Knights of Columbus #4

Issue 4: “All Tomorrow’s Parties, part 4: Miseria Cantare.”

PAGE ONE

“Previously” page.

PAGE TWO

1/ Long panel establishing shot of Mud House, late at night. Jenny’s car is parked in the driveway, idling. Its lights are still on, and steam is seen rising from the hood in the snowy night.

CAPTION: Mud House.

JENNY: (from inside house) There’s ONE THING that I really wanna know, Mary, before this all officially hits the fan…

2/ Jenny stands inside the house, wearing her bathrobe, with her arms folded indignantly.

JENNY: …because I can’t sleep until I UNDERSTAND.
JENNY: WHY? Why did you do it? Why is all this happening? For years, we had an AGREEMENT, and I’m not letting this ship sink until I know why you BETRAYED me.

3/ Mary stands on the staircase, with her back to Jenny. She looks coyly over her shoulder, pulling her gowns up and around her.

MARY: I could ask the same question of YOU, Jennifer Hart.
MARY: The odor of TREASON emanates from YOU as profoundly as it does from ME. Our relationship has hit – how do you say? – a SNAG.

MARY: It is a SHAME that it has come to this, is it not?

4/ Jenny starts angrily toward the stairs.

JENNY: I smell just FINE, woman-without-a-real-NOSE. I asked you FIRST, and we are BEYOND the time for GAMES!
JENNY: Answer me! You owe me that, at least!

5/ Mary turns to face Jenny and descends the steps, her hand reaching out to brush Jenny’s hair away from her face. Mary’s eyes are caring, comforting. She stands straight and tall, an authoritative figure.

MARY: I am what I AM, Jennifer.
MARY: I am manifest in response to the sins of the one called CHRISTIAN ROUGH.

JENNY: Eleanor’s husband, I know.

MARY: Their partnership was…ILLEGITIMATE. She shared his bed, but not his NAME. I would prefer not to tarnish the SANCTITY of union by classifying their tryst as a MARRIAGE. It would be a disservice to the institution.

JENNY: I won’t argue SEMANTICS with you, Mary.

6/ Close on the shattered pieces of mirror that litter the floor all around. Mary’s face beams out of each and every one, her eyes mere orbs of white, no pupils to be seen.

MARY (tailless balloons): ELEANOR’S suffering brought FORM to my being…
MARY: It is to HER that I am forever indentured. You were a fool to think I served YOU and YOUR interests, above the interests of she who called me.
MARY: She whose PAIN summons forth the THOUGHT-MADE-WORD must be a very POWERFUL woman indeed…

7/ Close on Jenny, stern-faced.

JENNY: Eleanor’s DEAD.
JENNY: You miss that memo?

PAGE THREE

1/ Mary, still on the stairs but nearing the final landing, raises a pondering finger to her lips, looking upward in thought.

MARY: You speak the TRUTH, Jennifer…and yet I LINGER.
MARY: One such as I asks not NEEDLESS QUESTIONS of personal IDENTITY. That behavior, as it were, is a primarily HUMAN quandary.

2/ Jenny returns to indignance, her arms crossed and her hips cocked to one side.

JENNY: Yep. We’re a messed up lot.
JENNY: But that’s not what I asked. Why did you do it, Mary? Why did you abandon the RULES? Human scapegoats, always. That’s what we agreed.

3/ Long panel as Mary lets down her steely guard. For a moment, she even seems excited. She swoops down to the edge of the banister and clings to it like a child, looking Jenny close in the face. Jenny, back to us, remains unimpressed.

MARY: There are POWERFUL FORCES at work here, Jennifer! The astral plane QUAKES with anticipation of what lies ahead!
MARY: Do you not FEEL it?

JENNY: I feel you getting too close to me, is all I feel.

MARY: Were I a filthy BREATHER, I would SIGH, my friend. Your insistence on remaining MUNDANE is a constant bother. You’ve no idea what awaits us…what I saw fit to draw NEARER YET.

4/ Jenny looks up at her, indifferent.

JENNY: You screwed me, Mary. That’s all I care about.

5/ Close on Mary, as she recoils.

MARY: Gutter language. For shame, you old COW.
MARY: Indeed, you have done wrong by ME, as well.

6/ Jenny backs up, defensive. She tosses her arms out angrily.

JENNY: In calling SPACEY?
JENNY: What was I SUPPOSED to do, huh? It was ONE THING when I was letting you FEED. Nothing could ever get traced back to ME. But when you ignore the RULES – the rules put in place for GOOD REASON – then the very people who’ve been supporting your cause for GENERATIONS have their lives put on the line!

7/ Mary steps (or hovers, rather) back, pulling inward suspiciously. She towers over Jenny as she looks downward, interrogating.

MARY: Your crime goes deeper yet, HART WOMAN. The fault lies NOT in contacting your law enforcement. Your intentions are most revealed by WHO you contacted.
MARY: How did you KNOW about John Spacey?

8/ Jenny turns, walking away. She tosses a flippant look over her shoulder at Mary, hovering behind her in outrage.

JENNY: I’m the MUNDANE, Mary. YOU figure it out.

MARY: You have the sight.

JENNY: I’m a HART WOMAN, remember? We all do. Or did you MISS that?

MARY: Then you knew of his LINK to the afterlife. You knew of CORA. You used her to draw the interlopers to MY HOME, to bring in those who could DEPOSE me! You HID your abilities from me!

JENNY: We always HAVE, old one. Ever since Eleanor’s sight took HOLD and CREATED YOU, we’ve kept what we really were a secret – ESPECIALLY from YOU.



PAGE FOUR

1/ long panel, from a distance, framing both speakers as Jenny makes her way for the exit and Mary lurks behind, hovering in anger at Jenny’s dismissive back.

JENNY: You’re a PUPPET, Mary. You AMUSED us, as long as you played by our RULES. But now you’ve broken them.
JENNY: The INTERLOPERS, as you call them – the Paranormal Defense Initiative, the Knights of Columbus; whatever they wanna call themselves – they’ll see to it that this little game is well and DONE. John Spacey was nothing more than the right PAWN to bring off the FRONT LINE.

MARY: You talk of pawns and playthings, Jennifer Hart. You know NOTHING.
MARY: With all the POWER you hide from the world, you still cannot SEE the SHIFT that encroaches upon us more each passing DAY.
MARY: You are right, of course. The pawns have been played. The ROYAL COURT is stepping onto the playing field. But there’s one thing you MISSED.

2/ On Jenny, as Mary approaches from behind, looking more menacing than ever.

MARY: You are not the only one playing the game. And the interlopers are exactly the pieces I wanted moved into PLACE.

3/ Behind Jenny, as Mary’s ghostly hands close in around her head.

MARY: Or, more specifically…

4/ From the front again, as Mary snaps Jenny’s neck with one quick jerk.

SOUND EFFECT: CCRACKK!

5/ Mary looks forward, unimpressed, as Jenny’s lifeless body slumps to the ground.

MARY:…just ONE of them.

6/ Close on Jenny’s corpse, lying in a heap on the dusty floor. In the BG, Mary returns into the depths of the house, looking casually over her shoulder at the body. Otherworldly mist floats up from beneath her hovering figure as she moves.

MARY: Sleep tight, Jennifer.
MARY: May a flight of Angels do whatever it is they do.

PAGE FIVE

1/ Cut to a Full page splash, with the TITLES, CREDITS, and INDICIA at the bottom. Donovan lies on the floor of his apartment, mere minutes after we saw him last, with a terrified and confused look on his face. He is sprawled out as though he has just landed from a long fall, and steam rises from all over his body. His clothes are shredded, and most of his shirt is missing, frayed at the edges where fabric remains, because it has been burned off. Even his skin is charred as though he were rolling in a pit of ash. Only a small handful of his incantation candles remain lit, while the rest have been knocked over, spilling melted wax on the carpet. Smoke rises from a few still-burning wicks, glowing orange as they die out slowly.

CAPTION: Clintonville.

CAPTION (DON NARR): My name is Donovan Thatcher, and if I’m being honest, I’d have to say that I think of myself as a CHRISTIAN, first and foremost.

DON: It’s impossible It’s impossible It’s impossible

CAPTION: I also enjoy MINI-GOLF, card games and STAR TREK, but until recently, my defining trait has always been my FAITH.

DON: Wake up, Donovan. It didn’t happen. It was just a dream, it’s just a –

CAPTION: What sets me apart from most Christians, among other things great and small, is my ability and willingness to grasp the concept of METAPHOR. This is a big problem for a lot of PEOPLE OF FAITH, with few exceptions.

PAGE SIX

1/ Donovan winces and throws his head back in pain.

DON: Nnngnn!

CAPTION: When the world ends, will there really be a gigantic multi-headed DRAGON turning the oceans to blood and spitting fire, while people with WINGS blow TRUMPETS in his scaly ears?

2/ Close on Don’s hand as it begins to fade away, blowing off to the side as if it were made of sand, caught in a fierce wind. In the BG, a single lit candle cast a glow over the disturbing image.

DON: Omigod…

CAPTION: Don’t be ridiculous.

3/ Donovan looks down at the dissipating hand in horror.

DON: What’s –

4/ Close on Donovan’s face as he closes his eyes tightly, fighting against an unimaginable force trying to pull him back in.
DON: AHHH!!!

5/ Donovan’s eye pops open, at a reversed camera angle, and even in the close-up he’s clearly in a different room. He’s back in Legion’s office, and everything is lit almost as though it were romantic mood-lighting.

6/ Pull back to an image of Donovan, lying on the floor, propped up on his elbows, still steaming. In the FG is a pair of legs, clad in black dress pants and black Lugz. Donovan looks up sickly at the owner of those legs. The carpet is blood-red, stained black where Donovan has charred the fabric.

DON: Legion.

CAPTION: It’s a METAPHOR. Lot of people don’t get that.

7/ Low angle, Donovan’s POV, as Legion looks down on him. Bookshelves and wall sconces are seen in the BG, as well as stone gargoyles on the edges of the bookcases.

LEGION: GREETINGS, Mr. Thatcher.
LEGION: Glad you could make it back.

8/ Donovan picks himself up off the floor, wincing at the effort.

DON: What happened?
DON: One moment I was sucked back into the…REAL WORLD, or whatever, and now…I’m HERE again. In HELL?
DON: This is HELL, right?

9/ Long-panel as Legion stands behind his desk, pulling out his chair. Donovan is in the FG, pulling himself up by the edge of the desk. Legion sneers derisively.

LEGION: Sure it is. If that’s what you’d LIKE.
LEGION: And yes, you were PHASING. Sadly, CROSSING OVER does not exactly do a body GOOD. Nevertheless, you’ve pulled it off. CONGRATS.

DON: Barely.

LEGION: No whining in Hell, Mr. Thatcher. It would be REDUNDANCY at its finest.
LEGION: Now I recommend we get down to business. We both know why you’re HERE, so we can save the EXPOSITION for the PEANUT GALLERY and jump right into the nitty-gritty. You’re here to talk to me about –

PAGE SEVEN

1/ Close on Donovan. His jaw is set, his cold stare fierce and grim.
DON: SAMSON.
2/ Legion leans over his desk, grinning. He looks as though he’s excitedly sharing someone else’s secret with a stranger. Donovan stands in the FG, shifting uncomfortably.

LEGION: Yes, SAMSON.
LEGION: Your little MAN-CRUSH and I, we go way back. Did you know that?

DON: Man-crush?

LEGION: Never mind. Now, you should know that what Samson and I had arranged required a REMARKABLE amount of WILLPOWER on his part. This procedure is NOT for the, shall you say, FAINT OF HEART.

DON: I can handle it.

CAPTION: Usually, it’s not a big deal.

3/ Skewed angle on the edge of the desk, with Donovan standing in the BG and looking past us at Legion. From beneath the shot, a leathery blue demon hand creeps its way into our line of sight, clawing its way up the desk.

LEGION (off panel): CAN you, Donovan?
LEGION: I assure you; SAMSON never had any trouble CROSSING OVER – a task which seems to present an INORDINATE amount of difficulty for YOU. Don’t leap out of the plane without a PARACHUTE, son.

DON: I said I’d be FINE.

4/ Legion leans back in his chair, resting his heavily-booted feet on the desk. The small blue demon appears, grinning wickedly and baring its razor-sharp teeth, and takes a perch on Legion’s outstretched legs. It rubs its hands together wickedly. Legion holds his hands behind his head, reclining as he smiles a confidential smile.

CAPTION: Frankly, I can count the number of people I know who actually sit around and READ the Bible on ONE HAND.

LEGION: You DID call for a rather SPECIFIC Daemon Familiar, in case you didn’t know. I humbly introduce you to OZYMANDIAS.
LEGION: He may seem…diminutive, at first, but I would be REMISS not to warn you that his BITE is significantly worse than his BARK. It’s in HUMAN hosts, that he really gets the chance to SHINE.

5/ Donovan stands poised for action, unsure of what to do next. His eyes shift noticeably as he debates his next move.

DON: (small font, uncertain) Just do it.

6/ Close on Legion’s eyes, as he raises an eyebrow. He’s clearly anticipating the outcome of this exchange as intensely as Donovan himself.

LEGION: Be careful what you wish for, Donovan.
LEGION: I wish you BOTH a happy UNION.

CAPTION: But sometimes, that lack of understanding can creep its way into the PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS.

