2. 2.
ACT I
_____
EXT. WOODLAND AREA. NIGHT.
branches from trees RUSTLING as the wind blows them, the moon
glows brightly in the background.
DISSOLVE TO BLACK
(OFF SCREEN)
sound of a phone dialling
DISSOLVES INTO
NIGHT. UNKNOWN ROOM WITH DESK. INT
a woman Stands in a dark old rustic room, The moonlight slips
through the blinds and sheets Cover the FURNITURE except for
a wooden desk planted in the corner of the room with An old
telephone plugged into the adjacent wall ontop, she stands
next to it Facing the window.
unknown woman waits as phone rings
DONNA
(into phone)
Hello?
(beat)
I need your help, When's the fastest
you can get here?
NIGHT. UNKNOWN LOCATION. EXT.
A man in his mid-thirties, lugging around a rucksack, stands
at a telephone box, in the middle of a long endless road
surrounded by dense forest, the streetlamp towers over him
casting a big shadow.
HUNTER
(into phone)
Ill be there as soon as I can
the Hunter then slowly hangs up the phone, and then walks
towards his truck parked next to it.
NIGHT. HOUSE. INT/EXT.
THE Hunter stands outside the house examining its worn down
features, the rusted door and unkempt windows that are
blacked out from the curtains.
3. 3.
He approaches the door in the forefront, and knocks
aggressively 3 times
(pause)
the woman stands in the dimly lit corridor leading to the
door.
the Hunter knocks again more heavily shaking the house and a
figure from behind starts approaching the door. The woman
opens the door swiftly. Her face catches the light, middle
aged and grey, dressed in a cardigan. The Hunter stands under
the porch-light.
HUNTER
Were you the one that called?
DONNA
yes, come in quick, make sure no one
sees you
the Hunter enters and the door slams behind him.
NIGHT. DINING ROOM. INT.
The dining room is dimly lit, a candlestick sits atop a large
table in the centre of the room, the chairs collect dust from
not have been in use for so long, The walls bare - except
empty OBSTRUCTED frames that once held photos.
HUNTER
so what was this animal problem you
were so insistent about?
DONNA
(whispering)
shhhhh... they can HEAR you
HUNTER
who? its just us two.
the woman pauses to think of her response
UNNAMED WOMAN
look it doesn't matter about who,
that's inconsequential but what i need
you to be.. is quiet. if anyone asks
why your hear, you say your visiting.
4. 4.
the Hunter looks at her blankly
DONNA
ok?
HUNTER
ok... as long as i'm being paid for
the job
DONNA
as soon as you get the job done,
you'll be paid in full. i need you to
set out tomorrow and search the town
barn first thing but be conspicuous,
the village cant find out
HUNTER
....fine.
the Hunter turns around and leaves the room.
DUSK. BARN. EXT.
the Hunter stands outside a farm in the early morning, he
approaches a grey barn, full of haystacks and tools, direly
in need of repairs but visibly still in use, surrounded by
gated fences and cobble walls.
The Hunter is searching the around the barn and finds blood
marks coming from the barn, he investigates the blood and
follows it into the woods. eventually he tracks the blood
into a dense area of forest where he can see the animal led
tracks in the mud
HUNTER
hmm that's off.. bull tracks.
he follows the misshapen tracks until they start to form into
an unidentifiable shape, he continues to investigate, as the
tracks start to form into human feet. He follows the tracks
until they lead back into the village and the trail stops.
5. 5.
ACT II
______
DAWN. DINING ROOM. INT.
the Hunter enters the room angrily.
HUNTER
there's something your not telling me,
when i went out into the woods this
morning i found human and bull track
marks.
HUNTER
(beat)
what actually is going on?
DONNA
there's something you need to know,
sit down.
They both move to the dining room, the room dark, the woman
lights a candle and they both sit at the table across from
each other.
DONNA
My name is Donna Mills, i moved here 5
years ago with my daughter, Sarah,
from the city to look after my mother
while she was sick. She passed a few
year ago but we loved the town that
much we got settled in quick and we
were happy..
(pause)
that was until last year.
Donna sighs and reaches for a newspaper from the floor and
throws it on the table, the Hunter picks it up and inspects
the paper, as the headline reads "village girl missing -
Sarah Mills believed to be dead after animal attack in woods"
the Hunter looks up shocked at Donna.
DONNA (V.O)
i knew there was something off about
the whole situation, mothers intuition
DAY. WOODS. EXT. 2 YEARS AGO - FLASHBACK
DONNA (V.O)
it was September, the start of the
6. 6.
harvest moon, Sarah and her friend
from school Marissa, headed into the
woods one afternoon
Sarah, fifteen with blond hair and Marissa, sixteen with
short black hair, head into the woods, gradually exploring
getting deeper into the forest a blanket of orange leaves
covers the forest.
DONNA (V.O)
It got dark fast, and that's when it
all happened. Neither of them came
home that night, and in the morning
the police found Marissa laying
covered in blood 4 miles away.
A blank expression on Marissa with blood over her face and
torn clothes as she walks out the forest.
DONNA (V.O)
she told the police that a wild animal
attacked them both while coming home
and she managed to get away but left
Sarah, and she was never found, no
body or anything, no pieces of
evidence.
Marissa being comforted by the police as she makes a
statement, a visibly younger donna comes to the scene
NIGHT. DINING ROOM. INT.
the candle wax fills the hilt, Donna reaches for a new one
and proceeds to replace it.
DONNA
And that would've been the end of it,
end of story, case closed but Marissa
had felt so guilty about the whole
thing, and funnily enough as the
mayors daughter, the family tried to
buy my complicity and sweep the whole
thing under the rug, but I knew.
something was off, with the mayor dismissing the case and the
police were quick to declare her dead.
