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"THE BLACK LAGOON" BY BRENT SALTZMAN FIRST DRAFT 7-18-2004 FADE IN: We see a collection of files, like FBI files. Fingerprints and data flash by, along with a several photographs of deceased people before autopsies. Some photos of reptile- looking FOOTPRINTS, and finally some very blurry and distorted photos of a strange CREATURE. EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON—RAINING—NIGHT Thunder rains supreme as a medium sized FISHING BOAT moves into the lagoon through a large ESTUARY that is connected to a much large body of water. SUPER "BISHOPSVILLE, PA" (fictional town) The fishing boat rocks steadily in the violent waters as rain beats on the deck. INT. CABIN—BOAT The cabin is little, with a steering wheel and several throttle. A FISHERMAN dressed in John Deere-type clothes. He smokes a cigarette. A RADIO blares COUNTRY MUSIC. EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON The boat cruises into what seems like a huge COVE, the BLACK LAGOON. It is surrounded all around by thick forest. There is one lone TWO-STORY house along a small beach, which nestles in a gap in the forestry. There is a DOCK sticking about twenty feet out into the water. There is a SMALL METAL BOAT tied to one of the dock's dikes. INT. CABIN—BOAT The FISHERMAN hears a SPLASH OFF-SCREEN. He turns around. P.O.V.—FISHERMAN. We see through the open door to the deck that there is nothing but rain and darkness. He takes another puff of his cigarette and turns back towards the controls. EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON—NIGHT FOCUS ON: The ships engines STALL and the WAKE it once created dips into the depths. The ship simply DRIFTS with momentum. INT. CABIN—BOAT The lights FLICKER and finally go out. The FISHERMAN looks around. We can only hear the rain bleating on the hull and deck. INT. ENGINE ROOM—BOAT We see only PITCH BLACK. Suddenly, a line of MOONLIGHT shines in through an opening DOOR. The FISHERMAN walks into the dark room holding a FLASHLIGHT. He flashes the light around, giving us our first view of the interior. The room is musty and seemingly clustered with metal objects and control panels. There is a large ENGINE along the wall at the end of the room. The FISHERMAN walks up to the engine and we get a clearer view of it with the aide of the flashlight. It is DESTROYED. Shards of metal stick out and wires are ripped to shreds and scattered all over the floor. FISHERMAN What in God's name…? SUDDENLY, we hear a SLAM OFF-SCREEN. The FISHERMAN looks up towards the ceiling. We hear creaking coming through the ceiling…there is SOMETHING walking on the deck above! EXT. DECK—BOAT A HATCH opens in the floor of the deck. The FISHERMAN climbs out and closes the door, flashlight in hand. SUDDENLY, he drops the flashlight and it falls back into the engine room. FISHERMAN God dammit. He leans down and reaches his hand down into the engine room and grabs the FLSHLIGHT off the staircase leading down. He lifts the flashlight and we see that it is BROKEN. The FISHERMAN holds it to his face and HITS it, the true American way to fix things. The light flickers on and (JUMP SCENE) we see a dark SHADOWY FIGURE flash by the door to the cabin…there is someone inside. The FISHERMAN stares, his eyes glowing fearful, yet curious. FISHERMAN Hello? What are you doing on my boat? I'm going to have you arrested, I hope you know that! There is NO RESPONSE, all remains eerily silent. The FISHERMAN moves towards the boat quietly, every footstep creaking is annunciated. Quietly, he moves through the doorway and into the cabin. INT. CABIN—BOAT The LIGHTS suddenly flash back on and the radio resumes playing COUNTRY MUSIC. The FISHERMAN SIGHS, then puts the flashlight down. He slips a cigarette into his mouth and pulls out a lighter. His hand free hand closes around the flame as he turns to walk out the door to the deck. JUMP SCENE. P.O.V.—FISHERMAN. We see a clawed, distorted HAND SWIPE the screen, bringing us into darkness. FADE IN TO… EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON—DAY ESTABLISHING SHOT. The lagoon's water is glassy, almost completely devoid of any waves. We can see the HOUSE by the lagoon, there seem to be no other houses for miles; a long dirt road leads into the forest from the house's DRIVEWAY. SUPER "TWO YEARS LATER." INT. LIVING ROOM—HOUSE—DAY There are BOXES scattered about the room, some opened, others still sealed and various words like "LIVING ROOM" and "FRAGILE" written in black marker across them. There is BASIC FURNITURE, some chairs, a coffee table, and entertainment center within the massive clutter. LUKE PENNINGS, a middle-aged very built man pulls wipes off the top of the entertainment center with a cloth. His DAUGHTER, KAY PENNINGS walks into the room from the kitchen. She is a pretty teenager, with deep red curly hair tied back and a slightly southern accent. KAY The phone's working in the kitchen. LUKE smiles, he speaks with a grin and cheery attitude, but it is obvious that something is troubling him. LUKE Oh, that's good honey. Later on when we finish unpacking, you can call your friends and have them visit, or something. Luke smiles, then turns back to dusting the table. He SWIPES back and forth with the rag. Behind him, Kay still stands looking at him. She speaks with curiosity, like she knows something's up. KAY Daddy, you've cleaning that for twenty minutes, now. Luke abruptly stops and SIGHS. He STUTTERS as he speaks. LUKE Well I've just go, I'm almost finished and… Kay speaks softly. KAY It's my fist house without her, too. Luke SIGHS and drops the rag onto the top of the ENTERTAINMENT CENTER. He walks over to one of the chairs and plops down in it. Kay walks over and consoles him. LUKE Yeah, your mother would've loved this place. A dock and no civilization for a mile. Great price, too! KAY So I've heard. Kay HUGS her father. Luke pats her on the back. LUKE Look, what do you say we rent a movie and order pizza tonight, huh? There's gotta be a decent pizza place in this town somewhere, and maybe a Blockbuster or something. Why don't you go look it up? KAY Sure, daddy. Kay gets up and walks off screen. Luke leans his head back against the back of the chair. He SIGHS deeply. We hear a DOORBELL RING off-screen. Luke GRUNTS and gets up and walks towards the door. AT THE FOYER, Luke answers the door to reveal DAVID WELLS, a young man with a backpack. He almost looks like a younger version of LUKE. LUKE (curiously) Hello? DAVID SMILES and searches his pocket. He pulls out a piece of CUMPLED PAPER and unfolds it. He reads it. DAVID Is this the residence of a Mister…Lucas Pennings? LUKE Yes, that's me. DAVID sticks his hand out and SHAKES with Luke. DAVID Hi, I'm David Wells. Luke still isn't sure who the kid is. LUKE I'm Luke. DAVID I'm here about renting a room. Luke's eyes widen, he remembers now. LUKE Oh, right, right. DAVID I saw the ad in the paper, and I just- LUKE No, no, I mean, yes, great. Hey, I'll show you your room. JUST THEN, SARAH THE DOG runs past LUKE and DAVID and flies out the door. They both look curiously at her as she barks furiously at the woods, like barking at some sort of invisible force only she can see. LUKE looks curiously, then concludes: LUKE She must see squirrels. She's really, a very nice dog, one you get to know her. DAVID smiles and nods. BEHIND THEM, IN THE HALL, we see KAY walk up behind LUKE clutching a CORDLESS PHONE. KAY Daddy, there's a pizza place and a Bob's movie rental or something and- She stops when she sees DAVID, her eyes become glassy and her tone becomes nervous. She has a thing for DAVID. KAY (to DAVID) Hi. LUKE Oh, David, this is my daughter Kay, Kay, meet Mr. Wells. DAVID WAVES gently. She WAVES BACK even slower, still staring at him as if in a trance. LUKE notices KAY'S obvious attraction towards DAVID. LUKE (to DAVID) Yup, my sixteen-year old daughter. KAY snaps from her trance. KAY Dad, I'm eightee- LUKE INTERRUPTS her. LUKE Sixteen. He LIED. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—HOUSE—DAY The upstairs is BASIC, with a long wooden hall with two doors on each side. A CIRCUIT BREAKER BOX is posted on the wall at the end of the hall. DAVID, grasping two DUFFLE BAGS, follows LUKE up the stairs and into the hall. LUKE There's three of us, I cover Kay, but you get a third of the utilities. That'll be your rent. DAVID (looking around) Sounds good, sounds good. INT. DAVID'S ROOM—HOUSE DAVID and LUKE enter DAVID'S ROOM, which is about mid- sized, with a closet and a bed. The floors are WOODEN, like throughout the rest of the house, and there is a single window. DAVID puts his bags on the ground. LUKE This is yours. There are two power outlets and a phone jack, which, may I remind you if you use then you get an extra bill. DAVID Gotcha. Luke SIGHS, then points to the CLOSET. LUKE One more thing. LUKE walks over to the closet and opens it. DAVID peaks around to see a large, walk-in closet with wooden floors. LUKE puts pressure on some boards with his foot, and we clearly see them give a little. LUKE Some of these boards are loose, but it won't be too much of a problem. DAVID Okay. LUKE walks to the doorframe. DAVID sits down on the bed. LUKE turns around and addresses DAVID. LUKE Well, I have some things to unpack. Hey, we're gonna watch a movie tonight, you should join us. DAVID Sure. LUKE smiles and turns around to walk out the door. DAVID calls him off screen. DAVID Hey, Luke…thanks a lot. LUKE NODS. He walks out the door. EXT. BLACK LAGOON—SUNSET The lagoon is orange, reflecting the slowly setting sun. EXT. DOCKS—LAGOON LUKE walks along the dock. He is eating something. He walks to the end of the dock where a SMALL BOAT is tied to one of the supports. It floats on the glassy surface. The boat is only about ten feet long, metal and cluttered with ropes and discarded fishing equipment. LUKE sighs and KICKS a small ROCK off the deck and into the boat. It lands with an clearly audible CLANK. SUDDENY, we hear a SPLASH coming from underneath the dock. LUKE looks around but sees nothing. HE SHRUGS and finishes whatever he was eating. He begins to walk back towards the shore. ANOTHER SPLASH! LUKE stops and looks around curiously. After a few beats, he takes another few steps. ANOTHER SERIES OF SPLASHES! Whatever it is seems to be following LUKE underneath the dock. LUKE walks a little faster, and it is clear there is something WADING underneath the dock, following LUKE'S footsteps. LUKE stops, trembling. He leans down carefully, quietly, and then…HE WHIPS HIS HEAD DOWNWARD TO SEE UNDERNEATH THE DOCK. P.O.V.—LUKE. There is NOTHING. The water is glassy and flat. There seems to be no sign of anything that might've been there. LUKE stands up and CHUCKLES a little, then walks off the dock onto the shore. INT. DAVID'S ROOM—SUNSET DAVID'S books are scattered on the floor around his duffle bag. He sits on his bed, which he has placed close to the wall, and places the books on a wooden bookshelf. We hear low-volume ROCK MUSIC coming from a radio on his BED STAND. KAY walks in with a plate. On the plate is a SANDWICH. DAVID doesn't notice her. She knocks on the open door gently. DAVID looks over. DAVID Hi. KAY (nervously) Hi. There is a brief pause, before DAVID breaks the silence. DAVID So…what's up? KAY seems to jump out of a trance and walks in quickly. She tries not to look at him as she places the plate on the bed. She glances around the room as she talks, very softly. KAY I made you a sandwich, I thought you might be hungry. DAVID Oh, thanks. DAVID starts putting back books, he seems to be a student. KAY sits down on the bed next to him. She looks even more nervous than she did before. She crosses her arms when she talks, trying not to look at him as he continues to put away books. KAY So what do you do? DAVID What do you mean? KAY I mean, um, what, do you have a job, what are doing here in Bishopsville? DAVID puts away the last book and squeezes the row of books so they are perfectly aligned. He then gets up and unzips another duffle bag. He pulls out clothes and starts putting them into drawers in an old-looking dresser. He SPEAKS as he works. DAVID Well, I graduated from school in Philadelphia- KAY (excitedly) College? DAVID chuckles. Then continues putting away clothes. DAVID No, no, no. I actually managed to get through high school, then got rejected from Pitt, then Penn State, and now I'm here. I don't know, maybe I can find a job in town somewhere and, grow up a little. KAY puts her hands in her lap and looks at the floor, not sure what to say. She is very NERVOUS. KAY So, uh, what do you like to do? I mean, hobbies or anything? DAVID lays down on his bed. DAVID Fishing. You gotta love fishing. In Philly, we used to fish in this lake in the winter, the fish were bigger in the winter for some reason. It's great here, I've heard that no one ever fishes in the lake out back, it's bound to be filled with good fish. KAY smiles. KAY (stupidly) There's a boat out back. DAVID chuckles. He raises his right wrist and suddenly looks worried. He looks over at KAY. DAVID (concerned) Hey, have you seen my watch? KAY Not around here, no. She moves her head around like she's looking for it. DAVID gets up and starts going through his drawers. DAVID It's silver and it has my name on the back. KAY You mean like a description? DAVID An inscription. KAY looks embarrassed. INT. FOYER—HOUSE We hear a KNOCKING at the door. LUKE walks into the frame and answers to reveal RITA, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and sporting a business- type dress. She is carrying a PLATE with aluminum foil covering whatever's on it. She smiles almost unnaturally. LUKE Hi. RITA Hello, there. I'm Rita, I'm your new secretary. LUKE seems confused. LUKE Excuse me…? RITA At the office? You are Mr. Pennings, right? I'm working down at the therapists office, and I, heard you're the new therapist. LUKE Oh, well, thanks for introducing yourself, Rita. You