EPISODE: 9

He steps out of the shadows. He has aged more VISIBLY now.

Renai cannot hide her shock.

RENAI

You look...sick.

POSSESSED JOSH

I know. That place Elise sent me

to...it did something to me. I can

feel it.

He approaches her, standing over her.

RENAI

Do you remember what you said to me

on the night we got married? You

said that you would love me when I

didn't like you. Do you remember

that?

POSSESSED JOSH

Of course. I meant it.

RENAI

Thanks for sticking with me. I

promise to be in a better mood.

They hug. Over Possessed Josh's shoulder, we see that Renai

is NOT smiling. Her look is one of FEAR.

INT. SPARE BEDROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Renai lies still with her eyes closed.

She opens them, looking over at Josh who lies next to her. As

carefully as she can, she pulls herself out of bed.

INT. CORRIDOR, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Renai creeps down the corridor in the dark.

INT. LIVING ROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

She steps into the living room, fishing through her handbag

in the corner and removing a digital camera.

She turns it on, her breath quivering with fear.INT. SPARE BEDROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The door to the bedroom opens with a groan.

The pale light from the hallway reveals Josh fast asleep on

the bed.

Grimacing with each creak of her footsteps, Renai treads

inside the bedroom...very slowly...closing the door behind

her.

In the darkness, we can BARELY make her out, tip-toeing to

the foot of the bed. She waits, holding her breath.

She raises the camera, pointing it at Josh.

She depresses the trigger. The flash ignites, lighting the

whole room. Renai checks the viewing window --

-- AND JOLTS WITH TERROR.

On it, she sees an EMPTY BED. Josh is no longer there.

Renai backs up in the dark. She holds up the camera again,

hitting the button. The flash explodes again.

This time on the viewing window, there is a FACE FILLING THE

SCREEN - A HYBRID OF JOSH'S FACE AND THE OLD WOMAN'S (there

is less of the Old Woman transposed over his face than there

was before - SHE IS SLOWLY TAKING OVER, assimilating with

him).

Renai looks up - coming FACE TO FACE with Possessed Josh.

Renai staggers away from him.

POSSESSED JOSH

I wanted to stay so much longer...

the feeling of being alive again.

You cannot comprehend how good it

feels. To breathe. To eat. All the

little things that you brush off,

like a fly. But she wanted me to

kill you.

Possessed Josh shakes his head, tears in his eyes, scratching

at his thinning hair.

POSSESSED JOSH (CONT'D)

She wouldn't stop. Wouldn't stop

pusShe made me kill. And now you've

just given her exactly what she

wants once again.

He opens his mouth - revealing BLOODIED GUMS where two more

of his teeth have fallen out. Renai BREAKS into a run and

Possessed Josh streaks after her. She barrels into --

INT. KITCHEN, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

-- the kitchen, hurling a pan at him as she goes. He deflects

it, fury in his eyes.

POSSESSED JOSH

Come here!

Renai SNATCHES up a kitchen knife, whirling around and

slashing him.

He WINCES, grabbing the knife. They struggle with each other,

but he overpowers her, SLAPPING her viciously. She falls to

the ground.

He towers over her with the knife, examining his wound.

POSSESSED JOSH (CONT'D)

The pain feels good. It's been such

a long time since I felt real pain.

I miss it.

He wrenches Renai's head up by the hair.

POSSESSED JOSH (CONT'D)

But not as much as I miss the

feeling of inflicting it on others.

He holds the knife to her throat.

POSSESSED JOSH (CONT'D)

Goodbye, Renai, and welcome to my

world.

SMASH!!

A baseball bat SLAMS into Possessed Josh's head.

He TURNS to see DALTON, standing in the doorway.

DALTON

Get off her!

Possessed Josh snarls and GRABS him, easily pinning him to

the floor.POSSESSED JOSH (CONT'D)INT. BASEMENT, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

-- a darkened stairwell.

Possessed Josh SCREAMS, increasing in speed, LUNGING at them

as Renai SLAMS the basement door.

She SNAPS a lock shut just as Possessed Josh BARRELS into it,

WALLOPING the full weight of his shoulder into the wood.

Renai backs down the stairs, her children behind her, then

pushes a SHELF directly opposite the basement door at the top

of the stairs into the door.

The shelf SMASHES down, leaning against the door and blocking

it. The door frame SHUDDERS as Possessed Josh POUNDS it,

whaling on it with animal fury.

Renai retreats all the way to the bottom of the stairs,

finding herself in a murky concrete bunker.

She hits the light switch and a bare bulb dangling above her

sheds a pale pool of light onto the environs.

Foster cries as the door WHOMPS against the shelf. Renai hugs

him to her thigh.

FOSTER

Why is daddy angry at us?

RENAI

That's not daddy.

FOSTER

I'm scared.

RENAI

It's okay. I won't let anything

happen to you.

Cali cries as Renai hugs her children to her. Possessed Josh

POUNDS against the door again and Foster SCREAMS.

INT. BLACK VOID (THE FURTHER)

Josh, Carl and Elise lope through the unfolding dark.

The sound of a scream spirits towards them. Faint. Distant.

DALTON (V.O.)

...mommy...help me...Renai scrambles to her feet in the melee, snatching up the

strewn pan she threw at Josh and SMACKING IT into his head.

Blood spurts from the wound and Possessed Josh rolls off

Dalton, stunned. He is still conscious, but dazed.

