Descent of the DeadA Screenplay by Mathew Nicolson Two explorers return to Earth, a dead planet, via an abandoned space elevator. What will they find? 1 EXT. SPACE ELEVATOR - DAY
FX: Space elevator rises above the clouds.
Shot shows a section of cable half way up the elevator, just
high enough for the curvature of the Earth’s horizon to be
visible in the background but still within the atmosphere,
bathed in sunlight.
The shot rises, swiftly, following the elevator
upwards. The atmosphere becomes darker as it rises until
stars appear in the background.
Rising slows, and a ball of rock is reached, expanding
offscreen.
HIGH ANGLE SHOT OF EARTH, ELEVATOR AND COUNTERWEIGHT ROCK.
CUT TO:
2 INT. SPACE SHUTTLE. - NIGHT
Two astronauts - KRISTA; 45, the leader, authoritative but
not humourless, German - and DOMINIC; 39, intelligent and a
dreamer, British - operate controls as the window shows
descent towards the rock counterweight. Mechanical signals
whir and beep.
KRISTA
Velocity at 110 metres per second
and falling.
DOMINIC
Good.
He flicks a pair of switches.
KRISTA
Touchdown in roughly five minutes.
CUT TO:
3 EXT. SHUTTLE. - NIGHT
FX: It speeds down towards the rock.
CUT TO:
4 EXT. SHUTTLE - ROCK SURFACE - NIGHT
The shuttle has smoothly landed on the rock. The surface is
silent and cold.
A door opens and two figures in protective body suits,
carrying massive backpacks, emerge.
They look around at the atmosphere. Above them the moon is
twice it’s size than viewed from Earth.
DOMINIC
Hasn’t changed a bit.
KRISTA
Come on.
They walk over the surface.
CUT TO:
5 INT. HATCHWAY - NIGHT
A metal door opens and the two astronauts clamber through,
half floating during long strides.
KRISTA grabs a torch attached to her suit and shines into
the corridor.
DOMINIC shuts the hatch door, as DOMINIC removes his helmet.
KRISTA
What are you doing?
Dominic takes a deep breath.
DOMINIC
See, told you air conditioning
would be fine. No structural
damage to the solar panels. We
probably could have entered through
the Docking Port after all.
KRISTA
(cautiously removing helmet)
Not worth the risk.
DOMINIC
Of course - too many
risk-assessment forms?
She gives him a look which isn’t entirely dirty.
KRISTA
You’re right, though. The air’s
fine.
DOMINIC
It’s fresher than at home!
KRISTA
Don’t call it that.
DOMINIC
What?
KRISTA
Home. That’s where we’re going
now.
Krista heads down the corridor and enters a pin into a pad
by the door.
The door slides open.
KRISTA
Excellent! The electrics function
perfectly.
DOMINIC
(sarcastically)
That’s such a relief. I was
getting worried they’d been gnawed
through by spacerodents for a
moment, or eroded by wind.
A dirtier look.
KRISTA
Come on.
They exit through the door.
CUT TO:
6 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - NIGHT.
The explorers enter.
The room is hidden by darkness, but KRISTA’s torch reveals a
wooden staircase leading to a landing which contains many
doors.
Around them are seats and tables. Televisions grace the
walls.
DOMINIC
(walking forward)
Hardly luxurious, but what can you
expect from second cl-
His foot crunches upon something.
He looked down-
His foot’s embedded within a human skull-
Dominic stumbles backwards.
KRISTA
(shining torch around room)
There’s more.
A mangled body at the bottom of the stairs-
Torch darts to the side-
A body with the head several feet away.
DOMINIC
This one’s decapitated...
He walks over and picks up a blood-stained kitchen knife.
Krista heads to a door.
CUT TO:
7 INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
KRISTA enters and pauses over the controls. She places her
hand over her chin in thought.
After a moment, she tries pressing some switches.
Lights activate.
She then pulls a large lever.
