Bird Box Page #4

yanking her over the hood and roof-The

crowd witnesses it in silent shock.

Greg appears at the door again. Sees his wife’s body.

And goes as if to run to her.

Donald grabs him and pulls him back, and soon more NEIGHBORS

rush in for him to obscure his view of her-But

Malorie. She can feel that question in her brain. That

primal curiosity.

She starts to turn her head and look back.

19.

She nearly does when TOM puts a hand over that side of her

face and firmly grips her arm-

TOM:

No you’re not. Come on.

He guides her for the house. From inside, Greg’s voice can be

heard, arguing. Tom and Malorie cross the threshold, into-

INT. FOYER

The house. The same one as in the opener. Tom closes the door

behind him. They’re the last ones in.

Head count:
eight or nine. Most of them catching their

breath, pacing, two of them silently crying from the trauma

of witnessing two deaths up close. Malorie watches as:

Donald pulls at the heavy curtains in the living room nearby.

LUCY DONALD:

What the f*** was that--They’re all going crazy!

Greg can’t stop pacing. To no one in particular-

GREG:

And did you see it? He came out of

nowhere and just ran her over? I

mean what is wrong with the drivers

out there I mean really?

(then)

I have to get his plates.

Greg moves for the door and immediately Lucy, Tom, and two

other MEN hold him back.

TOM:

It’s not safe right now.

Let’s just-- give it a while.

Malorie backs away from the door.

Outside, the horn still blares. Accompanied by a scream,

suddenly cut off. And then a distant GUNSHOT.

Malorie stares at the door the whole time. Crying in shock,

some part of her aware her sister is dead. Trembling.

MALORIE:

Something was behind us.

LUCY:

Did you see it?

20.

DONALD (O.S.)

Of course not.

Donald steps in from the living room.

DONALD (CONT’D)

If she had, she would’ve lost her

mind, like the others.

MALORIE:

My sister saw it.

Another one of the group chimes in: FELIX (mid-20s, skinny,

leather jacket, a motorcycle helmet in one fist).

FELIX:

You’re talking about the virus in

Europe?

Tom’s attention dances from Malorie back to Donald.

DONALD:

That’s a bullshit story. It’s

living things from who-knows-where-

CHERYL (50s, busybody with “traditional values”) interjects:

CHERYL:

Like aliens?

Lucy chimes in aggressively. She’s the type of woman you’d

guess has five older brothers.

LUCY:

Oh come on, aliens?-

DONALD:

They discounted that, no airspace

has been invaded-

Another man wearing a fishing vest speaks up loudly, stepping

on Donald’s information. This is JASON.

JASON:

Give me a break now, really. A few

people get into a car accident and

now we’re making up monsters comin’

outta the woods. I don’t claim to

know what’s going on in some other

countries but I know not to fall

for any of that conspiracy crap-

(pointing at Don)

--and the rest o’you’ll come around

once the adrenaline stops flowing.

21.

DONALD JASON:

(re:
“that crap”)(salutes)

Yeah thanks for that. Now I’m leaving.

But Jason pauses, aware of the chaos and screams out front.

He decides better of it and steps back.

JASON (CONT’D)

I’ll take the back door, just to

avoid that mess.

The others watch Jason march off for the rear of the house.

Somewhere beyond, a door slams shut a moment later.

DONALD:

Look, you can join Bold And Stupid

out the back but I’m telling you

this is very serious, so listen up.

People online were saying how just

witnessing one of those things out

there is enough to snap your brain-

CHERYL:

What things?

More VOICES overlap again, everyone arguing different points

until Tom raises both hands up high and CLAPS.

TOM:

Hey! Calm down. We can talk about

this like adults, and we’re out of

immediate danger. All right? We can

figure this out.

He says it with conviction, and in a moment gets the command

of the room. Malorie sees it happen, just like that-- they

don’t listen to Donald like they do with Tom. She sees Donald

reacting to it, too. Quietly affronted by the turn of tide.

MALORIE:

My parents are about a mile from

here, on Arbor. I need to get to

them. I need to go.

Greg is in denial, his voice cracking as he talks:

GREG:

I have to check on Lydia-

The group gets hyper again and then Tom holds up a finger,

placing himself protectively at the door.

22.

TOM:

Hold on. Let’s stay put until the

chaos dies down. What’s your name?

GREG:

Greg.

TOM:

This is your house?

GREG:

Me and Lydia.

TOM:

How many windows do you have on the

back side of the house?

GREG:

Windows? Uh. Quite a few.

DONALD:

(re-asserting)

Curtains?

GREG:

Blinds-- why, what does this-

DONALD:

Sh*t...

TOM:

You two:
What are your names?

FELIX:

Felix.

LUCY:

Lucy.

TOM:

Let’s go close some blinds. Try not

to look outside if you can help it.

And you-

DONALD:

Don, yeah. I already did the front

side, so I’m just gonna stay here

if you don’t mind.

Tom leads Felix and Lucy away, toward the kitchen.

The rest of the group remains standing or sitting on the

bottom steps of the front stairs.

23.

Donald looks up to the landing.

DONALD (CONT’D)

Greg? How many floors is this?

GREG:

Three.

DONALD:

A lot of windows.

CHERYL:

Can you send your housekeeper up to

close them all up?

GREG:

Housekeeper?

CHERYL:

That girl Lucy, isn’t she--?

GREG:

I don’t know her.

CHERYL:

Oh. Well. I live two doors down,

and we have heavy foliage blocking

our house. For privacy?

DONALD:

Good for you.

CHERYL:

My husband and my son will be back

from Lansing pretty soon. So if you

want to relocate, I’m just saying.

Outside, among the chaos: a distant sound. Inhuman.

Otherworldly. No creature in wildlife sounds like it. The

noise reverberates through the house.

DONALD:

It isn’t safe to go outside. At all.

MALORIE:

How long do you think we’ll have to

stay inside?

DONALD:

I don’t know. A couple of hours?

Malorie’s attention returns to the door. Her posture rigid

and tense. And her hand on her belly.

24.

EXT. SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY

Five years later.

Ivy has snaked over an orphaned tricycle.

Rust cakes a car’s sideview mirror.

EXT. RIVER - DAY

Malorie steadies herself on the row boat.

Girl turns her head toward Malorie.

GIRL:

You stopped rowing.

MALORIE:

Just taking a break. Keep

listening. No talking.

Beat. But because she’s four years old:

GIRL:

(sotto)

How much longer?

MALORIE:

(sigh)

A few hours.

BOY:

(sotto)

What is it like?

MALORIE:

(sotto)

I don’t know. It’s a safe place.

Protected with high walls. They say

there’s even a courtyard, so you

can walk around outside.

Girl asks it like it’s Santa Claus:

GIRL:

Trees?

MALORIE:

Trees.

(hardening)

Now if you refuse to keep quiet,

tell me the steps again. Tell me

the steps.

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