Pilot
A WolfStar Au: Murder House
Chapter one: Pilot
1978, Los Angeles, California
A house, with stone walls and a mossy finish, a black picket fence. There’s a little boy,
Two boys, Fabian and Gideon
A rock swung, crashing into the second floor window causing a crash. Fabian and Gideon, walk into the manor swinging and throwing their baseball bats with nails.
“You’re going to die in there” the little boy suddenly spoke. “Oh shut it bird-brain” “Yeah shut your blowhole”
The two boys walked into the home, swinging, crashing, breaking windows. The two boys decided to split up, Gideon walked into the basement, He flashed his flashlight giving the basement a yellow-ish glow. “Uh.. Fabian” He said, finding a dead rodent. He took a look up, turning around and flashing his light. “Gideon-“ His brother looked at him, drenched in blood. He let out a gut wrenching scream. He turned around to find he indeed.. was trapped, something came dashing toward him.
Gone.
2011, Los Angeles, California
Doctors Office.
The sound of running water. Then a tray comes up with several instruments. A stainless steel speculum, a large syringe with needle, cotton swabs, cotton balls, rubber gloves. The water stops and the hands of Dr. Day He towels them off, and pulls on the gloves. “Are your periods regular again?” Dr Day asked. He messes with the instruments as a woman speaks. It’s Hope Lupin. “Pretty much. Every other month.” “I’m not complaining. After all of
that blood.” Mrs Lupin had a miscarriage. “Lyall hates blood” “How are you two doing?” He asked, “Are you guys having trouble?” “A little”
Back at Brownstone..
Hope comes back home with groceries. and goes into the kitchen. And starts unloading. Along with the food is a little pharmacy bag. She pulls out her pills and creams, looks at them, thinks, then hears a noise from upstairs. A piece of furniture being moved? Her eyes go wide. Then, the sound again, longer, louder. She’s terrified and dials the phone. 911.
“911 operator, what is your emergency?” “There’s someone in my house.”
“Are you sure it’s not a member of your family?” “No. My son is at school and my
husband is at work. I think someone is robbing us. Someone robbed the brownstone next door two weeks ago. What do I do?” “We’re sending a patrol car.” She hears a thought -- like a body hitting the floor. She hangs up and grabs a knife and starts heading upstairs with the gleaming knife at her side. More sounds. Hope slowly makes her way to the door, takes a deep breath and creak! it opened. Her face, the blood rushing out of it. “Oh shit.” A girls voice says. Hope backs out into the hallway, almost goes over the railing. She’s going to throw up. Before she can, her husband, Lyall comes out, “Hope....” He goes to hug her. She instinctively slashes at him with the knife. It scrapes his arm. Both of them look at the small, yet real wound, shocked. She dropped the knife. He takes her in his arms and keeps repeating with hysteria... “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry...” She lets him hold her for a beat, then breaks away in tears and runs down the stairs.
The Next Day.
The Lupin family in their red car, onto their new home in Los Angeles county. An old stone home, some may say it looks strange, odd, haunted maybe?
Lyall is driving. Hope in the passenger seat, staring out the window. Their sixteen year old son, Remus is in the back with their six month old dog, Hallie. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Lyall ask’s Hope “The light is different out here from Boston, Feels like I can see more. I thought it was supposed to be all foggy” From the backseat. There’s Remus Lupin, “I need to go to the bathroom” Lyall quickly interferes “It’s just a little while longer” “I need to go” Remus insists “Where would you like me to pull over son? The bay or the pacific?” “Bet if the baby substitute had to shit you’d find somewhere.” “I don’t like that word remus,” Hope added. “Thirteen hundred people have jumped
off of this thing -- at least that’s what they think. They didn't see them all and they stopped counting right before a thousand. I looked it up. Twenty six of them survived. You know what all of them said was their first thought after they stepped off?” Remus looked at his mom. No comment, only a stare. “Oh shit” Remus said. His mother's discomfort made him grin again. “Kind of how I feel about this move.. I’m not going to like the school. San Francisco is filled with hippies and freaks and drug addicts.” “I’m glad we named you Remus
instead of our second choice.” Lyall says “Which was?” “Sunshine” They all kind of crack up. A fleeting moment of family togetherness. Lyall shares a smile with his wife, then reaches out his hand to hold hers, but she pulls it away.
They pull into the driveway. Everyone takes a good look -- it’s looking better than it did the last time they saw it. New paint, shutters, gutters. There’s a for sale sign on the lawn. All three of them take it in as they come to a stop. “This is it..” Lyall says taking it in Hope is unsure. Remus is intrigued. marcy the realtor greets them from the front porch with a wave.
