Zombie Hell 3

Scene 11

Jean, Odgen, Santos and Peter return to the hotel main room where Betty and the rest of the guests, except Tino, are milling near the television. On the table near the television is a box filled with sandwiches and several bottles of water.

Jean, nodding at the box: Good work.

Jean, to Betty: Raise anybody?

Betty: Nobody. I want to go looking for Bobby.

Jean: Just came from the cottage. Some job you did getting that set for winter. I think you have some special cleanup to do out there.

Betty: Now!?! In the middle of all this!?!

Jean: Tomorrow will do.

Connie: So, are we moving?

Jean: We can if we need to, but we didn’t see anything that suggests we need to. So, we might as well stay here and be comfortable.

Nita: Comfortable?

Jean: Did Tino see anything?

Nita: Nothing so far.

Ogden: Well, I’m still for getting out of here.

Marie: Me, too. I’m far from comfortable.

Jean, pointing toward the road toward the army base: But we’re still not sure about what’s in that direction.

Peter: I really need to get to a hospital.

Diane: What happened?

Ogden: Damn rabid raccoon.

Jean: Mr. Miller.

Nita: What does that mean?

Ogden: It means we saw and killed a rabid raccoon. Raccoons get rabies. I doubt if that has anything to do with whatever bigger problem were in the middle of. But we should get Peter…Peter, right?…to the hospital sooner rather than later.

Peter: Sooner.

Ogden: Don’t get all squirrelly. It’s probably just a scratch. Now, I want to make this clear. I’m not part of the commune here. I’m getting out. However, in the interests of the group and to show I’m no asshole, I propose this. I take…what is your name?

Jean: That’s Mr. Calderon.

Santos: Santos will do.

Ogden: Santos will do in my car down to the crossroads and just see if anything looks strange. Okay with you?

Santos: Fine with me.

Jean: I’d really like to wait until Mr. Mulligan and Mr. Tomicelli get back. I’d like to see if they knew anything more. And I’d like us to have a single plan of action, or at least have everyone know what’s what.

Ogden: You can tell them if they get back before we do.

Jean: Mr. Miller…

Santos: It will be alright. We can check things out. Then at least I’ll be back with more information. We can make a better decision then.

Ogden: I’m not going to cut anyone lose out there.

Maria: You better not leave without me. Jean was my lift from the bus station.

Ogden: You don’t have a car.

Maria: I live in Manhattan.

Ogden: Another New Yorker.

Maria: I’m from New Brunswick, New Jersey, thank you. You gonna give me a lift into town?

Ogden: Sure. Just be ready to go when I get back.

Maria: I’m ready to split outta here right now.

Scene 12

The guests, Jean and Betty have moved into the parking lot outside the building. Ogden and Santos approach Ogden’s car, but he pauses and says in a loud but measured voice: Does the coast look clear?

Tino emerges from a doorway near the summit of the building and onto a small metal landing for the emergency exit. He gives a thumbs up, and slips back inside.

Ogden: So far so good.

Maria: I’m going to get my back and wait for you here.

Jean: That’s not necessary.

Maria: Okay, I leave the bag inside. I just want to get out of here before anything else happens.

Connie: Ready to cut and run.

Maria: Hey, where I grew up wasn’t as nice as it sounds. Not the part where I grew up. I no better than to hang around until trouble catches up with me.

Ogden: All right, already. And, by the way, that sounds like common sense to me. Speaking of common sense, Betty, could we borrow your rifle.

Jean: I don’t…

Odgen, indicating Santos: Give it to him. He’s riding shotgun. I’ll do the driving. I just would rather be as prepared as possible.

Jean, looking doubtful: If there are soldiers up there and they see a gun.

Santos: I’ll store it next to my seat. It will be out of sight and out of my hands. No accidents. But, it might be a good idea to have the rifle along.

Jean hands the rifle to Santos, who gets in the car and stows it away. Ogden gets in the driver’s seat.

Ogden: Good, everyone is making sense. Now, we should be gone more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Maria: Not that long.

Ogden: We’re gong to go slow, have a good look around and make sure we don’t run up on something unexpected, for their sake and ours. It should be fine.

Maria: And what if you don’t come back?

Ogden: Jean knows what the report of this rifle sounds like. You listen. You hear us shooting, you here somebody else shooting and the sounds different, like automatic weapons, you got a soldier problem. Shotguns and pistols, probably a biker problem. If you don’t hear anything and we don’t come back, I suggest you hide in the cottage and pray.

