Nigeria

By
Katie Rose Gunia

EXT. MEDICAL CAMP-LATE NIGHT

A medical camp stationed right off the coast of Lagos,

Nigeria studies recent outbreaks of Meningococcal, a
respiratory disease that can cause extreme brain damage.
Field workers work alongside doctors to study the fast
spread sickness that plagues young babies and adults.
Two of the leaders at the camp, one a doctor the other a
field worker live together in a temporary hut close to the
beach. Struggling lots with their studies, their
relationship has grown complicated. Late at night the woman
becomes overwhelmed and storms out of the front door, after
a long pause of silence with her boyfriend.
DAMON
Babe! What are you doing? Youre
making a huge deal out of nothing.
GENEVIEVE
You know what? Youre right, This
is nothing, five months in this
hell hole has not been paradise,
but youre making it harder on me
than easier.
DAMON
Ive been distant. Not
intentionally, it just happens.
Genevieve, having to watch people
die every day and not being able to
do anything about it kills me. You
wouldnt understand.
GENEVIEVE
Well if you gave me a chance to.
Maybe you need a break. A break
from work, and me.
There was a short pause of silence, and a devastated look on
Damons face. They were both confused with the situation.
He stood up and faced her.
DAMON
No, I dont need that.
Standing outside, the waves and moonlit beach have a
romantic scene, the two get over their conflict and quickly
make up. Damon takes two steps towards his girlfriend and
grabs her waist, she looks at him with a tired smile.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.
DAMON
I need you.

He kisses her. Both of them exhausted, and in love.

2

EXT. VILLAGE (CLOSE TO MEDICS HOUSING)-EARLY MORNING

Small child, where Genevieve takes care of the villages

kids, starts having seizures and foaming at the mouth,
showing signs of the disease. The doctor (Damon) was
notified and fled to the scene.
Damon arrives to the scene and anxiously runs to the small
leaf covered hut where the kid lives.
MOTHER
Help him, please!. His breathing is
slow. Dont you let my baby leave
me.
She spoke with a thick African accent.
DAMON
Ill do all I can Maam, show him
to me.
The Mother looked at him with desperate eyes and quickly
opened the crooked door to their home.
Inside were voodoo dolls that hung over the skinny black
child in the corner. Many of the residents here practiced
Voodoo as a way to heal and warn off spirits.
Damon walked to the bedside and turned the bony face of the
kid towards him, checking his pulse he saw sores down the
side of his face and spit on his lips. He opened his eyes
and looked tirelessly at Damon, at first this startled him.
DAMON
Your a strong man, stay awake for
your mom.
MOTHER
O baba! ("oh baby" in Afrikaans)
Damon stands up and walk back to the Mother that was waiting
close behind him .
DAMON
Hes not healthy. Go be with him
for the time being, I will have a
friend come and retrieve the body
at night.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

The mother let out a sad whimper and slid to her knees.
Leaning over the childs bed, she kisses her babys
forehead. The doctor let himself out.
The diseased kid was just another of the many that had died
earlier that week. This was becoming normal to Damon, no
longer surprising or mourned by him.
3

EXT. PLAYGROUND OUTSIDE THE ORPHANAGE-EARLY MORNING

On a bench made out of a carved log Genevieve is sitting

with a chubby Nigerian baby on her lap, he is about 8 months
and is is a jubilant little guy. She watches the larger
kids kicking a soccer ball made out of banana leaves in the
grassy field. The thought of how none of them have families
of their own makes her sad, however finds peace in the fact
that she is here.
The orphanage is small, compared to all the kids its
supports, the numbers are high and keep growing. even though
its just a crowded bunk-bed filled house, with no running
water, its her favorite place to be.
One of the children kicks the ball to her purposely. They
all stand there with large smiles on their face.
ORPHAN CHILD
Come, we need a grown up.
They all start giggling and wait for her response.
GENEVIEVE
Boy you better watch yourself I was
quite the player in school!
With the baby in her lap she
kick. Noticing a sore on the
grin.
Shooting it towards
and continue without her. To
disease, being as contagious
reached the child
4

holds him and stands up to

boys face her lips looses their
the goal they chase the ball
herself she thinks of the
as it is prays that it hasnt

INT. DAMONS AND GENEVIEVES HOUSE-EVENING

The two share dinner after a frustrating day at work.

