"HERETIC" (2024)

Paxton is bubbly but sheltered. Barnes is intelligent and edgy. Well, edgy for a Mormon missionary.

They wear long overcoats. Skirts that fully cover the knee. Modest attire that does not draw attention to itself.

Peoria, Illinois November

Two BICYCLES lean near the park bench where they uncomfortably sit. The park bench has a full sized CONDOM ADVERTISEMENT on it that says: “BIGGER JUST GOT BETTER”

Paxton blushes, regretting even starting this story.

Paxton is bright red now, really regretting this story.

Long beat of silence.

Beat.

BARNES PAXTON (cont’d)

Do you watch a lot of... I don’t watch porno-ography.

BING. Text alert on the sisters’ shared PHONE.

Sister Paxton takes out her BOOK OF MORMON which has thousands of notes scrawled in the margins.

Paxton zips up her jacket. Looks out across the street. At people walking to and from work, school, wherever.

She looks up at the sky. STORM CLOUDS growing.

Barnes takes a breath, looks away.

The girls walk their bikes down a safe suburban jaunt, heading to their next appointment.

Before Barnes can answer, they see a YOUNG MOM pushing a STROLLER down the street.

The mom doesn’t say a word, just keeps walking.

A little further. The girls politely wave at everyone who passes by.

A group of COLLEGE GIRLS approach in the distance, similar in age. But fashionable.

Sister Barnes isn’t so sure, but goes with it.

The sorority girl rips down Paxton’s skirt, revealing her Mormon UNDERGARMENTS, as the others film and laugh.

A little later. The sisters shuffle along through HEAVY WIND. Paxton hides her face in shame. They stop at a RUSTED GATE.

Paxton wipes a tear from her eye.

Barnes sees, pretends not to notice. She locks the bikes to the gate with a RED U-LOCK. She puts the BIKE KEY in her coat pocket.

Paxton seems hurt by this.

Paxton cracks a smile.

Barnes looks down at her flat chest.

Paxton is smiling now.

Rain starts to fall. The sisters enter the rusted gate and follow the path up a hill. Paxton uses her SATCHEL as an umbrella.

They approach a SMALL HOUSE in the distance, surrounded on all sides by trees and an odd smattering of religious paraphernalia scattered amidst the yard, barely visible beneath the overgrown lawn.

They KNOCK on the door..... waiting.... they can hear FOOTSTEPS moving around.

BING! A text alert on their phone.

Paxton texts back. Immediately gets a response.

A beat as Barnes considers this. She glances around. The weather is getting worse. It’s gonna have to be quick.

Paxton smiles. Barnes KNOCKS on the door one more time.

Paxton starts typing a text back to Sister Hall.

MR. REED, 50s, opens the door. He’s an average looking middle aged man. His ordinary features disguise a complex intellect.

And his voice is kind.

They shake hands.

Reed nods.

Paxton, confused by his non-committal response, scans through her notes.

Mr. Reed takes the “RESTORATION BOOKLET”.

Mr. Reed politely flips through the BOOKLET, hands it back.

The RAIN and WIND start to pick up. There’s no overhang above the door to shield the girls from the elements.

The sisters smile.

Paxton and Barnes follow Reed into his home. The door closes behind them.

Reed takes their COATS.

Mr. Reed disappears through a doorway while “...the walls and ceiling have metal in them...” rattles around our subconscious.

The girls are alone now in the very small living room. The walls are barren. There is no artwork or pictures of any kind. The colors of the carpet and furniture are different shades of brown. There is a single naked lightbulb in the ceiling. No light switch, just a pull string.

A wind howls through a crack in one of the unusually small windows. The girls watch a beige curtain blow around. Suddenly the talkative girls have nothing to say, until --

Mr. Reed holds a TRAY with a LIT CANDLE and two sweaty COKE GLASSES. His hair looks slightly damp. His pant cuffs wet as if he spilled something.

The girls sit down as Mr. Reed moves the CANDLE and COKE GLASSES from the tray onto a small living room TABLE.

Paxton appears comforted by this, but neither girl goes for a drink. Mr. Reed pauses, searching for the right thought.

Mr. Reed glances at their PHONE which sits on the table.

He’s paraphrasing David Foster Wallace, but it’s unlikely the girls notice the plagiarism.

That last line hangs in the air for an awkward beat. There’s a small NOISE from the other room.

The girls notice.

Mr. Reed dramatically CLAPS his hands together.

Mr. Reed holds up his copy of THE BOOK OF MORMON. Worn from study. Bookmarked and thumbnailed heavily.

Paxton takes an enthusiastic sniff.

Barnes spreads a big smile across her face to stop from getting emotional. Takes a beat to answer.

Mr. Reed flinches.

Awkward silence.

Another silence. Reed is studying the girls’ reaction to his “Strange” comment.

Barnes rubs the inside of her upper arm. This is a self- soothing technique she regularly employs in uncomfortable situations.

Reed notices that her fingers are grazing a small FADED SCAR.

Mr. Reed isn’t sure what to do with that. He looks out the window at the setting sun.

Mr. Reed mops up the condensation on the sweating COKE GLASSES.

Mr. Reed looks to Sister Paxton as if to ask, “And you?”

Paxton indulges in a tummy drumroll. Barnes sits motionless.

The drumroll stops. A wind howls through the window.

Paxton looks to Barnes. The girls a little dazed from whiplash.

Barnes considers this a moment, thoughtfully.

Hard to tell if Barnes believes this, or if she’s just regurgitating Church talking points.

Barnes considers this. We capture her thinking mind, rolling the timeline and details around in her head.

Reed snaps his fingers.

Paxton sort of nods. But we can tell Barnes is actually processing what Reed is saying on a deeper level.

The girls are silent. Mr. Reed picks up the candle.

Reed blows out the CANDLE. The room a little darker now.

There is a darkness to that last line that hangs in the room. We may even hear the uncomfortable shifting of audience members in their seats.

The girls are silent. Worried they’ve walked into a dangerous semantic mind trap. A nervousness in their voice now.

Reed slowly stands --

-- then leaves the room.

Barnes glances at their phone.

Paxton trails off. Sees Barnes is staring at something on the table.

Barnes slowly leans forward. Reaches for the CANDLE.

Smoke still trailing over the wick.

She spins the candle.

It turns.

Slowly.

Slowly.

Slowly.

Until.

-- the door opens. The girls look up, startled. As Reed returns to the living room.

Fading light. The WEATHER is getting worse around the neighborhood. There’s a short MONTAGE of the town battening down the hatches to prepare for a storm. The montage ends at the Mormon Church Building...

