By: Kaitlin Arocho

FADE IN
INT. BEDROOM – EVENING
PAN AROUND the room to show a group of fifteen-year-old girls- DIANA, IRENE, KATHY, and PIPER- are in the room talking, laughing, clearly having a good time. Then JACQUELINE, DIANA’s mother, walks in.

JACQUELINE
Sorry to break this up, but Piper, your dad’s
here. And Kathy, your sister’s

DIANA
Aw, already?

JACQUELINE Yup. Come on.

Reluctantly the girls filed out of the room, CLOSE UP ON THE FEET AS THEY MOVE DOWN THE STAIRS- every other one CREAKING. Move to a WIDE SHOT as they make their way to the front door to say their goodbyes. JACQUELINE, DIANA, and IRENE watch the two girls leave then come back inside, IRENE shutting the door behind them.

JACQUELINE
Irene, when are your parents coming?

IRENE
Well, actually my brother’s supposed to pick me
up, but he said he’ll be here in about five minutes.

JACQUELINE
Ok. (to DIANA) Once she leaves your father and I
are going to head out. DIANA
Sounds good.

JACQUELINE leaves the living room and goes upstairs.

IRENE
Why didn’t they leave earlier? They could’ve left
us here until our parents got here. They also
could have let us stay so you don’t have to be here alone.

DIANA
Yeah, well they didn’t want to let y’all stay
here in case something happened. They said they’d rather only be responsible for something that happened to their own daughter, rather than someone else’s. Or worse, something happens to all of us and they weren’t here to prevent it.

IRENE
I guess that makes sense. But here’s another
question for you.

IRENE looks around and lowers her voice to a whisper.

IRENE                                                                                                                                                                                   Are you going to invite Tony over?

DIANA
(embarrassed) No! Oh my gosh no. Besides we
haven’t even been dating that long.

IRENE
You two have been dating for almost a whole year,
I’d say that’s a good while. But I guess it wouldn’t make sense to invite him, since we all have another year before we can drive.

DIANA
Exactly. Besides, even if I were to invite him
over nothing would end up happening. I mean we haven’t even talked about it. Also, I think he hasn’t brought it up because he doesn’t want me to think that that’s all he wants.

IRENE
Well, no guy WANTS you to think that. But don’t
think just because he hasn’t brought it up that he doesn’t want to.

DIANA (dismissive)                                                                                                                                                  Yeah, yeah.

Just then the doorbell rings. DIANA and IRENE get up to answer it. OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT FROM BEHIND DIANA as she opens the door and we see JAMES, IRENE’s brother, waiting outside.

JAMES
Let’s go punk, the boys are coming over today to
watch the game and it would be a shame if I wasn’t there on time.

SIDE SHOT to see both girls and JAMES.

IRENE
Like I care. And don’t call me punk. Out of the
two of us you’re the one that’s more of a punk.

JAMES
Yeah right.

IRENE
Oh? Might I remind you about the time I had to
cover for you last week because you decided to go
to a party and get super drunk, forcing the boys
and I to sneak you back inside the house?

JAMES
Yeah, well… whatever, you’ve made your point.

DIANA laughs slightly but is stopped when she notices JACQUELINE approaching.

JAMES
Thanks for letting her stay, Mrs. Gomez.

JACQUELINE
Of course, if anything I should be thanking you
for letting her stay.

IRENE and JAMES leave. Soon after DIANA’s dad, LUCAS comes downstairs and he and JACQUELINE are about to head out.

JACQUELINE
Alright Di, we’re going to head out now. Remember
to lock the doors, don’t answer the door for anyone, call us or someone else if something wrong-

DIANA
I know mom, I’ve stayed home by myself before.

LUCAS
While that may be true, this time’s different.

DIANA
How so?

LUCAS
You know about the increases in missing kids in
the area. And it’s not even just this area, all over the city.

DIANA
Yeah, I do. But don’t worry, that won’t happen.
Besides, I wouldn’t want you to leave me like that, so I won’t leave you.

JACQUELINE                                                                                                                                                              Just be safe is all.

JACQUELINE and LUCAS say their final goodbyes to DIANA and take off. DIANA makes her way back to her room. CLOSE UP ON HER FEET AS SHE MOVES UP THE STAIRS- the CREAKING has REDUCED to HALF AS MUCH- and sits on her bed. She scrolls on her phone for a bit before getting up and heading back downstairs- CREAKING REDUCED to a MINIMUM- to the kitchen. Camera- INSIDE THE FRIDGE LOOKING OUT at DIANA as she looks through the fridge. She grabs a soda and closes the fridge. After the door closes the camera- FOLLOWS HER to the couch.
The camera now IN FRONT of her. She grabs the remote to the TV and turns it on. She flicks through channels then realizes something’s not right. She tries to turn up the volume.

REVERSE ANGLE

To the TV to show that the volume is increasing, but no sound is heard.

DIANA
What the hell?

She turns off the TV after not figuring out how to make the sound work, then walks upstairs- CLOSE UP ON HER FEET AS SHE MOVES UP THE STAIRS- the CREAKING as REDUCED to NONE. Halfway up the stairs she stops and bounces on the balls of her feet. WIDE SHOT, SIDE ANGLE. Then walks down a few steps, then back to where she was. Pauses once more than continue on.

DIANA
Huh. I wonder when dad fixed the stairs.

DIANA stops at the top of the stairs and turns around to look down them.

DIANA
Wait, didn’t they creak… earlier?

She continues down the hallway to her room. She turns on the light and closes her door. We see her turn around to see the door has closed. She walks over to the door, opens it and closes it again. She hears nothing. She opens it again and slams it this time, but there is still no sound.

DIANA
Why isn’t it making any sound?

