“WAR OF THE WORLDS”

1st rewrite draft
Friedman/Koepp

EXT./INT. BLACKNESS

We see black, hear nothing. Bubbles fill our view, as we realize that we are zooming out, revealing what appear to be long, tangled white strands. Zooming out even farther, it appears that the tangled strands are DNA inside a cell, and, zooming farther still, the cell is inside a microscopic organism that swarms with several hundred others.

Finally, we zoom out even farther, to reveal that we are looking at a single drop of water dangling on a leaf bud. The drop of water, through the magic of special effects, is isolated, and turns into a spinning model of the planet Earth.

A deep, dark voice overcomes our ears.

VOICE
No one would have believed that in the first years of the 21st century, that our world was being watched by intelligences greater than our own.

The Earth suddenly turns into a red orb, which than transitions itself into...

EXT. BUSY STREET--DAY

A red streetlight on a busy industrial street. People scurry about their lives, searching for their next destination. The voice occurs again.

VOICE
That as men busied themselves among their various concerns, they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps the way a man with a microscope might observe the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.

EXT. FLASH FOOTAGE OF MONUMENTS--DAY

We see the Arc de Triomphe, Mt. Rushmore, and several other well-known monuments pass by the screen.

VOICE
With infinite complacency, men went to and fro about the globe, confident in their empire over this world...

FADE TO:

EXT. SPACE

The voice carries over from the previous transition. We see the Earth, rotating on its axis majestically.

VOICE
Yet across the gulf of space, intellects vast, and cool, and unsympathetic, regarded our planet with envious eyes.

Beat.

VOICE (CON’T)
And slowly, and surely, drew their plans...against us.

Large bold letters appear, covering the Earth:

“WAR OF THE WORLDS.”

FADE TO:

EXT. INDUSTRIAL DOCKS--NEW JERSEY SHORE--DAY

We are zooming in on a crane, hanging high above a large cargo ship. The crane is carefully maneuvering large steel crates around the deck of the ship. Other workers dart about, others direct the driver of the crane, who sits in a glass compartment high above.

INT. CRANE CAB--CONTINUE

RAY FERRIER (30’s/40’s) sits comfortably in the seat, working the controls of the crane with two joysticks. He is dressed like a normal dock worker: greasy, dirty, a pullover and beat up New York Yankees baseball cap.

Looking downward through the glass floor, he watches his work carefully.

EXT. INDUSTRIAL DOCKS--LATER--DAY

RAY, with a smile on his face, is walking away from the docks, he throws his hard hat to a passing fellow worker. Behind him, we see his FAT BOSS power-walking towards him.

FAT BOSS
Hey, Ray, I’m going to need you back in four instead of twelve I’ve got half a damn shipment to deliver here.

Ray continues walking, never looking at his pathetic-appearing boss.

RAY
No can do.

FAT BOSS
(annoyed)
What do you mean, I’ve got thirty-six cases that need moved by next week.

RAY
Call Tudesko.

FAT BOSS
Tudesko can’t work that thing like you can.

RAY
Sorry, then.

Ray’s boss stops while he just keeps walking away. The boss shouts after him.

FAT BOSS
(yell)
You know what your problem is?!

Ray smiles wide.

RAY
When I can think of a few I’d be happy to tell you.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. STREET--NEW JERSEY--DAY

Ray’s vintage Ford Mustang comes roaring sharply around a corner, much to the dismay of the law-abiding drivers. They honk at him, but he only speeds up, a bridge to Manhattan looms in the distance.

The Mustang careens around another corner and quickly pulls into a driveway. Stopping on a dime on the pavement. The driveway is at Ray’s house, which is lined up with several other identical houses along the street, almost like townhouses, with a tiny alley separating each one. 

There is a brand new SUV parked by Ray’s driveway, standing next to it are a statuesque good-looking man, Tim, and a pregnant woman, Ray’s ex-wife, Mary-Anne.

Ray gets out of his car, awkwardly at the clean cut Tim and his new wife, which was once his. 

RAY
8:30?

MARY-ANNE
You said 8 o’clock.

Ray looks awkward, thinking.

RAY
You sure?

His ex-wife nods.

RAY
Huh...

He grabs a trash bag sitting by his car and walks over by the SUV, dumps the trash bag into a metal trash can, and whistles at the black SUV, feels it.

RAY
Phew, that is one safe-looking new vehicle you’ve got their, Tim.

Tim nods.

TIM
(darkly)
Thank-you.

The backseat door opens. Robbie, a 16-year old, unkempt young man steps out.
RAY
Hey, there he is.

Robbie is wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, baggy clothes, long hair, and headphones. He walks right past Ray’s open arms.

RAY
Can I get a hug? A hello? Kick in the teeth?

Ignoring him, Robbie carries his bags up the stairs towards the door to Ray’s house. Ray looks up at him as he ascends the stairs.

RAY
Door’s locked.

Turning back to the door, a little girl, Rachel, 11 steps out. She is wearing unmatching clothes and an award ribbon on her chest. She walks over to Ray.

RAY
Hey Rachel.

RACHEL
Hello, dad.

Robbie, at the top of the stairs, looks down at the people below, speaks with a distant, depressed tone.

ROBBIE
Door’s locked.

She hugs him, but by her facial expression, it is obvious that she doesn’t want to. Turning back to the SUV, she reaches in a grabs a large suitcase, almost as big as her. She struggles to carry it towards the stairs.

Mary-Anne goes over and tries helping.

MARY-ANNE
Here-

RACHEL
I’ve got it.

Mary-Anne takes the suitcase and struggles to carry it up the stairs.

RAY
She said she’s got it.

INT. LIVING ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

It is a mess. Old newspapers and magazines are skewed about everywhere, pizza boxes, soda cans. The living room is situated as soon as you walk in, with a coffee table and television. A set of stairs leading upstairs is right around the corner.

Everyone enters the room, Mary-Anne drops the suitcase at the entrance and walks for the kitchen. Ray and Tim follow her, Robbie heads upstairs and Rachel sits at the bottom of the stairs.

INT. KITCHEN--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Mary-Anne walks into the kitchen, there is a set of sliding glass doors leading out to a deck overlooking a fenced in backyard, giving a nice view of the bridge in the background. 

Sitting on the kitchen table is a large car engine, with tools laying all around it. Tim and Mary-Anne look at it with skepticism. Ray explains awkwardly.

RAY
That’s uh, just something I’m fixing up, for a friend.

Mary-Anne chuckles and opens the refrigerator door.

MARY-ANNE
You’re out of milk.
(beat)
And everything else.

Ray stares and speaks in a menacing tone.

RAY
You think you could close that because that is, uh, my, refrigerator.

A beat.

Tim senses the tension, as seen by his shifty eyes.

TIM
I’m going to go ahead and wait outside.

As he turns to leave, he heads towards Rachel on the stairs, who stands. They embrace.

RACHEL
Bye Tim.

He kisses her on the cheek.

TIM
Bye, sweetheart.

She appears to show much more affection towards Tim than her own father. Tim exits. Ray watches with jealous eyes.

INT. STAIRS--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Moments later, Mary-Anne is carrying Rachel’s suitcase up the stairs. Rachel follows. Ray struggles to squeeze around Mary-Anne’s pregnant body and grabs the suitcase from her.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray rushes over to an open door, leading to his room. Inside we can see that it is a mess, with the bed unmade and clothes thrown everywhere. He shuts the door and nods towards another open door, leading to Rachel and Robbie’s room.

INT. RACHEL AND ROBBIE’S ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

The room is set up like a kid’s room, with one side, being Rachel’s, covered with posters of horses with a pink tint and pink twin bed. Robbie’s side is more punky, with magazine clippings of skateboarders and bikers taped to the walls and a race-car style bed. A small television set sits on a desk.

Robbie is laying in his bed listening to his headphones, Rachel takes her suitcase and opens it on her bed, going through her clothes. Mary-Anne observes, while Ray leans on the doorframe. She turns to him, speaks quietly.

MARY-ANNE
Aren’t they a little old to still be sharing?

RAY
I don’t hear any complaints.

MARY-ANNE
No, I do!

Turning back, Mary-Anne walks over to Robbie and unplugs his headphones from his portable CD player. Turning to Ray.

MARY-ANNE
Robbie has a paper on the French occupation of Algeria due Monday. It’d be nice if he had it done before he comes back.

Robbie makes a typing gesture with his hands.

ROBBIE
I just have to type it up.

Mary-Anne leans down.

MARY-ANNE
No, you just have to start it.

Kisses him on the forehead.

ROBBIE
I love you, mom.

She turns to Rachel, she is standing up on her bed adjusting a poster. Mary-Anne grabs her and sets her on the floor.

MARY-ANNE
No shoes on the bed, honey.

INT. LIVING ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Mary-Anne is heading for the door, Ray is following her. She speaks as she walks.

MARY-ANNE
We’re staying with my mother in Boston for the next week, you have the number but don’t call the houseline-
(beat)
-well, I mean I’ll have my cell phone just in case-

Ray interrupts.

RAY
Believe it or not I can handle it.

Mary-Anne opens the front door.

RAY
May-Anne-

She turns to him.

RAY
-that’s a good look for you.

She smiles, feeling her protruding belly with a baby inside.

MARY-ANNE
You think?

Beat.

RAY
Yeah.

We can practically see the sparks in the air that apparently died off between them years ago. Mary-Anne’s voice turns dimmer, more serious.

MARY-ANNE
Take care of our kids.

Ray approaches as Mary-Anne steps outside.

RAY
Mary-Anne, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Hey-

He sticks his head out as she stands on the stoop.

RAY
(sarcastic)
-tell your mom that Ray sends his love and kisses.

Laughing.

MARY-ANNE
She’ll love that.

She leaves. 

Ray closes the door and sighs, leaning against the wall.

INT. RACHEL AND ROBBIE’S ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

We are focused on the television screen. It shows and anchorwoman sitting in front of a picture of world map, the Ukraine in red.

ANCHORWOMAN
The Ukraine is in total blackness tonight following the occurrence of a series of freakish lightning storms that blind-sided the country.

The channel changes to the Weather Channel, showing an anchorman in  a similar setting as the anchorwoman from before, we pick it up in the middle of his sentence.

ANCHORMAN
-EMP or electromagnetic pulse is apparently being blamed for the outages-

The television set clicks off.

Ray is standing in the room, throws the remote on the floor. He hurls a baseball glove at Robbie, while sporting his own. Robbie holds it curiously.

ROBBIE
Baseball season’s over.

Ray is tossing a baseball from one hand to the other.

RAY
Five minutes, it’s not going to kill you.

EXT. BACKYARD--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

A dinette set sits outside under the deck. Rachel sits at it playing with plastic horses. Ray stands at the far-side of the backyard, his back to the bridge overhead in the background. Robbie stands with his back to the house.

They are gently throwing the ball back and forth.

RAY
(to Robbie)
That’s half what I’ve got.
(beat)
Maybe after this we’ll get started on your report.

ROBBIE
I’ve just got to type it up.

He throws the ball. 

RAY
Yeah, bullshit.

Robbie throws it back, they alternate possession as they talk.

ROBBIE
What do you know, Ray?

RAY
Everything. Haven’t you heard? Between me and my brother, we know everything.

Rachel butts in.

RACHEL
What’s the capital of Australia?

Ray looks at her, unsure.