Marcy shows them around. The foyer is epic, beautiful, soaring ceilings and a grand staircase. “It’s the finest Queen Anne on the
market. Venetian chandeliers, original moldings. The stained glass is some of the only of its kind that survived the great quake. As you can see the previous owners really loved the place like a child. They restored everything.” Marcy says take a look around. “Gay?” Hope asked “Sweetheart, it’s San Francisco, they’re all gay.” Light laughter. Except from Remus, who rolls his eyes. Lyall sees this and fights a laugh. They head into the kitchen. It’s beautiful. Looks original except with all of the modern bells and whistles. “Do you cook?” Marcy asked “Hope is a great cook. I got her cooking lessons a few years ago for her birthday and she ended up teaching the teacher a few things.” “Cooking lessons. Romantic. You’re a psychiatrist?” “Psychologist. You said something on the phone about there being a study upstairs that I could use as a home office? I’m planning on seeing patients here so I can spend more time with the family.” “How refreshing.” Hope shakes her head. Hallie sniffs around, pees in a corner, then senses something. Then explores and suddenly starts barking like crazy. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Remus is staring out the window at the backyard. “Remus, will you go see what’s
going on with Hallie?” Hope asked. Remus storms out. Teenagers. In the hallway Remus finds Hallie, barking madly at the basement door. “Shut up!” She won’t. Remus looks at the door. It’s bolted shut. Old school bolted. Two heavy bolts and two huge padlocks. Someone doesn’t want to let anyone in -- or maybe out. Remus wiggles the doorknob, trying to pry it open. From the bottom of the steps. if you were there you’d feel something watching the door move, the knob jiggle. you’d hear it’s raspy breathing. Remus tries the door a few more times, then yanks on the locks. No luck. He stares at the door, oddly drawn to it. Marcy shows Hope and Lyall the beautiful gothic library. “This is my favorite room in the
house” Marcy says “When I saw the pictures of this room online I thought maybe you could use it as your music room.” Lyall says to Hope trying. “You’re a musician?” “I was.” “She’s a cellist. She played in the Boston philharmonic.”
She heads over to the wall. Something isn’t right. “Why did you quit?” Marcy asked There’s an answer, but we’re not going to get it. “This wallpaper is coming off.” She goes to the wall, grabs a tiny peeling of seagrass wallpaper and gently pulls it off. It opens a small window to the original wall no bigger than a couple of postage stamps. “I think there’s a mural under here.” Hope says “The last owners must have covered it up. They were modernists. Speaking of the last owners, full disclosure requires me to tell you about what happened to them.” “Oh God, one of them didn’t die here, did they?” “Yes, actually. Both of them. Murder suicide. I sold them the house, too. Just the sweetest couple. You never know, I guess.” “So that’s why it’s half the price of every other house in the neighborhood’’ Lyall adds “I have a very nice painted lady not too far from here but you’re going to get a third of the house for twice the price if you go that way.” Hope and Lyall aren’t sure. Remus comes in carrying Hallie. “Where did it happen?” Remus asked “The basement..” Another beat. Remus grins. “We’ll take it.”
As movers finish bringing the last boxes in, Marcy pulls the in escrow sign off of the for sale sign and replaces it with one that says sold. Lyall comes out of the bathroom in his pajamas, happy. Hope is still unpacking, there are boxes everywhere. He comes in behind her, kisses her, she gently moves away. “Come to bed, we’ll finish this in the morning.” Lyall said “I’m worried about Remus.. he’s right about kids being different out here. He can’t handle another year of not fitting in.” “You mean you can’t.. I treat kids like Remus every day. In three months he’ll have lost all of the dark eye circles and combat boots and be walking around in Birkenstocks with unshaven pits smelling like patchouli.” She laughs. He takes her in his arms. “It doesn’t freak you out at all?
What happened here?” “My repulsion is tempered by the fact that this house is worth four times what we paid for it.” “But it’s not like some old lady died in here. A murder-suicide. Give me the creeps just thinking about it.” “So don’t think about it.” “That’s your professional advice, doctor?” “No place is perfect. No place and no person. All I know is that for the first time in months I feel at home somewhere. Moving here, buying this house was the right thing to do for our family. It’s a good thing and frankly, we deserve some good after all the shit we’ve been through.. sorry” She nods, not sure, but desperate to trust him. He kisses her. Another fleeting moment, this one of marital bliss, but she can’t sustain it. She pulls away, leaves him to go do more unpacking.
School Courtyard.
