This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. 
This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express 
written permission of the author.

Representative:
Faye M. Swetky
The Swetky Agency
2150 Balboa Way No. 29
St. George, Utah 84770
435-656-0426 Phone/Fax
fayeswetky@amsaw.org










	
Something Old…

by John Newman


FADE IN:

INT. DANIEL'S BEDROOM-1962 - DAY

Daniel Bantree is six years old, small for his age, with a nervous air. He is 
sitting at a battered desk drawing pictures of a pond and ducks. He is trying 
to absorb himself in his task so as to avoid looking at the dark, and even 
grisly religious paintings that cover practically every square inch of his 
walls. 
A door on his right leads to a small room in which his bed can be seen.

The front door of the house is outside his bedroom; he hears the door open 
and three people enter. Two sets of footsteps proceed up the staircase. 
Daniel's bedroom door is unlocked from the outside and his Mother enters. 
She is neatly and conservatively dressed but slightly unsteady on her feet; 
she is almost 40 years old and though attractive wears just slightly too much 
makeup.




DANIEL
Hi Mommy.

MOTHER
Were you a good boy while Mommy and Daddy were out?

DANIEL
Yes Mommy.

MOTHER
The Bible says, "Honour thy Father and thy Mother", do you remember that?

DANIEL
Yes.

MOTHER
Good.



She holds out her hand; Daniel takes it and she leads him out of the bedroom 
and toward the front door. As she is opening the front door Daniel attempts 
to turn around and look upstairs; his Mother firmly twists his head back 
around and pushes him out the front door.




EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE-1962 - DUSK

Daniel sits on the front steps of a narrow brick house indistinguishable from 
the others on both sides. The houses are very close to the sidewalk with 
almost no front yard at all. The neighbourhood is obviously working class and 
poor, although the houses are neat and tidy.

It is getting close to suppertime; neighbours chat idly in front of their 
houses and children play in the street.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the sound of a man singing "Bringing in the 
Sheaves" is heard from the top floor of Daniel's house. The neighbours 
pretend to ignore it but their idyll has been broken. As the singing gets 
louder people gather up their children and move indoors.

Finally, Daniel is left alone in front of his house; the singing is loud and 
clear and is accompanied now by an erratic squeaking of bedsprings.




INT. DANIEL'S BEDROOM-2004-DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT

Daniel is dreaming; he sees himself as a six-year-old boy standing at the 
foot of his parent's bed. His Mother's legs are visible: they are covered in 
blood, as is Daniel who is screaming. Just beyond Daniel is the naked torso 
of his Father; he is draped in rosary beads, spattered in blood and shaking 
uncontrollably: the room alternates between pitch darkness and glaring 
brightness. 

Daniel sees policemen carrying a stretcher from the house in slow motion; the 
body on the stretcher is covered in a blood soaked sheet. Neighbours line the 
sidewalk covering their mouths in horror at what they are seeing.
 
The images are soundless and repeat themselves randomly. We can hear Daniel's 
breathing as he sleeps. The dream images are intercut regularly with the 
image of an old man in a straitjacket; the man has long white hair, very 
white skin, and is slumped against the wall in a glaringly white padded room. 
He appears to be sleeping: his eyes are closed.

Daniel's breathing is becoming more agitated. As the police carry the 
stretcher toward the sidewalk, a very Grandmotherly looking old lady steps 
from the crowd and reaches out to pull away the sheet…the old man in the 
padded cell opens his eyes: they are black and inhuman.

Daniel wakes in a sweat.




INT. DANIEL'S BEDROOM-2004 - MORNING

Daniel lies on a sofa bed gasping for breath. He is in the same room that he 
had as a child. The door to the actual bedroom is closed. His room has been 
turned into a small apartment. His living room has a hotplate kitchen and a 
small bathroom next to it.
His walls are covered in pictures of Jesus taken from children's bible 
storybooks. A TV and VCR sit in a shabby stand: there are 4 Muppet movies in 
the stand.
Daniel sits up and puts his feet on the floor; he reaches for a rotary dial 
phone on the nightstand and dials a number.




NURSE
Third floor nurses station?

DANIEL
This is Daniel Bantree.

NURSE
Oh hi Daniel, what can I do for you?

DANIEL
I'm calling about my Father…


Pause


NURSE
Yes?


DANIEL
I wanted to know…

(clears his throat)

Just if…has he changed at all?


Pause


NURSE
No…of course not.
Why did you…

DANIEL
(overlapping)
Oh ok…good, thank you.


Hangs up the phone.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING

Daniel is getting dressed for work; a Muppet movie is playing quietly on the 
TV and his kettle is whistling on the hotplate. Suddenly the power goes out.
Daniel opens his apartment door and walks out into the hallway, which is 
still lit. Underneath the stairs is a small door leading to the cellar. 
Daniel opens the door and goes down a rickety staircase.
In the cellar he locates the breaker panel and flips a breaker. He walks back 
up the stairs and closes the door behind him.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - MORNING

It is still very early; Daniel closes his apartment door behind him and looks 
around. The house has been converted into apartments and is obviously not 
well maintained. His door is marked with a brass number 1; a door across the 
hall has the number 2 crudely painted on it. At the top of the stairs the 
room that had been his parent's bedroom is marked with a black number 3.

Daniel pockets his keys and walks out the front door; the poor, yet tidy 
neighbourhood of his childhood has disappeared: garbage is strewn everywhere, 
derelict cars and derelict people clutter up the sidewalks.

Daniel pauses at the sidewalk to allow a woman with a small boy to pass. The 
woman is obviously in a hurry to get to work; her head is covered with a 
cheap scarf; the boy, who is about six years old, looks up at Daniel and 
smiles, Daniel smiles back.




EXT. FACTORY - MORNING

A grim, dirty, and ramshackle looking factory: it is still almost dark. Cars 
are parked along one wall of the factory. Inside their cars workers are 
having a last cigarette and coffee before beginning work; many of the men in 
the cars are spiking their coffee with liquor.
A bell rings loudly; people pour out of the cars and trudge into the factory.




INT. FACTORY - DAY

The factory produces component pieces for cheap furniture. Plank wood is 
planed smooth, cut into smaller pieces and then passed through automatic 
lathes.
A group of men and women walk dispiritedly into a dim corner of the factory 
where Daniel is already hard at work setting up the automatic lathes to match 
orders. The workers know where to go and begin manning their machines without 
enthusiasm.
Daniel works on seemingly oblivious to their arrival.






INT. FACTORY - DAY

The factory is up and running; the noise is deafening and the air is filled 
with sawdust.
Daniel is calibrating a lathe and sneaking occasional glances at a woman 
feeding lengths of wood into a nearby lathe. The woman is in her late 
twenties; she is attractive but looks strained and tired: her face bares the 
marks of fading bruises. 
Daniel's supervisor taps him on the shoulder; the supervisor is accompanied 
by a new hire, a boy of about 18 years old. The supervisor wears a work shirt 
with the name " Mr. Hill" sewn into the breast pocket in longhand stitching.




SUPERVISOR
Daniel…this is Eric…just started today…I'm gonna put him in your section Ok?


DANIEL
Ok.



Daniel smiles at the boy who looks back nervously.




DANIEL
 Don't worry…I'll take care of him.




The supervisor regards Daniel's enthusiasm with tired disbelief, nods and 
walks away.
Daniel studies the boy for a second and then points to a toolbox resting on 
the lathe.





DANIEL
Gimme the nine-eighths wrench…




The boy has no idea which wrench Daniel is asking for; he is about to take 
the wrong wrench when Daniel reaches over and selects the correct tool.
Daniel smiles at the boy reassuringly: the boy stares back without 
expression.



INT. FACTORY - DAY

Daniel is feeding lengths of wood into a lathe; Eric stands at his shoulder 
watching him with minimal interest.

A worker walks over and taps Daniel on the shoulder; the man is beefy, wears 
a ‘Jack Daniel's' t-shirt, has a moustache and tattoos, and seems to regard 
Daniel with disdain.

Daniel glances up at the man and signals for him to wait a minute. The man 
looks around impatiently and then taps Daniel on the shoulder again.

Daniel shuts off the machine and removes his ear protectors.



DANIEL
What is it?

WORKER
I need tomorrow off…so does Dave.

DANIEL
You're supposed to book time off three days in advance.

WORKER
This came up in a hurry…

DANIEL
We're busy…I'm gonna have to stay late if you guys are off.

WORKER
Yeah, that's a bitch…I don't wanna stand here all fuckin' day Daniel.

DANIEL
Fine.



The worker grins at Eric and punches him on the shoulder as he walks away: 
Eric grins back.
Daniel puts his ear protectors back on and smiles at Eric.



DANIEL
Wanna get back to work?

Eric shrugs and stares back at Daniel without smiling.



INT. FACTORY WASHROOM - DAY

A group of men, including Eric and the worker who asked for time off, are 
standing around smoking in the washroom. Daniel enters and nods to the group 
who are snickering at him.




DANIEL
Hi Eric.

ERIC
Hey.




Daniel goes into a stall and locks the door behind him. The group in the 
washroom suddenly quiets down although Daniel can still hear suppressed 
snorts and giggles. A bondage porno mag is slid under the door of his stall. 
Daniel stares at the magazine while the group in the washroom leave laughing 
noisily.

The washroom is silent. Daniel kicks the magazine out of the stall.





INT. FACTORY - LUNCHROOM - AFTERNOON

Daniel walks into the already crowded lunchroom and sits at one of the long 
tables that fill the room. He sits next to a group of workers but is 
obviously not a part of their circle. As he unpacks his lunch he looks across 
the room; Cathy (the woman he had been staring at that morning) is sitting by 
herself at the end of a table, she is slowly eating a sandwich and staring 
blankly into space.




INT. FACTORY - AFTERNOON

It's quitting time; a narrow wooden staircase leads to a door to the outside: 
there is a logjam as workers wait to leave the building. Daniel is waiting 
for his turn to leave; he can see Cathy standing nearby: as usual she seems 
oblivious to everything around her.
Daniel is about to step onto the staircase when he bumps into Cathy.



CATHY
Sorry…you go ahead.

DANIEL
No…after you.

CATHY
We're holding up the line…just go!

DANIEL
Ladies first.



Cathy looks at him in surprise; she gives him a shy smile and goes up the 
stairs; the other workers snicker at Daniel's chivalry.




EXT. DOWNTOWN BIBLE MISSION - AFTERNOON

A rundown bible mission on a rundown street; a hand painted sign proclaims it 
to be "The Holy Fire Bible Mission".
A homeless man clutching shopping bags pushes open the door and goes inside.



INT. DOWNTOWN BIBLE MISSION – AFTERNOON

The mission serves as a soup kitchen to the homeless. Daniel is ladling stew 
into bowls and handing them to men and women who shuffle past him: he has a 
smile and a word for all the people he is serving.
The pastor is a man in his late thirties; he is still young enough to be 
energetic but his hair is flecked with grey and his face is starting to show 
some signs of aging. He comes over to Daniel as the last diner is served.



PASTOR
How are you doing Daniel?

DANIEL
Good.

PASTOR
I don't know what we'd do without you.

DANIEL
I don't do much.

PASTOR
There's a quality about you…like a child…they respond to that.



The Pastor waves his arm to indicate all the desperate men and women who are 
eating at the shelter.



DANIEL
I know that none of these people are going to change…but if we don't give 
them compassion who will?

PASTOR
I wish more people felt like that.



The pastor takes off his apron and throws it on the table.



PASTOR
My Daughter is playing soccer tonight…my Wife asked me to go and pick her 
up…can you stay and do dishes tonight?
DANIEL
(Hesitantly)
Ok.



The pastor pats Daniel on the shoulder and walks away. Daniel wipes his hands 
on his apron and looks around at the ragged people he has just served: he 
closes his eyes.




EXT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - DUSK

A cab pulls up to the front doors of the Jerusalem Hills Mental Hospital. The 
hospital is situated in scrubland, apparently in the middle of nowhere. The 
building itself is squat, brick, and ugly: it gives the impression of being a 
warehouse rather than a treatment facility.



INT. NURSES STATION-JERUSALEM HILLS - NIGHT

Two nurses are busy filling in charts. Everything is glaringly white except 
the nurses who are black.
Daniel walks up to the station; one of the nurses looks up and smiles at him, 
the name on her tag is Catherine.




NURSE
Hi Daniel.

DANIEL
Hi.

NURSE
I'll take you down.




Daniel and the nurse walk down a series of long, wide corridors; doors on 
either side have small windows placed in them. Patients in varying conditions 
of insanity press their faces against the glass as Daniel and the nurse pass; 
although the patients are screaming no sound escapes their rooms.