RAY
That’s one my brother knows.

Robbie hurtles the ball, before he does...

ROBBIE
You expect us to laugh at that the first hundred times, Ray?

Ray looks at him awkwardly after catching the ball. Both of their voices become more sinister, serious.

RAY
You worry about yourself, we don’t send you to that fancy school so you can flunk out.

Robbie catches the ball.

ROBBIE
You’re not paying for it, Tim is.

Robbie throws, Ray catches it.

RAY
Why don’t you shut up once in awhile.

He throws the ball, hard. Robbie catches it and holds his hand in slight pain. Preparing to throw.

ROBBIE
You’re an asshole, I hate coming here.

He throws. Ray catches it, and rears back his arm.

RAY
Is that why you’re such a dick?

He hurtles the ball very hard. Instead of catching it, Robbie steps out of the way and the ball shatters a window behind him. Robbie looks at the broken window with a sort of satisfaction, smiles, flips his hat backwards, and walks up the stairs to the deck. 

REVERSE ANGLE, FROM INSIDE.

We see Ray staring at the hole in the window he had just made. We can hear the sliding door on the deck open and shut.

BACK WITH RAY, he continues to stare at the broken window. Rachel looks over.

RACHEL
You’re never going to get through to him.

Ray looks at her, an annoyed look on his face.

RACHEL
If you want him to listen to you, you’re going to have to-

Ray, annoyed, interrupts her.

RAY
What, who are you, you’re mother, or mine?

He throws down his baseball glove and starts towards his house.

RACHEL
Where are you going?

RAY
Sleep, I work for a living.

Beat.

RACHEL
What are we supposed to eat?

He starts up the deck stairs.

RAY
You know, order.

INT. RAY’S BEDROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray walks in and takes off his shirt. He closes the door, pulls down the blinds, and falls face-first onto his bed. Falls asleep.

INT. LIVING ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

LATER THAT DAY, we are focused on the television set in the living room. It is a news broadcast, like on the weather channel, with a map in the background.

ANCHORMAN
-quakes monitoring huge points on the rictor scale, everywhere-

The channel changes, flipping through shows until finally settling on a cartoon show.

Rachel sits on the couch with the remote, there is a plastic bag and several boxes of delivered food lying on the coffee table. Ray walks in, freshly showered, a towel draped around his neck, with a cup of coffee.

He sits down in a chair across from the couch and relaxes. Sitting up, he notices that Rachel is playing with her palm, picking at something.

RAY
(groggily)
What’s wrong?

RACHEL
I got a splinter.

Sitting up, places his coffee on the table.

RAY
Come here, let me see it.

Rachel gets up and walks over, she spreads her palm, revealing a deep splinter. Ray tries to grab her hand, each time she pulls away.

RAY
Let me see it, let me see it.

RACHEL
You can see it without touching it.

RAY
Okay, okay.

Rachel spreads her palm again, Ray examines it, before sinking back into the chair.

RAY
It’s going to get infected.

RACHEL
(defensively)
No it’s not!

Beat. She calms.

RACHEL
When it’s ready, my body will just push it out.

She smiles and returns to the couch and flips through more channels. Ray sits up, coughs a bit, then looks at the disgusting food on the table. He grimaces, then picks up a nearby tortilla chip and dips it in the strange looking green dip. Rachel talks in the background.

RACHEL
You should get TiVo. Tim got it for my room, it’s awesome. I can watch all my shows after homework.

Ray bites into the food and makes a sickening face, speaks with his mouth full.

RAY
What...is this?

RACHEL
It’s hummace.

RAY
Hummace?

Rachel lifts up a menu reading “BOB’S HEALTHY LIVING.”

RACHEL
It’s from the health food place, I kept one of their menus from last time.

Ray stares at her disgusted with the food. Getting defensive:

RACHEL
You said order!

RAY
I meant order food.

He spits out the food into a napkin and throws it on the floor. Looking around.

RAY
Where’s Robbie?

Looks up and shouts.

RAY
Robbie!

RACHEL
He’s not here.

Ray picks up a magazine and flips to the middle.

RAY
Well where is he?

RACHEL
He went out.

RAY
What do you mean, out?

Rachel smiles devilishly.

RACHEL
I don’t know, he just took your car...and left.

FOCUS ON:

Ray sits dumfounded, and, from the look of his face, pissed.

EXT. STREET--FRONT OF RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray comes rushing out of the house and hurries down the stairs. He looks at his empty driveway and puts his hands on his head. Then, he looks over at the street, where several people have their necks craned towards the sky. Many are taking pictures of something in the air. 

Ray turns around to get in on it, to reveal...

An enormous hole in the sky, like a vortex, swirling in the gray clouds above the bridge. An eerie yellow light coming from it. Ray walks over to some of his neighbors, a Spanish man.

SPANISH NEIGHBOR
(pointing to sky)
You ever see anything like that?

RAY
Spring time, maybe, not this time of year.

Ray taps his chest.

RAY
Come on, you can see better from the backyard.

Ray takes off and rushes through the alley and into...

EXT. BACKYARD--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

...his backyard. He taps on the sliding glass doors, yells inside.

RAY
Hey, Rachel, you want to see something cool?!

Rachel comes running outside and joins Ray as they look up at the swirling vortex in the sky. The wind suddenly picks up, violently. Papers from Ray’s deck fly into the wind, and the clotheslines in several neighbors’ backyards are flapping hastily. 

A woman clutching a baby, one of Ray’s other neighbors, stands in her backyard as well, just like every other resident on the street, looking up at the hole in the sky. 

RAY
That is so weird, the wind is going towards the storm.

WOMAN
That is weird.

As quickly as it started, it ends. The wind dies, clothes fall squarely back into place on lines. Everyone looks around, curious.

Then, in the background we see a lightning bolt strike the ground in the center of town. Everyone jumps, Ray smiles. Rachel looks scared.

RACHEL
I want to go inside.

Ray doesn’t answer.

RACHEL
I don’t want to go by myself.

Suddenly, more lightning, then another, and another, until the sounds become thunderous and deafening.

WOMAN
That’s enough weather for me today.

She slowly returns back to her house.

Another lightning strike, the loudest yet. Ray and Rachel retreat to underneath the deck, Ray laughing, Rachel in fear.

RAY
Kind of fun, isn’t it?

RACHEL
No!

Boom, another strike. This one causes Ray and Rachel to rush up the deck stairs and through the sliding doors.

INT. KITCHEN--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Rachel looks frightened, Ray stands in front of the sliding glass doors, looking out at the view.

RACHEL
That one was right behind our house.

Ray tries to calm her, himself panting.

RAY
Well it’s not going to hit there again, because lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice-

He is interrupted by another flash of lightning, right in his backyard. He ducks.

RAY
Oh shit!

Both Ray and Rachel duck underneath the kitchen table.

RACHEL
Where’s Robbie, is Robbie okay?

Ray ducks and covers his ears from the lightning outside.

RAY
Are you okay?

Boom! The lightning continues, even more loudly than ever.

RAY
(to self)
Where’s the thunder?

RACHEL
Why won’t it stop?!

Suddenly, everything stops, becomes silent. 

The storm seems to have passed.

Ray gets up from underneath the table and looks around, visibly shaken. 

RACHEL
Is it over?

Ray walks around, flips a light switch, nothing happens. 

RAY
(lightly)
Just, just stay put.

INT. LIVING ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

He enters, picks up a phone, nothing. Flips another switch and looks up at the ceiling fan, which doesn’t rotate. Heads over to a coffee table and picks up a cell phone. Flipping it open, we see that it is dead. Then, he rolls up his sleeve and taps his watch; for it has stopped ticking. 

EXT. STREET--FRONT OF RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray rushes out into the front, where the woman with the baby stands, looking around.

WOMAN
Can you believe this, Ray? Every single car.

Looking around, we see that every car on the road has stopped. People stand around, complaining, many have the hoods up looking at the underside.

ROBBIE
Ray!

Robbie comes running up the street and meets up with Ray. Ray actually shows some concern, grabs his shoulders.

RAY
Where were you, are you okay?

Robbie explains hastily.

ROBBIE
We were over on Lincoln avenue, the car just stopped, and, and the lightning-

He slurs his words. Ray shakes him.

RAY
Your sister is inside, and I want you in there, too.

Ray starts to turn away, to follow a parade of people towards something a few streets away.

RAY
(to Robbie)
And next time you take my car without a license, or permission, I call the cops!

Robbie just watches him walk off, Ray realizes Robbie hasn’t moved, he turns back to him and punches his own hand.

RAY
(angrily)
Robbie!

Robbie takes off up the stairs.

EXT. STREET CORNER--DAY

Ray continues to follow the crowd down the street, he passes a garage, with two mechanics working on a van. One is a pathetic-looking assistant, the other, a bulky, dominant mechanic named Manny. Manny spots Ray passing by, obviously friends.

MANNY
Ray, can you believe this? Starter’s fried, whole damn thing!

Manny is holding a starter, which appears to be burnt and charred. Ray, continuing his pace with the crowd, shouts over to him.

RAY
Well have you tried changing the colloids?

Ray disappears into the crowd. 

Manny looks over at his assistant.

MANNY
Change the colloids, didn’t I tell you that?!

EXT. INTERSECTION--DAY

The intersection is dominated by a large church parting the street into two streets, forking it. A large crowd seems to have gathered around something smack dab in the middle of the intersection. 

Catching up is Ray, who is suddenly accompanied by two teenagers, Sanchez and Phillip.

SANCHEZ
Hey, Ray.

They join him.

RAY
I should’ve known you two had something to do with this.

SANCHEZ
Man, have you ever seen so many strikes of lightning in one spot? We counted twenty-six times.

They continue.

PHILLIP
Solar flare, that’s what I heard, it’s this thing that comes out of the sun-

Sanchez interrupts, obviously the more intelligent of the pair.

SANCHEZ
Look, lightning does not come from the sun, alright?

PHILLIP
I’m just telling you what I heard.

SANCHEZ
Yeah, but what you’re saying is stupid-

His voice tapers off as they reach the crowd around the intersection. Ray pushes himself to the front. Two police officers are trying to hold people back.

POLICEMAN
Alright, people, step away, step away.

We see that there is a large crater in the ground, like from the result of a meteor. It is still smoking, pieces of rubble scattered everywhere.

Ray leans down and grabs a piece of shiny rubble, it is steaming, and he fumbles it in his hands before grabbing it using his shirt as a protectant.

SANCHEZ
Is it hot?

RAY
No...

Beat.

RAY
It’s freezing.

We suddenly hear a loud rumbling sound from underneath the crater. People stand up and step back.

POLICEMAN #1
There’s something down there!

POLICEMAN #2
Is it the subway?

POLICEMAN #1
The subway doesn’t run through here.

POLICEMAN #2
What about the water mane?

POLICEMAN #1
That can’t be the water mane.

POLICEMAN #2 
There’s nothing else down there!

After a brief hesitation, the rumbling continues, and the steam rising from the crater becomes even more dominant.

POLICEMAN #1
Well, there’s something down there, and it’s moving!

The ground rumbles violently now, as a spidery web of cracks in the asphalt reach up from underground, knocking people over, causing others to run. Shaking becomes dominant, an earthquake. Car alarms go off on the street as people run, steam billows from the cracks, knocking people over.

Ray himself falls over and bear crawls away. 

