STAIRWELL

Written by

Gregory Mandarano & Raza Rizvi

[email protected] INT. CEREAL AISLE, SUPERMARKET - DAY Boxes of MONSTER CEREAL line the neatly stacked shelf, each one featuring its comical, but menacing, MONSTER MASCOT. Hairy and tall, it kneels outside a kitchen window as its cat-like eyes covetously watch two children eating its cereal. A catchy POP-SONG plays over the speakers in a tinny sound. VERONICA (20s), a responsible suburban mother who has made the trip down this aisle a hundred times before, takes a box without looking, and places it atop her filled grocery cart. There's candy, box drinks, snacks, balloons, party ribbons. A colorful, childlike hoard. She turns the corner and peruses the bakery. Her wheels squeak, echoing in the empty market. A dark shadow passes over her, chilling her blood, and she stops short. She searches around, but there's no one there. Just a distant STOCK BOY a hundred feet away stacking cans. She chuckles, chastising herself for being so easily spooked, and carefully picks out a big pink birthday cake. Only she just can't seem to shake the sense of dread, and when a second shadow passes over her, she jerks her head to look. But she's all alone. Hastily putting the cake in her cart, she quickens her pace. A shaky peek over her shoulder proves the shadow is following her, and Veronica starts to run. BESIDE A PAPER-TOWEL PYRAMID Veronica takes refuge. She struggles to slow her racing breath, then cautiously peers out from behind her shelter. But still, there's nothing there. Maybe there never was. Vexed, she bites her lip and spins, coming face to face with: A TEENAGE GIRL. Rings through her lips and nose, cat-like mascara and eyeliner, and a merchandized MAGDALENE t-shirt. Its design is an edgy image of an Alice-like girl, staring up at a nightmarish version of the monster from the cereal box, crowned by the words: THE DEVIL IN US. Veronica chirps a frightened squeal. Girlish. Awkward. Oops. TEENAGE GIRL Freak. 2.

The girl flashes a backwards peace sign, then struts off. Veronica huffs, grabs her cart with both hands, and veers it SMACK into SOMEONE, KNOCKING THEM FLAT to the ground. She startles, and goes rushing to their aid to help them up. It's MIRIAM (50s), a flustered businesswoman in a pant-suit, with an assortment of frozen dinners scattered around her. She takes Veronica's arm, showing no malice as she's lifted up and dusted off. Veronica's apologetic look is reciprocated by a curt nod of understanding, followed by a tired glance at the dropped groceries. Veronica nods, and springs to action. One by one she gathers them. Every single box is meat lasagna, but they're all from different brands. Not one duplicate. Veronica neatly piles them into the fallen hand-basket, but when she politely offers it to Miriam, Miriam politely refuses. MIRIAM Leave them. I've lost my appetite. Veronica's left holding the basket as Miriam walks away. AT THE REGISTER THE CASHIER, loudly chewing gum on the job, scans a frozen lasagna, gets an annoying beep, and has to punch numbers in. THE CASHIER Throwing a party tonight? But Veronica's mind is light years away as she stares at the magazine rack with diamond intensity. Absolutely transfixed. MAGDALENE (20s), is on the cover of FORBES, beaming with supreme confidence and power as she stands on top of a globe. HOW MAGDALENE TOOK OVER THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. ONE SONG AT A TIME. Veronica chews her lip. Seething. Blood boiling. THE CASHIER (CONT'D) Cash or card? She snatches the magazine, aggressively shoves it into the Cashier's hands, opens her purse, and takes out a credit card. THE CASHIER (CONT'D) That'll be one sixty six, sixty. 3.

EXT. SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT - DAY Veronica presses the button under the spoiler of her Subaru hatchback, and steps back to patiently watch the trunk rise. Once up, she lifts a heavy grocery bag out of her cart... WHAM! A GRUNGY DUDE speeds past on a bicycle and its handles RIP the bag open, spilling frozen meat lasagnas everywhere. Veronica's a mess, irritated and on the verge of tears as she kneels on the pavement and starts gathering boxes together. MIRIAM (O.S.) One good turn deserves another. Miriam's sudden appearance at her side is a welcome sight, and Veronica visibly calms as she gets help loading the trunk. MIRIAM (CONT'D) Nice ass. Mine used to be like that. Veronica smirks at the audacious comment, exposing herself even more as she leans in, pushing the bags to make room. THWAP! Miriam SLAPS Veronica's ass, eliciting a surprised OH! from Veronica's lips as she turns to confront her harasser. But THE NEEDLE in Miriam's hand gets swiftly injected in Veronica's jugular, and her eyes cloud as her strength fails. But still, she struggles. Kicking and flailing. Her cart gets knocked over, sending everything scattering to the pavement. Miriam softly cradles her to the ground as A VAN pulls up behind them. Its doors open. And as Veronica loses consciousness, Miriam plucks the car keys from her hand. CUT TO: As the van drives away, Miriam gets into Veronica's Subaru, starts the engine, and follows after it out of the lot. CUT TO: A BUSY MOM jabbers on her cellphone, dragging her LITTLE BOY by the hand as she scurries across the lot towards her car... The colorful hoard of Veronica's abandoned groceries draws the boy's gaze, leaving him mystified as they walk by. Frozen meat lasagnas melt in the sun. 4.

EXT. FOREST GLADE - DAY A lone PLYWOOD SHED sits nestled against a patch of old trees, its rotting exterior pasted over with thousands of GOOGLY EYES. POP MUSIC with a hot beat blasts from hidden speakers, and when the shed door opens, Miriam saunters out. She's dressed in purple robes, and crowned by a circlet made of human teeth. Nearby, Veronica struggles. Her mouth is gagged, hands bound by rope to the steel rebar protruding from a misshapen concrete altar, and her leg MANACLED by an oversized heavy iron chain. All around her people are dancing. Everyone from the market. The Cashier. The Teenage Girl. The Stock Boy. The Grungy Dude. It's a sexual song, and their hands run provocatively up and down their bodies as they sensually sway and start to strip. They throw their clothes at Veronica. She's becoming unhinged. Miriam turns her back on Veronica's pleading eyes, faces the shed, and approaches a porcelain CLAWFOOT BATH TUB inside. It's filled with clear liquid, and she lifts from its bowels four robes, one red, blue, green, brown, and each sopping wet. CUT TO: Miriam drapes a dripping red robe over the Teenage Girl's naked body, circles back to the shed, and presides over the ritual. Veronica tugs, helpless to escape as they all start chanting. VERONICA'S CAPTORS I am me. We are she. I am me. We are she. I am me. We are she. Miriam produces a Magdalene zippo from her robe, and uses it to light a torch. She holds it aloft and the chanting stops. MIRIAM The devil in us. With great ceremony, Miriam kneels down and ignites a trail of unseen accelerant. Flames quickly encircle Veronica and the altar, forming a demonic sigil as seen from above. Veronica screams, but she's safe. Unburned. The music crescendos. Their dancing climaxes. Then all falls to silence. Veronica looks to Miriam... to each of the four around her. But their eyes are not on her. They're on something else... 5.

THE FOUR IN ROBES The devil in us. All four take one step forward... into the fire. FWOOSH! Their wet robes ERUPT in flames as if doused in gasoline. Helpless to the pain, they scream in mortal agony, and to Veronica's sheer terror, as they cry out, they run to her. Miriam watches as Veronica's set upon by the four effigies, hugging her close until all are enveloped by the inferno. As if taken by eclipse, the bright world darkens, and stygian shadows encroach upon the ritual from every direction. FWOOSH! The flaming sigil flickers out, and a sick blackness coalesces over the bonfire, smothering it, and the screams. Miriam gulps, holding her lit torch up against the edge of the impermeable obsidian cloud that has engulfed the altar. And though she can barely make it out, there's a shape at the heart of the shadow. Hulking and muscular. It crouches down. The crackling, meaty sounds of flesh and bone being torn apart accompanies the guttural swallowing of some unfamiliar cyclopean mouth. Gluttonous and starved, it eats greedily. Blood spatters across Miriam's face. She wipes a drop from her cheek and examines her wet fingertips. Miriam gulps. The feasting stops. The behemoth turns. It's noticed her. Lightning fast it charges. CSH! The heavy chain CLANGS as it's pulled taut. Sturdy and strong, it holds the beast back. Her torch is useless against the darkness, and though the horror is but inches away, it remains obscured by shadow. And though Miriam holds her ground, she meekly averts her eyes and turns her head, baring her neck to it. Trembling. Eventually her deference is accepted, and the fiend retreats. The chain rattles to the floor, and the black cloud subsides. And once fully gone, and sunlight and birdsong returns to the glade, only then does Miriam look back up at the altar. The bodies of Veronica and her followers are gone. Only a shallow pool of blood remains. 6.

EXT. CITY STREET, APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY It's overcast and cold in the residential district. A WOMAN BARGES out of a security door and opens an umbrella, forcing GUY (20s), to quickly sidestep out of the way as she struts by. He's the type of man who settled too early and let himself loose, with thick blue jeans, and a workman's belt and bag. The latest iPhone pressed to his ear. He sucks on a cigarette. GUY Yeah, it just came out of nowhere. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) I wish I was able to just sit on my ass and get calls like that out of the blue. Did you suck a leprechaun's dick last night or something? GUY Yeah... actually, they called last week and the meeting's set up already. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) Last week!? When's the meeting? GUY Sometime today. Around four. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) That's in three hours! When were you going to tell me? GUY I don't know. I knew you'd make a big deal out of it. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) It is a big deal! A very big deal! GUY I'm not even sure if I'm gonna go. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) Now that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. GUY I don't need the stress. I'm just going to worry about taking care of Julia. She needs the routine. Guy faces the security door and waves a key fob. It unlocks. 7.

HIS FRIEND (V.O.) Guy. I want you to listen to me very, very carefully. Guy stomps out his cigarette, opens the door, and enters THE STAIRWELL A bit rundown and rustic. Graffiti laces the walls. A bundle of dirty blankets crowds the corner where homeless have slept. The door closes behind him with a heavy metallic crash. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) You-- The call drops. He looks to his phone with a smirk, pockets it, and starts climbing the steps. Singing echoes above him. BUDDY (O.S.) Hail. What's the matter with you feel right. Don't you feel right baby. Hail. Oh yeah. A flight of steps leads to a mid-floor landing, and after a sharp turn, another flight of steps leads to the first floor. On the landing of the third floor, BUDDY (60's) sings as he shaves his face with a straight razor. But when Guy passes, Buddy lowers his blade, stops singing, and chases after him. BUDDY (CONT'D) Yo, Guy, you gonna hook me up again today or what? I know you got something. Let's see what you got hiding in those pockets. You got a red bean croissant? Or a cigarette? I need a smoke bad, man. I know you smoke. Lemme bum one off you bro. GUY A red bean croissant? BUDDY Yeah man. You got that pumpkin spice Starbucks vibe all over you. Guy stops when he reaches the fourth floor door, produces a pack of cigarettes, and opens it. Only three left. He groans. Buddy snatches all three of them with a bright smile. BUDDY (CONT'D) You're a saint, man. Jesus would be proud. (MORE) 8. BUDDY (CONT'D) (CONT'D) If everyone was like you there'd be peace on Earth. We just gotta be nice to each other, man. Get this world elevated to a higher frequency. Up to where it should be one person at a time. And it starts with you, bro. Spread the love. GUY Thanks, Buddy. BUDDY You're welcome. God bless you. Guy scans a fob. The light turns green. BEEP! The door unlocks. GUY Oh, Buddy! Catch! Buddy turns to find Guy tossing a tiny plastic toy into his hand. He catches it, looks in his hand, and shouts for joy! BUDDY Ayy! You remembered! My man! It's a small Simon memory game, with 4 color buttons. He starts it and RED highlights with a beep! He presses RED. Beep! RED BLUE. Beep boop. He presses RED BLUE. Beep boop. GUY Can't complain about having nothing to do now. BUDDY Until I get tired of this. How about a Rubik's cube next? You got any of those lying around? You definitely got a few Rubik's cubes lying around your place. I can sense it. You a hardcore Rubik's man. GUY 3d Rubiks are for peasants. Magic Cube 4d online is where it's at. RED BLUE RED. Beep boop beep. Buddy presses Yellow. WOMMMMM! INT. FOURTH FLOOR HALLWAY, APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Guy holds his finger on 408's buzzer. He bangs the door. And when it finally opens, he picks up his bag and pushes inside. 9.

INT. APARTMENT 408 - DAY MRS. ROSENBLAT (70s), still up and energetic for her age, adjusts her hearing aid as she urges Guy in and locks the door. MRS. ROSENBLAT You're a godsend. Harold, God rest his soul, couldn't change a light bulb if his life depended on it. Guy pauses by a shelf and admires its tiny glass figurines. MRS. ROSENBLAT (CONT'D) Are you hungry? I've got a brisket I could heat for you in the oven. GUY Your oven doesn't work, remember? I won't get the part until Monday. She takes notice of his interest in the figurines and picks one up. It's a tiny white rabbit, with a waistcoat and watch. MRS. ROSENBLAT Pretty, aren't they? Harold was a designer for Tiffany. He'd bring one home for me every month. (she gives him the rabbit) Take it. Give it to your daughter. Guy considers the delicate rabbit, then shelves it. She pouts. MRS. ROSENBLAT (CONT'D) How about a nice tuna fish sandwich? INT. BEDROOM, APARTMENT 408 - DAY Guy hungrily eats his sandwich as Mrs. Rosenblat shows him to her computer desk. She slaps the monitor in frustration. MRS. ROSENBLAT I don't understand it. I just don't understand it! It was all working fine last night. Guy nods, chewing as he tries to power on the computer. He tries the monitor. Clicks the desk lamp. Nothing works. MRS. ROSENBLAT (CONT'D) I went to write my grandson on Facebook and everything was broken. I called Mrs. Ericson, the landlord, but she said that my fuses were fine. 10.

