Gothika by Sebastian Gutierrez REVISED SECOND DRAFT December 8, 2002 The Woodward Forensic Institute (WFI) is a 175-bed IntermediateSecurity treatment facility for male and female psychiatricpatients. Its primary clientele are those who have historiesof committing criminal offenses and are either committed to theDepartment of Mental Health by the Circuit Courts of the Stateor who are admitted under authority of an appointed guardian. FADE IN: OPENING CREDITS OVER QUICK CUTS: INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S BEDROOM - DAWN PUSH in on a sleeping couple in the dark. The ALARM CLOCK reads 5:59 AM. The woman's eyes open a secondbefore the alarm beeps and turns it off. She grabs aglass of water on her bedside table and drinks it. Climbs out of bed past typical bedside photographs(wedding, vacation, etc.). This is MIRANDA GREY: 30, sharp and prettier than she knows. INT. GYM SWIMMING POOL - MORNING Miranda slides through the water. Swimming cap on, goggles. Her STEADY BREATHING takes us in and out of the water. Something unsettling about this sound. Somethingslightly unsettling too about her detached manner. A person on autopilot, recognizing only the water and theperfectly aligned lap stripes leading her path. Like graphic metaphors for her own conscience: flat. She emerges from the pool and self-consciously wraps herselfin a towel. INT. COFFEEHOUSE - MORNING Miranda pays for a pair of coffees and a newspaper. INT. KITCHEN - MORNING Miranda's husband DOUGLAS GREY (older, a superficialanalysis would suggest a father figure) serves breakfast. Miranda smiles thank you and goes back to studying a casefile. He sips from his takeout coffee and reads the newspaper. A pleasant domestic scene. It's 8:00 AM. EXT. ST. ANNE'S HIGH SCHOOL PARKING LOT - MORNING Miranda's Volvo pulls in as students amble up the steps. Doug kisses his wife and hops out. Exemplary carpoolers. Students are already chatting him up as Miranda drivesoff. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - ON A SURVEILLANCE MONITOR Miranda's car at some sort of guard gate. A BUZZER lets her in. As the car drives past we read the plate on thewall: (CONTINUED) 2. CONTINUED: "WOODWARD FORENSIC INSTITUTE" The gate shuts behind her with a certain finality as we... INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - MIRANDA'S OFFICE - EVENING Stark walls. Simple decor. Bookshelves packed with theaccording psychiatric tomes and diplomas. Miranda faces a troubled young mess of a woman, CHLOE: charismatic, deranged and forever trying to provoke. Mid-session: MIRANDA This is your stepfather who cameto visit you? CHLOE My stepfather? No. He's dead. (beat) I killed him. Miranda tries not to act surprised at this breakthrough. Responds with the even keel of a trained psychiatrist. MIRANDA That's the first time you admitit. CHLOE So? There's a first time for everything. MIRANDA (jotting this down) It means you're finally past thedenial stage. This is good, Chloe. CHLOE I never killed anyone who didn'tdeserve it. MIRANDA You only killed your stepfather asfar as I know. CHLOE I should've taken care of mymother. She knew all along. You remind me of her. (CONTINUED) 3. CONTINUED: MIRANDA I remind you of your mother? CHLOE Always so put together. Like youiron your underwear. Like yourpussy is the apricot of thePromised Land and the bread of the - MIRANDA (getting her backon track) Let's get back to your visitorlast night. CHLOE The Devil. MIRANDA Alright, the Devil. Why would theDevil visit you? It's alreadyhell in here, what would he have to gain? CHLOE He came to fuck an angel. (giggles at that) I'm his dirty angel. Before Miranda can analyze that one, the room LIGHTS FLICKERAND DIE. Darkness. Miranda's breathing speeds up. CHLOE He grabbed me by the hair while Isucked him and usually I lovethat, I just do -- maybe you cantell me why I love it so much - but not this time, he was just toorough - As suddenly as it went out, now the POWER RETURNS. A visibly uncomfortable Miranda checks the clock. MIRANDA That's it until Monday. Try andget some sleep tonight, okay? CHLOE Sure, Doctor. (leans in) Crazy people hear messages fromGod. Not the Devil. You know that, right? (CONTINUED) 4. CONTINUED: MIRANDA I didn't say you were crazy. CHLOE You don't have to say it. She almost doesn't seem crazy when she says this. Almost. TWO ORDERLIES appear at the door. Miranda nods for them to escort Chloe. Chloe shakes their hands awayfrom her, strides off dramatically. The princess of theasylum. INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR - LATER Miranda locks her office, armed with paperwork. The end of another workweek. DR. PETE GRAHAM, a good ten yearsolder and Miranda's best friend on the job, approaches. PETE Dr. Grey. MIRANDA Dr. Graham. They walk along with the easy confidence of colleagueswho not only respect each other, but enjoy each other. A lot. PETE Power went out again in our wing. MIRANDA (knows what's coming) Same here. PETE It's not shrink-appropriate to beafraid of the dark, you know? MIRANDA You're not shrink appropriate andyou're about to get promoted. Everybody's afraid of something. PETE What am I afraid of? MIRANDA Yourself. At least you should be. What are you up to this weekend? (CONTINUED) 5. CONTINUED: PETE Write a little country music, decline invites to grand socialevents, drink myself to sleep - the usual. You? MIRANDA Doug wants to look at some RealEstate up at Willow's Creek. PETE Again? MIRANDA He thinks it's fun. PETE So is golfing, I'm told. Who was your six o'clock? MIRANDA Chloe McGrath -- talk about tryingto empty the ocean with a tea cup. She's a mess. PETE I hear Manhattan's full of them. MIRANDA Don't start with that. I alreadyturned down the job. We're staying. PETE Good girl. They have reached an office marked "DR. PHILLIP PARSONSDIRECTOR" and peer in to see Parsons (50's, distinguished, commands respect from everyone) on thephone. He gestures for Pete to sit. Miranda is about to exit when he covers the mouthpiece - PARSONS Miranda, my wife keeps wanting toset that dinner with you and Doug. Are you free tonight? MIRANDA He's stuck at a school board meeting. Parsons looks through his appointment book. (CONTINUED) 6. CONTINUED: PARSONS You've been here a year already, Dorothy's starting to take thispersonal. How's next Wednesday? MIRANDA Next Wednesday it is, Phil. He nods at her with a smile and returns to his phonecall. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - NIGHT Miranda drives off, leaving the majestic grounds behind. A GUARD waves her off. END OPENING CREDITS. EXT. ROAD - NIGHT Miranda slows down at the sight of colored lights upahead. A knocked-down telephone post blocks the road. EMERGENCY VEHICLES at the scene. A patrolman waves herdown. INT. MIRANDA'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT SHERIFF RYAN, 40'S, recognizes her and ambles over. MIRANDA Anybody hurt, Sheriff? SHERIFF RYAN Nah, telephone post just decidedto fall. It'll take us a while to clear this up so I'm afraid you'regonna have to take the long wayhome, Miranda. MIRANDA If you say so. SHERIFF RYAN And tell your husband he owes me aphone call. MIRANDA Will do. Wouldn't want him in trouble with the authorities. (CONTINUED) 7. CONTINUED: SHERIFF RYAN That a girl. The law never sleepsand all that. You take care now. He taps on her hood and heads back to the site. She shifts into reverse and makes a U-turn. EXT. OLD MAIN ROAD - NIGHT Miranda drives down the curvy road toward an old bridge. Something definitely creepy about this deserted place - INT. MIRANDA'S CAR - MOVING Miranda dials a number on her cell phone, gets themachine. MIRANDA (into phone) Hi, it's me. Are you there? Pick up, pick up. I'm on my way but I just got detoured so I'm... A bump on the road makes her drop the phone on the passenger seat. She reaches for it and when she looks up we see: POV THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD A TEENAGE GIRL stands smack in front of us. Naked. About to get pummelled by us. BACK TO SCENE Miranda swerves to avoid her and slams into the railing. METAL SCREECHES as she struggles to regain control of thecar and finally BRAKES TO A HALT - She looks in her rearview mirror: the girl is standingback there. Drunk or high or in any case completely outof it. MIRANDA (into phone) Stay on the line. Don't go anywhere. The weirdest thing just - (the phone cuts out) Hello? Hello? (CONTINUED) 8. CONTINUED: She stares at the dead phone. Punches the buttons on it. No go. MIRANDA Wonderful. She tosses the phone on the seat and hops out of the car. EXT. ASHLEY BRIDGE - NIGHT Miranda cautiously approaches the girl, who is now notmoving. Just standing there. Her back to us. MIRANDA Hello? Are you hurt? Hello? Nothing. As we get closer we see she is covered inbruises. Clearly something horrible has happened to her. MIRANDA Were you in an accident? Were you attacked? It's okay, I'm a doctor. (beat) My name is Miranda Grey... And now she turns. Young, seventeen tops. Busted lip, black eye. Miranda pulls off her coat, wraps it aroundthe girl - MIRANDA You're in shock right now, that'sperfectly natural. I'm going toget you to the hospital. Okay? The girl suddenly grips Miranda's arm. Hard. MIRANDA Don't be scared. It's going to befine. Now the girl is touching Miranda's face. Her movements desperate, smothering. Like the movements of a drowning person. Miranda tries to push the girl's hands back down. MIRANDA Hands off me, okay? Tell me yourname, do you remember your name? The girl tries to speak but no words come out. Instead she produces a strained, wettish sound. Creepy as hell. And now she is prying Miranda's mouth open and she's muchstronger than expected and Miranda is panicking - (CONTINUED) 9. CONTINUED: MIRANDA What are you doing? I'm trying tohelp you --?! The girl opens her own mouth wide like a snake. And as Miranda muffles a scream, blood starts leaking out of thegirl's eye sockets and from wounds all over her body. SLAM CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - DAWN Miranda wakes up in a cold sweat. Just a bad dream. A beat. FAINT at first but GROWING LOUDER, we hear a REPETITIVE SOUND outside. Like an ECHO of some sort, but vaguelyfamiliar: THWIP, THWIP, THWIP. Miranda takes a deep breath, reaches for the glass ofwater on her bedside table. Except... it's not there. She turns to her husband but he's not in the bed. And now she glances around the room and realizes this is nother bedroom. She climbs off the bed and walks in the dark. Trips oversomething. A TRAY that CLANGS LOUDLY. Her heartbeat goes haywire. She feels her way along the wall to asmall opening in the door. A glass pane. She peers through the glass at the empty corridoroutside, realizing what this must mean, realizing she'sinside a cell. She jiggles the handle and pounds on the door, frantic - MIRANDA Hello? Somebody help me! EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - ESTABLISHING - DAY CAMERA SOARS through the tall iron gates, past the guard. Now we spot the source of our continuing THWIP THWIPsound: sprinklers watering the impressively-kept gardens. The expansive complex is more Victorian campus than drabprison, with separate wings (male and female), researchunits, libraries, gym and volunteer outpatient center. 10. INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - VARIOUS SHOTS A bored group of female patients listen to a socialworker lecturing them. A janitor mops a long corridor. Patients study at the library under the watchful eye oforderlies. A doctor and two orderlies hold down a patient having anepileptic fit (we'll soon know her as SHELLEY). Theyforce a biting block in her mouth to avoid her swallowingher tongue, prepare a syringe. Institute director Phil Parsons at a meeting with otherdoctors, discussing a patient's progress on a chart. Now we are MOVING up the main building's wall and THROUGHlarge windows into - INT. FEMALE WING STAIRS Pete rushes up two steps at a time, passing by a NURSEWITH A CART OF MEDS, who nods respectfully as he goes - INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE MIRANDA'S CELL An ORDERLY unlocks the door for Pete. Through the glasspane he can see a visibly upset Miranda arguing with thehead nurse: a tough as nails woman in her 50's: IRENE. ORDERLY #1 Sleeping beauty is awake. Peter forces a smile, enters - INT. MIRANDA'S CELL MIRANDA Peter, what the hell is going on? Pete nods at Irene: it's okay, he'll take it from here. PETE How do you feel? MIRANDA How do you think I feel? Is this a joke? Peter is half-listening to her, half-signaling to thenurse with the meds to come in. Miranda catches all of this, growing more agitated. She wears the uniform all patients wear: a white T-shirt and sweats. Her weddingring is gone. (CONTINUED) 11. CONTINUED: MIRANDA What are you doing? PETE Giving you something to calm down. MIRANDA I don't need to calm down. What I need is an explanation Pete grabs the meds from the nurse. Irene and the attendant step closer to help. Miranda feels them closing in on her. Peter's tone is infuriatingly gentle: PETE Just take this and we can sit down and chat. MIRANDA Why here, why not in my office? She looks at the silent faces around her. No sympathy. Or maybe too much sympathy. Either way it's unnerving. MIRANDA I don't want an anticonvulsant, at least give me Valium. PETE (nods at nurse) Fifty milligrams. MIRANDA Jesus Christ, you're gonna knockme out? Ten milligrams. PETE (final offer) Twenty. The nurse complies. Miranda stares at the meds, tryingdesperately to put this into some kind of perspective. MIRANDA How would you feel if you woke upin a goddamn cell, dressed like this? PETE We can discuss it at length afteryou take your meds. Awkward nods from Irene, the nurse and the attendant. Pete holds Miranda's gaze. Miranda takes her meds. (CONTINUED) 12. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Okay. This better be good. Pete motions for the others to leave them alone. One byone they file out and lock the door behind them. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - LATER Miranda paces. Alone with Pete, she is even more upset. PETE Miranda, this is very awkward. Technically I shouldn't even betreating you but the court hasgranted us a waiver until you'retransferred. So whatever is said here won't leave this room. I won't tell Parsons, I won't tell anyone. MIRANDA I want to talk to my husband. PETE You can't to that. Sit down, please. Try to relax. MIRANDA Why would I pretend to be in anyway relaxed? PETE I understand you're upset. But we need to put some things in order. MIRANDA Two massive understatements. He hesitates, unsure where to begin. PETE How long have you been here? MIRANDA (laughs) What is this? Why are you doingthis to me? PETE Just answer the question. Humor me. (CONTINUED) 13. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Hi, my name is Miranda Grey. I'm a psychiatrist. I transferred here to the Woodward Forensic Institute a little over a year ago. My jobentails dealing with a ward ofschizophrenic women between theages of eighteen and fifty-fife - PETE I don't mean how long you'veworked here, I mean how longyou've been staying here. This stops her. Wanting desperately to whip out acomeback but realizing she doesn't know the answer. MIRANDA I'm a doctor, yes? Or was medical school just an elaborate dream? PETE Of course you're a doctor. Agreat doctor in fact. The hint of sadness in his voice alarms her. MIRANDA Pete, how long have I been here? PETE Five days. MIRANDA (barely audible) What? PETE You were admitted to the neurosurgical unit seizingviolently. That lasted three days. Scans revealed left-sided weakness, numbness and severe fontal lobe deficits. Miranda shakes her head in disbelief, but we - FLASHBACK - INT. NEUROSURGICAL UNIT Miranda seizing violently FROM HER POV: Doctors struggling to contain her. Arms thrashing, legs. FLASHES of the wall, the floor. Head crashing against acart, out of control. (CONTINUED) 14. CONTINUED: PETE (V.O.) You came out of it and tested negative for PCP, underwentextensive hypnosis and receivedamytal injections. FLASH: Miranda being tied down. A nurse with a syringe - INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - CONTINUOUS ACTION (PRESENT) She looks down at her wrists with the reddish marks. PETE You were tied down for a day and ahalf so you wouldn't hurt yourselfand then you went into a state of, well - (how to put this?) You've been pretty much catatonic. (beat) This is the first time you speak. Miranda, speechless. Reality sinking in. MIRANDA Doug must be worried sick. I need to call him - Pete shakes his head emphatically. PETE You're the most logical person Iknow, bar none. Plus you have aphotographic memory -- unconfirmed, but you do remember events andphrases more accurately than anyonearound. Why am I telling you this? MIRANDA You're establishing my personalityas fairly intellectual, you don'tconsider me impulsive or emotional. PETE And that's a fair assessment, no? MIRANDA Yes, that's fair. And followingthis pattern of analysis, we'reabout to discuss a traumatic event that rendered this psychologicalprofile useless, correct? (CONTINUED) 15. CONTINUED: PETE Two hundred percent. A pause here. He's waiting for her to continue. She's not used to being on the other side of the therapist'stable. MIRANDA You think I'm in denial. That I'm putting on a brave show -- that this is a 'cover' for some unbearable emotion I'm hiding. Why? PETE Don't analyze yourself, just focus on remembering. MIRANDA I remember Friday night after work, if you say that was five days ago - (pushing on) Anyway, I asked you what you were doing for the weekend and you said the usual and you made a joke about writing country songs and drinking yourself to sleep and I told you I was going to look at some real estate in Willows Creek with Doug. PETE And then what? MIRANDA Then I drove home. PETE And then what? MIRANDA I got home, I guess, and had dinner by myself because - (pauses, struggling) Because Doug had an alumni meeting at his school and he was going to get a ride back. He's the principal now, as you well know. She stops here. Pete waits. The silence is deafening. She pushes on, but her hands shake a little. (CONTINUED) 16. CONTINUED: MIRANDA But wait -- there was an accident before that, wasn't there? A girl-- she had been beaten. I took her to the hospital, right? PETE There was indeed an accident, youwere detoured by the cops. But there's no report of any girl. MIRANDA No, the cops weren't there. Theywere back on Main Road. A knocked-down telephone post, correct? Pete nods. Miranda is all foggy on the details: MIRANDA I saw the girl after that. She was bleeding. FLASHBACK - ANTIQUE WIND CHIMES sway in the night breeze with their gentle tinklingSOUND, more menacing than joyful - FLASH CUT TO: INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT A breathless Miranda wipes her face, leaving a thickstreak of blood on it. FLASH CUT TO: EXTREME CLOSEUP - MIRANDA'S EYE Jittery, alert. We scour her every blood vessel, iris, pupil. FILLING the SCREEN and now we distinctly make outan eerie shape reflected inside of it. But just for a sec - The teenage girl. PETE (V.O.) What about your husband, what canyou tell me about him? 17. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - CONTINUOUS ACTION (PRESENT) Miranda shakes the puzzling images out of her head: MIRANDA Excuse me? PETE What's the last memory you have ofhim that night? MIRANDA My last -- ? (frowns) Tell me nothing happened to Doug. PETE Let's backtrack a second. You left your office, you were driving home, you got detoured by the police - Did you call someone on the phonethat night? MIRANDA I don't know. I might have. PETE Who would you call? MIRANDA I might have called Doug to tellhim something. Or checked myanswering service. PETE Were you seeing someone else thatnight? MIRANDA I beg your pardon? PETE There was some trouble in yourmarriage, wasn't there? MIRANDA Of course not. She shakes her head emphatically as we: FLASH CUT TO: FLASHBACK - INT. LOFT - NIGHT CAMERA PANS ACROSS the large space to find Miranda and aMAN (whose face we don't see) kissing heatedly. (CONTINUED) 18. CONTINUED: PETE (V.O.) Wasn't there? INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - CONTINUOUS ACTION (PRESENT) Miranda chases the disconcerting image out of her head. MIRANDA No. There was no trouble in mymarriage, I don't know what - (stops herself) There is no trouble in mymarriage. You just used the pasttense; why? His face says he doesn't know how to tell her. MIRANDA Did something happen to Doug? PETE You don't remember anything else. Anything at all? Frustrated, she snatches his cell phone and starts todial: MIRANDA This is preposterous. What's wrong with Doug? PETE He's dead. This stops her cold. Time stands eerily still. She stares at Pete as if by looking at him long enough, hewill contradict his statement. MIRANDA No, he's not. Don't tell me that. Don't tell me that. (sickened) Are you -- sure? PETE I'm positive. (painful beat) You killed him. INT. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Irene and TWO NURSE rush to Miranda's cell. WE HEAR her hysterical CRIES from inside - 19. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT Pete struggles to contain Miranda, who howlsdisparagingly. PETE It's going to be alright, Miranda. You just need to sleep. It's going to be alright - Off Pete's nod, a nurse injects the syringe intoMiranda's arm. They hold her down with great effort asshe continues to cry, and we... FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN: FLASHBACK SEQUENCE - SERIES OF SHOTS A blur of images and scrambled snippets of memories comeat us rapid-fire, like a drug-induced dream: EXT. ASHLEY BRIDGE - NIGHT Miranda's CAR SCREECHES to a stop and she jumps out, glances around. INT. ST. ANNE'S HIGH SCHOOL - GYMNASIUM - NIGHT Graduation night. School principal Douglas Grey shakeshands with proud parents and clumsily formal students. Miranda grabs a drink from a nearby tray, bored. DOUG (re: her drink) Is that number three? MIRANDA Yes, Mr. Principal. Specialoccasion -- I'm celebrating howproud I am of my husband tonight. He smiles weakly at the compliment. Moves his hand towards her, in an affectionate gesture (or so Mirandathinks) but instead fixes her bra strap. Ever methodical. EXT. MOVIE THEATER - DAY Miranda and a man exit the theater. Giggling. FLASH CUT TO: 20. INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE Doug laying on the floor covered with bloodstains. Bloodstained axe on floor in f.g. Walls covered with bloodstains. INT. LOFT - NIGHT A flustered Miranda fumbles with her purse and keys, heads for the door. She tries to fix her smeared lipstick and messed-up hair. TURNS TO CAMERA: MIRANDA I'm sorry. The fact is I'm married and I -- this is not me, this is a mistake. First we hear our mystery man's voice, then we see him: Pete. (Yes, the same person she kissed and went to themovies with.) He places his hand on the door, blockingher. PETE Your marriage is the mistake andyou know it. MIRANDA Don't. PETE I'm sorry. That was out of line. I feel like a school kid hidingfrom the Principal. MIRANDA We are hiding from the Principal. He smiles. Touches her face tenderly. Torn. A personused to doing the right thing but not liking that at the moment. PETE I would just like to spend sometime together. MIRANDA We spend time together every day. PETE I meant minus the schizophrenic women. MIRANDA I have to go. I need time to think. (CONTINUED) 21. CONTINUED: He nods. Opens the door for her. She starts to walk away. PETE Don't be too hard on yourself, Dr. Grey. You haven't done anything wrong. MIRANDA Not yet. But I want to. EXT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - MORNING PUSH INTO a quiet house on a quiet suburban street. Two Volvos parked in the driveway. Perfectly-kept front lawn. CUT TO: FLASHBACK - INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE Another near-subliminal glimpse of Doug laying on thefloor covered with bloodstains. Bloodstained axe on floor in f.g. Walls covered with bloodstains. EXT. CHAPEL - DAY Miranda and Doug laugh at their wedding. It's clearlyhot, because she wipes sweat off his brow with ahandkerchief. INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT A breathless Miranda wipes her face, leaving a thickstreak of blood on it. She looks down at her hand, noticing the blood -- and now we are back in - INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT (PRESENT) Miranda wakes up with a start. The darkness renders the room almost void of any color. Monochromatic. It takes her a moment to orient herself. Her eyes wander acrossthe unfamiliar room, feeling like she's being watched. We become aware of a RAGGED BREATHING sound. Like somebody is standing over her bed. But we don't see anything. Miranda gingerly crosses to the door and peeksthrough the glass partition into the empty corridor. She glances back at the room, stills seeing nothing -- andbangs on the door. (CONTINUED) 22. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Can I get some assistance here? Hello?! She waits. Bangs on the door again. MIRANDA Irene?! Anybody!? A beat. And now finally we hear FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING. A light is switched on down the corridor. The FOOTSTEPS get CLOSER... and CLOSER... Miranda tries to appear composed. Wipes sweat off herforehead. Fixes her hair. The FOOTSTEPS now STOP rightout side the door. A KEY goes into the lock and JIGGLESit. Miranda waits for the door to open but nothing happens. Confused, she steps up to the glass partition andpeeks - The second her face touches the glass, she is met by apair of piercing eyes. The eerie teenage girl. Miranda jumps back, screams. And when she looks up again, the image is gone. A beat. Rational thought kicking in - MIRANDA (to self) Wake up, wake up... (beat) You're dreaming. It's not real. An anxiety dream, that's all. That's all. This is dream logic. If it was real, they would haveheard you scream. There are twenty employees on the nightshift. Fact. At least twenty. She props herself with her back against the wall. With a view of the whole cell. Just in case. Staring at thedoor. MIRANDA I'm just dreaming. And now, FAINTLY at first, but GROWING LOUDER - FOOTSTEPS can be heard APPROACHING outside. Just like before. (CONTINUED) 23. CONTINUED: MIRANDA I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'mdreaming, I'm dreaming. Like her life depends on that mantra. The FOOTSTEPS getCLOSER. And her voice begins to falter - MIRANDA (voice rising) I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming - And now the FOOTSTEPS pause outside her door like beforeand she holds her breath, horrified, when suddenly we arehit with the sudden glare of returning light. EVERYTHING FLASHES WHITE and then COLOR RETURNS - IRENE (O.S.) Rise and shine, ladies! INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - DAY Irene tries to shake Miranda awake. An orderly and nursestand by. IRENE (shaking her) That means you, honey. Up -- ! No reaction. IRENE Rise and shine now. Wake up. She shakes her harder. And now Miranda's EYES SHOOT OPEN and she grips Irene's arm. Hard. Like the teenage girldid. IRENE Easy now, it's okay. Miranda stares at her, coming back to. Starts to speakbut has no voice. Clears her throat - MIRANDA I need to see Peter Graham. IRENE And you have a session scheduledthis afternoon - MIRANDA Right now. (CONTINUED) 24. CONTINUED: IRENE He's not even in yet, now let gomy arm, honey. MIRANDA Doctor Grey, if you don't mind. IRENE Actually I do mind. I start calling you 'doctor' and everybodyelse wants to be called 'doctor' - MIRANDA Please. It's a bit different, wouldn't you say -- ? Irene reaches out her hand and the nurse places a cupwith meds on it. MIRANDA What do you think you're doing? I want to speak to my lawyer - wait, what are you doing? IRENE My job. Irene shoves the meds into Miranda's mouth - MIRANDA C'mon, Irene, don't do this. I'm calm now, look -- I'm calm --! She struggles as they hold her down and Irene sedatesher. INT. REC ROOM - DAY DRIFTING PAST the female patients at their usual activities. Some watch TV, play dominoes, some pretend to read, somestare out blankly. Here's Chloe at a table, engaged insome sort of trivia game with a tattooed Southern redheadnamed JENNA: CHLOE M. JENNA Mallorol, Matzine, Megaphen, Meallaril-S, Meleretten, Meleril, Mellaril, Mellaril-S, Mesoridazine, Methotrimaprazine, Mixidol, MobanModalina - (CONTINUED) 25. CONTINUED: CHLOE Modalina? Isn't that a band? JENNA Trade name for Triflupoerazine. Look it up. Chloe shrugs, if you say so. Jenna resumes: JENNA Moditen, Molindone, Moltipress, Motival. That's it for the 'M's. CHLOE Not bad. High potency neuroleptics starting with 'J.' JENNA Trick question. There's onlyJatroneural. CHLOE What do you wanna bet? JENNA Bet you a soda. Chloe checks a reference book. Nods, impressed. CHLOE Right on the money, cowgirl. Twenty points and a soda. CAMERA FOLLOWS HER INTENT GAZE to another patient, SHELLEY (the same patient we saw earlier mid-fit) moseying across the room. Nervously takes a seat besideMiranda. SHELLEY Hi there, Doc. It takes a moment for the heavily-drugged Miranda to react. She looks up slowly: eyes glazed, painfully outof it. SHELLEY I never got shrinked by you butall I hear is nothing gets pastyou, I mean, that's just hearsayand I don't pay much attention tohearsay because now they say youhacked your husband with an axebut I say maybe it just slipped, right? (CONTINUED) 26. CONTINUED: Miranda notices Shelley is toying with a wrinkledNEWSPAPER CLIPPING. Shelley catches this look and slidesit over to her. Without malice, like a child. SHELLEY They put your picture in the paper. It reads "SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SLAUGHTERED. WIFE UNDER ARREST." Photos of Miranda, Douglas, their house. Miranda stares at it in disbelief. Growing sick. MIRANDA How did you get this? SHELLEY Chloe did. Who knows how? Not me. Around here I'm on a need to know basis about stuff and most stuff I don't need to know. Mypoint is about people talkingbehind other people's backs. Like before I was here, everything Idid I thought, 'this'll get them,' wanting their approval, wantingthem to say good things behind myback. But now I'm more anonymous, more myself. I'm Shelley. Miranda slides the clipping back to Shelley, clueless asto how to get out of this conversation, but Shelley hasno problem holding a conversation all by herself - SHELLEY You're not like, undercover here, are you? They pulled that atSpring Grove, had a bunch ofdoctors pretend they werepatients, see if they could handleit. Most quit after day one. You're not, are you? MIRANDA No, Shelley. I'm not undercover. SHELLEY Because if you were, I'm like theFort Knox of secrets. Ask anybody. MIRANDA That's good to know. But I'm not. (CONTINUED) 27. CONTINUED: SHELLEY Say no more. (sotto) I understand perfectly. She hands Miranda paper and some crayons, whispers: SHELLEY Drawing is a great cover. Good luck to you. With a wink, she's gone. Miranda looks at the room around her: Chloe spying on her in the corner, Irene andthe nurse sharing a laugh, other patients ambling about, arguing - Life among the insane. INT. LOCKER ROOM - DRESSING AREA - DAY Patients undress in the bare-bones locker area. An uneasy Miranda is handed a bar of soap and towel byIrene. MIRANDA I don't -- I think I'm alright. IRENE You go in last because you'respecial. (off Miranda's look) It's not a Mexican prison, toots. Everybody here minds their ownbusiness. MIRANDA If it's all the same, I'd rather - IRENE State law says we keep you ladiesclean. And I'm a stickler for the law. (beat) Now come on. If you go downtown, you gotta dance. Miranda studies the patients already under the spray ofthe shower. Something vaguely concentration camp-likeabout institutional bathing. (CONTINUED) 28. CONTINUED: The shower, like everything else in this place, isregulated by shifts, so that various groupings ofpatients each get their turn. Miranda feels Chloe's gazeon her across the room. She is stripping off her clothesfor Miranda's benefit, gleefully mangling the lastrefrain from the Stones' "START ME UP." IRENE (checking watch) That's five minutes, group one. (to Chloe's group) Alright, ladies, nice and easy. The first group of bathers file out, dripping wet pastMiranda, in all shapes and sizes. She registers theirmany scars and tattoos, like maps of troubled souls: names of men, places, religious quotes. Burn scars, cuts, needle marks. They begin to towel off as Miranda, slowly and painfully self-conscious, begins to undress inthe corner. A moment later Irene nods for her to go in. INT. COMMUNAL SHOWERS - LATER Miranda hangs her head under the spray and closes hereyes, trying to shut it all out. The SOUNDS slowly FADE OUT until all we have is Mirandaand her RAGGED BREATHING. Chloe and Shelley, the lasttwo out from the previous group, grab towels. Chloe winks at Miranda when she catches her staring, butMiranda is not staring at her. She is staring past herat the tile wall. More specifically at a hole in the tile where a bustedwater pipe pokes out. Clearly at some point there was ahandle there, but now it is just a hole with a bustedpipe. PUSH INTO the hole to see a perfectly-formed globule ofblood emerge, following by a GURGLING sound which seemsto come from deep in the bowels of the plumbing system. The blood lingers tentatively, as if unfamiliar with thelaws of gravity, before tracing an upward line along thetile. The GURGLING GROWS LOUDER, CLOSER, and now more blood flows from the hole and spreads up the wall. Miranda looks away, disturbed, and now realizes she isthe only one left in the showers. Panic. Shuts her eyes. (CONTINUED) 29. CONTINUED: MIRANDA (to self) It isn't real. It isn't real. Opens her eyes. Five letters are written in blood. N-O-T-A-L. Shaking, nauseous, she looks down at her feet and thedrain, too scared to look back up. MIRANDA (to self) It isn't real. You're hallucinating. Perhaps. But now blood drips by her ankle, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP. And the shooting pain she feels is coming from her arm. What the hell -- ? WE SEE SHARP SLASHES appearingon her skin, like some invisible knife is slicing her. Hallucination or not, she bolts out of the showers - INT. LOCKER ROOM - DRESSING AREA Miranda wraps a towel around her bloody arm, too freakedout to process anything. Fumbles for her clothes and heads straight to Shelley, tying her shoelaces, muttering. MIRANDA Shelley? SHELLEY And pick up those damn cigarettebutts. Jesus, TV is dumb - MIRANDA Shelley, can you do me a favor?? Shelley fixes her with an intense conspiratorial look. SHELLEY The housewives will find somethingbetter to do. MIRANDA Can you go in the shower and tellme if you see anything on the wall? Shelley doesn't respond. Simply crosses over and headsfor the showers. Miranda gets dressed when a hand on hershoulder makes her jump - (CONTINUED) 30. CONTINUED: IRENE Enough privacy for you? MIRANDA Yes. Thank you, Irene. But now Irene notices the blood seeping through thetowel. IRENE What did you do? MIRANDA Nothing. It's nothing - IRENE What the hell did you do toyourself?! And now the other patients are curiously watching asorderlies RUSH IN to haul her away. INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR - LATER THROUGH a glass pane we see a NURSE bandaging Miranda's arm. Parsons and Irene confer just outside the room. IRENE I looked away for a second. It's unacceptable, won't happen again. PARSONS Not your fault. Patients alwaysfind a way to hurt themselves ifthat's what they want. IRENE I just didn't peg her for acutter, that's all. Parsons watches Miranda through the glass. She can't look him in the eye. INT. REC ROOM - LATER Miranda (with her fresh new bandage) ignores the looksfrom the other patients as she rejoins them. SpotsShelley by the window furthest from the wardens. Scared. SHELLEY Oh my God. Oh my God. (CONTINUED) 31. CONTINUED: MIRANDA You saw it? SHELLEY Listen, Doctor. Some people, they have a gift. And in here, because they categorize us as a bunch of schizos, they refuse to acknowledge that. It's like that Hubble telescope that sees things a trillion miles away but what it's seeing is just reflected light of a star that died a thousand years ago? It's like that. Doesn't mean you're crazy. It only means your eyes open in a different way. Miranda tries to follow the convoluted explanation, buthas a sinking feeling. MIRANDA What did it say? SHELLEY On the telescope? MIRANDA Did you see anything, Shelley? Shelley glances around to make sure no one can hear. SHELLEY That's not tile that wall is made out of . It's a holographic screen. All part of your mission, isn't it? Miranda shakes her head, feeling foolish. Walks away. MIRANDA Thanks anyway. SHELLEY (taps her forehead) This is all we have. The rest is dust. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - DAY Pete and Miranda stare at each other. A tense beat. (CONTINUED) 32. CONTINUED: MIRANDA It was you I called that night. PETE Yes. MIRANDA Did you mention that to the cops? PETE No. MIRANDA Why? PETE I didn't think it would help you. MIRANDA What does that mean? PETE It means they wouldn't have let metreat you if they thought I hadany kind of involvement in whathappened. MIRANDA And did you? PETE Did I what? MIRANDA Did I make it to your place? Did I see you that night? PETE No. We got disconnected and Icouldn't get through to you. I sat there waiting all night. Figured you'd changed your mind. MIRANDA Why didn't you tell me this before? PETE Because the only way you'll beable to accept these events is ifyou remember them on your own. Myjob is to assist you in processingthat information because you'renot in a frame of mind to do it byyourself. (CONTINUED) 33. CONTINUED: She stares at him. Queasy. MIRANDA You're changing the subject. PETE The subject is you don't trust me. MIRANDA Right now I don't trust anyone. She tries to read his face. Reminds herself of who Pete is and what he means to her. He points at her bandaged arm. PETE You want to talk about today? She takes a resigned breath, slowly shakes her head. Wishing she could wake up from this nightmare: MIRANDA I want to talk to my lawyer. PETE I think that's premature. MIRANDA I can't help what you think. FADE OUT. FADE IN: EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE GARDEN - DAY SPRINKLER SYSTEMS doing their thing: THWIP, THWIP, THWIP... The female patients are out in the gardens fortheir freshly dose of air. BOOM DOWN TO Miranda alone at a bench. A cigarette appears before her, being offeredto her: JENNA You a Marlboro girl? Miranda sees Jenna looming above her, shielding the sun. MIRANDA I don't smoke, thanks. (CONTINUED) 34. CONTINUED: JENNA All we have is our health, cupcake. (sits beside her) What I do is quit constantly, start again. Drives them all crazy. One day I quit threetimes. MIRANDA Huh. Jenna lights her smoke, blows out the match slowly. Miranda turns and checks the building entrance as Jennarambles on. JENNA They allow me one match at a timeand pretend they're not watching. Check it out: salivating goonnumber one at three o'clock, oh- so-inconspicuous goon number twoat five o'clock. Miranda follows Jenna's gaze. Sure enough, she's beingclosely watched by two orderlies. MIRANDA What did you set on fire to windup here? JENNA Very perceptive, Doc. I burnt down the building where I worked. I found a baby at the doorstep, called the cops -- of course thebottom feeding pricks nevershowed. It's beside the point, really. Miranda shrugs. God knows what Jenna is talking aboutbut who is she to say? Once again, Miranda checks thebuilding entrance and now sees Parsons emerge. She rises - MIRANDA Phil. He keeps walking. Headed to the parking lot beyond. MIRANDA Phil! (CONTINUED) 35. CONTINUED: He turns. His first instinct is to smile. But he checks himself, reminding himself of her new status. Slips intohis best professional face: PARSONS Hello, Miranda. MIRANDA I wonder if I could talk to you. PARSONS Of course. (checks his watch) Well, actually, I'm about to... MIRANDA Your staff meeting's done andThursdays you don't schedulesessions until the afternoon. This will just take one minute. Promise. Impressive. She remembers his schedule perfectly. PARSONS True. (points) But the Sheriff wants to ask me some questions. She follows his look to the parking lot where SheriffRyan emerges from his patrol car. Miranda nods. MIRANDA It's about Pete. PARSONS What about him? MIRANDA Perhaps he's not the mostqualified person to be treating me. His tone is fatherly yet direct. PARSONS Are you complaining about hismethods or are you referring tothe nature of your pastrelationship with him? This surprises her. (CONTINUED) 36. CONTINUED: MIRANDA What did he tell you? PARSONS He explained there might be aconflict of interest because he has feelings for you. You two engaged in a kiss at one point. Am I right? MIRANDA Yes. PARSONS I told him we're all grownups hereand the fact is he's the best doctor on my staff. As such, and given theseverity of the charges you face, Iconsider him the most qualified personto assist your recovery. Now, if you'll excuse me, Sheriff Ryan isnot a patient man. Stonewalled in the simplest of ways, she's left feelinglike an idiot. Watches Parsons join the Sheriff by his car. The two men shake hands when suddenly Irene runspast her, yelling - IRENE Hey! Chloe! Now two ORDERLIES race past. Miranda looks over to see what the fuss is all about. Chloe is on top of aninstitute staff member we haven't seen before, a round black woman named CONSUELO. Punching her - Other patients have crowded around the scuffle. CHLOE You fucking cow giving me the evileye, huh? Fuck you, you fuckin'voodoo witch -- ! Irene and the orderlies yank Chloe off Consuelo. Chloe kicks and screams like an animal. Consuelo meekly stands up. CONSUELO (heavy Cuban accent) Is okay, she's okay -- she don'tmean nothing. CHLOE You bet your goddamn fat ass I mean it, you're a witch -- !! (CONTINUED) 37. CONTINUED: IRENE McGrath, that's enough! The orderlies start pulling Chloe away. Chloe spits atConsuelo, full of venom. CHLOE Take your voodoo shit back to Cuba - IRENE I said that's enough. CONSUELO Irene, she's okay. Pobrecita, la infeliz. It's a misunderstanding. Pobrecita. I was only trying tohelp her - CHLOE You wanna help me? You pity me? (grabbing hercrotch) Suck me. The orderlies haul Chloe off. Irene disperses the crowd. Consuelo sighs, embarrassed, wipes a bloody lip. Her manner says she just wants to get back to her duties. Excitement over, the patients resume whatever it is theywere doing. Miranda stares at her bleak surroundings when somethingcatches her eye: Pete watching her from his officewindow. He quickly slides the curtain shut. Odd. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - DAY TO NIGHT (TIME LAPSEPHOTOGRAPHY SHOTS) A sunny sky grows dark as night envelops us with a SWOOSH - INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR SLOW PUSH DOWN empty corridors. The air thick with dread - INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT Miranda cries softly, unable to sleep. VOICES trickle in from the corridor outside, wardens on their rounds, a SOFT MOAN from another cell, a random SCREAM. She shuts her eyes, repositions herself on her stomach. (CONTINUED) 38. CONTINUED: As before, somebody seems to be watching her. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. WOODWARD LIBRARY - DAY Irene escorts Miranda into the library. A warden follows. IRENE How are we feeling today? MIRANDA 'We'? IRENE Sorry I asked. MIRANDA Doesn't seem like the best choice of words when treatingschizophrenics. IRENE Fitting right in, aren't you? The library is pretty much empty at this hour except forthe LIBRARIAN and the odd janitor tidying up. An efficient-looking man rises from a desk, briefcase inplace, glass of water -- this is attorney THEODORE"TEDDY" HOWARD. TEDDY HOWARD Miranda. MIRANDA Hi. Irene checks her watch. The warden hangs back, keepingwatch. IRENE She's due back in the rec room in twenty, Counselor. TEDDY HOWARD Thank you kindly. Miranda sits. Waits until Irene is out of hearing range. (CONTINUED) 39. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Teddy, I know you knew Doug well and this is an extremely - TEDDY HOWARD I'm here as your lawyer. So whatever my relationship was with Doug is no longer of consequence. First things first, how are they treating you? MIRANDA Like I'm crazy. TEDDY HOWARD You know this place better than anyone. Anything out of the ordinary? MIRANDA Other than me being crazy? No. TEDDY HOWARD The DA is pushing for a hearing as soon as next week. They're eager to resolve this situation because -- well, crimes like this don't happen that often around here. Doug was a hometown boy who'd done good, beloved high school principal, a role model. Our best shot -- scratch that, our only shot -- is to claim temporary insanity. As he speaks, she starts fidgeting with her itchybandage. MIRANDA Wait, wait, wait -- Teddy, you know me. I wouldn't raise a hand at my husband for the life of me. Not even in self-defense. Isn't it remotely possible a burglar broke in or some crazed high school student attacked Doug and I went into shock? Teddy shakes his head. MIRANDA You're telling me there's no other suspects in anyone's mind? (CONTINUED) 40. CONTINUED: TEDDY HOWARD Frankly, no. Neighbors heard screams. They have you at thescene, they have the murder weaponand they have your prints everywhere. The only thing they don't have ismotive. She keeps absently playing with the bandage. The adhesive is giving. The bandage starting to peel off. MIRANDA Because there is no motive. TEDDY HOWARD And that's what's confusing them. The fact that you're a brilliantpsychiatrist doesn't help either. It fills their heads with ideas. They figure if you were to plan amurder you might know how to fakeinsanity to get out of it. She pulls off half the bandage, back and forth. Not looking. BUT WE SEE the beginning of a pattern in herscarred skin - MIRANDA I'm not faking anything. TEDDY HOWARD Good. I pass no judgment either way. The point is - MIRANDA The point is I'm the only personwho doesn't believe I killed myhusband. I never thought I'd saythis, but I feel like I'm in the middle of a conspiracy. (beat) Do you believe I'm crazy? An uncomfortable Teddy takes too long before answering. Miranda looks down, humiliated -- and now she sees it. Perfectly carved into her arm, her scar reads: "NOT ALONE." Petrified, Miranda jumps back, knocks down Teddy's glassof water all over his papers, her chair topples over. The warden and janitor look up - Teddy tries for delicate: (CONTINUED) 41. CONTINUED: TEDDY HOWARD It doesn't matter what I believe. MIRANDA Forget it. Forget I asked. PUSH INTO her face as involuntary tears roll down and we - INT. PETE'S OFFICE - DAY Miranda. Numb. Pete trying hard to get through. A beat. We get a good look at the writing on her arm. (The right arm.) PETE I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Silence from Miranda. He is firm but not unkind: PETE I can stand here all day. All week. You're the one running outof time. Nothing. He goes to touch her arm. She jerks it away. PETE What does it mean? She shakes her head, at a loss. Torn between her suspicion and the need to confide in someone. Finally: MIRANDA I didn't write this. PETE Then who? They stare each other down. There's definitely chemistrybetween these two. But the moment is far from romantic. PETE You're going to have to trust me. MIRANDA Why? PETE Because no matter what's goingthrough your mind right now, Ihaven't done anything wrong. (CONTINUED) 42. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Then you know exactly how I feel. He starts to speak, stops himself. Switches tactics. Their banter escalates in speed as their terms get moreclinical: PETE You admit you're having a hardtime differentiating what'sreality from what's hallucination, right? So isn't it at least possible that - MIRANDA As a doctor I agree with you. Maybe -- and this is a big maybe-- all of this is just a deepepilepsy that extends to thelimbic structures, but I'm telling you - PETE How about this moment right now? MIRANDA What about it? PETE Is this a hallucination? MIRANDA You tell me. But I do know what I sound like. Paranoia is the ultimate awareness, right? PETE Which is why I suggest we simplyincrease your dose until - MIRANDA (venom) No! Goddamnit! No! He steps back at her blowout. She catches the look on his face and forces herself to sit down. MIRANDA I'm sorry. Is there any way wecan pretend that didn't justhappen? (MORE) (CONTINUED) 43. CONTINUED: MIRANDA (CONT'D) (beat; struggling) I want to believe you. I do. So I'll take your word for it - you're not involved in this -- butyou take mine: I didn't write this and I didn't kill my husband. He studies her. Finally nods. New tactic: PETE Alright. Let's say you didn'twrite this - MIRANDA Number one: I'm right-handed. Number two: I would have had to bring an X-Acto knife into theshower to do this, wouldn't I? Pete tries to reserve judgment. Her argument has acertain loopy logic to it. He hesitates, then pulls aSERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS from a manila envelope. PETE I think it's time you look atthese. Miranda looks at the crime scene photos. Lurid. Terrible. Here's part of Doug's body. Here's the axe. And now she sees a closeup picture of the wall with wordson it. In blood, a la Manson family. And it says: "NOT ALONE." Miranda immediately tosses it away from her. Repulsed - FLASH CUT TO: FLASHBACK - INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT Miranda furiously writes on the wall with blood. Wipesher face breathlessly, leaving a thick red streak on it. INT. PETE'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS ACTION (PRESENT) PETE You wrote that. Any idea why? MIRANDA (panic rising) No, I didn't. No, I didn't! (CONTINUED) 44. CONTINUED: Pete retrieves the photograph off the floor and holds itup for her to study again. PETE You're the only person who canfigure out what this means. Tryto remember. Stop holding back. She nods meekly. Staring at the picture. Begins toshake as all of it finally comes flooding in - FLASH CUT TO: FLASHBACK - INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT A breathless Miranda wipes her face, leaving a thickstreak of blood on it. She looks down at Doug, crawlingon hands and knees. He moans horribly, in shock. She grabs the heavy axe from the floor and follows him. He reaches for the coffee table with the telephone on it andmakes a move to grab it. He has all the speed of a dyingturtle, and that's pretty much what he resembles. Miranda bites her lip, lifts the heavy axe with both hands. Doug's hand grabs the phone. Miranda SWINGS THE AXE over her head and it comes down straight AT CAMERA. Miranda wipes her face again, catches her reflection inthe mirror over the mantel and stares - WE HEAR THAT SOUND. The WETTISH GURGLING sound. Miranda stares at the MIRROR looking for the source of it. For an instant we see the teenage girl's reflection there, beckoning. But now she's gone and Miranda is leftstudying her own demented expression and now FLAMES RISEaround her. She looks down at her feet: No fire. Blood on her clothes, axe still in her hands. Looks back up at: THE MIRROR VERSION OF MIRANDA shows a serene expression on her face. Fire envelopingher. She slowly lifts her hands over her head. In placeof the axe there are CHAINS attached to SHACKLES on her wrists. She is completely naked, as if purified -- likean extreme version of Anima Sola. (A Biblical icon inwhich a woman in fiery purgatory awaits her fate.) Time stands still for a mesmerizing moment - When the MIRROR SHATTERS TO PIECES and we're back to reality. Miranda stares at the axe she's flung at it. 45. INT. MIRANDA'S BATHROOM - LATER Miranda tries to wash off the blood in the sink. This is a daunting task, seeing as how she's covered in it. She stares at her bloody footprints all over the floor, atthe marks on the door handle, towels and wall. Gasping for breath, almost crying, she turns on theshower at full blast and climbs into the tub. She watches the blood wash off her. As if finally comingback to her body and realizing what she's done, sheslowly slides down the shower wall and curls up in thetub. Crying. Shaking. She shuts her eyes as hard asshe can to make it all go away, and we - FADE TO BLACK. BLACKNESS Silence. And now, faintly at first, but GROWINGPROGRESSIVELY LOUDER, we hear the SOUND OF BUZZING FLIES. FADE IN: INT. MIRANDA'S BATHROOM - DAY Miranda wakes up, still in the tub. How long has shebeen there, hours? Days? Impossible to know. But at some point she must have turned off the water. She sits up, every muscle of her body aching, hair cakedwith blood. The first thing that hits her is the stench. And it's foul, the putrid smell of decaying flesh. She steps gingerly outof the tub onto the flooded floor and follows the trail of blood, mortified at what she will find. INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION Soon enough the press will make the Manson Familyreference, but for now, only Miranda is here to witnessthe fruit of her labor. She gasps for air. Instead she is hit by a wave of nausea. She doubles over to throw up when there is a FRANTIC RAPPING at the frontdoor. She freezes. VOICES and YELLS trickle in. The HINGES on the door RATTLE under REPEATED POUNDING and she still stands there as the first FIREMAN breaks in. Sheriff Ryan and his deputies right behind. A concerned Pete Graham behind them. (CONTINUED) 46. CONTINUED: The cops take one look at the place and raise their gunsat her, but we can't hear what they're saying becauseMiranda's ragged BREATHING has taken over the soundtrack. Suffice to say that, at the sight of the guns, somethingclicks inside her and she turns on her heel and flees - INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION She slips on blood, nearly falls as she scrambles to thebedroom - INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S BEDROOM She locks the door behind her, hyperventilating in terror. Instantly there are men POUNDING on it. SQUAWKING RADIOS. ORDERS BARKED at her. She spots two officers through thewindow in her backyard. About to smash the window. A caged animal, completely surrounded, she covers her facewith her hands. Trembling. The doorknob jiggles violently, about to give. And when she brings her hands down she isstaring straight into the teenage girl's face. And she OPENS HER MOUTH WIDE and now we are back in - INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT (PRESENT) Miranda gasps for air, drowning in sensory overload. MIRANDA Oh God, oh God, oh God... She rocks back and forth. Finally aware of what she'sdone. She is the killer. No more doubts. And now that she knows, everything is much worse. A long, harrowing beat. WE PUSH IN ON her devastated face. NIGHT TURNS TO DAY. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - DAY The locks are unlocked. Pete appears at the door. Miranda glances up at him. She looks like a different person. Completely destroyed. He crouches beside her. PETE You okay? She shakes her head slowly. He sets his hand on her shoulder. She turns to him and hugs him tight, holdingon for dear life. Breaks down in sobs. 47. INT. PHIL PARSONS' OFFICE - DAY Parsons leafs through Miranda's file. Pete stands by thewindow, lost in thought. PARSONS How much does she remember? PETE It all came flooding back lastnight. PARSONS Guilt? PETE More like an uncontrollable reminiscence. Intense, overcathected. She's not feelingguilty of her actions, notexactly. Sounds to me like last night she actually re-lived themin great detail. PARSONS Hypermnesis following amnesia. Could a specific epileptic elementbe involved? PETE That's exactly what she suggested. Even in her present state, herinstincts remain impeccable. PARSONS I'd like to talk to her. INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR - LATER Pete escorts a fragile Miranda down the corridor. The two orderlies walking ominously behind them. PETE Standard procedure. MIRANDA I didn't say a word. INT. DR. PHIL PARSONS' OFFICE - DAY Parsons on the phone, gestures for them to enter. (CONTINUED) 48. CONTINUED: PARSONS (into phone) Dorothy, I can't discuss this now - (motions for them to sit) I'm not taking it lightly, no. We will talk about it at home. Miranda and Pete sit across from him. Miranda tryinghard to appear composed -- acutely aware of her everygesture, and of how different her last visit to thisoffice was. Nothing casual about it now. She stares at the picture frames on Phil's desk (allfacing AWAY FROM us), the diplomas on the wall, the booksby noted fathers of neurology (works by HughlingsJackson, Kurt Goldstein, Henry Head, A.R. Luria). A framed quote reads: "'If You Do Know That Here Is One Hand, We'll Grant You All The Rest.' -- Wittgenstein" PARSONS (into phone) Yes, dear. Me too. He hangs up. Takes a moment to look at Miranda. Tries a smile but to her it comes off condescending. Fact is - there's nothing to smile about. PARSONS I'm so sorry about this, Miranda. She nods, dazed. Angles her head to look at a framedpicture on his desk. Parsons looks to Pete. PARSONS Has Pete told you about thehearing? PETE Teddy already filled her in. PARSONS Teddy Howard is top notch. He's going to do everything in his power-- and he's quite resourceful -- toprove you're not fit to stand trial. Miranda, I know you have no familyleft, so we're your family now andwe're all going down to the wire toprotect you and help you in any way we - (CONTINUED) 49. CONTINUED: PUSH IN ON Miranda who stares intently at something onthe desk. Not listening to a word he's saying - MIRANDA Who is that? Parsons pauses here. Exchanges glances with Pete. PARSONS Excuse me? MIRANDA The girl in the picture. WE SEE what she is talking about: a framed photograph onthe desk is now FACING us. Eerie. It shows Parsons, his wife Dorothy and a young girl. Our teenage girl. PARSONS My daughter. Miranda looks up at this, perplexed. MIRANDA She's the girl I saw. PARSONS You're obviously mistaken. MIRANDA I'm positive. She was hurt, bleeding. Is she all right? Pete and Parsons trade uneasy looks. PETE Miranda, you've seen thatphotograph at least a dozen times, every time you've been in thisoffice. You're just confused - MIRANDA Not about this. Is she all right? PARSONS No, she's not... all right. (beat) Rachel committed suicide six years ago. This shuts Miranda right up. Mind spinning. MIRANDA How? (CONTINUED) 50. CONTINUED: PETE Miranda, that's none of your - PARSONS That's okay. (to Miranda) Rachel was a very troubled girl. Handicapped since birth. She was born mute. My wife and I triedeverything to help her fit inbut... but she ran away from homemore than once, wanting to end herlife. (beat) And she finally succeeded. Jumpedoff Ashley Bridge. She was onlyseventeen years old. Ashley Bridge. Mute. Ghost? Miranda hesitates here. She is not the type to believe in ghosts, and knows fullwell what even her suggestion of it will sound like. MIRANDA I'm -- I'm terribly sorry, Phil. Parsons doesn't want to talk about it anymore. Rises. PARSONS Peter, can I speak to you? The men step outside. PUSH IN ON Miranda's face as she stares at the picture of Rachel. We catch snippets ofthe doctors' discussion outside, increasing herparanoia - PETE (O.S.) ... Textbook psychotic pattern... manifestation of guilt... PARSONS (O.S.) ... much she knows about Rachel? PETE (O.S.) I'm telling you she doesn't... Concocted alternate reality... PARSONS (O.S.) I'm trusting you... crawling with cops. A DARK SHADOW envelops Miranda's confused face, as we - 51. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT Miranda's pale skin is visible in the dim monochromaticlight. We are MOVING TOWARDS her, seeing her as if fromthe POV of someone approaching her. We become aware of the RAGGED BREATHING sound. Miranda opens her eyes, looks this way and that, then closes them again. She is nearly asleep when she hears a sound we've heardbefore. The strained WET SOUND. Miranda's eyes SNAPOPEN. She slowly sits up, back against the wall. Squinting to cover every inch of the room. And now she sees it: a SHADOW crouched in the corner. Roughly the size of a person. Miranda climbs off the bed and slowly walks towards it. Scared, but determined. She wrinkles her nose at the putrid smell coming from it. She gets closer... closer... The RAGGED BREATHING GROWINGLOUDER as she reaches the shadow - She stretches out her hand and finally touches... NOTHING. She swipes her hand through the air, feelingstupid. MIRANDA This is not going to work. I'm sick of being watched, and I knowthis place well and it doesn'tsmell this bad. She paces around the room, feels the wall, taps her head. MIRANDA I'm awake, I'm not dreaming. I'm alive -- this is not some afterlife mumbo jumbo. So-called paranormal activity can bedebunked a million different ways. So whatever you are, whatever itis I'm making up here -- I'mletting you go, I'm setting youfree. I'm the wrong person. And I need to sleep. I'm not afraid and I don't believe and I'm fullyaware that this is all in my mind--fiction -- a concocted alternate reality -- and Iacknowledge it. And now I'm done with it. I'm going to sleep now. The moment is as brave as it is ridiculous. She has psyched herself into verbally defeating the ghost. And now she climbs back in bed. (CONTINUED) 52. CONTINUED: MIRANDA (sleepy) Besides, if you really were the ghost of Rachel Parsons, you would let me out of this cell. A beat. And now we hear the SOUND OF THE DEADBOLT SLIDE OPEN. The door opens quietly. PUSH INTO Miranda's face. Properly scared now. MIRANDA Holy shit. If proof is what she wanted, proof is what she got. From now on we'll refer to the teenage girl as RACHEL. INT. FEMALE WARD - CORRIDOR - NIGHT Miranda takes a tentative step outside her cell, feelingthe door with her fingers, feeling along the wall - still making sure she isn't dreaming this. She looks down the long, empty corridor, the glare ofneon lights making her readjust her eyes momentarily. Nobody there. But when she looks down the other way shesees a pair of bare feet disappear behind the wall. So quick we're not sure we saw it for sure. Miranda deliberately walks in the opposite direction. At night the clinical corridor takes on an unsettlingquality. She silently strolls down the hall, tilting herhead at the various sounds from PATIENTS in their cells. She turns to make sure Rachel isn't behind her and when Miranda faces forward again, she realizes she is standingright across from: THE NURSES' STATION Where two nurses are watching TELEVISION. Miranda tiptoespast them, ducking at the window to remain unseen. ANOTHER CORRIDOR This one is wider. Miranda is startled by the suddensound of LAUGHTER behind her. The nurses laughing attheir late night show. Momentarily distracted, shealmost knocks over a mop and bucket resting by the wall. She holds the mop in place and now opens the door to aSANITATION CLOSET. (CONTINUED) 53. CONTINUED: She looks for something, a tool. Discards a pair ofbrushes and finds a small screwdriver. Pockets it. THE STAIRS Miranda hurries up the stairs, hugging the wall to stayclear from the SURVEILLANCE CAMERA sweeping the area. She waits at the landing, times it just right -- andscurries to the next floor. INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR (OFFICE FLOOR) - CONTINUOUSACTION Knowing her way around here, Miranda keeps a steady paceas she heads towards her old office. She turns a corner and stops in her tracks: another JANITOR making hisrounds. She waits until he's out of sight and rushes toher office. She pulls out the stolen screwdriver and brings it to thelock. Starts unscrewing the screws. She does this as fast as she can, but she's no professional -- so it takesa few tries. She loosens one screw, then another -- and clumsily drops the screwdriver. The METAL ECHOES againstthe floor. Miranda sucks her breath in, waits. No footsteps. She bends down, retrieves it, and holds onto the knob for balance. It easily turns in her hand. It was open allalong. She simply forgot to check. INT. MIRANDA'S OFFICE Miranda shuts the door behind her and slips behind her computer. Shrouded in darkness. Hits a switch and a SURVEILLANCE MONITOR comes to life. Now she has a view of the corridors: two guards here, a nurse going for asmoke, a janitor at the coffee machine and so on. She switches on her computer and taps her fingers as shewaits for it to boot up. ON SURVEILLANCE MONITOR The JANITOR with his coffee cup now heading back towardsMiranda's office corridor - (CONTINUED) 54. CONTINUED: Miranda glances at the door, can see the glare of thecomputer screen reflecting against the glass pane. She tries opening drawers but they're all locked. She remembers something and digs a sweatshirt from beneaththe couch, uses it to block the light. Computer powered up, she runs an online search for"RACHEL PARSONS." Waits as the info appears - MIRANDA (to self) Alright. What happened to you? ON COMPUTER SCREEN Various listings: The archive news of her funeral, something about her search and a LOCAL NEWS ARTICLE aboutteen suicide. That's the one she chooses. Hits "PRINT." She checks the surveillance monitor again: the janitornow mops right outside her door. ON PRINTOUT The heading says "WHAT DRIVES OUR TEENAGERS TO SUICIDE?" A quick glimpse gives us ages (16, 18, 17) and names ofthree local girls who have died. Rachel's name and PHOTOGRAPH appears with two others: Jenny Dixon andAndrea White. Miranda pockets it, looks back at the surveillancemonitor: the janitor is walking away. She watches him disappear down the hall. Slowly but surely. And now the screen is empty. But just for a second. Because suddenly Rachel is there. Staring straight at her. Makes us jump. INT. CORRIDOR/STAIRS - MOMENTS LATER Retracing her steps, Miranda shuts her door and hits thestairs. Playing off the sweep of the surveillance camera. INT. FEMALE WARD CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION As she reaches the landing, she hears VOICES coming her way. She detours down another corridor and hides from view. Waits for Consuelo and a nurse to exit down the staircase. (CONTINUED) 55. CONTINUED: And now she turns at ANOTHER SOUND. Coming from insidethe room immediately behind her. Room 237. She steps tothe small glass pane on the door and peers inside. INT. ROOM 237 It takes a moment to adjust our eyes to the darkness butnow we make out TWO FIGURES in the room involved in some sort of struggle. Miranda presses her face against the glass and now sees aflash of metal. Something sharp. Not a knife, but a needle. And now a blur of hair yanked up by a strong arm. In the dim light we can make out Chloe, eyes glazed, drooling. Just for a beat, because now she is slapped down on thebed like a rag doll and the man with the needle ENTERSFRAME. INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION Miranda flinches, confused. Glances down the corridor to ensure she remains undiscovered. Then peers back in. INT. ROOM 237 Chloe on her stomach on the bed. Her pale naked skinmarked with scratches and bruises. The needle is stuck in her arm, which hangs off the side. Her mouth is openbut it is impossible to tell whether she is laughing orsobbing. Abruptly the man climbs on her, pulling off hisT-shirt. As he discards it we see that it is yellow. INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION Disturbed, Miranda turns away. Except now the corridorisn't empty. There is a JANITOR at the end. Coffee cupin hand. Staring at her, disconcerted. JANITOR Hey! Miranda turns and runs. INT. FEMALE WARD STAIRS Miranda bolts down the stairs. THUNDERING FOOTSTEPS and YELLS can be heard right behind her. 56. INT. FEMALE WARD THIRD FLOOR Miranda races down the empty floor towards an emergencyexit door all the way at the end. TWO ORDERLIES emerge from the staircase and give chase, shouting for her to stop. PATIENTS holler from their cells, awakened by the COMMOTION. Miranda's heart is nearly bursting through her chest asshe gets closer and closer to the emergency door. Twentyfeet, fifteen, ten - When a side door opens and a MAN IN A YELLOW SHIRTappears, blocking her path. Miranda tries to avoid crashing into him but carries too much momentum. Veers left against the wall but the man easily tackles her andpins her down. The orderlies and an nurse arrive at the scene to find her screaming, hysterical. They hold her down - MIRANDA It's him! It's him! Jesus Christ, it's him! The man in the yellow shirt acts as if he has no ideawhat she's talking about. Ho-hum, just another psychotic woman trying to escape. A nurse prepares a needle and we - FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY TRACKING ALONG a long desk where the staff finish theirmorning meeting. Parsons, Pete and Irene among others. PARSONS We've transferred her to a highersecurity room on the fifth floor. That's my final concession to anytype of special treatment. PETE And the night staff? IRENE They insist her room was properlylocked, what else could they say? (CONTINUED) 57. CONTINUED: PETE Could there be any truth to herclaim? PARSONS Peter, we have one hundred and forty employees. Thirty-five workmaintenance. They all wear yellowshirts, it's their uniform. I'm holding a very discreet inquiry, sure -- but I don't want a news van parked outside day and night. It makes much more sense that she tried to escape and got caught, doesn't it? Pete ponders this. It certainly seems that way. PETE I perused Miranda's files on ChloeMcGrath -- they're damncomprehensive. Maybe she was abit obsessed with her. Irene and Parsons share a look. He wraps it up: PARSONS The scariest gift God gave us isour minds. And a bright personlike Miranda -- she's grasping atstraws here -- who knows what her brain is telling her, now thatit's snapped. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL - DAY A better room, in fact. This one has a view. Heavy barson the windows, but still. Miranda paces. Pete is seated, observing her deteriorating state. MIRANDA Did you live here when Rachelkilled herself? PETE Yes. As a matter of fact, I was part of the search party thatfound the body. MIRANDA Phil must have been a wreck. (CONTINUED) 58. CONTINUED: PETE You can imagine. Actually, Philwas in Houston undergoing triplebypass surgery when it happened. What was that? Miranda reacts to this. MIRANDA And this is confirmed. There are hospital records and so forth? PETE I'm sure there are. Can we getback on track now? Miranda pulls out the folded printout from her pocket. MIRANDA What about these other dates, was Phil here when the other girlswent missing and found dead? A disconcerted Pete looks at the article with the pictures of Rachel and the others: Andrea White and Jenny Dixon. PETE Where are you going with this? First I'm a suspect in Doug'sdeath, now what, Phil Parsons murdered his own daughter? MIRANDA Rachel Parsons disappeared six years ago. A week later she's a suicide. Andrew White, four yearsago, same M.O., and Jenny Dixon, two years ago. Don't you findthat unusual? He regards her. Maybe Parsons is right: she's desperately grasping at straws now. Skims the article: PETE What same M.O.? One jumped off abridge, one hung herself and onecrashed her car. Who gave youthis? MIRANDA Not one left a suicide note. In fact, how is anybody sure thesewere suicides? (CONTINUED) 59. CONTINUED: PETE You heard Phil, his daughter hadtried several times before - MIRANDA That's his story. I need to talk to the reporter who wrote that. Frank something. PETE Well, you can't. MIRANDA I beg to differ. I know myvisitation rights. PETE You can't because... he died. Miranda snaps to attention here. MIRANDA You're telling me the one localinvestigative reporter who connectedthree highly-suspicious deaths, justhappens to have conveniently died? PETE Frank Albright was an eighty-yearold retired sociology professor. (re: the article) This is a fluff piece aboutteenage depression and thebreakdown of the nuclear family. You can find one in any localpaper, anywhere, any other week! MIRANDA Don't be smug, Pete. That's one thing you've never been. Rachel is somehow connected to what I'm going through. I don't know how -- like you said, I'm not in aframe of mind to process theinformation without assistance. So I'm asking you for assistance. PETE Listen to me. You are not well. I had hoped once you remembered themurder we could deal with yourfeelings about it but thesefixations: (MORE) (CONTINUED) 60. CONTINUED: PETE (CONT'D) Rachel Parsons, Chloe McGrath - are self-created distractions to avoid looking into yourself. And the longer you - MIRANDA I know this lecture like the back of my hand! PETE Good. Saves me the trouble. Discussion over. He raps on the door. Triple-locks comeunlocked and an ORDERLY is there. Peter exits. INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Peter hurries down