Dawn Of The Dead

Stephen turns around and is about to say something angrily.
Roger stops him by speaking urgently.

Roger: WE GOTTA STAY IN THE STICKS. THERE’S BOUND TO
BE MORE LITTLE PRIVATE AIRPORTS UPSTATE.

Steve: (reluctantly going back to his charts)
THERE’S THE LOCKS ALONG THE ALLGHENY.
FUEL STATIONS THERE, PRIVATE AND STATE.

Roger: PROB’LY STILL MANNED. WE DON’T NEED THOSE
HASSLES EITHER.

Steve: THEY’RE JUST OUT AFTER SCAVENGERS…LOOTERS…

Peter: OH, YOU GOT THE PAPERS FOR THIS LIMOUSINE?

Steve: (angrily)
I GOT J.A.S. ID. SO DOES FRAN.

Peter RIGHT. AND WE’RE OUT HERE DOIN’ TRAFFIC REPORTS?
WAKE UP, SUCKER. WE’RE THIEVES AND BAD GUYS IS
WHAT WE ARE. AND WE GOTTA FIND OUR OWN WAY!

There is a long silence. The engine drones, but the helicopter
still sits on the ground. The men look at each other. Peter
takes a long slug of water.

Fran: JESUS CHRIST. WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE’RE
GOING. WE DON’T HAVE A RADIO. WE’RE RUNNING
OUT OF WATER. WE NEED FOOD….STEPHEN,
YOU NEED TO SLEEP.

156 We see a wide shot of the little airfield. The J.A.S. chopper
sits on the ground for a moment, it’s props spinning. The, with
a surge of power, it lifts off and flies away. The dry earth
swirls up into clouds and blows more bits of paper over the
wide-eyed corpses which lie in the morning sunlight.

157 We see the facade of an enormous structure. It is a huge,
suburban shopping mall. The outer walls are all concrete, and
their clean lines stretch upward for more than two storeys. The
building looks like a giant domino lying flat on the ground.
There are only four entrances, and the shops which are housed
within have no windows opening onto the surrounding lot.

158 In the immense area around the building, lanes and stalls are
painted for automobile parking. What few cars now dot the area
are parked randomly, some with their doors open wide.

159 We hear the sound of the helicopter engine fading in, then we
see the little machine as it approaches and eases down onto the
roof of the building.

160 In the parking lot, walking among the abandoned vehicles, we see
several of the living dead. They look almost like normal
shoppers at the mall for morning chores, but their lumbering walk is unmistakably stiff.
161 At one of the mall entrances, we see a revolving door flanked
by several regularly hinged doors, all made of glass and
surrounded by large windows. A few of the Zombies manage to negotiate the hinged doors and enter the building. Others bounce
off windows and claw the transparent glass in confusion. One
creature walks around in the revolving door endlessly.

There are a good many of the creatures, but they are spread out
and far between. They move with no seeming purpose.
We do not yet see the mall interior. The Zombies pay no attention to the sound of the chopper engine stopping overhead.

162 On the roof, even as the blades of the helicopter still spin,
the humans are out and moving to the edge of the building. They
look down at the creatures which dot the parking lot.

Fran: OH MY GOD!

Stephen: NO CHANCE. FORGET IT, LET’S GET OUTTA HERE.
Roger: WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A MINUTE…THEY CAN’T GET UP HERE.
Steve: YEAH, AND WE CAN’T GO DOWN THERE!

Roger: LET’S CHECK IT OUT.
Roger trots away.
163 Peter has moved directly to an area where a giant grid of
transparent Plexiglas bubbles face down into the building. He
stares through one of them and can see into the mall below.
Roger trots up and peers through another of the bubbles.
Peter: MOST OF THE GATES ARE DOWN. I DON’T THINK THEY CAN GET INTO THE STORES.164 The vantage point only reveals a small aspect of the interior,
a square plaza with a garden beneath the sunroof of transparent
bubbles. The space is open all the way down to the garden, which
is two storeys below. Around the garden on the bottom floor can
be seen the entrances to several shops. All but one have heavy
metal cage gates down and locked into position.
One or two Zombies are seen wandering about. They cannot enter
the stores, except for the one which is un-gated.

Halfway up the walls can be seen a balcony railing which rings
the entire plaza, it is a second storey of shops. The same cage-
gates seal off the visible store entrances, but none of the dead
creatures are evident on the balcony.

165 Fran and Stephen come trotting up to the bubbles.

Roger: I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY OF THEM UP ON THE SECOND
FLOOR.

Peter: THE BIG DEPARTMENT STORES USUALLY USE BOTH
FLOORS.

Roger: IF WE CAN GET IN UP TOP…

166 Peter is looking across the rest of the expansive rooftop. He
takes off toward a series of other housings which jut up out of
the otherwise flat surface. Roger follows.

167 Fran: (still staring down through a bubble)
WHAT ARE THEY DOING?
WHY DO THEY COME HERE?

Steve: (also looking down)
SOME KIND OF INSTINCT. MEMORY…OF WHAT THEY
USED TO DO. THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN
THEIR LIVES.

168 Below, the Zombies which are in sight wander aimlessly over the
plaza. Some try the gates but cannot budge them. One wanders out
of the single open shop, it is a female. The shop is an
appliance store. As the creature leaves she drags a toaster idly
behind her, pulling it by its power cable. It scrapes on the
floor loudly.

169 We see an installation of large reflectors mounted in an
intricate metal skeleton which stretches across a large area of
the roof surface. Behind the structures can be seen a large
power generator.

170 Peter: SOLAR SCREENS.

Roger: CAN’T BE ENOUGH TO POWER THIS PLACE.

Peter: EMERGENCY SYSTEM, MAYBE.

Roger: IT’S PRETTY LIT UP IN THERE.

Peter: GUESS THE POWER’S NOT OFF IN THIS AREA.
A LOT OF PHILLY’S STILL LIT. COULD BE NUCLEAR.

171 Roger: HEY LOOK AT THIS!

Roger is peering down through a wire-hatched skylight. There are
several laid out over this particular area of the roof. He moves
to another while Peter looks down into the first. Fran and
Stephen jog up.

Roger: THESE DON’T GO DOWN INTO THE MALL.
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?

Fran and Stephen peer down into the darkness. Peter pulls a
flashlight from his utility belt. He has stayed in full uniform
all the while, where Roger has stripped off all but his
ammunition belt and pistol holster.

172 The big man shines a light beam down into the space. The floor
is only seven feet or so below the window. There is absolutely
nothing in sight; clear floor, clear walls, all light grey.

Peter: DAMN.

173 Roger has moved to another window.

Roger: HEY, OVER HERE. THERE’S SOMETHIN’ HERE.

174 Peter trots over and shines his beam down. They see a vast
array of cardboard cartons…hundreds of them.

Roger: STORAGE?

175 Peter moves the light beam. Now it illuminates a collection of
large drums, stacked floor to ceiling and running deep past the
line of vision. On the face of each drum is the familiar symbol
of a triangle within a circle, and the letters C.D.

176 Peter: CIVIL DEFENCE. CIVIL DEFENCE WATER SUPPLY.

Roger: AND BOXES OF CANNED FOOD!

Steve: HOW DO WE GET DOWN THERE?

Peter looks at Stephen as a street-wise-tough would look at a
hopeless city-slick-sissy. Then the big man brings his rifle
butt down against the glass and the shattered pane crashes to
the floor below.

177 Inside – the vast space is impressive. It is quite dark but for
rays of sunlight which drift through the occasional skylights.
We see an enormous quantity of food cartons and water drums, it
is very quiet. The space is barren except for the stacks of
Civil Defence supplies.

178 Suddenly, a figure drops out of one of the skylights, landing on
its feet in the sunray. It is Peter. Instantly he readies his rifle, looking this way and that across
the large room. Silence.

Peter: OK.

He steps aside and Roger climbs in. He too drops cat-like to the
floor.179 The two men instantly sling their rifles and move to the food
cartons as by pre-arranged plan. They carry the big boxes
quickly, one at a time, to the spot under the open skylight. In a moment, they have built a pyramid out of the cartons. It
creates a kind of stairway for a quick escape through the window
above.

180 Now Fran lowers herself into the room and is able to climb down
the cartons holding onto Roger’s hand. She is followed by an
anxious Stephen.181 Peter has already wandered off. There are only two doors in the
enormous room, one at either end. The big Trooper moves up to
one of them as Roger comes up behind him, gun ready. Peter’s hand turns the doorknob. It is unlocked, and the big man
gives Roger a familiar nod. Roger stands several feet back, his
rifle aimed directly at the door and ready to fire. Then, with a
sudden, commando-like motion. Peter throws the door open and
ducks away flat against the wall. Roger stiffens, his finger all
but pulling his trigger, but there is no apparent danger.

182 The door opens onto another vast room, equivalent to the one the
people are in. It also has stacks of C.D. supplies.

The Troopers cautiously move into the area through the door. The
room is empty. The same sunrays pierce the darkness through
skylights. All is dead quiet. This room has no doors at all, but
for the one Peter opened.
Roger: DOUBLE DAMN! LOOKS LIKE A FREE LUNCH, BUDDY.183 In the first room Stephen has started to rip open one of the
cartons.

Fran: SPAM!

Roger walks back into the room.
Roger: YOU BRING A CAN OPENER?

Fran: OH.

Roger: THEN DON’T KNOCK SPAM. IT’S GOT IT’S OWN KEY.

The woman flips over the can in her hand and finds the little
key.

Peter has walked right past the group. He is moving quickly
toward the still-unknown door at the other end of the room.
Again, Roger follows.

184 At the door, the two Troopers go through the same S.W.A.T.
procedure. The door swings open, this time onto a very small
space. Again no immediate danger.

185 As the men enter, they discover that they are on the top landing
of a concrete and metal firestair. There are no windows, and the
air is musty. There is one bare light bulb lit in the ceiling,
but down the stairs at the next landing it is quite dark, and
there the stairs wind even further down; they recede into
blackness.

Roger: WHATD’YA THINK?

The Black man just stares, first down into the darkness then
back into the storage area.

Roger: THIS IS THE ONLY WAY UP HERE. WHATD’YA THINK?
CUT.

186 A great barricade of food cartons has been stacked against the
stairway door.

187 Near the pyramid under the open skylight, the group of refugees
sits on the floor.

Stephen is asleep. Fran sits next to his curled form, her hand
in his hair. Roger leans against the pyramid and Peter sits in
the lotus position, his gun across his legs, squarely facing the
suspicious stairwell. He and Roger still pick at their food.
Roger swills water from an empty Spam can which he has filled
from one of the C.D. drums.

Roger: YOU BETTER GET SOME SLEEP, TOO, BUDDY.

Peter: THERE’S AN AWFUL LOT OF STUFF DOWN THERE THAT
WE COULD USE, BROTHER.

Roger: I KNOW IT.

Fran stiffens at the talk. She doesn’t believe what she is hearing. She knows instantly that the men will try to raid the
mall. Peter: THEY’RE PRETTY SPREAD OUT DOWN THERE.
IT’S A BIG PLACE. I THINK WE WOULD OUT-RUN ‘EM.

Roger: HIT AND RUN.

Peter: HIT AND RUN… MAYBE GRAB US OFF A RADIO…

Fran: YOU’RE CRAZY! Roger: THIS PLACE COULD BE A GOLD MINE.
WE GOTTA AT LEAST CHECK IT OUT.

188 Roger checks his weaponry and quickly moves toward the door
where he begins to remove the barricade of cartons. Peter still
sits, checking his own guns.

