Olivia RoseA Screenplay by ScottTheScreenwriter After eight years in captivity, a traumatized young girl seeks vengeance against those that would prey on the innocence of children. All copyright belongs to the author, Scott Turner. INT. DILLAN'S HOUSE - DAY OVER BLACK: A MAN GRUNTS LOUDLY and SCREAMS in short, scattered bursts of noise. GLASS SHATTERS. A GIRL SCREAMS in anger before a loud CRASH. Ragged GASPS for breath. A beat. The sickening CRUNCH of METAL on BONE. A MAN SCREAMS in pain. FADE IN: KITCHEN A thin MAN in his thirties with a thinning head of black wispy hair is convulsing on the floor of a poorly maintained kitchen. Various kitchen gadgets are strewn about the floor. Glass is scattered across the room, and a large chunk is missing from the side of the kitchen counter. The back of a GIRL'S head comes INTO FRAME. She is about sixteen years old with a thin build and long black flowing hair. She is tall for her age, about 5 foot 10. The girl stares at the man on the floor as he winces in pain. As the CAMERA PULLS BACK, we see that she is holding a crowbar in her left hand. With her one free hand, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out two long plastic zip ties. The girl moves toward the man. She places the crowbar on the floor and binds his legs together with the zip ties. MAN Who the f**k are you? The girl moves cautiously towards the man's upper body with the other zip tie in hand. The man takes a swing at her. The girl quickly moves back, grabs the crowbar, and swings it in retaliation, hitting him in the left hand. The man screams and the girl takes the opportunity to tie his hands together. The girl stands up and moves back two paces. She stares down at the man, admiring her work. MAN (sobbing) You're insane. Who are you? For the first time, we see the girl's face. She has a crooked smile. Her face is littered with small cuts and gashes. Blood is trickling down her cheek from a wound near her left eye. The girl laughs quietly to herself as the man whimpers and struggles weakly at his bindings. MAN Who the f**k are you?! The girl moves around the man's body to his face and kneels down in front of him. GIRL Shhh. The girl stands back up, swinging the crowbar around playfully. MAN Please, whatever you want, just take it. Just take it and get the f**k out of here! The girl lets out a quiet snicker. GIRL I already have. My present is all wrapped up for me. MAN You're crazy. Listen, I don't know what you think -- The girl puts her foot on the man's broken leg and slowly applies pressure. He howls in pain. GIRL You've done more than enough talking. Dillan Miller. DILLAN MILLER (MAN) (shocked) How do you know my name? GIRL I know a lot about you. Things that you wish no one else knew. I know that you like to visit your cousin's daycare and... take care of the children. DILLAN'S eyes go wide as the accusation is made and his face flushes red. DILLAN MILLER That was... YEARS ago! I paid the price for what I did! If my cousin sent you, I -- GIRL No one sent me. A beat. DILLAN MILLER Let's just talk this over. I'm a reasonable guy, I can give you anything you want. Just talk to me. Dillan squints his eyes and a look of realization washes over his face. GIRL You know who I am, don't you? DILLAN MILLER Everyone knows who you are. GIRL No they don't. They know my name. They don't know me. DILLAN MILLER OK. (a beat) OK, well why don't you put that down and tell me? (motioning to crowbar) I'm listening, we can talk this over. A RUMBLE of THUNDER in the distance. The girl looks out the window at the sky. Storm clouds are moving in. CLOSE ON GIRL'S EYE A look of fear. A tear forms in the corner. GIRL It rained that day, too. A flash of lightning. GIRL It rained hard. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - MORNING SUPER: "EIGHT YEARS EARLIER." WIDE ON ARIZONA LANDSCAPE The sky is dark and cacti litter the mountainous terrain. The sun makes its first appearance of the day, an orange ball of fire illuminating everything in its path with an amber glow. CLOSE ON ROUND-TAILED SQUIRREL The squirrel emerges to greet the day from its hiding spot beneath a tall cactus. WIDE ON HIGHWAY The highway stretches out beyond the horizon with a vast desert to each side. CLOSE ON ROAD SIGN "WELCOME TO SCOTTSDALE - MOST LIVEABLE CITY". EXT. ROSE HARDWARE - MORNING An old, well-used Buick is driving down a busy downtown street. The car pulls up to the curb and the door swings open. An elderly man steps out of the car on the passenger side. ELDERLY WOMAN (O.S.) Don't be long, Fred, I still need to get to the post office and the bank. Don't make me late again, you know I hate it when you -- FRED closes the door behind him, silencing the unbearable noise coming from within. He hobbles, a cane in one arthritic hand, towards a store with a large wooden rose for a sign. It reads "ROSE HARDWARE". INT. ROSE HARDWARE - MORNING The DOOR JINGLES as he opens it and Fred waves at the man at the counter and smiles. The man looks up from his magazine and smiles back. He is KEVIN ROSE, the owner of the store. He's a middle-aged man, about 5 foot 11 with a thin build and a full head of brown wavy hair. A very youthful-looking man. KEVIN ROSE Hey there Fred, how ya doin'? FRED Oh, I'm doin' all right. Just runnin' around. KEVIN ROSE That right? Bernie out there? Kevin leans forward to peer out the window. He waves at the woman in the car, who frowns back, but returns the gesture all the same. FRED Yeah, she's out there. Fred leans forward stiffly and extends a shaky hand towards a rack of nails and screws. He struggles pulling a package off the shelf. FRED These should do. Fred hobbles over towards the front desk. KEVIN ROSE What's she have you workin' on this week? FRED Oh, gotta fix the damn railing again. She holds onto that thing so damn tight... pretty sure it's just gonna pop off one of these days and that'll be the story of her. Fred is leafing through his wallet, collecting change. FRED Sorry, what was that? KEVIN ROSE Didn't say anything. Just the screws? That'll be a buck fifty five. Fred places exact change on the counter and grabs the screws, not waiting for a receipt. FRED How the girls doin'? Haven't seen 'em in here much lately. KEVIN ROSE Great, really great. They turn eight next week. Interesting age... I hear it gets worse though. FRED Oh, you bet. Won't be long before they start bringin' boys home for dinner. KEVIN ROSE That reminds me, I've been meaning to buy a shotgun. The two men share a quick laugh. FRED Take care, say hi to 'em for me. KEVIN ROSE Yeah, you bet. Fred leaves and Kevin looks around the empty store, exhaling loudly. Kevin walks into his office at the back of the store and picks up a phone. Beside the phone is a picture of his family - Kevin, his wife, and their twin daughters. INT. ROSE HOME - CONTINUOUS KITCHEN OLIVIA and her twin sister, ELENA, are sitting at the breakfast table across from one another. The girls are both rosy-cheeked seven-year-olds with long black hair that falls down below their shoulders. Elena is staring at the back of a cereal box while eating her Cheerios. She's using her finger to trace her way through a maze on the back of the box. Olivia is eating her cereal while staring mischievously at Elena. Olivia takes a piece of cereal and tries to throw it in her sister's glass of orange juice. The piece of cereal misses and whizzes past Elena's arm. ELENA ROSE Cut it out, Liv. OLIVIA ROSE (mimicking her sister) Cut it out, Liiiiiv. Olivia picks up another soggy Cheerio and tosses it. It CLINKS off the rim of the GLASS. ELENA ROSE (yelling into another room) Mom, Olivia's being a pain again! JULIA ROSE (O.S.) Olivia, don't bother your sister. Olivia makes a face at her sister. Elena goes back to reading the back of the cereal box. Olivia lines up another shot, carefully adjusts her aim with one eye closed and lets it fly. The CHEERIO lands directly in Elena's glass with a SOFT PLOP. Olivia covers her mouth in surprise and suppresses her laughter. ELENA ROSE I'm going to kill you! Elena and Olivia both push their chairs aside quickly and get up from the table. Elena chases after her sister through the kitchen and into the dining room. Olivia pulls out a chair as she whizzes through the room, blocking her sister's path. Suddenly the PHONE RINGS. Elena, defeated, sulks back into the kitchen. She looks at the call display and then picks up the receiver, forgetting about her sister for the time being. INTERCUT telephone conversation. ELENA ROSE (glumly) Hey, Dad. KEVIN ROSE Hi sweetie, what's wrong? ELENA ROSE Olivia's being a jerk, she put a Cheerio in my juice. KEVIN ROSE Oh boy. I'm sure she didn't mean to make you angry, hun, she just likes to get you going. Is Mom around? ELENA ROSE (yelling into another room) Mom! It's Daddy! KEVIN ROSE You and your sister have a great day at school today, all right? Tell Olivia I said good luck on her math test. ELENA ROSE I don't know where she went, she's running around like a crazy person. Julia takes the phone from her daughter. JULIA ROSE Hey sweetie, what's up? KEVIN ROSE Ah, not much, really. Fred says hi. JULIA ROSE Which one's he again? KEVIN ROSE The guy that keeps the lights on in this place. You've met him before. His wife is -- JULIA ROSE Bernie. Right. Lovely woman. KEVIN ROSE Yeah... girls need a ride home after school? JULIA ROSE Nah, they like to walk home with their friends. KEVIN ROSE I still think they're too young, Jule. Seven is -- JULIA ROSE They're almost eight. Their friends walk with them, it's good for them. Olivia runs by Julia at break-neck speed. JULIA ROSE LIV! Hey, slow down! Go get ready for school! KEVIN ROSE That's my cue to go. Love you, hun, have a good day. JULIA ROSE Love you too. Julia hangs up the phone. Behind her the weather report is playing on the TV. WEATHERMAN (O.S.) Sunny skies this morning, an average temperature of 80 degrees, but watch out, those rain clouds are rolling right on in! Don't forget that umbrella, it's gonna be cats and dogs alllll afternoon. Back to you, Paul. JULIA ROSE Girls, don't forget your umbrellas! Both girls pop into the room at the same time equipped with backpacks. While Elena is picking up her umbrella, Olivia notices that the zipper on her sister's backpack is slightly ajar and a book is about to fall out of it. She leans over and unzips it, causing her BOOKS to fall all over the floor with a CRASH. Olivia laughs with giddy glee. ELENA ROSE LIV! JULIA ROSE Olivia! What's wrong with you? Pick up all those books right now! Olivia sticks her tongue out at her sister before bending down to pick up the books. She gathers them up and puts them back in her sister's backpack. JULIA ROSE ... And you're grounded, I want you to come right home after school. We've talked about you being mean to your sister. OLIVIA ROSE Mom, what?! That's not fair! I'm only goofing around. Why is everyone so serious around here? I hate living here. ELENA ROSE Come ON Olivia, we're going to be late again. I got in trouble yesterday because of you, enough is enough. OLIVIA ROSE (quietly) I hate living here. ELENA ROSE Bye Mom, love you! JULIA ROSE I love you too, hunny. Elena heads out the door while Olivia scowls at her mother. Without saying goodbye, she SLAMS the DOOR behind her. Julia rubs her face with both hands in frustration. EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - MORNING Elena is walking well ahead of Olivia on their way to school. Elena turns around and sees how far back her sister is lagging. ELENA ROSE Seriously, Liv, hurry up! Why are you always so slow? Olivia kicks a crumpled up pop can and it goes flying into the middle of the road. ELENA ROSE And you forgot your umbrella, by the way. You're gonna get soaked. OLIVIA ROSE I don't care. Elena huffs in frustration and continues walking ahead of her sister. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - MOMENTS LATER Olivia and her sister come to a crosswalk a block away from the school. The light is red and they both stop. GIRL Hey Ellie! TAYLOR, a girl with short curly blonde hair walks up next to Elena and Olivia with a great big smile on her face. ELENA ROSE Hey Taylor. TAYLOR Do you wanna come over tonight? My Mom said you're invited for dinner and... oh my God, did I tell you? My dad is thinking of taking us to Florida this summer! It's going to be so... Olivia rolls her eyes as she stops paying attention to the conversation between the two girls and her focus wanders to a car sitting at the red light. The car has a small candle sticker on the bumper with an inscription that's difficult to read. Olivia glances from the sticker up to the driver and realizes that he's staring back at her. He smiles when she catches his gaze. Olivia gives him a queer look. The light turns green and the man drives off slowly, staring at Olivia in his side mirror. ELENA ROSE Olivia, let's GO! Olivia turns to see that her sister is halfway across the crosswalk already. Olivia turns and runs to catch up. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - DAY A loud classroom full of eight year olds. A teacher is walking down an aisle of the classroom, observing her students during arts and crafts. She's a large woman with broad shoulders and an unforgiving face. Very harsh features. The students are making seashell necklaces. Most of them are coming along nicely, except for one being manhandled by a large, overweight BOY. The teacher stops next to him and knocks lightly on his small wooden desk. TEACHER Clean them first, then glue them, like we discussed. And don't put the glue in your mouth, Thomas Anderson. I can see you doing it from the front of the room. Thomas sadly looks down at his unimpressive necklace. THOMAS ANDERSON(BOY) Yes, Mrs. Mallozzi... As MRS. MALLOZZI passes, Thomas looks over his shoulder and cautiously licks some glue from his finger. Mrs. Mallozzi continues down the aisle, past Olivia. The CAMERA STAYS FOCUSED on Olivia, as she works on her project. Her necklace is lopsided and covered with glue, not much better than the one being worked on by the glue-eater in front of her. Suddenly, Olivia becomes frustrated and she drops her necklace on the top of the desk. She turns to the skinny, somewhat dweeby-looking BOY seated next to her. He's wearing glasses and has shaggy brown hair. OLIVIA ROSE Why do I get in trouble for everything? Elena does just as much bad stuff as I do, but I'm the only one that ever gets yelled at. Why am I the one that gets grounded? The boy turns to Olivia, breaking his focus from the very impressive seashell necklace in front of him. BOY Maybe it's because she can't tell who starts the trouble. You guys look exactly the same, Liv. Sometimes I can't even tell you apart, seriously. OLIVIA ROSE Oh Alex, you always know which one I am because I'm the cuuuute one. Olivia smiles at ALEX and he puts his head down and blushes. ALEX KAPLAN (BOY) Are you still allowed to have your birthday party next week? Mrs. Mallozzi walks up next to Alex and clears her throat at him. MRS. MALLOZZI (TEACHER) You can be social at recess, Mr. Kaplan, for now please concentrate on your project. Alex and Olivia roll their eyes at each other and wait until the teacher is far enough away that she can't hear them. OLIVIA ROSE I don't know, probably not. I'm sure my sister will get to invite anyone she wants and I'll just have to sit in my room all night. ALEX KAPLAN Why do you have to be such a troublemaker? OLIVIA ROSE I am not! I told you, she does just as much bad stuff as I do. Don't be mean to me. Olivia pouts and goes back to gluing a large shell to her necklace. ALEX KAPLAN I'm sorry. Alex turns his necklace over in his hands a few times. He takes it and offers it to Olivia. OLIVIA ROSE What? ALEX KAPLAN I want you to have this. Like a present. Just in case you don't get your birthday party. Olivia smiles and takes it, putting it around her neck. OLIVIA ROSE (smiling) Thank you. Olivia leans over and gives Alex a peck on the cheek. Alex blushes again and starts making a new necklace. EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - DAY The bright yellow sun rises higher in the Arizona sky, illuminating the harsh desert below. Clouds whiz by, indicating the passage of time. The brown rattlesnake slithers across the desert. The round-tailed squirrel has found a small pile of seeds and is munching away on them. INT. SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - AFTERNOON The students in the classroom all have their heads down. As the CAMERA MOVE IN to Olivia, we see that she is writing a math test. Olivia puts her hands on her face, clearly frustrated. CLOSE ON TEST