Knights Annual #1

Knights Annual #1: Kill Your Parents OR Prelude and Outer Space

PAGE ONE

1/ This is a FULL PAGE SPLASH depicting the celestial alignment of the planets on July 10th, 1993 – seen from the outer rim of the Solar System, with Pluto being closest to us as viewers. The planets dwindle backward in perspective, with the bright flare of the Sun burning in the distant BG like a beacon. A bisecting line shoots across the image, drawn from Galactic Central Point in the distance. Perhaps the line is labeled, for clarity.

CAPTION: July 10th, 1993.

PAGE TWO

1/ Close on the hand of an adolescent boy, turning a key in a lock in a dimly lit home.

CAPTION: Milo.

2/ Maintain perspective as the owner of the hand turns away from the lock and makes his way out of the panel. It should be clear that the person who just locked the door is no older than twelve or thirteen, though we see only his hand and a small portion of his midsection.

3/ Continue the low, obscuring perspective as the preteen who locked the door comes around a corner, entering what appears to be a living room (from what we can see) from the direction of the foyer he just left. Sitting on a console table that dominates the front of the shot, we see a framed photograph of a young boy, maybe 5 years old, wearing Milo’s signature glasses and possessing his dark shock of hair – though it does not contain what will eventually become his famous blue highlight.

4/ Switch perspective as the boy enters the living room. We maintain the eye level we’ve been viewing from, but our angle is reversed – and beyond the older boy’s shadow we can now see the same boy from the photograph, his glasses awkwardly skewed, peeking over the edge of the couch he’s currently hiding behind. Around him, we get a better glimpse of the home he lives in. It’s an older, 80’s era double-wide trailer home, and though it has been decorated to be as homey as possible, it’s clear that its owners have allowed the home to fall into a certain degree of filth and disarray.

5/ Long panel as our POV changes to be that of young Milo’s, looking up at his current baby sitter: a young man of 13 with a smattering of dark colored hair and eyes the color of used up charcoal. He smiles down at Milo, though his posture is more threatening, belying the breezy demeanor. Meet Tommy Chapel.

TOMMY: It’s just you and me now, ELLIOT.
TOMMY: You know the drill.

6/ Milo sits up straighter, looking frightfully at Tommy and attempting to back away, though he knows he has nowhere to go.

7/ Close on Tommy, his eyes narrowed in threatening determination.

TOMMY: Take off your PANTS.

PAGE THREE

1/ Long panel as we CUT TO Milo’s parents, dining out at an Italian restaurant that, though nicer than they are probably accustomed to eating on their budget, is still on the lower end of the classiness scale. They pick at their plates of Spaghetti as they smile at each other, enjoying their night away from home. Milo’s father looks like a stockier, heavier version of ADULT Milo, while his mother doesn’t look all that different from Rhiannon, though she has cinnamon brown hair and eyes to match, along with a more colorful, darker face than Rhi.

MOM: Jacob called while you were at work, today.

DAD: Oh, no? I missed it?
DAD: How IS our boy?

2/ Long panel, on Milo’s mom as she smiles across the table at her husband, twirling her spaghetti on her fork.

MOM: He sounds like he’s having a great time.
MOM: We were right to send him to SUMMER CAMP. He’s making a lot of friends.

3/ Long panel, as Milo’s dad nods proudly, laying his fork gently down on the table as he picks up his cloth napkin, preparing to dab at his face.

DAD: Well, it’s not as though he’s ever had any trouble with THAT.
DAD: I just hope that ELLIOT gets past this SHY phase he’s stumbled into and eventually takes after his BIG BROTHER.

4/ Milo’s mom picks at her plate of food, looking worried.

MOM: Think he’s okay?
MOM: I always hate leaving him alone for this LONG, knowing how scared he gets of everything…

DAD (OFF PANEL): He’s FINE, Elise.
DAD: He’s not alone.

5/ Close on Milo’s Dad, looking encouragingly at his wife.

DAD: Tommy Chapel’s a GOOD BOY. He always takes good care of him.

PAGE FOUR

1/ CUT BACK to Milo, laying on his back and looking up out of the panel toward Tommy. Milo now has his shirt off and he cringes as he pleads with his older friend, still wearing his glasses.

MILO: I don’t WANNA do this again, Tommy.

MILO: (small font, whispered) This game isn’t fun.

2/ On Tommy, removing his own shirt. He looks challengingly at Milo.

TOMMY: You ALWAYS say that, Elliot. And we ALWAYS wind up having fun.
TOMMY: Besides, you wouldn’t want me to tell your parents you were giving me a HARD TIME, would you? Because I can always DO that…

3/ Milo curls up into a fetal ball on the bed, covered by a sheet. We can see dirty clothes and discarded fast food wrappers strewn around what is clearly not Milo’s bed, but his parents’ bed. The bedside lamp at the edge of the panel casts Milo in a stark light, and he turns away from it uncomfortably.

MILO: No.
MILO: We can play.

4/ Tommy glowers down at him, sadistic glee on his face.

TOMMY: Good.
TOMMY: Now lie down on your stomach. We’re gonna do something a little DIFFERENT this time.

5/ Milo obeys, flopping over so that his face is facing the unwashed pillow, propping himself up with his hands as he looks over his shoulder at Tommy in confusion.

MILO: What is this?
MILO: We never did this before…

6/ On Tommy, from a very low angle – standing over Milo like an intractable menace as he saunters ever closer to the bed, his eyes wide open with anticipation.

TOMMY: Just something I saw in one of my Dad’s MOVIES.
TOMMY: Don’t worry. It’ll feel GOOD.

7/ EXT shot of the Trailer itself. It is dark outside, and the only light that illuminates the small clearing of the trees in which the trailer is located is cast by the yellow porch lamp mounted over the trailer’s door. The yard is strewn with discarded toys and toppled bikes, and a black metal grill sits idly on its side, the cooking utensils still clinging to its handlebar edges. The grass is in desperate need of cutting, and the rotten wooded porch built onto the front of the house looks as though it could cave in at any moment. In the extreme FG of the shot, we see a garbage man, glancing over at the noise coming from the trailer as he collects the trash. He shakes his head in dismay, and we can see that his nametag reads “NED.” From inside the trailer, tailless word balloons emanate.

MILO (TAILLESS): Tommy, what are you - ?

MILO (TAILLESS): Tommy, that HURTS! Tommy, NO!

8/ Close on Milo’s face, back inside the trailer. Tears roll down his cheeks.

TOMMY (OFF PANEL): How does it FEEL, Elliot?
TOMMY: Tell me how it FEELS, ELLIOT!

MILO (small font): It feels good, Tommy. It feels good.

PAGE FIVE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH depicting another Celestial Configuration – this time, the alignment of the planets on April 14th, 1995. Again, the image is bisected, though our solar system’s sun is slightly closer to the line drawn from Galactic Central Point. The key difference between this splash and the first is that THIS one features the issue’s TITLE, CREDITS, and INDICIA.

CAPTION: April 14th, 1995.

PAGE SIX

1/ VERY LARGE PANEL depicting the already-once-described scene in which Andrew’s informational ability emerges. He sits, with his back to us, in a wooden chair in his elementary school’s library, pulled up close to a large wooden table. He stares unmoving up at the gigantic glowing tableaux of information, playing out before his eyes in the web of interlinking connections that will eventually become part and parcel of the way he thinks. His drink, in a small Styrofoam cup, has tipped over – spilling its contents all over the stack of books by his side. A pencil falls from the table.

CAPTION: Andrew.

ANDREW (small font): Oh, my God.

2/ HIGH-ANGLE, looking down at young Andrew, only ten years old, as he stares up at the reader and off into the glow of info with a bewildered and fascinated look on his face.

ANDREW: But, it’s…

3/ Andrew looks down at his hands, spread wide, and it becomes clear that he is in shock – unable to cope with this sudden burst of new sensory input. He shakes, and his eyes go wide as he makes one startling revelation after another.

ANDREW: It all makes SENSE now…

4/ A young female teacher rounds the corner of one of the library’s book cases and finds Andrew there. She is around 28 years old, with short, reddish hair and a beautiful face. She smiles warmly, unaware of what she’s walking into.

TEACH: Andrew, honey, STUDY TIME is over.
TEACH: It’s time to return to CLASS.

TEACH: Andrew? Oh, my god…

5/ The teacher shakes Andrew, trying to snap him out of it, but he is unresponsive. His eyes have glassed over, and he looks not AT her, but right THROUGH her, lost in the overload of data. The teacher panics, losing composure in the face of this unprecedented experience.

