The screenplay's finale is below. Rosie is Jackson's daughter. They're the only ones left from a weekend hiking trip that went way wrong.
Click video for music while reading.
EXT. MOUNTAIN FOREST-- NIGHT
The flying saucer search light is trying to keep them in sight as they run down the forested mountain slope.
They leap over a log as the flying saucer pursues them just above the trees.
Jackson looks back.
He sees the shadowy shapes of half-a-dozen monster-men bounding-- like thick-thighed raptors-- through the forest and rapidly closing the distance.
Jackson grabs a tree to slow his decent, gets his footing, swings Rosey behind him, and turns to face their predators. He aims his rifle and fires.
A monster-man bites the dust and disappears in the forest undergrowth-- but another leaps right over him. That one lets loose a blood-curdling ROAR.
Jackson fires again.
The monster-man catches it in the shoulder, whipping him around in the air. He CRIES OUT and falls in the thicket.
Jackson, bathed in the saucer's light, turns to the eerie reptilian BLEEP on his left.
Monster-men, their CRIES echoing through the forest, are slipping down the slope, watching, cautious.
Jackson HEARS another ROAR. He turns to his right.
SCREAMING monster-men are slipping down the opposite slope.
Jackson and Rosey are beyond scared as the otherworldly SCREAMS and SHOUTS surround them. Jackson, backpedaling, pushes Rosey down the slope before turning and running like hell through the harsh glare of the spotlight.
Monster-men CRIES echoing through the forest follow Jackson and Rosey slipping and sliding down the slope through the undergrowth and past trees.
Jackson and Rosey’s boots rush past and a few seconds later, a monster-man’s reptilian foot lands in their footsteps and bounds away.
Jackson looks behind him.
The monster-man is in the air and coming down on him.
Jackson turns and, while falling backwards, fires his rifle.
Jackson’s POV: the monster-man, SCREAMING, takes a hit, balls up, and somersaults over and out of frame.
Jackson and Rosey, sliding down the slope, turn to watch the creature tumbling end-over-end.
The monster-man tumbles down an ever increasing slope.
Jackson and Rosey are on their asses now and they can’t stop sliding.
The monster-man explodes over a ledge and tumbles through the air, a silhouette against a full moon.
Jackson and Rosey see it coming and scream.
Jackson and Rosey are silhouetted against the moon as they fall end-over-end, their SCREAMS trailing them through the air.
Jackson hits a branch on his way down.
Rosey hits one too.
Jackson hits another branch.
Rosey does too.
Jackson hits the ground hard.
So does Rosey.
Jackson rolls to a stop. Rosey rolls into him. Both are moaning, breathing heavily. Jackson turns to look up at the mountain.
He can’t see any monster-men.
Jackson turns to Rosey.
The flying saucer search light is trying to keep them in sight as they run down the forested mountain slope.
They leap over a log as the flying saucer pursues them just above the trees.
Jackson looks back.
He sees the shadowy shapes of half-a-dozen monster-men bounding-- like thick-thighed raptors-- through the forest and rapidly closing the distance.
Jackson grabs a tree to slow his decent, gets his footing, swings Rosey behind him, and turns to face their predators. He aims his rifle and fires.
A monster-man bites the dust and disappears in the forest undergrowth-- but another leaps right over him. That one lets loose a blood-curdling ROAR.
Jackson fires again.
The monster-man catches it in the shoulder, whipping him around in the air. He CRIES OUT and falls in the thicket.
Jackson, bathed in the saucer's light, turns to the eerie reptilian BLEEP on his left.
Monster-men, their CRIES echoing through the forest, are slipping down the slope, watching, cautious.
Jackson HEARS another ROAR. He turns to his right.
SCREAMING monster-men are slipping down the opposite slope.
Jackson and Rosey are beyond scared as the otherworldly SCREAMS and SHOUTS surround them. Jackson, backpedaling, pushes Rosey down the slope before turning and running like hell through the harsh glare of the spotlight.
Monster-men CRIES echoing through the forest follow Jackson and Rosey slipping and sliding down the slope through the undergrowth and past trees.
Jackson and Rosey’s boots rush past and a few seconds later, a monster-man’s reptilian foot lands in their footsteps and bounds away.
Jackson looks behind him.
The monster-man is in the air and coming down on him.
Jackson turns and, while falling backwards, fires his rifle.
Jackson’s POV: the monster-man, SCREAMING, takes a hit, balls up, and somersaults over and out of frame.
Jackson and Rosey, sliding down the slope, turn to watch the creature tumbling end-over-end.
The monster-man tumbles down an ever increasing slope.
Jackson and Rosey are on their asses now and they can’t stop sliding.
The monster-man explodes over a ledge and tumbles through the air, a silhouette against a full moon.
Jackson and Rosey see it coming and scream.
Jackson and Rosey are silhouetted against the moon as they fall end-over-end, their SCREAMS trailing them through the air.
Jackson hits a branch on his way down.
Rosey hits one too.
Jackson hits another branch.
Rosey does too.
Jackson hits the ground hard.
