Post by DomeWing333 on Nov 2, 2013 23:39:53 GMT
WINDFALL:
A Walking Dead Fan-Fiction
Chapter 1 - Gain
[Two people, a man and woman, are trekking across a golden field. Both are in their late 20s, medium build. MADDIE, the woman, is walking upright at a confident pace. CYRIL, the man, is hunched over and lagging slightly behind.]Chapter 1 - Gain
CYRIL: [in dull monotone] Grass…Grass…Grass…Tree…Grass…More grass…’nother tree.
MADDIE: Not helping.
CYRIL: Well, what do you want me to do, Maddie? There’s nothing out here. [stops] Look, we’ve been doing this all day. We’re not finding anything. Let’s just get back to camp.
MADDIE: [still walking, not looking back] Our orders were to survey the area and report back. Keep up, we’ve only explored a third of it.
CYRIL: How can you even tell? All I see is miles and miles of the same damn scenery. What, are you goin’ by the trees? Or the rocks? Or the other trees?…Did you say a third??!!
MADDIE: [turns around suddenly] Cyril, if you want to go back, fine. We’ll go back. But you’re going to be the one to tell Zheng that we wasted all that gas for nothing because you didn’t feel like doing your job. [turns back and continues walking]
CYRIL: …I’ll be good.
[They continue walking for a short while.]
CYRIL: [notices something in his periphery and stops again] Woah. Hey.
MADDIE: [looks back] What the hell is it now?
CYRIL: [moving closer to get a better look] I think I see someone. There. [he points] See? Off in the distance. It kinda looks like…a kid.
MADDIE: It’s just a rotter, Cyril.
CYRIL: No. The movements are too precise. Not shambly enough…I think it’s alive…
MADDIE: [takes a long look at the small figure in the distance]…That’s impossible. There’s no way a kid could’ve—Cyril! What the hell are you doing?!
CYRIL: [wandering towards the figure] We have to go see who it is.
MADDIE: [runs to him and pulls his arm back] You know the protocols. We don’t approach any survivors.
CYRIL: What the hell’s the point of exploring this place if we can’t check out the one thing we found here?
MADDIE: We report back. That’s our job. We’re scouts, not the goddamn Rescue Rangers!
CYRIL: Just let me go check it out. You can stay here and cover me. If things go tits-up, you know what to do. [continues walking towards the figure]
MADDIE: Cyril! Goddamn it. [readies her weapon]
[MADDIE watches as CYRIL slowly approaches the figure. When he gets close, the figure suddenly raises a gun up to CYRIL’s head and he throws his arms up in the air.]
MADDIE: Cyril!! [runs over and points her gun at the little girl in front of her, who points her gun back at MADDIE] Put the gun down! Now!!
CYRIL: Maddie. Maddie. It’s okay. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.
MADDIE: Everything is not fine. [to the girl] Put the gun down! I won’t say it again!
CYRIL: Easy. Just let me talk to her a bit. She’s just a little freaked out is all. [in a soft voice to the girl] Hey there. We’re not here to hurt you. I promise. My name’s Cyril. This is Maddie. What’s your name?
[The girl doesn’t respond. Her breathing is heavy and her gun is shaking, hovering back and forth between CYRIL and MADDIE.]
CYRIL: Uh…Are you out here by yourself? Were there other people with you? Where are they now?
[The girl lets out a small whimper, then quickly wipes her eyes, and continues aiming.]
CYRIL: [whispers to MADDIE] Any ideas?
MADDIE: [pauses, then in a calm voice to the girl] You lost your friends, didn’t you? [notices the girl’s eyes widening, proceeds in a gentler voice] We’ve lost some friends of ours, too…I had a little brother. His name was David. He died a week after it all started…I still miss him very much…Who did you lose?
CLEMENTINE:…Lee.
MADDIE: Lee. Was Lee your brother? Your uncle?