The cracks act alive, they quickly climb up the side of buildings, the church especially. It snakes up to the top of the church, shattering the painted glass. The top falls off like a popsicle and slams into the intersection.

AERIAL VIEW, the crater has grown from a small bowl in the road to an enormous web of cracks. Like something popping up from under a rug, the crater appears to bulge up, then fall back down. The asphalt bubble sinks back into the ground, creating a huge hole. A truck falls into the newly-formed chasm.

People scramble to rush away from the chasm as the truck that recently slipped into it suddenly shoots up like a rocket and comes slamming down on a nearby parked car. Citizens run from the smashed car as a strange sound emits from the chasm, a slowly ascending sound, like that of an airplane taking off or something charging.

Ray goes and hides behind the open door of a nearby car, a few yards from the chasm.

Suddenly, an enormous mechanical leg shoots up out of the chasm and stretches 60 feet into the air. It is snake like with three toes on the end. The monstrous leg then continues to slam down on the car Ray was hiding by. He rolls away unscathed.

The jet sound grows louder as something rises from the chasm. It looks like a tortoise shell, mechanical, silvery, with one giant camera-lens eye, staring at the miniscule people running from it. 

The large object rises slowly out of the chasm, the charging sound continuing. Eventually, it gets to the point where we see that it has three legs, standing like a tripod, 80-feet high, with several whip-like appendages near the head.

Ray runs around a corner, meeting up with Sanchez and Phillip, both look scared as they look up at the monstrous tripod, shaking dirt off.

PHILLIP
(panicky)
Oh my, God, oh my God, man!

Everything is still for a few moments as people stop running and just stare up at the strangely beautiful majesty of the tripod machine. We focus on one person who is pointing a camcorder up towards it. Ray leaves Sanchez and Phillip and walks out towards the middle of the street along with most of the other people, staring skyward.

WIDE SHOT, the alien tripod lights up, and two large appendages seem to coil out from both sides of, their ends looking like modern-day pistols.

Focus on the man holding the camcorder. Suddenly, we hear a loud zapping sound, like an electrical discharge, and the camcorder falls to the ground. We hear screams all around as we get a shot of the world through the camera’s LCD screen.

VIEW ON LCD SCREEN: People are exploding left and right, immediately after they are struck with what appears to be a lightning bolt shot out of one of the appendages on the tripod. People seem to be zapped into nothing, leaving only their clothes and a cloud of white dust behind.

Focus on a woman running, fear, terror, every horrible emotion on her face. It ends, though, in an instant as she is zapped into dust. We see Ray run through her clothes and the dust cloud, along with other people, who spontaneously combust everywhere.

Not only people, but the buildings all around are torched, exploding as the tripod’s lightning bolts turn everything they touch into fire. A woman jumps in her car and tries to start it, but is zapped into oblivion.

Ray turns a corner, behind him, as he sprints, we see people cross the streets, many are zapped, while an explosion rocks the buildings behind him. He turns another corner, and sticks his head out to watch the giant tripod walk farther into town, guns blazing.

The mood calms for a moment, as Ray leans against the wall of a building, fire raging in the background. He is covered in the white dust, and flinches slightly when a single man runs by, clutching his toddler.

EXT. STOOP--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Rachel watches methodically through the screen door of the entrance. It opens.

INT. KITCHEN--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Robbie is in the kitchen, Rachel enters, right before Ray, looking like he’s just seen a ghost.

RACHEL
What happened? What’s all that stuff?

She is referring to the white powder all over Ray’s body, human remains. 

ROBBIE
What’s going on, Ray?

Ray doesn’t answer, he doesn’t even look at them. He sits on the kitchen floor and leans back against the counter, eyes distant, as if in a trance, in shock. Rachel swipes some of the dust off with her finger.

RACHEL
What’s all this stuff?

Ray snaps out of it, he looks at his hands covered in the dust and gets up, walks to a small powder room off the hallway.

INT. POWDER ROOM--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray stares at himself in the mirror, his hair has turned a shade of gray from the powder. He quickly turns on the faucet over the sink, wets his face, and shakes the powder out of his hair.

INT. KITCHEN--RAY’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray comes rushing out of the powder room, looking more panicked than distant.

ROBBIE
Ray, what is going on?

RAY
We’re leaving this house in 60 seconds.

Ray grabs a box and throws it at Robbie.

RAY
Take, some food, and things, and fill this up.

ROBBIE
Ray what’s going?

Ray turns demanding, speaks slowly.

RAY
Just, do it...

Robbie hesitantly starts taking things and putting them in the box. Ray reaches into a cabinet and pulls out a packet of batteries, speaks as he talks.

RAY
(preoccupied)
Rachel, I’m going to need you to, uh, to go get that, uh, that suitcase you brought with you, and uh, screw it.

INT. RAY’S ROOM--DAY

Ray bursts in and opens his wardrobe. He pulls out a shoe box and opens it, reveling a revolver. Hastily, he grabs the revolver, loads it, and sticks it under the back of his belt.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREETS--DAY

People are scrambling everywhere, but not panicked, curious. We see Ray, clutching Rachel’s hand as she and Robbie struggle to keep up. Robbie holds the box of food, and eggs Ray on.

ROBBIE
Ray, would you just talk to me, Ray?

Ray ignores him.

A woman, coughing, her face blackened, runs by crying. People look at her with curiosity, including Rachel, getting nervous. They approach Manny’s garage, he is absent, but the van is sitting out front, the hood down.

Ray whispers to himself.

RAY
Please, please, please.

EXT. MANNY’S GARAGE--DAY

They reach the van, Ray looks around. Focus on the keys hanging from the ignition. 

ROBBIE
Ray, I’m standing right next to you, can you please just tell me what’s going on?

Ray, of course, ignores him and opens the drivers’ side door.

RACHEL
Who’s car is this?

RAY
Get in.

RACHEL
(more assertive)
Who’s car is this?

Ray ignores her once more, and she gets in, as does Robbie. 

Suddenly, Manny comes walking out of the garage, looking happy.

MANNY
Hey, Ray, you were right, you know it was the colloids.

He looks in at Ray as he turns the ignition.

MANNY
(curious)
What, what are you doing?

Ray reaches over and opens the passenger side door, where Robbie is sitting.

RAY
Get in, Manny.

Manny thinks it’s a joke.

MANNY
What? What are kidding me, come on get out of the truck.

RAY
Get in, Manny...

MANNY
Okay, Ray, get out of the truck!

Manny goes on indistinctly, when Ray shouts.

RAY
Manny get in the car or you’re going to die!

Long beat. Manny stares, realizing the severity of the situation, but not the danger.

MANNY
Okay you know what, Ray, get out of the truck.

INT. VAN--DAY

In the backseat, Rachel looks in the rear glass to see a tree suddenly explode in a shower of flame, along with several people.

ZOOM IN: Rachel screams in terror.

RAY
(to Robbie)
Close the door.

MANNY
Ray, this is not my truck-

Robbie gladly slams the door in his face.

Manny protests indistinctly as the van takes off. In the rearview mirror, we see Manny get struck by one of the tripod’s bolts and zapped into oblivion.

ROBBIE
Holy shit!

RACHEL
Is it the terrorists?!

EXT. STREETS--DAY

We are following the van as it speeds down the street, buildings exploding behind it.

Focus on the bridge, hanging beautifully in the background. It is suddenly zapped by a bolt and explodes, piece by piece, until it is completely up a flame and smoke.

CUT TO:

EXT. TURNPIKE--DAY

Ray’s van speeds out onto the turnpike, with people oblivious to the impending danger, more concerned with their broken down cars. The van careens around cars, honking, people look on curiously as it reaches a long stretch of road. We fly in and out of the van.

INT. VAN--DAY

Robbie is panicked, Rachel seems to be hyperventilating.

ROBBIE
What’s going on, what the hell was that?!

RAY
Can’t you see? We’re under attack!

ROBBIE
From what? Is it terrorists?!

Beat. 

Ray’s voice is forcefully calm as he drives.

RAY
No, this came from someplace else.

ROBBIE
What, you mean like Europe?

Ray explodes.

RAY
No, Robbie, not like Europe!

Rachel is crying in the backseat, looking scared, hyperventilating.

RACHEL
I want mom.

RAY
Rachel, I’m going to need you to stay calm for me.

Continues, louder.

RACHEL
I want mom.

RAY
Rachel, please-

She interrupts, screaming, almost indistinctly.

RACHEL
I want mom!

RAY
Rachel!

Robbie climbs to the backseat with Rachel and makes a sort of alligator arms with his hands.

ROBBIE
Okay, Rachel, this is your space.

Rachel makes the same hand gestures and breathes deeply, her eyes closed.

RACHEL
This is my space...

ROBBIE
Nothing can hurt you in your space, because its yours and no one else’s.

RACHEL
No one can hurt me...

Robbie continues her attempts to calm her down.

ROBBIE
Are you okay?

She nods, Robbie tries to retract himself back into the front seat, much to Rachel’s protests.

RACHEL
No, where are you going?!

Trying to calm her down.

ROBBIE
I’m going to be with dad, I’m going to be like two feet away, okay?

RACHEL
(crying)
Robbie, no!

ROBBIE
It’s okay Rachel.

Robbie looks at Ray, staring him down.

ROBBIE
(to Ray)
I want to know everything you know.

Ray collects his bearings and speaks, not loudly, but loud enough for Robbie to hear. Trying to remember everything.

RAY
This thing, just, came up out of the ground, and just starting torching everything, killing everybody.

Robbie looks through the windshield towards the empty gray skies.

ROBBIE
How come there aren’t any helicopters or planes?

RAY
I don’t know; how’s your sister doing?

Robbie looks back at Rachel, who miraculously appears much calmer, much more relaxed.

ROBBIE
How are you, Rachel?

RACHEL
Fine.

ROBBIE
(to Ray)
She’s good.

EXT. TURNPIKE--DAY

The car careens through a crowd of dead cars before hitting another stretch of empty road, disappearing into the distance.

CUT TO:

EXT. FANCY ESTATES--NIGHT

This community is much more statuesque and fancy than Ray’s neighborhood. It has, instead of townhouses, large, near-mansion sized houses.
 
Ray’s van pulls up to one of the houses, Tim’s house, and into an empty driveway, the lights are on in the house.

INT. VAN--NIGHT

Rachel jumps in anticipation as the van pulls in and stops in the driveway. She opens the door and sprints out.

RACHEL (O.S.)
Mom! Mom!

CUT TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM--TIM’S HOUSE--NIGHT

The door opens, Rachel runs in.

RACHEL
Mom!

The house is beautiful, as clean and tidy as you can get, with an enormous living room and big screen television. Rachel runs off screen, while Ray and Robbie walk into the house, Ray clutches the box of food Robbie packed.

ROBBIE
Mom!

Ray looks around, impressed, he glances at pictures of Robbie, Mary-Anne, Tim, and Rachel, all looking happy. Rachel comes running down the stairs.

RACHEL
Mom!

RAY
They’re not here, they were never here. There already in Boston.

Ray heads towards the kitchen, Robbie and Rachel look at each other and follow him.

INT. KITCHEN--TIM’S HOUSE--NIGHT

Ray walks in and sets the box of food on a beautiful marble kitchen island. Rachel, Robbie enter.

RACHEL
How come the lights are still on here?

Ray thinks for a second.

