ooOoO by William Pauley III
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ooOoO
by
William Pauley III
PILOT EPISODE - "The Flood"
TEASERFADE IN:
EXT. TENNESSEE HIGHWAY – DUSK The sky is just turning from daylight to dark, but morerapidly than usual, as there is a storm rolling in thedistance. Lightning flashes, and for a moment we are ableto see ominous hills and wicked tree limbs swaying inviolent winds on either side of the highway. Leaves detachfrom limbs with every gust and set sail through the air,disappearing into the mist billowing from passing cars onthe highway. INT. LARGE SUV — DUSK Driving on the highway, in the direction of the storm, isLEONARD “LEO” SHELBY. He is in his early thirties, indecent shape, and clean cut. He is dressed in a denimbutton-up long-sleeved shirt and denim jeans. “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips is playing on the radio. Hepasses a green road sign that indicates Memphis is 34 milesaway. Droplets of rain pitter lightly on the windshield. Hereaches for the wiper switch and turns the dial to activatethe windshield wipers. The wiper blades drag dryly acrossthe glass, making A TERRIBLE SOUND which wakes the woman inthe passenger seat, his wife, MORGAN SHELBY. The wiperblades annoyingly keep a different beat than that of “Seaof Love.” Morgan is roughly the same age as Leo, early thirties,however she looks more ‘alternative’ than her husband. Shehas tattoos, a lip ring, and a bundle of dreadlocks tightlywrapped at the back of her head, and her jeans are tatteredwith various colors of dried paint spattered across it. The paint is not worn as a fashion statement, but ratherbecause she is a painter/artist and she is messy when sheworks. She looks around in confusion, unaware at firstwhere she is. She looks at her husband and yawns.
MORGANReady for me to drive?
(eyes closing)
She returns to sleep as soon as she finishes her question.This makes Leo smile. The rain is pecking faster andlouder on the windshield now. He turns the dial on thewiper switch to make the blades move faster. The SOUNDFROM THE BLADES IS MUCH QUIETER NOW that the windshield iscompletely wet. An ALARM on Leo’s cell phone RINGS OUT loudly. Hefrantically searches his pockets, looking for his phone, inhopes of silencing the alarm before waking anyone. Hefails to get to his phone on time. A child strapped inside a car seat in the back of the SUV,his 3 year old daughter EMILY SHELBY, CRIES OUT infrustration. This instantly reawakens Morgan, who takesoff her seat belt and turns around in her seat to consolethe child. As she rubs the belly of her daughter, we seetwo other children in the back seat on either side of her,their sons, BEN SHELBY (7 years old) and JAKE SHELBY (6years old). They are both sitting in booster seats andfast asleep. Leo pulls the cell phone from his pocket and silences thealarm. The screen of his phone is glowing brightly,displaying an alert from the National Weather Service:"Flash Flood Warning this area til 6:15AM CST. Avoid floodareas. Check local media. —NWS" Emily calms down and falls asleep again. Morgan turnsaround, returning to a sitting position in the passengerseat. She looks at the illuminated phone screen in Leo’shand.
MORGAN (CONT'D)What’s it say?
LEO
Flood warning.
MORGANMaybe we should stop somewhere forthe night.
She wraps her arms around his right arm, the one holdingthe cell phone. He places the phone in the cup holder ofthe center console and holds his wife's hand. She rubs hercheek against his arm.
LEOWe’re so close. Maybe a half hourfrom home. We’ll be fine.
As if on cue, the rain pours even harder now, making italmost impossible to see out the windshield. The wipersmove on the highest setting and it still isn’t pushing the
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rain away fast enough. As the blades move across theglass, we are given brief glimpses of red lights lined upalong the shoulder of the highway. Cars have pulled off tothe shoulder to wait out the storm in safety.
MORGANLook. Everyone is pulling over.
LEO
Yeah, but I bet their exit isn’twithin the next 30 miles.
MORGAN
Leo, honey…(annoyed, but lovingly)
…if you don’t want to get a hotel,can we at least pull over till thestorm passes?
LEO
You want to sit on the side of thehighway, trapped, for the next tenhours?
MORGAN
Ten hours? What are you talkingabout?
(laughing)
LEOThe phone said severe weatheruntil 6:15 in the morning.
MORGAN
Then ten hours it is. We can’tdrive in this.
LEO
Like hell we can’t.
MORGANLeo. Stop.
LEO
(laughing)You’re really that bothered by alittle rain?
MORGAN
A little rain? Come on. Be fair.It’s like we’re driving throughthe bottom of Niagara Falls.
Leo presses his foot firmly on the gas pedal and the enginehums louder. Morgan is visibly nervous.
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MORGAN (CONT'D)Leo…
LEO
(grabs her hand)Morgan, honey…
MORGAN
You’re scaring me. Please pullover.
LEO
You know I can’t do that. I madea promise.
MORGAN
He’s seven years old. He’llunderstand. Besides, it would dohim good to see things don’talways work out the way we plan. That’s part of life.
LEO
That’s not how it works and youknow it. He’s seven right now,but tomorrow morning he’ll beeight. He’s not spending thefirst part of his birthday stuckin the back of our SUV, as we’reidling on the side of the highwaywaiting for a storm to pass.
MORGAN
All these other people seem tothink it’s the right thing to do.
LEO
Yeah, but look, they're all incars. They’re not driving thisSUV, are they? Sport utilityvehicle. This thing was built forconditions like this.
MORGAN
(sighs and turns away)I don’t know why I’m evenbothering talking sense into you. You’re so goddamn stubborn.
LEO
Hey, look… I promised Ben we’d behome for his birthday, so we’regonna be home for his birthday,come hell or high water.
(MORE)
4.
LEO (CONT'D)You know I never make promises Ican’t keep.
Morgan ignores him, returning to a nestled position in herseat. Leo runs his hand over the nape of her neck. Shemoves her head toward him so that his hand cups her face. She looks up at him.
LEO (CONT'D)I’d never allow our family to beharmed. You know that.
Morgan continues to ignore him.
LEO (CONT'D)Hey...
Leo gently pulls Morgan's chin towards him so that she islooking him in the eye.
LEO (CONT'D)I promise.
Morgan stares into his eyes for a moment, refusing torespond. He motions for her to kiss him, and she does,begrudgingly. Afterwards, she quickly looks away, stillannoyed with him. Leo continues to look over at Morgan. There is a smile on his face. Red and blue lights can beseen outside the car, catching Morgan’s attention.
MORGANOh shit, Leo!
Leo reacts quickly by pushing his feet against the brake,but it is too late. The truck plows full speed intofloodwater. The water is so high it swallows the truckwhole. Morgan, not wearing her seat belt, lifts out of herseat and smacks her head violently against the windshield. She is immediately knocked unconscious. Leo's head hitsthe steering wheel. He is seriously injured, but notunconscious yet. He watches helplessly as water fills thecar. He struggles with trying to release himself from hisseat belt, but his arms are heavy and his movements areslow from the injuries. The children are not fully awake,but scared and screaming from being jolted violently.
LEO(weak, crying)
Morgan! Morgan! As the inside of the SUV quickly fills with water, Leo seesthe beam of a flashlight shining just outside Morgan’swindow. A dark figure approaches the passenger side of theSUV and Leo watches as the figure tries to get inside the
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vehicle. He fades into unconsciousness and the watercontinues to rise. EXT. TENNESSEE HIGHWAY – DUSK The CAMERA PANS UP from the wreckage, slowly revealing thescene outside the truck. There are a couple of police carsparked on each side of the highway. The police are theretrying to prevent people from driving into the floodwater. Now they are in full rescue mode, jumping into the water tosave the Shelby family. The camera continues to PAN UPuntil the entire flood/crash/rescue scene is onscreen.
END OF TEASER CUTS to the theme song, “If I Had a Heart” by Fever Ray. Show a MONTAGE of "tribal goth" imagery: men and womenwearing Native American-style garb, but with agothic/horror twist. Think clothing made out of feathers,bone, leather, and/or wood. The visuals should includewater, as it plays a major role in the series. The imagesshould be haunting and terrifying, but also interesting andsexy. The things seen in the credits will reflect imagery we willsee in upcoming episodes within the first season, but nothere in this pilot episode.
ACT ONE EXT. SHELBY HOME – DAY We see a vehicle drive into the dusty yard just outside theShelby house. INT. SHELBY HOME – DAY The camera is focused on the inside front door of theShelby house. It is a wooden door with a small window cutout at the top. A shadow appears on the other side of theglass and upon seeing this, the CAMERA SLOWLY BACKS AWAY. There are sounds of KEYS JINGLING and the DOORKNOB TURNING.
