I've always wondered how Tobias figured things out so much faster than everyone else in Fear the Walking Dead. It wasn't just that he'd seen disturbing videos online. Other people had seen those too. What stood out to me was how quickly he understood what would happen next. He was thinking about food shortages, communications going down and how fast civilization could fall apart while everyone else was still treating it like a temporary emergency. Where does a high school kid learn to think like that?

Then I remembered Joe from Tales of the Walking Dead. We know he was involved in online survivalist communities before the outbreak and had been communicating with Sandra. What if Tobias had stumbled onto one of those forums a year or two earlier? Maybe he started out looking up emergency preparedness or disaster survival and ended up reading discussions between people who'd spent years thinking about what happens when society stops functioning. He wouldn't even need to participate. Plenty of teenagers spend hours reading forums without ever posting anything. By the time those strange reports started coming in from different states, Tobias might have already understood the implications because he'd spent years reading about exactly that kind of breakdown.

And then there's Clayton, or Polar Bear. He was a truck driver, someone who actually understood how dependent the country was on transportation and deliveries. Imagine him contributing to those same discussions, explaining what happens when fuel stops moving or trucks stop running. Joe is talking about protecting yourself with a bunker, Clayton is explaining how quickly the supply chain could collapse, and somewhere in Los Angeles a kid named Tobias is reading it all. None of them know zombies are coming, and they might not even know each other's real names.

What I really like about the possibility is how differently their stories turned out. Joe isolated himself, Tobias tried to warn people, and Clayton eventually devoted himself to helping strangers. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I think it would make Tobias's early behavior a lot more believable. He wasn't predicting the apocalypse. He was recognizing the beginning of something he'd already spent years learning about. Makes me wonder how many other characters might have crossed paths online before everything fell apart. Do you think Tobias was simply paying closer attention than everyone else, or could he have been learning from people who'd been preparing for years?

Episode 3 — Part 2 of 2. Read Part 1 first. New to Sunday? Start with Episode 1.

THE WALKING DEAD: SUNDAY

SEASON ONE · EPISODE THREE

SUNDAY

PART 2 OF 2

FINAL SCRIPT — CONTINUED

ACT FIVE — THE DEPARTURE

INT. TWO HARBORS — HARBOR OFFICE

The employee's voice comes through the radio.

HARBOR EMPLOYEE (RADIO)

Sunday's tender is heading back. Pretty heavy load.

The FIRST OFFICER acknowledges.

The SECOND OFFICER looks up.

SECOND OFFICER

Finished already?

FIRST OFFICER

Looks like it.

SECOND OFFICER

You ever get their registration?

FIRST OFFICER

Not yet.

SECOND OFFICER

One hundred twenty-four feet. No captain. Eight people.

FIRST OFFICER

They said they were staying.

The second officer looks toward Sunday's anchorage.

SECOND OFFICER

I'd like to know who's authorized to move that thing before it disappears.

FIRST OFFICER

You think somebody stole it?

SECOND OFFICER

No.

A pause.

SECOND OFFICER

I think we've got a lot of people heading away from the mainland who may not know what they're doing.

He collects his radio.

SECOND OFFICER

I'll go talk to them.

The first officer watches him leave.

EXT. TWO HARBORS — WATERFRONT

A patrol boat leaves the dock.

Behind it, a family walks past with beach towels.

A little boy runs ahead.

Everything looks normal.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — BETWEEN TWO HARBORS AND SUNDAY

Mark drives the RHIB steadily across the water.

Rachel looks behind them.

The patrol boat has just left shore.

RACHEL

Mark.

He glances back.

MARK

I see it.

RACHEL

Don't race them.

MARK

I'm not going to.

He maintains his course.

Sunday grows nearer.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mason watches the approaching RHIB.

Denise stands beside him.

He raises binoculars.

The tender is loaded.

Harbor patrol is following at a distance.

MASON

That's new.

DENISE

What?

MASON

Patrol boat.

The marine radio crackles.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

Motor yacht Sunday, Two Harbors. Requesting to speak with the operator.

Mason takes the microphone.

MASON

Sunday. Go ahead.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

Is your regular captain still unavailable?

MASON

Affirmative.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

We'd like to discuss vessel documentation and operations.

MASON

We're recovering our tender.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

Understood. We'll remain clear during recovery.

Mason picks up the tender radio.

MASON

Mark, bring her in. I've got the lift ready.

MARK (RADIO)

Copy.

Mason turns toward Denise.

MASON

Keep everybody away from the aft deck, please.

DENISE

I will.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK

Mark eases the RHIB alongside.

Mason takes the line.

Rachel climbs aboard.

Mark shuts down the engines.

RACHEL

They're coming out to us.

MASON

I know.

She glances toward the groceries.

RACHEL

Should we unload anything first?

MASON

No. Everything stays strapped. It's within the recovery load.

Mason checks the lifting attachments.

The balance.

The cargo restraints.

The patrol boat slows nearby.

HARBOR PATROL (LOUDHAILER)

Sunday, we'd like to speak with whoever is in charge.

Mason keeps his attention on the lift.

MASON

Mark, watch the stern.

The RHIB rises.

Water drains from its hull.

The load sways slightly.

Mason pauses the lift until the movement settles.

He checks it again.

Continues.

The RHIB reaches its cradle.

He seats it carefully.

Secures it.

Checks the restraints twice.

MASON

Tender secure.

Rachel looks toward the patrol boat.

RACHEL

Anchor next.

Mason nods.

The groceries remain strapped inside the RHIB.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Rachel takes the microphone.

RACHEL

Two Harbors, Sunday. What do you need from us?

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

We'd like to verify registration and the authority of your current operator.

RACHEL

Is there a safety problem?

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

Our concern is the size of your vessel and the absence of its regular captain.

RACHEL

The operator is familiar with the yacht.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

We understand. We'd still appreciate an opportunity to review your documentation.

RACHEL

Are you directing us to remain here?

A pause.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

We'd prefer you stay in the area until a supervisor can speak with you.

Rachel considers that.

RACHEL

Understood.

She lowers the microphone.

EXT. SUNDAY — FOREDECK

The anchor chain rises.

Mason watches the windlass.

Mark glances toward the patrol boat.

MARK

Maybe we ought to let them inspect the paperwork.

MASON

Maybe.

MARK

If there's a rule, Grant's lawyers can sort it out.

Mason checks the anchor.

It breaks the surface.

Seats properly.

He secures it.

MASON

Anchor's up.

Mark looks toward the pilothouse.

MARK

All right.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mason returns to the helm.

Rachel stands beside him.

MASON

Tender secure. Anchor secure.

She nods.

RACHEL

Let's get clear.

Mason checks the surrounding traffic.

Begins moving Sunday ahead.

The patrol boat stays parallel, at a safe distance.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

Sunday, we'd still like you to remain for verification.

Mark takes the microphone.

MARK

Two Harbors, Sunday. We have the documents aboard. We can provide them through the appropriate channels.

HARBOR PATROL (RADIO)

We'd prefer to discuss them in person.

MARK

Understood.

He lowers the microphone.

The patrol boat continues beside them.

Then the officer aboard raises his radio.

He listens.

Looks toward the mainland.

Something in his posture changes.

The patrol boat slows.

Mason notices.

MASON

They're turning.

Rachel watches.

The boat heads back toward Two Harbors.

MARK

Maybe they got another call.

RACHEL

Maybe.

Mason keeps Sunday on a safe, steady course.

INT. TWO HARBORS — HARBOR OFFICE

The second officer returns.

FIRST OFFICER

You get the paperwork?

SECOND OFFICER

No.

FIRST OFFICER

Why'd you come back?

SECOND OFFICER

Another call.

FIRST OFFICER

From who?

The radio crackles.

RADIO VOICE

...Long Beach requesting available information on vessels departing the affected area after—

Static.

FIRST OFFICER

After what?

He grabs the microphone.

FIRST OFFICER

Long Beach, this is Two Harbors. Repeat your transmission.

Silence.

FIRST OFFICER

Long Beach, Two Harbors. Say again.

Only static.

The officers exchange a look.

Outside the window, a family walks back from the beach.

The harbor lights are coming on.

ACT SIX — WHAT LOOKS SAFE

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Catalina recedes behind them.

Mark opens a notebook.

MARK

I want a record of everything they said.

Mason glances at him.

MASON

Why?

MARK

If they decide there's an issue, I want the facts written down.

He begins recording the exchanges.

MARK

I'll give it to Grant's attorneys.

Rachel studies him.

RACHEL

You really think they'll bother?

Mark looks up.

MARK

I've worked for Grant twenty years. I've seen him spend more on legal fees arguing over a parking easement than most people spend on their houses.

MASON

Sounds like Grant.

MARK

If we broke some harbor rule, we'll deal with it. If we didn't, they'll deal with that too.

He closes the notebook.

MARK

There's a proper way to settle these things.

Rachel looks toward the water behind them.

RACHEL

I hope we're able to use it.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Denise has cleared the pantry shelves.

Emma looks through a window.

Noah and Evan sit nearby.

Sophie colors at the table.

Rachel enters.

DENISE

How much did you get?

RACHEL

Enough to keep you busy when we stop.

DENISE

Good.

Emma turns.

EMMA

Why were those people following us?

RACHEL

They wanted to check the yacht's paperwork.

EMMA

Then why didn't we stop?

RACHEL

We spoke to them. They never gave us a clear reason to stay.

NOAH

Maybe they were just doing their jobs.

RACHEL

Maybe.

Noah studies her.

NOAH

You say that a lot.

Rachel looks at him.

RACHEL

I've noticed.

NOAH

When Dad says maybe, it means he thinks the answer is probably yes.

MARK (O.S.)

I can hear you.

Mark enters.

NOAH

Exactly.

A brief laugh.

Then Evan looks toward the darkening coastline.

EVAN

How do we know if people are trying to help us?

The room quiets.

RACHEL

Sometimes we don't.

EVAN

That's not much of an answer.

RACHEL

It's the one I've got.

Denise folds the shopping list.

DENISE

Everyone on the island seemed perfectly normal.

EMMA

Maybe they were.

Sophie looks up from her drawing.

SOPHIE

There were kids on the beach.

Rachel turns toward her.

SOPHIE

Why couldn't we stay there?

Rachel kneels beside her.

RACHEL

Because we needed to keep moving.

SOPHIE

But it looked safe.

Rachel looks at her daughter.

RACHEL

I know.

SOPHIE

Maybe it was.

Rachel gently brushes Sophie's hair aside.

RACHEL

Maybe it was.

Sophie returns to her drawing.

Rachel looks through the window.

The island is nearly gone.

ACT SEVEN — WHAT THE MAINLAND KNOWS

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN

The sun lowers toward the horizon.

Sunday moves away from Catalina.

The groceries remain strapped inside the RHIB, secured in its cradle.

The yacht continues toward a sheltered nighttime anchorage.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

A television struggles to hold a signal.

A reporter stands outside a police barricade.

REPORTER (TV)

...authorities are asking residents to avoid several downtown intersections while police—

The picture freezes.

Noah changes channels.

A sitcom.

Perfect reception.

NOAH

Of course.

He switches back.

Police vehicles outside a hospital.

REPORTER (TV)

...emergency services remain operational, although officials are urging—

The audio disappears.

Emma tosses the remote onto the couch.

EMMA

Unbelievable.

A PHONE VIBRATES.

Emma looks down.

EMMA

Wait.

She lifts her phone.

EMMA

I've got service.

Another phone vibrates.

Then another.

Within seconds, the salon erupts with notifications.

Mark's phone.

Rachel's.

Denise's.

Noah's.

Evan's.

Sophie's tablet lights up with a connection notification.

From the pilothouse, Mason's phone rings.

NOAH

Holy crap. We're back!

DENISE

Language.

NOAH

Everybody's phones are working!

People begin talking at once.

MARK

Let me try Grant.

RACHEL

Evan, see if your parents answer.

DENISE

I've got a pile of messages.

EMMA

So do I.

For a moment, the yacht feels connected to the world again.

Then Emma stops smiling.

She scrolls through her group chat.

Messages from Saturday.

Messages from Sunday.

Some arriving out of order after the long interruption.

GROUP CHAT — FRIENDS

KAYLA: anyone know why they're closing the freeway?

TYLER: they're not closing it my dad literally just drove through

BRI: my mom said don't go near the hospitals

MADDIE: why

BRI: IDK SHE JUST SAID DON'T

TYLER: someone got shot near my house

MADDIE: stop making stuff up

TYLER: IM NOT

Emma scrolls.

KAYLA: anyone seen sarah

BRI: she went home

KAYLA: no she didn't

SARAH: im here

Emma exhales.

Then—

SARAH: dont call me

SARAH: please

Emma stares.

She types.

EMMA (TEXT): Sarah what's wrong?

The message begins sending.

Across the room, Evan has gone completely still.

Noah notices.

NOAH

Ev?

No answer.

NOAH

What?

Evan swallows.

EVAN

It's my mom.

On his phone—

MOM (TEXT): Evan, honey, Dad and I are going to try to get to Grandma's in Washington. I don't know if we'll make it. Things are getting bad here. Please stay with Mark and Rachel. Listen to them.

Another message appears beneath it.

MOM (TEXT): Your dad wants you to know how proud we are of you. We love you so much. Whatever happens, don't ever forget that.

Evan reads it.

Again.

NOAH

They're going to Washington?

Evan nods.

NOAH

Your grandma's?

Evan nods again.

NOAH

Why?

EVAN

I don't know.

He presses CALL.

Across the salon, Mark is already holding his phone to his ear.

MARK

Come on, Grant.

Rachel tries a number.

Denise listens to an unanswered call.

For several seconds, phones ring throughout the salon.

Then Evan's screen displays—

CALL FAILED.

He tries again.

EVAN

I've got bars.

RACHEL

Messages can come through even when calls won't connect.

Mark lowers his phone.

MARK

Grant's not answering.

Evan types.

EVAN (TEXT): Mom what are you talking about? What's going on? Please call me.

He presses SEND.

The message hangs.

Emma's outgoing message is still pending.

Noah looks down at his screen.

NOAH

Guys?

Rachel turns.

NOAH

I just lost service.

Emma checks hers.

EMMA

Me too.

Across the room, the phones begin losing their connections.

One after another.

Mark moves toward a window.

His call fails.

Denise tries again.

Nothing.

Evan watches his message.

NOT DELIVERED.

He raises the phone.

EVAN

Come on.

Nothing.

The salon falls silent.

Moments ago, everyone was talking over one another.

Now nobody has anything to say.

Evan sits.

Reads the last line again.

Whatever happens, don't ever forget that.

Noah sits beside him.

NOAH

Maybe they're already on the road.

Evan shakes his head.

EVAN

My mom doesn't talk like this.

Noah studies the message.

He doesn't try another explanation.

He just stays.

Sophie looks around the room.

SOPHIE

Did something bad happen?

Rachel kneels beside her.

RACHEL

We don't know yet.

SOPHIE

Then why does everybody look scared?

Rachel looks at the other faces in the room.

She has no answer.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mason remains at the helm.

Sunday is still underway.

His phone lies beside the chart display.

No signal.

But one notification remains.

NEW VOICEMAIL — CAPTAIN HALE

The message downloaded during the brief return of service.

Mason stops breathing for a moment.

He presses PLAY.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Mason. It's me.

Interference.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

I don't know if you're getting these. I've been trying since—

Distortion.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Linda's with me. Jen's—

A crashing sound.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

No! Leave that! Just leave it!

Mason grips the console.

Hale returns, breathing harder.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Something's wrong here. I don't know how to explain it.

A distant shout.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

It's not just people fighting. I saw a guy get hit by a car. Hard. And then he—

Hale stops.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

I don't know. Maybe I didn't see it right.

Mason listens.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Everybody's saying different things. Police. Hospitals. Nobody seems to know what they're dealing with.

The audio breaks.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Don't bring Sunday back in. Keep her clear of the docks until I talk to you.

Mason closes his eyes briefly.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

I'm trying to get back. Just—

A door slams.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Jen, get away from—

The message ends.

Mason remains still.

He plays the last few seconds again.

And again.

Then he looks toward the water ahead.

The yacht continues moving.

He cannot leave the helm.

He takes the microphone for Sunday's internal intercom.

MASON

Mark? Can you come up here?

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mark enters.

MARK

What's wrong?

Mason holds out his phone.

MASON

Hale.

Mark listens to the message.

By the end, his expression has changed.

MARK

I'll get Rachel.

MASON

Don't leave me up here wondering what everybody thinks.

Mark pauses.

Mason regrets the words immediately.

MASON

Sorry.

Mark looks at him.

MARK

We'll come back.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Rachel, Emma, Noah, Evan, Denise and Sophie gather around Mark.

Mason's voicemail plays through his phone.

The last words echo in the quiet room.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Jen, get away from—

The recording ends.

Nobody speaks.

RACHEL

Play the part about the car.

Mark does.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

...I saw a guy get hit by a car. Hard. And then he—

Interference.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

I don't know. Maybe I didn't see it right.

Rachel studies the phone.

RACHEL

He never says what happened afterward.

MARK

No.

EMMA

Could he have been in shock?

RACHEL

Possibly.

DENISE

Or the man got up.

Rachel turns toward her.

Denise looks uncomfortable with her own suggestion.

DENISE

People survive accidents.

NOAH

Not the kind Dad described yesterday.

Rachel looks toward her son.

NOAH

Those ships hit boats. People were still moving around. Maybe everybody was just scared.

Mark lowers the phone.

MARK

We don't know what Hale saw.

RACHEL

No. But he was clear about staying away from the docks.

Emma looks toward the pilothouse.

EMMA

Mason's going to want to go back anyway.

Nobody disagrees.

Mark's phone lights up as he checks the messages received during the brief connection.

He opens the conversation with GRANT.

At the bottom is a new message.

RUN

Mark stares.

RACHEL

What?

He turns the screen toward her.

RACHEL

That's Grant?

Mark nods.

RACHEL

When did it come in?

MARK

With everything else.

He tries calling.

CALL FAILED.

MASON (INTERCOM)

Mark? Everything okay down there?

Mark picks up the intercom.

MARK

Coming up.

Rachel looks at him.

RACHEL

What are we going to tell him?

Mark studies Grant's message.

MARK

The truth.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mason checks the chart.

Mark and Rachel enter.

MASON

Well?

RACHEL

Hale's warning is serious. But the recording doesn't tell us exactly what happened.

MASON

I know what I heard.

RACHEL

So do I.

Mark steps closer.

MARK

Grant sent me something.

He shows Mason the phone.

RUN

Mason studies it.

MASON

Run where?

MARK

That's all he wrote.

Mason looks from Mark to Rachel.

MASON

What if Hale's trying to get to the rigs?

RACHEL

Then we need to know whether they're still safe.

MASON

How are we supposed to know without going?

Rachel doesn't have an answer.

Mark looks through the windshield.

MARK

We aren't going toward Los Angeles tonight.

Mason turns.

MASON

You don't get to decide that by yourself.

Mark meets his eyes.

MARK

Neither do you.

Silence.

Sunday continues through the water.

Mason looks toward the chart.

Then back at Hale's voicemail.

He takes his phone.

MASON

There's somewhere we can anchor.

RACHEL

Safe?

MASON

Safer than moving around in the dark while everybody argues.

Mark nods.

MARK

Then that's where we go.

Mason turns back to the helm.

His hand rests on the controls.

He looks frightened.

But he knows what to do next.

EPILOGUE — JUST UNTIL HALE GETS BACK

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — OFF CATALINA

Darkness spreads across the water.

Sunday approaches a sheltered anchorage away from Two Harbors and the main vessel routes.

Mason checks the chart.

The depth.

The wind.

The surrounding traffic.

Mark stands nearby, following the information as Mason explains it.

Sunday slows.

The anchor descends.

Chain follows.

Mason sets it carefully.

Checks the hold.

Waits.

Sunday settles into a gentle swing.

The engines shut down.

The sudden quiet feels strange.

MARK

We're staying here?

MASON

Unless something changes.

Mark looks toward the dark water.

MARK

Works for me.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK

Sunday rests at anchor.

The RHIB remains secured in its cradle.

Mason checks the tender and its cargo.

MASON

All right. We can unload now.

Mark begins unfastening the groceries.

Denise waits in the doorway.

DENISE

Please tell me you brought the coffee.

MARK

Yes, Denny.

DENISE

Good. Then I suppose I'll let you back aboard.

Noah and Evan carry small cartons inside.

Emma helps Sophie with a bag.

Mark passes another box to Rachel.

For a while, the family works without arguing.

Mason watches them from the aft deck.

He looks toward the dark horizon.

Then returns to securing the remaining equipment.

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY

The counters are crowded with groceries.

Rice.

Beans.

Pasta.

Canned vegetables.

Flour.

Cooking oil.

Fresh food.

Denise directs the boys.

DENISE

Not there. That's where the plates go.

NOAH

You said the bottom shelf.

DENISE

In the pantry.

NOAH

There are about forty bottom shelves on this boat.

Evan laughs.

Denise points.

DENISE

That one.

Noah carries the carton away.

Emma picks up a strawberry.

Denise catches her.

DENISE

Those are for everyone.

EMMA

I am everyone.

DENISE

You're enough trouble for everyone.

Emma smiles.

Sophie spots a familiar box.

SOPHIE

Pancakes!

She lifts the mix.

SOPHIE

Mom! You found them!

Rachel turns.

RACHEL

Thought you might want some tomorrow.

Sophie wraps her arms around her.

Rachel holds her.

Denise watches for a moment.

Then returns to her work.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mason stands beside the anchor display.

Mark and Rachel face him.

MARK

We need to change how we're doing things.

Mason looks up.

MASON

What things?

MARK

You doing everything.

MASON

You don't know how to run Sunday.

MARK

I know.

Mason waits.

MARK

That's the problem we're trying to fix.

Rachel steps closer.

RACHEL

We aren't asking you to teach us how to captain the yacht overnight.

MASON

Good. Because I can't.

MARK

I can learn the radio. The alarms. How to watch for traffic.

RACHEL

And the boys can help with simple lookout duties during daylight, with somebody supervising.

Mason studies them.

MASON

Hale didn't let me touch half these controls for months.

MARK

We're not going to touch them.

RACHEL

We just want you to be able to sleep without worrying somebody's going to miss something obvious.

Mason looks toward the window.

MASON

I'm still going to worry.

Neither adult argues.

Mark takes a chair.

MARK

Then show us what to watch.

Mason hesitates.

Then points to the radar.

MASON

All right.

He begins teaching them.

Not how to run the yacht.

How to recognize when something needs him.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Mason finishes explaining the anchor alarm.

MASON

Anything comes close, wake me. Anchor alarm goes off, wake me. Something doesn't look right—

MARK

Wake you.

MASON

Immediately.

RACHEL

Immediately.

Mason studies them.

Rachel takes the lookout chair.

RACHEL

I'll take the first watch. Mark relieves me.

MARK

And you're sleeping.

Mason looks through the windshield.

MASON

You sure?

MARK

We're not moving. We know what to watch. And we've got the world's most nervous instructor if we need help.

Mason almost smiles.

MASON

That's not reassuring.

MARK

It wasn't supposed to be.

Mason picks up his phone.

Starts toward the door.

Stops.

Looks back at the displays.

Rachel notices.

RACHEL

We'll get you if anything changes.

He nods.

Leaves.

INT. SUNDAY — CREW CABIN

Mason lies on his bunk.

He opens Hale's voicemail.

Listens to the final seconds.

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

...I'm trying to get back. Just—

HALE (VOICEMAIL)

Jen, get away from—

Silence.

Mason opens a photograph.

Hale.

Linda.

Jen.

Mason.

All four laughing around a dinner table.

His thumb rests over Jen's face.

He locks the phone.

Sets it beside his pillow.

Closes his eyes.

A metallic sound comes from somewhere in the yacht.

His eyes open.

He listens.

Another sound.

A door closing.

Then Mark's voice, faintly audible overhead.

MARK (O.S.)

I know. I checked it.

A quieter response from Rachel.

Mason sits up.

His feet find the floor.

He stays there for a moment.

Then slowly lies back down.

The yacht moves gently around its anchor.

He keeps his eyes open.

Eventually, they close.

INT. SUNDAY — GUEST CABIN

Denise closes the door.

Her hands ache from moving groceries.

She sits on the edge of the bed and rubs her fingers.

Outside, the boys laugh.

Sophie calls for Rachel.

A door closes.

Denise smiles faintly.

Then lies down.

INT. SUNDAY — PILOTHOUSE

Rachel sits at the navigation console.

Radar sweeps across the display.

Sunday swings gently around her anchor.

Mark enters with two mugs of tea.

He sets one beside her.

MARK

Everything okay?

RACHEL

So far.

Mark looks outside.

Dark water.

Stars.

Nothing moving nearby.

He sits.

MARK

Do you think we should've stayed at Two Harbors?

Rachel considers that.

RACHEL

We got everyone back safely.

MARK

Not exactly what I asked.

RACHEL

It's the answer I have.

Mark nods.

He checks his phone.

Grant's message remains on the screen.

RUN

MARK

I still think Point San Luis is our best option.

Rachel looks out at the horizon.

RACHEL

Maybe it is.

Mark turns the phone facedown.

MARK

We'll figure it out tomorrow.

A pause.

MARK

Wake me when it's my watch.

RACHEL

I will.

He kisses her forehead.

Then leaves.

Rachel returns her attention to the radar.

Beside the navigation chart lies Sophie's drawing.

Sunday beneath a bright yellow sun.

Blue water.

Eight smiling stick figures aboard.

Rachel picks it up.

Studies the figures.

Eight.

She counts them without realizing it.

Then looks toward the dark windshield.

She carefully moves the drawing away from a damp coffee mug.

Places it beside the chart.

Checks the radar.

Outside, the yacht swings slowly against its anchor.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN

Sunday rests beneath a sky filled with stars.

The engines are silent.

The tender is secured in its cradle.

Seven people sleep.

Rachel keeps watch.

Beyond the horizon, Los Angeles is still illuminated.

Roads carry headlights through the darkness.

A distant aircraft crosses the sky.

In the city, somewhere, a telephone rings.

It rings until the call goes unanswered.

Out here, Sunday continues swinging gently around her anchor.

Eight people aboard.

A small white yacht on an enormous dark ocean.

FADE OUT.

END OF EPISODE THREE

THE WALKING DEAD: SUNDAY

What worries you most when the outbreak first begins?

• A: No safe place to sleep
• B: Running out of food and water
• C: Not knowing who to trust
• D: Not knowing what’s happening

Reply with A, B, C, or D—and tell us why if you want

Civilization has collapsed. You're traveling with your family. You have one gun, 10 bullets, and no idea when or if you'll find more.

Up ahead, someone is in serious trouble. You might be able to save them, but getting involved could draw danger toward your family and cost you ammunition you may desperately need later.

Your family wants you to walk away. The stranger is still calling for help.

Do you stop?

Poll options:

• Yes
• No

What would make you change your answer?

On the water, you're away from the crowds, violence, and chaos. But you're also on your own. No easy way to find food, fuel, or help if something goes wrong.

Would you take your chances at sea?

Poll options:

• Yes
• No

Why? I'm curious how many people would actually trust the water over solid ground.

No spoilers—just a little Sunday question for the group.

If the world suddenly went sideways, what is one everyday item you would refuse to leave behind?

Mine might be a good pair of sunglasses. Practical answers, sentimental answers, and totally ridiculous answers are all welcome.

Two episodes in, which character have you connected with most? Forget who has the best survival plan—I mean the one you find yourself rooting for. Was there a line or small moment that won you over? Let’s keep it to Episodes 1–2 so everyone can jump in.

Sunday gets away from the marina, but Episode 2 keeps tightening the pressure. Which moment changed how you saw their situation: the collision near the harbor, Hale still missing, the supplies, the voice on the radio, or something smaller between the characters? And who seemed to understand the danger first? Episode 2 spoilers are welcome here; please hide anything beyond it.

After Evan gets that message from his parents, everyone in the salon has a different instinct. If you were there, would you tell him the hard truth, try to reassure him, or focus on what the group can actually do next? Which response from the others felt most believable to you?

Episode 1 spoilers are welcome in the comments. Please hide anything from Episode 2.

Okay, real question: your phone lights up with an emergency alert and you have five minutes to leave. One backpack. No clue how long the roads will stay open.

What are the first five things you grab, and what do you leave behind even though it hurts? I’m less interested in a perfect survival-kit answer than what you’d honestly do with the clock running.

This living guide contains only information shown in the published story through Episode 2. Spoilers through Episode 2 follow.

THE BENNETT FAMILY

Mark Bennett (42)

Mark is Rachel's husband and the father of Emma, Noah, and Sophie. He uses humor to calm the children and tries to solve problems by making plans. His work includes transportation, payroll, routes, and contingency logistics for Grant Mercer. In Episode 2 he reveals that a Grant facility farther north reports to him and that he has overseen it for almost three years. The site is supposed to have generators, fuel reserves, water access, maintenance equipment, warehouses, and an industrial pier. Mark believes it may give the group somewhere to go, but nobody there is answering.

Rachel Bennett (40)

Rachel is Mark's wife and the children's mother. She has spent seventeen years connected to the Army and has only recently come home. Emma calls her “Major Bennett” during an argument, and the family weekend was meant to mark her return. Rachel is alert to danger, tracks the communications failures, and makes security decisions quickly. When Tommy tries to force his way aboard Sunday, Rachel strikes his hands with a boat hook and he falls into the water. She throws him a life ring, but the group does not see what happens to him. The decision creates a serious break between Rachel and Emma.

Emma Bennett (17)

Emma is Mark and Rachel's oldest child. She saved for two years to buy a used blue Honda Civic, with Mark matching every dollar, and planned to drive it on Monday. She keeps a photograph that includes Mason and later offers him food when she sees how much pressure he is under. Emma has missed Rachel during her years away and hoped the weekend would bring her mother home for good. After seeing Tommy fall into the sea, she challenges Rachel's decision and says that he was frightened too.

Noah Bennett (14)

Noah is Mark and Rachel's son and Evan's best friend. He watches survival videos and is quick to point out Sunday's practical advantages: drinking water, electricity, radios, and the ability to move. He questions why they should go home when Evan's parents told him not to. Noah is interested in fishing and other survival skills, although Mason reminds him that owning equipment is not the same as knowing how to use it. When Evan cannot reach his parents, Noah stays beside him, offers his phone, and helps him through the fear.

Sophie Bennett (7)

Sophie is the youngest Bennett. She is funny, affectionate, and often carrying a toy dolphin. She asks Mason about dolphins and engine checks, follows the adults' rules in her own literal way, and notices more of their fear than they realize. After the confrontation with Tommy, she worries that she caused the argument and hopes he found the life ring. The flashback in Episode 2 shows Mark making her pancakes and doing her braids while Rachel promises to paint her nails. Mark calls her “bug,” and Denny calls her “peanut.”

FRIENDS AND CREW ABOARD SUNDAY

Denise “Denny” Alvarez (51)

Denny is a longtime family friend who has known the Bennett children and Evan for years. She remembers Evan's breakfast preferences, takes care of practical needs aboard Sunday, and uses humor to steady the group. She tells Mark that Emma can love Rachel and still be frightened by what Rachel did, and advises him to listen instead of defending the decision. Denny is also trying to reach her own mother, who is not answering. She tells the group that Evan's parents, her mother, and Hale's family will not be forgotten.

Evan Ruiz (14)

Evan is Noah's best friend and the son of Teresa and Luis Ruiz. His parents send him a short warning: stay with the Bennetts, do not come home, and know that they love him. Evan keeps trying to contact them and fears the message means they do not expect to see him again. He remembers that his mother corrects his grammar and his father always jokes, making the warning feel unlike them. He worries about what will happen if they go to the marina looking for him after Sunday leaves.

Mason Cole (19)

Mason is a young member of Sunday's crew. He knows the yacht's helm, engines, fuel, radios, tender, maintenance systems, and fishing gear. Captain Hale trained him but warned that running the boat in good weather did not make him a captain. With Hale missing, Mason is forced to operate Sunday and help decide where it goes. He wants to remain where Hale can find them and continues calling after Sunday turns north. He is kind to Sophie, shares a quiet connection with Emma, and answers Pacific Dawn's mayday while trying to keep its captain talking.

BEYOND SUNDAY

Captain Robert Hale (56)

Hale is Sunday's experienced captain and Mason's mentor. After a troubling call from his wife, Linda, he takes the yacht back to the marina and leaves to find Linda and their daughter, Jen. Before leaving, he orders both fuel tanks filled and has Mason check the generators, batteries, desalination system, tender, radios, engines, and service gear. His last confirmed message says he has Jen, Linda is with him, and they are heading back. Hale and his family have not reached Sunday by the end of Episode 2.

Grant Mercer

Grant is connected to Sunday through the Mercer account and works with Mark. During the crisis, he is dealing with trucks, depots, refrigeration, and employees leaving their shifts. He approves fully fueling Sunday, knows Hale and Mason, and tells Mark that the family should remain aboard until they understand what is happening. A Grant facility farther north becomes Sunday's destination because Mark knows its emergency systems and oversees its operation. Grant's location and condition at the end of Episode 2 are not known.

PEOPLE THEY ARE TRYING TO REACH

Teresa and Luis Ruiz

Evan's parents appear during a normal family video call before sending the warning that tells him not to come home. Teresa corrects Evan's grammar, Luis likes to joke, and both clearly love their son. Their location and condition are unknown.

Linda and Jen Hale

Linda is Captain Hale's wife and Jen is their daughter. Hale leaves the marina to find them. His last confirmed message says both are with him and they are heading back, but none of them reaches Sunday.

Denny's mother

Denny promised to call her mother after the weekend, but her calls now go straight to voicemail. Denny imagines her at home watering the roses. Her condition is unknown.

OTHER PEOPLE FROM EPISODE 2

Tommy

Tommy is the passenger on the runabout that approaches Sunday. He has blood on his shirt, says people are killing others, and begs to be let aboard. He tries to force the gate, Rachel strikes his hands, and he falls into the sea. Rachel throws a life ring, but Tommy disappears behind the swell. His fate is unknown.

