EXT.
A DARK WOODED FOREST – NIGHT
A
JAMAICAN SLAVE runs through the trees.
He looks back with every few feet, as if he’s being chased.
HORSE
GALLOPING in the distance, as the HORSE CRIES OUT in the night to the CRACK of
a WHIP.
The
slave leaps over a tree trunk and loses his footing. He TRIPS and falls. The horse GALLOPING is louder.
He
leaps back to his feet, and runs with all his might.
CHA-CHINK! He HOWLS in pain as he SLAMS to the ground,
grabbing his left foot.
HIS
FOOT, a bloody mess, has been caught in a large metal rusty BEAR TRAP.
A
DARK FIGURE is approaching on a BLACK HORSE.
The figure stops in front of the slave as he SCREAMS in pain. His hands
are bloody from grabbing his injured foot.
CRACK!
The horseman LASHES a whip onto the slave.
He HOWLS in pain.
Another
CRACK! This time wrapping around the
slave’s neck and YANKING him to his feet for a second. He stumbles and FALLS back down.
The
horseman pulls back a hood. It is a
BEAUTIFUL WOMAN with long flowing black hair.
She
turns the horse and GALLOPS away, DRAGGING the BLOODY SLAVE through the
forest. CLANG! CLANG! The bear trap follows behind his foot.
EXT.
LARGE WHITE HOUSE – BACKYARD – NIGHT
A
LARGE CROWD of SLAVES is circled around a wooden framed platform. Torches light the scene as the JAMAICAN SLAVE
is being YANKED by a large noose.
The
crowd is quiet, and looks on with terror.
EXT.
LARGE WHITE HOUSE – UPPER WINDOW BALCONY – NIGHT
The
BEAUTIFUL WOMAN with long black hair looks down from an upper balcony attached
to the rear of the house.
She
smiles as the crowd looks up, waiting.
TWO
OTHER SLAVES are pulling the ropes tighter around the INJURED SLAVE. Blood streaks leave a trail across the wooden
platform where he was dragged.
CHA-CHINK! THUMP! A LARGE MAN in robes
breaks the bear trap free from the slave’s foot, TOSSING it across the
platform.
The
beautiful woman makes a fist with her right hand. She raises the fist and makes a quick pulling
motion, nodding.
EXT.
LARGE WHITE HOUSE – BACKYARD – NIGHT
THE
TWO SLAVES holding the BLOODY INJURED SLAVE by the ropes stop to look at each
other, GULPING.
One
pulls a trap door as the other holds the ropes tightly.
The
CROWD GASPS as the poor victim JERKS, and dangles loosely by the neck.
EXT.
LARGE WHITE HOUSE – UPPER WINDOW BALCONY – NIGHT
The
BEAUTIFUL WOMAN with long black hair stands in the window, smiling widely. She turns and retreats back into the house.
EXT.
WOODED FOREST – NIGHT
FOUR
JAMAICAN VOODOO SLAVES are sitting in a circle made of rocks.
A
FIFTH VOODOO JAMAICAN stands over them, wearing a headdress. He appears to be performing a sort of voodoo
ritual with the others.
PAINT covers their bodies, made of a blood and mud mixture.
They
all CHANT in a JAMAICAN TOUNGUE DIALECT.
The time has come for the lady of the house to be punished for her wicked ways.
The
PRIEST shakes a SCEPTOR made of bones with a skull of a small animal.
May her death be a sacrifice to the cause of our people and help protect our children’s children.
The
group stands around and CHANTS, continuing the VOODOO RITUAL.
INT.
MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
The
BEAUTIFUL WOMAN is sleeping soundly with SLOW HEAVY BREATHING, in her large
bed.
The
red painted bedroom is dark and grand in size.
It is SILENT, as FIVE VOODOO SLAVE MEN appear from the walls, out of
nowhere.
The
men take shape and appear suddenly; much like a lizard changes its skin pattern
when moving across trees or rocks.
The
woman opens one eye and holds her breath suddenly.
As
she turns over and sits up, ropes are thrown around her neck and YANKED
tightly.
A
HAND stabs her in the chest with a SHARPENED SPEAR made of BONE. She breathes her last breath as her body goes
limp.
INT.
MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
The
entire bedroom is on FIRE. Curtains and
furniture are engulfed in FLAMES.
EXT.
LARGE WHITE HOUSE – FRONT - NIGHT
The
grand house is partially on FIRE. A
large section of the roof COLLAPSES.
EXT.
DARK WOODED FOREST - NIGHT
A
SMALL GROUP OF VOODOO SLAVES carries the DEAD WOMAN’s body through the trees.
The group approaches the circle made of rocks and stones. There is a tomb made of stone, open and
waiting.
EXT.
FOREST - VOODOO BURIAL CIRCLE - NIGHT
In
the distance, an eerie orange glow emits through the trees as the house slowly
burns.
The
voodoo slaves grab the woman’s dead body and throw it inside the stone
grave. The stone lid SLIDES slowly over
the woman’s body as:
Her
eyes open wide as her mouth opens to scream.
It is too late, as the lid closes to drown out her screams.
They
PRANCE around the stone grave, CHANTING a voodoo dance of protection.
INT.
LARGE EMPTY ROOM - NIGHT
CONTRUCTION
WORKERS are finishing a beautiful wooden floor.
They
are HAMMERING down new wooden planks as another WORKER is BUFFING a section
across the room.
DRILLING,
SAWING and HAMMERING in the background from other rooms of the house.
INT.
EMPTY UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
CHA
CHINK! CHA CHINK! A CONSTRUCTION WORKER finishes a banister on
the stairs with his nail gun.
More
SAWING AND DRILLING sounds emanate from downstairs.
Antonio.
The
worker stops and turns his head.
Yeah?
He
stands up, setting down his hammer and nail gun.
What do you want? I’m almost finished up here.
(pauses, turns)
Hello?
He
walks across the hallway to where he thought he heard someone.
Did somebody call me?
INT.
EMPTY RED BEDROOM - NIGHT
FLICK!
The light turns on. The room is
empty. It is beautiful, with red painted
walls and shiny new wooden floors.
Anybody in here? Who called me?
He
FLICKS the light off, turns and exits slowly.
INT.
EMPTY UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
ANTONIO
returns to the banister, confused. His
nail gun and hammer are gone.
What the hell? Alright. Who’s playing around?
(yelling)
Hey! Did somebody take my gun?
He
heads down the stairs to the first floor.
INT.
DOWNSTAIRS ATRIUM - NIGHT
OTHER
WORKERS are busy in their own worlds: DRILLING, PAINTING, HAMMERING, BUFFING.
He
looks on, completely confused. Antonio
turns around and heads back upstairs.
INT.
EMPTY UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
ANTONIO
returns to the banister, scratching his head.
A BANG! From down the hallway as Antonio turns, scared.
He
slowly walks down the hallway.
INT.
EMPTY PALM TREE WALLPAPER BEDROOM - NIGHT
FLICK! ANTONIO turns on a light switch to the
bedroom. It is empty and silent.
FLICK! Antonio exits the dark room.
INT.
EMPTY UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
ANTONIO
continues down the hallway, slowly.
A VERY LOUD BANG, coming from the red bedroom.
He
approaches the red bedroom again, very slowly.
He stops and looks behind him.
Nothing.
INT.
EMPTY RED BEDROOM - NIGHT
FLICK! ANTONIO turns on the light switch.
He
GASPS in HORROR and scrambles to exit the bedroom, TRIPPING over his own feet.
The
walls are BLACKENED and CHARRED, the floors completely SCATHED.
The
floors are ripped up with planks missing.
The wall is missing large sections of paint and trim.
In
the center of the room, resides Antonio’s NAIL GUN and HAMMER.
INT.
EMPTY DOWNSTAIRS ATRIUM - NIGHT
ANTONIO
runs down the stairs, SCREAMING in terror.
More
DRILLING, SAWING, and HAMMERING.
All
the OTHER WORKERS are so absorbed in their own work, nobody notices him running
out the house.
EXT. LARGE WHITE AND BRICK HOUSE – DAY
The house is completely painted and restored on the outside, in all its former
glory and opulence.
CONSTRUCTION
WORKERS are approaching the beautiful house, carrying coolers and sack
lunches.
Some
have construction tool belts around their waists or over their shoulders.
INT.
LARGE WHITE AND BRICK HOUSE – FRONT DOOR - DAY
THE
WORKERS walk inside the grand house and stop in their tracks.
All of them have jaws dropped, mouths wide open in panic as they stare at the
room.
A
WORN, SCATHED FLOOR, completely weathered and ruined.
BLOODY FOOTPRINTS and SCRATCHES across the floor.
FADE
OUT:
START CREDITS
FADE IN:
EXT. CRUISE SHIP - DAY
Hundreds of
passengers are hurriedly exiting a massive cruise ship. A large sign reads: CCS TOURS WELCOMES ALL
CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS TO JAMAICA.
SUPER: Inspired by true events.
A YOUNG COUPLE walks
off one a ramp of the gigantic cruise ship liner, holding hands.
SUPER: MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA.
SUPER: SEPTEMBER 2005.
Here, take a picture of me in front of the ship!
He hands a digital
camera to the young woman. She walks
several yards away, near a MUSICAL BAND playing JAMAICAN MUSIC.
The young man opens
his arms outward and stands waiting in front of the ship. The woman snaps a few photos and waves him
back over.
I can’t believe how beautiful it is here. Hey, look! Let me take a picture of you in front of them.
The young woman
stands nervously holding her handbag in front of the band. A BAND MEMBER points to the ground: a pair of
MARRACOS.
She picks one up and
starts SHAKING it to the music. The
young man snaps a few photos as she SMILES.
(pointing)
Check that out.
CREW WORKERS are
painting the sides of the cruise ship with long rollers on poles.
The young couple
walks alongside the massive ship to see two other smaller cruise ships in the
near distance.
Where’s the first excursion?
The young man fishes
a brochure out of his back pocket and unfolds it.
It says right here off the pier. Should be at the end, I guess.
He SNAPS more photos
of: tour buses, locals and tourists.
The couple
approaches the end of the pier to see a SMALL GROUP OF TOURISTS and a small
PIRATE SHIP.
EXT. SMALL PIRATE
SHIP - DAY
A CAPTAIN wearing a
tee shirt reads: PARTY PIRATE. He raises
the sails of the ship as a JOLLY ROGER skull and crossbones flag RUSTLES in the
wind.
The small ship sails
away from the dock and cruise ships.
The YOUNG MAN snaps
photos of everything around them.
EXT. JAMAICAN BAY -
DAY
The small PIRATE
SHIP approaches the rear of JIMMY BUFFET’S MARGARITAVILLE.
EXT. MARGARITAVILLE
- DAY
THE YOUNG COUPLE is
eating at a table overlooking the Jamaican coastline.
It’s so beautiful here.
Not as beautiful as my new bride.
(smiling)
Aw.
The YOUNG MAN grabs
a nacho and SCARFS it down as the YOUNG WOMAN takes a SWIG of her CORONA
BOTTLE.
A PAIR OF JAMAICAN
MARIACHIS play music as a BONGO DRUMMER hands a MORRACO to the YOUNG
WOMAN.
Five dollars.
The young man frowns while he grabs his wallet and hands over a five dollar
bill, sarcastically smiling.
The morraco reads:
JAMAICA as she holds it up for the YOUNG MAN so he can snap a photo.
What a way to spend our honeymoon. I’m having the time of my life.
I know. I don’t want to go back. It’s so peaceful here. We’re going to be all sad when we get home.
This is the greatest wedding gift anybody could have given us. My dad rocks!
That was generous of them, wasn’t it?
He holds up his
BOTTLE. They TAP their bottles and SWIG.
We don’t have much time. Can’t be late!
(checking his watch)
We gotta get back on the pirate ship before the Captain leaves us to get a cab back to the dock.
She NODS while they get up from the table.
EXT. SMALL PIRATE
SHIP - DAY
A LARGE WHITE WOMAN
is getting her hair braided into tiny braids by a CREW MEMBER of the small
ship. The CAPTAIN and some other CREW
MEMBERS are giving foot massages.
The YOUNG COUPLE
quietly LAUGHS to each other at the woman getting her hair braided.
EXT. CRUISE SHIP
PIER - DAY
The SMALL GROUP OF
TOURISTS and the YOUNG COUPLE are exiting the small PIRATE SHIP. Everyone is climbing back on the pier as TWO
JAMAICAN POLICE OFFICERS are stopping everyone.
The police officers
are searching through everyone’s duffel bags and belongings. One of the officers grabs the YOUNG WOMAN’S
BAG and searches through it.
What’s going on, officer?
Routine search, sir. Just Making sure none of you brought any drugs or Cuban cigars back with you.
They sell that on the pirate ship?
No. Anyone that went to Margaritaville. If you exit out the front, there’s locals trying to sell to the tourists. We make sure none of you bring anything back on the dock.
He hands the bag to
the YOUNG WOMAN as the couple looks at each other with sly grins.
They walk off
towards a tourist center.
Damn! Wish we knew that, huh?
No shit. I bet it’s nothing like the shit we get.
They both smirk and
LAUGH.
EXT. TOURIST BUS
DEPOT - DAY
A LARGE GROUP OF
TOURISTS stands waiting in several lines.
The YOUNG COUPLE stands in line carrying their belongings, sweating.
The YOUNG MAN looks
at his wrist watch, concerned.
I hope we don’t miss our next excursion.
What time is it?
Quarter to one.
We’ll make it. I’m sure they do this every day, dear.
You’re probably right. I’m just excited. I don’t want to miss it. A real haunted house!
It’s not really haunted. You know that ghosts aren’t real.
You know… I was watching this thing on the TV last night… Something about… some mirror in the house. If you take a photo, a woman appears in it. It’s this weird looking, hideous warped looking antique mirror.
Well I say it’s just a tourist trap. Probably weird lighting or something they do.
Hey, I’ve had my share of ghost experiences in my lifetime. I don’t know… I’m sure there’s something out there. It’s supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the entire world.
She rolls her eyes
as the two boards a tiny tour bus.
INT. TOURIST BUS - DAY
The tour bus is
packed. The YOUNG COUPLE squeezes in a
seat at the back of the bus, shoulder to shoulder.
Everyone seems to
have a terrified look on their faces, as the bus travels down a very narrow
curvy road at an intense rate of speed.
The YOUNG MAN is
snapping photos of everything as they bump into each other with each bump or
turn in the road.
A LOUD CRACKLING, then HIGH PITCHED SQUEAL as a LOUD SPEAKER sounds off:
Welcome to Jamaica, everyone. I will be showing you some of the local scenery as I take you to your destination, The Rose Hall Great House.
The bus blazes past
a JAMAICAN CIRCUS TENT as the young man SNAPS a photo of it through the window.
I have a brief story to share with you in this crowded, steamy hot bus…
An American tourist was boarding this
same bus a few years ago,
looking for an empty seat. The only
unoccupied seat was directly adjacent to a local Jamaican mon and was being
used by a large woman’s little dog. The American tourist asked, "Please,
ma'am, may I sit in that seat?" The
woman replied, "You Americans. You are such a rude class of people. Can't
you see my little dog is using that seat?"
The American walks away, determined to find a seat, but after another
trip down the aisle, found him again facing the woman with the little dog. Again he asked, "Please, lady. May I sit
there? I'm very hot and tired." The woman yells back, "You Americans!
Not only are you rude, you are also arrogant." The American leaned over, picked up the
little dog, tossed it out the window of the bus and sat down in the empty seat.
The woman shrieked and demanded that someone throw him off the bus. The local
Jamaican mon sitting across the aisle spoke up, "You know, mon, you
Americans seem to do everything wrong. You drive your autos on the wrong side
of the road. And now, sir, it seems you've thrown the wrong bitch out the
window."
The entire bus fills
with LAUGHTER.
The young man’s
right arm hits the YOUNG WOMAN in the shoulder as he SNAPS a photo.
Noah! Watch it.
Sorry, babe. It’s these roads… and our crazy ass bus driver.
Well, try to be a little more careful… I’m delicate, you know.
She smiles and PECKS
him on the cheek.
Yes you are, little lady.
EXT. ROSE HALL
ENTRANCE - DAY
The TOUR BUS almost
slides into the entrance of a gated property.
A clean cut lawn on
a large hill, with rocks arranged to spell out: ROSE HALL.
Beautiful
landscaping and trees line the gates as a sign reads: ROSE HALL GREAT HOUSE.
EXT. ROSE HALL
PROPERTY – PARKING LOT - DAY
THE YOUNG COUPLE and
the other TOURISTS exit the tour bus, relieved.
The property is
beautiful, almost serene with lush forest and plants everywhere. LANDSCAPE WORKERS are out, tending to the
plants and flowers.
Thank God we survived that… Shit.
We still have to ride it back to the dock, you know.
Let’s pretend for a moment we don’t.
The both smile at
each other as a LINE OF TOURISTS has started to form at a nearby latticework.
NOAH is snapping
photos of everything around them with his digital camera. He notices the line forming as the young
woman is looking back at the tour bus.
I need both cameras.
He approaches the
tourist line and notices his bride isn’t near him. He turns, smiling:
Rachel. Come on, woman.
What did you say?
I said I’m going to need both cameras. Can I get the underwater camera from you?
Why?
Ghosts supposedly always show up on film, right?
(she nods)
Well, maybe they don’t show up on digital cameras. So if I take some photos with the 35mm, we might get something.
She rolls her eyes
at him and shakes her head as she retrieves the 35mm underwater camera from her
bag.
Rachel hands him the
35mm.
The couple stands at
the back of the line and notice a FEMALE JAMAICAN TOUR GUIDE talking in front
of the group.
Can everyone hear me okay? Welcome to the Rose Hall Great House. My name is Zelda and I will be your guide this wonderful afternoon. We are going to go on a journey, some 200 years ago as I tell you the story of this once great plantation here in Jamaica. It is a story of love, lust, and murder. If you all would follow me, let’s get started.
The group follows
her through the latticework full of vines and flowers. They approach a massive stone walled house
with many windows.
Noah snaps photos of everything as they walk.
INT. ANNIE’S PUB -
DAY
NOAH and RACHEL,
along with the other TOURISTS walk inside a very dark room. A few tables with chairs, some benches made
of wood.
ZELDA
Welcome
to Annie’s Pub. We’re going to start off
with a Witch’s Brew, made of Jamaican rum and pineapple juice.
The group passes
around a tray containing cups with a yellow-orange liquid inside.
Noah and Rachel grab
a cup and take a sip as they sit down at a bench.
NOAH
(to Rachel)
It’s
good.
RACHEL
Tastes
sweet… I don’t like it.
She hands the cup to
Noah. He drinks his rum and slides the
empty cup over drink.
A BLIND JAMAICAN MAN
sits on a stool in the center of the room and starts to play a song on a very
small guitar:
LOCAL JAMAICAN GUITARIST
(singing)
The white witch of Rose Hall,
The devil she could call.
Mother Ruthford come one day,
Into Montego Bay.
The great house,
An accountant man.
Annie Palmer had to have this man
The white witch of Rose Hall,
A beauty above all.
The slaves out in the fields
Had brothers who were killed.
This obeah made the spirits rise,
Destroying the unwanted with her eyes.
By night in the black
When she did rise,
Anyone in her path would die.
Robert met Millicent one fine day,
Now the girl stood in Annie's way.
Her life meant nothing without his love.
But she couldn't bear the evil of...
The white witch of Rose Hall
The devil she could call.
Robert's love then denied.
The blame Annie denied.
But the father
Of this dead slave girl
Casted Annie from his world.
The white witch of Rose Hall.
The devil she could call.
The white witch of Rose Hall.
The devil she could call.
EXT. ANNIE’S PUB -
DAY
NOAH and RACHEL,
along with the other TOURISTS walk outside the small room bricked room.
The group walks up a
second set of stone steps, around the walls of the massive house towards the
front door which resides above the pub.
ZELDA
Let’s
begin our story, shall we? A wealthy
English man named Henry Fanning owned several properties on the island. He met a wonderful woman by the name of Rosa
Kelley in St. Elizabeth, daughter of the Reverend John Kelley.
EXT. ROSE HALL GREAT
HOUSE - DAY
The group stops at
what appears to be the first floor of the house. NOAH continues taking photos of everything.
ZELDA
Henry
married his beautiful Rosa in 1747. He
died in less than a few months of their marriage. He wrote a will in January of that same year,
leaving all his land to Rosa. One part
of the will mentions a hill he took ownership of, this same hill we stand
on. He intended to build a magnificent
house for his Rosa, but indeed he never succeeded in his wish to her. How about that view, everyone?
The group follows
ZELDA up the grand stone steps.
ZELDA
Rosa
met a man named George Ash in 1750, three years later.
ZELDA
He
was a rich plantation owner and planter of the island. They fell in love very fast, and were married
that same year. By marriage this wealthy
landowner now had acquired his wife’s land given unto her from Henry Fanning…
He began the plans to build a great mansion that Henry was never able to
complete for his Rosa.
ZELDA
For
two years, construction of the house was almost complete. In 1752 George had passed away from Yellow
Fever, and never was able to finish the house for his Rosa. She now lived in an incomplete, dark and
lonely house, all alone. The next year
in 1753 she met a man by the name of Norwood Witter. They were married that same year.
She
stops the group next to a window.
ZELDA
It
has been said that the marriage was a marriage out of desperation, and
loneliness. Mr. Witter had gone into the
marriage, strictly for possession of Rosa’s properties and house she obtained
from George and his estates. This
marriage lasted for over ten years with unhappiness as the house was left
incomplete, as a five bedroom estate.
Mr. Witter died in 1765 to which he left Rosa sole executrix of the
entire estate.
The tour group
follows ZELDA as they walk inside a set of double mahogany doors.
INT. ROSE HALL GREAT
HOUSE – ATRIUM - DAY
THE TOUR GROUP and
ZELDA stop inside a grand atrium of the house.
ZELDA
There
was a neighbor in the area, named John Palmer, Custos of St. James. He owned an adjoining piece of property aptly
named, “Palmyra”. He was a widower with
two sons living in England. In May 1767,
the two were shortly married.
NOAH is snapping
photos of the inside in awe as Zelda continues:
ZELDA
For
several years Mr. Palmer worked diligently to complete the grand house for his
bride. They had entered a marriage of
pure bliss and happiness. Finally, Rosa
Kelley had met her perfect mate. The
house was completed sometime between 1770 and 1780 by Mr. Palmer. The house had already been called “Rose Hall”
for quite some time now. However, Mr.
Palmer had nicknamed the house “The Calendar House”, due to its 365 windows, 52
doors and 12 bedrooms throughout.
The tour group looks
at each other in amazement, up to the ceiling and windows surrounding them.
ZELDA
Rosa
Palmer died in 1790 after a very happy 25 year marriage to John Palmer. Seven years later, John became ill and passes
away. With the house up for grabs, the
courts system on the island had taken ownership of both the Palmyra and Rose
Hall Estates. By 1818, with both of John
Palmer’s sons passed away over in England, the only heir left to the estates
now was his grand nephew, John Rose Palmer.
He took possession of the estates as sole heir and started repairing and
maintaining the properties. He would
travel back and forth from Jamaica and England.
Somewhere around this time, John Rose Palmer met a beautiful woman named
Annie Mary Patterson. They were married
in March of 1820 shortly afterwards. Not
much is known of Annie’s whereabouts. Legend
has it she studied Voodoo when her family was living in Haiti. Soon, islanders deemed her the White Witch of
Jamaica for her knowledge of the Black Arts.
The tour group
follows Zelda into a grand dining room.
INT. ROSE HALL GREAT
HOUSE – DINING ROOM - DAY
An array of wax
foods and desserts are set on a banquet table.
A crystal chandelier looms over the table.
ZELDA
This
is some of the foods the wealthy would eat around the banquet table for this
time period. Notice the solid silver
dinnerware and drinking vessels.
She walks over to a
side table featuring a wooden cylindrical vessel.
ZELDA
Here
we have a wooden box commonly used in that time period. This was so the masters of the house could
keep all the dinnerware locked up from the slaves.
She walks over to the table.
ZELDA
John
Rose Palmer and Annie Mary Palmer moved back to Jamaica to live in the Rose
Hall house. Living on the island for
Annie was not a pleasant one. Being a
mistress of the Great House, she had to maintain a sense of power and cruelty
amongst the slaves. She was feared
greatly by all the slaves. She ruled the
property with an iron fist when her husband was away tending to his duties as
Justice of the Peace on the island. Many
suspect that by eating on the tin and lead dinnerware you see here at this
table, over time this caused a sort of brain damage and impaired sense of
thinking for Annie. This condition is
known as Dementia, which means “apart or absent from the mind”. It usually affects thought process, memory,
and problem solving.
INT. ROSE HALL GREAT
HOUSE – FOYER HALLWAY - DAY
The TOUR GROUP walks
into a central hallway. A set of
beautiful stairs leads to the second floor.
NOAH FLASHES his
camera at the hallway. He also FLASHES a
shot of a closet door, underneath the stairs.
This door has an enormous skeleton key deadbolt lock.
A large black and
white photo is leaned against an opening next to an antique chair.
ZELDA
This
is an actual photo taken of the house in 1930.
For over 40 years the house was in ruins from neglect, fire damage and
the sea air.
INT. ROSE HALL GREAT
HOUSE – TOP OF STAIRS – DAY
The TOUR GROUP gathers in the hallway on the second floor as Noah walks beside
Rachel.
The hallway is long,
with the wooden stairway and railing prominently in the center of the
floor.
INT. ROSE HALL GREAT
HOUSE – SECOND FLOOR – DAY
Zelda waits patiently for the group to reassemble in the main hallway of the
second floor.
Everyone’s eyes are
drawn to a gigantic painting of a woman in a red dress surrounded by five
children.
ZELDA
It
is not certain who this painting is of.
One cannot help but assume it is a painting of Annie Palmer. However, she did not have any children. It is likely her, judging by the size of the
woman. Annie Palmer was very short, only
a little over 4 feet in height, with long black flowing hair.
ZELDA
What’s
interesting is the painting was found in immaculate condition when workers
started the restoration of the house in the 1960s.
The group follows
Zelda to a doorway.
ZELDA
Many
times Annie would take slaves to bed with her, and would get bored with them,
killing them by hanging while her husband was away. For several years this went on. She would also use voodoo practice on the
slave babies as sacrifices. When she
would lust for a new slave lover, she would kill one and move onto the
next. Once a man had Annie’s attention
around Rose Hall, this was the certain mark of death for him.
A FLASH! NOAH snaps
photos of the painting and more shots out a nearby window overlooking the
backyard.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– SITTING ROOM – DAY
A simple bedroom with white walls. A
small double layer, circular wooden table is in the center of the room.
Antique lounge
chairs and two wooden benches surround the table.
THE TOUR GROUP is
standing around the circular table as ZELDA is describing the room. NOAH and RACHEL walk in last from the
hallway.
ZELDA
…was
found to be in incredible condition, just like the painting of the woman, out
in the hallway.
(pause)
Here
in the sitting room, women of the house would socialize as they sipped
tea.
The group is staring
at an ugly brass colored mirror mounted prominently between two windows.
NOAH grabs his
camera and FLASHES a few shots of the room.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY
ZELDA walks along
the hallway as the TOUR GROUP follows behind.
ZELDA
We
are about to enter the bedroom of John Rose Palmer. Annie had killed him in November of 1827 in
this very room.
The group follows
Zelda inside the bedroom as NOAH stops RACHEL outside the hallway.
ZELDA
This
was to be the first of several husbands Annie would murder while living in this
house.
There is an antique
chair beside the door in the hallway.
NOAH
Hey,
sit down on the chair right quick as I snap a picture.
She SCOFFS.
RACHEL
No
way. It’ll probably break with my ass.
NOAH
Come
on, Rach. Just for a second. Please?
It’ll be cool.
She sits on the
chair, halfway with one butt cheek resting on it. She smiles very nervously.
RACHEL
Noah… Hurry it up.
Noah takes the
photo, FLASH! She promptly gets up and
grabs his hand as they walk into the bedroom.
C.U. LCD
WINDOW: A very nervous RACHEL on the
chair.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– JOHN ROSE PALMER’S BEDROOM – DAY
ZELDA continues. The TOUR GROUP watches
on as they look around the lavish bedroom.
ZELDA
Notice
the furniture and wallpaper of the time period.
Annie Palmer had married two other husbands during her stay here at Rose
Hall. Let’s move on to another bedroom
of the house where Annie killed her next victim.
The group exits the
bedroom as NOAH snaps some photos around the room and Rachel looks on. They follow behind the group.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– TOILE ROOM – DAY
ZELDA waits patiently as the group piles inside. NOAH and RACHEL arrive last as Zelda
continues:
ZELDA
This
room is known as the Toile Room, named after the wallpaper pattern on the
walls. Annie stabbed her second husband
in his sleep right here on this bed.
Legend has it she had poured boiling oil in his ears as he continued to
gasp for air. The gurgled, heavy
breathing terrified her. Annie had
slaves on the property carry his body out to rest and bury him underneath a
palm tree, right next to John Rose Palmer’s tree. I will wait in the hallway for the group so
we can move on to the next room.
ZELDA walks out into
the hallway. Noah and other tourists are
FLASHING photos.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– CREWEL ROOM – DAY
ZELDA waits patiently as the group piles inside the room. NOAH and RACHEL walk slowly inside as Zelda
continues:
ZELDA
This
room is known as the Crewel Room, also named after its wallpaper pattern. Annie had strangled her third husband in this
room. Again, Annie had slaves carry his
body out to rest and bury him underneath another palm tree, right beside her
second husband and John Rose Palmer’s trees.
If you look out this window, you can see the palm trees out on the
beach.
The group looks out
the window, overlooking a magnificent view of the ocean. A CONTRUCTION CREW with a crane, bulldozer
and cherry picker are clearing the land.
FOUR PALM TREES
remain undisturbed in the middle of the sand and debris among the workers.
Zelda exits to the
hallway as the group studies the room.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY
ZELDA stands outside a room featuring red walls inside the doorway.
As the group steps out into the hall from the Crewel Room, Zelda walks slowly
inside the red bedroom.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– ANNIE PALMER’S ROOM – DAY
Near a large bed, ZELDA stands quietly answering a few small questions from
some of the other TOURISTS in the group.
Across the room
features a sideways, wooden daybed with red pillow.
NOAH and RACHEL walk
inside the room and stand in front of the daybed.
ZELDA
This
room is Annie Palmer’s bedroom. Notice
the chaise lounge across the room. It
was common and proper during that time period for the lady to make her husband
aware she was willing and ready to give unto him by sitting sideways on the
lounge chair…
(pauses)
By
1830, Annie had an Overseer who was a slave that a well known voodoo
priest. He hid this fact from Annie in
order to protect his own life and family.
The overseer had a daughter who was to be married to another slave on
the plantation.
(pause)
Unfortunately
for him, Annie’s lustful eye carefully watched over this groom to be. The overseer wanted to protect the young
man’s life, being the future husband of his daughter. Annie was always one step ahead of everyone
on the plantation, and knew the slaves were planning to overthrow her wicked
ways. She killed him the same night she
tried to seduce him here in this bedroom, which was unusual for her since she
always had her way with a man for at least a week before killing him. The overseer was outraged with the grief and
pain that loomed over his poor daughter.
The overseer and a small group of slaves entered the house a few nights
later. This was forbidden during this
time period. They killed her in her
sleep… in her own bed.
A FLASH! Noah takes
photos of the room.
ZELDA
Afterwards,
the slaves burned Annie’s belongings and her entire bedroom, along with other
parts of the house. They were very
careful to not burn the entire house, however.
Many had a fear that Annie’s spirit would come back to curse them and
their children’s children. The house did
not completely burn down, but was left in ruins for several years
thereafter.
Zelda returns to the
hallway.
Noah and Rachel step
out into the hallway as the group follows behind.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY
NOAH, RACHEL and the rest of the GROUP wait beside ZELDA, who stands in front
of a white balcony window overlooking the backyard.
ZELDA
From
this window, Annie would stand and watch over whippings of the slaves who
disobeyed her. Some were hanged for
various other reasons, being a lover of hers or maybe a workhorse that would
bury other bodies for her.
(pause)
From
this view you can see a slab over there, to the left in the backyard.
(beat)
This
used to be a small building where the men of the plantation would assemble and
play cards or other games.
It
was used primarily as their place of leisure.
Women were not allowed in this building.
Over the years, the small building was in ruins and has not been
restored since. All that remains is the
slab from where it once stood.
(pause)
Many
years after her death, the house had changed hands several times.
Zelda steps aside
for the group to inspect the window more closely.
ZELDA
Locals
would fear moving into the great house, as Annie had always declared it was
eternally hers. No one would ever take
possession of her precious house. In the
early 1900’s, a young couple did attempt to move here. As they were moving in, a servant had fallen
from this very balcony and broke her neck.
NOAH takes a photo
as he stands over the balcony window.
NOAH
(to himself)
Creepy.
ZELDA
For over 200 years the house sat in
ruins. In 1965, a wealthy man by the
name of John Rollins from Delaware had purchased the entire estate and
neighboring Palmyra house. Several
unexplained events happened during reconstruction. Workers reported tools missing, only to
reappear in odd places. Some would
report hearing their named being called, only to discover no one was
around. Despite the unusual occurrences,
eventually the house was fully restored to its former glory.
(pause)
If you head downstairs and follow me, I will
take you all to the dungeon.
The group follows
Zelda down the stairs.
RACHEL
The house looks bigger on the outside… We didn’t see 12 bedrooms.
