Knights of Columbus #3

Issue Three: “All Tomorrow’s Parties, part 3: A History of Violence.”

PAGE ONE

“Previously” page.

PAGE TWO

1/ long panel close up on a frying pan at the front burner of Beth’s stove. She cracks an egg and pours it straight into the frying pan. It is morning, with light shining in brightly through the adjacent window, the window sill covered in an inch or two of snow. Beth wears a pink bathrobe, faded with age.

CAPTION (NARR): Bexley.
CAPTION (Beth): No matter who you are, the time always comes.
CAPTION: You’re never PREPARED for it, really…but it still COMES.

CAPTION: The day when your entire LIFE is put on hold, until you can PROVE yourself to those who would deem you UNFIT.

2/ Close on the egg, frying and crackling in the pan.

CAPTION: When the very FABRIC of your character is put on TRIAL, and your sole motivation becomes CONVINCING the doubters that you’re GOOD.

3/ Even closer, beneath the frying pan, on the gas flame coming up from below in shades of orange and blue.

CAPTION: Now that I look at it for what it is, it’s probably where the first concepts of HEAVEN and HELL came from.
CAPTION: That desperate human NEED to have our life’s choices recognized as CORRECT – or, at the very least, ACCEPTABLE.

4/ Head and shoulders on Beth, biting her lip in concentration as she looks down at the egg, holding a plastic spatula in the air absentmindedly. Little spittles of grease fleck up into the air, getting caught in her bed-head hair.

CAPTION: Nobody wants to be a PARIAH. That’s why we have HELL.

5/ Close on the spatula, sliding underneath the crackling egg.

CAPTION: If you’ve never BEEN there, you’re lucky. But you WILL be, someday.
CAPTION: It’s what you do when that day COMES that defines you as a PERSON.

6/ Over Beth’s shoulder as Landon enters the kitchen, standing in the doorframe. He, too, has not yet showered, and is still in boxers and a T-shirt.

CAPTION: I’ve been there for TWO YEARS, myself.

7/ Low-angle, on the frying pan, as Landon comes up behind Beth. He puts his arms around her midsection and she turns her head over her shoulder, kissing him.

BETH: Good morning, Butt-Face.

LANDON: Good morning, Weirdo.

CAPTION: And I’m not out of the WOODS, yet.

PAGE THREE

1/ Cut to a long-panel as Milo and Andrew face off, standing in battle-ready poses. They are each dressed in a traditional Karate-Style Gi. Milo’s is black and blue, Andrew’s is white and yellow. They shuffle back and forth, preparing to fight. They are in the offices of the PDI, with the conference table pushed aside to make room for their sparring. The window blinds are pulled open, flooding the room with natural light. Milo is, of course, not wearing his glasses.

CAPTION: The Atlas Building, Downtown. Headquarters.

MILO: This was a great IDEA, Andrew. Honestly, it’s been YEARS since I sparred with anybody at all.

ANDREW: What was the extent of your TRAINING?

MILO: Well, my PARENTS had me in TAE KWON DO classes for, like, SIX YEARS. But that was before I went out on my OWN.

2/ Milo strikes an attack pose.

MILO: So prepare to need an ICE PACK, Fearless Leader. ‘Bout to get a Woodyard-style ASS-KICKING.

3/ Andrew kicks up and out, swinging at Milo’s head, without warning. Milo catches Andrew’s ankle in his hand, steadying himself.

ANDREW: Don’t get OVER-ZEALOUS, Milo. I’m not exactly a PUSHOVER.
ANDREW: Since Detective Spacey says we can’t get clearance to re-enter MUD HOUSE until tomorrow, I thought it would be good for us to get in a little TRAINING. No reason to be resting on our LAURELS.

4/ Head and shoulders on Milo, as he holds Andrew’s leg.

MILO: Oh, my ZEAL is exactly where it SHOULD be, buddy. I just know when I’m GOOD at something.
MILO: And my laurels NEVER rest.

ANDREW: (off-panel) Is that so?

5/ Andrew spins through the air, landing a kick into the side of Milo’s head, with his free leg. Milo takes a dive, looking like he’s been hit by a train.

SOUND EFFECT: THUNK!

6/ Behind Andrew, as he looks down at Milo, laying sprawled on the floor. Milo is gasping for air, his legs propped up as though he’s about to do a sit-up.

ANDREW: I suppose I should have MENTIONED that I’m an advanced BLACK-BELT in three different forms of MARTIAL ARTS.

MILO: (small font in a withering balloon, as he gasps) Yeah…that would’ve been nice.

PAGE FOUR

1/ Milo pulls himself up off the floor, into a sitting position.

MILO: Just for POSTERITY…why would you NOT tell me that?

2/ Close on Andrew, laughing.

ANDREW: That would’ve RUINED it, Milo.
ANDREW: You think your OPPONENTS are always going to tell you what their STRENGTHS are?

3/ Milo stands up, dusting off the front of his legs and looking winded.

MILO: Okay, I get it.
MILO: You’re making some kind of Fearless-Leaderish POINT.

4/ Milo throws a punch, his face a mock “badass” look.

MILO: I’m just not sure what it IS.

5/ Andrew catches the punch and holds it, pulling his free arm back to strike at Milo’s exposed ribcage.

ANDREW: It’s simple, Milo.
ANDREW: You’re all POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE about your PSYCHIC abilities, but you’ve made no effort to improve your PHYSICAL capabilities in YEARS.
ANDREW: Being a TELEPATH is all well and GOOD…

6/ Long panel as Andrew lands the punch into Milo’s ribs, and Milo recoils in pain.

ANDREW: …but you’re only HALF as powerful as you could BE, if you learned how to truly FOCUS.
ANDREW: Which, my flippant friend, is the aforementioned POINT.

7/ Milo stands, rubbing his side and wincing at the pain.

MILO: Okay, okay. Fair enough.

8/ The two stand face to face, both looking a little winded from the training.

MILO: You really think I’d be a better TELEPATH if I practiced FIGHTING?

ANDREW: I may be a poor little MUNDANE when I’m standing next to you and RHIANNON, but I’ve spent my whole life running with your CROWD.

PAGE FIVE

1/ Andrew crouches, getting ready to resume training.

ANDREW: Frankly, I think we should do this every time we get the CHANCE.

2/ Milo also strikes a combat pose, leg forward and arm held up behind his head.

MILO: Fine by me.
MILO: As of now, I’m officially DETERMINED to learn a hundred different ways to KICK your arrogant ASS.

3/ Andrew shifts his stance, getting ready to launch his attack.

MILO: (off-panel) By the way, Andrew…
MILO: Now that I’ve got you ALONE, I can finally ASK.

ANDREW: Don’t like the sound of THAT…

4/ Close on Milo, grinning. Sweat drips down his forehead.

MILO: Can’t help but notice a heaping helping of SEXUAL TENSION between you and Miss SECOND-IN-COMMAND.
MILO: Anything ever happen between you and BETH?

5/ Andrew picks up his foot, stepping into a kick.

ANDREW: Now, you SEE, Milo?

6/ He lands a roundhouse kick square into Milo’s head, dropping him again.

7/ Low-angle with Milo lying on his back in the FG, his hand held up as he gasps for air, humiliated by being dropped once again. In the BG, Andrew stands with his hands on his knees, doubled over. He, too, is drenched in sweat.

ANDREW: That’s what we call PRYING, pal.

MILO: (again with the small font withering balloon) Got it. Sorry.

PAGE SIX

1/ Full page splash with the TITLES, CREDITS, and INDICIA at the bottom. Donovan stands in the now deserted office, a winter coat bundled tightly around him. He wears an orange scarf and big clunky boots, dripping snow and water all over the hardwood floors of the office. He stands before a storage cabinet on the floor in the main room, fumbling with a set of keys, looking conspiratorial.

CAPTION: Two hours later…

DON: Alright, come on…
DON: Just had these things MADE.

PAGE SEVEN

1/ close on the keys, as Donovan flips through them.

DON: Where are they?
DON: A-ha! Gotcha.

2/ He kneels down in front of the cabinet, an old oak antique that looks like it was bought at a thrift store, sliding the key into the lock.

DON: Come on, come on…work work work…
DON: So help me GOD Andrew, if you come back early…

3/ Close on a withered old book, bound in leather, that sits by Don’s feet as he fiddles with the uncooperative lock. The pages are weathered and crisp, but we can’t really read what it says except for the word INCANTATION written across the top of both pages that lie open. Donovan jumps a little as he successfully opens the cabinet, reaching behind himself to pick up the book.

DON: SCORE!
DON: Now what do I need?

4/ Rhiannon walks in the office’s front door, also bundled up for the snow, and notices Donovan on the floor. She doesn’t say anything, trying to catch him off-guard. Over her shoulder, she carries a messenger bag.
DON: (off panel) Worm-wood, Essence of Sagebrush, Heather…Eye of Newt? Wow…

5/ Donovan holds the book in his lap as he roots around in the cabinet, its contents unseen to the reader as he pulls out the various ingredients for his spell. At present, he is holding a small spherical object made of glass.

DON: Dust of Amaranth, Figlio juice, and…Orb of Thessula? Ha! Got it!

6/ Over Rhiannon’s Shoulder as she approaches Donovan from behind. He is still completely unaware of her presence.

DON: Think that’s everything…

7/ Donovan freezes as he hears Rhiannon speak, his eyes growing wide with fear. He is frozen in the middle of closing the cabinet door.

RHI: (off panel) Okay, that’s it.
RHI: I’m officially not letting you LIE to me any LONGER.

8/ Donovan turns from his sitting position to find Rhiannon, sitting on the edge of the conference table, with her arms folded indignantly. Melting snow drips from her boots, suspended in mid-air as her feet don’t reach the ground. Donovan is mortified.

RHI: What are you DOING, why are you keeping it a SECRET from everyone…
RHI: And why on EARTH does it involve EYE OF NEWT?

PAGE EIGHT

1/ Donovan stands up and dusts himself off, looking embarrassed.

DON: Alright, fine.
DON: I’ll TELL you. But it has to stay between ME and YOU.

2/ Donovan looks shamefacedly at the floor as Rhiannon throws up her hands in mock relief. He braces himself in self-defense.

RHI: Thank GOD!
RHI: If you said “I’m fine,” one more TIME, I was going to STAB you.

DON: I’m sorry, it’s just….COMPLICATED. I didn’t know what to SAY.

RHI: What’s got you all worked UP, Donovan?

3/ Donovan’s shoulders sag as he launches into his explanation.

DON: It’s…on our first DAY here, I overheard…
DON: I overheard Beth and Andrew talking about the LAST exorcist that worked with them. Back in ROME. His name was SAMSON, and they talked a lot about how they didn’t think I had any chance of REALLY taking his place on the TEAM….
DON: So, I did a little RESEARCH.

4/ On Rhiannon, as Donovan continues. She is intrigued, but skeptical.

DON: (off panel) He DID something. A RITUAL.
DON: It’s complicated, and I’d rather NOT get into the specifics….but, basically, it was an INCANTATION that he used to ENHANCE his own…I guess USEFULNESS to the TEAM. Better fighter, better exorcist, the whole LOT.
DON: It’s something I’ve never even THOUGHT of doing.

5/ They face each other, Rhiannon still sitting on the table. She gestures in confusion.

RHI: So…you need to WHAT?
RHI: Gather a bunch of random ARTIFACTS and CASTING INGREDIENTS to PUNISH your priestly self by proximity to demonic PARAPHERNALIA?

6/ Close head and shoulders on Donovan, as he stares intently at Rhiannon.

DON: I need to PROVE myself, Rhiannon.
DON: You can’t tell anyone what I’m DOING.

7/ Rhiannon turns away and adjusts her weight on the table, holding Donovan’s arcane book. Over her shoulder, we see Donovan, looking at her with concern as she comprehends what’s happening. She is flipping through the book.

RHI: Still not sure WHAT you’re doing, Don.
RHI: This book is where you’re GETTING all of…?

RHI: Oh my god.

PAGE NINE

1/ Close on Rhiannon, eyes wide with shock.

RHI: Are you casting the SPELL? Samson’s INCANTATION?

2/ Donovan holds up hands to brace her for his explanation.

DON: Yes.
DON: Look…I don’t expect you to UNDERSTAND.
DON: All my life, as far as EVERYONE around me has been concerned, I’ve been…I don’t know, MISSING something. Not quite what anybody WANTED me to be. Never…

3/ Rhiannon is annoyed, and her body language shifts completely. She’s on the defensive, and is now taking Donovan’s speech personally. He shifts uncomfortably as well, realizing he’s touched on something.

RHI: Never GOOD enough?

DON: Well, yeah. I was trying not to say THAT…it sounds CHILDISH, I know.

4/ Close on Rhiannon.

RHI: Donovan, you are talking to the QUEEN of NOT GOOD ENOUGH. You think I dress the way I do because I have high SELF-ESTEEM?
RHI: Never as pretty as the other girls, never as smart as the homely girls, never as emotionally balanced as the AVERAGE girls…just a hideous, inadequate, psychotic girl, as far as my high school CLASSMATES saw me, or as far as my PARENTS ever bothered to find out. But you can’t…I mean, JESUS, Don!

