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FADE IN
EXT. DESERTED STREET - NIGHT
The long street glistens from some past rain shower.
Long abnormally shaped buildings line the sidewalks, various signs with
words and banner written backwards - as if a dyslexic wrote them.
A stiff MIST slowly rolls down the street.
At the top of the street is a single house. A Gothic mimicry of a
picturesque three story house with a sickly green garden and off white
picket fence. It's a big house with a modern aristocratic design.
A MAN is sitting on the steps. BRENNAN (34) he looks lonely and
distant. He rises --
-- as the MIST rolls towards him.
-- he's getting worried, doesn't know what this mist is. He turns and
goes up the steps. He stops --
-- the mist is gone.
Brennan walks back down the steps, opens the picket fence, closes it,
walks a ways down the street.
He stands at the very top of the street, looking down at --
-- the rolling San Francisco like sloping of the street. At the bottom
is a long sprawling city dotted with tall sky scrapers lit with Neon
lights -- a bleak, dark, artificially lit world.
Brennan is walking down the center of the street, towards the Neon
city. He stops -- GROWLING.
He turns slowly --
-- a ferocious looking BLACK DOG is at the top of the street, right at
the picket fence gate. Thick globs of saliva drool down the sides of
it's mouth which is twisted up in a terrifying, aggressive grimace. It
barks.
Brennan stares, frozen, confused, fearful.
The dog charges at him --
-- Brennan stands like a duck in the headlights -- instinct kicks in --
he runs!
Brennan runs down the long sloping road. As he runs, the city seems to
get farther away instead of closer.
The dog charges on, barking aggressively, spit and drool spraying from
it's lips as it barks and howls. It's heavy dense muscles ripple under
it's heavy black fur coat. On it's neck is a small silver collar with
the initials T.S.
Brennan makes a sharp turn into the woods -- panting, desperate to get
away --
-- the dog follows him into the woods, barking all the while. It stops,
scanning for a different way to catch him -- finds one, runs left.
EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS
Brennan runs on, tripping over himself as he runs -- not looking back,
just running, running, as fast as he can --
-- there's a beam of light breaking through the trees ahead, it could
be an escape, refuge --
-- SNARLING DOG leaps at his left side and nips at his leg.
Brennan screams, clawing and punching frantically at the dog --
-- dog's huge mouth filled with razor sharp white teeth clamps into his
arm -- Brennan screams in pain, kicks wildly at the dog.
The dog suddenly backs off, growling gutturally.
Brennan wastes no time in running to the trees -- breaking through them
--
-- to the sunny side of the woods -- a dead end.
A gorge lies in front of him -- inches from his feet.
Below is mud and decay. a DEAD DEER lies half covered in mud -- we can
almost smell the stench -- Brennan is pushed! We don't see by who -- he
goes over the edge screaming --
-- his fingers just catch the edge of the gorge! His fingers dig in,
clawing desperately. He half peeks down -- too scary, can't look down,
looks back up --
-- a demonically twisted APPARITION swoops down at him. It's long
platinum blonde hair, it's features like a woman -- but it's completely
inhuman with a grotesquely huge mouth with vampire red lipstick,
ghostly white face, intense black eyes, it swoops and SCREAMS an
unearthly sound.
Two more APPARITIONS appear behind it. One is a smaller version of the
first one, nix the red lipstick, the other looks like a young man, with
spiky black hair, a completely white face, deep sunken in cheeks,
piercing ice blue eyes, a raspy voice that HOWLS at Brennan as they
circle like vultures.
Brennan's feet SCRAPE the gorge cliff side -- trying to get to the top
-- the DOG appears again! It BARKS. It's not gonna let anybody get past
it.
The three APPARITIONS circle Brennan, swooping around him, CAWING and
SCREAMING with giddy cackles.
Brennan tries to dodge them, gaping at them in horror.
He lets go one hand for the smallest second -- flails -- falls
screaming down into the gorge.
He lands in the mud.
