"UNBREAKABLE" (2000)

UNBREAKABLE

Written by

M. Night Shyamalan

Women's casual wear department. J.C. Penny. Legend "1961" An African-American man carrying two J.C. Penny shopping bags is ushered past the department store managers and security guards on walkies that have gathered at the entrance to the woman's dressing rooms.

A bed has been formed by a chair and three benches. A STRIKING AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN in her twenties lays across it. Her face and clothes are covered in sweat. Her skirt is stained. She holds something wrapped in a soft sweatshirt on her chest. We can't see it, but WE HEAR THE BABY CRYING. She's just given birth. There are three frazzled saleswomen in the dressing room with her. They watch her with quiet smiles. A fourth SALESWOMAN arrives ushering in the man with the shopping bags.

DR. MATHISON looks over the scene and then directly at the striking woman.

The woman nods, "Yes." Sweat trickles down her face. THE BABY'S PIERCING CRIES ECHO IN THE SMALL ROOM.

She hands him the wrapped child. We can't see the baby, but THE PIERCING CRIES SEEM TO GET LOUDER.

The doctor lowers the baby to his lap and unwraps him. The woman can't see her baby anymore. She watches Dr. Mathison as he looks down and examines her child. Beat. Dr. Mathison doesn't look up for the longest time.

His hard stare unsettles the women. The OLDER SALESWOMAN speaks up.

3 BABY'S SCREAMING ENGULFS THE ROOM. 3

FADE TO BLACK:

5 LEGEND "PRESENT DAY" 5

A fountain of humanity bubbles up from the escalators to the train platform. Businessmen take their last desperate drags of their cigarettes... Women traveling with children herd their luggage and offspring into tight shapes as they move... College students with backpacks look around dazed at the various track numbers.

David sits with his coat on his lap. He's wearing a tie. He doesn't look very comfortable in it. He feels a stare. He looks up to find a girl, six or seven years old, peering at him from over the seat in front of him. She just gazes at him blankly. He gives her a small forced smile. She doesn't react. David returns his head to the window. His eyes begin to shut with the lulling movement of the train.

MNightFans.com David looks in the direction of THE VOICE. A WOMAN with dark hair and light blue eyes stands in the aisle with two bags over her shoulder. She's wearing a tight white t-shirt and jeans. She's beautiful. David nods "yes." The woman starts putting her bags on the shelf above the seats.

She stretches to get them up. Her toned stomach is exposed. She has a silver ring pierced through her navel. David has a gold ring on his hand. He fiddles with it. Beat. He gently slips off his wedding band. It goes into his coat pocket. The woman takes the seat next to him. Beat. A LOUD VIOLENT BURST OF SOUND. The passenger car shakes as a passing train barrels by two feet from David's window. It passes in a few seconds. The car returns to a QUIET HUM. David pulls a magazine out from the seat pocket in front of him. He holds the woman's fashion magazine out.

The woman looks over the one being offered and then points to the Sports Illustrated peeking out of the seat pocket. David pulls the magazine out and gives it to her.

Beat.

She goes back to the magazine. Beat.

KELLY looks up from her Sports Illustrated. Her striking blue eyes gaze at David. Beat. She holds up her hand. Taps the diamond ring on her finger.

Beat.

The woman stares at David. She looks down. Beat. Closes the magazine.

Kelly gets up. She balances herself against a headrest as the train rumbles. She starts to the back of the car. David sits alone. He looks like he's drowning, but there's no water. He feels a stare. He glances up. The little girl spies on him from between the seats. David leans towards the window to avoid eye contact. His hand reaches into his coat and slides out his wedding band. He puts it back on. His temple touches the glass. The vibration of the train begins to lull his eyes closed... Beat. David's head bounces lightly against the window. The shaking of the glass never allows David's eyes to completely close. He sits up when he realizes the shaking is getting stronger. He looks out the window. The scenery blurs as it flies by. Beat. David turns. Some of the other passengers start to react as they realize the train is picking up speed. The normal bumps of the tracks become amplified. The WORRIED VOICES OF THE TRAVELERS START FILL THE CABIN. The train goes faster.

7 AND THEN THE HIGH PITCHED METAL ON METAL SCREECHING STARTS7 AS THE TRAIN BEGINS TO

8 TAKE A CURVE. 8

David's eyes move to the seat in front of him. The little girl is no longer watching him. DAVID LOOKS TO THE PASSENGERS ACROSS FROM HIM. He sees the ground slowly drop away in the windows behind them as THEIR SIDE OF THE TRAIN STARTS TO RISE...

9 THE PASSENGERS SCREAM AS THE AMTRAK PASSENGER TRAIN BEGINS9 TO TILT OFF THE

10 TRACK... 10

A boy, age ten, sits on his head on the family couch and watches television upside down. His floppy brown hair spreads out in a circle in front of his red face. He changes channels with a remote control. He moves past the upside down cartoons and the upside down talk shows. He stops on an upside down picture of a crashed train. Beat. His knees come forward as he flips over. He tumbles slowly off the couch and onto the carpet. JEREMY DUNNE gazes at the television screen... A LIVE AERIAL VIEW OF A TRAIN WRECK SMOULDERING BELOW IS SEEN. Two trains are tangled like snakes. Jeremy gets up and moves to a small table with a phone. Next to the phone is a notepad. On it is written... "Dad - Amtrak 177 - 3:40pm." Jeremy looks at the television.

At the bottom of the screen in red block letters that move from right to left are words and numbers..."The 3:40 Amtrak 177 has derailed... Amtrak Emergency number is 1-800-777- 4322... The 3:40 Amtrak 177 has derailed...Amtrak" Jeremy doesn't take his eyes off the screen. He makes a small desperate noise that no one hears.

An elderly woman can't hold back any longer and SCREAMS. An embarrassed, tortured helpless scream. MEGAN DUNNE continues applying pressure to her arm which is being pushed back as far as it will go. She counts to three and eases off. She lays her arm back in her lap. WE ARE IN A PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER. About a dozen people are on specialized weight machines. The elderly woman is seated on an exercise table and breathes slowly.

MNightFans.com Megan reaches up to the t.v. monitor mounted on the wall. She turns it on and starts flipping channels. She stops on ESPN where a swimming meet is underway. Men in bikini swimsuits line the edges of the pool. Virginia starts watching with great interest. Megan's eyes move to the tiny print moving across the bottom of the screen. Her face goes still as she reads the train number... 177.

14 DAVID DUNNE'S EYES SLOWLY OPEN. THE DULL WHITE OF THE 14 OVERHEAD TUBE LIGHTING

15 BLINDS HIM AT FIRST. 15

He blinks his vision back. He realizes he's in a bed.

16 WE HEAR AGITATED VOICES, MOVEMENT. 16

David looks around. He's in an emergency room. There are a half dozen prep areas and beds next to him. They're all empty.

17 DAVID FOLLOWS THE URGENT SOUNDS OF ACTIVITY TO A PREP AREA17 DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM

18 HIM. 18

He can only see glimpses of activity through the drawn curtain. A group of emergency room personnel are treating a man whose body is twitching violently on a gurney. One of the group is a man who glances through the opening in the curtain. He notices David sitting up from across the room. THE MAN IN SCRUBS leaves the group and walks over.

19 MAN IN SCRUBS 19

How are you feeling?

He FLASHES A LIGHT in David's eyes.

20 MAN IN SCRUBS 20

You are in the emergency room of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. You were in a serious accident. (beat) How's your vision?

David stares across as the scene with the other patients becomes more frantic and disturbing. MNightFans.com

21 MAN IN SCRUBS 21

Where were you sitting on the train?

22 MAN IN SCRUBS 22

In the passenger car?

23 MAN IN SCRUBS 23

Was your family traveling with you?

24 MAN IN SCRUBS 24

Did you get up from your seat?

David watches the other patient.

25 MAN IN SCRUBS 25

You're certain you were in the passenger car? David turns to the man.

26 MAN IN SCRUBS 26

Your train derailed... Some kind of malfunction... It took a curve way to fast. A second train collided with yours after it derailed. The debris is spread over one mile. It's unbelievable they said. (beat) They only found two people alive so far... You and him. David looks to the other passenger now laying unnaturally still in the desperate MNightFans.com whirlwind of activity around him.