CUT TO:
8 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - NIGHT
Lights switch on around DOMINIC, still examining corpses.
KRISTA enters.
KRISTA
Cause of death?
DOMINIC
If I didn’t know better, I’d say we
were on the scene of a medieval
battle. Hacked to death, beaten,
decapitated by a knife...
Krista walks over to a door and, using the manual handle,
pulls it aside.
CUT TO:
9 INT. SUPPLIES UNIT - NIGHT.
KRISTA enters.
To her left there is a series of fuel containers stretching
back through the room. A semi-circle gauge is built into
the wall by the door, with the arrow turned mostly to the
’full’ end.
KRISTA
(shouting through)
There’s enough fuel for the
descent!
She turns to a series of metal cabinets, opens them and
looks through into the pantry.
KRISTA
(frowning)
I’d have expected more food...
CUT TO:
10 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - NIGHT.
DOMINIC
(rhetorically)
What happened here... ?
HIGH ANGLE SHOT, FUZZY, A TIMER AT TOP RIGHT. POV OF A
SECURITY CAMERA. DOMINIC LOOKS UP.
OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT FROM DOMINIC’S POV OF SECURITY
CAMERA.
CUT TO:
11 INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
KRISTA and DOMINIC are sat in front of a computer screen.
It’s failing.
KRISTA
(hammering the machine)
No!
Static.
KRISTA
Memory’s corrupt.
DOMINIC
Hold on, what’s this?
He moves to put his hand onto the touchpad, accidentally
falling onto Krista’s. They exchange an awkward glance and
she moves hers off.
DOMINIC
I think we still have the audio.
He taps a button.
MALE VOICE
(V/O)
Initiate log, 22nd December, 2074.
Coughing.
MALE VOICE
(V/O)
Flu still doing the rounds, but
nothing serious. Dr Franklin
disembarked at terminal 1.
Pause.
MALE VOICE
(V/O)
A slight oddity. We picked up an
unknown wavelength at 1820
hours. Probably just a stray
transmission, but we’ve tuned the
receivers just in case. End log.
Static.
DOMINIC
So there’s a mysterious
transmission on the same day we
lose contact with Earth. Complete
coincidence, right?
KRISTA
Could have been an encrypted plea
for help. Or a warning to stay
away.
She taps an icon on a touchscreen on the console.
KRISTA
There’s another.
FEMALE VOICE
(V/O)
Emergency; assistance heavily
required! Help us, we-
The sound of metal diving into flesh can be hear.
Screaming-
Deep breathing-
Silence.
KRISTA
(recovering composure)
The sooner we reach the surface,
the sooner we can discover what
happened. Help me get the elevator
running.
Dominic turns to the controls and they work on activating
the elevator.
FADE TO:
12 EXT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Coils begin to slide, and the elevator exits the
counterweight rock through a metal channel carved into the
underside.
Camera pans down to reveal the coil stretching to Earth, the
elevator traveling down.
CUT TO:
13 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
DOMINIC and KRISTA lie in bunks on opposite ends of a
room. They are wearing plain clothes, their protective
suits lying in the corner.
Stars jiggle in the reinforced glass window from the
elevator’s movement and a humming background noise is
present.
DOMINIC
I’m lying in a dead man’s bed.
KRISTA
(unfazed, reading a notebook)
We changed the sheets.
Dominic gets up and stands by the window.
CUT TO:
14 EXT. SPACE ELEVATOR - NIGHT
HIGH ANGLE SHOT OF THE EARTH, CLOSELY ZOOMED IN.
The planet is covered by a cloud of grey.
CUT TO:
15 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
DOMINIC
What do you think happened? On
Earth?
KRISTA
There’s insufficient evidence to
make a balanced-
DOMINIC
Yes, yes, I know. I asked what do
you think?
KRISTA
Well, we know it caused an ash
cloud. Either communications from
Earth are being blocked, or...
Well, it’s not a supervolcano -
we’d have had warning. Same goes
for a meteorite.