CLEMENTINE: He was…he was…[tries to choke back her tears and lowers her weapon slightly]
MADDIE: It’s okay. It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it now…First, let’s just all put our weapons away. Cyril here is going to come take that gun from you and—
CLEMENTINE: No! [raises her weapon back up]
CYRIL: [backs off] Woah-kay!
MADDIE: Okay. Okay. Calm down. You can keep your gun. We’ll lower our guns at the same time, okay? [CLEMENTINE nods] Okay.
[They both very slowly lower their weapons. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.]
MADDIE: Can you tell me your name?
CLEMENTINE: Clementine.
MADDIE: Hi Clementine. My name is Madelyn. Everyone calls me Maddie. Do you have a nickname, too?
CLEMENTINE: Clem.
MADDIE: Good. Good.
CYRIL: It’s pretty dangerous out here by yourself, Clem. If you want, you can come with us back to our camp. What d’ya say?
MADDIE: [aside] Cyril, we can’t just bring people back without permission!
CYRIL: She’s a little kid. What are we gonna do? Leave her out here? For 3 or 4 days? With bandits and rotters and God knows what else roaming around here? We have to take her with us.
MADDIE: She’s a Burden. If Zheng—
CYRIL: I know... I know. But we’ve been doing pretty well for ourselves back there, right? We can afford to take her in. She can have some of my share.
MADDIE: [compassionate] Cyril…
CYRIL: Maddie, please. I need to do this. Just… I can’t let another one go…You know?
MADDIE: You think bringing her along is going to stop that from happening?
CYRIL: I think… it’ll let me sleep a little better knowing that I tried this time.
MADDIE: …
Chapter 2 - Prize
REX: [looking out through a pair of binoculars] Vehicle approaching! Sedan. Grey. I think it’s Maddie!
TED: Cyril still with her?
REX: Looks like.
TED: Damn.
[The car stops several yards from the wall. CYRIL gets out.]
CYRIL: [waving both arms] Hey, it’s us! We found a survivor!
TED: Did he just say “survivor?!”
REX: Damn it. Come on. [They both hurry down.] Open it up!
[The large metal gate lifts open, pulled by several large men. The car drives through.]
CYRIL: Hey, Rex. Ted! Long time no—[TED grabs CYRIL by the collar and slams him up against the car] Jesus!
TED: Have you lost your fucking mind?!! A survivor?! You brought a fucking survivor back here?! We’re barely scraping by with what we got and you go out and bring back some sad sack o’ shit to sop up the rest of it??!!
MADDIE: [gets out of the car] Ted, let him go. It was my choice just as much as his.
TED: Bullshit! Did the bitch get you with his sob story again?
MADDIE: Ted. Stop.
TED: About that little shit he let die?
MADDIE: Ted.
TED: Well get the fuck over it! I’ve lost a hell of a lot more than this sorry shit. If he thinks he can use it to fuck with what we got going here…
MADDIE: I swear to fucking God, Ted, if don’t let him go right now—
ZHENG: Madelyn. [Everyone stops. ZHENG walks over: a tall, East Asian man with an athletic build and imposing presence. His manner of speaking, as well as his actions, is cold and deliberate.]
TED: Zheng, I—
ZHENG: Save it. [he approaches MADDIE] Where is It?
[MADDIE goes to open the back door of the car. CLEMENTINE nervously steps out, glancing around, her hand clasping her wrist. ZHENG’s eyes shift towards CLEMENTINE and then refocus on MADDIE, now with fury.]
ZHENG: [his voice still calm] …You brought a child to my camp.
CYRIL: Z-Zheng, it was…it was my idea. I just thought—
ZHENG: [still glaring at MADDIE] I know what you thought. And I know whose idea it was. I expected this kind of bullshit from you. She should have known better.
[MADDIE’s eyes dart to the ground. ZHENG goes to approach CLEMENTINE. She takes a step back.]
ZHENG: I want to talk to her. Alone. If I can use her, she’ll stay. Otherwise, she’s gone. [turns to CYRIL and MADDIE] And one of you goes with her. Is that understood?