27 MAN IN SCRUBS 27

The man's skull was cracked open and most of his left side was crushed. Beat.

28 MAN IN SCRUBS 28

And to answer your question, there are two reasons why I'm looking at you like this. David turns and stares at the man.

29 MAN IN SCRUBS 29

One, because it seems, in a few minutes, you will officially be the only survivor of this train wreck. (beat) And two, because you don't have a scratch on you. You didn't break one bone.

David moves through the depressing milky corridors of the hospital. He opens a set of double doors. A room crammed with cameras and photographers explodes with movement.

31 A CHILD'S VOICE BREAKS THEIR NOISE. 31

Megan looks away.

They stand there for a moment. David looks shaken. Jeremy takes hold of his hand.

David eats a bowl of pasta alone in a modest kitchen. He stares at his hand. Opens and closes it slowly. Beat. He rises and puts the bowl away in the sink.

David stops just before rising the stairs. He glances into a bedroom at the bottom of the stairs. The doorway is half open. He makes eye contact with his wife. Beat.

Beat.

Beat. Megan slowly closes the door to the guest bedroom.

David looks at his son asleep in his bed.

Hot water rushes over David's face as he stands in the shower. His attention is MNightFans.com drawn to the t.v. which is seen through the slightly open bathroom door. He turns off the water to HEAR.

David steps out of the shower. He sees a glimpse of Jeremy asleep in bed. David shuts the door. Locks it. He gets back into the shower and turns the water back on. He closes his eyes. His face tightens up. He slowly hunches down and takes a seat on the tiled floor of the shower. Water pours over him. Beat. His muscular body begins to shake. Then we realize he's crying.

FADE TO BLACK:

LEGEND "1969" A hazy afternoon. A fair has come into town. They have set up in the vast parking lot of the local high school. A line of women has formed in front of the portable bathrooms. The striking African American woman we saw giving birth is now standing in line. She is older and somehow more beautiful. She stands with a skinny, almost ethereal looking African American boy. The boy wears a metal brace on his leg. THE EIGHT YEAR OLD ELIJAH holds two oversized stuffed animals in his arms. He looks back over his shoulder as THE SOUND OF VOICES YELLING IN EXCITEMENT FILL THE AIR. His eyes dance over the many colorful rides in the parking lot. The door opens to one of the portable bathrooms. A woman steps out. Elijah's mother touches his head and enters the three foot square plastic bathroom. She turns back and gives him a look.

Elijah nods, "Yes" happily. The mother closes the cubicle door. Elijah is left alone amongst the line of women. They stare at him blankly. Their eyes moves over his leg brace. Elijah doesn't like it. He moves away from the line. A CRESCENDO OF CHEERS RISES IN THE AIR FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE FAIR. Elijah follows the voices. He carries the stuffed animals through the crowds of people. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. His metal brace sounds as he walks. For a moment, he sees nothing but bodies all around him. He emerges amongst a huddle of teenagers who wait at a turnstile. A man in a red and white striped coat takes their tickets and waves them in. Elijah looks up and sees the sign above the turnstile... "The Hurricane." He watches the teenagers giggle as they each into a grey cup-like seat. They pull the metal bars down in front of them. The man in the red and white stripes leaves the turnstile. Elijah stares up at the multi-colored sign. Beat. He moves quickly. Ducks under the turnstile and climbs onto the platform. Elijah finds and empty circular seat. He slips inside the gray metal compartment and sits. He pulls down the rusted metal bar in front of him. He looks around at all the excited faces. His eyes fill with excitement too. His small hands feel the cold metal of the interior of the compartment. His MNightFans.com expression changes. Elijah looks to the stuffed animals in his arms. He presses them to check their softness. He places the stuffed animals on either side of him on the seat. He's wedged in between them. Feels good. He reaches out and touches the hard rusted metal bar in front of him. Elijah looks a little anxious. Beat. He pulls off his sweater and wraps it around the bar. It goes around twice before he ties the arms together. He checks its softness. Elijah looks around the customized cup-like compartment he sits in. He smiles an eight year old smile of pride.

37 AND THEN HE HEARS HIS MOTHER'S VOICE. 37

He searches around and finds her walking in the waves of people. He hears her calling.

She moves in his direction by chance. She finds herself at the entrance to The Hurricane ride. She looks up at the sign above the turnstile. Her worried eyes immediately start searching the young faces in the gray circular compartments. Her eyes meet Elijah's. He waves. Her face goes very still. A HUGE ROAR OF MACHINERY as the ride starts up. Elijah yells to his mother as the platform starts running.

38 HIS WORDS GET EATEN UP BY THE CHEERS OF THE TEENAGERS AND38 THE GRIND OF MACHINERY.

The platform spins. He sees a glimpse of his mother and the red and white striped man. She's pointing at Elijah. The platform turns... Elijah sees a flash of the red and white striped man's angered face as he yells at the frantic woman next to him. And then the ride speeds up. The gray circular seats start to spin on their own. The teenagers CHEER. Elijah's eyes fill with joy as the wind plays against his face. Suddenly the ride changes directions. The cup-like seats get jerked. Everyone grabs the metal bars to hold on. Elijah laughs as he smashes into the stuffed animal on his right. It cushions him and then falls to the floor of the compartment along with the other stuffed animal. MNightFans.com Elijah's expression becomes tense as his compartment spins. His hands slide over the rusted metal bar as the sweater unravels. Elijah looks around... a sudden panic enters his eyes.

39 THE BLURRING IMAGE OF HIS MOTHER NOW IN A GROUP OF RED AND39 WHITE STRIPED MEN.

THE SOUND OF MACHINERY GRINDING IS HEARD as the ride changes directions suddenly. Elijah's hands rip away from the bar as he gets thrown to the side of the compartment. His shoulder and arm takes the brunt of the impact. WE HEAR SOMETHING CRACK.

40 TEENAGERS SCREAM IN EXCITEMENT. ELIJAH JOINS THEM WITH 40 SCREAMS OF HIS OWN.

The ride spins its passengers. Elijah's small face looks up at the swirling clouds in a mixture of agony and terror. The ride changes directions. Elijah is thrust forward. He hits the rusted metal bar square against his chest.

41 WE HEAR MORE CRACKS. 41

The world spins. Giggles and yells fill the air. Elijah slumps down onto the floor of the compartment. And then finally, the grind of the machinery slows and then comes to a gradual stop.

42 THE TEENAGERS MOAN. 42

Elijah is facing directly up at the sky. The clouds now move slowly over him.

43 WE HEAR COMMOTION. AGITATED VOICES. HIS MOTHER'S DESPERATE43 VOICE.

44 HER VOICE GETS LOUDER AS SHE MOVES CLOSER TO THE PLATFORM.44

Elijah lays on the bottom of the compartment. One arm is clutching his chest. The other is curved horrifically like an "s". His mouth is open. His eyes are bulging. The last thing we HERE ARE THE SHORT DESPERATE BREATHS of an eight year old child about to black out from the pain.

FADE TO BLACK:

MNightFans.com WE EMERGE FROM BLACK to find news vans and reporters lining the street across from a church. They have been cordoned off by a handful of police. Mourners are recorded as they emerge from their cars and enter the church. David is among the arriving crowd.

A PRIEST stands before a podium.

David and the priest who conducted the mass are alone in the mass preparation room. The priest looks in his fifties, eyes tired, blood shot.

David nods, "No." The priest removes the sacred stoll from his around his neck and kisses it before folding it carefully.

MNightFans.com Beat. The priest turns to David.

David just sits awkwardly.

No cameras greet his exit. No people anywhere. David walks across the now empty parking lot. His car is the only one left. He walks to the driver's side. Pulls out his keys. That's as far as he gets. His eyes catch sight of the GRAY ENVELOPE tucked under the windshield wiper of his car. David moves forward and gently pulls it out. His name is typed on the front. He turns it over. Two embossed words on the back. "Limited Edition" He opens the envelope. One line, handwritten, gazes at him from the gray index card. The line reads... "How many days of your life have you been sick?" Nothing else is written. David Dunne looks around the empty parking lot quietly.

A poorly lit changing room. A row of metallic lockers sits against one wall. A bench splits the room. A brown folding table with Dunkin Donuts boxes and bagels on it is crammed in the corner. A puke colored concrete floor sets the tone. David and three other large men are changing out of their street clothes. They all put on the same yellow short sleeve shirts. The same two words are written on all their backs... MNightFans.com "Stadium Security" This ritual goes on without a word.

David walks along the massive curved wall around the outer rim of the stadium. As he passes the different walkways we get glimpses of the enormous and empty sixty-thousand seat football stadium on the inside. David stops at a door marked "PERSONNEL".

David knocks on the door as he steps into the cramped reception room to the personnel office. The SECRETARY, an ancient woman with thick flabby arms never stops typing and never looks up as she talks.

Rain falls in sheets in the stadium. David stands at the entrance to a tunnel that empties out onto the field. He stands in an imposing dark green rain poncho and hood. The poncho almost touches the ground. The word 'security' on the back has almost faded away. We can barely see David's face under the hood. There is a football game in progress on the enormous field. The players seem unusually small. There is no one in the stands. About four hundred people are on the sidelines of the field watching the players. A soggy limping banner stretched behind them declares, "The Pennslvania Elementary School Championships." David's eyes scan the tiny figures on the field. His eyes come rest on a surge of activity on the sidelines. Beat. David steps out into the rain.

A handful of red faced fathers are yelling at each other. They're in each other's rain soaked faces. The scene feels on the verge of physical violence. David and another security guard jog over. David steps in the middle of the tight circle.

The men stop yelling in the presence of stadium security. Everyone just stands in the rain glaring at each other. Beat.

David is the last one left. He's showered and back in his street clothes. He sits in the dimly lit room on the bench, lost in his thoughts when the door opens. He turns to find a somewhat pregnant looking man with a tie step in. This is

55 NOEL. 55

Beat. He just stares.

Silence.

57 LIGHTS OUT. 57

David is wide awake in his bed. He glances over. Jeremy is in deep sleep next to him.

David knocks again quietly. The guest bedroom door opens. Megan looks up at David. She's just woken up.

Beat. They both stand awkwardly for a moment.

FADE TO BLACK:

WE EMERGE in a cramped sparse bedroom.

LEGEND "1974" A thirteen year old Elijah sits in a chair with his arm in a sling. He watches a small black and white television in the corner of the room. WE HEAR FOOTSTEPS. Elijah's mother walks into the room. She looks around for a moment, and then moves to the television. Turns it off. The room GOES SILENT.

Elijah's face is tense. Unyielding. Beat. Elijah's mother says the next words in almost a whisper.

Elijah thinks it over. He nods, "Yes."

Elijah looks at his mother with disbelief.

The view from his room looks out over a narrow street. On the other side of the MNightFans.com street is a public playground. A handful of children are playing on it. There are three benches to one side of the swings. On one of them is a THIN PACKAGE wrapped in brown paper with a bow on it. Elijah looks to his mom who has joined him at the window.

Elijah walks across the playground. He's very wary of the other children running about him. He walks towards the bench with the present on it. Takes a seat. Puts the package on his lap. It's flat. The edges of the bend down over his thin legs. He undoes the white bow. He peels off the clear tape holding the brown paper together. He unfolds the paper. Beat. Elijah stares down at the single comic book in his lap. He feels the shadow of his mother. She takes a seat next to him.

He looks back down at his lap. He opens the first page...

The same intelligent piercing eyes, twenty-five years older. Elijah has grown into a handsome, regal looking man. He leans on a walking stick. MNightFans.com He's looking at an impressively framed charcoal sketch on a wall. Two figures are depicted on the top of a building locked in fierce battle. One figure is extremely muscular with a mask. The other is half human, half animal.

Elijah starts back to the businessman shaking his head strongly.

Elijah's eyes pierce through the shaken man.

Elijah points at the sketch.

The business man stares at the sketch with large eyes. Beat.

Elijah eyes the man for many seconds. Beat.

Elijah just stands staring for the longest time. Beat. He walks closer to them. When Elijah speaks, his voice has a whispery quality to it.

Three chairs have been placed on the walkway in front of the bay window of the store. The words, "Limited Edition" are etched in the window. David, Jeremy and Elijah are seated watching the people stroll by. Elijah's cane is on his lap. Jeremy sips a drink in a paper cup.

Jeremy and David raise their hands.

Beat. Elijah looks shaken.

David and Jeremy enter the store. Elijah leans on a walking stick before one of the framed sketches. He gazes at it quietly.

Elijah turns.

David waits for Jeremy to exit the store. Beat.

David shakes his head. He smiles out of frustration. Beat.

(beat) Good luck with your sale. Elijah watches David walk towards the front door.

David opens the door. He looks back at Elijah.

Beat.

65 ALL LIGHTS ARE OUT EXCEPT THE SMALL BEDSIDE LAMP ON DAVID'S65 SIDE.

David sits up in bed staring at a torn section of newspaper in his hands. Jeremy is asleep horizontally with his legs over David's legs. David doesn't blink as he gazes at the headline silently...

66 "TRAIN CRASH DEATH TOLL CONFIRMED AT 131 DEAD. 1 SURVIVOR"66

Beat. David slides out from under his son's legs. Jeremy stirs but doesn't wake up. David moves to the darkness of the corner of the room. He opens a closet door. A NAKED HANGING BULB GOES ON as David yanks a chain. David steps inside the narrow closet and closes the door slightly so the LIGHT FROM THE BULB DOESN'T FALL ON JEREMY. There's just enough room to stand and look around. David reaches up and pulls a small travel bag out of the way. David stretches as he feels on the top shelf. His hand comes down with something wrapped in a t-shirt. He unwraps it. It's a handgun. MNightFans.com He stares at it for a beat before wrapping it back up and replacing it to the highest shelf. He stretches even more. Reaches farther back. WE HEAR SOMETHING SLIDE ON THE SHELF AS HE PULLS IT FORWARD. He pulls down a folder jammed with clippings. He opens the folder to reveal a young David in football uniform holding his helmet in the air victoriously. The word "Champion" is written over his head. David flips through the top clippings - all are images and stories of David and football. He turns the pile over. Goes to the last clipping. This piece of paper is folded over three times, unlike the others. He opens it. It's a newspaper headline. It reads...

67 "CAR ACCIDENT LEAVES TWO INJURED" 67

David puts the new headline next to the old one... They look like a set. Even the font is similar. David stares at the old headline. Stares hard at the photo of the bent and heavily damaged car laying upside down in the middle of the highway... The bulb seems to flicker. David is utterly still. SOMEONE KNOCKS AT THE BEDROOM DOOR.

David gets startled. He puts back the clippings. Stuffing the new one inside with them. He replaces it back to the top shelf and leaves the closet. ANOTHER SOFT SET OF KNOCKS as David moves across the bedroom. He opens the door. Megan stands in the darkened hall. Beat.

Megan nods. Beat.

Beat.

Beat. David stares at his wife.

Beat. David doesn't say anything. He just nods, "No." Megan's face starts to tremble. She starts crying. Tears roll over her very affected face. She tries to wipe them away, but there's too many. Beat.

Megan nods and walks down the stairs as she wipes her face. David watches her disappear into the shadows.

Sunday afternoon. The cavernous stadium opens up into a picture perfect blue sky. The Philadelphia Eagles pro football players are in uniform and doing stretches on the field. The opposing team warms up on the other end of the field. The sixty thousand seats are already half filled as fans stream in on every level of the stadium.

A line of ticket holders snakes towards two turnstiles where stadium crew are ripping tickets. David Dunne stands to one side with two other security guards. The fans moving through the turnstiles are clad in all types of Eagles paraphernalia. A group of girls carries a homemade banner that David reads as he tilts his head sideways. "We sleep with quarterbacks," is written in block letters. MNightFans.com David stares at a woman carrying a newborn infant in her arms. The baby is wearing an eagles uniform. The WALKIE TALKIE on David's hip bursts to life. He pulls it off his hip an listens.

Beat.

David finds Elijah waiting to the side as the crowds funnel through the gate. Elijah offers his hand as he walks up. David doesn't take it.

Beat.

David's walkie makes NOIES on his hip.

The line of fans outside the gate has tripled in size and intensity. David and Elijah move along the line towards the turnstiles.