Remus walks through the commons, smoking. He surveys the scene -- a few kids reliving their grandparents’ Haight Ashbury fashion mistakes but most are unmemorable. Upper middle class high school in an upscale urban neighborhood. He passes three pretty girls -- seniors dressed like they’re twenty-five -- talking up some boys -- Leah, Becca and Abby. And overhears their conversation. “So I let him.” Leah says “Do coke off of your nipples?” Becca interrupts “They were numb for like two days.” They all crack up. Remus tries to disappear into his sweater as he passes. “Hey! Student council passed a rule
against smoking in public spaces.” Leah shouts as the girls step in front of him. “Second hand smoke kills.” Becca adds. Remus puts the cigarette out. “I didn’t know. i’m new” Remus nervously smashes the bud of the cigarette on a planter. Leah flips. “What the hell is the matter with you? People sit here. They eat here.” “You don’t know me. Why are you doing this?” “Leah’s grandma died of lung cancer. She takes this stuff pretty seriously.” Becca adds. Leah holds the bud out to Remus. “Eat it. Eat it. Or I’m going to kick the shit out of you.” “Come on, Leah, it’s enough.” Abby says reconsidering. “No, I want to see him eat it.” She grabs Remus’s face. “Seriously, Leah, he’s like twelve.” Leah starts trying to shove the cigarette into Remus’s mouth, but Remus resists, then instinctively spits in Leah’s face. That stuns everyone. Abby and Becca can’t help but laugh. Then.. Remus takes off running. “You’re dead! DEAD!” Leah says, calling after him.
Home: Music Room
Hope drops the needle on an old record player. Classical cello plays as she sets out her instruments -- a large bowl of water, scraping tool, small knife. Slowly and carefully, she starts removing the old wallpaper. As she does, the Goya-Esque Mural and begins to reveal itself. She can’t quite make out the first image. until she pulls off one more sliver or paper to see a women, her face bent in pain, her body twisted and tortured. Hope stares at the image, transfixed and disturbed when suddenly a hand touches her shoulder. She jumps out of her skin, turns, sees a small boy with jet black hair, and a woman in her forties. “You’re going to die in here.” The little boy says. “Regulus!” The older women shouts and enters from the kitchen carrying a box. the older women is a chain smoker, and she sounds like it too. “Regulus. I put that “Dora the Explorer” on for you so you would sit and watch it.” “It was “Go Diego Go.” I don’t like it.” “cartoon characters, you can’t tell the difference?” Hope doesn’t know what to make of this. Finally “Hi. Hi. I’m Walburga your neighbor, the tear down next door. This is my boy Regulus Go home Regulus. Now!” Regulus storms out. “That boy is a monster. I love him and I’m a good Christian but Jesus H.. Christ, if they’d invented some of those tests a few years earlier...” “How did you get in my house?” Hope asked very confused “You left your back door open, though I have to warn you Regulus seems to always find a way in. He’s got a bug up his ass for this place, always has. You got a dog?” “Yes. Is that a problem?” “Better for me. I run a little kennel out of my house. Doggy day care kind of thing. Don’t bother calling the cops on me, I’m in with one of the city managers and he always looks the other way.” “Look, it’s very nice to meet you but I wasn’t really prepared for company.” “I’m gone. Brought this for you, housewarming. Regulus wanted to cook you a pie but he tends to spit in the cooking so I figured this was better and should help you get rid of some of the bad ju-ju.” She hands Hope the box. “Those homosexual boys were nice enough and I say live and let live, but I can’t help but think that that lifestyle drove them to do what they did… I can’t remember your name.” “ I didn’t tell you. I’m Hope.. Lupin” “Anyway, enjoy, relax, let me know if you need help with your pup. Glad you’re getting rid of that wallpaper. Thought those people were supposed to be stylish.” She exits. Hope can’t help but laugh a little at their oddity. She shakes her head, opens the box to see a tightly wound bunch of sage.. Then through the window she sees Walburga walking back to her house. “It’s Sage. For cleansing the spirits in the house. Too many bad memories in there.” Hope moves through the house, the burning sage bundle in her hand. She’s not sure if she buys this whole cleansing the spirits thing, but she’s committing. She moves into an upstairs hallway. She hasn’t spent much time in this part of the house yet. It’s barely decorated and there are even a few empty boxes stacked at the dead end. Suddenly, the flame in the sage bundle is blown out. Odd. She looks up for the source and discovers a draft coming from a trap door from the attic. She puts down the sage, pulls over a chair. Standing on it, she pulls the drawstring. The attic looking down on Hope The door opens and stairs extend into the hallway. Common in these old houses. She climbs in. Darkness, silence. Her eyes adjust. Miraculously, she finds a light cord, pulls it.
