"Infestation" - screenplay by Derek Paterson.

This is an excerpt of a completed screenplay.

"Infestation" - screenplay by Derek Paterson. FADE IN: EXT. CITY SKYLINE - DAY The shadows lengthen as evening approaches. EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY A sedan stops... the engine's turned off... the doors open. DONNA MAVERICK, 30, climbs out. She looks pretty classy in a dark business suit and Ray-Bans. THE ROOKIE, 20s, gets out. A soldier in civilian clothing, tough, confident. He looks up and down the empty street. ROOKIE Welcome to the Twilight Zone. Donna leans back against the sedan and lights up. Smokes while she examines the boarded factory building. ROOKIE Are we gonna do this or what? Sunset's an hour away. DONNA Sure. Donna grounds her cigarette, reaches into her armpit, draws a gleaming piece of artillery. She works the slide and heads for the entrance. The Rookie opens the trunk, pulls out a machine gun. He arms the MG with a loud CLICK-CLACK! Donna frowns. DONNA Size doesn't matter. It's what you do with it that counts. ROOKIE That's what you all say. But when push comes to shove, it's down to firepower. INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY Filled with dusty antique machinery. Two metal stairways at either end of the factory lead up to the floor above -- dark offices and store rooms. Donna takes off her Ray Bans and looks around. ROOKIE We'll cover more ground if we split up. DONNA Just stay close. ROOKIE We stick together, that makes us easy to ambush. Donna thinks about that one. She nods OK. The Rookie grins and moves among the machinery, leading with his MG, taking every corner like it's a potential trap. Donna climbs the stairs, boots clunking on the metal steps. UPPER LANDING Donna pauses at the top of the stairs, listening. She sniffs the air, wrinkles her nose. FACTORY FLOOR The Rookie turns on his flashlight and taps a door with his boot toe, it swings open. STORE ROOM The flashlight beam dazzles as the Rookie swings his MG left to right. He relaxes and moves on. UPPER LANDING Donna looks into a couple of empty offices. FACTORY FLOOR The Rookie glances up, sees Donna on the landing above. UPPER LANDING Donna walks casually to a closed door... And KICKS IT OPEN, her gun ready, swinging left to right. Nothing. The office is empty. She lowers her gun. FACTORY FLOOR Watching from below, the Rookie smiles. He glances at the second stairway. Sitting halfway down the stairs, watching him, is a pretty little girl, ALICE (7), blonde hair, plaid skirt. The Rookie looks for Donna. She's on the landing opposite his position with her back to him. He looks at Alice, who smiles. He smiles back, not really sure what he should be doing. ROOKIE Uh... Agent Maverick? UPPER LANDING Donna turns, sees the Rookie's worried look. She searches the shadows and sees Alice sitting on the stairs. Donna's eyes widen in fear. STAIRWAY Alice looks up at Donna, her expression calm. DONNA Shoot her! The Rookie licks his lips and slowly lifts his MG. DONNA Shoot her before she kills you! ROOKIE What if it's a mistake? What if she isn't--? DONNA If you want to live, dammit, shoot her! The Rookie takes aim. Alice stares at him. The Rookie's finger squeezes the trigger. He's racked by indecision. What if Donna's wrong? WHAP! Alice is on top of him, biting into his neck. The Rookie SCREAMS, falls onto his back. Alice falls with him, maintaining her bite-grip on his neck. Donna runs to the top of the stairs and comes down fast. Alice looks up, her mouth covered in blood. Her eyes blaze yellow and her teeth are as big as a sabertooth tiger's, deforming her entire face. Donna skids to a stop at the bottom of the stairway and takes aims. A shadow passes over her. Donna looks up-- A LITTLE BOY the same age as Alice SLAMS into Donna from above and bears her to the ground. Donna lands on her back and GASPS in pain. She loses her gun, it spins away. She desperately tries to fight off the snarling Little Boy. He's trying to reach her throat. Alice stands halfway up the other stairway, a pretty little girl again. She watches the struggle as if it's a cartoon. As if she doesn't care who lives or who dies. Donna holds the Little Boy off while she stretches for her gun, inch by desperate inch. The Little Boy's fangs are getting closer... about to touch her neck... The Little Boy glances up at Alice. Alice shakes her head. Donna reaches her gun! She swings it round, ready to shoot the little bastard-- But the Little Boy's gone, a shadow lost in the shadows. Donna gets up fast and spins, looking for Alice. She's gone too! The stairway's empty. Donna hurries to the Rookie's side. He's barely alive. He looks up at her, his lips moving silently. Donna kneels, takes his hand. His eyes glaze. DONNA Dumb fuckin rookie. Donna looks up as muted children's LAUGHTER echoes through the factory. They're laughing at her. Donna runs for the exit. EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY Donna opens the sedan's trunk and pulls out a silver attache case. INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY Donna marches inside. She kneels down beside the Rookie's body. Opens the attache case. It contains a BOMB with a digital timer. She punches in a number, closes the case. DONNA Suck on this, you little bastards! She runs out of the building. EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY Donna climbs into the sedan and zooms out of there fast. INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY The attache case sits there, looking innocent. Curious WHISPERS all around. EXT. DONNA'S SEDAN - DAY Kicking up dust, looking to break the land speed record. INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY Shadows fall across the attache case. Louder WHISPERS. EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY The factory EXPLODES like it's been hit by a Cruise missile. INT. DONNA'S SEDAN (MOVING) - DAY A distant BOOM! Donna sees the explosion in her rearview mirror. She sighs with relief. Children's LAUGHTER makes Donna check her rearview and sideview mirrors. THUMP! Something hits the car roof! THUMP! Something knocks the sedan sideways. Donna fights with the wheel. THUMP! Something else lands on the roof. The LAUGHTER grows louder, it's all around. Donna draws her gun and SHOOTS upward, making holes in the roof. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The rear window SHATTERS! Donna YELLS as broken glass showers the back of her head. THUMP! The sedan veers to the side again. Donna struggles with the wheel. She glances in her rearview mirror. The rearview mirror shows nothing except the broken rear window. Donna opens the glovebox, pulls out a grenade. She pulls the ring and tosses the grenade over her shoulder. She opens her door, unlocks her seatbelt and JUMPS OUT while the sedan's still moving! EXT. DONNA'S SEDAN (MOVING) - DAY Donna hits the ground and rolls, kicking up dust. She's stunned, it takes her a moment to recover and look up-- DONNA'S SEDAN explodes in a fireball. It rolls on, blazing, then goes off the road and slows to a stop. Donna gets up, dusts herself down. She pulls out her phone. DONNA (into phone) This is One-Six. Infestation confirmed. Target has been neutralized. She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. DONNA (into phone) We have a man down. Four-Six is toast. (she listens) Don't go blaming it on me. Next time, pick someone who knows how to obey orders. (she listens) Yeah, yeah. I need a ride, I blew up my car. (she listens) Yes, again. Get someone out here, now. Before the cops come sniffing around. She snaps the phone shut, shakes her head and mumbles-- DONNA Dumb fuckin rookie... The wind carries a tinkling echo of children's laughter. Donna spins round but there's nothing there. EXT. CITY SKYLINE - DAY As the shadows continue to lengthen... EXT. ALLEYWAY - DAY A COOK exits a kitchen rear door, carries trash bags to a dumpster, chucks them in. He turns to go inside -- pauses, as if he's heard something. Insect BUZZING. The Cook swats the air with his hand. He opens the door. Something snatches him off the ground and whips him up out of sight. He's gone! His thin terrified WAIL fades. Another COOK sticks his head outside, looks up and down the empty alleyway, puzzled. Where'd the other guy go? COOK Hey, Jimmy? EXT. DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Detective PETE FALCONI, 20s, fresh-faced, new suit, and his partner SOUTH, 50s, a tough rumpled street veteran, pull up in their unmarked car and climb out. They examine the building. The windows and entrance are boarded up. SOUTH You sure this is the place? FALCONI That's what our guy said. A couple of boards have been kicked in at the bottom of the entrance, making a hole. Falconi and South duck inside. INT. STAIRWAY - DAY They creep upstairs. The place is dark, peeling, dusty. INT. HALLWAY - DAY They approach a door. Falconi points out a FISH scratched into the woodwork. South nods. They take up positions on either side. Falconi looks at South who silently counts one, two, three-- WHAM! they kick the door open together. Falconi throws himself inside. INT. SUSPECT'S APARTMENT - DAY Falconi sweeps through the apartment, spinning fast to cover every door and possible hiding place. South waits in the living room. Falconi returns, shaking his head. Their attention goes to a couch in the corner. Its cushions are covered in dried blood. Falconi and South gingerly look over the top of the couch. A BODY lies behind the couch, white male, 25, pony tail, jeans. His shirt's torn open, dozens of angry red welts cover his neck, shoulders and torso. His wide-eyed expression says he died in terror. SOUTH Looks like somebody beat us to it. They put their guns away. FALCONI We track down his girls and ask them who they're working for now, that's our killer. SOUTH You're gonna make a great Homicide detective one day, Petey. That's after you work another couple years in Vice. It's their game now. Better call it in. Falconi pulls out his radio. Static mush. He turns around, trying to get a signal. SOUTH It's the lead pipes in these old buildings. C'mon. South exits. An insect BUZZES. Falconi slaps his neck as if he's been bitten. Puzzled, he looks at his hand. A droplet of blood. FALCONI Lead pipes. Right. Falconi takes a last look around, exits. EXT. DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Falconi tries to get a signal on his radio. FALCONI Hell is wrong with this thing? SOUTH I gotta take a leak, my bladder's killing me. South heads back inside. FALCONI Whoa, hold on. SOUTH Jeez Petey, I hold on any longer I'm gonna piss my pants. Enjoy being young while it lasts. South ducks back into the building. INT. EMPTY APARTMENT - HALLWAY - DAY South pushes a door open, looks inside. He's already fumbling with his zipper. EXT. DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Falconi shakes his radio, tries it again. He throws it into the sedan and takes out his phone instead. FALCONI (into phone) Hey Charlie put me through to the squad desk. (he listens) Yeah it's Falconi. Radio's kaput. We need a body bag and some air freshener. As Falconi listens he walks casually to the corner of the building. He glances into the alleyway. EXT. ALLEYWAY BESIDE DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Decades of waste form a small mountain. Falconi picks his way through the junk, phone held to his ear. FALCONI (into phone) Yes I am holding. Try not to be too efficient, okay? He gets past the mountain and discovers a VAN, half-buried under junk, its windows covered with dust. Falconi inspects the van. He kicks the tires, they're pressurized. Falconi pulls on a glove and rubs dust off one of the doors. Under the dust, "U.S. ARMY 367-435-093." He stares at this, puzzled. He rubs one of the windows and peers inside. No good. He goes round the back, and tries the door handle. The door creaks open-- THE BACK OF THE VAN is filled with a dozen metal containers, maybe four feet in length, two feet wide and two feet deep. The doors are dented as if they've been pounded by sledgehammers -- from inside. The locks are broken and twisted like pretzels. FALCONI (into phone) Hey, did you enjoy your coffee break? (he listens) Why don't you look around for some paper and a pencil, and I'll tell you where we are. Take your time, we've got all day. INT. EMPTY APARTMENT - TOILET - DAY South sighs with relief and zips himself up. He turns to the sink to wash his hands. The sink is a stained, shitty mess littered with blackened tin foil and syringes. South shakes his hands dry instead. He exits. INT. EMPTY APARTMENT - HALLWAY - DAY South's just about to exit to hallway when he stops and looks back over his shoulder. He draws his gun and aims at another door. SOUTH Come out with your hands up. POV - FROM DOORWAY South's expression changes from grim determination to shocked disbelief in an instant, as we-- SMASH ZOOM into South's face, his mouth open and screaming. EXT. ALLEYWAY BESIDE DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Falconi lowers his phone and looks back, puzzled. EXT. DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Falconi scrambles inside. INT. EMPTY APARTMENT - HALLWAY - DAY Falconi enters, gun drawn and ready. His eyes widen in shock. FALCONI Jesus. EXT. DERELICT APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Cop cars with flashing lights block the street. COPS and CRIME SCENE FORENSICS are everywhere. Falconi leans back against the unmarked car, arms folded, head bowed. Detached from the activity. Two serious-looking SUITS talk to a cop who points Falconi out to them. They approach Falconi. He raises his head and numbly looks from one guy to the other. TALL SUIT Detective Falconi? We need you to come with us so we can take a statement. FALCONI I already gave a statement. MUSTACHE SUIT We're working on another case that bears similarities to this one. FALCONI You mean your partner got his throat ripped out when you weren't looking? Coroners exit the building carrying a black body bag on a stretcher. Falconi watches them load it into their van. TALL SUIT This way please. They lead Falconi to a sedan that's parked around the corner. SILENT SUIT stands waiting by the sedan. FALCONI You didn't show me your