AN UNLIT arched concrete passageway. The SUNLIGHT from the stadium streams in causing long shadows. Elijah stands waiting in the ground tunnel by himself.

73 THE THUNDEROUS CHEERS OF THE SIXTY THOUSAND FANS IN THE 73 STADIUM ECHOES FROM THE

74 FIELD INTO THE TUNNEL. 74

David enters the tunnel and joins Elijah. He hands him a ticket.

Beat.

The two men stand very still in the tunnel.

Elijah watches as the silhouetted figure of David Dunne jogs down the darkness of the tunnel.

We are inside a customized car. The dashboard is covered in some sort of thin foam padding. The steering wheel and gear shift have the same padding. Every corner and hard surface has been safe guarded. Elijah sits behind the wheel of his car in the parking lot of the stadium. He sits as thoughts crash at his head. Beat. He finally reaches for the keys and starts up the car. He looks into the rearview mirror and sees the man in the GREEN ARMY JACKET pass behind his car. Elijah quickly turns and sees the man moving through the parked cars heading out of the parking lot. Elijah takes a deep breath and turns off the engine.

Elijah's walking stick makes RHYTHMIC CLICKS on the concrete parking lot. The figure in the army jacket seems to move farther away with every step. Elijah starts breathing harder. He pushes himself to move faster. He avoids the hard chrome bumpers and tailpipes that jut out from the cars as he quickens his pace through the lot. He gains on the army jacket.

Elijah's VOICE ECHOES down the stairs. No response. Elijah starts his descent.

77 THE SOUND OF A SUBWAY PULLING IN ROARS UP THE STAIRS. 77

Elijah has to move fast. He takes the steps with less and less hesitation. He's moving with great agility... and then his foot catches on a step. His hand slips away from the railing... He falls down the remaining part of the stairs. The FIRST SICKENING CRACK is heard when his hand reaches out to stop his fall. The SECOND CRACK IS MORE LIKE A CRUNCH AS HIS LEG LANDS AWKWARDLY ON THE METAL STAIRS. He comes to a stop in a pile on the dirty gum stained floor of the subway landing. His jaw is locked in a HORRIFIC SCREAM THAT GETS EATEN BY THE ROAR OF THE SUBWAY TRAIN PULLING IN. His contorted anguished face sees the turnstiles of the subway upside down. The green army jacketed man looks back at Elijah with a blank expression pushing through the turnstile. The last thing Elijah sees before he blacks out, is the tail of the man's coat riding up as he move through the turnstile. The SILVER HANDLE OF A GUN peeks out from the belt of his pants.

David's neighborhood turns crimson as the day comes to an end. The Septa bus pulls to a stop in front of a public high school. David steps off, still in his security clothes. The bus pulls away as he hears his SON'S VOICE. David turns to the high school football field behind him.

A group of children are having a touch football game. Jeremy runs out from the huddle across the field to David.

The basement is dominated by storage boxes and Christmas decorations. An old bench press and weights are in a cluttered corner. David sits and turns at the end of the bench as Jeremy laboriously carries and places fifteen a pound weight on the bar. David talks over his shoulder.

Jeremy is breathing hard as he puts the safety collars on the barbell and comes around to David's end of the bench. David lays back.

David takes hold of the barbell. Beat. He takes a deep breath. The weight comes off the armrests of the bench. David lowers it to his chest and pushes it back up. He does just one more rep with serious strain. He puts the weight back on the armrest and sits up.

David twists around and looks back at the barbell. He counts up the black metal circles. He turns back to Jeremy.

Jeremy starts back to the barbell.

He slips off the safety collar.

Jeremy is breathing hard again as he finishes with the weights and comes around to David. David lays back.

David takes hold of the bar. Lifts it off the armrest. Brings it down. His arms are straining hard again. He raises it and lowers it two time; it takes a sizable effort. The weights bang down onto the armrest. David sits up.

Beat.

Jeremy nods, "Yes" slowly. David turns completely around and looks at the barbell. He counts the black discs on the steel bar. Beat. Nobody says anything for a long time.

David's fingers wrap around the cold metal of the bar. He leans his head forward and looks to Jeremy.

Beat. David nods, "Yes."

An enormous amount of black discs sits on the bar. David's hands are gripping the metal. He talks to Jeremy who stands in his position at the bottom of the stairs without looking at him.

David nods, "yes" before starting his deep breathing. He takes one last breath. CLINK the weights comes off the rest. His arms are trembling immediately now. His MNightFans.com face is locked in a grimace as he brings the bar down to his chest and back up again two times before dropping it onto the armrest. He slowly sits up.

A set of two unopened MAB satin finish paint cans are dangling by their metal handles on the outside of each side of the weights. The fours cans sway a little as the bar is heaved off of David's chest. His arms are shaking hard. He raises the weight to it's apex and brings it down again. It touches his chest and rises up again. David's red strained face exhales powerfully as he straightens his arms. The bar lands on the armrest with A CRASH. The paint cans make METAL SQUEAKS as they swing to stillness, one at a time. Beat. David sits up and turns back to the weights. His mouth moves as he calculates the discs and the cans. His lips stop moving. Beat.

David turns and looks at his son. Jeremy's mouth is slightly open. He gazes at his dad. Awe in his tiny eyes.

David sits on the edge of the bathroom tub. He's just showered and wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He sits still with his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the white tiles of the floor.

84 THE PHONE RINGS. 84

David gets up and walks out of the bathroom. He picks up the phone and stands in the bathroom doorway.

Beat.

MNightFans.com Beat.

The local Chinese restaurant. Red and gold plastic dragons hang from the ceiling. A couple late-nighters are at the bar. Megan and David are two of a handful of people left dining in the restaurant. They're a little dressed up. Megan looks kind of stunning.

David nods, "yes" before taking the bite.

David touches his mouth with his napkin.

David and Megan look over to the only other table of late night diners as they get up from their table. A woman about Megan's age walks over to her.

CLAIRE smiles as she stares at David. She turns to Megan.

Claire turns back to David.

Megan becomes still.

It's late. NO LIGHTS ARE ON EXCEPT THE ONE IN THE HALL. The babysitter has black dyes hair and Buddy Holly glasses. David waits as she puts on her jacket.

87 DYED HAIR GIRL 87

He ate about six of those chocolate covered doughnut holes with his milk. He said he only had three, but I know he had six.

David is not paying attention to the girl. He watches as his wife takes off her coat and heads to the guest room. She turns before entering the room. David and his wife make eye contact.

David nods. Megan goes into her room. The guest door closes softly. David finds the babysitter looking at him with an odd expression.

88 DYED HAIR GIRL 88

My parents sleep in separate beds. David reaches into his wallet and hands the girl money.

MNightFans.com David opens the front door for her.

89 DYED HAIR GIRL 89

By the way, Jeremy went to sleep in his room tonight.

The baby sitter nods with a smile as she walks out the front door.

David walks into the darkened child's bedroom. The lump on the bed turns when he hears movement. He smiles when he sees David.

Jeremy opens his eyes.

Beat. Jeremy's eyes start to shut.

Jeremy Dunne falls asleep. David Dunne stands in the darkness of his son's room. Posters of comic book heroes don the walls around him.

Elijah's cheek rests against two pristine white pillows. He looks exhausted. His eyes are fixed on some abstract point in the room. WE HEAR SOUNDS OF A HOSPITAL. The torso of a PHYSICIAN can be seen on the other side of the bed. We hear him speak but never see his face.

Elijah just keeps staring.

FADE TO BLACK:

93 WE EMERGE FROM DARKNESS TO FIND OURSELVES IN THE PHYSICAL93 THERAPY CENTER.

A CO-WORKER finds Megan working with an elderly gentleman who's laboring on a stationary bike.

The co-worker takes Megan's position by the elderly man. Megan crosses the physical therapy center. A man in a wheel chair waits by her office. She walks up to him with a smile.