NOAH
I know, right? I don’t think she showed us all the
rooms.
NOAH
Hey…
Where’s that mirror I was telling you about? She didn’t even mention it, did she?
RACHEL
We could have missed it. Ask her.
They follow the
group downstairs.
EXT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– GIFT SHOP – DAY
A rear, stone porch behind the house.
NOAH and RACHEL follow behind the last of the tour group.
Stairs and a doorway
made of stone. Everyone walks down the
steps into the darkness.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– GIFT SHOP – DAY
ZELDA leads The TOUR GROUP inside a very dark room featuring glass cases along
the walls.
A counter top with
several types of books, magazines and souvenir merchandise is available. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS of various stages of
the house line the walls.
A rope divides a
dark room on the other side of the gift shop.
ZELDA
On the other side of the gift shop, you will
find the dungeon, where Annie pleasured herself in torturing several of her
slaves. One would hear their cries of
agony and torture for miles. If you look
in all the glass display cases, you will find countless letters of previous
guests who have come to visit the house.
Lots of mysterious stories have unfolded from our guests.
The group reads the
letters and inspects the photos as Zelda continues:
ZELDA
One man said to have taken a rock from the
grounds only to become inflicted with terrible sickness and became hospitalized
shortly after they came home. In that
display case over there, is his letter he wrote to us, along with the rock he
promptly returned and mailed back to us.
You will find several letters there people have sent to us, all with
similar stories.
Letters are stapled
onto the walls inside the case, wrinkled and yellowed with age.
Several types of 4x6
and 5x7 photographs are tacked on the walls.
Small bones,
pebbles, several rocks and pieces of wood line the bottoms of the display
cases.
ZELDA
Many who have come to visit the Rose Hall
Great House have reported strange images that have appeared in their
photographs. Some have reported seeing a
woman’s face in the mirror of Annie’s bedroom.
We’ve also had some people call us and report that several of their
photos did not develop, while other shots they took on their trip developed
perfectly fine. Many of the strange
photos that did turn out were sent to us and you see them here in the gift
shop.
NOAH takes several
shots with this camera of the display case.
He reads over some of the letters carefully, only to take more pictures:
C.U. Letter reads in
barely legible cursive writing: several
lesions on the brain… multiple CAT scans…
C.U. Another letter
reads in barely legible print writing:
massive headaches and high temperature fever…
RACHEL
Are
you taking photos of all the letters, now?
NOAH
Yeah,
so I can read them later with the photos on the computer.
(beat)
I
want to go ask the tour guide where the mirror is. Can you stay here until I get back?
She nods as he
approaches Zelda quietly.
NOAH
Hi. Could you tell me where the mirror is? You know, the one’s that haunted? With the ghost? Do you know the one I’m talking about?
ZELDA
Yes,
it’s in the sitting room.
NOAH
Can
I go back up there and take a photo of it?
ZELDA
(smiling)
Of
course you can.
Noah nods at Rachel,
smiling as he walks up the steps.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY
NOAH walks slowly
with a nervous look on his face. He
takes another photo down the empty and silent hallway.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
- SITTING ROOM – DAY
NOAH walks inside
the sitting room, cautiously. He looks
around the room slowly, a small GUST of wind blows across his face.
NOAH
(to himself)
I
can’t believe I didn’t notice it before.
In the middle of the
opposing wall, between two windows is a warped, brass mirror.
Noah holds up his
digital camera and takes several shots of the mirror. Some with the FLASH on, some not.
Noah moves at
different angles, capturing more shots.
A CREAK!
Noah spins
around. What was that?
He turns back to
face the mirror again. This time, he
lets the digital camera rest around his neck by the strap as he grabs his
underwater 35mm camera from his wrist strap.
He snaps a shot of the mirror twice with the 35mm camera. He turns and looks back, no one is
around.
He steps over the
velvet ropes and moves in closer to the mirror.
He takes a final, third shot of the mirror at this much closer distance.
He steps back over
the velvet rope and walks quickly and quietly out the room.
INT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY
NOAH walks into the
silent hallway, carrying his 35mm underwater camera as the digital camera
dangles around his neck.
He bends down on his knees, and FLASHES a long shot down the hallway and stairs
with the 35mm camera.
A loud WHIRRR… the
camera is out of film.
He places the 35mm
camera’s strap around his wrist. He
takes the same shot with his digital camera.
EXT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– GIFT SHOP – DAY
The TOUR GROUP is walking up the stone steps, exiting the dungeon gift shop as
ZELDA leads them outside.
NOAH reunites with
RACHEL as everyone walks around the side of the house.
EXT. ROSE HALL
PROPERTY – WOODED FOREST – DAY
A small beaten path,
winding through thick trees. The TOUR
GROUP led by ZELDA approaches a large tree with a name plate that reads: COPPER WOOD.
NOAH takes a photo of the tree.
A JAMAICAN LOCAL is
whittling figures out of wood. Turtles,
birds, giraffes and more are arranged for sale.
EXT. ROSE HALL
PROPERTY – GRAVE SITE – DAY
The TOUR GROUP
gathers around a stone coffin on a circular slab made of rocks and
concrete.
The grave is made of thick solid stone, featuring A CROSS on three of the four
sides. A CRACK, on one side of the stone
coffin… the side without a cross on it.
ZELDA
This
is the grave site prepared by the slaves that killed Annie Palmer. The slaves practiced a voodoo ritual in order
to prevent her from rising from the dead.
It is said that the slaves failed the ritual, and Annie walks the
grounds of the plantation to this day.
Many
believe she escaped from the large crack you see on the side of the tomb. Locals have reported seeing Annie’s spirit
roaming the woods, riding a black horse late at night.
The group looks
around as NOAH snaps photos of the tomb.
He takes a photo of the crack:
NOAH
(to Rachel)
Look! I’m trying to take a picture of the crack,
but I can’t.
A WOMAN from the
group overhears Noah as he shows his LCD digital camera screen to Rachel. She looks on as Noah is talking to Rachel:
NOAH
A
shadow or tree limb is covering it all the sudden. Check it out!
C.U. Digital Camera LCD screen: STONE TOMB, A large shadow covers the crack.
Rachel humors him
and acknowledges, bored.
RACHEL
Uh
huh. That’s weird, dear.
ZELDA
I
hope you have enjoyed the tour of the Rose Hall Great House. If you have any questions you’d like to ask
me, feel free to do so. I will be back
at the two buildings you saw where you first arrived on the bus.
EXT. ROSE HALL
PROPERTY – ROCK WALKWAY PATH – DAY
NOAH and RACHEL are
returning down the path. He takes more
photos of the trees, landscaping, fountains and lily pads.
NOAH
Hey.
RACHEL
Yeah?
NOAH
Grab
one of those rocks and I’ll take a photo.
RACHEL
No
way.
NOAH
Just
pick it up, that’s all. It’s not like
I’m asking you to take it or anything.
Just one photo.
Rachel
shakes her head. He picks up a rock,
holding it out with his RIGHT HAND.
NOAH
When
I’m done, just throw it down… Please?
Rachel
SIGHS and snatches the rock.
RACHEL
Hurry
it up, Noah!
Rachel smiles
nervously as NOAH takes a photo of her holding the rock. She THROWS the rock down as the two walk up
the path.
EXT. ROSE HALL
PROPERTY – PARKING LOT – DAY
NOAH and RACHEL are
entering the tour bus along with the rest of the TOUR GROUP.
INT. TOUR BUS – DAY
NOAH and RACHEL sit
in the back of the tour bus. Noah takes more photos through the window of the
Jamaican scenery.
A BODY OF WATER
through the trees, several CRUISE SHIPS docked in the distance.
INT. GRAND BALLROOM
– NIGHT
NOAH walks through a
ballroom entrance wearing a tuxedo, smiling.
He is searching for someone or something.
A sea of people
dressed in ballroom attire, some dancing, some mingling.
He grabs a drink
from a tray carried by wait staff as he continues searching the room.
INT. A DARK LIBRARY
– NIGHT
RACHEL struggles to
push a BUSINESS MAN off her while he tries to kiss her. She attempts to WRIGGLE free from his grasp:
RACHEL
I
said… Get… off me!
(crying)
Noah! Help me!
The man LAUGHS and grabs tighter. She
KICKS him between the legs and breaks free from his grasp.
She runs around the
dark room, in search for a door. Rachel
grabs a doorknob and turns it… it does not open!
Rachel continues
running from the business man, PANTING.
She turns over her
shoulders… he’s CLOSER!
She finds another
door and tries the knob… it opens!
INT. LONG HALLWAY –
NIGHT
RACHEL sprints down
a dark hallway. The BUSINESSMAN is
getting closer as he LAUGHS. She runs
and runs as she turns to look over her shoulders. He’s even CLOSER!
She stops, and turns
into another hallway. A door! She SLAMS into the door as it FLIES open.
INT. DINING ROOM –
NIGHT
RACHEL ducks
underneath a dining table and waits. The
BUSINESS MAN enters the doorway.
She crawls deeper
towards the rear of the table, completely silent.
INT. GRAND BALLROOM
– NIGHT
NOAH continues
searching the sea of people as he SIPS his drink.
A LOUD BANG! A
WOMAN’S PEIRCING SCREAM…
Noah SPINS around,
horrified. Hundreds of people are
running in his direction.
Several people are
CRASHING through windows as others jump from the balcony above.
Noah gets TRAMPLED
by the crowd as he struggles to get back up.
NOAH
(slow motion,
yelling)
Rachel!
SEVERAL DARK FIGURES
in black, hooded attire are running slowing in the room, armed with machine
guns.
Noah BOLTS and
follows with the crowd in terror.
The dark figures
start SHOOTING the crowd, ripping people in half by the SPRAY of MACHINE GUN
FIRE.
BLOOD SPLATTERED
BODIES are scattered across the ballroom floor as Noah looks on in terror.
He DIVES under a
buffet table and waits. He PANTS
heavily, as the sound of his heart BEATS fast.
EXT. DARK FOREST –
NIGHT
RACHEL runs through
a wooded forest with the BUSINESS MAN right on her heels.
He GRABS and SPINS
her around as she SCREAMS!
The business man
LAUGHS in her face.
INT. GRAND BALLROOM
– NIGHT
NOAH hides in
silence under the buffet table. The
table cloth lifts back with a WHOOSH.
A MACHINE GUN right
in Noah’s face! MACHINE GUN BULLETS
SPRAY as Noah SCREAMS…
INT. CRUISE SHIP
CABIN - DAY
NOAH sits up
SCREAMING in bed as RACHEL sits up abruptly.
He is sweating, very
pale.
RACHEL
Are
you okay? Honey? It’s just a nightmare…
He looks around the
room in sheer terror. He calms down
almost immediately as he looks at Rachel.
NOAH
Yeah. Yeah, I’m… I guess I’m fine.
Noah gets up and
looks out the cabin window:
OCEAN SEA
RACHEL
You
know… I had this crazy dream last night.
Noah turns around
fast, wild-eyed.
NOAH
You
did too, huh?
RACHEL, NOAH
(simultaneously)
Yeah,
it was…
They LAUGH.
NOAH
You
first.
RACHEL
It’s
okay, go ahead.
NOAH
Ladies
first!
He sits on the bed
beside her.
RACHEL
I
dreamt that Patrick was trying to rape me.
NOAH
Patrick? From work?
RACHEL
Yeah. It was terrible. He kept chasing me around this house…
NOAH
The
Rose Hall house?
RACHEL
I
don’t think so. No. I don’t know…
maybe?
NOAH
So
what happened?
RACHEL
Mostly
just being chased by him. It was more of
that anxiety… that fear.
NOAH
But
he never actually raped you?
RACHEL
No,
I kept hiding. Different places,
different rooms.
NOAH
Then
what happened?
RACHEL
Nothing,
I guess… I, I just woke up. It was
terrible. I don’t think I can look him
in the face after that.
He hugs her.
RACHEL
It
was so creepy, so real.
They EMBRACE and
KISS.
NOAH
Well,
you’re safe now. It was just a dream,
thank God.
RACHEL
So
what was your dream?
NOAH
I
don’t know. I guess I was in this
ballroom… These people came busting in with machine guns and machetes…they
started shooting up the place.
She watches on with
big eyes, listening intently.
RACHEL
Was
I there?
NOAH
Yeah,
well… not exactly. I think I was looking
for you. I couldn’t find you,
though. It was surreal. There were bodies everywhere. I was running… I slipped and fell.
NOAH
Got
trampled by the crowds. Everyone was
dying left and right. It was
so…bloody. So… horrible.
She RECOILS and
shivers.
RACHEL
My
God, that’s terrible, Noah.
NOAH
It
was like a massacre or something. That’s
got to be the most terrifying dream I’ve ever had in my entire life.
They both hug again
and stare at each other.
RACHEL
That’s
some crazy shit.
NOAH
You
think it was that house?
RACHEL
(SIGHING)
Oh,
stop it. You’re being paranoid.
NOAH
You
think? It’s just odd that we both had dreams like that, of death and rape. The very night after we left that place.
RACHEL
It
is weird. Don’t read too much into it,
though. I don’t want you going and
trying to make something out of nothing.
If you want something to happen enough, your mind makes it happen. Just let it go. I’m hungry.
Let’s get something to eat downstairs before the buffet closes.
NOAH
You’re
right. Yeah. You’re probably right.
RACHEL
(smiling)
I
always am.
INT. CRUISE SHIP -
PHOTOGRAPHY STORE – NIGHT
NOAH and RACHEL
stand in front of a counter, checking out with a CASHIER.
All types of frames
for sale, key chains, books and the like.
They grab their shopping bags and walk out of the store on the ship.
INT. CRUISE SHIP -
HALLWAY – NIGHT
NOAH and RACHEL step
aside near a railing.
Noah reaches in the
shopping bag and pulls out two 35mm developed film packages. Rachel grabs some 8x10s of the two at
different locations: Cozumel, Jamaica,
Costa Maya.
RACHEL
You
got doubles, right?
Noah NODS and flips
briefly through some photos of the two scuba diving.
He stops on photos
of the Rose Hall Great House and smiles.
NOAH
Here
we go.
Rachel looks up and
peeks over his shoulder.
RACHEL
What?
NOAH
Rose
Hall.
She rolls her eyes
and returns to the photos in her hands.
RACHEL
Look.
She holds up an 8x10
framed photo for him to see: The two are
seated at a formal dinner table. He is
in a suit, she in a fancy evening gown.
NOAH
Oh,
wow. That’s a great photo.
RACHEL
I
know! I think it’s my favorite one, yet.
NOAH
I
can make copies of anything at home on the scanner.
RACHEL
We
definitely need to give some of these to our parents and family.
He nods and returns
to his stack of pictures.
He flips slowly
through the photos. He stops on a photo
of the mirror in the sitting room, staring closely at it.
C.U. WARPED, BRASS
MIRROR with a reflection of NOAH holding up the 35mm camera. Nothing unusual about the photo.
NOAH
Nothing.
He moves onto the
next photo with a disappointed look.
Rachel looks over at
Noah with a crooked smirk, as if she told him so. She returns to the photos in her hands.
RACHEL
Hey,
look honey.
She holds up another
photo: The two stand over a railing with
a “Welcome to Cozumel” sign beneath tem, mounted on a life preserver. Noah is kissing her on the cheek as she smiles
to the camera.
He looks
disappointedly but smiles as he sees the photo.
NOAH
Cute.
He continues
studying his photos of the hallway and the sitting room. She FROWNS and continues looking at the
photos in her hands.
NOAH
Bummer. Oh well, still got the digital camera photos
to look at.
RACHEL
Didn’t
you already look through them last night?
NOAH
Yeah
but, it’s kinda hard to see anything through the little LCD screen. We’re know for sure when we go through them
all on the computer at home.
RACHEL
Oh. I see.
(beat)
Well,
I’m kinda bored. Let’s go see a show or
something.
NOAH
You
got it, baby. Let’s go get a drink.
They cram all the
photos back in the shopping bag and head for the elevator.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
AUDITORIUM – NIGHT
NOAH and RACHEL sit
smiling in an auditorium watching a musical dance show.
The crowd APPLAUSES
as the performers take bows and wave back.
People are exiting the stage and auditorium.
EXT. CRUISE SHIP –
AUDITORIUM – NIGHT
The CROWD exits the
doors of the auditorium as NOAH and RACHEL follow outside into the hallway.
Rachel looks very pale, rubbing her stomach.
NOAH
Are
you alright, Rach?
RACHEL
I
don’t feel so well. It’s my stomach or
something.
NOAH
Let’s
go back to the room.
INT. CRUISE SHIP
CABIN – SMALL BATHROOM - NIGHT
RACHEL VOMITS into
the toilet as NOAH holds her hair back.
NOAH
My
poor baby. Is there anything I can do?
She stands up and
pulls back her hair, heading to the sink.
RACHEL
Must
have been something I ate.
