Day 4 of 30

LULLABY

Panel 1 Interior, a wooden cabin. Light pours in through an open window. Bill is loading a break action shotgun. He's in his forties, with balding hair, a thick beard and dark circles under his eyes. His clothes are rumpled and stained with sweat.

CAPTION Some things you wish never happened. I wish you'd never been bitten. That's regret.

Panel 2 Close-up on the gun as Bill closes the action. We can see that this is a gun that's been well used.

CAPTION Some things you don't want to do before you do them. I don't want to put you out of your misery.

Panel 3 Close-up on Bill's face as he wipes the back of his hand across his nose. There is sadness in his eyes.

CAPTION That's doubt.

Panel 4 Bill walks across an icy field toward the barn. The snow makes the scene look at once serene and dead. Bills back is to us, his shoulders slumped under the weight of what he's about to do.

CAPTION You were the best Buddy: loving, fearless, and sweet. You weren't here nearly long enough and now it's time to put you to sleep.

Panel 5. Bill aims his the shotgun at the thing in the barn: his three year old son Bill JR (Buddy). The boy is a zombie and is feeding on the remains of a rat. Buddy's back is to Bill and he is looking directly at the reader. The barrel of the gun is pointed directly at the back of Buddy's head but Bill's face is turned away.

CAPTION Goodnight son.