The single bulb turns on and she’s standing face to face with a rubber man. Lyall is on the bed, reading when he hears his wife scream. Lyall rushes up the stairs, finds hope sitting on some stacks of old newspapers. “What happened? Are you okay?” She points to the rubber man; he's actually just a large rubber suit known as a rubber asphyxiation suit hanging from a hook. The suit is black, covers the entire body and has a mask with two small eye holes and two tiny breathing straws that can be pinched to temporarily suffocate the wearer. “Guess those guys were into the kinky stuff… Should I try it on?” “Stop it. It’s not funny.” But they laugh. Then Remus peeks his head in. “What happened.. Holy shit” “Get it out of here.” Later that night Lyall tossed the suit in the garage.
A therapy session. Lyall’s diploma from Yale; psychiatric books he has written. “These fantasies started two years ago, three years ago...?” “Two years.” A male voice says Lyall, very calm and professional in his shrink chair. “Is there a structure to the thoughts...a pattern..” “It’s always the same, it starts the
same way..” “How?” “I prepare for the noble war.” Sirius Black...17, handsome, charismatic as hell...he could be a cult leader or a movie star. “I get a taste for the bloodletting...and I pack up my weapons of mass destruction.”
In Remus bedroom
Remus neatly unpacks razor blades, raises one, examines it.
Meanwhile back in the therapy room
“Guns?” Lyall asked “Obviously” “And then..?” A flashback strikes Sirius' eyes.. A high school, crowded hallways. wearing a trench coat and holding a duffel bag. “I’m walking through the halls, I’m calm, I have the secret, I know what’s coming and I know no one can stop me, including myself.” Says still talking to Lyall ``Do you target people who have been mean to you? Unkind?” “No. I kill people I like.” In the hall, a sweet innocent 16 year old girl smiles at him. He smiles back. “Do you feel sympathy?..” “No i’m helping them”
He walks into a classroom typical algebra classroom “Can i help you?” the teacher asked “No” He raises the gun, and shoots the teacher. She instantly goes down. Sirius looks at the shocked students, who are paralyzed. He starts roaming the aisles and just shooting. “Some of them beg for their life, but I don’t feel sad, I don’t feel anything. It's a filthy world we live in, a filthy goddamn helpless world, and honestly? I feel I’m taking them away from all the shit and piss and vomit that runs in the streets, you know? I’m helping to take them somewhere clean and silent and kind.” The entire classroom has been massacred, smeared. The sweet girl from the hallway wounded, but she’s not dead. He stops the gun. She raises her shaking hand, we gaping bullet holes. “Please..” He shoots her dead. “There’s something about the blood, man. All that blood. I drown in it.” Sirius is bounding down the stairwell, to escape. He hears something, stops turns. A torrent of blood A wall of it, races down the stairwell at him. He spreads his arms, to welcome it. It envelopes him, he is obliterated. Lyall shows no emotion and just writes sociopath on his notes. Sirius finally seems out of his flashback. “The Indians believed that blood holds all the bad spirits, they would cut themselves once a month in ceremonies, let the spirits go free. There’s something smart about that. Very smart. I like that.”
Back in Remus' Bedroom.
Remus cuts himself with the razor blade.He stares at the crimson gash on his arm with no emotion.
The Therapy Room
“Do you think I'm crazy?” “No. I think you’re creative, and I think you have a lot of pain you’re not dealing with.” “My mother’s worried about me.” “Yes..” “She’s a cocksucker. I mean,
literally, she’s a cocksucker. She sucked the guy off next door all the time, my dad found out, he left. He left me alone with a cocksucker, can you imagine? How sick is that?” Sirius for the first time shows vulnerability. “I’m not crazy, dude. Don’t you
I think it’s interesting. The idea of letting the bad blood out? The world is a filthy place. A goddamn horror show. So much pain. So much.``
Remus’s room.
Remus makes another cut. “You’re doing it wrong.” A male voice says. He whirls around, revealing Sirius Black. “If you’re trying to kill yourself, cut vertically. They can’t stitch that up.” “How did you get in here?” He freaked. “If you’re trying to kill yourself
you might also try locking the door.” Sirius leaves. Remus stares.
The next day.
Hope hangs bedsheets up on clothes lines, drying them. It’s peaceful, golden light, an easy breeze. A tall woman in her sixties comes around into the backyard. “Can I help you?” “I’m Moira O’Hara, I’m the housekeeper.” “I didn’t know the place came with one.” “Why are you hanging your sheets? Perfectly good electric dryer inside.” “I don’t like the chemicals in fabric softener and the organic ones don’t work. This is the only way to dry them without static clinging.” Moira’s impressed. “I work Monday through Thursday. Four hundred a week. If you have a dinner party and you want me to serve or straighten up, it’s extra. Thanksgiving on, Christmas off. That was the deal with the last fellows.” “I’m sorry, I’m just not sure if we need a maid” “What have you been using to clean the floorboards?” “Murphy’s oil soap…” “No. White Vinegar. Oil soap kills the wood. Have you ever owned a house this old?” “No.” “It has a personality, feelings. Mistreat it and you will regret it. Trust me, madam, you need me.” “May I come in? My cab’s left and I'd like to call another.”