PAPER "Question 5: Divide 325 by 20, showing your work and any reminder". BACK TO SCENE Olivia peers over at Alex, who is writing feverishly. OLIVIA ROSE psst. Alex peers over at her, giving her a face full of confusion. Olivia holds up five fingers in front of her face. Alex shakes his head no. Olivia puts her hands together, as if to beg for the answer. Alex looks to the front of the room. Mrs. Mallozzi has her head down, grading papers. Alex quickly scribbles down the answer on scrap PAPER and begins to rip the answer off slowly. It makes a QUIET TEARING noise, but in the classroom full of silence, it sounds like an earthquake. Mrs. Mallozzi looks up and clears her throat, as if to remind Alex to be quiet. Alex fakes a cough and RIPS the rest of the PAPER off. He then slowly and carefully passes the scrap of paper to Olivia. As their hands meet, Mrs. Mallozzi looks up and gives Alex a look that could curdle milk. MRS. MALLOZZI Mr. Kaplan! This is a test, passing notes will not be tolerated. See me after class for detention. Mrs. Mallozzi gets up from her seat, takes the note from Alex's hand and throws it in the garbage. Olivia gives a sorrowful look to Alex and mouths the words "I'm sorry". Alex looks away from her angrily, his face beet red. He continues writing his test as Olivia pouts in his direction. Olivia turns her head and stares out the window. Dark storm clouds are moving in on the otherwise sunny day, and distant RUMBLES of THUNDER can be heard. EXT. SCHOOL - AFTERNOON The rain is coming down hard. The distant RUMBLES of THUNDER have now gained a more imposing presence. The BELL RINGS LOUDLY and kids begin streaming out of the building, equipped with raincoats, rubber boots and umbrellas. Olivia and her twin sister both leave the school at the same time, backpacks flung over their shoulders. They both stop next to the wall of the school where the rain can't reach them and stare out at the terrible weather. OLIVIA ROSE Oh man... Elena turns to her sister with a grin on her face. ELENA ROSE Mom told you to bring your umbrella. If you hadn't been such a pain in the butt, maybe you would have remembered. OLIVIA ROSE Shut up, Elena. Elena's friend, Taylor rushes over. TAYLOR Hey, you're still coming over tonight, right? ELENA ROSE Yeah for sure, let's go. Elena turns to her sister. ELENA ROSE Are you gonna walk home with Alex? OLIVIA ROSE Alex has detention. ELENA ROSE Alex? Are you serious? Your boyfriend has detention? I don't believe it! Olivia rolls her eyes. OLIVIA ROSE He's not my boyfriend. Don't forget to call Mom. She hates it when you don't call. Before her sister can respond, Olivia darts out into the pouring rain. Elena walks away with her friend, looking over her shoulder as her sister disappears from view. EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - AFTERNOON Olivia is running through the pouring rain with her backpack held high over her head. Her feet splash in large puddles that soak her already drenched shoes and pants. Olivia lowers the backpack and stands in the rain, still as stone, realizing that she can't get any more wet. After a few moments and a loud sigh later, she begins walking down the street at a slow pace with her head down. Suddenly, a car pulls up next to Olivia. She recognizes the bumper sticker of the candle. There are words around the image of the candle that read "Always In Our Hearts". The STRANGER driving the car rolls his window down. THE STRANGER Oh geez, you're gonna catch yourself a cold walking around in this sort of weather. Do you live around here? I can give you a lift. I'm just on my way home myself. Olivia eyes the STRANGER suspiciously. He appears to be in his mid-twenties, attractive, with a full head of brown hair. OLIVIA ROSE I'm not supposed to. I don't know you. THE STRANGER Well that's OK, as it happens, I know your folks. They asked me to keep a watch out for you and your sister, you know. I'm lucky I found you out here like this. Like I said, you could catch pneumonia in this weather. Olivia gives the man a sidelong glance. OLIVIA ROSE You really know my parents? The man nods, smiling warmly. Olivia walks up to the passenger door of the car and opens it. She pauses, rethinking the situation. OLIVIA ROSE If you know my parents, why don't you know where I live? The man smiles at her, ignoring her question. OLIVIA ROSE I gotta go. Olivia slams the door and begins walking quickly down the sidewalk, glancing nervously from side to side with her peripheral vision, not wanting to turn her head. The car begins to inch forward, following her. She walks faster in response. Olivia turns down an unfamiliar side street and begins jogging. The car turns down the street and speeds up. The CAR RUMBLES along behind Olivia and suddenly the noise stops. Olivia continues walking forward at a brisk pace. She glances over her shoulder. The Stranger is right on top of her. With one hand, he lifts her by the waist, covering her mouth with the other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. ROSE HOME - AFTERNOON Julia walks through the front door of her home, soaked from the rain, and carrying bags of groceries. She sees Olivia's pink umbrella on the floor next to the door. JULIA ROSE (yelling) Olivia, I'm home! What do you want for dinner, sweetie? (a beat) Is your sister at Taylor's again? Silence. KITCHEN Julia begins unloading groceries into the freezer and fridge. JULIA ROSE (yelling) I can do pork, or I can do a stir-fry, which one? Silence. Julia puts the frozen meat down on the counter and begins searching the house for her daughter. BASEMENT DEN Julia peers around the corner where the couch is located in the basement. The lights are off and nobody's there. SECOND FLOOR Julia walks to the top of the stairs. JULIA ROSE Olivia? OLIVIA'S ROOM Julia pops her head into her daughter's room. Posters of Care Bears and other cartoon characters line the walls. They all seem to stare back at her, silent and wide-eyed. Suddenly the PHONE RINGS and Julia jumps. She takes a moment to collect herself as the PHONE RINGS again. MASTER BEDROOM Julia picks up the phone. JULIA ROSE Hello? INT. TAYLOR'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ELENA ROSE Hey Mom, I'm staying at Taylor's for dinner, her Mom said it was OK. INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION. JULIA ROSE OK, that's fine, sweetie. Make sure to thank her for dinner. ELENA ROSE Mom, I always do, you know that. A beat. JULIA ROSE Is your sister there with you? ELENA ROSE At Taylor's? Hello, Mom, Olivia doesn't like any of my friends. She never has. Julia has a distracted look on her face as Elena is talking. JULIA ROSE I know, I just... (a beat) Enjoy your dinner sweetie, I'll pick you up at 7:30. ELENA ROSE Can you pick me up at eight, because I really -- INT. ROSE HOME - CONTINUOUS MASTER BEDROOM Julia hangs up the phone quickly as her daughter continues talking. Julia quickly dials a well-known number and waits for a response. INT. ALEX'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS A portly WOMAN waddles over to the telephone and picks it up. WOMAN Hello? INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION. JULIA ROSE Marie, it's Julia, is Olivia there with Alex? MARIE KAPLAN (WOMAN) Funny you should mention, I just got a call from the school. My Alex got detention, can you believe that? Of all the kids, they have to pick on the one that least deserves it. I just don't know what they are thinking over there, I'm gonna meet with that Mrs. Mallozzi and give her a piece of my -- INT. ROSE HOME - CONTINUOUS MASTER BEDROOM The PHONE RECEIVER lands on the table next to the cradle with a THUNK. STAIRS/FOYER Julia flies down the stairs, throws her raincoat back on and runs out the door, stumbling on Olivia's umbrella as she goes. CUT TO BLACK. INT. ROSE HOME - EVENING CLOSE ON TELEVISION A "breaking news" graphic flashes over the screen accompanied by FAST, DRAMATIC MUSIC. KEN THOMPSON Good evening, this is Ken Thompson. Breaking news out of Scottsdale this evening. An Amber Alert was issued moments ago for a young girl whose been missing since she left her school this afternoon around 3pm. KITCHEN Julia, Kevin and Elena are crowded around the kitchen table talking to police officers. Nothing can be heard, just the voice from the television. KEN THOMPSON (O.S.) Police are treating this as a potential child abduction. Anyone with any information is asked to call the police. INT. THE STRANGER'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - EVENING Darkness. A RUSTLING NOISE. KEN THOMPSON (V.O.) Police are reaching out to the public on this case, so far they have no leads and there is no motive in the case. THE STRANGER (O.S.) It's OK, it's OK. You're home now. Just a few more steps. There you go. More RUSTLING is accompanied by a LOW WHIMPERING. KEN THOMPSON (V.O.) Oliva is four-foot-seven, with a thin build and black hair. She has green eyes. She was wearing a grey jacket and dark pants. OLIVIA'S POV Suddenly a piece of cloth is pulled back to reveal a dark, dingy basement and the face of the man that took her. THE STRANGER Welcome home. The man smiles at Olivia. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - EVENING As the sun slips behind the horizon, blanketing the desert in darkness, the brown rattlesnake slithers across the desert. It suddenly freezes, poised for a kill. The squirrel never saw it coming. The rattlesnake slithers away with its prey. The LOW HUM of DESERT WILDLIFE consumes the otherwise quiet evening. FADE TO BLACK. INT. POLICE STATION - DAY MEDIUM SHOT - A MICROPHONE ATTACHED TO A PODIUM. Police officers are standing to either side of the podium. Julia Rose steps INTO FRAME and approaches the microphone. Her eyes are red and she looks exhausted. JULIA ROSE First of all, I just wanted to say, once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart to the men and women of the Scottsdale police force. You have given me and my family an unbelievable amount of hope and courage throughout this entire ordeal. Thank you. A beat. JULIA ROSE Three days ago, our daughter was taken from us. At approximately 3:35pm on Thursday, May 30th, Olivia left her school, alone, to come home to us. She never made it. Julia breaks down into tears. Kevin steps INTO FRAME and puts a hand around his wife as she struggles with the words. JULIA ROSE Somebody out there knows where she is or who she's with. We ask that you please think of her and her family. To the person that took her... A beat. JULIA ROSE ... please, bring her home to us. Call the police anonymously and drop her off somewhere safe. We aren't interested in laying criminal charges, we just want our daughter back, that's all. That's all we want. A beat. JULIA ROSE Thank you. Julia and Kevin walk OUT OF FRAME, as cameras illuminate the podium in flashes of bright white. EXT. CITY PARK - DAY OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) They looked for me for months. The first few weeks were the most intense. I must have been on every news channel in the country. Police are searching a city park. Leashed dogs are following along with them, sniffing for any scent of the missing girl. EXT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) He would listen to the news reports, constantly. He would have the volume so loud that I could hear it in the basement. I think he wanted me to hear it. Patrons of a coffee shop are entering the building and taking note of a "Missing" poster taped to the door. CLOSE ON POSTER "Olivia Rose: Missing since Thursday, May 30th. Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 480-555-0715." EXT. BUS STOP - DAY OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) In the beginning, I was sure that someone would find me. Someone had to have seen something. How could such a thing happen in the middle of the day with no witnesses? As the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, I knew that having any hope was pointless. A man is sitting at a bus stop reading a newspaper. He's reading an article about Olivia's abduction. It's no longer front-page news, the article is on the fifth page in the bottom corner. CLOSE ON ARTICLE "Still no break in case of missing Scottsdale girl." INT. ROSE HOME - NIGHT MASTER BEDROOM OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) The worst part was knowing that my family still had hope for me. I heard my mom and dad on the news many times in the first few months. They kept telling me that they loved me and that I'd be home soon. Julia and Kevin are lying in bed. Kevin has his arm around his wife. Julia is red-eyed and looks very frail. Kevin looks like a broken man. Both are staring out into the darkness, wide-eyed. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) My sister never made it on TV, I don't think my parents would have wanted her to. At the time I thought it was because she was still mad at me. ELENA'S BEDROOM Elena is crying herself to sleep, holding onto one of Olivia's favorite stuffed animals, a Care Bear with Olivia's named stitched on the stomach in fancy lettering. INT. THE STRANGER'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) And Alex... I missed him most of all. The Stranger slips the seashell necklace off of Olivia while she sleeps. He inspects it curiously, flipping it over in his hands. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) But it wasn't long before they were all just a distant memory of a life I used to know. Nothing more than a whisper of a dream that I may have once had. EXT. COFFEE SHOP - EVENING OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) The search was called off after a few months. I started to hear less and less about myself on the news, and after a while, he stopped turning the TV on at all. A woman with a red apron removes Olivia's 'missing' poster from the door of the cafe. FADE TO BLACK. INT. DILLAN'S HOME - DAY Dillan is lying on the floor of his kitchen, his face a bloody, bruised mess. The RAIN is coming down hard outside, POUNDING against the side of the house. There are RUMBLES of THUNDER in the distance. Olivia is sitting in a chair near Dillan. OLIVIA ROSE They never found me. Dillan is staring back her with a troubled look on his face. OLIVIA ROSE You're not that different from him. DILLAN MILLER I didn't kidnap anyone. OLIVIA ROSE No, you just molest young boys. You're a saint. DILLAN MILLER I keep telling you. I turned myself around a long time ago. OLIVIA ROSE People like you don't change. DILLAN MILLER Let me go right now and I won't press charges, I swear to God. OLIVIA ROSE Let me finish and I'll think about it. DILLAN MILLER Dillan gives her a cold look. Olivia reaches over to the counter and grabs her crowbar. OLIVIA ROSE (quietly) I insist. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE STRANGER'S HOUSE - DAY KITCHEN CLOSE ON BIRTHDAY CAKE A knife comes INTO FRAME and cuts a large piece of cake. It's carefully lifted OUT OF FRAME. BASEMENT The Stranger walks down the stairs with the plate in one hand. He walks across the length of the basement. He walks past bright, discarded wrapping paper that's been littered about the floor. A "Happy Birthday" banner is hanging from the ceiling pipes. Balloons have been placed in the corner of the room. Stuffed animals and piles of clothes litter the floor. In the middle of the room next to a metal pipe is a small mattress. On it sits OLIVIA, propped up by a pillow. THE STRANGER "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you." Olivia stares at the cement floor with a dead look in her eyes. She doesn't make eye contact with her captor. She appears to be in her mid-teens and is malnourished and pale. Her hair is very long, and would reach her feet if she were standing. Her left arm is bound to a large metal pipe with a plastic zip tie. The Stranger places the plate down in front of Olivia. THE STRANGER Vanilla. Your favourite. He stares at her until she reaches forward and pulls the plate toward herself. She slowly and lifelessly picks away at the cake, nibbling at it and not daring to make eye contact with the man in front of her. The Stranger smiles as he watches her eat. KITCHEN The Stranger is cleaning dishes. He scrubs several plates and bowls, and then lets the water out of the sink. He stares down as the water swirls into the sink. He then looks over his shoulder and stares at something unseen to the camera. He removes his bright yellow rubber gloves and walks into the living room. LIVING ROOM He approaches the wall and stares at something OUT OF FRAME. CLOSE ON PICTURE FRAME A framed picture of a smiling young girl with long black hair, presumably Olivia before she was taken. BACK TO SCENE The Stranger reaches out and removes the frame from the wall. He brings it close to his face. Tears begin welling up in the man's eyes as he touches the framed photo, attempting to caress the girl's hair. The DOORBELL RINGS. Startled, he wipes away his tears. He hangs the frame back on the wall and moves to the front door, peering out the window. A GIRL SCOUT and the GIRL SCOUT'S MOTHER are standing at the front door. The DOORBELL RINGS again. The Stranger wipes away the last of his tears and clears his throat. BASEMENT Olivia is startled by the ringing of the doorbell. Her eyes have a sudden energy in them. She makes a low murmuring noise to herself. FRONT DOOR The Stranger opens the front door of the house. GIRL SCOUT Hello sir, I am trying to raise money for the Girl Scouts of America, would you like to buy some cookies? THE STRANGER Uh, yeah. Sure. I would love to. How much are they? GIRL SCOUT'S MOTHER Four dollars. The Stranger smiles at the mother and looks through his wallet. He produces a $10 bill and hands it to the young girl. THE STRANGER I'll take two, and you can keep the change. The young girl opens her mouth in surprise and looks at her mother. GIRL SCOUT'S MOTHER What do we say? GIRL SCOUT Thank you! THE STRANGER You're very welcome. It's actually my sister's birthday today. I bet she'd love a box of cookies for her birthday party. BASEMENT Olivia weakly struggles with her plastic bindings, but it's no use. Olivia tries yelling again, but her throat is too parched to produce anything above a slight yelp. FRONT DOOR The Girl Scout fumbles through her bag for the cookies. The mother, hearing the NOISE, peers inside discreetly. The Stranger catches her glance. THE STRANGER My cat... The woman nods her head. The Girl Scout hands the man two boxes of cookies. THE STRANGER Thank you! GIRL SCOUT You're welcome. GIRL SCOUT'S MOTHER Thank you. The Stranger smiles at her and closes the door as the woman leads her child on to the next house. BASEMENT Olivia attempts to scream again. Another muted noise fills the basement. Tears run down her face as she hears the door closing. The Stranger walks down the stairs and towards Olivia with his hands behind his back. THE STRANGER Have I got a surprise for you. He reveals the box of cookies. Olivia glances at him with an emotionless glare as she wipes the tears from her face. The Stranger places the box of cookies down next to Olivia. THE STRANGER Happy Birthday. He turns around and walks back up the stairs. Olivia opens the box and grabs a cookie. She chews it slowly, closing her eyes and enjoying the taste. After finishing it, she reaches for a second when a plastic card falls out of the box onto her lap. Olivia picks it up and inspects it. CLOSE ON PLASTIC CARD "Your Girl Guide Donation Card - Never leave home without it!" BACK TO SCENE Olivia's eyes go wide as she stares at the card. She turns it over in her hands and inspects the sharp plastic edges. Olivia puts the card behind her back and makes contact with the plastic tie that binds her left hand. With what little strength she has, she moves the card back and forth across the plastic surface. She moves frantically with excitement, dropping the card several times in the process. CLOSE ON PLASTIC TIE Olivia's fingers rub across the plastic tie. No progress is being made, the tie is still fully intact. BACK TO SCENE Frustrated, she BANGS her HEAD against the pipe and kicks the box of cookies away from herself. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE - EVENING A full moon rises above downtown Scottsdale. It illuminates the city streets and buildings. The horses of the Bronze Horse Fountain stare eerily into in the moonlight. INT. THE STRANGER'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - EVENING Olivia stares into space with red, puffy eyes. Moonlight is streaming into the basement through the small window above her. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the card, turning it over in her hands. She places it against the plastic tie again and resumes the sawing motion. She works much more slowly now, closing her eyes as she appears to sleep while working on her bindings. FADE TO BLACK. INT. THE STRANGER'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - MORNING A stream of light pours in through the basement window, hitting Olivia's closed eyelid. She wakes up slowly. Suddenly realizing that she stopped working on her bindings, she touches the plastic tie with her free hand. CLOSE ON PLASTIC TIE Olivia's finger finds a small groove in the plastic tie. BACK TO SCENE Olivia's eyes go wide and her mouth is ajar. She feels around the cement floor for the card and grips it strongly. She immediately gets back to work, setting the card in the notch and sawing away feverishly. While sawing, Olivia closes her eyes and raises her face to the ceiling. She grimaces and squints as she works, the action of moving her arm taking all the energy she has in her frail body. CLOSE ON her clenched hand gripping the card. CLOSE ON her arm moving back and forth. CLOSE ON her eyes, shut tightly closed. BACK TO SCENE Suddenly, Olivia opens her eyes wide. Her body shakes uncontrollably. CLOSE ON her arm, now free of the zip tie. BACK TO SCENE Olivia brings her wrist up to her face in amazement. She rubs the red mark where the bindings have been cutting into her wrist for so many years. She brings her shaking hands up to her face, overcome with emotion. Her mouth is ajar, looking as though loud sobs should be escaping her lips, yet only a slight whimper emerges. Olivia attempts to get on her feet but collapses. Her legs are numb. She rubs her legs dramatically, up and down, trying to regain feeling. After several moments, she tries again, using the wall to prop herself up. This time, she is able to stay up. She walks along the wall, leaning against it the whole time, inching her way toward the staircase. As she approaches the staircase, she peers her head around the corner. She sees a door at the top of the stairs. The light coming through the window of the door is almost blinding, making her squint. Olivia slowly releases her grip from the wall, and stumbles forward. Suddenly, and without warning, FOOTSTEPS can be heard from upstairs. Olivia looks at the door at the top of the stairs and then back at the pipe she was attached to. She curses to herself and quickly hurries back to her spot on the floor. She puts her left hand behind the pipe, awaiting her captor. The CREAKING of the STAIRS can be heard as Olivia realizes that the card and broken plastic binding are both in plain sight. She looks at them in horror and then at the stairs as she sees the legs of The Stranger appear. She quickly scurries across the floor to grab them, but she's too late. As The Stranger's face comes into view, Olivia moves quickly back to the metal pipe, putting her left hand behind her back again. The Stranger comes into full view and looks at Olivia suspiciously. Olivia is panting and gasping for air as her heart flutters from her near-escape. She tries to control her breathing and stares at the floor, daring not to make eye contact with The Stranger. THE STRANGER You OK? Olivia remains silent, her chest heaving in and out. The Stranger hands her an unwrapped breakfast bar. She doesn't take it from him. THE STRANGER What's up with you? The Stranger comes closer and kneels down in front of her. He looks at her panicked face. Sweat is rolling down Olivia's forehead. THE STRANGER You're sick again, aren't you? I'll pick up something for you when I'm out. Try to get some rest. No more cookies. The Stranger stands up and walks toward the stairs. A CRUNCH can be heard as The Stranger walks away. He stops suddenly. He lifts up his left foot to see... CLOSE ON BROKEN PLASTIC TIE The plastic tie is laying on the floor, the plastic card a few inches away from it. BACK TO SCENE By the time he turns around, Olivia is already running past him. The Stranger spins around to find Olivia scrambling up the stairs on all fours. THE STRANGER No! Don't! STOP!!! BACK DOOR Olivia reaches the top of the stairs and attempts to open the back door of the house. She turns the handle frantically, but it won't budge. The Stranger rounds the corner and starts up the stairs, taking them two at a time. THE STRANGER Rachel, stop! Olivia frantically struggles with the lock and flips it to the unlocked position. As The Stranger reaches the top of the stairs and reaches out for her, Olivia swings the door open, striking him in the HEAD with a loud THUNK. The Stranger stumbles backwards and falls down the stairs. As he lays motionless on the cement floor, blood pours from the open wound on his forehead. CLOSE ON THE STRANGER'S HAND A finger twitches. EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - CONTINUOUS Bright white light blinds the CAMERA. HEAVY BREATHING and SHOES SLAPPING against pavement can be heard. The blinding white light slowly FADES AWAY to reveal a neighbourhood street.. Olivia is running as fast as she can down the street. She runs into a forested area several houses down and continues running, not daring to slow down even a little. Tears are streaming down her face as she pushes herself to keep going. Olivia emerges on the other end of the forest onto another street. Without looking back, she runs down the sidewalk. Another block passes by and then another and another. Another park on the right. Olivia cuts through it, running past parents pushing their children on swing sets, and a family walking their dog. She emerges on the other side of the park and continues on. Another block passes, and another. Finally, Olivia's legs give out and she collapses awkwardly onto the sidewalk. Her eyes are still open, but they begin to slowly close. OLIVIA'S POV The world is just a bright, shining abyss. As she passes out, it fades into darkness. FADE TO BLACK. INT. OLD LADY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS An old lady is watering her plants by the window, while the THEME SONG from a popular soap opera is playing on the TV. ACTOR #1 (O.S.) I need to leave. I need to leave here right now and I'm taking the baby with me The old lady turns to the TV with a look of shock on her face, her mouth wide open. CLOSE ON TV ACTOR #2 Don't you dare take my son from me! BACK TO SCENE The old woman shakes her head in disbelief and then continues watering her plants. She looks up and sees Olivia lying motionless on the sidewalk in front of her house. OLD LADY Oh my God! The old lady rushes to the phone and dials 9-1-1. EXT. OLD LADY'S HOUSE - AERIAL SHOT - CONTINUOUS Olivia lies motionless on the sidewalk while curious passers-by crowd around her. FADE TO WHITE. INT. GROCERY STORE - DAY Julia is bagging groceries. She appears older and more frail than when we last saw her. Her hair is streaked with gray and her face is lined with creases. She smiles at her elderly customer as she rings through her purchases. Julia's CELL PHONE RINGS. JULIA ROSE That will be $37.80. She quickly peeks at the call display and brings the phone up to her ear while the old woman is fumbling for change. KEVIN ROSE Kev, you know I can't talk while I'm -- A LOUD VOICE can be heard on the other end of the line. Julia's mouth opens wide, and she covers it with both hands. She drops the PHONE, which bounces as it SMACKS against the floor. CLOSE ON JULIA'S EYES Her eyes roll up into her head. RETURN TO SCENE Julia collapses behind her checkout station. The cashier in the next aisle looks over in horror as Julia hits the floor and she immediately runs over to help. She kneels down in front of Julia and then looks frantically around the store. CASHIER Somebody call for help! INT. HOSPITAL - OLIVIA'S ROOM - DAY CLOSE ON BLINKING LIGHTS AND TUBES CLOSE ON MEDICAL GEAR The MEDICAL GEAR pumps and rotates, blinks and WHIRS. CLOSE ON TUBES The tubes are hooked into Olivia's nose and around her face. Her eyes are closed and her mouth is slightly ajar. Suddenly, the door to the room bursts open and a noticeably older Kevin Rose enters the room, his wife in hand. Kevin's grey hair is thinning and he looks gaunt. His once youthful face is now creased from years of stress. Julia is sobbing even before she sees her daughter. Julia breaks free of Kevin and runs toward her daughter's bed. Julia is crying hysterically, holding Olivia in her arms. A NURSE approaches to readjust the medical equipment that Julia has disrupted. JULIA ROSE (sobbing) Oh, baby. Baby, you're... who did this... oh God... my baby girl. Kevin walks over to his wife and kneels down, putting his arm around her. KEVIN ROSE (to the Nurse) Can she hear us? NURSE No, not likely, she's been out cold for a few hours now. She's a little weak, I'm afraid. Looks like she hasn't been eating a whole lot. I have to say though, all things considered, she's in really good shape. No serious health issues from what we've seen so far. Julia turns to the nurse, her eyes puffy and pink. JULIA ROSE Who did this? NURSE I'm sorry, I don't know much about the investigation. The police are here, though. They wanted to brief you as soon as possible. KEVIN ROSE Is there anything we can do, anything at all? NURSE Nothing just yet, Mr. Rose, someone will be in to see you shortly. From what I've been told, all the preliminaries were dealt with when she arrived. She was given a rape kit and scrubbed for DNA. I don't know the specifics I'm afraid. Julia looks at the nurse, horrified. JULIA ROSE A rape kit? Kevin stares at the floor with a somber look. NURSE I'll let the detectives know you've arrived. The nurse leaves the room. Julia cradles Olivia in her arms. INT. HOSPITAL - OFFICE - LATER Two detectives in police uniforms are sitting at a desk staring forward, solemnly. The man on the left is RICHARD MATTHEWS, an officer in his forties with broad shoulders, a thick moustache and thinning, grey hair. The man on the right is SEAN O'BRIEN. A younger man than his partner, Sean is in his mid-thirties, thin, with a head full of orange hair. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS First off, Mrs. Rose, and Mr. Rose, I... we both wanted to say just how happy we are for you folks. It's truly a miracle. Julia and her husband are seated across from the officers, staring at the desk in front of them. JULIA ROSE (calmly) I want to know who did this. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN We're making that a priority, Mrs. Rose. Unfortunately, the crime scene itself gives us little to go on, other than the general area in which she might have been held. Rest assured though, processes are being followed and in due time, we'll have an answer for you. Julia looks up at Detective O'Brien, making eye contact with him. JULIA ROSE In due time? What does that mean? He's still out there! The monster that did this to my baby girl is still out there, God only knows what -- DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Ma'am... Julia. I'm a father myself. I've got a four year old and an eight year old at home. One boy, one girl. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I was in your position. One thing that I would know for sure, though, is that my department would be doing everything they could do bring those responsible to justice. JULIA ROSE You've had eight years to bring him to justice. Eight years, and what kind of evidence did you get? Nothing! That's what. Not a single lead. So excuse me, detective, if I have very little faith in your department. Kevin puts his hand on his wife's shoulder. KEVIN ROSE Julia, please -- JULIA ROSE No, Kevin, NO! Don't turn this around on me. I know you feel the exact same way. Julia turns to the officers. JULIA ROSE You find the person that did this and you do it soon, or I will. And so help me God, I'll make him beg for mercy before I'm finished. The officers nod in understanding. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS We'll keep you posted, ma'am. Sir. INT. HOSPITAL - OLIVIA'S ROOM - LATER A nurse is tending to Olivia, checking her status and taking her blood pressure. When she's done, she brushes Olivia's hair back from her face and stares at her with a smile. The CREAK of a DOOR. The nurse turns to look. Elena is staring at Olivia, cautiously. She looks like a healthier version of her sister. She glances from Olivia, to the Nurse, and then back to Olivia. NURSE It's OK, sweetie. She's sleeping right now, but you can come in. Elena inches closer to Olivia, a look of trepidation on her face. Suddenly Olivia opens her eyes. She locks eyes with her sister. Elena chokes back her tears and runs over to her sister, wrapping her in a huge hug. There's a long silence where no one speaks. ELENA ROSE I thought you were gone. Olivia gives her sister a weak smile. FADE TO BLACK. EXT. ROSE HOME - EVENING News vans and reporters are swarming the cul-de-sac that Olivia's family calls home. A news reporter is standing in the street with the Rose home in the background, fixing her hair. A hand comes INTO FRAME from the right and counts down from three. NEWS REPORTER (speaking to camera) It's now been one week since Olivia Rose, a girl that many thought would quite simply never be found, was discovered in a residential area of Scottsdale. Behind me is the Rose family home, where Olivia is now resting after being released from hospital care. So far, information on this story has been very scarce, but we do hope to have an exclusive interview with a member of the immediate family in the very near future. INT. ROSE HOME - CONTINUOUS KITCHEN The family, minus Olivia, are gathered around the kitchen table looking tired but happy. Kevin is flipping through channels on the living room TV. Nearly every single channel is talking about Olivia. Kevin shakes his head in disbelief. The DOORBELL RINGS. FRONT DOOR Kevin walks towards the door and peers out the window. He spots several news reporters with microphones at the ready. Kevin opens the door a crack. All of the reporters speak at once. Nothing specific can be clearly heard, just noise. As soon as Kevin opens his mouth to speak, they all go silent. KEVIN ROSE Please, folks, my family needs some space. We've been interviewed more times than I can count today. My daughter needs time to recover from this, and we all just need time to adjust. Thanks. The noise starts up again as microphones are shoved towards Kevin. He closes the door on the noise. KITCHEN JULIA ROSE Is everything OK? Kevin has his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. He puts his hands back down at his side and walks towards the kitchen, forcing a smile. KEVIN ROSE Everything's fine. Just more reporters. Suddenly the TV grabs the family's attention. CLOSE ON TV OLD LADY Well, like I said, I was just watching my stories and minding my own business when I happened to look outside and see someone just lying there on the sidewalk. Now, I know sometimes the kids in this neighbourhood, they like to play around and do all sorts of strange things. I thought maybe she was... what's the term... planking? I think that's what my grandson calls it. She was lying so still, though. I rushed out and found this girl, this... Olivia, she was just lying there and she looked just awful, like she hadn't had a good meal in weeks. So that's when I called 9-1-1. NEWS REPORTER (O.S.) And had you ever heard of Olivia Rose before? OLD LADY You know, the name... the name was familiar to me. It was familiar. It's been so long though, my goodness, I never thought they would find her... alive. BACK TO SCENE Julia turns the TV off. JULIA ROSE I'm sorry, I just... I can't watch any more. A beat. ELENA ROSE How come she hasn't spoken yet, dad? Kevin looks at his daughter with a sorrowful look. KEVIN ROSE She's been through an unbelievable ordeal, sweetie. We're gonna get her the best help, though. I've already spoken to a few therapists. Don't worry, she'll come around. The DOORBELL RINGS again and Kevin walks over to answer it. FRONT DOOR A young man is standing at the doorstep, hands in his pockets. The throng of reporters stand behind him. As soon as the door is opened, they begin clamouring for an interview. KEVIN ROSE Alex, come on in, son. ALEX KAPLAN slips inside. Alex is now 16 years old and nearly as tall as Kevin. He's slimmer than he was as a child, and wears glasses. Thin wisps of facial hair struggle to make their way across his chin and cheeks. ALEX KAPLAN It's a circus out there. Kevin shakes his head. KEVIN ROSE It's unbelievable. I think they're gonna start pitching tents soon. A beat. ALEX KAPLAN How is she? KEVIN ROSE She's good. It's going to take some time, but... she's doing well. She's up in her room resting right now. ALEX KAPLAN Oh, hey... I should come back later then, I don't wanna -- KEVIN ROSE No, no. I think it would be good for her to see you. Come on in. Julia looks around the corner to see who it is. When she realizes it's Alex, she scurries over and wraps him in a huge hug, her red, puffy, tear-streaked face pressed against his. Julia takes a step back and looks him over. JULIA ROSE You got so big! ALEX KAPLAN I guess so. It's been a long time, Mrs. Rose. JULIA ROSE It really has. A beat. KEVIN ROSE You go ahead son. ALEX KAPLAN Still the room at the end of the hall? JULIA ROSE Exactly as she left it. Alex moves to the stairs and spots Elena sitting at the table. He waves at her and she waves back with a friendly smile. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY Alex makes his way up the dark staircase and towards the end of the hall. There's a quiet MOANING NOISE coming from Olivia's room. Alex approaches the door and knocks lightly on it. He gets no response. ALEX KAPLAN Liv? Silence. OLIVIA'S BEDROOM Alex pushes the door open lightly and finds Olivia curled up on the floor in the corner of the dark room in the fetal position, making low, guttural noises as she rocks slowly back and forth. Alex stares at her in amazement for several moments. ALEX KAPLAN Hey, Liv. He stares at Olivia as she rocks back and forth. ALEX KAPLAN (quietly) Do you remember me? Alex moves slowly across the room to Olivia. He sits down on the edge of the bed and stares at her, and then looks around the room. ALEX KAPLAN It's just like I remember it. Olivia moans to herself and continues rocking back and forth. ALEX KAPLAN This is... I can't believe... Alex chokes back tears. ALEX KAPLAN I was really messed up, you know? For a long time, Liv. Ever since you... Olivia stops rocking, but continues staring at the floor. ALEX KAPLAN I knew you'd come home. Alex shoves himself lightly off the edge of the bed and moves closer to Olivia. He extends his arm out towards her and touches her shoulder very lightly. OLIVIA'S POV Out of the shadows of her bedroom, The Stranger reaches out towards Olivia's face. BACK TO SCENE Olivia suddenly becomes extremely agitated. She screams loudly and lashes out at Alex, clawing at his cheek and knocking him over. She curls up into a protective ball, covering her face. Olivia's parents run into the room to find Alex on his side with deep scratches on his face and Olivia cowering in the corner. Julia runs back down the hallway after seeing Alex's face and Kevin strides into the room. KEVIN ROSE Oh my God. Alex, I'm sorry, son. Alex gets to his feet and makes eye contact with Kevin. They share a sorrowful look. Alex nods and walks towards the door. Kevin puts his hand on Alex's shoulder as Alex walks by. As Alex walks into the hallway, Julia puts a towel to his face to clean up the blood. Olivia is moaning again, rubbing her wrists as she rocks back and forth. KEVIN ROSE Liv, sweetie? Do you want to try to get some rest now? Do you want me to help you into bed? No response other than more moaning. Julia starts crying and Kevin walks over to her and holds her. KEVIN ROSE (to Olivia) Try to get some rest, sweetie. I'll check in on you later. Kevin and Julia walk out of the room, Kevin with his arm around his wife. Once she's alone, the moaning gets louder, but she never stops staring at the floor. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ROSE HOME - ESTABLISHING SHOT - MORNING The moon sinks behind the house, replaced shortly by the sun, which rises high into the sky and over the Rose Home, showing the passage of time. INT. ROSE HOME - OLIVIA'S BEDROOM - DAY The bedroom door is pushed open. Olivia is curled up in the corner of the room. Julia stares longingly at her daughter. JULIA ROSE Liv, sweetie. It's almost two. Would you like to come downstairs with me? There's a visitor here to see you. No response. Julia slowly walks away. MUFFLED VOICES can be heard in the hallway and then Detective Matthews steps INTO FRAME. Julia hands him a laptop computer with stickers plastered all over the lid, presumably belonging to Elena. He mouths 'thank you' and enters Olivia's room. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Hello, Olivia. Olivia glances at the man and then continues staring at the floor. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS I've been looking forward to meeting you for many years. I hoped we could have met sooner. I'm so sorry, I... (a beat) I'm glad you're home. Matthews waits for a reaction but gets nothing in return. He walks over to where Olivia is sitting and sits down next to her on the floor. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS I was hoping that maybe we could have a chat. Would that be OK with you? No reaction. Matthews glances over at Julia with a smile. Olivia glances at Matthews, but doesn't respond. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS No one should ever have to go through what you've did, Olivia. None of it, I mean NONE of it was your fault. It was a horrible thing that that man did. I promise you, we're going to find him for you. He can't hide forever, it's only a matter of time now. It was a man, wasn't it? Olivia is staring at the floor in silence. Matthews looks up at Julia again and nods his head. Julia bites her lip and leaves the room. Matthews opens the laptop, types a few words and turns the laptop around to face Olivia. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS I'm going to show you some faces now. I know this is hard, but the sooner we do this, the better chance we have of finding him. Or her. Can you nod your head for me if you understand? Olivia remains motionless. Ignoring Olivia's lack of response, Matthews moves the laptop closer to Olivia. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Now you just tell me if anyone here looks familiar, OK? Even if you're not sure, don't be shy. Matthews waits several moments until Olivia looks at the screen, and then begins to slowly scroll through the list of names. CLOSE ON LAPTOP Beside each name is a large, clear picture of a man. The names read: Nathan Fillmore, Dillan Miller, Enrique Sanchez, Fernando Oliver, Terry Richardson... RETURN TO SCENE Olivia's eyes are fixed on the screen. Matthews glances back and forth between the screen and Olivia, hoping for a reaction. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Do you recognize anyone? Anyone at all? Olivia shakes her head. Matthews keeps scrolling through the images. CLOSE ON LAPTOP The descriptions next to the names describe the reason for their arrest. Sexual contact with a minor, sodomy and rape are among the terms. RETURN TO SCENE When he reaches the bottom of the list, he glances back at Olivia. Olivia looks away and shakes her head again. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS OK. That's fine. You did well, Olivia, thank you very much. This is a good start. When you feel up to talking, we can narrow things down a bit more. A beat. Matthews stands up with the laptop in hand. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Welcome home, Olivia. Matthews places the laptop on the dresser next to the door and then walks out of the room, glancing back at Olivia one last time before closing the door behind him. Olivia rocks back and forth, holding her wrist. CLOSE ON OLIVIA'S WRIST It's raw and red. She rubs it gently. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ROSE HOME - ESTABLISHING SHOT - EVENING The full moon rises in the night sky, illuminating the Rose home in a white glow. INT. ROSE HOME - OLIVIA'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Olivia is sitting motionless on the floor. She rubs her wrist and glances up. Her sister's laptop is sitting on the dresser where Matthews left it. Olivia slowly stands up and steadies herself against the wall. Moving very carefully, she makes her way across the bedroom to the dresser. She takes the laptop and crosses back to her spot on the floor. Olivia opens the lid of the laptop. Bright light illuminates her face. CLOSE ON LAPTOP The sex offender registry is still open in the web browser. BACK TO SCENE She hits the down key, scanning the faces one by one. A look of anger and disgust is on her face as she makes her way down the list. When she reaches the end of the list, she scrolls back up to the top and looks through them all again, frantically scanning the pictures, squinting her eyes, trying desperately to find someone familiar. CLOSE ON LAPTOP The pictures flash across the screen. BACK TO SCENE Tears well up in her eyes as she reaches the end of the list a second time. A shrill cry escapes her lips and she covers her face. Olivia closes the laptop lid and allows herself a moment to cry, her face covered to muffle the noise. After a moment of silence, she slowly opens the lid again. She scrolls back to the top of the page. CLOSE ON LAPTOP The first name on the list is Nathan Fillmore. She clicks on his name and his profile pops up on the screen. The report states that he was convicted of child molestation five years ago. BACK TO SCENE Olivia studies his picture carefully. After a moment, she grabs a pen her side table and looks for a piece of paper to write on. Not finding any, she stands up and makes her way across the room to her dresser, opening each drawer. In the bottom drawer she finds a stack of 'missing' posters with her face on them. She stares at them for a moment and then grabs one. CLOSE ON PAPER Olivia writes down "Nathan Fillmore" and beside the name, "49 Sycamore Ave". Other names and addresses are quickly scrawled all the way down to the bottom of the page. BACK TO SCENE Once all of the names are on the list, she puts it on her side table, makes her way across the floor and puts the laptop back on the dresser. CLOSE ON LIST The final name on the list isn't a name at all. Beside the number 19 is a row of question marks. FADE TO BLACK. INT. ROSE HOME - OLIVIA'S BEDROOM - MORNING Julia opens Olivia's bedroom door the next morning to find her daughter asleep in her bed. A shocked look washes over Julia's face. After several moments of watching her daughter sleep peacefully in her own bed, she closes the DOOR and it CREAKS. Olivia stirs. JULIA ROSE I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean to wake you, I just... it's good to see you sleeping in your bed again. Olivia doesn't look at her mother JULIA ROSE I need to go out for a little bit, but I should be back in a few hours, sweetie. Julia stares at her daughter for a moment longer, before closing the door. JULIA ROSE Ellie's downstairs if you need her... Olivia is staring wide-eyed out the window. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. After several moments, she glances over at the door. Her mother is gone. She then gets out of bed and walks quietly to her dresser. She puts on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Olivia grabs the list from the side table, folds it in four, and shoves it in her pocket. Olivia walks over to the window and unlocks it. Her mother is down below in the driveway, walking through a crowd of reporters. She gets in her car and drives off. Olivia lifts up the WINDOW slowly, trying not to make a sound. It CREAKS and GROANS despite her efforts. EXT. ROSE HOME - CONTINUOUS ROOFTOP Olivia carefully steps outside onto the roof. She walks carefully, her back pressed up against the house, out of sight of the crowd below, until she finds a strong tree branch that touches the side of the house. She very carefully grabs hold of the branch and lowers herself down, branch by branch, until her feet are on the grass. SIDE YARD/BACKYARD Olivia peers around the corner of the house. Reporters are still lined up and down the cul-de-sac. Olivia walks down the side yard, pushes open the gate to the backyard and walks into the garden shed. She takes a wooden ladder and props it up against the fence to her neighbour's yard. She climbs the ladder, peers over the fence to make sure no one's watching, and then jumps down. NEIGHBOUR'S FRONT LAWN Olivia cuts across several front lawns. News trucks are lined up and down the street behind her. She walks towards the CAMERA, OUT OF FRAME with a look of determination on her face. EXT. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD - DAY Detective Matthews is standing on the front porch of a small residential home speaking with the home owner, MRS. DONOWITZ. She is an elderly woman in her late seventies. MRS. DONOWITZ It's just awful, isn't it? Just AWFUL. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Yes Ma'am, it certainly is. We're glad to see her back home safe and sound. You've lived here for how long, Mrs... Matthews flips through the papers on the clipboard that he's holding. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Donowitz? MRS. DONOWITZ Oh goodness, it must be... forty years. Is that right? Let's see, we moved in in 76... or was it 72? I remember that goddamn crook resigned right after we moved in here... DETECTIVE MATTHEWS That would have been 1974, Ma'am. MRS. DONOWITZ Yes. Yes, that makes sense. Such an awful thing to happen. Have you found the person that did this yet? DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Well, no ma'am, that's why I'm here. Have you ever seen anything suspicious happening in this neighbourhood? What I mean by that is people coming and going at late hours of the night, or strange noises coming from one of the houses on the street. Anything like that? A TEA KETTLE begins to SCREAM inside the house. Mrs. Donowitz looks over her shoulder, startled by the noise. MRS. DONOWITZ Oh! Oh dear me. Would you excuse me for just one moment, young man? Matthew nods, looking frustrated. Mrs. Donowitz hobbles away and Matthews looks around impatiently, TAPPING his PEN on the clipboard. Across the street, Detective O'Brien is walking down the driveway of one home and up the driveway of the next. O'Brien looks at the clipboard in front of him as he walks up the stairs to the house. CLOSE ON CLIPBOARD The name reads "Jaime Mendes". RETURN TO SCENE He rings the doorbell and waits for a response. The CAMERA FOCUSES on the window and a familiar face comes INO FOCUS. The face disappears and a moment later, the door swings open. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Mr. Mendes, how are you doing this afternoon? JAIME MENDES Good. I'm good. How are you? Jaime smiles awkwardly. O'Brien raises an eyebrow at Jaime. Jaime's hair is a mess and his eyes are bloodshot. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Mr. Mendes, we're investigating a child abduction in the neighbourhood. Are you aware that a missing girl was found a few blocks from here on Thursday? JAIME MENDES Yes... of course, yes, it's all over the news, it's just... such a tragedy. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN I couldn't agree more. Which is why we're going door to door here, trying to get an understanding of anything suspicious going on in the neighbourhood. Have you seen or heard anything in the last little while? Are there any neighbours that don't get out much? Anything out of the ordinary at all. Jaime pretends to think and shakes his head. JAIME MENDES No... not that I can think of. Sorry. O'Brien studies Jaime's face carefully. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Is everything all right, sir? You look a bit... Jaime rubs his face and eyes. JAIME MENDES It's been a rough week, with all of this going on... I haven't slept a whole lot. I probably look like death, don't I? Detective O'Brien hands Jaime his card. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Try to get some sleep. And if you think of anything, anything at all... don't hesitate to call that number. Jaime nods and closes the door as O'Brien walks away. CLOSE ON CLIPBOARD O'Brien crosses off "Jaime Mendes" from his list of names. SQUAD CAR DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Anything? Matthews shakes his head. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Me either. No one's seen or heard anything. You think the kid's gonna talk soon? Matthews looks out the window at the houses that line the streets. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Where have you been hiding, Olivia? DISSOLVE TO: EXT. NATHAN'S HOUSE - DAY Olivia approaches a small red brick house in a suburban neighbourhood. For a moment she hesitates, standing in front of the house, unsure of how to proceed. She looks around, nervously. Across the street, an old man is bent over, gardening. He doesn't seem to notice her. She takes a deep breath and walks up to the front door of the house. She RINGS the DOORBELL. No answer. She RINGS it again. Again, no answer. She peers in the front window. A couch and a small TV can be seen. Nothing out of the ordinary. She walks around the side of the house, peering in windows as she goes. There is no car in the driveway. There's a small rock garden at the back of the house. She takes a large rock and walks up to the back door. She TAPS lightly at the GLASS, trying to break it quietly. Finally, it SHATTERS, making a noise that's louder than she expected. She holds her breath and looks around. None of the neighbours are around to notice. Carefully, she reaches inside and unlocks the door. INT. NATHAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS LIVING ROOM Olivia walks casually around the living room. She glances at a framed photo of two men fishing. CLOSE ON FRAMED PHOTO One of the men in the photo is in his mid-30s with a thin build, wearing glasses and a baseball cap. His appearance matches that of Nathan Fillmore. The other is much older, probably the man's father. KITCHEN Olivia walks into the kitchen and glances around, focusing her attention at something OUT OF FRAME. CLOSE ON KNIFE BLOCK INT. NATHAN'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER The song "Your Time Is Gonna Come" by Led Zeppelin is playing on the radio. NATHAN FILMORE, a dweeby-looking man in his mid-thirties is tapping his hands on the dashboard of his car as he drives down a busy city street. The car turns down a side street into a quiet suburban neighbourhood. NATHAN FILMORE (singing quietly along to the song) "You'll look for me but baby, I'll be gone. This is all I gotta say to you woman: Your time is gonna come..." Nathan makes a series of turns and pulls into his driveway. EXT. NATHAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Nathan turns off the ignition, gets out of the car and opens the trunk to grab three bags of groceries. He SLAMS the TRUNK closed and walks up to the front door of his home, still humming the song. He fumbles with the keys but eventually finds the right one. Nathan opens the door and enters his house. INT. NATHAN'S HOME - CONTINUOUS KITCHEN Nathan begins unloading groceries, still humming the song. The CAMERA PANS past him, down the length of the kitchen and into the hallway, right through a slatted closet door. Olivia is staring through the slats, breathing heavily. Nathan produces a bag of coffee beans from the grocery bag. He opens it and takes a big whiff. NATHAN FILMORE Mmm. Nathan pours some beans into a coffee maker that's sitting on the counter. With the press of a button, the MACHINE starts GRINDING the beans, making an awfully loud noise. INSIDE CLOSET - OLIVIA'S POV Nathan takes off his jacket and moves quickly to the very closet that Olivia is hiding in. BACK TO SCENE Nathan flings open the closet doors and Olivia presses herself against the side of the closet wall. Nathan puts his jacket on a hanger and closes the door. INSIDE CLOSET Olivia lets out a heavy sigh of relief. As she moves back into position, the KNIFE gets stuck on a piece of cloth and it releases itself from her grip, CLATTERING to the floor. KITCHEN Nathan stops dead in his tracks and listens for the source of the noise. INSIDE CLOSET Olivia has a pained look on her face as she bends down to pick the knife up off the floor. KITCHEN Nathan shrugs and continues putting the groceries away. HALLWAY As the BEANS GRIND away, Olivia slowly opens the closet door and moves toward the kitchen, gripping the knife in her hand tightly. KITCHEN Nathan is pulling groceries out of a plastic bag. He pauses to read the back of a cereal box. Suddenly, the grinding noise stops. Olivia stops dead in her tracks, holding her breath. NATHAN FILMORE Aw, f**k. Nathan presses a button on the COFFEE MAKER, but nothing happens. He unplugs it and plugs it back in. He presses the button again, and the GRINDING NOISE continues. Olivia takes a deep breath and continues inching forward. She's right behind him with the knife raised. Suddenly, Nathan pauses. NATHAN'S POV Olivia's reflection is in the coffee pot. BACK TO SCENE Nathan turns around just in time to dodge the incoming knife. Olivia stumbles forward and lunges into the counter. NATHAN FILMORE What the f**k?! Nathan lunges toward Olivia while her back is still to him and grabs hold of the arm still grasping the knife. He slams it down against the counter. Olivia screams out in pain and drops the KNIFE. It CLATTERS onto the countertop. Olivia grabs the nearest item - a bag of coffee beans - with her undamaged arm and swings it at his face. He stumbles backwards, beans flying everywhere across the kitchen. Olivia lunges at him, knocking him down onto the floor. She punches him in the face, over and over, as hard as she can. The man is dazed and can barely react. Olivia begins to strangle him, but the man regains his composure and smacks her in the side of the head, sending her flying across the room. She SLAMS into the COUNTER and the KNIFE falls from above, CLATTERING to the tiled floor between her legs. Nathan crawls forward for the knife, but Olivia kicks him in the face. She grabs the knife and lunges forward. A look of fright comes into Nathan's eyes and he retreats into the hallway. HALLWAY Olivia follows after him, slowly and cautiously. The hallway is empty. The SOUND of the COFFEE GRINDER drowns out any indication of where he might be hiding. Olivia is trembling as she stares down the hallway inching her way down. Her hand is shaking as she grips the knife tightly. As she approaches a half-closed door on her left, she slowly extends her hand and pushes it open. There is a bed and a dresser inside, but it's otherwise empty. Suddenly, the grinding noise stops and the COFFEE MAKER makes a loud DING. Nathan comes flying out of the room to her right, swinging a baseball bat. Olivia puts her hands over her head and drops to the floor, dropping the knife in the process. Nathan's BASEBALL BAT SMASHES into the wall above her, making a sizeable dent in the wall. Olivia grabs the knife again and drives it into Nathan's foot. He drops to the floor, howling in pain. Olivia grabs the BAT and throws it down the hallway. It CLATTERS against the hardwood floor and rolls to a stop near the kitchen. Olivia is breathing heavily. She removes the knife from the man's foot. She crawls up over top of him and raises the knife above her head. She hesitates, a look of adrenaline-fueled madness in her eyes. The man suddenly forgets the pain in his foot and grabs Olivia by the leg. She falls to the floor and the man is suddenly on top of her. He prepares to swing a big meaty fist at her face when suddenly, all the wind is knocked from his lungs. Nathan's eyes go wide and he lets out a weak gasp. He falls on top of Olivia, his body limp and lifeless. Olivia rolls out from underneath the man, the knife protruding from his chest. She props herself up against the wall across from him. It only takes a moment before she loses consciousness. FADE TO BLACK. INT. DREAM SEQUENCE - NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - AFTERNOON The rain is coming down hard. Olivia is standing on the sidewalk. She looks around confused. THUNDER RUMBLES in the distance. Suddenly, her captor's car rounds the corner, WHEELS SCREECHING. Olivia lets out a gasp and runs forward, only to find that her legs are tied together with a plastic zip tie. She hits the pavement hard. A gash appears on her forehead from where she hit the ground and blood gushes out, quickly washed away by the rain. Olivia grunts, trying to get up. She looks behind her and a shadow approaches through the rain. She gets to her knees but falls again. She glances behind her once again, a terrified look in her eyes. The shadow approaches and grabs her by the hair, jerking her head back violently. INT. NATHAN'S HOUSE - DAY HALLWAY Olivia screams as she wakes from her dream, lunging forward with the knife already in her hand. She plunges it deep into the man lying on the floor in front of her. The man doesn't react. He's long since expired. Olivia suddenly realizes where she is and what she's done. Blood is pooled all over the hardwood floor, and she's been lying in it herself. Her shirt and pants are both stained dark red. SHOWER OVERHEAD SHOT of Olivia showering off the blood. She squeezes her hair and a large amount of blood pours down to the bottom of the tub. CLOSE ON DRAIN The blood swirls down the slightly clogged drain in a clockwise motion, resembling a blood-red tornado. BEDROOM Olivia opens a closet door to find a large array of shirts and jeans to choose from. HALLWAY Now fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt a few sizes too large, Olivia, bags up her clothes, as well as the knife in a large black garbage bag. She stares at the man lying motionless on the floor before walking away. EXT. DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE - LATER Olivia walks past a restaurant. In the alley beside it is a large dumpster. She casually walks over to it and throws the bag inside of it. INT. CITY BUS - LATER Olivia stares out the window of the bus. In the reflection, she sees her face on a newspaper. She turns around to see a middle-aged man reading the paper. On the page that she can see, the headline reads "Kidnapping victim is in recovery". The man reading the paper flips to the next page. He glances at Olivia. Olivia looks away and continues staring out the window. She studies her reflection and a small smile creeps onto her lips. EXT. ROSE HOME - DAY Two news vans still line the curb next to the Rose home. Julia pulls up to the house. She grabs the bag of groceries next to her, opens her door and exits the car. A news reporter eagerly runs over to her. NEWS REPORTER Mrs. Rose, how is Olivia doing? JULIA ROSE Not right now, thank you. Julia starts walking towards her front door. NEWS REPORTER When do you think we'll get a statement from her? Julia stops in her tracks and stares forward. JULIA ROSE (quietly) I don't know. INT. ROSE HOME - MOMENTS LATER OLIVIA'S BEDROOM Julia opens the door to Olivia's room and peers in. She has the brown paper bag full of groceries in one arm. She stares at her daughter as she lies sleeping. She begins to close the door when she hears something that she hasn't heard in eight long years... OLIVIA ROSE Mom? Julia's jaw drops open. She drops the GROCERIES on the floor with a loud THUNK and runs over to her daughter. Olivia rolls over and looks her mother in the eye. JULIA ROSE (sobbing) Hi, sweetie. Julia hugs her daughter and she hugs her back. FRONT DOOR Elena and Kevin are just coming in the door, when her mother and Olivia walk downstairs together. ELENA ROSE Liv?! Olivia smiles at her sister and her father. Elena and her father rush over and hug her, and Julia joins in. The four of them embrace in the hallway. OLIVIA ROSE Is anyone else really hungry? KITCHEN Olivia is hungrily eating a slice of pizza while the other three stare at her in amazement. Kevin smiles as he watches Olivia eat. He glances at his wife and they share a smile between them. Olivia smiles with a mouth full of pizza. ELENA ROSE Do you think Olivia's going to be able to come back to school now? KEVIN ROSE It's too soon to be thinking about that, hun. Someday, though. I promise. Elena gets up from the table and walks over to Olivia, hugging her from behind. ELENA ROSE I'm glad you're feeling better. Elena walks to the kitchen sink to wash the dishes. Olivia finishes her slice of pizza and washes it down with a can of pop. She lets out a quiet burp. A beat. OLIVIA ROSE I need to talk to the police. Tonight. Julia and Kevin look surprised. They exchange a glance. Julia nods her head. Kevin gets up and grabs the phone. KEVIN ROSE Uh...Detective Matthews please. Olivia looks at her Mom with a hesitant smile. Julia smiles back, tears in her eyes. INT. ROSE HOME - LIVING ROOM - EVENING OLIVIA ROSE No, no facial hair. He was always clean-shaven. He always had really short hair, too. Like he got a haircut every week. Short, brown hair. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS OK, Olivia, I think that gives us a really good place to start. It's good to see you're doing well, sweetie. JULIA ROSE We're truly blessed. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN There's actually something else we wanted to discuss with you. The DNA tests have so far been... inconclusive. Which is puzzling to say the least. Olivia, this might be difficult to talk about... O'Brien glances at Julia and then Elena, in turn. Julia takes the meaning and nods. JULIA ROSE Ellie, why don't you go work on your homework, OK? Elena nods and smiles worryingly at her sister as she leaves. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Olivia, you don't have to answer this just yet if you don't feel comfortable. For the sake of our investigation, though, it would help us tremendously. Did he ever... hurt you? In any way? Olivia is staring at the floor, her hands between her knees. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Did he ever touch you, or... or, make you do anything that you -- OLIVIA ROSE He never laid a finger on me. The officers look at her with a puzzled look on their face. OLIVIA ROSE I know you probably think I'm lying, but it's the truth. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS (quietly to O'Brien) Emotional relationship, seems like. Family member or close friend? DETECTIVE O'BRIEN (nodding) Could be... JULIA ROSE You think this could be someone we know?! DETECTIVE MATTHEWS It's hard to say, Mrs. Rose. I know you've been asked these same questions over and over for years, but is there anyone, anyone at all that you know that would be capable of this? I believe Olivia when she says that she wasn't harmed. There's no sign of trauma at all. JULIA ROSE No. No, there's no one. No one we know would ever do something like this. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN You know, it's sometimes the person you least suspect, sometimes it's just -- OLIVIA ROSE He called me Rachel. Matthews begins writing feverishly on his note pad. O'Brien stares in silence. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Rachel? Olivia nods. JULIA ROSE I don't understand, who's Rachel? DETECTIVE O'BRIEN I promise you, ma'am, that's exactly what we're going to find out. INT. ROSE HOME - OLIVIA'S BEDROOM - LATER Olivia is lying in bed staring at the ceiling. The CAMERA MOVES IN from the ceiling all the way down to her face. A smile forms on her lips. Olivia reaches in her bedside table and pulls out her list of names. CLOSE ON LIST The first name is crossed out and reads "Nathan Fillmore". The second name reads "Dillan Miller". BACK TO SCENE She runs down the list of names, studying them carefully. CLOSE ON LIST Number 19. A row of question marks. BACK TO SCENE The smile fades from Olivia's face. She folds up the list of names and puts it under her pillow. She lays her head back down on the pillow and stares wide-eyed out into the darkness of her bedroom. CUT TO BLACK. EXT. CITY PARK - DAY ESTABLISHING. Families are walking together and pushing their children around in strollers. Children are swinging happily on the swing set. Olivia and Alex are walking slowly together in the park, side by side. Both have their hands in their pockets. Alex has red marks on his face from when Olivia hit him. ALEX KAPLAN I'm glad you're feeling better. You look better too. Olivia looks at Alex. She focuses on the marks on his cheek and she looks away. She stares at something OUT OF FRAME. OLIVIA'S POV Children are swinging on a swing set, laughing and giggling to one another. OLIVIA is staring at them with a sad look in her eyes. Alex looks at the children on the swings and then back at Olivia. ALEX KAPLAN Hey, come here. Alex walks out in front of Olivia and waves his hand at her to follow. Olivia hesitantly follows behind him. They approach the swing set. ALEX KAPLAN Sit down. Olivia sits down and nervously holds onto the chains on either side. Alex gives her a light push. The swing lurches forward. Olivia closes her eyes tightly. CLOSE ON OLIVIA'S FIST Her fist is closed tightly around the chain. BACK TO SCENE Alex pushes again, a little harder this time. CLOSE ON OLIVIA'S FACE Olivia opens her eyes. She looks frightened but that look slowly fades. A smile forms on her lips. OLIVIA'S POV The ground rushes up under her and turns into the bright blue sky above. She comes back down, rushing past the green grass. When she swings back up again, there's a shrouded figure standing in the trees just ahead. The Stranger is staring at her. Olivia's eyes go wide and she lets go of the swing set. Alex runs over to her, dodging the swing, as Olivia tumbles onto the grass. ALEX KAPLAN Liv, are you OK? What's wrong? Olivia looks up into the forest. What was The Stranger is revealed to be just another tree. OLIVIA ROSE It's nothing, I... I thought I saw someone. ALEX KAPLAN Who? Olivia glances at Alex. The claw marks she left on his face are still very red and inflamed. She glances away and stares at the ground. OLIVIA ROSE I'm sorry that I hit you. Alex touches his face lightly. ALEX KAPLAN It's fine. Alex notices that Olivia isn't looking at him. ALEX KAPLAN Seriously, Liv. I'm fine. Who did you see? a beat. OLIVIA ROSE Him. Alex looks around frantically. ALEX KAPLAN Him? What do you mean? Where is he? Olivia shakes her head and stares at the ground. OLIVIA ROSE He's everywhere I go. In my house, here in the park, my nightmares... A beat. ALEX KAPLAN Are they any closer to catching this guy yet? You told the cops everything you knew, right? Olivia stands up and dusts herself off. OLIVIA ROSE Nothing yet. Olivia puts her hands to her face, clearly upset. OLIVIA ROSE I don't want to talk about this. ALEX KAPLAN Yeah, no, that's cool. The two of them walk away from the swing set. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. CITY PARK - MOMENTS LATER Alex and Olivia are now well away from everyone else in the park. They approach a wooden bench on their right. Alex looks at Olivia and notices her knee is scraped up from the fall. ALEX KAPLAN Hey, you scraped yourself up pretty good. OLIVIA ROSE It doesn't hurt. ALEX KAPLAN Sit down for a sec. The two of them take a seat on the bench. Alex looks through his pocket and finds an unused napkin. Alex presses the napkin down onto Olivia's knee. She takes it from him and holds it in place. OLIVIA ROSE Thanks. ALEX KAPLAN Remember when we were kids and we used to ride our bikes all up and down this park? Remember those nature trails in the forest back there? Olivia looks at him and shakes her head no. ALEX KAPLAN What about the Proctor brothers? They used to think they owned this place. Remember, they used to always try to get us to leave, but they'd never do anything about it because you were a girl? If it was me and Paul they would kick our asses if we didn't get out of here but when it was you and me they'd leave us alone. Olivia has a sad look on her face as she listens to Alex talk. ALEX KAPLAN You really don't remember, do you? Olivia shakes her head. OLIVIA ROSE I feel like I should know what you're talking about, but it all just seems like... a dream I may have had once. Nothing real. A beat. OLIVIA ROSE Alex... the girl you knew, whoever you think she was... she's dead. And she's never coming back. Alex and Olivia both stare at the ground awkwardly, neither one saying a word. INT. DILLAN'S HOUSE - DAY CLOSE ON DILLAN'S FACE Dillan's face is bruised and bloody. RETURN TO SCENE Outside, the rain has died down. The sun is peeking through the clouds, casting rays of light through the window behind Olivia. Olivia is sitting on a chair in the middle of the kitchen. The crowbar is leaning up against it. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the list of names. OLIVIA ROSE Do you have a pen? Dillan gives Olivia a weary glance. DILLAN MILLER Over on the counter. Olivia leans over the counter and looks around for the pen. DILLAN MILLER By the toaster. To your left. Olivia finds the pen and grabs it. Something about it catches her attention and she does a double-take. CLOSE ON PEN "Miller Daycare - Where kids are #1!" BACK TO SCENE Olivia scoffs. She lays the paper out flat on the counter and carefully strokes off Dillan's name. DILLAN MILLER In my bedroom, under the bed... Dillan shifts uncomfortably. CLOSE ON DILLAN'S HANDS The zip ties are digging into his skin, which is reddening around them. RETURN TO SCENE DILLAN MILLER Under the bed, there's a safe. You're welcome to everything that's inside. Untie me and I'll give you the combination. Olivia turns around and gives the man a confused look. Olivia throws the pen hard at Dillan. It bounces off of his forehead. DILLAN MILLER F**k! Olivia walks over to Dillan and kneels down in front of his face. OLIVIA ROSE I don't think you've been paying attention. DILLAN MILLER I have a good idea! if you let me go, I'll hope you look for him. OLIVIA ROSE No you won't. I'll find him myself and I'll kill him myself. Just like I'm about to kill you. Olivia turns around with the CROWBAR in her hands and rushes over to the man, slamming the metal tool into his arm, producing a sickening CRUNCH. DILLAN MILLER Ahhhh!! F**k! You broke my f*****g arm! Dillan collapses onto his good arm and screams in pain. Olivia raises the crowbar above her head. DILLAN MILLER (sobbing and stuttering) No, no I don't want to die, please, I'll do anything. I'm not like him, I would never do what he did! HALLWAY Blood suddenly sprays against the wall and Dillan's screams are silenced instantly. Dillan's body slumps into the hallway. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) How am I feeling? Much better, actually. INT. SAMANTHA'S OFFICE - EVENING Olivia is sitting in a large, bright office with credentials littering the walls around her. Her face is scratched and red from her encounter with Dillan. Sitting across from her is her therapist, SAMANTHA LANDRY, a thin, neatly dressed woman in her mid-forties. Samantha stares at Olivia with a slight smile on her face. Olivia stares back, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She glances around the room. Samantha writes something on the piece of paper in front of her and continues the staring contest. SAMANTHA LANDRY How are you sleeping? Any dreams you'd like to share? OLIVIA ROSE Fine. I sleep just fine. Samantha smiles at Olivia. SAMANTHA LANDRY I'm glad we're finally getting the chance to meet. Your father called me the day you were found. Your family truly cares about you, you're a very lucky girl. A beat. SAMANTHA LANDRY May I ask what happened? Olivia locks eyes with Samantha, looking genuinely confused. OLIVIA ROSE What do you mean? Samantha motions to her own face and touches her forehead and cheeks. In realization, Olivia touches her own face lightly. OLIVIA ROSE Oh. I fell. Samantha stares at her, waiting for the rest of the story. OLIVIA ROSE My friend... he was pushing me on the swing and I fell off. I fell into some twigs... that's all. SAMANTHA LANDRY I see. It looks awfully painful. Olivia looks down at her feet. There's a dark red streak of blood on her white socks. She pulls her jeans down to cover the blood up. SAMANTHA LANDRY I think your father mentioned him. Alex, is it? Olivia nods. SAMANTHA LANDRY How long have you known Alex? Olivia crosses her arms in front of her chest and shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Samantha jots something down quickly. SAMANTHA LANDRY Olivia, are you at all familiar with the concept of writing therapy? Olivia shakes her head. SAMANTHA LANDRY It's a form of expressive therapy, I've used it before on several patients and it's actually been a very useful tool to help with communication. This sort of therapy could be just what you need. OLIVIA ROSE What would I want to write about? SAMANTHA LANDRY Anything that you want to get off your chest. Your experiences over the last eight years would be -- OLIVIA ROSE Experiences? You mean the time I spent tied to a rusty pipe for eight years? Those experiences? SAMANTHA LANDRY I understand it may be difficult to relive those memories, but that's what expressive therapy is all about, Olivia. I'd be here to help you every step of the way. In fact, you wouldn't even have to lift a pencil. I could do the writing for you through these sessions together. What do you think about that? Olivia looks away from Samantha and begins to stare out the window. OLIVIA ROSE (quietly) I think you're full of s**t. SAMANTHA LANDRY Pardon? OLIVIA ROSE I said you're full of s**t. SAMANTHA LANDRY And why do you think that? OLIVIA ROSE You have no idea who I am. SAMANTHA LANDRY You're right, I don't. I need you to tell me. OLIVIA ROSE And what am I supposed to tell you? None of this will ever make sense to me, no matter much how you analyze it. I'm dealing with this on my own terms and so far, I have to say, it's working. SAMANTHA LANDRY Olivia, I only want what's best -- OLIVIA ROSE What you want is the story of the week! You want the book deal. The episode of Dateline. The truth is no matter how long I sit here telling you what a terrible life I have, I'll just be wasting my breath. You can find someone else to get rich off of. Olivia gets up from her CHAIR so fast that she knocks it backward onto the floor with a CRASH. She storms out of the room. Samantha looks down at her desk, disappointed. She shakes her head and closes the file folder on Olivia that she has open in front of her. LOBBY On her way out of the office, Olivia storms past her father, who is reading a magazine. He does a double-take when he sees his daughter leaving. KEVIN ROSE Liv! Hey! What happened? EXT. SAMANTHA'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Olivia storms out of the office and runs down the street, tears welling in her eyes. Her father runs out behind her. KEVIN ROSE Olivia, come back! Kevin runs after his daughter and quickly catches up to her. He extends his arm to her shoulder and his daughter stops and turns around. OLIVIA ROSE I don't want to do this! She's not helping me! KEVIN ROSE Honey, I think what's best is that you give it more time. This was only your first session, she's only trying to help you -- OLIVIA ROSE I don't NEED her help, Dad. Kevin hugs his daughter and holds her close. KEVIN ROSE OK. OK, it's OK. They continue to hug for a moment. KEVIN ROSE Come on, let's go somewhere warm and talk it over. INT. COFFEE SHOP - LATER Olivia is seated in a booth of a coffee shop with a cup of hot chocolate in front of her. She's shaking as she lifts the cup to her mouth. Olivia glances quickly at her father, who is seated across from her. Her eyes are swollen and red. Kevin extends his hands across the table and takes hers in his. She flinches but allows him to hold her. KEVIN ROSE You've always loved a cup of hot-cha. Remember when you used to call it that? You used to say "Daddy, can I have some hot-cha with mallows?" Olivia shakes her head. OLIVIA ROSE I don't really remember. KEVIN ROSE It was a long time ago. A beat. KEVIN ROSE (pointing to his face) Does it still sting? Olivia shakes her head. KEVIN ROSE My poor girl... you've been through so much and then a tree picks a fight with you. Kevin's PHONE BEEPS. He looks at it and sighs. OLIVIA ROSE What's wrong? KEVIN ROSE Just work stuff. OLIVIA ROSE The store? Kevin looks up from his phone and makes eye contact with Olivia. KEVIN ROSE I don't work there any more, sweetie. OLIVIA ROSE What do you mean? Why not? KEVIN ROSE We sold it. A long time ago. Not long after... Olivia looks at her father in confusion. KEVIN ROSE It just wasn't working out. Kevin looks away awkwardly. A beat. Kevin makes eye contact with Olivia again. KEVIN ROSE It wasn't that business was slow... I mean, it was, but... it was just too much. Going through everything we were going through... I barely slept, I couldn't concentrate on what I needed to to keep it running. I just wasn't the right person to run it any more. It's in good hands now, though. OLIVIA ROSE Dad. Kevin looks at his daughter. She has tears in her eyes. OLIVIA ROSE I'm sorry. The words hit Kevin like a bowling ball to the gut. KEVIN ROSE No. No, you can't be sorry. Never. This wasn't your fault. Kevin switches seats and slides into Olivia's booth and holds her close. KEVIN ROSE Don't you ever be sorry about anything. I'm just fine, your mother and I are both just fine. I've got a really good job now. It's a night shift. The sanitation yard. It's been working out better for me. At night's when I do most of my thinking. A beat. KEVIN ROSE Everything's gonna be all right from now on. Kevin holds his daughter close. INT. KEVIN'S CAR - LATER Olivia and her father are sitting in silence in the car while driving down a dark city street. Kevin turns on the radio and flips through a few stations before landing on a talk news channel. NEWS REPORTER (V.O.) Another man was found murdered in his own home today in Scottsdale, apparently beaten to death in a similar fashion to yesterday's victim. Police have stated that the two incidents are potentially connected in ways not previously considered. Our investigative reporter, Annette Stone, has more. Olivia