TREPANATION THEATRE
by
Lanny Maude
FADE IN:
Almost complete darkness. There is only a hint of some objects.
A dim overhead light comes on to show a number of PEOPLE who
were sitting in the dark. Each person has an electrical fixture
in their forehead. This is the trepanation theatre.
A SCIENTIST enters the room, pushing in some equipment on a
cart. There is a video monitor on top of the equipment. He
rolls it over to the first person and connects the equipment to
the first person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
Arkham, Massachusetts. It's a pleasant autumn day. It's cool,
but the sun is shining.
A big car sporting out-of-state license plates moves down the
street. It comes to a stop next to a park.
A beat.
The car continues on into the park. It cruises from parking lot
to parking lot, stopping briefly at each one. The car
eventually parks in one of the lots.
A BIKER on late-model Harley RUMBLES into the parking lot. He
parks on the other side of the lot, away from the car, then
climbs off of the bike. He's wearing a full-length leather
duster.
He turns and looks at the car, his eyes unreadable behind
sunglasses. The car glides back out of the parking lot. It
cruises around and locates another empty parking lot. The car
parks again.
A man climbs out from behind the steering wheel. He is TRAVIS
MELVILLE. He's in his mid-twenties, clean-shaven, neat. He's
wearing slacks, a button-down long-sleeve shirt, and a tie.
He closes his door, then opens the rear door.
ERIC DRAEGER gets out of the car. He's an older gentleman. He
doesn't move very quickly, but he's not shaky at all. He's
wearing a suit, complete with a hat and sunglasses.
He uses a walking stick, but doesn't put his weight on it as he
walks to one of the park benches where he sits. He looks
around, surveying his surroundings.
The words "Arkham City Park" FILTER INTO VIEW.
A beat.
The words "Adjacent to Miskatonic University, Massachusetts"
FILTER INTO VIEW.
A beat.
The words FADE AWAY.
Eric's attention centers on a young woman who is studying
underneath a tree. She is VICTORIA HULL, a student at
Miskatonic University. She's wearing jeans, an M.U. sweatshirt,
and comfortable shoes.
He focuses all of his attention on her.
ERIC (V.O.)
(hypnotically)
Follow me... Follow me... Follow me...
Victoria looks up from her studies. She sees Eric looking at
her. He doesn't look away. She looks back down to her book and
subconsciously rubs one of her temples.
ERIC (V.O.)
Follow me... Follow me... Follow me...
Victoria looks up again. She sees Eric walking back to his car.
She gathers up her books and slowly follows him.
By the time Eric reaches the car, Travis is standing there
holding the door open. Eric climbs in the back seat and Travis
remains at the door.
Victoria reaches the car. She doesn't acknowledge Travis as she
climbs in the back seat. Travis closes the door, opens his
door, and sits behind the steering wheel. He closes his door
before he starts the car and drives away.
INT. CAR - DAY
Eric turns to face Victoria. She's still in a psychic daze. He
puts the fingers of his left hand on her face.
ERIC
(whispers)
Sleep for now, my child.
Her eyes close slowly. She sleeps.
EXT. CAR - DAY
The car leaves the city streets to merge onto the expressway.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
A cookie-cutter house in a quiet neighborhood on the other side
of the country. It's morning.
Eric exits his back door carrying a bowl. Since he's home, he's
not wearing a suit. But his is wearing slacks, a long sleeve
button-down shirt, and a tie.
He walks to a small garden in his back yard where he picks some
of the plants and places them in the bowl. He returns to the
house with his cuttings.
INT. HOUSE, KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Eric enters the house and closes the back door. Travis is
standing at the counter cutting fruit. Eric puts the bowl of
garden cuttings in the refrigerator then moves to see how Travis
is doing with the preparations.
TRAVIS
Five minutes...
Eric nods. He heads over to a full-length cupboard. He opens
the door to reveal shallow shelves holding all kinds of kitchen
odds and ends. He pushes on the shelves and they swing back,
exposing a secret passage.
He climbs into the passage and closes the cupboard door behind
himself.
IN THE SECRET PASSAGE - CONTINUOUS
The passage is short, narrow, and dimly lit. Eric reaches the
door at the other end. He opens it and walks through.
IN THE SECRET ROOM - CONTINUOUS
It's a small, windowless room. There's a bed, a night stand, an
armoire, a couple of chairs, and a bookcase filled with books.
As far as prisons go, it looks pretty comfortable. There's a
door ajar on the other side of the room. Victoria is lying
asleep on the bed.
Eric closes the door through which he entered. He sits on the
edge of the bed and puts a hand on Victoria's shoulder. She
stirs, opens her eyes. She sees Eric and realizes that she's
not at home.
She jumps off of the bed, away from Eric. She's panicked.
VICTORIA
Where am I? Who are you?
Eric tries to calm her down. He uses his most soothing voice.
ERIC
Don't worry, my child. You're okay here.
VICTORIA
Why am I here? What is this place?
ERIC
You've been chosen, my child.
VICTORIA
Chosen? For what?
ERIC
Don't worry yourself. You'll learn soon.
VICTORIA
I want to call my parents.
ERIC
I can't let you do that. Not now.
VICTORIA
Why not now?
ERIC
In a few days, you'll be free to leave. At
that point, you may do what you wish.
VICTORIA
Why am I here?
ERIC
You'll learn soon, my child. You must trust
me. No harm will come to you.
VICTORIA
You kidnap me...and I'm supposed to trust
you?
ERIC
All will become clear in time. For now, you
have everything you need right here.
As he moves to the armoire, she moves around, keeping her
distance. He opens the armoire which is full of clothes.
ERIC
These should all fit you. Wear what you
like. They're yours now.
He moves to the other door and opens it.
ERIC
Here is your private bathroom. It's small,
but functional. I should tell you there's
no lock on the door, but you won't be
disturbed.
VICTORIA
(sarcastically)
That's comforting...
He moves to the bookcase.
ERIC
There's plenty to read.
VICTORIA
What if I don't like to read.
ERIC
Then you're going to get bored.
The door through which Eric entered opens and in comes Travis
carrying a breakfast tray. Victoria moves to stay away from
both Eric and Travis.
ERIC
My Dear, this is Travis. Travis...
(beat)
Oh, no. I'm afraid I haven't done very well
with the introductions. I'm Eric Draeger.
What's your name, my child?
She hesitates a moment. The whole situation is so strange.
VICTORIA
Vicky. Vicky Hull.
ERIC
Is Vicky short for Victoria?
VICTORIA
Uh huh. But nobody calls me Victoria--
Eric ignores her comment.
ERIC
Then you shall be Victoria. It's more
appropriate.
He signals to Travis who sets the tray on the bed then leaves.
ERIC
Your training will begin soon. You need to
get used to your surroundings first. You'll
learn better once you're calmer.
VICTORIA
Learn what?
He picks up the tray and advances toward her.
ERIC
Have some fruit. It's fresh.
She waits until he's close enough, then explodes into action.
She grabs his face with her fingernails. He's startled and
drops the tray. She tears the skin on his face and jabs her
knee into his groin.
She jumps back, expecting him to crumple onto the floor, but he
just stands there with a slightly pained look on his face. He
pulls out a handkerchief and dabs at the blood on his face.
ERIC (V.O.)
Bring the restraints, Travis.
He puts away the handkerchief.
ERIC
I was hoping this wouldn't be necessary, but
I'm glad to see you have some spirit.
Travis enters the room carrying restraints. Victoria cowers
away, but Travis grabs her and throws her onto the bed. She
struggles, but he's much stronger and straps her down so she's
spread-eagled on her back on the bed.
ERIC
I'll come back to speak with you some more
once you've calmed a bit.
He turns to Travis, indicates the overturned tray.
ERIC
You better clean this mess. I'm tired. I'm
going to lie down.
TRAVIS
Yes, Mr. Draeger.
Eric leaves. Travis commences cleaning. While cleaning, he
keeps casting glances at Victoria. He gets all of the breakfast
bits on the tray and leaves.
IN THE KITCHEN - DAY
Travis dumps the breakfast bits into the sink. He sighs and
looks out of the window over the sink. He moves to the cabinet
next to the secret one and opens it. There's a video monitor
inside. He flips the power switch.
The monitor slowly comes to life, displaying the secret room.
Victoria is spread-eagled on the bed, crying to herself. He
watches for a few seconds before he turns off the monitor and
closes the door.
He walks back to the sink, but he turns and looks at the cabinet
door that leads to the secret room.
He makes up his mind. He leaves the kitchen.
IN ERIC'S ROOM - DAY
Eric's room is sparsely furnished. The most obvious feature is
the heavy drapes that cut out most of the light from outside.
The door quietly opens a little. Travis peeks in to see Eric
sleeping on top of the covers. The door quietly closes.
IN THE SECRET ROOM - DAY
Victoria sobs softly. Her eyes are closed. She feels a
presence in the room so she opens he eyes to see Travis standing
beside the bed. She freezes.
TRAVIS
You need to be taught a lesson. And I'm the
one that's going to teach it.
He grabs the end of her sweatshirt at her waist and pulls it up
high enough to reveal her bra. She starts to SCREAM, but he
stuffs a wad of sweatshirt into her mouth. He holds a fist in
front of her terrified eyes.
TRAVIS
If you make one more sound, so help me, I'll
pound you beyond all recognition. Do you
understand me.
All she can do is nod slightly.
He runs a finger between her breasts and down her belly. She
closes her eyes and WHIMPERS.
VICTORIA (V.O.)
Somebody help me... Somebody please help
me...
He unfastens her jeans so that just the top of her panties is
visible. He moves his hand gently back and forth across her
exposed skin.
He moves down to the top of her panties and traces a line up to
where the sweatshirt is bunched on her chest. He uses both
hands now to touch the swells of her breasts just above her bra
cups.
She's suddenly QUIET. She's stopped whimpering. He looks at
her face which is looking past his. He turns to see Eric
standing there, furious.
Eric grabs Travis by the throat and pulls him off of Victoria.
ERIC
This is how you repay me?
Travis may be strong, but Eric is stronger...by far. He crushes
Travis' throat with one hand. Travis is using one hand to try
to pull Eric's hand away and the other hand to attack Eric.
Eric easily fends off the attack.
He digs his fingers in until he draws blood. Then he keeps
digging. Victoria watches in fascinated horror. He releases
Travis when Travis stops struggling. He turns to her and pulls
her sweatshirt back down.
Victoria is on the edge of tears.
VICTORIA
I think I'm going to be sick...
Eric releases her restraints and she rushes into the bathroom.
He goes to the door where he can hear her RETCHING.
ERIC
Take a warm shower and put on some clean
clothes. You'll feel better.
IN THE BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Victoria is hugging the porcelain, waiting for the next wave of
nausea to pass.
IN THE SECRET ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Eric surveys the damage. He walks to the exit and opens the
door. He returns to Travis' body. He lifts the body with a
little effort and carries it out of the room.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
The secret room has been tidied up. The restraints are gone,
the bed is made. A new outfit is laid out on the bed.
Victoria comes out of the bathroom. She has a towel wrapped
around her body and her hair is still wet. She looks around the
room, seeing that Eric was busy while she was in the shower.
She sits on the edge of the bed and CRIES softly.
IN THE KITCHEN - NIGHT
Eric is preparing dinner for Victoria. He takes the bowl of
garden clippings out of the refrigerator and sets it on the
counter. He puts some of the clippings onto a cutting board
where he chops them finely.
He sprinkles the clippings over some steamed vegetables that
have been arranged on a plate with a piece of meat. He turns
his attention to a saucepan on the stove. He stirs the dark,
gravy sauce.
He stops stirring to pick up a knife from the counter. He cuts
his left wrist and allows a little bit of blood to flow into the
sauce. He stirs the sauce to thoroughly mix in the blood.
Once he's satisfied with the sauce, he licks the wound on his
wrist and clamps his right hand over it. He meanwhile uses his
left hand to pour some wine from an already opened bottle into a
wine glass.
He sets down the bottle and inspects the wound on his wrist.
It's no longer bleeding. He returns to his preparations. He
uses a spoon to dribble the sauce over the meat on the plate.
