EPISODE: 4

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...