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The door opens and in steps ARTHUR ‘ART’ VOIGHT. He smileswide, appearing fake and suspicious right from the start,almost cartoon-like in his happiness and appearance. He iswell-dressed and well-groomed, albeit with a vintage early1900s style of dress. His hair is long, but slicked backin a pompadour-style cut, which is hidden under a fedora. He has a pencil-thin mustache drawn across the edge of hisupper lip.
ARTHURAh! Once you see the inside,dear, you’ll wish you hadn’tyelled at me for buying this placewithout your consent.
(nervous laughter) Arthur spins around and walks through the door again,standing now behind a woman who is sitting in a wheelchairon the deck just outside the front door, his wife, MARIANVOIGHT. She is dressed conservatively and appears meek atfirst glance. She also doesn’t seem to have any visuallyapparent handicap, despite being in a wheelchair. Thoughthe story behind her handicap is unknown to the viewers atthis point, it is an interesting bit of information thatplays out in a later episode. There is a darkness to Marian. The way she carries herselfshows there is sadness deep within her and even a hint ofanger in her heart. She resents her husband and it comesthrough in the way she converses with him. Arthur wheels her in through the doorway and she looksaround the living room. There are many art pieces hangingon the walls, along with taxidermied animals. The entirehome is still furnished with the belongings of the Shelbyfamily.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)What did I tell you, Marian? Youlove it, right?
Marian is quiet at first. She picks up a knick knack froma nearby table and examines it. It is a small statue of ahorse.
MARIANThese things belong to the deadpeople?
ARTHUR
Well, no. They belong to us. Wegot everything in the auction.
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MARIANYou know what I mean, Art.
ARTHUR
Then yes. These things belong tothe dead people. Does that botheryou, love?
Marian returns the knick knack to where she got it from.
MARIANNo. I like it.
Arthur wheels her down the hallway by the stairs, takingher to the back of the house. They look out the back door,which is a glass sliding door, and see the expanse of theland and a barn that stands about fifty feet from thehouse. Arthur fumbles with the lock on a gun cabinet that sitsagainst the wall, next to the sliding doors.
ARTHURWhen I first bid on this place, Ihadn’t even noticed the barn. Ididn’t spend much time outside. Ifound myself lost in every roomhere. While everyone else at theauction was surely thinking of thefolks who lived here in the past,the awful things that happened tothem, I was wandering the house,thinking of my future with you. Icould see us in every room. Thiswas our home as soon as I set footinside it. I couldn’t let it go.
(hesitates)Perfect for a new beginning,wouldn't you say, dear?
MARIAN
(coldly)Take me upstairs.
INT. SHELBY HOME – DAY Scene cuts and now we see Marian being carried upstairs inArthur’s arms. Marian looks blankly ahead, ignoringArthur, despite being in his arms. He takes her into themaster bedroom. The bedroom is plain, save for someartwork hanging on the walls. The artwork was painted byMorgan Shelby, as is evident via the signature in thebottom right corner.
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MARIANSo what is it you saw when youlooked at this room?
ARTHUR
The same thing I saw walking inhere that first day. I sawhappiness. I saw myself awakingto the sight of you stepping outof that bathroom…
(points to attachedbathroom)
…a robe tied tight around yourbody. You were smiling at me. Truly happy to see me there,admiring you. I saw, and stillsee, a future of love.
MARIAN
In your fantasy, you saw mewalking?
ARTHUR
Well, yes. Surely this won’t lastforever, darling.
(with his head, he nodstoward her legs)
It's only stress-related. It willpass.
MARIAN
I see. And when you look at thatbed, do you see us conceivinganother child?
Arthur is visually bothered by what she has just said. Thetone in his voice changes. His voice becomes deeper, andless cartoon-ish/more realistic.
ARTHURWell… yes. Eventually, I suppose.Whenever you feel ready, my dear.
MARIAN
(sarcastically)Please, tell me what else you see.I would love to hear it.
The two of them make eye contact for the first time sincestepping inside the house. Marian seems numb, unable tofeel anything due to months of prior pain. Arthur isvisually uncomfortable.
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INT. SHELBY HOME – DAY Cut to Arthur carrying Marian into another room, one thatpreviously served as Ben and Jake Shelby’s bedroom. Thereare two twin beds separated by a table with a nightlightsitting atop. There are toys and dirty clothes on thefloor, as if the children had been living and playing inthe room only hours before.
ARTHURI know the place is a bit big forthe two of us, but I thought fornow we can take some of the otherbedrooms and use them to fuel ourhobbies or work projects. Likethis one, for instance.
(looks around the room)I figured it would do well as mynew writing space.
MARIAN
Or a nursery. Arthur winces. He continues talking as if she saidnothing, though his voice is now less cheerful than it was.
ARTHURI didn’t have a place to write inour apartment in the city, whichis one of the reasons I stayed atthe office so much. Now I canwrite in here and be home with youalways. No more long stressfuldays at work. I’ll send myarticles via email and afterwardsdo my part in keeping up thisproperty. I can already feel theweight of our problems lifting offmy shoulders. Can't you, Marian?
MARIAN
That weight was never on yourshoulders, dear.
ARTHUR
(frustrated)That’s enough, Marian. How can weget better if you don’t appreciatehow hard I’m working to fix thingsbetween us? Moving, this house,it’s all for you. For us.
(hesitates)Please, work with me here.
He moves in to kiss her, but she turns away.
10.
MARIANI never asked for any of this.
ARTHUR
Don’t you feel we need it? Toleave our past in the past, Imean.
MARIAN
(hesitates)I don’t know.
ARTHUR
Well, I’ve put a lot of thoughtinto this. The best way to moveon is to leave behind anything andeverything that reminds us of… of…
MARIAN
Our dead child?
ARTHURMarian, please…
MARIAN
(tears form in her eyes)Put me down.
Arthur sets her down on one of the twin-sized beds. Beforehe raises up and walks away, Marian removes a steelcigarette case from Arthur’s shirt pocket. He stands inthe shadows awkwardly as she lights up a cigarette. Shelooks around the room at all the toys.
MARIAN (CONT'D)Please go.
ARTHUR
Marian…
MARIANLeave!
ARTHUR EXITS the room. Marian weeps. EXT. SHELBY HOME – DAY, OVERCAST The exterior of the Shelby home differs visually duringscenes featuring the Shelby family. When Arthur and Marian are onscreen, the world we areseeing is normal: everyday weather conditions, appropriatelighting, access to roads, etc.
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When the Shelby family are onscreen, the world we see isdarker, colder. The skies are always overcast and theirproperty is surrounded with floodwater. The floodwaterdoes not reach all the way to the house, so most of theyard in the vicinity of the house can be tread upon,including access to the barn behind the house. However,there’s no visible way of escaping the property, as allaccess to surrounding roads are blocked by deep floodwater. INT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING The CAMERA EXPLORES THE LIVING SPACE of the home. The song“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr is PLAYING LOW in thebackground. It is coming from the TV in the living room,which appears to have been left on all night, playing theGhostbusters (1984) DVD menu repeatedly. The rooms all appear empty and the items we see giveinsight to the types of people the Shelby’s are. We seethe contents of a recently played board game on the table,cozy blankets on the floor, a large unfinished bowl ofpopcorn on the coffee table, taxidermied animals are foundthroughout the home (a passion of Leo’s), along with manydifferent types of artwork — paintings, sculptures, masks,etc — all created by Morgan. While exploring the empty rooms, we also HEAR RUSTLINGNOISES coming from somewhere inside the house. Therustling sounds are panicked and at times violent. Inside the master bedroom, we see Leo Shelby sleeping inhis bed. The spot next to him is vacant and there isvisual evidence (the way the blankets have been tossed tothe side, etc) that someone was there beside him at onepoint in the night. There is a significant amount of blood on the pillowcasenext to him. He awakens because of the sounds coming fromelsewhere in the house and immediately notices the blood onthe pillow next to him. Just as he starts to panic, Morganbursts into the room. It is now revealed that they bothhave head wounds and dried blood is caked in their hair andon their skin. Morgan is unaware of this, though she isvisibly upset about something.
MORGANEmily is gone!
LEO
What? What do you mean?
MORGANI mean, she’s gone, Leo. I can’tfind her anywhere!
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Leo leaps out of bed and the two of them begin to tear thehouse apart looking for her. When MORGAN AND LEO ENTER theliving room, Morgan notices the blood on Leo's head.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Oh my god, Leo, you’re bleeding!
LEO
What?(Looks down at arms andtorso)
MORGAN
Your head! It’s bleeding! Leo pushes his fingers into his head wound, but does notwince in pain. He gets a good look at his wife and noticesshe too is bleeding from her head. He runs over to her.
LEOYours is too, babe. Jesus.
He examines her wound. It seems serious, yet the blood hasall dried.
LEO (CONT'D)Are you in pain?
MORGAN
No. Why? Is it bad?
LEOIt’s bad.
MORGAN
What? Are you serious?(feels her head)
LEO
I don’t get it. You should bebleeding. Still bleeding, I mean.All this blood is dried up, likethe bleeding stopped hours ago.
Morgan examines Leo’s wound.
MORGANYeah, I see what you mean. Yourslooks the same. What the fuckhappened last night? Where's ourdaughter, Leo?
The two of them quickly dismiss the bleeding, seeing as howit doesn't seem to be an emergency, and continue theirsearch for Emily. They are even more panicked now that
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they think the wounds may have something to do with herdisappearance.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Do you think someone broke in?
LEO
I don’t know. I guess anything ispossible. Christ!
Leo checks the doors and windows for any evidence of abreak in.
LEO (CONT'D)Wait. Have you looked outside?
MORGAN
No. I panicked when she wasn't inher room, then came and got you.
LEO
Maybe she went out to the barn. I’ll check.
LEO EXITS through the front door, the closest door to himat the time. Just as he walks out, BEN & JAKE ENTER theroom, coming from the stairway. They've just woken up andappear to still be half-asleep. They do not have anyvisible injuries.
BENYou’re too loud.
JAKE
Good morning, mommy. Morgan is crying now. She sits down on the floor of theliving room. She reaches out her arms, signaling for thechildren to come to her. They walk over and embrace her. While Ben and Jake's playful personalities show a bit inthe following scene, Morgan is still very scared andnervous over Emily, so her lines are meant to be deliveredas if she is on the verge of breaking down completely.
JAKE (CONT'D)Why are you crying, mommy?
BEN
(frightened at the sightof her wound)
Blood! Blood!(he backs away)
Your head is bleeding!
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MORGANI know, honey. It’s okay. I’mokay.
BEN
(still looking at thewound from afar)
Did you fall down?
MORGANI don’t know, but I’m okay andthat’s all that matters.
JAKE
It looks like somebody tried tocrush you. Did someone try tocrush you, mommy?
MORGAN
I just told you, baby, I don’tknow... but I don’t think anyonetried to crush me.
Jake kisses her on the cheek and Morgan smiles at him. Tears continue to well up in her eyes.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Thank you.
(returns the kiss)Ah, you know what I justremembered? It's a very specialday today!
BEN
My birthday!
JAKEMy birthday!
MORGAN
(laughs)No, Jake. It's Ben's birthdaytoday. You had a birthday a fewmonths ago, remember?
JAKE
But I want another one.
BENGet your own! This one's mine!
MORGAN
Boys, calm down.
15.
BENWhen can I open presents?
MORGAN
Well, daddy and I are a littlebusy right now getting thingsready. We'll all celebratetogether a little later in theday, okay?
BEN
Okay. Where is daddy? EXT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING Leo is surprised and a little startled to see thefloodwater surrounding their house. At this point he hasno recollection of the car accident or the flood, so seeingthe water is especially puzzling to him. Suddenly a flash of memory flickers in his mind. Onscreen,we see these memories play out in a flashback. We see Leounderwater, trapped in the SUV, watching as the beam from aflashlight shines through the window of their vehicle. Theflashback ends. He shakes off the memory and shifts his focus back to hismissing daughter, running to the backyard, towards thebarn. INT. SHELBY BARN – MORNING LEO ENTERS the barn and we see evidence that the place onlyserves two real purposes: as a storage space and as theworkspace in which Leo practices his taxidermy. Herummages through the junk.
LEOEmily?
He decides she is not there and EXITS the barn. EXT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING Leo continues his search around the house and when he hasmade a full inspection, he walks over to the edge of thefloodwater. The floodwater conjures more of his disjointedmemory. Again we see flickers of the events surroundingthe accident and the flood, including a longer shot of theperson holding the flashlight. He believes he remembersthe person entering the vehicle and reaching for Emily. Heweeps.
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INT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING LEO ENTERS through the front door. His eyes are red and heis still crying, though he is doing his best to hide it. Morgan looks up at him.
MORGANNothing?
Leo shakes his head. Morgan gets off the floor and runs toretrieve her cell phone on the kitchen counter. The boysbegin playing with toys on the floor, not realizinganything serious is happening around them. Leo follows herinto the kitchen.
LEOWhat are you doing?
MORGAN
(quietly)Calling the police.
Leo bites at his thumbnail, nervously waiting as she calls.There is an AUDIBLE ERROR MESSAGE that plays on her phonewhen she dials. She tries again and still gets the sameERROR MESSAGE. She throws her phone in anger.
LEOHey, hey. Calm down. Let me try myphone.
LEO EXITS the room. JAKE ENTERS the kitchen.
JAKEWhat was that?
MORGAN
What was what, honey?
JAKEThat loud sound?
MORGAN
I just dropped my phone, baby.It’s okay. Go play.
Jake smiles and runs back into the living room to play. MORGAN EXITS the kitchen and next we see her ENTERING thebedroom where Leo is sitting on the bed, with his phone tohis ear. She watches with hope, but is gutted to see himshake his head, signaling the phone call is not goingthrough. She hangs her head and sobs.
17.
LEOLook, Morgan, it’s been rainingoutside. So much the land allaround our house is flooded.
MORGAN
What?
LEOListen. As soon as I saw thefloodwater, I started to rememberwhat happened to us… last night, Imean.
MORGAN
(sitting next to him onbed)
What? What is it?
LEOI think we were in a car accident.That’s all I'm really able to makeof it. It certainly explains thebleeding.
MORGAN
What about Emily? Tears are welling in Leo's eyes. He's choking up and findsit difficult to speak, struggling to find the right words.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Leo… what is it?
LEO
(shakes head, then hangshis head, wiping awayhis tears)
Did you see the floodwater? Howhigh it is?
MORGAN
No.(walks to the window,scared to death overwhat Leo is about tosay, and looks out. Seesthe sun glistening overthe floodwater like agreat ocean.)
Leo… what is happening? Tell meabout Emily.
18.
LEO(wipes tears away, thennervously stands)
The wreck was bad, Morgan. Wewent straight into the water. Full force.
(hesitates)I think our baby may have…drowned.
MORGAN
(pissed off anddisgusted)
No, no, no, no! Leo, how can yousay that? Do you even know forsure? What the fuck, Leo!
LEO
(defensive)Hey, my memory is slowly comingback to me. I’m just telling youwhat I know. There was a wreck. We were just driving, then thisheavy rain came out of nowhere. We drove straight into floodwaterand busted our heads. You wentout cold. I stayed awake longenough to see someone come torescue us. That’s it. That’s allI remember. Next thing I know,we’re here looking for Emily. We’re here. She isn’t.
(hesitates)Someone must have taken us homeafter the accident. That’s theonly thing that makes any sense tome.
MORGAN
No, that’s bizarre. Why here andnot a hospital? Something isn'tright. You're not remembering itright, Leo. You're not.
LEO
I mean, the flood is clearlypretty bad.
(motions hand towardsthe outside of thehouse)
There must not have been access tothe hospital, just like there’s noaccess to here now.
19.
MORGANIf that’s true, then how are wehere?
LEO
(shrugs shoulders)I don’t know. We must have gottenin before the roads werecompletely flooded.
MORGAN
(tears falling down hercheeks)
Are you sure you remember anaccident?
LEO
I mean, the images are in my head.I can see it playing out over andover. Baby, I’m telling you all Iknow. It’s not like I want to seeit this way! I just do. Whatelse am I supposed to think? Asmuch as it fucking pains me toadmit, it’s what I see.
Morgan stands before Leo, shaking her head, then finallybreaks down into full sobs. Leo continues crying as well. He walks over to Morgan and wraps his arms around her, butshe pushes him away. Leo puts his hands over his face,frustrated and sad over the entire situation. The CAMERASLOWLY MOVES AROUND THEM to reveal Ben and Jake standing inthe hallway, just outside the doorway. Leo is the first tonotice the boys standing there. The boys make eye contactwith Leo.
JAKEWe're hungry.
Both Morgan and Leo try their best to hide their emotions.They don't do so well. By their looks alone, it it clear tothe audience that they are teetering on the edge of sanity.
