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FADE IN:
EXT. CEMETERY - LATE DAY
A late model Chevy pickup truck pulls into a grassy cemetery
and stops. A young kid, Kevin, 22, gets out walks through
the patch of gravestones. He stops at one gravestone and
bends down over it.
GRAVE STONE
He reads the carved etching on the front and stops.
KEVIN
(to grave stone)
I remember you told me this story.
It was about why you were dying.
You had this cancer that couldn't
be cured.
(off his words)
No cancer can be fucking cured.
(a beat, continues)
It was in the head, brain seizures
from when your kid was killed.
I've seen him in my house. It's
really weird but I can talk to him.
He tells me to keep your breath
from going cold and I'll do the
same.
It rains. Kevin gets up and looks toward his truck. He
starts walking toward it as his pocket vibrates. He reaches
and grabs his cell.
KEVIN
(into cell)
Hello?
INT. TAXI - DUSK
From inside a taxi traveling slowly through a quiet
neighborhood in a rural mountain town. Stephanie rides back
seat through a gloomy section of mountain talking on her
phone.
STEPHANIE
I'm on my way.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DUSK
The taxi slowly pulls up a street with a severe incline.
INT. HOUSE - FOYER - MORNING
Kevin enters the living room holding a bucket of paint. He
stops at the unfinished wall and sets his paint down. A lot
of empty paint can surround his place of work. The color
Beige and many used rollers.
As he grabs the brush, his cell rings. He sets grabs the
cell from the table and answers it.
KEVIN
Yeah, hey, what's up?
(a beat)
Yeah, I'll be there in a few, I
gotta get some shit done first.
(a beat)
All right.
He hangs up his cell and continues paining. After a minute,
he sets the brush down and walks toward the refrigerator and
grabs a bottle. He heads back into the living room to be
greeted by...
STEPHANIE
Your door was unlocked.
KEVIN
Shit, you scared me.
STEPHANIE
I called you a while ago.
After a second, Kevin continues with business, as if she
wasn't there.
KEVIN
So what went wrong at home?
STEPHANIE
(starts in between
sentence)
...decided I wanted a vacation.
Had a fight with my mom because of
my boyfriend. I ended up breaking
up with him. But I have no money
so I thought I'd come and see how
you we're doing.
KEVIN
Where you goin'?
STEPHANIE
I start school in a little less
than two weeks in Virginia.
KEVIN
What'd your mom say about that?
STEPHANIE
Nothing, she already knows.
Kevin grabs a paint roller, dips it in some pain, and glides
it up the wall.
STEPHANIE
(continuing)
Well anyway, I gotta plane to catch
in Denver a week from now.
KEVIN
(turns to her)
Yeah, I'm trying to fix this place
so I can head out to school up
north.
STEPHANIE
Where ya goin'?
KEVIN
I've been looking at Columbia, but
I wanna broaden my horizons.
STEPHANIE
Okay.
KEVIN
Carl told me about it.
Stephanie watches, silent, and sturdy. Kevin looks at her
and wonders what's next.
STEPHANIE
When you start?
KEVIN
Here and there, a while back.
Never had any money to do it until
when grandpa died.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Sorry that I couldn't be here to
help with the funeral.
KEVIN
Is that how you're going to
college?
A cold beat.
STEPHANIE
Yeah. Figured I might as well put
the money to good use.
Another cold beat.
KEVIN
I called your cell.
(a beat)
Then I called your mom and she told
me to send her a picture of his
father. Something about it she
felt she needed to have it.
STEPHANIE
Really?
KEVIN
Yeah I found it. Gave it to a
friend a few days ago when some
punks broke in and stole everything
but that.
(a beat)
There was something on the back of
it, I dunno, it's written in some
foreign language and I can't read
it.
(a beat)
And if I figure it's worth
something, your mom might have to
wait.
(he laughs)
Naw I'm just kidding, you can send
it to her if you want.
A beat, Stephanie looks toward the stairs.
Kevin sets his brush down and grabs some paint buckets and
takes them outside.
KEVIN
I'll be right back.
From the outside, we hear the sound of a bunch of buckets
from the outside.
Stephanie heads slowly for the stairs and looks around for a
quick moment.
INT. SECOND FLOOR - MORNING
She looks up from the second floor and sees where the stairs
lead to, a dark hallway that leads to three bedrooms.
She comes up the flight of stairs and heads for the top.
She looks at the photos alongside the wall as she heads up
the creaky stairs.
EXT. FRONT YARD - MORNING
Kevin heads to his beat-up truck, puts his painting supplies
in the back, and gets inside.
He gets inside the truck and backs out of the rigid driveway
and turns down the street.
MOVE TO:
INT. SECOND FLOOR - MORNING
Stephanie slowly looks through the box of doors and sees a
door open slightly. She walks over to it and peeps inside.
INT. ROOM - MORNING
Stephanie enters the dark room. She looks for a switch on
the wall for a light. She clicks it on, but nothing.
STEPHANIE
(mutters)
Needa getta new light for this
room.
She continues looking around the room and sees a view from
the curtainless window. She gazes out the window at the snow
covered mountains and hills that surround the area.
After a few seconds, she leaves after her interest goes away.
INT. STAIRS - MORNING
Stephanie walks past the stairs and finds a bathroom as the
next room over.
INT. BATHROOM - MORNING
Stephanie feels for a light switch and clicks it on. This
room has light, but reveals a bathroom that is ancient for
her.
STEPHANIE
What in the hell?
She looks around and looks towards the huge mirror on the
wall. She looks at her face, then looks down at the sink and
turns on the water.
With her hands, she forms a bowl and fills with water to wash
her face.
After, she wipes her face with her hands and looks for a
towel to dry off with, but finds none. She shakes her head
and heads out of the room. Turns off the light and shuts the
door.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. STREET - FRONT OF HOUSE - DAY
The truck pulls up. The sky is gray. Light snow falls from
above. Kevin gets out of the truck and carries his set of
equipment with him. He heads up for the front of the house
and enters.
INT. LIVING ROOM - (EVENING)
Kevin enters a lonely house. He sets his equipment on the
floor, just anywhere and heads into the kitchen.
FROM THE REFRIGERATOR, Kevin grabs a beer. Closes the door,
heads into the living room.
BACK IN LIVING ROOM
Kevin heads through the foyer and heads up the stairs and up
to his room.
INT. MASTER - EVENING
He enters and sits his beer on a bedside table and flips on a
TV that rests on his dresser in front of the bed.
He turns on his TV and finds a station within the static.
It is really dark in and out of the room. He lays on his bed
and drinks his beer, falls asleep.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
The house is quiet, nobody is here. Totally silent, except
for what's not there.
INT. STAIRS - DAY
Stephanie climbs up the stairs and heads to her room with her
suit case in her hand. She opens the door and exits FRAME.
The door to the attic makes a bulge, a breeze of freezing
air.
THE AIR BECOMES DARK, then...
BLACKNESS
THE SAME EXACT SPOT - HOURS LATER
We find it is now light outside. CAMERA soon moves up from
the floor position and slowly rises to see what looks to be a
thin rope tied at each end of what we FROZE at in the
previous shot.
INT. STEPHANIES BEDROOM - MORNING
Stephanie sleeps on her bed. She rises from her bed, her hair
a total mess. She sits up and looks out the window. The sun
is not poking in from where she is. She gets up and yawns
her way to the door.
Her feet stick to the cold, wooden floor as she creeps over
to her door.
TRACK from her bed, follow her walking, and stop at the very
edge of the wall, just barely seeing the door, and BLACKNESS
on the other side, where we would normally see the hallway.
Without stopping in her 2 ft. trip she grabs the doorknob.
Her hand turns to open, but the door does not. In fact, the
door should open from the inside, and is why it will not open
now.
When the door doesn't open, her hand comes free without
ease.
She looks for a moment at the doorknob and twists it again.
But nothing. The door will not open. It is being held from
the other side.
FACING the FLOOR from the CEILING, TRACK over her bedroom,
into and over the hallway, and into her brother's bedroom.
INT. MASTER - MORNING
Kevin has nearly fallen off his bed. As we watch him, a LOUD
NOISE comes from across the hallway which wakes him up.
His, Kevin's eyes, face his door, which every time he hears a
crashing sound, his door pulls with it.
KEVIN
What the fuck?
His eyes soon follow, gaining interest. He gets up. Enters
the hallway.
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
Kevin enters FRAME and comes toward her door. He hardly
notices what is tying the two doors together.
KEVIN
What the hell's going on?
Stephanie stops for a moment and realizes something's not
right.
STEPHANIE
Kevin?
HALLWAY
Kevin faces the door and yawns as he looks at his watch. He
heads back into his bedroom like nothing has happened.
KEVIN
Stephanie, go back to sleep, some
of us have to work today.
IN STEPHANIES BEDROOM
Stephanie is still trying to open her door, not trying
anything else. She stands in front of her door.
STEPHANIE
Then open the door!
INT. MASTER - MORNING
Kevin closes his door and hits his bed and falls back to
sleep.
IN STEPHANIES BEDROOM
Still in her room, she continues to talk to Kevin, who is no
longer in his room.
STEPHANIE
Kevin?
INT. HALLWAY - SAME TIME
The door opens to Kevin gripping a set of scissors. He looks
at her with sudden wonder.
STEPHANIE
What the hell did all this?
A quick beat, then Stephanie exits her room and finds Kevin
and her mom chatting.
KEVIN
I dunno, but it happened about two
weeks ago.
Kevin re-enters his room and finds his way to his bed and
falls down dead.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SIDE OF HOUSE - DAY
Kevin comes from the front porch and heads to his truck.
His friend Carl is already there, waiting.
CARL
Kevin, what's up man, we're late.
KEVIN
Don't worry, it's only what's his
name finishing up that shit from
yesterday.
CARL
Yeah, well I'm getting paid next
week from the government anyway.
As they get inside the truck and pull out, Stephanie stands
in close view, but startles Carl.
CARL
Stephanie, what're you doin' here?
STEPHANIE
Fucked up at home, you?
CARL
Naw, jus' chillin. You need a ride
somewhere?
STEPHANIE
Yeah, to the school. You know a
girl named Kimberly?
CARL
I should, she's my girl.
STEPHANIE
I told her to meet me at the
school.
Kevin looks at her, then nods forward for her to get inside
the truck.
KEVIN
get in.
The truck speeds down the muddy driveway and down to the
street.
INT. TRUCK - MORNING
Stephanie sits on the side, next to Carl, who sits middle.
Her eyes wander throughout the neighborhood as Kevin drivers
her to the school.
STEPHANIE
So, you guys painting something
today?
KEVIN
Gotta finish up on some old mans
house.
Stephanie nods her head, but can give a shit less.
STEPHANIE
So, what's up around here, there
anything to do?
CARL
What, like fun?
(a beat)
We play pool down the street on
Saturdays, other than that, we just
work.
Stephanie eyes all the houses they pass, then...
STEPHANIE
That all?
KEVIN
Well what did you expect? This
ain't up the road.
STEPHANIE
You got a car though.
KEVIN
What, this? This is my work truck.
I never go nowhere with this piece
of shit.
As Kevin continues down the street, he makes a turn and heads
down a hill to the school house.
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOL - MORNING
The truck stops in front of an old building that looks like a
museum of some ancient sort.
STEPHANIE
This it?
KEVIN
Yeah, I'll see you when I see you.
She gets out of the truck and heads up for the front of the
school house.
FLASH TO:
EXT. COURT YARD - MORNING
Stephanie approaches the court yard and looks around. She
sees various teens hanging around and doing school related
thing. Some teens drink, others smoke. Stephanie sees
someone she recognizes and approaches her.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie, when you get back in
town?
STEPHANIE
Yesterday. Got tired of my moms
bullshit, so I took off.
KIMBERLY
You stayin'?
STEPHANIE
Not at school, hell no.
A quick beat.
KIMBERLY
So what's up then?
STEPHANIE
Wanna get outta here?
Kimberly, a few of her friends, and Stephanie eating lunch
outside at a table under some trees.
KIMBERLY
It's got cold out here.
FRIEND 1
It snowed last night.
KIMBERLY
I'm freezin' my tits off.
STEPHANIE
Y'all wanted to eat out here. You
two comin' with us?
FRIEND 1
I got some work to catch up on or I
don't graduate.
KIMBERLY
Don't worry, Steph, I gotcha.
Stephanie continues chewing bubble gum, then they get up and
head toward the snow covered road outside the school.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Kimberly and Stephanie wander down the street, headed toward
a set of homes in the area. Stephanies cell phone rings. She
reaches and answers it.
STEPHANIE
Hello?
A beat.
STEPHANIE
No, I don't give a shit about that.
It's not my fuckin' problem.
CUT TO:
INT. CONDO - DAY
Karen, mother, 34 years, chats from a desk in her master
bedroom while watching a soap.
KAREN
Well there's a ton of money siting
on it.
STEPHANIE (V.O.)
I didn't come out here for money.
I came out here to say fuck you.
KAREN
Well, before you ever think of
coming home, you should consider
finding me that painting then.
STEPHANIE (V.O.)
I have it, but not on me. But I
won't give it up with out a fight.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Stephanie hangs up the cell phone and pockets it. She looks
at Kim as they head up the hill and to...
EXT. KIMBERLY'S HOUSE - DAY
They approach the front of the house, behind some front
trees.
STEPHANIE
So what's there to do around here?
My cousin said there's nothing but
playing pool.
KIMBERLY
There's a place we all go and chill
out at, but we only do that on
Saturdays.
They enter the house.
INT. FOYER - DAY
Kimberly leads Stephanie into the house. She looks around,
making sure nobody is behind or in front of them.
She continues up some stairs and into...
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Kimberly gets on her bed. Stephanie sits in a desk chair and
looks at the wall, various pieces of art including...
STEPHANIE
(noticing something out of
the ordinary)
What's that?
Kimberly looks up at...
THE PORTRAIT, hanging on the wall, completely out of place.
KIMBERLY
Something your cousin gave to me.
Told me to hang onto it for a
while. Other than that, I have no
idea.
Stephanie gazes at the portrait for a long while, then gets
up and looks at it. She notices the back ground, a
mysterious setting in a mountainous locale.
STEPHANIE
(referring to portrait)
Where is he?
KIMBERLY
Mountains somewhere, I guess.
Don't really care.
Stephanie takes a more definite look at the portrait, then
looks at the man.
STEPHANIE
That's my grandpa, isn't it?
Kimberly continues gazing at the painting, has no idea.
KIMBERLY
Actually I think he did say it was
about him.
(looks at Stephanie)
Why he gave it to me.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, yeah, said it was almost
stolen. And why he, he gave it to
you.
(a beat)
My mom told me there's something on
it that's worth some money.
Kimberly just continues to stare at the wall, nothing in
mind, then her cell rings. She answers it.
KIMBERLY
(into cell)
Hello?
(a beat)
Okay, I'll do it, okay fine. What
kind?
A beat.
KIMBERLY
What time does it need to be done?
(a beat)
Okay, thanks, bye.
She hangs up her cell and looks at Stephanie. She gets up
and pays her attention to her watch.
KIMBERLY
Wanna come with me?
STEPHANIE
Where to?
KIMBERLY
Gotta get a few things from the
store.
Stephanies eyes are still on the painting as Kimberly heads
to the door. Stephanie reaches over and gets up across the
bed and grabs the portrait.
KIMBERLY
What are you doing? Come on.
STEPHANIE
Jus' a sec, okay?
Kimberly continues to stand in the door frame of the bedroom.
She takes the portrait and looks at the back or it, nothing,
then looks at the front of it and looks for a second.
KIMBERLY
How long is this gonna take?
STEPHANIE
I'm jus' seein' if she's right?
Kimberly stops.
KIMBERLY
If who's right?
STEPHANIE
My fucking mom.
Stephanie takes the portrait and removes it from its frame
and looks at it from all sides.
KIMBERLY
What're you doing?
STEPHANIE
There's supposed to be something
written on the other side of this.
(to Kim)
You don't mind if I...
Kimberly shakes her head, already knows what she's gonna do,
and doesn't care.
STEPHANIE
... good.
(she removes staples with
scissors)
If she's right, there's something
written on this.
A beat, Stephanie continues with the portrait.
KIMBERLY
What?
STEPHANIE
I don't know.
Another quick beat, Kimberly turns her attention away from
the portrait and toward the door, then heads into the
hallway.
KIMBERLY
Why are you all of a sudden
fascinated with that?
STEPHANIE
Just having some fun while I'm
here.
The paper(base of portrait) is removed with ease. Stephanie
takes the portrait from the wood and looks on the back of it.
She sees something, and something else catches her eye.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
(peeps into room)
What's on it?
STEPHANIE
Nothing really, but there's
something I can't read.
Stephanie instantly discards this and flips the portrait over
to the front and considers. She looks at Kim, then back to
the portrait.
KIMBERLY
Ready to go?
STEPHANIE
Yeah.
(a beat)
What about the picture though?
KIMBERLY
Just leave it. You can fix it when
we get back.
Stephanie gets up and heads to the door. She follows
Kimberly down the stairs and out the front door and out to...
EXT. STREET - DAY
Kimberly looks both ways before she crosses the street,
Stephanie quickly behind.
STEPHANIE
Where we goin'?
KIMBERLY
Down the street.
A beat, as Kimberly and Stephanie walk down the street, they
start conversation.
KIMBERLY
If you wanna do something later on,
you can come with me.
STEPHANIE
Where to?
KIMBERLY
You like to drink?
INT. STORE - DAY
Kimberly reaches in a freezer and grabs two bottles of Corona
Light and hands one to Stephanie, who stands behind her,
waiting.
KIMBERLY
Hold this.
She gives the bottle the Stephanie and continues to the front
counter.
EXT. STORE - DAY
Stephanie and Kimberly walk down the street drinking Corona
as they head down the street even further.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Kimberly and Stephanie approach the front of the house
Stephanie lives. They head up the porch and enter.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE - DAY
Stephanie and Kim enter the foyer, finding Kevin and Carl
painting the living room.
STEPHANIE
What are you guys doing?
Kevin stops and looks at her. Carl turns around from the
wall and sees her standing by the door.
CARL
We're finishing up the living room.
Where ya been?
STEPHANIE
We got dinner.
(a beat)
How long have you been painting
this place for?
KEVIN
About two weeks. Well anyway,
what'd you get to eat?
KIMBERLY
We got Taco Bell.
Stephanie heads for the kitchen and sits the food on the
counter and takes out her taco and starts eating.
STEPHANIE
What time is it?
KEVIN
It's almost time for us to go
out...
Stephanie stops as she heads for the refrigerator.
STEPHANIE
Really, where?
KEVIN
... to get some more rollers.
We're almost down to our last two.
KIMBERLY
Y'all ain't gonna leave us here are
y'all?
KEVIN
Depends if you wanna tag along with
us.
Stephanie pulls out a root beer from the refrigerator and
snaps it open an chugs along with her taco.
STEPHANIE
What're ya doing later on tonight
then?
KEVIN
Goin' to bed, been a long day. All
our fun shit's done on the weekend.
CARL
This is for the weekday.
Stephanie finds her a chair to sit in and rest her legs in
for a moment. Kimberly flips on the flat screen TV and
watches.
KIMBERLY
Y'all still got cable?
KEVIN
Yeah, channel nine's the TV Guide
channel.
Kevin turns to Stephanie and glances at her as she eats.
KEVIN
(head behind us)
So what's up Stephanie? How long
you stayin' for?
STEPHANIE
As long as I want to, right?
KEVIN
You gonna pay rent?
STEPHANIE
You own this fuckin' place, so no.
He looks down at all his dried up paint and then to Carl.
He puts on his jacket and is ready to leave.
KEVIN
You ready to leave already?
CARL
Yeah, lets go.
KEVIN
Y'all wanna come with us? Beats
stayin' here alone.
Stephanie and Kim both get up at the same time Carl heads
toward the door. He carries his stuff all in his right hand.
Stephanie heads out the door in front of Carl. Kevin puts
his brush down and follows them outside.
FROM HOOD OF TRUCK
CARL
Kevin, put on the heater man, my
balls are freezing.
Kevin starts the ignition and turns in the heater for Carl
and Stephanie.
KEVIN
better?
He turns around and looks back as he pulls the truck out of
the driveway and onto the street.
EXT. STREET - EVENING
The trucks REAR LIGHTS come on in front of the CAMERA, turn
off and head down the road.
INT. TRUCK - EVENING
Stephanie and Kim sit bunched up between the two of them.
KEVIN
You talk to your mom today?
Stephanie looks at him then gets out her cell phone and looks
at the time.
STEPHANIE
No.
A calm beat, she says nothing further.
KEVIN
She tell you about her picture?
STEPHANIE
Yeah, I looked at it. Nothin' on
it worth reading.
KEVIN
I think it's worth something. Some
guys broke in and took one off the
wall, so I gave the one of him to
Kim to hold onto. Just in case.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, you told me, when I got here.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kevin pulls onto a street that heads up an incline. The
truck slows down as it reaches a destination.
INT. TRUCK - EVENING
Kevins eyes wander. Carl pays attention to the street ahead
of him and comes to a stop.
Carl opens the door and gets out of the tuck.
CARL
Tomorrow man, see ya.
KEVIN
All right then.
He closes the door and heads up for his place, into the
darkness around them.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Stephanie, asleep in bed, rolls around as she tries to sleep.
Her window is closed with frost covered on it.
She continues to roll around in her sleep, having an intense
dream by the feel of it.
DISSOLVE TO:
(dreaming)
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
The truck heads down a familiar road. One we've seen
earlier. An old building lies up ahead.
INT. TRUCK - EVENING
Kevin, talking, has his eyes on the road, and his eyes on his
cousin.
Stephanie looks out the front and sees something in the
distance, a DEER crossing the road.
STEPHANIE
Kevin, a deer in front of us, slow
down.
Kevin taps the brakes a little, but does not stop fully.
Instead, the deer pushes on, somewhere unknown.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OLD MILL - EVENING
The truck zooms past the old mill, and as it does, it stops
very rough.
INT. TRUCK - EVENING
Kevin puts the truck into PARK and turns his head to
Stephanie. Stephanie takes a look around and wonders...
STEPHANIE
Why did you stop?
Kevin looks at her.
KEVIN
I can't talk why I drive.
He shuts off the ignition and gets out of the truck.
EXT. MILL - EVENING
Kevin stands next to the truck and pulls out a cigarette and
starts to smoke it.
STEPHANIE
Kevin, what're you doing? Lets go,
come on.
Kevin stops and turns to her. The CAMERA stops to trap the
image of Kevin and Stephanie, plus a lantern-lit window that
belongs to the third floor of the abandoned structure. A
noise comes from the building.
(earlier) Kevin walks around, shot gun aimed in front of him,
patrolling the scene. He follows a soft noise, the blowing
of the wind.
He stops and looks toward another part of the mill, looks up
and sees...
A MAN on a bridge, GLOWING from above. Kevin aims his gun,
but the man walks away. (dreaming incomplete)
CUT TO:
WHITE
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
Stephanie wakes up and feels sweaty all over. She gets up
and looks out the window and sees it's morning. She gets out
of bed and yawns as she walks to the door and into...
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
... the hallway and down the stairs.
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
The sun comes in over the white drape and soaks the living
room with intense white light.
Kevin and Carl are painting again, this time they are
finishing up the living room, and it looks much more
progressed than yesterday.
CARL
What time you get home last night?
I tried calling you to see what's
up about tonight.
Kevin continues painting to wall. He turns to Carl and turns
back to the wall.
Stephanie enters the room and heads for the kitchen and opens
the refrigerator and pops out a Root Beer.
KEVIN
I went to sleep when I got home, my
cell was on buzz.
Kevin moves the roller over the wall, covering up the bare
whiteness.
EXT. FRONT YARD - DAY
Stephanie comes into the front yard and finds a place, a
bench and sits down. She reclines her feet up and watches as
the sky goes over her, as the clouds come and go.
A noise from in the bushes gets her attention. She raises up
and looks in that direction.
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Stephanie re-enters the living room and approaches Carl and
Kevin finishing the wall.
STEPHANIE
Kevin, what's down the dirt road
just behind the school?
A quiet beat, Kevin looks at her and continues painting.
KEVIN
Nothing, why?
STEPHANIE
I had a dream we went back there
and there was a mill or some shit,
it was really weird, it felt so
real.
Carl dabs more paint onto his roller and hits the wall again
following Kevin.
KEVIN
What was the dream about?
STEPHANIE
We were just driving, and we were
there.
KEVIN
Whoops. You know there is a mill
around the other side of town. I
don't think it's near the school,
but there is one nearby. What else
happened?
STEPHANIE
We saw something, something
glowing.
CARL
A ghost?
STEPHANIE
Naw, or it could have been. It was
an old man I think.
Kevin stops, turns around facing Stephanie and gives a hard,
deep look, then looks out the window.
KEVIN
Sounds like something that actually
happened out here.
(a beat)
Someone I know was killed there. I
think it was one of our cousins
from a while ago.
A beat.
KEVIN
(referring to dream)
What else happened?
STEPHANIE
That's it.
A beat, Kevin sets his roller down and takes a breather. He
grabs a root beer from the fridge and sits sown for a second.
STEPHANIE
(calm)
What's wrong?
KEVIN
Nothin', jus' tired.
He drinks.
KEVIN
That sounds a little bit like the
picture that was stolen, a story
around that.
STEPHANIE
Really?
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. MINE - DAY
The FLASH of a portrait taken of a man standing in front of a
mine in the 1930s depression era.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. FOYER - DAY
The portrait stands tall as the main piece for the walk in of
the house. A younger man comes down a pair of stairs holding
a tube with his arms.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Kevins voice is heard from off to on screen.
KEVIN
(telling story)
He hung the portrait in the foyer.
That same time, the kid takes off
with some work of his and heads for
the mine and never returns.
Kevin finishes the right wall, then looks at Carl and sets
his rollers down and grabs his paint and moves to the other
wall.
KEVIN
And after that, the dad had a
brother, my grandpa, our grandpa,
and he lived here.
STEPHANIE
How are they related to us?
KEVIN
I dunno, blood I guess.
Stephanie could care less at the moment, just watching Kevin
and Carl paint has her temporary attention.
STEPHANIE
Gee that's really fascinating, what
are we doing tonight?
CARL
Call up Kim, she wants to do
something later on she told me.
Stephanie gets on her cell and dials a number and pins phone
to her ear.
STEPHANIE
(into cell)
Kim, you there?
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, it's me, no nothing much, and
I wanna do something.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
What time?
(a beat)
Hold on, I'll see.
She grabs cell and hold her hand over the receiver and turns
to Kevin.
STEPHANIE
(to Kevin)
When y'all gonna be done painting
the wall? Kim wants to know
because she says she's goin' with
y'all tonight and is fuckin' bored.
Kevin, without turning his head, replies...
KEVIN
We'll be another hour or so.
Stephanie turns back to her cell and continues with Kim.
STEPHANIE
About an hour.
(a beat)
All right then, I'll see you there.
She hangs up her cell and watches Kevin and Carl tone up the
wall.
CUT TO:
INT. POOL HALL - NIGHT
Q-BALL into RACK OF POOL, kids drinking beer, Kevin and Carl
play a game of pool with their friends. Stephanie is behind
it all, watching, beer in hand.
KEVIN
All right Carl, I need to barrow
some cash you owe me.
CARL
(pushy)
You owe me ten bucks from last
weekend.
They share a brief friendly laugh as Kevin watches Carl hit
in the first ball. Stephanie turns to Kim and stands by.
STEPHANIE
I got money on Carl, you?
KIMBERLY
Don't bet your money on that.
(a beat)
I bet on Kevin then.
Carl throws down his fifty. Kevin grabs his money and throws
it down next to his.
CARL
I'll throw in my fifty, you guys
just watch me and him go at it.
Kimberly looks at the pool table and sees Kevin and Carl
playing a game of pool, smoking and drinking a beer. Across
the room two biker looking men stand around playing pool.
One of the men turns toward Kevin and stares at him for a
minute.
Kevin shoots in one of his balls and makes it in a corner
pocket. Carl watches, then moves aside for Kevin to continue
another shot.
KEVIN
Move aside, and I'll show y'all how
it's down around here.
Kevin aims, shoots, and misses by an inch. Carl laughs, then
takes another drink.
CARL
Ha, whoops.
Carl aims his pool stick and shoots. He makes it in just as
the men staring at them earlier approach.
RAOUL
(biker punk)
How bout I'll show y'all a game?
Kevin gets up and considers his options.
KEVIN
How much y'all got?
RAOUL
I ain't makin' this about money.
Kevin looks at Carl, smiling, then continues to approach.
KEVIN
No cash, no game.
RAOUL
I want something that was in your
house.
Kevins smile instantly goes away. He thinks for a second,
then figures it out.
KEVIN
(serious)
You the one who broke into my
fucking house?
Kimberly gets in between Raoul and Kevin as they face each
other square.
KIMBERLY
(to both)
What's this all about?
RAOUL
(to Kim)
I know it's in your place...
(to Kevin)
... and I'll play you for it.
A beat. He turns around to his buddies drinking over by the
bar, they nod.
RAOUL
It's become the only way I can get
it.
KEVIN
Don't care, not interested.
Kevin nods off to Carl as they turns back to the pool table.
Kim keeps a close eye on Raoul as he continues to stand
there, waiting.
RAOUL
You win, I give you my ride.
Kevin stops, turns to Raoul and faces him once again.
KEVIN
What kind is it?
RAOUL
It's a beauty. I win, I get the
picture, I lose, you get a new
ride.
Holding a cigarette, he takes a puff from it and blows smoke
to his face, in his direction.
KEVIN
(to his friends)
I dunno, should I?
KIMBERLY
I don't know, should you?
He turns back to Raoul and smiles...
KEVIN
You got yourself a bet.
The man laughs, then takes another puff from his cigarette.
Kevin is silent. Raoul continues eye balling him, then grabs
his pool stick and hits the eight ball in.
RAOUL
I win, new game.
POOL TABLE, the row stacked with pool balls is hit with the
Q. stick.
RAOUL
My ball.
Kevin grabs his stick and aims toward a STRIPED ball. He
hits and misses.
CARL
Kevin, what the fuck?
Kevin looks at him with a serious attitude and tone, then
looks back toward Raoul as he hits in another ball.
Raoul knocks in ball after ball, winning in less than five
minutes. Raoul gets up from the pool table and approaches
Kevin.
RAOUL
My winnings?
Kevin looks at Carl, then leaves scoffs as he heads toward
the door.
KEVIN
Please...
CUT TO:
EXT. TREES - NIGHT
Kevin walks down the street, into some trees and some bush.
From down the street, LIGHTS appear in the distance and
rapidly approach.
A group of bikers stops next to Kevin.
RAOUL
I told you I'd win.
Raoul turns off his engine and stares at him. He waits for
something, but Kevin continues walking.
RAOUL
Hey, where you goin'?
KEVIN
Follow me and find out.
From under his belt, he latches the safety from his gun and
grabs it with his free hand and starts up his engine and
follows Kevin.
CUT TO:
Kimberly leaves the pool hall and heads for the street.
Stephanie follows her outside.
EXT. SIDEWALK - NIGHT
Stephanie catches up with Kimberly and walks with her to god
knows where.
STEPHANIE
Where ya goin'?
Kimberly turns around and sees Stephanie approaching her from
behind.
KIMBERLY
Come with me.
STEPHANIE
What are you doin'?
KIMBERLY
Follow me and be quiet.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kevin, walking next to Raoul, off his bike and on foot
heading up an incline.
KEVIN
What does this mean then?
Raoul turn and stares, not responsive.
A beat.
RAOUL
We get this and it'll be done.
KEVIN
What will?
RAOUL
Just give me what you owe me.
Kevin stops and turns to him.
KEVIN
Which one do you want?
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimberly and Stephanie turn on a flash light and aim it on
the painting.
STEPHANIE
What are we looking for?
KIMBERLY
I dunno, something, that's really
important.
Stephanie looks at her, then take the light and flips the
painting to its reverse side and aims the light over the
back.
KIMBERLY
What's on back?
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kevin and Raoul walk toward the front of his house. They
approach the front yard and head up to the front door.
INT. FOYER - NIGHT
Kevin enters the house and walks down the hall and stops.
Leaving the door open, Raoul follows him inside and stops
behind him.
RAOUL
Where is it?
KEVIN
I don't know. I put it somewhere
when my house was broken into.
Kevin slowly walks up the stairs and looks on the side of the
wall...
KEVIN
(as they walk up)
You see it anywhere?
RAOUL
No, it's here. Where is it?
Kevin stops and turns around to him and stares him down for
the first time.
KEVIN
If you know you're wasting time,
then go back to your friends and
ride your cold asses up the hill.
Raoul stops and looks down to the foyer a considers his
options.
RAOUL
Where the hell is it?
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Stephanie and Kim take the painting. Kim rolls it and looks
at Stephanie.
KIMBERLY
If this thing is worth what they
say, then lets make it our game.
CUT TO:
(scene changes to bedroom)
INT. ATTIC - NIGHT
Raoul follows Kevin into his attic, hand at his belt buckle
the whole time. Kevin stops and turns around.