5/ Donovan cringes noticeably, uncomfortably holding his arm to his side with his free hand and looking at the floor. Rhiannon laughs, tossing her head back slightly.

DON: …I don’t think you’re HIDEOUS.

RHI: Ha!
RHI: On THAT note…I told MILO I would pick him up from his DOCTOR’S VISIT.

DON: Is he okay?

6/ Rhiannon stands, straightening her messenger bag. Donovan looks as though he’s just missed an important moment.

RHI: Just a check up.
RHI: And Donovan? I wanna go on RECORD as saying…

7/ Rhiannon pulls the door shut behind her as she walks out of the office. Donovan looks after her, sadly.

RHI: …the role you make for yourself on this team will be COMPLETELY different than whatever this SAMSON character had.
RHI: Don’t pigeon-hole yourself like that.

DON: Thanks, Rhiannon.

8/ Rhiannon gone, Donovan now turns back to his book, lying open on the table. For the first time, we can clearly see the title on the page he is open to. It says “INCANTATION FOR THE INVOCATION OF DAEMONIC FAMILIARS.”

DON: I DON’T THINK YOU’RE HIDEOUS…good one, Donovan. Very CLASSY.
DON: Now where WAS I?

PAGE TEN

1/ Cut to a Long panel Establishing Shot, of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Downtown. Snow covers the ground all around, and people are seen on the grounds wearing puffy coats and scarves. The street sign at the edge of the panel reads Grant & State.

CAPTION: Columbus Metropolitan Library, Downtown.

2/ Cut to a close-up of Andrew’s hand, as he pulls a book off the library shelf. The book reads “Fairfield County Historical Records” on the spine and cover, and it is positioned next to a book labeled “Franklin County Historical Records.”

ANDREW: I’ll take that.

3/ Andrew sits down at a long wooden table. The library shelves and patrons are seen all around him. There is a Styrofoam cup of coffee at his seat, and a stack of books at his side which he has already sorted through. He sits the new book down next to them, open. Over the back of his chair, his coat has been folded.

ANDREW: Alright, Eleanor. Where ARE you?

4/ Long panel as Beth walks up from a different isle of shelves. She holds a book labeled “Central Ohio and The Supernatural,” and, like Andrew, has clearly been here for hours. Her hair is askew and she holds a pen between her teeth.

BETH: I’ve been DIGGING through the LOCAL SPECIAL INTEREST section. Came up with a few KEY references to Mud House.
BETH: This was good, by the way – getting a little ADDED RESEARCH done in our DOWNTIME. What’ve YOU got?

5/ Beth holds open her book as she reads over Andrew’s shoulders, Andrew still slumped over the table, reading.

ANDREW: The ghost said a NAME, back there in the HOUSE. When she attacked DONOVAN. It’s been nagging at me.
ANDREW: I’m trying to track down some kind of CROSS-REFERENCE that could clear it UP a little.

BETH: Hmm. I’ve got a TESTIMONIAL here from a WITNESS. Someone who escaped one of the past MURDER SCENES with his LIFE. There’s some stuff here that was left OUT of the police reports.

6/ Andrew leans over his book, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

ANDREW: Oh, look at THIS.
ANDREW: I think I found our ELEANOR.

PAGE ELEVEN

1/ Cut to an Establishing shot, Grant Hospital, not far from the Library we just saw our friends studying in. Again, snow and wind attack the pedestrians outside.

CAPTION: Grant Hospital, nearby.

DOCTOR (balloon coming from inside building): And here we go….

2/ Milo sits on a doctor’s check up table, dressed only in a thin hospital gown, as his Doctor enters the room, brandishing a stack of papers on a metal clip board. Milo squirms uncomfortably but the Doctor looks laid back and convivial, a middle aged man with thick red hair and beard, and thick blue rimmed glasses that make his face look perpetually young. Milo fiddles with his glasses in his hands.

DOC: Everything looks okay, YET AGAIN.

MILO: Oh, good. One of these days you’re gonna tell me I’m about to kick the BUCKET, and it’s going to catch me COMPLETELY off-guard. I’m so used to these going well, by now.

3/ Long panel as the Doctor holds a stethoscope to Milo’s chest and checks something on his clip board.

DOC: Well, you ARE usually doing a good job of staying in excellent HEALTH, though I do wish you would kick the SMOKING habit. Both tobacco AND marijuana.
DOC: But, otherwise, you have no external symptoms that would be CAUSE FOR ALARM. No mental problems, ERRATIC BEHAVIOR, anything like that…

MILO: Check, check, and check. Except that I HAVE been parading around on a dubiously TOP-SECRET Superhero Team, if that counts as ERRATIC BEHAVIOR.

DOC: I’m sorry, WHAT?

MILO: Never mind. Bad joke.

4/ The doctor examines his chart again.

DOC: Your blood results look pretty solid. T-Cells sitting comfortably around 800. You’re sticking to your HAART Treatments…

MILO: (off panel) Ever vigilant me.

5/ Over the Doctor’s Shoulder, as he looks at Milo on the table. Milo fidgets awkwardly, wanting to leave as soon as possible. He looks over at the door.

DOC: All in all, Mr. Woodyard, you are an ACCEPTABLY HEALTHY HIV Patient. It continues to be remarkable to me how LUCKY you were to have caught it on TIME.

MILO: Yeah, yeah…

6/ Milo looks at the floor, ashamed.

MILO: On time for ME, maybe.
MILO: It was a little late for CHRIS.

7/ The doctor straightens, tucking his hand in his coat pocket as he wedges his clip board under his arm, and scratching his forehead with his other arm. He puffs out his chest a bit melodramatically and raises an eyebrow.

DOC: Yes, I’ve noticed you say that EVERY time I SEE you, these days. Let me ask you something…
DOC: Did you FORCE Chris to NOT insist you wear a CONDOM?

PAGE TWELVE

1/ long panel as Milo starts, taken aback. He launches into self-defense mode, recoiling from the doctor and waving his arms. The doctor stays calm.

MILO: NO! Of COURSE not!
MILO: Why would I DO something like THAT?

DOC: So, you concede that Chris is a GROWN MAN who spent YEARS of his life in Health Class learning what NOT to put in his butt without first reading the WARNING LABELS.

MILO: I think you’ve grown the tiniest bit too comfortable with me, Dave.

DOC: Milo, you are NOT responsible for Chris WILLINGLY engaging in unprotected sex with you. It was his decision.

2/ close on Milo, saddened.

MILO: He was my BOYFRIEND, Doc. I can’t help but feel that I AM.

3/ The doctor leans on the table, staring Milo right in the eye, intense.