They turn a corner and see a man shuffling down the corridor towards them; he 
is about sixty years old with scraggly grey hair and is giggling childishly. 
The nurse snorts impatiently.




NURSE
Oh damn!

DANIEL
What's going on?

NURSE
It's Mr. Hill…some friggin' short circuit keeps poppin' his door open…
He won't hurt you or nothin' he's just one a them crazy masturbators…pardon 
my language.

Mr. Hill! You better put that thing back in your pants…you hear me now…if'n I 
has to see your pecker one more time I'm gonna cut it right off!



The nurse takes out her two-way radio and calls the nurses station.




NURSE
June?

JUNE
Go ahead Catherine.

NURSE
Get some orderlies down to corridor H: Mr. Hill got out agin'.

JUNE
Oh for cryin' out loud! You ok?


NURSE
Yeah, I'm ok.

JUNE
I'm callin' for ‘em right now.



Mr. Hill dances up to the nurse and Daniel; he throws his arms around the 
nurse and hugs her affectionately.




NURSE
Yeah, you know you been bad Mr. Hill…you ain't supposed to be out.

MR. HILL
I love you.


NURSE
(Laughing) Yeah I love you too.




Two orderlies appear and escort Mr. Hill away.
Daniel and the nurse go on their way.




NURSE
This place oughta just be shut down…all fallin' apart…it's just a matter of 
time Daniel.

DANIEL
I know.



Finally they come to a short, dark corridor in which the overhead fluorescent 
bulbs are either flickering or out completely. The nurse notes the lights 
with irritation.





NURSE
Why don't that man ever fix these damn lights?



As Daniel and the nurse begin to walk down the corridor thumping and 
screaming sounds are faintly audible: Daniel and the nurse pretend not to 
notice.




NURSE
Why'd you call this mornin'…you get some sorta feelin' or somethin'?

DANIEL
No.


Pause


NURSE
He ain't changed in forty years…ain't gonna change.




They stop outside a door. 




DANIEL
Good.



The look in Daniel's eyes is that of pure hatred; Catherine looks at him 
sadly.



NURSE
My daddy used to say there's two things cuts us all down to size, Midnight 
and The Reaper, and Midnight's worse.



Daniel looks into the room where his Father sits in a daze upon his bed.



DANIEL
Not for him.




They stare at each other for a moment. The nurse sifts through a bunch of 
keys and unlocks the door.



NURSE
You ring when you ready.

DANIEL
Ok.



The nurse squeezes Daniel's shoulder as she walks away.

Daniel enters the room and pushes the door closed behind him. He is inside a 
padded cell; the fluorescent light is dim and obviously about to give out; 
the air conditioning whirs like white noise. A video camera is embedded into 
the ceiling.
There is one padded chair and a bed in the room. Daniel pulls up the chair 
and sits without a word. The man sitting on the bed, hunched up against the 
wall is the old man Daniel saw in his dream. The man appears to be in a 
catatonic state, completely unaware that he, or anyone else, is present: his 
eyes are closed.




INT. NURSES STATION-JERUSALEM HILLS - NIGHT

Catherine is back at her station. She has a bank of closed circuit TV screens 
in front of her which enable her to look into any room: she flicks a switch 
and selects Daniel's Father's room.
Daniel is sitting, staring at his Father without saying a word.






INT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - NIGHT

Daniel rises and walks over to a button on the wall next to the door; he 
presses the button and waits. Behind him, his Father is as catatonic as ever.
Suddenly the lights go out and the room is plunged into darkness: for a split 
second it seems that a female figure is standing behind Daniel… the lights 
return and the door is buzzed open. Daniel leaves without a backward glance; 
on the bed, Daniel's Father has opened his eyes and watches Daniel leave: his 
eyes are black and inhuman, as in the dream.




EXT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - NIGHT

Daniel is pulling the door closed behind him when a hand reaches out and 
touches his shoulder. He is startled and turns around to see a female doctor; 
she is early thirties, attractive, with a very businesslike air.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
Daniel Bantree?

DANIEL
Yes.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
I'm sorry…I startled you.

DANIEL
It's ok…I usually don't…

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Can you come to my office for a moment?




Daniel is examining her as though to make sure she really is a doctor.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
Please, just for a minute.

DANIEL
Ok.


INT. DOCTOR SHEPARD' OFFICE - NIGHT

Doctor Shepard leads Daniel into her office and motions him to a straight-
backed chair in front of her desk. She closes the door behind them and sits 
behind the desk.
In contrast to the rest of the hospital, her office seems warm and human; 
wooden bookcases line the walls half-filled with books, boxes of unpacked 
books sit on the floor. The walls are covered in impressionist prints and her 
desk has several pictures of a small boy (about six years old).




DANIEL
You're new…




She nods and looks around.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
I've been here almost a month now…I hate unpacking.

DANIEL
Me too.

(Pause)

DANIEL
Are you looking after my Father?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Yes.

DANIEL
Ah…



She sifts through a pile of folders on her desk and retrieves a slim file.


DOCTOR SHEPARD
I don't know much about him…basically all I've got is this police report…and 
it's 40 years old…



They stare at each other.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
If I'm going to treat him I need background information… as far as I can 
tell, you're his only living relative.

DANIEL
As far as I know too.


DOCTOR SHEPARD
So?

DANIEL
I don't know…it's complicated…

DOCTOR SHEPARD
You witnessed the…incident?

(Pause)

DANIEL
Afterwards…

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Did you ever get any therapy?

DANIEL
(Smiling as though at an inside joke)
No.


DOCTOR SHEPARD
Maybe talking about it to me would help.


DANIEL
(overlapping)
Maybe it wouldn't.

(Pause)
I've spent 40 years putting that behind me.



She nods and then opens the file.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
There's also some information in here about you…very basic…




She spins the file around and offers to slide it across the desk.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
You can look at it if you want?



Daniel shakes his head.

DANIEL
I already know about me.




Dr. Shepard pauses for a second and gives Daniel an appraising glance.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
You live in the same house…and you work at the same factory as your Father…


DANIEL
It's just…coincidence.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Maybe…



She stares at Daniel evenly; the obvious conclusion that she has drawn is 
left unsaid.
Daniel, she notices, is looking at the pictures of her son.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
That's Eric…my Son.



Daniel looks at her left hand; she is not wearing a wedding band.




DANIEL
You're not married.


DOCTOR SHEPARD
Divorced. 
Before I came here, I was a forensic psychiatrist; working mostly with the 
police…that's where I met Eric's Father…he's a cop.

DANIEL
How old is he?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Eric? He just turned six.

DANIEL
(Almost under his breath)
That's the same age…


Daniel sits back in his chair; Doctor Shepard studies him for a moment.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
The same age you were?

DANIEL
Yes.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Look, Daniel…may I call you Daniel?



He nods.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
Daniel, I can't make you talk to me…and your Father…he's been the way he is 
for 40 years so chances are there's fuck all I can do…



She notices that Daniel winced at her use of the F-word.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
I'm sorry…I swear like a sailor sometimes…comes from being around Cops for so 
long.

DANIEL
It's ok; I've heard it before.




Daniel takes a deep breath and rubs his forehead.




DANIEL
You must have seen a lot of people like him…have you?



She nods.

Daniel seems to be weighing things in his mind. 




DANIEL
Why do you even want to help someone like that?
What point is there?
Why not just leave him alone to die?



Dr. Shepard shrugs.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
That isn't how it works…


DANIEL
(overlapping)
Why? Do you think he's going to get better?



Pause.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
Probably not.
That isn't the point.



There is a pause; Dr. Shepard collects her emotions.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
I understand where you're coming from Daniel; people in here have done some 
terrible things…of course the first reaction is to punish…

DANIEL (OVERLAPPING)
…well why not?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
These people are sick. They can't help what they do.

DANIEL
Some of them…maybe…

DOCTOR SHEPARD
My husband used to say I was living in a dream world…but I believe what I 
believe; if we throw away compassion even for the most undeserving…especially 
for the most undeserving…then where are we?


DANIEL
There's no reason on earth for me to want to help him.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
No, but there's nothing wrong with helping yourself…just a bit.



Daniel looks at her and then stares at the floor before answering.




DANIEL
Ok.

I can't do it tonight though, Ok?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
That's fine…it's late.

(Pause)

But I don't want to wait too long…maybe in the next week?

DANIEL
Alright.



She looks at Daniel with some concern; he looks distressed.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
Why don't you just call the nurses station to schedule a meeting with me…I'm 
pretty flexible.

DANIEL
I don't even know your name…


She smiles and shakes her head.


DOCTOR SHEPARD
I'm sorry…I suppose I'm not used to talking to people who can talk back…I'm 
Doctor Shepard.



Daniel nods and stands up; he opens the door and then pauses.




DANIEL
I don't want to help you…but I will…



She is about to say something but he forestalls her.



DANIEL
It doesn't matter…you look at me and you don't know me any more than I know 
you.
Our lives are so different that all we can be to each other are 
types…categories.
I know that people think that I'm
(smiles)
…"fucked up"…but I don't hurt anybody…



Daniel looks away and nods.




DANIEL
Goodnight.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Goodnight.



He leaves, closing the door softly behind him.




INT. CAB - NIGHT

Daniel is in the back seat of a cab winding through the streets of his 
neighbourhood. Boarded up stores and derelict houses are illuminated by fires 
set in barrels.
The streets are almost deserted but the few people who are out and about 
(other than the hookers) look very dangerous.
Daniel is watching the cabs' meter closely; the driver is obviously not happy 
to be in this part of town.



DRIVER
You lock your door like I axed you?

DANIEL
Yes.

DRIVER
Good.



The driver looks at Daniel in the rear-view mirror.




DRIVER
What are you doin' here?

DANIEL
I live here.

DRIVER
Yeah…don't look like it…
No offence…



Daniel is staring at the meter; it clicks over to $25.




DANIEL
Let me out here, please.

DRIVER
What? This ain't your address!

DANIEL
I only have 25 dollars…I can cut through the alley…



The driver swerves to the curb realizing that he isn't getting a tip.



DRIVER
Fucking great…


EXT. DANIEL'S NEIGHBOURHOOD - NIGHT

The cab peels away with screeching tires. Daniel looks around him and then 
begins walking. He turns down a dark alley and begins to walk faster; halfway 
through the alley he hears a noise ahead of him as though garbage cans and 
boxes are being tossed aside in a struggle: he slows but continues walking.
As he approaches the noise he sees two men (obviously drunk); one man is 
leaning against the alley wall swigging from a bottle, the other has a young 
prostitute by the neck and is shaking her viciously. Daniel tries to be as 
inconspicuous as possible as he passes the men



THUG (BEATING THE GIRL)
Look Terry…it's Jesus himself!




Daniel hurries his pace to try and get past the men; he casts a sideways 
glance and sees that the hooker is bleeding profusely from her face.




TERRY (DRINKING)
What the fuck are you lookin' at you Jesus faggot?




The first thug takes the bottle out of Terry's hands and smashes it over the 
girl's head: he seems to have forgotten Daniel. Terry intercepts Daniel just 
as he is about to pass them.




TERRY
Where the fuck do you think you're going?


He has Daniel cornered against the wall; Daniel is trying to avoid looking at 
the thug.




DANIEL
I'm just going home…



Terry pulls out a knife and sticks it in Daniel's face.



TERRY
Not tonight…



He tosses his knife to the other hand and claps his right hand on the back of 
Daniel's neck attempting to force him to his knees. Daniel, while still 
avoiding eye contact, is resisting. Terry edges the tip of the knife closer 
and closer to Daniel's eyeball.




TERRY
Wrong place: wrong time… that's a bitch.



Thug #1 has been providing the victim with a systematic beating; the victim 
lays slumped in a pile of garbage and thug #1 wipes his brow.



THUG
Shit! I think she's dead man.


Terry turns away from Daniel to study the victim; he looks back at Daniel.



TERRY
Well I guess you're fucked too!



Suddenly the victim bolts to her feet and begins running away; the thugs give 
chase. Daniel leans against the wall, shaking for a moment, before stumbling 
off.






INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE – NIGHT

Daniel is attempting to open his door but his hands are shaking badly. From 
the apartment upstairs he can hear the sounds of a man and woman having a 
nasty argument: the man is obviously drunk, irate, and irrational



MAN (O.C.)
You're just a fuckin' whore!

WOMAN
(Crying)
What do you want from me?

MAN
I could kill you and nobody…nobody would even give a fuck!

WOMAN
(Sobbing)
Why are you doing this to me?