189 Fran: THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO GET AWAY
FROM…LOOK WHAT HAPPENED AT THE AIRPORT…

Peter: THE ONLY PROBLEM AT THE AIRPORT WAS STRAY BULLETS!
WE COULD OUTFIGHT THOSE DUMMIES BLINDFOLDED.

Fran: STEPHEN…(the exhausted Pilot is sleeping through
it all)

Peter: (standing)
LEAVE HIM BE. WE’RE GOIN’ OURSELVES.

The big Trooper bends over snatching up Stephen’s rifle. He
snaps off the safety and slams a shell into the chamber. He
hands it to the woman. Peter: THAT’S READY TO SHOOT. BE CAREFUL.
Fran holds the gun gingerly. Peter: THE TRIGGER SQUEEZES REAL EASY, BUT THE WEAPON’LL
KICK YOU GOOD WHEN IT FIRES. BE READY FOR THAT.

Fran WAIT A MINUTE, I…

Peter: ANYONE BUT US COMES UP THEM STAIRS, YOU GUYS
TAKE OFF IN THE MACHINE. WE’LL TRY TO MAKE IT
OUT TO THE PARKIN’ LOT. YOU CAN PICK US UP THERE.

Fran just stares up at the big man, with desperation in her
eyes. She has stopped arguing seeing that the Troopers’
decision is made.

Peter: IF WE DON’T SHOW UP AFTER A FEW MINUTES…
WE’LL CATCH UP TO YOU SOME OTHER TIME. YOU UNDERSTAND?190 In the dimly lit firestair, the door on the top landing pulls
open suddenly. The stairway is still empty. The Troopers move slowly out onto the landing. They look down
into the darkness below. Then they move slowly and silently down
the steps. Fran appears on the upper landing. She stands in the
doorway clutching the rifle. Peter stops for a moment, looking back up at the frightened
woman. Peter: YOU’LL PROB’LY HEAR SOME SHOOTING. JUST DON’T PANIC, OK.

Fran sighs exhaustedly.

Peter: YOU’LL BE ALRIGHT. IT’S OUR ASSES THAT’S IN
THE FIRE.

191 Two landings below, there is almost no light. Roger clicks on
his flashlight and shines the beam around. He is in a very small
concrete space. The stairs go down no further. There is only one
door. Peter eases down the steps behind. Roger: THIS IS THE ONLY WAY UP THERE.192 We see the other side of the metal door. It stands in another
cement walled space, which also seems small from our angle, but
it is fully lit. The door opens slowly, and the Troopers cautiously step out. As
the camera swings around, we see that the men are at the end of
a long narrow hallway. Directly across from them are two open
supply rooms, one containing a stationery sink and a toilet.
Both rooms are filled with cleaning supplies.193 Down along the hall can be seen a dozen or so doorways. Some
doors are open, some are closed. Along the opposite wall there
is nothing. The far end of the hall, about a hundred yards away, opens out
onto the second story of the mall proper.194 The men look at one another and slowly move down the corridor.
They try the first two doors, which are locked. The third is
wide open.
195 Roger ducks quickly into the room with his rifle raised. It is
a large administrative office, with rows of desks which are
fully equipped for a staff of secretaries and accountants.196 The next room has a closed door, but it is unlocked. Peter swings the door open and silently jumps into the room. This is
a much more spartan area, with two metal desks and a few chairs.
There are several phones. It is a maintenance office. On one
wall is a large map of the mall, with pin flags and scribbling
over an acetate which covers the drawing. At the other end of
the space is a huge electrical panel with circuit breakers and
an entire series of master controls all keyed by a number code
to another map of the mall showing electrical installations. On the wall behind Peter is a large blackboard and two metal
cabinets. One is open. It contains all sorts of tools, manual
and electric. There are circuit testers, walkie talkie units and
there are several enormous rings containing hundreds of keys,
also colour and number coded. Peter grabs up one of the rings
and Roger steps up behind him. Roger: THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM.197 Back in the hallway, Roger’s hand tries another doorknob and throws the door open. This opens onto beautifully plush offices,
obviously the executive headquarters. The rooms interconnect, and while Peter walks from door to door
in the corridor, Roger moves through the inner doors, meeting
Peter at each room. One office is more elegant than the next,
with the latest in designer furniture and expensive decorations.198 The Troopers finally reach a room on which both the interior and
corridor doors are closed and locked. The brass nameplate on the
interior door reads C.J. Porter – President.199 Roger moves out to the corridor where he joins Peter. They move
into the exterior corridor. They are very near the end of the
hall, and the brightly lit shopping area is close at hand. They
can only see a small section.200 The balcony on their side is railed off against the open drop
down to the first floor, and across the great cavity they see
the opposite balcony. On the far side only two store fronts can
be seen. They are both gated and shut.
201 The two realise what dangers might face them in the mall proper.
They look at each other and move forward, each clinging to
opposite walls in the corridor.202 As they reach the mall proper they slowly and carefully peer
around their respective corners.

203 The upper balcony totally surrounds the vast interior of the
building, and at several points bridges across from one side to
the other. Little shops of all types run along the entire length
of the balcony, and at each far end, stands the entrance arches
for a large department store. Most of the stores are gated, but several seem open. The big
department stores are gated and locked. Here and there tall
trees grow up from the ground floor and reach up into view of
the second storey. There are none of the living dead evident on
the balcony.204 The two troopers move slowly and quietly to the railing. The
crouch and peer down through the bars of the rail. Below, the
sight is even more spectacular.205 Stores of every type offer gaudy displays of consumer items. Everything from clothing to appliances. Photo equipment; audio
and video outlets; sporting goods and weaponry; gourmet foods
and natural organic foods. There is a Book Store, a Record
Store, a Real Estate Agency and a Bank; A Novelty Shop, a Gift
Shop; all with the absolute latest in American consumer items.
And at either end of the concourse like the main Altars at each
end of a Cathedral, stand the mammoth two storey Department
Stores; great symbols of a consumer society.
Down the centre of the ground floor, along with the gardens and
park benches, are little stalls. One is a Tobacco Specialist
another Jewellery; another is a small Photo Portrait stall where
mothers had their children photographed. There are restaurants
and Snack Bars and numerous coin operated machines selling
everything from children’s toys to Blood Pressure readings.
There is a large turntable, designed to spin but which is now
still, holding a late model car on exhibit. Another turntable
displays futuristic household appliances. The images are all too familiar, but in their present state they
appear as an archaeological discovery revealing the Gods and
Customs of a civilisation now gone.

