They Page #9

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PAUL:

What

about the bathroom door? It connects to your room.

TERRY:

I:

tried it. It's locked.

Paul

turns the doorknob and throws all his weight against the door, trying his best

to bust it down. No such luck.

PAUL:

(voice rising)

Sam?

He

tries again and again. WHOOMPH! .... WHOOMPH! ....

WHOOMPH!

The door inches open. Just a crack.

PAUL:

(cont'd)

Help

me out with this.

Paul

and Julia push on the door, forcing it wider.

INT. CABIN - GUEST BEDROOM - DAY

Paul

struggles through the aperture, slipping underneath a mattress that's been

placed against the door, and stumbles into the room.

The bedroom is a disaster area.

Clothes

and smashed glass cover the floor. Mirrors have been shattered. Most of the

furniture and portions of the bed have been piled in front of the door,

creating an almost impassible barricade. The window is wide open, the curtains

billowing in the breeze.

Julia

and Terry make their way into the room. Stupefied.

PAUL:

Careful

of the glass. Don't step on it.

Total

silence. The group stares at the room. Taking it in. Trying to comprehend it.

JULIA:

What

happened?

PAUL:

(frozen)

You

got me.

EXT. WOODS - WALKING TRAIL - DAY

Paul

and Terry are walking along the trail. Searching.

TERRY:

(calling)

Sam?

No

reply. Her words sound hollow in the empty forest as they keep moving, passing

behind huge pine trees that obscure them from view.

A:

soft breeze rises up and HISSES through the trees.

INT. CABIN - GUEST BEDROOM - DAY

Julia

is cleaning the mess in the room. She's just finished tossing a few shards of

broken glass into a garbage bag when she FLINCHES and draws her index finger

back.

The

finger has a scab on it. Exactly where she cut it in the dream. Dried blood

marks the wound.

INT. CABIN - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Terry

looks beside herself. Paul and Julia are seated.

JULIA:

He

must have gotten out through the window. That's the only thing I can figure.

TERRY:

We

have to call the police.

JULIA:

You

looked everywhere?

PAUL:

Everywhere

near the cabin. But we can't cover every square inch of forest out there.

TERRY:

He

might be sick. He might need help.

JULIA:

I:

can't understand why he'd do something like this.

PAUL:

He

was acting nuts. Really nuts.

TERRY:

(impatient)

I:

need a phone.

PAUL:

Wait.

I've got my cell.

Paul

fishes the cell phone out of his pocket. He hands it to her.

AND:

THE PHONE RINGS.

Almost

on cue. Terry glances over at her friends, then clicks the receiver.

TERRY:

Hello?

(beat)

Sam?

...

Julia

and Paul sit up in their seats.

TERRY:

(cont'd)

Where

are you? ... No, where are you? ...

(beat)

How

did you get there? ...

Terry

hurriedly grabs a pen. She starts writing on a pad.

TERRY:

(cont'd)

Just

a minute. I'm writing it down. Market Street. The Ramada. I think I know where

it is.

(beat)

Sam,

what's going on? What happened? ...

(then)

Sam?

... SAM? ...

She

hangs up the phone.

PAUL:

Where

is he?

TERRY:

San

Francisco.

JULIA:

What?

TERRY:

I:

don't know. He wants me to meet him. My brother has an apartment up there. He's

out of town, but I have a spare key. I guess I could stay there.

Beat.

JULIA:

You

still want to call the police?

Silence.

Terry doesn't respond to this.

Outside

an open window, the WIND HISSES through the trees.

EXT. BUS DEPOT - NIGHT

An

empty bus station consisting of a single room with a CLERK sitting behind the

front desk. Julia and Paul are sitting on a pair of chairs, waiting patiently.

Terry

is using a phone booth outside. She hangs up and walks into the depot.

JULIA:

Did

you get his parents?

TERRY:

It

was the wrong number.

JULIA:

Didn't

Sam give you that number?

TERRY:

Maybe

I wrote it down wrong.

Terry

winces a bit. She massages her legs.

PAUL:

Are

you okay?

TERRY:

My

legs are killing me.

JULIA:

You

sure you don't want us to drive you?

TERRY:

Nah.

You have to stick around for the movers. I'll be fine.

The

bus arrives in front of the depot.

TERRY:

(cont'd)

There's

my ride.

Terry

grabs her suitcase. Julia hands her a slip of paper.

JULIA:

This

is Paul's cell number. You call us. Let us know what happens.

TERRY:

I:

just need to talk to him. Don't call the police or anything until I've had a

chance to do that.

JULIA:

Okay.

TERRY:

Thanks.

Terry

hugs Julia. Paul gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.

PAUL:

Remember.

Call us.

TERRY:

I:

will.

Carrying

her suitcase, Terry backs toward the door, smiling sadly at Julia and Paul as

she opens it.

TERRY:

(cont'd)

It'll

be okay. Everything's okay.

Her

voice resonates with desperate hope rather than confidence. She leaves the

depot.

Paul

places his arms around Julia as they watch the bus leave the station, trailing

smoke.

INT. CABIN - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Julia

is cleaning up. She kneels down and picks up some of the melted candles and

beer bottles.

Paul

walks into room holding a broken picture frame.

PAUL:

I:

talked to the movers.

JULIA:

Why

didn't they show up?

PAUL:

The

company has no record of the order.

Beat.

JULIA:

What?

PAUL:

I:

know. It's crazy.

JULIA:

Are

they coming now?

PAUL:

It'll

take them a while to work us into the schedule -- get a van out here to pick up

everything.

JULIA:

How

long?

PAUL:

Three

days.

JULIA:

(exhausted)

Sh*t.

Paul

holds out the mangled frame.

PAUL:

I:

also found this in the guest bedroom. Sam knocked one of the packing boxes

over. This was inside.

Julia

takes a look at the frame. It's the same picture from her room of herself with

her mother. The broken glass has torn the photograph.

PAUL:

(cont'd)

I:

wasn't sure if you wanted to keep it.

JULIA:

No.

I've got one.

Beat.

JULIA:

(cont'd)

You

know this is the only picture I have of my mother?

(beat)

She

was always taking pictures of us, but we never got any of her.

(emotional)

If

I didn't have this, I couldn't prove that I had a mother.

PAUL:

That's

not true.

Another

beat.

JULIA:

I'm

so worried about Sam.

Julia

drowns in her thoughts. Paul touches her cheek.

PAUL:

Let's

get outta here.

JULIA:

(smiles)

Good

idea.

PAUL:

I'll

get my keys.

Paul

walks out. Julia places the frame on the coffee table.

She

notices something on the floor. Julia squints. It's a small object resting in

the corner ... almost hidden from view. Julia reaches into the shadows and

picks up ...

ANOTHER PIECE OF METAL with STRANGE markings.

EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE FROM THE CLOSET.

Julia

stares at the object in her palm. Surprised.

JULIA:

(to herself)

Where

are these coming from?

EXT. SANTA MIRA - PARK - DAY

A:

warm summer afternoon. The entire town has congragated in a park with a

breathtaking view of the ocean. MUSIC and NOISE. A huge banner draped over the

street reads ...

SANTA:

MIRA CELEBRATES THE 45TH ANNUAL FOUNDER'S DAY FESTIVAL

Julia

navigates her way past the booths and thrill rides that have been erected on

the lawn. She watches some passersby.

JULIA'S

POV ... as A MOTHER talks on a cell phone while her six year-old DAUGHTER tugs

at her sleeve. Trying to get her attention. The mother keeps pushing the child

away as she talks.

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