Sorry the format is all weird… I had to copy and paste so it came out strange..
INT. JUDITH'S HOUSE - WEST VIRGINIA - DAY
JUDITH THEOS is young and plain looking; short brown hair, blue eyes, nothing really stands out about her. But she has just applied to a school in LA and is anxiously waiting for the reply. She finally gets a letter from the school and using a sharp letter opener, opens it as soon as she recieves it. Judith's eyes get bigger and bigger as she reads the letter then she let's out a scream when she reaches the bottom. She is jumping up and down so much that it is hard for her to grab her cell phone to call her UNCLE ALASTOR (UNCLE AL).
JUDITH
Hey it's me, Judith. Guess what? I got accepted! I'm going to L.A.!
INT. JUDITH'S BEDROOM - day
UNCLE ALASTOR has been around Judith her whole life. She calls him Uncle Al and he helped raise her after her parents had died. Judith and Uncle Al are packing her things into boxes when the doorbell rings.
UNCLE AL
That must be the pizza, I'll go grab it.
Uncle Al pauses at the bedroom door and glances at Judith.
UNCLE ALL
You know, I'm really proud of you JuJu.
JUDITH
Thanks Uncle Al. Wow you haven't called me that since I was probably 10!
Uncle Al smiles as he leaves the room and Judith pulls down a dusty box from a closet labeled "Family Stuff". She begins to rifle through it.
JUDITH
Ugh, so much old junk.
Judith starts tossing items from the box into a trash can, mostly old family pictures. She finds an old VHS tape labeled "Judith Age 7". Puzzled, she finds her old TV with the VHS, puts the tape in and presses play. Her younger voice can be heard on the video, hysterically crying and asking a man in the background to stop. The man appears to be naked. Alarmed, visibly shaking, Judith immediately ejects the video.
JUDITH
Oh my god! What the hell is this?
INT. JUDITH'S HOUSE - KITCHEN
JUDITH
What the hell did I just watch?
Judith slams the tape onto the counter.
UNCLE AL
What?
JUDITH
I just found this disgusting thing in a box of old stuff!
UNCLE AL
JuJu, just calm down. What's on the tape?
JUDITH
I am on the tape, crying for help as a man who looks a hell of a lot like you is about to molest me.
UNCLE AL
(to Judith)
Look, it isn't what you think! I don't know how that tape got put into that box... (to himself) I thought the police...
JUDITH
What the fuck are you talking about, the police? What the fuck is this tape? You are disgusting! I'm your goddamn niece!
UNCLE AL
Calm down JuJu! Let me try and explain!
Uncle Al walks towards Judith, meaning to comfort her. Judith is overcome by her emotions and shoves Al away from her.
JUDITH
(whispering)
How could you do this to me... I trusted you...
Uncle Al stumbles backward slips on the kitchen floor and hits his head on the corner of the counter. He slumps to the floor and a puddle of blood begins to form around his head as he sputters, about to lose consciousness. Judith falls to the floor near him.
JUDITH
OH GOD! Oh my god... oh my god... Al!
Uncle Al doesn't respond. Judith gently pushes on his shoulder. He groans softly.
JUDITH
ALASTOR! Please get up! Please don't be hurt! AL!
Judith wrings her hands and begins to cry. Uncle Al groans again and attempts to speak to her with whatever strength he has left.
UNCLE AL
(with scorn)
Not...me...
EXT. CEMETARY - WEST VIRGINIA - DAY - 1 YEAR LATER
Judith is kneeling at Uncle Al's gravestone, placing a bouquet of flowers on the dirt. Tears are running down her face.
JUDITH
I'm sorry this is my first visit. They took me after...what happened. I just couldn't handle what I had done to you, even if it was an accident. I just got released yesterday and I'm finally going to L.A. to start my doctorate. I just wanted to say goodbye. If you can hear me, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I found out that it wasn't you on the tape.
Judith turns around to leave then pauses, looking back at the grave.
JUDITH
I hope you can forgive me, wherever you are.
EXT. MRS. ACHERON'S HOUSE - LOS ANGELES - DAY
Judith is carrying a moving box and ringing the doorbell of an old house. MRS. ACHERON, the very old woman who owns the house, is a grumpy woman who hardly talks. Judith does not like spending time with her, but it is a cheap place to rent so she can go to school. Mrs. Acheron answers and peers at Judith through a small crack in the door.
JUDITH
Hi, Mrs. Acheron? I'm Judith Theos, I spoke with you on the phone? I'm renting out your spare room?
Mrs. Acheron grunts and opens the door to let Judith in.