The apparitions swoop around in the sky above him. Brennan recovers
slowly -- sees the dead deer next to him, it's mouth open, frozen in
rigor mortis, unresponsive eyes bulging from it's head --
-- Brennan scrambles up -- runs, runs and runs like anything
-- the apparitions swoop after him.
Brennan flails at the air around him, waving frantically at the
apparitions.
Up ahead, a rushing roaring river -- Brennan runs to it -- he doesn't
care anymore, just wants to get away -- dives in!
The apparitions swoop around and over the river for awhile then glide
away.
The river rumbles and tumbles, crashing against rocks and pebbles,
smashing against the dirt bedrock shore --
We move ...
EXT. UNDERWATER
... underwater. Rushing bubbles -- Brennan's lifeless body twisted and
pulled by the clashing currents --
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
Brennan GASPS awake!
He sit up for a moment -- what just happened? He lies back down slowly.
It was just a dream ... just a dream ...
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Brennan in a T-shirt and pants -- turns on faucet -- splashes water
over his face -- turns off sink.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
STEPHANIE (29) folds some laundry. The living room is filled with boxes
-- moving boxes. Plastic sheets are spread over the couch set and TV
and coffee tables. The walls are bare.
Stephanie folds up some towels. She notices a framed picture nearby.
She picks it up, gazes at it fondly.
INSERT - PICTURE
Her, Brennan, two kids, boy and girl, a cat in the girls arms -- the
happy family.
BACK TO SCENE
The doorbell rings. She goes to answer it.
INT. FOYER - CONTINUOUS
She opens the door.
Standing there, THOMAS SWANSON (38) a slick business type whose intense
eyes peer out from under his forehead, FREDDIE (19) a sly looking pre-
collage student type with a long head covered in spiky black hair,
MORGAN (21) a pretty if not a bit overmade up conservative type. Her
darting eyes make you wonder what she's thinking about under that head
of long platinum hair, KENDRA (17) Glasses, long brown hair, youthful
teenage grace. She might be a geek at heart with those holey stockings
and 70ies bead belt. Something is vaguely familiar about all these
people ...
Stephanie motions them in.
STEPHANIE
Thomas, glad you could make it.
They walk to the kitchen.
INT. DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
THOMAS
I just wanted to make sure everything was still okay with the move.
STEPHANIE
Oh, definitely. We haven't changed our minds, don't worry.
THOMAS
I actually was wondering if there was some chance you guys might want
to still live here. It is a big place -
STEPHANIE
No, I - I want to make a clean break. Put the past behind us.
Brennan enters the dining room. He looks at Thomas distrustfully.
BRENNAN
Tom.
THOMAS
Brother.
Brennan chuckles -- how ironic it all seems ...
STEPHANIE
Um, I guess you want the papers then?
Thomas nods.
Stephanie leaves purposefully.
THOMAS
I don't want you to think we're running you out of your home, Brennan.
BRENNAN
Oh, why would I think that?
THOMAS
Well, you know, you can't afford the place. Dad did leave it to me in
the will -
BRENNAN
Did he?
I'd be more than happy to have you here -
BRENNAN
But it'd be your house, right? Leased under your name, right?
THOMAS
Brennan -
BRENNAN
I don't want a consolation prize. I want a home that's mine, in my
name, worked for by my hand. I know what you're trying to do. No thank
you.
THOMAS
Your loss. It's a wonderful house.
BRENNAN
I hope you and .. and your offspring have a nice time with it. Dad
would want you to. Right?
Thomas grimaces. The irony of the last comment stung.
Stephanie comes back. She has some documents in her hand.
STEPHANIE
Here we are. The lease for the house.
Smiling, Thomas takes it. He weighs them absentmindedly.
BRENNAN
All set?
Thomas looks at Morgan, Kendra and Freddie. They smile knowingly.
THOMAS
I think so. Just so you know, Brennan, no matter what dad said - I
always thought you were the good son.
He extends his hand to Brennan. He's wearing a familiar looking silver
bracelet -- Engraved T.S
Brennan hesitantly shakes his hand -- maybe squeezes a little hard.
BRENNAN
No tom. You are.
THE END
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