Peter: Jean knows. You don’ need me here. Maybe I should come, too. This scratch is itching

Ogden: You stay here. Like you said, it’s a scratch. We don’t have to go screaming off to the hospital. And it takes a couple of says for rabies to gestate. So relax, and don’t be pawing at yourself. I ain’t healthy.

Peter: Thanks for the advice. I thought you said sooner rather than later.

Ogden: Sooner doesn’t men now. And medical advice is free, engineering advice is $125 an hour. Just think, you got off cheap.

Ogden pulls out and proceeds through the parking lot and down the road.

Scene 12

Tommy and Vinny approach the hotel.

Vinny: What should we tell them?

Tommy: Just we should get out of here. They don’t need the details.

Vinny: What if they ask?

Tommy: Some kind of creature rushed us in the woods. We don’t know what it was.

Vinny: That don’t work with your alibi.

Tommy: I thought your idea was I don’t need an alibi.

Vinny: Okay, I’m rethinking.

Tommy: As much as you have me interests at heart, I think you were right the first time. Let’s just say something rushed us in the woods and I took a swipe at it. I doubt the details are going to be important.

Vinny: Nobody will get the story the same after all this shit.

Tommy: Except you and me, and we’ll settle that later.

Vinny: Absolutely.

Tommy: Then let’s go.

Scene 13

Vinny and Tommy arrive back at the hotel, emerging through the main doors into the common room. The guests, Jean and Betty arrive though the back door.

Jean; Mr. Mulligan, Mr. Tomicelli, I’m glad you “re back.

Vinny: Yeah, I think we should start thinking about getting out of here. Something was creeping around those woods. Took a lunge at us.

Jean: What happened?

Vinny: It was dark. Tommy took a stab at it, but we’re not sure what happened. We got out of there. Figured we should get back here.

Jean: Are you hurt?

Betty: What did you see?

Vinny: Took a bite at me.

Vinny pulls back the cuff of his pants and reveals the bite make on his boot.

Betty: Oh.

Nita: Oh no.

Maria: What was it?

Peter: Was it a raccoon?

Vinny: A raccoon?

Billy: Do you think that was all the shooting last night. Something got out?

Tommy: I took a stab at it. Maybe hit something. Dunno. Raccoon?

Vinny: A raccoon?

Jean: We ran into a sick raccoon.

Tommy: Maybe a sick raccoon.

Betty: Big raccoon, to make that bite.

Vinny: Maybe it was a fuckin’ Godzilla raccoon. Can we go home now?

Jean: Mr. Miller and Mr. G are scouting the road ahead.

Vinny: You think they’ll be back.

Jean: Mr. G will. I think Mr. Miller will be back.

Tommy: Why’s that?

Jean: Too many variables. I think he wants allies.

Betty: He said listen for shooting.

Tommy: You gave the hot head a gun?

Jean: Mr. G.

Tommy: The tall guy? The Spanish guy?

Betty: Latino is the preferred reference.

Tommy: In college. My friends are from Latin America, they say Spanish.

Vinny, loudly: We’re going to have a PC debate now?

Jean: Mr. Tomicelli, are you alright?

Vinnie: Sorry. Tommy and I talked about it. We think everyone should just get out.

Maria: Amen. Let’s just go.

Jean: Wait. We’ve got to shut up the house.

Tommy: You said they went out to scout.

Jean: They said 15 or 20 minutes.

Tommy, to Vinny: Makes sense. At least we’ll know if the road is clear past the base.

Vinny: They don’t come back?

Betty: Ogden said wait for them or the sound of their gun.

Vinny: Their gun.

Jean: to Betty. They said listen and we’d knew if something happens. I’ll know the report of my own rifle.

Vinny: Oh, great.

Jean: They took it as a precaution.

Peter: If something happens to them…

Tommy: What happened to you?

Peter: Maybe a raccoon bit me.

Tommy: Maybe?

Jean: We think it’s a scratch.

Vinny: You think. This guy’s going to what…start frothing at the mouth?

Tommy: At what point did you stop being helpful?

Vinny: Oh, fuck you, Let’s just go…

A rifle report.

Jean: That’s mine.

Vinny: Why is my gun in New York?

Three figures emerge from the woods near the road, a younger man and a younger woman, handcuffed together. Another man, older, is behind the other two, pushing them forward. The older man holds a pistol. The younger man’s mouth is gagged with a tie.

Betty: Maybe you should get more guns.

Betty exits.

Jean: Right now.

