146. Post Apocalypse Blues - Leslie

• FADE IN:


• EXT. COUNTRY HIGHWAY - DAY


• SAM walks slowly, pushing a shopping cart down a desolate country highway.


• The highway is littered with destroyed cars; smoke from distant cities rises beyond the line of dead trees.


• Everything is covered with a layer of thin ash.


• The pavement is torn up in chunks, which she is careful to avoid as she pushes what is left of her life towards the emptiness ahead.


• Clothes are neatly stacked at the bottom of the cart, and a few paper bags packed with food cans rest towards the back.


• A dirty teddy bear rests at the front, and other odds and ends of a different life poke through the cart's metal sides.


• Next to the teddy bear is what was once a beautiful prom dress, neatly folded, waiting.


• She hears a rustling in the bushes and pulls a long knife from her side, adrenaline melting her fatigue away.


• TAD, A young man, breaks through the dead brush on the side of the road.


• He carries a large travel pack on his back.


• He walks slowly towards her with his arms raised.


• TAD
• I'm safe.


• SAM
• There's no way you can prove that.


• TAD
• But you could use a travel partner.


• SAM
• And you could use my food.


• TAD
• And you could use someone watching your back. How many times have you been raped?


• SAM
• You watch your words.


• TAD
• I'm just saying. I've been robbed more times than I can count and I'm not looking for it to happen again, but it probably will, without you.


• SAM
• And what's so special about me?


• TAD
• You haven't given up yet, I can still see fight in your eyes. Besides, you're traveling on the highways, which means you're either crazy or ready for anything, or both. And neither are a bad thing to be.


• SAM
• Why do I need you?


• TAD
• My winning smile? Ok, guess not. How about this?


• He slowly takes the backpack off and unzips it carefully.


• He looks up for affirmation ands she nods, hand tightening around the blade.


• He pulls out a large gas container.


• Her eyes widen.


• TAD
• It's enough to get us to the camp at Cedar Falls. I don't know if they'll let us in, but it's better than the roads.


• Sam beckons to him.


• SAM
• Alright, and where do you plan to put that gas?


• Tad clambers onto the highway.


• TAD
• There's a station wagon tucked away about a mile from here, by Exit 42.


• SAM
• Let's go.


• She points with her knife.


• He walks slightly ahead of her, and she watches him.


• He turns.


• TAD
• Thanks.


• They walk together, Sam relaxing slightly as they travel.


• They reach the car and Sam points to it with her knife.


• SAM
• Go ahead.


• TAD
• Guinea pig?


• SAM
• You're the one with the tip, check it out.


• Tad walks gingerly towards the car, checking for traps.


• He sinks to his knees feeling the ground around the tires.


• He nods to her and Sam approaches carefully.


• He gases up the car and she loads the contents of her cart into the back seat.


• Her back turned, she finishes loading the car.


• Tad slips a small knife from around his leg and presses it into Sam's side.


• She gasps.


• TAD
• You really shouldn't be walking the highways alone.


• Sam closes her eyes.


• TAD
• Alright, real slow, drop the knife and walk down the road that way, leave the cart.


• Sam lets go of the knife and it drops.


• She catches it mid air and pivots, slamming the blade into the center of Tad's ribcage.


• He chokes grabbing at his chest.


• She kicks him to the ground.


• Sam looks at the blade, considering, then wipes it off on the dead grass.


• SAM
• You might survive that. If you do, maybe you'll learn something. If you don't, well, one less scumbag in the gene pool, limited as it is these days.


• Sam pulls the pack off of him and tosses it in the back of the car.


• She moves quickly, hot-wiring the car and driving it onto the road.


• Stopping, she turns and looks back at Tad.


• She pulls a can of pears from the back seat and tosses it next to him.


• SAM
• If you live. You just tried to rob me, that's something.


• She hops into the driver's seat and the car whizzes off down the road, towards the burning cities in the distance.


• FADE TO BLACK.