KEVIN
If I was gonna kill you I woulda
done it by now.
RAOUL
Being safe.
Kevin stops over a box of crap and removes it and opens the
box underneath it.
KEVIN
It's in here.
Raoul is silent as Kevin plunders in the box. He stops and
turns around and sees...
KEVIN
What are you doing?
RAOUL
Didn't think I was leavin' here
empty handed did you?
Kevin is silent, then brings out a picture that resembles the
painting from the flashback.
KEVIN
What you wanted right?
Raoul approaches Kevin, removes his hand from his gun and
grabs the painting and looks at it.
KEVIN
It's all there.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
LIGHT ON over the portrait. Kimberly and Stephanie hover
over it with a magnifying glass, looking at every inch of the
portrait.
A knock at the door.
KIMBERLY
(to Steph)
You mind getting that?
EXT. FRONT PORCH - NIGHT
The door opens to Kevin standing front and center. He looks
distraught.
KEVIN
What're you doing?
STEPHANIE
Not the same as you. Where you
been?
Kevin enters the door. Stephanie closes it behind him.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Kevin enters and sees what he did not expect. The portrait
abroad and center living room.
KEVIN
Carl here?
Stephanie and Kimberly both nod as they continue with the
portrait.
KEVIN
What the...?
Kim turns around and sees Kevin enter the living room and
sits down on the sofa.
KEVIN
Where'd you have it?
KIMBERLY
I've had it since you know...
(a beat)
... since you gave it to me.
KEVIN
I thought we put it in the attic in
my house a short while after.
KIMBERLY
Nope.
A quick beat, then...
KEVIN
What's so special about that
(points)
anyway?
KIMBERLY
We're finding that out as we speak.
Kevin gets up and approaches Kimberly as she combs the
portrait with her magnifying glass.
KEVIN
Lemme look at it for a few
moments...
(a beat)
Please?
Kimberly hands Kevin the lenses and starts scoping the
portrait. He finds nothing. He moves back from the portrait
and looks at the back ground from top to bottom.
As he considers the location the portrait suggests, his eyes
are buried into the painting even deeper, then, he looks to
the mill behind the man, then turns his attention to the
computer in the back ground of Kimberlys living room.
KEVIN
Can we use that for a second?
Kimberly looks at the computer, then toward Stephanie who
poses an unknowingly face.
KIMBERLY
I guess, what do you need to find?
KEVIN
Something.
Kevin gets on the computer and starts typing in some phrases
and clicks "search."
As the computer does its magic, Kevin and the two behind
wait. Something happens, the lights all of a sudden go out.
Kimberly, Stephanie and Kevin are all left in the dark.
KEVIN
What the hell just happened?
Kimberly waves the flash light around then heads to the
kitchen and looks outside.
Stephanie follows her.
STEPHANIE
What're you looking for?
KIMBERLY
Seeing if there's anybody outside.
Kevin gets up and heads for the door. He looks out through
the peep hole and looks back to Kimberly.
KEVIN
You think somebody followed you
home?
KIMBERLY
Maybe.
KEVIN
Those guys from the pool hall came
with me.
A quick moment later, then, the lights turn back on and
everything using power makes a humming sound.
Kimberly looks around, sees Stephanie and Kevin in the living
room and turns back to the portrait.
KIMBERLY
What the hell was that?
KEVIN
I dunno, but I'm headed home in a
minute. Steph you might wanna come
with me.
Stephanie turns toward him and sits down for a second. She
looks at the portrait and considers looking at it again.
She gets up and looks at it with soft eyes. She remains
focused on it for about fifteen seconds before she has a
theory.
STEPHANIE
(to Kevin)
This picture has nothing to do with
it. Just a marker.
(approaches the portrait)
You see this? It's the back drop
where you said the kid was killed
by accident.
Kevin looks harder, does not understand, but continues
listening.
KEVIN
So?
STEPHANIE
(a beat)
What's written on the other side of
it is what's out there.
Kevin approaches and flips the portrait around and reads the
words out very slowly.
KEVIN
What's out there then?
Kevin reads the writing, but cannot understand any of it.
He stops and looks at Kimberly who wonders in amaze at what
it actually is.
KIMBERLY
That's all it is? There's nothing
out there.
Kevin turns to her.
KEVIN
You ever been out there?
KIMBERLY
Well, no, but I know the only thing
that's out there isn't gold.
Stephanie looks at Kimberly and tries not to smile, but
chuckles instead.
STEPHANIE
It's not gold. What was the kid
buried with when the rocks fell on
him?
Kevin and Kimberly both think about it as they continue to
watch the portrait with their eyes constantly moving over it.
KEVIN
He was buried with nothing. They
found him and buried him at the
towns cemetery back in 39.
The mood goes quiet for a second, then Stephanie gets up and
takes the portrait and rolls it back up and tosses it to
Kimberly.
STEPHANIE
Give this to Kevin, I'm done with
it. I'm too tired to think a
hundred years in the past.
Stephanie walks away after tossing her the portrait and heads
for the door. She bundles up and looks toward Kevin and
waits.
STEPHANIE
Ya comin' with me Kevin? I don't
have the key.
Kevin gets up and follows Stephanie out the front door.
Stephanie waves bye to her as does Kevin.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kevin and Stephanie make their way to the street from the
front yard and head toward CAMERA. They look both ways
before walking though.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. FROM A LIGHT POST - NIGHT
Watching Stephanie and Kevin approach the house from another
corner.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
They approach the front of the house and make their way up
and inside.
INT. HOUSE - FOYER - NIGHT
Kevin opens the door and enters before Stephanie. Once he
enters, he flips on the light switch, but nothing. He flips
it again, but nothing.
KEVIN
What the fuck?
(to Stephanie)
Power's off.
Stephanie enters from around him and enters the living room
and takes a look around. Kevin heads back out the front door
and heads around back. We can see him through the windows as
he makes his way around the side and to the back.
EXT. BACK OF HOUSE - NIGHT
Kevin finds the power switches and opens the box and looks at
it. He cannot find anything wrong with it and looks into the
house.
He considers again that there may be a problem and tries to
flip one switch. He does, but nothing happens.
INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Stephanie walks around in the dark and looks for a wall
switch. As she continues throughout the house, she stops.
Hearing some dripping water, she looks back and remains
stopped. For a second, she stands there and doesn't move.
As the water continues to drip, she decides the head up the
stairs.
INT. STAIRS - NIGHT
Stephanie inclines up the stairs very slowly. It is pitch
black, almost. She feels something and stops. For a second
she thinks she's being followed, but she turns up and feels
more weight on the stairs than there should be.
She remains focused on headed up the stairs, but as the
movement of the weight continues, she hears something.
CREAK, CREAK, from the stairs, someone coming down.
Stephanie starts to shiver from anxiety, but does not close
her eyes. She remains in place as whatever is coming down,
comes down.
But she cannot see anything.
She finally turns back around and watches as the air around
her becomes freezing cold. She can see her own breath as she
stands there.
As soon as the weight distribution on the stairs becomes even
once again, she sees something on the floor. A figure moving
about, a translucent figure she can see through.
STEPHANIE
Kevin?
EXT. BACK OF HOUSE - NIGHT
Kevin hears Stephanies voice and turns into the window and
sees something in the living room.
KEVIN
What the hell?
Kevin closes the switch box and heads around to the front and
re-enters the house.
INT. HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Kevin enters and finds nothing but cold air for a brief
moment. He takes a look up the stairs and sees Stephanie
standing on the staircase.
KEVIN
What are you doing up there?
STEPHANIE
(motionless)
What?
Kevin waves his hands in front of her and looks into the
living room.
KEVIN
Did you find a flash light?
Stephanie is still motionless.
KEVIN
Stephanie?
She instantly becomes sterilized and becomes self aware
again, then looks down to Kevin and looks around.
STEPHANIE
What the hell happened? You turn
on the power?
KEVIN
No. I saw you with a flash light.
where is it?
STEPHANIE
I don't have a flash light..
Kevin remains still.
STEPHANIE
I felt something a moment ago.
A beat, she looks up the stairs and sees nothing.
STEPHANIE
I felt someone else on the stairs
but I saw nobody. I thought it was
you at first, but it came from up
stairs.
Kevin stops and looks up stairs, then heads up the stairs
himself. On the top stair, the lights come back on. Kevin
looks down and sees Stephanie still in the middle.
KEVIN
You comin' up? I'm goin' to sleep
in a few minutes.
Stephanie heads up to her room and closes the door at the
same time Kevin heads for his bed.
STEPHANIE
What're you doing tomorrow?
KEVIN
I dunno.
A beat.
KEVIN
We'll figure it out.
INT. MASTER - NIGHT
Kevin finds his way to him bed and sets his alarm and grabs
his sheets.
CUT TO:
INT. ATTIC - MORNING
The sun shines down into the attic from a bay window on the
rear of the house, the roof.
A door opens and someone enters the staircase.
KEVIN
Hello? Stephanie, you up here?
Kevin walks up the stairs and finds Stephanie looking through
some boxes.
STEPHANIE
Something I can't explain last
night drew me up here a few minutes
ago in a dream.
KEVIN
So you're having dreams now?
STEPHANIE
I always have dreams. Heard a few
steps up there last night. I
thought I dreamed it, so I came in
here to find out.
Kevin approaches Stephanie as she sifts through boxes of old
crap.
KEVIN
Well when you're done with all
that, make sure you clean it all
up, okay?
STEPHANIE
Fine.
She continues looking around as Kevin heads back down the
stairs and exits the attic.
INT. FIRST FLOOR - MORNING
Kevin heads into the kitchen and opens the fridge and grabs
some left overs and pops it in the microwave. He sets the
timer and presses go.
The microwave hums as it cooks his food. Kevin enters the
living room and grabs some paint buckets and heads to the
door under the stairs in the foyer.
INT. BASEMENT - MORNING
Kevin opens the door and hauls down the bucket. On his way
down he flips on a light switch. The lights come on
revealing a darker than light basement with no space to
spare. The basement actually resembles an old living room
that remains vacant. Kevin sets his things in a closet and
closes the door. He heads back up the stairs and turns off
the light.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
From the kitchen, Kevin comes through the rest of the front,
heading toward CAMERA and opening the microwave. He grabs
his food and pulls it onto the table and starts eating
breakfast.
INT. ATTIC - MORNING
Stephanie continues pondering through old reminiscent news
papers that have been kept. As she reads through one that
she has found, she compares it to an old photo album sitting
next to her. She compares her findings and comes up with
something thrilling.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Kevin continues to finish his chow. He watches out the
window as clouds roll in over the mountains and create a
blanket of coldness that takes their every last breath.
We hear steps coming down the stairs, then Stephanie enters
the living room and approaches Kevin eating at the table.
KEVIN
What'd you find?
STEPHANIE
Not much, but I did find and
compare the way the kid was killed
the day he was.
Kevin is stumped.
STEPHANIE
I found old newspaper detailing
what happened. It was just sitting
up there.
Stephanie approaches the table and sits down in front of
Kevin and waits for him to start listening.
KEVIN
Okay, go on.
STEPHANIE
I told you last night there was
something on the stairs. What if I
told you it's a ghost.
Kevin stops chewing, picks something out of his teeth and
continues eating.
KEVIN
Okay.
STEPHANIE
It's him. The kid who was killed
in the mine.
KEVIN
The mill.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, whatever. It's him. He's
doing something. It seems he was
working with his dad on something
that he never finished.
KEVIN
yeah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
A beat.
KEVIN
You mind telling me something I
don't now?
STEPHANIE
(surprised)
What, you already know this?
KEVIN
It's not everyday one learns his
house has something walking up the
stairs.
A quick beat.
KEVIN
it happens every once in a while I
was told. Some ghost hunters from
around here told me, but I never
saw anything.
STEPHANIE
Well I did, last night. When I was
walking up the stairs, I felt it.
I didn't see shit but I felt it.
She takes a deep breath. Then, sarcastically.
STEPHANIE
And if I woulda known this place of
all places was haunted, I woulda
stayed back in Denver with a
friend.
KEVIN
Well since you came, you mind
washing this for me?
STEPHANIE
(not taken back)
How does it feel to live in a real
haunted house?
She smiles as she asks. He has a definite look on his face.
KEVIN
Well, for one thing, it's not
haunted.
I've never seen a damn thing, and another thing, you didn't
see anything. What you felt, if you felt anything...
STEPHANIE
(interrupting)
I did.
KEVIN
It coulda just been the house
settling in. It is cold out side
and when it gets cold, the house
tends to shake a little bit.
Stephanie is in utter disbelief. She chuckles as she gets
nerve to tell him...
STEPHANIE
Are you calling me a liar?
KEVIN
You don't know half of what's going
on. Now as for ghosts, if you say
you felt one, I want some proof,
okay?
Stephanie chuckles a second, then reads Kevins eyes, he is
not kidding.
STEPHANIE
Well how am I supposed to do that?
KEVIN
Think of something. How did you
see it the first time?
STEPHANIE
I just felt it. It might be
impossible for me to get any real
proof.
Kevin finishes his breakfast and throws the trash away and
heads into the living room and sits to watch some TV.
Stephanie remains at the table in the dining room, thinking
about nothing.
INT. STAIRS - LATER
Stephanie sits at the base of the stairs, thinking...
She remains at the base of the stairs until...
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK... at the door. She gets up and answers
the door. Kimberly stands behind it.
KIMBERLY
Hey.
STEPHANIE
Hey, come on in.
Kimberly follows Stephanie to the living room and they sit
down.
KIMBERLY
What're y'all two doin'?
STEPHANIE
Nothing really. Being as bored as
you.
KIMBERLY
Naw I'm not bored.
Kimberly sits and watches TV as Stephanie remains in her own
thoughts.
STEPHANIE
Kim, do you know how to find what
haunts a house?
Kimberly eyes turn away from the TV and turn toward
Stephanie.
She has a similar look Kevin had when he told him.
KIMBERLY
What're you talking about?
STEPHANIE
This house is haunted. I just
wanna know what it is.
Kimberly turns toward Kevin, who gives a "don't know" gesture
and turns back toward the TV.
KIMBERLY
(to Kevin)
What haunts this place Kevin?
KEVIN
I dunno. I never see anything.
This is the first I've ever heard
of anything.
Stephanie interrupts.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, but you know what happened
though. With the kid who was
killed.
KEVIN
Yeah, so?
STEPHANIE
I saw it in the house and that shit
don't fly with me. I can't sleep
till I know what the hell that was.
Kevin takes a breath, then looks at Stephanie and Kimberly
and gives an obscene gesture.
KEVIN
What is it then?
STEPHANIE
Help me find out. You told me
about some ghost hunters that came
in here.
KEVIN
That was when I was still a kid.
And I wasn't being serious about
that.
STEPHANIE
I'm not being serious about that
either, I wanna do it myself.
KEVIN
Go ahead then.
STEPHANIE
I need your help.
KEVIN
No, you know more about it than I
do.
(to Kim)
Kim, help her with her ghost hunt
will ya?
Kimberly stares at him with shock and awe.
KIMBERLY
Your house is haunted and you don't
wanna know what it is?
KEVIN
Well, I've never seen shit. You
tell me.
STEPHANIE
You've just never been in the right
place before.
KEVIN
What, and you have?
STEPHANIE
Obviously, I saw something and I
wanna know what it is.
Kevin takes a breath, then looks at Kim as she watches TV and
nods.
KEVIN
When did you see it?
A beat. And before Stephanie speaks.
KEVIN
I mean, what time did you see it?
STEPHANIE
It was when you went outside, when
the power went off.
KIMBERLY
(to Kevin)
How often does your power go off?
KEVIN
Not often.
(to Steph)
What time was that?
STEPHANIE
Like around one in the morning.
(to Kim)
What time did we leave your place?
KIMBERLY
You know, I don't even remember. I
went to sleep right after you guys
left.
Stephanie gets up, looks above the TV and sees the clock
hanging. The fingers turn slowly, making a minute a full
circle. She walks toward the stairs and stops in front.
She turns around to the door and stops for second and thinks.
Kimberly gets up and heads in her direction and stops next to
her. She focuses on Stephs eyes, trying to sees what she
sees.
KIMBERLY
What're ya looking at?
STEPHANIE
Trying to remember what time we
came home.
KIMBERLY
Well don't think too hard. It's
not that damn important is it?
Stephanie turns to her...
CUT TO:
INT. FOYER - NIGHT
Stephanie looks at her watch and looks at the camcorder
recording the stairs.
A sound from up the stairs catches her attention for a
second.
She turns and stares, gets up and walks toward the camcorder.
She looks up the stairs and at the view finder on the machine
and adjusts the clarity. As she looks at the screen, she
sees something that keeps her eyes on the screen. Something
moves. Her eyes slightly turn away from the camcorder and
turns up the stairs, but she sees nothing. She turns back to
the camcorder and sees something coming down the stairs.
STEPHANIE
(in sudden shock)
Oh my god!
She continues recording the stairs and keeps her eyes on the
moving translucent object.
The object comes down the stairs and just before it makes
contact with the floor, it stops for a second, then
disappears into thin air.
Stephanie turns off the cam and rewinds the video. She
presses play and watches what she recorded. It is a true
ghost.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Kevin and Carl sit in the living room playing a play station
game as Stephanie looks at her video and compares it to right
now.
She rewinds the video constantly, one after another trying to
put the pieces together.
She turns off the cam and takes it into the living room and
steps in front of Kevin and Carls game.
KEVIN
Stephanie, get outta the fuckin'
way.
STEPHANIE
I got something here to show you.
She hooks up the wires to the TV as Carl and Kevin remain
seated.
STEPHANIE
I recorded this last night when you
went to sleep. I don't know what
to make of it.
She plays the tape. Carl and Kevin watch the tape in sudden
shock and disbelief.
KEVIN
I don't get it, how did you get
this?
STEPHANIE
Jus' kept the camera going. I got
this just before the battery went
dead.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
That raises some weird speculation
for me.
Kevin continues watching the TV as Carl thinks to himself.
CARL
You seem to know more than you
think you do.
(a cold beat, some
laughter)
I had no idea this place was really
haunted.
She turns off the cam and looks at the time scale on it. It
reads [1:41:23... 24... 25... 26... 27... 28... 29...]
And so on. She stops it and looks at the pause of the figure
that walks down the stairs.
She stops the tape unhooks the cords connecting the cam to
the TV and sits down. As she sits...
STEPHANIE
Anybody gonna say something?
CARL
What are ya gonna do with that?
STEPHANIE
I dunno.
KEVIN
What ya could do is send it to
Holly wood and tell them you got
the real thing.
Stephanie laughs, then looks at the TV and waits till Carl
whups Kevin in BURN OUT.
STEPHANIE
My turn.
Kevin throws her the controller and the game restarts. Carl
looks at her just as the game begins, then turns to the TV
and presses the gas.
As Kevin watches the two play, a shadow emerges behind the
front door. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. Kevin turns and sees a
shadow.
CARL
This ain't my house.
Kevin gets up and walks to the door and answers it.
Stephanie and Carl remain, thinking it is Kim, but after a
minute, Kevin returns and sits back down with a look that
will take a century to get rid of.
KEVIN
Raoul from up the street was found
dead this morning at the mine.
Stephanie turns to him, Kevin cannot come to realize what is
going on. Carl presses pause and looks toward him.
CARL
Yeah, so?
KEVIN
I was the last person to see him
last night.
CARL
Again, so?
STEPHANIE
How'd he die?
KEVIN
(unfunny coincidence)
There was a cave in or some shit.
He fell through some loose boards.
CARL
Falling through loose boards isn't
a cave in.
KEVIN
It had something to do with that.
Kevin looks toward Stephanie and Carl just as Carl resumes
their game.
KEVIN
Okay, Stephanie, what the hell's
going on?
Stephanie looks at, but doesn't recall.
STEPHANIE
What're you talking about?
KEVIN
You said something about that
picture having something to do with
the mine.
A beat.
KEVIN
I'm nervous.
Stephanie gets her ass busted in BURN OUT and throws the
controller to the floor and looks at him.
STEPHANIE
What are you gonna do? Are you in
trouble?
KEVIN
That was the sheriff telling me he
has a witness saying I was the last
person he was with.
STEPHANIE
What happened?
KEVIN
I brought him here and gave him a
picture that he said was his after
that game of pool.
STEPHANIE
But you didn't give him the
picture.
KEVIN
Guess that didn't stop him, maybe
that's why he was killed.
They are both silent. Kevin nods to then heads for the
closet next to the basement door and grabs something from it.
He re-enters the living room, portrait in hand, all rolled
up, and unrolls it and slides on onto the floor.
OVER HEAD SHOT of the portrait off its frame lying straight
on the floor in front of the TV. Kevin is first over it, but
has no clue what he's looking for.
KEVIN
I don't get it. What's this gotta
do with something buried at the
mine.
Stephanie takes a hard look at the painting and puts her head
into thinking mode and remains quiet for a few moments.
STEPHANIE
Maybe this wasn't meant to be read
in that way.
Kevin and Carl turn to her as she moves in closer onto the
painting and tries to decipher what's not there.
STEPHANIE
What's on the back?
Kevin flips it over to the other side and reads. Stephanie
finds a microscope on the counter and grabs it. She looks
hard at the words that are written on the back.
In with the microscope over the words written. Stephanie
slowly reads the sentence prescribed over half a century ago.
KEVIN
What's it say?
STEPHANIE
It just says something about all
best wishes granted.
Stephanie moves back and away from the painting and tells
Kevin...
STEPHANIE
Just mail it back to my mom and get
it settled.
She puts the microscope down and flips on the TV again.
Kevin turns back down to the painting then looks to Stephanie
with disbelief.
KEVIN
What else is there?
STEPHANIE
There's nothing else, and don't
worry about that guy, we're your
alibi if you need one.
KEVIN
Well thanks, but that's not all I
wanted to hear.
STEPHANIE
Oh and what did you wanna hear?
KEVIN
Maybe that this thing wasn't such a
waste of time.
STEPHANIE
What are you talking about?
KEVIN
You know...?
STEPHANIE
Just put it away.
Kevin rolls the painting up and takes it away. Carl gets up
and reclines on the couch and watches TV. Stephanie looks to
Carl, then grabs the remote for the video game set and
says...
STEPHANIE
Wanna play?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. DINING ROOM - BACK DOOR - NIGHT
All the lights out, and everybody asleep, a cool breeze is in
the air. Condensation on the windows forms in a distinct
pattern of the window. As the condensation continues, a
finger runs words through the coldness of it and stops.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SAME - MORNING
The sun is up and the morning is cold. Clouds appear over
the horizon but all is blurry through the windows. A noise
from upstairs turns into noise downstairs as Kevin enters the
kitchen and fetches something off screen from the fridge.
As Kevin closes the fridge and heads for the dining room
table, he stops cold in his tracks as he finds himself in
front of...
WINDOW
"in two days... another one will
fall...
Kevin reads the words and considers who might have done it.
He heads back up stairs...
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
... and enters her room, Stephanie still asleep. He nudges
her to wake up. As her eyes open, she sees Kevin...
STEPHANIE
What the hell are you doing in
here?
KEVIN
Wanna see something crazy?
Her eyes widen as she gets up out of her bed and sets foot on
the floor.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Stephanie and Kevin walk in to find the kitchen window
smudged with. The words still written. Stephanie approaches
the glass and looks back at Kevin.
STEPHANIE
Who wrote it?
KEVIN
I dunno, you write it?
(turns to her)
STEPHANIE
I didn't write it.
KEVIN
(reading)
"Two days another one falls".
(ends reading)
Falls where?
She turns to Kevin and then toward the front door and walks
to it.
INT. FOYER - MORNING
Stephanie looks at the door and checks the locks. Kevin
follows behind her and waits in the living room for her to
return.
KEVIN
So how bout it?
STEPHANIE
Still locked. Nobody was in here
last night.
KEVIN
(questioning)
Nobody?
STEPHANIE
Well no physical person came in
here last night.
She turns to the window and reads the sentence again. She
looks toward Kevin and gestures unknowingly.
STEPHANIE
What do you think it is?
KEVIN
I hope this isn't your ghost trying
to talk to us.
She turns to him and smiles.
STEPHANIE
If this was a ghost, what would you
do? Or what could you do?
KEVIN
If it was a ghost, I'd ask "why
now"?
STEPHANIE
There's only one thing here that
there hasn't been in the past
years.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
How long you say you've been living
here?
KEVIN
I haven't been here more than a
year alone.
STEPHANIE
Then it's because of that most
likely. Maybe there's something
telling you something it couldn't
tell you when you weren't alone.
Kevin sits down and grabs his cell. He dials a number and
presses it to his ear.
STEPHANIE
Who you callin'?
KEVIN
Shh...
Stephanie waits until Kevin answers into the cell. She looks
toward the window and considers...
She thinks really hard about what is happening and why.
STEPHANIE
What happened before I came here?
Was there any ghost activity then?
Kevin puts his hand over the cell and listens to her very
carefully.
KEVIN
What?
STEPHANIE
Was everything fine before I came
here?
KEVIN
yeah, everything was fine, almost.
Stephanie turns to him and considers another idea she has.
She gets up and heads for the kitchen and grabs something to
eat.
STEPHANIE
Maybe this isn't about you Kev.
Kevin ignores Stephanie as he continues to wait for his call
to go through. He ends the call and turns to Steph as she
sits down at the table.
KEVIN
He's not there, and what?
STEPHANIE
This isn't about you. It's about
me. Why I'm here.
KEVIN
You're only here for a week.
STEPHANIE
Maybe that's too long. I think
after that one night, being the
only one to see a ghost, that's
it's time for me to head out of
here.
A deep gesture from Kevin.
KEVIN
You don't have to go.
STEPHANIE
My plane leaves in three days.
I'll be gone for good after that.
She heads for the stairs and disappears into a fuzzy...
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CAMPUS - DAY
Stephanie reading a book with exerts of images and readings
of an old newspaper she has acquired. It is a book of past
references. The book is about a history of ancient art and
paintings.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
Sitting at a table doing homework, her cell phone rings.
She reaches and answers it.
STEPHANIE
Hello?
A beat, she listens.
STEPHANIE
Yes, this is she.
(a beat)
Well I left a month ago and I'm in
school now.
(another beat)
What do you mean? How long?
(a beat)
Okay, okay.
A beat. Feeling of guilt runs down her face as she talks
into the cell.
STEPHANIE
I left because I thought something
was happening.
(a beat)
Almost unexplainable.
(a beat)
I can be there in a week. I'm
studying for a test tomorrow.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
I know, but it's an early test, I
should ace it.
Another beat.
STEPHANIE
Okay. I know how important this
is, I'll be there as soon as
possible.
She hangs up the cell phone and continues doing her studying.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TRAIN STATION - LATE DAY
Rain falls from the sky as a squeaky train pulls up to a
station located in the down town part of Seattle.
The train stops and the people get off. Stephanie is on of
the individuals getting off. She heads for the main station
area and enters the building.
INT. TRAIN STATION - LATE DAY
She enters the large building and heads for the front
entrance and heads out to the street.
EXT. STREET - LATE DAY
She heads to the street and waves her hand out for a taxi
cab. A cab pulls up and stops. She opens the door and gets
inside.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TAXI - DAY
On a snowy day. The sky is dark with grayness. PULL BACK
and into the passenger seat to see Stephanie driving through
the slippery conditions of the Colorado mountains.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
The car pulls up to the house.
INT. CAR - DAY
Stephanie pulls the wheel and steers the car into the
driveway. Kevins truck is still there.
EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY
FROM THE FRONT of Kevins truck. The car shuts off, the head
lights go out. Stephanie opens her door and gets out. She
pays full attention toward the truck in front of her. She
slowly walks up to the truck and looks around the back.
She sees the various items that she's seen before, all except
for the shot gun case. She considers it for a second, but
then, she hears something from the street that catches her
attention quickly.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A truck pulls by fast, but dramatically slows down. The
brakes squeal. Stephanie pays full attention toward the
sound of the truck stopping in the distance.
She waits there a moment or two, until someone enters the
yard and quickly approaches her.
STEPHANIE
Can I help you?
The man continues to quickly approach her, and does not say a
word. Only, he heads up to her and pulls out his gun.
Stephanie quickly throws her hands in the air, and is
suddenly scared shitless.
STEPHANIE
(desperate)
Oh, my god. What do you want?
The man hesitates to shoot her, until...
QUENTIN
What the hell are you doing back
here?!
Stephanie is silent, frozen and cannot speak with the gun in
her face.
STEPHANIE
Are you gonna shoot me?
Stephanie stands there for a moment, then moves back a pace
as the man moves closer toward her. His patience is gone.
STEPHANIE
I uh, I came here, uh, because my
cousin hasn't come home for a few
days.
The man, Quentin, pumps his shot gun, ready to shoot her for
any reason. A VOICE from the street calls out...
VOICE
What're you doing over there man?
You finished yet?
Quentin stares at her, then considers her for a moment, then
puts the gun down. He waves for her to put her arms down as
well.
STEPHANIE
You're not gonna kill me?
QUENTIN
No, I'm not gonna kill you. Not
yet anyway.
A beat.
QUENTIN
What's your business here?
STEPHANIE
Here to find my cousin.
QUENTIN
Kevin?
STEPHANIE
yeah, you know him?
QUENTIN
He's waiting for you.
STEPHANIE
Where?
QUENTIN
To die. And I'll be there to
watch.
Off his cue.
QUENTIN
What do you know about this place?
STEPHANIE
Nothing.
QUENTIN
Raoul was latest next to him. You
leave if you wanna stay among the
living.
STEPHANIE
This a threat?
QUENTIN
You don't belong here.
The man turns back toward the truck he drove up here with and
heads back toward it. He leaves Stephanie there, and doesn't
say another word.
STEPHANIE
Who are you?
The man continues toward his truck, and gets inside it, then
takes off in a hurry down the street.
EXT. FRONT YARD - DAY
Stephanie stands all alone in the driveway of her missing
cousins house. She looks around and slowly heads toward the
front of the house, and inside.
CUT TO:
INT. FOYER - DAY
Stephanie enters the solemnly quiet living room of the vacant
house. She slowly walks into the center of the living room
and sees wood in the fire place. She bends down to flip the
switch of the gas. She hears nothing from the fireplace.
She lights up a match and puts some paper under the two
pieces of un charred wood.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Stephanie enters the room and is greeted by the lowering sun
that hits her eyes and blinds her for a second. She heads to
the window and pulls the curtains over the cold window.
We can see her breath turn into a white gas as she stands
there. Then, a moment later, her breath is warm again. She
stops and feels a cold feeling, then turns around suddenly
and shocks herself.
STEPHANIE
(desperate)
Is anybody in here?
She stops for a second and considers what she just said. As
she thinks about it, she tells herself...
STEPHANIE
(to herself, quietly)
What am I kidding.
As she tells herself these words, a breeze flows through the
room, then, a NOISE from the hallway, the attic door creaks.
The sound is soft, but in her ears and OVER THE SOUND TRACK,
the sound is loud enough to scare her out of her wits.
She turns toward her bed and grabs the pillow that sits on
the bed and quickly exits the room.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
She enters the hallway and heads toward the stairs and
descends toward the living room.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Stephanie enters the living room and sees the chair rocking
back and forth. As she sees this, she drops her pillow and
heads out the front door.
EXT. FRONT PORCH - DAY
The sun goes down over the cloudy mountain town covered in a
soft blanket of snow. She remains on her porch for a few
moments, then heads into the front yard and turns around
toward the house.
She looks up at the top window and watches as nothing
happens.
She stays here for a good few minutes until it gets too cold
for her to be outside. Her cell phone rings, startling her.
She takes the phone from her pocket and flips it open and
hits a button, then presses the phone to her ear.
STEPHANIE
(into cell phone)
Hello?
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, I'm here, got in a few
minutes ago.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Some guy came out to me and pulled
a gun on me.
She listens to her cell phone and waits to respond.
STEPHANIE
When?
She stops and listens some more, then responds.
STEPHANIE
Are you sure?
A long beat. Stephanie scoffs as she listens to the second
party talk.
STEPHANIE
Okay, I'll see you later then.
As she continues on, she finishes the phone conversation and
hangs up the cell phone.
Stephanie starts to head back up to the porch. But half way
in the small trip, something from above catches her
attention; something bright, and inside the house.
She stops and looks up toward something she thinks is random,
but stops when she sees a light going on and off randomly and
too fast to be normal.
Stephanie backs up and sees the lights going off and on
periodically, then it just stops. Stephanie backs away from
the house and waits for something else to happen, but all
remains quiet.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
A fire breaths cold air in the living room. Stephanie sits
bundled up in front of it, alone and in total darkness.
She constantly keeps looking at her cell phone and sees the
power is juicing down. The light emitted from the phone goes
off. She puts the phone to the cold, wooden floor, next to
the darkness.
DISSOLVE TO:
A HOURS LATER - NIGHT
Stephanie remains, tired as hell, and watching as her fire
burns to ashes and not a damn thing she can do will stop it.
Her hand reaches down to grab her cell phone, but as she
reaches, she doesn't feel anything. Her hand taps the floor,
then stretches out around her, feeling for her cell phone.
