Paranormal Activity Page #9

Young Josh staggers in, rips off his wet clothes and gets

into bed. He huddles there, trembling.

JOSH (V.O.)

Had my Mother seen me? What would

she say? What would she do? (beat)

Did I still have a mother?

INT. PCI VAN --SAME NIGHT

Back to the present. Josh and the group still driving around

looking for Barbara.

ADAM:

...Mom was really mad and screaming

and everything, and then when Danni

came back she got super-mad.

JOSH:

Danni came back?

ADAM:

With that guy, and then they left

again. That was when Mom really

went ballistic.

JOSH:

(realizes) She wouldn’t...

ATHENA:

What, Josh?

JOSH:

Barbara hates Danni’s boyfriend, a

guy named Cal. (trying to remember)

She told me where he lived --

COLLIN:

You think she went after him?

JOSH:

(remembers) The landfill! She said

he lived near the landfill!

50.

EXT. LANDFILL --SAME NIGHT

A long shot of Cal’s place perched on the edge of the

landfill, a vast crater.

PULLING BACK TO BARBARA’S SILHOUETTE

INT. STAIRS/CAL’S PLACE --SAME NIGHT

Danni comes up the stairs, reaches the second floor hallway.

DANNI:

Cal? Are you up here?

She moves down the hall to a door, opens it...

INT. BEDROOM/CAL’S PLACE --CONTINUOUS

Danni enters.

DANNI:

Cal?

She stops abruptly. Cal and a GIRL are on the futon making

out, a BOTTLE OF VODKA on the floor next to them. Danni is

mortified. Cal looks at her, sneers.

DANNI:

You are such a jerk.

CAL:

Close the door and get out.

DANNI:

Fine, just give me my booze back!

Danni crosses, grabs the vodka. Cal grabs her wrist.

CAL:

Drop it.

DANNI:

No!

GIRL:

I’m outta here.

The Girl gets up and exits.

CAL:

Let go of the bottle, Danni.

DANNI:

It’s mine, I paid for it!

51.

Danni tries to yank free but he’s too strong, standing up

while he twists her wrist, bringing her to her knees. She

cries out in pain.

CAL:

Let go or I’ll break your arm!

A shadow falls over them. Barbara in the doorway. Cal

sneers.

CAL:

What’s up, Barb?

Barbara steps forward. She’s completely berserk, enraged,

demonized.

DANNI:

Mom?

She walks towards Cal, her voice like the growl of a beast.

BARBARA:

Call..me...Mrs..Keeling!!

Barbara gives him a two-hand shove in the chest. He’s

knocked backwards, hits the wall hard. She catches him on

the rebound and slings him into the dresser, smashing it.

DANNI:

Mom?

Cal tries to get up but Barbara puts a foot on the side of

his head, mashing him into the floor.

BARBARA:

You little punk! You and your car

and your tattoos and your band!

YOU’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO WIPE THE

DIRT OFF MY DAUGHTER’S SHOES!!

CAL:

Get off me! Get off me you

freakin’ old hag!

BARBARA:

Oh I see. A potty mouth.

INT. BATHROOM/CAL’S PLACE --MOMENTS LATER

Barbara is holding Cal’s head in the toilet while he flails

futilely, Danni watching, aghast, but digging it.

BARBARA:

You think I hate you, Danni?! I

gave birth to you!

(MORE)

52.

BARBARA (cont'd)

I worry about you and wish for you

and want for you and ache for you

and breathe for you every single

minute of every single day! I AM

YOUR MOTHERRRR!!!

Danni is awed by her mother’s tirade but notices:

DANNI:

Mom? I don’t think he’s moving.

Barbara yanks the sputtering Cal out of the toilet. She pulls

him close, looks him right in the eye.

BARBARA:

So tell me something, Cal. (beat)

Who’s the b*tch now?!

INT. BEDROOM/CAL’S PLACE --MOMENTS LATER

Barbara bum-rushing Cal out of the bathroom, across the room,

through the french doors, Danni trailing.

DANIELL:

Mom, don’t!

EXT. BALCONY/CAL’S PLACE --CONTINUOUS

Barbara brings Cal to the railing, starts to heave him over.

A 200 foot drop to the bottom of the landfill.

BARBARA:

So long, a**hole!

JOSH (O.S.)

Barbara!

Barbara hesitates, sees Josh, Adam, Collin (with the M-PAC)

and Athena down below but off to one side(ground level).

They’ve just come around the side of the house.

JOSH:

(to Collin) Go on up there, get

ready to dart her.

Collin moves off.

JOSH:

Don’t do it, Barb! He’s had

enough.

Barbara snarls, not willing to let Cal go.

JOSH:

You’ve made your point, honey.

Hasn’t she Cal?

53.

CAL:

(blubbering) Oh yes! Yes she has!

I swear, Mrs. Keeling ma’am!

Barbara bellows defiantly, starts to turn Cal over the

railing.

CAL:

NOOOOOO!!

But Barbara stops.

New angle:
Danni has put a hand on her shoulder.

DANNI:

(tearful) It’s okay, Mom.

They look at each other.

DANNI:

I love you too.

Danni hugs her. Barbara’s rage softens, turns into tears.

She hugs Danni...and lets go of Cal. He plummets, screaming

like a girl, hitting the landfill and disappearing into the

sea of garbage. PHLOOOF!! Everyone except Barbara wincing at

the sound.

INT. (FLASHBACK) KITCHEN/APARTMENT --NEXT MORNING

Young Josh enters. Rachel is at the counter, making a bag

lunch, humming, everything normal. She notices him. He

tries to control his fear.

RACHEL:

Good morning, Josh. Sleep okay?

YOUNG JOSH:

Yeah. I slept fine.

RACHEL:

What did you do last night?

YOUNG JOSH:

Oh, the usual stuff, you know.

RACHEL:

Want some breakfast?

JOSH:

No thanks. I’m supposed to get to

school early. Hockey practice.

RACHEL:

Okay. Well, here’s your lunch.

54.

She gives him his bag lunch. They look at each other a long

beat, Josh trying to see something in her eyes.

JOSH (V.O.)

I didn’t realize it then, but that

Halloween night was my very first

case.

Rachel smiles warmly, kisses him on the forehead.

RACHEL:

See you later.

Following Young Josh out of the kitchen, down the hall to the

front door.

JOSH (V.O.)

It was also the start of my career,

when a kid’s curiosity became a

calling. I had to find out, what’s

really going on here?

Young Josh starts to exit but glances back. Rachel is

standing at the sink, staring out of the window at the sky.

He looks at her, wondering.

JOSH (V.O.)

So what was my Mom doing in the

cemetery that night? I still don’t

know, but the case isn’t closed..

...not by a long shot.

EXT. JOSH’S HOUSE --MORNING

Back to the present. Josh comes out, heads towards his

newspaper on the lawn. He sees Ted, doing the same.

JOSH:

Hey, Ted. Listen, about what

happened...

TED:

I’m not havin’ it, Josh. Are you

hearing me? I’m not havin’ it.

Ted points a finger at Josh, then turns and walks into his

house. On Josh, breathing a weary sigh.

INT. STUDY/JOSH’S HOUSE --SAME DAY

Josh on the phone with an official from the US Department of

Agriculture. Intermittently, we hear a loud GRINDING SOUND.

55.

USDA OFFICIAL 1 (V.O.)

I can assure you, Mr. Keeling, we

here at the Department of

Agriculture monitor the country’s

milk supply very carefully --

JOSH:

I wasn’t suggesting --

USDA OFFICIAL 1 (V.O.)

--and we’ve received no reports of

contaminated milk or cattle

displaying the symptoms you

describe.

JOSH:

No reports at all?

USDA OFFICIAL (V.O.)

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