DOC: Yes, you gave Chris HIV.
DOC: Yes, it metastasized to full-blown AIDS.
DOC: Yes, your own NEGLIGENCE is responsible for your infection going UNNOTICED until the ball had already DROPPED.
DOC: But what’s done is done. All the REGRET in the WORLD won’t change reality, Milo. Why is this bothering you so MUCH, all of a sudden?

4/ Milo explains.

MILO: Well, I think he’s EXAGGERATING, to get me worked up….
MILO: …but things are apparently not GOING WELL for Chris. It’s just got me thinking about my ROLE in all of this.

5/ The doctor turns to leave, walking toward the office door.

DOC: I’m not your psychologist, Milo. My job is to have an amicable BEDSIDE MANNER, and to develop a strong WORKING RELATIONSHIP with you.
DOC: I’m not paid to sit here and PSYCHOANALYZE you on the table.
DOC: Plus, that friend of yours should be here any MOMENT now.

6/ At the door, the doctor turns back, chewing his pen thoughtfully. He looks questioningly at Milo.

DOC: But honestly, Man.
DOC: If this is BOTHERING you so much…

7/ Close on Milo, as the doctor finishes his sentence. Milo looks defeated.

DOC: (off panel) Why don’t you go TALK to him?

PAGE THIRTEEN

1/ Cut to Landon, sitting at the dining room table in he and Beth’s house in Bexley. He is reading the new edition of The Dispatch, and drinking tea with the small lunch that sits before him. The coffee cup from which he drinks his tea has a small picture of a cartoon werewolf on it, and Landon is dressed casually in an I HEART NY T-Shirt. Beth rushes by in the BG, stopping briefly to kiss him on the cheek. She holds a binder full of information printed out at the library, as well as two of the books she uncovered in her search. She has taken the time to fix her hair and change her clothes.

BETH: Headed out again, Hon.
BETH: I’ll be back before it gets LATE.

2/ Landon looks up from his newspaper.

LANDON: You’re leaving again ALREADY?
LANDON: Weren’t you and Andrew just out studying, this MORNING?

3/ Beth stands in the foyer, looking a little eager to get on her way. She’s only half paying attention to Landon, at the moment.

BETH: Well, yeah, but we were doing research to present to the TEAM in about an hour, here, so I’ve gotta get going.
BETH: Oh, and by the way, babe? There’s a stack of TEXT BOOKS I left out by the bed. Could you make sure you don’t put those away while I’m gone? I’ve been thinking about finishing my DEGREE, since Andrew can get me through all the red tape up at OSU, and I’ve been going over my old BOOKS to get caught up. Gives me something to do after you fall ASLEEP.

4/ Landon looks back to his newspaper, eyebrow raised. He’s annoyed with Beth, and is only doing so much to conceal it.

LANDON: Uh-huh.
LANDON: So, this thing. With the TEAM.
LANDON: EVERYBODY’S gonna be there? As in, you and four other people?

5/ Beth puts her books down on a console table by the front door, resting her free hand on her hip and striking a confrontational pose.

BETH: What’s this ABOUT?

6/ Landon puts the paper down and shifts in his seat, turning to face her and sitting on the chair the wrong way, his right arm propped up on the slatted back, his left hand resting on the top of his werewolf mug.

LANDON: This morning.
LANDON: The breakfast, the THANK YOUS, the adorable nicknames…

7/ Long panel, very close on Landon as his eyes lock with hers and hold her steady.

LANDON: It got me wondering if maybe you’ve got something to HIDE.

PAGE FOURTEEN

1/ Beth turns on her heel to leave, retrieving her books from the console table. Her hair flips behind her as she turns, caught in the whirlwind of her angry retreat.

BETH: Oh, CHRIST, Landon.
BETH: If this is all you have TIME for, you should get out of the HOUSE more often.

2/ Landon is up more quickly than she was prepared for, grabbing her by the hand and spinning her back to look him in the face.
LANDON: Don’t DO that!
LANDON: Don’t dismiss me like that. If YOU think something’s wrong, the whole bloody WORLD stops turning, but if I make a fuss over ANYTHING AT ALL, I’m acting like a child.
LANDON: You’re NOT getting away with that, this time!

3/ Long panel, as they confront each other. The afternoon sun shines through the lace curtains Beth has hung on the kitchen windows, casting a strange glow to the room. Landon, though he was the initiator of the argument, remains comparatively cool and collected, trying to talk rationally throughout his accusation. Beth, on the other hand, is venomous, lashing out in frustration.

BETH: Landon, LET GO OF MY HAND.

LANDON: Are you going to listen to me?!

BETH: GodDAMNit, Landon. I have told you before and I will tell you for the FOUR-THOUSANDTH TIME: I am NOT sleeping with Andrew MacTiernan!

LANDON: BETH. Ever since the day we MOVED here – which, admittedly, was only a WEEK ago – but ever since then, you have spent EIGHTY PERCENT of every damn day with that man.

4/ Head and shoulders on Landon, still maintaining a calm exterior, despite the storm of withheld emotion inside of him.

LANDON: You wake up in the morning, you spend breakfast with me, we laugh and tell jokes, and then BAM. You’re out the door to go play LAPDOG to Andrew SON-OF-A-BITCH MacTiernan.
LANDON: And I knew it. I knew this was going to happen.

5/ On Beth, her face an odd mixture of anger and sadness, fueled by regret. A single tear begins to roll down her cheek. Landon continues. His shoulder and arm are in the shot.

LANDON: (Off panel) I was worried about it before we even MOVED.
LANDON: Leaving my JOB, leaving my position at the BROTHERHOOD, leaving all of our FRIENDS…all for Andrew MacTiernan.

BETH: Landon…it’s not…

LANDON: And now, we’re here. And my fears appear to have been pretty well FOUNDED, after all. I know that, now.

6/ Close on a letter, written in Andrew’s blocky handwriting, to Beth. Landon is clutching it in his hand.

LANDON: I know that because I found THIS.

7/ Over Landon’s shoulders, Beth’s face is stricken with horror. She has rescinded her rage, and has almost visibly shrunk inward, dwarfed in this shot by Landon – who stands, holding the letter both triumphantly and sadly, almost six inches taller than her.

BETH: (Small font) My God. You’ve been reading my private mail?

PAGE FIFTEEN

1/ Long panel as Landon waves the letter in the air wildly as he shakes his hands, exasperated. Beth reaches for him pleadingly.

LANDON: Small wonder why it was PRIVATE!
LANDON: Jesus, Beth! How bad does this LOOK!?

BETH: I kept it private because I knew you would OVERREACT! Like you’re doing RIGHT NOW!
BETH: All that letter even IS is a request to join the TEAM!

2/ Landon slams the letter down on the kitchen table, upsetting his tea and making his lunch bounce off the plate. For this one panel, his eyes glow slightly red and the hint of fangs appear in his mouth.

