INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Josh scans the kitchen. It is empty.
The alarm wails in the background.
INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Josh inches his way up the hall, hand shaking.
INT. DALTON'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Renai holds Foster and Cali close to her. Dalton is lying
behind them.
Directly across from Dalton's room is the laundry. The door
is ajar, offering a view into the darkened room beyond.
Renai sees something in the dark...a figure. A boy.
It looks like Dalton. He reaches out to Renai--
--until another HAND...a pale hand...reaches across and shuts
the laundry door, sealing the boy off from her view.
RENAI
Josh! The laundry!
INT. LAUNDRY - SAME TIME
Josh bolts up the hall, panicked. He reaches the laundry
door, grabbing the handle. Hesitates.
He propels the door open with a shove, flicking on the light.
The room is empty. No windows, no doors for escape...just a
washing machine and a dryer.
EXT. LAMBERT HOME - NIGHT
A home security officer trudges down the steps of the house.
Renai, Josh, Foster and Cali all stand outside in their
pajamas, shivering in the frigid night air.
SECURITY OFFICER
There's no one in there, it's all
clear. If someone was there, they're
gone now. Renai steps away from the children, out of their earshot.
RENAI
I saw somebody.
SECURITY OFFICER
Maybe it was a shadow...?
RENAI
No. It wasn't a shadow, it was a
man. He was tall, and he long,
greasy hair. He was wearing a grey
jacket. He looked right at me.
SECURITY OFFICER
Well, like I said...he's gone now.
Renai looks to the others. Sees only disbelieving faces.
INT. GYMNASIUM, FORRESTER HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Josh's students scuffle about on stadium seating, arranging
themselves for a CLASS PHOTO. They're not doing a great job.
A male photographer does his best to compose them, not doing a
great job of hiding his bitterness about the fact that he's
shooting school photos instead of Vanity Fair spreads.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Okay, face the front ladies and
gentlemen...come on...hold still...
(muttering to himself)
I'm trying to record the peak of
your pathetic lives here.
Josh stands off to the side, lost in his own thoughts. Tired.
PHOTOGRAPHER (CONT'D)
Mr. Lambert, would you like to step
in please?
Josh snaps out of his own head.
JOSH
Uh...what?
PHOTOGRAPHER
Could you step in so that we can
take the photo? Quickly please.
JOSH
Just take it without me. PHOTOGRAPHER
We need you in the photo, sir.
JOSH
No, you don't. Just take the damn
photo without me, okay?
The class settles down, shocked by the outburst. Chastened,
the photographer turns to the class, gripping the camera
trigger.
PHOTOGRAPHER
I can't believe this is my life.
(beat; to class)
Ready kids? Say asshole teacher!
INT. GYMNASIUM, FORRESTER HIGH SCHOOL - LATER
The students file out of the gym. Josh sits in the bleachers,
head buried in his hands.
ALANSO (O.S.)
I hear things.
Josh looks up, seeing Alanso.
JOSH
What?
ALANSO
I spend so much time in the office,
I hear things. I heard about your
son. I'm sorry.
JOSH
Thank you, Alanso.
ALANSO
Times like these...people realize
that science doesn't have all the
answers. There is a higher force at
work.
JOSH
I wish I had your belief. Things
would be a lot simpler.
ALANSO
Things are simple. You just can't
see it. Put your faith in Him.
He places his gold cross necklace in Josh's hand, then leaves.
Josh watches him go, then takes out his cell phone. JOSH
(into phone)
Hey...I just found out I have to
stay back tonight and finish off
mid-term grades. It could be a
while, there's a lot to go through.
Don't wait up. Bye.
EXT. PARK - NIGHT
Josh sits on a park bench, staring into the distance. He
takes out a flask of whisky, swigging from it.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Renai lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. Alone.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Renai shuffles in, pouring herself a glass of water. Then she
hears it. A low muttering. It is coming from Dalton's room.
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Unnerved, Renai peers through the open door. Josh is sitting
beside Dalton's bed, reading to him.
JOSH
The men all walked down to the
waters edge...and they stood there
and asked the beast to come forth.
And the beast roared back "No!". And
so they dived in after it...
EXT. LAMBERT HOME
In the sunlight, the house looks like a happy place.
INT. DALTON'S BEDROOM - DAY
Dalton's face is a picture of serenity.
A new day-shift nurse, KELLY (29), checks on his feeding
tube. Renai watches from the doorway.
KELLY
You okay? RENAI
Yeah.
KELLY
I was going to head off for an hour
or so. Are you alright here?
RENAI
Of course. Anything from Dalton?
KELLY
No. I'm sorry.
Renai nods. Her eyes brim with tears. The cracks are showing.
KELLY (CONT'D)
Keep providing him with stimuli. I've
seen it work time and time again.
Read to him. Even if you're doing
something else, you can play him
music that he likes. Don't give up.
She throws a scarf over her shoulder and stands.
RENAI
I won't, I just...I haven't slept
much the last couple of nights. I
feel like the universe is trying to
see how far I can bend before I
break.
KELLY
The universe picked a fight with
the wrong chick.
RENAI
Thanks, Kelly. You're a saint.
KELLY
No, I'm not. I'm doing my job. I
chose to be here. You didn't choose
any of this. You're the strong one.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Renai surveys the living room. It is a total mess.
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Water cascades out of a faucet. Steam rises from the water. Renai lets bath salts fall into the tub. She almost looks
relaxed just smelling them.
She starts to undress, then turns --
-- and YELPS in fright.
A person is standing behind the distorted glass window,
staring in at her.
The shape of the person's head and shoulders can clearly be
seen, but the glass is too opaque to make out any features.
Renai slips, grabbing the sink. When she glances up, the
figure is gone.
Trembling, Renai opens the window. Very, very slowly.
It is fifteen feet off the ground, with a sheer drop below it.
EXT. LAMBERT HOME - NIGHT
Renai sits on the front steps, alone. It is late. She looks
somehow tired and wired at the same time. Smoking a cigarette.
Josh pulls in. Fumbles out of his car, tipsy.
JOSH
What are you doing up?
RENAI
It's midnight, Josh.
JOSH
When did you start smoking?
RENAI
You've been coming home late every
single night. You've never had to
do that in all of the years you've
been at the school. Now all of a
sudden you have to stay back late?
JOSH
I don't like it either, but I'm
grading tests. What choice do I have?
We've gotta pay Dalton's bills.
RENAI
Your mother is paying Dalton's
bills, Josh. I know because she
reminds me every chance she gets. JOSH
Jesus, I can't win with you. That's
my son in there too, not just yours!
He paces, the anger sobering him.
JOSH (CONT'D)
I've always felt like less than
good enough for you. I feel it
every time you mention our bills.
That subtle voice that says 'can't
you get a job that pays more than a
teacher'? And now I can't even look
at you without feeling it.
RENAI
You're projecting that onto me.
You've written an entire story
about I'm how I'm feeling without
once asking me how I'm feeling.
JOSH
I don't need to ask. I know you.
RENAI
I am losing my mind here in this
house, Josh. I'm scared and I need
you and you're not here. Where are
you?
JOSH
I told you, I'm grading tests.
RENAI
I don't mean that. I mean you're
not here. With me. In this
situation. You're avoiding it, like
you do anything stressful, whether
it's this or a parking ticket.
JOSH
Christ, I should have stayed at the
school.
RENAI
There you go again.
Renai stands up and walks inside the house. The door closes.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Josh tosses a pillow onto the couch, setting himself up for
the night. He curls up on it, pulling a blanket over himself. INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
The witching hour. Still. Quiet...save for the omnipresent
clock.
INT. DALTON'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Dalton is as still as we've seen him. And then...he twitches.
A slight facial twitch, but we see it.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Josh snoozes, head arched at a bad angle. His back will
regret sleeping on this couch.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Renai tosses and turns, restless in sleep.
Her eyes open and she sucks in a breath. Bad dreams.
She blinks and looks around the room, surprised to be alone,
sitting up in fright. Until she remembers why. She eases back
onto the bed. Then she looks over at the window.
There is a man standing outside it.
He is not looking in at her...he is pacing back and forth,
furiously smoking a cigarette. Back and forth, back and
forth. Agitated. He has long, black, greasy hair and a grey
jacket.
Every muscle in Renai's body freezes. She becomes a glacier.
Her eyes are drilled to the man, unable to move. By sheer
will, she manages to direct them towards the bedroom door.
Opens her mouth but no words will come. Finally--
RENAI
Jo....osh....Josh....Josh...
She glances back at the window.
THE MAN IS NOW IN THE ROOM.
He paces back and forth between the bed and the window, just
as he was outside, ignoring Renai. Smoking like a fiend.
And then, suddenly, he stops pacing. Looks up. Straight at
Renai - as if just realizing she was there. For a moment their eyes are locked in silence...
...and then the man's face contorts in anger and he CHARGES
towards her, arms outstretched, GROWLING in fury.
MAN
DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!
Renai lets out a SHRIEK of terror that could strip paint. A
cry from the depths of her soul.
She propels herself backward, falling off the bed and
scrambling back into the corner.
Josh CHARGES into the room, flicking on the light--
--seeing only Renai, huddled in the corner, screaming.
JOSH
What is it? What is it?!
Renai is incoherent. She cannot stop screaming. Josh grabs
her by the shoulders.
JOSH (CONT'D)
Renai, what is wrong?!
RENAI
The man -- he was there -- he tried
to -- there was a man there!!!
Foster runs into the room, visibly terrified. He sees his
mother and instantly begins crying. He runs to his dad,
holding onto his leg.
In the background, Cali begins crying, her screams
contributing to an overwhelming din.
JOSH
There's no one here.
RENAI
I saw somebody!
JOSH
There's no one here.
RENAI
Don't you dare not believe me!
JOSH
I believe you, okay? I just don't
know what you want me to do. RENAI
I want you to tell me that we can
leave this house. I will not spend
one more night here. I wanna leave,
I wanna go!
FOSTER
I don't want the man to get me.
The realization that her child is terrified quiets Renai.
All is suddenly silent, save for the cries of Cali in the
background. Josh holds his son tight.
JOSH
You're okay, buddy. I've got you.
He and Renai exchange a look.
RENAI
I'm sorry.
(beat)
I can't...I want to leave this
house. I can't be here anymore.
JOSH
To move now would be...we would
have to rent somewhere. It's not--
RENAI
Please, Josh.
An agreement passes between them.
FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - DAY
A moving truck is parked outside an average suburban home.
Movers mill about, hauling boxes and couches.
INT. LIVING ROOM, NEW HOUSE - DAY
Renai unpacks boxes. An elderly woman, LORRAINE (65), helps to
unpack. This is Josh's mother. She has a curt, disapproving
manner about her that doesn't always make her easy to love.
She is actually moving more quickly than Renai, who groans as
if her back were aching as she stoops down to pick up books...