(FADE IN: INT. – Telesca Residence. Living Room. MARK TELESCA is hanging a painting of a family above the fireplace while his wife, ANNE, watches. The painted family consists of a father, looking down at his daughter, who is holding a doll. A mother sits by her two sons. On the table in the painting sits a straight razor.)
MARK: Okay, right about there. I think that’s it.
ANNE: (laughing) I can’t believe we actually bought this thing.
MARK: There’s a reason charity auctions have an open bar.
ANNE: Don’t you think—I don’t know, it’s kind of….creepy.
MARK: It’s okay. (He moves his hand slowly down her back as she laughs.) I’ll keep you safe.
ANNE: Maybe you’re the one I ought to be scared of. (They kiss passionately.) Let’s go upstairs.
MARK: Give me two minutes to lock up. (They kiss again.) Make that one minute. (She laughs and moves to the stairs. MARK stays and turns off the lights. While his back is turned, the father in the painting moves his head slightly. ANNE walks upstairs, and the man’s head turns again, just a bit. MARK walks to the front door. While he is locking it, he feels a presence in the air and looks around uncomfortably. Seeing nobody, he shuts off the rest of the lights.)
(CUT TO: Bedroom. ANNE comes out of the bathroom, wearing a nightgown and bathrobe. With a lit candle in her hand, she takes off her robe, sets the candle on the bedside table, and crawls into bed.)
(CUT TO: Living Room. MARK inputs a code into the alarm system by the front door.)
(CUT TO: Staircase. The audience watches from someone’s point of view as they walk up the stairs.)
(CUT TO: Bedroom.)
ANNE: If you don’t hurry up, I’m gonna start without you.
(CUT TO: Living Room. MARK walks to the stairs. As he passes the painting, the razor from the table is gone.)
(CUT TO: Bedroom. The door opens, and the shadow of someone entering is seen. The candle on the table blows out.)
(CUT TO: Staircase. MARK is walking up the stairs.)
(CUT TO: Bedroom. MARK enters and takes off his shirt and pants.)
MARK: Babe, get the lights. I can’t see a thing. (He bends down to kiss ANNE, but stops.) You smell somethin’? (He turns on a nearby lamp.) Anne? (ANNE is lying in bed, her throat slashed. She and the bed are completely covered in blood.) Anne! Anne! (He steps backwards and trips, falling to the floor. A shadow is seen looming over him. MARK looks up and screams. The screen goes black.)
(FADE IN: INT. – Bar. Night. DEAN is at the bar, putting the number of an attractive young woman into his cell phone.)
DEAN: All right, you’re in there. Perfect. Oh, is that Brandy with a “y” or an “i”? (Sitting at a nearby table, SAM is leafing through his father’s journal. He picks up a newspaper that is next to him, and notices the headline, “Couple’s Throats Slashed in Own Home”. He waves over to DEAN, who ignores him. SAM waves again, and DEAN rolls his eyes.) All right, listen, I gotta go. Hold that thought, I’ll be right back, okay? (He takes two beers and sits down at SAM’s table.)
SAM: All right, so, I think I got somethin’.
DEAN: Oh, yeah. Me, too. I think we need to take a little shore leave for just a little bit. What do you think, huh? I’m so in the door with this one. (He points to the girl at the bar, who is joined by her friend.)
SAM: So, what are we today, Dean? Are we rock stars? Are we army rangers?
DEAN: Reality TV scouts looking for people with special skills. (He and SAM laugh.) I mean, hey, it’s not that far off, right? By the way, she’s got a friend over there. I could probably hook you up, what do you think?
SAM: Dean, no thanks, I can get my own dates.
DEAN: Yeah, you can, but you don’t.
SAM: What is that supposed to mean?
DEAN: Nothin’. What do you got?
SAM: Mark and Anne Telesca of New Paltz, New York were both found dead in their home just a few days ago.
DEAN: Mmhmm. (While SAM is talking, DEAN continues to stare at the girls by the bar.)
SAM: Throats were slit, there were no prints, no murder weapons—Dean. (DEAN turns to look at him.) No prints, no murder weapons, all doors and windows were locked from the inside.
DEAN: Could just be a garden-variety murder, you know, not our department.
SAM: No, Dad says different.
DEAN: What do you mean?
SAM: Look. (He turns the journal to DEAN.) Dad noted three murders in the same area of upstate New York. (He points to some notes on the page.) First one, right here, 1912, the second one in 1945, and the third in 1970. The same M.O. as the Telescas—the throats were slit, the houses were locked from the inside. Now, so much time passed between the murders that nobody checked the pattern, except for Dad. He always kept his eyes peeled for another one.
DEAN: And now we got one.
SAM: Exactly.
DEAN: All right, I’m with ya. It’s worth checkin’ out. (SAM nods.) We can’t pick this up till the first thing, though, right?
SAM: (slightly confused) Yeah.
DEAN: Good. (He gets up and walks back over to the bar.)
SAM: Dean?
DEAN: Ladies, did you miss me?
WOMEN: Yeah. (DEAN laughs.)
DEAN: I’m just kidding. Listen, I talked to my producer, and, uh, it is lookin’ good. (SAM laughs as he watches DEAN.)
(CUT TO: EXT. – Telesca Residence. Day. DEAN is sitting in the passenger seat of the parked car, sleeping. SAM, who had just left the Telesca home, returns to the car and honks the horn loudly. DEAN jumps and wakes up. SAM laughs and gets in the car.)
DEAN: Man, that is so not cool.
SAM: I just swept the Telesca house with the EMF. It’s clean. And last night, while you were – (he rolls his eyes) – out….(DEAN smiles.)
DEAN: Good times.
SAM: I took the history of the house. No hauntings, no violent crimes, nothing strange about the Telescas themselves either.
DEAN: All right, so if it’s not the people and it’s not the house, then, uh….maybe it’s the contents—a cursed object or somethin’. (SAM shakes his head.)
SAM: The house is clean.
DEAN: Yeah, I know, you said that.
SAM: No, I mean, it’s empty. No furniture, nothin’.
DEAN: Where’s all their stuff?
(CUT TO: EXT. – Auction House. The camera pans across a few parked cars, which clearly belong to wealthier people, before stopping at DEAN’s rusty Impala.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Auction House. The owner, DANIEL BLAKE, is talking with an older woman. He sees DEAN and SAM enter and looks irritated. He excuses himself from the conversation and walks away. At another area of the room, DEAN and SAM are looking around at the items.)
DEAN: Silent auctions, estate sales—it’s like a garage sale for W.A.S.P.s, if you ask me. (He takes some food from a tray and puts it in his mouth as DANIEL approaches them.)
DANIEL: Can I help you, gentlemen? (They turn to face him.)
DEAN: (with his mouth full) I’d like some champagne, please. (DANIEL is offended.)
SAM: He’s not a waiter. (DEAN looks slightly embarrassed.) I’m Sam Connors. (He extends his hand to DANIEL, who looks at it but does not shake it. SAM, slightly thrown off, points to DEAN.) This is my brother, Dean. We are art dealers with Connors Limited.
DANIEL: You’re art dealers?
SAM: That’s right.
DANIEL: I’m Daniel Blake. This is my auction house. Now, gentlemen, this is a private showing, and I don’t remember seeing you on the guest list. (SAM looks as if he is about to talk, but DEAN speaks before him.)
DEAN: (still eating) We’re there, Chuckles. You just need to take another look. (SAM is shocked. A waiter carrying a tray of champagne passes them. DEAN takes a glass.) Oh, finally. (He turns to DANIEL and sniffs the champagne before walking away.)
SAM: Cheers. (Still frustrated, he follows DEAN.)
(CUT TO: Separate Area. DEAN and SAM continue to look around. After a few moments, they take notice of the painting from the Telesca home. They walk over to it and begin to observe it. A moment later, they hear a female voice, belonging to SARAH BLAKE.)
SARAH: A fine example of American primitive, wouldn’t you say? (They turn and see SARAH walking down the stairs, wearing an elegant black dress. SAM seems confused at her comment. DEAN hits him on the shoulder, obviously thinking she is attractive.)
SAM: Well, I’d say it’s more Grant Wood than Grandma Moses. (She looks at the ground bashfully.) But you knew that. You just wanted to see if I did.
SARAH: Guilty. And clumsy, I apologize. (While she and SAM are talking, DEAN takes more food off a passing tray.) I’m Sarah Blake. (She extends her hand, and SAM shakes it.)
SAM: I’m Sam. This is my—(he turns to see DEAN has his mouth full again) brother, Dean.
SARAH: Dean?
DEAN: Mm?
SARAH: Can we get you some more mini-quiche?
DEAN: Mm-mm, I’m good, thanks. (She turns back to SAM.)
SARAH: So, can I help you with something?
SAM: Yeah, actually. What can you tell us about the Telesca estate?
SARAH: The whole thing’s pretty grisly, if you ask me, selling your things this soon. But, Dad’s right about one thing. Sensationalism brings out the crowds—even the rich ones. (She and SAM share a smile.)
SAM: Is it possible to see the provenances? (SARAH is about to speak, but is interrupted by her father, who comes up behind them.)
DANIEL: I’m afraid there isn’t any chance of that.
SAM: Why not?
DANIEL: You’re not on the guest list. And I think it’s time to leave.
DEAN: Well, we don’t have to be told twice.
DANIEL: Apparently, you do.
SAM: Okay, it’s all right. We don’t want any trouble. We’ll go. (DEAN walks away. After sharing a sad look with SARAH, SAM follows him.)
SARAH: Dad, that was rude.
(CUT TO: EXT. – Motel. DEAN and SAM get their bags from the car and walk to the door.)
DEAN: Grant Wood? Grandma Moses? What?
SAM: Art history course. It’s good for meetin’ girls.
DEAN: It’s like I don’t even know you. (He opens the door.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Motel Room. DEAN and SAM enter and look around. The room is designed around a seventies theme. It is covered in disco-patterned wallpaper, and most of the furniture is chrome.)
DEAN and SAM: Huh. (They move to the beds, unfazed by the room, and begin unpacking their things.)
DEAN: What was it, the providence?
