CHARLOTTE, ASH and EMMA have 3 TICKETS to the RESETTLEMENT ZONE. Charlie is driving home, having killed DARREN and fought her way through GABIE and MICHAEL KING’S party. Ash is at their HOME, guarding Emma, unaware that a group of violent YOUNG WHITE MEN are on the CUL-DE-SAC, looking for someone to attack.

 

Charlotte thinks Ash is waiting for her - and that killing Darren was worth saving her marriage. She has a lingering worry that Ash is going to betray her, after the night’s arguments.

 

Ash knows he should wait for Charlotte, but wants to leave for the PICK UP POINT. He’s afraid of the chaos around their house, and he keeps imagining that Charlie has run off with Darren. Part of him wants to punish Charlie (for insulting him, for kissing Darren).

 

Our heroes started out a loving family united in their desire to save their daughter from the apocalypse, but they’ve been driven apart by past mistakes, petty desires, cruelty and miscommunication. Unfortunately for Emma, her parents have been unable to understand each other’s positions, or make decisions without the COIN. This road is a dark apocalyptic satire - no one’s coming out of it well.

 

Ash flipped over whether to abandon his soulmate and flee with her child, or to wait for his soulmate and risk being attacked.

 

THE COIN is HEADS. Ash is going to wait for Charlie and risk the dangers surrounding their house.

 

Ash hesitates at the result of the flip. Should he flee anyway? Should he flip again? The same Decision Point appears onscreen:

 

EITHER ‘Heads’: ‘Wait for Charlie and risk being attacked’

OR ‘Tails’: ‘Abandon Charlie’

 

He sees Emma watching him. He puts the COIN away. He takes Emma and sits with her on the stairs.

 

The group of young white men are standing at the entrance to the cul-de-sac. There’s no one about, and no lights on. They decide to keep patrolling, exit the cul-de-sac, and move on.

 

Charlotte pulls into the driveway. She gets herself together, and enters the house, finding Ash and Emma sat on the stairs. She rushes forwards and hugs them both.

 

She reveals she got DARREN’S TICKET. Ash is amazed and elated; he asks how, but Charlie acts like she didn’t hear him, and insists that they get going right away. Ash then notices the blood on Charlie’s clothes. He ignores this, and grabs some bags.

 

They pack the CAR quickly. They set off for the Pick Up Point.

 

In the passenger seat, Ash glances at the blood all over Charlotte. But, turning to look out the window, he’s happy.

 

Ash thinks that everything has worked out in his favour. 

 

ACT FIVE.

The streets are hellish – car crashes, fights, SOLDIERS firing.

 

The Dhumals reach the airfield, abandon their car, tell some SOLDIERS they have tickets, and join the queue to get into the Pick Up Point. Around them scores of PROTESTORS and DESPERATE PEOPLE are trying to breach the FENCE, and soldiers are threatening them. There are SOLDIERS CHECKING TICKETS, and, beyond them, SOLDIERS CHECKING TICKET HOLDERS’ EYES. An odd number of people at the Pick Up Point have brought their pets with them.

 

Charlotte can’t take it anymore. She breaks down and tells Ash that she killed Darren. He comforts her, but he’s a little smug about it. He tells her that it’s a good thing, really! She saved her family. She saved Ash. The worst part of his brain is pointing out that he’s won. Off the hint of a smile on Ash’s face:

 

A MONTAGE. A SOLDIER scans their BRACELETS, and waves the Dhumals into the Pick Up Point. They get onto a BUS, driven by a SOLDIER. It’s 12.15am - a small part of the fence comes down, and some protestors and desperate people rush onto the airfield. Panicked soldiers begin shooting at them, as the breach is contained. Ash and Charlie’s bus pulls away quickly. A SOLDIER comes down the bus, confiscating PHONES and other electronic devices (to ensure the location of the Zones remains secret); Ash bridles as his LAPTOP is taken. They drive through the night - England is chaos. They pass a TOUR BUS, with a BAND arguing outside on the road. They take the PRINCE OF WALES BRIDGE into WALES – it’s heavily guarded. They arrive at the SWANSEA SAFE ZONE. The outskirts of Swansea are heavily guarded – watchtowers, jeeps and tanks, anti-vehicle bollards. Their bus is directed to another entrance, and they drive around the outskirts, where a fence and other protections are being freshly constructed. They’re unloaded in NORTH SWANSEA. Their bags are checked; they’re inspected by ARMY DOCTORS. And they’re in! Ash, the proud patriarch, hugs his family close and surveys their new home.

 

The MONTAGE ends. They’re guided to an ACCOMMODATION CENTRE. Ash gets into a queue to receive accommodation, while Charlotte takes Emma for a wee - given directions by a HELPFUL SOLDIER (20s).