badge. MUSTACHE SUIT Don't worry about your car, we'll take care of it. FALCONI I didn't ask you about my car. Falconi stops -- they grab his arms, push him toward the waiting sedan. Silent Suit opens the back door. Falconi braces his foot on Silent Suit's chest and pushes backwards, Tall and Mustache lose their grip. Falconi kicks them hard in the shins, they hop around rubbing their legs. Silent Suit grabs Falconi who twists Silent's wrist, whips him around and runs him head-first into the sedan. Silent Suit sinks to his knees, holding his nose. Tall Suit swings a haymaker, Falconi ducks and gives him a one-two-three in the guts. Tall Suit doubles over. Falconi delivers an uppercut that puts Tall Suit on the ground. Mustache Suit touches a tazer to Falconi's neck. Falconi drops to the ground and twitches. Between them, the three Suits bundle Falconi into the back seat and slam the door. INT. SUIT SEDAN (MOVING) - DAY Falconi comes round. He's in the back with Mustache Suit. Silent Suit drives, Tall Suit rides shotgun and watches Falconi over his shoulder. FALCONI Where the hell are we going? TALL SUIT You want to find out who killed your partner, don't you? Falconi stares out the window. INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT - DAY The sedan comes down a ramp and stops in a quiet corner spot. The Suits get out. Falconi reluctantly gets out after them. BORIS, 50s, a dangerous grizzly bear of a man, steps out of the shadows. FALCONI I'd like to see some I.D. Boris speaks with a distinctive Russian accent-- BORIS Relax, Detective Falconi. You are among friends... Boris notices how beat-up his men are looking. BORIS ...despite what you might think. FALCONI What's all this about? BORIS A strange place to do business, a condemned apartment block. FALCONI Not if you're a pimp. The neighbors don't complain so much. BORIS What brought you and your partner there? FALCONI If you're internal affairs you can go to hell. BORIS I assure you I am not. Won't you tell me why? FALCONI We leaned on a guy. He told us where this scumball hangs out. BORIS This "scumball" being...? FALCONI A pimp who runs underage girls. BORIS What did you see and hear when you entered the apartment? FALCONI The place stank like a wino's crotch. Our guy was D.O.A. Nobody else was there, just him. BORIS You checked out the building? Falconi hesitates... FALCONI We checked out the apartment the pimp was using. Boris waits... Falconi grows agitated. FALCONI What? If you've got something to say, say it. BORIS Your partner went back inside alone? FALCONI That's right. BORIS Isn't that against procedure? FALCONI He had to take a leak. BORIS And when you went inside after him...? FALCONI He was dead. Falconi looks away, his expression sour. FALCONI His throat was torn open. Like some wild animal attacked him. BORIS Is there anything else, Detective Falconi? Anything else at all? FALCONI I was there in seconds. Nobody and nothing got past me, on two legs or on four. BORIS Yet something evidently did. FALCONI I checked every room. Every door and window. There was no way out. Boris waits for more. Falconi shakes his head. FALCONI That's all I can tell you. BORIS Thank you for your time, Detective. My driver will take you back to your station house. You'll find your car in the parking lot. Silent Suit opens the sedan's back door. FALCONI That's it? You brought me here for this? BORIS I would appreciate, Detective, if you would refrain from telling anyone about this meeting. FALCONI Up yours. Falconi gets in, slamming the door. Silent Suit U-turns the sedan and drives away. Boris watches them go. EXT. STATION HOUSE - DAY Falconi watches from the sidewalk as Silent Suit drives away. He turns and goes inside the station house. INT. STATION HOUSE - FALCONI'S DESK - DAY Falconi types up his report. Detectives and cops interrupt to mutter condolences. Falconi just nods and gets on with his two-fingered typing. DETECTIVE Lieutenant wants to see you. FALCONI His legs stop working? DETECTIVE He's got someone with him. Looks serious. FALCONI Whoopee doo. DETECTIVE Hey, I'm sorry about South-- FALCONI Me too. DETECTIVE What the hell happened? Someone said the killer got away? Falconi exits. The detective stares after him. INT. STATION HOUSE - LT. COLLINS' OFFICE - DAY Falconi opens the door without knocking. LT. COLLINS, 40s, sits opposite ANDERSON, 30s, a big city suit who fixes Falconi with a hawklike stare. LT. COLLINS Falconi, God I'm sorry about South. Sit down. Before you ask, this isn't an official investigation. We just want to talk to you. Falconi sits, and looks at Anderson. ANDERSON I'm not I.A.D. if that's what you're thinking. FALCONI I don't give a damn who you are. LT. COLLINS Take it easy. ANDERSON Your partner's dead and