PAGE ONE

FOUR PANELS. SIX PANEL GRID. FIRST AND LAST PANELS DOUBLE SIZED.

Panel One: We're on an alien world, in the middle of a seemingly abandoned Earth colony. A few futuristic buildings are seen in the background, as are patches of alien foliage. In the foreground are two humans, a woman and a man, both dressed in flight gear. The woman is Captain Phyllis Smyth and the man is Sergeant Donald Garth. They are the entire crew of a small spaceship, the future equivalent of a tow truck. Right now, they are dressed in Wally Wood style bodysuits.

CAPTAIN SMYTH: WHERE IS EVERYONE? A COLONY OF A DOZEN MEN AND WOMEN. ALL GONE.

SERGEANT GARTH: JUST OUR LUCK TO BE THE ONLY SHIP IN THE AREA.

Panel two: Medium shot of the two spacepersons. Smyth is slightly in foreground with a determined scowl on her face. Just behind her by a few steps is Garth, who looks anxious.

SMYTH: WE HAVE A DUTY TO FULFILL.

GARTH: AND MAYBE BE KILLED IN THE PROCESS BY WHATEVER WIPED THEM OUT?

Panel Three: Smyth is turning towards Garth, her face hardened, hiding all emotions. Garth is looking about, obviously fearful.

SMYTH: POSSIBLY. THOUGH I'M WONDERING, IF THEY WERE KILLED, WHERE ARE THE...

Panel Four: We've moved back from the two spacepersons. In the center foreground of the panel is the back of a head, the head of a little girl of about 7. In the background on either side of the head are Smyth (left) and Garth (right). Smyth looks surprised. Garth looks as if he might soil himself. They are staring at the child.

...BODIES?

PAGE TWO

SIX PANEL GRID.

Panel One: Still shot from behind girl. The child has flung herself at Smyth. We can now see that her hair and clothes are a mess. There is a look of surprise on Smyth's face. No dialogue in this panel. There should be an implication that maybe the girl is attacking the woman, but this is diffused in the next panel.

Panel Two: Smyth is looking down at the child, who is wrapped around the woman's waist and is crying. Smyth is gently holding the girl's head.

SMYTH: IT'S ALL RIGHT.

CHILD: I'M SO HUNGRY.

Panel Three: Garth is reaching into his beltpack. He looks uncomfortable, as if he'd like to also reach out to help comfort the girl, like Smyth, but is uncomfortable with such intimacies.

GARTH: I HAVE A RATION PACK IN HERE SOMEWHERE. YEAH, HERE IT IS.

Panel Four: Child is sitting, crossed-legged, on the ground. She is eating ravenously from a plastic container. Behind her are the two adults' legs.

CHILD: HUNGRY.

Panel Five: Same shot as last panel, but Smyth is bent down behind the girl with her hand on the child's shoulder.

SMYTH: DON'T EAT SO FAST, YOU'LL MAKE YOURSELF SICK.

CHILD: SO HUNGRY.

Panel Six: Same as last panel in layout. Child turned to look at Smyth's face.

CHILD: MORE?

 

PAGE THREE

NINE PANEL GRID.

Panel One: Medium shot of Garth. He's smiling slightly.

SMYTH: DON, CAN YOU GET ANOTHER PACKET FROM THE SHIP.

GARTH: SURE.

Panel Two: Medium shot of Smyth and child. We see both more or less in profile, facing one another. Smyth's face has softened. The girl still stares wide-eyed.

SMYTH: WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

CHILD: MOLLY.

Panel Three: Medium shot of girl from Smyth's point of view. The girl is looking upward, her features still somewhat inscrutable.

SMYTH (OFF-PANEL): MOLLY, CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE EVERYONE IS? WHERE ARE YOUR MOMMY AND DADDY?

Panel Four: Close up of girl. Same hard to read look on her face.

CHILD: THEY'RE GONE.

SMYTH (OFF-PANEL): DID THEY... PASS ON?

CHILD: NO. JUST GONE.

Panel Five: Close up of Smyth, looking very concerned, trying not to look frightened as she listens to the girl.

SMYTH: HOW DID THEY "GO", MOLLY?

CHILD (OFF-PANEL): I GUESS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE GONE, UH, WENT. IT STARTED RIGHT AFTER WE WENT TO THE CAVE FOR PICNIC. ME, MOMMY AND DADDY.

Panel Six: Medium short of girl from the side.

SMYTH: CAVE?

CHILD: I FELL ASLEEP THERE AND MOMMY AND DADDY WERE GONE.

CHILD: WILL YOUR FRIEND BE BACK SOON? I'M STILL HUNGRY.

Panel Seven: Close up of Smyth, looking anxious, maybe even starting to loose her normally cool demeanor.

SMYTH: YES, YES. BUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE PICNIC.

CHILD: I WAS SCARED, AND THE JONES LET ME STAY WITH THEM. THEY HAVE A LITTLE GIRL, TOO. PENNY, MY BEST FRIEND.

Panel Eight: Medium shot of girl from front. She's looking downward, at the ground.

CHILD: BUT THEN THEY WERE GONE, TOO. THEM. THEN CAPTAIN BARTH.

Panel Nine: Close-up of same shot from last panel. Girl looking down.

CHILD: THEN EVERYONE. ALL GONE.

PAGE FOUR

SIX PANEL GRID. ALL SAME SIZE.

Panel One: All the panels on this page are seen from the child's point of view. Smyth is in foreground, staring at the girl, obviously a bit confused and shook up. Garth is walking up behind her, to the right, smiling.

CHILD: I'M STILL SO HUNGRY.

GARTH: HERE'S THE RATION PACK, PHYLLIS...

Panel Two: Same shot as last panel. Smyth mouth is open, eyes taking on a glassy sheen of fear. Garth is looking at the back of Smyth's head, still oblivious.

SMYTH: ARE YOU... ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?

CHILD: SO...

Panel Three: The panel is darker than the two previous, as if the child's sight were fading to black. Smyth is most definitely afraid, backing up slightly. Garth's smile is gone.

GARTH: WHAT'S UP?

SMYTH: YOU LOOK...

CHILD: ...HUNGRY.

Panel Four: Darker than the last panel, we can barely see the outlines of the Smyth and the Garth. They are just shadowy silhouettes.

SMYTH (SMALL): NO.

GARTH: WHAT..?

Panel Five: Blackness.

SMYTH: NO!

GARTH: LORD!

Panel Six: Blackness.

SMYTH (LARGE): NO!

PAGE FIVE

FOUR PANELS. EACH PANEL IS HORIZONTAL, STRETCHING ACROSS THE PAGE. EACH PANEL IS SLIGHTLY TALLER THAN THE PANEL THAT PROCEEDS IT.

Panel One: Long shot. Molly is siting in the middle of the colony's compound, sitting on the ground, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms hugging her pulled up legs. She's looking down at the ground. All around her is debris, but it's hard to make out.

CAPTION: "JUST LIKE BEFORE," SHE THINKS. "JUST LIKE BEFORE." GONE.

Panel Two: Same picture, only we've pulled in to a medium shot of the girl. The debris comes into focus, but is still hard to make out. Cloth. Metal. Shredded.

CAPTION: GONE. LIKE MOMMY AND DADDY. LIKE MRS. AND MRS. JONES AND PENNY. LIKE CAPTAIN BARTH. LIKE EVERYONE.

Panel Three: Same picture again, only closer still. Molly takes up the whole middle of the panel, around her are the fragmented remnants of the two spacepersons' suits, a piece of belt here, a torn boot, an empty ripped sleeve.

CAPTION: ALL GONE. AND AGAIN, SHE'S ALONE--

Panel Four: Same shot, but a close up of the little girls turned down head. There's no expression on her face at all.

CAPTION: --BUT SHE IS NO LONGER HUNGRY.

CAPTION: THE END