The people aboard Pacific Dawn

Pacific Dawn first reports that an injured crewman is biting anyone who gets near him. Later, four people lock themselves in the wheelhouse while the rest of the crew remain outside. The captain says his sick brother no longer recognizes him and warns Sunday not to approach or open its doors for anyone. The transmission ends, and Pacific Dawn stops answering.

DISCUSSION

Whose judgment do you trust most right now? Which relationship feels closest to breaking? If a confirmed detail is missing, point to the episode and scene so it can be added. Keep theories clearly labeled and hide later spoilers.

Sunday is finally away from the marina, but the people aboard still have limited supplies, missing loved ones, and no clear picture of what is happening onshore.

If you were making the decision, what would you do next?

- Stay offshore and conserve resources

- Search for Captain Hale

- Find a quieter harbor

- Attempt to contact family on land

- Something else entirely

Keep major Episode 2 spoilers hidden for readers who are still catching up. I’m especially interested in what choice feels safest—and what could go wrong.

TEASER

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — OFF LOS ANGELES — SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY rises into a long swell.

Three miles offshore.

Whitecaps tear across four-to-six-foot swells. Sunday handles them, but the horizon tilts against her windows.

Palos Verdes and the Long Beach coast spread behind her. Something is wrong.

Three columns of smoke rise miles apart.

Helicopters circle over stopped highways and crowds fleeing in opposite directions.

The harbor is clogged with escaping boats. A freighter's horn cuts through their smaller ones.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

MASON, nineteen, works the helm. He watches the waves, radar and vessels behind them.

MARK BENNETT grips the back of a chair as Sunday rolls.

MARK
Wasn't doing that an hour ago.

MASON
We had a breakwater an hour ago. The wind's picking up. Swell's crossing the chop.

Mason catches a sliding coffee mug.

MASON
Hale would've made me pay for that.

Mark glances at the vacant captain's chair. Mason sees him glance and looks away.

A child's voice comes through the bridge intercom.

SOPHIE (INTERCOM)
Mason? You said you might show us dolphins today.

Mason touches the button.

MASON
I'm looking, Soph. They didn't give me their schedule.

SOPHIE (INTERCOM)
Daddy said you knew everything.

MASON
Daddy's going to get me in trouble.

Mark smiles. The sound of another horn wipes it away.

RACHEL enters carrying binoculars.

RACHEL
Denny says the kitchen is trying to move into the living room.

MASON
Everything has a latch. Tell her I'll come show her.

A voice breaks across the radio.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Meridian Star, Los Angeles Harbor Control. Confirm you are reducing speed.

Mason looks toward the port.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Meridian Star, small-craft traffic is crossing your bow. Respond.

Rachel raises the binoculars.

A towering container ship approaches the entrance. Small boats scatter before it.

MARK
Can't they see those boats?

MASON
They should.

A cabin cruiser tries to outrun the freighter, strikes a wave and loses speed.

Mason leans toward the glass.

MASON
Don't turn. Just go. Come on.

The cruiser tries to swing away. Its engine labors.

The container ship's bow catches it.

A white cabin folds against black steel. The wreck disappears along the hull.

The freighter continues.

The crack reaches them seconds later.

MARK
There were people in that.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Meridian Star, stop engines immediately. You have struck a vessel. Stop engines.

TUG CAPTAIN (RADIO)
Harbor Control, we've got no response from her bridge. We're standing clear.

Rachel follows the ship with the binoculars.

RACHEL
It's still moving.

MASON
Even with the engines off it could travel a long way. But somebody ought to be answering.

Another craft barely escapes the wake.

Rachel scans the shore: fire engines, a police helicopter, smoke miles beyond the port.

RACHEL
Mark. Look down the coast.

He takes the binoculars.

MARK
Another fire.

He pans farther.

MARK
They're nowhere near the docks.

Another horn. On radar, SIERRA CROWN moves through the outer anchorage. Small boats crowd its path.

MASON
You've got to be kidding me.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Sierra Crown, reduce speed. You are approaching recreational traffic. Confirm your steering condition.

Only static.

MARK
That's two ships.

MASON
I know.

A sportfishing boat hits a wave, spinning across its bow.

The freighter catches its stern, tearing open the cabin. The boat vanishes in the wake.

Rachel lowers the binoculars.

RACHEL
We need to get away from the shipping lanes.

MARK
You think somebody's doing this on purpose?

RACHEL
I don't know what to think yet.

Mason checks Hale's last message:

GOT JEN. LINDA WITH ME. HEADING BACK.

MASON
Hale told me to stay where he could find us.

RACHEL
I know.

MASON
He's got his wife and daughter with him. If they make it out—

MARK
We haven't forgotten them.

MASON
They might not have time to look for us.

An aircraft passes low over the water, northwest of the harbor.

Mark notices it first.

MARK
Is that plane supposed to be that low?

A passenger jet banks. Straightens. Banks again.

Rachel watches through binoculars as the jet drops toward distant open water. Its nose briefly rises.

RACHEL
Come on.

Then it drops out of the sky.

White spray erupts from the sea. Smoke follows.

Mark grips the chair again, although the boat isn't rolling.

MARK
There were people on that plane.

Mason has no reply. His hands stop moving on the helm.

Then the radar chirps.

A small boat is approaching from behind.

Fast.

MASON
We've got company.

On the stern camera, the runabout follows his slight course change.

MASON
And they're coming for us.

CUT TO BLACK.

THE WALKING DEAD: SUNDAY

ACT ONE — NO ONE GETS ABOARD

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

A runabout bucks through the chop. Its passenger clings to the windshield, blood on his shirt.

Mason sounds Sunday's horn twice.

No change.

MARK
They're waving.

RACHEL
I see them.

MARK
After what we've seen, wouldn't you be waving? They may need help.

RACHEL
They can ask from their own boat.

Mason looks at the swells.

MASON
I can make it difficult for them to come alongside. Turn across the swell. Sunday'll roll; they'll be trying to climb a moving wall.

MARK
What happens to us?

MASON
We hold on to something.

Rachel picks up a handheld radio.

RACHEL
Don't turn until we're secured downstairs.

MARK
Where are you going?

RACHEL
The stern.

MARK
Rachel, they're frightened.

RACHEL
I know.

She leaves.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

EMMA watches the crash site. NOAH and EVAN are silent. SOPHIE clutches a plastic dolphin.

DENISE checks cabinet latches.

DENISE
Noah, give me that glass.

NOAH
I wasn't doing anything with it.

DENISE
That's why it's still on the table.

He hands it over. Mark arrives.

MARK
Everybody into the inside passage. Another boat's trying to come alongside.

EVAN
Are they from the plane?

MARK
I don't think so. Come on.

Sophie raises both arms. Mark picks her up.

SOPHIE
I want to go home.

MARK
I know, bug.

SOPHIE
Tonight.

Denise can't meet his eyes.

MARK
We'll talk about tonight when we get through right now.

Emma stays at the window.

EMMA
They're bleeding.

MARK
Emma. Please.

She follows him, reluctantly.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK

Rachel secures the stern gate. Beside it: a boat hook, a life ring.

The runabout surges closer. Its passenger is perhaps thirty, shaking with cold or fear.

RACHEL
STAY CLEAR!

PASSENGER
WE NEED HELP!

RACHEL
ARE YOU HURT?

He looks at the blood on his shirt.

PASSENGER
THEY'RE KILLING PEOPLE BACK THERE!

He points toward the smoky shore.

PASSENGER
WE CAN'T GO BACK!

RACHEL
THEN KEEP GOING! YOU'VE GOT OPEN WATER!

PASSENGER
JUST LET US ON FOR A MINUTE!

RACHEL
NO ONE IS COMING ABOARD!

He stares. The driver shouts; the passenger points at Sunday.

The runabout accelerates.

Rachel keys her radio.

RACHEL
Mason. Do it.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN

Sunday turns across the swell.

Her hull rolls. The runabout pounds down and loses ground.

Then the driver swings around and charges at Sunday's stern.

INT. SUNDAY — INTERIOR PASSAGE

Noah slips. Evan catches him.

NOAH
I had that.

EVAN
Absolutely.

A cupboard flies open. Denise catches it with her hip.

DENISE
Hands on the rails, please!

Mark braces in the doorway with Sophie against his chest. His shoulder hits the wall.

SOPHIE
Daddy, make it stop.

He tightens his grip.

MARK
I'd love to.

Emma, instead of staying in the passage, looks back through the aft glass.

EXT. SUNDAY — STERN

The runabout rises on a swell. Its passenger lunges.

His chest hits Sunday's stainless rail. Both hands catch.

The runabout drops away. Its driver swerves clear.

The passenger's feet slip off its bow.

Now he's hanging from Sunday, over open water. The driver is trying to come back, but every wave knocks him off course. The two men shout to each other over the engine and waves.

DRIVER
TOMMY! HOLD ON!

TOMMY
HELP ME!

Rachel runs to the gate.

RACHEL
TOMMY, YOUR BOAT'S TURNING BACK! I'LL THROW YOU A RING!

She takes the life ring from its bracket, freeing the line.

TOMMY
I CAN'T LET GO!

The swell swings him outward. He hooks a foot on the lowest step.

RACHEL
DON'T OPEN THE GATE!

He reaches for the latch.

TOMMY
JUST PULL ME UP!

Saltwater and blood streak Tommy's terrified face.

She could reach his wrist.

She looks once through the glass doors. Sophie is somewhere beyond them.

Tommy gets a knee onto the step. One hand grips the upper rail. The other twists the latch.

RACHEL
TOMMY. STOP.

He is beyond listening. His hand finds the gate catch.

Rachel drops the ring and snatches up the boat hook.

RACHEL
LET GO OF THE GATE!

Tommy sees the aluminum shaft.

TOMMY
DON'T!

His fingertips cross onto Sunday's deck. He looks less like a threat than a man trying not to die. Yet his hand keeps working the latch.

Rachel strikes the hand on the latch.

A hard metallic crack.

Tommy screams. One hand releases. With the other he finds the step and hauls upward.

TOMMY
YOU BROKE MY HAND!

Rachel's voice catches.

RACHEL
GO BACK TO YOUR BOAT!

TOMMY
YOU THINK I WANT TO BE HERE?

Sunday rolls. Tommy's chest comes over the gate, inches from Rachel. He grabs the latch.

TOMMY
PLEASE. I CAN'T GO BACK THERE.

Behind the glass, Rachel sees Emma.

Her daughter is watching.

Tommy twists the latch.

Rachel brings the hook down across his remaining fingers.

His hand opens.

Then he falls backward.

TOMMY
NO—!

He disappears beneath the stern.

Rachel drops the boat hook, runs to the rail.

RACHEL
TOMMY!

He resurfaces in Sunday's wake, gasping, one arm moving badly.

Rachel throws the life ring. It lands beyond him.

RACHEL
THE RING! BEHIND YOU!

The driver brings the runabout around, shouting Tommy's name.

A swell rises between them.

Tommy vanishes from view.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Emma stands against the glass.

Mark reaches her.

MARK
Emma, I told you—

He sees her face and stops.

EMMA
She hit his hands.

Mark looks toward Rachel at the rail.

EMMA
He was holding on. She hit him.

MARK
Come away from the window.

EMMA
He wasn't trying to hit her.

MARK
You can't know that.

EMMA
Neither could she.

Mark draws Emma away. She keeps looking back.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Mason watches the aft camera. The driver circles, searching the water.

MASON
Rachel, man overboard. I can come back around.

The radio hisses.

RACHEL (RADIO)
The other boat's going back for him. Keep us clear.

MASON
I could slow down.

RACHEL (RADIO)
Not until we know where that runabout's going. Mason, please.

He stares at the little boat. Then steadies Sunday's heading.

His hands are shaking.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK

Rachel watches the driver circle. Something orange bobs in the water: the life ring.

She can't see Tommy.

Rachel fumbles with the boat hook's rack.

The runabout shrinks behind them.

ACT TWO — WHAT WE SAW

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

A broken bowl lies on the carpet. Noah ices his shoulder. Evan watches the sea. Sophie sits quietly beneath Denise's blanket. Mark preferred the crying.

Rachel enters. Everyone watches her.

RACHEL
Everybody okay?

NOAH
My shoulder hurts.

DENISE
He'll live. His ability to complain is unaffected.

Nobody laughs.

RACHEL
From now on nobody goes outside without checking with Mason or me. If another boat approaches, you get into the passage and stay there.

EMMA
We did.

RACHEL
Most of you did.

Emma flushes.

EMMA
I was inside. I was watching you.

RACHEL
I told you to move away from the glass.

EMMA
I saw you hit his hands.

RACHEL
He was opening the gate.

EMMA
I know. I was there.

RACHEL
Emma, we can talk about this alone.

EMMA
Of course we can. When you decide we're allowed to.

RACHEL
That's enough.

EMMA
There it is. That's the voice.

Rachel goes still.

RACHEL
What voice?

Emma looks at the people watching them. She hadn't meant to say it in front of everyone.

EMMA
The one you use on the phone when we're supposed to stop asking when you're coming home.

Mark steps forward.

MARK
Em. That's enough for now.

RACHEL
She didn't do what I asked.

MARK
And she's still shaking. Look at her.

Rachel looks. Emma folds her arms so no one can see her hands.

RACHEL
Not in front of everybody, Mark.

MARK
Then stop doing this in front of everybody.

No one speaks. The boat's engines fill the silence.

Denise picks up Sophie.

DENISE
Come on, peanut. Let's find your dolphin.

RACHEL
I want everyone together.

DENISE
I'm taking her ten steps to the galley. She's shaking, Rachel.

SOPHIE
Did I do something?

Mark is beside her immediately.

MARK
No, bug. Not you.

SOPHIE
Are you mad at Daddy?

Rachel crouches before her.

RACHEL
No, sweetheart.

Denise takes Sophie away.

Emma stands.

RACHEL
Where are you going?

EMMA
My cabin. It's a boat. I'm not going far.

She reaches the passage.

EMMA
Yesterday you asked me about the car. Like you had all day to hear about it. You did, for once.

She looks at Rachel, then away.

EMMA
I liked yesterday.

A door closes.

Rachel watches the doorway.

NOAH
What happened to that guy?

MARK
He fell into the water. The other boat went back for him.

NOAH
Is he dead?

RACHEL
I don't know.

SOPHIE
Did his friend get him?

Rachel turns. Sophie has slipped back from the galley. Mark starts to answer, then doesn't.

RACHEL
I couldn't see, sweetheart.

SOPHIE
You threw him the orange thing.

RACHEL
Yes.

SOPHIE
Then I hope he found it.

Nobody can tell her they hope so too without sounding strange.

Evan turns from the window.

EVAN
Are we going back? My parents are there. Nobody will even tell me.

He catches his own anger.

EVAN
Sorry.

MARK
Don't be. I wish I had an answer.

EVAN
That's what everybody keeps saying.

INT. SUNDAY — AFT PASSAGE

Mason tests the stern gate. Inside its garage, the tender and jet ski remain secured. Nothing appears damaged, but he won't open it at sea.

Rachel joins him.

MASON
Hale drilled me on keeping boats off. Never on what happens when somebody's hanging from the rail.

RACHEL
Neither would I.

Mason touches the latch where Tommy's fingers were.

MASON
Could you have pulled him up?

Rachel looks at the gate.

RACHEL
Yes.

Mason doesn't answer. He leaves for the bridge to call Hale again.

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY

Mark checks cupboards. Denise gives him water.

DENISE
You lost something?

MARK
Something useful.

DENISE
Try drinking that first.

He drinks. He hands her a cutting board without a word.

MARK
I've never seen Emma look at Rachel like that.

DENISE
Yes, you have. Usually after Rachel goes back to work.

MARK
She loves her mother.

DENISE
You can miss someone and still be furious with them.

MARK
I made everything worse.

DENISE
You're doing that thing where you make it about whether you were a good dad. She's not grading you, Mark. She's scared.

MARK
I know.

DENISE
Then let her be scared of her mother for a little while. She can love Rachel and still be scared of her.

He reaches for another cupboard. Denise gently closes it.

DENISE
And stop looking for a problem you can organize.

Only then does he notice her phone face down on the counter.

MARK
Your mom?

DENISE
No answer. Yesterday she teased me for packing too many shoes. I promised I'd call tonight.

Denise stares at her phone.

DENISE
I keep trying. It goes straight to her voicemail. She'll be out watering the roses, wondering why I haven't called.

Mark reaches for her hand. She squeezes it briefly, an old friend's reassurance.

DENISE
And if one more person asks me where the napkins are, I'll throw them into the Pacific.

Mark laughs once.

DENISE
Eat. Then talk to Evan. He's afraid to ask to use the satellite phone because he doesn't want to be a bother.

She hands him a plate.

MARK
What do I tell Emma about what Rachel did?

DENISE
You don't have to tell her it was right. You can tell her you listened.

INT. SUNDAY — EMMA'S CABIN

Emma sits on her bunk.

Her phone shows the blue Civic in Friday sunshine, a ridiculous pink key ring in its ignition.

Emma turns the actual keys in her hand.

FLASHBACK — INT. BENNETT HOUSE — KITCHEN — FRIDAY MORNING

Sunlight. An ordinary kitchen in a hurry.

Mark is at the stove. A pancake folds in half as he flips it.

Sophie, sitting at the counter in pajamas, points an accusing finger.

SOPHIE
You made the ugly one.

