INT. BEDROOM - REGENSBURG, GERMANY - NIGHT (1200)
Two candles burn beside an earthen bowl. Soil fills the bowl.
Three small stones lie on a folded cloth. Bread and a small
dish of salt stand beside a cup.
An OLD WOMAN, eighties, lies beneath a sheet. Her gray hair
spreads across the pillow. Each breath catches in her chest.
An OLDER ATTENDANT, fifties, holds her hand. A YOUNGER
ATTENDANT, twenties, waits at the foot of the bed with a
basin of water.
The old woman's fingers tighten. Her mouth opens. The older
attendant leans closer.
OLD WOMAN
(Yiddish; subtitled)
Bread. Salt.
The younger attendant sets down the basin and reaches for the
bread. The older attendant catches her hand.
OLDER ATTENDANT
(subtitled)
Did you give her any?
The younger woman shakes her head. The older attendant turns
back to the bed.
OLDER ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
(subtitled)
Who wounded you?
The old woman's fingers tighten around hers.
OLD WOMAN
(subtitled)
You.
Her free hand reaches toward the bread.
OLD WOMAN (CONT’D)
(subtitled)
It must be from you.
The older attendant moves the bread out of reach. The old
woman's hand falls to the sheet. One last breath. Then
nothing. The younger attendant reaches for the sheet.
OLDER ATTENDANT
(subtitled)
Not yet.
She gathers the hair from the pillow, lifting the old woman's
head to free the strands beneath it. She holds out the
gathered hair.
OLDER ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
(subtitled)
Hold this.
The younger woman takes it. The older attendant tears a
narrow strip from the cloth. The old woman's eyes open.
Her hand catches the younger attendant's wrist. The younger
woman stumbles against the basin. Water spreads across the
floor.
OLD WOMAN
(subtitled)
No.
The younger attendant tries to pull free. The old woman draws
her closer, mouth opening against her wrist. The older
attendant forces a forearm beneath the old woman's chin and
pushes her head back onto the pillow.
OLDER ATTENDANT
(subtitled)
Hold her hair!
The younger attendant grips it with both hands. The older
woman winds the cloth around the gathered hair. The old woman
bucks against the mattress. One candle falls. Its flame goes
out in the spilled water.
The older attendant pulls the knot tight. The old woman's
grip slackens. The younger woman frees her wrist and backs
away. The older attendant takes a handful of earth.
OLDER ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
(subtitled)
Help me.
The younger woman stays against the wall. The old woman's
lips move. A sound catches in her throat. The younger
attendant returns to the bedside.
OLDER ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
(subtitled)
Don’t let her close her mouth.
The younger attendant holds the jaw open while the older
woman packs the mouth with earth.
Then a stone. Another. The old woman's heels drag beneath the
sheet. The older attendant adds the last stone.
Binds the jaw shut with the remaining cloth. They wait, hands
still pressing against the body.
Nothing moves.
The older woman draws the sheet over the face. The younger
attendant looks down at her wrist. Red finger marks.
OLDER ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
(subtitled)
Come. Wash your hands.
She takes the surviving candle to the door. The younger
attendant follows, stopping once to look back at the covered
head.
Genres:
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Homecoming
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - DAY - PRESENT USA
RACHEL MORRIS, thirties, shoulders open the front door. A
hospital discharge bag hangs from her arm. Her boyfriend,
DAVID LEVINE, thirties, follows in loose clothes, one hand
over his abdomen. He looks up the stairs.
RACHEL
I've made up the couch.
DAVID
I need a clean shirt.
RACHEL
I'll get one.
He's already at the railing. She puts down the bag and
watches him climb. On the fourth step he pauses. On the
sixth, he stops. His hand tightens around the rail. Rachel
moves to the bottom step.
DAVID
Just a second.
She waits. David tries to lift his foot, then puts it back.
DAVID (CONT’D)
I thought I'd be all right once I
got home.
RACHEL
You're home. You still need help.
He looks down at her.
DAVID
Could you get under my arm?
She joins him. He leans heavily on her.
RACHEL
Up or down?
He looks at the steps still ahead.
DAVID
Down.
David settles into an armchair in the living room. Rachel
moves a side table within reach: water, medication, a
thermometer. She sets a kitchen timer beside the pill
bottles.
DAVID (CONT’D)
You expecting me to bake something?
RACHEL
Pain medication. Every four hours.
She opens his discharge papers and circles a number.
DAVID
I can read those.
RACHEL
Good. Then you’ll know who to call.
In the hall, her suitcase stands beside the hospital bag.
DAVID
You brought the big one.
He picks at his hospital bracelet. Rachel takes scissors from
the table and holds out her hand. After a moment, he offers
his wrist.
RACHEL
Hold still.
She snips the bracelet and sets it beside the discharge
papers. David rubs his wrist.
RACHEL (CONT’D)
The nurse said to keep the dressing
dry.
He lowers his hand.
DAVID
I heard her.
RACHEL
The nurse comes tomorrow. I’ll be
here for the first visit.
DAVID
And after that?
RACHEL
I go to work. She comes here.
She sets the discharge papers beside his medication. David
reaches for his water.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MORNING
David sits in his armchair. His brother, SAM LEVINE,
twenties, brings crackers from the kitchen and sets them
beside his water.
Rachel enters with a clean towel and dressing supplies.
DAVID
What time’s the nurse coming?
RACHEL
Between nine and ten.
DAVID
Did you warn her about me?
RACHEL
You can tell her yourself.
The doorbell rings.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Rachel opens the door to MIRIAM ADLER, apparently forties.
Dark hair pinned into a tight bun. Nursing bag over one
shoulder.
MIRIAM
Rachel? I’m Miriam Adler.
She shows her agency identification.
RACHEL
Come in.
Miriam wipes her shoes on the mat. Beyond Rachel, David
watches from his chair.
MIRIAM
Mr. Levine?
DAVID
David.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Miriam sets down her bag and sanitizes her hands.
MIRIAM
How was the first night?
RACHEL
He was up twice. I think the pain--
MIRIAM
David?
Rachel stops.
DAVID
I couldn’t get comfortable.
MIRIAM
Can you stand for me?
David shifts forward. Rachel moves to help, but he raises a
hand. Miriam waits as he gets to his feet.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Take your time.
He walks to the kitchen doorway. Miriam moves the table aside
as he returns and lowers himself into the chair.
She puts on gloves and lifts his dressing.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Stay downstairs until you’re
steadier.
DAVID
Someone’s been talking.
MIRIAM
You looked at the stairs before you
looked at me.
David glances at Rachel. She raises her empty hands. Miriam
examines the incision and applies fresh gauze.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Healing well.
She removes her gloves and takes his wrist to check his
pulse. Her gaze settles on the skin beneath her fingers.
Rachel picks up a pill bottle. It rattles against the table.
Miriam releases his wrist.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - MOMENTS LATER
Miriam leaves. Rachel picks up her work bag.
DAVID
I’ll be fine.
She looks back. He raises his hand, and she closes the door.
Genres:
Ratings
Scene
3 -
The Rabbit Cake
INT. HAROLD'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - EVENING
HAROLD KESSLER, seventies, sits with a bandaged foot raised
on a cushion. Miriam moves his walker within reach. A framed
photograph catches her attention: a small girl holding a
lopsided cake, Harold behind her.
MIRIAM
Your granddaughter?
HAROLD
Her sixth birthday. Made it
herself. That’s supposed to be a
rabbit.
Miriam smiles.
HAROLD (CONT’D)
I told her it was the best rabbit
I’d ever eaten.
He loosens his collar. Her gaze moves to his neck.
HAROLD (CONT’D)
You have children?
MIRIAM
No.
He settles back, eyes closing. Miriam puts down the
photograph. The television changes pictures without sound.
She stands behind his chair and draws two long pins from her
hair. Sets them on the side table. Her hair falls across her
shoulders.
She bends toward his neck. Her hair brushes his cheek. Harold
opens his eyes.
HAROLD
What the--
She clamps a hand over his mouth and pulls his head back
against the chair. Her teeth sink behind his ear. Harold
grabs her wrist. His heels scrape the floor as he tries to
rise, but she holds him against the cushions.
Miriam pulls away. Harold draws a shallow breath. She takes
gauze from her open bag and presses it against his neck.
HAROLD (CONT’D)
Miriam?
MIRIAM
Stay with me.
She takes his wrist and checks his pulse. His eyes close.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Harold. Look at me.
He tries. Blood seeps around her fingers. She closes her eyes
and turns her face away, keeping pressure on the gauze.
Harold’s hand settles over hers. She looks back at him and
slowly lifts the gauze. Her eyes meet his. She hesitates,
then bends to his neck again.
Later, Harold opens his eyes. Miriam crouches beside the
chair. His bloodied collar sticks to his neck. He tries to
sit forward, but his arm gives beneath him.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Don’t get up yet.
HAROLD
Why am I bleeding?
MIRIAM
You fainted. Caught yourself here.
He touches the small dressing beneath his ear. She brings his
phone from the sideboard and puts it in his hand.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Ask your daughter to come over.
HAROLD
She just got home.
Miriam waits. At last he presses a number.
HAROLD (CONT’D)
Hello, sweetheart. Could you come
by for a little while?
Miriam watches his hand tremble around the phone.
INT. HAROLD'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATER
The front door opens. Harold’s DAUGHTER, forties, enters
carrying her work bag. He reaches for the walker, but his
strength fails before he can pull himself forward.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
Dad?
She puts down her bag and kneels beside him.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER (CONT’D)
Where’s Miriam?
HAROLD
Another patient.
She notices the dressing beneath his ear.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
What happened here?
HAROLD
Caught myself when I fell.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
Where did you fall?
HAROLD
I don’t remember.
She reaches for her phone.
HAROLD (CONT’D)
Don’t start. Just help me up.
She puts it down and braces herself. He grips her arm and
tries to rise. His knees buckle. She eases him back into the
chair.
HAROLD (CONT’D)
Give me a minute.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
I’m calling someone.
She picks up the phone. Harold reaches for her free hand. She
takes his, watching him catch his breath. Through the window
behind her, Miriam sits in her car across the street,
watching.