MADDIE: Yes, sir.
CYRIL: …Yes, sir.
ZHENG: [to CLEMENTINE] Come with me.
[CLEMENTINE hesitates and looks over at MADDIE, who nods. CLEMENTINE then timidly follows ZHENG into a nearby cabin. As he holds the door open for her, ZHENG notices the gun CLEMENTINE has with her.]
ZHENG: [to MADDIE, incredulous]…You didn’t take her weapon?
MADDIE: She wouldn’t let us. Said she’d rather not come with us than give it up.
ZHENG: Hmm. [with a slight smirk] That’s a good start.
Chapter 3 - Trial
[The inside of the cabin is dark. The décor is sparse. A single dim light hangs above a metal table. A chair on each side. A large mirror covers one of the side walls. ZHENG grabs a bottle off a shelf and pours the contents into a tall glass and sets it in front of CLEMENTINE, who is sitting down. She goes to grab the glass but stops herself. ZHENG takes a seat across from her and leans down to meet her gaze.]
ZHENG: [speaking slowly and deliberately] My name is Zheng. I’m 29 years old. I’m the leader of this group. I am proficient in the usage of firearms, hand-to-hand combat, and advanced interrogation techniques. I have no friends or family to speak of. My only goal here is to survive for as long as I am able to. [leans back and gestures CLEMENTINE to speak]
CLEMENTINE: M-my name is Clementine. I’m nine years old. I’m just here by myself. …um…I…[she begins to look distressed]
ZHENG: What is it?
CLEMENTINE: [expecting to be scolded]…I don’t know what proficient means.
ZHENG: It means “good at something.”
CLEMENTINE: Oh. I’m good at…hiding. And getting into small spaces…I can shoot a gun.
ZHENG: How’s your aim?
CLEMENTINE: I…
ZHENG: That bottle behind me. Can you hit the top from where you’re sitting?
CLEMENTINE: [looks at the bottle] I think so.
ZHENG: Good. We can test that out later. Anything else?
CLEMENTINE: [shakes her head] Wait. I know how to avoid the walkers.
ZHENG: Rotter blood. That’s why you’re covered in it.
CLEMENTINE: [nods]
ZHENG: What about family or friends? Are they still around?
CLEMENTINE: [shakes her head] Everyone’s gone.
ZHENG: I see. And your goal here. What is it?
CLEMENTINE: I-I want to survive, too. [ZHENG goes to speak] …But I don’t want to be a bad person.
ZHENG: …Do you think that I’m a bad person?
CLEMENTINE: [looks at ZHENG and thinks for a long while] …I don’t know.
[ZHENG pauses, then gets up and walks out of the cabin.]
ZHENG: Madelyn! Cyril! Up front! [They approach and line up in front of ZHENG] The two of you were sent out to scan our surroundings for any signs of danger or supplies. Not only did you fail to complete your assignment, you explicitly violated protocol by approaching a survivor. And then you brought a Burden back here. Armed.
CYRIL: Sir—
ZHENG: The next time you decide to ignore my instructions, don’t bother coming back. Are we clear?
MADDIE/CYRIL: Yes, sir.
CYRIL: Uh, sir, if I may ask [ZHENG turns to him] …how did she do?
ZHENG: She’s had a lot of trauma. She’s hesitant, scared, unsure of herself… Did you give her any water after you met her?
Madelyn: We were all out, sir.
ZHENG: [looks back inside and sees the still-full glass in front of CLEMENTINE] Trust issues as well.
MADDIE: That’s a good thing, isn’t it?
ZHENG: For now. She’s going to need to get past that eventually though.
CYRIL: [excited] Are you saying…?
ZHENG: She stays. But until she proves otherwise, she’s still a Burden. Our 6th one. The limit was 5. To make up for her cost, I expect twice the amount of work from you two from now on. No more breaks. And both of your rations are shared with her now.
