THEY
FADE IN:
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Tiny golden wheels and gears turning lazily upon metal rods. Mechanical pieces. Small and intricate. Glittering in the sunlight.
REVEAL
The gears are turning within an ANTIQUE DESK CLOCK sitting on a book shelf, a small pendulum swinging back and forth behind the glass housing.
The room is barren except for a pair of open suitcases and a bed that's been stripped. Sitting on the mattress is ...
JULIA LEVIN ...
Smart and clever. Dressed in a graduation gown and staring out the window. She seems to be lost in thought, immobile, until the bedroom door swings open and ...
CONNOR LEVIN, aged seventeen and wearing a suit and tie, steps inside.
CONNOR
Dad says we gotta get moving. We're late.
JULIA
I'm getting ready.
CONNOR
You're sitting on the bed.
JULIA
(dryly)
Thanks
for clearing that up. I'll be right down.
He steps out.
Julia takes a framed picture out of her suitcase -- a candid shot of herself standing with her MOTHER, forties, a healthy and vibrant woman.
JULIA (cont'd)
Sure do miss you.
Above her, a CEILING FAN rotates. Creating a soft HUMMING.
EXT. WESTWOOD - APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
Julia walks out of the building where her father, GUY LEVIN, an older man with a kind face, waits. Connor is checking his reflection in the car window, adjusting his tie, fussing with his hair.
GUY
You ready?
JULIA
All set. I packed up everything.
(remembering)
Oh, except Mom's clock -- I think there's something wrong with it. It's not telling the right time.
GUY
I'll get it fixed. Probably just needs a few new parts.
Guy smiles at Julia for a moment. Very warmly.
GUY (cont'd)
You look just like your mother.
Julia is momentarily uncomfortable. But she recovers, smiles and kisses her father on the cheek.
JULIA
We'll be late.
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES - CAMPUS - DAY
Students dressed in graduation caps and gowns are gathered on the campus grounds.
Julia stands by herself, taking pictures with a professional Nikon camera. She focuses the camera upon ...
TERRY ALBA, 22, beautiful and sexy. Very particular and demanding. She smiles perfectly as Julia snaps the picture. But her boyfriend, SAM BURNSIDE, cute and mischievous, sporting pink hair and loud clothes, makes a face.
Winding her film, Julia searches a moment, then smiles. Raising her camera lens, she snaps a picture of ...
PAUL LOOMIS ...
Early twenties. Dark hair. Strapping and perfectly handsome. He wears a blue and gold striped tie with his starched white shirt and graduation gown.
He kisses her. Passionate and gentle.
PAUL
You packed up?
JULIA
Ready to move in. I'll be storing some of the stuff you've already got. Television. CD player. Microwave.
PAUL
(suggestively)
Bed.
Julia smiles at him.
JULIA
Bed.
PAUL
Med School doesn't start until August. At least not for the freshmen, so we've got plenty of time to see Europe, take the car trip up north ...
JULIA
I hope it won't be a drag. There's a lot of stuff to move out of my mother's cabin.
PAUL
Our friends will be there. It'll be fun.
JULIA
I hope so.
Beat.
PAUL
You okay?
JULIA
Tense.
PAUL
Would it help if I massaged your breasts?
JULIA
No.
PAUL
Because it would help me.
JULIA
(stifling laughter)
Maybe later.
The students start forming into lines.
JULIA (cont'd)
Hey, I saw your Mom and kid sister. Where's your Dad?
Beat.
PAUL
He's not coming.
JULIA
But it's your graduation.
Paul shrugs again. A brief sting of hurt on his face.
PAUL
Wasn't a good enough reason in High School either.
Paul looks away. Julia knows how painful this is and won't insult him by trying to diminish it.
Julia smiles and runs her finger across his tie knot.
JULIA
I like your tie. UCLA colors.
PAUL
School spirit. I am a Bruin.
The lines start moving towards the stadium. Hundreds of CHEERS rise up from the graduating students.
As she walks, a sound draws Julia's attention. Standing on the lawn is a SMALL BOY, no more than four years-old, SOBBING and clinging to his mother's legs.
Julia stops walking as she gazes at the child. The line comes to a halt behind her.
PAUL (cont'd)
Julia. We can't graduate unless you move.
JULIA
Sorry.
She stalks walking again. Paul puts his arms around her.
EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - GARDEN - DAY
A big, traditional house nestled in the hills. PARENTS and graduating STUDENTS exchange polite conversation in the yard.
EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - BACK PORCH - DAY
Sitting between a pair of open french doors is "the gang" consisting of Julia and Paul and Terry and Sam. They throw around conversation, ignoring the party.
TERRY
It's secluded? Nobody said anything to me about the cabin being secluded.
JULIA
I said it was a cabin in the woods. I thought seclusion was a given.
