Slumber Page #3

---

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

Oh!

What the hell are you doing?

Niamh!

[CHARLIE] You need to stay

home and rest.

- I'm fine.

- You're not fine.

- I am.

- You do not... fine.

You were saying 'help me'...

over and over in your sleep

last night.

It was just a dream.

It's not a big deal.

Alice, you were attacked.

It's a big f***ing deal!

Christ...

[MALCOLM]

Alice, what are you doing here?

Come here and take a look

at this.

Fascinating...

they're all in REM sleep, but

it's like they're synchronized.

- Like puppets.

- Hm.

[ALICE] Yeah, except for Daniel.

They all seem to be moving

away from him.

I've never seen such an intense

sleep paralysis episode before.

He looks terrified.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Hey. Hey, guys. I just wanted

to let you know...

I don't work for the hospital

anymore.

I, er, handed in my resignation,

so...

What?

Dr. Arnolds, would you mind

a word outside?

Of course.

NURSE (THRU SPEAKER): Paging

Dr. Davies. Dr. Davies, please.

Cam, are you okay?

Look, stay away from that

family.

Never see them again.

Cam... Cam, what are you...?

(EERIE MUSIC FADES UP)

- What's that?

- Oh, nothing, honey.

Boring stuff.

Work stuff.

I'm sorry I yelled at you

this morning.

It's okay.

(DOG BARKS)

[SARAH] Let's get into your

PJ's, Danny.

Did your father do this to you,

Daniel?

Then who did?

I told you already... it only

comes when I'm dreaming.

From the shadows.

(DOG BARKING)

(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)

(WIND BLOWING)

(TEETH CLACKING)

(EERIE MUSIC PLAYING)

(DOG WHINES)

(LOUD BANGING)

I don't want it to get me.

I don't want it to get me.

I don't want it to get me.

(DOOR SLAMS)

(DOG YIPS)

[EMILY] Get away from me!

(LOUD THUD)

(EMILY HUMMING)

(HUMMING CONTINUES)

Oh, my God.

Emily... wake up. Wake up.

Mummy, what's going on?

Close your eyes, sweetie.

Close your eyes.

(LOUD THUD)

What's going on?

(DEMON BREATHING)

[EMILY] Mom, I don't want

to stay here.

Ssh! Don't move, honey.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(DEMONIC GROWLING)

Daniel! Daniel!

No! Agh!

Daniel!

(CRYING)

(TOY MONKEY LAUGHING)

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

Honey?

Hey.

I'm having that nightmare again.

Why didn't you tell me?

Because something about this

feels different.

I just... I...

I heard that little girl singing

the same lullaby...

that Liam sung the night

that he died and I just erm...

I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Hey... it's stress,

that's all it is, it's stress.

Hm?

I thought about what you said...

and you're right.

I need to slow down,

and I need to get some sleep.

So I'm gonna go into work and

I'm gonna ask for some time off.

Hallelujah.

Dr. Arnolds! Please.

You know he didn't mean

to attack you.

You don't understand.

It... it isn't Charlie, it's

something else. Something...

I think it's trying to pull us

apart so it can...

Can what?

I think it's trying to kill

my son.

Mrs. Morgan, no one is trying

to kill your son.

Your husband...

My husband was trying to protect

us and you got him locked up!

Last night, Emily butchered

our dog...

with a pair of garden shears,

in her sleep, for God sake!

I saw something lift my son's

bed off the ground.

I need my husband.

I need my husband back!

You said you would help us!

How could you do this to us?

(EERIE MUSIC FADES UP)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

You know, that night

in the ward. I can't...

I can't explain it.

There was something in the room

with us.

I had to stop it. I'm sorry.

You know, people all over the

world, they describe the same...

dark presence during sleep

paralysis episodes.

We write it off as hypnagogic

hallucinations, but...

I knew it wanted Daniel and it

sure as sh*t wasn't no dream.

(EERIE MUSIC PLAYING)

[EMILY] I hate you!

I hate you. I hate you.

Emily?

Emily?

(BLENDER RUNNING)

Oh, no, oh, God... Sarah.

- It's steak.

- Oh...

Agh!

Sarah! Sarah, wake up!

Sarah, it's me.

(LOUD THUD)

- [DANIEL] Hey! Help me, please.

- Daniel.

Daniel! Daniel! Daniel!

Help me! Daniel! Get in here.

Daniel! Daniel!

(DEMONIC GROWLING)

Is he... okay?

Wake him up! Wake him up!

Daniel, wake up!

Wake up, Daniel!

(DEMONIC SHRIEKING)

NIAMH (V.O.):
Dream, dream,

dream, dream, dream.

(NIAMH HUMMING)

[CHARLIE] Alice?

Hm.

[CHARLIE] Alice?

Honey?

Alice?

Oh...

I'm sorry. How's Daniel?

He's fine... for now.

Look, erm, we can't go

to the hospital.

What can we do?

I don't know.

(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)

He's gotta be here.

Cam?

Cam, it's Alice.

It's Dr. Arnolds, from the

hospital.

Cam?

Alice.

Alice, how did you...

I'm... I'm sorry, I can't help

you. Please, you gotta go.

- Just leave.

- My son's life is in danger!

[CHARLIE] Please.

You're not gonna like

what I have to say.

Go back home and distance

ourself from this family.

And, I'm afraid your son

is going to die.

- There is nothing you can do.

- What, that's it?

Yes. Now, I'm sorry,

you gotta go.

I'm not going anywhere!

Leave now!

Cam, don't make me call

the cops on you...

for stealing tranquilizers

from the hospital.

(AMADO LAUGHING)

Grandpa? Okay... just a minute.

Hey, just go back to sleep,

okay. Shh... no.

These guys are just leaving.

It's okay.

[CAM] My grandfather is fine,

Dr. Arnolds.

It's just that those drugs...

they're the only way he can

get to sleep.

Your son has always suffered

from sleep talking...

and sleepwalking? Hm?

Yes.

That's how the wretched thing

found him.

It seeks out children who are

neither asleep, nor awake.

For it does not exist in the

'real' world...

or in the 'dream' world, but in

the cracks in between.

- Well, what is it?

- Grandpa, please.

Ah!

It's got many names: the Ancient

Greek's called it mora...

the Persian's bakhtak.

The Japanese kannashibari.

I first heard it called

ocnitsa.

In English...

The Night Hag.

Yeah.

In Olde English, the night-mare.

A demon that has existed since

man first learned to dream.

It doesn't exist, they kept

telling me.

Just in your imagination.

Once a child is chosen...

then it paralyzes the child...

in its sleep before crushing it.

And then, when it's finished

feasting...

What?!

- It happened to me.

- Okay, that's enough.

Alice, please, I beg you,

just leave him alone.

How did you survive then?

Another child died in my place.

I don't know how...

I don't know why.

I've spent my whole life

trying to understand.

But the only thing

I've learned...

is that there are no answers.

[AMADO] There is no help

for your son.

Charlie, look at me.

Nothing is going to happen

to Daniel.

We're gonna do everything

we can. We'll keep him awake.

Whatever we have to do.

There are always answers.

I like you. I, too, was once

fierce.

Then I got old. Life's a b*tch.

Life's a b...

Hello.

(WHISTLING BIRD SONG)

(EERIE MUSIC FADES UP)

(MOANS)

- Are the salts working?

- So far, but he's fading.

- We should not be here, Grandpa.

- Hello.

- Here, sweetheart.

- Hi.

Okay, the oxygen should keep him

awake for a little while.

By now, the thing that

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes