Ghost Virus

by Terry Thome

3rd draft November 30th, 2010

FADE IN THE GORDON HOUSE, EXT. NIGHT. This is a modest looking home that sits on a quiet suburban street. It's a dark fall evening. From inside the house, we can hear the muffled sound of a baby crying. We hold on the shot for establishing purposes. CUT TO THE GORDON'S MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. This is a large bedroom with a queen sized bed as it's centerpiece. KAREN GORDON lays there half asleep. She's not fully conscious. She can hear the baby cry in the next room, but she knows, even in her sleep, that her husband is taking care of business. She looks peaceful. A HAND comes into frame and gently shakes her. Her husband, SAM, is trying to awaken her. SAM Honey. Honey? Wake up. Karen starts to stir. Wake up, hon. There's something wrong with the baby. Karen opens her eyes and looks with concern at Sam. KAREN (Slurred and drowsy) What? What's Wrong? SAM I -I don't know. She won't stop crying. Karen sits up in bed and turns her head to the door. She listens to the baby's cries and gets up out of bed. KAREN She's probably hungry. SAM I tried the bottle. I tried everything. She just won't stop. KAREN OK. Karen throws her robe over her and exits the room. CUT TO

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THE BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. This is a small room with a crib near the far wall. The room is dark except for moonlight from a window near the crib. The baby's cries coming from the crib are incredibly loud. The window is open and the curtains are billowing gently. Karen makes a sour face and goes to the window, closing it. KAREN (TO SAM) Why is the window open? It's freezing in here! She moves to the crib and looks down. A look of confusion crosses her face. The baby isn't there. There is a small tape recorder sitting where the baby would lay. Karen bends down to pick up the tape recorder. As she bends down, Sam is revealed to us from behind her. He has a grim look on his face. She stands upright with the tape recorder in hand. She turns around. KAREN (CONTD) ...Sam..? She is face to face with Sam. In a split second from her turn, Sam produces a large marble ashtray and backhands her with it as a tennis player would serve a ball. It connects with her jaw and collapses into a heap. The tape recorder falls to the ground, the baby's recorded cries still amplified through it's speaker. We hold a shot on the tape recorder in the foreground. In the background, we see Sam dragging Karen out of the room. CUT TO DOUGLAS WITHERSPOON'S APARTMENT BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. It's a smaller bedroom with a full size bed that takes up a large part of the room. DOUG is sleeping and his girlfriend, LAUREN, is asleep beside him. The phone rings and startles Doug. After the 3rd ring, Doug answers. DOUG What? SAM (V.O. on phone; panicked) Oh, God! Doug! Please... come over quick! Doug sits up in bed. Lauren stirs a bit. DOUG Uh..Sam? What's wrong?

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SAM Something's happened. Oh, God. There's been an accident. Jesus! Hurry! The phone connection goes dead. Doug gets up out of bed. Lauren rises slightly, still in limbo. LAUREN (Sleepily) Wha..? What's the matter? DOUG I'm going over to Sam and Karen's. Something's happened. Doug throws his clothes on quickly. He sits at the edge of the bed and puts on his slippers. LAUREN Do you want me to come? DOUG No, go back to sleep. I'll call you when I know what's going on. He leans over the bed and kisses her. LAUREN OK. DOUG Get some sleep. LAUREN Be careful. I love you. DOUG Me too. He exits the room. Lauren lays back down. CUT TO DOUG'S CAR, INT. NIGHT. Doug is driving to the Gordon house. He picks up his cell phone and dials Sam. No one answers. He hangs up the phone, frustrated, and continues driving. CUT TO

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THE GORDON HOUSE, EXT. NIGHT. Doug's car pulls up along the street. Doug exits the car with cell phone in hand. He looks at the house and notices that the only light on in the house is a faint light coming from the ATTIC. A cold wind blows through him as he makes his way through the FRONT DOOR. At the front door, he doesn't know what to do. Should he ring the bell, knock loudly or see if the door is open? Being cautious, he walks about across the front of the house, looking to see if he can spot anything wrong through the windows. The house is too dark inside to see anything but shadows. Becoming more and more nervous and antsy, he decides to try the front door. It opens up and the sound of a baby crying can be heard from inside. Doug cautiously enters. THE GORDON'S LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Doug enters the house, leaving the door ajar. He tries to be quiet in case there are intruders in the house. We see a shot of Doug's feet walking towards the staircase. He walks past a LARGE CLOTH DESIGNER SHOPPING BAG, just missing stumbling over it. He gets to the staircase and looks up to the top of it. The baby's crying is louder here. He hesitates and looks about for something to hold onto, a weapon He grabs a table lamp, yanking the cord from the wall gently. He wraps the cord around his hand and grips the base tightly. He removes the lampshade and makes for the stairs. He slowly ascends the stairs. Every loud creak and crack the stairs make sends panic through Doug's body. After a few long tense moments, he makes it to the second floor. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. This is a long dimly lit hallway. The only light is coming from open doors along the hallway that are letting the moonlight in. Doug follows the sound of the baby's cries. As he walks, the cries get louder, but something else is happening. The sound of the baby's cries are beginning to get slower and deeper. It's not happening quickly, but slow and steadily. He makes it to the Baby's room. THE BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Doug enters and searches the inner wall for a light. He finds it and turns it on. He sees the TAPE RECORDER on the floor; the source of the Baby's cries. The batteries are dying and the sounds are becoming more and more guttural and ominous. He moves into the center of the room and sees a pool of blood on the floor that streaks out of the room and into the hallway. He begins to feel severe paranoia and is starting to reel a bit. The Lamp falls limp in his hand. His breathing is getting heavier. A phone rings from another room.

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He leaves to find the phone. We hold on the tape recorder loudly and ominously bleating an increasingly unnatural sound. THE MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Doug enters and follows the ringing into the dark room. He crawls onto the bed and turns on the lamp on the bedside table, placing the lamp in his hand on the bed. He hesitates and the phone rings a few more times and then he shyly picks up the receiver. DOUG (HESITANT) Hello? SAM It's about time. DOUG Sam, where the fuck are you? SAM (After a pause) Did you find them? DOUG What? Find who? What's going on? SAM (V.O. Voice quivering) You didn't find them. They're there. They're both there. All yours. They're all yours. She's yours. The baby's yours. DOUG I don't understand. What..? SAM (V.O.) It's not my baby. It's not my baby. DOUG Sam... SAM (V.O.) She's my wife... Your lover... Your baby... DOUG I..

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SAM She talks about you. In her sleep. She says your name... DOUG Sam... Sam... What did you do? Silence. DOUG (CONTD) Sam. Sam. What? What did you do? Pause. SAM (V.O.) Come up to the attic. She's all yours. The phone goes dead. Sam has hung up. Doug exits the bedroom quickly and into the hallway. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Doug looks up and down the hallway. Where is the entrance to the attic. He looks to the ceiling. Nothing there. He looks in every room. Nothing evident. There is one door at the far end of the hall. It looks like a closet. He opens the door and sees a SMALL PANEL DOOR on the side of the closet. There is a dim light coming from the edges of the panel door. Doug opens the door and reveals a rickety wooden staircase up to the attic. Doug pauses and, frightened, begins his ascent. ATTIC, INT. NIGHT. Doug climbs up and cautiously stands on the roof studs. The attic is dark except for a single light at the far end of the attic. It's obscured by storage boxes and such. The baby's cries are getting slower and slower. He looks out across the floor and there are pieces of paper there. They appear to be photographs. He walks along the wooden planks and makes his way over toward the light, picking up the paper as he goes. We see part of this in his POV. Each photo has a hole cut out where a woman's face would be. One photo in particular has Doug and Karen in a silly pose during a vacation. Her face is cut out and Doug's face is scratched out. He reaches the light source. It's a small electric lantern sitting next to a large garbage bag. The bag is bulked out in different areas and it looks like whatever is inside was hard to fit in there. It's pretty obvious what the contents are. Doug kneels down to the bag's level and stares at it.

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He then cautiously reaches out and rips open a hole in the top of the bag. The slashed, distorted and ravaged face of KAREN GORDON is revealed. She has been dead for a couple of days. Doug falls back and recoils in horror. He just stares at her for a moment and weeps. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. We see Doug emerge from the attic entrance with the flashlight in hand. He pauses and then dials a number on his cell phone. The call connects. DOUG Lauren..? SAM It's over now. DOUG Sam? SAM All over now. All over. DOUG What the hell are you doing there? SAM We're even. DOUG What? SAM You took what was mine... CUT TO DOUG'S BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Sam is sitting at the foot of the bed, partially unclothed and covered in blood. Lauren is laying there, dead, and stretched out on the bed. She's just out of frame and out of our view. SAM ...and now I've taken yours. Sam places his hand on her chest and brings it up to his face. It's drenched in blood.

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DOUG What have you done? CUT TO SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Doug is standing there quivering with rage and fear. DOUG (Screaming into the phone) WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? The phone goes dead. Doug runs down the hall and down the stairs. LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Doug sprints down the stairs and trips over the LARGE CLOTH DESIGNER SHOPPING BAG. He falls flat on his face. He looks back and shines the flashlight on the bag. Spilled out onto the floor are a bloody MARBLE ASHTRAY and the corpse of a baby. CUT TO THE BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Close up of the TAPE RECORDER. The tape recorder loudly makes it's last horrible sound and runs out of batteries. The wheels of the cassette stop. CUT TO LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Doug is paralyzed with fear. The house is silent Suddenly, we hear a loud thump. Then there is a loud thumping and scraping coming form the upstairs. A shadow appears on the stairs. Doug shines the flashlight on the figure. It's KAREN GORDON back from the dead, crawling down the stairs after Doug. Doug is in shock. He can't move. The light continues to shine on Karen's corpse. Karen's body moves unnaturally towards Doug, as if rigor mortis were preventing a majority of the muscles from working properly. A sick imitation of the baby's slow deep cries comes from Karen's mouth. Doug finally gets his bearings and begins to move backwards. He kicks his legs and scoots back on his elbows. He gets to the front door and it slams shut before he can leave.

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Suddenly, Karen is quickly on top of him. She is face to face with him. CUT TO THE GORDON HOUSE, EXT. NIGHT. We hear Doug's blood curdling scream from inside the house. CUT TO DOUG'S BATHROOM. INT. NIGHT. Sam is taking a shower and washing off all of the blood from Lauren's body. He turns off the shower and dries himself off with a towel. The bathroom door is open and we can glimpse Lauren still on the bed, eviscerated. DOUG'S BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Sam enters and casually picks through Doug's clothes and wears what suits him. He dresses up in Doug's finest clothes. Suit and tie. Class all the way. He bundles up Lauren in her blankets, gathers up his clothes in a bundle and leaves. CUT TO SAM GORDON'S LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Sam enters his house and puts the bundle of clothes on the floor. There is no sign that anything has happened here. The bag is upright and by the stairs, the flashlight is gone... even the lamp is back in it's place with the lamp shade replaced. Sam turns on the lamp and looks around. He then climbs the stairs. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Sam turns on the hall light and looks about. Nothing. He checks all of the rooms. Nothing. He opens the closet door and looks up to the Attic. Nothing. Sam shrugs and figures Doug had run from the house. Then, he pauses and thinks a bit. He walks back downstairs. CUT TO THE GORDON HOUSE, EXT. NIGHT. Sam walks out of his house and goes to Doug's car. He looks inside the car. No one there. He looks around, beginning to wonder what happened to Doug. He returns to the house. CUT TO

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LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Sam enters the house. He closes and locks the front door. He picks up the bundle of laundry and heads for the basement. THE GORDON HOUSE BASEMENT, INT. NIGHT. It's pitch black. A door opens from the top of the stairs and Sam's shadow appears. A light comes on and Sam walks down the stairs, laundry in arms. He walks over to the clothes washer and drops his clothes on the floor. He hears soft scraping sounds from the dark corners of the room. He hesitates, gazes into the darkness and shrugs it off. He goes over to the shelf and grabs a box of detergent. He places the laundry in the washing machine and shakes some detergent into the washing machine. He closes the lid and turns on the machine. He turns to walk up the stairs when the washing machine starts to bang loudly. He turns around and approaches the washing machine. The washing machine bangs some more and finally stops dead. He looks at the washing machine a moment and then opens the top door to the machine. Before he can look into the washing machine, he hears the feeble sigh of a woman. His eyes widen. He turns around and sees Lauren's corpse shuffling towards him. She's in a bloody nightgown and her hair is in her face, obscuring it. He is frozen in terror. She is almost face to lace with him when he hears a low rumbling cry from behind him, inside the washing machine; the same cry from the run down tape recorder. KAREN'S HANDS reach out of the washing machine and grab his head from behind. His eyes widen. Karen's face rises above his head and looks out with a wide eyed, horrific expression on her face. She quickly pulls him into the machine head first and backwards. The machine's door closes with a bang. All is now silent, with Lauren's corpse standing there facing the machine, swaying back and forth. FADE OUT BLACK SCREEN CUT TO RESIDENTIAL STREET, EXT. DAY. We are looking at a street corner in a residential suburban neighborhood just a little ways away from the house. A SCHOOL BUS drives up the road and stops at the corner. A TEENAGE GIRL in a Catholic School Uniform exits the bus and stands there. Her name is NICOLE. The bus drives away. The girls laugh and chatter to each other, clutching their books to their chests. She pulls out a CIGARETTE, lights it with her LIGHTER and finally decides to walk to her home.