The ghosts of a civilisation, however, are not figments in the
mind. They are quite real. And they walk below in the aisles of
the great Cathedral. At least twenty Zombies can be seen from
the Troopers’ perspective.

206 Roger: IT’S CHRISTMASTIME DOWN THERE, BUDDY.
Peter: FAT CITY, BROTHER. HOW WE GONNA WORK IT. Roger: WE GET INTO THE DEPARTMENT STORES UP HERE. THEY PROB’LY HAVE THEIR OWN ESCALATORS INSIDE.

Peter: LET’S CHECK THOSE KEYS.

207 The Troopers stealthily pull away from the railing and back into
the administrative corridor. Then they move quickly down the
hall toward the Maintenance Office.

208 As the men leave the balcony, the camera pans. Several yards
away a Zombie staggers out of one of the open stores. It is
followed by a second creature, a female without one arm. They are moving along the balcony toward the open corridor.

209 In the Maintenance Office, the Troopers are checking the keys
against the coded map on the wall.

Roger: SEVENTY TWO…U. AND D. …HERE IT IS…

The men check the keys. Peter finds corresponding numbers.

Peter: HERE.
Roger: LET’S JUST HOPE IT’S RIGHT. Peter: LOOK HERE (on the map) THESE NUMBERS MUST ALL
BE LOCKS (he points) FRONT…SIDE…BACK OUTSIDE,
MUST BE LIKE LOADING DOCKS…BUT WHAT ARE THESE?

The man points to several numbered spots which seem to be within
the big Department Store they are studying. Roger: WASHROOMS…EQUIPMENT…I DUNNO. Roger moves off toward the electrical control panel. Peter still
stares at the map. Peter: I GUESS THESE GOTTA BE THE GATES.
Roger: HOW ABOUT A LITTLE MUSIC?
Peter: WHAT?210 The big Black moves up behind his partner. One of the controls
on the panel is marked: MUSIC TAPE. It indicates a master switch
which is in the off position. Another is marked FLOOR EXHIBITS
and a series of others are marked ESCALATORS. There are dozens
of master switches which are in the off mode.
Peter: POWER SWITCHES.
Roger: THE MUSIC MIGHT COVER THE NOISE WE MAKE. Peter: HIT ‘EM ALL. MIGHT AS WELL HAVE POWER IN EVERYTHING. WE MIGHT NEED IT.

Roger hits the switches one at a time.

211 Throughout the mall, we hear the drone of the dull, mass
produced music designed to lull a shopper’s brain.212 Upstairs, Francine startles at the sound from below. She snaps
the rifle into her hands, ready to fire. She has been standing
just inside the storage area. She steps into the firestair and
looks down into the darkness. The sounds of the insipid music
drift up to her. She leans into the storage area again.

Fran: STEPHEN…
STEPHEN!

213 Steve, still lying on the floor against the escape pyramid,
slowly awakens.214 Down on the first floor of the big mall, things begin to work.
The automobile turntable starts spinning; the great escalators
move up and sown. Two of the living dead, caught just starting
up two stalled escalator, fall and roll down as the mechanical
steps begin moving.

Lights blink on the exhibits, and mechanical window displays
begin their robot-like motions. It is like a Carnival coming
alive. The Zombies which wander the floor look about in
confusion. Some of them swat ineffectively at the moving
exhibits.215 In a very tall cage, which reaches from the first floor all the
way to the ceiling, the Tropical Birds which are housed within
begin to flutter and squawk.216 In a pet shop, there are puppies and kittens in a window
display. They whine and scramble over one another in fright at
the noise and the motion and the coloured lights.217 On one of the floor exhibits, a rear-projection movie starts. It
is a dryly produced film about the merits of a Real Estate
Developer’s new tract of suburban houses. A narrator speaks in a
friendly voice:
… and for prices which anyone can afford, you can live in these luxurious new homes
by Brandon. Fully electric, central air, ..etc.

218 In the Maintenance Office, the Troopers ready themselves for
their raid. Peter secures the vital key ring to his utility belt and the move out.

Peter and Roger move down the Hall and exit through door to
exterior corridor.

219 Just as Roger moves through the door into the corridor, he is
confronted by the Zombies from the balcony. He startles and
ducks back into the room. The closest Zombie is reaching out
with clutching hands. Peter raises his gun and fires two shots
cleanly through the creature’s head.220 As the shots ring through the area, Fran, standing at the top of
the firestair, startles. Steve grabs the rifle from the woman.

Steve: JESUS CHRIST…
THEY’RE MANIACS.

221 The Troopers step over the corpse. The second Zombie, the
arm less female, is walking toward them. This time Roger fires
his weapon. The creature falls in a heap. Roger: WHATD’YA THINK? BAG IT OR TRY FOR IT?
Peter: YOU GAME? Roger nods and the two men run down the hall toward the mall. Their rifles poised, they are like commandos on an important
mission.

The men at the mall mouth see the department store and start for
it. They run from the corridor onto the balcony.222 The battle to win the mall has begun. The creatures which wander
the first floor look about, attracted by the sound, but they are
confused. They walk this way and that, in mis-guided staggering
strides.223 Several of the Zombies try to move up the down-escalator. They
fall over themselves and cannot negotiate the moving stairway.224 A few creatures who move onto the up-escalator also fall against
each other from the movement, but one falls onto the moving
steps and is carried upward. Then another manages to keep its
balance holding on to the hand rail.
225 At another point down the length of the mall, there is a
stationary stairway which runs from the first to the second floor. Several creatures move up the steps.