RAY
Well, because nothing happened here.

Long beat. Ray claps his hands, as if emerging from a trance, trying to stay calm, but almost overdoing it, seeming cheery.

RAY
Uh, food. Let’s see...

He starts digging through the box Robbie packed, he pulls out a bottle of ketchup, mustard, and tobasco. He speaks as he pulls each item out.

RAY
(preoccupied)
Ketchup, mustard, tobasco. Great, Robbie, what the hell is this? I told you to pack food!

ROBBIE
That’s all that was in your kitchen.

Another beat. 

RAY
Okay...

He swipes the box to the side and grabs a loaf of bread nearby, and a jar of peanut butter.

RAY
Here we go, how about some sandwiches.

Ray opens the loaf of bread and lays out several slices.

RAY
Let’s see, two for Robbie, two for Rachel, two for me, and one for the house.

He throws the extra slice of bread n the floor and opens a jar of peanut butter. Using a nearby wooden spoon, he starts spreading it on the bread slices.

RAY
Here we go, some nice peanut butter sandwiches.

Rachel looks at him spreading the sandwiches, obviously masking frustration.

RACHEL
I’m allergic to peanut butter.

Ray, surprised, continues to spread the butter.

RAY
Since when?

Beat.

RACHEL
Birth.

Ray continues, apprehensively.

RACHEL
Besides, I’m not hungry.

RAY
(forcing cheerfulness)
Well, me an Robbie are going to be eating peanut butter sandwiches.
(to Robbie)
You want jelly on this sandwich?

Beat.

ROBBIE
I’m not hungry, either.

Ray sighs, continues to hold in rage while he drops the spoon.

RAY
Okay...

He gathers up all the slices of bread, even the ones with peanut butter, and explodes. He hurtles them at the window over the kitchen sink, one even sticks, and leans over, staring outside. Breathing heavily, he becomes calmer.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT--TIM’S HOUSE--NIGHT

The lights flicker on and Ray comes walking down the stairs, Rachel and Robbie follow, closing the door behind him. Rachel and Robbie both carry sleeping bags.

RACHEL
Why do we have to sleep in the basement? We have perfectly good beds.

As they reach the bottom.

RAY
You know, it’ll be like, a slumber party.

Ray looks around, the basement is exquisite, with a sort of living room set up on one side of the stairs and a full weight lifting area on the other. 

RAY
Nice basement.

Rachel and Robbie look around.

RACHEL
I’ve got to sleep in my bed, I’ve got back problems.

Ray looks at her awkwardly, then moves over to the living room side of the basement.

RAY
Just, go to sleep.

Rachel and Robbie start for a space underneath the stairs to lay out their sleeping bags.

RACHEL
(to Ray)
God, do you think you could be a little nicer to me? Geesh.

Ray sits down, relaxing, in a chair on the living room side. Feeling uncomfortable, he leans forward and adjust the position of the revolver slid in underneath his belt.

We hear Robbie talking to Rachel off screen.

ROBBIE
Good night, Rachel.

RACHEL
Love you.

ROBBIE
Love you, too Rachel.

Ray sighs, relaxes his eyes. Focus on him adjusting the revolver under his belt.

CUT TO:

SOMETIME LATER THAT NIGHT.

We are looking at the basement window; bushes outside suddenly seem to awaken from a slumber and start tossing themselves about in a strange wind. We hear a wind chime outside ringing violently.

Focus on Ray’s face as he sleeps upright in the chair, his eyes open as the sounds outside grow louder, and are accompanied by flashes of light. He stands, as does Robbie. A loud droning momentarily fills the room. 

Rachel pops up from her slumber, her face affright. All three stare at the basement window.

RACHEL
(quietly)
Is the lightning back?

RAY
No, this is something else.

As if a someone had seen a ghost, a loud, haunting shriek shatters our ears and the glass of the basement window as the walls begin to violently buckle, sending debris flailing all around.

Ray, Robbie, Rachel, look around, panicked.

RAY
(to Robbie)
Where do we go?!

Robbie looks around, befuddled. 

An enormous flame can be seen through the broken window chasing the house.

RAY
Robbie, this is your house, where do we go!

Robbie suddenly rushes for a door in a corner, he opens it to reveal a small boiler room. Ray pushes Rachel inside, as Robbie dives first, then looks back at the chair he was sleeping in.

Focus on the revolver, fallen from his belt and onto the chair. He sprints for the revolver, grabs it, and rushes back for the boiler room.

INT. BOILER ROOM--TIM’S HOUSE--NIGHT

Ray enters and throws the door closed behind him, flames erupt around the edges of the door as he just barely manages to close it. Underneath the cracks, we can see flame filling the entire basement. Ray falls backward onto the floor, Rachel and Robbie are huddled together in a corner.

We hear the sound of glass breaking as the light in the boiler room goes out, covering us in pitch blackness.

Beyond the darkness, we can hear the faint sound of booming, thundering, and flames that must be inevitably destroying everything outside the minimal safety of the boiler room. After a few moments, though, we are plunged into silence.

Rachel speaks, her voice shaking.

RACHEL
Are we still alive?

FADE IN:

SOMETIME LATER.

Morning light creeps in from small window. 

Ray awakens and gets up, brushes off, we see Rachel huddled with Robbie in the corner. Groggy, Ray opens the door and steps out.

INT. BASEMENT--TIM’S HOUSE--DAY

As expected, the basement has been destroyed, with items thrown everywhere and every wall and object blackened from the flame. Ray takes it all in for a moment, then rushes up the rickety stairs.

EXT. FANCY ESTATES--WRECKED--DAY

Ray, expecting to see the living room beyond the basement door, is surprised to see that the entirety of Tim’s house has been ripped away.

ZOOM OUT: It seems the entire community has been smashed to rubble. Cars lay flipped over, smoking, houses crushed, burning with dying flame, no sign of life anywhere. And to top it all off, it appears that a passenger airplane has crashed in the middle of the street. The engines still rotate slowly near Ray, while the fuselage lays on its side, the top ripped open, exposing the seats.

Ray slowly walks along the crashed plane, looking up at the dead bodies hanging from their seatbelts.

Suddenly, we spot movement: a black man wearing a beige jacket is moving about the bodies, carrying a large trunk. Ray follows him from the ground.

RAY
(to man)
Hey! Were you on this plane?

The man completely ignores him, as if oblivious to his presence.

RAY
Hey!

Again, he ignores him and releases his grip on a seat, letting him slide gently to the ground with the trunk. He hastily starts trying to open it, looks up at Ray.

MAN
Hey, want to help me open this?

Ray doesn’t try to open it, he tries once more to talk to him.

RAY
Were you on this plane?

A female voice ushers in from off screen.

FEMALE VOICE (REPORTER)
He’s deaf.

She walks into the screen, looking dirty, wearing a tattered dress, and starts helping unbuckle the trunk. She speaks as she works.

REPORTER
Laser went off and hit his camera right by his head.

She looks at the deaf man.

REPORTER
You hear that, your stupid camera saved your stupid life.

Finally, the trunk opens, revealing several pre-packaged airline meals and bottles of water. The reporter starts pocketing as many water bottles as she can.

She gets up, Ray follows.

REPORTER
(to Ray)
Damn things came out of nowhere. We can’t get them because they have shields.

RAY
Shields?

REPORTER
Everything we fire at them detonates too early. They actually managed to bring down one, in Osaka, you’re telling me the Japanese can figure out how to kill them but we can’t?

She leads Ray over to a news van. She slides open the door, revealing a bunch of video monitors and other equipment, like a lab. She gets in and presses a button. On one of the video monitors, it shows one of the lightning storms that obviously serves as a precursor to the tripods’ appearances.

Ray recognizes the storm.

RAY
Hey, I saw that, well, I was in one of those.

REPORTER
Not like this.

She leans closer to Ray.

REPORTER
Those things came up from underground, right? Which means someone must have buried them there a long time ago, so...

As if expecting Ray to answer.

REPORTER
...who’s driving the god damn things?

Beat. She points to the screen.

REPORTER
Watch.

Ray watches intently.

The screen shows street busy street. A lightning bolt suddenly slams down, kicking up asphalt.

REPORTER
Did you see it? 

She rewinds the tape, and plays it again, slowly. She points to the lightning.

REPORTER
Watch the lightning, watch the lightning...

Suddenly, the tape pauses and we see that there appears to be a metal pod riding the lightning into the ground. The reporter points to the pod.

REPORTER
That, is them. They ride the lightning, down in these little, pod things. And after that, those tripods come up out of the ground. We were receiving feeds from New York, L.A., Chicago, but they’ve all gone static in the past few hours.

She switches tapes, stares at Ray.

REPORTER
Once the tripods start to move, no more news comes out of that area.

A new video appears on the screen, much more captivating than the first. It shows a city, with several tripods towering above it, zapping downward, destroying everything. The camera zooms out to show that there are at least ten, maybe fifteen tripods, all marching along, destroying everything they see.

Suddenly, the screen goes staticy.

In the distance, we hear a loud, haunting drone sound, the calling card of the tripods.

The deaf man (apparently not entirely deaf) stands up from picking through the trunk of food and looks frightfully to the sky.

DEAF MAN
You hear that? Let’s get the hell out of here.

The reporter watches as the deaf man heads for the driver’s seat. She looks at Ray.

REPORTER
Hey, were you on that plane?

Ray shakes his head “no.”

REPORTER
Shame, it would’ve made a really great story.

She slams the door in his face as the van speeds off. Ray watches it as it disappears down the road.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT--TIM’S HOUSE--DAY

Ray is putting on his jacket, he is staring at Rachel, who stands near the stairs.

RAY
(to Rachel)
I’m taking you to the car. When we get out, you’re going to want to look around...

He finishes struggling with his jacket and leans closer.

RAY
But you’re not going to, are you?

She methodically shakes her head, “no.”

RAY
Good.

EXT. FANCY ESTATES--WRECKED--DAY

Ray comes out, holding Rachel close so she can’t see. Robbie comes rushing out, looking around, we see his face flushed with shock. He takes off across the street and looks at the house on the other side of the street, his back to us, his arms over his head.

Ray brushes debris off the van and opens sliding door. Rachel hops in. Ray goes and sits in the driver’s seat. Looks out at Robbie, who is staring at the wreckage all around.

RAY
Robbie, get in the car!

Robbie turns around, we see that his face is wrinkled with rage. His skin is red, his eyes wide, and his teeth grinding.

RAY
Robbie, get in the car, please.

CUT TO:

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE ROAD--DAY

The van speeds along a deserted country road, with barns and silos on one side and a calm river on the other.

INT. RAY’S VAN--COUNTRYSIDE ROAD--DAY

Robbie sits in the passenger seat while Rachel leans forward, watching the road ahead. Ray struggles to drive and look at a map at the same time.

ROBBIE
Where are we going?

RAY
Boston. 

ROBBIE
Why don’t we just take the turnpike?

Ray drops the map.

RAY
Because I don’t anyone else knowing that we have a working car. I figure we just stay on these back roads for awhile, then find a ferry or something and cross the river into Connecticut.

Robbie leans back.

ROBBIE
Whatever, Ray.

Ray snaps, his vocal tone heightens.

RAY
Okay you know what? Stop with the Ray shit, okay? From now on it’s either dad, sir, or if you want, Mr. Ferrier. That sounds a little weird to me but I’ll get used to it.