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We see a few shots of her walking down the street. Her long hair bounces as she walks happily, a spring in her steps. She makes her way down the street a few feet when a BOY, DANIEL, comes up behind her, scaring her. She yelps. NICOLE Daniel! You dickhead! DANIEL Did I scare you? Nicole hits him in the stomach with the back of her hand. NICOLE What the hell do you think? DANIEL So are you coming to my house on Saturday? NICOLE Why? DANIEL My party! I told you about it. Nicole begins to walk, Daniel follows her like a puppy dog. NICOLE Ummmm... Oh yeah. I remember. Yeah. You've only been talking it up for a month now. How could I forget? DANIEL Nice. So? NICOLE So..? DANIEL So are you coming? NICOLE I'll let you know. DANIEL Nikki, that's not fair! Come on! Stop stringing me along. NICOLE Okay, okay! I'll be there! Like I wouldn't. Stupid.

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DANIEL Cool. So, do want me to walk you home? NICOLE No, I think I can manage. DANIEL You sure? I wouldn't want the boogey man to get you. He puts his arms around her. She smiles. NICOLE I think I'd be safer with the boogey man. She shrugs off his embrace. DANIEL OK, so then I'll see you..? NICOLE Saturday. I'll be there. Daniel smiles and then moves in for a peck on her cheek. He gets one in before she can deflect it. She smiles in surprise. DANIEL Bye! Daniel runs off. SHOT OF STREET THROUGH THE HEDGES, EXT. DAY. Someone is watching Nicole through a thick hedgerow. He watches Daniel run off. We see her standing there across the street through that someone's Point of View. HEDGES, EXT. DAY. We are looking through the hedges at the man looking at Nicole. It's VAGRANT BOB. He has his long hair in front of his face with one eye peering out. There is a crazed, horny look in his eye. He makes a few small, sleazy grunts. RESIDENTIAL STREET CORNER, EXT. DAY. We can see the hedges that they are being spied upon from in the background across the street.

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SHOT OF STREET THROUGH THE HEDGES, EXT. DAY. We see Nicole coming towards us, crossing the street. We see the hedges rustle and we hear the sound of Vagrant Bob running away. RESIDENTIAL STREET, EXT. DAY. Nicole reaches the other side of the street and walks down the sidewalk, close to the hedges. She walks with confidence. She has no idea she has a stalker. Over the sound of her footsteps, we can hear some soft noises beyond the hedges. She takes no notice. At a corner, she makes the turn where the hedges become a picket fence. She pulls a ruler out of her books and pulls it along the fence, making a clacking noise. The fence gives way to another fence, this time a chain link one. She continues making noise with the ruler. At the end of the fence, however, a Large Rottweiler forcefully pushes against the fence with it's paws, barking loudly. He is tied and looks quite vicious with much foam and spittle flying from it's mouth. This sudden shock completely paralyzes her with fear. She steps backward quickly, dropping her books and clutching the ruler tightly. She stares wide eyed at the growling beast. From behind and in plain sight, Bob grabs her from behind and runs out of frame with her. BEHIND THE BUSHES, EXT. DAY. Bob throws her down on her back. Nicole is stunned by this double attack. Bob begins to undo his pants. She regains her wits and lashes out with the ruler and connects with Bob's face. Bob grabs her wrist and thrusts it to the ground by her head. He hits her wrist against the ground one more time and the ruler falls from her grasp. Bob then grabs at her shirt and rips it open, popping the buttons. NICOLE DANNY! HELP! She is terrified, but is waiting for a moment to make a move. She screams, but stops short. She locks eyes with Bob. Bob looks down and begins to rub his right hand on her knees. He slowly moves his hand upward towards her thighs. He's no longer making any sort of eye contact. His right hand moves up underneath her skirt and he removes his hand from her wrist. As he goes to put his hand on himself, she thrusts her hand out and digs her nails deep into his cheek, leaving three bloody scratches. Bob recoils in pain and gives her just enough time to stand up and run.

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RESIDENTIAL STREET, EXT. DAY. Nicole is running down the street as fast as she can. She reaches the end on the street and turns the corner. As she turns, Bob appears in the distance. The dog is still barking. Nicole runs faster, her adrenaline kicking in. She runs across a street without stopping runs to the far end of the next street. She stops breathlessly. She looks left and right. No one. The only sound is her breathing. She bends down with her hands on her knees and catches her breath. Suddenly, in the distance... BOB (V.O.) I'll get you, you little bitch! Nicole stands and looks in the direction she came from. Bob comes stumbling around the corner. BOB (CONTD) Stay right there! Nicole takes off again at top speed. She runs across another road and sees THE HOUSE. It still has a FOR SALE OR RENT sign in the yard. She makes for the house. THE HOUSE FRONT YARD, EXT. DAY. Nicole stumbles to the front porch. She tries the door but it's locked. She goes around to the side of the house. BOB (CONTD) (V.O.) You can't hide! THE HOUSE BACKYARD, EXT. DAY. Nicole stops, out of breath. She can't go on much longer. The BACK DOOR of the house opens with a small click. Nicole turns and sees the door open ajar. She enters the house and shuts the door behind her. THE HOUSE KITCHEN, INT. DAY. It's a little dark in here. The house is empty. Nicole locks the door and looks about. She looks out the window and sees no one. She opens the drawers, looking for a weapon. The house is quite empty. She moves to the Living Room.

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THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. This room has a still covered couch and that's about it. She's looking around the room. She's totally lost. She moves to the window. No sign of Bob. She goes to the front door. She peers through the window of the front door. He looks around for a moment then, with a loud musical sting, Bob's face appears in the window. BOB I GOT YOU! I GOT YOU! Bob begins knocking on the door. Nicole backs away. He knocks louder. Then he pounds on the door. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. DAY. Nicole looks around for escape, then looks up the stairs. She looks back at the door then starts swiftly up the stairs. We can now hear Bob beating his entire body against the door, trying to break it down. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Nicole looks at the hallway. She studies the rooms. All of the doors are shut. Then, she looks at the closet at the far end of the hall. THE HOUSE FRONT DOOR, EXT. DAY. Bob is at the front door, ramming it with his shoulder. He's getting tired. He finally stops from exhaustion and rubs his shoulder. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. DAY. Nicole appears at the top of the stairs. She listens for any sound. She hears none. She begins slowly walking down the stairs. THE HOUSE FRONT DOOR, EXT. DAY. Bob is still rubbing his shoulder. He hears a click and looks down at the door knob. The door swings open a crack. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. DAY. Nicole is about to the bottom of the steps when she hears the creak of a door. She sees the light coming from the front door opening and she sees Bob's silhouette. She lets out a noise and runs back up the stairs. Bob slams the door shut and stands at the bottom of the stairs.

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BOB A-HA! THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Nicole runs down the hallway and tries each door. All locked. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. DAY. Bob is shuffling up the stairs. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Nicole reaches the end of the hallway and looks about. She opens the closet door. She sobs in exasperation. This is no exit. The closet is empty. She's about to close the closet door when she hears Bob reaching the top of the stairs. She quickly enters the closet and shuts the door. Bob peers around the corner. He looks around at the closed doors. He goes to the nearest one. He tries the handle and it opens. He enters the room and looks about. Nothing. He exits back into the hallway and tries the next door. It opens easily. He enters the room. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR CLOSET, INT. DAY. Nicole is huddled in the darkness of the closet. She produces the lighter from her skirt and lights the room with flame. She looks at her cramped surroundings. She notices the panel on the wall. She runs he finger along the seam of the panel and quietly removes it, killing the flame for a moment. From beyond the panel, there is a dimly lit entrance to the ATTIC. She enters the passageway. THE HOUSE ATTIC, INT. DAY. Nicole enters the attic. He lights her lighter and looks about. There is a plank to walk around on. She walks out to the center of the room. She hears a sound. The lighter goes out. She continues flicking the lighter, but to no avail. She sees a shadow move in the corner. She flicks the lighter once more and it lights. There is nothing there. Over in the corner, she sees a lantern. She walks across the beams to pick it up. She lights it and it illuminates the room nicely. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Bob reaches the Baby's Room door. He opens it and enters.

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THE HOUSE ATTIC, INT. DAY. Nicole hears an unearthly sound. She turns to the source and sees something that wasn't there a moment ago. It looks to be a large bag, like a trash bag. It moves back and forth and then falls forward to the floor. A sickly looking woman's hand reaches out of the bag. Nicole recoils in horror. The other hand reaches out and the corpse of KAREN GORDON emerges from the bag. She stands straight, looking very angry. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Bob exits the Baby's Room into the Hallway. There are two doors left. He looks at both of them. THE HOUSE ATTIC, INT. DAY. Karen Gordon's Corpse walks to Nicole slowly. She cannot move. Karen is about to reach her when, in a sudden flash, her hands lash out at her. Nicole steps backwards, loses her balance and falls through the plaster ceiling. Karen grabs Nicole by her hair and holds her there. The Girl screams bloody murder. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Bob grabs the Master Bedroom Door Handle and tries to turn it. It doesn't budge. He pushes on the door to no avail. He can hear commotion and screaming. BOB OPEN THIS DOOR! OPEN THIS DOOR! THE HOUSE ATTIC, INT. DAY. We see Karen's face filled with hatred, looking down at Nicole in extreme close up. Her face is jaundiced yellow and sickly grey. THE HOUSE MASTER BEDROOM, INT. DAY. The room is empty save for some plaster shards on the floor. The Girl's lower half his dangling from the ceiling, her legs and arms flailing wildly. She's screaming at the top of her lungs. We can hear Bob trying to enter the room. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Bob is laying into the door giving as much as he can. It won't budge at all. BOB Come on!

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THE HOUSE MASTER BEDROOM, INT. DAY. Nicole's body is still jerking and flailing. Then there is a sickening crunch. Her body jerks one last time, a deep moan comes from her lungs and he hangs there lifeless. All is silent. Her body is quietly hoisted into the attic by her head. She disappears up into the attic completely. The Master Bedroom door opens. And Bob enters. Her sees the hole and the plaster, but there's no sign of Nicole. He looks around, out the window and back up to the hole. He then thinks a bit and leaves the room. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Bob enters into the hallway. He starts to walk back down the hall and decides to check the closet. It opens. There is no one in there and the panel has been replaced. With no signs of life, Bob closes the closet door and heads back to the stairs, looking in each room one last time for good measure. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. DAY. Bob shuffles down the stairs. He searches around and makes for the kitchen. THE HOUSE KITCHEN, INT. DAY. He opens some cabinets. Most are empty. The last cabinet he opens, he finds some canned food: Beans and peas. He takes them out of the cupboard and places them on the counter. He examines the Back Door. He looks over to the Cellar door. He opens it and looks down into the darkness. He decides to search down there. THE HOUSE BASEMENT, INT. DAY. It is pitch black down there. We see his silhouette coming down the steps. He gets about halfway and produces a box of matches. He lights a match and enters the Basement proper. It's totally barren down there except for the washer and dryer. He sees the light fixture hanging from the ceiling and pulls the cord. Nothing. The electricity has been turned off. He looks in the ark corners of the room and finds nothing of interest. He opens up the washer and then the dryer. From the dryer, he finds a fresh pair of underwear. He pockets it and the match burns down to his fingers. He stumbles in the dark and climbs the stairs. THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Bob enters the room and takes in his surroundings. Satisfies that there's no one around, he makes himself at home by plopping right down on the

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couch. His heel hits something underneath the couch. He reaches down and finds a MARBLE ASHTRAY. He smiles at this new treasure. He places it on the couch next to him and produces a cigarette butt and matches. He lights the cigarette and takes a deep drag. He then relaxes in his newfound home, head back on the couch. BLACK SCREEN CUT TO THE HOUSE, EXT. DAY. This is what was once the Gordon's house. It's late fall and a different time from the previous segment. From here out the Gordon's house will be referred to as "The House". It's a cold day. The few people out on this day are wearing heavy coats and walking briskly to their destinations. AMBER WILLIS drives up to the front of the house in her car. She parks the car and gets out. She's bundled up heavily against the cold with a black dress coat and a large muffler around her neck. She's wearing gloves, yet she stuffs her hands inside the pockets of her coat. There is a "For Sale or Rent" sign at the edge of the yard. She looks at the sign for a moment and then looks up to the house. There seems to be a figure standing in the second floor window. She stares at the figure and the figure stares back. Amber breaks eye contact and makes her way to the front door. At the front door, she knocks and waits for a response. There is none. She raps on the door again, then tries the door bell. No sound emits from pushing the button. Amber looks about her and then tries the door knob. The door opens and, hesitantly, she enters. THE HOUSE, INT. DAY. Amber enters and surveys the interior. There is furniture here; a couch and an end table, but mostly the room is cavernous and barren. There is no sign of life here. AMBER Hello? I'm here to see the house. Amber enters fully into the house and closes the door behind her. With the door closed, the house is fairly dark, even in the daytime. She unwraps the muffler and unbuttons her coat. AMBER (CONTD) It's Amber Willis. I hope I'm not early. I don't own a watch.

(CONTINUED)

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She chuckles nervously to herself on the last sentence. She slowly moves further into the house. Although barren and unlived in for a considerable amount of time, it's still a comfortable looking place. She goes to the stairs and looks up to the second floor. It's kind of dark up there, too. AMBER (CONTD) Can anyone hear me up there? She removes her gloves, stuffs them into her pockets and begins her ascent to the second floor. She makes her way carefully, with some hesitation in almost every step. As she reaches the top step, she begins to hear faint sounds coming from one of the rooms. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. There is a sound of a crying baby lightly in the background. It's so light that if there were any other sound at all, it wouldn't be heard. Amber begins her walk down the hallway towards the sound. AMBER I saw you in the window... A door at the end of the hallway suddenly slams shut with a loud bang. Amber is startled by the sound. After she catches her breath, she moves with more purpose to the shut door. As she nears the door, she can hear movement along with the still faint crying. She reaches the door. She grabs the knob, but before she turns it, she thinks it best to knock first. AMBER (CONTD) Hello? I'm coming in... She turns the knob. The door clicks softly and opens. She enters the room. THE HOUSE BABY'S ROOM, INT. DAY. When Amber enters the room, all sounds stop, save for the howling of wind from an open window on the far end of the room. The room is freezing. We can see Amber's breath. Although still bundled up, Amber clutches herself and shudders from the cold. She goes to the window and shuts it with force. There is silence. Amber looks out the window to the "For Sale or Rent" sign she was standing next to just a few moments before. The sign sways in the wind from it's post.

(CONTINUED)

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EVAN (From behind Amber) HI! Amber is jolted by the sound of Evan's voice. EVAN ACKERLAND is the realtor who is dealing this house. Amber turns suddenly to face Evan with a shocked look on her face. EVAN (CONTD) You're a little early. Amber, right? I'm Evan. We spoke on the phone-Are you okay? Did I scare you? AMBER Yeah. A little. I'm Amber Willis. EVAN I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. AMBER It's okay. Strange houses make me a little edgy. EVAN When houses are empty, they can take on a sinister air. Do you like what you see, though? AMBER Oh, yes. It's a very pretty house. I can't understand why it hasn't been taken yet. EVAN Um... well, let's show you around formally. AMBER Can we wait for my husband first? EVAN Sure. From the downstairs, we can hear the voice of Amber's husband RICH. RICH (V.O.) Hello? Anyone here?

(CONTINUED)

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AMBER Perfect timing. (Yells out) We're upstairs! We hear Rich coming up the stairs and he appears through the door. RICH Been waiting long? AMBER No. We all just got here. Rich offers his hand to Evan. RICH Hi. I'm Rich Willis. EVAN Good to meet you. I'm Evan Ackerland, Your realtor. So... You're newlyweds? AMBER (She shows the wedding ring On her finger) Freshly. EVAN Oh, well congratulations. I'm sure you'll find this house to be perfect for you both. RICH Yeah, I like what I see already. EVAN Great! Shall I give you the grand tour, then? Evan escorts them out of the room. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Evan, Rich and Amber walk down the hallway to the stairs. EVAN This would be a perfect first house.

(CONTINUED)

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AMBER Oh, yes. I've only even lived in apartments. I'm a city girl. This is a big step for me. EVAN I'll say. The city is a little different from the suburbs. RICH I'm more of a suburbanite. You know. A house dweller. I like a big house. Evan, Rich and Amber walk down the stairs. They make their way to the FOYER / LIVING ROOM. AMBER This is a big living room. EVAN It's standard size. It's a lot bigger than apartment living rooms. Those are... RICH (Finishing) ...small. EVAN Yeah. (Pause) Well. Come this way. I'll show you the Dining Room and Kitchen. FADE TO THE HOUSE KITCHEN, INT. DAY. What follows is a bit of a montage of Evan showing them around the house. We hear Evan describing the different aspects of the house. Amber listens intently. He points to the Dining Room and they enter that area of the house. FADE TO THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR MASTER BEDROOM. Evan, Rich and Amber enter and once again we hear Evan describing the possibilities of the room to them. FADE TO

24.

THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR BATHROOM, INT. DAY. They enter the bathroom. There is a standard tiled bathroom with toilet, hand sink and a shower with a bathtub. EVAN The bathroom... They don't enter. They just look in from the hallway. FADE TO THE HOUSE LAUNDRY ROOM / BASEMENT, INT. DAY. This is the dark laundry room / basement of the house. It's pretty barren, except for a hanging light, a set of stairs leading up to the first floor and a clothes washer and dryer. The door to the basement opens and they walk cautiously down the steps. Evan walks down into the dark with Amber behind him, her hands lightly touching his sides. Rich brings up the rear. Evan makes his way to the light and pulls the chain. A single bare light bulb illuminates the room. EVAN Not much down here. Washer, dryer. Lots of storage. It's not too damp down here, but you might want a dehumidifier down here in the summer. Amber looks around. Rich looks up at the pipes on the ceiling. EVAN (CONTD) OK? Let's go back up. Evan turns off the lights and they return carefully to the stairs. Amber holds on to Evan's arm. THE HOUSE FOYER, INT. DAY. Amber and Evan walk to the front door. EVAN So that's it. You like? RICH I love. This place is perfect for us. AMBER That's everything?

(CONTINUED)

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EVAN Yeah... Except for the attic. AMBER This place has an attic? RICH Of course. Every house has an attic. AMBER I want to see it. EVAN Oh. Oh no. There's no lights up there. We'd need to get a flashlight... and it's kind of dangerous if you don't know where you're walking. AMBER How so? EVAN Well, you have to walk on the beams. If you miss a beam or slip, you can fall right through the roof. I don't recommend going up there. AMBER I see. Evan escorts Amber out of the house. As they exit, the sound of a slowed down baby's cry can be heard from the upstairs. Amber begins to turn to the sound and Evan places his hand firmly on her back and guides her out of the house. Rich doesn't seem to notice the sound. THE HOUSE, EXT. DAY. Amber has exited the house and Evan emerges behind her. He closes and locks the door. She buttons up her coat. AMBER What was that sound? EVAN Ah. Probably just the house settling. You know, it begins to get really cold this time of year.

(CONTINUED)

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AMBER But that... EVAN Houses make many strange noises. Cracking, creaking... After you've moved in and settled, you won't even notice it. You may not be able to sleep without hearing those sounds every night. Amber smiles lightly but doesn't really believe Evan's words. RICH Now, how much is this house? EVAN dollars. RICH That's fully furnished. EVAN Right. RICH Well, I wouldn't normally speak for both of us on such a big decision... But looking at Amber's face, I don't think I'd be out of line if I told you we want this house. Amber nods in agreement. EVAN Good. I'm going to go and make things happen for you. I'll draw up some papers and square everything away. I'll give you a call in a day or so. Evan goes to his car and opens the door. EVAN (CONTD) I can tell you can't wait to become a part of this house. You're gonna love it here. Evan enters the car and starts it up. He waves at them before he drives off. Amber and Rich walk to the end of the sidewalk and turn to look at the house. We see Amber's eyes scan the house. She looks at the roof, where the attic would be.

(CONTINUED)

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She wraps the muffler around her neck and puts on her gloves. She then looks at Rich. They are the picture perfect happy couple. She throws her arms around Rich and kisses him. They walk to their cars. BLACK SCREEN CUT TO: BACK ALLEY, EXT. DAY. This is a dirty looking back alley, sitting behind restaurants and shops in an urban area. There are a few trash cans and a dumpster or two against the building walls. Mostly, however, the garbage taken from these buildings are in plastic trash bags piled high in the alleyway. The place just looks dirty and sleazy. Enter VAGRANT BOB. He is the most high profile homeless person in the area. Everyone knows him, everyone avoids him. He stumbles into the alleyway with a swaggering stagger. He opens a few trash cans and examines their contents. He's hungry. He picks up some food like objects from a can, sniffs them and throws them back. There's some things even a bum won't lower himself to eat. He stuffs his hands into his dirty suit coat and staggers forward. He stumbles into a pile of trash bags and stands quickly, keeping his dignity in check. He begins to walk again and a trash bag attracts his attention. It sits a little ways apart from the other trash bags and it seems to move a little on it's own. Bob goes to the bag. He stares at it. It looks as though it just may be the wind rustling the bag. Bob gazes at the bag suspiciously and then turns to walk away. Just then he hears a quiet moan from the bag. He quickly turns back to the bag. He bends down to the bag and hesitantly reaches out to it. Suddenly, the bag jerks violently sending Bob onto his back. He looks in horror as the bag convulses. We can see fingers inside the bag trying to tear their way out. Finally the bag tears away and we see the screaming face of the deceased KAREN GORDON. CUT TO THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Vagrant Bob is lying on the covered couch, still in his dirty vagrant suit. He jerks violently from his nightmare and rolls onto the floor. On the floor is a makeshift stove with a lit Sterno can in it.

(CONTINUED)

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Next to it are a few tin cans with plastic spoons in them and the MARBLE ASHTRAY with a few half smoked cigarette butts in it. Bob quickly sits in front of the Sterno and huddles over it. He is a middle aged man with 3 nasty looking scabbed over scratches on is left cheek. He reaches over and grabs a butt. He lights it over the Sterno and looks about the dark room. He stands nervously, cigarette in hand and moves to the kitchen. THE HOUSE KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. The Kitchen, like the rest of the house, is very dark. Since there is no one officially living in the house, there is no power; ditto water. He wanders aimlessly, trying to rid himself of the nightmare images still fresh in his brain. He looks out of the kitchen window. It's dark, but peaceful outside. He looks around the barren kitchen. There is absolutely nothing here. Not even a side table. He checks the cabinets, knowing there's nothing inside of them. He's nervous and bored. Bob takes a few more puffs on his cigarette, finishes it and returns to the Living Room. THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. He snuffs out the butt and places a can of food on the Sterno. Suddenly there is a faint rustling coming from the floor. Bob looks up to the ceiling. There is silence, then more rustling; this time a bit louder. Bob knows there's no one in the house... he's pretty sure. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. He goes to the stairs and looks up to the 2nd floor. It's dark. Very dark. He doesn't want to, but his curiosity won't let him rest until he checks it out. He slowly climbs the stairs. The stairs give off a wooden creaking sound with every step. In the silence, it sounds very loud. He reaches the top step. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. The only light illuminating the hallway comes from the windows in adjacent rooms. It must be a full moon. Pale blue light streaks into the hallway in large angular blocks on the floor. Bob walks, still slow and cautious down the hallway. He checks the first room. Empty. Nothing in it at all. He walks to the second room. The same. Empty. He goes to what was the Baby's Room. He looks inside.