LANDON: OVERREACT!
LANDON: He makes JOKES in this letter about your AFFAIR!

BETH: (off panel) It was something that HAPPENED, Landon…

3/ Beth now plays the cool one, touching his arm soothingly as she beseeches him.

BETH: It DOES occasionally get referenced in conversation.
BETH: (small font, aside) Though not NEARLY as often as it does around HERE, that’s for damn sure.

4/ Landon slowly loses steam, looking less physically volatile but equally furious.

LANDON: The near SELF-DESTRUCTION of our marriage is FUNNY to you?

5/ Beth turns, throwing her hands up in the air, appealing to no one and everyone.

BETH: Dammit, Landon, that’s the man I SAVED THE WORLD WITH!

PAGE SIXTEEN

1/ Close on a framed news clipping, depicting Beth, Andrew and Samson shaking hands with the Pope after the Rome Incident. The headline above the photo reads “CRISIS AVERTED,” with a subtitle that reads “Philosopher, Parapsychologist, Priest Stop Death Cult from Terrorizing Vatican City.” The frame is propped up on a small end table in the kitchen, sitting atop a small red cloth draped over the end table. Small votive candles sit before it. Beth is reaching for the clipping, picking it up from the table.

2/ Head and shoulders on Beth, waving the clipping in front of Landon’s face. She looks poised to attack.

BETH: One of the most IMPORTANT THINGS ever to happen in my ENTIRE LIFE, and it happened with HIM by my SIDE!
BETH: You KNOW how much I hate what happened between us! It was a MISTAKE! One I’ve worked LONG and HARD to correct!
BETH: But I CANNOT cut my BEST FRIEND out of my life because YOU have issues with INSECURITY!

3/ Small panel, as Landon grabs the frame from Beth’s hand.

4/ Landon grunts as he tosses the frame against the kitchen wall, glass spraying all around them both as knick-knacks fall from the small end table that once held the clipping. Beth pulls her arms close in shock, wincing fearfully.

LANDON: Hrrruh!

SOUND EFFECT: KKRASH!

5/ Close on the picture frame, lying against the foot board of the wall, its pieces scattered about. The clipping remains intact, with the three smiling faces undercutting the tension of the scene, but the glass itself is destroyed.

6/ Landon and Beth stand in the kitchen, facing each other silently. Beth cries, but only slightly, and Landon remains tense, his muscles tight with energy. In the midst of the violence, Landon’s upturned tea has dripped from the edge of the table to the kitchen floor.

7/ Close on the upset coffee mug, the tea bag drooping out onto the table and congealing there, as tea spreads around it. The cartoon werewolf faces us, goofy and inappropriate, and in the background we see the two lovers remaining silent, save for a sniffle from Beth.

BETH: ::Sniff:: ::Sniff::

8/ Landon breaks the silence, his body language awkward but firm. He moves to return to his seat at the table.

LANDON: I don’t care about Rome, Beth.

9/ Head and shoulders, on Beth, as she cries.

LANDON: (off panel) All I care about… is that the man who nearly ruined my LIFE… has suddenly been thrust back into it.
LANDON: The man who thought he could take from me the woman I LOVE, with all my heart… has returned.

10/ Landon sits on the chair, looking desperately up at Beth. His anger has subsided, and for the first time it’s clear that his hatred for Andrew is not about territorialism, or the audacity of wanting Landon’s wife. Landon hates Andrew because he fears that Andrew just might be able to SUCCEED.

LANDON: And I need YOU to find a way to convince me that I can TRUST you.

PAGE SEVENTEEN

1/ Cut to an establishing shot of the Atlas Building, nighttime.

CAPTION: The Atlas Building.

2/ Head and shoulders on Andrew at the conference table at the Atlas Building headquarters. Andrew sits at the head of the table, settling in. The shot is focused on him, but we also see Milo and Rhiannon taking seats near him. In front of Andrew is a disheveled pile of papers and books, all culled from he and Beth’s earlier library trip.

ANDREW: Alright, kids. Pull up a chair.
ANDREW: It’s time for CLASS.

3/ Beth walks in the office door, still a bit shaken from her confrontation with Landon not two hours ago. She, too, carries her notes and books, and pulls her scarf off on her way to the table. Her eyes are red, from the crying. Donovan, sitting at the end of the conference table, notices.

BETH: Sorry I’m LATE.

DON: God, Beth, are you okay?

4/ Beth takes her seat at the table, where she has already deposited her books. She is shrugging off her coat.

BETH: Yeah, I’m fine.
BETH: Just got some bad news. RELATIVE died.

DON: (off panel) Oh, no. I’m so sorry!

BETH: It’s okay. We weren’t close.

5/ Andrew tosses a manila folder with the pertinent notes from his studies gathered together. It lands in the middle of the table, where everyone’s eyes immediately fall.

ANDREW: And there you HAVE it.
ANDREW: Everything I could possibly dig up that sounded like it mattered. Which, given the lack of SEARCH PARAMETERS, isn’t too shabby.

6/ Close on the file, as the papers spill out of it onto the table. The file is labeled “Mud House,” and the papers we can see are bad photocopies of old books.

ANDREW: (off panel) Took most of our day and an unsettling portion of our SANITY, but I think we’ve come up with some useful stuff.

7/ Milo and Rhiannon look to Andrew, inquisitive.

MILO: Well, what did you find?

RHI: Anything to pinpoint the identity of our GHOST?

8/ On Andrew, with Donovan at his side. Opposite Donovan, Milo raises a finger.

ANDREW: Maybe, maybe not. That’s the purpose of this meeting.

MILO: THAT, and everyone agreeing that we should be called the KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.

ANDREW: And, possibly, THAT.

9/ Long panel, close on Andrew, as he begins to relay the information. He fold his hands in front of his face, raising his eyebrow as he speaks.

ANDREW: The property of Mud House was purchased in TWO PARTS, one in 1839, and one in 1852. The names of the couple who purchased it were Mr. Christian Rough and Ms. Eleanor Worth – not married, but together. Eleanor apparently REFUSED to get married, reasons unknown.
ANDREW: After the incident, with which we are ALL familiar - in which Christian went INSANE and murdered Eleanor and their CHILDREN, finally killing HIMSELF in apparent REMORSE - the house was passed down to a COUSIN of Eleanor’s…one DAVID WORTH.
ANDREW: David was in possession of the house for twenty-seven years, until he sold it to a couple named HENRY and MARTHA HART. The two lived happily there for some years -even raised a family there - until, according to historical records of Martha’s own testimony, their marriage dissolved into violence. After a particularly BRUTAL fight, Henry apparently HUNG himself.
ANDREW: From that day forth, the house worked its way down through a SUCCESION of Hart women. First, Martha’s daughter, Lou Ellen. Then Lou Ellen’s daughter, Eliza. Finally, at least for now, it’s in possession of Eliza’s daughter, JENNIFER HART. The women, of course, all married…but they all refused to take their husband’s NAMES, preferring instead to continue the tradition of Hart Women who felt that they were PROTECTED by their connection to Mud House – a superstition that apparently traced back to Henry taking his own life, rather than continue to abuse Martha.
ANDREW: When Jenny passes away, the house will become the property of HER daughter, Maggie. Maggie has recently announced her engagement plans, and I couldn’t help but note that she has specified her refusal to take her husband’s NAME.

