chapter fifteen

NARRATION: Ella SCREAMS.

NARRATION: Yanks her arm out. THREE JAGGED SCRATCHES on her forearm. Brighten with blood. She grabs the LAMP on the nightstand. Lowers it down to the floor. Reaches out for the bed skirt -- slow -- trembling --Lifts it up. Shines the lamp underneath the bed to reveal dust. A bit of dirt. But nothing else. Ella sits up. Sets the lamp back on her nightstand. Too distracted by the scratches on her forearm to notice a woman sitting on the bed. Of course she remembers her, the slit throat, she wearing a white dress but this time around there's no blood stain on her dress but blood is dripping from her throat to her dress but it doesn't stain the dress. Ella tries to make herself believe that it's a dream but it just too real, it can't be a dream or is she hallucinating?

NARRATION: KITCHEN - AFTERNOON

NARRATION: Jack soaks a cotton ball with alcohol. Then rubs it on Ella bare shoulder as --

Ella: This isn't necessary.

John: A stray cat scratched you. It's necessary... You learn that the first day in med school. Right after how to make your writing illegible. He picks up a TETANUS SHOT.

Ella: It wasn't a cat.

Jack: So what was it then?

NARRATION: Ella doesn't answer. Looks over at Leah sleeping in the stroller. Winces as John injects her with the shot. Jack frowns. Hates to ask this but --

Jack: You think it has something to do with what happened...

NARRATION: Ella rolls down her sleeve.

Ella: I know it sounds crazy. But I don't know what else it could be.

Jack: Ella.

Ella: I know you don't want to talk about it. I know you'd rather pretend like everything is just great.

Jack: No, you're wrong. I don't want to pretend. I want things to be great. But they won't be if we can't let go of the past.

Ella: Aren't you getting it? The past isn't letting go of us.

NARRATION: LIVING ROOM - DAY

NARRATION: Det. Ricky sits on the sofa across from Mia.

Ella: Thank you for meeting me.

DET. Ricky: It's fine. I live out this way anyway. Good place to raise a family.

NARRATION: Ella smiles.

DET. Ricky: So I brought what I have on the Mark's case.

NARRATION: He pulls out a FILE and OPENS IT. Takes out a photograph and shows it to Ella It's of the Mark's son from a few years back.

Det. Ricky: That's the Mark's boy Sam. Looks a little different than last you saw her. This was taken before she got caught up in that cult.

NARRATION: Ella studies the photo. Sets it aside.

Ella: Did you ever do any more research deep into it?

Det. Ricky: Research?

Ella: like I don't know did they have some sort of motive for their attacks.

Det. Ricky: Crazy people do --

Ella: -- crazy things. I know. But they didn't think they were crazy... They had to have a reason.

Det. Ricky: Well after a little digging I did find out that their act wasn't devotional. They were actually trying to conjure something up.

Ella: What?

Det. Ricky: Devils, demons. I couldn't tell you specifically...

Ella: Does this demon have a name?

NARRATION: Ricky scans his report.

DET. Ricky: Here it is... The demon is called DARKNESS.

NARRATION: USED BOOKSTORE - DAY

NARRATION: Ella pushes the stroller inside.

NARRATION: USED BOOKSTORE - LATER

NARRATION: Ella walks down an aisle. Scans titles that all have to do

with the same topic DARKNESS.

NARRATION: She pulls several off the shelf. Leafs through pages. Darkness is an evil spirit that possesses people who have lost someone dear to them, the victims of the demon tend to call themselves DARKNESS. They always have this urge to kill, they love the screams of their victims and whoever kills them they tend to haunt that person. Pictures too: Satan. Pentagrams. Fallen Angels in Hellfire. Black cats.

Man: You look a little lost.

NARRATION: MINUTES LATER

NARRATION: Ella sits at a table in the back. Books scattered between her and Emmanuel, 60s. Owner of the bookstore. He flips through the pages of a book.