wanna come in? INT. LIVING ROOM—HOUSE RITA and LUKE walk into the living room. LUKE shows her around. LUKE Yeah, it's pretty basic; kitchen, upstairs, there's no dining room, but who cares. It was the lake that really got me. RITA smiles and places the DISH onto the coffee table and sits down on the couch. She crosses her legs and sighs. LUKE looks at her confused. RITA So what does Mrs. Pennings think of the house? LUKE'S eyes grow a little dim. He speaks softly. LUKE She…isn't around anymore. RITA turns sympathetic. RITA Oh, I'm sorry. (changes tone to cheerier) So, how much did you pay for the place? LUKE sits down in a chair next to the couch. He pats his lips as he thinks. LUKE Well, actually, it wasn't expensive. As a matter of fact, I might be able to pay it off in a year or two. I got a…I got a good deal, for once in my life. RITA grunts silently. She puts her hands behind her head as she relaxes. LUKE looks her over…she seems like a gold- digging type of girl. Her attitude dims slightly. RITA Well, it's amazing anyone would buy this place after what happened. LUKE'S facial expression turns confused. He looks at her questionably. LUKE What is this? RITA Well, I mean, after the Ponchman incident, people wouldn't come near this place for months. It's just amazing someone would buy it. LUKE What was, the Ponchman incident? RITA looks confused now. RITA So you bought this place and the owner didn't tell you about Ponchman, the murderer? LUKE (slightly angry) No he forgot to mention it. RITA Why Gary Ponchman was a murderer, Mr. Pennings. He lived right here in this very house. He was arrested when bodies started showing up around the house. There is a brief pause. RITA sits up and leans forward. DAVID is staring at the floor with a fiery look of awestruck/anger in his eyes. RITA (softly) I can't believe you didn't know that. DAVID'S eyes make contact with RITA'S. For that brief moment, his eyes look like the eyes of a murderer. INT. KITCHEN—HOUSE—NIGHT The KITCHEN is basic, with a table and counter. CRICKETS chirp in the background, we see through a window above the sink that it is dark outside. DAVID sits at the table. He holds the cordless phone to his ear. After a brief silence on our end, DAVID speaks softly, as he usually does. DAVID (into phone) Yes, Ray, but I think that if a murderer lived here, that would be necessary knowledge….I know I signed the lease and…yeah, yeah. (another pause) Look, Ray. I love the house. I'm moved in and I'm already renting a room, and I do not appreciate being lied to. (another pause. His tone rises throughout his next statement) I know, you didn't lie to me, but I still think you should've mentioned it before I put down everything I had for this goddamn house! LUKE presses the hang-up button on the phone and SAMS it down on the table. He SIGHS heavily and puts his hand to his chest to think. It is obvious he isn't very happy about his newest transaction. EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON—NIGHT During the night, the lagoon is beautiful yet mysterious. The moonlight reflects marvelously off the glassy surface of the water. We see a strange SHAPE moving along the DOCK. Getting closer, we see that the shape is… EXT. DOCKS—NIGHT …DAVID. He walks along the dock carrying a TACKLE BOX, a FISHING ROD, and sporting a circular FISHERMAN'S HAT. He WHISTLES as he walks. He reaches the end of dock and looks down at the boat with slight disappointment. FOCUS ON: The boat is a WRECK, cluttered with ropes, broken fishing rods and old, useless rags. There is a single OAR that seems old and fragile sticking out of the debris. DAVID (whisper to self) Beggars can't be choosers. IN THE BACK GROUND, we see KAY walk out of the house and scamper girlishly onto the docks. DAVID jumps into the boat and struggles to stabilize his balance. KAY walks up to the end of the dock and looks down at him. KAY Hey! DAVID Uh…hi. KAY Where're you going? DAVID looks around at the lake, then looks up at KAY. DAVID Um…fishing…. He leans down and opens his tackle box and starts pulling out various LURES. KAY speaks rather nervously. KAY Could I tag along? DAVID suddenly stops and looks up at KAY. It is obvious he is thinking of an excuse not to let her go. He comes up with a good one. DAVID Uh, well the thing is, the boat can only hold one and… KAY Oh, I see. KAY drops her chin to her chest and walks back along the deck like a sad child. DAVID sighs and CHUCKLES a bit. SUDDENLY, we hear a SPLASH off-screen. DAVID whips around in the boat and almost looses his balance. We see nothing, just a glassy surface. DAVID bends down and picks up a FLASHLIGHT. He scans the waters and we see nothing. He suddenly seems EXCITED. DAVID There must be some big fish in this place. INT. LIVING ROOM—HOUSE—NIGHT The television set FLICKERS white light throughout the room with static on the screen. KAY sleeps soundly on the couch; most of the boxes have been cleared out. There are empty PIZZA BOXES and MOVIE CASES scattered on the coffee table. All we hear is the VERY AUDIBLE sound of the DOG barking outside. INT. BATHROOM—HOUSE—NIGHT LUKE brushes his teeth over the sink in the bathroom. It is small, with a window above the tub. We hear the DOG barking almost angrily outside. LUKE speaks to himself while brushing his teeth, muffling his voice. LUKE What's her problem? LUKE spits out some toothpaste into the sink and wipes his mouth. He stares into the mirror. The DOG STOPS BARKING…VERY, VERY ABRUPTLY…TOO ABRUPTLY! We also hear the sound of a CHAIN, followed by the RUSLTING of bushes and trees. FOCUS ON: LUKE'S eyes turn worried. EXT. SIDE OF HOUSE—NIGHT There is about a twenty-foot grassy area between the side of the house and the edge of the forest. We see LUKE come around the corner, draped in sweat pants and white t-shirt, holding a FLASHLIGHT. He power-walks over to a BROKEN WOODEN POST sticking about three feet off the ground. LUKE leans down by the post. There is a CHAIN wrapped around the base. He picks up the chain and pulls it until he reaches the end. FOCUS ON: The final link of the chain is battered and broken. LUKE drops the chain and turns his flashlight to the wall of the house. FOCUS ON: There is BLOOD painted on the side of the house like graffiti. LUKE falls back in a stroke of panic. LUKE Jesus! He lands in the middle of the area between the house and forest. He PANTS heavily. Suddenly, he slips picks something up off the ground…it is a WATCH. FOCUS ON: LUKE flips over the watch, the name "DAVID WELLS" is engraved in the back of the plate. INT. KITCHEN—HOUSE—SOMETIME LATER—NIGHT DAVID wrestles his way through the DOOR in the kitchen grasping his tackle box. LUKE pounds into the room and slams the watch down on the table, fire in his eyes. DAVID looks confused. LUKE Who the hell are you! DAVID What? LUKE What did you do with Sarah!? DAVID Who? LUKE Look, you sick bastard, what did you do with my dog!? DAVID shakes his head; he has no idea what LUKE is talking about. KAY walks into the room, sleep heavy in her eyes. KAY Daddy, what's going on? This is the first time we've seen LUKE really ANGRY. LUKE (referring to DAVID) This son-of-a-bitch kidnapped our dog. DAVID I don't know what the hell you're talking about. LUKE Don't play dumb with me, I found your watch. LUKE points to the watch on the table. DAVID goes over and picks it up. DAVID Hey, I was looking for this. LUKE thinks he is lying. LUKE (sarcastically) I'm sure you were. KAY makes an attempt to play peacemaker, speaking with the innocence of a child. KAY Daddy, David couldn't find his watch earlier, he asked if I knew where it was. LUKE looks slightly less fiery. He flashes looks from DAVID to KAY, and finally back to DAVID. DAVID nods, "yes." LUKE sighs and puts wipes the sweat off his face with his hands. His tone changes completely, he is back to the mild- mannered LUKE that we've come to know so far. LUKE Alright. Come on. LUKE brushes past DAVID. DAVID turns to LUKE with a curious look on his face. DAVID Where're we going? EXT. FOREST—SOMETIME LATER—NIGHT We see two FLASHLIGHT BEAMS moving through the foliage of the forest. DAVID and LUKE walk over twigs and fallen leaves as they move through the vegetation. CRICKETS chirp heavily in the background. DAVID yells. DAVID (yelling) Dog! Dog! LUKE Her name is Sarah! The two move through the forest snapping twigs and crunching leaves. DAVID Maybe it was a raccoon. LUKE Yeah well Sarah's a lot bigger than a raccoon. ABRUPTLY, the CRICKETS STOP CHIRPING. There is a PAUSE. DAVID and LUKE look around. DAVID (very soft whisper) What's happening? The trees begin to rustle around them and then suddenly STOP. SUDDENLY, something FLIES past the screen…too fast to see. DAVID and LUKE whip around to see a shadowy figure run through the bushes. We hear a SPLASH and the rustling stops. After a pause, DAVID and LUKE pull back the foliage the figure ran through to reveal the lake. They look down to see BUBBLES breaking the surface at a rapid pace. FOCUS ON: The bubbles suddenly CEASE and the water once again turns glassy. LUKE and DAVID stare into the water dumfounded, their eyes wide and there mouths, even though they are closed, seem to be hanging open with wonder. LUKE trembles as he speaks, never taking his eyes off the water. LUKE Probably a raccoon. DAVID (gulps) Yeah. LUKE Tell you what, we'll uh, we'll look again in the morning. DAVID Yeah. In their hearts, they both know it isn't a raccoon. INT. POLICE STATION—THE NEXT DAY The STATION is large, with several desks cluttered around the area. It is quieter than most police stations, we rarely hear a phone ring. LUKE and DAVID sit in front of a desk. OFFICER DODSON sits behind the desk. He is an older man bearing a brown uniform and policeman's hat. He has his arms crossed. LUKE and DAVID shift their eyes around the room. There is a long, awkward silence. DODSON finally breaks it. He sounds very DISSATISFIED, that is his normal tone, like a person who treats everyone else like idiots. DODSON Well? LUKE and DAVID exchange looks. LUKE What do you mean, well? This is a kidnapping. I mean that dog might as well be family. DODSON Well as much as I hate to break it to you that chances of your dog still being alive is very rare. LUKE She's strong- DODSON SIGHS and picks up a file. He opens it and reads to himself. He SIGHS again. DODSON Well, according to your report, there was a broken chain, broken post, and blood sprayed on the side of your house. LUKE closes his eyes and GULPS. LUKE (softly) I just want to know, who took my dog. Okay. DODSON (puts down file) Well, I'd love to help you but the fact is that these things happen all the time in Bishopsville. DAVID What do you mean? DODSON It's a small town, Mr. Pennings. We have a population of three thousand, yet everyday, we get a call about something missing, something taken, pets robbed. For some reason, it just happens around these parts, so the only thing I can tell you to do is to keep an eye out. I'm sorry. FOCUS ON: LUKE'S eyes seem to be wandering off in the distance. DODSON Look, you give me a call if you see anything, but don't bother us with petty shit like this. LUKE (very softly) Yeah…okay. EXT. FRONT OF POLICE STATION—BISHOPSVILLE—DAY The STATION is nestled on a street covered with other stores and such. People walk along the sidewalks, going in and out of shops. It is a very PICTURESQUE town. LUKE and DAVID walk down the steps of the STATION; LUKE'S blue SUV is parked out front. DAVID (referring to DODSON) What an asshole! LUKE seems much calmer. LUKE He's just doing his job. DAVID His job is to protect and serve, not piss off townspeople. LUKE opens the driver side door and gets in. DAVID leans against the window. The car starts. LUKE Look, I've got something I've gotta do. You need a ride home? DAVID No, I can walk. LUKE shuts the door. LUKE I'll see you tonight. DAVID Yeah. The SUV speeds off, leaving DAVID standing in the street. He looks around for a second, then walks off. EXT. RITA'S HOUSE—DAY LUKE'S SUV pulls up to a medium sized white house nestled within some trees. The sun is SETTING, it is about SEVEN O' CLOCK. LUKE gets out of his car and walks up the steps. He knocks on the front door. INT. FOYER—RITA'S HOUSE The inside of the house is much like LUKE'S; equipped with the basics, a kitchen, dining room and a couch with TV and such. RITA is in sweats when she answers the door. LUKE is revealed, and her eyes widen a bit as a slight smile develops. RITA Well, hello, Mr. Pennings. LUKE Hello, Rita. RITA What brings you to my section in town? LUKE I was just wondering if I could ask you some questions. RITA Sure, come in. INT. LIVING ROOM—RITA'S HOUSE LUKE follows RITA into the living room. He passes a small table along the wall with various pictures of RITA and what seems to be the many boyfriends she's had over the years. RITA sits down on the couch; there are two chairs across from it, and a fireplace. LUKE sits down in one of the chairs. RITA So…? LUKE looks slightly nervous. He pats his lips and looks around a bit. LUKE Well, I was wondering if you could tell me more about the man you mentioned yesterday. RITA Gary Ponchman? LUKE Yes, the murderer. The tone changes. RITA leans her head back. She then leans forward. RITA Would you like something to drink, Mr. Pennings? LUKE has a distinct look in his eyes, a look of determination and curiosity. LUKE No thank-you, please just tell me about Gary Ponchman. RITA obviously doesn't want to tell the tale. She SIGHS and picks up a GLASS of WATER on the coffee table. She gulps it down and leans back a little.. RITA Well, about two years ago, they found a fishing boat out in the lagoon. Thing was, it was just sitting there, sitting there for days. Everyone knew Mr. Ponchman was sort of, well he was a little nutty. LUKE What do you mean? RITA Well, he always used to leave for work early, he worked down at the drug store, and drive like a crazy man back to his house…your house. HE said