CUT TO:
INT. JUDITH'S BEDROOM - Early morning
Judith is clearly asleep but is thrashing around, fighting something in her dreams. She is startled awake by something and she sees a young man is standing in her room, staring at her. Judith gasps and quickly flips on the bedroom light. When she glances back to where the man was standing, he is gone. She stares at the spot for another minute, takes some sleeping pills and attempts to fall back asleep.
CUT TO:
INT. JUDITH'S BEDROOM - the next NIGHT
Judith tosses and turns in bed, feeling tormented by the sound of a crying baby, not knowing where it is coming from. Frustrated, she flips on the light and immediately notices the same young man in her room. Once she sees him, the crying stops.
JUDITH
(Clutching her blankets as if they might protect her from this stranger)
Who are you? How did you get in my room?
LUTHER
I noticed you couldn't sleep and I came to help. If you notice, the crying has now stopped. You're welcome.
JUDITH
What? (Pauses) Yeah, I don't hear it anymore. How did you do that?
LUTHER
It's not important, I've got my ways.
LUTHER seems to be a figment of Judith's imagination from the stress of moving to a new city and living in a house she doesn't really want to live in. Judith talks to him as if in a dream. She watches, her eyes out of focus, as he walks to her and draps a jacket around her shoulders.
LUTHER
It seems like you're having a rough time adjusting to life in the big city. You know, I found myself in a place once where I never expected to be. It can be a rough transition; but you will discover that life is funny that way. It brings us to places that perhaps we would never have gone otherwise without a little... push.
JUDITH
What the hell are you talking about? And how did you get in my room? You are not real... I'm just having a dream and I'm going to wake up tomorrow and you will be gone.
Shaking, Judith reaches for her sleeping pills and pops several of them into her mouth. She lies back down trying not to touch the jacket he had put on her and squeezes her eyes shut.
JUDITH
I know you aren't real. Please go away.
INT - JUDITH'S BEDROOM - the next NIGHT
Judith is sitting at her desk studying out of a large textbook, looking bored. There is a candle burning on the corner of the desk. There is a tumbler filled with partially melted ice and tequila; Judith pours the rest of the tequila into the tumbler and throws the bottle away into a trash can next to her desk. She opens her laptop and pulls up her Facebook page. No one has written anything on her page.
JUDITH
Why did I think I could move out here? I'm not ready for this, I can't do this all alone!
Judith gestures with the tumbler, spilling the alcohol all over her bed.
JUDITH
Oh shit! Just what I need...
Suddenly, the window is thrown open and a huge gust of wind blows through the room, knocking the candle off the desk, which lands on the alcohol soaked sheets; they immediately burst into flames.
JUDITH
Oh shit oh shit oh shit! OH GOD! What do I do?
Judith scrambles toward the end of the bed where the sheets still lie rumpled from the previous evening. She gathers them quickly so they won't also catch fire, discovering the jacket tangled within them. Judith's eyes become huge and she flings the jacket onto the flames in an attempt to get it away from her and perhaps put the fire out at the same time. The fire only gets worse, eating the jacket as if it were paper. She turns to run away and runs into Luther.
LUTHER
Hi Judith. Me, Luther again. Need some help?
JUDITH
Oh! Yes! Please! I don't know what to do!
LUTHER
Tell me that you believe I'm real.
JUDITH
(incredulously)
What?
LUTHER
I'm here to help you, but I need you to believe that I'm real.
JUDITH
Ok, ok! You're real, I believe you! Please help! Just do something!
Luther smiles at Judith and all of a sudden the sound of the fire is gone. Judith turns around and the fire has been extinguished. The bed looks as though nothing happened, the sheets and jacket don't have any burn marks. The candle and the tequila tumbler are back on the desk where they were before they were spilled and the window is closed.
JUDITH
What is going on? How did you do that? Everything was on fire a second ago... what the fuck is going on?
LUTHER
Judith, please listen to me. You just have to trust me. I'm here to help you. You can't spend all of your time alone in your room, staring at your Facebook and looking at friends you don't even have.
Judith looks away.
LUTHER
You have to get through this rut you're in so that you can move on with your life. Al sent me to help you overcome your guilt.
Judith begins to cry softly.
Judith
Why? I deserve this, all of this guilt. I killed him! I shouldn't have been released. I don't deserve to be happy.
Luther gestures to Judith so that he can hug her. She reluctantly steps toward him and he embraces her. She softens and returns the friendly embrace, feeling comforted.
LUTHER
Everyone deserves a little happiness. It's time for you to let go of this life of guilt and shame. Now, why don't you lie down and get some rest...
JUDITH
Wait, you're leaving? Do you have to go so soon? Please stay and talk, tell me about my uncle. Please!
LUTHER
I'll be back soon. It is time for you to sleep. And for the record, it probably isn't a good idea to mix tequila and candles.
Luther laughs but Judith just chuckles. He leads her to the bed and he tucks her in as though she were a child. Judith exhales deeply as she immediately falls asleep without taking any pills.
INT. JUDITH'S BEDROOM - a week later - night
Judith is studying at her desk, a large textbook open in front of her. She constantly checks her clock and Luther's spot, eager for him to appear. He has every night for a week now and she enjoys his visits. Later, now in pajamas, she lies down to go to sleep, disappointed that he hadn't appeared. She closes her eyes for a brief second and when she opens them again, Luther is standing in his usual spot. Judith's face breaks into a big smile.
LUTHER
I think it's time we get you out of here. I think you are ready to rejoin the land of the living.
The smile fades from Judith's face.
JUDITH
Ugh, why? What is so great about them? I prefer being in here with you. You're the only one who makes me feel alive anyway.
LUTHER
Don't say that. C'mon, you moved to LA a month ago and you haven't seen or done anything remotely Hollywood.
JUDITH
That's because I'm not remotely Hollywood.
LUTHER
"Tip the world over on its side, and everything loose will land in Los Angeles". Frank Lloyd Wright said that.
JUDITH
Well that's perfect then, I certainly have something loose and that's why I landed here.
LUTHER
(Pauses) Meet me at the Griffith Observatory in an hour. I'll meet you in the parking lot. I'm going to prove to you that you are ready to move beyond everything you've been through.
JUDITH
(she closes her eyes in frustration) No, Luther, I'm not ready.
Judith opens her eyes and he has vanished. She glances around nervously.
JUDITH (CONT'D)
Dammit, Luther! I can't do this, I just can't! Do you hear me? Come back here!
Judith sits back, waiting for Luther to reappear, looking agitated. Clearly, Luther is not going to reappear. Judith snatches her clothes out of the closet and yanks them on, muttering to herself. She quickly brushes her hair, grabs her keys and leaves, slamming the door on her way out.
EXT.- int. JUDITH'S CAR - NIGHT
Judith sits in her car, her hands wringing together. She constantly checks her clock, watching each minute pass by. After an hour, Luther is still not there. She slowly gets out of her car and looks around, trying to stay quiet.
JUDITH
(loud whisper)
Luther! This isn't funny! I don't want to be here!
She looks around again and notices the doors to the observatory are slightly ajar. She doesn't know what else to do, so she starts walking towards the doors.
JUDITH
(loud whisper)
Luther! Seriously, where are you?!!
She gets to the doors and throws them open...
CUT TO:
INT. JUDITH'S KITCHEN - WEST VIRGINA
As Judith steps through the doors, calling Luther's name, she trips and falls into the kitchen of her old house in West Virginia. In front of her, she sees herself and Uncle Al having the argument they had prior to Uncle Al's death. Judith scoots back, scrambling to get her feet under her so she can escape.
JUDITH
No, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening! Luther?! Please, help me!
Judith starts sobbing, rocking back and forth, covering her ears as she tries to block out the sound of the fight and Uncle Al's final words.
UNCLE AL (o.s)
Not... me...
JUDITH
No! Uncle Al, I'm so sorry.
Judith begins to rock back and forth on the floor.
judith
I know, I know now it wasn't you. I never meant to...
Judith continues to sob hysterically on the floor. She hears a different noise coming from the kitchen and glances up. Her eyes widen in shock as Luther gets up from where Uncle Al was laying, with the same head injury and blood covering one side of his face. He stalks toward her as she cowers on the floor beneath him.
JUDITH
Luther? What's happening?
LUTHER
Your apologies are too late, Judith.
JUDITH
What? Luther... what are you talking about? I never meant to, he just...fell, and it happened! I thought you were my friend? Why are you doing this to me?
LUTHER
Do you know what it feels like, JuJu, to die knowing that the person you loved the most in life, betrayed you in death?
JUDITH
But, Luther, it was an accident! I'm...
Judith stops crying and looks up at Luther.
JUDITH
..sorry? Did you just call me JuJu?
Luther grabs Judith and Judith experiences a flashback to a photograph that she threw away when packing up her old house in West Virginia. It was a photograph of her Dad with a friend from high school, wearing a jacket, a jacket that Judith now recognizes. What she thought was her Dad's friend looks exactly like Luther. Judith realizes that Luther is the younger Uncle Al. Her dad had been posing with his brother in that photograph. Judith returns her attention to the present and finds Luther standing over her.
JUDITH
UNCLE AL?!
Uncle Al shoves Judith away from him.
UNCLE AL
You murdered me. I saved you from my deranged brother who got his kicks out of raping you. How do you think it feels to be killed by the only person you love?
JUDITH
I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I never meant to! Please listen to me!
UNCLE AL
Maybe I could forgive you for the push. After all, accidents happen. But you didn't stop there, did you, JuJu?
Judith suddenly stops her pleading and quickly glances up at Uncle Al, looking stunned. Uncle Al grabs her hair, yanking her head back.
UNCLE AL
Look, Judith! Look at what you did to me!
CUT TO:
int. judith's kitchen- west virginia- the past- day
Judith flashes back to when she had pushed her Uncle. She is sobbing on the floor next to his dead body. She looks around the kitchen, not sure what to do next. She reaches for the phone to call the police but notices the acceptance letter from the University. Suddenly, she panics and drags Al's body through the house into the garage, frantically searching for something she can use. She finally spots an electric hand saw and uses it to cleave her uncle's body, blood splashes bright red on her clothes but she doesn't seem to notice. Later, Judith, covered in blood, wraps up multiple garbage bags and tosses them into the trunk of her car. She goes inside the house, leaving a trail of blood on the floor, as though in a trance. She grabs her keys, wallet, and goes back to her car. She drives away from the house.
CUT TO:
INT. JUDITH'S KITCHEN - WEST VIRGINA- present day- night
UNCLE AL
I felt everything! The pain as you chopped my body up into tiny pieces; the suffocating darkness of the bags; the frigid icy water as it engulfed me; even the nibbles of the fish as they ate me, bit by bit.
JUDITH
STOP! STOP! I can't take this anymore! Please stop!
UNCLE AL
But they found you, didn't they? And they took you...
Uncle Al gently strokes Judith's hair, as though he has calmed down and forgiven her. Judith has another flashback, this time to an ominous looking building. She walks toward it, handcuffs on, being led inside by a policeman. The sign next to the building says "E. Venger Asylum for the Criminally Insane". Uncle Al stops stroking her hair.
JUDITH
(starting to calm down)
Please don't make me go back there. You won't make me go back, right?
UNCLE AL
What makes you think you ever left? Do you remember anything prior to arriving at your dear old landlady's house? How did you get to LA, Judith?
JUDITH
I...I...
UNCLE AL
Why would they let you out? You murdered me, dismembered me, and tried to cover it up by tossing the pieces of my body into the river! You lost your fucking mind JuJu!
JUDITH
But... I'm fine! I didn't lose my mind! I just panicked! People panick! I had to live my life! I had just been accepted into the best school in the country! I couldn't let the accident stop me!
UNCLE AL
But it did stop you.
CUT TO:
INT. e. venger asylum - the past - night
Judith sits on a hospital bed, talking to a doctor.
JUDITH
I'm sorry this is my first visit. They took me after... what happened...
The doctor writes notes as Judith continues her speech. She thinks she is speaking to Al's grave, but in reality the scene only plays in her head.
JUDITH
(once again speaking to a doctor)
Hi, Mrs. Acheron? I'm Judith Theos...
CUT TO:
INT. JUDITH'S KITCHEN - WEST VIRGINA- PRESENT day- NIGHT
JUDITH
No... that can't be. I... I got out... I remember leaving! I remember being discharged! I remember the grave... and I met Mrs. Acheron... I met her!
UNCLE AL
You are wrong, Judith... you never paid for your sins. I was sent to hell because of my hatred over what you did to me. But I escaped and was rewarded with an opportunity: you will take my place in Hades; a saint for a sinner.
Judith cowers in the corner, covering her face waiting for Al to come for her, but nothing happens. She slowly gets up to leave then something slams into her, turning her world black.
CUT TO:
INT. E. VENGER ASYLUM - PRESENT DAY - NIGHT
Judith wakes with a loud gasping noise. She looks around, expecting Al to be standing over her. All is quiet but she can't quite shake the feeling that someone is watching her.
JUDITH
It was just a dream... that's all... I have been in here for so long I am starting to hallucinate...
All of a sudden Uncle Al appears behind her and wraps his arms around her.
UNCLE AL
It wasn't a dream JuJu... I am here to take you to your oblivion.
Uncle Al drags her to hell to take his place, his laughter mingling with her screams.
FADE OUT.