Rachel screams from the back seat. Everyone silences, a beat. She speaks loudly at first.

RACHEL
Dad?!

Ray calms.

RAY
Yes, Rachel?

Rachel calms.

RACHEL
I have to go to the bathroom.

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE ROAD--DAY

The van pulls over, stops. Rachel gets out and starts running towards the river. Ray gets out, too.

RAY
(to Rachel)
Okay, right there’s fine.

Rachel protests and continues to run towards the river, which is lined by a thin layer of trees.

RACHEL
Are you crazy, I’m not going in front of you guys!

Ray raises his voice so she can hear him.

RAY
Well, then just stay where I can see you.

RACHEL
(distant)
That’s looking!

EXT. RIVERSIDE--DAY

Rachel races for the edge of the river, then, stops dead in her tracks. She stands, looking at something in the water. Widen out to reveal that it is a dead body, floating down the river, freshly killed.

Rachel gasps, and takes a step back. 

Suddenly, her eyes are drawn to something else: many more bodies are washing down the river, fifty, a hundred.

Ray comes out of nowhere and grabs her, she shrieks, but he holds his hand over his eyes.

RAY
I told you to stay where I could see you.

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE ROAD--DAY

Robbie waits back at the van. Suddenly, from the distance, a line of military vehicles start roaring down the dirt road. Robbie’s eyes widen as he stands up on the side of the road and waves at the military vehicles as they thunder by.

ROBBIE
Hey, wait! Stop! Take me with you! I want to go with you!

Military folk stare down at him as they pass.

ROBBIE
Stop, please!

He gets too close to a puddle and a vehicle sprays him with muddy water as it passes. Ray comes up and grabs Robbie by the shoulder, yelling.

RAY
Hey, what are you doing?!

ROBBIE
I’m going in that direction!

RAY
There’s nothing living in that direction! What do you want us to do, Robbie?!

The two begin to start heating.

ROBBIE
We get back at them! We go, we find them, and we get back at them! We get back at them!

Ray hesitates.

RAY
Okay, now let’s try one that doesn’t involve your ten-year old sister joining the army!

Robbie, yelling.

ROBBIE
What do you care? You never gave a shit before! You never gave a shit! The only reason you chose Boston is because you hope mom is there, and if she is you can dump us on her, and then you’ll be on your own again because that’s exactly the way you like it!

The final military vehicle passes down the road. Ray, no longer yelling, just stares at Robbie. Rachel comes into the picture, her eyes wet with tears, and looks up at Robbie, pounding on his chest.

RACHEL
(crying)
Where are you trying to go?! What are you trying to do?!

Robbie stares back at Ray.

CUT TO:

INT. RAY’S VAN--COUNTRY ROAD--DAY

Sometime later.

The mood has calmed. Rachel lays asleep in the backseat while Robbie stares out the passenger side window. Ray drives down the road. He looks over at Robbie.

RAY
Hey.

Grabs Robbie’s attention.

RAY
I’ve got to shut my eyes, why don’t you drive for awhile?

ROBBIE
I don’t have a license.

Beat.

RAY
Since when has that stopped you?

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. RAY’S VAN--TOWN--RAINING--NIGHT

Robbie is driving and Ray is sleeping in the passenger seat. They appear to be moving through a small town, with people everywhere. Robbie looks out to see a man pushing a shopping cart with several puppies inside, and a woman carrying her baby and holding another child’s hand, all pushing through the rain.

Through the window, we see that ahead is a massive crowd of people. Concerned, Robbie looks at the sleeping Ray.

ROBBIE
Ray, Ray...

Nothing.

ROBBIE
Dad!

Ray wakes up and sees immediately what Robbie is concerned about; everybody in the crowd starts to stare at the vehicle, a lust in their eyes.

RAY
Okay, keep your foot on.

Ray and Robbie start to maneuver themselves to switch seats. They do, and Ray takes over driving.

Suddenly, someone throws something at the car, making a nearby window crack.

RACHEL
(frightened)
What do they want?

RAY
A ride, they just want a ride.

RACHEL
Can we give him one?

Ray doesn’t answer.

People start to bang on the side of he car and slam things on the hood. Going crazy over the car.

Focus on the speedometer, it is quickly going up and the engine revs louder and louder as the car pushes through mounds of people.

Smash scene, a young woman holding a baby stands directly in the path of the now speeding van. Ray swerves to avoid collision and smashes into a nearby telephone pole.

EXT. DINER--RAINING--NIGHT

The telephone poles rests outside a small diner. Sparks fly from the pole and rain down upon the car. Crowding people start to jump atop the car, mobbing it.

INT. RAY’S VAN--RAINING--NIGHT

Ray rolls up all the power windows as people throw things at the windows, shattering the back. Robbie and Ray push people out futilely. Rachel screams.

Ray speaks, his voice muffled in his struggles.

RAY
Belts...belts off!

Robbie and Rachel quickly unbuckle their seatbelts as a person outside uses his bare hands to pry open the cracks in the windshield, blood shooting in all directions.

The drivers’ side door open.

EXT. DINER--RAINING--NIGHT

Ray is pulled from the van, as is Robbie, and nearly choked by a panicked stranger. Robbie belts the choker, only to be grabbed by someone else and pulled into the crowd, arms swinging. Ray is pushed to the ground, as people maul the car, a screaming Rachel stuck inside.

Suddenly, we hear a loud bang, a gunshot.

People stop and stand back and watch Ray stand with his arm extended to the air, his revolver smoking. He lowers the gun to head level and spins around, people duck in its wake.

RAY
Where’s my son? Where’s my son?!

A random person speaks up.

PERSON
Alright, man, just chill, relax.

RAY
Where’s my son?!

Robbie comes stumbling out of the crowd, falls. Ray lowers his gun to his side and runs over to him. Robbie looks up, his eyes tense, his mouth bleeding.

RAY
(softly)
Are you alright?

We are interrupted by a piercing scream, from Rachel.

Wide shot: a fat man has a pistol nudged up against Ray’s head, from behind him. All goes silent, just the bleating rain.

Ray stands up, his eyes staring forward.

FAT MAN
Drop the gun, man.

RAY
(nervous)
I just want-

FAT MAN
Drop the gun!

Ray drops the gun, it lands in the mud before him.

FAT MAN
I’m taking your car, man.

RAY
Please, I just-

Fat man snaps, obviously under a lot of stress.

FAT MAN
I’m taking your car!

Ray closes his eyes as the fat man moves closer to the drivers’ side door.

RAY
Please, I just want my daughter, just let me have my daughter.

The fat man looks in at a crying Rachel.

FAT MAN
Sure, sure go ahead.

Ray nervously reaches in and takes Rachel out. He, Rachel, and Robbie run for the diner. The fat man gets in the car and starts the engine.

Focus on, the f.g., a random person looks down at Ray’s revolver he had previously dropped to the ground and picks it up, looks at it curiously.

INT. DINER--RAINING--NIGHT

Enter Ray, Rachel and Robbie.

The diner is completely deserted, the lights out. All three sit down at one of the booths, Robbie by himself on one side, Ray and Rachel on the other. 

None of them say a word.

Outside the window, we see the van start to drive off, only to stop queued by the sound of gunshots. The random person who found Ray’s revolver fires rounds into the passenger side door of the van, killing the fat man. Everyone screams and runs from the van, including Rachel, who switches over to Robbie’s side of the booth, feeling safer with him.

And by the lonely look on Ray’s face, he knows that.

EXT. HARBOR TOWN--SNOWING--NIGHT

Hundreds of refugees have taken to the streets, all walking towards a large harbor in the distance, where we see the tiny light of a ferry preparing to take off. Ray, Rachel, and Robbie walk side by side in the crowd, the snow falls lightly. We hear random people in the crowd talking amongst each other.

RANDOM PERSON #1
We got the worst of it, New York, everything gone. There’s nothing going on in Europe.

RANDOM PERSON #2
I heard Europe got the worst of it, almost completely wiped out parts.

Ray, Robbie, and Rachel reach a railroad crossing. Bells ring as the pole descends, blocking our group off from crossing. Red lights flash as suddenly, the train passes, and is on fire.

People stand back as the train, engulfed in flames, speeds by, screaming. It finally completely passes, leaving the once fiery atmosphere cold and still once more.

CUT TO:

EXT. DOCKS--HARBOR TOWN--NIGHT

The snow has subsided.

Ray, Rachel, and Robbie walk along the docks, while gentle Christmas music plays over loudspeakers. Posters on a nearby wall display images of missing people, followed by emergency phone numbers.

Focus on a dock director, leading refugees onto the large ferry.

DOCK DIRECTOR
Move along calmly, folks, we have plenty of room and the boat can make multiple trips. Please, there’s no need to rush....

His voice tapers off as a woman (Cheryl) and her daughter (Sarah) rush up to meet Ray.

CHERYL
Ray! Ray!

Ray turns, eyes widen.

RAY
Cheryl?

CHERYL
Oh, my God, it’s so good to see you, I haven’t seen a familiar face in so long, oh-

Introduces her daughter.

CHERYL
This is my daughter Sarah.

They continue to chat indistinctly, letting refugees pass by them, as Rachel peers at something up in the sky. 

Rachel POV: Several birds fly into the trees, which violently begin to tremble. 

Rachel stares up more, as does everyone else. Ray turns himself and stares up, similar to everyone else.

Wide shot: an alien tripod stands up atop a hill overlooking the harbor town. It stands 75-feet tall, with a floodlight shining down. It smashes a tree under one of its three-toed feet and lets out one of its musical mechanical hums.

Below, in the crowd, man starts to run for the ferry, which starts a chain reaction. Masses of people suddenly flee for the entrance to the ferry. 

INT. BRIDGE--FERRY--NIGHT

The captain looks out over the ferry landing, with cars lined up everywhere, people scrambling about.

EXT. DOCKS--HARBOR TOWN--NIGHT

The ferry director looks towards a group of soldiers standing and waves them over, panicked.

FERRY DIRECTOR
No more people! Keep these people off this boat!

Ray and company reach the barrier that a group of soldiers have made, blocking people from the deck of the ferry.

Wide shot: two more tripods appear at the top of the hill; the three stand there menacingly, their floodlights scanning the scattering people below like an exterminator watches an armada of fleeing rats.

By Ray, the ferry director, standing behind the safety of the soldier barrier, Ray yells.

RAY
Let us on!

FERRY DIRECTOR
There’s no more room!

Ray looks around.

RAY
There’s only three of us!

Cheryl speaks up.

CHERYL
Five!

Ray, looks back at director.

RAY
Five, there’s five of us!

FERRY DIRECTOR
You don’t understand we don’t have anymore room!

Ray starts, furious.

RAY
There’s plenty of room! There’s room for hundreds more!

The ferry director starts arguing with another group of people. Ray looks to the distance.

Ray’s POV: there are people slipping onto the boat from the side, sneaking on.

Ray grabs Rachel’s hand, and Robbie’s.

RAY
(to everyone)
Come on!

Cheryl grabs her daughter’s hand, and then uses her free hand to grasp the back of Ray’s jacket. The group starts moving towards the crowd to a small unguarded portion of the ferry’s side.

Focus on Cheryl’s hand grasping Ray, someone runs through it and she loses her grip, falling back into the crowd, screaming indistinctly.

EXT. DECK--FERRY--NIGHT

Ray, Rachel, and Robbie successfully spill onto the deck.