226 At the top of the firestair, Stephen begins to move down the
steps cautiously. His rifle is at the ready. Fran stays on the
top landing. Fran: STEPHEN, DON’T GO DOWN THERE. (he continues)
STEPHEN PLEASE!

Steve: IT’S ALRIGHT.

227 At the huge gate which locks off the big Department Store,
the two Troopers come to a crashing stop.

228 There is a side concourse which can be seen from this vantage
point, and in the hall are four or five Zombies. They are about
three hundred feet away.

229 Roger keeps his rifle levelled off in the direction of the
creatures while Peter confronts the lock at the middle of the
big roll gate. He fumbles with the keys for a moment until he finally sinks the proper key into the receptacle which is right at the floor. The tumblers turn successfully. Peter: ALRIGHT!

230 On the escalator, the creatures which fell onto the moving steps
are being carried up to the balcony. The one supporting himself
on the hand rail is still standing. The head of the standing
Zombie suddenly becomes visible from Roger’s perspective.

231 The Trooper raises his gun and aims for the creature’s forehead.

Peter tries to life the roll gate. It won’t move. It is still
locked. Peter: YOU BASTARD!
Roger: WHAT?

Peter: STILL LOCKED…(he sees another assembly)
ON THE SIDE…

The big man moves to the far side of the gate. The same key
fits. Roger re-focuses on the creature which is riding the
escalator. It is quite near the top now. Roger is about to
shoot when something catches his eye.

232 The fallen Zombies, which up to now could not be seen behind the escalator rail wall, suddenly come tumbling out onto the balcony
floor.233 Roger fires, but his aim is inaccurate.234 He hits the standing Zombie in the neck. The creature is thrown off balance enough to lose its footing. It falls back down the
escalator, but before it reaches the bottom, it stops rolling.
The steps carry it back up toward the second floor again. It is
still very much alive. The two creatures on the balcony struggle
to stand.235 Roger looks back over his shoulder.236 The Zombies from the side concourse are now about a hundred and
fifty feet away.

237 Peter turns the key in the lock, but again the gate will not
lift. It moves slightly, as the middle mechanism and the one on
the far right are free, but there is a third lock on the far
left. Peter moves to it quickly.238 On the first floor concourse, other creatures are beginning to take note of the action upstairs. They start to move.239 The Zombies on the stationary stairway are beginning to reach
the second floor, but they are far down the main balcony. They
will have to pass the administrative corridor in order to reach
the Department Store.

240 Roger fires again.

241 One of the nearby Zombies falls in a heap.

242 At the sound of the rifle, Fran gets desperate.

Fran: STEPHEN…FOR GOD’S SAKE…LET’S GET UP ON THE
ROOF…243 Steve is at the middle landing. He stares down into the darkness
below. More gunfire can be heard from the mall.

Steve: IT’S ALRIGHT, I’M TELLIN ‘YA. THOSE THINGS DON’T MOVE FAST ENOUGH TO CATCH US. More gunfire can be heard.244 Now the giant gate rolls up with a loud rumble. Peter ducks into
the store even as the gate is still rising, but the inertia of
the great metal cage carries the lip up out of Peter’s grasp. He
jumps to try to catch it, but he misses. It jerks up into its
fully open position and rolls back down slightly, but still
Peter cannot reach the lip. It slides back to rest about three
feet above Peter’s fingertips.245 The Zombies advance.246 Roger drops another with a clean shot through the head, then he
backs into the archway of the Department Store entrance. Peter
is desperately looking around for something to stand on to reach
the gate.247 The Zombies are very close to the arch now, advancing steadily.

248 Peter grabs a small counter used to display shoes, but it is too
heavy for him to move himself.

Peter: HERE…COME ON…

Roger has to abandon his post at the arch long enough to help
drag the little counter. The men drag it to a point just at the
side of the open arch, and Peter instantly jumps up on the top
of it. At that instant, a Zombie rounds the corner and grabs at
Peter’s legs. The big man kicks, startled, and the motion causes
him to fall off the little counter. He lands on his feet, but
out on the balcony beyond the arch. Roger brings his rifle butt
around against the creature’s head and the Zombie falls back,
but is not dead.

Other creatures are only a few feet from Peter, whose gun sits
on the little counter inside the store. Roger levels off his
rifle but cannot fire as Peter is in the line. Peter makes a
move and, like a football player, jukes to the left, then to the
right. He dives right at one of the creatures carrying it into
the store. Now Roger fires, dropping one, then another. Peter jumps back up on the counter. Peter: BEHIND YOU…BEHIND YOU…

The creature in the store has crashed against a cosmetics
display and is regaining its footing. Roger turns and fires. The creature falls. Peter grabs the lip of the roll gate and starts
to bring it down.

There are several creatures right in the archway, now they
clutch with their hands. One blocks the downward progress of the gate. Roger fires point blank and the Zombie flies back. The
gate lowers but is stopped by the clutching hands of other
creatures. Roger grabs the cage now and helps to pull it down.
Peter, still gripping the lip, jumps off the counter to get more
leverage. The bottom of the gate is now four feet from the floor. The two
men are able to move it steadily downward. The Zombies are very
weak, but more creatures appear making it more difficult. Then
one Zombie tries to crawl under the gate. Its torso just gets
through as the gate slams down against its chest. Its arms grab
for Peter’s legs and its mouth is gasping. Its body is
preventing the gate from engaging in the floor mechanisms. Roger lets go the cage as Peter tries to hold it against the
creatures outside. Grabbing his rifle, Roger brings the butt
straight down on the clutching Zombie’s skull. The Zombie goes
limp. Then Roger tries to push the creature clear of the gate,
but the pressure is too great.
Roger: LET UP A LITTLE…LET UP A LITTLE…