David Dunne stands in security uniform by a set of double doors that leads into the players locker room. Three walls of the locker room are lined with shiny lockers. One side of the room has benches and massage tables. The far end of the room has work out equipment. About twenty players and trainers are scattered throughout the spacious room lost in their own pre-game rituals. MNightFans.com David watches as a massive muscular player takes a seat on the massage table and removes his dress shirt. His body is covered in old bruises. He lays down, wincing a bit from the pain. A trainer begins to massage him. David just stares at the battered athlete. His gaze moves across the room. Beat. David stares at something in the crowded room then he starts towards it. He moves through the room of players and trainers. He moves to the one area of the large room not occupied by anyone. David comes to a step at the foot of an Olympic bench press. Racks and racks of free weights sit behind the press. David looks down at the thick silver bar. Three large black plates are on either side. Six in all. David looks back and glances at the double doors where he should be standing. Beat. He looks to the twenty or so players and trainers in the room. Some of the players have headphones on. Some are staring into space. A couple are on cell phones... No one notices David Dunne as he reaches for a forty-five pound black plate off the weight rack. The huge disc slides onto the bar with almost NO SOUND... A matching forty-five pound disc goes on the other side... And then David adds another. He matches it on the other side... THE BENCH CREAKS just the slightest bit as David takes a seat. No one notices the security guard lay back on the bench. David's hands take hold of the shiny bar. He closes his eyes... David's arms become tense. He pushes against the weight. It doesn't move. His face turns deep red. He opens his eyes and stares at the bar as he keeps training. His face and arms are shaking... He keeps staring... focusing. And then, without any fanfare, the bar lifts off the arm rest. The weight hovers over David. He lowers it to his chest for a second time. His arms aren't shaking anymore. He pushes the weights back up. He carefully brings the bar back to the arm rest. It touches down with the smallest of CLINKS. David's fingers uncurl from the bar.

David lets out two slow soft breaths as he counts the thick black discs. MNightFans.com

Megan and Elijah are in the far corner of the room. They're separated from the other clients. Megan is seated on an exercise machine. Elijah is in his wheel chair facing her.

Megan is taken off guard by the question. She stares at Elijah. Beat.

Beat.

Eleven football players in white and green battle eleven football players in blue and gray on the field. A sold out stadium watches the event. David stands at the lip of a tunnel that opens out onto the upper section of the second level. Waves of people move from their seats through the tunnel to the bathrooms and concession stands and back again. David stares to the side away from the movement, his shoulder leaned up against the wall. He looks over at the constant movement of spectators through the tunnel. Beat. His shoulder leaves the wall. He STEPS OUT into the stream of people. Shoulders and arms bump into him and brush by him as they move. David's eyes are looking down - his expression still - like he's listening. He continues into the dead center of the tunnel. He's in the heaviest part of the movement now. Fans continue to brush against him as they pass. And then it happens... A stocky woman bumps into him.

97 FLASH CUT: AN IMAGE OF THE STOCKY WOMAN IN A BATHROBE 97 STANDING IN A KITCHEN.

98 SHE'S HOLDING THE SHOULDER OF A FIVE YEAR OLD BOY STANDING98 NEXT TO HER. HE'S

99 CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY. 99

100 THEY BOTH ARE LOOKING DOWN AT THE KITCHEN TABLE WHERE THREE100 THINGS ARE LAID

101 OUT... A BELT, A HANGER, AND AN EXTENSION CORD. 101

We're back with David in the crowd. He turns and watches the stocky woman walk down the tunnel. She's holding the wrist of her five year old son.

She yanks it quickly and violently to keep the boy close at her side. She and the boy dissolve into the crowd.

Elijah and Megan sit very still. MNightFans.com

David lets the waves of people move by him in the tunnel. A MAN WITH GRAY EYES and wearing a dark blue sweat shirt carries a cardboard tray of nachos and drinks. He brushes David's arm as he passes.

104 FLASH CUT: THE IMAGE OF THE GREY EYED MAN WEARING A BLOOD104 SPLATTERED T-SHIRT IN

105 A MEN'S BATHROOM. HE'S VIOLENTLY KICKING ANOTHER MAN CURLED105 UP ON THE FLOOR OF A

106 TOILET STALL. 106

107 HE STOPS KICKING. HE GLARES DOWN WITH POWERFUL GRAY EYES.107

The gray eyes man in the blue sweat shirt pauses with nachos in hand at the top of the stairs to locate his seats. Beat. David walks the five feet between them and taps him on the shoulder. People continue to stream by as the man turns to face David. The man's GRAY EYES go from David's face to the security emblem on his shirt. The man's face becomes still.

108 GRAY EYED MAN 108

Yeah? MNightFans.com David stares hard at the man in front of him.

David's face changes.

109 GRAY EYED MAN 109

Why don't you go take care of your business? The gray eyed man takes a bite of a nacho as he stares at David.

110 GRAY EYED MAN 110

And dude, no one carries their merchandise on them any more. They got MNightFans.com messengers for that shit now. (beat) That's what they tell me. The gray eyed man in the blue sweat shirt turns and starts down the stairs to his seat. He raises his fist in the air as someone scores a touchdown on the field.

Jeremy is seated in a chair with abrasions and cuts on his face. He sits next to a smaller boy with a thermometer in his mouth. They're both looking at the glass window of the nurse's private office. There are tow people inside talking. David and A WHITE HAIRED NURSE. The THERMOMETER BOY pulls the thermometer out of his mouth.

Jeremy turns to the thermometer boy.

The white haired nurse nods, "no."

David nods, "no."

David seems lost in his thoughts. He looks up at the nurse.

David and Jeremy are seated on a bench at a Septa bus stop. No one else is waiting with them. Jeremy talks without making eye contact with his dad.

David stares at his bowl of pasta. He sits alone in the kitchen. Beat. He gets up, slides the pasta in the trash and moves to the sink. David is rinsing out the bowl when Megan walks in. David turns off the water.

Megan sees David's shocked expression.

Megan suddenly realizes David is looking over her shoulder. Megan turns around. She SCREAMS. Jeremy is standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He's crying hard. In his outstretched hands is the HAND GUN FROM DAVID'S CLOSET. It's pointed directly at David.

Jeremy nods, "Yes." Crying harder now.

Beat. Jeremy looks up, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Beat.

Jeremy's hands are trembling. He starts to close his eyes as he raises the gun level with David's chest.

Jeremy's eyes open.

Jeremy puts the gun down on the floor in front of him and stands up. Megan leans against the refrigerator and slides down to a sitting position on the tiled floor. David walks over and picks up the gun. He unloads the bullets in his hand. David bends down very slowly and takes a seat on the kitchen floor. Jeremy is the last to sit down. He takes a seat in the doorway of the kitchen. Beat. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. Beat.

People move up and down the streets outside the storefronts. David is one of them. He waits to cross the street. He sees movement inside the Limited Edition window.

Elijah opens the door. It takes him a bit, because of the wheelchair. David stares at Elijah's damaged condition. Beat.

Elijah wheels over to one of the framed sketches on the wall. It's a charcoal drawing of a muscular figure shielding himself from a blow about to be delivered. A huge ominous shadow is covering him, as if something unspeakable and evil is just out of frame.

David looks right at the intense eyes of the drawing.

Elijah turns to David.

David looks unsteady all of the sudden.

Elijah points to the room full of pictures.

Elijah looks at David with deep admiration. His voice cracked a little at the end of his words. Beat. David doesn't take his hands out of his pockets.

David exits the Limited Edition and moves down the street lost in this thoughts. He bumps a man in a jacket and tie walking in the opposite direction.

118 FLASH CUT: THE SAME MAN STANDS IN A BAGGY SWEATER. AGAINST118A PARKED CAR HE'S

119 HOLDING SOMETHING SHINY AND METALLIC IN HIS HANDS. HE 119 INSERTS IT IN THE HALF INCH

120 GAP BETWEEN THE GLASS OF THE DRIVER'S WINDOW AND THE DOOR.120 THE DOOR UNLOCKS.

121 THE MAN LOOKS AROUND QUIETLY BEFORE ENTERING THE CAR. 121

David looks over his shoulder at the conservative looking man in a shirt and tie walking down the street. David Dunne is shaken. He turns and keeps walking.

A superhero action figure and a plastic villain do battle on Jeremy's desk. David sits dressed up in a white shirt and dress pants. He holds the villain. Jeremy holds the superhero. Megan enters the room in a beautiful brown dress.

David looks from the action figures, to his son's face to the face of his wife. They both have the same quiet anxious expression. Beat.

