Dawn Of The Dead

80 Officer 1 has moved around Fran and he reaches into the
helicopter bubble pulling out Steve’s rifle.

81 Steve: NOW WAIT A MINUTE…WE’RE JUST HERE TO REFUEL…
THESE MEN WERE ALREADY DEAD…YOU WERE HERE…
YOU KNOW THAT…IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY WAS
AFTER THE LAUNCHES…WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH…

Officer 3: (looking at the insignia on the helicopter)
HEY…J.A.S. TRAFFIC WATCH…
STEVE ANDREWS.

Steve: (trying to capitalise on his minor celebrity power)
RIGHT…THAT’S ME…I’M STEVE ANDREW…

Officer 3: NO SHIT.

82 Officer 1: (shouting from the helicopter)
WE’D GET A LOT FURTHER IN THIS BIRD, SKIPPER.

83 Steve freezes again, sensing that these are not law enforcers.

84 The man who was carrying the carton is now rushing back up the
dock having deposited his load in one of the motor launches.

Officer 2: CAN’T ALL FIT.

85 Officer 3: (directly to Stephen)
HOW MANY WILL THAT THING HOLD?

Officer 4: HEY, MAN, I AIN’T GOIN’ NOWHERE IN NOTHIN’ I
CAN’T DRIVER MYSELF!

86 Officer 2 has returned to the van and is carrying out another
carton rushing back to the launch.

Officer 2: THAT’S TRUE…SOMETHIN’ HAPPENS TO HIM AND
WE’RE STUCK. STAY WITH THE LAUNCH!

Officer 1: GET A LOT FURTHER IN THIS BIRD!

87 Suddenly, above the two white headlights of the approaching
vehicle, we see a third light in red. It is the spinning
“bubble-gum-machine” of a Squad Car. It is heralded by one
blast of the car’s siren.

88 Officer 4: HEY, THAT’S A BLACK AND WHITE!

89 Officer 1 still holds his rifle aimed at Fran.

Officer 1: THEY SEEN US!

90 Officer 3: IT’S ALRIGHT…WE’RE POLICE…

91 Officer 2 dumps his carton at the edge of the dock and pulls one
rifle from his back.

Officer 2: BULL SHIT…LET’S GET TO THE BOAT!

92 Officer 3 stares hard at Stephen. Then at the Squad Car. Then
back at the nervous young pilot.

Officer 3: YOU’RE RUNNIN’, AIN’T YOU, FLY BOY?

Steve does not respond. He is terrified, not knowing what answer
to be the safest.

Officer 3: YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS IS RUNNIN’ OFF IN THE
J.A.S. TRAFFIC BIRD…

The man starts to grin with knowing. He suddenly feels in more
control.

Officer 3: SIT TIGHT, BOYS…THEY’RE RUNIN’, TOO.

93 It seems to take forever for the Police Car to pull down the
dock. Stephen takes a few steps forward, squinting to see, but
he is threatened by the “Policeman’s” gun barrels.

94 The car screeches to a stop and two armed S.W.A.T. Troopers
immediately pop out of the front seat on either side. They are
Roger and the Black Trooper.

Roger: WHAT’S THE PROBLEM, OFFICER?

95 Officer 3: CAUGHT YOUR FRIENDS HERE STEALIN’ COMPANY
GASOLINE.

96 Roger: WHAT DO YOU MEAN FRIENDS?

Roger is trying to play dumb, assuming that the other Policemen
are on official business…

97 Steve: THEY KNOW, ROG…
THEY’RE TRYIN’ TO GET OUT, TOO.

Officer 3: IT’D BE CRAZY TO START SHOOTIN’ AT ONE
ANOTHER, NOW WOULDN’T IT?

98 Roger: SURE WOULD.

99 Officer 1: ALRIGHT, LET’S LOAD UP…

He slings his rifle and tosses the other gun back to Fran. She
bobbles it and it falls, skittering across the dock.

Officer 1: YOU BETTER LEARN HOW TO USE THAT THING, WOMAN.
TIMES IS TENSE.

100 The policemen start to unload crates and cartons from their Van.
The big Black Trooper pulls a few supplies from out of the squad
car and carries them toward the helicopter.

101 Fran trots over toward Stephen. He is just coming back out of
the guardhouse where he picked up the toolbox and the knapsack
full of supplies. The woman falls into his arms. Roger trots up.

Roger: YOU OK?

Stephen: (nods)
WHO’S HE?
(referring to the big Black)

Roger: HIS NAME’S PETER. HE’S ALRIGHT.

The three are already moving toward the helicopter.

Roger: LET’S HUSTLE.

