Chapter two:
In which Micah gets in trouble, more people die, and Darren gets feisty.
PAGE 1
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Doc sits alone at a small table in his office. His ribs had been wrapped up. He smokes a cigarette
PANEL 2
three men stand outside the door
PANEL 3
Antonio comes in, all vinegar. Behind him is Z, holding onto Micah.
ANTONIO: Hey Doc! Got something for ya!
PANEL 4
Z pushes Micah forward, he lands on the ground before Doc.
PAGE 2
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PANEL 1
Doc looks down at the young corpse, surprised.
DOC: What's this?
PANEL 2
Antonio grabs Doc by the lapels, stretching his broken ribs. Doc winces.
ANTONIO: Lanz is dead! DEAD! No one in the family wants anything to do with this Z! You're lucky we don't kill you as well!
PANEL 3
Antonio turns to leave, Z leading the way.
PANEL 4
In the doorway, Antonio looks back at Doc
ANTONIO: You still owe us three more of these things for now! We'd better not get any more of these failures!
PANEL 5
The door slams behind them.
PAGE 3
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Doc pulls Micah up, wincing as he does so.
DOC: Are you okay?
MICAH: Yeah...
PANEL 2
Micah looks at the bandages on Doc
MICAH: What about you? You okay?
PANEL 3
Doc quickly closes his shirt, wincing as he does so.
DOC: I've had worse.
PANEL 4
Doc stands up, painfully.
MICAH: I got your letter. What's going on?
PANEL 5
Doc pours himself a cup of tea.
DOC: Huh? Exactly what I said. You're dead. I brought you back to life in order to pay off my debt to those gentlemen.
PAGE 4
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Micah sits down as Doc joins him at the table, setting down his cup.
MICAH: Yes, but how? I mean. People don't go around getting brought back to life!
DOC: Maybe one day they will. But for now, I'm the only one who knows how.
PANEL 2
Micah looks hungrily at the cup of tea.
MICAH: But what about me? I mean. I don't get tired. I got shot yesterday!
PANEL 3
Doc sips his tea, the cigarette now in his finger.
DOC: Well, you're dead. You don't need sleep, food, water, or anything like that. And the worst part of all, you can't die again.
PANEL 4
Micah thinks on this.
MICAH: So, I'm not zombie? I don't have to eat brains or anything?
PANEL 5
Doc laughs, setting his tea down.
DOC: Haha! No, you're not a zombie. They might call you one, but you're not.
PAGE 6
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PANEL 1
Doc smokes, a smile on his thin lips.
DOC: So, the guy you were guarding died?
PANEL 2
Micah plays with his hair.
MICAH: Yeah. I guess it's still your fault if he dies of a heart attack.
PANEL 3
Doc laughs harder than before.
DOC: HahaHA! Seriously? They kicked you out cause some fatass had a heart attack?
PANEL 4
Micah smiles.
Cap: After that we were always together.
PAGE 7
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PANEL 1
Micah and Doc run through the night as silhouettes. Micah is carrying someone over his shoulders.
Cap: Antonio had broken three of his ribs the day I was given to him, so I helped him get people for the mafia.
PANEL 2
Micah cooks food while Doc operates on the man in the background.
Cap: I learned that there are always people dying in the city. It's just hard to get them.
PANEL 3
Micah and Doc run, the cops chasing them.
Cap: Someone else usually gets the bodies first.
PANEL 4
The corpse - JEAN (32, black, beautiful) rests, another corpse - Paige (31, black, long hair) on the next bed over.
PANEL 5
Doc leans back on the counter, eating. He's still covered in blood, his goggles pushed up on his face.
DOC: Two today, that's pretty good. Just one more and we'll be golden. Sometimes I love it when people die together.
PAGE 8
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PANEL 1
Finished, Doc sets his plate down.
DOC: I'm going to go grocery shopping. Think you can bring these two up to date if they wake up while I'm gone?
PANEL 2
Micah nods.
PANEL 3
Doc pulls off his bloody lab coat and throws it onto the table.
DOC: I shouldn't be too long.
