THE SOUND SIDE

Second Draft
10/1/2020

WGA # 2065397
“I sing of bodies changed into new forms.”

-Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book 1

EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT

A small boat bounces wildly on a vast, dark ocean - nearly

swallowed by darkness.

SETH (25-30) sits in the back, holding on for dear life

against the violent rocking of the sea.

Foam sprays the boat as waves pound relentlessly on the side,

soaking him to the bone.

Seth’s fiancé JUNE (25-30) sits calmly at the front of the

boat - seemingly unaffected by the intense motion.

June holds a beautiful birthday cake in her arms. A single

candle sticks out from the cake, somehow remaining lit
despite the wind and water and lurching of the boat.

June’s white dress is soaked with blood around her midsection

and thighs.

SETH
Hold on to me!

Seth extends a hand to June. She doesn’t reach for it.

JUNE
Did you wash your hands?

Seth looks down at his outstretched hand: it’s covered in

BLOOD.

Seth dips his hand into the churning sea to rinse off the
blood.

A HAND EMERGES FROM THE WATER AND GRABS SETH BY THE WRIST!

Seth pulls back - struggling to free himself from its grip!

SETH
June! Help me!

June doesn’t react - just shakes her head in resignation.

JUNE
Seth. You always do this.

Seth is YANKED OVERBOARD in a single jerking motion.

 2.

EXT. UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Seth struggles and kicks as he’s pulled deeper into the

darkness by the mysterious hand.

He kicks free and fights his way back to the surface.

EXT. OCEAN - ABOVE WATER - CONTINUOUS

Seth pokes his head above water, thrashing desperately,

gasping for air.

The boat putters away, vanishing into the night.

SETH
JUNE!

The ocean has calmed: now glassy, still - unnaturally silent.

Seth treads water and scans his surroundings. DEAD SEABIRDS

float all around him: gulls, osprey, pelicans.

SUDDENLY SETH IS YANKED UNDER A SECOND TIME!

INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Seth wakes up with a JOLT, drenched in sweat.

SETH
FUCK. Jesus...

He looks over at June sleeping next to him. She tosses and

turns - she doesn’t seem to be sleeping peacefully either.

Seth collapses back onto his pillow, staring at the ceiling.

Morning light trickles through the curtains.

Seth closes his eyes.

CUT TO BLACK.

FILM TITLE OVER BLACK: THE SOUND SIDE

EXT. CHESAPEAKE BAY, VIRGINIA - SUNRISE

A lone PELICAN soars over a wild, pristine Chesapeake Bay.

The pelican flies upriver, over an early English colonial

settlement.
 3.

EXT. COLONIAL MARKET - DAY - CONTINUOUS

ONSCREEN TEXT: JAMES TOWNE COLONY, VIRGINIA. SPRING 1609.

The pelican flies over a lively colonial marketplace.

Colonists haggle over corn and livestock.

EXT. COLONIAL CEMETERY - DAY - CONTINUOUS

The pelican lands near a small cemetery yard and rests on a

fencepost, watching a man dig in the distance.

INT. COLONIAL CEMETERY - DAY - CONTINOUS

A young FATHER digs a hole in the dirt.

A young MOTHER weeps as she holds an infant to her breast.

A young DAUGHTER (8) holds her mother’s hand and sobs.

The Father digs mechanically. His eyes look dead, like he

hasn’t slept in days.

Father lowers a tiny coffin into the ground. A simple wooden

cross sticks out of the earth.

A DOG lays by their side, watching as the Father buries his

child.

EXT. CORNFIELD - DAY - MONTHS LATER

ONSCREEN TEXT: FALL 1609

The Father stares at his modest cornfield - once thriving,

now withered, brown, and dying.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

The Mother digs up roots and strips bark from trees.

A snake slithers nearby. The Mother STABS the snake with a

hand shovel.

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

The Mother boils the roots, bark, and snake meat in a stew.
 4.

She serves it to the Daughter and the Father. They wolf it

down.

The skeletal dog begs for some food. The Father explodes:

FATHER
AWAY!

The forlorn animal backs down and whimpers into the corner.

The Father stares at the cowering dog.

EXT. COLONIAL TOWN SQUARE - NIGHT

ONSCREEN TEXT: WINTER, 1609

Snow flurries drift over the empty town square. No signs of

life. No food in the market stalls.

EXT. COLONIAL CEMETERY - NIGHT

HUNDREDS of makeshift crosses now crowd the cemetery.

Snow blankets the fresh graves.

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

The family looks gaunt and exhausted, their skin a sickly

yellow.

The Mother removes a leather SHOE from a boiling pot.

The Father sits dead-eyed at the table.

The Baby screams with hunger.

The dog is gone.

EXT. COLONIAL CEMETERY - NIGHT

The Father weeps as he digs at the site of his child’s grave.

His shovel hits wood.

FATHER
Lord Jesus, forgive me.

He stops digging and makes the sign of the cross, then drops
to his knees in a prayer posture.
 5.

FATHER (CONT'D)
In thy infinite wisdom ye saw fit
to take an innocent boy. I do not
question thy will.

He brushes the remaining dirt from the top of the coffin.

FATHER (CONT'D)
I ask nothing but to do my duty as
a man and as a father, and to quiet
the cries of my wife and daughters.
The shame of failure is not thine,
but mine alone.

The Father unties the rope securing the lid of the coffin.

FATHER (CONT'D)
If ye see fit to condemn me to the
torments of hell for this sin
against nature, I ask only that you
spare them any further suffering.

He opens the lid and FREEZES-

INT. TV SCREEN - SETH & JUNE’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Freeze-frame of the Father reacting to his child’s corpse:

SFX: HEAVY METAL MUSIC AND A WILHELM SCREAM!

Animated text POPS IN: “SECRETS OF THE PAST!”

We’ve been watching a re-enactment scene from a mildly

irreverent, mid-budget “weird history”-type docu-series. The
show host SIMON JONES (30-35) narrates in voiceover:

SIMON (V.O.)
CANNIBALISM in Colonial America -
Fiction? Or FACT?

Simon’s show plays on a TV mounted to the living room wall of

Seth and June’s apartment.

The living room is dark and still - curtains block out the
morning light.

TEXT OVER IMAGE: THURSDAY

The room is empty - the entire space feels silent as a tomb.

No sounds or movement, aside from what’s on TV.

ONSCREEN: Historic images of Jamestown colony, circa 1609.

 6.

SIMON (V.O.)
FACT! Settlers at Jamestown ate
rats, snakes, and shoe leather to
survive the winter of 1609. Some
were so desperate, they even dug up
buried corpses - and ate the flesh!

The TV is visible at a distance from the a small kitchen.

SIMON (V.O.)
That winter is now referred to as
“The Starving Time.”

Grease pops and crackles from the kitchen. Seth stands over
the stovetop, holding a pan with sizzling eggs and bacon.

His hand shakes the skillet mechanically, pointlessly.

Seth’s face is thin and unshaven, his eyes red with insomnia.

Seth pays little attention to the TV - he’s put on the show

purely as a sensory distraction, white noise.

SIMON (V.O.)
Twenty years BEFORE Jamestown, the
first ATTEMPTED English colony in
the New World vanished without a
trace. That’s the story we’ve been
told for centuries. But is there
MORE to the mystery?

Seth arranges the bacon and sunny-side up eggs on a plate

into a smiley face. He stares down at the plate, dead-eyed:

SETH POV: Happy egg face beams up at Seth, almost mockingly.

SIMON (V.O.)
--survival CANNIBALISM be one
possible fate...of the notorious
LOST COLONY OF ROANOKE?

Seth finally acknowledges the TV, looking in its direction.

SETH POV ONSCREEN: Elizabethan-era illustration of men in

colonial dress, staring dumbfounded at a tree with the word
‘CROATOAN’ carved into the trunk.

The show host/producer/narrator SIMON (30-35) appears for the

first time, directly addressing his camera.

SIMON
Let’s find--
 7.

Seth pauses the TV, leaving Simon’s face contorted in an

unflattering freeze-frame.

Seth picks up the tray and moves toward the bedroom when he
notices--

An ultrasound printout, held on the fridge by a magnet.

A tiny bean, curved inward on one side where a head is

beginning to form.

Seth rips the paper off the fridge.

INT. SETH AND JUNE’S APARTMENT - BEDROOM

Seth enters the darkened room and sets down the tray.

The lights are still off and the curtains are closed.

June lays on her side, her back to Seth. She’s awake, but
makes no movement to acknowledge his presence.

SETH
I got that fancy bacon you like.

JUNE
Are you still going this weekend?

Seth looks caught off-guard.

SETH
I was. But I don’t have to.

June says nothing.

SETH (CONT'D)
I’ll call Simon and Eli. They’ll
understand.

JUNE
Don’t.

SETH
I don’t have to tell them why. I
can just say you’re sick.

JUNE
No. You should go.

SETH
What if you stayed with your
parents this weekend? So you’re not
all alone here?
 8.

JUNE
Don’t worry about it.

SETH
I’m gonna stay.

June finally faces Seth but quickly averts her eyes, as if

she can’t look at him without being reminded of her loss.

JUNE
I think I need some time to myself.

Seth looks hurt, but tries to bury it.

SETH
Oh. OK. I understand.

SIMON (V.O.)
I don’t understand.

INT. SIMON & ROSE APT - DAY

An elegant female hand wearing an ENGAGEMENT RING holds a

positive home pregnancy test.

Simon - the TV host we saw in the previous scene - and his

fiancé ROSE (30-35) stare at the results.

ROSE
I don’t either. I didn’t skip any
days. It’s supposed to be like a
99.9% effective rate.

SIMON
I guess that 0.1% is still real
people though.

ROSE
Apparently it’s me.

The wheels begin to turn in Simon’s mind: adrenaline,

excitement, pride.

Simon is a man whose brimming self-confidence is supported by

a continuing series of life ‘victories’: career success, a
loving soon-to-be wife - and now a child.

SIMON
Holy SHIT! This is amazing!

He embraces Rose, holds her tight and kisses her forehead.

 9.

Rose smiles at her fiancé. Some hidden emotion remains behind

her eyes: not quite fear, but maybe a close relative.

SIMON (CONT'D)
We gotta tell Seth and June!

ROSE
We’re not telling anyone until
after the wedding.

SIMON
Seriously? Our parents aren’t gonna
care that we’re not married yet.

ROSE
It’s not that. It’s just...too
early. Most miscarriages happen
within the first 12 weeks.

A caution born of life’s meaningless and unpredictable

cruelties, the kind with which women are intimately familiar.

SIMON
That seems kind of superstitious.

ROSE
It’s not superstitious. It’s
science. 12 weeks.

SIMON
So you don’t even want to tell our
parents?

ROSE
Let’s just keep it to ourselves
through the wedding. Once we hit 12
weeks - we’ll make it official.
Promise.

Simon looks reluctant.

SIMON
I’m just excited. I wanna tell the
guys. I wanna tell the world!

ROSE
Simon. Please. I’m serious.

Simon can see that she is.

SIMON
Alright. I understand. Lips are
sealed.
 10.

ROSE
Promise?

SIMON
Cross my heart, hope to die.

INT. COLLEGE OFFICE - DAY

The cramped and unglamorous office of a professor at a small

regional public college.

Stacks of oceanography and marine biology books occupy every

free surface.

The walls of the office are lined with oceanographic maps and
the geometric scientific drawings of Ernst Haeckel:

Detailed cross-sections of diatoms (photosynthetic plankton),

with the intricate symmetry of Buddhist mandalas.

Medusa jellyfish with bodies that unfold like exotic flowers

in bloom. Jungles of tentacles tangled like unruly vines.

ELI (30-35) sits on one side of a desk, fidgeting in his

seat. Inappropriately dressed for a job interview in a loud,
short-sleeved floral print shirt.

A constellation of impulsive tattoos covers Eli’s arms. His

style is more “boardwalk weed dealer” than “prospective
adjunct professor.”

ELI
My master’s thesis primarily
focused on anthropogenic
eutrophication and ecosystem health
in humid subtropical biomes.

The INTERVIEWER studies Eli’s resume.

INTERVIEWER
Field work?

ELI
Primarily southern Chesapeake Bay
and northern Outer Banks. Looking
at industrial agricultural runoff,
pollution from commercial shipping,
naval--

The Interviewer cuts Eli off.

 11.

INTERVIEWER
I’m sorry to interrupt but I’m a
bit confused about something. You
have NO professional experience? No
TA work? No internships?

ELI
Technically no. Not in academia.

The Interviewer stares blankly, waiting for Eli to elaborate.

ELI (CONT'D)
I’ve...been fully dedicated to
completing my masters.

INTERVIEWER
Right. But it’s...unusual to have
NO job history whatsoever.

The Interviewer dives back into Eli’s resume.

INTERVIEWER (CONT'D)
Your resume says you earned your
bachelor’s nearly eight years ago?

ELI
That’s correct.

The Interviewer sets Eli’s resume down.

INTERVIEWER
This is a bit awkward but I have to
ask - were you...incarcerated?

ELI
Is that something you CAN ask?

INTERVIEWER
Any job offer would be conditional
upon a background check, so...yes.

Eli goes for the Hail Mary.

ELI
My path has been unconventional. I
get that. But I see it as an asset.

INTERVIEWER
How’s that?

ELI
Because adversity creates the
greatest potential for personal
growth.
(MORE)
 12.

ELI (CONT'D)
Look - a person’s character, how
they see the world - it’s the sum
of ALL experiences, right?
Positive, negative, neutral?

The Interviewer nods mechanically, glances at his phone.

Eli sighs, knowing the interview is over.

EXT. HWY 12, COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA - EARLY AM

NC HIGHWAY 12. A coastal road that links the peninsulas and

barrier islands of the OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA.

Pre-dawn stillness. No cars on the road. An unrelenting wind

and the screech of seabirds over the Atlantic Ocean and
Pamlico Sound.

TEXT OVER IMAGE: FRIDAY

The night sky lightens with the pale pinks of dawn.

A lone pickup truck moves south.

ELI (V.O.)
By the time our grandkids are our
age there won’t even BE an Outer
Banks. Or a Miami or New York.

SETH (V.O.)
That seems dramatic.

ELI (V.O.)
It IS dramatic, Seth. It’s how the
world ends.

SIMON (V.O.)
You don’t think we’ll figure
something out? Humans I mean?
Some...breakthrough? Like those
enzymes that can eat plastic?

ELI (V.O.)
We do love magical thinking. As a
species I mean. Easier than forcing
ourselves to evolve.

The truck flies down the highway. Live oak forest gives way
to dense swamp and tidal marsh.

Cypress trees curtained with Spanish moss tower above the

floodplain like columns of an ancient temple.
 13.

SETH (V.O.)
People’ve been saying that forever
about the ocean rising though. And
it hasn’t happened yet.

ELI (V.O.)
Seth. Are you fucking with me right
now? It IS happening dude. In
Louisiana, Georgia, Florida...the
ocean doesn’t give a fuck about us
or what we’ve built.

INT. ELI’S TRUCK - CONTINUOUS

Eli drives the truck south on NC-12. Simon sits shotgun, Seth
in the back.

ELI
It’s inevitable. Act 3 in the story
of man.

SIMON
What was Act 1?

ELI
Pure biology. Evolution. Survival.

SIMON
2?

ELI
Civilization. Ethics. Culture.

SETH
Internet porn.

They pass a huge billboard reading “JESUS SAVES FROM HELL.”

SIMON
You sure culture’s not stuck in Act
1?

SETH
Only in the bible belt.

Simon laughs at this. Eli doesn’t.

ELI
The wheels are already in motion.
This is why Homo sapiens can’t have
nice things.
 14.

The truck bed holds surfboards, fishing rods, tents, camping

gear, and enough beer to stock a bomb shelter.

A silence settles over the interior as each of the men

retreat into their private worlds.

Eli gazes at the ocean, glimmering like diamonds in the dawn.

Seth stares into the forests along the land side.

Simon finishes rolling a large joint. He lights it, inhales

deeply and passes it back to Seth, who waves it off.

SETH
It’s 7AM.

SIMON
This weekend is my last chance to
wake and bake without having to
take out the garbage as a cover.

SETH
I’m thinking of taking a weed break
for little bit. My sleep is all
fucked up.

ELI
Not this weekend you aren’t.

Seth stares out the window.

ELI (CONT'D)
Quitting weed can actually make
nightmares more intense. THC
suppresses REM sleep. Comes back
with a vengeance when you stop.

SIMON
It’s true. Last time I quit I
dreamed I got executed by ISIS.

Simon takes a second healthy pull.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Never again.

ELI
Pass that over to big poppa if it’s
too early for baby dick.

Simon laughs at this. Seth doesn’t.

The truck passes a series of amateurish, hand-painted signs:

 15.

“ROADSIDE ATTRACTION - 10 MI

LOCAL HISTORY AND FOLKLORE MUSEUM

NATIVE & COLONIAL ARTIFACTS

BED AND BREAKFAST - FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED

SIMON
Oh shit. Guys. Check out the Bates
Motel over here.

The billboards continue:

“CLEAN RESTROOMS! OBX GIFTS & T-SHIRTS!

BEACH SUPPLIES! SALTWATER TAFFY! HERMIT CRABS!

SETH
Bro. Tourist trap. Come on.

CURIOSITIES! ODDITIES!

COLD BEER! ICE!

SIMON
They have beer.

ELI
So do we.

SIMON
Theirs is cold.

SETH
It’s 7AM dude.

SIMON
What are you, my fucking wife?

ELI
If we wanna paddle out in Rodanthe
we should get on it early.

SIMON
What happens if we get there at 10
instead of 8? The ocean turns to
blood?

SETH
Your dick falls off.

More signage along the road:

 16.

DON’T MISS IT

YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU DID!

EXIT 5 MI

SIMON
Let’s just stop for a minute and
piss and see their little museum.
It’ll be funny. It’s Americana.

Eli sighs, resigning himself to the change in plans.

ELI
How much are tickets?

SIMON
Who cares? It’s on me.

Eli puts his turn signal on and moves toward the exit.

SETH
Seriously?

ELI
It’s his party. Simon says.

SIMON
Simon says.

EXT. ROAD - DAY

The truck passes through a dense wooded area. No residences

or businesses or farms or other humans in sight.

Another roadside sign, with an arrow pointing them onward:

KEEP GOING! THIS IS THE WAY! DON’T GIVE UP NOW!

SETH
Does anyone even live back here?

EXT. MUSEUM - DAY

Eli’s truck pulls into the parking lot. No other cars or

trucks in the lot.

A field of planted trees stands off to one side of the

building. A few simple, low-lying structures are partly
visible among the trees.
 17.

The building itself is rectangular and barn-like. The long

side of the rectangle faces the parking lot, with several
different entrance doors running along the wall.

Above each door is a different hand-painted sign indicating

which part of the facility you’re entering:

GROCERY. SOUVENIRS AND GIFTS. BEACH STORE.

A sign closer to them reads:

GUEST CHECK-IN & MUSEUM ENTRANCE: SOUND SIDE (ROUND BACK)-->

(”Sound side” = western shore of the Outer Banks islands,

facing the Pamlico Sound. “Ocean side” = on the eastern
shore, facing the Atlantic).

EXT. MUSEUM - BACKYARD - DAY

The guys walk through the side and back yard, following the
arrow pointing toward the museum entrance in the back.

A second staircase descends from the back of the deck, down

to a dock and boat launch.

Two small jon boats sit tied up at the dock, choppy waves
heaving beneath.

SETH
What kind of museum has a boat
launch?

ELI
It’s the Outer Banks. Everything
has a boat launch.

Seth lingers behind for a second, staring at the boats

bobbing gently on the water.

INT. MUSEUM - DAY

The “museum” is a high-ceilinged space crowded with allegedly

colonial-era and Native artifacts and memorabilia.

It also doubles as the lobby of the bed & breakfast.

A man - roughly same age as the guys (25-35), with a name tag
reading HAROLD - sits at a check-in desk, reading a book.

SIMON
Morning. How ya doin.
 18.

Harold looks up at Simon standing in front of him. Harold has

striking eyes: one is blue and one brown.

HAROLD
Hello. I’m doin fine. Y’all need
rooms? Check-in’s usually not til
the afternoon.

Harold speaks with a distinctive accent, like mid-southern

American and Anglo-Irish put into a blender.

SIMON
Just here for the museum. Three
adults please.

Simon removes his wallet.

HAROLD
It’s...free.

Harold looks genuinely shocked to see them.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
Just please sign the guest book.
Name, and where you live.

Simon signs: SIMON JONES. LA CA. He motions for Eli and Seth
to do the same. Eli rolls his eyes and takes the pen.

ELI POV: The page is totally blank except for “SIMON JONES”
written across the top. Not a single other name is recorded
in the pages.

ELI
Y’all stayin’ busy these days?

ELI POV: Eli writes “Seth Babydix. VB VA.”

HAROLD
Hell no. Haven’t seen anyone new in
awhile. Gets pretty boring.

Seth stops when he sees Eli’s alias.

SETH
Grow up dude.

Eli stifles a laugh. Harold pays no attention to their

foolishness. He squints at Simon.

HAROLD
You an actor or something?
 19.

SIMON
Nope. Just a tourist on a surf trip
with the boys.

HAROLD
Why do I know you then? You on the
news?

Simon considers whether he wants to go down this route.

SIMON
You know a show called ‘Secrets of
the Past’?

The man’s eyes widen with recognition.

HAROLD
Oh shit!

Eli and Seth look at each other, resigned to what’s coming

next.

INT. MUSEUM - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

Harold is holding his phone, watching an episode of “Secrets

of the Past” with Simon.

Simon’s narration fills the room:

SIMON (V.O.)
You don’t have to believe in ghosts
or the afterlife to believe that
some places harbor an unseen
presence - the weight of historical
tragedies.

HAROLD
I love this shit.

Seth and Eli stand at a distance, still able to hear the

sound coming from Harold’s phone. They linger at the display
cases, half-heartedly examining some nautical artifacts.

SIMON (V.O.)
Civil War battlefields. Slave
quarters on southern plantations.
Abandoned sanitariums. Haunted by
history.

ELI
Simon kind of sounds like a
douchebag in this episode.
 20.

SETH
A LOVABLE douchebag.

ELI
A douchey Rod Serling?

SIMON (V.O.)
Sometimes the connection to the
past is clear.

HAROLD
Do you write all the lines you say?

SIMON
I do.

HAROLD
How do you know if it’s good?

Simon thinks about it.

SIMON
I don’t.

SIMON (V.O.)
Other times - there is no WHY.
Events unfold beyond the boundaries
of human understanding.

Harold pauses the playback on his phone. He looks at Simon

hopefully.

HAROLD
You think I could get a picture
with you? We never get anyone
famous in here.

Simon laughs. He’s flattered.

SIMON
“Famous” is EXTREMELY generous.

Eli and Seth playfully join in.

ELI
Generous as fuck.

SETH
Christ-like in its generosity.

Harold turns to Seth, irritated, singling him out.

 21.

HAROLD
He’s more famous than YOU. Who the
hell are you to judge?

Seth and Simon are taken aback. Eli looks delighted.

ELI
You know what? I’ll take that photo
for you, good sir.

Harold hands the phone to Eli for the photo.

Eli frames up the picture of Harold and Simon. He analyzes

his frame with mock seriousness.

ELI (CONT'D)
Just trying to get the composition
right. OK - this is STUNNING. Let’s
start with a series, then we’ll
tweak the lighting for a bit of a
chiaroscuro--

SIMON
Ly.

Simon looks like he’s being held hostage.

Harold makes a cheesy thumbs-up.

ELI
Perfect.

Eli snaps the photo and hands Harold back his phone.

HAROLD
So...y’all wanna see the exhibits?

Harold nods toward a sign indicating more exhibits down a

hallway:

--> REPLICA COLONIAL VILLAGE DIORAMA

--> LOST COLONY EXHIBIT

--> ARBORETUM + TAXIDERMY GARDEN

HAROLD (CONT'D)
They’re all home-made.

Harold says this with evident pride.

Eli and Seth quietly back away, out of earshot.

 22.

TAXIDERMIED ANIMALS sit in one corner of the room, in a small

recreation of a forest scene.

Eli pretends to examine a family of stuffed rabbits.

ELI
Am I crazy or does this guy look
like he’s gonna skin us alive and
wear our faces like masks?

SETH
How high is Simon right now?

Simon has not removed his sunglasses since stepping out of

the car.

ELI
High on life. Johnny Hollywood
soaking up the adoration of the
little people.

Admiration tinged with resentment.

Harold eagerly awaits Simon’s answer to his offer of a guided

tour, like a younger sibling wanting to impress an older one.

Simon appears uncomfortable but stuck.

SIMON
Sure...we can do a quick tour -
right guys?

He turns around - Eli and Seth have disappeared.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Cool. Always reliable.

Harold doesn’t seem to mind.

HAROLD
This way please!

Harold indicates an opening in the room, wide enough to drive

a car through. The exit opens to the wooded side-yard area
and the low-lying outdoor structures hidden among the trees.

INT. MUSEUM - DAY

Eli and Simon have discretely escaped to a different room.

Trinkets, coins, tools, broken bits of porcelain sit under

glass display cases.
 23.

SETH
I can’t listen to that guy stroke
Simon’s ego anymore. Christ.

ELI
You seem a bit raw today buddy. Did
the mean redneck hurt your
feelings?

SETH
You’re a dick.

ELI
You’re famous to ME bud. I’d take a
creepy selfie with you anytime.

Eli mimics Harold’s doofy thumbs up.

Seth ignores Eli and reads the exhibit in front of them: a

large, hand-painted display reading:

THE ‘LOST COLONY’ OF ROANOKE: ALTERNATIVE THEORIES!?!

A series of numbered displays with titles as follows:

1 - MYSTERY PANDEMIC

2 - THE ‘CROATOAN’ CURSE

3 - TRANSMIGRATION OF SOULS - “THE LEGEND OF THE PELICAN”

ELI (CONT'D)
This “ancient alien” pseudo-history
shit kills me. I know Simon’s done
his thing with it but...I dunno.

Eli trails off, not wanting to go further.

SETH
It’s like the ‘true crime’ fad but
for people who dropped out of
middle school to huff glue.

ELI
He should’ve at least picked the
aquarium. You ever looked at a
dinoflagellate under a microscope
while on a TINY bit of LSD?

Seth drifts over to display board #3 -

THE ‘CROATOAN’ CURSE - HISTORY AND MYSTERY

 24.

A collage of illustrated Elizabethan-era colonists and more

recent historical black and white photos:

Edgar Allan Poe. Amelia Earhart. Ambrose Bierce.

There are more photos and text beneath the main images. Seth
examines them half-heartedly, shaking his head.

SETH
I burned a lot of June capital to
be here.

ELI
Compassion, Seth. We’re about to
lose Simon to greater forces. He’s
practicing his dad-ness in
preparation for his next life.

SETH
Dad-ness?

ELI
I just mean his whole ‘hipster
occult adventurer’ schtick is a
character. He’s overcompensating.
The REAL Simon is stoked on getting
married and civilizing himself and
living the soft life. Grills and
little league games and so on.

SETH
You make that sound like a bad
thing.

ELI
It’s not BAD at all!
Just...different. Evolved.

SETH
You wouldn’t trade places with him?

Something in a display case catches Eli’s attention. He walks

over to it as he continues talking.

ELI
I don’t wanna play that game. My
point is - let him live a little.

Eli fiddles with the latch on a display case containing an

OLD-LOOKING BOOK.

The sign above the case reads:

THE MYSTERY OF THE CAROL DEERING.

 25.

SHIPWRECKED OFF HATTERAS, 1922.

CREW VANISHED - WITHOUT A TRACE!

A smaller sign, above the book in the display: AUTHENTIC

CAPTAINS LOG! RECOVERED BY COAST GUARD.

ELI (CONT'D)
Speaking of. How’s June coming
along with Sethy Jr? It doesn’t
feel real, you know?

Seth starts to say something, then reconsiders.

SETH
Tell me about it.

ELI
She ready for crazy Uncle Eli to
corrupt her first-born?

Eli pulls harder on the latch.

SETH
Ly. What the fuck, dude?

Seth looks around, mortified.

ELI
What? You think this place has
alarms?

SETH
That’s not -- WHY are you doing
that, is my point.

Eli looks at Seth like a confused dog after a scolding.

ELI
I thought it’d be a cool gift for
Simon. Unique. It can be from both
of us.

SETH
You always do impulsive shit like
this. You don’t even know what that
book is!

ELI
Simon will! He’ll appreciate it.

SETH
He will NOT appreciate a stolen
book.
 26.

Eli looks irritated.

ELI
Alright Mom. We’ll tell him we
bought it on eBay.

Seth looks uneasy.

