Re-Animate Movie Treatment

Re-Animate
Adapted from the book, The Kales Report
Published by Jongleur Music Book Publishing
In development at Jongleur Music Pictures
A Gary Revel Company

Joseph sits slouched in a chair looking down, writing in a journal. The setting sun illuminates an orange glow on his face, providing him with enough light to write. He barricaded himself in a room located in an apartment building. The apartment is in disarray. The windows are busted out, which allows a small breeze to brush against his face. As he writes, he realizes that this very journal is the only thing that keeps him sane, just as the therapist said. He slowly lowers his

Joseph sits there, face to face with his therapist, lost in thought. He wonders if she really cares what he’s feeling or if she’s just there, because it pays the bills. He dismisses those thoughts and answers her question. She slides a journal towards him. Since his mother’s death 7 years ago, he has been cast into his own personal hell, full of severe depression, failed relationships, trust issues, and alcohol abuse to name a few. Once he had enough, he decided it was time to get some help and this is where he is now, his third therapy session. He snickers at the thought of writing in a journal. Basically it’s another way of saying a diary, which makes him feel like a 10 year old girl. But he’s willing to try. His previous attempts of overcoming his depression failed and caused more problems. How bad could it be?

On his way home, he looks around at the numerous people walking the streets. He feels claustrophobic even being outside. His apartment is his only way to hide from this world. Now that he’s arrived, he let’s out a sigh of relief, sits at his desk, and stares at the journal. Knowing he has to do this, he turns to his first blank page and begins to write.

Days pass and Joseph receives an unexpected phone call from an old friend. Her name is Stacy. They went to high school together and were also in the same martial arts class. After high school they parted ways to different colleges, but still kept in contact. Even back then, she was the only person who he could trust. He felt comfortable around her, but the one thing he could never tell her is how much he wanted to be with her. Every time he was going to tell her, doubt stole every word. The day he buried his mother, she was with him. She stood by his side to comfort him. As the night grew to an end, he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and they said goodbye. During college, she would come to visit him from time to time. This was a dark time for him and again he just wanted to be with her, but he didn’t know how to tell her. She wanted to be with him as well, but didn’t know if he truly felt the same way.

It has been many years since they last spoke. He was finally meeting her for the first time and he was a bit nervous. They went out for coffee and spoke about old times; what they have been doing since then and plans for the future. To his surprise, Stacy was actually moving into town to attend a local university. He began to think this was the second chance he always hoped for, so he confessed. He told her how he was happy to see her, told her how he always felt about her, and apologized for never taking a chance. She also confessed her feelings and they spent the remaining days together before she would travel back to her parents house in Knoxville Tennessee. Stacy assured him that she would move down in three weeks for college. She checks out of the hotel and stays with Joseph that night. They make love.

The next day, they say their goodbyes. If was difficult for them to part. Joseph arrives at his apartment and begins to write in his journal. As he does, he hears sirens pass by his complex. He thinks nothing of it and starts playing survival horror video games. A few hours later he receives a text from Stacy that she made it home and misses him already.

The next morning, Joseph wakes up, gets dressed, and goes to work. He sits at his computer and begins to code. He works for a technology company. He mainly fixes bugs in software currently being developed by his company. Even though he enjoys his work, he hates being stuck in a cubicle all day. He rarely takes breaks and keeps to himself throughout the day. One of his co-workers pops around the corner and asks if he wants to join him and few other guys for lunch. Joseph hesitates, as he always turned down going out to lunch, but he’s trying to change his life for the better. He accepts.

After lunch Joseph finishes his day and heads back to his apartment. Stacy and him talk on the phone while he walks to the bus. Once he gets back, he begins to write in his journal. There is something changing inside of him. He thinks therapy is actually helping now and this journal thing isn’t so bad. It’s actually helpful. As he eats his dinner, he’s flipping through the channels and stops about a new station. There was a protest in front of a hospital today that supposedly resulted in a riot. There were some casualties. The news reports that this happened yesterday as well. Joseph finishes his dinner, turns off the tv, and heads to bed.

The next day, Joseph follows his daily routine. There were talks about the riots at work, but no one seems concerned. He notices more police patrolling the streets on the way home. Stacy tells him that riots are happening in her area as well. Joseph begins to grow suspicious. What is going on? When he gets home he turns on the tv and again to find another story on the riots. They were not really reporting much so Joseph turned to the independent news and internet. Multiple states around the U.S. were experiencing the same riots. There were theories about a new antidepressant, Lithacore, causing patients to go mad. Joseph remembers the time when he was put on antidepressants. He hated the feeling and was happy he no longer took them. He wondered what the new antidepressant drug could be and remembered back when his cousin, Eric Kales, was telling him about the research on a new antidepressant drug he was creating. Could this be related?

Joseph decided not to go to work the next day. Instead, he went to the store to stock up on a few supplies. His money was low, but he bought what he could. When he returned home, the news was telling him that the riots had gotten worse. The independent media said the people who were taking the antidepressant drug had gone mad and began attacking anyone in sight. They don’t kick or punch. They just bite. The first thing Joseph thinks of is zombies. He knows the genre all too well from watching countless movies, playing numerous video games, and reading books.

The media reports that the attack has spread across the USA to suburban areas. Joseph knew it was time to leave. He tries to get in contact with Stacy, but her cell phone had poor reception and she is not answering the landline. He leaves and heads up I-75 North. He is determined to get to Stacy. He must know that she is okay. Joseph encounters a massive traffic jam around the Tifton, GA exit. It is a dead stop.

As he comes to a stop, he grows impatient and honks his horn. Suddenly he begins to see people running South. He opens his door and steps out, focusing on what is ahead of him. Mile and miles of cars as far as the eye could see. He sees people being attacked in front of him and knows this is not the safest place to stay. Joseph runs towards the forested area, not knowing what is happening. He suspects it’s a zombie outbreak, but zombies are supposed to be fiction.

Much has happened in such a short time. Many more people have become infected and the outbreak has continued to spread. After a couple of hours on foot, Joseph found refuge in a nearby farmhouse. Joseph searches the farmhouse only to find a bottle of the antidepressant pills and the owners now reanimated. Even though there was an outbreak, the farmhouse reminded Joseph of his home state, Alabama. It was quiet and peaceful. The power goes out after day three so Joseph is forced to sit on the roof at night. The news talks about how the virus has spread and how the military is setting up zones (Dead, Neutral, and Safe).

About five days later, a group of people appear and begin to search the house. Zombies begin to appear out of the woods shortly after, attacking the group. Joseph, on the roof, must now flee the scene without being noticed. He didn’t know where he was running to, but he had to get away from the farmhouse.

Eventually he runs into other survivors (Michael, Irina, Jason, Jennifer, and Asher). The infection begins to take over the world and there are no longer any safe Zones. There is only survival now. Everyone has to be on guard at all times. They come across a Ranger’s Tower and use it as their safehouse.

Joseph is slow to trust in these new found survivors, but he does grow to respect them. They have quite a solid team. Soon, they begin to assign each other roles based on their individual strengths and needs. They go on missions, such as Supply and Scout. They also take turns on Watch Duty. The group secretly looks towards Joseph as somewhat of a leader since he is knowledgeable in zombies, tactics, and survival. However, Joseph remains humble. Michael becomes jealous as he wants to be the leader and tends to argue with Joseph.

During a Scouting mission, they encounter a cave. It was previously used by a group of people (now undead) as a living quarters. In there, they found a CB radio and canned food. To their surprise, the CB still worked and they searched the frequencies. They found two still broadcasting over the airwaves.

The first was an emergency message that informed people on how to kill the infected and survival techniques. The second frequency stated coordinates to an “active refugee camp”. Eventually, Joseph uncovers a third frequency. A woman’s voice, in distress, can be heard. She gives detailed information about the infection. It was confirmed that the outbreak was mainly due to the antidepressant medication. Joseph again remembers the conversation he had with Eric. Eric may know more, but he doesn’t even know how to get in touch with him.