MARK
That one's for people with refined tastes.

SOPHIE
You can have it.

MARK
Finally, some respect.

His phone vibrates. Work. He glances at the name and sets it face down.

On the kitchen television: shaky freeway footage, emergency lights, a man fighting first responders.

NEWS ANCHOR (TV)
...video from last night's freeway incident is spreading online. Police say an injured man attacked emergency workers. Witnesses dispute how many shots officers fired. We are waiting for confirmation—

SOPHIE
Why are the police hitting him?

Mark turns the television down.

MARK
They're trying to stop him hurting somebody.

SOPHIE
How come he won't stop?

MARK
I don't know, bug. Here. Tell me if this pancake looks like a dinosaur.

Sophie studies the pancake. The silent news continues behind her. Rachel looks once, then returns to breakfast.

NOAH wanders in wearing one shoe.

NOAH
Where's my other—

MARK
Under the couch.

NOAH
I didn't even say what.

MARK
You always say what.

Noah leaves. Denise enters with her overnight bag.

DENISE
If your son's shoe is under my car again, I'm leaving without you.

Mark slides her coffee and sugar across the counter.

MARK
He says that shoe has a mind of its own.

DENISE
Both of them do. The other one's just shy.

Rachel, barefoot, kisses Mark and steals his pancake.

RACHEL
Perfect.

MARK
Thank you.

RACHEL
If you like charcoal.

She kisses him again before he can object.

EMMA rushes in clutching an envelope.

EMMA
Can we go already?

MARK
Good morning to you too.

On the counter: a nearly empty jar marked EMMA'S FIRST CAR. The money is in the envelope.

EMMA
Two years. Two actual years. And it's today.

MARK
Assuming the mechanic likes it.

EMMA
You already spoke to him twice, Dad.

Rachel raises an eyebrow at him.

RACHEL
Interesting philosophy.

MARK
Not every comment needs a reply.

Emma hugs him around the neck.

EMMA
You matched every dollar.

MARK
That was the deal.

EMMA
I know. I'm saying thank you.

He kisses the top of her head.

MARK
Gas is still your problem.

Sophie brings Rachel her hairbrush.

RACHEL
Want me to do your braids?

SOPHIE
Daddy does the two the same.

Rachel pauses.

RACHEL
He has had a lot more practice.

Mark takes the brush. Sophie climbs onto his lap.

Denise gives Rachel a small smile.

RACHEL
I'm still getting my girl for the whole weekend.

SOPHIE
You can do my nails.

RACHEL
Deal.

SOPHIE
Not blue. Daddy says it makes my fingers look cold.

MARK
I said that once.

Laughter fills the kitchen.

FLASHBACK — EXT. BENNETT HOUSE — DRIVEWAY — FRIDAY, LATER

Emma drives a blue used HONDA CIVIC into the driveway. Mark clutches the door.

She parks, kills the engine, and sits still.

EMMA
It's mine.

MARK
The paperwork agrees.

Outside, Rachel, Denise, Sophie, Noah and Evan wait. Emma runs into Rachel's arms.

EMMA
I did it!

RACHEL
You did.

For a moment there's no distance between them.

Noah walks into Emma's photograph.

EMMA
Move!

NOAH
Now it has a personality.

She chases Noah; Evan blocks him. Sophie hiccups with laughter.

Denise sets the camera timer. The Bennetts crowd around the Civic. Noah gives Evan rabbit ears. They laugh when the shutter clicks.

Emma sits at the wheel, admiring her keys.

Mark leans in through the window.

MARK
Pack a bag. We're spending tonight aboard Sunday, remember?

EMMA
Can I drive it to the marina?

MARK
I'm not paying marina parking for a car you owned fifteen minutes.

Emma smiles.

EMMA
I'll drive it Monday.

MARK
Monday's yours.

Emma photographs the keys against the wheel.

BACK TO PRESENT — INT. SUNDAY — EMMA'S CABIN

Emma stares at her keys, suddenly heavier than Friday.

A quiet knock.

MARK (O.S.)
Em?

She doesn't answer.

MARK (O.S.)
I'm leaving you a sandwich. It's the one without mustard.

EMMA
I know how to make a sandwich, Dad.

MARK (O.S.)
It's a life skill. I've been meaning to teach you.

She almost smiles.

His footsteps recede.

She sets the keys beside the sandwich. After a moment, she takes a bite.

ACT THREE — THE EXPLANATION

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — LATER

Haze swallows the shore. Mason records distressed vessels' names.

FISHING CAPTAIN (RADIO)
Coast Guard, Pacific Dawn. Requesting medical advice. One of my crewmen took a blow to the head. He's awake but he isn't making sense.

A faint response asks for details.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
He's biting anybody who gets near him. We can't hold him down.

Mason writes PACIFIC DAWN on the pad.

Rachel arrives.

RACHEL
What's the list?

MASON
Distress calls. I want to know if any boat calls back.

Boats cluster near a powered offshore platform. Workers move on its upper deck. A suspended launch swings under a crane; a loudspeaker warns vessels away.

MASON
We should stay near the platforms. Hale knows those crews. If he gets Linda and Jen aboard, he'll look for Sunday.

Rachel studies the rig through binoculars.

RACHEL
Controlled access. Power, radios, supplies. It's not a bad place to ride out an attack.

Mason looks at her, surprised to have an ally.

RACHEL
But we don't join that crowd. We wait well outside it, with open water behind us and room to run.

Mark enters in time to hear her.

MARK
How far out before those smaller boats can't reach us?

MASON
There isn't a distance. Some of them can run a long way if they have fuel.

MARK
I've got that little boat at home. I always say I'll take her out for yellowtail when the weather's good. Never have. Those guys clearly do.

MASON
Right. Tommy's runabout was faster than Sunday. Ten miles wouldn't stop a boat like that. It would give us time to spot one coming.

MARK
So distance buys us time, not safety.

RACHEL
And somewhere to run. No boats on either side of us. That's the part I like.

MASON
We could stay seaward of the rigs, keep a radar watch, call Hale. Give him a real chance to find us.

He looks toward the platforms, hopeful.

MASON
Before he left, he made me check the generators, watermaker, tender, even spare radio batteries. I think he knew more than he told me.

Rachel looks toward the clusters of boats. The nearest platform's crew is waving another skiff away.

RACHEL
We can give him a chance. But if those boats start coming our way, we don't wait to find out why.

Nobody argues. Mark keeps watching how many new boats are arriving.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Noah sits beside Evan, who keeps trying to call home.

NOAH
Dad says the cell towers might be overloaded.

EVAN
Your dad doesn't know that.

NOAH
He's always complaining about them.

EVAN
That doesn't make him right.

The call fails again.

NOAH
Mom knows military people. Maybe she can find out where they're evacuating everybody.

EVAN
Stop making things up! You don't know anything!

Noah flinches. Evan looks ashamed but doesn't take it back.

EVAN
My mom said she'd pick me up Sunday. I told her not to embarrass me at the marina. That's the last thing I said to her.

Noah shifts closer.

NOAH
She embarrasses you at grocery stores, too.

Evan laughs once, against his will.

NOAH
Here. Try from my phone.

EVAN
Why would yours work?

NOAH
Better taste.

Across the room, Sophie looks up from her coloring book.

SOPHIE
Denny, can you call Grandma?

Denise goes still.

DENISE
Not right now, peanut. We're going to keep trying.

She sits beside Sophie and turns the page, careful to keep her hands steady.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Radio calls overlap: aggressive injured people, disabled rescue craft, Navy rumors.

MARK
Is anyone saying what's happening?

MASON
Everybody's saying something different.

RACHEL
But the injuries and violence sound similar. People won't respond. Medical crews are being attacked.

MARK
Drugs?

RACHEL
Maybe. Infections or chemical exposure can affect behavior too.

MARK
You're thinking biological attack.

RACHEL
I'm considering it. I don't have proof.

MARK
What about the ships? The plane?

RACHEL
If people operating them were incapacitated—

She stops. It's a possibility, not an explanation.

MASON
So we don't know if someone on another boat is sick.

RACHEL
No.

MARK
And we don't know Tommy was.

Rachel looks at him.

RACHEL
No. We don't.

Mason studies the boats around the oil platforms.

MASON
Then we need to keep our distance.

No one argues.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — OFF THE PLATFORMS — LATER

Sunday holds position well seaward of the rigs. The afternoon has dragged toward evening. No one has called.

Small boats arrive from shore, then idle or drift. A cruiser tries to pass a rope to a skiff. They collide and pull apart.

A flare shoots from one of the smaller boats. Red light stains the rig's white legs. The men on the platform pull their suspended launch out of reach.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Mason watches a new line of radar returns appear beyond the harbor approaches.

MASON
They're still coming.

RACHEL
The rig's protected. We aren't. We're the next thing they'll see when they get turned away.

MASON
We can move farther out.

RACHEL
Then we move again when they follow. And again after that.

Mason starts to argue. He sees the fuel gauge. Checks the distance to shore. Looks at the empty captain's chair.

MASON
If he calls now, I can tell him where we are.

Rachel waits.

MASON
If he calls tomorrow—

He stops. He can't finish it.

For a moment Rachel looks ready to tell him they'll stay anyway. She doesn't.

ACT FOUR — THE WAY NORTH

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Rachel and Mason are reviewing a chart when Mark comes in.

MARK
We need another option. I think we should head north.

MASON
How far?

MARK
A couple hundred miles. There's a Grant facility up the coast.

RACHEL
A distribution center?

MARK
On paper, yes.

Rachel looks up.

MARK
It's one of the contingency facilities built into the federal contract. Generators, fuel reserves, water access, maintenance equipment, warehouses that can keep operating when the normal supply system fails.

MASON
Does it have a pier?

MARK
A working pier. Industrial. But we don't have to bring Sunday in. We can stay offshore and use the landing boat when it's safe.

MASON
If the conditions let us launch. And nobody's touching that garage until I've checked it.

Mark nods.

RACHEL
How do you know what's at this facility?

MARK
Because I'm responsible for it.

Rachel looks at him.

RACHEL
Responsible how?

MARK
The operation reports to me. I've overseen it almost three years.

RACHEL
Three years?

MARK
Yes.

RACHEL
I thought you ran dispatch.

MARK
I do. Transportation, payroll, routes. This is contingency logistics. Same business, different requirements.

RACHEL
And you've never told me?

MARK
Those details were restricted.

Rachel looks away. The words are painfully familiar to her, for reasons Mark cannot know.

RACHEL
Are the people there answering?

MARK
Not today. I haven't reached anyone.

RACHEL
Then the site could be empty. Or full of people who got there before us.

RACHEL
We could get there and find nothing.

MARK
We could.

She studies him.

RACHEL
You're making a pretty big request for a man who just told me he has another job.

MARK
It's not another job. It's the part of mine I couldn't talk about.

RACHEL
That distinction matters to you more than it does to me.

MARK
You know what they called me last month? A pain in the ass. Because I made them test the backup pumps a second time after one failed.

Rachel looks at him.

MARK
The supervisor wanted to sign off anyway. I wouldn't. The pumps got replaced. Maybe that was money wasted. Today, I want to know those things were replaced.

RACHEL
You're not telling me the whole story.

MARK
I'm telling you what I know. I was holding Sophie when those men came at us. I couldn't even stay on my feet. I can't do what you did back there.

He looks out the window, ashamed of the relief he feels when his eyes leave hers.

MARK
But I know those pumps are there. I know who's supposed to be on shift. Let me try the thing I actually know how to do.

Rachel's expression softens, but she doesn't stop worrying.

RACHEL
That doesn't mean it's safe today.

MARK
Then we look before we go in.

Mason has been studying the chart.

MASON
Weather, fuel, contingencies. Point Conception can be nasty. We don't just point north and floor it.

MARK
I know.

MASON
And we don't leave right this second.

Both adults look at him.

MASON
Hale's still out there.

RACHEL
Mason—

MASON
He trusted me with Sunday. He didn't give me permission to take her two hundred miles away while he was bringing Linda and Jen back.

MARK
He told you to keep everybody safe.

MASON
He told me he'd be back in five hours.

He watches the boats under the platform. No one up there is waving them in.

MASON
He said it so I'd stop worrying. I knew he was worried.

That admission hurts him more than he expected.

MASON
I know people are getting hurt out there. I watched it happen. But Hale taught me everything I know about this boat, and I'm not leaving him without trying everything I can.

More boats crowd the platforms than when they first agreed to wait.

RACHEL
I said the platforms were worth considering. They are. But every new boat out there makes it harder to keep our distance. We can't assume that standoff stays safe.

MASON
And if we leave, Hale won't even know where to find us.

Rachel absorbs it. He hasn't asked for pity, and she won't give him any.

RACHEL
Then what do you propose?

MASON
We try him again. All the channels he'd expect. We transmit our heading while we're in range. He knows Sunday's equipment. If he reaches somewhere with a working radio, he'll know how to call us.

MARK
And if he calls, we hear him out. Even if it's inconvenient.

MASON
Even if we're halfway there?

Mark starts to say yes. Rachel watches him.

MARK
I can't promise we'll come back. I'd be lying to you.

Mason looks down.

MARK
But I promise we won't make that decision without you.

Mason takes his time.

MASON
Okay.

Rachel studies them both.

RACHEL
We don't go closer to the rigs. And we don't stop for another vessel unless we know exactly what we're doing.

Mason nods.

MASON
Agreed.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Mark gathers the family. Not a speech; they're too tired for one.

MARK
We're going north. There's a place connected to my work that may have supplies and people we know. We'll stay offshore until we know it's safe.

NOAH
What about home?

MARK
We can't go home right now.

EVAN
What about my parents?

MARK
We keep trying. If a message gets through, we'll tell them.

EVAN
And if they come to the marina tomorrow?

No one answers quickly enough.

Denise moves beside him.

DENISE
We'll keep looking for information about everyone. Your parents. My mom. Hale's family. Nobody gets crossed off because we had to move the boat.

Evan nods, not reassured but grateful to be included.

Sophie looks up.

SOPHIE
Are we still on vacation?

Mark kneels in front of her.

MARK
No, bug. I don't think we are.

SOPHIE
Then why can't we go home?

He's been answering questions all his life. Usually he can make her feel better.

This one defeats him.

MARK
Because something bad's happening there. We need to stay safe until we understand it.

She thinks.

SOPHIE
Are we still having pancakes?

Mark gives a tiny, broken smile.

MARK
Of course.

SOPHIE
No ugly ones.

MARK
I'm not sure I know how to make the other kind.

SOPHIE
Denny does.

Denise looks up from her phone.

DENISE
Don't drag me into this. I'm on vacation.

A surprised laugh escapes Noah. Even Rachel smiles. Denise catches herself, remembering they aren't on vacation anymore.

Emma says nothing. She has the pink car keys in her hand.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Mason makes one more call.

MASON
Captain Hale, this is Sunday. Robert, we're heading north. We'll monitor the agreed channels while we're in range. Give us your position. Please.

He releases the microphone. Static.

Mark stands by Hale's chair without touching it.

MARK
I'm sorry.

Mason looks at him.

MASON
Don't be sorry yet.

He faces the helm.

Sunday begins her slow turn north.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — EVENING

The coast smolders. Emergency lights blink. Small boats ring the glowing platforms.

Sunday moves away from them.

Not because the people aboard understand what is happening.

Because they have seen enough to know they cannot remain.

ACT FIVE — THE VOICE ON THE WATER

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Last light catches the swells. Mason checks his notepad.

A voice cuts through the static.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Mayday. Mayday. Pacific Dawn. We need immediate assistance.

Mason looks at his list.

MASON
Pacific Dawn, Sunday. You had the injured crewman?

A pause. Breathing, too close to the microphone.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
We've locked ourselves in the wheelhouse.

Rachel comes to stand beside Mason.

MASON
Who's locked in?

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Four of us.

MASON
Who's outside?

The captain doesn't answer at first.

A hollow BANG shakes the transmission.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
The rest of my crew.

Mason looks at Rachel.

MASON
Are they injured?

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
We put my brother in his bunk. He couldn't even stand. Now he's out there pounding the door. We can't—

A louder crash. A man shouts away from the microphone.

SECOND VOICE (RADIO)
KEEP THAT DOOR SHUT!

Rachel gestures for Mason to continue.

MASON
Give me your position. We'll relay it to the Coast Guard.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Nobody's answering them. Nobody's answering anybody.

MASON
We hear you. Stay with me.

Another impact, followed by a scraping sound.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
My brother's out there.

He struggles to breathe.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
He used to knock on my door three times when we were kids. Just to annoy me.

Another blow shakes the wheelhouse door.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
I've been saying his name for an hour. I don't think he knows who I am.

Mark enters, drawn by the radio. He stops behind Rachel.

MASON
Can you barricade the door?

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
We've got the table against it.

A long silence. Then the captain again, quieter.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Sunday?

MASON
I'm here.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
If you see our lights, don't come near us.

MASON
Captain—

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Keep your doors locked. Even if somebody sounds like they need you.

A crash. A scream cut short. The microphone clatters to the floor.

The open channel carries footsteps, a cry, then an engine.

MASON
Pacific Dawn? Come back.

Nothing.

MASON
Pacific Dawn, this is Sunday. Do you read?

Static.

Mark looks toward the dark sea behind them.

