The Cell Page #6

As if in a beatific trance, the driver moves to the window

and gently rests his palm on the glass. ANNE MOVES! Arms

flailing, mouth gasping, eyes filled with dread. The last

spark of life... The driver JUMPS, startled and frightened.

Almost shamefully, he turns and hides, unable to look at her.

Suddenly, his body tenses and writhes, as if seized by

torturous pain. He opens his mouth in a silent scream.

And then, quickly as it came, the pain subsides. Hidden in

shadow, he breathes deeply, regaining self-control. He

waits, then moves back to the glass. Anne's dead face floats

past him. Almost angelic. He watches her and leans his head

against the window, closer. And the driver catches his own

reflection in the mirror.

Meet CARL STARGHER.

EXT. CATHERINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Small and isolated, the nearest neighbor a block away.

INT. CATHERINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The place is a mess. Computer print-outs, dirty dishes,

unopened mail, videotapes, and notepads cover tables, chairs

and floor. On the crammed bookshelves, psychology texts sit

next to volumes on mythology, religion, and the occult.

Totems, figurines and artifacts (Central and South American

in origin) adorn the walls and tables.

As Portishead plays on the stereo, we find Catherine

suffering from insomnia, wearing goofy-yet-hip eyeglasses,

sweatpants and a UCSD T-shirt, sharing a late-night snack

with her pet CAT. She shuts the refrigerator door and we

linger on an odd POSTCARD taped to the surface. A kitschy

postcard of a warrior/goddess.

INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

We MOVE out of shadow, toward a bright focused light,

following the albino German Shepherd - VALENTINE - as it

enters a VAST SUBTERRANEAN ROOM. Most of the walls have been

knocked down, leaving only thick support posts. Valentine

finds Stargher in a DUGOUT PIT - about five feet deeper than

the rest of the room - polishing a stainless steel table. A

bright tungsten work light hangs above, and near it is the

chain, cables and hooks of a customized MECHANICAL HOIST.

The dog picks up an unpleasant scent and follows it to a far

corner where there are empty jugs of BLEACH sitting next to a

long, deep cast iron TUB. Stargher WHISTLES and Valentine

obediently retreats to a KENNEL CAGE. Stargher gives him a

chew toy and locks the dog inside before moving to the tub.

Soaking in the bleach is the nude corpse of Anne Vicksey.

The interior of the tub is glazed with gleaming porcelain and

the whiteness of her flesh makes it appear as though she is

floating in nothingness, but what hypnotizes and appalls are

her eyes. Wide open, transformed by the chlorine into

something ghostly, they are unforgettable.

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