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The Urban Creepers

Page 6

by Dreama Elmore


  Dan turns on the flashlight, bulb illuminates.

  DAN

  I swear to God it wasn’t working a

  few minutes ago.

  Jillian spins around, shines flashlight in every direction.

  Dam watches intensely, scratches his stubble.

  62

  DAN

  What are you doing?

  JILLIAN

  Looking for someone.

  DAN

  Who?

  Debra jumps out from the shadows, drunk, and scares Dan and

  Jillian. She waves canteen in front of their faces.

  DEBRA

  Me!

  Jillian rolls eyes, walks short distance into TUNNEL #2.

  JILLIAN

  Did anyone see or hear anything?

  DAN

  No.

  DEBRA

  I only heard you talking to

  yourself. What’s up with that? You

  sounded like a damn hoot owl.

  A hand CLAMPS onto Dan’s shoulder. All three of them jump.

  Eddie sweeps flashlight beneath his chin, switches it on.

  EDDIE

  Boo!

  DAN

  I’m not amused.

  Eddie laughs hysterically, stumbles, and collapses into

  wall. Fresh blood spills across gauze fibers covering GASH.

  Mike strides up, glares at Eddie.

  MIKE

  I thought I told you to stay off

  that leg.

  63

  EDDIE

  Sorry, man. The moment was too

  perfect.

  JILLIAN

  Mike, we need to get out of here.

  Eddie’s drunken smile fades.

  EDDIE

  I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.

  JILLIAN

  It wasn’t funny.

  EDDIE

  Sheesh, I said I was sorry.

  JILLIAN

  (to MIKE)

  Did you find a way out?

  MIKE

  No, but I see you found Dan.

  JILLIAN

  Well, he actually found me.

  Dan shines his flashlight into TUNNEL #3.

  DAN

  I started down the same tunnel you

  were just in, Mike, but I heard a

  voice . . . a familiar one, or so

  I thought, coming from down this

  way. I followed it hoping there

  might be an exit.

  MIKE

  Well, was there?

  DAN

  No.

  Jillian shines her light down TUNNEL #1.

  64

  JILLIAN

  Was there anything down there?

  MIKE

  Just more tunnels.

  JILLIAN

  You didn’t see anyone?

  MIKE

  No, but there’s a lot of little

  tunnels that veer off in every

  direction. Why?

  JILLIAN

  It doesn’t matter. Let’s take this

  tunnel.

  Jillian shines flashlight into TUNNEL #2, glances at TUNNEL

  #1, sees FLAME again, and tenses.

  Mike notices Jillian’s reaction, sees FLAME. It dies out.

  MIKE

  Sounds good to me. Dan, you take

  lead. I’ll bring up the rear with

  Eddie.

  Dan nods, proceeds into TUNNEL #2. Mike wraps Eddie’s arm

  around his shoulders, hoists him up. He ushers the others

  ahead, looks over shoulder.

  EDDIE

  What are you looking at?

  MIKE

  I thought I saw something back

  there. It’s probably nothing.

  Jillian picks up pace.

  JILLIAN

  Mike?

  MIKE

  Yeah.

  65

  JILLIAN

  I saw something other than that

  lighter back there.

  Water POUNDS rhythmically behind them. Eddie looks back.

  EDDIE

  Hey, that sounds like someone

  running.

  JILLIAN

  Yeah, right toward us.

  Jillian and Mike exchange fearful glances.

  JILLIAN

  Run!

  Jillian sweeps Eddie’s other arm around her neck, absorbs

  some of the weight. She and Mike sprint forward carrying

  Eddie. Debra and Dan dash ahead.

  INT. LOS ANGELES - STORM SEWER – 1.45 MILES IN - NIGHT

  Six-feet in diameter, old, crumbling red brick, unchanged

  ground slope, knee-deep water. New, overhead plastic pipes.

  Pitch black.

  Dan leans over, gasps for breath. Eddie and Debra pass

  canteen between them. Jillian squats next to Eddie, clears

  away gauze from GASH. Mike shines flashlight into TUNNEL

  #2.

  DAN

  Maybe it was rats. Eddie’s leg is

  bleeding pretty badly. Perhaps,

  they were attracted to the scent.

  MIKE

  I don’t think so. It sounded much

  larger than that.

  66

  JILLIAN

  And if it were rats, there had to

  be a lot of them.

