CHARLOTTE, ASH and EMMA have 2 tickets to the Resettlement Zone. 

 

They are at a community meeting led by Vi, a local activist, who does not think the Resettlement Zones are a good idea.

 

Neighbour PENNY has tried to recruit Charlotte to convince the SAMAANS, a refugee family from Syria, to give up the tickets they have. Penny will pay, and share the spoils with Charlie.

 

Charlie has got to know the Samaans, and has tossed the coin over whether to go along with the plan.

 

Heads. Penny has a deal.

 

10pm There is a LEAK from the government predicting mass casualties from the crisis. Ash has Charlie’s phone and shows her the alert. She tells him to keep it quiet. She heads for the Samaans. They’re pleased to see her back. She has their trust.

 

And she uses it to convince them not to go to the Zone. She tells them that she plans to sell her own tickets and head to CORNWALL - perhaps they could do something similar? If they get the chance, they should sell their tickets too. 

 

Meanwhile, a WOMAN prepares her TWO CHILDREN to head to the Resettlement Zone. The children don’t want to go. There’s a photo of them and the husband/father on the mantelpiece: they’re CURTIS’s family.

 

Penny swoops in on Charlotte’s conversation. Nazim asks Penny if the offer is still on the table - so Penny had spoken to the Samaans already ... Penny says yes, she’ll buy their tickets. But, to Charlotte’s dismay, Penny offers them a much smaller figure than Charlotte expected. 

 

Charlie becomes uncomfortable. She can’t watch this. As Penny sends DIANA to grab cash from their safe, Charlie pulls her aside and demands the PROMISED TICKET. Now. Charlie could still make life difficult for Penny. 

 

Charlie pulls Ash over. Penny transfers the ticket to him, and Charlie drags him out of the door. Ash is taken aback.

 

This chapter sees our protagonists clash over their moral values. Vi’s community meeting has put Ash in the mood to help others, but forced Charlie to think about family, and the importance of staying together. Will the Dhumals be selfish, or altruistic as they see their own fears play out for other families?

 

People start to read the leak. Panic grows as the meeting disperses.

 

We watch Curtis’s wife ALEX hurrying the children round THEIR HOUSE, as if from a shed outside. 

 

10:30pm The Dhumals get home to discover the Internet is down, aside from the Government Gateway site. Ash wants to know how Charlie got the ticket. Has she spent all of their savings? No, she says. Turns out Penny is a big fan of his books. She wanted to help them out. Now get packing, we should go as soon as possible.

 

Her flattery stalls Ash’s questioning. But not for long. There’s a knock on the door. It’s Vi. She has the Samaans with her. She is furious.

 

Charlotte admits to Ash what she did. He’s horrified. But they just need to leave. Now!

 

They grab Emma, and escape through their back garden. They hear a commotion break out in the cul-de-sac. They rush through alleyways, to a canal. They can get to ASH’S PARENTS’ HOUSE this way - borrow a car or something.

 

Ash brings up Charlie’s actions. A short, honest, calm version of THE CONFRONTATION. He’s ashamed. But they agreed, she points out. Emma has to be safe. And haven’t they been a good team tonight? Emma’s best off with both of them. They have to worry about their own family. Let other people make their own choices.

 

But he’s still not sure about the Resettlement Zone. A lot of good points were raised at that meeting. Maybe it isn’t the safest place for them. They need a PLAN B, just in case. Cornwall, perhaps. Or WILDMAN FARM. 

 

As they walk, Ash recognises Curtis’ house. He peers over the garden fence. Sees Curtis’s family inside. And - of course - Curtis has a fancy summer house. Charlie starts to hurry him along -

 

When they spot an INTRUDER leave the summer house. In black gloves. Heading for the open back door.

 

The Dhumals hide. Shit. What’s going on? 

 

Ash thinks they have to alert Curtis’s family. Charlie disagrees - our family first, remember. But Ash is sick of screwing people over. Even if they make the Zone, he couldn’t live with himself after this. She holds him back. Insists they at least flip over it. Fine. Ash calls tails.