TEACH: Andrew!
TEACH: Andrew MacTiernan!

6/ Close on Andrew as his eyes roll back in his head and, simultaneously, a drop of drool crawls down the edge of his mouth and a drop of blood oozes from his nose. The teacher reaches into the panel to caress the side of his face, comforting him.

TEACH (OFF PANEL): Don’t worry, Andrew, I’m gonna get an AMBULANCE on the way RIGHT NOW.

PAGE SEVEN

1/ Long Panel as we CUT TO a speeding Ambulance, its sirens ablaze, as it careens down the street on the bright spring day.

SOUND EFFECT: WEEEOOOO WEEEEOOOO WEEEEOOO

2/ Long panel, inside the Ambulance, as the EMTs tend frantically but efficiently to the young boy that now lays unresponsive on their small stretcher. At the end of the stretcher, freaking out, is the Teacher.

TEACH: Andrew! Please, wake up!
TEACH: PLEASE, GOD!

EMT: Ma’am, we agreed to let you come along, but if you can’t CALM DOWN –

3/ Long panel as the Teacher turns furiously on the EMT, her hair flipping about.

TEACH: How can you tell me to CALM DOWN?
TEACH: My best STUDENT is acting like he’s gone into a COMA on MY TIME!!!

4/ Long panel as the EMT calmly and directly lays down the line, staring stoically into the Teacher’s eyes. We see the name tag secured to his EMT’s uniform, and it reads “NED.”

NED: Miss, your student is reacting to a SUDDEN and UNEXPECTED burst of overwhelming STRESS. Now, we’re doing everything we CAN, but whatever the cause may BE, if you can’t act as a CALMING influence?

NED: I’m gonna have to ask you to get the hell out of my Ambulance.

PAGE EIGHT

1/ Long Panel as we CUT TO a bright hospital room, as Andrew lays on his bed, awakening slowly as his Father leans against the door frame, smiling at him. The monitors hooked to Andrew glow and blink, but as the two make eye contact they know everything will be fine. Andrew moves his hands, adjusting to waking up in the hospital.

DAD: Hey, Kiddo.

2/ On Andrew, as he groggily turns to face his father.

ANDREW: Hey, Dad.

3/ Andrew’s dad approaches the bed, taking his son’s hand in his. They have a comfortable relationship, and they speak to each other like old friends.

DAD: Watcha doin’?

ANDREW: Thinking.
ANDREW: Been thinkin’ a LOT, actually.

DAD: You gave us quite a SCARE.

ANDREW: I’m sorry. I didn’t MEAN to.

4/ On Andrew’s Dad as he looks seriously down at his son.

DAD: Hey, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for, Bud.
DAD: That TEACHER of yours, MRS. GABBERT…she took good care of you. She’s a little shaken UP, but she’s a HERO.

5/ On Andrew as he turns away from his Dad, staring idly up at the ceiling. For a moment, he appears to mentally go elsewhere. He looks resigned.

ANDREW: She is.
ANDREW: But her job is too STRESSFUL for her.
ANDREW: This is probably what it took to push her over the edge. In five years, she’ll retire.

6/ Andrew’s dad laughs and rubs his son’s head, tousling his hair.

DAD: Andrew, you can’t possibly know THAT.

7/ Andrew smiles sardonically, already knowing it’s futile to try and explain. He turns to his dad, looking a little bitterly amused.

ANDREW: Sure I can.
ANDREW: It’s inevitable. I can see that.

ANDREW: All you’ve gotta DO is look at the FACTS.

PAGE NINE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH as we CUT to another Celestial alignment. This time, it’s the alignment of the planets on August 5th, 1990. Since this is earlier, the Sun in farther from alignment with Galactic Central Point.

CAPTION: August 5th, 1990.

PAGE TEN

1/ Long panel as we meet Beth at the age of FIVE. She sits on the edge of a long, elevated receptionist’s window in her father’s Therapy Office. Sitting at the receptionist desk, looking up at her daughter as she swings her five-year-old feet back and forth in antsy anticipation, is Beth’s Mother, the receptionist. Beth’s mother looks a lot like Beth, but with thick, curly hair as opposed to her daughter’s straighter, lighter hair.

CAPTION: Beth.

BETH: Mommy, I’m BORED.

MOM: You’ll have to wait a bit LONGER, sweetie. I’m sorry.

BETH: Why?
2/ On Beth’s mom as she looks up from her computer screen to face her daughter; smiling dismissively as she tries to concentrate on her work.

MOM: Because Daddy’s with a PATIENT, Beth.
MOM: I’m almost DONE here, but we’re going to have to hang around a bit LATER until Daddy gets done.

3/ Beth looks despairingly at her mother.

BETH: But I’m BORED, Mom!

4/ Beth’s mom smiles and hands Beth a red rubber ball, motioning to the hallways connected to the receptionist’s desk.

MOM: Go play with your BOUNCEY BALL in the waiting room, hon. I promise it won’t be TOO much longer.

5/ Beth runs out of the receptionist’s area with her red ball, as a tall man enters the area from the nearby hallway, only his midsection in sight since we’re following Beth at the moment. Beth’s mom slides her swivel chair out to watch Beth leave, and shouts after her.

MOM: Be good!

6/ Beth’s mom turns in her chair to acknowledge the man who has arrived, and we see Beth’s dad. He is a tall, dark man of about 30 years, with a full beard and thick brown hair. He drinks from a featureless white coffee mug, straightening his red tie as he looks down at his wife in her chair.

MOM: Almost done, Scott?

DAD: It’ll be a little LONGER, I’m afraid.
DAD: Mr. WILLIAMS here apparently just HAD to see me today. Such is the life of a THERAPIST, I suppose.

7/ On Beth’s dad as he sips at his coffee, brandishing a file folder to his wife. On the edge of the manila envelope, the tab reads “NED WILLIAMS.” He sighs over his coffee, looking discontent.

DAD: I’ll tell ya, Sharon.
DAD: There was a time when I thought this job would be EXHILARATING.

DAD: Now? Not so much.

PAGE ELEVEN

1/ Long panel as Beth sits in the waiting room, bouncing her ball and looking exceedingly uninterested in it.

BETH: Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy.

2/ Beth loses control of the ball, and it bounces away from her. Her eyes narrow, resenting the failure.

BETH: Boo.

3/ We see the ball bounce around a corner, and then change course to bounce down a long office hallway, passing nondescript doors as it goes.

4/ Long panel as Beth chases the ball down the hallway, stumbling a little over her own feet, as she freezes and looks up, catching something out of the corner of her eye. The ball bounces away from her.

5/ Close on Beth, looking friendly.

BETH: Who are you?

6/ We see Beth’s new friend – a young female ghost, shimmering transparently as she looks shyly at Beth and folds her hands behind her back. She is dressed in period clothing, as though she’s been dead for a hundred years. She looks at Beth with odd recognition.

GHOST: You’re the DOG LADY.

PAGE TWELVE

1/ Long panel as Beth and the Ghost face each other, Beth smiling and reaching out a finger, trying to see if her hand will pass through the ghost. The ghost moves, preventing Beth from poking it, but examines Beth’s outstretched finger instead – as though she is as intrigued by Beth’s solidness as Beth is by the Ghost’s translucence.

BETH: I’m not a DOG, Silly.
BETH: I’m a PEOPLE.

2/ Close on the Ghost, looking scared as it issues its warning. The little girl’s eyes crinkle in concern, and she looks as though she might cry.

GHOST: You WILL be.

3/ Beth and the Ghost face off, and the Ghost pulls back a bit, studying Beth from a careful distance. She looks as though she could interview Beth for hours, and regrets that she doesn’t have the time.

GHOST: Will you bark like a dog for me?

4/ Long panel as the Ghost suddenly explodes into thin air, leaving behind only a poof of trace energy. Beth pulls backward a bit, surprised but not scared by the sudden burst of energy like a popped balloon.

SOUND EFFECT: FOOM

5/ Beth’s Dad peaks his head around the corner, looking for his disappearing daughter.

DAD: Beth?
DAD: Are you OKAY back here?

6/ Beth turns to face him, looking up at him with an excited grin.

BETH: I’m fine!

