They Page #13

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Terry

takes Julia's arm and leads her out of the market.

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - STREET - CONTINUOUS

Terry

is moving at a swift pace. She keeps looking back over her shoulder as Julia

tries to keep up. Rain drenches them.

JULIA:

What

the hell is going on? Where's Sam?

TERRY:

He's

dead.

This

almost sends Julia reeling. Her mouth falls open.

JULIA:

What?

TERRY:

There's

three things you should remember. Three things.

JULIA:

What

happened to Sam?

TERRY:

First,

whenever you see a baby or a kid crying, keep moving. Children can sense them.

That's your warning.

JULIA:

Warning

against who?

TERRY:

Second,

they can control anything electrical or mechanical. Lamps. Cars. Phones.

JULIA:

Terry,

you're not making any sense.

TERRY:

Third

-- they can change things. They can make you disappear.

JULIA:

Tell

me what happened to Sam.

TERRY:

I:

am telling you.

(terrified)

They

took him. They made him disappear.

Julia

stops walking. Speechless.

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - COFFEE HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON

A:

young COLLEGE STUDENT is typing on his powerbook, oblivious to the TRANSIENT

sitting on the sidewalk, head buried in his knees, a sign at his feet reading

"HELP ME."

CLOSE:

ON THE POWERBOOK. A soft whirring

noise seeping from the computer as the student types.

The

WHIRRING becomes the HUMMING OF MACHINES.

The

Range Rover appears on the street and moves past.

TERRY:

(V.O.)

They

take away your identity. People stop remembering you. Your place in society

vanishes.

INT. RANGE ROVER - SAN FRANCISCO - MOVING

Julia

is behind the wheel. Terry is devouring a cigarette.

TERRY:

That's

how they get you. By making people not even care about you anymore.

JULIA:

Did

you try Sam's parents? Did you get the right number this time?

TERRY:

The

number I called at the bus station was his parents.

(cryptic)

We

didn't hit a dog on the road.

JULIA:

But

I saw it.

TERRY:

They

switched bodies.

JULIA:

Who

are "they?" A cult? Killers?

Terry

starts laughing to herself. Tears welling in her eyes. Hopeless. Terrified.

TERRY:

You

have no idea. No idea what you're dealing with.

(then)

They

don't even belong here. They're like ... like machines. That's what Sam

said. Like machines with all this skin and moving parts.

JULIA:

They're

machines?

TERRY:

Monsters.

They're monsters, Julia.

Julia

stops at a light.

A:

YOUNG GUY crosses the street in front of them. He's just a yuppie with a cell

phone. But Terry stiffens in her seat, watching him suspiciously.

Then,

almost as an aside, he winks at her.

TERRY:

(cont'd)

Drive.

JULIA:

I:

can't. There's a red.

TERRY:

Then

make a right. Just keep driving.

Julia

is growing frightened by Terry's paranoia.

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - STREET - LATE AFTERNOON

The

Rover makes a right turn and cruises down another block.

INT. RANGE ROVER - LATE AFTERNOON

Terry

keeps her eyes riveted on the PEOPLE on the sidewalk. She's practically in

tears.

TERRY:

Remember

when we hit that thing with the car?

(hushed)

It

wasn't an accident. It was a set-up. They planned it all along.

JULIA:

How

do you know this?

TERRY:

Sam

told me. He figured everything out.

JULIA:

Why

are they coming after us? What do they want with us?

TERRY:

They

have flesh and metal parts in their bodies. Sometimes they shed what they don't

need. But other parts keep getting worn out or lost. So they take people

constantly to get new parts.

JULIA:

(soft)

That's

not possible.

TERRY:

They

wear the skin. That's why you don't notice them. Half of the time they're

wearing people's skin. Or they're hiding in dark places. Alleys. Closets.

Julia

is horrified.

JULIA:

Terry

... please stop.

TERRY:

They

take other parts too. Whatever they need. They're scavengers. No sense of

compassion. No remorse.

JULIA:

I:

don't believe this.

TERRY:

That's

why they came after us. They got Joey first. At the cabin.

Julia

is dumbfounded.

JULIA:

Joey?

TERRY:

That's

what Sam saw. That's why he left. He woke up and got a look at them -- at what

they were doing to Joey ...

JULIA:

Terry

...

TERRY:

Stripping

him ... taking his skin off ...

Julia

pulls over to the curb and stops.

JULIA:

Who

is Joey? What are you talking about?

TERRY:

(amazed)

You

don't remember?

JULIA:

No.

TERRY:

There

were five of us. He came up in his own car. He was Paul's best friend -- they

always wore the same thing for Christ sakes.

JULIA:

There

were only four of us. You. Me. Paul. Sam.

Terry

is shaking now. Complete fright.

TERRY:

They

got to you. They got to you.

JULIA:

Nobody

got to me.

Terry

starts collecting her things.

TERRY:

Look,

could you drop me off at my brother's apartment? I need to pick up some things

before I go to the airport.

JULIA:

Where

are you going?

TERRY:

To

see my parents.

JULIA:

You

can't just leave.

Terry

starts weeping. Grabbing her legs and squeezing them.

TERRY:

They

put things in my legs so they can track me. It hurts.

JULIA:

(very concerned)

Terry?

What can I do to help you?

Terry

takes her hand. Her eyes pleading.

TERRY:

Remember

me. Please remember me.

From

the street outside the car, the sound of a TODDLER CRYING can be heard. Terry's

head snaps around. She stares out the windshield at the screaming child.

TERRY:

(cont'd)

They

found me again.

Before

Julia can react, Terry bolts from the car.

JULIA:

Terry!

Julia

pursues.

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - STREET - LATE AFTERNOON

Julia

pushes and shoves her way along the sidewalk. Terry is running like a madwoman.

Pure unabated terror.

Terry

rushes down into a subway entrance. Julia follows.

INT. SUBWAY STATION - LATE AFTERNOON

People

are crowded on the platform, waiting as a BART train rushes into the station.

The

doors open. Passengers move off the train. Others get on.

Julia

rushes down the stairs and pushes past the arriving commuters. There's no sign

of Terry. Julia keeps searching. Looks right. Then left. Finally, she spots

Terry boarding the BART train.

JULIA:

Terry!

Wait!

Julia

rushes forward, squirming through the crowd, until she reaches the doors just

as they SLAM CLOSED. She looks through the windows, trying to find Terry

amongst the crowd inside.

The

train starts to move.

Standing

at one of the train's passenger windows, his face and palms pressed against the

glass, is --

THE:

BLOND BOY IN THE SUPERMAN SHIRT.

Staring

directly at her. Dark circles around his eyes.

He

smiles at Julia.

His teeth are made of metal.

Julia

stands thunderstruck. The BOY in the window moves past.

The

train shoots into the awaiting tunnel. Julia is left standing frozen and

immobile on the platform.

Near

the subway entrance, a HOMELESS MAN with HOOKS FOR HANDS is convulsing as he

sits against the wall. Eyes wide open. Shaking horribly and staring at nothing.

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT

Quiet

and dimly lit. Several of the lights are burnt out, leaving the hallway

drowning in shadows.

The

elevator doors open. Terry exits and moves quickly down the hallway. Her face

is terrified. Sick.

She

arrives at an apartment. Terry fumbles with her keys.

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