Bird Box Page #16

2) Gary steps on the front porch of Greg’s house at night,

noticing the wan light leaking out of corners of covered

windows. He then takes a knife and cuts his own arm, feigning

emergency to get Malorie to let him in.

3) Gary peels off his blindfold in the tunnels with Cheryl,

Lucy, and Tom. He SMILES as they all stop in their tracks,

the bird inside the box chirping and fluttering in panic.

INT. ATTIC ROOM

The women push. They strain. They sweat.

The blood vessels in Malorie’s eyes burst, making her look

extremely bloodshot.

Felix keeps reading from the parenthood book’s chapter on the

childbirth part and checking on the women.

FELIX:

Little more...

A muted BLEATING. Non-localized.

Malorie stops pushing. Looks around.

MALORIE:

Is that my baby?

Gasping for breath, the women both stop and listen.

No, not bleating. SCREAMING.

OLYMPIA:

What is that?

Felix stares at the attic door, behind Malorie. Unsure of

what’s happening downstairs he placates them with:

FELIX:

Okay ladies, keep going, come on-

95.

OLYMPIA:

Is it out? Is it over?

Something CRASHES heavily downstairs. And then the sharp,

shrill SCREECH of someone’s voice.

Another CRASH shakes the dust off the attic rafters.

MALORIE:

Felix, please...

Felix moves for the stairs-

FELIX:

Hang on.

MALORIE:

Don’t go please wait-

But he passes her, bumping the rolling cart with the lantern.

The table drifts to the back wall as Malorie hears Tom’s

footsteps down the stairs...

The lantern illuminates the wall, exposing DOZENS OF CHARCOAL

SKETCHES OF MONSTERS. All shapes and sizes. Creatures with

hideous bodies and human faces. Things with no discernible

head or tail. Beasts inspired by snakes, and spiders, and

squid, and grizzly bears. Thin, gangly beings with hollow

heads. A coterie of teeth, venom, and unblinking stares. The

entire wall is papered with the artwork.

Malorie shudders in shock at it.

EDGAR:

You all got stories. Mine is the

worst of all.

(leans close)

Because I’m immune.

Malorie gazes, wide-eyed, at the wall, and then at Edgar.

MALORIE:

You’ve... seen one?

Edgar nods. Nearby Olympia makes a noise as she pushes again,

somewhere between a cry and a groan.

MALORIE (CONT’D)

(calling)

FELIX!

(back at Edgar)

You drew it? One of those things?

96.

Edgar admires his work. Then faces Malorie.

EDGAR:

If only it looked like one of them.

From downstairs, more SHOUTS, and then a thunderous GUNSHOT.

TOM (O.S.)

Gary has pulled down the curtains!

Malorie recognizes Tom’s voice and wants to get up right now

and go to him. But she can’t move from her bed.

MALORIE:

Tom! Is that you?! Tom-

More loud noises downstairs. And then footsteps.

The door opens, and Tom steps through. He looks unhinged,

holding the shotgun Donald had moments ago.

TOM:

The babies are coming now?

Malorie holds out her hand, and Tom goes to her side,

gripping it.

MALORIE:

I’m early, we’re both early, it

just started and then my water

broke and I don’t want it now-

TOM:

Hey hey hey, shh, look at me.

You’re fine. You’re going to make

it. Okay? And right now I have to

go back down and stop Gary before

one of those things comes in.

Malorie tightens her grip on his hand.

MALORIE:

Don’t go. Don’t go.

Tom leans down and kisses Malorie on the forehead.

TOM:

I won’t let them hurt you.

And then he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

Malorie, in tears, shakes her head and calls Tom’s name, but

her voice is drowned out by Olympia crying out, and then--

97.

A newborn infant’s cry. She’s had her baby.

EDGAR:

(to Malorie)

Your turn.

Malorie pushes. Her own baby gasps for air under the throw.

Nearby, Olympia pulls at the sheet over her lap, searching

for her baby.

The old man reaches under the throw and lifts out Malorie’s

child, still attached to the umbilical cord.

Terrified of Edgar, Malorie takes the baby protectively-

MALORIE:

Give him to me-

Edgar smiles with bloodied hands.

EDGAR:

It’s a boy.

OLYMPIA:

Mine is a girl! I had a girl.

She’s laughing as she cries, in hysterics.

EDGAR:

Starin’ down one of these things

didn’t break me. Watching my wife

turn on our two kids nearly did.

She gored ‘em both with a kitchen

blade, then cut her own throat.

(beat)

She sang to us as she did it.

MALORIE:

Shut up shut up-

And then another heart-stopping GUNSHOT, this time from the

second floor. And in that vacuum of silence...

Sounds from the stairs. Creaking of steps.

And the sound of the door opening.

Edgar looks up, toward the door. And frowns.

EDGAR:

Don’t you come up here.

OLYMPIA:

Tom?

98.

EDGAR:

Don’t look-

Olympia looks.

Still on her back on the mattress, she tilts her head back to

look toward the stairs upside-down.

Her eyes widen, and her mouth opens in a gaping smile.

But with her head leaned back, it’s a macabre frown.

MALORIE:

Olympia no no-

Olympia doesn’t blink, doesn’t look away from the thing at

the top of the stairs.

OLYMPIA:

You’re not so bad...

You’re not so bad at all!

(then)

You wanna see my baby?

Malorie closes her eyes and puts her hand over her boy’s

face. She calls out to Olympia-

MALORIE:

Cover the baby’s eyes-- Olympia,

please--cover her eyes-

EDGAR:

Go on, get out of here. Git.

MALORIE:

Please, please-- Olympia, just let

me hold her for a moment...

Olympia SNARLS. Chews on something just out of view, her body

hunched over her child.

Malorie reaches out with one arm, keeping the other on her

own baby, close to her chest. But she doesn’t open her eyes.

EDGAR (O.S.)

You’re doin’ good, Malorie. Better

than my wife did.

Floorboards creak again. And then that raspy breath. Inches

away. Close enough to agitate Malorie’s hair.

Something wet tears. Splashes.

Olympia’s bloody hand grabs a binder clamp.

99.

The baby Girl’s face is covered by the bloody bedsheet.

MALORIE:

Olympia... Talk to me...

But she doesn’t. Instead, Olympia moves to the window.

Malorie refuses to look.

Edgar gets to his feet, his leg quavering under the effort.

Staring down the thing just outside view.

EDGAR:

Nobody else is lookin’ at you

today, now git.

Trailing a chewed-through umbilical cord gushing vital fluids

from her insides, Olympia yanks a blanket off the window.

Gray morning light hits Malorie in the face. She shelters her

eyes with her arm. The window creaks open.

EDGAR (CONT’D)

What are you doing, woman-Olympia

climbs up and sits on the ledge, facing inside.

She leans back like a diver going into the water-

And then falls out the window-Edgar

moves to stop her, but gets there a moment too late-In

anguish, Malorie screams-

MALORIE:

GET OUT OF HERE!

The thing just a few feet from her takes a step back.

The stairs creak.

EDGAR:

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