INT. BRIDGE--FERRY--NIGHT

The captain looks at the people pushing back the barrier of soldiers and the menacing tripods above. He looks over at a technician working controls.

CAPTAIN
Bring it up, let’s get out of here!

EXT. DOCKS--HARBOR TOWN--NIGHT

The engines suddenly start, water shoots up from the river and soak people trying to get on the ferry from the stern. The ramp leading onto the deck from the docks starts to lift. People desperately jump for the ramp, but fall into the freezing water, some hang on.

EXT. DECK--FERRY--NIGHT

Ray scrambles around, hears a voice off screen, a yell.

CHERYL
Ray! Ray!

Ray looks over to see that Cheryl and her daughter are stuck on the other side of the ascending ramp. Robbie looks at the people failing to make it onto the boat, landing in the river. He suddenly does something drastic, and takes off for the now vertical ramp.

Ray watches on, captivated, as Robbie climbs the vertical grated ramp and starts helping people over onto the deck. Focus on Ray, smiling at his son’s heroic attempts.

INT. BRIDGE--FERRY--NIGHT

The boat steams on into the river, just when the captain spots something in the water. He stares, in awe, at a mass of blue light moving underneath the surface, moving towards the boat.

CAPTAIN
(quietly)
Holy god...

The light moves underneath the ferry, obviously a submerged tripod.

EXT. RIVER--FERRY--NIGHT

The submerged tripod slowly lifts itself out of the water, the enormous eye staring at the people on board. The massive head of the tripod begins to tip the ferry on its side as it rises.

EXT. DECK--FERRY--NIGHT

Ray grabs Rachel, Robbie joins them as they brace. 

The deck slopes, immediately causing people to fall into the water. Cars slide down the deck, crushing some people, pinning others against the railing. 

EXT. RIVER--FERRY--NIGHT

Just about everybody on the deck of the ferry falls into the freezing river water. The tripod lifts up out of the water on its three stilt-like legs. Ray, Rachel, and Robbie struggle to keep up, treading water. They look up in horror as a car slides off the deck and into the water, right in front of them.

EXT. UNDERWATER--RIVER--NIGHT

We see several cars, and people, sinking to the river bottom, along with the bottom of the tripod, two tripods, three tripods have entered the water of the relatively shallow river.

The car that nearly hit Ray and company has people inside, struggling futilely to get out.

EXT. RIVER--FERRY--NIGHT

A mechanical tentacle, like a squid’s, slithers down from the head of the tripod and wraps itself around a struggling person in the water. In an instant, the tentacle zips up, taking the person with it.

Wide shot: five tripods now have entered the river, all shooting out their mechanical tentacles, grabbing people, collecting them, left and right.

EXT. RIVER BANK--NIGHT

Ray, Robbie, and Rachel wash up on a muddy bank, tired, groggy, and dirty. They stumble only for a few moments before rushing up the bank. They reach a hilltop which offers a perfectly disturbing view of the entire river.

Wide shot: disturbing, the tripods are scanning the waters, collecting people everywhere, sucking them up into the heads of the tripods using many of the squid-like tentacles. The screams of the innocent people below are haunting.

Ray and company duck for cover as a giant tripod walks right by the hill they were watching from, somehow missing them and moving on to collect more people.

They look on to get another sight: coming over a hill on the same side of the river as them, a crowd of people come running over, stumbling down, being chased by two giant tripods. The tripods, instead of collecting them, are zapping them into fire. The grass around the people are torched as well, people literally turned into flame. 

Ray and company duck into the safety of the forest.

EXT. DEAD FOREST--NIGHT

The trees are gray and rotted, and something is falling like snow, but not snow, the dusty remains of people.

Ray, Rachel, and Robbie move through the forest, stumbling and tired. They look up to see something very, very disturbing: clothes, clothes that were once surrounding people, are raining to the ground, slowly, covered in white, charred dust that were once human beings.

It is raining the attire of the dead.

CUT TO:

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE--DUSK

The countryside looks very similar to the countryside from before, with a barn house sitting off a road, and a large hill being the primary over looker.

Ray, Rachel, and Robbie walk down the country road, along with hundreds of other refugees, all looking just as tired and battered as them. 

Suddenly, Ray ducks as something rockets overhead, another, and another, three missiles fly overhead and shoot for over the hill. Near the crest of the hill is a line of military vehicles, and on the other side, where we can’t see, is obviously an enormous battle. 

The mood suddenly explodes as the sky turns orange; helicopters buzz overhead, heading for the unseen battlefield on the other side of the hill. Robbie’s eyes light up and he suddenly breaks into a sprint for the hill.

RAY
Robbie!

Ray grabs Rachel and chases after him.

By a tree, Ray leaves Rachel.

RAY
(to Rachel)
Don’t move!

Ray chases after Robbie, leaving Rachel underneath a tree at the base of the hill, frightened. 

Near the top of the hill, Ray tackles a fleeing Robbie, rolling him onto his back. The thunderous roar of the battle on the other side of the hill echoes about, Ray screams to make his voice barely audible.

RAY
You can’t do this, Robbie!

ROBBIE
I have to!

A helicopter is zapped by a tripod’s lightning bolt overhead and explodes.

BY THE TREE, a fleeing older couple pass up Rachel, standing petrified. The woman suddenly stops and turns to Rachel.

WOMAN
Oh, my god, sweetie what are you doing here?

The husband tugs on the woman’s arm.

WOMAN
(to husband)
Well, we can’t just leave her here.

RACHEL
It’s okay, my dad’s getting my brother! He’s right over there.

She points, but the woman ignores her and grabs her hand.

WOMAN
Oh, come on!

Rachel struggles, screaming.

BY ROBBIE AND RAY, Ray still has Robbie pinned, shouting at him over the sound of the battle.

RAY
I know it seems like you have to fight, I know it seems like you have to, but you don’t, Robbie, you don’t!

ROBBIE 
But I have to do this! I have to see!

Ray keeps Robbie pinned and looks back at Rachel, who is being dragged off by the fleeing couple. He turns back to Robbie, staring bleakly.

RAY
What about your sister, huh? Are you just going to abandon her?!

A long beat.

ROBBIE
(softly)
Please, you have to let me see this, you have to let me go...

Ray stares at his son, the moment is tense, and we see that Ray’s hands slowly release their tight grip on Robbie’s shirt, and Robbie crawls away. He stands at the very top of the hill, a dark silhouette against a fiery sky, and looks back down at his father, for the last time, then disappears over the hill and into the unseen battle zone.

BY RACHEL, she is being dragged by the woman in the couple. Ray comes running up.

RAY
Hey! That’s my daughter! That’s my daughter!

The woman releases her grip on Rachel.

WOMAN
Oh...

She and her husband scurry off into the crowd of fleeing refugees. Ray grabs Rachel, and stops in the wake of a large explosion, enormous, louder than anything that we’ve heard thus far. Ray and Rachel stare up at the top of the hill.

Wide shot: a military vehicle flies through the air, on fire, and a cloud of flame rises up over the other side of the hill, completely engulfing all the soldiers fighting near the top of it.

Ray stares on.

RAY
(to self, quiet)
Robbie?

From the flames comes an enormous tripod, creating an even bigger flame ushering from the other side of the hill...it would appear that everything on the other side of the hill, Robbie included, has been incinerated.

RAY
(eyes wide)
Robbie!

It is tense, Ray yells for his perished son.

Wide shot: another tripod emerges from the other side of the hill, using its heat ray to incinerate people. Instead of just lightning bolts, the heat ray just incinerates people in a straight line of sight.

EXT. FARM HOUSE--COUNTRYSIDE--DUSK

A man, wearing an oversized pullover and hoisting a shotgun high in the air, stands by the exterior cellar entrance of the farm house.

MAN
Over here! Over here!

We see Ray and Rachel rush over to the exterior cellar door, people being zapped in the background. The man opens the door for them.

INT. BASEMENT--FARM HOUSE--NIGHT

The basement is dirty, and dark, with a couch and chair in the center, and several little storage areas. Ray and Rachel come flying in from the exterior door. Rachel sits down on the end of the couch, while Rachel buries her face into a pillow on the other side, crying.

The mysterious man closes the cellar doors, tight, and puts a crow bar into the lock to keep it sealed. He comes rushing down to Ray and stands before him. The man is scruffy, slightly fat, with a beat up undershirt and dog tag, his eyes are the eyes of a man slightly deranged. He speaks with an accent.

MYSTERIOUS MAN
You guys alright?

Ray looks up, and for the first time, we see sadness. Tears trickle down his face like rivers over the loss of his son.

The mysterious man realizes Ray’s anguish.

MYSTERIOUS MAN
I’m going to, uh, get you something to drink.

He disappears into one of the small rooms.

Ray turns to Rachel, who lays crying, and gets down on his knees before her. He speaks softly, holding back tears.

RAY
Hey...

RACHEL
Robbie...

RAY
Shh, he’s going to meet us, in Boston, he’s going to meet up with us in Boston, I promise.

There is a beat.

Rachel stops crying heavily and just becomes teary.

RACHEL
Am I ever going to see mom alive again?

Ray thinks of a way to respond, trying to collect his bearings.

RAY
Of course you will. You know what, I bet she hasn’t slept in days, because she misses you so much, and is so worried about you. And you know what else? She’s in Boston, and she’s at grandma’s house, and she’s making that awful tea she makes.

Ray forces a laugh, and Rachel forces a smile. We see the mysterious man looking on, standing at the doorframe of the room. Ray looks at a gold ribbon, now blackened, pinned onto Rachel’s shirt. He touches it.

RAY
What’s this?

RACHEL
Second place, horse show.

Ray looks befuddled, he didn’t even know about it.

RACHEL
Daddy? Sing me a lullaby goodnight.

Ray thinks for a second, not sure.

RAY
I don’t know that one.

RACHEL
Then sing me goodnight moon.

Another beat.

Ray thinks for another second, his eyes distant in thought.

RAY
I’m sorry, I don’t know that one, either.

Rachel rolls over, lulling, looking very disappointed that Ray doesn’t know any of the lullabies. Ray, not wanting to disappoint, thinks for a second, then starts to sing, slowly, nervously.

RAY
Take me down...to the paradise city...

Rachel looks at him, her eyelids starting to descend.

RAY
...where the grass is green...and the girls are pretty...

Her eyes close completely.

RAY
...oh, lord, won’t you please take me home. Take me down, to the paradise city, with its golden streams...and...

He stops, for she has fallen asleep. Ray stands, looking down at his daughter. The mysterious man clears his throat in the corner, an attention-getter. Ray looks over at him, he is holding a glass of liquid.

MYSTERIOUS MAN
Peach schnopps. Terrible, I know, but I found a whole case of this shit.

INT. STORAGE ROOM--FARM BASEMENT--NIGHT

There is an oil lamp, giving the small storage area an orange glow.  The mysterious man sits down on a nearby crate, Ray sits across from him, takes a glass of schnopps. The man breaks the awkward silence.

MYSTERIOUS MAN
I’m sorry about your son.

Ray gets slightly defensive.

RAY
He’s going to meet us, in Boston.

A beat. 

The man sticks his hand out and shakes with Ray, introduces himself.

MAN
Clayton, Ogilvy.

RAY
Ray Ferrier.

Another beat.

RAY
Did you, lose anybody?

