Thirteen Ghosts Page #14

73.

70 INT. BASEMENT -WITH ARTHUR

70

Kalina's legs disappear through the ceiling. Arthur,

holding out the flare, scans the basement around him.

The figures still remain at bay. That's when the flare

burns out.

Arthur shakes it once, twice, then, knowing it's out forgood, stands alone, helpless in the single patch of lightcoming from the ceiling.

He looks to his left and sees the crab-like creature

scurrying down the corridor. From the other direction

comes a large silhouette (which is the Hammer).

ARTHUR:

Ms. Ortezia...

71

INT. MAIN FLOOR -CORRIDOR -WITH RAFKIN, MAGGIE AND 71

KALINA:

Kalina notices the two of them. Rafkin recognizes her.

She recognizes him.

RAFKIN:

What are you doing here?

KALINA:

I should ask you the same

question. Heretic.

RAFKIN:

Hack.

They both size each other up.

ARTHUR (O.S.)

(calling up frombelow)

Hey! Remember me?!

Rafkin and Maggie peer into the hole and see Arthurbelow.

KALINA:

Oh, sh*t! Pull him up! Pull him

up!!

Rafkin reaches his hand into the hole, and Arthur grabsit. They pull him up through the hole... just as theHammer swings. An EXPLOSION of SPARKS ERUPTS in the

basement.

(CONTINUED)

74.

71 CONTINUED:
71

ARTHUR:

Thank for taking your time.

Really.

Kalina rechecks the book -

KALINA:

Alright, at the end of the hall,

make a right... then anotherright... then -

RAFKIN:

Where we going?

KALINA:

The library. It's the safest

place in the house, the walls aresurrounded entirely with spells.

RAFKIN:

(re:
her book)

How the hell would you know?

Kalina holds up the book. Rafkin ain't biting.

KALINA:

Trust me.

RAFKIN:

Arthur?

ARTHUR:

Trust her.

Arthur notices the flare going out.

ARTHUR:

Now could we please just save allour questions for the library?

KALINA:

Alright, let's move.

Kalina IGNITES another FLARE, and guides them down thecorridors.

RAFKIN:

Where'd your daughter go?

ARTHUR:

I don't know. She disappeared.

(CONTINUED)

THIRTEEN GHOSTS -Rev. 10/27/00 75.

71 CONTINUED:
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RAFKIN:

How can you lose an entire familyin a glass house?

Arthur tosses Rafkin a look just as they turn a corner,

and the Jackal leaps out of the shadows and pounces onArthur's back.

The Jackal's tearing into Arthur, dragging him down thehallway.

Kalina tosses her flare down the hall at them, and the

ghost jumps off Arthur, shrieking.

Rafkin quickly grabs Arthur and pulls him into thelibrary.

72 INT. MAIN FLOOR -LIBRARY 72

They stumble in.

ARTHUR:

So much for quicksilver...

KALINA:

We should be safe in here...

Arthur lands on the couch, in pain.

side.

Maggie's by his

Rafkin bangs on the glass, pissed.

RAFKIN:

Sh*t, you'd think I'd be used tothese things by now.

KALINA:

They don't seem to like youeither...

Kalina takes a seat at the desk, begins reading throughher book.

KALINA:

... I wonder why.

RAFKIN:

Look, you got something to say,

spit it out.

(CONTINUED)

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KALINA:

Alright... let's start with...

this is all your fault! If youhadn't caught them, we wouldn't berunning from them now, would we?

RAFKIN:

Hey, I didn't build this house.

Blame his crazy uncle for that

one.

KALINA:

But you helped him. How could youhelp him without knowing what hewas up to?

RAFKIN:

I had my reasons.

KALINA:

You stole people's souls for

money. How depraved is that?

RAFKIN:

Before that I was working for apsychic hotline. Try that for

depraved.

(beat)

Look, Cyrus took me in when no oneelse would. In case you haven'tnoticed... I... am... a... FREAK.

Dead people give me migraines. I

can't touch a single personwithout suddenly seeing all theirproblems.

(beat)

Do you know how lonely that is?

No one accepted me except him.

KALINA:

He didn't accept you. He used

you.

Rafkin looks away, ashamed.

ARTHUR:

(to Kalina)

Look, cut me some slack, what

difference does it make? These

things are all killers anyway,

so what do we care?

A beat passes, Kalina turns to Rafkin -

(CONTINUED)

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72 CONTINUED:
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KALINA:

You didn't tell him, did you?

Rafkin lowers his head.

ARTHUR:

Tell me what?

KALINA:

About the fourth ghost?

RAFKIN:

Don't do this.

KALINA:

He has a right to know.

ARTHUR:

(concerned)

What about the fourth ghost?

KALINA:

Let me help you out... St. Luke'sHospital, six months ago.

The realization hits Arthur hard. He turns to Rafkin.

ARTHUR:

Jean's... here...?

RAFKIN:

I had no idea she was your wife,

Arthur, I swear.

Arthur clocks Rafkin with a roundhouse punch, sending himflying over the couch.

ARTHUR:

Why? She never hurt anyone...

RAFKIN:

I don't know... Cyrus handpickedevery one of 'em. Your wife

included. When I realized who

you were I tried to help -

ARTHUR:

Tried to help?! We're trapped, mykids are missing, my wife, whoshould be resting in peace, isbeing held hostage by the housefrom hell, and you call thisHELP?! She's right. This is all

your goddamn fault.

(CONTINUED)

THIRTEEN GHOSTS -Rev. 10/27/00 78.

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Rafkin takes the scolding. Arthur paces the room.

ARTHUR:

Son of a b*tch!

KALINA:

There is a way to save her,

Arthur. And your kids, too.

Arthur stops pacing. Turns to her -

KALINA:

This house... it isn't a house,

it's a machine. It's a completerecreation of Basileus' design.

(reading from the

book)

According to this, there shouldonly be twelve earthbound spiritstrapped inside here.

Arthur walks over and she shows him the book.

KALINA:

(re:
book)

You see these? They're the Black

Zodiac. They represent thedifferent ghosts that Cyrus neededto catch.

(reading)

The Withered Lover, the First Born

Son, the Torn Prince. And here...

the Bound Lady, the Great Childand the Dire Mother... the Suicide,

the Torso, and the Buried Maiden...

then there's the three death signs,

the sign of Hell's Winter... theHammer, the Hyena, and theJuggernaut...

As Kalina counts through the ghosts of Arthur, foreverthe math teacher, instinctively counts them off on hisfingers. Kalina flips through a few more pages.

KALINA:

According to Basileus, thismachine requires the energy ofthese specific spirits in orderto bring it to life. Once

engaged, the spirits are freed oneby one, each adding its energy tothe machine... powering it up.

(CONTINUED)

THIRTEEN GHOSTS -Rev. 10/27/00 79.

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