, cutting through the air like knives. Through the frantic confusion, Becca does not notice the ZOMBIE rising behind her – a huge, ugly fellow in a vomit-stained butcher’s outfit. It starts toward her.

A hook-chain flails through the air and smashes against a buzz-saw, hard enough for the huge blade to blow loose and fly across the warehouse…

…and as luck would have it, the buzz-saw slices clean through the butcher zombie; intestines and internal organs spill out onto the floor in front of it. Becca spins around and reacts at the ghastly sight. Jill DASHES toward her and pushes her out the way as another hook-chain smashes into the wall right next to her.

GHOST evades several more swinging chains as another butcher zombie emerges from the shadows and springs toward him. Luckily for Ghost, a hook-chain slams into the zombie’s back, the hook digging painfully into the monster’s back.

Ghost, thinking quickly, grabs the slack end of the chain and starts pulling the volatile ghoul up towards the ceiling. He wraps the end of the chain around the metal leg of a steel press, securing the zombie in place high above the slaughterhouse. The beast thrashes around wildly.

CLIVE is lost in the maelstrom, ducking between various shelves lined with dangerous looking equipment. He runs into a shit-stained zombie who’s missing the skin from its face. Clive calmly pulls out his magnum and blasts the monster right between the eyes. Another zombie pounces him from behind, sending them both to the ground. Ironically, the beast has saved Clive from another swinging hook-chain, as one misses them by a hair as they fall to the floor.

JILL and BECCA are ducking beneath a series of gratings; a momentary shelter from the chaos above.

JILL

Becca, I need you to stay here.

I have to get the others. Okay?

No matter what happens, you have

to stay here. Okay?

Becca nods, then signs something sadly.

JILL

We’ll see, sweetie. We’ll see.

Jill kisses her sister on the forehead and then makes a quick escape into the chaos.

CLIVE furiously throws the zombie right off of him and caps it in the face before it even lands. Another hook-chain smashes into a bulb located above the shelves, showering Clive with broken glass. He shields his face as he gets to his feet.

GHOST is walking quickly through a different section of the slaughterhouse, pumping his shotgun to eject an empty shell. He comes upon two worker zombies snacking on the intestines of a third worker. The two ghouls snap their heads at Ghost in perfect unison.

BLAM! BLAM! He blasts off their heads quickly, but is caught by surprise as the third worker (now a zombie) leaps at him. Its teeth snap ravenously as Ghost struggles to keep its mouth away from his neck.

JILL, gun drawn, walks quickly towards the office-section of the slaughterhouse, located in a quiet corner of the huge building. The glass windows looking into the offices are smeared with bloody hand prints. Jill uneasily peers inside, trying to look past the distorted crimson and into the room, beyond, when…

A HOOK-CHAIN (with the zombie that Ghost pinned onto the back of) suddenly falls from the ceiling and lands right behind Jill, with a resounding thud. Jill screams, but swiftly regains herself as the zombie lurches to stand on its legs. She spin-kicks the fucker right in the face, pinning it against the blood-smeared glass.

As it rears back to attack again, Jill shoots it in the mouth. She doesn’t wait to watch it fall to the ground – she moves on immediately.

GHOST is still struggling with the newly-resusitated zombie. He spies a working buzz-saw right next to them. Using all his strength, Ghost slams his foot onto the switch-lever (located helpfully on the floor) and shoves the zombie onto the saw table. While normally used for cow torsos, an undead beast will have to do. The buzz-saw screams to life, and Ghost speedily grabs the top handle and brings the spinning blade down onto the monster.

Blood, gore, and bone fly into the air as the serrated razors cut messily into the zombie, effectively slicing it across its torso and face. Covered with blood, Ghost backs away and stares momentarily at the mutilated body.

Perhaps somewhat shaken, he reaches onto the floor and grabs the shotgun he dropped amidst the fight. Ghost only takes two steps when he runs smack into JILL, who leaps back in surprise.

Catching their breaths, Jill says nothing. She merely raises the gun towards his face.

GHOST

Hey – whoa – Janna – what the

hell are you—

SHE SHOOTS. The zombie reaching for Ghost’s neck is hit in the left eye. Yellow pus hits the back of Ghost’s head. He grimaces, but is nonetheless relieved.

GHOST

You are a hell of a shot.

I admit that much.

JILL

Be still my heart. Got your

guns?

Ghost nods, lifting up his shotgun and magnum. Jill checks her gun belt, fingering the empty magnum holder.

JILL

Shit. I must have dropped my

magnum.

GHOST

Forget it. We have to find the

kids.

Jill nods and hurries off. Ghost runs to follow her.

BECCA, still under the table, spies something way across the warehouse. HER POV: A long metal staircase leading into a little control booth located way above anything else, just below the rafters. Ashford, free from his handcuffs, is making his way up the stairs. In his left hand he carries the very magnum that Jill is missing.

Becca’s eyes narrow in contempt.

CLIVE finds himself wandering through several rows of lockers. Things have become quieter now that the hook-chains have settled.

He opens a locker at random. Clean clothes, about his size. Relieved, Clive removes off his bullet holder, katana sheathe, and various gun straps. Next, he takes off his shirt, dried with brown blood and gore. He fishes around the locker and puts on a blue t-shirt.

As Clive starts putting back on his various weapon-related straps and holders, he starts to hear faint, tinny voices erupt from one of the adjacent lockers. Startled, Clive moves toward the source of the noise, magnum clenched at his side. He opens the locker door, fearing for the worst, but instead he discovers a small CAMCORDER.

Curiosity piqued, Clive grabs it and folds open the viewing screen. It’s in the midst of a playback.