MORGAN(smiling wide with tearsin her eyes)
Who wants pancakes? EXT. SHELBY HOME – DAY We see the house and barn without surrounding floodwater.
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INT. SHELBY HOME – DAY Marian wheels herself to a doorway and peeks inside theroom. It is a small room containing a toddler bed that hasbeen decorated for a little girl. She looks at the itemsin the room curiously, then moves on down the hallway. She enters the next room and discovers this is where Morganpainted and did other artsy things before she died. She isimmediately fascinated with the art found inside. Shepicks up pieces at random and studies them. All the arthas a dark creepy theme, most depicting nudes, though whenthere is clothing it is tribal-looking, with lots of bones,leather, and other natural materials. Arthur stands at the doorway. Marian is startled when shesees him.
MARIANChrist, Art.
(holding her chest)
ARTHURI didn't mean to startle you,dear. Just wanted to let you knowI'm headed out for a bit.
MARIAN
What? You're leaving me herealone?
ARTHUR
Well, honey, I didn't think youwanted me here...
(nervous laugh)...let alone go out in the woodswith me.
MARIAN
The woods?
ARTHURThought I'd take one of the gunsfrom the cabinet out and get somepractice in. Who knows? MaybeI'll accidentally kill us somedinner.
(laughs)
MARIANOh, okay.
(looks down at the artpiece in her hands)
21.
ARTHUR(nods head, clearlyagitated at herunwillingness to have areal conversation withhim)
See you in a couple hours, Marian.(walks away)
MARIAN
Art?
ARTHUR(returns to the doorway)
Yes, darling?
MARIANWhat do you know about the familywho used to live here?
ARTHUR
(shrugs shoulders)Not much. They died in a caraccident, I think. The father wasa taxidermist. You should seesome of the pieces out in thebarn. They're more impressivethan the ones hanging inside thehouse. Creepy stuff.
MARIAN
(runs fingers across thesignature scrawledacross the bottom rightcorner of the paintingshe is holding. Itreads: "Morgan Shelby")
I like them. The family, I mean. I feel rude going through theirthings, but... they seem like theywere quite the couple.
Arthur remains standing in the doorway, unsure of how torespond to his wife. Marian looks up at him. Arthurappears uncomfortable any time she makes eye contact withhim.
MARIAN (CONT'D)Can you take me downstairs beforeyou leave?
ARTHUR
Of course, dear.
22.
EXT. SHELBY HOME – DAY Arthur walks outside with a rifle in his hand. Just pastthe barn, when he reaches the edge of the woods, he looksback at the Shelby house. When he sees the coast is clear,he digs into his coat pocket and removes a small bottle ofMaker's Mark whiskey. He takes a swig. INT. SHELBY HOME – DAY Marian is sitting at a computer. On the computer screen wesee she is researching the Shelby family and the details ofwhat happened to them. She pulls up a news article thatdescribes the crash in detail. She reads that the crashcaused four deaths, two adults and two children. She is confused. We see her thoughts flash onscreen:images of the two twin beds and the third tiny bed in thenext room. She reads further and discovers the third childsurvived and was taken into custody by the local police. She scrolls up and looks intently at the family photoincluded in the article. The camera focuses on Leo's face,indicating subtly that Marian is taking an interest in himparticularly. In the column of the webpage she is browsing, a link to anarticle catches her eye. The headline reads: "10 Ways toSave Your Marriage After a Tragedy." She clicks on thelink and the article appears onscreen. The camera showsher reading through the article by focusing on only threeof the ten key points. The three we show to the audienceare: 10 — Don't be selfish, 4 — Don't dismiss your spouse'sefforts, and 1 — You must forgive. We see Marian ponderingthese points.
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO EXT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Leo approaches the edge of the floodwater, dressed in apair of fishing wader pants that come up to his chest. Heis holding a brick, a tape measure, and an empty 2-liter ofsoda that has been sliced open on one side. He wades out about waist deep into the floodwater, thenties the end of the tape measure around the brick and dropsit into the water. It sinks. He takes the other end of
23.
the tape measure, the end that retracts, and pushes it intothe slit of the empty 2-liter bottle. The bottle floatsand allows him to see how deep the floodwater is in thatparticular area. The tape measure reads that the waterlevel is at 4'10". While in the floodwater, Leo finds it as good a time as anyto wash the dried blood from his head. As he is doingthis, the water pouring over his eyes alters his vision. Through the water, he is able to see the ground all aroundhim, sans the floodwater, and also sees a strange carparked in the driveway by his home. As the water leaveshis line of vision, the floodwater surrounding himreappears and the mysterious car disappears. He pours another handful of floodwater over his eyes andsees a man walking in the yard, alongside the car. The carbelongs to the Voights and the man he sees is ArthurVoight, coming home after "hunting" in the woods. Ofcourse, Leo does not recognize him or even understand justyet why he is there, but looking through the floodwater, heis able to see the living world. He is astonished at seeing such a sight, but isn't quitesure what to make of it just yet. He continues to pourfloodwater over his eyes in disbelief of what he is seeing. INT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Morgan is in the shower. Blood is swirling in the drain. The blood is the same dried blood from her head wound. Sheis visibly a nervous wreck over the situation with Emily. As she is washing her face, she accidentally knocks a razorblade off a soap dish and it falls into the tub. She stepson the razor as she is rinsing the soap from her face andthe blades cut into her skin. She feels no pain when thishappens. She sits on the edge of the tub and examines thecut. There is no blood, only slices in the skin whereblades entered. She dries herself off, wipes the steam from the mirror, andexamines her naked body. She takes a closer look at herhead and sees that there is still an open wound, but oddlynot bleeding. She does not appear to be in any physicalpain whatsoever. She takes the razor blade and drags it along the skin ofher palm, trying to bring blood to the surface. No matterhow deep she slices into the flesh, there is no blood, justclean gashes in the skin. Morgan is visibly confused andconcerned at this discovery.
24.
EXT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Leo walks up to the house, still wet, but seeing normallynow, as the floodwater is not over his eyes. He rests onehand on the door frame and cups the other hand over hiseyes. He looks into the glass of the storm door and cansee his children playing with toys on the floor of theliving room and his wife in the kitchen cooking dinner. Morgan's hair is wet from having just taken a shower. Sheno longer has dried blood visible anywhere on her skin. Hetakes off the fishing wader pants, leaving them out on theporch, and walks into the house. INT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY No one pays Leo any attention as HE ENTERS the house. Thechildren continue to play with each other and their toys onthe floor. He walks into the kitchen and sees Morganstanding there in a daze, staring at the glowing orangecoil of the stove burner. He says nothing, instead he justwatches her, curious as to what she is doing. She pushesher wrist to the hot coil. Leo jumps to stop her, but istoo late. He pulls her arm away from the stove. There isa coil-shaped burn on her wrist, but Morgan seems to nothave felt anything in the process, as she is still standingin a daze.
LEOJesus Christ, Morgan! What thehell are you doing? Are you okay?
MORGAN
(making eye contact withLeo, still appearing tobe in a daze)
What's happening to me?
LEOYou tell me!
MORGAN
Leo, I can't feel anything.
LEOWhat do you mean you can't feelanything?
MORGAN
The head wound, the razor in theshower, and now this.
(she holds up her arm,showing him the coilmark burn on her wrist)
(MORE)
25.
MORGAN (CONT'D)I feel numb. I can't feelanything. It's Emily. I can't dothis, Leo.
She falls into Leo's chest, sobbing. He wraps his armsaround her and pets the backside of her head.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Ben and Jake keep asking abouther. I don't know what to saywhen they do. I don't even knowhow to begin processing... thatwe... that she could be...
Morgan is sobbing even harder now. Leo peeks out into theliving room to check on the boys. He is worried they willhear their mother crying. He holds her close.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Our baby's dead, Leo? Are youtelling me she's dead?
LEO
(interrupting)Hey, hey, hey...
(he walks with her outthe back sliding door ofthe house)
EXT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY
MORGAN(hysterically)
She's dead? She's dead? Is shedead, Leo?
LEO
Morgan, hey, calm down. Look, Iknow it's hard, if not damn nearimpossible not to break down rightnow, but we've still got two boysin there who depend on us. Wecan't go around burning ourselveson stoves and putting ourselves indanger over this. We'll have togrieve in a healthier way, okay? I mean, what if one of the boyssaw you do that to yourself? Huh?
(MORE)
26.
LEO (CONT'D)We've got to be careful of what wedo and say around them while we'redealing with our emotions. Youdon't want them traumatized, doyou?
MORGAN
(shakes head)No.
LEO
(holds her close)I love you. I love those boys. We've got to keep it together, nomatter the pain.
MORGAN
Our baby just vanished? How didshe just disappear? How did we goto sleep knowing she was introuble... or worse, that she wasdead? How, Leo?
(shouts in frustration)This doesn't make any fuckingsense!
LEO
(shakes head)I don't know, Morgan.
MORGAN
Oh, so now you don't know? Ithought you knew everything. Youcertainly know more than me aboutwhat happened to our little girl!
LEO
(frustrated)Hey! I know what I saw, okay? Believe me or don't, it's notgoing to bring her back.
Morgan throws a punch directed at his face, but he dodgesit. He grabs her arms to keep her from swinging again.
LEO (CONT'D)Christ, Morgan, calm the fuckdown! Look, I know it soundsharsh, me putting it out therelike that, but I'm telling you, Isaw what happened. She's gone,Morgan.
27.
MORGANNo. No. No.
LEO
Look, she's gone and until youaccept that, those boys in therewill be the ones who suffer. Youthink they won't be affected byour fighting, or from seeing uscry the way we have? Eventuallythey're gonna figure out what'shappening here, and if they findout what happened to their sisterbefore we have a handle on things,we're gonna lose them too.
Morgan is unresponsive.
LEO (CONT'D)Shit...
(takes a deep breath)How about this? We go inside andhave ourselves a birthday party. We try to be strong, smile, andgive that boy a day to remember. A nice, family day to remember. Afterwards, we'll put them to bed,then come out here and have amemorial of sorts. Something wecan do together as a way of sayinggoodbye.
(eyes tearing up)How's that sound?
Morgan is choking on her tears, unable to speak. Instead,she just nods her head in agreement. He squeezes hertightly against his body. They spend a moment in silencetogether outside, with dusk quickly approaching. He kissesher on the forehead. EXT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY We see the exterior of the Shelby home, sans thefloodwater. Arthur Voight is walking out of the woods,behind the house. He is slightly drunk, but able to keephis composure. He walks beside the house and falls to hisknees next to the garden. Digging into his coat pocket, heremoves two small empty bottles of whiskey. He digs hishand into the soil of the garden and buries the bottles. As he does this, he clumsily CLANGS THE BOTTLES TOGETHER,making a loud sound.
28.
INT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Marian is still sitting at the computer, researching theShelby family, when she is startled by the sound of glassbottles clanging somewhere outside the house. She does notrealize this is what she is hearing, so she is curious ofwhat the sound may be.
MARIAN(yelling)
Art? EXT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Arthur hears Marian calling his name. He quickly standsand brushes the dirt off his knees. He does not noticethat he's left one of the bottles half sticking out of thedirt. The CAMERA FOCUSES ON THE BOTTLE to assure theviewers are aware of the mistake he has made. INT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Marian wheels herself over to the front door and peers out.She is again startled, but this time it is over theappearance of a ghostly hand resting on the door frame. She also sees a faint impression of a face peering in theglass of the storm door. She is seeing the ghost of Leo,as he is standing in the doorway, just after discoveringthe secret of the floodwater. His skin is still wet whenhe gets to the door, and she is able to see the parts ofhim covered in floodwater. Though she is startled atfirst, it's only because she is not expecting it. She isoddly comfortable seeing such a sight. She stares at it inamazed wonder. The moment is a tender one, showing theaudience a softer side of Marian. However, the moment is quickly spoiled once she sees herhusband walking in the yard and up onto the porch. Shewheels herself away from the door as he approaches, makingway for him to come inside. ARTHUR ENTERS the front door. Once inside, he smiles at Marian.
ARTHURWhat have you been up to, love?
He walks over to the couch and sits down. He lifts hislegs and removes the boots from his feet, setting them onthe floor beside the couch. Marian keeps distance betweenthem, talking to him from across the room.
MARIANI've just been online, mostly.Researching the Shelby family.
29.
ARTHURWho?
MARIAN
The family that used to live here.I was right, they were certainlyinteresting. The father, Leo, hewasn't a taxidermist like yousaid. I mean, he was, but it wasonly a hobby. He was a carpenterby trade. He actually built thishouse, and the barn too.
ARTHUR
Oh yeah? You learned all of thatfrom reading an article online?
MARIAN
No, I found their old Facebookpages.
ARTHUR
Ah, I see. So does this mean youlike the house?
MARIAN
I'm definitely warming up to it. Knowing more about the people thatowned all this stuff has beenhelpful. It's starting to feellike a home. Something warm andcozy. Something with meaning.
ARTHUR
It didn't have meaning before? Starting over? Saving ourmarriage?
MARIAN
Well, that's hardly warm and cozy,Arthur.
Arthur sighs in frustration, wipes his hands over his face,and stands. He starts to head upstairs.
MARIAN (CONT'D)(feeling bad for whatshe has just said)
Where are you going now?
ARTHURTo take a bath. I smell like dirtand bore solvent.
30.
MARIANBore solvent?
ARTHUR
I found it in the gun case. Decided to clean the gun before Itook it out into the woods.
MARIAN
How'd that go, by the way? Thehunting, I mean?
ARTHUR
We'll have to make our own dinnertonight. Sorry, dear.
(laughs, then headsupstairs)
MARIAN
Will you take me with you?
ARTHUR(surprised)
Of course.(smiles)
Arthur lifts Marian out of her wheelchair and cradles herin his arms. He carries her up the steps.
MARIANI'm sorry you have to tote mearound like luggage. It'sembarrassing.
ARTHUR
No worries. I tried to haveeverything in the house set up andready to go by the time we gothere, but I hesitated on getting alift for the stairway because Iwasn't sure if we'd need it ornot.
MARIAN
(catches a whiff ofalcohol on his breath)
What?
ARTHURWell, your condition, dear.
31.
MARIAN(grabs Arthur's head andturns it so that hismouth is in front of hernose. She sniffs)
For fuck's sake, Art. You didn'teven make it a day here withoutdrinking. Things aren't going tochange. They'll never fuckingchange.
ARTHUR
What? What are you talking about?
MARIANOh, give it up. Don't treat melike a goddamn fool. Put me down.
ARTHUR
What? Right here on the stairs?
MARIANI don't care. I don't want youtouching me.
ARTHUR
I'm taking you upstairs. I'm notgoing to just lay you on thesteps. You can't walk.
MARIAN
(starts beating on him)Put me down! You fucking asshole!You don't care about me! Stoppretending you give a damn aboutus!
(starts crying)
ARTHURMarian! Will you relax? I dogive a damn!
(walks into masterbedroom and sets herdown on the bed)
MARIAN
Fuck you, Art! If you did, youwouldn't be drinking! You killedour baby! You killed our baby,you sick bastard!
32.
ARTHURHey! Knock it off! I told you Ihaven't been drinking, and that'sthe truth. You're probablysmelling the bore solvent. I toldyou I've been cleaning guns.
Marian is quiet, however still looking at Arthurmenacingly, as if about to pounce on him in anger.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)And christ, Marian, you have tostop treating me like I'm somecold-blooded killer. It's notfair. It's not like I did it onpurpose. You know that.
MARIAN
Maybe not, but why should you everlive it down? You got drunk and--
ARTHUR
(interrupts)I made a mistake. I made a hugemistake. I know that. I have tolive with it... always. I have myproblems, Marian, but through itall, I never stopped loving you. Never will. So call me what youwill and ignore me when I speak toyou, but I'll never give up on us.I love you too much.
Arthur walks toward the bathroom attached to the mainbedroom. Marian watches as he walks away. She believeshim.
MARIANWait...
Arthur turns around.
MARIAN (CONT'D)I'm being unfair. I know that. This isn't easy for me. Not atall. I have a lot of resentmentand I'm doing my best to forgiveyou, but it's going to take time. I can see you're making an effort.Thank you for that. And I hopeyou can see that right now I'mmaking an effort too.
Arthur looks confused. Until now he has seen no effort onher part to make things right between the two of them.
33.
Marian unbuttons the first button of her blouse and motionsfor him to come back to her. He can't help but smile. Ithas been a long time since his wife has made any sexualadvances toward him. He crawls on top of her and rubs hisbody over hers. He moves in to kiss her, but she turnsaway.
MARIAN (CONT'D)Take it slow. I'm not ready forall this just yet. Can we startwith a bath?