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Scene
4 -
The Hidden Fang
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - STAIRCASE - AFTERNOON
A clean shirt hangs over David's shoulder. He stands halfway
down the stairs, one hand locked around the railing. His foot
searches for the next step. He draws it back.
The doorbell rings.
DAVID
Coming.
He tries to descend. Pain stops him. Another ring.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Just a minute.
He lowers himself onto a step. Takes out his phone.
EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - CONTINUOUS
Miriam waits with her nursing bag. Her phone rings. DAVID
LEVINE.
MIRIAM
David?
DAVID (V.O.)
I'm on the stairs. There's a spare
key in the planter. Under the
saucer.
She lifts the saucer and finds it.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - MOMENTS LATER
Miriam enters and finds David seated on the stairs.
MIRIAM
Did you fall?
DAVID
No. I sat down.
She puts her bag beside the door and comes to him.
MIRIAM
How long have you been here?
DAVID
Not long.
She looks up the stairs. A bedroom light is on.
DAVID (CONT’D)
I needed a shirt.
MIRIAM
I could have gotten it for you.
She climbs past him and sits on the step above.
DAVID
Aren't you going to tell me I
shouldn't have gone up?
MIRIAM
Would it help?
He adjusts his grip on the railing.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Let the pain settle first.
She lifts the clean shirt from his shoulder and folds it
across her knees. They sit quietly.
DAVID
Not much of a visit for you.
MIRIAM
I'm comfortable.
Miriam brushes his collar flat. Her fingers linger at the
back of his neck. A strand slips free of her bun and falls
beside her cheek. Her lips part. The tip of a canine extends
against her lower lip.
David adjusts his grip on the railing. She closes her mouth
before he turns toward her.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
You've worked up a sweat.
DAVID
Six stairs. Personal best.
She smiles. Her hand moves to his shoulder, gently drawing
him back toward her.
MIRIAM
You can lean on me.
For a moment, he lets himself lean against her.
She bends close and brushes her lips behind his ear. A sharp
pinch makes David draw back. He turns toward her. She stays
close, watching him.
DAVID
Miriam.
She waits. He gently takes her hand from his shoulder and
rests it on the folded shirt.
DAVID (CONT’D)
I'm glad you're here. But Rachel
and I--
MIRIAM
I understand.
A sting makes him touch the skin behind his ear. He looks at
the tiny spot of blood on his fingertip.
DAVID
What happened?
Miriam takes a gauze packet from her bag.
MIRIAM
I'm sorry. Let me see.
She reaches toward his ear. He draws back slightly, still
examining his finger.
DAVID
I felt something sharp.
Miriam touches one of the pins holding her hair.
MIRIAM
It must have caught you.
David looks at the pin, then at her.
DAVID
Back there?
Her hand lowers.
MIRIAM
I leaned over you.
He feels behind his ear again. His fingertip comes away red.
DAVID
Let me have that.
She gives him the gauze. He presses it behind his ear,
watching her.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Rachel doesn’t need to hear about
this.
Miriam looks at him.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Getting stuck up here. She’ll take
the day off.
MIRIAM
Ask her to bring down what you need
before work.
He glances at the shirt on her knees.
DAVID
That sounds reasonable when you say
it.
He checks the gauze. A small red spot. Miriam holds out her
hand, and he gives it to her.
She folds it inward, puts it in her bag, then steps down and
offers her arm.
MIRIAM
Ready?
He takes it.
Genres:
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Scene
5 -
The Vigil
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATER
David holds up his shirt as Miriam examines the incision.
DAVID
Before they put me under, I kept
thinking I should call someone.
Tell them where things were.
MIRIAM
Was Rachel there?
DAVID
That’s why I couldn’t say it.
A bead of blood gathers along the incision. Miriam’s hand
stops. Her gaze fixes on it.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Is it that bad?
She doesn’t answer.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Miriam?
She turns to her bag and opens a gauze packet.
MIRIAM
Hold this against it. Gently.
He takes the pad. She steps back.
DAVID
You went pale.
MIRIAM
I haven’t eaten.
DAVID
There’s food in the refrigerator.
MIRIAM
Keep the pressure on.
She gathers the discarded wrappers.
DAVID
Have you ever sat with someone who
didn’t know if they were going to
wake up?
Her hands still.
MIRIAM
Yes.
DAVID
What did you say?
MIRIAM
I told her I’d be there.
DAVID
Were you?
Miriam looks at him.
MIRIAM
No.
She puts the wrappers in the bag.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
My sister. She wanted the door left
open so she could hear me in the
next room.
David waits.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
She was younger. Used to sit by the
door until I came home.
She reaches for the fresh dressing.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
That last night, she kept asking
for water. Another blanket. Things
she didn’t need.
DAVID
She wanted to know you were still
there.
MIRIAM
I knew what she was doing.
DAVID
Why did you leave?
Miriam separates the paper backing.
MIRIAM
I wanted to be somewhere I couldn’t
hear her.
David looks at her.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
I thought I’d come back before
morning.
DAVID
Did you?
MIRIAM
Yes.
She sets the dressing down.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
For a long time, whenever something
happened to me, I’d think I must
remember to tell her.
DAVID
I don’t think I could have done it
without Rachel there.
Miriam returns to his side.
MIRIAM
Let me see.
She lifts the gauze. The bleeding has stopped. She covers the
incision with a fresh dressing. David reaches for his phone.
DAVID
Would you mind staying until she
gets here?
Miriam presses the tape into place. She looks toward the open
doorway, then back at David.
MIRIAM
I’ll stay.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - EVENING
Rachel comes through the door carrying a grocery bag. Miriam
closes her nursing bag beside the chair.
RACHEL
How’s our patient?
David looks at Miriam.
DAVID
A little bleeding. She called the
surgeon.
Rachel puts the groceries down.
RACHEL
What happened?
MIRIAM
It's stopped. The office wants him
resting tonight.
Rachel looks at David. He pulls his shirt straight.
DAVID
I'm fine. I swear.
Miriam hands Rachel the written instructions.
MIRIAM
The number's here if you need it.
Rachel reads them.
RACHEL
Thank you.
Miriam picks up her bag.
MIRIAM
I'll see you tomorrow, David.
DAVID
Good night.
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Scene
6 -
A Quiet Reconciliation
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - LATER
Rachel sets David’s dinner before him. Sam sits between them.
DAVID
Miriam sat with me on the stairs.
Just let me sit until I was ready.
Rachel sets down her own plate.
DAVID (CONT’D)
She doesn’t look at me like she’s
waiting for something else to go
wrong.
RACHEL
She didn’t drive you to the
emergency room.
David looks down.
DAVID
I know.
Rachel remains standing. Sam lowers his fork.
DAVID (CONT’D)
I got scared. I didn’t want to have
to call you.
RACHEL
I’d rather you called.
She sits. David fills her glass.
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Scene
7 -
A Quiet Drawer
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Rachel takes a shirt from her suitcase and makes space in
David’s dresser. David appears in the doorway, one hand
against the frame.
DAVID
You can use the bottom one too.
RACHEL
This is enough.
He comes beside her and opens the bottom drawer. Socks, an
old sweatshirt, tangled charging cables.
DAVID
Move in. Stay when I’m better.
Rachel lays the shirt across her suitcase.
RACHEL
David. I’m still going to work.
DAVID
I know.
RACHEL
If you need help, you have to ask
someone.
DAVID
I will.
He lifts the sweatshirt from the drawer. Rachel holds out her
hand for it. He gives it to her and gathers the cables. She
puts her shirt inside.
Genres:
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Scene
8 -
A Father's Last Night
INT. HAROLD'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Harold's daughter sits beside him, his discharge instructions
open on her lap.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
Dad?
His head rests against the chair. She touches his cheek.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER (CONT’D)
Look at me.
He doesn’t respond. She shakes his shoulder, then takes out
her phone. The discharge papers slide from her lap onto the
floor.
INT. HAROLD'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATER
A PARAMEDIC, thirties, performs chest compressions while his
partner kneels beside Harold. His daughter waits against the
wall, clutching his medication bag. The paramedics stop. One
checks his watch, then turns to her.
EXT. HAROLD'S HOUSE - STREET - CONTINUOUS
Farther down the street, Miriam watches from her parked car.
Through the open front door, she sees Harold’s daughter cover
her mouth. Miriam’s hand tightens around the steering wheel.
She stays where she is.
Genres:
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Scene
9 -
A Steady Hand
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MORNING
A roll of tape slips from Miriam’s hand. David retrieves it.
She takes it, then searches the same compartment twice.
DAVID
You okay?
MIRIAM
Harold. One of my patients. He died
last night.
DAVID
I’m sorry.
She looks down at the tape. David moves the tissue box
closer. She takes one.
After a moment, she puts on gloves. David lifts his shirt,
and she eases back the dressing. Blood wells beside the
incision. His hand tightens on the chair.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Give me a second.
Miriam stops.
MIRIAM
We can wait.
His grip loosens. She covers the incision with clean gauze,
her thumb beside the spreading blood.
DAVID
You’re good at this.
Miriam lifts her hand from the gauze.
MIRIAM
I used to think so.
She tapes it down, then seals the stained dressing in the
waste pouch.
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Scene
10 -
The Night Nurse
INT. EVELYN’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
A bedside lamp lights a glass of water, a phone and an open
paperback. EVELYN PRICE, fifties, sleeps on her side, a
pillow braced behind her back.
The door opens. Evelyn stirs.
EVELYN
Daniel?
Miriam stands in the doorway. Evelyn pushes herself onto one
elbow.
EVELYN (CONT’D)
What are you doing here?
MIRIAM
I wanted to check on you.
Evelyn glances at the clock: 8:30 P.M.
EVELYN
At this hour?
She reaches for her phone. Miriam takes it first.
EVELYN (CONT’D)
Give me that.
Miriam sets it on the dresser, out of reach.
MIRIAM
Lie back.
Evelyn swings her legs toward the floor. Miriam catches her
shoulder.
EVELYN
Get your hands off me.
Evelyn claws at Miriam’s face, her nails raking a line down
her cheek. Miriam recoils. Evelyn grabs the lamp and swings.
It clips the table and falls, the bulb shattering.
Miriam pulls the pins from her hair and lunges at Evelyn in
the darkness. Evelyn cries out. The bed frame strikes the
wall. A key turns in the front door. Miriam lifts her head,
blood at her mouth. She releases Evelyn and climbs through
the open window.
INT. EVELYN'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
DANIEL PRICE, twenties, enters carrying a paper grocery bag.
He stops at the sound from the bedroom.
DANIEL
Mom?
He puts the bag on the kitchen counter.
DANIEL (CONT’D)
I got the kind you wanted.
No answer. He walks down the hall and stops at the open
bedroom door.
INT. EVELYN'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Evelyn lies across the bed, one arm hanging over the side.
The sheet has pulled free of the mattress. The broken lamp
lies on the floor.
Daniel switches on the overhead light and steps around the
glass.
DANIEL
Mom?
He touches her shoulder. Blood seeps from behind her ear.
DANIEL (CONT’D)
Oh my god. What happened here? Mom!
INT. EVELYN'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - LATER
A uniformed OFFICER stands at the doorway. DETECTIVE
REYNOLDS, forties, crouches beside the broken lamp. He
studies the cord, still plugged into the wall.
Daniel waits in the hall.
DETECTIVE
Was the lamp beside her bed when
you left?
DANIEL
Yes. I bought it so she wouldn’t
have to get up.
The detective stands.
DETECTIVE
What time was that?
DANIEL
Around six. After dinner.
DETECTIVE
Was she expecting anyone?
DANIEL
Not that she told me.
DETECTIVE
What did you hear when you got
back?
DANIEL
Something hit the wall. I called
out. She didn’t answer.
The detective looks from the open window to the phone on the
dresser.
DETECTIVE
Did you move her phone?
DANIEL
No. She kept it beside her. With
the water.
The detective studies the empty space on the bedside table.
DETECTIVE
Who helps with her care?
DANIEL
A nurse. Miriam.
A camera flash lights the room.
Genres:
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Scene
11 -
The Scratch
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Miriam sets her bag beside the table. Her hair is pinned into
its usual bun. A fresh scratch runs from her cheekbone toward
her jaw.
David notices as she takes out the blood pressure cuff.
DAVID
What happened to your face?
Miriam touches her cheek.
MIRIAM
A patient’s cat.
DAVID
That looks painful.
MIRIAM
I’ve had worse.
She wraps the cuff around his arm. David rests his hand where
she places it. The cuff tightens. She notes the reading and
removes it.
David lowers his sleeve. Miriam runs two fingers along her
cheek. He looks up before she lowers her hand. The scratch is
barely visible.
DAVID
Did you put something on it?
Her fingers stop. She watches him.
MIRIAM
On what?
DAVID
Your face.
She lowers her hand.
MIRIAM
No.
DAVID
It looked deeper before.
Miriam removes her gloves.
MIRIAM
The light’s different over here.
She gathers the used supplies. David looks toward the window,
then back at her.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
May I use your bathroom?
DAVID
Down the hall.
She takes the disposal bag with her. David waits until the
bathroom door closes.
A folder lies open in her nursing bag. A creased route sheet
rests on top, crowded with crossed-out visits and fresh
appointments. HAROLD KESSLER has a line through it.
David studies the name. Takes out his phone and types HAROLD
KESSLER into a search. A sound from the bathroom stops him.
He switches to the camera, photographs the sheet and settles
back. Miriam returns, drying her hands with a paper towel.
Her gaze drops to the open folder, then moves to the phone in
David’s hand. David sets it beside his water.
MIRIAM
You've moved the shirts downstairs?
DAVID
Rachel did.
She puts the folder into her bag.
MIRIAM
Saves you a trip.
David watches her close the clasp.
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Scene
12 -
The Scratch That Vanished
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING
Rachel takes groceries from a bag. David sits at the table
with a clear view of the television in the adjoining room.
A LOCAL NEWS REPORTER, forties, stands outside a house behind
police tape.
REPORTER
(on TV)
Police are asking anyone who
visited Evelyn Price yesterday
evening to contact investigators.
David turns toward the screen. A photograph of Evelyn
appears.
REPORTER (CONT’D)
(on TV)
Price was recovering at home
following surgery. Her son
discovered her body last night.
DAVID
Turn that up.
Rachel reaches for the remote. David opens the photograph on
his phone and enlarges Evelyn's name.
RACHEL
What is it?
DAVID
She was Miriam's patient.
Rachel comes around the table.
RACHEL
Where did you get that?
DAVID
Her folder was open.
Rachel reads the names.
RACHEL
You photographed her patient list?
DAVID
Look above it.
Rachel sees Harold's crossed-out name.
DAVID (CONT’D)
That's the man who died. Both of
them. In two days.
RACHEL
David, they’re recovering from
surgery. So are you.
DAVID
The police are asking who was
there.
Rachel studies Evelyn’s entry.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Miriam had a scratch on her face
this morning. She said a cat did
it.
RACHEL
What about it?
DAVID
It was gone before she left.
RACHEL
Scratches don’t heal that quickly.
DAVID
I watched it happen.
Rachel leaves the groceries on the counter and sits beside
him. She turns the phone toward them both.
RACHEL
Give this to the police. Tell them
what you saw.
David looks back at the television. Beneath Evelyn’s
photograph, a number appears for anyone with information.
He picks up the remote and pauses the screen.
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Scene
13 -
The Disappearing Scratch
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NEXT DAY
The detective sits opposite David. Sam has placed a laptop on
the table. The route sheet fills the screen.
DETECTIVE
When did you take this?
David checks the image information on his phone.
DAVID
Yesterday. Ten seventeen. During
her visit.
DETECTIVE
What made you photograph it?
DAVID
A scratch on her face disappeared
while she was here.
The detective looks at him, then back at the screen. David
enlarges Evelyn’s entry.
DAVID (CONT’D)
She wrote eight thirty beside
Evelyn’s name.
DETECTIVE
I’ll check it against the agency’s
records.
He places his card beside David’s phone.
DETECTIVE (CONT’D)
Send me the original file. Keep
your copy.
David sends the photograph from his phone. The detective’s
phone pings.
DAVID
Will you show it to her?
DETECTIVE
I’ll have to ask her about the
entry.
DAVID
She’ll know I took it.
DETECTIVE
Has she threatened you?
DAVID
No.
DETECTIVE
You can ask the agency for someone
else.
DAVID
She’ll want to know why.
David looks toward Miriam’s chair.
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Scene
14 -
The Acknowledgment
INT. NURSING AGENCY - RECORDS OFFICE - DAY
The COORDINATOR, forties, compares Evelyn’s visit record with
the photograph on the detective’s phone.
COORDINATOR
Two to three that afternoon.
Nothing logged for eight thirty.
DETECTIVE
Is that Miriam’s writing?
COORDINATOR
Yes.
She opens a message in Evelyn’s file.
COORDINATOR (CONT’D)
Evelyn requested a different nurse
that morning. We couldn’t arrange
cover until the next day. We told
Miriam it was her last visit.
DETECTIVE
Did she acknowledge it?
The coordinator turns the screen toward him: ACKNOWLEDGED —
MIRIAM ADLER — 11:16 A.M.
DETECTIVE (CONT’D)
I’ll need both records.
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Scene
15 -
The Eight Thirty Entry
INT. POLICE STATION - INTERVIEW ROOM - AFTERNOON
Miriam sits across from the detective, her hair pinned into
its usual bun. The route-sheet photograph lies between them.
DETECTIVE
Did you return to Evelyn’s house
that night?
MIRIAM
No.
He points to the handwritten entry.
DETECTIVE
Eight thirty.
MIRIAM
She asked me to come back. I
couldn’t.
DETECTIVE
That morning, she asked for a
different nurse.
MIRIAM
She didn’t want to be alone.
DETECTIVE
Did you tell her you weren’t
coming?
MIRIAM
Yes.
DETECTIVE
Call or message?
Miriam takes her phone from her bag. She scrolls, stops, then
switches screens.
MIRIAM
I may have told her before I left
that afternoon.
The detective turns the photograph toward her.
DETECTIVE
Then why write down eight thirty?
Her thumb rests against the screen.
MIRIAM
Who gave you this?
DETECTIVE
We’re discussing your entry.
She leans over the photograph, studying the edges of the
frame. The detective draws it back across the table. Miriam
locks her phone.
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Scene
16 -
The Call to Sarah Bell
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON
David studies the route-sheet photograph on his phone. His
finger stops at SARAH BELL, beneath Evelyn’s name.
He enters her number and calls. A recorded greeting answers.
DAVID
Sarah, my name’s David Levine. We
have the same nurse. Miriam Adler.
The police are investigating
another patient’s death. Please
call me.
He ends the call and saves her number. Then looks back at the
names on the sheet.
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Scene
17 -
A Line of Blood
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING
David turns Miriam’s appointment card between his fingers.
Sam eats at the end of the table. Rachel checks her phone.
RACHEL
I can’t get the morning off.
SAM
I can be here by lunch.
DAVID
She comes at nine.
He looks toward the chair where Miriam treats him.
DAVID (CONT’D)
The detective has the photograph.
She’ll know who took it.
RACHEL
You don’t have to let her in.
DAVID
Then who changes the dressing?
Rachel sits beside him.
RACHEL
Ask the agency to send someone when
I’m home.
David enters the number from the card and presses CALL.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MORNING
David’s phone vibrates beside his water: VISIT MOVED TO 5:00
P.M. He forwards the message to Rachel.
His shirt catches on the dressing. He lifts the fabric. Blood
has spread beneath a loose edge of tape. He presses it
gently. His fingertips come away wet.
The doorbell rings.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
David checks the time on his phone, then looks through the
glass beside the door. Miriam waits on the step.
He opens the door a few inches, leaving the chain in place.
DAVID
Your visit was moved to five.
MIRIAM
Nobody told me.
He holds the phone where she can read the confirmation.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
I’m here now.
DAVID
Rachel isn’t.
Miriam looks at the blood on his fingers.
MIRIAM
Let me see your dressing.
He keeps his hand against the door.
DAVID
Come back at five.
MIRIAM
Is it bleeding through your shirt?
David looks down. A small red patch marks the fabric.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
I can change it now. Then I’ll
leave.
He studies her through the gap.
DAVID
Just the dressing.
He closes the door. His fingers rest on the chain before he
slides it free.
Miriam waits as he opens the door and steps aside.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
David places his phone beside his water. Miriam sanitizes her
hands and puts on gloves.
He raises his shirt. She lifts the loose tape.
MIRIAM
Who else did you show it to?
DAVID
What?
MIRIAM
My route sheet.
DAVID
The detective.
She peels the dressing away. David grips the chair arm.
MIRIAM
You could have asked me about
Evelyn.
DAVID
I’m asking now.
A bead of blood appears beside the incision. Miriam watches
it spread.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Were you there that night?
He reaches for the gauze. She catches his wrist.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Let go.
Her fingers tighten. He tries to pull free, but his arm
barely moves.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Miriam.
She looks up at him. Releases his wrist.
David draws his hand against his chest. Red finger marks
cross the skin.
MIRIAM
Your hands aren’t clean.
She opens a fresh pad and presses it over the incision. David
catches his breath. His phone lights up beside her bag:
RACHEL — I’LL BE HOME BEFORE FIVE.
Miriam glances at the screen.
David takes the phone and places it on his lap.
DAVID
Tape.
She reaches for the roll.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Give it to me.
Miriam hands it over. He secures the dressing himself.
DAVID (CONT’D)
You can go.
She strips off her gloves. David keeps the phone in his hand
while she packs.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - MOMENTS LATER
Miriam steps onto the porch. She turns back.
MIRIAM
If it starts bleeding again—
David closes the door and turns the lock.
He listens until her footsteps leave the porch.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
David photographs his wrist.
On the agency portal, he selects REPLACEMENT CAREGIVER,
attaches the image and types: “I asked her to let go. She
kept holding me.” He presses SUBMIT.
A notification appears: REQUEST RECEIVED. David opens
Rachel’s message and begins typing.
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Scene
18 -
The Unread Record
INT. HAROLD'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Harold’s chair stands empty beside the window. His daughter
sits opposite the detective. He places Miriam’s final visit
record before her.
DETECTIVE
Nine that evening. She recorded him
walking with assistance.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
He couldn’t get out of his chair. I
was here until the paramedics came.
She never came back.
The detective makes a note. The daughter looks toward the
empty chair.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER (CONT’D)
He kept asking for another minute.
She draws the record closer and points to the entry.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER (CONT’D)
Who checked this?
DETECTIVE
That’s what I’m doing now.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
After he’s dead.
He stops writing.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER (CONT’D)
Is that why nobody asked me? They
had this?
DETECTIVE
They had the nurse’s report.
She pushes it back toward him.
HAROLD’S DAUGHTER
You have it too.
The detective sets down his pen.
DETECTIVE
You’re right.
He moves the record aside.
DETECTIVE (CONT’D)
Tell me what happened. From when
you arrived.
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Scene
19 -
The Locked Door
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON
David puts the dressing supplies in the side-table drawer.
His phone vibrates: REPLACEMENT REQUEST CONFIRMED. He
forwards it to Rachel. The doorbell rings.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Miriam stands beyond the glass. David checks the chain, then
opens the door a few inches.
MIRIAM
You cancelled me.
DAVID
The agency’s sending someone else.
MIRIAM
Show me your wrist.
He keeps it behind the door.
DAVID
Speak to them.
He starts to close it. Her palm stops the door.
MIRIAM
Have you called anyone on that
sheet?
David looks at her hand.
DAVID
Take it away.
MIRIAM
Who did you call?
He pushes the door. Miriam pushes back. The chain snaps taut.
A screw lifts from the frame. David steps back, staring at
the fitting. Miriam sees it too. She eases the pressure.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
David--
He slams the door and turns both locks. Her shadow remains
beyond the glass. He raises his phone.
DAVID
I’m calling the police.
The shadow moves. Footsteps cross the porch.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
David watches Miriam’s car pull away. He selects the
detective’s number. Headlights sweep across the opposite
wall. Miriam has stopped beyond the neighboring house.
David switches off the lamp. He lifts the curtain just enough
to frame her car on his phone. The camera struggles to focus
through the glass. He steadies his hand against the window
frame. Takes the photograph.
Miriam turns toward the house. David lets the curtain fall.
Sends the image to the detective and presses CALL.
DAVID
It’s David Levine. Miriam tried to
force my door open. She’s parked
outside.
He listens, watching the narrow gap.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Yes. Both locks.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - LATER
David photographs the raised screw. His phone vibrates:
RACHEL — WALKING UP NOW. He calls her immediately.
EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE - STREET - CONTINUOUS
Rachel approaches carrying her work bag. She answers.
RACHEL
I’m here.
DAVID (V.O.)
Don’t stop by her car. Come
straight to the door.
Rachel looks up. Miriam watches her through the windshield.
Rachel crosses toward David’s porch. Miriam starts the
engine.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
David unlocks the door as Rachel reaches it. She comes
inside. He closes and locks it behind her.
RACHEL
I saw her.
Through the glass, headlights move across the street. Rachel
notices the damaged chain.
RACHEL (CONT’D)
She did that?
David nods. He ends the call with Rachel and calls the
detective again.
DAVID
She’s leaving now. Rachel’s here.
He listens.
DAVID (CONT’D)
I’ll send it.
He sends the photograph. Rachel checks the locks as David
calls SARAH BELL.
RACHEL
Who are you calling?
DAVID
Another patient. Miriam wanted to
know if I’d contacted anyone.
Voicemail.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Sarah. David Levine again. Please
call me before you let Miriam in.
He hangs up. Rachel draws the hall curtain.
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Scene
20 -
The Badge
INT. NURSING AGENCY - RECEPTION - DAY
Rachel emerges with the coordinator. Miriam rises from her
chair, nursing bag in hand.
MIRIAM
How is he?
Rachel stops.
RACHEL
Stay away from him.
MIRIAM
I asked how he was.
The coordinator opens the office door.
COORDINATOR
Miriam. Inside, please.
Rachel watches Miriam enter, then leaves.
INT. NURSING AGENCY - OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Photographs of David’s wrist and damaged door chain lie on
the desk.
Miriam sits. The coordinator remains standing.
COORDINATOR
Your visits have been reassigned.
MIRIAM
He was reaching into an open
incision.
The coordinator places the door-chain photograph over the
wrist photograph.
COORDINATOR
You went back after he cancelled.
Miriam looks at the raised screw.
COORDINATOR (CONT’D)
The detective is checking your
evening visits. We’re contacting
the families.
MIRIAM
Which families?
COORDINATOR
All of them.
Miriam’s phone vibrates. SARAH BELL — VISIT REMOVED. She
opens the notification.
MIRIAM
Who’s going to Sarah?
COORDINATOR
We’re arranging that.
MIRIAM
She has a newborn. She can’t be
left--
COORDINATOR
Give me your badge.
Miriam holds the phone a moment longer. Then she unclips her
identification and lays it on the desk. The coordinator takes
it. Miriam closes the notification. Sarah’s name disappears
from her schedule.
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Scene
21 -
The Mark Behind Her Ear
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON
A vehicle slows outside. David watches until a delivery van
passes. He calls Sarah Bell.
INTERCUT - DAVID'S HOUSE / SARAH'S HOUSE
SARAH BELL, early thirties, stands at the kitchen counter. A
BABY sleeps in a bassinet beside the doorway.
Her phone vibrates. The number matches two missed calls.
SARAH
You left the messages?
DAVID
David Levine. Yes.
SARAH
The agency called. They’re
replacing Miriam.
DAVID
She came back after I cancelled.
Tried to force my door open.
Sarah looks toward her front hall.
SARAH
Did you call the police?
DAVID
Yes. I gave them her appointment
sheet. That’s where I got your
number.
He sends the photograph. Sarah opens it. Her name appears
beneath EVELYN PRICE.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Evelyn Price. She was on the news.
SARAH
I saw.
DAVID
Have you found any cuts? Behind
your ear?
Sarah touches the mark beneath her hair. David waits.
SARAH
Why did you say there?
DAVID
That’s where she hurt me.
Sarah crosses to a small mirror near the back door. Pulls her
hair aside.
SARAH
She said I scratched myself.
DAVID
Don’t let her in.
The baby stirs. Sarah drops her hair.
SARAH
My boyfriend’s coming home.
DAVID
I’ll send you the detective’s
number.
SARAH
Send it.
She ends the call. As Sarah checks the back-door lock, her
phone vibrates. A message from David: the detective’s name
and number.
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Scene
22 -
Don't Let Miriam In
INT. SARAH'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - EVENING
Sarah pushes baby clothes into an overnight bag. Her
BOYFRIEND, thirties, enters with a laundry basket.
BOYFRIEND
What’s happened?
SARAH
We’re going to my sister’s.
He sets down the basket.
BOYFRIEND
Tonight?
She lifts her hair. He steps closer to examine the cut.
SARAH
Miriam said I did this in my sleep.
BOYFRIEND
What did the agency say?
SARAH
They’re sending someone else. But
another patient called. He asked
about the cut before I told him.
Her boyfriend looks from the mark to her face.
BOYFRIEND
What patient?
Sarah hands him the phone, David’s message open beneath the
route-sheet photograph. He reads it: DON’T LET MIRIAM IN.
SARAH
She knows where we live. I don’t
want to wait here.
He gives back the phone.
BOYFRIEND
I’ll get the car seat.
He leaves. Sarah calls her sister and holds the phone between
her ear and shoulder as she packs.
SARAH
Can we come now?
She listens, then pulls the zip. A corner of the blanket
catches. She works it free.
SARAH (CONT’D)
I’ll tell you when we’re leaving.
INT. SARAH'S HOUSE - HALL - NIGHT
The overnight bag stands beside the stairs.
Sarah carries the baby toward the kitchen. Her boyfriend
comes down with a folded blanket.
BOYFRIEND
I’ll get the rest.
He returns upstairs. The doorbell rings. Sarah stops. Through
the glass beside the door, Miriam stands on the step.
Sarah lowers the baby into the kitchen bassinet, takes out
her phone and returns to the hall. She leaves the door
locked.
SARAH
The agency’s sending someone else.
MIRIAM
I know. I wanted to see you before
I go.
SARAH
You need to leave.
Miriam looks through the glass at the overnight bag.
MIRIAM
Are you going somewhere?
Sarah selects the detective’s number.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Sarah. Open the door.
SARAH
I’m calling the police.
Miriam pulls a pin from her bun. Sarah backs away as Miriam
drives her shoulder against the door. The frame cracks.
SARAH (CONT’D)
Get down here!
A second impact tears the latch free. Miriam catches Sarah’s
wrist before she can raise the phone.
The baby cries in the kitchen.
INT. SARAH’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Sarah backs toward the bassinet, pulling against Miriam’s
grip.
SARAH
Let go.
Her boyfriend rushes into the doorway.
BOYFRIEND
Get your hands off her.
He grabs Miriam’s arm. Sarah breaks free and reaches for the
baby.
Miriam catches his wrist and strikes him across the jaw. He
hits the doorframe and drops.
SARAH
No!
She turns toward him. Miriam catches her from behind. Sarah’s
phone hits the counter and falls to the floor.
MIRIAM
You spoke to David.
Sarah braces a hand against the counter, trying to keep
Miriam away from the bassinet.
SARAH
Please. Leave us alone.
Miriam pulls her head aside and bites into her neck. Sarah
cries out. Her fingers scrape along the counter and close
around the bottle warmer. She swings it back.
Its edge catches Miriam’s face. Miriam releases her. Sarah
stumbles against the counter. The warmer falls from her hand.
She scoops up the baby, crouches to retrieve her phone and
runs for the hall.
INT. SARAH'S HOUSE - STAIRCASE - CONTINUOUS
Sarah climbs with the baby held against her chest, gripping
the railing with her free hand. Behind her, a kitchen chair
overturns. She looks back. Her boyfriend lies where he fell.
Miriam steps over him.
Sarah reaches the landing and hurries into the bathroom.
INT. SARAH'S HOUSE - BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Sarah slams the door and turns the lock. Miriam hits it from
the other side as Sarah lowers herself to the floor. Keeping
the baby against her chest, she dials emergency services.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
911. What’s your emergency?
SARAH
My name is Sarah Bell. Someone's in
my house. I’m at twenty-six Mercer
Street.
The door jolts against its frame. Sarah braces her feet
against the bottom.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Are you somewhere you can lock the
door?
SARAH
Bathroom. Upstairs. My baby's with
me.
Another impact splits the wood beside the latch. Sarah pushes
harder with her feet.
SARAH (CONT’D)
She's trying to get in. Please
hurry.
The impacts stop. Sarah holds her breath, listening while the
baby cries against her shoulder.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Stay with me, Sarah. Officers are
on their way.
Sarah keeps her feet against the door and watches the damaged
latch.
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Scene
23 -
The Door Opens
INT. SARAH'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALL - LATER
Two OFFICERS, forties, approach the bathroom. One remains
beside the stairs while the other stops outside the door.
OFFICER
Sarah? Police.
There is no answer.
OFFICER (CONT’D)
The dispatcher said you’re here
with your baby.
SARAH (O.S.)
Where is she?
OFFICER
She’s gone. We’ve checked the
house.
SARAH (O.S.)
My boyfriend?
OFFICER
He’s awake. The paramedics are with
him.
The lock turns, but the door catches against its splintered
frame. The officer eases it open. Sarah sits on the floor
with her feet still braced against the bottom. Blood stains
her sweatshirt below the bite wound.
He kneels in the doorway. Sarah draws the baby closer.
OFFICER (CONT’D)
Can you move your feet?
She looks down at them, then lowers her knees.
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Scene
24 -
The Bite
INT. HOSPITAL - TREATMENT ROOM - NIGHT
A nurse cleans Sarah’s neck. The detective stands nearby with
a uniformed officer.
DETECTIVE
Miriam Adler?
SARAH
Yes.
DETECTIVE
You’re certain?
SARAH
She’s been in my house three times
a week.
The nurse lifts a clean swab.
NURSE
This may sting.
Sarah grips the edge of the treatment bed. The detective
waits as the nurse cleans the wound.
DETECTIVE
Tell me what happened after she
grabbed you.
SARAH
She bit me.
He begins writing. Sarah watches his pen.
SARAH (CONT’D)
Put that down.
He looks up.
SARAH (CONT’D)
That she bit my neck.
DETECTIVE
“Miriam Adler held my wrist and bit
my neck.”
SARAH
Yes.
The detective nods and finishes writing.
The nurse reaches toward Sarah with another swab. Sarah pulls
back. The nurse lowers her hand. Sarah loosens her grip on
the bed.
SARAH (CONT’D)
Go on.
She turns her head, exposing the wound. The nurse resumes
cleaning it.
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Scene
25 -
The Crib
INT. SARAH'S SISTER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Sarah holds the sleeping baby while her boyfriend locks the
portable crib into place. A bruise darkens his jaw.
She watches him test the frame.
SARAH
Again.
He presses down on each corner. It holds.
Sarah lowers the baby onto the mattress. Her boyfriend sits
on the edge of the bed.
SARAH (CONT’D)
I went past you.
He looks up.
SARAH (CONT’D)
I didn’t know if you were
breathing.
BOYFRIEND
You had him.
SARAH
I couldn’t carry both of you.
He reaches for her hand. She takes it.
A car passes outside. Sarah turns toward the window and waits
until the engine fades.
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Scene
26 -
Securing the Perimeter
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - NIGHT
The detective examines the raised screw in the chain fitting.
David stands with Rachel. Sam waits near the kitchen.
DETECTIVE
Sarah identified Miriam. We’re
looking for her.
DAVID
The baby?
DETECTIVE
He’s safe. They’re at her sister’s.
RACHEL
Does Miriam know the address?
DETECTIVE
Sarah says she doesn’t. Officers
are checking the street.
David looks at the damaged fitting.
DAVID
She did that with one hand.
The detective tests the door against its locks.
DETECTIVE
Have this repaired. Keep both locks
on until then.
DAVID
And if she tries the back?
The detective turns to him.
DETECTIVE
Show me.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
The detective checks the rear-door frame, then pulls against
the locked handle.
David watches his hand.
DETECTIVE
If either handle moves, call 911.
Don’t wait to see who it is.
SAM
I’m staying.
The detective releases the handle.
DETECTIVE
Keep your phones with you.
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Scene
27 -
The Break-In
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NEXT EVENING
Sam’s laptop is open to an interview invitation. David holds
a sheet of practice questions.
DAVID
Why did you leave your last job?
SAM
I wanted more responsibility.
DAVID
Try to sound like you mean it.
Sam starts to answer. Headlights sweep across the covered
window.
He checks his phone: RACHEL — OUTSIDE.
Sam looks through a gap in the curtain. Rachel’s car
approaches.
SAM
She’s here. I can still get to the
cleaners.
He closes the laptop and puts on his jacket.
DAVID
We haven’t finished.
SAM
Save my place.
David follows him to the hall.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Sam opens the door and looks toward Rachel’s car.
SAM
Back in ten.
He leaves. David turns both locks, then tests the handle.
EXT. DAVID’S HOUSE - STREET - CONTINUOUS
Rachel drives past Sam as he reaches his car. She raises a
hand, then parks beyond a delivery van. Farther down the
street, Miriam watches Sam get behind the wheel. The van
conceals Rachel’s car from her. Miriam gets out and heads
along the side of David’s house.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
David tests the rear-door lock, then crosses to the sink for
water. Outside, a vehicle rattles past. He fills a glass and
turns off the tap. Behind him, a faint scrape. He looks back.
Miriam stands inside the open rear door, her hair loose. A
small pane beside the lock is broken. Glass lies across the
floor.
David sets down the glass and reaches for his phone. Miriam
closes the distance and strikes it from his hand. It slides
beneath the table.
DAVID
Get out.
She advances. He backs into the living room.
EXT. DAVID’S HOUSE - STREET - CONTINUOUS
Sam puts his keys into the ignition. Beyond the van, Rachel
steps out of her car and reaches back for her work bag. David
cries out inside the house. Sam looks toward the front
window, then gets out and hurries along the side of the
house.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
David grips the poker beside the hearth. Miriam catches his
arm before he can swing and drives him against the wall.
Blood spreads through his shirt. She closes her other hand
around his throat. He pulls at her wrist, struggling for air.
MIRIAM
You couldn’t leave it alone.
Her gaze drops to the blood reaching his waistband. Her grip
loosens. David draws a breath. She forces him to the floor,
wrenches the poker from his hand and drops it beside the
hearth.
EXT. DAVID’S HOUSE - REAR - CONTINUOUS
Sam reaches the open kitchen door. He sees the broken pane
and glass scattered inside. He dials 911.
SAM
Forty-eight Briar Lane. Someone’s
broken into my brother’s house.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Miriam’s fingers catch beneath David’s shirt. He tries to
push her hand away.
DAVID
No.
She pulls the fabric clear of the wound and bends to feed.
EXT. DAVID’S HOUSE - REAR - CONTINUOUS
Sam leans toward the doorway. Through the kitchen, he sees
Miriam crouched over David.
SAM
Miriam Adler. The police are
looking for her. She’s on top of my
brother.
He steps inside.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Stay outside--
Sam lowers the phone, leaving the call connected, and moves
through the kitchen.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Rachel unlocks the front door and steps inside.
RACHEL
David?
SAM (O.S.)
Get off him!
She drops her bag and runs toward the living room.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Sam grabs Miriam’s shoulders. Blood rims her mouth. She
drives an elbow into him, sending him against the chair. His
phone drops onto the cushion. Sam catches himself and reaches
again, closing his hand in her loose hair. He pulls the hair
together as he tries to drag her away. Miriam’s grip on David
slackens, allowing him to roll onto his side. Sam gathers
more hair into his fist, but she twists sharply and tears
herself free.
Rachel reaches the doorway as Miriam throws Sam against the
side table. The lamp falls, breaking its shade against the
floor. Miriam catches David by the shirt. Rachel grabs the
fallen lamp and strikes Miriam above the ear with its base.
Miriam staggers as a cut opens beneath her hair. Rachel
raises the lamp again. Miriam catches her wrist and pulls her
closer.
David reaches across the hearth and closes his fingers around
the poker. As Miriam draws Rachel toward her, he drives the
iron into Miriam’s side. Miriam releases Rachel and looks
down at the poker. David holds it with both hands. She backs
away, pulling herself off the iron. Blood spills onto the
rug.
Sam struggles to his feet. Miriam shoves past him into the
kitchen. The rear door strikes the wall as she escapes.
Rachel drops beside David and presses her hands against his
bleeding abdomen.
RACHEL
Sam. Dressings. In the drawer.
Sam grabs the clean dressings from the side-table drawer and
passes them to her. David gasps as she presses them against
the wound. Sam retrieves his phone from the chair. The
dispatcher is still on the line.
SAM
She’s gone. He’s bleeding. We need
an ambulance.
He kneels beside David, keeping the phone to his ear.
Genres:
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Scene
28 -
Bloodied Hands
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATER
An officer photographs the poker where David dropped it.
Another examines the lamp, its base streaked with drying
blood. The detective stands beside the door with the broken
pane.
Sam sits on the couch with an ice pack against his shoulder.
Rachel stands nearby, her hands red.
DETECTIVE
Where did you strike her?
Rachel touches the side of her own head.
RACHEL
Here. Above the ear.
DETECTIVE
And David used the poker after
that?
RACHEL
He saved me.
The detective looks toward the blood on the rug.
Genres:
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Scene
29 -
The Hairs
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT
David lies beneath a clean blanket with an IV in his arm and
a fresh dressing over his abdomen. Rachel sits beside him.
Sam stands at the foot of the bed, holding his injured
shoulder stiffly.
DAVID
You were still outside?
SAM
I heard the door.
David closes his eyes.
DAVID
Good.
Sam moves closer.
SAM
When I grabbed her hair. Did you
feel her let go?
David opens his eyes.
DAVID
You pulled her off balance.
SAM
When I gathered her hair, her hand
opened.
He opens his fist. Dark hairs cling to his fingers.
SAM (CONT’D)
Remember Grandpa’s story? The woman
whose hair had to stay tied?
DAVID
He told us that to keep us out of
the basement.
SAM
I know.
Sam reaches toward the wastebasket.
DAVID
Wait.
He shifts against the pillow, wincing.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Let’s find the story.
Sam takes out his phone.
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Scene
30 -
The Wound
INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT
Miriam sits behind a concrete column, her nursing bag open
beside her. She peels the blood-soaked dressing from her
side. The wound is still open.
With trembling fingers, she presses fresh gauze against it. A
car passes on the level below. She listens until the engine
fades, then lifts a corner of the pad. Blood wells beneath
it.
She presses harder. Her phone lies beside the bag. She picks
it up and enters 911. Her thumb hovers over CALL. Her
breathing catches. She closes her eyes.
INT. HALL – REGENSBURG – BEFORE DAWN – FLASHBACK (1500)
The outer door opens. Miriam enters, her coat damp. She hangs
it on the hook and listens. No sound from the bedroom. She
lifts the latch.
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS - FLASHBACK
The candle has burned nearly to its holder. Her SISTER,
twenties, lies with her face toward the door. The cup remains
untouched. Miriam crosses to the bed.
MIRIAM
(Yiddish; subtitled)
I’m here.
Her sister’s eyes open. Miriam sits beside her and reaches
for the cup. A hand closes over hers.
YOUNGER SISTER
(Yiddish; subtitled)
Closer.
Miriam sets down the cup and bends toward her. Her sister
touches her cheek, then slides her hand behind Miriam’s neck.
Their foreheads meet.
MIRIAM
(Yiddish; subtitled)
What is it?
Her sister pulls her mouth against hers. Miriam stiffens. A
long breath forces its way between her lips. She tries to
lift her head, but her sister holds her fast. Miriam pushes
against the mattress. Her sister’s other hand catches her jaw
and keeps her mouth open.
The exhalation continues. Miriam claws at the hand behind her
neck. Her sister watches her struggle. Then the grip
releases.
Miriam falls back against the bedside stool, knocking it
over. She drags in a breath. Another. Presses a hand against
her throat. Her sister’s head has turned toward her. Her eyes
remain open. Miriam catches her wrist.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
(Yiddish; subtitled)
What did you do?
She waits for an answer. Shakes the wrist. Nothing. Miriam
lowers her sister’s hand onto the blanket. As she draws back,
a rough nail catches her finger. A bead of blood rises.
Miriam stares at it. Slowly brings the finger to her mouth.
She tastes the blood. Her hand drops. She looks at her
sister.
END FLASHBACK
INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT
Miriam opens her eyes.
The phone screen dims. In the glass, blood marks the corners
of her mouth. She wipes it with the back of her hand, looks
at the smear, then clears the number.
Footsteps echo through the garage. Miriam puts the phone away
and gathers the discarded wrappers. A roll of tape slips from
her fingers and rolls beyond the column.
The footsteps stop.
A MAN in his fifties stands beside a parked car, keys in
hand. He looks down at the tape, then toward her.
MAN
Are you hurt?
MIRIAM
I’m okay.
He steps closer. She pushes the bloodied dressings into her
bag.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Please. Go.
He sees the pad pressed against her side.
MAN
You need an ambulance.
She braces a hand against the column and tries to rise. Her
knees give. He catches her beneath the arm before she falls.
MAN (CONT’D)
Easy.
Miriam grips his sleeve. He helps her stand. The pad slips,
exposing the wound.
MAN (CONT’D)
Jesus.
He steadies her against the column and reaches for his phone.
MAN (CONT’D)
Keep your hand on it. I’ll call.
Miriam watches him unlock the screen. Her loose hair falls
across his shoulder. Her fingers tighten around his arm. He
looks up.
She seizes the back of his head and bites into his neck. His
keys strike the concrete. He pushes against her, but she
drives him against the column and feeds.
Genres:
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Scene
31 -
The Estrie and the Trail of Blood
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - MORNING
Sam stands beside David’s bed. Rachel sits nearby. A few dark
hairs cling to Sam’s cuff. He picks them free.
SAM
Estrie. That was the name.
DAVID
Grandpa’s story?
Sam nods.
SAM
A woman who feeds on blood.
RACHEL
Where did he hear it?
SAM
From his father or his grandfather.
I found the name online. It comes
from a Jewish text.
DAVID
Anything about the hair?
SAM
Only a summary. The original’s in
Hebrew.
RACHEL
Try a rabbi.
DAVID
Tell him what happened. See what he
says.
SAM
Remember Rabbi Weiss?
DAVID
Yeah. Dad didn’t like him.
SAM
He’ll still talk to me.
Sam finds Rabbi Weiss’s number in his contacts and steps into
the hall to call.
INT. PARKING GARAGE - MORNING
Crime-scene tape surrounds a parked car. The man lies beside
the driver’s door, his keys near his hand. A technician
photographs the wound in his neck.
The detective watches security footage on a tablet. Miriam
crosses the exit lane, her hair loose, one hand pressed
against her side. He pauses before her face disappears into
the glare.
DETECTIVE
What time?
SECURITY GUARD
Eleven forty-six last night.
Behind a concrete support, a technician lifts a blood-soaked
dressing with forceps. Several more lie beside an open gauze
wrapper.
TECHNICIAN
There’s more blood behind the
column.
The detective looks toward the dressings, then back at the
man. He takes out his phone.
DETECTIVE
Which hospital took David Levine?
Genres:
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Scene
32 -
The Photograph
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
The detective places a print from the garage footage on the
bedside table.
DETECTIVE
Another man’s dead. This is Miriam
leaving the garage.
David draws the photograph closer. Miriam’s hand is pressed
against her side.
DAVID
She fed again. But she’s still
bleeding.
RACHEL
You put a poker into her.
DAVID
The scratch on her face healed in
minutes.
He studies the photograph.
RACHEL
Is it safe for him to go home?
DETECTIVE
We can put an officer outside the
house until we find her. Have the
rear door repaired before he goes
back.
RACHEL
We will. Sam and I can stay with
him.
DAVID
What if she comes to the door?
DETECTIVE
Stay inside. Let the officer handle
it.
He looks from David to Rachel.
DETECTIVE (CONT’D)
If she contacts you, call me. Don’t
agree to meet her.
David looks at the photograph, then holds it out to Sam.
DAVID
Take this to the rabbi. Ask him why
she’s still bleeding.
Sam takes the photograph.
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Scene
33 -
The Rabbi's Warning
INT. YESHIVA - RABBI’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON
Students argue in the study hall beyond the door. RABBI
WEISS, sixties, studies the garage photograph. Sam sits
opposite him, his shoulder stiff.
SAM
When I gathered her hair, she let
go of David.
Rabbi Weiss opens a Hebrew volume and finds a passage.
RABBI WEISS
The hair must be bound.
SAM
Then Grandpa remembered it right.
RABBI WEISS
He remembered this account. Whether
it explains--
SAM
She was drinking my brother’s
blood.
He points to Miriam’s side in the photograph.
SAM (CONT’D)
David put a poker into her. She’s
still bleeding.
The rabbi reads further.
RABBI WEISS
If the wound is mortal, bread and
salt given by the person who
wounded her can restore her.
SAM
David. What if she takes it from
him?
RABBI WEISS
Taking it isn’t enough. The person
who wounded her must give it to her
directly.
Sam looks at the photograph.
SAM
Write it down. Please. Exactly what
it says.
The rabbi begins translating onto a sheet of paper. Sam
photographs the open book. The rabbi turns to another
passage.
RABBI WEISS
After death, earth or stones must
be placed in her mouth. To keep her
from rising.
Sam lowers his phone.
The rabbi adds the instruction and holds out the translation.
RABBI WEISS (CONT’D)
I can tell you what it says. I
can’t promise it will protect you.
Sam takes the page.
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Scene
34 -
Then She'll Come Back
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON
Sam lays the handwritten translation on David’s blanket.
Rachel reads over David’s shoulder. His finger stops beneath
a line.
RACHEL
Then she’ll come back.
SAM
She needs you alive.
David looks toward the open doorway.
DAVID
If she calls, we might get a
location.
RACHEL
Give it to the detective. Don’t go
to her.
David nods. Rachel closes the door.
Genres:
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Scene
35 -
Bound by Threads
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Sam tightens the last screw securing a plywood patch over the
rear door’s broken pane, then locks the door and tests it. A
patrol car parks outside. David sits at the table with the
translation, a length of cord, and a small bag of earth and
stones.
RACHEL
I’m here tomorrow. Go to your
interview.
Sam turns from the door.
SAM
You’re sure?
RACHEL
Yes.
David opens the bag. Looks inside, then closes it. He picks
up the cord and tests it between his hands.
DAVID
This goes beside my chair.
Rachel takes it.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON
David sits with his shirt lifted. Rachel eases the tape from
his dressing. He catches his breath, and she stops.
DAVID
Keep going. Just slower.
She supports his skin and works the tape free. His phone
vibrates beside the hospital instructions. MIRIAM: PLEASE. I
NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU.
David reaches for it. Rachel catches the loose dressing
before it falls.
RACHEL
David.
He reads the message, then calls.
INT. MIRIAM'S CAR - SAME
Miriam sits behind the wheel in an empty parking area. A
folded towel presses against her side. Her phone lights up.
INTERCUT - DAVID'S HOUSE / MIRIAM'S CAR
MIRIAM
David.
DAVID
Are you still bleeding?
She shifts the towel. Draws a sharp breath.
MIRIAM
Yes.
Rachel looks at David. He puts the call on speaker.
DAVID
Where are you?
MIRIAM
Will you come?
DAVID
Tell me where. I’ll send an
ambulance.
MIRIAM
You know what I need.
David looks at the translation beside his chair.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Please.
DAVID
I can send help.
Miriam ends the call.
David texts the detective: “Miriam called. Still bleeding.
Wouldn’t give her location.” Rachel waits with the fresh pad
in her hand.
RACHEL
She knows you’re home.
David puts down the phone.
DAVID
Finish it.
Rachel positions the pad. David holds it while she pulls a
strip of tape. A car door shuts outside. Rachel freezes.
David looks toward the window. Footsteps draw closer. Neither
moves.
The steps pass the house. A neighbor’s door opens, then
closes.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Go on.
Rachel tapes the dressing in place.
Genres:
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Scene
36 -
Broken Glass
EXT. SARAH’S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
Sarah’s boyfriend loads a folded stroller and baby supplies
into his car. He locks the house and drives away. Farther
down the street, Miriam waits behind the wheel, a towel
pressed against her side. She follows.
EXT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - LATER
The boyfriend carries the supplies inside. Miriam parks down
the street.
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING
Sarah sets a rinsed bottle beside the sink. Her boyfriend
checks his phone.
BOYFRIEND
I’ll come back after work tomorrow.
SARAH
Text before you leave.
He kisses the baby in her arms, then her. She follows him
toward the front door.
EXT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - STREET - CONTINUOUS
The boyfriend drives away. A patrol car approaches from the
opposite end of the street. Miriam starts her car and turns
the corner.
EXT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - REAR GARDEN - LATER
From beside the house, Miriam watches the patrol car
disappear. She slips through the garden gate, holding the
towel against her side. Beyond the kitchen glass, Sarah
checks the back-door lock, then walks out of sight. Miriam
approaches the door. Blood seeps between her fingers. She
pulls the pin from her bun, letting her hair fall loose, then
lifts a heavy flowerpot from beside the step.
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Sarah checks the front-door lock and returns to the baby’s
bassinet. Her phone rests beside the detective’s card. Glass
shatters in the kitchen. The baby startles and cries. Sarah
snatches up the phone, lifts him against her chest and turns
toward the hall.
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Miriam reaches through the broken pane, turns the lock and
pushes inside.
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Sarah stops at the living-room doorway. Miriam stands between
her and the front door, the blood-soaked towel pressed
against her side. Sarah backs a step into the room, shielding
the baby. Miriam follows and holds out her free hand.
MIRIAM
Call David Levine.
Sarah’s thumb moves across her phone. Miriam catches her
wrist and turns the screen toward her. The emergency number
is entered. Miriam holds Sarah’s thumb clear of CALL.
SARAH
Please. He hasn’t done anything.
MIRIAM
David. Call him.
Sarah looks toward the front door. Miriam keeps hold of her
wrist.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Now.
Sarah clears the number and finds David’s contact. She
presses CALL. Miriam takes the phone and releases her wrist.
Sarah draws the baby closer.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
David’s phone rings: SARAH BELL. He answers.
DAVID
Sarah?
A baby cries. Then Miriam speaks.
MIRIAM (V.O.)
She’s with me.
David goes still. Rachel looks up from the kitchen table.
DAVID
Let me speak to her.
MIRIAM (V.O.)
We need to see you.
He waves Rachel closer and puts the call on speaker.
DAVID
Where are you?
MIRIAM (V.O.)
Get bread. And salt.
Sam rises, looking at the translation on the table.
DAVID
Come alone.
MIRIAM (V.O.)
You wouldn’t open the door.
DAVID
Let Sarah go. I’ll speak to you.
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - HALL - SAME
Miriam holds the phone near Sarah’s mouth.
SARAH
David?
DAVID (V.O.)
Are you hurt?
SARAH
She’s making me--
Miriam draws the phone away.
MIRIAM
Have it ready.
DAVID (V.O.)
Rachel and Sam are here.
MIRIAM
Then tell them to stay out of the
way.
She ends the call.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Your keys.
Sarah glances toward the kitchen.
SARAH
On the counter.
Miriam steers her toward it.
Genres:
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Scene
37 -
The Weight of the Plate
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Rachel calls the detective. Sam lays the cord beside the
translation while David takes bread from the cupboard.
RACHEL
She has Sarah and the baby. She’s
bringing them here.
DETECTIVE (V.O.)
Keep the doors locked. I’m calling
for back-up. I’m coming too.
RACHEL
What happened to the patrol at her
sister’s?
DETECTIVE (V.O.)
I’m checking. Call if she gets
there before we do.
Rachel hangs up. David places a slice of bread on a plate and
sprinkles it with salt.
SAM
You don’t have to decide now.
David sets down the salt.
DAVID
If she lets them go. If she’s
sitting here bleeding--
He looks at Sam.
DAVID (CONT’D)
I don’t know if I can watch that.
SAM
Neither do I.
David turns to Rachel.
DAVID
If she brings the baby inside, get
him clear.
Rachel nods. David looks at Sam and the cord.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Not while she’s holding them.
SAM
Understood.
David lifts the plate. Pain catches him as he turns. Rachel
steadies his arm. He waits for it to ease.
DAVID
Where do you need me?
Rachel moves a chair out of his path to the living room.
Genres:
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Scene
38 -
No Way Out
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Sarah takes her keys from the counter. Miriam keeps hold of
her arm, the blood-soaked towel pressed against her side.
SARAH
Let me leave him here. My sister
will be home--
MIRIAM
He comes with us.
She guides Sarah toward the hall.
INT. SARAH’S SISTER’S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Headlights sweep across the front window. A patrol car
passes. Sarah draws breath to call out. Miriam’s grip
tightens. They watch the car continue down the street.
MIRIAM
Let’s go.
Genres:
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Scene
39 -
The Final Plea
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The salted bread rests beside David’s chair. The salt dish
stands farther along the table. Sam waits near the kitchen
doorway, the cord concealed beside his leg.
David shifts his chair toward the front door. Pain stops him.
Sam moves the table a few inches, giving him room. Headlights
sweep across the curtain. Rachel looks through a narrow
opening.
RACHEL
They're here.
EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Sarah approaches with the baby against her chest. Miriam
grips her upper arm, her hair loose, her open coat revealing
blood-soaked clothes.
An officer steps out of the patrol car as Miriam pulls Sarah
against her and clamps a hand around her neck.
MIRIAM
Stay there.
The officer stops, using the open car door for cover. He
speaks into his radio.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
David looks through the narrow glass panel. Rachel stands
beside him, calling the detective. Sam waits behind them.
RACHEL
(into phone)
They're at the door. She has hold
of Sarah and the baby.
Miriam pushes Sarah closer to the glass.
MIRIAM
David. Open it.
David looks at Sarah. She meets his eyes but says nothing.
DAVID
(to Rachel)
Tell the police to stay back.
He turns both locks and opens the door.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - HALL - CONTINUOUS
Miriam brings Sarah inside. Rachel moves aside, keeping the
phone at her ear. Sam remains near the kitchen.
MIRIAM
Where is it?
David gestures toward the living room. Miriam pulls Sarah
past him.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Miriam stops near the table, keeping Sarah between herself
and the others. The baby fusses against Sarah's shoulder.
Miriam sees the plate.
MIRIAM
Give it to me.
DAVID
Let Rachel take the baby.
The patrol car light washes across the room. Miriam draws
Sarah closer and places her right hand against Sarah's neck,
just below the dressing.
MIRIAM
Tell them to stay out.
RACHEL
(into phone)
She's holding Sarah by the neck.
Don't come through the door.
EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The detective arrives as two officers take positions beside
the house. Through the open doorway, he sees Rachel with her
phone still at her ear.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
David stays beside his chair. Sam waits near the kitchen.
MIRIAM
You sent them after me.
DAVID
I wanted to know what happened to
your patients.
MIRIAM
You could have asked me.
DAVID
Would you have told me?
Pain makes Miriam bend over the towel pressed against her
side. She keeps hold of Sarah.
MIRIAM
Give me the bread and salt.
DAVID
There are paramedics outside.
MIRIAM
They can't help me.
She lifts her forearm, exposing the soaked towel.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
I've lived for centuries, David.
Nothing has stayed open like this.
The baby begins crying. Sarah rocks him as much as Miriam's
grip allows.
SARAH
Please let her take him.
Miriam looks toward Rachel.
MIRIAM
No.
DAVID
You'll still have Sarah. Sam and I
aren't going anywhere.
RACHEL
I'll take him outside.
Miriam studies the distance to the doorway.