the corridor, passing by a nurse. The same one who bandaged Miranda earlier, so let's give her a proper name: CLAIRE. She pushes her cart into theelevator. INT. THIRD FLOOR CORRIDOR - DAY Claire and her cart emerge from the elevator and sheheads down the long corridor, reaches a door and unlocksit. INT. MEDICAL SUPPLY ROOM TIGHT ON a row of drug-filled shelves. Claire parks hercart and kicks off her shoes. Digs a pack of smokes outof her stashed purse when a pair of hands grab her. Claire squeaks until she sees her attacker: a stoner type named SIMON. Deftly unbuttoning her uniform, handsall over her. She means to resist but he's got suchboyish charm. CLAIRE Get off me, you dog - SIMON Hell, don't go all bubbly with joyor anything. CLAIRE You can't be in here and you knowit. Nap in your car. (CONTINUED) 61. CONTINUED: She finally twists herself out of his grasp. Points an accusing finger, but she's grinning. Blushing, even. CLAIRE Now get out before we get busted. Properly reprimanded, Simon picks up his folded uniformand prepares to leave, head hung low. SIMON You slay me, Claire. Honest. CLAIRE Sure I do, Boy Scout. He exits. She shakes her head, slips her uniform back on. INT. ELEVATOR - MOMENTS LATER Simon presses the button, waits. He checks inside his folded uniform where we see several stolen vials of sedatives. The doors begin to close when - CLAIRE Hold it, Simon! He hides the loot behind his back, busted. She holds the door open and tosses him his yellow shirt. CLAIRE What do you think I am, laundryservice? SIMON (relieved) Won't happen again, ma'am. She turns and exits. The doors slide shut. Meet our rapist. INT. WOODWARD CAFETERIA - DAY Bustling with activity. The room is divided into two: a large main area where the patients eat, plus a second, smaller upstairs area for the staff. BOOM DOWN to find Miranda eating at a long table. Shelley beside her, playing with her plastic fork. Jenna taps an unlit cigarette. As usual, Irene keeps watchnearby. (CONTINUED) 62. CONTINUED: SHELLEY ... She'd get high on glue andmake me help her try on my bras. Is that the strangest shit you'veheard? JENNA Heard stranger. But she's a case. SHELLEY And she always put on a happyface. Man, what an optometrist. Optometrist? Miranda starts to correct her, but lets it go. JENNA You narced her out, didn't you? Boo-hoo. Bet you were a littlebuzzed yourself. Miranda's gaze strays from this, um, most compelling ofconversations and comes to rest on Chloe. Alone at another table. Heavily sedated. A wreck. Miranda rises and walks over. Shelley waits until she'sout of hearing range, leans in to Jenna - SHELLEY All work, that woman. Work, work, work. JENNA What are you talking about? SHELLEY She's like an alcoholic. But with work. JENNA What work? SHELLEY Not safe to tell you. Wish I could. Jenna rolls her eyes, returns to her food. UPSTAIRS Parsons watches intrigued as Miranda sits beside Chloeand starts talking. From Parson's POV up above we cansee pretty much the entire dining area. 63. BACK TO MIRANDA Trying to get Chloe's attention. But Chloe just staresat her untouched food, glassy-eyed. MIRANDA I saw what happened. I'm sorry. No reaction. MIRANDA Have you told anyone? Chloe? Nothing. MIRANDA Look, Chloe -- the person who didthis to you is not the devil. And if you can identify him, I'll makesure the motherfucker is arrested. Now Chloe looks at her, like something finally registers. CHLOE Doctor, did you just say 'motherfucker'? MIRANDA Do you know his name? Maybe yousaw a nametag on his uniform? Think. Chloe simply stares. Finally shakes her head. CHLOE Man, you must really hate me. MIRANDA What? I don't hate you. CHLOE You hate me because now you'rejust the same as me. You must feel so embarrassed. MIRANDA I don't hate you. And I don't feel embarrassed. CHLOE That's just a pat answer you havebecause you're new at this. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. (CONTINUED) 64. CONTINUED: MIRANDA (rising) Forget it, alright? this conversation. Forget we had Chloe abruptly grabs her arm. Tightly. CHLOE You know what happens next? MIRANDA I get the distinct feeling you'regoing to tell me. CHLOE The shock wears off and the guiltkicks in. And that guilt is thereal motherfucker. You'll be watched 24/seven, because they'reafraid you'll kill yourself. Dr. Graham will question every harmlessgesture, every innocent comment, evertwitch you make and eventually -- andit's a fucking tedious 'eventually' -- you'll stop hating yourself forwhat you did. But what replaces thathatred is this unbearable sadness. And you don't lose that as long as you live. PUSH IN ON Miranda. Deeply affected by Chloe's words, as we - INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - VARIOUS SHOTS - DAY AND NIGHT MIRANDA'S RESIGNED DAILY GRIND IN QUICK DISSOLVES - A) Miranda and the other patients line up for meds inthe rec room. B) Irene keeps watch in the garden as the women gettheir daily fresh air. C) Wardens watch as each patient enters their cell atnight and the lights go off. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT Echoing an earlier scene, we are MOVING TOWARDS her - her pale skin visible in the dim monochromatic light. Miranda flicks a look this way and that, alert. Sensingsomething. (CONTINUED) 65. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Leave me alone. Go away. Just like a crazy person. She listens for any furthernoise, hears none and shuts her eyes. Exhausted. MIRANDA I've lost my fucking mind. Happynow? Silence. But now the BEDSPRINGS CREAK behind her and she whips around and starts to scream as a big hand coversher mouth. Her eyes open wide at the sight of Simon, inhis yellow shirt. He shoves her against the mattress andpresses his full weight against her. She lets out a muffled scream as he uncaps a syringe with his teeth andbrings the plunger to her throat. Straight into herjugular. SIMON (sotto) This is gonna hurt you more than it hurts me. She flails and kicks desperately but he pins her down. The BEDSPRINGS STRAIN violently and now he's straddlingher, squeezing the plunger into her throat. Her eyeswelling up: SIMON (sotto) I've always wanted to do a doctor. She manages to free one hand and yanks the syringe fromher throat. It flies to the floor. He grins, enjoyingthis: SIMON (sotto) The more you fight me, the harder I get, pussycat -- so pretty please, with sugar on top --keep still. Simon paws at her clothes as she struggles to defendherself. He finally slaps her free arm down. Presses his knee against it, immobilizing her once more. Now he produces another syringe from his pocket. Checks it. Miranda shakes her head, pleading. A scream stuck in her throat. But nobody can hear her. Simon brings the syringe towards her when suddenly wehear a LOUD CLANGING at the door. Shaking it off itshinges. (CONTINUED) 66. CONTINUED: Simon looks up, confused. Nobody is there. The split- second distraction is all Miranda needs to shove him off the bed. She fumbles for the discarded syringe and STABSHIS CHEST WITH IT -- squeezes the plunger - MIRANDA (sotto) Take that, son of a bitch. Simon moans as the full dose hits his system and his bodygoes limp. Miranda exhales, coming back to herself. A beat. MIRANDA Rachel? No response. Miranda grabs his keys, begins to undresshim. CUT TO: SECURITY CAMERA POV shows a uniformed janitor calmly walking down thecorridor. PULL BACK to see we are in - INT. SURVEILLANCE BOOTH - NIGHT A bank of monitors keep watch on the premises after dark. TWO GUARDS play cards (Uno), bored to tears. A cursoryglance at the monitors produces no reaction. Certainly ajanitor walking down the corridor is no cause for alarm. EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT Dead quiet. CRICKETS CHIRP or whatever it is crickets do. Miranda steadies her breathing, perusing rows ofunfamiliar cars. She clicks Simon's key-ring buttonrepeatedly until a set of headlights blink on and off. INT. SIMON'S CAR - NIGHT Miranda slips behind the wheel, STARTS the CAR. The RADIO KICKS IN at EAR-DEAFENING VOLUME. She nearly drops dead. EXT. WOODWARD GATE - NIGHT The gate GUARD reads a magazine as Miranda's stolen carapproaches. The guard barely registers the driver in thebooth mirror, immersed in his article. Hits a button to open the gate for him. It opens SLOWLY. S-l-o-w-l-y. 67. INT. SIMON'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT Miranda, sweating, watches the receding image of theinstitute behind her. Turns on the main road. Free. MIRANDA Thank you, thank you, thank you. She glances back, makes sure no one is following her. Catches her own reflection in the rearview mirror: the scared eyes, the haunted face. The new version of herself. She flips the RADIO dial: BAD NEW AGE MUZAK. BAD COUNTRY. BAD DISCO. More BAD NEW AGE MUZAK. She finds IGGY POP'S entirely appropriate "THE PASSENGER) and letsit play. ANOTHER ANGLE Now we are seeing her as if from the POV of someonetraveling alongside the car. Peering THROUGH thepassenger window. Miranda becomes aware of this, slowlyglances over. Sees nothing but her own reflection. Turns back forward. We NOTICE the blue cigarette lighter key chain danglingoff the dashboard. Nothing but a long stretch of roadahead. EXT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE - NIGHT The neighborhood perfectly quiet late at night. Miranda parks in the driveway and stares at the empty house. Steels herself, climbs out of the car and heads around back. She finds her SPARE KEY behind a potted plant, takes adeep breath and lets herself in through the back door. INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE POLICE CRIME-SCENE TAPE everywhere. She turns on the kitchen light only and scurries to her bedroom withouteven looking in the direction of the living room, avoiding the scene of the gruesome crime altogether. Eerie as hell - INT. BEDROOM - QUICK CUTS Miranda stuffs clothes into a suitcase, finds her passport, digs out some cash from a box. Quick change of clothes toget rid of the rapist's uniform. Fast, fast, fast - 68. INT. SIMON'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT Miranda watches her house fade from view in the rearview mirror as she drives down the block. Shudders. Flipsthe RADIO dial with shaky hands. RADIO DJ (V.O.) ... Weather forecasters predictheavy winds tonight as a majorthunderstorm rolls in tomorrow. You're listening to KLPG, 101.4 onyour dial. This next honky-tonkheartbreak classic is... She looks in the rearview mirror once more. Only thistime she is met by a piercing pair of eyes. Rachel's. Inside the car. Rachel's mouth opens unnaturally wide, revealing a gapingabyss of rotted teeth and flesh -- and lets out the wetsound. A threatening howl this time, pure venom. Miranda covers her face, jerks the car. It does a 180 and slides to a halt in the middle of the street - Facing the direction of her house again. EXT. STREET Miranda jumps out, panicked. Glances around. Looks inside the car: no Rachel. A beat to catch her breath, making up her mind. Slides behind the wheel and makes a U-turn. INT. SIMON'S CAR - MOVING - CONTINUOUS ACTION Miranda flips the rearview mirror so it faces the ceilingand turns UP the RADIO. GUNS the pedal. Freaked. She's driven maybe 20 feet when suddenly her ENGINE DIES - MIRANDA No. The CAR SPUTTERS to a stop. Miranda goes to turn the keybut suddenly freezes. Looks at the ignition oddly andnotices the key is gone. MIRANDA Why are you doing this to me? A dead-still beat. Glancing around, she is even morestartled to see the blue lighter key chain lying in themiddle of the street. 69. EXT. STREET - NIGHT Miranda opens her car door and walks down the emptystreet to retrieve her suddenly magical keys. We watch her reach the keys, all alone out here. The moment she bends down to pick it up she is blinded by theglare of HEADLIGHT and the ROAR OF AN ENGINE. Miranda jumps out of the way, narrowly avoiding being flattenedby a ROAD SWEEPER, spraying water as it goes. She watches the truck disappear down the block. Heart in her throat. Calms her nerves and now walks over to the pesky keys again. Smack in the middle of a puddle now. BOOM UP the posts harnessing power lines which surroundthe area until we STOP ON a pair of INDUSTRIAL BOLTSfastened around the insulators of a thick power line. From here we see Miranda bend down and pick up her keys. And now the bolts suddenly shake off their hinges, comingloose right in front of our eyes -- moved by someinvisible force - Miranda tilts her head at the sound of a METALLIC SNAP and turns. The bolts pop out of their sockets. The LIVE WIRE uncoils like some gigantic serpent and swingsstraight towards the paralyzed Miranda - She looks down at her feet, ankle-deep in the puddle, back up at the 11,000 VOLTS OF POWER about to fry her toa crisp and jumps out of the way at the last second. The wire hits the water and the monumental charge sendsSPARKS flying in every direction. It looks like lightning. A silent, sudden beat. That was as close as close gets. MIRANDA (fighting tears) What do you want from me? No sign of Rachel. Miranda yells at the air, glancingover her shoulder, seemingly demented: MIRANDA What is it you want me to do?!! A moment. Miranda stranded. The stolen car in the middle of the road. And now the SQUEAK of a GATE OPENING abruptly. Miranda whips her head in the direction of thesound. It's the front gate to her house. And now the front door SWINGS OPEN. And now the living room LIGHTS switch on. (CONTINUED) 70. CONTINUED: Clearly Rachel wants her back in the house. MIRANDA I can't. (softly) Please, please don't make me goback in there. But even as she's saying this her feet are moving towardsit. She pauses, looks at the car in the middle of theroad. Looks at the fizzling puddle where she was almostelectrocuted. No neighbors have come out to investigateyet, but how long can that last? She walks to the car. INT. SIMON'S CAR Miranda climbs in, not sure whether to laugh or cry here. She's never asked a ghost for permission before: MIRANDA Bear with me, I'm just parking itout of the way so it won't looksuspicious in the middle of theroad -- okay. She STARTS the ENGINE and pulls over to the sidewalk. INT. MIRANDA AND DOUG'S HOUSE Miranda stands in her living room, staring at herhandiwork. Frozen with dread. The blood has been cleaned up some, but the mess remains. The upturned furniture covered in plastic, the chalkoutline of the body, the yellow crime-scene tape, theshattered mirror above the fireplace, the muddiedfootprints of dozens of cops, coroners, etc. The faded writing on the wall: "NOT ALONE." Miranda takes it all in, not entirely sure what she'ssupposed to be looking for. MIRANDA (piecing it together) Not alone. What happened to youhappened to other girls. (beat) I understand. And I'm sorry. But there is nothing I can do about it now. It has nothing to do with me. (CONTINUED) 71. CONTINUED: Not knowing what else to do, she turns to exit when theTELEVISION SET suddenly COMES TO LIFE, making her jump. The unmistakable MUSIC from some old WB cartoon at FULL BLAST. She stares at the TV screen. Is there some sign here sheshould be able to follow? She crosses to turn it off and immediately doubles over in pain - MIRANDA Shit. She looks at her foot. A big SHARD OF GLASS is stuckright through the flimsy hospital slipper into her skin. Blood already seeping from the nasty cut - INT. BATHROOM Miranda seated on the edge of the tub, slowly pulls outthe piece of glass, drops it in the wastebasket. She grabs a cotton ball and alcohol and starts cleaning the cut. And now, FAINT at first, but GROWING LOUDER -- she hears the hollow WET SOUND we've come to associate with Rachel. Inside the room with her - Miranda stares at the medicine cabinet. Did the mirror move? We watch her from the MIRROR POV as she holds perfectly still, listening. The SOUND now seems to have STOPPED. A silent beat. She turns her attention back to cleaning her cut, grimacingas the alcohol burns her skin. It looks painful. And now the slow SQUEAK of the MEDICINE CABINET DOOR makes her look up again. And she sees herself in the mirror like the night of the slaughter: flames all around her. Naked arms raised. Wrists shackled. Anima Sola. She stares. Mesmerized. The sound of FLAMES GROWING LOUDER. MIRANDA No. No. No... Miranda walks slowly to the mirror. Incredibly, theimage reflecting back at her also grows bigger. As if the two versions of her are literally walking towardseach other. FROM A SIDE ANGLE WE SEE both their faces mere inches apart. Miranda brings her fingertips to themirror and touches it. Immediately pulls her hand back. (CONTINUED) 72. CONTINUED: Miranda stares at her fingertips. The tips are burnt. The skin sizzles softly. 