Revenant (2nd Version)
By Kairi Taylor
WARNING: Due to scenes of blood/gore & language, this story has an R rating.
Hi…
This is the reworking of the original story released sometime in Halloween of 2003. There's been a couple of additions, corrections & other stuff added.
If the story seems a little bit cheesy or over the top, it was kind of intentional. I've yet to really perfect a really serious horror story, so I consider whtat I've done with this one a bit of a learning process. Also, in the R rated stories I do, I tend go a bit over board on the language. So forgive me for that. The violence, however, has been made out to be as violent as possible. After all, we are talking about zombies. They don't leave much to the imagination, especially after being killed off.
While Jubilee is the hero, I also place emphasis on the other characters & their plight. In many ways, most of it is their own doing, whether they want to admit it or not, & so must deal with the consequences I also have nothing against priest: I'm angry at the hypocrites, liars & bigots who distort & taint religion for their own gains. So enjoy.
(We open to a long, winding road, somewhere near one of America's big cities. Walking down this road is Jubilee, with a backpack strapped to her. Her hair has been grown long & instead of her usual pair of sunglasses, she has opted to go with regular glasses.)
Jubilee (v.o.): I 'm Jubilee. At one time, I was once a member of the X-Men, but that part of my life is far behind me. It's been a year since my brush with death. Warren was able to bring me back but, I'm sorry to say, Angelo was not. So I decided I needed to be alone…it's been boring so far, but I figured it's better that way.
(A small jeep pulls up next to her. A red haired man in a white shirt & black jeans waves to her.)
Man: Excuse me ma'am, do you need a lift?
Jubilee: Nah, I don't want to impose. Thanks though.
Man: Don't worry, I'm civilized. Used to hitchhike myself, but I kept a taser in my pocket just in case. Where are you headed?
Jubilee: To the nearest town.
Man: That would be at least 20 miles away. Believe me, I am a nice guy.
Jubilee: …sure. (Gets inside the jeep.)
Man: I'm just returning home myself. Just got out of my first year of school at St. Andrews. Oh, where are my manners? My name's Pete O' Malley.
Jubilee: Jubilee.
Pete: Nice name.
Jubilee: I always thought it was a bit unusual. What do you study?
Pete: Me? I'm trying to be a regular ol' archaeologist. Kind of like digging for things, reading musty old book, that scholarly deal. I'm going to see my folks. Got some type of urgent call.
(The town of Deer's Creek. Nice, small town. But as the jeep pulled into the area, it was noticeably quiet)
Pete: Huh? This is strange.
Jubilee: Yeah…horror movie strange. Where is everyone?
Pete: Usually, there's at least a few people in the park. The place is so deserted, even the hobos are gone.
Jubilee: Hey, there's light in that store right there. There could be someone in there.
(The jeep pulls up to the front of the general store. Pete knocks on the door.)
Pete: Hello? Anyone inside?
Woman's Voice: Pete? Is that you?
Pete: Mrs. Rodriguez? What's going on?
Mrs. Rodriguez: Give me a second, I'll let you in.
(Sounds of a door being unlatched. The wooden door opens & a small elderly woman holstering a rifle comes into view.)
Mrs. Rodriguez: It's good to see you dear!
Jubilee: That's some serious hardware there.
Pete: What's going on? Everyone in this town is missing.
Mrs. Rodriguez: It's a bit of a doozy to explain kid, but I'll try. Your father is--- (raises rifle) GET DOWN!!
(Jubilee & Pete duck down as Mrs. Rodriguez fires a shot off. A loud splattering sound, like that of a watermelon being pulverized by a hammer, fills the air. As Jubilee gains her bearings, she turns to see a body on the ground, minus it's head. Another body stands behind it, it's arms outreached for her. The skin has rotted away to a dark green color. Obviously, it is a zombie.)
Jubilee: Ohmigod!
Pete: Holy shit!!
(The zombie lunges for Jubilee. Instinctively, she raises her hands & unleashes a stream of energy modules at the monster. The zombie is set aflame.)
Pete: Jubilee…did you just…
Jubilee: Yeah.
Mrs. Rodriguez : Thank God no one saw that…quick, both of you, inside, now!!
(The two rush inside as Mrs. Rodriguez bolts the door shut.)
Mrs. Rodriguez: Dearie, you couldn't have picked a worse town to come to.
Jubilee: I wasn't really planning on staying long, but I don't seem to have any choice.