ON THE CAMCORDER SCREEN: A sweaty, dishevelled man’s face is front and center. He’s panicking. The timestamp reveals this to have been recorded last night.

MAN

Oh shit… oh shit… we lured a bunch

of those freaks into the pit outside.

Filled the whole thing with soil.

I couldn't believe it. I SAW Brad die.

I saw it with my own two eyes. And

then he just... all those things...

What the BLEEDING HELL are they?

The man takes a moment to hold back his tears. Clive watches with his stomach clenched. Another man’s voice comes from the camcorder, although we can’t see him in the screen.

ANOTHER MAN (O.S.)

THEY’RE DEAD. THEY’RE FUCKING DEAD.

The man on screen looks away, grimly.

MAN

They're dead, alright. They're all

messed up.

The screen suddenly cuts to cold static. Unsure of how to react to that, Clive silently closes the camcorder screen and places it back into the locker.

He moves briskly through the rest of the locker rows, but his attention is called to one locker in particular. It stops Clive in his tracks, rather unexpectedly. As if drawn by another force, he walks toward it, and presses his fingers against the cool metal.

The small little name-holder ontop of the locker reads “BARKER, MORGAN”. Hands suddenly shaking and sweaty, Clive opens the locker door. Taped up on the inside are dozens upon dozens of pictures of Morgan and Clive, from various stages of Clive’s life: as a baby, as a child, as a preteen, as a teenager. It’s all too apparent in the pictures that the older Clive has grown, the more troubled and dead-looking he has become.

But in every picture, no matter what Clive’s mood, Morgan is always there, always smiling, always happy. Clive’s face contorts into a horrified, saddened expression. So much so that he hardly notices the zombie walking towards him.

The zombie itself isn’t a runner like the rest of them, for its legs and arms are broken. Nonetheless, it’s still hungry. The ghoul marches toward Clive in a restless, painful gait. But he can only see the shadow of the zombie’s legs approaching, for Morgan’s locker door is blocking his view of the rest of it.

Clive closes his eyes tight, voices flooding his mind.

YOUNG CLIVE (V.O.)

I’m bigger than a giraffe!

MORGAN (V.O.)

Bigger than a giraffe?? Did you

hear that, honey?

The tension reaches its boiling point. Clive steps back and starts SHOOTING AT THE LOCKER DOOR, screaming painfully. The bullets pierce through the photographs, through the metal, and into the crippled zombie. Clive empties out his chamber on the door, and long after he runs out of bullets, he continues to stand there, pulling back the trigger.

Click. Click. Click.

The zombie hits the ground, dead. The following silence is only interrupted by Clive’s empty gun hitting the floor, and his laboured breathing. His cheeks are flushed, and his eyes are red and watery.

After moments of uncomfortable silence, Clive reaches down, picks up his gun, and gets the hell out of there.

INT. CONTROL BOOTH – SLAUGHTERHOUSE – SAME

A large room located above the actual warehouse, connected to it only with a metal staircase. ASHFORD is inside, as Becca saw, fiddling with Jill’s magnum. The control booth also has two windows which overlook the outside of the slaughterhouse. The outside is pretty much just a huge field, that contains what looks like a large pit which has been recently been filled with soil...

In the near distance, the train station can be seen.

Ashford scrambles around, looking for something madly, when he feels a sharp coldness pressing against the back of his neck.

BECCA is standing behind him proudly, one machete pressed against Ashford’s lower neck, another machete pressed against his back. Hell hath no fury like this girl scorned.

ASHFORD

You are surprisingly silent. But

I fear that the wisdom of the

saying “Never bring a knife to

a gunfight” is about to make

itself very, very clear.

Ashford shows a surprising amount of agility as he spins around and knocks both machetes out of her hands and points the magnum right at her eyes.

ASHFORD

The final prayer, as you know all

too well, is best said quietly.

He clicks back the hammer, ready to shoot, when FOUR ZOMBIES leap up towards the control booth, nimble as any predatory animal. Surprised, Ashford fires at one of them but barely nicks one in the shoulder.

JILL AND GHOST, down below in the slaughterhouse, hear the noise and look around wildly to find it.

GHOST

The fuck…?

Jill spots it first, stabbing a finger in the direction of the control booth. They both run to it, missing CLIVE behind them as he speeds through the area, with several zombies on his tail.

IN THE CONTROL BOOTH – Ashford struggles with a zombie while Becca grabs her chrome machete and stabs it through the throat of one of the monsters. A third monster grabs her from behind and goes for her neck.

Ghost makes it up the stairs first, and quickly blasts the skull off of Becca’s attacker. As Jill makes her way up, several more zombies join the fray. Ghost and Becca shoot and slash through the thick moshpit of zombies; sprays of red fly through the air.

In the midst of the chaos, Jill finds Ashford and angrily grabs his arm. Ashford twists out of her grip and slams her up against the control panel, setting off various switches.

INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE – BELOW – SAME

The switches - that have inadvertently been flipped on by Ashford and Jill - either turn on random machines or make other machines work faster. For instance, the metal press (think the ending of The Terminator) used to work at a snail’s pace, but now it slams down in quick, two-second intervals.

Clive, still trying to escape his attackers, spots the metal press, and immediately a light bulb goes off in his head. Working quickly, he throws himself through the two sheets of the press as the top sheet retracts upward. As Clive predicted, several zombies follow him through the press, but they’re not fast enough to get away from the top sheet.

It comes SLAMMING DOWN, connecting with a grotesque, messy explosion.

