More forays into the wonderful world of graphic novel writing! This is an idea a good friend of mine and I cooked up. I’ve noticed more an more how much I visualize panels as I’m writing for graphic novels, but I’m never able to capture the full scope of the panel’s visual in words. I have a specific angle, depth, emotion in mind when writing and that, I think, is the hardest to convey. But it’s great practice in keeping my verbosity in check!
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INT. NEST – NIGHT
Panel One
Terri wakes up in a dim cavern, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark.
Panel Two
There are shapes on the ground, lumps of cloth roughly the size of human bodies.
Panel Three
Terri shakily gets to his feet, wincing as he puts pressure on his right arm. There is a limp hand protruding from the folds of a cloak nearby.
Panel Four
He staggers towards the wall, tripping over a human-shaped lump that collapses inward. He looks back at it and starts.
Panel Five
It is a man’s face, twisted into a painful scream. His features are charred, the corroded flesh clinging to the bone. The partially exposed jaw reveals an elongated and bloody canine tooth.
Panel Six
FLASH–The man’s face is burning in front of him, the flesh curling back and parting like paper. It seems as though he’s burning from within.
Panel Seven
Enraged, the man lunges at Terri’s throat, its teeth piercing his neck as the creature’s skin continues to burn.
Panel Eight
FLASH–Terri shuffles back against the wall, his hand protectively reaching for his throat.
Panel Nine
His fingers run over the wound on his neck. It’s covered in dry blood and seems to be healing.
Panel Ten
Terri looks down a narrow passage leading out of the room, he gets to his feet, still pressing his palm to his throat.
Panel Eleven
He uses his left hand to steady himself on the wall as he walks, his right dangling nearly useless at his side.
Panel Twelve
Terri enters the heart of the underground, a huge cave of overlapping rock and stone.
Panel Thirteen
He walks to the edge of a chasm, peering down into the infinite depths of a cave that twists into passages and hollows. There are bodies everywhere, contorted as though they had died writhing in agony. There flesh is seared, some of their bones are crumbling into ash.
Panel Fourteen
At the center of the nest there is a spire cut from a large rock formation. At the top, is an alter carved with deep groves and trenches entwining around and down the spire, flowing like veins throughout the entire cave. Here and there, the blood gathers in dark pools. The whole thing seems to both ingenious and primal.
Panel Fifteen
FLASH–Terri is climbing the side of the spire, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen. Blood now flows down the spire, through the trenches, and out into the tunnels.
Panel Sixteen
Terri reaches up towards the next handhold, revealing rows of vials sown into the inside of his coat. The vials contain a glowing yellow liquid.
Panel Seventeen
As Terri pulls himself up the next ledge, his foot slips against the rocks and he hits against the wall.
Panel Eighteen
FLASH–Terri is leaning too far over the ledge and the rock crumbles beneath his feet, causing him to slide down the shallow slope.
Panel Nineteen
Terri falls into a dried up trench, his face landing in a small pool of blood.
Panel Twenty
Terri straightens in a panic, instinctively spitting the blood out of his mouth and wiping his face with his hands, though smears of blood remain.
Panel Twenty-One
Terri stops wiping his face as he sees a faint light coming from a nearby passage.
Panel Twenty-Two
Terri licks his lower lip nervously and steps over the bodies towards the light.
EXT – NEST – NIGHT
Panel One
Terri emerges from the cave, stumbling on the rocky slope. It’s still night, but the sky is tinged with a faint purple glow. Soon the sun will rise.
Panel Two
He looks at the city below him. It’s an abandoned ruin.
Panel Three
Terri glances down at the sleeve of his brown coat. There is a small hand-drawn emblem on a hastily stitched patch.
Panel Four
He moves to rubs his fingers through his hair, now matted by the blood, but winces and lets his right arm drop. He begins to walk down towards the city.
EXT – CITY STREETS – NIGHT
Panel One – Three
Terri walks slowly down the empty streets. Cars are abandoned or overturned, store windows are either smashed in or hastily boarded up.