MAN
(Enraged…slapping and throwing her around)
‘Cos you're a whore!


WOMAN
(Angry)
Fuck you!

MAN
What the fuck did you say? What the FUCK did you say?



Daniel realizes that he has been eavesdropping; he again attempts to open his 
door. Suddenly the door to the upstairs apartment opens and the woman comes 
tearing down the stairs. Her face is covered in fresh cuts and bruises and 
she is crying. It is the woman that Daniel had been staring at that morning 
in the factory.
She is heading for the front door and has almost passed him when he speaks.




DANIEL
Hi…hi…uh…Cathy…



She gives him barely a glance before flinging open the door and leaving.
Daniel looks upstairs; the apartment door is open and Cathy's boyfriend is 
standing in the doorway in his underwear holding a bottle of Jack Daniel's.




MAN
What the fuck are you lookin' at?




Daniel is finally able to open his apartment door; he slips inside.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel is splashing water on his face in the bathroom; a Muppet movie is 
playing at low volume on the TV.
Daniel hears a soft ‘click' behind him; he turns and sees that the bedroom 
door has opened a fraction of an inch. Without drying his face he walks over 
and pulls the door closed. Unseen behind him stands his Mother, her throat is 
slashed, her blouse is soaked in blood, and her skin is green and ghastly.
Daniel, who is still staring at the door, suddenly notices that the 
temperature in the room has dropped: he spins around as though aware of a 
presence behind him but the apparition has disappeared.




INT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - NIGHT

Daniel's Father stands at the peephole in his door, he is smiling sanely and 
serenely; his breath is visible and behind him briefly passes the shadow of 
an old lady.



JOSEPH BANTREE
Wait for it…wait for it…





INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Daniel is asleep and dreaming. He sees himself as a six-year-old boy climbing 
the stairs to his parents' bedroom. The bedroom door is slightly ajar and the 
sound of a man singing "Bringing in the Sheaves" in a broken, sobbing voice 
echoes throughout the house. As Daniel climbs higher he can hear the sound of 
squeaking bedsprings and a strange tearing, ripping sound. 

He turns and sees that the front door is open; the doorway is flooded with 
light and the silhouette of a grown man slowly appears. Daniel turns around 
and sees himself (i.e. a six-year-old boy) standing at the top of the stairs. 
The boy at the top of the stairs is shivering in his underwear; Daniel turns 
around to look at the front door and when he turns back the boy in front of 
him is covered in boils: his face is contorted in a demonic rage and he is 
shaking violently.

Daniel wakes in a cold sweat. It is still dark in his room but a sudden 
movement at the edge of his peripheral vision catches his attention. He turns 
his head and sees the apparition of his slashed and decomposing Mother 
walking towards him from the bathroom.

He wakes and it is morning.






EXT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - MORNING

A nurse is delivering trays of food to the patients; she unlocks Daniel's 
Father's room and walks in with the tray. Daniel's Father is in his customary 
catatonic state upon the bed. The nurse places the food on a small bedside 
table and leaves the room.



EXT. DANIEL'S NEIGHBOURHOOD - MORNING

It is still very early in the morning. Daniel is walking to work when he sees 
a small crowd of people standing across the street from the alleyway in which 
he had been attacked the night before. As he gets closer he can see that the 
crowd is watching the police who are examining something that lies behind a 
dumpster.

Daniel pushes his way to the front of the crowd; he sees that the police have 
found the body of the hooker who was being beaten up last night.
Daniel is about to slip under the police tape and approach a cop when he sees 
Terry looking at him from a few feet away.
Daniel turns and melts back into the crowd.





INT. FACTORY - MORNING

Daniel is calibrating a lathe; he keeps looking at the machine that Cathy 
normally works at: she is not there.
He is startled by his supervisor who grabs him roughly by the shoulder; the 
supervisor is carrying a wad of papers and is obviously angry.








SUPERVISOR
That whole order you did this morning is shit, it's off by 3 fucking 
centimetres!

DANIEL
What?

SUPERVISOR
I need it redone by 2…and get your head outta your ass.

DANIEL
Where's Cathy?



SUPERVISOR
Who?


Daniel points to Cathy's machine.


DANIEL
Cathy…

SUPERVISOR
How the fuck should I know?



He throws the papers at Daniel.




SUPERVISOR
Get this done!



The supervisor walks away while Daniel slowly picks up the papers.



EXT. FACTORY - AFTERNOON

The workers are streaming out of the factory and heading for their cars, Mr. 
Hill, Daniel's Supervisor, is among them; he is laughing and joking with the 
workers around him.




INT. FACTORY - AFTERNOON

The factory is deserted except for Daniel who is busy wrapping a pallet of 
furniture parts in heavy plastic wrapping. When he has finished the wrapping 
he cuts off the plastic with a razor sharp utility knife.
He walks to the door and is about to toss the knife onto a table; he pauses 
and then pockets the knife. He shuts off the lights and leaves the factory.




INT. DOCTOR SHEPARD'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON

Daniel and Dr. Shepard sit facing each other in silence across her desk. 
Outside her windows the light is starting to fail.




DANIEL
I don't know what to say.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Just tell me about them.

DANIEL
Like what?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Whatever you remember…I'm not analysing you Daniel…



Daniel looks out the window and collects his thoughts. When he begins 
speaking he is transported back to 1962.

Daniel and his Mother are in the kitchen; she is preparing dinner while he 
sits on a stool and watches her. The kitchen walls are covered in gloomy 
religious iconography.





DANIEL (V.O.)
They were very religious…



DOCTOR SHEPARD (V.O.)
Are you?

DANIEL
Yes…
But not in the same way…



The kitchen door swings open and Daniel's Father enters; he is returning from 
work and is dressed in the plain brown workingman's suit of the early ‘60's. 
He is a slightly built man and seems weak.




DANIEL (V.O.)
They were fanatical…

DOCTOR SHEPARD (V.O.)
How do you mean?



The door swings open again and a rough looking man enters behind Daniel's 
father. He is unshaven and unsteady on his feet. In comparison to Daniel's 
Father he seems strong and vicious.



DANIEL (V.O.)
They were about sacrifice.



Daniel's Father grabs him by the shoulder and pushes him out of the kitchen. 
Daniel walks back and forth in the hallway of the house and then peeks 
through the crack of the kitchen door. His Mother is kneeling in front of the 
rough looking man; he is twisting his hands in her hair and slapping her 
face.



DOCTOR SHEPARD (V.O.)
Did they abuse you?

DANIEL (V.O.)
(pause)
No…


DOCTOR SHEPARD (V.O.)
How did they fit in with their neighbours…did people know…they 
were…different?



Daniel and his parents are sitting in a large, ornate Church on Sunday 
morning. In Daniel's eyes, the Minister seems to be miles away; a statue of 
the crucified Jesus transfixes Daniel. Daniel notices that a small pool of 
blood is forming at his feet; he looks at the back of his Mother's leg and 
sees that blood is dripping down her pantyhose: she has a look of religious 
exhilaration on her face.



DANIEL (V.O.)
No…they were perfectly normal.



Daniel returns to the present; he looks out the Doctor's window and realizes, 
with a start, that it is dark.




DANIEL
I have to go.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Ok…


Daniel is already out of his seat and heading for the door.




DOCTOR SHEPARD
Daniel wait!




Daniel stops at the door and looks around.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
This is bound to be uncomfortable…to start with.


DANIEL
I'm ok…I just have to go.



He leaves. Doctor Shepard sits with a puzzled look on her face.





EXT. DANIEL'S NEIGHBOURHOOD - NIGHT

Daniel is walking fast; he turns into the alleyway in which he was accosted 
and suddenly stops. He looks into the alleyway but sees nothing; he begins 
walking faster and faster. He is halfway through the alley when Terry steps 
out of the shadows and presses him against the wall by the throat: in his 
other hand he holds a hunting knife.



TERRY
Just business Jesus…nothin' personal… 

Daniel manages to fumble the utility knife he took from the factory out of 
his pocket; before Terry can strike, he reaches up and slashes the arm that 
is pinning him against the wall. Blood spurts everywhere, Terry drops his 
knife and stumbles backwards holding his arm. He looks up at Daniel in 
disbelief.



TERRY
You cocksucker!



Daniel glances toward the street at the end of the alley as if gauging his 
chances of outrunning Terry. Terry follows Daniel's eyes and laughs.



TERRY
Think you can make it? I don't…



Daniel knows Terry is right. He grips his utility knife even tighter; as 
Terry reaches forward to pick up the hunting knife Daniel steps in and 
slashes his throat with three wild cuts.
Terry falls dead into a pile of garbage.
Daniel takes two steps toward Terry's corpse and stops; he is about to throw 
away the bloody utility knife in his hand when he stops himself; with a 
shaking hand he wipes the blade on Terry's jacket sleeve, fumbles the blade 
closed, and thrusts the knife back into his jacket. Daniel takes one last, 
panicked look at the body and runs away.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Daniel is trying to get his key into his door; he is sweating profusely and 
spattered with blood. There is a sound behind him as though the door to 
apartment 2 has just closed. Daniel spins around but sees nothing; he listens 
intently and can almost hear the sounds of someone walking inside apartment 
2. A moment later the sounds are gone; Daniel shakes his head and finally 
enters his apartment.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel sits rocking upon his bed; he is wringing his hands and muttering to 
himself: a Muppet movie is playing loudly. He suddenly picks up the telephone 
and dials a number.




INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL – NURSES STATION – NIGHT

Lights are flickering on and off, patients are wandering the hallways chased 
by orderlies, and the air is filled with moans and screams.
Dr. Shepard pushes her way through a crowd of lunatics and approaches the 
nurses at the station.
One of the nurses picks up the ringing phone.



NURSE
Hello? Oh hi Daniel…can you hold on a minute?

Doctor Shepard, they say we can't get nobody out here to look at the grid for 
at least two more hours.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Great.
Want some more good news?

NURSE
Why the hell not?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Joseph Bantree just woke up.



The nurse stares at Dr. Shepard; there is a loud click and a dial tone from 
her phone.





INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel is dreaming the recurring dream of walking up the stairs to his 
parent's bedroom. He hears the familiar noises from the bedroom and sees the 
six-year-old Daniel standing outside the bedroom door weeping.
He is almost at the top of the stairs when he turns to look at the figure who 
is passing through the front door: the figure is still nothing but a 
silhouette.
He feels a tug at his hand; the six-year old Daniel is mere inches away: 
blood is streaming down his face from empty eye sockets; the boy opens his 
mouth to scream a soundless scream, revealing a toothless black hole: Daniel 
wakes up.



EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - MORNING

It is very early; Daniel is hurrying out of the house, he looks unkempt and 
unshaven. He steps onto the sidewalk and nearly knocks over the woman and 
small boy. Daniel gets a very brief sideways glimpse of the woman, who, as 
usual, is wearing a scarf over her head; Daniel pushes past the woman and 
child with a muttered apology and hurries down the street.





EXT. ALLEYWAY - MORNING

Daniel walks very cautiously down the alley, frequently looking over his 
shoulder to see if anybody else is around. He can see that Terry's body is 
exactly where he left it.
Daniel pulls a pair of work gloves from his jacket pocket and throws Terry 
into the piles of garbage that line the wall; he covers the body with boxes 
and garbage bags and hurries off: one of Terry's feet is still barely 
visible.



EXT. FACTORY - MORNING

Daniel walks up to a side door and fumbles in his pocket for the keys: he is 
preoccupied and his hands shake; it is still very early: it is quite dark and 
cold.
Cathy steps from the shadows; she is not wearing a jacket and is shivering. 
She looks very tired and worn out.




CATHY
Daniel?



Daniel is completely unaware that she is there and the sound of her voice 
startles him.



CATHY
I'm sorry…

DANIEL
It's ok…usually I'm the only one here.



Cathy nods and rubs her arms.



CATHY
Yeah…see I figured you might be here early…I thought maybe I could wait in 
the lunchroom ‘til the shift starts.



Daniel suddenly realizes that she has spent the night on the streets. He 
opens the door and waves her inside.
She steps inside; the factory is pitch black and she stops at the top of the 
stairs: Daniel is close behind her.




CATHY
I can't see where I'm going.


DANIEL
Sorry, I should have thought of that. The light switch is just over here…



He reaches over her shoulder bringing their bodies into contact for a brief 
second and flicks on the light. She smiles at him and walks down the stairs.






INT. FACTORY - LUNCHROOM - MORNING

Cathy sits shivering at a table; Daniel brings two cups of coffee from a 
vending machine and sits down.
Cathy picks up her coffee gratefully and begins sipping it.