7/ Long panel as Donovan and the demon merge, in a vivid explosion of light. Donovan’s arms are thrown out in shock as a beam of light shines through him, bursting like water from a dam in the spots closest to his body. He is doubled over slightly, the wind knocked out of him as if from a punch to the gut. Inside the beam of light, the elongated and distorted form of Ozymandias can be seen, stretching in one side of Donovan’s chest and out his back.

SOUND EFFECT: FZSHAKK

DON: Uhn!

CAPTION: And sometimes, the public can take that philosophical ignorance to DANGEROUS PLACES.

PAGE EIGHT

1/ Cut to a long panel of Milo and Chris, seen from above, as they lie together in Chris’s bed. Milo wears a t-shirt and Chris is shirtless, but from the waist down they are covered in blankets. Milo’s left arm is behind his head and the other is cupped around Chris, while Chris is curled in the fetal position, right arm wrapped around Milo’s midsection. They are both asleep, eyes closed and heads pointed in random directions. It is dark, and the only light comes from the street lights outside.

CAPTION: North Campus.

2/ Angle switch to bed level, as Chris sits up abruptly and curls into an extreme fetal position, clutching at his chest and gasping for air, kicking outward violently and disrupting the blankets. This should be an explosive shot, as Chris is in serious pain.

CHRIS: Huhnn!

3/ Milo sits up immediately and puts his arm on Chris’s back, looking alarmed. He is suddenly in action mode, poised to leap from the bed if need be.

MILO: Omigod, Chris! What’s happening?! What’s wrong!?
4/ Chris is still pulled up tight, with Milo hovering over him in fear. Chris talks through gritted teeth, closing his eyes tight as he tries to blink away the pain.

CHRIS: SEIZURE!
CHRIS: (small font) It’s a BAD one, too.
CHRIS: I have to go to the hospital.

5/ Milo leaps from the bed, pulling on his jeans and searching for his things.

MILO: Okay, Chris. Hold on!
MILO: I have to get you dressed and I’ll get us a ride to the doctor. Everything’s gonna be okay, I PROMISE.

6/ Small panel, close on Milo’s cell phone as he grabs it from the nightstand.

7/ Milo pulls Chris up from the bed, fighting against Chris’ seizure and trying to keep him as calm as possible.

MILO: Come on, Chris. I need you to stand up.
MILO: We’ve got to get you into something warm. Can’t have you out in the snow like this. Do you have sweatpants, or something?

CHRIS: (small) Closet.

8/ Inside the closet, as Milo roots around inside, looking for warmer garments. In the BG, Chris is standing, trying to maintain his balance. Milo is fraught with worry.

MILO: Jesus. Chris, hold on.
MILO: I’m coming, I promise.

PAGE NINE

1/ Milo walks out holding a pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a puffy winter jacket.

MILO: Alright, buddy. Here we go.
MILO: Gotta get you out of those sweaty shorts.

2/ Chris is now standing, the blanket fallen off, supporting his weight with one hand on the edge of the bed. He is wearing a grey pair of gym shorts, and Milo helps him get them off – all the naughty parts are below our sight, off-panel.

MILO: My God, Chris!
MILO: You have LESIONS on your PENIS! This looks AWFUL!

CHRIS: (small) Didn’t seem like a good conversation to have over merlot.

MILO: Right, because that’s YOU, Chris. Always thinking of others FIRST.

CHRIS: (small) Get bent, Milo.

3/ Milo helps Chris pull the shirt over his head with one hand, while dialing a cordless phone with the other.

MILO: (small) Please be awake.

4/ Cut to Rhiannon’s apartment, as she sleeps soundly in her bed. Next to her, on a nightstand, her phone lights up and rings.

SOUND EFFECT: Brring! Brring! Brring!

5/ Head and shoulders on Milo, still balancing the weight of Chris, as he holds the phone in the crook of his neck. He is poised awkwardly, trying to lean Chris on anything nearby so as to pull away and run to the kitchen.

PHONE: (small, quiet) You have reached 614-291 –

MILO: Dammit.
MILO: Okay, hold on for a minute. I’m gonna go get you some water and keep dialing my friend. Can you hold yourself up?

6/ Chris leans back down on the bed, still writhing, as Milo makes his way out of the panel and into the kitchen, where a light is on (as seen from outside the door to Chris’ bedroom). He is now fully dressed and clutches the winter coat like a blanket.

CHRIS: Milo!
CHRIS: Oh my God, Milo! MILO!

7/ Milo is in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water from the sink and holding the phone to his ear, still waiting for Rhiannon to answer as he shouts to Chris, in the other room.

MILO: The ride’s coming, Chris. I promise.

8/ Close on Milo.

MILO: Come on, Rhiannon.
MILO: PICK UP!

PAGE TEN

1/ Cut to an Establishing Shot of the Oval at the Ohio State University. The snow covers the ground in a thick white blanket, and the lampposts around the Oval illuminate the snow to a ghostly orange. On opposite sides of the grounds, two figures walk toward each other, each minding their own business: Andrew and his philosophy student, Josh. They are both bundled tight against the snow, scarves wrapped around their necks and thick jackets zipped to their throats. Josh wears a bulging backpack, and Andrew carries his briefcase under his arm.

CAPTION: OSU Campus. The Oval.

CAPTION: (DON NARR) When I say DANGEROUS, I’m thinking, specifically, of the story of ADAM AND EVE. The ‘expulsion from the Garden of Eden’ bit.

2/ The two pass, recognizing each other for the first time. Andrew approaches from the left, Josh from the right. They stop and smile in greeting, their breath rising into small white clouds.

JOSH: Professor MacTiernan!
JOSH: Why are you still hanging around on campus? It’s like, one in the MORNING!

ANDREW: I was just going over some paperwork for CLASS tomorrow. Shouldn’t you be heading home yourself? You are, if you recall, supposed to be IN that class, bright and early.

CAPTION: Somewhere along the line, somebody IMPORTANT decided that this story meant ONE thing, when in fact, it’s been COMPETLEY MISINTERPERETED. All in the name of CONTROL, presumably.

3/ Head and shoulders on Josh.

JOSH: Yeah, I’m on my way back to NOSKER.
JOSH: Just stopped over at my, uh…FRIEND’S dorm for a bit. We were STUDYING. There’s a – a big review tomorrow in PROFESSOR WALSH’S class.

4/ Head and shoulders on Andrew. He notices that Josh is lying, but decides not to draw attention to it. He smiles.

ANDREW: Walsh is a good teacher.
ANDREW: Odd, though… didn’t know you were studying PSYCH.

JOSH: (off panel) Yup.

CAPTION: Even the most CASUAL of Christians, when asked, will tell you all about how this story depicts the beginning of mankind’s DEFAULT STATUS of EVIL. Adam and Eve forsook the supposed PARADISE in favor of KNOWLEDGE, and as punishment, we inherit ORIGINAL SIN.

5/ The two stand together, Andrew’s back to us, as Josh looks up to the sky, blinking against the few spare snowflakes that fall into his eyes. He slides his thumbs under the straps of his backpack and shifts uncomfortably, changing the subject.

JOSH: Get a look at the MOON, tonight.
JOSH: It’s INTENSE.

6/ Andrew follows his gaze, and we see the bright, full moon appear from behind the receding snow clouds above.

ANDREW: Wow, you’re right. Hadn’t noticed.

CAPTION: This is handy for A LOT of Christians, because it tells them, as interpreted, that knowledge is evil and ignorance is divine and it saves them the trouble of ever having to actually LEARN anything factual about the WORLD.

7/ Josh looks forward, into the distance, not really focused on anything. He tosses his head a little, flipping a stray hair out of his eyes.

JOSH: Betcha some CRAZY STUFF goes down TONIGHT.
JOSH: Full moon like that? That’s ASKING for trouble.

CAPTION: This interpretation is single-handedly responsible for those HAPLESS IDIOTS who honestly believe that the world is SIX-THOUSAND years old and that the DINOSAURS were a TEST put in place by GOD, to make us DOUBT his WORD.

8/ Andrew freezes, his eyes widening slightly. Josh looks on, confused.

CAPTION: But the more you look at that story, the more FOOLISH the typically accepted meaning begins to APPEAR.

ANDREW: Oh, my god.

JOSH: Mr. McT? What’s wrong?

PAGE ELEVEN

1/ Cut back to Milo, now standing in the door of a hospital room, viewed in a Close up on his face. He’s been crying, and a tear rolls down his cheek.

2/ Now we’re behind him, looking into the room that he watches over. Chris is sound asleep in a hospital bed, hooked up to an EKG and a number of monitors and saline drips. The coat Milo grabbed for him is hung over the side of the visitor’s chair by the bed, and the clothes have been neatly folded on the seat. The room is well lit, but the floodlights outside the building can still be seen to shine in through the blinds on the window. There is a crumpled visitor’s pass in Milo’s tight fist.
3/ Milo abruptly turns and walks away from the door, headed off into the corridor.

MILO: (small) Dammit.

4/ We are now in a waiting room as Milo rounds the corner and enters the room. Everything is the standard set of neutral colors that hospitals are famous for, and the non-descript art on the wall is a 50/50 split between mediocre landscapes and obtuse modern abstracts. There is a television mounted high on the wall, with a panel of American Idol Judges on the screen as the picture fades in and out, static interrupting the image.

TV: (small)...I don’t agree, Paula. Not at all. This song was all wrong for you, Trishelle. Frankly I believe that….

5/ Rhiannon sits alone on an uncomfortable looking plastic chair in the waiting room, shifting her attention from the television to Milo, as he approaches. She is wrapped in a black knit button-sweater, track-style sweatpants with a blue line down the side, and a beige Deftones T-shirt. Her purse is black and deep red, knit like her sweater, and her shoes are black and white Chuck Taylors, covered with years worth of once-colorful scribbles on the white toe. Her hair is somewhat disheveled, and she wears the least make-up we’ve ever seen her wear. Even so, she’s more beautiful than she is normally, having not been given the time to hide her natural looks in Goth-gear.

RHI: Is everything okay?
RHI: You ready to go?

6/ Cut to a long panel, high-angle shot as Rhiannon’s car, borrowed from her roommate, speeds through the intersection of Broad and High, the NBC building lighting the snow-covered sidewalks like Christmas. People can be seen panhandling on the Statehouse grounds, and though the streets are mostly deserted at this hour, there are one or two other vehicles on the road, in the distance.

CAPTION: Downtown.

RHI: (from inside car) Thank God my roommate trusts me with her CAR. I don’t know WHAT we would’ve done.
RHI: Are you ALRIGHT, Milo? Do you wanna TALK, or anything?

7/ Milo sits in the passenger seat, arms crossed, staring off into space ahead. His glasses are fogged up, obscuring his eyes and reflecting the streetlights.

MILO: No.
MILO: I think it’s best if I keep this one to MYSELF for a bit. Thanks, though.

8/ Rhiannon looks stern as she drives, gripping the wheel and gritting her teeth as she stares straight forward.

RHI: Milo. I already KNOW you’re HIV POSITIVE.
RHI: You need to tell me why we just rushed to the hospital in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. You’re not being fair.

PAGE TWELVE

1/ Milo turns to Rhiannon, shocked. He remains silent, unsure of what to say.

2/ He hangs his head, removing his glasses and wiping them with his sleeve. His eyes are still puffy and red, from crying.

MILO: ::sniff::
MILO: How’d you find OUT?

3/ Rhiannon continues to stare forward, driving, but her features have relaxed. He is finally telling her the truth, and she feels she can ease off.

RHI: Well, you weren’t doing an AMAZING job of hiding it, or anything. You left your prescription papers lying on the CONFERENCE TABLE at the Atlas Building.

RHI: Plus, it’s like I told you – you project so much that a lot can go UNSAID.

4/ Looking in through the passenger window as Milo lays his head back on the headrest, putting his glasses back on. Rhiannon turns her eyes from the road to look at him as he speaks, sympathy in her eyes.

MILO: Yeah. Maybe I DO kinda throw it OUT THERE.
MILO: It’s just –

5/ Rhiannon stiffens in fear as she slams on the brakes, reaching out with her free hand to guard Milo the way a mother would.

RHI: HOLD ON!

SOUND EFFECT: SLAM!

6/ The car spins and screeches to a stop in the middle of the road, its headlight right up in the EXTREME FG. Snow and ice are thrown upward around the tires.

SOUND EFFECT: Screeech!

7/ Milo’s head spins violently to shout at Rhiannon, his face contorted in shock and anger as it does. His arms are outstretched to brace himself against the dashboard.

MILO: JESUS!
MILO: What the hell was THAT!?
8/ Rhiannon leans forward toward the steering wheel, a bead of sweat dripping from her forehead. Her eyes glow white. Her teeth are gritted as though steeling herself against the pain of a broken limb.

RHI: Don’t you feel that!?

9/ Milo’s face turns toward the window in fear as he feels what she felt, his eyes beginning to glow as well. In the driver’s seat, Rhiannon’s face goes white as she sees that Milo has confirmed her sudden concern.

MILO: Oh, my god.
MILO: Donovan.

RHI: EXACTLY.

PAGE THIRTEEN

1/ Cut to a close up on a glass of red wine, swilling around as the fingers attached to it spin idly. In the BG, we see a living room dimly lit.

CAPTION: Bexley.

CAPTION: (DON NARR) If Adam and Eve had remained in the GARDEN, following God’s ORDERS about the tree of knowledge, where would we BE?

2/ Pull back as we see Beth’s lips take a sip of the wine.

SOUND EFFECT: Sip.

3/ Pull back fully to reveal Beth sitting on the couch in her living room. The only lights she has turned on are dim, yellow-tinted source lights, and she is lit from the front by the television. Landon stands in the archway to the living room, watching her from behind. They are both dressed for bed.

LANDON: Hey, Beth?

BETH: Hey.

LANDON: Can I talk to you?

4/ Behind Beth, as she looks over her shoulder to address Landon and turns off the television with the remote.

BETH: Yeah, of course. Just a late-night IDOL rerun.
BETH: What’s up?

5/ Head and Shoulders as Landon stands behind the couch, looking down at her. His eyes are shameful, and he bites his lip just slightly as he swallows his pride.

LANDON: I’m sorry.
LANDON: About EARLIER today. I was completely out of line.

CAPTION: There would be no TIMES SQUARE.

6/ Beth shifts on the couch, turning to face him and carefully setting the wine glass down on the coffee table.

BETH: No, you were COMPLETELY right.
BETH: I’ve been so INSENSITIVE; what with everything I’m putting you through right now. The move, the job, ANDREW. All of it.

7/ Reversed angle, with Beth on the couch, looking up at Landon.

BETH: I made you walk away from EVERYTHING, without ever even CONSIDERING how you would feel about HIS involvement in all this.
BETH: I don’t know what I was thinking.

8/ Head and shoulders on Landon, shaking his head slightly.

LANDON: But we NEEDED to get away from all that.
LANDON: The BROTHERHOOD wasn’t good for you, Beth. All the CRAZINESS and POLITICS…and you walked away from it with nothing but an ADDICTION.

9/ Close on Beth, as she reaches up to touch his face. She smiles slightly, her eyes welling up a bit.

CAPTION: There would be no MONA LISA.

BETH: It IS good to be distanced from that mess, but Landon…
BETH: I’ve SEWN my wild oats. I won’t be touching LYCANTHROPENE again unless I absolutely HAVE to. Look at me! Look at US!
BETH: We can’t even TURN on a FULL MOON, without trying to! And that’s GOOD, in some ways, I know, but…

PAGE FOURTEEN

1/ Landon looks up and into the distance, recalling.

LANDON: It’s not natural. I agree.
LANDON: I thought about that TONIGHT. Came rushing home when I realized the moon was full, just in case, but…NOTHING. I guess things got a bit CRAZIER up there than we THOUGHT.

2/ Beth looks down at the couch, fidgeting idly with a fray in her pajama pants.

CAPTION: There would be no QUANTUM PHYSICS.

BETH: Landon…
BETH: We’ve been through SO MUCH together. I don’t know what I would DO without you. When I thought I was going to lose you because of what happened between ANDREW and I…
BETH: It won’t ever happen again. It’s NOT happening.

3/ Landon leans down to meet her at eye level, crossing his arms on the back of the couch and propping his head up on his forearms. He cocks an awkward smile at the very edge of his mouth.

LANDON: I know it’s not.
LANDON: I just can’t help but feel JEALOUS sometimes.

4/ Beth reaches out to touch his face again, looking him square in the eye.
BETH: I assure you my relationship with Andrew is strictly FRIENDLY and PROFESSIONAL.
BETH: I’m sorry it was ever MORE, but that’s the past. And it’s gonna stay there.

5/ Landon casts his eyes downward, still propped on the back of the sofa.

LANDON: I’m sorry I broke your photo.

CAPTION: There would be no STONE HENGE, or TAJ MAHAL, or BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH SYMPHONY.

6/ Beth laughs and holds her arms wide, indicating obesity.

BETH: Eh. I looked FAT in it, anyway.

7/ They kiss.

LANDON: I love you.

8/ Beth swats at him playfully, and he reaches over the back of the couch to tickle her.

BETH: You damn BETTER!

LANDON: Ha! YOU better!

CAPTION: No rationality, no desire, no passion…no reason to ever have EXISTED in the first place.
PAGE FIFTEEN

1/ Cut to Donovan, as he hangs over a porcelain toilet bowl in his apartment bathroom, puking his guts out. Sweat drips profusely from his face and smoke rises from the tips of several stray hairs on his head, singed from his brush with Hell. He holds both sides of the toilet bowl in a death grip, his knuckles white and covered in soot.

DON: Rrrretchh!!

2/ Angle-switch as Donovan wipes his mouth on the back of his hand, steadying himself against the toilet with his free hand. His eyes are sunken in and his cheeks are shallow and dark. He looks as though he’s coming off a week-long drug binge.

DON: Ozym…Oz…
DON: Ozyman…

3/ He leans back against the bathroom wall, forearms propped up on his knees as he looks toward the ceiling, his face and neck soaked in sweat and his bare and smoke-stained chest still exposed. He lays his head against the towels hanging from the towel-rack overhead.

DON: …mandias.

4/ The front door busts open as Rhiannon forces the chain, causing it to pop off wildly. Her head appears around the corner of the door, her face contorted in fear. This is actually the best look at Don’s apartment we’ve received so far, and it should follow suit with the rest of what we’ve seen: Bare walls, the most minimalist of decorations, and the few things he DOES own are still mostly boxed up from his recent move to Columbus.

RHI: DONOVAN!?
RHI: Donovan, are you okay!?

5/ Rhiannon and Milo enter the apartment. They are both concerned, but Rhiannon is far more worked up than Milo. Milo looks around at the apartment, still lit dimly by the few remaining candles from Donovan’s spell.

MILO: Okay, Donovan. We are TOTALLY planning a trip to Ikea for YOU.

RHI: Donovan? It’s Rhiannon!
RHI: Where are you?!

DON: (off panel, small) In here…

6/ Long panel as Rhiannon bursts open the bathroom door to find Donovan, sprawled out as though he just fell from the top floor of a skyscraper. She jumps back at the sight of him, terrified. Milo stands behind her, finally jumping into action.
RHI: Jesus Christ!

MILO: What the hell did he DO?

DON: (small, withering balloon) Oz…Ozyman…

7/ Rhiannon bends, helping to pull Donovan into a sitting position.

RHI: Come on, Donovan. Sit up!
RHI: What happened here?

DON: I…I did…

8/ Close on Rhiannon, stricken with horror.

RHI: You did the damn INCANTATION, didn’t you?

PAGE SIXTEEN

1/ Low angle on a confused Milo, standing in the bathroom door.

MILO: Wait, WHAT?
MILO: What’s going on, Rhi?

2/ Rhiannon keeps a hand on Donovan’s shoulder while grabbing a damp rag from the edge of the sink, never pulling her eyes away from Donovan’s crumpled form.

DON: Oz…Ozy…

RHI: Trust me, Milo. You DON’T wanna know.

MILO: (off panel) Uh, YEAH. I kinda do.

3/ Rhiannon wipes Donovan’s face, smearing the black soot from his cheeks and dabbing the vomit crusted around his mouth.

RHI: Donovan, please.
RHI: I need you to STAY WITH ME. Look me in the EYES.

