Gothika Page #8

MIRANDA:

You tell me. But I do know what I

sound like. Paranoia is the

ultimate awareness, right?

PETE:

Which is why I suggest we simplyincrease your dose until -

MIRANDA:

(venom)

No! Goddamnit! No!

He steps back at her blowout. She catches the look on

his face and forces herself to sit down.

MIRANDA:

I'm sorry. Is there any way wecan pretend that didn't justhappen?

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

43.

CONTINUED:

MIRANDA (CONT'D)

(beat; struggling)

I want to believe you. I do. So

I'll take your word for it -you're

not involved in this -- butyou take mine: I didn't write

this and I didn't kill my husband.

He studies her. Finally nods. New tactic:

PETE:

Alright. Let's say you didn'twrite this -

MIRANDA:

Number one:
I'm right-handed.

Number two:
I would have had to

bring an X-Acto knife into theshower to do this, wouldn't I?

Pete tries to reserve judgment. Her argument has acertain loopy logic to it. He hesitates, then pulls aSERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS from a manila envelope.

PETE:

I think it's time you look atthese.

Miranda looks at the crime scene photos. Lurid.

Terrible. Here's part of Doug's body. Here's the axe.

And now she sees a closeup picture of the wall with wordson it. In blood, a la Manson family. And it says:

"NOT ALONE."

Miranda immediately tosses it away from her. Repulsed -

FLASH CUT TO:

FLASHBACK - INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Miranda furiously writes on the wall with blood. Wipesher face breathlessly, leaving a thick red streak on it.

INT. PETE'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS ACTION (PRESENT)

PETE:

You wrote that. Any idea why?

MIRANDA:

(panic rising)

No, I didn't. No, I didn't!

(CONTINUED)

44.

CONTINUED:

Pete retrieves the photograph off the floor and holds itup for her to study again.

PETE:

You're the only person who canfigure out what this means. Tryto remember. Stop holding back.

She nods meekly. Staring at the picture. Begins toshake as all of it finally comes flooding in -

FLASH CUT TO:

FLASHBACK - INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT

A breathless Miranda wipes her face, leaving a thickstreak of blood on it. She looks down at Doug, crawlingon hands and knees. He moans horribly, in shock. She

grabs the heavy axe from the floor and follows him. He

reaches for the coffee table with the telephone on it andmakes a move to grab it. He has all the speed of a dyingturtle, and that's pretty much what he resembles.

Miranda bites her lip, lifts the heavy axe with both hands.

Doug's hand grabs the phone. Miranda SWINGS THE AXE over

her head and it comes down straight AT CAMERA.

Miranda wipes her face again, catches her reflection inthe mirror over the mantel and stares -

WE HEAR THAT SOUND. The WETTISH GURGLING sound. Miranda

stares at the MIRROR looking for the source of it. For

an instant we see the teenage girl's reflection there,

beckoning. But now she's gone and Miranda is leftstudying her own demented expression and now FLAMES RISEaround her. She looks down at her feet: No fire. Blood

on her clothes, axe still in her hands. Looks back up

at:

THE MIRROR VERSION OF MIRANDA

shows a serene expression on her face. Fire envelopingher. She slowly lifts her hands over her head. In placeof the axe there are CHAINS attached to SHACKLES on her

wrists. She is completely naked, as if purified -- likean extreme version of Anima Sola. (A Biblical icon inwhich a woman in fiery purgatory awaits her fate.)

Time stands still for a mesmerizing moment -

When the MIRROR SHATTERS TO PIECES and we're back to

reality. Miranda stares at the axe she's flung at it.

45.

INT. MIRANDA'S BATHROOM - LATER

Miranda tries to wash off the blood in the sink. This is

a daunting task, seeing as how she's covered in it. She

stares at her bloody footprints all over the floor, atthe marks on the door handle, towels and wall.

Gasping for breath, almost crying, she turns on theshower at full blast and climbs into the tub. She

watches the blood wash off her. As if finally comingback to her body and realizing what she's done, sheslowly slides down the shower wall and curls up in thetub. Crying. Shaking. She shuts her eyes as hard asshe can to make it all go away, and we -

FADE TO BLACK.

BLACKNESS:

Silence. And now, faintly at first, but GROWINGPROGRESSIVELY LOUDER, we hear the SOUND OF BUZZING FLIES.

FADE IN:

INT. MIRANDA'S BATHROOM - DAY

Miranda wakes up, still in the tub. How long has shebeen there, hours? Days? Impossible to know.

But at some point she must have turned off the water.

She sits up, every muscle of her body aching, hair cakedwith blood.

The first thing that hits her is the stench. And it's foul,

the putrid smell of decaying flesh. She steps gingerly outof the tub onto the flooded floor and follows the trail of

blood, mortified at what she will find.

INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Soon enough the press will make the Manson Familyreference, but for now, only Miranda is here to witnessthe fruit of her labor. She gasps for air.

Instead she is hit by a wave of nausea. She doubles over

to throw up when there is a FRANTIC RAPPING at the frontdoor.

She freezes. VOICES and YELLS trickle in. The HINGES on

the door RATTLE under REPEATED POUNDING and she still

stands there as the first FIREMAN breaks in. Sheriff

Ryan and his deputies right behind. A concerned Pete

Graham behind them.

(CONTINUED)

46.

CONTINUED:

The cops take one look at the place and raise their gunsat her, but we can't hear what they're saying becauseMiranda's ragged BREATHING has taken over the soundtrack.

Suffice to say that, at the sight of the guns, somethingclicks inside her and she turns on her heel and flees -

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION

She slips on blood, nearly falls as she scrambles to thebedroom -

INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S BEDROOM

She locks the door behind her, hyperventilating in terror.

Instantly there are men POUNDING on it. SQUAWKING RADIOS.

ORDERS BARKED at her. She spots two officers through thewindow in her backyard. About to smash the window.

A caged animal, completely surrounded, she covers her facewith her hands. Trembling. The doorknob jiggles violently,

about to give. And when she brings her hands down she isstaring straight into the teenage girl's face. And she

OPENS HER MOUTH WIDE and now we are back in -

INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT (PRESENT)

Miranda gasps for air, drowning in sensory overload.

MIRANDA:

Oh God, oh God, oh God...

She rocks back and forth. Finally aware of what she'sdone. She is the killer. No more doubts. And now that

she knows, everything is much worse.

A long, harrowing beat.

WE PUSH IN ON her devastated face. NIGHT TURNS TO DAY.

INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - DAY

The locks are unlocked. Pete appears at the door.

Miranda glances up at him. She looks like a different

person. Completely destroyed. He crouches beside her.

PETE:

You okay?

She shakes her head slowly. He sets his hand on her

shoulder. She turns to him and hugs him tight, holdingon for dear life. Breaks down in sobs.

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