PAGE THIRTEEN

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH depicting yet another Celestial Alignment. This time, it’s Sept 3rd, 1998. In this particular configuration, however, we see a glittering comet shoot by in the outer reaches of the solar system, flying past our view of the sun and causing a blinding flash of refracted light to glint off the edge of the comet, the sun’s illumination shining brightly behind the ancient chunk of space rock. This time, the sun grows closer to Alignment with the Central Point.

CAPTION: September 3rd, 1998.

PAGE FOURTEEN

1/ Long panel as we cut to Rhiannon, at the age of ten, curled up in the fetal position on a plush red carpet. She is weeping softly to herself, and pulls in tight to protect herself from what’s going on around her. All around her, scattered over the panel, are word balloons depicting two very different kinds of voices: the normal tailless balloons depicting human beings who are speaking off panel, and the ethereal, translucent tailless word balloons that represent the onslaught of supernatural voices that only she can hear – the voices of countless ghosts, assaulting her from all angles.

CAPTION: Rhiannon.

HUMAN VOICE: Thank you for EVERYTHING, Mrs. McRhea. The ceremony was beautiful.

RHI’s MOM VOICE: Of course, Mr. Kelly. And again, we here at the funeral home are terribly sorry for your LOSS. You wife was a remarkable woman.
GHOST 1: Where am I? What’s happened to me?

GHOST 2: You’re dead, lady. Get used to it.
HUMAN VOICE: Well, thank you. You and your family have been remarkable. Your daughter was so kind to my kids. Please tell her that they appreciate everything she’s done for them. It was difficult for them, to lose their mother at such a young age.

RHI’s MOM VOICE: Rhiannon’s just eager to help. She’s a good girl. I’ll tell her how much it meant to them.

GHOST 1: I’m dead? Who’re you?

2/ Long panel, closer on Rhiannon. She puts her hands up over her head, trying to shut out the experience. Tears stream down her cheeks as she slams her eyes shut, gritting her teeth in terrified frustration.

GHOST 2: We’re dead, too. We all had our funerals here, same as YOU.

GHOST 1: Are you stuck here?

HUMAN VOICE: I’ll make sure to recommend you. My neighbor, Jim Willis…it doesn’t look like his father is going to pull through. When the time comes, we’ll send them here. I’ll tell them how attentive you’ve been.

RHI’s MOM VOICE: Well, we certainly appreciate that, but our best goes to Mr. Willis and his family…sometimes miracles really CAN happen, so long as you hold out hope.

GHOST 2: No, silly. Why would we be stuck here? We just came back to get you.

GHOST 1: Are we going somewhere?

GHOST 2: It’s complicated, Mrs. Kelly. But we’re here to make sure you aren’t frightened. It’s – wait, what?

GHOST 3: (font too small to tell what it says, indeterminate whispers)

GHOST 2: She can hear us? The little girl?

GHOST 1: Oh my, the poor thing.

HUMAN VOICE: Well, thank you again.

3/ Long panel, as Rhiannon’s mom appears, helping to pull Rhiannon up from the floor and into a sitting position. She is almost Rhiannon’s double, though markedly more open and bright than Rhiannon has been until recently. She smiles a beautiful smile at Rhiannon, her perfect teeth lighting up as her shining eyes pierce through Rhiannon’s fear. Her hair flows in waves, bobbing naturally as she moves.

MOM: Baby, what’s the matter?
4/ Long panel as Rhiannon looks up into her mother’s eyes, weeping – though the waterworks are slowing down now that her mom is present. Her lip quivers as she speaks.

RHI: I can HEAR them, Mom.
RHI: The new one, she’s CONFUSED. She doesn’t know.

PAGE FIFTEEN

1/ Over Rhiannon’s shoulder as her mother looks at her, concerned. She brushes Rhiannon’s already thick black hair away from her face.

MOM: Hear who, Rhiannon?
MOM: The Kellys just LEFT.

RHI: The DEAD ones, Mom. The ghosts.

2/ Rhiannon looks at the ground in shame, embarrassed by what she knows sounds silly.

RHI: I can hear the ghosts. They came to get Mrs. Kelly.
RHI: It’s stupid, isn’t it?

3/ Rhiannon’s Mom plops down on the floor beside her, getting comfortable. She looks to be an odd combination of resigned and relieved. Rhiannon looks at her in confusion.

MOM: I thought this might happen.

RHI: Thought WHAT might happen?

4/ Rhiannon’s mom turns to look at her, comforting and gentle.

MOM: You have the GIFT, sweetie.

5/ Rhiannon warms up a little, misunderstanding. She turns to face her mother with an awkward smile, the tears still rolling down her cheeks.

RHI: You got me a GIFT?

6/ Rhiannon’s mom smiles, clearly amused by the misunderstanding, and reaches over to wipe the tears from her daughter’s face. She makes direct eye contact.

MOM: Not like a PRESENT, no.
MOM: It’s something special that you can DO, with your MIND. When you heard the ghosts, were they actually TALKING?

RHI: I mean…not REALLY. It’s more like they were…thinking. Or feeling. It wasn’t out loud. I think my brain was just kind of SORTING them into words.
MOM: That’s what I thought. Mommy’s been able to do that her WHOLE LIFE. Sooner or later you’ll be able to do it with PEOPLE, too.
MOM: I’m afraid Daddy never liked it much, but we’ve been starting to think that maybe you can do it, TOO.

7/ Rhiannon looks forward, off into the distance. She looks as though she just realized something unpleasant.

RHI: Daddy didn’t like it…and now I’M doing it.
RHI: Is that why…?

8/ Rhiannon’s mom looks at her seriously, dropping – for a moment – the mother/daughter approach and speaking to Rhiannon as if she were an adult.

MOM: That’s probably why, Rhiannon.
MOM: But he’s GONE now. He’ll never lay a hand on you AGAIN.

PAGE SIXTEEN

1/ Long panel as Rhiannon’s mom grabs Rhiannon gently by the face and turns her, so they are eye to eye again. She returns to nurturing mode, speaking gently and sweetly to her daughter, a tear welling up in her OWN eye.

MOM: My sweet girl.
MOM: You are beautiful. And now you’re even more special than you already were.

2/ Long panel, again with the two of them facing each other. Rhiannon’s mom reaches around her neck and removes the necklace that becomes Rhiannon’s lifelong keepsake. Rhiannon watches with interest.

MOM: I wanna give you something.
MOM: My mother gave this to me when MY gifts emerged. She wasn’t LIKE us, but she was a very loving, understanding woman, and she wanted me to have a little extra protection…so she gave me this NECKLACE.

RHI: It’s pretty.

3/ Long panel as they continue to face each other, Rhiannon slipping on the necklace as her mother watches with pride.

MOM: It IS pretty. And it’s also powerful.
MOM: The ring is a talisman, blessed by an old White Sorceress, and I’ve worn it my whole life, imbuing it with my OWN energy.

MOM: With it, you’ll always have a part of me, guiding you in everything that you do.

4/ Long panel as Rhiannon’s mother stands up and out of the panel, except for her legs. Rhiannon looks up at her admiringly.

RHI: Thank you, Mom.

MOM: Of course, baby.
MOM: Now, let’s get you washed up.

PAGE SEVENTEEN

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH, again with a Celestial Alignment – now November 5th, 1996. A step back in time, so a step away from Solar Alignment with Central Point.

CAPTION: November 5th, 1996.

PAGE EIGHTEEN

1/ Long panel as we CUT TO a panel-filling image of a hospital’s EKG machine, the green monitor dominating our view as a long, green line draws across it with sickening finality – no longer spiking with the telltale signs of life.

CAPTION: Donovan.

SOUND EFFECT: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

DOCTOR (TAILLESS, OFF PANEL): I’m sorry.
DOCTOR: There was nothing we could DO.

2/ Young Donovan, nine years old, sits at the edge of a hospital bed, staring dumbstruck at its now-deceased occupant. The hand of the deceased rests in the panel, just inside Donovan’s reach – though he does not reach for it. The back of the dead hand is covered in violent scratches, fresh blood oozing from the wounds. At the bedside table situated next to Donovan, we see a scattered rosary, its beads hanging slightly over the edge of the table top.

3/ Angle reverse, now over Donovan’s shoulder, as we see his newly departed mother. She lies crooked in the bed, a look of horror frozen on her face for the rest of time. Donovan reaches out to her, slightly.

DON: Mom…?

4/ Outside the room, in the hospital hallway, Donovan’s father confers with a Catholic Priest. The father is both grief stricken and frightened, while the priest mostly looks shifty, as though they are hiding something and he’s the only one adequately concerned.

DAD: The doctors said her HEART finally just GAVE IN. Stopped beating.
DAD: It was all TOO MUCH for her.
PRIEST: Do they know what really happened?

DAD: I haven’t SAID anything yet…but they’ve GOT to WONDER, right?

5/ Pull in on the two men, looking furtive as they lower their voices.

PRIEST (small font): They’ll never believe you.

DAD (small font): I have to tell them SOMETHING.

PRIEST (small font): Anything but the TRUTH.

6/ The priest looks over his shoulder, into the hospital room. His face finally shows some real amount of grief for his friend’s loss, and he holds his bible tightly to his chest.

PRIEST: How do you tell a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL that your wife was POSSESSED by a DEMON?

PAGE NINETEEN

1/ Long panel as we return to the room, and to Donovan. He clings sheepishly to the side of his mother’s bed, looking distraught. He begins to cry.

DON: Mom!
DON: Come back, please!

2/ Long panel as Donovan leaves his chair, climbing up onto his mother’s bed in the abandoned room. His mother’s corpse continues to stare off into space, lifeless. Donovan clings to her.

DON: You CAN’T be dead!
DON: It doesn’t make sense! It isn’t FAIR!

3/ Long panel as Donovan clings to his mother’s corpse, cuddling with her as though she were alive and he had climbed into bed with her, seeking refuge from a nightmare. He buries his head in her chest, sobbing.

DON: I’m not even TEN YEARS OLD!
DON: I’m not READY to not have a MOM!
DON: Please, Mom, PLEASE don’t be dead! I LOVE YOU!

4/ Suddenly, Donovan’s mother’s eyes open and she turns to face him, grinning.

MOM: I love you, too.

PAGE TWENTY
1/ Donovan leaps from the bed, terrified, as his mother lunges. Her face contorts in fury, controlled by the demon still hanging on inside her corpse. Spittle flies from her mouth as she screams at him, clawing at the air.

MOM: YEAARGHHHH!

DON: Mom, NO!

2/ Out in the hallway, Donovan’s dad and the priest realize what’s going on and leap into action, turning to run into the room.

DAD: Oh, my God, DONOVAN!

3/ Donovan scrambles backward on the bed, trying to get away, as his mother claws and swings at him, screaming incessantly. Blood and spit fly from her mouth, cascading Donovan and terrifying him even more.

DON: No! Mom!
DON: PLEASE!

MOM: You can JOIN HER!

4/ On Donovan’s mother, as she screams demonically at him. Her eyes are bloodshot and blinded, the scars that cover her hands also slashed across her face in horrifying deep gashes, barely healed over.

MOM: JOIN YOUR ROTTING MOTHER IN HELL!

5/ Donovan’s father and the priest swoop into the room. Donovan’s dad grabs Donovan and pulls him forcefully from the bed, leaping out of the way as Donovan kicks and screams in terror. The priest lunges for the demonic woman, leaping on the bed to pin her down. She thrashes violently, yanking tubes from her arms and tearing the sheets to shreds. It’s total chaos.

DAD: Donovan, hold on!

DON: DAD!

6/ The priest pins the woman down, blinking as she spits blood and saliva into his face. She roars at him furiously, fighting him with all her might. The priest reaches frantically for the rosary, sitting in the extreme FG on the edge of the table.

7/ On Donovan’s mom as the priest presses the rosary’s cross pendant hard against her forehead, causing her to cry out in anger and pain. She claws upward at him, trying to escape the pendant’s power.

PRIEST (OFF PANEL): THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

8/ Donovan clings to his father, burying his face in the big man’s chest. His father holds him tight, trying to shield him from the violence with only moderate success. In the extreme FG we see flailing limbs drift by the panel, a sign of the chaos occurring out of sight as the young Donovan watches, the scene forever leaving an imprint on him.

PRIEST (OFF PANEL): THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

PAGE TWENTY-ONE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH depicting – you guessed it – a Celestial Alignment. This time, we’ve skipped ahead a few years, to May 1st, 2008. The sun is now harrowingly close to alignment with Central Point.

CAPTION: May 1st, 2008.

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

1/ EXTREME CLOSE on Beth’s eye as it pops suddenly open.

CAPTION: Beth.

2/ Beth lays in a bed, in a less than tidy apartment. She faces us, lying on her side, but we can see a male arm reaching around her, holding her close. Beth looks startled and disoriented, unsure of her surroundings. She is now 24 years old.

BETH: Oh, my God.

3/ She bolts up into a sitting position, looking terrified and furious. The bed sheets are all that cover her otherwise naked body.

BETH: Where am I?!

4/ Next to her, in the bed, is Landon – who looks basically exactly the same as he does now. He smiles at her, propping his head up on his hand as he leans elbow-first on the bed. In spite of his smile, he looks vaguely concerned that she might be angry.

LANDON: My place.
LANDON: After all that CRAZINESS last night, I thought…

5/ Long panel as Landon joins Beth in sitting up in the bed, though he continues to lean against his outstretched arm. Beth looks down at her own hands in bewilderment, assimilating the information around her uncertainly. Landon is also naked, save for the sheets.

BETH: I thought that was a DREAM.
BETH: That wasn’t a DREAM?

LANDON: Nope. No dream.

PAGE TWENTY-THREE

1/ On Beth as her eyes narrow in anger, glancing over at Landon.

BETH: I see.

2/ Beth leans over the edge of the bed, discovering her purse there. She digs through it with a look of determination on her face, as Landon starts to worry.

LANDON: Wait, what’re you - ?

3/ On Beth’s hand, as she pulls a handgun from out of the bag.

4/ Long panel as Beth whirls and points the gun straight at Landon’s head. She leans away from him, looking as though she could pull the trigger without hesitation, though she continues to cover herself with the sheet via her free hand. Landon holds up his hands in surrender, sufficiently startled.

BETH: Back OFF, asshole.

LANDON: Whoa, whoa!
LANDON: SERIOUS misunderstanding!

5/ On Beth, with an EXTREME POV as the gun points right at us. She looks down the edge of the gun with a determined grimace.

BETH: Misunderstanding my ASS, dickhead. Silver-tipped BULLETS.
BETH: You turned me into a WEREWOLF. We are NOT friends.

6/ Landon looks fearfully at the end of the gun, still holding his hands out in surrender.

LANDON: Wait, you KNOW?
LANDON: I was expecting a need to EXPLAIN things. Regular bullets would do the TRICK, by the way. The silver thing’s a myth.

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

1/ Beth continues to glower down the edge of the gun, though she’s softening up a bit.

BETH: I’m a parapsychologist. I study the OCCULT. Of COURSE I know what you are.
BETH: And I KNOW about the silver thing, okay? I just figure…better safe than sorry.

2/ Landon’s brow furrows as he calls her bluff, glaring into the end of the gun.

LANDON: You’re NOT a parapsychologist. You’re an ASPIRING parapsychologist. I saw your student I.D., BETH.

3/ Long panel as Beth continues to hold the gun to an oddly innocent-looking Landon’s head, though her attention wavers as she looks around the room for her clothes – still holding the sheets up to her chest. Landon gestures to a pile of clothes off to the side, seeming mostly bewildered that his hospitality has gone unnoticed.

BETH: Whatever.
BETH: Who the hell DOESN’T know what a werewolf is? You sound like one of those bad ZOMBIE MOVIES where nobody’s ever heard of a goddamn ZOMBIE before.

BETH: Where are my CLOTHES?

LANDON: They’re in the LAUNDRY. Borrow some of MINE.
LANDON: Look, I brought you here because I LIKED you. Much the same reason I didn’t EAT you, actually.

BETH: Yeah, well, don’t get too comfortable, Romeo.

LANDON: You’re holding a gun to my head. That’s the DEFINITION of an antithetical statement. I’m trying to be NICE to you.

4/ Beth stands, pulling one of Landon’s old shirts down over her otherwise nude torso. She wears polka-dotted pink briefs with little cartoon ghosts on them. The shirt is a blue and red KISS shirt, its logo cracked with age. She scowls at Landon.

BETH: You could argue that turning me into a MONSTER might have been better saved for a THIRD date, Michael J.

BETH: You gotta NAME, or do I just call you DOG-BREATH?

5/ Landon smiles up from the bed and extends a polite hand. He remains undressed, but covered by the sheets. He couldn’t look more genuinely nice in the face of Beth’s attitude, even if he DID just turn her into a werewolf against her will.

LANDON: Landon.
LANDON: Landon Adams.

PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH depicting another Celestial Lineup. August 29th, 1999. Again, a step back in time is a step away from Solar Alignment.

PAGE TWENTY-SIX
1/ Long panel as we discover Milo, thrashing around playfully on the floor as his brother, Jake, tickles him relentlessly. Milo is 12 years old, and is beginning to look more like the Milo we know, though he does not yet have his blue chunk in the front of his hair. He laughs uncontrollably, trying desperately to pry his older brother’s hands free of his sensitive sides. Jake looks like an older Milo, though he lacks Milo’s solid black hair, in favor of a light brown.

CAPTION: Milo.

MILO: Ha ha ha!
MILO: JAKE! QUIT IT!

2/ Angle switch, as we see them from across the room. Clearly, their family has ditched the crummy old trailer in favor of a large, but very old, house. It’s dark outside, and dim table lamps light the room from different angles, working hard to make up for the lack of overhead lighting in a house so old. The boys thrash around in an upstairs bedroom- most likely Jake’s, judging from the pictures of rock bands and action movies plastered all over the walls.

MILO: Quit TICKLING me!

3/ On Jake, laughing as Milo successfully pries his grip free and holds his older brother’s hands up, struggling to maintain his brief advantage as Jake’s hands writhe in the air, dying to return to their target.

JAKE: I’ll quit tickling when MOM AND DAD get home!
JAKE: NOT UNTIL THEN!

4/ Milo retreats, pulling his arms tight around his sides in defense. He lies on the floor, looking up at Jake as he tries to catch his breath.

MILO: When do Mom and Dad get home?

5/ Jake lunges for Milo’s armpits and Milo screams.

JAKE: Midnight!

MILO: Midnight!?
MILO: It’s only EIGHT O’CLOCK!

PAGE TWENTY-SEVEN

1/ Milo tries to twist free as Jake struggles to pull Milo’s shirt off. Milo starts to look genuinely scared, no longer playing around.

JAKE (OFF PANEL): Oh, when I get your SHIRT OFF, you are going to be SO SORRY!

MILO: Jake, WAIT!

2/ Milo overreacts, hitting Jake hard across the face with his forearm as he fights in self-defense. The punch hits Jake at just the wrong angle, and we see blood squirt from his mouth as his head twists sideways in response.

MILO: WAIT!!

SOUND EFFECT: THOK

3/ Milo sits up, looking shaken. He looks at Jake in concern and embarrassment.

MILO: Why would you SAY that?

4/ Jake leans back on his haunches, rubbing his throbbing jaw. He glowers at Milo.

JAKE: Because I was TICKLING you, JERK. Don’t be a little GIRL.
JAKE: Now you’re REALLY going to get it!

5/ Jake lunges at Milo once again, startling him. They both laugh, not expecting what comes next.

MILO: Ha ha!
MILO: Knock it OFF, Jake!

6/ Suddenly, as Jake tickles him, Milo’s face turns from playful to terrified. Unaware of what’s going on, he watches in horror as his hands burst into flame. Blue smoke leaks from the edges of his eyes, obscuring his vision as the flames travel up his arms.

MILO: Oh, my God, Jake, WAIT!
MILO: STOP IT!

PAGE TWENTY-EIGHT

1/ Jake holds his arm up in front of his eyes, protecting himself from the sudden burst of flame that leaks up into the bottom edge of the panel, from Milo’s direction. He looks confused and angry, not sure what to do.

JAKE: Milo, what’re you - ?

2/ Outside the house, at night, as we see the entire upper story explode. The windows shatter outward and the walls themselves buckle from the pressure as flame shoots out into the night from inside the old, beaten down house, sending boards and glass flying out in every direction.

SOUND EFFECT: KA-DOOOM

3/ Back inside, Milo holds his arms in front of him for protection as he stands in the midst of the inferno, looking around in startled despair. His glasses are covered in soot.

MILO: Jake?!
MILO: Where ARE you!?

MILO: We have to get OUT of here!

4/ Close on Milo’s face as he removes his glasses and something catches his eye. His face turns to stunned horror as the image sinks in.

MILO: NO!
MILO: Jake?

5/ Long panel as young Milo stands in the collapsing upper floor of his home, flames licking up all around him as he struggles to keep his footing, dumbstruck by the consequences of what he has done. He stares straight toward us, at the thing that caught his sight when he removed his glasses…and in the extreme FG, we see the charred, blackened remains of Milo’s brother, his arms twisted at an unnatural angle. Jake is dead.

PAGE TWENTY-NINE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH, another Celestial alignment. October 10th, 2004. The sun is closer to Galactic Central point, though of course not as close as it was in the 2008 lineup.

CAPTION: October 10th, 2004.

PAGE THIRTY

1/ A teenaged Rhiannon wanders up the hallway of her high school, looking as Goth as any teenager should ever look. Her hair is pulled back, revealing her young face through the Goth makeup she wears so proudly, and she carries a stack of books in her hand. Banners all over the walls proclaim Beaver Local Football, advertising the upcoming homecoming game with glitter and magic marker on red, black and white poster board. Students mill about in the halls, but one particular student – another Goth girl – races after Rhiannon from behind.

CAPTION: Rhiannon.

GIRL: Rhiannon!
GIRL: Wait up!

2/ Rhiannon turns to face the girl, smiling through what is clearly a veil of sadness.

RHI: Dee?
RHI: This is so WEIRD…

3/ The other girl, Dee, pulls Rhiannon tight and the two of them share a passionate kiss. Dee is a little taller than Rhiannon, with similar dark hair – though she keeps it cut short. She wears skull and bones earrings, and her Hot Topic brand clothing is outdone only by Rhiannon’s. Rhiannon closes her eyes and melts into the kiss.

DEE: I know, sweetie.
DEE: How could it NOT be weird, coming back only TWO DAYS after a SCHOOL SHOOTING?

4/ Close on Rhiannon, looking around furtively to make sure she isn’t heard by her classmates. She looks as though she’s been crying.

RHI: That’s not really what I MEAN, Dee.
RHI: I mean I don’t know if I, in PARTICULAR, can DEAL with this…

5/ Dee looks to Rhiannon with concern, grabbing Rhiannon’s face in her hand and smiling gently at her. She pulls her backpack up on her back, adjusting its weight. All along the strap are buttons of Invader Zim and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.

DEE: Oh, GOD, Rhi – I didn’t even THINK about it.
DEE: I’ll bet everybody’s EMOTIONS are all OVER the place.

PAGE THIRTY-ONE

1/ Rhiannon reaches into her locker, placing her stack of books inside. Dee stands next to her, watching in concern.

RHI: They are.
RHI: I’ve had to concentrate so HARD all day, just to keep it under CONTROL.

RHI: It’s giving me the WORST headaches.

2/ Dee grabs Rhiannon by the shoulder, forcing her to face her.

DEE: Rhi, honey…come here.

3/ Long panel, from a slight distance. Standing in the hallway, next to the lockers, Dee pulls Rhiannon into a warm hug, closing her eyes and burying her head in Rhiannon’s shoulder. The two remain that way for a moment. Down the hallway a bit, we see a janitor – and closer inspection reveals him to be the same Ned we’ve seen throughout this issue.

DEE: Soak it in, babe. See if it does any good.

4/ Rhiannon pulls back, grimacing in pain as she shuts her eyes tightly. She puts her hand to her forehead, trying to massage away the splitting headache.

RHI: Aghhh!

5/ Dee looks on, feeling a bit dejected for her inability to help Rhiannon.

DEE: Rhi, what’s wrong?
DEE: Is the BAD stuff hitting you? I tried my best to help…

PAGE THIRTY-TWO

1/ Long panel as Rhiannon struggles with the headache, Dee reaching out to try and help in any way she can.

RHI: It’s too much. TOO MUCH!
RHI: God, I just want it to go AWAY!

DEE: You want me to cast a PROTECTION spell?
DEE: I can DO that…

2/ Rhiannon throws her hands up in frustration.

RHI: I’ve DONE that! It doesn’t WORK!
RHI: I’m just too sensitive…

3/ Dee thinks.

DEE: Look, Rhiannon…
DEE: When I’m doing DIVINATION stuff, and I have to leave my MIND open to possible ATTACK? I visualize a WALL. It helps a lot.

4/ Rhiannon shuts her locker as Dee continues to explain.

DEE: Now, I know you need something a LOT more powerful than that…
DEE: …but you said that you were able to convert EMOTION into ENERGY and stuff. Could you build a REAL wall?
DEE: Something inside to DAMPEN these ATTACKS you have?

5/ Rhiannon turns to Dee, impressed with the idea. She smiles.

RHI: You know, that’s actually not a bad IDEA…

PAGE THIRTY-THREE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH. Celestial Alignment. May 2nd, 2008. We return to the stage in which the sun is very, very close to alignment with Central Point.

CAPTION: May 2nd, 2008.

PAGE THIRTY-FOUR

1/ Long panel as we find Andrew in a dark, disgusting sewer. The tunnels wind off into the distance as Andrew creeps along, brandishing a clunky bow with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. He is 23 years old, but has been at this for a while and is clearly a professional when it comes to lurking around in cramped spaces in search of monsters. His thickly booted feet splash into the green water as he creeps along, hunched over in anticipation as he looks into the next system of tunnels. Pipes and valves line the slime-covered walls, and rats scurry along the floor.

CAPTION: Andrew.

ANDREW: Come on, come ON.
ANDREW: Where are you HIDING, you son of a BITCH?

2/ Andrew loads an arrow into his bow and pulls back, preparing to fire as he rounds the next corner.

3/ Suddenly, a vampire leaps out from behind him, seemingly appearing from nowhere as it descends from its hiding spot on the ceiling. It looks like a feral combination of the Nosferatu/Blade 2/Turok-Han (from Buffy Season 7) styles of Vampire than the elegant, classy, humanized Vampires that have become popular in recent years. Andrew leaps, startled.

VAMP: Yaghhh!

4/ Long panel as Andrew spins on a dime, letting the arrow fly. It strikes the vampire square in the chest, and the vamp explodes – showering Andrew with its dust.

SOUND EFFECT: FOOM

PAGE THIRTY-FIVE

1/ Andrew lets his bow fall to his side, catching his breath as his phone beeps.

ANDREW: Jesus.
ANDREW: How many of you are DOWN here?

SOUND EFFECT: Breet breet

2/ Andrew wanders further down the tunnels, answering his phone as he slings his bow over his shoulder and walks nonchalantly into the face of danger.

ANDREW: Not the best TIME, Julie.
ANDREW: I followed a VAMP down here and I think he’s led me right to a pretty nasty NEST. These guys are vicious….

3/ Cut to a young African American woman with round glasses and hair pulled back tight. This is Julie, and she sits at a wooden desk in a dimly lit office, speaking to Andrew on a cord phone.

JULIE: I can call back later, if you WANT, but I have a new CASE for you.
JULIE: Is SAMSON with you?

4/ Back to Andrew, looking around wearily as he speaks into his phone.

ANDREW: He’s coming in from the other DIRECTION. I’m alone.
ANDREW: I think I’m okay for a minute, but make it FAST. Things are about to get interesting down here, and I have CLASS in the morning.

5/ Long panel, Back to Julie, and now we see more of the office. There are numerous unsolved case files pinned to the wall on a giant corkboard, and a long table with a coffee machine and box of donuts sits abandoned, the coffee machine looking musty from disuse. Outside the office window, we see the Manhattan Skyline. Julie flips through a file folder on her desk.

JULIE: Looks like we’ve got a disappearance.
JULIE: Last time this girl was seen, it was during a pretty intense WEREWOLF attack in the VILLAGE. But there’s no BODY or even CHUNKS of body, so we’re thinking it may be a HOSTAGE situation, or they’ve TURNED her.
JULIE: Either way, I’ve got some concerned friends and family looking for ANSWERS.

PAGE THIRTY-SIX

1/ On Andrew, from behind, as he wanders down the tunnels, still speaking into his phone as he goes.

ANDREW: Girl gotta name?

2/ On Julie, skimming her files as she informs Andrew of the details.

JULIE: BETH.
JULIE: Elizabeth REILLY, to be more precise. And get this: arseholes that did this? The bloody BROTHERHOOD, if our INTEL’s correct.

3/ Andrew looks shocked, facing the phone in surprise.

ANDREW: The BROTHERHOOD!?
ANDREW: One of Chancellor Burgess’s rare HUNTING PARTIES, then. Bit early in the YEAR for him to lay it on the LINE like that, isn’t it?

4/ Julie raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.

JULIE: Said it yourself, Mate: Brotherhood’s been damned UNPREDICTABLE lately. Drama in the UNDERGROUND, it seems.
JULIE: The SUCKERS you’re after now – THEY’RE not Brotherhood, are they?

5/ Long panel as Andrew finally reaches the nest. The walls of the sewer are lined with human bodies, dripping blood and gore from their spots on the cold cement walls. Even more human hands reach up from out of the muck, stained with blood. More importantly, though, are the five frightening looking vampires who are now approaching Andrew, looking ready for a fight.

ANDREW: No, Ma’am.
ANDREW: This does NOT look like Brotherhood TERRITORY.

ANDREW: Julie? I’m gonna have to call you BACK.

PAGE THIRTY-SEVEN

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH. Celestial Alignment. September 21st, 2001. A step back for the Solar Alignment to Central Point.

CAPTION: September 21st, 2001.

PAGE THIRTY-EIGHT

1/ Long panel as we see a possessed woman, tied to a bed with numerous buckled straps, thrashing violently in her attempts to free herself of her imprisonment. Her face is contorted and grotesque, a reflection of the demon inside that is beyond her ability to control. She hisses and screams, her long hair tossing about, baring her teeth.

CAPTION: Donovan.

WOMAN: HELL AWAITS YOU!!!
WOMAN: DARKNESS FIGHTS FOR YOUR SOUL!!!
WOMAN: So much DEATH in your FUTURE, BOY!

2/ Angle reverse, we now see down the length of the bed as the demon woman continues to scream at the young man who peers hesitantly around the corner of the bedroom doorway, sheepishly investigating the terrifying amount of noise the woman is letting loose through the halls. The building itself is an old convent, and we can see the dark lacquered wood that lines the walls and floors, shining brightly with polish. Various religious artifacts hang from the walls, and a small wash bin rests on a console table opposite the bed. The boy peering around the corner is Donovan, at 14 years old.

WOMAN: What’s the matter, BOY!?
WOMAN: AFRIAD to come CLOSER?
WOMAN: AFRAID of the TRUTH?!

3/ Pull in on Donovan, staring around the corner in fright. He clings to the edge of the door frame, his fingernails digging into the wood. He does not hide his fear as the woman continues to taunt him.

WOMAN (OFF PANEL): The DARK WITCH will show you the WAY, boy!
WOMAN: She’ll sense your FEARS, the EARTH-MOTHER will, and SEIZE on them!

4/ Outside the room, in the hallway, as a tall middle-aged priest walks up and rests a hand on the frightened Donovan’s shoulder. Donovan turns to look at him, confused.

DON: What’s WRONG with her, Father?
DON: I’ve seen it BEFORE, but I still don’t UNDERSTAND it.

5/ The Priest drops down into a crouch, achieving eye-level with the young Donovan. He squeezes Donovan’s shoulder to comfort him, smiling reassuringly. We can see that the Priest is the same priest who was present at the death of Donovan’s mother, though he has aged.

PRIEST: She’s POSSESSED, Donovan. Just as your MOTHER was.
PRIEST: The DEMON has HOLD of her, and doesn’t want to let go. But, you see, we’ve sent for a SPECIALIST in these things.

PAGE THIRTY-NINE

1/ Standing behind the priest, looking down at the young boy and his currently crouched mentor, is a man in his late thirties. He is tall, with a somewhat darker complexion, and dark messy hair. The priest begins to stand up in an effort to greet the new man. He wears all black, with long dark pants and a button-up smock of a shirt, with a familiar looking cross printed on the front….

PRIEST: Donovan, this is WILLIAM PAUL. He’s an EXORCIST of some RENOWN, and he’s here to HELP our good sister.

PAUL: A pleasure, Father.
PAUL: Donovan.

2/ The two grown men look into the possessed woman’s room with sincere but professionally distanced looks of sadness, the Priest focusing more on disseminating information to William Paul than on the woman herself. Paul is strictly business.

PAUL: How’s SISTER ALVERA?

PRIEST: She’s been RESTRAINED for hours now, Mr. Paul.
PRIEST: I’m not sure how much longer we can HOLD her.

3/ Paul looks down at Donovan, offering his hand in greeting.