Clive looks back with satisfaction as the top sheet retracts again, revealing mushy red sacks of flesh being repeatedly pummelled. More zombies, obviously not top contenders for MENSA, follow after Clive through the press, and subsequently get flattened painfully.

Blood and gore fly through the air in two-second bursts as Clive turns around and spots the exit doors. He runs to them and throws them open, letting the cool outside air wash over him.

INT. CONTROL BOOTH – SLAUGHTERHOUSE – SAME

Jill and Ashford continue to struggle with one another as ghoul after ghoul bounds up the stairs and joins the fray. Ghost and Becca strain and fight, but they’re quickly growing tired.

EXT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - OUTSIDE COURTYARD - CONT’D

Clive emerges from the slaughterhouse to find himself in the middle of a desolate, abandoned field. In the distance he can see the FREIGHT STATION - it’s a mere jog away. He looks around, scanning the area, when a voice causes him to jump -

YOUNG CLIVE (O.S.)

Dad? Where did you go?

Clive turns around, quicker than anything. There’s nobody here except for him.

MORGAN (O.S.)

I’m right here, Clive. I never

left you.

Still, there’s nobody. Feeling suitably disturbed, Clive unknowingly walks onto a huge area of soft soil. BIRD’S EYE VIEW: The soft soil seems to occupy a huge area of the courtyard, as if it were a pit that was recently filled...

Clive only takes four steps when a PALE WHITE ARM shoots up from the ground and grasps onto his ankle with a vulcan-like grip. He has no time to gasp, for several dozen more pale arms punch through the earth, like obscene, oversized worms.

Hands and fingers wrench their way towards Clive’s legs, who kicks off his initial attacker and runs with all his might through the soft, wet earth. His feet begin sinking into the ground; two zombie arms grab onto his calves and send him flying down onto the soil.

The zombie’s head and shoulders emerge, eyes and mouth filled with soil and worms, looking very much like a demon emerging from the depths of Hell. Clive bites back his fear as he shoots it in the face.

Several more monsters begin climbing out from the dirt, moaning, yearning for the taste of Clive’s flesh. Clive scrambles to his feet and crawls his way toward the edge of the pit, where the soft soil ends and the hard earth begins.

He gets to his feet and starts backing away from the nightmarish vision before him. His hands eventually manage to grab hold of his gun and magnum. Breathing in calmly, Clive unleashes a barrage of bullets onto the soil dwellers below him.

Clive is so intensely into it that he barely notices that a window located several feet above him holds a fight of its own...

INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - CONTROL BOOTH - SAME

The situation is spiralling out of control. Becca has been forced over the railing and is now clinging onto dear life, as zombies both above and below her clamour for her flesh.

Ghost fights his way out of the maelstrom and practically dives down the staircase to position himself below Becca. Along the way, several zombies meet their demise at the hands of Ghost’s shotgun.

Becca’s grip slips and she falls - landing, thankfully, right into Ghost’s arms. Becca signs appreciation and thanks, to which Ghost responds with a curt nod.

GHOST

But where did --

He looks up, just in time to see Ashford shove Jill right through the control booth window.

GHOST

JAAAAANE!!

EXT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - OUTSIDE COURTYARD - CONT’D

Startled by the noise of breaking glass, Clive’s head shoots up watches as Jill falls from the window several feet above. She lands square onto the soft soil pit before him. Jill lies there, possibly injured and inert, but gasping heavily.

CLIVE

JILL!

Clive runs for her, dodging zombie arms along the way. Dazed, Jill attempts to stand, but it’s difficult to find footing in the mushy dirt.

JILL

Becca - where’s Becca?

CLIVE

JILL, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE...

Nobody notices as ASHFORD appears at the window, gun aimed at Jill. Out from his lips he mutters a soft prayer before shooting right at them.

Shocked, they both manage to dodge out of the way for the first two bullets, but the third hits Jill right in her left calf. Screaming in pain, she collapses back onto the earth.

Ceasing the opportunity, several more arms worm their way out of the soil and grab every bit of Jill that they can. She struggles and fights them off, but more decaying arms and hands keep coming at them.

Clive runs for her, but he’s stopped by a zombie who has fully managed to pull it’s way out of the dirt. Immediately, Clive grabs his katana and slashes it across the beast’s face. It’s skin peels away easily - softened by the moisture of the soil - revealing the bare musculature beneath. Although blinded, it keeps coming.

INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - SAME (CONT’D)

Becca is struggling wildly in Ghost’s arms, in attempt to escape them. Anger burns fiercely in her eyes, which are trained solely on ASHFORD in the control booth, steadily reloading his gun.

GHOST

No! Hey - HEY, we have to get out

of here, alright? Calm your shit

DOWN.

Ghost begins carrying her away towards the exit, but not before Becca manages to unsheathe her mangy, rusted machete (not her awesome chrome one) and whip it towards the booth, right at Ashford - like a boomerang.

ON ASHFORD as he turns around and is hit right on the forehead with the blunt end of the machete. He staggers for half a second before collapsing.

ON BECCA as she musters a satisfied smile. Ghost, panting like a dog, reaches the exit doors and gets them the fuck out of there.

EXT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - OUTSIDE COURTYARD - CONT’D

Ghost slams the doors shut behind him and sets Becca down. She immediately spots Clive and Jill fighting for their lives over the soft soil pit - Jill herself is fighting a losing battle.

Without another thought, Becca starts hightailing it towards the pit. Ghost brings out his magnum and starts shooting down as many zombies as he can, but there’s so many, that his bullets are pointless.

It’s a dizzying, confusing swarm of pale, dead limbs and hellish moaning.

