8. Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot

,: 2022

FADE IN:

Ext. of Wolfbrook Community College parking lot.

1. Heeled shoes walking on pavement.

ASHLEY

Well, that’s an evening I’ll never get back. So many hours of research in the library, and yet so little to show for it. Alright. To home and to bed.

2. Sad, mournfully pathetic low power chirping noise as a car fails to unlock. The noise is repeated.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)

Come on, not now. I just want to go hoooooome.

3. Sad, mournfully pathetic low power chirping noise as a car fails to unlock.

ASHLEY

Alright, time for a new fob battery, I guess. I’ll just use the physical key.

4. Small mechanical clicking and sliding noise, followed by a soft metal on metal tapping.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)

What the… is there superglue in the lock?

JOHN

Car troubles?

ASHLEY

GAH! Oh, um. Hi Mr. Walters. You startled me.

JOHN

I am terribly sorry about that. May I be of assistance?

ASHLEY

Er, no, thank you. I’ve got my phone, I’ll be ok. No need to trouble yourself.

JOHN

Nonsense. Here, let me take a look.

1. Clothing noises and footsteps on tarmac as John approaches.

ASHLEY

No, really, that’s ok. Um.

JOHN

May I examine your key? Or offer you a lift?

ASHLEY

I’d really rather just call Granite State Motor Club—(They should send)

JOHN

Who will then proceed to call my shop, as I am the closest registered provider of roadside assistance.

2. Clothing noises and footsteps on tarmac as John approaches.

JOHN (CONT’D)

Your key?

ASHLEY

I think I’ll just walk home.

JOHN

That is a pity. This could have been ever so much easier.

1. Fast clothing noises as someone stabs, a soft liquid noise, a handful of stumbling footsteps from heeled shoes.

ASHLEY

Ow! What the fuck was in that… needle…

JOHN

Just something to help you sleep.

2. Clothing rustles, purse/laptop bag hit the pavement.

ASHLEY

No, you creepy… son of a… monkey…

JOHN

There, now. Watch your head. We would not want any to go to waste, would we? Time to get you into the truck.

SAMUEL

Let’s just hold on a minute there, Fritz.

JOHN

Fritz? I am sorry, I think you must have me confused with someone else.

SAMUEL

Oh, I very much doubt that. I’ve been looking for you a long time. But we can dicker about your political history all you like, Johann, just let’s step away from the girl first.

ASHLEY

M’not some… kinda princess… need saving…

SAMUEL

Didn’t mean to make out that you were, just seems like you’re a bit under the weather.

JOHN

It does seem that way, and I am simply helping her to receive any necessary medical attention.

SAMUEL

And you want to go with him?

ASHLEY

Wha? No. Fucker drugged me. But you don’t exist!

SAMUEL

Well. That proves my point, at least somewhat, and we’ll get to my existential dread at a later date. So I say again:

1. Metallic rattling, a flashlight being jiggled.

SAMUEL (CONT’D)

Step away from the girl.

JOHN

What, you have a gun in your pocket?

SAMUEL

This? Nah. This is just a flashlight. But this? This here’s a tire iron.

2. Tire iron whistles through the air, leading to an awful cracking/crushing noise. Body collapses to the ground.

ASHLEY

Holy fuck! You… you killed him!

SAMUEL

From your mouth to God’s ear, but no, I’ve never had that kind of luck. We better go before he gets himself sorted.

JOHN

Fffilth.

1. Wet noises as flesh and bone begin to reknit. Body scrapes on ground as it drags itself upright.

JOHN

I will… erase you… from the world.

ASHLEY

He’s bleeding from a cracked skull!

SAMUEL

Ayunh, now let’s move, shall we?

2. Wet noises continue as John staggers upright. Footsteps as Samuel and Ashley retreat.

SAMUEL

That’s the way, one foot, two foot, left foot, right foot, one, two, one, two…

JOHN

I… will find you. I will find you both, and I promise: your deaths will be slow, and painful, and meaningless.

3. Cue Theme Song and Title Credits

FADE IN:

Ext. of Wolfbrook Community College, Crowd and Bustling Crime Scene

CONRAD

Come on, Jeff, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up.

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hello?

CONRAD

Oh thank god. Jeff?

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

Fielding?

CONRAD

Listen, I’m over at the college, you should get down here right away.

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

What? Why?

