7 CHAPTER SEVEN: THE SCREAM

RANDON AND EISE STARES AT EACH OTHER. A MINUTE LATER, ELISE BREAKS THE SILENCE BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM.

ELISE: PLEASE, EXCUSE ME.

RANDON: WAIT.

ELISE: WHAT IS IT NOW, RANDON?

RANDON: WHY ARE YOU WITH GREGOR?

SOMEONE IS ARRIVING AND CALLING RANDON'S NAME, IT IS VERONICA.

VERONICA: THERE YOU ARE, RANDON. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU.

RANDON: WHAT FOR?

VERONICA: ARENT YOU LISTENING TO ME, RANDON? FOR YOU. YOU MUST BE THE NEW GIRL IN TOWN.

RANDON: VERONICA, STOP IT.

VERONICA: I DIDNT DO ANYTHING, JUST YET. I WAS JUST ASKING. UNLESS, I WAS INTRUDING FOR SOMETHING, WASNT I?

ELISE: NO, YOU WERENT INTRUDING, IT'S NOT IMPORTANT. YES, I AM THE NEW GIRL IN TOWN AND I HAVE A NAME, ELISE.

VERONICA: I AM VERONICA. RANDON'S... SPECIAL FRIEND. NICE MEETING YOU, ELISE. I HOPE THIS WONT BE THE LAST. I LIKE TO KNOW YOU MORE.

ELISE: (SMILES) NICE MEETING YOU TOO, VERONICA. THANK YOU FOR INVITING US HERE. I HAVE TO GO.

AS ELISE IS TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM THE SITUATION BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM. RANDON LOOKS AT HER AND SHE NOTICES HIM. VERONICA OBSERVES THEM SILENTLY. UNTIL THEY HEAR A SCREAM ACROSS THE FENCES, FROM WHERE THEY ARE STANDING.

VERONICA: WHAT WAS THAT?

RANDON: SOMEONE WAS SCREAMING FOR HELP.

ELISE REMOVES HER HEELS AND RUNS ACROSS THE FENCES TO FOLLOW THAT VOICE.

RANDON: ELISE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!

ELISE: CALL SOMEONE FOR HELP, I NEED TO FOLLOW THAT VOICE.

RANDON: IT IS DANGEROUS WITHOUT SECOND THOUGHTS, HE FOLLOWS ELISE'S FOOTSTEPS BUT VERONICA STOPS HIM.

VERONICA: WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

RANDON: I NEED TO FOLLOW HER.

VERONICA: YOU SAID IT TO YOURSELF, IT'S DANGEROUS.

RANDON: IT IS MORE DANGEROUS IF THERE IS MORE SOMETHING HAPPEN TO HER. CALL YOUR FATHER OR A POLICE, LET THEM KNOW. NOW.

VERONICA: BUT RANDON! RANDON!

VERONICA RUNS IMMEDIATELY TO HER FATHER TOGETHER WITH RANDON'S FAMILY.

VERONICA: FATHER! FATHER! HELP!

MR. LEIGH: WHAT IS HAPPENING? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?

VERONICA: IT'S RANDON

DR. DEAN: WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON, VERONICA?

VERONICA: NO, NOT TO HIM BUT SOMEONE WAS SHOUTING ACROSS THE FENCES FOR HELP. WE HEARD IT. RANDON FOLLOWED THE VOICE WITH THE NEW GIRL, TOGETHER OUTSIDE THE FENCES. YOU MUST FIND HIM.

GREGOR HEARD THEM TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. SO, HE RUNS FAST TO FOLLOW ELISE ACROSS THE FENCES. WHILE EVERYONE IN THE PARTY ARE GETTING NERVOUS. THEY CALL THE POLICEMEN. DOCTOR DEAN SITS DOWN BECAUSE OF RANDON. PENELOPE COMFORTS HER MOTHER.

PENELOPE: DAD, YOU MUST FIND THEM. YOU MUST FIND HIM.

GOV. DEAN: VERONICA, WHERE DID YOU HEARD IT?

VERONICA: AT THE SMALL GARDEN WITH MANY LIGHTS ACROSS THE FENCES.

GOV. DEAN: MR. KILM, COME WITH ME.WE MUST FIND MY SON.

MR. LEIGH: I WILL COME WITH YOU, FORD.