MARK
Could they be near us?

MASON
They could be somewhere within radio range. That's all I know.

Rachel continues looking at the speaker.

RACHEL
Keep our course.

Mason turns toward her.

She says nothing else.

RACHEL
And keep trying the Coast Guard with their call sign.

He nods and reaches for the microphone.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Sophie sleeps on the couch. Noah and Evan sit nearby with their phones.

Emma stands in the doorway. She heard the screaming through the bridge speaker.

Rachel comes downstairs.

Emma steps aside to let her pass. Not toward her. Just out of her way.

RACHEL
Emma.

Her daughter stops.

RACHEL
I know what you saw.

EMMA
I know.

Rachel searches for something to say.

RACHEL
I was scared he was going to get inside.

EMMA
He was scared too.

RACHEL
I know.

Emma looks at her hands.

EMMA
You told me not to go near the windows. When I looked out, you were the one standing there.

Rachel says nothing.

EMMA
I wanted you to come back inside.

Rachel almost reaches for Emma, who passes her to sit beside Sophie.

Sophie murmurs in her sleep. Denise pulls the blanket over her feet. Emma sits beside her sister and takes the girl's hand.

Denise drapes another blanket over Rachel's shoulders.

DENISE
You look cold.

Rachel pulls it tight. She says nothing.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — NIGHTFALL

Sunday heads north, her lights small against the enormous darkening sea.

Behind her, the coast still burns in scattered places.

Somewhere on the water, Pacific Dawn has stopped answering.

And the runabout with Tommy's friend has vanished into the dark.

Sunday keeps going.

CUT TO BLACK.

PART 1 OF 2

An original, unofficial fan-created series set in the television universe of The Walking Dead.

TEASER

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — OFF CATALINA ISLAND — SATURDAY MORNING

SOPHIE BENNETT (7) stands at the edge of a swim platform, wearing an oversized life jacket.

She's counting.

SOPHIE
One... two...

MARK BENNETT (42) floats a few feet away.

MARK
You're going to count all the way to a hundred, aren't you?

SOPHIE
Three...

MARK
I could have breakfast before you jump.

SOPHIE
Four!

She jumps.

It's a terrible cannonball. More slap than splash.

Mark catches most of the water in his face.

He comes up coughing.

Sophie surfaces laughing.

MARK
Two out of ten.

SOPHIE
You didn't even see it!

MARK
I tasted it.

A woman's laughter carries from the swim platform.

DENISE “DENNY” ALVAREZ (51) sits with her feet in the water, coffee in one hand, sunglasses perched on her head.

She's a full-figured, attractive woman whose warmth makes the enormous boat around her feel almost ordinary.

DENISE
Do another one, sweetheart. Your father's being rude.

MARK
You've been encouraging this for twenty minutes.

DENISE
Somebody has to support her dreams.

Above them, a sliding glass door opens.

RACHEL BENNETT (40) appears at the upper rail, holding Sophie's sandals.

RACHEL
Breakfast!

Sophie immediately turns away.

SOPHIE
I can't hear you!

RACHEL
Then how'd you answer me?

Mark laughs.

Rachel points toward the boat.

RACHEL
Five minutes.

SOPHIE
Ten!

RACHEL
Four.

Sophie looks at her father.

SOPHIE
She's bad at counting.

Rachel tosses the sandals down to Mark.

He catches one.

The other lands in the water.

Sophie laughs so hard she nearly loses her balance.

Beyond them, the Pacific stretches toward Catalina Island.

Only now do we see the boat.

One hundred twenty-four feet of white fiberglass, polished stainless steel and dark windows.

Beautiful without being ostentatious.

Painted across the stern:

SUNDAY

A towel hangs crooked over an expensive rail. Someone has left a damp T-shirt on a lounge chair. A beach ball is stuck beneath a table.

Nine people have spent the weekend making somebody else's extraordinary boat feel like their own.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK — LATER

MASON COLE (19) is securing the tender after an early run around the anchorage.

He handles the lines with the ease of someone who has repeated the same task hundreds of times.

EMMA BENNETT (17) sits nearby, holding her phone toward Catalina.

She takes a picture.

Mason walks through the background.

She checks it.

Takes another.

Mason looks up and catches her.

MASON
Am I in your way?

EMMA
A little.

He steps to the other side.

MASON
Better?

She studies the phone.

EMMA
Much.

He returns to work.

She keeps the first picture.

Across the deck, NOAH BENNETT (14) is showing his best friend EVAN RUIZ (14) something on his phone.

A man is building a primitive shelter in the woods.

EVAN
Why wouldn't he just bring a tent?

NOAH
Because the challenge is making shelter from what's around you.

EVAN
He's got a camera crew.

NOAH
That's not the point.

EVAN
They probably have tents.

Noah gives up explaining.

Mason passes with a coil of rope.

EVAN
Mason. If you got stranded on an island, would you build a shelter or look for somebody with a boat?

Mason doesn't slow down.

MASON
I'd try not to get stranded.

Evan looks at Noah.

EVAN
See? Smart.

Noah switches off the video.

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY — MORNING

Denise opens a refrigerator.

Inside are neatly arranged containers of fresh seafood, expensive cuts of meat, fruit, cheeses and prepared dishes.

She takes out a bowl of berries.

Finds six different mustards.

Stares at them.

DENISE
Six.

Rachel comes in carrying a dripping life jacket.

RACHEL
What?

Denise holds open the refrigerator.

DENISE
Six kinds of mustard.

Rachel looks.

RACHEL
Maybe he really likes mustard.

DENISE
There's one from France.

RACHEL
That seems plausible.

DENISE
Seventeen dollars.

Rachel checks the label.

RACHEL
Twenty-three.

Denise puts it back carefully.

DENISE
I'd better not touch it.

Rachel smiles.

Denise studies her.

DENISE
You slept?

RACHEL
Some.

DENISE
More than yesterday?

Rachel busies herself hanging the life jacket.

RACHEL
I'm fine.

Denise doesn't challenge her.

Instead, she takes a pastry from a plate.

Breaks it in two.

Offers Rachel half.

Rachel takes it.

They've known each other too long to require every question answered.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK — BREAKFAST

Everyone has gathered around the table.

The breakfast is elaborate, but the atmosphere isn't.

Hale, the captain, sits near the end of the table with black coffee.

ROBERT HALE (56) is a weathered, composed man who looks entirely comfortable on the water. His face carries the small permanent marks of years spent in the sun.

Mason is still standing.

Mark points to an empty seat.

MARK
Sit down. You're making the rest of us feel unemployed.

MASON
I've got a couple things—

HALE
Sit, Mason.

Mason sits.

Emma smiles into her orange juice.

Denise puts hot sauce on Noah's eggs without being asked.

She takes Evan's untouched orange juice and replaces it with apple.

EVAN
How do you remember I hate orange juice?

DENISE
Because you hate orange juice.

EVAN
Yeah, but how do you remember?

DENISE
You've been eating breakfast at my house for years.

EVAN
It's only been four.

DENISE
That's a lot of breakfasts.

Sophie reaches for another croissant.

Mark moves the basket.

MARK
Actual food first.

Sophie considers the smoked salmon.

SOPHIE
That's fish.

MARK
Good job.

SOPHIE
Fish isn't breakfast.

Hale lifts a forkful.

HALE
Nobody told the fish.

Sophie laughs and takes another croissant while Mark is distracted.

Evan's phone rings.

MOM.

He answers.

EVAN
Hey.

His mother's face appears on the screen.

MRS. RUIZ
Let me see where all my money's going.

EVAN
Your money?

MRS. RUIZ
You eat like three people.

Evan turns the camera.

The ocean.

The deck.

The table.

His father leans into the video.

MR. RUIZ
Jesus, Mark. How many people did you have to rob to afford that?

MARK
It's borrowed.

MR. RUIZ
That's worse. Now you've got to give it back.

Mark laughs.

Sophie leans toward the screen.

SOPHIE
There's eight bathrooms!

MR. RUIZ
Eight?

SOPHIE
I counted.

MR. RUIZ
Does every fish get its own?

Sophie giggles.

Mrs. Ruiz spots Denise.

MRS. RUIZ
Denny!

DENISE
I'm keeping your boy.

MRS. RUIZ
Please do.

EVAN
Great. Love this family.

His father smiles.

MR. RUIZ
See you Sunday, bud.

EVAN
Yeah.

His mother leans closer.

MRS. RUIZ
Love you.

EVAN
Love you too.

The call ends.

Evan sets the phone beside his plate and reaches for another pastry.

Mark picks up his coffee cup.

Taps it with a spoon.

Rachel immediately points at him.

RACHEL
Don't.

Mark taps it again.

RACHEL
Mark.

DENISE
Oh, let him. He's been practicing.

Rachel looks at her.

RACHEL
You helped him?

DENISE
I edited him.

Mark stands.

MARK
Seventeen years ago, Rachel told me the Army was temporary.

Rachel buries her face in her hands.

MARK
Emma was a baby. Noah wasn't even here. Sophie was still somebody else's problem—

SOPHIE
Whose?

MARK
Never found out.

The table laughs.

Mark looks around at their friends and children.

Then at Rachel.

MARK
When Emma was little, she'd ask how many sleeps until Mom got home.

Emma looks down.

Mark continues.

MARK
Then Noah started asking. And by the time Sophie came along, I think we were all pretty good at calendars.

Rachel meets his eyes.

MARK
We've spent a lot of years waiting for the next time we'd all be together.

He pauses.

MARK
I like not having to count anymore.

He raises his cup.

MARK
Welcome home.

Everyone raises something.

Rachel looks away before they see her eyes fill.

Denise squeezes her arm.

RACHEL
If you people make me cry, I'm reenlisting.

MARK
I'm pretty sure you've aged out.

Rachel throws a napkin at him.

Everyone laughs.

Hale's phone rings.

He glances at the screen.

LINDA

He smiles.

HALE
Excuse me.

He answers while rising from the table.

HALE
Hey, honey.

He walks toward the rail.

Listens.

His smile disappears.

HALE
Wait. Slow down.

Mason looks up from his plate.

HALE
Where are you?

A pause.

HALE
Did you see that yourself?

Rachel looks over.

Hale turns away from the table.

He listens for several seconds.

HALE
Where are the police?

Nobody is eating now.

HALE
What about Jen?

A long silence.

Hale runs a hand over his face.

HALE
No. Don't go get her.

He listens.

HALE
Linda, I need you to listen to me.

His voice is firm enough that Sophie looks toward him.

HALE
Lock the door. Stay there.

A pause.

HALE
I'll call you back.

The call ends.

Hale stands motionless for a moment.

Then he turns toward the bridge.

Mason gets up.

MASON
Robert?

HALE
We're going in.

Mark rises.

MARK
What's going on?

Hale continues toward the stairs.

MARK
Hale?

The captain stops.

Looks back at the table.

HALE
I'm taking us back to the marina.

RACHEL
What did Linda say?

Hale looks at her.

HALE
I don't know enough yet.

He disappears upstairs.

Mason follows.

The family remains around a breakfast table still covered in food.

For several seconds, nobody moves.

Then Mark begins collecting phones and chargers.

MARK
All right. Let's get our stuff together.

Rachel looks toward the bridge.

She hasn't stopped thinking about Hale's face.

CUT TO BLACK.

THE WALKING DEAD: SUNDAY

“5 HOURS”

ACT ONE

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — MORNING

The shoreline of Catalina turns behind them.

Hale adjusts course for the mainland.

Mason works beside him, switching displays and checking their position.

Rachel enters with Mark close behind.

MARK
How long?

HALE
A little over two hours, weather stays like this.

MARK
You want me to call somebody?

HALE
No.

He thinks.

HALE
Not yet.

Mason sees Hale checking his phone again.

MASON
You get Linda back?

Hale shakes his head.

The captain looks toward the horizon.

HALE
When we get in, I want both tanks filled.

Mason checks the fuel display.

MASON
We're still over half.

HALE
Fill them.

MASON
Both?

Hale glances at him.

HALE
Both.

Mason nods.

Hale keeps going.

HALE
Check both generators. Batteries. Desalination system. Make sure the tender's fueled. Anything we've got waiting in service, get it aboard.

Mason studies him.

MASON
We're supposed to be going home tomorrow.

HALE
I know.

MASON
That's a lot of fuel for one day.

HALE
Then Grant will get a large bill.

Mark shifts his weight.

MARK
I'll call Grant.

HALE
Fine.

Rachel has been watching the exchange.

RACHEL
What exactly are you preparing for?

Hale keeps his eyes forward.

HALE
Nothing I can put a name to.

RACHEL
But something.

Hale doesn't answer.

Mason tries again.

MASON
What did Linda tell you?

Hale's hand rests on the throttle.

HALE
She wants out.

MASON
Out of the house?

HALE
Out of Los Angeles.

A beat.

MASON
Why?

Hale glances at him.

HALE
That's what I'm going to find out.

Mark looks toward Rachel.

MARK
We can get on the road once we dock.

Hale answers immediately.

HALE
That's what I'd do.

Rachel studies him.

RACHEL
Would you?

Hale looks toward the mainland.

HALE
I've got two people I need to get to first.

No one has much to say after that.

INT. SUNDAY — GUEST CORRIDOR — LATER

The mood aboard has shifted from vacation to packing.

Emma kneels beside an open suitcase.

Sophie stands in the doorway holding a snorkel mask.

SOPHIE
Do I have to put everything away?

EMMA
Yes.

SOPHIE
Even this?

EMMA
Especially that.

Sophie considers the mask.

SOPHIE
We didn't even use it.

EMMA
Then it's clean. Congratulations.

Sophie puts it inside the suitcase.

Rachel passes the doorway carrying a phone charger and a folded sweater.

RACHEL
Shoes on when we dock, okay?

SOPHIE
I know.

Rachel pauses.

She looks at Emma.

RACHEL
You good?

EMMA
Yeah.

Rachel nods and moves on.

Emma watches her leave.

Sophie climbs onto the bed.

SOPHIE
Why'd we have to come back?

Emma reaches for another shirt.

EMMA
Captain Hale needs to pick somebody up.

SOPHIE
His wife?

EMMA
Yeah.

SOPHIE
Are we going home?

Emma zips the suitcase.

EMMA
Looks like it.

Sophie sighs.

SOPHIE
We barely got to do anything.

Emma looks around the guest cabin.

Clothes on the bed.

A half-empty bottle of sunscreen.

Her phone full of pictures.

EMMA
I know.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — LATER

Mark has a road map open beside his phone.

Denise sits across from him writing on a notepad.

MARK
We'll come in from the coast and try to get north of downtown before we turn inland.

DENISE
We have to stop at my house.

MARK
I know.

DENISE
Medication. My papers. And I promised Mrs. Calderon I'd look in on her.

MARK
We will.

Denise studies him.

DENISE
You're saying that awfully fast.

Mark looks up.

MARK
Denny, we'll go to your house.

Satisfied, she returns to her list.

Noah and Evan sit nearby.

Noah has a map open on his phone.

NOAH
The freeway's red all the way through Long Beach.

Mark glances at it.

MARK
It's Los Angeles on a Saturday.

EVAN
My dad says every freeway in LA is a parking lot designed by people who hate cars.

MARK
Your dad's not wrong.

Rachel joins them.

She looks at the road map.

RACHEL
What's the alternate route if the freeways close?

MARK
Why would they close?

Rachel shrugs.

RACHEL
Construction. Accidents. Whatever this is.

Mark points to the map.

MARK
We've got options.

Rachel examines them.

RACHEL
Those all feed into the same two corridors.

Mark looks again.

She's right.

He makes a small mark in pencil.

MARK
Then we'll find a third.

Noah notices.

His father doesn't always have an answer.

But he does usually start looking for one.

EXT. PRIVATE MARINA — APPROACH CHANNEL — LATE MORNING

Sunday approaches a secluded, exceptionally expensive Southern California marina.

White buildings.

Palm trees.

Perfect landscaping.

Empty outdoor dining tables.

Rows of spotless vessels secured in their slips.

Nothing appears damaged.

Almost nobody is around.

A dockhand washes a small cruiser.

A mechanic drives a golf cart.

A security guard sits near the entrance.

There is so little activity that the marina seems quieter than the ocean.

Sunday glides toward her assigned berth.

EXT. SUNDAY — MARINA SLIP — 10:07 A.M.

Hale brings Sunday alongside.

Mason moves between the foredeck and stern, calling distances.

Mark handles a line under Mason's instructions.

MASON
Easy. Keep that one loose until I tell you.

Mark adjusts.

MARK
Like this?

MASON
Yeah. Perfect.

The boat settles against its fenders.

Mason secures the line.

Hale shuts down the engines.

The sudden quiet feels strange.

Hale heads downstairs with a duffel.

Mark meets him on the dock.

MARK
You still going by yourself?

HALE
Faster that way.

MARK
You need anything?

HALE
No.

Hale looks toward the road.

HALE
You're still heading inland?

MARK
That's the plan.

HALE
Then get moving when you can.

Mark looks at him.

MARK
We're waiting to hear what the roads are doing.

Hale nods.

HALE
Just don't wait for everything to make sense.

Mark considers that.

Hale turns to Mason.

HALE
Fuel first. Then the rest.

MASON
Okay.