DOMINIC
Nuclear war?
KRISTA
(sighing)
Stop it, Dominic. We’ve been
through this enough back h- back on
Moonbase. There’s never a
plausible answer!
She turns over in her bed.
KRISTA
I’m going to sleep.
Dominic also sighs and continue to look out the window, deep
in thought.
CUT TO:
16 INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT.
Flashing-
A red LED pulses.
Screen reads, "Unknown signal detected."
FADE TO:
17 EXT. ELEVATOR - DAY.
FX: The elevator continues to descend. It is within the
atmosphere, falling through rays of sunlight.
CUT TO:
18 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - DAY
Caption reads: "Day 6 of Descent."
KRISTA is sitting on couches, reading books from the
elevator library.
The corpses have been cleared away.
DOMINIC is in a kitchen area, placing dishes into a metal
dispenser. Various containers and bottles lacking labels
are scattered around the worktop.
Light is streaming through a window.
From a large speaker system installed into the wall,
Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C major plays.
Dominic stumbles.
KRISTA
Steady. The Earth’s gravity takes
getting used to.
DOMINIC
(climbing to his feet)
You seem fine.
KRISTA
Years of ballet, my dear.
DOMINIC
Hm. I’ll take the stumbling.
Clang!
The pair freeze. They look up.
LOW ANGLE LONG SHOT OF TRAP-DOOR IN CEILING.
They hear the sound of scarpering feet.
DOMINIC
What was that?
KRISTA
Sounded like... A person.
They exchange a glance.
Dominic runs through into a utility room and grabs a
pole. He uses it to push the trapdoor open and a ladder
descends.
DOMINIC
Hold the ladder.
Krista holds it as he climbs up.
CUT TO:
19 INT. CARGO UNIT - DAY.
The room is dark; no natural light is present. Only
DOMINIC’s footsteps can be heard.
Stumbling-
DOMINIC
Hello?
Silence.
Then more footsteps.
DOMINIC
Who are you?
A flash of light-
An arm in ragged cloth is holding a lantern, flame
flickering within. Light shows a man with a lined face and
a layer of stubble staring at Dominic.
Dominic falls back-
DOMINIC
Don’t-
MAN
Don’t hurt me!
Dominic pauses.
MAN
Please.
DOMINIC
(giving defensive gesture with
hands)
I won’t hurt you!
MAN
Who are you?
DOMINIC
My name is Dominic. My partner
downstairs is called Krista. We’re
from Moonbase 7, and we’re taking
the elevator down to Earth.
MAN
To Earth? Why?
DOMINIC
We want to find out why everything
suddenly went silent. Though, you
might know a thing or two about
that yourself. Have you been on
this elevator for all these years?
MAN
(hesitantly)
Yes.
DOMINIC
That explains the missing
food. So. What happened? The
bodies, they...
Man shakes his head and withdraws into the dark.
KRISTA
(offscreen)
Dominic? Any problems?
DOMINIC
(shouting down)
No!
He takes a step forward into the dark.
DOMINIC
It’s okay. I know you want to
forget. Hell, I feel like that
most days. Cooped up in an
artificial world drives you rather
cuckoo after a while, I know. You
begin to wonder whether it would be
best to just die, right?
The man slowly nods.
CUT TO:
20 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - DAY.
KRISTA stares up at the hatch, concerned. Behind her, in
the background, is the propped-open doorway leading into the
Bridge. A console begins to flash red.
Krista turns.
CUT TO:
21 INT. STORAGE FACILITY - DAY.
DOMINIC
Are you on your own, here?
No response.
DOMINIC
How did you survive?
MAN
(in a harsher voice than
before)
Get out.
DOMINIC
(taken aback)
Sorry?
MAN
You’re trespassing in my home.
DOMINIC
Oh, I-
Man steps forward-
Dominic shuffles back-
MAN
You trespass in my home, steal
limited supplies and you have the
nerve to ask me questions?
He steps into the light. His expression is not that of a
sane person.