She does not feel it anywhere are her and slowly gets up to
look for it.
A moment goes by where she looks for her phone with the light
from the dying fire. Then, suddenly, the phone rings from
half way across the room. She stops and freezes, then turns
her head toward the only thing she sees; the blinking light
from the cell phone.
She remains in the same spot as the phone continues to ring,
motionless and afraid.
The phone continues to ring. But Stephanie remains in the
same spot, and does not plan on moving yet. Her phone stops
ringing. She slowly gets up and heads into the direction of
cell phone light. She tippee toes to it and catches it just
before the light goes off.
She grabs it, opens it and looks at the screen. She sees the
MISSED CALL logo and looks at the call log. As she does so,
she feels a breeze behind her ear and quickly turns around,
but sees nothing. In a panic...
STEPHANIE
(echoing through house)
I know whatever it is you are, I
know you're here. Something
happened. I'm not going anywhere so
stop scaring me.
She waits as she finishes her questions to the living room of
the house. There is no response yet, but as she gets up, the
lights come on. There is light in and under every crevice in
the small and dank house.
Stephanie looks up and sees she's just in front of the door
and hears something from the stairs. She calmly gets up and
looks in that direction and waits a minute.
As she leans her head toward the dim lit staircase, she hears
a noise she cannot explain. She becomes interested, but only
until she sees something run by fast from the master bedroom
and down the hallway.
She gets up and slowly heads up the dank and creaky stairs.
She looks toward the wall and sees all the pictures that
hang. They are all of the family and the previous owners of
everything.
She makes her way to the top of the stairs and looks down the
hall she saw the abstract object move to, then turns her head
as she hears the creaky sound of a door opening slightly. It
is the door to the attic. As she tries to put this together,
she instinctively decides to head back down the stairs in a
complete and total rush.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Several knocks at the door awakens Kim. She gets up and
answers the door and sees...
STEPHANIE
Kim, shit am I glad you're home.
KIMBERLY
What's wrong?
Stephanie hesitates...
KIMBERLY
Come in.
Stephanie enters the living room and sits down on the couch.
Kimberly sits back down in her chair.
KIMBERLY
What's wrong?
STEPHANIE
There's noises at Kevins place and
it freaked me out too bad.
KIMBERLY
What are you talking about?
STEPHANIE
Where was the last place you saw
Kevin?
KIMBERLY
He told me something and I didn't
believe him.
STEPHANIE
Was it something about the mine?
KIMBERLY
Maybe, I think it was.
STEPHANIE
Anybody check where he might have
gone to? Where Raoul was killed?
KIMBERLY
That place has no in or out.
They've shut it down.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
I wanna know what you're seeing?
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Kimberly and Stephanie slowly make their way into the center
of the small house and stop to eye the room and what's in it.
KIMBERLY
There's nothing here Stephanie.
Stephanie approaches Kimberly and takes an even look around
the living room and turns her head toward the fire place,
smoke coming from what's left of the charred wood.
STEPHANIE
Something was in here last night.
(a beat)
I talked to it, then it drove me
nearly insane so I took off.
Kimberly takes more of her attention and focuses it toward
the kitchen. She walks toward the refrigerator and opens it
up and grabs a can of beer left in it.
KIMBERLY
At least he kept em cool.
She pops the top and takes a huge gulp and chugs it down in
half a second. Stephanie watches with no response, just
continues to look around at the interior of the house.
STEPHANIE
What still lives here?
Kimberly heads toward the back door and looks beyond the
curtains and pauses. She turns her attention toward
Stephanie and then pulls her head toward the ceiling and
follows with Stephanie as she does the same.
Kimberly moves to the center of the room and continues
looking up toward the white colored ceiling.
STEPHANIE
Something up there?
Kimberly pulls her head to Stephanies height and responds...
KIMBERLY
Maybe.
Kimberly makes her way, step by step to the stair case and up
to the second floor.
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
Kimberly reaches the top of the stair case and looks back
down into the foyer and sees Stephanie hasn't budged.
KIMBERLY
What're still doing down there?
Come up here.
Stephanie considers it for a second, approaches the first
step of the stair case and stops.
STEPHANIE
I saw something right where you are
now.
Kimberly stops and looks down toward her, baffled, but not
fazed.
KIMBERLY
Where, exactly did you see what you
saw?
STEPHANIE
Right there?
A beat.
STEPHANIE
And I was kinda hoping you could
help me out with what happened to
my idiot cousin.
FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, Kimberly faces downward toward
Stephanie. As she stands there, the SOUNDTRACK goes mute,
and we hear a voice right behind Kimberly's ear. The sound
is indistinct, but it is the sound of a human voice.
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS, Stephanie watches Kimberly's
movement stop for a few seconds. She gets a weird feeling,
then the SOUNDTRACK goes mute and all we hear is the muffled
sound of a human voice from somewhere close by.
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
Kimberly becomes aware, then looks toward Stephanie and
realizes she's been frozen for a second.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie, I feel something.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
Did you hear that?
STEPHANIE
(from down below)
Hear what?
KIMBERLY
A voice. It just blew past my ear.
A beat, she watches Stephanie, also frozen.
STEPHANIE
What did you hear?
KIMBERLY
A voice.
Suddenly, Stephanie is unfrozen and moves her hand an inch
toward the hand rail and looks up, afraid.
STEPHANIE
I felt something.
(more startled)
What the hell was that?
Kimberly turns toward her left and sees something at the end
of the hallway and looks closer.
Her attention gain as we hear a creaking noise coming from
the attic area, from above and from the unknown.
Kimberly looks toward the attic entry doorway and focuses on
the door knob, which starts to shake, like a hand on the
other end is trying to open it.
She is frozen for a second until she moves one foot toward
the door, then the door knob goes quiet. She looks toward
the stairs, then back toward the door and slowly creeps
toward it.
As she makes her slow move to the door, a hand touches her
shoulder...
STEPHANIE
Kim?
Kimberly is rattled as she hears Stephanies voice from behind
her. She doesn't turn around, but waits for Stephanie to
move side by side.
KIMBERLY
the door knob just moved.
Stephanie stops and looks toward her, then, slowly, Kimberly
turns her head toward Stephanie, and just as they look at
each other, like one and the other's insane, the door knob
moves, creating a sound that's unforgettable.
STEPHANIE
(serious, curious)
What the hell?
Kimberly watches as Stephanie grabs the door knob just as it
stops. She takes hold of it and tries to turn it, but it
won't budge.
She turns back to Kimberly and looks at her funny.
STEPHANIE
It won't open.
Kimberly approaches the door and grabs the door knob for
herself to try and open it, but it won't move.
KIMBERLY
What, did somebody lock it or
something?
STEPHANIE
I haven't been in this house since
last night. I never even came up
here.
Kimberly stops, and slowly moves away from the door and looks
at her with a very shocking face.
KIMBERLY
I don't believe it.
She stops, looks at Stepbanie and stops again.
STEPHANIE
What?
KIMBERLY
he was right.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Who was...
KIMBERLY
Your cousin... was right...!
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK YARD - MORNING
Kimberly exits the house and heads toward the CAMERA. PULL
DOWN to REVEAL: an AX sticking out of a piece of standing
wood, over a pile of chopped fire wood. Kimberly grabs the
ax and pulls on it. She takes the ax and heads back inside
the house and closes the door.
INT. HOUSE - SECOND FLOOR - HALLWAY - MORNING
Kimberly arrives from the staircase and approaches Stephanie,
waiting in the center of the hallway. She sees what Kimberly
is holding and screeches away as Kimberly BANGS the door knob
to the attic.
CA-CHING...
The door knob crashes to the floor, the ax embeds itself into
the floor. Stephanie gets on her feet and sees Kimberly
pulling on the ax, kicking in the door and heading up the
stairs. She turns back to her...
KIMBERLY
You comin'?
Stephanie watches her, then enters the hallway from her old
bedroom and follows Kimberly into the attic, up the stairs.
(scene changes depending which house used for shooting on
location/ set. Scene ATTIC changes to BEDROOM.)
INT. ATTIC - MORNING
The sun shines down into the attic from a bay window on the
rear of the house, the roof.
STEPHANIE
What's up here?
KIMBERLY
We're fixing to find out what that
noise was, and what else is up
here.
They center the attic and stop to look around. Stephanie
looks towards the open window and looks out to the view it
posts.
STEPHANIE
This is like, a whole other room up
here.
Stephanie really feels it now.
STEPHANIE
It's fuckin' cold up here though.
KIMBERLY
I dunno know it's me, or what could
be something else we don't wanna
know that's up here.
Stephanie turns to Kimberly after her sentence and fastens
her look on her as she continues slowly though the attic.
STEPHANIE
What?
KIMBERLY
It's up here, up here somewhere,
hidden in the shadows.
Stephanie continues looking through the bay window, and all
of a sudden, something transparent moves in front of the
window, in front of her view of the window. She flinches and
stops. She turns back to Kimberly, who continues to peep
around and stares at her until something is heard from below.
Kimberly and Stephanie both turn to the attic door as it
shuts closed. Kimberly looks at Stephanie, then both head
down the stairs and toward the door.
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
The brute sound of banging on the door. PULL BACK and down
the hallway and into the master bedroom, then...
BACK TO:
INT. ATTIC - MORNING
Kimberly, banging on the wall.
KIMBERLY
Fuck, open up, fuck!
She bangs on the door about five more times. Stephanie
watches as she continues to go at it. Kimberly stops, turns
around and faces Stephanie.
STEPHANIE
How we getting out of here?
KIMBERLY
I don't know. I really don't know.
This fucking door won't open.
A beat, then; Kimberly comes back up the stairs and heads
toward the CAMERA, PULL BACK and we are now...
EXT. WINDOW FRAME - EXTERIOR OF HOUSE - MORNING
... just outside the attic bay window. CAMERA stops ten feet
from the window. Kimberly opens the window and looks
downward.
INT. ATTIC - MORNING
The sounds of Stephanies footsteps coming up the stairs turns
Kimberlys heads back into the room.
STEPHANIE
How are we gonna get outta here?
KIMBERLY
This is so fucking stupid, you know
that?
A beat.
KIMBERLY
this is so fucking stupid, I mean,
it's broad daylight out, and some
ghost is fucking with us.
EXT. WINDOW FRAME - MORNING
Kimberly sticks her arm out and tries to find something to
grab onto. Her head comes out of the window and looks
around.
She looks down and then looks up. The rain gutters.
KIMBERLY (FROM INSIDE HOUSE)
I'ma hang onto the rain gutters and
I'm gonna hang toward the drop
spouts on the right side.
Kimberly pulls herself out of the window and attempts to
stand up. She sticks out her arm and tries to grab the rain
gutters. She grabs the rain gutter and pulls herself out
completely.
EXT. RAIN GUTTER - MORNING
Ice inside the gutters cracks as Kimberly grabs hold. Her
fingers shiver from the frost.
KIMBERLY
Fuck, there's ice in the gutters.
She hangs on for dear life and grips onto the ice covered
gutter and pulls herself toward the drop spout.
Stephanie sticks her head out and looks down. She turns to
Kimberly and realizes something.
STEPHANIE
Kimberly, I can't do this.
Kimberly swings herself to the drain spout and grabs hold.
She looks toward Stephanie and slides down.
KIMBERLY
Hold on then. I'll go and try to
open the door.
Kimberly's feet touches ground. She looks up and sees
Stephanie watching her from the attic. She leaves sight,
heading toward the front of the house.
INT. ATTIC - MORNING
Stephanie can feel the cold air move past her as she breaths.
She pulls her head back into the house and waits.
Suddenly, a voice from in the darkness calls out and says...
VOICE (GARBLED VOICE)
And you will too...
Stephanie instantly turns around and looks for where and what
the noise was.
STEPHANIE
Hello?
VOICE
... you will too...
Stephanie hears another voice, then the sound of the door to
the attic opening.
She turns toward the door and heads down the dark stairs and
opens the door to...
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
... nothing standing in the way. The door slowly creaks open
an inch further. She opens the door all the way and sees
nothing from there to the stairs.
STEPHANIE
Kimberly? You in here? Kimberly?
She enters the hallway and looks into the bedroom and sees
the window open.
She peeps into the second bedroom and also finds the window
open. She looks curious, then, with an all of a sudden...
KIMBERLY
Stephanie?
Stephanie turns around and sees Kimberly ascending up the
stairs. She approaches her and looks toward the door and
asks...
KIMBERLY
How'd you get out of the attic?
STEPHANIE
The door opened, I though you
opened it. Where were you?
KIMBERLY
I was outside for about two
seconds, then I come up here and
find you here.
Kimberly turns toward the floor and sees the ax she left
behind a few minutes a ago.
KIMBERLY
Who opened the door then?
STEPHANIE
I dunno. But it has to be the same
thing that opened all these windows
and called out for me.
Kimberly turns her attention toward her, and has that look on
her face.
KIMBERLY
What? Who called for you?
STEPHANIE
Actually, it was just a voice. And
it said to me: "and you will too."
Kimberly grabs the ax and holds it tight, ready for anything
that gets in her way.
STEPHANIE
What do you need that for?
KIMBERLY
There's something out there. And I
don't wanna be unprepared.
Stephanie looks at her, then looks off screen and suddenly...
STEPHANIE
You need a drink.
CUT TO:
INT. BAR - MORNING
Kimberly and Stephanie enter a bar and park their asses on
some bar stools. Stephanie looks around for a bartender as
Kimberly waits a second, then whistles.
STEPHANIE
(referring to her whistle)
What was that?
Kimberly pounds the bar and out comes her friend. She wears
a towel over her shoulder as she dries off mugs.
NATALIE
(re: Kimberly)
Hey, Kim, what's up this morning?
I didn't know you were a day
drinker.
KIMBERLY
I'm not.
Points to Stephanie.
KIMBERLY
She is.
Natalie turns her focus toward Stephanie and asks her...
NATALIE
What'll it be?
STEPHANIE
Just a shot.
Natalie moves behind her and grabs a shot glass and slams it
on the bar, turns around and grabs the bottle and pours a
shot into it.
Stephanie grabs the shot glass and takes it in less than a
second.
Stephanie gets up and heads to the door. Kimberly stays and
chats with her friend Natalie.
EXT. BAR - MORNING
The sun pokes through the trees as Stephanie exits and finds
her a bench to sit at. She sits down and pays attention
toward the snow on the ground across the street and her mind
wanders.
She sees numerous people walking up and down the street and
looks around up the hill and sees someone she knows vaguely.
Her attention grows, she sits, head up and squints to make
out who it is she sees.
She gets up and heads up the hill, toward the person she sees
checking his mail.
EXT. STREET - MORNING
Stephanie heads up the hill. The door to the bar opens,
Kimberly exits and looks for her. She looks up the hill and
sees her.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie?
A beat.
KIMBERLY
Where ya going?
STEPHANIE
To your boy friends house.
EXT. HOUSE - MORNING
She enters the front yard and hurries up to the front door
and knocks five times and waits. As she stands around
waiting, Kimberly makes her way up the street and follows her
in the yard.
The door slowly opens, no face is revealed, but the voice is
familiar.
CARL
What do you want?
STEPHANIE
Where's Kevin?
A beat, he opens his door.
Carl looks toward Kimberly and considers her needs, then
opens the door.
CARL
Come in.
Stephanie and Kimberly enter the house. Carl closes the door
behind her.
INT. HOUSE - MORNING
Carl stumbles around in his small house, looking for anything
to drink.
CARL
I haven't seen him, and I'm a
little worried.
STEPHANIE
Has anybody called the cops?
Reported him missing?
Carl opens his refrigerator and grabs a beer, closes the door
and snaps the can open.
CARL
They said they're looking, but
nothing yet.
A beat.
Stephanie and Kimberly wander around to the living room and
find a seat to sit in.
Carl turns to then and waits for them to sit down.
CARL
So what else is going on? How's
school Steph?
STEPHANIE
It's good, until this.
A beat.
Carl enters the living room and finds himself a chair to sit
in, then pops open his beer and starts chugging.
The sound of a breaking window comes from Carls room. He
quickly turns and gets up. He grabs a gun from a drawer on
his way down the hall.
CARL
Stay here.
As Stephanie and Kimberly wait inside, the next thing we hear
is the sound...
POW!
From the other side of the house. Kimberly and Stephanie
both flinch with sudden fear and get up very fast.
They head for the hallway and enter his bedroom and find
something very alarming.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Stephanie and Kimberly push in the door and find a bloody
mess of Carls remains on the bed, and dead.
KIMBERLY
(almost about to quench.)
Oh, my god.
STEPHANIE
Shit!
Stephanie exits the room and heads toward the front door.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Stephanie walks outside the house and into the front yard.