Donna then pulls a ripped fabric from a satchel placed next
to her feet and puts it on the table.
7. 7.
NIGHT. WOODS. EXT. 2 YEARS AGO - FLASHBACK
Donna, determined, heads into the woods at night with a
flashlight. The moon beams down on the trees as they tower
over Donna.
DONNA (V.O)
the following weeks, I couldn't sleep,
I couldn't fathom her not being here
anymore...
(beat)
i had to see for myself.
Donna searches the Forrest, flashlight focused on the floor
searching for something between the leaves, she sees a piece
of fabric that catches her eye between the autumn leaves, she
reaches for it, and recognises it as Sarah's jumper
immediately, she throws it at the ground in horror.
DONNA (V.O)
so one night i headed into the woods.
Hoping to find nothing so I could have
some resolution to the whole situation
but i did. A piece of her jumper she
wore that night, so i decided to do
some investigating of my own.
FLASHBACK ENDS
NIGHT. DINING ROOM. INT.
DONNA
i spent a year investigating that
family, and not until very recently
did i find something interesting and
that's what has brought me to ring you
Donna pulls the last piece of evidence out of her bag and
slides it towards the Hunter, inside the file are photos of
Marissa younger, but visibly ill, paper-clipped attached to
the photos is a headline that read "terminally-ill mayors
daughter first to undergo groundbreaking cell treatment"
DONNA
surface level this looks normal, but
when i came to research the facility
behind the treatment the government
shut them down quickly, the facility
made no comment on the closure,
however i got in touch with an ex-
employee who just so happened to work
8. 8.
on Marissa's treatment, turns out they
were injecting different animal
antibodies that 'combated' cancer
cells into unsuspecting patients, now
Marissa is one of ten to surv-
The Hunter cuts her off mid-sentence
HUNTER
(sceptically)
and you think Marissa is responsible
for Sarah's death
DONNA
i know it sounds mental, but why would
they try to cover it up? they'll do
anything to protect Marissa, any
mention of Sarah is quickly dismissed.
HUNTER
to be honest, i think you might be
onto something when i was in the woods
this morning i found animal prints
suddenly turn into foot prints
DONNA
i think we should ask Marissa directly
to see if she'll crack, you can be a
witness.
HUNTER
if that's what you want to do.
(Meekly)
.. but I'm still being paid?
9. 9.
ACT III
_______
DAWN. MAYORS HOUSE. EXT.
In Donnas old car they park up across the street from
Marissa's big house, the sun still out they patiently wait.
The sun setting, The Hunter spots Marissa walking down the
road towards her house, he alarms Donna and they get out the
car calmly and head straight towards her.
DONNA
Marissa! We need to ask you about the
night with Sarah
Marissa shocked and scared by the unexpected bombardment she
u-turns towards the woods behind her home, Donna and the
Hunter keep a close distance, sprinting behind her but she
manages to evade their line of sight through the many narrow
trees,Donna and the Hunter stop, bewildered as they lost
their sense of direction in the woods.
DONNA
we should split up to find her, well
never get her if we're together we
can't cover that much ground
HUNTER
ok, ill head east and you west, shout
if you've found her.
NIGHT. WOODS. EXT.
the sun sets, and the moon gleams above them, both equipped
with a torch, Following the Hunters perspective he wanders
the woods, occasionally shouting for Marissa, thinking he
lost all hope, he uses his tracking skills and checks the
ground for footprints, he follows a set until a dead end,
knowing Marissa must be close he tries to focus on the
surrounding sounds of the forest, suddenly a twig snaps in a
nearby bush and he goes to inspect, separating the bush with
his hands he finds Marissa hunched over, and somewhat
malformed.
HUNTER
Marissa? It's ok. We just want to ask
you a few ques-
she turns around swiftly and jumps onto the Hunter, he falls
to the ground, his torch falls onto the ground as he shouts
10. 10.
for help. the torch emitting a shadow on the trees of Marissa
on top of the Hunter, Marissa continues to scratch at the
Hunters guard. A loud bang followed by the sound of Marissa's
body drop, the Hunter opens his guard to see donna holding a
pistol, the barrel smoking. His attention then turns to
Marissa who enters an epileptic-like fit, returns to her
human form ending her metamorphosis.
MARISSA
(coughing)
I'm so sorry.
(Coughing)
forgive me
Marissa then takes her final breath. Donna then pulls a phone
from her pocket and proceeds to ring the police.
DONNA
(in phone)
we need you hear in the north woods,
there's been an accident, inform the
mayor.
DAY. OUTSIDE DONNAS HOUSE. EXT. NEXT DAY.
the sun beams down on donnas house as she unloads the once
dormant boxes from her house.
Donna then wait outside as the Hunter gets ready to leave.
DONNA
thanks for believing me, there was a
point through all this where i thought
I'd never see the light of day.
HUNTER
its no problem, what are you going to
do now?
DONNA
Probably going to leave, this place
isn't a home anymore.
(chuckles)
i haven't felt peace like this in a
long time.
HUNTER
well..
(sighs)
i best get off. I think i've seen too
much.
11. 11.
the Hunter then gets in his car as he waves goodbye to Donna,
she smiles as she shuts the door. the Hunter then drives back
onto the main road, he checks his rear view mirror to see her
enter back into the house
FADE TO BLACK
"THE END..."
DAY. MORGUE. INT.
Marissa lies there in a dead like state and then her eyes
shot wide
FADE TO BLACK
"OR IS IT?"