Becca gets as close as she can to Jill and starts grasping for her hand, trying as best as she can to fight off the zombie fingers worming every which way around her. Two huge, monstrous arms erupt from the soil and wrap around Jill’s torso. Rotting trails of fingers graze across her skin.

Jill and Becca’s eyes connect for the last, painful time.

Through gritted teeth and bloodshot eyes, Jill whispers painfully. Although she cannot be heard through the din of demonic screams, Becca hears her with perfect clarity.

JILL

I love you, sweetie.

Becca’s eyes go wide with shock as Jill’s grip on her hand slackens, and Jill is pulled completely into the damp, dark earth. Her whole body is swallowed into the teeth-like structure of the monster’s arms.

All the other zombie arms, hands, and fingers seem to disappear with her. CLIVE reappears near the edge of the pit, dirtied with soil, coughing up a lung. Ghost sombrely helps him stand.

Clive quickly understands the density of the situation when he sees Becca crying heavily over the wet earth. Although she’s always been a tiny girl, it’s the first time that Becca seems small.

Through her sobs she screams - a loud, memorable, disturbing scream, her pain too unnerving to watch. She goes still for a moment, and then quietly reaches into her hair and takes off a blue butterfly hair clip.

CLOSE UP: The underside of the clip has a little inscription - “JILL”, and a small illustration of a flower. It’s annoyingly cute, and girly, but ultimately, it stands for everything about their relationship.

Becca gingerly places it onto the disturbed soil, and allows herself a moment of silence.

CLIVE watches this. Hot, angry tears pour down his face. Beside him, Ghost speaks slowly, almost breathlessly.

GHOST

She was a good woman... frequently

stupid... but a good woman. She

didn’t deserve this.

CLIVE

No.

His angry gaze slowly turns toward the broken booth window. Although Ashford cannot be seen in it, his presence is certainly felt.

CLIVE

(darkly)

She didn’t.

Clive slides his katana back into his scabbard and begins walking, with purpose, back toward the slaughterhouse. Alarmed, Ghost follows him.

GHOST

Where the hell are you going?

CLIVE

Take Becca to the train station.

It’s right down that path. I’ll

be with you soon.

Ghost can only try to mask his desperation with ferocity.

GHOST

We’re NOT leaving without you.

CLIVE

You wont. Take Becca. Wait for

me there. I wont be long.

Ghost stops as Clive reopens the exit doors. Before he slips inside -

GHOST

Hey.

- Clive turns to face him.

GHOST

Don’t be an idiot.

Ghost heads off immediately. Clive watches him for a scant few seconds, and then disappears back into the industrial labyrinth beyond.

INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE - CONTROL BOOTH - SAME

Ashford is curled in a little ball on the steel grating floor. There is a fucking huge, purple bruise on his forehead where he was bashed with the machete handle Very slowly, he comes back into consciousness.

ASHFORD’S POV: A blurry, water coloured distortion of the booth around. Very slowly, objects around him become solid and focused. He hears a rhythmic, almost disturbing clang-clang-clang of footsteps against metal. Ashford turns and sees that CLIVE is ascending the stairs into the booth very slowly, in an almost dreamlike manner.

His whole body eventually comes into view, and it’s now that Ashford’s sight fully regains focus. Clive stares at him with an angry, but almost grim expression.

Quivering ever so slightly, the doctor regains his footing. The drip of blood from his forehead reaches the corner of his mouth. He licks it softly, grimacing at the metallic taste.

Clive just stands there, fuming. But as his expression grows more and more troubled, it becomes clear that conflict is filling his mind. Ashford checks his bullet chamber, then throws it to the ground.

He attempts to exit the booth, but Clive is blocking the only exit - the stairs.

ASHFORD

Clive, I am not the one to be angry with.

The destruction of the human race was

not done by my hands alone. If you are

to be angry with someone, be angry with

yourself. This is Armageddon, Clive. The

End of Days. Inevitable. We deserve this.

Clive shakes his head.

CLIVE

No. We do NOT deserve this.

At the boy’s ignoranc, Ashford explodes with rage.

ASHFORD

Yes, we FUCKING DO! Every drug

addict, every slut, every fag, every

filthy whoring piece of SHIT. Our

world has been poisoned with them!

Don’t tell me that any of this is a

surprise to you.

Clive can barely conceal his anger, but he holds himself back. Ashford lowers his voice, but his disturbing passion remains.

ASHFORD

It took me a while, but I understand

everything, now. WE are the ones

who have died, Clive. Look outside.

He gestures broadly towards the broken window - which overlooks the decaying remains of Toronto.

ASHFORD

Is this not hell?

The temperature in the room seems to drop. Clive can’t ignore the shiver of goose bumps sprinkling up the back of his neck. Ashford lowers his arm, darkly satisfied.

ASHFORD

Tell me, my boy. Do you believe in God?

Clive says nothing, letting the silence speak for him instead. Ashford tries again.

ASHFORD

(softer)

Do you believe in anything?

Again, Clive says nothing. Ashford takes a moment, and then allows a Cheshire-like smile to creep up on his face. He gently pushes Clive aside as he begins to descend the stairwell.

CLIVE

Dr. Ashford. One question.

Slightly amused, Ashford turns around, and the smile immediately leaps off his face as he sees that Clive is now holding a GUN to Ashford’s face.

CLIVE

Where’s your “God” now, motherfucker?

Clive shoots Ashford in the face, point-blank. The dead doctor is blown back over the stairwell railing, falling several feet before hitting the spinning-buzz-saw beneath the control booth.

