Chapter 1 (The White Shapes)

Chapter 1 is the first and debut chapter of The White Shapes. It was written by Donald Newton.

Plot
The Shapers rise from under the ground and begin their first attacks on the humans in Cosgrove.

Full Chapter
We OPEN on a BLACK SCREEN. A voice narrates over the black screen.

CLAY: (V.O.) We don't how they came or where they came from or exactly when they came. We just know that one day...they came out of nowhere and took over our world.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT

The woods is dark and peaceful. Yet, very eerie. It's peaceful beauty comes from nature. The plants, trees, animals, and bugs that are inhabited here. But, of course, the atmosphere gives us the creepy vibe of something evil lurking around.

We PAN to --

EXT. WOODS - CLEARING - NIGHT

An empty and open CLEARING in the middle of the woods. Not a single living being is present. It's silent in this clearing, with the exception of the sounds of distant bugs and birds chirping in the night.

Then -- A HUMAN-LIKE FIST POPS OUT FROM UNDER THE GROUND.

The ground's hole expands as we witness this HUMANOID CREATURE crawl out of the hole. It is bald, pale white, with one black right eye and a chrome lense covering it's left eye. We cannot tell rather this is a person or an alien or some other worldly creature. But it looks human. It has the same facial features of a male human. But this creature is hairless and pale white. We will call this creature -- A SHAPER.

As this Shaper walks through the clearing, more Shapers come crawling out of the hole. Other Shapers punch through the surface from underground just like the first Shaper did.

Eventually, a LARGE HERD of SHAPERS is formed as they walk through the woods. All of the animals senses the danger and proceeds to run away in fear as these humanoid creatures invade their home.

EXT. CABIN PROPERTY - NIGHT

A two-story FAMILY CABIN stands in the middle of the woods. It is currently vacant and dark. A car drives up to the front of the cabin.

The occupants get out of the car. They are GREG and APRIL (both in their early 20s). Greg looks up at his family's cabin with flashes of memories hitting him all at once.

GREG: Still looks the same from the last time I was here.

APRIL: It looks very nice.

GREG: It is. I have a lot of memories of this place.

APRIL: Let's make some new ones.

April grabs her boyfriend's hand and pulls him towards the door. Greg pulls out the key to the cabin and unlocks the front door.

INT. CABIN - NIGHT

Greg opens the door to the dark cabin.

GREG: We're home!

APRIL: It's dark.

Greg switches on a light -- Revealing a BEAUTIFUL LIVING ROOM. It looks like a country-home with a luxurious family room, dining room, and a kitchen. A fireplace sits in the middle of the family room. The family room has three long narrow windows with a view to the backyard.

Greg smiles and turns to look around with his back to the windows.

GREG: What do you think?

With Greg turned away from the window, we suddenly see -- A WHITE FIGURE RACING PAST THE WINDOW. Greg turns to the window, narrowly missing the WHITE FIGURE. Unaware of it's presence.

APRIL: It's nice. I can't wait to see the rest of the cabin.

Greg gives April a tour of the cabin.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT

From outside, we see the lights on all over the cabin. It looks very much alive even with just two people occupying the cabin.

INT. CABIN - NIGHT

April is in the middle of cooking something on the stove. Greg is looking at the fireplace.

GREG: We need wood. My Dad never went out to bring wood in.

APRIL: You going to have to go out to get some?

GREG: Looks like it. But it's the woods...we've got plenty. I'll be back.

APRIL: Be careful out there.

GREG: I will, Babe.

Greg walks out the door.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT

Greg walks away from the front door and moves to the side of the cabin where there is a small open shed that has a tools shelf. Greg finds an axe and takes it.

GREG: Dad's faithful axe.

Greg looks at the axe with memories of his father using it. Now it's his turn to use it for fire wood.

Greg runs far from the cabin, but within eyesight, as not to be too close but not too far from it.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT

Greg walks into the woods. He proceeds to cut up tree branches and twigs and collects them.

MYSTERIOUS POV.

Someone from the distance sees Greg cutting away at the trees. Greg is unaware of this person's presence.

The Unknown Person starts quietly walking towards Greg, who has his back facing the person.

BACK TO GREG

Greg has set aside some branches that he's cut up and has counted them.

GREG: This should do.

Greg goes to grab his axe. But -- THE AXE IS GONE.

GREG: What the hell?

Greg spins around, looking for the axe.

GREG'S POV.

Greg looks around the area for his axe without much success. Then -- A SHAPER stands before him. The Shaper raises the axe up. Greg can only gasps and look in horror. He doesn't have time to react before -- THE AXE PLUNGES DOWN TO HIS FACE.

CUT TO:

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT

We can hear the sounds of April cooking from our view outside the cabin.

INT. CABIN - NIGHT

April is stirring pasta sauce with seasonings. She is totally unaware of what just happened outside in the woods.

The front door opens. We see white feet stepping into the cabin.

April doesn't turn around to see the intruder, believing it to be her boyfriend.

APRIL: That was quick. Did you get enough?

There is no responds. The Shaper slowly approaches April from behind.

APRIL: Greg?

Still no responds. She begins to turn around.

APRIL: What are you...

April finds herself face to face with the SHAPER. She SCREAMS. She attempts to run from the intruder. But the Shaper grabs her and violently throws her to the floor.

APRIL: (panicking) Please, don't hurt me!

The Shaper turns to see a KNIFE BLOCK. He grabs a BUTCHER KNIFE. April panics even more over this.

APRIL: NO! NO! NO! PLEASE!

The Shaper leans down over April and raises the knife up.

APRIL: (screaming) NOOOOOOOO!

The Shaper swings the knife down into April's chest. He (assuming that it's a MALE) proceeds to stab April multiple times.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT

The front door is wide open. While it seems like someone is home inside the cabin, there is no sound inside. Suddenly -- The SHAPER walks out. He is now wearing Greg's clothes and a BLACK TRENCH COAT. He has the knife that he used to murder April with still in his hands.

The Shaper walks away from Greg's family cabin and into the woods.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT

The Shaper rejoins a herd of Shapers. They walk over DEAD BODIES of people who were either living or strolling around the woods tonight. The massacre of the humans have just begun.

The Shapers are wearing the clothing of their victims, evidence by the fact that many of their clothing has their blood and holes from their fatal wounds. The herd walks further and further into the woods.

EXT. WOODS/CITY - NIGHT

The herd walks out of the woods and finds themselves at the edge of a cliff that has a view of a LARGE CITY ahead. The Shapers stare at the city lights, sensing life in front of them. Life that they must destroy.

Deaths

 * Greg - Axed in the face by a Shaper
 * April - Stabbed multiple times in the chest by a Shaper.
 * Multiple unnamed people in the woods - Killed by various Shapers.

Trivia

 * The first appearance of the story's main antagonists The Shapers.
 * The first chapter to feature deaths.
 * The first chapter where Clay Foster narrates the story. Clay does NOT physically appear in this chapter.