The gate rises a few inches. More Zombies appear outside. Their
hands clutch at the roll gate. The openings in the grid are only
big enough for their fingers, their hands can’t reach through,
but they are pushing the gate higher and higher…more than
Peter intended to clear the obstructing corpse. With his rifle butt, Roger manages to push the dead Zombie clear
except for one of its arms. From outside, a creature’s hand
suddenly grabs Roger’s weapon. For a moment its like a Tug-O-War.
Peter is having a harder time holding the gate. It is inching
upward. Peter: COME ON…COME ON… Roger lets go his gun barrel and the weapon is snatched away by
the creature in the crowd. Roger grabs for the gate. Peter: THE ARM…THAT ARM’S IN THE WAY. Roger squats again and manages to throw the dead Zombie’s arm clear. Then he grabs the gate again. Now it starts to move down
more steadily. At the last moment, another clutching arm juts into the store,
but when the gate hits it, it withdraws, and the big cage clicks
solidly into place.

The two Troopers step back from the gate. The creatures still
moan and gurgle, slamming against the gate, their fingers
clutching at the grid, but they are unable to budge it.
There are ten or twelve Zombies trying to get into the
Department Store and several others are making their way along
the balcony. At least six lie dead along the floor. Roger: WELL…WE’RE IN…NOW, HOW THE HELL WE GONNA GET BACK? Peter: LET’S GO SHOPPIN’ FIRST.

The two men back into the aisles of the store. The creatures
outside still push and claw at the gate. The one with Roger’s
rifle uses it as a bludgeon, but it has no effect.

249 Stephen opens the door into the Administration corridor.

250 From his perspective, the hall is inactive. He observes the
washrooms and the long row of doors to the various offices.

251 He starts into the corridor, letting the firestair door close.

252 At the top of the firestair, Fran can see the beam of light from
the open door below. As the door closes, the beam narrows, then
it blinks out with a click as the door closes. Fran: STEPHEN…JESUS GOD…

She is very frightened. She backs into the storage area.253 She moves quickly to the pyramid of cartons which lead to the roof. She sits on the bottom carton biting her fingers.254 In the Department Store, Roger is riding down an escalator. He
has found a back pack, and it is obviously already filled with
goods. As he steps off the moving stairs on the ground floor,
the surroundings are eerily quiet.255 He moves through a clothing department. We see the dead looking
faces of store mannequins. Roger runs into one and is greatly
startled. He snatches up a lined windbreaker and ties it around
his waist by its arms, then he trots off down another aisle,
where he finds Peter.

256 The big Trooper has a radio under his arm and he is snatching up
a small television.

Roger: HEY MAN, WE CAN’T CARRY ALL THIS SHIT…

257 Peter turns a corner and dumps the articles into something
which we cannot yet see. As Roger trots up, he sees that Peter
has a big gardening cart already heaped with goods.
Roger: OH…WE’RE GONNA JUST WHEEL RIGHT BY ‘EM, RIGHT? Peter: WE GONNA TRY, BROTHER. WE AIN’T DOIN’ THIS
FOR THE EXERCISE. WE MIGHT AS WELL TRY TO
GET WHAT WE CAN.

Roger: THERE’S NO WAY THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN…

Even though he doesn’t understand the plan, Roger helps Peter
toss things into the barrow.

258 They race down the hardware aisle tossing in tools and other
supplies. Electrical cables, flashlights, batteries. They scoop
things up like contestants on a game-show who have five minutes
in a store to grab whatever they can.259 Stephen is in the Maintenance office. He examines the maps and electrical equipment, then rummages through a desk.260 At the open end of the corridor leading to the second storey
balcony, Zombies wander past as they head for the Store entrance
where many creature still claw at the roll gate.261 The Zombies move randomly. Some are leaving the gate as their prey is now out of sight. They begin to wander here and there.

262 Three of the creatures turn into the administrative corridor and
start toward the offices.

263 Stephen has found a large binder in the desk. It contains all
the plans for the mall, duplicating the charts on the walls and
many others. It is a complete maintenance manual revealing all
the workings and layout of the huge structure.264 Elevator doors slide open with a loud whoosh. The two Troopers
appear in the car, wheeling their barrow out onto the second
storey aisles of the big store.265 Now, they can see the roll gate and the creatures pushing at it
ineffectively. They roll their barrow very close to the gate.
When the Zombies catch sight of the humans, their efforts are
renewed. They moan and push harder at the gate.266 They Troopers leave the barrow, disappearing back to the aisles. They run onto the interior escalator, bounding down faster than
the moving steps, then they run across the first floor until
they see the lower level-roll gate.267 There are creatures wandering the concourse, but none of them are at the gate. Peter: LET’S GO BROTHER…THE OLD OKEY DOKE!

The men move up to the roll gate. A Zombie lumbers past. Roger
speaks to the creature.

Roger: HEY, UGLY!

The creature turns instantly. Registers. Then dives for the
gate with a moaning roar. Its mouth opens and its hands clutch.
The gate pops forward from the creature’s thrust, but it holds
tightly. The action causes Roger to jump even though there is no
immediate danger. Peter: LET’S RAISE SOME HELL…HEY…HEY…
(he is shouting)

Roger: OVER HERE…LET’S GO OVER HERE…

268 Other creatures along the concourse turn toward the Department
Store. They lumber along attracted by the sounds.

269 At the gate, several Zombies push at the metal grids. The
Troopers back away, but stay in sight of the creatures.

Peter: JUST GIVE IT TIME …GIVE IT TIME.

270 Upstairs, the Zombies at the upper gate are attracted by the
commotion below. They begin to move away from the gate and
lumber along the balcony to the stairways and escalators.

