JANICE hesitates, then reaches out and takes TOPHER’s hand. It’s a brave act — we can sense how weird it must feel.
JANICE
I haven’t slept well in months, Topher. You know I’ve tried to help you, come visit you. How can I do that if I’m scared all the time? If I can’t get any sleep?
ERIC
We were all friends, remember? Before that… that bad night. We’re still your friends. We… we miss you. (after a long moment, he touches TOPHER’s other hand.)
Please, man. Please.
The strange tableau falls silent, two people holding hands with a rigid monstrosity, as we DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. — BRENT’S HOUSE — SAME TIME
ADULT BRENT is loading things into his SUV. It looks like he’s getting the family ready for a camping vacation, but not a happy one: he’s very blank and silent, even though his wife TRACY is standing at the front door, talking to him.
TRACY
Brent? What are you doing? Are we going somewhere?
He continues to load the SUV, not answering.
TRACY (cont.)
Whatever it is you’re doing, we’re not going anywhere until you talk to me. What’s going on? It’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore…!
BRENT slows and then stops in the middle of the driveway like a toy winding down. He puts his hands over his face, shoulders shaking.
TRACY
Brent? Brent, you’re scaring me…
INT. — ERIC’S CAR — LATE AFTERNOON
They are driving along a tree-lined road. Both look troubled.
ERIC
… I mean, what was that all about? Are we saying that it’s Topher who’s making us see these things? There are a lot of better explanations, Janice. Janice?
JANICE shakes her head, too tired to talk about it. We close on JANICE’s face, her eyes closed, thinking, hand on head like she’s got a migraine coming on. The sound of The Doors’ “Riders On The Storm” comes up slowly, filling the car. J
ANICE
I don’t want to hear any music, Eric. Could you turn the tape off?
ERIC (sounding strange)
It’s not the tape player.
JANICE (opens eyes)
Then turn off the fucking radio! My head hurts.
ERIC
I didn’t turn it on. It’s not on.
As they both stare at the dark radio dial and the music grows louder, something suddenly appears for an instant in front of the car — a dark shape. JANICE and ERIC both shout in terror and ERIC jams on the brakes, sending the car squealing and sliding. Something THUMPS against the car as they screech to a halt, halfway across the road.
JANICE
We hit somebody! We hit somebody!
ERIC is sitting stunned in his seat, trying to get his breath, when something large and dark lands on the windshield. For a moment there’s a dim glimpse of YOUNG TOPHER’S face, distorted against the glass, then he bursts into roaring FLAMES which surround the car.
TOPHER (screaming with laughter in the flames)
I see you! I see you!
An instant later the flames vanish. Everything is NORMAL, the car still skewed across the empty road, but no sign of anything else.
ERIC turns to JANICE, bloodless, shocked. She’s just as devastated.
JANICE
Oh, my God, Eric, what’s happening to us…?
We pull back slowly from the pair of them, back until we see the car in the middle of the country road, back and back as we DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. — HOSPITAL — NIGHT
The wind is blowing the trees, hard. Except for a light in the front lobby, the hospital windows are all dark. The wind gets stronger, the tree-shadows flailing along the walls.
INT. — BRENT’S HOUSE — SAME TIME
BRENT is sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the television. The sound is off. As we pan around we see that he has a bottle and glass on the rug in front of him. The glass is upside-down. BRENT has arranged five BULLETS in a little circle on the bottom of the glass, and is holding the sixth in his hand, looking at it. A gun is lying on the carpet next to his leg.
INT. — JANICE’S HOUSE — SAME TIME
JANICE and ERIC have finished a meal of take-out food. JANICE is washing the few dishes while ERIC wanders around in the kitchen/dining room. We can hear the wind getting LOUD outside. He picks up a picture of JANICE’S CHILDREN and looks at it.
JANICE
I’m glad you’re here. I don’t think I could have faced spending the night here by myself.
ERIC
I felt the same about the motel. So… tell me about your marriage. Was he a good guy?
JANICE
Terry? I don’t know. He’s an engineer. Not the most talkative guy in the world. I thought I could make it work. It seemed like a good idea at the time…
ERIC
What went wrong?
JANICE
Nothing, really. But nothing went right after a while, either. Another guy I cared more about than he cared about me. (turns, drying her hands)
But it’s different when a marriage goes off the tracks and you have kids. It’s… there’s still something that worked. I love my children. I miss them so much.
ERIC
I can’t seem to get a handle on it. You married. Children.
JANICE
It’s been a quarter of a century, Pierson. You haven’t exactly stayed in touch.
ERIC
All I’ve been doing since I came back here is saying I’m sorry, and it doesn’t seem to be working on anyone. But I am sorry, Janice, especially about the way I treated you. Shit, I didn’t know what was going on — I was numb, crazy. I was a kid! We were all kids. I just wanted it all to go away.
JANICE sits down on the couch. ERIC joins her.
JANICE
