CHAPTER 14: HELL ON EARTH
EXT. RAVENHOLM
Dawn And Alyx look at the darken city. There are old buildings, dead trees, and bloodstains on the ground. Dawn looks at a sign on the ground which reads: RAVENHOLM: CITY OF TRANQUILITY. They once again look around at the city covered by the dark sky.
DAWN: It's still daytime, why is it dark?
ALYX: All the smoke from the shelling must have darkened the sky.
They hear a strange growling. Dawn and Alyx immediately get their guns ready.
DAWN: Shit! What was that?
ALYX: It's what we'll be dealing with. This is Hell on Earth.
They come across a bloody dead body that is hanging from a tree. There are a few ravens flying around the trees. There is the lower part of a body hanging from another tree. They also see a dead body lying on the ground in front of them. Alyx sees a building to her left. There is a small amount of light inside.
INT. BUILDING
They walk in a see numerous saw blades.
DAWN: It must be Leatherface's home.
Alyx uses the gravity gun to pick up one of the saw blades.
ALYX: This should come in handy.
Dawn looks through another door and hears a growling sound. In front of her is a zombie with a head crab attached to its face. She takes out her 357 and shoots it down. More of them come out and she is able to shoot them down. More zombies come around the corner.
ALYX: Dawn, move out of the way.
Dawn complies. Alyx fires the saw blade at the oncoming zombies. The blade slices them in half. Alyx smiles.
DAWN: That was freaking awesome!
They move through the building while keeping an eye on the dark corners. Then, they reach an outside area. Dawn looks around the corners. She moves her head, inviting Alyx to come along. Then, a flock of ravens fly over them and Dawn almost shoots them. They hear another growling noise. Around them are flammable barrels. Then, a small horde of zombies is walking towards them. Dawn fires shots at them as Alyx picks up a flammable barrel and fires it towards the zombies. The barrel explodes, sending some of the zombies into the air. Two of the zombies catch fire and begins walking towards Dawn and Alyx. The zombies eventually fall to the ground. The girls walk through the alley.
POV
Someone is watching them from the rooftops. The person has its hands on the edge. The person loads the shotgun and walks into the building.
The girls spot a few head crabs in front of them and are able to shoot them away.
ALYX: Remember, don't let those things get on your face.
DAWN: I know. So how big is this place?
ALYX: I don't know, but with more zombies ahead of us, it's a long way to the end.
They hear the sound of something banging on a piece of metal. The girls run down another alley and see a huge set of flames ahead of them.
DAWN: There has to be someone here.
ALYX: That's impossible.
DAWN: Someone had to start the fire. Someone had to leave the lights on. I know it wasn't the zombies.
Then, a piece of wood breaks open and out comes a horde of zombies. Dawn and Alyx begin shooting at them, killing each one that comes out of the room. They run up the alley and quickly run down another alley. Another horde of zombies appear in the alley they just got out of. They fire shots at the oncoming zombies and suddenly a large flame starts up, burning the zombies. The zombies scream as they burn away. Alyx notices a ladder that leads up to a building.
ALYX: Everything else is blocked off. I guess we should go to the rooftops.
They climb up the ladder and reach the rooftop. They can almost see the entire city beyond the dark sky. Then, a silhouette of someone appears in front of a well-lit room. Dawn sees the person who is holding a shotgun.
GUARDIAN: Well, who do we have here? Another life to save.
DAWN: Who are you?
MAN: I am...the Guardian. This is the wrong place for you to be in.
DAWN: We didn't have a choice but to come through here.
GUARDIAN: Every man and woman has a choice in life. Every man and woman must face tough times. It looks like the worst is here for you.
DAWN: How do we get out of here?
GUARDIAN: Seek the church. It's on the other end of town. I will try to help you as best I can, other than that; you're on your own. Farewell.
DAWN: Wait!
The Guardian disappears back into the room. Then a small thin head crab appears from the adjacent rooftop. Alyx fires one shot into it and sends it falling to the ground.
ALYX: If you think the other head crabs were bad, those things are even worse.
The girls walk across a platform to the other building and enter.