He puts the plate, the glass of wine, and a glass crystal
container of clear oil on a serving tray.
IN THE SECRET ROOM - NIGHT
Victoria is sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book. Eric
enters the room carrying the tray. She looks up at him.
ERIC
If you don't mind, there's a TV tray in the
armoire.
She gets the TV tray and sets it up. He sets the serving tray
on the TV tray. He picks up the crystal oil bottle to show her.
ERIC
You must bathe once a day. When you do, add
a few drops of this to the water. It's
extracted from very rare herbs that I grow
in my back yard.
He goes into the bathroom. When he returns, he's no longer
carrying the oil.
VICTORIA
Why am I here?
Very calm. No more panic.
ERIC
You're here to learn, my child.
VICTORIA
Learn what?
ERIC
You'll learn that as well.
She's not satisfied with that answer.
VICTORIA
You're determined not to give me any
information, aren't you?
ERIC
I've already told you. In a few days,
you'll be free to leave.
VICTORIA
How many more rape attempts will I have to
endure?
ERIC
I'm sorry for that unfortunate incident with
Travis. Nothing like that will happen
again, I assure you.
He decides to change the subject.
ERIC
What are you reading?
She holds up the book that she's been absent-mindedly holding.
VICTORIA
Dracula. I though it was appropriate
considering part of the story concerns
someone who is kept a prisoner in a strange
place.
ERIC
I must say, you are an intelligent young
lady.
VICTORIA
Yeah, just not intelligent enough to keep
from being kidnapped.
She turns her attention to the bookcase.
VICTORIA
You appear to have a weak spot for vampires.
ERIC
I enjoy reading what people write about
them.
VICTORIA
You talk about them as if they were real.
ERIC
Well, that's because they are, my child.
She looks at him in disbelief.
ERIC
That's what you'll be learning: the
difference between myth and reality.
VICTORIA
It sound like you may need a little help
there, yourself.
ERIC
I'm entirely serious.
VICTORIA
This isn't one of those Buffy things, is it?
Am I supposed to become some kind of vampire
hunter?
ERIC
Hardly. That's myth as well. You eat your
dinner before it gets cold. We'll continue
this discussion in the morning.
He leaves without waiting for a reply.
She decides she might as well eat some dinner. She sits. She
spears a steamed carrot and eats it. She discovers just how
hungry she is. She cuts a piece of meat and eats that. She
tastes the wine. All delicious.
SERIES OF SHOTS
A) IN THE SECRET ROOM, Eric teaches Victoria about vampires and
sunshine.
ERIC
Vampires can stand sunshine. It's just
uncomfortable. If a vampire goes out during
the day, he'll wear clothing that covers
most of his skin.
She looks bored...like she couldn't care less about what he's
telling her.
ERIC
He'll also wear dark glasses.
B) IN THE SECRET ROOM, he teaches her about vampires and holy
relics. She's wearing different clothes.
ERIC
Vampires are undaunted by crucifixes and
holy water. They are only objects.
Vampires aren't inherently evil. Some
vampires are very religious. Some are good,
some are bad like anyone else.
This time, at least she's paying attention.
C) IN THE SECRET ROOM, he teaches her about vampires and wooden
stakes. Again, she's wearing different clothes.
ERIC
Vampires can be killed by a wooden stake...
or any other kind of stake, for that matter.
Anything that causes extensive damage can
kill a vampire, but minor wounds will heal
very quickly.
VICTORIA
What about silver bullets?
ERIC
You're confusing vampires with werewolves,
but yes, silver bullets will kill a vampire,
as long as it's a critical hit. If it's not
critical, it just hurts.
She shows genuine curiosity.
VICTORIA
How do you know?
ERIC
Trust me. It hurts.
D) IN THE SECRET ROOM, he teaches her about vampires and blood.
She's wearing yet another outfit.
ERIC
Vampires drink blood, but from willing
participants. The whole Goth thing has made
it a lot easier with all of the wanna-be
vampires running around.
VICTORIA
What about food? Do they eat?
ERIC
Fresh fruit is nice. Red meat is tasty, but
it's hard to digest. To put it simply, they
eat whatever they like.
E) IN THE SECRET ROOM, he teaches her about vampires and
mirrors. She's still managing to find new clothes.
ERIC
Vampires have reflections, just like anyone
else. They also breathe. They have to
breathe...they're not dead.
VICTORIA
What about undead?
ERIC
No. When a vampire dies, he's dead, just
like anyone else.
F) IN THE SECRET ROOM, he teaches her about vampires and
coffins. Another day, another outfit.
ERIC
Vampires do not sleep in coffins. They
sleep in beds. Like I said before, this
whole business about vampires being undead
is wrong. Vampires aren't undead, they just
live longer than other people.
VICTORIA
How long?
ERIC
Generally between 200 and 400 years.
VICTORIA
How old are you?
A beat.
ERIC
I became a vampire in 1614.
VICTORIA
What do you mean by "became" a vampire?
A beat.
ERIC
You'll learn about that later.
INT. HOUSE, SECRET ROOM - NIGHT
Victoria is sleeping. Eric quietly enters the room. He walks
to the side of the bed and looks down at Victoria. He touches
her hair then lightly strokes her cheek. He reaches down and
gently raises her upper lip.
Her canine teeth are slightly elongated into fangs. He slips
back out of the room.
IN THE KITCHEN - NIGHT
Eric is sitting at the kitchen table. He has a stack of papers
and a lock-box sitting on the table. There's an assortment of
papers in the box. He writes on a sheet of paper with a
fountain pen.
He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a ring with a few keys on
it, and drops the ring into the box. He sets the note which
he's finished writing on top of the other papers in the box and
closes the box lid.
IN THE SECRET ROOM - DAY
Victoria is up. Eric enters the room. He leaves the door open.
VICTORIA
What, no breakfast today?
ERIC
No. Today, you get something special.
He removes his tie and unbuttons a few buttons of his shirt.
Victoria thinks this is going to be another rape attempt. She
starts to shrink away from him.
VICTORIA
No...
He pulls his collar to the side and quickly cuts his throat with
his fingernail.
Victoria GASPS, but then she sees the blood. Her new instincts
take over. She grabs Eric and starts feeding on him. She
follows him down as he sinks to the floor.
He doesn't fight back as she continues to feed. She eventually
rocks back with her eyes shut and her head back. She revels in
the feeling...until she finally realizes what she's just done.
She looks down at Eric. He looks back at her.
VICTORIA
What have I done?
ERIC
(softly)
The box, my child...
VICTORIA
Box?
ERIC
In the kitchen,...
VICTORIA
What's happ--
ERIC
...my child...
He closes his eyes and dies. She lightly touches his face. She
then looks at the wound on his throat.
She stands suddenly, touches a hand to the blood on her lips.
She looks at the blood on her fingers and realizes what she's
just done.
She runs into the bathroom.
IN THE KITCHEN - DAY
Victoria enters the kitchen through the open door to the secret
passage. She has cleaned the blood from her face and hands.
She sees the box and a bowl on the kitchen table and sits down.
She opens the box, looks in a moment before pulling out the top
sheet of paper, Eric's hand-written note. She reads the note.
ERIC (V.O.)
Victoria. I hope this explains a few things
for you. You still have a lot to learn, but
you'll have to learn most of it on your own.
Some of these documents will help you.
She looks into the box briefly then returns to the note.
ERIC (V.O.)
To put it simply, you are now a vampire.
You may take my place, if you like. What
you do now is up to you. There is a
certified check in the envelope made out to
you.
She pulls an envelope out of the box and pulls the check out to
look at it. Her eyes grow wide. She reads more of the note.
ERIC (V.O.)
It's what is left of my local bank account.
In the box, you'll also find the numbers for
some Swiss accounts. It's all yours. I've
also signed my house and car over to you.
She looks in the box and pulls out a key ring. She goes back to
the note.
ERIC (V.O.)
When we grow bored, tired of living, we look
for a successor...a child. You have been
reborn a vampire. In that, I am your
father. Regrettably, the parent must die in
order for the child to live. The biggest
problem is that I don't get to see you "grow
up." In the bowl, you'll find some herbs.
She pulls the bowl closer so that she can look inside. It
contains chopped herbs like what Eric prepared the other
morning. She reads some more of the note.
ERIC (V.O.)
You'll find more of these herbs in what is
now your garden. They will help you to live
a long, healthy life. Sprinkle it on your
food and bathe in the oil. Be sure to read
all of what I have left for you. There's a
locked cabinet on my dresser in my bedroom.
She looks at the key ring again. On it, there's a small brass
key. She reads the last part of the note.
ERIC (V.O.)
In it there's a journal. It will help you
to learn. Unfortunately, I couldn't teach
you everything in person, but at least now
you will understand why I called you "my
child."
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
The New Fowler Sanitarium. It's a beautiful, quiet day. The
sun is shining and the sky is blue. The birds are singing,
letting everyone know that they're enjoying the day as well.
INT. SANITARIUM, HALLWAY - DAY
Inside, the sanitarium is clean... antiseptic. A row of doors
lines one wall, each door with a small covered opening set high.
The hallway takes a turn up ahead.
Around the corner up ahead, a door opens out of sight.
FREEMAN (O.S.)
(frantic)
...no... I don't belong here. I shouldn't
be here.
PETER FREEMAN comes around the corner, escorted by an ATTENDANT.
Freeman is identifiable as the one in the straight jacket. He
has socks on his feet, no shoes, and his hair is tousled. He
has a wild look in his eyes.
The attendant is a house. He's big. He's nearly as wide as he
is tall.
He's leading Freeman by one arm.
FREEMAN
...I'm ready to go home now. Listen, it's
just nerves, that's all...
They come to a stop at one of the doors. The attendant pulls a
key from his pocket. He unlocks and opens the door.
He continues to totally ignore Freeman.
FREEMAN
...just loosen off the jacket--No! Wait!
Just loosen the straps a little. That'll
work...
The attendant shoves him into the room. Freeman trips and falls
to the floor. He struggles to get his feet underneath himself.
The attendant watches for a few seconds before he closes the
door.
FREEMAN (O.S.)
I'm not crazy!
The attendant locks the door before he heads back the way he
came.
IN FREEMAN'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The room is small, about eight feet by eight feet. The floor,
walls, and door are padded. The room is empty except for
Freeman.
He manages to maneuver himself into a sitting position. He
yells toward the door.
FREEMAN
I'm not crazy!
His repetition is more to himself.
FREEMAN
I'm not crazy...
He scoots over to a wall so he can lean against it.
FREEMAN
...I'm not crazy...
He finally looks around the room. He can't understand why he's
there.
He hears the sound of a key in the door lock.
The door opens and in walks DR. JANICE GREENWOOD. Freeman just
looks at her.
GREENWOOD
Hello, Peter. I'm Dr. Greenwood.
Freeman continues to watch in silence while the attendant brings
two chairs into the room.
The attendant leaves and closes the door.
GREENWOOD
How are you, Peter?
FREEMAN
Listen, Doc... I don't belong here. I'm
not crazy.
She walks to him.
GREENWOOD
I didn't say you were.
(helps him up)
Let me help you into this chair.
She makes sure that he is safely in the chair before she moves
the other chair around and sits to face him.
FREEMAN
What do you want from me?
GREENWOOD
I'm here to talk to you... to sort out a few
details.
FREEMAN
Why should I talk to you?
GREENWOOD
Because the sooner we get this cleared up,
the sooner we can get you on your way.
FREEMAN
I tell you what happened, then you'll let me
go?
GREENWOOD
I'll see what I can do for you.
FREEMAN
Okay, that's fair.
She pulls a note pad and a pen out of a pocket. She opens the
pad and prepares to write.
GREENWOOD
Why don't you tell me what led up to your
being here.
Freeman thinks for a moment.
FREEMAN
I'd say the whole thing began when I started
at Henderson.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HENDERSON UNIVERSITY - DAY
Henderson University. It's a typical university. Students are
lounging around the commons, walking to or from class, trying to
make time with the opposite sex.
