[Setting: Texas. Joel walks into his house late at night, on the phone.]

Joel: Tommy, I-...Tommy. Tommy, listen to me. He's the contractor, okay? I can't lose this job. I understand... Let's talk about this in the
morning, okay? We'll talk about it in the morning. Alright, goodnight.

[He turns on the light, waking his daughter on the couch.]

Sarah: Hey.

Joel: Scoot.

Sarah: Fun day at work, huh?

Joel: What are you still doing up? It's late.

Sarah: Oh crud. What time is it?

Joel: It's way past your bedtime.

Sarah: But it's still today.

Joel: Honey, please not right now. I do not have the energy for this.

[She gets out a small gift box from nearby.]

Sarah: Here.
Joel: What's this?

Sarah: Your birthday.

[He opens it.]

Sarah: You kept complaining about your broken watch... So I figured, you know. You like it?

Joel: Honey, this is...

Sarah: What?

Joel: It's nice, but I-...I think it's stuck. It's not...

Sarah: What? No, no, no, no.

[She sees he's just kidding her.]

Sarah: Oh, ha, ha.

Joel: Where did you get the money for this?

Sarah: Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs.

Joel: Oh, good. You can start helping out with the mortgage then.
Sarah: Stsh - yeah, you wish.

[Joel watches TV for awhile, then carries Sarah to bed.]

Joel: Goodnight, baby girl.

[Later that night, the phone rings. Sarah answers.]

Sarah: Hello?

Tommy: Sarah, honey, I need you to get your daddy on the phone.

Sarah: Uncle Tommy, what time is it?

Tommy: I need to talk to your dad now. There's some--

[The line goes dead.]

Sarah: Uncle Tommy? Hello?

[She hangs up.]

Sarah: What was that all about? Dad? Daddy? You in here?

[She walks into his empty bedroom. A TV report is on.]
Reporter: It appears that what we initially reported as riots seem to be somehow connected to the nationwide pandemic.

Sarah: Where the heck are you?

Reporter: We've received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show signs of increased aggression and--

Sarah: That's nearby.

[In the report's background, a cop talks to his unit.]

Cop: There's a gas leak. Hey -- move!

Reporter: There's some commotion coming from beh--

Cop: Get out of here!

Reporter: Lady, get the hell outta here right--

[An explosion causes the feed to go dead.]

Sarah: Uh...what was that?

[Sarah sees the smoke from her window.]

Sarah: Dad? Dad?! What is goin' on?

[Downstairs, she hears his cell vibrate.]

Sarah: There's his phone. 8 missed calls?

[She reads Tommy's messages.]

Sarah: "Where the hell are you? Call me!," "On my way"...

[In the den, Joel bursts in, quickly shutting the door.]

Sarah: There you are.

Joel: Sarah. Are you okay?

Sarah: Yeah.

Joel: Has anyone come in here?

[He roots around in a drawer for his gun.]

Sarah: No. Who would come in here?

Joel: Don't go near the doors. Just...just stand back there...

Sarah: Dad, you're kinda freaking me out... What's going on?

Joel: It's the Coopers. Somethin' ain't right with 'em. I think they're sick.

Sarah: What kinda sick?

[An infected Cooper bangs into the sliding glass door, startling the two.]

Joel: Jesus. Jimmy!

Sarah: Dad?

Joel: Honey, c'mere, c'mere.

Sarah: It's okay...

Joel: Jimmy.

[He crashes into the room.]

Joel: Jimmy, just stay back. Jimmy, I am warning you.

Sarah: Oh my god...

Joel: Don't!

[Joel puts down Jimmy as he charges.]

Joel: Go. Go.

Sarah: You shot him...

Joel: Sarah.

Sarah: I saw him this mornin'.

Joel: Listen to me, there is something bad going on. We have got to get out of here. Do you understand me?

Sarah: Yeah.

[He sees headlights flash through his curtains.]

Joel: Tommy. C'mon.

Sarah: Okay.

Tommy: Where the hell you been? You have any idea what's goin' on out there?

Joel: I got some notion. C'mon, baby. Get on in there.

[He puts Sarah in the SUV.]

Tommy: Holy shit. You got blood all over you.

Joel: It ain't mine. Let's just get outta here.

Tommy: They're saying half the people in the city have lost their minds.

Joel: Can we just please go?

Tommy: Some sort of parasite or somethin'. You gonna tell me what happened?

Joel: Later.

Tommy: Hey, Sarah. How you holdin' up, honey?

Sarah: I'm fine. Can we hear what's on the radio?

[They pull out of the driveway.]

Tommy: Yeah, sure thing.

Sarah: Thanks.

[He tries the stations.]

Joel: No cellphone. No radio. Yeah, we're doin' great.

Tommy: Minute ago, newsman wouldn't shut up.

Joel: They say where to go?

Tommy: He said, ah... Army's puttin' up roadblocks on the highway. No gettin' into Travis County.

Joel: That means we need to get the hell out. Take 71.

Tommy: 71, that's where I'm headed.

[They wait for cops to pass, then start toward the city.]

Sarah: Did they say how many are dead?

Tommy: Probably a lot. Found this one family all mangled inside their house.

Joel: Tommy.

Tommy: Right. Sorry.

Joel: Jesus Christ, how did this happen?

Tommy: They got no clue. But we ain't the only town. At first they were saying it was just the South. Now they're going on about the East Coast, the West Coast... Holy hell.

[They pass by a burning farmstead.]

Joel: That's Louis' farm.

Tommy: I hope that son of a bitch made it out.

Joel: I'm sure he did.

Sarah: Are we sick?

Joel: No. No, of course not.

Sarah: How do you know?

