6 INT. DR. LINDA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
John is laying on Dr. Linda's couch, she sits next to him.
DR. LINDA I need you to think back, John. To that night all those years ago, when your mother died.
JOHN I'm there...
DR. LINDA What do you see?
John's voice becomes that of a child.
JOHN It's dark.
DR. LINDA Are your eyes closed?
JOHN Yeah, I'm scared. I don't want to look.
DR. LINDA You're safe, John. Open your eyes. Tell me what you see.
INT. JOHN'S OLD HOME - KITCHEN - NIGHT
John's father is holding a KNIFE. He's terrified and weeping, but determined.
JOHN VO I see my father.
DR. LINDA VO Go on.
JOHN VO He's got a knife. He's crying.
DR. LINDA VO Why is he crying?
JOHN VO He's sad.
DR. LINDA VO Why is he sad?
John's father looks over at the ground next to him. John's Mother lays dead there, covered in blood.
JOHN VO He just killed mom.
DR. LINDA VO Why did he do that John?
John's father raises the knife to his face.
FATHER Don't look in their eyes! Don't look in their eyes! Don't look in their eyes!
JOHN VO I don't know. He's scaring me. He's saying something...
DR. LINDA VO What's he saying?
John's father's voice and his blend together as John's father gouges out his own eyes.
JOHN VO Don't look in their eyes. Don't look in their eyes. Don't look in their eyes.
INT. DR. LINDA'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Dr. Linda leans over John as she speaks to him.
DR. LINDA Whose eyes?
JOHN The monster's eyes.
DR. LINDA What monster, John?
JOHN Dad says it wants a vessel. He's telling me to run.
DR. LINDA Don't run, John. Stay there. What do you see?
JOHN I see... I see... it.
John's eyes flash open. They're covered in milky white.
DR. LINDA Jesus Christ!
A wind stirs up out of nowhere. John's voice becomes distorted and demonic.
JOHN We need a vessel...
Dr. Linda backs away. Wind is blowing like crazy, papers flying in the air.
DR. LINDA What are you?!
JOHN He cannot hide.
John's head turns. His white eyes stare at Dr. Linda. She cowers in terror.
JOHN We see you...
DR. LINDA John! John if you can hear me, snap out of it! JOHN!
INT. JOHN'S OLD HOME - KITCHEN - NIGHT
JOHN, 7 years old, is the edge of the kitchen, staring in at his father.
A black shadow seems to rise out of his mother's body and approaches him. Its voice is demonic and distorted.
SHADOW John... You cannot hide.
Suddenly, John's father appears, his eyes gouged out and bloody, with a bloody knife in hand. He stabs the shadow, which causes it to shriek and disappear.
Father crawls to John's side. John cries.
FATHER I'm here, Johnny! I'm here!
JOHN Dad?
FATHER Listen to me, John! These things won't stop! They need a vessel. Once they have one, they'll be free!
JOHN How do I stop them?
FATHER It's your eyes, Johnny! That's how they get out. You're a doorway! Everyone else is the vessel! Don't look in their eyes!
The shadow appears behind John's father again.
FATHER You must wake up now, John! Wake up!
TRANSITION ON DIALOGUE: "WAKE UP"
INT. DR. LINDA'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Dr. Linda is shaking John's shoulders, trying to wake him.
DR. LINDA Wake up! John, wake up! John!
John's eyes open. He sits up.
Dr. Linda has a mug of coffee in her hands.
DR. LINDA Here. You probably need this more than I do.
John avoids looking at her eyes.
JOHN What happened?
DR. LINDA You tell me.
JOHN What do you mean?
DR. LINDA One second, we had it, you were in the memory. Then you started talking about some monster. What's really going on, John?
JOHN I... I don't really know.
DR. LINDA John... What you saw that night is enough to traumatize anyone, let alone a child.
John nods his head in silence.
DR. LINDA Why don't you go back home. Get some rest. Okay?
John nods his head and packs up his stuff. As he turns to leave, he looks back at Dr. Linda.
JOHN You... You believe me, right? I'm not just crazy here?
DR. LINDA John, of course, I believe you.
JOHN Thanks.
John leaves.
EXT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
There's a note on John's door from Sara.
"Thanks for ditching me, asshole. Call me when you're ready to talk. What the hell happened?"
John sighs. He pulls out his keys and goes inside.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT, FRONT DOOR - NIGHT
Once inside, he looks around and then heads to his room.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT
He pulls off his shoes and sits at his desk chair. As he sits, he leans his head down and squeezes his neck. The stress is wearing on him.
INT. OFFICE SPACE - DAY
John sits with his hands squeezing his neck, the stress wearing on him.
High heeled footsteps approach.
CYNTHIA You okay, John? You look depressed.
John mimics her, mouthing the words "You look depressed." in time with her.
