The Urban Creepers
Page 4
unsecured.
EDDIE
I love doing this shit. Everyone
knows that.
DAN
Then stop acting like a pansy.
MIKE
Don’t listen to him. We all know
you’re just terrible at golf.
EDDIE
True.
JILLIAN shifts uncomfortably, shines flashlight beam into
tunnel.
JILLIAN
I, for one, don’t want to ever see
your skinny white legs in plaid
shorts.
DAN
I couldn’t agree more with that
sentiment.
Jillian meets Dan’s eyes, they linger for a moment. Tension
eases. Faint smile pulls at corners of their mouths. Dan
adjusts backpack, nods.
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DAN
Let’s go.
INT. LOS ANGELES - STORM SEWER – 1.25 MILES IN - NIGHT
Six-feet in diameter, old, crumbling red brick, unchanged
ground slope, knee-deep water. New, overhead plastic pipes.
Pitch black.
EDDIE follows DAN into intersecting storm sewer. He shines
headlamp in both directions, sees yellow construction HAT
down opposite tunnel BOBBING in the water.
EDDIE
Now, that’s an interesting
souvenir.
DEBRA
What is?
Eddie rushes toward HAT, trips on submerged brick, and face
plants into water. HELMET tumbles from head again, bobs
rhythmically against wall.
GHOSTLY HAND appears, seizes Eddie’s face, and keeps him
beneath water. Eddie flails, strikes knee, cuts skin.
Dan turns around, shakes his head.
DAN
Stop fucking around, Eddie. You
don’t know what’s in this water.
Debra rushes into intersecting storm sewer, gasps.
DEBRA
Oh my god.
Mike and Jillian rush past Debra, grab Eddie’s arms. They
pull him partially out of water, lose grip as GHOSTLY HAND
stays secure. Eddie splashes into water again.
MIKE
Shit.
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Mike reaches into water, grabs front of Eddie’s coveralls.
Jillian repositions her feet.
JILLIAN
Please, God.
GHOSTLY HAND releases its hold on Eddie, disappears.
Mike and Jillian jerk hard on Eddie. They sail backward,
bring Eddie along for the ride, and PLUMMET into water.
They recover quickly. HAT floats rapidly away.
MIKE
You okay, man?
Eddie struggles to catch breath, coughs hard.
EDDIE
Who fucking held me down?
MIKE
What the hell are you talking
about?
EDDIE
(angrily)
Someone held me down. I can still
feel the pressure of their fingers
on my skin. Now, fess up.
Jillian shines flashlight on side of Eddie’s face. Small
bluish bruises are forming on his skin.
JILLIAN
Mike, you might want to take a
look at this. I thought I was
hallucinating.
Mike scoots around, takes closer look. Four distinguishable
bruises appear on the left side of Eddie’s face and one on
his right cheek.
MIKE
That’s impossible.
Mike helps Eddie to his feet, picks up HELMET, and hands it
to him. He stares at the water current moving swiftly past.
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MIKE
There has to be a drain or
something beneath the surface we
can’t see. It probably felt like a
hand.
Eddie glares, hobbles over to Debra. His coveralls are
ripped, blood seeps from minor cut across right kneecap.
EDDIE
Tell me which one did it.
DEBRA
They’re telling the truth. No one
was close by when you fell into
the water. I thought you were
having a seizure. If it wasn’t for
them, you might have drowned.
EDDIE
Well, I know it wasn’t some
fucking drain.
DEBRA
I believe you, baby.
Eddie leaves Debra’s side, stomps over to where he fell. He
shoves hand into the water, DRAGS fingertips along bottom,
and feels pieces of brick.
EDDIE
Nothing.
Eddie stands, glowers at Mike.
EDDIE
Do you have any other brilliant
ideas? Perhaps, I grabbed my own
face and held myself down.
Mike crosses his arms. Jillian takes a step forward; shines
flashlight on Eddie’s cut.
JILLIAN
You’re bleeding. Let me take a
look.
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Eddie retreats a few steps.
EDDIE
No offense, but since you showed
up all sorts of weird shit is
happening and I’d rather have the
devil himself take a look at my
knee over you.
DEMONIC LAUGHTER erupts. No one moves or breathes. Then,
the laughter stops and the friends are left in silence.
Dan moves first, strides over, grabs Eddie by collar, and
drags him to Jillian.
DAN
Stop being a jackass. We need to
get moving, so let her take a
look.