he had to get home before sunset. Always had to be home before sunset. The tone becomes even darker. LUKE'S eyes turn dim, RITA'S tone of voice turns mysterious and abysmal. LUKE Why'd he have to get back before sunset? RITA (after a sigh) I don't know…no one knew. But I know sometimes, if he didn't leave the store before sunset, he wouldn't go home. He'd just, sleep behind the counter all night. RITA starts to stare off into the distance. She is in a trance of memories. LUKE is also deep in thought. RITA Anyway, after a few days they sent police to go out and check the boat. On it they found… RITA looks dumfounded, like she is lost in memory. After a brief silence, LUKE asks again. LUKE What was on the boat, Rita? RITA (after another pause) In the boat, they found a man. I don't remember his name, I don't know if they even released it. But he was, he was ripped in half, at the waist, some of his limbs were missing, I don't know. LUKE soaks al the information in silently, he doesn't look shocked, but his eyes are deep pools of dark curiosity. RITA They also found a knife on board. It was bloody, the fisherman's blood. With Ponchman's fingerprints all over the handle. HE was arrested, and sentenced to life without bail or parole. They've got him down at the county jail right now, sitting there in his cell, swearing he didn't do it. And you know what really confuses me, MR. Pennings? LUKE What's that, Rita? RITA It's just that, a lot of people believe him. But the plain and simple fact is that there's just nobody else to lay the blame on, so…they locked him up. Almost feel bad for the man. We suddenly hear a VOICE coming from off screen. MAGGIE, RITA'S 5-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER walks into the living room. She looks like a miniature version of RITA. She walks in and looks over at look. Her eyes are dreamy and she speaks softly. MAGGIE (referring to LUKE) Mommy, who is that? RITA This is mommy's new boss, honey, Mr. Pennings. MAGGIE I need someone to start my bath. RITA Okay, just a second, honey. MAGGIE walks up to LUKE. She stares at him with a strange type of mystery. MAGGIE Are you the man who lives in the monster's house? LUKE suddenly looks concerned. He has no idea what she's talking about. RITA suddenly jumps up and turns extremely nervous. She takes MAGGIE'S hand and begins to walk out of the living room. She looks at LUKE. RITA I'll be back in a second, Mr. Pennings. She and MAGGIE walk off screen. We hear them walk up the stairs in the background. LUKE is alone in the room. We see that it is growing darker outside. LUKE gently slaps his knees and stands up. He walks over to the table packed with PICTURES. He looks down at them. SCAN: As we move down the line of pictures, we see RITA with a different man in each picture. LUKE CHUCKLES. We hear RITA in the background; she is back in the living room. RITA Yeah, I used to get around a lot. LUKE turns back towards the living room. RITA is sitting on the couch again. RITA Eight husbands, ten years, one child. That's my Maggie. LUKE Cute kid. LUKE sits back in the chair. RITA Yeah, she seems that way. Teachers don't like, say she's weird. Doesn't talk very much, and whenever she doe she scares people. I've had her in therapy a few times, they say it's the environment. No siblings and no father can do things. There is a brief PAUSE before LUKE finally speaks again. LUKE Rita, do you know anything about missing animals around town? RITA Oh, hell, yeah. Happens all the time around here. Matter-of-fact I got Maggie a kitten a few months ago, I'll be damned if the thing didn't disappear the very next day. People say they're opossums, hell I've even heard about alligators, but, lord knows there aren't any of those in these parts. Others say that they've, seen something else. LUKE leans forward; RITA is staring off into the distance again. The vibe of the conversation is getting darker and more mysterious by the second. LUKE Rita, what is 'something else?' RITA takes another sip from her glass of water. RITA I don't know, I've never seen 'em, but I've heard stories of…of burglars that get out of house before anyone can get a look at 'em or, or you're driving down the road and all of the sudden you see someone run across the road, but then you think, how could that of been a person. She breaks out of her trance she's seems to have been speaking in. RITA Anyway, they're just…stories. Just legends, every town has a legend…but you have to remember and I have to remind Maggie of this everyday…is that they're just legends…they're not true. (After a pause.) Not true. LUKE looks into the distance. SMASH CUT TO: EXT. FOREST AROUND BLACK LAGOON—SUNSET WIDE SHOT: The sky is purple and the lagoon ripples gently with the breeze. The trademark CRICKETS begin they're nightly chirping. ON THE GROUND, we see DAVID and KAY walking through the foliage. DAVID has a FLASHLIGHT as he pushes through bushes and greens. KAY follows behind. KAY Do you really think you can find her? DAVID doesn't look back at KAY as he answers, he continues to brush back vegetation to create a path. DAVID No. KAY Then why are we out here? DAVID Because if I don't, then my conscious will kill me. KAY But you didn't do it! DAVID Yeah, but your dad thinks I did. I figure maybe If I can find out what happened to it I might be able to reestablish some trust. Suddenly, DAVID stops. He sees something. He walks forward and leans down. We see him push some bushes out of the way to reveal a LARGE HOLDE IN THE GROUND, like a snake hole, only big enough for a human to squeeze through. DAVID Whoa. KAY What is it, David? DAVID I don't know, a rabbit hole, maybe. KAY That must be a big rabbit. DAVID edges closer. He sticks his hand inside and feels around the walls. SLOWLY, he withdraws his hand. FOCUS ON: DAVID'S hand is covered with a slimy liquid substance. He fondles the substance in his fingers. KAY What is that? DAVID doesn't answer. He picks up a nearby ROCK and throws it into the tunnel. We hear NOTHING. DAVID nudges a little closer and sticks his hand inside. HE pushes deeper, and deeper still until he has to shift his head to his side to get his entire arm in. FOCUS ON: He seems to be struggling with something. After a few seconds, he slowly pulls out a strange looking curved stick. Upon further inspection…it is a BONE. KAY Oh, my God… DAVID lifts the bone closer to examine it. He speaks softly. DAVID This looks human. KAY Oh, my God! DAVID Come on, let's get out of here. He picks up the bone and the flashlight. He walks past KAY. Startled, she follows him…she is shaking. KAY trips over a branch. DAVID turns around and sticks his hand out to help her up. When she looks up at him, we see… P.O.V. KAY: We see DAVID reaching down for her. Behind him, high in the trees, we see a DARK SHAPE move. KAY starts SCREAMING, she gets up and tries to run the opposite direction. DAVID grabs her and spins her around. DAVID Hey, hey, what's wrong? KAY is CRYING. She points up to the top of the trees. DAVID releases her and turns around. He looks up. P.O.V. DAVID: We see the treetops are quiet and still, nothing in site but the green of the leaves and brown of the branches. DAVID Look, Kay, it was probably just a squirrel or something, okay? KAY is still crying as she shakes her head. She lies to herself, admitting that it was probably just a squirrel. DAVID continues walking. DAVID Come on, let's go. EXT. FRONT OF LUKE'S HOUSE—NIGHT LUKE'S blue SUV pulls into the driveway, which is really just dirt in front of the house. There is a SHED and a PORCH. INT. LUKE'S SUV—NIGHT LUKE turns the engine off. He SQUINTS. P.O.V. LUKE. We see a POLICE CAR parked in front of the house. INT. KITCHEN—NIGHT DAVID and KAY sit at one end of the kitchen table. DODSON sits at the other end with a pen and paper. The BONE that DAVID found earlier sits in the middle of the table. They are mysteriously quiet. LUKE walks into the kitchen. He drops his keys on the counter. LUKE What's going on, here? DODSON SIGHS and straightens the papers. DODSON Seems these two made a little discovery in the forest earlier today. LUKE What? DAVID slowly points to the BONE in the middle of the table. DAVID We found this in a hole. LUKE pulls out a chair and sits down. He looks at the BONE curiously. LUKE So what is it? DAVID opens his mouth to say something, but DODSON jumps in before any words come out. DODSON It's an ostrich bone. LUKE What? DODSON You know that big open area with the wooden tower overlooking it down by Madison Square? Well about a year ago that was an emu farm. LUKE What's an emu? DODSON It's like a little ostrich. Well after a while the birds started disappearing. We'd find bones all around the town. We figured the birds started disappearing. We'd find bones all around the town…We figure they were foxes. DAVID doesn't believe him. DAVID That's bullshit. DODSON Then what do you think it is? There is an awkward SILENCE. DODSON finally gets up and picks up the bone. He throws it into a SMALL DUFFLE BAG as with the various papers. He walks to the doorframe of the kitchen and turns around. DODSON I know it's been a long day for you, Pennings. Tell you what, we'll have this analyzed and I'll have the results for you next week. But I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, in the meantime do something enjoyable, get your mind off things. Goodnight. DODSON walks out of the screen. LUKE, DAVID, and KAY sit around the table, all of them staring off into the distance as if in a trance. OFF SCREEN, we hear a DOOR SLAM SHUT and a car outside SPEED OFF. There is a brief SILENCE before LUKE breaks out of the trance. He gets up and starts towards the exit. LUKE Well, I'm going to bed. KAY I am, too. DAVID gets up and heads towards the door in the kitchen that leads outside. DAVID I'm going fishing, get my mind off things. EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON—DEAD NIGHT DAVID sits in the BOAT in the middle of the lagoon. A thin FOG covers the surface of the water like a FILM. A FISHING ROD sticks over the side of DAVID'S BOAT. DAVID reads a MAGAZINE. He SIGHS and flips a page. He finally puts the magazine onto his face and seems to fall asleep. FOCUS ON: The end of the FISHING ROD starts to bend a little, like something is tugging on it. ABRUPTLY, the FISHING ROD is THROWN from the boat and into the water. DAVID POPS up PANTING, he looks around and sees nothing. He notices his fishing rod is gone. Slowly, he leans over and stares into the water. P.O.V. DAVID. We see something streaming through the water, it looks like a wire. Suddenly, the FISHING ROD, about a foot underwater, whips by the screen. DAVID JUMPS BACK. After a brief silence, he CHUCKLES. DAVID (softly) Hell of a fish. He CHUCKLES again, this time more profusely. He leans down and stares into the water. His mood is almost cheery. He YELLS at the water. DAVID Hope you know that's a hundred dollar rod! He leans back and relaxes. Proud of at least finding a fish in the lake. SUDDENLY, we hear a rustling coming from off screen. DAVID whips around. The sound is coming from the shore, in some forest. The sound continues, DAVID is almost trembling. FOCUS ON: Never taking his eyes off the forest and the unseen source of the sound, DAVID opens his TACKLEBOX. He flips the id and we see several lures and hooks, and in the middle of all the junk is a FLASHLIGHT. DAVID grips the flashlight and gently, silently, closes the lid of the box. He aims the FLASHLIGHT to the shore and CLICKS the button. Nothing. The light doesn't come on. DAVID starts gently tapping the flashlight in an attempt to make it come on. SUDDENLY, the RUSTLING peeks. The sound becomes loud and DAVID forgets the flashlight idea and stares at the shore trembling, his breaths deep and heavy, yet silent. The rustling suddenly STOPS. There is a long, suspenseful pause as DAVID stares into the foliage on shore, his heart pounding. SUDDENY (JUMP SCENE). DAVID'S CELL PHONE GOES OFF. He JUMPS in fright and fondles with the pockets in his jacket. We notice that the rustling starts to pick up again as DAVID searches for the phone. After a few seconds, he finds the phone, presses a button on it, silencing the phone. He THROWS it somewhere into the boat. FOCUS ON: The PHONE flies underneath one of the seats. DAVID looks back over at the shoreline. All goes SILENT again. ABRUPTLY, we hear a CLANKING coming from the bottom of the boat. Someone is BEATING ON THE BOTTOM. DAVID is more scared than ever; he spins around in the boat and PANTS heavily. He looks over the edge of the boat when…we hear a SPLASH coming from off screen. DAVID turns around again. FOCUS ON: We see heavy RIPPLES coming from the shore…SOMETHING JUST JUMPED IN! SUDDENLY, we see a STREAM OF BUBBLES breaking the surface of the water. They are slowly coming towards the boat. DAVID gets as far back against the opposite side of the boat as he can. The bubbles are getting closer. They are loud as they pop the surface. DAVID finally gets as low as he can in the boat and tightly closes his eyes. ABRUPTLY, all goes SILENT, the bubbles CEASE, and all seems calm. After a few seconds, DAVID opens his eyes and starts shifting his eyes back and forth, scanning for danger. He slowly sits up and turns his head back and forth. He looks around. P.O.V. DAVID. We see nothing. We hear nothing but crickets. DAVID pants and SIGHS. SUDDENLY, BEHIND DAVID, the CORPSE OF THE DOG RISES BREAKS THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. DAVID turns around slowly. When he sees it, he JUMPS back in the boat with his mouth hanging open and his eyes as wide as plates. DAVID Jesus! INT. LUKE'S ROOM—NIGHT LUKE sleeps soundly on his bed. We hear a POUNDING at the door. FOCUS ON: LUKE'S eyes widen, but they are heavy with tiredness. He closes his eyes again, ignoring the knock. The POUNDING continues and we hear DAVID'S VOICE coming form the other side of the door. DAVID (O.S.) (yelling) Luke! Luke! LUKE finally