When I see you I think of songs I wish I'd written
I wanna be your everything and more and maybe every night we'd
breathe fog on the looking glass
I wanna breathe fog on the looking glass
And write out on our breath
How you do to me what you do to me
When the light grows dull and sunset frees
The time we have for us
You're an inch away and mostly less
but to my palms I must confess
I need you closer than beside me

Maybe we’ll exist in secret
Never surface for a breath
And you can tie me down and try
To tell me it’s better than death
I wanna be something tangible
Something worthy of my eyes
I know you know you’re not dead
But do you know that you’re alive
I can’t think when you’re pounding the door
All this white noise screams the score to me
I can’t be me when I’m with you
I can’t breathe when you’re biting the skin
Cold within, like a silence so thin it could snap
I can’t be me when I’m with you
This ball and chain romance hurts my head
When it sinks into the depths
I know you don’t listen but
Just watch and read what must be said

Thaw me in your moonlight
You're not who I need but you're what I want
Drop me like a burned up flight
in an atmosphere you keep inside
Let's catch the wind
And sail the sun
Forget our lives
with everyone
I'll grab your hand
And pull you in
in fear for letting go
I don't wanna know-
Everything they're thinking
'Cause I don't need to hear harsh words
I can feel that in-
side you feel you're sinking
By the way your face tells me that last kiss hurt

So you wanna be famous and sane
Well the game that you play
isn't likely to keep us
Paparazzi is pulling me down
Past the ground and I drown
In the news you're making
It's like you paid for a piece
Played with plans of defeat
Found a crowd in a street
and opened fire
But loving the loss
is a cost that you love
Losing count as you hit the dirt
in the skirt you wore to church

Ricky sailed through the air, hitting halfway up the fence with all the momentum his lanky frame could build. He quickly clawed his way up and over to the jangling of chain-link. He hit the concrete on the other side, his heavy, jet-black boots producing a deep thud as he landed. He recovered from the drop in a split second, taking off again as fast as his long, stick-like legs could carry him. The spitting rain felt cold on his bare body, the only piece of clothing he was wearing [save his boots, of course] being a pair of plaid boxers. Behind him he heard the shimmer of the fence as his pursuers began the climb. He flicked a turn left at a cross-section of the dark alley, plodding down the lane for a few seconds before realizing a second fence, this one with razorwire mocking him atop it's frame, looming ahead of him. He hit the brakes, slipping on the slick asphalt and skinning his leg from kneecap to boot. He didn't notice the blood starting to mistily trickle down his soaked skin, being more concerned with losing ground. He dragged his skeletal body back to it's feet, and took off once more. He saw the cross-section ahead - freedom was in front of him. No fences, no peelers, just alley, street, and then more alley. Two lefts after that, and it'd be straight to Picadilly Circus, safety, and initiation to the Blade Bridgade. This was a feeling of pure exhilaration. Just as Ricky hit the cross-section for the second time, he was barrelled into by one of his burly assailants. The wind was crushed out of his lungs as his protruding ribs compressed in the impact. The policeman landed on top of him, delivering a stiff fist to Ricky's jaw. Disoriented by the brain-jarring collision, he was a water-logged lamb to the slaughter. The other dark figures reached the two of them as the man on top of him wound up for second go. Another knuckle-brimmed bombshell landed straight on his nose with a crunch, closely followed by a torrent of blood. Tears clouded his vision as his eyes began to water. The policeman pulled himself off his prey, which was now gargling and choking on his own blood.. Then leathery, jet-black justice shone true as the figures looming above Ricky began kicking the life out of him. Four sharp-pointed shoes repeatedly drove into his face and ribs, every connection being greeted with a tortured, guttural grunt from a mouth now filling with blood and vomit. The slurry of bodily fluids flowed from between his lips, and down his quivering, drool-drenched chin. Just then, the kicking stopped. Ricky rolled to his back in a puddle of bile and rainwater, gazing up out of swollen slits in time to see a bright flash of light illuminate a twisted smile. A crack of electricity sounded, and Ricky found every muscle of his body whip-cracked tight as steel as it coursed through him. He screamed through clenched teeth, a sound best described as a pig squealing through a mouth sewn shut. His eyes bulged, his body convulsed, and foam sprayed from his mouth as he shrieked involuntarily. The man wouldn't let the trigger ease. He was going to die.

Just as Ricky felt his surroundings darken, the electric grip the taser had on his body relinquished. Something wet and warm spattered across his bare chest, and one of the men hit the ground. Shadows from every side engulfed the policemen, all four ending up on the ground around Ricky with blood boiling in their slit throats. The only sounds were the chains on the uniforms of the newcomers, and the now-helpless officers guzzle-guzzling on the flooding of their esophagus with every heartbeat. A heavy leather boot planted beside Ricky's ear.

"Fuck. And he was so close."