Kimberly runs outside and finds Stephanie on the grass,
crying.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie? Stephanie?
Stephanie is in chase mode, running after a figure in front
of two fences. Kimberly chases after Stephanie yelling for
her to stop.
Stephanie and Kim continue to run across the yards and brush
that wraps the houses.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Stephanie stops and catches her breath. For a second she is
alone and cold. She starts hearing all the noises of the
outside and quenches for something. She turns around and
sees Kimberly running toward her at full speed.
KIMBERLY
Wait up!
Kim stops right in front of Stephanie, then turns in front of
her and sees nothing in all directions.
KIMBERLY
Did you see who it was?
Stephanie gets on her cell phone and dials a number.
STEPHANIE
No, I'm calling nine one one.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
I need to report a shooting.
(a beat)
South Manitou Drive. My friend was
shot by an intruder that a friend
and I pursued but lost.
(a beat)
We're headed back to his house.
Sent a cop by.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE - DAY
A cop surveys the crime scene and asks questions to both
girls, then shows them the door.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Stephanie looks hard at Kim, then comes up with something to
say.
STEPHANIE
What did you do with the picture we
had?
Kimberly looks to her, then starts walking toward the street.
KIMBERLY
It's the last place he left it.
CUT TO:
INT. CLOSET - DAY
The door opens into the blackness and brings in light.
Kimberly sifts around the closet and grabs something leaning
in the corner. She takes something rolled up and closes the
door.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
KIMBERLY
here it is.
STEPHANIE
What can we do with it?
Kimberly unrolls it as we...
CUT TO:
INT. THE HISTORY OF THE TOWN - DAY
Kimberly unrolls the portrait onto a table in the center of
the room.
OLD MAN
Can I have a look?
Kimberly moves aside allowing room for the old man, Gibson,
to over look the portrait.
KIMBERLY
There's something on the other side
that's a lot more interesting.
Gibson examines the portrait up close and personal. He is
nearly within one inch from the surface of the portrait.
KIMBERLY
Can you read it?
OLD MAN
Yeah, doesn't say much though.
KIMBERLY
We know that. We just wanna know
what this has to do with us.
STEPHANIE
Me.
Gibson takes another look at the portrait and considers...
OLD MAN
Do you belong with James Carsons
family?
Stephanie is still. She looks toward Kim then back to the
old man.
STEPHANIE
That's my moms maiden name.
The old man takes a deep breath before continuing.
OLD MAN
You shouldn't be here. You should
leave.
STEPHANIE
I tried that, it failed.
The old man eye balls the two girls as he looks over the
portrait.
OLD MAN
What have you gotten yourself into?
STEPHANIE
A lot more than I bargained for.
All I did was come to visit.
(a beat)
Have you seen a kid that belongs to
the family in the last few days?
Months?
OLD MAN
No. Kevin, is it? Why, where'd he
go?
STEPHANIE
It's the reason I'm back from where
I started from.
Gibson takes a hard look toward Stephanie and takes another
breath.
OLD MAN
Well then something significant has
to come from an action by you in
order to restore what I call a
certain peace.
Stephanie chuckles for a second, turns to Kim who has no idea
what he's talking about then looks back toward him.
STEPHANIE
What?
OLD MAN
There was something odd about that
boy before he died. The kid of
his. He went to the mine for a
reason. Find what it is and you'll
find your answers.
Stephanie takes a shutter.
STEPHANIE
What?
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Stephanie and Kimberly enter the crowded and bustling
hospital and approach the main counter.
STEPHANIE
Excuse me, we need to speak to a
coroner about a body?
DOCTOR
Do you have an appointment? You
might have to wait, he's busy
identifying a body brought in here
not too long ago.
STEPHANIE
We need to see him about a body
that was brought in here a few days
ago.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Do you still hold bodies brought in
here from that far back?
The woman at the desk, a doctor herself, gets onto the phone
and calls in.
DOCTOR
(into phone)
Yes, this is doctor Jaime, and I
wanna see if I can get permission
to allow two women down.
(a beat)
They claim to have possible
relations to a recent dead body
brought in.
A beat, as she waits.
DOCTOR
Okay, great, good, look, I gotta
go, okay? Bye.
She hangs up the phone and smiles to the girls as she says to
them...
DOCTOR
Take the elevator to the basement
and go all the way to room B15.
INT. ELEVATOR - DAY
Kimberly pushes the button, hears the ding and stands back
and waits.
KIMBERLY
(to Stephanie)
Your cell phone work in here?
Move over to Stephanie, playing on her cell phone, looks up
to Kimberly, then looks up at the floor number they are on.
DING
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
The elevator door opens, Stephanie and Kimberly exit and
FOLLOW CAMERA to...
INT. ROOM B15 - DAY
A Coroner wraps up a dead body on another table as someone
pounds two knocks into the huge steel door. The coroner
looks toward the door and finishes wrapping the body, then
heads for the door and opens it.
CORONER
Yes?
A beat, he sees who's behind the door.
CORONER
You the two women here to identify
the body.
No response from the other side as the coroner opens the door
wider for Stephanie and Kimberly to enter.
Stephanie enters and wraps her arms in her sweater. It is
cold down here. She has an uneven posture as she walks.
She looks back to see Kimberly follow behind her. Stephanie
looks at the coroner and...
STEPHANIE
May we see the body?
The coroner nods and walks to a table where a fresh body sits
under white plastic wrap. The coroner unwraps the body and
the face is revealed.
Stephanie and Kimberly's faces turn away the second they see
the body, but Kimberly's eyes stay a second more and her
expression reveals...
KIMBERLY
That's not him.
(to Coroner)
Have any bodies come in from the
town of Manitou in the last few
days?
CORONER
Only like two or three. They were
from injuries dealing with severe
head injury.
STEPHANIE
Yeah, they fell onto some rocks.
CORONER
Correct.
Stephanie leaves the sight of the dead body and scoffs.
Kimberly focuses her eyes on the body, then turns toward
Stephanie as she leaves the room.
KIMBERLY
I know who this guy is.
She looks at the Coroner and focuses her eyes on his.
KIMBERLY
Where was he found?
CORONER
He was found dead not too long ago
in his house, died of over dose of
anti depressants.
Kimberly turns her eyes away from the dead body and waves her
hands over it. The Coroner covers it up and asks...
CORONER
Do you have relation to this man?
KIMBERLY
Yeah, he's my cousin.
Plot spoilers include the eventual identification of the two
characters and their similar stories)
INT. BASEMENT HALLWAY - DAY
Kimberly exits the room and turns toward the elevator and
fast paces to catch up with her.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie, wait up.
The elevator door dings, she enters, Kimberly runs for the
elevator and gets it.
INT. ELEVATOR - DAY
Stephanie gets her cell phone out and dials a number and
waits. She sticks the phone to her ear and has no signal.
STEPHANIE
(to herself)
Stupid area code.
She looks toward Kimberly and then back toward her cell
phone.
KIMBERLY
This is one big fucking
coincidence.
STEPHANIE
Why?
KIMBERLY
My cousin... was on that table.
Drug over dose.
(a beat)
He had a drug problem and was in
rehab not too long ago.
STEPHANIE
Your cousin's dead?
A cold beat.
STEPHANIE
When the hell did that happen?
KIMBERLY
I dunno.
STEPHANIE
What does this mean for you?
KIMBERLY
Question is what does it actually
mean for Kevin. I wonder if we'll
ever find him.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Did you know him well?
KIMBERLY
Not as well as I should have.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
Parents didn't hate him, wasn't
fostered, hung out with wrong group
during his age of rebellion and
found drugs too soothing to feel
the true grit of it.
Stephanie continues playing with her cell phone.
KIMBERLY
There's probably no signal in here.
Kimberly watches as Stephanie raises her head to her height
and continues with her cell phone.
STEPHANIE
I'm sorry.
A beat.
The elevator door bell rings, Stephanie waits for the door to
open then exits.
EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Stephanie walks to the parking lot and out of Kimberly's
sight. Kimberly rushes up to her and shrugs.
KIMBERLY
What're you gonna do now?
STEPHANIE
I don't know. I'm hungry, want
some food?
CUT TO:
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Stephanie and Kim sit at a two seater in a fast food joint
eating sandwiches. They don't hesitate to indulge.
STEPHANIE
So, what happened?
KIMBERLY
(struggling with sandwich)
Can I finish my food?
STEPHANIE
Go ahead.
Kimberly continues eating her sandwich, and as she does,
Stephanie takes a few sips from her beverage next to her
food.
Kimberly finishes her sandwich and looks toward her eyes.
KIMBERLY
You wanna know?
STEPHANIE
What happened?
KIMBERLY
I was playing outside one day, it
was like a few years ago, we were
living in Los Angeles, and in my
front yard, there was this noise,
then I see a man coming toward me,
looking limp, covering in blood,
and he came to me and said that my
neighbor had shot him five times in
the chest and in the legs.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
After that, my mom moved us out
here and when she was killed in our
old house, I just felt like this is
the end for me.
Another beat. Stephanie takes another drink from her soda
and swallows hard.
STEPHANIE
Where was that?
KIMBERLY
At our old house.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
How'd the house burn?
KIMBERLY
I don't know, I was told it was
burned down.
STEPHANIE
Somebody burned it down?
KIMBERLY
Someone.
A beat, Kimberly looks at Stephanie hard, then realizes
what's happening.
STEPHANIE
Was it when you took the will from
the house?
KIMBERLY
I took it when I heard of what was
on it, and what your mom has, and
why, now, it has to be destroyed.
Stephanie takes a deeper breath, then looks at her watch and
gets up. Kimberly's eyes follow, but she stays just as
Stephanie leaves the building.
She hangs up the phone and doesn't both saying "I Love You",
only looking at the packages she has on her counter. She
takes the envelope and opens it to find...
A PICTURE of an old man sitting in his chair. The picture
looks almost familiar. She looks at it with great detail,
then...
INT. STAIR CASE - UNKNOWN
The PICTURE in it's place on the wall of the stairs going
up...
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - LATE DAY
Stephanie and Kimberly walk up to the house. Kimberly stops
and feels her pocket.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie, you want me to stay with
ya tonight?
STEPHANIE
Yeah, would you?
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - LATE DAY
Stephanie and Kim get out of a cab and head up to the front
of the house. Stephanie stops and turns back to Kim and
says...
STEPHANIE
Did you think it was bullshit when
your old friend told me what he
told me?
Kimberly stops next to her and turns to her looking un
obvious.
KIMBERLY
What?
STEPHANIE
Where is the mine?
KIMBERLY
Stephanie, lets just go inside.
It's freezing out here.
Stephanie turns the other direction and starts walking down
the street up the hill.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie, where ya going?
STEPHANIE
I need your expert advice in
fifteen minutes.
Kimberly turns away from the house and starts after
Stephanie.
Stephanie looks back and sees Kimberly behind her.
STEPHANIE
Almost thought you weren't coming.
KIMBERLY
Yeah, well I don't have shit to do
right now.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
I wanna find who killed my boy
friend though.
Kimberly gives a strong look to Stephanie as they walk up the
hill that street inclines.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - LATE DAY
Continuous clouds roll in over the hills as Stephanie and Kim
head up a road no house stand. They look around and see only
power lines that follow the road the rest of the way up the
continuous hill.
KIMBERLY
Why'd you move away from Sugar
Creek?
Stephanie breaths harder, then answers...
STEPHANIE
I got into a fight with my mom
after I told her my boyfriend had
gone to jail for theft charges.
She never got who he was.
A beat.
KIMBERLY
What'd he steal?
STEPHANIE
He stole a car and took his friends
to some teachers house and they
killed him.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
or tried to at least. That was two
months ago. I had got accepted to
a university in Europe before I
graduated earlier. My semester
started a month ago.
Kimberlys eyes dim as the cold air pushes toward them. They
hike up the hill to unknown circumstances.
STEPHANIE
What's up here?
KIMBERLY
The mine.
a beat.
KIMBERLY
You mentioned that the first person
to die up here was burying
something. What was it?
STEPHANIE
I don't know if he was burying
something. I heard from Kevin he
took something with him when he
left the house that morning.
STEPHANIE
How would Kevin know all that?
KIMBERLY
If we find him, we'll find out.
STEPHANIE
I'm just curious who told him all
that. He doesn't listen to anybody
unless he's saying what's heard.
Kimberly turns around and looks back. Stephanie stops and
waits for to continue with her.
STEPHANIE
What?
KIMBERLY
I heard a truck comin' up the road.
STEPHANIE
You think it's the cops?
KIMBERLY
No, I don't.
(continues)
Lets go, come on.
They continue up the hill. Stephanie and Kim pick up the
pace as they reach toward the quarter mile point.
From the bottom of the hill, a set of head lights become
visible. Kim turns around and sees them. She turns to
Stephanie and grabs her hand.
KIMBERLY
Come on, run.
STEPHANIE
What for?
KIMBERLY
I don't wanna be seen up here.
They run up the hill in a slow start. Stephanie looks back
and sees a set of head lights coming up the road they are on.
STEPHANIE
Who the hell is that?
KIMBERLY
I wanna find out when they get
here. Maybe we can figure this out
if that is who I think it is.
Kimberly and Stephanie approach the top of the hill and find
themselves at the entrance of an old abandoned mine shaft.
EXT. MINE - LATE DAY
Kimberly approaches the front of the mine and stops a few
feet from the barricaded front entrance. The wood has the
words KEEP OUT painting on the front of it.
STEPHANIE
What's down there?
KIMBERLY
probably nothing.
Kimberly grabs the front piece of wood and starts pulling at
it. Stephanie turns toward the road and sees the lights
approaching slowly.
STEPHANIE
Hold on, don't pull anything out of
place. Lets let whoever's coming
up here get here before we do.
Kim turns to her, then to the road behind her and considers
it, then backs away from the wood and follows Stephanie to
the edge of the hill.
EXT. EDGE OF HILL - LATE DAY
Steph and Kim duck away behind some old equipment and wait as
the lights approach. A few moments go by as they wait for
the vehicle to show up. Kim turns her head away from the
mine and toward the approaching lights. As the lights
continue upward, they stop for a second.
Kims eyes urn to wonder. She gets up and heads for the front
of the mine. Stephanie stays behind.
STEPHANIE
Kim, where you going?
TRACK ON: Kim, striding across the cold ground toward the
mine and across the road.
Stephanie gets up and follows far behind Kim as she
approaches the front of the mine.
STEPHANIE
Kim, what are you doing?
KIMBERLY
We're not playing spy are we?
Stephanie doesn't reply, only turns to Kim who heads back to
the front of the mine and pries off the wood.
KIMBERLY
I'm not scared of anyone.
STEPHANIE
Who do you think it is?
KIMBERLY
Doubt it's the cops. But I could
be wrong.
The lights continue to approach as Kim removes another piece
of wood from the gated up shaft. As she rips off the last
piece, the lights finally approach them and cut off. A man
gets out of the truck and approaches Kim, who grips a piece
of wood.
KIMBERLY
Who the hell are you?
QUENTIN
Why you up here for?
KIMBERLY
Free country ain't it?
The man, Quentin, laughs, then turns to his truck where his
two buddies get out. They approach Stephanie and Kim with
mean faces.
Quentin takes a hard look at Stephanie, then turns back to
his friends who approach.
QUENTIN
Whaddya think?
His friends don't answer as they approach.
QUENTIN
You gonna answer my question right?
KIMBERLY
Who the fuck are y'all comin' in
here and tellin' us to leave. This
ain't your shit.
QUENTIN
We didn't say you had to leave, I
said what the hell you doin' here?
STEPHANIE
None of your fuckin' business.
Quentin looks at Stephanie, then smiles toward her with an
evil look then confronts the two. Kim gets in his way.
QUENTIN
I remember you from a while back.
You find you cousin yet?
Kimberly strong arms Quentin.
KIMBERLY
Are you the fucker who shot Carl?
If you are, your ass is mine.
Kim clutches the wood and prepares it to use as a weapon.
Quentin slowly backs away.
QUENTIN
I ain't here to fight.
STEPHANIE
Where is he?
QUENTIN
Who? Your cousin? I dunno.
Kim drops the wood in her hands and grabs a lead pipe and
strongly approaches their truck and smacks it in the side.
A loud BOOM erupts, the other two friends get out, one armed
with a shot gun. Kim turns and sees it but is not afraid.
KIMBERLY
Shoot me. If you can.
Kimberly approaches the man with the gun and fists the pipe
for a second longer, then drops it after his hesitation.
KIMBERLY
Thought so.
She turns to Stephanie, then as she approaches her, the man
holding the gun nearly pulls the trigger. Quentin puts his
arm down over him before he gets a shot off.
QUENTIN
Nuh uh, we need these two.
Kim and Stephanie both turn to Quentin with force. Kim looks
him straight forward,
KIMBERLY
We ain't helping you do shit.
QUENTIN
No, no, no. You two know more than
you think about something we want.
KIMBERLY
Really? What?
QUENTIN
Well aside from Kevin, and the fact
we killed Carl, you have a piece of
art we need to find something.
STEPHANIE
What, that old thing? We sent it
to the Smithsonian as a donation.
If you want it, the address is on
the net.
A beat. Quentin takes a hard look at the two, then turns
back to his friend.
QUENTIN
Is she telling the truth?
The man with the gun suddenly has his gun aimed in Stephanies
face. His finger on the trigger, but keeping to bullet
inside the chamber is the sound of Quentins voice.
STEPHANIE
Shit!
QUENTIN
Tell me the truth. Where is it?
(a beat)
My best friend died last month and
I've been waiting for the moment
for a little longer than I can
handle. Tell me you're lying.
Stephanie remains silent for the moment, and just then, Kim
gets in front of the gun. Quentin takes a hard, deep breath,
then hesitates.
QUENTIN
Why do you two have to make this so
fuckin' hard?
KIMBERLY
We don't have shit.
QUENTIN
Kevin gave me the wrong one, and
now he's gone, and my friend Raoul,
I don't wanna know what happened to
him.
STEPHANIE
He's dead.
QUENTIN
Well then you know the status on
your cousin. So I'll give you one
option: come with us and you don't
get shot.
Quentin looks down to Stephanies hand and sees her cell phone
turned on. Quentin waves the gun toward her hand, the cell
phone.
QUENTIN
Gimme that.
Stephanie looks at Kim, who shakes her head, then looks to
him. She grips the phone tight before she tosses it to
Quentin Quentin grabs the cell and reads the screen. He
turns the phone off and hands it to his friend.
QUENTIN
We ready?
Quentin throws the gun in their face to get them to move into
the mine.
QUENTIN
Since you two got it open, be all
of our guests and make yourself a
home.
Kim mad dogs Quentin a hard look as she turns around and
leads the way for Stephanie. She approaches her ear and
mutters...
KIMBERLY
(whispering)
Don't follow too far and stay
behind me.
She continues past her and makes her way into the mine shaft.
The other slowly follow her, weapon ready.
INT. MINE - LATE DAY
Kim walks straight into a maze of blackness and cold. She
stops and without turning back says...
KIMBERLY
I needa fucking flash light. I
can't see shit.
From off screen, a flash light rolls toward her, already
turned on.
She bends down and grabs it, then points it forward and sees
a wall carved from the rocks on both sides and on top and
bottom, plus track, and the blackness that never unfolds in
front of her.
Quentin and buddies quickly follow behind. Kim guides them
through without knowing which way to go.
KIMBERLY
Which was am I going?
QUENTIN
The only way smart ass, straight.
KIMBERLY
No, where are we going? Are we
looking for something?
QUENTIN
We're looking for what Raoul died
trying to find.
Kim stops and tries to think about it. Instead she answers
with an insulting remark.
KIMBERLY
You're looking for something your
friend died for and you don't even
know what it is? Do you know where
he ended up?
All is quiet, except for a few sleeping bats that echo
throughout the old mine.
QUENTIN
What was that?
KIMBERLY
Those are called bats.
Kimberly shines the light up a shaft and instantly looks away
from it. She slows down and waits for Stephanie to catch up
with her before...
All goes dark and we hear...
KIMBERLY
Stephanie...
Then nothing. The sound of foot steps going in an unknown
direction. Quentin and his friends stop feel around.
QUENTIN
Hello?
FRIEND 1
Quentin, where are you? I can't
see a damn thing.
QUENTIN
I was behind Stephanie. Where did
they go?
The strike of a match brings light to a small torch. Quentin
takes a hard look forward then looks on all sides and sees a
set of stairs that lead up. Slowly, Quentin and crew start
marching up into the darkness.
FRIEND 1
Where we goin'?
QUENTIN
To find those two bitches.
As they make their way upward the dark stairs, we slowly...
DISSOLVE TO:
BLACKNESS...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. DARK ROOM - UNKNOWN
Kimberly makes her way into a dark passage way and into a
small room where she stops and turns around.
As Stephanie enters the room, all we see is what the flash
light points to.
STEPHANIE
Where are we?
KIMBERLY
I'll figure that in a minute, just
gimme a sec.
She points the light throughout the room and tries to
identify where she is. The light sees a wall of rock with
many jackets and helmets hanging from posts. She approaches
the wall, stops and turns to her right and sees...
KIMBERLY
Come with me.
Kimberly walks into CAMERA, as she leads Stephanie down
another quick passage and out to...
EXT. MINE ENTRANCE - LATE DAY
Kim opens a door that leads to some stairs that leads to the
road they came in on. As they start down the stairs, we hear
sounds in the distance. Sounds from a police cruiser.
Kim and Stephanie start for the bottom of the hill. They
jog, looking back and seeing the truck still there, and
continue to high tail it.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROAD - LATE DAY
Kim and Stephanie approach Carls house on their way home, and
as they cross the street, police lights flash in their
direction.
POLICE 1 (O.S.)
Stephanie and Kim Jameson
Kim nods her head as the cop approaches. He flashes his
badge then shows the girls to his car.
KIMBERLY
What's this about?
POLICE 1
Come with me please.
INT. POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Stephanie and Kim sit different double sided interrogation
rooms in police custody, in questioning.
DETECTIVE
I know you two were there, and you
didn't see anybody?
Not a word, except...
KIMBERLY
We know where they are.
DETECTIVE
There was more than one?
STEPHANIE
We don't know.
A beat.
DETECTIVE
We brought you two in here because
there's something a guy told me
earlier.
KIMBERLY
Who?
DETECTIVE
We like to keep that anonymous.
STEPHANIE
Are you accusing us of a crime?
KIMBERLY
We were there. But didn't you see
that the bullet came from outside?
DETECTIVE
Maybe. Who do you know that could
have had apart in this?
KIMBERLY
Ask Raouls friends. They just had
a gun to her head and threatened to
kill us if we didn't fine them
something.
DETECTIVE
To fine what?
STEPHANIE
We don't know.
DETECTIVE
We're having a hard time trying to
figure this out.
(a beat)
A few weeks ago, your cousin dies?
STEPHANIE
Where'd you find him?
DETECTIVE
Actually we still haven't found him
and I'm not confident we ever will.
A beat.
DETECTIVE
And then another body turns up at
the mine that we can't explain.
STEPHANIE
Then maybe you should try a new
profession.
Stephanie remains silent as Kimberly continues looking at the
wall behind the detective.
STEPHANIE
Aren't we supposed to have a lawyer
present?
DETECTIVE
Do you have one?
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
A lawyer sits present next to Stephanie and Kimberly,
listening to what the detective has to say.
LAWYER
What are you telling me about my
two clients?
DETECTIVE
They are possible, if not probable
suspects in conspiring the murder
of one Carl McKinley.
LAWYER
have they been charged?
DETECTIVE
We are currently efforting that as
we speak.
LAWYER
What else have you got on my
clients that permits you to keep
them here?
DETECTIVE
They are suspects in a shooting and
we do intend to fulfill our jobs.
LAWYER
I do too, but I do not think that
these two women would have a sense
to conspire a crime, and then leave
it wide open.
The lawyer takes a sigh of relief, then gets up next to the
girls and shows them their way out.
INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Stephanie and Kimberly both sign a pardon of release and
follow their lawyer out the front door, and to freedom...
EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Stephanie heads for her Suburban and gets inside. Kimberly
opens the door and asks...
KIMBERLY
What now?
STEPHANIE
I'm going back home. What about
you?
KIMBERLY
The same.
STEPHANIE
You comin' with me?
KIMBERLY
Yeah, sure.
They head out to the street and walk down the block and out
into the blackness of night.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
Stephanie wakes up in her bed. She gets up and looks out the
window and sees it is daylight.
He gets up and sees nothing. She heads for the hallway,
remembering nothing from the previous.
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
She stops in front of an open doorway and looks in to see a
mirror on the wall. She enters the room.
INT. BATHROOM - MORNING
She stops in front of the mirror and looks at herself, then
feels her head. She looks like she has a headache. She
turns on the water and tips her head into the sink. As she
washes her face, we see her reflection, then as she bends
down to wash her face off, we see behind her, a MAN hanging
from the wall behind her. She comes up and...
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
All of a sudden, we hear a SCREAM so loud, it echoes
throughout.
Kimberly, asleep on the couch is awakened by the suddenness
of Stephanie's screaming and heads for the stairs.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie? Stephanie?
INT. HALLWAY - MORNING
Kimberly races up the stairs and finds the bathroom door
slowly opening and sees Stephanie, looking in the mirror,
scared shitless.
KIMBERLY
What happened?
STEPHANIE
I must have been imagining. I saw
a man in the mirror and I turn
around and gone.
INT. BATHROOM - MORNING
Kimberly enters and sees Stephanie staring at herself, then
turns to her, and is startled.
KIMBERLY
Wow.
(a soft beat)
Morning then.
STEPHANIE
(groggy)
Morning.
Kimberly looks behind Stephanie and sees nothing but a coat
rack and a white shirt.
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Kimberly comes down the stairs and approaches the sofa. She
finds herself a comfortable position and lie down.
As Kim reclines on the couch, PAN OVER and see a note come
under the door.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. FOYER - LATER
Stephanie comes down the stairs and finds the note right in
front of her. She bends down and grabs it. She walks into
the living room and reads it. She stops after finishing it
and pokes Kim to wake her up.
STEPHANIE
Kim, I found this on the floor.
Kim opens her eyes and sees Stephanie holding something in
her hands and gets up. She yawns then looks toward Stephanie
as she thoroughly.
KIMBERLY
What's this?
STEPHANIE
It says to be the same place we
were last night, only come alone.
They share a dark look before Stephanie crumbles the paper up
and tosses it to the floor without a care.
STEPHANIE
I don't think so. No this time.
I'm done with that.
Kimberly sits up and grabs the paper, un crumbles it and
reads it. Her eyes open wider as she finishes the letter,
then turns to Stephanie with a dark tone.
KIMBERLY
I'm gonna figure this shit out.
(to Stephanie)
If you don't come, I don't care.
Cops are lookin' at us for Carls
death and still have nothing on
Kevin. You wanna stay here, you go
ahead.
Stephanie stops and thinks for a few moments before trying to
response.
STEPHANIE
What do you want me to do?
KIMBERLY
I need you to help finish this
bullshit. This is your family too.
Stephanie takes the piece of paper and takes a loot at it
again.
STEPHANIE
If I go out there, I wanna know
what it is we're doing.
KIMBERLY
We'll have our answers.
STEPHANIE
That doesn't make sense though. It
just tells us if we want our most
valued possessions back, go here.
KIMBERLY
And what do you think that is?
Stephanie is again quiet, nothing else to say or can think of
at the moment.
STEPHANIE
What have we lost? Other than a
cousin and a boyfriend?
KIMBERLY
I've lost my reason for why I'm
still alive right now.
Kim sits down and turns on the TV, not turning to Stephanie
for any condolences.
STEPHANIE
(scoffs)
What time?
KIMBERLY
Read it.
Stephanie looks at the piece of paper and scoffs again as Kim
watches TV.
CUT TO:
INT. SHOP - DAY
combing the isle of the local hardware store, Kim and
Stephanie grab two flash lights and take them to the front
counter and pay for them.
EXT. STREET - DAY
As they walk down the street, they load their flash lights
and make sure they work.
STEPHANIE
What about what this was all about?
KIMBERLY
What? That picture? What about
it?
STEPHANIE
This has something to do with it.
In some ideologically sort of way.
Kim looks hard at Stephanie, then looks behind her as a truck
passes by her going down the street. She turns back to Steph
and begins to follow her back up the hill.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Stephanies hands roll up the portrait of the old man and
slide it into a cylinder shaped card board canister and
remains holding onto it.
STEPHANIE
Lets go. It's time.
KIMBERLY
Do you really have to bring that?
STEPHANIE
Might come in handy.
KIMBERLY
Lets just take it back to my place
and stash it there where it was for
the last few months.
Stephanie and Kim head for the door and close it behind them
in their way out.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROAD - DAY
Walking down the same road from the previous night, Kim
watches her back as they make foot.
STEPHANIE
How much more time we got?
Kim looks at her watch and sees the time, then tells
Stephanie...
KIMBERLY
We got ten minutes.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
A truck blazes up the road. The same truck from last night
and the same truck from before.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROAD - DAY
Continuing up the rocky road to the mine just up the way, Kim
and Stephanie hustle to make time. PULL AHEAD OF: Stephanie
and Kimberly as they hike it up the rock mound.
EXT. MINE - DAY
In the far distance, we see Stephanie and Kimberly come out
of the wood work and make their slow way up the rest of the
hill.
The approach and stop in front of the same place, the
entrance and wait. Kim looks at her watch and looks down the
road, waiting.
STEPHANIE
Now what?
KIMBERLY
We wait.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROAD - BOTTOM - DAY
A truck, the same one, heads up the road Kim and Steph
trailed up hauling ass. The tires kick up rocks and dirt on
its way to the top.
EXT. MINE ENTRANCE - DAY
Stephanie takes the cylinder and opens it. She looks at the
abandoned mine, and thinks. She takes a hard look at the
front, then takes the rolled up portrait and grabs it with
both hands. She sets the cylinder on the ground and unrolls
the picture and looks.
THE PORTRAIT
From a far distance facing the picture, comparing the scenery
behind the old man to the mine right now.
STEPHANIE
The entrance is collapsed.
(Kimberly's attention
grows)
It's up there.
Stephanie points upward, Kim eyeballs it, then looks at the
picture, then looks again.
KIMBERLY
Whoops.
Stephanie and Kim wait around and see something coming from
the bottom. Kim looks toward Stephanie who makes her way up
the stairs and into the mine entrance.
KIMBERLY
Where you goin'?
STEPHANIE
I'm not doing another last night
again.
Kim looks down the road and hurries to catch up with
Stephanie and enters the mine.
As the door closes, the truck arrives and stops, kicking up
dust and dirt.
INT. MINE - DAY
Stephanie and Kim continue into the mine and enter the main
premise of the entrance from within.
KIMBERLY
What are we doing in here? We're
supposed to be outside at the time.
STEPHANIE
Whoever's set this up knows we're
already here.
CUT TO:
EXT. MINE - DAY
A man dressed in black exits the truck, alone. FOCUS ON: his
feet traveling, never going above the legs of the man as he
enters the mine from the bottom.
CUT TO:
INT. MINE - DAY
Kimberly follows Stephanie inward the mine, holding her flash
light and wandering around a maze of tunnels. Kimberly stops
and looks back and listens for a moment, then continues.
KIMBERLY
I hear something, hold on.
The light from the flash light Stephanie holds stops and
pulls a U-turn facing Kims eyes.
KIMBERLY
Get that outta my eyes.
STEPHANIE
Shit, sorry.
Kim feels the mine shafts wall. She turns to Stephanie and
nods.
STEPHANIE
What?
KIMBERLY
Feels warm. Were close to
something.
STEPHANIE
What?
KIMBERLY
It has to be down this way.
(turns to Stephanie)
But I still have no idea what we're
looking for.
Stephanie follows Kimberly now, leading them further into the
mine.
INT. CART PASSAGE - DAY
The light shines through the shape of an old cart used for
carrying out the coal the mine produced. Kim approaches it
and looks inside, then looks back to Stephanie and continues
into the mine.
STEPHANIE
How far are we supposed to go?
Then, suddenly, from behind, a lantern lights up from the
opposite direction and moves backwards. Kim and Stephanie
turn around and see the unimaginable.
STEPHANIE
What the hell is that?
KIMBERLY
(in a serious tone)
Shit, I don't even fucking know.
Stephanie points the flash light toward Kim and has a
shriveled face, then looks in the distance ahead of Kim and
sees something moving around...
STEPHANIE
What is that?
Kim turns around and sees a shadow move away from the light,
by the looks of it, it was a man, or a ghost walking about.
KIMBERLY
What the hell is down here we need
to see Stephanie?
STEPHANIE
you tell me. You said the wall was
warm.
KIMBERLY
It's always warm in here.
STEPHANIE
Where do we look?
As Stephanie and Kim begin to think, Kims light dims slowly
and slowly till it shuts off.
KIMBERLY
Cheap piece of shit.
Stephanie has an idea but doesn't know what to make of it.
STEPHANIE
Did Kevin go anywhere near here
before he went missing?
Kimberly gives off a hard look, then...