Mrs. R: I know. But if that fool reverend has any say in the matter, he'll have you strung up before dawn.
Pete: Before we get into the whole lynching thing, someone please explain to me why we seem to be stuck in the middle of a B-movie.
Mrs. R: It has to do with little Jason, your next-door neighbor.
Pete: Jason?
Mrs. R: Yes. Apparently, he's a mutant. Pretty strong one too. He can bring things back to life.
Jubilee: Ick. Sounds gross.
Mrs. R: No, actually, it came in handy recently. But the situation has changed real bad. We have to get to your father & sister before the reverend does.
Pete: C'mon, my jeep's right outside.
(A few minutes later, as the small group drive to Pete's home.)
Mrs. R: Jason's been in hiding for 2 days now. No one knows where we can find him & make him stop all this.
Pete: I see now…it seems that Jason can heal & reanimate dead tissue. These zombies are all his doing then.
Jubilee: Yeah, but from what you told me, he seems to be a pretty good kid. Something pretty traumatizing must have happened to trigger this.
Mrs. R: Yes, little Jason is a very gentle boy. Pete, your father & sister can explain everything.
Pete: Hey, there's the town hall. Some lights are on
Mrs. R: Keep driving. See?
(Points to the hall's direction. Jubilee can see that the building is surrounded by a pack of the undead. Some shots ring out in the night.)
Mrs. R: It won't be long now before they stop the advance. We have to keep moving.
Pete: What about the mayor? And the rest of the town?
Mrs. R: After the zombies came out, the mayor went & hid himself in some bunker. The other townsfolk are a bit divided. Those with Prescott have been using the church & city hall as their headquarters. Everyone else is either with the mayor or holed up in their own houses.
(Pete's home. All the windows are boarded up or in the process of being boarded up. A few badly decayed corpses lay on the ground, all missing either limbs or heads. A tall man with a tool kit & an axe is finishing up his work.)
Pete: Pop, you ok?
Father: Oh, hey son! Great timing! And you've got some friends with you!
Mrs. R: What happened to your gun, Sam? You know better than to be out here with those damn things out there.
Sam: Oh, Ms. Reilly has it. She's inside with Rebecca. This ax kinda suits me anyway. Who's the young lass son, a girlfriend?
Pete: This is Jubilee, she's a hitchhiker.
Mrs. R: We need to get inside, Sam. Pete needs to be filled in on the details.
Pete: And I need to see Rebecca.
(The O' Malley home. A red haired girl is laying on the couch, covered by a quilt. Next to her is a raven haired woman Sam & Pete Sit down.)
Sam: Jubilee, I'm sorry, but you've kinda been put in a very bad situation.
Jubilee: I'm used to this kind of thing, believe me.
Sam: This is Debra Reilly, Jason's mom. She's been our next door neighbor for awhile now.
Pete: What's been going on?
Rebecca: Everyone has been blaming the bad stuff that's been going on in town ever since word got out that Jason had mutant powers. The Reverend Prescott has been lobbying to get him kicked out.
Jubilee: Feh, preacher. Figures.
Mrs. R: You have a thing against priests.
Jubilee: Well, the last two I've encountered tried to kill me. So you'll understand if I have a bit of a grudge.
(A small dog lays down on Rebecca's lap)
Rebecca: He's such a nice guy too! He'd never hurt anyone! Why are they doin' this?!
Debra: A few days ago, Rocco's car ran over her dog. Poor little dear almost died. Then, Jason came over & put his hands on him. Next thing we know, little guy's all healed up, better than ever!
Sam: Someone saw it apparently & gave word to Prescott. The son of a bitch got the town all riled up too.
Pete: But why? I don't understand? He could really do some good with that power.
Jubilee: Pete, sorry to say this, but some people are just assholes. This Prescott gut just happens to be one.
Pete: Who is this guy anyway?
Mrs. R: He came to this town a few months ago. Real hardliner too. Anti-mutant, anti-abortion, anti-anything-that-isn't-covered-by-scripture. Even agreed with Pat Robertson about that 9/11 speech!
Sam: After awhile, strange things started happening. People saw odd things running around in the forest. And then some time ago there was a fire started in Prescott's church. He and his congregation decided to drop by Jason's house for a lynching. When Jason came out of his house to try to defend himself, that Rocco tried to shoot him!
Jubilee: What happened?
Rebecca: I tried to push Jason away…but I got hit by the bullet.
Sam: The kid has such a terrible look on his face. He was so heartbroken. There was so many tears in his eyes.