TERRY
I'm no good out in the woods. You know what lives in the woods? Animals that sting. Animals that bite.
PAUL
So avoid the animals.
JULIA
I really appreciate you guys helping me. I couldn't move everything alone.
SAM
Hey, it's our last chance to be together. Terry and I are excited.
(turns)
Aren't we, Ter?
She's not excited.
TERRY
Can I bring my cotton bedsheets to the cabin? If I try to sleep in anything but cotton, I get hives.
JULIA
Whatever makes you happy.
Sam grabs a large drawing pad from the steps. He opens it.
SAM
Speaking of which, I've got your graduation gift. As specified.
JULIA
Let's see.
Sam holds up a sketch of Clark Kent changing to Superman.
SAM
Like it?
JULIA
It's great. Thanks Sam.
Paul checks out the drawing. His nose crinkles.
PAUL
Superman? Why'd you want a drawing of Superman?
JULIA
He's very attractive.
PAUL
(staring)
You're kidding.
JULIA
No.
PAUL
He's not even real.
JULIA
I think most women tend to wonder if Superman is super in every way.
TERRY
I don't.
PAUL
You see. There goes your argument.
TERRY
(thoughtfully)
But Spiderman has a nice ass.
Off everyone's LOOK --
TERRY (cont'd)
What?
INT. SAM'S HOUSE - BATHROOM - DAY
Julia finishes washing her hands. Dries them. Grabbing her camera and the drawing, Julia opens the bathroom door ...
INT. SAM'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
... and freezes. Standing within an open bedroom is ...
A BLOND STUDENT.
Another college graduate. Tan and attractive. Dressed exactly like Paul -- identical white shirt, gold and blue striped tie. He pulls off his tie and unbuttons his shirt.
Julia doesn't move.
The student peels off his shirt. Her eyes are drawn to a Superman "S" insignia tattooed on his shoulder.
The student catches sight of Julia in the hallway. Her face turns bright red immediately. She starts to laugh.
He smiles at her. A bit flattered. Flirting.
STUDENT
Changing into something more formal.
He holds up a pair of ripped jeans.
Julia backs down the hallway. Still laughing. Embarrassed.
JULIA
I'm sorry. I was just using the ...
(laughs)
Really. I'm sorry.
STUDENT
I'll forgive you this once.
She quickly leaves.
The blond student watches her go. A grin on his face.
EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY
Julia walks out the back door. Stifling her laughter.
Paul is talking with Guy on the lawn. Julia SNAPS a picture of them together, winds her film, and notices ...
A LITTLE GIRL ...
Sweet and innocent. Sitting on a bench. Motionless.
Julia walks towards her. The little girl is staring across the lawn at a pool shed. Transfixed. A group of children are playing on the grass in front of it.
The girl becomes aware of Julia's presence and turns around.
JULIA
Hi.
GIRL
(quiet)
Hi.
Silence.
JULIA
You sitting here all by yourself?
The girl slowly nods "Yes."
JULIA (cont'd)
Don't you want to play with the other kids?
The girls shakes her head "No."
JULIA (cont'd)
Want me to leave you alone?
The girl shakes her head "No."
More silence.
JULIA (cont'd)
Want to mix this up and ask me something?
The little girl notices the camera.
GIRL
Are you taking pictures for Sam's family?
JULIA
No, I'm just ...
(then)
I'm a friend of Sam's. But I'm also a photographer. I take pictures.
Beat.
GIRL
Will you take a picture of me?
JULIA
Why?
GIRL
So you won't forget me.
JULIA
(surprised)
Why would I forget you?
GIRL
Because they're coming for me.
A long beat. Julia sits next to her.
JULIA
Who is?
GIRL
The monsters.
JULIA
What monsters?
GIRL
There. Behind the door.
The girl points towards the pool shed. The rusted door of the shed is slightly open. Just a crack.
JULIA
Those other kids don't look too scared.
GIRL
They should be.
Beat.
JULIA
(playing along)
So how come only you can see them?
THE GIRL LEANS FORWARD AND SPEAKS IN A HUSHED WHISPER.
GIRL
Because I know they're real. I used to have a little brother, but they came and got him. Now my parents say I never had a brother before.
(pause)
Soon ... my parents won't remember me either.
Something about the girl's tone of voice is unnerving. As if she's resigned herself to this.
A slight wind HISSES through the trees. The girl rises.
GIRL (cont'd)
I gotta go. They know I'm talking about them.
JULIA
Wait a second.
Julia SNAPS a picture of the girl.
JULIA (cont'd)
Feel better?
The girl stares at her.
GIRL
Are you scared of monsters?
JULIA
No.
Beat.
GIRL
I am.
The girl turns and runs across the lawn.
