Dad
Written by Felix Vasquez Jr.
INTRODUCTION: I had such a crush on Megan Burns, the actress who portrayed Hannah, and while this movie has become one of my favorite horror films of all time, Hannah was the only character in the film not fully developed. She had a lot of potential, but alas, she wasn't really given a lot to do. Frank was also an excellent character, and it broke my heart when he died. This is Hannah's inner thoughts about her father's death. - F.Vasquez Jr.
It all happened so fast, but then again, what didn't during the outbreak? The outbreak was quick, the death's were quick, the attacks were quick, her introduction to Jim and Selena was forced, but still, quick. Somehow she'd managed to gain two new friends for life, two people who sort of took the reigns for her mum and dad. Jim, the quiet but handsome older man who was such a joker, Selena, wise beyond her years and god was she strong, everything Hannah wanted to be, but then, every night before she went to bed, she'd grab her dad's picture and kiss it with a fond smile as she lay down listening to Jim and Selena prepare for bed.
They were her best friends, she couldn't imagine being without them. They'd held up in the cottage on the countryside of England for four months now, but they were glorious. Limitless supplies, serenity, water as far as the eye can see now that they lived beside a lake, and now the infected were wearing down, no longer able to flourish with starvation and dehydration setting in.
"It's cold tonight, eh?" Selena said entering the room as Hannah lay down.
"Very," she replied.
"Well, here's a blanket," she replied splashing a blue blanket over her body, "Don't want to catch cold, yeah?" She gave a smile and nodded silently as Selena gave her comforting big smile, something she could wear now with her new family.
Selena walked over to the window and rattled the bars as she usually did testing it's strength, just in case, but they hadn't seen an infected since they arrived killing the original owners and securing their new home. Their hallways, living room, basement, and attic were filled to the brim with food, and supplies, the necessities. It was cramped, but nonetheless, very comfortable. The day was the usual, Hannah swam for a couple of hours along the river, they sat for their usual two hour lunch. Their meals were large and their talk was cumbersome, they had a lot of comfort and talk between the three, so opposite but so much alike in soul and personality.
"D'you want us to leave the light on?" asked Jim standing by the doorway.
"Just leave the door open," replied Hannah.
"Well, we're going to be in the television room for a couple of hours talking," replied Selena.
"Should we even call it a television room anymore?" joked Jim.
"Whaddya want to call it then?" asked Selena.
"The party room," he laughed.
"We don't have parties," replied Selena.
"Well ya birthday's tomorrow, right Hannah?" he asked as she nodded.
"Well, then, it's a party room, now eh?" he asked as Selena playfully bumped him in the chest, "Come on," she said leading him into the living room.
"Night," Jim said waving at her.
"G'night," she replied giving a faint wave as she bundled herself up in her blanket. She sighed softly, her heart weighing down in her chest as she heard the two laughing and talking in the distance, sitting in front of the fire place and cuddling as usual. Selena still carried around her machete, especially whenever she went outside to gather water, though it was only a stone throw away.
Dad's death was fast, too. She thought about it, he'd died very fast, so fast she just didn't know what to do when the bullets shot through his body. She turned facing the window as it glow bright blue from the moon, and she thought back,
"Dad?" she asked curiously, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said hunched over rubbing his eye, "I'm sorry I lost my temper." She turned with her crossed arms looking around as he called to her in a faint voice, "Hannah, I love you." She scoffed approaching him.
"Keep away from me!" He grunted, "Keep away!"
"Dad?" she asked curious.
"Keep away! Keep Away!" he screamed throwing her to the floor attempting to get her away from him as fast as possible.
"Dad!" She screamed as he turned growling and screaming in pain, and, just like that, he was dead. It was all just so fast, and she could barely register what was happening, but when she heard Selena ordering Jim to kill Frank, her father, Jim standing confused, all she could do was scream out. She knew he was becoming infected as his body twisted, screaming and growling, and she knew his back was turned away from them because he was ashamed, but she didn't care, he was her dad, her last remains of the life she had, the perfect life. For that split second as he turned, he looked to Hannah with tears in his eyes growling, almost as if he'd said his last good-byes and then his eyes glazed over turning red, and with a loud growl, the shots rang out, his body suddenly going limp as he dropped to the ground, lifeless, "Dad?" she asked in a meek voice as he lay on the ground.
She sat up from her bed wiping tears from her eyes as she brushed her long hair from her eyes listening to the faint laughing from the living room, and she suddenly thought back to when everything was great. "Alright ya cheeky monkey," Frank said lifting an eight year old Hannah from the ground. They stood in their living room in their flat as music played in the background.
"Want to dance with daddy?" he asked standing over Hannah as the stood held hands, "C'mon then." He held her hands moving to the soft music as Hannah gazed up at him with a big smile and he spun her slowly holding her hands up as he gave a hearty chuckle.
"That a girl!" He boasted with a hearty chuckle. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her in the air as she let out a giggle and held her in his arms, moving to the music. Hannah sat on her bed, cold and shivering, but lie her head on her knees thinking back to her life. It wasn't always an easy one, but it was good enough. She still heard his voice whenever she lay asleep at night, calling her a "cheeky monkey", protecting her, smiling at her, and as her birthday approached, she had everything except the one thing she desperately longed for: dad. She could still feel him though, his warm heart, protective personality, behind her, watching in pride as she grew in the safety of two very responsible people.
