House at the End of the Street

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(THUNDER RUMBLES)

WOMAN:
Do you hear something?

- Is she up again?

- Yeah.

WOMAN:
I'll go.

(VOICE ECHOING) Carrie Anne,

you have to go back to bed.

(GRUNTING)

(WOMAN GRUNTS)

(SPLATTERING, THUDDING)

MAN:
Don't! Don't! Don't!

(SPLATTERING)

- MAN:
Ah!

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYS)

Hey, what time is it?

GIRL:
Like 2230.

Oh, my God, that guy was supposed

to be here at one o'clock.

- It's fine, we'll just wait.

- This is so annoying...

Nowhere else to go.

It's a long way back to Chicago.

(HONKS HORN)

Oh, look who's here.

Finally...

Hey!

You must be the Cassidys?

- Yes.

- Dan.

Hi, Dan.

- Dan Gifford.

- How are you?

So sorry, I'm late.

I left my cell at the office.

I'm sure you tried to call.

- I did. Fifteen times.

- Oh, sorry about that.

(FORCED LAUGHTER)

- Let me show you your new home.

- Yes, great.

DAN:
I just got to dig up the key here.

How was the drive?

WOMAN:
Oh, we were on the road for two

days. Kind of anxious to get settled.

Well, I think you'll be

very comfortable here.

And you'll love the neighborhood.

- Wow...

- Which reminds me...

It's ginormous.

DAN:
If you have any problems,

just give me a call.

- Great. Thanks.

- See you at the potluck.

Mom, this is beautiful.

That is all state park.

Can you believe it?

Good backyard, huh?

Ls that Mr. and Mrs.

Dead People's house?

Oh, wow...

I didn't realize it was so close.

GIRL:
Nobody lives there, right?

No.

No, the place is empty.

You know, that house is the reason

we can even afford to rent this house.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Double murder, kind of a drag

on the real estate market.

(SCOFFS) People got shot on our block,

nobody ever cut our rent.

Come on, help me unpack.

OK. I just want to look around, first.

All right, fine.

(RUSTLING, BIRD SCREECHING,

WINGS FLAPPING)

(TWIG CRACKS)

WOMAN:
Thanks for cooking.

Thank Daddy, he's the one

who taught me how to make this.

Boil the water and put in spaghetti,

and... open the jar thing?

Wow. What a great dad he is.

It's not like you carry that lighter

around because you miss smoking.

Yeah, I miss him sometimes.

I missed him when we were married.

He was on the road

nine months out of the year.

I think this place is going to be

really good for us.

It's just gonna take some time

for me to get used to having you around.

I gave you the biggest room.

- How hard's it going to be?

- (CHUCKLES)

(LAUGHS)

(SOFT THUDDING)

(DISTANT CLATTERING)

(SOUL MUSIC PLAYS)

Um, everyone... This is Sarah Cassidy

and her daughter Elissa.

They're our new neighbors.

They're renting the Reeds' place.

- Welcome to the neighborhood.

- Thank you.

- I made some potato salad.

- Oh, great. Great.

Elissa, do you like to swim?

Pool's at 95. It's like Aruba.

-Hi.

-Hi... Dan...

- Yeah.

- The, um, Jacobson house...

Is anyone living there?

Because late last night

I saw a light go on.

Oh, that'd be Ryan Jacobson, the son.

Really? But you said

it was going to be empty.

No, the son lives there.

ls that a problem?

No.

Good, good.

I mean, we do have a signed lease.

- (SARAH CHUCKLES)

- MAN:
There you go.

- Oh, thank you.

- Thanks.

- BOY:
Marco!

- CHILDREN:
Polo!

- Marco!

- Polo!

That's my son, Tyler.

Honor roll. Student council.

Him and his friends

started this group last year,

famine relief program.

They've raised

about a thousand dollars for, uh...

...Africa or Tibet,

one of those starving places.

Anyway, you should go. Tyler...

I'd like you to meet Elissa.

- Have fun.

- Yeah.

- Hey.

- Hi.

Sorry about my mom.

She gave you the full treatment?

Oh, no worries. Moms are like that.

I'm sure you're really a total loser.

(CHUCKLES)

- Do you want to go for a swim?

- No. it's fine. I'll watch.

All right.

- Whoo!

- (CHILDREN SCREAM)

- BOY:
Marco!

- GIRL:
Polo!

- Marco!

- Polo!

- WOMAN:
So, how are you settling in?

- SARAH:
Good. Good.

MAN:
Have you met your next-door

neighbor, Ryan Jacobson, yet?

No, is he coming today?

The Jacobson boy

pretty much keeps to himself.

WOMAN:
Thank God.

Somebody should burn that house down.

- Jenny!

- JENNY:
What?

I didn't say

Ryan Jacobson had to be in it.

But come on.

Why is that kid still living there?

He's driven down all our home values.

The town tried to buy the house

and we were going to tear it down

and donate the land to the state park.

- What exactly happened again?

- SARAH:
I told you, remember?

The daughter, Carrie Anne,

killed both her parents.

Yeah, that I know, but where was Ryan?

He didn't live with them,

he stayed with an aunt upstate.

And what happened to Carrie Anne

after they got killed?

Well, there was a massive search,

but she drowned in the dam.

But they never found her body,

so some people think

she still lives in the woods.

- What?!

- WOMAN:
Tyler... Just ignore him.

- it's just an urban legend.

- Or is it, Mom? Is it?

WOMAN:
No, no. There's no way...

TYLER:
I'm telling you,

she lives in the woods.

SARAH:
Did that freak you out,

what they were saying back there?

Yes. Our neighbors are jerks.

"Let's light his house on fire"?

Real nice. Wonder where they keep

the torches and pitchforks?

Really.

I thought that kid Tyler was OK.

Mm... Jury's still out, but maybe.

Do you think somebody

could actually live out there?

No. No, definitely not.

(TWIG SNAPS)

Hey, come on.

Wouldn't it be sweet?

If you could be in love with me?

The way that I'm in love with you?

it's so easy to do

All you got to do is fa!! in love

Ah' you got to do is fa!! in love... I

- Hey.

- Hi.

- Nice toy.

- Oh, thanks.

Just assuring my friends back home

I'm not hanging myself

from a shower rod.

Well, if you're looking

for something less morbid...

...our famine relief group is meeting

after school today.

You want to come?

I can give you a ride after if you want.

Oh, I can't. I'm going to watch

a movie tonight with my mom.

Too bad.

- (PHONE RINGS)

- Hang on, one sec.

- Hi.

- SARAH:
Hi, honey.

How was school?

Is your soul still intact?

Relatively. How about you?

Um, OK. But they stuck me

with the night shift.

Already?

It's just my first day,

so I can't really say no.

But I'm not going to be home before ten.

It's fine. Tyler invited me to this...

famine relief group thing,

so I'll just see you when I get home.

Oh, that's great.

Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

- Bye.

- Bye.

- Well, I guess I can go.

- Cool.

(HIP-HOP PLAYS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

- Hey.

- Tyler, what's up?

- So this is famine relief?

- Yeah.

Last year we gave 1200 dollars

to Stop Hunger Now.

It just came straight off

my dad's Optima card,

rather than waiting in store parking

lots and begging people for change.

Put it on our college apps

as community service.

Wow. I have to admit

a certain smarmy brilliance.

(HIP-HOP PLAYS)

- (MUFFLED MUSIC CONTINUES)

- (KNOCKING)

- ELISSA:
ls anybody in here?

- (DOOR OPENS)

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- (MOANS SOFTLY)

(MOANS)

Are you OK?

Yeah, I just need to rest.

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