Ogilvy stares, almost chuckles a little bit.

OGILVY
All of them...
(beat)
We can hide out in my basement. I’ve got enough food and water for weeks, you’re welcomed to stay, both of you.

Ray nods. He gets up and walks out of the room, then looks back.

RAY
Thank you for taking us in.

He turns to join his daughter, only to turn back to Ogilvy when he hears his voice.

OGILVY
They buried them, Ray, years ago, right under are feet, right under our feet...

Beat, Ray looks.

OGILVY
They’ve been planning this for a million years, and these are just the first, they’ll keep coming, Ray, they’ll keep coming. 

Ray stares, Ogilvy takes a swig of his drink.

OGILVY
They brought down the greatest power in the world in just a few days, walked right over us. I mean, let’s face it, this is not a war more than there’s a war between men and maggots. This, Ray, this is an extermination.

Ray turns back to his daughter, only to have Ogilvy get up and stand in the doorframe of the storage area.

INT. BASEMENT--FARM HOUSE--NIGHT

Ogilvy looks at Ray, Ray at him.

OGILVY
I’ve been around death plenty. I drive an ambulance in the city, well-
(thinks)
-drove, I guess that’s all over now, huh?

He chuckles a bit, then regains.

OGILVY
Anyway, the one’s that make, the one’s that live, Ray, are the one’s that keep their eyes open, that remain aware of what’s going on around them. They’re the ones that make it, Ray, the one’s that keep seeing, they’re the ones that keep on living. And if you ask me, Ray, I’m dead set on living.

Ogilvy thinks for a second, then laughs at himself.

OGILVY
(to self)
Dead set on living.

He walks back into the storage area and sits down. Ray lays down by his daughter. We can hear Ogilvy in storage.

OGILVY (O.S.)
Not going to be exterminated.

By Rachel, Ray watches her sleep.

Suddenly, we hear a loud, crashing sound from the corner of the room, as the ceiling caves in over it. Rachel jumps, Ray grabs her, as thunderous roars of the tripods scream outside, lightning bolt flashes illuminating the room.

Ogilvy comes rushing in from the storage area with his shotgun. He runs underneath the caved in area of the ceiling and points his weapon skyward.

OGILVY
(yelling over thunder)
This is just what we wanted, Ray! We’ll take them by surprise, get them like they got us!

He comes running up to Ray, speaks menacingly.

OGILVY
Now we’ll be the ones coming up from underground...

Ray looks around, his face showing the sudden realization that he has taken in with a mad, illogical revolutionist. Looks to Ogilvy, who is looking around at the flashes of blue light coming in from the basement windows.

RAY
(to Ogilvy)
Why have you brought us here? I have a daughter!

Ogilvy faces him, close, his voice low.

OGILVY
To fight them together, Ray, me and you, we’re right under their feet, Ray, right under their feet.

Ogilvy dodges away into the background. 

Focus on Ray’s face, his eyes bleak, realizing his terrible mistake.

CUT TO:

INT. OGILVY’S BASEMENT--MORNING

Even though it is morning, it is still dark, you can’t really tell what time of the day it is, except for the orange light shining in from the windows. We hear a loud, mechanical sound outside, it is repetitive, like the movement of pistons in a factory.

We see that a strange red weed, growing before our eyes, has completely covered the walls of the basement. Ray comes into view, he seems to be alone. He grabs a piece of the red weed and rips it off, examines it.

He rips off another piece and examines it.

Ray enters the center part of the basement to see Ogilvy sitting on the stairs next to Rachel, talking to her.

OGILVY
Are you scared? You know, if anything happens to your daddy, I’ll take care of you.

Ray stands erect.

RAY
Rachel!

Rachel comes rushing down the stairs and stands next to Ray. Ray stares down Ogilvy, who comes slowly walking towards him.

RAY
(to Ogilvy)
You don’t have anything to say to her, you understand? If you have anything to say, you talk to me.

Ogilvy looks much more menacing than the kind man his first impression created.

OGILVY
What exactly is your plan, Ray? Because I’ve got a plan, I know what I’m doing, how about you? 

Beat.

OGILVY
What are you, going to just sit here and wait for them to come get you?

The sudden mechanical factory sound we hear outside suddenly stops. Ray notices, but Ogilvy obviously doesn’t, caught up in the heat of the moment. Ogilvy goes over to the storage area, apparently, and strangely, digging with a large shovel, digging a hole. He yells from the room.

OGILVY
Maybe you want to get caught!

Ray speaks in a loud whisper.

RAY
Would you be quiet?!

OGILVY
Maybe they’ll train you, make you their pet!

RAY
(louder)
Would you shut up and listen?!

Everything goes silent as we see something appear at the top of the caved-in portion of the ceiling in the corner. Rachel ducks out of the way, Ray stands and watches as a mechanical, snake-like probe slithers down into the basement. It looks like a long, metal anaconda.

The end of the probe suddenly opens to reveal a camera-lens eye, and floodlights flash on the sides.

Ray immediately ducks to the side of the couch. He crouches low, sweating as the snake-probe creeps forward into the room, starting a game of cat and mouse.

Rachel is standing behind a tattered curtain, watching cautiously, her breaths short.

Suddenly, a small rat runs across the room, getting the attention of the probe, it follows the rat deep into the basement, allowing Ray time to grab Rachel and stand behind a wall partitioning the basement into two sides.

We see an axe on the wall, and then a hand pick it up. It is Ogilvy, moving slowly towards the body of the probe as it busies itself deep in the basement confines. Ray watches from the other side of the probe, his eyes widen.

Ogilvy raises the axe, preparing to slash the probe’s body, but then glances at Ray. Ray is shaking his head and mouthing “no.” Ogilvy lowers the axe, thinking, then raises it again. Ray waves Ogilvy over silently, and he finally, and nervously, agrees.

Ogilvy puts the axe to his side and slowly ducks underneath the probe’s body, joining Ray on the other side. But then...he drops the axe. It clanks on the ground, drawing the attention of the probe.

The group run for a corner, and find a large mirror. They set it up quickly and huddle behind it, just in time to remain hidden from the probe. Curiously, the probe looks at its own reflection, closely, examining itself, then slowly starts to move away.

Reverse angle, from behind mirror: as we see the probe moving away, Rachel slips her foot out in the open.

The probe hears this, and whips around, looking for the source of the disturbance. It focuses in on the tip of Rachel’s shoe sticking out from behind the mirror. It moves closer, closer, until it reaches the back of the mirror, to reveal a shoe, but not person in it. Looking befuddled, the probe examines the area, and behind it, we see the group move across the room to another hiding spot. 

Finally, the probe, outsmarted, begins to retract back up through the ceiling. As it does, its mechanical eyelid closes and its floodlights go off. We hear nothing but silence and the sound of dripping water.

Ray, Rachel, and Ogilvy sigh in relief for a few brief seconds. Rachel sits down in the chair, panting quietly. Suddenly, our peace is shattered by the sound of moving water.

Looking down one of the slightly flooded passageways, we see the water start to move in waves, as it becomes obvious that someone, or something, is walking through it.

Ray immediately dives in front of the couch as three dark silhouettes move behind it, behind a string of tattered curtains. They appear to look like giant heads mounted on three stilts, producing grunting noises and small bellows.

Abruptly, one of the giant heads pops through the curtains to have a look around, and reveals itself as none other than an alien, with bluish, reptilian skin and two large black eyes. There mouths open sideways, and mounted on the head on stilts are two stubby, nearly useless, arms.

The alien pulls back the chair Rachel is sitting in, but miraculously doesn’t spot her frozen body; instead it looks over to two of its buddies, who are going through a box of memorabilia, and heads for them. Ray and Rachel seize the opportunity and head for a corner off screen.

By the aliens, they go through a box of random, dusty things. One of them spins the wheel on a nearby bike hanging on the wall, it jumps back as it falls, accidentally hitting another alien, annoying it.

Focus on across the room, the barrel of Ogilvy’s shotgun comes poking around a corner, aiming for the group of aliens. Suddenly, it jerks back, and the slips back into the corner.

AROUND THE CORNER, Ray struggles against Ogilvy, trying to hold him  from shooting the aliens, a risk getting caught. Ogilvy swings around, holding the shotgun, and pins Ray, who also holds the gun, against the wall. Rachel watches on in horror, her glances switching between the struggling men and the aliens.

BY THE ALIENS, they find a picture in the box, upon closer inspection, we see that it is a picture of Ogilvy and his family. They sniff it, examine it, and pass it down amongst each other.

AROUND THE CORNER, Ogilvy stares into Ray’s eyes, as it becomes obvious he is overcoming him. The shotgun barrel starts moving towards the aliens, preparing to fire.

We are overcome by the familiar sound of the loud mechanical drone of the alien tripods. The aliens listen, and then start to move to the caved in portion of the ceiling. Like three-legged geckos, they move up into the hole and out of sight, leaving everybody in silence.

Ogilvy and Ray both release their grip of the shotgun and relax. Ogilvy gives menacing stare to a panting Ray.

OGILVY
You and me, I don’t think we’re on the same page.

He walks away, leaving Ray to catch his breath.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT--MORNING

We once again hear the loud factory-like sound outside. Through the windows, we see a grisly scene: tripods walk along the countryside, spraying something into the air, a red mist, which gives the sky a deep crimson tint.

Ray approaches the window, cracks it, and lifts his open hand, collecting some of the liquid red mist on his palm. He withdraws his hand and examines it to find that the mist appears to be a red liquid, like blood.

We hear Ogilvy shouting off screen.

OGILVY
Ray! Ray!

Ray runs over to Ogilvy, who looks out another window at a similar scene.

RAY
Would you keep your voice down!

Ogilvy turns around, his face covered in blood much like Ray’s hand. Ray goes up to the window and watches.

Ray’s POV through window: one of the tripods stands right outside. It lowers itself near the ground, and has a struggling man dangling on a mechanical tentacle. It pins the man to the ground, and then another tube-like structure comes down from the tripod, a clear glass tube. Suddenly, a piercing blade comes out of the tip of the tube as it swiftly strikes the man. We see blood flow up the tube, disturbingly.

Ray backs away from the window, as Ogilvy’s face turns frightened, he finally snaps and runs for the storage area, screaming.

Ray chases him.

INT. STORAGE ROOM--BASEMENT--DAY

Ogilvy’s voice has risen far above normal level, to a potent, and attention-getting yell. He kneels down on all fours and uses his shovel to continue what already seems to be a dug tunnel. Ray enters and looks, it seems like the kind of tunnel convicts use to escape prisons. 

Ogilvy turns to Ray as he digs.

OGILVY
They drink us! They drink us! They’re using our blood as fertilizer, chewing us up and spitting us out all over the trees, to make that god damn red weed!

Even though what he speaks is truth, his eyes are the eyes of a man gone insane.

RAY
Would you be quiet!

Ogilvy ignores him.

OGILVY
We’ll have our own tunnels, our own, secret underground tunnels. We’ll be able to make, a new underground system, fit 100’s of people down there, a whole army!

Ray looks back into the basement at Rachel, sitting on the couch. Turns back to Ogilvy.

OGILVY
Don’t you get it, Ray? We’re the resistance. We’ll start a revolution, Ray. They may want my blood, they’re not going to get it, not my blood, Ray, not my blood!

He starts to dig again, yelling as he works.