4/ Close on Donovan, glaring up from beneath heavy eyebrows.

DON: It’s INSIDE me, Rhiannon.
DON: HE is. OZYMANDIAS. He’s inside.

5/ Milo crosses his arms, getting angry now.

MILO: What the HELL is going on here, Rhiannon?
MILO: NOW.

6/ Close on Rhiannon as she wipes Donovan’s face.

RHI: He did a SPELL. An incantation.
RHI: Something to invoke a DEMON into his own BODY. I think he just needed to know if he could DO it.

7/ Close on Donovan as he begins to cry, realizing what he’s done to himself. Rhiannon’s hand is in the panel, wiping.

RHI: (off panel) It’s a LONG story, Milo, but the shorthand is that he’d been MISINFORMED.
RHI: Someone FAR more developed than him was able to do it because he had the WILLPOWER to CONTROL the demon, but it’s CRAZY for any NORMAL person.
RHI: I knew he was reading about this crap, but I never thought he’d actually DO it! He thought it would make him more of an ASSET. Make him STRONGER.

8/ Milo walks out of the bathroom and back into the foyer, headed for the living room. He is now as scared as Rhiannon.

MILO: Oh, no.
MILO: I’ve gotta see…

9/ Rhiannon continues to wipe Donovan’s face.

RHI: It’s gonna be OKAY, Sweetie.
RHI: We’ll figure this out.

PAGE SEVENTEEN

1/ Milo stands in the living room, looking at the scattered artifacts from the incantation, currently off-panel. Three candles remain lit, casting their light up at Milo, but the rest billow smoke up toward the ceiling. Milo is frozen on his spot, uncertain of what to do.

MILO: There is no way this is real.

2/ Pull back to reveal the artifacts, strewn about haphazardly all over the floor. Milo drops his hands to his sides, helplessly.

MILO: Rhiannon?
MILO: I think you should SEE this.

3/ Back inside the bathroom as Milo pops his head back in the door, looking down toward the others, off-panel.
MILO: I think Donovan’s been to HELL!
MILO: This is INSANE! You’ve gotta –

RHI: (off panel) SHUT UP, Milo!

4/ Rhiannon doubles over with the effort of pulling Donovan to his feet as Milo approaches to help, Donovan’s feet stumbling uselessly around on the tile floor. Rhiannon’s face is tight with exertion, the knit sweater hanging limply off her shoulders.

RHI: Alright, Don, let’s stand…you…UP!
RHI: See if we can’t get you into your BED…and figure out what to…ughn…do…NEXT!

5/ The two of them pull Donovan out of the bathroom, dragging him through the foyer and into the next room. Rhiannon has him by the shoulders, as Milo supports his feet.

MILO: This is really SERIOUS, Rhiannon.

RHI: I KNOW, Milo. Clearly.

MILO: I’m not good with SERIOUS, Rhi, and I’ve had a LOT of it tonight.
MILO: I’m kinda freaking OUT, here.

RHI: You’ll.
RHI: Deal.

6/ They set Donovan down in his bedroom, arranging him on the bed, as gently as possible. Both are drenched in sweat, and Donovan is still a complete wreck, his face now constantly twisted in fear.

RHI: Okay, Don, honey.
RHI: We need to get some LIQUIDS in you, so I need you to STAY HERE and don’t worry. I’m coming RIGHT. BACK.

7/ Close on Milo’s beeper, as it goes off. He’s being contacted by Andrew.

SOUND: Beep!

8/ Rhiannon looks down as her own goes off.

RHI: GOD! What is the deal with tonight!?

9/ Donovan sits up, suddenly coming back to reality. He is completely lucid, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Milo and Rhiannon step back in shock.

DON: Don’t even THINK about answering that call without ME.
PAGE EIGHTEEN

1/ Cut to a full page splash of the team standing in front of Mud House, in the middle of the night. The ground is covered in snow, and all the teammates are dressed accordingly in winter gear. Their breath rises up all around them, and the light of the full moon hangs low over the ancient building, highlighting them all in a dramatic glow. Andrew and Beth’s cars are seen idling in the low corner of the shot.

CAPTION: (DON NARR) Adam and Eve were not Betrayers to the Lord.
CAPTION: They were simply passing his TEST.

BETH: You are AWARE, Andrew, that it’s like…REALLY late, right?

ANDREW: No time, Beth.
ANDREW: I just had a feeling. It was now or NEVER.

CAPTION: They DEFIED CONVENTION to embrace, if only for a MOMENT, their dark sides – and in RETURN, they were given the WORLD.
CAPTION: God would not hand them knowledge – the LIFEBLOOD of MANKIND – for free. They had to earn it for THEMSELVES, by taking a RISK.

2/ TWO-PANEL INSET at lower right-hand corner. Milo and Rhiannon look on in concern as Donovan stands poised like Captain America, his eyes glimmering as he looks up at the decaying building. He looks impossibly composed, given his recent ordeal.

RHI: Are you sure about this, Donovan?

MILO: For real, buddy…you don’t HAVE to be present for this, you know.
MILO: We can handle it without you.

3/ SECOND INSET, as Donovan turns to face them, grinning only slightly, as though he knows something that they don’t.

DON: No, Milo…you CAN’T.
DON: And I’m fine, so let’s GO.

CAPTION: And they would not understand the world, or their own LIVES, until they had knowingly confronted their capacity for doing WRONG.

PAGE NINETEEN

1/ Low angle, Long panel as the group enters through the front door. In the immediate FG, lying on the floor in the foyer, is the body of Jennifer Hart - sprawled out like a rag doll. The five intruders stand frozen, looking down at the body in surprise, all save for Andrew. He expected this. Their flashlights shine around them in all directions.

CAPTION: Their story is not an ADMONITION to those who would DEFY GOD – it is a CELEBRATION.

MILO: Holy –
MILO: What happened?

BETH: Her NECK, it’s been –

ANDREW: I knew it.
ANDREW: We’re too LATE. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jennifer Hart. The LATE Jennifer Hart, to be exact.

CAPTION: A celebration of the LOSS of INNOCENCE that is necessary for every person, every family, every SOCIETY, if they are ever to reach their FULL POTENTIAL

2/ Head and shoulders on Rhiannon as the group carry on. She is looking off into the house, not paying attention to anything they are saying. There’s a sudden glimmer in her eyes, as pieces fall into place in her head – she has just had an idea.

BETH: (off panel) How did you know this would happen?

ANDREW: Someone said something to me in passing, and it just occurred to me. This SINKING feeling, that we were already one step BEHIND.
ANDREW: I wanted to PREVENT another murder, but –

MILO: But what exactly are we gonna DO?

3/ Rhiannon pulls away from the group, walking further into the abandoned house. Behind her, the remaining team members gather in a cluster, looking down at the body and debating wildly. She continues to barely notice them.

CAPTION: As individuals, it is often our GREATEST MISTAKES that prepare us MOST for the hardships to COME.

