Fade to Black 1 Script

8/9/2019 Fade to Black 1 Script

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Fade to Black #1

Created and written Jeff Mariotte, art by Daniele Serra

Published by Image Comics/Shadowline, available wherever comic

books are sold.

2010 Jeff Mariotte

PAGE ONE

Splash.

Lets open with a splash page. Were looking at five young people in a

remote, hilly desert wilderness. They are:

TROY. Think a young Brad Pitt. Handsome, born wealthy, he has hadeverything handed to him in life.

KIRA. She radiates sex appeal. Dark haired, buxom, she gets all the sex

bomb parts, and the way she flirts with every guy she meets youd think

shes just as nasty as she looks.

MARIO. A Hispanic heartthrob, older than he looksat 26, the oldest of

the group. He has a major crush on Angelique, but has never acted on it

because she seems too pure for him. Hes the only one of the group who

was born poor and acted his way out of poverty.

ANGELIQUE. Just as angelic-looking as her name implies. Blonde, shelooks like the most innocent girl ever to walk the Earth, and with a great

figure. In fact, she is far more promiscuous than Kirabut because she

looks so virginal, rumors never spread about her.

DOUG. Because hes black, he gets all the gangsta parts even though the

nearest hes ever been to the ghetto is driving his Hummer on the freeway

past Compton.

And they are actors, although the reader wont know this yet. At the

moment, theyre dressed as their characters in a film theyre making, and

they are playing disaffected, disadvantaged urban youth on a wildernessexpedition. They have on OUTWARD TREK T-shirts and hiking boots, and

theyre wearing jeans or hiking shorts or whatever you want to put them in.

Because shes playing the sex goddess, Kira is in tight shorts and she has

tied her T-shirt up under her breasts, and maybe the front split to show some

cleavage. Theyre all wearing backpacks, and one of two might have

walking sticks. Troy is holding a compass (we think) in his hand and


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looking off into the distance, but his body blocks his hand so we cant really

see what he has in it. Mario watches him. The others are looking every

which way, like theyre looking for something.

The late afternoon sun slants down on the scene, splashing daylight all over

the place.

1. Troy: I know this is the way back to camp.

2. Mario: Yeah, but what if you know wrong, ese? After all


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PAGE TWO

Panel One.

Mario glances back over his shoulder with a terrified expression.

1. Mario: (a) we dont got time to get lost!

(b) Run!

Panel Two.

A larger panel as the five all take off, scrambling up a rocky slope away

from whatever Mario saw. Angelique gives her best horror movie scream.

2. Angelique: Aaaaah!

3. Doug: Go go go!

Panel Three.

Lets leave the camera where it is, looking up the slope as our five heroes

vanish over the ridge. Maybe we can just see the soles of some shoes as

they race away. In the foreground now, on the rocky slope, theres ashadow, big and scary with arms outstretched. Some kind of monster?

4. Monster: Yaaarrrr!


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PAGE THREE

Panel One.

Theyre talking as theyre running. Were on Doug and Troy here, although

its okay if we can see more of them.

1. Doug: What if we cant get back, dog? What if thatthat

thing

Panel Two.

Troy answers him. Now we can see Kira running alongside them.

2. Troy: (a) Well get back to camp, dude! I know things look badnow...

(b) but just remember what Mr. Hickey taught us about

not letting the dark days rule your life!

Panel Three.

Kira points to the compass in Troys hand, and now for the first time we

can see that Troy is holding a rock, not a real compass.

3. Kira: Im more concerned about that compass than the

monsteror should I say, that rock?

Panel Four.

Having stopped running, Troy throws the rock to the dirt.

4. Troy: Hey, its not my fault the prop crew didnt bring enough

real compasses on location.

Panel Five.

He shoots Kira a dirty look as he lights a cigarette with a disposable lighter.

5. Troy: Anyway, at least I can stick to the script.


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6. Kira: You think? Its Mr. Hinckley, not Hickey.


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PAGE FOUR

Panel One.

Mario starts back up the hill, meeting the monster coming downbut the

monster is really Billy, an overweight assistant director in a ball cap and

sleeveless sweatshirt, with a whistle around his neck and a walkie-talkie on

his belt. His hair is long. He is still waving his arms like a monster.

