ADULT JANICE is in her dressing gown, hugging herself against a chill, stumbling a little as though just awakened. There’s street-light coming through the blinds and a bathroom light in the hall. She takes a glass and fills it from a dispenser bottle of water by the refrigerator, then drinks it as we CUT TO:
CLOSE UP: rim of glass. There’s an ANT there, feelers waving.
JANICE makes an “urp” of shock and jerks the glass away from her mouth, then slams it down in the sink. A moment later she snatches it up again, plunges it under the faucet and washes the ant down the drain. She looks, and there are a few ants on the dispenser bottle as well. A little less surprised now, but just as unhappy, she starts to lift the bottle into the sink, then snatches her hand back. There are more than a couple of ants — at least a dozen are running along the counter and in a line to the refrigerator door. She takes a napkin and flicks them off the handle, then pulls open the refrigerator, spilling out the light.
CUT TO: INTERIOR OF REFRIGERATOR
There are MILLIONS of ants in the refrigerator — a boiling black mass that tumbles out the door and all over the linoleum. JANICE leaps back, shrieking and shrieking and shrieking as we go to BLACK and then, when the screams have faded, DISSOLVE TO:
INT. — MOTEL COFFEE SHOP — MORNING
ADULT JANICE and ADULT ERIC are having coffee. They both look like hell — they clearly haven’t slept.
ERIC
I… I’ve been having bad dreams for a few weeks now. About… that night. That’s one of the reasons I decided to come back. I thought, y’know, seeing the place again…
JANICE
But not me. Just the place.
ERIC
I didn’t think you’d WANT to see me. Stop playing games. You’ve been having them too, haven’t you?
JANICE
Yeah. But it wasn’t bad at first. Just a couple of nightmares, and I used to have those all the time. But… things have started happening. In the daytime. ERIC
Me too. Bad. Bad stuff.
JANICE
But why? It’s too weird, Eric. It doesn’t make sense. I’m scared I’m going crazy.
ERIC
I don’t think so — not both of us at the same time. (he stands up)
Well, as long as I’m back in town, I guess it’s time to go see another old friend…
We DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. — BRENT’S HOUSE — HALF AN HOUR LATER
The house is big, nice, with two SUVs in the driveway. ERIC and JANICE are on the front porch.
JANICE
We could have called first…
ERIC
If he’s really Zenger-Kimball, I don’t trust ad guys on the phone.
JANICE
He’s still Brent!
ERIC
Yeah. Whatever that means after twenty-five years.
The door opens. BRENT ZENGER doesn’t look good. In fact, he looks worse than ERIC and JANICE: it’s early in the morning and he has a drink in his hand and a sour, sick expression on his face.
BRENT
Hey, Janice. Pierson. Long time.
ERIC
You don’t seem surprised to see us.
BRENT shrugs and turns, waving for them to follow him. He leads them across the entry into the large living room. The television is playing and there’s a Bacardi bottle on top of it, half-full.
BRENT
Drink?
ERIC
A bit early.
BRENT Tracy and Joanie are out at the park. (looks at Eric)
My wife and kid. Sit down.
ERIC
Like I said, Brent, you don’t look surprised to see us.
BRENT
Not feeling very surprised today, I guess. Watching Jenny Jones’ll do that to you — kind of burns the surprise glands right out. ERIC
Me and Janice — we’ve been having some weird dreams. Ring any bells?
BRENT
Yeah, and it’s nice to see you, too, Pierson. It HAS been a long time. I’m doing well, thanks for asking.
JANICE
Neither of us has had much sleep, Brent. Eric doesn’t mean to be rude.
BRENT
That’s pretty good, Pierson. Back after twenty years and already she’s sticking up for you again. (he looks around)
Do you think there’s too much white in this room? Tracy kind of bugged out on the all-white thing.
ERIC
Have you been to see Topher?
BRENT
I saw him. Once. That was enough.
JANICE
He’s gotten a lot worse.
BRENT
No shit.
ERIC (angry)
Look — enough! Brent, man, I’m sorry I haven’t been around. You could have called me too, for that matter. But the fact is that we went different ways. BRENT
Yeah. It happens.
ERIC
So let’s cut the bullshit, okay? I knew you in the fucking third grade, man. Being a grown-up sucks, cool, we’ll all agree. Now let’s get down to business. There’s something really strange going on. Janice and I have been having hallucinations, all about that night. THAT night. Nothing else. How about you?
BRENT
I don’t really want to spend a lot of time thinking about that shit.
ERIC
It doesn’t feel like we have much choice. (a beat)
It’s happening to you, too, isn’t it? How long?
BRENT
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
ERIC
Don’t give me that, man, I know you. How long? Weeks?
BRENT (after a pause)
Yeah. For a while. But it goes away sometimes.
ERIC