ELI (CONT'D)
Nobody comes here. Nobody’s going
to miss it.

POP! The weak, rusted latch pops open.

ELI (CONT'D)
There we go.

SETH
Nope. I’m out. Not part of this.

Eli rolls his eyes as Seth walks quickly into the adjoining
room of the museum.

Eli takes the book and tucks it into the waistband of his
shorts. He turns to leave and sees--

A solitary OLD MAN standing on the other side of the room. In

the shadows.

STARING AT ELI.

Eli jumps back, startled!

ELI
Jesus!

Like Harold at the front desk, the Old Man also has
mismatched eye colors - one brown and one blue.

It’s unclear how long the man’s been watching.

ELI (CONT'D)
Um...hello sir. Great exhibit, huh?

The Old Man says nothing - just stares intensely at Eli.

INT. MUSEUM - NEXT ROOM - DAY

Seth stands in another large exhibition room, mostly empty.

Sheets cover several large displays, as if they’re works in

progress, not yet ready for human eyes.
 27.

Seth pulls the sheet off of one display, revealing a FULL

SIZE REPLICA of a thatched-roof hut, common in early American
colonial villages.

Seth peers inside the hut - nothing visible in the darkness.

He turns on his phone flashlight and ducks inside.

INT. COLONIAL HUT - CONTINUOUS

Seth freezes at what he sees inside:

LIFE-SIZED WOOD CARVINGS of an Elizabethan-era colonial

family in typical period clothing. The facial features are
painted in a simple, earnest folk-art style.

Two figures sit in the middle of the hut, around a makeshift

hearth:

A MAN and a PREGNANT WOMAN.

The man’s features are blank - no face is painted yet.

The woman’s features appear to be far more detailed. Seth

peers in for a closer look at her face and recoils:

The painted face has a STRONG RESEMBLANCE TO JUNE’S.

Seth snaps a picture with his phone, then runs his hands over
the woman’s face, gently, as if he’ll break it.

He peers directly into the statue’s eyes. Runs a hand over

the statue’s convex belly.

SUDDENLY SETH RECOILS in shock and disgust.

He pulls back his hand - it’s smeared with BLOOD!

Seth steps back - BLOOD IS SEEPING THROUGH the lower part of

the woman’s colonial frock.

He looks down at the floor - BLOOD SPILLS FROM THE WOMAN AND
POOLS BENEATH HER, reaching all the way to Seth’s shoes.

Seth stumbles out of the hut, nearly falling over.

EXT. HUT - CONTINUOUS

Seth stands outside the hut, unsure of what he just saw.

He looks down at his shoes. No signs of blood.

 28.

He pokes his head back inside the hut - no blood on the floor
or on the pregnant woman. She looks exactly the same as when
he first saw her.

Seth shakes his head, gives himself a gentle “wake-up” type

slap on the cheeks.

SETH
You DO need a beer. Jesus.

INT./EXT. MUSEUM & GARDEN - DAY

Harold guides Simon through a high-ceilinged indoor area with

a dirt floor, full of planted trees.

SIMON
This is really remarkable.

HAROLD
All native trees I planted here to
recreate the conditions of the
original Lost Colony of Roanoke.

Harold points out the different types of trees, rattling off

their names with easy familiarity.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
Live oak. Sweetgum. Wax myrtle.
Bald cypress. River birch. Eastern
red cedar. Southern magnolia.

SIMON
And this indoor area just continues
into the trees outside?

Harold nods.

HAROLD
That’s where I’m building the
Village.

Harold indicates some low-lying buildings through the trees

ahead.

SIMON
You built a replica village of the
original Roanoke Colony?

HAROLD
My dad actually had the idea to
build a Lost Colony village. He’s
retired now. So I’m sort of keeping
the fire going, you know?
 29.

SIMON
Can I see it?

HAROLD
Unfortunately it’s still a work in
progress.

Simon looks disappointed.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
We do have a little scale model I
can show you if you want.

Harold leads Simon to a SCALE MODEL DIORAMA of a colonial

village: thatched huts, a church and a graveyard, a
marketplace, English-style fences around plots of corn,
livestock roaming the grass. Encircled by dense forest.

Little human figurines representing English colonists and

Native Americans dot the grounds of the diorama. Little
forest animals are scattered throughout as well.

The model sits a bit below eye level on a pedestal-type

platform. The buildings and trees stand around six inches,
the people and animals a bit smaller.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
May I present - the Lost Colony.

SIMON
Wow! The craftsmanship...it’s
incredible.

HAROLD
Also Dad.

Simon leans in for a closer look, genuinely impressed.

SIMON
You know they weren’t actually
“lost” at all, right? The Roanoke
Island colonists.

HAROLD
Oh? So what happened to them?

Harold listens politely but looks unimpressed, like an

evangelical hearing an argument from an atheist.

SIMON
They assimilated with the Natives
who’d been their allies. Absorbed
into their tribe. Intermarried.
 30.

HAROLD
Well...who knows. I’m not sure it
really matters.

SIMON
I think it matters. People don’t
just vanish. That’s not history -
it’s magic. Sensationalism.

HAROLD
Isn’t that kind of what your show
is though?

Simon appears taken aback.

SIMON
Well - not exactly. And I didn’t
say that was a bad thing
necessarily. Just not...serious.

HAROLD
Right. Serious. Which means boring.
Which is why I love your show -
it’s never THAT serious.

Simon doesn’t look thrilled with that assessment.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
I don’t mean any disrespect.

SIMON
No, it’s fine.

Simon broods for a second, then scans his surroundings, eager

to change the subject.

SIMON (CONT'D)
You do all the taxidermy yourself?

The grove of trees around them is populated by a few

TAXIDERMIED FOREST CREATURES, all extremely lifelike:

A deer peers at them through the trees. An owl stares down

from a branch. A fox stalks a raccoon.

HAROLD
That was my Dad too. I’m not really
into all the blood and guts.

ELI (O.S.)
SIMON! Time to go buddy!

A look of relief on Simon’s face. Disappointment on Harold’s.

 31.

HAROLD
Already?

INT. ELI’S TRUCK - DAY

The guys sit in silence as Eli drives away from the museum.

SIMON
Why are y’all so quiet? Did you
break something?

ELI
Nothing, Dad. Scout’s honor.

SIMON
Bullshit. Seth - what happened?

Eli gives Seth a warning glance in the rearview.

SETH
Nothing happened. We just got tired
of being there.

Seth CRACKS open a road beer and downs half of it in a single

hearty gulp.

SIMON
Thought it was too early?

SETH
It’s later now.

Seth finishes the beer and cracks a second one.

SETH (CONT'D)
Anyone else?

The guys wave him off.

SIMON
Aren’t we about to paddle out?

ELI
Yes. And drinking before surfing is
really stupid. You need to be
hydrating. Personally I only drink
Fiji water with a little Himalayan
pink salt.

Simon and Seth roll their eyes.

 32.

SETH
It’s two light beers - they’re
mostly water anyway. But thanks for
your concern, Mom.

EXT. RODANTHE BEACH - PARKING LOT - AFTERNOON

Eli and Seth stand in the parking lot, wetsuits rolled down
to the waist.

Simon, also in his wetsuit, arranges their surfboards against

the railing behind them.

SIMON
Get a lil diagonal action
here...and you guys swap places.
I’ll go in the middle.

Eli is watching the waves, fidgeting with a nervous energy.

Seth smokes a cigarette and stares off into the distance.

ELI
Yo Annie Liebovitz. Can we move
this along please?

Simon dashes behind a DSLR camera mounted onto a tripod.

SIMON
Timer set...and...ready? Say
“Chee...eli has a teeny weeny.”

Eli can’t help but laugh. Even Seth cracks a smile.

ELI
Impossible! I’m a scientist. Big
dick energy is a job requirement.

Simon fires the shutter and runs over to join the photo.

The shutter clicks - the image freezes on their smiling

faces.

EXT. RODANTHE BEACH - AFTERNOON

Eli, Simon, and Seth stand on a gray beach, wetsuits fully

on, watching the waves with surfboards in hand. They appear
to be the only ones out.

The winds are intense, near gale-force. The guys shield their
eyes from the sand blowing at them.
 33.

ELI
I told you we needed to paddle out
early here. These afternoon onshore
winds come in like clockwork. But
what do I know - I’m just a fucking
oceanographer.

A vivid RED TIDE stares back at them - the water glows with
an unsettling maroon hue.

SIMON
Should we even surf in that?

ELI
It’s just algae. They feed on
excess nitrogen and phosphorus in
the water. From industrial
fertilizers in storm runoff.

Beyond the red tide, a lone pelican hovers and dive-bombs the
surface, stabbing a fish from the water.

SETH
It’s kind of pretty in a weird way.

Eli scoffs.

ELI
It’s not pretty. It sucks up all
the oxygen. Kills fish, birds,
mammals--

SIMON
Humans?

ELI
If only. We’re harder to kill.

EXT. OCEAN - DAY - MINUTES LATER

Eli slices beneath the first breaking wave with an effortless

duck dive - perfectly executed, zero momentum lost.

The guys follow: Simon next, Seth in the rear.

A breaking wave hits Seth in the face and knocks him off
balance. He barely stays on his board.

He recovers and paddles onward, into the waves.

Another wave bears down on Seth - bigger this time.

 34.

Seth paddles harder and pushes the nose of the surfboard

under the wave. Seth’s technique isn’t as graceful as Eli’s,
but it gets the job done - barely.

Seth comes up gasping for air. Eli and Simon are way ahead
now, barely visible.

Seth is ‘stuck inside’ - unable to propel himself past the

line of breaking waves into the calmer water beyond.

Seth stops paddling to catch his breath.

SETH
(panting)
God DAMMIT!

He freezes and notices the next wave is already much closer

than he’d anticipated.

SETH (CONT'D)
Fuck me.

Seth sits up and desperately spins the board around. He tries

to position himself to paddle for the wave.

The wave crests and crashes directly on top of Seth with full
force, knocking him off his board and pile-driving him under.

Seth fights his way back to the surface, kicking and gasping,
his board tailing behind him, attached by his ankle leash.

The next wave LAUNCHES Seth’s board at him like a missile.

The flying board CRACKS Seth hard in the back of his head.

Seth’s eyes go blank - he goes under like a stone.

EXT. UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Under the surface.

SETH POV: Murky, translucent forms, spinning in semidarkness.

Dizzy and disoriented. Seth can't tell up from down. Pulled

by the undertow like a rag doll in a washing machine.

He gropes around with his hands, feels the sandy bottom.

Seth pushes off the sand and extends an arm toward what he
thinks is the surface.

A HAND EXTENDS FROM BELOW AND GRABS SETH BY THE ANKLE.

 35.

Seth’s eyes go wide. He kicks furiously.

The hand pulls him downward.

Light peeks through the surface.

Seth struggles for air. The surface light grows dim.

SFX: Seth’s muffled, watery scream as he’s dragged deeper

into the darkness.

EXT. OCEAN - CONTINUOUS

Eli and Simon sit on their boards, awaiting an incoming wave.

SIMON
Take it.

ELI
Fuck yeah.

Eli paddles hard as the wave pushes him forward.

He pops up gracefully, drops down the wave, and executes a

sharp bottom turn, carving the board up and down the face.

At the end of his ride Eli sees Seth’s surfboard floating on

the surface.

But no Seth.

Eli hops down and sits on his board. He watches and waits for
Seth to emerge.

Five seconds pass. Seth’s board drifts aimlessly.

Concern grows on Eli’s face. He paddles toward Seth’s board.

Ten seconds.

Eli paddles furiously, calls back to Simon -

ELI (CONT'D)
SIMON! GET OVER HERE NOW!

Twenty seconds.

Eli RIPS the leash off his ankle and dives below the waves.

Simon charges toward Eli as fast as he can paddle.

 36.

EXT. UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Seth struggles toward the light with all his strength. The
hand pulls him back down with equal force.

His eyes bulge as his lungs fight for survival.

A NEW HAND REACHES DOWNWARD AND YANKS SETH UP TO THE SURFACE!

The hand gripping Seth’s ankle slips into the depths.

Seth is pulled into the light.

OVER WHITE

SIMON (O.S.)
Oh my god oh my god. Seth.

ELI (O.S.)
Don’t you fucking die on me!

EXT. RODANTHE BEACH - CONTINUOUS

Seth opens his eyes and sees the sky.

He lays on his back in the sand. A gentle wave washes beneath

him.

Eli and Simon kneel beside him, terrified.

ELI
FUCK! YES!

SIMON
Oh my GOD Seth!

SFX: Gently breaking waves, the soft caw of shorebirds.

Simon looks at Seth with paternal concern.

SIMON (CONT'D)
What happened?

Seth’s ears are ringing. Eli and Simon’s voices sound stuffy
and muffled, but gradually sharpen.

SETH
I think I...died for a minute.
 37.

ELI
Do you know how lucky we are?
Hitting your head like that and
going under and...Jesus. Fuck!

The guys embrace Seth. He looks dazed, unsteady.

SETH
I wanna get up.

Seth gets to his feet unsteadily with his friends’ help. He

gingerly feels the back of his head where the board hit.

Suddenly Seth PUKES a mix of vomit and seawater.

SETH (CONT'D)
BLURGGGH!

ELI
Attaboy. Get it out.

SIMON
He might have a concussion.

Seth finishes, wipes his mouth.

SIMON (CONT'D)
There’s an urgent care about 20
minutes away.

ELI
Let’s go.

SETH
No. We’ll sit there for 2 hours for
bandaid and an Advil. I’m good.

SIMON
Look at me. Follow my finger with
your eyes.

Simon starts to administer a concussion test.

SETH
Stop. I’m fine! I’m a grown man,
it’s my decision. Right?

Simon and Eli look at each other, hesitant.

SIMON
You don’t need to prove your
toughness. Don’t be too proud to-
 38.

SETH
I’m good! I just need a minute.
Then let’s paddle back out. Can’t
end the session like this.

Eli and Simon look at Seth like he’s insane.

Seth grabs his board and walks back into the crashing surf.
The guys follow, reluctantly.

INT. ELI’S TRUCK - PARKING LOT - LATER

The guys have changed out of their wetsuits. All climb into
the truck.

Eli starts the truck and reverses.

A HORN HONKS BEHIND HIM!

A LARGE BLACK PICKUP TRUCK with dark, tinted windows blocks

Eli’s path out, but doesn’t move.

The Black Truck honks again!

ELI
What the FUCK man?

Seth winces in pain at the loud noise. His ears ring.

Eli honks back, sticks his head out the window and yells-

ELI (CONT'D)
Bro! Back the FUCK up. Jesus.

The Black Truck honks repeatedly in response to Eli: deep and

aggressive. The truck’s tinted windows remain up.

ELI (CONT'D)
I’m about to get out and curb-stomp
this prick.

Finally the Black Truck creeps in reverse, clearing a path.

ELI (CONT'D)
Wow. So kind. Redneck jag-off.

Eli backs the truck out and puts the car in drive.

The Black Truck remains motionless in the rearview, as if

it’s watching them leave.

Seth sticks his middle finger out the window at the Black
Truck as they drive away.
 39.

SIMON
Seth’s made a speedy recovery.

SFX: The Black Truck honks at them one last time -

aggressively and repeatedly.

ELI
Back from the dead!

EXT. RODANTHE FISHING PIER - LATER

The late-afternoon sky reddens over the fishing pier.

Fishing rods lean against the railing, waiting to be cast.

Simon holds an old photograph that the guys crowd around:

The three as teenagers: thin faces, lean bodies, shaggy hair,

no tattoos. Smiling on a beach, arms around each other’s
shoulders.

SIMON
Look how innocent we are. So full
of optimism.

SETH
I had a six-pack without even
trying! Those were the glory days.

SIMON
All on a steady diet of Taco Bell
and Adderall.

ELI
Dude. Simon. Your hair looks like
One Direction.

Eli cracks three beers, pours them into Dixie cups.

SIMON
I don’t know if Seth should be
drinking after a concussion.
Probably just water, right?

Seth looks irritated. Eli hands Simon his beer.

SETH
Simon. I’m good. Let it go.

Eli hands Seth his beer.

SIMON
Go easy at least.
 40.

ELI
A toast!

The guys raise their cups.

ELI (CONT'D)
Just wanna say a few words real
quick - since the best man speech
is officially Sethy’s problem.

Simon and Seth laugh. Eli forces a smile.

ELI (CONT'D)
A toast. To Simon. Always knew
you’d be the first to become
domesticated.

Simon laughs, acknowledges. Eli gathers his thoughts.

ELI (CONT'D)
For real though - Rose is awesome
and I’m so stoked for you both.
You’re a lucky man.

SIMON
Don’t I know it.

Simon nods appreciatively, salutes.

SETH
Hear hear.

ELI
I wanna say something else real
quick too.

Eli pauses, looks at Seth.

ELI (CONT'D)
That was fucking terrifying today.
Seeing your body down there...I’ve
never been that scared in my life.

Seth meets Eli’s eyes.

ELI (CONT'D)
We all know we’re not gonna be
doing these kind of trips as much
any more. I mean, we will
but...different. It’s like...the
last dying breath of our youth.
Before we’re reborn as men.
 41.

SIMON
“The birth and death of the day.”

They look at Simon quizzically. He seems a bit drunk already.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Steinbeck.

ELI
Point is - life is short. Let’s be
good to each other. I love both of
you guys so much it fucking hurts.

Eli lifts his beer.

Simon and Seth raise their beers. Simon clears his throat:

SIMON
“Do not go gentle into that good
night. Old age should burn and rave
at the close of day. Rage, rage
against the dying of the light.”

SETH
To Simon. Mazel tov buddy.

ELI
L’Chaim.

SIMON
To life. I fucking love you guys.

They toast and chug. Eli refills everyone.

ELI
Let me see that picture again.

Eli examines the group photo a second time.

SIMON
Nearly half a lifetime ago.

ELI
The springtime of our lives.

Indicating the photo.

ELI (CONT'D)
We’re in our fucking summer years
already dudes. Think about that.
Peak years. Marriage, career, kids.
Then one day, autumn...the harvest.
Retirement. Grandkids.
 42.

SIMON
The golden years. So they say.

SETH
Fuck winter though.

Simon clears his throat.

SIMON
So speaking of all that...I have
some big news.

Seth and Eli look at Simon expectantly.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Rose is pregnant. We just found out
on Thursday.

ELI
Holy shit! You too! Congrats dude!

Eli hugs Simon energetically, double slap on the back. Seth

does as well, a little more subdued.

SETH
That’s awesome. I’m so happy for
you both.

Eli refills their beers.

ELI
Wow. That definitely calls for
another toast.

Simon nods proudly.

Seth looks off over the ocean - his mind is elsewhere.

ELI (CONT'D)
To NEW life.

The guys raise their cups and drink.

Simon drains his cup in a single gulp and belches. Eli

refills him again.

SIMON
Who’s got cigs for Groomzilla? I
can never smoke at home anymore.

ELI
Bro. You know this body is a
temple. You should listen to your
wife.
 43.

Seth hands Simon a cigarette.

SETH
Is Rose doing a bachelorette thing
this weekend too?

SIMON
Yeah she’s down in Charleston with
her girls.

Eli reels in his line, recasts.

SETH
You think they got her a big dick
cake?

ELI
Or lil dick cupcakes? Rose is
probably more accustomed to that
scale - right buddy?

SIMON
Lil Dick Cupcake is Rose’s nickname
for you.

Eli readies his comeback when -

A TUG on Seth’s fishing pole. The tip bends toward the water.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Grab that!

Seth grabs the pole before it’s pulled over the railing.

Eli glares at Simon, then turns his attention to water below.

Seth pulls back with all his weight. Something big is at the
other end.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Nice and easy. Don’t scare it off.

Seth almost loses his grip on the fishing rod.

SIMON (CONT'D)
You want help?

SETH
I got it.

ELI
Let me reel it in.
 44.

SETH
Dude. Stop. I can do it.

Seth leans back and pulls.

Eli and Simon look over the railing.

ELI
Holy shit!

SETH
What is it?

ELI
It’s a GIGANTIC fucking Striper.

SIMON
Good lord.

An ENORMOUS STRIPED BASS thrashes in the water below. Easily

4ft, 30 lbs.

Seth battles the fish with all his strength - reeling,

releasing slack, pulling back.

ELI
You’re gonna snap the rod in half.

Seth looks even more determined.

He reels the fish up and out of the water, bit by bit, closer
and closer to the pier.

SIMON
FUCK YEAH! You got it! Ly - help
him out! Get the net.

ELI
Sure thing Dad.

Simon glares, then returns his attention to the battle.

Eli holds the net over the railing and stretches it beneath
the fish dangling from Seth’s line.

ELI (CONT'D)
Holy SHIT that’s a big boy.

Seth eases the fish into Eli’s net and reaches in to remove
the hook from the fish’s mouth.

A ROW OF SMALL TEETH protrude from the fish’s inner lips.

 45.

SETH
Ly - do striped bass have...teeth?

ELI
Fuck no. Let me see that.

Eli and Simon peer at the toothy fish. Unlike the tiny spikes
of a pirhana or the sharp jagged triangles of a shark, the
striper’s teeth are dulled and rounded.

Almost human-like.

SIMON
Maybe it’s an undiscovered sub-
species?

ELI
Probably just a...local...mutation.

Eli doesn’t sound that sure of himself.

SETH
It’s ugly as fuck.

ELI
Nature’s deepest beauties are
cloaked in her darkest ugliness.

SIMON
Who said that? Cousteau?

ELI
Me.

Eli photographs the fish and gets closeups of the teeth.

EXT. CAMPSITE - EVENING

Seth and Simon PLOP the striper onto a cutting board.

Simon takes his buck knife and shows Seth how to clean and
prepare the fish for cooking.

Eli builds the campfire alone, looking up occasionally to

watch Simon and Seth.

SIMON
Start down here -

Simon indicates the fish’s belly.

 46.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Make the incision, bring it up
toward the gills.

Simon pantomimes the process to demonstrate.

SETH
Can’t fish not feel pain? Like
because of their brains.

SIMON
I think that’s a myth. Ly?

ELI
Fish brains produce the same
opioids that mammals do in response
to pain. So...they feel SOMETHING.

Eli arranges kindling in intricate patterns.

Simon hands Seth the knife, handle first.

SIMON
It’s your fish.

SETH
Ly, you wanna do it?

Eli rolls his eyes from the fire pit.

ELI
Seth. Come on. Simon and I won’t
always be around to cut the crusts
off your PB&Js.

SETH
I almost died today. Remember?

ELI
It’s tough love, baby. You’ll thank
us one day.

The wind blows in uneven bursts, making it difficult to light

a fire. But Eli has built an ingenious fire shelter and has
the kindling going.

Dry leaves crackle and spark. Tiny fingers of fire reach

through the teepee of logs.

Eli blows carefully to spread the flames. A smile spreads

across his face. Primal pride.

Eli sips from a flask, basking in the glow. He looks over to

see if his friends have noticed his victory.
 47.

ELI (CONT'D)
Y’all see that? Spanish moss makes
for great kindling.

They’re not listening - both absorbed in the fish-cleaning.

SETH
OK I got it. Just need to get -

Seth’s EARS RING with tinnitus. Simon speaks to Seth, but his
voice is muffled beneath the high-pitched ringing.

Seth takes a step back from the table, looking unsteady on

his feet.

SETH POV: Perspective shifts - dizzy and off-balance.

Simon reaches to steady his friend.

SIMON
Sit down. Give me that.

Simon reaches for the knife in Seth’s hand. Seth keeps it

away from him.

SETH
Simon. Chill. I’m fine.

SIMON
Don’t wave that knife around!

ELI
(under his breath)
Sure thing Dad.

Suddenly the fish FLOPS off the table and onto the ground.

It’s still alive!

SETH
How is that even possible? It was
in the cooler all afternoon.

Seth grabs the enormous fish with both hands and lifts it off
the ground.

THE FISH SLIPS FREE AND NIPS SETH’S FINGER!

SETH (CONT'D)
Fuck! It fucking bit me!

Blood gushes from a jagged-looking bite wound on Seth’s index

finger.
 48.

Eli hops over to the scene of the crime and pins the
squirming fish to the ground with his knee.

ELI
Give me the knife.

Seth hands Eli the knife.

ELI (CONT'D)
Watch. Quick and clean. Don’t drag
it out.

Eli JABS the fish with the blade handle, directly above the
eyes. The blow is light, but precise.

The fish instantly stops moving. Eli hoists it onto the

cutting board and rinses the dirt off its scales.

SIMON
Ly - take over, please. I’ll clean
Seth up.

ELI
Already on it, Dad.

SIMON
Give it a rest, Professor.

Eli ignores Simon as he glides the knife up the fish’s belly,

cutting through the skin toward the head.

Seth watches Eli work as Simon tapes gauze around his injury.

Eli hand the knife back to Seth, handle-first.

He then removes the fish’s entrails and gills with his hands.
Cool and clinical, as if he’s replacing the batteries from a
TV remote.

EXT. CAMPSITE - NIGHT

The guys sip beers by the crackling campfire. Empty plates

and dozens of empty cans on the table.

SIMON
Seems like good a time as any.

Simon gets up and goes over to Eli’s truck. He rummages

around in the back.

Eli and Seth look at each other - not sure what to expect.
 49.

Simon returns with two unmarked boxes - one large, one small.
He hands the large box to Eli and the smaller one to Seth.

SIMON (CONT'D)
I know you both put a lot into this
weekend. Money, thought, time...it
means a lot.

ELI
Dude. Nowhere else we’d rather be.

SETH
Absolutely man.

SIMON
I know. And I’ll do the same for
you when it’s your turn. But just
humor me and open them.

Eli opens his box first and pulls out a very professional and
expensive-looking blazer.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Rose helped me pick it out. For
when you get the adjunct job.

ELI
Jesus dude. This is...too nice.

Eli looks overwhelmed and a bit ashamed.

SIMON
Ly. We talked about this. Don’t get
down on yourself. Don’t negotiate
against yourself. You belong there
as much as anyone.

Eli nods uncertainly. He stands up to try the jacket on.

Simon looks over at Seth, expectantly.

Seth opens his smaller box and sees what’s inside. A folded
piece of paper.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Just a picture for now. The actual
gift is too -- you’ll see.

Seth unfolds the sheet of paper and FREEZES.

SETH POV: An expensive-looking, top of the line STROLLER.

SIMON (CONT'D)
What do you think?
 50.

Seth stares at the paper in his hands, trying to contain all

the pain now flooding back through his mind.

SETH
I don’t know what to say. Thank
you.

Eli leans over to see.

ELI
Oh shit dude. Aren’t those like a
thousand bucks?

SIMON
Rose says they’re the best. It’s
the same model she wants us to get.

SETH
It’s...super generous.

SIMON
Do you think June will like it?

Seth hesitates. The silence goes on a bit long for comfort.

Eli clears his throat.

ELI
We actually have something for you
too, bachelor boy.

A soft smile returns to Simon’s face.

SIMON
You shouldn’t have.

Eli hands Simon the little book he stole from the Museum.

SIMON (CONT'D)
What’s this?

ELI
Found it on eBay. Old captain’s log
from the 1920s.

Simon takes the book, looks genuinely delighted.

SIMON
Fuck, that IS cool! You know I love
this stuff.

ELI
We thought maybe you could use it
for Secrets.
 51.

Simon briefly flips through the book, examining the pages.

SIMON
Thank you guys. Seriously. I’m
gonna read it first thing tomorrow.

Simon grabs a bottle of bourbon next to him.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Tonight - we’re celebrating.

EXT. OCEAN - EARLY MORNING

Seth sits on a surfboard, alone. The sky is a cold gray - no

sun visible.

A heavy fog blankets land and sea. No waves are imminent -

the water is glassy, still, silent.

DEAD PELICANS float like driftwood around Seth’s surfboard.

He pays them no attention, only staring out at the horizon.

EXT. BEACH SHOWERS - EARLY MORNING

Seth stands beneath the beach showers, rinsing a dark, vivid

substance off his surfboard.

Blood runs down the shower drain.

EXT. PICNIC TABLES - EARLY MORNING

June - visibly pregnant - sits at a picnic table on the

beach, putting the final touches on a beautiful birthday
cake. One candle sticks out of the cake, already lit.

JUNE
Did you wash your hands?

Seth looks down at his hands. They’re covered in blood.

JUNE (CONT'D)
There’s not enough cake for
everyone.

SETH
Let’s just go home.

JUNE
I’d love a bath.
 52.

June blows out the candle.

INT. SETH AND JUNE’S APARTMENT - DAY

Seth enters the apartment.

SETH
Junie?

The apartment is silent except for the sound of the

television and running bathwater.

Seth sits down to watch the TV.

ON TV: A group of people in Elizabethan English period dress,

standing knee-deep in the ocean for an outdoor baptism.