Jean steps off the porch, holding her gun forward and down.

Jean: Close enough.

Man with pistol points gun to ground and emerges past couple in handcuffs, pulling a chained badge from beneath his shirt.

Man: Federal marshal.

Peter: Now, did this just get better or worse?

Man: I’m Marshal Richard Davenport. These are my prisoners.

Jean: Why is this man gagged?

Davenport: Because he wouldn’t shut up.

Woman in handcuffs: You’ve seen it. This is police brutality.

Davenport: If it was police brutality, he’d have my shoe shoved in his mouth. Now you shut up. I’ve got a dirty handkerchief in my pocket.

Jean: Please. I don’t…where is your car Marshal Davenport?

Davenport: We couldn’t get to it.

Peter: What?

Davenport: Have you seen any news reports about the activity on the base?

Betty: We can’t get anything. It’s like the media is on lockdown.

Davenport: Can we get inside? I’d recommend everyone step inside. It’s safter.

Peter: Could you at least tell us what’s going on?

Davenport: Mister?

Peter: Polimari. Peter Polimari.

Davenport: Mr. Polimari, let’s step inside.

The group enters the hotel. Davenport holds back his prisoners and enters trailing them. Tommy drifts back to walk beside him.

Tommy: Funny how you didn’t ask about that gunshot.

Davenport: Let’s just get inside, and we can talk about that, too.

Scene 14, in the hotel common room. Jean hurries to the far window.

Jean: I don’t see them.

Tino: Maybe I’ll go back to look out.

Jean: That’s a good idea.

Tino, to Nita: You gotta fill me in later.

Nita: I will baby.

Nita kisses Tino and he rushes up the stairs.

Davenport: Is everyone alright?

Peter: I got scratched by a raccoon.

Davenport looks at Peter.

Davenort: Feel alright?

Peter: So far.

Davenport: Can I see it?

Peter shows him the wound.

Davenport: It’s not inflamed.

Woman in handcuff: Who said it was supposed to be?

Davenport: I can gag you with my socks.

Woman in handcuffs: You can’t silence us.

Davenport, looking around to the people in the room: Considering the circumstances, I’d silence myself.

Woman in handcuffs stiffens and become silent.

Ogden: This stinks. What’s going on? Who are these hippie freaks?

Davenport: These are my prisoners. That’s the first thing we have to get straight.

Ogden: Are they your prisoners or are we their prisoners. Might have an effect on our disposition towards them”

Jean: What happened out there?

Ogden: We were attack.

Jean: Who attacked you?

Ogden: Who is an optimistic appraisal. I’d say what.

Jean: I don’t understand.

Santos: A man attacked us.

Davenport: What did he look like.

Santos: Disfigured.

Ogden: Goddamn flesh was rotting of his face.

Concern and disgust register among the guests.

Santos: It looked like something attacted him, but didn’t quite finish the job.

Davenport: You shot it.

Ogden, indicating Santos: Right in the heart.

Davenport: Not in the head?

Ogden: Marshal’s service really likes to finish the job, eh?

Davenport: So no. But that should be enough for now. Did it bleed?

Ogden: What? Of course it was bleeding. Shot it in the heart.

Davenport, muttering: That should be alright for now.

Ogden: I’d say forever.

Davenport: I’d avoiding drawing too many conclusions just now.

Tino, looking: Someone’s coming.

Davenport: You only see one?

Tino: Guy coming up the road. He looks drunk. Whoa! Going sideways.

Davenport draws his gun: He’ll come straighter if he sees one of us.

Davenport, to Tommy: Watch these two. Don’t let the go nowhere.

Davenport exits through main door.

Man in handcuffs, muttering through tie: Let me come with you.

Man in handcuffs begins to follow Davenport toward the door.

Man in handcuffs: I should go with you.

Tommy reaches out and grabs the chain securing the handcuffs, yanks back hard on them and pulls the man back.

Man in handcuffs: Hey, asshole.

Tommy yanks hard down on the handcuffs.

Man in handcuffs: Fuck!

Tommy: Want to call me an asshole again?

Woman in handcuffs begins stepping sideways away from the group. Vinny interposes.

Vinnie: Hi.

Woman in handcuffs: Fuck you!

Vinnie, to Tommy: We just met and she’s so generous.

Woman in handcuffs: Fuck you! Fuck you all! You’re part of the machine, too. But the machine is over.

Vinnie nudges her back toward the man in handcuffs.

Vinnie: Guess she’s not mechanically inclined.

Woman in handcuffs: Fuck you!