Renai grabs Dalton's hand and bolts into the --

INT. CORRIDOR, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

-- hallway, running with him to the bedroom where Foster is

sleeping.

INT. FOSTER'S BEDROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Renai charges in, waking up Foster.

RENAI

Foster, get up! We're leaving.

INT. SPARE BEDROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Renai charges in, snatching Cali out of her crib.

INT. KITCHEN, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - SAME TIME

Possessed Josh stirs on the floor, blood dribbling from his

scalp where the pan cut his head open.

He struggles to lift himself off the floor, using the wall as

support.

INT. CORRIDOR, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - SAME TIME

We TRACK with Renai as she carries Cali with one arm,

dragging Foster with the other, CHARGING down the corridor

toward the FRONT DOOR.

SUDDENLY -- Possessed Josh appears in front of the door,

injured. A ball of murderous rage.

He limps towards them. Renai backs up.

DALTON

Mom, in here!

Dalton flings open a door and Renai and Foster follow him

intoCARL (V.O.)

(from phone)

You've reached Carl Stanaway, leave

me a message.

LORRAINE

Carl, it's me again. Please call me

as soon as possible. Thanks.

She hangs up, anxious.

LORRAINE (CONT'D)

That's my third try. I'm gonna try

my house.

She dials again. This time the phone rings.

INT. LIVING ROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The house phone bleats, ringing throughout the house.

Possessed Josh ceases pounding on the door, scanning around

for the phone in the cradle. He picks it up.

POSSESSED JOSH

Hello? Mom?

LORRAINE (V.O.)

(from phone)

Josh, sorry to call so late, I

was...wondering if you saw Carl

today.

POSSESSED JOSH

Who's Carl?

LORRAINE (V.O.)

(from phone)

He's an old friend of mine. So I'm

guessing he didn't stop by from the

sound of that?

POSSESSED JOSH

No. He didn't. No one by that name.

LORRAINE (V.O.)

(from phone)

Really...okay.

POSSESSED JOSH

You haven't been around much this

past few days. Why don't you come

home?JOSH

Did you hear that?

DALTON (V.O.)

...make him stop...

JOSH

That's my son.

Anguish floods Josh.

JOSH (CONT'D)

Please God, no....I've got to help

them. I've got to help them, that

thing is going to kill them!

He charges into the dark, literally screaming into the void.

JOSH (CONT'D)

You bastard! Leave them alone!

Elise joins him, struggling to calm him.

ELISE

Listen to me, Josh, we've got to

help them from here. There's

nothing you can do physically.

JOSH

He's killing them! I can hear my

son, don't you understand that? I

need to get to them, I need to help

them, he's --

ELISE

No. Listen to me now. If you wander

into the dark screaming, then he's

won. You've got to focus and come

with us, destroy him from here.

That's all you can do.

CARL

She's telling you the truth. It's

all we can do now.

A long beat passes. Elise leads Josh into the dark.

INT. READING ROOM, ELISE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Lorraine, Specs and Tucker pace the room. Lorraine dials her

cell phone. The call goes straight to voicemail.DALTON

What are you gonna do?

RENAI

I'm gonna have a look around, try

and find a way out of here or

something we can use. Anything.

Dalton crouches next to Foster, hugging him close. Renai

gropes through the large basement, searching shelves. She

finds a flashlight, smacks it in her palm. It's working.

She pockets it, then hauls the shelf aside to inspect the

wall behind it. Solid concrete. No windows or doors.

And then the LIGHT CUTS OUT. The room is plunged into

darkness. Foster cries out.

RENAI (V.O.) (CONT'D)

It's okay. I'm here, I'm here.

A beam of light swords through the room as Renai triggers the

flashlight.

She listens...hearing footsteps above their heads. The wood

creaks under the weight of someone's shoes, pacing upstairs.

The family huddles together, glaring up at the ceiling. The

slow pacing stops and all is quiet again.

INT. LIVING ROOM, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Possessed Josh enters from the kitchen, carrying a heavy FIRE

EXTINGUISHER.

He SMASHES IT into the door to the basement. The wood cracks,

splintering. He drives the extinguisher into the door again.

POSSESSED JOSH

Most people don't know when they're

going to die, but you do. It's

going to be in a very soon, and

it's going to be a slow, painful

death.

He smashes the door over and over, the slats in the frame

coming loose. He forces his hands through them, pushing as

hard as he can on the shelf wedged against it.LORRAINE (V.O.)

(from phone)

Alright, I will. I'll see you soon.

I love you.

POSSESSED JOSH

I love you too.

Possessed Josh hangs up.

INT. READING ROOM, ELISE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Lorraine's concern grows into fear.

LORRAINE

My son is a loving person...but

he's not the type to say I love you

to his mom over the phone.

Something is wrong. He said Carl

never even came over.

She turns to Specs and Tucker.

LORRAINE (CONT'D)

We've gotta get over there.

INT. BASEMENT, LORRAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The pounding on the door has stopped. Eerie quiet.

Renai is slumped on the floor in her pyjamas, cradling Cali.

Her children huddle close to her.

RENAI

Dalton, take Cali.

She hands the baby to Dalton and stands up.

FOSTER

No, don't go!

RENAI

It's okay.

She leans down to Dalton's height. He is not hysterical the

way Foster is. She whispers to him.

RENAI (CONT'D)

Look after your brother and sister.

Dalton nods firmly. There is a new found strength in him...