INT. BUILDING
They walk through the blood stained room and find a dead body near the stairwell. They pass three tables and one of them has a body that has no skin. The other table has upper half body of a dead citizen and the other table is the charred remains of a body. Dawn turns to her left and sees half of a zombie stuck against the wall and is begin held there by a saw blade. On the floor are numerous saw blades and two large metal hooks. The girls head downstairs but in their path is a horde of zombies. Alyx uses the gravity gun to hold a saw blade. She fires the blade into the zombies and is able to cut three of them in half. Dawn fires her 357 into them, killing some of them. More keep coming. Alyx gets another saw blade and cuts more zombies in half. One of the zombies is crawling on the ground despite being cut in half. Dawn shoots it in the head. Dawn is out of 357 ammo and takes out her machine gun. Alyx takes out her 357 and they move down the stairs, firing shots into the zombies. Then, everything falls silent.
DAWN: There's a shitload of them.
ALYX: Yeah, they used to be citizens here.
They make their way past the bloody bodies and then head back outside. There are fires and dead zombies on the ground. Then, they hear a strange growling sound. Dawn sees a silhouette of a zombie on the rooftop and it is moving quickly.
ALYX: It's one of the fast ones. We gotta shoot it, right in the head or we'll be finished real quickly.
The zombie quickly runs towards them. Dawn fires her machine gun at it and Alyx uses her 357. The zombie stops moving and falls to the ground. Alyx begins running towards another building and Dawn follows. The strange growling is heard again. A fast zombie is right behind Dawn. Alyx turns around and stops running, she fires a shot and hits the zombie right in the head, just a few feet away from Dawn. She looks behind her and sees the dead zombie. They run into the building.
INT. BUILDING
The other side is blocked off and the girls decide to head upstairs. In their path are two more zombies. Dawn uses her machine gun to clear them out.
DAWN: I'm running low on ammo.
ALYX: Me too.
They head up another flight of stairs and out of the door.
EXT. ROOFTOP
They gaze out at the darken city and see more old run down buildings. Dawn and Alyx look upon the dark hillsides and listen to the wind howl. Then, the Guardian appears at the adjacent building and points a rifle right at them. The girls become startled as the Guardian fires a shot towards them. Then, a fast zombie falls to the ground right beside them.
GUARDIAN: You'll do well to guard yourself.
He lights up a cigarette. When he lights up, a small light shines on the lower part of his face, revealing a red facial hair and a small scar on the chin..
GUARDIAN: Catch.
He throws two boxes of 357 ammo at them.
ALYX: Thank you.
GUARDIAN: You two have stirred up hell. It must be your specialty.
DAWN: Why don't you come down here? We could use another hand.
GUARDIAN: I got my own tribulations to attend to. You see that platform, walk across there and head into that building. Take the elevator to the ground. The church isn't far from here.
Then, a strange howling is heard. The fast zombies quickly come up to the rooftop. Dawn, Alyx, and the Guardian shoot them off the rooftops. More of them climb up the pipes. Dawn shoots it off. Another zombie climbs up but Alyx kicks it back down. The Guardian uses his rifle to shoot more of the fast zombies off the pipes. Then, everything falls silent.
GUARDIAN: See you around ladies.
The Guardian runs back into the house.
DAWN: Let's get out of here.
They walk across the platform.
ALYX: Why should we trust this guy?
DAWN: He's the only one we can trust, unless you have other ideas.
ALYX: I just want to get the hell out of here.
They reach the door and Dawn tries to open it but it's locked. Then, the strange howl is heard. They hear the clanking of metal and see the pipes moving back and forth. More fast zombies approach the rooftops and Alyx shoots them off. Dawn shoots the lock off the door and they run inside.
INT. BUILDING
They close the door and then hear the zombies moving across the metal. They move a large box in front of the door. Dawn looks out where the elevator is and sees more zombies climbing up the pipes. She uses her 357 to shoot them off the pipes. Everything falls silent. Dawn presses the button for the elevator and it begins to ascend. Suddenly, a fast zombie crashes through the window on the ceiling. The zombie grabs Alyx from behind and very quickly jumps back out of the window.
DAWN: Alyx!
EXT. ROOFTOP
She runs back outside and looks around for her. She sees the gravity gun lying on the street below.
DAWN: Alyx!
She hears the growling noise again. A fast Zombie is climbing the pipe. Dawn shoots it off and runs back inside.
EXT. STREETS
She gets off the elevator and runs around the corner. She looks through a small hole in the wooden barriers and sees the gravity gun in the distance. She runs back around and sees someone in the distance.
DAWN: Hey, you gotta help me, they got Alyx.