CYRIL: Understood, sir. Thank you.
ZHENG: But if anything goes wrong for us—we lose crops, someone gets sick, we get attacked— anything that weakens our capacity to sustain ourselves—she goes into the Lottery with the others. Don’t forget that. [CYRIL gets a worried look on his face] Cyril!
CYRIL: Yes, sir!
ZHENG: Starting tomorrow you’ll be in the fields with Theodore. If another altercation occurs—
CYRIL: It won’t, sir!
ZHENG: Madelyn.
MADDIE: Yes, sir.
ZHENG: You’re on special assignment this week. Make sure the girl can shoot as well as she says. Then go over the protocols with her.
MADDIE: Sir?
ZHENG: You wanted to bring her along, didn’t you? Go train your new partner.
Chapter 4 - Test
[MADDIE and CLEMENTINE are walking across a field. The walls of the settlement can be seen in the distance. CLEMENTINE is nervously glancing around at her surroundings and falling a few feet behind MADDIE.]MADDIE: [notices CLEMENTINE lagging behind] Stay close to me.
CLEMENTINE: Sorry. [hurries to catch up]
MADDIE: Well, you’re better at listening than he is...
CLEMENTINE:...
MADDIE: [notices her nervous silence] You’re pretty a quiet kid, huh? [turns to CLEMENTINE and smiles]
CLEMENTINE: [shyly smiles back] Sometimes.
MADDIE: I was quiet when I was little too. Guess I still am, actually. My teachers would always try to get me to speak up in class. It never really worked.
CLEMENTINE: Mine says I ask too many questions…
MADDIE: That’s just what they say when they don’t know the answers.
CLEMENTINE: [giggles]
MADDIE: So are there any that you’ve been holding onto? Questions, I mean. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to answer all of them but I’ll give it try.
CLEMENTINE: I have a lot…
MADDIE: That’s alright. I have a lot of things I want to ask too. How about we make a deal? Every time, I answer one of your questions, you have to answer one of mine. Sound fair?
CLEMENTINE: Okay!…Um… Do we have a name?
MADDIE: A name? For us? You mean like a…superhero team? I don’t know of a lot of duos…
CLEMENTINE: [giggles] For the camp!
MADDIE: Oh! [laughs] Sorry. Yeah. We’re called Sundown.
CLEMENTINE: Sundown. That’s a pretty name.
MADDIE: I thought so too… Alright, my turn…Where’d you learn how to shoot?
CLEMENTINE: [clearly uncomfortable] Um…Lee taught me. He said I needed to know how to protect myself. It was right after Duck died…
MADDIE: Oh. I’m sorry. You probably don’t want to talk about that right now. I’ll try not to bring up any more sad things… It’s your turn again.
CLEMENTINE: Let’s see…Hmm…Why are we going so far away to practice shooting?
MADDIE: Zheng wanted me to really test your skills. Most of the time, you won’t be very far from what you need to shoot. But he wants to know if you can shoot longer distances accurately. We need a lot of room for that. A little while ago, we set up a makeshift gun-range nearby to test out our skills. It’s actually a former bandit camp.
CLEMENTINE: [scared] A bandit camp? What happened to the bandits?
MADDIE: We…cleared them out.
CLEMENTINE: Oh…I’m sorry. I cheated. That was two questions.
MADDIE: Don’t worry about it. Asking questions is a good thing. It means you’re thinking.
CLEMENTINE: Yeah. That’s what my mom always said… [suddenly looks saddened]
MADDIE: [sighs]…I guess it really can’t be avoided, can it?
CLEMENTINE: [wipes her eye] I’m sorry.
MADDIE: No, don’t be. I get it. Everything reminds you of them, doesn’t it?
CLEMENTINE: Yeah…Maddie?
MADDIE: Hmm?
CLEMENTINE: Does it ever stop hurting?