PANEL 4
Doc puts on a puffy gray coat and grabs a stocking cap as he leaves.
PANEL 5
The door swings shut behind him.
PAGE 9
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Micah walks over to a large window in the front.
PANEL 2
He looks through the blinds.
PANEL 3
There's an apartment across the way with red lights.
PANEL 4
Micah pulls away from the window.
MICAH: What is going on over there?
PAGE 10
PANEL 1
PANEL 1
Micah looks at the two corpses.
MICAH: You two aren't going to wake up while I'm out, right?
PANEL 2
Micah throws on a coat.
PANEL 3
Micah stands outside looking up at the snow that starts to fall.
PANEL 4
Micah heads towards the apartment building.
PAGE ELEVEN
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He tries to get in through the front door, but it's locked.
PANEL TWO
There's a buzzer on the wall, the first name on the list is Mrs. McCreedy
PANEL THREE
Micah pushes the button.
MICAH: Mrs. McCreedy? Can you let me in please? I seem to have left my keys in my apartment.
PANEL FOUR
He pulls away from the buzzer.
MRS. MCCREEDY: Sure sweety, just a moment.
PANEL FIVE
Micah waits outside.
PAGE TWELVE
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MRS. MCCREEDY (middle aged, blond, pretty enough) opens the door, wearing her bathrobe and slippers.
MRS. MCCREEDY: I am so sorry it took me so long! It's an odd time of the night.
PANEL TWO
Mrs. McCreedy looks at Micah
MRS. MCCREEDY: Wait, you're not one of my tenants, are you?
PANEL THREE
Micah looks over her at the buzzer, reading names.
MICAH: Oh, well, you see, I'm staying with...John Beardsley right now. He's been really sick lately.
PANEL FOUR
Mrs. McCreedy holds the door open, letting him in.
MRS. MCCREEDY: Well, why didn't you say so!
MICAH: I didn't think you'd let me in.
MRS. MCCREEDY: Mr. Beardsley is such a lonely man. It's good to hear someone's seeing him!
PANEL FIVE
They stop in front of the stairs.
MICAH: Thanks for letting me in. I think I can take it from here.
MRS. MCCREEDY: Oh, alright. Just call me if you need anything.
PAGE THIRTEEN
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Micah rushes up the stairs.
PANEL TWO
as he gets to floor seventeen he pushes through the door.
PANEL THREE
All of the apartments look the same, except for one, which has red light coming from below the door.
PAGE FOURTEEN
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Micah knocks on the door.
PANEL TWO
Micah waits, but no one answers
PANEL THREE
Micah knocks again.
PANEL FOUR
Micah turns the handle and pushes on the door, it's unlocked but stuck.
MICAH: Come on...
PAGE SIXTEEN
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The door shifts, getting to be slightly open.
PANEL TWO
Micah looks in.
PANEL THREE
The room is full of red candles and lamps with red lampshades. A pentagram is painted on the floor with blood and is surrounded by a ring of salt.
MICAH: What the Hell?
PAGE SEVENTEEN
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The door is pulled open, making Micah fall forward into the room.
PANEL TWO
DARREN (mid thirties, bald, dark featured) pulls Micah into the room, angrily.
DARREN: How dare you come in here? How dare you interrupt!
PANEL THREE
Micah looks up at him, confused as he falls backwards, Darren letting go.
PANEL FOUR
Micah lands on the pentagram.
PAGE EIGHTEEN
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Darren pulls a large curved knife from the back of his waistband.
DARREN: Now it's not going to work!
PANEL TWO
Micah tries to get himself up off the ground, breaking the salt circle.
MICAH: What are you talking about? What's not going to work?
PANEL THREE
Darren acts super dramatic, his arms out, head facing upward. Micah sits on the ground, inching away from him.
DARREN: Him! I'm trying to bring him! With my death, I can bring him here and he will keep me from dying! You see?
MICAH: No! Who are you talking about?
DARREN: The Devil! It takes blood to bring him here, and mine was going to do it! But you, you interrupted the ceremony and now I have to start all over again!