SAM: Provenance. (DEAN mouths the word, trying to pronounce it.) It’s a certificate of origin, like a biography, you know? We can use ‘em to check the history of the pieces, see if anything’s got a freaky past.
DEAN: Huh. Well, we’re not gettin’ anything out of Chuckles, but, uh, Sarah? (He smirks.)
SAM: Yeah. Maybe you can get her to write it all down on a cocktail napkin. (DEAN chuckles.)
DEAN: Not me.
SAM: Oh, no, no, no, no. Pickups are your thing, Dean.
DEAN: It wasn’t my butt she was checkin’ out.
SAM: In other words, you want me to use her to get information.
DEAN: Sometimes, you gotta take one for the team. (He holds out his cell phone to SAM.) Call her.
(CUT TO: INT. – Restaurant. SAM and SARAH are seated at a table, dressed in formal clothing. The atmosphere seems very uncomfortable.)
SAM: Nice place.
SARAH: Yeah. (They are silent as the waiter serves them glasses of water.) Glad you called. Surprised, but glad.
SAM: Yeah?
SARAH: Although you seemed to have trouble getting out the words, “Would you like to have dinner?” (SAM laughs.)
SAM: Yeah. I haven’t really been on a date in a while.
SARAH: Welcome to the club.
SAM: You’re kidding me. (SARAH shakes her head. The waiter returns to their table and hands them two menus.)
WAITER: Here we are.
SARAH: Thanks.
WAITER: (handing a smaller menu to SAM) The wine list. (SAM takes it and looks through it, without the slightest idea what he’s doing. SARAH is able to sense his awkwardness.)
SARAH: I don’t know about Romeo here, but I’ll have a beer. (SAM smiles.)
WAITER: (to SAM) And you?
>SAM: Make that two.
WAITER: Certainly.
(CUT TO: INT. – Restaurant. Later. SAM and SARAH have already had a few beers.)
SAM: So, you studied art in school, huh?
SARAH: It’s true. I was an artist—a terrible, terrible artist. (She laughs.) It’s why I’m in the auction business. And you were pre-law?
SAM: Yeah.
SARAH: But you didn’t go to law school. How come?
SAM: Uh, it’s a really long story for another time.
SARAH: You’re not like any art dealer I’ve ever met. (SAM looks at her but doesn’t say anything.)
SAM: So, what’d you mean when you said you hadn’t been on a date in a while? You tryin’ to make me feel like I’m not such a loser?
SARAH: I’m sure you’re many things, Sam. I’m also sure “loser” isn’t one of them. (He smiles, but she becomes serious.) It was my mom. She died about a year ago—totally unexpected. It really threw me. I went into this shell—a nice, warm, safe shell. But lately, I’ve been thinking. It’s not what she would have wanted for me, so….(She trails off for a moment.) So, what about you? You’re a reasonably attractive guy. (He laughs.)
SAM: Reasonably?
SARAH: Why haven’t you been out and about? (She waits for an answer. SAM’s smile fades, and he remains silent.) Another long story for another time? (He nods.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Motel Room. DEAN is sitting on the bed, sharpening a knife. SAM is sitting in a chair, researching.)
DEAN: So, she just handed the providences over to you?
SAM: (slightly annoyed) Provenances.
DEAN: Pro-provenances?
SAM: Yes. I went back to her place, I got a copy of the papers.
DEAN: And?
SAM: And nothing, that’s it. I left.
DEAN: You didn’t have to con her or do any special favors or anything?
SAM: Dean, would you get your mind out of the gutter, please? (DEAN laughs.)
DEAN: You know, when this whole thing is done, we could stick around for a little bit.
SAM: Why?
DEAN: So you can take her out again. It’s obvious you’re into her, even I can see that.
SAM: Hey, all right, I think I got somethin’ here. (DEAN comes over to look at the research. SAM hands him the provenances.)
DEAN: Portrait of Isaiah Merchant’s family painted in 1910.
SAM: Now, compare the names of the owners with Dad’s journal. (DEAN sits and reads the first name.)
DEAN: First purchased in 1912 to Peter Simms. (SAM points to something in the journal, and DEAN reads.) Peter Simms murdered in 1912. (He looks at the other papers.) Same thing in 1945. (He reads the last name.) Huh. Same thing in 1970.
SAM: Then stored until it was donated to a charity auction last month, where the Telescas bought it. So, what do you think, it’s haunted or cursed?
DEAN: Either way, it’s toast.
(CUT TO: EXT. – Auction House. Night. DEAN jumps over the gate, followed by SAM. Outside the front door, SAM takes apart the alarm system and disarms it.)
SAM: Go ahead. (DEAN unlocks the door, opens it, and they enter.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Auction House. DEAN and SAM look around, flashlights in hand. They do not see the painting at first. DEAN shines his light on the upper level of the auction house and sees the portrait. He and SAM hurry up the stairs. Once there, DEAN takes out a knife and cuts the painting out of its frame.)
(CUT TO: EXT. – Auction House. The painting is on the ground. DEAN lights a match.)
DEAN: Ugly-ass thing. If you ask me, we’re doin’ the art world a favor. (He throws the match onto the painting, and he and SAM watch it go up in flames.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Auction House. The painting regenerates itself in its frame. The screen goes black.)