Genevieve prepared it for him because she knew how stressing
his day was. The two seemed to have calmed down from
yesterdays argument, they peacefully eat.
GENEVIEVE
How was the kid? I have this
cringing feeling that its just the
start of something bad.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

Implying that she thought there would be more cases of sick

children she gave him a deep look and took a large bite of
food.
DAMON
Thats not for you to worry about,
can we just leave work at work?
Damon quickly got defensive about what had happened that
day.
Her eyes opened widely.
GENEVIEVE
Yeah. okay babe.
Her response sounded shocked and unsure.
GENEVIEVE
Im getting tired, think its about
time for bed.
DAMON
Okay. Im going to finish eating.
GENEVIEVE
Dont stay up too late, I love you?
Sitting at the table he looks down at his half eaten plate
with an empty face.
DAMON
I love you.
To Genevieve his "I love you" was fake and forced.
She walks down the hallway into the bedroom, shutting the
door softly. She sits down on the bed and buries her face in
her hands. Wondering what has changed her boyfriend, he, and
the women and children at the orphanage are her life.
Knowing that one is, at the moment, dysfunctional, and the
other being at risk of death makes her delusive.
Instead of causing another scene, like yesterday, she waits
for Damon to get in bed and fall asleep. So she can quietly
get away and go for a walk.

5.
5

INT. BEDROOM-LATE NIGHT (2 AM)

Damon has been asleep
awake and frustrated,
shoes. Realizing her
flashlight out of the

for a good hour, Genevieve still wide

sneaks out of bed and slips on her
fear for the dark, she grabs the
covered and set off on her stroll.

The trail leading from her front door into the woods was
slightly lit up by the moon, she gripped the flashlight like
it was a gun and pointed it forward so she was aware of what
was around her.
Her mind was anxious for resolution, she didnt know how to
deal with her kids, and certainly had no clue how to
approach Damon and discuss his stupid issues. Knowing they
didnt concern her, she wished that there was an off button
to make him stop behaving the way he was.
Now deeper into the forest.
GENEVIEVE
Uhhh.
She sighed abruptly and kicked a branch out of her way.
GENEVIEVE
I hate this place.
Talking to air, there wasnt a word she truly meant.
The walk had gotten her a little lost, however she didnt
realize anything accept for the branch she had mushed into
the dirt.
The forest was dense and isolating to anything inside it.
Genevieves flashlight began to flicker this scared her and
quickly wiped away all other thoughts, besides being trapped
in the dark.
GENEVIEVE
OH NO! CRAPP!!
She bulged her body forward and paused her walk. She slammed
the end side of the flashlight frantically as her heart
raced.
GENEVIEVE
God you piece of GARBAGE! Turn ON!
The "Piece of Garbage" turned back on. To show her relief
Genevieve swallowed a huge gulp of air and blew it out in a
massive sigh. The sigh was so large that she leaned over and
placed her hands on her thighs.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

6.

GENEVIEVE
Whoa.
She clawed her fingers through her hair and rested her head
on her hand for a quick moment.
GENEVIEVE
Im going home.
To stand straight up she pointed the flashlight forward,
there was something stretched out on the path about 10
meters a head her.
Genevieve squinted her eyes and tilted her head to the side
like a curious dog would do.
She took short slow steps towards was was lying on the
floor. As she got closer her eyes grew widely.
GENEVIEVE
UHAHHHHHH!
An man was crawling from somewhere. The dark skinned person
had mud that coated his forearms and knees, he had curtailed
blood on the back side of his neck. It must have come from
his face however that part of him was resting in his left
arm.
She, eyes wide open, grasped her mouth to hold in further
screams.
MAN ON THE GROUND
Help me. Help us.
His voice was raspy and deep, he was unable to to fully lift
his neck but got his face high enough to where Genevieve
could see his eyes.
Blood coated his forehead and chin, there were blisters all
around his front side, which clearly meant he had caught a
bad case of the disease that spread throughout the villages.
GENEVIEVE
Whos us? Whats your name? Why are
you like this??
MAN ON THE GROUND
The white, man. He. Did it.
after spitting out his last words the man dropped his head
back into his arms, and died.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

7.