Eddie’s shoulders sag.
EDDIE
Sorry, Jillian.
Jillian glimpses a shadow more or less ten meters behind
Eddie within the connecting storm sewer as it scoops up the
HAT. Jillian’s face grows pale and she takes a step back.
EDDIE
I thought you wanted to look at
it.
JILLIAN
There’s someone else down here.
Eddie turns, sees shadow dart behind BEND. His face fills
with rage.
EDDIE
I bet that’s the asshole that held
me down. I’m going to so kick his
ass.
Eddie races through tunnel, disappears around BEND.
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JILLIAN
Shit, wait up.
Jillian sprints forward, Dan chases after. Eddie’s scream
reverberates as Mike and Debra join the pursuit.
Jillian rounds BEND, sees spirit hovering over deep, gaping
DRAINAGE hole where water rushes inward. Jillian struggles
to maintain balance against water pressure.
Spirit grins, waggles its index finger at JILLIAN.
SPIRIT
Come join us, Jillian. Charlie is
waiting for you.
Jillian steps closer, overhears Eddie moan within DRAINAGE.
Spirit vanishes. A flash of a BLADE and shadow lunges,
knocks Jillian into water, holds her under. She fights
fiercely.
LARRY
(babbles)
I’m sorry. It’s the only way to
save my girls. An eye for an eye.
Spirit rematerializes.
SPIRIT
Kill her. She deserves it.
Dan sprints around BEND, SEES Spirit. It vanishes. He
tackles Larry, knocks him off Jillian. Larry recovers,
drops BLADE, strikes hard blow to Dan’s head. Dan shakes it
off, flips open SWITCHBLADE. They wrestle. La
rry gets upper
hand, takes SWITCHBLADE, rips Dan’s coveralls. PHOTO falls
from coveralls into water.
Jillian jumps onto Larry’s back, wraps arms around neck,
chokes him. Larry drops SWICHBLADE, rushes back, slams
Jillian into wall; she falls into water, lands next to
PHOTO. Larry towers above her, aims fist to strike.
Dan stabs SWITCHBLADE into Larry in back. BLOOD gushes, He
rips it out. The water swirls red.
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Larry torques around, collapses, and closes eyes. A look of
peace materializes on his face.
LARRY
Thank you.
Larry’s body floats away, plummets into DRAINAGE.
EDDIE (O.S.)
(screams)
Jesus Christ, who’s that?
Jillian grabs PHOTO. It’s of her, Charlie, and Dan. It
depicts Dan’s longing for her.
Mike and Debra come around BEND. Jillian tucks PHOTO in her
coveralls. Mike rushes to her, hugs her. DEBRA stops in her
tracks, frozen in fear.
MIKE
Are you okay?
JILLIAN
(coughs)
I’m fine thanks to Dan. We need to
help Eddie though before that
thing comes back.
Mike holds Jillian’s gaze.
MIKE
Dan took care of that creep.
JILLIAN
I’m not talking about him. Didn’t
you see it?
MIKE
No.
Jillian averts gaze, sees Debra on verge of hysteria.
JILLIAN
(more confidently)
I’ll tell you later.
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Dan washes blood off SWITCHBLADE, closes it, and returns it
to front pocket. He searches water for PHOTO, gives up, and
smacks hands angrily. He moves to Jillian, cups her chin.
DAN
Where’s Eddie?
Jillian points at DRAINAGE.
JILLIAN
Be careful.
Dan averts his eyes, struggles against current to edge of
DRAINAGE. He peers inside, sees Eddie clinging to a jagged
piece of broken pipe. Water rushes down onto him. Eddie’s
eyes are clenched; pain envelops face, gasps for air.
DAN
Shit. Debra, get over here and
talk to him.
Debra walks timidly, glances in every direction.
MIKE
Is he alive?
EDDIE (O.S.)
Yes, I’m fucking alive. No thanks
to the fucking sap who almost
crushed me when he fell in here.
He was sucked beneath the water.
Now, get down here and rescue my
ass before that fucking ghost
thing comes back.
Debra stops nears edge of DRAINAGE. Mike helps Jillian up.
DEBRA
(shudders)
What ghost thing?
Dan hurries over to Mike and Jillian, leans in close.
DAN
I don’t have the right gear to do
this type of rescue. Do you?
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MIKE
No.
JILLIAN
I do.