OGIVLY
Not my blood! Not my blood!

Ray stares, knowing he can’t stop Ogilvy from yelling, from potentially giving them away, his daughter included.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT--DAY

Ray is wrapping a blindfold around Rachel’s head as she sits on the couch. He speaks softly, we can see a look of visible distress on the exposed portion of Rachel’s face.

RAY
(to Rachel, soft)
Now you’re going to cover your ears, and you’re not going to take this off until I tell you, do you understand me?

She nods.

Ray takes her hands of covers her own ears with them. Ray walks off screen.

BY THE STORAGE ROOM DOOR, Ray stands before it, Ogilvy turns stops yelling his random maniacal shouts and looks at Ray. Ray, slowly, closes the door.

Rachel starts to sing to herself, we can see strange oscillations of light behind the storage room door in the background, indicating a struggle going on on the other side.

RACHEL
(singing, shaky)
Take me down...to the paradise city...where the grass is green, and the girls are pretty. Oh, won’t you please take me home.
(beat)
Take me down-

She stops at the sound of the storage room door opening. Ray walks out, his face distant, his eyes dim. He passes Rachel and sits down on the stairs, holding his arm, a bit of blood dripping from it. Rachel slowly takes off her blindfold, her face in tears, and walks over to her father. They embrace, Ray seems relieved, despite the fact that he had just killed an innocent man.

At least the room is silent.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT--NIGHT

All is quiet, just the dripping of the water in the background. Ray sleeps with Rachel on the couch, embracing her. It is peaceful. Rachel opens her eyes slightly, noticing something in the darkness.

Suddenly, she is engulfed in a bluish-white light...the floodlights of the alien probe...it’s back. It stares, its camera-lens eye, looking right at Rachel. Ray awakens, his eyes widen. This time, he doesn’t just try to hide from it, he picks up a nearby axe and slashes into the probe’s body. Rachel screams and goes racing up the stairs in fear.

Ray slashes more violently at the probe, it quickly withdraws, retracting up through the gaping hole in the ceiling, its end hanging off where Ray cut it.

Ray drops the axe, looks around, panicked.

RAY
Rachel?! Rachel?!

We hear her scream usher from upstairs. Ray takes off for the stairs.

CUT TO: 

INT. LIVING ROOM--OGILVY’S HOUSE--NIGHT

Ray comes rushing up out of the basement and heads for the front door, talking to himself.

RAY
No, no, no, no!

He reaches the door and opens it, he stands back in shock.

Looking through the opened door, we see that the entire countryside has been covered with the red weed, the grass is no longer green, but red, with pools of crimson liquid everywhere. We see several military vehicles completely covered with the weed, it hangs from the trees like trimming.

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE--NIGHT

Ray comes rushing out, looking around, not seeing Rachel anywhere.

RAY
Rachel! Rachel!

Nothing.

Suddenly, the three-toed foot of a giant tripod slams down just a few yards from Ray. He falls, and is then engulfed in what seems to be like a spotlight. The tripod starts to lean down towards him, mechanical tentacles zip out for him.

He gets up and runs for one of the military vehicles. He gets in, just in time to avoid the tentacles. Outside, the tentacles wrap around the vehicle, lift it up, and drops it. 

INT. MILITARY VEHICLE--NIGHT

Ray holds his shoulder, hurt from the impact of the drop. Suddenly, we hear a loud, piercing scream outside. Ray looks up through the cracked windshield to see Rachel standing at the top of nearby hill, looking petrified at the giant tripod.

RAY
Rachel, no!

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE--NIGHT

The tripod moves closer to Rachel, who is no longer screaming, just staring up in fear. One of the tentacles reaches up and lifts her into the air, she doesn’t struggle, apparently giving up.

Ray emerges from the wrecked vehicle and chases after the tripod, which starts to walk away. Ray is knocked down when the tripod’s leg smashes through the entirety of Ogilvy’s house. Looking up at the tripod.

RAY
Rachel!

Ray immediately thinks of something and dashes for the wrecked military vehicle. He digs inside, and it doesn’t take him long to find a utility belt with several grenades strapped to it.

Racing across the now-red grass, Ray takes off one of the grenades, takes out the pin, and hurtles it towards the tripod.

Wide shot: the grenade explodes a few feet from the tripod, in midair. Annoyed, the tripod turns to Ray and swiftly scoops him up with one of the tentacles. 

It carries him to a metal basket, filled with people, hanging right on the back of the tripod, another basket of people hangs on the other side. It drops him in.

INT. BASKET--TRIPOD--NIGHT

Ray falls, surrounded by screaming, crying people.

Suddenly, a circular, glob-like mouth opens up a few feet above the cage. A mechanical tentacle trickles out like a giant tongue and wraps itself around a random man. The man screams and struggles, but to no avail, he is sucked up into the mouth. On the other side, we see the same thing.

Ray looks up and sees someone lying against the wall of the cage, and rushes to find...Rachel.

RAY
Rachel!

She is petrified. Her eyes look up at him, bleak. There seems to be absolutely no emotion on her face. Ray grabs her shoulders.

RAY
Rachel?

People start to scream as the globular mouth opens again, and this time, the mechanical tentacle zips right for Rachel. Ray immediately jumps atop her, knocking her out of the way, so the tentacle instead grabs Ray by his legs.

Ray grabs the basket and sees something dangling a few feet below; it is the utility belt of grenades. Quickly, he grabs a grenade as the tentacle begins to bring him up into the mouth.

RACHEL
Daddy!

A soldier sees Ray and grabs him, but in futile. Ray continues to ascend into the mouth.

SOLDIER
Everybody pull!

Everybody in the cage starts to grab onto the soldier.

SOLDIER
Pull me! Pull me!

Everybody continues, all pulling hard, all working together. It doesn’t seem to be working, as Ray’s entire body and head disappears into the mouth, only his one hand sticks out, the one the soldier is hanging onto.

Then, finally, we hear a mechanical clicking sound, as Ray’s arm appears, and then, his entire body slips out of the mouth and to the bottom of the cage. The soldier slaps him on the back and Ray spits out one of the grenade’s pins into his palm. The soldier realizes.

SOLDIER
Everybody down!

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE--NIGHT

The alien tripod convulses, and suddenly implodes, flame shooting out from all ends, an orange liquid spilling from the front. The baskets going flying off the tripod, the one Ray is in lands in a nearby tree.

People come climbing out of the basket and down the tree as the tripod falls to the ground in the background. It buckles and finally explodes, engulfed in a rich blue flame.

Ray and Rachel reach the bottom of the tree and look on in awe.

CUT TO:

EXT. HIGHWAY--BOSTON--DAY

Hundreds of refugees, Ray and Rachel included, walk along a highway, Boston gleams in the background. Focus on a large street sign in the middle of the road, it is covered in the red weed, but we can see that it reads “WELCOME TO BOSTON.”

EXT. STREETS--BOSTON--DAY

Ray, Rachel, and the other refugees round a corner. Military soldiers run everywhere, scrambling about. Ray and Rachel pass a statue, covered in the red weed, but we notice that most of the weed is turning a strange shade of whitish-gray.

Ray walks over to the statue and grabs a piece of the now-white weed, and clutches it.

RACHEL
What’s happening to it?

Beat.

Ray crushes the white weed and it sprinkles into dust.

RAY
It’s dying.

We suddenly hear people rush out into the street to look around the corner. Ray and Rachel follow, and look up to see a magnificent sight: an alien tripod is lying on the side of a building, with a white dust covering it. It appears to be dead.

Soldiers start directing people onto the other side of buildings, via a small tunnel. As they are passing a soldier, Ray turns to him.

RAY
(to soldier)
Hey, can you tell me what happened here?

SOLDIER
It was behaving erratically, started walking around in circles, then it just collapsed. You’ll have to move along, sir.

Ray and Rachel move through the tunnel onto the other side of the buildings, then turn in shock, people begin running, as we see another tripod, this one moving, slowly above the buildings.

People duck for cover, but Ray stands pat, for it appears that the tripod seems disoriented, moving about drunkenly. Focus on the birds, Ray sees several birds landing atop the tripod, picking at it.

Ray realizes something, and runs over to a nearby soldier.

RAY
Hey!

The soldier turns around, but we are suddenly engulfed in the loud droning sound of the tripod.

RAY
The birds! Look at the birds!

SOLDIER
What?!

Beat.

Ray yells at the top of his lungs.

RAY
No shield!

The soldier looks up at the tripod, noticing this, too.

The droning sound stops, and the soldier immediately starts directing troops.

SOLDIER
Delta, delta, bring it down!

Several soldiers move to an open area, carrying a large rocket launcher, to get a better angle of the tripod. In an instant, they fire, the missile strikes the tripod, nearly knocking it over.

SOLDIER
Again!

Another shot, and another direct hit. They fire once last time, and the tripod eventually begins to buckle, and then, violently, falls and smashes through a building. People scatter and run out of the way as the head of the tripod lands in the open area.

Silence for a moment.

People gather around as a circular door opens in the head of the tripod. A strange, orange liquid spills out. A few soldiers go up to the door, rifles raised.

Climactically, a strange blue arm of one of the aliens reaches down slowly from inside, reaching outside, its three fingers dragging the arm along, which suddenly turns to a sickening shade of ruddy white, and falls limp.

One soldier raises the arm with his rifle and lets it fall.

SOLDIER
It’s dead.

Pan up, the head of the alien is sticking out, frozen, turned a shade of pure, frozen white. Dead.

SLOW CUT TO:

EXT. UNTOUCHED STREET--BOSTON--DAY

In much contrast to the other streets, this street has been completely unharmed, with cars parked in their driveways and streetlights still blazing.

Ray walks down the street like the lone ranger, carrying Rachel. He slowly approaches a house at the end of the street.

Suddenly, the door to the house at the end of the street opens, revealing Mary-Anne, a look of happiness and relief on her face. Ray loosens his grip on Rachel and she runs for her mother.

RACHEL
Mom! Mom!

She reaches her and they embrace. Mary-Anne cries tears of joy and mouths “THANK YOU” to Ray, who stands alone a few yards away, his face distant.

Tim appears at the door, as do Mary-Anne’s elderly parents, to look out at the reunion. Then, miraculously, Robbie appears from behind them and stares down at Ray.

Robbie, his face blackened and his clothes tattered, runs for Ray. Ray’s eyes light up.

ROBBIE
Dad! Dad!

They embrace, Ray himself cries tears of joy.

CUT TO:

EXT. WIDE SHOT OF BOSTON--DAY

We see many of the tripods, all fallen and smoking, all dead, succumbed to the same mysterious force. We suddenly focus on a nearby tree, and zoom in on in: there is a single green leaf hanging from it. 

Zooming in on the leaf, we see a small droplet of water upon it. We hear the same, narrative voice from the beginning.

VOICE
From the moment the invaders arrived, the moment they ate, and drank, they were doomed. after all man’s weapons and devices had failed, by the tiniest creatures that God, in his wisdom, put upon this Earth.

We enter the water droplet.

EXT./INT. WATER DROPLET

We are suddenly surrounded by tiny, microscopic organisms.

VOICE
At the toll of a billion deaths, man had earned his immunity, his right to survive amongst this planets infinite organisms.

A beat, we are embursed in the DNA of the microbes.

VOICE
Because no man lives, or dies, in vein.

FADE TO: 

BLACK.

THE END.