So does Rosey.
Jackson rolls to a stop. Rosey rolls into him. Both are moaning, breathing heavily. Jackson turns to look up at the mountain.
He can’t see any monster-men.
Jackson turns to Rosey.
JACKSON
Are you alright?
ROSEY
I think so.
Are you alright?
ROSEY
I think so.
He looks up.
One of the trail marking ribbons is hanging from a branch.
Jackson struggles to his feet.
JACKSON
C’mon, let’s get out of here.
C’mon, let’s get out of here.
He helps Rosey up and they continue on.
Jackson and Rosey rush by on the slippery slope.
They’re still running.
EXT. MOUNTAIN LAKE 2-- NIGHT
Jackson stops short and Rosey runs into him. He can’t believe what he sees.
There’s a pond in front of him. Trees are growing out of it.
He’s dumbfounded and walks a few steps into the water. Rosey runs up behind him. He extends his arm to stop her.
JACKSON
Stop.
ROSEY
What’s wrong?
JACKSON
This isn’t supposed to be here.
ROSEY
Dad, none of this is supposed to be here!
Stop.
ROSEY
What’s wrong?
JACKSON
This isn’t supposed to be here.
ROSEY
Dad, none of this is supposed to be here!
They HEAR something behind them and turn to the SOUND.
They’re looking up, anticipating the worst.
The monster-men are coming down the mountain.
Suddenly they are standing under a harsh white light. They whip around.
The flying saucer is hovering over the lake, illuminating the water with its glow and its spotlight.
Jackson turns to Rosey, grabs her, and throws her into the water.
Rosey comes up sputtering, shivering.
Jackson steps up and yells.
JACKSON
Swim like hell to the other side, darling. I’m going to hold them off as long as I can.
Swim like hell to the other side, darling. I’m going to hold them off as long as I can.
Branches crash behind him. He swings his rifle around and fires. He throws the bolt back, pulls the trigger, and nothing happens. He’s out of bullets.
Rosey watches horrified from the water.
Rosey’s POV: Jackson flips the rifle around and readies it to swing.
A monster-man lands in front of him. Jackson looks up. The creature is at least 9 feet tall, its muscles bristling across its broad human-lizard back.
Jackson’s POV: Monster-man’s head moves from side to side as it studies the puny man below him.
Monster’s POV: Jackson, out of focus with a UV distortion, is sweating bullets, his body cocked to swing the rifle.
JACKSON
Come and get it, you sad excuse for a monster.
Come and get it, you sad excuse for a monster.
Monster-man snarls, baring its teeth, and leaps.
Rosey’s POV from the middle of the pond: Jackson never had a chance.
Rosey sees this and can’t move. Suddenly, she’s under the bright light of the spotlight. She looks up.
The saucer is right above her and a circular hatch under its body is opening.
Rosey turns, and crying, swims like hell.
Two monster-men jump into the water.
Rosey looks back.
The monster-men are swimming toward her underwater, their wakes betraying their presence.
Rosey turns and swims as hard as she can.
The saucer’s circular hatch is nearly open.
The monster-men wakes are closing in on Rosey.
Rosey screams under the harsh light. One of the bastards has her boot. She twists around and kicks at the hidden creature. She goes under.
She pops out of the water, gasping.
A “tractor beam” emerges from the bottom of the saucer.
Rosey swims into a fast flowing current.
The current carries her along.
Rosey HEARS RAPIDS. She’s terrified.
The water is rushing over a cliff.
She tries to swim out of the current
But the tractor beam has engulfed her.
Rosey begins to rise out of the water under the power of the tractor beam.
EXT. WATERFALL-- NIGHT
Rosey, screaming, arcs across the sky as the water takes her over the edge.
She’s floating in mid-air for a moment as the tractor beam tries to pull her up but it loses its grip.
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD-- NIGHT
Rosey bellyflops on a mountain road with water cascading all around her.
The water continues to roll across the road and over the side. Headlights appear.
The headlight beams move across Rosey’s prone body. Bruised and semi-conscious, she looks up.
A Lincoln Navigator comes into view and stops. We HEAR the door open.
Rosey sighs and starts to smile before letting her head fall back to the pavement. PULLING SLOWLY AWAY, we HEAR the driver walking toward her and then stopping. Rosey looks up again and this time we see a reptilian foot next to her head. Rosey screams.
BLACKOUT.
And the scream echoes across the blackness.
--END--
Screenplay by D.C. Copeland
Registered with the WGA.
Other screenplays by D.C. Copeland: 5th Street, Bad Presents, Crown Jewels, High School Reunion Massacre, Lucky Bastard! A Family Film, Nokosee, Once Upon A Time In Harlem, Save the Children, Tree!, Victoria Parke, Yahoo!
Registered with the WGA.
Other screenplays by D.C. Copeland: 5th Street, Bad Presents, Crown Jewels, High School Reunion Massacre, Lucky Bastard! A Family Film, Nokosee, Once Upon A Time In Harlem, Save the Children, Tree!, Victoria Parke, Yahoo!