1. Billy: Raaaa!

2. Mario: (a) Billy, Im freakin starving. Can we go back to the

trailers?

(b) I got a mad-on for some of them cookies Julia from craftservices makes.

Panel Two.

Now theyre all out of character, and we can see that theyre tired and hot

and cranky.

3. Kira: Like thats all you want from Julia.

4. Mario: Yo, Kira, if I want something from a bitch, I go get it.

Panel Three.

Kira gets in his face.

5. Kira: Dont go getting all street on me, Mario. I know you

live in, like, Malibu.

6. Mario: Its Malibu-adjacent. And I didnt start out there, Kira. Igrew up in Echo Park. In a house with my parents,

grandparents, three cousins and two brothers.

Panel Four.

On Doug, getting into the conversation.


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7. Doug: I hope we aint gonna have the whos-poorer-than-who

discussion again.

Panel Five.

Angelique joins in as they all start back over the hill, the way they came.

8. Angelique: Why, Doug? You dont like talking about your past?

9. Doug: No, cause Mario always wins. Hell, my folks lived

on Beverly Drive. You hadnt gone to school in

Switzerland, Angelique, youd have been in my class at

Beverly Hills High.

Panel Six.

He waves a hand at his own physique.

10. Doug: And you coulda had some of this for your first taste of

man-meat.


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PAGE FIVE

Panel One.

Angelique makes a disgusted face.

1. Angelique: Ewww, Doug. Show some class!

Panel Two.

Mario comes to her defense.

2. Mario: Yeah, knock that crap off, Doug! Angeliques a lady. Try

treatin her like one.

Panel Three.

Kira and Troy watch the scene. Kira has an unhappy look on her face.

3. Troy: I thought we were getting dinner, people. Some of us are

hungry!

Panel Four.

They all start walking up the hill again. Mario walks close to Angelique, but

with his hands in his pockets, oddly shy with her.

4. Mario: You okay?

5. Angelique: Im fine. Dougs a jerk sometimes, thats all.

Panel Five.

Billy has stopped at the top of the hill, and hes holding the walkie-talkiewith a puzzled look on his face.

6. Billy: Thats strange. Im trying to call in to tell em were on

our way back, but nobodys answering.

Panel Six.


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Troy and Kira reach him at the top of the hill.

7. Troy: (a) Lets just go on down. I dont see why we had to do this

rehearsal out here anyway. Were just faking the

blockingcamera will either keep up with us tomorrow

or it wont, and if it cant then well have some of that

cool Blair Witch shaky-cam action going.

(b) How come Prestons not with us for this? Hes the

director, right? Got you doing the hard work.

8. Billy: Prestons getting a massage.

9. Kira: Thats one word for it.


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PAGE SIX

Panel One.

A long shot looking down toward a circle of trailers. These are the trailers

belonging to the film crew, and theyre pretty luxurious. A few of them

have STAR WHEELS painted on them in huge letters. Some have tables set

out in front---this is where lunch was served.

What we cant see from here, yet, is that everyone in the film crew has been

viciously murdered. We shouldnt see anyone at all. In the foreground,

heading downhill toward the trailers, we can see our heroes.

1. Doug: Man, I could eat a horse. I hope they got those little

quiches again.

2. Kira: You crack me up, Doug. Youre all, like, macho dude,

but you want mini quiches for dinner.

Panel Two.

A different angle on them as they get closer to the trailers.

3. Doug: Im a man of many parts, Kira.

4. Kira: Yeah, but you only think with two of them--your

stomach and your--

Panel Three.

Angelique interrupts them.

5. Angelique: Please, I dont want to lose my appetite so close to

dinnertime!


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PAGE SEVEN

Panel One.

Billy has reached the trailers ahead of the others, and he stops in his tracks at

what he can see (that we still cant see). The useless walkie-talkie is falling

from his hand.

No dialogue.

Panel Two.

He drops to his knees, vomiting into the dirt (lets see this from behindI

dont think anybody wants to see the actual vomit).

1. Billy: Hurrachhh!

Panel Three.

The others stand back away from him. Troys cigarette is gone now.

2. Troy: What the hell? You okay, man?

3. Angelique: So much for my appetite.

Panel Four.

Mario points toward the trailers.