CONRAD

You can probably get through if you take Water Street instead of Bridge, but I’m not sure, they might have a cordon up…

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

Fielding, (what)—

CONRAD

I can see flashing lights down at the intersection, so they might have somebody directing traffic?

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

Fielding, (what)—

CONRAD

Then again it might just be an ambulance. I’m not entirely (sure)—

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

Fielding!

CONRAD

What?

JEFF (Over the phone, static overlay)

What the hell is going on?!

CONRAD

I think… I think something’s happened to Ashley. There’s a puddle of blood and they have her car behind police tape—

1. Phone disconnection noise as Jeff hangs up. Possible dial tone on Conrad’s end.

CONRAD (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hello? Hello?

2. Crowd noise fades in, static overlay is removed from Conrad. Footsteps and cane taps on tarmac as Conrad walks away.

CONRAD, CONT’D (growing distant)

Hello? Jeff? Jeff? Are you there? Hello?

VICTORIA

God dammit. Beal?!

3. Bootscrape, footsteps on tarmac.

BEAL

Yessir, ma’am?

VICTORIA

Get this scene under control. Keep people away from the car and the… puddle of fruit punch and cottage cheese… and for God’s sake, if the press shows up, shoot them or something.

BEAL

Er… shoot them, sir? Ma’am? You’re joking, right?

VICTORIA

Sure, let’s go with that. Now get moving. I need to make a phone call.

BEAL

Yessir, ma’am, cap. Tain.

1. Booted footsteps on tarmac, crowd noise grows more distant.

-: 6294

JOHN (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hello?

VICTORIA (hissed)

What the fuck did you do, John?

JOHN (Over the phone, static overlay)

There was an issue in need of resolution.

VICTORIA

Well, your resolution has caused a major fucking incident.

JOHN (Over the phone, static overlay)

I am handling the situation.

VICTORIA

Damn straight you’re fucking… wait, did you just say handlING? Present tense?

JOHN (Over the phone, static overlay)

There has been a small complication. It is of no consequence, and will be rectified within the day.

VICTORIA (Screaming)

Jesus fucking Christ on a crutch

VICTORIA (Cont’d, normal volume)

John. Are you telling me that certain involved parties are still up and about? Because that would be… inconvenient.

JOHN (Over the phone, static overlay)

Captain, I told you I am taking care of the situation. Have I ever lied to you or failed to make good on a stated course of action?

VICTORIA

I dunno, John, have you? It’s not like I keep track of your extracurricular activities unless I have to, and up until now, I haven’t had to. Now I have to. Look, I’ve drummed up a dummy Hematrack test and declared the substances on site to be fruit punch and cottage cheese, but we both know you botched whatever this is. And we both know how it’ll go down if you don’t clean it up. So clean it. The fuck. Up.

1. Clothing rustle and phone beep as Victoria hangs up the phone.

VICTORIA (Cont’d)

I hate this fucking town.

2. Music to mark scene change.

FADE IN:

Int. of Ollie and Grace’s House. Birds sing outside (muted).

GRACE

Alright, let’s see. Recyclables are sorted, compost is out. Bills are paid, Indoor plants are watered and seem to be free of teeth. I guess I’ll just… put on some tunes and read until Josh gets here? This whole ‘taking it easy’ thing is way harder than it should be.

3. Clothing rustle and padded footsteps as Grace walks through the house to the turntable and bookshelf.

1. Clicks and rattles as vinyl hits the turntable. ‘Stacy’s Dad’ by Sub-Radio begins to play.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Who do I feel like reading? Orwell, maybe?

2. Angry punk music blares as a ring-tone. Beep as Grace answers

GRACE

Hi hon!

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hey, hotstuff. What’cha up to?

GRACE

Got a steamy date with George Orwell.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

And Josh.

GRACE

And Josh, yes, but that’s not for another couple hours.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

I know, I know, but I’m just so happy for you! After that whole Mark fiasco, I’m glad you found somebody nice, that’s all.

GRACE

Mark wasn’t all that bad, Ollie. He just… had some growing up to do.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Yeah, largely because he thought therapy was only something that happened to other people. Guy’s lucky he found his keys before I found my bat is all I’m saying.

GRACE

Violence is rarely the answer.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Depends entirely on the question.

GRACE

Why do I hang out with you again, Mx. Masterson?