CATHY
Thank you.

DANIEL
It's nothing.



Cathy notices that Daniel seems distracted.



CATHY
Are you…ok, Daniel…is it ok that I'm here?


DANIEL
Yes, it's fine…I was just thinking about…what I have to do…you know?



Cathy nods and sips her coffee.



CATHY
I'm starting to warm up…oh boy it's cold at night!

DANIEL
You didn't go home last night…



Cathy shakes her head and avoids looking at Daniel. They sip their coffee in 
silence for a few moments.
Cathy laughs quietly to herself.



DANIEL
What is it?

CATHY
No…you'll think I'm crazy.

DANIEL
No I won't.



Cathy shakes her head and buries her face in her hands; she composes herself.





CATHY
You know what I just smelled for the first time?



Daniel shakes his head.



CATHY
Wood.



Daniel looks at her in surprise; Cathy laughs.



CATHY
See, I told you!

DANIEL
No! I don't think you're crazy…

CATHY
I've never been here when it's quiet…usually all there is is lots of people 
and noise…but now when there's no-one around I can smell the wood…Pine and 
Cedar…



She breathes in deeply through her nose.



CATHY
Do you know what I mean?



Daniel smells the air.



DANIEL
Yes.



CATHY
This must be what it's like in the country…



She looks down at the table for a second and takes a sip of her coffee.



CATHY
That would be nice, huh?



Daniel nods and she smiles at him; they sip their coffee in a comfortable 
silence.






INT. FACTORY - DAY

The noise is deafening. Daniel is crouched down calibrating a machine; he 
sneaks occasional glances at Cathy who is working like an automaton nearby.
A person thrusts a sheaf of papers at Daniel; he takes them and throws them 
on the ground and waves the person away.
Suddenly a fight breaks out at a machine nearby; a large, bearded man begins 
beating the hell out of a thin, tattooed man. Workers watch for a few moments 
before jumping in to stop the beating. Daniel watches disinterestedly.
Daniel's supervisor charges in and sends the combatants home; he strides over 
to Daniel, his face is purple with rage.



SUPERVISOR
What the hell is going on here? Are you in charge or not?



Daniel looks at him with a blank expression and resumes his work.
The supervisor charges around the machine and hauls Daniel up by his shirt 
collar.



SUPERVISOR
What the fuck are you doing!

DANIEL
I'm working…

SUPERVISOR
Are you fucking with me?



Daniel pulls the bloody utility knife from his breast pocket and lays it on 
top of the lathe: the Supervisor looks at it in confusion.
Daniel points to the cogwheels of the lathe and picks up the knife.


DANIEL
I have to cut…



The Supervisor is dumbfounded by Daniel's withdrawn state; he realizes that 
something is wrong with one of his most dependable employees. He releases his 
hold and Daniel immediately resumes his work.
The Supervisor crouches down to talk to Daniel confidentially.





SUPERVISOR
Are you ok?



Daniel is still concentrating on his work; the Supervisor waits a moment and 
then reaches out and touches Daniel's shoulder.
Daniel turns and smiles at him.



DANIEL
Yes I'm fine.



The supervisor rocks back and forth on his heels for a few seconds.




SUPERVISOR
Look at all this crazy shit around here Daniel; stuff'll take your arm off if 
you fall on it the wrong way…you can't let people fight in here, someone's 
gonna get killed.



Daniel looks at Mr. Hill but his face is completely expressionless.



DANIEL
I have to go back to work now.



Daniel ignores the supervisor and returns to his work; the supervisor stands 
up slowly and looks at Daniel with a puzzled expression. 
Daniel looks up and sees that Cathy is looking at him, she is smiling.



INT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - EVENING

Daniel sits in a straight-backed chair facing his Father who is sitting on 
the bed. His Father is still wearing a straightjacket but is alert and looks 
at Daniel with a knowing smile.



DANIEL
Why?

JOSEPH
You know why.

DANIEL
You'll never get out of here…I'll make sure of that.

JOSEPH
I'm already out…you're a good boy Daniel, like Father, like Son.



He begins to laugh softly.



DANIEL
I've wished you in hell every day for forty years.

JOSEPH
Soon enough…



Daniel gets up and presses the button to open the door. Behind him his Father 
looks down at the buckles on the straightjacket; they slowly undo themselves 
and the jacket falls to the floor.




JOSEPH
Don't you want to kiss your Mother?



A demonic shadow has appeared on the wall behind Joseph. Daniel is frozen to 
the spot; the murky figure of his Mother stands mere inches behind him.
The buzzer sounds and Daniel pushes the door open and leaves.





INT. DOCTOR SHEPARD'S OFFICE – EVENING



DOCTOR SHEPARD
Do you have any idea why he would snap out of it now?

DANIEL
No.



There is a pause while Dr. Shepard looks through Joseph Bantree's file.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
Is there anything significant about the date…maybe an anniversary or 
something?

DANIEL
No.


DOCTOR SHEPARD
You seem very sure…

DANIEL
It's June tenth…it's no more significant than any other June tenth in the 
last forty years.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
I have to be honest with you…I don't know what's going to happen now Daniel…

DANIEL
What do you mean?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
I mean that he's been here forty years…he didn't kill your Mother.



DANIEL
Are you saying you're going to let him out?


DOCTOR SHEPARD
I might have to…

DANIEL
You don't know what you're talking about…you don't know what you're saying…

DOCTOR SHEPARD
If he does get out, what will you do?



Pause: Daniel looks Dr. Shepard in the eye.




DANIEL
I'll kill him.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
You don't mean that!

DANIEL
What would I get?… a room in here, or the electric chair?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Daniel…

DANIEL
If you want to talk to me, answer me something…do you believe in evil?


DOCTOR SHEPARD
What?

DANIEL
I mean…as a force…like something in nature…something that exists above and 
beyond the evil things that people do?

DOCTOR SHEPARD
I can't answer that…


DANIEL
You're qualified.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
I'm a Doctor…I can't…I can't deal with something like that.



Daniel gets up and walks to the door.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
Daniel, please don't stop coming here.



Daniel nods and leaves the room.



INT. BUS - EVENING

Daniel is sitting with his forehead resting against the window as the bus 
winds through his neighbourhood. He sees the woman with the headscarf 
struggling along the street; her child is asleep in her arms.



EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT

Terry's foot is slightly visible among garbage bags and boxes; it is crawling 
with maggots.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Daniel walks into the house and is immediately stopped by the sounds of Cathy 
being beaten up in apartment three. Her boyfriend is screaming at her in a 
drunken rage and slapping her around. There is a sudden thud as Cathy is 
thrown against the door; the noise makes Daniel jump.
A movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention; he turns to his 
left and sees an old lady with white hair quickly shutting the door to 
apartment 2.
Cathy's boyfriend is screaming that he is going to kill her; Daniel fumbles 
for his keys and goes into his own apartment.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel throws his keys on the sofa bed and picks up the phone; he hesitates 
for a second and then dials 9-1-1.



OPERATOR
9-1-1 what is the nature of your emergency?

DANIEL
Murder…I think there's going to be a murder!



EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Two cops drag Cathy's handcuffed boyfriend from the house; he is clad only in 
his underwear. He is drunk, screaming, and spattered with blood. The cops 
throw him into the back of a cruiser where he proceeds to bang his head 
against the window.


INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The hallway is bustling with cops; Daniel is giving a statement to a 
Detective Bradley; Bradley is black: Bradley's partner stands silently behind 
him. Cathy's apartment door is open and Daniel can see her sitting on her 
bed; a paramedic is treating the cuts and bruises on her face. Cathy swings 
around so that her back is to the paramedic and begins to pull her shirt over 
her head: the door swings shut.
Daniel looks across the hallway to apartment 2; the door seems ancient and 
unused, as though it has not been opened in a long time.


DETECTIVE
(snaps his fingers to get Daniel's attention)
Daniel!

DANIEL
Yes…I'm sorry…

DETECTIVE
Did you hear the boyfriend threaten the girls' life?

DANIEL
He said he was going to kill her…he kept saying it over and over again.

DETECTIVE
Have you heard him say that before?

DANIEL
Yes.

DETECTIVE
Well I think this time he meant it; you did the right thing, calling us.



The Detective puts his notebook in his pocket and seems ready to leave; he 
changes his mind and pulls a photograph of Terry from his inside pocket: he 
hands it to Daniel.



DETECTIVE
One last thing before I go; do you know this man?



Daniel looks at the picture; his face betrays his surprise. He attempts to 
collect himself and hands the picture back.




DANIEL
No.



Bradley has noticed Daniel's reaction.


DETECTIVE
Are you sure, he was pretty well known in this neighbourhood?

DANIEL
I try to keep to myself, you know?

DETECTIVE
Probably a good idea.
Anyway, if there's anything else I need I'll call.



He hands Daniel a card.



DETECTIVE
Just ask for Detective Bradley.
Thanks again.



Bradley pats Daniel on the shoulder and he and his partner walk away; Daniel 
nods and watches them leave.

Bradley leaves the house and gets into the passenger seat of his car; his 
partner is behind the wheel.



PARTNER
You think he knows something?


DETECTIVE
He knows this Terry asshole…and he's scared of him; can't really blame him 
for that I guess.

PARTNER
I can run a check on him when we get back to the station…



There is a pause while Bradley mulls the idea; he obviously doesn't consider 
Daniel all that important.



DETECTIVE
All right…don't waste too much time on it though.


They drive away.





INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Recurring Dream:
Daniel is six years old; he has reached the top of the stairs and can hear 
the familiar sounds from his parents' bedroom. A twin image of himself stands 
shivering at the slightly open door; the boy attempts to speak to Daniel but 
his voice is distorted and sounds as though it is coming from far away. He 
pushes open the bedroom door and points for Daniel to go inside.
Daniel steps inside: the room is drenched from floor to ceiling in blood. On 
the bed a psychotic looking man is having sex with the disembowelled corpse 
of Daniel's Mother. Daniel's Father is naked, his hands clasp a hymnal and he 
is singing "Bringing in the Sheaves" in a sobbing voice that teeters on the 
brink of hysteria.
Daniel runs from the room.
He stops at the top of the stairs; the hallway has been transformed into a 
scene from hell. Crosses engulfed in flames bear hundreds of six-year-old 
Daniels; they scream madly from melting faces.
Daniel wakes gasping for breath.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING

Daniel is polishing a pair of shoes; a Muppet movie is playing on the VCR. 
There is a knock on the door; Daniel opens the door and sees Cathy: her face 
is swollen and bruised.



CATHY
Hi.

DANIEL
Hi Cathy.

CATHY
I wanted to thank you…for last night…



She looks around at the empty hallway.




CATHY
Can I come in?

DANIEL
Oh, yes of course…please.



He moves aside to let her in and closes the door behind her.
Cathy sits on a straight-backed wooden chair opposite the sofa bed; Daniel 
sits on the bed.



CATHY
You like the Muppets, huh?

DANIEL
Yeah.

CATHY
Who's your favourite?

DANIEL
I like Gonzo.

CATHY
Yeah me too…what is he anyway?

DANIEL
I don't know.



There is a pause; Cathy looks at her hands before speaking.



CATHY
I guess I look pretty awful, don't I?

DANIEL
It's not so bad.

CATHY
Least it'll give the girls at the factory something to talk about…they all 
figured I had it comin' anyway.


DANIEL
Nobody says bad things about you at the factory.


CATHY
Not to you.


DANIEL
No…not to me.



Cathy looks around the room noticing the pictures of Jesus for the first 
time: Daniel shifts uncomfortably on the bed.




CATHY
I guess you know about me Daniel; everybody at the factory knows.

DANIEL
What do you mean?

CATHY
That I was a hooker.

DANIEL
Oh…

CATHY
You didn't know?

DANIEL
The guys say stuff…rude things…but I didn't know…



Cathy laughs sardonically.



CATHY
Didn't know that it was true?



Daniel is silent; he doesn't know where to look. Cathy's face has a hardened 
expression.



CATHY
It's not like that's what I wanted to be…I left home when I was fifteen ‘cos 
that was all…just all fucked up.



She looks Daniel directly in the eye.




CATHY
Have you ever really, truly been alone Daniel?


Pause



CATHY
The guys at the factory say things about me, but I guess they never lived 
outside…and I guess they never woke up under a pile of garbage bags with 
nowhere else to go…
I started stripping three days after I left home…'cos I was hungry…

Cathy looks at Daniel and smiles.





CATHY
You thinkin' about me as a fifteen-year-old girl naked?

DANIEL
No!