Julia is left sitting on the bench. She glances over at the pool shed again. Raises her camera and focuses on the door which is still cracked open.
She snaps the picture.
CLICK!
INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Julia and Paul are romantically entangled as they enter the apartment. A little drunk. Kissing and frolicking. She strips off his jacket and tie. Paul abruptly stops.
PAUL
Wait a minute ...
(grabbing both sides of his shirt)
This is a job for ...
Paul rips his shirt wide open. Buttons popping everywhere. They both start laughing. Joining together, he guides her towards the bathroom.
The wind gently HISSES on the balcony. Windchimes spinning.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
A cloud of hot steam. The soothing rush of warm water running over tanned and naked skin.
Julia stands underneath the shower, her body relaxing into Paul's chest, his muscular arms encircling her body, his lips buried in her neck and shoulders. Her eyes are shut. Her expression is calm.
INTERCUT - BLOND STUDENT
Standing in the guest bedroom at Sam's house. Young and muscular. Bathed in sunlight. The tattoo on his shoulder.
BACK TO JULIA
Her eyes still pressed closed. Smiling a little.
Water continues rushing from the shower head, creating a HISS that eventually becomes THE ROAR OF THE OCEAN.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY - DUSK
The setting sun blushes crimson across the rolling waves of the Pacific. Streaking along the highway is a RANGE ROVER, packed with luggage, headlights on.
INT. RANGE ROVER - DUSK
Paul sits behind the wheel. He's bopping and RAPPING with Sam to HIP-HOP that BLARES from the speakers. Very energized.
Julia sits on the passenger side, leaning against the window, trying to shut out the music. Terry looks just as miserable. Finally, Julia turns off the radio.
A silent beat. The guys catch their girlfriends' expressions.
PAUL
Sorry.
SAM
(overlapping)
Sorry.
Terry leans forward between the seats.
TERRY
So the cabin has electricity, right? And plumbing? Everything we need?
JULIA
Uh-huh.
TERRY
So it has everything.
JULIA
It has everything.
SAM
Wait a minute. I hear a shoe about to drop.
JULIA
Except a phone.
SAM
BAM! There it is.
TERRY
(scandalized)
I need a phone. It's like family to me. Mom, Dad, my brother .... phone.
JULIA
So you're roughing it.
TERRY
The last time I tried to rough it, I was in therapy for a year. Why didn't your mother have a phone?
JULIA
I guess she wanted to be left alone.
At least until she got sick.
Paul looks to her.
PAUL
This won't be too hard on you, will it?
Staying at her place?
JULIA
It's okay. I'm enjoying this.
Julia smiles at him. Paul smiles back.
PAUL
Good.
He switches the radio back on and continues RAPPING with Sam. Julia and Terry both stare straight ahead, ears pounding. This is turning into a LONG trip.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - NIGHT
Paul's Range Rover makes its way down a long, winding road. The Rover's headlights illuminate the woods lining the road on both sides.
INT. RANGE ROVER - NIGHT
The inside of the Range Rover is dark. Only the faint glow from the dashboard lights provides any ambient illumination. Sam and Terry are snuggled together in the back seat. Everything is quiet.
Julia is thinking. Finally, she breaks the silence.
JULIA
Do you believe in monsters?
A beat. Everyone else in the car trades looks.
PAUL
We've been in the car too long.
JULIA
I'm just asking.
PAUL
Like what? The Boogeyman?
JULIA
The Boogeyman. The thing under the bed. The monster hiding in the closet.
TERRY
What made you think of that?
JULIA
A little girl at Sam's house. She was convinced there was a monster trying to get her.
PAUL
You're saying you believe her?
Julia is suddenly on the spot. She backtracks.
JULIA
Of course I don't. There are no monsters. Not really.
SAM
Sure there are. Ted Bundy. Son of Sam.
Ed Gein.
TERRY
Who was Ed Gein?
SAM
He was a mass murderer. This old hermit who'd kill people and take the parts he wanted. Heads. Livers. Intestines. Sex organs.
TERRY
Why did he use the parts for?
SAM
Everything. The police found a skull that was used for a soup bowl. Faces were stuffed and mounted like hunting trophies on the wall. Bones were used for furniture.
PAUL
He also wore their skin. Like clothes.
Terry recoils into her seat. Grossed out.
TERRY
Sorry I asked.
SAM
You wanted proof. There it is.
JULIA
But it's not like he's a monster under the bed.
SAM
So?
JULIA
So why are kids afraid of that?
SAM
Because they live in a completely different world than we do.
(then)
Think about it. Why do kids pick up on things that we can't? ... Bumps in the night? ... footsteps in the hallway? ... A thumping inside their closet?
PAUL
Overactive imagination.
SAM
Wrong. Perfect awareness.
(beat)
Kids have a perfect awareness of everything around them. Every sound. Every shadow.
Everything gets quiet.
SAM (cont'd)
The
Boogeyman could be real. So could monsters. Just because you've never seen them
doesn't mean they aren't there.
Silence. The car engine purrs softly. This is starting to make sense. And it's spooky.
PAUL
All right. I'm creeped out. But my bullshit alarm is going off.
SAM
You just can't handle it.
PAUL
Right. Because it's bullshit.
JULIA
Serial killers aside, my take on this subject is very simple. If I don't have a picture of it -- it's not real.
TERRY
Okay, is this conversation like a radio station? Can we just change the channel? Because personally, I'd like to get to sleep tonight.
Terry has just finished saying these words, when --
AN ANIMAL runs out of the woods into the
middle of the road. A black shape in the headlights. Eyes flashing in the dark.
PAUL
JESUS CHRIST!
Paul SLAMS on the brakes. Too late.
WHAM! The RANGE ROVER SMASHES into it, throwing the shape into a ditch at the side of the road.
The Range Rover swerves and comes to a SQUEALING HALT.
INSIDE THE ROVER
Everyone catches their breath. A moment of dead silence.
PAUL (cont'd)
Everyone okay?
TERRY
(nods)
We're fine.
JULIA
What was that?
PAUL
I think it was a dog.
Julia unlocks her door.
JULIA
We'd better check the car.
She steps out of the Rover. The others follow.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - NIGHT
The hazard lights are switched on. Paul walks around to the front of the Rover.
The bumper is dented.
PAUL
Look at that. There's a couple thousand dollars out of my wallet.
TERRY
You can probably get someone to pop it back.
PAUL
Sure. For a couple hundred dollars.
Sam looks down the road. He can barely make out a large form resting lifeless in the ditch.
He starts walking towards it.
JULIA
I'm sorry about your car, Paul ...
PAUL
(begrudging)
Yeah, well. Shit happens.
The conversation becomes distant as Sam walks slowly up the road, moving past the yellow flashing HAZARD LIGHTS which CLICK rhythmically ... click, click, click ...
Sam approaches the ditch. Darkness is all around.
.... click ... click ... click ...
He kneels down alongside the body of the animal. Very little is visible of the corpse except for its dark, mangled form sprawled across the dirt.
Sam picks up a stick and pokes at the body. Nothing happens.
He pokes at the corpse again.
The hind legs of the corpse suddenly twitch. A reflex action. Sam leaps back. The life nearly scared out of him.
A flap of hairless skin slides away from one of the animal's hind legs. Sam leans forward to get a better look, becoming simultaneously repulsed and fascinated.
SAM
Hey guys!
PAUL
What?
SAM
Take a look at this.
JULIA
Is it a dog?
Sam glances at the dead corpse and back to his friends again. He looks shaken.
SAM
I don't know.
The rest of the group moves down the road. A weird unease has started to settle in.
Paul and Julia kneel down in front of the corpse. It's almost unrecognizable. The darkness smothering the road keeps them from getting a handle on any of the body's features.
PAUL
It looks like a dog to me.
SAM
Did you see the leg?
PAUL
What about it?
Sam takes the stick and gently pushes away the flap of torn skin for a better look. The group leans forward.
A deep bleeding wound has been exposed. Through the torn flesh and blood pumping over charcoal skin, the group can see bones flashing into the moonlight. But intermingled with the animal's skeleton are ...
PIECES OF METAL ...
Glittering and clean. A series of connected stainless steel threads and pallid bone that have grown together.
SAM
Ever seen anything like that?
PAUL
No.
SAM
It looks like steel. Like someone put steel into its body.
PAUL
I don't think it was put in there. It looks like it grew that way.
JULIA
That's impossible. What kind of animal has steel in its skeleton?
Terry steps forward tentatively.
TERRY
What are you looking at?
JULIA
Are you sure it's dead?
PAUL
Come on, honey. It's a dog. Not a zombie.
SAM
Julia? Where's your camera?
JULIA
It's in the car.
PAUL
I've got it.
Paul races back to the Range Rover and opens the passenger door. He withdraws Julia's camera.
Julia takes a step back into the middle of the road. The wind is sifting through the trees, creating a soft HISSING noise as the branches dance and twist in the shadows.
Paul returns and hands the camera to Sam.
SAM
You want to turn it over?
PAUL
I'm not touching it.
Sam kneels down. He points the camera and shoots.
The camera flash cuts through the darkness and falls upon the corpse. But only for a millisecond of clarity.
Twisted metal. Skin. Appendages. Madness.
Both of the young men stand frozen, thunderstruck, staring down at the misshapen shape in front of them. A long period of amazed silence follows.
SAM
That's wrong. That's all wrong.
Paul shakes his head.
PAUL
That's not a dog.
TERRY
(stunned)
What were those things coming out of its back?
Paul starts recoiling. His stomach is getting weak.
PAUL
That's not a dog.
The cool summer wind WHISTLES through the trees around them.
SAM
(sickened)
That doesn't even make sense.
JULIA
Paul ...
Paul looks over at her.
JULIA (cont'd)
Let's get in the car.
SAM
We need some flashlights.
TERRY
(hushed)
Screw the flashlights.
SAM
What the hell is it?
PAUL
Dude. We're outta here.
Julia and Paul walk briskly to the Range Rover. Sam and Terry follow them, glancing back over their shoulders.
SAM
What the hell is it?!
Paul tosses the camera into the Rover's back seat. He SLAMS the door shut. Julia opens the front passenger door.
A soft THUMPING from the woods. Almost like footsteps.
JULIA
Get in the car.
Julia hops into the front seat and SLAMS her door.
INT. RANGE ROVER - NIGHT
The atmosphere is quickly turning into panic. Paul jumps behind the wheel as both Sam and Terry close their doors.
SAM
I want to know what that thing was.
Paul presses the automatic door lock. THUNK.
JULIA
Paul, start the car.
PAUL
Keys ...
He searches his pockets. They're empty. He checks his jacket.
SAM
I want to know what it was.
PAUL
Will you shut up?
Paul fishes out the car keys from his jacket pocket. He starts the ignition. The engine ROARS to life.
JULIA
Go.
A heavy THUMP. Right outside the back window. Sam and Terry instinctively look towards the rear hatch.
TERRY
There's something behind the car.
JULIA
GO!
Paul hits the gas.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - NIGHT
The Range Rover disappears into the night.
The calm and unnerving quiet of the woods are left behind. The wind WHISTLES softly.
EXT. SANTA MIRA - FAST FOOD RESTAURANT - NIGHT
A fast food joint at the side of the road.
INT. FAST FOOD RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Everyone is sitting quietly at a table. Fast food leavings are littered across their plastic trays. Nobody is saying anything or looking at one another.
Finally ...
SAM
I want to get the body.
Everyone's face drops into shock. Paul almost laughs.
PAUL
You do that. We'll wait for your ass right here.
Sam leans forward in his seat. Intense.
SAM
Nothing about that thing looked right. Absolutely nothing. There was metal in its skeleton.
TERRY
Maybe it wasn't metal. It might've just looked like metal.
SAM
There were fucking gears, for Chrissake.
PAUL
Fine. Go back out there. Do whatever the hell you want. But count me out. I'm done.
JULIA
We've already got a picture, Sam.
SAM
Let's get a few more then. I want to get a good look at that thing up close.
TERRY
(adamant)
I'm not going back there.
SAM
Let Julia decide. It's her camera.
The group stares at Julia. She remains silent.
PAUL
Your call.
Julia stares back at all of them. A moment.
A small CHILD begins CRYING and SCREAMING in the restaurant. Julia flinches at the unexpected sound, glancing over at the child's parents as they quiet him down.
She rises from the table.
JULIA
I have to use the bathroom.
She walks straight into the bathroom.
After she's gone ...
TERRY
I'm not going back there.
INT. FAST FOOD RESTAURANT - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Large and poorly lit. Several closed bathroom stalls face a row of sinks and a huge mirror.
A toilet FLUSHES. Julia leaves one of the stalls and pulls the door closed behind her. She moves to the mirror, washes her hands, and retrieves a brush from her purse.
Water DRIPS from one of the leaky pipes in the bathroom while the fluorescent bulb over the mirror CRACKLES softly. Julia is about to brush her hair, but something unnerves her. She cocks her head slightly. A feeling.
She turns around and checks out the bathroom. The doors to the stalls are all closed shut. Empty and quiet.
She starts brushing her hair. A few moments pass. Then, she stops and listens to the water DRIPPING from the pipe. Julia turns back around and looks at the bathroom.
One of the stall doors all the way at the end is now slightly open. Not much. Just enough to reveal a patch of darkness and gloom within.
The sound of water dripping abruptly stops. Silence follows.
Julia looks like she's about to crawl out of her skin. She quickly shoves her brush back into her purse and leaves.
INT. FAST FOOD RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Julia walks towards her friends as they collect themselves. Everyone is slow getting their stuff together.
JULIA
I want to leave.
PAUL
Hold up. We're coming.
The CHILD starts CRYING again. Pointing at the bathroom.
This disturbs Julia further.
JULIA
Paul?
PAUL
Okay. Slow down.
The group leaves the table.
EXT. FAST FOOD RESTAURANT - PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS
The group emerges from the restaurant. The parking lot is almost deserted. No people are in sight.
Julia moves leisurely towards the Range Rover, just ahead of Terry and Sam -- but she'd walk a lot faster if Paul's arm weren't draped around her shoulder. She looks tight and nervous. Her eyes scanning the parking lot.
The cars are empty. Sidewalk litter dances in the wind.
Inside one of the parked cars, a featureless SHAPE is sitting behind the wheel. The shape turns and stares at them.
Everyone piles into the Range Rover. Julia throws a nervous glance back at the SHAPE in the car.
He's still watching them.
Everyone piles into the car.
INT. RANGE ROVER - CONTINUOUS
Paul starts the engine and pulls out of the parking lot. Julia relaxes into her seat, relieved.
EXT. SANTA MIRA - TOWN STREET - NIGHT
The Range Rover heads off into the woods.
EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING
A rustic home surrounded by huge pine trees and beach grass overlooking the ocean. There are no neighbors in sight. Paul's Range Rover is parked out front.
INT. CABIN - BASEMENT - NIGHT
The basement is saturated in a bright red light. Julia is developing a photograph within a small basin. Paul and Terry are seated on the stairs. Sam is pacing.
SAM
How much longer?
JULIA
Thirty seconds. It's coming out.
SAM
I still think we should get the body.
We could drive out there, haul it into the car ...
PAUL
I'm not loading that thing into my car.
I don't give a shit what it is. It's not coming back here.
Julia lifts the developed picture out of the basin.
JULIA
Done.
She switches on the light. The group crowds around her.
SAM
What is it? What does it look like?
The photograph is blurred. The body is indistinguishable.
JULIA
Damn.
SAM
What happened to the picture?
JULIA
Out of focus.
SAM
What do you mean it's out of focus? I took the picture. The flash went off.
JULIA
Sam, this is a professional camera with a zoom lens. You can't just point and shoot.
A quiet moment as they stare at the picture.
PAUL
Well, so much for that.
Sam looks at the picture, then at his friends. With a look of somber frustration, Sam quietly turns and charges up the stairs, taking two at a time.
After he's gone ...
TERRY
It's not a big deal. Whatever it was.
(then)
He'll get over it.
EXT. SANTA MIRA COASTLINE - BEACH - DAY
Cloudy and overcast. A set of colorless waves CRASH into the rocks. Sam and Julia and Terry walk just beyond the rippling surf, arguing with each other.
SAM
I can't get over it. That thing looked wrong. Completely wrong.
JULIA
Of course it looked wrong. Paul rammed it with his car.
SAM
What about the blood? It wasn't red ... it was black -- it was like ... oil coming from a busted engine.
JULIA
I must've missed that.
SAM
Let's find it. Cut it up. Study it.
TERRY
(measured)
Sam, I realize that you're an extroverted comic book artist and I'm a neurotic. But it's only now at this moment that I'm wondering why we're dating.
Sam turns back to Julia --
SAM
I'll pay you to take me back.
JULIA
You don't have to pay me. Take the car.
SAM
The Rover's a shift. I can only drive an automatic.
JULIA
Ask Paul.
SAM
He's out running. Besides, you heard him last night. He'd never do it.
Julia stares at him.
JULIA
It's a dead animal.
SAM
So come with me. You take the pictures this time. If it's just a dead animal, then you're right and I'm wrong. But if it's not, we've got a picture of it.
JULIA
A picture of what?
Beat.
SAM
A monster.
A set of foaming waves HISS as they slide along the sand.
Julia stands with her arms folded. There's something really creepy about it which she doesn't want to admit.
JULIA
Monsters don't exist.
SAM
What...?
(pause)
Sayin' yes ... or saying no?
Julia stares at him, deadpan. Sam just stares right back.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - DAY
The same lonely stretch of road from the night before.
The Range Rover appears around a corner and pulls over to the side of the road. Julia opens her door, camera in hand, and gets out. Sam follows her lead.
SAM
This is it?
JULIA
I think so. You can see the way the road turns sharply to the left. The rest of the drive was straight.
SAM
You've got film, right?
JULIA
A new roll. You can have all the pictures you want.
Julia and Sam start searching the ditch. Feet crunching in the dirt. Moving away from the car.
A soft THUMP echoes from somewhere in the woods. A place just beyond the wall of pine branches and shrubbery that shivers in the breeze.
Sam and Julia look around. They wait. Nothing. Nobody.
SAM
(slight grin)
The Boogeyman lives here.
JULIA
So will you if you keep talking like that.
They keep walking. A beat passes.
SAM
Julia? Can I ask you something?
JULIA
Go ahead.
SAM
Last night on the road, after I took the picture and we started walking to Paul's car, did you have the same feeling?
JULIA
What feeling?
SAM
That we were being chased.
Julia doesn't say anything.
She stops cold in her tracks. Just ahead of her, resting motionless in the ditch, is ...
A BODY ...
