Two Winters Past

Scene 13

EXT. FOREST.

VALENTINE, GRANT, and POPPER are cresting a hill. VALENTINE stops and holds GRANT’s shoulder as he tries to pass.

VALENTINE: I heard something.

GRANT: Deer?

POPPER: No deer. I heard it too.

VALENTINE: I hear Lembeks eat people.

GRANT: Keep your mouth shut.

A crashing in the brush grows louder. POPPER points. Monster approaches. Eyes are white and skin is covered with lesions. Left arm hangs at an odd angle and fingers have become gangrenous. It walks with purpose, sniffing the air.

GRANT: (whispers) A zombie!

VALENTINE: Shh!

GRANT: There’s only one.

POPPER: One we can see.

VALENTINE: Shoot it.

GRANT: You’re kidding! Everyone and their mother will know where we’re sitting. You do it.

VALENTINE: Me?

GRANT: You kill them all the time, don’t you?

VALENTINE: What do I do? Club it with my gun?

POPPER draws a machete, hands it to VALENTINE.

VALENTINE looks it over, holds out his rifle to POPPER.

VALENTINE: If I give you this to hold on to, will you still let me trade it later?

GRANT: You have to survive this first.

VALENTINE: Not the answer I was hoping for.

The monster has closed much of the distance between them, and is moving fast.

VALENTINE squares off, the monster lunges.

VALENTINE chops at the  neck, wounds the shoulder.

The monster grabs him, bites at his face. VALENTINE can hardly hold the monster back.

POPPER grabs the injured arm and wrenches free the dead limb, and throws the monster down on its face, holds it down with his boot.

VALENTINE gets up.

POPPER: Finish it off. Don’t get my leg.

VALENTINE hacks the back of the head five times before monster stops moving. VALENTINE hits the ruined head twice more and backs away, panting. He drops the machete.

GRANT: Kill them all the time?

VALENTINE is winded.

VALENTINE: They don’t die easy, like the movies. Most of the time, I just run.

POPPER: How many have you killed?

VALENTINE: Less than I claimed, more than you believe.

FADE TO BLACK