4. Mario: Dude, if youre sick, you oughta get to the medic.

Panel Five.

Troy stops dead just about where Billy did, and sees what made Billy sick.On the ground theres part of a facejut the flesh, eyeholes and a nose and

part of the mouth and maybe some cheek with whiskers on it. Blood on and

around it, of course.

5. Troy: Oh, Christ! Hes not sick


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PAGES EIGHT AND NINE

Double-page spread.

And now we finally see inside the circle of trailers. Everyone who stayed

behind is dead. Its a horrific scene. Bodies are everywhereripped open,

cut up, blood pooling beneath them, flies buzzing all over the place. Some

have intestines pulled out of them. Some, if you look close enough, have

been partially eaten.

Show this from across the way from our heroes, so we can see them in the

background, looking at it with various expressions of horror and dismay.

Billy is wiping his face with the back of his hand. Whenever we see him

over the next few pages, he looks kind of shell-shocked.

You might also want to intersperse some close-up inserts around, so you can

be wide enough to show the whole scene but then move in here and there on

the gory parts.

1. Troy: but this is.


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PAGE TEN

Panel One.

Move in closer to our heroes again. Kira borders on panic, tears spilling

down her face.

1. Kira: (a) Whatwho would do this? Where are all theI dont

see anyone.

(b) Hello! Whos here?

Panel Two.

Troy grabs her shoulders, trying to settle her down before she loses itcompletely.

2. Troy: Kira, I dont think anyones here. I mean, alive. Look

around--this looks like pretty much the whole crew to

me.

3. Kira: But..but

Panel Three.

Mario pushes past them, walking with grim purpose.

4. Mario: I think hes right, Kira.

Panel Four.

Mario pulls open the door to one of the STAR WHEELS trailers, which is

also one of the trailers with a lunch table in front of it. Hes sticking his

head inside.

5. Mario: (a) Julia!

(b) Anyone?


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PAGE ELEVEN

Panel One.

Then he finds Julia, lying under the lunch table just outside the door, with

big strips of her face chewed off.

1. Mario: Oh, Dios mioJulia!

Panel Two.

He drops to his knees, kneeling by her.

2. Mario: Nooo!

Panel Three.

Wider shot, still on Mario, kneeling beside the partially eaten Julia. Show

Troy looking on.

13. Mario: It looks likeit looks like someone was eating her!

4. Troy: My agent is so fired.


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PAGE TWELVE

Panel One.

Doug slugs Troys shoulder.

1. Doug: Screw that! We gotta do something!

2. Troy: Got any ideas?

Panel Two.

Doug holds up a cell phone.

3. Doug: We should call the cops. 911. Somebody!

4. Troy: If you have cell service here, you have a better phone

than me

Panel Three.

Troy turns away from Doug, speaks to himself. Mario, still kneeling by

Julia, looks up at them.

5. Troy: and thats highly unlikely.

Panel Four.

On Angelique, whos had an idea.

6. Angelique: Doesnt Preston have a satellite phone?


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PAGE THIRTEEN

Panel One.

Kira responds.

1. Kira: Youre right! He keeps it in his trailer!

Panel Two.

They all rush into a trailer that has a sign hanging on the door saying

DIRECTOR.

No dialogue.

Panel Three.

Inside, we find Preston, the movies director (maybe he looks a little like

Steven Spielberg, bearded & scruffy). His head is standing upright on a

table, but his body is sprawled on the floor, legs sticking out from under a

bed so we cant see anything above mid-torso. Theres also a dead

masseuse, or hooker, on the bed. Blood everywhere.

2. Kira: Aggh! Preston!

3. Troy: (a) This is just like that C.S.I. I did last season.

(b) Only it smells worse.

Panel Four.

Doug opens a closet.

4. Doug: He keeps the sat phone in here. I used it a couple oftimes.

Panel Five.

On Angelique, standing in the doorway, looking out instead of in and trying

to breathe some fresh air.


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5. Angelique: Well, find it fast, Doug. Ive had more of this than I can

take.


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PAGE FOURTEEN

Panel One.

Mario stands close to Angelique, in the doorway. Shes still crying.

1. Mario: (a) This is hard on everyone, Angelique.

(b) ItsI dont even know what it is. An atrocity. We were

only gone, what, a couple hours?