Vinnie: And the mouth.

Woman lounges at Tommy and tries to bit him.

Vinnie sidesteps easily and woman spills to the floor.

Vinnie: Why’s everybody trying to bit me?

Woman: You’ll find out you fuck.

Tommy takes the woman by the two arms and pulls her abruptly be you arms to a standing position.

Tommy: Davenport should have left his socks.

Woman in handcuffs: Fuck you, too.

Tommy: I’ve got socks.

The woman in handcuffs prepares to say something and Tommy lifts his foot and begins to remove his shoe. She chooses to remain silent.

Tino: Look at this shit.

Vinnie and Tommy move the prisoners closer to the window out of which Tino is looking. They peer past the prisoners as the other hotel guests move forward to watch. Davenport is approaching a disheveled man coming down the road with his gun at eye level. The man shuffles awkwardly forward, then stops as if he senses something. The looks at Davenport and charges straight for him. He proceeds to within a dozen paces of Davenport, who fires into the man’s head. The man drops.

Ogden: Jeez!

Nita: Oh!

Maria: Okay, that’s police brutality.

Woman in handcuffs: See! You gotta get us away from him.

Santos: Sweet Jesus.

Santo points, to Odgen: That’s our guy.

Ogden: Couldn’t be. You popped him in the middle of the chest. He went straight back. He couldn’t get up.

Santos: I didn’t think so, either, but that’s our guy.

Ogden, looking closer: Fuckin’ eh…That’s what he was wearing.

Vinnie, to Tommy: Are you lookin’ at this.

Jean, to Vinnie: Did someone else try to bit you?

Vinnie: Half of someone.

Peter: What?

Tommy: Vin!

Vinnie: Something real wrong is going on here.

Man in handcuffs, through tie: Perhaps I can explain. But…

Main in handcuffs shrugs.

Ogden pulls the man in handcuffs tie free.

Ogden: Talk.

Man in handcuffs: We’re journalists. We were trying to report on secret government experiments. You just saw one.

Betty: Oh my God. Bobby.

Man in handcuffs: You have go get us away from Davenport. He’s part of it.

The room goes silent. Davenport returns. Santos turns, rifle barrel turning toward Davenport. Davenport takes in the room and holsters his pistol.

Davenport: No need for that.

Woman in handcuffs: You have to protect us.

Davenport: Now those are smart kids. They talk fast.

Jean: Mr. Davenport, you had better explain what’s going on.

Man in handcuffs: You can’t believe him. He’s part of this.

Ogden: I want to know what’s going on.

Davenport: You may not.

Santos: I do.

Man in handcuffs: You can’t give us over. He’ll kill us.

Vinnie: Guess he could have done that already. He ain’t exactly pacifistic.

Tommy, giving a small yank on the man’s handcuffs.

Tommy: Everyone gets a chance to talk.

Davenport: This is a pair of terrorists. They belong to a group called the One Billion.

Man in handcuffs: He’ll make anything up.

Tommy: Except I’ve heard of the One Billion. But years ago. They tried to blow up a chemical train heading through the Chicago suburbs. Could have killed thousands.

Man in handcuffs: This homicidal maniac will say anything.

Santos: I shot that man in the chest with a 30/30. Could have killed a bear.

Tommy turns to Ogden for the tie.

Ogden: Let him talk.

Tommy: Fair enough but…

Tommy gives the handcuff chain a twitch.

Tommy: One at a time.

Davenport: The train attack was planned by her sister and some confederates.

The woman in handcuffs visibly stiffens. The man in handcuffs nudges her.

Jean: This all sounds very strange.

Man in handcuffs: He’ll say anything.

To Sandos: Man, you’ve got to protect us.

Vinnie snatches the tie away from Ogden, grabs the man in handcuffs’ nose and, when his mouth opens, shoves the tin in.

Vinnie: You’ll get your turn.

Ogden glares: Who the fuck do you think you are.

Vinnie: I’m the moderator. He’ll get his turn

Vinnie, to Davenport: And…

Davenport: We’ve been tracking this bunch for years. But they disappeared. They’re families have money. Hers are eco nuts, his just don’t give a fuck.

Man in handcuffs laughs through the gag.

Man in handcuffs, through gag: That part’s true.

Davenport: They got into the lab at the base somehow, and they released a virus.

Woman in handcuffs: See. Lab. They were experimenting with biological warefare.

