rihem900

[rihem900]

Survivors-ZK32

This story is set in an alternative earth where the society evolved the same as ours in terms of technology and history, with the difference being minor (some city and places are named different, like the twin towers were labelled the sister towers and were in New-Jersey instead of New-York, instead of a male Black president, we have a female Asian. And the capital of the US is Boston, just a reminder that some stuff may look the same but be different. The croissant and baguette are more of a Canadian culture, China is the birthplace of wine, and many more other small stuff like that).

The story takes place in 2022.

ACT 1- THE HOSPITAL

The scene starts in front of a hospital where a man is in a hurry. He parks frantically and runs inside the hospital. On the TV, we can see a report of the first people coming back to life and attacking. People are panicking and running around; others are trying to contact their loved ones. There are also reports of planes being grounded by air control; nothing is going up or coming down, and the airport is closed and quarantined as it is declared "Ground 0".

We are introduced to Thomas (we can see his full name on his badge and the logo of his office) rushing through the hospital, looking for his wife, who is there to collect samples to study a new strand of the Coronavirus. He is also on the phone with his sons, who, with his classmates and professors, have just landed from a trip to Paris. He locates his wife on the sixth (6th) floor and without hesitation utters "Plane to Koudo." His wife understood, stopped immediately what she was doing, and started to follow him. They head to the stairs, and still on the phone with their children, telling them to stay calm and be with the instructors. They plan to reunite with their kids and head to a safe place.

As they are making their way onto the staircase, suddenly everything collapses, and the screen fades away. In the next scene, we see debris of a plane near the hospital, making us understand that the collapse was due to the crash. We see Thomas and Sandra slowly waking up and making sure they are both OK, except for some bruises. The staircase is pitch black, and they are obliged to use their smartphones for light, and enabling the silent mode. We can hear screams, alarms, people running, and basically chaos. After desperately trying to reach their kids without any luck, they sent a text telling them to stay put and that they are on their way.

They continue to make their way onto the fourth (4th) floor, only to discover the path blocked by rubble. After analyzing a security plan on the wall, the options they had were:

1- Use the second stairs which is on the other side of the hospital.

2- Find the elevator shaft and try to use it to slide down.

3- Find a way outside through the windows.

After discussing it, they settled on the second option because the elevator is closer. They made their way to the elevator, but the doors were jammed shut. They tried to pry them open, but it was no use. The noise attracted the dead, and they started to hear roars and snarls from walkers. The walkers were closing in, and they had to act fast. They were finally able to open the doors, and in a desperate attempt to escape, they climbed into the elevator shaft and started to make their way down. It was a dangerous move, but they had no other option. They slid down, hoping that they would reach the first floor safely.

Suddenly, they heard a loud noise, and the entire structure shook violently. Being near the third (3rd) floor, they jumped to safety and realized that the elevator had fallen, and they were lucky to have escaped by the skin of their teeth and to be alive, but they also knew that they had to keep moving.

They made their way to the second staircase, which was still intact, and started to climb up. The stairs were steep and narrow, and they had to be careful not to slip. They could hear the zombies near them, and they knew that they had to reach the first floor as soon as possible. On the second (2nd) floor, they had to use the main corridors to get to the first floor

Continuing through the corridors, they encountered mutilated corpses and walkers unable to move. With his knowledge of zombies, Thomas tried to kill a walker with a metal pipe he picked up. He first hit the torso and lower body, but no matter how much damage he inflicted, the walker remained alive. It was only after hitting the head multiple times that the walker stopped moving.

This ordeal made Thomas vomit on the floor, and he expressed how sick it made him feel. He told his wife how different it was from what they usually see in movies and TV shows, and how horrible it is because the walker was once a person. Although the mind was gone, the flesh was still there, so it felt like taking someone's life. For the sake of their family and to reunite with their kids, they pushed their discomfort aside and armed themselves with metal debris.  They tried to contact their kids with no luck. They reassured each other about their kids' well-being but remained worried.

Thomas and Sandra came across another couple, Mark and Sarah, who were trying to flee from a walker. Thomas and his wife saved them and showed them how to deal with the walkers, with a bonus rule about putting the phone on silent mode. Along the way, they encountered other survivors: Sophia, Ava, Isabella, Harper, Ethan, and Liam.

The next scene shows that 24 hours have passed since the outbreak and the group of ten people had been trapped in the hospital. They knew they had to get out before it was too late, but they also knew it would be dangerous. They had no idea what was waiting for them outside those walls. As they made their way through the corridors to get to the first floor, they had several close calls with the undead. They fought tooth and nail, using whatever weapons they could find.

Near the first floor, only one room away from the outside. They came across a lobby full of walkers. No matter how they strategized, they would not all make it, even if they ran. They decided to rest and evaluate their options. While resting, Ava noticed Harper passing out and informed the group. They immediately noticed the bite mark. An argument erupted about whether to dispose of him right away or wait to be sure he would not turn. Here, we understand that Harper is a close friend of Ava. Harper comes back to life and tries to bite Ethan.

With the chaos that ensued, walker Harper was able to bite Ava. Without hesitation, Thomas lunged forward with a brick and bashed walker Harper's head, spattering the group with blood. Thomas stood there in shock for a couple of seconds, only to come back to his senses when his wife touched him, startling him.

After realizing her fate, Ava volunteered to be bait for the walkers in the lobby to allow the rest of the group to escape. She ran past the walkers, only attracting them with noise. She hid behind the doors and locked them after all the walkers passed her, making herself the target once more.

Ava died a sad death, crying and imagining a normal life. She looked at Thomas through the windows as if trying to tell him something. With the zombie on her, she collapsed, and the group could hear and see the door banging and lights flickering. The group managed to escape, but they lost two of their own.

The last scene shows Thomas confused, not totally present, as if lost in thoughts. A message notification snaps him back, and he reads a message from his sons that says "Safe, inside Airport, Quarantined with sensei and brother, Waiting." He shows his wife the message, and they hug.