Ricky blacked out.





[[This story is going to be about New London, a grungy-but-bustling metropolis founded post-nuclear war. A new superbug mutated by radiation has begun infecting humans, characterized by degredation of the brain, as well as increased aggression - effectively rendering all humans infected, eventually, as braindead-but-bloodthirsty animals. New London is one of only a handful of the last civilized cities on earth. It's a HUGE city, bigger than the biggest city on earth before the war. Outside the walls of these cities are clans of the infected, known as The Forgotten. The clans fight amongst themselves, mostly, but have been known to join in what are called 'Warbands' against the cities, leading to countless bloody battles. Usually, though, the walls surrounding each of the last cities on earth are enough to deter them. The setup is - The Outskirts of New London are surrounded by a poorly maintained fence, and are inhabited by the poor. The Middle Quarters are surrounded by a large brick wall with guard towers. There are high-powered electric fences surrounding the rich quarter of New London. I have a ton of ideas for this whole thing.

Ricky is trying to enter the underground anarchist gang, The Blade Brigade, and this excerpt is his initiation. Once the kid being tested reaches Picadilly Circus, they're instated as a member. It turns out, after he falls unconcious, the members that killed the cops search him to find his ID in his wallet proves him to be the Chief of Police's son. They find this advantageous, and let him in anyway. The other side of the story is the wonderful life of the Mayor's head advisor, a young, handsome man named Harry who has no idea what life outside of London's walls is like. He's rich, living in the wealthiest part of New London with his beautiful wife and daughter. He starts to become more and more aware of the plight of the poor. The poor people of New London live amongst gangs, poor living conditions, and little protection from The Forgotten besides the poorly maintained fencing, which even has holes in some parts of it. He starts to fight for the poor in the government, despite the distaste of the council in his doing so. Harry is cast out of his position in the government after questioning the Mayor's extortion of the poor. The secret service of the mayor bust into his house while he's out and take his wife and child away, telling them as you later find out that he had to 'go away on a diplomatic mission' to Capital City in the US. He's then exiled from the city, banned even from the Outskirts. He's given a revolver, a knife, and is branded on his neck with the mark of exile - a brand burnt into his skin to show he's been exiled for life. He is left in the dark. He sleeps in an abandoned truckbed only to be woken up by a passing tribe of The Forgotten. They hadn't noticed him, but do when he snaps awake. The Blade Brigade shows up just at that moment on trashy-looking dirtbikes, cutting down the Forgotten with chainsaws, swords, lead pipes, and a bunch of other assorted weapons. They take Harry in as an exile [they'd heard of his efforts for the people] and he becomes one of them. The story proceeds from there.




Opens with running scene. Ricky bumps into Ethan in an alley. Camera follows Ricky and begins above scene.

After Ricky blacks out, begin Ethan's morning scene. After scene, he goes to work. Council holds meeting. Council is talking about how to stop the mortis, and are thinking of an absolute extermination through biological weaponry sweeping of the land, thereby killing all life outside the city [including lower class]. Ethan tries to suggest alternatives to avoid the extreme, ie: A cure [They think it's foolhardy to search for a cure; no time, no point.]. sending out hunting parties [council doesn't want to risk the lives of the upper class], and in a final attempt, suggests the possibility of a 'hunter' [Ethan states that he has been studying them a long time with a research team inspecting live samples. This research team is ACTUALLY the Blade Brigade. Council questions his ability to do so, he convinces them he's hired a staff of local biologists. They highly ridicule his failure to inform them of this 'secret lab'. He takes to the offensive, saying that all that matters is that he's almost got it finished, and needs just a bit more time. They buy it, but question his desperation to help the lower class, call him a 'sympathizer'. He retorts that 'Lower-class citizens are human too', and that it's morally wrong to condemn them to a fate they cannot decide themselves. One member remarks that it's been so many times that he's stood up for the lower class, and they feel that his love for them clouds his judgement. In the end there is a vote, and his motion for a 'hunter' is passed.

After the meeting is adjourned, he goes to lunch with his friend Walter, and they discuss the meeting and the decision. They talk and it's made clear they've been good friends a long time.

They return to the office. A higher council member is waiting in the office building and tells him he needs to speak with him. He shows him to his office where the council member tells Ethan to supply all study information, tests and findings to the government's research facility. He protests, saying they just don't trust his motives. The member replies that Ethan will be re-assigned to the facility where he will have access to advanced tools and resources to speed up the process, and that it has nothing to do with his 'motives'. Ethan reluctantly agrees, but demands they allow his assistant head of research to continue work on the project with the team as well. They agree.