Debra: Thankfully, he brought her back from death's door. But it got worse.
Sam: That fucker called him a demon! He said my daughter was no longer a human, but some stinking demon corpse that needed to be killed . Sheriff Tanner kept me from shoving that big bible of his right into his ass! That congregation of fools tried to attack him too.
Debra: That's when he lost it. He just let out such a horrible scream. All of a sudden, all these bodies just rose from the ground. Attacked anyone & everyone. We haven't seen my boy since.
Jubilee: Man, this is bad…I can call some friends of mine, they can get here in an hours tops and…
Sam: Won't do you good. Unless you have a real good cell phone, all phone lines out here have been cut off.
Jubilee: Speak of the devil….(pulls out a handy X-communicator.)
Pete: What's that?
Jubilee: Since you already know I got these nifty little powers, I should let you know I've got a hotline to Prof. Xavier himself.
(A police car pulls up. A bald man steps out, wielding two pump action shotguns.)
Tanner: Sam! We got a problem!
(3 minutes later…Pete has a shotgun in hand.)
Sam: So, what's the news?
Tanner: Real sorry to tell you this, but that mob that was holed up in city hall finished off those zombies. They'll be headed here soon.
Jubilee: That's bad.
Tanner: Then you'll really pissed by this: in a few short seconds, we're gonna have some real nasty company headed here.
Sam: FUCK!!!! Mrs. Rodriguez, lock every door in that house! Unless it me or one of us, no one gets in.
Mrs. R: Got ya!!
Tanner: Missie, you might wanna head in too.
Jubilee: Don't worry, Hoss…(Jubilee's hands glow intensely.) I got yer back!
Tanner: A mutant too? Things are looking up.
Pete: Here they come.
(From out of the nearby tree line & the roads, the undead make their way to the house There is at least a good twenty of them.)
Pete: J! You'll need a good melee weapon just in case!
Jubilee: J? People usually just call me Jubs or something? What do you have in mind?
Pete: Fortunately, I happen to be a samurai movie fan…(reaches into the back seat of his jeep & pulls out a katana, still sheathed. He tosses it to her.) Think you're up to it?
Jubilee: In that case…(pulls out the sword.) Just call me 'The Bride'. (Author's note: yes, it was intentional)
(Without hesitation, the battle begins. Sheriff Tanner & Sam raise their shotguns & fire at the first approaching zombies, taking off a couple of limbs. A pair is burned by some of Jubilee's energy blasts. Pete fires at three approaching zombies, taking their heads off & blasting giant holes in their chests.)
Pete, Uh oh, out of ammo! (pulls out a large knife.)
Sam: Same here! (holds up axe.)
Tanner: This is going to get really messy in a hurry, won't it? (Fires off a couple more rounds, then makes a dash for his car.)
Same: Sheriff! What are ya doin?
Tanner: Watch! (Opens up the trunk of his car. A loud engine revs up & he pulls out a chainsaw.)
Jubilee: Hail to the king, baby. (A.N.: So was this)
Tanner: Took the words right out of my mouth!
(The zombies attack. Jubilee raises the katana blade. She yells & lets loose, disemboweling one zombie with a grand stroke & beheading another. Sam's axe hews the arms off of another & rips apart the one next to it.)
Pete: Nice skill! (swinging with reckless abandon, he lops off the hand of a attacking zombie, then swings at it's throat, wincing as a geyser of blood shoots out .)
Tanner: Chew on this!!!
(Tanner revs up & swings his chainsaw in an arc, ripping apart all the zombies surrounding him. Another one shuffles up behind him, but he takes the chainsaw & drives it deep into the monster, shredding the insides out as Jubilee fires some more energy at the zombies attacking her. She leaps over another set & with the katana, slices right down the middle of one, then swings a few more times, dismembering the remaining ones. With a final battle cry, Sam hacks his way through the last one.)
Sam: Well, so much for them.
????: Freeze mutie!!!
(Jubilee turns & sees an axe leveled at her head. A brown haired man, whose plaid shirt is covered in blood, stands before her.)
Tanner: Rocco!!! Who let you out of your cell?
Rocco: The good reverend saw fit to release me on good behavior! You're one of those freaks that caused this to happen, didn't you! Now talk! Where's that little shit?
Jubilee: ….
Sam: HEY!!! Watch your tongue, boy!
Rocco: You know what that little monster is doin'? You should be helping us! He's gonna kll you too! If we kill him now, we'll all be safe!
Sam: Whatever that preacher put in your fool head is making you a bigger ass than you already are! That kid is scared, is all. Put the axe down!
Rocco: But it ain't natural! What that kid did ain't even right! No one has the right to do what he does!
(A knife is embedded in Rocco's hand, making him drop his axe.)
Pete: 'Right'? What gave you the right to take his life? It was because of you I almost lost my little sister! Thanks to that 'freak', she still lives.. I watched that boy grow up into a pretty cool kid. I owe him more than he knows. (approaches Rocco)
Rocco: Pete...look man, I'm sorry for what happened! Really!
Pete: You can't apologize now…you almost took away my sister… for that … (face turns dark) I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!!!
Rocco: WAIT!!!
(Pete grabs Rocco by the collar& floors him with a powerful haymaker punch, knocking a few teeth from his mouth.)
????: Well, isn't that a stirring speech.
(A large crowd has gathered. In front is a man in a preacher's outfit, holding a large black leather bible.)
Jubilee: The good Reverend Prescott has joined us, I see.
Prescott: See, my good people? Another mutant has joined their foul ranks. Sam O' Malley, my congregation demands that you bring that demon spawn you call a daughter out to face our good justice! This foul mutant will be joining her as well!
Tanner: Preacher, you are not the law here!
Prescott: Sir, I am a servant of God, whose Word is above all of man's so called 'justice'! Stand aside & let us handle it. (Jubilee is seemingly deep in thought.)
Pete: J?
Jubilee: Don't worry…it'll be alright, Pete.
Prescott: Now stand aside & let me fetch the demon whore!
(Sam, angered, raises his axe.)
Sam: Here me…any of you even consider laying a hand on her, you answer to me. Got it?
(Prescott pulls a gun from his robes.)
Prescott: Stand down. That demon in there is no longer your daughter.
(The gun flies out of Prescott's hand. It flies into the hands of a little blond haired girl, whose father carefully confiscates it.)
???: Stop saying mean things about Rebecca!! (Another crowd, much larger than Prescott's, forms up.)
Father: That's enough Sophia.
Sam: Brad?
Brad: Sorry it took so long to get the rest of the townspeople, but it was tough, considering what was out there.
Prescott: Another demon? And in the guise of a little girl!
????: Watch what you say about my friend, dickface! (a young boy with a bandage on his face approaches Jubilee)
Jubilee: Sophia is a telepath. She tipped me off that the other townsfolk were coming!
Brad: My Sophia's a good kid. So to hear anyone calling another fellow parent's kid a freak upsets me. And that ain't all! He's been lying! Tell them, Kevin (turns to the kid with a bandage on his face.)
Kevin: I saw who burned down the church! It was Prescott!!
Prescott: Lies! Lies!!! He doesn't know what he speaks of!
Tanner: Don't be so sure. I got a fax awhile ago from the FD. Turns out that the fire was started from some basic chemicals found in your church. Care to explain that?
Kevin: Plus I got this! (Holds up some photos) I tried to take these to the sheriff, but that deputy of his tried to destroy them!
Tanner: That explains a whole lot. There was some evidence missing from the scene when I got there. Plus, I've been trying to find out why some stuff was missing from the ammunitions room. Looks like you've been paying off my deputy.
Jubilee: See? Jason was never your enemy. That prick was leading you on!
Congregation Member: So what about those strange things we saw in the forest!? And why was the zombies attacking us!
Sam: The boy has no control over his powers after how you all turned on him! He must be overloaded by now! As for the forest, I don't know.
Kevin: Oh, that was her! (Points to the sky. A hawk flies overhead. It lands & morphs into a young teenager.)
????: Sorry about that. I was just trying out my powers in the forest.
Kevin: Laurie, are there any more zombies?
Laurie: No, it's pretty much over.
Congregation Member: It's still that boy's fault. Why should we even let him back?
Jubilee: Oh, that's it!!! (levels the C.M. with a fist.) HAVEN'T YOU ASSHOLES LEARNED A FUCKING THING!! All this was your goddamned fault! Because of what you did, that kid is out there scared & angry! Honestly, if he doesn't come back, I wouldn't blame him! Who needs a bunch of assholes like you around.
Sam: Calm down, kid. I don't think an ass kicking will bring some of these people around.
Tanner: The girl's right though! What that kid did for Rebecca was nothing short of a miracle. And we shouldn't let something like this ever tear our town apart.