Rachel washes her
face in the sink.
NOAH
You
want a soda or something? Maybe the
carbonation will help.
RACHEL
No. I just need to lie down and rest for a
moment.
INT. CRUISE SHIP
CABIN - NIGHT
RACHEL throws
herself face down on the bed.
RACHEL
I’m
sorry, honey. I’m ruining our trip. We still got another day before we hit
Galveston.
NOAH
No,
no, no. It’s okay, babe. It’s not your fault at all.
NOAH
Hey,
we are out in the middle of the ocean.
When you start mixing different types of alcohol, and rich buffet foods
that we’re not used to… things are bound to churn around inside.
NOAH walks over and
rubs her back, soothingly.
RACHEL
Well
what are you supposed to do, then? It’s
still kinda early.
NOAH
I’m
not worried about it. I’ll stay here
with you. Maybe watch some TV or
something.
RACHEL
No
way. There’s no reason why you should
stay cooped up in here doing nothing but watch TV. We do that at home anyway. Why don’t you go down to the casino or
something?
NOAH
Are
you sure?
RACHEL
Yeah,
I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. I probably just need to rest.
She is even paler,
with a ghostly complexion. Noah grabs a
blanket and covers her as he kisses her on the cheek.
He walks to the
counter, snatches the room card key and heads out the door.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
CASINO – NIGHT
NOAH smiles widely
as several stacks of poker chips are in front of him. A CROWD is gathered behind him as he plays
another hand of blackjack.
He slides all but
one stack of poker chips on the markers of the table, confidently. He picks up his two cards and TAPS on the
table once.
The dealer slides him another card. He
picks it up and SIGHS as he SLAPS all three cards down.
The crowd MOANS and
GROANS as he takes his small pile of poker chips and leaves the table,
disappointed.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
CASINO BAR – NIGHT
A BARTENDER smiles
and hands NOAH a drink. He takes the
drink and takes a big GULP as he stumbles away.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
ELEVATOR FOYER – NIGHT
There are no other
passengers around as NOAH pushes the elevator button. He waits for the elevator when the lights in
the hall FLICKER.
A SMALL BREEZE blows
across Noah’s face, he turns.
A SHORT BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, in a red dress with long flowing black hair, quietly
walks past the foyer into an adjacent hallway.
She almost hovers by
as Noah glances at her and smiles politely.
When he turns back to look at the elevators, the woman FADES AWAY.
DING! Elevator doors open as Noah stumbles inside, careful to not spill his
drink.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
ELEVATOR – NIGHT
NOAH enters the
elevator and pushes his floor button. He
looks out the foyer as the doors start to slide shut.
A WHOOOSH as the SHORT WOMAN IN THE RED DRESS floats past the elevator doors as
it closes. She has a very evil grin
across her face. Noah is startled and
alarmed by this.
The elevator power
FLICKERS twice and SHAKES as it starts to move.
NOAH
(to himself)
Shit, that was weird.
(shrugging, takes a
drink)
Fuck it.
EXT. CRUISE SHIP
CABIN – NIGHT
The lights in the
hallway FLICKER as NOAH walks past a laundry room where TWO CRUISE SHIP
EMPLOYEES tend to bed sheets and towels.
He FUMBLES the card
key in the slot as he attempts to open the cabin door.
CRASH! A laundry cart FALLS over on its side, landing out in the hallway.
Noah looks over
nervously to see sheets with red stains all over them.
A CRUISE SHIP
EMPLOYEE scrambles to yank the sheets back into the laundry room. She smiles back nervously at Noah.
INT. CRUISE SHIP CABIN – NIGHT
NOAH walks over and
SLAPS the key card on the counter.
RACHEL stirs and sits up, groggily.
RACHEL
You win anything?
NOAH
I believe…
He
sits down beside her on the bed.
NOAH
The correct question is… How much did you
lose?
RACHEL
Uh oh.
How much did you lose, Noah?
NOAH
You know?
I was up $400 at that blackjack table.
I got greedy and bet almost the entire thing. Wham!
I’m out $40.
She
is more alert now, incredulous.
RACHEL
Wait a minute. You mean to tell me… you had over $400… and
lost it all, to lose ultimately $40?
NOAH
Yup, that’s what I said.
RACHEL
You couldn’t stop at $400? Are you crazy?
NOAH
I thought it was a sure thing… you know, on a
roll and shit.
RACHEL
Well $40 is better than actually losing $400
out of our pocket. Next time, you’re not
going down there by yourself.
She
SIGHS and kisses him.
NOAH
Feeling better, now?
She
shrugs.
RACHEL
Yeah, I guess so. I still feel a little nauseous, though.
NOAH
Well, I’m beat. Let’s go to bed, and maybe you’ll feel better
in the morning when we wake up.
The
cabin lights FLICKER. He gets begins to
undress.
EXT. CRUISE SHIP –
SWIMMING POOL – DAY
RACHEL and NOAH are
sunbathing on patio chairs around a pool.
Other cruise ship GUESTS are tanning, swimming.
The two sip on
Bahama Mamma drinks, smoking cigarettes.
NOAH
This time tomorrow, it’s back to reality for
us.
RACHEL
I know.
I’m going to be so sad.
NOAH
Hey, at least we got like over 600 photos to
remember it by.
Noah LAUGHS, putting
out his cigarette in a nearby ash tray and wipes his brow.
NOAH
I’m going to take another dip. I’m really breaking a sweat over here.
He DIVES in the pool. Rachel takes a sip
of her drink and puffs on her cigarette.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
STAIRWAY – DAY
Hundreds of
PASSENGERS are cramped tightly in a sea of people, carrying luggage.
NOAH and RACHEL are
among the crowd with their baggage and shopping bags.
NOAH
You know, I’m starting to think carrying our
own luggage off the ship was a bad idea.
This shit is killing my back, Raych.
RACHEL
When are they going to let us go? It’s taking forever. Jesus!
NOAH
I’m going to check the level below us. Maybe we can sneak through.
RACHEL
(sighing)
I’ll be right here… Obviously.
Noah drops some
suitcases and a duffel bag beside Rachel’s feet. He SLIDES between the passengers and makes
his way down the stairway.
He stops suddenly
when he’s only halfway.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
LOWER LEVEL STAIRWAY – DAY
NOAH looks on as
even more PASSENGERS are shoving their way past the elevator foyer.
CRUISE SHIP
EMPLOYEES are stopping the crowds, making them wait longer.
Noah SIGHS and makes
his way back upstairs to his bride.
WHISPER (O.S.)
Noah.
Noah turns and looks
at the sea of people.
An entire CROWD of
tired, inpatient people. People
impatiently check their watches and cell phones.
Noah’s scans the
crowd, stopping suddenly on a SHORT WOMAN with long black hair. She STARES at him, emotionless.
Noah looks back with
a startled look, and SHOVES people out of the way as he heads back up the
stairway.
INT. CRUISE SHIP –
STAIRWAY – DAY
NOAH returns to
RACHEL’s side and picks up the luggage.
He PANTS and SWEATS
as he shakes his head.
NOAH
No good.
It’s worse down there. All the
elevators are stopped, everyone’s getting irritable. It’s crazy.
RACHEL
Great.
A wonderful end to our perfect trip.
NOAH
Hey, look at the bright side… We had a great
and uneventful trip, so it makes sense we have to go through this to get off
the ship. No worries! I’m not going to let this get me down. We’ll get off eventually, eh?
RACHEL
I guess.
NOAH
I can’t wait till we get the hell out of
here, though. I’m not gonna lie.
(pauses)
You okay?
Still feeling bad?
RACHEL
Yeah, I’m okay. I just want get back home now.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – LIVING ROOM – DAY
The front door
opens. NOAH and RACHEL stumble inside.
They DROP their
suitcases and bags on the floor near the door, SIGHING.
NOAH
Finally.
Rachel walks down
the hallway as Noah PLOPS on the couch in the living room.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Noah!
NOAH
Yeah!
RACHEL (O.S.)
Come and look.
He SIGHS.
NOAH
Kay.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – BEDROOM – DAY
NOAH walks in the
bedroom to RACHEL standing near their bed, smiling.
The bed is covered
in gift wrapped boxes and gift bags.
More gifts cover the
floor around the foot of the bed.
NOAH
Woah.
Guess my parents didn’t want to put everything out in the living room.
RACHEL
Looks like we’ve got some work to do before
we go to sleep tonight.
NOAH
Work before pleasure, huh?
RACHEL
This is going to be so much fun!
They LAUGH.
NOAH
Wait for me.
I’m going to go get the rest of the stuff out of the car.
He KISSES her as he
walks toward the door.
RACHEL
What else is left? I thought we got pretty much everything.
NOAH
Just your dress and the travel bags with our
bathroom stuff.
She NODS and he
walks out the room.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – BEDROOM – DAY
A CROCK POT, a few
TOASTERS, GLASSWARE and SILVERWARE packaged boxes sit at the end of a bed.
RACHEL is sitting on
the bed around a pile of wrapping paper and trash.
RACHEL
Wow, we really made out like bandits, huh?
NOAH
I didn’t realize we had so many friends and
family. We don’t even know that many
people. Craziness.
RACHEL
Doesn’t hurt we invited half our company to
the wedding, either.
NOAH
Yeah, well… we were kinda obligated to invite
them.
They LAUGH. She nods and rolls her eyes.
RACHEL
It was funny how they all sat with each other
at one table during the reception.
They LAUGH again.
NOAH picks up empty
boxes and wrapping paper, stuffing them in a black trash bag. He exits carrying the trash.
Rachel stands up and
walks over to the closet. A white
garment bag is hanging by the hook over the door.
She grabs the garment bag and lays it gently on the bed.
DRESS BAG UNZIPPING
Rachel recoils back,
covering her nose.
RACHEL
Oh, God.
Noah returns holding his nose, frowning.
NOAH
Damn!
It smells like a fish market up in here.
RACHEL
My wedding dress! It smells like Galveston.
She POUTS and wells
up.
RACHEL
It’s ruined!
We’ll never get the smell out.
Noah grabs her and
holds her tightly.
NOAH
We’ll air it out… maybe put some cedar chips
in there. We’ll get a new garment
bag. It’ll be okay, baby. I promise.
She looks up at him with big eyes.
RACHEL
You really think so?
NOAH
Sure.
I’m sure this has happened before to a lot of people.
RACHEL
We had all the doors and windows closed
up. If I knew this was going to happen,
I wouldn’t have left the dress in that parking garage all week while we were
gone.
NOAH
Well, close it back up for now.
(beat)
I mean, da-yamn.
He ZIPS the garment
bag up.
Noah turns and grabs
his back suddenly and WINCES.
RACHEL
You okay?
NOAH
Yeah.
I… I think so. My back’s acting
up again. Usual crap.
He WINCES louder as
he starts for the doorway.
RACHEL
Maybe you should take it easy.
NOAH
It’s this one spot on my back… right here.
He uses his left arm
and attempts to point on his back.
NOAH
It’s the upper right side of my spine.
Rachel clears the
bed as Noah starts BREATHING heavily.
RACHEL
Here, lie down.
NOAH
It hurts more every time I take a
breath. Man, this is intense!
He lies on the bed
very slowly. Rachel rubs the side of his
face, concerned. She sits beside him on
the bed.
RACHEL
You did too much today, carrying all that
luggage around 3 floors of the ship.
NOAH
I’m sure it didn’t help. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. It usually passes.
RACHEL
You want something to drink? Maybe a Tylenol or something?
NOAH
Probably won’t help.
RACHEL
What about the heating pad?
NOAH
(sharply)
I said…
(pauses, glaring)
I’ll be fine.
Rachel pulls back, surprised.
RACHEL
Okay.
Jeez.
NOAH
Sorry.
I didn’t mean it like that. I’m
in a lot of pain. I just need to wait it
out for a second.
RACHEL
I’m going to take some of this stuff in the
other room. You just relax, okay?
She stands up and
grabs some boxes. Rachel walks through
the doorway, turning halfway with a crazed look on her face.
RACHEL
(to herself)
Wowzerz.
Noah holds his head
with both hands, staring at the ceiling.
His eyes begin to close slowly as his arms go limp.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – SMALL DINING AREA – DAY
A small circular wooden table, with only three chairs. RACHEL is seated, writing down a LIST with
pen and paper.
Gift boxes and packaging are in piles on the small table.
NOAH (O.S.)
Honey!
She turns in the
chair and looks back, through hallway:
NOAH is sitting up as the GLOW of a television emits across his face.
RACHEL
Yeah?
She returns her
attention to the table.
NOAH (O.S.)
What are you doing?
RACHEL
Trying to make a list… so we can send “Thank
You” letters to everyone.
She picks up a box
with a photo of a fancy knife set.
RACHEL
Do you know who gave us the knives?
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – BEDROOM – DAY
NOAH looks down the
hallway to RACHEL seated at the small table.
NOAH
No card?
RACHEL (O.S.)
Nah, uh.
He returns his gaze to the television set.
C.U. TV SCREEN: WOMAN IN RED DRESS’s
face, staring emotionlessly back at him.
Noah JUMPS right out of bed, extremely startled.
RACHEL (O.S.)
You alright in there?
He looks over to
Rachel. She is turned around in her
chair, watching him with eyebrows raised.
NOAH
Yeah.
He turns and looks
back at the television.
C.U. TV SCREEN: A
local used car dealership commercial.
NOAH
Thought I saw something. It was… nothing. Nevermind.
He pulls his hair
with both hands, disturbed.
The TV FLICKERS
off. Noah throws the remote on the bed
and exits the room.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – SMALL DINING AREA – DAY
NOAH walks in and
leans against the doorway. RACHEL shoves
a toaster box aside and SIGHS.
NOAH
Want to check out the photos?
RACHEL
Sure.
I need a break, anyway.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – OFFICE – DAY
A small bedroom,
converted into an office. Three
computers HUM in front of two office chairs.
NOAH and RACHEL walk inside and PLOP in the chairs.
Rachel reaches inside the cruise ship bag and hands the 35mm photo books to
Noah.
The two smile as
Noah flips through the SCUBA DIVING photos, Rachel looking on by his side.
C.U. PHOTOS:
Underwater SCUBA DIVING in Jamaica.
Their smiles turn grim as Noah FLIPS through more photos, slowly:
C.U. PHOTOS: ROSE
HALL room photos. More photos.
C.U. SITTING ROOM,
ROSE HALL MIRROR.
He flips through
more shots, nothing in particular.
Reflections of Noah holding the camera up.
C.U. ROSE HALL BRASS
MIRROR: No reflection at all, just white
walls and dark wood trim.
They eye each other carefully. Noah
returns and flips the photos once more.
They GASP as Rachel points to the photo:
RACHEL
What the hell is that?!
NOAH
Woah…
Who is that?
C.U. SITTING ROOM,
ROSE HALL MIRROR: A reflection of NOAH
holding up the underwater camera. A
WOMAN in a RED DRESS is standing over his shoulder, looking out a window.
NOAH
I swear that was not there before when I
looked through them on the ship! I would
have noticed that.
RACHEL
Someone had to have been there with you.
NOAH
No way.
I was alone. You saw me go back
up there by myself. Did you see anyone
follow me up the steps?
She shakes her head.
RACHEL
Maybe it’s a shot when we were still on the
tour.
NOAH
No way.
These are the only shots I took, and I was by myself. I didn’t even realize the mirror was in that
room when we were on the tour. I was
taking shots of the painting out in the hall, remember?
RACHEL
Yeah… That is weird.
They continue
looking through the rest of the photos.
NOAH
You know, I’ve seen that woman before.
RACHEL
(doubtfully)
You have?
Where?
NOAH
On the ship… and, uh…
Rachel rolls her
eyes and looks down at the floor.
RACHEL
You’re paranoid again.
NOAH
Forget it.
Nevermind. You wouldn’t believe
me.
(pauses)
Well anyway, let’s look through the digital
camera shots now. Maybe we can get
something off those.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – OFFICE – DAY
CIGARETTE SMOKE
lingers in the office, as NOAH and RACHEL casually go through the photos on the
computer.
TAP… TAP… TAP. Noah presses the left arrow key, as the two browse shots of the
CRUISE SHIP, BEACH scenes, JAMAICAN roads and BUILDINGS.
RACHEL
You’re a very good photographer.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: NOAH humping a statue in
Cozumel.
NOAH
So are you.
He grins.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL HOUSE LAWN
NOAH
Here we go…
TAP… Noah presses
the left arrow key more, as the two browse shots of the ROSE HALL TOUR.
Nothing usual, as
they look at shots of the tour guide lady and the small group of tourists.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL FRONT DOOR
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL HOUSE FOYER
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL DINING ROOM
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: CIRCUS TENT
Noah stops and eyes
Rachel.
RACHEL
What?
NOAH
These photos… are out of order. I took that shot of the circus tent on our
way to the house. Not from the house.
She gives him a
confused look.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN:
ROSE HALL HOUSE
BACKYARD LANDSCAPING
NOAH
Look, right here it continues on to the
backyard of the house. Near that
tomb. And where’s the shot I took of you
holding the rock? It’s gone. I’m missing like 30 shots here.
RACHEL
Are you sure?
NOAH
Yes!
Listen… from a computer guy’s standpoint, it is physically impossible to
have photos out of order on a compact flash memory card. It’s in the order the camera took the
shots. You know what I’m trying to say
here?
RACHEL
(nodding)
That is weird.
NOAH
Where’s all the shots I took of the people’s
letters in the gift shop? All I got here
is the one shot of the restoration photos on that one wall.
(pauses)
Something’s going on here, and I don’t like
it. Where’s the shot of you in the
chair? Damn, I just got a chill…
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – OFFICE – NIGHT
RACHEL walks in the
office carrying two soda cans. NOAH
continues staring intensely at the Rose Hall photos.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL GIFT SHOP STEPS
NOAH
Alright look.
This is when I was heading back up there by myself.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL BRASS MIRROR in
SITTING ROOM.
Nothing in
particular. Reflections of Noah holding
the digital camera up, underwater camera dangles on his wrist.
NOAH
Nothing.
See? Digital cameras don’t pick
up anything.
Rachel raises an
eyebrow and PUFFS her cigarette.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL HOUSE, SIDE PORCH.
NOAH
This is when we left the gift shop. Here we’re walking back towards the front of
the house… to go out to that grave site.
She nods.
TAP as they browse
to the next shot…
RACHEL
Look at that!
NOAH
Wow…
C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: A translucent RED HOODED FIGURE
of a WOMAN, at the base of the front stone steps. The figure is looking up towards the house,
as colorful multi colored RAYS OF LIGHT shine down on her from the sky.
NOAH
Tell me that’s not a ghost photo! Wow. I
am completely breathless here. This is
absolutely remarkable!
RACHEL
(shivers)
Spooky.
NOAH
It’s like she followed us around the tour or
something. Man.
(beat)
Wow.
TAP… C.U. COMPUTER
SCREEN: ROSE HALL GRAVE SITE.
NOAH
Look, we’re back to the grave site now. This is too weird. I’m freaking out here. This is just impossible.
Noah twirls his
right wrist in a circular motion. Rachel
watches him.
RACHEL
It’s definitely odd.
NOAH
So, now do you believe me… what I been
telling you?
RACHEL
Well as I’ve said before… I don’t believe in
ghosts or spirits. But I do believe
there are demons. The Bible talks about
demons who are fallen angels. They are
allowed to test us and pretty much do what they want to… But they are not allowed to take human form…
fleshy form.
Noah looks at her
with intense eyes, listening.
RACHEL
You need to be careful, Noah. Sometimes when you go looking for something
like this, you find more than what you wanted.
He SCOFFS.
NOAH
Oh, come on now, Raych. They’re just photos. Nothing bad is going to happen to us. We’re back home now. That shit’s hundreds of miles away… out in
the middle of the ocean on some island that we’ll never even return to.
RACHEL
Well like I said. Be careful.
She KISSES him on
the cheek.
He WRIGGLES in the
office chair, STRETCHING his arms and back.
NOAH
Man, I am stiff. My back still kinda hurts.
Noah twirls his
right wrist in a circular motion again.
He stands up and
grabs some 4x6 glossy photo paper. He
loads a color printer nearby with the sheets.
RACHEL
You’re printing them now?
NOAH
Not all of them. Just the ones of the mirror and the front
steps… the good ones.
She rolls her eyes
and walks out of the office. Noah starts
CLICKING away on the computer…
NOAH
What?
I’ll print the others tomorrow. I
gotta make copies of these on the network anyway. I wanna bring these to work!
RACHEL (O.S.)
Okay well, it’s time to eat. So hurry it up in here.
A COLOR PRINTER,
PRINTING the ghostly photos.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – BEDROOM – NIGHT
RACHEL is sleeping
HEAVILY. NOAH is staring at the ceiling,
eyes wide open.
He is restless,
TOSSING and TURNING.
BINK! Noah looks over at the doorway. He stares into the darkness.
NOAH (V.O.)
What was that?
He continues to
STARE hard at the doorway, out in the small hall.
NOAH (V.O.)
Did I hear something?
From the office, A BLURRED image of a WOMAN IN RED glides past into the darkness.
NOAH (V.O.)
(GASP)
Did I just imagine that?
He BLINKS and GULPS.
NOAH (V.O.)
Was that from the office?
Noah turns to his new bride. She is deep
asleep.
NOAH (V.O.)
No, don’t wake her up. You’re just spooked. Get it together, Noah.
POP! Noah looks over at the open closet. The wedding dress hangs on the door in its
garment bag.
DARKNESS inside the
closet.
He GRIPS the sheets
tightly, and pulls them up to his eyes.
NOAH (V.O.)
It’s nothing.
Go to sleep. You’re making
yourself crazy.
INT. TRUSTUS
COLLECTIONS, INC. – PRESIDENT’S OFFICE – DAY
An OLDER MAN in his
fifties seated prominently behind a grand desk.
A name plate centered on the desk reads: JOHNATHAN WESTINGHOUSE, CEO.
SUPER: THREE MONTHS
LATER.
NOAH sits in the
middle of a leather couch, 10 feet across from the CEO inside the large
office.
Noah FIDGETS his
hands and legs nervously as the CEO is looking through paperwork. His eyes travel from Noah to the paperwork,
back and forth.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Mr. Reed.
NOAH
Ye…Yes, Mr. Westinghouse?
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Noah…
I’m going to make this short. I’m
sure you and I both don’t have time for this.
(pauses)
You’ve been here for what? Three years, now?
NOAH
If you count the other company you now own…
Six. It’ll be exactly six years in
February, on my birthday.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Thanks.
Thank you for that.
(smiles)
Listen Noah… Your work around here is…
astounding to say the least. The amount
of time and dedication you provide for this company is unprecedented.
NOAH
(SCOFFS)
But…
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Yes, but…
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(long pause)
The reason I called you in here is… well,
several people around the office have approached me lately about your
attitude.
Noah SCOWLS and
looks out the window, bored.
He twirls his right
wrist in a circular motion.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Is everything alright, Noah? I’m concerned about you, and the morale of
others from within the company.
NOAH
I’m fine.
I just been really stressed out lately, I guess.
Mr. Westinghouse
folds his hands and watches Noah.
NOAH
The server rebuild, the migrations of the two
databases… It’s been a real feat to pull
off some of the things you’ve asked me and the rest of the IT department to do
back there.
Mr. Westinghouse
looks on with admiration, smiling.
NOAH
And, my back has been killing me.
He twirls his right
wrist again, in a circular motion.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Right.
Patrick told me you went to the doctor last Friday.
NOAH
Yes.
My GP said I have a pinched nerved in my back, causing these pains in my
wrist.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Alright.
Listen…
Mr. Westinghouse
grabs a pad of paper and a pen. He
starts SCRIBBLING down a note. RIP! He
holds up a piece of paper:
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
I have an orthopedist I see regularly for my
back problems. His name is Dr.
Rodriguez. Go see him this week. He’s the best, Noah. The best!
Noah gets up from
the couch and walks with a mild limp to grab the piece of paper.
As Noah reaches for
the note, Mr. Westinghouse SNATCHES it back.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Listen to me when I say this to you… You need to take care of yourself more,
Noah. Back injuries are a serious
thing. You’re too young for someone to
have problems like I have. I also don’t
want to see you moping around here like this, tormenting my other
employees. And, speaking of which… be
nice to your fellow coworkers. I don’t
want to have this talk here with you again.
He waits, and stares
up at Noah though the top of his glasses.
NOAH
Yes, yes Mr. Westinghouse. I’ll take care of myself… and my attitude. I’m sorry, sir.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Alright then.
Now get out of here. I got some
shit to take care of.
Mr. Westinghouse
WINKS then SMIRKS at Noah and hands him the note. Noah returns his smile, grabbing the
note.
He quietly slips out
the door.
INT. TRUSTUS
COLLECTIONS, INC. – HALLWAY – DAY
NOAH walks down an
interior hallway of the office suite.
RACHEL walks briefly
out of another office from down the hall, SOBBING QUIETLY.
NOAH
Psss…
(whispering)
Hey.
She continues off to
a back door, an EXIT sign illuminated over her head as she PUSHES the door.
A CASUAL BUSINESSMAN
walks into the hallway from where Rachel was.
It is the same man from Rachel’s nightmare.
Noah approaches
around the corner and stops in front of the doorway as the businessman walks
past him.
The door reads:
ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR.
CASUAL BUSINESSMAN
Hey, Noah.
NOAH
Hey there, Patrick.
PATRICK
How’s that new program you wrote for the
girls?
NOAH
Almost finished. I got kinda side tracked this morning merging
some account numbers.
(beat)
I was about to start back on it… Should have something by this afternoon or
tomorrow.
PATRICK
Okay.
That’s fine. I won’t be back this
afternoon though. I’ll take a look at it
with you maybe Thursday, okay?
NOAH
Sure.
Patrick exits out
the side door. Noah waits a few seconds,
and then follows.
INT. TRUSTUS
COLLECTIONS, INC. – BUILDING HALLWAY – DAY
PATRICK continues
walking down the hallway, heading through a restroom door.
NOAH walks out the
suite’s side door and stops. Another
door has just closed to the left as CLATTERING of footsteps down a stairwell.
INT. TRUSTUS
COLLECTIONS, INC. – STAIRWAY – DAY
RACHEL is CLATTERING
down three flights of stairs in the office building’s stairwell. NOAH tries to catch up.
EXT. TRUSTUS
COLLECTIONS, INC. – REAR SMOKING AREA – DAY
RACHEL smokes a
cigarette alone, her back facing the door.
She stares at an old wooden fence.
The door to the
building FLINGS open as NOAH walks outside.
NOAH
Hey.
Rachel stands still,
SILENT as smoke hovers over her head.
NOAH
What happened with Patrick?
She turns around,
tears rolling down her cheeks. As she
makes eye contact with him, she BURSTS.
RACHEL
(crying)
I don’t want to talk about it right now. It’s just more bullshit, that’s all.
Noah grabs her
cigarette, takes a PUFF, and throws it into an ashtry nearby. He grabs her tightly and they embrace.
RACHEL
The other girls are running me out or
something. They don’t listen to me. I don’t know what to do. I tried saying something to him but he just
bullshitted me. Telling me he’d talk to
them… He never does. Or… or he will but it’ll last for only a few
days. I’m just sick of it. All the bullshit.
Noah turns his right
wrist in a circular motion behind her back.
RACHEL
I still can’t look him in the eye ever since
I had that fucked up dream, either.
NOAH
I’m so sorry, baby. Man, that was months ago… I almost forgot
about that. Is there anything I can do?
RACHEL
No…
(beat)
I just gotta suck it up and deal with
it. You know, the usual. I’ll… I’ll tell you more, later when we get
home…
Noah nods.
NOAH
Hey… A
few more hours. The day’ll be over soon
before we know it. I love you.
RACHEL
Love you, too.
The side door FLIES open as BILL COLLECTORS appear with cigarettes in hand,
lighters FLICKERING.
YELLING and
SCREAMING. This is a rowdy bunch.
Noah lets go of
Rachel and stands back, smiling.
NOAH
Break time.
She heads back
inside the building. Noah retrieves a
smoke from a cigarette pack in his pocket and lights up.
He retrieves his
CELL PHONE and walks to a quieter part of the break area. Noah unfolds the piece of paper from his boss
and reads it.
He DIALS a number on
the phone:
NOAH
(on phone)
Hi.
Fine and you? … That’s great… Is this Doctor Rodriguez’s office?
(pause)
Hello, my name is Noah Reed… I need to
schedule an appointment this week… Thursday, huh?
Noah looks up at
some COLLECTORS sitting at the tables and benches, carrying on with LAUGHTER.
PATRICK (V.O.)
I’ll take a look at it with you maybe
Thursday, okay?
NOAH
(on phone)
Thurday’s great… One? No problem.
Where are you located? … Off Wilheim… got it. My number? … It’s 281-530-0012… Okay, see you
at one on Thurday… Thank you.
He closes his phone,
pockets it and continues smoking as he heads for the door.
Noah puts out his
butt in the ashtray and BLOWS smoke, walking back inside the building.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – NIGHT
RACHEL sits at the
small dining room table, smoking a joint.
She wipes a tear from her face.
FRONT DOOR OPENS
with NOAH stepping inside, tired.
He throws his keys
down on a counter and PLOPS beside Rachel.
She hands him the
joint.
NOAH
(puffing)
Left early?
RACHEL
Yeap.
(beat)
You stayed late.
NOAH
Yeah, I know.
Hard drive flopped on the backup server… I finally gave up trying to save it. No backups tonight. Gonna fix it tomorrow.
(beat)
What’d you want to tell me earlier?
He passes it back.
RACHEL
(crying)
Nothing.
What’s the point?
She LEAPS up from
the chair in TEARS.
RACHEL
(crying)
I got one ignoring me all day, the other’s
being a complete bitch! I can’t work
like that. How’s anyone supposed to do
their job well?
She
passes the joint back to Noah and heads to their bedroom.
RACHEL (O.S.)
(yelling)
Patrick won’t listen to me!
(screaming)
I keep telling him they should fire
Stephanie! I’m sick of working up there, Noah!
She BEATS the bed
with her fists. Completely riled up and
in a panic.
Noah puts out the
joint and RUNS into the bedroom.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – BEDROOM – NIGHT
RACHEL darts into
the closet as NOAH enters the room to comfort her.
He follows inside the closet as she sits on the floor, rocking back and forth
in TEARS.
RACHEL
(yelling)
What’s wrong with me? I’m not a supervisor! It’s just a God damned title they gave
me!
NOAH
I know, babe.
I’m sorry. All those guys are
jerks up there. I had the boss man
telling me everyone’s got a problem with my attitude around there. Gee, I wonder why? See, it’s not just you.
Noah attempts to hug
her, but she pushes him off, crying LOUDER.
RACHEL
I’m not getting the salary or the respect I
deserve from those snotty little girls!
Damnit!
She SPRINGS to her
feet, and runs to the bathroom as Noah follows.
She SLAMS the
bathroom door in his face.
NOAH
Rach… come on honey. This isn’t helping anything. You want something to eat? You want to smoke some more?
(long pause)
Honey?
He tries to open the
door. RATTLE of doorknob… LOCKED.
He looks at the
ceiling in the bedroom, SIGHING.
NOAH
Shit.
(yelling)
Honey!
Open this door! Don’t you do
anything stupid in there! It’ll be
okay. Don’t let them get you all worked
up like this. Honey?
Noah gets out his
pocket knife and pushes the door knob lock open. He FLINGS the door open swiftly.
INT. TWO BEDROOM
APARTMENT – BATHROOM – NIGHT
In the bathtub,
RACHEL sits rocking back and forth. Her
eyes stare ahead blankly at the faucet.
Her BREATHING is fast and quick.
NOAH sits on the
wall of the tub beside her.
NOAH
I want you to listen to me, Rachel. Do not let those assholes get to you. You are beautiful, extremely intelligent and
very professional. You’re an honest,
dependable worker. Anybody would want to
hire you. That’s why I feel in love with
you. If anything, we have that company
to thank for us meeting one another.
Maybe it’s time for a career change for the both of us. Everything will
be okay. I promise. You have to believe me. Okay?
Huh?
She nods and looks
over at him, halfway smiling.
NOAH
Now get out of this tub, unless you’re
getting naked.
He throws her a bashful grin.
NOAH
You want to get naked? HUH?!
EH?!
He smiles as she
stands up, LAUGHING. She rubs her eyes.
They hug tightly,
Noah looking at the ceiling, SIGHING relief with raised eyebrows.
He gives a bewildered look across his face as she turns to kiss him… he breaks
his expression instantly with a smile.
INT. OFFICE – DAY
NOAH sits hunkered over a desktop computer chassis at a workbench, replacing a
power supply. In the corner of his eye,
a BLUE SCREEN ERROR on his computer.
He turns and SIGHS. Great, now his
workstation crashed.
He shrugs and
returns his attention to the workbench.
He connects some power wires to the leads on the power switch, and plugs
it in to test it.
POW, POW, POW, POW…
POP! All the capacitors on the
motherboard of the computer BLOW UP in his face. His eyebrow gets SINGED.
NOAH
Shit!
He SHOVES himself
away from the workbench, sliding his chair back and rubbing his eye.
NOAH
Great…
Fucking great.
PATRICK rushes
inside from down the hall.
PATRICK
Everything alright in here, Noah? What was that popping?
NOAH
Oh, you know…
Nothing much… just everything I touch, falls apart or explodes on me.
Patrick SNICKERS
PATRICK
Glad you’re okay. What was that noise?
NOAH
I guess I somehow put the wires on wrong… for
the power supply when I plugged it in.
PATRICK
Well be careful in here. We don’t need you blowing the place up.
He LAUGHS and walks
out. Noah SNEERS at him.
NOAH
Oh, well I’ll be sure to be more careful now
that you said that… Ass.
Noah stands up and
walks into an adjacent server room.
INT. SERVER ROOM –
DAY
The power FLICKERS
inside the server room as NOAH walks in.
Four servers on a
workstation bench shut off and restart suddenly, booting up.
PHONE RINGING at his
desk.
NOAH
What the…
He exits the server
room.
INT. OFFICE – DAY
NOAH rushes to his
desk and picks up the phone.
NOAH
(on phone)
Yes, I know… They just restarted suddenly… a
few minutes… I’ll call you when they are
back up, okay? … I said in a minute… I don’t know, I’ll check it out… okay… Alright.
He SIGHS and hangs
up the phone.
INT. SERVER ROOM –
DAY
NOAH is puzzled,
monitoring the servers. He attempts to
use the mouse with his left hand as he twirls his right wrist in pain.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
walks inside the server room.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Noah.
What’s going on? I got floor
managers telling me everyone’s on break now because the system is down.
NOAH
I’m not sure, sir… I’ll let you know as soon as I find out
something.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Do you know how long the network’s going to
be down?
NOAH
Should be back up as soon as the servers come
back online. They rebooted a second ago,
out of nowhere.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Well how long is it going to take to
reboot? I got people downstairs now, wandering
the halls, not doing any work.
NOAH
A few more minutes.
Mr. Westinghouse
looks around the room and watches Noah as he logs in.
NOAH
Okay.
It’s back up now. Everyone can
log in…
Mr. Westinghouse
exits the room, nodding with approval.
Noah watches him exit, and SIGHS relief.
INT. OFFICE – DAY
NOAH reboots his
computer, it doesn’t come back up:
NTLDR IS MISSING. PRESS ANY KEY TO
REBOOT.
NOAH
Shit.
He looks up and sees
RACHEL walking past the front of his door, smiling.
NOAH
Psss.
She spins around and
stops in the doorway.
Noah twirls his
right wrist in a circular motion and WINCES as it POPS and CRACKS.
RACHEL
Hi.
How’s it going?
NOAH
Today sucks, that’s how it’s going… anything
my asses touches breaks or crashes on me.
I got a computer over here exploding in my face… servers rebooting… now
this piece of shit won’t come back up.
I’m cursed! Don’t come near me, I
mean it.
She LAUGHS.
RACHEL
Is your wrist still hurting?
NOAH
I can barely use the mouse or write my
name. It’s getting worse.
He grabs his right
wrist with his left hand and pulls on it repeatedly.
NOAH
It feels like someone is grabbing my wrist
and won’t let it go.
Rachel frowns and
expresses deep concern.
RACHEL
When’s your appointment with that doctor?
NOAH
Tomorrow at one.
RACHEL
My poor baby.
I gotta go run some reports and bank deposits. I’ll check on ya later.
She frowns and blows
him a kiss, smiling as she exits the room.
He catches her kiss, and smiles back solemnly.
INT. ORTHOPEDIC OFFICE
– DAY
A DOCTOR sits on a
small stool with NOAH sitting on an examination table.
The doctor SCRIBBLES
in his chart.
DOCTOR
It’s really too early to confirm anything at
this point, Mr. Reed. I’m going to
recommend you take some muscle relaxants and try to keep heat on your back.
NOAH
What, like a heating pad or something?
DOCTOR
Yes.
Call me in a week. If no signs of
improvement are evident, I’m going to send you to a neuro.
NOAH
I thought you said it’s not a pinched nerve?
DOCTOR
A neurologist can confirm that, if that’s the
case. It’s a possibility there could be
nerve damage. Call me in a week, Mr.
Reed.
He shakes his hand
and walks out of the examination room.
INT. APARTMENT – DAY
NOAH walks inside
the apartment, carrying a small plastic shopping bag.
A cloud of SMOKE
hovers over RACHEL as she sits flipping channels on a TV in the living room
while PUFFING a joint.
RACHEL
Hey.
How’d it go at the doctor?
He PLOPS on the
couch beside her as she hands him the joint.
NOAH
Got some drugs, wait a week… the usual.
He PUFFS the joint,
shaking the bag as pills RATTLE inside.
RACHEL
What’s for dinner? I’m super hungry.
NOAH
Shit.
I don’t care. We’ll get a pizza
or something.
Rachel gets up from
the couch, leans over and KISSES him.
Noah opens the bag
and hands her:
A PREGNANCY TEST
Rachel throws him a
confused look as he hands the test to her.
RACHEL
What’s this for?
NOAH
You pee on it.
She SCOFFS at him.
RACHEL
Come on Noah.
Seriously?
NOAH
You been on high stress levels lately,
babe. Over emotional, a little
irrational at times. You’re just not
yourself lately. I mean no offense,
trust me. I love you. It would only make sense to that maybe you’re
pregnant or something.
She stares at him,
shocked.
INT. APARTMENT -
OFFICE – NIGHT
A computer monitor
is off. NOAH is kneeling underneath the
table with a flashlight.
He YANKS out a video
card from the computer.
The table RATTLES
with a BANG! Noah bumps his head while trying to stand up.
NOAH
I
swear! Everything is falling apart
around my ass! Damnit!
RACHEL (O.S.)
What’s
the matter?
He holds the video
card underneath a desk lamp and inspects it closely.
NOAH
Oh,
once again… everything I touch breaks.
RACHEL (O.S.)
What
happened?
NOAH
I
don’t know. My main system won’t come on
now.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Won’t
come on?
NOAH
Yes. Won’t even boot. Piece of shit.
RACHEL walks in
carrying the pregnancy test stick.
RACHEL
Guess
what!
Noah throws the
video card on the table while he stands:
NOAH
What?
She holds it up and
smiles widely.
RACHEL
It’s
positive!
She JUMPS up and
down, giddy with excitement.
NOAH
That’s
wonderful news, honey! See? I knew something was up!
RACHEL
Wow. Isn’t this great?
NOAH
Who
do we call first?
RACHEL
Let’s
call my mom!
They passionately
kiss and embrace each other.
NOAH
I’m
going to be a father! This is so
cool! Scary, huh?
INT. OFFICE – DAY
NOAH sits at his
desk concentrating heavily. He struggles
to hold a pen to sign his name.
He WINCES, slowly SCRIBBLING a signature on a form.
NOAH
Ah! Damn it!
C.U. FORM: Illegible signature, very
scraggly and broken.
He THROWS the pen
down and GRASPS his right wrist tightly.
Noah begins to massage the sides of his wrist in pain.
INT. NEUROLISTS
OFFICE – DAY
A FEMALE DOCTOR
examines NOAH’s reflexes with a small hammer.
SUPER: A WEEK LATER.
She has him follow
her finger from side to side. She shines
a bright light in his eyes.
She uses a TUNING
FORK on his feet:
NEUROLOGIST
Tell me when the vibration stops, Mr. Reed.
The tuning fork
vibrates on his leg shortly.
NOAH
There.
The doctor sets the tuning fork down.
NEUROLOGIST
Can you move your hand at all?
NOAH
I can’t even sign my name anymore. I can’t grasp objects or feel anything.
NOAH
It’s very painful… very numb. Hard to explain.
She walks to the
counter and picks up her chart, SCRIBBLING down notes.
NOAH
I can’t feel my armpit or this entire area
either.
He points to his
right pectorals and armpit.
NEUROLOGIST
Mr. Reed… The entire right side of your body
is less responsive than the left. It is
most noticeable with your arm and hand.
I’m going to recommend you to take some MRI scans this afternoon.
NOAH
This afternoon?
NEUROLOGIST
We need to schedule you for a lumber puncture
this week, so I can gather some samples of your spinal fluid.
NOAH
What’s a lumbar puncture?
NEUROLOGIST
It’s a minor surgery involved where I draw
fluid from your spine with a needle.
Noah looks around
the room nervously.
NEUROLOGIST
We will apply a local anesthetic, so you
shouldn’t feel a thing. You’ll just feel
a slight pressure during the procedure.
NOAH
A spinal tap.
Uh uh… no way. I’ve heard of
those before. That is painful. Don’t think so.
NEUROLOGIST
Mr. Reed.
I understand your concern. You
must realize this is very important in determining what is wrong with you. I’ve seen this countless times, and I already
have a suspicion on what’s ailing you.
NOAH
Okay, so what do you think it is, then? If it is what you think, then let’s start
treatment.
NEUROLOGIST
I’m sorry. You already know it doesn’t work
that way. I cannot misdiagnose treatment
for you. It could be deadly for you and
I would lose my license to practice.
NOAH
When can we get it over with, then?
NEUROLOGIST
We can schedule you for the procedure
now. Probably within a week or two we’ll
get you in the hospital. Don’t
worry… I’ll be performing the procedure
myself.
Noah looks at her
anxiously with trusting eyes.
INT. LAB – DAY
NOAH slowly rolls
inside a giant MRI scanning machine.
INT. MRI TUNNEL –
DAY
NOAH lies on his
back as RUMBLING and VIBRATING emanate from inside the cramped tunnel.
SILENCE
LAB TECHNICIAN
(V.O.)
Is everything alright in there, sir?
NOAH
Yeah.
Feeling a little claustrophobic, that’s all.
LAB TECHNICIAN
(V.O.)
Just a few more minutes and we’ll be
done. If you need anything or something
doesn’t feel right, push the control button in your hand and we’ll get you out.
NOAH
Okay.
Just hurry.
More RUMBLES and
VIBRATING from the MRI tunnel.
INT. HOSPITAL
EXAMINATION ROOM – DAY
SUPER: TWO WEEKS
LATER.
THREE LARGE MALE
NURSES and THE NEUROLOGIST stand beside an examination table.
NOAH is lying
sideways on the table, in a fetal position.
NOAH
What are they doing in here?
NEUROLOGIST
They are going to help me hold you down.
NOAH
Hold me down?
He attempts to sit
up, but can’t due to the anesthetic.
NEUROLOGIST
There’s
only one man I’d trust to do this procedure on me, and that’s my father. He gave me a spinal tap when I was in my
twenties. I was tested for what we
thought was Meningitis. I learned from
him, so you have nothing to worry about, Mr. Reed.
The neurologist
holds up a gigantic needle, a glass tube in the other hand as she BREATHES in
slowly.
NEUROLOGIST
Mr. Reed.
You’re going to feel a slight pressure now.
NOAH
Kay.
The neurologist
moves in closely to Noah and inserts the needle in his back.
Noah SQUIRMS as the
male nurses hold his legs and torso down.
He YELLS out in pain.
NOAH
Shit!
My leg! It feels like you scraped
my entire spine!
His right leg KICKS
out fast, and strikes one of the nurses.
He WRITHES in pain and grabs Noah’s leg, forcing it back in place.
NEUROLOGIST
Almost done, Noah. You’re doing fine. We’re almost done. Just one more, I promise.
She SLIDES a glass
tube full of clear fluid inside a medical rack.
She grabs another
glass tube and allows more clear fluid to pour into it from a hole at the base
of his spine.
NEUROLOGIST
When we are finished up here, you are going
to need to lie very still for several hours.
Your spine will be missing some of the fluid it’s used to having… so you
might develop a pressure headache.
NOAH
Hey, I’m used to headaches… all my life. I used to pop Excedrin like candy every
morning when I’d wake up. If I didn’t,
I’d get these headaches all day, back when I was a kid.
NEUROLOGIST
Really?
That’s not good for your stomach lining.
NOAH
Yeah.
I eventally stopped when I was about 12 or so. The first week afterwards… my head hurt so
bad from not taking ‘em anymore. It
finally went away. Now I’m normal
without taking em.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM –
DAY
RACHEL sits in a
chair next to a hospital bed. NOAH
stands, putting a shirt on.
He moves slowly,
WINCING with every motion.
NOAH
God, it feels like I got ran over by a MAC
truck or something… My head hurts so
freakin’ bad right now. Really bad.
He sits in a nearby
chair and starts to put on his shoes.
NOAH
What time is it? Feels like been laying there for hours.
RACHEL
It’s almost four. You slept for at least three hours.
NOAH
3 hours?! Can we go now? Jeez.
RACHEL
They gave me your release papers about twenty
minutes ago. We can leave whenever
you’re ready.
NOAH
Great.
I need a cigarette.
Rachel grabs his
things and the paperwork. They hold
hands and leave the room slowly.
INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
NOAH and RACHEL
slowly exit an elevator. They head for
the doors to exit the building.
The NEUROLOGIST
RUSHES down the hall to catch up with them.
She carries a thick folder with lots of paperwork shoved carelessly
inside.
NEUROLOGIST
Mr. Reed!
Wait a minute!
They
turn and stop in the doorway, perplexed.
NOAH
Yes?
NEUROLOGIST
Could you and your wife come with me? It will only take a moment. I really need to speak with you.
NOAH
Could I go smoke a cigarette outside real
quick, then? It’ll just be a second, I
promise. I’m dying here.
NEUROLOGIST
I really need to speak with you first. It’s very important, Noah.
He looks at Rachel
and SIGHS.
NOAH
Alright.
Fine… Let’s go.
INT. HOSPITAL CONFERENCE
ROOM – DAY
The NEUROLOGIST sits
opposite NOAH and RACHEL at a small table.
NEUROLOGIST
I’m so glad I caught you before you left the
hospital.
NOAH
Was there something wrong with the spinal tap
results?
NEUROLOGIST
No, we won’t have those results back from the
lab until another week. This concerns
your MRI scans. I got a fax a few
minutes ago from upstairs. What I am
about to tell you isn’t easy for anybody to hear…
Noah’s face turns
pale and he becomes saddened.
NOAH
Oh, no.
What?
NEUROLOGIST
The MRI scans show several lesions on your
brain and spine. Four in the back, two
in front, and one big one on the upper section of your spine.
Rachel BURSTS into
tears, sobbing quietly.
NEUROLOGIST
Your right arm and hand is inflamed due to
the one on your spine.
RACHEL
Oh, my God.
NOAH
What did you say to me?
NEUROLOGIST
The lesions are holes in your brain matter,
affecting your memory, speech, and other functions of the body. The most apparent being your right hand and
wrist.
NOAH
Is it like tumors or something?
NEUROLOGIST
This is very different from tumors. The reason I’m glad you didn’t leave the
hospital yet is because we need to start an IV on you immediately.
NOAH
What kind of IV?
RACHEL
I can’t believe this. This can’t be happening to us.
NEUROLOGIST
It’s a steroid treatment.
NOAH
A steroid?
Like body builders?
NEUROLOGIST
No, a different type of steroid. We need to start injecting you with a
Solu-medrol solution as soon as possible.
This will cause the lesions to shrink down in size…
Noah looks at Rachel
crying quietly.
They hug, staring at
each other, panic stricken and overwhelmed.
The neurologist
looks on with deep sadness. She opens
her folder and SCRIBBLES in her charts.
NEUROLOGIST
Do you have any questions for me, Mr.
Reed?
NOAH
Am I going to die, doctor?
NEUROLOGIST
You have what appears to be a very serious,
very critical condition right now. You
are lucky we caught this early before anything permanent or serious could
erupt.
NOAH
Okay, but the lesions… am I going to
die?
NEUROLOGIST
We need to see how your body reacts and takes
to the Solu-medrol treatments. You’re
not going to die today or anytime soon.
I don’t want you to worry like that.
NOAH
How much time do I have? A week, a few days? A few hours?
NEUROLOGIST
I still need to run more tests and vitals on
you. I’m afraid I am going to have to
admit you back into the hospital right now.
NOAH
Right now?
But I just got out. I haven’t
even left the building yet!
NOAH
Can I at least smoke my cigarette before you
stick me with more needles and IVs?
NEUROLOGIST
Mr. Reed.
If you quit smoking, that would help tremendously. You’re not going to be able to smoke anymore
as long as you have the Solu-medrol solution inside of you. You could have a severe stroke and die.
RACHEL
I can’t believe this…
NEUROLOGIST
Do you have any more questions?
NOAH
I don’t think so. Not right now.
NEUROLOGIST
I’ll leave you two alone for a moment. I need to go make the necessary arrangements
for you.
She exits the small room quietly.
NOAH
I can’t believe this is happening to me. It’s like a bad dream or something.
RACHEL
I’m so sorry, baby. I don’t know what to say.
NOAH
Holes in my brain… that’s crazy! I’ve never had a health problem in my entire
life! What the hell?
RACHEL
Don’t you worry. We’ll get through this. I’m right here by your side. We’ll make it no matter what.
They hug, in tears.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM –
NIGHT
A BEEP BEEP… BEEP BEEP…
from monitors and colorful graphs on nearby medical equipment.
RACHEL looks on as
NOAH sleeps in his hospital bed. Tubes,
wires, and probes are connected to his body.
She stares at him with deep sadness.
ZELDA (V.O.)