HALE
If service has anything of ours, collect it. You've got the account number.

Mason nods.

Hale checks his phone.

No signal.

MASON
How long you think?

Hale looks toward the parking structure.

He calculates.

HALE
Give me five hours.

Mason checks his watch.

MASON
Three-fifteen.

HALE
I hope sooner.

Rachel approaches.

RACHEL
Robert, those roads could be a mess.

HALE
I know.

RACHEL
You might not get there and back.

Hale looks at her.

For a moment, some of the uncertainty he's been carrying becomes visible.

HALE
I have to try.

Rachel nods.

She understands that much.

Hale turns to Mark.

HALE
You don't need to wait for me. You've got a family to get home.

Mark looks toward the road.

MARK
We'll see how things look.

HALE
Mason will be here.

Mason glances at Hale.

The captain has already turned toward the parking structure.

Then he stops, remembering something.

He reaches into his pocket and takes out a ring of keys.

He starts to put them away again.

MASON
Leave those.

Hale looks at him.

HALE
No.

MASON
You want everything checked and the boat ready, I need the service access.

HALE
The regular fob's aboard.

MASON
Not the maintenance lockers.

Hale hesitates.

Mason doesn't push.

Finally—

MASON
You told me to make her ready.

Hale looks back toward Sunday.

Then places the keys in Mason's hand.

HALE
Listen carefully.

Mason does.

HALE
You stay in the marina unless you've got a real reason not to.

MASON
Okay.

HALE
If something happens here, take her outside the breakwater. Couple miles. Keep the entrance in sight.

MASON
Okay.

HALE
No running up the coast. No sightseeing. I get back, I make the call.

MASON
Understood.

Hale looks at him a moment longer.

HALE
Running her in good weather doesn't make you a captain.

Mason nods.

MASON
I know.

That answer seems to settle something for Hale.

He steps onto the dock.

MASON
Robert.

Hale turns.

MASON
Three-fifteen.

Hale checks his watch.

HALE
Five hours.

MASON
I'll be here.

Hale gives him a small nod.

Then walks toward the parking structure.

Mason watches until the captain disappears.

On the bridge, the clock reads:

10:15 A.M.

ACT TWO

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 10:32 A.M.

Mark is on his fourth attempt to call Grant Mercer.

No connection.

Rachel has moved the road map to the dining table.

She writes down reported problems from the little information available on her phone.

Denise watches her.

DENISE
You're making a list.

RACHEL
Just keeping track.

DENISE
You always make lists when you're worried.

Rachel looks up.

RACHEL
I'm not worried.

Denise looks at the list.

DENISE
You've underlined “communications” twice.

Mark looks over.

Rachel turns the paper slightly.

RACHEL
We have ports slowing down, networks dropping, emergency calls backing up—

MARK
According to what?

RACHEL
According to what we can still get.

MARK
Which isn't much.

Rachel acknowledges that.

RACHEL
It's not nothing either.

Denise looks between them.

DENISE
What are we talking about?

Rachel hesitates.

RACHEL
Possibly coordinated disruption. Cyberattack. Sabotage.

Mark watches her.

MARK
And after that?

Rachel doesn't answer.

Mark knows her too well.

MARK
You're thinking war.

Denise turns toward Rachel.

Rachel looks annoyed that he said it aloud.

RACHEL
I'm considering possibilities.

MARK
With who?

RACHEL
I don't know.

MARK
Over what?

RACHEL
Mark, I don't know.

She looks down at the map.

RACHEL
It could be nothing connected. A dozen separate emergencies.

She wants that to be true.

Mark sits beside her.

MARK
Are you working the problem?

Rachel looks at him.

He continues gently.

MARK
Or is the problem working you?

For a moment she looks ready to argue.

Then she rubs at the bridge of her nose.

RACHEL
I was supposed to be finished with this.

Mark moves closer.

MARK
You are.

Rachel gives him a look.

RACHEL
Then why am I sitting here making contingency plans?

Mark looks down at the map.

MARK
Because you're good at them.

She doesn't smile.

He slides the pencil back toward her.

MARK
Just remember we don't have enough information to make a decision yet.

Rachel nods.

Outside, somebody starts a lawn mower.

For a moment it sounds like an entirely ordinary Saturday.

INT. SUNDAY — ENGINE ROOM ACCESS — 10:47 A.M.

Mason opens the access door.

Sophie appears behind him.

Barefoot.

MASON
Nope.

Sophie stops.

SOPHIE
What?

Mason points at her feet.

MASON
Shoes.

SOPHIE
I wasn't coming down.

MASON
Good.

He starts toward the machinery space.

SOPHIE
What's down there?

Mason stops.

MASON
Engines.

SOPHIE
I know that.

MASON
Then why'd you ask?

Sophie thinks.

SOPHIE
What are you doing to them?

MASON
Checking them.

SOPHIE
Are they broken?

MASON
No.

SOPHIE
Then why check?

Mason considers that.

MASON
Because we want them to stay that way.

He heads down.

Sophie sits on the top step.

Mason looks back up.

MASON
You're not allowed down here.

SOPHIE
I'm up here.

He looks at her for another second.

Then continues.

She watches without asking anything else.

For now, watching is enough.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK — 10:56 A.M.

Mark's phone rings.

GRANT MERCER

He answers immediately.

MARK
Grant.

The background is loud.

Phones ringing.

People talking over one another.

GRANT (PHONE)
Where are you?

MARK
Marina. We had to come back early.

GRANT
Sunday's there?

MARK
Yeah.

GRANT
Hale?

MARK
Went to get Linda and Jen. Something happened where they are.

Grant says nothing for a moment.

GRANT
Mason still aboard?

MARK
Yeah.

GRANT
Good.

Mark glances toward the fuel dock.

MARK
Hale wants us to fill both tanks. I was going to check with you first.

GRANT
Do it.

MARK
That's a lot of diesel.

GRANT
I don't care about the diesel.

Mark pauses.

Grant rarely says things like that without knowing exactly what he's buying.

MARK
Is something happening at the company?

Grant doesn't answer immediately.

A voice in the background calls for him.

GRANT
I've got drivers who can't get their trucks out of places they were unloading an hour ago. One of our depots is losing refrigeration. People are leaving in the middle of shifts.

MARK
Why?

GRANT
That's what I'm paying a room full of people to figure out.

The connection breaks up.

MARK
Grant?

GRANT
Listen. Stay on Sunday until you know what the hell is going on.

Mark looks toward the marina gate.

MARK
We're planning to head home.

GRANT
Home isn't going anywhere.

Another burst of static.

Then Grant is back.

GRANT
You've got Mason. You've got fuel. You're better off there until we know something.

MARK
Hale's captain.

GRANT
Then let him make the call when he gets back.

Someone shouts on Grant's end.

GRANT
And Mark—

MARK
Yeah?

GRANT
If he doesn't—

The call drops.

Mark stares at the screen.

Calls back.

Nothing.

He tries again.

Rachel emerges from the salon.

RACHEL
Was that Grant?

Mark nods.

RACHEL
What'd he say?

Mark looks around the deck.

The loungers.

The folded beach towels.

The calm harbor.

MARK
He wants us to stay aboard for now.

Rachel follows his gaze.

RACHEL
For how long?

MARK
Until we know what we'd be driving into.

Neither moves for a moment.

Then Mark puts the phone in his pocket.

MARK
I'm going to help Mason fuel.

EXT. MARINA FUEL DOCK — 11:24 A.M.

Sunday slowly crosses the marina.

Mark stands on the aft deck with a line.

Mason operates from the bridge.

With no captain beside him, his movements are more deliberate.

He checks the wind.

Looks along the dock.

Makes a small correction.

Sunday settles alongside.

A FUEL ATTENDANT catches the line.

Mark secures it.

Mason joins him.

MARK
You make that look pretty easy.

MASON
It wasn't a difficult approach.

MARK
Would've been for me.

Mason looks toward the bridge.

MASON
Hale would've done it cleaner.

The attendant helps connect a high-flow fuel hose.

Mason uses the account information.

SUNDAY — MERCER ACCOUNT AUTHORIZED

Fuel begins flowing.

Mark watches the numbers climb.

MARK
Grant really doesn't care what this costs.

Mason checks the nozzle and hose.

MASON
He cares.

MARK
Could've fooled me.

MASON
He just cares about other things more.

The attendant's phone rings.

He answers.

His expression changes.

He looks toward the marina entrance.

After a brief conversation, he turns to Mason.

FUEL ATTENDANT
You guys going to be much longer?

MASON
We just started.

FUEL ATTENDANT
All right.

He looks at his phone again.

FUEL ATTENDANT
I've got to make a call.

He steps away but stays within sight.

Mason keeps his attention on the fuel transfer.

INT. MARINA CHANDLERY — 11:46 A.M.

A beautiful little store.

Everything is expensive.

Everything is carefully chosen.

The kind of shop that exists so a wealthy boat owner can decide at breakfast that he wants to fish offshore by lunchtime.

High-end rods and reels.

Marine radios.

Professional flashlights.

Tool sets.

First-aid kits.

Charts.

Batteries.

Coolers.

A few pieces of premium diving equipment.

One speargun displayed among them.

Clothing racks hold club polos, sun shirts, deck shorts, light rain shells and windbreakers.

Denise examines a shelf of food.

DENISE
Oh, this is going to be a problem.

Rachel comes over.

The shelf contains crackers, nuts, jerky, protein bars and expensive snack foods.

Not much else.

RACHEL
There's food aboard.

Denise looks at her.

DENISE
There's dinner aboard.

RACHEL
There's a lot more than dinner.

DENISE
Steak. Lobster. Fresh fish. Fruit. Cheese. Little jars of things that go on other things.

Rachel smiles faintly.

DENISE
The chef packed exactly what Grant wanted us to eat until tomorrow night.

She points at the shelf.

DENISE
This isn't a grocery store.

Rachel looks around.

She's right.

Denise takes every useful shelf-stable food item she can reasonably carry.

Rachel joins her.

Nearby, Noah and Evan examine the fishing equipment.

NOAH
Look at the size of that reel.

Evan checks the price.

EVAN
That's more than my Xbox.

NOAH
It's offshore gear.

EVAN
Does it catch fish or buy them?

Mason enters carrying a service list.

He overhears them.

NOAH
Mason, you know how to use this stuff?

Mason glances at the equipment.

MASON
Some of it.

NOAH
We should get it.

MASON
For what?

Noah looks toward Denise's basket.

NOAH
Food.

Mason looks at the shelves.

At the rods.

At the boys.

MASON
Maybe.

He begins selecting useful equipment.

Two heavier offshore outfits.

A smaller setup.

Line.

Leaders.

Hooks.

Lures.

A gaff.

A net.

Fillet knives.

Noah looks impressed.

NOAH
You could catch something huge with this.

MASON
You could.

EVAN
You ever caught anything huge?

MASON
Couple times.

NOAH
Like what?

MASON
Tuna. Mostly with Hale.

Noah takes another look at the gear.

NOAH
So we can fish.

Mason checks the basket.

MASON
We can try.

NOAH
What's the difference?

MASON
You ever cleaned a tuna?

NOAH
No.

MASON
Neither of you knows how to find them, and this stuff doesn't guarantee anything bites.

Mason lifts a rod from the rack.

MASON
We're buying equipment. We're not buying dinner.

Noah thinks about that.

For once, he doesn't argue.

Emma holds up a lightweight windbreaker.

EMMA
This is the warmest thing you've got?

DIANE (60s), the marina clerk, looks over.

DIANE
Pretty much.

EMMA
Nothing heavier?

DIANE
Not in June. I can order something if you need it.

Emma glances at her phone.

The screen shows no connection.

EMMA
Never mind.

She takes two windbreakers.

Diane's phone rings.

She answers while scanning Rachel's purchases.

DIANE
Tom?

Her expression changes.

DIANE
Slow down, honey.

She turns away.

DIANE
What hospital?

Rachel notices.

Diane grips the edge of the counter.

DIANE
No. Don't go back inside.

A pause.

DIANE
Listen to me. Get in the car.

Her voice begins trembling.

DIANE
Go to Melissa's. Lock the door when you get there.

The line goes dead.

She calls back.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

Diane grabs her purse.

Looks at Mason.

DIANE
You're with Mercer?

Mason nods.

DIANE
Just put everything on the account.

MARK
We'll make a list.

Diane glances at him.

She nods without really hearing.

Then she remembers something.

She unlocks a storeroom behind the counter.

Inside are a few cases of emergency marine rations, bottled water, batteries, portable radios, flares and three well-equipped first-aid kits.

DIANE
Take what you need.

Rachel looks in.

RACHEL
Are you sure?

DIANE
Yes.

She retrieves her keys.

DIANE
I have to go.

And she's gone.

The door closes behind her.

Soft music continues playing through the store speakers.

For a moment nobody moves.

Then Denise resumes packing food into bags.

EXT. MARINA SERVICE AREA — 12:38 P.M.

Sunday has been returned to her slip, fueled.

Mason crosses a paved service lane carrying a box of filters and spare belts.

The dockhand's golf cart sits beside an open workshop door.

Nobody is there.

Mason hears raised voices from beyond the marina fence.

He looks toward the parking area.

A man in a bloodstained white shirt staggers between parked cars.

Another man approaches him cautiously.

OTHER MAN
Hey! You okay?

The injured man doesn't answer.

He turns toward a passing woman.

She backs away.

The helper reaches for his shoulder.

The injured man lunges at him.

They fall behind an SUV.

A scream.

Mason stops walking.

A security guard runs into view and drags the injured man away.

The man fights violently.

The guard throws him onto the pavement.

Hard.

The injured man disappears behind the vehicle.

The guard turns to help the other person.

Mason takes a few steps toward them.

A delivery truck passes between the marina and the parking lot.

By the time it clears, the guard is shouting at somebody.

The injured man is out of sight.

Mason starts forward again.

Mark appears from the dock.

MARK
Mason?

Mason looks at him.

MARK
You all right?

Mason nods toward the parking lot.

MASON
Guy over there attacked somebody.

Mark sees the security guard.

People running.

MARK
Drugs?

Mason thinks.

MASON
Maybe.

MARK
They've got security on him?

MASON
Yeah.

Mark looks toward Sunday.

MARK
Then let's get this stuff aboard.

Mason follows.

He looks back once.

The truck is still parked.

He can't see anything beyond it.

ACT THREE

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY — 12:57 P.M.

Denise has spread the food supplies across the counter.

Rachel joins her.

The bags from the marina make a disappointing pile when unpacked.

DENISE
That's everything.

Rachel examines the pantry.

RACHEL
We can stretch it.

DENISE
Sure.

Denise pulls out a few boxes of pasta.

Rice.

Crackers.

A handful of canned goods.

She opens a refrigerator.

Beautiful fresh seafood.

Prepared sides.

Fruit.

A dessert someone has barely touched.

DENISE
We can eat wonderfully until it all goes bad. Then we'll eat badly for a little while.

Rachel studies the food.

RACHEL
How much dry food?

DENISE
Not enough to feed eight people for very long.

Rachel takes the notepad.

Begins listing quantities.

Denise watches.

DENISE
You know, I can count.

Rachel hands back the pencil.

RACHEL
Sorry.

Denise studies her for a moment.

DENISE
We're not staying out here for a month.

Rachel looks up.

RACHEL
I know.

Denise returns to the refrigerator.

Neither sounds especially convinced.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 1:08 P.M.

Mark sits with his road map.

He has several routes marked in pencil.

Emma is trying to load a news video on her phone.

It plays three seconds.

A traffic helicopter hovering over a freeway.

Cars stopped across several lanes.

Then freezes.

EMMA
Seriously?

She tries again.

Nothing.

Noah looks at the map.

NOAH
What if we don't go home yet?

Mark barely looks up.

MARK
Then we stay here another night.

NOAH
I mean what if we stay on the boat until this is over?

Mark looks at him.

MARK
You don't know what “this” is.

NOAH
Neither do you.

MARK
True. Which is why we're not making decisions like we're going to live aboard forever.

Evan joins them.

EVAN
It's got everything.

Mark looks around.

MARK
It has a lot of things.

NOAH
Fresh water. Power. Beds. Radios.

EVAN
And it's not stuck in traffic.

MARK
It also isn't ours.

NOAH
Grant told you to stay.

MARK
Grant said wait until we know what's happening.

NOAH
So why are we still planning to leave?

Mark sets down his pencil.

MARK
Because your mother's house is three hours inland. Our family's there. Our jobs are there. The things we actually need are there.

Evan looks at him.

EVAN
My parents are there.

Mark softens.

MARK
I know, buddy.

EVAN
And I can't get them on the phone.

Mark doesn't have an answer for that.

He taps the map.

MARK
We'll keep trying.

Evan sits back.

Noah studies the boat around them.

He has more to say.

Mark raises a hand.

MARK
Not right now.

Noah closes his mouth.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — 1:42 P.M.

Mason is checking the navigation displays.

Emma appears in the doorway.

EMMA
You busy?

MASON
A little.

She looks at the instruments.

EMMA
I was going to ask if you wanted lunch.

MASON
Give me five minutes.

Emma glances toward the harbor entrance.

EMMA
Think Hale's okay?

Mason looks at his phone.

As if summoned, it vibrates.

A message.