Scene changes to late at night. Ethan is working hard on paperwork for the transferal of the study material. He makes a call to his wife saying that he'll be late thanks to all the 'red tape at the office today', and he'd be taking the subway home as soon as possible. He finishes up and heads for the subway. When he gets there, his train's packed full of people with no room for him. He decided it will be faster to walk home than to wait for the next train. He starts to walk, and decides to take a shortcut through some alleys. It starts to rain, and he shows how annoyed he is by it. He then runs into Ricky. Ethan yells 'Watch where you're running, kid!' camera follows Ethan this time. Ethan walks through a few alleys, but when he sees the light of the street at the end of the alley, he sees several silhouettes approach from the street. he pulls out a small stilletto blade, releases the blade, and holds it in stride as he walks. He looks up to the rooftops momentarily, then continues on. The silhouettes stop in front of him, and he realizes Walter is amongst them. They're all wearing black suits. He pockets his knife discreetly.

Ethan: Walter... what're you doing here?
Walt: We gotta talk, Ethan.
Ethan: Alright... so what's with the monkey suits?
Walt: Ethan, how long have we been friends?
Ethan: We've been friends since we were kids, but-
Walt: And in all that time, we've never really come to blows about anything... never hid anything from each other. I mean, come on Ethan, I probably know you better than your WIFE does.
Ethan: What's your point, Walt?
Walt: Look Ethan, that stunt you pulled today pissed off a lot of the wrong people. [Men start to surround Ethan.]
Ethan: Walt, you know I'm right about this. You can't tell me you agree with those bastards. We grew up in those slums.
Walt: Ethan, that was then. Desperate times, desperate measures. Certain sacrifices have to be made to -
Ethan: Damn it, Walt, they're human beings!
Walt: They're a sacrifice that has to be made! One way or another, our actions will be their consequences. It's either they die, or all of New London does when the mortis come knocking at our gates.
Ethan: So they're chips to gamble with?
Walt: They're heroes, damn it. Those who survive won't forget what had to happen.
Ethan: They don't remember them now! They're rotting on the outskirts, Walt! They're dying - every day, they're dying, and we don't do a damned thing about it. All we hear from them is the begging and screaming over walls thicker than most of their houses.
Walt: I don't have time for this, Ethan. [Men move in to grab Ethan]
Ethan: Don't you fucking touch me! [Ethan decks one guy in the nose, who stumbles back. Another henchman grabs his other arm, and yet another drills him in the gut. He falls to his knees. One henchman grabs his hair and pulls his head back so that he faces walt.]
Walt: The time for talk is over, Ethan. These are days of action. We have to stop this all before the mortis get out of hand and we all end up dead. If saving millions of innocent lives means I have to sacrifice the people I love... the people you love... then so be it. If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell Claire you died for the cause.
Ethan: If you lay one finger on her I swear- [Walt kicks him hard in the gut/rib area.]
Walt: You'll do what, Ethan? This was a long time coming. I knew the moment you started standing up for those people it would. I won't lie to you and say haven't had my eye on her. I promise I'll take care of her for ya. It's been a slice.
Ethan: You son of a- [Walt pistol whips Ethan in the temple, knocking him out.]
END SCENE

A car pulls up in a dark, abandoned area of the docks on the outskirts of New London. The men get out of the car, open the trunk, and pull Ethan out. They drag Ethan towards the docks through the dirt, passing an old, run-down building. Camera shows a tripwire across the path near the side of the building. Henchman leading trips on it, and a watcher steps out from the shadows of the side of the building. He throws two knives into the throats of the henchmen dragging Ethan, and a last one into the face of the tripped henchman as he tries to get back up. He wipes off his blades, pockets them, and sits him up against the wall of the building. He sits beside him. They talk ["You alright boss?" "Never been better." "You know I could have prevented all of this." "Better we know where he stands than risk all that we've accomplished." "Staying with us tonight?" "Might be for a while" "Don't forget your toothbrush." "Shut up and help me up."] Driver is sitting in car listening to the radio. The radio's talking about mortis sightings, and mentions sightings at the docks. Driver becomes more and more scared and uncomfortable. The watcher begins to pull out a knife, but Ethan stops his hand and walks towards the car window. He puts his hands on the window and scares the driver. Driver jumps, but then looks relieved. Ethan motions for him to roll down his window, which he does.

Driver: Jeez mister. You scared me! Craziest thing... I thought you were a- *PUNCH*

Ethan pulls driver out of seat, lays him on the side of the road, and the two of them hop in and drive away.
END SCENE

White lies for you and I
Help us lie in bed at night
Y'said

Hard rain in a house of tin
I can't stop the spinning in
my head

Slow
Slow down
Don't drown in the news you're making

So slow
I can't compete
with the wind as it kisses your

open, a-string on 3, mute e
open, e-string on 3, mute a
open, e-string on 2, mute a

Chorus:

e-string on 3, e-string on 5, open, e-string on 2
e-string on 3, e-string on 7, open, e-string on 2, a-string on 3 mute e