(c) But were alive. Just keep that in mind.

Panel Two.

Back to Doug, at the closet, looking frantic.

2. Doug: The phones not here! I know right where he keeps it, but

its gone!

Panel Three.

On Troy, trying to take command., while shaking another cigarette from his

pack.

3. Troy: (a) All right, everyone! Lets get outside where we can

breathe.

(b) Man, I need a smoke.

Panel Four.

Outside the trailer, theyre gathering around Troy. Bodies and flies

everywhere.

4. Troy: (a) We have no phones, so well just have to go for help.

Theres a town, like, 30 miles away, right? Well take

one of the trucks and just drive there.

(b) Billy, keys are in the transpo trailer, right?


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Panel Five.

Billy is just staring into space. Show Troy in the background, looking at

him.

5. Troy: Billy?

Panel Six.

Billy turns and looks blankly at Troy.

6. Billy: Y-yeaht-t-transpo.


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PAGE FIFTEEN

Panel One.

Mario is walking toward one of the trucks. Show him from the knees up, so

we cant see under the truck yet.

1. Mario: (a) Uhh, guys

(b) I wouldnt bother looking for those keys.

Panel Two.

Now he bends over and shows what he means. We can see all kinds of wires

and belts hanging out from under the trucks hood, and parts on the groundbeneath it in a pool of oil and other fluids.

2. Mario: Somebody done a job on the trucks. Worked em over

good.

Panel Three.

On Doug.

3. Doug: All of them?

Panel Four.

Mario shrugs.

4. Mario: (a) Looks like. You can check em all if you want, but since

we dont know who did this

(b) or how far away they are

Panel Five.

On Troy, still trying to look like a leader.

5. Troy: Marios right. Weve gotta see if there are any weapons


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around, and figure out our next move. Just standing

here


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PAGE SIXTEEN

Panel One.

A large panel. Now we cut to up on a rocky hill overlooking the trailers,

where the Children of the Radiant Night, the cannibal cultists who killed

everyone on the crew, are watching the young actors.

There are 25-30 of them, led by Brother Juniper. They might look like 60s-

style hippies or Charles Manson followers, updated a little for the 21st

century. They were eating the crew when they heard the actors coming, so

they still have bloody hands and faces.

Brother Juniper has long hair and a beard, sort of Christ-like (or Manson-

like). On a leather thong around his neck he wears a medallion with thesymbol of his cult on it: a sun with large, wavy rays emanating from it, but

in the center and occupying most of the suns ball is a pure black spot,

almost like an eclipse.

One other thing to notethe Children of the Radiant Night dont like

modern technology. They use it when they have to, but avoid it when they

can, so try to give them simple, homemade clothing (and remember theyre

in the desert, where its hot during the day) and no wristwatches or cell

phones or anything like that.

One of them, a woman named Elspeth, looks at Brother Juniper.

1. Troy (VO): were like sitting, whatchacallit, ducks.

2. Elspeth: (a) Im so full, Brother Juniper. I didnt realize how

many people were in a film crew.

(b) I dont think Im ready to eat again.

Panel Two.

Brother Juniper turns to her. He has that smooth charm and charisma

common to cult leaders, and all the Children respect what he says. Elspeth

is a little in love with him, but thats probably true of them all as well.


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3. Juniper: (a) We dont need to eat the others, dear Elspeth. Not

immediately. All we need is the one weve observed.

(b) Had we known the one was away from camp we could

have waited. But the waiting is over now.

(c) The Radiant Night we have long awaited for is nearly

upon us.

Panel Three.

She puts a hand on his knee and gives him an anxious half-smile.

4. Elspeth: Tell me again, Brother Juniper. Make me understand.

5. Juniper: Youll understand tonight when we attain

our goal.


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PAGE SEVENTEEN

Panel One.

A different angle on them. Shes almost pleading.

1. Elspeth: No, brother. Why we feed. I just like hearing it from

your lips.

Panel Two.

He touches his lips (still some drying blood around his mouth). Big panel,

plenty of room for Junipers dialogue.