MAN
Your presumptuous ingratitude,
that’s what makes my blood really
boil.
DOMINIC
No, no, it’s not-
MAN
I’ll kill you!
He grabs a metal case and swings it at Dominic, who swiftly
ducks and runs back to the trapdoor, which he rushes down.
The man turns and grabs a gun sitting on a cabinet...
CUT TO:
22 INT. BRIDGE - DAY
KRISTA is staring at the screen, which reads "Unknown Signal
Detected."
DOMINIC
(V.O)
Krista!
CUT TO:
23 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - DAY.
KRISTA runs through and sees DOMINIC at the bottom of the
ladder.
DOMINIC
Krista! There’s a man, up there,
and he’s - he’s deranged! He-
The man fires the gun from the hatch.
KRISTA
Run!
They both run through a door.
CUT TO:
24 INT. CORRIDOR - DAY.
They run down the corridor followed by the man firing
gunshots almost randomly. He clearly has little experience
of using it.
The shot follows them as they run through the corridor.
It takes them back to an entrance at the other end of the
Passenger Suite.
DOMINIC
There’s nowhere to go!
They run through the door.
More gunshots-
CUT TO:
25 INT. PASSENGER SUITE - DAY.
DOMINIC and KRISTA run in and to a door the other end of the
room.
The MAN crashes through the door, and holds up his gun to
them.
Dominic is tugging at the door, but it won’t open.
DOMINIC
It won’t open!
Krista pushes him out of the way and places her hand on the
handle-
Gun click-
Nothing happens.
The man clicks the gun several times but no bullets
fired. He is out of ammunition.
DOMINIC
Why are you doing this?
The man is shaking with rage, spluttering incomprehensible
words.
KRISTA
You’re right. He’s deranged.
He begins running towards them-
Krista tears open the door and they run through.
CUT TO:
26 INT. SUPPLIES UNIT - DAY.
KRISTA and DOMINIC split up, running through the labyrinth
of fuel tanks and pipes.
The MAN follows, shouting, spitting. Completely insane.
He looks around; they are out of sight.
MAN
(muttering manically)
Drive-them-out! Drive-them-our!
He hobbles over to a wall full of switches and begins moving
them randomly.
MAN
Intruders - out - blast - gone!
Krista watches, hiding behind a fuel tank.
A gauge, reading "pressure gauge", is rising into an area
covered by red...
Krista runs through the fuel tanks to find Dominic. They
run into each other.
DOMINIC
(whispering)
Where is he?
KRISTA
(also whispering)
Doesn’t matter. He’s increasing
the pressure of the tanks. There’s
going to be a collosal explosion if
we don’t stop him.
DOMINIC
If we both rush him-
The room shakes as a hole is burst in a tank in the corner,
which begins blazing away. They fall off their feet.
Dominic climbs upright and helps Krista up.
KRISTA
It’s too late! We need to get out!
They look around frantically. Another explosion.
DOMINIC
The food pantry. Can we get past
without him noticing?
The man is still hammering like a madman at the dials.
KRISTA
I think so. Come on-
She grabs his hand and they run past. They open the doorway
together and climb in, shutting it swiftly behind.
The man doesn’t notice.
CUT TO:
27 INT. PANTRY - DAY.
They’re in complete darkness.
DOMINIC
Krista?
KRISTA
Yeah?
DOMINIC
If we die-
KRISTA
We won’t die.
DOMINIC
(stammering)
Krista. If we do... I. Well. Do
you know why I volunteered for this
mission?
KRISTA
Does it matter?
DOMINIC
I was worried about you. 20%
success prediction, Commander
Ulyanov said. I couldn’t let you
go off and die and we’d never know
what happened to you. I
volunteered so I could protect you,
because... Because I love you.
The room is too dark to see Krista’s reaction.
DOMINIC
Rotten job I’ve done of it, too.
KRISTA
Dominic-
She’s interrupted by a massive explosion-
A door to their right is blown open by flames-
The entire room shakes and seems to spin-
-Until it stops.