EXT. WHITEHALL HOUSE - DAY
A big, old house.
Freeman is standing in front of the house. There's a beat-up
suitcase sitting on the sidewalk next to him. He's reading the
address on a sheet of paper in his hand.
He looks up at the house.
FREEMAN
Wow! This is some place.
He grabs his suitcase and makes his way to the front door where
he sets his suitcase down on the porch.
He makes one last comparison between the address on the front of
the house and the address on the paper he's carrying, then rings
the doorbell.
The door opens and ERIC WHITEHALL stands in the doorway. He's
an older man, a former professor at the university.
WHITEHALL
May I help you?
FREEMAN
Are you Professor Whitehall?
WHITEHALL
Yes...
Freeman extends his hand toward Whitehall.
FREEMAN
I'm Peter Freeman. The school sent me.
WHITEHALL
Oh, yes...
He shakes Freeman's hand.
WHITEHALL
They called to let me know you'd be coming.
He moves back out of the doorway.
WHITEHALL
Please come in.
FREEMAN
Thanks.
He grabs his suitcase and heads into the house.
INT. WHITEHALL HOUSE, ENTRY - CONTINUOUS
Freeman stops just inside the door. He looks at the new
surroundings. It's a comfortable-looking home. Nothing too
fancy.
Whitehall closes the door.
FREEMAN
Nice place.
WHITEHALL
Thank you.
FREEMAN
You live here by yourself?
WHITEHALL
Yes, ever since my wife passed away a few
years ago.
Freeman isn't sure what to say.
FREEMAN
Oh...
WHITEHALL
Let me show you to your room.
He leads Freeman deeper into the house.
IN THE DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Whitehall and Freeman are sitting at the table. There's an
empty pizza box on the table. They've just finished eating.
WHITEHALL
I must admit, the pizza was a good idea. I
haven't had a pizza delivered in a long
time.
FREEMAN
You can never go wrong with pizza.
WHITEHALL
So, Peter, what's your major going to be?
FREEMAN
I haven't decided yet. I figured I'd start
with the general ed. stuff. That'll give me
a chance to see what's available.
WHITEHALL
That's a good idea. You don't want to get
stuck doing something you don't enjoy.
FREEMAN
Did you know what you wanted to do when you
started school?
WHITEHALL
Oh my, yes. I always wanted to be a
teacher. After I retired from Henderson, I
started substituting. I can't seem to get
enough.
INT. HENDERSON UNIVERSITY, CHEMISTRY LAB - DAY
Rows of tables with various bits and pieces of glassware:
beakers, test tubes, flasks, etc. Students are working on their
experiments. They're all wearing safety goggles.
Whitehall is wandering between the rows, making sure that
everyone's doing okay.
ANNA, on the other side of the lab, raises her hand.
ANNA
Professor Whitehall... can you take a look
at this?
WHITEHALL
Yes, of course.
He heads over to Anna
He looks at Anna's experiment. The chemicals in the flask
appear to be reacting violently.
ANNA
Is it supposed to do that?
WHITEHALL
Oh, dear! Get away from it!
He pushes the students back and turns around to look at the
beaker again just as the beaker explodes.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
Whitehall's bedroom. The room is not too large, but it's very
neat. There is a collection of pictures of Mrs. Whitehall on
top of the dresser. It's night and the room is not brightly
lit.
Whitehall is sitting up in bed. Freeman is sitting in a chair
beside the bed.
There are red areas on Whitehall's face from the chemical burns.
He has a patch over his left eye.
WHITEHALL
I was close enough that the concussion
knocked me out.
FREEMAN
Was anyone else hurt?
WHITEHALL
No, thank goodness. I would feel awful if
any of the students were hurt.
FREEMAN
So what's the deal with the eye?
WHITEHALL
Some of the chemical splashed directly into
my eye.
He touches the patch.
WHITEHALL
The doctor said I have to wear this to give
my eye a chance to heal.
FREEMAN
Do you think it'll be okay?
WHITEHALL
I don't know, Peter.
(a beat)
I have to hope so.
IN THE DINING ROOM - DAY
Freeman is sitting at the table, studying for a test. He's got
a variety of books and notes scattered in front of himself. He
is taking additional notes on a pad of paper.
He hears the front door open. He turns toward the room
entrance, anxious. He hears the front door close.
A few seconds pass and Whitehall appears in the entrance. He's
still wearing an eye patch.
FREEMAN
(relieved)
Hey, Professor. Good to see you.
Whitehall seems quiet, reserved. His uncovered eye is evasive.
WHITEHALL
Hello, Peter.
He enters the room and has a seat at the table. He looks more
at the books and papers than he does at Freeman.
FREEMAN
I was starting to worry. You're usually
home before now.
WHITEHALL
I went to see the doctor today. He was
running a little late.
FREEMAN
What's wrong.
WHITEHALL
He was taking another look at my eye.
FREEMAN
Oh yeah? What did he say?
(a beat)
Professor?
Whitehall turns to look directly at Freeman.
WHITEHALL
I guess I better get used to seeing things
in only two dimensions.
FREEMAN
No! They can't do anything?
WHITEHALL
I'm afraid not.
(a beat)
I'm also afraid I hadn't truly prepared
myself for this. I though my eye would
heal.
FREEMAN
I'm really sorry, Professor. If there's
anything I can do--
WHITEHALL
Yes, Peter. Thank you. It will just take
some time, that's all.
Freeman tries to lighten things up a bit.
FREEMAN
Tell you what... pizza's on me tonight.
Whitehall stands.
WHITEHALL
No, thank you, Peter. I think I'll just go
to my room for now. I'll see you tomorrow.
Freeman doesn't know what to do.
FREEMAN
Okay...
He attempts to resume his studies, but he's finding it hard to
concentrate after hearing the news about Whitehall's eye.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
Whitehall's dining room at night. Freeman's head is down on the
table where he was studying. He's sleeping, but the sound of a
bottle clinking in the kitchen wakes him up. He stands,
stretches, heads for the kitchen.
IN THE KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Whitehall, in his pajamas, is rooting around in the fridge for a
late-night snack. Freeman enters the kitchen and sees Whitehall
in the fridge.
FREEMAN
Hey, Prof.
Whitehall is surprised, he didn't hear Freeman enter. He spins
around to face Freeman.
Freeman sees Whitehall without the eye patch for the first time
since the accident. Whitehall's left eye is pale blue and
filmy. This freaks out Freeman.
FREEMAN
Ahhh!
Hearing Freeman yell causes Whitehall to yell back.
WHITEHALL
Ahhh!
They both realize that they're yelling at each other and stop.
They look at each other: Whitehall a little puzzled, Freeman a
little terrified.
FREEMAN
Professor... your eye!
Whitehall self-consciously covers his left eye with his hand.
WHITEHALL
I'm sorry, Peter. I should've worn my
patch. I didn't expect to run into you.
Freeman is thoroughly disgusted by the eye.
FREEMAN
It looks awful.
Whitehall is a little hurt.
WHITEHALL
I don't think it's that bad. It just looks
a little different and I can't really see
with it.
FREEMAN
It looks like a vulture eye, or something.
Whitehall is getting worked up now.
WHITEHALL
Come now. I don't think that's--
He makes an effort to calm himself down.
WHITEHALL
We can talk in the morning.
He leaves. Freeman just watches him go.
IN FREEMAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The room lights are off, but there's enough illumination from
the window to see the pile of books and papers on the small
desk. There are some clothes scattered on the floor.
Freeman is not having a good night's sleep. He's tossing and
turning.
INT. HENDERSON UNIVERSITY, CLASSROOM - DAY - DREAM SEQUENCE
Freeman is sitting at his desk with his eyes closed. He
suddenly opens his eyes. He looks around to find himself
sitting alone in the back row. Since it's a dream, he's wearing
only his shorts.
All of the other students are busy copying notes from the board
in the front of the class. The PROFESSOR is writing copiously
on the board.
Freeman attempts to find out what's happening. He taps the
shoulder of a MALE STUDENT in the next row. The male student
turns around.
MALE STUDENT
(whispers)
What?
He has a patch over his left eye. This startles Freeman who
makes a frightened noise as he tries unsuccessfully to scoot his
chair back.
The noise is noticed by a FEMALE STUDENT in the next row. She
turns around to complain. She's also wearing a patch over her
left eye.
FEMALE STUDENT
(whispers)
Be quiet.
Freeman lets out a yelp. The professor turns around, revealing
that he is wearing an eye patch as well. He looks up at the
students... at Freeman.
PROFESSOR
Is there a problem, Mr. Freeman?
All of the students turn to look at Freeman. Every one of them
is wearing an eye patch over their left eye. Freeman is
stunned.
PROFESSOR
Mr. Freeman...
Freeman ignores the professor. He reaches for the female
student in front of him. She sits still as he pulls off her eye
patch, revealing a pale blue, filmy eye.
He jumps back and notices that none of the students or the
professor is wearing an eye patch. They all look at Freeman
with one good eye and one vulture eye each.
Freeman screams.
INT. WHITEHALL HOUSE, FREEMAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - BACK TO
PRESENT
Freeman sits up in bed with his dream scream echoing in his
mind.
IN FREEMAN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT
The light flicks on and Freeman rushes to the sink. He briefly
looks at his face in the mirror. He looks scared.
He turns on the tap so he can splash some cool water in his
face. He turns off the tap, dries his face, then looks in the
mirror again.
He looks closely at his eyes.
IN THE DINING ROOM - DAY
Whitehall is sitting at the table, eating his breakfast.
Freeman walks by, almost ignoring Whitehall.
WHITEHALL
Peter, won't you join me for breakfast?
FREEMAN
Can't professor. Lot to do at school.
He keeps right on moving.
Whitehall shakes his head slightly, unsure of what to do.
IN FREEMAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
It's dark in the room. The shape on the bed is tossing and
turning. Freeman suddenly sits upright in bed.
He has a frightened look on his face, which is covered with
sweat. He turns quickly to look at the wall that separates
Whitehall's and his bedrooms.
FREEMAN (V.O.)
It's looking at me. Right through the wall,
it's looking at me!
He jumps out of bed and rushes to his desk, where he pulls a
small, powerful flashlight out of the pencil cup.
He leaves his room.
OUTSIDE WHITEHALL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Freeman creeps in front of Whitehall's closed door. He stands
there with his back to the door, clutching his flashlight to his
chest.
He makes the effort to calm himself, to slow his breathing.
IN WHITEHALL'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Whitehall is sleeping quietly. He fell asleep while reading so
his reading lamp is on. There's a hardback book resting on his
stomach.
The door opens very slowly, just a crack. It creaks a little.
Freeman sees the light from the lamp so he lowers his
flashlight. He peeks through the crack to see the eye.
The eye is closed.
Freeman pulls back and the door closes slowly, creaking
slightly.
OUTSIDE WHITEHALL'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Freeman breaths a sigh of relief. He returns to his room,
satisfied that the evil eye is not spying on him.
IN FREEMAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Freeman sets the flashlight on his desk and returns to bed. He
settles in to get back to sleep.
IN WHITEHALL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Whitehall shifts, which causes the book to slide off of him and
fall to the floor with a thump.
IN FREEMAN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Freeman is startled awake by the noise.
IN WHITEHALL'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
The noise woke Whitehall as well. He rolls over the pick up the
book from the floor. He puts the book on the night stand and
turns off his lamp.
IN FREEMAN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Freeman stares at the wall, wide eyed, as he listens to the
noises made by Whitehall.
The noises stop, but Freeman is agitated. He gets up again and
grabs his flashlight before leaving his room.
IN WHITEHALL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Whitehall has just drifted back to sleep.
The door opens slowly, making that slight creaking sound.
Since Whitehall is not sleeping deeply yet, the sound of the
door wakes him. He opens his eyes and stares into the darkness,
not sure if he heard something.
Suddenly, Freeman turns on his flashlight. The beam of light
falls directly on Whitehall's bad eye.
WHITEHALL
(frightened)
Who is it? What do you want?
Freeman doesn't reply. He looks at the eye until something
finally snaps in his brain.
He flings the door open and runs to the bed yelling.