I'm sorry about that, but the circumstances in which he died interest me. FALCONI The circumstances are, I left him alone instead of watching his back like a partner's supposed to. LT. COLLINS Let's concentrate on what happened to South. Okay? ANDERSON The guy you found in the apartment, this pimp. Does he have a name? FALCONI Yeah, Franco Storch, A.K.A. Juicy Franco. Anderson just waits. FALCONI A snitch told us a couple of fetuses were seen on the street and Juicy Franco was running them. ANDERSON Fetuses? FALCONI Underage girls. Unhappy home life, usually a divorce, sometimes they've been abused. Guys like Juicy Franco pick them up as soon as they step off the bus. He offers them somewhere to stay, feeds them, buys them clothes. In return they do him favors. ANDERSON What age were the girls? FALCONI The snitch thought they were thirteen, maybe fourteen. LT. COLLINS (to Anderson) A dozen kids got added to the "missing" list this week. More than five hundred disappear in the city every year, if you're interested in statistics. ANDERSON I have the preliminary medical report on this Juicy Franco. I want to hear your thoughts. FALCONI My thoughts? Someone beat the shit to death. He had bruising all over his torso, from his waist right up to the neck. Didn't look like he enjoyed it much. ANDERSON You don't sound too bothered about that. FALCONI If it was anyone else then yeah, that would bother me. ANDERSON What about his apartment? FALCONI Empty. Two single beds, both recently used. ANDERSON Wardrobes, cupboards, places where someone could hide? Someone small. FALCONI The crime scene guys took pictures. Ask them. ANDERSON You didn't check any of the other apartments. Why? FALCONI Nobody was supposed to be in the building except Juicy Franco. ANDERSON Did your snitch tell you that too? LT. COLLINS Is this going somewhere? ANDERSON Has anyone else spoken to you about this incident? FALCONI Just you. ANDERSON Your lieutenant's got my number. You remember anything else, you let me know. Anderson gets up to go. FALCONI So tell me, Mr. Big Shot, what's your interest in a dead cop and a street pimp? Anderson stares hard at Falconi, then exits. LT. COLLINS The Captain called me two minutes before that guy walked in. Told me to give him whatever he damn well wanted. I don't know who the hell he is but he carries a big stick. FALCONI I think South's wife lives in Florida. LT. COLLINS Ex-wife. She's first on my call list. It's gonna be a long night. OUTSIDE LT. COLLINS' OFFICE Two suits arrive and show their badges to a detective. The detective points them to Lt. Collins' office. LT. COLLINS Looks like I.A.D. decided to show up. You really don't know what happened? FALCONI I wish to God I did. The suits knock on the door. EXT. CITY SKYLINE - DAY/NIGHT Night creeps over the city. INT. FALCONI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Falconi unlocks the door and enters carrying a bag of groceries. He locks and bolts his door. KITCHEN Falconi shoves the entire bag into the fridge. He takes out a beer bottle and pops the top. LIVING ROOM Falconi takes off his jacket, slips out of his underarm gun rig, throws them over a chair. He slumps onto the couch and switches on the TV. Over-enthusiastic cheering from a quiz show audience. He mutes the sound, puts the bottle to his mouth as if about to drink... but his hand shakes. FALCONI Jesus... He rubs his eyes. FALCONI Jesus... EXT. CITY SKYLINE - NIGHT Lights blaze, fighting off the darkness. INT. FALCONI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT No lights on, just the glare of the TV, sound muted. Soap opera, a handsome tuxedo guy and a beautiful lip-gloss woman argue. He grabs her and slaps her. She loves it and melts into her arms. Falconi's asleep on the couch, four empty beer bottles on the floor. He stirs in his sleep, dreaming. INT. PIMP'S APARTMENT - DAY (FLASHBACK) Falconi and South check out the pimp's apartment. They talk to each other but their voices are muted and indistinct. An insect BUZZING closes around Falconi. He slaps his neck as if he's been stung. Children's laughter, tinkling yet sinister, plays over the scene yet goes unnoticed by Falconi or South. BACK TO SCENE Falconi wakes up. He stares dumbly at the TV soap opera. CLICK! the TV goes off -- not his doing. Falconi sits in the dark, blinking. Soft street light comes from the window, casting black shadows everywhere. That same children's laughter invades his apartment. It seems to come from everywhere. Realization dawns on Falconi. He not dreaming any more. He jumps off the couch and fumbles in the dark for his gun. WHAP! Something knocks him back onto the couch. He staggers to his feet and WHAP! he's hit again from another direction and falls on his face. The children's