(FADE IN: INT. – Motel Room. Morning. DEAN comes out of the bathroom, frantic.)
DEAN: We’ve got a problem, I can’t find my wallet.
SAM: How is that my problem?
DEAN: ‘Cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night.
SAM: You’re kidding, right?
DEAN: Yeah, it’s got my prints, my ID—well, my fake ID, anyway. We’ve gotta get it before somebody else finds it, come on. (He leaves.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Auction House. DEAN and SAM are looking around hurriedly.)
SAM: How do you lose your wallet, Dean? (DEAN shrugs. SARAH comes into the room and notices them.)
SARAH: Hey, guys. (SAM puts a piece of art down and tries to act nonchalant.)
SAM: Sarah! Hey.
SARAH: What are you doing here?
SAM: Uh, we—we’re leaving town, and you know, we came to say goodbye.
DEAN: Oh, what are you talkin’ about, Sam? We’re stickin’ around for at least another day or two. (SAM and SARAH are both slightly confused.) Oh, Sam, by the way, I wanted to give you that twenty bucks I owe you. (He takes out his wallet from his back pocket. SAM looks annoyed and frustrated.) I’m always forgettin’. (He laughs and pulls out a twenty dollar bill, trying to keep a straight face.) There ya go. (SAM, still annoyed by DEAN’s trick, takes the money.) Well, I’ll leave you two crazy kids alone. I gotta go do something….somewhere. (SARAH winks at him, and he leaves.)
SAM: (nervously) So….
SARAH: I had a good time last night.
SAM: Yeah. Yeah, I did, too.
SARAH: Maybe we should do it again sometime.
SAM: You know, I’d love to. I really would, but Dean—he was just screwin’ around. We really are takin’ off today.
SARAH: Oh. Well, that’s too bad. (SAM sees a worker carrying out the painting.)
SAM: Oh, my God!
SARAH: What?
SAM: Uh.…that painting….looks so good.
SARAH: If you can call that monstrosity good, then, yeah, I guess.
SAM: So, what do you know about that painting?
SARAH: Not much, just that it creeps me out. We sold it to the Telescas at a charity auction the night they were murdered.
SAM: Yeah, and now, you’re just gonna sell it again?
SARAH: As much as my dad wants to, no. I won’t let him. I think it’d be in bad taste.
SAM: Good. Yeah, you know what? Don’t, don’t, make sure you don’t, okay?
SARAH: Why? Don’t tell me you’re interested in that.
SAM: No, no, God, no, not in buying it, no. You know what? I gotta go, I’ve gotta take care of something. But I will call you back. I will call you. I’ll see you later.
SARAH: Wait, so, you’re not leaving tonight?
SAM: No, I guess not. See ya. (He leaves.)
SARAH: (to herself) Okay….
(CUT TO: EXT. – Auction House. DEAN and SAM get in the parked car.)
SAM: I don’t understand, Dean, we burned the damn thing.
DEAN: Yeah, thank you, Captain Obvious. All right, we just need to figure out another way to get rid of it. Any ideas?
SAM: Okay, all right, well, um….in almost all the lore about haunted paintings, it’s always the painting’s subject that haunts them.
DEAN: Yeah? All right, so, we need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family in that creepy-ass painting. What were their names again?
(CUT TO: INT. – Library. DEAN and SAM are talking with the librarian, who is speaking very quickly.)
LIBRARIAN: You said the Isaiah Merchant family, right?
SAM: Yeah, that’s right.
LIBRARIAN: I dug up every scrap of local history I could find. So, uh, are you boys crime buffs?
DEAN: Kind of. Why do you ask?
LIBRARIAN: Well….(he holds up a page from an old newspaper. The headline reads, “Father Slaughters Family, Kills Self”.)
DEAN: Yes. Yeah, that sounds about right.
SAM: The whole family was killed?
LIBRARIAN: It seems this Isaiah—he slits his kids’ throats, then his wife, then himself. Now, he was a barber by trade—used a straight razor.
SAM: Why’d he do it?
LIBRARIAN: Well, let’s look. (He begins reading the article.) Uh, “people who knew him described Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament and controlled his family with an iron fist.” Wife, two sons, adopted daughter—yeah, yeah—there were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave, which, of course, you know, in that day and age….so, instead, Old Man Isaiah—well, he gave them all a shave. (He makes a shaving gesture with his hand and laughs. DEAN chuckles, but SAM remains serious.)
DEAN: Does it say what happened to the bodies?
LIBRARIAN: It just says they were all cremated. (DEAN and SAM exchange an annoyed look.)
SAM: Anything else?
LIBRARIAN: Yeah. Actually, I found a picture of the family. It’s right here somewhere. (He opens another book to a certain page.) Right. Here it is. (The picture in the book is the same from the painting, except in the book’s photo, Isaiah is looking straight ahead. In the painting, he is looking down at his daughter. SAM seems to notice this.)
SAM: Hey, could we get a copy of this, please?
LIBRARIAN: Sure.
(CUT TO: INT. – Auction House. DANIEL BLAKE watches as two workers pack the painting in a box. SARAH comes up behind him.)