The serrated blade slices him COMPLETELY down the middle, showering the nearest zombies with a prodigious amount of blood and viscera. Half a second later, every beast left in the warehouse has pounced onto Ashford’s two halves, feeding ferociously on their pre-sliced meal. Red splotches of gore fly through the air in this insane feeding frenzy.

Placing his gun back into his hip holster, Clive simply marches down the staircase and exits the slaughterhouse, one last time.

SMASH TO

EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN STATION - SAME

A collection of behemothic, rusting freights sit on a variety of train tracks, all heading westward. Surrounding this dark, industrial center on both sides are fields upon fields of tall grass.

GHOST and BECCA appear amongst the dirge of trains, heading towards a three-car freight that sits alone on its own track.

GHOST

We’ll take this one. C’mon.

They run to the first car and throw open the train driver’s compartment.

INT. TRAIN DRIVER COMPARTMENT - TRAIN - CONT’D

Cramped and uncomfortable, walls lined with a confusing array of switches, pulleys, levers, buttons, radios, and other train driver doohickeys. Ghost gropes the main switch board for some sort of “ON” button, and is immensely disheartened to discover a key hole labelled “IGNITION”.

GHOST

Shit fuck!

He slams a fist down, but the hyper-attentive Becca throws an arm toward a large sign on the compartment ceiling. Ghost cranes his neck up and reads quickly.

GHOST

“Emergency ignition sequence...”

“Emergency release levers...”

“Must pull in tandem...”

Ghost looks down and spies a huge red lever next to the key ignition. He frantically wipes the sweat out of his eyes and kneels down to face Becca directly.

GHOST

Okay, according to that sign,

we can start the train if we

each pull on an emergency lever

at the same time. Okay? The

second one is on the back

of the third train. So, I’m

gonna go...

Becca starts shaking her head rapidly. She grabs Ghost’s arm, perhaps harder than necessary, and motions that she, herself, will go.

GHOST

Oh no no no, you’re not going

anywhere. You’re staying right

here.

Ignoring him completely, Becca throws open the compartment door and starts to head out - but Ghost GRABS her and pulls her back inside.

GHOST

You are staying HERE, GOT IT?

Furious, Becca grabs a black marker from her pocket and searches around frantically for something to write on. Seeing nothing else, she tears off the lid and starts scribbingly in large, angry letters on the WINDSHIELD. Or, whatever, they’re called on a train.

Ghost watches, troubled, as Becca writes out, “DO NOT TREAT ME LIKE A GOD DAMN CHILD.”

When finished, she hurls the marker to the ground, and once again exits the compartment.

GHOST

Avril. Wait.

Becca turns around and immediately catches the magnum that Ghost throws to her.

GHOST

Watch your ass. And keep an eye

out for him.

She nods, and runs to the third car.

EXT. TRAIN STATION - THIRD CAR - CONT’D

Becca books it toward the end of the third car and hops on. The rear terminal, fixed next to the door, indeed features a red lever identical to the one in the front compartment.

Ghost leans his head out of the train driver’s window. One hand in the air to get her attention, his other on the red lever. Thankfully, since they’re only two cars away, Ghost is still in plain sight to Becca.

GHOST

We’re gonna do this on three,

alright?

She nods briskly.

GHOST

Alright. One. Two. THREE.

The frame suddenly enters SPLIT SCREEN: Ghost and Becca pull down their respective levers in absolute perfect unison. The moment they do so, the freight train emits an impossibly loud WHISTLE.

EXT. TALL GRASS FIELDS - SAME

The waves of silken grass, practically six feet tall, begin to rustle and fidget. Not from the wind, but from disturbed, sudden movements within. Moans rise from the grass like vapour.

Acting like an aisle between the tall grass is a series of train tracks.

Beyond them we can see the slaughterhouse. Clive comes into plain view, running hurriedly down the tracks, toward the train station about half a kilometre away.

CLIVE’S POV: The three-car freight with Becca hanging off the end. It slowly begins to move along the tracks, away from Clive.

CLIVE

SHIT!

His legs pick up speed as he races out of frame.

EXT. TRAIN STATION - CONT’D

In the front compartment, Ghost scrambles through the console of unmarked switches and panels, searching desperately for the brakes.

GHOST

FUCK!

He sticks his head out of the train and barks.

GHOST

WHERE ARE THE FUCKING BREAKS?

After seeing her shrug, Ghost gets back into the compartment and kicks a chair out of his way.

EXT. TALL GRASS FIELDS - CONT’D

Clive is running so fast towards the increasingly-speedy train that he barely notices the blurs of movement distorting the grass on both sides of him. It becomes more and more apparent, however, as Clive sees darkened, demonic figures emerging right out of the expansive fields.

Within a matter of matter of moments, Clive has attracted no less than seventy zombies. More and more ghouls join them as the noise from the train continues to reverberate through the air.

EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - THIRD CAR - CONT’D

Becca, from the edge of the last car, observes this scene with absolute dread: Clive racing towards the train with a vast, never ending legion of the undead sprinting after him.

Clive runs straight through the station platform, getting closer to the train. Becca finally feels the magnum in her hands, and fires off her first shot. It hits the zombie nearest to Clive in the leg, toppling it, therefore toppling the several that were right behind it.

The recoil of the magnum against a teenage girl, however, is an unfair fight. Becca practically dents the train as her back smashes into it. Gritting her teeth, she props herself against the train door to safely position herself against further recoil-related injuries.

She fires off several more shots, each felling several of the beasts, but not doing much to thin the herd in a meaningful way. Clive runs close enough to the train to make a leap for it.