  DAN

  Oh, I’ve seen plenty.

  MIKE

  I haven’t seen any, but I’ve been

  a little distracted.

  DAN

  Trust me, those little bastards

  are everywhere. They disappear

  into crevices and shit when we get

  close, but they’re there.

  EDDIE

  I haven’t seen them either.

  DAN

  That doesn’t surprise me. You’re

  inebriated.

  EDDIE

  That’s not nice.

  DAN

  Deny it.

  Eddie shrugs, takes sip from canteen. Jillian folds gauze

  into a thick square, places it over GASH, and secures it

  with large bandage.

  JILLIAN

  Okay, it’s the best I can do.

  EDDIE

  How’s it look, doc?

  JILLIAN

  Bad. It won’t stop bleeding.

  EDDIE

  (panics)

  Is it infected?

  67

  JILLIAN

  I don’t know. I’m not a doctor.

  Jillian sees FLAME flicker ahead of them in TUNNEL #2. She

  clears her throat, motions with her head. Mike picks up on

  her cue, glimpses FLAME.

  MIKE

  How did it get in front of us?

  Dan, Eddie, and Debra turn, see FLAME, watch it disappear.

  DAN

  Maybe it’s another Creeping group.

  MIKE

  (mutters)

  I don’t think so.

  EDDIE

  They might be able to help.

  DAN

  And, they’ll know the way out.

  Dan bolts, light from headlamp diminishes. Jillian and Mike

  exchange alarmed glances.

  EDDIE

  Shit, man, I’m so fucking tired.

  There’s no way I can keep up. Can

  I just wait here?

  Jillian removes BOOK from coveralls.

  JILLIAN

  I’m afraid not. We’re all in this

  together literally and

  figuratively.

  Debra points at BOOK.

  DEBRA

  What is that?

  68

  JILLIAN

  I hope its our way to get out of

  here alive.

  DEBRA

  That’s so not funny.

  Jillian opens BOOK, flips a few pages, and brings it over

  to Mike.

  JILLIAN

  Take a look at this.

&nb
sp; Mike licks his lips, takes the BOOK. He reads in silence,

  face grows grimmer.

  MIKE

  Do you think this is what we’re up

  against?

  JILLIAN

  No doubt. Each of our ancestors

  are in there. Look at the last

  names.

  Eddie slumps against wall.

  EDDIE

  What the fuck is going on? Who are

  we up against?

  Jillian takes the BOOK, slips it into her coveralls.

  JILLIAN

  Deceased devil worshippers.

  Eddie laughs heartily.

  EDDIE

  You almost had me there.

  Debra stares back and forth between Jillian and Mike.

  DEBRA

  I don’t think they’re joking.

  69

  INT. LOS ANGELES - STORM SEWER – 1.55 MILES IN – NIGHT

  Six-feet in diameter, old, crumbling red brick, increased

  ground slope, almost waist-deep water. New, overhead

  plastic pipes. Pitch black.

  Jillian and Mike plod forward, carry Eddie between them. He

  is semi-conscious, his head bobs to the side. Debra sloshes

  behind them, hums softly.

  MIKE

  How are you holding up, Jill?

  Jillian shines headlamp into water. Charlie’s mangled-up

  body floats next to her. She shuts eyes, reopens them. He’s

  gone.

  JILLIAN

  I think Charlie is trying to help

  us.

  MIKE

  What do you mean?

  JILLIAN

  Back when you were checking out

  the other tunnel, he appeared and

  said someone was going to hurt me.

  MIKE

  Charlie told you that?

  JILLIAN

  I know. You think I’m crazy.

  Mike remains silent, contemplates.

  MIKE

  That depends.

  Mike swipes his tongue over lips, adjusts grip on Eddie.

  70

  MIKE

  I didn’t say anything earlier

  because I wasn’t sure how the

  others would react, but I thought

  I heard Charlie’s voice.

  JILLIAN

  Go on.

  MIKE

  When I checked out the other

  tunnel, I heard him whisper that

  you were in danger. It’s what made

  me turn around. That’s when my

  lights went out.

  JILLIAN

  Yeah, same here.

  MIKE

  So what else is bothering you?

  JILLIAN

  Besides my dead fiancé haunting

  me?

  MIKE

  (chuckles)

  Yeah, besides that.

  JILLIAN

  Every so often I see his body all

  mangled-up in the water next to

  me, but it’s like an artist’s

  twisted interpretation of the way

  he looked when he died.