Whitehall responds by yelling as well. He's terrified.
Freeman reaches the bed, grabs a pillow, and crushes it into
Whitehall's face.
Whitehall struggles, but he's overpowered by Freeman. Freeman
keeps pressure on the pillow until Whitehall stops moving.
Freeman pulls the pillow away and looks at the now-dead body of
Whitehall. He looks around the room nervously.
IN THE GARAGE - NIGHT
The light goes on, illuminating a garage full of odds and ends
and miscellaneous junk. There's also a tool bench.
Freeman walks to the tool bench where he selects a saw. He
leaves.
The light goes off.
IN THE BATHROOM - NIGHT
Freeman is leaning over the bathtub, sawing away.
LATER
Freeman lifts a piece of arm out of the bathtub and puts it into
a trash bag.
EXT. WHITEHALL HOUSE - DAY
It's early morning. No real daytime activity is happening yet.
Freeman steps out of the house, carrying a trash bag. He
carries it to a trash can. He's about to drop the bag in the
can when he hears a noise.
He looks around to see a dog rooting through an overturned trash
can. This changes his mind about throwing away the bits of
Whitehall.
He returns to the house.
INT. WHITEHALL HOUSE, GARAGE - DAY
The light goes on. Freeman enters and takes a ladder. The
light goes off.
IN THE HALLWAY - DAY
The ladder has been set up underneath the attic access panel.
The panel is open and Freeman's upper half is out of sight in
the attic.
There is pile of trash bags at the base of the ladder.
Freeman climbs down the ladder. He grabs one of the trash bags
and heads back up the ladder.
IN THE DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Freeman is doing his homework. The phone rings. He looks up
for a few seconds before he returns to his studies, ignoring the
ringing phone.
INT. HENDERSON UNIVERSITY, CLASSROOM - DAY
Freeman is sitting in class, taking notes as the professor
writes on the board.
INT. WHITEHALL HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The phone rings. There's nobody there to answer.
IN THE DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Freeman is studying some more.
The doorbell rings.
Freeman hesitates, but eventually gets up and heads for the
door.
EXT. WHITEHALL HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Two MEN wearing suits are standing at the front door. One of
them rings the doorbell.
Freeman opens the door.
MASTERS
Good evening. Is Professor Whitehall home?
FREEMAN
No, he's not here right now.
MASTERS
I'm Inspector Masters.
He turns to indicate the other man.
MASTERS
This is my partner, Inspector Granger.
He turns back to face Freeman.
GRANGER
Hello.
Freeman is a little nervous.
FREEMAN
Hi...
MASTERS
Are you Peter Freeman?
FREEMAN
(unsure)
Yes...
MASTERS
May we come in? We'd like to speak with you
for a moment.
A beat.
FREEMAN
Okay...
He stands back, opening the door the rest of the way.
INT. WHITEHALL HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Freeman and the two inspectors enter the room. Freeman gestures
toward the couch.
FREEMAN
Have a seat.
MASTERS
Thank you.
The inspectors sit on the couch.
Freeman takes a seat in a chair.
MASTERS
We're trying to locate Professor Whitehall.
His niece has been unable to contact him,
and he has missed classes that he was
supposed to be teaching.
GRANGER
Do you know where he is?
FREEMAN
No. I haven't seen him in a while.
GRANGER
He didn't say where he was going?
Freeman is starting to sweat.
FREEMAN
No, he didn't.
GRANGER
Does he usually leave like this.
FREEMAN
Now that you mention it, it does seem kind
of strange.
He is getting more and more uncomfortable. He tries to change
the subject.
FREEMAN
Would either of you like something to drink?
Water, iced tea, soda?
GRANGER
No, thank you.
MASTERS
Yes, iced tea would be nice.
Granger looks at Masters briefly, surprised.
FREEMAN
Okay. I'll be right back.
He leaves.
Masters turns to Granger.
MASTERS
He knows something. Have you noticed the
way he's sweating.
GRANGER
He does seem nervous.
MASTERS
We'll keep him talking... see if we can get
something out of him.
Granger nods assent.
Freeman enters carrying a glass of iced tea. He hands the glass
to Masters.
FREEMAN
Here you go.
MASTERS
Thank you.
He doesn't take a drink, but sets the glass on a coaster on the
coffee table instead.
Freeman sits down again.
MASTERS
Has Professor Whitehall ever discussed
places he goes.
Freeman is obviously agitated.
FREEMAN
No. We pretty much keep to ourselves.
He suddenly hears the sound of a heartbeat. He turns around to
look.
The inspectors are puzzled.
GRANGER
Mr. Freeman?
Freeman turns back. He doesn't say anything.
GRANGER
Are you alright?
A beat.
FREEMAN
I though I heard something.
He still hears the heartbeat.
FREEMAN
You don't hear anything?
MASTERS
No. What does it sound like?
Freeman hesitates. The sound is so obvious to him. Why can't
they hear it?
FREEMAN (V.O.)
They must hear it. They're playing with me.
He has to say something.
FREEMAN
It must just be the house settling.
GRANGER
Do you still hear it?
Freeman lies.
FREEMAN
No...
The phantom heartbeat is getting louder.
FREEMAN (V.O.)
How can they not hear it?
He stands.
FREEMAN
Will you excuse me a moment?
MASTERS
Certainly.
Freeman leaves.
IN THE GARAGE - DAY
The lights come on. Freeman rushes in, grabs the ladder, and
leaves.
IN THE LIVING ROOM - DAY
GRANGER
I think we should take him down to the
station.
MASTERS
Yeah. You've seen how he's acting. We can
probably crack him easily there.
They hear a muffled voice.
FREEMAN (O.S.)
Be quiet.
The voice is followed by a THUMP.
MASTERS
Did you hear that?
GRANGER
Yes.
They hear it again.
FREEMAN (O.S.)
Be quiet.
THUMP.
The inspectors quickly leave to investigate. The come around
the corner and
IN THE HALLWAY
Freeman is kneeling on the floor at the base of the ladder. In
front of him is a torn open trash bag containing Whitehall's
torso. He hears the heart continuing to beat inside of his
head.
Freeman has snapped. He's speaking to the torso, completely
unaware that the inspectors are standing there.
FREEMAN
Be quiet.
He then slugs the torso over the heart in an attempt to silence
the phantom heartbeat.
THUMP.
The dead pile of flesh bounces a little with the impact.
Freeman still hears the heartbeat.
FREEMAN
Be quiet.
THUMP.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. SANITARIUM, FREEMAN'S ROOM - DAY
Freeman is finishing his story. Greenwood is taking notes.
FREEMAN
I was just studying too hard. It wore my
nerves down.
A beat.
FREEMAN
Is it my fault his stupid heart wouldn't
stop beating? Huh?
Greenwood stops writing. She closes her note pad and returns
the pad and her pen to a pocket.
GREENWOOD
Okay, Peter. I think I've got enough.
FREEMAN
So I can go now?
GREENWOOD
No, not quite yet. We still need to work
out a few more things.
She stands and knocks on the door.
FREEMAN
How much longer will I have to stay here?
The door opens. The attendant enters and lifts Freeman to his
feet.
GREENWOOD
I can't say. I don't know yet.
The attendant takes both chairs out of the room.
FREEMAN
But soon, right?
GREENWOOD
I told you I'd see what I can do for you.
IN THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Greenwood exits Freeman's room.
FREEMAN
Just remember. It was only nerves. I'm all
better now. I'm not crazy.
GREENWOOD
Goodbye, Peter. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
The attendant closes the door. Greenwood and the attendant walk
down the hall. Freeman's muffled voice follows them.
FREEMAN (O.S.)
I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
EXT. WOODED AREA - NIGHT
Two FIGURES are running through the woods. It's a chase.
Neither figure can be seen clearly.
DIRK STRANGER is doing the chasing and he doesn't seem to be
catching up with the figure being chased. Stranger is carrying
a gun.
The figure being chased breaks through the trees as he gets to
the top of a hill. The moon is big and full. He stops and
looks up as if mesmerized.
Stranger sees him silhouetted against the moon. The outline
looks like a wild-haired madman.
Stranger uses the opportunity to take a shot.
BANG!
The shot connects.
Stranger advances on the downed figure to make sure it was a
good hit. He moves into the light of the moon.
Stranger is tall and clean-shaven, but the most obvious features
are sunglasses and a full-length leather duster.
He catches up to his prey and looks down.
A WEREWOLF is writhing on the ground clutching a leg wound.
STRANGER
Werewolf? More like weredog.
The werewolf snarls at Stranger.
Stranger puts the werewolf out of its misery with a single shot
from his short-barreled revolver.
STRANGER
Silver bullets may be expensive, but they're
worth their weight in gold.
Stranger tucks his gun away. He pulls out a business card and
flips it down on the dead werewolf before he turns away and
walks off into the woods.
INSERT - THE BUSINESS CARD, which reads:
"Dirk Stranger
Unusual Investigations, Ltd."
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. WOODED AREA - DAY
Stranger is sleeping on the ground. He's wrapped up in an old
army blanket. His late-model Harley-Davidson is beside him.
His duster is draped over the bike.
He wakes, then he sits up and looks around, admiring the
beautiful surroundings. He peels off his blanket and tucks it
into one of the bike's saddlebags. His gun is attached to the
back of his belt.
He puts on his duster then pulls his sunglasses out of one of
the pockets and puts them on. He climbs on the bike, fires it
up, and rides off.
EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY
Stranger is cruising down the road.
LATER
It's getting dark. Stranger is still riding, still wearing his
sunglasses.
EXT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
JANA KRANE peeks around the corner and sees that there isn't
anyone on the street. She's wearing dirty coveralls. She looks
like she's been having a rough day.
She goes to the warehouse door and finds it locked. The wood is
old though, so she is able to open the door with a solid push
with her shoulder. She enters the warehouse.
INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Krane closes the door behind her. The only lighting is
moonlight and streetlights coming through the dirty windows and
the cracks in the wood. There are some old empty crates in the
warehouse and some scattered trash.
She finds a fairly clean crate in the back and climbs in and
goes to sleep.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. UNUSUAL INVESTIGATIONS, RECEPTION - DAY
The reception room is a small, unremarkable room with an
entrance and two doors leading to two offices.
SHIRLEY STONE, the receptionist, is sitting at her desk. She is
reminiscent of a 1940's hard-boiled detective's secretary.
JOHN THOMAS, Stranger's partner, is sitting on the edge of
Stone's desk. He is a nerdy kind of guy who is absolutely
smitten with Stone. He is trying to talk Stone into going out
with him.
THOMAS
It's perfect weather for a nice walk in the
park. In fact...
Stranger comes in the entrance. Thomas stops talking. He and
Stone look at Stranger
STRANGER
Morning guys.
STONE
(simultaneous)
Morning Dirk.
THOMAS
(simultaneous)
Morning Dirk.
STRANGER
John, I finished up that werewolf case, but
I haven't gotten anywhere on tracking down
where those zombies are coming from. Do you
have time to take that one?
THOMAS
Sure. I got some new ideas on that one already.
STRANGER
Let me know if you need some help.
(to Stone)
You get him yet?
STONE
Yeah, he's in your office.
STRANGER
Thanks.
Stranger and Thomas head for their respective offices. Stranger
opens his door and goes in.
IN STRANGER'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
There is a desk, a few chairs, a file cabinet, and a shelf full
of odds and ends from various cases. The odds and ends are
essentially trophies. There is a partially filled bottle of
vodka on the desk.
There is an ALIEN sitting in a chair in front of the desk. It's
a big-head, large-dark-eyes version of an alien. Stranger
enters and closes the door. He sits behind his desk. The alien
just watches as Stranger comes in and sits.
Stranger picks a file off of his desk and looks at it.
STRANGER
Okay...
He reads some more.
STRANGER
Darth Vader?
He looks at the alien with disbelief.
STRANGER
Can't you pick a more original name than
that?
The alien just looks back at him. Stranger puts the file down
and leans across his desk.
STRANGER
Look, if you guys want to keep coming to
Earth, you're going to have to do a better
job of concealing yourselves.