HALE: GOT LINDA. HEADING FOR JEN. TRAFFIC BAD. STAY PUT.

Mason exhales.

MASON
He's got Linda.

He shows Emma.

She smiles.

EMMA
Good.

Mason types a reply.

FUELED. CHECKS GOOD. WE'RE STILL HERE.

He sends it.

The message fails.

He tries again.

Nothing.

Emma watches him.

EMMA
He told you to stay. He knows where you are.

MASON
Yeah.

He tries one more time.

Emma notices how tightly he's holding the phone.

EMMA
You want me to bring you a sandwich?

Mason looks up.

MASON
That'd be great.

She starts away.

Then looks back.

EMMA
What kind?

Mason considers.

MASON
Whatever isn't twenty-three-dollar mustard.

Emma smiles.

EMMA
No promises.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 1:56 P.M.

Rachel is listening to a local news station through the boat's entertainment system.

The broadcast cuts in and out.

A reporter speaks about transportation disruptions, overwhelmed emergency services and conflicting reports of violence in several locations.

No clear explanation.

The feed drops.

Rachel switches to marine radio traffic.

A recreational vessel is requesting help entering a crowded harbor.

Another reports an injured passenger.

A third repeatedly calls a marina that isn't answering.

She listens carefully.

The information does not fit any single explanation.

Mark sits beside her.

MARK
Anything?

Rachel shakes her head.

MARK
Still think cyberattack?

RACHEL
It could explain the communications.

MARK
What about the hospitals?

RACHEL
Could be a second problem.

Mark studies her.

MARK
You think somebody attacked us.

Rachel looks toward the mainland.

RACHEL
I think something's happening in too many places at once.

MARK
That's not the same thing.

RACHEL
I know.

Denise enters with a plate of sandwiches.

She sets one beside Rachel.

DENISE
Eat.

Rachel doesn't reach for it.

Denise waits.

Rachel finally picks up half.

DENISE
Whatever it is, you don't solve it hungry.

Rachel takes a bite.

The radio continues murmuring.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 2:07 P.M.

Evan's phone vibrates.

He looks down.

A message from his mother.

His face changes.

Noah notices first.

NOAH
What?

Evan doesn't answer.

He reads it again.

Mark looks over.

MARK
Evan?

Evan turns the screen toward him.

STAY WITH THE BENNETTS. DO NOT COME HOME. WE LOVE YOU.

Mark takes the phone.

Reads the message.

Looks at Evan.

CUT TO BLACK.

END OF PART 1

Continue reading: Episode 1 — “5 Hours” (Part 2 of 2)

THE WALKING DEAD: SUNDAY

He promised five hours. They left twenty-seven minutes early.

Imagine being three miles off the California coast, surrounded by people you love, on a boat worth more money than you'll ever make.

The weather is beautiful. The drinks are cold. Your family is celebrating the retirement of a woman who spent seventeen years serving her country.

Tomorrow, everyone goes home.

Then the captain receives a phone call.

We never hear what the woman on the other end tells him.

We only see what he does.

He immediately ends the trip. He orders the fuel tanks filled, the generators checked, and the boat prepared for an extended voyage.

Then he leaves to find his wife and daughter.

He promises to return in five hours.

Four hours and thirty-three minutes later, the marina gates give way.

People are pouring onto the docks. Boats are being boarded. Families are begging for somewhere to go. And eight people aboard Sunday are running out of time to make a decision.

Their captain has twenty-seven minutes left.

Do they wait?

Or does a nineteen-year-old first mate take a boat that doesn't belong to him out to sea, knowing its captain may return with his family to find an empty slip?

And what if the captain knew something about the disaster that he never told anyone?

Welcome to The Walking Dead: Sunday.

An original, unofficial fan-developed television series set in the universe of The Walking Dead.

But this isn't another story about experienced survivors fighting their way through hordes of the dead.

This story begins before anyone understands what is happening.

There is no rulebook. No one knows what a walker is. Nobody knows whether the reports coming from shore are terrorism, disease, civil unrest, or the beginning of a world war.

Our characters aren't hardened fighters. They're parents, teenagers, friends, and ordinary people with complicated lives they fully expect to return to.

And their greatest advantage may also become their greatest weakness.

Sunday has power, fuel, fresh water, comfortable beds, and the freedom to move along a coastline that's slowly falling apart.

What it doesn't have is enough food to stay at sea.

Eventually, they will have to go ashore.

Not knowing what they'll find.

Not knowing which towns are still functioning.

Not knowing whether the people they meet are dangerous, desperate, or simply as frightened as they are.

And every time someone leaves Sunday, there's a chance they won't be coming back.

This is a story about family, loyalty, guilt, impossible decisions, and the slow realization that the world you remember may already be gone.

It's about a mother who finally came home, a boy whose parents are telling him not to, and a young man who may spend the rest of his life wondering whether he abandoned the only person who ever truly believed in him.

It's about how far people will go to protect the ones they love—and what happens when protecting one person means leaving another behind.

Most importantly, it's about what happens before ordinary people become survivors.

What we're building here

This community is the home of The Walking Dead: Sunday, an original fan-written series being developed as a serious, character-driven television drama.

We'll share episode scripts, explore the characters, discuss the wider Walking Dead universe, and challenge the decisions that shape their future.

I want genuine criticism, theories, arguments, and ideas. Not automatic praise. If something doesn't feel believable, say so. If a decision feels impossible, tell us what you would have done.

The goal is to build a story that Walking Dead fans can become invested in long before the first walker steps into view.

Episode 1 is titled "5 Hours."

And before you read it, there's one question I want you to answer.

You have eight people aboard. A crowd is coming down the dock. Your captain promised he'd return, but he's still missing.

Would you wait the remaining twenty-seven minutes and risk losing the boat—or would you leave him behind?

And here's the part that makes the decision worse:

What if he was already on his way back?

PART 2 OF 2

An original, unofficial fan-created series set in the television universe of The Walking Dead.

Continued directly from Part 1.

ACT THREE — CONTINUED

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 2:07 P.M.

On Evan's phone:

STAY WITH THE BENNETTS. DO NOT COME HOME. WE LOVE YOU.

Mark reads it a second time. The room has gone quiet, though nothing outside has changed. Sunlight moves across the polished dining table. Somebody's unfinished lunch is still sitting beside an open road map.

MARK
When did she send it?

EVAN
It just came through.

MARK
Anything before that?

Evan shakes his head. Rachel comes closer. Mark hands her the phone.

She reads the message. The change in her face is subtle. Mark sees it anyway.

RACHEL
Call her again.

EVAN
I've been calling.

RACHEL
Try.

Evan taps his mother's picture: smiling, holding a crooked birthday cake. The call fails before it rings. He tries his father. Same result.

EVAN
See?

Rachel takes out her phone, then stops. Her screen has no service either.

Denise comes in carrying towels. She sees Evan and puts them down.

DENISE
What happened?

Rachel shows her the screen. Denise reads it, then takes the seat next to Evan.

DENISE
Honey...

Evan keeps looking at the phone.

EVAN
Why didn't she say when?

MARK
What do you mean?

EVAN
She didn't say don't come home today. Or wait until tomorrow.

He swallows.

EVAN
She didn't even say she'd call later.

Nobody answers. Evan turns the screen toward them, almost accusingly.

EVAN
She knows where I am. She knows you guys have me.

DENISE
That's a good thing.

EVAN
That's why she sent it.

Mark looks at the message again. He knows Teresa and Luis Ruiz. He knows Teresa corrects Evan's grammar in texts and Luis can't resist a joke. Thirteen words, not one wasted. Not one suggesting things will improve.

EVAN
They're not expecting to see me again.

Denise slips an arm around him. He leans against her, trying not to cry.

Mark's gaze moves across the room. Emma at the corridor. Noah beside his friend. Sophie on the carpet, clutching a stuffed animal. He tries to picture what would make him tell any of them to stay with another family and never come home.

Rachel is watching him. She's pictured it too.

EVAN
They're at my house.

He points toward the mainland.

EVAN
My parents are there, and they're telling me not to go there.

Noah straightens.

NOAH
Then why would we?

Mark turns toward him.

NOAH
We keep talking about roads and going home. We don't know what we're driving into.

MARK
Noah—

NOAH
The boat makes its own drinking water. There's electricity. Radios. We can move if something happens.

RACHEL
And how long can eight people eat what's aboard?

NOAH
I don't know. We find more.

RACHEL
Where?

Noah looks toward the marina. His confidence falters.

NOAH
I don't know that yet.

Evan wipes his face with his sleeve.

EVAN
My mom thinks I'm safer here than with her.

Mark looks down at the map he's spent hours marking. Every line leads inland toward somewhere a parent is telling a child not to go.

He folds it once. Then again.

MARK
We're staying tonight.

Rachel starts to speak. Mark looks at her.

MARK
Grant said stay until we know what's going on. I don't know what that message means. I don't know what we'd be driving into.

Rachel takes in Evan's face, the dead phones, the packed bags.

RACHEL
Tonight.

Mark nods.

MARK
Tonight. Then we decide again.

Evan looks up.

EVAN
What about my parents?

MARK
We keep trying. Their house, their phones, anybody who might know where they are.

EVAN
And if nobody answers?

Mark sits beside him.

MARK
Then we figure out what we can actually do. I won't tell you something I don't know.

Evan looks disappointed. But he doesn't look away.

Denise plugs his phone into a charger, screen up, within easy reach. Noah moves his chair beside Evan's. Their shoulders touch.

INT. SUNDAY — GUEST CORRIDOR — 2:18 P.M.

Emma drags her suitcase toward her cabin. Rachel follows with a basket of clothes.

RACHEL
Leave the suitcase packed.

Emma stops.

EMMA
Dad just said we're staying.

RACHEL
Tonight. Things could change.

EMMA
Then why'd you tell me this morning to pack everything?

Rachel is already checking her phone.

RACHEL
Emma, please. Just leave it for now.

Emma puts the bag down harder than necessary.

EMMA
Okay, Major Bennett.

Rachel stops. Sophie, passing behind them, stops too.

RACHEL
What was that?

EMMA
Nothing.

Rachel waits.

EMMA
We were supposed to get you back. That's what the whole weekend was for. Not spend it waiting for you to tell everyone what to do.

The words land. Emma immediately wishes she could take half of them back.

RACHEL
I'm trying to make sure we're ready.

EMMA
You always are.

Rachel glances toward Sophie. Her youngest is holding one sandal and watching them both.

RACHEL
Leave it packed, Emma. Please.

Emma picks up her bag and retreats into her cabin. Rachel stands in the hall for a moment.

SOPHIE
Can I unpack mine?

Rachel looks down.

RACHEL
Yeah, baby. You can.

Sophie heads off, satisfied. Rachel watches Emma's closed door.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — 2:23 P.M.

Mason has finished Hale's checklist. Both generators available. Batteries charged. Desalination system tested. Tender fueled. Radios checked. Engines ready.

The boat is in better condition than when she brought them to Catalina.

He marks the final box and looks at Hale's last message.

GOT LINDA. HEADING FOR JEN. TRAFFIC BAD. STAY PUT.

He types: EVERYTHING READY. STILL AT THE DOCK. The message hangs, unsent.

Through the windshield, cars are stacking outside the marina gate. A security guard gestures to a driver. A man in a dress shirt bangs a fist against a keypad.

Mason calls the marina office on the radio. No answer.

Sophie appears, wearing shoes this time.

MASON
Nice. Shoes.

SOPHIE
You told me to.

She looks at the instrument panels.

SOPHIE
Did you fix everything?

MASON
Nothing was broken.

SOPHIE
Then why'd you check it?

Mason considers.

MASON
So it stays that way.

She accepts this and sits in the doorway. Mason looks at the clock: 2:24.

SOPHIE
When's Captain Hale coming?

MASON
He's got a little while yet.

SOPHIE
What if he's late?

Mason looks toward the parking structure.

MASON
Then I guess he's late.

Sophie looks at him, waiting for more. He doesn't give her any.

Outside, another car joins the line at the gate.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK — 2:29 P.M.

Emma brings Mason the sandwich she promised him earlier. It's wrapped in a napkin.

EMMA
You forgot.

MASON
Thanks.

He opens it. Takes a bite. Keeps watching the entrance.

EMMA
Are those boat owners?

MASON
Some probably are.

Emma surveys the rows of untouched boats.

EMMA
Why aren't any of them here?

MASON
Most don't get used every weekend. Owners live somewhere else. Crew's gone home.

EMMA
All these boats, and nobody on them.

MASON
Normally that's the quiet part of the job.

A man outside the fence starts climbing it. Security shouts. He drops back down.

Emma notices Mason watching the parking structure more than the fence.

EMMA
You're worried about Hale.

MASON
He's in traffic.

EMMA
I didn't ask where he was.

He gives her a quick look. She doesn't press him.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 2:33 P.M.

Mark watches the gate through the glass. Rachel joins him.

RACHEL
What's happening?

MARK
They're not letting anyone in.

RACHEL
Who are they?

MARK
Owners, maybe. Doesn't look like security knows either.

He watches a woman hold up a phone to the guard. The guard shakes his head. She begins crying.

MARK
I've had trucks stranded in the mountains, warehouses without power, drivers stuck two days from home. There's always somebody I can call.

RACHEL
I know.

MARK
I don't even know who that is right now.

Rachel looks toward the bridge.

RACHEL
On this boat? Mason.

Mark looks at her.

MARK
He's nineteen.

RACHEL
He's nineteen and he knows Sunday better than either of us. We have to let him do his job.

Mark looks back toward the gate. A pickup has stopped in the vehicle entrance.

MARK
I'm going to ask if he wants everyone aboard.

Rachel nods and follows him.

ACT FOUR

EXT. MARINA GATE — 2:39 P.M.

The pickup's driver repeatedly swipes an access card. The gate is halfway open and won't move farther. A SECURITY GUARD steps toward the window.

SECURITY GUARD
Back it up. You're blocking the entrance.

DRIVER
My boat's in there.

SECURITY GUARD
Marina's closed. Back out.

DRIVER
It's my boat!

A woman carrying a toddler squeezes through the gap between the pickup and the fence. The guard turns after her.

SECURITY GUARD
Ma'am! Stop!

Another person follows. Then another.

Nobody seems to be leading them. Some have keys and luggage. Some have nothing. The guard reaches for the woman, thinks better of grabbing someone with a child, and loses another three people through the opening.

The driver inches forward. The gate bumps against the pickup. It cannot close.

Someone shoves the guard aside. He hits the fence, recovers, and turns to find twenty people inside.

He looks toward the clubhouse. No other staff emerge.

He tries once more to block the entrance. A man ducks around him. A family of five slips through after.

The guard steps back.

The gate stands open.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK — CONTINUOUS

Mason sees it first.

MASON
Mark!

Mark comes outside. Mason points.

People are moving along the docks now. Some clearly know the vessels they're approaching; they have keys and head straight for them. Others try every door and hatch they pass.

One man strikes the window of an unattended cruiser with a metal tool. A second blow shatters it.

MARK
Jesus.

MASON
Get everyone aboard.

Mark checks his watch.

MARK
He's got thirty-five minutes.

MASON
I know.

MARK
Let's see what happens.

Mason looks toward the smashed window. The man climbs through it.

MASON
That's what's happening.

Mark turns toward the salon.

MARK
Rachel!

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — CONTINUOUS

Rachel sees the movement outside as Mark enters.

MARK
Everybody stays aboard. No walking the docks.

RACHEL
Denise, get Sophie. Emma, find Noah and Evan.

EMMA
Are we going somewhere?

RACHEL
Not yet.

EMMA
Then why—

A crash sounds outside. Emma looks toward the windows.

RACHEL
Please. Just do it.

Emma moves.

Denise finds Sophie kneeling by an open guest bag.

SOPHIE
Is Captain Hale back?

DENISE
Not yet. Come on, sweetheart.

SOPHIE
Do I need my shoes again?

DENISE
Keep them on.

She takes Sophie's hand.

EXT. MARINA — CONTINUOUS

A small cruiser roars to life. The driver revs too hard. One stern line is still secured to the dock.

The cruiser jerks sideways. Its cleat tears loose. Fiberglass scrapes across a neighboring boat, then strikes it with a brittle crack.

People jump away. The driver panics, opens the throttle again and lurches free.

For a moment everyone watches.

Someone has started a boat. Someone is escaping.

More people run toward the unattended vessels. A man shouts toward Sunday's dock.

MAN
That big one's fueled! I saw them at the pumps!

Several heads turn.

Sunday sits gleaming at the end of the dock, her crew visible, her boarding gate within reach.

EXT. SUNDAY — STERN — 2:42 P.M.

A father, mother and boy of about ten approach the stern. The boy wears a backpack with a broken zipper.

FATHER
You crew?

MASON
Yeah.

FATHER
You leaving?

MASON
We're waiting for somebody.

FATHER
Can we come aboard?

Mason glances toward the parking structure.

MASON
I'm sorry.

The father looks up at the decks.

FATHER
There's room. There are more rooms up there than in my house.

Mason doesn't answer.

FATHER
It's just us three.

MASON
Captain's coming back.

FATHER
Then let us wait with you.

The mother gently touches her husband's arm. Behind them a dozen more people are gathering. Others are looking at Sunday's stern.

FATHER
Please. My boy hasn't eaten since this morning.

Mason looks at the child. He could be Noah's age in a couple of years. The boy doesn't plead. He just waits for someone older to decide.

MASON
I can't.

The father holds his gaze.

FATHER
You can. You just won't.

His wife guides him away. Mason watches them disappear among the crowd. He takes half a step after them, then stops. Another family is already looking toward him.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — CONTINUOUS

Noah saw the family through the window.

NOAH
Dad, why didn't we let them on?

MARK
Because we don't know them.

NOAH
They had a kid. We have empty bedrooms.

MARK
I saw.

NOAH
So—

MARK
There are fifty people outside, Noah. If we take three, everybody else sees us take three. What do you think happens next?

Noah looks out. He doesn't answer.

NOAH
Doesn't make it right.

Mark looks at the father disappearing down the dock.

MARK
I didn't say it did.

A shout from the stern interrupts them.

EXT. SUNDAY — STERN — 2:44 P.M.

Two young men climb onto Sunday's swim platform. One reaches for the gate.

MASON
Hey! Get off.

YOUNG MAN
We're leaving with you.

MASON
No, you're not.

YOUNG MAN
There's plenty of space.

Mark appears beside Mason.

MARK
Back on the dock. Now.

YOUNG MAN
Your boat?

MARK
No.

YOUNG MAN
Then who the hell are you?

MASON
I work on it. Get off.

The young man looks between them. More people are moving toward the slip.

Rachel comes out behind Mark. She sees the gathering crowd, the men on the platform, the broken window two slips away.

RACHEL
Mason. Start the engines.

Mason checks his watch.

2:44 P.M.

MASON
He's got half an hour.

RACHEL
We might not.

MASON
He said he'd be back.

RACHEL
He also told you what to do if the marina wasn't safe.

Mason looks at the parking structure.

MASON
He has Linda. He's getting Jen. He thinks I'm right here.

Mark steps closer.

MARK
If someone takes Sunday, there's nothing here for him to come back to.

Mason looks at Mark. That, more than the noise, gets through.

He turns to Rachel.

MASON
Outside the breakwater. That's all. We wait where he said.

RACHEL
Okay.

MASON
Everybody inside. Nobody on the swim platform. Mark, you're aft. Rachel, forward. I'll tell you when to release the lines.

He hurries toward the bridge.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — 2:45 P.M.

Mason moves through the engine-start sequence. The twin diesels turn over. The deck vibrates gently beneath his feet.

Oil pressures rise. Cooling systems stabilize. He checks cameras, thrusters, position. A warning briefly illuminates on one display. He reads it, clears it after confirming the system, then looks at the aft camera.

Both young men are still on the swim platform. Mark is shouting at them.

Mason opens the bridge door.

MASON
Mark! I can't move with them there!

Mark and Rachel order the men back onto the dock. One finally jumps off. The second follows, angry but unwilling to be carried away on the hull of a departing boat.

Mason checks the camera again.

Clear.

Almost.

EXT. SUNDAY — DOCK — CONTINUOUS

Mark releases the stern line. Rachel is working the bow, with Emma following directions a few steps behind her.

The bow line snags beneath a dock fitting.

RACHEL
Mason! It's caught!

Over the handheld radio:

MASON (RADIO)
Don't pull. Give me a second.

He shifts Sunday inches with the thruster. The tension eases. Rachel frees the line.

RACHEL
Bow clear!

MASON (RADIO)
Everybody aboard!

Emma steps through the gate. Rachel turns to follow.

A woman on the dock catches Rachel's attention.

WOMAN
Please!

Two girls stand behind her, holding backpacks. One is close to Sophie's age.

WOMAN
Please, we don't have anywhere to go!

Rachel stops. The little girl is crying silently.

WOMAN
You have room!

Rachel takes half a step toward them.

MARK
Rach!

Another person has reached the stern gate and is pulling at it. The crowd is converging. A man tries to grab a rail.

Rachel looks at the woman once more.

RACHEL
I'm sorry.

She climbs aboard. Emma shuts the gate. The woman's cries follow them as they move away from the dock.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — 2:48 P.M.

Mason eases Sunday away at barely walking speed. The wind catches her bow and turns her toward a neighboring yacht. He corrects with the thruster, pauses, corrects again.

A small boat cuts across the marina fairway. He brings Sunday out of gear and lets it pass before continuing.

His eyes move from the water ahead to the cameras and back to the parking structure.

No Hale.

Emma enters behind him.

EMMA
Are we going back?

MASON
We're going outside. Close enough to come right back.

EMMA
Until Hale gets here?

Mason nods. He picks up the radio.

MASON
Captain Hale, Sunday. Come back.

Static.

MASON
Robert, we're leaving the marina. We're going three miles outside the breakwater. We'll be waiting there.

He holds the microphone for another second. Nothing.

Emma looks back at the crowded dock.

EMMA
You couldn't stay.

MASON
Please don't.

She looks at him.

MASON
Don't tell me I had to.

Emma lets it go. Sunday's stern swings clear of the last dock.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — CONTINUOUS

Sophie watches the retreating marina with Denise.

SOPHIE
Why are they yelling?

DENISE
They're scared.

SOPHIE
Are they coming with us?

DENISE
No, sweetheart.

SOPHIE
Why not? We have lots of rooms.

Denise looks out at the families along the dock.

DENISE
I know.

Sophie turns toward the bridge, where Mason is steering them out. She doesn't ask any more questions.

EXT. MARINA BREAKWATER — 2:57 P.M.

Sunday clears the harbor. From offshore, the people racing between the marina's beautiful boats look like tiny figures playing a game whose rules cannot be seen.

Mason keeps the entrance within sight and brings Sunday to a safe holding area outside the busiest traffic lanes.

Sophie appears at the bridge doorway.

SOPHIE
What if Captain Hale gets there now?

MASON
I told him where we're going.

SOPHIE
What if his phone doesn't work?

Mason looks back toward shore.

MASON
Then I'll keep trying the radio.

She nods and heads downstairs. Mason picks up the microphone.

MASON
Captain Hale, Sunday.

Nothing.

ACT FIVE

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — 3:15 P.M.

Sunday holds several miles offshore. The breakwater remains visible. The sea is calm, the sky clear.

Mason looks at the bridge clock.

3:15 P.M.

Exactly five hours.

He lifts the microphone.

MASON
Captain Hale, Sunday. Come back.

Static.

He watches a small boat leave the harbor. Raises binoculars. Not Hale.

MASON
Robert, it's three-fifteen. We're outside the breakwater, just like you said.

Nothing.

He sets the microphone down but doesn't release it immediately.

The minute changes.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 3:31 P.M.

Mark unfolds the road map. The routes he marked earlier still lead inland. They look like plans from somebody else's life.

Denise enters with a laundry basket and notices a scrape on Mark's hand.

DENISE
What happened to you?

Mark looks at his knuckles.

MARK
Dock line, I think.

She hands him a tissue.

DENISE
Well, notice now.

He smiles faintly. Denise sits across from him.

DENISE
I keep thinking about that woman with the little girls.

Mark looks toward the window.

DENISE
Rachel looked like she was going to bring them aboard.

MARK
I know.

DENISE
We had room.

MARK
I know that too.

Denise folds a towel. Unfolds it. Folds it again.

DENISE
You think they'll find another boat?

Mark looks at the map.

MARK
I hope so.

It's the only answer he has.

INT. SUNDAY — GUEST CABIN — 3:49 P.M.

Emma sits on her bed, flipping through photographs from that morning. Catalina. Sophie laughing in the water. Denise holding coffee. Mason moving across the deck.

She reaches a group chat with friends and types: YOU GUYS OKAY?

The message fails.

A knock.

RACHEL (O.S.)
Can I come in?

Emma locks her phone.

EMMA
Yeah.

Rachel enters. The suitcase is still packed.

RACHEL
You can unpack now if you want.

EMMA
You told me not to.

RACHEL
I know.

Rachel sits in the chair beside the window.

RACHEL
I'm sorry about earlier.

EMMA
It's fine.

RACHEL
It wasn't.

Emma keeps looking at her phone.

RACHEL
I'm not very good at switching off.

Emma lets out a short laugh.

EMMA
Really?

Rachel smiles, but it fades.

RACHEL
I don't want you thinking this is how things are going to be now that I'm home.

Emma finally looks at her.

EMMA
You don't know how things are going to be.

Rachel considers that.

RACHEL
No.

A quiet moment.

EMMA
Are you scared?

Rachel could say no. Instead she nods.

RACHEL
Yes.

Emma sets her phone aside. Rachel stays in the chair. Neither tries to make the other feel better with an answer they don't have.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 4:03 P.M.

Evan's phone is still plugged in. He checks it, turns it over, checks again.

Noah sits beside him.

NOAH
Want to use mine?

EVAN
Same network.

NOAH
We could try the satellite connection.

EVAN
Mason did.

Noah watches his friend stare at the screen.

EVAN
My dad would've called.

Noah looks at him.

EVAN
Even if Mom couldn't, he'd find a way.

NOAH
Maybe they're moving.

EVAN
Where?

Noah doesn't know.

EVAN
He always picks up.

He looks down at the photograph of his parents on the phone.

EVAN
I almost didn't answer this morning.

Noah waits.

EVAN
I was eating. I thought I'd call back.

He swallows.

EVAN
What if that was it?

Noah puts a hand on his shoulder. He has nothing useful to say, and for once he knows it. The two boys stay there, waiting for a phone that doesn't ring.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK — 4:16 P.M.

Mark and Rachel stand at the rail. A fishing boat passes several hundred yards away. Somebody aboard raises an arm. Mark waves back. The ordinary gesture feels oddly reassuring.

RACHEL
If the ports are being targeted, the first thing we'd see is disruption. Communications, transport, supply.

MARK
You still think somebody attacked us?

RACHEL
I don't know. If it were one city, one hospital, one outage, I'd have somewhere to start. This...

She looks toward the mainland.

RACHEL
Nothing connects the way it should.

Mark studies her.

MARK
Maybe you're looking for the wrong kind of problem.

Rachel considers that.

RACHEL
Maybe.

He takes her hand. She lets him.

MARK
We were supposed to be discussing what you wanted to do Monday.

Rachel glances at him.

RACHEL
I was going to sleep until noon.

Mark smiles.

MARK
That would've been new.

For a moment they're just husband and wife again, watching a quiet ocean. Then a distant siren reaches them from shore.

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY — 4:31 P.M.

Denise is preparing dinner. Rachel cuts vegetables beside her.

DENISE
You cut like somebody trained to disarm a carrot.

Rachel laughs despite herself.

RACHEL
You want them cut or not?

DENISE
I'd like something recognizable when you're finished.

They work quietly. Then Rachel looks toward the pantry.

RACHEL
How long do we really have?

DENISE
For what?

RACHEL
Food.

Denise stops chopping.

DENISE
Normal meals? A few days. We can stretch the dry stuff, but not forever.

RACHEL
We can fish.

DENISE
We can try fishing.

Rachel looks up.

DENISE
This boat can make fresh water. Keep the lights on. Take us somewhere else. It can't make groceries.

Rachel stares at the pantry, then out toward shore.

RACHEL
Then we'll have to go back eventually.

DENISE
Yeah.

Denise returns to the fish. Rachel resumes chopping, slower this time.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — 4:38 P.M.

Mason checks the engine displays. Fuel. Battery state. Generator readiness. He checks fuel again.

Mark enters.

MARK
How is she?

MASON
Fine.

Mason reaches for a display he's already checked.

MARK
You did that one.

MASON
I know.

Mark looks out toward the harbor. There are fewer lights along the docks now.

MASON
He asked me to promise.

Mark turns.

MASON
I told him I'd be there.

MARK
You were there.

MASON
Not when he got back.

A beat.

MASON
If he got back.

Mark rests a hand against the back of the other chair.

MARK
You got us out.

Mason looks at Hale's keys beside the radio.

MASON
I know what I did.

MARK
So do I.

Mason looks up, surprised Mark hasn't tried to absolve him.

MARK
You think he's still coming?

MASON
Yes.

MARK
Then I'll watch with you.

Mark pulls over the other chair. For a while, both men watch the harbor entrance in silence.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — 5:07 P.M.

Rachel turns through damaged broadcasts on a portable radio. A reporter mentions overwhelmed hospitals, violent incidents and emergency services unable to respond to calls. The signal fades before any details are clear.

Mark enters.

MARK
Anything?

RACHEL
People are attacking each other in different places. Hospitals are turning people away.

MARK
You think it's a disease?

Rachel looks at her notes: COORDINATED ATTACK — NETWORK FAILURE — EXPOSURE?

RACHEL
Possibly biological. But that doesn't explain everything else.

MARK
The roads? The ports?

She shakes her head.

RACHEL
Nothing fits.

It's an admission that costs her something. Mark reaches for her hand. She takes it.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — EVENING

Mason is alone again. The sunlight has softened, stretching the harbor into a line of gold.

His phone vibrates.

HALE

Mason grabs it. For a split second he smiles.

The message opens:

GOT JEN. LINDA WITH ME. HEADING BACK.

Timestamp: 2:31 P.M.

Mason reads it twice. Then checks the time again.

2:31.

Sunday left at 2:48.

Seventeen minutes.

Mason calls Hale. The call fails. He tries again. Nothing. He gets up, phone in hand.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — CONTINUOUS

Mark and Rachel sit together. Denise is nearby. Emma looks up when Mason comes in.

MASON
He sent this.

He hands the phone to Mark. Mark reads the message, then passes it to Rachel.

DENISE
What is it?

MARK
He got Jen.

MASON
Both of them.

Mason takes the phone back.

MASON
He had Linda and Jen. He was coming back at two-thirty-one.

Rachel looks at the timestamp.

RACHEL
We don't know where he was.

MASON
He was coming back.

RACHEL
Yes.

He checks it again.

MASON
We left seventeen minutes after he sent this.

MARK
The message was delayed.

Mason looks at him.

MASON
I know that. I'm saying we left seventeen minutes after he sent it.

Mark falls silent.

MASON
He did it. He got his family.

The weight of it settles around the room. Hale may have been somewhere on those roads, trying to get three people back to a boat already slipping out of the harbor.

Mason pockets the phone.

MASON
I'm going upstairs.

Emma starts after him. Rachel gently catches her arm. Let him go.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — MOMENTS LATER

Mason picks up the microphone.

MASON
Captain Hale, Sunday.

Static.

MASON
Robert, we're still outside. Same place. Breakwater's in sight.

Nothing.

He presses again.

MASON
I can come back.

His eyes search the coastline.

MASON
Just answer me.

Static.

He stays at the radio long after the silence becomes unmistakable.

EXT. SUNDAY — NIGHT

The California coast glows across the dark water. From several miles offshore, much of Los Angeles still appears normal: streetlights, buildings, distant traffic. The occasional siren.

Then one section of the marina goes dark.

A few seconds later, another.

Sunday remains illuminated.

Full fuel tanks. Fresh water. Running generators. Comfortable cabins. Enough food for a little while.

Eight people aboard.

A captain missing.

His wife and daughter somewhere onshore with him.

Nobody knows where.

INT. SUNDAY — SALON — NIGHT

Denise sets dinner on the table. Fish, vegetables, bread. A meal they would have celebrated yesterday.

Tonight people eat quietly.

Evan's phone lies beside his plate, still charging. Mark doesn't tell him to put it away. Noah passes the bread without asking. Emma watches the stairs.

Mason hasn't come down.

SOPHIE
Is Mason eating?

DENISE
He said later.

Sophie studies his empty seat. Then she goes back to her dinner.

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY — LATER

Denise cleans up. Sophie enters wearing pajamas and an oversized marina windbreaker.

SOPHIE
Can I take Mason his dinner?

Denise looks at her.

DENISE
You sure you can carry it?

Sophie nods seriously.

Denise makes a smaller plate and hands it over.

DENISE
Two hands.

SOPHIE
I know.

Denise watches her leave.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — NIGHT

Mason sits in Hale's chair. The marina is a scattered line of lights across the water. His eyes move between the harbor and the silent radio.

The door opens. Sophie enters carrying the plate carefully with both hands.

MASON
What are you doing up?

SOPHIE
Denny said you didn't eat.

She sets the plate down.

MASON
Thanks.

Sophie looks at the empty chair beside him.

SOPHIE
Can I sit there?

Mason nods. She climbs in.

For a while, neither speaks. He eats a few bites. Checks the instruments. Then checks them again.

SOPHIE
You already checked those.

Mason looks at her.

MASON
Yeah.

SOPHIE
Are they broken?

MASON
No.

She looks out toward the harbor.

SOPHIE
Is Sunday okay?

Mason follows her gaze.

MASON
Sunday's okay.

She draws her windbreaker around her legs.

SOPHIE
Captain Hale knows where we are.

Mason looks at her.

MASON
I told him.

She nods. That's enough for her.

After a few minutes, her eyes close. Mason doesn't disturb her.

He checks his phone. No new message.

The radio. Nothing.

The dark harbor.

He raises the microphone.

MASON
Captain Hale, Sunday.

He waits.

Static.

MASON
We're here.

He releases the button.

Across the water, one more light near the marina entrance flickers out.

Sophie sleeps beside him.

Sunday moves gently with the swell.

And waits.

CUT TO BLACK.