Arthur nods and slides off of her. He lays next to her onthe bed and slowly removes the clothes from her body. Whenshe is completely nude, he cradles her in his arms andcarries her to the bathtub. He sets her down inside thetub and turns on the water. As the tub is filling up, heremoves his clothes and joins her. He sits behind her andwraps his arms around her lovingly. INT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT
A SHORT MONTAGE OFSCENES FROM BEN'S
BIRTHDAY PARTY: The Shelby family are all having fun together. They eat cake and Ben opens presents. The boys play together with the new toys. Afterwards, Leo and Morgan put the boys to bed and saygoodnight to them. EXT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT Morgan is standing outside in the dark, behind the house,just outside the sliding glass door. She has a cell phoneto her ear, trying the police again, but we hear the sameERROR MESSAGE play as before. She hangs up and pushes thephone into the pocket of her jeans. A cold wind is blowing, yet she doesn't seem to flinch orshudder, despite not being properly dressed. She doesn'tlook well. Her outer appearance is exactly as one wouldimagine it to be: disheveled and heartbroken. LEO ENTERS the scene by opening the sliding door andstepping out of the house to join Morgan, shutting the doorbehind him. He has her jacket in his hands. He drapes itover her shoulders. She doesn't respond to the gesture inany way whatsoever.
34.
LEOReady?
MORGAN
How can I be?
LEO(Nods. He takes her bythe arm)
Walk with me. They walk out to the barn together. Leo wraps his armaround his wife. This is the first time since they've beenmarried that he has ever felt he can't "fix" the problem. He looks at her hopelessly. The walk silently shows thatsome tension has formed between them. Beside the barn there is a small gravestone. Thegravestone reads, "Sweetums." Morgan sees the gravestoneand appears confused.
MORGANWhat's this?
LEO
Remember Sweetums?
MORGANOf course I remember Sweetums. She was our cat for years. What Imean is, why are we here?
LEO
I thought it would be helpful ifwe had a visual. Or at leastsomething to speak to.
MORGAN
Poor Sweetums. The boys wouldhave loved her. Emily too.
(cries)
LEO(holds her close)
I don't think Sweetums would havefelt the same about her.
(laughs)Remember how she'd try to climb upon Ziggy over at Grandpa Jack's? I've never seen a dog so scared inall my life.
35.
MORGAN(laughs, then has a lookof sudden realization)
Shit.
LEOWhat?
MORGAN
I don't know how I'm going to telldad. I don't know how I'm goingto talk about this with... anyone.
LEO
You think he'd even be able toprocess it, you know, consideringhis Alzheimer's?
MORGAN
Leo, I still have to tell him. Ican't just pretend it didn'thappen. He's not a child, he's myfather.
LEO
Speaking of children, what are wegoing to tell the boys?
MORGAN
Christ. I don't know. I supposewe have to tell them the truth.
LEO
Do we?
MORGANYou don't think we should?
LEO
Well, maybe not until they'remature enough to handle the truth.I don't want to traumatize them.
MORGAN
The absence of their sister willbe traumatizing as it is. Besides, let's say we wait andtell them the truth when they area little older... wouldn't theirparents lying to them about theirsister's death be even moretraumatizing than just knowingtheir sister is dead?
36.
LEOI know what you're saying, babe,but those boys are sensitive. Remember how they reacted when ourgoldfish died? And we only had itfor two weeks. They were a mess.
MORGAN
We can't lie to them, Leo.
LEOMaybe we should talk about this alittle later. It's not why we'reout here. Can we at least agreeto not say anything to the boysabout it until we have the chanceto discuss it in full?
MORGAN
(nods head)Fine.
Leo kneels before the grave. He looks up at Morgan.
LEODo you have something you want tosay to our baby?
MORGAN
(overcome with emotion)Fuck. You start.
LEO
(nods, tears welling inhis eyes)
Hey there, sweetie. I still can'tbelieve you're gone. You're mylittle princess. Always will be. I don't know what happens whenlife on earth ends, but baby, ifyou can hear me, please don't everforget that daddy loves you. Imiss you every second you're nothere with me. Your mom and I, wealways tried teaching you and yourbrothers to find the silver liningin every problem. And I guess ifany good at all came from this,it'd have to be that I'm no longerafraid of death. Cause if you'rehearing this, then I'll get to seeyou again on the other side. Babygirl, I can't wait.
37.
Leo hesitates for a moment, then looks up at Morgan. Sheis crying. He stands, and just as he does, Morgan beginssobbing uncontrollably. He tries consoling her, but as hegoes to touch her, she pulls away in anger.
MORGANWhy did this have to happen? Whythe fuck did our little girl haveto die?
LEO
Morgan...
MORGANIf there is a god, then he is onesadistic motherfucker. Whatreason could he have for takingthe life away from a three yearold?
(looks up at sky)If you wanted somebody, why didn'tyou take me? Goddamnit! I don'twant to live this piece of shitlife anymore, not without her! Bring her back and take meinstead! Send me to Hell for alleternity, I don't fucking care! Just bring my little girl back!
(collapses to theground)
Bring my little girl back... bringmy little girl back...
(sobbing) Leo sits beside her and tries to get her to calm down.
MORGAN (CONT'D)(screams)
Aagggghhhhhhhhhh! INT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT Ben and Jake are lying in their beds in a darkened room. The only source of light comes from a nightlight placed ona table between the two twin-sized beds, just under thewindow. The boys hear their mother screaming outside andawaken.
JAKEDid you hear that?
BEN
Yeah. Did you?
38.
JAKEYeah. What was it?
BEN
I don't know.
JAKEIt sounded like mommy.
BEN
It was outside.
JAKEHow do you know?
BEN
Cause I heard it.
JAKEI heard it too and I didn't knowit was outside.
BEN
I'm smarter than you.
JAKENuh uh.
BEN
Yes huh. I'm older. It came fromoutside.
JAKE
What was it?
BENI don't know. Why don't you look?
JAKE
No, you look.
BENNo, you look.
JAKE
No, you--
BEN(interrupts)
How about we both look?
JAKEOkay.
39.
The boys slide out from underneath their covers and climbup onto the table. They slowly peak their heads up overthe window sill, scared of what they might see. They havea perfect view of the barn and their parents standingoutside it.
JAKE (CONT'D)I told you it was mommy.
BEN
What are they doing outside? It'sbedtime.
JAKE
I'm going out there.
BEN(grabs Jake)
Look! Jake! Do you see that?
JAKEWhat?
Outside, Morgan is kicking wildly at the barn in anger. She can't control herself. Leo is doing his best to tryand keep her calm, but she is resisting.
BENMommy's really mad aboutsomething. Maybe she's mad atyou.
JAKE
(suddenly scared)Why?
BEN
Did you do something you weren'tsupposed to?
JAKE
(nods his head)Yeah.
BEN
What was it?
JAKEI pretended to brush my teeth.
BEN
Yup. That's it. That's why she'smad. You better just stay uphere.
40.
JAKEMaybe she's mad at Emily...
BEN
Emily's not even here. Mommy saidshe had to stay with Grandpa Jack.
JAKE
Who is Grandpa Jack?
BENRemember that old guy with thehelper lady?
JAKE
The one with the peppermints?
BENI don't know.
JAKE
I like peppermints.
BENEmily's not here Jake.
JAKE
(looks out at hisparents again)
I think she's mad at that rock.
BENWhat rock?
JAKE
That rock right there.(points to gravestone)
She keeps kicking it.
BENWhy would she be mad at a rock?
JAKE
It's a bad rock.
BENIt's not a bad rock. You're adummy.
JAKE
Buttface!
41.
BEN(shoves Jake onto hisbed)
You better go back to sleep orelse I'm gonna scream and tell onyou.
JAKE
You better go to sleep or I'mgonna tell on you!
BEN
(hesitates)MMMOOOO--
(stops halfway throughshouting, "Mom!")
JAKE
MMMOOOO--(stops halfway throughshouting, "Mom!")
They both go back to bed, afraid the other is going to tellon them. INT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT LEO AND MORGAN ENTER the house through the back slidingdoor. Morgan walks to the living room and falls onto thecouch in a laying position. Leo follows her into theliving room.
LEOSorry, I really thought that wouldhelp. I was wrong, clearly.
MORGAN
This is hard, Leo. I'm sorry. I'm trying.
LEO
Hey, there's nothing to be sorryabout. We grieve in differentways, that's all. Whatever youneed, I'm here for you. You knowthat.
MORGAN
Can you rub my back?
LEO(smiles)
Of course.
42.