shifts uncomfortably in her chair. Her eyes go to the radio. She glances at her father, who is concentrating on the road. KEVIN ROSE That's terrible... ANNETTE STONE (V.O.) That's right, Sandy, I'm outside the home of Dillan Miller on Glenashton Road here in Scottsdale, where Mr. Miller was found brutally beaten to death in his own home. This is the second murder in as many days in this normally quiet community. Police Commissioner Aaron Jones, says that these murders are possibly connected. POLICE COMMISSIONER (V.O.) At this point in the investigation, there's still a lot of evidence that we need to go through. We need to make sure we do our due diligence before revealing too much, but what I can tell you is that the victims in these incidents are both registered sex offenders. Now, we're not sure if this is just a coincidence at this point in time, or if they are being targeted by someone in the community, but we're actively working on... KEVIN ROSE Let's listen to something more upbeat, what do you say? Kevin hits a preset on his radio and "Stairway to Heaven" starts playing. KEVIN ROSE There we go. Stairway. Can't get any better than that. Olivia smiles nervously at her dad. She then turns her head and looks out the window of the car with a concerned look on her face. The street lights bounce across her face as they drive down the city street. A CELL PHONE RINGS. KEVIN ROSE (O.S.) Hello? Really? Can't you get Jim to come in early? A beat. Kevin lets out a long sigh. KEVIN ROSE OK, I'll be down in a little while, I'm with my daughter right now. All right, bye. Kevin curses and puts his phone away. KEVIN ROSE I need to go into work early. Your mom's done work in ten minutes, I'll drop you off there and she'll take you home, OK? Olivia is still staring out the window. OLIVIA ROSE OK. Kevin reaches over and rubs his daughter's head lovingly. INT. GROCERY STORE - LATER ENTRANCE The DOOR to the grocery store DINGS as Olivia enters. She's hunched over and looks tired as she trudges by the cash registers. FROZEN FOOD SECTION Olivia walks to the back of the store and spots her mom putting cartons of milk onto the refrigerated shelving. JULIA ROSE Liv! Sweetie, I thought you were with your father? OLIVIA ROSE I was but he had to go to work. Julia smiles and nods her head. JULIA ROSE He's been keeping busy. Julia gives her daughter a sympathetic look and extends her arms to hug Olivia. Olivia walks into her mother's embrace. A beat. JULIA ROSE It's been a long day. Listen, I'm just going to go punch out and then we'll go home, OK? You want some ice cream? Pick one out and we'll have some when we get home. OLIVIA ROSE OK, Mom. Julia hands her daughter a twenty dollar bill and smiles at her. Olivia smiles back. Julia walks off, taking off her smock as she goes. Olivia begins browsing the ice cream flavours. Vanilla, Chocolate, Neapolitan, Cherry. Olivia grabs a tub of Chocolate and a bottle of chocolate syrup. CASH REGISTER Olivia is at the cash register with her purchases. The girl ringing her through is in her late teens with short blond hair. She is wearing a trainee badge. The name AMANDA is printed on a temporary sticker on the front of the badge. Amanda scans the ice cream twice by mistake. AMANDA HUNTER Oops. Amanda struggles with the cash register, trying to erase one of the scans. She gets stressed out and pounds on the keys. AMANDA HUNTER F**k. Amanda looks up at Olivia. AMANDA HUNTER Sorry. She eventually figures out how to cancel the order and she re-scans Olivia's items. AMANDA HUNTER That'll be... $8.42. Olivia hands her the twenty dollar bill. Amanda opens the till and gives Olivia her change. Olivia takes her groceries and begins to leaf through a magazine across from the till. AMANDA HUNTER (O.S.) Jaime, I'm going home now, can you take over? CLOSE ON BOX OF ORGANIC BROWN RICE The box is moving from left to right, down a conveyor belt. A hand reaches down and grabs it from the conveyor belt and scans it. BACK TO SCENE Olivia is still leafing through her magazine, the man and his customer OUT OF FOCUS behind her. MAN (O.S.) That will be $4.55, ma'am. Olivia freezes. She can't move. She turns her head slowly, in horror, to find her former captor, dressed in a green smock. His forehead has a red mark from the door he took to the forehead not too long ago. CLOSE ON NAMETAG "Jaime" BACK TO SCENE Olivia's eyes are locked on Jaime. Her body begins shaking. As Jaime's customer finishes his transaction, he looks up to see Olivia staring back at him. He does a double-take when he realizes who she is. Olivia's eyes roll up in her head and she falls to the floor, unconscious. ELDERLY CUSTOMER Oh my God! Are you OK? Young man! Young man, help, this girl just fainted! Jaime runs over to meet the customer with a look of fear in his eyes. Jaime kneels down with his face in his hands and pauses. When he removes his hands from his face, his expression instantly turns calm. JAIME MENDES (MAN) It's OK, this happens to her sometimes. I'll take care of her. The customer looks confused. ELDERLY CUSTOMER You know her? JAIME MENDES She's my niece. She probably forgot to take her medication today. Her parents always forget to remind her. The customer picks up her cell phone and dials 9-1-1. JAIME MENDES What are you doing? ELDERLY CUSTOMER I'm calling 9-1-1, she needs help. I think she hit her head on the way down. JAIME MENDES I'll tell you what... I'll take her home to her mom. She has her medication there, we've been dealing with this all her life. It comes and goes... Jaime glances around the store. JAIME'S POV The office door where Julia went to punch out is still closed. BACK TO SCENE ELDERLY CUSTOMER Are you sure? I still think we should call... JAIME MENDES No! I don't want her mom getting worried about her. She has anxiety attacks, it's better if I take her home. ELDERLY CUSTOMER OK, if you say so. It's your call. The customer walks away and leaves the store, looking back over her shoulder as she walks out the door. Jaime looks around nervously. JAIME'S POV The store is empty. JAIME glances at the office door again. JAIME'S POV The door is still closed. DISSOLVE TO: INT. GROCERY STORE - MOMENTS LATER Julia locks the office door behind her and walks out into the quiet store. There are no customers. Jaime is standing at his till, straightening some magazines. JULIA ROSE Time to call it a night. Thanks for your help today. Amanda's a bit of a handful, I know. JAIME MENDES She's getting better. JULIA ROSE I hope so. Oh! By the way, do you know what next Tuesday is? Jaime looks confused. He shakes his head. JAIME MENDES What? JULIA ROSE That, my friend, is your ten year anniversary. Hard to believe, isn't it? JAIME MENDES Wow, yeah. Time flies. JULIA ROSE We should go out for a drink or something. Really whoop it up. Julia smiles at Jaime. JULIA ROSE God knows I could use a drink. How's your head? It's looking better. Jaime touches his forehead instinctively. JAIME MENDES It's uh... it's better. JULIA ROSE It looks better. What were you carrying again? A treadmill? JAIME MENDES No, um... an elliptical machine. One of the arms came untied and... Jaime mimics something hitting him in the head. JULIA ROSE Well, I think your buddy owes you an apology. You were the one helping HIM move. Try Neosporin. It'll clear that right up. Julia glances around the store. JULIA ROSE (yelling) Ready, Liv? Silence. Julia looks confused and walks across the length of the store, looking down each aisle. JULIA ROSE Olivia! JAIME MENDES Oh, she said she'd meet you at home. JULIA ROSE What? At home? Why? What do you mean? Jaime shrugs. JAIME MENDES She seemed like she didn't want to wait around. JULIA ROSE Why the hell didn't you stop her, Jaime? Jesus Christ, you know what she's gone through, she shouldn't be out there alone. Julia rushes to the door, throwing her jacket on as she goes. Jaime stares with an emotionless glare at Julia as she leaves the store. EXT. GROCERY STORE - CONTINUOUS Julia glances frantically around the dark parking lot. JULIA ROSE OLIVIA!! Julia runs over to her car, jumps in the front seat, slams the door shut and speeds out of the parking lot. The CAMERA PANS slowly across the parking lot. As we get further and further away from the store, a MUFFLED NOISE can be heard. It gets louder and louder until finally the trunk of a car comes INTO FRAME. A moment of silence and then... A loud, muffled SCREAM and the car shakes from side to side. CUT TO BLACK. EXT. DREAM SEQUENCE - CITY PARK - POND - DAY Olivia is treading water in a pond. She looks up at the bright summer sky. Dark, billowing clouds are rolling in faster than nature would ever permit. Olivia is seemingly alone in the park. Everywhere she looks, no one can be seen. She turns herself around and spots a large brick building. Olivia squints and sees her family in the distance, through a window on the side of the building. They are having dinner together. Olivia sees herself sitting with them, right beside her twin sister. Everyone is laughing. Olivia and her sister are talking quietly to one another. Olivia suddenly feels a tug at her feet. She dips below the water's surface briefly, before quickly bobbing back up. Startled, she gasps for air as she breaks the surface. She starts to swim to the side of the pond, but is again pulled under, more violently this time. UNDERWATER Olivia is being pulled down by an unknown force, deeper and deeper, the water is getting darker and darker. Olivia struggles with whatever is pulling her down. The CAMERA PANS DOWN to reveal a hand pulling her down by her ankle. She pounds on it but it doesn't let go. Frantically, she hits it over and over, prying at the fingers. Air bubbles are escaping from her nose and mouth. Over and over she pounds on the hand until finally, she runs out of energy. Her body goes limp. The hand releases her and she floats slowly to the water's surface. ABOVE WATER She bobs above the surface and gasps for air. Horrified, she realizes that the pool is now filled with blood. Looking around, she sees the bodies of the men on her list. They are floating lifeless, face up toward the cloudy sky. With a look of sheer terror, she swims for the edge of the pond, now only a few feet away. As her fingers touch the grass at the edge of the water, Olivia spots Jaime Mendes, on the other side of a chain-link fence staring at her with an emotionless glare. Slowly, the glare turns to a smile. The bodies in the water open their eyes and start to swim towards Olivia, leaving trails of dark blood in their wake. Olivia grasps for the edge of the pond, but every time she takes hold of the ground, it gives way beneath her and collapses down into the pond. Over and over, she attempts to climb onto the surface, but each time her attempt is thwarted. She glances behind her to find the outstretched, bloody arm of Dillan Miller reaching for her. His face is twisted into an image of pure evil, his bloated skin hanging lifelessly onto his face. She winces, and as the hand touches her face, she screams and suddenly awakens from the dream, to an even more horrible reality. DISSOLVE TO: INT. JAIME'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - EVENING Jaime is tapping Olivia on the shoulder. As Olivia comes back to consciousness and screams, Jaime jumps back in fright. JAIME MENDES Are you OK? Olivia looks around her frantically, realizing instantly where she is. OLIVIA ROSE No, no, no, no, no. Both of Olivia's hands are tied behind her back. She struggles but her efforts are fruitless. She's sobbing as she attempts to free herself. JAIME MENDES You shouldn't have left me, Rachel. I missed you. OLIVIA ROSE No! No! No! Olivia frantically moves her hands back and forth, hitting them against the metal pipe that she's tied to. OLIVIA ROSE (sobbing) Don't do this, don't you do this again. Don't do this. Let me go, don't you dare... don't you... JAIME MENDES Why did you... Jaime swallows hard. JAIME MENDES Why did you leave me? It's not safe for you out there, didn't I tell you that already? It's not safe for you anywhere but here. If he ever found you again, I don't know what I'd do. Olivia stops struggling and leans back against the metal pipe. OLIVIA ROSE Kill me. JAIME MENDES What? What are you talking about, I -- OLIVIA ROSE Just do it. Let me go or kill me. JAIME MENDES Rachel, I -- OLIVIA ROSE I'M NOT RACHEL!! EXT. SUBURBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD - NIGHT A police car is driving down a quiet suburban neighbourhood. It passes another police car going in the opposite direction. On another street, several police cars are lined up on the side of the road, gumballs lighting up the otherwise quiet neighbourhood. A car is pulled over and an officer shows the driver a photograph of Olivia. The man shakes his head as he looks at the image. INT. ROSE HOME - EVENING KITCHEN (MOS) Julia is screaming while Kevin holds her. Elena is talking to a police officer in the kitchen. Detective Matthews and O'Brien enter the front door. Kevin notices them and seats his wife in a chair. He motions for Elena to come hold her. Elena excuses herself from the officer and runs over to hold her distraught mother. Kevin runs over to the detectives that just entered. FRONT DOOR KEVIN ROSE Did you find anything? DETECTIVE MATTHEWS We checked the security tapes... Matthews sighs and glances at O'Brien. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS It looks like it's completely blank. We're having a technician look at it, but from what I could tell, the hard drive is corrupted. Probably nobody's checked the tapes in a while and it just went unnoticed. KEVIN ROSE Oh my God... DETECTIVE MATTHEWS We're doing all we can, Mr. Rose. We have stop-points all over town looking for your girl. We're going to find her. The two detectives glance awkwardly at one another. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN ... And there's something else. KEVIN ROSE What is it? DETECTIVE O'BRIEN We've been investigating two homicides that took place here in town this week. This is hard to say... KEVIN ROSE What? DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Your daughter's fingerprints were found at both crime scenes. Kevin stares bewildered at the two officers. INT. ELDERLY CUSTOMER'S HOUSE - EVENING CLOSE ON BOX OF ORGANIC BROWN RICE KITCHEN An elderly woman is humming a song to herself as she prepares a meal. She takes the rice and pours it into a pot of boiling water. She begins chopping some green peppers when she's interrupted by a woman's voice in another room. VOICE (O.S.) Mom, what channel is the news on? ELDERLY CUSTOMER You know I don't watch that junk. If I want to hear bad news, I'll just go see my Cardiologist. VOICE (O.S.) It's not all bad, mom. The old woman grunts in response. ELDERLY CUSTOMER'S DAUGHTER (O.S.) Oh my God! The old woman looks up suddenly and scurries over into the living room, her wooden spoon in one hand. LIVING ROOM The old woman's daughter, along with a middle-aged man and an elderly man are all seated around a television set. ELDERLY CUSTOMER What's wrong? ELDERLY CUSTOMER'S DAUGHTER This Olivia Rose girl, she's gone missing again. That's so awful. The others in the room murmur to one another. ELDERLY CUSTOMER Olivia who? ELDERLY CUSTOMER'S DAUGHTER Mom, you seriously need to get out more. A little Brian Williams wouldn't hurt you once in a while, either. Her, see? CLOSE ON TV A picture of Olivia is shown on the screen. BACK TO SCENE The old woman drops her wooden spoon. ELDERLY CUSTOMER'S DAUGHTER Mom, are you OK? The old woman puts one hand to her mouth and uses the other to steady herself against the wall. ELDERLY CUSTOMER Oh my God. INT. JAIME'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - MOMENTS LATER CLOSE ON PILE OF GARBAGE An old hard drive is sitting on a pile of cardboard and garbage bags. BACK TO SCENE JAIME MENDES I couldn't believe it when I saw you just walking down the street, walking to school just like you always would. Just the way I remembered you. Jaime smiles to himself. JAIME MENDES I was right. I never gave up hope. As soon as you give up hope, there's nothing left to live for. I kept telling them that, but they wouldn't listen. Mom would start crying and Dad would smack me, saying it was my fault. They were cowards. How could they give up on you like that? You were their daughter, parents are supposed to be there for their kids. Two years, that's how long they had hope for you. That's it. That's when they said it was time to move on. Jaime slinks back against the wall with his head in his hands. JAIME MENDES (angrily) They almost had me committed. Can you believe that? They were going to send me away to some f*****g nut house! Maybe then they could forget about me too. Olivia is watching Jaime with a look of anger and fear in her eyes. OLIVIA ROSE I'm not your sister. My name is Olivia Rose and you kidnapped me. You're a sick piece of s**t and you deserve to die. As soon as I get out of here, and I will get out of here, I'm going to make you wish your sister was never born. Jaime makes eye contact with Olivia. His demeanour is calm. Suddenly, rage fills his eyes and he lunges at Olivia, choking her with his strong, powerful hands. Olivia flails her legs in front of her, kicking at him frantically. Her efforts are useless. The veins in Olivia's forehead begin to bulge and her face turns a deep shade of purple as Jaime continues choking her. Suddenly she makes eye contact with him and stops struggling. Jaime, seeing the pained expression on her face, releases his grip and flings himself away from her, crying wildly. JAIME MENDES You were supposed to come back to me! I waited for you for so long! Olivia gasps for breath, coughing and hacking. JAIME MENDES (sobbing) I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I made a mistake. Jaime slowly stands up, using the wall behind him for support. He slowly walks across the floor of the basement. OLIVIA ROSE Where are you going? Let me go! Jaime slowly turns around to face Olivia. JAIME MENDES I need to find my sister. You said it yourself. I made a mistake. There was another... Jaime begins walking up the stairs. JAIME MENDES Julia calls her Elena. Olivia's eyes go wide as saucers as the name is mentioned. OLIVIA ROSE No!! Don't you touch her!! Olivia pounds frantically against the pipe behind her, flailing her legs and screaming at the top of her lungs, incoherently. The lights are turned off and Olivia is left alone in darkness to scream in terror. INT. POLICE CAR - MOMENTS LATER Matthews and O'Brien are seated in a police car in the driveway of the Rose Home. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN What do you make of it? Matthews shakes his head. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Never seen anything like it. They ran the prints three times, they're hers. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Maybe one of them was the perp? Maybe both? They had records... makes sense. Maybe she went after a third? A CELL PHONE VIBRATES. Matthews reaches to his hip and answers the call. INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Matthews. DETECTIVE SIBERT This is Detective Sibert from SPD. One of our 911 operators just got a phone call about your missing girl. Apparently she fainted in a grocery store last night and one of the cashiers offered to take her home. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS No s**t. Did she get a name? DETECTIVE SIBERT First name's Jaime. I managed to get the last name from company records, it's Mendes. I ran his name, he's clean, but get this. About twelve years ago, before he moved out here, his kid sister was nabbed outside of Pittsburgh. Guess what her name was. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Rachel. Matthews starts the squad car and backs out of the driveway in a hurry, WHEELS SQUEELING. DETECTIVE SIBERT Right as rain. Two years after that, they find her body in a river and his parents wind up dead. Shotgun wounds to the head. Was ruled a suicide at the time. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS What's the address? INT. JAIME'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER BASEMENT Olivia is screaming at the top of her lungs. She works her tied hands slowly up the pole she's attached to and stands up. She begins to tug desperately at the pole, trying to free herself in any way possible. Olivia BASHES her SHOULDER into the side of the pipe repeatedly. Again and again and again. The pipe begins to give way. After several more bashes, she gives it all she has left in her. There's a sickening CRUNCH as her ARM breaks at the shoulder and at the same time, the PIPE BREAKS near the middle, spraying water all over her. Olivia drops to the floor, screaming in pain. She looks in horror at her arm, which hangs awkwardly at her side. Olivia hobbles over to the stairs, her left arm dangling. She makes her way up the stairs, quietly opening the door at the top of the staircase. FRONT DOOR CLOSE ON JAIME Jaime is putting his jacket on. Olivia is OUT OF FOCUS in the background, but when she spots him, she begins to run towards him as fast as she can. The moment before impact, Jaime spins around as Olivia runs into him at full speed, sending him flying to the FLOOR with a CRASH. BACK TO SCENE Olivia screams and punches Jaime in the face with her one good hand, but she's too weak to do much damage. OLIVIA ROSE DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!! STAY AWAY FROM HER!! Jaime, surprised more than anything, smacks Olivia in the face, just hard enough to get her off of him. Olivia rolls off of him and lands on her broken arm. She screams in pain and her eyes roll back in her head. She looks like she's about to pass out. Olivia is gasping for breath. She drags herself along the floor, away from Jaime. She's moving slowly, and behind her Jaime is now getting to his feet. JAIME MENDES Son of a b***h... Jaime puts a hand to his head and looks at the blood. His old wound has been reopened. JAIME MENDES That was your plan, huh? Now what? Olivia continues crawling along the floor, whimpering. Her damaged arm drags at her side. JAIME MENDES Come here. I won't hurt you. Come here. Jaime walks over to Olivia and stands over her. She tries to continue crawling, but he grabs her by the back of her pants, holding her in place. OLIVIA ROSE Olivia screams and kicks hard at Jaime's ankle. Jaime screams in pain and falls to the ground, holding his ankle tenderly. Olivia pulls herself back to her feet and moves to the front door of the house. She struggles with the door and realizes that it's locked. JAIME MENDES Rachel, no! No! Don't! Olivia struggles with the lock, but manages to open it. She swings the door open, only to be greeted with a screen door. Jaime is getting to his feet and limping over to Olivia. Olivia pushes the handle, but it won't open. She realizes too late that the screen door is also locked. Jaime grabs her and drags her backwards, kicking and screaming. In her desperate flailing, Olivia accidentally knocks a framed photograph of Rachel off the wall, the GLASS from the frame SHATTERING across the side table and floor below it. She quickly sees an opportunity and while Jaime stops for a moment to close the door with his foot, Olivia uses both of her feet to grip a shattered piece of glass. With all of the strength she can muster, she drives it back behind her, straight into Jaime's groin. Jaime immediately drops Olivia, who falls to the floor amongst the broken glass. Jaime looks down, horrified at the shard of glass sticking out of him. With a look of complete shock on his face, he pulls the glass out slowly, shaking as he does so. Dark shadows flit past the living room window. Olivia doesn't notice, she's too busy watching Jaime writhe in pain on the floor. Olivia grabs another large shard of glass and moves quickly over to Jaime. She holds it to his throat. OLIVIA ROSE I want to look you in the eyes when I do this. Look at me! Jaime looks at Olivia. OLIVIA ROSE Those others, they were just practice. I'm gonna make this count. JAIME MENDES (hysterical) Don't, don't, don't do this, please. I'll let you go, Please, don't, please... Jaime is shaking and weeping. A dark spot forms near his crotch as he releases his bladder. OLIVIA ROSE You'd have me believe that, wouldn't you? Olivia points at Rachel's photo, lying on the ground in front of them. OLIVIA ROSE Say goodbye to your f*****g sister! Suddenly, another series of dark shadows move across the curtained window of the living room. Olivia and Jaime both follow the shadows with their eyes, momentarily forgetting their feud. Suddenly, there's a LOUD BANG and the FRONT DOOR of the house is kicked in by Detective O'Brien. He and his partner both enter the house, shotguns drawn. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Drop the weapon! Drop it now! OLIVIA ROSE No... Olivia pushes the glass right up against Jaime's throat. A trickle of blood flows down his neck. JAIME MENDES Don't shoot her! Please! OLIVIA ROSE Shut up! Olivia looks from Jaime back to the officers. Suddenly, three more Officers appear behind them, guns raised. OLIVIA ROSE You're not going to take this away from me! Lower your weapons, or I'll slit his neck from ear to ear. DETECTIVE O'BRIEN Put the weapon down, Olivia, we're not here to harm you. Your family is at home waiting for you to come back to them. They just want to see you again. Please, lower the weapon and come with us. OLIVIA ROSE I... I can't do that. Olivia glances around the room, frantically. OLIVIA ROSE I have to do this. I have to. DETECTIVE MATTHEWS Olivia, listen to me. You have to come with me. They love you, they just want you to come home safe. Will you put the weapon down so I can lead you out of here and arrest Mr. Mendes? We'll make sure he doesn't hurt you ever again. OLIVIA ROSE I'm already making sure of that! JAIME MENDES I would never hurt you, Rachel! Olivia presses the knife harder against Jaime's throat, causing him to gasp in fright. Olivia looks around her. Officers have completely surrounded her, there's nowhere to run. Suddenly, something catches Olivia's eye. The necklace that Alex made for her so many years ago is hanging on the wall next to the spot where the picture of Rachel used to hang. Olivia's mouth opens in surprise and her eyes tear up. Olivia drops the GLASS and it CLATTERS on the floor. Jaime scurries away quickly. Matthews and O'Brien rush over to detain Olivia and Jaime. Olivia stares at the necklace as she is being handcuffed. Tears flow down her cheeks as she remembers her childhood. ALEX KAPLAN (V.O.) I want you to have this. Like a present. Just in case you don't get your birthday party. Matthews speaks something inaudible into his walkie talkie and helps Olivia to her feet. DISSOLVE TO: INT. FLASHBACK - SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - DAY Olivia smiles and takes the necklace, putting it around her neck. OLIVIA ROSE (smiling) Thank you. Olivia leans over and gives Alex a peck on the cheek. Alex blushes and looks away. Olivia smiles wide as she studies the necklace around her neck. FADE TO BLACK. INT. CITY BUS - DAY SUPER: "ONE YEAR LATER." OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) The Scottsdale Slayer is what they called me. It was all over the news. I hardly made a dent in my list. People like to blow things out of proportion. FADE IN A man is reading a newspaper on a city bus. CLOSE ON NEWSPAPER The article he is reading states "Scottsdale Slayer Apprehended". Beneath the headline is a picture of Olivia. THE MAN shakes his head, incredulous to the news. EXT. DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE - DAY OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) Some people can't understand why I would do such a thing. I suppose they thought I should just adjust to the life that was thrust upon me. I suppose I did, but on my own terms. A large group of people are marching down the street, holding signs. Among them are "Free Olivia", "Olivia the Saint", and "It's not her fault!". OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) Others praised me. To them, I was a champion. I was the justice that these men had escaped. Some people claimed that they would have done the same thing. I don't know if that's true. People can say all kinds of crazy things when they don't have to follow through. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) And yet, for every person that praised my actions, a hundred others showed me nothing but contempt, calling me the devil, claiming that my mind had been destroyed beyond rescue. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. INT. COURT ROOM - DAY Olivia is in court standing before a judge. The judge is handing out her sentence, and Olivia is looking back at her with a solemn look in her eyes. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) As for the state of Arizona, the only opinion that really truly matters in the end, I was seen as guilty of double homicide. I was tried as a minor and convicted in very little time. It was one of the highest-profile cases in the country. If they didn't already know my name, they certainly did now. Olivia is being led out of the court room, handcuffed, after her sentence is passed down. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) They tried to get me to plead insanity, but I don't think I was insane. I knew what I was doing. I had a purpose, for the first time in as long as I can remember, my life had meaning again. I wasn't some helpless little rat tied up to a metal pole in someone's basement. I was in control. INT. PRISON - OLIVIA'S CELL - DAY Olivia is being led to a prison cell. She's wearing orange prison garbs. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) And now I'm a prisoner again. I'll be here for a long time. In many ways, it's ironic that I'm once again a captive, and yet I've never felt so free in my entire life. INT. SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - DAY Olivia is standing at the front of a classroom talking to a room full of students. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) Once a month I'm allowed to travel to schools all over the state and talk to the kids about what I was put through. I'm supposed to just tell people not to talk to strangers. I try not to go into any of the gruesome details, but they always seem to be the popular questions. A young male student is shown asking a question and Olivia is shown answering by simulating a stabbing motion in the air. A police officer rushes up on stage and stops her. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) And then of course, there's him. INT. FLASHBACK - JAIME'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY Jaime is smiling at a young Olivia, handing her a slice of birthday cake on her birthday. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O) Jaime Mendes was convicted of kidnapping and child endangerment. EXT. PRISON - YARD - DAY Jaime is dressed in prison garb, being taunted by prison inmates. They are shoving him around and making obscene gestures at him. A prisoner walks up behind Jaime with a shank and stabs Jaime repeatedly in the back. OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) People like him don't fare too well in jail. He only served one day of his life sentence. Oddly, I didn't feel anything when I heard that he'd been killed. Maybe I just didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I think that's a good thing. Jaime lies motionless in the prison yard as prisoners walk casually away from him. INT. PRISON - OLIVIA'S CELL - DAY OLIVIA ROSE (V.O.) For the first time in as long as I can remember, though, I have hope in my life again. Hope that my life will one day return to normal. The kind of normal that I've long forgotten exists. Olivia is writing out the words from her voiceover in a diary. She closes the book. A PRISON GUARD RAPS on the BARS behind her and she turns around. PRISON GUARD You have visitors. INT. PRISON - MEETING AREA - DAY Olivia walks down a hallway and into a large room where prisoners are talking to loved ones. She spots her family standing with Alex at the far end of the room. Alex waves and smiles. (a beat) Olivia waves and smiles back. She walks towards the CAMERA, OUT OF FRAME. FADE TO BLACK. EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - DAY A crumpled piece of paper drifts along the sandy, Arizona desert. It comes to rest in front of a cactus. Next to the cactus is the corpse of a large rattlesnake, half decomposed. The only identifiable markings are the word "MISSING", a row of question marks, and half of Olivia's face. A gust of wind blows the crumpled paper away into the distance. A small round-tailed squirrel walks by the snake's corpse, sniffs it, and moves on. FADE OUT.
© 2014 ScottTheScreenwriterAuthor's Note
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ScottTheScreenwriterWaterdown, Ontario, CanadaAboutI'm a screenwriter based out of Toronto, ON. I began writing in 2013 and have quickly developed a love for the craft. It's something that I take very seriously, while at the same time enjoying every m.. more..Writing
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