1. Clothing rustles. A car door closes in the background and the birds outside stop singing.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

My adorable wit, ability to make gourmet coffee in truly stupefying quantities, and absolutely stunning skills in the sack?

GRACE

You’re humility, right! Can’t believe I almost forgot.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

I know, right?

2. A low, faintly ominous knock at the door (not TOO spooky).

GRACE

Hey, I hafta go. I think somebody’s at the door?

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Josh running early?

3. Clothing rustles, board creaks, curtains drawn.

GRACE

No, looks like… somebody in a plaid suit, maybe? Honestly, they look sort of like one of those salespeople from the 50s. With a fedora and everything. It’s hard to see from this angle.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hunh. Well, no worries, I just wanted to call and say I love you, and to wish you luck on your date. Knock’em dead, tiger.

GRACE

Love you too, and thank you. I’ll let you know how it goes.

1. Phone beeps as Grace hangs up. Clothing rustles. Padded footsteps. The vaguely ominous knock comes again.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Just a second! Heh. Adorable wit. Adorable twit, more like.

2. ‘Stacy’s Dad’ begins to skip and lurch on the turntable.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Oh, darnit. I hope it isn’t scratched!

3. Clothing rustles. Padded footsteps.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Hello! How may I help…

4. Doorknob rattles, wooden door opens with a squeak that fades to nothing.

GRACE (CONT’D)

You.

5. ‘Stacy’s Dad’ slows and fades to silence.

GRACE (CONT’D)

No. No no no. You stay away from me. I said stay away! No! NO!

1. Glass shatters, but the sound fades halfway through. A heavy object is thrown, but the crash and thud is quickly muffled.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo…

2. Air rushing to fill a vacuum, abruptly cut off.

3. Fade in ‘Stacy’s Dad’ excerpt to mark scene shift.

FADE IN:

Int. of Xerxes’s Garage at the Scrapyard

CONRAD

Can I get you a cup of coffee, Jeff?

JEFF

No. Thanks.

CONRAD

Something stronger, maybe? I think there’s some claret left over from the other night, and I think… Xerxes, do you still have that bottle of scotch kicking around?

XERXES

Yes. Miraculously enough, it survived the attack. Cabinet on the left, third drawer down.

CONRAD

Jeff?

JEFF

No. No, I’m ok.

XERXES

You’re not ok.

1. Clothing rustle, footsteps on concrete, Jeff kicks a toolbox, tools and hardware crash and scatter over the floor.

JEFF

You’re right! I’m not ok! So what?! Ashley’s missing and Beumonte’s burying the case. There’s nothing I can do about it, and badly as I want that drink, it’d just make things even worse. So for fuck’s sake, just… leave it alone.

CONRAD

Is… um… Is Emma all squared away?

2. Skin on skin as Jeff pulls a hand down his face.

JEFF

Yeah. She’s at her mom’s. Thought I might have a fight on my hands about that, but my ex was actually really understanding.

CONRAD

Good. That’s good.

XERXES

Jeff has a point, actually.

CONRAD

About what?

XERXES

Beaumonte burying the case.

CONRAD

So what do we do?

JEFF

We do what we said we’d do. We look out for each other. Question is…how?

1. Jeff drops into a beat up old rolly chair, which moves a bit from the impact.

XERXES

Conrad, do we have any idea of what actually happened at the college campus?

CONRAD

I mean… by the time I got there they already had the crime scene tape up and everything. Just a puddle of blood and some… bits… near Ashley’s car.

XERXES

What part of the car?

CONRAD

Driver’s side front door. About… five feet out, maybe?

XERXES

That’s a strange distance.

JEFF

What do you mean?

XERXES

Just that if I was waiting to attack someone getting into their car, I’d probably make my move while they were fumbling with the lock or handle. The gore would be right up against the car, or even on the car, one would think.

CONRAD

So you think… what, the blood wasn’t from Ashley?

XERXES

I’m not sure. I’m not a crime scene technician. Just wondering out loud. Jeff, did you see anything when you got to the car?

JEFF

Nah, I never made it close enough. They saw me moving with a purpose and that no-neck Beaumonte has working with her stepped in. What was his name. B something. Bale? Beal. Beal, that was it. Nothing useful to add, either way.

XERXES

Then I suggest we each do what we can do. Conrad, you return to campus and keep an ear out, see if you can find anything Beaumonte doesn’t want found. Jeff, you know this town as well as anyone and better than most. Think about where Ashley might have gone or… been taken. I’ll continue going over my data from when the portal opened—(the other night)

JEFF

Portal?

CONRAD

What portal?

XERXES

Would you prefer transdimensional vertex? Thin spot? Window?

CONRAD

Wait, you’re saying that that… whatever it is with the fractal pattern…

XERXES

Marks a circular boundary between here and someplace else. Yes.

JEFF

Someplace else? Like… another dimension? Or an alternate timeline?

XERXES

I have no idea. All I can say is that when I looked through it, just before the creature attacked, I could see stars that did not belong to our sky. And that, my… friends… is why I am going to continue examining the data. You have your tasks, and I have mine. And can one of you get ahold of Renée and tell her to continue the research she and Ashley were working on?

CONRAD

Sure, I can do that.

XERXES

Thank you.

1. Booted footsteps on concrete, fading away as Xerxes leaves. Chair creaks.

CONRAD

Jeff, I hate to ask and I don’t mean anything by it, but for the sake of decency I have to: are you safe to drive? I can get somebody else to play schoolyard lookout if you need some company.

JEFF

Thanks, but I could use the time to myself. And I’ll move faster on my own. No offense.

CONRAD

None taken. So. I’ll be on my way, then.

1. Foosteps and cane taps as Conrad heads for the door.

JEFF

Hey, Fielding?

CONRAD

Yes, Jeff?

JEFF

If you’re waiting for the right moment to tell someone you care about them… maybe don’t wait.

2. Music to mark scene change.

FADE IN:

Int. of Wolfbrook Community College Library

3. Pages of a book turn slowly. Book is closed with a thump.

RENÉE

Dammit, Ashley. You better be ok. This research bullshit is your beat, not mine. You… you better be ok, ok?

MONK

Pardon me. Do you mind if I join you?

RENÉE

Um… hi. I’m… kind of in the middle of something. Who are you?

MONK

The cavalry.

RENÉE

What?

MONK

My name is Monk. I work with Xerxes. My pronouns are he/they.

RENÉE

Oh. Um. Ok. Sure. I guess. My name’s Renée, she/her.

MONK

I know who you are, Miss Simard.

RENÉE

You know, that’s not the first time that’s come up, and despite what Ollie says, it’s still creepy.

MONK

I apologize. Xerxes gave a rather detailed description and said you might need some help with your… task.

RENÉE

…yeah, alright. Fair. Ashley is the wizard with these maps and stuff, and I’m… not. But she’s not here right now…

MONK

I heard about that. I’m… I’m very sorry you have to go through that. I know what it’s like when someone you care for goes missing. You want to do something, anything, to get them back. Yet all you can do is… all you can do. Because anything else…

RENÉE

…would just be letting the side down. Yeah.

MONK

So.

RENÉE

So?

MONK

So what are we doing? Xerxes was very specific about some things, utterly useless about others.

RENÉE

Oh. That’s… not like them. Hunh. Well, basically, we’re trying to find the epicenter of the weirdness in town. Ashley and I were trying to figure it out earlier, and it still seems like the best way to come up with a lead about… everything. Including whatever happened to her.

MONK

Sound reasoning. What do we have so far?

RENÉE

A heaping pile of nothing.

MONK

It can’t be as bad as all that. Show me.

RENÉE

See for yourself.

1. Quiet clothing rustle and footsteps on carpet as Monk moves closer. Books slide on a table, a large paper map unfolds.

RENÉE

Each of these dots represents something strange that’s happened. There’s this cluster here, and then these outliers over here, and Ollie got a couple reports of these over here from the board, but damned if I can make a pattern out of it.

MONK

This is good work. No pattern, perhaps, but you already have… clusters of… activity Has anyone reported or observed anything like a missing… place? Like a… like a house that you remember but can’t find, or a store you could have sworn was on your block but now it’s gone?

RENÉE

Not sure anyplace is missing, but we did have a run in with The Wrong Street.

MONK

The Wrong Street? What’s that?

RENÉE

You can actually see it from here. That patch of darkness over there? That’s the turn into a street that, as far as we can tell, shouldn’t exist.

MONK

Good. Yes. Very good. And that would be… roughly here? On the map?