MR. KILM: IT IS DANGEROUS, MR. LEIGH.

MR.LEIGH: I INSIST.

GOV. DEAN: OKAY, THEN. LET'S MOVE.

MRS.LEIGH: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE STAY CALM. THE POLICEMEN ARE ARRIVING. WE MUST BE AT ONE PLACE. I NEED YOUR COOPERATION.

ASHLEY: VERONICA, HE WILL BE FOUND. DONT WORRY.

LARRY: IS THAT RIGHT WHAT I HAVE HEARD? HE FOLLOWED ELISE?

VERONICA: ELISE FOLLOWED THE VOICE THEN RANDON FOLLOWED HER.

PATT: ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THAT VOICE, TO THAT SCREAM, VERONICA?

VERONICA: NOT A CHANCE, I GOT NERVOUS AND SHOCKED.

PATT: YOU MUST RECOGNIZED THE VOICE.

LARRY: HEY, ENOUGH ALREADY, PATT. SHE'S SCARED,CANT YOU? DISTANCE YOURSELF.

PATT: IT IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING THE WHOLE TIME, LARRY. ESPECIALLY, WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

LARRY PUNCHES PATT'S RIGHT FACE.

LARRY: JUST SHUT UP. YOU ARE NOT HELPING.

PENELOPE: BACK OFF, LARRY. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO'S NOT HELPING THIS SITUATION.

PENELOPE HELPS PATT TO GET UP. BUT HE REFUSES HER HELP.

PATT: I DONT NEED YOUR HELP. MY DAD IS RIGHT THE WHOLE TIME.

PENELOPE: PATT....

PATT IS PLANNING TO GO HOME BUT BILLY STOPS HIM. BILLY REFUSES HIM TO LEAVE BECAUSE IT IS NOT STILL SAFE. BILLY GIVES HIM SOME ICE COVERED WITH CLOTH.

BILLY: HERE, SIT, HAVE SOME ICE ON YOUR FACE, PATT.

PATT: I NEED TO FIND MY DAD AND GO HOME. I TOLD HIM THIS IS A BAD IDEA TO BE HERE.

BILLY: I KNOW. JUST STAY CALM. YOUR FATHER WILL BE HERE SOON

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WILDERNESS ACROSSED FROM THE LEIGH'S PROPERTY, RANDON SHOUTS FOR ELISE. BUT SHE NEVER RESPONDS. A MINUTE LATER, GREGOR FINDS HIM.

RANDON: WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

GREGOR: I HAVE HEARD ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. I AM HERE TO FIND ELISE. DO YOU SEE HER?

RANDON: NOT YET, I FOLLOWED HER EARLIER UNTIL I NEVER HEARD HER STEPS AND SHE DISAPPEARED.

GREGOR: WHAT? DO YOU RECOGNIZED THE SCREAM?

RANDON: NO.

GREGOR: YOUR FATHER AND OTHERS ARE SEARCHING FOR YOU. YOU MUST GO NOW. I WILL BE THE ONE TO FIND HER.

RANDON: NO, YOU DONT HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE COMMANDS ON ME.

GREGOR: IT'S YOUR AMAZING TALENT, RANDON, TO COMMAND ESPECIALLY FROM YOUR FATHER'S

RANDON: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?

GREGOR: YOU ARE YOUR FATHER'S PET.

RANDON PUNCHES GREGOR AND GREGOR FIGHTS BACK TO RANDON. MR. LEIGH, GOV. DEAN AND MR.KILM SEE THEM FIGHTING. GOV. DEAN IS HOLDING HIS SON WHILE MR. KILM IS HOLDING GREGOR.

MR. LEIGH: STOP! THE BOTH OF YOU.

GOV. DEAN: CALM DOWN, SON. HE IS NOT WORTHY.

GREGOR: LOOSE YOUR ARMS TO ME, MR. KILM. I AM IN CONTROL.

MR. KILM: ARE YOU SURE WITH THAT YOUNG BOY?

GREGOR: LET GO, I AM NOT THE ONE WHO STARTED THE FIGHT. I AM DEFENDING MYSELF FROM A GUILTY PRIDE OF YOUR BELOVED SON, GOVERNOR.

MR. LEIGH: ENOUGH, YOU ARE NOT CHILDREN ANYMORE. WE FOUND RANDON. LET US GO BACK NOW.

GREGOR: WHAT? WHAT ABOUT ELISE? TO THAT SCREAMING?

GOV. DEAN: THE POLICEMEN WILL BE HERE SOON. THEY ARE GOING TO SEARCH FOR THEM, NOT US.

RANDON: NO DAD, I WILL BE STAYING HERE UNTIL I FOUND ELISE.

GOV. DEAN: JUST ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, SON. FOLLOW MY COMMAND. SHE IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. MR. KILM WILL BE THE ONE TO SEARCH THIS, ELISE.

GREGOR: I WILL BE STAYING HERE. I WILL FIND HER AND NO COMMANDS CAN EVER STOP ME, NOT EVEN YOU GOVERNOR DEAN.GREGOR WALKS AWAY AND CONTINUES SEARCHING FOR ELISE.MR. LEIGH: WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT GUY?

GOV. DEAN: MR. KILM, YOU MUST FOLLOW HIM AND FIND THE OTHERS.

MR. KILM: YES SIR.

GOV. DEAN: LET'S GO, RAN. YOUR MOTHER IS WORRYING ABOUT YOU. LET'S GO.

MR. KILM FOLLOWS GREGOR AND ASKS HIM.

MR. KILM: GREGOR, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT VOICE IS?

GREGOR: I DONT EVEN KNOW. I AM JUST CONCERN ABOUT MY FRIEND ELISE, NOTHING MORE.

MR. KILM: OKAY, TO MAKE OUR SEARCH EASIER AND MORE EFFECTIVE, LET US SEPARATE OUR WAYS. YOU FIND THE GIRL AND I FIND THE OTHER.

GREGOR: THAT'S A BETTER IDEA, MR. KILM.

GREGOR SEES SOMEONE IS LAYING DOWN ON THE GROUND. IT IS ELISE BEING UNCONSCIOUS.

GREGOR: ELISE? WHO DID THIS TO YOU? ELISE?

ELISE: I SAW THAT VOICE. IT WAS AN OLD MAN.

GREGOR: WHERE IS HE?

ELISE: UPHILL

GREGOR LOOKS UP TO THE HILL THEN HE OBSERVES THAT ELISE MIGHT FELL FROM ABOVE THE HILL.

GREGOR: DID YOU JUST FELL?

ELISE: I GUESS. I DONT KNOW. LET'S GO BACK UPHILL. HE IS STILL ALIVE. WE MUST HELP HIM.

GREGOR: IS HE STILL ALIVE?ELISE: HE'S BEEN CRAWLING WHEN I SAW HIM. LET'S GO.

GREGOR: I WILL CARRY YOU. RIDE AT MY BACK. CAN YOU DO THAT?

ELISE: OKAY, I CAN.

WHEN THEY REACH UPHILL, THEY SEE THE OLD MAN LAYING WITH A KNIFE STABBED ON HIS CHEST. ELISE SCREAMS AND GREGOR HOLDS HER TIGHTLY. GREGOR RECOGNIZES THE OLD MAN.

GREGOR: IT'S MR. GIBSON.

ELISE: YOU KNOW HIM?

GREGOR: VERY MUCH.

MR. KILM: THERE YOU ARE, I HEARD SOMEONE IS SCREAMING. ARE YOU BOTH ALRIGHT?

GREGOR: MR. KILM, IT'S VICE GOVERNOR GIBSON. HE IS DEAD.

MR. KILM: WHAT?

MR. KILM CANT BELIEVE FROM WHAT HE WITNESSED, IT IS INDEED VICE GOVERNOR GIBSON, THE FATHER OF PATT.

ELISE: HE'S STILL CRAWLING WHEN I LAST SAW HIM.

MR. KILM: HOW DID YOU KNOW?

GREGOR: I SAW HER UNCONSCIOUSLY DOWNHILL FROM HER FALL.

MR. KILM: DONT WORRY NOW, YOUNG LADY. YOU ARE SAFE. I WILL CALL THE POLICEMEN AND THE GOVERNOR FOR THIS SAD NEWS.

AFTER A CALL FROM THE GOVERNOR, MR. KILM REQUESTED GREGOR AND ELISE TO BE BACK AT THE PARTY TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TONIGHT.