Stranger removes his glasses and rubs his eyes
STRANGER
I know what I'm talking about.
Stranger looks hard at the alien.
STRANGER
I'm not from around here, myself.
Stranger's eyes are completely black...even the scleras. He
returns his glasses to his face.
STRANGER
If we can catch you, it's only a matter of
time before someone else can.
(beat)
And they might not be as friendly as we are
here.
The alien stares silently at him for a moment.
STRANGER
I know, but if someone from the government
catches you, they're gonna chop you up into
little bits to see what makes you tick.
The alien again stares silently at him for a moment.
STRANGER
Okay, okay, don't get so excited. Just be
more careful next time. Now get out of
here. Telepathy gives me a headache.
The alien stands and walks to the door.
Stranger is looking through some papers on his desk. He doesn't
look up.
STRANGER
Say hi to Mrs. Vader for me.
The alien looks at him for a few seconds. He still hasn't
looked up. The alien flips him off then leaves the room.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
A car is slowly cruising along the street. It is being driven
by ERIC who is looking for some companionship this evening. The
car pulls to the curb next to a HOOKER. The hooker's name is
VICKI. Eric rolls down the window.
ERIC
Hi, there.
VICKI
Hi, yourself.
ERIC
I could use some company tonight.
Vicki walks over to the car and leans down on the window sill.
She is dressed relatively nicely for a hooker. The way she is
leaning on the car, he gets a good cleavage shot.
VICKI
You do look kind of lonely.
ERIC
Come on in. I'll tell you all about it.
VICKI
You're not a cop, are you?
ERIC
Just a guy. You?
VICKI
Just a girl.
ERIC
Get in.
VICKY
Okay.
She gets into the car. The car drives off.
EXT. PARK - NIGHT
It is a pleasant evening outside. Krane is crouching on a tree
branch almost like a gargoyle. One of the park trails passes
under the branch. Eric and Vicki are walking down the trail,
looking for a private place.
When they pass under the tree, Krane drops on them. She hits
Vicki, knocking her to the ground, and she grabs Eric by the
throat and rips it open. He falls to the ground, trying in vain
to hold his throat together.
Krane follows to drink his blood. In his struggles, he hooks
Krane's bracelet and it flies off of her wrist without her
realizing it. She drinks enough to keep her going. As Eric is
dying, she goes to Vicki and drags her into the bushes.
Krane comes back for Eric, who is now dead, and drags him into
the bushes next to Vicki. She starts to remove Vicki's clothes,
and Vicki stirs a little. Krane quickly twists Vicki's head to
break her neck.
Krane soon escapes into the night wearing Vicki's clothes.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Stranger is eating breakfast and reading a newspaper.
The headline reads "PROMINENT BUSINESSMAN MISSING."
Stranger pulls out a cell phone and dials a number.
EXT. PARK - DAY
Stranger pulls up and parks his bike. There are a couple of
OFFICERS discussing something. Stranger walks over to where all
of the activity is taking place. The officers look up as he
approaches.
Officer 1 greets Stranger.
OFFICER 1
Hey, Dirk. How's it going?
STRANGER
Not bad. You guys?
OFFICER 2
See for yourself.
Officer 2 points to the bodies of Eric and Vicki. Stranger goes
to the bodies, which have been covered.
He looks under Vicki's cover first, noticing the angle of the
head and the bruising on her neck. He lifts the cover to take a
brief look at her body. He turns to the officers and points to
the bruise on Vicki's neck.
STRANGER
Any other marks?
OFFICER 1
No. Just the broken neck as far as we can
tell.
Stranger puts the cover back in place and moves to lift the
cover off of Eric.
He investigates Eric's throat with a clinical detachment. He
looks closely at the wound to try to determine the cause. He
stands to move to the other side of Eric to continue his
examination.
He finally stands up after replacing the cover and walks to the
officers.
STRANGER
Anything else?
OFFICER 2
Not that we've been able to find.
STRANGER
Mind if I look around?
OFFICER 2
Help yourself.
Stranger wanders around the crime scene. He notices a small
reflection in the grass a little way away from the bodies. He
walks over to investigate. Krane's bracelet is sitting in the
grass.
He looks around to see if he is being watched. He can see no
one watching so he pulls a bandana from his pocket, grabs the
bracelet, and stashes it.
INT. UNUSUAL INVESTIGATIONS, STRANGER'S OFFICE - DAY
Stranger is sitting at his desk. He is finished talking on the
phone.
STRANGER
Don't worry. I'll call you later.
He hangs up the phone and goes back to his paperwork. Stone
knocks on the open door and enters.
STONE
Here's a copy of the police report and the
coroner's preliminary findings.
She hands a folder to him.
STRANGER
Thanks.
He takes the folder, opens it, and starts reading. She leaves
the room.
A moment later, Thomas knocks and enters the room.
THOMAS
Hey, Dirk. Shirley said she gave you some
stuff on that dead couple.
He sits.
STRANGER
Yeah. Listen to this...
He excerpts from the reports.
STRANGER
It looks as if the guy was attacked by a
wild animal, but there is only one wound.
No other marks on his body.
He flips up a page.
STRANGER
The woman was a hooker. Her neck was broken
and she had a concussion. All of her
clothes are missing.
He looks up at Thomas.
STRANGER
They still haven't located her clothes.
He goes back to the reports.
STRANGER
It also says here that she was not sexually
assaulted.
Thomas chuckles.
THOMAS
How could they tell? She was a hooker.
STRANGER
Apparently, this was her first trick of the
night.
Thomas thinks about it for a second. He speaks almost to
himself.
THOMAS
And her last.
Stranger looks back up.
STRANGER
They don't have a clue.
THOMAS
How about you? Any ideas?
STRANGER
Not really. Not yet.
A beat.
STRANGER
It wasn't robbery because the guy's wallet
was still in his pocket.
A beat.
STRANGER
Well, I guess you could call it a robbery
since the woman's clothes were stolen.
Although I can't imagine someone getting
killed for their clothes.
THOMAS
Did she have a purse?
STRANGER
It was in the guy's car. This is all just
too odd to be something normal.
Thomas stands.
THOMAS
Wow, good luck. It sounds like you got a
tough one here.
STRANGER
Yeah. All I have is a description of the
woman's missing clothes.
THOMAS
Good luck.
STRANGER
Thanks. I'll catch you later.
THOMAS
Later.
He leaves the room.
Stranger picks up the bracelet that is sitting on his desk. He
studies it briefly before returning to the reports.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Krane is walking down the street, wearing the clothes that she
stole from Vicki.
A car pulls over and BOB lowers the window. He leans over
toward Krane. He is assuming that she is a hooker.
Why not? She's certainly dressed like one.
Stranger rides around the corner. He sees Krane speaking with
Bob and recognizes the clothes from the description he was
given. He parks his bike so he can talk to Krane.
He walks toward her.
STRANGER
Excuse me, miss?
Krane looks up at Stranger. She doesn't know who he is but she
suddenly breaks into a run.
STRANGER
Wait! I just want to talk to you!
She keeps running. Bob drives away. He's had enough. Stranger
grudgingly chases after Krane who just turned a corner.
EXT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Stranger turns the corner. He doesn't see anything, but he
hears the warehouse door squeak a little bit.
He cautiously pushes the door open and enters the warehouse.
As soon as he gets inside the door, Krane whacks him in the head
with a baseball bat.
CUT TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY
Stranger is sitting up with his head down. He slowly rubs his
head where the bat hit him. He eventually feels well enough to
stand carefully, steadying himself before searching the
warehouse.
He finds the coveralls. A patch on the outfit says "Eastside
Cemetery."
EXT. EASTSIDE CEMETERY - DAY
Stranger rides in and parks. He gets off the bike and takes a
look around. This is one old cemetery. He's not sure where to
start. His eyes fall on Mount Eastside a couple of miles away.
He grabs his binoculars from a saddlebag.
He checks out the mount using the binoculars. He sees nothing
unusual until he gets to the top. There is a giant white cross
on the peak of the mount, and Krane is scrambling over a rock
next to the cross.
He gets on his bike to make his way to the mount.
EXT. MOUNT EASTSIDE, BASE - DAY
By the time he gets there and checks out the mount with his
binoculars, he sees no sign of Krane. He secures his bike and
starts up the mount the check things out up close.
EXT. MOUNT EASTSIDE, PEAK - DAY
Stranger makes his way to the cross on the peak. He finds a
cluster of rocks under which is a relatively secluded space. He
climbs between the rocks into the space to find some blankets
and clothes.
He has found Krane's lair. He quickly searches for weapons or
anything else useful, but there isn't anything. He climbs back
out and plans his strategy. He locates a good place to hide and
await Krane's return. He settles in and waits.
LATER
It's now night and Stranger is still waiting. It's getting cold
so he wraps his coat more tightly around himself.
He hears a noise above him so he goes for his gun. He realizes
he has no good access to his gun so he unwraps the coat long
enough to pull his gun out of its holster.
He looks around for what caused the noise but finds nothing. He
settles back, sets the gun on the rock next to him, and makes
himself comfortable.
LATER
It's morning now. Krane returns to find Stranger sleeping. She
sneaks closer until she is right above him.
KRANE
HEY!
He is startled awake. He turns to look above and she kicks him
in the face. He is thrown over the edge of the rock where he
was sitting. He manages to catch the edge before going down.
He desperately tries to reach his gun, but she jumps down onto
the ledge where he was sitting, and she stomps on his hand. He
lets out a yell of pain.
KRANE
You're making this way too easy.
She kicks him in the face again. He looses his grip on the
edge. His yell on the way down is more of frustration than
anything else. The yell stops. She looks over the edge and
sees him sprawled out at the base of the rock 40 feet below.
She climbs back up and around to get to his landing point. It
takes her a few minutes to get there. By the time she does, he
is not there. She looks up the rock and he is about halfway up.
KRANE
NO!
He continues climbing even though he is in pain. She starts
climbing after him. Bloodied and bruised, he gets a hand over
the top to pull himself up. She has almost reached him. He
gets into a seated position at the top of the rock.
She is confident enough in her victory that she decides to tease
him.
KRANE
I can't wait to find out what your blood
tastes like.
She grabs one of his legs at the same time that he grabs his gun
that was sitting on the top of the rock.
She pulls herself up on his leg and he points his gun right at
her face as she looks up, her fangs at full extension in
anticipation.
She looks at the gun and realizes she has lost. She opens her
mouth wide, fully exposing her fangs, and lets out a yell. He
hesitates a few seconds then puts a bullet through her forehead.
Her grip on his leg relaxes, but her other hand is still jammed
in the crack she was using to climb the rock. She hangs, dead,
on the face of the rock.
Her blood runs down her back from the hole in the back of her
head.
Stranger sits back, exhausted.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. UNUSUAL INVESTIGATIONS, STRANGER'S OFFICE - DAY
Stranger is sitting at his desk, looking through some papers.
One of his hands is bandaged and there are some healing injuries
on his face. His door is open.
He hears the outer office door open and close. He hears Stone
talking to someone, but he's not paying enough attention to make
out any of the words. He then hears the door open and close
again.
Stone appears in his doorway holding a box.
STONE
This was just delivered.
She brings it in and hands it to him.
STRANGER
Thanks.
She leaves the room.
He opens the box. He digs into the packing material and pulls a
skull out of the box. It has fangs and a ragged bullet hole in
the forehead.
He sets the skull on his trophy shelf then steps back to admire
it. He looks at it a moment before turning and opening one of
his desk drawers.
He pulls out Krane's bracelet and places it on the shelf next to
the skull.
ZOOM IN:
The skull and the bracelet on the shelf.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
CU on a hand. It's a bit weathered, but not too old. The
fingernails are dirty.
SERIES OF SHOTS
A) The hand pulls a piece of charcoal out of the fireplace and
starts to draw on a wooden surface. It draws straight lines,
curves, shapes. The entire design never quite comes into view.
B) The hand is joined by its companion. The pair of hands uses
a variety of woodworking tools to cut the drawn pattern into the
wood. The entire design is still a mystery.
C) The hands have completed carving. They're now painting. The
hands are dressing up the carving with color. One color here,
another color there. All without seeing the entire design.
D) The hands spread a rug across the pattern, obscuring it from
view.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
Inside a cottage in the French countryside in the 16th century.
HENRI DE VALOIS is separating out some bundles of herbs. He's a
farmer who also fancies himself an artist.
He sets the herbs next to a bowl, a cup of water, and a knife on
a low table. The table is next to the same rug that was last
seen covering the design on the floor.
He moves to a corner where there is a canvas propped on an
easel. The canvas is covered with rough charcoal lines.
He reaches into a hiding place behind the easel to pull out a
book. He takes to book to the table and sets it beside the
other items.
Certain that he is ready, Henri whips back the rug to finally
fully expose his work. It is a very intricate and colorful
pentagram in a circle. There are other shapes scattered all
over the pentagram.
He places the book, herbs, knife, cup, and bowl within the
design in their specifically designated locations. With all of
his props in place, he kneels in the pentagram.
He opens the book to a marked page. He holds out his hands with
his palms facing up and begins an incantation.
HENRI SUBTITLE
L'esprit de la terre, Spirit of earth, come to
venez à moi! me!
He picks up some herbs and breaks some into the bowl. He then
returns the herbs to their place in the pentagram and raises his
hands again.
HENRI SUBTITLE
L'esprit de l'air, venez à Spirit of air, come to
moi! me!
He repeats the part with the herbs and hands.
HENRI SUBTITLE
L'esprit du feu, venez à Spirit of fire, come to
moi! me!
Again, the bit with the herbs and hands.
HENRI SUBTITLE
L'esprit de l'eau, venez à Spirit of water, come to
moi! me!
He picks up the cup and pours some water into the bowl.
HENRI SUBTITLE
Les esprits, acceptez Spirits, accept my
m'essence! essence!
He picks up the knife, cuts one of his palms, and bleeds into
the bowl. As the drops of blood fall into the bowl, smoke rises
from the bowl.
HENRI SUBTITLE
Saisissez ma mémoire! Seize my mind! Seize that
Saisissez ce qui est moi! which is me! Capture my
Capturez mon esprit si que spirit so that I may
je peux continuer avec continue with thee!
vous!
A thunderclap peals in the distance.
Henri closes his eyes and holds his position for a moment. He
eventually opens his eyes. He binds his hand to stop the
bleeding then rises and carries the bowl to the easel.
He returns for the book which he carefully stashes back into its
hiding place and pulls out a thin board to us as a pallet on
which to start mixing his paints.
He puts a small pile of dark green powder on the pallet. He
uses a short stick to form a depression in the center. He pours
a couple drops of oil into the depression then mixes it in,
creating his green paint.
He uses a small silver spoon to add some of the liquid from the
bowl into his green paint, then mixes it all together. He picks
out a brush and starts painting with his fluid enhanced paint.
LATER
There are a few colors on Henri's pallet. Henri mixes another
color. He goes through the same routine, adding oil to powder,
then liquid to paint. He uses a couple of the other paints
already on his pallet to compose the color.
LATER
Henri's painting is nearly complete. He's adding the finishing
touches. It is unremarkable in appearance.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
It's early morning in Henri's cottage. He is sleeping under a
thin blanket. His painting is sitting in the corner, covered by
a cloth.
The door suddenly bursts open as two MEN rush in to grab him.
He is understandably confused.
HENRI SUBTITLE
Qu'est-ce que se passe? What's happening?
The men don't answer. They just pull Henri to his feet.
HENRI SUBTITLE
Qu'est-ce qui est vous? Who are you?
He still gets the silent treatment.
HENRI SUBTITLE
Qu'est-ce que vous voulez What do you want with me?
avec moi?
The local BARON strides in through the door followed by his
LACKEY. The baron and Henri look at each other in silence for a
few seconds.
BARON SUBTITLE
Henri de Valois, tu as Henry of Valois, you have
accusés de sorcellerie. been accused of
witchcraft.
HENRI SUBTITLE
Non, c'est un mensonge! No, it's a lie!
The baron looks at Henri with confidence. Henri looks back with
fear in his eyes. The baron sweeps the rug aside with his boot,
exposing the pentagram. He looks back to Henri, who has lowered
his head in defeat.
BARON SUBTITLE
Enlevez-le. Take him away.
The guards drag Henri through the door. The baron looks around.
He notices the painting. He walks to it and whips back the
cloth covering. He stares at the painting for a moment, as if
mesmerized. He finally turns to his lackey.
BARON SUBTITLE
Prends à la maison. Take this home.
The lackey bows.
LACKEY SUBTITLE
Oui, mon seigneur. Yes, my lord.
The baron looks around a little more. He finally focuses on the
pentagram. He gestures to it.
BARON SUBTITLE
Et brûles ceci. And burn this.
The lackey bows again.
LACKEY SUBTITLE
Oui, mon seigneur. Yes, my lord.
The baron strides out through the door. The lackey looks at the
painting. ZOOM IN on the painting.
MATCH CUT TO:
CU of the painting. ZOOM OUT to reveal PHILIPPE and VERONIQUE,
a young couple, looking at some paintings in a small second-hand
shop. They are currently looking at an unframed seascape.
Philippe would rather be watching the game.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Je pense que celui-ci I think that one would
regarderait agréable dans look nice in the bedroom.
la chambre à coucher.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Ouais. Nous aurions Yeah. We'd need to find
besoin de trouver le cadre the right frame, though.
exact, bien que.
They move on to the next painting, a framed Japanese landscape.
Philippe doesn't care about the painting. He just wants to get
out of there.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Celui-ci a un cadre. This one's got a frame.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Non, je ne suis pas une No, I'm not a big fan of
grande fan du style the Japanese style.
japonais.
They move on to look at Henri's painting.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Elle n'est pas très It's not very impressive,
impressionnant, est cela? is it?
Philippe says nothing. He's just standing there, staring at the
painting. All he sees is the painting. All he hears is a
faint, ethereal sound. If he was paying attention to Veronique,
it looks as if she's speaking in slow motion without sound.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Philippe? Philip?
He continues to stare, so she smacks him in the shoulder.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Philippe! Philip!
He snaps out of it, not realizing what just happened.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Quoi? What?
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Tu dévisageais. You were staring.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
J'ai pensé que j'ai vu I thought I saw something
quelque chose dans le in it. Guess I was
tableau. Je crois que je mistaken.
mal comprendre.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Tu mal comprendre, aller You were mistaken,
bien. Ne penses pas à alright. Don't even think
même cela. about it.
She pulls him away. As they leave, he looks back over his
shoulder to look at the painting again. The door closes, the
shop is quiet.
Until Philippe rushes back in by himself. He goes to the
SHOPKEEPER.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Le tableau...celui-ci sur The painting...the one on
l'extrémité. the end.
He points to illustrate.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Vous l'avez mis à part Set it aside for me. I'll
pour moi. Je reviendrai come back later to get it.
plus décédé l'obtenir.
SHOPKEEPER SUBTITLE
D'accord... Okay...
He rushes back out before Veronique can get too suspicious. The
shopkeeper watches him with a "who was that masked man" look on
her face. ZOOM IN on the painting.
MATCH CUT TO:
CU of the painting. ZOOM OUT to reveal Philippe sitting in his
den at home, staring at the painting. He still hears that
ethereal sound when he looks at the painting. It's like an
other-worldly chorus in the background.
A door opens and closes in another part of the house.
VERONIQUE (O.S.) SUBTITLE
Philippe? Philip?
He doesn't respond.
IN THE KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Veronique sets a grocery bag on the counter. She tries calling
again.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Chéri? Honey?
IN THE DEN - CONTINUOUS
Philippe doesn't even hear Veronique. All he cares about right
now is the painting. Veronique's voice is a bit more insistent
this time.
VERONIQUE (O.S.) SUBTITLE
Philippe! Philip!
She looks in the den, sees Philippe.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Pourquoi tu ne m'as pas Why didn't you answer me?
répondu?
Philippe is lost in his own world. Veronique is a little
concerned.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Chéri? Honey?
She looks at him. He looks at the painting. She follows his
line of sight to see what is holding his attention so completely and
sees the painting. Her displeasure is obvious.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Qu'est-ce que cette chose What is that thing doing
fait ici? here?
He still doesn't even realize that she is in the room...until
she moves in front of the painting to face him directly. As
soon as she blocks his view, the ethereal sound stops.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Qu'est-ce que tu fais? What are you doing? Get
Sors! out of the way!
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Que parles-tu? Qu'est-ce What are you talking
qu'a tort avec tu? about? What's wrong with
you?
Philippe gets up and shoves Veronique aside.
PHILIPPE SUBTITLE
Sors, salope. Out of the way, woman.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Philippe! Philip!
He just sits back down and looks at his painting. Nothing else
matters now. Veronique tries to get his attention without
blocking his view of the painting.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Philippe! Parles à moi! Philip! Talk to me!
He continues to ignore her. She storms out of the den.
LATER
Philippe is sporting a couple days of beard growth. He is
drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. The painting has
become his life. Veronique enters the room.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
Je ne peux pas tolérer ce I can't take this anymore.
plus. J'abandonne. I'm leaving.
He shows the usual lack of response. Again she does the
unthinkable...she moves in front of the painting. Philippe
looks at her with daggers in his eyes.
VERONIQUE SUBTITLE
As-tu entendu ce que j'ai Did you hear what I said?
dit? J'abandonne. I'm leaving.
He stands and moves to his desk. He opens a drawer, pulls out a
gun, and shoots Veronique before she even has a chance to react.
She crumples at the foot of the painting. He calmly puts away
the gun before he returns to his painting.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
The second-hand shop. The painting is back on the wall. ROBERT
is staring at the painting. All there is for him is the
painting and that beautiful ethereal sound.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
A big-city office building at the end of the day. People are
just starting to go home.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
JENNIFER, a secretary, is preparing to leave. She's rather
ordinary, but leaning toward attractive. She's dressed
conservatively.
Her friend, TRISHA, stops by on her way out. Trisha is a little
younger, a little prettier, a little more outgoing.
TRISHA
Hey, Jenn. Want to go for a drink? Some of
the guys will be there.
Jennifer hesitates a moment, trying to come up with a good
excuse.
JENNIFER
No, I'm going right home. I have some stuff
I need to do.
TRISHA
Come on. You don't have to stay long.
JENNIFER
Maybe later.
(beat)
Maybe Friday.
TRISHA
(playfully)
Okay, party pooper. No excuses Friday. See
you tomorrow.
JENNIFER
Bye.
Trisha leaves. Jennifer shuts down her computer. She grabs her
purse and takes one last look at her desk to make sure that she
isn't forgetting anything. Satisfied that she's got everything,
she leaves as well.
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY
She walks to her little, plain car. She gets in and drives
away.
EXT. SUPERMARKET - DAY
She pulls into the parking lot. She parks then heads into the
store.
LATER
She exits the store with a couple bags of groceries. She loads
up her car and continues her trip home.
EXT. HOME - DAY
She makes it home. She gets her groceries and purse from the
car and heads inside.
INT. HOME, KITCHEN - DAY
She takes the groceries directly to the kitchen counter. She
sorts them and puts them in their proper locations. She leaves the kitchen.
IN THE BEDROOM - DAY
She kicks off her shoes and continues through the bedroom to the
bathroom.
IN THE BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
She turns on the water to fill the bathtub. She also squirts in
some bubble bath.
IN THE BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
She returns to the bedroom where she starts to undress.
IN THE BATHROOM - DAY
She soaks in her bubble bath. No worries, no cares.
IN THE LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
She enters carrying a steaming bowl of soup. All she's wearing
is panties and an oversize T-shirt. She curls up on the sofa
and clicks on the TV. Once she's satisfied with the channel,
she starts in on her soup.
IN THE BEDROOM - NIGHT
She climbs into her bed at the end of another exciting day.
Lights out.
EXT. SPACE - NIGHT
There is an alien ship hovering above Earth.
INT. SHIP, CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
It may be "night," but all of the lights are on in the ship.