GRUNTS and gets sits up on his bed. FOCUS ON: His ALARM CLOCK reads 1:00 A.M. The pounding continues as LUKE, sporting pajamas, gets up and walks sleepily to the door. He opens it to reveal as PANTING DAVID. DAVID doesn't give LUKE a chance to speak, he talks QUICKLY and hurriedly. DAVID Luke, you have to come outside! LUKE (sleepily) What, what for? DAVID Look, just, come with me. DAVID RUNS down the hall and off screen. LUKE rolls his eyes. LUKE (softly) What, now? EXT. DOCK—NIGHT DAVID is leaning down by the dock. Behind him we see LUKE walk out the back door and start heading down towards the dock. LUKE reaches the dock and looks down. He winces at what he sees. HE closes his eyes in disgust. FOCUS ON: The DOG'S body is mangled and torn. Her fur is wet and she is cut up badly, obviously dead. LUKE leans down next to DAVID. DAVID There was something in the trees over there. I was looking for it and all of a sudden it just surfaced. Look, look at this. DAVID picks up what looks like a LARGE BLACK CLAW. He hands it to LUKE, who takes it and examines it. DAVID I found this on the side of the boat. Luke, I don't think this is a raccoon anymore. LUKE I don't, either. DAVID Should we call Dodson? LUKE No he'll just tell us it's a fox. Look, you go inside and get some sleep, I'll bury her. DAVID You sure you don't need any help? LUKE No, I'm fine. DAVID SIGHS and gets up. He walks off screen. SMASH CUT TO: EXT. SIDE OF HOUSE—SOMETIME LATER—NIGHT LUKE is padding down some dirt on what looks like a freshly made grave. He puts the shovel against the house and looks down at the mound of dirt. He SIGHS deeply. SUDDENLY, we hear a RUSLTING in the foliage ahead; it is coming from about a hundred feet into the forest. LUKE keeps his composure, he leans down and picks up a ROCK. With a strong arm, he TOSSES the rock into the forest as far as he can. As soon as the rock hits the ground, the rustling CEASES. LUKE stares deeply into the forest. After a few seconds, he SIGHS. EXT. LIBRARY—DAY ESTABLISHING SHOT. The TOWN LIBRARY is set up like the POLICE STATION, nestled between various buildings on a street within the town of BISHOPSVILLE. INT. LIBRARY—DAY The INTERIOR is large, with rows of books and several tables. PATRONS walk around and read silently. All is quiet, like in most libraries. DAVID walks through the FRONT DOORS. He is sporting a backpack. He looks around and SIGHS…the library isn't that impressive. After a beat, he walks over to the counter, where we see an attractive young LIBRARIAN reading a magazine. She doesn't notice DAVID. DAVID speaks quietly as he leans over the counter. DAVID Excuse me. She doesn't look up from her magazine. DAVID tries again, raising his voice a little louder. DAVID Excuse me. The LIBRARIAN looks up. She is CHEWING GUM. LIBRARIAN Yeah? She is very disrespectful in her tone of voice. DAVID looks slightly agitated with her attitude. DAVID Yes, I was wondering if you could point me to the newspaper archives? LIBRARIAN What? DAVID The microfilm, where you can look up old newspaper articles? LIBRARIAN Oh, they're in the back somewhere. She turns back to her magazine. DAVID looks ticked now. HE tries to hide his anger and maintain his composure. DAVID You're not being very helpful. She never takes her eyes off her magazine. LIBRARIAN Oh, what a shame. DAVID You know I don't appreciate your attitude. LIBRARIAN You're not supposed to. DAVID gives up. He SIGHS, and then turns around. He scans the library. P.O.V. DAVID. We see a middle-aged DORKY-LOOKING MAN, NATHAN, putting books away on a shelf by a cart. HE is wearing a bowtie and glasses, a stereotypical nerd. DAVID walks over to NATHAN. DAVID Excuse me. NATHAN seems much nicer than the prissy young LIBRARIAN. HE puts away the book he was putting away and flashes a large smile. NATHAN Can I help you, sir? DAVID sticks his hand out; they shake hands. DAVID Yes, I'm David Wells, I just moved into town and I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the newspaper archives. NATHAN I'm Nathan Bradford, and I help run the library here, you might of met my niece. NATHAN points to something behind DAVID. DAVID turns around. P.O.V. DAVID. We see the bratty LIBRARIAN sitting at her desk reading a magazine. NATHAN She's an angel. Straight A's in school and a heart of gold. DAVID ROLLS HIS EYES. NATHAN looks at DAVID. NATHAN So, what is it that you needed? INT. COMPUTER ROOM—LIBRARY All we see is PITCH BLACK. We then see a DOOR open, and light floods in. NATHAN flips a switch by the door and the room illuminates. We hear the humming of electronics. We can see that the room is narrow, with two rows of computers along each wall. NATHAN and DAVID walk in. NATHAN These computers haven't been used for years. The city insisted on eight, but we only use one. Waste of money if you ask me. NATHAN sits down at a computer. DAVID leans over his shoulder as the screen flickers on, revealing a typing box. NATHAN So…what exactly are you looking for? DAVID Um…anything about the Black Lagoon. Any reports of any strange sightings or occurrences. NATHAN knows what DAVID is talking about. He starts typing as he speaks. NATHAN Ah, the Black Lagoon, take my advice and don't go near that thing. DAVID looks curious, don't forget that he does not know of the PONCHMAN MURDER INCIDENT. DAVID Well what do you know about it? NATHAN I know I wouldn't step foot by it. Especially after the Ponchman murder. DAVID The what? NATHAN Ah, here it is. NATHAN nudges the computer screen. FOCUS ON: The computer screen shows an old newspaper article. There is a MUGSHOT of GARY PONCHMAN, a HEAVY-SET OLDER BLACK MAN. DAVID looks on inquisitively. NATHAN reads. NATHAN April 25, 2004, an unidentified fishermen is found dead, his body mutilated, on the deck of his fishing boat that previously drifted for days in the Black Lagoon, a small lagoon in Bishopsville, Pennsylvania. 54-year old Gary Ponchman was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after a knife confirmed to have belonged to him and covered in his fingerprints was found at the scene. DAVID I did not know that. NATHAN stops reading. He uses his own knowledge of the incident to inform DAVID. NATHAN Oh, yes. Strange thing is, they found some other fingerprints on the knife. Something, like…I don't know. But, they figured that just his prints were enough and took the poor man's life away. Feel bad for the fellow who just moved into his house. DAVID His house? NATHAN Yeah. He used to own the only house within a mile of the Black Lagoon. Right on the water, as a matter-of- fact. The place's been empty since it happened, but I heard some idiot bought it the other day. Feel sorry for that man. DAVID is shocked, confused, curious…just about any mental emotion possible. NATHAN Yup. Afterwards, they sealed up the basement and put the house up for sale. DAVID breaks out of the trance he seemed to have been trapped in. DAVID Basement? What basement? He doesn't remember ever seeing a basement in the house. NATHAN Well it was a cellar, and they sealed it up after the murder. DAVID (very confused) Sealed it up…? What…? Why…? NATHAN Well, after the murder, police searched Ponchman's house through and through, looking for any clues or more evidence. And whatever they saw in that basement must've scared the living souls out of them because they closed it up and got out of there as fast as they could. There is a suspenseful silence as DAVID ponders. He speaks softly. DAVID What was in the basement? NATHAN'S tone turns mysterious. NATHAN No one knows. They never released it…but it made three respectable cops piss their pants. That's one reason people think the house is cursed. DAVID Cursed? NATHAN Yup. Few weeks after the incident, two of the three cops who saw whatever was in there died. All of them found bloodied up, looking like they'd just been through a meat grinder. All except one. Yup, Dodson- DAVID interrupts; he knows DODSON. DAVID Dodson? Officer Dodson? NATHAN Yup…they drugged him up and convinced him he was nuts. He kept saying something about monsters and demons and…just…just crazy stuff. DAVID and NATHAN both seem to be staring off into the space. DAVID Yeah. SUDDENY, NATHAN'S tone turns brighter and cheerier, like when DAVID first met him. NATHAN So…is there anything else I can help you with? DAVID thinks for a second. DAVID Do you have any books on emus? NATHAN gives him a curious stare. INT. LIBRARY Within a row of books, NATHAN points out a few books. DAVID drinks a SODA. NATHAN Ah, here we are. Everything you could possibly want to know about on emus, ostriches, generally anything having to do with ornithology. DAVID Thanks. LATER…… DAVID has a load of books stuffed in his backpack. He walks past the counter and holds up his empty SODA CAN. He looks around. The LIBRARIAN is still reading a magazine. He makes another attempt at addressing her. DAVID Excuse me? The LIBRARIAN looks up. She SIGHS, chewing her gum slowly. LIBRARIAN What now? DAVID Yes can you point me towards the recycle bin? She looks at him quizzically. LIBRARIAN We don't have one. DAVID A library with no recycle bin? LIBRARIAN We don't have a recycle bin in the entire town. DAVID leans against the counter, we soon learn that he's sensitive to environmental issues… DAVID Wait a minute, why doesn't this town have a recycle bin? LIBRARIAN Look, bud, we don't have a recycling plant so we don't recycle. Throw your garbage in the trash like a normal person. DAVID looks agitated. He SIGHS. Suddenly he breaks out into a speech that sounds like something Jacques Cousteau would come up with. DAVID You know, it's people like you that make me sick. You sit there and you make fun of those who actually want to help clean the polluted world we live in. Thanks a lot for caring. DAVID STORMS out of the library. The LIBRARIAN looks appalled as she watches him walk out the door. We hear patrons chuckle and whisper words like "hippie." INT. BISHOPSVILLE PRISON—DAY We hear the sounds of doors slamming and mindless chatter. PRISONERS in orange jumpsuits sit behind panels of glass with wires running through them. The panels are divided by white divider. This is the VISITORS SECTION. A GUARD dressed in dark blue uniform walks next to LUKE down the VISITOR'S SIDE of the row of booths. They stop before a glass panel…GARY PONCHMAN sits behind the glass. He wears GLASSES and an orange jumpsuit like other prisoners. The GUARD points to the visitor's seat. GUARD Here, you have five minutes. LUKE Thank you. The guard leaves them. LUKE SIGHS and looks through the glass. PONCHMAN sits on the other side with his arms lying neatly on the table. He looks calm and has a sophisticated look on his face. LUKE isn't sure what to do. He WAVES. PONCHMAN smiles and picks up the PHONE on his side of the glass panel. LUKE, feeling foolish, picks up the phone on his side of the phone. LUKE and PONCHMAN talk back and forth on the phone. LUKE (embarrassed) I'm sorry, I've never done this before. PONCHMAN SMILES, he seems delightful and charming. PONCHMAN It' alright, neither have I. LUKE Oh, you, you don't get many visitors. PONCHMAN sighs. PONCHMAN I've been in this hellhole for going on two years now, and you're the first visitor I have ever gotten. LUKE Well that's, that's… He suddenly remembers why he's there. LUKE My name's Lucas Pennings, I just, I just purchased the house on Back Lagoon. PONCHMAN'S eyes turn darker, more mysterious. His tone turns from charming and dims a little. PONCHMAN I think I know why you're here. LUKE gulps. He feels awkward talking to a prisoner. LUKE I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about…about missing animals, and uh…strange occurrences. PONCHMAN So have you seen them? LUKE looks confused. He doesn't know who exactly "them" is. LUKE Them? Who's them? PONCHMAN leans forward. He gets close to the glass and speaks softly into the phone. PONCHMAN Things ever go missing? You notice things that are there one second, but gone the next? Their eyes meet, LUKE is locked in a trance as he listens, obviously in deep thought. PONCHMAN They used to tell me I was crazy. And I'm not sure what I saw…but I can tell you this…I got the diverse that it didn't like me. LUKE Who is it? PONCHMAN Things. They only come out at night. They hide in the shadows, underwater, and in the trees. You'll never get a good look unless you're lucky…and trust me…you don't want to be lucky. LUKE Mr. Ponchman you still haven't told me what these things are. It is evident that PONCHMAN is growing slightly angry. He stands up straighter and stares deeper into LUKE'S eyes. PONCHMAN They kill without mercy. Bodies torn to pieces, faces ripped off… LUKE'S face is turning. He is visualizing everything PONCHMAN is spewing. PONCHMAN They've found people with eyes missing, tongues missing, and even a pregnant woman with the baby missing. These things don't care who they kill or how they do it, and they find ways to blame other people, that's what they did to me…and my biggest mistake was finding out why. PONCHMAN looks down at the ground, hanging his head in remembrance. LUKE looks curious. He speaks softly into the phone. LUKE (softly) Why? PONCHMAN ignores him. He DROPS the phone and it smashes on the ground. LUKE notices and taps on the glass. LUKE (slightly louder) Why? TWO GUARDS on the PRISONER'S SIDE of the glass panel grab the glum PONCHMAN from his seat and begin dragging him back to the cell. LUKE panics, he has to know WHY! He BANGS on the glass and YELLS. LUKE (yelling) Why?! PONCHMAN'S head lifts up and he speaks just loud enough for us to barely hear. PONCHMAN The fridge. LUKE What?! They DRAG PONCHMAN around a corner and out of sight. LUKE sits down in the chair thinking. LUKE (to self) The fridge? INT. POLICE STATION—DAY LUKE sits in front of DODSON'S desk. DODSON sits behind it. DODSON Look, Pennings, Gary Ponchman has failed every mental test we gave him. The man is a top-notch nut job. LUKE But what if he's telling the truth- DODSON interrupts him. DODSON You're making the same mistake I did. I thought he was telling the truth, too. As a matter-of-fact, I thought I saw something myself. But after I got some sleep and finally came to my senses, I realized that Ponchman aint nothin' but a liar who does the best he can to scare the living shit out of everyone he talks to! DODSON seems unnaturally defensive. LUKE gives him a stare. He leans forward and speaks softly. LUKE I think you know more than you're telling. With that, LUKE gets up and walks over to a RACK OF BROCHURES by the door. He scans through the brochures, many of them depicted popular Pennsylvania tourist spots. FOCUS ON: He picks out one with a picture of an EMU on the front that reads "GRANT'S EMU FARM." LUKE walks out the door and off screen. SHIFT TO: DODSON SIGHS and looks down. He seems like he is hiding something. EXT. DOCK—THE BLACK LAGOON—NIGHT DAVID works on something at the end of the dock. We see him adjusting a large wire-frame cube…a CRAB TRAP. He grunts as he adjust wires and tightens knots in a rope that runs through the trap. There is a large SPOOL OF ROPE next to the trap. He cuts and end of the spool and ties it to the TRAP. He continues to work; we see KAY walk up behind him. KAY What is that? DAVID (preoccupied) Crab trap. I have yet to catch a fish in this swamp, maybe there's a crab. KAY Do you think you'll catch anything? DAVID stands up and points his hands at his hips. He seems proud of himself. DAVID No. KAY Why not? He points to some foliage on the other side of the lagoon. DAVID I found out today that this town doesn't have a recycling plant or a proper sewage system. So I was snooping around today and found a pipe, about a foot underwater, spewing sewage into the lagoon. His tone suddenly turns more serious. DAVID They use the lagoon as an irrigation system. You see… (points to a large estuary leading out into a larger body of water) …all that sewage flows into the lagoon, and then it flows out into the bay, and who knows where next. It's almost smart. He bends down and picks up the crab trap, we can see a small CHUNK OF MEAT. DAVID (preoccupied) The problem is…all that pollution kills this water, that's why we haven't seen any fish. KAY So what's in there? He THROWS the trap into the water. It splashes and sinks. EXT. UNDERWATER—THE BLACK LAGOON We see the TRAP hit the mud of the bottom. It creates a cloud of mud… SUDDENLY…WE SEE SOMETHING MOVE THROUGH THE MUD! EXT. DOCKS—THE BLACK LAGOON DAVID responds to KAY'S previous question. DAVID (softly) I don't know. EXT. GRANT'S OSTRICH FARM—NIGHT LUKE'S SUV pulls up to a SMALL BUILDING, looking much like a small general store. There is a LARGE BARBED WIRE FENCE surrounding a massive area behind the BUILDING. It seems DESERTED…the lights are all out and everything seems quiet. LUKE walks up to the front door of the building. FOCUS ON: Behind LUKE, we see an old rusted SIGN reading "GRANT'S OSTRICH FARM." LUKE KNOCKS on the door. There is NO ANSWER. After a few beats, he KNOCKS AGAIN. There is no answer. LUKE (yelling) Hello!? Hello!? There is still no answer. BACK AT HIS TRUCK, LUKE opens the HATCH in the back revealing a TOOLBOX. He OPENS the box to expose a large FLASHLIGHT. He PICKS IT UP and CLOSES THE HATCH. EXT. BACK OF BUILDING—NIGHT We see a WHITE FLASHLIGHT BEAM come around the corner as LUKE walks to the back of the building. There is a back door and several SMASHED WINDOWS. He walks over to the BACK DOOR and it opens without resistance. INT. OSTRICH FARM BUILDING—NIGHT It is pitch black inside. It is much like a GENERAL STORE, with a counter and several rows of items including feeds and shovels. FOCUS ON: LUKE flashes his flashlight beam along a row of OSTRICH EGGS, each one broken and looks like it has been sitting for a long time. SUDDENLY, we hear a LOUD, HOOTING TYPE SOUND…it almost sounds ALIEN. LUKE JUMPS and whips around. EXT. BACK OF BUILDING—NIGHT The sound stops. We see LUKE come through the backdoor with his flashlight. He moves through a GATE in the fence and walks out into the middle of the field. EXT. OSTRICH FIELD—NIGHT We hear the SOUND again. LUKE doesn't move. He walks slowly through the field. ON THE GROUND, we can see BONES and old FEATHERS scattered about, obviously there for awhile. LUKE TRIPS over something on the ground. He looks behind him and we see a LARGE HOLE, much like the one DAVID found earlier. He leans over the hole and points the flashlight inside. P.O.V. LUKE. We see nothing but blackness. The flashlight does not penetrate the entire depth of the tunnel. We see a slimy liquid covering the walls of the hole. SUDDENLY, we hear the SOUND AGAIN. LUKE spins around and points his flashlight towards the tops of some trees in the distance. We see a huge OWL flap its wings and fly into the night sky, HOOTING as it flies. That was the mysterious sound. LUKE SIGHS and turns back towards the car. INT. SUV—NIGHT LUKE slams the door shut and positions himself in the seat. He turns on the ignition and turns his head around to see behind him as he reverses. BRIEFLY, through the passenger-side window, we see a very human-like DARK FIGURE run across the field bent over on its hunches, like an Olympic runner with a hunch-back. INT. DAVID'S ROOM—NIGHT DAVID sits on his bed surrounded by BOOKS and PAPERS. We see that many of the books are books involving BIRDS, and most of the pages have pictures having to do with OSTRICHES. DAVID is concentrating on a particular page. The page has pictures of OSTRICH ANATOMY. There is a large picture of an OSTRICH if it was a skeleton. He touches the page and runs his finger down, scanning all the bones in the bird's body. He is obviously looking for a bone that matches the one he found. He CLOSES the book and SIGHS deeply. Lying back against the pillows, he stares at the ceiling in deep thought. KAY walks in. She stands in the doorframe. KAY (softly, sweetly) Hey. DAVID sits up and YAWNS a little. DAVID Hi. KAY Well, daddy's still at work and I'm going to bed…so…goodnight. She seems like she is expecting a particular response. DAVID doesn't give her the one she wants. DAVID Oh…okay…goodnight. He lays back down again and closes his eyes. KAY SIGHS and tries again. KAY Is there anything you need…or anything? Before bed I mean? DAVID never even opens her eyes to answer her. DAVID Nope, I'm fine. KAY Oh, alright then. Goodnight. DAVID Night. KAY walks out of the doorframe and off screen disappointed. DAVID lays back a little further and releases a SIGH, but it is a good sigh. He CHUCKLES a little to go along with it. He reaches over to a lamp on his bed stand and turns it off. The room goes BLACK. EXT. THE BLACK LAGOON—DEAD NIGHT ESTABLISHING SHOT. The Lagoon is quiet and flat. All the lights are off in the house. INT. DAVID'S ROOM—NIGHT DAVID SLEEPS SOUNDLY in his bed. HE doesn't use sheets and his fully clothed. He seems to have fallen asleep atop the books and papers. FOCUS ON: The CLOCK on DAVID'S bed stand reads "10:37 PM." SUDDENLY, we hear a strange RUSTLING, except it's not coming from the trees outside, it's coming through the wall by DAVID'S head…from LUKE'S room. IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS BURGLARIZING HIS ROOM! DAVID OPENS his eyes slowly…they are heavy with sleep. He lifts his head and looks at the wall. The SOUNDS suddenly CEASE. DAVID SIGHS and flops his head back onto the pillow. SUDDENLY, the banging starts again, and the wall even VIBRATES for a brief second. This startles DAVID. His eyes widen and watches the wall as he listens to the STRANGE SOUNDS coming from the other room. He thinks it is LUKE. DAVID (whisper, to self) I'm trying to sleep, Luke. He KNOCKS on the wall with a FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES-type of rhythm. The sounds STOP. DAVID SIGHS once more and puts his head back on his pillow. After a few seconds, we hear the FLORIDA STATE theme coming through the wall…whoever is on the other side. SUDDENLY, we hear a CREAKING. KAY walks into DAVID'S ROOM, she is TREMBLING BADLY, her arms clutch a TEDDY BEAR so hard that any harder and it may pop. She has small tears running down her cheek. DAVID looks at her. KAY speaks with a soft, extremely frightened tone. KAY Daddy's not home yet. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—HOUSE—NIGHT DAVID walks down the hall slowly, carefully. KAY follows closely, still clutching the teddy bear and trying her best to hold in her tears. DAVID clutches a FLASHLIGHT in one hand and a KNIFE in the other. They approach the door to LUKE'S room. We can still clearly hear the strange COMMOTION coming from inside. DAVID and KAY are breathing heavily. Slowly, carefully, frightfully, DAVID reaches his hand out and gently grabs the doorknob. The sounds don't cease. DAVID doesn't take his eyes off the door, he speaks quietly to KAY. DAVID (extremely soft) Ready? KAY responds with an unimaginable fear in her voice. KAY No. DAVID One…two…three! EVERYTHING HAPPENS QUICKLY… DAVID throws open the door. Inside, we see a DARK FIGURE going through LUKE'S drawers. It turns around and glares with BEAT RED EYES. KAY YELPS and JUMPS back. The figure almost looks human, except it hunches over badly. In an instant, it LEAPS out the window. DAVID RUNS INTO LUKE'S ROOM. INT. LUKE'S ROOM DAVID runs over to the window and sticks his head out. He looks down and scans the area below. P.O.V. DAVID. We see nothing until he looks towards the water, where we see the water churning near the shore, like something just recently DOVE in. EXT. FRONT OF HOUSE—LATER—NIGHT We see LUKE'S SUV pull into the driveway. INT. FOYER—HOUSE LUKE walks through the door. He walks over to a console table and throws his keys onto it. There is a small stack of letters on the table. He picks them up and sorts through them. After a few seconds, he throws the letters back onto the table. He SIGHS and walks over to the HALL CLOSET. He slips off his jacket and opens the closet. Without looking in, he throws the jacket into the dark space. He closes the door and walks away, but we never lose focus of the closet door. SUDDENLY, LUKE comes running back to the door. He opens it and looks inside. P.O.V. LUKE. We see DAVID and KAY huddled together in the back, both of them SHAKING with fear. DAVID looks up at LUKE and stutters as he speaks. DAVID Kay was uh…scared…yeah. INT. LUKE'S ROOM—DAY We see that the WINDOW is broken. His room is a mess, with clothes and furniture scattered about the floor. LUKE sits in a chair in front of it. He BOARDS IT UP, hammering a wooden board over the top section. HE has a nail in his mouth as he HAMMERS away. After a few beats, he stops hammering and LOOKS AROUND. DAVID WALKS in. He stands by the bed, his voice solemn and quiet. DAVID Is there anything missing? LUKE continues to work; he slips the nail out of his mouth and hammers it into the board. LUKE (preoccupied) Um…nothing big; a photo album. DAVID What would they want with that? LUKE (preoccupied) I don't know. DAVID SIGHS and sits down on the bed. He stares off into the distance, drenched in thought. LUKE stops hammering and looks around on the ground. DAVID (softly) This thing gets weirder every second. LUKE seems to change the subject. LUKE Do you have any nails? DAVID Nails? No. LUKE Well do me a favor and…go ahead and take the car into town, pick up some nails, and some light bulbs. DAVID doesn't want to go into town, enough has already gone on. He protests. DAVID What? Why? LUKE I want to get this window boarded up before I go to work, it's supposed to rain tonight, so… DAVID Why don't you just nail a trash bag over it? LUKE'S tone turns slightly nervous. He wants boards for some other reason, he wants extra protection. LUKE (slightly demanding) I want them boarded up. I'm gonna do Kay's and your room, too so get me a box of 100, alright. You can go or I can double your rent, pick one. DAVID is surprised at LUKE'S tone of words. The mild- mannered man he'd come to know seemed to suddenly turn bossy and demanding. DAVID answers softly, trying not to agitate LUKE any further. DAVID (softly) Where're the keys? EXT. DRIVEWAY—DAY We see DAVID dive off in LUKE'S SUV. EXT. DOCK—THE BLACK LAGOON—DAY A LITTLE LATER, LUKE walks along the dock, much reminiscent of when he walked along the dock near the beginning. He walks to the end of the dock and looks down into the water…it is very murky. LUKE kicks a ROCK in. P.O.V. LUKE. We see the ROCK disappear before it reaches a foot below the surface…that is how murky and polluted the water is, the visibility is ZERO. He SIGHS and then looks down. P.O.V. LUKE. We see that there is a ROPE tied around one of the small bolted down anchors on the edge of the dock. Curious, he leans down and slowly unties the rope. He PULLS on the rope until we see a strange shape begin to rise from the depths. After a few beats, LUKE pulls up the CRAB TRAP. LUKE What the…? He uses his might and lifts the metal trap out of the water and onto the dock. We see that it is MANGLED, TRASHED, and nonetheless DESTROYED. The meat is gone and it seems like the trap has been RIPPED OPEN. LUKE stares it curiously. Inside, we see several pieces of CRUMPLED PAPERS. All of them soaking wet and drippy. LUKE reaches in cautiously, trying not to prick himself on the sharp broken wires of the trap. He gently grips one of the papers with his fingers and pulls it out. Carefully, he unfolds the paper, which looks like it is ready to fall apart in his hands. He looks down at the PAPER. P.O.V. LUKE. We see much of the ink is runny and faded, but we can still see the outline of what looks like a flier. On it we see the words "BISHOPSVILLE NUCLEAR POWER!" and a superscript "PROVIDING POWER SINCE 1998!" LUKE looks around curiously. INT. HARDWARE STORE—DAY The store is small, like a GENERAL STORE with a few rows of tools, a few rows of accessories, and a few rows of other things like tile and wood. It is EMPTY…not much business today…if any. A NERDY-LOOKING