ow.
Huddled around the table are a group of hermits, all dressed
in shaggy, worn out clothes. Their teeth are rotten and
their hair is frizzy.
TY APPLE(30s), complete with a frizzy beard, continues to
analyze the map.
TY
It may be safe to go out.
LORI APPLE(30s), a once beautiful face now dirty, looks at Ty
with anticipation.
PROFESSOR DOC NEWTON(60s), a skinny guy with gray hair,
conjures with Ty.
DOC
I say its now or never. Theres
more out there than there is down
here.
TY
Lori?
LORI
We cant stay here any longer.
Ty looks his two colleagues in the eye.
TY
Lets do it. EXT. BOMB SHELTER - DAY
A heavy, steel door slowly rises from the ash-covered ground.
Out pop the three hermits, who shield their eyes from the
suns beams.
Lori practically wraps her arms around her entire head. All
three blink repeatedly as they adjust. Ty takes a few deep
breaths.
TY
So far so good.
DOC
My word...look at that.
Ty and Lori look in Docs direction. Across a murky bay are
the remains of a city.
Once mighty skyscrapers are now ruins of their former selves.
Large chunks of the towers are gone, which leaves the
structures open to the misty air.
A few of the buildings have completely collapsed and their
remains smother the streets below.
The remains of a bridge is nested at the edge of downtown.
The bulk that would travel across the bay is long gone.
The three hermits take it all in.
LORI
Were home.
EXT. BAY - DAY
An inflatable raft is placed on the water and the three head
towards downtown.
Remains of small sailboats, cars, and army vehicles can be
seen at the bottom of the shallow bay. Some of their tails
stick out of the water as the hermits work around them.
LORI
How could man be capable of this?
DOC
Were capable of this because were
a stupid species, Lori. Man has
been on earth for about 1.8 million
years, not even a fraction of the
planets age. And now were almost
to the brink of extinction.
2. TY
Almost.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
As they reach land and step out of their raft, they once
again check out the city.
The buildings are almost entirely covered with moss. Signs
of other life are zilch.
They pass by a small building that reads San Diego
Professional Photography.
DOC
Look at this. Years of development
and progress...the greatest country
in the history of the world...gone.
All in the span of a few minutes!
TY
We cant jump to conclusions yet,
Doc. There have to be others here.
LORI
What if there arent? What if
were the last ones in the city?
The state even! We have no idea at
the stuff that was going on
outside! For all we know, were
the first humans to see daylight
since it happened.
Ty looks north.
TY
Theres a whole nother world out
there. I think the sooner we can
get out of here, the better.
DOC
The radiation could still be there,
Ty. You take one step into one of
those radioactive zones...youre a
goner.
Ty gets agitated.
TY
So how long do we stay here, huh?
Are we just prisoners here for the
rest of our lives?
3. Doc looks down.
TY
Doc, Im hungry. Im cold. Im
exhausted. Who knows how many
diseases weve got crawling on us.
And look, your calculations were
correct! San Diego is clear! We
have to find the others or at least
die trying. Im not staying in
this prison a second longer.
It starts to sprinkle. Lori grows uncomfortable as the drops
brush onto her face. The guys see this.
DOC
Lori?
TY
You okay, babe?
LORI
Its raining.
They all look to the sky where clouds hover in front of the
sun. Lori rubs the water off.
LORI
Ow. Crap.
TY
Lori...
POP! The raft bursts. Doc turns to a street sign, where the
figure 40 MPH begins to melt.
DOC
We need to find shelter. Now!
They dash down the street as the downpour starts to increase.
Their already torn clothes become even more hole-ridden with
each drop.
Ty leads the group towards one of the moss-covered
skyscrapers. Doc stops them.
DOC
Ty! No!
TY
What? Why?
4. DOC
These buildings havent been
maintained in years! You take one
step in there or lean against one
wall the wrong way, it could all
come tumbling down on us!
LORI
Doc!
Doc turns to her. She points to the freeway overpass.
DOC
Come on!
They all run up the street to the freeway as the rain
increases to a pour.
EXT. OVERPASS - DAY
They come to a rest below the overpass and watch as the storm
rages. Doc feels around the concrete.
DOC
I tell ya, Dwight had a hell of an
idea with these here interstates.
For his advertising he should have
said can survive a nuclear blast
and even a little acid rain!
Doc looks for laughs but doesnt receive any. Ty reaches
into his backpack and pulls out a granola bar.
LORI
What flavor?
TY
Apple crisp.
GRRR.
The three hermits freeze. GRRR.
Ty gulps and looks
around.
TY
Were not alone...
A MUTATED HOUND DOG emerges from a hole in the overpass.
Its furless for the most part, lacks a left eye, and has two
tails between its legs.