Emmanuel: The demon DARKNESS, based on what you told me, it takes possession of their soul and sometimes reminds them of their loss, it gives them the urge to kill anyone no matter what it takes and this victims always know how to cover their tracks and never get got and they are usually really difficult to kill. Once their soul have been possessed, nothing can bring them back, it's either you kill them or you allow them kill others.

NARRATION: Ella is really disturbed the thought of it. She had killed the woman that day. Is that why she keeps haunting her or was she just hallucinating or are the stories about DARKNESS just a lie.

Emmanuel: But since you're sitting here, they didn't complete the task. But their spirit will still continue the task and that's really crazy.

Ella: Well, if we believe in ghosts like dead people haunting us they're usually associated with specific locations. Your problem is you moved and strange events are still occurring.

Ella: This sounds really crazy.

Emmanuel: No crazier than the Red Sea partingor a talking burning bush or whatever else. To non-believers, it's all crazy... But who cares about them, right?

NARRATION: Ella nods in agreement.

Emmanuel: So with what you told me about DARKNESS. It doesn't just end by killing it's victims, they just can't be stopped.

Ella: they can't be stopped? So everything I've been seeing wasn't just a nightmare or an hallucination, they were all real.

Emmanuel: you killed one of its victims?

Ella: yes and my husband thinks I've been going crazy but I have been see shadows of her on the wall and sometimes I see her with blood dripping from her neck which I managed to slit open and kill her. Sometimes the blood stains the white dress she's wearing and sometimes it doesn't. It's really crazy.

Emmanuel: And they haunt their killers and some other innocent souls.

Ella: other innocent souls?

NARRATION: She looks down at Mia and holds her tight.

Emmanuel: and they can't be stopped.

NARRATION: APARTMENT BUILDING - LATER

NARRATION: Ella's keys drop on the sidewalk. Ella , her back toward us, parks the stroller at the foot of the stairs and kneels to pick up the keys. She doesn't see the stroller begin to roll away from her toward the street. A city bus speeds toward it. Ella looks over her shoulder just in time to see the stroller hop the curb. Roll onto the street and into the path of the City Bus. Ella screams as she sees what is going on.

Ella: LOOK OUT!

NARARTION: SMASH! The City Bus crashes into the stroller. Library books fly everywhere. Ella stand, she's holding Mia in her arms. Thank God the baby was in her arms. Bus stops abruptly as Frank exits the apartment building like he saw the whole thing.

Frank: Ella. Are you okay?

NARRATION: Ell nods that she's fine. She watches the Bus Driver YANK the Stroller out from under the bumper of the bus. Its frame all bent to hell. Bus Driver tosses to the curb. Climbs back behind the steering wheel and drives away. Frank helps Mia gather up the books but some parts ofsome books are torn already.

Ella: I-It's okay. Thank you. I got it.

NARATION: Frank can't help but notice the titles. He flips through a few of them. Amused.

Frank: Some kind of bedtime stories.

NARRATION: LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATION: Ella enters, sets the baby on blanket on the floor, puts the books on the bookshelf and hurries toward the Nursery.

NARRATION: NURSERY - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATION: Ella enters the room to meet the woman she has been seeing but this time her clothes is completely red. Yes it's the same white dress but it's soaked with blood

Ella: Who are you? WHO ARE YOU?!

NARRATION: LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

NARRATION: Look. That BOOK on the bookshelf right above Mia. That book slides toward the edge of the shelf and Drops. Lands like an inch away from Mia. Another Book on that shelf is about to follow and this time around it lands even closer to Mia. More books fall as the bookshelf begins to tilt away from the wall. It's going to fall right on Mia if –

Ella: Mia!

NARRATION: Ella runs over, sets the bookshelf back against the wall and picks up Mia and then steps back. What the fuck is going on?

NARRATION: NURSERY - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATION: Ella sits on the ground with Mia in her hands wondering when all this is going to end.