MADDIE: [hesitates, then softly] No, sweetie. It doesn’t… It’ll get easier to deal with. After a while, you don’t think about it as much anymore. You might go a whole day without thinking about that person. But every time you do, it hurts just the same…
CLEMENTINE: Yeah.
MADDIE: But that’s good thing.
CLEMENTINE: Huh?
MADDIE: Being hurt. It’s a good thing. It means you’re still alive. Inside and out. If you stop feeling hurt by things, you stop being human. At that point, you might as well just…[catches herself rambling] Sorry. I guess I’m not so quiet after all.
CLEMENTINE: No, I liked hearing you talk. You should do it more often.
MADDIE: [smiles] Okay. We’re here. Ready?
CLEMENTINE: [Getting out her gun] Yeah.
MADDIE: [puts her hand on CLEMENTINE’s shoulder and points down the range at a black cut-out of a person] Alright, see that first target? Over to the left?
CLEMENTINE: Uh-huh.
MADDIE: That marks 20 yards away from us. I want you to shoot it. Try to aim for the head. Okay?
CLEMENTINE: [slightly uncomfortable] Okay.
MADDIE: Just think about it as a rotter. Er, you call them walkers, right?
CLEMENTINE: Yeah.
MADDIE: Well think about it as one of those. [pulls out a pair of binoculars] I’ll use this to check your aim. If you hit the first one, we’ll go on to the one further down. That’s 40 yards. And then the next one after that. We’ll keep going until you miss. But, who knows, maybe you’ll even make it to the last one.
CLEMENTINE: [looks at the last one to the right] It’s so far…
MADDIE: I know. That’s 100 yards. Don’t worry. I usually can’t get that one either. Cyril’s the only one who can hit it consistently. Him and Zheng.
CLEMENTINE: Cyril’s a good person, isn’t he?
MADDIE: Of course. Don’t you think so?
CLEMENTINE: Yeah, I like him…[nervously] Maddie?
MADDIE: What is it?
CLEMENTINE:…Zheng’s a good person, too, right?
MADDIE: [sighs] …You’re asking a lot of questions, sweetie…
Chapter 5 - Safe
[A small crop-field in the middle of Sundown. CYRIL has just finished plowing a section of it. He walks over to the side, sits down, and collapses backwards with an exhausted groan]MADDIE: [approaching] Giving up already?
CYRIL: [slowly struggles to sit up] No. Just resting. You were gone for a while.
MADDIE: I actually got back a while ago. Zheng told me not to see you right away. He said you’d just use it as an excuse to stop working.
CYRIL: [muttering] Lousy son-of-a—
MADDIE: Was he lying?
CYRIL: [collapses back down]
MADDIE: I’ll take that as a no.
CYRIL: So how’d she do?
MADDIE: Made it past the second one.
CYRIL: Wow. Pretty good for a kid. You told Zheng?
MADDIE: [sits down next to him, sullen] Yeah…
CYRIL: I’m guessing he wasn’t nearly as impressed as I was?
MADDIE: She was already so down on herself. I spent the whole trip back trying to tell her that she did really well for her age. And he just looked her straight in the eyes and told her “You need to do better.”
CYRIL: She’s eight!
MADDIE: Nine. And that’s what I told him.
CYRIL: And he said?
MADDIE: “I don’t care how she shoots when she’s 20. If she can’t shoot now, she won’t make it that far.”
CYRIL: That fucking asshole.
MADDIE: She really took it to heart, too.
CYRIL: Yeah?
MADDIE: She’s still out training with him.
CYRIL: You let her go shooting with Zheng?!
MADDIE: He’s not just gonna shoot her, Cyril. Besides, she wanted to go.
CYRIL: That doesn’t mean you let her! Sure, he won’t shoot her. He’ll just make her take out a hoard of rotters. By herself. Blindfolded.
MADDIE: [sighs] Cyril…
CYRIL: Or have her mow down a family of bunny rabbits one by one until she stops crying!
MADDIE: Cyril…
CYRIL: Or better yet, just—
MADDIE: Cyril!