  MIKE

  Maybe your mind is still trying to

  grasp the extent of your loss.

  DEBRA

  Perhaps, you both should see a

  shrink.

  Mike and Jillian fall silent. Street noise ECHOS in front

  of them. Eddie raises his head.

  71

  EDDIE

  Do you guys hear that?

  MIKE

  (grins)

  We made it!

  They rush forward, spill into larger room. Cast iron ladder

  ascends to covered manhole.

  DEBRA

  Hallelujah! We can fucking get out

  of here.

  JILLIAN

  We need to find Dan.

  DEBRA

  Maybe he took a wrong turn.

  Mike slides out from underneath Eddie’s arm, leaves Jillian

  with balancing Eddie. He grabs a lower rung on the ladder.

  MIKE

  One thing at a time. Let’s see if

  we can actually get out of here

  first.

  Mike climbs ladder, presses hands against bottom of manhole

  cover. It won’t budge. He peers through a hole in cover,

  sees vehicles passing by.

  MIKE

  Hello? Hello?

  Mike presses up on manhole cover again, climbs down ladder,

  and slips back into water.

  EDDIE

  (anxiously)

  Well?

  MIKE

  I can’t lift it.

  72

  DEBRA

  Maybe you should try again.

  Jillian gives Debra an annoyed glance.

  JILLIAN

  I think if it were possible to

  move it, he would have.

  DEBRA

  Maybe Eddie should try.

  EDDIE

  Are you crazy? If Mike can’t do

  it, what makes you think I can?

  DEBRA

  Determination.

  MIKE

  (sarcastically)

  Yeah, Eddie, you can do anything.

  You’re Luke Skywalker. Who cares

  if you’re bleeding to death?

  DEBRA

  Shut up.

  JILLIAN

  Everyone needs to shut up.

  An eerie silence settles over them. Water SLOSHES, traffic

  BUZZES overhead, unintelligible voices WHISPER.

  Debra takes a swig from canteen, waves it at Eddie.

  EDDIE

  I’ve had my fill, thanks.

  Debra takes a sip, hears WHISPERS calling her a drunk.

  DEBRA

  I wish those fucking voices would

  shut the hell up.

  73

  JILLIAN

  I can’t understand what they are

  saying.

  DEBRA

  I don’t know. I’m not going to be

  a freak show like you.

  Jillian removes BOTTLE from pocket, opens it, and stares at

  last two pills.

  DEBRA

  Oh great, suicide girl is going to

  get drugged up.

  Jillian glares, dumps pills in hand, and offers them to

  Debra.

  JILLIAN

  I thought you might need them.

  DEBRA

  I don’t fucking need your drugs.

  Debra slaps Jillian’s hand away, knocks pills into water.

  DEBRA

  Oops.

  Jillian eyes flash with anger. She tucks empty BOTTLE away,

  snags Debra’s canteen, and gulps ALCOHOL. She hands it back

  to Debra, shakes her head, and puts distance between them.

  JILLIAN

  Does Dan have the only map?

  EDDIE

  No, I have one.

  Jillian holds out hand, waits. Debra moves over to Eddie,

  withdraws map from interior pocket of backpack, and slaps

  it against Jillian’s chest.

  Jillian and Mike study it. Their faces drain of color.

  74

  EDDIE

  What’s wrong? Was this supposed to

  be the way out of here?

  JILLIAN

  I don’t think so.

  EDDIE

  What’s the matter then?

  JILLIAN

  Do you guys remember when that

  news story broke about the show

  for haunted places aired and one

  of the episodes was the compound

  of devil-worshippers?

  EDDIE

  It was a couple years ago.

  JILLIAN

  The cult leader murdered his

  members to show his devotion to

  the devil before killing himself.

  DEBRA

 
Does this have anything to do with

  that stupid book you found?

  JILLIAN

  Yes, it does. Do you remember

  where the police found the bodies?

  EDDIE

  Down in some fucking tunnel that

  ran beneath the compound.

  EDDIE’s eyes widen.

  EDDIE

  You have to be fucking kidding me.

  JILLIAN

  Unfortunately, I’m not.

  75

  MIKE

  We’re about two-tenths of a mile

  away from where the compound stood

  before the city started their

  renovation project earlier this

  week and all of our last names are

  listed in the text.

 

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