The Grudge Page #7

She pauses. Leans back, away from the keyboard.

SUSAN (INTO PHONE)

I just wanted to make sure Mom is

okay. Yesterday was...

(MORE)

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 32.

a bit weird, and -- I’m just a

little worried. Listen, just give

me a call when you can, okay?

SUSAN (INTO PHONE) (cont'd)

She hangs up, taking the headset off. Concerned.

49 INT. OFFICE BUILDING - 10TH FLOOR HALL - NIGHT 49

Susan walks through the hallway. She hears a strange

scraping sound -- it sounds as though something is being

dragged.

Susan turns around, but the hallway looks normal. Is it just

her imagination?

The sound starts again, coming closer. Susan gets scared and

opens the door to the emergency stairwell beside her.

49a INT. STAIRWELL - 10TH FLOOR - NIGHT 49a

The hallway is chilly -- Susan shivers. She’s about to start

walking down when she looks up, noticing THE LIGHTS at the

top floor FLICKERING.

A wind suddenly blows through the center of the stairwell

with an eerie ROAR.

Susan looks disconcerted as she starts walking down...

Then we hear the SCRAPING SOUND again. Startled, Susan

pauses and looks down, over the railing.

There’s nothing there -- but the sound continues, growing

louder, like something is moving up towards her.

SUSAN:

(calling out:
)

Is anybody there?

Just then, the lights on the top floor finally GO OUT.

Susan’s breath catches in her throat as she looks up --

The lights on the next floor go out. And the next. The

darkness above growing closer with each darkening floor.

Susan nervously looks back down -- the SCRAPING is even

closer. And then, for an instant, she sees A SKINNY PALE

HAND on the railing two floors down.

Terrified, Susan starts to back up -- but stops as she

realizes that the darkness from above is almost upon her.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 32A.

Then Susan sees A FINGERTIP of the hand at the corner of the

floor where she stands, and A HEAD COVERED WITH BLACK HAIR

slowly crawling up on the wall.

Susan’s mouth opens in a silent screen. With nowhere to

escape, she opens the same door and rushes back into the

hallway -

49b OMITTED 49b

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 33.

49c OMITTED 49c

49cc INT. OFFICE BUILDING - 10TH FLOOR HALL - NIGHT 49cc

-- but her lucky RABBIT’S FOOT gets caught on the door latch.

Panicking, Susan struggles to free herself -

Through the crack, she sees the darkness continuing to come

down. The lights on Susan’s floor FLICKER.

Susan looks up to see A PALE BOY on the landing to the higher

floor. The SAME BOY is also standing on the landing of each

floor above. They’re all staring down at Susan.

Susan screams as she desperately tries to yank her chain

free... and then she sees THE PALE HAND clutching her

rabbit’s foot!

The door shuts, and Susan falls backwards into the hallway.

She jumps to her feet and runs down the hall.

50 OMITTED 50

51 OMITTED 51

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 34.

52 OMITTED 52

52a OMITTED 52a

53 INT. OFFICE BUILDING - SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT 53

A cramped room. Susan stands in the doorway, animatedly

talking to a young SECURITY GUARD sitting at a desk lined

with VIDEO MONITORS. She’s speaking rapidly, and shaking:

SUSAN (IN JAPANESE)

In the stairs... there was...

something... a strange person...

all the lights were going out...

The Guard doesn’t understand her -- in her panic, Susan’s

MISPRONOUNCING HER WORDS, and she knows it.

Susan takes a breath, frustrated and frightened.

SUSAN:

(pleading, in English)

Please. Help me.

The Guard stands, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

GUARD (IN JAPANESE)

I’ll take a look. Wait here.

The Guard leaves. Susan doesn’t look thrilled to be alone.

54 OMITTED 54

54a OMITTED 54a

54aa OMITTED 54aa

54ab INT. 10TH FLOOR HALL - NIGHT 54ab

Holding a flashlight, the Guard walks down the hallway,

checking the doors.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 35.

54b INT. OFFICE BUILDING - SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT

54b

Susan takes a breath and sits down, trying to relax. It’s

obvious that she feels safer, here in the Security Room.

Then she notices movement on one of the SECURITY MONITORS -ON

THE SCREEN:
-- the GUARD continues down the 10TH FLOOR

HALL, stopping at the door to the stairwell.

Susan leans toward the monitor for a better view.

ON THE SCREEN:
the Guard opens the stairwell door and leans

inside, checking it out.

ON SUSAN:
her eyes are glued to the screen. Waiting.

ON THE SCREEN:
the Guard, finding nothing out of the

ordinary, closes the door and continues on down the hall.

SUSAN leans back, exhaling. Relieved.

Then the video CRACKLES with a sudden quick burst of static.

And Susan GASPS, sitting upright, as she sees -ON

THE SCREEN:
the stairwell door OPENS AGAIN. And then ---

something DARK moves out of the stairwell, entering the

hallway.

ON SUSAN:
she recoils from the screen in horror, unable to

tear her gaze away. Her mouth opens in a silent scream, her

eyes widening as she watches ---

and then she finds the strength to get to her feet.

55

INT. OFFICE BUILDING - FOYER - NIGHT 55

Susan bursts out of the security room and runs through the

empty lobby, towards the front doors.

56

OMITTED 56

56a

EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - NIGHT 56a

Susan rushes out of the front doors and runs to the street.

She frantically hails a cab and gets in.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 35A.

56b INT. TAXI - NIGHT 56b

Susan presses herself in the corner of the back seat, purse

clutched tightly in her white knuckles.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 36.

A shifting wash of colors flood the taxi: the NEON LIGHTS of

the surrounding buildings tower above, threatening to swallow

her whole.

57 INT. SUSAN’S BUILDING - NIGHT 57

Susan rushes through the front doors, clutching her purse

strap with both hands. Shaken, just wanting to get home.

She runs to the elevator and jabs the button for her floor.

58 INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT 58

Susan tries to regain her composure as the elevator rises.

She closes her eyes and leans against the wall ---

not noticing A FAMILIAR PALE JAPANESE BOY looking at her

through the window of every floor she passes --

Toshio. He’s standing CLOSER TO THE WINDOW with each floor.

Until finally, he’s RIGHT NEXT TO THE GLASS -The

elevator stops at her floor: no little boy this time.

59 INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT 59

Susan gets out of the elevator, moving quickly to her

apartment at the end of the hall.

She chances a look over her shoulder as she puts the key in

her lock. Then she goes in and closes the door.

60 INT. SUSAN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT 60

Susan enters. She takes a long, deep breath. Safe at home.

She sits at her kitchen table, laying her purse down.

Her eyes go to the BROKEN CHAIN still hanging from the strap,

with some rabbit’s foot fur lodged in the links.

Susan’s home phone RINGS, and she jumps. She stares at it

for a moment, then tentatively answers:

SUSAN (INTO PHONE)

Hello?

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