Jillian takes off her backpack, hands it to Dan.
JILLIAN
Everything you need is in there.
Dan accepts backpack, rummages through it, and sees RAPPEL
KIT. He removes it, shakes his head.
JILLIAN
What’s the matter?
DAN
You’re the only one of us who’s
qualified and experienced enough
to use this stuff.
Jillian looks disbelievingly at Dan.
JILLIAN
You have to be joking. I can’t go
in there. It’s been too long.
MIKE
He’s right, Jill. If something
happens down there, you’re the
only one who will know how to
handle it.
JILLIAN
(pleads)
I can’t go in there. There has to
be another way. I can talk either
of you through it. Please don’t
make me do this.
DEBRA
(frantic)
Please, Jillian, I don’t want
Eddie to die down there. He keeps
talking about ghosts and shit.
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Jillian briefly closes her eyes, shakes head, and takes
RAPPEL KIT back from Dan. She slides harness around legs,
hooks ROPE in appropriate locations, and slings additional
harness over shoulder. She searches for an object to anchor
ROPE, but there isn’t one. She hands ROPE to Mike and Dan.
JILLIAN
Don’t drop me.
DAN
We won’t.
Jillian backs up to ledge of DRAINAGE, stares hard at Mike.
MIKE
It’ll be okay.
Jillian nods, rappels into DRAINAGE hole. HEADLAMP solitary
source of light. She proceeds slowly, hears PHANTOM screams
of SPELUNKERS, shakes her head, and closes eyes.
JILLIAN
(mumbles)
It’s not real. It’s not real.
Jillian opens eyes; headlamp spotlights Charlie’s Ghost. He
hovers beside her, points toward crevice in wall above
waterline. She cries out.
Dan and Mike cease her descent.
MIKE (O.S.)
Are you okay?
Charlie’s Ghost points at crevice again, disappears beneath
rushing water. EDDIE splashes furiously.
EDDIE
I’m over here.
Jillian sweeps light onto Eddie.
JILLIAN
(to MIKE and DAN)
I need about two more feet to be
next to him.
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They lower Jillian to approximate level. She reaches out,
grabs Eddie. She helps him into harness, secures him onto
ROPE. She unhooks from ROPE, grabs a hold of broken pipe.
JILLIAN
(to EDDIE)
Ready?
EDDIE
As I’ll ever be.
JILLIAN
(shouts)
He’s ready.
Hand over hand, Mike and Dan tow Eddie to top of DRAINAGE.
Mike grabs him, drags him from edge. Eddie’s thigh bleeds
profusely from deep GASH.
Dan lowers ROPE. Jillian grabs it, secures harness. She
hoists herself up and holds to ROPE with one hand, scours
the wall for whatever Charlie wanted her to locate. She
finds crevice, sees BOOK, and tucks into coveralls.
JILLIAN
Okay, I’m ready.
Dan pulls Jillian out of DRAINAGE, helps her away from
ledge. Jillian throws her arms around him, clings to him.
He holds her briefly, closes his eyes, and releases her. He
brushes her hair off her face, helps her out of harness,
and assists in gathering up gear.
FRIENDS trudge back to intersecting pipeline in silence.
Jillian repacks RAPPEL KIT while Dan takes a closer look at
Eddie’s thigh.
DAN
We need a first aid kit.
JILLIAN
I’ve got one.
Jillian removes FIRST AID KIT, hands it to Dan. She leans
against wall, retrieves BOOK from coveralls, opens it, and
begins skimming passages.
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Dan wraps Eddie’s thigh with gauze, blood seeps through it.
EDDIE
I don
’t feel so hot.
DAN
You’ve lost some blood, but we’ll
get you out of here in no time. Do
you know what you cut your leg on?
EDDIE
Yeah, that hunk of metal I was
clinging on to.
Dan zips up FIRST AID KIT, walks it over to Jillian.
DAN
(whispers)
We have to get him out of here as
fast as we can. He’ll bleed to
death otherwise.
JILLIAN
I know.
Jillian slips BOOK inside coveralls and FIRST AID KIT into
backpack.
DAN
Mike, I need you to give me a hand
with Eddie. We need to cover some
ground.
Mike nods, helps Dan lift Eddie off ground.
MIKE
I can handle his weight. You need
to concentrate on finding our exit
point. Go ahead of us. We’ll be
right behind you.
DAN
Are you sure?
MIKE
Positive.
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