June holds an infant child dressed in a flowing white gown.

Seth stands next to her in the water, his arms wrapped
protectively around her.

Simon’s fiancé Rose - pregnant, radiant, gorgeous - stands

next to June.

June, Seth, Rose and several strangers in period dress all

focus on Simon and Eli, holding court like two street
preachers.

ELI
Matter is neither created nor
destroyed! It can only change
state. Life is motion. Change is
eternal.

Seth looks down and realizes he’s only wearing his board
shorts - he’s the only one not in formal period clothing.

SETH
I left my church clothes at home.

JUNE
Shhh. You always do this.

Simon steps forward and lays his hands on the infant in

June’s arms, like a priest performing an exorcism.

SIMON
I exorcise thee, unclean spirit, in
the name of the Father and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, that
thou goest out and depart from this
servant of God, Seth.
 53.

Suddenly June PLUNGES THE BABY UNDERWATER.

SETH
Stop! What are you doing?!

SIMON
Seth.

ELI
Seth.

JUNE (O.S.)
Seth.

The TV CUTS to black as if the power cord has been ripped

out.

JUNE (O.S.) (CONT'D)

Seth!

Seth gets up and approaches the bathroom - blood seeps out

from under the door.

SETH
Can I come in?

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

June lies in the empty bathtub, blood covering her entire

midsection and thighs.

Seth stands in the doorway, frozen at the sight.

June’s skin is pale, sweaty, clammy-looking - she appears to

be in shock.

The tile floor and bathtub are completely smeared with blood -
as are June’s hands and forearms and lower body.

June meets Seth’s eyes. Her cheeks are wet with silent tears.

SETH
Junie.

Seth looks crushed - like his soul has been ripped out of his
body.

INT. TENT - NIGHT

Seth JOLTS awake in his sleeping bag, sweaty and gasping from
his latest nightmare.
 54.

INT. ELI’S TRUCK - DAY

The truck speeds south toward Hatteras, Eli behind the wheel.

TEXT OVER IMAGE: SATURDAY

Simon studies the captain’s log and reads to himself:

SIMON (V.O.)
“September 7, 1920. Norfolk. A
peculiar man approached me on the
docks today, as I prepared to lunch
with McLellan. His most striking
feature was his miscolored eyes -
one the color of strong coffee, the
other as blue as the Caribbean. His
accent was that of an Irishman -
McLellan thought Australian.”

Simon stops to ponder the coincidence.

SIMON (V.O.)
He begged our permission to make a
picture of the entire crew for the
local gazette with his new Eastman
folding camera apparatus. I agreed,
so that our employer might see his
ship in the paper and take pride in
the fame of his enterprise.”

ELI (V.O.)
I still dream about those tits.
Simon - you remember Becca?

Back to the present. Simon looks up, annoyed.

SIMON
No.

SETH
Jenny Foster?

ELI
Just hand stuff. Doesn’t count
according to Eli rules.

SIMON
Can we not do this? It feels very
high school.

Eli rolls his eyes.

 55.

SIMON (CONT'D)
I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m
just trying to figure out if this
would make a good story for
Secrets. Something more historical
and...serious.

ELI
Respect the work-free zone, amigo.
You said so yourself - we all put
work and life on hold to be here.
Live a little.

Simon sighs, smiles.

ELI (CONT'D)
Don’t worry dude - you have the
rest of your life to be boring.

Simon laughs, closes the book.

SIMON
Alright assholes. Simon says...Maui
Wowie.

ELI
Simon says!

Eli pulls out a large pre-rolled joint labeled “MW.”

Simon lights the joint, takes a healthy pull.

They drive alone on the highway - no other cars in sight.

A massive flock of PELICANS flies across the road, passing a

few hundred feet in front of Eli’s truck.

ELI (CONT'D)
Now. As I was saying.

Clears throat, mock-formal announcement:

ELI (CONT'D)
As is SACRED TRADITION BEFORE HOLY
MATRIMONY: thou must listeth - and
reflecteth - on every maiden thou
hast ever fucked.

SIMON
Ly. I’m saying this out of love -
you sound like an asshole.

ELI
Impossible. I’m a scientist.
 56.

SIMON
Who talks like a thirty-year old
frat boy.

SETH
Broseph Stalin.

ELI
Fuck you guys. Give me that.

Simon passes Eli the joint.

Eli puts the joint to his lips and inhales just as -

A PELICAN SMASHES FACE FIRST INTO THE WINDSHIELD!

Right at Eli’s side of the truck - almost as if it was aiming

for him specifically!

ELI (CONT'D) SIMON

JESUS FUCK! HOLY SHIT!

The truck SWERVES! Eli fights to regain control.

The pelican shrieks with fear! The terrified bird is

plastered onto the windshield by the truck’s forward
momentum.

SETH
PULL THE FUCK OVER JESUS!

Eli slams the brakes and screeches the truck onto the
shoulder of the highway.

Total silence. High alert - nobody moves or breathes.

EXT. ELI'S TRUCK - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

Eli, Seth, and Simon stand outside the truck, looking at the
pelican. It’s somehow still alive - but hurt.

The bird sits on the ground in front of the truck. One wing
is disfigured - it appears to be broken.

The bird attempts to move the wing. It cries out in pain.

SETH
Holy SHIT.

Seth inches closer to the bird. They lock eyes.

Eli and Simon stand a few steps back.

 57.

ELI
Do not fucking touch that bird.

SETH
We can’t just...leave it.

Seth reaches out and rests his palm on the pelican’s body.

The bird doesn’t recoil. Perfectly still, focused on Seth.

ELI
Seth. I don’t want fucking ticks in
my truck. Seabirds carry every
parasite known to man.

SIMON
There’s not much we can do for it.

Seth looks taken aback.

SETH
What about...Animal Control?

ELI
The euthanasia squad? That’s all
Animal Control does dude. And
scrape up roadkill.

The bird squirms uncomfortably. Another pained cry.

Simon considers his words carefully. He makes eye contact

with Eli as Seth remains fixated on the bird.

SIMON
We’re not going to leave him to
suffer. None of us want that.

Eli gets Simon’s drift, nods.

ELI
Exactly. We’re gonna do it quickly
and humanely.

Simon nods. Seth looks at Simon in disbelief.

SETH
You mean kill it? Why?

SIMON
Not killing. Mercy-killing. Eli’s
right - that’s all Animal Control’s
gonna do. This guy’s too far gone.

Eli sighs at the pathetic wounded creature.

 58.

ELI
Nature is cruel. Circle of life.

The pelican is now sitting perfectly still. It lays its head

on the ground, as if it’s resting.

SETH
It’s not nature. We hit it. We
should try to save it.

SIMON
Let’s list out the pros and cons.
One - mercy-kill. Two - animal
control.

The bird still rests on the ground. At peace.

ELI
Dudes. Enough of the model UN shit.
Let’s just get it over with.

SIMON SETH
We can still take a-- You don’t know--

Without warning - Eli STOMPS on the bird’s neck.

NOTE: The impact and implied death all takes place off-
screen.

SFX: The bird’s muffled SQUAWK and the crunch of bone.

Simon and Seth JUMP back - horrified.

SIMON (CONT'D)
What the FUCK man!

SETH
Holy shit!

Eli looks down in shock at the mangled bird beneath his foot.

ELI
Oh my god.

Eli looks stunned by his own brutality.

ELI (CONT'D)
I thought it would be...clean.

SETH
I’m gonna puke.

Seth backs away, turns and runs into the woods by the road.
 59.

EXT. WOODS - DAY

Retching noises. Seth wipes his mouth, tries to calm down.

He removes his phone from his pocket and dials JUNE. The
phone rings 5 times - no answer. A recorded voicemail message
kicks in:

JUNE (V.O.)
It’s June - you know what to do.

SETH
Hey Junie. Just wanted to check in
on you...something really fucked up
just happened but...we’re fine,
it’s not...

Seth looks around - he can’t see the guys through the trees.

SETH (CONT'D)
That’s not why I called. I
just...hope you’re feeling better
today. I miss you. I love you.

Seth hangs up. Birds CRY overhead.

The rain pounds harder, drops attacking the earth.

The wind whips and SCREAMS! Seth holds onto a large live oak
to keep from being knocked over.

He sees a word CARVED into the trunk: “CROATOAN”

Birds scream and screech overhead.

Seth looks around and FREEZES:

HAROLD from the museum STANDS AMONG A GROVE OF TREES, CARVING

INTO A TRUNK WITH A KNIFE.

Seth does a double-take:

There’s nobody there. Not a soul. No carvings on the trunks.

INT. ELI TRUCK - MINUTES LATER

All three guys are back inside the truck, still parked.

The rain pounds relentlessly on the cracked glass.

The windshield is in bad shape - a giant spiderweb pattern

where the pelican collided.
 60.

The glass is intact, but hanging by a thread - one more

impact could shatter it.

ELI
What are our options?

Seth sulks in the backseat, staring out at the rain.

SIMON
What do you think Seth?

SETH
I think - that Eli’s a fucking
psycho who tortures animals.

ELI
I saved your life yesterday but now
I’m a psycho?

SIMON
It was an accident. Eli feels bad
about it.

ELI
Don’t act like I enjoyed that. We
had two bad choices.

SETH
Your choice fucking sucked.

ELI
If you hadn’t almost drowned
yesterday I’d tell you to quit
being such a pouty little bitch.

SETH
Fuck you! You’re such an asshole.

ELI
Fuck ME? Seriously?

SIMON
Hey! Both of you. Enough. It’s
done. We’re moving on.

ELI
I agree. Let’s put it behind us.

Seth shakes his head, stares out the window.

Simon presses the windshield glass. Very loose. They could

knock it out by hand if they wanted to.
 61.

SIMON
Drive super slow? Like 30?

Eli shakes his head, indicates the damaged windshield.

ELI
These little shards could fly out
any minute and fuck us right in the
eyes. We need to get it cleaned out
and replaced.

SIMON
Today?

ELI
We can do it in the morning I
guess. I just can’t really drive
like this.

Simon sighs.

SIMON
Camping’s kind of fucked tonight
with the rain too.

SETH
So...motel?

Simon has been looking at his phone already.

SIMON
There’s a couple nearby with decent
reviews. Oh shit - this one has a
jacuzzi. And there’s an Applebee’s
next door. We can hit happy hour.

Eli rolls his eyes.

EXT. HWY NC-12 - LATER

The rain has stopped - for now.

Eli drives the truck very slowly along the highway. Broken
glass rattles in the windshield as if it’s about to fall out.

ELI
Well this fuckin’ sucks.

He drives slowly with his head out the window - the cracked
windshield is difficult to see through.
 62.

A black pickup truck approaches from the opposite direction.

It’s driving aggressively and recklessly - speeding and
swerving.

SIMON
Watch out for this guy.

SETH
He looks drunk.

ELI
What is the deal with these big-ass
lifted trucks driving like dicks?

SIMON
It’s a testosterone thing. Gotta
prove you’re a BIG MAN.

The Black Truck WHOOSHES past!

Seth’s eyes widen as the truck passes.

It’s the Black Truck from the Rodanthe parking lot.

SETH
That’s the same truck. From
yesterday. In Rodanthe.

SIMON
The...one you flipped off?

SFX: Tires SQUEAL and SCREECH to a sudden halt.

It pulls a U-turn behind them and starts moving in their

direction.

SETH
Ly.

The Black Truck drives faster in their direction, as if it’s

trying to pass them.

ELI
What is this guy doing?

Eli increases speed. Broken glass rattles loose from the

windshield and flies into the cab.

SETH
He’s not slowing down.

The Black Truck ACCELERATES and HITS the back of Eli’s!

The guys JOLT!

 63.

ELI
The fuck!

The larger truck decelerates, then speeds up and RAMS Eli

again!

More glass shatters and drops.

SIMON
Jesus christ!

SETH
Who is this asshole?

Eli stomps the gas pedal. The truck snaps into high speed.

Shards of glass detach and fly back into the truck.

The Black Truck speeds up in pursuit!

EXT. BRIDGE - DAY

Eli increases his speed as he approaches a bridge spanning a

stormy inlet.

Pelicans line both sides of the bridge as if they’re standing

guard.

The water of the inlet has risen to cover the beginning and
end of the bridge. The metal surface is still visible in the
center, but barely.

Eli CHARGES the truck across the bridge through the rising
water. The pelicans SHRIEK and fly off into the storm.

Eli sees the Black Truck in his rearview mirror, approaching

the bridge from the other side.

ELI
Is he crossing?!?

Seth and Simon whip around to see.

Just like that, the Black Truck is...GONE. Vanished.

SETH
Ly.

SIMON
Whoa.

ELI
What? What’s up?
 64.

Eli slows the truck down.

ELI (CONT'D)
Where’d they go?

SETH
Off...road?

SIMON
Who the fuck cares! Do NOT slow
down! Keep going!

Eli’s truck drives off.

The storm surge rises higher, covering more of the bridge.

EXT. STREET - LATER

Eli’s truck slows down on an unfamiliar stretch of road. No

signs are visible in the storm. The Black Truck is nowhere to
be seen.

Rain falls through what’s left of the windshield, soaking the

guys. They’re wearing rain gear now but look miserable.

They shout to be heard over the rain and wind.

ELI
I don’t understand! GPS says this
is the place!

The GPS helpfully informs them: “YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR

DESTINATION!”

SIMON
Fuck the GPS! Do you see a goddamn
motel?

No motels are visible. The street appears to be completely

undeveloped - aside from one single building where the GPS
insists their hotel should be:

SETH
Is that...

ELI
God DAMMIT.

The little history museum and B&B from Friday morning.

They’ve somehow circled back to where they were yesterday

without realizing.
 65.

SIMON
The FUCK Eli?! Did you put in the
wrong address?

ELI
Fuck no!

SETH
Definitely not the Super 8.

ELI
Thank you Seth. Extremely
insightful.

Eli squints at the GPS in frustration: “You have arrived at -

SUPER 8 MOTEL.”

ELI (CONT'D)
I don’t fucking understand this.
Seth and I have surfed down here a
million times. We cross that bridge
and then connect back to the
highway and ride that into town.
Which we did.

SETH
I’ve never seen THAT bridge in my
life.

ELI
Dude. Yes you have! Are you fucking
with me right now?

SETH
Ly. Just admit we’re lost.

ELI
I don’t get fucking lost. I am
temporarily disoriented.

SIMON
God dammit Ly. Just backtrack,
alright? Across the bridge and
we’ll retrace our steps.