29.

THE HOUSE BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. The room is barren. Bob stands there in the doorway. From behind we see a glimpse of a GIRL IN A CATHOLIC SCHOOL UNIFORM dart behind him down the hallway. Bob never notices. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. He resumes walking down the hall into the master bedroom. THE HOUSE MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. It, too, is empty. He notices a large hole in the ceiling with plaster in shard -like pieces on the floor. The hole reveals nothing but darkness. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. He's reached the end of the hallway. There is a closet door here, which is closed. He opens it and finds nothing, so he closes it again. Bob now hears the rustling sound coming from downstairs. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Bob comes down the stairs a bit quicker than he came up them. He sniffs the air a bit and goes to the Living Room. THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. His food is burning in the can on the Sterno. He grabs the can buy the lid and removes it from the heat. He produces a dirty handkerchief from is coat pocket and grabs the can with it. He eats a spoonful of burnt beans. He eats another spoonful. This, in itself, is a bit grotesque. There is a rustling sound coming from the kitchen. He looks over that way. The sound comes again. He puts the spoon into the can and goes to the Kitchen. THE HOUSE KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. Bob enters and all is quiet. He looks all around the room and sees nothing. He then hears what sounds like a light scraping on the other side of the basement door. He moves to the door ever so quietly. He turns his head to listen and BAM! There is a sound like someone hit the basement door with a hammer. Bob jerks back and drops his beans on the floor. It then sounds like someone is drumming on the door. Bob gathers his courage and steps to the door. The sounds gets louder and stronger.

(CONTINUED)

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He reaches for the doorknob and the sound stops. He hesitates. There is a moment, then the door swings open violently. The door his Bob; he steps back, slips on the beans and crumples into a pile on the floor, out cold. There is nothing behind the door. FADE TO BLACK FADE IN THE HOUSE KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. Bob comes to and everything is different. It's still dark, but the Kitchen is fully furnished and stocked. The can of beans is gone. Bob doesn't really know where he is. He stands and becomes a bit dizzy from the blow he had suffered. Who knows how long he was out? He rubs his head. He gets his bearings and he hears the sound of a baby crying from upstairs. Intrigued, he exits the Kitchen. THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Bob is totally confused. The Living Room is totally furnished and lived in. It looks like a family is living here. The makeshift stove and Sterno is gone. The rest of his food is gone and... the Marble Ashtray is gone. The baby's crying still rings through the house. He looks up to the ceiling, then goes to the steps. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Bob looks up to the 2nd floor. There is electric light coming from the upstairs hallway. He makes no notice of the Designer Bag on the floor next tot he steps. Since he can see where he's going a bit better, he walks up the steps with a bit more confidence, though still very cautious and as quietly as possible. He reaches the top. THE HOUSE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. The Hallway isn't lit, but we can see electric light coming from some of the rooms. The Baby's crying can be heard loudly from the end of the hall. Bob goes to take a step and is shocked to see a sleepy looking woman emerging from the Master Bedroom and into the Baby's Room. It's KAREN GORDON, very much alive. She makes no notice of Bob. Bravely, Bob walks down the hallway to the Baby's Room and, with one hand on the door jamb, peeks into the room. THE HOUSE BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Karen is closing the open window. She goes over to the crib and stares into the crib for a moment.

(CONTINUED)

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From behind Bob, SAM GORDON enters the room, making no notice of Bob. Sam has the MARBLE ASHTRAY in his hand. Sam stands behind Karen. Karen picks up a tape recorder from the crib and looks at it, puzzled. She turns around and Sam backhands Karen across the face with the Ashtray. The tape recorder falls to the ground, a baby's cries coming from it's speaker. Blood flies from Karen's face as she falls to the ground. Bob's eyes widen in fear as he witnesses this horrific scene unfolding in front of him. He quickly exits the scene. THE HOUSE HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Bob runs down the hallway to the stairs. Bob stops suddenly and looks back. At the other end of the hall, we can see Sam carrying Karen's still twitching body out of the Baby's Room. Sam stops suddenly and looks down the hall to Bob. Bob's eyes widen. He runs down the steps. THE HOUSE STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Bob makes it about hallway down the steps and trips. He falls forward down the steps. He is still conscious when he reaches the bottom. He body, upon reaching the bottom, knocks over the BAG. The bag begins to rustle. A grotesquely slowed down baby's cry comes from the bag. Bob catches the glimpse of a discolored baby's hand reaching out of the bag and he backs up to the front door, scooting back on his arms and kicking his legs. Instead of reaching the door, however, he backs into a pair of legs. He looks up to see a ZOMBIFIED NICOLE looking down at him. Her face has been mutilated and her dress shirt has been ripped open. They stare at each other for a moment and then she lunges down for him. Bob shuffles away backwards and falls on his back. THE HOUSE LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Nicole keeps coming for Bob. Bob is half crazed with terror. He sits there, on his back with his knees up in the air; staring at Nicole. Bob moves back, kicking his legs. KAREN GORDON'S CORPSE appears behind him. We hear the slowed down baby's cry coming from her. Bob looks up to Karen, paralyzed with fear. KAREN'S EYES are wide with hatred. There is one slight pause before she bares her teeth. The ghosts move in for the kill. BLACK SCREEN CUT TO

32.

THE HOUSE, EXT. DAY. It is a normal, cold November day. The "FOR SALE OR RENT" sign in the front yard of the house now has a large "SOLD" sticker pasted proudly upon it. There is a CAR with a U-HAUL TRAILER pulling up the street. It parks in front of the house and AMBER exits the car on the passenger side. RICH exits the car from the driver's side and goes around the rear to open the U-Haul. Amber exits the car and meets Rich at the rear of the car. RICH So this is it. AMBER (Sighs) Yeah. I can't believe it. We own a house! Rich begins unloading the U-Haul. Amber picks up a box and goes to the front door. CUT TO LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Even in the daytime, the house is dark and shrouded in shadow. Amber unlocks the door and enters with the box in her arms. She sets the box just inside the door and surveys the area. Rich enters the house just behind her with another box. He sets the box down. The house looks cold; almost monochromatic with the white tarps shrouding the furniture. They look for a moment and exit for the rest of their things. We hold on the living room, then... WE FADE TO LIVING ROOM, INT. DUSK. Amber and Rich have moved in and the tarps have been removed. With the furniture unmoved from their previous positions, the house looks similar to when it was the Gordon's. Amber's accents, however, give the room a more homey look. The monochromic look is gone and a warm tone has replaced it. AMBER and RICH are sitting there, admiring their handiwork. They are proud of themselves and rightfully so. Rich places his arm around Amber and they stare off into space, lost in their thoughts. There is a knock at the door. RICH Who could that be?

(CONTINUED)

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Rich stands and answers the door. The visitor is an older man, about 65 years old. His name is BERNARD KERRY. RICH (CONTD) Hi... BERNARD Hello! I'm Bernard. I live next door. I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. I hope I'm not disturbing you. RICH Oh, no. We were just resting from the move. It's nice to meet you. Come in. Bernard enters and looks about the room. He sees Amber and smiles. Amber stands to greet him. BERNARD Hello. I'm Bernard. AMBER Hi! I'm Amber. Urn... This is my shy husband, Richard. RICH Oh, stupid of me. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Rich. They shake hands. BERNARD It's nice to see some young faces in the neighborhood. I hear you got a great deal on this house. RICH (CONTD) Yeah. It was a great deal. I can't believe we got it. AMBER It is a beautiful house. (Pause) How long has it been up for sale? BERNARD Well, it's been empty... Oh, it has to be about a year or so. AMBER That long?

(CONTINUED)

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BERNARD Yes. Almost a year since... The last family. (Pause, then a smile) Well, I don't want to bother you. I just came to welcome you to the neighborhood. RICH You don't have to rush. We could make some coffee. BERNARD No. I should go. I will see you around, though. RICH Absolutely. They shake hands again. Rich walks Bernard to the door. BERNARD Good night. RICH Good night. AMBER Goodbye! Nice meeting you. BERNARD You, too. Have a good evening. Bernard exits and Rich closes the door. RICH Well, we're officially welcomed! AMBER He seemed really nice. I hope all of our neighbors are like that. (Pause) But you know what the best part is? RICH What? AMBER All of our neighbors live different houses. RICH I think that's the idea.

(CONTINUED)

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AMBER No! I mean we're free. We can watch TV or play the stereo loud or carry on as much as we want and there's nobody living upstairs banging on the ceiling. Amber hugs Rich. RICH Yeah. I think this is the best move we've ever made. CUT TO BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber is turning down Rich enters wearing a to his entrance. Rich the bed while holding the bed and humming softly to herself. t-shirt and boxers. Amber is oblivious grabs Amber from behind and jumps onto her. Amber squeals.

RICH So what time do you have to be at work tomorrow? AMBER Nine o' clock sharp. What are your plans? RICH Well, since I took a week off to move in, and my wife is a workaholic, I thought I'd unpack a few more boxes and settle in. AMBER You know I wish I could stay and help. RICH I know. It's okay. I'll tell you what. Tomorrow night when you come home? Expect a home cooked meal. AMBER Mmmmm... Thank you, husband. Would that be from a can or a box?

(CONTINUED)

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RICH Scratch! Only the best, wife! Rich tickles Amber's sides. She laughs and tries to squirm away. CUT TO THE HOUSE, EXT. NIGHT. It is the middle of the night all is still. CUT TO BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber and Rich are lying there in bed. Rich is sound asleep and Amber is not so much so. There is a light SCRATCHING NOISE coming from the attic. Amber opens her eyes. She looks up at the ceiling. The scratching continues a little bit and then stops. After a moment, Amber gets out of bed and leaves the room, staggering a bit. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters from the bedroom. She looks to the Attic door and pauses a moment. She is deciding wether to go up there. She then turns her attention to the Baby's Room, where she's heard a noise somewhat like the faint cooing of a baby. She enters the room. BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters from the hallway. The room is empty and barren, except for an open window. Wind is blowing through the window. Amber rubs her shoulders from the cold and shuts the window. She looks about, then exits into the Hallway. KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters and gets a glass from the cupboard. She then fills the glass with water from the faucet and drinks it down. She places the glass on the counter and exits. STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters and begins her ascent to the second floor. She passes a mirror on the way and we get a fleeting glimpse of KAREN GORDON in the mirror, glaring out at us.

37.

BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters and gets back into bed. She pulls the covers up over her and cuddles up to Rich. Rich never wakes up. The scratching noise resumes. FADE OUT CUT TO BEDROOM, INT. DAY. It is late morning. Rich is laying there, waking up. He opens his eyes and looks about the room, slightly disoriented. He remembers where he is and sits up in bed. He looks over to where Amber was sleeping. She is gone to work for the day, but there is a NOTE on her pillow. Rich Picks up the note and reads it. GOOD MORNING HONEY! I'LL BE HOME AROUND 6:00. HAVE A GOOD DAY! I LOVE YOU. AMBER Rich smiles at the note and stretches with a deep sigh. CUT TO BATHROOM SHOWER, INT. DAY. Rich is here, taking a shower. He lathers himself up and lets the water rise it off. He spins around in a circle, trying to make the water reach every area. He rubs the soap and lathers up his face. He lets the water run over his face. Rich turns off the water and opens the shower curtain. There is no one there. Rich grabs a towel and drys off. CUT TO STAIRS, INT. DAY. Rich sprints down the stairs. He is fully clothed and energized. He goes to the kitchen. KITCHEN, INT. DAY. Rich goes to the coffee maker; the only appliance yet unpacked. He grabs a mug and pours himself a cup of coffee. He leans on the counter and admires the kitchen as he drinks. CUT TO

38.

LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. There are several boxes here that Rich is unpacking. Rich closes one box and lifts it up. STAIRS, INT. DAY. Rich carries the box up the stairs. HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Rich enters the hallway carrying the box. He walks down the hallway to the attic door. He, with some difficulty, opens the door while carrying the box. He makes his way up the stairs to the attic. ATTIC, INT. DAY. The attic is dark, but there is some light coming from outside, casting heavy shadows on the room. Rich enters the room with the box. He makes sure he stays on the walkway made by some two by fours. He sets the box in a corner of the room. He stands there a moment and surveys his surroundings. All is still. He turns and leaves the attic. HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Rich enters from the attic. LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Rich enters and is about to rearrange some furniture, when he hears a knock at the door. He goes to the door and opens it. Beyond the door is DANIEL. He is carrying a stack of fliers in his arms. RICH Hi. Can I help you? DANIEL Hi. Um, I was wondering if you had seen this girl. Daniel hands Rich a flier. It is a missing persons announcement with a picture of Nicole on it. Rich looks at the picture. RICH No. I've never seen this girl. I just moved into this neighborhood.

(CONTINUED)

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DANIEL She disappeared a few weeks ago and we're covering the town with these fliers. Keep that one and call the number at the bottom if you happen to see her. RICH OK, will do. DANIEL Thanks man. Daniel exits and gets on his bicycle. He rides over to the next house as Rich closes the door. CUT TO KITCHEN, INT. DAY. Rich puts the flier on the refrigerator, anchoring it with magnets at each corner. CUT TO LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Rich is arranging the furniture. He moves an end table and places a chair next to it. He thinks a moment and moves the couch over a bit to the left. Then, after a thought, moves it back. In a mini montage, he fusses with the accent pieces. He moves the lamps about. We see him, hammer in hand, setting a nail in the wall to hang a picture. He then places a picture on the wall and stands back from it. He notices it's a bit crooked and straightens it. CUT TO KITCHEN, INT. DAY. Rich opens the fridge and sees it's almost completely bare. Slightly frustrated, he closes the fridge and thinks a moment. LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Rich enters and grabs his keys from the mantle. He exits the house. CUT TO

40.

SUPERMARKET, INT. DAY. We see Rich walking through the supermarket while pushing a shopping cart. He piles food items into his cart as he walks. We see him at various places in the supermarket during this sequence. Finally, with a full cart, he makes his way to the checkout and begins unloading his cart onto the conveyor belt. The CASHIER rings up each item and the BAGBOY loads the food into bags and places them back into Rich's cart. The Cashier gives Rich the total and Rich hands her his charge card. CUT TO KITCHEN, INT. DAY. Rich enters the kitchen with about 4 or 5 full grocery bags in his arms. He places the bags on the counter and sighs deeply. He begins unloading the bags. Later on, Rich is cooking at the stove. He has a cutting board and a large KITCHEN KNIFE. He chops onions and peppers with the precision of a chef. He places the chopped vegetables in a pot on the stove. We see more shots of Rich going through the cooking process. CUT TO DINING ROOM, INT. EVENING. Rich is setting the table. He has changed his clothes and is wearing a dress shirt and pants. He sets the table like a professional would; every fork in place. He places candles on the table and lights them. Perfect timing, we hear Amber coming into the house from the other room. AMBER (V.O.) I'm home! Rich? RICH I'm in the dining room. AMBER (V.O. as she makes her way into the room) Wow! You did some major settling in! You had a busy day. (She sees the set table) Look at that! You're so sweet. It's just what I need. I had a shitty day. Rich hugs her.

(CONTINUED)

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RICH Aw, I'm sorry. Well, it's over now. Time to relax with a nice quiet dinner. AMBER Smells good. RICH It's almost ready. You go and slip into something a little more comfy, and I'll finish up here. AMBER OK. Thank you, honey. They kiss. AMBER (CONTD) I'll be right back. Amber exits the room and Rich goes to the kitchen. BEDROOM, INT. EVENING. Amber enters the room. She picks some clothes from her dresser and places them on the bed. She begins disrobing. As she undresses, WE SLOWLY MOVE IN ON HER. When we're upon her, we hear a LOUD SCRATCHING NOISE coming form the attic. She turns her head sharply and then looks up to the ceiling. The scratching noise continues as she puts on her other clothes. DINING ROOM, INT. EVENING. Rich is placing the food on the table. Amber enters a bit distressed. AMBER We have rats. RICH Rats? Where? AMBER In the Attic. I just heard them running around up there. RICH Rats. Are you sure they're rats?

(CONTINUED)

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AMBER What else could they be? I mean, I heard them last night and just now. It sounds like rats. RICH OK. I'll check it out after dinner. I'll put some D-Con up there or something. AMBER You're going to kill them? RICH You want them hanging around? AMBER Well, no. But isn't there some humane way to get rid of them? RICH I guess there is, but I don't know. But let's eat right now before it gets cold. AMBER All right. She sits at the table. Rich uncorks some wine and pours it into Amber's glass. He pours some into his glass and places the wine bottle on the table. He then unveils the meal. AMBER (CONTD) Mmmm. Looks good. RICH Oh, it is good. Trust me. Rich produces a lighter and lights the candles at the table. He then lowers the lights. Rich sits at the table. AMBER Very romantic. Where's the violin player? Rich reaches under the table and produces a portable boom box. He places it on the table and presses the play button. Soft romantic music fills the air. AMBER (CONTD) You don't miss a trick.

(CONTINUED)

43. CONTINUED: (2)

RICH My woman is demanding. Go on, eat. Amber puts some food on her plate. She cuts into her food and takes a bite. AMBER Mmmm... This is so good. Rich takes some food for himself. RICH Thanks. You said you had a bad day? AMBER Yeah. Long. Long and shitty. I'm glad to be home. (Laughs) Home. Sounds good. So what all did you do today? I mean, besides putting everything away and cooking dinner? RICH That's about it. Organized the boxes in the attic. You know, I didn't see or hear any rats... AMBER Maybe they were hiding. RICH Anyway. I cleaned up the house a bit, went grocery shopping and made dinner. That was my day. AMBER Good. I guess dinner's on me tomorrow. RICH If you want to... Or we could order a Pizza. AMBER You don't like my cooking? RICH Never said that. Eat up. FADE TO Later on after dinner. Amber is sitting back in her chair. Rich finishes his last bite and looks at Amber.

(CONTINUED)

44. CONTINUED: (3)

RICH (CONTD) You done? AMBER I can't eat another bite. I'm stuffed. RICH OK, I'll clear the table. You go relax. AMBER Thanks, hon. I love you. RICH I love you, too. They kiss and Amber exits the room. Rich gathers the plates and, plates in hand, tries to turn on the light switch with his elbow. The switch flips, but there's no light. He places the plates on the table and toggles the light switch. Nothing. Just then, Amber enters. AMBER Honey, there's something wrong with the power. RICH Yeah. I see that. Maybe we blew a fuse. The fuse box is in the basement. AMBER You want to take a candle? RICH No. Little too Gothic for me. I have a penlight on my key chain. Rich digs in his pocket and produces his keys. He lights up the penlight and shines it on Amber. She winces at the light. AMBER OK. That's enough. RICH I'll be right back. Rich exits. CUT TO

45.

BASEMENT, INT. NIGHT. The Basement door opens and Rich enters from the top of the stairs, his penlight lit. He slowly descends the stairs. He reaches the bottom and shines the light around, looking for the fuse box. He locates it and goes there. The fuse box is old and it's covered in cobwebs. He opens it and checks the fuses. They all seem all right, but he flips the master switch just to be sure. No luck. He closes the box and hears the sound of a baby cooing softly from behind him. He turns and shines the flashlight on the far wall. There is nothing there. He shines the beam along the wall until he comes across what looks like the corpse of LAUREN. She is quite dead; her throat slit and there are many slices and cuts over her body. She stares directly at him, her mouth gaping. The shock of seeing that makes Rich drop his penlight. He bends down quickly and picks up the light. He shines the light in the same place and finds a nightgown on a hanger where the body was. He slowly goes over to the nightgown. As he reaches the nightgown, he trips over something. He looks down and shines the light on the floor. He bends down and picks up the ASHTRAY. He stands and examines the ashtray. He then goes to the stairs and ascends to the Kitchen. KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. Rich enters with the ashtray. RICH Amber? It must be a downed line. The breakers are fine. DINING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rich enters. There is one candle missing. He places the ashtray on the table. RICH Amber? LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rich enters, looking for Amber. The living room is dark. RICH Amber? Where are you? There is a thumping noise from the upstairs. Rich turns and goes to the steps.

46.

STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. The stairs lead up into the darkness. Rich slowly, cautiously makes his way up the stairs. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Rich enters and shines his penlight down the hallway. The attic door is wide open. Rich starts to walk down the hall. RICH Amber? Are you up here? There is another thump from the attic. Rich goes to the attic door. He looks up into the darkness of the attic. There is a shuffling and scraping noise. Rich shines his penlight up into the darkness. He then makes his way up the stairs into the attic. As he begins to reach the top of the stairs, a hand grabs Rich's flashlight hand. Rich screams. Amber's face comes into view, her face under lit with a flashlight. AMBER Boo! Rich catches his breath. RICH Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Amber laughs. AMBER I'm sorry, hon. I couldn't resist. Rich enters the attic fully. Amber is here with the boxes. There is a lit candle here. RICH You know, it's really dangerous up here. You could fall through the floor. AMBER Not if you stand on the studs. RICH What are you doing up here anyway? AMBER I was looking for a flashlight, which I found.

(CONTINUED)

47. CONTINUED:

RICH You scared the hell out of me. (Pause) Hey, aren't you scared of the rats? AMBER I'm not scared of the rats, I just don't want them up here. Besides, I don't see any. She flashes the flashlight around. RICH Well, anyway, It's probably a downed power line. It's not our fuse box. Come on. Let's go downstairs. It's cold up here. Amber grabs the candle and blows out the flame. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Rich and Amber enter the hallway from the attic. They walk down the hall to the steps when there is a knock at the front door. They look at each other. AMBER Now, who's that? FRONT DOOR, INT. NIGHT. Amber and Rich enter. Rich looks through a window next to the door. RICH It's Bernard. Rich opens the door and Bernard is standing there, a box in his hands. BERNARD Hello. The power's out on the entire block. I, uh, thought you might need some candles. RICH Oh, thanks. Would you come in? BERNARD All right. Bernard hands the box to Rich and enters.

(CONTINUED)

48. CONTINUED:

AMBER Hi, Bernard. BERNARD Hi. You know, my friends call me Bernie. AMBER You got it, Bernie. Rich, why don't you give me the candles and take Bernie into the living room. (To Bernard) Would you like something to drink? BERNARD No thank you. Amber leaves for the dining room; Rich and Bernard make for the Living Room. LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rich and Bernie sit down on the furniture. Amber enters with the candle from the kitchen table. She opens the box, removes thick candles and lights them with the table candle. She sits down next to Rich. BERNARD So, you two are pretty much settled in now? RICH Yeah, pretty much. We still have a box or two to unpack, but we're in. AMBER I've been working, so Rich is doing the lion's share of the settling in. BERNARD It's so nice that there're some new young faces in the neighborhood. Seems like this part of town is dying off. AMBER The people who lived here before us were pretty young, weren't they? BERNARD Yes. They were. They were a nice couple.

(CONTINUED)

49. CONTINUED:

RICH This seems like such a good neighborhood. Do you know why they moved out? Bernard pauses as a look of concern appears on his face. BERNARD No one told you about this house? Rich and Amber shake their heads. RICH No. Why? Bernard sighs and tries to put things a delicately as possible. BERNARD The last couple that lived here... The Gordons... They just seemed like the perfect couple. Really friendly. Very nice. The kind of people who would stop to say hello to you, no matter what they were doing. Sam worked in construction and Karen was studying Law, I think. Anyway, they were just great. Lived here almost 3 years. Rich and Amber listen in rapt attention, their faces illuminated by the candle light. Bernard reluctant to go on. He thinks a minute and goes on. BERNARD (CONTD) I remember when Karen found out she was going to have a baby. You know how they say women have that glow about them when they're with child? Well, Karen had that. Sam. Sam was so proud, I swear the buttons on his shirt were about to pop off of his chest. He gave me a cigar when he found out. I told him, "Sam, you're supposed to hand out Cigars AFTER the baby's born!" (Laughs) He was a character. Always doing yard work, fixing his car... After the baby was born, he was the model of a proud papa. You couldn't get the baby out of his arms. (MORE)

(CONTINUED)

50. CONTINUED: (2) BERNARD (CONTD) When you saw him look at that child, well, you knew he'd found his purpose on this Earth. But for some reason, something happened. I don't know what. After a while, I'd start to see them less and less. Sam became really quiet. It was hard to get a hello out of him. He wouldn't look you in the eye. I know Karen noticed a change in him, too. She became real standoffish. It was real sad to see them like that.

AMBER So, did they get a divorce? BERNARD Well, it got to the point where I didn't see them for about a month, I was worried, but there wasn't anything I could do. I Figured they didn't want some meddling old man in their affairs. (Pauses) Perhaps this isn't the best time to tell this story. RICH What happened to them? BERNARD Are you sure you want me to go on? AMBER I don't know. I'm not sure I want to know. RICH No. Go on. It's our house. We should know it's history. BERNARD One day, I saw the police come to this house. Karen's sister had called them. I guess she hadn't heard from them in a long time, either. The police broke into the house and searched the entire place. They found Karen's body in a garbage bag in the attic. (MORE)

(CONTINUED)

51. CONTINUED: (3) BERNARD (CONT'D) They found the baby in a carpet bag somewhere else. They never found Sam.

AMBER Oh, god. Amber clings to Rich. RICH So... Did Sam...? BERNARD I don't know. I don't see how he could. He loved them so much. I'm sorry. That was a pretty sinister story to tell on a night like this. There is a moment of silence, then the lights come on. RICH Good timing. BERNARD Well, I think it's time I get back home. I've bothered you enough. AMBER You don't have to leave. BERNARD Yes, I do. The power's back on and I have to go watch my programs. Bernard stands. Rich and Amber stand. They escort Bernard to the door. BERNARD (CONTD) Now, I don't want you to dwell on that. That happened almost a year ago... Yeah, in fact it was a year ago. Anyway, it's your house now. Nothing else is going to happen here. AMBER I hope you're right. BERNARD Count on it. Keep the candles, you may need them again. RICH All right. Thanks for coming over.

(CONTINUED)

52. CONTINUED: (4)

BERNARD OK. Good night. RICH AND AMBER Good night. Bernard exits and Rich closes the door after him. AMBER Well, good luck sleeping tonight... CUT TO BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. The room is dark. Rich is sleeping, but Amber lies there awake. The scratching and thumping noises have returned. Amber stares straight up at the ceiling. Finally, unable to take anymore, she tries to wake Rich. AMBER Rich? Rich. No answer. Rich is a heavy sleeper. She nudges him, to no avail. She then shakes him by the arm. AMBER (CONTD) Rich! Wake up. Rich finally stirs. Rich lets out a low moan in his sleepy limbo. Amber shakes him again. RICH What? AMBER Do you hear that? RICH Hear what? AMBER Listen. They listen to silence for a moment, then the scratching resumes. AMBER (CONTD) Hear that?

(CONTINUED)

53. CONTINUED:

RICH Yeah. Sounds too big for a mouse. AMBER What do you think it is? RICH I don't know. Rich begins to get out of bed. AMBER Where are you going? RICH To investigate the noise. AMBER Now? It's the middle of the night. RICH If you didn't want me to check it out, then why did you wake me? AMBER I wanted you to hear it. RICH I'll just be a minute. I have to go to the bathroom anyway. Rich stands and exits to the hallway. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. The hall is dark. The attic door is open. We can hear wind coming through the window in the Baby's Room. Rich hears it and goes to investigate. BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rich enters. The window is wide open the a hard wind is blowing through it. Rich shudders as the cold air hits him. He goes to the window and closes it. He looks around one last time and exits. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Rich enters into the hallway. He goes to the attic door. All is silent. Suddenly the thumping starts. Rich jumps a little and closes the attic door. The then exits to the bathroom.

54.

BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber is sitting up in bed, waiting for Rich's return. Rich enters and climbs back into bed. RICH OK. Problem solved. AMBER What was it? RICH There's a cat in the attic. AMBER A cat? You saw a cat? RICH No. I didn't see anything. But it has to be a cat. AMBER But how could a cat get in the house? RICH The window in the side room was wide open. A cat just probably climbed in. AMBER Well... who opened the window? RICH There's only two people in the house, and it wasn't me. AMBER I didn't open the window. Rich rolls over. RICH Maybe the cat did it. I'm tired and so are you. Let's get some sleep. I'll take care of it tomorrow. AMBER OK. Amber lies down in the bed. She looks at the ceiling. CUT TO

55.

KITCHEN, INT. MORNING. Amber enters in her work clothes. She gets a mug out of the cupboard and fills it with hot coffee. She drinks it down. DINING ROOM, INT. MORNING. Amber enters. As she passes by the table, she notices the ASHTRAY. She stops and picks up the ashtray, examining it. She looks around, wondering where it came from. She puts it back on the table and exits the room. CUT TO BEDROOM, INT. DAY. Rich is here, just waking up. He rolls onto his back and looks up at the ceiling. Time to start the day. CUT TO HALLWAY, INT. DAY. It's later in the day, Rich enters with a garbage bag and a flashlight. He goes to the attic door and opens it. He looks up into the darkness and turns on the flashlight. He begins his ascent to the attic, closing the door behind him. ATTIC, INT. DAY. It is dark up in the attic with only a few shafts of light visible. Rich enters with his flashlight cutting the darkness. He walks cautiously across the attic floor. He slowly shines the light along the far wall of the attic. RICH Here, kitty, kitty. The creaking of his shoes seems to amplify up in the attic. The dust in the air is exposed by the flashlight's beam. RICH (CONTD) Puss, puss, puss. Where are you, cat? He turns and flashes the light behind him. There is nothing of note there. He turns back and walks forward to the center of the attic. He stops there and moves the flashlight beam across the parameter of the room. Just then, there is a scratching sound coming from the far corner of the room. Rich's ears perk up. There is the sound of a slowed down baby's cry joining the scratching.

(CONTINUED)

56. CONTINUED:

Rich moves the beam to the source of the noise. There is nothing there but a large old box. Suddenly, something falls to it's side from behind the box. It appears to be a garbage bag. Rich shines the light on it. The noises become louder. The bag opens up and an ugly dead hand appears, reaching out of the bag. Rich becomes paralyzed with fear. His eyes widen and his breath becomes shallow. Following the hand out of the bag is the top of a woman's head, obscured with long dark hair. The noises become deafeningly loud as the woman's body exits the bag. Rich's heart beats rapidly. He jerks and shakes slightly as he tries to move. He finally does. He turns to run out and runs face to face into the dead SAM GORDON. The flashlight drops from Rich's hand and goes out as it hits the floor. BLACK SCREEN CUT TO KITCHEN, INT. DAY. All is still, then, there is a knocking at the front door. DINING ROOM, INT. DAY. The knocking continues. We hold on the shot. LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. The knocking continues. We hold on the shot. STAIRS, INT. DAY. We stay on the stairs for a moment. The knocking continues. Then, we see Rich walking down the stairs. We can sense immediately that there is something wrong with him. He goes to the front door. FRONT DOOR, INT. DAY. Rich pauses at the front door. The knocking continues. He opens the door. Beyond the door, is Bernard. BERNARD Hello, neighbor! Rich looks at Bernard. Lovely day, isn't it? Rich continues a steely glare at Bernard. Did I come at a bad time? There is a momentary pause.

(CONTINUED)

57. CONTINUED:

RICH No. (Pause) Come in. Rich backs into the house and Bernard enters. Rich closes the door. Rich walks to the kitchen and Bernard follows. BERNARD I hope I'm not being a bother. I just came by for a visit. RICH No. No bother. KITCHEN, INT. DAY. Rich goes to the kitchen counter. Bernard sits at the kitchen table. BERNARD I just went for my afternoon walk. Doctor's orders, you know. I had a heart attach 3 years ago and was put on a strict regiment. Rich pours Bernard a cup of coffee and places it on the table in front of Bernard. BERNARD (CONTD) Oh, thank you. Is this decaffeinated? I can't have caffeine. Rich moves to the kitchen counter. Bernard and Rich are back to back. BERNARD (CONTD) Yeah, I walk 2 miles a day now. I've never been healthier, my doctor says. I feel good, too. Rich grabs a large kitchen knife. (We may or may not see this shot) BERNARD (CONTD) I didn't really like it at first, but I came to really enjoy it. It takes up a good chunk of my afternoon. I need to keep busy, living alone and all. (MORE)
(CONTINUED)

58. CONTINUED: BERNARD (CONTD) The wife died a few years back and I don't have any pets. Idle hands, they say-

Rich stands behind Bernard and stabs him three times in the back. RICH Shut up, you old meddling fuck! Bernard falls on the ground and to his side in excruciating pain. Rich stands over him, knife in hand. Blood drips from the knife. Bernard writhes on the floor, grasping at his back. He finally falls still. Bernard dies in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. CUT TO STREET, EXT. DAY. Daniel is riding his bicycle down the sidewalk. He is wearing a backpack filled with fliers and a staple gun. He stops at a telephone pole and staples a missing persons flier with a picture of Nicole on it to the pole. He stops to look at the picture of Nicole. Looking at the picture brings on a wave of sadness across his face. He rides to the next pole and staples another flier. He rides on. STREET IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE, EXT. DAY. As Daniel rides by, he sees Nicole standing on the porch, bloody and ripped up. The sight of her causes him to wreck his bike into a telephone pole. When he gathers his wits and stands, he looks to the house and finds her gone. He hesitates and begins walking towards the house. He stands on the porch and looks around. He looks in the front window. He goes to the door and it opens a crack. Daniel thinks for a moment and begins to walk away. He gets a few steps away from the door and it opes wide with a creak. Daniel turns and sees the gaping doorway. It's dark inside. He goes back to the door. He wonders wether he should enter and, after a moment, he does. LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Daniel enters and cautiously looks about. The house is quiet and it doesn't seem like anyone is there. He steps further into the room and looks around. He hears a sound coming from the stairs. He goes to the stairs to investigate and catches a fleeting glimpse of a girl (presumably Nicole) exiting into the upstairs hallway. Daniel takes a step up the stairs and stops.

(CONTINUED)

59. CONTINUED:

DANIEL Nicole? There is a rustling, like someone lightly running upstairs. Daniel hesitates a bit, then makes his way up the stairs. He reaches the top. HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Daniel steps into the hallway and stares. There is no one there. He slowly begins walking down the hall. DANIEL Nicole. Are you there? He reaches the Baby's room and pushes the door open slightly. He peers in and sees that it's empty. At that moment, he hears a rustling and dragging sound from the downstairs. It is getting closer. Daniel freezes. He has no place to go. The dragging sound stops and there is a brief silence. Then we hear the sound of something very heavy being dragged slowly up the stairs. Daniel's heart beats faster with every thump of the object coming up the stairs. Daniel seems to be frozen with panic. He begins to breathe heavier. The thumping becomes louder and louder until we see RICH enter from the stairs, bent down and pulling something up from the stairs. Daniel enters the Baby's room as silently as possible. He pushes the door shut and it creaks, causing Rich to stop and swing his head around, looking for the sound. Satisfied that it's probably nothing, he resumes tugging on the object. Once up the stairs, the object is revealed to be a large trash bag; tied shut. BABY'S ROOM, INT. DAY. Daniel is just behind the door of the Baby's room. He looks like he's never been so scared in all of his life. His breathing is shallow and panicked as he tries to hang onto his composure. From out in the hallway, he can hear Rich dragging the trash bag down the hallway. It comes closer and closer. Rich turns himself so he can look out the crack between the door and the jamb. The sound gets closer and closer. Daniel holds his breath. Finally, Daniel can see Rich coming by, dragging the heavy contents in the trash bag down the hall past the Baby's room door. Rich is a little out of breath and he stops a second. Getting his second wind, he continues dragging the bag towards the attic door. At the attic door, we can hear Rich opening the door and dragging the trash bag up to the attic. We then hear Rich moving about up in the attic. Daniel takes that as his cue to escape. He exits the Baby's room.