SARAH: Dad, you promised you wouldn’t sell that painting.
DANIEL: I know, sweetie, but Evelyn’s offered a persuasive amount of money.
SARAH: You’re shameless, you know that?
DANIEL: For that kind of money, I can afford to be. (He walks away.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Motel Room. DEAN and SAM are sitting at a table, talking.)
SAM: I’m telling you, man, I’m sure of it. Painting at the auction house, Dad is lookin’ down. Painting here, Dad’s lookin’ out. The painting has changed, Dean.
DEAN: All right, so, you think Daddy Dearest is trapped in the painting? He’s handin’ out Columbian neckties like he did with his family?
SAM: Yeah, it seems like it. But if his bones are already dusted, then how are we gonna stop him?
DEAN: (looking at the photo from the book) All right, well, if Isaiah’s position changed, maybe some other things in the painting changed as well. It could give us some clues.
SAM: What, like a DaVinci Code deal?
DEAN: I don’t know, I’m still waitin’ for the movie on that one. Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting. Which is a good thing because you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend. (He goes to lie down on the bed.)
SAM: Dude, enough already.
DEAN: What?
SAM: “What?” Ever since we got here, you’ve been tryin’ to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?
DEAN: Well, you like her, don’t you? (SAM says nothing.) All right, you like her, she likes you, you’re both consenting adults….
SAM: What’s the point, Dean? We’ll just leave. We always leave.
DEAN: Well, I’m not talkin’ about marriage, Sam.
SAM: You know what, I don’t get it. What do you care if I hook up?
DEAN: Because then maybe you wouldn’t be so cranky all the time. (SAM scoffs. DEAN sits up.) You know, seriously, Sam, this isn’t about just hookin’ up, okay? I mean, I think this Sarah girl could be good for you. And I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’m sure that this is about Jessica, right? (SAM looks at him sadly.) Now, I don’t know what it’s like to lose somebody like that, but….I would think that she would want you to be happy. (SAM is close to tears.) God forbid, have fun once in a while. Wouldn’t she? (SAM smiles faintly.)
SAM: Yeah, I know she would. (He sighs.) Yeah, you’re right. Part of this is about Jessica. But not the main part.
DEAN: What’s it about? (SAM says nothing.) Yeah, all right. (He leans back on the bed.) Well, we still gotta see that painting, which means you still gotta call Sarah, so….(SAM nods and sighs. He picks up his phone and dials her number.)
SAM: Sarah, hey. It’s Sam. (…) Hey, hi. Good, good, yeah, um, what about you? (…) Yeah, good, good, really good. (DEAN rolls his eyes.)
DEAN: Smooth.
SAM: So, listen, me and my brother were thinking that maybe we’d like to come back in and look at the painting again. I think maybe we are interested in buying it. (…) What? (…) Who’d you sell it to? (…) Sarah, I need an address right now.
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. Night. Evelyn, an older woman, is sitting in her living room, reading a book. Above her fireplace hangs the painting of the Merchant family. While she is reading, Isaiah’s head moves very slightly. A moment later, Evelyn sets her book down, takes off her reading glasses, and picks up a cup of tea. While she is drinking, the audience can see a shadow moving across the room, razor in hand, in the reflection of Evelyn’s glasses. Evelyn sits in silence for a moment. She feels someone next to her. She looks up and screams, and the screen goes black.)
(FADE IN: EXT. – Mansion. DEAN and SAM pull up and get out of the car. SARAH is standing by her own car.)
SARAH: Sam, what’s happening?
SAM: I told you, you shouldn’t have come. (The three of them run up the front steps.)
DEAN: Hello? Anybody home?
SARAH: You said Evelyn might be in danger. What kind of danger?
DEAN: I can’t knock this sucker down. I gotta pick it. (He begins picking the lock on the front door. SARAH walks over to SAM, who is trying unsuccessfully to open the windows.)
SARAH: What are you guys, burglars?
SAM: I wish it was that simple. (DEAN gets the door open.) Look, you really should wait in the car, it’s for your own good. (He and DEAN enter the house.)
SARAH: The hell I will, Evelyn’s a friend. (She follows them inside.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. The three of them enter the living room.)
SARAH: Evelyn?
DEAN: Evelyn? (They see Evelyn seated in her chair and move cautiously towards her. The painting over her fireplace has resumed its usual position. Isaiah is now looking down at his daughter.)
SARAH: Evelyn? Evelyn? (They move closer to the chair.) It’s Sarah Blake. Are you all right? (She puts her hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.)
SAM: Sarah, don’t. Sarah! (Evelyn’s head tilts back, revealing her slashed throat. SARAH screams and looks at the painting. Isaiah is now looking straight ahead.)
SARAH: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! (SAM takes her out of the room.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Motel Room. DEAN is sitting at the laptop while SAM is pacing. There is a knock at the door. SAM answers it.)
SAM: Hey. (SARAH enters.) You all right?
SARAH: No, actually. I just lied to the cops and told them I went to Evelyn’s alone and found her like that.
SAM: Thank you.
SARAH: Don’t thank me. I’m about to call ‘em right back if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on. Who’s killing these people? (SAM and DEAN exchange a look.)