An overweight man in sweats and a ponytail counts the cash in the register. We are in a low-end comic book store. The walls are lined with shelves of comic books.

The more expensive issues are kept in a glass case. THE PONYTAIL MAN looks at his watch and then to far back of the store where one head is visible behind a low rack.

The top of the man's head doesn't move. Beat.

MNightFans.com Elijah doesn't react. He sits in his chair in a quiet daze. Ponytail man leans over.

Ponytail man makes fake sign language gestures in front of Elijah's face.

The ponytail man straightens the wheelchair and starts down the aisle again. After a couple of feet, Elijah jerks and grabs the other wheel sending the wheelchair ramming violently into the opposite wall. Comics are knocked free and fall onto the wheel chair and the nearby ground.

Beat. The Ponytail man takes Elijah's silence as a, "Yes." He straightens the chair. They move down the aisle. All is quiet... and then Elijah jerks the wheelchair to the left again. His metal brace and the wheelchair crash into two racks. Elijah gets covered in comics.

LATE EVENING. A trendy restaurant. Not enough light to read the menus. David and Megan are on stools at one end of the bat. They sip their drinks as they appear in deep thought.

Megan leans slightly closer.

MNightFans.com David's grin slowly fades.

MNightFans.com Megan's face tenses. She's on the verge of getting upset.

Beat. David doesn't answer.

Husband and wife sit close together in the corner of the bar on their second date.

Megan stands next to David as he pulls out his wallet. The babysitter with the black dyed hair and Buddy Holly glasses stands ready to leave in the doorway.

126 DYED HAIR GIRL 126

You got two calls. One came through while I was on the line - I wasn't talking too long. There was an emergency with my sister. She tried to do her own perm and now she looks like

127 DYED HAIR GIRL 127

Someone from New York. The smile instantly fades.

128 DYED HAIR GIRL 128

About a security job at a museum. They want to hire you. (beat) I didn't know you guys were moving to New York. Thanks for telling me.

129 DYED HAIR GIRL 129

Oh. (beat) I let the answering machine pick up the other call. The babysitter fixes her Buddy Holly glasses as she looks at the two suddenly quiet faces. David hands her the money. She opens the door. It's started to rain.

130 DYED HAIR GIRL 130

Great. The babysitter covers her head with her jacket and runs down the walkway. David closes the door. Beat.

Only the COUNTER LIGHT is on in the kitchen. David stands by the phone.

132 ELIJAH'S VOICE IS HEARD ON THE ANSWERING MACHINE. 132

133 THE SOUND OF ELIJAH HANGING UP IS HEARD. THE ANSWERING 133 MACHINE BEEPS AS IT TURNS

134 OFF. 134

David hits a button on the answering machine. It makes a WHIRRING SOUND before

135 ANNOUNCING. 135

The master bedroom is very narrow. A bathtub and toilet are at one end. Two identical sinks sit opposite each other. David sits on the edge of the tub. His shirt is unbuttoned. He sits in a daze staring at the tiled floor. His eyes slowly move to a small white and red box laying on its side under one of the sinks. David rises and picks it up. It's a BOX OF BAND AIDS. David looks up to Megan's sink. Perfume and lotions sit on its edge. David opens her mirrored cabinet. He starts to put the band aid box back, he hesitates. His eyes begin to roam the cabinet shelves. They stop on certain items... A CONTAINER OF TYLENOL... A LOTION FOR DRY SKIN... A BOTTLE OF ALLERGY DROPS...

137 COUGH SYRUP... A TUBE OF MUSCLE PAIN OINTMENT... 137

David just stands quietly for a beat before turning and looking across to his own identical mirrored medicine cabinet. There are three things on the shelf... DISPOSABLE RAZORS. SHAVING CREAM. AND COLOGNE. David's mouth opens just a little bit as he stares.

139 ALL THE LIGHTS ARE OUT. 139

David moves through the darkness down the stares in jeans and a sweatshirt. MNightFans.com He moves to the coat closet. Pulls out the dark green rain poncho. The word "security" is almost faded away. He opens and closes the front door with virtually NO SOUND.

Rain falls like gunfire from the sky. David's car pulls into the massive rain station parking lot. David steps out and pulls the hood of the poncho over his head.

A steel fence leads to a set of stairs that travel down to the dozens of interconnected tracks below. David walks down about forty feet. A fenced gate with a lock stops his progress. David looks through the fence down to the tracks. Just to the side is a construction site. Cranes and lifts and various equipment stand idle in the area next to the section of train wreckage that has been brought to the station grounds for dismantling and salvaging. The bent shapes of the train pieces can only be glimpsed in outlines as they sit in the darkness, hundreds of feet away from the immaculately lit train station. Beat. A HUGE METALLIC CRACK ECHOES THROUGH THE TRAIN YARD as David kicks open the fence door that holds him back from going down.

Frightening twisted pieces of metal glisten in the rain. David walks along the body of the caved-in passenger car. The passenger car is split in two. Just before the tear, along the window line, the windows have been crushed in.

A huge hole has been ripped below the windows exposing the ravaged interior. David stands before this heavily damaged area of the car. He just stares at the wreckage. Water falls off the rim of his hood in front of his face. His eyes drift over the ominous pieces of deformed metal. He takes a couple slow breaths as THE SOUNDS OF HARSH RAIN FADE AWAY TO SILENCE.

SILENCE. BLACK. OUR VISION CLEARS TO REVEAL the glazed icy top of a street. MNightFans.com

144 THE SOUND OF DISTANT FIRE COMES INTO THE SILENCE. 144

A TWENTY YEAR OLD DAVID DUNNE rises to his feet from the ground where he was laying amongst the fragmented pieces of windshield. He looks down at himself. His football jacket is torn. So are his jeans... He's trembling slightly, but not bleeding.

145 HE LOOKS UP TOWARDS THE NOISES. 145

About thirty feet away is a Honda, upside down, wrapped around a telephone pole. It's front is on fire. Through one of the crushed door windows, WE SEE A WOMAN'S HAND. Young David heads toward his car. He slips a couple of times on the slick iced surface of the road. He kneels down next to the inverted car. He looks in the crushed window frame. THE FACE OF A TWENTY YEAR OLD MEGAN IS UPSIDE DOWN. She is unconscious.

She doesn't answer. Her body is twitching as it sits pinned behind the wheel. David pulls at the handle of the mangled door. It's wedged tight. It won't move. The heat from the fire is tremendous. David's powerful arms keep pulling with all their strength.

146 WE HEAR THE CREAK OF METAL... THE DOOR BENDS UNNATURALLY AND146 THEN PRACTICALLY

147 RIPS OPEN. 147

David leans into the car and unbuckles Megan. He works her out underneath the steering column. He slides out. Her leg is bleeding. David picks her up and carries her to the grass next to the road. He lays her down gently.

He just stares at her. She doesn't respond. A LIGHT WASHES OVER THEM. David turns to see a truck approaching up the road. David waves frantically. The truck slows. David turns back to Megan. Her eyes are open. Tears fall from David's face as he moves the hair out of her eyes. She looks at David.

The driver of the truck slips and slides his way over to David.

The driver moves back to his truck. David takes Megan's hand in his and waits in the grass by the sight of their car on fire.

David stands utterly still in the graveyard of train 177.

The wheels of Elijah's wheelchair move down the hall as he follows the SOUND OF THE PHONE RINGING.

He follows THE SOUND to a PHONE RINGING in the storage room of the store. There are shelves and shelves of comic books. Thousands of them filed away in neat piles. Elijah picks up the phone a little out of breath.

Beat.

Nothing is said on the other line for a couple of beats. WE HEAR THE ECHOED DIN OF A LARGE ROOM FILLED WITH PEOPLE AND MOVEMENT IN THE BACKGROUND.

The interior of the station is a mystical sight. One huge cavernous room, a football field in size, lined on both sides with giant pillars that rise into a misty hand painted ceiling.

David stares out at the midnight travelers. Beat. He starts towards them. He passed the towering black statue standing at the far end of the station. It watches over the whole building.

It's in the form of an angel lifting a soldier to heaven. David moves through the first group of people - a crisscross of arriving passengers from tracks one and two. They brush by him and lightly bump him as they move.

