Episode 010: Long Haul

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Long Haul is the tenth episode of Roots of Decay the prequel series of Walking Dead the Survival..
==Synnopsis==
The end of a fishing trip marks the start of the end for one fisherman has he and his shipmates watch the fall from offshore.
==Episode==
We open on someone's point of view of a sinking ship aflame; the roar of the fire and scream of the dead an the undead are muffled with a ringing in the viewers ears.
Mia (V.O): Weather you believe in it or not, chance and luck do play a part in our lives for better or for worse.
A piece of wreckage comes into view; its from the ship in question and clinging onto the wreckage for dear life in Michael. His eyes are wide and glassy from shock; he stares uncomprehending at the deathtrap he has just escaped and is oblivious to the fresh brand like burn on his back.
Mia (V.O): Sometimes luck and chance can mean the difference between life and death.
We close in on Michael's shocked face has the screen flickers back to a clean shaven Michael at work on the boat with a few other men to pull in their catch. Underneath him are the words Day 1 which fades out with the movement of the net full of fish.
Crewman 1: Whew glad this is the last catch of the day.
Michael: Hey Mike don't complain a bigger catch means a bigger pay check and its been a good haul compared to the last few days we have had.
Phil an older man who is working the winch nods at Michael's words.
Phil: He's right you know the last few days have been slim to none its bizzare.
Mike: Lighten up Phil, we have had low catches before, next thing you will be saying your trick knee can tell if a storm is on the horizon.
The three men laugh a bit at that has the Captain approaches.
Captain Mannings: All right break it up and get that catch in the ice box before we're mobbed by the gulls. Then you can chat at the bar when we get back to shore.
Mike: Only if Michael's buying.
Michael gives him look of mock annoyance but carries on pulling in the catch and the two men work together to take it to its destination.
Day 2
Later we see the little fishing boast pulling in to the entrance of the harbor. The majority of the crew on deck with bags and other items ready for a well earned bit of shore leave. Michael's eyes scan the shore line briefly before turning to look back out at the sea .
Phil: Hey kid you ready to buy the first round?
Michael: Hmmm, what sorry I was....
Phil chuckles.
Michael: Trust me kid go find yourself a woman on dry land, the sea's a wonderful place but she's a harsh mistress for any man.
Mike: Well the sea's never bled a man dry in a divorce court.
''The boat stops abruptly.
Michael: We're not at the harbor yet?
He and a few other head to the front of the ship to see what's causing the blockage; a large naval ship baring the way into the harbor for the fishing ship and a few other small ships.
Mike: What do you suppose this is about?
Michael: Don't look at me I only work here. 
Phil: I'll speak to the captain see if he can radio that monster and find out what's going on.
He walks off.
Michael: Well here's hoping this gets resolved quickly then.
Fade to black and into Day 5; the whole crew sits around the mess stressed and anxious has Mannings consults a map of the coast.
Phil: I'm telling you if one's closed chances are they are all closed.
Mike: Bull shit Phil that Navy captain's nuts; he shot at a dingy trying to get of the bay yesterday.... anything he says now is bul.
Michael: Mike its a quarentine that mean's no one in or out whatever it is must be bad....
Mike: Bad enough to shoot at a tiny boat full of women and children.
''They are about to come to blows but two other crewmen get between them to hold them back from attacking each other.
Mannings: That's enough you to.
Manning looks up from the maps and its clear that in a short while he has not had much sleep; a combination of listening to radio chatter and trying just about anything to keep his ship and crew in one piece. 
Mannings: Look what happened yesterday was.....
Even he is at a loss for words at what they saw but manages to keep his composure if just barly; he's the captain and its his job to keep his crew in one piece.
Mannings: Look we moved the boat further out so we are of range of that boat's guns.
Crewman 2: Has far has we know.
The captain shoots the man a look but does not say anything.
Mannings: For now we wait and see, we have the fuel to perhaps make it to another harbor but for now I don't want to risk it if its closed or worse.
Everyone is silent; each considering the worst possible scenario in their own minds. While they don't know what exactly is going on, on land they do feel its nothing good. Michael looks around his shipmates feeling he needs to say something.
Michael: Guys I know its a shit situation right now but we've made it through worse and besides we've got more than enough food to last even with the fridges running on half power.
A few people perk a little with that notion.
Crewman 2: What about fresh water the tanks wont last forever and you would need to be half mad to drink sea water.
Mike: Hey's Ed its not like you shower that much anywho and we have buckets and tarp don't we?
He looks to Phil who nods.
Mike: so we collect rain water from now on.
Ed: Fine but what about the guys on that Navy Boat, they've left us alone for now but what if they decide they have had enough of us loitering around
Everyone goes quite again at that, they may not be navy men themselves but they don't doubt the bigger boat could do their small boat some serious and fatal damage should it decide to.