The group discusses about traveling to the refugee camp. Part of them wants to take the risk, but another part of them wonders if the camp still exists. They have been secluded in a small tower in the middle of nowhere and they are starting to grow weary. After much back and forth debate, a majority vote is taken in favor of going to the camp. Before they begin their long journey, they decide to go into town and stock up on supplies as well as try to salvage a vehicle.

The trip into town takes about two days. The group is more cooperative than they have ever been. Maybe it was because they were all working towards something. They have a goal, to get to the refugee camp. It was a glimmer of hope in such a hostile world. Joseph wonders if Stacy would be at the camp. He can only hope. He still thinks about her day and night. During this time, he and Irina grow a small bond. There seems to be a little spark between them. Could it be that they start to find comfort in each from the loneliness that they’ve dealt with for so long? That night they share a couple bottles of alcohol and for a brief moment act like the events of the last few months never happened. It’s nice to feel some sense of normalcy in such a chaotic world.

The day arrives and it is time to embark on their journey to the refugee camp. Although they have many, many miles ahead of them, they feel well prepared for the road ahead. As the days pass, Joseph begins to find peace and calmness during the nights he takes watch. The sound of the crickets along with a light, cool breeze remind him of nights back in Alabama spent with Stacy.

After a long few days of travel, they finally make it to the outskirts of the city. Twenty miles away from the camp coordinates to be exact. They were running on fumes so they decide to travel the remainder of the way on foot. Even though Joseph knows that travelling the city grounds on foot is dangerous, it would be worse if they ran out of gas or got trapped in the car. It was still dark so they decided to wait till sunrise to begin walking.

Now the movie catches up to the first scene, which is Joseph slouching in the chair writing in the journal.

Joseph’s group is ambushed and now they are all gone. He doesn’t know where Jason and Jennifer are. He saw them run off, but doesn’t know what happened to them. Joseph thoroughly searched each floor of the apartment, killing the undead and gathering what little food and water he could find. He discovers a room that was located at an angle offering good visibility of the city’s streets. He decides to barricade himself there.

He eventually runs out of food and water. It didn’t take long since he barely found any in the complex. Someone must have raided the building long before he arrived. Unfortunately he can’t go down to the streets to gather the supplies he and the others collected in town. There are too many zombies down there.

Joseph realizes that the undead were crowding the floors below and making their way towards him. He decides to move to the rooftop. Days pass and he begins to grow delirious. The duration without food and water has made him very weak, mentally and physically. He grows desperate and knows that if he stays, he will die. If he tries to escape, he may very well die, so what does he have to lose? He decides to repel (or uses the fire escape, still up for debate) to go down the side of the building. Due to his weak condition, he loses his grip and falls, hurting his ankle.

Chris, leads a team on a supply run throughout the city. He receives a transmission in his earpiece that a civilian was spotted repelling down a building not too far away and is being chased. Chris quickly leads his team to Joseph’s rescue.

As Joseph runs for his life, the undead follow closely behind. He takes a turn in an alleyway and runs into a dead-end. He shoots the approaching zombies and runs out of ammo. He forgot to leave a bullet for himself. Just as a zombie grabs him, ready to bite, he gets a glimpse of Chris’ blurry figure. Chris shoots the zombie in the head and runs towards Joseph, picking him up and putting him over his shoulder. Chris’ team follows closely, taking out the approaching the zombies. Joseph, still slung over Chris’ shoulder, is barely conscious and doesn’t know what is going on.

Chris and his team arrive at a building. It is their safehouse. These safehouses are buildings that have been secured and reinforced on previous missions. Since the city is big, there is a lot of ground to cover and these safehouses are scattered throughout the city. If a team runs into trouble, they can run to the nearest safehouse. All of them were originally occupied by small teams, but since the city has become too unstable, the High Commander ordered everyone to be based in camp.