CYRIL: [sighs] …He’s right behind me, isn’t he?
MADDIE: No. But she is.
CYRIL: [turns around and sees CLEMENTINE staring at him with an inquisitive look on her face, responds awkwardly] Hey there.
CLEMENTINE: Am I really gonna have to kill rabbits…?
MADDIE: No, sweetie, Cyril’s just an idiot.
CYRIL: Hey!
MADDIE: So how was your training with Zheng?
CLEMENTINE: It was good. He taught me to crouch down to make harder shots. I can hit the third one now.
CYRIL: Way to go, Clem!
MADDIE: Yeah, that’s really something.
CLEMENTINE:…He’s really scary, though…
CYRIL: Yeah, that’s kinda his thing. What did he say?
CLEMENTINE: Nothing bad. He told me I was a fast learner. But that he doesn’t have the time to train me anymore and I’m still too weak to be of any use by myself.
CYRIL: [turns to MADDIE] See?! See what I’m talking about?!
CLEMENTINE: So he told me to come over here and tell you guys to take me with you from now on. On your trips outside. He said it would be a good way for me to learn. And in a month, he’ll test me again.
MADDIE: I was hoping that he’d reconsider that. It’s dangerous out there.
CYRIL: Wait, both of us? You mean I’m off field-duty? Fuck yeah!
CLEMENTINE/MADDIE: Swear.
CYRIL: Wha?
MADDIE: She doesn’t like it when people swear. She caught me when I missed the fifth target.
CYRIL: [turns to CLEMENTINE] No swearing?
CLEMENTINE: [shakes her head]
CYRIL: At all?
CLEMENTINE: Nope.
CYRIL: Not even a little?
CLEMENTINE: Nuh-uh.
CYRIL: Well that’s gonna suck…I can say suck, right?
CLEMENTINE: [thinks] I guess so.
CYRIL: Alright, I can deal with that.
MADDIE: As if you’re really going to stop saying any of the other ones.
CYRIL: I won’t! You watch! I'm never gonna swear again! [turns to CLEMENTINE and sticks his pinky out] Promise.
CLEMENTINE: [smiles and hooks her pinky with his] Promise.
Chapter 6 - Luck
[A grey sedan cruising along a lonely country road. MADDIE is in the driver’s seat, CYRIL is in the passenger seat, and CLEMENTINE is in the back, along with a bunch of survival gear.]
CYRIL: Red lace?...black lace…leopard print?
MADDIE: For the last time, Cyril, I’m not telling you what it is. And it’s Clementine’s turn anyway. Go ahead, sweetie.
CYRIL: [half-whispers to CLEMENTINE] Ask her if it’s striped or solid.
MADDIE: Cyril, she doesn’t even know what you’re talking about!
CYRIL: That’s why it’s okay! You’d think I’d be doing this if I thought she had any idea?
CLEMENTINE: Why are we called Sundown?
CYRIL: Shit, I don’t even know this.
CLEMENTINE: Swear.
CYRIL: What? Oh fuck. I mean, uh, oops.
MADDIE: Zheng came up with it.
CYRIL: Zheng named it?! Didn’t know he had it in him…Wouldn’t have pegged him for a romantic.
MADDIE: Well, it’s not quite so sweet as that. It was before everything was built. He said wanted the surrounding walls to be so sheer, we wouldn’t be able to see the sun directly for more than an hour a day. A perpetual sundown.
CYRIL: Well, that’s bit more depressing than I was hoping for…Thanks a lot, Clem.
CLEMENTINE: [gives him a playful scowl]
CYRIL: [gives one back]
MADDIE: We’re here. [stops the car]
CYRIL: Guess I’ll do the honors again. [gets out of the car and waves his arms] Hey! It’s us! We actually have supplies this time! [No response.] Damn it, Rex, if you’re still pissed about the carrots, I’ll pay you back! Double, even! Rex? [turns to Maddie, serious] Something’s wrong. [runs to the gate and bangs on it] Rex! Open up! Rex!!