The silhouette comes closer. It has something around its shoulders. She hears a chirping sound. It comes closer and it is a zombie with black head crabs around it. The zombie throws a black head crab at her. She moves away and steps on it. She fires a shot at the zombie, knocking off the head crabs. The zombie is unfazed and throws another head crab at her. She shoots the head crab and it hits the ground. Dawn shoots the zombie and moves away. She sees a gas tank and picks it up. She throws it and right before it reaches the zombie, she shoots the gas tank, causing it to explode. The head crabs around zombie begin to catch fire and it throws them away. The head crabs are on fire and move towards Dawn. She shoots them with her machine gun. Dawn sees an opening around the head crabs and fires one shot into the zombies face. It falls to the ground, causing the head crabs to come off and run after Dawn. She points her machine gun at them but is out of bullets. She fires her 357 until she runs out of bullets. More of them keep coming and Dawn runs towards a fence. She jumps over it and runs down an alley. She sees dead zombies, bloodstains, and charred walls. She looks behind her and runs down the dark alley. She heads into a building.
INT. BUILDING
She leans against the wall and is breathing heavy. She closes her eyes and wipes the sweat away and realizes there is blood on her. She sees a shotgun with a box of ammo across the room. As she heads over, a zombie smashes through the door. It swings at her but Dawn is able to evade it. She kicks the zombie in the stomach and it stumbles back. She moves towards the shotgun, but the zombie throws a box at her, causing her to fall. The zombie moves closer and Dawn's vision is blurry. She grabs the shotgun and shoots the zombie in the head. She breathes a sigh of relief and stands up. She loads the shotgun and runs upstairs. A zombie appears in front of her but she shoots it down. There are 3 more and she shoots each of them in the head. Then, a small batch of thin head crabs appear at the other door. She quickly shoots each of them. She walks down a hallway while looking behind her. Then she hears someone laughing. She opens a door and the laughter gets louder. A zombie appears in front of her and she blasts it out of the window.
EXT. ROOFTOPS
She climbs out and sees the Guardian shooting at the small head crabs on the street below. The Guardian sees her.
GUARDIAN: You're still alive. I'm not surprised. You have done well. Look to your own salvation.
DAWN: Listen, you have to help me. They took Alyx. I don't know where she is.
GUARDIAN: Then, I'm afraid she can't be found. She is gone.
DAWN: Damn it! Don't say that. You have to help me find her. I'm not going to leave until I do.
GUARDIAN: I'll look but I cannot guarantee I will find her. If we are going to look, we have to hurry.
He runs back into the building. Dawn looks at the streets ahead and begins walking along the rooftops. Down below, are 4 zombies. She continues to walk until she reaches the end of the building. She sees 6 flammable barrels and shoots one of them. The barrels begin to catch fire and then explode, killing all 4 zombies. The other barrels begin to catch fire and eventually explode.
EXT. STREET
She climbs down the ladder and walks down the street. There are sounds of howling wind, growling, and the ravens caw. She looks around, holding her shotgun. Then, she hears a fast zombie coming behind her and she fires a shot at it, causing the zombie to tumble to the ground. She looks at the rooftops behind her and sees more fast zombies. She turns around and runs into an alley and hides in a dark corner. Then, the two zombies jump across the rooftops above her. She gets her shotgun ready while listening to the growling. One of the zombies runs into the alley. It looks around and Dawn points the shotgun at its head. She fires a shot, striking the zombie in the head. Then, more zombies from a distance begin to growl. She runs towards a door but it is locked. She kicks the door until it busts open.
INT. BUILDING
She runs into the dark room and listens to the zombies out in the alley. There is a small amount of light surrounding her. She leans against the wall and is breathing heavily. Then, two zombies come through the door and begin growling. One of them comes near her and she shoots it in the stomach. The other zombie quickly runs towards her but she is able to shoot it right in the head. She leans against a table and sees a small lantern. She turns the light on and holds it up right into a hanging corpse that has its face chewed off. She moves back and bumps into another hanging corpse with no eyes. She backs away and sees that there are more hanging corpses. She runs out of the building.
EXT. STREETS
She runs down the street as fast as she can as the howling wind and the growling occurs. Dawn runs past the dead bodies of citizens and aliens and then past a large missile like object in the ground. She sees a zombie in front of her and shoots it in the head.
She keeps running down the street and then turns into a dark alley. She passes dead aliens, charred bodies, and bloodstains. Then, she turns around and sees someone being hung by the neck. She points her shotgun at it and continues down the alley. She runs through a large steel door that has bloodstains on it, and locks it. Her only source of light is a torch on the side of the wall. Dawn is out of breath and sits against the battered brick wall. She checks her shotgun and sees that she has one shell left. She reaches into her tactical vest and takes out her last shell.