151 FLASH CUT: WE ARE NO LONGER IN THE TRAIN STATION. A BLOND151 WOMAN IN HER TWENTIES

152 STANDS AT A COUNTER IN A CROWDED STORE. 152

153 SHE SLIDES THE SILVER BRACELET AND EARRINGS SHE WAS LOOKING153 AT OFF THE GLASS

154 COUNTER AND INTO HER PURSE. NO ONE SEES. 154

MNightFans.com David turns and glances at the blonde woman as she walks away from him towards the exit of the train station. He doesn't stop moving. David heads towards the densest part of the floor. The area near the information board. Sleepy friends and tired family members stand and wait. A steady spider-like web of movement flows as six tracks let out on either side. David moves to the center. His rain poncho almost touches the marble floor. Lines of passengers emerging from trains below the main level move steadily on either side of him. David looks down and gently turns the palms of his hands out as they at his side. His finger tops graze the jackets and clothes of the passengers walking by. Dozens and dozens of people pass. Nothing happens. Then a man in a crumpled shirt and slicked back hair brushes by...

155 FLASH CUT: THE SLICKED BLACKED HAIRED MAN LEANS OUT THE 155 WINDOW OF A TRUCK. HE'S

156 HOLDING A BOTTLE OF BEER. 156

157 SLICKED HAIR MAN 157

Go back to Africa!

158 THE SLICKED HAIR MAN THROWS THE BOTTLE WITH FORCE AS HE 158 PASSES A CLACK FAMILY

159 WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK. THE BOTTLE SHATTERS AS IT HITS A159 WOMAN IN THE GROUP.

David's eyes dart up as the slicked haired man turns the corner at the information booth. He watches him for a beat.

160 FLASH CUT: WE ARE IN A BEDROOM. A YOUNG MAN IN HIS LATE 160 TEENS LOOKS DOWN AT A

161 GIRL LAYING IN A PILE OF OVERCOATS ON A BED. THERE IS LOUD161 MUSIC AND LAUGHTER

162 COMING FROM SOMEWHERE DOWNSTAIRS. 162

163 THE GIRL MOANS SOMETHING INAUDIBLE AS SHE ROLLS ON HER SIDE.163 HER SKIRT RIDES UP

164 HER THIGH. 164

165 THE YOUNG MAN STARES AT HER AND THEN GETS UP. HE MAKES SURE165 NO ONE IS LOOKING

166 BEFORE CLOSING THE DOOR. HE LOCKS IT FROM THE INSIDE. 166

David watches the teenager with baggy jeans hanging off his hip. He walks and greets a group of identically dressed friends. Beat. David turns his hands back in. He seems shaken. He takes a couple of deep breaths as he gathers himself. Then David steps back to look around. HE BUMPS the shoulder of a man standing behind him. MNightFans.com David takes a sudden breath like someone punched him in the solar plexus.

167 FLASH CUT: AN ENORMOUS MAN WITH GLASSY EYES STANDS BEFORE167A SCREEN SIDE DOOR.

168 HE'S BALDING. THE HAIR HE DOES HAVE IS SHOULDER LENGTH. HIS168 ECLIPSING SHADOW

169 FALLS ON THE CONSERVATIVE LOOKING MAN WHO STANDS ON THE 169 OTHER SIDE OF THE SCREEN

170 DOOR INSIDE THE HOUSE. 170

171 GLASSY EYED MAN 171

Can I come in?

172 MAN IN HOUSE 172

Who are you?

173 GLASSY EYED MAN 173

I like your house. Can I come in?

174 MAN IN HOUSE 174

What is this? (beat) No you can't come in. Beat.

175 GLASSY EYED MAN 175

Are you sure? The enormous glassy eyed man takes hold of the screen door handle. He turns it. The man inside the house grabs the door handle on the inside to stop him.

176 MAN IN HOUSE 176

What are you doing? The man inside the house uses all his strength to keep the door from opening... It opens slowly anyway.

David stands frozen in the train station. His face is almost unreadable. David is standing less than a foot away from the man he bumped. They're standing shoulder to shoulder. David's eyes slowly move from the ground over his right and then finally onto the man. He's huge. At least three inches taller than David. His shoulders are massive. He's wearing a one piece ORANGE UNIFORM. The man in the orange uniform leans over a trashcan next to him and removes the full trash bag within it. He replaces it with a fresh one. He throws the full trash bag into a gray plastic bin with wheels and starts pushing it. David watches the man head across the floor towards a double door marked "Station Maintenance Staff Only". Four identical gray bins sit outside the door. The huge man disappears with his bin inside. MNightFans.com David waits. He just stares hard at the double doors. Nothing happens for the longest time... No one comes out. David makes a decision. He starts towards the doors. And then they open. The huge glassy eyed man in orange emerges carrying a bag over his shoulder. He's wearing a baseball hat with his uniform now. He heads toward a back exit. David lets him get about twenty feet away before deciding to follow him.

The man in the orange uniform walks in the driving rain down a residential city block. Almost all the lights in the middle class homes he's passing are off at this late hour.

No one is out walking except him and David Dunne fifty feet behind. The orange figure turns the corner onto a block of modest stand alone homes. The uniformed man walks slower in this block. He looks around carefully as he moves. He turns into a driveway of one of the homes. He stops and pulls a wad of mail out of the mailbox. David stands with the hood of his security coat covering his head and face. He stands in the shadows and watches silently as the man in the orange uniform looks over his massive shoulder before turning a knob and entering the white paneled house through a familiar side door with a screen on it.

The side door opens with almost no sound. The hooded figure of David Dunne steps into a narrow laundry room. THE SOUND OF A TELEVISION IS HEARD FROM ANOTHER ROOM. A very large pile of unopened mail sits in a mound on the clothes dryer. Two or three days worth. David shuts the door very slowly.

180 THE SOUNDS OF CHEERING FROM THE TELEVISION IN THE NEXT ROOM180 SPILL INTO THE

181 KITCHEN. 181

David stares out from under his hood at the mess. Cabinets are left open. Empty cans of food sit on the counter with a handful of unwashed dishes. The breakfast table is the eeriest thing in the room. It sits frozen with a plate of half-eaten, now moldy eggs at one setting and two bowls of colorful cereal in another. The cereal has dissolved in the old milk. Two cockroaches are crawling in the bowl. MNightFans.com David moves slowly to a door in the kitchen. It's slightly open. As David gets closer, he shields his face from the strong smell. He pulls the door open quietly. A SHAFT OF KITCHEN LIGHTS FALLS DOWN THE STAIRS INTO THE BASEMENT. At the bottom of the stairs is a MAN'S BODY. The same man who answered the door in the flashback lays partly in the shadow, partly in the light. His crumpled tie lies folded over itself on his still chest.

A BOXING MATCH BLARES ON THE TELEVISION. Empty beer bottles and coke cans sit in a pyramid on the coffee table. David steps into the unoccupied room.

His movements are slow and tense. THUDS OF HEAVY FOOTSTEPS COME FROM THE CEILING OF THE ROOM. David looks up and follows the SOUND AS IT MOVES AROUND ABOVE HIM. David moves to the stairs as SOMEONE GETS KNOCKED OUT ON THE TELEVISION.

Three closed doors converge on a landing. David opens the closest one. It's a young girl's room. Posters of boy bands are on her wall. Clothes are everywhere. The room is empty.

184 A NOISE COMES FROM THE HALF OPEN BATHROOM DOOR ATTACHED TO184 THE BEDROOM.

A slightly overweight girl, probably fourteen years old is tied by her wrists with a phone cord to the metal towel rack in her bathroom. She sits with her arms pointed upward over her head. He knees tucked up to her chest. Next to her is her younger brother. A skinny boy, maybe twelve. He's tied and seated in the same way. Their heads are leaned back against their arms. They're completely listless. Eyes half mast. They watch as the door to the bathroom opens and the dark hooded figure of David Dunne steps in. His long dark slowing rain poncho still dripping water. He stands in the doorway for a moment before moving towards them. They don't react in anyway as David reaches for the phone cord and unties them. They're arms flop to their laps as they gaze up at the figure leaning over them. They boy blinks once slowly. David takes a step back and stares at them from under his hood. MNightFans.com

An exercise bike in the corner of the bedroom has been turned into a clothes hanger long ago. The t.v. across the bed has framed family photos displayed on top of it. David's shadow passes over them as he moves towards the open bathroom on the other side of the bedroom. A woman is tied to the bathroom door handle. She sits on the tiled floor slumped against the door. Her eyes stare blankly at the ground. She has considerable bruises on her face and arms. David stands before her.