Cathy looks at him and smiles disbelievingly; she lights a cigarette.


CATHY
At the end of my first week I had almost a thousand dollars…I didn't even 
know a person could have that much money. So I went out and bought a gold 
chain.
That was the only nice thing I ever had…in all my life.



Daniel looks at her neck to see if the chain is still there; Cathy laughs.



CATHY
It's long gone.



She clears her throat.



CATHY
That chain went up my nose years ago…

There is a pause.


CATHY
Anyway, the way it works when you're a runaway stripper is that sooner or 
later the boss decides you're gonna suck somebody's dick…and that's what you 
do.


DANIEL
You don't have to tell me this.




CATHY
Yeah I do…you wanna know why I stayed with Tom.

DANIEL
He hit you all the time…I could hear it.


CATHY
There are worse things than a punch in the face.
Sometimes he tried to stay sober…but he just can't.

DANIEL
I don't care what you did…I think you're a good person.



Daniel is avoiding eye contact; Cathy nods and smiles faintly.



DANIEL
What are you going to do now?



CATHY
Well, I guess the world is my oyster, huh?


Her smile fades and she looks at the floor.



I'm scared of being alone again.


DANIEL
You're not…alone.



CATHY
I keep having a dream…it probably sounds pathetic…

DANIEL
What is it?

CATHY
Y'know, it's just a little house with a lot of flowers…and everything is 
clean…



Cathy pauses and though she looks at Daniel her mind is miles away.



CATHY
I don't want a lot, but…I want nice things…
Does that make sense?

DANIEL
Yes.

CATHY
I feel like I've been covered in dirt forever…life should be more than that.


Cathy smiles at him; she points at the shoes he was polishing before she 
arrived.




CATHY
Gotta date?

DANIEL
(Slightly flustered)
No…I was going to go for lunch.

CATHY
Oh yeah?

DANIEL
There's this place I go to. Why don't you come too?



Cathy runs her hands over her face.




CATHY
Look at me, I can't go out.

DANIEL
It's ok, you'll see.



Cathy looks at him as if to determine whether she can trust him; finally she 
nods.



CATHY
Ok…It's no place fancy is it, ‘cos my sequined gown is still at the cleaners.



Daniel smiles.



DANIEL
No, it's nothing fancy.



EXT. DANIEL'S NEIGHBOURHOOD - MORNING

Daniel and Cathy are walking casually down the street; the sun is shining.




CATHY
You blushed back there.

DANIEL
When?

CATHY
When I asked you if you had a date…

DANIEL
Yeah…I…umm…



Cathy laughs good-naturedly.




CATHY
It's ok it was cute.


DANIEL
That's why I did it…

CATHY
That's your secret weapon?

DANIEL
Not bad, huh?



Cathy links her arm through Daniel's.



CATHY
Not bad at all.



They walk on; Daniel is glowing, he can't resist looking at their arms.







EXT. DOWNTOWN BIBLE MISSION - AFTERNOON

Daniel and Cathy stop at the door to the mission; Daniel is starting to push 
the door open but Cathy, looking at the building, seems to hesitate.



CATHY
What is this place?

DANIEL
It's the place I go to. 

CATHY
I thought we were going somewhere to eat?

DANIEL
We are…



He pushes open the door and gently pulls her inside.




DANIEL
It's ok.




They walk inside; Daniel seems at ease but Cathy is stunned by the noise and 
the spectacle of close to a hundred street people gobbling their lunch.





DANIEL
Listen, why don't you have a seat and I'll go and get us some soup?



Cathy nods but she looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Daniel does 
not notice her discomfort; he smiles and makes his way to the food line.
As the line moves forward Daniel chats with the customers; he is about to 
have his bowls filled from a giant urn when he turns to check on Cathy: he 
sees her disappearing through the door.




INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - EVENING

Daniel walks in through the front door and is about to go to his apartment 
when he stops and looks at the door to apartment 2. It appears to be freshly 
and cheerfully painted and is decorated with a small bouquet of heather and a 
wooden sign saying, "Home, Sweet Home".
Daniel is staring at the door when his attention is caught by faint sounds 
coming from Cathy's apartment.
He moves to the foot of the stairs and listens; he hears the clinking of a 
bottle sloppily pouring liquor into a glass. He moves further up the stairs 
and can hear the sound of movement and whispers. 
He is treading very softly and his breath is rapid; he is almost at the top 
stair when he is able to decipher the sound of Cathy moaning with pleasure as 
she gets fucked.



INT. DOWNTOWN BIBLE MISSION - MORNING

The mission has been transformed into a chapel for the Sunday service 
although the number of chairs is far greater than the number of parishioners.
A hymn is being sung; Daniel stands with his hymnal hanging limply open in 
his hands: he does not sing but only stares blankly into space.




INT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - AFTERNOON

Daniel sits facing his Father who is brushing his teeth and grinning at his 
Son. Daniel is reading the Lord's Prayer from a battered bible. Joseph 
removes the toothbrush and offers it to Daniel; Daniel ignores the gesture 
and continues reading.
Joseph begins to laugh, gradually getting louder and louder; Daniel presses 
his hands over his ears and responds by almost shouting the psalm.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Daniel enters the house and immediately hears sounds coming from Cathy's 
apartment, the door to which has been left slightly ajar. He can hear 
laughter and the sound of flesh being slapped; he can also hear Cathy 
whimpering and crying out in pain.
Daniel takes two steps toward the stairs but seems to change his mind and 
fishes instead for the keys to his apartment. He is about to unlock his door 
when the door to apartment 2 opens. Daniel turns to see an old lady who looks 
very sweet and Grandmotherly. Although he is struck by a familiar quality in 
the old lady, he does not recognize her as the old lady who had stepped from 
the crowd to snatch the blanket from the stretcher in his first dream.
The old lady takes a step or two into the hallway and looks up to Cathy's 
apartment.



OLD LADY
That's been going on for hours…I think you should take a look.


DANIEL
It's Cathy…I don't think…

OLD LADY
(overlapping)
…maybe she's in trouble?

DANIEL
It's not our business.


OLD LADY
The suffering of a fellow human being is always our business…please?



Reluctantly, Daniel begins to walk up the stairs. He can hear the noises more 
and more distinctly. He pushes open the door a few inches and looks inside. 
Cathy, who is obviously drunk and stoned out of her mind, is engaged in a 
threesome with two very rough looking men. All three look at Daniel in the 
doorway.




CATHY
Get him the fuck outta here!

DANIEL
Are you alright?

CATHY
…the fuck outta here!

DANIEL
Cathy don't do this to yourself…you're better than this!



Cathy laughs at his words and takes a large drink from a glass that is 
sitting on the bedside table.



CATHY
Better! What do you know about better?
Go have a bowl of soup!

DANIEL
You're defiling yourself with pigs…pigs fit to be slaughtered!



Daniel's words cause one of the men to break into laughter but the other is 
offended. He rushes from the bed, grabs Daniel by the throat and throws him 
down the stairs.
Daniel tumbles to the bottom and lies dazed; he hears Cathy's door slam shut. 
He looks at apartment 2, the door is shut and the old lady is nowhere to be 
seen.




INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING

Daniel sits on his bed; the phone is at his ear and ringing softly. He is 
fully dressed for work and a Muppet movie is playing at low volume. Daniel 
turns slightly to watch the movie; a very groggy voice finally answers the 
phone.




MRS. STEWART
Hello?


Daniel is obviously riveted on the Muppets; his voice is that of an 
automaton.



DANIEL
Hello Mrs. Stewart, did I wake you?

MRS. STEWART
What time is it?



DANIEL
It's Daniel Bantree; I'm not coming into work today, I don't feel well.

MRS. STEWART
Why didn't you just…

DANIEL
(overlapping)
Ok.



He hangs up the phone; he is still glued to the Muppets.




INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING

Daniel is mopping his floors; he is very thorough.




INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING

Daniel dumps the contents of a laundry basket into his bathtub; he throws 
scoop after scoop of detergent onto the clothes, pulls the shower curtain 
closed and turns on the shower. He stands staring without emotion at the 
shower curtain as the bathroom quickly fills with steam.




INT. DANIEL'S FATHER'S ROOM-JERUSALEM HILLS - AFTERNOON

Daniel sits in the chair reading from the bible; his Father paces agitatedly 
in front of him wrapped in a strait jacket.
Suddenly the room becomes frigidly cold and is filled with a horrid stench 
that forces Daniel to pinch his nose; he looks up from the bible: his Father 
is suddenly and unnaturally flung against the wall in a crucifixion pose: his 
face is gentle and his voice a wail of Christian suffering.




JOSEPH
I am the way, the truth, and the life.




Daniel stares at his Father as though he is seeing a vision of Jesus; he 
drops to his knees in religious adulation. 
Suddenly the room is plunged into utter darkness, the only light filters 
weakly through the barred window. Daniel's breath is visible as his heart 
rate increases.
Daniel's Father is bathed in an eerie green glow; he slowly begins to turn 
upside down; as he does so his face transforms into a mask of demonic rage.
A fierce wind begins to whirl around the room almost knocking Daniel off his 
knees.



JOSEPH
There's no way out but me.



Daniel looks down at his Bible; it is soaked with blood and maggots are 
crawling across it: with a gasp of horror he drops it.
He looks up and his Father's demonic face is mere inches from his own. The 
room is suddenly preternaturally still. Joseph smiles and reveals row upon 
row of razor sharp piranha teeth.
Daniel is frozen to the spot expecting his Father to attack. Suddenly the 
door flies open.
Daniel looks up and his Father is once more seated upon the bed wrapped in a 
strait jacket his face is still distorted demonically.




JOSEPH
You fucking hypocrite: go see what you've done!



INT. NURSES STATION-JERUSALEM HILLS - AFTERNOON

Catherine is sitting alone filling out paperwork; a figure is seen ambling 
down the hallway towards her. As the patient gets closer Catherine looks up; 
she shakes her head in irritation and unhooks her walkie-talkie from her 
belt. She is about to speak into the radio but decides not to; she drops the 
walkie-talkie on the counter of the nurses' station and approaches the 
patient.


CATHERINE
Mr. Hill, cain't you just stay in your room for one damn night?



Mr. Hill shuffles toward her; he has a toothbrush clenched between his teeth 
and is giggling.




MR. HILL
I love you.


CATHERINE
Oh yeah, so why don't you let me get some paperwork done?


Catherine has reached out to take Mr. Hill by the elbow; he stands stock-
still and looks her directly in the eye. When he speaks it is in the voice of 
Catherine's Father.




MR. HILL
Your Mama has the cancer Katie…and we can't afford to do nothin' for her.




Catherine stares at Mr. Hill in astonishment.




CATHERINE
How'd you know…




Mr. Hill whips the toothbrush from his mouth; the handle end has been 
whittled to a sharp point. He plunges the point into Catherine's chest again 
and again until she drops to the floor. The blood coursing out of her body 
pools around Mr. Hill's feet; he replaces the toothbrush in his mouth and 
walks down the hallway leaving a bloody trail of footprints.





INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON

Catherine's body, covered by a sheet, lies on the floor; the hallways are 
buzzing with cops and medical personnel.
Daniel threads his way through the crowd and is about to knock on Dr. 
Shepard' door when she bursts out of her office.




DANIEL
Dr. Shepard…

DOCTOR SHEPARD
Daniel…listen everything's going to hell. We'll talk next week, Ok?

DANIEL
I wanted…



She rushes away; Daniel looks at her disappearing figure and nods.




DANIEL
…to tell you something…






EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - EVENING

Daniel is walking up the street to his house; as he approaches he can see 
that the house is swarming with police. He freezes on the spot, believing 
that his role in Terry's death has been uncovered. 

He looks around as though for an escape route and then sees CSI technicians 
carrying heavy black briefcases enter the house.
Daniel walks slowly toward the house; the uniformed cops sitting on the front 
steps give Daniel barely a glance as he walks through the front door.

He steps into the house and sees Detective Bradley talking with the elderly 
Italian landlord. Bradley spots Daniel and beckons him over. As Daniel is 
walking over he glances briefly at the door to Apartment 2: the ornamentation 
is gone and the door looks ancient and unused; before Daniel has time to 
reflect upon this fact he is standing in front of Bradley.


DANIEL
 What's going on?

LANDLORD
Cathy, she's dead.

DETECTIVE
Wait up; we don't know that for sure.

LANDLORD
Somebody up there is dead…too mucha blood…somebody's dead for sure!

DANIEL
What's he talking about?

DETECTIVE
The room upstairs is covered in blood; we assume it's the tenants'…a Cathy 
Shepard.