Joseph wakes up on a cot in a room with fluorescent light buzzing above him. He turns his head to the right and sees a man with his back facing him, shuffling through some papers. Joseph regains his focus and the man turns around and speaks. It is Chris. Chris explains to Joseph where he is and what happened. Joseph tells him how he got there and who he was with. He asked if Stacy was at the camp. Unfortunately, Chris told him no. Chris had to inform Nicolas, the High Commander, that Joseph has awoken. A few minutes later, Chris returns and tells Joseph that Nicolas wishes to see him.

Joseph and Nicolas speak. Nicolas gives him further details about the camp and expects him to follow the rules, eventually giving him duties to perform around the camp. During his time there, Joseph plays poker with the other soldiers (Randy, Steve and Scott) and begins to form a friendship with Chris. Chris starts to open up and talks about his time at the camp and looks over Joseph as a protector.

A group comes back on a mission and zombies attack the camp shortly after. Joseph was included in the battle. There were reports of survivors, but no one will release any information. Joseph overhears a transmission in the Communications room and swears that he heard his name mentioned in the incoming broadcast. People begin to act very suspicious around him now except for Chris and a few others that were part of the group that saved Joseph in the city. (Randy, Steve and Scott)

Joseph was assigned to go on a supply mission with Chris as the captain. Other members of the group were Steve and Scott. Shortly before departure, Nicolas ordered Joseph to stay behind at the camp. Once the team returned, Scott informs Joseph that Chris was killed during the mission. The undead ambushed them. Chris was overrun by the zombies and taken to the ground. Joseph is shocked by the news and barely has the strength to walk.

The next day Joseph speaks with Nicolas. He wants to leave the camp, but Nicolas refuses to grant him his wish. He claims that no one is to leave the camp until the city parameters are secure and security levels return to normal. Joseph begins to feel like a prisoner. He notices that he is being watched and grows suspicious about the place. He tries to go talk to Nicolas, but Nicolas’ guards wouldn’t let Joseph get near to his sector.

When Joseph arrives back in his room, he notices a sheet of paper under his pillow. The paper has binary code printed all over it. He doesn’t know how to read binary so he sneaks into the Communications Room during one of his duties, scans the code and reads the transmission (there are two). The first is from E. Kales. Joseph realizes that it’s his cousin, Eric. The second transmission is from a T. Moore. He doesn’t know of a T. Moore.

A few days later Joseph finds another note in his room, written in English. The notes gives him specific instructions to meet at a certain location within camp, while he was performing his duties. He was given a specific time.

He meets a man that is wearing black clothing and a hood that covers his face. The man tells Joseph that he is in danger and he was the one that has been leaving the letters. He hands Joseph a map that shows a secret escape route. The mysterious figure tells him that he’ll know when the time is right to leave. The man’s voice sounds similar to Chris’ and as he hands Joseph a map, a tattoo on his hand is visible to the viewers, but Joseph doesn’t notice it. The tattoo is eerily similar to the one on Chris’ hand that was seen as he lifted Joseph over his shoulder during the rescue.

Joseph returns to his quarters, closely studies the map, and continues with his duties, waiting for the moment to escape. He tries to act normal so as not to draw more attention to himself. Night falls and numerous zombies break into the camp. A battle ensues and Joseph sees this as his opportunity to escape.

Once the camp is cleared from the invasion, a soldier reports to Nicolas that the gate wasn’t secured properly and someone must have purposely did this to let the zombies in. Nicolas orders them to find Joseph. After searching the parameter and outskirts, a soldier’s flashlight can be seen illuminating an object on the ground, lightly covered with dirt. He slowly picks it up only to find that it is a book. It’s Joseph’s journal. He returns to Nicolas and presents the journal to him. Nicolas, smoking a cigar, takes the journal from him, looks at it and tosses it on his desk in anger.

Credits Roll