PAUL: Put her THERE, pal.
PAUL: You holding up okay?

DON: I guess. It’s a little SCARY.

4/ Donovan accepts the offered hand, and the two shake. William Paul gives Donovan a genuine, warm-hearted smile.

PAUL: That’s true, Donovan. It CAN be scary.
PAUL: But I’m William Paul, and I’m the best there is at what I DO.

5/ Paul stands up, looking seriously at the Priest.

PAUL: I realize this can be a bit MUCH for a CHILD, Father.
PAUL: I have a son of my OWN, a bit older. SAMSON.

PRIEST: Oh, I’m not the boy’s ACTUAL Father.

6/ On the Priest, looking forbiddingly at Paul, wishing he’d let the subject drop for Donovan’s sake, more than anything.

PAUL (OFF PANEL): Oh, I’m sorry. Are you - ?

PRIEST: The Father’s DECEASED.

7/ On Paul, looking foolish for asking.

PAUL: I’m sorry. And the MOTHER?

8/ On the two of them, as the Priest just locks eyes with Paul, answering the question with his silence. Paul lowers his eyes.

PAUL: I see.

PAGE FORTY

1/ William Paul enters the Sister’s room, carrying something in his hands and matching eyes with this demonized woman immediately. He glares challengingly, trying to get a rise from the demon.

PAUL: Sister Alvera.

2/ The demonic woman freezes in her thrashing, stopping instead to glare menacingly at her new guest. She clearly recognizes him, and does not like the sight of him.

WOMAN: YOU.

3/ Paul looks down at the object in his hand – a small pendant, in the shape of a pentagram, made of sparkling crystal. It glints in the dim light of the room, and he stares at it importantly.

PAUL: Yes, that’s correct. ME.
PAUL: So I can safely assume I’m NOT talking to Sister ALVERA, am I, DEMON?

4/ The woman begins to scream and thrash once more, though now her demeanor has shifted from angry to scared – screaming more for help than anything else.

WOMAN: GO AWAY!
WOMAN: We know who you ARE and you’re a BLIGHT upon the WORLD!

5/ One large panel, with an inset in the upper left-hand corner.

INSET: Paul bends down to the floor, gently placing the pentagram pendant on the ground and smiling to himself as he does.

PAUL: Yeah. You people are NEVER happy to see me, are you?
PAUL: Well, I guess I know WHY.

PANEL: Paul stands back and the room is suddenly lit with a flare of orange as the pendant ignites, sending a huge arc of flame along the floor before him in the shape of the pentagram, blazing away and illuminating Paul from beneath as we view over his shoulders. He drops his hands to his sides, satisfied with this step and preparing to leap headlong into the exorcism.

PAUL: Some jobs, the better at it you are, the more ENEMIES you have.

PAGE FORTY ONE

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH, with the FINAL Celestial Alignment. The bisecting line through the image reveals that on this NEW date - January 30th, 2012 – the sun of our solar system is closer to alignment with Galactic Central Point than it has been over the entirety of the time span depicted in this issue – and it will only get closer. The line nearly connects with the orb of the sun itself.

CAPTION: January 30th, 2012.

PAGE FORTY TWO

1/ Long panel as a somewhat beat-up looking sedan pulls up to the front of the house on Campus we’ve come to recognize as Rhiannon’s home. It’s a snowy afternoon, and a black cat Zips across the porch as the car idles in its place.

RHI (INSIDE CAR): And here we ARE.

2/ Inside the car, in the passenger seat, Rhiannon turns to her driver: Dee, the girl Rhi dated in high school. Steam shoots from their mouths in the cold as they speak, smiling familiarly but a bit awkwardly at each other.

RHI: Thanks for everything, DEE.
RHI: It’s been good to see you again.

DEE: Same to you, Rhi.

3/ On Dee, trussed up in layers of puffy coats and scarves, as she gives a red-faced grin to her passenger, nervous to be around Rhi after all this time. Rhi leans into the panel, her hair showing from under a wool cap.

RHI: And taking me all the way back to COLUMBUS was awesome of you.
RHI: Are you SURE you don’t want any GAS MONEY?

DEE: Not a chance.
DEE: It was nice just to get away from EAST LIVERPOOL for a day.

4/ Rhiannon begins to say something as Dee leans across the car, pushing against the steering wheel to reach over into the passenger seat and lock lips with a startled Rhiannon. Rhiannon pushes her away.

RHI: Oh, I’m sure it - !

5/ Rhiannon looks at Dee, gentle but firm in her rebuttal.

RHI: Dee. I told you.
RHI: I’m not a lesbian anymore. I never really WAS. It was just a weird place in my life.

6/ Dee smiles awkwardly, a little embarrassed but taking it like a grownup. She raises a sincere eyebrow.

DEE: It’s a SHAME, Rhi.
DEE: Coulda been fun.

PAGE FORTY THREE

1/ Rhiannon stands outside in the snow, steam issuing from her mouth as she watches Dee’s car drive off down the muddy winter streets of the North Campus Neighborhood.

2/ On Rhiannon, looking both confused and amused, if a little sad.

RHI: Wow. Strange.

3/ Rhi enters her home, calling out to her roommates, who appear to be away at the moment. She shrugs off her wool scarf, standing in the open doorway.

RHI: Anybody HOME?

4/ She walks past a small end table by the living room couch and notices the blinking message light on the voice mail machine. She nudges it absentmindedly with her finger as she verbally acknowledges it.

RHI: Message.
RHI: Perhaps for me?

5/ Close as Rhiannon’s hand reaches out and pushes the button on the Voice Mail.

SOUND EFFECT: BEEP

6/ Long Panel as Rhiannon rifles through the kitchen refrigerator in the far BG, while the voice mail machine rattles off the message in the extreme FG. Rhiannon discovers a jug of milk and lifts it into better light, checking the date.

MACHINE: Rhiannon, my name is Andrew MacTiernan.
MACHINE: You don’t KNOW me, but I would very much like to MEET with you…

PAGE FORTY FOUR

1/ LONG PANEL as we CUT TO Andrew’s personal office. In particular, we are focused on the items sprawled across his desk: a stack of non-descript papers, a chewed and weathered pencil, a cell-phone, and a sheet of yellow legal paper with a list of names. ELLIOT WOODYARD and RHIANNON McRHEA are listed at the top, and both are scratched out. DONOVAN THATCHER remains, but is circled with a small annotation in less careful handwriting indicating that “Palmer is taking care of it.” All that remains is the last name, in noticeably more deliberate handwriting, underlined repeatedly, and surrounded with doodled question marks. It says “BETH ADAMS.”

ANDREW (OFF PANEL): Hey, Beth.
ANDREW: It’s ANDREW MacTIERNAN. How’s a trip to COLUMBUS sound?

2/ Andrew stands beside the desk, looking down at his list and scratching his head in frustration. He rests his free hand on his hip and grimaces, feeling stupid about his inability to get past the “Beth” hurtle. He stands in blue flannel pajama bottoms and a green Marvel Comics t-shirt, his hair unkempt as he has not left his house yet today.

ANDREW: Nice, Andrew.
ANDREW: Of COURSE you’d rip it off like a band-aid. How could she not go for that?

3/ Andrew paces, gesturing innocently with his hands in mock irony.

ANDREW: Hi, Beth. It’s ANDREW!
ANDREW: Hey, how’s your MARRIAGE? Recover sufficiently from my selfish attempt to SABOTAGE it yet? Landon have any INTEREST in the two of us spending a bunch of TIME together?

4/ Andrew picks up his list, staring at it helplessly.

ANDREW: Hi, Beth. How’s LANDON?
ANDREW: Got any CUBS I should know about? You can CUB-sit, while LANDON and I head down to the bar and sort this out like GENTLEMEN!

5/ Andrew drops the paper and looks off into the distance, feeling defeated.

ANDREW: I can’t DO this.

PAGE FORTY FIVE

1/ Andrew stands silently in the door to his bedroom, having a massive internal debate. We can see his unmade bed, and in the very FG there is a tall dresser on which sits a framed photograph, turned away from us.

2/ Andrew approaches the dresser and picks up the photograph, examining it. It is still turned away from us, but Andrew looks at it with heartfelt nostalgia.

ANDREW: You know…

3/ Long panel as we see the image in Andrew’s hand. It is the same photograph of Andrew, Beth and Samson Paul that we have seen before, framed in a polished wooden frame.

ANDREW (OFF PANEL): This would be a whole lot EASIER if YOU were here, man.

4/ Andrew sighs as he places the photo face down on the dresser and looks up, realizing he has to get his act together.

ANDREW: ::sigh::

5/ He picks up the phone and begins to dial, looking as though he’s just stepped in front of an execution squad.

ANDREW: Alright.
ANDREW: Here goes nothin’.

PAGE FORTY SIX

1/ Long panel as we CUT TO Donovan, looking suddenly very, very worried as he stands at the foot of an unfamiliar bed. He looks poised for action but uncertain of what to do, as if every fiber of his being is simultaneously screaming “Oh, Shit,” at the top of its lungs.

DON: Crap.

2/ Don leaps onto the bed and begins shaking at the comatose woman he was just moments ago trying to help via his exorcism skills. She does not respond, and we realize that Donovan is trying to rouse a dead woman, terrified for his own life if he could be attributed to her death as the very cause himself.

DON: Come on! Come ON!
DON: Wake UP!

3/ On the dead woman’s face, looking, well…dead.

4/ Donovan looks down at her, his face suddenly deeply forlorn as he realizes that it’s hopeless. He drops back on his haunches and lets his hands sink into his lap in defeat.

DON: No.

5/ He shifts, choosing instead to sit on the side of the bed and hang his embarrassed head.

DON: Don’t be dead.

PAGE FORTY SEVEN
1/ Suddenly, in the doorway, we see Mr. Palmer – the government director of the Knights of Columbus’ regional branch of the Paranormal Defense Initiative. He is dressed like a business man, in a tailored suit and conservative appearance, and he lingers in the doorway as though he’s completely casual, with no regard to the dead woman on the bed.

PALMER: Donovan Thatcher.

2/ Donovan looks up at the side of the bed, turning in horror as he realizes he’s been found out, that everyone will know he’s a failure and that his inadequacy is responsible for this woman’s death. He recoils slightly.

DON: This isn’t what it LOOKS like.

3/ Palmer walks casually into the room, brandishing a business card and holding it out to Donovan. He looks completely unimpressed by any of the drama that has just exploded in Donovan’s life.

PALMER: What it looks like is an EXORCISM gone tragically WRONG.
PALMER: So I’m assuming it’s EXACTLY what it looks like.

4/ Donovan looks down at the card, confused and ashamed.

DON: I know. I’m sorry. Mr.…PALMER.
DON: I don’t know what to say. Besides that I thought I was cut out for this, and I’m obviously NOT.

5/ Over Palmer’s shoulder as he sticks a fat brown cigar in his mouth and Donovan looks up at him, confused. Palmer lights the cigar.

PALMER: Now, now, Mr. Thatcher. You can’t save ‘em ALL.
PALMER: But I can certainly offer you the chance to TRY.

DON: I don’t understand…what’s - ?

6/ Low Angle as Palmer extends his hand to Donovan, seen from Donovan’s POV. He takes a big puff on his glowing cigar, a cloud of smoke forming around his face.

PALMER: As you already KNOW, the name’s PALMER.
PALMER: I’m with the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

PAGE FORTY EIGHT

1/ CUT TO Landon and Beth’s house in New York, the one and only time we’ll ever see it. Landon stands in a doorway in the BG, looking confused and intrigued, as we see Beth’s hand place the cordless phone back into its cradle in the extreme FG, resting on a shiny end table near the same end table lamp we’ve seen in their Columbus home. There is a framed photograph of Landon and Beth resting near the phone, as they cuddle and smile for the camera.

LANDON: Who was THAT?

2/ Close on Beth as she bites her lip, not sure if she really wants to be honest with him at the moment. She glances away.

BETH: Um…

3/ Beth turns away and fiddles with her fingers near the end table, looking at the floor.

BETH: Andrew MacTiernan.

4/ Landon continues to hold his position in the doorway, taking the news in stride and responding in carefully measured tones to what he surely is not happy to hear. He keeps his own head lowered, but his eyes look steadily in the direction of Beth.

LANDON: Are you serious?

BETH (OFF PANEL): I am.

5/ Long panel. Landon leans against the door frame and folds his arms, beginning to look indignant but not fully angry yet. Beth turns and faces him uncertainly.

LANDON: And what could HE possibly want?

BETH: He wants to put together a TEAM. Paranormal thing.
BETH: I think it’s for the GOVERNMENT. He said I’d have to be BRIEFED and –

LANDON: Wait.
LANDON: Stop talking.

PAGE FORTY NINE

1/ Close on Landon, eyes narrowed, anger rising.

LANDON: Andrew MacTiernan thinks he can just call here and RECRUIT you?
LANDON: After everything that happened in Rome.

2/ Beth tries to diffuse the situation by acting casual, trying to convince Landon that he’s just overreacting. She turns dismissively and walks in the direction of the kitchen, speaking breezily.

BETH: Landon. This isn’t LIKE that.
BETH: This sounds like a GOOD thing. Getting away from all this BROTHERHOOD stuff, and –

3/ Landon turns to follow her progress visually, though he does not physically pursue her as she heads toward the other room. He remains rooted in his spot, keeping eye contact with what, at the moment, is the back of her head. He maintains his calm anger.

LANDON: Beth, if it involves ANDREW, it’s not a GOOD thing.
LANDON: And why does he think he can just CALL here, after TWO years –

4/ Beth keeps her back to him, but looks back at him over her shoulder. She leans her hand against the doorframe in the archway to the kitchen, eyes cast down at the ground in shame as she makes the crushing admission.

BETH: Because I never stopped talking to him.

5/ Landon looks at her, aghast.

6/ He casts his eyes downward and hangs his head for the first time, humiliated.

LANDON: Fine. Whatever.
LANDON: Fill me in LATER. I’m going to the BAR.

7/ Landon rounds the corner into the foyer and disappears, headed out into the night.

8/ Beth continues to linger in the door to the kitchen, leaning against the frame as she hangs her own head in disgust at herself. She does not feel bad about maintaining contact with Andrew, but she does feel bad about lying to Landon.

BETH: Dammit.

PAGE FIFTY

1/ CUT TO a CLOSE UP on Milo’s hand, filled with his HIV medication in capsule form, with the stained and ancient ceramic sink seen in the background as we look down at the hand from Milo’s POV. He holds the bottle in his other hand, also in panel, with cotton sticking out the top. Toothpaste and a toothbrush are scattered along the back of the sink, the toothpaste oozing out onto the ceramic.

2/ Milo tosses his head back and shoves the pills down his throat, grimacing.

3/ Finished taking his medication, Milo stands in the bathroom doorway, looking out into his studio apartment and staring at the voice mail machine sitting next to his unmade bed. His art hangs scattered all over the walls, vividly colorful depictions of frustration, anger and regret, painted onto the canvas to get them out of his head.

MILO: Alright. Decision time.

4/ Milo approaches the machine and presses the button, nodding as though he’s listened to the message a hundred times already. He pushes the button to stop it before it gets even halfway through.

MACHINE: Hello, Elliot. My name is Andrew MacTiernan, and –

SOUND EFFECT: BEEP

MILO: Yes, Andrew MacTiernan. I know why you’re calling.
MILO: I’ve listened to your voicemail about thirty-seven times. I just don’t know how to REACT to it at all.

5/ Milo turns, acknowledging a weathered old Dungeons and Dragons poster on his wall, depicting an ornately drawn Wizard with his staff, gesturing dramatically atop a mountain. Beneath the poster are hundreds of painted miniatures – orcs and goblins, mages and rangers – scattered about in such a way as to suggest that it’s been a while since Milo’s done anything with them.

6/ Milo looks away from the poster, realizing it gave him an idea.

MILO: Yeah, yeah.
MILO: That’s not a bad IDEA.

7/ Milo walks down the steps of his apartment building, approaching the big metal door that leads to High Street below. He talks on his cell phone as he goes, leaning against the metal railing on his way down.

MILO: Yeah, can I get a CAB?
MILO: I’m going to EKADANTA. The Goth Club. Yeah, on the west side.
MILO: I’m on the SHORT NORTH. Just meet me at the CONVENIENCE STORE.

8/ Milo closes his cell phone, now standing on High Street and pulling his hoody tightly around him as the cars zip by in the night. He looks off into space, unaware that he is about to walk right into the first page of our Comic Book Series by visiting Mr. Wizard.

MILO: Alright, Mr. Wizard.
MILO: Looks like you and I need to have a little CHAT.

CAPTION: Next – Missing Link!