Hope brings Moria tea, “You worked for the previous owners?” “And the housekeeper has been here for years. They come, they go, I stay. My husband has been ill for some time so I’m the breadwinner. They were both nice boys, the ones before you. I found the bodies..” “What happened? I mean, I hate to gossip.” “I don’t know. They fought a lot. Money I think. Who can know when something so horrible happens? Sometimes people just go mad. I cleaned the mess. You’d never know.” Lyall enters the room. “Lyall, this is Moira O’Hara, she’s the last owner’s housekeeper.. Well, actually she’s been working here for years.”
Moira turns to greet Lyall. To Lyall Monica is a beautiful young woman, At most twenty five years old. “Nice to meet you, Moira.” They shake hands. Moira smiles, There’s the sound of a cat horn. “That’s my cab. I’ll use the
lavatory first if you don’t mind.” “What do you think?” “Wait.. you want to hire her?” “She’s a bit of a character but she’s also the first person I’ve met since we moved here that I actually like.” “How long has she been working here?” “I don’t know exactly. The point is that she knows the house, she seems honest and I could use the help.” Lyall is baffled. She smiles as Moira comes back in. Hope talks to her so Moira is old again. “Can you start tomorrow “Thursday’s better but I’ll make it
work.” She nods to both of them. They both see different Moira’s and leaves. “What?” Hope days noticing something off about her husband. “Nothing. You just always surprise
me.” She likes that. He kisses her. Things get passionate. She so wants to give in, but can’t. She pulls away. “You know, you’re going to have to forgive me one day.” He’s hurt, and leaves. She shakes her head, disappointed in herself. How long does she have to hold on to this?
Basement.
Tight on bolt-cutters slicing through the locks. Lyall and Remus enter to investigate. There’s really nothing here now but dust and an odd piece of unloved furniture. “Crap” Remus says “What?” “This is where those dudes killed
themselves, right? I thought maybe we’d find a body or something.” Lyall looks at him, laughs. So does he. He puts his arms around his shoulders. Brightly “Okay! I’ve really enjoyed this father-son bonding time.” He leaves. Remus takes a beat, then follows.
Late afternoon
Hope carefully works the wallpaper off the wall. The mural is becoming more clear. A woman is dragged into hell by a grinning demon. A beautiful maiden is splayed out on a bed with a monster sitting on her chest. She tries not to take the images in, she has a job to do. The rubber man appears in the doorway behind her. Someone has put on the suit. He slowly moves towards her from within the mask, his breathing He’s almost upon her. She’s oblivious, Jesus fucking Christ, turn around! Finally, she does..
“Remus! Can you take Hallie out?” She shouts. He’s gone. Nothing. She senses something odd, but then brushes it off, goes back to her work.
Lyalls home office.
Sirius is in session, Remus spies through a partially cracked door. “Are you taking the medications?” “Yes” He is aware of Remus, he turns and looks at him. He takes in a little gasp, he’s so handsome. “Thoughts of suicide?” “Not lately. I met somebody..” Sirius looks at Remus, eyes locked
Post session. Music by The Smiths plays. Sirius and Remus sit on the floor, their sleeves rolled up. He’s showing him his cutting scars. “This one I did when my dad first left. I was ten I think..” “This one a year later. New school.
Got beat up.” Remus shows him his most recent cutting. “Last week, first day at my new
school which sucks.” “Westfield?” “Yep..” “The worst. I got thrown out of there.” “I hate it here. I hate everyone. All their bougie designer bullshit, the east coast was much cooler. At least we had weather.” Remus says looking back on his days living in Boston “I love it when the leaves change.” “Me too” They stare at each other, wildly attracted. “Why’d you move here?” Sirius asked oddly curious “My dad had an affair. My mom literally caught him in the act.” “That’s horrible. If you love someone you should never cheat on them, or leave them. Never.” Remus nodded “Right? I know. And the worst part is that six months earlier my mom had, like, this brutal miscarriage. The baby was seven months old, so we had to have this macabre funeral.” Remus lets out a dry laugh “I’m sorry.” He takes his hand. He’s thrown at being touched. “Why are you seeing my dad?” Remus said his eyebrows raised “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to. You’re smarter than that.” He nods, it’s true. He looks down at his hand, he feels self-conscious. The song ends on his iPod player. “Do you like Craven?” “I’ve never heard” He gets up to play them. “It’s a new band.. They’re really cool, they’re from Oregon, the lead singer is dyslexic and a vegan...” He turns. Sirius has left the room.
The kitchen.