Daniel stares at Bradley in bewilderment; Bradley anticipates his next 
question.



DETECTIVE
There's no body.

DANIEL
So it might not be Cathy?



Bradley shrugs doubtfully, the landlord snorts at Daniel's naiveté.



LANDLORD
She was a hooker!




Daniel turns on the man angrily.



DANIEL
She was…

LANDLORD
Yeah, sure…

DETECTIVE
When was the last time you saw her?

DANIEL
Last night; here.

DETECTIVE
Was she with anybody?




Daniel nods and avoids looking at the landlord.





DANIEL
She was with two men; they were…having sex.



The landlord snorts again; Bradley eyes him with irritation.




DETECTIVE
Do you know the men?

DANIEL
No.

DETECTIVE
Do you think you could identify them…from a mug shot?

DANIEL
One of them.

DETECTIVE
What time was this?

DANIEL
About eight o'clock.

DETECTIVE
Did you see the men leave?

DANIEL
No.



Bradley nods and puts away his notebook.






DETECTIVE
We don't really know anything. We don't know whose blood that is…might be 
more than one person.

DANIEL
Maybe Tom…the boyfriend…

DETECTIVE
That thought has crossed my mind too.




Bradley begins to walk away, stops and turns around.






DETECTIVE
Drop by the squad house tomorrow, and take a look at the mug shots, ok?

DANIEL
Ok.




Bradley turns away and is stopped by the thought of one last question.




DETECTIVE
Where were you today Daniel?


Daniel looks at Bradley and sees the seriousness in his face.





DANIEL
I went to visit my Father.




Bradley nods thoughtfully and walks away.




INT. CATHY'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Cathy's apartment is even smaller than Daniel's; it is essentially two rooms: 
a bedroom/kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. A bed dominates the room; there is no 
bottom sheet on the bed. The room is literally dripping with blood; it is 
splattered across the walls and lies in thick pools on the floor.
A team of Technicians are examining the room.
Bradley enters the room gingerly and stands next to the head technician.




DETECTIVE
Whaddya got?

TECHNICIAN
Lots.

DETECTIVE
Prints?


TECHNICIAN
Prints, semen… but I gotta c-note says it's all shit as far as you're 
concerned.

DETECTIVE
How do you know that?

TECHNICIAN
Look around…what don't you see.



Bradley looks around at the blood stained walls.




DETECTIVE
I don't see any fingerprints.

TECHNICIAN
That's right…no prints, no smudges, no drag marks, no nothing. All the prints 
are underneath the blood.


DETECTIVE
So whoever left the fingerprints took off before she died?

TECHNICIAN
Not a doubt in my military mind.


DETECTIVE
There were two guys with her…maybe they put on gloves to carve her up?

TECHNICIAN
I don't think so…let me give you the ten-cent tour and then you tell me who 
killed her.



Bradley shrugs.



DETECTIVE
Go ahead.



The technician points to the bloodstains on the bare mattress on the bed.




TECHNICIAN
This is the first wound…the blood is thick and dark red…it flowed rather than 
spurted…stomach blood.

DETECTIVE
He disembowelled her?

TECHNICIAN
He immobilized her…take a whiff of the mattress…



Bradley looks at the bloodstained mattress and shakes his head.



DETECTIVE
I'm good…


TECHNICIAN
		It reeks of whiskey…she had a bellyful…

DETECTIVE
 So she was passed out when he attacked her?


TECHNICIAN
Exactly. 
She was so anaesthetized she probably couldn't have screamed if she wanted 
to…from that point on she also couldn't move. 


DETECTIVE
So what happens next?



The technician points to the wall behind the bed, which is covered in sprays 
of blood.




TECHNICIAN
He nicks an artery…on the neck.
See the blood on the wall?…it's much lighter…oxygenated…and it pumped.

DETECTIVE
He knew what he was doing…



The technician moves Bradley around to the far side of the bed and shows him 
bloodstains on the floor.



TECHNICIAN
…that's arterial too…from the inside of her right thigh.

DETECTIVE
Girl had a lot of blood…

TECHNICIAN
When all this shit happened her heart was still pumping a mile a minute…she 
was terrified…watching herself die, knowing she couldn't do a damn thing to 
stop it. 

DETECTIVE
What else?



The technician points to bloodstains on the wall and door.



TECHNICIAN
He moved fast…cut, cut, cut…the last wound is a cut to the artery on the left 
thigh… that's where the blood on the wall and the door comes from…she was 
almost gone at this point…check it out, the blood only hits a few feet above 
the floor.



There is a pause: the technician stares at Bradley as though expecting him to 
make a connection. Bradley shrugs.






DETECTIVE
Yeah?



The technician directs Bradley's attention to the floor in front of the door.



TECHNICIAN
No blood on the floor.

DETECTIVE
So he cleaned up before he left?

TECHNICIAN
Uh-uh…we passed a light over it; there was never any blood on that floor.
Our boy came prepared…he put plastic on the floor, stood at the foot of the 
bed to avoid getting splashed and slashed the shit out of her; then he wraps 
her in the bottom sheet, moves her onto the plastic and takes off clean as a 
whistle. 
He was going for the perfect murder…or at least had the foresight to know he 
didn't want to get caught.



The technician motions toward the side table which holds an empty bottle of 
whisky, glasses, an overflowing ashtray, a magazine and an ATM card.



TECHNICIAN
Booze, coke, and hash…the ménage-a- trois crowd were royally fucked up…in 
short, they would have had the foresight of a Golden Retriever.



The technician lapses into silence; Bradley is rubbing his chin thoughtfully.



DETECTIVE
He knew her…he wanted her to die badly; but he isn't some slash and dash nut 
bar either.
He was killing an idea as much as a person…



TECHNICIAN
So dude is seriously fucked?

DETECTIVE
This boy is back and beyond.





EXT. ALLEYWAY - MORNING

It is very early morning; Daniel is hurrying down the street toward his bus 
stop. He looks ahead and can see the woman with the headscarf and small child 
standing at the edge of a small crowd of people waiting for the bus. 

As Daniel passes by the alleyway in which he killed Terry he slows down 
involuntarily and looks inside: his bus whooshes past him so close and so 
loud that it makes him jump. He looks down the alleyway and sees a garbage 
truck turning in at the far end.

Daniel seems paralysed with indecision; he glances at the bus stop and then 
down the alleyway. At the bus stop passengers are slowly boarding the bus; in 
the alleyway the garbage truck is stopping every few feet and cleaning up the 
trash that lines the walls.

Daniel finally breaks free from his indecision and walks hurriedly toward the 
bus stop; a few seconds later he breaks into a jog and finally a full sprint: 
he catches the bus just as it is pulling away.

Inside the alleyway the garbage truck lurches to a halt at the spot where 
Terry's body had lain underneath the garbage. Two men jump from the back of 
the truck and begin flinging garbage bags and boxes into the back of the 
truck. The spot is cleaned up (there is no body) and the truck moves off.






INT. FACTORY - AFTERNOON

Daniel is trying to fix a lathe that has a length of wood stuck in it; the 
noise is deafening, the air is choked with sawdust, and the workers are 
sweating from the heat. Suddenly there is a commotion behind him; he turns 
and sees another lathe spewing chunks of wood into the air and making ungodly 
grinding noises.
The workers who had been manning the machine jump away as though the lathe 
were red hot.




DANIEL
Hit the kill switch! Hit the kill switch…it's gonna seize up!



Nobody can hear him amid the din of the factory; Daniel jumps to his feet and 
runs to the lathe just as it seizes up and begins to smoke.
He hits the kill switch and stands looking at the workers who stare back at 
him with arms folded defiantly.
Daniel takes off his safety goggles and ear protectors, throws them to the 
ground and stomps off.




INT. FACTORY WASHROOM - AFTERNOON

Daniel pushes open the door to the washroom and strides inside; the door 
slams shut behind him and he is immediately transformed into a six-year-old 
boy. The washroom becomes distorted, the line of stalls and sinks seem to go 
on forever. The room is unnaturally white and lit with glaring fluorescent 
lights. The child Daniel is clad only in underwear; he shivers as he walks 
down the cold floor.
He hears the door open and shut behind him and slow, deliberate footsteps 
begin to walk down the washroom towards him. He turns but sees nothing 
although the sound continues to come closer.
He begins to run down the endless line of stalls and sinks: suddenly the 
lights go out and Daniel is alone in the darkness. He ducks into a stall and 
crouches down on the floor; the footsteps are getting closer and are 
accompanied by hoarse, animalistic breathing.
Daniel begins to cry.



DANIEL
Mommy…Mommy…help me!



The lights flash back on; the door opens and a group of workers walk into the 
washroom. They are stopped in their tracks by the sight of Daniel lying in 
the middle of the floor in the foetal position; he stares at them without 
recognition.



INT. DOWNTOWN BIBLE MISSION - EVENING

The mission is dark and deserted; Daniel is on his knees in front of the 
statue of Christ on the cross; he is reciting The Lord's Prayer over and over 
again.

CUT TO:

INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - EVENING

All three apartment doors are flying open and slamming shut; the air itself 
is shimmering as though filled with something not quite able to materialize.

CUT TO:

INT. DOWNTOWN BIBLE MISSION - EVENING

Daniel's eyes are closed and his hands are clasped in prayer; the Christ 
begins to shake. Daniel opens his eyes and watches as the shaking becomes 
more violent. Daniel closes his eyes and begins to pray even more fervently: 
the shaking stops and there is an eerie calm. 
Daniel becomes aware of a strange sucking, oozing sound; he opens his eyes 
and looks around: the word ‘Damned' is appearing in blood and slime all over 
the walls.



INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

The nurse's station is deserted and the hospital is completely silent; it is 
blindingly white and sterile.
A huge snake slithers slowly down the empty corridor.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING

Daniel is sitting on his bed polishing a pair of shoes; on the floor beneath 
him are laid out several more pairs of highly polished shoes.
Daniel is not wearing his work clothes, he is wearing jeans and a casual 
shirt; his hair is wet and carefully combed. It is obvious that he is 
uncomfortable being at home on a workday.
There is a knock at the door. Daniel cautiously opens the door and sees the 
old lady from apartment 2; she is carrying a plate covered with a tea towel. 
Daniel steals a quick glance over her shoulder and sees that her door is once 
again freshly painted and hung with homey decorations.



OLD LADY
Hello, I thought I heard you in here…not working today?

DANIEL
I'm taking some time off.

OLD LADY
Well I think you should, with everything you've been through lately…



Daniel is caught off guard by her statement.



DANIEL
What do you mean…



OLD LADY
(overlapping)
I made you some cookies…



She lifts the corner of the dishcloth to reveal a plate of very enticing 
chocolate chip cookies; Daniel is struck by their fresh-baked aroma.




DANIEL
You must have just baked them.

OLD LADY
Fresh out of the oven not two minutes ago!

DANIEL
They smell delicious.



She thrusts the plate at him.



OLD LADY
Well then go ahead and take them!



Daniel accepts the plate with a smile.




DANIEL
Will you come in and have one with me?

OLD LADY
Thank you Dear, but I can't eat them myself…blood pressure.



She turns and is halfway back to her own apartment when she stops and turns 
around.



OLD LADY
You know, I lived here before, a long time ago…there used to be a lovely 
little park only about three blocks over, is it still there?

DANIEL
Sort of…



OLD LADY
It looks as though it's going to be a fine day, would it be too much bother 
for you to walk down to that park with me this afternoon?

DANIEL
No, not at all, I'd like to.

OLD LADY
Well then, we have a date…shall we say one o'clock?



Daniel nods and smiles. The old lady turns and totters off toward her 
apartment.



OLD LADY
One o'clock then Dear…



Daniel closes his apartment door.





EXT. PARK - AFTERNOON

Daniel and the old lady sit on a bench in ‘the park'; it has evolved into an 
asphalt covered vacant lot. Bums and winos wander about and garbage is strewn 
everywhere. The old lady is clutching a small brown paper bag.
She lifts the bag derisively.



OLD LADY
When I was a girl I used to come here and feed the ducks…I don't suppose I 
shall need this now.



DANIEL
When I was a boy the pond was still here…but it was empty, and there were no 
ducks.



OLD LADY
All of God's creatures have been chased away…

DANIEL
Was it nice here…when you were a child?



The old lady thinks for a moment before answering the question.



OLD LADY
No…I don't think it was. This has always been a place of pretence and sham. 
It's ridiculous really, to put a duck pond in a place where the men come home 
from work every night with bleeding hands…and where the women wake up every 
morning with bleeding faces…



Daniel looks at her in astonishment.



