Two Winters Past End

EXT. COOLEY COMPOUND. NIGHT.

Match shot of catwalk around the Cooley compound to previous shot of BARABAS on walls of Deposit. COOLEYS in fatigues shoot down into a sea of monsters that scream and throw their bodies against the aluminum siding.

COOLEY 1: If we can’t spread them out, the supports won’t hold.

ELIJAH: I want everyone off the wall. We need everyone we can to reinforce. Empty every house if we need to. I want furniture, cabinets, tables, beds. Anything heavy. I want two men on each side of the pack doing whatever they can to catch some attention.

COOLEY 2: This is way more than Remmy had in that barn. 

ELIJAH: Break into the emergency armory!

COOLEY 1: I haven't seen this many rippers since the first winter!

Zoom out to reveal VALENTINE sneaking between two houses with his machete brandished before him. The streets of the compound are empty. 

VALENTINE comes to a long metal shed. He goes to the single window. Light shows from within.  

VALENTINE looks through the window.

Inside are about two dozen women clustered around picnic tables. VALENTINE tries the door. It is locked. He beats it with his fists until it is opened by a leathery woman with salt-and-pepper streaked hair. She is CHERRY. 

CHERRY: (scared) Did they break the wall?

VALENTINE: I’m here to find Chloe Isis.

CHERRY pulls VALENTINE into the building and slams the door. She pats down his arms.

CHERRY: I don’t know you. Did you come from the wall? Where is Elijah?

VALENTINE: My name is Valentine. I came up from Parlor City. I’m trying to rescue a girl named Chloe Isis.

CHERRY: There aren’t no one looking to be rescued here. Now get back to the wall and do your part, or there won’t be anyone left to rescue!

VALENTINE: Where does John Chango live?

CHERRY: Chango is doing his part on the wall, which is where you should be. Go!

CHERRY pushes Valentine back into the night to be narrowly caught by CHANGO coming around the corner.

VALENTINE hides in a shadow as CHANGO and his men force open the door.

CHANGO: We need these tables for a barricade. Get them to the west wall before it collapses.

CHANGO leaves his men and marches unarmed into the darkness.

VALENTINE follows as CHANGO moves between the buildings. CHANGO comes to a small new-looking shack near the main house. A candle burns in a window, revealing a single room.  CHANGO enters. 

VALENTINE watches from a concealed window. CHLOE ISIS is tied up with ropes to a bed and covered with a blanket. She cringes away when CHANGO enters. VALENTINE runs to the front door and bursts in.

INT. CHANGO'S SHACK. NIGHT.

VALENTINE attacks CHANGO with the machete. CHANGO avoids and hits VALENTINE in the legs with a chair, knocking him down. 

CHANGO takes the machete and tosses it in the yard.

CHANGO: Go ahead and untie her. You ain’t going anywhere. I got more important things to do.

CHANGO exits. VALENTINE runs to CHLOE ISIS. He unties the gag.

VALENTINE: Are you all right?

CHLOE ISIS: Get me out of here.

He tries to pull back the blanket, but she stops him.

CHLOE ISIS: Get me one of his shirts.

VALENTINE retrieves a fatigue jacket from the closet. When he brings it back, CHLOE ISIS has untied her own feet. She puts on the jacket and gets out of bed. 

They both go in the yard. VALENTINE retrieves his machete, gives the empty rifle to CHLOE ISIS.

VALENTINE: I got here as fast as I could. I was captured...

CHLOE ISIS: It’s not your fault. Get me out of here. We need to go to the south wall.

VALENTINE: What is there?

CHLOE ISIS: Popper said the wall is barely held together. We can pull the siding open enough to get out.

VALENTINE: And we let in the monsters?

CHLOE ISIS: (Long pause, stares at VALENTINE.) Fuck these people.

Zoom in to the wall. ELIJAH has the family on the ground now. Furniture and decoration of all kind are being heaped against the wall that shakes and thunders with the raining sky above.

A sentry is still on the wall when the catwalk shakes apart and he drops onto the barricade. The aluminum wall heaves, but is solid against the barricade. A cheer goes up from the crowd.

ELIJAH: Good work, everyone. Get some spears out and thin out the pack.

COOLEY 1: Sure thing, Elijah.

Zoom out to the south wall. Monsters can be heard on the other side of the wall, but not like the battle on the west wall. Holes have opened at the corner. VALENTINE peers outside. He comes back to CHLOE ISIS.

VALENTINE: I only see a few monsters. If we move fast, we can get out without being noticed.

CHLOE ISIS: It hurts to run.

VALENTINE: I can carry you when we get outside. I’ll try to get you somewhere we can walk... somewhere we can rest.

CHLOE ISIS: I don’t think I can do this, Val.

VALENTINE: I didn’t go through all this to watch you die!

CHLOE ISIS: Why are you even saving me?

VALENTINE: I want to get you out of here, away from these hillbillies. Don’t you want to go home?

CHLOE ISIS: I don’t have a home! I don’t have a family! I don’t have Professor Klines! (Sobs and cries. Calms.) I don’t have anything. Neither do you.

VALENTINE: Come on, Chloe, they don’t seem so interested now. John Chango will...

CHLOE ISIS: John Chango will keep chasing us until we’re both dead. I might as well die tonight.

VALENTINE: That’s not going to happen, now come on!

VALENTINE grabs Chloe by the wrist and throws himself against the aluminum sheet, bowing it open and making the wooden supports shudder.

VALENTINE falls on his back and CHLOE ISIS on top of him. They are outside of the wall.  She rolls off and they get to their feet. The monsters have already taken interest. VALENTINE brandishes the machete at them and pulls CHLOE ISIS to her feet.

VALENTINE: Get on my back.

CHLOE ISIS: No.

VALENTINE: Chloe, you’ll get us both killed!

CHLOE ISIS: I don’t care.

VALENTINE: We can go our separate ways tomorrow, okay? Tonight I want us both to survive this.

CHLOE ISIS climbs on VALENTINE’s back and he runs. 

A monster chases and with the extra weight, VALENTINE is quickly overrun. VALENTINE tumbles, and then grapples with the monster. Another is running toward them. 

CHLOE ISIS bashes the monster in the head with her rifle butt.

VALENTINE is up in time to chop the second monster in the face.

The monster is knocked down by the momentum, but fighting immediately. VALENTINE frees his weapon and chops again, into the neck, up through the spinal cord, to kill it at last. 

CLOSEUP: Face of the monster, head nearly severed, bloody body filling the background. Muscle and sinew are just out of focus. A pool of blood forms beneath the body. Monster continues working it's jaw for some time before it dies.

VALENTINE severs the leg of the second monster, but it is barely impeded, immediately including one arm in locomotion, as if it were the most natural transition in the world.

Monster lunges for CHLOE ISIS, and VALENTINE chops through the spine, paralyzing all but one arm. Even still, monster attempts to crawl toward Chloe. 

All other monsters are concentrating on the action at the west wall.

Pan up to reveal torches have been set up and fighters back on the catwalk. COOLEYS attack with spears and pitchforks. The battle has turned. The battle has been won. 

VALENTINE helps CHLOE ISIS run across the field into darkness.  

FADE TO BLACK.

ROLL CREDITS.