Theories By Bridgette Lewis

Bridgette Lewis belewis@ysu.edu

FADE IN EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT Seen through the lens of a video camera, broken glass shimmers in an otherwise pitch-black alley. MATT looks down the alley and then behind him. He tosses his gym bag to the ground. Kneeling, he unzips it, inserts a basketball, and zips it closed. Matt tosses the bag over his shoulder. He glances at his cell phone displaying the time 9:37, and then back to the street. Reluctantly, he jogs down the dark alley. He slows down. Catching a glimpse of a stray shadow, Matt stops running and pants profusely. Next to the nearby dumpster, the shadow slowly morphs into a little GIRL. He slowly walks toward her. GIRL (whimpers) Are you okay, sir? MATT (urgently) Of course Im okay. Are you? Matt drops his bag and holds out his hand to help her up. She latches onto him quickly and tightly. The girls voice plummets to a deep, hissing sound. GIRL Lets change that. Her hands transform into claws with long nails that hook into Matts flesh. Matt screams in pain as loud bangs erupt from within the dumpster. GIRL Want to know whats in there... She squints at the embroidered name on his black and orange Letterman jacket. GIRL Matthew? Matt frantically looks to the burning dumpster and back at the disfigured girl. She lifts him into the air effortlessly. He kicks and jostles his body. Blood drips from his hand as he screams.

2. Her mouth opens and her snake-like tongue, dripping with saliva, grazes his cheek. He yells; She smiles. GIRL Tell master I greet him. She lets go of his hand, dropping him into the dumpster. Her eyes, voice, demeanor, and body return to normal. She picks up a doll laying next to her on the ground and looks around. GIRL (to doll) Come on, Kimmy. We need to find mommy. Girl skips away. EXT. DUSTINS HOUSE - NIGHT In an intense one-on-one game of basketball, DUSTIN CALLOWAY, a tall and handsome dark-haired boy with a dimpled smile, fakes out TYLER REED going in for a layup. He makes the shot. Covered in sweat, Tyler, a tall, muscular, brunette motions for the ball. He checks Dustin then maneuvers around him making a two-point shot. TYLER That was too easy for me. Dustin nods. They switch positions so Dustin can check Tyler. Tyler drives the ball forward with Dustin playing defense. Tyler tries for a jump shot, but Dustin swats the ball midair before it hits the net. TYLER Thats better, douche. DUSTIN (slightly confused) Better? Tyler raises his eyebrow. DUSTIN (with confidence) I just killed your jump shot. TYLER You need to run plays like that all the time if you want to make varsity.

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DUSTIN Okay but big plays arent always open. Tyler smiles. TYLER That is exactly why youre on the JV team. You can only make big plays if you keep your eyes open. DUSTIN I wont be JV for long. TYLER The get your game up. If you keep-KYLE (O.S.) Dustin! KYLE CLAYTOR rushes toward Tyler and Dustin waving his arms. He wears an over-sized, thick winter coat. He bends over, his hands on his knees. His hood slips over his head. DUSTIN You finally decided to go for a run, man. Good for you. KYLE (between pants) Its happening! Im telling you... its happening! Tyler flicks the coats hood, exposing Kyles face. TYLER (laughing) Whats happening? Winter? Dustin and Tyler look at each other then at Kyle. Dustin coughs away a laugh. DUSTIN I dont know. KYLE (between pants) Listen...to...me! Tyler laughs and shakes his head.

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TYLER (sarcastically) Please tell me youre trying to say youve spotted a UFO. Kyle stands up straight. KYLE (out of breath) Not exactly a UFO, but it certainly qualifies as unidentified...mostly. TYLER Youre such a loser its unreal. Tyler takes a step toward Kyle. DUSTIN Well finish up tomorrow. TYLER (to Dustin) Are you defending Spock? KYLE Thats Star Trek! Dustin places his index finger and thumb on his nose and closes his eyes. Quickly removing them, he sighs and opens his eyes. DUSTIN Shut up, Kyle. (to Tyler) No, Im protecting myself. Im not having coach on my back because Im beat at practice. Well pick up tomorrow with Matt and Nate. TYLER Speaking of practice, I need to make sure I stay eligible to play. (to Kyle) Calloway says youre a genius in science. Youll have to put your exciting life on hold to get Mrs. Aggie off my ass. DUSTIN Hell do it. Kyle looks to Dustin who looks away.

5. TYLER (to Kyle aggressively) Good. (to Dustin) Ill catch you tomorrow. Bring your A-game at practice. Make coach want to move you up. Got it? Dustin nods. Kyle continues to stare at Dustin as Tyler makes his way down their driveway and into his car. Tyler starts his car and pulls away. KYLE (angrily) Why cant you tutor him? Youre acing that class. I know you are. DUSTIN Tyler is just-KYLE Aggressive? Arrogant? Malicious? Stuck up? Violent? Me-DUSTIN Look, hes helping me make varsity. I need your help with this one thing. KYLE (astonished) All so you can play varsity? You have to realize he hates me. Dustin ignores him and begins walking toward their house. Kyle stands there watching him leave. Dustin stops and turns around. DUSTIN Are you gonna tell me why youre so freaked out or not? KYLE I guess. I may not have much time before you turn into super jock. INT. DUSTINS HOUSE - NIGHT Dustin and Kyle walk down their narrow stairway leading to the basement. Star Wars posters cover the walls. Lord of the Rings figurines clutter the shelves. They sit on a couch next to a life-size cut out of Princess Leia.

6. DUSTIN Hurry up, man. Im not trying to be down here all night. Kyle gets up and fumbles with his black duffel bag. In front of them stands an old coffee tale with an Xbox on top of it. Now facing Dustin, Kyle pours its contents onto the table. Books, video games, comics, and movies fall out of the bag and cover the Xbox. Dustin sifts through the pile and spots a blue folder. He takes it off of the table and opens it. Kyle starts to sweat in his coat. Its bulky sleeves prevent him completely placing his arms at his sides. He removes the hood. DUSTIN What does the New York Times best sellers list have to do with anything? Kyle opens his mouth, but Dustin holds his hand up. DUSTIN Before you answer, take that coat off. Its not gonna help me take you seriously. KYLE Why? What was wrong with it? DUSTIN Its not even that cold out. Dude, this is October. Kyle struggles to take the coat off then tosses it. KYLE (quickly and excitedly) Never mind that! Dont you see the correlation here? DUSTIN Im afraid I dont. Enlighten me before I get bored. Kyle snatches the list from Dustins hands. Dustin gives him an annoyed look. KYLE Sorry, but look whats trending! Kyle places the folder on top of the pile.

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KYLE Dystopian novels, Sci-Fi movies, and of course the comic books that lead to most Sci-Fi movies. DUSTIN Make your point. Kyle frantically points to the list. KYLE Look which book made it back on the list after several years of absence! Dustin glances down at the piece of paper then back to Kyle. DUSTIN You know I dont keep up with best sellers. Now quit ranting and tell me. KYLE The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney! DUSTIN You mean Invasion of the Body Snatchers? KYLE No, thats the adapted film version originally directed by Don Siegel in 1956 but was then later remade in 1978 by director Phi-DUSTIN (slightly raising voice) Point, Kyle. KYLE Itd be better if I showed you. Kyle turns around and sits at a chair in front of an older desktop computer. A life-size cutout of Luke Skywalker stands nearby. DUSTIN Show? Kyle raises a miniature-sized Yoda. He stares at it and lets out a breath. He detaches Yodas head, revealing a flash drive, and inserts his body into the computer.

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KYLE Ive got everything right here. Dustin pretends to look interested, then begins clearing the clutter covering the Xbox. Kyle clicks the mouse one last time and turns around focusing on Dustin. DUSTIN (sarcastically) Thats a really interesting blank screen. Dustin leans forward and turns on the Xbox. He picks up a controller off of the floor. Kyle stands up and starts pacing around the room and ranting. KYLE (frantically) How could this have happened? I literally just filmed it, uploaded it, everything! DUSTIN Why dont you chill out and... Dustin sees the video start to play behind Kyle. KYLE I swear I even saved it to my flash drive at the library before I got here. That was the only stop I made! It mustve-DUSTIN Shut up! I cant hear it. Kyle looks at the computer screen. He sits back down on the computer chair and turns up the volume. They watch Kyles distant filming of what appears to be a teenage boy being dropped into a flaming dumpster. When the video ends, Kyle eagerly looks at Dustin. DUSTIN Mad editing skills. Submitting it to more alien websites? This one might actually get picked. Whod you get to play the kid? Kyle quickly gets out of his chair.

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KYLE I didnt mean to catch this! I was doing my assignment for film class and I heard screams... Dustin puts down the controller and pauses. DUSTIN (slowly) So, you saw some kid get murdered, at the very least assaulted, and a do-gooder like yourself didnt call the cops? Kyle sits down next to Dustin on the couch burying his face in his hands. KYLE (muffled) I came right here after I uploaded the video at the library. I didnt know what to do I---she wasnt... Kyle lifts his head from his hands. He stares straight ahead to the inactive television screen. KYLE (aggressively) You werent there. He pauses. KYLE (quietly) It was like she wasnt human. She had...claws. Dustin exhales sharply. DUSTIN You were too far away to know what you saw. Dustin briefly places his hand on Kyles shoulder. DUSTIN Chill, it was something else. Kyle finally looks over at Dustin. He speaks with dramatic hand gestures.

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KYLE (loudly) Like what? What explains a child lifting a guy over twice her size and dropping him like a rag doll? Dustin gets up and walks toward the computer. He sits down at the computer. DUSTIN We need to get a closer look. He spins around in the chair facing the computer and begins clicking the mouse. DUSTIN I installed a program a while back that... White smoke wafts from behind the monitor. Kyle and Dustin stare at each other. KYLE Uh...has it done that before? Dustin stares at Kyle. DUSTIN No, obviously. Kyle removes his flash drive. They both swat at the smoke. Kyle turns and places Yoda on the table. While he still faces the opposite direction, Dustin witnesses a demonic face appear on the screen. He jumps back just as the computer catches fire. As Dustin sits on the floor staring at the computer wide-eyed, Kyle grabs a miniature fire extinguisher from the bottom of his figurine shelf. He smothers the flames. KYLE Are you okay? He extends his hand to Dustin, but Dustin ignores it. DUSTIN Yeah, Im fine. Kyle sets the fire extinguisher down and grabs Yoda. He replaces his head.

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KYLE At least my flash drive is still good. Its a limited edition from that Star Wars convention we went to three summers ago. Dustin stands up. DUSTIN You mean the one you dragged me to? KYLE The point is theres no way Id get another one, at least not at a decent price. And you said you had a good time that summer. DUSTIN Whatever, lets just clean this stuff up.