FORTY FOUR. Written by. Hunter Rising. Based on a story by. Alex Dvorak

Transcription

1 FORTY FOUR Written by Hunter Rising Based on a story by Alex Dvorak hunter@hunterrising.com

2 EXT. STUDIO 44 - AFTERNOON Establishing. A large box of a building. Some cars exit the lot. INT. STUDIO 44 - S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS (20s, newer at this but reliable) sits at his desk, touching up product photographs on his computer. It s been a long day of this shit. His phone chimes and vibrates. A smile crosses his face as he picks it up. A CHAT BUBBLE pops up from his phone. We see it on camera floating in space. A photo of a girl and her message: Still on for 8? Peter types his response. We see three dots floating and bouncing as he types. MARK (the boss, a fun guy but serious about his work) appears in the doorway behind him. He knocks on the door frame. MARK Pete, ya got a sec? Peter sets his phone down mid-message. The text bubbles disappear from screen. Yeah, what s up? MARK Mary just cleared out an estate sale and dropped all her shit off. Wants it all photographed by tomorrow. I can count on you to get that done, right? I kind of made plans for the night already. MARK Pete, it s Mary. We can t lose her as a client. I m already coming in in the morning to make sure the files are sent. (beat) I guess I can move things around.

3 2. MARK Knew I could trust you, buddy. Thanks again. Don t forget to lock up when you re finished. Mark turns to walk away, but stops himself. He turns back to Peter. Pete? MARK (CONT'D) Yeah, Mark? MARK There s some strange stuff in her haul this time. Make sure you re extra careful with it. (beat) Well, have a good weekend! Mark walks away. Peter drops his shoulders and lets out a defeated sigh. He swivels back to face his computer. He picks up his phone. He types. The messages appear on screen again. : Something came up at work :\ He receives a message back instantly: :( He holds his head in his hands as we hear a low hum slowly rising in pitch. Then it suddenly stops. SMASH CUT TO: An EXTREME CLOSE-UP OF A CAMERA LENS. The shutter closes and the screen flashes WHITE. We are-- INT. STUDIO 44 - SWEEP - LATER Peter stands behind a DSLR on a tripod. We see an antique (we ll work with what we have in the prop-house) is the subject of the photo. We see a computer as the photo appears on it. The antique on a stark white backdrop. In a series of quick shots we see Peter taking photos of various objects as well as the photo appearing on the computer, intercut by the camera flash.

4 3. Peter places a SMALL LEATHER BOX. We re not sure what it is, but something just seems off about it. He takes the photo. On the computer, the screen stays black as if the photo is taking time to process. Peter stares quizzically at it. Just as it starts to feel uncomfortably long, the photo appears on screen. Peter shrugs it off. He picks the box off the table and attempts to open it. The top hatch is stuck. He pulls harder. It doesn t budge. He gives one final attempt. He hisses in pain as he pulls away his hand and drops the box. It rattles as it hits the floor. Peter quickly picks it up and places it back on the table. Then he examines his hand. A cut across his palm isn t deep, but it s enough to make him bleed. Shit. He walks away, but we stay on the box, slowly pushing into it. It latch comes undone by some force. It slightly opens and hisses slightly. Some sort of dust or smoke emits from the broken seam. INT. STUDIO 44 - BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Peter rinses his hand. It continues to bleed. INT. STUDIO 44 - 'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Peter wraps a bandage around his hand. INT. STUDIO 44 - SWEEP - MOMENTS LATER Peter walks back to the computer. He looks at the box again. It s right where he left it. Closed. He pulls the flash drive and walks away.

5 4. INT. STUDIO 44 - 'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS CLOSE ON Peter plugging the flash drive into his computer. On the screen, we see the files transferring. It goes painfully slow. He taps a finger on his desk as he pulls out his phone. Low battery. Just great. He sets his phone down and looks to his computer screen. The loading bar is only halfway through. The time is 8:00pm. Well. Drinks at eight. INT. STUDIO 44 - MAIN STUDIO - MOMENTS LATER We follow Peter s hand as he reaches in the fridge and pulls out a beer. He cracks it open and takes a swig. As he does we hear the low hum again building...building...until... SNAP! FLASH! The sound of a shutter going off and a bright flash of white behind Peter. He pulls the beer away from his lips and turns around. The camera points right at him. Peter walks to the camera. He stares at it for a beat before he unplugs it. He turns to the computer screen and sees the new picture. In the photo, Peter faces the fridge, taking a sip from the bottle. Peter shakes it off and is about to close the window. But then he notices-- A silhouette in the doorway, just left of the fridge. He zooms in, tries to gain clarity in the image. It doesn t focus. Peter looks up from the computer to the doorway in question. We don t see anything, but hey, the lights are out for some goddamned reason. Peter takes hesitant steps towards the doorway, setting his beer down along the way.