SAM: What.
SARAH: What?
SAM: It’s not who, it’s what is killing these people. (SARAH shakes her head, obviously confused.) Sarah, you saw that painting move.
SARAH: No. No, I was seeing things. It’s impossible.
DEAN: Yeah, well, welcome to our world.
SAM: Sarah, I know this sounds crazy, but we think that that painting is haunted. (Tears form in her eyes.)
SARAH: You’re joking. (SAM says nothing.) You’re not joking. God, the guys I go out with.
SAM: Sarah, think about it—Evelyn, the Telescas. They both had the painting, and there have been others before that. Wherever this thing goes, people die, and we’re just tryin’ to stop it. And that’s the truth. (SARAH sighs.)
SARAH: Well, then, I guess you better show me. I’m coming with you.
SAM: What? No. Sarah, no, you should just go home. This stuff can get dangerous, and—(He stops. DEAN watches, understanding.)—and I don’t want you to get hurt.
SARAH: Look, you guys are probably crazy, but if you’re right about this—well, me and my dad sold that painting, we might have got these people killed. I’m not saying I’m not scared, ‘cause I am scared as hell, but I’m not gonna run and hide, either. (She walks to the door.) So, are we going or what? (She leaves.)
DEAN: Sam? (SAM turns to look at him.) Marry that girl.
(CUT TO: EXT. – Mansion. SARAH waits as DEAN and SAM get the front door open.)
SARAH: Uh, isn’t this a crime scene?
DEAN: Well, you’ve already lied to the cops. What’s another infraction? (He breaks the police seal on the door.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. Living Room. SAM takes the painting down from the wall and leans it against a chair. He and DEAN begin to observe it.)
SARAH: Aren’t you worried that it’s gonna, you know, kill us?
SAM: No, it seems to do its thing at night. I think we’re all right in daylight. (DEAN is comparing the real painting with the photo from the library book.)
DEAN: Sam, check it out. (He hands the photo to SAM.) The razor—it’s closed in this one, but it’s open in that one.
SARAH: What are you guys looking for?
DEAN: Well, if the spirit’s changing aspects of the painting, maybe it’s doing so for a reason.
SAM: Hey, look at this—the painting in the painting. (In the photo from the library book, Isaiah is standing in front of a painting of mountains. In the real painting, he is standing in front of a picture of a building.)
DEAN: Looks like a crypt or a mausoleum or something. (DEAN grabs an ashtray from a nearby table and holds it up to the painting. Inscribed on the building in the painting is a name.) Merchant.
(CUT TO: Cemetery. The three of them are walking around.)
DEAN: That’s the third bone yard we’ve checked. I think this ghost is jerkin’ us around.
SARAH: So, this is what you guys do for a living?
SAM: Not exactly. We don’t get paid.
SARAH: Well, Mazel Tov. (DEAN notices the building.)
DEAN: Over there. (They walk over to the mausoleum.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mausoleum. DEAN, SAM, and SARAH enter the cobweb-covered chamber. The walls are lined with urns. SARAH walks over to a glass case preserving a doll.)
SARAH: Okay, that right there is the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen.
SAM: It was sort of a tradition at the time. Whenever a child died, sometimes they’d preserve the kid’s favorite toy in a glass case right next to the headstone in a crypt.
DEAN: You notice anything strange here?
SARAH: Uh, where do I start?
DEAN: No, that’s not what I mean. Look at the urns.
SAM: Yeah, there are only four.
DEAN: Yeah, Mom and the three kids. Daddy Dearest isn’t here.
SAM: So, where is he?
(CUT TO: EXT. – Police Department. SARAH and SAM are waiting outside for DEAN.)
SARAH: So, what exactly is your brother doing in there?
SAM: Searching county death certificates, trying to find out what happened to Isaiah’s body.
SARAH: How’d he even get in the door?
SAM: Lying and subterfuge, mostly. (They laugh.) You have a, um—you have an eyelash on your….(She touches her eye.) No, uh, no. (They laugh again.) Do you mind if I….?
SARAH: No.
SAM: Okay. (He removes the eyelash from her eye and holds it out on his finger.) Make a wish. (She smiles and blows the eyelash off his finger.)
SARAH: Sam, can I ask you something?
SAM: Yeah, sure.
SARAH: I don’t mean to be forward, but a girl can wait here forever. (They laugh.) Is there something here, between us, or am I delusional?
SAM: You’re not delusional.
SARAH: But, there’s a “but” coming.
SAM: But….I don’t think this would be a good idea.
SARAH: Can I ask why?
SAM: ‘Cause I like you. (She shakes her head.)
SARAH: Wait….you lost me. (She laughs.)
SAM: Look it’s hard to explain....it’s just that when people are around me….I don’t know, they get hurt.
SARAH: What do you mean?
SAM: I mean, like, physically hurt. With what my brother and I do, it’s—(He stops, seeming to have trouble with the words.)—Sarah….I had a girlfriend. (She nods.) And she died. And my mom died, too. I don’t know, it’s like….it’s like I’m cursed or something—like death just follows me around. Look, I’m not scared of much, but if I let myself have feelings for anybody—
SARAH: You’re scared they’d get hurt, too. (SAM nods.) That’s very sweet. And very archaic.
