CHARLOTTE, ASH and EMMA have 2 TICKETS to the RESETTLEMENT ZONE. Charlotte and Ash’s communication is at rock bottom, thanks to an incident where Ash screwed up their chances to purchase a 3rd TICKET from their neighbours THE SAMAANS, after which Charlie insulted Ash’s manhood. Now Charlotte’s colleague DARREN - who’s obsessed with Charlotte - is at the house. Ash has overheard Darren talking about kissing Charlotte at an office Christmas party, but he has not overheard Darren telling Charlie that he’s going to buy her a ticket.

 

Charlie wants to get Emma to the Resettlement Zone as soon as possible. She wants Ash’s active, considered help in this project. Right now part of her wants to punish Darren (for forcing that kiss on her, and for being such a creep more generally), so she wants him to buy that ticket for her, and then she plans to go to the Zone with her family.

 

Ash wants to punch Darren, and he wants to keep Darren away from his family. He wants to man up, to take control - for instance by carrying out his own plan for the night: selling the Dhumals’ tickets online and taking his family to CORNWALL. Right now part of him wants to punish Charlie (for insulting him, for kissing Darren).

 

Darren wants Charlie. He’s convinced he’s in love with her. He’ll spend a lot, and do a lot of terrible things, to have her.

 

Ash has flipped over whether to go and punch Darren, or to go and sell their tickets.

 

THE COIN is TAILS. Ash is gonna go and knock Darren’s bloody block off.

 

Ash psyches himself up, and readies his fist (he’s never punched anyone before …).

 

Meanwhile, Darren is still pitching to Charlotte. He thinks that Emma’s a great kid, but he knows that Charlotte isn’t really into this life. Hasn’t she said herself, she’s worried she isn’t that close to Emma? That’s a sign! She’s not meant to be this person. She shouldn’t let this family keep dragging her down. Charlie is extremely uncomfortable, hearing this, but she nods along because she wants Darren to buy a ticket.

 

Ash, on the other hand, is apoplectic. He stomps down the stairs, bursts into the LOUNGE, and storms towards Darren (how dare you, you fucking bastard, etc). Darren stands, and Ash punches him, as hard as he can, on the jaw.

 

Darren’s pretty shocked. Ash’s hand really hurts.

 

Darren turns back and brings a palm up into Ash’s nose, breaking it.

 

Ash stumbles backwards. Darren goes to follow up his first hit -

 

But Charlie is in between Darren and Ash. She grabs Darren’s shoulders and drives her knee into his groin.

 

Darren crumples. Charlie looks at the two injured men, furious - and then realises what she’s done. She goes to Darren and begins to apologise. Darren is furious - why is she protecting Ash? Ash is a waste of space! Through a stream of blood, Ash gurgles out insults at Darren.

 

Embarrassed by his bruised groin, and angry at Charlie, Darren leaves. Charlie rushes after him, telling him to wait, they should talk -

 

But he gets into his SPORTS CAR - wincing as he does so - and speeds off.

 

Meanwhile, the dinner party of GABIE and MICHAEL KING (40s, last seen in Chapter 1) is ongoing. Gabie tells one of the GUESTS about her and Michael’s frustrated attempts to adopt a child. Michael does another line of cocaine.

 

These roads are dark apocalyptic satires. They’re about desire, jealousy, and money.

 

Charlie finds Ash in the KITCHEN, applying an ice pack to his nose. Taking into account what Ash has probably just heard, but still annoyed by his actions, Charlie starts to argue with Ash - she was just about to get a 3rd ticket! Ash has no idea what she’s talking about, so she explains.

 

Ash can see that he’s made a mistake, but he’s not especially sorry, because of what he’s heard, which he proceeds to list. Charlie tries to shut him down - they don’t have time for this right now - but Ash isn’t having it. He shames her for kissing Darren.

 

Charlotte could explain the circumstances of the kiss, but she really doesn’t want to, so her immediate reaction is to just close all of this down and move on, they’ll talk about it later.

 

They realise Emma’s crying upstairs.

 

Charlie announces that they’ll have to go to Darren’s and get him to buy the 3rd ticket somehow. Ash counters that she can go, but he isn’t. Darren will probably kill Ash, but he’s clearly in love with Charlie, so she’ll be fine. Then he heads upstairs to calm Emma.

 

Jealous, petty Ash does not see Darren’s aggression, reading it only as a come on. Failing to engage with that, he neglects to help Charlie out of her toxic situation. He should be insisting that their family’s safety is the priority.

 

Meanwhile, Charlie feels guilty about her kiss with Darren, but what she actually can’t accept is that she was taken advantage of when she was drunk.

 

It’s 10pm. The Kings and their party see a news alert: there’s been a LEAK of a GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT ANNOUNCING MASS CASUALTIES. They’re all too high to take it seriously - they find this sign of the apocalypse kind of funny.

 

Charlie comes to Ash’s room, and silently hands him her phone to show him the document. They’re terrified, but they bury it in front of Emma.