CLERK stands behind the counter wearing glasses and a flannel shirt. He watches a TALK-SHOW from a TV suspended on the ceiling. DAVID walks in, a BELL alarming the cashier that the door has just opened. The CLERK looks over at DAVID and adjusts his glasses. CLERK Can I help you? DAVID Nah, I'm just getting some nails. The CLERK points out a shelf near the back. CLERK Right there in the back. DAVID Thanks. DAVID moves to the back towards the nails. FOCUS ON: The CLERK follows DAVID with his eyes, he looks CURIOUS. DAVID reaches the shelf with nails. There must be at least fifty different types, all in little cardboard boxes. He leans down and starts to examine them. The CLERK expresses his curiosity. CLERK You new in these parts, Mister? DAVID (preoccupied) Yeah. There is a brief pause as DAVID picks out a box of nails and holds it up for examination. P.O.V. DAVID. The nails are white and large WHITE LETTERS read "UNBREAKABLY SUPER STRONG!" DAVID sighs and walks up to the counter. He puts the box of nails onto the counter and pulls out his wallet, he looks down into it and starts sorting money. The CLERK scans the box of nails and reads a price. CLERK That'll be $4.99. DAVID pulls out a TWENTY and places it on the counter. The CLERK takes it and talks as he makes change. CLERK Say, uh, you wouldn't have been the one who moved into the Ponchman house, would ya? DAVID lies as directly as you can get. DAVID No. The CLERK CHUCKLES a bit and hands DAVID his change. CLERK That's good. Feel bad for those suckers. DAVID sighs as the CLERK slips the nails into a brown paper bag. DAVID leans against the glass counter, which also serves as a display case, and looks down into it. P.O.V. DAVID. We see several bullets and we focus on a BLACK PISTOL. The metal shaft is small, and so is the handle, even still, it is thick and looks like it could do a pretty good amount of damage. DAVID taps the glass above the gun. He looks up at the clerk. DAVID How much for the gun? The CLERK sets the bag to the side and thinks for a minute. He pats his lips. CLERK Well, that depends, do you have a license? DAVID Nah. CLERK Then it requires a hundred dollar down payment and a two-week background check. The CLERK pushes the paper bag towards DAVID. DAVID SIGHS and opens his wallet in front of the CLERK, revealing a large wad of cash. The CLERK stares deeply at the money. DAVID (quiet, sinister tone) There's nothing we can work out? FOCUS ON: The CLERK smiles. EXT. FOREST ROAD—NIGHT LUKE drives his SUV down the long, dark forest road. The road is covered on both sides by a wall of foliage; the only light is from the headlights and dim moonlight. INT. LUKE'S SUV—NIGHT LUKE drives with his head back against the seat, relaxing. We don't hear any sound coming from the radio; the console though is lit up with neon lights and the gauges are beautifully illuminated. It is a very nice car on the inside. LUKE sighs. FOCUS ON: There is a PICTURE next to the gas gauge, a small, wallet-sized photograph. IT IS A FAMILY PORTRAIT, OF KAY, LUKE, AND A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN…LUKE'S DEAD WIFE. They are all SMILING HAPPILY. LUKE CHUCKLES. JUMPS SCENE: SOMETHING DARK AND SHADOWY RUNS ACROSS THE ROAD ABOUT TEN FEET IN FRONT OF LUKE'S SUV AND DISAPPEARS INTO THE WALL OF TREES. LUKE JUMPS in his seat and SLAMS on the brakes. EXT. FOREST ROAD—NIGHT The SUV comes to a skidding halt. The wheels kick up a huge CLOUD OF DUST that drifts into the sky in front of the headlights. We see LUKE behind the wheel looking stunned and breathing heavily. Any other person would drive off as fast as they can, but that wouldn't be very scary, so with curiosity tugging at his collar, LUKE opens the driver side door of the car and gets out. He GULPS and slowly walks over to the foliage. SUDDENLY, we hear a faint rustling in the distance. LUKE looks into the foliage in the distance. P.O.V. LUKE. We see some trees swaying in the distance and bushes shaking violently. The sound finally dims and the vegetation stops shaking. LUKE moves closer to the wall of foliage. A cloud of flies swarms around a particular bush. LUKE finds this peculiar. Slowly, carefully, he places both hands on the foliage and pulls the bush apart, like ripping something open. The ripped bushes reveal a small area behind them, where… A BODY LAYS. A DEAD BODY, LYING ON ITS BACK LOOKING BLOODIED UP. IT IS A MAN…MANGELED AND BLOODY IN A PG-13 STYLE…NOT TOO DISTURBING. LUKE JUMPS back in fright. After a few seconds, he regains his composure. He leans closer to get a better look when we see… THE SAME PICTURE OF KAY, LUKE, AND LUKE'S WIFE, JUST A SMALLER VERSION, LIES CRUMPLED UP NEXT TO THE BODY. LUKE, in an act of PANIC, grabs the picture and looks down at it. He begins to PANT VERY HEAVILY. Like a madman, he falls back and TRIPS. He gets up and runs over to the car, where he gets in and speeds off down the road. INT. LIVING ROOM—LUKE'S HOUSE—NIGHT KAY and DAVID watch TV in the living room. DAVID lays on the couch dead asleep while KAY sits on the recliner INDIAN STYLE. Off screen, we hear a DOOR open and then SHUT. KAY looks up to see LUKE walk into the room like a zombie. He looks as if he'd just seen a ghost, his eyes staring off into the distance and his hands square at his sides. KAY notices LUKE'S distraught and speaks ponderously. KAY Hi…daddy. You're home early. LUKE doesn't even look at her. He sits down in the chair on the other side of the couch and leans his head back. He SIGHS deeply. KAY looks over with an obvious look of concern on her face. KAY What's wrong…? LUKE SIGHS again and looks over at KAY for the first time since he walked in. He speaks with a mysterious, lonely tone in his voice. For some reason, it is calm. LUKE Get your things packed. Just what'll fit in the car. KAY turns concerned; her voice amplifies, waking up DAVID. KAY What? LUKE We're leaving. DAVID sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. DAVID (sleepily) What's going on? KAY Daddy wants us to leave! DAVID What? Why? All eyes are turned to LUKE, who sits with the mysterious, dark eyes that we've come to know. He thinks for a second. LUKE If we stay here…we can't stay here. DAVID Luke, what's wrong? SUDDENLY, LUKE turns towards the kitchen. FOCUS ON: We see the REFRIGERATOR; it is old and beat up, water rust surrounds the base. LUKE gets up and walks towards he kitchen. KAY and DAVID follow him in. INT. KITCHEN—NIGHT LUKE walks over to the fridge and puts his hand against it. DAVID and KAY stand behind him. DAVID What's wrong? LUKE doesn't answer. He has his eyes fixated on the refrigerator. He leans down and gets on his hands and knees. DAVID and KAY look at each other curiously; they have no idea what LUKE is doing. With a look of concern, LUKE looks underneath the fridge. LUKE stands up and looks at the fridge. He grabs it, like a HUG, and starts to pull it backwards. He moves it but only slightly. He GRUNTS as he tugs at the fridge. DAVID JOINS IN, he hugs the side of the fridge and they both pull until they move it about two feet off center. All three look down at the space underneath the fridge. We see a large, dirt circle with a small hole in the middle. It is like the eye of a dirt storm. LUKE leans down and sticks his hand into the hole. He GRUNTS as he moves his hand around, we see him struggling with something until finally… He pulls out a PLASTIC BAG. Inside the bag is a VIDEOTAPE. LUKE holds it up and they examine it. DAVID What's on it? INT. LIVINGROOM—NIGHT LUKE pops in the VIDEOTAPE into a small VCR located underneath the TV. He sits back on the coffee table next to KAY and DAVID. The screen begins to flicker and we see the light reflecting off their faces. They watch with gleam and curiosity, they don't know what to expect to see. P.O.V. ALL. We see STATIC on the TV. It is just snow and electronic buzzing. After a few seconds, the screen turns and we see the view as if through a camcorder. There is a large dock leading into a lagoon…the Black Lagoon. It is a home video, probably shot by PONCHMAN. The viewpoint is from the back doorframe. We see CHILDREN jumping off the dock and into the water in bathing suits. Small BLACK CHILDREN. There is a PICNIC TABLE set up with a BLACK FAMILY sitting around eating. There are balloons and cake…it is obviously a birthday party. DAVID points it out. DAVID Must be a birthday. LUKE and KAY both look at him like he's an idiot. There is nothing more obvious than the fact that it's a birthday party. We turn back to the home video. We see a small BLACK BOY sporting swimming trunks stands by the edge of the dock. He turns around and flashes a big smile. He yells at the cameraman. BLACK BOY Grandpa! Grandpa! Watch me! We hear PONCHMAN'S voice. He is the cameraman. PONCHMAN (after a chuckle) Go ahead. BLACK BOY Are you watching? The camera ZOOMS IN on the black boy. PONCHMAN I'm watching. The BLACK BOY turns and JUMPS IN the water. We see water splash up over the dock as everyone around starts CLAPPING at the BOY'S feat. We hear PONCHMAN laughing, too. SUDDENLY, the tape ENDS and we see nothing but STATIC again. The tape ENDS. We are back in the LIVING ROOM. DAVID looks confused. DAVID Wait a minute, that's it? He hid that? LUKE is messing with buttons on the VCR. We see the tape REWIND on screen until it gets to the part just before the BOY jumps in. DAVID What? You see something? LUKE doesn't answer. He presses PLAY and the tape starts playing. He presses another button and the tape plays SLOWLY, FRAME BY FRAME. We see the BOY jump in the water, and as soon as he does, LUKE REWINDS THE TAPE AGAIN SLIGHTLY. He puts his finger on the screen. His finger is on the tree-line on the other side of the lagoon. They all LEAN IN CLOSER. P.O.V. ALL. The tape begins to play again. It is suspenseful. As soon as the boy JUMPS IN, we see a DARK SHADOWY FIGURE SLIP OUT FROM BEHIND A TREE AND HIDE BEHIND ANOTHER ONE. JUMP SCENE. They all JUMP BACK… Then, like an homage to just about every horror movie known to man…THE POWER GOES OUT. All goes dark; only the moonlight fills the room with a dim, eerie blue. DAVID, LUKE, and KAY look around the room. DAVID Great…I got it. DAVID RUNS out of the frame and up the stairs. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NO POWER—NIGHT We see DAVID run around the corner near the top of the stairs. He runs past closed doors and to the CIRCUIT BREAKER BOX at the end of the hall. Quickly, in an almost panicky fashion, he attempts to open the circuit breaker box. SUDDENLY, we hear LIGHTNING STRIKE outside, followed by the beating of RAIN on the roof. DAVID looks up in a bit of shock. He whispers to himself as he continues to pry the door of the circuit box open. DAVID I a getting the hell out of here…I swear as soon as I get my own damn…I'm getting as far away from any damn, lagoons, or Bishopsvilles, or murderers, or… The door of the breaker box POPS open. Inside, we see a collection of switches and buttons, all with confusing schematic markings and strange symbols. DAVID looks at them with confusion. DAVID Inny, minny, miny… BEHIND DAVID, WE SEE THE DOOR TO DAVID'S ROOM CREAK OPEN A LITTLE BIT. BACK AT THE BREAKER, DAVID continues to fiddle with the switches. He MUTTERS under his breath as he struggles, aimlessly pressing buttons and flipping switches. BEHIND HIM, WE SEE A STRANGE, ALIEN-LOOKING LEG APPEAR OUT FROM THE DOOR. IT LOOKS HUMAN-LIKE, BUT WITH CLAWS, GRAYISH-BLUE REPTILIAN SKIN AND SEVERAL BUMPS. THE FOOT HITS THE GROUND GENTLY AND SILENTLY…DAVID DOESN'T EVEN NOTICE. DAVID continues with the breakers. INT. LIVINGROOM—NIGHT KAY sits huddled on the couch; her face nearly in tears. LUKE looks around in several drawers in the console table. He produces a FLASHLIGHT. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NIGHT DAVID is still messing with the various switches. BEHIND HIM, WE SEE TWO, REPTILIAN FEET MOVING TOWARDS DAVID. WHO STILL IS OBLIVIOUS TO THE GENTLE, APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS. REVERSE ANGLE. WE SEE DAVID STILL FIDDLING WITH SWITCHES, BEHIND HIM, WE SEE A SHADOW FIGURE COMING WITHIN FEET OF HIM. We see LUKE, KAY just behind him, come around the corner of the upstairs hall. He FREEZES in fear as he stops dead in his tracks, his mouth hanging open. KAY looks on, too, her face in tears, covering her mouth to keep herself quiet. LUKE WHISPERS LOUDLY. LUKE (very loud whisper) David, do not move! DAVID FREEZES. We see him begin to shake. The CREATURE, still covered by darkness, whips its head around and stares at LUKE and KAY; it snarls in a beastly fashion. DAVID is shaking with fear. He tightly shuts his eyes as the creature turns its head back towards DAVID. FOCUS ON: DAVID FLIPS a SWITCH on the circuit box labeled "AUXILARY." SUDDENY, the lights FLICKER on and we get our first clear view of the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. It is tall, about 6'6" or maybe taller, with a grayish, almost blue reptilian skin. Its feet are clawed, as are its hands, which hang on arms that stretch way past its waist. It stands upright, like a human, with wide shoulders and a crocodilian-like head, with large jaws with rows of white teeth. There are several SLITS running down the CREATURE'S neck that pulsate and jiggle…they are GILLS! Its eyes flash a bright red; two rows of gray spike run down its back. It looks like a 1998 version of "GODZILLA" with no tail. The CREATURE ROARS loudly. LUKE bends down a little, KAY screams, and DAVID spins around to get his first full view of the CREATURE himself. Like cornered prey, DAVID leans against the wall and slips until he is sitting on the floor, his head resting on the wall right below the breaker box. His eyes never leave the CREATURE'S gaze. It stares like a prowling lion. DAVID tries to push back against the wall in a severe act of futility, looking as scared as we've ever seen him. The CREATURE leans forward, its jaws open slightly. It raises its hands like in attack