The Snake by Christopher Scott Carpenter

Current Revisions by Carpenter, Dec. 13th, 2011

Christopher Scott Carpenter 2891 E. Jennie Lane (801) 910-6479

BLACK SCREEN As the darkness sinks in, certain sounds begin to be picked up: the muffled BUZZ of fluorescent lights, an old air-conditioner CHUGGING along, perhaps a toilet ADJUSTING its water levels inside its tank. Then, suddenly, a deep, rumbling BASS NOTE accompanied by the opening credits, each credit rising with its own note. The credits continue, and the bass notes grow louder until: INT. MENS BATHROOM - UNKNOWN TIME After a final bass note we float though a bathroom, weightless, moving in front of the stalls and toward the door. In a reverse shot we come to rest on the floor of the bathroom just in time for two BLACK SHOES to sweep over the lens and onward into the room. We follow along. A voice, presumably the owner of the shoes, overtakes the soundtrack. VOICE (V.O.) Last night I dreamt a snake was terrorizing my city. The creature ate my dog, tore holes in the walls of my house, molted and left man-sized sleeves of skin on street corners. During the day I would huddle with my family in our basement, and every evening we would watch the television for news of the next attack. Then, without any explanation, my family began to disappear, one by one. Every night, someone was gone. I remember feeling absolutely terrified knowing it would happen again, and that it would continue to happen. There seemed to be nothing I could do to stop it. The shoes stop at a sink. The man SPLASHES water on his face. The shoes then turn into a stall, and the man sits on the toilet. He places a BRIEFCASE on the floor next to him. We begin to crane upwards toward his face. VOICE (CONTD) (V.O.) Then, it was my wife who was gone. Then...it was my son. And then I was alone in the basement; the only one left. (MORE)

2. VOICE (CONTD) The newsman kept going on about the attacks, but his words meant nothing to me. So I turned off the TV, and in the reflection I saw something that frightened me more than anything else... We reach his face. A young, uniquely handsome man sits with the demeanor of a death row inmate: fundamentally frightened, but the fright is hidden beneath a sense of acceptance. He looks directly into the camera. VOICE (CONTD) (V.O.) It became clear why my family was being killed. I was the snake. A final bass note ripples through the air as we: SMASH TO BLACK The title slowly fades in and lingers for a few seconds. We fade back into: INT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER The title text stays on a closed and locked bathroom stall door. We crane underneath to where our man is sitting. He continues his speech. OUR MAN (V.O.) Bathrooms are always tough. Not only are they logistically awkward, there is the uncertainty of which stall my man will choose. I need to make his choice easy on him. B-roll of the bathroom. We move over the sinks. We drift over the stalls, looking down. In a hallucination we watch as our man exits his stall, SLEDGEHAMMER in hand, enters another, shuts the door, and, in soundtrack, proceeds to DEMOLISH one of the porcelain toilets. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Then, of course, theres the issue of the constant stream of people. On any given day youve got office workers, the janitorial staff, a random UPS man making a delivery. I know who Im waiting for. (MORE)

3. OUR MAN (CONTD) I just hope hes not social in the bathroom. Of course, there are several ways to avoid thisWhilst our man is thinking to himself in the stall, the door opens and footsteps approach. An office worker. He enters the stall next to our man. Our man realizes the arrival, and panics. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Oh God, oh God, how long have I been sitting here? Is this him? Oh my God. Has he come and gone? I know him by face, not by shoe... Our man strains to get a look at his neighbor. Through the cracks in the stalls he sees nothing beneficial. He RUFFLES through his briefcase and pulls out a MIRROR ATTACHED TO A SMALL POLE. He casually lowers it to the floor in an effort to get a glimpse of the neighbor. INT. ADJACENT STALL An office worker catches the glint of light reflected off his GLASSES and looks down, confused. He sees the mirror. DAVE What in the... From behind the stall wall the office worker hears our man MUTTER disapprovingly, and the mirror is retracted. Dave raises a smile. He coughs a few times. Then our man slowly lowers his head down to see Dave. He is watched the whole time. Dave recoils and KICKS our man squarely in the face. INT. OUR MANS STALL Our man retreats back into his own stall. He holds his face in a hand, WAILS, and POUNDS the wall. DAVE (O.S.) What in the hell do you think youre doing, sir?!

4.

