SHIVERS

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EXT. STARLINER TOWERS APARTMENT COMPLEX -- MORNING

Starliner Towers is seen in LS through the windshield of a

moving car. The car approaches the complex and stops near

the main doors of the West Tower.

Out of the car climb Kresimir and Benda Sviben, a gawky newly

wed young couple. Kresimir elaborately opens the door for

Benda, his new wife, and they walk with hands intertwined up

the steps of the West Tower.

INT. LOBBY -- MORNING

As the Svibens approach the main doors, the doorman leaps up

from his chair beside the intercom switchboard and opens the

door for them. The doorman, like most security guards, does

not look capable of handling a serious crisis. He is about

fifty, of average height but slightly built, wears thick

glasses and seems almost embarrassed by the revolver on his

hip.

DOORMAN:

Morning, folks. Can I help you?

KRESIMIR:

Yes, please. I... er, we... are

looking for the rental agent here.

We have an appointment.

DOORMAN:

OK, I'll just give him a little buzz

and he'll come out and show you the

way in.

The doorman presses a button on the intercom board. As he

turns back to the Svibens, he catches his holster on the

board.

DOORMAN:

(freeing holster)

Darned thing.

BENDA:

Do you ever use that?

DOORMAN:

This? No, never even had it out of

the holster. A rival company has

'em, so we gotta have 'em. Just an

advertising gimmick.

INT. ANNABELLE'S APARTMENT -- MORNING

Dr. Emil Hobbes, a huge, florid, bearded man, is strangling

Annabelle Horsefield. Despite the difference in their sizes --

Annabelle is tall and slender, about seventeen -- Hobbes is

not having an easy time of it. Hobbes is wearing overlarge

blue jeans and a red plaid shirt; Annabelle is in a private

girls' school outfit -- white blouse, dark blue tie, blue

knee socks, pleated gray skirt.

Annabelle fights back fiercely; Hobbes has tears in his eyes.

The struggle takes them all over her apartment, which,

although sparsely furnished, presents enough objects in their

way to cause a lot of crashing around. At one point Annabelle

breaks loose and Hobbes has to chase her.

Annabelle slips and Hobbes manages to pin her to the ground,

where he has the advantage of leverage. He strangles her

quickly and with tremendous, crazy energy. Blood oozes from

her mouth. Hobbes places his hand over her mouth as though

trying to prevent her from speaking, or to prevent something

from leaving her body.

He reaches over to his leather doctor's bag, which has spilled

some of its contents on to the floor, finds a surgical clamp,

and clamps Annabelle's lips together. He then picks up her

body, carries it over to the dining-room table and sweeps

the few cups and bottles on it off on to the floor. He then

places her body with great tenderness on the table and begins

to undress it.

INT. LOBBY -- MORNING

The doorman leaves the Svibens to open the door for the

Spergazzis, an elderly Italian couple who both use aluminum,

four-pronged canes to help them walk. The Svibens watch the

old couple as they enter and then glance at each other

significantly -- 'We'll be together when we're as old as

they are.'

Mr. Spergazzi tips his hat to the doorman, who opens the

inner door for him.

As the Spergazzis make their way shakily toward the elevators,

Mr. Merrick, the rental agent, appears from around a corner.

He is slick, mustachioed, and wears a wide paisley tie. He

extends his hand for a handshake even though he is still

fifty feet from the inner doors. The doorman keeps the door

open for him.

DOORMAN:

Here's Mr. Merrick. He'll take you

on in.

MERRICK:

(ingratiatingly)

Welcome to Starliner Towers. And you

are...?

KRESIMIR:

Kresimir and Benda Sviben.

MERRICK:

Eh? Oh yes, of course. Mr. and Mrs.

Sweden. Come right this way. Sorry

to keep you waiting. Now, are we

talking about one or two bedrooms? I

assume we're not talking about

bachelors, eh? Ha, ha. Now, I have

several floor plans all laid out for

you, and all you have to do is take

your choice and we'll trot right on

up there and take a look at 'em...

The three disappear around a corner.

The doorman pulls a Harlequin Nurse Romance out of his jacket

and sits down to continue reading it.

INT. ANNABELLE'S APARTMENT -- MORNING

Hobbes ties a green surgical mask over his mouth and nose,

snaps on rubber gloves.

He turns to Annabelle's corpse on the dining-room table,

legs hanging over the edge, now naked -- the private girls'

school clothes in a heap on the floor. Hobbes takes a scalpel

from the top of the radiator where he has laid out his

surgical instruments. He feels Annabelle's stomach until he

has found what he wants, then cuts her open with one smooth,

confident stroke of the scalpel.

He then quickly douses the inside of her abdomen with some

clear fluid in a squeeze bottle, lights a wooden match, and

drops it into her abdominal cavity. The corpse bursts into

flame.

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