RENÉE

Yeah. Ollie and Conrad walked down it and said it goes on for a good while. Only one house, at the very end. Which, cherry on top, looks “more haunted than my father after a week at my maternal grandmother’s house.” That’s a direct quote from Conrad.

MONK

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘dimensional lensing?’

RENÉE

Oh! Yeah! I just read a paper on that last No. What the fuck are you talking about?

MONK

When the integrity of our reality is compromised, the fabric of… you know what? I’ll just show you.

1. Monk tears the map a bit.

RENÉE

What are you doing?!

MONK

Look. This is a modern, up to date map, correct? Based on satellite data from… well, not long ago at all.

RENÉE

Yes!

MONK

And, geometrically speaking, the entire downtown corridor still makes sense, correct? No streets that end in brick walls or buildings cut in half.

RENÉE

Yes?

MONK

So that means the world, or the satellites at the very least, are interpolating The Wrong Street into the layout of Wolfbrook, intentionally or not.

RENÉE

Wait, so you’re saying that… if we remove the space where The Wrong Street is, even if the street itself isn’t on the map…

2. Renée tears the map a bit.

MONK

It will show you the actual layout of the town. Yes. You see, dimensional lensing is when space/time compresses or warps and seems to disappear from the world, exerting enough M-Force on a particular point to create a rift. In order to maintain integrity on a broader scale, the fabric of reality stretches thin in the area on the opposing end of the rift, seeming to ‘create’ space in an area opposite the initial distortion. Think of it like… like a see-saw, with the rift as the fulcrum. So if you pull the edges of this area which shouldn’t exist together, and account for the likely point of balance…

RENÉE

Holy shit. The incidents. They’re a perfect circle. The edge, and the… the… rift… passes right through the scrapyard.

MONK

And at the center of the circle?

RENÉE

I’ve seen this before. This area. There’s an old map on the wall in my dad’s office.

1. Renée slides around an area of the map, taps twice.

RENÉE

This whole section of land used to belong to the mill. I think we sold it off in like… the late 30s? Early 40s? I’ll have to check, but I’m pretty sure the old logging trail was just off Andronicus Hill Road.

2. Music to mark scene change.

3. Phone ringing tones as heard by a caller. Connection click/pop noise.

Ext. of Ollie and Grace’s house, night noises. A record of ‘Stacy’s Dad’ skips and repeats a short phrase over and over quietly in the background.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Unhallowed Grounds Cafe, if you want to drink it and we don’t carry it, you should really rethink your taste in beverages because you’re both Wrong and Bad. How can I help you?

JOSH, male in his early thirties.

JOSH

Uh… is this… um… Ollie?

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

You are indeed so honored as to be addressing that human. What’s up?

JOSH

This is… uh… Josh?

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

You sound very uncertain of your name, friend. Would this be the Josh who, at this moment very moment, should be showing my darling Grace a wonderful and also respectful evening of romance?

JOSH

Yes? Yes. But about that…

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

What about that?

JOSH

I think I’m at your house? But the lights are off and no one’s answering the door. Sounds like a song might be playing on repeat inside. And the flower pots on the porch are knocked over? I don’t want to overreact, but it all seems a little creepy, and I just wanted to see if you knew where Grace was, make sure she was ok.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

Thank you for checking in. Iiiiiii… I will grab your number off the phone and give you a call back when I find out what’s going on.

JOSH

Ok, thanks. Sorry to bother you at work.

OLLIE (Over the phone, static overlay)

No, no worries, seriously. I was about to head home anyway. This’ll just… make me drive a little faster. Or a lot faster. Fuck it, thanks, I’ll be right there!

1. Phone disconnect noise, dial tone.

JOSH

I guess I’ll just…go, then?

2. Music to mark scene change.

FADE IN:

Int. of a small shack in the middle of the woods. Night noises outside.

3. Clothing rustles as Ashley stirs in her sleep. A thick chain attached to her leg rattles as she moves and it slides across the wooden floor.

ASHLEY

1. Clothing rustles and wood and wicker creak as Samuel shifts position in a chair.

ASHLEY

Gaah!

2. The chain rattles again as Ashley sits bolt upright.

SAMUEL

Ah. Welcome back to the land of the living.

ASHLEY

What happened? What did you do to me? Where am I? Holy shit! Why the hell am I chained to a support beam?!