She loads the gun and sits quietly. She continues to breath heavily as sweat runs down her face. The mascara on her face is also running down her face. Suddenly, a loud banging is heard by the steel door. She hears the sound 3 times and then everything is silent. She gets her shotgun ready and slowly walks towards the door. Another bang is heard and she stops. When everything is silent, she moves closer to the door. She looks through the gap in the door and sees nothing but the city streets.
DAWN: Who's there? Answer me.
She slowly unlocks the door and opens it. There is nothing there. She breathes a sigh of relief. Then, Alyx falls from the side and lands on the ground. There are cuts on her arms and her clothes are torn. Dawn turns her over and there is a cut on the side of her face. There is also a bite mark on her shoulder. Dawn drags her behind the door and locks it.
DAWN: Alyx, come on.
She tries to wake her up by shaking her.
DAWN: Alyx?
Alyx suddenly opens her bloodshot eyes and turns to Dawn.
ALYX: Something's wrong. I feel dizzy. I've been bitten. The poison one.
DAWN: I'm going to get you out of here. I'll save you.
ALYX: You can't. Just go.
Dawn reaches into her vest and pulls out a recovery serum.
DAWN: Let's try this.
She injects Alyx. A few moments later, Alyx begins to vomit. She turns to the side and begins coughing. The redness in her eyes begins to disappear.
ALYX: What was that?
DAWN: The recovery serum.
ALYX: I feel, better.
She stands up.
DAWN: What do you know, it works.
Alyx hugs Dawn.
ALYX: Let's get the hell out of here.
DAWN: Right.
EXT. STREETS
Dawn and Alyx are walking across the streets. In the distance, they see the church.
DAWN: There it is.
The girls walk through a squeaking gate. In front of them is a graveyard. There is a fog around them. Then, they hear the growling sounds.
DAWN: Shit, I only have two bullets left.
ALYX: Where's that guy at?
Two zombies appear in front of them. Dawn shoots both of them in the head.
ALYX: This is the worst place I've ever been to.
DAWN: No kidding.
Then, Dawn sees a horde of fast zombies on the hills. She turns around and sees more of them on the rooftops. She hears the loud growling of the zombies. They are staring at Dawn and Alyx.
DAWN: Okay, now it's time to take off.
ALYX: Yeah, right.
The girls begin to run as fast as they can, passing the gravestones. The zombies leap off the hills and rooftops, keeping a sharp eye on Dawn and Alyx. The girls jump over rocks, pieces of wood, and empty holes. One of the zombies is quickly approach them.
DAWN: Alyx, run right at the gravestone. On my signal, turn to the right.
They run towards a large gravestone with the zombie quickly approaching.
DAWN: Okay turn!
Dawn turns to the left and Alyx turns to the right. The zombie runs right into the gravestone, causing it to break. The girls continue to run through the graveyard. Then, more zombies walk out in front of them. Dawn and Alyx quickly run past them. One of the zombies swings at Dawn and strikes the empty shotgun out of her hand. She makes it past the zombies, but Alyx is not in sight. She slows down and looks for her.
DAWN: Alyx!
Then, she hears the fast zombies growl and begins to run through the graveyard. She runs at a large gravestone as a zombie approaches her and quickly turns to the left. The zombie runs through it and falls to the ground. She continues to run as fast as she can, moving around the gravestones. Then, zombies begin to come out of the ground. They try to grab her, but she jumps over them and moves around them. She approaches a large steep hill and starts to climb it. Dawn slips off the hill. She sees a fast zombie coming right at her. There is a saw blade on the ground. When the fast zombie comes near, she throws the saw blade right at the zombie's neck, decapitating it. She tries to climb the hill again and keeps slipping down. The zombies are coming closer. She jumps on the hill again and before she slips, Alyx reaches her hand out from the top of the hill. She pulls her up and they catch their breath.
ALYX: Damn girl, you're slow.
DAWN: How did you get around so quickly?
ALYX: I found a shortcut.
They hear a growling sound.
DAWN: We gotta go.
They continue to run. Then, a horde of fast zombies make their way to the top of the hill. There is a large gate ahead of them. One of the zombies leaps into the air and is heading for Dawn. Suddenly, a loud gunshot is heard and the zombie is struck in the head. The Guardian is on the other side of the gate and has a sniper rifle. He shoots the remaining zombies. Dawn and Alyx stop when they make it to the gate. The Guardian opens the gate and they run through. They are now inside an area that is covered by scrap metal.
