The Urban Creepers
Page 7
Debra shudders, hugs the wall.
DEBRA
You’re lying.
MIKE
No, I drew up the plans for the
renovation project, but never
crosschecked any historical data.
Debra chugs ALCOHOL, grabs another Jack Daniels from inside
backpack, and refills canteen. She chucks empty bottle into
water.
MIKE
What’s wrong with you? We don’t
leave our trash behind.
DEBRA
It’s not like anyone will mind,
dead or not.
Jillian watches bottle drift and suddenly disappear.
JILLIAN
(mutters)
This isn’t good.
Debra brings canteen to lips, drinks. Her face twists in
revulsion. She yanks canteen away, spiders pour from her
mouth and erupt from canteen’s opening. She screams, smacks
at face, and flails around.
Eddie grabs canteen, hurls it away. Spiders swarm over
Debra’s face. He shoves her below the water, rinses spiders
off, and jerks her back up. Spiders disappear.
EDDIE
It’s okay. It’s okay.
76
DEBRA
(frantic)
Oh my god, get them off.
EDDIE
They’re gone, baby, they’re gone.
Debra pummels Eddie’s chest, knocks him back into water.
DEBRA
I want to go home.
Eddie struggles to regain balance with injured leg, grabs
Debra’s arms.
EDDIE
I know.
MIKE
We just need to get to the exit
point and there’s probably one at
the construction site.
DEBRA
I’m not going any further.
Eddie releases Debra, points toward TUNNEL #2, and hobbles
toward it.
EDDIE
This is the way out. I can feel
it. We’re almost there.
DEBRA
There are probably corpses down
there. I don’t want to go. Please,
don’t make me.
EDDIE
Come on.
Jillian approaches Debra. A large truck rumbles overhead on
street level, a small TREMOR resonates within the walls.
77
JILLIAN
We have to get Eddie to a
hospital. You know that.
DEBRA
(meekly)
I know.
A few bricks TUMBLE into water from ceiling. Debra glances
up, freezes in fright.
JILLIAN reaches out.
JILLIAN
Take my hand. It’ll be okay.
DEBRA retreats a few steps. Loud CRACK forms overhead.
JILLIAN maintains eye contact with DEBRA.
JILLIAN
Come on. Take my hand.
Ceiling suddenly collapses. Jillian dives out of the way,
but her foot gets buried by bricks, drags her underwater.
Debra disappears beneath TON of bricks.
Dust and debris fly. Eddie and Mike surge forward.
EDDIE
(grief-stricken)
No.
Jillian thrashes fiercely to free foot in MURKY water. Her
headlamp shorts out. SHADOW looms above her. Mike grabs
Jillian’s shoulder. She FLINCHES; face twists in fear, then
sees its Mike. Together, they unbury her foot, swim upward.
Eddie digs frantically at rubble.
Mike and Jillian break surface, gasp for air. They join
Eddie, digging hard and fast. Their fingers bleed. More
bricks plummet, miss them by inches.
EDDIE
(sobs)
Hold on, baby. We’re coming.
78
SPIRITS cackle.
Jillian sees crack ZIP across another section of ceiling.
JILLIAN
Faster.
Another section of ceiling collapses, COVERS Jillian, Mike,
and Eddie in brick, water, and dirt.
MIKE
We have to get out of here. The
entire place is coming down.
EDDIE
I’m not leaving her. She could
still be alive.
MIKE
Jillian, tell him I’m right.
Jillian ignores Mike, digs. Another section of brick cracks
above them, pieces RAIN down, SPLASH into water. Jillian
sees something GLOW in water, glances down. Charlie’s Ghost
motions urgently for her to get away. She turns to Eddie.
JILLIAN
We have to go or we’ll all die.
EDDIE
What if she’s hurt? What if she’s
trapped on the other side?
Jillian seizes Eddie by the coveralls, shakes him.
JILLIAN
I’m not dying today and neither
are you.
Mike and Jillian grab Eddie’s arms, drag him into tunnel.
There’s a horrific CRASH, water SURGES, flushes them into
another section of TUNNEL #2.
Mike SLAMS into brick BARRIER, halts his forward momentum.
Jillian and Eddie SMASH into him. They struggle to stay
afloat against water pressure. It slowly subsides.
79
Jillian looks up, sees partial ladder ten feet above them.
It is old and rusty. She motions to Mike and Eddie.
JILLIAN
Do you think we can reach it?
MIKE
I doubt it.
EDDIE
You could try.
Mike finds footing, leaps at broken ladder, and falls into
water. He tries a couple more times with no success, gives
up.
MIKE
It’s too high.
Eddie swings a sloppy roundhouse PUNCH at Mike. Mike dodges
it easily, shoves Eddie back. Eddie slams thigh against
BARRIER, grabs his leg, and GASH bleeds.
MIKE
What’s wrong with you?
EDDIE
This is your fault.
MIKE
You’re drunk.
EDDIE
You let the fucking door into this
hellhole shut and now we’re all
going to die.
MIKE
(furious)
Don’t blame me for this mess,
you’re the one who didn’t follow
our Creeping code.
Jillian steps between them, places a hand on their chests.
JILLIAN
That’s enough.
80
Jillian pulls out book, flips carefully through a couple of
drenched pages. Angry whispers swirl around. Eddie turns in
every direction, searches the surrounding darkness.
JILLIAN
If we’re going to get out of here,
we need to know what the rules are
to survive this.
JILLIAN scans a few more pages, shakes her head.
JILLIAN
This book teaches everything to
know on manipulation, brain-
washing, torture tactics; you name
it, it’s in here.
MIKE
Hmm, great, a devil-worshippers
guide to the galaxy.
(scoffs)
It still doesn’t explain what’s
happening to us and why.
JILLIAN
We brought it on ourselves.
EDDIE grabs JILLIAN’s arm, sobs.
EDDIE
Are you saying that Debra deserved
what happened back there?
JILLIAN s
hakes her head, brushes wet hair away from face.
JILLIAN
I’m saying that our devil-
worshipping ancestors had rules
and we’ve violated most of their
so-called commandments. We broke
into their home despite being
warned not to. We weren’t invited
in and yet, here we are.
Mike takes BOOK, reads page.
81
MIKE
Listen to this . . . thou shall
not drink to inebriation, smoke
hallucinatory drugs, or engage in
forbidden sex unless permitted to
do so by asking the Prince of
Darkness first. If one does so,
punishment will be death.
JILLIAN
(shudders)
There’s another passage that talks
about attempting to take one’s
life will result in infinite
torture of one’s soul.
Mike takes Jillian’s hand.
MIKE
I won’t let anything happen to
you. We’re going to get out of
here.
EDDIE
We need to go, now. We have to get
help for Debra.
Jillian nods, tucks BOOK into coveralls, wraps arm around
Eddie’s waist, and helps him walk forward.
JILLIAN
We also need to find Dan. I’m not
leaving him down here.
Mike takes his share of Eddie’s weight. He and JILLIAN
hurry, drag Eddie along.
EDDIE
It would serve him right. He left
us to die. Maybe a fucking tunnel
will collapse on him.
82
MIKE
Take it easy, Eddie. You know he
went to find help. Remember, he’s
searching for the other creeping
group.
EDDIE
Explain that to Debra’s parents.
I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to
hear it.
JILLIAN
Enough already.
EDDIE
How do we know that Dan didn’t
find the way out and that’s why he
hasn’t come back?
JILLIAN
He wouldn’t do that.
EDDIE
How do you know?
JILLIAN
Because he’s exactly like Charlie.
INT. LOS ANGELES, CA - STORM SEWER – 1.9 MILES IN – NIGHT
Six-feet in diameter, partial new concrete over crumbling
brick, increased ground slope, gently-moving, waist-high
water flows into connecting lateral pipeline. New, overhead
plastic pipes. Cast-iron LADDER ascends thirty feet to an
open manhole. Amber light pulses.
Mike relinquishes grip on Eddie, walks by LADDER. He stops
short of opening into connecting lateral pipeline. Eddie
and Jillian lean against LADDER.
83
EDDIE
Thank god. Now, who’s going first
to get the heck out of this place?
JILLIAN
I’m not leaving without Dan.
EDDIE
You have to be fucking kidding me.
What about Debra? She could still
be alive. How do we know Dan isn’t
up there waiting on us? And don’t
forget all your babbling about
devil worshippers and shit. I
don’t want to stay down here one
more second.
Jillian shines her flashlight on ladder, sees dark-reddish
liquid pooled on a few of the rungs.
JILLIAN
I don’t think Dan is up there.
Eddie follows her gaze, sticks his finger in the liquid. He
rubs it between his fingers, sniffs it.
EDDIE
Shit, that’s blood.
Eddie rinses fingers in water, lifts his hand. Blood covers
it. He dips his hand in again, looks. Skin peels away,
exposes bone and tendons. He screams, cradles hand.
EDDIE
Oh my god, help me.
Jillian seizes Eddie’s hand, sees flesh reappear, struggles
to keep voice from cracking.
JILLIAN
Take it easy, Eddie. It’s going to
be okay. Look, your hand is fine.
Eddie stares at hand, wiggles his fingers.
EDDIE
That’s impossible.
84
MIKE
Are you okay?
EDDIE
No, I’m fucking not okay. I just
watched the skin peel off my hand
and now everything is hunky-dory.
MIKE
You’ve lost a lot of blood. It’s
possible you’re hallucinating.
JILLIAN
I saw it too, Mike.
SPLASHES echo from within the connecting lateral pipeline,
Dan screams. All three of them jump.
EDDIE
(hysterical)
Well, I don’t think that was a
fucking hallucination.
Mike turns toward connecting lateral pipeline, glances back
at Jillian and Eddie.
MIKE
Get out of here.
JILLIAN
I’m not leaving you.
Mike peers into darkness beyond them and back at Jillian.
Flashlights flicker.
MIKE
I almost lost you once; I’m not
going to risk losing you again.
JILLIAN
We’ll wait here then.
MIKE
We don’t have time to argue, so go
get help. Please.
85
Mike fights water current, wades into connecting lateral
pipeline. Jillian hands flashlight to Eddie, withdraws pen-
size flashlight from accessible pouch, and switches it on.
JILLIAN
Can you make it out on your own?
Eddie looks at the LADDER.
EDDIE
Maybe, but - -
JILLIAN
I’ll be right behind you. Now, get
moving.
EDDIE starts slow climb up LADDER. He drags bleeding leg.
JILLIAN stares into darkness, hears SPELUNKER’S distant,
terrifying screams. She covers her ears, huddles against
SEWER wall.
JILLIAN
Stop it.
EDDIE stops ascent, looks down.
EDDIE
Climbing?
JILLIAN glances up.
JILLIAN
Don’t stop for anything. No matter
what I say. No matter what you see
or hear.
EDDIE
What are you talking about?
JILLIAN sees DEAD SPELUNKERS emerge from connecting lateral
pipeline. They’re faces are in shadows. She stumbles back
into LADDER, grips hold of it, and peers up at EDDIE.
JILLIAN
(screams)
Get out of here.
86
Eddie sees spelunkers, face twists in terror.
EDDIE
Holy shit.
Eddie struggles up LADDER.
DEAD SPELUNKERS creep closer, faces are indistinguishable.
SEWER morphs into CAVERN. SPELUNKERS suddenly dangle from
rope. CHARLIE hangs upside down, smiles, and uprights
himself. The rope slips. SPELUNKERS fall, SLAM into ground.
Jillian seeks refuge behind LADDER, searches pockets, grabs
empty BOTTLE, and tosses it aside. She rummages frantically
through backpack, finds KNIFE, squeeze eyes shut, holds
KNI
FE.
DEAD SPELUNKERS appear within arm’s length.
DEAD SPELUNKERS
Do it. Do it. Charlie wants you
with him.
Jillian opens eyes, plummets KNIFE into chest of closet
SPELUNKER.
DEAD SPELUNKERS
No.
DEAD SPELUNKERS disappear, SEWER reappears.
JILLIAN takes deep breath, trembles violently. She folds
KNIFE, slips it into pocket. Charlie’s ghost appears.
CHARLIE’S GHOST
I’m proud of you.
JILLIAN
(sobs)
I miss you so much.
Charlie’s Ghost reaches out, touches Jillian’s face.
CHARLIE’S GHOST
I’ve been with you all along.
87
Charlie’s Ghost looks over shoulder.
JILLIAN
What’s wrong?
CHARLIE’S GHOST
He’s coming. You have to choose
now. Death is never fair, but life
isn’t fair, either. Always choose