Dark City Page #2

INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT

The manager puts the phone down. he returns to the back-room and

is just turning the volume up on hhs radio, when:

HAND-HELD P.O.V. watches him THROUGH the swaying beads hanging in

the back-room doorway. TWO FIGURES (these two are normal height)

peer into the room.

STRANGER 1

Where is John Walker?

THE HOTEL MANAGER stands, moves forward through the beads.

MANAGER:

Whatcha want him for? Friend of

yours...

The manager trails off to silence - he's noticed just how weird

these guys look.

A BLACK GLOVED HAND suddenly GRIPS the manager's neck. He

struggles, gulps for air, is pushed back against the wall.

ON THE MEN - STRANGERS - members of the mysterious group we saw

earlier. They wear long black coats, have extremely pale skin, and

are completely bald. Creepy.

STRANGER 2

Where is he?

The leather glove SQUEEZES, and the manager makes like he wants to

speak. Stranger 2 loosens his grip.

MANAGER:

He left... five minutes ago...

ANGLE ON - a tiny hand pulling at Stranger 2's coat. The two

Strangers move aside.

The manager looks down to see A TINY CHILD-LIKE FIGURE.

This MISTER SLEEP - a miniature version of the Strangers, a

child but not a child.

Mister Sleep steps forward and Stranger 2 leans down to let him

whisper something in his ear - Mister Sleep never speaks above a

whisper.

Stranger 1 then stands upright and looks at Stranger 2.

STRANGER 1

Mister Sleep wants to play.

Stranger 2 smiles.

Mister Sleep steps towards the struggling manager. A FLASH OF STEEL

- Mister Sleep grips a DAGGER by his side.

INT. MEN'S ROOM - NIGHT

We are underwater. WALKER'S FACE swims into view. Bubbles spew

from the mouth, the eyes stare wide.

ANGLE ON MEN'S ROOM

Walker washes his face in a dirty sink. He looks up, wipes his face

dry with his coat.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

A breeze tugs at his stringy hair. A tiny ventilation grill high on

the wall above the sink looks out at the street. Walker raises

himself up on his toes.

HIS P.O.V. - OUTSIDE

Sheets of newspaper blow past. A full moon, surrounded by blood red

clouds, hangs above empty streets.

He turns towards the door.

There are TWO - identical.

PAN BACK TO WALKER - Can't remember which door he came through.

He takes a guess, opens one and steps into darkness.

A moment too late he realizes he's picked the wrong door, tries to

go back but the door CLICKS behind him: locked.

WALKER:

Sh*t!

INT. CONCRETE TUNNEL

Pitch black. Trickling water. A distant P.A. VOICE recites names

and numbers. LIGHT, far away.

MOVING ANGLE ON Walker as he walks. He glances around, nervous. He

feels something in his pocket, pulls it out.

ANGLE ON A REVOLVER in his hand.

Walker comes to a halt, examines the gun carefully. He opens the

chamber.

TIGHT ON THE GUN - six shiny bullets.

He turns the chamber carefully, shuts it, doesn't really know what

to do with it.

VOICE O.S.

There you are.

Startled, Walker turns. A figure moves out of darkness: It's

STRANGER 1 from the hotel lobby.

He studies Walker carefully.

Walker glances about nervously - BACKS AWAY along the corridor,

eyes on the man.

STRANGER:

You are lost, yes?

Walker has his back against the wall. He sees that the Stranger

holds a blade in his right hand.

STRANGER:

(Cont.)

Do not make this difficult.

Walker's cornered. He remembers the revolver, LEVELS it at the man,

his hand shaking badly.

ON THE STRANGER - advancing. Something about his eyes makes

Walker immobile, unable to think clearly.

STRANGER:

(Cont.)

You will not shoot, yes.

THE GUN FIRES once. Red splashes on the man. His shoulder. But he

keeps walking. BANG! Another shot. He jerks as the bullet ripts

into his chest, but keeps advancing.

A final shot POINT BLANK into the man's forehead. A stream of black

liquid spouts from the hole.

Blue smoke clears.

Terrified, Walker lowers the gun.

A BEAT of silence - the Stranger stands motionless. Then his eyes

roll up, and he collapses to the ground.

Walker looks around uncertainly then runs, and disappears down a

corridor.

TIGHT ANGLE - on the fallen man - HOLD on the still figure, then

feet step INTO FRAME.

REVEAL Stranger 2 - he looks around for Walker: not a sign - then

bends down to his comrade.

INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER

TRACK WITH STRANGER 2 as he walks UP THE CORRIDOR and into Walker's

hotel room...

REVEAL A HIDING FIGURE - a man wearing thick spectacles, clutching

a leather bag, obscured by the shadows. He watches the Stranger go

past...

INT. ROOM 43/BATHROOM - NIGHT

The room is illuminated by light spilling through the open door from

the corridor.

A TALL STRANGER, clutching a silver metal case, stands staring down

at the BROKEN SYRINGE on the bathroom floor. His expressionless

face is as close to perplexed as it can get. This is MISTER HAND.

STRANGER 2 steps across to Mister Hand. Stranger 2 just shakes his

head slowly.

MISTER HAND:

And Mister Quick?

STRANGER 2

He is alright.

Stranger 2 indicates a small black box he holds in his open palm.

Mister Hand nods, moves into the bedroom.

Stranger 2 stops near the body of the dead woman, kicks at her with

his foot.

Mister Hand is at the OPEN WINDOW, looking out into the night.

MISTER HAND:

We will find him.

ANGLE PUSHES THROUGH WINDOW TO FRAME CITY SKYLINE...

INT. MORGUE/CORRIDOR - NIGHT

CLICKING of new leather shoes, striking tiles.

ANGLE MOVES WITH FRANK BUMSTEAD - police inspector. He's forty,

losing hair and gaining pounds.

He reaches into his pocket, removes a SURGICAL MASK, places it over

his nose and mouth.

Suddenly a FEMALE MORTICIAN steps into the corridor. Bumstead

doesn't notice and runs right into her. The mortician gasps on

impact, startled.

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