Leo sits next to Morgan as she lays on the couch. He rubsher back for a few moments, but almost immediately shefalls asleep. He kisses her on the forehead and stands. INT. SHELBY BARN – NIGHT Leo throws open one of his many toolboxes, searching forsomething. He spots a pair of safety goggles hanging abovethe work table and removes them from the wall. The gogglesare menacing-looking, as they are tinted plastic, almostblack in color, and feature two perfectly round, oversized,circles around each of the eyes. The round pieces thatcover the eyes are the only clear pieces of the entire pairof goggles. EXT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT Leo walks out of the barn and over to the edge of thefloodwater, over by the measuring contraption he madeearlier. The measuring tape indicates the water level isstill the same as earlier. He reaches down and fills thegoggles with floodwater and places them over his eyes,careful to keep the water from spilling out of the goggles.The goggles fit snuggly to the face through an elasticstrap tied to each side. He pulls the elastic strap astight as it will go, holding the water in place over hiseyes. Tiny streams escape, racing down his cheeks and neck. The world he sees through the floodwater is the livingworld. He no longer sees the floodwater surrounding him,nor the dark clouds in the sky. The sky he sees now is aperfect, clear night, full of stars. He again sees thepeculiar car in his driveway. He walks over to examine it,but discovers he cannot interact with the objectphysically. He studies it still, confused, because he hasno idea where it came from, who it belongs to, or why it isthere. He walks through the front door of the house, literally. He discovers he is able to pass through it without openingit. Most of the inside looks the same to him, as theVoights have kept their furniture, however he does noticethe little changes here and there, and he spends a momentexamining each change: namely the computer, the wheelchair,and the gun that has been removed from the gun cabinet. This confuses him even further, but he doesn't stopexploring. He continues upstairs and walks into the masterbedroom. In the master bedroom, he is startled to find a man and awoman in his and Morgan's bed. The couple are, of course,Arthur and Marian, complete strangers to him, and both arenaked, having come straight out of the bath into bed. They
43.
are sleeping sweetly together. He reaches out to touchMarian's body, not in a perverted way, but just to see ifhe can, and he cannot. His hand moves right through her. Leo walks around the room, continuing his exploration. Marian's eyes open and she is surprised to see a ghostly,vapor-like Leo roaming around the room. She cannot see allof him, only the parts of him that are wet with floodwater:his face and the front of his neck, along with both of hishands and forearms. She is surprised, but not scared. Shetries not to make any sudden movements. She doesn't wantto scare him off. She watches him as he walks out of theroom and into the hallway. He does not notice she isawake. In the hallway, Leo makes his way over to Emily's room. The thought occurs to him that she may be there, so hechecks. She is not there. Marian pulls herself out of bedand sits naked on the floor, peeking out the bedroomdoorway. She sees him go into Emily's room and then backout again. As he is walking toward the stairs, suddenly heall at once disappears into thin air, right before hereyes. All the water has now leaked out from the sides of hisgoggles, so he pulls the goggles off, as well as his shirt.He uses his shirt to dry off the parts of him that weresoaked with floodwater. Because he has cleared the waterfrom his skin, Marian is now unable to see him. He returns to the living room, back in the cold ghost worldthe Shelby family is now living in, and sees Morgan isstill asleep on the couch. He sits on the floor besideher, lost in deep thought. He is trying to make sense ofthe things he has just seen. Suddenly his demeanor changes, and the look on his face isnow that of both terror and enlightenment. Without words,his facial expressions indicate he's just discovered whatthe viewers already know to be true: that they are the oneswho have died. He decides to keep this informeation tohimself for reasons revealed in a later episode.
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
44.
EXT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING Arthur is in the kitchen making breakfast. He's makingpancakes and stirring the batter in a bowl with anoversized spoon. He is visibly in a great mood thismorning, after making progress with his wife the nightbefore. Marian is sitting in her wheelchair at the dining table inthe next room. She is staring at a picture hanging on thewall, a picture of Leo Shelby. This is a silent indicationthat Marian is aware she was seeing Leo the night before,at least she believes so. Arthur brings out two plates, each displaying a short stackof pancakes, topped with fresh strawberries and red syrup. He places the plate on the table, one directly in front ofMarian. He notices her staring at the picture.
ARTHURI suppose we should take thosedown now, huh? They're kind ofcreepy.
MARIAN
(looks up at herhusband)
I don't think so. Taking themdown would be wrong.
ARTHUR
Life must go on, dear. This isour home now. There should bepictures of us up on these walls.
MARIAN
(looks down at herplate)
This looks delicious, Art. Thankyou.
ARTHUR
(smiles)Of course, love. You're welcome.
Arthur returns to the kitchen to retrieve their drinks: twomugs of hot coffee. He takes his coffee black and shetakes hers with cream and sugar. He returns to the diningroom table.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)(sets mug next to herplate)
Cream and sugar, just how you likeit.
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MARIAN(gives a forced smile,as she seems a tadannoyed with herhusband'soverzealousness thismorning)
Thank you, Art.
ARTHUR(starts cutting into hisfood)
Last night meant a lot to me. Iwant you to know that.
MARIAN
(nods, then looks backat the photo of Leohanging on the wall)
I was meaning to ask you aboutthat...
(turns back to Arthur)...did you notice anythingpeculiar last night? Anything atall?
ARTHUR
Peculiar? Not at all. It feltnatural. Like we used to be.
MARIAN
No, not about us, I mean ingeneral?
ARTHUR
I don't suppose.(hesitates)
Did you noticeanything...peculiar?
MARIAN
(nods)Something is here with us. In thehouse.
ARTHUR
(takes a bite of hispancake)
What? Like a mouse or something? Marian points at the picture of Leo on the wall.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)You're joking, right?
46.
MARIANNo, I saw him. He was in ourbedroom last night.
ARTHUR
He was in our bedroom? Marian,what on earth are you talkingabout?
(laughs)
MARIANIt had to be him. He was lookingfor something. I think it musthave been his daughter, cause heleft our room and went straightdown the hall into her room.
ARTHUR
If that's true, then wouldn't hisdaughter be with him? They alldied at the same time in that caraccident.
MARIAN
His daughter survived.
ARTHURWhat? How do you know that?
MARIAN
I read about it online when youwere out yesterday.
ARTHUR
You seem excited about this.(laughs)
Seeing a ghost walking around inour bedroom didn't freak you out abit?
MARIAN
No, not at all. I was more sadfor him than afraid. He lookedlonely. I'm sure he's worriedabout her.
ARTHUR
Who?
MARIANHis daughter.
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ARTHUR(unconvinced)
Right. Well, I need to head intotown to get a few things. Want tocome with?
MARIAN
No. I don't feel up to it. There's plenty that needs to bedone around here anyway.
ARTHUR
You sure? We could make a day ofit. Maybe find a nice diner forlunch...
MARIAN
That sounds lovely. Maybe someother time. You go on ahead.
ARTHUR
(stands and kisses hiswife on the forehead)
Alright. Some other time then. Call me if you need anything.
MARIAN
(takes a sip of coffee)Thanks, Art.
ARTHUR
(grabs keys and opensthe front door)
I love you, Marian. Marian looks down, uncomfortable and embarrassed. She doesnot feel ready to say "I love you" back to him, even ifdeep down she knows she still loves him.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)(nods and half-smiles)
Baby steps.(walks out the door)
She listens for the sound of the car driving off and whenit does, she grabs the plates from the table, stacks themon her lap, and wheels herself into the kitchen. As she puts the dishes in the sink, she notices a toolboxon the floor, against the wall. There is a pair of clearplastic safety goggles hanging halfway out between thebottom of the box and the lid. She goes over and pullsthem out, examining them. She recognizes these are not thesame goggles Leo was wearing the night before, and has now
48.
made it her mission to find them. She opens the toolboxand discovers there are no other pair of safety glassesinside. She checks every place she can think that may containtools/safety wear: under the sink, drawers, closets, etc.Just as she is about to give up, she looks up at one of thetaxidermied animal heads hanging on the wall, sparking theidea to check inside the barn where she knows Leo used towork. INT. SHELBY BARN – MORNING At first we see only darkness and little slivers ofdaylight slipping through the edges of the wood planks thatmake up the barn door. Then the door opens and we see aflood of daylight rush in, as well as Marian's silhouette. EXT. SHELBY BARN – MORNING Marian wheels herself into the front door of the barn. INT. SHELBY BARN – MORNING Inside the barn, Marian explores. We get to see more ofthe items being stored inside the barn: old furniture, lotsof wood planks and building materials, bicycles, abasketball goal, tools, and plenty of mounted animals andmiscellaneous pelts, among other things. After exploring, Marian wheels herself to the toolboxes andleans over to open each of them. None of them contain thegoggles she's looking for. She looks up and spots them. They are hanging on the wall above a large work table. She knocks them off the wall with a baseball bat she findsin the junk somewhere near her. She picks up the goggles. Finding them confirms that the ghost inside her bedroom thenight before indeed was Leo. This makes her smile. EXT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING Marian exits the barn and pushes herself through the yard. She takes her time, as she hasn't yet had the opportunityto explore the property surrounding the house. She goes tothe garden and runs her fingers over the flowers growingthere. There is a warm glow to her face now, as she iswarming up to the idea of a new life in a new house — a newbeginning.
