Soon after the world narrowly averts destruction at the hands of a global cult, a scavenger and her precious loot are waylaid on her way home.

SYNOPSIS:

An empty suburban street. Despite there being no one around, the scene almost looks normal ... until you notice the abandoned cars and the homes with their doors open and windows shattered.

A young woman, MIL (20s) drags a loaded 4-wheel wheelbarrow down the centre of a road. A machete hangs from her shoulder by a strap.

Confronted by a steep hill, she decides to take a shortcut across a school ground.

While walking, she gets a phone call from KYLIE who tells her that the “big, yucky bug”, on that new island in the South Pacific, has been nuked. Kylie is happy and relieved by the news. Mil is less enthusiastic.

Mil finds a dead body and, as per standard procedure, tells Kylie she’s going to record it for the authorities. Concerned about the ice cream Mil has in the wheelbarrow, Kylie tries to talk her out of it.

While recording the body, Mil realises it is being used as a decoy, when she spots a REDCAP (a cultist) hiding in some bushes. She surreptitiously takes some photos and forwards them to Kylie. Kylie tells Mil that the Redcap is not looking at her--

Mil turns just in time to defend herself from a HUGE REDCAP with an axe. She slices through the back of both his legs, crippling him. The DECOY REDCAP also attacks and Mil kills him.

Mil relaxes and BANG! She’s shot in the side by the Huge Redcap, with his last bullet.

On learning this, Kylie scrambles the others to go rescue Mil.

Meanwhile Mil tells the Huge Redcap that his “god” has been nuked. The Redcap doesn’t believe her and calls it, fake news. Pissed off and unwilling to leave him alive in case she passes out, Mil struggles to her feet to execute him.

Later, Mil regains consciousness lying on a stretcher, with Kylie and the others around her, as they take the ice cream home.

• Screenplay available upon request: robert@assortedprojects.net