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

 

After a community meeting, the street has split in two. ALI SAMAAN (10) has been kidnapped from the Dhumals’ house by the opposing group, led by PENNY. PENNY’S CREW wants all of the DHUMALS’ CREW’s TICKETS as ransom.

 

Penny’s son OSCAR has encouraged their gang to attack the Dhumals’ house. They attempted to kidnap Emma too.

 

The Dhumals have decided that one of them should leave with Emma, and one should stay and fight to get Ali back.

 

They flip over who stays.

 

Heads. Ash will stay and fight. 

 

Charlie begs Ash to ignore the COIN again. But he is resolved. He says goodbye to his family, and bundles them into the car. 

 

Ash, VI, and the SAMAANS head over to PENNY’S HOUSE. NAZIM SAMAAN won’t fight again. If the negotiations don’t work, they’ll hand over the tickets. They give Vi their ID bracelets. She’s in charge. Ash fears violence is inevitable. 

 

In the car, Charlie is clearly struggling with their ‘decision’.

 

DIANA’s shotgun trained on them, and Oscar restrained for now, Ash’s compatriots begin to try and persuade Penny to stop this. 

 

And there’s a knock at the door. Charlotte is led into the lounge by Oscar. She’s prepared to give their tickets to Penny if they let Ali go. 

 

Penny agrees. Charlotte makes the transfer. An ‘I’ve got this’ to Ash. 

 

But as Penny hands Ali back to Vi, Penny grabs the Samaans’ bracelets too, and runs into the BACK GARDEN. Oscar grabs his mum Diana and darts for their car.

 

Charlotte runs after Penny at full pelt. In the scramble, Penny falls and impales herself on an ornamental astrolabe.

 

Unaware of Penny’s fate, Diana speeds around the corner, right into the path of armed SOLDIERS led by CURTIS. A brief flashback to Ash messaging Curtis in Chapter 3D. Quick to the trigger again, Oscar opens fire with his CROSSBOW, killing Curtis. Oscar and Diana are immediately killed in the counterattack. 

 

12:30am An eerie pause as the Dhumals’ gang take stock. MAARA hugs Ali tight. Then Charlie comes back in. Tells Vi she truly believes that the Resettlement Zone is the best place for the Samaans. They have to go, and now. The Samaans agree with her. And offer to take them all in the Smiths’ car. As Vi takes the Samaans to prepare, Charlotte looks to Ash … they are united.

 

They turn to Emma. Tell her they love her very much. And they love each other very much. Mummy and Daddy are going to look after each other for a bit. Then they’ll come and get her. She’s going to stay with Ali for a while. 

 

The Samaans are taken aback as neither Charlie nor Ash get into the car. If that’s OK? They’ve finally realised that they are stronger together than apart. They’ll try and catch them up, but for now it’s most important that Emma is safe. 

 

MONTAGE: Emma traveling to the Resettlement Zone with the Samaans, through an England in chaos, is intercut with the Dhumals battling for survival. They tend to each others’ wounds; they race through the countryside, listening to each others’ directions; they battle mysterious MASKED ASSAILANTS. Maybe they’re actually going to make it, fighting as a team?! As they fight, we CUT TO:

 

7am MAARA returns to a tent, where Nazim cooks and Ali and Emma are playing together. She’s heard: the government knows what’s causing the crisis, they’re going to announce it soon. We’re all going to survive this!

 

In an unknown location, Charlie and Ash look to each other with a steely determination, and power forward.