It snarls at them, digging its freakishly long canines into
its gums and causing them to bleed.
5. LORI
Doc-
TY
Want a cookie? A treat?
Ty attempts to hold the granola bar out to the dog, but Doc
pulls him back.
DOC
Ty, dont.
TY
Its life.
DOC
Look at it. Thats New World life.
GRRR.
Suddenly THREE MORE MUTATED HOUND DOGS emerge from the
hole, all almost identical to the first.
The hermits swallow. Ty exchanges his glance between the
dogs and the rain outside.
TY
Doc-
DOC
I know. You and Lori need to get
out of here. Slowly make your way
for the outside.
TY
What about the rain?
DOC
We were just in it and we didnt
die. Just find shelter. Do you
have the map?
One of the dogs barks and startles the people. Its a
thunderous one with a combo of snarling and hissing.
TY
Yeah, I got it.
DOC
Go north, stay close to the coast.
This highway passes through LA,
Sacramento-
Another one of the dog barks. The hermits tremble in fear.
6. DOC
-Portland, Seattle and all the way
up to Canada Hopefully they did
better than us. Stay on it!
LORI
Doc-
DOC
Go! Now!
The lead dog takes a few steps toward Doc. Streams of bloody
drool fall from its mouth. It barks once more, which prompts
Ty and Lori to take off into the rain.
DOC
How could we have done this?
All of the dogs pounce onto Doc at once.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
Both Ty and Lori wrap blankets around their heads and rush
into the city. A few moments later, the hound dogs rush out
from the overpass and chase after them.
LORI
Give them the granola bar!
Ty tosses the granola bar to the dogs, who ignore it and
continue the chase.
TY
Shit!
Ty looks back, where the dogs appear to gain. As he faces
front again, he sees THREE MORE DOGS coming right for them.
TY
Left, left, left!
They turn left onto another street, where FOUR MORE DOGS lock
onto them.
TY
Right, right, right!
Trapped in a triangle, Ty and Lori run into one of the
skyscrapers.
7. INT. SKYSCRAPER - LOBBY - DAY
They dash into the lobby. Ash and rubble are everywhere.
They slide to the ground the duck behind a lobby counter.
Silence. They peer around the counter to the entrance, where
the pack of dogs quietly enter and sniff around.
The lead dog wags both of its tails and runs off into the
lobby.
Ty and Lori turn back around and rest. Ty puts his finger to
his mouth. Lori nods.
A few moments go by and they peer back around the counter,
where the dogs have all flopped onto the ground.
Ty and Lori turn back around the corner and smile. As they
complete their turn, they come face-to-face with the lead
dog, who snarls at them.
Its blood-red eye stares them down as blood drips from its
mouth.
BANG! A column toward the entrance shatters into a million
pieces, startling several of the dogs in the immediate area.
The lead dog turns around for a second, which allows Ty and
Lori to make a run for it. Several more columns fall and the
walls start to crumble.
TY
Up, up, up!
They run through an empty doorway and into a stairwell and
climb up a story.
INT. SKYSCRAPER - SECOND FLOOR - DAY
They burst onto the second floor. Moss grows everywhere and
the wind from outside seeps in through the empty windows.
The building shakes. The sound of scrapes and crumbles are
heard.
Ty and Lori run to the window and look outside; a pile of
rubble on the street below, but not a long fall.
TY
Baby, we gotta jump!
8. INT. STAIRWELL - DAY
The dogs race up the stairs.
INT. SKYSCRAPER - SECOND FLOOR - DAY
The dogs enter the area just as the building starts to shake
uncontrollably.
TY
Jump!
They both leap out of the building.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
They crash into the pile of rubble below but quickly get back
to their feet and run off.
INT. SKYSCRAPER - SECOND FLOOR - DAY
The dogs look at each other as the floors start to split
apart.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
The building collapses into the ground with a mighty bang. A
mushroom cloud of dust shoots off into the sky.
Ty and Lori watch the spectacle and then head back towards
the freeway.
EXT. FREEWAY - DAY
The rain has stopped and the sun is out again. Ty and Lori
stand in the middle of the freeway.
LORI
Doc said to go north. And if I
remember correctly, I believe this
one does just that.
TY
What if we run into more of those
things?
9. LORI
We probably will. But we have to
make an escape now before God knows
what else comes out of the shadows.
Ty nods.
LORI
Im not living in this prison
anymore.
He smiles.
TY
Then lets go.
The two start off up the freeway hand-in-hand. They walk by
a sign which reads ENCINITAS 26. OCEANSIDE 37. LOS ANGELES
120.
LORI
I always hated LA.
TY
Yeah, I wasnt too big on it,
either. Think well have any