PAGE EIGHTEEN

1/ Head and Shoulders, on Beth.

BETH: What does any of this TELL us?

ANDREW: (off panel) Nothing, really.

2/ Andrew holds up a just-you-wait-and-see finger.

ANDREW: All that I find PARTICULARLY useful in that story is that Martha, and her subsequent BLOODLINE, all claim to have felt PROTECTED by the house itself...
ANDREW: Which led me to dig up all that I could on Eleanor Worth.

3/ This panel should look like an old, yellowed photo. It is an image of Eleanor, dressed to the nines as a dignified and classic woman of the mid 19th century. She wears a simple golden bell on a necklace, and has thick, crimson hair.

ANDREW (NARR): Eleanor was a beautiful young woman in England in the Mid-Eighteen-Thirties.
ANDREW: Vanity being her FAVORITE deadly sin, she ALWAYS enjoyed being seen out and about, and was noted by many as feeling MOST AT HOME when she found herself next to a MIRROR.
ANDREW: She even wore a small golden BELL around her neck, to alert people of her IMPENDING arrival, for she saw herself as SO LOVED by all around her that they should be excited to hear that she was coming.

4/ Close on Andrew.

ANDREW: But all that CHANGED when the RUMORS developed.
RHI: (off panel) The rumors?

ANDREW: She was a TUDOR, Rhiannon.
ANDREW: Or, at least, so people came to believe. Word spread quickly that Eleanor Worth was the LAST SCION of the Royal Line of the Tudors, and that she was the true INHERITOR to the throne of England.
ANDREW: But to be embroiled in POLITICS and INTRIGUE was the last thing Eleanor wanted – and so she went into HIDING.

5/ Another old photo, as Eleanor is held close by Christian. She is weeping, and he strokes her back comfortingly.

ANDREW (NARR): She and her then NEW lover, Christian, grew to be known for their failure to CONCIEVE. Apparently, the few people she DID speak to could not be TRUSTED with her secrets…
ANDREW: But that, too, eventually contributed to the RUMORS. Eleanor and Christian were PROTESTANTS, and it was believed that they were deliberately KILLING their unborn children so as to PREVENT any of the Tudor Bloodline from taking the throne and establishing ROMAN CATHOLIC SUPREMECY over England, following in Queen Mary the First’s footsteps to abolish PROTESTANTISM.

6/ Donovan and Andrew. Donovan looks disgusted, but Andrew stops him.

DON: So she was KILLING the babies?

ANDREW: I said it was RUMOR. Not confirmed.

7/ Another old photo, as Eleanor and Christian climb off a boat and set foot on American soil for the first time. They are the image of a happy couple.

ANDREW (NARR): Shortly after, the two LEFT England, opting to experience life in America, where they could live FREE of the complication of Eleanor’s supposed BIRTHRIGHT.
ANDREW: Upon arriving in the STATES, the two promptly began having CHILDREN.

8/ Milo and Rhiannon, as Milo looks suspicious.

MILO: Which, I’m sure, only furthered the suspicions of ABORTION.

9/ Andrew shrugs.

ANDREW: Perhaps so, but it’s all ACADEMIC.
ANDREW: The two lived QUIET LIVES in America. Or, at least, until the KILLINGS.

10/ Another old photo, this time of the crime scene in Mud House, with Eleanor and the children’s bodies strewn about.
ANDREW (NARR): Christian went insane.
ANDREW: At the time, it was believed to be SUPERNATURAL. Possession or something like it…
ANDREW: But it was later determined that Christian had fallen victim to PICK’S DISEASE, which was not discovered until the year of the murders. The disease drove him to madness, and once he realized what he had DONE, he took his own LIFE.

11/ Beth looks around the room, directing her comment at the others.

BETH: At which point, the house belonged to DAVID WORTH.

PAGE NINETEEN

1/ Andrew nods in agreement.

ANDREW: Exactly.
ANDREW: Furthermore, Beth was able to dig up a few written testimonials about what HAPPENS when our friendly ghost APPEARS, as told by two people who’ve SURVIVED the carnage at Mud House.
ANDREW: The stories were told to TABLOID magazines, of course, and generally dismissed by the public.

2/ Over Rhiannon’s shoulder as she questions Andrew.

RHI: Anything that corresponds with Eleanor’s story?

ANDREW: Nothing SPECIFIC, really, but there are some VAGUE possible connections.

3/ This is also an old photo, but rather than a two-hundred-year-old photo, it looks more like a photograph from the early Seventies. A group of twenty-somethings stand in the middle of Mud House, looking around themselves in horror as an enormous number of mirrors explodes this way and that, sending a shower of glass through the air. They are all recoiling in self-defensive stances and clinging to each other for dear life.

ANDREW (NARR): They ALL describe distinctly hearing the sound of a BELL, followed by an unexpected STORM of exploding MIRRORS and other glass objects, immediately prior to the appearance of the ghost that WE saw the other day.
ANDREW: It’s referred to in conjunction with BOTH of the most recent occurrences, though there is no reason to believe that the glass and mirrors in the house had been REPLACED between the two incidents.

4/ Beth gestures with her hand ambiguously.

BETH: The mirrors, theoretically, represent Eleanor’s VANITY.
BETH: Obviously.

ANDREW: (off panel) And the sound of the bell would correspond with the bell she’s depicted as wearing in her PHOTOGRAPH.

5/ Shot of the table that includes Milo, Rhiannon, Andrew and Donovan.

MILO: Except that none of that happened when WE were there. What did we do WRONG? Does she just not LIKE us?

RHI: If it’s HER.
RHI: Do YOU guys think this is compelling enough evidence to finger Eleanor?

6/ Head and Shoulders on Donovan.

DON: I’m not sure. When we were in the house, the ghost referred to Eleanor as though it wasn’t HER, but that it KNEW her. Like she was a FRIEND.
DON: That confuses the matter.

7/ Close on Andrew.

ANDREW: So we’re getting closer, but the question is still the same.
ANDREW: WHO is haunting Mud House?

PAGE TWENTY

1/ Cut to a small house with a wide front porch, snow dripping from the porch steps and rafters. Milo approaches, standing before the porch steps, his coat pulled tight around him.

CAPTION: North Campus. Later that night.

2/ Milo has climbed the steps and stands at the door, knocking. We view it from a distance, near the far edge of the porch, effectively shrinking Milo.

SOUND EFFECT: Knock Knock.

3/ The door opens, and for the first time, we see Chris. Chris is about Milo’s height, but built slightly stockier. He has shaggy, bleached-blonde hair, and a strong, set jaw. He wears a faded red T-Shirt with holes worn in it and a pair of pajama pants. His celebrity look-alike would be Shawn Pyfrom (of Desperate Housewives fame), but taller, and without the short hair. The two stand face-to-face, and Chris is not terribly happy to see Milo – especially not at this time of night.

MILO: Hi, Chris.

CHRIS: Eat me, Milo.

4/ Inside Chris’ house, as he attempts to slam the door and is stopped by Milo, holding it open by force and looking at Chris with pleading eyes.

MILO: Don’t slam the door on me, Chris.
MILO: SIX MONTHS? Why would you tell me something like that?

CHRIS: Why would I pass up a golden opportunity to make Milo Woodyard feel like crap? It’s my CALLING, these days.

MILO: Can I come in?

5/ Chris turns away, walking deeper into his house, and motions Milo in.

CHRIS: ::sigh::
CHRIS: Yeah. Make yourself at HOME.

6/ Milo enters, standing in the foyer. He holds his arms out in confusion, as Chris keeps his back turned to Milo, scratching his head and placing his other hand on his hip.

MILO: I’m not stupid.
MILO: I know there’s no way that your doctor came out with a NUMBER like that, magically predicting the day you’re going to DIE. Like you caught something with an EXPIRATION DATE on it.

CHRIS: Eh, I knew you wouldn’t buy it. I honestly don’t know why I even did it.

7/ Close on Milo, intense.

MILO: Yes, you DO, Chris.
MILO: Why are you harassing me?

8/ Chris turns to Milo, sadness in his eyes.

CHRIS: Milo…it’s really hard for me to look at you with anything but HATRED.
CHRIS: Don’t you KNOW that?

PAGE TWENTY-ONE

1/ Milo tries to reason with Chris, and Chris stands motionless – arms folded, head to the ground. He bites his lower lip, trying to refrain from crying at the sight of Milo.

MILO: You know it’s not like that, Chris.
MILO: You know I had no IDEA, until it was too LATE. I can only say so many times how awful I’ve felt since the day I FOUND OUT.

CHRIS: I know, Milo.
CHRIS: I’ve HEARD all this. Look, there’s something I need to tell you.
CHRIS: You want a drink, or something?

2/ Chris walks past a coffee table in his living room scattered with discarded bottles of beer and countless orange pill bottles. Also strewn about are various magazines. The place is a mess, but it frankly doesn’t look all that different from MOST houses on Campus. Chris’ head is obscured in the shot – it’s just a glimpse into Chris’ life as he walks by the frame. On the far side of the frame, barely visible, is a framed picture of Chris and Milo, holding hands on a ski-lift in matching parkas.

MILO: (off panel) Yeah, sure.
MILO: The place looks exactly the same as I remember it.

CHRIS: Well, you know me and CHANGE. Not good bedfellows, we.

3/ In the kitchen, surrounded by wooden cabinets and faux-marble countertops, Chris pours bargain-basement jug merlot into a wine glass. The kitchen is poorly lit, the only real light being a small night light plugged into the kitchen wall, casting the room in an odd yellow din.

CHRIS: I don’t know how to say this, Milo, so I’m just gonna rip it off like a Band-Aid.
CHRIS: My T-Cells have been really REALLY low, I’ve been having HEADACHES like nothing I’ve ever experienced, I’ve been LOSING WEIGHT…
CHRIS: There’s been CRAZY OUTBURSTS and STRANGE BEHAVIOR – my harassment of YOU being a perfect example…
CHRIS: And finally, there was a seizure. I was at Suzette’s. Playing board games.
CHRIS: The doctors were afraid, so they did an MRI. I have three five-centimeter lesions in my WHITE MATTER.
CHRIS: Do you know what any of this MEANS, Milo?

4/ Milo leans on the counter-top, watching as Chris pours a second glass. He can’t bring himself to make eye contact with Chris.

MILO: No. I mean, yeah, but…no.

CHRIS: It’s called PRIMARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LYMPHOMA. Not uncommon at all for people as far along as I am.
CHRIS: I’m trying to tell you, Milo…

MILO: (small font) You’re gonna die.

5/ Chris looks up at Milo, taking his attention away from the upturned wine bottle.

CHRIS: Yeah. Pretty much.

6/ Milo looks straight at the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks.
CHRIS: (off panel) What are you DOING here, Milo?

7/ Milo looks up, wiping his eyes and nose on the back of his firebird hoody’s sleeve.

MILO: It’s just that…
MILO: Things have been so WEIRD between us, since…
MILO: I mean, I know we can’t be FRIENDS. And I CERTAINLY don’t expect us to get back TOGETHER or anything…
MILO: (small font, sheepish) But I was kind-of-sort-of wondering if maybe there was a chance that I could spend the night with you.

8/ Close on Chris, a small smile crossing his lips as his own eyes well up. He does not cry, but there is the faintest suggestion that he might.

CHRIS: Yeah, yeah.
CHRIS: But you’re sleeping on the couch, just so we’re clear.

CAPTION (BETH NARR): It’s true…

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

1/ Cut to a head and shoulders shot of Donovan, in his apartment, kneeling on the floor. His hands are folded in front of him as if to pray, and there are strange markings on his face, written in war-paint. Smoke curls up and around him, and the only light in the room comes from candles which are currently off-panel. He has shed his priest shirt and collar, and now wears the black T-shirt with the iron cross seen previously only on Samson.

CAPTION: Clintonville.

CAPTION: When the desperate need to PROVE YOURSELF comes…

DON: Erus Diabolus, per vestry venia, tribuo mihi, EGO precor thee ops fictum in meus mens quod EGO votum efficio…
DON: Terminus quod EGO vould pervenio per thy succurro, O Validus Diabolus, unus Verus Deus quisnam ago quod reignest forem quod umquam.

2/ Donovan sits amidst a circle of candles, seen from behind, and reaches off to his left side to gather a silver necklace, bearing the sign of the pentagram.

CAPTION: You’ll do things you’d never DREAM of, otherwise.

DON: Ohm.

3/ Donovan slowly lowers the pentagram around his neck, his eyes closed tight.
CAPTION: Things that will expose the darkest UNDERBELLY of your soul, and things that will illuminate the SHINING HEIGHTS of your HUMANITY.

DON: EGO obtestor thee inflo Ozymandias ut appareo pro mihi…

4/ Close on a small clay bowl in Donovan’s hands, in which he grinds his ingredients with a wooden mallet.

DON: (off panel) Ut is may tribuo mihi verus quod fidelis refero.

5/ Donovan rubs his finger down his forehead, adding another mark to the war paint.

CAPTION: The only question is, when you REACH that kind of DESPERATION…

DON: EGO reverenter quod summisse scisco in vestry Nomen, Erus Diabolus.

6/ Close on several of the candles as Donovan holds a thin rod of incense, dripping with the contents of the bowl, into the flame.

DON: (off panel) May vos deem mihi dignus, Abbas.

7/ Again from behind, as Donovan hold his arms out in the air. The flames from the candles surrounding him merge to become one – a circle of flame that surrounds him, hovering about eight inches off the floor.

CAPTION: Will you come OUT the same person you went IN?

DON: MEUS NOMEN EST OZYMANDIAS, REX RGIS DE REX RGIS!

8/ Close on Donovan’s eye, pupil dilating wildly as his normal eye color gives way to the bright orange color of flame and hot coal.

9/ Donovan from the front, eyes to the Heavens, his arms held out wide as if to fly, as the circle of flame consumes him in its glow, rising toward the ceiling.

CAPTION: Or will it turn you into something ELSE?

DON: VULTUS IN MEUS OFFICINA YE VALIDUS, QUOD DESPERO!

PAGE TWENTY-THREE

1/ Tall panel as Donovan is seen from a great distance, falling like a comet into unseen depths beneath. All around him are cavernous walls, the color of fire. He picks up a trail of fire himself as he falls, as though he were entering the atmosphere.

2/ On Donovan’s terrified face as he falls backward, a fiery island in a sea of lava rising up from below to meet him when he lands.

DON: (small font) Dear sweet Lord.

3/ Donovan lands on the small island more gracefully than expected - in a Spider-Man pose, even. Flame and ash billow up around him on impact.

SOUND EFFECT: THUD!

4/ Donovan stands, straightening his shirt as he does. He looks around, equally awed and frightened at where he appears to be.

DON: There’s no way…

5/ Over Donovan’s shoulder, we see the landscape of Hell. It is pretty much what you imagine, with the stalactites and lava and fire and what have yous. Animal-like demons can be seen dancing in the distance. In the center of it all is an enormous castle – the kind Doctor Doom would live in, only more ridiculously opulent.

DON: It’s not possible!

6/ Donovan grins, incredulous.

DON: This can’t ACTUALLY be HELL.
DON: I can’t REALLY have fallen onto an ISLAND in the RIVER STYX!

7/ Donovan’s POV as he looks down at himself, examining his torso and hands.

DON: And the worst that happened to me was getting a bit DUSTY?

8/ Donovan looks up at the great castle before him and notices that there is a stairway leading from the island to the castle. He sets out to climb the stairs, albeit reluctantly.

DON: Ooo-kay, then.

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

1/ Donovan continues climbing the stairs, marveling as he looks around.

DON: Hello?
DON: Anybody there?

2/ He reaches the top, and is greeted by a pair of GIGANTIC iron doors, with a pull chain attached on both sides. It hangs open, slightly, and Donovan reaches out to pull it wide.

DON: Anyone home?
DON: I…I think I’m LOST.

3/ Inside the doors, there is a wide hallway with cathedral ceilings. Everything is made of intricately carved stone, weathered and worn down over millennia. Nearly unseen animals scuttle away as the door opens, and Donovan peeks his head around the corner. The edges of the pathway on the floor are lined with streams of blood, and at the very end (FG of the shot) there is a professional-looking kiosk with a beat up old computer behind the desk. Next to the kiosk sits a sign that reads “Out to lunch – will return in 30 minutes.” Along one wall are waiting-room style chairs, but they are all abandoned.

DON: Nobody? Seriously?

4/ Donovan approaches an modern elevator located beside the kiosk, at the end of the hall. There is only one button on the adjacent wall.

DON: I’m supposed to believe that HELL has BUSINESS HOURS?

5/ Behind Donovan as he pushes the button and waits, looking up at the red indicator light above. It is not currently lit.

DON: Write a damn letter to the HOME OFFICE.

6/ The door opens to reveal a midget-demon, dressed as an elevator operator. The red light blinks on as the bell dings.

SOUND EFFECT: DING!

7/ Donovan enters the elevator and looks down at the diminutive demon. The demon smiles up at him and hovers his finger over the buttons on the interior wall.

DEMON: Where to?

DON: Um…management?

8/ Close on the buttons, as the demon reaches out and presses one labeled “Big Guy.”

DEMON: Coming right up!

9/ Long-ish panel of Donovan and the demon, awkwardly avoiding eye-contact during the elevator ride. Donovan feigns whistling, his hands inconspicuously behind his back, as the demon looks anywhere but at his client. Muzak plays, and we see the lyrics hovering midair between musical notes. It’s “Magic Moments,” by Perry Como.

MUSIC: Magic…Moments…when two hearts are sharing…Magic…Moments…

PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

1/ Donovan climbs out of the elevator and faces back toward the demon, giving a little wave good-bye. The elevator dings as the doors close.

SOUND EFFECT: DING!

DON: Hey, thanks, man. I appreciate the lift.

DEMON: (inside the elevator, off panel) RARR!

2/ Donovan turns to face another hallway, similar to the first. The only major differences are that this one has a single door at the end marked “MGMT OFFICES,” and the walls are lined with demons, crawling up and down, about the size of small monkeys.

DON: Great.

3/ Large panel of Donovan timidly making his way through the hallway, as monkey-demons clamor all around him, closing in on him from above.

DEMON 1: HISS!
DEMON 2: HISS!

DON: Oh, this is stupid, this is stupid.
DON: What were you THINKING, Donovan?

4/ He reaches the door at the end of the hall, marked MGMT OFFICES, and looks at it, incredulous once again.

DON: You’re kidding.

5/ Inside the office, as Donovan peaks his head around the corner of the door. It’s actually a really nice office, with enormous bookshelves and eclectic wall-art, but everything is in a red-orange-yellow-brown motif fitting for Hell’s Management Office.

DON: Hello?

UNSEEN VOICE: Donovan Thatcher. I’m surprised it took you THIS long.

6/ Long panel as we see a man sitting behind a large ornate desk in the center of the office. He wears an all-black business suit and cracks his knuckles impatiently as he glares up at Donovan from beneath his thick black eyebrows. He looks like Stephen Dorff with two days worth of stubble, and his eyes glow bright orange.

MAN: My name is LEGION, Donovan. And I’ve been WAITING for you.

CAPTION: Next - Miseria Cantare!