GENEVIEVE
Hello? I can help you tell me how
to get to where you came from!
When she didnt get a response she knew he was gone.
Genevieve was left clueless, she reached down his warm and
wet neck to check his pulse. He was dead.
Her flashlight started to flicker once more.
GENEVIEVE
Please? NO!
This time it didnt flicker. The brightness dimmed and burnt
out.
Pounding again and again on the light. She panicked and
stepped over the body, knowing in his shape he couldnt have
gotten very far, and there was no hope in going the way she
came.
GENEVIEVE
What was wrong with him? The White
Man, must be one of the workers.
God help me.
Nothing was visible the trees were to thick for even the sky
light.
She tripped on a couple tree stumps and had another panic
attack before the forest was faintly outlined by dim light.
3 minutes had passed, and she saw a garage type building
which was hidden between bundles of bushes and plants. Tiny
square windows gave out a bright light and drew her towards
it. Here must be where where the man had crawled from.
GENEVIEVE
What is in there, most of the
people dont have electricity.
She stopped and glanced at the windows to figure out what
was inside, however they were too high up to see in.
GENEVIEVE
Nothing good.
There wasnt going to be anything good inside, the man was
escaping. Putting aside that fact she walked closer and let
her curiosity get the best of her.
She circled to the front, of course locked up with chains
the garage was not going to open.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

8.

There were dragged lines along the dirt, which she followed
to a corner where a hole no bigger than her waist was carved
out.
GENEVIEVE
You were here!
She whispered to herself.
GENEVIEVE
Uhh! It reek.
The inside let out a horrid smell, she knew the smell.
GENEVIEVE
Something, somebody is rotting.
She pulls her shirt above her mouth and fits inside the
hole.
6

INT. GARAGE IN MIDDLE OF FOREST-4AM

Genevieve squeezed herself through the wall and made it

inside. Everything was white, like a doctors office,
nothing not even the doctors that were here had a place like
this. A generator was the first thing she saw, it explained
the power. Curtains were hung all over as if they were
separating patients, Genevieve was still bothered by the
niceness of this place.
She took small steps and stopped. She was in a haze for a
quick second. Once she was out of it, she glanced and saw
that down the room the top of a foot was peaking out of the
hanging curtains. It was at waist level so it must be on a
bed lying down.
GENEVIEVE
Wh. What? Hello?
The loudness of her voice spooked even herself, the walls
shape and the height of the ceiling echoed all sounds.
RANDOM PERSON
huuuhcu.
Someone coughed, it wasnt the person on the bed, the noise
was nearer than them. Genevieve walked forward and peeked
through one of the curtains that it seemed to have come
from.
On a bed, a young child, she didnt know, she must have been
from another village, lied eyes closed.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

9.

GENEVIEVE
Honey? Why are you here, what is
this place?
After she asked she got a better look at the girl, and
walked closer to the bedside. On her body just as the man
had, were the same sores. The child was sick too, as long
as she didnt caugh on her she would be safe.
GIRL
Get me out please, the White man
will be here.
GENEVIEVE
What white man, who are you talking
about?
GIRL
Get me out.
The girl was struggling to open her mouth, the words she
spoke were slurred.
Just now noticing, the girls wrists were tied to the side
of the bed. Needle holes swelled up that same arm.
Genevieve backed out of the room she was in, and walked
further down the building.
Approaching the foot she glanced at the body, this one was a
boy.
GENEVIEVE
Tell me what you are doing here?
Please?
He was also clearly infected . She got closer. He had
rashes all over his body. This child had been the same one
that had the seizure at the daycare the day before.
Genevieve broke out in tears.
GENEVIEVE
What the HELL! No, please no? What
are you doing here.
Tears filled eyes quicker than she could breathe. On the
side of the child on a night table there was a note book
flipped open and written on. She picked it up and read.
PRONOUNCED DEAD EARLY MORNING JUNE 5. TESTS CAUSED SEIZURE
AND RESULTED IN FAILURE. MORE PATIENTS SHOULD NOT TAKE SAME
DRUG, FATAL.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

10.

GENEVIEVE
Testing? Nobody knew about this?
They are children, my children.
Her crying impaired her speech, she was wrecked from
witnessing what she had seen in the last hour, it was too
overwhelming. She turned around and approached the wooden
desk, which didnt match the glowing white walls at all.
She picked up a picture frame too see what the picture was.
It was of her and Damon sitting on the steps to their hut.