GUARDIAN: You made it.
DAWN: Thank you.
The girls catch their breath.
GUARDIAN: We still have to make it through the tunnel in there.
They hear the clanking of the metal above them.
GUARDIAN: Relax, they can't get through.
The Guardian smiles.
GUARDIAN: This way.
Dawn and Alyx look up and finally see the man's face. He has red hair and green eyes with a red goatee. He is wearing an hazard suit.
DAWN: What kind of an outfit is that?
GUARDIAN: It's what helps me stay alive.
INT. TUNNEL
The tunnel is dark and silent. The Guardian turns on a flashlight and leads the way. They walk past an area lit by torches. He turns around and smiles.
GUARDIAN: It's amazing you made it alive. You do know the Combine is looking for you right?
DAWN: Yeah.
GUARDIAN: Maybe you should stay here until things cool down.
ALYX: They got my father and her family is out there. We have to go look for them.
Dawn looks at the Guardian's face.
DAWN: You look familiar.
GUARDIAN: I do?
DAWN: I've seen your face before, I just don't remember where.
The Guardian shines the flashlight on his face and smiles.
GUARDIAN: Think harder. You'll get it.
FLASHBACK
Dawn finds an ID card in the woods of Black Mesa.
DAWN: It's you, Gordon Freeman. It was you who hurt Walter.
Gordon smiles.
GORDON: Hurt is such an soft word; it's more like, torture.
DAWN: How are you still alive?
GORDON: It's amazing what Combine technology can do. My legs are now mechanical. Pretty cool, huh?
Dawn punches him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Gordon rolls near a switch. He presses a button and green gases come out from the air vents below. Gordon puts on a gas mask. The girls feel lightheaded and fall to the ground.
Dawn opens her eyes and her vision is blurry. She sees Gordon holding a syringe. She tries to move but is tied down on a table. She looks to her left and sees Alyx also tied to a table. She is trying to free herself.
GORDON: There is a reason why I didn't kill you out there. I need your bodies for something I crave; I mean, need to experiment on. I may have a way to control those zombies out there. First, I need to turn you into one and then, I try to cure you. I've been the Guardian in Ravenholm ever since it was shelled. I've had many failed tests since then. You may have seen some of the bodies out there. You see, I never gave up science, it's my passion. I'll have to die in order to give up science. Now which one of you lovely ladies wants to go first? Any volunteers?
DAWN: You're a damn psycho.
GORDON: I guess it's you.
He walks towards her, holding a syringe and smiling. Alyx uses a small knife and cuts off her straps. She gets off the table and kicks Gordon in the face. She unties Dawn. Gordon gets up. Dawn kicks him in the face and he tumbles back to the ground. Alyx stabs him in the neck and Dawn smashes a large rock on his face. They run down the dark tunnel and are guided by a dim light.
ALYX: Who was that lunatic?
DAWN: Gordon Freeman. Walter told me a lot about him. He killed a bunch of people at Black Mesa. I though he was dead.
They see a light at the end of the tunnel.
DAWN: Come on.
They run up towards the light, passing a mining cart with a blade on it. When they make it halfway up, the cart begins to move.
ALYX: Get down!
They both go down as the mining cart passes them and goes up the hill. They hear a laugh. Gordon is at the bottom of the hill. The mining cart comes back down. The girls get up and run. When the mining cart approaches, they move to the side as the cart goes by. The cart passes them again and Dawn sees a spike on the ground. She picks it up and puts it in the ground. The mining cart gets stuck and the girls run up the hill.
GORDON: Get back here! I'm not through.
Gordon runs towards them, passing the cart. He quickly gains on them and shoves Alyx out of the way. She crashes into the wall and lays on the ground. He tackles Dawn and is now on top of her. He laughs.
GORDON: The zombies can't out run mechanical legs, what makes you think you can?
He gets out a syringe.
GORDON: Now for the experiment.
He puts one hand on Dawn's face and raises the syringe into the air while letting out an evil laugh. The mining cart becomes loose and heads towards Gordon.
DAWN: I guess your going to give up science.
The mining cart slices Gordon in half and then flies off track, crashing into a wall. Gordon begins to crawl with his arms. Dawn stands up and kicks him in the face, causing the upper half of Gordon's body to tumble down the hill. She checks on Alyx, Who starts to get up.
DAWN: Alyx, come on, let's get out of here.