OUR MAN I...Jesus Christ...I thought you were somebody else. I wanted to surprise you with something. DAVE You wanted to do what? OUR MAN I wanted to surprise somebody else with something. It doesnt matter since youre not him, andDAVE (interrupting) On the toilet? OUR MAN Yeah, I mean... He trails off, and blinks a few times. This is all sounding really stupid. DAVE (a beat) What in the hell? OUR MAN (to himself) That was a mistake... DAVE Sir, I recommend you sit there and wait until I leave. And in all honesty, I dont know how long Ill be. Its gonna be a rough day today, and Im getting as much of this out of me as I can. Our man blankly stares forward. This altercation is just an impasse, and hes ready to move on. The office worker continues. DAVE (CONTD) If you put your face under the stall again, itll be more than just my pants and a few turds that Ill be dropping. Our man slowly turns his head toward his opponent in the next stall. DAVE (CONTD) I mean, where do you get the nerve, sir? Were you just never taught decency in-

5.

And our man is through listening. He turns back toward the camera and re-enters his narration. Dave continues to rant, but his voice is subservient. We enter another series of b-roll shots. We follow a rotund man as he desperately makes his way within the bathroom. OUR MAN (V.O.) Okay, then. Where was I? The stalls. He has to be corralled into a specific stall. Now, how do I do this? Take the average man. With any given human being there is a sense of urgency that is brought about by a need to defecate. It is psychologically unavoidable, given the nature of embarrassment. So if a stall is marked out of order, no questions will be asked. He simply accepts the fact, and moves on to the next. I mean, have I ever questioned that sign? Of course not. The fat man in the hallucination, frustrated, finds his place in the last stall. He BURSTS into the door, drops his pants, and sits, relieved, on the toilet. From above and looking beyond the fat mans profile we see the head of our man creep slowly down underneath the stall wall. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Thats when Ill strike. The fat man, just like the office worker, recoils, and KICKS our man in the face. We SNAP back into real-time. Our man shudders as he is awoken. He stands, but his foot slides on a PIECE OF PAPER laid in front of him. He reads: Thank you for complying. Sorry if I overreacted. See you around. -Dave He turns the paper over. It is a while you were gone note. In the allotted space it reads: RE: Detective Carlisle inquiring about Mr. Bloom. Urgent!

6.

OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) A detective? How old is this note? Is the detective here? He pauses. He quickly lowers himself to check the adjoining stall. It is empty; Dave is gone. Our man stands again. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Of course not. It was a phone call. Its not about me. Probably something completely unrelated. He pockets the note, and slides his briefcase behind the toilet. He steps out of the stall and walks to one of the sinks. He stoops, and SLOSHES water on his face again. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) I hate waiting. I hate bathrooms. But I guess Im stuck with both. He looks at himself in the mirror. The water DRIPS slowly from his cheeks and forehead. He takes a huge BREATH. He pulls something from his pocket, pours something from it into his other hand, and, using water taken from the tap, SWALLOWS something. He places the object on the sink: a PILL BOTTLE. As the bottle touches porcelain, a low, repetitive beat KICKS IN. We LINGER on the bottle as our man moves away. He walks back to his briefcase and OPENS it on the floor. He retrieves several pre-made signs that read OUT OF ORDER. He also picks up a ROLL OF DUCT TAPE. Using the corner of each door as a reference, our man TAPES the signs on all of the doors except those of his and his targets stalls. In a REVERSE DOLLY we view empty doors, then our man taping a sign up, and then the doors with signs already taped. He walks back to the sink and SPLASHES water on his face again. He turns and faces the bathroom. We observe the room with him. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) I guess now is as good a time as ever to decide.

7.

We DOLLY forward into his face. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) How to do it...how to do it...well, there are a few potential methods. We STOP. All we can see are his eyes. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) I hate bathrooms. We enter another series of theoretical occurrences. Our man acts out, in sequence, each of the actions he mentions. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) The most obvious choice is option number one: blunt trauma. A blow to the head is the kiss of death, and I could even blame it on a badly-timed shoelace and an unfortunately-placed sink. But with the nature of public restrooms, I may as well be doing it in the lobby. The fat man enters the bathroom, a NEWSPAPER in his hands. Hiding along the wall is our man with a PIPE held aloft and ready to strike. Our man steps out, and the fat man turns just in time to see the pipe. He tries to hide behind the newspaper, but the pipe connects and the fat man FALLS backwards, the paper over his face. Our man has dragged the fat man over near the sink, and is hurriedly trying to UNTIE one of his SHOES when five Asian businessmen enter the bathroom. They freeze, and our man smiles at them. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) So, option number two: death by gunshot. Itd be easy to kick open his door and plug him in the face, but the clean-up is intensive. Our man KICKS open the fat mans stall door and SHOOTS him once through the newspaper the fat man holds in front of his face. BLOOD and BRAINS SPLATTER across the walls and floor.

8.

OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) You cant blame a sink for that. But then Im left with my pants down. We watch our man lower his PISTOL from inside the bloody stall. The same five Asian businessmen creep into frame, viewing the carnage. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) And any other shot is just as risky. The fat man sits on the toilet, newspaper in his face. A bullet WHIZZES past and RIPS a hole through the stall wall. The fat man looks up, startled, and sees a hand with a pistol retract himself over the top of the wall. Another bullet YANKS the newspaper out of his hands, and the fat man looks down to see our man taking aim underneath the stall wall. Our man is promptly KICKED in the face. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Neither lends me much security. Option number three: strangulation. Id climb the walls of the stalls and inch my way toward him. With piano wire in hand, Id drop down and do the deed. Our man carefully scales the tops of the stalls, moving like a spider. In several quick takes, we see him drop down into his targets stall and mess up every time, from getting caught on the toilet to dropping the wire to missing the neck completely. The fat man flees from the stall, waddling from his pants being down. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Of course, this requires timing beyond my ability, which leads me to option number four: timed explosion. With a radiodetonated bomb placed lovingly in the tank of the toilet, Id simply have to wait for the right moment. From across the bathroom we watch the fat man, newspaper still in hand, rush into the stall and sit. A few seconds later, an explosion ROCKS the stall, the FIRE and SMOKE reaching up from underneath the wall.

9.

OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Kaboom. Now, this is not the most inconspicuous of methods, but it is the most efficient. But my employer prefers the former to the latter, so Im still SOL. Option number five... We come to view our man again, still leaning against the sink. A toilet FLUSHES. We snap back to reality. At the urinals stand an older gentleman and his younger associate. We latch on to what the older gentleman is saying mid-sentence. MARTIN ...no excuse for what apparently happened. I dont know if you know this, but I know Donald pretty well. We came to this firm together God knows how long ago. But just because he cant act responsibly doesnt mean we should be forced into these hearings and be even more behind. How far along are you with that memo he has you on? TIM (pulling away from the urinal and ZIPPING up) Did you know that its now 52 motherloving pages, and still growing? Hes got me listing every possible (talking with his fingers) merger, acquisition, and IPO on this Korea venture...hes not even going to reference it. Its a damn paperweight, and Ive been up nights doing it. They start to walk over toward the sinks. Our man watches them, still half asleep. MARTIN Sounds like hes preparing himself for something. God, Id hate to say it, but this investigation doesnt really surprise me. Im nervous about whats gonna happen, but Im not surprised by it. Im just glad Im not one of those poor schmoes in Legal. This is a hell of a headache. A natural pause in conversation.

10.

MARTIN (CONTD) Speaking of Legal, though, did you hear about this Daniel guy? He had a nervous breakdown, I guess. Legals been weathering this storm for a while, and I guess it finally got to him. TIM Oh my hell, yes. Poor guy. I dont know him, but I heard about it. Had like a seizure or something and fell and hit his head. MARTIN Thats what I heard, too. God, people like that shouldnt be put in stressful positions. Silence for a few seconds. They flank our man at the sinks. Both turn the water on, which FIZZES beneath their voices. TIM (talking through our man) That Detective Carlisle is a piece of work, though, yeah? MARTIN Dont take this as anything but fanciful thinking from an old married man, but I wouldnt mind a strip search, you know what I mean? They LAUGH, and Martin looks to our man to see if he also partook in the humor. He didnt, because hes still somewhere between two planes of reality. They look at each other, confused. Tim tries. TIM Id like her to pat me down. No response. TIM (CONTD) That wouldnt be a pistol in my pocket. No response. Martin faces our man. He looks concerned. His eyes inspect those of our man.

11.

MARTIN You feeling okay, son? We resume our mans internal monologue. OUR MAN (V.O.) ...Option number twenty-six, it is. I wonder where my briefcase is. And he mindlessly wanders back to his original stall. The two employees watch him, momentarily confused. TIM (turning his head to direct his comment at our man) Id like to have sex with her! MARTIN (hushed) Hey, not so fast. You think theres something wrong with him? TIM (jokingly) Yeah, hes probably from Legal. Tim quickly finishes washing his, then playfully approaches the closed stall door. TIM (CONTD) (to Martin) Aint nothin so wrong that you cant take a joke. (to our man) Hey, if you ever need aBut then a third individual ENTERS the room. Hes shorter than everyone else, but from his demeanor it is evident he is superior in rank to the other two. The employees heads turn toward him as he enters. We approach with this new entrant. He speaks slowly and calmly. DONALD Hello, gentlemen. Having a good afternoon, I trust? TIM Mr. Curtis! Yes, we were just discussing todays meetings, and-

12.

DONALD Yes, what about them? TIM Oh, well, nothing really. We agree with what you were saying. Theyre just good team-building exercises. Synergy. He holds up a fist. DONALD (dismissive) Im glad you were listening. Martin, will you join me by the urinals? MARTIN Oh, I actually just came from using them, butMr. Curtis walks away and toward the urinals. The two other employees shoot nervous glances at each other. Synergy. Synergy. TIM MARTIN

Martin moves to join Mr. Curtis, and Tim begins to leave the room. As he exits, he looks under the stall. The pants of our man are still up as he sits on the toilet. TIM (to himself) Definitely synergy. INT. OUR MANS STALL We watch as the feet of Tim move away, and listen to the door OPENING and SHUTTING behind him. OUR MAN (V.O.) What time is it? He must be arriving soon. He feels around in his pockets for something, and then realizes: his pills are still on the sink. He INHALES sharply, and tries to stifle it with a clenched fist in his mouth.

13.

He DROPS to the ground, and, looking down the row of stalls, sees the two pairs of feet standing at the urinals. He stifles another YELP. INT. NEAR THE URINALS The two men stand next to each other. They both UNZIP their flies, but neither urinate. MARTIN How are you, Don? DONALD (leaning back to check the room) Okay, look. Martin, weve gotten ourselves into a mess. I dont want to say anything more than I have to, but Im going to ask you stand by me no matter what my decision is. MARTIN Donald, I dont know enough about what is happening to even stand by my own decisions, let alone yours. If you could justDONALD Theres no time for that. Look, that Detective - Carlisle or what-have-you has been in and out of my office all morning. Theyve frozen our database. I tried to get Tim to write me a play-byplay for any potential mishapsMARTIN Yeah, he was telling me about it. DONALD -but this all happened so remarkably damn fast. We catch the SHARP INTAKE of our man in his stall. Donald leans back from the urinals to inspect the room. DONALD (CONTD) Who else is in here? MARTIN Oh, we didnt recognize him. From the way he acted, we thought he was from Legal. He laughs briefly.

14.

DONALD What kind of shoes does he have? MARTIN He was standing- come again? Donald turns completely toward Martin, penis in hand. Martin catches a glimpse and recoils. He looks at the ceiling as he is spoken to. DONALD (softly) Okay, Martin, Im gonna level with you. These business deals have been bad. Theyve been really bad. But you know I didnt mean for them to hurt anyone. Weve been together since our glory days at Phillips and Phillips. You know me. And this is why youve got to stand by my decision here. MARTIN Donald, youve been cutting me out of your business ever since we left Phillips and Phillips together. INT. OUR MANS STALL From ground-level POV, our man sizes up the distance between himself and his medication. He looks to his left and sees the pairs of legs. Their CONVERSATION takes hold of our mans attention, and he strains to listen to what these two are saying. Every word now holds gravity. But he cant make out every word, so he slowly starts to crawl toward the two men at the other end of the row of stalls. Their voices become LOUDER as he nears them. DONALD (O.S.) I know that. I know. But if I fall, unfortunately Im going to take more than a few people with me. MARTIN (O.S.) Donald, is that a threat? Ive had nothing to do with the Korea venture. DONALD (O.S.) I know that, too. I know. But Im not talking about you. Im talking about Tim. Im talking about the Korea venture team. (MORE)

15. DONALD (CONT'D) Maggie. Keaton. Lucas. I may be the disease here, but Ive found a cure. And if who I think is sitting in that stall is sitting in that stall, then our cure is not far away. MARTIN Im not following. By this time our man has reached the stall nearest the urinals. He leans against the stall wall, his feet propped up on the toilet. INT. STALL DONALD (O.S.) Were gonna pin it on him. Our man reacts with concern. He jerks forward, and a foot gets caught in the toilet bowl. A quiet SPLASH. MARTIN (O.S.) Don...I dont know what to even say here. I cant...I cant stand by that. I dont know the detailsDONALD (O.S.) Youre either with me or against me. Our man slowly lifts his soaked foot out of the water and takes off his SHOE. He inspects it. MARTIN (O.S.) Will you at least tell me his name? Im not making any promises, but Ive already been compromised, so I might as well inquire. INT. NEAR THE URINALS Donald leans back again to make sure the room is clear of eavesdroppers. He FLUSHES the toilet. DONALD (over the sound of the rushing water) Daniel Bloom.

16.

INT. STALL OUR MAN (V.O.) What did he say? Did he say Bloom? A beat. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Thats who Im waiting for. He struggles to maintain his balance in the stall. MARTIN (O.S.) Jesus, Donald. Bloom? You heard about what happened this morning, didnt you? DONALD (O.S.) This has to be done now. Theres no more time. Im through discussing this with you. MARTIN (O.S.) Donald, will you just wait a minuteFrom above the stalls we watch as our man tenses, ready to act. We can also see Donald as he leaves the urinals and begins to walk down the row of bathroom stalls. INT. STALLS Our man quickly mouths the word shit, drops the shoe, and then drops to the floor. As Donald walks down the row of stalls, our man quickly and desperately crawls along with him. We DOLLY behind our man, the legs of Donald looming beyond the barrier of the stalls. INT. BATHROOM Martin walks to the sink and stands over them again. His voice is LOUDER, conspicuously covering for their clandestine conversation.

17.

MARTIN (facing the mirrors) Well, Donald, theres no point reasoning with you, but Im glad to see you just as headstrong as you were back at Phillips and Phillips. Donald continues to walk. Below him we can make out the shuffling mass of our man on the floor. MARTIN (CONTD) I just hope your decision pans out. Youve always done whats best for the company. Donald is just outside the stall next to where our man was previously. He looks at the OUT OF ORDER notice, and RIPS if off. INT. STALLS Our man quietly WINCES. Hes too slow. INT. BATHROOM MARTIN (turning toward the sinks) I just wish you could do what is best for yourself. This catches Donald's attention. He turns just in time for our man to SLIDE past and into his original stall. INT. OUR MANS STALL Our man quickly reassembles himself. He PUSHES his briefcase behind the toilet. He looks at his feet: his LEFT SHOE is missing. DONALD (O.S.) Believe me, its whats best. The stall door CREAKS as it is opened. Our man takes a DEEP BREATH. INT. BATHROOM Martin moves toward the door. Donald call after him.

18.

DONALD Martin- its about synergy. MARTIN (smiling) Synergy. He turns and heads toward the door. MARTIN (CONTD) Ill see you in the funny papers. Both doors - Donald'ss stall and the bathroom door, are synchronized, and SLAM at the same time. INT. OUR MANS STALL Our man stares blankly forward again, reminiscent of the first time we saw him. OUR MAN (V.O.) A dream is an incredible thing. Later, after looking back, you realize just how impossible or silly it was, but in the moment, in the middle of your dream, its all you know. (O.S.) Daniel? DONALD

OUR MAN (V.O.) The trouble always comes from finding a way out. DONALD Daniel, can I have a word with you? Our man jerks to attention. He quietly tries out varying pitches of voice to respond to Donald convincingly. OUR MAN (quietly to himself and lowpitched) (high-pitched)

Yeah? Yeah?

He thinks for a second. He decides on a voice.

19.

Yeah?

OUR MAN (CONTD) (in his regular voice)

He winces immediately, but Donald buys it. DONALD (condescending) Good, youre there. I was thinking youd fallen asleep. But, hey, I was wondering if you wouldnt mind running through a few documents with me. Obviously you dont have them with you... He laughs. DONALD (CONTD) ...but my questions are very general. Do you think that is something we can do? If youre busy, I can just meet you in your cubicle later. YeOUR MAN

DONALD (cutting him off mid-word) Wonderful! Now, the docs I have in mind are those that pertain to the Korea venture. See, there were a few corrections that I had you make. You remember these changes, Im sure. There were some numbers you added some zeros to, some dates you played with. Anyway, as you know, these changes have gotten us into a bit of trouble. To my knowledge, you boys down in Legal have diligently tackled the accusations. Also, to my knowledge, youve stayed quiet, and I appreciate that. Our man, on the other side of the stall wall, slowly reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a PISTOL. He weighs it in his hands. DONALD (CONTD) Now, youre probably thinking, I didnt know I was supposed to stay quiet about these changes. Thats right. You werent supposed to know. Youre just in Legal. But now its time to acknowledge that you made a mistake.

20.

Our man VISUALIZES the sitting height of Donald on the other side of the wall. With the pistol he draws an imaginary reference point on the wall. DONALD (CONTD) Somebody needs to take the fall on this. I think it needs to be you. He presses up against the wall, readying himself. DONALD (CONTD) Come out with the changes you made, Daniel. Say you made them yourself, knowing the extent of the returns were the venture to pay off. Its the easiest way to save the company. Our man steadies his arm by squaring his back. Our man is sweating, his arm SHAKING slightly. He bends over, unsure of what to do. DONALD (CONTD) Ill let you think this over. But before I leave, let me say two more things. First, your son... Our man looks up. His eyes fill with rage. INT. DONALD'S STALL We focus on the spot in the wall where a bullet would come WHIZZING through. DONALD ...well, I know the sacrifices youre making to send him to that school. Believe me, weve all heard all about it. The specialized classes, the tutors, I know, it all adds up. No bullet ever comes. INT. OUR MANS STALL The pistol is pulled away from the wall. DONALD But somebodys gotta take the fall on this one, pal. (MORE)

21. DONALD (CONT'D) The second thing Ill say is that if this goes on, I will try my damndest to bring you and the whole Korea venture team down with me. So think about it. And Donald leaves the stall. He CRUMPLES the OUT OF ORDER sign and DROPS it behind him. He walks over to the sink. The pill bottle is still there. Donald picks it up. He examines the bottle. DONALD (CONTD) (turning back toward the stalls) Damn, Daniel, are youBut as Donald turns we come to view our man with pistol drawn and aimed at Donalds head, his reflection in the mirror. DONALD (CONTD) What the hell is this? They face each other, silently. DONALD (CONTD) What kind of gun you got there? OUR MAN Why in the hell does that matter? Donald slowly REPLACES the bottle on the sink. DONALD No reason. Just curious. And he goes to GRAB the gun from our mans hands. They FIGHT across the bathroom, neither experienced. They utilize the surrounding environment, like slamming each other into stall doors. Our man loses control of his gun. It SLIDES into a stall. After grappling, our man flings Donald into the row of stalls. He CRASHES into a toilet inside of one. Our man then lunges toward the pistol that had been lost in the altercation. The pistol is in a different stall, one that is next to where Donald ended up. Our man retrieves it. A moment of stillness. Both men rest in their respective stalls. Our man goes to shoot Donald from underneath the stall wall while simultaneously KNOCKING at the top of the wall as a distraction.

22.

This is to no avail, however, as Donald quickly moves to KICK our man in the face. Our man is ready this time, and he grabs Donalds foot. Donald responds with CRIES FOR HELP, and our man begins to DRAG him across the floor, underneath the stall wall, and into his own stall. Our man beats Donald into submission with a few more BLOWS. He finds his duct tape, picks up the crumpled notice, stuffs the paper into Donalds mouth, and TAPES it in. He SITS Donald down at a stall and WRAPS his hands in duct tape, then ATTACHES his bound hands to the toilet tank with more tape. Our man stands at the door of the stall, his eyes closed, and he BREATHES heavily. After catching his breath, he looks up and sees Donald, bloody and bound. Our man jerks backwards in surprise. His eyes widen. OUR MAN (V.O.) Oh my God, oh my sweet God...what have I done? Oh, Jesus, this was not part of the plan...Oh my God, what have I done? What have I done? He returns to the refuge of his original stall. INT. OUR MANS STALL He sits alone, his head in his hands. He sobs silently. OUR MAN (V.O.) This was never part of the plan...Jesus Christ, I was just supposed to get in and get out, no collateral damage... INT. BATHROOM From around the corner, by the urinals, comes Martin, who approaches silently without shoes on. He steps toward our mans stall and stands outside. Inside, we hear SOBS.

23.

INT. OUR MANS STALL OUR MAN (V.O.) This is enough. Ive ruined it. Ive ruined everything...I cant believe this is happening. We flashback to the moments before the altercation. Martin never leaves the bathroom; he simply removes his shoes and silently creeps back into the room. He hides near the urinals and watches from around the corner. As he moves, we hear the DIALOGUE of Donald. He waits. We DOLLY toward him slowly as our man continues. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Its incredible the amount of mental preparation that goes into killing someone. Its not just a matter of ability. Its a matter of reality. Its the realization that you control in your hands a...human life. You cant hide behind anything at that point. And even if you try... We watch the scene with Martin. Donald is at the sinks. Then our man appears. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) ...it never becomes any less real. Contrary to what we just witnessed, our man stands ready to fire at Donald, but rather than a pistol in his hand, he holds nothing. We continue through with the scene. DONALD What the hell is this? They face each other, silently. DONALD (CONTD) What kind of gun you got there? OUR MAN Why in the hell does that matter? Donald slowly REPLACES the bottle on the sink.

24.

DONALD No reason. Just curious. We return to Martin near the urinals. He watches knowingly. INT. OUR MANS STALL Our man continues to SOB. OUR MAN (V.O.) It never gets any less real... INT. BATHROOM Martin sizes up his options. He looks at his shoes, which are still in his hand, and LEAVES the frame. INT. OUR MANS STALL He looks up, directly into the camera. He has the same expression as when we first saw him. OUR MAN (V.O.) ...Never any less real. And we enter a series of flashbacks. The music is rhythmic and emotional, and it SWELLS. Were back in the first encounter, with the office employee. Our man lowers a PLUNGER under the stall wall, making the office worker smile. Were back with our man as he tapes the signs on the stall doors. They arent professional anymore, but, rather, sloppily handwritten. Were back with Donald as he inspects the pill bottle. In a new CU we see a HEAVY DOSAGE OF ANXIETY MEDICATION, clearly prescribed to Daniel Bloom. And were back in the stall. We sit listening to the man for a beat. Then the bathroom door SLAMS after being opened. Our man looks up slowly.

25.

OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Its him. I know its him. FOOTSTEPS lead the mans eyes toward a stall at the end of the row. Through the slits in the door we see a figure move past. We DOLLY underneath the stall dividers, starting close on the just-settled pair of shoes, moving past the legs of Donald, and ending on our mans eyes as he looks down and across the row toward the shoes. Our man looks down for a beat. His eyes are scared, paralyzed. Then he looks up, directly at the camera. Another BEAT picks up underneath. It is soft, contemplative. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) So I s-see my face in the reflection of the screen. Its...vile, disgusting. My skin is pale, scaly. My mouth deformed from the fangs dripping venom. My eyes just...just slits of darkness. I was terrified, but at the same not because I knew that...that its me. He exits the stall, his pistol in hand. We see through the slits of the stall walls Donald body, limp on the toilet seat. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) I walk outside. Its sunny...and-and warm. And I realize that nobody knows what had happened except for me. But Im all alone, just...utterly alone. I am the snake, the...the m-monster killing those around m-me. He stands outside the stall door of the newcomer. Underneath the door we can see the shoes. OUR MAN (CONTD) (V.O.) Then a baby bird calls from one of the trees. It chirps, and Im overwhelmed with the desire to...to kill it. But I dont know where the sound came from, because I dont go to look for it. I feel like...like I should do something good, and just let it live to fly away.

26.

Our man readies his pistol. He takes a step back, preparing to kick the door in. (V.O.) After all... OUR MAN (CONTD)

And he KICKS the door in. It BOUNCES, but we dont see it bounce, because OFF-SCREEN Martin calls out. Hey! MARTIN

Our man spins his head to look. Martin approaches. OUR MAN (V.O.) ...How can you kill someone who has never really lived? Martin lowers our mans outstretched hands. Once again, nothing is being held. Martin lightly presses on our mans back, beckoning him to leave the room with him. MARTIN (softly) Come on, Daniel. They leave the frame, Daniel wearing only one shoe, Martin wearing none. Daniel is led silently away. The door to the stall slowly opens, revealing only a pair of shoes placed on the floor. SMASH TO: BLACK SCREEN

27.