Gothika Page #13

INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE

POLICE CRIME-SCENE TAPE everywhere. She turns on the

kitchen light only and scurries to her bedroom withouteven looking in the direction of the living room,

avoiding the scene of the gruesome crime altogether.

Eerie as hell -

INT. BEDROOM - QUICK CUTS

Miranda stuffs clothes into a suitcase, finds her passport,

digs out some cash from a box. Quick change of clothes toget rid of the rapist's uniform. Fast, fast, fast -

68.

INT. SIMON'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

Miranda watches her house fade from view in the rearview

mirror as she drives down the block. Shudders. Flipsthe RADIO dial with shaky hands.

RADIO DJ (V.O.)

... Weather forecasters predictheavy winds tonight as a majorthunderstorm rolls in tomorrow.

You're listening to KLPG, 101.4 onyour dial. This next honky-tonkheartbreak classic is...

She looks in the rearview mirror once more. Only thistime she is met by a piercing pair of eyes.

Rachel's. Inside the car.

Rachel's mouth opens unnaturally wide, revealing a gapingabyss of rotted teeth and flesh -- and lets out the wetsound. A threatening howl this time, pure venom.

Miranda covers her face, jerks the car. It does a 180

and slides to a halt in the middle of the street -

Facing the direction of her house again.

EXT. STREET

Miranda jumps out, panicked. Glances around. Looks

inside the car:
no Rachel. A beat to catch her breath,

making up her mind. Slides behind the wheel and makes a

U-turn.

INT. SIMON'S CAR - MOVING - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Miranda flips the rearview mirror so it faces the ceilingand turns UP the RADIO. GUNS the pedal. Freaked.

She's driven maybe 20 feet when suddenly her ENGINE DIES -

MIRANDA:

No.

The CAR SPUTTERS to a stop. Miranda goes to turn the keybut suddenly freezes. Looks at the ignition oddly andnotices the key is gone.

MIRANDA:

Why are you doing this to me?

A dead-still beat. Glancing around, she is even morestartled to see the blue lighter key chain lying in themiddle of the street.

69.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Miranda opens her car door and walks down the emptystreet to retrieve her suddenly magical keys.

We watch her reach the keys, all alone out here. The

moment she bends down to pick it up she is blinded by theglare of HEADLIGHT and the ROAR OF AN ENGINE. Miranda

jumps out of the way, narrowly avoiding being flattenedby a ROAD SWEEPER, spraying water as it goes.

She watches the truck disappear down the block. Heart in

her throat. Calms her nerves and now walks over to the

pesky keys again. Smack in the middle of a puddle now.

BOOM UP the posts harnessing power lines which surroundthe area until we STOP ON a pair of INDUSTRIAL BOLTSfastened around the insulators of a thick power line.

From here we see Miranda bend down and pick up her keys.

And now the bolts suddenly shake off their hinges, comingloose right in front of our eyes -- moved by someinvisible force --

Miranda tilts her head at the sound of a METALLIC SNAP

and turns. The bolts pop out of their sockets. The LIVE

WIRE uncoils like some gigantic serpent and swingsstraight towards the paralyzed Miranda -

She looks down at her feet, ankle-deep in the puddle,

back up at the 11,000 VOLTS OF POWER about to fry her toa crisp and jumps out of the way at the last second. The

wire hits the water and the monumental charge sendsSPARKS flying in every direction. It looks like

lightning.

A silent, sudden beat. That was as close as close gets.

MIRANDA:

(fighting tears)

What do you want from me?

No sign of Rachel. Miranda yells at the air, glancingover her shoulder, seemingly demented:

MIRANDA:

What is it you want me to do?!!

A moment. Miranda stranded. The stolen car in the

middle of the road. And now the SQUEAK of a GATE OPENING

abruptly. Miranda whips her head in the direction of thesound.

It's the front gate to her house. And now the front door

SWINGS OPEN. And now the living room LIGHTS switch on.

(CONTINUED)

70.

CONTINUED:

Clearly Rachel wants her back in the house.

MIRANDA:

I can't.

(softly)

Please, please don't make me goback in there.

But even as she's saying this her feet are moving towardsit. She pauses, looks at the car in the middle of theroad. Looks at the fizzling puddle where she was almostelectrocuted. No neighbors have come out to investigateyet, but how long can that last? She walks to the car.

INT. SIMON'S CAR

Miranda climbs in, not sure whether to laugh or cry here.

She's never asked a ghost for permission before:

MIRANDA:

Bear with me, I'm just parking itout of the way so it won't looksuspicious in the middle of theroad -- okay.

She STARTS the ENGINE and pulls over to the sidewalk.

INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE

Miranda stands in her living room, staring at herhandiwork. Frozen with dread.

The blood has been cleaned up some, but the mess remains.

The upturned furniture covered in plastic, the chalkoutline of the body, the yellow crime-scene tape, theshattered mirror above the fireplace, the muddiedfootprints of dozens of cops, coroners, etc.

The faded writing on the wall: "NOT ALONE."

Miranda takes it all in, not entirely sure what she'ssupposed to be looking for.

MIRANDA:

(piecing it together)

Not alone. What happened to youhappened to other girls.

(beat)

I understand. And I'm sorry. But

there is nothing I can do about it

now. It has nothing to do with

me.

(CONTINUED)

71.

CONTINUED:

Not knowing what else to do, she turns to exit when theTELEVISION SET suddenly COMES TO LIFE, making her jump.

The unmistakable MUSIC from some old WB cartoon at FULL

BLAST.

She stares at the TV screen. Is there some sign here sheshould be able to follow? She crosses to turn it off and

immediately doubles over in pain -

MIRANDA:

Sh*t.

She looks at her foot. A big SHARD OF GLASS is stuckright through the flimsy hospital slipper into her skin.

Blood already seeping from the nasty cut -

INT. BATHROOM

Miranda seated on the edge of the tub, slowly pulls outthe piece of glass, drops it in the wastebasket. She

grabs a cotton ball and alcohol and starts cleaning the

cut.

And now, FAINT at first, but GROWING LOUDER -- she hears

the hollow WET SOUND we've come to associate with Rachel.

Inside the room with her --

Miranda stares at the medicine cabinet. Did the mirror

move? We watch her from the MIRROR POV as she holds

perfectly still, listening. The SOUND now seems to have

STOPPED. A silent beat.

She turns her attention back to cleaning her cut, grimacingas the alcohol burns her skin. It looks painful.

And now the slow SQUEAK of the MEDICINE CABINET DOOR makes

her look up again. And she sees herself in the mirror like

the night of the slaughter: flames all around her. Naked

arms raised. Wrists shackled. Anima Sola.

She stares. Mesmerized. The sound of FLAMES GROWING

LOUDER.

MIRANDA:

No. No. No...

Miranda walks slowly to the mirror. Incredibly, theimage reflecting back at her also grows bigger. As if

the two versions of her are literally walking towardseach other. FROM A SIDE ANGLE WE SEE both their faces

mere inches apart. Miranda brings her fingertips to themirror and touches it. Immediately pulls her hand back.

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