OLD LADY
Oh yes, that's what it was like even in my day.



She takes a deep breath through her nose.



OLD LADY
One thing hasn't changed though, and that's the smell…there's a smell that 
comes from people who don't have enough, and know there's nothing they can do 
to ever get enough.
That smell is as old as time…



She opens the bag and tips breadcrumbs onto the ground.



OLD LADY
Even when I was a little girl I knew about that smell.
And I knew that when it lies around for long enough then there's a snake that 
comes in…



She pauses and looks at Daniel.



OLD LADY
Oh, I call it a snake but that's not really what it is…I think though that 
you know what I mean, don't you?



Daniel thinks for a moment.



DANIEL
Yes.



OLD LADY
It's something bad…something old; it's blind and deaf and dumb and heartless, 
and it always finds who it's supposed to find.



DANIEL
Is that what makes people do bad things?



The old lady grinds the breadcrumbs under her foot in a motion that is 
surprisingly harsh and forceful.
She turns and smiles at Daniel.



OLD LADY
Yes.



INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel is sleeping peacefully. 





INT. DOCTOR SHEPARD'S OFFICE – EVENING

Daniel and Dr. Shepard sit staring silently at each other across her desk: a 
clock is ticking monotonously. Daniel has a look of confidence on his face 
that approaches defiance. Dr. Shepard looks concerned; she begins toying 
absent-mindedly with a pencil before speaking.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
I think you're making a mistake.

DANIEL
I'm not.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
You need help Daniel…I think that deep down you know that.

DANIEL
I know how to help myself…I know what to do now.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
And what's that?

DANIEL
Get away.
Get away from here…from him.
Start over…there's nothing to stop me.

DOCTOR SHEPARD
You can't do that.



For the first time Daniel seems to revert to his normal, anxious self; his 
face then becomes angry.




DANIEL
Why is that?



DOCTOR SHEPARD
This is you…it goes where you go…it's who you are…


DANIEL
(overlapping)
No it isn't!

DOCTOR SHEPARD
It's why you came back…it's why you're living your Father's life over 
again…the same house, the same job…



Daniel stands up hurriedly and walks to the door.




DANIEL
Goodbye Dr. Shepard.



DOCTOR SHEPARD
You need to stand and face this thing Daniel.

DANIEL
Even if it kills me?



He leaves, slamming the door behind him.




INT. DETECTIVE SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT

Detective Bradley sits at his desk quietly rifling through a book of mug 
shots; his partner walks up and somewhat startles Bradley.



PARTNER
Sorry.

BRADLEY
It's ok…whaddya got?

PARTNER
The boyfriend skipped bail on the assault charge; no one's seen him in three 
days.



Bradley nods; his face indicates that he has reservations about the boyfriend 
as the prime suspect.



BRADLEY
You think he's our man?


PARTNER
He fits…

BRADLEY
Maybe…


Pause


BRADLEY
Somethin' ain't right…


His partner looks at him.


PARTNER
If it looks like a duck…

BRADLEY
Our boy took all the time in the world. He cut her, wrapped her, and got her 
out of there…either he's one cold-blooded son of a bitch…

PARTNER
 …or?



BRADLEY
…or, he knew there was no-one else around.
What did you get on the downstairs guy…Bantree?


His partner shrugs.


PARTNER
Nothin'.

BRADLEY
Nothing at all?

PARTNER
It's like the guy doesn't exist.

BRADLEY
Yeah, except we know that he does.
Sometimes you gotta go sideways to go forwards…get me his phone records for 
the last three months.



The partner nods, stands up and walks away; Bradley watches him walk away: he 
is lost in thought.



INT. FACTORY OFFICE - MORNING

The factory office is located above the shop floor; a row of grimy windows 
looks down onto the production area.
Daniel stands with his forehead resting lightly against the window while Mrs. 
Stewart is busy at her desk, tapping away at a calculator.
Daniel is smiling; Mrs. Stewart steals an occasional glance at him, raising 
an eyebrow at his stiff appearance in plaid shirt and cheap blue jeans.


She prints out a cheque from a hand-operated machine and slides a sheet of 
paper across the desk.



MRS. STEWART
Just sign where I've x'd it.



Daniel signs the form and Mrs. Stewart hands him the cheque; without looking 
at it, Daniel folds it and puts it in his breast pocket.
Mrs. Stewart looks at him as though expecting Daniel to say something: he 
turns and leaves the office without a word.







EXT. DANIEL'S NEIGHBOURHOOD – DAY

Daniel is walking down the street; it is a bright, sunny day; he is smiling 
and obviously at ease with himself.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - DAY

Daniel walks into the house and is about to open his door when he hears music 
(Sinatra's, "I'll be Seeing You") floating from apartment 2.
Daniel turns and sees that the door is slightly ajar; he walks over and taps 
on the door.



DANIEL
 Hello?



There is no answer.

The music seems to be filling the entire house.

Daniel pushes open the door and slowly walks inside: he is stunned by what he 
sees. The apartment is filled with piles of rotting garbage; dishes are 
stacked everywhere; flies swarm in clouds, and the floor is crawling with 
maggots.

Daniel ventures as far as the living room; he is about to turn and run when 
he hears the Old Lady in the bathroom at the end of the apartment.



OLD LADY (O.C.)
Is that you Daniel?

DANIEL
Yes…yes it's me.

OLD LADY (O.C.)
Give me a minute, dear; I made a pie for you…it's in the kitchen…



Daniel turns to look at the kitchen; the counter is jammed with garbage: 
worms and maggots infest everything.

Daniel flashes back to the moment where the Old Lady stood at his door 
offering him cookies; he staggers to the edge of the couch, grips the couch 
and begins to vomit a flood of maggots.




OLD LADY (O.C.)
Almost done Dear…



Daniel is wiping his mouth and looking with disgust at the crawling pile of 
worms on the couch.



DANIEL
I have to go…

OLD LADY (O.C.)
Oh no…Are you feeling all right?


DANIEL
Yes…I'm sorry…




He throws his hand over his mouth and rushes from the apartment.




INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - AFTERNOON

The Muppets are playing loudly on the TV; Daniel is packing clothes into a 
suitcase.
There is a knock on the door.

Daniel looks through the peephole and sees the Old Lady.





DANIEL
Hi…hi, I'm sorry but I'm a little busy…

OLD LADY
Of course Dear…it's just that the police came to ask me some questions…


DANIEL
About what?

OLD LADY
About you, Dear…



Daniel slowly opens the door.
The Old Lady looks slightly different than before; she is dishevelled and has 
an air of decomposition about her. Her teeth are noticeably yellow. She has a 
mole on her chin, which Daniel is unable to look away from; as the Old Lady 
speaks the mole becomes larger and more inflamed.




DANIEL
Why would they ask about me…I tried to help them?

OLD LADY
Oh I know that Dear…I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

DANIEL
Well what did they want?

OLD LADY
They kept asking me about a young man named Terry something; they seemed to 
think you knew him.
They showed me his picture and I told them right away that he wasn't the sort 
of person you would know.



DANIEL
They think that he killed a girl…a prostitute.



The mole on the Old Lady's chin is swollen and red; it begins to crack open 
and blood trickles out.



OLD LADY
Well that sort always gets their comeuppance don't they?

DANIEL
What?

OLD LADY
I expect he's had his own throat slashed by now, hasn't he?
Good riddance to bad rubbish I say.



Daniel can't look away from the Old Lady's mole; something is moving beneath 
the skin.



DANIEL
He probably just left town.



The Old Lady smiles at Daniel knowingly and reaches out to pat his hand.




OLD LADY
Yes…of course Dear…that's exactly what I told the police too.



A spider leg pokes its way out of the mole and begins to wave around: Daniel 
is close to throwing up.



DANIEL
I have to go…I don't feel well.



He slams the door shut.
On the other side of the door the Old Lady chuckles softly and walks away.



INT. DETECTIVE SQUAD ROOM - AFTERNOON

Detective Bradley is at his desk talking softly on the phone. A clerk walks 
by and drops a large envelope on the desk.



CLERK
Phone records…

BRADLEY
Thanks…



He hangs up the phone and pulls the records from the envelope. The phone 
records show that for the last three months Daniel has called the same number 
twice a week; it is the only number he has called.
Bradley picks up his phone and dials the number: there is a recorded message.




RECORDED MESSAGE
Jerusalem Hills Psychiatric Hospital ceased operations in 1993. For patient 
information and records please contact the State centre for mental health at…



Bradley hangs up the phone and then quickly picks it up again and dials a 
number.



DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
D.A.'s office…Corrigan speaking.



BRADLEY
Joe…Detective Bradley.

CORRIGAN
What's up?

BRADLEY
I need to go to the Capital and I need to have some medical records unsealed 
by the time I get there…





INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel has all the lights on in his apartment; he is sitting on his bed 
watching the Muppets on TV: his bedside alarm clock radio is playing oldies 
music.
The power goes out and Daniel is plunged into darkness. Daniel sits for a 
moment and then slowly gets off his bed and very cautiously opens his 
apartment door.
The hallway is deserted. Daniel walks quietly to the cellar door and opens it 
as softly as possible; he leaves the door open so that the light from 
upstairs goes into the cellar.
He walks down the stairs and locates the breaker panel; he is standing at the 
panel when the door closes. He flips open the panel and is trying to locate 
the correct breaker; over his right shoulder the face of the Old Lady begins 
to materialize out of the darkness.
Daniel flips the breaker and turns: he is face to face with the Old Lady.



DANIEL
What do you want!

OLD LADY
I know why you did it…

DANIEL
I don't know what you're talking about…

OLD LADY
You wanted to fuck her…she let everybody fuck her…

DANIEL
Get away from me…

OLD LADY
All those dirty men at the factory fucked her…everybody fucked her except 
you.



Daniel pushes past the Old Lady and starts running up the stairs. The Old 
Lady is laughing.



OLD LADY
Everybody fucked that whore except you…she didn't want you at all!




INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Daniel is lying on his side in bed; he is staring at the closet on the wall 
opposite him: the closet door is closed. He reaches up and flicks off the 
light. He continues to stare at the closet for a few seconds and then rolls 
over so that his back is to the room. He closes his eyes: the closet door 
creaks open a fraction of an inch. Daniel closes his eyes even more tightly. 
At the foot of his bed sits the Old Lady, illuminated by moonlight coming in 
through the window.



DANIEL
Go to sleep…go to sleep.




INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Recurring dream: Daniel is six-years-old, standing in pitch-blackness at the 
foot of the stairs. The house is silent except for the squeaking of 
bedsprings from his parents' room.
Daniel begins to slowly walk up the stairs; when he gets halfway he hears the 
front door open: he turns and sees the silhouette pass into the house and 
stop at the foot of the stairs. The figure looks up at Daniel: it is himself 
as an adult: his face is demonic.
The adult Daniel begins to climb the stairs; the child Daniel hurries to the 
top of the stairs. 
He is trapped between the horror that waits for him in the bedroom and the 
demon who is now almost at the top of the stairs.
The child Daniel pushes open the bedroom door and steps inside. The man who 
is raping Daniel's Mother's corpse looks up at him and laughs. Daniel looks 
across the room; his Father is nailed to the wall in a crucifixion pose: his 
throat has been slashed.

The dream shifts to the point where the police are removing the stretcher 
from the house. The body on the stretcher is covered in a blood soaked sheet.
The Old Lady (who Daniel now recognizes) steps from the crowd of neighbours 
and pulls back the sheet to reveal Daniel's Father.

Daniel wakes gasping for breath.



DANIEL
No! No!






INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING - MORNING

Bradley sits in the cafeteria of a Government building; he looks tired.
He opens a large envelope and removes Daniel's medical records from the 
Jerusalem Hills Psychiatric Hospital.
The date of admission is 1962; the date of release is 1992.
Bradley scans the sheets; phrases leap out at him:
	
	"Severe trauma"
	"Psychosis"
	"Associative disorder"
	"Delusional"
	"Multiple personality disorder"

Included in the package is a photocopy of the police report from 1962. 
Bradley looks at it and then looks at the crime scene photographs of Daniel's 
Mother disembowelled and slashed upon the bed.



BRADLEY
Oh sweet Jesus…





INT. DANIEL'S APARTMENT - AFTERNOON

Daniel closes his suitcase and carefully opens his apartment door a few 
inches. He looks around the hallway but sees nothing. He is about to step out 
when he hears the bedroom door slowly begin to swing open behind him.

He turns and walks toward the door which now swings wide open.
Trembling with fear Daniel steps into the bedroom.

The bedroom contains a collection of his parents' belongings including the 
bed that his Mother was murdered on.
The grisly religious pictures of his childhood cover the walls. The blinds 
are drawn and the Old Lady stands in semi-darkness at the head of the bed.






OLD LADY
Going to leave me were you?
You're like all the rest…just a murderous cocksucker!


DANIEL
You shouldn't be here…

OLD LADY
No?
All this is mine…



The Old Lady begins to laugh.
Daniel watches in horror, as she grows younger and younger until she has 
assumed the form of Daniel's Mother at the time of her murder.
She throws her head back and raises her arms; ragged gashes rip across her 
throat and wrists spraying blood everywhere.
The bleeding stops and she begins to walk toward Daniel; her skin is green 
and rotted. Daniel runs from the room and is trying to open the apartment 
door: he is fumbling with the locks: he can feel his Mother closing in behind 
him. He finally tears open the door and runs from the house.



EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON

Daniel is on the far side of the street opposite his house. He is dragging 
himself along the buildings, sweating profusely and muttering to himself. The 
other people on the sidewalk avoid him as though he has the plague.
Two police cars pull up in front of his house; Daniel ducks into an alleyway 
and watches as the policemen go into the house: he turns and lurches away 
down the alley.

EXT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

A cab pulls up in front of the hospital. The building is dilapidated and has 
obviously been deserted for many years.





INT. CAB - NIGHT

The cab driver puts his car in ‘Park' and glances at Daniel in the back seat. 
Daniel looks disoriented and wild; he looks at the crumbling building in 
confusion.



DRIVER
You ok?

DANIEL
This isn't the place.

DRIVER
‘Course it is…

DANIEL
It can't be…

DRIVER
What the fuck is wrong with you? You come here every week…you told me you 
were the caretaker.



Daniel seems to revert to a sense of awareness of where he is.



DANIEL
That's right.

DRIVER
You don't look so good…you alright?

DANIEL
Yes.

DRIVER
Ok, so I'll just wait here for you.

DANIEL
Ok.



Daniel gets out of the cab and walks up to the front doors of the hospital. 
He slowly pushes open the door and walks inside.
Inside the cab, the driver folds his arms across his chest and sinks down 
into his seat; he closes his eyes and prepares for a long wait.



INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Daniel stands inside the main entrance of the hospital; it is dark and the 
floors are covered with debris. There is a large staircase in front of him; 
he slowly begins to climb the stairs.



INT. BRADLEY'S CAR - NIGHT

Bradley is driving back from the Capital; he is driving fast. He picks up his 
cell phone and makes a call.



BRADLEY
Have you located him yet?

Pause

Stake out the house but stay out of sight…he's going back there, I guarantee 
it.



He hangs up the phone.



INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Daniel has reached the third floor; he slowly walks down the corridor: 
memories begin to assault him.




EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - 1962 - EVENING

Daniel sits in the back of a police car; he is crying as curious neighbours 
peer in through the windows.
Daniel looks toward the house and sees policemen carrying a stretcher through 
the front door.



DANIEL
(Sobbing)
Mommy…Mommy…I want to go home…




INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - 1962 - DAY

Daniel is escorted into a ward filled with adult lunatics. The orderly throws 
Daniel's clothes onto a bed and walks away. Daniel looks around; he is 
obviously terrified of his new surroundings.




INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - 1962 - NIGHT

Daniel is lying in bed; a screen is pulled shut around his bed. His eyes are 
open and his lips are trembling as though he is close to tears.
He hears a voice calling him quietly from the other side of the screen.


MOTHER
Daniel…

DANIEL
Mommy?



He sits up and looks at the shadow on the other side of the screen. He is 
suddenly scared.



DANIEL
Mommy you're dead…they told me…

MOTHER
No Daniel, I've come to take you home.



Daniel reaches forward and pulls open the screen: his Mother leers at him. 
Her face is demonic and she is starting to decompose. Daniel begins to scream 
hysterically.



INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - 1962 - DAY

A black nurse walks Daniel slowly down a corridor; he is holding her hand. 
They turn a corner and the hallway ahead of them is badly lit by flickering 
fluorescent lightbulbs.



NURSE
They oughta just shut this place down…all fallin' apart…




INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - 1962 - NIGHT

Daniel is sitting on the bed in a very white, very brightly lit padded room. 
He is wearing a straitjacket and his eyes are tightly shut. Sitting on a 
chair opposite him is his Father; his face is demonic: he is chuckling.



INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - 1972 - AFTERNOON

A teenaged Daniel is sitting on a wooden back chair in the hospital's TV 
room; he is wrapped in a straitjacket: he is obviously heavily drugged.
He watches the TV without the slightest flicker of comprehension.
The Muppet Show begins playing on the TV; slowly a smile appears on Daniel's 
face and his eyes register recognition.




INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Daniel is walking down the dark and empty corridor; the doors to the rooms 
are open: the rooms are littered with garbage.

Daniel is suddenly struck with a memory; he relives the murder of Catherine 
the nurse: as he watches the event unfold in his mind's eye Catherine 
dissolves into Cathy and Daniel is transported back to her apartment. He 
stands at the foot of her bed and slashes her.

Daniel slumps against the hospital wall and buries his face in his hands.



DANIEL
Oh God no!





INT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Daniel walks down an especially dark and decrepit corridor. He stops outside 
a room and walks inside. The room is empty except for the shell of a wooden 
chair and a bed frame.
Daniel sits on the chair; the room immediately becomes a clean, white padded 
cell. Daniel's Father sits on the bed smiling at him. Joseph Bantree is 
clearly possessed.



JOSEPH
Daniel…how nice of you to join me.




EXT. JERUSALEM HILLS HOSPITAL - NIGHT

The cab driver opens his eyes and looks blearily around; his window is open. 
He grunts and leans forward to turn on the radio. He settles back into his 
seat contentedly and closes his eyes again.
A sledgehammer swings through the open window and smashes into the drivers' 
forehead shattering his skull.
Daniel opens the car door and pulls the dead driver from the cab. He leaves 
the driver on the ground, gets into the car and drives away.



EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Bradley's partner and some uniformed cops are staked out across the street 
from Daniel's house.
Bradley walks out of the alleyway and hands his partner a cup of coffee.



PARTNER
When did you get back?

BRADLEY
Twenty minutes ago…




His partner is looking at him inquisitively.



BRADLEY
What?


PARTNER
Nothin'

BRADLEY
(Irritated) What is it?

PARTNER
You saw Bantree: he's a pussy. 

BRADLEY
Yeah, well he's a nut too…


Pause.


BRADLEY
You think I'm wrong?

PARTNER
I don't think Bantree's got the balls to cut up another human being…even if 
he is a nut. Meanwhile the boyfriend is slipping away.



Bradley hands him the envelope. The partner looks at the documents; he gets 
to the photographs and gasps.



PARTNER
It's the same house!

BRADLEY
It's the same room…

PARTNER
Shit…


BRADLEY
Yeah…




INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

A shabby yet neatly kept apartment: the woman in the headscarf has just put 
her child to bed; she softly closes the bedroom door and crosses herself.
She removes her headscarf; she is Dr. Shepard: more accurately she is the 
woman who Daniel used as the model for Dr. Shepard.
She turns and takes a step into her living room and freezes: Daniel, 
demonically possessed, is standing glaring at her.



EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Bradley's walkie-talkie crackles into life startling the cops who are getting 
drowsy.



BRADLEY
Bradley here…

DISPATCH
Abduction in progress: 174 Clarence Street…a child.

BRADLEY
Got it.



Bradley indicates the uniformed cops.



BRADLEY
That's four blocks over…take all the uniforms and get over there now.

PARTNER
You're staying here?

BRADLEY
Yeah. Get going.



The cops move out. Bradley shakes his head and stares across the street to 
the house.



BRADLEY
Where are you, you sick fuck?




EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The house is dark; Bradley, who is exhausted, is starting to fall asleep.




EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The abducted boy walks through the hallway of Daniel's house;
the door to apartment 2 is open and lying in the doorway are bloody sheets of 
plastic: the apartment itself is completely empty and has obviously been 
empty for years.
The child begins to climb the stairs to the second floor. He stops on the 
stairs and looks back toward the front door; a silhouette passes through the 
door and stops at the foot of the stairs: it is Daniel his face is demonic.
The boy whimpers and resumes climbing the stairs: Daniel follows him slowly.



EXT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Bradley is asleep; the sound of his walkie-talkie wakes him up.




PARTNER (O.C.)
Bradley…Bradley, you there?



BRADLEY
(Groggy)
Yeah…

PARTNER
We got a description of the abductor…it's Bantree.



Bradley looks across the street and notices that a light is on in the 
upstairs bedroom.



BRADLEY
Oh fuck!
Get back here now!

PARTNER
What's going on?


BRADLEY
He's in the house…he's in the goddamn house!



Bradley drops his radio and sprints across the street; he pulls out his gun 
as he moves.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The child stands shivering outside the door to apartment three; Daniel slowly 
reaches the top of the stairs: he takes the boy by the shoulder and pushes 
him inside.



INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Bradley cautiously pushes open the front door and steps inside. The house is 
dark and silent except for the glimmer of light coming from underneath the 
door to apartment three.
Bradley moves into the hallway; he notes the bloody sheets of plastic in the 
doorway to apartment 2.
He begins to slowly walk up the stairs with his gun drawn.




INT. APARTMENT THREE - NIGHT

Daniel stands against the far wall of the apartment; his arm is around the 
boys' neck and in his other hand he brandishes the utility knife that he used 
to kill Terry.
The child is crying.

Cathy's corpse is lying on the bed; Terry's decomposing body is positioned on 
top of her.

Daniel looks at the scene on the bed; in his mind he is seeing the scene from 
1962 where the man rapes his Mother's dead body.

Daniel looks to his left; his Father, in demonic form, is nailed to the wall.



JOSEPH
Look at that bitch! Fucking whore! 
She sucks cock while you burn.



Daniel flips open the blade on his utility knife. Joseph begins to laugh.



JOSEPH
Now you're getting it…




INT. DANIEL'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Bradley is at the top of the stairs; he pushes open the door and steps slowly 
inside. He sees Daniel with a knife at the boy's throat and stops.
He looks at the bodies on the bed in disbelief.





DANIEL
Ah, the obligatory Negro…if I'd known you were coming I would have fried a 
chicken…

BRADLEY
Let the boy go Daniel…let him go.



Daniel is possessed; his body is twitching unnaturally. He laughs and motions 
toward the bed.



DANIEL
How about some pussy?


BRADLEY
Just let the boy go. You don't want to hurt him…I know that…Daniel.

DANIEL
Fuck you! He'll burn like I did!



Daniel grabs the boy by the hair on the back of his head and forces him to 
look at the bed.



DANIEL
It's the stuff dreams are made of.



Daniel laughs.

Bradley's mind is working.



BRADLEY
He won't suffer like you did…

DANIEL
He'll suffer more…use that gun Nigger…send us both to hell…don't worry I'll 
show him around!

BRADLEY
He's not weak like you…



Daniel growls in rage.



BRADLEY
His Mama loves him…not like yours.
He's nothing like you; nothing you do can hurt him.

DANIEL
You don't know shit…but you'll learn…



Suddenly the room becomes extremely still; Daniel, still holding the boy by 
the throat, levitates two feet off the ground.
Bradley can't believe his eyes.

Daniel begins to laugh maniacally.
 
His Mother, in all her rotted glory, appears on his right; his Father, now 
fully winged in demonic form is on his left. The room seems to swirl in 
supernatural light, all of which is visible to Bradley, who stands in open-
mouthed shock.



MOTHER
Give him to me.


DANIEL
Mommy?



Mother's face becomes a mask of rage.



MOTHER
Give him to me!
Cut his fucking throat you weakling.



Daniel stares at her; his face is contorted by rage: he turns and stares at 
his Father whose head is thrown back in laughter.



DANIEL
Cunt!



Daniel screams in pain and rage and throws the boy away from him; the boy 
flies across the room and falls to the floor in a heap.

Daniel's arms fly to the wall in a crucifixion pose: he stares at Bradley.



DANIEL
It's you or me pig…



Bradley's gun hangs limply at his side; he is frozen by what he is seeing. 

The knife in Daniel's hand begins to slowly turn around.

Suddenly Daniel springs from the wall and flies toward Bradley.
Bradley looks up and sees Daniel charging toward him: he is unable to move.

Daniel is getting closer

Closer

Closer

Daniel raises his hand to attack…

Bradley finally raises his gun to hip level and fires one shot.


White light.



THE END











   

5.
   


   

		

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