Posthumous

by

Doug Sharf

dougsharf@gmail.com

1. INT. DORM BEDROOM - EVENING

A COLLEGE STUDENT, early 20s, stands in a towel, but dry.

She taps on her phone to begin playing Chopin's Nocturne in

C# Minor, Posthumous.

Her phone pings.

"When should we leave for the fundraiser?" from DEREK.

She replies, "Come down in 10”.

She leaves out her door.

Two MEN appear in the distance beyond her window, peering in.

2. INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

She runs a shower and sets her phone on the sink. She looks
at herself in the mirror.

We see a towel drop past her feet before stepping into the
shower.

3. INT. DORM BEDROOM - SAME

The two MEN crawl through an open window. They don't acknowledge
each other.

One man, MAN, is derelict.

The other man is put together. Leather jacket and boots.

We'll call him EREL.

MAN roots around the room. He runs his finger along the
photos and menagerie. He goes to a bookshelf. He runs a
finger along the books, stops on Cat's Cradle, tilts it out
slightly and moves along.

EREL sits on the bed. MAN hears the sounds of the shower
running. They still don't acknowledge each other.

MAN hides in the closet.

EREL looks haggard. His icy eyes are bagged. He has a neck
tattoo which reads "Malak" in traditional cursive. He wears a
necklace with a charm.

He looks around the room. On the wall are photos of the

college student in various Third World countries. They depict
her smiling with young, underprivileged children.

Nearby, a lanyard hangs with a name badge and her photo. It

says "Chalkboards for Change". Under her name, Mallory, reads
"President".

The sound of the shower is white noise.

EREL pulls a revolver from his hip. He opens the cylinder.

It's full with bullets. He raises the gun...

4. INT. DORM BATHROOM - INTERCUT

MALLORY wrings her hair out. Her phone is still playing the
Chopin. Steam billows past the mirror.

5. INT. DORM BEDROOM - SAME

EREL glances at the closet. He raises the gun to his own

head. He takes another look at her wall of photos. He closes
his eyes. A tear falls, if he has the energy.

He pulls the hammer back with his thumb. His trigger finger
tenses. He's about to squeeze his life away...

He looks up. Someone's appeared by the bedroom door.

It's another man with a similar aesthetic. Leather. The same

neck tattoo which also reads "Malak". We'll call him MALAK.

MALAK lunges at EREL and rips the gun from his hand.

MALAK
What the hell are you doing?!
EREL just stares at him, distressed, flummoxed. Dead inside.
MALAK puts a hand on EREL's shoulder and looks at him as if
to ask "You okay?".

Erel breaks down.

Malak sits down next to him.

MALAK
 Mom send you?

Erel isn't in a place to answer questions. Malak puts an arm

around him. Erel manages to compose himself enough to speak.

EREL
I need out, man.

MALAK
Out?

EREL
Out. Of my assignment.

Malak is taken aback.

MALAK
You have a contract.

EREL
Didn't sign it.

MALAK
None of us did. We're all still bound
to it.

EREL
Has anyone ever had to guard—?

MALAK
Hey. Abide by the code, brother.

Malak holds up a finger to silence him. Erel reels at the

interruption. Malak glares at Erel as if to say "don't say
anything--I understand”.

MALAK
This is all we exist for. Mom's love.
We finish her assignment, then we get
to leave this world. Be in her
company. Eternal glory.

Malak and Erel lock eyes. Erel nods, then falls into an eerie
laugh.
EREL
Love? There's no love. She's full of
shit.

Malak is disturbed by this statement. He gets up and walks

toward the wall with the college student's pictures on it. He
takes them in. His hand still holds Erel's gun, which is
resting behind his back.

MALAK
You'll see.

EREL
No I won’t.

Erel rips his gun from behind Malak's back and pushes the
muzzle into his own temple.

MALAK
No!
Malak tries to stop him but Erel pulls the trigger.
Nothing.

He triggers again. Nothing. He triggers again and again,

getting more flustered with each jammed bullet. He throws the
gun and screams, enraged.

MALAK
It's her will, brother.

EREL
We're just her fucking puppets.

MALAK
It'll be worth it, I promise.

EREL
I'M GUARDING A RAPIST.