Two ALIENS, Kranish and Varlac, are standing at a control panel,
watching a video screen. The aliens look completely human in
every way (except for their nifty alien outfits).
KRANISH
(points to screen)
This one. Right here.
Varlac looks to where Kranish is pointing.
VARLAC
Okay.
He moves to the small transporter. Kranish operates a couple of
controls.
KRANISH
Ready?
VARLAC
Do it.
Kranish operates another control and Varlac disappears from the
transporter.
INT. HOME, BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Varlac materializes. Jennifer is sleeping. He takes an aerosol
can from his belt which he sprays lightly over her. He is now
able to pick her up without waking her. He pushes a button on a
box on his belt.
INT. SHIP, CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
A light illuminates on the control panel. Kranish reaches for
the controls.
INT. HOME, BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Varlac and Jennifer disappear.
INT. SHIP, CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
They reappear in the transporter.
KRANISH
She called while you were gone. She wants
you to take the subject to the lab. She'll
meet you in the dressing room.
VARLAC
Okay.
He leaves carrying Jennifer while Kranish shuts down the
transporter.
IN THE LAB - NIGHT
Varlac sets down Jennifer on the lab table. He arranges her
arms and legs and straightens her T-shirt before quickly
leaving.
IN THE DRESSING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
RELLAFIN is in the process of putting on her costume. She is a
hard woman. She is the chief scientist in charge of the human
tracking experiment.
RELLAFIN
Hurry up. We don't have all night.
VARLAC
Yes, Doctor.
They both suit up. In their costumes, they appear to be large-
headed, black-eyed, gray aliens. They go through the hatch into
the lab.
IN THE LAB - CONTINUOUS
Rellafin and Varlac approach Jennifer on the table.
RELLAFIN
You take some samples. I'll get some
readings.
VARLAC
Yes, Doctor.
He takes hair, fingernail, and toenail samples while Rellafin
connects a few electrodes to Jennifer's body. Once the
connections are made, Rellafin examines Jennifer's head, hands,
and feet.
Rellafin finishes her examination and picks up a slender, clear
rod. The tip of the rod is glowing.
RELLAFIN
Flip her over and move her garments out of
the way.
Varlac obeys. As Rellafin prepares to insert the rod, Varlac
can no longer contain his curiosity.
VARLAC
Why do you guys always stick the tracking
device in there.
RELLAFIN
Because it's the last place that anybody
would look for one.
VARLAC
(softly)
Yeah, right...
Rellafin implants the tracking device. The intrusion is noticed
by Jennifer who fights for consciousness as Rellafin puts the
rod away. Varlac straightens Jennifer's clothing.
RELLAFIN
Turn her back over. We're done.
VARLAC
Yes, Doctor.
As he rolls Jennifer, she partially wakens. Her vision is
blurry. All she can see is that she's in some kind of a lab and
gray aliens are standing there. She starts to struggle, but
Varlac grabs a can of sleep spray and gives her a shot.
RELLAFIN
Unplug her and get her out of here. I'm
done.
VARLAC
Yes, Doctor.
Rellafin heads for the dressing room. Varlac starts shutting
down the equipment and disconnecting Jennifer.
IN THE CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Kranish enters followed by Varlac who is carrying Jennifer
again. Varlac heads straight for the transporter. Kranish
quickly preps the controls.
KRANISH
All set?
VARLAC
Do it.
INT. HOME, BEDROOM - NIGHT
Varlac and Jennifer appear. He slips her back into bed and
adjusts the covers before he activates his return button. After
a few seconds, he disappears from the bedroom. She rolls over
onto her side, still sleeping.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Jennifer is sitting at her desk, typing on the computer. Trisha
walks by.
JENNIFER
Trish. You won't believe the dream I had
last night. It was so real.
TRISHA
(suggestively)
Was it about Roger in marketing again?
JENNIFER
No, no... I dreamt I was abducted by
aliens.
She tries to illustrate with her hands.
JENNIFER
You know, the little gray guys with the big
heads.
Trisha looks on with skepticism.
JENNIFER
I was on a table... hooked up to some kind
of equipment.
TRISHA
Did you go drinking without me last night?
JENNIFER
No, I was home all night. But it was so
real.
She signals Trisha closer.
JENNIFER
(whispers)
They stuck something in my butt.
Trisha moves back a little.
TRISHA
Girl, you need to get a life.
JENNIFER
Do you think it could have really happened?
TRISHA
You mean were you really abducted by aliens?
JENNIFER
Yeah.
TRISHA
I think you need to stop watching those
science fiction movies before going to
sleep.
She leaves. Jennifer sits there with a far away look on her
face.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
A nightclub. Lights are flashing; music is blaring. Everyone
is having a good time.
In walks JOE. Joe is the average guy. He's not too old, not
too young. He's not unattractive. He just blends in to become
invisible.
He eyes the ladies as he walks to the bar. Nobody eyes him
back. He gets to the bar where he orders a beer from an
indifferent BARTENDER.
JOE
Beer.
The bartender sets an opened bottle in front of Joe.
BARTENDER
Three bucks.
Joe slaps a five onto the bar. The bartender takes the money
and Joe takes the beer. Joe turns to look at the crowd while
sipping the brew. The bartender puts Joe's change on the bar.
Joe spies ANNA and MARGARET sitting at a table, talking to each
other. He makes his way to the table. The women look up at him.
JOE
Good evening, ladies. My name's Joe. Would
either of you care to dance?
They look at him. They look at each other. They look back at
him.
ANNA
Sorry, Joe. We're just waiting for our
dates to show up.
MARGARET
Maybe some other time.
Anna kicks Margaret under the table. Margaret jumps only
slightly. They both smile up at Joe.
JOE
Okay. See ya.
He walks back to the bar. Anna and Margaret are clutching each
other, giggling.
Joe sees JULIE sitting at the bar. She's alone! He moves in
for the kill...or at least to try to strike up some
conversation. Julie senses a presence next to her. She turns
to see Joe standing there.
JOE
Hi. My name's Joe.
JULIE
Hi, Joe.
She turns around so that her back is to Joe. Joe is
discouraged. He moves away from Julie and sits at the bar,
close to the bartender.
JOE
What am I doing wrong?
The bartender shrugs. He also makes a mumbling noise. If Joe
were a dentist, he would have been able to decode the mumbling
as, "I don't know." A hand taps Joe on the shoulder.
VICTOR
Excuse me...
Joe turns to see VICTOR. Victor has pale skin contrasted by
dark hair and eyes.
VICTOR
I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but hear.
Joe is a little suspicious.
JOE
Yeah?
VICTOR
No luck with the ladies?
JOE
What's it to you?
VICTOR
I may be able to help.
He pulls out a business card and hands it to Joe. Joe looks at
the card, then back at Victor.
JOE
This is just an address.
VICTOR
Yes, but what you'll find at that address is
the best nightclub in town.
JOE
What makes it so good?
VICTOR
It has the most beautiful women. Much nicer
than here. And they're all so friendly.
JOE
What are you? Some kind of pimp?
Victor is not offended.
VICTOR
No. I just thought I might be able to help.
Joe finally lightens up.
JOE
Hey. Thanks, man.
VICTOR
Don't mention it. Just enjoy yourself.
Joe looks down at the card. Victor fades back into the crowd.
EXT. CLUB - NIGHT
The front door opens and out comes Joe. He goes to the parking
lot where he gets into his average car and drives off on his
average way.
EXT. NIGHTLIFE - NIGHT
This is a dark, industrial section of town. There is no
indication of any nightclub.
Joe pulls up and parks his car.
INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS
Joe looks at the address posted above a door. He compares it to
the card that Victor gave to him. It's hard to believe, but
this must be the place. Joe opens the car door.
EXT. NIGHTLIFE - CONTINUOUS
He climbs out of the car. He looks up and down the street in
disbelief. He looks at the card once again before deciding to
try. He closes the car door and heads for the address indicated
on the card.
As he gets close to the door, he notices the faint sound of
music. He reaches out to grab the door handle. He takes one
last look before pulling the door open.
INT. NIGHTLIFE - CONTINUOUS
Joe stands in the open doorway. He can't believe it. It is a
nightclub, just like Victor said. He just looks for a moment.
The lights are low. The music is energetic, but not
overpowering. And it full of people.
Joe walks in, the door closing behind him. He makes his way to
the bar. Many of the eyes in the club discreetly follow him as
he moves.
ERIC is tending the bar tonight. He moves to meet Joe as Joe
reaches the bar.
ERIC
Evening.
Eric already knows the answer to the next question.
ERIC
This your first visit to Nightlife?
JOE
Nightlife?
Eric indicates his surroundings.
ERIC
The club. It's called Nightlife.
JOE
No. I had no idea this was here.
He looks around.
JOE
There was no sign out front.
ERIC
As you can see, we do very well on word-of-
mouth. We also have a dedicated clientele.
JOE
Yeah, I guess...
ERIC
Since this is your first time, how about a
drink on the house?
Joe is astounded at the treatment that he is receiving.
JOE
Sure.
Eric sets a tall glass on the counter. He pours about an ounce
of bright green liquid into the glass. He then sets a wedge-
shaped perforated spoon, a plate of sugar tablets, and a carafe
of water onto the bar.
JOE
What's this?
ERIC
It's absinthe. It was very popular around
the turn of the century.
Joe indicates the paraphernalia in front of him.
JOE
What am I supposed to do with all this?
ERIC
Well...start by putting the spoon across the
top of the glass.
Joe places the spoon.
JOE
Like this?
ERIC
Yes, that's right. Now place one of the
sugar tablets on the spoon.
Joe follows the instructions.
ERIC
Now you very slowly pour the water over the
sugar cube so it dissolves into your drink.
Joe picks up the carafe.
JOE
It seems kind of complicated.
ERIC
Many of our patrons enjoy the ritual. Plus,
it lets one adjust the drink to his or her
taste.
JOE
How much water do I add?
ERIC
Till it's somewhere between an inch and
half-an-inch from the top.
Joe starts to drizzle the water onto the cube. As the sugary
water drips into the absinthe, the liquid turns cloudy.
JOE
Hey, is it supposed to do that?
ERIC
Yes. That's called the louche.
JOE
It kind of neat, isn't it?
ERIC
Yes, it is.
While Joe is occupied with his drink, he doesn't notice a dark
FIGURE approaching. The figure gets closer and comes into the
light.
Her name is LILLITH. She is similar to Victor in that she is
pale with dark eyes and hair. She is also wearing dark
lipstick.
Meanwhile, Joe sips his absinthe.
JOE
Hmmm...it tastes a little like licorice.
ERIC
It's anise, actually.
Joe takes another sip. He hasn't noticed Lillith yet, but Eric
has. Eric moves away.
LILLITH
Hello.
Joe is a little startled. He manages to disengage himself from
his drink without spilling it. He turns to look at Lillith.
Wow!
JOE
Hi...
LILLITH
My name's Lillith. What's yours?
JOE
Joe.
LILLITH
Mind if I join you?
Joe is amazed. No woman has ever come up to him like this.
JOE
Of course.
Lillith moves next to the bar.
JOE
Would you like something to drink?
LILLITH
I'll have an abs.
JOE
Excuse me...
LILLITH
An absinthe. What you're having.
Joe gets Eric's attention then points to his drink. Eric looks
at Lillith who looks back and taps a long, dark fingernail on
the bar a couple of times.
Eric sets another glass in front of Lillith, pours the absinthe,
and leaves a spoon.
Lillith sets up her drink and pours on the water. Joe is
mesmerized. Once she's finished preparing her drink, she takes
a sip.
Joe finally realizes that he's been staring. He looks away and
takes another sip of his drink.
LILLITH
So, Joe, how did you find this place?
JOE
I was in another club and a guy handed me a
card.
He shows her the card. She only glances at it. He sets it on
the bar.
LILLITH
You cruise the clubs often?
JOE
Well, I try to get out. Have some fun, you
know.
While Joe is talking, Eric quietly retrieves the card with the
address and leaves.
LILLITH
What's your idea if fun?
JOE
I like to have a few drinks, listen to some
music, maybe dance a little.