 

In the TOILET, Emma tells Charlotte about Daddy flipping his coin back at the house. Charlie quizzes Emma a little, gaining more details about the situation - Daddy said Mummy was going on holiday, was picking up bags, was nervous, etc. Charlie guesses what happened at the house …

 

Ash receives the Dhumals’ accommodation - a TENT on the outskirts of Swansea. He leaves the queue to find Charlotte and Emma waiting. Charlotte reveals that she knows that he was thinking of leaving her behind, and that he flipped the coin to decide. Ash starts to deny it, but caves under the pressure. He tries to explain - the GUNSHOTS, the LOOTER - but Charlotte won’t hear it.

 

It’s The Confrontation.

 

She thinks he’s a coward and a liar. The idea that he’d do that to her – and flip a coin to make the decision …  Does he know what she did for him? 

 

He starts to argue back - he thinks she did that out of guilt, for her past transgressions. He thinks she did it because she’s a sociopath, obsessed with being brutal, who would quite likely have killed Ash for his ticket before the night was over.

 

She says that she wishes she’d come with Darren, not him. Their marriage is done.

 

This guts Ash. He doesn’t want this.

 

Charlotte grabs Emma’s hand and starts to leave the Accommodation Centre. Across the room, she spots two faces she recognises … who are they …? It’s GABIE and MICHAEL KING! Charlie begins to panic.

 

And, as she watches them, they spot her, and begin to wonder themselves where they’ve seen her …

 

Ash is trying to talk to Charlie; Charlie grabs him and drags him out of the Centre. As they walk, she explains who the Kings are. She thinks they’ll have to do something about the Kings.

 

The events of the night have broken Charlie a bit. She’s more prepared to go to extremes.

 

Ash tries to talk her down, but Charlie isn’t having it - she’s in charge now. No more coin flipping. Ash does what she says, or he doesn’t get to see Emma anymore. Since Charlie went and killed Darren, it’s Ash’s turn to get his hands dirty. He needs to go and threaten the Kings into keeping quiet about what they saw at the FLAT COMPLEX.

 

The Dhumals watch the Kings exit the Accommodation Centre. They’re having an animated conversation - is it about me, Charlie wonders …?

 

The Dhumals follow the Kings to a FANCY FLAT BLOCK. Charlie gives Ash her HUNTING KNIFE and sends him inside. He follows them upstairs, steeling himself.

 

As the Kings open their new front door, Ash surprises them with the knife, and forces them inside. He explains to them: they’ve seen some things that night, at their flat complex, that they’re going to stay quiet about. If they mention seeing his wife to anyone, he’s gonna come back and kill them both.

 

The Kings are scared. Gabie suggests a truce. They won’t say anything about his wife, and perhaps the Dhumals and the Kings help each other out … Maybe they can be friends! Gabie thinks that Ash, willing to take drastic measures, seems like the kind of friend you need in such times …

 

The Kings are characters who use the end of the world as an opportunity act out their desires, to get what they want.

 

Then Michael recognises Ash: wait, you’re Ashwin Dhumal, the novelist! Michael loves Ash’s NOVELS - especially the SECOND NOVEL! (This is the one about Charlotte’s life …)

 

Ash is honored. He agrees that a truce sounds like the best course of action.

 

Gabie goes to her BALCONY and waves down to a confused Charlotte.

 

Charlotte comes up, and enters to find Ash having a BEER with Michael. Ash explains about the truce. Charlotte has mixed emotions - she’s sort of happy, but she also sort of wanted to punish Ash …

 

Gabie comes and greets Charlie and Emma, lavishing attention on Emma. Gabie asks where Charlie’s staying; Charlie tells them they’re in a tent. Gabie insists that her and Michael will talk to their friends, get the Dhumals a flat. Charlie accepts the offer.

 

The Kings reveal that they’re actually having BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS. Why don’t the Dhumals stay?

 

MONTAGE: the guests arrive, including PENNY and DIANA.

 

Penny jokily addresses the night’s events: no hard feelings. She reveals that A MAN IS GOING TO BE EXECUTED in the morning, for ‘subversion’.

 

Another GUEST tells them that LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM HAVE BEEN BOMBED. Someone jokes ‘good riddance’.

 

7am. A raucous dinner party - has Britain even collapsed?

 

A LATE GUEST tells the table: the government knows what’s causing the crisis, they’re going to announce it soon. They’re going to survive this!

 

Emma’s asleep on a sofa nearby.

 

Ash laughs at a joke of Michael’s, and turns to Charlie. She feels his gaze, but ignores him. Ash turns back to the laughing men, and Charlie accepts another drink.