(An old man steps out from behind Brad.)
Tanner: Mayor…
Mayor: I'm sorry, Jim…I should have said something before I let this get all out of control. I was jut afraid that the reverend would single me out.
Tanner: It's ok sir. It's been chaotic for all of us.
Mayor: I'll will only say this now: anyone who tries to do harm onto Jason, or any of the other children for that matter, will have their ass run out on the rails. (Holds up gun) Are we crystal?
Laurie: I know where we can find Jason!
Jubilee: Where?
Laurie: I'll take you there myself. (Rebecca walks out the house.)
Rebecca: Take me too! I can talk with him.
Laurie: OK. (Morphs into a griffin.) Climb onto my back.)
(Jubilee, Rebecca & Laurie fly off.)
Tanner: SHIT!!!
Sam: What is it?
Pete: Prescott…where is that slimy fuck?
Tanner: C'mon, get in the car!
(A large cemetery. Laurie lands & Jubilee & Rebecca disembark.)
Laurie: I think he's in that mausoleum there.
Jubilee: Go & get the other townspeople. Be fast!
Laurie: Right! (morphs into a bat & flies off.)
Rebecca: Let's hurry.
(Jubilee & Rebecca enter a small mausoleum, with an open door. A lone black haired boy is sitting down, head cast down.)
Rebecca: Jason…
Jason: You're…safe.
Jubilee: Are you ok.
Jason: …I guess….I'm so sorry I didn't want them to come out…but I didn't know…how to stop them…
Jubilee: It's ok. Your mom…she misses you very much…
Rebecca: Me too.
Jason: I don't want you to suffer, Rebecca…the town hates me…
Jubilee: Not everyone hates you, Jason. A lot of them stood up for you today. And n one else will try that here. (rubs his shoulder softly)
Jason: Are you sure? (Head raises. His eyes are red from crying.)
Jubilee: Pretty sure. And if anyone does mess with you, call me &I'll kick their ass for you! My name's Jubilee, need a hug?
Jason: …yes please.
(Jason hugs Jubilee. Jubilee picks him up.)
Jubilee: Let's get you out of here. I hate crypts. Too 'Buffy' if you ask me.
(Outside the mausoleum. A gun toting Prescott confronts the group. To Jubilee's right stands Rocco.)
Prescott: Well, will wonders never cease? I have three demons in my crosshairs.
Jubilee: You!
Prescott: You've ruined my plans for this town girl. I intend to carry out my mission of God.
Jubilee: God doesn't need your assistance. I'm fairly certain
Prescott: Charming to the last.
????: She is, isn't she? That's why we like her.
(A beam or red light takes out Roscoe. Cyclops & Havok pop out from nowhere.)
Cyclops: Put the gun down!
Havok: Unless, of course, you do want us to put you in a full body cast..
Prescott: I'm running this freak show! Stand down or the little demoness gets it first.
(Jason's eyes glow purple. Several decaying hands burst out, grabbing his ankles.)
Prescott: What---NOOOOO!!!!!! (The reverend is pulled down screaming into the earth, seemingly straight to hell itself.)
Jubilee: I don't see pearly gates in his future.
Jason:…sorry about that. (Tanner & Sam arrive)
Tanner: J, Prescott is…
Jubilee: Dead.
Tanner: I see…(looks at hole in the ground.) Kinda ironic way to die though.
Havok: I guess. Let's get these kids back home.
(Sometime later, at the town hall. The mayor is meeting with Cyclops & Havok.)
Mayor: Thank you for all your help, gentlemen
Cyclops: No problem. It was an incredible stoke of luck that Jubilee came here.
Havok: It's too bad we couldn't bring back Prescott. Alive at least.
Mayor: I know. But I don't want any unneeded questions asked about this town. After what happened in Genosha & NYC last year, we've been on edge.
Cyclops: If you want, we could ask Prof. Xavier to come here and…you know.
Mayor: No, I want all the people here to remember what went down. A terrible lesson has been taught. I must make sure it will never happen again.
(Jubilee & Pete are talking.)
Pete: Leaving so soon?
Jubilee: Yeah…I still have my own little journey to finish…Cyke & I have this understanding now.
Pete: Oh, I see…well, if you ever stop by Boston, look me up.
Jubilee: Maybe I will…(winks & walks off. Laurie & Sam walks in.)
Laurie. Who was she, anyway?
Sam: Jubilee, J, Jubs, The Bride…
Pete: Take your pick.
The End