The Urban Creepers
Page 9
connecting lateral pipeline with a vengeance; bombard them
with horrific images of TRAVIS, DEBRA, EDDIE, and DAN.
INT. LOS ANGELES - STORM SEWER – 1.9 MILES IN - NIGHT
Six-feet in diameter, partial new concrete over crumbling
brick, decreased ground slope, gently-moving, waist-high
water flows into connecting lateral pipeline. New, overhead
plastic pipes. Cast-iron LADDER ascends thirty feet to open
manhole. Amber light pulses.
MIKE and JILLIAN reach LADDER.
100
MIKE
I’ll be right behind you.
JILLIAN climbs up rungs, ignores thigh, exits manhole. MIKE
swings CROWBAR repeatedly against pipeline. It ruptures. He
tosses CROWBAR.
JILLIAN
Come on!
MIKE scrambles out of manhole. JILLIAN removes dry MATCHES
from BAGGIE, lights them, and looks down into manhole.
SPIRIT soars upward, its face morphs into CHARLIE’s.
SPIRIT
Please don’t kill me.
JILLIAN
You’re already dead.
JILLIAN drops the matches.
EXT. LOS ANGELES STREET – NIGHT
Deserted construction equipment, stacked lumber, extensive,
leveled dirt lot. Department of Public Works vehicle and
two construction trucks parked alongside curb. A-frame
barricade with amber light flashes next to open manhole.
JILLIAN and MIKE sprint from manhole, dive over stacked
lumber, take refuge. Fireball EXPLODES from manhole, lights
up sky.
JILLIAN frantically looks around.
JILLIAN
Where’s Eddie? Do you see Eddie?
MIKE shakes his head.
MIKE
I don’t think he made it.
101
JILLIAN lays her head on MIKE’s shoulder.
JILLIAN
Do you think anyone will believe
us when we say what happened?
MIKE
(scoffs)
Not a chance. They’ll probably
lock us up and throw away the key,
so we probably should leave out a
few details.
JILLIAN
Like Charlie?
MIKE
Yeah, I think its best you keep
him to yourself.
JILLIAN
I plan on it. He’s my guardian
angel.
SIREN announces approaching police cars, red and blue
lights flash. Jillian stands, raises hands overhead to flag
them down.
EXT. LOS ANGELES STREET – DAY
Deserted construction equipment, stacked lumber, leveled
lot. Fire trucks and police cars parked randomly. Two
police OFFICERS stand next to manhole, peer down into STORM
SEWER still accessible.
OFFICER #1 (40’s), pudgy, buttons bulge on shirt. He peers
into manhole.
OFFICER #1
There supposed to be quite a few
bodies down there according to the
survivors.
102
OFFICER #2 (20’s), fit and trim, uniform starched, steps up
beside Officer #1.
OFFICER #2
Yeah, right. They probably killed
whoever’s down there and tried to
cover it up with the fire.
OFFICER #1
Well, there’s only one way to know
for certain. We’re just lucky the
infrastructure didn’t collapse
like it did further down. That
poor girl never had a chance.
OFFICER #2
What a horrible way to die . . . I
pray I never go out like that.
OFFICER #1
I hope to go in my sleep.
OFFICER #2
Well, you best stop eating those
donuts or you’ll die of a heart
attack in the next year or two.
OFFICER #1
Start climbing, rookie.
Officer #2 shakes his head, climbs down cast iron LADDER.
OFFICER #2
You owe me big time for this. I
just picked up my uniform from the
dry cleaners last night.
OFFICER #1
Yeah, yeah, talk to me when you’ve
put twenty years in on the force.
OFFICER #2
Damn, you’re old. Maybe we should
get you a chair while I do the
real police work.
103
OFFICER #1
You’re just like your old man.
OFFICER #2
(smirks)
Except, I’m better looking.
OFFICER #1
I’ll make sure to tell him that
when we get back to the station.
Officer #2 splashes into the water, shines flashlight.
OFFICER #1
See anything?
OFFICER #2
I just got down here . . . give me
a second.
OFFICER #1
Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the
dark?
OFFICER #2
Keep it up.
(looks around)
Hold on, I see something bobbing
in the water.
Officer #1 watches Officer #2 disappear from view.
OFFICER #1
What’s taking so long? Did you
meet a girl down there?
Officer #2 screams, shots RING out. Silence follows.
Officer #1 draws weapon, stares down into STORM SEWER.
OFFICER #1
Chris? Chris? Talk to me, buddy.
What’s going on?
Officer #2’s police hat floats past the LADDER.
FADE OUT: