"Phantasm Theme - Fred Myro"

Hunter - A. Michael Baldwin

Swann - Kevin J O'Connor

Jason - Jason Lively

Mary - Ellen Page

Dallion - John D LeMay.

It's nearly two hours later. Swann, Jason, and Dallion all lean against the chopper, now refueled. They watch in the darkness as Hunter finishes burying his father. Twice the men offer to help, but Hunter shakes his head. This is something he needs to do alone. In fact, he's help bury almost everyone who's died on this island since his mother. Breaking out into a sweat, he feels the blisters on the palm of his hands throb. Patting down the rest of the dirt with a shovel, he turns his head and sighs, a cool breeze goes against his forehead. Finally Mary walks forward. She has three bags. She looks embarrassed once looking at the three strangers and glances at her brother.

"Need help with those?"

Dallion asks, he lowers his sunglasses and tries to show a friendly grin. Mary avoids eye contact but simply nods. Dallion picks up the bags and brings them over to the chopper. Mary turns and watches her brother before he stands up. She goes to his side and slips her hand into his. Both stand in silence for a while, looking at the line of what seems like ever ending graves on the beach. So many lost…

Hunter's father is beside their mother, just as he always wanted to be. Looking at the rest of the graves he sighs before looking down at his sister. She forces a weak smile before he nods.

"I guess that's it."

Mary nods, fighting back tears before they turn.

Swann nods before throwing his gun over his shoulder.

"You guys ready?"

Hunter nods before they walk over to the chopper. Jason helps Mary in, before Hunter looks over his shoulder and stares at the darkness of the island for one last time.

"How long will be have to wait?"

"Forever…

Those words drift into his head as he feels a chill. Slighting nodding, he turns back around and gets in. Jason makes sure the doors are shut tightly and that everyone is in their seats. Swann sits in the back with Hunter and Mary, while Jason joins Dallion. Seconds later the engine starts and Hunter feels Mary's grip tighten on his arm. He holds her as the chopper slowly raiser and begins to fly over to water, leaving their old life behind.

A few hours later, Mary is past out on Hunter's lap. He knew she was crying for awhile and finally drifted off. He gently strokes her jet black hair and looks out the window at the waste lands. Finally Swann clears his throat.

"So, tell me the story about the island…"

Hunter shrugs.

"Confusing story…"

"I'm game."

Hunter looks over at Swann before smiling, he sits back still stroking his sister's hair. Looking ahead he tries to remember everything.

"Well, my father was a salesman who met up with my mother who was a nurse when the outbreak first started nearly twenty years ago." "They met up with some other people at a shopping mall and stayed there for awhile, I guess I came to be there."

Swann smirks.

"Anyways, they decided one day to make a break for it and head to the islands…something went wrong and a bunch of people got bit, counting my father who stayed behind."

"He was immune?"

Hunter nods before Swann shakes his head, he reaches for a cigarette and offers one to Hunter. Hunter shakes his head before Swann lights it.

"The new breed of the virus is different, haven't heard of immune bites in Jesus…fifteen years?"

"Well my father was one of them, he even tried to commit suicide but it just didn't happen, it seems as though faith wanted him to stay alive…so he met up with some other people and they joined the camps in Philly, further out you know?"

Swann nods.

"Well my mother gave birth to me on the island thinking my father was dead…we lived that way until a bunch of people came on the island and kidnapped my mother, killed a few others before this kid Terry took off with me, I Must have been four of five."

"Wow…"

Hunter nods.

"We traveled for a few months and just so happen…stumble upon the very same camp my father was in."

"What are the odds of that?"

Hunter tries to smile.

"None I guess….anyways Terry got killed and my father figured out who I was, a night in which the camp was attacked he decided to just go back to the island in case and see if my mother was still alive."

"Was she?"

Hunter shakes his head.

"She was taken to Florida, some army base where soldiers and scientist were held up…she met one of the soldiers who ended up being Mary's father."

"Was Mary born there?"

"No…she escaped around the time Mary's father had a complete mental breakdown, I guess he killed some people, a few of the people left the bunker and joined my mother on the island…where she died in child birth with Mary."

"Did your father ever see her?"

"Right before she died…that's when my dad let one of the guys on the island sort of take care of Mary, we all lived there trying to move on and start a life for each other people everyone became sick…since then everything fell apart."

"That's some story…"

"Yeah…"

"What about you?"

Swann leans back in his seat, his eyes are almost hypnotizing. The faint sound of the engine roars above them as they fly forward into the darkness. Finally Swann looks over, his face filled with pain.

"I was just a kid when it started, my entire family was killed and I ended up going from safety station, to safety station." "There I met people, people who showed me how to fire guns, survive, and fight back."

"Is that where you met your wife?"

Swann shakes his head.

"I was about nineteen when I met her, she was younger but we were living in that blocked off city I was talking about…I worked as an engine man, we lived pretty peacefully until everything fell apart, much like you."

"Was it bad?"

Swann nods.

"A lot of people died, that's when we saw the new breed…I became separated with my wife and told her to meet me at this place in Florida, I had heard about it over the broadcasts, but that's it."

Hunter looks down at Mary sleeping before returning his glance at Swann.

"Children?"

Swann shakes his head.

"We were together for a long time, but no, we didn't have any…I thank God for that, could you imagine ?"

"I know…"

Both stay silent for awhile, Hunter looked out the window at the darkness of the land. Everyone looking like ghost towns, deserted cities of nothing. Finally he spoke again, clearing his throat.

"What's the new breed like?"

Swann looks.

"There's more of them now, I guess the virus almost died out before another stage began…people get sick, drop dead and then turn…much faster."

"That's what happened on the island…that's why we burned the dead."

"That and shooting them in the head, or cutting it off only works as usualy, at least that didn't change."

"Anything else?"

"Their slower…no runners which is good, no immune bites, and the change happens faster, hours even."

"Jesus…"

"I guess we have to face it, twenty years later and there still here…"

"Do you think it's ever gonna be over?"

Swann leans in closer, his voice lowered.

"You really want the truth Hunter?"

Hunter nods before Swann shakes his head.

"I don't think it's ever gonna be over, I hears stories of them wanting to try and attempt to drop nukes finally, but with our luck we'll blow up the entire fucking world."

"There's less of us now, right?"

"Only a couple thousand last count they did…face it, humans are dying out."

"You know, there was this guy on the island named John, he was like a second father to me…he used to say that this was our punishment from God."

Swann leaned back holding his gun before looking at Hunter one last time.

"I think he was right."