Swathed in dark fur, twisted at a pathetic angle, huge gashes in its side. The corpse of a Doberman pinscher. Flies are BUZZING and swarming over the dog's open wounds.
Julia and Sam move towards the dog's lifeless form.
JULIA
There's your monster.
SAM
That's a dog.
JULIA
Right.
Sam kneels in front of the corpse. Waves off some flies.
SAM
That's not what I saw.
JULIA
I don't see any other corpses on the side of the road, do you?
A long moment. Sam stares back down at the Doberman's body.
SAM
That's not what I saw.
CLOSE ON THE DOG
Eyes slightly open. A misshapen form plagued with flies.
The sound of INSECTS SWARMING drowns out the WIND HISSING through the trees.
EXT. FOREST - WALKING TRAIL - DAY
Paul is jogging through the woods. A light mist hangs in the cool air. The sounds of the forest surround him.
Suddenly, the birds stop singing. Paul becomes aware of this. He stops running and looks around. The forest is deathly still.
The sound of a TWIG being crushed underfoot. Then nothing.
Another moment. Paul keeps going, a chill on his spine, looking back over his shoulder.
EXT. SANTA MIRA - TOWN SQUARE - DAY
A picture postcard community consisting of quaint storefront shops and manicured parks.
Paul stands right in front of a freshly painted realty office building with a picketed fence, sipping a Coke, watching a HOMELESS WOMAN across the street screaming and shouting at traffic. She's right next to the parked Range Rover.
Julia walks out of the realty office.
PAUL
Finished?
JULIA
Done. The cabin has a buyer.
PAUL
What about the movers?
JULIA
They're coming on Sunday afternoon so we'll have to start packing.
The homeless woman starts walking off down the sidewalk. Moving away from the Rover's parking space.
PAUL
Good. She's leaving. I thought we were gonna have to make a run for the car.
JULIA
I feel sorry for those people.
PAUL
Me too. But that doesn't mean I want to get screamed at.
JULIA
People are ignoring her. Maybe that's the only way she can get attention.
PAUL
She's doing a good job. Kept me away.
They start crossing the street towards the car.
JULIA
How does someone end up like that?
PAUL
I think we're witnessing it first-hand with Sam. What did you guys find on the road anyway?
JULIA
A dog.
Paul stares at her. Surprised.
PAUL
Really?
JULIA
Yeah. Personally, I'm glad we didn't find Frankenstein's monster.
PAUL
You just like being right.
JULIA
(grins)
Damn straight.
EXT. CABIN - WALKING TRAIL - DAY
Sam heads away from the cabin, his drawing sketch pad under his arm, moving into the woods.
INT. CABIN - BASEMENT - DAY
A picture is lifted out of the developing basin. The shot of the little girl from the party. Her expression is distant. Tortured.
Bathed in the red light, Julia gazes at the picture for a moment, then places it to the side. She goes to work on the next piece of developing paper into the basin. She waits. Rocks the basin a bit.
The TIMER in the basement TICKS.
The picture starts to manifest. The photo of the children and pool shed at Sam's house.
Julia frowns slightly. Something is wrong with the photograph as the details become more tangible. She lifts the photo out of the basin. Mystified.
CLOSE ON: THE PHOTO
Standing just inside the shed's door is a BLURRED FIGURE. Featureless. Barely distinguishable. Hiding in the dark.
EXT. WOODS - WALKING TRAIL - DAY
Sam is sitting on a fallen tree trunk, sketching on his drawing pad with a feverish intensity.
CLOSE ON: THE DRAWING
A rough drawing of the animal's leg, intertwined with steel rods and metal threads which culminate in a large pulley where the hip bone should be.
INT. CABIN - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
A warm and comfortable cabin. Simple and subdued.
Paul is seated on the couch, typing into his powerbook which is hooked up into a phone jack in the wall. Julia stands next to him, holding the photograph.
JULIA
I've never seen anything like this before. I thought it might be a flaw in the negative, but now I'm not so sure. Will you take a look?
PAUL
(not paying attention)
Okay.
He keeps watching.
JULIA
Today.
PAUL
I'm busy.
JULIA
You're in a chat room with a bunch of strangers.
PAUL
(defensive)
They're friends.
JULIA
Oh yeah? What are their last names?
They sit face to face. Paul is speechless for a moment, then impatiently takes the photograph and looks at it.
PAUL
I don't see anything.
He puts the photo down and gets back to the chat room.
JULIA
You didn't even look.
PAUL
(he didn't)
I looked.
JULIA
There's somebody in the shed. I couldn't see it when I took the picture, but now it's there.
PAUL
I know. Usually when you take a picture, you can't see a blur.
Paul smiles at her. Completely smug. Julia stares right back.
JULIA
Give your "friends" my best.
Julia takes the photograph and leaves. Paul types into his computer: "JULIA SENDS HER BEST." The message pops up next to his user name. Within seconds, several other user names in the chat room respond with "WHO'S JULIA???"
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Terry is sitting on the counter, twirling her hair and chatting on a CELL PHONE. Julia enters the kitchen.
TERRY
(on the phone)
I'm not kidding, Dana. There's no phone.
(beat)
There's a jack and the phone line works, but there's no phone. Uh-huh. Paul was able to get on the internet. I'm using his cell.
JULIA
(quietly)
I need you to look at something.
Terry nods.
TERRY
Hold on.
JULIA
Here.
Julia holds out the picture. Terry looks it over briefly.
TERRY
(polite)
Nice picture.
She gets back to her phone conversation.
TERRY (cont'd)
I'm back.
(beat)
I don't know if he has any free minutes, but he definitely won't after this conversation. Uh-huh. Thank God for AirTouch.
Frustrated, Julia takes the picture and leaves the kitchen.
EXT. CABIN - FRONT PORCH - NIGHT
The air is completely still. A hush has fallen. The only sound is the ocean and crickets chirping in the grass.
Julia wanders outside holding some of the developed photographs from the party. Sam is sitting on the front steps, working on his drawing.
JULIA
Sam? Could you look at...
Sam looks up from his drawing pad.
SAM
What?
Beat.
JULIA
Never mind.
Julia sits on the porch glider and looks through the photos. The little girl looking back over her shoulder. The blurred shape inside of the shed.
A moment passes. Julia shuts her eyes as a slight breeze comes up. She slips into a dream-like state, calm and relaxed, before opening her eyes to find ...
THE BLOND STUDENT
Sitting back on the hood of a sports car. Wearing a white tank top undershirt. The tattooed "S" insignia visible on his shoulder. Bathed in soft moonlight. He even looks good in the dark.
Their eyes meet. Smiles are traded between them. The wind sifts gently over the porch.
It's all very dream-like.
INT. CABIN - BEDROOM - NIGHT
A spacious bedroom. Typical.
Julia is already in bed and wearing a night shirt. Paul is grinding out a set of crunches.
JULIA
It just would have been nice if somebody had looked at it. You were on the internet. Terry was on the phone. I felt like I was living with a bunch of machines instead of people.
PAUL
Someone's overreacting.
JULIA
Would you look at it again?
PAUL
I already did. And I still don't see anything.
Paul gets into bed.
JULIA
That little girl said there was a monster in the shed.
PAUL
(kisses her)
It was probably another dog. Good night.
He switches off the light. Paul turns over and goes to sleep.
Julia sits for a moment in the dark. Alone with her thoughts. She looks over at the walk-in closet across the room.
The closet door is slightly open. Just a crack. Not enough to provide any clear view of what lies within, but just enough for something -- monsters included -- to peek out.
Julia stares at the closet. Spooked. She knows better, but it's dark and her primal fears are taking control.
JULIA
(to herself)
Stupid.
She gets out of bed and tiptoes to the closet, shutting the door. Then she gets back into bed. Smiling to herself, she goes to sleep.
EXT. CABIN - NIGHT
The wind is picking up. Trees rustle.
INT. CABIN - BEDROOM - NIGHT
The clock on the night table reads 3:15 AM. Julia turns over in her sleep and stirs awake. She groggily looks over towards the closet. Julia practically sits up in bed.
The closet door is wide open.
A childhood nightmare come to life. Julia's breathing quickens. She reaches towards the other side of the bed.
JULIA
(a whisper)
Paul?
Her hand finds nothing but sheets and empty space. There's nobody there. She quickly turns to locate her boyfriend. But he's gone.
She tries to switch on the light. CLICK.
The light stays off. She tries again. CLICK.
Nothing happens.
Then, she hears it. A faint sound. Almost like a shuffling. The sound of something dragging itself lightly across the floor to the edge of the bed.
Julia's throat has gone dry. Carefully, she creeps towards Paul's side of the bed and checks the floor.
There is nothing in sight. The only sign of movement are the shadows from the trees outside.
There is only one place left to look. Julia cautiously steps down to the floor. Sinking down on her knees, she gently lifts up the dust ruffle and looks into the inky darkness underneath the bed. The space is empty.
Julia drops the dust ruffle and sits up, GASPING.
A BLACK SHAPE IS STANDING BEHIND HER.
Then, a familiar voice comes from it.
PAUL
Hey ... it's just me.
Paul switches on the light. He's wearing a UCLA sweatshirt.
JULIA
The light wouldn't turn on.
PAUL
Works now.
Julia catches her breath. The fear finally draining from her.
JULIA
Where were you?
PAUL
I was cold so I got a sweater from the closet. And I went to the bathroom. Why were you looking under the bed?