SAMUEL

Well, to start with, you’re only chained to that beam for as long as you want to be.

3. Metallic thunk and clangor as Samuel tosses a saw near Ashley.

ASHLEY

Jesus, is that a fucking saw? You want me to cut off my own foot to get out of here, you sick bastard?!

SAMUEL

What?! No! Good God. That’s a hacksaw, it’ll work just fine on the chain. Could go after the shackle on the padlock too, I suppose. Shouldn’t take you more than five, ten minutes either way. Cut off your own foot. Pfah. Kids today. Watch too many bad movies. No, I just needed you to sit still long enough to hear me out. After I say my piece, I figure we’ll either be on the same side… or not. And if not…

ASHLEY

You’ll kill me.

SAMUEL

No! Crimminy. Anyone ever tell you that you jump to a lot of conclusions?

ASHLEY

It… may have come up once or twice.

SAMUEL

Unh-hunh. I bet. No, you decide you don’t like what I have to say, I’ll tell you where you are and how to get to where you want to go. Might even offer you a lift if you’re of a mind to accept.

ASHLEY

And you had to shackle me to a post to have this conversation with me?

SAMUEL

If you’da woken up here and been able to leave, what would you have done?

ASHLEY

Run outside screaming. Oh, I see your point.

SAMUEL

Ayunh. So, with all that behind us, you start in with the saw, I’ll start in with the story. Oh, and there’s a bottle of water and a granola bar behind you, if you’re interested.

1. Clothing rustle, then metal on wood, then hacksaw on metal noises.

SAMUEL

Seems like you’ve been around long enough to know that this place can get pretty strange on occasion. Passing strange, if we’re honest. And while that goes back to the dawn of time for a variety of reasons, the part concerning you starts, oh, a bit over eighty years ago. You remember our friend Johann?

ASHLEY

Who?

SAMUEL

on his birth certificate. In: 1915

1. Hacksaw on metal noises stop.

ASHLEY

I don’t really feel like I’m in a position to safely call you a liar out loud, but please understand that I’m thinking it really hard. John Walters can’t be more than thirty. Forty, tops.

SAMUEL

He goes to great lengths to keep that particular aspect of himself on the fuzzy side. Historically, few things’ll get you set on fire faster than being visibly immortal.

ASHLEY

Uh-hunh.

2. Chain rattles. Hacksaw on metal noises.

SAMUEL

You might not rightly recollect, but then again, maybe you do. You watched me put a tire iron through his skull. And what happened next?

ASHLEY

He… I mean, he fell down.

SAMUEL

Ayunh. And then what?

ASHLEY

He… no. No, that can’t be right.

SAMUEL

It may not be right, but it is what happened. You watched it happen. His skull knit itself together while we hightailed it outta there. Heck, he was chasing after us on foot by the time I got my truck up to speed. Almost caught up to us, too.

ASHLEY

So you’re saying John Walters is over a hundred years old and more or less can’t be killed.

SAMUEL

Oh, he can be killed. Just won’t be easy. Y’see, Johann Walthers was sent over here in the closing days of World War II as part of… well, you’re familiar with the concept of Wunderwaffe? Super weapons? Let’s just say he’s one of’em.

ASHLEY

No, that… I mean you have to be joking. He was just talking to me the other day about his grand… father…

SAMUEL

Now you’re gettin’ it. Our friend Johann’s on his third time round the poll with this slate of identities. Keeps ducking out of the community, fakes his own death, then reappears as his own son. “The spittin’ image,” folks say. Whatever he told you his grandfather did? It’s a safe bet that was him bein’ cute and telling you about himself for a laugh.

ASHLEY

But…how?!

1. Chain rattles.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)

And why would he tell me a story about fighting a monster made of mud and stone?

SAMUEL

Ah. The how. That… that’s an ugly bit of business. I’m no scientist, not by a long shot, so I can’t tell you the why or the wherefore. I can tell you the what, though. Johann has all sort of tricks like staying young and healing up from stuff that oughtta kill’em. But all those tricks take something out of him. To keep on keepin’ on, as the saying goes, well… for that he needs something folks have in their brains. Drills a hole in the back of their skull and sucks it out with a shop vac or something like, near as I can tell.

ASHLEY

So a hundred year old Nazi… is running around Wolfbrook drinking people’s brain juices.

SAMUEL

Ayunh. That’s about the size of it.