...where the Mission President ELDER KENNEDY (50, male), is leveling a crooked PAINTING of Joseph Smith. We see him move about the building completing his daily tasks:

- Kennedy scrubs a BAPTISM TUB.

- Kennedy wears an apron, washing dishes in the kitchen.

- Kennedy cleans the keys of a PIPE ORGAN with a Q-Tip.

- Kennedy organizes a series of paperclips by color, an apparent OCD starting to show.

His diligence forms a picture of a man who is a stickler for details.

Kennedy strides through the church gym with purpose, heading to his next task.

He SLIPS on a WET SPOT and falls hard.

No one was around to see. That’s a relief to him.

He gathers himself. Gazes at a trail of WET FOOTPRINTS.

Kennedy grabs a MOP and BUCKET.

Upon his exit, his eyes catch a chore CLIPBOARD on the wall - a list of dates/times/names of missionaries tasked to clean the bathroom on a specific rotation.

Two names are constantly present:

11/2 6:00pm PAXTON 11/3 6:00pm BARNES 11/4 6:00pm PAXTON 11/5 6:00pm BARNES 11/6 6:00pm

Kennedy checks his watch: 7:58pm

Almost two hours overdue... that’s odd.

Kennedy mops the gym floor. He pauses a moment. Stares out the window as the storm grows worse, seeing not a soul in sight. No Paxton. No Barnes.

Two MALE MISSIONARIES, 18, are screwing around. One of them covers their head with the other’s suit jacket and FARTS.

His companion laughs. The dichotomy between these two knuckleheads and Barnes/Paxton is biblical.

The missionaries immediately sit up straight. They didn’t know Kennedy was watching.

The girls are standing now. They watch Reed place the Cokes and candle back on the tray. He lifts the tray to the doorway.

Reed starts down the corridor.

Paxton begins to follow but Barnes discreetly snags her companion’s shirt.

Mr. Reed continues ahead into the dark hallway.

Barnes takes out their PHONE.

Barnes pretends to answer the phone.

Mr. Reed disappears into the shadow of the hallway. After a pregnant pause, we hear a door OPEN and CLOSE. We assume he has passed into the next room...

Barnes walks to the front door. She places her fingertips on the handle and STOPS ----

She stands there frozen.

Paxton’s eyes narrow.

Paxton’s still not getting it.

Paxton quietly turns the DOOR KNOB.

It doesn’t open.

She tries again.

Less gentle this time.

Paxton feels around the knob and frame. There’s no lock.

Now Barnes tries the handle. Her frightened desperation becoming more apparent with each pull. IT WON’T OPEN.

Barnes turns. Looks past the doorway at the pitch black hallway that Reed disappeared into. Too dark to see anything. Seems like he’s gone into the next room already. Unless he’s standing there watching them...

...there would be no way of knowing for sure.

Paxton takes the phone from Barnes, holds it to her head, pretending to be on a phone call just in case.

Barnes moves over to the windows, but as noted earlier, they are unusually small. Even if she broke the glass, the girls would be too big to squeeze through the opening.

Paxton looks at the phone.

Paxton dials Kennedy but the phone won’t connect.

Barnes peers out the window.

Barnes tries the door again. REALLY TRIES IT THIS TIME. Puts all of her weight into it. Short of breaking the hinges, it does not seem possible to open.

Paxton still can’t get a signal.

Paxton is frightened to hear this, but knows it’s the only option.

The girls enter the hallway. Hesitant. It is dark and getting darker - lit only by the last rays of sunlight filtering through the disturbingly small windows of the living room they just left behind.

There is a SHAPE at the end of the hall.

Its silhouette becoming more defined as they cross the halfway point, and their eyes begin to adjust.

The shape is a head.

And shoulders.

Watching.

Unmoving.

There is no response from the shape. The girls continue further.

Paxton lets out a giggle.

The “shape” is a MARBLE BUST that sits atop a tall end table.

Paxton smiles. Barnes inspects the statue a little more closely. Vaguely recognizes the face but can’t quite place the religious figure.

The girls are in deep shadow by the time they arrive at the WOODEN DOOR. Barnes reaches for the antique cast iron knob.

The girls push open the heavy door and enter the LIBRARY.

Their nervous faces take in the room around them.

There are a few things we may notice immediately:

1) THE BOOKS. Hardcovers and first editions. Rows and rows of them inset into the walls. 2) THE LECTERN. That Reed unceremoniously drags into the center of the room, as he casually acknowledges Barnes & Paxton’s entrance. 3) THE WIFE. That has been referenced at length but is nowhere to be seen. Her absence is unmistakable. 4) THE RED CURTAIN. Draped from floor to ceiling on the back wall behind the girls. 5) THE ALTAR. With two unlit candles positioned before a small row of pews. 6) THE TWO DOORS. Both on the far wall. They are closed and crudely painted two different colors...

YELLOW DOOR PURPLE DOOR

The girls stay in the corner of the room, keeping a safe distance from Reed.

Paxton holds up their PHONE.

Slow pan to Paxton, as she processes the thought that she might have been getting through to Reed.

The girls retrieve their coats.

Barnes discreetly checks for the BIKE LOCK KEY. It’s not there, what the hell.

She throws a concerned look to Paxton.

Flips the pocket inside out to show her companion it’s empty.

Paxton searches her coat for the BIKE LOCK KEY.

The first pocket Paxton checks is empty. Uh oh.

Paxton finds the KEY in her other pocket. A sigh of relief, but also... that’s odd. She discreetly flashes it to Barnes.

The girls share a confused look.

Mr. Reed is nodding apologetically.

CLOSE ON the girls’ faces, processing.

Mr. Reed points in the general direction of the two doors on the far wall, but it’s unclear if he’s aiming at yellow or purple.

Mr. Reed motions the girls --

Barnes swallows. Thinking. Developing a strategy in real time. Too frightened to organize her thoughts into a coherent response. She ends up letting out this:

Paxton continues to panic. Face trembling. Not hiding it as well as Barnes. Mr. Reed notices.

The girls nod, “Yes”.

Mr. Reed sees the effect this is all having on the girls.

TAP TAP TAP. Reed notices a leak in the ceiling. Rainwater dripping through the roof onto the floor.

Reed moves his version of a SHISHI-ODOSHI style bucket under the drip to collect the rainwater. And every once in awhile, this device gets full, and does a dump/reset action that creates a loud "thwack" noise. Which will be particularly useful to accent suspense in key moments.

ON THE GIRLS. We see a literal gulp as Paxton dry swallows.

If Reed is trying to make them feel comfortable he has failed. The thought of a house designed to stop a phone from making calls is very clearly nightmare fuel.

Reed pauses.

He approaches the YELLOW DOOR.

Reaches for the handle.

But stops.

The girls say nothing.

The girls say nothing.

The girls say nothing.

The girls say nothing. They couldn’t if they tried. Their voices have been sucked into their stomachs.

CLOSE ON Sister Barnes.

Barnes holds her breath.

She steels herself.

The girls don’t even know what to say, except...

Paxton’s emotional eyes react. Her voice trembling as she squeaks out...

The fuck...

Paxton is too afraid to move.

Barnes crosses the room as Paxton watches.

She reaches for the YELLOW DOOR.

She reaches for the door handle.

Glances back at Sister Paxton.

Her fingers tighten into a grip.

She opens the YELLOW DOOR...

SLOW PUSH IN ON BARNES...

SHE HATES WHAT SHE SEES...

A SINKING FEELING SETTING IN...

THAT THIS IS GOING TO KEEP GETTING WORSE AND WORSE...

A small flight of concrete stairs lead down into DARKNESS.

Paxton watches Barnes from across the room, terrified. She can’t see what Barnes is looking at. Curiosity starts to pull her nervously towards her companion.

Barnes composes herself.

She closes the YELLOW DOOR.

Reed watches, intrigued.

Paxton stops. Growing more nervous.

Barnes moves to the PURPLE DOOR.

Reaches for the door knob.

And opens the door to see...

A small flight of concrete stairs lead down into DARKNESS.

Both doors lead down concrete staircases, giving the impression these doors don’t necessarily navigate outside the house, but rather deeper into the bowels of the house.

Paxton has now joined Barnes. She is seeing what Barnes is seeing. Equally terrified by the awful options they have in front of them.

Paxton tries the other door, confirms both doors lead to a basement. She turns on their phone’s FLASHLIGHT. It’s not strong enough to reveal much more. She closes the door.

Barnes and Paxton try to recall. The look on their faces tell us they’re skeptical about that.

A moment of silence for all the awkward, upset feelings swirling around the room.

The girls don’t answer.

Mr. Reed pauses. He’s not ready to answer that question yet.

Mr. Reed closes the PURPLE DOOR.

What can they even fucking say to that question at this point other than....

BARNES PAXTON

...yes. ...okay.

He motions the girls across the room, near the pews.

Mr. Reed opens a CABINET underneath the ALTAR. Searching for something. He finds it.

He places a vintage edition of MONOPOLY onto the Altar:

The girls look at the game, dumbfounded. As Reed crosses the room...

The girls just nod.

Reed thumbs through a stack of Vinyl Records. He chooses THE HOLLIES, and gently sets the needle to play: “The Air That I Breathe”...

Reed crosses the room back to the Altar.

They don’t want.

The girls nod.

----> Mr. Reed places a HOLY BIBLE onto the Altar.

He then opens the Monopoly box and unfolds the game board.

The girls sorta nod.

Reed locks eyes with the girls.

Reed reaches under the Altar and unveils another board game:

The girls look at the box. They don’t recognize it.

The girls shake their head, “No”.

He opens the box. Moves the pieces around.

Mr. Reed pauses. He didn’t like how that sounded. A dark edge peaking through. He clears his throat.

Behind the girls something is shifting along the RED CURTAINED WALL. It is subtle. Almost imperceptible.

“The Air that I Breathe” stops playing. In the now eerily silent room, Mr. Reed says:

Mr. Reed crosses the room. Resets the record needle, and plays “The Air that I Breathe” from the beginning.

BARNES & PAXTON No.

For attentive viewers, it is now unmistakable, the RED CURTAIN on the far wall behind the girls is SLOWLY RISING.

BARNES & PAXTON Yes.

Mr. Reed unfolds a banner with three symbols.

He drapes the banner across the Altar. Then rotates the Altar ninety degrees.

Mr. Reed retrieves a hard bound copy of THE TORAH from the bookshelf. He organizes it next to the Star of David and The Landlord’s Game.

Mr. Reed slides the HOLY BIBLE next to the Latin Cross and Monopoly box.

Mr. Reed retrieves a hard bound copy of THE KORAN from the bookshelf. He organizes it next to the Star & Crescent.

Mr. Reed reaches his hand out to the girls.

The girls look at each other.

Paxton slowly crosses the room. Each step she takes towards Reed is terrifying. She notices something out of the corner of her eye. There’s a stack of mail on one of the pews. She sees:

Paxton continues walking to Reed. Her nervous hands give him the book.

Mr. Reed reveals one final board game and places it onto the altar with the BOOK OF MORMON:

Paxton steps back towards Barnes.

Mr. Reed points at the record player:

The girls think. Shake their head, “No”.

The girls register some recognition.

The girls nod, they actually do know it.

The girls nod.

Is Reed schizophrenic or genius...

Reed kneels down at the ALTAR. He lights the two CANDLES on either end of his board game display.

The girls don’t know how to respond to that. So Reed continues.

The girls react.

Reed moves behind the LECTERN, as if mass is finally in session.

The girls nod.

Dangerous winds knock over city trash bins and storefront signage. There’s a blinding wintry mix of snow and rain in the sky. The streets are nearly empty.

The only person braving the storm is ELDER KENNEDY. We TRACK with him as he fumbles with his scarf.

Elder Kennedy stands in the doorway of a quaint one-story, speaking with a LOVELY COUPLE.

Reed stares down the girls from behind the lectern.

Reed steps down from the lectern and crosses the room. He passes the girls on his way to the BACK WALL...

Now that the red curtain is up, the back wall looks completely different. There is an overwhelming amount of ANCIENT ARTWORK depicting various POLYTHEISTIC GODS. The art covers the entirety of the wall.

This line hurts. Barnes knows he’s right.

The girls take it all in.

Reed points to a small collection of art near the floor.

Reed crosses the back wall and points to another collection.

Reed points to another collection of art.

Reed passes the girls on his way back to the lectern. Paxton is reeling. Barnes has taken damage, but is also intrigued.

They’re too young for the Jar Jar reference.

He stops at the altar. Inspects the lit CANDLES closely. Observes that one of them is FLICKERING uncontrollably. His eyes move from the flame to the girls. As if there’s some eerie correlation he is contemplating in his mind.

Reed walks to the PURPLE DOOR. He scribbles something on the door in large letters with a GREASE PEN:

Reed walks to the YELLOW DOOR and writes:

Reed goes back to the candles. One of them is still flickering. The other is normal. He blows out the normal candle. Sets the FLICKERING CANDLE on the floor.

He flips through some RESEARCH. Finds a quote he’s looking for.

No response.

BARNES & PAXTON Yes.

The girls look at the doors.

Reed points at the two DOORS. The options look like this:

YELLOW DOOR PURPLE DOOR

-- REED FLIPS OVER THE ALTAR. All the religious texts and monopoly games go CRASHING to the ground.

The girls flinch.

There’s a silent beat before...

Barnes crosses the room. Kneels down near the fallen altar.

She picks up the religious books one by one. Handling each with reverence. She sets them carefully on a pew near the LETTER OPENER as she asks:

Paxton’s heard enough. She approaches the PURPLE/DISBELIeF DOOR.

Mr. Reed doesn’t respond.

Barnes approaches the YELLOW/BELIEF DOOR, opposite the one her companion is standing at.

Barnes stares at the door. Really considering it.

Barnes isn’t listening.

Barnes closes her eyes, upset with herself.

Barnes glances back at Reed.

Reed doesn’t react.

Barnes looks to Paxton.

Barnes is getting emotional, but trying to hide it.

Barnes looks at Reed. Her eyes narrow.

Reed says nothing.

Now both girls are studying Reed’s reaction.

Reed is inscrutable.

Barnes looks back at the two doors and shrugs.

Paxton looks caught between being honest and trying not to get murdered.

Paxton is unsure. But Reed is not saying anything. And she’d rather not offend God, you know, just to be safe.

Paxton slowly crosses over to Barnes. The girls stand shoulder to shoulder in front of the YELLOW/BELIEF DOOR.

Barnes reaches for the HANDLE.

The door opens.

There’s that concrete STAIRCASE again.

And the PITCH BLACK basement.

The girls begin their descent.

They get about halfway down when Reed eclipses the light at the top of the stairs behind them.

The girls turn.

He looks down on them in eerie silhouette.

Reed does not answer. He just watches. Rainwater starts to drip from the ceiling.

The girls turn and keep descending.

Darker and darker. Until...

Barnes is using their phone as a FLASHLIGHT.

The girls confer. Both frightened.

They forge ahead.

When they finally reach the bottom of the stairs, they encounter a closed YELLOW DOOR. They push through and enter --

-- the BASEMENT.

IT IS ENTIRELY EMPTY. JUST A MOLDY CINDER BRICK ROOM. With a single CARD TABLE and FOLDING CHAIR in the center.

The room is nearly pitch black, lit only by an ominous shaft of moonlight, coming through a cracked ceiling skylight. The skylight rattles from hail and rain. Water dripping through the seams. Collecting on the card table below. The ceiling is unusually high for a basement. If it wasn’t for the skylight, the girls wouldn’t know how tall it actually is.

Paxton notices a PURPLE DOOR on the wall adjacent to the yellow one they just stepped through. They are a mirror image of the library doors up above. Yellow and Purple.

Paxton tries the purple door, but of course it is LOCKED.

They look around. It’s very hard to see in the dark, but it seems pretty clear there is no exit out of the house.

Paxton can’t finish her thought. She’s hyperventilating. Barnes gives her a big hug. Holds her.

Barnes continues searching for a tool, or rock, or anything in the corners of the room. Searching every inch with the flashlight.

Barnes is thinking.

Barnes pulls up a FLOOR BOARD up to reveal a sharp nail. She touches the nail. Makes a mental note of it. Puts it back.

They hear something.

Barnes rushes over to Paxton.

She reveals the LETTER OPENER and puts it in Paxton’s COAT POCKET. She must’ve stolen it when Reed wasn’t looking.

They listen. The heavy FOOTFALLS are getting closer and closer.

Barnes nods and turns OFF the flashlight. The girls wait in near total DARKNESS.

They hear the purple door UNLOCK.

We see the faintest silhouette of the door open. The outline of a figure can barely be seen stepping through.

There is a SILENT pause.

The figure shuffles forward. Eerily moving one step at a time, with pained, exasperated breaths. It doesn’t sound like Reed.

As the figure gets closer, the girls begin to notice the slight wheeze of a breathing impediment. And the smell of rotting cabbage.

The figure appears to be holding something in their hands...

MRS. REED is skeletal thin and tall. Taller than Reed. Her skin is wrinkled and blotted. Infected? She wears the physical conditions of a 200 year old human on the body of a middle aged woman. A PURPLE VEIL hides her sunken complexion. Her brittle hands carry what appears to be BLUEBERRY PIE...

MRS. REED painstakingly sets the BLUEBERRY PIE onto the card table. She pauses a moment. Out of breath. The girls watch in horror as Mrs. Reed moves over to the far wall. She never utters a word. Just the unnerving rasp of her BREATHING.

Paxton goes to help, but Barnes stops her.

Mrs. Reed lowers herself onto the floor. She moans in pain, as she settles achingly onto the back of her calves. Leaning forward. Her spine clicks as she folds into Child’s Pose. Her arms fan out backwards into an unorthodox PRAYER POSITION...

...and now she silently PRAYS.

The girls watch, mouths agape. They don’t know what to say or do.

The girls startle. They search the shadows for Mr. Reed.

The basement is too dark. They cannot see Mr. Reed.

They follow Reed’s disembodied VOICE to a SPEAKING TUBE that protrudes from the east wall.

A speaking tube is exactly what it sounds like: a narrow pipe made of galvanized metal that extends from one spot in the house to another, allowing people to communicate as if they were in the same room together.

Find Mr. Reed in a small STUDY we haven’t seen before. The other end of the SPEAKING TUBE protrudes near his mouth.

Reed speaks solemnly as he moves two cardboard FIGURES through a 3/4 SCALE MODEL OF HIS HOUSE.

He then makes a couple notes in a POCKET JOURNAL.

The girls acknowledge as their minds race.

Barnes looks around. Sees the frail Mrs. Reed still praying.

Her gaze moves to the purple door that Mrs. Reed entered through. The door is still open...

Paxton looks to Barnes.

Barnes puts a raised finger to her lips, “Shhh”. Then gestures with her hands as if to say:

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Paxton protests, but Barnes is already on her way.

Barnes tiptoes across the room. Narrowly passes Mrs. Reed.

It is a suspenseful moment. The old woman waits like a proximity mine that could explode with the faintest breeze.

Barnes enters the stairwell. It leads up to the PURPLE DOOR. We already knew that.

What we didn’t know... is there is another DOOR that bisects this staircase halfway up.

Barnes tries to open this door. It is of course LOCKED. She tries the purple door at the top of the stairwell next. It too, is of course, LOCKED.

Barnes lowers herself to the floor. Peers beneath the purple door at the top of the stairs. Looking back into the LIBRARY.

The room is now EMPTY. Her eyes dart around. Looking for anything to help their situation.

She spots a smattering of MATCHES on the floor near the knocked over altar. The ones used by Reed to light the candles.

They appear too far away for her to reach.

Back with Reed as he concludes his point:

Reed slides the FIGURES from the living room of the MODEL HOUSE, down into the basement.

The figures loosely resemble Barnes & Paxton, in that they are female, and appear to be proxies for their current position in the house. It gives one the undeniable feeling that this encounter has been plotted to a very precise degree.

Barnes rejoins Paxton near the speaking tube.

CLOSE ON the PROPHET (fka Mrs. Reed) as she ominously breathes in and out, like a cancer patient on dialysis, choking on whispered breaths. Alone in the corner of the room.

The girls are caught between obeying Reed and their instinct to stay far away from the woman.

In this moment we hear a CLICK CLICK.

BARNES & PAXTON Yes.

It is the eerie sound of the Prophet’s back, as she raises herself up out of Child’s Pose.

The Prophet painfully stands to her feet. The girls watch in terror as she drags herself over to the card table and takes a seat.

The Prophet lifts her VEIL and for the first time we see her terrifying complexion in FULL:

HER EYES ARE MILKY WHITE WITH CATARACTS. SHE HAS NO EYEBROWS. GHOSTLY WISPS OF HAIR HANG FROM HER FOREHEAD. HER SKIN IS A SICKLY BLUE, KRISHNA-ESQUE IN ITS UNUSUAL VIBRANCY. HER JAW HANGS SLACK.

The Prophet looks at the BLUEBERRY PIE before her.

Her hand trembles as her fingers claw into the top crust of the pie.

The Prophet painstakingly clenches her fist, strangling a clump of blue gooey pie.

The Prophet raises her fistful of pie and shoves it unceremoniously into her slack mouth.

She then goes for another fistful of pie.

Pie goo drips from the Prophet’s mouth as she continues to eat.

PUSH IN ON Sister Paxton. Her own words from the opening.

The Prophet stops eating. Something is wrong.

Reed fashions a new FIGURE out of cardboard using a BOX CUTTER. He places this one outside the front door of the MODEL HOUSE.

The Prophet sits motionless. Drooling pie. Her eyes begin to roll back into her head.

The girls watch, depleted. They have no idea what to do or not do. There is no fucking church manual for this scenario.

THE PROPHET DROPS DEAD FACE FIRST INTO THE PIE.

The girls flinch.

Then stare.

In horror.

There’s a silent moment before...

The girls say nothing.

The girls say nothing.

BARNES & PAXTON Yes.

BARNES & PAXTON Yes.

The girls don’t move.

The girls nervously trek towards the card table.

Barnes touches the Prophet’s wrist. Her fingers checking the dead pulse on the woman’s disgusting skin.

Barnes glances at Paxton. Her terrified eyes confirm there is no pulse.

Barnes then touches the woman’s neck. Still no heartbeat.

Paxton touches the Prophet’s wrist. No pulse.

She goes for the neck.

Peels back the woman’s dead grey hair.

Reaches out her finger tips.

Touches her skin --

THE PROPHET JERKS! PAXTON SCREAMS!

The Prophet falls back into the pie.

Paxton recovers.

Paxton reaches for the woman’s neck once more.

BARNES & PAXTON No pulse.

The girls look at each other.

Paxton places her hand in front of the Prophet’s mouth. Feels nothing.

Barnes does the same.

BARNES & PAXTON (in tears) Yes.

Nothing happens.

The girls back away from the Prophet. Their eyes fixed on the dead woman.

Nothing happens.

Nothing happens. We hang on a LONG SILENT SHOT of the dead Prophet. It is terrifying because it feels like ANYTHING could happen.

BARNES & PAXTON No.

BARNES & PAXTON No. Not yet.

Nothing happens.

Nothing happens.

Nothing happens.

And it’s starting to feel like nothing is going to happen.

It’s starting to feel like... the girls just witnessed a fucked up murder. Or was it a suicide? Is it worse if she stays dead? Or if she comes back to life?

These are the questions racing through the girls’ minds as Mr. Reed asks once more:

BARNES & PAXTON No, she has not.

Nothing happens.

..

...

Nothing happens.

..

...

Nothing happens.

..

...

DING-DONG---------------!

The girls look at each other.

Reed turns. Listening...

DING-DONG---------------!

Hears it again. The DOORBELL. Someone’s here.

Back with the girls as they realize...

BARNES & PAXTON The Elder?

FOOTSTEPS move along the ceiling. The sound of Reed going to answer the door.

Barnes and Paxton exchange looks.

Their eyes silently communicating:

“Is this our chance?”

They hear a NOISE in the nearby stairwell. Sounded like a door OPENING.

The girls enter the stairwell in time to see the purple door CLOSE and LOCK.

Reed was just here.

The girls scurry up the stairs.

Barnes looks under the purple door and sees...

REED WALKING ACROSS THE LIBRARY, AWAY FROM US, TO THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.

Reed stops, like catching himself in the midst of making a mistake. It’s unlikely he heard Paxton and Barnes - but perhaps he’s anticipated their next move.

He doubles back to the HEAVY LIBRARY DOOR and closes it --

The girls see the door swinging shut so BARNES SCREAMS!

...THE DOOR SLAMS SHUT, instantly silencing her scream.

There’s no doubt Reed heard them. But he continues toward his front door, unfazed by their attempt.

Reed flips a hidden panel on the wall. Reveals a CIRCULAR MECHANICAL TIMER. He winds it backwards, then presses a button and we hear a LOUD CLICK. The deadbolts on the front door unlock.

He swings the door open, revealing ELDER KENNEDY, covered in snow as the storm rages on.

Mr. Reed pauses, feeling out where Kennedy is going with this.

Reed’s confidence reveals no lie. Kennedy nods. Swayed almost too easily.

Reed watches Kennedy step back into the storm. Then closes the door.

The girls are hoarse from screaming.

Barnes’ eyes drift back over to those MATCHES she saw earlier. She starts to formulate a plan as...

Paxton has discovered the DOOR that bisects the stairs. She tries opening it, like Barnes did earlier.

Paxton gets the same result. Still locked.

Paxton tries the door again. Takes out the LETTER OPENER. Attempts to pick the lock. Fails. She hits the door. Testing the limits of how strong it is. It’s strong.

Paxton kneels next to Barnes.

Paxton sees the MATCHES which are at least fifteen feet away. They sit atop a CARPET RUNNER that extends from the altar to the purple door.

Paxton gets it. Immediately jumps into action. Pulling the CARPET RUNNER with her fingertips. The closer it gets, the easier it is to pull.

Now they’re tugging the carpet hand over hand.

The girls throw an occasional glance over their shoulder. Just to make sure the dead prophet woman isn’t creeping up behind them.

She’s not.

They’ve got the RUNNER about halfway under the door when --

TERRIFIED THEY’VE BEEN CAUGHT.

REED HEADS RIGHT FOR THEM.

HIS LINE OF SIGHT OBSTRUCTED BY THE PEWS...

DING-DONG!

ELDER KENNEDY HASN’T GIVEN UP.

HE BACKTRACKS TO THE FRONT DOOR.

THE GIRLS LET OUT A BIG EXHALE.

HE DIDN’T SEE THEM.

Reed swings the door open. Kennedy stands there once more.

The moment hangs in the air for a beat too long.

And then, Elder Kennedy extends a “RESTORATION BOOKLET”.

Elder Kennedy smiles politely. He turns away and we HOLD on him as he begins down the path.

We SLOWLY PUSH CLOSER as he nears the street, getting further away.

We almost expecting at ANY moment, Elder Kennedy could have second thoughts and return...

He momentarily pauses on the sidewalk, letting a car pass...

Then crosses the street, hops onto the curb.

He keeps walking and yet, we know, at ANY moment here - ANY MOMENT - Elder Kennedy is going to turn right around and come back to the house and confront reed and save Paxton and Barnes and--

REED SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT.

There is no salvation.

Kennedy is not coming back.

THE GIRLS KEEP PULLING THAT RUG UNTIL... THEY HAVE THE MATCHES!

Barnes leaves.

Paxton stays watch, looking under the door.

Barnes returns a moment later with the FLOORBOARD THAT HAS A ROW OF NAILS PROTRUDING.

She places it upright on one of the top stairs as a TRAP for Reed.

The girls return to the basement. They pass the dead Prophet. Paxton startles.

CLOSE ON the EERILY STILL Prophet. Doesn’t seem like she’s moved.

Paxton’s right. The pie remains are smeared across the table’s surface, at least a few inches from the Prophet’s lifeless face.

Barnes continues to the SPEAKING TUBE.

Barnes strips off her coat to use as kindling. Paxton reluctantly joins. The girls kneel to the floor and lay out the MATCHES.

Paxton lifts the COAT SLEEVE.

Barnes readies the MATCHES.

She strikes the FIRST MATCH. It doesn’t take. She tries a few more times, charring the match head.

Barnes strikes the SECOND MATCH. Still not igniting.

Paxton glances over her shoulder at the old woman. They are too far away to see her through the dark.

Paxton steadies the coat sleeve.

Barnes strikes the THIRD MATCH. It still doesn’t take.

Barnes strikes the FOURTH MATCH. Still nothing.

Barnes strikes the FIFTH MATCH with more speed.

THERE’S A SPARK --

Barnes moves the match to the coat sleeve. The sleeve lights up. The faint fiery glow of the coat illuminates something behind them...

THE GAZE OF A FACE YOU COULDN’T CONJURE IN YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES. THE PROPHET INCHES AWAY FROM THEM. MIRACULOUSLY ALIVE. OR UNDEAD. A GUTTURAL MOAN ESCAPING HER BLUE BLACK LIPS. HER VACANT DARK EYES SLOWLY BLINK.

Barnes screams. Dropping the FLAMING COAT to the floor.

THE PROPHET WRETCHES. THEN PUKES BLUEBERRY PIE EVERYWHERE.

The fire extinguishes upon impact. Sending us back into an airless black as --

The girls recoil.

AND THEN THE PROPHET OPENS HER MOUTH TO SPEAK:

HER VOICE IS DEEP, ANDROGYNOUS. IT REACHES A SOUL PENETRATING REGISTER AS SHE SAYS:

The girls are frozen in shock.

A dead woman.

Now alive. Talking.

Before Barnes and Paxton even have time to process --

The girls turn to see...

Reed crossing the basement. He holds the UPTURNED BOARD WITH NAILS. Nonchalantly tosses it to the ground, then --

Kneels next to the Prophet. Whispers into her ear.

He helps the Prophet stand.

Mr. Reed helps her walk across the basement to the stairs. He WHISPERS something that we cannot hear.

As his back is turned, Barnes tries to light another MATCH. But like before, she struggles to start a fire.

The Prophet climbs the stairs one foot at a time.

She exits through the midpoint door. Reed LOCKS it behind her.

Barnes becomes frantic, trying and failing to light a match.

Reed walks towards the girls.

He calmly takes the MATCHES from Barnes.

He strikes a MATCH with ease. He holds the FLAME near Paxton’s face. Then hovers it near Barnes. He studies how the flame reacts. It’s too nuanced for us to comprehend any significance.

He blows it out.

The girls exchange a look. Unsure of themselves.

Reed transcribes the “prophecy” into a pocket notebook.

BARNES & PAXTON ...

Barnes turns to Paxton.

Mr. Reed compares with his notes.

The girls let the horror of that sink in.

Reed takes a small step toward the girls.

That doesn’t resonate with them. He tries another angle.

There is a SILENCE before...

Paxton turns to Barnes, “it does?”

Paxton’s ears perk up on the word “magic”.

The girls share a knowing look.

A hint that the “code word” is on its way.

Paxton’s hand discreetly moves into her coat pocket.

She touches the LETTER OPENER.

Paxton takes a deep breath.

Mentally preparing.

Reed moves closer.

A FLASH OF METAL CUTS FRAME.

A SLICE OF SKIN AND THEN...

BLOOD FALLING DOWN SISTER BARNES’ NECK FROM A GAPING WOUND.

REED CATCHES HER AS SHE FALLS.

A BOX CUTTER DROPS TO THE GROUND.

REED KILLED BARNES BEFORE PAXTON COULD KILL REED.

TIME SEEMS TO SLOW DOWN AS PAXTON’S HEART POUNDS AGAINST HER CHEST.

PAXTON RUNS UPSTAIRS TO THE LOCKED MIDPOINT DOOR. SHE BANGS ON IT. SCREAMING.

NOW TO THE TOP OF THE STAIRS. THE LOCKED LIVING ROOM DOOR. PAXTON HITS IT AND PUSHES IT.

IT WON’T OPEN.

PAXTON KEEPS HITTING AND SHOVING. NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP HER FROM TRYING TO BREAK IT DOWN.

SHE HAS TWO OPTIONS:

1) Give up.

2) Stick to the plan. Challenge Reed. Outsmart him.

She tells herself this. Over and over. It runs through her head. It moves through her lips.

After a long moment of recovery, Paxton returns to the basement.

Reed is on the floor now. Barnes’ DEAD BODY in his lap bleeding out.

He uses her COAT to mop up the blood and vomit.

Paxton’s whole body trembles. It takes everything inside of her to face Reed.

Reed shakes the corpse. It doesn’t move. He frowns.

Reed grabs his BOX CUTTER from the floor. Lengthens the blade.

Paxton shakes her head, of course she’s not.

Reed lifts up Barnes’ lifeless arm.

He cuts vertically down the medial head of her BICEP.

The skin opens easily.

Paxton watches in horror as --

REED DIGS HIS FINGERS INTO THE DEAD GIRL’S FLESH. ROOTING AROUND. SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING IN HER UNDERARM.

Reed pulls out a small silver IMPLANT, about the size of a hairpin.

Paxton cannot comprehend.

Reed awkwardly stands out from under the body. Now covered in blood. He ambles over to Paxton and hands her the bloody IMPLANT.

Paxton looks at the small device. Horrified to be touching her friend’s blood.

Paxton composes herself. Her first chance to go toe-to-toe with Reed.

Paxton deflates. She can’t do this.

Reed approaches the CARD TABLE. He pushes the half-eaten pie out of the way.

Reed draws a picture on the CARD TABLE:

Paxton cautiously approaches.

He adds to the drawing:

IN ONE UNINTERRUPTED TAKE:

Paxton is speechless. She wants to fight back.

She wants to say something, anything.

But can’t...

Paxton takes another breath. Tries again...

Reed strikes a MATCH.

He holds the match near the drawing.

Reed’s finger moves horizontally across the drawing, expressing a person crossing over into death.

The light from the MATCH fades.

Reed strikes another MATCH, then adds to the drawing:

Paxton reacts.

Reed completes the drawing using the BLOOD on his finger:

The MATCH flame fades to darkness.

Paxton’s eyes flick down to Reed’s hand. He’s still holding the BOX CUTTER.

She doesn’t have time to waste.

Needs to think quick.

Keep the duel alive before he strikes.

Mr. Reed appears offended by this.

She looks around the room. Piecing together a narrative. Trying to understand how everything has led to this. Attempting to comprehend what it all means.

Paxton’s nervous hand holds up the IMPLANT. It takes everything left in her to say:

Reed is silent. It’s eerie how comfortable he appears to be, covered in another person’s blood.

Reed smiles. Appreciates his own tactic being used against him.

Reed is intrigued.

Reed takes this in.

Reed walks along the outer wall of the basement. His fingertips grazing the impenetrable cinder brick.

Paxton looks around the basement, considering this for a moment.

She looks up. At the skylight. The weather beating down on it. Her eyes follow the incoming rainwater. She watches the DRIP DRIP DRIP hit the ground.

Now her eyes are investigating the small puddle that is accumulating. How the puddle seems to drift, pulling down towards the card table.

She approaches the CARD TABLE. A PUDDLE of water has collected on its surface. Paxton is careful not to disturb the water as she --

Drags it away from the center of the basement. Then moves the folding chair.

She stands where the table used to be.

The rainwater appears to be collecting near a low point in the floor.

Paxton gently tips the pooled rainwater on the card table. The water pours onto the ground and immediately absorbs into the low point.

Paxton kneels. Feeling around for something. Finds it.

Her fingers dig into the dirt and tighten around an iron HANDLE.

She lifts the handle. It’s heavy. Dirt and mud sift into the ground as she pulls, revealing a RECTANGULAR SEAM hidden in the floor.

Oh god, it’s a secret door.

Paxton stands with both hands dragging the door SLOWLY OPEN. When she’s done, she finds herself standing in front of...

A BLACK CORRIDOR THAT WAS CRUDELY DUG INTO THE EARTH. Rocks and roots protrude through the muddy tunnel which seems to descend deeper into the ground. It is impossible to say how far it goes.

Paxton considers this a moment. The dark tunnel stands before her. And then --

She climbs down into the hole. One foot in front of the other. The sound of her own breathing feels unnaturally loud.

The walls are narrow and crudely carved. Dirt and rocks protrude through, like a homemade mineshaft.

She uses her phone as a FLASHLIGHT.

Her light finds a PAIR OF FEET.

She rakes the flashlight alongside the silhouette of a DEAD WOMAN, lying crumpled in the mud floor. Half buried in a foot of rainwater that has collected on the ground from FLOODING.

THE WOMAN IS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE PROPHET IN EVERY WAY.

Paxton looks back up to Reed --

-- as Reed CLOSES THE CELLAR DOOR - LOCKING PAXTON INSIDE THE TUNNEL. She has no choice but to forge ahead.

Paxton passes through a series of consecutive wooden doors roughly built into the tunnel. Anything could be waiting for her behind any given door. Each door is terrifying. First she enters the...

Next she enters the...

Next she enters the...

Next she enters the...

On the far wall of the blue chamber is a...

Paxton tries to open the door but the handles are fastened shut by a RED U-LOCK.

She examines the lock. Tries to pull it apart. Won’t open without a key.

Paxton deflates. It’s a dead end. She’s trapped. Stuck here forever if she can’t break this lock.

She looks at the lock again....................wait?

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

The Red U-Lock looks familiar.

It looks just like their RED BICYCLE U-LOCK.

It can’t be. Can it?

Paxton feels around in her coat pocket. Her mind moving faster than her fingers. She pulls out...

...the BIKE KEY.

She inserts the key into the lock and --

IT FUCKING FITS!

Paxton pushes open the BLACK DOOR and sees --

DOG CAGES along both walls. Three on one side of the chamber. Three on the other. Each cage imprisons an OLD WOMAN that vaguely resembles the prophet. Most are sleeping, or perhaps even dead. Some are awake, but too tired and weak to say anything. All of them on the verge of death or beyond.

She takes in the horror of this. Finally reconciling with the full magnitude of terror she has found herself in.

A VOICE FROM THE SHADOWS:

Paxton angles her light ahead and finds Mr. Reed, somehow miraculously standing across from her in the chamber. There’s a makeshift staircase behind him.

Paxton’s breathing shallows. She takes in the room. The whole evening washes over her. Every detail.

Reed nods as Paxton comes to terms with this horrible thought.

Mr. Reed closes his eyes. He seems to be experiencing a moment of euphoria. Of release.

Paxton looks around at the caged women. It’s all snapping into terrible focus.

She kneels to the cages. She catches eyes with one of the caged women.

Paxton reaches her fingers into the cage. Holds the old woman’s hand.

Reed approaches Paxton from behind.

Reed looms over Paxton.

Reed whispers into Paxton’s ear.

PAXTON PLUNGES THE LETTER OPENER INTO REED’S NECK. SHE HITS A VITAL ARTERY AND BLOOD SPRAYS!!!

REED FLIES BACK. FLAILING AND SCREAMING.

PAXTON RUNS PAST HIM TO THE MAKESHIFT STAIRWELL.

The stairs lead to a LADDER.

She climbs as fast as she can.

The ladder ejects into another smaller, tighter passageway.

Her feet slip on the rocky mud floor.

She struggles to keep her flashlight focused on the path ahead as she sprints and sobs.

There’s a door ahead --

-- Paxton bursts into a small STUDY. It’s the one Reed occupied earlier. She notices the SPEAKING TUBE immediately.

She lets out a big sigh of relief. Grateful to see a new room in the house.

She closes the door. Pushes a HEAVY TABLE behind it to secure it shut.

That’s when she notices something on the table...

THE 3/4 SCALE MODEL HOUSE.

She does a double take. Doesn’t have time to process what that is. Keeps moving.

Paxton approaches the only other door in the room --

-- which brings her back into the fucking basement stairwell?! This is THE MIDPOINT DOOR that they couldn’t unlock earlier.

Panic starts to set in. This isn’t what she was hoping for.

Paxton scrambles up the stairs to the PURPLE DOOR but of course it is still locked.

That leads only one other path...

...Paxton re-enters the basement. Confirming her worst fears:

REED’S HOUSE IS A MÖBIUS STRIP, DESIGNED TO BE AN ENDLESS LOOP THAT HAS NO ENTRANCE OR EXIT. ROUND AND ROUND IT GOES.

Paxton notices something chilling.

...that’s weird.

She takes a few steps forward to confirm.

...the CELLAR DOOR in the floor is now open.

But if it’s open, that would mean... wait...?

She turns around and --

CLOSE ON PAXTON’S FACE AS ALL THE BLOOD DRAINS FROM IT. AS ALL SOUND FADES AROUND HER. AS HER HEART BEGINS TO POUND AGAINST HER CHEST. AS SHE STANDS FACE TO FACE WITH REED.

ONE HAND HOLDS HIS NECK AS BLOOD CONTINUES TO PUMP OUT.

PAXTON’S EYES WIDEN AS SHE SLOWLY LOOKS DOWN...

HIS OTHER HAND HOLDS THE BOX CUTTER, WHICH IS NOW LODGED IN PAXTON’S STOMACH.

REED PULLS THE BLADE OUT AND WE GET A SENSE OF HOW INSANELY DEEP HE HAS STABBED HER.

PAXTON TRIES TO HOLD HERSELF UP ON THE CARD TABLE, BUT THE TABLE LEGS BUCKLE AND SHE FALLS TO THE GROUND.

REED STARES AT HER. HE TRIES TO TALK...

PAXTON EXAMINES HER WOUND. LOOKS FATAL.

HE TRIES AGAIN BUT HIS VOCAL CORDS HAVE BEEN CUT. FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT ALL HE CAN DO IS LISTEN.

Reed slumps to the ground. Too weak to hold himself up. He begins a slow, painful crawl towards Paxton.

Reed continues his delirious crawl. Weapon in hand. His eyeball starts to bleed. He’s losing focus. But aware enough to hate not being able to respond...

HE RAISES THE BOX CUTTER.

SMASH!!!!!!!

THE FLOORBOARD OF NAILS SWINGS INTO THE SIDE OF REED’S HEAD! DELIVERING A DEATH BLOW!

BLOOD SPATTERS ONTO PAXTON’S COMPLEXION.

WE FOLLOW THE BOARD OF NAILS, NOW FASTENED TO REED’S FACE, IN GRUESOME DETAIL, AS HE KEELS OVER DEAD.

PAXTON’S EYES BLINK OPEN.

SHE CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT SHE SEES.

HER COMPANION, GHOST WHITE, STILL ALIVE.

BUT ONLY FOR A MOMENT.

SISTER BARNES COLLAPSES INTO HER SISTER PAXTON’S ARMS.

AND TAKES ONE FINAL BREATH.

Paxton kisses her companion’s forehead. Then her eyes drift towards the stairs.

Paxton returns to the study, holding her wound. She looks around for another exit.

There isn’t one.

Paxton examines the 3/4 SCALE MODEL HOUSE. She finds markers for the secret cellar door and passageway. Proxies for all the hidden chambers. She spins the model. Turns it upside down. Pulls it apart. Convinced the answer for how to escape the house must be located inside. AND THEN SHE FINDS IT --

A passageway through a hidden air duct in the study wall.

Paxton crawls through the airduct. She feels the cold air from outside blow across her face. So close to freedom.

Paxton climbs out of the house. Her phone instantly receives a signal. A hundred missed calls and text messages populate.

Paxton dials 911. As she waits for the call to connect, she kneels in the snow.

And then something impossible happens...

Paxton can’t believe her eyes as...

A BUTTERFLY lands on her finger.

Not on her arm. Not on her head.

Right on her finger tip.

Paxton looks at the beautiful creature. It seems to mean something to her. It crawls to the top of her hand. Pauses a moment. Then flies right back to the finger tip.

Is it a sign from Barnes?

Is it a message from God?

Is this a butterfly dream?

Are we in a simulation?

Is it just a coincidence?

Or a hallucination?

A divine confirmation?

Who knows.

Flim-Flam! by James Randi, God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens, Going Clear by Lawrence Wright, Holy Bible, No Man Knows My History by Fawn M. Brodie, On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, Phaedrus by Plato, Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard , The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, The Hebrew Bible, The Koran, The Pearl of Great Price, The Republic by Plato, The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord, True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, Are our heads in the cloud? Science fiction or fact? by Richard Dawkins (Article), Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? by Nick Bostrom (Article), For the Strength of Youth (Church Manual), The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Church Pamphlet), The Peace Maker by Udney Hay Jacob (Church Pamphlet), The Plan of Salvation (Church Pamphlet), The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Church Pamphlet), The Simulation Argument: Reply to Weatherson by Nick Bostrom (Article), Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham (Church Article).

While this collection influenced the authors’ understanding of the topics discussed in the screenplay, it must be said that the characters have minds of their own, and only speak for themselves.