LILLITH
Would you like to dance?
Joe is taken by surprise. Having never gotten this far before,
he's into uncharted territory.
JOE
With you?
Lillith takes his response in stride.
LILLITH
I'm the one who asked.
Joe comes to his senses.
JOE
Sure. Of course.
The two move onto the dance floor. It's a slower number.
Lillith moves in close so Joe can put his arm around her. He
does so slowly, tentatively. He finally accepts that this is
really happening, so he hold her close.
As they dance, Lillith nuzzles up against Joe's neck.
The song eventually comes to an end, transitioning into
something different. Joe and Lillith stop dancing. Lillith
takes Joe's hand and leads him back to the bar. They sip their
drinks.
LILLITH
You want to go to my place with me?
Joe isn't sure he heard that correctly.
JOE
What?
LILLITH
Let's go to my place. It's more private.
Joe hesitates. He starts to get suspicious.
JOE
Don't take this wrong, but...
LILLITH
What?
JOE
Are you a hooker?
A smile slowly spreads across Lillith's face.
LILLITH
No, of course not.
JOE
Then why are you doing this? Are you
playing some kind of game?
Lillith tries to calm him.
LILLITH
Can't you just accept that I'm attracted to
you?
They look at each other. Joe eventually speaks quietly.
JOE
I've never done this before.
Lillith is very comforting.
LILLITH
Don't worry. I'll show you what to do.
She holds out her hand. Joe slowly reaches out to her. She
takes hold of his hand.
LILLITH
(whispers)
Let's go...
He is now captivated by her. He would do anything for her at
this point. She leads him to the door. Eric efficiently moves
to where they were sitting and cleans away their partially
finished drinks.
LILLITH
Tonight will be the highlight of your life.
She leads him out the door, into the night.
At one of the tables, MICHAEL and CYNTHIA watches them leave.
MICHAEL
I just love the smell of fresh normal.
Cynthia smiles to reveal vampire fangs.
CYNTHIA
I know what you mean. I just wish it was my
turn tonight.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
It's late afternoon as JANICE pulls her car into the driveway of
the house that she has just rented. She's somewhere between
late-twenties and early-thirties. She's dressed comfortably
because she's been moving.
She climbs out of the car, then moves to the passenger side to
extract a box of junk. She carries the box to the front door
and lets herself in.
INT. HOUSE - DAY
She closes the door. The furnishings are sparse. There are
boxes scattered all over the place. She dumps the box on the
floor and crashes on the couch.
IN THE BATHROOM - NIGHT
The room is lit by candlelight. Janice is taking some time to
relax and unwind by soaking in the bathtub with her favorite
bubble bath.
If she was to look through the open door to the bedroom, she
might notice the mist creeping across the floor in the bedroom.
She reaches for her towel without seeing the mist.
IN THE BEDROOM - NIGHT
The mist is gone. Janice walks into the bedroom, wearing her
towel. She pulls some pajamas out of one of the packing boxes
in the room.
LATER
Janice is asleep.
IN THE BEDROOM, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
She stirs and opens her eyes. She is startled to see a MAN
sitting in the chair at the other end of the room.
BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
Janice wakes suddenly and sits up in the bed. She looks at the
chair, which is empty. She's a bit rattled, but she realizes
that it was only a dream. She manages to get back to sleep.
IN THE KITCHEN - DAY
The kitchen is a mess of boxes as well. Janice is on the phone.
JANICE
It was so vivid. I had to convince myself
that it wasn't real.
A beat while Janice listens to her friend.
JANICE
You're right. Things always seem strange in
a new house.
A beat.
JANICE
No. I still have one more day to get this
mess in order. I'll see you tomorrow at
work.
A beat.
JANICE
Bye.
She hangs up the phone then turns to survey to organizing job
that's facing her.
IN THE BEDROOM - NIGHT
Janice is sleeping again. The mist is rolling in across the
floor.
IN THE BEDROOM, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
The man is now standing at the foot of her bed. She opens her
eyes and sees him there. Her dream scream...
BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
...wakes her and turns into a real scream as she bolts upright
in bed. But when she looks, nothing. She flops back down into
bed. She thinks she must be going crazy.
IN THE BATHROOM - NIGHT
The light comes on and in comes Janice. She splashes cold water
on her face then looks at herself in the mirror.
JANICE
What is wrong with you?
IN THE KITCHEN - DAY
The kitchen looks much neater now, only a couple of boxes left.
Janice is on the phone again.
JANICE
No. I need another day. I'm not feeling
well. I didn't get much sleep last night.
A beat.
JANICE
(defensively)
No, that's crazy.
A beat.
JANICE
Oh, come on. Get serious.
A beat.
The look on Janice's face changes. She can no longer hide the
truth from her friend.
JANICE
(quietly)
Yeah...
A beat.
JANICE
I don't know what to do.
A beat.
JANICE
I keep dreaming that there's this guy in my
room.
A beat.
JANICE
I guess not. He's just there.
A beat.
JANICE
What do you mean? Talk to him?
A beat.
JANICE
That's silly.
A beat.
JANICE
Well... I'll think about it.
IN THE BEDROOM - NIGHT
Janice is sleeping again. The mist is rolling in across the
floor.
IN THE BEDROOM, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
The man is standing at the foot of her bed. She opens her eyes
and sees him there. They just look at each other.
JANICE
What do you want?
He doesn't reply, but he walks over to the door to the hallway.
They look at each other again. She throws back the covers and
swings her feet to the floor. There is no mist.
JANICE
Who are you?
He backs out of the door while maintaining eye contact with her.
She slowly gets out of bed and moves to the door.
IN THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
He continues to back down the hallway. Once he sees that she is
following, he turns around and keeps walking. She follows him
down the hallway.
IN THE BEDROOM, BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
Janice is sleeping in the bed. The floor is covered in mist.
EXT. BACK YARD, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
The man emerges from the closed back door and walks into the
yard. The door opens and Janice follows him. He stops at a big
tree. She stops as well. He turns to face her and they both
just stand there a moment, looking at each other.
JANICE
What?
He points to the ground at the base of the tree.
JANICE
What do you want? What are you trying to
tell me?
He emphasizes his pointing. Janice looks, but there's nothing
unusual.
JANICE
There's nothing there.
The man walks right up to her. He suddenly claps his hands in
front of her face, which causes her to...
IN THE BEDROOM, BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
...wake up. She lies there for a short time before sitting up
and looking around the room. Nothing. She gets out of bed and
grabs her robe.
EXT. BACK YARD - NIGHT
The back door opens and Janice steps out of the house carrying a
flashlight. See goes to look at the big tree. It's just as she
remembers from her dream. She looks around a bit, even scuffs
at the ground with her slipper where the man was pointing. She
returns to the house.
INT. HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT
Janice enters the room, minus the flashlight. She kicks off her
slippers and sheds her robe so she can crawl back under the
covers. She tries to go back to sleep. She tosses and turns.
No luck. Her brain is just too active. She sits up in bed.
EXT. BACK YARD - NIGHT
The back door opens again. There's Janice. But this time,
instead of just a flashlight, she's also carrying a shovel.
She goes to the tree and finds a good place to set the
flashlight so that it is pointing at the ground under the big
tree. She starts to dig.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A busy street. People are coming and going. There's a
newspaper vending machine mounted to the sidewalk.
One of the headlines reads "Woman Finds Body" with a subtitle of
"Dream aids discovery."
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment and moves it
over to the next person.
ZOOM IN on the dark video monitor.
FADE IN:
A basement laboratory. It's full of beakers and test tubes and
flasks. There is a large cage housing an iguana.
ROBERT, who fancies himself a mad scientist, is in his lab,
wearing a lab coat. He opens a drawer and pulls out a syringe
and needle.
He uses these to extract a blood sample from the iguana, which
he squirts into a test tube.
SERIES OF SHOTS
A) Robert starts to process the blood. He adds a chemical to
the test tube.
B) The blood solution is being separated in a simple centrifuge.
C) Robert removes the top layer of material in the test tube
with a pipette.
D) He spreads the material across a series of microscope slides.
E) He adds a different chemical to each slide.
F) He looks at one of the slides through a microscope.
G) He fills a vial with some clear liquid.
H) CU on the vial sitting on the counter. It is labeled "Iguana
Extract."
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
It's morning in modern suburbia. Cloned houses march up one
side of the street and down the other.
CHRISTOPHER, who lives next door to Robert, comes out of his
house. He's dressed in business casual and he's carrying a
briefcase. He gets in his car and drives away.
The curtain in Robert's window, through which Robert was
watching Christopher, falls back into place.
EXT. ROBERT'S BACK YARD - DAY
Robert leaves his house. He heads for the fence separating his
yard from Christopher's yard.
EXT. CHRISTOPHER'S BACK YARD - DAY
Robert gets over the fence. He goes right to the back door. He
picks up a garden rock and flips it over. It's one of those
fake rocks with the key hidden inside. He uses the key to let
himself into Christopher's house.
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY
Robert goes straight for the refrigerator. He retrieves the
milk and sets it on the counter. He pulls the iguana extract
vial and a syringe from his pocket. He puts a squirt of extract
into the milk. He puts everything away then leaves.
EXT. CHRISTOPHER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Christopher arrives home from work. He's tired. He drags
himself into the house.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. CHRISTOPHER'S HOUSE - DAY
A new day dawns. Another chance for mischief.
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY
Christopher prepares his morning bowl of corn flakes. He pours
some of the tainted milk on his cereal. He apparently doesn't
notice any difference in flavor. Maybe it's because he's too
busy reading the morning paper.
INT. ROBERT'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Robert is peering out through the window with binoculars. He is
watching Christopher eating breakfast. He sets down the
binoculars so he can write in his log book.
ROBERT (V.O.)
Day one: the subject has ingested the iguana
extract for the first time.
LATER
Robert is writing in his log book again.
ROBERT (V.O.)
Day four: the subject appears to be
experiencing changes in body temperature
control.
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Christopher is fixing dinner. He is wearing a sweater.
ROBERT (V.O.)
He now wears additional clothing for warmth
at home.
EXT. ROBERT'S BACK YARD - DAY
Robert wanders out into his back yard. He goes to the fence
between his and Christopher's yards. He looks over the fence.
EXT. CHRISTOPHER'S BACK YARD - CONTINUOUS
Christopher is lying on a lawn chair, soaking up the sun.
ROBERT
Hey, Chris. How's it going?
Christopher turns to look at Robert.
CHRISTOPHER
Hey, Bob. Just felt like getting some sun.
I've been having trouble feeling warm
lately.
INT. ROBERT'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY
Robert is adding to the notes on his experiment in his log book.
ROBERT (V.O.)
Day five: the subject has started sunning
himself.
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S HOUSE, BATHROOM - NIGHT
Christopher looks at himself in the mirror before going to bed.
He looks closely at his eyes. He doesn't feel quite right. He
leaves the bathroom...
IN THE BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
...and enters his bedroom. He crawls into bed and turns off the
light.
LATER
The next morning, he wakes. He sits on the edge of the bed and
absent-mindedly scratches his arm. He doesn't notice the scaly
patch on his arm.
INT THE BATHROOM - DAY
Christopher is in the shower. His back is covered with scaly
patches.
IN THE BEDROOM - NIGHT
Christopher is restless. He's tossing and turning in his sleep.
LATER
It's morning and Christopher is still asleep. Until his eyes
suddenly open wide. They're reptilian.
INT. ROBERT'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY
Robert is sitting at the table, writing.
ROBERT (V.O.)
Day 27: the subject disappeared three days
ago. Based on a story in the newspaper...
CU on the newspaper with a headline "Lizard-man Spotted in
Desert."
ROBERT (V.O.)
...I'll be heading to the desert to continue
my research.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. TREPANATION THEATRE - NIGHT
ZOOM OUT to show the dark video monitor and the entire room
again. The scientist disconnects the equipment. He pushes it
out of the room and shuts off the light.
Almost complete darkness. There is only a hint of some objects.
FADE TO BLACK.
The End
Trepanation Theatre is © 2000 Lanny Maude