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However, the warm glow quickly fades as she spots somethingpeculiar sticking part-way out of the soil along the backedge of the garden. She recognizes the bottle immediately.It is Arthur's preferred brand of whiskey: Maker's Mark. Afrustrated look comes over her face as she reaches down topick the bottle up. INT. SHELBY HOME – MORNING Inside the house, on the dining room table, Marian lines upthe two empty bottles and stares at them for a few momentsin silence. She is visibly angry, disappointed, andnervous.
MARIANThat bastard.
EXT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY Morgan opens the back sliding door and lets Ben and Jakerun through, out into the yard.
MORGANDon't go near the water, you two. I mean it!
(hesitates, waiting fora response)
You hear me?
BEN & JAKE(together)
Okay!
MORGANI'll be watching you through thiswindow.
(points at the kitchenwindow to her left)
If I see you anywhere near thatfloodwater, so help you God!
She closes the door, remaining inside the house. Jake hastwo toy cars, one in each hand. He kneels down and drawslines in the dirt with his fingers, creating roads for hiscars. Ben grabs a stick and runs over to Jake, stabbinghim in the butt with it.
JAKEHey, butthead! Quit it!
BEN
Make me!(laughs)
50.
JAKE(grabs a stick of hisown and charges at Ben)
ARRRGGHHHH! The boys sword fight with the sticks. They are havingloads of fun wailing on each other, that is until one ofthem gets hurt. It doesn't take long.
BENOw! Hey! That hurt!
(pushes Jake down)
JAKEI'm telling mom!
(stands up and starts towalk toward the house)
BEN
(tackles Jake and pinshim to the ground)
You're not gonna do anything,cause if you do, I'm gonna spit onyou.
(purses lips and letsspit dribble out of hismouth a bit)
JAKE
No! Don't be gross! Ben! Stop!
BEN(laughing)
What are you gonna do about it,pansy boy?
Jake looks around him for a stick or something to useagainst Ben. As he does this, he notices the gravestoneover by the barn.
JAKEHey, look!
BEN
Yeah, right. I'm not falling forit.
(purses lips, actinglike he is about to spiton him again)
JAKE
For real! Look! It's the rock!
51.
BENI'm not falling for it!
(laughs)
JAKELook! Seriously! The bad rock!
BEN
The bad rock?(looks up and sees thegravestone. He standsup, freeing Jake)
You really think that's what shewas so mad about?
JAKE
I don't know. Maybe. Let's gosee.
The boys walk over to the side of the barn and study thegravestone.
JAKE (CONT'D)It looks like a grave.
BEN
It is a grave, dummy. Told you itwasn't a bad rock.
JAKE
It kind of is.(hesitates)
Who is Sweetums?
BENI don't know. Let's dig it up.
JAKE
No way! Zombies!
BENThere's no such thing as zombies!
JAKE
Then why is there a name for themthen?
BEN
I'm digging it up.(breaks stick and startsdigging with the end ofone of the brokenhalves)
52.
Jake digs his fingers into the ground and pulls away largeclumps of dirt as Ben digs them loose with the stick. Asthey dig, the bones of a cat paw are revealed, sticking outof the dirt a couple inches.
JAKEWhat's that?
BEN
It's a tiny hand! Keep digging! They continue to dig, pulling bones out of the grave asthey see them, piling them on the grass. They stopwhenever they see a skull. It is clearly a cat skull, withwide sockets and tiny, sharp teeth. Jake is holding it outso they both can see it. The boys do not realize thesebones belong to a cat.
BEN (CONT'D)A skull!
JAKE
It's so tiny. It's like a babyskull.
BEN
Cause that's what it is... ababy's skull.
Jake and Ben study the skull in awe.
JAKEWhat baby?
BEN
(shocked)It's Emily.
JAKE
(drops skull)Emily?
BEN
(picks up skull)Well why else would mommy be soupset?
JAKE
She's at Grandpa Jack's, remember?
BENI think she's lying, Jake. Ithink Emily made her real mad. Haven't you seen how upset mommyhas been?
53.
JAKENuh uh. Mommy wouldn't do that.
BEN
(holds up the skull)She already did.
JAKE
That's not Emily, you jerk! Stopit!
BEN
I'm not lying to you! Look atthat...
(points to gravestone)Mommy called Emily Sweetums allthe time, remember?
JAKE
(pauses, then stunned)Yeah, she did.
BEN
See. And that's why she's nothere no more. We're never gonnasee her again, Jake. And if wearen't good, we will get buriedtoo.
JAKE
What are we gonna do?
BENWe can't tell anybody.
JAKE
What about daddy?
BENAre you kidding me? Jake, nobody.Seriously. Don't tell nobody!
JAKE
Okay, okay.
BEN(bends down to pick upbones)
Help me get all these bones. Putthem in your pocket.
JAKE
What are we gonna do with them?
54.
BENHide 'em in our room. We can'tjust leave her out here.
JAKE
(bends down and stuffsbones into his pockets)
What if mommy finds them? She'sgonna get real mad.
BEN
She won't find them. After the bones are stuffed into their pockets, the boyspush the dirt back into the hole they just created. Theytry to make it look as close to how it looked before, butit still looks as if someone has dug it up. They run across the yard and open the sliding glass door atthe back of the house. INT. SHELBY HOME – LATE DAY BEN AND JAKE ENTER the house. Jake closes the door afterentering and Ben runs upstairs to his room. Jake follows. MORGAN ENTERS the frame, stepping into the hallway frominside the kitchen doorway.
MORGANHey, boys... don't forget to washup. Dinner will be ready soon!
BEN & JAKE (O.S.)
Okay! Morgan returns to the kitchen. INT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT Morgan, Leo, Ben, and Jake are all sitting at the diningroom table together. Food has been prepared and all haveservings on each of their dishes. Ben has a fork in hishand and is running it through his food, not eating. Jake's hanging his head down, looking lost in thought. Leoand Morgan are eating. Morgan sees that Jake looks sad.
MORGANJake? You okay?
Jake continues staring, unaware of the world around him.
MORGAN (CONT'D)Jake?
55.
LEO(frustrated)
Jake!
JAKE(startled, looks at Leo)
What?
LEOYour mother is talking to you.
JAKE
(looks at Morgan)What?
MORGAN
Are you okay? You look sad.
JAKE(looks down again)
I'm just not hungry. The camera shows us what has Jake's attention: the catskull. It is resting on his lap, out of sight fromeveryone else at the table.
MORGANAre you feeling okay?
Jake does not respond.
LEODamn it, Jake!
JAKE
(startled, looks at Leo,then quickly looks atMorgan)
What?
MORGAN(looks at Leo)
Leo, it's fine. I don't thinkhe's feeling well. Leave him be.
JAKE
(stuffs skull into hispocket)
May I be excused?
MORGAN(nods her head)
Go lay down for a bit, honey.
56.
Jake gets up from the table and runs upstairs. Leo looksover at Ben, who is still playing with his food and noteating.
LEO(to Ben)
What's wrong with you? BOYS' BEDROOM Jake does not turn the light on once he enters the bedroom.Instead, he goes straight to his bed, and lays across itsideways, facing the table that separates the two beds. His legs and feet are hanging off the side of the bed. Heplaces the cat skull on the table and stares at it. EXT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT We see a shot of the Shelby home, not surrounded byfloodwater. INT. SHELBY HOME – NIGHT Marian is sitting in her wheelchair in the middle of theliving room, alone. She is lost in thought, staring intospace. Lights shine in through the living room window andtravel through the room briefly. The light is emittingfrom the headlights of the Voight car. She HEARS THE CAR PULL INTO THE DRIVEWAY and sits upstiffly in her seat, looking nervous. She HEARS THE ENGINESHUTTING OFF AND THE CAR DOOR SLAMMING SHUT. The CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD, revealing an eight-inch chef'sknife clutched tightly in her right hand, which is hiddenslightly behind her. FOOTSTEPS CAN BE HEARD walking up the steps of the porch,then just outside the front door. The CAMERA ZOOMS IN onMarian's worried face. Her BREATHING IS AUDIBLE.
END OF ACT THREE
FADE OUT:
END CREDITS
(c) William Pauley III, 2016
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