CYNTHIA We're gonna need that next set of coding by the end of your shift.
John turns around and looks at her. She's wearing something red, and she has milky white eyes.
CYNTHIA John? Do you get that?
John nods his head, and turns back to his work, cowed by his fear of those shadow creatures.
JOHN Fine. Got it.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - HALLWAY - DAY
John stands by his apartment door, keys in the lock, but he hasn't turned them yet or opened the door.
He looks to his side, and at the end of the hallway, he sees a shadow person, just standing there, watching him.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT
John lays down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Black liquid drips down on his face.
One of the shadow creatures brings its face close to his.
John closes his eyes.
MATCH CUT ON EYES
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT
MATCH CUT ON EYES
DREAM SEQUENCE:
John's eyes open. His room is bathed in Red light and Fog. He stands and looks towards his closet. Fog cascades down to the ground from within the closet.
Out of the fog comes a slimy black arm. John stares at it, hesitates, and then starts towards it.
Jake grabs his arm.
JAKE What are you doing? DON'T LET IT IN!
JOHN This has got to stop, Jake! I've gotta end this! I can't run anymore!
JAKE This is only going to make everything worse!
JOHN I have to try!
John yanks his arm away from Jake and then sprints towards the closet.
JAKE John, No!
But it's too late, John disappears into the closet.
INT. DARK SPACE - VOID
It's pitch black.
John scrambles around but finds nothing. His breathing is erratic.
A moment later, he pulls his phone from his pocket.
He uses the flashlight option on it to look around.
He sees nothing. He turns in a slow circle. But still, he sees nothing. Behind his back, a dark shadow flits past. He's not alone.
He starts walking. Finally, he sees a figure. Its feet drip black goo.
SARA John...?
JOHN Sara?
SARA John, you can't be here...
JOHN Sara, you need to come with me.
SARA John they'll catch you, go!
JOHN Sara, please! Come with me!
SARA I... can't...
JOHN Why not?
SARA I'm... one of them, now, John. You have to get out of here.
John is heartbroken. There's a shriek in the distance.
JOHN What was that?
SARA It's them. They know you're here. Go! Go now!
JOHN Sara...
SARA Go!
John stumbles away and begins running.
The shrieks grow louder as he runs. He sees a light, and a hand reaching out to him, beckoning him. Its Jake's hand.
JAKE VO John, you need to wake up! Take my hand, I'll pull you out! Come on! Run!
The shrieks get more intense.
JAKE VO They're behind you, run!
John dives for Jake's hand. He's screaming as he runs.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY
John's eyes snap open, he's screaming, and flailing around for a few moments before he realizes that he's not in the dream anymore. He sits up, eyes wide and terrified. He was on the floor, passed out, a knife in his hand.
Once up, he checks his phone.
"No new messages." He dials Sara.
SARA VO John?
JOHN I know you've taken her. You can stop pretending.
SARA VO I don't know what you're talking about John.
JOHN Give her back. Please. I need her.
SARA VO John? Baby, you're really freaking me out, what's going on? Have you taken your meds?
JOHN You aren't going to let her go, are you?
SARA VO John, I'm going to come over to check up on you, okay? I've got to go now, but I'll be there soon. Don't do anything stupid, okay?
JOHN If you won't give her back, then I won't let you take them from me anymore!
Sara hangs up. John exits his room.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY
John begins pushing furniture up against his living room door.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY
He blocks off his window.
As he finishes, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
SARA VO John? It's me. Open up!
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY
John stands in front of the door.
JOHN I can't do that.
SARA VO John, let me in, I'm not kidding.
JOHN No.
SARA VO Baby, please. I'm worried about you.
JOHN Don't call me that!
SARA VO What do you mean?
JOHN Don't use her voice to call me that! Don't you do it!
John collapses on the ground in tears.
SARA VO John...
JOHN Give her back. Please. Just give her back to me.
It goes silent behind the door. John is in tears.
SARA VO John... I'm going to call your Doctor.
John, in a fit of rage, throws a nearby book at the door.
He curls up on the ground, and fetal positions himself while weeping.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Sometime later.
John wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing.
It's DR. LINDA. He answers.
DR. LINDA VO John, before you say anything, I spoke with Sara.
JOHN That thing isn't her.
DR. LINDA VO John, I'm on my way there. You've got to let someone in, you've got to talk to us, okay?
JOHN No! Nobody comes inside! I can't let you see my eyes!
DR. LINDA VO Then I will wear a blindfold, okay?
JOHN Its too risky.
DR. LINDA VO John, it's this, or we call the cops and have them break down the door. You need to let me in.
John struggles with it but comes to a decision.
JOHN Only you. With a blindfold.
DR. LINDA VO With a blindfold. I'll be there in 10 minutes.