One man said to have taken a rock from the
grounds only to become inflicted with terrible sickness and became hospitalized
shortly after they came home.
She stands and walks to the hospital window.
Rachel opens the blinds, attempting to look outside. Countless drops of water beads run down along
the windows outside. It is raining
heavily.
She walks to her
husband’s bed and watches him.
RACHEL
(whispering)
Are you awake?
BEEPS and SOUNDS
pulse through the monitoring equipment.
She picks up her
husband’s hand and hold sit tightly. He
squeezes her hand in return.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM –
NIGHT
THUNDSER and
LIGHTNING outside the room. RACHEL
sleeps soundly in a chair near the window.
NOAH stirs, as the door CREAKS slowly.
A NURSE enters the
darkness. Noah cannot see her face.
NOAH
Hey.
Can I get another nicotine patch?
I think this one’s worn off by now.
The silhouette
approaches him slowly.
NOAH
Nurse?
The nurse raises an arm, holding up a large SYRINGE.
NOAH
Oh no.
Not anymore of that shit. Not
right now. Give me a Vicodin or
something instead.
Noah squints in the
darkness to recognize her.
NOAH
Uh… nurse?
LIGHTNING FLASHES
across the sky outside, illuminating the room:
THE WOMAN with long
black hair, in red scrubs!
NOAH
Oh, Shit!
He SPRINGS up from
the hospital bed, YANKING all the wires and probes with him. Monitors are BEEPING and SIGNALLING like
crazy.
He knocks a cart
over with a CRASH! to the floor.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM –
NIGHT
BEEEEEEEEP! The monitor goes flat line.
FLICK! The lights
turn on as THREE NURSES are RUSHING inside the room.
RACHEL runs to the
hospital bed as NOAH is FLAPPING his arms wildly in his bed.
The nurses attempt
to restrain him.
RACHEL
It’s okay.
It’s okay. You’re fine. It was a
dream, baby. Everything’s alright. You with me?
Noah BREATHES fast
and short, slowly calming.
NOAH
She was here.
RACHEL
Who?
Who was here?
He looks around the
room, frantically. He realizes the
nurses are on him. He PANICS, throwing
them off him.
NOAH
Get away from me! No!
RACHEL
Noah!
It’s okay. Listen to me! They are here to help you. Noah!
He SNAPS out of it,
almost immediately. A nurse walks away,
tossing a SYRINGE inside a BIOHAZARD CONTAINER.
Two other nurses are
plugging him back in. An IV POLE is on
the ground, a nurse raises it from the floor.
RACHEL
Nurse!
Is he alright?
NURSE #1
I’d guess it almost looks like he had a
nightmare of some sort.
RACHEL
You guess?
The nurse grabs a
roll of graph paper.
NURSE #1
Heart rate and pulse are off the charts…
Another nurse is
reading the end of the roll.
NURSE #2
Look right here. It’s almost as if there was a second heart
rate… Look.
TWO JAGGED LINES are
registered at large spikes on the graph paper.
The two nurses look
at each other, amazed. Rachel watches
both of them in shock.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM –
DAY
The NEUROLOGIST walks in with a medical chart, smiling. NOAH and RACHEL are talking quietly at his
bedside.
NEUROLOGIST
How are you feeling today, Mr. Reed?
NOAH
I feel like I’m sick of staring at these
walls.
NEUROLOGIST
Your vitals and charts show improvement. Your MRI from last night showed immediate
improvements from the lesions.
NOAH
Are they gone now?
NEUROLOGIST
Not exactly.
They shrunk in size, which means your hand and arm should start
recovering if they haven’t already. I
want you to see someone in the downtown medical district. His name is Doctor Lindsey. He will be able to further assist you.
NOAH
Assist me in what?
NEUROLOGIST
Your spinal tap results came back
negative. We still have two more tests
we’re waiting on from a lab in Dallas.
However, I do believe you show the classic textbook symptons of Multiple
Sclerosis. Now, you haven’t been
diagnosed… because it takes more than one relapse in order for it to be
classified as being multiple. Hence, the
term Multiple Sclerosis.
NOAH
I’ve heard of Multiple Sclerosis. What is it exactly?
NEUROLOGIST
Multiple Sclerosis, or MS for short, is a
condition of the nervous system where your body starts attacking itself. What’s odd is you are not the typical patient
scenario to have MS.
RACHEL
What do you mean?
NEUROLOGIST
See, what’s strange is mostly it affects
Caucasian females, of European descent, aged 35 to 45.
NOAH
Females, huh?
Gee, lucky me.
NEUROLOGIST
Even more unlikely is your age. Being only 26, and in the part of the world,
you are definitely not the usual case for having MS. That’s why I want to refer you to a colleague
of mine.
NOAH
So you’re passing me on to another doctor,
now? Fantastic.
NEUROLOGIST
There’s nothing to worry about. He’s a specialist and world renowned expert
in MS and MS related therapies. If he
were to diagnose you, he can start you on a daily treatment as soon as
possible. This can and will help prolong
any future relapses.
NOAH
Okay.
So when can I go see him? I’m
going to have to return back to work soon so I don’t get fired.
NEUROLOGIST
I’ll have to schedule you to see him… Probably within two to three weeks from
now. He is not easy to see, since he is
involved in several research groups and sees hundreds of patients regularly. In my professional opinion, he is the best
doctor in the entire field for you to see.
She shakes Rachel
and his hand.
NEUROLOGIST
My
office or Dr. Lindsey’s office will contact you within a few days. I wish you the best of luck. I will have you in my thoughts and prayers,
Mr. and Mrs. Reed.
She exits as the two
look at each other in SILENCE.
INT. APARTMENT – DAY
The front door opens as RACHEL helps NOAH walk inside.
Noah slowly sits
down on the couch and turns on the TV.
RACHEL
You want something to drink?
Noah shakes his
head.
RACHEL
You need anything?
NOAH
Maybe a cigarette…
She
gives him “the look”.
NOAH
No…
I’m fine for right now.
He moves his right
wrist in circles, relieved.
NOAH
My hand is 95% restored, I think. Thank God…
I can’t use the computer or do anything without it.
RACHEL
It doesn’t hurt anymore?
NOAH
Still sore, but it’s much better now. Is this headache ever going to go away? Jeez.
(beat)
Hey… what day is this?
RACHEL
Sunday.
I’ve got my O.B. appointment on Tuesday.
NOAH
Sunday.
HMMPH.
He SIGHS and SLUMPS
in the couch.
INT. APARTMENT
KITCHEN – DAY
RACHEL opens the refrigerator and grabs a bottle of water. She TWISTS the cap and GULPS half the bottle.
She turns, heading back to the living room.
INT. APARTMENT – DAY
RACHEL walks to the couch to find NOAH completely passed out, SNORING.
She gently rubs the
side of his face and covers him with a nearby blanket. She stands up as a SINGLE TEAR rolls down her
face.
INT. APARTMENT
BEDROOM – DAY
RACHEL and NOAH
sleep soundly in their bed as the PHONE is RINGING, RINGING, and RINGING.
Rachel sits up and
snatches the phone clumsily:
RACHEL
(on phone)
Hello?
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
Hello?
Rachel? Is Noah around?
RACHEL
(on phone)
Yes.
Just a minute, sir.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
Thank you.
She gently taps Noah
on the shoulder, STARTLING him.
NOAH
What are you doing?
She hands him the
phone.
RACHEL
(whispering)
It’s Mr. Westinghouse.
He SIGHS.
NOAH
Shit.
She holds up a
finger, shushing him. Noah sits up,
rubbing his eyes.
NOAH
(whispering)
Okay.
Thanks.
NOAH
(on phone)
Hell-
Hello?
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
Noah!
How’s it going buddy? We heard
you were released from the hospital. Is
everything alright?
NOAH
(on phone)
Yeah.
I feel better. Still fighting a
headache from the spinal tap.
The phone cuts in
and out, with an echo.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
That’s good to hear. We’re all glad you’re feeling better. Listen, uh…
We were… We were kinda wondering when you were going to be able to make
it back in, Noah.
NOAH
(on phone)
Am I on speaker?
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
Yes.
I’ve got Patrick here and Dennis with me.
NOAH
(on phone)
Okay.
I guess I don’t know yet. I
really wanted to try and rest here at the house if it is alright with you.
SILENCE on the other
end.
NOAH
(on phone)
I could always dial in and check things out…
you know, work from home for a few days…
If that’s alright, sir?
PATRICK (V.O.)
Hey, Noah?
NOAH
(on phone)
Yes, Patrick?
PATRICK (V.O.)
Glad to hear you’re back home. The reason we are talking to you right now is
we need to know if you need some time off for a while. We can arrange a temporary leave of absence,
so you can heal if you can’t come back right away.
NOAH
(on phone)
What are you saying to me right now? Do you mean without pay or something?
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
Yes. It would be without pay, Noah.
NOAH
(on phone)
But I’ve only been missing 3 days of
work! If you count today, sir. I was mostly in the hospital over the
weekend! I’ve had maybe 2 sick days in 5
years with the company.
SILENCE.
NOAH
(on phone)
So now you’re talking about a leave of
absence? Without pay? Unbelieveable.
Rachel glares at
Noah.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
If you can’t tell us how many days you need
off… or inform us when you’re coming back… Look Noah, we just don’t see a light
at the end of your tunnel right now, that’s all.
NOAH
(on phone)
You don’t see a light at the end of my
tunnel? Are you kidding me? Nevermind you were out for almost 2 months
this year for kidney stones?
Rachel looks at
Noah, shocked.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
(V.O.)
Are you comparing the President of the
company to yourself?
NOAH
(on phone)
Are you suggesting my health isn’t as
important as yours?
PATRICK (V.O.)
Alright.
Noah, take today off and we’ll see how you’re feeling afterwards,
okay? Maybe this won’t even been an
issue. Get some rest, okay Noah?
NOAH
(on phone)
Sure, thanks for your support.
He SLAMS the phone
down on the dresser, irritated.
RACHEL
A leave of absence?
NOAH
Without pay.
I bet they were recording my ass, too.
He has to get the company attorney, and the damn floor manager on
speaker phone to talk to me about that shit?
Cowards.
RACHEL
Patrick?
NOAH
And Dennis!
I’m telling you… they were recording my ass. It had that “feel”. You know?
Rachel rubs his back
softly.
NOAH
Of course when I called him out on his stones
they had nothing to say.
RACHEL
Does that surprise you?
NOAH
I’m expendable. That’s it.
No loyalties anymore, anywhere you go.
I guess it’s time for a new job now for me, too. I feel like I’m falling apart.
He WINCES, grabbing
the side of his head.
RACHEL
Maybe you should lie down, babe. Take it easy.
He lies back slowly
on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
INT. OFFICE – DAY
NOAH stares at his
computer monitor while a program installs.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
enters the office with PATRICK, smiling.
PATRICK
How’s it going, Noah?
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Yeah, glad to see you back, Noah!
NOAH
Thanks.
PATRICK
We thought you were going to take off a few
more days.
NOAH
Gotta pay the bills.
PATRICK
Are you in the middle of something? I have some time if you want to show me that
new program now.
Noah looks over at
his computer screen: 23% complete.
NOAH
No, it’s fine. I can show it to you right quick. I’m just rebuilding my computer since it
flaked on me.
Noah stands up and
walks around the desk towards them.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Is everything okay, now? How’s your head? What did the doctors tell you?
A TALL, SKINNY MAN
enters the office, carrying a clipboard.
SKINNY MAN
Hey!
Look who it is!
NOAH
What’s the word, Dennis?
DENNIS
I heard you came back this morning. Just saying hi. Are you all better, now?
NOAH
Doctors said I might have MS… but they’re not
sure yet.
PATRICK
What’s MS?
NOAH
Multiple Sclerosis. Like I said though, they’re not sure
yet. Have to wait it out and see if I
get another relapse. Ya know, multiple
occurrences. Hence, the multiple
part.
(beat)
They pumped me with 1000cc of some steroid
called Solumedrol through an IV when I was in the hospital… that’s how I got my
hand back.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
Glad you’re back to normal, bud.
He LAUGHS and SLAPS
him on the back.
MR. WESTINGHOUSE
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
NOAH
Doctors said I had holes in my brains… Oh, and my spinal cord, too.
He SMIRKS as Mr.
Westinghouse and Patrick look at each other.
Their smiles turn to frowns.
NOAH
So, uh… you ready to see the new program for
accounting?
PATRICK
We’ll need Rachel for this, too… right?
NOAH
Oh, I thought you wanted to see it run
first. She’s at the doctor today.
PATRICK
Let’s take a look. I’m afraid I won’t be able to see it the rest
of the week.
DENNIS
Hey, Noah?
When you get done there, could you come out on the floor and take a look
at something for me?
He NODS at
Dennis. All four walk out the office,
into the hallway.
INT. COLLECTION
FLOOR – DAY
NOAH opens the main
door and walks inside, looking around.
The floor is busy with BILL COLLECTORS calling debtors.
BILL COLLECTORS stop
immediately and look up, confused as Noah walks by each station. The computers are powering off as Noah walks
past.
Noah gives a
perplexed look at each collector as he approaches DENNIS:
DENNIS
Hey, come check this out…
NOAH
Did you see this over here? The floor is shutting down.
DENNIS
What?
They return to the
front. Collectors are sitting around,
chatting amongst each other.
DENNIS
Did you see what happened?
NOAH
Yeah, the computers started turning off as I
walked pass them.
DENNIS
Are you sabotaging my floor, Noah?
He SMIRKS at
him. He stands on a chair:
DENNIS
Everyone!
Listen up! I need all of you to
reach down and attempt to turn your computers back on. We need to get back to work, people!
The entire floor
complies. Dennis jumps off the chair and
looks on. The computers do not power up.
Noah leans over and
speaks quietly in Dennis’ ear. He nods
at Noah:
DENNIS
Okay!
I need everyone to walk around their stations, and unplug the black cord
on the back of your computer! Unplug it,
and let it fall down to the ground.
He looks back at
Noah. Noah answers, nodding.
DENNIS
Let your power cord touch the ground, and do
not touch it. You are letting the
computer ground itself to the floor.
When you have finished that, pick it up and plug it back in… After that, please attempt to turn your
workstation back on!
The collection floor
complies and the computers boot up.
Noah SIGHS,
relieved.
NOAH
Power spike…
So you wanted me to see something?
DENNIS
Follow me.
INT. COLLECTION FLOOR
WORKSTATION – DAY
DENNIS is hunkered
over a collector station with NOAH sitting in the chair. They both stare at the computer screen,
confused.
C.U. LOG ON SCREEN:
User ID is “AMP”.
Noah tries to
BACKSPACE the username, but can’t.
NOAH
The collector said what didn’t work?
DENNIS
Both the keyboard and mouse.
Noah moves the mouse
around, nothing.
NOAH
This computer didn’t shut down either, did
it?
Dennis shakes his
head. Noah looks over at the phone on
the desk:
C.U. FLICKERING
PHONE LCD SCREEN: EXT 0666.
Noah pushes in and
holds the power button on the computer.
It shuts off, displaying a black screen on the monitor.
NOAH
I’m going to get another keyboard and
mouse. Be right back.
He stands up as they
walk away from the station.
COLLECTOR (O.S.)
Dennis!
Noah!
They turn, a
COLLECTOR is pointing to the same computer.
SMOKE lingers out
the rear power supply vents. Noah RUSHES
to the computer, unplugging the power cord, and all wires.
Noah and Dennis eye
each other, overwhelmed.
INT. APARTMENT – DAY
RACHEL watches
television as the front door opens. NOAH
walks inside, exhausted.
He walks to Rachel
and sits on the couch, kissing her.
NOAH
Hi.
RACHEL
How was your day?
NOAH
Crazy.
What happened at the doctor?
RACHEL
He said I had an abnormal ultrasound. They took a bunch of blood work. Should be calling back in a few days with the
results.
NOAH
What do you mean, abnormal ultrasound?
RACHEL
Don’t know.
Doctor said there’s a heartbeat, but it’s irregular. And I’m spotting. That’s why we didn’t think I was pregnant at
first. I was still bleeding… still am.
NOAH
Are you okay?
RACHEL
Yeah.
I don’t feel right. Something’s
wrong with me, I know it.
NOAH
You hungry?
She shakes her head.
RACHEL
I hope the baby’s okay.
He hugs her.
NOAH
Me, too… honey. Me, too.
INT. EMPTY COLLECTION FLOOR – NIGHT
NOAH is walking towards the front doors.
He FLICKS off the light switch and hears a THUD.
He turns around and squints in the darkness.
The only light is from hundreds of computer monitors staring back at
him.
Noah slowly walks
through the L-Shaped dark floor… nothing.
He turns around and heads slowly back to the front doors.
As he rears the
corner: A SILLIOUTTE OF A SHORT WOMAN
The SAME WOMAN WITH
LONG BLACK HAIR stands at the doors! She
stares coldly at Noah, emotionless.
INT. APARTMENT
BEDROOM – NIGHT
NOAH sits up, abruptly in the bed.
RACHEL sleeps heavily by his side.
He looks at the alarm clock: 3:33 AM.
NOAH
Jeez.
INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE
– DAY
RACHEL is lying on
an examination table with her legs up.
A MALE DOCTOR is
viewing an ULTRASOUND MONITOR as NOAH watches on, standing nearby.
DOCTOR
I’m glad you both could make it in this
morning in such short notice.
NOAH
Everything okay?
RACHEL
Is something wrong with my baby?
The doctor stands up
from his chair and removes his latex gloves.
He removes the
stirrups and walks over, turning the lights back on.
DOCTOR
What we have here is a partial molar
pregnancy. This occurs once in every one
thousand pregnancies.
NOAH
One, in one thousand?
(SCOFFS)
Gee, lucky us.
RACHEL
Is the baby okay?
DOCTOR
For the last few weeks, your baby was growing
at a tremendous rate.
Today the heart beat is too slow, and it
appears the growing has stopped. We are
going to schedule you for a DNC. I’m
sorry. This one was not meant to be.
RACHEL
Oh, God.
No…
She starts
CRYING. Noah stands up and holds her
hand, staring at the floor.
DOCTOR
I’m going to need to see you at least once a
week, so we can monitor this and make sure everything is removed so it doesn’t
return. The odds of you having another
molar pregnancy are 1%. I’m going to
schedule your DNC for this week, and a follow-up for next week, okay?
She nods and wipes
the tears from her face, biting her bottom lip.
DOCTOR
I’ll be right back with some paperwork.
He slips quietly
through the door.
NOAH
Raych…
Do you believe we’re cursed?
RACHEL
What?!
NOAH
Do you realize how much bad shit has happened
to us since we came back from that house?
RACHEL
Stop it, Noah.
NOAH
No, Seriously. Everything my ass touches literally falls
apart. The computers at work, at home…
even you, now!
RACHEL
It’s all big coincidences. That’s it.
NOAH
Come on, Rach. Ever since we been back, I’m telling
you. I been having these nightmares,
too.
RACHEL
What nightmares?
NOAH
The woman.
From the painting… long black hair.
The photos I took.
RACHEL
What?!
NOAH
Drea… day severed her… damnit. I can’t even talk right. I see her everywhere! In my dreams… even in the daytime. I even saw her on the boat several times.
RACHEL
And you didn’t tell me this before?
NOAH
I thought I was going crazy. I didn’t want to tell you. You’d just look at me like you are right now.
RACHEL
So you finally decide to tell me now?
NOAH
Yeah, so?
Happenow, takenough… Damn. My
speech is all fucked up.
(slowly)
I think enough shit has happened to us by
now. I can’t take it anymore!
The DOCTOR returns
with a stack of paperwork, handing it to Noah.
DOCTOR
A nurse will call you this afternoon or
tomorrow with your surgery date and time.
This is some paperwork telling you about all the precautions of the
surgery. Do not eat after midnight
before your surgery, things like that.
Don’t worry, this is a routine surgery and everything should be
fine. You’ll be good as new within a few
days afterwards.
RACHEL
Everything should be fine? I just lost my baby, and you’re telling me
everything should be fine? I’ve got a
dead fetus inside me! Everything will
not be fine!
She BURSTS into
tears, again.
DOCTOR
I’m very sorry, Mrs. Reed. One way to look at this is that the baby
wasn’t going to develop properly. There
would have been several birth defects, most likely. Think of this as nature’s way of preventing
you and the baby from having to go through all that.
Rachel calms down
slowly and takes a DEEP BREATH.
RACHEL
Okay.
NOAH
Thank you, Doctor.
Noah and the Doctor
shake hands.
DOCTOR
We’ll see you soon. Try to go home and get some rest. If anything else should develop, please call
me. Unusually heavy bleeding, swelling,
pain, or anything like that.
NOAH
Okay.
Thanks.
The doctor exits the
room. Noah picks up Rachel’s folded
clothes and hands them to her.
INT. APARTMENT
BEDROOM – DAY
RACHEL lies in bed
watching television, groggy.
SUPER: A WEEK LATER.
NOAH walks in the
bedroom carrying a soda and hands it to her.
NOAH
You need anything else?
RACHEL
No, I’m fine.
Thanks.
NOAH
Howpi… wok.
(SIGHS)
(slowly)
How are those pills working for you?
RACHEL
Still sore…
Still depressed.
NOAH
I know, honey.
A LOUD RING, RING,
RING. Noah is startled, Rachel is
indifferent.
Noah answers the
phone:
NOAH
(on phone)
Hello?
NURSE (V.O.)
Is this Mr. Noah Reed?
NOAH
(on phone)
Yes, it’s me.
NURSE (V.O.)
This is Dr. Lindsey’s office. We have an appointment scheduled for you this
Friday at 3.
NOAH
(on phone)
Friday at 3?
No problem, I’ll be there. Thank
you.
NURSE (V.O.)
Okay, thank you very much. Good-bye.
He hangs up the
phone.
NOAH
App… Appointment on Fri… Friday at 3… the MS
specialist.
RACHEL
Kay.
NOAH
I’m getting really sick of doctors
lately. You know?
RACHEL
Yeah.
Tell me about it.
INT. DOCTOR
LINDSEY’S OFFICE – DAY
AN OLDER DOCTOR
stands, reading over a medical chart.
NOAH sits on an examination table.
RACHEL is seated on
a nearby chair.
DOCTOR LINDSEY
Mr. Reed.
The only thing abnormal about your spinal fluid was an abnormal myelin
protein count. Based on the MRIs… your
jumbled speech patterns… I’d say you have MS.
Since we’re not sure yet, we’re going to start you on a daily injection
called Copaxone.
NOAH
Di… Did you say daily?
DOCTOR LINDSEY
This can be somewhat controlled with this
type of therapy. We’ve got ten years of
research with this injection, so don’t worry.
If you develop another relapse, we’ll have to put you on a much stronger
injection called interferons.
NOAH
Sta…day. (SIGHS)
(slowly,
irritatedly)
You mean I have to stab myself every day… for
the rest of my life?
DOCTOR LINDSEY
This will prevent future relapses from
occurring.
NOAH
(slowly)
Will this cure me?
DOCTOR LINDSEY
Unfortunately we don’t know enough about this
debilitating disease, so there is no cure yet.
This will prolong your condition.
NOAH
Great.
So’s… So all this does is buh-buy me time.
Rachel shakes her
head at Noah, SHUSHING him.
DOCTOR LINDSEY
I understand how difficult this can be to
ascertain. We will have a nurse contact
you shortly on how to properly inject yourself with an Autoject.
NOAH
What’s that?
DOCTOR LINDSEY
It’s a plastic injector apparatus you stick
the syringes inside, in order to inject yourself easier.
(beat)
I will have the pharmacy send you a 30 day
supply of syringes to your address.
NOAH
So what you’re say…saying is I have MS?
Rachel looks out the
window, concerned. Noah is completely
overwhelmed.
DOCTOR LINDSEY
I don’t want to diagnose you, yet. We need to see how your body reacts to the
injections first. After another relapse,
I will officially diagnose you as having Multiple Sclerosis.
NOAH
Okay, so… so how will you know the injections
are wok…working or not for me?
DOCTOR LINDSEY
I’ll see you again in 3 months. We’ll take more MRI scans then, and see if
the lesions have shrunk, or if more have developed.
The doctor writes in
his chart. He stands up, smiling politely
and the two shake hands.
NOAH
Thugh… Thank you, doctor.
DOCTOR LINDSEY
We’ll see you soon.
INT. APARTMENT –
OFFICE – DAY
NOAH stands in the
middle of the home office, talking on a phone:
STATIC
NOAH
(on phone)
We were there fff…five or sss…six months ago.
FEMALE JAMAICAN
VOICE (V.O.)
What can I do for you, Mr. Reed?
The phone cuts in
and out, STATIC.
NOAH
(on phone, slowly)
How do I rever… reverse this? My wife had a misss…carriage, I got
le…lesions on my brain… I was
hosss…pital…lized for a week!
FEMALE JAMAICAN
VOICE (V.O.)
I can assure you. That house isn’t
haunted. It’s all stories.
NOAH
(on phone)
Sss…something’s happened to us! I’m not making this up, lady. Listen to my talking!
FEMALE JAMAICAN
VOICE (V.O.)
There is no curse, sir. I’m sorry for you recent bad luck.
A HIGH PITCHED TONE,
CRACKLING.
NOAH
(on phone)
Hello?
Hello?
BEEP! He hangs up the phone, setting it
on the table.
NOAH
Damn.
EXT. APARTMENT –
BALCONY – DAY
A BBQ PIT, with
flames burning hot. A stack of ROSE HALL
PHOTOGRAPHS is TOSSED onto the flames.
NOAH stands over the
BBQ pit as the flames engulf the photos in seconds. The heat causes Noah to stand back, COUGHING.
A WOODEN JAMAICAN
PIPE is thrown into the flames. FILM
NEGATIVES follow the pipe as everything WHOOSHES, turning into ashes.
RRRrrrr as the
sliding glass door opens.
RACHEL walks outside
next to Noah, with a surprised look.
RACHEL
What are you doing?
NOAH
Burn…Burning everything that had to do with
that… that house.
RACHEL
What?
NOAH
Anything that had to do with Row…Rose Hall,
Rachel. Fo…Photos, gifts, souvenirs,
anything… even the negatives.
RACHEL
Why did you have to all that? It’s just coincidence, Noah. You didn’t have to destroy everything like
that.
NOAH
It’s for the better, trust me.
RACHEL
You’re paranoid again.
NOAH
Am I?
My brain has turned to Swiss cheese…
The miscarriage? Problems with
our jobs? I got fuh…fucking
Dementia. I can’t ta…talk right! Listen to me!
RACHEL
You sound fine to me… you’re just stuttering
a little as you talk.
NOAH
Tha…That’s because it’s lie…like my brain is
going a million miles, but my mouth can’t ke…keep up with what I’m trying to
sa…say to you. I…I can’t exsssplain tit.
He is very
irritated.
NOAH
See?
Uh, huh… Tha…That’s a little to…too coincidental.
RACHEL
It’s a little weird, but things happen. All the time.
Don’t just blame it all on that house.
I told you ghosts aren’t real.
NOAH
YYYou know how ssssome cultures believe when
you tay…take a photo of someone, you steal their soul?
RACHEL
Ya, so?
NOAH
Some back to… to us…
(SIGHS)
Damn it!
(slowly,
irritatedly)
Well maybe I brought something back with us…
I…I don’t know. Just let me have my own
pee…piece of mind, okay?
She rolls her eyes
and walks back inside the apartment.
SLAM! The sliding glass door shuts behind her.
Noah stares off into
the flames in SILENCE.
EXT. TWO CAR GARAGE
– DAY
A LINCOLN TRUCK pulls up as a garage door opens. The truck parks inside slowly. A RED SPORTS CAR is parked beside the truck.
SUPER: TWO YEARS LATER…
The truck door opens
slowly and NOAH gets out, closing the door behind him. He is carrying grocery bags as he flips a
switch to close the garage door.
INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN – DAY
NOAH dressed in a
SUIT, walks inside. He THUMPS the
grocery bags down on the kitchen island.
NOAH
Honey?
He empties the
groceries on the counter. A package of
diapers, baby formula, and wipes…
RACHEL (O.S.)
Daddy’s home!
(louder)
We’re in here, babe!
He snatches the
diapers.
INT. HOUSE – LIVING
ROOM – DAY
RACHEL is BURPING a
4 MONTH BABY BOY, smiling as NOAH enters carrying the diapers.
NOAH
There’s my baby boy! And how’s mommy doing?
RACHEL
Say hi there, daddy… Hello…
He won’t burp.
Noah reaches down
and KISSES Rachel, then the baby.
NOAH
Trade ya!
He hands her the
diapers as he grabs the baby from her, making his attempt at burping the baby.
RACHEL
Thank goodness… We only had like 2 left. Did you get more formula?
NOAH
Yup.
Rachel takes the
diapers and walks into a bedroom.
RACHEL (O.S.)
How did the interview go?
Noah continues
PATTING the baby’s back, finally – a BURP! from the baby.
He smirks and
SNICKERS.
NOAH
(loudly)
Nope!
It wasn’t for me. No insurance
offered to cover my injections…
The
baby JUMPS, startled. Noah LAUGHS at
this.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Did it pay enough?
NOAH
(loudly)
It paid well, but I’d basically be working
for insurance. Not enough to pay the
bills.
RACHEL (O.S.)
That sucks.
NOAH
Yeah, I’ll find something. We’ll make it. For now, I’ll just keep selling
t-shirts. Christmas will being coming up
soon again. Maybe we’ll have another
great season.
Rachel walks back in
the living room smiling.
RACHEL
COBRA insurance doesn’t expire until February
anyway… That still buys us some time.
NOAH
(talking to baby)
I gots the skills to pay the bills. You know it.
Yeah. You know it.
She rolls her eyes,
smiling. She gets in the baby’s face:
RACHEL
Hi there, pumpkin!
(beat)
Hi there, bumpkin! Your daddy… he’s so silly!
The baby SMILES huge
as the proud parents LAUGH happily.
EXT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– BURIAL GROUNDS – DAY
Another TOUR GROUP
of approximately TEN PROPLE stands around the stone burial tomb of Annie
Palmer. ZELDA begins walking back
towards the house.
The group slowly
mingles, taking photos.
FOUR COLLEGE STUDENTS are laughing and joking around. One is snapping photos with a digital camera.
COLLEGE STUDENT #1
Tim!
Take a photo of the crack.
TIM
Got it already.
COLLEGE STUDENT #1
Cool.
EXT. ROSE HALL HOUSE
– WOODED PATH – DAY
The TOUR GROUP
begins walking up the hill past the WOOD CARVING JAMAICAN MAN.
TIM
PSS, Hey Rick…
One of the students
stops and turns around.
RICK
Yeah, what?
TIM
Get over here.
Rick SCOFFS.
RICK
What, dude?
Come on man, let’s go. They’re
gonna leave us here.
TIM looks around carefully, and bends over.
He reaches down and picks up a stone from the ground. He tosses it in his hands and inspects
it.
He stands up and
waits patiently, making sure no one is looking.
The wood carving man
smiles as he glances quickly at Tim shoving the stone in his pocket.
EXT. TOUR BUS – DAY
The FOUR COLLEGE
STUDENTS hop on the bus, taking seats at the front.
The rest of the
GROUP enters with ZELDA waving goodbye.
INT. TOUR BUS – DAY
TIM looks tiredly
out the window of the front seat. Bored,
he looks around and fishes the stone out of his pocket.
THE BUS DRIVER is
driving erratically while the THREE other students look nervously out
windshield.
The bus hits a dip
in the road with a loud KA-THUMP! The
stone flies out of the Tim’s hand, landing at his feet.
Tim reaches down and
attempts to pick it up:
A HAND reaches THE STONE, but the stone SLIDES forward as the bus SCREECHES the
brakes.
COLLEGE STUDENT #2
Hey!
Easy on the brakes, dude. We
ain’t got seat belts back here, bra.
Tim looks up. A slow moving car is ahead, brake lights
illuminated.
The bus driver
HONKS.
The stone falls over
the edge of the door steps. A TINK! He looks down and spots: THE STONE.
With a startled
look, he grabs the sliding door handle.
He promptly opens the door to let it fall outside.
TIM
Wait!
What are you doing?
The bus driver turns
around, angrily:
BUS DRIVER
Where did you get that from?
TIM
I found it.
That’s mine! Close the door,
man. It’s gonna fall out.
BUS DRIVER
I said, where did you get that? Did you take that from the house?
The student’s
hesitation answers him.
Several HONKS from
other cars ZOOMING past.
SEVERAL PASSENGERS
are SCREAMING:
PASSENGERS
Look!
Watch out!
RICK
Yeah… Watch the road, old man!
The bus driver spins
around to look at the passengers.
Everyone is pointing to the windshield.
The bus driver turns
back around and looks in horror:
FRONT OF ANOTHER
TOUR BUS
The buses swerve
into each other with a terrible CRUNCH.
EXT. JAMAICAN WINDING ROAD – DAY
The DRIVER, the FOUR
STUDENTS, and some other passengers fly right through the windshield, into the
other tour bus’ windshield.
The bus slowly tips over on its right side, sliding down the ditch, completely
SMASHED.
BEATEN PASSENGERS are SCREAMING as both buses get dragged down the coastline.
Cars are scattered
behind and in front of the terrible scene.
They desperately swerve out of harm’s way.
Witnesses are climbing out of their cars, surveying the accident. Some are running down the coast line, trying
to assess the wreckage.
A JAMAICAN picks up
a stone in the middle of the road, puzzled.
FADE OUT:
END CREDITS