60.

HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Daniel enters the hallway and looks for the coast to be clear. There's no one there. He makes his way down the hall, looking back as he goes. STAIRS, INT. DAY. He jogs down the stairs and as he makes for the door, he catches a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. It looks like Nicole. Daniel stops and looks to the Dining Room. DANIEL Nicole? He hears Nicole's laughter from the kitchen. DANIEL (CONTD) Nicole! Daniel runs into the kitchen. KITCHEN, INT. DAY. Daniel enters the kitchen, slips and falls to the ground. He sits up and looks at his hands. He's completely covered in blood. He looks around him and sees that he's sitting in a large pool of crimson. DANIEL Oh, God! He begins to heave as he loses control. He slips as he stumbles to his feet, but he gets enough traction to exit the kitchen. LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. Daniel stumbles to the front door, heaving. FRONT PORCH, INT. DAY. Daniel makes it to the porch and bends over, dry heaving. He rocks a bit with his hands on his knees. There is a moment of calm. A pair of weathered, decomposing hands lash out from the bottom of the doorway and grab Daniel's ankles. They pull his feet back and he goes falling forward. Daniel hits the floor hard and gets the wind knocked out of him. He scrambles for something to hold onto as he is being dragged into the house. He screams and writhes, but to no avail. He's pulled into the house completely by something unseen.

(CONTINUED)

61. CONTINUED:

The front door then slams shut and the screams stop abruptly. WE PULL BACK to show the house in total. All is silent. FADE TO GORDON HOUSE, EXT. DUSK. This shot is the same as above, but it's been faded to a later point in the day. A CAR pulls up to the house. It's Amber's car. The car parks and Amber exits the car. She closes the driver's side door and goes to the rear of the car. She opens the trunk and pulls 3 full bags of groceries from it. She places the groceries on the ground. She closes the trunk and attempts to carry all 3 bags in one go. She struggles a bit, but eventually succeeds. She lugs the groceries to the front door. GORDON HOUSE FRONT DOOR, EXT. DUSK. Amber tries to maneuver selecting the key to the front door while carrying the bags. She realizes she's unable to do this and, not wanting to drop the groceries, she knocks on the door by kicking it with her foot. FOYER, INT. DUSK. The house seems to be empty. AMBER (V.O.) Rich? Rich! Are you there? I can't open the door. KITCHEN, INT. DUSK. The Kitchen is clean as if nothing ever happened. AMBER (V.O.) (Cont'd) I've got a ton of groceries here... LIVING ROOM, INT. DUSK. Rich is here, sitting in an easy chair and staring, dazed, at a television set. The television is off and he seems to be staring at his reflection in the screen. The room is dim without any lamps on. Amber's voice can be heard plainly, but Rich is oblivious to it. AMBER (V.O.) (Cont'd) Rich? Come on. This stuff's heavy. (MORE)

(CONTINUED)

62. CONTINUED: AMBER (CONT'D) (pause) Shit.

We hear the sound of Amber dropping her groceries. FOYER, INT. DUSK. We hear the sound of keys, a key entering a keyhole and the door unlocking. The door opens and Amber enters. She looks around. The house is dark and creepy looking. AMBER Rich? You here? She steps outside and carries in each bag individually, placing them just inside the front door. She closes the door and begins her search for Rich. She calls up the stairs. AMBER (CONTD) Rich? No answer. She then exits to the Living Room. LIVING ROOM, INT. DUSK. Amber enters the Living Room. She sees Rich, but since he's facing away from her in the chair, she can't see that he's in a trance. She walks over and places her hand on his shoulder. AMBER Rich? Hey. She gives his shoulder a shake. He responds slowly and turns his head to her. He raises his eyes and looks up at her. AMBER (CONTD) (laughs) Hey! Were you sleeping? Rich responds with a light, half hearted smile. AMBER (CONTD) OK. You get yourself awake and I'll start dinner. Amber pats Rich on the shoulder and exits the room. Rich turns back to his reflection in the TV screen. KITCHEN, INT. DUSK. Amber enters the kitchen, carrying the grocery bags. She sets them down heavily on the table. She then begins removing the groceries from the bags.

(CONTINUED)

63. CONTINUED:

She opens a cupboard door and begins placing the groceries inside. She thinks to herself for a moment and goes back to the Living Room. AMBER Rich? LIVING ROOM, INT. DUSK. Amber enters the room to find Rich gone. AMBER (Cont'd) Rich? Would you... She looks around the room, puzzled. STAIRS, INT. DUSK. Amber enters frame and looks up the stairs into the darkness. She hesitates and begins climbing the staircase. TOP OF STAIRS, INT. DUSK. Amber reaches the top of the stairs and flips the light switch for the hallway. The hallway illuminates, and is empty. HALLWAY, INT. DUSK. Amber walks down the hallway. She looks in every room on the way. She finds Rich in what was once the Baby's Room. OLD BABY'S ROOM, INT. DUSK. Rich is standing in the center of the room, staring at the space where the crib was when the Gordon's lived there. Amber stands in the doorway. She's concerned, but not frightened. She stares at Rich as he stares at an empty space in the room. AMBER Rich? Are you all right? Rich pauses a moment, then turns to Amber. RICH ...I'm Okay... AMBER Are you sure?

(CONTINUED)

64. CONTINUED:

She goes to Rich and touches his cheeks with her hands. She sees for the first time just how pale he is. She then checks his temperature with the backs of her fingers. AMBER (CONTD) You're ice cold. You're freezing. Are you coming down with something? RICH I don't know. I'm... Rich trails off and begins to go into another trance. AMBER Okay. You go and lay down. I'll make you some soup. All right? Rich nods. Amber leads Rich out of the room. CUT TO DINING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rich is sitting slightly hunched over at the dinner table. He has a grey hue to his face. Amber enters the room with a plate of food and a bowl of soup. She places the soup in front of Rich and places the plate of food at her place setting. She sits down next to Rich. She looks at Rich with a look of grave concern on her face. Rich looks at the soup blankly. Amber takes the soup spoon from the table and places it in his hand. Rich grasps the spoon, pauses, and begins eating. AMBER Are you sure you don't want to go to the emergency room? You look really sick... Like you have the flu. RICH No. I don't feel sick. I just don't feel right. AMBER Maybe you breathed in a fungus or something while you were working on the house. Rich drinks some soup from his spoon and shakes his head, "No."

(CONTINUED)

65. CONTINUED:

AMBER (CONTD) ...Or maybe something bit you... Like a spider... Rich suddenly looks up and locks eyes with Amber. RICH (suddenly forceful) No. It's nothing like that. Amber is taken aback by Rich's sudden mood change. RICH (CONTD) (regaining composure) I... I'm just not myself tonight. AMBER Yeah. (Pauses) Is something else bothering you? RICH No. No. I didn't mean to snap at you. He places his hand on hers. RICH (CONTD) I don't know what's wrong with me tonight. AMBER We'll take it easy tonight. Maybe we both need some rest. Rick's free hand picks up a steak knife on the table. He grips the knife tightly. RICH Yeah. Rest would be good. AMBER You going to try to eat soup with that knife? Rich looks at his hand holding the knife. He stares at it for a moment, then drops it on the table. RICH (Chuckles) I didn't even realize I picked it up.

(CONTINUED)

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Amber smiles an uneasy smile. She picks up his soup spoon and hands it to him. He grasps it and continues eating his soup. Amber continues watching Rich. CUT TO MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rick is laying in bed on his back and sleeping. Amber stands by the bed, watching over him. Rich is sound asleep, but his sleep is less than peaceful. His face reflects worry and anger. Amber appears worried, too. She thinks for a moment, then exits the room. CUT TO LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber sits on the couch, contemplating what she should do. She picks up the telephone on the stand by the couch and dials a number. AMBER Hey mom. I'm okay. Yes. Well... It's Rich. There's something wrong with him. I think he's sick. Well, when I left him this morning, he seemed fine. Then, when I came home from work, he was completely different. We move away from Amber and track out of the room. AMBER (CONTD) He's pale and he looks sick. STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. We track up the stairs. AMBER (V.O.) No. He's ice cold to the touch. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. At the top of the stairs, we move down the hallway toward the Master Bedroom.

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AMBER (CONTD) (V.O.) But it's not just that. He seems different. Distant. MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. We enter the bedroom. Rich is lying on his back on the bed, as before. We move in slowly on Rich. AMBER (V.O.) Irritable. I don't know. He's not himself. It scares me a little. No. He's asleep right now. We approach Rich's face. His eyes are wide open. He stares at the ceiling. LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber is still sitting on the couch and talking on the telephone. AMBER If he's the same in the morning, I'll make sure he sees a doctor. No. I'll be fine. I Just needed to tell someone. Yeah. I love you, too. Goodbye. Amber hangs the phone up onto the receiver. He stands and leaves the room. STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Amber climbs the stairs. We follow her in a reverse tracking shot. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. The shot continues. She passes by the former baby's room and looks in. BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. The room is quiet. No one is in there. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. We continue the reverse tracking shot. She continues walking down the hallway, reaches the Master Bedroom and enters. She stops at the bed to check in on Rich.

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MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. We see a close up of Rich's face. His eyes are closed and he appears to be asleep. We then see a close up of Amber. She holds a concerned expression on her face. CUT TO STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. We are looking up at the stairs from the bottom. The Hall light is on at the top of the stairs. Amber appears at the top of the stairs, carrying a full load of laundry in a laundry basket. She carefully descends the stairs and exits to the kitchen. KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters and navigates around the Kitchen table. The Marble Ashtray is there on the table, completely unnoticed by Amber. She reaches the Cellar Door and opens it awkwardly, using her fingers and her foot. She steadies herself and turns on the basement light just inside the door. With the light on, she begins her descent down to the basement. BASEMENT, INT. NIGHT. Amber makes her way down the basement stairs. She's much more ginger as she walks down since the stairs are wooden and rickety. She reaches the bottom and places the basket on the washer. She opens the lid of the washer and begins placing her laundry inside. Faintly, we hear what sounds like the soft cry of a baby. Amber pauses to listen, but the sound ceases. She chalks it up to her imagination and continues with her chore. She pours liquid detergent into the washer, closes the lid and turns the dial on the washer to begin the wash cycle. The lights flicker twice and then turn off completely for a moment when she turns the washer on. AMBER (Voice in darkness) Shit. The lights turn on again. Amber is sufficiently freaked out. She drops the basket on the ground and runs back up the stairs.

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KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. Amber emerges from the basement a bit unnerved. She closes the basement door. The Marble Ashtray is gone from the table. CUT TO BATHROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber is standing in front of the bathroom mirror. She is in her night gown and preparing for bed. She washes her face and then brushes her hair. MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber enters the room. Rich is laying on his back on the bed, asleep. Amber surveys the room, then turns off the light and climbs into bed next to Rich. Once under the covers, she stares at Rich. He is deep asleep. She gazes at him, worried and wondering what she can do for him. FADE TO MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. It's a transitional shot of a later point in the evening. The alarm clock next to the bed reads "1:30am". Rich is still laying in the same position and Amber is laying on her side, facing away from Rich. We hear a scratching sound that is coming from the attic. The Sound is loud, but it doesn't wake either of them. The scratching continues for a bit, then there is a deep thump. Amber flinches from the sound of the thump, but it doesn't wake her. FADE TO MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Another transition shot to a later point in the night. Time has passed again. The alarm clock now reads "2:30am". Amber, still asleep, is now laying on her side facing Rich. Rich is still in the same position, but he's begun to talk in his sleep. RICH ...yours... not mine... yours... She's all yours... His mumbling is clearly audible, but it doesn't wake Amber.