PAGE NINETEEN
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Micah stands up, wiping salt and blood off of himself.
MICAH: He he he he. Wait, so you're trying to get the devil? Ha ha!
PANEL TWO
Darren gets angry, lowering his arms and head
DARREN: Don't laugh at me! He will come. One day. And I will live forever.
PANEL THREE
Micah starts to laugh even harder.
MICAH: Ha ha ha ha! You want to live forever! Ha ha! It's not that great, believe me!
PANEL FOUR
Darren lounges at Micah, knife out.
DARREN: Your blood will do just as well!
PAGE TWENTY
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PANEL ONE
Darren lands, knocking Micah to the ground, the knife in Micah's gut.
PANEL TWO
Micah sits upright, the knife deep in him. He looks down at it, almost surprised.
PANEL THREE
Micah pulls the knife out of his stomach as Darren pulls away.
DARREN: ...the Hell?
PANEL FOUR
Micah pulls himself up, his blood is congealed so he doesn’t bleed.
MICAH: It's not gonna work, you know. Not with my blood, not with yours.
PANEL FIVE
Darren sweats, terrified.
DARREN: What are you?
PAGE TWENTY ONE
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Micah drops the knife to the floor and opens his shirt, revealing bullet holes and his new wound.
MICAH: I'm the bloody walking dead, is what I am!
PAGE TWENTY TWO
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Darren grabs one of the candles, wincing as the wax melts onto his hand. He shakes it at Micah.
DARREN: You're-you're a vampire! Or a zombie!
PANEL TWO
Micah shakes his head calmly.
MICAH: Sorry, no. Close though.
PANEL THREE
Darren lunges again, with the candle out.
DARREN: A Frankenstein then?
PANEL FOUR
Micah steps out of the way as Darren lands beside him.
MICAH: That's closest, although Frankenstein was the inventor, not the monster.
PANEL FIVE.
Darren gives up, setting the now extinguished candle down beside him. He sits cross legged, wax on his shirt.
DARREN: How? Can you make me immortal, too?
PAGE TWENTY FIVE
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Micah sighs
PANEL TWO
Micah joins Darren on the floor.
MICAH: Why would you want to be immortal anyway?
PANEL THREE
Darren sighs, his eyes red, looking hurt at the floor.
DARREN: I'm dying. I'm thirty two years old and I'm dying. I just want some more time, you know?
MICAH: And you thought the devil would stop that from happening?
DARREN: My blood's poison. I thought that if the Devil exists I could get him here. If spilling my blood would do it, fine. I'm dead either way. How did you get immortal? Can you help me get that way too?
PAGE TWENTY SIX
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Micah sighs and rubs his face.
MICAH: Augh, I can't! You see, I already died. Doc brought me back.
PANEL TWO
Darren gets more excited.
DARREN: So, if I die, will he bring me back?
PANEL THREE
Micah thinks about it.
MICAH: (whispering) Well, he needs as many bodies as he can get.
PANEL FOUR
Micah realizes what he's saying and looks terrified, jumping up to his feet.
MICAH: No! No! You can't just kill yourself! This is ridiculous!
PANEL FIVE
Darren gets to his feet and grabs Micah's arm as he tries to leave the room.
DARREN: Wait!
PAGE TWENTY SIX
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PANEL ONE
Darren grabs the knife from the ground.
DARREN: I would rather die now than take the long road. It hurts, you know? It hurts to be sick. And you said he needed the bodies. I'm going to guess that he's never had a willing volunteer for this.
PANEL TWO
Micah looks at the ground, sadly.
MICAH: I don't think so.
PANEL THREE
Darren grabs onto Micah's face, sweetly, being careful with the knife.
DARREN: Then let me do this.
Cap: I wanted to get out. I wanted him to understand. But mostly, I didn't want to see him go.
PAGE TWENTY SEVEN
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Micah sits in the corner of the room, his arms wrapped around his thin frame. Most of the candles have blown out. Across from him a massive pool of blood grows across the floor, Darren's arm outstretched from it.
cap: I stayed with him till the end and waited for him to grow cold.