6 5. He stands right at the doorframe. No sign of a silhouette or a person. He flicks on the light switch. Literal INCHES from his face stands a MANNEQUIN as if it appeared out of thin air. Peter yells and stumbles backwards. He breathes heavy, slowly turning into laughter. (to himself) Idiot. That was a good one, Mark. He picks up the mannequin and places it back in the studio. INT. STUDIO 44 - 'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Peter sets his beer down and sits back at his desk. The files have transferred over completely. Peter checks his phone. One notification from Snapchat. He opens it. The photo floats above the phone so we can see it. It s the same girl from before surrounded by her friends at a bar. Text reads: WISH YOU WERE HERE. Peter begins to take a photo of himself to send back, but his phone screen goes dark before he can take one. Defeated, he sighs and throws his phone back onto the desk. He puts on headphones and begins to edit. In a series of shots, Peter goes through multiple pictures. We see him rubbing his eyes as exhaustion starts to take its toll. He cracks open energy drinks throughout. He opens the next photo. It s of the box. He takes a deep breath before he jumps into his edit. We watch him in profile as he works on his computer. From off screen, A HOODED FIGURE leans into frame. We don t see much of this figure, but we can tell his skin is grey and cracked, black pus-like liquid oozing from it. The figure puffs air on the back of the Peter s neck. A puff of smoke accompanies it. Peter whips around, gasping. There s nothing behind him.

7 6. What the hell? (beat) Mark? No response. A look of concern crosses his face. INT. STUDIO 44 - FOYER - MOMENTS LATER Peter checks the lock on the door, pulling the handle to ensure it doesn t move. We may notice now he now carries a baseball bat. INT. STUDIO 44 - RECEIVING - MOMENTS LATER He does the same with the back door. Locked. INT. STUDIO 44 - SWEEP - MOMENTS LATER Peter walks back towards his office. He passes the table with the box. A spotlight still illuminates it. It s ominous, unsettling in the light. We notice a drop of blood running out of Peter s nose. He wipes his face with the back of his hand and sees the blood. Ah dammit. He pinches his nose and tilting his head back. INT. STUDIO 44 - BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Peter storms in the bathroom and leans over the sink. Blood drips onto the porcelain. He quickly tries to plug his nose with paper towels. He keeps his head tilted back for a beat before looking directly in the mirror. He removes the paper towel to check the bleeding. A beat of normalcy. Then BLACK LIQUID streams out of his nose. He watches his reflection in horror as the liquid also pours from his eyes, ears, and mouth. The sink fills with it.

8 7. The lights flicker in the bathroom erratically. Between the flashes of light, the robed figure appears behind Peter. The sound of a raspy breath grows in the room. Peter screams as he tries to wipe the sludge from his face. With every scream, his skin seems to crack apart and ooze more. And just like that, the sound stops. The lights return to normal. Peter looks at himself in the mirror. He has a little blood under his nose. He looks at the sink. Only a few drops of blood from his nose. He grasps for air, tries to shake it off. It s not working. INT. STUDIO 44 - 'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Peter locks the door to his office and sits at his desk again. He watches the door intently. He takes a sip of beer, turning his head to the side so he can keep an eye on the door. After an uncomfortably long time, Peter turns back to his computer to work. He takes a deep breath and goes back to his edit. Immediately as he starts, his office door FLIES OPEN. It slams into the wall. Peter jumps out of his chair. Outside his door is a dark void. Peter grabs the baseball bat and exits. INT. STUDIO 44 - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Peter slowly walks towards the main studio. The hall light is on. At the end of the hallway, we see a doorway leading into the studio. It s dark inside. Except for one singular spotlight. The mannequin stands in the middle of the light. It s as if it s watching Peter. It is not where he left it. Peter reaches the end of the hallway and enters--

9 8. INT. STUDIO 44 - MAIN STUDIO - CONTINUOUS He tries the light switch. Nothing. Mark, this isn t fucking funny anymore. Peter walks towards the mannequin, holding the bat like he s about to swing for the fences. He stops a few feet away from the mannequin. He eyes it up and down. The robed figure leans into frame behind him and blows on the back of his neck. Peter whips around. The bat catches the mannequin, sending it to the floor. Again nothing. He sees the open door into the hallway. The door slams shut. A black void outside of the spot. The spotlight above him flickers. He turns back towards the mannequin to see THE ROBED FIGURE HAS TAKEN ITS PLACE. Jesus Christ! He swings the bat. The robed figure catches it in his hand with ease. Peter abandons the bat, running, hopefully in the direction of the hallway. He trips. Hard. He scrambles, trying to push himself backwards. We hear the low hum rising again behind him. He looks to the sound. The flashbulbs go off as the camera shutter clicks. We see the box illuminated for just a second. The hum starts again. Another flash. The box illuminates. Hum. Flash.

10 9. For a second we can see the figure standing behind the box. Hum. Flash. The figure is still there. Hum. And then nothing. Peter crawls backwards. It s uncomfortably dark. Then suddenly. Flash. The robed figure is directly in front of his face, screaming like a raspy breath. Then he disappears in the darkness. EXT. STUDIO 44 - LATER An empty lot, except for one car. A flash of headlights as another car pulls into the lot. The girl from Peter s phone (20s and a little tipsy) gets out of her car and walks to the front entrance. She tries the door, which opens with ease, oddly. INT. STUDIO 44 - FOYER - CONTINUOUS She steps inside. Every light is turned off. Peter? GIRL She sees a hint of light seeping from under a door at the end of the hallway. She walks in that direction. When she reaches the door to the studio, she opens to-- INT. STUDIO 44 - MAIN STUDIO - CONTINUOUS The spotlight illuminating Peter s body. He lays face-down in pool of black sludge. GIRL Oh my god, Peter! She runs to Peter, kneeling in the black trying to shake him awake.

11 10. We hear the low hum in the distance. It rises and then stops. Peter groans. It s raspy, airy. Peter? GIRL Flash. In that second of illumination we hear the sound of a cracking neck times one hundred as Peter s head turns completely around. His cracked, oozing face screams as darkness engulfs us and we-- CUT TO BLACK