laughter gets louder. Falconi pushes himself up and lurches into the KITCHEN and runs headlong into the fridge. Stunned, he stumbles to the door but WHAP! something hits him from above and he falls again. He lies on his face in almost pitch darkness, listening to sounds of scraping movement. The laughter increases in volume, coming closer. WHAM! the apartment door opens and Donna Maverick empties her gun into the darkness in all directions, BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Inhuman SHRIEKS and HOWLS, then SHATTERING GLASS. Light from outside floods through the broken window. Donna grabs Falconi and drags him out into the hallway and slams the door shut behind them. INT. STAIRWAY OUTSIDE FALCONI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Falconi tries to catch his balance and his breath as Donna pulls him downstairs fast. She points her gun upstairs as if she expects pursuit. FALCONI What the f-- DONNA Shut up! Donna drags him downstairs to the entrance. EXT. STREET OUTSIDE FALCONI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Donna pushes Falconi toward a shiny new sedan, its engine is running. DONNA Get in! Falconi does as he's told. Donna slides into driver's seat and floors the gas. The sedan exits in a squeal of burning rubber. INT. DONNA'S SEDAN (MOVING) - NIGHT Falconi looks out the back window at his shrinking apartment block. FALCONI Who the hell are you, and what just happened back there? No response from Donna. FALCONI Answer me, dammit! Donna brings her fist down onto his thigh. She takes her hand away. Falconi stares in disbelief at the plastic syringe stuck in his thigh. FALCONI You--! His head slumps back against the headrest and his eyes close. FADE TO BLACK: DONNA (V.O.) He's waking up. FADE IN: EXT. MEDICAL EXAMINATION ROOM - NIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT, intense and dazzling. Falconi blinks and turns his head away from the light. He's lying on a table. Donna looks down at him coldly. DONNA Rise and shine. FALCONI Where the hell am I? DONNA Take a moment to come round, then we'll talk. FALCONI I'm ready to talk now. Falconi pushes himself up... gets dizzy and slumps back down. FALCONI Hell did you put into me? DONNA How much do you remember? FALCONI I remember you stabbing a needle into my thigh. Falconi pushes himself up, angry, but Donna just pushes him back down. He can't resist, he's too weak. DONNA Before that. Falconi thinks... memory comes back. It frightens him. DONNA Before you ask, it wasn't a dream. Donna steps back and Boris steps up in her place. Falconi recognizes him. BORIS There are some things we need to show you, Detective Falconi. INT. MORTUARY - NIGHT Boris nods to a white-coated ATTENDANT who opens a hatch and pulls out a drawer. South lies on the drawer, pale, eyes closed. Donna watches Falconi's reaction. Falconi stares at South, his face twisted by regret. DONNA Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done a thing to save him. FALCONI What the hell do you know? DONNA More than you do, so shut up and listen. You couldn't have saved him even if you'd been there. BORIS The pimp was clean, no needle marks, no drugs or alcohol in his bloodstream. Those bruises you saw on his body... they were not bruises. DONNA They were bite marks. Falconi has a "Say what?" moment. Donna shines a flashlight on South's neck. The flashlight emits blue light and shows a big bruise on the neck. BORIS They killed your partner after they tasted his blood. He had cancer. Did you know? Falconi, stunned, shakes his head. BORIS You, on the other hand... FALCONI Man, you're not making any sense. DONNA They liked your taste. They took a nibble and they liked your taste. Falconi absently touches his neck-- INT. PIMP'S APARTMENT - DAY (FLASHBACK) Insect BUZZING around Falconi. He slaps his neck. Muted children's laughter... BACK TO SCENE: Boris nods to the Attendant, who covers South and shoves him back into the drawer. DONNA Which explains why you're still alive... and why they came looking for you tonight. Donna takes Falconi's arm, pulls him toward the door. DONNA There's more. INT. SECURITY CELL WINDOW - NIGHT Donna, Boris and Falconi stand in front of a big picture window that looks into a security cell. Inside the cell, a BOY (7) sits calmly on a bench facing the window. He stares intently at Falconi. DONNA Let me show you what he's looking at. Donna gives Falconi a mirror and directs him to hold it up to his face. She shines her flashlight, the blue light reveals bright pink polka dots all over his face. FALCONI What the hell? He angles the mirror, turns his face left and right. Donna turns off the flashlight -- the dots vanish. She turns it on again -- the dots reappear. DONNA Reaction to the blood