Jeepers Creepers Page #11

She opens the door. Gets out. Darry too. Their first look is

to the highway. Empty. For as far as the eye can see.

KER-CLINK! THE DISTINCT SOUND OF A RIFLE BEING COCKED turns

the kids quickly toward the house.

CAT LADY:

Who are you?

A WOMAN'S RASPY VOICE. From a silhouette behind the screen

door. A blue-black rifle barrel glinting in its hands.

CAT LADY:

I said who are you?

TRISH:

Patricia James. This is my

brother Darry.

CAT LADY:

What'cha want?

JEEPERS CREEPERS

TRISH:

A telephone?

CAT LADY:

Ain't got one.

The kids look at each other. A whispered aside:

DARRY:

You know it's not too late to

keep driving and not stop

'till we see people.

TRISH:

What do you think she is?

DARRY:

Crazy?

CAT LADY:

Whatcha' need it for?

TRISH:

Someone's been killed. A

police officer. Down the road.

The screen door opens now and THE CAT LADY steps out. A

strange looking woman of fifty or so. Very intense around the

eyes.

TRISH:

We just came from there-

MEOWWW ... Sounds of cats at her feet. She pushes a couple

back inside the screen with a foot. A foot wearing a fuzzy

pink slipper.

Darry staring down at the felines. Remembers instantly the

strange phone call at the diner. Did you see the cats yet?

TRISH:

It's a ways back. You can't

see it from here.

The Woman levels her eyes at the two. Judging them. Her shot

gun still clenched tightly.

CAT LADY:

All right one call.

(off their looks)

But be quick, my babies they

don't like strangers.

Trisha just stares at the old woman. She has children?

JEEPERS CREEPERS

Trish climbs the porch steps. Sees Darry still staring down

at the cats inside the door.

Trisha doesn't understand. Makes a face that tells him to

hurry up! He starts forward. Cat Lady opens the screen for

them -again holding one feline inside with a fuzzy slipper.

CAT LADY:

Careful. I don't let 'em out

after dark.

DARRY:

How many cats do you have?

CAT LADY:

More than a couple, I'm

afraid.

INT. CAT LADY'S HOUSE. NIGHT. SAME TIME.

Trish and Darry halt instantly as they step inside:

The living room is covered with cats. All kinds. All shapes.

All sizes. There must be forty of them in the living room

alone.

CAT LADY:

Phone's there by the love

seat.

The Cat Lady shuts the front door and steps past them. Stows

the rifle in a closet.

Trish covers her nose with a hand. Makes a face at Darry. The

smell is terrible.

CAT LADY:

Policeman killed you say?

Darry still caught in an uneasy trance. That phone call. Did

you see the cats yet?

DARRY:

Let's get out of here.

Trish looks at him like he's crazy. The Cat Lady turns to

them now. Trish lowers her hands from her nose.

CAT LADY:

People think they can drive

like maniacs 'round here. Cops

too, damned fools.

(MORE)

JEEPERS CREEPERS

CAT LADY (cont'd)

Just a bunch of punk kids with

badges and guns if you ask me.

Trish moves to the phone. It too surrounded by felines.

Scatters a few as she reaches down and lifts the receiver.

CAT LADY:

Who is that making a call on

your telephone, hmm? Who is

that?

She is asking the one cat that remains. Sniffing Trisha as

she dials.

CAT LADY:

That's the thing about cats.

(off Darry's look)

Can whiff a bad egg a mile

away. Can't they Tomfoolery?

Darry realizes she is referring to the cat that now rubs

itself against his legs.

CAT LADY:

Oh he likes you. Lookee that.

He wants you to pick him up.

Darry nods. Tries to press out a polite smile.

CAT LADY:

Don't be afraid.

Darry bends. Pets the cat's head.

CAT LADY:

Go on! Big boy like you's not

afraid of a little p*ssy is

he?

He regards her. Did she just say that? Must mean something

else. He lifts the cat into his arms. Pets its head.

CAT LADY:

There you go.

(steps away)

Big thing like you can't go

through his life being afraid

of a sweet little p*ssy.

She winks at him this time -lecherously. Darry swallows. She

means what she means.

JEEPERS CREEPERS

TRISH:

Yes, Patrica James. We just

left Trentdale with a police

escort.

PHONE VOICE:

(filtered)

Are you calling the Trentdale

County sheriff's department?

TRISH:

I thought I was.

CAT LADY:

Trentdale's the next County

over. You're in Poho County

now, you crossed the County

line.

DARRY:

Look I don't know exactly

where the house is I'm calling

from-

She looks to the Cat Lady to tell her the address, but she is

shaking her head adamantly.

CAT LADY:

Don't bring the cops out here!

They try and bust my ass every

year with their zoning crap!

(to Darry)

Try and tell people how many

cats a person can have!

PHONE VOICE:

(filtered)

You said you needed to report

an emergency?

But the VOICE IS SUDDENLY SWALLOWED BY ANGRY STATIC ON THE

LINE. Trish holds the phone away from her ear.

Cat Lady and Darry watching. She clicks the clicker. Puts the

phone back to her ear. Nothing.

TRISH:

Your phone just went dead.

She is looking at her brother and thinking the worse.

The Cat Lady marches over to hear for herself. Puts the phone

to her ear as the lights go out all over the house.

JEEPERS CREEPERS

Darry, Trish, the Cat Lady and her many fuzzy minions

suddenly plunged into darkness.

Darry rushing to the window -the cat still in his arms.

EXT. FARMHOUSE. NIGHT. SAME TIME.

Out in the overgrown garden, the plastic sunflower again

clicks to a stop in the silent, moonlit yard.

INT. FARMHOUSE. NIGHT. SAME TIME.

DARRY:

There's nobody out there.

Then every cat in the place lifts its head in unison.

Forty pairs of cat's eyes staring toward the front windows.

Trish and Darry watching this. As growing from every corner

of the room, are the wicked hisses of frightened cats

everywhere.

The cat in Darry's arms freaks -clawing and thrashing to free

itself.

DARRY:

Ouch!!!

He winces in pain as THE ANIMAL YOWLS and hits the floor

running. Cat Lady rushing to the front window. Trish and

Darry with her.

The overgrown yard is dark with inky shadows. Her distressed

scarecrow standing in the middle of it.

MORE CATS HISSING. Fur standing on end. Fangs bared. Whatever

is out there, these animals do not like it.

CAT LADY:

I'll be Goddamned!

The Cat Lady storming back to the closet for her rifle. The

kids looking after her.

CAT LADY:

That's not my scarecrow.

JEEPERS CREEPERS

EXT. FARMHOUSE. NIGHT. SAME TIME.

Shot rolling slowly toward: The inky silhouette of the

scarecrow. It is larger than we remember it. And better

dressed. In a long black coat...

The Figure stands before the old hay-stuffed thing-creating a

single silhouette.

Cutting a tall, dark shadow against the starry night sky. One

with eyes we can barely discern.

Eyes that might not belong to any human thing...

INT. FARMHOUSE. NIGHT. SAME TIME.

The cats are going berserk. Two of them topple the phone

table. Others run in confused circles around the couch.

Several scramble over the base of the floor lamp. Send it on

its side with a loud crash. Still others are scaling the

drapes --clawing their way toward the ceiling...

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