The Monster Squad Page #10

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LIAM:

Mom!

EXT. CHERRYMOUNT ASYLUM GROUNDS - DAY

Bare and squalid in the daylight, the overgrown asylum

grounds are nearly silent. The sound of s shovel scraping the

soil resonates across the stillness of the yard; amidst the

scrub weed and tombstones, RUEGER is digging a hole. A heap

of clothes lies nearby; as Charles begins to fish through the

pile, we can make out the sentry's JACKETS and GUN BELTS. He

throws them into the small pit, and looks down at his

fingertips. They gleam with blood. A growl of frustration

wells up in the man's throat, and builds to a scream. He

swings his shovel wildly and smacks it against a tombstone;

it splinters, the blade flying off into the underbrush.

Rueger's left holding a jagged shaft of wood with a handle.

He holds it up, studying the sharp point.

.

EXT. DOWNTOWN SEATONVILLE - DAY

Obliviously, the citizens of Seatonville go about their

business in the quaint downtown area. The main square-Old

Town Seatonville-is a modest park with several statues,

surrounded by a diamond of streets and storefronts. One of

these is brimming with comic book and movie posters; the name

of the shop reads "PURGATORY IN PRINT - COMICS N' CARDS".

62.

INT. PURGATORY IN PRINT

The interior of the shop consists of more of the same. Racks

of comics, posters on the walls, a glass case brimming with

cards and action figures. Seated behind the counter is an

appropriately ghoulish guy in his late thirties; this is

THOMPSON, the owner. His thinning hair is pulled into a

ponytail, a goatee hiding his weak chin. He flips through a

copy of Wizard magazine.

THOMPSON:

I look back on my childhood, and we

just... had the Roman Empire of pop

culture. Seriously. Movies were

better. Action figures were better.

We actually had cartoons on

Saturday mornings. Compare that to

the sh*t that you're growing up

with, right? Your generation just

BORROWED everything we came up

with. You turned He-Man into a

manga fag and ruined Star Wars. You

proud of that, Chud?

The shot widens, and we can see that Thompson is addressing

Chud, who is reading an issue of The Hulk and seems to be

ignoring the owner.

CHUD:

And it was so great, half of you

are still living in your parent's

basement trying to re-live it.

Grown men in shirts with like… the

Legend of Zelda on them, talking

about the good old days like you

fought a f***ing war. You proud of

that, Thompson?

THOMPSON:

If you aren't going to buy

anything, I'm going to have to ask

you to leave.

63.

OSV:

B*tch!

THOMPSON:

And YOU. Watch your mouth. This is

a family establishment.

Nearby, D'Juan is playing a standup arcade game,

enthusiastically jamming on the joystick. Chud flashes a

quarter at Thompson and walks over to join the other boy.

D'JUAN

Thompson, you ever going to get

some real games in here? This

sh*t's older than you are.

THOMPSON:

You don't like it, you can always

go home and hump your little

Playstation or whatever.

Liam is outside, peering through the window. He rushes

through the door, with a jaunty little jingle.

CHUD:

Don't jostle me, a**hole.

LIAM:

Chud. We need to ta... (to D'Juan)

I didn't know you hung out here.

D'JUAN

Where else you gonna hang out when

you're under 21 in this town?

CHUD:

Sh*t! You're cheap, man. Same three

moves, over and over.

LIAM:

Chud, listen.

64.

D'JUAN

Same three moves I used on your mom

last night.

CHUD:

Man, piss in your mouth!

Angrily, Liam reaches around behind the game and yanks the

cord out of the wall.

D'JUAN Man!

THOMPSON:

No refunds!

LIAM:

LISTEN. Chud. Meet me at Sunny Sign

Park tonight. Seven. We need to

talk.

D'JUAN

Am I invited?

LIAM:

You… actually want to come?

D'JUAN

Well, yeah. Deacon's going to be

there, right? I still owe him five

bucks from the other night.

Liam rolls his eyes in exasperation, and heads for the door.

LIAM:

Seven!

The door slams. The boys return to playing their game.

EXT. OLD TOWN SEATONVILLE

Liam moves along the sidewalk with a clipped pace, his leg

still giving him trouble.

65.

The shop windows are filled with Halloween decorations and

advertisements for the upcoming football season opener; the

University's mascot, "THE FIGHTIN' VIKING", features

prominently. As Liam walks, he's pushed through by a group of

older girls. They giggle and banter, paying him no mind.

GIRL ONE:

Alright, tell him to call me!

GIRL TWO:

Tell him yourself! But call me

later and tell me about it!

Girl Two, a bright-faced brunette, hops off the curb and

crosses the street. She's unaware that she's being watched

through the filmy windshield of a nearby van; behind the

wheel, grim-faced, is RUEGER.

EXT. MEANS SALVAGE YARD

BLAM. A stark yellow road sign with a black arrow eats a

bullet and spins about atop its pole. This is the Means

Salvage Yard, a few good acres of mud and junk. Deacon's

home. The older boy grins broadly, lowering the barrel of the

sleek black hunting rifle he's got lashed around his elbow,

military-style. Squinting at the target, he raises it for

another shot.

.

DEACON:

I'm Carlos Hathcock, b*tch…

OSV:

Deacon!

Deacon lowers the gun as Liam pedals up on his mountain bike,

breathlessly.

LIAM:

I need you to meet me at… you just

shoot that thing out here?

66.

DEACON:

Yeah. But only because telling me

not to would involve actual

parenting. The hell happened to

your face?

LIAM:

I'll tell you about it later. What

time do you eat dinner? Can you

come over to Sunny Sign park

tonight, around seven?

DEACON:

Dinner comes out of a can that I

open myself. Houston going to be

there?

LIAM:

Yes, and he'll have your f***ing

five dollars. This is important.

Don't tell anybody.

DEACON:

(Sarcastically)

I'll try. No guarantees.

Liam pedals away as Deacon raises his rifle and fires again.

BANG.

EXT. CHERRYMOUNT ASYLUM - DUSK

The sun is riding low in the winter sky, with a ceiling of

grey clouds. The asylum is dark and silent.

INT. CHERRYMOUNT ASYLUM

Rueger drags his feet through the derelict hallways of the

building, fiddling with a ring adorned with what must be a

few dozen keys. He nears the end of the corridor, where a

flickering firelight casts its glow through a half-open door.

He stops, and readies himself, taking a deep breath.

67.

Half-concealed beneath his shabby coat is the broken shovel;

he checks it and moves on.

INT. DR. MACBETH'S OFFICE

The walls of the run-down office are wood paneled, a few

portraits and book shelves still intact; a desk and a few

chairs have been left behind, as has the mildewed rug. The

centerpiece of the room is a huge hearth, within which a fire

is burning. Kaziglu stands before Colton's corpse, studying

it raptly.

KAZIGLU:

Is it done?

RUEGER:

Yes. They're downstairs. Have you

gotten your answers yet?

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