test. You're a marked man, a kosher food source. FALCONI Who's the kid? DONNA We captured him a couple of nights ago. FALCONI You captured him? DONNA That's what I said. FALCONI Give me a reason not to call child welfare and have you all thrown in jail. Donna nods to Boris, who hits a switch. Powerful blue light floods the cell. The "Boy" is transformed into a fanged MONSTER BOY with blazing yellow eyes. DONNA When we found him he was sucking blood from the neck of a 25-year- old woman he attacked in a parking lot. She died in the ambulance. The Monster Boy throws himself at the window. Falconi jumps back in surprise. Electricity CRACKLES and the Monster Boy is thrown back onto the bench, snarling. Boris hits the switch again, turning off the blue light. The Boy sits innocently on the bench, staring at Falconi. FALCONI You guys are kidding me, right? Donna and Boris exchange looks. BORIS Look around. There is no hidden camera, no canned laughter. Falconi shakes his head. FALCONI Come on. A kid with a rubber mask. Is that the best you can do? DONNA Oh, I think we can go one better. INT. ZOMBIE PIT - NIGHT A HATCH is wrenched open, revealing a concrete pit filled with A DOZEN MEN AND WOMEN, all ages. They mill around and knock into each other. They look up with dull expressions and unintelligent eyes. Falconi pulls back in horror. Donna doesn't even blink. FALCONI What's wrong with them? DONNA The vampires who sucked their blood brought them to the brink of death, but refused to let them die. FALCONI You're one crazy bitch, you know that? DONNA Look down there and tell me this is a big joke. Why don't you ask them if they're laughing? Donna drops the hatch and slides heavy bolts. DONNA They're walking dead. Or undead, if you prefer the technical term. Check for a pulse, you won't find any. Try to reason with them, they'll tear you apart. Undead only answer to one voice, the voice of the bloodsucker who turned them. FALCONI You're telling me that kid--? DONNA That sweet little boy is probably responsible for a couple of the poor bastards down there. It's time to wake up and smell the daisies, Detective Falconi. Your partner's dead because they didn't like the taste of his cancerous blood. They liked yours so much they marked you as convenience food. Falconi touches his face... Donna opens the door, jerks her head, come on. INT. OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT Donna, Falconi and Boris stare at a map of the city that covers one wall. Red, blue and purple markers are dotted across the map in roughly equal numbers, with dozens clustered near the center. BORIS Each marker represents an attack that took place within the last three days. DONNA Reds are feeding kills, like your pimp. Blues are rejection kills, like your partner, victims were not drained. The purples are-- FALCONI Undead? DONNA Catching on fast. Most were terminated. Some we captured, so we could examine them. Not much to examine. Like I said, they can't be reasoned with. They don't have minds any more. FALCONI Why three days? Donna and Boris exchange glances. Falconi doesn't notice, he's too busy looking at the map. BORIS It is only a snapshot of recent activity. This has been going on much longer than three days. DONNA If you have any questions, feel free to ask. FALCONI You guys are what, cops? BORIS A special team recruited from various security and military services. We have local contacts and can draw upon additional resources as needed. FALCONI You're in charge? BORIS My name is Boris Alexandrovich Kalashnikova. As my name suggests, I'm Russian. I am in charge of this team because of my experiences. FALCONI What experiences? BORIS Perhaps later. We do not have a lot of time to spare. FALCONI If you have local contacts then what do you need me for? BORIS The more people learn of us, the more risk there is of exposure. Panic would sweep the city. It would be impossible for us to operate. Besides which. Ordinary police, even SWAT units, are not prepared for what they may encounter. As we have discovered, to our cost. Donna looks away. Perhaps remembering the Rookie. FALCONI Why are you telling me this? BORIS I think you already know. Falconi figures it out. FALCONI I'm a cop, not a... whatever it is you guys are. BORIS Those responsible for killing your partner are still out there. Are you willing to let them go free, so they can kill others? Boris taps the map, indicating the center cluster. BORIS Or would you prefer to assist us in stopping this... this infestation? Falconi stares at the map, thinking about it. DONNA Don't count your chickens. First you have to pass the tests. Falconi gives her a look. Tests? INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT MAGGIE, a white lab coat with humorless eyes, faces Falconi across a table. They each have a laptop. Donna leans against the wall, arms folded, watching Falconi. Maggie's laptop says, "Assessment Test #1, hit any key to begin." Falconi's laptop says "Stand by." MAGGIE This is a logic test. The questions are multiple choice. For example, if the question is "What color is a banana?" and "yellow" is option number three, you would select three. FALCONI Why? MAGGIE Because a banana is yellow. FALCONI Got it. Can't you just ask me questions? You're sitting right there. DONNA Do computers frighten you? FALCONI Nothing frightens me. Except maybe Cagney and Lacey. DONNA Cagney and Lacey? FALCONI They actually issued those nutjob women with guns. That was scary. MAGGIE Are you ready, Detective Falconi? FALCONI No. Donna nods to Maggie who taps a key. Her laptop says, "Question 1." Falconi reads his laptop display and frowns. MAGGIE Just think about it for a moment, then choose your answer. FALCONI I am thinking about it. BEEP. Falconi's laptop says, "Timed out." FALCONI Hey... MAGGIE Each question has a time limit. FALCONI You should have told me. DONNA The first five don't count towards your overall score. They're just to get you in the mood. FALCONI "In the mood"? MAGGIE Please answer the next question. BEEP. Falconi's laptop says, "Timed out." FALCONI This is crazy. Donna peeks at Maggie's laptop. DONNA Okay, Question 3, you're looking at a triangle, a square, a pentagon and a circle. The question is, "Which is the odd one out?" FALCONI The triangle's blue, the square's green, the pentagon's yellow and the circle's red. You might as well ask me what's my favorite color. DONNA Three of them are made up of straight lines. One of them isn't. BEEP. Falconi's laptop says, "Timed out." FALCONI You have got to be kidding me. Donna signals to Maggie who taps a key. Her laptop says, "Pause test." DONNA Out of curiosity, Detective, what would your answer have been if it hadn't timed out? FALCONI The circle. DONNA Because it's not a straight line? FALCONI My favorite color's red. DONNA You're not taking this seriously. FALCONI It's been a tough day. DONNA It's not over yet. Donna opens the door, jerks her head, come on. Falconi follows her out. He smiles at Maggie on the way. Maggie doesn't smile back. INT. SHOOTING RANGE - NIGHT Donna and Falconi step up to a firing booth and put on earmuffs (noise reducers). Donna draws her gun and pulls back the slide. THE TARGET is a man-shape with rings painted over his heart. Donna snaps up her gun. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The bullets are so close together in the center of the inner ring that they form a single ragged hole. Donna steps back and gestures for Falconi to step up. She gives him the gun. He takes aim. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The target is same as before, only Donna's bullet holes are visible. No sign of Falconi's holes. Donna slips her earmuffs around her neck. Falconi does the same. DONNA You're going to tell me you fired through the same hole, aren't you? Falconi is genuinely puzzled. FALCONI Where else did you want me to put them? Donna moves to the booth next door. Falconi follows. THE NEW TARGET is virgin, untouched. DONNA Show me what you got. They put on their earmuffs. Falconi takes aim. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! He lowers the gun and looks at Donna. Donna stares at the new target, expressionless. Three holes dead center, blending together. INT. ELEVATOR CORRIDOR - NIGHT Elevator doors open, Donna exits and marches along the corridor. Falconi hurries to keep up with her. DONNA Okay, you're at the monkey end of the brains ladder but you're good with a gun which is probably more important. And, you're single and unattached, no living dependents. Falconi looks at her, bewildered. DONNA Those computers you're afraid of? They know everything about you. Three years in the Marine Corps, two and a half years on street patrol before you made detective. FALCONI I don't like being spied on. DONNA Last August your girlfriend ditched you for a lawyer with a nicer apartment and a bigger car. You dumped a plant pot on the lawyer's car, but he didn't press charges. FALCONI I knew I should have slashed his tires. DONNA They split up soon after. Did you know about that? FALCONI No. DONNA Sure you didn't. You sat outside her apartment all week, hoping she'd come back. Cops checked your plates. They thought you were on a stake-out and left you alone. FALCONI Is this how you get your kicks? Snooping into people's lives? Donna stops at a door and opens it. DONNA Like I said. Single and unattached. No living dependents. And you can shoot a gun. That's all I care about. End of excerpt.

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