102 Peter has stowed the supplies in the rear of the cockpit, and he
has noticed the fuel hose lying on the dock. He tries the nozzle
in the receptacle on the chopper and holds it in until the tank
fills.

103 The other “Policemen” are still moving cartons of supplies from
their van down the dock.

Roger: (to the other Policemen)
YOU GUYS BETTER MOVE IT. THERE’S A RADIO
REPORT ABOUT THE DOCK BEIN’ KNOCKED OUT.

104 They reach the cockpit. Fran climbs in and crouches on the floor
in the rear of the bubble.

Fran: YOU SURE THIS’LL CARRY US ALL.

Steve: LITTLE HARDER ON THE FUEL, BUT WE’LL BE OK.

105 As Peter climbs aboard, one of the other policemen, carrying a
final carton, speaks to Roger.

Officer 2: HEY…YOU GOT ANY CIGARETTES.

Roger looks at the others one at a time. Fran shakes her head
“no”.

Roger: SORRY. (he trots around to the passenger seat)

Steve: WHERE YA HEADED?

Officer 2: DOWN RIVER…GOT AN IDEA MAYBE WE CAN MAKE IT TO
THE ISLANDS.

Steve: WHAT ISLANDS? (he starts the engine)

Officer 2: ANY ISLANDS…WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHERE YOU HEADED?

Steve: STRAIGHT UP.

106 The Policeman rushes off with his two cohorts. As they untie one
of the launches from the dock, the J.A.S. helicopter whines
loudly. Then it lifts off the dock with a smooth motion.

The Police launch starts without a problem, and it pulls out
onto the dark river.

107 The lights on the helicopter blink as the metal bird swoops low
over the Philadelphia skyline. We see an empty city.
Independence Hall…Betsy Ross’ House, which flies the original
American flag…the oldest American heritages stand coldly in
the night. The whirring engine fades overhead.

108 In the cockpit, Fran lights a cigarette. So does Roger. No one
comments, but Peter smiles slightly.

The big Black looks down at the city.

Peter: ANY OF YOU LEAVIN’ PEOPLE BEHIND?

Fran: AN EX-HUSBAND.

Roger: AN EX-WIFE.

Steve: YOU PETER?

Peter: (still looking down)
SOME BROTHERS.

109 The whirlybird cuts through the dark night sky. It flies over
open country now, moving West. Some time has passed.

110 Roger is asleep in the passenger seat. Twisted in the cramped
rear of the cockpit, Fran and Peter sit very close to each
other. Peter still stares off into the night.

Fran: REAL BROTHERS?

Peter looks at her. He has a strong face.

Fran: REAL BROTHERS OR…STREET BROTHERS?

Peter: BOTH.

Fran: HOW MANY REAL ONES?

Peter: TWO.

Fran: TWO.

Peter: ONE’S IN JAIL. THE OTHER’S A PRO BALL PLAYER.
BUT WE CATCH UP TO EACH OTHER ONCE IN A WHILE.

Fran doesn’t quite know how to respond.

Peter: (nodding at Steve…the engine roars too loudly
for the pilot to hear the conversation)
HE YOUR MAN NOW?

Fran is taken off guard. She smiles slightly.

Fran: MOST OF THE TIME, YEAH.

Peter: JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHO EVERYONE IS.

Fran: YEAH. ME TOO.

111 Light downs on the horizon. The little helicopter chugs through
the shades of blue.

112 Now Fran is asleep and Roger still snores. Peter stares at the
back of the pilot’s head. Steve nods slightly, then shakes
himself. Soon, he nods again…falling asleep. Peter kicks him
in the shoulder.

Steve looks back, surprised that the big man is awake. Peter
just stares at him.

Steve rubs his face violently with his free hand. He pulls at
his lower eyelids.

Steve: ANY MORE WATER?

Peter reaches into the supplies and produces a plastic container
with water. Steve slugs some of it and pours a little onto his
face. Then he passes it back to Peter, who also drinks.

Suddenly, Fran stiffens and wakes up with a start. Peter looks
over at her with a gentle expression. She takes a moment to
orient herself.

Peter: (to Stephen)
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?

Steve: I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.

Peter: HARRISBURG?

Steve: PASSED IT ABOUT AN HOUR AGO.

Roger finally wakes up from the loud talking.

Steve: WE’RE PRETTY LOW ON FUEL. I’M JUST WAITIN’
FOR FULL LIGHT SO WE CAN SEE WHAT WE’RE
LANDIN’ IN.