SAM: Sorry?
SARAH: Look, I’m a big girl, Sam. It’s not your job to make decisions for me. There’s always a chance of getting hurt.
SAM: I’m not talkin’ about a broken heart and a tub of Haagen-Dazs. I’m talkin’ about life and death.
SARAH: And tomorrow, I could get hit by a bus. That’s what life is. Look, I know losing somebody you love—it’s terrible. You shut yourself off, believe me, I know. But when you shut out pain, you shut out everything else, too.
SAM: Look, Sarah, you don’t understand. The pain that I went through—I can’t go through it again. I can’t. (They share a long look, soon interrupted by DEAN.)
DEAN: Am I interrupting something?
SAM: No.
SARAH: Not at all.
DEAN: Apparently.
SAM: So, what’d you get?
DEAN: Pay dirt. (He reads from a few papers in his hand.) Apparently, the surviving relatives of the Merchant family were so ashamed of Isaiah that they didn’t want him interred with the rest of the family. So, they handed him over to the county. The county gave him a pauper’s funeral—economy-style. Turns out he wasn’t cremated, he was buried in a pine box.
SAM: So, there are bones to burn?
DEAN: There are bones to burn.
SAM: Tell me you know where. (DEAN smiles at them.)
(CUT TO: Cemetery. Night. DEAN and SAM are digging up Isaiah’s grave while SARAH holds a flashlight. SAM climbs out of the dirt and stands next to her.)
SARAH: You guys seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this.
SAM: Yeah, well, this isn’t exactly the first grave we’ve dug. Still think I’m a catch? (He smiles.)
DEAN: I think I got somethin’. (SARAH holds the flashlight over him so he can see. He uses the shovel to break open Isaiah’s tomb, where Isaiah’s bones lay.)
(CUT TO: Cemetery. Moments Later. DEAN and SAM pour rock salt and gasoline over the bones.)
DEAN: You’ve been a real pain in the ass, Isaiah. (He lights a match.) Good riddance. (He throws the match into the grave, and the three of them watch the bones go up in flames.)
(FADE TO: EXT. – Mansion. DEAN, SAM and SARAH pull up outside the house.)
SAM: Keep the motor running.
SARAH: I thought the painting was harmless now.
SAM: Better safe than sorry. We’re gonna bury the sucker. (He gets out.)
SARAH: I wanna come with you.
SAM: You sure?
SARAH: Yeah. (She gets out of the car as well.)
DEAN: (to SAM) Hey, hey, hey. I’ll stay here, you go make your move. (SAM scoffs.) Sam, I’m serious. (SAM shuts the car door, and he and SARAH walk up the front steps of the building. DEAN turns on the radio, playing a love song. SAM glares at him. DEAN shrugs, and SAM motions for him to stop the music. DEAN reluctantly shuts it off, and SARAH and SAM go inside.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. Living Room. Although the audience does not see it, SAM and SARAH are looking at the painting, confused.)
SARAH: Uh, Sam? You’re the expert on all this ghost stuff. Is that painting supposed to look like that? (The painting is shown. Isaiah’s daughter has vanished from the painting.) Where’s the little girl? (The straight razor is also gone.)
SAM: And the razor? (From somewhere in the house, they can hear a little girl laughing. They look around frantically, and the front door slams shut. The screen goes black.)
(FADE IN: EXT. – Mansion. DEAN runs up the steps and tries to break the door down, but fails. Inside, Sam runs to the door.)
SAM: Dean! Hey! Is that you?
DEAN: Yeah, you all right? (Instead of talking through the door, SAM calls DEAN on his cell phone. DEAN picks up.) Tell me you slammed the front door.
SAM: No, it wasn’t me. I think it was the little girl.
DEAN: The girl? What girl?
SAM: Yeah, she’s out of the painting. I think it might have been her all along.
DEAN: Wasn’t the dad lookin’ down at her? Maybe he was tryin’ to warn ‘em.
SAM: Hey, hey, hey, let’s recap later, all right? Just get us out of here.
DEAN: Well, I’m tryin’ to pick the lock, but the door won’t budge.
SAM: Well, then, break it down.
DEAN: Okay, genius, let me grab my battering ram.
SAM: Dean, the damn thing is comin’!
DEAN: Well, you’re gonna have to hold it off until I figure somethin’ out. Get some salt or iron.
SAM: (to SARAH) Come on. (They start tearing the house apart, looking frantically.)
(CUT TO: Living Room. Moments Later. SAM enters and finds SARAH in the adjacent room.)
SAM: What kind of house doesn’t have salt? Low-sodium freaks. (to SARAH) Hey, you find any iron?
SARAH: No, what’s it for?
SAM: Iron repels evil spirits, but it’s gotta be pure. Hurry! (to DEAN) Uh, Dean, give me a sec, don’t go anywhere. (Outside, DEAN is still trying unsuccessfully to break down the door. Inside the house, SAM and SARAH are looking around the living room.) Look under the chairs, sometimes the seats….(Suddenly, the rest of the doors in the house slam shut. Papers scatter everywhere. Isaiah’s daughter slowly enters the room. She is holding the razor in her right hand and dragging her doll with the other.)