Tommy: They said it's just ah, people in the city. We're good.

Sarah: Didn't Jimmy work in the city?

Joel: That's right, he did.

Tommy: We're fine. Trust me.

Sarah: Alright.

[They see some people standing on the roadside.]

Tommy: Let's see what they need.

Joel: What the hell do you think you're doin'? Keep drivin'.

Tommy: They got a kid, Joel.

Joel: So do we.

Sarah: But we have room.

Passerby: Hey!

Joel: Keep drivin', Tommy.

Passerby: Hey, stop! Stop!

[They drive past.]

Joel: You ain't seen what I seen. Someone else'll come along.

Sarah: We shoulda helped them.

[They make it into the city, only to find a traffic jam on the 71.]

Tommy: Oh, this is bad. Everyone and their mother had the same damn idea.

Joel: Well...we could just backtrack and--

[A motorist gets out of his car to complain at the cars ahead of him.]

Motorist: Hey, what the fuck, man? Let's go!

[An infected person sprints over and starts killing him.]

Tommy: Holy shit.

Sarah: Oh my god.

Motorist: Get away!

Joel: Turn us around. Tommy. Tommy!

Tommy: Holy shit.

[They barely turn themselves around before the infected gets to 'em.]

Joel: What the fuck just happened? Did you see that?

Tommy: Yes, I saw it.

Joel: Goddamn. Turn here. Turn here.

[They turn onto a side street, finding it flooded with escaping citizens.]

Tommy: Come on, people. Move.

Sarah: What are they runnin' from?

Joel: Get us outta here.

Tommy: I'm tryin'.

[They almost run a guy over.]

Sarah: Oh no.

Joel: We can't stop here, Tommy.

Tommy: I can't fuckin' drive through 'em, Joel!

Joel: Then back up then!

Tommy: They're behind me too!

Joel: There. There! There!

Tommy: Hold on!

[They get around the obstructing motorhome.]

Sarah: Look out!

[They get t-boned by a high-speed vehicle. Sarah comes to first.]

Sarah: Daddy? Hey. Hey.

Joel: What? Get back, baby. Get back. Look. I'm okay...

[He frees himself from the wreck. An infected attacks, but Tommy rebuffs it.]

Sarah: Dad?

Joel: I'm here, baby. I'm here. Come on, gimme your hand.

[She stumbles getting out.]

Joel: What is it?

Sarah: My leg hurts.

Joel: How bad?

Sarah: Pretty bad.

Tommy: We're gonna need to run.

Joel: Oh my god.

[He gives his pistol to Tommy.]

Tommy: You keep us safe. Come on, baby.

[He picks up Sarah as they flee.]

Joel: Now hold on tight.

Sarah: Okay. Daddy, I'm scared.

[A person falls out of a wreck nearby.]

Tommy: He's dead!

[Another person gets attacked.]

Tommy: Joel -- watch out!

[A gas station explodes.]

Sarah: Oh my-- Oh my god...

Tommy: Keep running!

Sarah: Those people are on fire.

Joel: Don't look, Sarah.

Sarah: Okay.

Joel: Just keep looking at me, baby.

Tommy: Over there!

[They turn towards an exit, but a pileup prevents further progress.]

Joel: We're gonna get outta this. I promise.

[Another pileup prevents access to the local theater.]

Tommy: Get back! There's too many of 'em. This way! Through the alley! Go!

[Tommy kills an infected who attacks.]

Joel: Jesus.

Tommy: He's dead!

Joel: Goddammit. We're almost there. We're almost there, baby.

Tommy: They're gettin' through the fence!

Joel: Keep going! Find a way outta here!

Tommy: C'mon!

[They rush into a bar's back door. Tommy can barely keep pursuers at bay.]

Tommy: Get to the highway!

Joel: What?

Tommy: Go -- you got Sarah! I can outrun 'em!

Sarah: Uncle Tommy!

Joel: I will meet you there.

Tommy: Hurry!

[They escape the bar]

Sarah: Daddy, we can't leave him.

Joel: He's gonna be fine. We're almost there.

[They run down a dirt road to the highway's bridge.]

Sarah: They're gettin' closer. Dad?

[Infected chase them, but they're killed by a soldier nearby.]

Joel: It's okay, baby. We're safe. We're safe. Hey! We need help.

Soldier: Stop!

Joel: Please. It's my daughter. I think her leg's broken.

Soldier: Stop right there!

Joel: Okay...we're not sick.

[The soldier picks up his radio.]

Soldier: Got a couple of civilians in the outer perimeter. Please advise.

Sarah: Daddy, what about Uncle Tommy?

Joel: We're gonna get you to safety and go back for him. Okay?

Soldier: Sir, there's a little girl. But... Yes, sir.

Joel: Listen, buddy, we've just been through hell. Okay, we just need--

[He sees the soldier raise his rifle to shoot them.]

Joel: Oh, shit.

[He fires and they both fall back down the hill. The soldier follows.]

Joel: Please, don't.

[Tommy kills the soldier before he can fire again. Sarah is crying nearby.]

Tommy: Oh, no...

Joel: Sarah! Okay. Move your hands, baby.

[He sees she got shot.]

Joel: I know, baby. I know...

[He presses on her wound.]

Joel: Listen to me, I know this hurts, baby. You're gonna be okay, baby. Stay with me. Alright, I'm gonna pick you up. I know, baby. I know it hurts. Come on, baby, please. I know, baby. I know.

[She dies in his arms.]

Joel: Sarah... Baby... Don't do this to me, baby. Don't do this to me, baby girl. Come on... No, no... Oh no, no, no... Please. Oh, God. Please, please, don't do this. Please, God...