[A few moments of dead silence. Then a metallic creak, followed by the rumblings of the gate opening. CYRIL waves MADDIE forward, then ducks under the rising gates and heads in first. As the gates grind open, MADDIE sees CYRIL and ZHENG standing in front of the ashen remains of the storehouse along with a few surrounding cabins. She pulls in quickly and gets out of the car.]
CYRIL: God. No. Please. No. [drops to his knees, hands clutching his head]
MADDIE: [rushes over] Zheng! What happened?!
ZHENG: Storm last night. Lightning struck the storehouse.
MADDIE: Is it all…?
ZHENG: We’ve been working all night. Managed to salvage a few things. Twenty percent at most.
MADDIE: Has anyone been hurt?
ZHENG: Theodore’s in the infirmary. Third degree burns to his left arm and chest. He ran in trying to save what he could. We’re keeping him monitored but it looks like he’s gone. Two of the Burdens were also caught in it. They didn’t make it.
MADDIE: Rex’s?
ZHENG: No. Just a couple strays. Linda and Jaimie.
MADDIE: God…
ZHENG: Rex is in his cabin. Saying his goodbyes. You and Cyril should go do the same.
CYRIL: [in despair] Zheng…please…
ZHENG: No. There’s no arguing with this now. With the amount food we have now, we can’t keep all the Workers fed and take care of four Burdens. We’re cutting down to two. The Lottery starts at noon. [walks off]
CLEMENTINE: [approaches timidly] What’s the Lottery?
MADDIE: [pauses, then in a quiet voice] After something like this happens, Zheng goes back and recalculates the number of survivors Sundown can sustain. Based on the surplus of food and the number of able-bodied Workers we have, he determines how many Bur—people who can’t fend for themselves—we can keep.
CLEMENTINE: Like me.
MADDIE: [sadly] Yes. When we’re over capacity, the names of all the Burdens go into a lottery. Anyone whose name is picked is forced to leave. And if we ever see one of them near Sundown again…we kill them.
CLEMENTINE: Did you…ever have to do that?
MADDIE: No… [turns to CYRIL, who is now openly sobbing] …But Cyril has.
Chapter 7 - Loss
[Inside a small cabin, decorated crudely with children’s drawings. CYRIL is sitting on a bed, looking down at the gun in his hands. MADDIE is standing next to him.]MADDIE: Cyril. Give me the gun.
CYRIL: [in a low, raspy voice] I’m not gonna use it.
MADDIE: Then you don’t need to have it. Give me the gun.
CYRIL: …
MADDIE: Cyril.
CYRIL: I’m just looking at it.
MADDIE: Whatever you’re feeling right now…you’re not going to find the answer in there—
CYRIL: [explosive] Then where the fuck is it, Maddie??!! Where the fuck’s my answer?!!
MADDIE: …
CYRIL: [hysteric, mournful] She just found us. She was safe. After all the shit she’s been through. She was safe…
MADDIE: Nothing’s safe anymore.
CYRIL: I just needed a few more days. I should’ve taught her more. I should’ve—
MADDIE: Cyril!
CYRIL: [pauses, closing his eyes] …I know…We should get going.
[CYRIL puts the gun down on the bed and gets up to leave. MADDIE moves out of his way, then quickly grabs the gun off the bed and checks it. It’s empty. She follows CYRIL outside. All of the survivors at Sundown, around 30 people, have gathered around the metal gate leading out of the settlement. ZHENG is standing by himself in front of the gate, holding a brass urn]
ZHENG: [glances over to see CYRIL, MADDIE, and CLEMENTINE approaching and begins] You all know why I’ve gathered us here. The recent fire has decimated our resources and made it impossible to keep everyone alive. The names of all the Burdens have been written down and placed inside this urn. The two whose names I draw will be expelled from Sundown. And I'll remind you all that if we lose even a single Worker after today, all Burdens will be expelled. Is this understood?