113 In the morning light, several fires can be seen on the ground,
where buildings are burning.

114 The chopper flies over a National Guard convoy as it chugs up a
winding country road.

115 Here and there on the ground, human activity can be seen. Search
and Destroy units, made up of Police, Guardsmen and civilian
volunteers move across the country side. Occasionally, a Zombie
is seen staggering through the trees or over a field. Gunfire
cuts the creature down.

116 Roger: JESUS. IT’S EVERYWHERE.

Steve: WE’RE STILL PRETTY CLOSE TO JOHNSTOWN. WE’RE
BETTER OFF AWAY FROM THE BIG CITIES.

117 A little country airfield lies quiet in the morning sun. There
is no sign of life. A few private planes dot the area, but the
tower is empty. The J.A.S. chopper buzzes very low just outside
the tower windows.

118 As the whirlybird slowly sets down near the fuel pumps, its
blades create a wind blast which raises great clouds of dust
from the dry earth. Sheets of old newspaper and other light
debris are sent flying through the air in all directions.

119 One piece of torn newsprint blows flat against a window in one
of the little sheds. It sticks against the glass for a moment,
as though glued there, then it flutters to the ground. As the
paper clears the glass, we see the face of a badly scarred
Zombie peering out through the window.

120 As the group scrambles out of the helicopter, Stephen
immediately checks the fuel pumps.

Steve: SHIT, MAN, DAMN NEAR EMPTY.

Roger: LOTTA PRIVATE PLANES IN FARM COUNTRY LIKE THIS.
GUESS THEY ALL HIT THE PUMPS AND TOOK OFF.

Steve: TO WHERE? WHERE THE HELL CAN THEY GO?

Peter: WHERE WE GOIN?

By now, Steve has drained the dregs from the first pump into the
chopper’s tank, and moved to the second pump. It spurts with
more force.

Steve: THERE’S A GOOD BIT LEFT IN THIS PUMP.

He stretches the hose toward the chopper but it doesn’t quite
reach.

Steve: DAMN. I GOTTA GET IT CLOSER.

121 Steve jumps back into the cockpit and the machine lifts off the
ground.

122 Fran is watching the action, walking slowly backwards to a small
rickety hangar area. She turns and looks down to the private
hangars. Most of them are open wide, the planes they housed long
gone. One or two of the old wooden double-doors are still closed
and locked with chains and padlocks. The wind from the chopper
blades blows her hair and sends more debris flying.

123 Peter kicks open the door to the chart house. The room is dusty
and dilapidated. A few small chairs surround an old wooden
table. Several half finished cups of coffee sit on top of
wrinkled flight charts leaving brown rings on the paper. Flies
buzz loudly. An old window shade clicks against its window from
the gusting of the wind and it makes Peter flinch.

He readies his weapon. When he sees the shade, he steps over to
it easily, pulls it and lets it roll up on itself. It makes a
loud, flapping noise.

124 Outside, the chopper sets down. Roger is ready with the hose
nozzle. Ducking under the blades he inserts the device into the
tank receptacle even before Stephen has idled the engine.

Stephen hops out of the cockpit and shouts over the engine
noise.

Steve: I’M GONNA SEE WHAT’S LEFT IN THE HANGARS.

He trots off after Fran.

125 In the chart house, Peter idly drops a coin into an old coffee
machine at one end of the room. The machine clicks loudly and
spits out a cup. To Peter’s surprise, the cup starts to fill
with hot brown liquid.

While he waits. Peter notices a series of notes taped to the
machine and the surrounding walls. They are all written
hurriedly in various hands and with all sorts of inks and
colours.

LUCY – GONE TO JOHNSTOWN.
CHARLES – I HAVE THE KIDS. LEFT WITH BEN.
COULDN’T WAIT. GONE TO ERIE – JACK FOSTER.

There are dozens of such messages. Peter takes the full coffee
cup from the machine. As he sips it, his eyes fall on a closet
door just across the room. It is moving slightly. It is locked,
but it bangs against the lock…once…twice…more regularly
than if caused by the wind drafts.

Peter steps closer. Now the door bangs violently with a loud
crash, but it holds. Peter sets his coffee on the chart table
and takes his rifle in both hands.

Again the door bangs hard, and a skeleton key is knocked out of
the keyhole. It falls to the floor with a metallic clang, and
Peter notices a caked blood stain where blood recently ran out
of the closet, under the door and onto the linoleum.

Another bang and a gurgling moan. One of the living dead is
trying to break out of the closet.

Quite calmly. Peter raises his rifle and aims it at the door
about head high. The rifle roars in the little room, and a
splintery hole appears in the old wooden door.