271 In the maintenance office, Stephen still rummages. He finds a
loaded hand gun and stuffs it in his belt. He moves to the large
cabinets containing the walkie talkies and the keys.272 In the corridor, the stray Zombies move in and out of the
executive offices as they draw nearer to the Maintenance room.273 Several creatures fall over one another as they try to move down
the up escalator. The down escalator push others onto the first
floor. They scramble to their feet and move toward the
Department Store.
274 In the concourse, many creatures are moving toward the gate.
Already there are a dozen or so clutching and pushing at the
metal grid. Through the crowd. Peter can see several other
creatures lumbering down the stationary steps.

275 Peter: OK…THEY ‘RE COMIN’…

The big man readies his walkie talkie, pulling the antenna out. Peter: GO ON UP…STAY OUTTA SIGHT BUT LEMME KNOW WHEN ITS CLEAR ENOUGH. Roger, clutching his walkie talkie, disappears among the aisles
as he runs, crouching, into the store. Peter tries to hold the
attention of the creatures at the gate. Peter: RIGHT HERE, BABIES…THIS IS WHERE IT’S AT…
YOU DUMB ASS SUCKERS…YOU DUMB…YOU ARE DUMB!

276 Upstairs, the doors to the elevator glide open again and Roger
moves through the second floor aisles stealthily.277 Stephen takes the maintenance manual and leaves the office. He
walks down the interior corridor and opens the door to the
exterior corridor. As the door opens, the Zombies attack. The
Zombies clutch as Stephen tries to close the door on Zombie 13’s
arm. Stephen then runs back down the interior corridor.

278 Stephen starts up the firestair to the door. Just then he hears
Fran call out. Realising he will lead the creatures to her, he
closes the door and moves toward the Maintenance office and runs
in.

279 Stephen runs into the office and slams the door.

280 A second creature is moving up behind the first, and another
enters the corridor from the accounting office.

281 The metal door locks only with a key. Stephen fumbles for a
moment with his rifle, then dives for the key cabinet. There are
hundreds of keys on rings. He looks at the wall map. He can’t
focus in his panic.

282 In the hall, the first creature slams against the floor. It
doesn’t even have the intelligence to reach for the knob. It
pounds on the door with its hands.

283 The pounding increases Stephen’s panic. He stares at the map
trying to focus on the maze of numbers.

284 The second creature reaches the door and claws at it. The third
approaches slowly.

285 Stephen rattles among the keys. His fingers shake and he cannot
decipher the numbers.

286 Outside, one of the creatures, in its random clutching, takes
hold of the knob and pushes in and out, not yet turning it.

287 Stephen, clutching one of the rings, throws himself against the
door, still trying to read the numbers. The knob finally turns.
The door opens against Stephen’s weight. He manages to slam it
shut despite the pushing creatures. He throws the key ring down
and grabs his gun.

288 Roger speaks into his walkie talkie:

Roger: I THINK WE CAN MOVE THE WAGON.

289 Peter, downstairs, talks into his unit:

Peter: CLEAR?

Roger: (over talking unit)
NOT ALTOGETHER, BUT THEY’RE SPREAD OUT PRETTY
GOOD…ENOUGH TO MOVE THE WAGON.

The creatures slam against the first floor gate, but it holds
securely. Peter stares at the beasts as he lowers his talk
unit. He backs slowly away into the depths of the store.

290 Upstairs, Roger peers from behind a counter.

291 The second floor gate is clear.

292 On the balcony, several creatures wander aimlessly, but most of
them have already moved down the steps and escalators.

293 Peter is still in sight of the Zombies at the first floor
entrance. He clips his talk unit onto his belt, then ducks and
disappears among the aisles.

294 He runs, crouching out of sight, until he rounds a far wall
and comes up into the elevator.

295 He enters the car and pushes “2”. The doors glide shut and the
car begins to move up.

296 At the door of the Maintenance Office, the knob turns again. The
door pushes open against Stephen weight. His feet slide on the
linoleum floor. He cannot get the door closed this time. Biting
his lip, he makes the sign of the cross, and backs suddenly into
the room holding his rifle high. The door flies open with a
slam, and three Zombies advance into the office. Stephen tries
to aim carefully, and he fires.

297 Just as the elevator doors open. Peter hears the gunfire. He
hesitates for a moment, then runs toward the entrance arch.

298 Roger is poised at one of the side locks on the gate. The
gunfire stops him also as he is unlocking the mechanism.

299 Along the balcony, some of the creatures turn around in con-
fusion. They walk this way and that, attracted by the sound.

300 Peter thunders up behind Roger.

Peter: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

Roger: FUZZ MAYBE?

Peter: OR MAYBE FLYBOY. WHERE’S IT COMIN’ FROM?

Roger: CAN’T TELL.

Peter: COME ON. OPEN UP.

Roger : MAYBE WE SHOULD SEE WHAT’S HAPPENIN’…

Peter: OPEN UP. I CAN GET THE WAGON OVER. IF IT
IS FLYBOY, LET’S GET HIM ON OUR SIDE.

Roger moves to the second lock. More gunfire.

Peter: (setting his weapon on the floor)
YOU JUST COVER ME GOOD, YOU HEAR?

Roger moves to the third lock as Peter stands and grabs on to
the handles of the barrow.

301 The body of a dead Zombie hits the floor, its head shot
through. Nearby lies the corpse of the first creature to break
into the Maintenance Office.

The third staggers into the room. Stephen stands fast now. He
holds his rifle out in front of him. The creature walks toward
the gun. Steve holds his hands on the trigger. The Zombie lunges
suddenly, and grabs the gun barrel. Steve fires, but the blast
tears through the creature’s chest. Steve struggles to raise the
barrel but the motion of the Zombie makes it impossible to aim
accurately. The gun fires again, this time grazing the Zombie’s
neck. With a sudden burst of energy the creature wrenches the
gun free. Steve backs against the wall. The creature tosses the
rifle across the room where it slams the floor near a desk. The
Zombie advances on Steve. Steve is next to the key cabinet and
grabs at it, trying to find some weapon. He feels the tools in
the cabinet and comes up with a hammer. The Zombie is about to
reach him when Steve pulls the hammer out and upsets the
cabinet. The Zombie fumbles with the cabinet at its feet, but
doesn’t fall. Steve tries to hit the creature’s head with the
tool, he misses and the Zombie grabs at his arm, trying to bite
it. Steve wrenches free and the two bodies fall to the floor.
The creature clutches at the man’s legs, it’s teeth bared like
an animal. Steve kicks desperately and manages to land a blow
squarely in the creatures face. The Zombie comes after him again
and from his crawling position, Steve brings the hammer as an
uppercut to the creature’s jaw. The creature falls back enough
for Steve to crawl across the floor. It follows, but Steve
reaches the desk and grabs his rifle. Rolling on the floor, he
fires several shots into the creature, finally destroying it.