187 A BLURR OF ORANGE ATTACKS HIM. 187

The collision is sudden and explosive. The huge man drives his shoulder into David's chest and takes him off his feet. David's body flips over the railing. The dark green rain poncho flaps in the wind as he falls two stories directly towards the black tarp.

David lands on his stomach with a TREMENDOUS SLAP onto the nylon black tarp. There's a thin layer of rain water on the tarp's surface. David is laying on his cheek. Half his face is covered in water. Beat. David's exposed eye looks around in a daze. The surface of the tarp gets pounded by the rain. David uses his hands to push his body off the tarp. His hands sink into the water MNightFans.com as his pressure pushes the tarp down.

189 THE FIRST SOUNDS OF NYLON SLIDING AGAINST CONCRETE START.189

David stops pushing. His vision catches the corner of the swimming pool as the tarp slides out from under the sand bags that hold it in place. The tarp sags. David becomes utterly still. THE SOUND CONTINUES ANYWAY. One by one the tarp starts sliding out from under the sand bags all around the edge of the pool. And then without warning, the tarp caves in. It folds around David as he and the tarp get pulled UNDER THE COLD DARK WATER.

David's body is tangled in the pool cover. His legs and arms thrash against the constricting black tarp. He's drowning.

191 GLIMPSES OF LIGHT FROM THE HOUSE PIERCE THE DARKNESS UNDER191 WATER. THE BLURRED

192 IMAGE OF A DISTANT FIGURE HIGH ABOVE ON A BALCONY FLICKERS192 AND DISAPPEARS.

The last of the tarp slides out from under the sandbags that old it in place around the edge of the pool. The rain keeps falling. The tarp moves like it's alive underwater. It shifts and wraps David tighter with every movement.

193 GLIMPSES OF LIGHT AGAIN. TWO SMALL FIGURES NOW STAND IN A193 BLURRED SILHOUETTE NEAR

194 THE EDGE OF THE POOL. FLASHES OF SOMETHING SHINY THEY'RE194 HOLDING... A ROD OR

195 POLE... IT'S SHAKY NEBULOUS IMAGE WAIVERS IN THE AIR ABOVE195 THE SURFACE.

David's only free hand reaches for the light. It catches the silver pole. The tangled mass of David and the tarp are pulled slowly towards the edge of the pool. David's head and shoulders emerge from the darkness. He takes hold of the pool's edge. Huge desperate breaths as he pulls his body out from the water and the grasp of the tarp. He hauls himself onto the ground. He sits hunched over in a dark mass, his head down under his hood. The rain poncho covering him like a blanket. Beat. He rises to his feet. The water rushes off of him. His breathing is slowing, calming. He stands in a silhouette from the light of the house. He turns and looks to the two small figures standing near the edge of the pool. The children from the bathroom stand still in the rain. They're holding an aluminum pole with a brush head for cleaning the pool. They stare up at the MNightFans.com hooded figure. No one says anything.

The man in the orange one-piece uniform stands over the woman tied to the door handle of the bathroom. His back is to us. He's drinking from a beer bottle as he looks down at her. He doesn't notice the third presence come into the room. He doesn't hear him move closer. Right behind him. The man in orange takes another sip of his beer, not realizing an arm is reaching over him... He doesn't get to swallow the sip in his mouth. David Dunne's powerful arm wraps around the man's thick neck. David's hands clamp together like and iron vise. He squeezes. The man's beer bottle crashes to the ground as his neck begins to get crushed. David yanks back hard, pulls the man off balance. The man's legs push back violently, sending both of them backwards across the room.

They come to a hard stop as David's back gets RAMMED INTO THE BEDROOM WALL. The huge man in orange pulls away and then SLAMS DAVID harder against the wall. David's arm remains locked around his throat. The man becomes frantic. His face turning dark red. He clutches at David's arm. He spins, taking David with him into another wall. The IMPACT IS TREMENDOUS. The room shakes. David holds on. His face bent low and hidden under his hood. And then the man in orange throws a powerful elbow back. It lands hard right in David's side. David groans. The huge man delivers another one. Savage, desperate blows. WE HEAR THE IMPACT OF EACH ONE WITH DAVID'S BODY. And David never lets go. The elbows slow and then stop. The legs of the man in orange start to buckle. David pulls him back onto his heels. He turns him in a half circle. All of his tremendous weight is hanging from David's arm now. David LETS OUT A YELL AS HE APPLIES ALL HIS STRENGTH. The man's legs stop kicking. David keeps turning him. The man's body goes completely limp. David's just dragging two hundred and seventy-five pounds of weight in a circle over the carpet now. David slowly comes to a stop. He stands there with his arm wrapped around the man's neck....The man's limbs dangle down to the ground. Beat. David's hands let go of each other. His arm slips out from under the man's jaw. The man in orange crumples to the ground like a rag doll. The only SOUND IN THE ROOM IS DAVID'S HEAVY BREATHING. Beat. He moves to the woman slumped against the door. He starts to untie the phone cords that bind her wrists to the handle. He whispers to her.

The front door opens to SILENCE. The silhouetted figure of David steps into the darkness of his home.

The dark green faded security poncho gets hung back on its hook in the closet next to the family winter coats.

David enters the quiet of Jeremy's room. Jeremy lays sound asleep. David stares down at the shadowy figure of his son. He pulls the blanket over the boy's small shoulder.

David sits on the edge of the empty bed in the darkness of his room. He doesn't makes a sound. He doesn't move an inch. He is so still, he seems to disappear into the shadows of the room.

Megan stirs in her sleep. She shifts her head on the pillow. Then her body RISES INTO THE AIR. She starts to wake as she floats across the room. She opens her eyes and sees David close by. He's carrying her in her arms. He moves up the stairs with her. No words are spoken.

They enter their bedroom. David lays her down gently on her side of the bed. She watches as he walks out of sight. He lays down right behind her. He covers her with his arm... His hand is shaking. Beat. He speaks softly.

Downtown Philadelphia. People move up and down the sidewalks in front of the storefronts. David Dunne is among them. He crosses the street in front of The Limited Edition. The front doors of the store are open. A banner over the door reads, "Annual Sale."

The compact store is crowded with customers. David spots Elijah with a group of people before a framed painting of a comic hero. David moves to a less crowded area of the store and waits. He turns and looks at a framed sketch. MNightFans.com Beat. An older woman walks over from a near by picture and joins David.

David looks across the store at Elijah talking with the customers.

They both watch Elijah from across the room.

Elijah looks down at the newspaper. David hesitates and then reaches forward. He reaches past the paper... And TOUCHES ELIJAH'S ARM.

205 FLASHCUT: AN AIRPORT GATE. ELIJAH IS STANDING AT THE WINDOW205 LOOKING OUT ONTO THE

206 AIRFIELD. HE'S CRYING. 206

207 SIRENS START SOUNDING THROUGHOUT THE AIRPORT. 207

208 WAITING PASSENGERS START GETTING UP AND MOVING TO THE 208 WINDOWS.

209 FLASH CUT: ELIJAH AND AN ELDERLY MAN IN A UNIFORM ARE SEATED209 IN A HOTEL BAR.

210 ELIJAH LOOKS UP FROM HIS DRINK. 210

211 FLASHCUT: ELIJAH LEAVES THE ENGINEERING ROOM OF AN AMTRAK211 TRAIN. HE PASSES THE

212 ENGINEER WHO HAS JUST ARRIVED WITH COFFEE. 212

Elijah doesn't answer and doesn't turn around as he exits train 177.

David takes two unsteady steps back. Elijah has tears in his eyes as he gazes down at the newspaper. He looks up to David.

David looks like he stopped breathing as he backs up in the store. Customers step between him and Elijah. Elijah becomes obscured and then blocked from view.

David emerges from the store slowly. He braces himself against a parked car and then keeps on walking in a nightmarish daze. WE PULL BACK as David Dunne blends in with dozens and dozens of ordinary people,

walking on an ordinary street, in an ordinary city.