Davenport: The lab on base was experimenting with ways to combat biological warfare. Innoculations. Cures. In the cold war. It became a tropical diseases center…

Woman in handcuffs: That’s what they always say. Tropical diseases.

Davenport: We knew they were experimenting with diseases as a way to cull the human herd. We just didn’t know until last week they were doing it on an army base.

Man in handcuffs, through gag: Okay, that’s the most ridiculous thing…

Tommy: No, it’s not ridiculous. It’s actually a good idea.

The man in handcuffs turns toward Tommy, then quickly looks away.

Ogden: Explain that to me.

Tommy: Money buys false identity. Then you hide in the last place anyone’s going to look, where you need a security clearance.

Nita: That doesn’t make sense to me. I work in a financial exchange. They ran me through hoops to get my clearance, and that’s just a bonding process.

Ogden: Sounds far fetched to me, too.

Davenport: Except, they had the lowest level clearance. Cleaning team. Put them in the labs. They took their time. Rewired the security system. Developed false imaging loops. We wanted to talk to them, but they were low priority. They hadn’t done anything we were sure about…

Woman in handcuffs: See!

Davenport: Until last night.

Man in handcuffs, though gag: See we didn’t do anything….

Tommy, giving a short yank on the man’s handcuffs: Until last night.

Davenport: Two years ago…

Tino: Here comes another one…

A woman is emerging from the woods. She shuffles forward.

Maria: Oh, my God. She looks sick. You should help her.

Davenport, to Tommy: You want to come with me.

Ogden: Sure, him. He’s buying everything you say.

Davenport: So, you, too.

Ogden: Mister, you might be as right as rain, but I don’t know who to trust right now.

Davenport, indicating Tommy: You trust him.

Ogden: I guess more than you.

Davenport, nodding to Tommy: I’m going to take my pistol out with just two fingers, give it to him.

Vinnie: Uh, if I could interject…

Davenport: Yes.

Vinnie: Tom, old friend, I’d like to see you out there with a little more firepower.

Vinnie nods toward Santos.

Tommy approaches Santos, pausing some distance.

Tommy: You mind.

Santos: Under the circumstances, yeah. But it’s not my gun.

Santos looks to Jean.

Jean: It’s alright.

Santos hands over the rifle.

Davenport, to Ogden: Okay?

Ogden: Alright.

Tommy checks the rifle’s chamber.

Tommy: Okay.

Davenport, to Santos: Would you mind watching the foul mouth.

Davenport, to Vinny: And would you mind keeping watch on her. These two are slippery, but they’re my prisoners. I shouldn’t be doing this, but the situation is a little unusual. No escapes. And no injuries, except at minimum necessity. And, no matter what happens, they stay alive. At least as long as I do. They have information we need.

Santos: Okay.

Vinnie: Sure

Davenport: Okay. Let’s go see what she wants. As if I don’t already know.

Ogden, to Davenport: Well, since he has the rifle, mind if I have the pistol.

Davenport looks at Ogden. Davenport turns and walks to Jean, taking out his pistol slowly with two fingers and handing it to her. She takes it and nods.

Davenport: Ready.

Tommy, Davenport and Ogden exit.

Ogden, near the door: When is someone gonna give a goddamn gun?

Tommy, Davenport and Ogden exit.

Nita: I don’t like the way that sounded.

The group moves closer to the window to watch and the figure stumbles up the road. Tommy, Ogden and Davenport approach from the right warily. The figure freezes, rushes forward the 30 yards to the approaching party at a rambling pace. Tommy raises the rifle. Ogden moves away from him to the side. The figure lunges for Tommy. He doesn’t fire, but uses the rifle barrel as a prod to shove the figure forward. It stumbles and falls to the ground. Davenport gets down on one knee and draws a small pistol from an ankle holster. The prone figure turns toward Tommy and screams. Draws itself up and makes a more deliberate rush on Tommy. Tommy dodges, again prods the figure on with the rifle barrel. The figure stumbles a bit but doesn’t fall. It turns quickly, appearing with more coordination and prepares to lunge. Tommy raises the rifle to the ready but doesn’t aim. Davenport strides forward, levels the pistol. He fires a shot into the center of the figure’s forehead. The figure collapses.

Group in the hotel: Gasps.

Betty: Oh, God.

Woman in handcuffs: You see the police brutality!

Man in handcuffs looks at her and shakes his head.

Tommy turns toward Davenport and says something. Davenport replies. Tommy goes to the prone woman kneels and touches her arm. Ogden draws near and speaks to Tommy. Tommy nods and responds. They make their way back to the hotel.