His hands grasp onto the outer railings of the third car’s edge. His grip is solid, but a zombie has grabbed onto his legs. Clive screams out in frustration as the grotesque creature’s body is dragged along the railroad track below, skin peeling right off its body.

Becca caps it in the mouth, slackening its grip immediately. Clive shakes it off and climbs aboard, and is greeted with a quick hug from Becca.

INT. DRIVER’S COMPARTMENT - FREIGHT TRAIN - SAME

Ghost finally locates the break lever, but he can barely get his hands on it, for a ZOMBIE suddenly leaps onto the window to to the right of him. Ghost jumps, startled, but doesn’t let that stop him.

He gets his hands on the lever and tries to pull it - but the fucking thing is impossible to move. Getting angrier with every passing second, Ghost pulls and pulls and pulls, but it wont budge.

The zombie outside the window smashes through and grabs onto Ghost with both arms. Ghost struggles with it, extending a leg towards his SHOTGUN which is discarded, rather unfortunately, on the other side of the compartment. The creature’s strength manages to draw Ghost towards, and out of, the window.

EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - CONT’D

The freight has now picked up sufficient speed. The train station and slaughterhouse become smaller and smaller, mere afterthoughts in the distance. The huge fields of grass, however, continue to expand.

Ghost, half his body in the train and half his body out, fights off the zombie grasping onto him by snapping its neck. As he lets the beast fall, he notices, out of the corner of his eye, that Clive has has now joined the fray.

AT THE THIRD CAR, the struggle with the undead has heightened. There are now one hundred zombies racing at top-speed toward the three-car freight, and none of them show any signs of slowing down. Clive and Becca do their best to shoot down the creatures on the front line, but their numbers continue to grow.

Becca (well, actually, Ghost)’s magnum produces a hallow clicking sound. Clive gropes his bullet-holding strap and takes out six magnum bullets - he shoves them into her hand. As she reloads, Clive blasts away a zombie whose hand momentarily grazes the edge of the train.

Clive himself starts to reload, but more and more zombies are now able to graze their hands up against the train. They’re catching up, and they’re getting dangerously close.

CLIVE

Get inside!

Becca throws open the door, and they both hurry inside.

INT. SERVICE CABIN (THIRD CAR) - CONT’D

A long cabin lined with metal-link cages, many of which house several MUTILATED BODIES. The smell of death is overpowering. Lines of windows adorn the top of the cages.

Becca and Clive, shielding their noses from the hideous stench, march quickly through the cabin, to get to the second car. But midway through a zombie manages to smash into the train through a side window. In a second it’s on its feet, right in front of them.

Thinking quickly, Clive grabs a crowbar from one of the open cages and smashes it into the beast’s eye. The crowbar pierces the zombie’s skull with a sickening crack. Clive lets it fall.

A beat later, a dozen more zombies break into the remaining windows. Their grey, rotting bodies roll into the cabin in heavy showers of broken glass.

Clive races to the other side of the cabin, and slides open the door. Beyond is just a leap over to the second car. Clive has to prop himself against the door to keep it from sliding back shut. He notices, much to his chagrin, that Becca is still in the center of the car.

CLIVE

Becca! Fuck them, get over here!

She shoots the two closest to her right in their heads. Her hands speedily check the ammo chamber - just one bullet left. With perhaps a small amount of joy, Becca pockets the gun and brings out her one remaining machete.

The first zombie that touches her gets sliced right through the face. She turns and slashes another across the throat, and then kicks it in the stomach. A third zombie shambles toward her quickly, and Becca responds by cracking it in the temple with her long blade.

Clive stamps his foot impatiently.

CLIVE

Becca, god damn it, COME ON!

Rather suddenly, a zombie emerges from underneath the service car, grabs Clive by the ankle, and yanks him right out the cabin. The door slides shut, sealing Becca in with the zombies.

EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - THIRD CABIN - CONT’D

The train is now speeding through a large, forested area. The farther the freight moves from the city, the clearer the sky becomes. No longer smothered with ashy blackness, the sky is painted blood red.

Clive quickly grabs onto the side railing of the car before falling completely off it. He looks down to see the zombie crawling up from underneath the train, baring broken, sharp teeth. Clive uses his free arm to grab his handgun, and then fires off two shots into the beast’s face.

The monster falls and disappears behind the train, lost in the shrouded trees and shrubs. Clive has little time to celebrate, for a HEADLESS ZOMBIE falls right beside him.

He screams and leaps back, practically falling off, were it not for his iron grip on the railing. Strangely enough, the monster fell from the roof of the train. Clive immediately looks up and sees GHOST standing atop the second car, shotgun in hand.

GHOST

Sorry about that.

Faintly relieved, Clive grabs the headless monster and hurls it off the moving train. Ghost climbs down from the roof and onto the second car platform. Across from it is the third car platform, and in the middle is the connecting buffer and chain.

Ghost extends a hand to Clive, who accepts it as he climbs into the second car platform with him.

GHOST

I was starting to worry.

CLIVE

I’m sure you were. We have

to get Becca.

GHOST

Where is she?

Clive turns around to face the third car, and in the door window he sees it has been filled to the brim with zombies. The colour drains from his face.

CLIVE

No.

He leaps onto the third car platform and bangs frantically on the door’s window. Nothing can be seen through the entanglement of rotting limbs.

CLIVE

BECCA!!! BECCA!!!

A HAND breaks through the grass, grabbing Clive by the front of his shirt. He initially reacts with horror, until he sees that it belongs to BECCA, who has managed to fight her way to the front of the train. However, huge gashes and bite marks adorn her entire body.

