Lost Souls Page #6

FATHER FRANK:

Maya, for the last time, I will not

tolerate these obsessions.

Anxious, Maya rubs her cross between a thumb and forefinger,

distractedly.

INT. SEMINARY STAIRWELL - EARLY MORNING

Maya crosses through the dim hallway and heads up the stairs.

INT. SEMINARY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

A bright, clean bathroom with new fixtures and fluorescent

lights. Maya comes in, trying to contain her frustration.

Turns the water on. She watches the water a moment. Then

puts her hands in. Cool on her wrists. Splashes her face.

MAYA:

(despairing)

Stupid man. I can't do this...

At that moment, she hears something. It's faint, but

unmistakable - the sound of SCRAPING METAL ON METAL. Then it

stops.

MAYA (CONT'D)

Hello?

No response.

ANGLE FROM ABOVE:

Maya faces all six stalls. She walks to the first one,

pushes open the door. It's empty. She repeats this at the

second stall, the thirds, the fourth, the fifth. All are

vacant. Now the last one. She pauses just a second.

The lights HUM. She pushes it open. It's empty. Disturbed,

she turns back to the sink and as she looks down, the water

flows instantly backwards, disappearing up into the faucet.

She turns back again, watching the room change from pristine

to rotting decay. The stalls behind her have changed. The

doors are closed again. They're battered, chipped, scarred.

Rusty water flows from underneath. She whirls around. On

the stall directly behind her, the letters "X" "E" and "S"

have been scratched into the metal in loose, flowing script.

At the same time, the lights go dim. The HUM is uneven, more

menacing. Alarmed, Maya closes her eyes, then opens them.

The vision remains. Her breathing gets lighter, faster.

Fingers appear on the top of the stall door behind her. The

door is pulled open. A man in inside, wearing hospital

clothes. It's Henry Birdson. His eyes bore into hers. He's

got a knife in his right hand. Petrified, she stares back.

MAYA (CONT'D)

You're not real.

He leers and nods, "Yes I am." He steps toward her. Every

instinct in her body screams at her to run. But she stays

put. And we HEAR A CHOKED BACK BREATH and Birdson slowly

extends his knife, just inches from her face.

Closer to her face. Then closer still. Until the tip of the

blade is slowly creeping toward Maya's eye.

ECU:

of the tip of the blade, literally millimeters from her

pupil. Closing painfully slow. Maya braces herself.

ECU:

of the tip of the knife now only a hair away.

ANGLE ON:

Birdson. He smiles. And THRUSTS. She suddenly reaches up

and grabs for the blade. The lights "flare" horrifyingly

bright for a split second. We hear a surreal distortion of

Maya's voice crying out.

And "Birdson" vanishes. Maya's looking at a pristine

bathroom, its unmarked stall doors pulled tight. Victorious

but drained, she slumps forward.

INT. LAREAUX'S ROOM - MORNING

Inside Father Lareaux's Spartan room at the seminary, Lareaux

lies in bed, his face turned towards the wall. He's

MUMBLING. Maya has pulled herself together and sits by the

bed with Father Jeremy and an irritated Father Frank.

In the b.g., John Townsend is urgently riffling the books and

papers on Lareaux's desk. Most of which we SEE are about

demonic possession.

Unknown to anyone, Townsend slides two of the books under his

coat.

FATHER FRANK:

(to Maya)

Leave him alone.

Maya doesn't want to hear that. She leans closer. The full

wound of her childhood pressed back into her eyes.

MAYA:

(compassionately)

Father, it's me, Maya. Tu m'entends?

Lareaux rolls over and looks at her. The change in his

appearance is shocking. His eyes are red-rimmed and his

expression is unfocused.

LAREAUX:

(with a nursery rhyme cadence)

...the ark sank, the sun set, the ark

sank again.

MAYA:

Father, I'm right here.

LAREAUX:

(like a child)

...the ark sank, the sun set, the ark

sank again...

his eyes are wild. Father Frank turns to Maya.

FATHER JAMES:

He's not going to respond...

Maya slowly backs away.

FATHER FRANK:

The doctor's concerned he may never come

out of this dementia.

MAYA:

He will. He has great faith.

FATHER FRANK:

But bad judgement. And now you see how

dangerous the consequences can be.

Maya moves over to a silent John Townsend.

MAYA:

John. I've got to head back to the

city.

(to Father Jeremy)

Would you page me if there's any change

whatsoever?

(Maya hurriedly writes her

pager number down for Jeremy)

Anything, okay?

FATHER JEREMY:

(under his breath)

I wish I could help.

Maya smiles sweetly at Father Jeremy.

INT. SEMINARY HALLWAY - MORNING

Maya and Townsend confer down the hall from Lareaux's room.

TOWNSEND:

It's useless...look at him.

MAYA:

You can't back out on me now. We need

to be sure.

TOWNSEND:

(agitated)

Sure of what? Who cares if this guy is

devoid of faith or sleeps over a

pentacle? Results are what Lareaux

would want.

Maya stares intently at Townsend. Father Jeremy approaches

from down the hall, aware of the tension between them.

TOWNSEND (CONT'D)

You don't want to face it.

MAYA:

Look, John, I'm facing it.

TOWNSEND:

I'm not waiting until it's too late.

Townsend walks away.

FATHER FRANK:

Is he going to be okay?

MAYA:

I hope so.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY

CLOSE ON:

A list of names, all doctors. Some have bene crossed off.

And as we PULL BACK, we see Maya's on the phone on a Bedford

main drag and, as she DIALS, she pivots in the booth, anxious

thought process, a pencil being lobbed between two fingers.

Suddenly, a VOICE over the phone.

MAYA:

(into phone)

Hi, I'd like to make an appointment for

Peter Kelson.

As she waits, she pivots back around again.

MAYA (CONT'D)

no, he's not a new patient. Okay, thank

you, bye.

Maya crosses off another doctor's name from her list. DROPS

in two more quarters, as several sit stacked by the phone.

Maya glances around. As she checks her list, TAPPING out

another number, she takes a deep BREATH as she sees

A MAN walking his dog. The dog suddenly stops, squats and

takes a greasy sh*t right on the sidewalk. Maya can't

believe it, wants to say something but the line picks up:

MAYA (CONT'D)

(refocusing)

Hi, I'd like to make an appointment for

Peter Kelson.

(a beat)

No, he's a returning patient. You

don't. Thanks anyway.

Crosses off another name. DROPS in two more quarters. TAPS

out another number. Maya bends the silver phone cord

distractedly, back and forth awhile, and as the line picks

back up:

INTERCUT AS NECESSARY

MAYA (CONT'D)

(rote)

Hi, I'd like to make an appointment for

Peter Kelson.

RECEPTIONIST:

Kelson, hold on a second...

Maya waits anxiously as

RECEPTIONIST (CONT'D)

Okay, Mr. Kelson hasn't been here in

awhile...

A pause, while Maya listens, then, repeating.

MAYA:

Tomorrow. Ten o'clock? Great.

Maya hangs up, circling a name and address on her list, and

as she takes off as we:

INT. BEDFORD GENERAL PRACTITIONER - DAY

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