int. living room, day
BEN lifts up the window blinds, looking outside.
Ben
(muttered)
It's a bad day for frozen food.
MOTHER walks out of the kitchen, reusable shopping bags in hand.
MOTHER
What, sweetie?
Ben turns to her, eyes flashing.
BEN
Look outside, mother. It's not a good day for frozen foods.
Mother walks over to where he is holding the blinds open with one hand, looks out, shrieks, and drops her bag.
MOTHER
What is that?
Ben joins her, peering intently.
BEN
I think it's the apocalypse.
cut TO:
Outside House, day
Outside the house, the sky is red. Red like the sauce from a can of Chef Bayardee ravioli, splattered with ravioli like explosions. It's raining, but steam is coming off of where it hits the pavement. Coming over the horizon, towards the house at the end of the culdesac are shambling forms, clad in what once might have been tasteful twinsets. Beyond them, dragging at their heels, are soccer uniformed small childlike things that are no longer innocent. Burnt out minivans are everywehre, turned over like someon was trying to use them for cover.
INT. LIVING ROOM, DAY
The mother shrieks as the forms start coming over the horizon. Ben's eyes get very wide. He pulls back from the window and slowly starts moving towards the door.
MOTHER
NOOOOOOO.
She runs over to grab him. When she pulls him towards her, the fires are still burning in his very solemn eyes.
BEN
Mother. Why are you screaming.
Mother is still screaming. Then, she is joined by a second set of screaming from another part of the house. Mother lets go of Ben like he's hot. Which he might be.
BEN
That's Sam screaming too. I wonder if he is okay.
Mother stops screaming. The screaming in the other part of the house stops. She looks at Ben.
MOTHER
What did you just say?
BEN
(Deadpan)
Sam is screaming. Sam was screaming. Did you not hear Sam?
Mother lets go of Ben and backs slowly towards the living room table. When she gets there, she kneels, feeling under it. There are electronic beeps, and from under the table, she pulls out a shotgun. She stands up slowly, not turning her back on Ben, she backs up three more steps, to the china cabinent. More beeps, and a box of ammo goes into her coat pocket after she loads the shotgun. Back to the china cabinent, she studies the child that she thought was her son. The fires in his eyes have faded.
MOTHER
Ben?
BEN
Yes?
MOTHER
Are you there?
BEN
I have always been here.
Shot gun broken over her arm, she edges forward. The fires are no longer burning. She grabs the child by the arm, and pushes him in front of her.
MOTHER
Bring your brother down here.
She watches Ben go up the stairs. Once he's turned the corner, she loads the shotgun and puts the strap over her shoulder so she has both hands free to move the couch in front of the door. She grunts as she drags the couch, and two boys appear on the stairs. SAM is smaller than Ben. Their eyes burn with identical fire.
MOTHER
Hello sons.
BOYS
Hello mother.
They come down the stairs in unison. Mother watches them, one eye on the slit in the curtains, where she can see shambling figures still comign twowards the house.
MOTHER
Go to the kitchen, boys.
The boys start quietly towards the kitchen, then there is a noise outside. Sam starts to spin like the tasmanian devil, a whirlwind as he goes towards the kitchen. Mother hands Ben the shotbgun.
MOTHER
Don't let them in.
Ben nods even more seriously as he takes the shotgun and turns to the door. Mother heads to the kitchen with purposeful steps, stopping at the lintel to pick up a large automatic rifle and 3 clips. Ben's eyes go wide at the sight of such a beautiful gun.
int. kitchen, Day
Mother walks into the kitchen, expecting chaos. The room is glowing red from the sky outside, but Sam is calm, standing on one leg in the middle of the room, eating chips and hummus, the bag of chips held securely under one arm. he takes no notice of the large and beautiful automatic weapon his mother is holding, nor of the fact that she is currently struggling to push a heavy kitchen table against the door. He turns slightly on one leg as he watches her move the table. In the back of the house, there are no zombies. Yet.
Mother finishes moving the table and looks around. There are big windows, just like the rest of the house. There are no other doors that she needs to block off. She look at Sam pointedly.
MOTHER
Why were you screaming, Sam.
Sam stops chewing, crumbs falling from his mouth.
SAM
You were screaming.
MOTHER
Is that the only reason why?
Sam shakes his head, nearly dropping the chip bag.
MOTHER
Why else were you screaming?
SAM
Someone spilled ravioli all over the sky. It's all messy now.
Mother sighs with relief. His eyes no longer have the flames either.
There's a loud banging on the back door. Both of them jump, and the ceramic bowl of hummus crashes to the ground, spilling hummus everywhere. Sam starts to scream. Mother looks out the window, and about passes out. There is DADDY-O, waving at them to come outside. A vehicle is right there, ready.
MOTHER
BEN!
Ben comes running, shotgun held at the ready. She holds out her hand.
MOTHER
Let's go.
She and Ben pull the table away from the door. Gun slung over her shoulder, she picks up the screaming Sam, and they run to what they thought was the minivan, but is, in reality, an armored tour bus. Daddy-O has been getting ready. They get on the bus and start driving away.
And we fade out on episode 1.
