1) Clarissa suspects her boyfriend Martin is losing interest in their relationship after he cancels plans for their anniversary. 2) Clarissa has a strange infection spreading from a bug bite on her hand. When she calls Martin for help, he brushes her off. 3) Clarissa's infection worsens, causing her to hallucinate her hand and arm rotting away. She wakes up and confronts Martin, ending their relationship.

1. FALLING APART
Written by
Nicolette Orgel
nicolette.s.orgel@gmail.com
(805)433-5229

2. FADE IN:
EXT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - DOORWAY - NIGHT
CLARISSA (22), wearing a nice blouse and her hair arranged in
a stylish ponytail, anxiously leans out of the doorway to the
porch where MARTIN (21) stands slumped.
Martin looks deep in thought, guilty even, as though he wants
to say something but doesn’t know how.
MARTIN
Uh, so, Clare...?
CLARISSA
...You’re coming tomorrow, right?
MARTIN
(shaken out of thoughts)
Umm, maybe. Why?
CLARISSA
Well, I was thinking, what if we
saw an old movie? They’re screening
one tomorrow, and I thought...
MARTIN
Oh okay. I might be busy.
CLARISSA
Okay...? Doing what?
MARTIN
Just, like, homework...
Clarissa tries to hide her disappointment and fails.
CLARISSA
Oh. Well, I just mean...we planned
this last month, and remember, I
asked Friday if you were still
free, and I just... like, it’s our
anniversary, so I was hoping...
Martin looks at her through his mass of hair, eyebrows
furrowed. Why isn’t she getting this?
He catches sight of her hand, notices something.
MARTIN
Bug bite?
Clarissa looks: it has a red irritation on the back of it.

3. CLARISSA
Oh. Um. Maybe...Look, will you try
to come?
MARTIN
(finally giving in)
Okay, I’ll try.
Martin smiles a little, trying to be sincere. She smiles a
bit back, looking up at him earnestly.
CLARISSA
Love you.
He gives her a small peck on the cheek, (so easily, like a
habit,) before walking off--but then glances back, looking so
guilty. She catches the look. Ouch.
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Clarissa closes the front door behind her, eyes shut as she
slumps up against it, looking defeated.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Clarissa rolls over and slams the SNOOZE BUTTON on her alarm
clock, letting her hand rest there.
She blearily opens her eyes, looking towards the clock, but
her expression quickly becomes a drowsy version of concern as
she catches sight of her hand resting on the clock.
It appears to be... crusty.
She picks her hand up to examine it more closely. It looks as
though the skin on the back of her hand has scabbed over and
begun to peel off.
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Slumped over, Clarissa digs through the medicine cabinet with
her good hand and pulls out a tube of HYDROCORTISONE CREAM.
She tenderly begins to rub it in, but the skin turns an angry
red. She grimaces and stops rubbing in the cream.
DING-DONG
2.

4. INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Clarissa opens the door to see Martin, a bit sheepish as he
pushes his way in. Clarissa looks confused, but hopeful.
CLARISSA
Hey, I didn’t think you’d be here
‘til later. The movie’s tonight.
MARTIN
Um, I left my XBOX here last night.
He makes his way over to the TV and begins to unplug the
CONSOLE. Clarissa looks a bit disheartened.
CLARISSA
Oh. Well, happy anniversary!
Martin looks up at her, trying to be sincere.
MARTIN
...Yeah, you too.
CLARISSA
(pacified)
So, that bug bite you noticed last
night? It’s kinda weird, it’s
gotten a lot worse. It’s almost,
like... numb?
Martin stands, holding the XBOX, and slips towards the door.
MARTIN
Aw, I’m sorry to hear that. Okay,
well I’m still studying tonight so
I’ll try to make it, but we’ll see.
CLARISSA
Oh--okay. Try to be here by 6 if
you can?
She looks up at him, earnestly hoping. At this, Martin
hesitates, looking sheepish again. Will he tell her?..
MARTIN
Yeah, I will.
He flashes a placating smile and slips away, shoulders
hunched. She looks after him as he shuts the door, concerned,
then grimaces, lifting her hand: it’s pretty gnarly-looking.
3.

5. INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Clarissa sits on the COUCH, all dolled up. She glances down
at her PHONE on the cushion next to her. The screen is black.
She looks again. Still nothing. Sighing, exasperated, she
gets up and stomps into the...
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
She places her phone down on the counter and proceeds to open
cabinets and pull out some FOOD.
The phone BUZZES.
She freezes, then rushes to pick it up. CLOSE ON: A message
from Martin reads “sorry, 2 busy. nxt time”
Clarissa looks heartbroken. She types out “when is next
time?” and stares at it for a second... before erasing it and
typing “Okay :)”.
She sends the smiley-clad message and has to stifle a tiny
SOB, which she does with her scabby, diseased-looking hand.
As soon as it touches her lips, she jerks her hand away and
examines it again. The scabbing has spread from the back of
her hand to the front, and halfway down her wrist.
She grabs a DISH TOWEL from the oven, soaks it in the sink,
and wraps it gingerly around her hand. She stares at it for a
second... then grabs it, YELLING in pain!
She claws at the towel, ripping it off to reveal that her arm
has become a bloody, crumbling mess. In horror, she grasps
for her phone and begins to call.
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN/MARTIN’S ROOM - INTERCUT
Martin pauses his GAME and picks up the PHONE.
MARTIN
Clare? I thought you were fine with
me studying tonight.
CLARISSA
(in shock from her hand)
I--I am, but listen, my--
MARTIN
--Look, I’m really busy, okay? I’ve
got to get back to work.
4.

6. CLARISSA
But--listen--I really need you! My
arm is... it’s hurt.
MARTIN
Your arm is.. What,from a bug bite?
CLARISSA
...I just...want you here.
MARTIN
Well... now’s not a good time. I
hope your hand feels better.
He hangs up and the line goes dead.
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Clarissa puts the phone down slowly. Off-screen, we hear
something fall to the floor with a muted TAP.
On the ground is a small, greenish lump. Clarissa looks at
it, confused, and then glances at her diseased hand...
It is missing part of its index finger.
She SCREAMS in horror! Falling back against the refrigerator,
she collects herself somewhat, grasping with her good hand at
a drawer and pulling out a ZIPLOCK BAG.
She carefully scoops the finger bit into the bag.
INT. PARKED CAR - MOMENTS LATER
Clarissa gets in and slams a bottle of CLEAR ELMER’S GLUE
onto the dashboard.
She puts the key in the ignition, but can’t turn it with the
wrong hand... she gingerly tries to use the bloody hand to
turn the key, but her skin starts to rub off into a vapor-
like powder as she puts pressure on the key until--
...Her entire THUMB falls to the floor and rolls under one of
the pedals.
She YELLS in anguish. Desperately, she reaches down to the
pedal and feels around for her severed thumb.
She pulls it up, but it crumbles in half.
Crying, Clarissa grasps for the glue on the dashboard.
5.

7. Opening the top with her teeth, she lathers glue on the fresh
nub and desperately tries to glue her thumb base back on to
her hand. It seems to stick.
She tries to glue the other half of her thumb back on... and
both pieces crumble into a pile of dust over the radio dials.
Clarissa sobs. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her
phone. She dials 911.
The phone begins to RING, and she stumbles out of her car and
into the...
EXT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - FRONT YARD - CONTINUOUS
She tries to stay conscious, looking up at the sky.
EMERGENCY OPERATOR(O.S.)
911, what is your emergency?
Clarissa barks into the phone as she collapses to her knees
in the grass.
CLARISSA
HELP!
EMERGENCY OPERATOR (O.S.)
Ma’am, where are you?
CLARISSA
My house! My house... 114
Maple...maple...
Clarissa can stay upright no longer. She falls to the ground,
and catching one last look at her newly deformed hand, loses
consciousness.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
EXT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - FRONT YARD - NIGHT
EMTs loom over her in a fuzzy blur. They seem to be trying to
say something, but the words don’t make it through the fog.
Then, she breaks through the surface.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!! CRUNCH! CASHAW-CLICK! BEEP BEEP!
EMT
MA’AM. Ma’am, can you hear me?
6.

8. Clarissa nods faintly.
EMT (CONT’D)
Good. Now, listen, your arm is
severely infected. I’m sorry, but
we’re going to have to amputate
before it spreads.
Clarissa looks at him, not understanding, then in horror,
looks down at her forearm, which is now just a rotting stump
with half of a palm, the rest having fallen to dust, piling
in the grass.
She looks up at the EMT, crying.
CLARISSA
No, NO! You can’t, you have to save
it!
EMT
Ma’am, there’s no saving it at this
point, we need to focus on saving
the rest of you.
Clarissa nods, sobbing.
CLARISSA
But... Shouldn’t a doctor do it?
EMT
We have to act fast before it takes
any more of you. I’ve already
medicated you, you shouldn’t feel
anything...Are you ready?
She shakes her head no, still crying, but the EMT just nods.
The SAW slices down into her upper arm. She SCREAMS as--
SLICE. SLICE. SLICE. SLICE--
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Clarissa CRIES OUT, eyes flying open. She shifts onto her
back, breathing hard, taking stock.
Quickly, she sits up, holding up her hand. It’s fine. Totally
intact, not a crusty bit in sight. Just a bug bite. She
wiggles her fingers a bit, clutching her unscathed wrist.
7.

9. INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Slumped over, she tenderly washes her hand in the sink--when
she catches sight of herself in the mirror. She takes a long
look at herself, then stands up straight, looking determined.
DING-DONG
EXT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - DOORWAY - CONTINUOUS
Clarissa opens the door to see Martin, a bit sheepish as he
pushes his way in-- but she stops him, looking serious.
Martin is confused, and tries to come in again.
MARTIN
Hey... I just--
Clarissa stops him again and steadies herself.
CLARISSA
Are we over?
BEAT. Martin looks surprised, then ashamed. Clarissa stands
her ground.
MARTIN
I... I mean, I was gonna tell you,
but--
CLARISSA
Okay, we’re over. Goodbye.
She closes the door in his face, leaving him out on the
porch, speechless.
INT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Clarissa stands with her back to the door, fuming, eyes
closed. Finally, she opens her eyes--and stops as she spots
something.
EXT. CLARISSA’S HOUSE - FRONT YARD - CONTINUOUS
Martin has begun to walk away. An XBOX flies out from the
house and tumbles onto the lawn. Martin stares at it, then
silently walks away, hands in pockets.
The DESTROYED XBOX lies broken on the grass.
FADE TO BLACK.
8.