Regulus sits quietly with his mother, looking intensely at Hallie, who is eating her dinner in a corner. Hope and Lyall sit across from them. Hope leans in, intense. “I want you to stay out of my house, do you understand?” “Can i smoke in here?” Hopes head snaps toward Walburga “No… Regulus, answer me please.” “Can i pet your dog” “No. I want you to stop coming into my house and opening things and telling me I’m going to die.” “He said that?” “He says that to everybody. Regulus, say you’re sorry” Walburga says “No. I didn’t do anything wrong. They did it.” “Who?” “The mischief twins..” Walburga takes a beat, this lands. She quickly covers by twirling her finger around her ear, the universal symbol for crazy. Hope snaps. She takes Regulus’s face in her hands and focuses him “Regulus, listen to me. I want you to stop coming in my house without permission, am I clear?” “Hope..” Lyall says “I’m I clear?” “Yes..” Regulus says quietly “Thank you..” She releases her. Regulus goes to the door to leave, but then suddenly races over to pet the dog. Hallie, eating and territorial, bites her. “Hallie!” “Are you okay?” Hope says frantically. Regulus stands there for a beat, her face darkens. “She shouldn’t of done that.” She leaves. Walburga quietly gets up, heads for the door. “Sorry about all this.. Touch my kid again, I’ll break your goddamned arm.” and leaves.
School Courtyard.
Remus, smoking, minds his business when he’s shoved from behind. He stumbles, and drops his cigarette. And turns to see Leah and her bitch friends. “I told you not to smoke out here” Remus stands tall.. Which he is? a whopping 6,2 but still can seem too small to people. “What’s your problem bitch?” “He just called me a bitch.” “Sounded like bitch” “Seriously. Mommy drinks too much? Daddy loves your brother more? I’m not scared of you.” “You should be” Staredown. Then Remus sees it: a twitch in Leah’s face. Remus might not be scared, but Leah is. Remus charges at her, grabs Leah around the waist linebacker style and drives her into the concrete. other students notice, and form a circle. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Remus gets two punches in before Abby and Becca attack. Three on one not very good odds for Remus. He gets the shit beaten out of him, but he still puts up a pretty good fight. Leah gets him down, punches through Remus’s raised hands. Remus reaches out, grabs his still lit cigarette from the ground and pushes it into Leah’s arm. Leah screams, and jumps off. Remus scurries to his feet. “He just freaking burned me!” Kids disperse, there are teachers coming. Remus sees them. And takes off.
Hope straightens up, hopeful for the first time in a long time. Remus tries to sneak by unseen, and fails. “What happened to your face?” “I fell down?” Hope stops him, and takes a good look. He’s a mess. “Sit down..” “I’m fine” “If you don’t clean those up properly they’ll get infected.” “Was it a girl or a boy?” “Girl, three of them” “Hope they look worse. You know their names?” “I’m not narcing..” Hope just keeps at the cuts and scrapes. Just a mother taking care of her son's boo-boos. “You want dad and I to look into switching schools? There are some good private schools in the area.” “I’m not running away, I’m not scared of them.” “You’re not scared of anything. When you were in kindergarten you had me come pick you up from a sleepover party because the other boys insisted on keeping a night light on.” Remus almost smiled “You got the short end of the stick with this one, kiddo. The move. Dad and I have been pretty hard to live with for a while now.” “I just don’t get why you guys won’t get divorced if you’re so miserable.” “We still live with each other” “Really? Could have fooled me. I thought you hated each other well, at least you hated him. I don’t blame you. He was a shithead… sorry ” “It’s all right.. he was a shithead” Shared smiles. Hope finishes up. Remus starts out, turns. “What are you scared of? You said I’m not scared of anything. But what scares you?”
“Everything.. That’s why we’re not getting a divorce. You’re dad’s the only one who keeps me from feeling afraid all the time.”
Remus gets it, and starts heading toward his room.
Remus is pacing, in a teenage rage. Sirius quietly watches as he spews. “I hate her. I want to kill her.” “Then do it. One less highschool bitch in the world making the lives of the less fortunate more tolerable is, in my opinion, a public service.” Sirius says, crossing his legs. Remus pauses, then laughs. He breaks his mood. He lights up a joint, inhales, and hands it to him. “No thanks. I like to stay pure.” “Why..” “I want to feel what I’m feeling.. Look, you want her to leave you alone? Stop making your life a living hell? Short of killing her, there’s only one solution: scare her. Make her afraid of you, that’s the only thing bullies react to.” “How?” Remus asked, deeply confused, “It’s simple. You simply walk up to
her and say-“
Westfield High School.
Leah is whirled around by a calm Remus. “Here’s the deal. I need you to stop harassing me. I’ve got what you want. Drugs. Come to my house tomorrow, get your free sample. I’m a dealer, and a good one. I’ve got the best shit in town.” Remus says, giving her a knowing look. Remus smiles darkly, and leaves. Leah is intrigued.
