FINAL SCRIPT

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

Orange prison garb, cuffs and shackles, an OFFICER follows ADRIAN into the room.

Five PROFESSIONALS remain seated at a conference table.

They face mostly empty chairs where ROXANNE sits rigid, three seats behind OFFICER LAYLA listening and writing.

ADRIAN (V.O.)
If I may, striking color of blue sir.

The women study his gorilla posture, muted facial expressions.

The PAROLE BOARD REVIEW OFFICER glances down at his attire.

Adrian looks Roxanne in the eye, no discernable expression -

ADRIAN (V.O.)
I'm a changed man...

Roxanne's eyes close.


MONTAGE - ISABELLE FROM BIRTH TO DEATH (SPAN 14 YEARS)


HOSPITAL - Roxanne cuddles and strokes the cheek of a NEWBORN. LAYLA enters, an old camcorder to her eye.

ADRIAN (V.O.)
Anger Management...


KITCHEN - DAY - ROXANNE bandages/kisses (3-4) ISABELLE's knee.


DINING ROOM - DAY - Beads and string litter the table where Isabelle puts a homemade beaded necklace around Roxanne's neck.

ADRIAN (V.O.)
Group therapy...


TRUCK/DRIVEWAY - Roxanne and Isabelle (5-8) tinker under the hood of Roxanne's truck, smudges on their faces.

ADRIAN (V.O.)
Counseling...


STREET - DAY - (Teen) ISABELLE fights ADRIAN dragging her away.

ADRIAN (V.O.)
Prayer...

ROOT CELLAR - Layla slides down wall next to garbage can of (teen) Isabelle's protruding bloody remains.

ADRIAN (V.O.)
Psychotherapy...


MORGUE - NIGHT - Roxanne buckles in anguish before (teen)Isabelle's mangled form, frozen and uncovered on the table. Layla goes to the floor rocking her friend.


CEMETERY - DAY - Roxanne lies near a fresh grave, fingers clawing grass.

ROXANNE
Just dig another one here.

Layla plops next to her on the grass, grieving and rubbing her friend's back.

A HEAVY door SLAMS-

BACK TO SCENE - snapping Roxanne's eyes open.

The lone chair stands empty.

Layla stands, The panel ignoring her. Roxanne continues breathing - stay calm. Layla clears her throat.

The annoyed group looks up expectantly.

LAYLA
I'm Sheriff Layla Jenk--

CORRECTIONAL REVIEW OFFICER
Save your breath Sheriff. Every prison in the nation's overcrowded. You're sending us more criminals than we can fiscally handle and every human rights organization is breathing down our necks about cramped living conditions. Every necessary precaution will be taken to ensure the safety of the public.

Layla - deep breath.

LAYLA
Precautions so effective he's doing time again.

The group averts their eyes, shifting paperwork. Roxanne bursts from her seat and races for the table.

ROXANNE
YOU CAN'T DO THIS! SIX YEARS IS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE!
Roxanne climbs the table, grabbing ties and getting in bewildered faces.

Two SECURITY GUARDS burst through the door.

ROXANNE
HE'LL DO IT AGAIN!

Guards fight her arms and wrestle her to the door.

ROXANNE
MARK MY WORDS! HE'LL KILL AGAIN! IT'LL BE YOUR FAULT! YOU!

PAROLE REVIEW OFFICER
Get her out of here!

Layla shoots one last hard glance at the panel and hurries after Roxanne, being dragged forcefully out of the room.

LAYLA
Let her go!

SUPERIMPOSE - EIGHT YEARS LATER


EXT. AUTO MECHANIC SHOP - DAY

Driving, Roxanne locks eyes with Adrian rolling a tire to door.

LAYLA (V.O.)
His mother's sick, of course he's here! He's working, has an apartment, a girl, what more do you want?


INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY

Layla's desk between her and Roxanne, Roxanne picks up a photo frame laying face down - TAMARA AND ISABELLE, their daughters, arms wrapped around each other and laughing.

LAYLA
If he presses charges, you'll be the one behind bars. It's our job, not yours.

She picks up another photo, just Tamara this time.


INT. ICE CREAM SHOP - DAY

Roxanne enters and goes to the counter.

