chapter ten

Ella: Jack, Jack wake up .

Jack: What's wrong? Is it the baby?

Ella: No, I heard a scream next door. I think something is wrong.

NARRATION: Jack joins her at the window. No evidence of what we just witnessed. So don't blame him too much when he says.

Jack: Stay here. I'll go check it out.

Ella: Jack, wait!

NARRATION: She follows him down the hallway

Ella: Shouldn't we call the cops?

NARRATION: Jack pauses at the front door with his hand on the knob.

Jack: Because you think you heard a scream? Let me just go over and see. They'd do the same for us. I don't know about you but I'm getting the sense that something is standing on the other side of that door, something bad.

Ella: If they heard me scream I'd rather they call the police for us.

Jack: Think they heard you scream, you mean.

NARRATION: He starts to turn the doorknob.

Ella: No... Don't do that. Honey please be careful.

Jack: I will.

NARRATION: He pulls open the Front Door to reveal -- gasp --Oh.

Jack: My sense was wrong. It's nothing.

NARRATION: He exits.

NARRATION: Ella watches him from the front door. As he crosses over their yard and into the

Mark's house.

NARRATION: Ella Loses sight of him when he steps onto their front porch. She waits, along with the crickets and that DOG BARKING somewhere down at the end of their block.

NARRATION: Ella Waits some more. Anxious, she steps outside and takes a half step down off the porch.

Ella: Jack?

NARRATION: There's no answer from Jack.

NARRATION: She leaves the stairs and Walks over to the Mark's house in search of Jack.

NARRATION: Eyes fixated on the darkness of their Front Porch, as she approaches. She a little bit scare but she continues to look for Jack.

Ella: Jack? Where are you? Is everything ok ho…

NARRATION: The front Door flies wide open, Ella is scared, she takes some steps back then she realizes it's Jack. And he's covered in blood like he just got out of a botched surgery.

Jack: go! Call an ambulance!

Ella: Oh God, what happened?

NARRATION: behind Jack,the dim light from the outdoors illuminates Ken and Rita Mark on the floor, drowning in their own blood.

NARRATION: Ella's mouth moves but no words come out. Her eyes move back up

to Jack, realizes he's saying --

Jack: Ella, go, now.

NARRATION: Jack races back inside to help the Mark's.

NARRATION: Ella runs back to their house and hurries up the front steps and crashes through their front door.

NARRATION: Ella picks the phone off the wall, trying to dial 911 but it isn't so easy when you're fingers are shaking like hers. As the line rings, Ella turns toward the window. She watches the Mark's house Still dark. On the other end of the line, an Operator answers.

Ella: Y-yes -- we need an ambulance. 470, Garner Road , two people, I don't know , but there's a lot of blood.

NARRATION: A streak of white passes behind Ella. Did anyone see it? Because she didn't see it.

Ella: Yes, thank you, please hurry.

NARRATION: Ella hangs up and goes over to the window then she shuts and locks it. Then walks toward the Master Bedroom, she passes the Nursery. But she's too distracted to see standing what's in the center of the room.

NARRATION: A woman, Loose, white clothes stained with red

blood. And she's staring at Ella, with a dagger dripping blood in her hands.

NARRATION: Ella reaches the master bedroom and grabs her robe, throws it on. Cinches the sash as it dawns on her -- Did she just see it?

Amanda: I like your dolls.

NARRATION: Ella screams in fear.

NARRATION: A man, thin, long beard, patches of hair , steps out

from behind the closet door. In his hand, a very sharp knife, sticky with blood, rushes toward Ella and grabs her then he raises his knife.

Ella: I'm pregnant.

Man: that makes it even more fun.

NARRATION: He stabs her in the side of the stomach.

NARRATION: Now she screams in pain.

NARRATION: Jack bursts through the bedroom door and tackles the man and then his knife falls to the ground.

NARRATION: Ella collapses.

NARRATION: Blood soaks her nightgown. She looks over at Jack and the Man wrestling on the floor.

NARRATION: Jack pins the Man down with his knees and gives him several punches on his face with his fist.

NARRATION: Amanda jumps on Jack's back like a mad dog and sinks her teeth into his skin on his shoulder and won't let go.

NARRATION: Ella crawls over to the knife and manages to pick it up. Wait I thought she had collapsed, she must a really strong woman to wake up at this very point in time.

NARRATION: Holding her stomach, she stands, Sees the man sit up, his eyes wild, nose bashed in but a smile on his thin lips like he's enjoying this.

NARRATION: The Man grabs hold of Jacks leg and twists it.

NARRATION: Ella runs over, falls on top of the man while she stabs him.

NARRATION: Amanda releases her bite on Jack then hops on top of Ella and yanks the knife away from her and raises it to finish Ella off. But Jack pushes her and she hits her head against the wall and then the corps charge in through the front door.

NARRATION: Guns at the ready.

NARRATION: Amanda scrambles to her feet and dives into the Nursery and slams the door closed and locks it.

NARRATION: Jack kneels beside Ella. She writhes on the floor in so much pain. EMTS enter into the room.

Jack: She's pregnant, five months, the Baby, we can't lose the baby.

NARRATION: Ella's vision is blur as she looks In and out of focus as she looks down the hallway.

NARRATION: Police Officers outside the Nursery, banging on its locked door.

Officer: Open up! This is the police!

NARRTATION: One Officer raises his gun, nods to another, another approaches the door and kicks it open, revealing Amanda seated on the floor against the back wall, her throat slit wide open by that knife beside her on the floor. She's dead, the almighty darkness is dead.