Remus’s room
“She’s a cokehead. I don’t have coke.” Remus says, shaking his head, “You won’t need it. That’s just an
excuse to get her here. She’ll leave empty handed and terrified and I promise you, you’ll never be bothered by her again.” “How am I gonna terrify her?” “That’s where i come in” He smiles. Remus laughs. It’s a plan.
A hand pushes open the gate. Leah.. who stops and stares at the house. From the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the door. The sounds of muffled talking. The locks being unlocked. The door opens. Remus and Leah look down from above. “What’s down there?” “My stash. My parents toss my room every week.” Leah’s not sure about the whole situation. Remus , playing it cool, starts down. “If you screwing with me right now..” Remus disappears down the stairs. Leah does not want to go down there. Remus reaches the bottom and turns around “It’s just a basement” and rolls his eyes. Fuck it. Leah comes down. following Remus “I found the best hiding place. This is great shit, too. A lot of the coke coming into the US from Central America is smuggled in on lobster boats in Gloucester. I used to have to bribe to one of the lobsterman in return for a key or two before they cut it.” They come around a corner, and find Sirius, sitting on a rusted meat freezer. “Who the hell are you” Leah asked “So this is the coke whore..” Leah looks eyes with Remus. She can see it in Remus’s face. things are about to get scary for her. She flees. Too slow. Sirius grabs her. “Get the lights!” Sirius yelled. Sirius’s yelling started slowly turning into manic laughing. “It’s enough Sirius” Remus says. Remus is bumped to the ground. The wind being knocked out of him. Leaks screams becoming more desperate. “Oh, God! Get it off of me! Please God get it off of me!” “What’s happening, Sirius it’s enough!” Violet fumbles for her cell phone as screams continue. Turns on his flashlight and searches for Leah with the phone. And finds her. There’s something on her attacking her. The thing turns. It’s the Infantata. It hisses at Remus.
Remus screams, shocked, the phone falls to the floor, he kicks his way to the wall. and turns on the light. Nothing is here now. It all happened in milli-seconds.
Leah scampers to her feet. Her face is slashed. Claw marks.. She runs up the stairs, out of the house. “
“I don’t think she’ll be bothering you anymore.” Sirius walks up to Remus, but he backs away. “What was that? Something was on her. What did you put on her?”
“What are you talking about? She kneed me in the balls and got away. She must have run into a wall or something.” “I saw something. With my phone. It
was like a monster or something.” “You’re talking crazy. Remus, this is cool. We just showed that bitch.” “Get out. I don’t want to see you again.” Sirius tries to hug Remus. He backs away, and Remus moves up, never taking his eyes off of him. He's going “I thought you weren’t afraid of anything. the stairs, to cry.” He doesn’t like this guy anymore. He trips backing up the stairs, corrects his footing and runs out. Sirius is still with a devilish grin on his face....
Doctors Office.
“Agitation, difficulty sleeping...anything else?” Dr Fleming asked, “A little trouble sleeping, yes.” “Any hallucinations?” “I’m sorry?” “The medication you are on can sometimes cause hallucinations, euphoria…” “No, no hallucinations” “How long have you been taking it?” “A couple of weeks?” “Okay. Well we’ll do a blood panel, see what’s going on.” The doctor calms Hope, who nods. Everything’s going to be okay.
School Commons Area
Remus enters school. Abby and Becca surround him. “What did you do to Leah?” Remus is ready to rumble. “I didn't do anything?” “Bullshit. Something happened to her at your house.” Remus tenses his fist. It’s about to go down. “So..?” “So it was awesome! She totally
dropped out of school, you terrorized her! Great job.” The girls start laughing “I thought you guys were her friends.?” “We hung out with her because her
parents were always away so we could party at her house.” “Killer pool..” “She was a total bitch” “Hard core!” “Anyway. We’re hitting up The Bagel
after school. It’s a pretty cool deli down in the Mission if you want to come. A lot of the kids from here go there.” “Serious dude age” “Sounds all right. Should I meet
you?” “No, I got my dad’s car. We'll be out front at three.” Remus nods. The girls head off. as they are leaving “You think I could pull off that Taylor Momsen black eye shadow thing?” Becca asked. Remus takes it all in, smiles. Holy crap.. He has friends. Little do they know he’s a fucking queer.
Lyall stretches. Ready for a run. and senses something. He covertly turns. Spies the burnt man in a car, lurking.., then Lyall starts his run. The car pulls out, following him. Lyall runs into Golden Gate Park. The Burnt Man follows. Parks. and continues on foot. He’s slow, but he cuts through the trees to keep up.
