Shoot On Sight

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Monday. It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where your most violent fantasies become sins of the flesh, right here, where the hardboiled action is non-stop, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

Today I've got a special treat for you. Late last year I decided to try my hand at something new, and I wrote a horror screenplay. (In fact, this was the first of three.) The idea was simple, take a story like ROMEO & JULIET, and add zombies ... and hence ZOMBIE & JULIET was born. After a false start with the producer of THE LORD OF THE RINGS -- he ended up being too busy to fully develop the project, as he currently has two movies in production -- it's now making the rounds in Hollywood. I've been hesitant to post this one, but what the hell. My fans deserve it. Imagine 28 DAYS LATER meets ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK meets CLUELESS, and you'll get the idea.

So, without further adieu, I present to you Chapter 1 of ZOMBIE & JULIET, where we travel to the Republic of Manhattan, a city state that exists somewhere in the not-too-distant future, where a high school class gets interrupted ... by a zombie infection.


INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
Your standard public high school joint.
Pale puke walls.

A giant flat-screen monitor
hangs where the blackboard would normally be.
The screen reads THE REPUBLIC OF MANHATTAN.

A calendar on the wall reads 2033.
A flag on the wall has a series of
red, white and blue stripes. No stars.

The TEACHER (30’s),
a hip-looking public radio kinda guy
is lecturing the class.
Sits on the front edge of his desk.

HIP-LOOKING TEACHER
The outbreak began in 2023
when the HIV virus mutated
into something stronger, deadlier,
the HIZ virus,
which also kills you slowly --
but doesn’t let you die.
Within six months,
the whole planet was infected --

A YOUNG HOTTIE in the back row
raises her hand. SNAPS gum.

YOUNG HOTTIE
Why don’t the zombies die, Mr. Domino?

MR. DOMINO
We don’t say 'zombies,' Seven.
That’s like using the N-word.
They prefer to be called 'Infected-Americans' --
(beat)
It mirrors the HIV virus.
The symptoms aren’t that bad
for the first six months,
but then sometime during the next few months,
the infection becomes full-blown,
the person dies, and is reborn,
so to speak -- as a ravenous mutant.
(sighs)
But unfortunately, sometimes
it progress MUCH more quickly.

He PUNCHES a remote.
We now see a map of
the Republic on the screen.

It’s been divided into
northern and southern territories
with a neutral zone between them.

MR. DOMINO
Our founding fathers erected a wall
around the island to stem the outbreak,
and christened the new land
The Republic of Manhattan.
But there was a power struggle for control --
so it was decided that the Kapp family
would control the Northern half of the republic --
and the Mont family the southern half --
with Times Square becoming a neutral zone
between the two --

SEVEN
Separate but equal --

MR. DOMINO
Ten points for Seven.
(beat)
The Monts and Kapps have existed
peacefully together for years,
but they’re now at odds over
a controversial piece of legislation
that the Kapps have been trying to pass --
the 'shoot on sight bill.'

WISE-ASS KID
I saw that on the news.
They want to kill anyone who’s infected.

MR. DOMINO
What do you think about that?
Is it fair?

WISE-ASS KID
Who gives a shit about FAIR?
I say kill the fuckers.
I don’t wanna get infected --

MR. DOMINO
But what about human rights?
Why not just quarantine them
while we look for a cure?

A SICK-LOOKING GIRL
sitting next to Seven rubs her nose.
HACKS a horrible-sounding COUGH.

SEVEN
Ew. Don’t you DARE
fucking cough on me, FREAK.

MR. DOMINO
Are you feeling okay, Gaga?
Would you like to go see the nurse?

GAGA
I’m fine, Mr. Domino. I’m just --

She suddenly PROJECTILE VOMITS
a geyser of RED-BROWN PUKE
all over Seven, who starts SCREAMING.

The classroom door EXPLODES off its hinges,
and a dozen PARAMILITARY TROOPS
in black Hazmat suits with assault rifles
STAMPEDE into the room.

One of them, the LEADER
goes up to Mr. Domino.
Points his rifle at the students.

PARAMILITARY LEADER
NOBODY MOVE.
This in an INFECTED AREA.

Two troopers GRAB Gaga.
Wrestle her into a body bag.
Carry her away, SCREAMING.

Two more GRAB Seven,
now covered in puke, also SCREAMING.

SEVEN
Let me GO, let me GO --
I didn’t DO ANYTHING.

A trooper runs a hand-held scanner over her body.
Takes a reading. Nods. Looks at Leader.

SCANNER TROOPER
Negative, sir.

PARAMILITARY LEADER
Take her in for testing.
We need to be sure --

SEVEN
TESTING? What kinda TESTING?

A pair of troopers stuff her
into a body bag, kicking and screaming.
Then haul her away.

Another trooper takes a reading
of the chair Gaga was sitting in.
Turns, looks at Leader.

TROOPER
Infection level four, sir.

PARAMILITARY LEADER
Quarantine the room.

MR. DOMINO
Wait a minute, you can’t do that --

Paramilitary WHIPS out a syringe.
Jabs it in Mr. Domino’s neck.
He falls to the floor, THWUMP.

PARAMILITARY LEADER
Sleep tight, and don’t let
the Bill Of Rights bite, professor --

Scanner Trooper turns and looks at Leader.

SCANNER TROOPER
What’s 'The Bill Of Rights?'

PARAMILITARY LEADER
Ancient history, soldier --

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL ROOFTOP - DAY
A BLACK HELICOPTER sits on the roof.
Blades WHIRRING.

The troopers race out of the rooftop
exit with the body bags.
Load them onboard.
The copter TAKES OFF.

EXT. LOWER MANHATTAN - CHOPPER POV - DAY
We see the giant wall around the city.
The chopper flies over the Hudson river.

On the other side, in what was New Jersey,
is now a series of burnt-out slums.

EXT. NEW JERSEY - BURNT-OUT WATERFRONT - STREET CORNER - DAY
In front of what was an apartment building,
now a pile of smouldering ruins,
a body bag lies on the sidewalk.

It ZIPS open. Gaga crawls out.
Looks around. Deserted. Huh.

GAGA
Not TOO scary --

A PACK OF ZOMBIES appear down the street.
Hideously disfigured.

About half-way gone.
They SCREAM at her.

Gaga WHIPS her head in their direction.

GAGA
Omigod, omigod, omigod --

She starts RUNNING --
and they CHASE AFTER HER.