ANDREW: I’m not exactly SURE, Milo. But we can’t just walk AWAY and let this go ON. We’ve waited too long and now –

BETH: Wait. Milo’s right. Last time we were here, we got our ASSES handed to us! You want us to just –

ANDREW: We’ll figure something OUT, Beth, that’s our JOB!

DON: How can you lead us into this with no GAME PLAN? We’re not supposed to just-

ANDREW: That’s what you people were PICKED for, Donovan – being able to operate under PRESSURE! We’re all here to DO what we were HIRED –

DON: Not on our FIRST MISSION, for God’s sake!

MILO: Uh, guys…

4/ Milo and Donovan both look over, noticing that Rhiannon has drifted away from the huddle. Donovan starts after her.

MILO:…I think Rhiannon’s ON to something.

DON: Rhi?
DON: Rhi, what’s going on? Where are you going?

CAPTION: As NATIONS, it is often our most BRUTAL and SENSELESS wars that give us the greatest push FORWARD in our understandings of SCIENCE and DIPLOMACY.

5/ Rhiannon turns her head over her shoulder, still advancing slowly forward.

RHI: I think I figured it OUT.
RHI: When Andrew gave us the HISTORY LESSON, something jumped out at me…one of those half-formed IDEAS you get that you can’t quite latch ON to…but NOW…

6/ Andrew and Beth also look after her, Andrew holding up his flashlight and making to follow her, as well.

ANDREW: What’ve you GOT, Rhiannon?

BETH: We’re all EARS, here, sweetie.

7/ Close up, as Rhiannon looks up into the rafters of the building, smiling.

RHI: WATCH.

8/ Pull back a great distance, so that the entire crew looks small in the enormous mansion. Rhiannon, still a few meters ahead of the others, looks isolated and tiny in the dusty trappings of Mud House. She holds her hands fiercely down at her sides and looks to the heavens, shouting at the top of her lungs.

CAPTION: And as a SPECIES – at the rate we’re GOING – it will most likely take the IMMINENT DESTRUCTION of our WORLD to make us truly reach for the STARS.

RHI: BLOODY MARY!
BLOODY MARY!
BLOODY MARY!
BLOODY MARY!
BLOODY MARY!

PAGE TWENTY

1/ Close on the dusty ground as a pile of shattered glass begins to magically work its way back up the walls, crawling like bugs to its place in the mirrors and windows that surround them.

SOUND EFFECT: Tink tink tink

2/ Head and shoulders on Andrew and Beth, looking around in confusion and awe.

BETH: Oh, my God.

3/ Close on the glass, now halfway up the walls, approaching its place in a gigantic mirror on the wall.

SOUND EFFECT: Tink tink tink

4/ Close on Milo, midway between the pair of Andrew and Beth and Donovan, who has pulled ahead as he followed after Rhiannon. He looks up and around, nervously fidgeting with the collar of his firebird hoody.

MILO: Uh…anybody else pretty wigged, right now?

5/ Close on the glass, as it forms back into a solid mirror, and a ghostly face appears on it, barely visible as it floats like a cloud in the air.

SOUND EFFECT: Tik!

6/ Head and shoulders on Donovan, slowly moving toward Rhiannon with his arms out, as though he were approaching a bear in the wilderness.

DON: Rhiannon…you need to back AWAY.
DON: Get back to the GROUP.

7/ ENORMOUS panel, as Rhiannon steps backward in fear and awe, staring up at the being that has materialized in front of her. The glass shatters all around, exploding shards into the air wildly, as Mary takes form in front of Rhiannon. She TOWERS over Rhiannon’s small figure, her arms outstretched around her, poised to consume.

RHI: Guys, I’d like you to MEET…
RHI: BLOODY MARY.

PAGE TWENTY-ONE

1/ Long panel as Rhiannon fires a blast of energy into Mary’s chest, causing Mary to fly backward in a flurry of robes and white light. This is the first we’ve seen Rhiannon DO this, so quick note: she holds up her right hand and fires a beam of white light from her palm, gritting her teeth against the exertion of converting emotion into kinetic energy. Kind of looks like Iron Man firing repulsor rays, except with more effort involved. It should also cast a momentarily blinding light, illuminating Rhiannon dramatically as she strains to control it.

RHI: Eat ANGER, Bitch!

SOUND EFFECT: CHOOM!

CAPTION: It’s a FUNNY THING, the dichotomy between GOOD and EVIL. It’s very ZEN, if you think about it.

2/ Donovan reaches out to Rhiannon and she turns on a dime, letting him grab her by the hand and pull her back to the relative safety of the group.

DON: RHIANNON! Get down!

3/ Mary climbs back up out of the wreckage of twisted floorboards that she’s landed in, her face rising over the edge of the crater in the floor as she pulls herself up physically.

MARY: (huge) NO!!
MARY: You WILL NOT take what is Eleanor’s!

CAPTION: The YIN and the YANG. The BLACK and the WHITE. The LEFT and the RIGHT.

4/ She lunges forward like a bolt of lightning, toward Andrew and Beth. Next to them, where she strikes, the staircase explodes in a storm of splinters and shattered wood. They are tossed away from the impact as though caught in a grenade’s blast radius.

SOUND EFFECT: KKRASHH!!

CAPTION: If not for EVIL, goodness would have no MEANING, and the GREATEST of men is often defined by his most TERRIBLE mistake.

5/ Andrew flies through the air like shrapnel and bounces to a stop against the opposite wall, where Donovan and Rhiannon wait to catch him.

ANDREW: Unh!

6/ Donovan and Rhiannon crouch over Andrew, making sure he’s alright.

DON: Andrew, are you okay!?

ANDREW: I’ll be fine, but what the HELL, Rhiannon?

RHI: It’s like I said.
RHI: She’s Bloody Mary. THE Bloody Mary. And she’s NOT a Ghost!

7/ Close on Rhiannon.

RHI: She’s a POLTERGEIST.
RHI: Created by the emotional and psychic stress released into this house when Eleanor Worth was KILLED. But if she’s a poltergeist, then she’s not gonna be a PUSHOVER.
RHI: And as you’ve already SEEN, she’s VERY capable of doing some SERIOUS DAMAGE to us and anyone ELSE who gets in her WAY!

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

1/ Donovan looks away from Andrew and Rhiannon, to the battle that Milo and Beth are quickly losing to Mary. He steels himself for the decision he has to make.

DON: Milo’s getting PULVERIZED out there.
DON: And Beth’s not faring much BETTER. She’s just LOOKING for something!

2/ Beth crawls around on the floor, furiously looking for something that fell out of her coat. The coat is strewn on the floor in front of her, pockets turned inside out, She looks crazed and terrified. In the BG, Milo flies by, tossed limply from off-panel by the angry poltergeist. His hands are aflame, burning with his pyrokinetic powers.