mode. FOCUS ON: The CREATURE maneuvers its claws; they move about the hand like a rotor. They are sharp scythes of black bone. LUKE and KAY watch on from the other end of the hall terrified. KAY screams out. KAY (scared yelp) David! DAVID is panicking, but his eyes never break their connection with the CREATURE'S. They seem as if in a staring contest. FOCUS ON: DAVID'S hand slowly reaches into his pants pocket. He is cautious, and we see him pull out a metal black shaft. One of the CREATURE'S clawed hands comes down near DAVID'S shoe. It closes its fist and the wooden floor becomes scratched and crunched…the CREATURE is displaying its power. FOCUS ON: DAVID has the PISTOL he secretly purchased earlier. LUKE and KAY look on curiously and fearfully. The CREATURE whips its head in the direction of the PISTOL. Its eyes WIDEN as it lets out a strange type of YELP. DAVID SHOOTS THE CREATURE IN THE STOMACH. IT ROARS. LUKE AND KAY FALL BACK ONTO THE GROUND IN HIDING AND FEAR. DAVID'S FACE IS DISTRAUGHT. THE CREATURE STANDS STRAIGHT UP AND HOLDS ITS STOMACH WITH BOTH OF ITS HANDS. IT SLOWLY DRAWS AWAY ITS CLAWS AND LOOKS DOWN. WE SEE BLOOD RUNNING OUT OF THE STOMACH IN A PG-13 KIND OF WAY. DAVID LOOKS ON WITH TERROR. He holds the smoking gun in his hands. The CREATURE looks down at DAVID and roars, except it is not a normal, beastly roar. It is more like a roar of pain. SUDDENLY, it turns and RUNS into DAVID'S room. The door SLAMS shut behind it. We hear the PAINFUL ROAR again, but is fades off into the distance until it is nothing. After a few, awkward silent BEATS in the hallway, LUKE and KAY run up to DAVID, who still sits against the wall with a look of pure terror on his face. LUKE leans down on his hunches in front of him. DAVID'S eyes are staring off into the distance; he looks like a man who has just died of stroke. LUKE puts his hand out and gently taps him on the side of his face until he finally comes to. With his mouth hanging open, he looks down at his pistol, gripped tightly in his hand. LUKE looks at him. LUKE You bought a gun? DAVID doesn't answer. He is still shocked at what he saw. LUKE Good job. EXT. POLICE STATION—NIGHT ESTABLISHING SHOT. The streets of Bishopsville seem to be empty. The rain still pours and lightning can clearly be heard in the background. We see LUKE'S SUV parked out front. INT. POLICE STATION—NIGHT DODSON stands behind a counter flipping through papers. LUKE and DAVID stand in front of the counter, a concerned look on both of their faces. We see KAY sitting behind them at a desk. She has a BLANKET over her. DODSON speaks with a certain, non-believing tone to his voice. DODSON So you say it was a man with gills? A Gill-Man? DAVID chuckles. He is agitated and turns his back to DODSON. DAVID There's just no getting to this guy! LUKE continues his trials. LUKE Is there anyone else here we can talk to? This slightly angers DODSON. He is offended by the fact that LUKE and DAVID obviously don't like his antics very much. He SIGHS. DODSON Look, either you can let me do my job or you can move to some other town. DAVID whips around, a SERIOUS look on his face. DAVID What was in that basement, Dodson? LUKE looks at DAVID curiously. DODSON'S face goes blank. After a few beats, he erupts inside, but his voice is relatively soft, snakelike…sinister. DODSON I don't think you know who you're talking to. DAVID and DODSON get in a sort of quiet argument. DAVID leans forward, locking eyes with DODSON. DAVID Three police officers saw what was in the basement. Two died, one lived. It just so happens that the one who survived was the only one who denied seeing anything. It also happens that that officer was named William Dodson…that's who I'm talking to. DODSON I don't know what you're talking about. There is a long silence. LUKE looks confused; he has no idea what DAVID is talking about. DODSON Get out before I decide to lock your ass up for slander. DAVID stares into his eyes with the fury of the CREATURE itself. EXT. OLICE STATION—NIGHT We see DAVID, LUKE, and KAY walking down the steps of the POLICE STATION towards the SUV. DAVID looks angry. He is looking away from the other two; fire burning in his eyes. LUKE looks over at him. LUKE What the hell was that about? DAVID I did some research. When Ponchman was convicted the police found something in the basement… LUKE Basement? We don't have a basement. DAVID continues his story, not paying attention to LUKE'S comments. DAVID Afterwards, they sealed it up and ran. Two of the cops who saw what was down there died, they were the ones going around telling people about it. I find it strange that the only one who kept his mouth shut is still alive and more of an asshole than ever. LUKE Dodson? DAVID Officer asshole. KAY Wait a minute, what's going on? LUKE gets into the driver seat and starts the car. KAY gets in the back. DAVID doesn't get in; he walks up to the driver side window. LUKE Where're you going? DAVID I'm going to go get that tape. He starts to walk away from the SUV and down the road, water dripping from his clothes. KAY begins to open the car door. KAY I'm going with him. LUKE No you're not. KAY (whining) But daddy! LUKE Stay in the car, Kay. The car starts moving down the wet road. It pulls up next to DAVID. LUKE shouts at him through the window. LUKE It's pretty wet out. You need a ride? INT. SUV—STILL RAINING—NIGHT LUKE drives down the dark forest road. DAVID sits in the passenger seat and KAY sits in the back. LUKE I think I finally have this thing figured out. Ponchman said that these things kill people and blame the murders on other people. The knife, your watch…it all makes sense. DAVID That's why Dodson doesn't tell anybody what he saw. LUKE It keeps him alive…the ultimate blackmail. And no one's going to believe us until we get that tape. EXT. PENNING HOUSE DRIVEWAY—STILL RAINING—NIGHT ESTABLISHING SHOT. We see LUKE'S SUV pull up into the driveway. INT. LUKE'S SUV—NIGHT LUKE grips the steering wheel tightly as the lights go off in the car. The engine stops running. All is quiet except for the strong bleating of rain on the roof. LUKE doesn't take his eyes off the house in front of him. LUKE (preoccupied, to DAVID) You still have that gun? DAVID is staring at the house, too. Fear is evident in everyone's face, including KAY'S, who stares forward, her body trembling. DAVID Yeah. LUKE Please don't lose it. DAVID (gulps) I won't. INT. FOYER—PENNING HOUSE—NIGHT It is VERY DARK inside. We see the front door OPEN and LUKE walks through, followed by DAVID. The place looks exactly the same. FOCUS ON: DAVID FLIPS the LIGHT SWITCH on the wall next to the door. Nothing happens. The lights stay out. DAVID Storm must've knocked out the power. INT. LIVINGROOM—NIGHT LUKE walks to the television set. He presses the eject button on the VCR. NOTHING…THE POWER IS OUT. DAVID and KAY come over. LUKE The damn tape's stuck! SUDDENLY, WE HEAR THE CREAKING OF FOOTSTEPS COMING FROM THE CEILING ABOVE…SOMEONE IS WALKING UPSTAIRS! EVERYBODY looks up. KAY begins whimpering. LUKE speaks but never takes his eyes off the ceiling above, which stops creaking. LUKE looks over at DAVID. LUKE (loud whisper) Take Kay and go start the car. NOBODY PROTESTS. DAVID and KAY take off slowly. LUKE is ALONE in the house. He turns to the VCR and starts messing with it. SUDDENLY, WE HEAR THE UPSTAIRS CREAKING AGAIN. LUKE LOOKS UP STARTLED. HE BEGINS TO PANT HEAVILY, HIS HEART BEATING, SWEAT DRIPPING FROM HIS BROW. INT. KITCHEN—NIGHT We see LUKE moving through the kitchen, looking up the entire time. HE IS FOLLOWING THE CREAKING SOUND; IT SEEMS TO BE MOVING THROUGH THE UPSTAIRS. LUKE never takes his eyes off of the ceiling, following the sound with his eyes. FOCUS ON: We see a LARGE BUTCHER KNIFE lying in a wooden knife holder; a block of wood with multiple slots in it for holding the knives. LUKE slowly moves towards the knife. INT. STAIRWAY—NIGHT LUKE walks up the steps slowly, like a cat burglar on the prowl. He moves placing each foot on the edge of each step; this creates as little creaking as possible. FOCUS ON: We see the KNIFE gripped tightly in his hand. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NIGHT LUKE moves through the hallway slowly, with each step, he looks back and forth. We see that EVERY DOOR is open. INT. KAY'S ROOM—NIGHT KAY'S room is stereotypical for a teenage girl. There are magazines lying everywhere and various stuffed animals. We see LUKE peek through the doorframe. The room is EMPTY. SUDDENLY, A WHITE FLASH OF LIGHTNING FILLS THE ROOM. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NIGHT LUKE JUMPS back from the doorframe and hugs his back against the wall. He closes his eyes and SIGHS deeply. After a few beats, he continues to move down the hall. He passes two doors, one leading to DAVID'S room and the other to LUKE'S. REVERSE ANGLE. SUDDENLY, WE SEE A SHADOWY, DARK FIGURE CROSS THE HALL FROM ONE KAY'S ROOM TO DAVID'S. LUKE doesn't notice. We then hear a LOUD BANGING, like the sound of a door SLAMMING. Then, we can hear the patter of footsteps coming from downstairs. LUKE has a concerned, frightened look on his face. We then hear FOOTSTEPS running up the stairs. LUKE falls back a little until…we see DAVID and KAY run into the hallway. LUKE starts to walk towards them DAVID notices LUKE and runs towards him, his face looking like he'd just seen a ghost. He pants eagerly. DAVID Luke! He stops in front of LUKE and… HE HOLDS UP A CAR'S STEERING WHEEL…THE STEERING WHEEL TO LUKE'S SUV. IT HAS BEEN RIPPED OUT, THE LEATHER AROUND THE STEERING WHEEL IS RIPPED AND TORN, DAMAGED WIRES HANG DOWN FROM THE BASE. DAVID We're not going anywhere. LUKE takes the wheel and looks at it, dumfounded and shocked. LUKE (whisper) Jesus. INT. KITCHEN—NIGHT LUKE, DAVID, and KAY walk into the kitchen. LUKE jams the knife into the table; it gets stuck in the wood. DAVID picks up the CORDLESS PHONE off the counter and presses the TALK button. He holds it to his ear. LUKE and KAY stare at him. We hear NOTHING. After a few beats, DAVID slowly places the phone back on the counter and hangs his head. DAVID (whisper) Nothing. The words hang in the air like smoke coming from a freshly fired cannon. SUDDENLY, WE HEAR FOOTSTEPS UPSTAIRS AGAIN. DAVID'S FACE turns SERIOUS. He looks at KAY. DAVID You're a teenage girl; don't you have a cell phone? She shakes her head "NO." LUKE suddenly has an idea. LUKE (to DAVID) Wait a minute, don't you have one? DAVID Yeah, but I… He thinks for a second; his tone turns darker…slightly depressed, like he is ashamed. DAVID (softly) …I left it in the boat. He leans his head against the wall, his eyes closed. LUKE looks around. FOCUS ON: LUKE looks out the window at the dock, which disappears into the darkness of the Black Lagoon. He SIGHS deeply. EXT. BACKYARD—NIGHT LUKE stops in the doorframe of the backdoor. He breathes deeply and looks around, probing the area. P.O.V. LUKE. We see empty trees and a starry sky. The moonlight provides the only illumination. He moves towards the dock slowly, walking down the muddy slope to the wooden structure. REVERSE ANGLE. WE SEE A DARK, SHADOWY FIGURE CREEPING ON ITS HUNCHES ON THE ROOF. EXT. DOCK—NIGHT LUKE moves down the dock slowly, his footsteps seem to be amplified in the silence of the night. He reaches the end of the dock, where… WE SEE THAT THE BOAT HAS DRIFTED ABOUT TWENTY FEET FROM THE END OF THE DOCK. IT IS TIED TO A ROPE, THE OTHER END IS TIED TO A SMALL ANCHOR ON THE DOCK. LUKE leans down and puts his hands on the rope. He begins to pull slowly, pulling the boat towards him. FOCUS ON: We see that the end of the rope tied to the begins to thin and rip. ON THE DOCK, LUKE pulls the rope harder, before… SUDDENLY, THE ROPE SNAPS AND THE BOAT IS LEFT DRIFTING ABOUT TEN FEET FROM THE DOCK. IT STOPS MOVING. LUKE, in an act of futility, puts his hands in the water and starts thrashing a bit…to no avail; the boat sits stationary in the water. We all know what happens next. LUKE grips the edge of the dock and lowers himself into the water. He begins to slowly SWIM towards the boat, every thrash of his arms like a signal for the CREATURE to attack. After a few beats of swimming, he reaches the boat and puts his arms over the side. He lifts himself up over the boat and rolls into the metal bed. EXT. BOAT BED—NIGHT We see him SHIVER, almost uncontrollably. After a few self- hugs, to warm himself up, he gets on his hands and knees and starts looking around for the cell phone. INT. LIVINGROOM—NIGHT We see DAVID and KAY looking out a LARGE window, which is right next to the backdoor. P.O.V. DAVID AND KAY. We see LUKE looking around the boat. EXT. BOAT BED—NIGHT After a few seconds of searching, LUKE finds the silver CELL PHONE underneath one of the boat's seats. He flips it open to reveal the numeric buttons. Quickly, he presses buttons and the screen illuminates brightly. After he has dialed a number, he holds the phone to his ear. INT. POLICE STATION—NIGHT DODSON sits in his chair behind his desk. He has his legs up on the table. We see that he is slowly dozing off, a faint snoring coming from his face. JUMP SCENE. The PHONE RINGS on DODSON'S desk. He jumps out of his sleep and rubs his eyes with a yawn as the phone continues to ring. He picks up the phone and puts it to his ear. DODSON Yeah, Bishopsville Sheriff's Department, what do you need? EXT. BOAT BED—NIGHT LUKE yells into the phone. LUKE Dodson! Dodson! INT. POLICE STATION—NIGHT DODSON'S face turns slightly agitated. DODSON Pennings? What do you want? EXT. BOAT BED—NIGHT LUKE shouts back into the phone. LUKE Dodson! We need you to get here as fast as you can! Bring weapons, bring deputies bring something! We hear a loud BEEPING sound. LUKE takes the phone away from his ear, flips it open and looks down at it. P.O.V. LUKE. The phone is dimming as we see the words "LOW BATTERY" pop up one the phone's screen. LUKE No…shit! He hits the phone in a futile attempt to get it back. The phone dies completely. LUKE lets it go and it hits the floor with a CLUNK. INT. POLICE STATION—NIGHT DODSON takes the phone away from his ear and flashes it a strange look. He then puts it back on the holster. EXT. BOAT BED—NIGHT LUKE sits in the boat bed, staring up into the twilight. This is a very "Zen" moment as he stares up at the twinkling stars and scarce clouds. The moon dominates the sky, we see black clouds moving past it. LUKE speaks softly, and in the most innocent tone he can manage to conger up. LUKE You're an asshole, you know that? We assume that he is referring to God. SUDDENLY, we hear a SPLASH. LUKE whips around and stares into the water. BEHIND HIM, WE SEE A DARK, SHADOWY HAND RISE FROM THE DEPTHS AND GENTLY GRAB ONTO THE SIDE OF THE BOAT. LUKE turns his head slowly and JUMPS back in his seat. He KICKS the hand and it slips releases its grip and slips back down into the water. He GRABS the single oar in the boat and starts to frantically paddle towards the dock. After a few seconds of paddling…he abruptly STOPS. He grips the oar tightly, but it doesn't move, it is like it is stuck. LUKE turns his head downward towards the oar. His teeth are grinding, his face is turning red, sweat drips down his face. It is obvious what is happening. SOMETHING UNDERWATER HAS GRABBED THE OAR, LUKE IS HOLDING ON FROM ABOVE. THE CREATURE UNDERWATER AND LUKE ARE IN A DEADLOCK. SUDDENLY, LUKE RELEASES THE OAR, IT SPLASHES INTO THE WATER, AND JUMPS IN. HE SWIMS FRANTICALLY TOWARDS THE DOCK. EVENTUALLY, HE REACHES THE DOCK AND REACHES HIS HANDS UP TO THE EDGE. HE GRIPS IT AND LIFTS HIMSELF UP ONTO THE WOODEN PLANKS. EXT. DOCK—NIGHT We see DAVID in the background, he is standing in the frame of the backdoor waving LUKE on. LUKE stands on his hands and knees for a second, dripping with water, right before… WE SEE THE CREATURE'S HAND REACH UP AND GRAB THE END OF THE DOCK. IT IS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER HAND. THEN, THE CREATURE ROARS AND LIFTS ITSELF UP ONTO THE DOCK. THE CREATURE SEEMS BIGGER THAN BEFORE; IT IS BULKIER AND MORE TOP-HEAVY. ALSO, THE WOUND LEFT BY DAVID'S GUNSHOT IS GONE…THIS MUST BE A DIFFERENT CREATURE. LUKE gives it a strange stare, then gets up and RUNS towards the backdoor. He sprints with all his might. The CREATURE is not far behind, roaring as it runs on its hunches, spikes sticking out of its back like a mountain, claws dangling…it is truly DINOSAURIC in design. Its footsteps are like low gunshots. Eventually, LUKE reaches the backdoor. INT. LIVINGROOM—NIGHT HE RUNS IN AND WHIPS AROUND, CLOSING IT. WE SEE HIM LOCK THE DEADLOCK JUST IN TIME, RIGHT BEFORE… WE HEAR A LOUD SLAM AGAINST THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR. THE CREATURE IS BANGING AGAINST IT. WE SEE WOOD CHIPS AND DUST FLYING FROM THE TOP OF THE DOOR. LUKE LEANS AGAINST THE DOOR, TRYING TO HOLD IT SHUT. DAVID and KAY stand at the other side of the room. KAY holds onto him like a damsel-in-distress and cries. Unlike before, he doesn't seem to mind. ABRUPTLY, the SLAMMING stops and dies down. He hear footsteps outside moving away from the house. LUKE chuckles a bit and looks at DAVID and KAY. DAVID I think it's gone. WITH THAT, WE SEE THE WINDOW NEXT TO THE BACKDOOR SHATTER. LUKE, DAVID, AND KAY RUN UP THE STAIRS. INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NIGHT They run through the hallway. We can hear the distinct ROARING coming from downstairs. We then hear giant footsteps, obviously from the CREATURE, climb the stairs. They run into DAVID'S ROOM. INT. DAVID'S ROOM—NIGHT They run in and shut the door. DAVID locks the deadlock. SMASH CUT TO: We see DAVID and LUKE pushing the bed up against the door, safely securing it. KAY stands off to the side. SUDDENLY, the door OPENS, but just an inch or two, enough that the bed allows. DAVID and LUKE press with all their might against the bed as the door closes again, then SLAMS open, pushing the bed back another inch. SUDDENLY, the one of the CREATURE'S CLAWED HANDS reaches in and grabs the end of the bed. DAVID and LUKE grunt ferociously as they push, using all of their strength to keep the CREATURE from opening the door any further. After a few beats of fighting, the HAND releases its grip on the bed and slips back into the darkness of the hallway. The door SLAMS shut and the bed is pushed securely against the wall, sealing the door. We hear GRUNTS and ROARS coming from the other side of the door. DAVID, KAY, and LUKE look on in terror as there is a final POUNDING on the door, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. DAVID looks over at the window; the wood that once covered it is cracked and broken, revealing shattered glass. DAVID You think we're safe here? LUKE (softly) No. He is painstakingly honest. KAY begins to sob on the bed. SUDDENLY, we hear a DEEP MOANING echoing around the room…it is the same moaning of pain that ushered from the CREATURE when DAVID shot it, except it is distant and faded. EVERYBODY JUMPS at the sound. They look around for the source. The sound echoes again, it is almost a soothing, yet rugged tone. DAVID, LUKE, and KAY look towards the closet. P.O.V. ALL. We ZOOM IN to the closet. We hear the sound again, it is obviously ushering from the closet. DAVID never takes his eyes off the door. DAVID The loose floorboards. INT. CLOSET—NIGHT The closet door OPENS and DAVID and LUKE rush inside. LUKE leans down and grips one of the wooden planks in the floor. HE begins to pry as he speaks. LUKE You know I was going to nail this up earlier. But…I decided… He doesn't finish before he unveils the underneath of the floorboards. We see what looks like a LONG, DEEP, VERTICAL TUNNEL, LIKE UNDERNEATH A MANHOLE COVER, WITH SMALL HANDHOLDS IN THE WALL OF THE TUNNEL, WHICH LEADS DOWN INTO DARKNESS. LUKE looks up at DAVID. DAVID'S eyes remain locked on the mysterious tunnel. DAVID We have a basement. LUKE Why would you have the entrance to your basement upstairs? DAVID Maybe it's uh…maybe it's a, like a laundry shoot or something. LUKE looks down at the tunnel. INT. DAVID'S ROOM—MOMENTS LATER—NIGHT LUKE preps a large FLASHLIGHT. DAVID is looking out the window, probably searching for the CREATURE. DAVID I don't see it. LUKE SLAMS a set of large batteries into the FLASHLIGHT and it clicks on, creating a bright beam of light. LUKE looks at KAY. LUKE Kay, I want you to stay here. KAY No! Daddy please don't leave me alone, please! LUKE Look, honey, you're safe in here. He's not getting in that window or that door, okay? This is the safest place you can be right now. We'll just be gone for a second. Okay? KAY shakes her head "YES," but it is obvious that she is in deep emotional protest, as tears run off her cheeks. LUKE looks over at DAVID. INT. THE TUNNEL—NIGHT We are in the TUNNEL looking up at LUKE and DAVID as they lean forward, looking down. LUKE maneuvers the flashlight down into the tunnel. All seems quiet. INT. CLOSET—NIGHT LUKE slips into the tunnel, DAVID follows. INT. THE TUNNEL—NIGHT It is a tight squeeze. LUKE'S back is against one side of the wall as he uses his foot and hand holes in the walls to keep his balance. DAVID is following closely behind. They continue their trek down the tunnel, which brings us to… INT. BASEMENT—NIGHT We cannot see much yet. We can see the flicker of FLAMES on the wall. There is a HOLE in the ceiling in a corner of the room. LUKE slips out of the hole and falls on the cement ground below. He stands up and brushes himself off. DAVID'S landing is safer. He stretches down and lands with a THUD on both hind legs. They gaze at the room. P.O.V. DAVID AND LUKE. WE SEE THE ROOM AS EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE. IT IS CUBIC IN DESIGN, WITH A LARGE HOLE IN THE WALL AT THE OTHER END OF THE BASEMENT. SMALL CAMPFIRES LINE THE EDGES OF THE WALLS, ILLUMINATING THE AREA WITH A SOFT FIRELIGHT. ON THE GROUND ARE…BONES. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF HUMAN- LOOKING BONES. SOME ARE OLD, OTHERS STILL HAVE A LITTLE BLOOD ON THEM. THEY CARPET THE GROUND WITH A TRUE PG-13 STYLE. AMONG THE BONES ARE…EGGS. AT LEAST FIFTY OSTRICH-EGG SIZED EGGS ATTATCHED TO THE GROUND BY BIOLOGICAL-LOOKING TENDONS, ALL COVERED WITH A STRANGE SORT OF CLEAR OOZE. THE MAIN PIECE, THOUGH, IS THE DEAD BODY OF THE CREATURE DAVID SHOT EARLIER LYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM; ITS DEAD EYES STARING TOWARDS THE CEILING, ITS ARMS STRETCHED OUT, BLOOD STILL DRIPPING FROM ITS WOUND. ITS POSE IS EERILY HUMAN. DAVID never takes his eyes off the dead CREATURE. DAVID There must be two of them. SUDDENLY, THE SECOND, BIGGER CREATURE ROARS and walks through the large hole at the other end of the basement. It lumbers through and lets out another ROAR. It looks at DAVID and LUKE with those familiar, fiery, demon-like eyes. SUDDENLY, it turns its attention towards the dead CREATURE, obviously the female of the species. The CREATURE walks towards the DEAD CREATURE and leans down, its roar has subsided. It bends down low on its hunches and touches the DEAD CREATURE gently, slowly caressing its neck. We see real emotion come from the CREATURE'S face…it is SADNESS. FOCUS ON: TEARS CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN RUNNING FROM THE CREATURE'S EYES. During this, LUKE and DAVID'S eyes are deadlocked on the event. DAVID whispers over at LUKE. DAVID It might be a good time to leave. AS IF ON QUE, THE CREATURE'S HEAD looks up at DAVID. It lets out a menacing ROAR and marches towards him. The following happens in an instant. DAVID WHIPS out the PISTOL and holds it straight towards the CREATURE, but before he has a chance to fire it, the CREATURE swipes at DAVID and knocks the weapon out of his hands. FOCUS ON: The pistol skids across the floor and into the darkness. The CREATURE grabs DAVID by the neck with one hand. Slowly, he is lifted on the ground. DAVID dangles a foot above the ground, the CREATURE has a firm grasp. They lock eyes and we see true ANGER in the IRIS of the vengeful CREATURE. LUKE watches on, his mouth hanging open, not sure what to do. He looks down at the floor and gets a risky idea. DAVID and the CREATURE are still fixed in what seems like a staring contest. OFF SCREEN, WE HEAR A VERY DISTINCT SMASH! The CREATURE whips its head over to see… LUKE has SMASHED one of its eggs. Giving it another try, LUKE kicks another egg, spewing yolk and ooze everywhere. The CREATURE drops DAVID and he lands on the ground with a THUD and a CRACK of the bones on the floor. With a SNARL, the CREATURE POUNCES ON LUKE AND KNOCKS HIM BACK ONTO THE FLOOR. IT HAS HIM PINNED ON THE GROUND, ITS FACE INCHES FROM LUKE'S. It snarls a beastly snarl, its teeth show and its eyes glare hypnotically. LUKE makes a strange attempt to talk to the CREATURE. LUKE What for? His speech is muffled from being pinned by the massive CREATURE. Strangely, the CREATURE seems to know what LUKE is asking. We see DAVID, still crawling on the ground, looking for something…the gun. The CREATURE turns its head away from LUKE, it looks at a WALL on one side of the room. There is something about the WALL that neither DAVID nor LUKE had noticed before… IT IS COVERED WITH "SAVE THE EARTH" SIGNS, POWER PLANT FLIERS, POLLUTION ADS, BIOHAZARD SYMBOLS, AMONG MANY OTHER MATERIAL RELATING TO PULLTION. The CREATURE doesn't like what we are doing to the planet. Then, it looks back at the DEAD CREATURE. LUKE is starting to get the point. Finally, the CREATURE reaches its hands into one of the large piles of ooze created when LUKE broke some of the eggs. After a few beats, the CREATURE pulls its hand back, opens its palm, and reveals… A TINY EMBRYO, LOOKING VERY HUMAN-LIKE, RESTS IN ITS PALM. WE CAN SEE A TINY PULSATING BUMP IN THE NEARLY TRANSLUCENT SKIN…IT IS ITS HEART BEATING. The CREATURE holds out the EMBRYO in front of LUKE. After a few beats, its heart STOPS BEATING. With sadness in its eyes, the CREATURE places the embryo back into the pile of slimy ooze. THEN, the anger returns. With a SNARL, the CREATURE stares down at DAVID. The CREATURE slowly lifts its clawed arm up, prepared to SWIPE LUKE to his death. With a FINAL ROAR, the CREATURE moves its arms with a flash, BUT… BEFORE IT CAN FINISH THE JOB, WE HEAR A LOUD GUNSHOT. We see DAVID, leaning against the wall holding the freshly fired PISTOL. The CREATURE turns around and looks at DAVID. It stands up off LUKE, who quickly crawls away and looks on from a distance. With a look of pure shock on its face, the CREATURE turns around, exposing its back to us. We can see a large, red BULLET HOLE in its back…directly in its back. The CREATURE stumbles like a drunken man over to the DEAD CREATURE and falls onto it. It is like the end of ROMEO AND JULIET. The CREATURE rubs the DEAD CREATURE'S head, just before the life in its own eyes dims, and it dies. We are left with DAVID and LUKE both staring in shock at the DEAD CREATURE'S. EXT. FRONT PORCH—NIGHT There are SEVERAL POLICE CARS, all with their siren lights on (but no sound). There are POLICEMEN standing around taking notes, some are rushing in and out of the house. We see TWO BODY BAGS being hoisted into an ambulance by several PARAMEDICS. DAVID, KAY, and LUKE sit on the front porch, all draped in towels with what look like CUPS OF COFFEE. DODSON walks up to them. He gives them a strange stare. DODSON Luke… He sticks his hand out to shake. It takes a while, but eventually, after a mean stare, LUKE sticks his hand out and shakes DODSON'S. DAVID sticks his hand out, too. They shake. Alls well that ends well. With that, DODSON walks back to his police car. DAVID looks over at LUKE. DAVID So where're you going, now? LUKE I don't know…city. DAVID Hmm. There is a long pause. LUKE You know, I'd be more than happy to find a place for three. DAVID CHUCKLES, then thinks for a second. DAVID Nah. I'm just gonna, do what I do. WIDE SHOT. We see something moving in the trees…something shadowy, almost human-like. FADE TO: BLACK THE END.
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