302 The second floor gate rolls up with a rumble and Peter runs out
of the Department Store with the barrow full of supplies.

303 The action attracts the attention of several of the creatures
which are still wandering the balcony. They turn slowly.

304 Just as he rounds the corner. Peter almost collides with one
creature, and can barely keep from upsetting the barrow. He
manages to get past, and he runs as fast as he can toward the
opening of the Administrative corridor.

305 Roger does not let the gate roll up too high. He stabilises the
metal grid well within reach, then he stands his post with
Peter’s rifle. Several creatures approach from the opposite
direction. Roger fires at the closest one. It falls. The others
are still too far away to waste bullets.

306 Stephen steps over the corpses in the office and grabs the
maintenance manual. He rushes into the corridor and runs out.

307 Three more creatures move toward him up the hallway.

308 At first Stephen freezes, then he starts backing toward the
firestair, his rifle poised.

309 Just as Peter is reaching the mouth of the corridor, a Zombie steps out of the hallway into his path. Peter slams the barrow
squarely into the creature’s legs. The Zombie falls in the
barrow onto the supplies. The big man slams the load against a
wall at the mouth of the corridor. Before the Zombie can get its
balance, the big Trooper reaches down and grabs the creature’s
jacket lapels. With all his might he flings the creature out
against the balcony railing. The creature flips over the rail,
but does not fall. Its arms and legs flailing as Peter comes up
quickly behind and flips it over the rail. The creature makes no
sound as it plummets to the concourse below.310 Roger fires again at a Zombie drawing dangerously near. Other creatures throughout the area are again converging on the
Department Store entrance.311 Peter wheels the barrow into the corridor and sees Steve at the other end, the three Zombies are still closing in. Peter: HOLD IT FLYBOY!312 Steve freezes. He can barely see Peter, his vision blocked by
the Zombies. The creatures are about thirty feet away.313 Peter: DON’T GO INTO THE STAIRWAY!314 Stephen is confused. The creatures advance.315 Peter: DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR, BABY. YOU’LL LEAD ‘EM
RIGHT UP WITH YOU.

316 Steve is on the verge of panic.

Peter: RUN FOR IT. RUN THIS WAY.
The Zombies are drawing closer and closer.317 Peter: COME ON, MAN. RUN THIS WAY. YOU CAN RUN RIGHT
THROUGH ‘EM. WE GOTTA LEAD ‘EM AWAY FROM HERE!

318 Steve sizes up the corridor. It is narrow, but there is room to
run past the Zombies.

319 Peter: COME ON, FLYBOY. YOU CAN MAKE IT. COME ON!

320 With a sudden move, Steve breaks into a run. He passes the first creature easily. The second grabs him as he runs past, but the
man keeps his footing even though he slams against the wall. He
keeps moving forward. The third creatures stands in his path.
Steve lowers his head and slams into the Zombie’s chest. The
creature flies back and falls. Steve falls and tumbles toward
the mouth of the passageway. He regains his footing as the
creatures turn to pursue him, he runs to the end of the hall
where Peter waits. Peter: NOW…HEAD FOR THE DEPARTMENT STORE…GO!321 The two men run across the balcony. They slam into two other Zombies which clutch and grab at them without success.

322 At the entrance arch to the store, Roger fires at another
creature. It falls. Other Zombies are approaching, but Steve and
Peter dive into the arch and the three men manage to lower the
gate without a problem.

The Zombies converge on the area as they did before, clutching
and pushing at the metal cage, which holds them out securely.

The men breathe heavily as they back away from the gate.

Peter: DOWNSTAIRS AGAIN …SAME TRICK.

323 The men move through the aisles of the store and go crashing
down the escalator.

324 On the first floor they run toward the lower gate where they
pull up wheezing with exhaustion.

Steve: WHAT DO WE DO…

Roger: LET ‘EM KNOW WE’RE HERE…
(shouting)
WHOOOO HOOOOOO…OVER HERE…YEEE HAAAAAAAA. Steve starts to laugh at the ludicrous situation. Peter smiles
at the young pilot.

Peter: YOU DID ALRIGHT THIS TIME FLYBOY.
HOW ‘BOUT IT?

Stephen laughs some more, nervously at first, then whole-
Heartedly. Then he lets out a loud:

Steve: WHOOOOOOOOOOOPEEEEEEEEE…

He has joined the cowboys. He is like a child, almost exultant
with the joy of their victory…
The three men shout through the cage at the creatures, which are already gathering at the gate.

325 Out on the concourse, a few Zombies wander aimlessly, but most
are heading for the commotion on the first floor arch.

326 On the upstairs balcony, Zombies again move toward the
stationary steps and the escalators.

327 The three creatures in the Administration corridor move toward
the open mall. Two walk out on the balcony, but the last one
turns into an open office. Then it staggers back out and heads
down the hall toward the firestair.

328 Fran can faintly hear the “whooping” of the men as she moves
toward the stairway door, which is still open.329 She steps onto the landing and looks down into the darkness. The shouting stops. Desperate with fear, she moves back to the
storage room, then back onto the landing. Now her fear turns
into anger. Fran: SHIT… She takes a few steps down the stairs. Stops. Goes back up.
Fran: GOD DAMMIT!
She starts back down again.