Light shines in. They are huddled together.
After several long moments, they release each other and
climb to their feet.
DOMINIC
We survived!
He laughs with joy.
Krista kicks open the door which falls easily off its
hinges. It falls backwards-
Krista steps forward-
The door continues falling, out, and down, far down. The
Supplies Unit’s floor has gone. The entire room has been
blown apart. Below them is the ever-stretching elevator and
the ash cloud layer.
Dominic grabs Krista to stop her falling and pulls her
back. They both stare down, taking it in. She looks up at
him.
KRISTA
You’re redeeming yourself.
CUT TO:
28 EXT. SPACE ELEVATOR.
FX: Camera pans out from Dominic and Krista peering out of
the pantry to show the elevator with the blown-out Supplies
Unit.
There is no way for them to escape the pantry.
CUT TO:
29 INT. PANTRY.
DOMINIC
How damaged do you think the
elevator is?
KRISTA
We haven’t gone into freefall, so
it may have only sustained minimal
damages.
DOMINIC
We’re stuck here.
KRISTA
The air’s breathable. We’ll reach
the bottom soon.
Silence.
KRISTA
Why did he do that? You were
observing him.
DOMINIC
He was fine. Well, scared. But
not aggressive at all. I’m
guessing they don’t provide anger
management on the elevator!
Krista laughs, and takes his hand again.
KRISTA
I’m glad you volunteered.
He smiles back at her.
CUT TO:
30 INT. BRIDGE - DAY.
The red LED begins flashing again, at a greater frequency.
CUT TO:
31 INT. PANTRY - DAY.
DOMINIC throws KRISTA against the wall.
KRISTA
Dominic!
DOMINIC
Why the Hell did you suggest the
pantry, eh? We’re stuck
here! It’s your doing!
KRISTA
What? I saved our lives!
DOMINIC
We could have rushed him and
prevented the explosion! You
IDIOT!
He advances towards her menacingly, drunk-like.
DOMINIC
You’re a threat to the
mission! Damn waste of space!
He begins to roar and scream at her, becoming more animal
than man.
He grabs a shard of crusted metal blown off from the door,
and swings it at her-
Hacking-
Screaming-
Blood-
Krista swings up her leg and kicks Dominic away from her-
He tumbles and falls backwards-
Dominic falls flailing off the elevator. Krista clambers up
and watches him fall down, through the ash cloud, into
oblivion.
She collapses back against the ground, blood oozing out from
gashes across her body.
KRISTA
(feebly)
Dominic... ?
CUT TO:
32 EXT. ELEVATOR - DAY.
High Angle FX Shot: Camera pans up from KRISTA’S dying body,
up from the elevator as it descends to The Earth.
CUT TO:
33 INT. PANTRY - DAY.
KRISTA’S eyes close.
FADE TO:
34 BLACK.
FADE TO:
35 INT. PANTRY - NIGHT.
KRISTA is lit by a malevolent red glow which blends together
with the pool of blood she lies in.
She opens her eyes, so weak.
Out, beyond the elevator, is Earth.
FX: Metal, pyrimidal spires reach into the sky, connected to
one another by a frenzy of wires and pipes. Smoke is
emitted from every source possible in these buildings. In
the ground are carved deep furnaces in which molten magma
flows and gargantuan fires burn.
Krista’s eyes glaze in disbelief.
From building to building, from out of the pits and towards
Krista, march an army of quadrupedal creatures glad in blue
armour in a two-by-two formation.
They march up to the elevator and space out, surrounding it.
Krista stares out in terror as they speak in a trill of
clicks and squeaks.
Her heart gives way and she dies in the presence of Earth’s
new masters.
CUT TO:
36 END CREDITS.© 2013 Mathew Nicolson |
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Added on July 21, 2013 Last Updated on July 21, 2013 Tags: explorers, space elevator, science fiction, Moon, apocalypse, space Author
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