126 Outside, Fran and Stephen snap to attention at the sound of the
rifle. Fran stands at the entrance to one of the little wooden
hangars. Stephen is checking out the cockpit of an old Cessna
inside. Immediately, Stephen runs out and grabs Fran’s hand. As
they turn the corner to run up the grade to the helicopter, they
are confronted with two Zombies, staggering slowly towards them
through the dust cloud from the chopper.

Fran screams. They have no weapons with them.

Steve: ROGER…ROGER…

127 Under the whirling chopper blades, Roger continues to fill the
fuel tank. In the roar of the engine, he cannot hear anything
else.

A third Zombie lumbers toward the helicopter. Roger’s back is
to the creature and he is unaware of the impending danger.

128 Inside the chart house. Peter stares at the closet door. It is
still for a moment…then another moan and the door bangs again.

Peter fires two shots, lower right and lower left of the first
forming a triangle.

129 The two creatures advance slowly on Fran and Steve.

Steve: JUST RUN.

Fran is petrified. She turns and looks behind them. They are
boxed in by the hangars.

Steve: RUN RIGHT PAST ‘EM…RIGHT AROUND ‘EM.
THEY CAN’T CATCH YOU.

She hesitates. The Zombies draw closer.

Steve: RUN, FRANNIE. GODDAMMIT, I’M RIGHT BEHIND YOU.
WE CAN HANDLE THEM!

Fran charges up the little grade. She runs to the right of the
creatures and they move in her direction, arms outstretched. As
she draws near to the dead things, she hesitates again in
fright. The creatures claw at the air. The one in front is
within a few feet of the woman.

Steve: RUN, FRANNIE. MOVE!

Fran stares into the dead, staring eyes of the lead Zombie. She
is almost hypnotised. At the last instant, she runs and just
gets past the creatures. A little up the grade, she turns and
looks back, stopping again.

One Zombie turns slowly and starts up the grade after Fran. The
other continues to advance on Stephen.

130 Stephen ducks back into the open hangar. It is very dark but for
thin beams of sunlight which cut through between the wooden
boards of the structure. Stephen roots around among the greasy
tools which clutter the area. He finds an enormous sledge
hammer. He runs out of the shed.

131 He dodges around the lead Zombie, who staggers on with inertia.
Steve sees that Fran is still facing the second creature. The
man takes a firm grip on the giant hammer as he charges up the
grade toward the Zombie’s back. As he reaches the creature, he
brings the twenty pound steel head of the sledge slamming
against the ghoul’s skull with all his might.

The creature staggers on for a few more steps, its head a bloody
pulp, then it falls to its knees and finally flops face down in
the dust.

Without breaking stride, Stephen grabs Fran’s hand and the two
run toward the helicopter. The other Zombie at the hangar has
turned around and is walking up the grade.

132 Roger is pumping the last drops out of the fuel hose when he
sees the frightened couple making for the chopper.

133 As Steve charges up the grade he sees the Zombie approaching
Roger from behind. Steve shouts and Roger spins around. The
stumbling creature is very close. It raises its arms and its
hands clutch at the air. Roger lets the fuel nozzle drop to the
ground. He is trapped at the side of the machine. He doesn’t
have his rifle. He fumbles with the snap on his hand-gun
holster.

Suddenly, the blank face of the Zombie turns red as the top of
its head seems to disintegrate into a bloody pulp. The creature
has walked into the spinning chopper blade. Its body staggers
forward another step or two, then the thing collapses in a heap.

134 Stephen and Fran have reached the chopper. Steve let’s go of the
woman’s hand and he drops his bloody sledge to the ground. He
lunges into the cockpit and snatches up his rifle, ducking in
the propeller draft.

135 The Zombie which is stumbling up the grade from the hangars
almost loses its footing, but it regains its balance and
advances steadily toward the helicopter.

136 The shot misses clean. He fires again. The bullet grazes the
creature’s face. It staggers from the impact, but does not fall.

137 Roger moves quickly for his high powered weapon. Steve fires
two more rounds.

138 Another miss and another graze, this time on the arm.

139 He is about to shoot once more when Roger stops him, stepping up
alongside.

Roger calmly aims and fires one shot cleanly through the
creatures’ brain.

140 The Zombie falls and papers blow over its body.

141 In the chart house. Peter fires several more shots into the
closet door. Bullet holes appear just where the creature’s head
should be. There seems to be no way that the volley could have
missed.

Silence for a moment. Peter still holds his gun high.

Then, with a great crash, the closet door flies open into the
room. Two small children burst out. One has no left arm; the
other has been bleeding from a great wound in his side. They are
dead. They move directly toward Peter. Their heads are at least
a foot shorter than the bullet holes in the closet door.