MIRIAM
Slowly.
Rachel pockets her phone and approaches with her hands
visible. Miriam moves her right hand from Sarah's neck to her
upper arm, keeping the towel pinned against her side.
Sarah turns toward Rachel.
SARAH
Support his head.
Rachel takes the baby. Sarah holds the blanket until she is
certain Rachel has him, then lets go.
MIRIAM
Outside.
Rachel backs toward the hall.
EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
An officer helps Rachel down the step. The detective comes
alongside her.
RACHEL
Miriam has Sarah's right arm.
David's beside his chair. Sam's
near the kitchen.
DETECTIVE
Stay with the baby.
Rachel carries him toward the ambulance as the detective
moves toward the porch.
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Sarah watches until Rachel and the baby are out of sight.
MIRIAM
Now give it to me.
David reaches for the plate. Miriam moves toward him,
dragging Sarah with her. Sarah catches the table to steady
herself. The salt dish stands beside her free hand. David
tears a piece from the salted bread.
DAVID
Let her go.
Miriam keeps hold of Sarah.
David extends the bread. Sarah closes her free hand around
the salt dish. Miriam takes her left hand from the towel and
reaches. David draws the bread just beyond her fingers.
Sarah flings the salt into Miriam's face. Miriam recoils,
raising her right hand to her eyes. Sarah pulls free and runs
for the hall.
Sam steps aside to let Sarah pass. David sets the piece he
offered Miriam on the near edge of the plate and backs away.
EXT. DAVID’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
An officer steadies Sarah as she comes down the step.
SARAH
Where is he?
RACHEL
Here. He’s here.
Rachel brings her the baby. The officer guides them clear as
the detective signals his partner forward.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Miriam wipes her eyes. She grabs the remaining slice of
salted bread, leaving David’s torn piece on the plate. She
bites and swallows, then lifts the towel. Blood still runs
from the wound. She looks at David.
MIRIAM
You have to give it to me.
His hands remain at his sides. She drops the slice and lunges
at him. Sam catches her hair from behind. She strikes him
across the face, but he holds on.
The detective and an officer seize her arms. Miriam drives
the officer against the wall as Sam loops the cord around her
gathered hair.
She jerks him off balance. He braces a foot against the chair
and pulls the knot tight. Her knees buckle. The officers
lower her into the chair. Sam checks the binding. The
detective holds her wrists. Miriam looks toward the plate.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
David.
Beside the hearth, David presses a hand against his own
dressing.
INT. DAVID’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Two PARAMEDICS, thirties, kneel beside Miriam. Sam steps
back. The detective keeps hold of her wrists, clear of the
wound.
Rachel returns to the doorway. Outside, Sarah sits with her
baby and an officer.
PARAMEDIC
How long has she been bleeding?
DAVID
A couple of nights.
The paramedic looks up, then cuts away the blood-soaked
fabric. Miriam cries out.
MIRIAM
Please.
David looks at the torn bread on the plate.
DAVID
(to paramedic)
Can you stop it?
PARAMEDIC
We’re going to try.
They press fresh dressings against the wound. Miriam reaches
toward David. The detective restrains her arm.
MIRIAM
It has to be from you.
DAVID
I heard you.
Rachel comes to stand beside him.
MIRIAM
You remember the stairs?
David watches the paramedics work.
DAVID
Yes.
MIRIAM
You couldn’t get down. I sat there
with you.
DAVID
I remember what you did.
Miriam reaches toward him. The paramedic eases her hand aside
to replace the dressing.
MIRIAM
I went back to her. My sister.
David looks at her.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
I thought I could still help.
DAVID
She made you like this?
Miriam nods.
MIRIAM
She knew what would happen to me. I
didn’t.
The paramedic presses a fresh pad against her side. Miriam
grips the edge of the chair until the pain eases.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
I was only trying to say goodbye.
David says nothing. Miriam looks at the bread.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Give it to me. I’ll leave. You’ll
never see me again.
David looks toward the open front door. Sarah sits beyond it
with her child.
DAVID
Where will you go?
MIRIAM
Away from here.
DAVID
To another house?
Miriam presses her lips together. Blood begins spreading
through the fresh pad.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Can you live without taking blood?
MIRIAM
No.
DAVID
Can you take it without killing
anyone?
She looks at him but does not answer.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Miriam.
MIRIAM
I have.
DAVID
Every time?
Her eyes move toward the window.
MIRIAM
Sometimes they were weaker than I
thought.
David looks down at his own bandaged abdomen.
MIRIAM (CONT’D)
Sometimes I couldn’t stop.
Rachel takes David’s hand. He holds it, keeping his other
hand away from the plate.
DAVID
If I give it to her, can you keep
her like this?
The detective looks at the cord binding Miriam’s hair.
DETECTIVE
We’ll keep her restrained. That’s
all I can tell you.
MIRIAM
I don’t want to die.
DAVID
I know.
He turns to the paramedics.
DAVID (CONT’D)
Keep helping her.
One paramedic checks Miriam’s pulse while the other prepares
to move her. Miriam’s eyes remain fixed on David.
MIRIAM
You can stop this.
DAVID
I won’t.
She reaches again, but her hand falls before it reaches him.
Genres:
Ratings
Scene
40 -
The Ritual Refused
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATER
The paramedics work over Miriam on the floor. David stands
back with Rachel. Sam waits near the kitchen, one hand
against his bruised cheek.
After a final check, the lead paramedic speaks quietly to his
partner. They stop working.
David watches Miriam’s face.
DAVID
Is that it?
PARAMEDIC
I’m sorry.
Sam crouches beside Miriam’s head and checks the cord.
DETECTIVE
Don’t move anything.
Sam withdraws his hands.
SAM
Keep her hair tied.
The detective signals an officer.
DETECTIVE
Photograph it.
Sam retrieves the printed passage and the small bag from the
kitchen table. He takes out the container of earth.
DETECTIVE (CONT’D)
What are you doing?
SAM
It says earth or stones in the
mouth. After death.
DETECTIVE
The examiner needs the body as it
is.
DAVID
Then make sure they know why we
tied her hair.
Sam holds out the passage. The detective takes it.
DETECTIVE
This goes with the transfer record.
RACHEL
Will they read it?
The detective looks at the cord.
DETECTIVE
I’ll speak to the examiner.
The camera flashes.
Genres:
Ratings
Scene
41 -
First Steps
EXT. DAVID'S HOUSE - LATER
Sarah sits beside her boyfriend on the low garden wall, the
baby asleep in her arms. David comes down the step with
Rachel. Sarah rises.
DAVID
I’m sorry I didn’t make you
understand.
SARAH
I understood. I wanted you to be
wrong.
DAVID
I should have called again.
SARAH
You called.
Her boyfriend approaches with the overnight bag.
BOYFRIEND
Ready?
Sarah nods, then turns to Rachel.
SARAH
Thank you for getting him out.
Rachel touches the edge of the baby’s blanket.
RACHEL
I’m glad you’re both here.
Sarah carries him toward the car. The detective comes out of
the house.
DAVID
If Harold’s daughter wants to talk,
give her my number.
DETECTIVE
I will.
Rachel offers David her arm. He takes it.
INT. HOSPITAL - TREATMENT ROOM - NIGHT
A nurse checks David’s dressing. Rachel sits nearby. Sam
enters carrying David’s jacket.
NURSE
The incision’s intact. The doctor
will be in shortly.
She removes her gloves and leaves. Sam lays the jacket across
a chair. David studies his swollen cheek.
DAVID
Your interview?
SAM
They moved it to tomorrow morning.
DAVID
You’re going?
SAM
Yes.
David nods.
DAVID
Good luck.
SAM
Thanks.
David shifts forward on the examination bed. His side pulls,
and he stops.
DAVID
Rachel, could you give me a hand?
She offers her arm. Sam clears the chair as David lowers his
feet to the floor. David waits until he is steady. Then he
takes a step.
Genres:
Ratings
Scene
42 -
The Earth Ritual
INT. MORGUE - EXAMINATION ROOM - NIGHT
Miriam lies on the examination table, her hair tightly bound.
The MEDICAL EXAMINER, forties, wearing a plain knitted
kippah, approaches. The ATTENDANT, thirties, arranges
instruments. The examiner notices the cord. Beneath the
police statement in the transfer record, he finds the printed
folklore passage.
MEDICAL EXAMINER
They put this in the report?
ATTENDANT
The detective called. Said to leave
her hair tied.
The examiner reads, then looks at Miriam. The attendant lifts
a pair of scissors.
ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
There’s dried blood beneath her
hair. Should I cut--
MEDICAL EXAMINER
Leave it.
He parts the hair above her ear, keeping clear of the cord.
With forceps, he lifts a crust of dried blood. A small split
opens beneath it. The edges draw together. The attendant
lowers the scissors. The examiner touches the intact skin
with a gloved fingertip.
ATTENDANT
How did that happen?
Fresh blood marks the dressing over Miriam’s side. The
examiner checks beneath her jaw for a pulse. He waits.
Nothing. He lowers her jaw. Her mouth is empty. He draws the
passage closer and follows a line with his finger.
MEDICAL EXAMINER
I remember this.
His gaze moves from her bound hair to her open mouth.
MEDICAL EXAMINER (CONT’D)
Get me a basin.
EXT. MORGUE - SERVICE ENTRANCE - NIGHT
The attendant holds the door. Beside the loading bay, the
examiner crouches over a planting bed and scoops earth into
the basin.
INT. MORGUE - EXAMINATION ROOM - NIGHT
The basin rests beside Miriam’s head. The examiner folds a
length of gauze into a narrow strip.
ATTENDANT
What if they’re wrong?
MEDICAL EXAMINER
You saw it close.
He lays the gauze beside the basin and moves to Miriam’s
head.
MEDICAL EXAMINER (CONT’D)
Hold her jaw open.
The attendant stays where he is. The examiner waits. Finally,
the attendant steps closer and eases her mouth open. The
examiner takes a handful of earth. As the first soil touches
Miriam’s tongue, her jaw tightens against their hands. The
attendant flinches. The examiner catches his wrist.
MEDICAL EXAMINER (CONT’D)
Don’t let go.
CUT TO BLACK.