Screenplay

INT. KITCHEN. DAY ANNE (45), mousy housewife, listens absentmindedly to the radio as she prepares sandwiches on the counter. ANNOUNCER (V.O.) (on radio) Another lovely winters day in Sydney. But remember, were in the middle of flu season, so make sure you keep rugged up. Anne glances at the ceiling. ANNE (loudly) Rob. Time to get up. Youll be late for your job interview. She listens for a response but cant hear anything. She wraps the sandwiches, turns and walks out of the kitchen and up the stairs. She strides towards a bedroom and bangs forcefully on the door. ANNE Rob. Get up. She hears a grunt in reply, opens the door and walks into the bedroom. She notices ROB (22), her moody son, under the covers on the bed. ANNE Come on Rob. Rob grunts again. Anne approaches the bed and pulls back the covers. Rob lies stationary with his face pressed into the pillow. ANNE Were not doing this again. She grabs Robs arm, who moans again, and rolls him over. She reveals Robs pale, corpse-like face and screams. Rob is a Zombie. CUT TO:

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INT. DOCTORS WAITING ROOM. DAY Anne and Rob sit patiently in a quiet doctors waiting room. Rob wears a mouth guard, a dog leash, and oven mitts. A DOCTOR (50) emerges from his office and reads off his clipboard. DOCTOR (looking around) Rob. Rob Watson. Anne stands up, grabs the leash and pulls Rob to his feet. DOCTOR (noticing Rob) Oh God. INT. DOCTORS OFFICE. DAY Doctor Jones sits behind his desk and stares in thinly-veiled horror at Rob, who sits next to his mother. DOCTOR (consulting clipboard) Any allergies youre aware of? ANNE No. DOCTOR Is he on any medication? ANNE Not at the moment. DOCTOR Any unusual symptoms? Hes not aggressive, violent... ANNE Hes been quite docile. Not like the scary ones you see in the movies. DOCTOR Honestly, Im at a loss. I cant find any similar cases, no outbreak, nothing. All I can do is maybe prescribe some antibiotics hope it all clears up. Maybe some painkillers... Is he in pain? Hard to tell. Rob. Are you in pain? (CONTINUED)

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Rob moans. DOCTOR (CONT) Is that yes, you are in pain, or no, youre not in pain? Rob moans again. DOCTOR (CONT) Ill give him a script anyway. Just in case. Well do some blood work, try to find a cure, but thatll take months at the very least. He writes out a prescription. INT. KITCHEN. DAY. Anne sits at the table with a mug of tea and reads a book entitled The Zombie Survival Guide. Rob sits on a nearby couch, mouth guard still on, and dog leash tied to a small table. ANNE Theres nothing in here about living with a... z-word. Rob looks at her mournfully. ANNE Whats wrong dear? Are you hungry? Rob moans. ANNE (CONT) Is that a yes? We really need a system. How about one grunt for yes and two for no. Is that OK? Rob grunts once. ANNE OK. Good. So you are hungry? Rob grunts once. ANNE Ill see what we have. She looks through the fridge.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: ANNE (CONT) Is leftover lasagna OK?

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Rob grunts once. Anne puts the lasagna in the microwave, heats it up and brings it over to Rob. She places it on the small table and carefully tries to remove Robs mouth guard. ANNE Hold still. She pulls out the mouth guard and Rob suddenly lunges to bite her hand. She pulls it away just in time. ANNE Rob! No. Thats not allowed. She takes a forkful of lasagna and hand-feeds it to Rob. He chews on it for a second then spits it out, groaning. ANNE (firmly) You heard what the doctor said. You wont be back to normal for a long time. Maybe ever. Weve got to make this work. Rob looks back at her dolefully. She sighs in sympathy. ANNE I know its tough, but well get through it. Look, Ill call bythe butchers, get you some raw steak. Maybe thatll be more appetising. Rob groans in appreciation. INT. LIVING ROOM. NIGHT. Rob, leash removed, sits and watches TV. A plate of half-devoured steak sits on the table next to him. Anne walks into the room and sits next to him, careful to keep her distance. ANNE Rob. Ive been thinking about it and I think its best if you try and live as normally as you can. I spoke to Mr Benson at the store, he said hes happy to reschedule your interview, and that hell probably have some delivery work for you. Rob moans in acceptance. (CONTINUED)

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ANNE (CONT) I also spoke to the doctor and he said theyd run some tests, but not to get your hopes up. He agreed red meat was a good idea, and you seemed to like that, didnt you? Rob grunts once. ANNE (CONT) I think you make the effort to see your friends. Its no good for you moping around all day. He moans reluctantly. ANNE (CONT) Im going to bed. Let me know if you need anything. She kisses him gently on the forehead and leaves. Rob sits in silence, watching the TV. TV ANNOUNCER (O.S.) Ever felt you were surrounded by zombies. Coming up next - its Shaun of the Dead. Rob groans in bemusement.