Mannings: For now I suggest we all put that big beast out of our minds and stay focused on our hides; that things might be bigger than us but she would take her time to start up.
He looks at the men and takes heart that has given them some courage and eased their panic.
Mannings: So for now we carry on as if this was a normal job but I want a man on watch of that beast at all times. If it even looks like its going to try and use us for target practice you don't hesitate and get this ship moving.
Everyone nods and things fade to black and we fade in to Day 12. This ship is quite and seems abandoned has a grey smoke snakes across the deck.
Radio voice: In other news reports of riots in central Washington.....
The voice is cut off by Michael turning the radio off has he trudges across the deck with a mop and bucket in hand to do some cleaning. He pauses and gets the sense he is being watched and looks over to the navy ship.
Michael: And hello to you to.
He waves a little to try and lighten the mode but the other ship remains still. If he squints he can just about make out people on the decks and in the control room of the ship.
Phil: You would think they had better things to do than watch a man clean the deck of a ship.
Michael jumps a bit startled at the sight of the older man who has been siting on some steps up to the control room. He is not looking at Michael though but rather the source of the smoke.
Michael: Its been three days now you would think they would try and put them out.
We follow his line of sight to the shore and several building are ablaze.
Michael: What the hell is going on over there.
Phil: Somehow I think its better we don't find out.
Again we shift forward to Day 27. There is a sound of commotion and shock has we follow Michael has he run up to the deck followed by Mannings.
Mannings: What the hell is all this ruckus about?
Michael: I think is better to show you... I... well the others were pulling the nets in like normal today and there was a body....
Mannings: From the ship that tried to ram the blockade the other night?.... if that's all just drop the nets and tell Phill to move the ship to avoid more debris....
Michael: Its not that its just... well... got I don't know what it is....
We here a familiar sound of snarling and moaning has the two men come to the rest of the crew crowded around a suspended net and its content. Several fish and other sea life tumble and flop onto the deck but that's nothing compared to the beast tangled in the nets and snarling at them.
Mannings: What in heaven's name?
Phil: Heaven aint got nothing to do with this thing.
We se in the mass of netting a snarling walker; its face a burnt and cut mess while a large hole bubbles sea water and organs. Its clear to the sailors what ever this thing is its bad news and no longer human.
Mike: What should we do with it?
Mannings: Cut the line.
Ed: What? And lose the fish?
Mike: Fish nothing that things been slobbering and ozzing over half of them what if whatever it is is catching like rabies or something.
Phil: I never seen rabies do something like this.
Michael looks at the creature and back at the harbor to the chaos of the city.
Michael: You don't think.... That this has something to do with what's going on....
The sounds of the net being cut break his musings followed by the cry of pain from one of the men.
Mike: Son of a bitch Mannings you could have at least given us a chance to get out of the way first.
Michael turns to se the remains of the net sliding off the deck and into the water but his attention is drawn to the crew surround Ed and a massive wound on his arm. Its clear that part of the rigging holding the net tore through his arms has it came down. Mike and Phil are working to try to stem the bleeding.
Phil: Michael go get some ice from the fridges we need to stop the bleeding now.
Michael can only nod dumbly running past the captain who is heading to the ship's control room.
Mike: Fine time to go and move the ship asshole.
We fade to black again and the days shift forward to day 35. Everyone sans Ed and Phil are in the room and it seems an argument has broken out between the rest of the crew and the captain.
Mike: Ed needs proper medicine now or he's not going to make it.
Their voices sound muted and far off to Michael who is staring out the small window to the slowly decaying city with grim fascination.
Mannings: It to dangerous..... 
Mike: Dangerous nothing no ones moved on that ship in days.....
Mannings: I said.....
Everything fades to black at the sound of a punch.
Next things go in quick succession through the next few days of quick flashes; the navy ship, members of the crew fleeing the navy ship being chased by walkers, a reanimated Ed attacking Mike. Through this we here the sound of an engine get more unstable.
Phil V.O: Michael watch out.
We se from Michael point of view has a cable flies at him from a piece of falling mast striking him across the back and flinging off the burning ship and into the water. He is hit so fast he can not even scream only look in horror has his ship and friends go up in flames.
Mia V.O: We dont ask for the helping hand of luck and chance....
We see Michael's make shift life raft float to shore and bump against the edge of the harbor. He jerks weakly at the impact and looks around; eyes wide and fearful. Day 57 appears briefly esched in the metal.
Cage V.O.:Hey... hey buddy you alive down there.?
The sound of someone approaching rouses the you man and he grips tightly onto a crap of metal; a improvised weapon. He slashes wildly had someone grabs hold of him.
Cage: Easy buddy, I'm not going to hurt you and I'm not one of those things.
Mia V.O: But everyone deserves a helping hand for time to time.
End