Malak stands up, shocked. His brain racks.

6. INT. DORM BATHROOM - INTERCUT

Mallory turns off the shower and wraps herself in a towel.

7. INT. DORM BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

MALAK
Mom sent you...to see me?

EREL
No. I thought she sent you to save me.
 MALAK
Are you on assignment right now?

Head down, Erel slowly points to the closet. Malak walks with
trepidation toward the closet and peers through the slats.

MALAK
FUCK.

Malak starts pacing.

EREL
I told you.

8. INT. HALLWAY - INTERCUT

MALLORY strolls through the hallway toward her bedroom door.

9. INT. DORM BEDROOM - SAME

Malak kneels down in front of Erel. He holds the charm on

Erel's necklace. Upon closer inspection, we see it's actually
some kind of locket. Malak opens it. The rapist's face is in
it.

Malak and Erel's heads spring up as the door to the bedroom

opens.

It's Mallory.

They each take her in, reactions equal in magnitude but

different in interpretation.

While their faces are fixated on Mallory, Malak subtly waves

his hand toward the closet.

She's humming to herself. She walks by Malak and Erel.

She doesn't see them. They're invisible to her.

She sits down at her desk and slides a makeup mirror in front
of her, then gets some makeup out of the drawer.

Malak and Erel stare, tense, as she begins to apply makeup.

10. INT. CLOSET - SAME

The man in the closet spies his prey. He tries to open the
closet door to get her but it won't open.

11. INT. BEDROOM - SAME

The noise jolts Mallory. She turns to see where it came from.

12. INT. CLOSET - SAME

The man backs off the closet door to rethink his unexpected
situation.

13. INT. BEDROOM - SAME

Malak and Erel grit their teeth as she moves toward her
closet to inspect. She's just about there when…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

From her bedroom door.

VOICE (O.S.)
Hey, it's Derek.

MALLORY
Coming.

Erel quickly waves his hand toward the bedroom door. She
turns the knob but the door won't open.

14. INT. HALLWAY - SAME

DEREK
Come on.

MALLORY
It's stuck.

15. INT. BEDROOM - SAME

DEREK
...is it unlocked.

MALLORY
Shut up.

16. INT. CLOSET - SAME

The man in the closet sees his escape. There's nothing

separating him from the open window except the closet door.
The bedroom door distracts Mallory and Derek.

The man winds up and launches his shoulder into the closet
door to open it. No dice. Now Mallory knows. She screams.

17. INT. BEDROOM - SAME

MALLORY
HELP! Someone's in my closet!

18. INT. HALLWAY - SAME

DEREK
Open the door!

19. INT. BEDROOM - SAME

MALLORY
I can't!

Erel stares at the closet door in confusion. Malak glares at

Erel.
MALAK
Let Derek in.

Erel turns his calculating gaze from the closet to Malak. He

reaches for Malak's chest but Malak pins Erel to the wall.

MALAK
Let Derek in now.

EREL
I can't!

MALAK
Do it.

EREL
It's her will, brother.

DEREK
Unlock it!

MALLORY
(crying)
It is I don't know what's wrong!

Derek tries to break the door down but it won't budge.

Malak and Erel look toward the closet.
Malak pulls his revolver from his hip and puts it to Erel's
forehead.

MALAK
Open it.

Erel is silent, and accepting. There's an ethereal

understanding between their eyes.

Malak shoots Erel in the head.

Euphoria washes over Erel as he disappears.

As soon as he does, the bedroom door opens and Derek bursts

in. Mallory points toward the closet.

Derek rushes over to the closet. Just before he grabs the

handle to open it, Malak waves his hand toward it the same
way he did when Mallory entered the room.

Derek successfully rips the door open and tackles the rapist
to the ground.

As Derek restrains him, Mallory grabs her phone and calls

911.

MALLORY
Help, a man broke into my room, 28-40
38th St 1D, please hurry!

As we hear this, Malak ambles over and sits on her bed. He

pulls a necklace out that had been tucked under his shirt.
He opens up the same kind of locket Erel had. Mallory's face
is in it.

He closes it and let's it hang.

His eyes have taken on the fatigue of Erel’s.

He closes them to keep them from watering.

BLACKOUT.