Lyall speeds up. The Burnt Man now. Out of breath. Searching for Lyall. He’s lost him, then. Lyall grabs him. Spins him around violently. “Who are you? Why are you following me?!” The Burnt Man cowers.
“Please. Your family is in danger. Lyall calms. and backs off. After a while.There’s a bench underneath the Bridge. Lyall sits beside the Burnt Man. He gets a good look at him now his face is mangled, so are his hands. Burns that severe can’t heal. The Burnt Man notices Lyall’s hand. “What happened to your hand?” “What happened to your face?” “It’s not just my face. Seventy
percent of my body. You don’t survive something like that and this was the sixties.” “I’m Larry Harvey, and you have to get out of that house.” “I could have you arrested, you know? Peeking in peoples’ windows is a crime -- even in San Francisco.” “They’re not going to put me back in jail. I have brain cancer, terminal and inoperable.” “I’m sorry” “Don’t be. That’s the only reason they let me out. Homicide. Triple homicide. San Quentin for forty-two-years without a cold then two months ago they diagnosed me with these tumors in my head. Some people would call that fate.” “God gave you cancer so you could get out of prison and tell me to move?” “Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve seen stranger things.” “Sounds more like a man who is searching for a chance at redemption for the awful things he’s done.” Larry chuckles. There’s no redemption for him. He pauses, then looks at Lyall directly. “I made it six months in the house you live in now before I started hearing the voices. My wife thought I was working too hard. My daughter Angie -- she was six. The older one Margaret was ten.. Looked like her mother. Funny how
it skips a generation like that.” “Look, I get that you’re lonely and you’re struggling. Getting out of prison after all of those years. I’m sure…” “I killed them all” Lyall is shocked. A flashback strikes Larry’s eyes.”Larry is carrying a can of gasoline. Larry’s carrying it up the stairs. In a trance. “Loraine was ill that night. My
wife. She took a pill and went to bed early. I put the girls down. Then the voices started.” He enters his children’s room. And pours the gasoline. “They told me what to do. I was like an obedient child.” His face. His eyes are black. dead. He lights the match and tosses it. The flames illuminate the room. The flashback ends when Lyall looks at her still shocked, Larry is now crying. “I don’t know how I put myself out. I remember the night, but it’s like a movie. Have you been sleepwalking?” The question hit Lyall hard. “I’ve seen your family. Pretty wife. You seem like good people. If you don’t get out of that house you’re all going to die in there.” “There are some pretty serious side effects to brain tumors. People hallucinate, act strangely, invent whole worlds in their heads.” “Look up my case. Read the transcripts.” Lyall stands up “I’m a doctor. They might not put you back in jail but I could certainly get you committed to a state mental institution. Trust me, those places make prison look like Club Med. Leave my family alone.” Larry jumps up desperate. “Please. Please get out of there. That place is evil.” “Get off of me! I’m not kidding, leave us alone.” Lyall starts off but Larry calls after him. “You never answered me! what happened to your hand?” Lyall looks down at his hand. Fear plays across Lyall’s face before he jogs off -- speeding up as he goes.
Lyalls's home office.
A lock is picked. Remus, on a mission. He feverishly goes through a drawer, looking for a patient file. He finds Sirius and pulls it out; he runs up to his room and opens the file. Remus pours over the information. He is riveted by words her father has used to describe his patient. Sociopath...Murder fantasies...Violent.. Remus goes to search up his name on the web. and it reveals a flurry of headlines
“Student, 17, Kills Fifteen in San Francisco Bloodbath.”
“Shooter described as ‘Charming’ and ‘A Loner.’
There are several photos of grieving parents, and a school ID picture of Sirius. Finally, Remus gasps.
“Student Takes Own Life After High School Massacre.” The year of the shooting was 1994. Sirius died 17 years ago..
The Kitchen:
Lyall sits at the table, stunned, shaken. Hipe enters and comes up behind him, kisses him. It comforts him. He hides his burnt hand under the table. “What do you want for dinner?” “Whatever Remus wants” “Remus is out with some friends.” They share a look, Really? “What do you want?” “I’m kind of in the mood for Indian.” “You only like Indian food when
you’re pregnant.” She smiles, tears forming in her eyes. He’s stunned. “Really?” She nods, emotional. She’s pregnant. Her face opens up in a huge grin, the first time he’s seen her truly happy in a while. He bolts up, hugs her, kisses her. Finally, after all this effort, they’re back. Out of the kitchen. In the library. The rubber man appears, a jolt. Off his face,
That’s it for chapter one: Pilot, These take forever and i have to watch the show while making it so it’s going to take a while but i really like writing it for it might be quicker! Already started on chapter two! Thanks for reading all 7374 Words!