200 percent scientificallyimpossible. And when she looks up at the mirror again - the image is gone. It is now deathly quiet. And what she finds herself staring at in the mirror is the reflection of somethingjust behind her. A folded newspaper discarded in the farcorner of the room. She turns to look at it now. It's opened to the REALTYLISTINGS page. Doug must have left it there. She picksit up and looks closer: Focusing on a picture of a bank- repossessed property. The address is in Willows Creek. Her brain wires start clicking. This must be what Rachel wanted her to see. She stares at it. PUSH IN ON the picture as we - MATCH CUT TO: EXT. WILLOWS CREEK PROPERTY - DAWN A "FOR SALE" sign still flapping in the wind. The first few rays of light break through the dawn sky. Miranda's (Simon's) car approaches up the road until itFILLS the FRAME and parks. Miranda steps out. She studies the house before walking up the drive. We watch her peek through windows and walk around back, looking for something. What exactly, we don't know. (Neither does she.) She makes her way back to the starting point and fixesher stare now on the barn. The one place he hasn'tlooked. INT. BARN Dark, empty. The WIND outside causes the ALUMINUM SIDING to FLAP NOISILY. It's slightly unnerving, but hey, it'sjust the wind. Miranda covers the distance of the largeroom, perplexed. There is something about this place. Something she can't quite put her finger on. Beckoningher. With a last fruitless look, she heads towards the front door when a glint of mental in the opposite corner stopsher. She moves to it. (CONTINUED) 73. CONTINUED: And here, where the walls should meet, there is a narrow gap, leading to a passage, maybe five inches wide. A padlocked chain has been threaded through a hole in bothwalls, holding them together. Miranda inspects the heavypadlock, the source of the glint. She tugs on the walland opens it to the limits of the chain, but that's onlya few inches more. Miranda peers into the darknessbeyond, but can't see a thing. Hesitating only a moment, she turns sideways and slidesherself into the claustrophobic slot. She moves forward cautiously a few feet until her facebrushes against something hanging in the air. She stops, startled. It's a pull-string hanging from a naked lightbulb. She tugs on it. And now she has 60 watts of reddish glowto see the hatch on the floor immediately in front ofher. She pulls on the LATCH and it opens with a RUSTYCREAK. She peers into the pitch-black basement below. Feels around for the beginning of a stepladder and climbsdown. INT. SECRET BASEMENT Miranda emerges from the ladder into total darkness. Whatever dim reddish light was provided by the bulbupstairs does not reach here. She feels around the wall for a switch. Nothing. MIRANDA (to self) It's not shrink-appropriate to be afraid of the dark, right? Abruptly there's a sharp CLICK as she lights Simon's key- chain lighter, and the wavery light illuminates the vast space. Rats scurry for cover. It takes a second to orient ourselves. Something metallic catches the lighter'sreflection way in back. Miranda walks towards it. MIRANDA Hello? She takes a few more steps until her foot hits a bulk onthe floor. She stops. Kneels down and in the dim half- light we make out a backpack. She unzips it and riflesthrough it (T-shirts, underwear, Walkman) until she findsa wallet. Opens the billfold and brings the lighter nextto the ID: the picture belongs to a teenager named"TRACY MARIE SEAVER." (CONTINUED) 74. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Is there anybody here? Hello? The lighter in her hand is getting hot, so she lets itclick off. When it comes back on we see she has wrappeda ragged T-shirt around it for insulation. Miranda steps deeper into the room. Up ahead, she canmake out the metallic thing that reflected light before. It is a hook in the ceiling. And suspended from it areseveral heavy chains. Like a meat rack. And now she catches a whiff of the terrible smell and sees the body of the teenage girl: hanging upside down, tied around the hands and ankles. Medical training kicking in, Miranda quickly lowers thegirl to the ground, causing the angry rats to skitter away. MIRANDA Go away! Fuck off! (We see the following in between flicks of the lighter sothat we go from midnight black to wavery light in analmost strobe-light effect:) She checks for vital signs, pulse, heartbeat -- Miranda'sadrenaline at full tilt - MIRANDA C'mon, c'mon, c'mon - She strikes the flint and brings the lighter to thegirl's pupils. Inspects them. Slaps her repeatedly, clinically. The strobe effect also allows us glimpses of theimmediate surroundings: household tools strewn about; wire cutters, pliers -- a pool of dried blood. MIRANDA Wake up, Tracy, wake up - Nothing. She unties the wires around the girl's ankles. The skin swollen grotesquely around them. She shakes the girl. Slowly coming to the realization that it's toolate. 75. EXT. BARN - LATER Miranda comes crashing out of the barn, doubles over andthrows up. The bright light outside blinding hermomentarily. Her bloodshot eyes taking a moment toregister - THE PATROL CAR parked in front of the house. A POLICE OFFICER cautiously peering inside her stolen car. He looks upand notices her. Miranda hesitates. Nowhere to run. The officer waves. His name is TURLINGTON. OFFICER TURLINGTON Howdy there. He says this while already strolling over. Miranda's mind races a mile a minute - OFFICER TURLINGTON Everything okay? MIRANDA Y-yes. OFFICER TURLINGTON That your vehicle, ma'am? She stares at the young, friendly cop. His left hand resting on his belt. Right next to his gun. But it seems as if he has no idea who she is. At least not yet. MIRANDA Yes -- I -- I just pulled over. I was -- looking for a bathroom. Morning sickness, you know... OFFICER TURLINGTON Congratulations. But I'm afraid this is private property -- youcan't just waltz on in. You understand that. She nods, nerves shot to hell. Starts walking. MIRANDA I'll be on my merry way now. Myhusband will never forgive me if Iget a ticket for trespassing. (CONTINUED) 76. CONTINUED: The cop nods at that, seeming to have a fair grasp ofmarital dynamics. He flashes a smile but suddenly stops, whips out his gun and trains it on her - OFFICER TURLINGTON Holy shit. (clicks the safetyoff) Lady, stay right where you are. Miranda shuts her eyes, busted. Freezes. OFFICER TURLINGTON Hands up where I can see them. Miranda awkwardly raises her shaky hands. OFFICER TURLINGTON Nice and slow, start talking to me. And make it good. Tell me just exactly who that is. A confused Miranda slowly turns in the direction he'slooking to see Tracy Seaver at the barn door. Draggingherself in agony, clearly in a severe state of shock. Battered, yet somehow -- incredibly -- still alive. But just barely. EXT. JACKSON HOSPITAL - DAY A car pulls up to the chaotic ER area. Phil Parsons and Pete step out, rush inside. INT. HOSPITAL ER - MEN'S ROOM - DAY Sheriff Ryan is busy at the urinal. But even here he can't find any peace because Teddy Howard is on his case - SHERIFF RYAN Mr. Howard -- let me simply listthe events your client wasinvolved in last night. First she drugs a janitor, steals his carand escapes a mentalinstitution - TEDDY HOWARD Hold on, there isn't even anysubstantial evidence - (CONTINUED) 77. CONTINUED: Sheriff Ryan zips up his pants, flushes and runs the sinkto wash his hands - SHERIFF RYAN Mr. Howard -- there isn't evidence because the overdosed janitorhasn't woken up, that's why -- andwhen your client was questioned onthe matter she admitted to injecting a full syringe of - TEDDY HOWARD (handing him a paper towel) You had no right to question myclient without my presence - SHERIFF RYAN Mr. Howard, this is not a courtroom. Your client was read her rights andshe still insisted - TEDDY HOWARD -- Let me ask you this, Sheriff: what exactly was a janitor doingwith several vials of sedatives inside my client's cell? And is it not possible he had taken somedrugs himself before my client - Sheriff Ryan discards the paper towel and walks out tothe waiting room, Teddy following closely - INT. ER WAITING ROOM Paramedics and nurses doing their thing. The youngofficer who arrested Miranda hands the Sheriff a cup ofcoffee. SHERIFF RYAN I'm not a drug expert. I'm simplystating the frigging facts. Sheriff Ryan burns his tongue on the coffee, noticesParsons and Pete approaching. Relief crosses his face. SHERIFF RYAN Phil, thank God -- this guy'sdriving me nuts! PARSONS What happened? (CONTINUED) 78. CONTINUED: SHERIFF RYAN An 'incident' -- for lack of a better frigging word -- involvingMiss Grey and a teenage girl who'sbeen tortured and is in critical condition and chances are slim she'll even utter another word. PETE Who's the girl? SHERIFF RYAN A runaway from Portland, TracyMarie Seaver. Reported missing acouple weeks ago. We found Miss Grey in some barn off WillowsCreek with the girl all messed up. I'm just now waiting for thesurgeon to give me an update. (to Teddy) Notice, Counselor, how I'm not even mentioning her trespassing orlying to a police officer. Teddy waves him off in frustration. Goes to talk to Turlington. SHERIFF RYAN Christ, the woman's got the entirehospital busy - Sheriff Ryan notices Teddy talking to Turlington - SHERIFF RYAN Why are you harassing my deputies? TEDDY HOWARD I'm only asking him where he gotthe coffee -- ? SHERIFF RYAN He's not at liberty to answerthat. You've had enough goddamncoffee already. The Sheriff leaves Pete and Parsons. They walk over tothe water cooler where they can talk more privately. PETE We need to get Miranda back to theinstitute. She needs psychiatriccare, not a prison cell. (CONTINUED) 79. CONTINUED: Parsons nods, lost in thought. Sheriff Ryan returns. SHERIFF RYAN Phil, how well does your wife knowthe suspect? PARSONS Why do you ask? SHERIFF RYAN Because she's at the station rightnow, demanding to speak with her. Parsons frowns at this, concerned. Pete studies him. INT. COUNTY STATION HOLDING CELL - DAY Bare room. A desk and two chairs. Glass window panes toinsure no privacy. DOROTHY PARSONS (50s) waits, seated. The door opens and a DEPUTY escorts Miranda in. She sits across from Dorothy, looking as lost as can be. A longbeat. DOROTHY How are you? Miranda doesn't answer. Her mind elsewhere. Namely backat the barn and how it connects to Rachel. DOROTHY I needed to see you, but I'm notsure where to begin. I don't know you well, I certainly have nothingbut fond feelings for you. Phil always keeps me posted on hiscolleagues and his work and -- inany case, I have always thought ofyou as a very bright, veryperceptive doctor. Even though Idon't know you well. She pauses here. Miranda looks up now. Her face hollow and exhausted. Bags under her eyes. A person who hasseen too much. Wondering where the hell this is going. DOROTHY My point is, my point being - when Rachel died I had, um, I suffered through these spells, these recurring dreams. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 80. CONTINUED: DOROTHY (CONT'D) And eventually, once I came toterms with her death, they went away. Losing a child is thehardest, most inconceivable event a mother can - She drifts off. Takes a beat to collect herself and resume: DOROTHY The past few days I have beenhaving the same dream. A nightmare. Miranda can't help but smile to herself at that. MIRANDA That word. Nightmare. Welcome to my life. DOROTHY This nightmare involves Rachel butit also involves you. In the nightmare Rachel holds a box inher left hand. A small box. And she repeats a series of numbers. Now, Rachel never spoke, from thetime she was born -- she had a condition -- I often asked God whyhe punished this child in such away -- she couldn't speak, but shewas extremely bright. She wasn't autistic as the doctors claimed - Dorothy Parsons starts to cry. A moment passes likethis. It seems she won't recover enough to continue hertale. MIRANDA Mrs. Parsons, you need atherapist. Normally I wouldencourage you to schedule asession with me but as you can see - Dorothy shakes her head, determined to finish. She pullsout a folded piece of paper. DOROTHY Every night the same box in herhand and the same numbers. I wrote them down. (CONTINUED) 81. CONTINUED: She slides the paper over. Miranda watches her carefully, then looks at the piece of paper. The numbers are: 1-0-2-2-0-1. A long beat. DOROTHY It's a message. It's a code for something. I don't know what. But she wants you to have it. Miranda studies it. Studies this woman, who quitefrankly seems to have completely lost her mind. Then she looks back at the numbers and is slowly hit with arealization. MIRANDA October 22nd, 2001. It's mywedding date. She stares at Dorothy, stunned. Brain click-clickclicking. Her wildest fears confirmed: Doug is behindthis somehow. MIRANDA That code belongs to a safetydeposit box my husband kept in abank up in Newcastle, that's wherehis parents live. (beat) Dorothy, I need you to drive upthere and open it. Dorothy stares at her, scared. And finally nods. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - DAY Pete hurries down the front steps of the main building asTWO POLICE CRUISERS pull up. Miranda is brought out ofone of the cruisers by two OFFICERS. PETE We can take those off now. Sheriff Ryan leans out of the other cruiser. SHERIFF RYAN Don't push it, Doctor. She's cuffed until your people secureher in a cell. (CONTINUED) 82. CONTINUED: Pete sighs, gestures for the officers to bring her in. Irene and two heavy-duty orderlies will also be part ofthe escort. Miranda locks eyes with Pete as sheapproaches. PETE Are you alright? MIRANDA (quietly) I was wrong. It wasn't Phil Parsons. It was Doug. PETE Can we talk about this later? (to Sheriff) Thanks, Sheriff. SHERIFF RYAN Tomorrow morning first thing mydeputies are here. PETE I know, I know. We'll see youthen. SHERIFF RYAN And my offer still stands if youneed added security. PETE Thank you. She won't go anywhere. I guarantee it. The Sheriff waves, whatever. Knocks twice on the hood and the officer behind the wheel shifts into drive. MIRANDA That's why Rachel picked me. It was Doug. I'm so stupid. Pete regards her now, has no idea what she's going onabout this time. Tries to remain professional. PETE Inside, okay? INT. CAFETERIA - MOMENTS LATER Lunch time for the female wing. An excited Shelleyrushes over to a table where Chloe and Jenna are, whispers something to them. They glance at the door. (CONTINUED) 83. CONTINUED: A moment later, Miranda walks in with her police escort. Taking her across the cafeteria towards the back door. An uneasy Pete leads. Irene and the wardens at the rear. Miranda glances at the women staring at her like aspecimen. Like somehow she's even more dangerous thanthem. Top dog, as it were, of the crazies. And then, halfway across the room, one of the womenstands up. Chloe. She claps her hands together. Slowly. Miranda watches her, confused. Shelly, Jenna and others rise as well. joining Chloe in clapping. And slowlyAll of them PETE What is this? IRENE She's a hero. Little Red RidingHood put the big bad wolf in a coma. Pete nods. Just what he needed. The OFFICERS trade looks. OFFICER #1 They're not gonna start something, are they? Irene shakes her head, amused. IRENE You ain't scared of a bunch of women now, are you, Officer? The entire cafeteria is on their feet showing theirsolidarity for Miranda. Chloe locks eyes with her, mouths the words "thank you." And Miranda is hauled out the side door. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL White. Surveillance cameras in every corner. Two separate doors with elaborate locks. High security allaround. The officers undo Miranda's cuffs and excuse themselves. Pete gestures for Irene and the Orderlies to leave aswell. ORDERLY #1 We'll be right outside, Doctor. (CONTINUED) 84. CONTINUED: Once the doors are locked and they're alone, theconversation jumps straight into frustrated high gear: PETE I pulled a lot of strings to getyou transferred back. The best case scenario you're looking atright now is five years here. Five. Under my - MIRANDA (interrupting) Peter, I didn't believe in ghostsbefore this. And neither do you. Pete is at the end of his rope. Can't hide his sadness when he looks at her. Still, he tries to get her back ontrack: PETE But you know that the brain isfully capable of tricking you intoseeing all sorts of things. The simplest chemical deficiencies can - MIRANDA Chemical deficiencies can't getinside of you and make you doterrible things you don't rememberdoing! PETE I'm a very open-minded person, butas a doctor - MIRANDA No, you're not. You're a close- minded academic, just like me. You told me once that I was the most logical person you knew, remember? Well, everything that'shappened has an explanation but ithas nothing to do with psychiatryor science. Rachel Parsons was abducted and she was murdered six years ago -- tossed off the AshleyBridge by my husband. Myharmless, righteous 'communityleader' husband -- that's how pathetically blind I've been. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 85. CONTINUED: MIRANDA (CONT'D) Andrea White and Jenny Dixon were also abducted and murdered -- now this was before I met Doug but I bet you anything that they both went to his school. Then he obviously stopped for a while: fear, guilt, distractions - namely me -- delayed him from reverting to his sickness. That's why I didn't notice anything. I believe he really tried to lead a normal life, for me. Then along comes Tracy Seaver and he can't resist. Locks her up and tortures her in some abandoned property - She shows him the crumpled newspaper listing. MIRANDA Here's Doug's interest in real estate, Pete. Pete stares at the realty listing for Willows Creek. MIRANDA Rachel Parsons is a pissed-off ghost with an agenda, furious at her parents for giving up on her -- she's been trying to communicate with them for years but they're too goddamn logical to pay attention -- and she picked me, she sought me out that night and sent me home to fix her problem. Made sure I killed Doug because he was going to do the same thing to Tracy Seaver as he did to her. And she will get rid of anyone who stands in her way. Pete takes all of this in. Dumbfounded. PETE Is that a threat? MIRANDA To whom? PETE To me. (CONTINUED) 86. CONTINUED: MIRANDA To you? I'm telling you shenearly electrocuted me when Itried to leave town and she led me to that barn and if I don't do what she wants -- she's going tokill me. Pete can see that she's petrified. He starts to speak, but she hushes him by gently placing her finger on hislips. The gesture is tender, almost romantic. A reminder of their very real connection. MIRANDA I need you to at least considerthe possibility that I'm notinsane. (beat; pleading) Not as a doctor. As the onlyperson I trust in this world. EXT. NEWCASTLE COMMUNITY BANK PARKING LOT - DAY A tense Phil and Dorothy Parsons in their parked car. DOROTHY I'm not doing it for Miranda, I'mdoing this for Rachel. PARSONS You're making a complete fool ofyourself. Do you realize what yousound like? She sighs, climbs out of the car, leaving him there. Takes three steps. Stops. Turns back around and lets him have it: DOROTHY What do I sound like, Phil? Like one of your patients? Well, it's probably because that's exactlyhow you treat me. And I've had enough of this deafening silencebetween us, this exemplarymourning in front of thecommunity, tiptoeing around ourlives with you pretending Rachelnever existed. BANK CUSTOMERS walk around the argument, pretending notto hear. Phil is mortified. But Dorothy doesn't care: (CONTINUED) 87. CONTINUED: DOROTHY I'm losing my mind. Our daughteris gone and I miss her and I'm angry. She turns and storms off. Phil takes it all in for the first time. A moment later he climbs out of the car. INT. BANK VAULT - DAY A solemn GUARD places the safety deposit box on the tablein the middle of the room. Steps back through the gateand waits. Dorothy and Phil stare at the box for a moment. Finally, Phil punches in the code written out by his wifeand opens it. He sorts through some paperwork that meansnothing to him until his hands feel a thick envelope. He opens it and spills the contents on the table. It is a stack of POLAROIDS. Dorothy leans in and immediately her face darkens. She grabs onto the table, shakily -- and is forced to sitdown. A horrified sob rises from deep inside her, comesout like the howl of a dying animal. Her husband pales, all blood draining from his face. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - EVENING The sky darkens fast. The storm moving in. INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - NURSES' STATION THUNDER RUMBLES outside, making a tray of meds rattle. PAN UP to see Consuelo, the round black woman we mightremember Chloe beating up earlier. She shakes her head. CONSUELO It's gonna be an interestingnight. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL Miranda looks up at the sound of the BOLT BEING DRAWN andthe handle unfastened. Through the door comes Consuelo, carrying a tray. Sets it down by the bed. She is on her way out when she pauses, stares at Miranda. (CONTINUED) 88. CONTINUED: CONSUELO How are we doing today? That term again, "we." Doctor-speak. Miranda doesn't have the energy for it: MIRANDA Just fine, thank you. CONSUELO The spirit is not fine. She's very unhappy. What was that? Normally Miranda would look at this womanas if she were crazy, but things have changed. MIRANDA How -- how do you know? CONSUELO (shuts her eyes) But she's only a girl. Do youknow her name? MIRANDA Yes. Rachel. CONSUELO Have you talked to her? MIRANDA Yes, I -- you could say that. Consuelo holds Miranda's hands firmly, "reading" her. CONSUELO She's very, very angry. And she's not finished with you yet. MIRANDA I'm sure that's meant to sound comforting but - CONSUELO She wants to show you something. MIRANDA That may be so, but I want her to go away. CONSUELO Then you need to protect yourself. (CONTINUED) 89. CONTINUED: MIRANDA And how exactly would I do that? CONSUELO Mira, first I'm gonna bring yousome cascarilla, it's a powder, you get it anyplace, it comes fromeggs -- you pour it all over you - (indicates) Like this - MIRANDA Look - (reading nametag) Consuelo, I appreciate what you'retrying to do, but I honestly don'tthink this ghost will go away if Ipour some egg powder on myself -- Consuelo holds up a finger, hushing Miranda. She's receiving something here. Shudders. CONSUELO She made you do things. Bad things, didn't she? MIRANDA Yes. CONSUELO And you carried this out for her. She used you as a vessel... Consuelo's grip tightens on Miranda as we - FLASH CUT TO: FLASHBACK - EXT. ASHLEY BRIDGE - NIGHT We're back at the bridge. Rachel pries open Miranda'smouth. Miranda panics: MIRANDA What are you doing? I'm trying tohelp you -- ?! Rachel opens her mouth wide like a snake. And as Miranda screams, blood starts leaking out of Rachel's wounds. And now we see it. Rachel's lips touch Miranda's andBREATHE HER SPIRIT INTO Miranda with a WHOOSH - 90. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL - CONTINUOUS ACTION (PRESENT) Consuelo lets go of Miranda's hand. Like recoiling fromfire. Speaks in the simplest of ways. The truth: CONSUELO You were possessed by her. MIRANDA Yes. CONSUELO Ay, probrecita. You're both in terrible danger. She's scared too but she can't step back into thelight until she finishes what shestarted here. And now you're theonly person who can help her findthe way back. MIRANDA I don't know how to do that -- I'm not qualified for it. You do it. Consuelo crosses herself. A sign of respect for thesituation. But it has a chilling effect on Miranda. CONSUELO Despair is the only unforgivablesin. You'll be in my prayers, Miranda. Prayers? What good is that going to do? Consuelo exits. EXT. PARSONS' HOUSE - NIGHT Two POLICE CRUISERS parked outside. INT. PARSONS' LIVING ROOM - NIGHT A glassy-eyed Phil Parsons serves himself another Scotch, devastated. The SHOT is FRAMED so that we see the bedroom door is open, Dorothy lying in bed, heavilytranquilized. Sheriff Ryan inspects the photographs. ON THE LURID POLAROIDS Postcards from hell: scared teenage girls in forcedposes -- gagged, tortured -- Andrea White, Jenny Dixon, Tracy Seaver... (CONTINUED) 91. CONTINUED: And young Rachel Parsons. PARSONS This proves that her story is true: my daughter appeared to her in some form and guided her through all this, putting things right. SHERIFF RYAN Come on, Phil, you of all people - PARSONS I of all people hold logic, reason and facts above everything else. And seek the truth through proof and proof only. (re: pictures) And what do you call that? SHERIFF RYAN Has it occurred to you that maybe she knew what her husband was doing to those girls? PARSONS No. Frankly, it hasn't. SHERIFF RYAN Maybe she couldn't stand the guilt and cooked up this far-fetched tale to tug at everybody's heartstrings. The fact remains she hacked her husband to pieces. PARSONS The fact remains my daughter was murdered and Miranda stopped the killer. A killer who was loose under your incompetent nose for over six years. We don't know how many future victims were spared, but we do know she saved that girl in the barn's life. And that's more than you or I can say -- ! SHERIFF RYAN Calm down. For the record, that girl is on a ventilator. The doctors don't think she'll make it through tonight. (MORE) (CONTINUED) 92. CONTINUED: SHERIFF RYAN (CONT'D) Now, you want to stand up in acourtroom and tell a judge that aghost is behind all this, that'syour prerogative -- but I have toabide by the law. And the law says Miranda Grey faces criminalchargers. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to leave acruiser outside to make sure youdon't go anywhere tonight and twoof my deputies will go guard Ms. Grey until tomorrow morning. Phil? Parsons doesn't respond. His eyes far away. SHERIFF RYAN There will be no breakouts, no aiding and abetting, no taking thelaw into your own hands. It'll take an Act of God for Miranda Grey not to show up in that courtroom tomorrow. Are we clear? And now the Sheriff can see that Parsons is crying. Quietly, miserably. And it's a disparaging sight. Sheriff Ryan exits. Two deputies follow, RADIOSSQUAWKING. Parsons remains still for a moment, then digs aphotograph out of a drawer. A picture of Rachel inhappier times. PARSONS I'm sorry. I will never forgivemyself for what happened to you. Not as long as I live. (breaking down) I miss you so much. He sits there, staring at his dead daughter. Grieving. WE PULL BACK to see he is not alone. Rachel is watchinghim. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - NIGHT The WIND has really PICKED UP now. A massive LIGHTNING BOLT streaks the sky, officially announcing the storm's onset. A POLICE CRUISER pulls up to the guard gate. 93. INT. WOODWARD SURVEILLANCE BOOTH PAN OFF the bank of monitors TO the same two guards we'veseen before. Playing yet another bored card game. The LIGHT RAPPING on their glass door makes them look up. GUARD #1 Help you? TWO OFFICERS stand there. We recognize one of them: OFFICER TURLINGTON We're here on Miranda Grey detail. The Guards shake their heads, chuckle. GUARD #1 Sixth floor. You can get a couplechairs from the nurses up there. A pretty decent cup of joe too. OFFICER TURLINGTON Thanks, guys. The Guard points at the bank of monitors. GUARD #1 Although why the Sheriff is makingyou fellas waste your time isbeside me. We got her right here. She ain't going no place. ON MONITOR Miranda inside her pristine white cell. Restlesslypacing. OFFICER TURLINGTON Looks perfectly harmless, doesn'tshe? GUARD #1 Don't they all, Officer, don'tthey all? The men share a chuckle over that one when suddenlyTHUNDER CRACKLES and the power goes out. No monitors, no radio, no nothing. Pitch black. GUARD #1 Shit. There goes the card game. Abruptly there's a SERIES OF sharp CLICKS as FOURFLASHLIGHTS come alive. 94. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL The THUNDER outside RATTLES the WINDOW PANE. The onlylight source being the intermittent LIGHTNING as theSTORM RAGES. She paces in the dark. Sits. Waits. INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - STAIRS - SAME TIME The two cops use their flashlights to hustle up the stairs. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL - SAME TIME Miranda holds her breath, listens. And sure enough, somebody else is in the room. She looks around. MIRANDA No. No. What do you want -- ? And now LIGHTNING streaks the room and we see Rachel in the corner. Staring with her dead eyes. Moving towardsher. MIRANDA I've done everything you've asked me to. My life is ruined. I can't take this anymore. I can't... (faintly) You have to step into the light, Rachel. You don't belong here - you don't belong... But it doesn't work. Rachel keeps walking towards her. Miranda backs up against the wall. Trapped. Fighting tears - MIRANDA Into the light - (loudly) Can somebody come in here? I need help. Somebody, please! INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - DIFFERENT FLOOR - STAIRS SAME TIME The cops reach the landing where we see other flashlightsdown the corridor. They walk towards them. IRENE And who are you? (CONTINUED) 95. CONTINUED: OFFICER TURLINGTON Officer Turlington, ma'am. We're supposed to sit outside MirandaGrey's cell all night. IRENE Knock yourself out. Next floor up. (loudly) It's only a power outage, ladies-- let's call it an early night. The cops head down the corridor. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL - SAME TIME Rachel stretches out her arm to Miranda's face - MIRANDA Please don't. Why are you doingthis? It's over. Over and done! Rachel slowly shakes her head, places her hands onMiranda's eyes and shuts them - FLASH CUT TO: MIRANDA'S VISION - ANDREA WHITE in her school uniform. Staring straight ahead. Now the image is bathed in a red and blue light and we see herhalf-naked, bruised. Dead. FLASH CUT TO: JENNY DIXON staring AT us in her school uniform. Now abruptly she isa hellish vision: opening her mouth in agony, alsobathed in the strange red and blue light - END OF MIRANDA'S VISION. INT. MIRANDA'S NEW CELL - CONTINUOUS ACTION Miranda screams at the visions. Rachel holds her steady. MIRANDA Stop it! I don't want to see this! I can't help you anymore! Stop it! (CONTINUED) 96. CONTINUED: Now a heavy RATTLING makes her turn to the door. One of the HINGES has SHATTERED and the latch itself is half- pulled from the doorframe. Relentless POUNDING on the other side. MIRANDA Let me out of here! Let me out! There's a deafening SOUND like a thousand bells ringingat once and Miranda covers her ears - Outside WE HEAR MURMURS, YELLS, INSTRUCTIONS - INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - CORRIDOR The cops arrive to find every door in the corridor flung open. Confused patients spill out as guards and nursestry to restore order. RADIOS SQUAWK, flashlights beamand FOOTSTEPS fill the dark corridor as patients try to escape. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - VARIOUS SHOTS - NIGHT FIRE ENGINES and PATROL CARS arrive at the scene, SIRENS blazing. Sheriff Ryan and additional deputies rush fromtheir cars to contain the breakout. A large SPOTLIGHTcomes to life. We spot Jenna making a run for the gardenwall when the spotlight hits her. Two officers rush after her. INT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE Sheriff Ryan makes his way through the mayhem, past Irenehelping a patient, past nurse Claire cowering in a corner - SHERIFF RYAN Christ Almighty. Sheriff Ryan hits the stairs. INT. SIXTH FLOOR CORRIDOR Officer Turlington runs down the corridor, searchingfrantically with his flashlight - EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - NIGHT A car pulls up at the scene. Pete and Parsons step out. (CONTINUED) 97. CONTINUED: PETE Miranda... Pete rushes up the steps - INT. SIXTH FLOOR CORRIDOR Officer Turlington looks inside Miranda's cell. Empty. And as he is about to speak into his walkie he spots her: Seated by the elevator. Holding a biting block inShelley's mouth as her seizing subsides. OFFICER (into radio) Sheriff? I have Miss Grey righthere. He flashes his light at her. Miranda looks back blankly. OFFICER TURLINGTON Sorry, we thought you might havemade a run for it. MIRANDA Page Irene ASAP. This patientneeds her meds. Turlington nods. Miranda looks down at a gratefulShelley, whose head is cradled in her lap. Brushes the matted hair off her face. Carefully removes the bitingblock, making sure Shelley is alright. SHELLEY (after a beat) You're gonna get that Pulitzerafter all. MIRANDA Shh, shh, just rest. SHELLEY (sotto, smiling) I told you I could keep a secret. INT. REC ROOM - LATER The patients are all assembled here. Flashlights galore. Irene and Consuelo do head counts. Guards, officers, janitors -- everybody. Irene points a finger at Jenna. (CONTINUED) 98. CONTINUED: IRENE You have really disappointed metonight, Jenna - JENNA Give me a break. You wouldn't respect me if I hadn't tried - Parsons breaks away from Turlington, heads over to Peteand Miranda - PETE Everybody accounted for? PARSONS We're doing the final count. Now they can't find the Sheriff. Miranda scans the near-dark room, looking for someone. Watches Turlington step aside to take a call on hisradio. Parsons regards her with newfound respect: PARSONS Are you alright, Miranda? MIRANDA Fine, Phil. Thanks for asking. Suddenly all the policemen in the room begin to exit - PETE What's going on, Officer? OFFICER TURLINGTON One of your patients is holdingthe Sheriff at gunpoint. She's in the cafeteria. Pete glances at Miranda. She knows exactly who it is: MIRANDA Chloe. Turlington is about to exit when Parsons stops him: PARSONS I think Doctor Grey should be theone to talk to her. INT. CAFETERIA - MOMENTS LATER The DOOR CRASHES open and Chloe shoves the Sheriffinside. She has a gun pressed hard against his ear. (CONTINUED) 99. CONTINUED: SHERIFF RYAN Young lady, I don't know how youthink you can get out of here, but - CHLOE You're very polite for a piggy. Now take off your uniform. Sheriff Ryan hesitates. Chloe presses the gun againsthim. CHLOE Do it quick. I won't make fun of you. The sound of the UPSTAIRS DOOR BEING THROWN OPEN makes her glance up. She trains her flashlight at the secondlevel, stepping behind the Sheriff to use him as cover. CHLOE Nobody better fucking move upthere or I'll blow this piggy'shead off! Her FLASHLIGHT BEAM searches the section. Catches the reflection of a police shield hiding behind a table. CHLOE That means you, fucko. Up on yourfeet or I'll start by shooting hisear off. A beat. Officer Turlington rises. Slow and deliberate. CHLOE (to Sheriff, sotto) Tell junior the grownups aretalking now and he's not allowedin here. Do it. SHERIFF RYAN Turlington, it's alright. I can -- I'm just going to - CHLOE The grownups are talking. Don't paraphrase me. SHERIFF RYAN The grownups are -- are talking now. Just leave. (CONTINUED) 100. CONTINUED: A voice startles Chloe from behind, at floor level. MIRANDA Chloe? Can I talk to you? Chloe flicks the flashlight to see Miranda by the door. CHLOE Dreadful timing, I'm real busy. MIRANDA You have to let him go. I'm sorry. Chloe flinches at that. Like all this multitasking isaffecting her. She digs the gun deeper into the Sheriff'sneck, making him cower to his knees, execution style - CHLOE Look -- let's not confuse things. I like you. But this is my onlychance. (to Sheriff) Now take off that goddamn uniformbefore I get really pissed. The Sheriff glances at Miranda. Miranda nods. The Sheriff begins unbuttoning his shirt - MIRANDA What are you going to do? Put on his uniform and walk out of here? Think about it, Chloe. They knowyou have him. The place iscrawling with cops. CHLOE What are my options? To grow oldin this place? It's clear they willnever let me go. Never. Ever. MIRANDA That's not true. You have less than a year left here. CHLOE That's a lie! I'll never stopbeing sick, they'll just findsomething new that's wrong with me. No wonder you doctors can'thelp anyone -- all you have aredeficit columns and stupid testsdesigned to point out what part ofthe puzzle you think we're missing! (CONTINUED) 101. CONTINUED: She starts sobbing. Letting everything go - MIRANDA You're right, doctors neverconcentrate on the things patientsare actually capable of. But I know you, Chloe, you've beenthrough things that most peopledon't survive. And you have awonderful future in front of youif you choose it. It's up to you. This gets through to Chloe. Her grip loosens on the gun. MIRANDA No more guilt, no more hatred, nomore unbearable sadness. You have no use for any of that anymore. Your life begins this very second. CHLOE I'm so tired. So goddamn tired - Miranda walks over and embraces her. Chloe hands her the gun. And that's when the power returns. Miranda and Chloe frozen in their embrace. Sheriff Ryanon his knees. In the sudden, shocking glare of returninglight, color abruptly re-enters the world and everyRADIO, PHONE, FAN and MACHINE that were left on HUM TO LIFE. Miranda finds herself staring at Sheriff Ryan, bathed inthe glow of the flashing red and blue lights from thecruisers outside. The image a replica of the AndreaWhite and Jenny Dixon visions. Peeking from his half-unbuttoned shirt is the beginningof a chest TATTOO. Miranda slowly trains the gun on theSheriff, finally struck with the realization: MIRANDA It was you, wasn't it? SHERIFF RYAN What are you talking about? She opens his shirt to reveal the tattoo: a 1950s pinup- style WOMAN SURROUNDED BY FLAMES, ARMS RAISED, SHACKLED. Anima Sola. Miranda's recurring vision from the night ofthe slaughter. (CONTINUED) 102. CONTINUED: MIRANDA 'Not alone.' That's what Rachel has been trying to tell me allalong. Doug was not alone. You were with him. This whole time it's been you. You covered uptheir deaths to look like suicides. The Sheriff throws his jacket on, starts walking - SHERIFF RYAN You've lost your mind. MIRANDA Don't fucking move. The CLICK! of a SAFETY being released makes him pause. He turns to look at her. A tense beat. PETE (O.S.) Miranda, don't do it! She glances at Pete's pleading face and the room aroundher: cops everywhere. All guns trained on her. Sheriff Ryan speaks low so only she can hear thefollowing: SHERIFF RYAN And just exactly who would believeyou? No proof, no living witness. Everybody knows you're crazy. Miranda's finger itches on the trigger as they face off. Her hand starts to shake. Sheriff Ryan turns and stridesoff. Getting away. Further. Further... But as much as she wants to, she can't bring herself todo it. Finally brings the gun down. The armed policemenrush over and disarm her, shove her to the floor and cuff her. SHERIFF RYAN I want that woman in custody. She has a judge to face in the morning. EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - NIGHT (HEAVY RAIN) Turlington escorts a cuffed Miranda to a waiting cruiser. He jumps behind the wheel and starts to pull out whenPete suddenly taps on Miranda's window, startling her - (CONTINUED) 103. CONTINUED: PETE I'll call your lawyer and -- ! OFFICER TURLINGTON Sir, not now - PETE I'll meet you at the station! She shakes her head. Mouths something Pete can't make out. OFFICER TURLINGTON Sir, please - PETE What? Turlington hits the gas. Miranda presses her faceagainst the window so only Pete can see her say thefollowing: MIRANDA The girl in the hospital. Pete locks eyes with her, nods -- as the cruiser leaves. INT. JACKSON HOSPITAL - RECOVERING ROOM - NIGHT Tracy Seaver lies unconscious, hooked up to a series ofmachines. PULL BACK to find Pete with a young DOCTOR. DOCTOR Her condition remains the same. Basically that ventilator iskeeping her alive. We have no reason to think she'll ever wake up. I'm sorry. Pete nods, disconcerted. Stares at the girl. PETE You mind if I stay here tonight? DOCTOR Hey, it's a big place. The more the merrier. If I can just askyou to wait outside. INT. WAITING AREA The Doctor gestures for Pete to make himself comfortable. (CONTINUED) 104. CONTINUED: HOSPITAL LOUDSPEAKER (V.O.) Dr. Brooks to ER. Dr. Brooks - DOCTOR That's me. Excuse me. The Doctor rushes off. INT. RECOVERY ROOM #2 Like Tracy Seaver, Simon Reynolds is hooked up to a bunchof machines and cables. Suddenly his EYES SHOOT OPEN andthe CARDIAC ALARM SQUEALS - Two NURSES rush in. The young Doctor right behind. NURSE #1 V-tach. The EKG whipsaws. The Doctor feels for a pulse, then slapson the defibrillator pads, places the paddles on the chest - DOCTOR Clear! He begins chest compressions on Simon's heart. He spasmsviolently once, twice -- And then it stops. The Doctor and Nurses stare at the monitor. Flatline. Unseen by them, Rachel steps out of the room. EXT. COUNTY POLICE STATION - NIGHT WE SEE Turlington and two other COPS climb in a patrolcar and drive off. WE MOVE INSIDE the empty station... INT. SHERIFF RYAN'S OFFICE Sheriff Ryan takes a healthy chug from a fifth of Scotch, slips it back in a drawer. Stares at his hands. Steady asa rock. Takes a deep breath. Knows what he must do next. A religious man despite everything, he brings his thumbto his forehead and crosses himself. INT. COUNTY STATION - HOLDING CELL - MOMENTS LATER Miranda's eyes snap open at the SOUND OF DEADBOLTSSLIDING UNLOCKED. Hopeful. Could this be Rachel? (CONTINUED) 105. CONTINUED: A looming figure appears at the door. Doesn’t bother to shut it. Stares at her silently for a long while. And so begins a claustrophobic cat and mouse game: SHERIFF RYAN How did you know? MIRANDA You tell me. SHERIFF RYAN This isn't one of your wordassociation games, Doctor. Did Douglas tell you that night? MIRANDA Why wait this long if he had? SHERIFF RYAN Maybe it's your amnesia. Maybeyou blocked it out. MIRANDA Maybe. But it seems to me that it's vital you know for sure. He studies her. Takes a step towards her. Miranda responds by stepping back. A slow motion semicircle, if you will. She eyes the open door. Tempted. SHERIFF RYAN You think me and Doug are monsters. That this was all a carefully laid out plan with thosegirls. But it wasn't that at all. You do things sometimes and you'renot sure why you did them. Then you realize you can live with themand so can everyone else. Life goes on. MIRANDA If you're looking for forgiveness, you came to the wrong place. She's stalling, trying to keep him talking and he knowsit. SHERIFF RYAN One thing about fear is it makespeople say the dumbest things. (CONTINUED) 106. CONTINUED: MIRANDA Be that as it may, you're afraidtoo -- because you know killing mewon't solve your problems. SHERIFF RYAN My only problem is you. MIRANDA What about Parsons? And Peter? They know. And that girl in thehospital will never forget yourface. You miscalculated, now you pay. Patience tested, he suddenly WHACKS her across the face. SHERIFF RYAN I hate a bad bluffer. She makes a big effort to hide how much that stung. MIRANDA I sure hope that felt good becauseyou can't afford too many moresigns of struggle. Can you? SHERIFF RYAN Go ahead, hit me back. It's what you want. MIRANDA No, that's what you want me to do. SHERIFF RYAN Back to profiling, huh? Your thought process is completely transparent. And now Miranda briefly takes the reins of theconversation. Analyst and patient in session. Echoingher opening scene with Chloe. MIRANDA So we're even. You left that door open so I'd try and run, it's whatyou get off on, isn't it? SHERIFF RYAN I guess we'll find out. (CONTINUED) 107. CONTINUED: MIRANDA And yet you have to make me looklike a suicide. With what, yourbelt? (off his shrug) How would I get access to a belt? SHERIFF RYAN Trust me, prisoners hang themselveswith just about anything. MIRANDA I don't think that's going tosatisfy you. You won't be able to do this clean. You have too much guilt inside. SMACK! Another slap across the face. Miranda's knees buckle. But she remains standing. Her lip trembles. MIRANDA You're losing grasp of thesituation. It was different with those girls. I bet all they didwas cry and scream. SHERIFF RYAN Don't worry, you'll scream. (after a beat) Take off your shirt. This throws her off. She shoots a quick glance at thedoor. MIRANDA Aren't I a little old for you? SHERIFF RYAN Take it off. She hesitates. He draws his gun, tired. Removes the safety. MIRANDA That's for show. You know youcan't shoot me. SHERIFF RYAN But I can smash your teeth out andmake it look like you bashed yourhead against the wall. Now shut up, take off your goddamn shirtand pull off your bra. (CONTINUED) 108. CONTINUED: Miranda is petrified now. Running out of ways to hideit. SHERIFF RYAN Today, Doctor. In a sudden move, Miranda shoves the chair at him and bolts out the door. The Sheriff doesn't move to stopher. INT. HALLWAY TO CELL AREA - CONTINUOUS ACTION Miranda dashes down the hallway, trying to escape. Takes quick inventory of the space: two more holding cellslike her own, a row of filing cabinets, and a storagearea with barred windows. She makes a turn up ahead andreaches another gate down the corridor. A sliding gatethat closes off the cell area from the main station. She tries the gate. Locked, naturally. She shakes and bangs on it, desperate. MIRANDA TURLINGTON!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!! No response. And no way to disguise the sheer panic inher voice. She fell for his trap. They're all alonehere. INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - SAME TIME Ryan smiles at that. Re-holsters his weapon and walkstowards her, taking his time. Relishing the hunt. SHERIFF RYAN Doug mentioned you were painfully'modest.' But enough about you, let's discuss Rachel. INT. HALLWAY TO CELL AREA - CONTINUOUS ACTION Now Miranda searches for a place to hide. His FOOTSTEPS GETTING CLOSER - SHERIFF RYAN (O.S.) She was no crippled saint. Wasn't the first time she turned up atDoug's house all messed up. 109. ANOTHER ANGLE Sheriff Ryan peeks down the corridor where we last sawMiranda. The gate still locked. She's not there. He traces her steps, clearly enjoying this: SHERIFF RYAN Sure she was a minor, but she wasn't going to let that get inher way. INT. STORAGE AREA - SAME TIME Miranda is cramped underneath an upturned desk. The SHOT is FRAMED so we can see the doorway. She prays silently: MIRANDA (sotto) Rachel, where are you when I needyou? Clearly not here. Sheriff Ryan's voice getting closer: SHERIFF RYAN (O.S.) Those other girls -- make nomistake -- they knew what theywere getting into. He appears at the doorway now, peeks inside the room. Sensing her in there. Miranda holds her breath. SHERIFF RYAN I'm not saying they knew they weregoing to die, but truth is, Doug andI didn't know it was going to end that way. It was just the natural extensionof that moment. So yeah, we fuckedthem and we killed them. And we knew it was wrong. Sure we did. He reaches the upturned desk and flips it over with aCLANGING SOUND. Miranda wasn't underneath that one. She scrambles to the door behind him as he turns - INT. HALLWAY TO CELL AREA - CONTINUOUS ACTION She slams the door shut on his fingers and fumbles toslide the deadbolt behind her when the door suddenlySMASHES OPEN against her, knocking her backwards onto thefloor - He looms over her. She reaches around for anything todefend herself. Nothing there. Game over - (CONTINUED) 110. CONTINUED: SHERIFF RYAN It wasn't some satanic pact, society didn't make us do it. But I believe given the propercircumstances a person is capableof anything -- certainly in myline of work you see it day in, day out. (beat) Tell you what, keep the shirt. The bra will do. Miranda stares, helpless. The Sheriff gestures for herto begin. Like he has all the time in the world. Miranda slides up the wall and starts to unclasp her braunder her shirt. Petrified - SHERIFF RYAN Chin up, Doctor. You wanted to get to the bottom of this and youdid. You followed it all the waythrough. This is how it ends. His demeanor and voice are eerily calm, as if in a trance. He takes the bra from her hand and hangs itaround her neck, as if helping somebody with their tie. She takes a step back and finds herself pinned againstthe wall - SHERIFF RYAN Doug settled down once you two gotmarried. New start and all that. Wanted nothing to do with thisrunaway I'd found, Tracy Seaver - He squeezes the bra tightly around her throat, chokingher. She stares straight into his eyes -- her wholebody simultaneously frozen in place and shakinguncontrollably - SHERIFF RYAN Or so he claimed. Because the truth, Doc -- is people neverchange. The son of a bitch couldn't resist. I asked him to dump the body and instead he wentfound some barn to work her out of his system some more. Go fuckingfigure. And now we PAN DOWN TO see Miranda's left hand ever so slowly reach for his holster... (CONTINUED) 111. CONTINUED: SHERIFF RYAN You can't count on anyone, evenfriends you've had your wholelife. They're so close together their noses nearly touch. He gazes into her eyes, watching life drain out of her. He applies one final burst of pressure, stretching her skinto the point of no return - SHERIFF RYAN The only soul you can ever counton is yourself - BLAM! A GUNSHOT rings out and half his ear explodes in agush of blood. He stumbles back, still on his feet, dazed. He looks up at Miranda with the gun trained on him. Struggling to catch her breath. A faint smile forms on his lips, somehow appreciative of this turn of events. SHERIFF RYAN Why, Doctor. That was unexpected. He steps forward, almost playfully. She slowly shakesher head. Wraps her fingers tightly around thetrigger - SHERIFF RYAN You sure about this? He stares at her. Blood flowing from the side of hishead. He's now standing directly in front of Miranda'sopen cell, weighing his options at triple speed - SHERIFF RYAN You need me alive for your storyto stick. Be logical now. You know you can't kill me. He takes exactly half a step forward when Miranda drillsa BULLET through his forehead. Sheriff Ryan splaysbackwards and lands with a crash. MIRANDA Logic is overrated. INT. HOSPITAL - WAITING ROOM - NIGHT The door to Tracy's room is closed. WE FIND Pete where we left him, by the soda machine, fighting to stay awake. (CONTINUED) 112. CONTINUED: MOVING TOWARD him, we COME TO REST ON the back of his neck. So TIGHT we can actually see the hairs on the backof his neck. And as he feels the SWOOSH of a cold whisper, they stand up on their ends. Pete turns to Tracy's room to notice that the door is now open. Strange. He stands up and walks to the door. INT. RECOVERY ROOM #1 Pete looks oddly around the room. PETE Anybody in here -- ? As he turns, we REVEAL Rachel slipping out of the room. Unseen by him, of course. Pete starts to exit when Tracyopens her eyes. Groggily waking as if from a dream. TRACY SEAVER Hello -- ? EXT. COUNTY POLICE STATION - NIGHT Turlington comes out of his cruiser, carrying a bag oftake-out food. Chatting with his colleagues. INT. HALLWAY TO SHERIFF RYAN'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Turlington raps on the Sheriff's door and opens it. OFFICER TURLINGTON Sheriff Ryan? No sight of the man. That's odd. Maybe he's in thebathroom. Turlington heads in that direction. INT. MEN'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Turlington peeks in. checks the stalls. OFFICER TURLINGTON Sheriff? Nobody. He notices the back window is open becauseraindrops are blown in by the wind. He looks out to the parking lot for a moment before shutting it. 113. INT. POLICE STATION - CORRIDOR The FRONT DESK OFFICER is trying to hold back a grim Pete, Parsons and Teddy Howard from heading to the back area. FRONT DESK OFFICER I'm sorry, but nobody is allowedto visit at this hour - PETE Is the Sheriff here or isn't he? OFFICER TURLINGTON (reaching the scene) Help you, gentlemen? PETE We're here to see Miranda Grey. OFFICER TURLINGTON You know full well you're notallowed to see - Teddy Howard slaps an official-looking document on him. TEDDY HOWARD That's straight from JudgeWilkinson. Take us to her cell. FRONT DESK OFFICER Better get the Sheriff out here. Turlington looks over the paperwork, confused. OFFICER TURLINGTON Sheriff Ryan isn't here. His car is gone too. PARSONS Officer, unlock the goddamn doorto Miranda's cell or I'll break it down myself. Turlington is not used to being spoken to this way, certainly not by upstanding directors of psychiatricinstitutes. He leads the men down the corridor and unlocks the cell. The men wait as all three locks are dutifully undone and then the heavy door is slid open. The men look inside and instantly stop in their tracks. INT. HOLDING CELL Sheriff Ryan, splayed. Very dead. (CONTINUED) 114. CONTINUED: OFFICER TURLINGTON Jesus H. Christ. Teddy Howard has to look away. Pete places his hand onParsons' shoulder. Parsons simply glares at the deadman, eyes filled with hatred. No sign of Miranda anywhere. Vanished. Like Houdini. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - DAY CAMERA SOARS THROUGH the tall gates, PAST the guard, PASTthe sprinklers watering the impressive gardens. A TAXICAB pulls up. SUPERIMPOSE: SIX MONTHS LATER A healthier, much happier-looking Chloe shakes Pete'shand at the front steps. Small suitcase by her side. CHLOE Thank you for everything, Dr. Graham. I'll never forget allyou've done for me. PETE It's been my pleasure, MissMcGrath. Good luck out there. Chloe smiles. Awkward. Her first day out in the realworld. CHLOE Well, I guess this is it. I hopenot to see you again unless it'sfor coffee or something. PETE Hey, you never know. It's a small world, unless you have to clean it. Chloe picks up her bag, climbs down the steps to her cab. Stops midway, turns: CHLOE You don't have to tell me if youdon't want to, but -- have youever heard anything from -- ? Pete shakes his head. Chloe nods, climbs inside the cab. Pete waves as it drives off. Then he pulls out a postcardfrom his pocket. It has a New York City postmark. 115. INSERT - POSTCARD MIRANDA (V.O.) Dear Pete. Hope this finds you onboth feet, preferably having beenpromoted to director after Phil'sretirement. Not that you had muchcompetition, but a big hug to youanyway... I was as surprised asanyone to read about SheriffRyan's suicide and the startlingdiscovery that it was he whomurdered my late husband. I wish I could personally thank certainpeople for their convincingtestimonies in the case. NEWSPAPER HEADLINES fly AT us under her V.O.: A) "Female doctor still at large, wanted forquestioning," with a picture of Miranda underneath. B) "Guilt-ridden serial killer killed accomplice, thenkilled self: Female Doctor cleared on charges." Pictures of Sheriff Ryan and Douglas Grey side by side. C) "Authorities close case on dual serial killers: community mourns murdered daughters." A picture ofOfficer Turlington, Pete, and Phil Parsons at a pressconference. MIRANDA (V.O.) As for myself, I have a new namenow and a job working with teenagegirls at a runaway shelter, tryingto keep an open mind at thehorrors they tell me... EXT. CEMETERY - DAY BOOM DOWN TO a young woman kneeling down to set flowerson a grave and we recognize her as Tracy Seaver. Shockingly cleaned up and properly attired -- she's even cute. MIRANDA (V.O.) Which reminds me: Consuelo the Cuban witch is a keeper, don'tfire her. She knows things aboutthe world you and I don't. (CONTINUED) 116. CONTINUED: PULL BACK to see the gave is Rachel's, and it ispositively overflowing with flowers. She's become something of a cause celeb in these parts. Tracy walksback to the retired couple holding hands, Phil andDorothy Parsons. MIRANDA (V.O.) Well, gotta run now, I have somecountry songs to write and lots ofsocial invites to decline... STILL PULLING BACK THROUGH the lush cemetery, PASTseveral trees until we find Rachel watching the serene scene. She turns TO CAMERA now and we PUSH INTO her eyes, finally at peace, until it FILLS the SCREEN and init we see... EXT. BLEEKER STREET (NYC) - DAY Miranda walking among the throng of pedestrians. She looks confident, relaxed, down to earth. No longer thetightly wound professional at the beginning of our story. MIRANDA (V.O.) P.S. And in case you're wonderingwhat the chances are of me buyingyou a beer and maybe finishingsomething we almost started, theanswer is: it's just not going tohappen. Especially not atMcSorley's next Friday night. Sayaround nine. So you probablyshouldn't bother showing up. All my love, M.G. She turns at the light and gets lost in the crowd. FADE OUT. THE END