ROXANNE
Half a gallon of Rocky Road please.
Roxanne turns to ADRIAN and his DATE at a table, her back to Roxanne.

Adrian watches Roxanne approach, lean over and startle the woman, whispering-

ROXANNE
Watch out, he's a real lady killer.

Back at the register, she tosses some bills to the counter for her ice cream and exits.


EXT. QUIET SIDEWALK - DUSK

Tamara rocks to a beat in headphones, counting money and stuffing it into her pocket. (snowshovel/lawnmower)

Breaching an alleyway entrance - A car SLAMS into her side, throwing her a short distance - knocking the wind from her.

The car stops - Tamara fights for air!

Menacing boots approach - she tries to get up - collapses!

A fist lodges in her hair, Tamara screams but nothing comes out.

TAMARA
Help! Help!

Tamara's hands fly to her scalp to alleviate the strain.

In excrutiating pain and fury Tamara screams and fights Adrian like a hellcat.

He struggles against her beating fists, dragging her to the open door.

He pulls her close in effort to bind her arms, cheek to cheek.

Like a pitbull, she SINKS PEARLY WHITES DEEP INTO SOFT FLESH and holds-he utters and ANGRY CRY as blood gushes.

He grabs her hair again, yanking her head back hard, her teeth dislodge, and hair slips through his fingers.

In spite of all pain, Tamara throws her head back and forward in effort to HEAD BUTT her opponent.

SMACK! Her head rolls back in a stupor.

Adrian tosses her limp body across the front seat.
Stopped here

EXT. CRIME SCENE - LATER

THREE OFFICERS hover over Layla, studying blood spots on pavement, not far from the mangled mower (snow shovel). She springs to her feet, screaming and bouncing off the officers.

DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Repeat, APB out on a missing female. Seventeen, long blonde hair, green eyes, five foot six, slender build.


INT. ROXANNE'S BADASS TRUCK - NIGHT

A large heavy duffle bag flies across the seat, a baseball bat protruding from within. Roxanne jumps in.

DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Last seen at five thirty this evening leaving 690 Oak Street.


INT. BASEMENT - NEXT

Adrian draws a knife along trembling neck flesh, releasing a blood trail. Tam's whimpering intensifies.


EXT/INT. HOUSE/GARAGE DOOR - NEXT

Blood curdling SCREEEAAAM from within. Camera in hand, Roxanne takes a deep steadying breath, pulls down her mask and kicks in the door with amazing force!

She steps down into a basement SNAPPING PICTURES fast-

SNAP!

Adrian even looks into the camera - SNAP!

ADRIAN
What the hell--

Adrian mashes Tam's face away but her mangled image flashes in the LCD screen, Roxanne gags but clicks - SNAP!

ADRIAN
Why you!

Adrian fumbles with his pants, ROARing and charging for her -

TAMARA
HELP ME PLEASE GOD HELP ME!!

Roxanne BOLTS up the stairs.
Adrian follows, a baseball bat smashes his face - knocking him to the floor, unconscious.


EXT. HOSPITAL FIELD - SAME

Tamara slows to a walk, dirty, bloody tears stream down her cheeks.

ROXANNE (V.O.)
Tam, tell them nothing, you got away. I had nothing to do with this. Nothing! Understand?


INT. BASEMENT - LATE

Bound to the cot, Adrian's strains to see his predicament, pantlegs rolled to knees and sleeves cut off at elbows. A fire extinguisher rests near his shoes and woodstove. Black ink circles ring his knees and elbows

ADRIAN
Don't do this. Please. I'll do anything. Dear God PLEASE DON'T!

Roxanne opens the woodstove door.

ROXANNE
Did my Izzy beg? Tamara?

Roxanne hovers an axe over a knee, their eyes meet.

ADRIAN
Turn me in, send me back to prison, anything but this!

Roxanne hovers an axe above his knee. Their eyes meet, she raises the tool Samurai style.

ROXANNE
No vacancy.

Adrian strains unsuccessfully against taunt rope.

ADRIAN
I swear to God, I'm cured!

Axe shadow swings on the wall-


INT. HOSPITAL/SHOWER - NIGHT

Tamara scrubs with a soapy wash cloth-

Scrubs harder -

Scrubs faster -
Pours more soap on the cloth -

Scrubs harder!

Water runs into the drain glistening with a red hue.


INT. HOSPITAL/OUTSIDE BATHROOM DOOR - NIGHT

Layla rests her head against the door in agony at the sound of Tamara's scream.


INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

Blood spits -

Roxanne gags at black smoke pouring from the stove -

Charred limb pulls from woodstove -

Gauze and bandages swiftly wrap blackened nubs -

Shadow of axe swings on the wall -

Arm chopped at elbow is forced into the stove -


INT. HOSPITAL - SAME

Dumbstruck, Layla sits before she falls and searches the DOCTOR's face.

LAYLA
There's no boyfriend. Isn't there anything?... The morning after pill? Something?

DOCTOR
You sure that's how you want to handle this?

Layla's eyes dart from object to object as the sound of a wailing baby passes in the hall.

LAYLA
Doctor, Tam can never know.


INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

Roxanne snaps on a fresh pair of latex gloves.

Surgical scissors snip veins from an eyeball.

Pulling it free, Roxanne places it next to it's twin on a cloth, along with a tongue and thirty two teeth.

A red hot poker moves in. Black smoke and the sound of sizzling rise from the table.
Ice water dumps over Adrian's face, he comes to sputtering.

Roxanne leans in to whisper menacingly into Adrian's ear.

ROXANNE
You would have been safer serving out your life sentence.

FADE TO BLACK

ROXANNE
Now you'll spend the rest of your days in darkness, unable to walk, write, or chew, unable to recognize another face or sound. You will piss and crap yourself the rest of your life and your nurse will curse you everytime they have to clean you up. You will live, trapped inside with only your own warped mind to keep you company...

A sharp tool penetrates an eardrum, digging around forces the voice to become cloudy and only reaching one ear.

ROXANNE
For a very long time.

The other ear receives the same sounds and hearing is lost.

BACK TO SCENE

Roxanne stirs cooking, shredded meat on the woodstove, cell phone to her ear.

ROXANNE
Come alone Lay.


EXT. DESERTED PRAIRIE HIGHWAY - DAY

Gloved, Layla fingers a photo stapled across Adrian's face. Standing behind her, Roxanne grimaces.

Layla rips the photo from his face, a mass of cooked shredded flesh spills from his mouth with a low moan.

Layla stands, pulling the gun from her holster and aiming it at Adrian's head.

Roxanne steps between them.

LAYLA
Move.
ROXANNE
THIS! THIS is a life sentence, irrevocable.

Layla fires a shot at Roxanne's feet. Roxanne flinches.

LAYLA
MOVE! That's my baby, MY girl!- I want-I want him to-I want my turn.

ROXANNE
THIS IS YOUR TURN! Don't give him to hell just yet, let his mind do him in.


INT. HOSPITAL LOBBY - LATE

Layla and DOCTOR observe Adrian's bandaged form through a viewing window.

DOCTOR
He's useless to any investigation. He can't whisper a name, identify a photo, write a clue, or even point a finger. Not a strange fingerprint, hair follicle or even a dead skin cell on this guy. He'll likely live out his life in some twisted recurring nightmare.

Layla walks away -

LAYLA
See that he lives forever Doctor.


INT. TAMARA'S HOME/BEDROOM - NIGHT

Roxanne leans forward planting a light kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead.

She tiptoes from the room, leaving a special necklace on a photo frame on her dresser.


INT/EXT VARIOUS COLORED BACKGROUNDS - NIGHT

Roxanne circles CHILD PREDATOR #2 (Dave), bound tight in a chair. Deep green b.g.

Badass truck travels down the Interstate, a road sign.

Roxanne attempts to duct tape the mouth of CHILD PREDATOR #3(Ben), he spits in her face. Purple b.g.

Traveling down the Interstate, another road sign.

Roxanne shears the sleeve of Child Predator #4 (ICEFOX)


INT. ROXANNE'S BADASS TRUCK - NIGHT

The radio blares the local news as Roxanne's headlights shine on the road ahead.

ANNOUNCER
The FBI has been called in on a bizarre case as a fifth repeat sex offender has been found completely incapacitated with incriminating evidence stapled across what remains of his face.

Roxanne etches a tally mark across four lines in her dash.



FADE OUT.

Credits roll with photos and names of actual child murder victims.