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RICH (CONTD) You rook her... took her from me... FADE TO MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Yet another transition shot signaling the passage of time. The alarm clock now reads "4:45am". Amber awakens to find Rich is not in bad. She quickly becomes fully awake and sits up in bed. She looks around the room in a panic. AMBER Rich..? Rich! She throws the blankets back and leaves the bed, running out of the room. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Ambers enters from the bedroom. She wanders down the hallway and looks in the Baby's room. AMBER Rich? BABY'S ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Rich is standing approximately where the baby's crib was when the Gordon's owned the house. The window is wide open and the wind is blowing into the room with some force. Amber enters and stands just inside the doorway. AMBER Rich. What are you doing, hon? No replay. Rich continues to stand in the same spot, head down. Amber moves to the window and closes it. She warms her arms with her hands and moves to Rich. She moves around him and stands directly in front of him. Rich looks up and locks eyes with her. There is a moment of recognition on Rich's face. He looks as if he might cry. Amber, too, becomes a bit emotional. AMBER (CONTD) Honey..? Rich reaches back and slaps Amber with the back of his hand. Amber flies backward and into a wall. There is a red mark where Rich hit her.

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She places her hand on her cheek and looks at Rich with a look of disbelief and fear. She looks as if she may cry. AMBER (CONTD) Rich? What..? Rich comes at her. She runs out of the room just as he's upon her. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Amber runs into the hallway and turns to run to the stairs. Rich, however, is faster. He grabs her and drags her back to the bedroom. Amber is becoming hysterical. She screams and wails as she tries in vain to resist. AMBER (Screaming) No! No! Stop it! Rich! Let me go! Rich throws Amber into the bedroom and follows her in. MASTER BEDROOM, INT. NIGHT. Amber is rising from the floor. Rich picks her up and throws her onto the bed. RICH Bitch! In an instant, Rich is on top of her. He rolls her onto her back and places his hands on her throat. RICH (CONTD) Bitch! How could you! How Could you? Did you think you could play me like that? Did You think I wouldn't find out? Amber is completely confused. Rich's hands are on Amber's throat, but his hands aren't tightening. Rich begins welling up with tears. RICH (CONTD) (Crying) Why didn't you tell me? Why couldn't you? Tears fall from Rich's eyes and onto Amber's face. Rich loosens his grip on Amber's throat to the point where his fingers are just laying against her neck.

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AMBER I... I don't... The sound of Amber's voice sends Rich back into a rage. He begins choking Amber. RICH Fucking slut! It's bad enough you had to fuck around on me, but to bring her into this world and make me believe she was mine... I'll kill you! Amber begins to suffocate from lack of air. Her legs begin to kick and her hands pull against his wrists. He's too strong. In a final desperate attempt, grabs is head with both of her hands and thrusts her thumbs into his eyes. Rich screams and lifts his head. Amber is dug in and won't stop gouging. He is trying not to let go of Amber's throat, but the pain is too great. He grabs onto her wrists and pulls her hands back. She digs her fingernails into his face and drags her nails down his cheeks, leaving deep canals of blood running down his face. Rich recoils and Amber uses this moment to flee. She runs from the bed and makes for the hallway. As she tries to leave, Rich falls from the bed, onto the ground and grabs Amber's ankle. She falls on her stomach in the hallway. HALLWAY, INT. NIGHT. Amber is on the floor with Rich hanging onto her ankle. She kicks at him repeatedly. After a few kicks, he finally releases her. She shuffles back away from him, but finds herself trapped with Rich blocking her way to the stairs. She stands quickly and looks about. Rich lays on his stomach and looks up at her menacingly, his blood covering his face. She backs away and leans up against the attic door. She turns and reaches for the handle to open the door, but before she can turn it, the knob begins to turn by itself. Amber's eyes widen as she recoils from the door. The attic door opens and Karen Gordon's corpse emerges from behind it. Karen Gordon locks eyes with Amber and reaches for her. Amber is in a state of shock. Karen Gordon's hands are just about upon Amber when Amber comes to and assesses the situation. Rich begins to rise from the floor. Amber suddenly springs into action. She leaps past Rich, who reaches out and nearly grabs her. She reaches the stairs.

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STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Amber begins to run down the stairs. As she runs down, she neglects to notice the Marble Ashtray sitting on the 5th step from the top. Amber trips on the ashtray and does a nasty tumble down the stairs to the bottom. She hits the bottom, spins and lands twisted against the front door. FOYER, INT. NIGHT. Amber, body broken, struggles to sit up. She shrieks in pain as she attempts to uncontort her body. She finally manages to bring herself to a sitting position against the door. He face is bruised and bloody. One arm is broken and one leg bent unnaturally. All is quite for a brief moment. Then, she hears a thumping noise from the kitchen. KITCHEN, INT. NIGHT. The room is dark and lit only by the moonlight through the windows. The basement door is slightly ajar. He door is knocked open suddenly and the corpses of Doug and Lauren emerge from the basement. Their broken bodies shuffle across the linoleum floor. FOYER, INT. NIGHT. Amber is still lying immobile against the front door. Her eyes dart back and forth. She hears the shuffling from the kitchen getting closer. Then, another sound comes from the living room. LIVING ROOM, INT. NIGHT. Another dark room illuminated by moonlight. The corpses of Nicole and Daniel are shuffling about and knocking into furniture as they make their way to Amber. Bob the Vagrant appears in the background and follows Nicole and Daniel. FOYER, INT. NIGHT. Amber is in full panic and it looks as if she may go into shock. Amber looks to the kitchen and sees the silhouettes of Doug and Lauren lumbering toward her. Amber screams loudly. As Doug and Lauren close in on her, Nicole, Daniel and Bob the Vagrant appear from the living room. Amber is surrounded.

(CONTINUED)

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AMBER (Screaming) No! Oh God, no! Help me! Help! STAIRS, INT. NIGHT. Rich appears at the top of the stairs. He begins his descent to Amber. As he walks down the stairs, he stops to pick up the Marble Ashtray. He holds it in his hand, gazes at it, then looks at Amber. He continues walking. FOYER, INT. NIGHT. Doug, Lauren, Nicole, Daniel and Bob the Vagrant have reached Amber. AMBER (Screams) No! Help! The corpses grab Amber. Her arms and legs are twisted and stretched by the corpses. Amber screams in agony. Amber sees a silhouette coming from the kitchen. She recognizes it as Bernard. AMBER (CONTD) Bernard! Bernie! Help me! Bernard steps forward into the light. He is revealed to Amber as a bloody corpse. Amber screams in pain and horror. AMBER (CONTD) Oh God! No! Bernard leans in and joins the other corpses in ravaging Amber. Rich reaches the bottom of the stairs, ashtray in hand. He stands before Amber and watches the corpses have their way with Amber. From seemingly out of nowhere, Karen Gordon appears among the corpses and climbs upon Amber. Amber and Karen Gordon are nose to nose. Karen Gordon's mouth drops open and the warped, distorted sound of the baby's tape recorded cries ring out. Amber completely loses herself, becomes hysterical and screams uncontrollably. Rich moves forward and raises the ashtray high above his head.

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We seethe final shot in Amber's POV. Karen Gordon and the other corpses are all in her line of sight with Rich towering above them. Rich brings the ashtray down upon Amber's head. The frame shakes and distorts as Amber's screams become a deep moan. Rich lifts the ashtray above his head again and brings it down on Amber's head a final time. Amber's moans abruptly stop. BLACK SCREEN FADE IN GORDON HOUSE, EXT. DAY. It's It's door is a an unknown passage of time from the previous events. afternoon and Evan, the realtor is standing at the front of the house and waiting for prospective buyers. There "For Sale" sign prominently displayed in the front yard.

A Car pulls up to the curb in front of the house. A young couple emerges from the car. They are a newlywed couple by the names of Cathy and John McKay. They walk up the sidewalk to the front door, greeting Evan, who meets them at the halfway point, smiling brightly at them. EVAN Hello! You're the McKay's, right? JOHN Yes. I'm John and this is my wife, Cathy. Evan and John shake hands. CATHY It's so nice to meet you. We can't wait to see the house. Evan and Cathy shake hands. EVAN I think you'll like this place. Evan walks back to the front door, escorting John and Cathy. Evan opens the front door and ushers them inside. Evan then enters and closes the door behind them. FOYER, INT. DAY. Evan walks ahead of them to act as tour guide

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EVAN It's a beautiful house in terrific shape and the price is right for a young couple starting out. John and Cathy look at each other and smile. JOHN Seems to be. I'm actually shocked at the price. Now that I've seen the house. EVAN Well, let me show you all the house has to offer. This way. Evan leads them to the living room. LIVING ROOM, INT. DAY. The living room is as it was before Amber and Rich moved in with the furniture all there and covered with large cloth tarps. There is a large mirror on the far wall, uncovered. As Evan and the McKay's talk about the house, WE MOVE AROUND them to see their reflections in the mirror. In the reflection John and Cathy are reflected as themselves, but Evan's reflection reveals him to actually be Sam Gordon. CATHY Um... About all of this furniture... EVAN (Sam Gordon) The house comes completely furnished. JOHN Really? CATHY Well... Why did the last owners leave all of this behind? EVAN They didn't. The furniture is part of the house. It belongs to the house.

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CATHY I see. EVAN It's all covered up now, but I think you'll find it compliments the room perfectly once you've been settled in. Cathy looks unsure at John. He he shakes his head slightly and smiles at her. She smiles back. EVAN (CONTD) So... You're newlyweds, right? John and Cathy both smile broadly. John pulls Cathy close to him. JOHN Yes. We've been married 3 months. CATHY months and 5 days. JOHN ...and 3 hours... Cathy and John look at each other and burst out laughing. Evan looks at them both with a grave expression. EVAN Expecting a child? CATHY We're planning on it. We'd like to have 3 children, God willing. John smiles and nods. Evan smiles a slightly insincere smile. EVAN Well, then. We'd better get you both upstairs. I want to show you the bedrooms and a special room especially for your babies... When you have them. CATHY OK! EVAN This way, then.

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Evan crosses to the entrance and ushers Cathy and John out of the room. STAIRS, INT. DAY. Evan, Cathy and John enter from the kitchen. Evan begins up the stairs and Cathy and John follow. EVAN There are 2 bedrooms and a storage room that has been used in the past as a baby's room. HALLWAY, INT. DAY. Evan leads Cathy and John into the hallway from the stairs. Evan points to the various rooms as he describes what each one is. EVAN These two rooms are bedrooms, the nearer room can be a guest room and the far room is the Master Bedroom. The Room on this side is what would be the baby's room. When you have children, that is. CATHY Wow. This house is big. Maybe too much for 2 people. EVAN Well, for two people starting out, the size of the house can be intimidating, but believe me, after a little while and a few bundles of joy, this house shrinks right up. Cathy and John laugh. EVAN (CONTD) Here, let's start in his room. Evan begins to usher them into the guest room. Cathy stops and notices the attic door. CATHY Wait. What's that room? EVAN That? That's the entrance to the attic.

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CATHY Oh. Is it big? EVAN Big, and kind of dangerous if you don't watch where you're walking. It is roomy and great for storage, however. But, onto this room, if you will. Evan, Cathy and John enter the guest room. We don't follow them, however. We continue on down the hallway to the attic door. As we approach the attic door, it opens for us by something unseen. We enter. ATTIC STAIRS, INT. DAY. We glide up the stairs to the attic. ATTIC, INT. DAY. We enter the attic. It's illuminated by the light from the attic window. We see dust and cobwebs filtering through the air in the light. We begin to track down the center of the attic. At the far end of the attic, we see a shape in the corner. As we come closer to the shape, we see that the shape is the corpse of Amber inside a garbage bag. Only her head and shoulders are sticking out of the bag. Amber's head is tilted to one side. We come closer and closer to her. As we get to an extreme close up of her face, her eyes open wide and stare directly into the camera. Her mouth drops open. BLACK SCREEN We hear the warped distorted sound of the tape recorded baby's cry. THE END