ASHLEY

And why are… why are you the one who knows all this?

SAMUEL

Mm. You mentioned Johann tangling with a monster of mud and stone? Wasn’t. Was clay. A golem. Made by a member of my family to defend the ghetto they’d been forced into. I don’t have a number on my arm myself, but I would have if I’d been born on the other side of the Atlantic. Johann… let’s say it’s personal and leave her there, shall we?

1. Hacksaw gets through the shackle on the lock. Chain rattles and falls away.

SAMUEL

Can I offer you a hand up, Miss?

ASHLEY

Uh… yeah. Yeah, alright.

2. Hands clasp.

SAMUEL

3. Clothing rustles, footsteps on plywood flooring.

SAMUEL

There you are. Your belongings are on the porch outside. We’re just about a mile up the road from the scrapyard. Can I offer you a lift anywhere?

ASHLEY

Is your name actually Samuel?

SAMUEL

It is. Samuel Meyer, just like I said. To you and yours, I mean. Might not have said as much to the college.

ASHLEY

Then… yes. Yes, I accept your offer of a ride into town. I should also probably call some people. I’m… guessing they noticed I was gone.

SAMUEL

Ayunh. You could say that.

1. Music to mark scene change.

SOPHIA (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hello?

OPERATOR (Over the phone, static overlay)

Hello, Mrs. C. Nothing good on TV tonight?

SOPHIA (Over the phone, static overlay)

Nothing is on the TV at all. The power has gone out.

OPERATOR (Over the phone, static overlay)

Did your fuses trip again?

SOPHIA (Over the phone, static overlay)

No, no, I tell you the power is out. It’s not just my house, either. The neighbors' houses? All dark. I went outside… like… like last time… I could see the lights of Wolfbrook… flickering and dying. Again. It’s all happening again. I need to warn them. Need to warn them. Just like before…

OPERATOR (Over the phone, static overlay)

Mrs. Castellanos, listen to me. If you’ve lost power, you need to call the utility company and let them…(know)…

1. Fluorescent lights flicker and die. A backup generator roars to life distantly, the lights flicker back on.

OPERATOR (Over the phone, static overlay)

(CONT’D)

I’m sorry, Mrs. C., we just lost power ourselves. Do you know if…

2. A handful of phone start ringing in the Operator’s background.

OPERATOR (Over the phone, static overlay)

(CONT’D)

Mrs. C? Are you still there, Mrs. Castellanos? If you can here me, stay where you are, alright? Just stay where you are.

3. A car starts up and drives off in Mrs. Castellanos’s bakground.

OPERATOR (Over the phone, static overlay)

(CONT’D)

Mrs. C?

4. Music to mark scene change.

FADE IN:

Ext. of Ollie and Grace’s House, night time wildlife. Whippoorwills, fall insects, etc. Wind.

5. Frantic pacing of booted feet on wooden porch, wooden steps, and dirt. Phone ringing tone as Ollie places a call on their cellphone.

OLLIE

Come on. Come onnnnnn. Come on, pick up already!

LINDA BURNELL, a woman in her early 60s, Grace’s mother.

LINDA

Hell-oooooo?

OLLIE

Hi, Linda? Sorry to bother you, I know it’s kinda late.

LINDA

Oh, no trouble, Ollie. What can I do for you? You sound stressed. Have you been taking those supplements I sent home with Grace last week? You really should, dear, they—(worked wonders)

OLLIE

Yeah, no, sorry, but do you have any idea where Grace is? I got home and the place is a wreck, it’s like a bomb went off in the living room, I dunno if there was a break in, I can’t get ahold of Grace, and—(I’m really worried)

LINDA

She’s right here, Ollie. Nothing to fret over.

OLLIE

What?

LINDA

Grace is right here. I’ll hand you over.

1. Frantic pacing noises stop. Phone jostling and hand over noises over the phone line.

OLLIE

Grace?

GRACE

Hello, love.

OLLIE

W-w-what happened? I got home and the place was destroyed, and Josh called a-a-and are you ok?

GRACE

I’m just peachy. There was a bird, and it took some doing to get the silly old thing out of the house. Put up quite a fuss. But it’s all taken care of, now. I’ll clean up as soon as I get home. You have nothing to worry about, dear. Nothing to worry about at all.

2. Cue Endcap Music and Closing Titles