Constantine Page #13

John stays back, watches. Angela opens her eyes. The

tension seems to flow right out of her when she sees --

ANGELA:

The tree.

EXT. COURTYARD -NIGHT

A lone tree stands in the center of the lit courtyard.

John and Angela approach it. Examine it. Nothing. John

drops lower on the tree, to a child's height. Finallysees something near the ground, gestures to Angela.

She kneels down next to him, sees what he sees.

That same SYMBOL. The one Hennessey carved into hishand. But this time there's more.

ANGELA:

(trying to

rationalize)

There must have been a tree in our

backyard... when we were kids...

John may not be buying it but he's not saying anything.

His fingers trace these words carved below the symbol --

JOHN:

'COR 14:
01.'

ANGELA:

Cor?

JOHN:

Corinthians.

(CONTINUED)

69.

CONTINUED:

ANGELA:

(shaking her head)

There is no 14h act in Corinthians.

John's face goes pale --

JOHN:

I need a church.

INT. HOSPITAL CHAPEL -MINUTES LATER

Several families sit in solemn prayer. The pastorcomforts a man and wife. John and Angela slip through,

head for the shelves of reference books on the back wall.

They whisper.

JOHN:

Corinthians goes to 21 acts in thebook of Ethenius. It's like a

dark mirror of the Bible. It

paints a different view of

Revelations, says that the worldwill not come to an end at the

hand of God but be reborn in the

embrace of the damned.

ANGELA:

There's a difference?

JOHN:

Depends on which side of the fenceyou're standing.

John stops, casually sticks his hand in the pastor's bowlof holy water near the altar.

ANGELA:

So why haven't I seen this bookbefore?

JOHN:

Because it doesn't exist here on

this side.

John closes his eyes and the water in the bowl begins toBOIL --

ANGELA (O.S.)

What do you mean --

Flickering candlelight slows to a stop, catching Angelamid-question and the room in that dim half-light.

John turns and is inside -

70.

SAME CHAPEL -HELL

The epitome of blasphemy --A church in Hell. Only theydon't worship God in here. And that's not Christ on the

cross. And those stained glass windows are now slateblack.

John is now facing books with completely differentmarkings. He searches as a DRONE rises in pitch and anINKY BLACKNESS begins to flow down the walls, gettingcloser to John with each heartbeat.

He finds the book, steps back as he closes his eyes --

REGULAR CHAPEL:

ANGELA:

--not here on this side?

John turns, covered in sweat. He's holding a book she'snever seen, is already flipping through it.

ANGELA:

Where did that come from?

JOHN:

(stopping to read)

13:
29. 13:30 --Here...

Corinthians 14:
01...

(skimming to this)

'The sins of the father would onlybe exceeded by the ego of theson.'

ANGELA:

Whose son?

John stands, his brain going into overdrive.

JOHN:

Symbol isn't a demon's... that's

why I couldn't place it... not anormal possession...

ANGELA:

John, what are you talking about?

JOHN:

But he can't cross over -impossible

for the son to cross

over...

ANGELA:

Whose son? God's?

(CONTINUED)

71.

CONTINUED:

JOHN:

No. The other one.

(off her look)

Lucifer had a son too.

INT. 20 LANES -BEHIND THE LANES

Beeman sits under the glow of a desk lamp. The narrow

alley of machines stretches out behind him. He stares

into the scrolls --an ancient book with a single pagefolded a thousand times. Turns another page.

BOWLING AREA:

Amazing how disturbing a bowling alley is when it'sclosed. Rows of empty lanes stretching into darkness,

the unlit pin areas looking like the jaws of an army ofbeasts.

BEEMAN (O.S.)

Oh my...

BEHIND THE LANES

Beeman has stopped turning pages. That's because he's

now staring at an etching of the same symbol. Below are

ink drawings of a ghastly beast rising up through a body.

But it's what's above the beast that is most troubling.

A figure on a cross --his arms outstretched --seeminglywelcoming the beast into this world.

BEEMAN:

This is not good...

BOWLING BALL hits a lane. Beeman spins to the sound.

BALL ROLLS round and round, closer and closer until itCLANGS dead against the back wall of one of the lanes.

Beeman gets up, starts down the corridor of dormant pinmachines.

He stops at lane 13, leans way way down, past themachinery and peeks out the pin hole.

BEEMAN:

John?

72.

EXT. LA STREETS -NIGHT

Angela's SUV races quickly through traffic while Johngets her up to speed.

JOHN (V.O.)

The myth says Mammon was conceivedbefore his father's fall from

grace but was born after.

INT. SUV

JOHN:

But unlike his old man, he's neverbeen in the presence of the Creatorso he has no fear of him, no respecteither. That goes double for us -God's

most prized creations. Mammon

would be the last demon we'd ever

want crossing over.

ANGELA:

But demons can't come and go,

that's what you said.

JOHN:

Unless they found a bridge.

(off her look)

Some psychic with the chops toreach all the way to Hell and thegrit to withstand whatever shitshe'd pull out.

ANGELA:

Isabel...

JOHN:

But even a bridge wouldn't helpMammon. Because to cross over, themyth says he'd still need the onething he could never get. Divine

assistance. The help of God.

Angela sits back, letting that sink in.

ANGELA:

So it's impossible.

JOHN:

Impossible? Sure it's impossible.

That's what makes it so dangerous.

These things exist to break therules, to find the loopholes. If

the past is any indication, thenthe future isn't on our side.

(CONTINUED)

73.

CONTINUED:

John sits back, gut churning. Angela's in detective mode.

ANGELA:

She knew.

herself.

That's why she killedBut it doesn't make

sense...

JOHN:

Makes sense to me.

ANGELA:

John, she sacrificed herself tobeat him.

John nods. Your point?

ANGELA:

Why is she in Hell?

One of those rare moments where John has no answer.

INT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY

Something small and SHINY is rolling down the alley. It

lands in the trough, spins round and round --

Beeman leans out to try and see what it is. The silver

object keeps spinning.

He waits for it to stop, swats a fly near his face. Then

another.

Book on his desk ignites in flame.

EXT. 20 LANES -NIGHT

SUV pulls into the empty parking lot. John is out before

Angela gets it in park, unlocks the side door. A few

flies escape to freedom as he opens the door. John

rushes in.

INT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY

Only a LOW HUM pervades the dead stillness of the alley.

JOHN:

Beeman?

John grabs the door that leads behind the pin area. It's

locked from the other side.

(CONTINUED)

74.

CONTINUED:

JOHN:

(pounds on door)

Hey, Beeman? Beeman?!

The LOW HUM fluctuates --sounds like a BUZZING.

ANGELA:

Maybe he's not here.

JOHN:

He's always here.

Several more flies flit by him. This time John notices,

turns and spots the source of the HUM --a cloud of FLIES

near the center aisles. Angela follows his gaze, spotsthem as well.

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