A noise from down the shaft catches both girls attention,
both turning around at the same time, only Stephanie aiming
her light.
Kimberly and Stephanie protrude further into the mine shaft.
CUT TO:
INT. MINE - DAY
Following the POV. of the second man, he continues into the
mine shaft through a well lit portion of the mine. He slowly
walks through the rest of what's left.
CUT TO:
INT. MINE - DAY
Kimberly continues before Steph into the mine, with Stephanie
consistently looking back to see what's behind her.
STEPHANIE
What time is it?
KIMBERLY
(checks watch)
It's five past two.
Stephanie slowly looks back and hears something we do not
hear. She turns around and comes closer to the approaching
sound. Kim continues talking to herself thinking Stephanie
is listening.
KIMBERLY
But we might be lost, saying is if
we could get lost in a one way in
and out...
She turns around and sees Stephanie slowly approaching the
rear wall behind them.
KIMBERLY
Stephanie?
STEPHANIE
I hear foot steps coming this way.
Stephanie flashes her light in the directions and sees
nothing but the blackness, but we soon start to hear the foot
steps approaching from the same shaft.
Kimberly backs up and approaches Stephanie and pays full and
careful attention to the same sound.
KIMBERLY
What is it?
STEPHANIE
Someone's in here with us.
Kim looks to her, startled.
KIMBERLY
In the mine with us?
STEPHANIE
Yeah, we're supposed to be here,
why not in here?
KIMBERLY
How bout the surface?
STEPHANIE
Go back?
KIMBERLY
We could find who's in here in the
process.
Kimberly comes in front of Stephanie as the noise of clanking
gets louder. Kim grabs the flash light and points it down to
the bottom of the shaft and doesn't see where the clanking
could come from.
KIMBERLY
There's no tracks down here.
Kim starts in the other direction, but without light, she is
blind.
KIMBERLY
Steph, come on. My light died so
you're the new light.
Stephanie continues after Kim as Kim walks the direction they
came in.
CUT TO:
EXT. MINE - DAY
Another truck approaches the mine and stops in front of a
different truck that we've seen before.
The driver, Quentin, is on his cell as he gets out of the cab
and looks to the front of the mine and glances.
QUENTIN
They might be here. Only place
left for them to be.
His friends get out of the truck and look toward Quentin as
he approaches the front entrance of the mine and looks down
the dark and deep shaft.
QUENTIN
We got about five minutes before
they come out.
He turns to one of his friends and quickly sees...
FRIEND 1
How do you know they're in there?
QUENTIN
We can find out.
Quentin approaches something he see is connected on the same
line as a track that goes straight down into the black hole.
QUENTIN
We can scare em out, or we can bomb
them out.
FRIEND 1
If that's so, it'll be murder.
QUENTIN
What if they're not down there?
FRIEND 1
Are they?
QUENTIN
We'll find out in a minute.
FRIEND 1
Shouldn't we just go in and find
what the hell he wanted. If you
don't want Raouls death in vain,
lets just find what he was looking
for and finish this.
Quentin, without turning around, continues his words spoke
evenly through.
QUENTIN
I still don't know what it is he
was looking for.
FRIEND 1
I know you don't give a shit, but
why are we here?
CUT TO:
INT. MINE - DAY
In front of the POV that followed the two in, WE approach a
set of two figures walking in the direction toward US.
ON KIM & STEPH as they stop and suddenly take harder breaths
than before.
KIMBERLY
What's wrong Stephanie?
STEPHANIE
I can feel it again. It's here.
Kim turns to her, not knowing what the hell she's talking
about, then continues looking straight, not seeing anything,
but feeling her bones grow cold and shaky.
Steph aims the flash light in front of them and sees a black
figure in front of the light, the figure is see-though but
the figure is nothing more than a walking black object shaped
like human.
CUT TO:
EXT. MINE - DAY
On a rusted wheel, Quentin pulls a cart away from the edge of
the mines runoff and brings it toward the front of the mine
and turns to his friend.
QUENTIN
We got any oil with us?
His friend grabs a plastic bottle of Pennzoil and heads for
the cart, removing the cap and splashing it all over the
rusted wheel.
FRIEND 1
This gonna work?
QUENTIN
It should.
CUT TO:
INT. MINE - DAY
Stephanie and Kim remained on caution as they slowly approach
what's ahead of them through the blackness.
CUT TO:
Quentin loads a rusty old cart full of smoke bombs and fire
works. His friends greases the front wheels and then the
rear wheels, preparing for launch.
Quentin backs away and grabs his zippo lighter and flips it
out. His friend backs away from the cart as it gently rolls
on it's own.
QUENTIN
Here goes nothing.
Quentin and friends push with all their might the cart into
the dark and deep hole and thrust it down. They spring loose
and watch as it rolls on it's own down into the mine.
FRIEND 1
Bombs away down below.
INT. MINE - DAY
The sound of a man walking over rocks exits only as sound as
Steph and Kim approach.
KIMBERLY
What the fuck is that?
STEPHANIE
Do you think it could be what is
it.
KIMBERLY
What is it?
STEPHANIE
The kid who died who haunts this
place.
Then, suddenly, smoke comes from down the shaft approaching
them Kim sees it and starts to think the un obvious.
KIMBERLY
What is that?
STEPHANIE
Smoke. Where is it coming from?
Kimberly stops and takes a deep breath, then a moment later,
a CLANK from deep in the mine behind them. Something
crashing.
KIMBERLY
Shit, fuck this.
Kim grabs Stephanie light and starts running past the smoke
and heads to where she remembers coming in.
EXT. MINE - DAY
Quentin and his friends watch as they wait for anything to
happen. The moment gets restless as they wait in the cold,
nothing happening.
FRIEND 1
How long does it take to find a way
outta that hole?
Quentin looks toward him and grunts as he gets impatient and
heads up to the front entrance and looms in.
QUENTIN
You think they're in there?
FRIEND 1
Hard to tell. How long could they
stay in there thinking something in
there.
QUENTIN
I don't know, lets hope this
doesn't make them shaky.
INT. MINE - DAY
Kim and Stephanie head hot foot first and make a running for
it.
STEPHANIE
Does this lead out?
KIMBERLY
We'll see in a minute.
EXT. MINE - DAY
ANGLE ON: over head view of mine entrance as Kim and
Stephanie make surface. They stop and take ominous amounts
of breath.
Then they look at each other and look back inside the mine.
EXT. MINE - DAY
From a different opening, Quentin and his friends continue to
watch for anybody coming or going into the mine.
QUENTIN
Where are they?
CUT TO:
EXT. OPPOSITE PORTION - MINE - DAY
From a secondary opening of the mine, Kimberly and Stephanie
look through the trees and head around the hill, walking back
to the road.
As they walk, they coincide with each other and try to figure
it out.
KIMBERLY
Tell me what that was and I'll give
you fifty bucks when we get home.
STEPHANIE
I could have been a spirit that
Kevin and that guy encountered when
they were killed.
KIMBERLY
Kevin was never found, he's still
out there somewhere.
STEPHANIE
By now it might be obvious to think
he's not coming back.
KIMBERLY
We can try to call him.
STEPHANIE
Wouldn't that be too obvious?
KIMBERLY
I tried it and his number still
works.
As they approach the opposite end of the mine, and find two
trucks sitting in front of the entrance. They stop and look
at each other, then head toward them.
EXT. MINE - DAY
The trucks sit there in a blur with the surrounding
environment. Kim approaches a truck she instantly identifies
and looks around. She turns to Stephanie.
KIMBERLY
Maybe we were wrong.
She looks into the hole and sees smoke coming from out of it.
She turns back to Stephanie who moves in closer to get a
better view.
KIMBERLY
Where's it coming from?
STEPHANIE
I don't know. But I know who's
truck this is, and I know what's
going on now.
KIMBERLY
Wanna wait?
STEPHANIE
Yeah, what else is there to do?
Kimberly sees the tracks leading to the edge of the ridge the
mine lies on and looks over. She gazes over and realizes how
high they are. She turns back over to Stephanie and takes a
huge deep breath.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. MINE - LATER
Kim and Stephanie remain outside the mine, air getting colder
and snow flakes starting to fall. Stephanie looks toward
Kim, who is bundled up and is sitting just before the
entrance of the mine. They share a brief look before Steph
gets up and walks toward her from across the way.
STEPHANIE
It's been twenty minutes.
KIMBERLY
What's going on?
STEPHANIE
I wanna find out.
INT. MINE - DAY
Stephanie continues, alone amongst the rock wall of the
abandoned mine. She doesn't turn back until she sees no
light behind her.
EXT. MINE - DAY
Kim remains outside, freezing cold and tired. She checks her
watch and sees the time. She looks into the mine and walks
into the front to shelter herself. She doesn't enter.
INT. MINE - DAY
Stephanie points the light in front of her and focuses on the
ground. The light follows the tracks. She continues until
she sees something at the far end of the tunnel. She stops
and stares. As she takes deeper breaths, it becomes visible
how cold it really is. She turns around and sees she's
alone.
STEPHANIE
Kimberly?
She turns to her front and continues into the mine.
INT. SHAFT - DAY
The light reaches onto us from behind a corner as Stephanie
continues in and past CAMERA. She is determined to find
where the people went.
STEPHANIE
Hello? Anybody still down here?
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Hello? I know there's someone in
here. I was followed and there's
two trucks outside.
She stops, shivers and second, then turns around and sees...
A figure that starts only from the ground up, a figure that
marches right by her. She remains quiet as the figure passes
her with out ease. Stephanie is petrified, but hears
nothing.
She watches the ghostly figure pass right by her and
disappear into the rocks. As she remains still, she hears a
noise. She turns around and looks in the direction of the
noise and shouts...
STEPHANIE
Hello? Hello? Anybody here?
Where are you?
Water starts to drip from the ceiling and falls onto
Stephanie hair. She turns up and sees it. She feels it for
a moment, then continues into the mine.
As she walks further, more water drips down onto her. Soon
she starts wiping water away from her hair. She begins to
run and as she continues, she picks up speed.
STEPHANIE
(shouts loud)
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?
She suddenly just stops. She turns to her right and sees
something that catches her attention. Something shines with
bright passion. Through a tiny crack, she sees a diamond
shining with her light. She points her light into the crack
and sees something, it reflects into her eyes then down
another small crack where she sees an opening.
She bends down, seeing a unusual placed hole. Somebody fell
through. She looks up and sees the end of the mine shaft.
It is caved in. She also sees some fifty year old dynamite
sticking out of the wall.
DISSOLVE TO:
BLACKNESS
A voice overheard...
KEVIN
This place is shut down for a
reason, and I know why...
EXT. MINE - DAY
Stephanie holds onto Kevin with their her as she walks out.
She approaches the front. She finds Kim waiting, out front
with the wind blowing in her hair. She feels Kevins neck and
carefully wraps him up.
She hauls him into the open to the road, and in the wind and
snow, she walks him home...
Stephanie and Kim walk Kevin down the street and to his home.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
The house is brighter than it ever has been, even though it
remains cloudy outside. Stephanie wraps him in some blankets
and places him in front of the fire she built. She goes OFF
SCREEN and makes a phone call. Kevin remains in front of the
fire warming up. A moment later, her turns his head and
looks toward her.
KEVIN
(mutters)
Stephanie?
STEPHANIE
Kevin, what happened?
KEVIN
He was looking for something that
involved the house. The plans.
His friend from the mine told him
about it. Nobody else knew.
STEPHANIE
What happened to you?
KEVIN
No one else knew. The same thing
happened to me. Raoul was killed
by his stubbornness. He was after
the same thing.
Stephanie remains on her cell phone, then flips it and turns
it off.
STEPHANIE
Are you okay?
KEVIN
I'll be fine from now on.
(a moment later)
How's school?
STEPHANIE
It's fine.
KEVIN
How much do you think I can sell
this shit hole for?
STEPHANIE
Don't tell anyone it's haunted.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
I saw him again. In the Mine. It
was the same thing that I saw in
here before I left. It's his
house.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Their house.
DISSOLVE TO:
SOMETHING FUZZY - UNKNOWN
A series of distorted shots... A voice...
KEVIN
Three men were killed. They were
recovered and buried, but the names
were never known.
A beat.
CUT TO:
EXT. MINE - DUSK
Overlooking the mine.
KEVIN
They we're killed. It was a strike
back in the early forties.
A beat.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM - DAY
Kevin, Stephanie and Kim re-frame the portrait...
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
... and hang it on the wall. Before Kevin hangs it, he reads
the back or it one more time.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Kevin descends down the old and creaky stairs down into the
dark and eerie basement. His feet find the floor. He stops
and reaches for a string and turns on a light.
INT. SHAFT - DAY
Kevin enters a dark shaft under the house that leads down a
dark passageway and into a small 8x9 cell. Kevin stops and
flashes a light in the room. He stops and bends down.
Platform wood on the floor is loose. Kevin reaches with his
hands and pulls up a piece. He sticks his hands into the
black crevice and feels around.
A moment continues with total quiet. The sound of a VOICE
from the dark shaft echoes through the basement. A crashing
sound erupts from behind him.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Kimberly and Stephanie remain focused on the portrait of the
man that owns the house. Kevin reappears from the basement
with something in his hand.
STEPHANIE
What is that?
KEVIN
There's something in here.
They open the box and find the deed to the house, along with
a key.
Kevin picks up the key and looks at it.
KIMBERLY
What is it?
KEVIN
I don't know.
(looks at it)
What does it go to?
STEPHANIE
A lock?
KEVIN
This is a safety deposit box key.
He turns to Kimberly and Stephanie and grins as they read the
deed to the house.
STEPHANIE
This is older than mom is.
KEVIN
It's the deed to the house. I bet
they wanted us to find it.
A beat.
KEVIN
This room is where the bad history
of this town started from. But
it's history.
Kimberly looks at him and looks at the key. Stephanie
continues reading the deed to the house and turns to Kevin.
STEPHANIE
It doesn't say how much the house
it worth.
KEVIN
Probably because it ain't worth
shit. God who knows really?
KIMBERLY
What do you wanna do with this?
CUT TO:
EXT. SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX ROOM - DAY
Kevin slides the key into an old, metal box and twists.
Kevin opens the box and pulls out another open box and sets
it on the table.
Kevin, Kimberly and Stephanie all gaze down into the box and
see the whole thing lined with cash.
Kevin takes out a stack and counts it. It is all hundreds.
Stephanie takes out one and Kimberly takes out one. They all
count how much money there is.
STEPHANIE
This is ten grand.
KIMBERLY
Same.
KEVIN
Same here.
A beat.
STEPHANIE
Is it ours? What do we do with it?
KEVIN
Is there a note?
STEPHANIE
No. But who's box is it?
KEVIN
It's my grand dads. This is what a
lot of people want but don't know
is here.
STEPHANIE
Nobody has or had access to this
before this.
A quick beat.
KEVIN
You know, this makes some sense.
(they turns to her)
As to... why he made these plans,
and why he took them with him. It
must have had something to do with
what he was doing. I imagine he
had prints to his house that led to
where I found this, and at the same
time, someone was burying their
evidence with a stick of dynamite.
They listen.
STEPHANIE
What was he doing with them?
KEVIN
Hiding them. The same time, the
only thing resembling the
architecture for the mine was the
picture of him in front of it.
Kevin looks toward Kimberly and Stephanie and looks at the
money. He thinks hard and considers...
KEVIN
Question is, what about all this
money?
STEPHANIE
It's yours. What do you say?
KEVIN
I say, lets split it. I can't have
all this. If y'all didn't find me,
we wouldn't be here.
Kevin removes all the money and sorts it out over the table.
Kevin places three evenly sorted piles in front of Kimberly
and Stephanie.
KEVIN
We're finished here.
Kevin turns to the window and nods his head. A man brings in
three boxes into the room and hands them to Kevin. Kevin
gives them to Stephanie and Kimberly, who place the money
evenly into the boxes and close them.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
A cab pulls up. Kevin, Stephanie and Kimberly get into the
back seat and close the door.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
Over a gloomy sky, the three walk into the cemetery and stop
in front of a grave stone.
KIMBERLY
Why did this happen?
Kevin turns to her and nods to the stone.
KEVIN
Well everything happens for a
reason, but I don't know what this
one was for.
STEPHANIE
Anything you have to say?
Kevin bends down and looks at the grave stone and reads it.
He thinks for a few moments and gets back up.
KEVIN
It woulda been my name on one of
these if it wasn't for you two.
STEPHANIE
Let him rest in peace.
KEVIN
It's time to move on Stephanie.
You, me, all of us.
INT. TAXI - DAY
Stephanie in the middle, Kevin and Kim to her side. They all
share a glance at each other, then turn their heads away from
it forever...
THE END
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