EXT. INLET BRIDGE - LATER

The truck idles at the edge of the inlet.

The bridge is gone - completely consumed by the storm surge.

 66.

ELI (V.O.)
Fun fact: there didn’t even use to
BE a bridge here. Til a hurricane
tore through the island and made a
new inlet. One island became two.
Just like that.

INT. ELI’S TRUCK - CONTINUOUS

The guys sit in the windshield-less truck, soaked and

exhausted.

ELI
The earth is really a process more
than an entity. Constantly
changing, just like the cells in
our bodies.

Simon looks like he wants to strangle Eli.

SIMON
Could you please shut the fuck up
for ten seconds so I can hear
myself think? It’s like you have
Asperger’s or something. Jesus.

Eli looks hurt.

ELI
Your party bro.

The rain is relentless.

EXT. MUSEUM/B&B - NIGHT

The guys huddle under a small awning in front of the sound-

side museum entrance and motel lobby.

The rain drives into their faces.

Simon POUNDS on the door and rings the bell.

ELI
Come on...

Nobody answers. They wait for what feels like forever.

ELI (CONT'D)
Try again.

Simon tries the bell again. Several long moments pass.

 67.

Seth looks up at the house.

SETH POV: Darkness in all the windows.

SETH
Couldn’t you have found somewhere
with fucking lights on? Or a car in
the parking lot? Jesus.

Eli looks like he wants to punch Seth in the face.

Simon sighs, jiggles the handle.

The door OPENS.

The guys look at each other - it’s UNLOCKED?

INT. MUSEUM/B&B LOBBY - NIGHT

Simon steps gingerly through the threshold, not moving too

deeply into the house.

SIMON
Hello! Hello?!

Simon calls upward, as if someone’s listening upstairs.

SIMON (CONT'D)
We’ve had a car accident! And now
we’re lost!

SETH
Hello?? Anyone?

LIGHTS FLICKER ON all at once!

THE OLD MAN from yesterday stares at them from across the
room!

The guys jump back, startled.

The Old Man stares silently. Simon steps forward uncertainly.

SIMON
Um...hello sir. We’re sorry to come
in like this but we’ve--

HAROLD (O.S.)
Dad? What is it?

Harold enters in his pajamas and freezes when he sees the

guys.
 68.

Simon looks relieved.

SIMON
Hey! Harold! Remember me? Secrets
of the Past?

Harold looks at them coldly - not amused.

HAROLD
Y’all just let yourselves in?

SIMON
I’m sorry. It’s an emergency. We
had a car accident and we need
rooms for the night.

Harold looks at the Old Man with concern.

HAROLD
Dad. It’s OK. They’re guests.

The Old Man nods, but says nothing.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
You woke my dad.

ELI
We’re fine, by the way. Thanks for
asking.

Harold glares at Eli.

SIMON
(whispering)
Stop talking. God dammit.

SETH
We’re really sorry for waking you.

Harold ignores the guys, totally fixated on his father.

HAROLD
Dad. You gotta go back to bed. It’s
late.

The Old Man grunts and leaves the room without a word,
leaving Harold alone with the guys.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
Let me see what’s available on such
short notice.

The guys give each other a look of: is he fucking with us?
There are clearly no other guests here.
 69.

Harold moves behind the check-in desk and taps away at the
computer as if he’s writing a novel.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
Looks like you’re in luck. Both of
our guest rooms are available.

ELI
There’s three of us.

HAROLD
I’m sure you’ll work it out.

EXT. GUEST ROOM 1 - NIGHT - LATER

Eli and Seth sit on a queen bed. Their wet clothes are hung
up throughout the room.

Both guys sit as far away from each other as possible in such
close quarters.

ELI
Is it just me or is Simon kind of
being a tool?

SETH
Do you mind if I have the room for
a minute? I wanna call June.

ELI
So call June.

SETH
I’d like some fucking privacy.

ELI
So go in the fucking hallway.

Mutual irritation is building. Seth dials it back.

SETH
Come on dude. I’m in my underwear.

ELI
So am I.

Eli sprawls on the bed in exaggerated comfort. It’s clear he

has zero intention of leaving.

SETH
Cool. Be a fucking dick about it.

Seth steps into a pair of jeans and moves toward the door.
 70.

ELI
Tell June hello for me.

EXT. GUEST ROOM 2 - NIGHT

Simon is sprawled on the bed in his underwear. Football

highlights play on the room TV.

Simon vacantly flips through the channels. He stops when he

sees a familiar sight:

ON SIMON’S TV: Dark swamps of gnarled live oak, cypresses

draped thick with curtains of Spanish moss. An eerie chorus
of frogs, birds and crickets.

SIMON (V.O.)
The Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

A LAUGH TRACK pierces the nature sounds.

SIMON
What the hell?

ON SIMON’S TV: Simon now speaks to the camera from a

soundstage, with a set resembling a late-night talk show.

SIMON (V.O.)
Centuries of mystery and tragedy
lie buried here, in the swamps and
sands of--

The camera cuts to a STUDIO AUDIENCE:

A pregnant Rose sits in the front row, next to an equally

pregnant June. Seth sits next to June, then Eli next to Seth.

All four are LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY, blending into a track

that sounds like hundreds of people laughing as one.

SIMON
What the FUCK is this?

Simon aims the remote and clicks repeatedly. The remote won’t
respond. His ‘show’ plays on.

The camera cuts back to Simon, now dressed like an

Elizabethan-English colonial dandy with powdered white makeup
on his face.

He looks ridiculous - like a clown.

 71.

SIMON (V.O.)
I’m Simon Jones, your spirit guide
to the Secrets of the Past!

Camera cuts back to the audience. Uncontrolled, cruel,

howling laughter builds and reverberates.

Rose is laughing so hard she’s in tears.

Simon UNPLUGS THE TV.

It ZAPS off abruptly, leaving the room in silence.

Simon stares at the blank TV screen, disturbed. He shakes his

head and sighs.

Simon rifles through his bag and removes the captain’s log
that Eli and Seth gave him last night.

He takes out a notepad and pen and lays everything on the bed
in front of him. He looks at his tools, determined.

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

Seth tries dialing June - no 4G service.

SETH
Fucking hate this place.

Seth sees a light on in Simon’s room. He knocks on Simon’s

door.

SIMON (O.S.)
What?

Simon sounds irritated.

SETH
Do you know the wifi password?

SIMON (O.S.)
No. Go to bed dude.

SETH
I’m trying to call June and there’s
no service.

SIMON (O.S.)
Ask Harold.

SETH
I don’t wanna piss him off any more
than we already--
 72.

SIMON (O.S.)
Go look in the lobby then. For
fuck’s sake dude. I can’t do
everything for you.

Seth looks taken aback.

SETH
Cool. Love you too man.

Seth heads down the hallway, toward the lobby and museum.

INT. LOBBY - NIGHT

Seth’s phone flashlight sweeps across the check-in area.

No signs indicating a wifi password.

Seth circles the lobby, looking for a wifi password posted on

the walls. He shines his light into the adjoining room.

INT. EXHIBITION ROOM - DAY

A phone flashlight illuminates a stately, wood-paneled

exhibition room. Lights off. Strange shapes and forms stand
in silhouette against the back window.

Seth enters the doorway, sweeping his light over the room. He
stares at the back wall when he sees:

A habitat display of TAXIDERMIED ANIMALS.

But not just any animals:

A stuffed PELICAN and huge WATER MOCCASIN SNAKE are contorted

into a grotesque battle scene.

The pelican stands guard over a nest with 3 large eggs.

The bird is in a tense, attack-ready position - wings back,

neck coiled, beak ready to snap the snake’s head off.

The snake rears back into its own strike position, ready to
strike at the bird and consume her young.

Seth approaches the grim diorama. He gingerly runs a hand

over the stuffed snake.

As he turns to leave, Seth notices something in the center of

the room:

The scale model diorama that Harold showed Simon.

 73.

Seth shines his light on the tiny village: the same villagers
and buildings and animals that Simon saw earlier. Encircled
by trees as before.

But now, something has changed: new figurines have been

added.

A tiny FILM CREW now stands at the edge of the village: a

cameraman, a boom operator, and an actor in front of the
camera. Their modern clothing and equipment makes them stand
out among the period colonial villagers.

Seth peers in for a closer look.

INT. GUEST ROOM 2 - NIGHT

Simon sits on the bed and reads the ship’s log that Eli gave
him, jotting ideas on his notepad as he reads.

SIMON (V.O.)
“January 16, 1921. Bermuda.
McLellan and Bates look at me with
what seems like a shared disdain -
though perhaps these are my own
paranoid delusions brought on by
the extended time at sea. I fear
they are considering a mutiny. I
pray I am wrong.”

Simon turns the page and sees that it’s blank.

He flips the next page. Also blank.

Simon flips faster, until the end.

All the remaining pages are blank.

Simon turns to the final pages of the book:

“CROATOAN” is scrawled across both pages in clunky block

letters. Dark brown stains blot the pages.

SFX: A knock on the door.

Simon jumps!

SIMON
Seth. I told you--

ELI (O.S.)
It’s me.
 74.

SIMON
WHAT.

ELI (O.S.)
Can I use your charger?

SIMON
God dammit Ly.

Simon gets up and opens the door and shoves the charger into
Eli’s hand.

ELI
What’s your problem dude? You’ve
had sand in your vagina all night.

SIMON
Nothing. Just...

Simon hesitates for a second.

SIMON (CONT'D)
When we were here yesterday, do you
remember seeing an exhibit about
the word “CROATOAN?”

INT. EXHIBITION ROOM - NIGHT

SETH looks closer the scale model diorama.

A cameraman stands behind a tripod, aiming his camera toward

the village. A sound person holds a boom over an actor
standing in front of the camera, with the village as a
backdrop.

Seth picks up the figure of the actor and squints at it.

IT’S SIMON.

The six-inch Simon figure is dressed EXACTLY as the real

Simon was yesterday, right down to the tiny ball cap.

SETH
Holy. Shit.

Seth looks around furtively and pockets the figure of Simon.

SETH (CONT'D)
Houston, we have a stalker.

Seth sweeps his light along the rest of the room.

 75.

The light rests on a large, elegant, heavy oak door, like

something out of a medieval palace.

INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS

Seth enters a cavernous space. He can’t see much in the

darkness.

Seth scans the space with his light and gasps as he sees -

TAXIDERMIED ANIMAL HEADS AND BODIES scattered among tables

and work benches in various states of completion.

He’s found the TAXIDERMY WORKSHOP.

INT. MUSEUM - MINUTES LATER

Simon and Eli stand in front of the “Curse of Croatoan”

museum display we saw on Friday.

SIMON
Some people think it’s...a curse.

Eli can’t believe they’re having this conversation.

ELI
Are you for fucking real right now?

SIMON
I’m just telling you historical
facts. The word “Croatoan” is
linked to a lot of mysterious
deaths and disappearances.

ELI
I don’t believe in magic spells.

Simon indicates the historical photos of Edgar Allan Poe and

Amelia Earhart.

SIMON
They found it written over and over
in Edgar Allan Poe’s diary from the
day before he died. Like he’d lost
his mind or something.

ELI
I’m sure his lifestyle of alcohol,
depression and incest had nothing
to do with that.
 76.

SIMON
Amelia Earhart broadcast it over
her plane’s radio. Before she
vanished.

ELI
And Elvis was her copilot.

Eli shakes his head dismissively. Simon pulls out the

captain’s log.

SIMON
Look at the last page.

Eli flips to the last page, sees the word scrawled across.

He hands the book back to Simon, unimpressed.

ELI
So what?

Simon waves the book like a prosecutor holding the smoking

gun that will put a criminal away.

SIMON
I KNOW this story. This is the
“Ghost Ship” of Hatteras.

Eli looks incredulous, weary.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Not a single body on the shipwreck.
No bones or remains. No evidence of
a fight. AND the word Croatoan
written in the manifest.

ELI
And...?

SIMON
And apparently it was in the
captain’s log too.

ELI
Anyone could have written that. I
got it on eBay.

Simon ignores Eli and presses on.

SIMON
This captain wrote about meeting a
weird guy with one brown and one
blue eye. With a strange accent.
(MORE)
 77.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Who took the crew’s photo. Just
like Harold...

ELI
Oh shit Simon. Harold must be
CONNECTED to the story in this
totally reliable hundred-year old
journal. He must be a spooky pirate
ghost!

Simon realizes that Eli is mocking him.

SIMON
Cool. Be a dick.

ELI
Maybe he’s the devil! Hail Satan!

INT. WORKSHOP - MINUTES LATER

Seth looks around the taxidermy workshop.

Tools hang from pegboards on the walls: scalpels, blades,

calipers, tweezers.

Other than the grotesque effect of dozens of dead animals,

the space looks like an ordinary craftsman’s workspace: work
benches and shelving with tools and supplies.

One corner of the workshop seems dedicated to woodworking and

carpentry. Sawdust and shavings carpet the floor.

In another corner, a miniature REPLICA FOREST ENVIRONMENT

catches Seth’s attention. Similar to the finished one Simon
saw yesterday.

A grove of native trees in a bed of dirt. Animals “live”

within this grove in a quiet tableaux:

A WILD BOAR nurses THREE PIGLETS.

A family of SQUIRRELS confers in the branches.

An OWL perches on a different branch - missing its EYES.

SETH
Wise old owl...

HUNDREDS of decorative GLASS EYES fill a large bowl nearby.

Seth rifles through the glass eyes, holding each up to the

light. The light distorts differently through each eye.
 78.

Seth gently presses one pair into the OWL’s empty sockets.

SETH (CONT'D)
You’re welcome...

The Owl stare backs at Seth - cold and intense.

SFX: Seth hears sounds of a forest at night - buzzing,

chirping, hoots and screeches from every direction.

SETH (CONT'D)
Sound effects? Jesus.

Seth looks around to find the source of the sound. He can’t

locate any speakers.

INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT

Simon and Eli have drifted toward the scale model diorama -
the same one was Seth was looking at a few minutes ago.

SIMON
There’s something off about Harold.
About all this.

The film crew Seth saw is still set up on the perimeter of

the village - minus the figure of Simon.

Simon is too busy arguing with Eli to notice the new

additions to the diorama.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Are you seriously going to ignore
all the evidence that’s in front of
you?

ELI
Evidence of what? That we’re in an
alternate dimension? That the guy
who owns this place is a fucking
ghost? Who makes people vanish?

SIMON
You’re twisting my words.

ELI
I’m not twisting shit. You sound
ridiculous enough on your own.

SIMON
Alright professor - what’s your
theory of whatever the fuck is
going on here?
 79.

ELI
That we’re exhausted and strung out
in the middle of a bad storm, in
extremely creepy surroundings. And
PERHAPS letting our minds play
tricks on us.

SIMON
Placebo effect. Very original.

ELI
The placebo effect is actually
real. More real than your little
ghost ships and island spirits.

SIMON
Fuck you dude. You’re so fucking
arrogant sometimes.

ELI
I’M arrogant? Simon you need to
fucking step back bro.

SIMON
You talk down to us constantly and
I’m fucking sick of it. Being an
unemployed thirty year old with a
masters doesn’t make you fucking
Einstein.

ELI
OK, well YOU patronize US
constantly and I’M sick of it. Just
because you make a derivative, hack-
ass TV show doesn’t mean you have
anything interesting to say.

Simon SHOVES Eli in the chest!

Eli keeps his balance, SWINGS and lands a punch on Simon’s

jaw!

Simon stays on his feet and TACKLES Eli like a football

player, taking him to the ground!

They wrestle on the ground, grunting and cursing and

exchanging blows.

INT. FOREST - NIGHT

Seth walks among the “Forest” in the main exhibition that

Simon saw yesterday.
 80.

The collection of trees now seems bigger, more intricate and

detailed. Like the Forest’s boundary has crept outward.

Seth notices more animals that seem to have appeared since

the last time:

A FOX on the ground with a dead RABBIT in its jaws.

A red-breasted ROBIN building a nest in a tree.

EXT. COLONY - NIGHT

Seth follows a dirt path through the Forest to a clearing.

A waist-high wooden gate separates the Forest from what

appears to be a life-sized REPLICA COLONIAL SETTLEMENT, with
dirt streets and small thatched huts.

The buildings look mostly complete, though some modern

construction tools lay scattered around the grounds.

A wooden arch serves as an entrance-way to the village.

At the top of the arch, a wooden sign reads:

“CITTIE OF RALEIGH - 1585 - LIFE SIZE REPLICA VILLAGE!”

Seth passes beneath the arch and proceeds into the display.

INT. COLONY - NIGHT

Lit torches line the dirt ‘streets,’ bathing the settlement

in an eerie firelight.

Seth freezes at the sight of DOZENS OF PEOPLE gathered up

ahead.

Their backs are turned to him. No sound or movement.

He approaches the crowd and circles around to the front.

The people are LIFE-SIZED PERIOD REPLICAS of Elizabethan-era

English colonists in a small new-world settlement. Like the
“June” statue Seth saw on Friday.

But “June” is nowhere to be seen here - just dozens of

strange faces.

Like the June statue, the wooden bodies are dressed in actual
period clothing. Faces painted on in an earnest folk-art
style.
 81.

The trees behind the colonists are all marked with a word
carved into the trunk - “CROATOAN”

SETH
Croatoan...

Seth moves through the village, examining the figures in more

detail.

All walks of life seem to be represented:

A blacksmith forging metal.

A little girl milling corn, her mother making cornbread.

A marketplace where vendors hawk their wares.

Seth lingers at one display in particular: a CEMETERY with

dozens of little crosses protruding from the ‘dirt.’

A mourning family stands next to one plot: a father holding a

shovel, a mother holding an infant, and a young girl with her
face buried in her hands - a weeping pose.

A few cans of spray paint lie next to the Father’s feet - the
only sign of present technology within the display.

A taxidermied pelican sits on a little fence, its lifeless

eyes aimed in the direction of the family.

Seth notices another path leading out of the village, past

the ‘cemetery.’ It leads through another grove of trees. He
squints and looks into the distance:

Seth catches sight of a lone human figure through the trees,

standing apart from the rest.

Painted in the same folk-art style and dressed in the same

period costume as the carved colonists.

A full-size replica CARVING OF SIMON.

INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT

Eli and Simon sit on the ground next to each other, smoking
cigarettes in silence. Not fighting.

Their clothing is torn and their faces are bloodied, but

overall the damage is minor.

SIMON
I’m sorry Ly. That was fucked up.
 82.

Eli shakes his head.

ELI
I shouldn’t have said that.

They sit in silence for another beat.

ELI (CONT'D)
You take a punch like a champ, I
have to admit.

Simon smiles.

SIMON
You still swing like a bitch.

Eli rolls his eyes and laughs. He stubs out his cigarette and
gestures at their strange surroundings.

ELI
Can you at least admit that you’re
WAY over-thinking all this -
whatever it is? Uncertainty makes
the mind go to dark places.

Simon gestures at the film crew figurines.

SIMON
Ly. Look at this shit. It’s clearly
directed at me. He knows about my
show. He must be fucking with me.

ELI
Why though?

SIMON
Why? For fun. Because he’s an
insane psychopath. A lonely stalker
who--

Seth returns, looking disturbed.

ELI
Hey! Finally.

SIMON
What is it? Did you see something?

SETH
I think this guy Harold is like...a
creep or something.

Simon looks toward Eli, vindicated.

 83.

ELI
Creep how?

SETH
I think he’s stalking you? I dunno.
But something’s not right.

ELI
Where’s the evidence?

Seth motions back toward the diorama.

SETH
This was at the diorama. With the
little film crew.

Seth removes the figure of Simon from his pocket and shows
the guys.

ELI
Oh shit.

Eli looks like someone’s just given him a particularly

difficult math problem to solve. Simon looks disturbed.

SIMON
This is way fucked up.

SETH
There’s more over there - where I
just was.

Seth looks down at the diorama and FREEZES:

SETH (CONT'D)
What the hell is that?

The film crew figurines are still present at the edge of the
colonial village, but now the little cameraman and boom
operator are aiming at TWO NEW FIGURINES IN MODERN CLOTHING:

SETH AND JUNE.

Little ‘June’ lays on her back in a little bathtub, red

liquid staining her clothes around her crotch and thighs.

Little ‘Seth’ stands helplessly nearby, watching.

SETH (CONT'D)
What the fuck dude? Did one of you
do this?

Eli and Simon look baffled - it’s as if someone put these

figures in while their backs were turned.
 84.

ELI
Why didn’t we see this before?

SIMON
Because it wasn’t fucking here.

ELI
Is that supposed to be June? And
YOU?

SIMON
Is that supposed to be...BLOOD?

An uncomfortable silence as they consider the range of

possibilities.

SIMON (CONT'D)
You said there was more?

Simon films the diorama with his phone.

INT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS

Seth charges through the replica village. Eli and Simon

follow.

Eli and Simon see the replica humans for the first time.

ELI
Is this some cult shit? Do you
think Harold fucks these things?

Simon continues filming with his phone.

SIMON
It’s the Roanoke colony. The ‘lost’
one.

Simon FREEZES when he notices something he hadn’t last time -

SIMON POV: “CROATOAN” is carved on all the tree trunks.

SETH
I’ve been seeing that a lot.

Simon and Eli both turn to Seth.

SIMON
Where else?

SETH
On a tree...after the whole
pelican...thing.
 85.

Simon turns to Eli.

ELI
Doesn’t prove anything.

SETH
What? What’s Croatoan?

SIMON
The English found it carved on a
tree when they came back to search
for the lost colony. Supposedly.

He shoots Eli a look.

SIMON (CONT'D)
Another one, Ly.

ELI
Give it a fucking rest.

SETH
What’s it mean? Is it Native?

SIMON
The Croatoans were a local tribe
who’d been helping the colonists. A
lot of people think the colony just
fled to the Croatoans when they ran
out of food - that they were never
“lost” at all.

Simon doesn’t sound convinced. He’s thinking about something.

SIMON (CONT'D)
They just...became part of someone
else’s history.

Eli plows ahead through the village, toward the cemetery and
the second path leading deeper into the “Forest.”

ELI
SETH? Is this what you saw?

INT. “FOREST” - CONTINUOUS

The guys stare at the figure of “Simon” in the clearing.

ELI
Holy shit.

Simon looks like he’s about to throw up.

 86.

SETH
I think I saw something else in the
distance too. Hold up.

Seth plunges deeper into the ‘Forest,’ leaving Eli and Simon
alone with the Simon statue.

SIMON
Is this a fucking prank? Did y’all
rent this house? Did you pay
Harold? Is he an actor?

ELI
No.

Simon looks frantically around the woods.

SIMON
So what is it?! Is this an escape
room? Is there a stripper in here
who looks like Rose?

A NEW VOICE CUTS THROUGH THE DARKNESS!

HAROLD (O.S.)
I fucking knew it! Don’t move.

HAROLD EMERGES FROM THE SHADOWS, pointing a 9mm handgun!

Eli and Simon put their hands up!

SIMON
Harold! What the hell is--

Harold PUNCHES Simon with his free hand!

HAROLD
You must think I’m pretty fucking
stupid huh? Some dumb hick?

Eli goes down on the ground to help his friend. Simon’s nose
is bleeding and appears to be broken.

Eli looks up at Harold, who trains his pistol on them.

ELI
The fuck man! He wasn’t doing
anything to you!

SIMON
Please! We’ll leave! Just let--
 87.

HAROLD
Shut the FUCK up! You’re not going
anywhere.

Harold looks around.

HAROLD (CONT'D)
Where’s your friend?

EXT. GROVE - CONTINUOUS

Seth FREEZES at the sound of Harold’s voice.

A FLASHLIGHT BEAM pierces the darkness right by Seth! He hits

the dirt with a THUD!

Once the light beam passes, Seth gently removes his shoes,
doing his best not to make any noise.

He stands back up slowly, tiptoes silently through the grass.

EXT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS

Simon and Eli sit on the ground, hands raised like hostages.

SIMON
Please don’t kill us.

HAROLD
You idiots aren’t worth a murder
charge. But we’re sure as shit
pressing on YOU for grand larceny.

SIMON
Larceny? What are you--

HAROLD
Dad was right about you, huh. I
didn’t want to believe him.

He focuses on Eli.

SIMON
What’s he talking about, Ly?

ELI
I have no idea!

HAROLD
That’s why you’re back here now.
Right? You got the Deering log and
now you’re back for more.
 88.

ELI
No!

Harold looks accusingly at Simon.

HAROLD
And YOU were just the fucking
distraction, huh! While your
friends rob us blind?

SIMON
I don’t know what you’re talking
about! Honest!

ELI
We don’t--

Harold cuts Eli off and POINTS THE GUN at him.

HAROLD
SHUT UP! Both of you. Can’t hear my
own damn thoughts.

Silence fills the room.

EXT. GROVE - CONTINOUS

Seth watches the exchange, hidden behind a tree.

Harold waves his gun menacingly at Simon and Eli.

HAROLD (O.S.)
So you’re saying...my Dad is lying?
Or maybe he’s just senile?

ELI (O.S.)
I didn’t say--

HAROLD (O.S.)
Shut the FUCK up!

SIMON (O.S.)
Put the gun down! Please!

SETH
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Seth breathes deep.

 89.

EXT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS

SIMON
What the fuck do you want from us?
Why do you have all these
carvings!?

ELI
Is this a cult thing?!?

Harold looks even angrier, like he’s about to lose it.

HAROLD
Cult thing? What the hell are--

As Harold answers, Seth jumps out of the woods and--

JAMS SIMON’S BUCK KNIFE INTO HAROLD’S NECK.

SIMON
Holy shit!

HAROLD
AGHH!

Harold trains his gun on Seth as the blood spurts wildly from
his neck.

Eli and Simon jump up and TACKLE Harold before he can fire.

Eli pins Harold to the ground with his knee while Simon pries
the gun from his hand.

SFX: Disturbing bloody gargling from Harold’s throat.

ELI
Oh my god dude.

Harold squirms desperately, fighting to breathe.

Blood spurts everywhere - down his body, into the dirt.

ELI (CONT'D)
Seth - what the FUCK?

The guys back away from the injured man, standing around him
in a circle, shaken.

SETH
He was gonna shoot you!

SIMON
Seth. You did the right thing.
 90.

ELI
What? How can you say that?

SIMON
He was going to hurt us.

ELI
I...don’t--

SIMON
He’s gotta be into some...cult
shit. Or stalking me. I’m not sure
exactly which. But it can’t all be
a coincidence.

Eli’s mind scrambles to find a rational explanation.

Seth stares at Harold as the life slowly drains out of him.

SETH
I saw him in the woods too. This
morning.

SIMON ELI
WHAT? WHAT?

SETH
I think he’s been following us.

SIMON
Holy shit. Do you think he was the
one in the truck?

Eli can’t believe any of this.

ELI
Come on! Do you know how insane you
both sound? We just fucking KILLED
A MAN.

SETH
It was self-defense! He had a gun!

ELI
It’s HIS place!

The adrenaline fades, replaced by the cold realization that

they’ve just murdered a man in his own home.

SETH
So what do we...do with him?

ELI
What do you mean, do?
 91.

SETH
I’m not going to fucking prison!

ELI
You??? I’m the one who’s fucked!

SIMON
Everyone calm the FUCK down!
Nobody’s going to--

Suddenly HEADLIGHTS BLAST the guys from across the garage,

blinding them through the trees.

It’s the BLACK TRUCK. Roaring at them like a hungry predator.

The TRUCK ROARS to life! The wheels screech as the truck

takes off in their direction.

Simon sprints back into the Forest, in the direction they

came.

Eli takes off after Simon.

Seth leaps out of the way just as the truck PLOWS through a
group of small trees, completely destroying them.

The truck backs up and idles. Its headlights penetrate the

forest.

Eli and Simon’s shadows move among the trees.

The Black Truck takes off and speeds right toward Eli and
Simon!

It tears through young trees and taxidermied animals and

wooden figurines like a bulldozer.

INT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS

Eli and Simon stumble back into the “Village” of the Lost
Colony, looking for somewhere to hide.

They look around frantically.

ELI
The huts!

Simon and Eli duck into two separate huts and hide.

INT. ELI’S HUT - CONTINUOUS

Eli breathes heavily. He waits.

 92.

SFX: The growl of the truck’s engine. A slow crunch of trees

beneath wheels as the truck inches forward.

Eli takes a deep breath and peeks his head through the
doorway.

ELI POV: The truck idles from a short distance, pointing its
headlights directly at Simon’s hut.

Suddenly the Black Truck launches into drive, right toward

Simon’s hut!

SFX: The engine’s ROAR echoes through the space!

Eli runs out of the hut.

The Black Truck CRASHES through the colonial marketplace,

mowing down the wooden colonists and their livestock.

ELI
SIMON! GO!

Simon emerges and makes eye contact with Eli - he looks

terrified.

The Black Truck PLOWS THROUGH SIMON AND THE ENTIRE HUT!

Eli watches as Simon’s body contours to the front of the

truck and is carried upward.

ELI (CONT'D)
NO!

Simon’s head strikes the windshield with a sickening CRUNCH.

His lifeless body separates from the truck and tumbles to the
ground.

Eli stands motionless at a distance, in shock.

ELI (CONT'D)
No no no. Holy fuck. Simon.

The Black Truck idles on top of the wood and straw wreckage.

It REVERSES sadistically, then thrusts forward, driving back

and forth over Simon and the wood pile, crunching bone and
debris beneath the wheels.

ELI (CONT'D)
Oh my god oh my god.

SFX: The Black Trunk honks its horn triumphantly, viciously.

 93.

Eli sprints out of the village as fast as he can, back into

the darkness of the woods.

INT. FOREST - ELI’S PATH - CONTINOUS

Eli runs until he can’t anymore.

He stumbles through a wooded grove. The Forest now seems

infinite, expanding in every direction.

ELI
SETH! SETH god dammit...

Eli crumples onto the forest floor - confounded, exhausted,

defeated, grieving.

He breaks down and sobs for Simon.

INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS

Seth hears the sound of Eli’s cries.

He turns and follows the direction of the sound.

INT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS

The Black Truck reverses off the pile of debris from Simon’s
destroyed hut.

The pile moves.

Hands emerge from the wreckage! They hoist a body through the
rubble--

SIMON! But--

His head has been smashed in. His lower leg is badly broken,
splintered off at a grotesque angle.

Simon looks into the headlights of the Black Truck.

SFX: The Black Truck HONKS once more!

Simon’s FACE BEGINS TO HEAL ITSELF.

SFX: The sound of a Forest at night, coming to life.

LIVE ANIMALS approach and watch Simon’s metamorphosis - birds

and squirrels in the branches, pigs and chickens and dogs in
the village.
 94.

The bones in Simon’s skull fuse and re-form. Skin regrows and
covers his open wounds and exposed bones. His leg snaps back
into place.

His face shows no pain.

But Simon’s eyes have changed. There’s a remoteness now, a

detachment. But the more obvious change is in the color:

One of Simon’s eyes is now dark brown, the other light blue.

Simon stands up and brushes himself off. He looks into the

tinted windshield of the Black Truck.

The PASSENGER SIDE DOOR of the Black Truck suddenly opens.

Simon peers inside at the driver. A bewildered look spreads

across his face.

ELI AND SETH ARE DRIVING THE TRUCK.

But their faces look different too - decades older. Skin

aging, hair graying, cheeks gaunt.

Most noticeable of all - Seth and Eli each have one blue and
one brown eye.

Bewilderment turns to acceptance. Simon climbs into the

passenger seat and SLAMS the door shut.

The Black Truck’s engine ROARS again.

The nocturnal forest chorus intensifies:

Insects buzz, crickets chirp, owls hoot.

INT. FOREST - ELI’S PATH - CONTINUOUS

Eli sits alone beneath a tree, trying to keep his grip on

reality.

SFX: The HOOT HOOT of an Owl.

Eli looks up into the branch where the sound originates.

A taxidermied OWL stares down at Eli. It’s the same one Seth
put eyes into. It sits perfectly still.

SETH (O.S.)
Eli? You over there!

Eli springs to his feet.

 95.

ELI
Here! By this big tree!

Suddenly the OWL swoops down from the trees and--

ATTACKS ELI!

ELI (CONT'D)
AGGHGHH!

The Owl screeches, slashes at Eli’s face and eyes with razor-
sharp talons. Eli slaps wildly at the bird.

ELI (CONT'D)
GET IT THE FUCK OFF ME!

Blood gushes from one of Eli’s eyes!

Seth swings wildly with Simon’s knife and HITS THE OWL!

The owl SHRIEKS and drops to the floor, dead.

ELI (CONT'D)
OH MY GOD!

Eli drops to the floor, hand over a badly-injured eye. Seth

rushes over.

SETH
Oh my god Ly. Let me see.

Eli removes his hand from his eye. Seth jumps back!

ELI
Seth it hurts so bad. Is it bad?

It’s bad. Eli’s eye is torn to shreds, nearly gouged out by

the owl’s attack.

Seth nearly pukes, but holds it down.

Eli screams in agony.

SETH
I need you to breathe, OK bud?
You’re gonna be alright.

ELI
It hurts so FUCKING bad! I can’t
see anything out of it!

SETH
We’re gonna get you to the hospital
right now. Where’s Simon?
 96.

Eli starts sobbing.

Seth comforts him.

SETH (CONT'D)
It’s OK...Ly...its OK...

Seth looks around frantically for something to use as a

bandage. He sees nothing.

Seth removes his shirt, tears a few strips with Simon’s

knife.

He ties an improvised patch around Eli’s head and covers his

eye.

ZAP. The power goes out. All goes black.

Eli SOBS louder.

Seth fishes around in Eli’s pockets and pulls out a HEADLAMP.

SETH (CONT'D)
It’s OK Ly! Look.

Seth straps the headlamp around Eli’s bandaged head, like a

parent fastening a seatbelt on a child.

Seth clicks the light on. It’s pointed at him and illuminates
his face.

SETH (CONT'D)
Don’t be afraid.

INT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS

Seth leads the way through the darkened forest, wielding a

flashlight.

Eli grabs onto Seth’s shoulder from behind, the improvised

bandage over one eye.

SETH
SIMON!

ELI
I told you dude. It fucking mowed
him down!

Seth doesn’t appear to totally believe Eli, who seems to be

in shock - completely beside himself.
 97.

SETH
Are you sure that’s what you saw?

Two headlights suddenly pop on, illuminating Seth and Eli.

Seth and Eli turn and face the source of the light, squinting
and covering their eyes.

ELI
Yes.

The Black Truck stares them down, headlights glowing like

demonic eyes. The engine growls.

ELI (CONT'D)
WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!

TIRES SQUEAL as the Black Truck ACCELERATES TOWARD THEM!

SETH
Can you climb?

ELI
Yeah--

SETH
Go!

Eli and Seth reach a nearby tree.

Seth pushes Eli up the trunk.

Eli moves slowly, groping around in the darkness.

The Black Truck SMASHES violently into the trunk, right as

Seth hoists Eli up and pulls his own body onto a branch.

No sound of the Black Truck’s engine except the hiss of a

busted radiator. No signs of human movement within the cab.

SETH (CONT'D)
You OK?

ELI
Fuck no I’m not OK! I’m not fucking
DEAD yet - if that’s what you’re
asking.

They stare at the truck for what feels like forever, waiting
for their tormentor to emerge.

SETH
I’m going down there.
 98.

ELI
Don’t.

SETH
We have to.

Seth hops to the ground first, holding the knife defensively.

Eli follows, staying behind Seth.

Seth approaches the driver’s side door. Deep breath.

Seth readies Simon’s knife and OPENS the door.

A TRIO OF PELICANS SIT INSIDE THE TRUCK, STARING BACK AT HIM.

They caw angrily and LUNGE at Seth!

Seth SLAMS the door and jumps away from the truck.

ELI
This doesn’t make any fucking
sense!

SETH
Shine your headlight that way.

Eli’s light picks up the trail back toward the village.

ELI
Fuck that. I’m not going back
there. We have to leave!

SETH
We have to find Simon! And get
Harold’s body. And then we’re out,
I promise.

Seth plunges back toward the village. Eli looks exasperated

but follows.

The totaled Black Truck remains at the tree, hood crumpled

from the impact, radiator hissing.

The passenger side door opens.

Simon hops out - not a scratch on him.

He moves in the direction of Seth and Eli’s voices.

INT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS

Seth and Eli stumble back to the clearing in the village.

 99.

Seth walks among the wooden figures of the colonists.

He finds the spray paint cans he saw in the cemetery.

SETH
Give me your lighter.

Eli digs in his pockets, hands Seth a lighter.

FOOOM! Seth wields a blowtorch. He sprays fire all over the

wooden colonists.

ELI
The fuck! What are you doing!

SETH
For a signal! Like a bonfire. Simon
will see it.

ELI
Dude for the last time. Simon is
FUCKING DEAD.

Seth spreads fire around the life-size village like an

avenging angel.

SETH
SIMON! We’re over here!

The fire spreads quickly among the wood structures and jumps
to the figurines, illuminating the entire area with an orange
glow.

SIMON BURSTS OUT FROM THE TREES, HIS BODY AFLAME!

ELI
HOLY SHIT!

SETH
OH MY GOD SIMON!

Simon SCREAMS AND SPRINTS toward Seth, his face and body
consumed by fire like a vision of hell!

Simon LEAPS TOWARD SETH--

AND IS TACKLED IN MIDAIR BY ELI!!!

Eli and Simon wrestle on the ground!

Seth scrambles for Harold’s gun - still resting on the ground

near his body.
 100.

Eli lands a punch - then SCREAMS in searing, blistering pain

as his shirt catches fire!

ELI
AGHGHHHH!

The flames leap from Eli’s shirt to the rest of his clothing!

Simon pounces and pins Eli to the ground! He lands a punch!

Then another!

ELI (CONT'D)
SETH!

Seth aims the gun at the two burning men fighting to the
death. It’s tough to distinguish their features in the
chaotic motion and swirls of flame.

Simon squeezes Eli’s throat with hands of fire.

Eli screams in agony as his flesh sizzles.

SETH FIRES!

Simon freezes--

-- and topples to the dirt.

Eli rolls away slowly, still aflame and badly hurt.

ELI (CONT'D)
AGHHHH!

Seth rolls Eli’s body back and forth on the ground until the
flames are stamped out.

SETH
Oh my god. Ly.

Seth looks in disbelief at what’s left of his two best

friends - one dead and burned beyond recognition, one badly
injured and clinging to life.

Eli’s skin is blistered and blackened with massive third-

degree burns. He speaks in a damaged, pathetic wheeze.

ELI
Seth - it hurts so fucking bad...

Seth tries to suppress his panic and desperation as Eli

begins his slow fade toward the inevitable.
 101.

SETH
We’re gonna get you to the
hospital. You’re gonna be OK.

ELI
Kill me. Now. Please.

SETH
Ly.

ELI
Make it stop.

SETH
Don’t make me do that. Not after--

He looks at Simon’s charred body. Chokes back a sob.

SETH (CONT'D)
Simon...

ELI
Not Simon.

Seth looks unconvinced. Eli wheezes pathetically.

ELI (CONT'D)
Do it.

SETH
No! We’re getting you help. We just
need to find a way to...move you.

Seth stands up and looks at the wreckage surrounding him and

finally breaks down in tears.

Eli tries to sit up and SCREAMS as his skin begins to rip

off! He settles onto his back, wheezing.

SETH (CONT'D)
We’ll call an ambulance.

Eli practically chokes out the words.

ELI
Seth. Please.

SETH
I’m not losing you too.

ELI
You can name your kid Eli.

Eli attempts to laugh, but starts coughing and choking.

 102.

Seth shakes his head sadly.

SETH
We--

Seth stops himself.

SETH (CONT'D)
OK. Alright.

Eli smiles, comforted at the thought.

Eli tries to speak but his raspy voice gives way to a

horrific cough, as if his lungs are about to collapse.

ELI
Burn the bodies.

SETH
Ly.

ELI

We drowned. Riptide. Washed out to

sea. Tell my parents I love them.
Tell Rose Simon loved her.

SETH
I love you guys. I’m so sorry.

ELI
Don’t be.

Seth stands up and points the gun at his friend. He squeezes

his eyes shut.

A pistol report echoes over the sound.

EXT. DOCK - SUNRISE

Pelicans resting on the backyard sound-side boat dock all

look in the direction of the gunshot, screaming in unison.

TEXT OVER IMAGE: SUNDAY

Distant caws of birds echo from every direction.

EXT. HOUSE - BACKYARD - CONTINUOUS

Seth gathers what remains of the wooden colonial carvings and

arranges them in a circular stack.
 103.

Seth lights a cigarette, takes a long drag. He stuffs it into

a clump of Spanish moss stuffed among the wood.

The moss ignites! The flames quickly spread to the carvings.

Seth removes a folded sheet of paper from his wallet.

He unfolds it to reveal the ultrasound photo of his unborn

child. He takes a last look, then throws the paper on the
growing funeral pyre. Flame quickly reduces it to ash.

He looks down at the ground - the bodies of Eli, Simon, and

Harold lie next to each other, waiting their turn.

Seth forces his eyes shut. Silent tears flow down his cheeks.

Seth wipes his face, looks up into the sky.

A pair of pelicans soar overhead.

EXT. HIGHWAY - NC-12 - LATER

The same two pelicans glide over North Carolina state road
12.

Eli’s red truck flies north on the road below.

Seth is behind the wheel. Bruised, bloodied - alone.

EXT. HIGHWAY - NC-168 - LATER

The truck crosses the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

A sign welcomes Seth home:

“VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS!”

EXT. SETH AND JUNE’S APARTMENT - KITCHEN

June stands in the kitchen, putting icing onto a small cake.

She looks up as the door bursts open.

Seth embraces June, sobbing. He kisses her like it’s his last
day on earth.

EXT. MUSEUM - BACKYARD

Seth still stands before the homemade funeral pyre, watching

the two pelicans disappear into the horizon.
 104.

He wipes his eyes, smiling at the thought of home.

The blade of a shovel CRACKS SETH IN THE HEAD.

Seth collapses into the dirt.

His body is dragged away.

EXT. “VILLAGE” - LATER

The Old Man shovels dirt into a hole in the ‘cemetery’ area
of the village - or what remains of it.

Charred debris and splintered wood litter the yard where the
village once stood.

But the taxidermied animals placed throughout the village and

forest have somehow remained unscathed by the fire.

The Old Man hammers 4 new wooden crosses into the ‘cemetery
yard.’

EXT. WORKSHOP - LATER

Outside the workshop door. The whirr of an electric saw.

INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS

The Old Man sits at his workbench. A carved-wood human figure

lays flat before him. Three more stand behind him.

The figures are all blank, ‘naked’ - no clothing, no painted

facial features.

INT. WORKSHOP - LATER

Painted faces of Simon, Eli, and Harold stand at attention,

now wearing their colonial garb.

A paintbrush fills in the final details of Seth’s eyes.

One brown and one blue, staring back at us.

CUT TO BLACK.