She hits the door, and flinches in pain, but is also greeted by silence. She takes out her phone and calls TONY. She can’t hear ringing. She pulls the phone away from her face and stares at it- OVER THE SHOULDER ANGLE- until she sees that it’s stopped ringing and he’s answered. CLOSE UP on DIANA

DIANA
Hello? Tony can you hear me? (silence) Tony are you there?

INT. TONY’s BEDROOM – NIGHT

CUT TO:
FRONT SHOT on TONY as he sits in a gaming chair controller in one hand and his phone in the other, holding it to his ear. Shot gets PROGRESSIVELY CLOSER.

DIANA
Tony are you there?

DIANA hangs up

DIANA                                                                                                                                                                                  says I’m connected. Ugh.

TONY                                                                                                                                                                           Wait, Diana, don’t hang- and we-

TONY
Yes, Diana, I’m here. What’s wrong?

DIANA
Hello?

TONY
(raising voice) Di, I’m here.

DIANA
What the hell is wrong with this stupid phone, it

INT. DIANA’s BEDROOM – NIGHT

DIANA
What is going on?

DIANA stares down at her phone, confused. Overhead the lights flicker.

DIANA
Seriously? I don’t need another problem right
now.

PAN AROUND as she looks around the room as the lights stop flickering. She noticed a figure’s silhouette by her closet.

DIANA
This is why I need doors for my closet. Because
then otherwise I think I see people.

She walks over to her closet and moves her clothes around, but the SHADOW doesn’t move, in fact it gets bigger. FOLLOW GROWTH of the SHADOW as it grows. Once SHADOW stops growing
REVERSE ANGLE

CUT TO:DIANA stumbles back and stares in disbelief.

DIANA
What? This isn’t real. You’re not real.

The SHADOW comes closer to DIANA. She trips as she moves backwards and falls. The SHADOW towering over her. She closes her eyes.

DIANA
You’re NOT real. When I open my eyes you’ll be
gone.

DIANA opens her eyes and we PAN AROUND the room to see only her. She sprawls out on the floor and releases a sigh of relief. She gets up and decides to go downstairs and look again for something to eat. She ignores the silent steps and the silent house, desperate to take her mind off of the figure she thought she saw.

DIANA
I just need to calm down. There was nothing
there. I’m probably just seeing things because I’m hungry. That’s a side effect of hunger, right?

The lights flicker again and we see the figure move in the background. DIANA turns around looking for it.

DIANA
I know you’re there. What do you want?

DIANA grabs a lighter and walks around the kitchen and into the living room. She continues searching and sees the SHADOW standing in the corner. She approaches it, then stops when she notices something inside of it, in the abdominal area.

DIANA
(whisper) What?

The SHADOW comes closer and she struggles to start the lighter. When she does the Shadow backs to the wall.

DIANA                                                                                                                                                                          That’s what I thought.

The SHADOW is still for a minute, then it starts to spread out over the wall and onto the ceiling. Camera BACKS AWAY TO REVEAL AS MUCH OF THE SHADOW AS POSSIBLE DIANA drops the lighter and is frozen in fear. As the SHADOW expands it starts to come down on her, and soon engulfs her.

BLACKOUT

INT. SHADOW – NIGHT
A small light appears as it slowly spreads revealing DIANA. The light is dim. DIANA walks around, trying to make sense of it all.

DIANA
Where am I? (beat) Let me out. PLEASE!

Sunlight shines from off screen creating a softly lit gateway between the two worlds. DIANA walks to it. She walks across the frame then the camera FOLLOWS BEHIND HER. She sees her parents tied to chairs on the edge of a cliff. She can see they’re teetering on the edge. As she comes fully through this gateway, it disappears and reveals the entire landscape behind her. She runs to them trying to make sure they won’t fall. WIDE SHOT, SIDE ANGLE. As she runs towards the edge and we see the cliff turns out to be a rock that isn’t stable and starts to tip like a see-saw.

DIANA
Mom! Dad!

She keeps running to them and sees them- CLOSE UP ON PARENTS- trying to call for help, but she can’t hear them. She can only see the terror on their faces as they fall.

NO!

REVERSE ANGLE
She leaps for them but as she jumps we-

CUT TO:

INT. OLD BUILDING – NIGHT

IRENE is in the middle of the room. She looks sick, barely on the line of life and death.

DIANA
Irene? What’re you doing here?

IRENE doesn’t look up, and she doesn’t make a sound. Then a hooded figure comes out from around the corner; it’s holding a rope.

DIANA
Who are you? What have you done to her?

The figure doesn’t answer. It continues walking to IRENE and brings the rope around her neck. As it tightens the rope’s grip IRENE struggles.

DIANA
STOP!

run and help IRENE but she can’t move.

DIANA
STOP! (tears start running down her face) PLEASE!

CUT TO:
– NIGHT
A spotlight on TONY, standing in a rectangular glass box an inch taller than he is and the width of about half his wingspan, full of scorpions. DIANA falls to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

DIANA
(defeated) No. I can’t. Make it stop.

The surroundings fade and turn to black. CLOSE UP ON DIANA on the floor, legs tucked under her, bent over, arms around her abdomen.

DIANA
I can’t take it anymore. I… I give up.

DIANA tries to

INT. DARKROOM

FADE TO BLACK

FADE IN

INT. TONY’s ROOM – AFTERNOON

CLOSE UP

TONY
(on the phone) So we’ll hand out the fliers
starting tomorrow morning?
(beat)
Okay, I’m glad we’re on the same page. (beat)
Yeah, see you tomorrow.

TONY hangs up and leans back in his chair. Camera PANS AROUND to his computer, showing a missing persons poster of DIANA. PANS BACK to TONY showing him rubbing his face.

TONY
What could have happened to you, Di?

TONY lets out a long sigh. In the background we can see a SHADOW move across the wall.

END