 

It’s 10.30pm. The Kings and their party see that the INTERNET IS DOWN. They all celebrate.

 

Charlie’s in the DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY, preparing to leave. She’s got her BASEBALL BAT. Ash comes downstairs, freaking out, to tell her about the Internet being down.

 

Also, Ash can’t sell the tickets online now.

 

Meanwhile, Darren is passing by the KINGS’ FLAT (they’re neighbours) and hears the celebrations. He knocks on the door; Gabie answers, and Darren says hello. 

 

The Kings ask if he needs anything - some company, some cocaine, a ticket to the Zone perchance? They know a guy who lives on a FANCY STREET BY THE PARK, who’s been buying up tickets all night and is now selling them for a million a ticket (as a TICKET DEALER).

 

Charlie and Ash are having a muted goodbye. Charlie suggests that Ash transfer the 2 tickets to HER BRACELET - for safe keeping. Ash pushes back: he thinks they’ll be safer on HIS BRACELET, in the house. In fact he thinks that maybe she should leave her bracelet there, with him. Charlie isn’t happy, but lets her point go.

 

Charlie is hesitant about leaving Ash and Emma alone. Will they be safe? Will Ash betray her, and leave without her?

 

She shakes off these thoughts, rushes to their CAR, and sets off driving for Darren’s.

 

We should have the growing sense - both from this road alone, and from having watched other roads and then this one - that if Charlie and Ash were to work together, they could survive this. Their opposing brains and skills, put together, could save them. And that it’s a tragedy when they don’t.

 

ACT FOUR.

Ash receives a call from the TEEN SON of LAUREN (the CORNWALL COTTAGE’s cleaner), replying to the MESSAGE he left Lauren. The son is a total wreck - he’s discovered both of his parents dead of some mysterious illness in their kitchen. He warns Ash not to come to Cornwall.

 

After wavering, Ash again wants to get to the Zone with Charlie and Emma as soon as possible.

 

Meanwhile, Charlie parks up by DARREN’S FLAT COMPLEX, and heads inside. There’s a party taking place in the LOBBY - RESIDENTS, GUESTS, a DJ. Charlie pushes her way through, and heads upstairs.

 

Many RESIDENTS are having parties in their FLATS, too. On Darren’s floor, Charlie passes Michael and Gaby, who are chatting to other RESIDENTS in the hallway.

 

Darren is surprised, and not hugely happy, to see Charlie. He lets her into the FLAT, though.

 

Charlie heads into the LOUNGE of Darren’s swanky bachelor pad. There’s some WINE on the GLASS COFFEE TABLE, but also an ice pack - for Darren’s groin, Charlie presumes.

 

Darren offers Charlie some wine, and she accepts.

 

It’s 11pm. Ash hears GUNSHOTS IN THE NEAR DISTANCE. He’s scared.

 

Charlotte apologises to Darren for earlier. Darren begins to slag off Ash again, and Charlie agrees with the insults.

 

Then she lies – Ash left with Emma, they’ve gone to the Zone. And … she does have feelings for Darren. She’d been thinking of leaving Ash – and Emma. She’s never felt close to them, and Emma clearly loves Ash more. The act is convincing - probably because it contains some half-truths. Darren appears to be at least on the verge of falling for it.

 

Charlie asks Darren to buy her a ticket, like he was planning to. He says that he wishes he could, but now the Internet’s down, their options are limited. And the only contact he has is charging a million a ticket, which Darren doesn’t have.

 

Ash goes to the SMITHS’ CONSERVATORY and knocks on it. NAZIM SAMAAN comes outside, hesitantly. Ash asks after how they’re all doing, and apologises for what happened earlier. What are the Samaans going to do now? Nazim’s only current plan is to wait out the night in the house. Ash explains his back-up plan - to head to his parents’ COTTAGE IN CORNWALL, and to use a MOTORBOAT to CROSS THE CHANNEL if necessary. Ash explains that he’s heard it’s dangerous down there, but that Cornwall might still be better than waiting in Leamington. So he gives Nazim his KEY TO THE COTTAGE, in case Nazim wants to try.

 

Charlotte decides to go all-out with her plan. She asks Darren to give her HIS TICKET.

 

He refuses - that would undermine his plan anyway, as they couldn’t be together. She thinks that if he loves her, he’d save her - he’d sacrifice himself for her. He points out that it’d be a bad deal for him.

 

Charlie feels like she’s out of options. She keeps this distress under the surface. She tells Darren she needs some water, and heads to DARREN’S KITCHEN. She passes the TEAM OF THE YEAR TROPHY in his hallway, and thinks back -

 

BRIEF FLASHES: Darren forcing a kiss on her at the Christmas party; crying on the toilet the next day.

 

She pauses in the kitchen, thinking. A Decision Point appears onscreen:

 

She takes out her COIN, and flips.

 

Which road will you choose?

 

Will you humiliate Charlie, or will you make her commit a terrible act of violence and put her in physical danger?

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