Clive and Becca look at each other, and in that split second, Clive feels all of her pain and anguish. He begins to desperately pull her through.

CLIVE

COME ON! WE CAN DO THIS!

A zombie appears behind her and bites down onto her shoulder, hard. A scream erupts through gritted teeth. Becca’s other arm comes out of the window, this one holding a gun. With both hands she shoves Clive backward.

Ghost catches him and moves him safely onto the second car platform.

CLIVE

Becca?? What the hell are you --

He doesn’t have time to finish. Becca aims right at the buffer and chain coupler that connects the third car to the second car. With a simple gesture, she shoots it, and it breaks apart immediately.

The third car splits off from the rest of the freight, separated completely. Clive practically leaps forward to grab Becca, but Ghost immediately pulls him back.

They both watch, horrified beyond belief, as the zombie-filled third car shrinks away from them. Becca is still visible in the window, watching them with the expression not that of a 13 year old girl, but that of a hardened warrior. Her face disappears in the deluge of hungry bodies.

All of the zombies who were once chasing the train now have their sights set onto the still-running but gradually-slowing third car. The remaining two-car freight speeds away from this ghastly sight, alone.

Ghost and Clive are frozen to the spot. Not a breath between the two is uttered.

EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - FRONT OF TRAIN - SAME

A few zombies stand rather dumbly on the tracks in front of the speeding freight. The train completely mows them down as it passes through. The track leads the vehicle along a huge clearing in the forest.

INT. FIRST CAR - FREIGHT TRAIN - CONT’D

Clive slams into the first car, which is lined with passenger seats on both sides. He marches through to the front of the cabin, where he throws open the door and enters the driver compartment. He doesn’t bother to close it.

Ghost comes in through the second car, and sees Clive at the very front of the car, hunched over the driver console. He’s crying quietly.

Bleakly, Ghost sits down on a passenger chair and rests his shotgun on the seat beside him. Resting his elbows on his knees, Ghost covers his face with his hands, breathing deeply.

At the driver’s compartment, Clive gets a grip of himself and stands up properly, straightening out his shirt, fingers brushing at his tears. Before he can turn away, his attention is drawn to the train windshield, where Becca had written her message:

“DO NOT TREAT ME LIKE A GOD DAMN CHILD.”

Clive can’t help but stare at this grim remainder of Becca’s spirit. So much so that he doesn’t notice the lurching movement a few feet behind him.

Ghost, however, does. Out from under the seats nearest to the driver’s compartment, a tall, slim, female zombie crawls out onto the floor. Wearing a soiled white dress and topped with a wild mess of black hair, this zombie is an unnerving sight to behold. It moves quickly toward Clive with a painfully contorted crawl, its milky eyes barely visible through the strands of raven hair obscuring its rotting face.

Ghost runs and leaps onto the zombie before it can grab Clive by the ankles, shoving it away from the driver’s compartment. Clive spins around immediately, shocked. Ghost grapples with the zombie as its abnormally long teeth snap at him. As the beast’s mouth goes for Ghost’s hand, Ghost quickly rolls around onto his back and kicks the creature off of him.

It lands with a thud further away down the aisle. Clive’s handgun is out in a second. As the beast lurches to its feet, a bullet pierces its skull. It’s back down in an instant.

Catching his breath, Clive shoves the gun back into its holster. He rushes over to Ghost and helps him up.

CLIVE

You okay?

Ghost, avoiding eye contact, goes to fetch his shotgun. His voice lowers considerably.

GHOST

We’ll be passing through

Mississauga pretty soon.

Puzzled, Clive turns back around and jumps slightly as he hears a soft thud on the roof. He looks back to Ghost, who’s still busying himself with his shotgun.

CLIVE

I’ll go check it out.

He walks toward the driver’s compartment, and then looks back again. Ghost has stopped with his shotgun. He is now wiping the sweat off his face, in a rather frustrated way. Confused, but still focused on the roof, Clive gets out his magnum and slides open the side window.

EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN ROOFTOP - CONT’D

The freight is still racing through the forest clearing. Clive slowly sticks his head out from the window and onto the roof. He eyes quietly scan the top of the train, but he sees nothing. Other than...

...a toppled bird’s nest, which has landed a few feet away from Clive’s face. Two bird’s eggs have broken from the fall, leaving a trail of slimy orange gunk. The worry on Clive’s face vanishes, and is replaced by bemusement.

He climbs onto the roof and crawls carefully toward this strange little scene of death. He picks up the bird’s nest and notices that one single egg has survived the fall - it’s the smallest egg of the bunch.

Clive observes the surviving egg rather mournfully. He gently places the nest down. As Clive stands, he’s jolted back into reality as GHOST’S HAND comes down onto his shoulder.

CLIVE

Hey. Sorry. It was just a bird’s

nest. Fell off from a tree, I guess...

He turns around and locks eyes with Ghost, whose grim expression is almost too much to bear.

CLIVE

What’s wrong? What are you...

Clive finally notices Ghost’s hand on his shoulder. A huge, bloody bite mark is stamped along his knuckles. It takes Clive several moments to understand what exactly he’s looking at it. Ghost withdraws his bitten hand, sedately gesturing to the train.

GHOST

The zombie in the cabin... the

one that was crawling towards

you... it was too fast...

CLIVE

No.

GHOST

I’m so sorry.

CLIVE

NO!

Angry tears falling from his face, Clive furiously grabs Ghost by the front of his shirt. His fists ball up Ghost’s simple flannel button-up. Clive’s anguish comes through full-force.

CLIVE

WHY AM I WORTH SAVING?!