NARRATION: APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATION: Ella enters the house back after she had gone for a little walk to clear her head. She shuts the Front Door. As she enters, she hears the creak of floorboards. Ella approaches the Nursery. She hears another creak of the floorboards. Cautious, Ella reaches out for the doorknob when it opens on its on, revealing Jack. He looks back at the bare shelves.

Jack: What's going on, Ella?

NARRATION: KNOCK! KNOCK!. The front door opens. John goes to check who it is but he sees no one there.

Ella: it's her.

Jack: who?

Ella: the crazy lady.

Jack: you're the only crazy lady here Ella.

Ella: I know what I'm saying. I don't need a therapist babe. Please believe me. She's coming after me.

Jack: and who is feeding your head with all this trash.

Ella: I saw it in a book about DARKNESS.

Jack: DARKNESS?

Ella: it says that when DARKNESS possess a person they have this urge to kill and they tend to call themselves DARKNESS too. And when a person kills any of its victim, the spirits haunts the person until the person either commits suicide or is killed by the spirit of thee victim. She has been haunting me babe.

Jack: who?

Ella: the woman from that night.

Jack: you need a lot of rest babe you've been really stressed.

NARRATION: NURSERY - MORNING

NARRATION: Ella sits in the rocking chair while feeding Mia. We move out of the Nursery and down into the bedroom. We slip in right as Jack closes the door. He's on the phone, in the middle of a serious discussion --

Jack: I don't know how long you would have the baby but I gotta get Ella some help... It could be two days... it could be a week... I'll know more after they have a chance to talk to her. She'll go in tonight... I think it's what's best for her and for Mia.

NARRATION: He hangs up. Conflicted about what he's about to do as he walks out, we RACK FOCUS to reveal the woman standing and staring at him.

NARRATION: LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATION: Ella sits on the couch and pores over the books. Absorbing every word, every passage.

Jack appears behind her. He's on his way out.

Jack: Are you sure you'll be all right here with Mia?

NARRATION: Ella looks up from her books.

Ella: Why? Don't you trust me?

Jack: I was just asking.

NARRATION: She looks back down.

Ella: We're used to being on our own.

NARRATION: Jack sighs. Grabs his keys and leaves.

Jack: I'll be home early tonight.

NARRATION: FIRST FLOOR HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Frank opens his door and sees Jack standing in the hallway.

Frank: is everything alright?

Jack: Yes. It is... I just -- I feel funny asking another man this but we don't really know anyone in the area yet and –

Frank: It's cool. What do you need?

Jack: I'm working a lot of hours. Long hours, my wife is home alone a lot as I think she's told you lately she's been a little under the weather...

Frank: You want me to check in on her later? To make sure everything is okay?

Jack: If you're around...

Frank: Sure thing.

Jack: Thank you.

NARRATION: LIVING ROOM - EARLY EVENING

NARRATION: Ella continues to read and take down notes in the margin. Taking this very seriously. Only stops when she's tired.

NARRATION: APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATION: Ella locks the door, shuts and locks the windows, checks the

knobs on the stove, unplugs the TV and the Record Player then turns ON all the lights.

NARRATION: BEDROOM - LATER

NARRATION: Ella curls up with Mia on the bed.

NARATION: BEDROOM

NARRATION: Ella wakes up. Thump. Thump, rises out of the bed. ThumpThumpThump coming from the Living Room. Ella opens the Bedroom Door and hurries down into the living room and sees the last of the books fall with impossibly LOUD THUMPS as they hit the floor.

NARRATION: Silence.

NARRATION: Record Player TURNS ON FULL BLAST. They long to be... close to you... Television FLIPS ON and cycles through the channels.

NARRATION: Mia CRIES.

NARRATION: Ella turns and races back into the bedroom and rushes over to bed to pick up Mia but when she pulls the covers aside, she sees blood instead.