Arcade Page #18

INT. MANNING HOUSE, HALLWAY -- DAY

Alex lands on the hallway floor, disoriented. Somewhere, we can hear a

clock TICKING. But other than that the house is silent, in stark contrast

to the storm of sounds a moment ago.

THE HOUSE:

looks just like the dream/flashback we saw earlier. Everything is white.

Bright and dreamlike. Hyper reality. Alex looks up and...

ANOTHER ALEX:

is sitting in a chair nearby, back straight, hands clasped in her lap.

Reserved.

OTHER ALEX:

Time. That's all I ever think about

anymore. It's like there's never enough of

it, you know?

The other Alex vanishes. Now the chair is empty. Alex turns to look down

the long hallway. At the end of the hallway is the open door. A door

we've seen before. The words fade in like phantoms...

MAN (V.O.)

So where are you then?

ALEX (V.O.)

I'm in the past.

ALEX:

(a whisper)

No ... oh no ...

With a building sense of dread, Alex moves towards that doorway. She

stops at the threshold, terrified.

INT. MANNING HOUSE, BEDROOM -- DAY

Everything looks normal at first. A typical bedroom with sunlight

streaming in through the windows. A bed, made-up. Flowers in vases.

Everything looks perfect.

We turn with Alex. Ever so slowly. Over to the right and the entranceway

of the bathroom. Over to where her mother is...

...seated on a chair. dressed in white and radiating warmth!

ALEX'S MOM

Hi, honey.

HER MOTHER:

looks beautiful. Eyes sparkling. Alive and vital.

Alex can't believe what she's seeing. Immediately, tears come to her eyes

and her voice falters...

ALEX:

Mom?

(uncomprehending)

You're alive...

ALEX'S MOTHER

Of course I am.

ALEX:

But I don't understand...

ALEX'S MOTHER

I miss you so much, Alex. I want so much

to be with you...

Tears are running freely down Alex's face now.

ALEX'S MOTHER

(continuing)

I love you, Alex. I never wanted to leave.

You know that, don't you?

ALEX:

(nodding)

Yes...but...how did you...

Her mother looks ecstatic. And now there are tears in her eyes. Joy,

reunion...it's unclear which.

ALEX'S MOTHER

Magic. We'll be together again.

(beat)

I know you don't believe in an afterlife,

but there is one. Heaven is real.

Alex looks around her. It's all too much to take in. Her mother. Back

in her own home. Sunlight is streaming in, bathing everything around her

in gold and the moment is crystallized. A still-life. Forever.

ALEX:

Is...is that where we are? Did I die?

ALEX'S MOTHER

Not yet, honey...

Her mother stands and Alex sees that she is holding a gun...no, the gun,

in her hands. She raises at Alex.

ALEX'S MOTHER

(continuing)

...but I can fix that.

Alex has no time to respond. A still-born scream is frozen in her throat.

A split-second of realization. And then her mother FIRES the gun...

CRACK! The bullet hits Alex square in the forehead, snapping her head

back as an are of blood and brain matter trail outward. The world spins

to a stop, like a record player running down.

Alex is killed instantly. Her body collapse, head thumping

unceremoniously against the carpeted floor.

HER EYES:

open and fixed on infinity. No life here. Seems hard to believe that

there ever was.

CUT TO:

INT. LEVEL NINE, THE NIGHT ROOM --

ON ALEX'S FACE

There is no bullet-hole in her forehead, but her eyes are just as

lifeless.

THE PEANUT GALLERY

Row after row of frozen faces. Are they aware that Alex has died? Is

there consciousness inside those skulls?

ON ARCADE:

as he crouches over Alex's body. A smile creeps across his face.

ARCADE:

OH ALEX. SO SORRY. BUT DON'T YOU WORRY,

I'LL BRING YOU BACK IN THE GAME. MAYBE

I'LL EVEN GIVE YOU HEAVEN.

He laughs.

ALEX'S BODY

begins to decompose in front of us, skin sinking in and shriveling up. In

moments, she's just a husk.

ARCADE rears back, and is about to turn away, when something catches his

eye. He hears a tiny BEEPING.

ALEX'S WRIST MONITOR

Remember the stylized symbol of a woman? The one that said "FREE LIFE"

beneath it? Well it disappears now.

There's a sudden FLASH behind ARCADE and he spins around..

ANOTHER ALEX:

is standing behind him. and she's got the heart/sword in her hands!

ALEX:

Guess what, ass-hole? You forgot about my

free life!!!

She DIVES forward, thrusting the sword with all her might. It sinks into

ARCADE'S chest and she pushes further, burying it up to the hilt.

ARCADE lets loose the most terribly SCREAM we've ever heard. It literally

shakes world.

THE SWORD:

is glowing like molten lava. The heart-shaped hilt burns into the

monster's chest, spreading crackling fire over his entire body. His body

is immersed fire now, vibrating like mad and suddenly...

...ARCADE EXPLODES IN A FIREBALL OF GREEN LIGHT AND...

...he's gone. Like he never existed. The sword drops to the floor, a

gun-metal gray now.

Alex stands there a moment, stunned, not quite willing to believe that

she's won.

A NEON SIGN:

above her drops down. It flashes "CONGRATULATIONS" over and over again.

"CONGRATULATIONS".

ALEX:

looks down at herself. She feels odd. Something is happening. She's

fading out, as if she were a signal being lost. Her image stutters,

flickers and...

CUT TO:

INT. DANTE'S INFERNO -- NIGHT

Alex FLASHES back into the real world. And then one by one, so do the

others.

It's a glorious sight. Each one is heralded by BUZZING STATIC, and then a

rippling in space, an image stuttering in and...

POP! POP! POP! One after another come FLASHING back in bursts of light!

There are dozens. The Inferno is filled with them, like a flurry of

flashbulbs going off. Familiar faces and people we've never seen. Benz,

Laurie, Stilts, DeLoach...

POP! And there's Nick! And more, and still more! Forty, fifty... Just

how many people did ARCADE take?

Everyone is grinning, crying, hugging one another.

SPACE SHIMMERS:

just before Alex. SOMEONE else is trying to fight their way back. It's

Greg. He's blinking back into reality.

ALEX:

(crying)

Greg!!!

He flickers for a moment, tentative...

GREG:

(fading in and out)

Alex! You did it!

...and then he's back for good. He wraps his arms around Alex, grabbing

her so tight that it's almost painful. Both of them are sobbing.

GREG:

(in between kisses)

You did it...

Together, the two of them start towards the door, eager to leave this

place.

In groups of twos and threes, the others follow.

EXT. DANTE'S INFERNO -- DAWN

Outside, light is just beginning to creep its way back into the world.

Alex glances up and can't help but notice the streetlight fading out as

the sun returns. She points and laughs.

WE BEGIN TO RISE UP,

as Nick and the others join them. Everyone is laughing now. It's

uncontrollable. This is positive. Life affirming. And hell, we should

probably wrap this thing up on that note.

We should...

...but we won't.

WE WATCH:

as a series of dissolves portray the crowd of people leaving, bit by bit,

until only our original group is left.

THE GROUP:

as they make their way down the street and away from The Inferno.

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