Guy nods, gulps down the rest of his sandwich, then flicks on the wall switch by the door. Everything powers up instantly. Mrs. Rosenblat's astonished. Guy flicks the switch off and it all shuts down. Flicks it on. Everything's on. She gets it. Guy digs in his bag, pulls out a roll of electrical tape, rips a piece with his teeth, and tapes over the light switch. GUY This will help you remember. His mobile chimes. The ringtone of a rotary phone. GUY (CONT'D) I'm sorry. I have to take this. Mrs. Rosenblat tries to offer him a sweaty wad of cash, but Guy's more concerned about the wall clock. It reads: 1:35. He frowns at the time, and waves off the stack of money. GUY (CONT'D) No thanks, Mrs. Rosenblat. You take care, now. I'll see you Monday. INT. FOURTH FLOOR HALLWAY, APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY Guy pulls himself from the clutches of Mrs. Rosenblat's pleasantries and escapes into the hall, iPhone to his ear. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) I'm not letting you pass on a meeting with Magdalene's producers. I'll drive you myself. And pay for Julia's babysitter. GUY She stays by herself now. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) Then what's the problem!? GUY No problem. Just not something I'm interested in at this point in my life. I've moved on. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) Bullshit! His phone chirps. Incoming call from: JULIA 11.

GUY Julia's calling. We'll talk later. HIS FRIEND (V.O.) Later!? After you miss it! I'm not hanging up until you decide to go! GUY Bye. (switching calls) Hi jellybean. What's up? It's JULIA (10), her voice innocent. Youthful. Independent. JULIA (V.O.) Can I use your card to order some Grubhub? GUY Yeah, sure. Of course. What are you going to get? JULIA (V.O.) Probably some Thai food. I really want some drunken noodles. GUY We just had drunken noodles a couple days ago. JULIA (V.O.) I don't care! They're the best. Guy chuckles. He pauses outside the stairwell entrance. GUY Whatever you want. JULIA (V.O.) Hmm. That's weird. GUY What is? JULIA (V.O.) There's some car in the driveway. GUY Emily's mom's car? JULIA (V.O.) No. Emily cancelled. Plus her mom drives a Tesla because she's conscience of the environment. 12.

GUY What's the car in the driveway then? JULIA (V.O.) I don't know. Some type of blue pick up truck or something. GUY It's Saturday. Doesn't Emily's dad have her on the weekends? The doorbell rings on the other side of the phone. JULIA (V.O.) Hold on. She's calling me. That's probably her at the door. GUY Okay. You two have fun. The call ends. BEEP! Guy looks to his phone. His Friend's still on the line. After a moment of thought, he rejects it. INT. STAIRWELL, APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY The fourth floor door panel light flashes green. BEEP! Guy pushes inside, and the heavy door crashes shut behind him. He makes his way down the steps. Buddy is gone. He's not in his den on the ground floor landing either. Guy pauses for half a second to stare at the dirty blankets, then PUSHES himself against the crash bar on the main exit. WHAM! He smacks his forehead on the door as it fails to open. GUY Ow! Fuck! Guy rubs his head, then pushes the bar again. Nothing happens. He presses harder. It won't budge. Over and over. It's stuck. Guy sets his bag aside and faces the door. He shoulders the bar. WHAM! Again, and again. He steps back. KICKS it. Nothing. Frustrated, he storms up the steps to the door on the first floor and scans his key fob. It stays red. No access. Guy groans, readjusts his bag, and aggravatedly climbs up the stairwell, passing the second and the third landings, going all the way back to the fourth floor door. He huffs. Tired. Catching his breath, Guy scans the fob and jams his finger on the door handle when he fails to turn it. It's locked. 13.

He shakes his hand. Ouch. Bites his throbbing finger. Then tries the fob again. Red. He wipes it off on his shirt. Red. Tries again. Red. Guy steps back, staring at the FLOOR 4 sign. GUY (CONT'D) What the fuck. The echoes of CHAINS RATTLING rain down the stairwell from the upper levels, accompanied by erratic, frantic moaning. GUY (CONT'D) That... is disconcerting. (hands up, calling out) Hello!? BEEP! The door on the floor above him pushes open, and Guy immediately starts racing up the steps. GUY (CONT'D) Wait! Wait! Hold it! But by the time he reaches the fifth floor landing, the heavy door comes to a crashing close. Standing by, confused, is: MAGDALENE (20's), in the flesh, her aura and presence even more imposing and large than her Forbes magazine cover photo. She's wearing her own nightmarish DEVIL IN US shirt, with big Audrey Hepburn sunglasses and a top tier designer handbag, and when she sees him, she immediately puts the glasses in her purse. Without acknowledging who she is, Guy frantically pushes past Magdalene and attempts to open the door. It's already locked. Guy holds up his fob and scans it. Red. He's breathing heavy. Magdalene stares at him with the cranked neck of judgement. GUY (CONT'D) Can you scan me out? ... Please. MAGDALENE Is this your floor? GUY I have the fob for the fourth but it's not scanning me out. MAGDALENE This is the fifth floor. GUY I know. 14.

MAGDALENE So this isn't your floor. GUY I know. I'm just trying to get out of the building. I'll take the elevators down. MAGDALENE Can't you just go down the stairs? Buddy comes RUNNING down the steps, eyes over his shoulder as if he were being followed. CRASH! He stumbles and trips, SMASHING his knee into the hard cement, landing with a CRACK. Both Guy and Magdalene startle as bone pierces skin in grisly display. Buddy groans. Guy rushes to his aid, while Magdalene watches with morbid curiosity and a tinge of disgust. GUY Buddy! Buddy, don't worry. We're gonna get help. Call 911! Buddy's freaking out. Guy takes stock of the bone. It's bad. He's losing blood. Guy's eyes dart, searching for something. MAGDALENE I don't have my phone. Guy spots fabric peaking out of Magdalene's purse. He thrusts his phone into her hands and grabs the fabric. It's a shirt. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) What're you doing? GUY Call 911. He shakes out the shirt and catches sight of its design, an alternate version of DEVIL IN US, crowned by "MAGDALENE." Buddy sees the design too. His eyes bug. Sheer terror. BUDDY Guy! That's it! That's it! Guy's focused on his task. Magdalene toys with Guy's phone. MAGDALENE You don't have signal. Guy rolls up the shirt, then wraps it around the bleeding wound. Buddy SHOUTS in pain as Guy ties a tight knot! 15.

GUY Sorry... Can you maybe help me out? At her own frustratingly leisurely pace, Magdalene approaches Guy and Buddy to give a begrudging hand. She pouts. MAGDALENE What do you need, doc? GUY Just put your hand on the wound. He's bleeding out hard. Magdalene complies, grimacing at the squishy sounds as she applies pressure. Blood seeps into the white shirt in spirals. MAGDALENE Gnarly. GUY You doing all right? MAGDALENE GUY Yeah, just /fine thanks. /Not you! Guy leans close to Buddy, who's hanging on to consciousness. BUDDY I'm having a heart attack. GUY What? BUDDY Pills. Guy runs his hands through Buddy's pockets, who grumbles. BUDDY (CONT'D) No. No. Downstairs. Down. GUY Don't worry, Buddy. I'll find them. Guy leaves him and starts down the stairs. MAGDALENE Hey, don't leave me here! GUY (calling up) Just keep putting pressure! 16.

Footsteps as Guy hurries downstairs. Magdalene hesitates, half- ready to follow him. Buddy grabs her hands. Gets her to look. BUDDY Get out of here. Buddy regards the steps leading upstairs, then returns to her eyes, emoting nothing but an unmistakable sense of dread. BUDDY (CONT'D) Run. Magdalene shoots Buddy a casually suspicious look not matching his intensity. She turns and speeds down the steps. CUT TO: THE GROUND FLOOR LANDING Guy goes straight for the bedding and urgently rummages through the dirty blankets. Metal clinks as Buddy's meager collection of material goods scatter across the grating. Guy rifles through them. No pills. Not even the Simon. Magdalene swiftly arrives, his phone clasped tight in her bloody hands. She holds it up as he searches in a frenzy. MAGDALENE Who's your cell provider? GUY Don't worry about the signal, where are these fucking pills? MAGDALENE He seemed kinda freaked out. Guy is on his hands and knees, shaking out the last of the bedding. She shifts uncomfortably as he unwittingly shakes his ass in her face, when she spots something in the corner. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Do you two know each other? Back to him, she bends down to pick it up... a PILL BOTTLE. GUY Where the fuck are they!? Nitrostat. Magdalene twists the cap open and looks inside. Dozens of tiny white pills. She surreptitiously pockets the cap. 17.

MAGDALENE Is this it? He turns to find her holding up the bottle. He's thrilled. Oops! Magdalene twists her ankle on the metal grate and TRIPS! The contents of the bottle go spilling out, every last one of them falling through the metal grates on the cement floor. Guy panics. He scrambles to his knees and REACHES through the grate, but the gaps are too small, and the bottom too deep. She looks down at him, awkwardly proving the bottle's empty as she turns it over and nothing comes out. He snatches his iPhone from her hand, briefly balks at the wet blood smearing its glass, and activates a flashlight app. Magdalene turns her attention up the flight of stairs. She tries to listen closely... to the eerie silence... which gets interrupted by Guy's frantic attempt to gather the pills. MAGDALENE Shhh! Quiet. GUY What now!? Guy shines light as he runs his hand along the grating, wiping dirt and debris away until he uncovers a rusted bolt. MAGDALENE Do you hear that? GUY Hear what? Guy digs through his bag and produces an adjustable wrench. Its pins grip around the bolt, and he struggles to turn it. MAGDALENE I don't know... It won't budge. It's rusted. He tries to force it. Nothing. GUY C'mon. MAGDALENE Is someone else up there? Inspiration strikes him. He takes out his roll of electrical tape, quickly wraps it around the length of his wrench, sticky side out, then dangles it down through the grating. 18.

Phone gripped in his teeth, he illuminates the pit as he carefully uses both hands to drag the wrench along the pit's bottom, then delicately lifts the wrench up through the gap. Success! Tiny white pills litter the tape like candy buttons. GUY Gotcha. Guy wipes blood from his lips and starts up the steps, but turns back when he realizes Magdalene isn't following him. GUY (CONT'D) Hey, let's go. MAGDALENE I'm gonna go get help. GUY You can't! MAGDALENE Plus I've got this meeting. Good luck with your friend though. GUY You can't go! MAGDALENE He needs an ambulance. GUY The door's locked. Just help me. Magdalene flinches and goes straight for the door. She pushes against the crash bar again and again, but it does not open. Guy leaves her, pills in hand and set to purpose. He runs up the steps, passing the first, second, third and fourth floors. And when he reaches the fifth floor landing, Guy freezes. Buddy's gone. A smeared pool of blood where he once was. Perplexed, Guy glances up the steps, listens to the silence, then goes to the door. It's locked. Scans his fob. Nothing. Magdalene arrives on the landing in an angry huff, her disposition swiftly shifting to confusion at Buddy's absence. She glares at Guy, bewildered. What the hell? Hands on his hips, Guy stares at the red lights, overwhelmed. 19.

GUY (CONT'D) Someone must've dragged him out. He POUNDS the door with his fist, again and again. GUY (CONT'D) Hey! He needs his pills! Open up! Hey! In here! We're in here! Guys backs off, panting. He's flush, getting visibly pissed. But when he turns to Magdalene, as if looking for confirmation of his attitude, he finds her pointing up the steps. Shaken. Guy follows her gaze, squints his eyes, and makes it half way upstairs before stopping. A bloody hand print's on the wall. GUY (CONT'D) Buddy! Guy runs, disappearing around the corner, leaving Magdalene alone. She remains still for a long moment, listening to Guy's steps and shouting growing more distant, then looks to the smeared pool of blood on the floor, and chases after him. The sixth floor landing has more bloody handprints, as do the walls on the way up to the seventh. Magdalene stops short. GUY (O.S.) Buddy! Buddy! Ten distinct bloody lines, like claw marks, trail their way from the stairs leading down, across the landing, to the steps going up, as if Buddy were being forcefully dragged. Adrenaline overcomes her, and Magdalene sprints up the steps to find Guy kneeling on the eighth floor, cradling something. She slows, and ever so cautiously, creeps up behind him. There's something cupped in his hands, covered by them. Taken by her curiosity, she leans over him, and makes him reveal: BUDDY'S EAR. She recoils back and it flops onto the floor. The ominous atmosphere squelches their voices to whispers. MAGDALENE Give me your phone. GUY You still won't get signal. 20.

MAGDALENE Just give it to me. Guy passes it without looking. His eyes locked upstairs. Magdalene dials 911. Call failed. She maneuvers to the door, trying different positions. No service. And when she looks back to Guy, he's already started going up the steps. She gives chase and stops him before the half-way landing. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Stop. What are you doing? He shakes off her hand, silences her with a stern look, and presses on, but comes to an abrupt halt at the corner. The lights on the ninth floor are flickering erratically, with occasional pregnant moments of darkness seconds long. Magdalene activates the flashlight on Guy's phone and sticks to his side as they climb to the landing. It's totally empty. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) How many floors are there? Together, they turn to face the stairway leading up. Its lights are out, and the steps ascend into an inky blackness. GUY Ten. Magdalene shines light at the stairwell. A "TENTH FLOOR" sign with an up arrow hangs above its entrance. Guy approaches it. CRUNCH. He steps on something. She aims her light and they look down. Crushed glass. Guy looks up. She aims it upward. The overhead security light. It's broken. Metal cage warped. Brave as he is, Guy is terrified. He reaches up, his fingers testing the tensile strength of the bent metal. It's strong, and they do not budge, yet pieces of them are ripped. Torn. His fear grows, understanding the tremendous force required for that to have happened. The look he gives Magdalene is tangible when he sees her fearlessly climbing up the steps. Breathing deep, he soon follows, and joins her as they breach the tenth floor landing, which is larger than the others. A wide space with recessed corners, Magdalene's light leaves swaths of hollow darkness as she tries to orient herself. 21.

The red light of the locked door panel is quick to catch their attention, and as they approach, the 'ELECTRICAL CLOSET' door gets illuminated by the phone. Sharing a look, they go closer. They stop outside the door. Magdalene presses her ear against it and listens. He watches her. She shakes her head. Nothing. Guy steadily summons courage... then PULLS the door open! It's empty. Just fuse boxes and equipment bolted to the wall. Guy deflates, but Magdalene squeezes his arm tight. He looks first to her hand, then to her eyes, then to where she's pointing. Something's on the floor. He bends down to grab it. Its fabric soaked in blood that unrolls as he lifts it, revealing the MAGDALENE - DEVIL IN US t-shirt. The one he'd tied around Buddy's leg. Something falls out as it unravels. Buddy's other ear. CHAINS RATTLE then fall still. They spin on their heels. Magdalene grips Guy by the arm as they exit the closet. Chains rattle once more. Heavy with deep resonant chimes. And it's coming from the stairwell down. Together they stalk forward, foot by foot. Magdalene shines her light left and right, revealing only empty darkness. They pause at the top of the steps, listening intently, eyes fixed on the flickering light barely making it to the corner. That's when they hear it. A DRAWN BREATH, like a deep, voluminous inhalation, echoing out of the vacant shadows. But not from downstairs. From something right beside them. They turn together. Magdalene raises her light up at it. There's a shadow in the corner. Untouched by the bright phone. Like a hole in the world, it is pitch, and pure. A terrible void that itself is nothing more than a curtain. And as they take three decisive steps closer, and her light more clearly defines the borders of the void against the grey painted cinder block wall... the curtain pulls... And the faint outline of the MONSTER lurking within is seen. Hulking. Horrifying. And all too familiar. 22.

Try as she might, Magdalene's light from the cell phone will not illuminate the thing... so she instinctively SLIDES the phone, flash light up, across the pavement into the shadow. But both the phone, and its bright light, are swallowed by it. Magdalene and Guy freeze in the pitch darkness for a long moment, up until the phone SLIDES BACK out of the shadows and re-brightens their world. Magdalene picks it back up... Sharing the same thought, each of them retreats, retracing their three steps backwards as terror of the unknown sinks in. A rhythmic murmur reverberates out from the black, vibrating the cement as much as it cuts the air. Like a big cat PURRING. It is as unexpected as it is inhuman. They immediately flee, running down the steps, back to the flickering of the ninth floor, and do not stop until they reach the fifth landing. Magdalene runs to the door panel and scans her fob. Nothing. Together they share a look, then scramble down to the fourth. Guy races to that panel and frantically scans his fob again and again, failing to turn the light green, while Magdalene backs herself against the wall beside him, breathing fast. GUY (CONT'D) Come on! Guy rushes downstairs, and Magdalene follows closely behind to the third floor door. They both try their fobs, both fail, and repeat their attempts on the second floor, then the first. Proceeding back down to the ground floor, where Guy BASHES the crash bar with all his might, and when it does not budge, starts wailing on it with uncomfortably increasing intensity. Magdalene watches him, curiously, almost detached, and as he grows more and more rabid, her humor rises until she LAUGHS. He stops, catching his breath, hands on his knees. He's flush. His temperament hot. It's almost frightening in how quickly he lost his cool, giving the sense he has a very dangerous temper. He stares at Magdalene, still in an infuriated frenzy. GUY (CONT'D) What!? Magdalene laughs for just a bit longer. MAGDALENE This is a total fire hazard. 23.

Guy composes himself, taking deep breaths as he leans against the wall, arm across his forehead. Magdalene continues to chuckle. Eventually, Guy breaks into a laugh himself. GUY Is this real? Magdalene's laugh grows again. MAGDALENE I don't know! And that makes Guy laugh even more. Before we know it, they're both in an uncontrollable fit. GUY This is so fucked up. Their mirth starts to fade as the flashlight still active on the phone draws attention to the blood on both their hands. Guy swipes his phone from her and shuts off the light, then walks over and sits on a step, taking a break from the chaos. Trying to clear his mind. He glances up the stairwell, anxiously anticipating something coming down after them. GUY (CONT'D) Do you have any ideas? MAGDALENE Uhh... yeah. GUY What? MAGDALENE To not get killed like your friend. Guy nervously taps his foot on the ground. Magdalene crosses her arms, leans back against the crash bar, much more subdued. GUY That guy up there didn't kill Buddy? Did he? ... The ears... MAGDALENE GUY If we get killed down here /I'm sorry! What do you cause of your garbage phone, want!? I swear /to God I'll see you in hell. MAGDALENE I just want to not die. Sound good? 24.

GUY Well your attitude isn't helping. MAGDALENE Neither is yours, F.Y.I. Guy slams his foot down against the metal grating, sending echoes throughout the space that rise up into the stairwell. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I say we just wait it out. GUY Wait it out. MAGDALENE Yeah. I mean, this is a busy building. Someone's gonna come in here eventually. Guy takes a moment to respond, fuming internally, not wanting to look at Magdalene with the boiling rage in his eyes. GUY There's a fucking murderer up there! ... And you want us to, "wait it out!?" MAGDALENE I don't think your friend was murdered. He glances at her. His rage softened by tinges of confusion. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I think he was eaten. GUY What? MAGDALENE You heard it. It wasn't some psycho crack head, it was like an animal or something. Like a dealer's pit bull that got out maybe. GUY But the ears and the... MAGDALENE Duh. They're like chew toys. It probably ripped them off. It only takes eight pounds of downward pressure to tear off an ear you know. 25.

Guy finally turns his full attention to Magdalene, puzzled by her strange knowledge, and truly looks at her. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I was in a music video where somebody cut off my ears. Very symbolic. I did my research. But Guy isn't having it and isn't impressed, his attention split between managing his stress and Magdalene's ramblings. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) If you really think about it, we're probably not even in any danger. It only ate your friend cause he was literally covered in blood sauce, and basically dead on the floor. If we just stay standing, and keep making noise, I bet you it'll just leave us alone. It's not like it's hungry anymore. In fact, it might not even be dangerous. It might have just been starving and thought your friend Buddy was dinner. Magdalene walks towards Guy, then sidesteps him, tapping him on the shoulder as she ascends. Guy looks up and behind him. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Come on. GUY Where are you going? Her echoing footsteps grow fainter as she turns the corner. Guy takes a moment to himself, before getting to his knees, picking up his bag, and rushing to catch up with Magdalene. He finds her waiting for him on the fourth floor landing. GUY (CONT'D) Don't wander off like that. MAGDALENE GUY It's fine! It's/ better if /Just listen to me okay! He gets flustered again. Magdalene tries to remain upbeat. GUY (CONT'D) It's not safe. Let's go back down. MAGDALENE No. 26.

GUY Do you want to die? MAGDALENE We'll be able to hear if somebody opens a door. Just chill. GUY Chill? Chill? Magdalene shrugs, intensifying her laissez-faire attitude. MAGDALENE Yeah. Deep breaths. You're gonna get out of here eventually. I mean, it's just a dog. We can take on a dog. She pushes down on his shoulders and gets him to reluctantly sit, then takes a few steps back and stretches her neck. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Just trust me okay. Keep your eyes on the stairwell if it makes you feel any better. Guy reluctantly allows himself to lean back and calm down, but as per her suggestion, his watch remains fixed upstairs. Magdalene exaggerates her breath, coaxing him into breathing deeply in, then deeply out. And once he's found a rhythm, she clears her throat, and sings, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows." MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I'm always chasing rainbows. Watching clouds drifting by. My schemes are just like all my dreams. Ending in the sky. Some fellows look and find the sunshine. But I always look and find the rain. The echoes of distant RATTLING CHAINS rain on her from upstairs, accompanied by the resonant rumble of that otherworldly PURRING. She becomes aware of it in the pause between her notes, and sings louder to compensate, drowning out the horror above. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Some fellows make a winning sometime. I never even make a gain, believe me. I'm always chasing rainbows. Waiting to find a little bluebird in vain. 27.

All is silent for a moment. The power of the song and Magdalene's voice settling in. Guy softly chuckles. GUY So that's why you're the number one solo artist in the world. Magdalene appears a bit taken aback. MAGDALENE Oh, wow, you mean you knew who I was this whole time? GUY You're on your shirt. Magdalene glances down, both marveling at her own picture from an upside down vantage point, and grimacing at the bloody streaks all over it from where she wiped her hands. MAGDALENE You haven't been acting like how most people act when they see me. GUY I've been a bit busy here. MAGDALENE Touché. GUY Shit... I should've recorded that. My daughter's gonna be so jealous. She's a big fan. I mean, I am too. But she's like... all in on you. MAGDALENE You're married? GUY I used to think I was. Guy instinctively feels for a wedding band that isn't there. GUY (CONT'D) She left us on my baby girl's birthday. She was only three. MAGDALENE You raised her yourself? GUY Yeah. 28.

MAGDALENE That's sweet. GUY That one song, "33 Dreams of Drowning", pops up on the radio everyday I drop her off at school. MAGDALENE She doesn't take the bus? GUY Nah... she's spoiled. MAGDALENE Wanna know a secret? I hate that song. GUY Really? Guy stands up to face her, and ever so slowly inches forward. MAGDALENE Yeah. Don't tell anyone. GUY It's my favorite. My daughter's favorite too. Maybe that's why. MAGDALENE GUY They brought in like a dozen /I've been following you ever producers/... I felt like I since, "Mary Blood, Mary was getting pushed around. Grail", came out. Your debut. MAGDALENE It was like I was trapped, you know? Like my voice didn't matter cause I had to appease corporate. GUY Could I get your autograph? Guy starts searching through his bag. Magdalene watches as he pushes aside the heavy wrench and takes out a scrap of paper. GUY (CONT'D) Maybe a selfie too? Oh, goddammit, I don't have a pen. Magdalene produces a red permanent marker from her pocket. MAGDALENE (taking the receipt) I have one. 29.

She uncaps the marker, puts the receipt against the wall, and is just about to sign it, when she pauses... and turns to him. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) This is gonna sound weird. She pockets the receipt and marker. Guy lifts his eyebrows. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Have we met before? You just seem really familiar. I'm really good with faces. We've definitely met. GUY You're really good with faces? MAGDALENE No, it's true! And it's really weird because I meet like a million people every day. My manager makes fun of me about it all the time. GUY Miriam makes fun of you? MAGDALENE Yeah... GUY That's not very nice of her. Magdalene becomes acutely aware of Guy as he creeps closer. GUY (CONT'D) Someone should do something. MAGDALENE We have met before though, haven't we? We have. Right? Guy smiles, almost villainously, as he flashes his eyes. GUY So you do remember me. The faint rattling of the CHAINS reverberate above them. But this time, neither of them look. Guy's staring at her, almost incensed by her. She finds herself backing up against the wall. MAGDALENE Do I? GUY Jacob Walsh... 2007... 30.

Realization strikes her as he moves in close, cornering her. GUY (CONT'D) You beat me in the final round. MAGDALENE Oh my god... Guy Prescott. GUY C'est moi! Guy backs away, allowing her to get a good look at him. MAGDALENE You used to wear glasses. Jesus... It has been a while. GUY Quite the coincidence. Isn't it? The rattling chains echo again, and again they ignore them. GUY (CONT'D) Look at how far you've come. Magdalene. The famous pop icon. Success has always come easy for you, hasn't it? MAGDALENE I have a good team. GUY Oh, I know you do. Nothing but the very best will do for Magdalene. MAGDALENE I suppose. GUY But imagine if the director chose me, and I got the Broadway play. Guy moves in on her, getting uncomfortably close. GUY (CONT'D) Do you think you'd still be famous? I know one thing for certain... I definitely wouldn't be an electrician. Guy shakes his head. Looks down and chuckles to himself. 31.

GUY (CONT'D) It's just funny... I always thought I was better than you... I could've been on overpriced t-shirts. He runs his fingertips across the image on her t-shirt, and stares at her for a long, sexually charged beat. GUY (CONT'D) That would be me all over you. Magdalene looks down, watching his fingers with trepidation. Both the blood on her shirt, and his hands, have dried by now. MAGDALENE (softly) I fucked up my shirt. GUY (softly) It's a nice shirt. MAGDALENE I have to wear it. (staring at his fingers) It's in my contract. He releases her shirt and stares, waiting for her eyes. GUY Maybe I'll buy one. We can match. She looks up, meets his gaze, and toys nervously with her hair. GUY (CONT'D) Do you have another one on you? MAGDALENE No. GUY That's too bad. Guy looks back to her chest. He squeezes the shirt's fabric. GUY (CONT'D) Maybe you can sell me this one. MAGDALENE But it's ruined... GUY That's what makes it special. 32.

Magdalene bites her lip as his gaze draws up to her eyes. MAGDALENE I can see your mood has changed. GUY You're getting what you wanted. MAGDALENE Am I? GUY You tell me. MAGDALENE No... You tell me. Tell me. GUY It would be every man's dream to get locked in a stairwell with you. He presses himself against her, his body pushing in on hers. MAGDALENE Is this what you dream about? GUY Yes. MAGDALENE You dream about me? GUY Yes. Back against the wall, she inhales. Deep. She licks her lips. MAGDALENE What do I dream about, Guy? GUY I don't know. MAGDALENE Tell me. GUY I don't know. They're your dreams. MAGDALENE Tell me what you want to hear. GUY What I want? 33.

MAGDALENE Say it. I want to hear you say it. She's breathing on him. Ever so close. He flushes. GUY What? MAGDALENE You want to know if I dream about you too. GUY Do you? MAGDALENE Say it. Say what you want. GUY You dream about me. MAGDALENE Say it. GUY I've never stopped dreaming about you. I want you to dream about me. She exhales. He said it. He's overwhelmed as she places her hands on his chest and leans in on him, grinding her body against him, like they might even kiss... Instead, she presses his cheek against his... allowing her to breathe into his ear. MAGDALENE Come on then. She breaks away from him, hands on his chest, smirking. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Shoot your shot, Mister Prescott. Her words hang in the silence for a long beat, and they both find themselves holding their breath... Guy moves in on her. KA-CHUNK! The heavy security door on the ground floor clanks open, and Magdalene abruptly sidesteps Guy, who mustered himself so much to go in for a kiss, he didn't register it. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Wait! Wait! Don't close the door! She takes off, sprinting down the steps. Guy takes a moment to gather himself, before the full realization of the situation strikes him, and he races down the stairs after her. 34.

GUY Shit. Shit. Shit! Guy stumbles over his own feet, nearly knocking her over as he catches up to her. They pass the second floor together. GUY (CONT'D) I told you we should've stayed on the ground floor! KA-CHUNK! The echo of the door slamming shut bids them to run faster, and when they descend past the first floor, the BUSINESSMAN (40s) climbing the stairs startles easily. He's dressed from work, and the AirPods in his ears have blocked out Magdalene and Guy's pleas, so when they turn the corner about to run him over, he drops his briefcase in fright. BUSINESSMAN GUY Jesus fucking Christ! /The /She said to hold the door! fuck is wrong with you two!? They crowd around him as he dusts his briefcase off. His anger dissipates when he sees the blood on Magdalene's shirt. GUY (CONT'D) Goddammit! BUSINESSMAN You guys good? Guy backs against the wall, his frustration freshly returned. MAGDALENE Do you have a phone? Call 911. BUSINESSMAN I don't get signal in here. MAGDALENE Same provider as him? BUSINESSMAN What's going on? MAGDALENE A dog attacked our friend, and we got trapped in here... Our fobs aren't working. Can you just scan us out? BUSINESSMAN Just use the security door. 35.

GUY It's locked! BUSINESSMAN No, it isn't. I just used it. GUY Just fucking scan us out! Businessman raises his hands, trying to ease the tension. BUSINESSMAN All right. All right. Easy there. He turns around and leads them down to the door on the ground floor, but they stay back, watching him from the stairs. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) Look! I just used it! But when he pushes the door's crash bar and it does not budge, he takes a step back and shakes his head, confused. He tries again. Then one final time. To no avail. MAGDALENE BUSINESSMAN Please. If you could just /Fine. Fine. Fine. Come on. scan us/ out from your floor. He walks around them, and they follow in his footsteps, remaining silent as they pass the first floor, then the second. MAGDALENE We really appreciate it. Magdalene offers him one of those fake celebrity smiles which he nonchalantly brushes off. A sharp contrast to when she looks at Guy, a level of deep sincerity to her expression. He's nervous and she can tell, so she clings close to him. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Do you always work on Saturdays? GUY What? No. Well, sometimes. MAGDALENE What time do you get off? GUY I was just about to. 36.

MAGDALENE Mmm. Me too. I might blow off my meeting. How's that sound? GUY Sounds like my dream come true. MAGDALENE Your wet dream. Magdalene snickers at her own immodesty, and Guy uses the opportunity to take hold of her hand. She lets him. BUSINESSMAN A dog, huh? Businessman stops in his tracks, and they realize they've reached the fourth floor, where Buddy's pool of blood remains. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) Where's your friend? He take off? Thought you said you were trapped. MAGDALENE We are... He regards them with a stern, scrutinizing look. Guy pulls away his hand from Magdalene's and stands up straight. BUSINESSMAN Mmhmm... Eventually, the Man gives them a curt nod, frowns, and continues making his way up the steps. Guy starts following, and Magdalene catches up and re-takes him by the hand. MAGDALENE (whispering) I'll buy your friend a plot of land. And some flowers too. Guy's genuinely surprised by the comment. He smiles at her. GUY You don't have to do that. MAGDALENE It's nothing. I do this stuff like all the time. So whatever. GUY That's actually really nice of you. He wasn't really my friend, though. 37.

MAGDALENE That shouldn't matter. He was still somebody... He was homeless, right? GUY Yeah. MAGDALENE But you knew his name right? And he knew yours. They cross the fifth floor, and ascend towards the sixth. GUY Yeah. I mean, we talked. MAGDALENE I bet he considered you his friend. GUY Maybe. MAGDALENE Do you have many friends? GUY Not really. A few close ones. What about you? Magdalene shrugs. MAGDALENE Hard to trust people to be your friend when you're like me. GUY Have I gained your trust? MAGDALENE Get me out of here first. Then we'll see. But when Businessman crosses past the door on the sixth floor towards the steps to the seventh, they share a grave look. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Uhh... what floor are you on? BUSINESSMAN Top floor. Doctor suggested I start taking the steps for exercise. Lucky for you, eh? He smirks and glances back, but they've both stopped short. 38.

He's about to speak, but Magdalene shushes him. He stares curiously as they listen intently to the silence up above. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) What? MAGDALENE That's where the dog is. BUSINESSMAN It's still here? MAGDALENE We think. BUSINESSMAN What kind of dog? MAGDALENE A big one. Businessman cranes his neck and listens, then snickers. BUSINESSMAN I don't hear anything. MAGDALENE GUY It's probably/ asleep. /Be careful. BUSINESSMAN Stay here if you want. I'll call the super to come let you out. He continues up the steps and out of sight. Magdalene clings to Guy's side a bit tighter, and both of them hesitate. GUY Stay behind me. Magdalene rolls her eyes behind Guy's back as he breaks from her. When they reach the seventh floor landing, they find the Businessman kneeling, scrutinizing the bloody finger trails. BUSINESSMAN What the fuck. He looks to them with accusatory eyes. Guy gulps. GUY ... It took him. BUSINESSMAN Stay here. 39.

Businessman stands tall, holds out his briefcase like a shield, and braves up the steps. They keep following him. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) I said stay back! GUY Seriously. Don't go up there. BUSINESSMAN Stay the fuck back! His tone startles even him. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) For all I know you two are fucking murderers! All that blood on you. That or you're just fucking with me. GUY Shh. You're going to wake the dog. BUSINESSMAN I don't care about the dog! I'll fucking slap it. I'll punch that motherfucker in the fucking face. MAGDALENE You're not cool, you know. BUSINESSMAN Fuck off. Your music sucks. He storms across the eighth floor, taking no notice of the discarded ear, and heads to the ninth. Magdalene and Guy chase after him. They all stop beneath the flickering lights. Businessman is frozen at the stairs to the tenth floor, his eyes searching up into the darkness looming around the corner. MAGDALENE We've already been up there... it's not pretty. He produces a phone from his pocket and activates a light app. Guy does the same and gives it to Magdalene, then takes the heavy wrench out of his bag. He measures its weight. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) This dude's nuts. GUY Hey, come on man. Please don't go up there. For real. 40.

BUSINESSMAN Y'all are acting like it's fucking coronavirus up there. The CHAINS RATTLE somewhere close upstairs, then silence. GUY Seriously. Let's just go back down. Somebody else will open the door. But Businessman has already moved on. Light in hand, and briefcase held defensively, he tip-toes into the dark. Guy and Magdalene stay back a moment, then climb the corner to where the lights turn off. Her flashlight illuminates the Businessman, casting his creeping shadow across the ceiling. He disappears into the shadows, beyond their line of sight, reaches the panel by the door, and scans his key fob. Beep! The light flashes green, the door unlocks, and he pulls the door open, letting fresh light from the hall flood in. Beep! Something chirps from the darkness behind him. He spins to face the noise. Beep. Beep boop! He holds his bright light to the sound, but for some reason a shadow remains, recessed against the corner. He allows the hall door to shut. Beep Boop! RED BLUE. The lights of the Simon hover in the darkness, as if being held up by something unable to be lit by mere light. BUSINESSMAN Yo. Are you all right? I think your friends are looking for you. Guy and Magdalene freeze halfway up the steps. Beep boop! GUY Who are you talking to? Beep boop bop! RED BLUE GREEN. Whoever is holding the Simon follows the pattern. A clicking noise sounds with each press of the buttons, like nails on plastic. The speed increases. BUSINESSMAN Your friend. He's playing with a Simon. MAGDALENE Press x to doubt. Guy defensively positions himself in front of her. 41.

GUY Don't worry about him. The door! Did you open it? Does your fob work? BUSINESSMAN Yeah! It's fine! But he's hurt! Guy and Magdalene share a look. It worked. But Businessman reappears at the top of the steps, his eyes on something else. Something between them and the door. In the corner, the Simon speeds even faster. Six lights and sounds repeated fast. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) That was your blood, yeah? You need me to call you a doctor? Businessman inches towards the shadow, and with each step the luminosity of his flashlight fades, as if being drained. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) Can you move? Come into the light. It ignores him, focused only on the Simon as it gets faster. Guy turns to Magdalene and loudly whispers to her. GUY We have to stop him! Magdalene's frozen, eyes fixated upward. Guy gets angsty, he wants to move, but remains in place. The inevitability of the doomed encounter reads prominently on their faces. Businessman glances back to Magdalene and Guy, hiding half way down the stairs, then looks back to the darkness. BUSINESSMAN Why don't you put that down... GUY Magdalene... MAGDALENE Let him. The Simon beeps at a furious pace. Ten times played, then ten times repeated by the thing in the shadow. It plays to eleven. BUSINESSMAN Yo! What, are you fucking deaf! I'm talking to you! 42.

WOMMMMM! An error. The Simon gets slid across the pavement to Businessman's feet. Magdalene and Guy watch as he bends down to grab it... but when he looks back up he's overtaken by fear. CHAINS JINGLE just out of sight. Businessman backs away. WHOOSH! Accompanied by the CLANG of the heavy chains going taut, the shadow OVERTAKES Businessman completely, enveloping him and his flashlight in a bubble of absolute blackness. His SCREAM of mortal terror gets cut off by a sick THUD, like a sack of potatoes hitting the floor, leaving Magdalene and Guy to stand frozen, peering up at the impenetrable shadow above. And as they hesitate, their curiosity drawing their eyes to slowly focus into the darkness, the thing inside it turns. It faces them head on, and though shrouded, they can tell that while they're staring right at it, it's staring right back. They hold their breaths, unwilling or unable to make the first move, and from the shadow, a shape begins to appear. The upward curving slant of a large, bright, vicious SMILE. TWO EYES open in the dark. Massive. Cat-like. Alien in design and terrible to behold. They do not blink. Their irises widen. POP! Like a bubble, the DARKNESS BURSTS. A flood of milky blackness SPILLS down the steps, so deep it comes up to Magdalene and Guy's waists as it DRAINS from the upper level and pours itself down the stairwell. They swat at their legs and clothing, but it's more mist than liquid, and though Magdalene's light does not penetrate it, the surge soon passes and it flows fully down and out of sight. Once safe from the unexpected stream of shadows, they look back up to the top of the steps, where THE MONSTER stands tall, towering over Businessman's unconscious body. The almost clinically bright halogen overhead lamps now totally light the floor and illuminate the beast in all its glory. Its head is that of an immense Cheshire Cat, and though a full-fledged feline, it is unmistakably bipedal. Powerful but lithe legs support its hulking body, and hefty paws with opposable thumbs are capped with ghoulishly spiked claws. Sharp neon colored streaks line its mottled fur, and though it is without a doubt the same creature from both Magdalene's shirt and the cereal box, the cartoonish caricatures of a friendly monster do no justice to the abomination before them. 43.

It takes one step towards them, but the COLLAR around its neck holds it back. Seemingly thick plastic or vinyl, it's purple and toy-like, but heavy chains attach to six separate points around it and trail off into the dark. They rattle. For a long moment they stare at each other. Mesmerized. WOMMMMM! The Simon buzzes, and the Monster shows no hesitation as it pounces upon Businessman and shreds his body to pieces. The spell broken, Magdalene and Guy flee down the steps in an unbridled panic, racing past the ninth floor and going lower. GUY Fuck this. Fuck this. Fuck this. MAGDALENE Yeah, this is not fun anymore! GUY That wasn't a dog, Magdalene! MAGDALENE Well, I'm sorry! GUY I only came here to fix a fucking broken outlet. They reach the fifth floor. Magdalene goes for the door while Guy heads to the steps. He looks at her like she's crazy. GUY (CONT'D) What are you doing! MAGDALENE This is my floor! GUY It doesn't work! Come on! Magdalene scans her fob, but the light remains red and the handle stays locked. She tries to force it, freaking out. GUY (CONT'D) You're going to get fucking killed! Magdalene rushes back to Guy and they race down the steps. MAGDALENE Jesus, okay! It was worth a shot! 44.

They run past fourth floor, down to the third, the second, and finally the first. But when they go lower, and turn the corner to the ground floor, they descend into pitch blackness. The overhead lights are no longer working. In the darkness, the sounds of Guy bashing himself against the crash bar echo. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) What happened to the lights? Guy grunts with every exertion, summoning all his strength again and again in a failed effort to beat the door open. GUY Fuck! I'm gonna have to break these hinges off! MAGDALENE Then do it! You don't have to announce it! GUY I need to see! Turn your light on! MAGDALENE It is on! GUY You have my phone! Turn it on! MAGDALENE It's on! It's on! I never shut it off! Guy's movement ceases, and a brief moment, they're both silent and still in the quietude of the absolute darkness. In a flurry of movement Guy ascends the steps and emerges from the shadowy pit, pulling Magdalene up behind him by the hand. They stop in the dim light of the stairwell lit by both the halogens on the first floor, and the bright light of the phone in Magdalene's hand. She aims it down into the inky darkness below them, and it remains unpierced. A black void. GUY That's impossible. MAGDALENE What's it trying to tell us? GUY What? 45.

MAGDALENE The shadows. They're trying to tell us something. GUY Shadows don't speak. MAGDALENE Shhh. Listen. Guy obliges her, and for a few tense seconds they stare into the abyss... until like a cauldron over a flame, it bubbles. All at once the shadows start rising like a flood, a brew of amorphous obsidian milk that creeps up the stairs, filling them step by step until it reaches their toes. Magdalene and Guy flee around the corner onto the first floor. Guy starts pacing, laden with panicked thought, as Magdalene stands by the steps, staring down into the rising black vapor. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. Guy stops pacing and faces her, but her gaze is solid stone. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee. She turns to him, a strange calm having befallen her. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Friedrich Nietzsche. Beyond Good and Evil. GUY I know who said it. I've seen, The Abyss. Please, don't do your weird shit right now. MAGDALENE The monster... On the tenth floor. Why does it look like my monster? GUY It's not a monster. It's some mental case in your cat costume. 46.

MAGDALENE Everyone's a fan of mine... GUY He's a stalker. MAGDALENE No... my stalkers are harmless. GUY Well this one's murdered two people, and we're next if we don't get out of here. MAGDALENE You saw it, Guy. You looked right in its eyes, and it looked into yours. You should understand. GUY I'm not doing this right now. My daughter needs me, and I'm not gonna let your little crazy episode get us killed. MAGDALENE My monster wouldn't kill me. GUY Well, it's not all about you is it? MAGDALENE It needs me. Magdalene remains in a trance-like state of sheer concentration and self-reflection. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) A shadow can't exist without something to cast it. I am the light that creates the darkness... and my fame the object on which it shines. She snaps from her introspection and meets his concerned gaze. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Don't you see. I have to go up. GUY Are you out of your fucking mind!? MAGDALENE No. I'm inside of it. 47.

GUY I'm not gonna let you die over some metaphor you created in your head. A slight breeze blows as the bubbling black mist spills over the top step and starts flooding the first floor landing. MAGDALENE Look. The shadow is speaking. Guy looks to his feet, splashing in the impenetrable dark. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Can't you hear it? What it's saying. I'm just like Nietzsche. Presented with two choices. To gaze into the abyss, and have it gaze back into me, or confront my monster and risk becoming one. She grabs his shoulders, garnering his full attention. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) But there's a third option, Guy. What if I surrendered to it willingly? What do you think would happen then? GUY You'll get killed either way. MAGDALENE You're wrong. You have to be. GUY I'm gonna try to hack into the fourth floor. If you want to turn yourself over to get killed by your stalker, be my guest, but I'm gonna work on getting out of this fucking stairwell and I'd appreciate your help. There's your choice. Guy gives the pooling shadow one final cursory look, then storms his way back up to the fourth floor. Magdalene follows. He sets his bag down by the door and starts rifling through it, pulling out wires, tape, a screwdriver, a wire cutter, and when he produces a soldering iron he glances around, pissed. GUY (CONT'D) Fuck! There's no outlet! Oh, wait. I've got another one. 48.

Magdalene briefly watches him, before turning away and making her ascent up the steps. Guy watches her leave out of the side of his eye, then scans his fob on the panel. Red light. Set to task, Guy starts unscrewing the panel from the wall. CUT TO: Magdalene scrolls through the photo gallery on Guy's phone. ON SCREEN: Guy proudly holds up his caught fish on a dock. She swipes. Guy and a group of HIS FRIENDS pose from their bleacher seats at a baseball game. She swipes again. Julia, dressed in pajamas and still in bed, happily blows out a '10' candle stuck in a stack of pancakes. Magdalene stares. With a thought, she reaches into her purse, unzips an inner compartment, and pulls from it: her cellphone. Craning her head to keep an ear on Guy as he uses his tools, Magdalene finds MIRIAM in her contacts and tries to call her. The phone rings. It's working. There's a click. She answers. MIRIAM (V.O.) What's wrong? MAGDALENE (whispering) Hi, Miriam. MIRIAM (V.O.) ... What's wrong? MAGDALENE Nothing... It's working. Magdalene swipes to a photo of Julia and Guy in the park. MIRIAM (V.O.) Then why are you calling? MAGDALENE MIRIAM I don't /know. /Finish the job, Magdalene. MAGDALENE You've never believed in me. MIRIAM (V.O.) Magdalene... I'm disappointed in you. You should know better. We only believe in him. Nothing else. 49.

CHAINS RATTLE on the top floor. Magdalene glances upstairs. MAGDALENE But... He's mine. MIRIAM (V.O.) For now. That is the natural order of things. And that is why we have taken precautions. In case you fail. She swipes to a photo of Julia flying a kite. MAGDALENE MIRIAM (V.O.) I told /you. /Finish the job. Magdalene swipes again. It's a digital photo, but it's low- res. Older. Not taken with this phone. ON SCREEN: Guy holds a nearly three year old Julia on his lap. Beside him is Veronica, wrapping them both in a hug. MIRIAM (V.O.) Don't call me again. The call disconnects, leaving Magdalene extremely concerned. BACK TO: Guy carefully pries the plastic housing from the wall to reveal an array of electronics. With a snap, he separates the panel from its components, puts it down, and studies a circuit board. His fingers trace over densely packed chips on the silicon until they find a tiny bundle of thin wires. Using electrical tape, he organizes them into groupings of the same color. But when he grabs his wire cutter, holds it over the green wires, licks his lips, and gets ready to cut... he hesitates. GUY (CONT'D) Shit. Guy pushes himself away from the panel in a huff, throws down his wire cutter, and chases up the steps after Magdalene. He turns the corner swiftly, but JUMPS as he's forced to stop short. Magdalene stands tall right in front of Guy, blocking the stairs and facing him like she expected him to come up. MAGDALENE Why is a raven like a writing desk? Guy furrows his eyebrows when faced with her question. 50.

MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Because they're both used to carri-on de-composition. Magdalene bursts out in a fit of demented laughter. Her eyes bug out. It's like she's possessed. Guy becomes concerned. GUY Magdalene... I think you're having some sort of breakdown. As quick as it began, Magdalene's laughter turns to tears. GUY (CONT'D) Is there any medication or something in your bag you need? Shivering in place, her hysterical tears continue to flow. A harrowing expression soon becoming one of apparent fragility. GUY (CONT'D) Is there anything I can do for you? No response from the frozen Magdalene. He squints his eyes. GUY (CONT'D) Magdalene? MAGDALENE (meek) Make me feel better. GUY What? MAGDALENE Make me feel better. He considers for a long moment, then leans in to kiss her, but she sidesteps the attempt and softly pushes him aside. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) No. Not like that. She returns to the fourth floor and he follows after her. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Tell me we'll make it out of here. Magdalene faces him, seemingly more delicate than ever. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Tell me everything is going to be okay. 51.

GUY MAGDALENE Everything's going/ to be /Sing it to me. fine. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I want you to sing it to me. GUY What do you want me to sing? MAGDALENE Tomorrow. From Annie. Guy softly chuckles. GUY I know that song very well, actually. MAGDALENE I know. I've heard you sing it before. GUY MAGDALENE My /audition. /Your audition. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Don't tell me you're shy. GUY I'm not shy. MAGDALENE I can't believe it! The great Guy Prescott has stage fright. (singing Stage Fright) He said you can make it in your disguise, just never show the fear that's in your eyes. GUY I'm not afraid either. MAGDALENE Then sing it to me! See this... as an opportunity. Maybe I'll put in a good word for you. Guy grumbles, squirming under the weight of her entreating eyes, then reluctantly capitulates, throwing up his hands. GUY Fine! MAGDALENE Yayy! 52.

Magdalene squees, claps her hands with a tiny jump, then rushes to the corner by the door and sits cross-legged. He paces, gives a quick, cautious glance upstairs, then down, rubs his face, and settles himself, but when he discovers she's taken out his iPhone and aimed it at him, he balks. GUY No. No, no, no. You're not recording this. MAGDALENE Oh, come on! You have a daughter, right? She deserves to see this. I won't send it to anyone. I swear. He sighs. Nods. She squees again and fiddles with the phone. GUY Just tell me when you're ready. MAGDALENE Action. Guy clears his throat, stares at the phone and her for a long, contemplative beat, then finally starts singing. GUY The sun'll come out. Tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow. There'll be sun! His voice is impressive. In tune, but weak. It wavers under the pressure. His lack of confidence radiating strongly. GUY (CONT'D) Just thinkin' about, Tomorrow. Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow. 'Til there's none! Magdalene bites her lower lip. Her nerves calming a bit. A new energy overtaking her as she regains her equilibrium. Guy's eyes start to dart around. The awareness of his underperformance pounding against the back of his mind. GUY (CONT'D) When I'm stuck with a day, that's grey, and lonely. I just stick out my chin, and grin, and say! Oh! Magdalene shuffles in place, but still keeps him center frame. She's angsty, and Guy can tell. So he pivots. Summons himself. And starts singing his heart out. Not holding back. 53.

GUY (CONT'D) The sun'll come out. Tomorrow. So ya gotta hang on 'til tomorrow. Come what may! He's incredible. A natural talent. When her mouth curls into a thin grin, Guy's confidence rises. He goes for the gusto: GUY (CONT'D) Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya! Tomorrow! You're always a day away! Magdalene starts laughing. A growing, cackling hysteria. GUY (CONT'D) When I'm stuck with a day, that's grey, and-- And when she lowers the phone to indulge in her fit of amusement, Guy stops singing and positions himself, frazzled. GUY (CONT'D) I know. I know. It's ridiculous. I should have picked something more masculine. My mom tried to stop me, but I had a good history with this song. It got me first place at two other competitions. I was so sure of myself. I never accounted for you. Magdalene calms. He's smirking. Trying to flirt with her. GUY (CONT'D) Leave it to me to have to go up against one of the most talented... capable... beautiful pop stars the world has ever known. She climbs to her feet as he starts sauntering over to her. GUY (CONT'D) And you went before me. Talk about a hard act to follow. MAGDALENE My audition wasn't even that good. Magdalene once again finds herself backed against the wall as Guy reaches her, his moves like a jungle cat ready to pounce. GUY Are you kidding? I thought about that performance every single day for years. 54.

MAGDALENE You must despise me. Guy stops inches from her. She's nervous. He's incorrigible. GUY I still think about you, sometimes. In the dead of night. You were amazing that day, and still are. Now more than ever. MAGDALENE Why did you give up? Guy briefly deflates as he considers the complex question. GUY I didn't give up... I grew up. I became a father. I needed stability. I was tethered. Held down. Unlike you. Nothing's ever held you back. MAGDALENE You don't know anything about me. I'm not the person you think I am. I'm not special. I'm nobody. I'm run through a computer and processed for packaging. I'm paper mâché. I suck. GUY I do know you. I do. I read every article. I watch every interview. MAGDALENE So does everyone else. GUY I love you. Magdalene shifts awkwardly. Guy fumbles his words. GUY (CONT'D) I mean, your music! I love your music. Like I'm a total fan. And don't think I've forgotten about that autograph for my little girl. He reaches into her pocket, takes out the receipt and the red magic marker, and holds them up for her. She takes them. GUY (CONT'D) She loves you just as much as I do. Maybe more. 55.

Magdalene turns her back on him and hastily writes on it. MAGDALENE Nobody loves me, Guy. Nobody even knows who I am. It's him they love. CHAINS RATTLE above them. Guy looks to the ascending stairs, and when he turns back, she's facing him. Eyes misty. Wet. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) You know I didn't even sing the song I prepared that day. I got nervous when I saw you practicing, and sang something I heard on the radio. I didn't even get the lyrics right. He stares at her... Truly trying to listen. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) And I still beat you. Guy flinches at the comment. It was cold, and it hurts him. GUY But you're Magdalene. She snickers, as if her own name were a ludicrous insult. MAGDALENE You're so fucking soft. You can't come to terms with your own failure so you put the blame on me. It's delusional, Guy. And it's pathetic. Guy's stunned by her accusatory tone. He takes a step back. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Even if you did win, you never would have made it. Look at you. You can't even take me judging you, voicing my opinion. What makes you think you could've handled the spotlight? Everything you do. Everything you say. Every tweet, post, interview, outfit. Every boy you go out with torn apart, shredded, insulted, slandered. Scrutinized like it's some kind of national emergency. It's absolutely relentless. It never, ever ends. And you can't do anything about it but smile and sign people's stupid shit. She thrusts the receipt into his hands, but he can't bring himself to look at it. His fist clenches it. Temper rising. 56.

MAGDALENE (CONT'D) But you know what the real tragedy is? I was rooting for you that day. Guy abruptly turns from her, grabs his tool bag, and makes his way down the steps. Magdalene scurries after him. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Where are you going!? Got some light bulbs to change? Face it Guy. You were never better than me. She follows him to the third floor, where he goes to the door and scans his fob on the panel. Red light. It's locked. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) You're wasting your time. They're all locked. We know they're all locked. (glancing up the steps) Well. Almost all of them. He's not listening. She runs after him as he descends the steps to the second floor, but they stop halfway down. The pool of darkness is still rising, and having already swallowed up the first and second floor, approaches the third. Guy turns on his heels, SNATCHES his phone from her hands, then dashes up to the fourth floor. She gives chase, catching up as he reaches the disassembled door panel, where he tugs at the locked handle, contending with his phone's NO SIGNAL. It seems as if he's having a panic attack. Huffing and puffing. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Look at you. Some handy man. Can't even walk up two flights of stairs. GUY What are you even doing here? MAGDALENE I'm here for you. GUY What do you want from me? MAGDALENE If you could go back and change things? Would you? Guy kneels. Studies the circuit's wires. She creeps forward. 57.

MAGDALENE (CONT'D) What if you could be me? GUY I like my life the way that it is. MAGDALENE Liar, liar, pants on fire! You're lying to yourself, Guy. And to me. GUY Fuck you. I may fantasize about the what if's, but losing to you was the best thing that ever happened to me. If I took that year off to go to New York, I never would have met my ex. MAGDALENE And had your daughter. GUY I'd never change that. Magdalene shifts gears. Now she's stalking him like a cat. MAGDALENE You're not the only one who fantasizes about the way things could have been. How my life would be if you were picked instead of me... I'm just like you, Guy, and not a day's gone by where I don't imagine what it would be like to wake up in your bed instead of mine. She's unsettling him. Something makes him look at the receipt still clutched in his hand. And when he does, he pales. An uneasy feeling bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. GUY You signed it to Julia. MAGDALENE We're connected, her and I. GUY How do you know my daughter's name? She backs away from him, inching up the stairwell step by step as Guy pursues her. A terrible rage growing inside him. MAGDALENE I know everything about you Guy. More than you could comprehend. I know how you take your coffee. (MORE) 58. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) How you clean your legs in the shower before your face. Where you hide your cigarettes before you get home. Magdalene reaches the fifth floor and still he persists, his unrelenting walk steadily pushing her further upstairs. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) But it's so much more than that. I know what makes you tick. What you're feeling when you're the only dad at Julia's dance class. What goes through your head when you run halfway across the city to flip a switch. What you think about at night when you're jerking off to my poster. It's like I've always been there. In the corner of your mind. They reach the sixth floor landing where Buddy's bloody handprints scour the walls. She stops. Grinning madly. Guy glances at the blood, then stares at her. Fists clenched. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Don't you get it? I'm not just inside you, Guy. I am you. He can't help himself. He SHOVES her against the wall. She laughs with a witch-like cackling as he pushes against her. GUY What do you want from me!? MAGDALENE I want you to suffer, Guy. As deeply, and as profoundly, as I have. I want you to realize just how much of a loser you really are. I want you to feel it so deep in your bones, you can't escape embracing the epitome of your suck. Guy laughs in her face, spittle flaking across her cheek. GUY You think I give a shit what you think!? You said it yourself! You're a cog in a fucking machine. You're plastic and fake and fucked up. I mean look at you. Wearing your cheap, corporate bullshit probably made in a fucking sweatshop. (MORE) 59. GUY (CONT'D) Everything about you was invented in a board room. A copy of a copy of a copy, and a stupid one at that. Even your name. Magdalene. (he scoffs) Makes sense. The company whore. MAGDALENE Am I denying that? GUY No. And that's what makes you weak. I at least had the strength to reject that life. Magdalene doesn't buy that argument. MAGDALENE You didn't reject shit. You failed. Because you're a failure and a choker. You're a pussy. GUY You're pathetic. MAGDALENE At least I'm famous. GUY A lot of people know you. But nobody cares about you. That truly enrages Magdalene, and her tone becomes venomous. MAGDALENE Nobody cares about your dead wife either. Guy PUNCHES her face. A quick, unrestrained jab to the mouth. Magdalene wipes blood from her split lips, grinning madly. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Oops. That struck a nerve. GUY You fucking bitch. MAGDALENE Aww... you think she's still alive don't you? That's like, so kawaii. All these years not knowing. No leads. I get it. You were still holding on to some hope. But seriously, Guy. She's dead. (MORE) 60. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Deceased. R.I.P. And if she isn't, and she really is somewhere out there, do you honestly believe she'd ever come back? To you? If I was her, and I had to go back to a loser like you, I'd kill myself. Sooner you accept that the better. GUY You're insane. MAGDALENE Ahhhh, now you're getting it. GUY You're obsessed. MAGDALENE Keep going. GUY You're-- You're-- MAGDALENE You're never gonna see her again. Baby girl lost her mommy wommy. Boo hoo. I can tell you one thing though, Guy. She's gonna be a lot better off when she loses you too. GUY Get fucked. I'm getting out of here. MAGDALENE Maybe I misspoke. It's not so much about baby girl losing her daddy, as it is you losing her. Guy grabs her by the shirt collar and squeezes her close. GUY You shut the fuck up. MAGDALENE Get it through your thick skull, Guy! You think getting trapped in here was an accident!? Read my lips. I'm going to break you! And that starts with blowing up your whole life. GUY You better stop. 61.

MAGDALENE Stop? But this is so much fun! I can't wait to see the look on your boring, blue-collar face when you realize you'll never be in the same room as Julia unsupervised again. Guy is seething with anger, speaking through clenched teeth. GUY I'll punch you again. MAGDALENE Is that how you treat Julia when she's being naughty? Forego the belt for an old fashioned knock around. You do have quite the temper. How many times have you left her black and blue? Guy snaps. He SLAPS her face with all his summoned anger, and when she falters, PUNCHES her in the gut, then FORCES her against the wall. One arm braced tight against her chest, while his dominant hand grips her by the throat. Ready to squeeze. MAGDALENE Do it, Guy! Do it you fucking pussy! GUY I'll fucking kill you! MAGDALENE Fuck me, Guy! Don't you want to fuck me first! You've got me right where you want me! Fucking do it! Rip my panties off and fuck me against the wall! Kill me while you rape me! Magdalene's heated vulgarity stuns him. He teeters on the edge, ready to take her, wondering if this is her flirting. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Rape me, Guy! Rape me! Do it! She kisses him, violently, then BITES his lip. Draws blood. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) You might as well just get it over with, cause whether you cum or not, if I live, I'm gonna tell everyone that's exactly what you did. Guy releases her and takes a step back, his head swimming. 62.

MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I'm gonna make you famous, and you'll lose Julia forever. In a rush, Magdalene starts up the steps, but when he doesn't follow, she turns and waves her secret cellphone at him. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) So come stop me! She races on ahead. Guy remains stunned, trying to take everything in... when his eyes land on his tool bag. CUT TO: Guy stalks up the stairwell, steady and deliberate. His breath deep and quickened. The HEAVY WRENCH held in his hand. MAGDALENE (O.S.) Better hurry! The RINGING of a call being made over speakerphone echoes from above as he passes the sixth floor landing. It clicks. MAGDALENE (O.S.) Hello!? Child protective services? GUY Don't you fucking dare! MAGDALENE (O.S.) I'd like to report a rapist daddy! Guy quickens his pace. Crosses the seventh floor. She's close. MAGDALENE (O.S.) No, he only beats her. I'm the one he raped. Guy turns the corner halfway to eight and Magdalene's there, phone held up and out in her hand, staring right at him. WOMAN'S VOICE (SPEAKER PHONE) Hello? Ma'am!? Are you there. MAGDALENE Catch! Magdalene CHUCKS it down the steps as hard as she can manage, where it SMACKS against the floor and slides into the wall. And when Guy REACTS, turning to chase it, SHE SHOVES HIM. 63.

Throwing her full weight into his back, she sends him TUMBLING headfirst down the steps where he collapses in a crashing heap. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Should have fucked me while you had the chance, loser! Guy groans as he fails to get back up. That really hurt. He looks upstairs, hate seething. THWAP! Something hits his face. It's soft, and fleshy, and surprised him. It's Buddy's ear. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Listen up. Guy rips his eyes from the ear, and looks back up. But Magdalene has nothing to say, only letting out a soft chuckle. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Sorry, I couldn't resist. Magdalene leaves, disappearing around the corner. Guy pries himself to his feet, wincing at the pain of what must be a broken rib. Clutching an arm to his side, he goes first for Magdalene's thrown phone. But it's totally bricked. GUY Fuck. He tosses the useless phone aside, coughing profusely as his eyes search for his fallen wrench, falling instead on the ten bloody streaks Buddy left as the Monster dragged him away. Adrenaline pumping, with rage and determination overtaking his fear, Guy forcefully grabs his heavy wrench, gives it a few cursory, menacing swings, then starts climbing upstairs. CUT TO: Magdalene stops as she turns the corner that leads to the tenth floor. Craning her head back, she listens for Guy. There's movement below her, but it's still far away. It's what's above her that concerns her more. The darkness is gone, and the halogen security lamps are almost clinically bright. But there's no sound. No chains. Stillness and quiet. Summoning her courage, Magdalene holds her breath and makes a run for it. She races to the top of the steps, nearly slipping as she slides across a pool of wet blood towards the door. MAGDALENE Shit. 64.

She tugs at the handle, but it's locked. She needs the fob. Magdalene turns, eyes hastily searching the floor for the device, when they fall upon the nightmare in the corner. The Monster is crouching against the wall, back to her, as it hunches over the Businessman's dismembered corpse. She's surprised she couldn't hear it before as the sound comes into focus. The soft slurping of entrails and the crunch of bone. It's eating him. Slowly. Piece by piece. With a series of steady, gruesome snaps it rips off his ribs and chews on them. That's when she spots it: the key fob. Still clutched tight in Businessman's hand. Fortunately the arm's separated from his body, laying fallen a few short feet behind the Monster. She creeps towards it as stealthily as she can manage, but the sticky blood smacks with each step, and a particularly gloopy one makes its feline ears perk up at the sound of it. Magdalene freezes. So does the Monster. For a long, tense beat neither of them move... until it finally returns to hungrily devouring its meal. Magdalene stifles a relieving breath. Ever so carefully, she gets as close as she's willing to go, just barely in reach of the arm, then very cautiously kneels. CRUNCH. SLURP. Blood spatters as it rips its teeth into a juicy chunk of meat. Magdalene extends her hand towards the fob... IT TURNS! Sudden. Unexpected. Confronting her with the full terrifying countenance of its horrifying face. Crimson stains the fur surrounding its extensive, devilish grin, truly a Cheshire's smile, with a fantastic array of sharp pointy teeth. Its massive, inhuman eyes glare at her with implied intelligence, perhaps studying her as a predator would its prey. But it does not move. And she's too frozen to recoil. Overcome with bravery and curiosity alike, Magdalene raises her hand outstretched, and slowly, very, very slowly, reaches up and touches the side of its face. It does not react. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Hi... it's me. You know me? Yeah? She scratches its bloodied fur, rubbing her fingers over its whiskers, and itching into it. Its eyes remain fixed on her, the glare of a basilisk. And when she keeps scratching, it starts to PURR. A rhythmic, rumbling sound. Magdalene smiles. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Good boy... goooood boy. 65.

All while her other hand is reaching for the fob. The Monster notices. Its eyes look to her hand, to the fob, then to her. Magdalene senses its awareness. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I'll be seeing you. But when she takes it, the Monster's mighty paw comes crashing down on top of Magdalene's hand. Not injuring her, but pressing firm. Catching her as it might a mouse tail. If possible, its grin widens, and Magdalene manages to pry out her empty hand. The Monster keeps its eyes on her as she watches it deliberately PULL the arm, the hand, and the fob, away from Magdalene's reach, to rejoin the pile of dead flesh. Almost imperceptibly it shakes its head: No, then turns its back on her to resume its grisly feast. Chewing and swallowing. Magdalene stands and backs away, a fresh terror consuming her, when movement in the corner of her eye bids her to turn. Guy is standing halfway down the steps. Staring at her. The heavy wrench held up scarily. She holds a finger to her lips. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Shhh... He starts his ascent, a murderous twinkle in his eyes, but slows to a halt when the Monster beside her comes into view. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) You'll make him upset. The Monster snaps its head suddenly to stare at him, so Guy stumbles back out of sight, losing a bit of that determination. GUY Come here, Magdalene. MAGDALENE Why don't you come here? It's safe. Guy inches forward again, just enough to catch a glimpse of the Monster devouring its carcass, before inching himself back. GUY I'll give you what you want. Magdalene perks up. GUY (CONT'D) Just come here. 66.

MAGDALENE You want to fuck me, Guy? GUY Yes. MAGDALENE Say it. GUY I'm going to fuck you. MAGDALENE And then kill me? GUY Yes. MAGDALENE Say it! GUY I'm going to kill you. I'm going to fuck you and then kill you. That devilish grin of victory reappears on Magdalene's face. MAGDALENE Mmm. Do it here. So he can watch. Guy complies, and climbs the stairs. Magdalene backs herself against the far wall as he pauses at the top of the steps. The Monster turns, watching on with intense curiosity as Guy starts stalking towards her. Magdalene's intensely aroused, her hands pawing at herself with every step he draws closer. GUY Are you ready, Magdalene? Magdalene nods excitedly. MAGDALENE Yes. GUY Say it! MAGDALENE I'm ready. Guy lunges against her. The lights increase to a brilliant, blinding intensity and start to flicker, creating a disorienting vortex that makes the dizzy struggle go unseen. 67.

The Monster starts freaking out, but can't bring itself to act in the chaos. It grunts furiously. Its chains rattle. There's a CRASHING as two bodies roll down the stairs. The chain attached to the body of the Monster gets pulled taut. It groans in helpless anger. CUT TO: INT. FOURTH FLOOR, STAIRWELL - LATER Magdalene is wrapped in electrical tape and fully restrained. She's on her butt. Back to the wall. Hands above her head. Wrists taped tight to the door handle. Her ankles are tied, her shoes off, and one of her socks gags her mouth. She squirms, but she's bound fast. Unable to escape. Guy wears a smug smile as he fastidiously tinkers with the circuit board. Smoke sizzles from his battery powered soldering iron as he strips and rearranges its messy wiring. GUY Whoever put this together was a fucking hack. Guy rips a few wires from their housing with a sharp tug. GUY (CONT'D) No wonder it's jammed. Magdalene moans under her tape, as if trying to speak. Guy is polite enough to look into her eyes for a few short seconds. GUY (CONT'D) Don't worry. I promise you, when we get out of here I'm going to get you all the help you need. Magdalene moans her response, unpronounced and inaudible. GUY (CONT'D) And I'm not pressing charges either, so you can relax. It's not your fault you flipped the fuck out. He returns to the wiring, strips a few, and solders them. GUY (CONT'D) In fact, it'd have been weird if you didn't... I don't blame you. 68.

Guy chuckles under his breath. GUY (CONT'D) Given the circumstances, I might even say it's been fun. He shoots a quick glance at her, still laughing. GUY (CONT'D) Let's do it again sometime. BEEP! His watch chirps at him. It's 4:00 pm. GUY (CONT'D) Shit. (showing her the watch) Hopefully they don't mind if I'm a little late. I gotta admit, I wasn't even sure I was gonna go. He faces her full on, kneeling close, looking into her eyes. GUY (CONT'D) Thank you, Magdalene. This little tirade of yours quite possibly changed my life forever. I'm excited for you to listen to my single. How long do you think it'll take them to produce it? Ahh, it doesn't matter. Guy leaves her and returns to the board. He's almost done. GUY (CONT'D) You know, there's a lesson to be learned from all of this. All these years I was afraid if I went down that path, your path, the fame would swallow me whole, and I wouldn't be able to be the father I need to be. But meeting you again, I realize I was wrong. The fame didn't break you. You were always broken. BEEP! CLICK! The RED light turns GREEN. Guy has done it. GUY (CONT'D) Yes! Gotcha. To her disdain, he offers Magdalene the smug smirk of his victory, then grabs the door handle... It's still locked. RED. GUY (CONT'D) Shit. Wait. 69.

Magdalene starts laughing beneath her gag, but Guy ignores her as he quickly returns to the circuit board, pries out a wire, and plugs it into a different spot. CLICK! BEEP! GREEN. Guy goes for the handle again. It's still locked! She laughs harder as he tugs at it. He's starting to get frustrated. He returns to the board in a rush and fidgets. Hands shaking. BEEP! The light goes RED. He groans. She laughs louder! Guy twists a wire. There's a SPARK! BEEeep. The light goes out. GUY (CONT'D) Piece of fucking shit! Guy chucks the panel covering against the far wall, then turns to her with his rage rising. She's staring at him, laughing hysterically. No. She's laughing at him. Incensed, Guy RIPS the tape from her mouth and un-gags her. MAGDALENE Ahhh, you thought it was over... You're fun, Guy. I'll give you that. You are fun. GUY Try catching me on a good day. MAGDALENE It's almost too bad you have to murder me. I think we really could have hit it off. GUY I don't put my dick in crazy. Guy moves to gag her again and she squirms. MAGDALENE I wouldn't. You're really gonna wanna hear what I have to say. GUY I'm not letting you go. MAGDALENE Yes, you are. You're going to do everything I want. Everything you promised you would. GUY No, I'm not. 70.

MAGDALENE Yes, you are. GUY No, I'm not. MAGDALENE Yes, you are. GUY No. MAGDALENE Yes. GUY No. MAGDALENE Yes. Guy stops playing along. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Or else. Something doesn't sit right with her comment. She's too confident. Too conceited. He leans closer. Serious. GUY Or else what? MAGDALENE Or else you'll never get Julia back. Guy scoffs at her. Totally fucking absurd. GUY You're out of your fucking mind if you think CPS is gonna give two shits what you have to say. MAGDALENE I'm not talking about Child Protective Services, Guy. Magdalene offers him a grin worthy of a Cheshire cat. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I'm talking about my manager. She kidnapped your daughter this morning. Guy smirks. It's a bluff. And not a good one at that. 71.

MAGDALENE (CONT'D) You need to ask yourself, Guy. Am I lying, or did Miriam whisk her away in her blue pickup truck, never to be seen, or heard from again. That little detail stuns him. His smile instantly fades. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) But you'd better be right. You better be diamond positive. Because your daughter's life depends on it. WHAM! A heavy metallic crash echoes up from the ground floor, far below them. Neither of them flinch. Guy is about to snap. WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Hello!? Why's it so dark!? Magdalene glances quick to the steps, then smirks anew. WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Buddy!? You in here!? CUT TO: A LARGE FIGURE makes their way through the pitch blackness, lurching with a mixture of groans and labored, heavy breathing. LIGHT appears, promising sight beyond the corner, and the figure heads towards it, ascending onto the fourth floor. It's: FAN GIRL (18), as rotund as she is irritated at having to climb this many flights of stairs in the dark. She flaps her t-shirt to cool herself down. A t-shirt that just so happens to feature art work of Magdalene, with her name printed out in large, pink, cursive letters across the bottom. FAN GIRL (WOMAN'S VOICE) I am going to kill the super. This building fucking sucks. She looks to the door and finds Guy standing by the disassembled panel, surrounded by tools and wires. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) Hey! What are you doing!? She lurches forward, tugs on the locked handle, and shakes her head in absolute frustration at the mess of parts. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) This is my floor! 72.

She produces a fob from her pocket and scans it over the revealed insides of the panel. There's no beep. No light. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) Ugh, I'm not about to walk all the way back down. How much longer do you think you'll be? Guy is sweaty. Flush. Eyes focused just beyond her shoulder. GUY I wish I could tell you. FAN GIRL Are you gonna fix the lights too? They're sketchy as-- Fan Girl turns to see what he's looking at... It's Magdalene. Standing discretely in the corner. Unbound and free. Fan Girl SKREES at the top of her lungs, and starts hopping in place. She claps her hands, all sorts of excited. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! This isn't real. This isn't real... What? Magdalene shakes a piece of electrical tape from her foot. MAGDALENE Cool shirt. Fan Girl SKREES again in a state of feverish disbelief. FAN GIRL Oh my god, thanks! You like it? I designed it myself. The illustration and font and everything. MAGDALENE I love it. FAN GIRL Do you want one? I have a whole box of them in my place. MAGDALENE Yeah, of course. I'll post it on insta as well. FAN GIRL No way. 73.

MAGDALENE Yeah, totally. FAN GIRL Oh my god, this is absolutely insane. What are you even doing here? Like seriously? I thought you lived in the hills. GUY Can I use your phone? Magdalene shoots him a dirty look. Fan Girl glances fast. FAN GIRL I don't get service in the stairwell. GUY I'll take your guys' picture. Fan Girl SKREES. She can't turn that down, immediately hands over her cell, and sidles alongside Magdalene for the photo. Magdalene watches Guy intently as he dials in a number and presses send... but the CALL FAILS. With a sigh, he snaps a quick picture and hands it back. Magdalene frowns at him. FAN GIRL Thanks... Fan Girl's mania returns to reality as for the first time she takes note of the dried blood on their hands and clothes. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) Are you two okay? MAGDALENE No. Fan Girl shifts uncomfortably, subtly inching away from Guy. FAN GIRL He didn't hurt you, did he? Magdalene scoffs and shakes her head dismissively. MAGDALENE Him? No, no, no. It's not even our blood. But you know what? We could really use your help. GUY We don't need her help. 74.

MAGDALENE Yes, we do, Guy. We do. GUY No. We don't. MAGDALENE I need her help, then. FAN GIRL I'll do anything. MAGDALENE Anything. Isn't that interesting, Guy? How some people would do anything for the people they love. FAN GIRL I totally love you. It's true. MAGDALENE Thank you. Unconditional love was the only thing keeping me alive to be honest. FAN GIRL I'm so excited for your new album. MAGDALENE Do you want a copy? I've been signing some to give away. FAN GIRL Oh my god, what!? MAGDALENE Yeah. I'm on the tenth floor if you want to come up. Guy grabs Magdalene by the shoulder and pulls her aside. GUY What the fuck are you doing? MAGDALENE Stop me. GUY Don't do this. She's nobody. FAN GIRL Hey! MAGDALENE What do you care? 75.

FAN GIRL (to Guy) Who even are you anyway? I haven't seen you in any of her posts. MAGDALENE Ignore him. He's nobody. And at this rate, he always will be. Magdalene leads her towards the steps up. Guy blocks them. GUY Magdalene! Don't. MAGDALENE You know what I want, Guy. You gonna give it to me, or not? FAN GIRL I hope I'm not interrupting something here. MAGDALENE No, you came at the perfect time. (to Guy) Well? Magdalene stares him down. His eyes dart to the heavy wrench on the floor nearby... But he can't. She watches him deflate. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Yeah. That's what I thought. Magdalene shoulder bumps him out of the way, and starts ascending the staircase with Fan Girl eagerly at her side. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I hope you're not squeamish. A homeless man got attacked by a dog in here before. FAN GIRL Oh my god. MAGDALENE Yeah. It was brutal. They turn the corner and reach the fifth floor landing where the pool of Buddy's congealing blood is plain to see. Fan Girl pauses... then vomits. Magdalene rubs her back. CUT TO: 76.

Guy is having breakdown. He kicks the wall. Kicks the door panel. Picks up his tool bag and throws it against the door. Totally exasperated. He takes out his phone and tries to call Julia. CALL FAILED. Tries to send a text: Are you ok? Messaged failed to deliver. Guy gets as close as he can to the door. Tries to call again. But it's no use. His fist pounds the door out of desperation. But no one can hear him, or at least, no one comes. He presses his back to the door. Blood boiling. Breathing hard and fast... Until all at once he calms... when his eyes fall upon the mess of wires. A bird's nest of half-stripped copper with colorful bundles leading deep into the inside of the wall itself. Suddenly set to purpose, Guy tears the wiring from the panel. But the shadows have reached him. An inky blackness starts spilling up over the steps and begins to flood the floor. He glances over his shoulder at it, then doubles his efforts. CUT TO: Fan Girl covers her eyes with one hand, while her other is held tightly by Magdalene, who's pulling her forward, past all of the bloody handprints covering the sixth floor walls. But Fan Girl slips and falls. Magdalene helps her up. FAN GIRL Sorry. MAGDALENE It's fine. Keep your eyes on me. Fan Girl looks up with wonder, and as Magdalene pulls her further upstairs, she keeps looking back at her. Together they step over the bloody claw marks on the seventh floor landing, and make their way up towards the eighth. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) That's it. You're doing so well. They walk in silence, Fan Girl trusting her implicitly as she's led onto the stairs going to the tenth floor. But Magdalene stops when they turn the corner. Her full attention focused upward, straining to hear any noise at all. 77.

FAN GIRL What happened to the dog? MAGDALENE Do you trust me? FAN GIRL What? MAGDALENE I said. Do you trust me? FAN GIRL Of course. MAGDALENE Then stay quiet. Keep your eyes on me. Fan Girl nods her head, and obeying Magdalene's command, she keeps her eyes only on her as she's led to the tenth floor landing, and carefully walked around the puddle of blood. Magdalene corners herself, positioning Fan Girl's back to the opposing corner, where the shadow of the perching Monster is ominously cast by the bright overhead halogen lamps. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Hey. Magdalene takes firm hold of both of Fan Girl's hands. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Tell me a secret. From the look of the shadow, the Monster faces their direction. FAN GIRL Like what? MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Something personal. I want you to tell me something that matters. Something you've never told anyone. Something you'd take to the grave. FAN GIRL Why? MAGDALENE Do you want your album or not? FAN GIRL I do. 78.

MAGDALENE Then tell me a secret. Fan Girl licks her lips in thought. Magdalene tries her best to keep her eyes locked on hers, but the Shadow is moving. FAN GIRL Okay... Fan Girl takes a moment to herself, gathering her thoughts and emotions, then squeezes Magdalene's hands when ready. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) I was a bully. MAGDALENE So? FAN GIRL I killed someone. That gets Magdalene's attention. Her fresh interest simmers. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) Not like on purpose or anything. Kristy Lee. She was such a stuck-up c-word. I hated her ever since fifth grade when she made fun of my haiku in front of the whole class. It was a really good haiku. I don't remember it, but whatever. Her parents sent her to some bullshit private school, so I didn't see her again until the middle of eleventh grade. She got raped, or something. Her old science teacher got fired, and she had to switch schools. But I think she egged him on, that slut. Magdalene focuses on Fan Girl and nothing else, even as the shadow disappears from the wall, and the Monster approaches. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) She basically ruined that poor guy's life. I looked into it. His wife left him, and he had to get a job at Denny's down the road. I went there once. He looked so pathetic. It was really sad. Fan Girl steps closer to Magdalene, brimming with gravitas. 79.

FAN GIRL (CONT'D) So I made it my life's work to bring some kinda karmic justice to the world, y'know? I'd prank her. Pour ex-lax in her soup. That kind of shit. But nothing fazed her so I upped my game. I started a rumor she gave hand jobs to freshmen, and Mr. Matthews was fired cause he caught her jerking them off, and they said he was taking pictures. Everyone believed it. Apparently her parents did too. They pulled her from school right before junior prom, and she slit her wrists two days later. The Monster RISES UP behind Fan Girl, and LOOMS over her. MAGDALENE That's it? That's your big secret? FAN GIRL No. That's just context. Okay, so, after I found out about it, I felt totally responsible, but I knew if I told anyone what I did, my life would be over. I figured I'd just cut my losses, follow in her footsteps, and kill myself too. But I chickened out every time I thought about the blood, so I drank bleach. Magdalene's widening smile mirrors the Monster's Cheshire grin. MAGDALENE You want to die. FAN GIRL No. Not anymore... Because of you. Bloodied saliva drips from each of its hundred pointy teeth. FAN GIRL (CONT'D) They called it a cry for help, and I spent two weeks in the psych ward at St. Johns. That's when I heard your music for the first time. Fan Girl moves to wipe a tear from her misty eyes, but Magdalene won't release her hands, so the droplet falls. 80.

FAN GIRL (CONT'D) You know that song, "Fifteen Reasons to Rebel," where you're like, Heavenly father. God up above. Born to give him all of our love. Rejoice the creation. Manifestation. When-- MAGDALENE FAN GIRL God is dead. Live devastation. God is dead. Live devastation. MAGDALENE Yeah... it's good right? FAN GIRL It's epic. It made me realize I wasn't responsible at all. She was. She killed herself because she was weak. All I had to do was be strong. The Monster licks its teeth and PURRS, a noise so loud Fan Girl almost turns around to look, but Magdalene stops her. MAGDALENE That's obviously exactly what I was trying to say with that song. FAN GIRL Right? So anyway. My secret, is that without you, Magdalene. I'd be dead. Not only would I be a different person than I am now. I'd be dead. Deceased. R.I.P. I am who I am because of you. I'm alive because of you. I owe you everything. MAGDALENE Why is this a secret? FAN GIRL I've never told anybody this before. MAGDALENE Yeah, but I've heard this type of story from thousands of people. You aren't special. You aren't even that interesting. I thought you were for a hot second when you said you killed someone. But that's not even true. It was a lie. Admit it. FAN GIRL It wasn't a lie. It was hyperbole. 81.

MAGDALENE You're giving yourself a little too much credit, don't you think? Kristy Lee didn't die because of you. She committed suicide because she was a rape victim. You're just a narcissist taking credit for other people's pain. Maybe you should've been a pop star. The Monster chuckles. Fan Girl's too upset to notice. FAN GIRL How could you say that to me? MAGDALENE I mean look at you. You're not that important. You're not even hot. Why would anyone kill themselves over a fat slob like you? I bet no one would even notice if you died. No one would even care. I certainly wouldn't. In fact, it'd be a relief. I bet watching you die, would literally brighten my day. Fan Girl is on the verge of tears, processing this reversal. FAN GIRL Are you still going to give me your album? MAGDALENE No, but I can give you something better. Fan Girl perks up. Magdalene still won't her let go. FAN GIRL What? MAGDALENE How would you like to be on my next album cover? The Monster likes the sound of that. Its ears perk. Grinning. Staring deep into Magdalene's eyes. Waiting for confirmation. FAN GIRL Oh my god, yes! Yes. What do you want me to do? Magdalene savors the moment, watching the nervous trepidation on Fan Girl's face, and the eager anticipation of the Monster. 82.

MAGDALENE Smile. Magdalene lets go of Fan Girl's hands, and that's all the permission the Monster needs. In one fell swoop, it wraps one one arm around her chest, and with the other covers Fan Girl's face completely beneath its mighty, bloodstained paw. Magdalene's eyes roll back in her head, almost orgasmically savoring the sight and sounds of Fan Girl's muffled screams as the Monster pulls her away and retreats into the corner, once again becoming a shadow on the wall as it moves out of sight. CUT TO: INT. FOURTH FLOOR, STAIRWELL - SAME The blackness has completely consumed the landing, and though suppressed, the dim glow of Guy's cellphone provides a small refuge from the dark in the corner. He crowds over it. Anxious. CALL FAILED blinks on its screen, then suddenly GOES DARK as the phone shuts off, bringing the room back to black as well... Until the faded luminosity of a tiny pen-light gripped in Guy's mouth brings the phone into focus. Using a suction cup to grip the screen, Guy carefully slides a utility knife around the screen with surgeon-like precision. Sweat drips onto the glass. A sigh of relief as it separates, he tosses the blade and cup aside, then brings into the light his makeshift creation: A thin, tight coil of stripped wires the size and shape of a credit card, with a lead wire trailing off into the wall. Holding his breath, Guy gently slips it inside the phone, then closes the screen, forcing it down with a sharp SNAP. He cringes at the sound. Taps the glass. Presses the power button. Nothing. He taps it again. The phone turns on. And there's signal! Two full bars that instantly click down to one. It pings No Signal, then click back up to one. Guy wipes his forehead, opens JULIA's contact, and calls... IT RINGS! And rings... and rings. Goes to voicemail. Guy ends the call. With a quick thought, Guy opens EMILY, and calls. It answers. EMILY (V.O.) Hello? It's Julia's friend. A little girl around her age. 83.

GUY Hi Emily, it's Mr. Prescott, Julia's dad. EMILY (V.O.) Oh, umm. Hi. Do you need to talk to my mom? I'm at my dad's house. There's STATIC on the line. Guy leans close to hear her. GUY Is Julia with you? EMILY (V.O.) What? Say that again? GUY Julia! Julia. Is she with you? EMILY (V.O.) No. Why don't you call her? GUY Didn't you speak to her before? She said you were texting her. That you were coming over to the house. EMILY (V.O.) Oh, yeah. I was gonna, but my dad got me instead. I think she made other plans though. GUY What do you mean? EMILY (V.O.) She said someone's mom was outside the house, and she had to go. GUY Whose mom? What else did she say? (click) Emily? Emily! Whose mom? The CALL FAILS. He tries to call back, but there's NO SIGNAL. Guy's breathing quickens. He's visibly nervous. Starting to freak out. Making a decision, he dials 911. It rings! DISPATCHER (V.O.) 9-1-1. What's your emergency? CLICK! The call drops as the screen shuts off, and stays off. 84.

Guy stuffs the phone in the wall panel, pulls the light from his mouth, and uses it to find the utility knife on the floor. CUT TO: INT. NINTH FLOOR, STAIRWELL - LATER The darkness has reached the top of the stairs, and it's just beginning to spill over. Magdalene sits cross-legged in the middle of the landing in a pool of the blackness an inch deep. A smile on her face as she sings to the tune of, Greensleeves. MAGDALENE 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe. CUT TO: INT. TENTH FLOOR, STAIRWELL - EARLIER Magdalene reaches up towards the Monster. It KNEELS down... MAGDALENE (V.O.) All mimsy were the borogroves, And UNCLASPS the chain collar from around its own neck. CUT TO: INT. NINTH FLOOR, STAIRWELL - SAME Magdalene giggles to herself as she sits, singing the song. MAGDALENE And the mome raths outgrabe. CUT TO: INT. TENTH FLOOR, STAIRWELL - SAME The Monster strips the flesh from a leg bone with its razor sharp teeth, and chews voraciously behind its permanent grin. MAGDALENE (V.O.) Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Then with a thought, it stops chewing, and politely holds the leg bone and its dripping wet meat outward in offering to: Fan Girl. Still alive, but scared beyond belief. Huddled in the corner as the Monster crowds her, blocking her escape. 85.

MAGDALENE (V.O.) Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch! Fan Girl closes her eyes and turns away from the grim offering. CUT TO: INT. NINTH FLOOR STAIRS, STAIRWELL - SAME Guy ascends through the pitch black towards a distant light. MAGDALENE (O.S.) He took his vorpal sword in hand; Long time the manxome foe he sought. And when he emerges from the shadows onto the ninth landing, the overhead lights glint off the blade in his back pocket. Guy pauses at the top, knee-deep in darkness, and confronts Magdalene who's sitting between him and the stairs up. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) So rested he by the Tumtum tree And stood awhile in thought. GUY Where's Julia? MAGDALENE (CONT'D) And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame. The Monster appears from around the upstairs corner. It stares down at Guy, light reflecting in its feline eyes. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Came whiffling through the tulgey wood. It PURRS loudly as it watches him. Ponderous and curious. GUY Cut the shit! MAGDALENE (CONT'D) And burbled as it came! Guy lunges in a furious rage, lifts her by the neck, and SLAMS her against the wall, hands squeezing at her throat. GUY What did you do with Julia!? She chokes, trying to speak. He releases a bit of pressure. 86.

MAGDALENE You want to see her again? GUY Yes! MAGDALENE You want to see your daughter again? GUY Yes, fucking yes, Jesus Christ! MAGDALENE It's all set up for you. We just finished recording the new EP, but still have a slot open for the number one track. Kill me and it's yours. Guy releases her and takes a step back. Rage boiling over. The darkness reaches just past his waist, steadily rising. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I really don't understand what's stopping you. Come on. But Guy's anger starts to subside. He just can't bring himself to do it. Magdalene recognizes the shift. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) No, no, no. Please, Guy! Please! I want this! It's not wrong! He averts his gaze. He can't even look at her. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) (pleading) It's a win-win! I won't have to deal the fucking Satanists anymore and you get to be a pop star. Just go to the meeting when it's done and Miriam will handle it all. And when he doesn't turn, Magdalene's tone turns dark. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) If you don't they'll slit her throat. That does it. She braces herself as Guy charges into her, SLAMS her into the wall again, and holds her there. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Do it, Guy! Do it! 87.

But he's not acting on his impulses, so she bares her neck, and forcefully places his hand around her throat. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) I know you've thought about it as many times as I have. She grabs his wrist with both hands and pulls, choking herself. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) (choking) How do you think people like me get to where we are? I deserve to die. Do you have any idea how many people killed themselves to my last single? Magdalene pulls tighter, allowing herself to fade as she chokes, but Guy stops her by pulling his hand away. GUY Why don't you just do it yourself? Magdalene coughs, struggling to regain her breath. MAGDALENE I have a contract. It has to be you. It has to be my replacement. GUY And if I kill you but I don't sing? What then? A thin smile pierces her lips. The Monster chuckles. MAGDALENE You'll sing... or after they suck the adrenochrome from little Julia's pineal gland, they'll wear her face as a mask while they skull fuck her corpse. In one fluid movement, Guy pulls the utility knife from his pocket, pushes Magdalene back, and holds its razor sharp tip to her throat. A drop of blood kisses the stainless steel. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) This is the moment you've been waiting your whole life for, Guy. Take the opportunity. For Julia. For yourself. And for me. She looks to the Monster, her Monster, and closes her eyes. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Just promise me you'll enjoy it. 88.

Guy could do it. It would be so very easy. Her carotid artery pulses with every quickening beat of her heart. Waiting. Ready. He considers it... long enough for her to open her eyes and look back him. Silently pleading. Why won't he do it? MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Please... Guy forcefully pulls the knife away, then drops it in disgust. It disappears into the black beneath them. He turns his back to Magdalene and takes a deep breath. GUY If this is what it takes... then I refuse. You don't have to listen to them... Be reasonable. A huge weight has been lifted from him. He's made his choice. GUY (CONT'D) Work with me here. I want to help you. You want to help me. Guy wipes the sweat from his face as he calms himself... GUY (CONT'D) We can figure out another way... then turns around... GUY (CONT'D) Magdal-- But a VICIOUS SLASH followed by GUSHING BLOOD stops Guy's words in their tracks. His eyes go wide as the slice in his throat reddens. And there stands Magdalene. Utility knife in hand as she watches Guy step back, choking on his own blood. MAGDALENE What a shame. Guy stares at her, gurgling helplessly. He grabs at his throat, trying to contain a river. She tosses the utility knife back into the black, turns away from him, and goes up the steps. She joins the Monster and they disappear around the corner, as the rising tide of shadows envelops Guy and swallows him whole. In the distance, we hear the BEEP of the upstairs door as it unlocks, then the heavy metallic CRASH of it closing shut. 89.

EXT. CITY STREET, APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Police tape and bright yellow barricades block the street from a descending hoard of MAGDALENE FANS decked out in merch as they swarm the crime scene desperate to catch a glimpse of her. POLICE CARS and NEWS VANS litter the scene as COPS shuffle in and out of the stairwell, and REPORTERS stand by on live TV. REPORTER #1 I'm here, on scene, outside of a modest apartment building in the East Side, where just hours earlier legendary pop star Magdalene was witness to a triple homicide. REPORTER #2 Escaping with just minor scrapes and bruises, the singer declined to comment. Only saying that she was grateful for the outpouring of love and support she was receiving from her fans, when she posted a picture of herself being picked up by police on Instagram. REPORTER #3 Ever since this story has taken the internet by storm, pre-sales for Magdalene's new album, "The Devil in Us," have skyrocketed, and some analysts see it as on track to become the highest-selling album of all time. To capitalize on this unprecedented level of publicity, Magdalene's record label, "Limelight Music," has decided to release the album exclusively on its streaming platform in just two days time. FADE TO: EXT. PARKING LOT, STADIUM - NIGHT A sea of MINIVANS and SUVS flood the lot, and droves of FANS, like tributaries to a river, flow through the main entrance. INT. STADIUM - NIGHT The air is thick with excitement as tens of thousands purchase shirts, bags, Monster plush dolls, and other Magdalene merch, load up on food and drinks, and take to their stadium seats. We find Fan Girl weaving through the crowd towards SECURITY. 90.

She holds up her VIP TOUR lanyard and gets waved BACKSTAGE where she maneuvers past THE BAND and SOUND CREW, makes her way into a dimly lit corridor, and stops outside of a closed door. It's unlabeled, indistinct among a row of others. Fan Girl's just about to knock, when Miriam suddenly appears at her side. MIRIAM Excuse me. She opens the door and steps in, where Fan Girl catches a quick glimpse of Magdalene in the dressing room mirror. INT. DRESSING ROOM, STADIUM - CONTINUOUS Miriam half-closes the door behind her, a clipboard in hand. MIRIAM How're you feeling? Miriam watches her in the mirror. She does not look back. MAGDALENE Ready to go. MIRIAM We want to start the livestream in ten. Is that good with you? MAGDALENE Anything for you, Miriam. MIRIAM Great. I'll be in the wing. Miriam turns towards the door, but pauses. MIRIAM (CONT'D) You have a visitor. MAGDALENE Tell her she can wait. Miriam exits and shuts the door. When she does, Magdalene lets loose a great, big sigh, and picks up an ivory hairbrush. Swiveling to the right, she turns to face Julia. Guy's Julia. Who's sitting with her back to Magdalene, staring at the closet. It's closed. Uninteresting. But it holds her attention fully. 91.

MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Auntie Miriam is going to take care of you when I'm on stage, okay? She runs the brush through Julia's long, brown hair. Lovingly. Julia doesn't respond. Eyes fixated on the closet. Magdalene notices where her attention is. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) What do you see? Beep. Boop. Beep. The faint sounds of a Simon echoes out from within the closet, accompanied by its flashing colorful lights. JULIA Nothing... a shadow. MAGDALENE Look. Magdalene adjusts the make-up light until both her shadow and Julia's are cast on the wall. She gets closer. Cheek to cheek. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Now what do you see? JULIA Us. MAGDALENE Forever and ever. Magdalene runs a hand through Julia's hair, then keeps brushing. MAGDALENE (CONT'D) Do you want to become a singer? Magdalene looks to Julia for an answer, who glances up at her with nothing but pure innocence brimming over in her eyes. CUT TO BLACK. THE END