SARAH: Sam? (She and SAM try to back away from the girl, who walks closer to them.) That is just so wrong. (The girl continues to walk towards them. SAM backs into a display of fireplace pokers. He picks one up and, just as the girl’s head begins shaking and twitching, he hits her with it. She dissolves into smoke.) Iron?
SAM: Yeah.
DEAN: Sammy, you okay?
SAM: Yeah, for now.
DEAN: How we gonna waste her?
SAM: I don’t know. She was already cremated. There’s nothin’ left to burn.
DEAN: Well, then, how’s she still around?
SAM: There must be somethin’ else.
SARAH: Sam, wait. We used to handle antique dolls at the auction.
SAM: Well, that’s fascinating, Sarah, but important right now?
SARAH: Well, back then, they used to make the dolls in the kid’s image, I mean, everything, like, they would use the kid’s real hair.
SAM: Dean? Sarah says the doll might have the girl’s hair. Human remains—same as bones. (They think for a second.)
DEAN and SAM: The mausoleum. (DEAN hangs up and runs to the car. Inside the house, the lights suddenly go out. SAM and SARAH look around.)
(CUT TO: Cemetery. DEAN’s car barrels through the gate and speeds through the cemetery.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. A writing desk moves on its own and pins SAM to the ground. SARAH rushes over to try and get it off.)
SARAH: Sam! Come on! Push! Come on! (The desk does not budge. SARAH turns, and the little girl is standing before her.)
(CUT TO: Cemetery. DEAN gets out of the car and enters the mausoleum. Once inside, he finds the glass case holding the doll and tries to break it open. He uses his gun to try and smash it, but it does not work. He thinks for a second, then realizes something.)
DEAN: Come on, Dean! (He shoots the glass case and breaks through it.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. SARAH is thrown against the wall.)
(CUT TO: Mausoleum. DEAN takes the doll out of the glass case.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. SARAH watches, unmoving, as the little girl moves towards her.)
(CUT TO: Mausoleum. DEAN is trying to light the doll’s hair on fire, but the lighter will not work.)
DEAN: Come on, come on!
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. The little girl moves closer as SAM keeps trying to move the desk.)
(CUT TO: Mausoleum. DEAN finally lights the doll’s hair, and the doll goes up in flames.)
(CUT TO: INT. – Mansion. Just as the girl raises the razor, SAM gets up and moves SARAH out of the way. Suddenly, the girl bursts into flame and disappears. A second later, she reappears in the painting, next to Isaiah.)
(CUT TO: Mausoleum. DEAN watches the burnt doll on the ground, then calls SAM, who picks up.)
DEAN: Sam, you good? (SAM looks at SARAH, whose lip is bleeding.)
SAM: Not bad. (DEAN hangs up and leaves the tomb. SAM and SARAH lay on the floor, exhausted. The screen goes black.)
(FADE IN: INT. – Auction House. Two workers are packing the painting in a box. DEAN walks up to SARAH and SAM, holding a piece of paper.)
DEAN: This was archived in the county records. The Merchants adopted daughter, Melanie. Know why she was up for adoption? ‘Cause her real family was murdered in their beds.
SARAH: She killed them?
DEAN: Yeah, who’d suspect her, a sweet little girl? So, then she kills Isaiah and his family, the old man takes the blame—spirit’s been tryin’ to warn people ever since.
WORKER: Where does this one go?
SARAH: Take it out back and burn it. (They stare at her, confused.) I’m serious, guys. Thanks. (The workers shrug and carry the box away.) So, why’d the girl do it?
SAM: Killin’ others, killin’ herself—some people are just born tortured. So, when they die, their spirits are just as dark.
DEAN: Maybe. I don’t really care. It’s over, we move on. (SARAH laughs awkwardly.)
SARAH: I guess this means you’re leaving. (SAM shrugs and looks at DEAN. They are all silent for a minute.)
DEAN: I’ll go wait in the car. See ya, Sarah. (SARAH nods and smiles at him, and he walks away, talking to himself.) I’m the one who burned the doll, destroyed the spirit, but don’t thank me or anything. (He leaves.)
SARAH: There are a million things that I want to say to you, but for the life of me, I can’t think of one. (SAM laughs.)
SAM: Yeah, I’ll miss you, too.
SARAH: You know, there’s a lesson in all of this.
SAM: What’s that?
SARAH: We all got through this in one piece. I didn’t get hurt.
SAM: Yeah, I’m glad for that.
SARAH: So, maybe you’re not cursed. Maybe….maybe you’ll come back and see me. (SAM nods slowly.)
SAM: I will.
(CUT TO: EXT. – Auction House. DEAN is waiting for SAM by the car. SAM comes outside and walks over to him. Inside the auction house, SARAH shuts the door behind him and leans up against it. She waits there, silently and sadly. After a moment, there is a knock on the door. She opens it. SAM comes in and kisses her passionately. She smiles and kisses him back. DEAN turns and sees them. He smiles to himself.)
DEAN: That’s my boy. (He gets in the car. SAM and SARAH continue to kiss as the screen fades to black.)
The End
Ecrit par kaylia.