2. Juniper: (a) Why we feed? Simple, my child.

(b) The Children of the Radiant Night ingest the flesh and

organs of others in order to gain the wisdom and

knowledge they possess. Every bite of their nerve

endings makes our senses sharper. Each eyeball we

swallow shows us what it has seen. Its only through this

process that weve come to realize our true place in the

world, and to understand how to achieve the goal to

which were so close.

(c) Its through our feeding that weve become spiritually

and mentally enlightened enough to come to this place, at

this time. We are superior beings. Were ready for the

next step.

Panel Three.

He turns away from her, looking back down the hill toward the trailers.

3. Juniper: And now, the time has come to take it.


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PAGE EIGHTEEN

Panel One.

He speaks to some of the other cultists, sitting at the edge and looking down

toward camp. Some of these carry spears or knives or bows and arrows.

1. Juniper: Had we realized the one was away from camp when we

struck, we would have waited and taken them all at once.

Panel Two.

He peers down the hillside, studying the situation.

2. Juniper: These others will be on guard now. It wont be likeearlier when we walked into the middle of camp and took

them by surprise.

Panel Three.

He looks at one of the archers, who nods in agreement.

3. Juniper: It will be up to you, Jonas, to announce us.

4. Jonas: An honor, Brother Juniper.

Panel Four.

Brother Juniper smiles.

5. Juniper: On my signal, then.


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PAGE NINETEEN

Panel One.

Back down to our heroes, at the trailers. Theyve spent the last few minutes

gathering suppliescanteens and water bottles, mainly. They have plenty

of equipment from the props trailerbackpacks, etc.but they dont

necessarily know how to use it, or even what they should carry. In this

establishing shot, Troy is ready to go and hes trying to hurry the others

along. Billy is still kind of numb, barely functioning. Doug is on the ground

trying to fit a camp stove into a backpack thats already crammed full of

stuff.

1. Troy: Cmon, Doug. What do you need with that?

2. Doug: Its 30 miles to town, right? We cant cover that in a day.

Well need to eat.

Panel Two.

Kira joins the conversation, unhappy about the 30 miles thing. Shes

holding a backpack by its straps.

3. Kira: (a) How long is this gonna take? Ive never walked morethan a couple miles.

(b) Theres always been, like, a limo around, right?

Panel Three.

On Mario and Angelique (no longer crying), standing together, ready to

hike. Mario has a walking stick in one hand.

4. Mario: Not this time, Kira.

Panel Four.

Mario gestures over his shoulder toward the bodies.

5. Mario: We either hike out or we stick around here with


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whatever did this.


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PAGE TWENTY

Panel One.

Kira starts to slip the backpack straps over her shoulders.

1. Kira: Then I guess we hike.

Panel Two.

On Troy, being leader-guy.

2. Troy: (a) Everybody ready to go? You have what youll need?

(b) Did you find those topo maps, Billy?

Panel Three.

Billy holds out a piece of paper which has been folded many timesbut its

completely blank.

3. Billy: Th-this might be a problem. Theyre blank.

Panel Four.

Troy slaps the map out of Billys hands.

4. Troy: (a) Damn prop crew is collectively dumber than a vat of

spit. Didnt even spring for real maps.

(b) Itll take longer than going cross-country, but I guess we

can follow the road we took driving in.

Panel Five.

Kira makes a pained face.

5. Kira: Longer?


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PAGE TWENTY-ONE

Panel One.

And Billy makes a pained face, because suddenly an arrow has struck him

between the shoulder blades and sticks out of his chest. It should be sticking

out at a downward angle because it came from up on the hill.

1. Billy: Urf!

Panel Two.

Billy topples forward like a tree falling. The others watch, horrified.

2. Angelique: Billy!

Panel Three.

Move in on her as the tears start to flow again.

3. Angelique: Oh my god, where did that come from?

Panel Four.

Mario points up the hill with his walking stick.

3. Mario: If I had to guess


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PAGE TWENTY-TWO

Splash.

Now the biggest panel on the page, as we see what they see, looking up the

hill at the cultists charging down. A couple of them carry bows and arrows,

others big knivesno guns, though.

1. Mario: (VO) Id say it came from there!

Panel Two.

This can be a small inset into the splashits just a close shot of Troy,

shouting.

2. Troy: Run!

3. Cap: To be continued...

Date post:	30-May-2018
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