ALL: Yes, sir.
ZHENG: Then I won’t delay things any further. [reaches into the urn and takes out the first name] Noah. [a soft murmur among the survivors as they look back at an old man standing by himself in the back]
NOAH: [slowly makes his way through the crowd of survivors, speaking quietly to himself] Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be His name. [Stops in front of ZHENG] I am ready.
ZHENG: [nods, then reaches back into the urn and pulls out the second name. CYRIL is now visibly shaking.] ...Dilan.
REX: No!!
[CYRIL lets out a shuddering gasp, then drops down, and embraces CLEMENTINE. She returns the embrace, but looks over at REX, who is now on his knees, inconsolable and clutching his two children: his 6 year old daughter EMILY and her twin brother DILAN.]
CLEMENTINE: [closes her eyes tightly for a few moments, then gently pushes CYRIL away]…I’m sorry.
CYRIL: [lets go, bewildered] W-what?
CLEMENTINE: [tearfully] I can’t stay. [loudly to ZHENG] I want to take Dilan’s place!
CYRIL: Clementine!! What the hell are you saying?!!! [Loud murmurings from the crowd]
ZHENG: That’s enough! [the crowd quiets down, ZHENG approaches CLEMENTINE] The Lottery is over. The decision has been made.
CLEMENTINE: You only need two Burdens, right? It doesn’t matter who it is. I’m a Burden. I can go instead.
CYRIL: Clem! No!!
ZHENG: Cyril.
CYRIL: Fuck you, Zheng!!! I’m not shutting up!! And I’m not letting this happen! You picked a name. It was Dilan, not her!
ZHENG: She offered to take his place. I just need a Burden. It doesn't matter who.
CYRIL: It matters to me.
ZHENG: [sharply] And it matters to her…[in a low, soft voice] Maybe she doesn’t want to see another friend go either.
CYRIL: [goes to speak but falls silent, then turns to CLEMENTINE] Clem…
CLEMENTINE: [crying] I’m sorry.
ZHENG: [walks in front of CLEMENTINE, then drops down to her eye-level] Has Madelyn informed you about what this means?
CLEMENTINE: [nods]
ZHENG: Then you know that you are never to come near this place again.
CLEMENTINE: [sadly] Yes.
ZHENG: [turns to CYRIL and MADDIE, who is now holding him] They won’t enforce my rules. Neither will Rex. I know this. And I know you know this. But they aren’t the only ones standing watch. If I ever see you around this place again, I will shoot you. And anyone you bring along. Is that clear?
CLEMENTINE: Yes, sir.
ZHENG: …Then you can leave. Open the gates!
[The gates are pulled up. As CLEMENTINE slowly walks out, REX runs up to meet her, MADDIE following closely behind him]
REX: Wait! [ZHENG signals the men holding the gate to do so, REX kneels down and places his hands on CLEMENTINE’s shoulders, struggling to keep composure] I owe you more than I can ever repay. I…I don’t know how, but I’m going to try to make it up to you. I swear.
CLEMENTINE: [smiles, then looks at MADDIE sadly] I’m sorry.
MADDIE: [shakes her head] Don’t be. I understand. And Cyril does too. He wanted me to tell you that. And that he… [bites her lip, her voice trembling] …We’re going to miss you.
[CLEMENTINE goes to hug MADDIE one last time, then continues towards the gate, escorted by ZHENG.]
CLEMENTINE: [As ZHENG leads her pass the threshold, she turns to him] What about Noah? Isn’t he coming with me?
ZHENG: Noah has decided that that at his age and in his condition, he’d be more of detriment to you than an asset. And he prefers not to have to face the outside world by himself.
CLEMENTINE: [realizes that ZHENG has taken out his gun] That…
ZHENG: I told you to leave. Close the gates!
[Clementine jumps back as the metal gate drops between her and ZHENG. She stares up at the sheer walls in front of her for a brief moment, then runs the other way as fast as she can.]
END