Panel Four
There are bodies lying haphazardly in the alleyways, their gaunt faces drained of life and blood, their throats torn open as though by animals. A few rats gnaw on their fingers.
Panel Five
Exhausted, Terri reaches his destination: the city’s observatory. A single floor building, with a small dome at the center.
Panel Six
Terri turns away from the observatory, heading down the alley a few streets away.
Panel Seven
The alley is a dead end. There is graffiti scrawled in red paint on the wall next to him.
Panel Eight
Out of habit, he steals a glance around before bending down and lifting the heavy manhole cover awkwardly with his left hand, slipping into the sewer.
Panel Nine
The sky is a soft yellow glow.
INT- OBSERVATORY BASEMENT – DAY
Panel One
The observatory basement is dark. The tables have been pushed against the wall and covered with white sheets. There are chairs and stools in clusters. Some of the doors are barricaded. There are star charts and maps all over the walls.
Panel Two
Terri enters the room from a heavy metal door, sliding inside carefully.
Panel Three
He walks between the chairs and heads to the front of the room. There is a old poster of the solar system, the kind you would find in a high school lab. The emblem on his jacket sleeve is scrawled over top the sun with black permanent marker.
Panel Four
There is a clatter from another room above. Terri grabs a wooden stake from the table and heads for the stairwell door.
Panel Five
Terri emerges on the first floor. The sound is coming from the break room.
Panel Six
Terri grasps the stake tightly with his left hand as he slowly pushes the door open with his right, biting back a gasp of pain.
Panel Seven
A heavy wooden bolt flies at his head and he narrowly ducks to evade it.
Panel Eight
He brings the stake up towards his enemy, but his movement is awkward, and a hand shoots and grabs his left wrist.
Panel Nine
Terri is standing in front of a young boy. His brown hair is messy, his dark eyes focused and calm. He’s grasping Terri’s wrist tightly, holding a crossbow aloft in his other hand.
Panel Ten
Terri winces as the boy squeezes his wrist, but he doesn’t drop the stake.
TEAGAN
Whoa there boys. Let’s take it easy now.
Panel Eleven
An older punk girl, TEAGAN 26, walks from the back of the room, putting her stake into her belt next to a few daggers.
TEAGAN
We’re all on the same side.
Panel Twelve
The girl has blond streaks through her black hair which is tied in a messy bun at the back. She’s wearing baggy cargo pants and a snug t-shirt. There is blood splattered all over her cloths and a fresh scar on her lower lip. She grins at him.
TEAGAN
Hullo there Terri.
Panel Thirteen
The boy releases Terri, who jerks back.
TERRI
Teagan? Fuck, what are you two playing at?!
Panel Fourteen
The boy walks past him, pulling the wooden crossbow bolt from the door where it was stuck. Terri eyes him suspiciously.
Panel Fifteen
Teagan smiles broadly.
TEAGAN
Christ, I thought you were dead! How’d you make out?
Panel Sixteen
Terri rubs his head, sitting one of the plastic chairs.
TERRI
What?
Panel Seventeen
A mousy faced boy is sitting at the back of the room. His face is partially hidden in his hoodie.
DAVID
By the looks of him, my guess is not so good.
Panel Eighteen
TEAGAN
Don’t mind David. He’s an ass.
Panel Nineteen
DAVID, 23, shoots Teagan a disgusted and angry look, but says nothing.
Panel Nineteen
The pale boy walks past him and begins to reset his crossbow.
VINCE
Did you complete your objective?
Panel Twenty
Terri unconsciously rubs his neck.
TERRI
Yeah. Yeah, I did. How many more made it back?
Panel Twenty-One
TEAGAN
Near as I can tell, the five of us are the only ones.
Panel Twenty-Two
TERRI
Five of us?
GEN
Terri?
Panel Twenty-Three
Terri turns to see GEN, a 23-year old girl with brown curly hair tied back into a low pony tail.
TERRI
Gen?
Panel Twenty-Four
Terri stands up and she takes a step back.
GEN
Terri, I can explain. I just couldn’t sit around and…
Panel Twenty-Five
Terri quickly walks up to her and hugs her.