Ghost doesn’t have an answer. He can only stare at Clive, immensely hurt.

CLIVE

You fucking IDIOT!

Clive lets go, too unstable and wracked with emotion to keep his grip on him.

CLIVE

Why do you keep saving me?

How could you be so stupid??

GHOST

You don’t understand.

CLIVE

You’re fucking right I don’t

understand! You don’t know

ANYTHING about me. I tell

you my name and you wont

even call me by it! You

keep telling me to fight

for myself, that nothing

else matters, that the

only lives we should

care about are our own!

But you keep saving my

god damn life. Every time!

WHY THE HELL AM I WORTH

DYING FOR?

With that last explosion, Clive shoves Ghost - hard. So hard that Ghost loses his footing and falls right on his ass. Clive stares down at him, breathing hard, pain slowly bleeding through his anger.

GHOST

You’ve always asked too many

questions. I know that much

about you.

Ghost stands, shakily. He grimaces as the pain in his hand begins shooting into the rest of his body.

GHOST

What exactly would you have done...

if you had come across this... this

scared, wimpy looking boy, alone and

in a high school gym, being

attacked by a gang of flesh-eating

monsters? And what if, the very

moment you save this wimpy boy’s

life, he looks up at you with

these... big, wounded eyes...

with this strangely haunted

look on his face... the same

look your son had when you had

to watch him die?

Clive is shocked. He looks up at Ghost, with the very same eyes that were just described to him. Ghost shrugs, at a loss for how to explain his situation any better.

GHOST

What would you have done?

Clive says nothing. Ghost says nothing back. The roar of the train and the rush of the passing trees are the noises that speak for him.

Very quietly, his heart breaking into a million pieces, Clive gradually forms the words.

CLIVE

I don’t even know your name.

Ghost calmly gives Clive his shotgun. He accepts it, bewildered.

CLIVE

What are you doing?

GHOST

I saved your life. The least

you could do is save mine.

Clive tries to counter what Ghost is asking him to do, but nothing comes to him. Ghost walks onto the roof of the train car, several feet away. He positions himself to face Clive, standing proudly, with only the faintest hint of regret.

Clive looks down at his various weapons. Handgun. Magnum. Shotgun. Katana. He’s almost physically ill at the thought of what he has to do.

CLIVE

But...

He looks away briefly, unable to watch the flash of hurt in Ghost’s eyes. Clive tries - tries very, very hard - to be strong, but he can’t keep it together. His voice breaks pathetically.

CLIVE

But what am I gonna do?

The hurt in Ghost’s eyes grows larger and larger.

GHOST

You’re going to keep fighting.

CLIVE

I can’t.

GHOST

(firmer)

Yes. You can. You are NOT a child

anymore, and you are no longer

defenceless. I watched you become

someone different. Maybe that’s the

person you were all this time. But

you can fight and you can survive

and you can live, if you try. Make

tomorrow and the rest of your god

damn days matter.

Clive stares down at the shotgun clenched in his hands, tears falling from his eyes. When Ghost speaks again, it’s considerably softer.

GHOST

Do you understand me?

A long moment of silence.

Clive raises the shotgun to the level of Ghost’s head.

CLIVE

I am not your son.

Ghost stares tensely, feeling the gun on him like a weight.

CLIVE

You are not my father.

The tension rachets right up. Very slowly, Clive lowers the gun, letting it rest against his leg. Ghost’s eyebrows furrow, heavily bothered.

CLIVE

And I don’t know what tomorrow

will be like. But I can’t live

through it knowing I had to be

the one to kill you.

He reaches to his waist and grabs his magnum. In a flash, he throws it to Ghost, who catches it with sweaty, jittering hands.

CLIVE

There are three bullets left in

there. That’s more than enough.

GHOST

Wait, what are you --

CLIVE

I’m so sorry.

Clive aims the shotgun down between the two cars - at the traditional buffer and chain coupler that’s connecting the first and second train cars.

Ghost screams out as Clive FIRES, and the two cars are pulled away from one another in opposite directions. Now, the only moving, workable train car is the one that Clive stands alone on.

Ghost watches with absolute, unbridled terror as he and Clive move farther and farther away from one another.

GHOST

CLIVE!

A moment. Clive shoots Ghost a shocked glare. It’s the first time Ghost has ever called him by name.

GHOST

CLIIIIIVE!!

Clive can only stare, numbly, as the second car moves further out of sight. Ghost’s figure, once tall and proud and masculine, dwindles away into nothingness.

He stands there for a very long time, unable to comprehend the events that have just transpired. Little by little, reality slowly begins to fall into place.

Clive carefully turns around and watches as the sun sinks slowly into the blood-red horizon. Wind whips Clive’s hair around wildly. Tears flow down his already stained cheeks.

Ghost’s shotgun. Something about it catches Clive’s attention - along the forearm handle. An inscription, that reads:

“PROPERTY OF BRUCE.”

Clive reads it, over and over and over again, shaking his head. He can only react with a laugh of disbelief. He falls to his knees, and the laughter grows... ever so slowly turning into heavy, tortured crying.

He closes his eyes and hides his face in his arms.

A long, reflective moment passes. Clive feels it all - everything that has happened to him in the last 48 hours - the death, the murder, the terror, the chaos, the terrors - running through his veins, thicker than his own blood.

The single-car train continues speeding through the forested route. Eventually, the track opens up into a clearing that takes the freight through calm, deserted, everlasting fields of farm.

Clive finally opens his bloodshot eyes. Breathing deeply, he gazes off into the empty distance, his face awash with uncommon serenity.

FADE OUT

THE END