Lost Souls Page #15

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

An antique oak bed dominates the room, with two suitcases

lying on top. The place is a mess - clothes strewn

everywhere. There's a roll-top desk in the corner with some

books and papers on it. One of Townsend's jackets is draped

on the desk chair.

On the opposite wall is a door that's open just a crack. The

interior of a bathroom is visible on the other side. The

door has a smoky, opaque window built into its top half.

Maya starts sifting through the papers on the desk. She can

hear Peter's footsteps moving slowly above her. And the

sound of doors opening.

She opens the desk drawers. The first one is stuffed with

bills. The second has checkbooks, bank statements. The

third is stuck shut.

Maya kneels down to get better leverage. From this

perspective, we can see the open door to the dark hallway

behind her...She pulls and pulls again. As the drawer pops

open, a shadow falls across her. She WHIRLS.

REVERSE:

It's Peter.

PETER:

Not much upstairs A couple of empty

bedrooms and a bathroom. Anything here?

Maya looks at the contents of the drawer. It's full of

Christian literature.

MAYA:

Nothing yet.

PETER:

I'll go outside and take a look in the

garage.

Maya nods. Peter exits the room. She hears his footsteps

fade away and a door slam. As she stands up, she knocks

Townsend's jacket off the chair. A book falls out of a

pocket. It's on of the books Townsend took from Lareaux's

room. Maya opens it.

ECU:

Tiny, cryptic notations are scrawled in the margins.

EXT. TOWNSEND'S HOUSE

Peter walks down the side steps and over to the large garage.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

An intrigued Maya turns another page.

INT. GARAGE - NIGHT

Peter enters. Sees a switch. Flips it on and a fluorescent

light BUZZES ON. He peruses old boxes, two dusty, black

filing cabinets. Ruston curtain rods, a box of broken

appliances and an old stove covered with an orange tarp.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM

As Maya reads, she hears a light, SCRAPING noise. She

glances up. Silence. She waits. Nervous, Maya then goes

back to her book. Excited, she spots something that's

important. She hears another light SOUND.

MAYA:

Peter?

INT. HALLWAY

Maya listens. She hears a few footsteps in the adjacent

bathroom.

MAYA:

(to herself)

Jesus, Peter, you scared me.

INT. HALLWAY

Book in hand, Maya walks over to the bathroom door and flings

it open.

MAYA:

(rushes in)

Look at this...

She steps into the bathroom and freezes.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Henry Birdson is standing in the corner, same green

regulation drawstring pants and matching T-shirt. He has a

fish-gutting knife in his hand. With an evil smile, he

calmly steps forward, imitating the gesture Maya saw in the

restroom at the seminary. He raises his knife, holding it

out in front of her. Maya stands still. She wants to run

more than anything in life, but she doesn't. Instead, she

reaches out one hand and touches the knife ever so gently

with the tips of her fingers. Fro a second, neither one

moves. Maya's face registers great fear. Birdson slides the

knife back. Maya sees blood on her hands coming from a cut

on her fingers. She trembles, but doesn't run. Maya uses

the humility and calm of an experienced exorcist.

MAYA:

(a whisper)

Henry, Christ loves you.

Birdson looks at her with the impassive, malignant gaze of a

snake.

MAYA (CONT'D)

Christ can save you, Henry.

Birdson shakes his head as Maya's dangling cross picks off

particles of pure light.

MAYA (CONT'D)

Just say his name, say his name and

you'll be free.

Birdson, agitated, moves closer.

MAYA (CONT'D)

(soothing)

Say his name.

He slowly traverses the air in front of her face with his

knife. Maya steps back, trapped, her eyes never leaving

Birdson's.

MAYA (CONT'D)

(with love)

Christ loves you...

For a SPLIT SECOND, the real Henry Birdson appears, then he

smiles grotesquely and in a new VOICE:

BIRDSON:

(lascivious)

Yes, but does he swallow?

VERY FAST:

Maya dives out the door. With a SNARL, Birdson recovers and

lunges for her.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Maya throws herself back into the bedroom, SLAMMING the door

shut behind her as Birdson's body smashes into it. Maya sees

Birdson's shadowy form trying to break the glass with an

animal-like fury. Scrambling against his mounting pressure,

Maya tries but fails to get the lock to close. The door

SHUDDERS, as Birdson pummels it with his body. Birdson

CRACKS the glass. A spiderweb of shards rips through the

window.

BIRDSON:

(different VOICES)

F***ing b*tch! Open the door!

Maya drops Lareaux's book, shouldering her weight against the

door. He hits it so hard, it opens. Maya shoves it back

and, straining, manages to lock it. At the same moment, she

realizes there's no more pressure on the other side. She

stops pushing.

POV:

Over her shoulder, we see the door behind her slightly open.

She turns and realizes this, takes two steps toward that door

and then freezes. Maya's in the center of the room,

equidistant from all the doors.

She looks back at the door to the bathroom. No shadows block

the light at its base. Ever so slowly, keeping her eyes on

the bathroom door, she reaches over, unlocks and then pulls

open the door to the hall. It swings open silently. She

strains, listening as hard as she can. But the only sound

she can hear is her own shallow breathing. She says a silent

prayer. Then steps gingerly toward the door to the hallway.

As she takes a second step:

Birdson BURSTS through the bathroom door behind her. He

leaps and slashes at her, cutting her arm as she bolts

through the door to the hallway.

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

...flying into the:

INT. LIBRARY

Where - WHAM! - she collides full tilt with a body.

MAYA:

AHHHH!!!

It's Peter. They hit the ground, groggy.

MAYA (CONT'D)

Get up!!

PETER:

What's the...OH SH*T!

Birdson races in, knife held high. Peter grabs the small

reading table and uses it as a shield as they scramble to

their feet. Whipping the knife back and forth at lightening

speed, Birdson corrals them into a corner. It takes all of

Peter's skill to keep him at bay.

MAYA:

(dawning realization)

Peter, let go of the chair!

PETER:

What?

Birdson menacingly circles left, then right.

MAYA:

LET GO OF THE CHAIR!

As Birdson makes another thrust towards them, Maya suddenly

jerks the chair away, clearing a path for Birdson's knife to

hit Peter's abdomen.

Peter SCREAMS, bracing himself for the impact, an impact that

never comes.

Birdson freezes, stopping the thrust millimeters from Peter's

stomach. He's caught in an unseen trap, paralyzed.

MAYA (CONT'D)

(insistent)

He can't hurt you.

In that split second, Peter realizes Maya's right. He takes

the chair and SMASHES Birdson in the head. Birdson goes

down. Peter kicks him. He doesn't move. Peter grabs

Birdson's knife.

PETER:

(to Maya)

You okay?

MAYA (O.S.)

When's your birthday?

PETER:

What?

He looks back at Maya, who's holding her upper arm. Blood

begins to drip down her side. Peter immediately grabs hold

of her hand, carefully pushing her arm up in the air.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes