Panic Room Page #5

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She turns around, walks out, leaving the lights on behind

her.

We linger for a look at the video screens. If only she'd

done the same, she'd see what we see.

ON THE MONITORS,

we see the three men, still in the kitchen, huddled in a

group, silently debating what to do.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Using the light that spills from the open door to the panic

room, Meg comes back into the master bedroom and finds the

proper door to the bathroom.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Meg SNAPS the cap off a jug of Advil and dumps three into her

palm. She pops them in her mouth, searches for a glass for

water, finds none, bends to the spout for a gulp to wash them

down.

She turns to the toilet.

INT. PANIC ROOM - NIGHT

On the monitor, we see the three men leave the kitchen and

start up the stairs.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Meg stands, flushes the toilet.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

One floor down, Burnham, Raoul, and Junior freeze, just

coming up the stairs from the kitchen. They look up, hearing

the water rushing through the pipes in the ceiling directly

above them.

They stare at the ceiling, following with their eyes as a

pair of feet pad across the CREAKY floor. Finally, they hear

a SQUEAK of bedsprings as Meg climbs back into bed.

They hold a moment longer, a silence grows. Raoul reaches

into his jacket pocket and pulls out a ski mask. He pulls it

over his head. They look at him.

RAOUL:

(whispers)

No face.

Burnham rolls his eyes. Doesn't know this guy much, but

hates him so far. They start across the foyer toward the

stairs.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Meg rolls over, to go back to sleep. She sees she's left the

lights on in the panic room. She TSKS, gets out of bed, and

walks across the floor toward it.

INT. PANIC ROOM - NIGHT

Meg steps into the panic room, raises her hand to the light

switch --

-- and stops, her hand frozen in mid-air. She c*cks her

head, looking at something she can't understand.

She blinks. Takes a step, further into the room. She stares

at the video monitors -- at the three men in dark clothes,

stealing silently across the foyer.

This can't be. These are just pictures, they have no

relation to reality. She drops to her knees, her face inches

from the screens, and reaches out to touch them, as if trying

to make sure they're really there.

INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT

They reach the base of the stairs, Junior in the lead. As he

reaches a bend at the base of the stairs, he places one foot

short on an angled step and it slips off. He trips, falls

forward.

INT. PANIC ROOM - NIGHT

Watching the video monitors, Meg stares in horror as the

image of Junior slipping is verified by the SLAP of his hands

on the stairs as he catches himself, audible through the open

door to the panic room.

She GASPS. It is real.

INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT

In the living room, Burnham's eyes are wide as saucers,

staring at Junior as he turns and pulls himself to his feet.

Junior points at Raoul, speaks in an urgent whisper.

JUNIOR:

Top floor, get the little girl and

keep her there. I'll bring the

woman up. Gimme.

He holds out his hand for the gun and Raoul gives it to him.

JUNIOR:

(points to Burnham)

Stay here. Nobody gets past you.

He heads for the stairs. Raoul follows close behind him.

Burnham stays, reluctant -- what the f*** has he gotten

himself into?

INT. PANIC ROOM - NIGHT

Meg moves. Leaps to her feet and dashes out of the room.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Meg races across her bedroom, flies out the door, and bolts

up the carpeted stairs, headed for the top floor.

INT. SARAH'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Meg races into Sarah's room, drops onto the bed, and grabs

Sarah by the shoulders, trying to rouse her.

MEG:

Wake up... wake up...

But she's in a profound child's sleep and won't wake up.

INT. THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY - NIGHT

One floor down, Junior and Raoul reach the third floor

landing. Still moving stealthily, Junior heads down the hall

for the master bedroom, where he thinks Meg is sleeping.

Raoul heads for the stairs that lead to the top floor.

INT. SARAH'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Meg is desperate, still can't wake Sarah.

MEG:

Wake up...come on, come on...

She sees a plastic cup on her night table/box, half filled

with water. She snatches it and tosses the water in her

face.

Now she's awake. And pissed off. She SPUTTERS, SHOUTS.

SARAH:

WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!

INT. THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY - NIGHT

Raoul, at the base of the stairs that lead to the top floor,

hears the kid shouting. He starts up the stairs, quickly.

INT. SARAH'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

On the top floor, Meg is already dragging Sarah out of the

room and into the hallway.

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

Meg and Sarah come out of Sarah's bedroom just as Raoul

reaches the top of the stairs at the other end. They're cut

off.

Meg freezes, staring at the hulking ski-masked figure at the

end of the hallway. She thinks, no idea what to do for a

second. She looks frantically to her right -- the bathroom,

dead end.

She looks to her left.

The elevator.

She yanks open the elevator door, throws aside the gate, and

races inside with Sarah.

Raoul takes off down the hall, lunging for the elevator.

INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT

Meg SLAMS the gate shut and PUNCHES the button for the first

floor. The elevator GROANS to life and starts down --

slowly.

Sarah looks up at her, terrified.

SARAH:

What's going on?!

MEG:

People. In the house.

As the elevator descends, they see Raoul, through the window

in the door, as he drops to his knees, to get a good look at

them.

INT. TOP FLOOR HALLWAY - NIGHT

Raoul turns from the elevator, SHOUTS to the open stairwell.

RAOUL:

IN THE ELEVATOR! BOTH OF 'EM HEADED

TOWARD YOU!

INT. THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY - NIGHT

Junior turns from the open doorway of the master bedroom and

races back down the hall, toward the elevator. He reaches

the door, peers through the window.

He sees the bare feet of Meg and Sarah, dropping toward him.

He grabs the door handle, pulls as hard as he can, but it

stays locked, with the elevator moving beyond.

He bangs on the button, hoping the elevator will stop. As

Meg and Sarah drop fully into view, he stands there, eye to

moving eye with her for a moment. But the elevator doesn't

stop, it keeps going down.

INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT

Meg stands frozen, terrified, staring at Junior as they move

past him.

Junior has another go at the door, pulling as hard as he can,

actually bending the door, but the elevator is still moving,

the catch holds fast and the door won't open.

As they pass, his face suddenly disappears, he takes off.

INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT

Junior flies down the stairs, to cut them off at the first

floor.

INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT

MEG:

He's going down.

SARAH:

That room!

MEG:

What?!

SARAH:

PANIC ROOM!

Meg thinks, then punches the button for three, to go back up.

But the elevator continues down. She jabs at it, futilely.

SARAH:

No. you gotta...

She reaches past her, pushes the STOP button. The elevator

jerks to a halt. Then Sarah pushes three. Now the elevator

starts to rise.

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