Peter stares down at the creatures, revulsed. He is so startled
that he cannot react quickly enough, and they are on him. The
moment he feels their clammy grasp, he regains his survival
instincts. He cannot effectively aim his rifle. He kicks and
thrashes around. One creature flies against a wall. The other is
about to bite the man’s arm. The big Black grabs the small
Zombie and flings it physically back. The other creature pounces
on his back. He throws it over his shoulders and it crashes
against its brother.

Now Peter raises his gun. As the children try to scramble to
their feet the man fires several shots in rapid succession.
First one creature falls; then the other.

Peter continues to fire, his eyes wide with desperation and
disgust. Finally his weapon clicks. It is out of ammunition.

Peter breathes heavily. He stares at the small corpses.
Instinctively, he begins loading his weapon, without even
looking at the action, as he backs wearily out toward the door
of the chart house.

142 Behind him, in the brightly sunlit doorway, we see the Zombie
who first appeared at the window. The creature staggers forward.
Peter turns and startles. He reaches for more shells and backs
away a few steps as he tries to load the bullets into his gun.
The creature reaches out and takes another step into the room.

Peter stares into the creatures eyes. Then suddenly, out in the
sunlight, a few hundred feet behind the Zombie, Stephen appears
with his rifle. Peter sees the man over the creature’s shoulder.

143 Steve raises his gun and aims at the Zombie, but the barrel
seems to be on a straight line with Peter.

144 Peter ducks quickly. Steve’s gun fires. The bullet misses the
creature cleanly and crashes into the room. It ricochets off
the coffee machine. Another shot crashes through the glass in
the front room.

Peter crouches, still stuffing shells into his weapon. A third
of Stephen’s bullets tears through the Zombie’s shoulder, but
the creature still stands. It turns toward Peter slowly. Peter
crawls under the table as another shot splatters into the coffee
cups.

145 Once again, Roger steps up beside Stephen. He fires one
carefully aimed shot, looking through his telescopic range-
finder.

146 Just as Peter finishes loading his weapon, the Zombie crashes
into the room, falling over the table and onto the floor.

147 Fran is still kneeling in the dust, trying to keep herself from
vomiting. Stephen rushes to her side. Roger, keeping his rifle
poised, shouts toward the chart house.

Roger: PETER.

148 The big Black man appears in the doorway, snapping the safety on
his rifle.

151 Fran’s retching causes her to choke and cough. Steve tries to
comfort her, not knowing what to say and shaking himself.

152 Peter advances with long strides.

153 Stephen looks up when the Black man is a dozen steps away.
Immediately, he sees the anger in Peter’s eyes. The big Trooper
then raises his rifle and aims it a Stephen. Steve tries to
stand, but trips and falls on his back in the dust. In an
instant, Peter is looming over him with the barrel of his rifle
aimed at point blank range for the shivering man’s forehead.

Fran screams through her choking…

Fran: NO…MY GOD…DON’T… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Peter speaks calmly to Stephen, in low tones.

Peter: YOU NEVER AIM A GUN AT ANYONE, MISTER.
IT’S SCARY.
ISN’T IT?
ISN’T IT?

Stephen looks up at the tall man, shivering. Then Peter lowers
his weapon and extends his hand, helping Stephen up onto his
feet.

154 Roger clears the fuel hose from around the runners of the
chopper. Peter climbs into the cockpit and sits in the rear
without saying another word.

Roger helps Fran climb aboard. Steve wanders around the front of
the cockpit bubble and climbs into the Pilot’s seat. Roger
climbs in behind Fran as she squeezes into the uncomfortable
space beside Peter. The big black offers the woman a sip of
water, which she accepts. Then she lets her head flop wearily
against the rear bulkhead.

155 Steve is urgently surveying his flight charts, shuffling the
papers and trying to seem very busy after the embarrassment of
the incident.

Steve: WE GOTTA FIND FUEL. MAYBE CLOSER TO PITTSBURGH.

Roger: NO, WE’VE GOTTA STAY OUT OF THE BIG CITIES.
IT IT’S ANYTHING LIKE PHILLY WE MIGHT NEVER
GET OUT ALIVE.

Peter: WE MIGHT NOT GET OUT OF ANY PLACE ALIVE.
WE ALMOST DIDN’T GET OUT OF HERE.

Roger: WE’RE GETTIN’ OUTA HERE FINE.
AS LONG AS THERE’S NOT TOO MANY OF THOSE
THINGS WE CAN HANDLE ‘EM EASY.

Peter: YEAH, WELL IT WASN’T “THOSE THINGS” THAT
NEARLY BLEW ME AWAY!