She slipped from her bed holding her father and mother's picture and caressed his face with her hands, tears running down her eyes as she heard Jim and Selena in the back. She remembered ballet class, Frank in the audience holding his camcorder looking up at her with bright eyes and a big smile standing over the crowd nodding and guiding her as she danced, "That's my girl," she could hear him whispering as she danced to the music, "That's my little girl." She still remembered him boasting and bragging, throwing her in the air, laughing when her recital was over, and that night, when they celebrated. She was a big deal in his life, she was everything to him, and so was he.
She drifted to sleep that night, her picture she'd yanked from the mansion close to her as she slowly awoke hearing Jim and Selena chase each other in the front yard, the water flowing through the lake. "Alright," Jim said later that day holding his hands over Hannah's eyes as she chuckled, "Keep 'em closed, or I'll feed ya to the fish."
"Where are we going?" asked Hannah stretching her arms out front.
"Don't worry," he replied excited. They finally entered the kitchen and Jim lifted his hands as Hannah gasped looking out onto Selena with a cake lit with candles. "Happy Birthday!" they yelled as they grabbed her hugging and kissing her.
"You remembered!" She gasped.
"Of course!" Jim replied offended, "We can't forget you." He sat her down at the table as they gathered around the cake and food, the handmade presents from Jim and Selena.
"So, go ahead, then," Jim said with a smirk, "Blow out the candles." She held her hair behind her neck and blew them as they both clapped aloud cheering.
"Let's eat!" Selena declared.
"How old are you, now, fifty?" joked Jim.
"No," she replied with a chuckle, "Sixteen."
"Oh, well, excuse us all the hell," replied Jim with a goofy shrug.
"Leave her alone, Jim," Selena argued, "She's a woman, now."
"A woman? Not as long as we're here," joked Jim.
"We got you presents," Selena said pointing to a small table.
"We made presents," Jim corrected her.
"Whatever," Selena replied.
"It's all wonderful," Hannah boasted looking around with a smile,
"You deserve it," Jim replied.
"What are you going to do now that you're a woman?" asked Selena.
"Hey!" Jim said annoyed being over-protective as usual.
"Dating," Hannah replied, "I never been on a date before."
"Well, when we get rescued there will be little of that," he explained, "...cheeky monkey."
Hannah looked up with wide eyes as they all stopped in their tracks, the silence and tension was deafening, it was her father's nickname for her, "Oh god," Jim sighed heavily, "Listen, I'm sorry--"
"--It's okay," Hannah replied with glassy eyes, forcing a smile, "Really." She stood up as they looked at her, Jim held his head down in embarrassment.
"I'm going to lie down," Hannah said with tears in her eyes.
"What about the food?" asked Jim.
"I-I'm not really that hungry," she insisted quickly tearing, "Thank you for everything." She turned and quickly walked off as Selena sigh standing over the stove, Jim still sitting with his head down.
"I'm sorry," Jim said softly, "I forgot."
"It's not your fault," Selena assured him, "You didn't do anything wrong. It's her birthday, she misses Frank."
"I don't know why I said that," Jim explained.
"It's fine," Selena assured him, "We may as well wrap up everything.""
"Good idea," Jim said, "I'm not hungry anymore."
"Me either."
Hannah sat by the lake with her feet dipped in the water looking at her father's picture, whimpering softly as plates rattled in the cottage. "You're very beautiful," Frank whispered as she thought back. They both sat at her bed in their flat, Frank was talking to her as he usually did, consoling her about a comment a boy had made. "You're beautiful," he assured her wiping tears from her eyes, "In my eyes, you're the most beautiful girl in the world, and a really lucky boy will know that some day." They hugged as he kissed the back of her head, it was a daily routine, his talks, the kisses and hugs, he loved giving them out to her.
"I knew you'd be here," Selena said approaching Hannah.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"About what?" she asked sitting beside her.
"For walking out," Hannah said, "It's what Jim said."
"I know," Selena said stroking her hair, "It was a mistake... it's just, since your father died, he kind of sees you like a daughter... he forgot your dad called you that. He thinks you're mad at him."
"It's okay," Hannah said with a smile, "I'm not mad... it's just when he said that, he made me think of dad."
"You've been thinking about him?" asked Selena.
"A lot lately," Hannah replied looking at her picture, "It's like--my best memories are coming back. I can still hear him laughing."
"He's here still, watching us," Selena assured her, "We all loved him."
"It hurts so much," Hannah said whimpering aloud, "Why doesn't it stop hurting?"
"It's okay," Selena said hugging her as she cried aloud, "Let it out."
Hannah lifted her head up from Selena's shoulder and wiped her eyes looking down at her father's picture. "You want to come back inside?" asked Selena, "We still have chocolate cake and food waiting for you."
"Okay," she chuckled, "I'll be there in a minute."
"Great," Selena said kissing her head, "We'll be waiting." She stood and rushed back inside as Hannah caressed her father's picture. She grabbed a rose that lay beside her she'd taken from her vase and stood up walking into the lake and gently lay the rose on the water as it made a ripple in the water. She looked back as the cold wind brushed against her cheek blowing the rose away from her, and she smiled. It was almost as if she'd been kissed, and she knew in that instance, her father was there with her giving her a birthday kiss. "I love you, too," Hannah said softly, answering the last words her father muttered.
She turned rushing out of the cold water watching the rose float off and walked into the cottage giving Jim as big hug as he sighed wrapping his arms around her back.
"I love you," she said in a soft voice.
"I love you, too," Jim replied with a scoff, "You okay?"
"Yeah," she replied with a smile, "I'm hungry."
"Gather around then," Selena said serving, "I made your favorites."
- END