Paranormal Activity Page #10

Not one. (beat) But you say this

particular cow was affected by

worms?

JOSH:

Yes.

USDA OFFICIAL (V.O.)

What kind of worms?

JOSH:

Well, they were a garden-variety

coccidia but they were demonized.

USDA OFFICIAL 1 (V.O.)

Demon worms?

JOSH:

Yes.

The GRINDING SOUND is distracting.

JOSH:

Could you hold on for just a

second?

INT. ADAM’S ROOM/JOSH’S HOUSE --CONTINUOUS

The source of the GRINDING SOUND. Adam and Barbara are

feeding the pages of his contract into a SHREDDER.

RESUME JOSH:

closing the his study door, picking up the phone again.

JOSH:

Sorry about that.

56.

USDA OFFICIAL 1 (V.O.)

That’s okay. Listen, I’ve got

somebody else on the line with me

whose more familiar with this kind

of thing.

JOSH:

Oh great.

USDA OFFICIAL 2 (V.O.)

Mr. Keeling? Yeah, My name’s Jerry

Cooper. I’m the supervisor here at

the USDA’s Demon Worm and Goblin

Grasshopper Department?

Josh realizes they’re messing with him.

JOSH:

Listen, I know how this sounds -

USDA OFFICIAL 2 (V.O.)

No, no, we think you’re really on

to something here. In fact, we’re

sending a crack team of agents to

your house right now.

USDA OFFICIAL 1 (V.O.)

You’ll recognize them by their big

shoes. They put the worms on the

sidewalk and stomp on ‘em!

The Officials burst into hysterics. Josh hangs up.

INT. LIVING ROOM/JOSH’S HOUSE --SAME DAY

Josh and Barbara snuggling on the couch.

JOSH:

How are you feeling?

BARBARA:

I’m fine. (off his look) Really.

Oh I have the occasional urge to

graze but other than that --

JOSH:

I was afraid I was going to lose

you.

He kisses her.

JOSH:

I’m so sorry.

BARBARA:

I know you are...but I have to

admit, it wasn’t all bad.

57.

INT. ACURA --SAME DAY

Cal, hysterical and blubbering, driving on a desert highway

really fast. He whips past a sign that says: LEAVING THE

GOLDEN STATE. COME AGAIN SOON!

RESUME JOSH AND BARBARA

the conversation continuing.

JOSH:

I think it’s going to take awhile

to patch things up with Ted and

LaSandra.

BARBARA:

I’ll talk to LaSandra. (bright

idea) I’ll tell her I had the flu.

JOSH:

(not hopeful) Yeah, that might

work.

Danni enters.

JOSH:

Hey, kiddo.

Reveal Danni’s companion. A very butch girl named RITA.

DANNI:

This is my friend Rita. We’ll be

in my room.

Danni and Rita move off. On Josh and Barbara, speechless.

EXT. PCI --DAY

JOSH (V.O.)

The Department of Agriculture guys

weren’t very receptive...

INT. PCI --CONTINUOUS

Josh, Athena and Collin, a discussion in progress.

JOSH:

...but that’s not what bothered me.

(beat) They said they haven’t

received any reports about

contaminated milk or possessed

cows.

ATHENA:

But isn’t that good?

58.

JOSH:

Think about it. Somebody gave

demonized worms to one cow.

COLLIN:

Right. Why not a hundred cows or a

thousand?

JOSH:

And why here, why not in Wisconsin,

the Dairy State? Why pick a place

that’s less than an hour’s drive

from this office?

ATHENA:

Are you saying --

JOSH:

Just hear me out, okay? Somebody

feeds Delila a handful of hay

contaminated with the worms. Then

Delila shows symptoms that defy

explanation so Jim goes online and

looks for help. Chatrooms, message

boards, that kind of thing. What

kind of response would he get?

COLLIN:

Oh, the usual palaver from the

uninformed but anybody who knows

anything would refer him to you.

JOSH:

Especially here in my own backyard.

ATHENA:

You mean you were supposed to get

the case?

JOSH:

And take the worm samples. It’s

standard operating procedure.

COLLIN:

So what happened to Barbara -

JOSH:

Was meant for me. Us. It was only

by chance we didn’t eat or drink

anything that was contaminated.

ATHENA:

But who would want to set us up?

59.

JOSH:

I don’t know, but they had to be

able to demonize the worms..this

wasn’t just anybody.

INT. LIVING ROOM/FARMHOUSE --NIGHT

Jim, asleep in his rocker, the TV on.

JOSH (V.O.)

Somebody once said, the only normal

people are the ones you don’t know

very well...

New angle. Ellen, standing in the doorway, looking at him.

Her farm wife demeanor is gone, replaced with a whole other

persona; confident, mysterious, a little menacing.

JOSH (V.O.)

...and how many people do you know

that well? I mean really?

Music begins. The Talking Heads sing “Once In A Lifetime”

continuing over...

EXT. DAIRY FARM --SAME NIGHT

Ellen comes out of the house, moves off into the night.

TRACKING ELLEN:

walking through the countryside, completely at ease in the

dark. As the sequence concludes she goes through a

DILAPIDATED WOODEN GATE, stops.

Reverse angle:
We’re in a small, neglected GRAVEYARD,

overgrown with weeds. Rachel is there, middle-aged now,

still attractive, wearing regular clothes. The two women

look at each other, smile.

ELLEN:

We tried.

RACHEL:

And we’ll try again.

EXT. GRAVEYARD --SAME NIGHT

Rachel and Ellen are doing the same witches dance Young Josh

saw on Halloween Night. Pulling back as other middle-aged

WOMEN come walking, gliding and flying over the hills and

through the fields and out of the night sky, converging on

the graveyard....

THE END:

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