BETH: Come on, where IS it!?

ANDREW: (off panel) The LYCANTHROPENE!
ANDREW: That’s the LAST thing we need right now!

3/ Donovan gets up, leaving his companions as he debates his best entry into the fight, as Andrew picks himself up off the floor. Rhiannon pulls him up, looking confused.

RHI: Lycan-WHAT?

ANDREW: Long story, but Beth’s about to COMPLICATE things.

4/ The three of them look on, Andrew still regaining his composure. Rhiannon turns to Donovan with fear in her eyes.

DON: I’m going IN.

RHI: What!?
RHI: What are you gonna DO?

5/ Close on Donovan as he turns to face her, resolved.

DON: What I HAVE to.
DON: I’m ceding control to OZYMANDIAS.

6-10/ A series of small panels, as Donovan gives in to the Demon inside him. First, he grits his teeth in pain and anger, his gums showing as his teeth grind painfully. Second, his eye goes wide and turns a glowing hellish orange. Third, his shirt rips viciously as his muscles become significantly thicker (not Hulk thick or anything, just more muscular than Donovan usually is). Fourth, his hand clenches tightly, as though he’s bracing himself against something truly excruciating. Finally, Close on his face, as his now limp and sweaty hair dangles in front of his glowing eyes.

11/ INSET as Rhiannon looks on, uncertain of what to do.

RHI: Donovan?

12/ HUGE panel as Donovan strikes an action pose, steam rising from his glowing eyes. He grins wickedly as he prepares to strike.

DON: Donovan’s not here, GIRL.
DON: My name is OZYMANDIAS, and it’s MY game now. Could use a little HELP, though, and it would seem that the RIKER to your PICARD has not been entirely HONEST with you.
DON: There’s a WEREWOLF in your midst, kids. I want it to come and PLAY.

PAGE TWENTY-THREE

1/ Beth, still on the floor, looks up from her search and freezes, stricken by Donovan’s sudden and unexpected transformation.

BETH: Dear God, Donovan…
BETH: What have you DONE?

2/ Milo lies on his back, on the floor, as Mary hovers over him, a death grip on his neck. He fights her grip with one hand, and his left hand is held up, fire curling from every inch of it. The new development grabs his attention, however, and he turns his head to see.

MILO: Wait – WHAT’S going on?

DON: (off panel) Bring it ON, Beth. Let’s see your REAL FACE.

3/ Donovan stands with more confidence than he ever would have on his own, smilingly tauntingly at Beth, who is off panel. He approaches slowly, enjoying the moment.

DON: You KNOW you’re just DYING to get it out in the open.
DON: So stop PUSSYFOOTING around the issue and show me what you can DO!

4/ Close on Beth’s face as her OWN eyes begin to glow, fangs appearing just slightly as she speaks. Donovan has just brought out the werewolf.

BETH: Damn you for this, Donovan.

5/ Her head reels back as it transforms from human form to a gigantic and ferocious werewolf, her teeth glinting in the light from the chaos around them.

BETH: Rrrraaahhhhh!

6/ Her midsection doubles over, becoming the hind legs of her wolf form, her clothes shredding around her as she changes.

SOUND EFFECT: Rrrip!

7/ Long panel as Beth fully assumes werewolf form, tossing back into the air as she howls at the sky above. Spittle flies from her massive jaws.

BETH: (ragged monsterish balloon) Awhoohh!

8/ Close on Beth’s eye, now more like a wolf’s than a human’s.

9/ Beth crouches, posing like the animal that she is, ready to attack.

BETH: (ragged monsterish balloon) You WANTED it, Donovan?
BETH: You got it.

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

1/ Milo points both hands up toward Mary, blasting fire in her face in huge plumes. She screeches and backs away, losing her grip on him.

MARY: Scree!!!

MILO: That’s right, guys!
MILO: You keep doing THAT; I’ll handle the PISSED OFF POLTERGEIST!

2/ Donovan and Beth begin to circle each other, teasingly. Beth’s shoulder is in the FG, as Donovan strafes to his right, eyes locked with hers.

DON: You always wanted SAMSON back, didn’t you?
DON: Looks like he wasn’t the ONLY one who could pull this TRICK.

CAPTION: At this point in my life, these ideas represent some pretty NEW philosophical TERRITORY for me.

3/ Beth circles as well, saliva dripping from her fangs. This time, Donovan’s shoulder is in the FG, as Beth strafes to her own right.

BETH: (monstrous balloon) It’s not LIKE THAT, Donovan!
BETH: We never wanted this. We never expected you to DO this to yourself!

4/ Andrew, Milo and Rhiannon regroup, watching the conflict with growing fear.

CAPTION: But you’ll see.

ANDREW: This is officially out of our CONTROL.
ANDREW: I have to calm Beth DOWN. Milo, are you capable of taking on either Donovan OR going a second round with Mary?

MILO: Uh…I mean, I can TRY? Lemme go for DONOVAN.

RHI: Wait, so I get the demon bitch?

ANDREW: No, you stay OUT OF THE WAY.
ANDREW: You just hit her, and you hit her HARD. I need you to gather your STRENGTH until you can hit her like that AGAIN. Until then, we count on her being as confused as WE are.

RHI: I can make a wall.

MILO: Do it, but ONLY if she tries to make a BREAK FOR IT.

5/ Donovan circles.

DON: It’s EXACTLY like that, Beth.
DON: And now you’ll know just how INFERIOR to Samson Donovan really IS.

CAPTION: This is only the BEGINNING. The ALPHA, if you will.

6/ The two combatants face off, inches from each other’s faces, as Mary glides by in the BG. This is the crescendo before the fight, and they are baring teeth menacingly.
BETH: I don’t wanna FIGHT you, Donovan, but I swear to GOD –

7/ Milo turns and his eyes go wide, as Mary swoops in to attack.

MILO: Hey, guys?
MILO: (small font) Hit the deck.

8/ Mary hurls herself into the ground in front of Milo, Andrew and Rhiannon, and the three go flying in different directions, floorboards splintering up all around.

SOUND EFFECT: Crrrackk!

9/ Rhiannon claws her way out of a hole in the floor, looking baffled and disheveled. Completely disoriented, she looks around aimlessly, while pieces of the house collapse all around her. She glances up as an enormous shadow falls over her face.

RHI: (small font, whithering balloon) Whose idea…was this again?

PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

1/ Full page splash, as Rhiannon sits helplessly in the middle of the floor, Beth the Werewolf and Donovan the Demon clashing violently right over her head, their arms locked in combat. She looks up into the fray, certain she’s about to die. Mud House is in shambles all around, and in the BG, both Andrew and Milo are tossed in two different directions by a furious Mary, flying off panel left and right.

RHI: I am totally not having fun anymore.

CAPTION: (NARR) The OMEGA is a LONG way off.



CAPTION: Next – Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary!