Page 48

PETERS (CONT’D)

…Science has also found that certain brain activities are enhanced in accordance with the lunar calendar, causing some individuals to be driven crazy. Although there have never been any cases of real ‘werewolves’ per se, several cases of lycanthropy ended in the trial and conviction of these diseased individuals.”

PETERS stares for a second, then lets out a LAUGH. He lets out another, and then breaks into a hysterical giggle. He rests his head in his hand:

PETERS

What the hell am I doing?? Reading about werewolves? It’s settled, I’m officially fucking nuts…

His smile fades as he squints and looks closer at the computer screen, where he has scrolled down to a drawing of a woman that appears to have an uncanny resemblance to LUNA standing next to an image of the animal almost identical to the one he saw. The room is completely silent as he stares for a matter of seconds, when the silence is broken by a deafening RINGING.

PETERS jumps in his seat, grabbing his chest and knocking over LUNA’S files as the phone continues to ring. He grabs it frantically:

PETERS

YES, what is it? Yeah… Uh huh… SHE WHAT? I’ll be right there! Give me five minutes…

He SLAMS the phone back on the hook, and rolls his chair back so he can pick up the mess on the floor. As he begins replacing the papers back in the file, he stops abruptly and draws closer to two overlapping items on the ground. The photo of the leg wound LUNA had received has fallen right on top of the medical reports purporting the incident to be ‘an animal attack.’ He stares for another moment, shoves the items into the folder, and then JOLTS out the door in a hurry.

Page 47

The door to the STUDY BURSTS open. A sweaty and frantic PETERS jumps into his seat and hits the button to turn his computer on. As the system boots up, he wipes his face with both hands. He flips through his notes and reports aimlessly, not even sure what he is looking for.

PETERS

(to self)

Keep it together… God, I must be fucking losing it!

The computer screen finally loads, and he scrambles to find a suitable search engine. The scene evolves into a montage of PETERS searching through the internet for different species of wolf located in the area, to no avail. After which he looks through several information pages on wolves, trying to match the animal he saw with a picture online. Again, no luck. He finds pictures that have similarities to the animal he came across, but nothing compares to the sheer size of the beast. The montage ends as PETERS comes up with a page entitled “Lycanthropy:”

PETERS

What’s this, some college kid’s book report?

(begins reading out loud to self)

“The Lycanthrope’s Curse: Though once thought to be demonic possession or black magic, modern science has found that Lycanthropy, like many Medieval diseases of the mind, is simply another form of schizophrenia. A person suffering from the disease believes he or she is ‘transformed’ or ‘reborn’ by the moon, causing them to change shape into what common folklore has termed a ‘werewolf’ (Lykoi- Greek for wolf, thropos- for “man”)…

As he reads, he scrolls down through the page, which contains several colorful pictures and diagrams of werewolves and the lunar cycle.

Page 46

As PETERS rounds an unexpected turn through the trees, the tape recorder slides off of the dash onto the floor. PETERS DIVES quickly to pick it up, trying not to take his eyes off the road for more than a second. He lifts his eyes back to the HIGHWAY to see a huge gray and silver WOLF the size of a man dart into the middle of the street. PETERS’ entire body stiffens and he braces himself against the back of the seat, slams on the brakes, and anticipates an impact:

PETERS

FUCK! SHIT! FUCK!

PETERS JERKS the steering wheel to the left, and then violently to the right. The WOLF darts into the trees on the opposite side of the HIGHWAY. The SUV fishtails uncontrollably, but luckily does not overturn. PETERS sits frozen, turned completely backwards on the street, gasping for breath as the smoke from the screeching tires rises through the headlights.

CUT TO:

OVERHEAD SHOT

The camera reels upwards from the SUV, revealing an endless black forest surrounding the car. Smoke continues to rise from the black tire marks on the pavement. It is silent. Suddenly, another deathly HOWL breaks the silence. The SUV begins moving again, fast.

EXT. GAS STATION -- MOMENTS LATER

The GAS STATION is cold and deserted, lying on the outskirts of the city. PETERS’ SUV pulls up and skids to a stop in front of one of the pumps.

PETERS jumps out and rushes to the pump, slides his credit card, and then starts pumping. His eyes dart back and forth, surveying the forest on the opposite side of the HIGHWAY. The road is eerily silent, broken only by the clicking of the pump. A RUSTLING causes PETERS to JUMP, but he takes a sigh of relief as a RABBIT hops onto the shoulder.

As the pump abruptly finishes, PETERS takes no time hoping back into the driver’s seat and speeds off.

INT. PETERS’ STUDY -– NIGHT

Page 45

As he pockets the possible piece of evidence, he is startled as the quiet of the forest is broken by an unearthly HOWL only a short ways off. Within seconds he is back crossing the gravel lot to the car. After stepping in then quickly closing the door, he pauses, and then reaches over into the glove compartment. PETERS extracts his small personal tape recorder, and places it on the dash. He starts up the motor once again and heads back to the HIGHWAY.

EXT. HIGHWAY –- MOMENTS LATER

There are no street lights this deep into the forest, so PETERS cranks up the high beams. He places another cigarette between his lips but does not light it. The road winds back and forth through the gigantic trees. He reaches for the tape recorder, presses ‘record,’ then sets it back on the dash, never taking his eyes off of the road:

PETERS

(into the recorder)

I’m at a loss for words… Everything fits into place perfectly between the samples they found in the woods and Luna’s description of the murder site… But she is so sincere in her belief that she is innocent…

CUT TO:

ANIMAL VISION

An ANIMAL looks down from a hill on the side of the HIGHWAY. It sees PETERS’ vehicle quickly approaching, and crouches beneath a tree…

CUT TO:

PETERS

PETERS

…I can’t help but feel sorry for her, but I am convinced it is her committing the crimes… I just can’t figure out… crap!

Page 44

The hike to the murder site is shorter than PETERS had anticipated, located only several hundred yards from the parking lot, but tucked away in a small valley just out of earshot from the campsites across the park. As he starts down the sudden drop, he catches his foot on a root and loses his balance. Reaching out into the darkness, he

steadies himself on a large boulder. PETERS stares at it momentarily, and remembers it from LUNA’S descriptions. He enters the site cautiously.

Crossing the police tape, he walks around the remnants of a small campfire and squats next to it. He monitors the surroundings, and gauges the distance between the rocks and where the couple would have been sitting. Due to the amount of foliage shrouding the hillside, it would have been nearly impossible to see anyone closing in from a distance.

PETERS locates the flags marking the footprints and blood trail of the victims. He follows the path used in the second victim’s attempted escape, and notes that it is identical to the movements described by LUNA. The description was accurate even down the clawed earth on the hillside, information that would never have been made available to the press. He continues to scour the landscape, in hopes of finding any possible clue that may have been overlooked by forensics.

Just before he begins to make his way back to the parking lot, he catches a glint of light reflecting off of something hiding beside the boulder in the light of the moon. Upon closer inspection, he realizes it is a tooth, the approximate length of his little finger. Always coming prepared, PETERS extracts a small plastic Zip-loc from his coat, and picks up the tooth. It is more than apparent that the tooth is not of human origin.

PETERS

(to self)

…This just gets weirder by the minute…

Page 43

INT. PARKING GARAGE –- NIGHT

Electronic beeping signals the alarm has been turned off in the tan SUV. PETERS reaches for the handle and steps into the vehicle. The engine ignites and he exits the GARAGE.

EXT. CITY SLUMS –- SAME TIME

PETERS drives through the hard streets of the city adjacent to the precinct. He passes STREET-WALKERS, VAGRANTS pushing their entire life’s belongings in grocery carts, and SUSPICIOUS MEN hiding in the shadows. A PIMP strikes a WOMAN across the face and pushes her against the wall of a strip joint. He continues to watch as the man is PUNCHED to the ground by the club’s BOUNCER.

PETERS

(to self)

Where’s a cop when you need one…

EXT. HIGHWAY –- MOMENTS LATER

He veers off onto the two-lane HIGHWAY out of town. The tall buildings immediately give way to even taller trees lining the HIGHWAY on either side. Given the limited amount of time left for him to work the case, PETERS decides to pay a visit to the scene of the second murder to compare the surroundings with those LUNA had described during her hypnosis session. Peering up at the sky, he casually notices the three-quarters-moon rising against the contours of the treetops.

CUT TO:

EXTERIOR SHOT

The camera sits on the right shoulder of the highway as the SUV thunders past. To the right is a large brown sign:

“ELFIN NATIONAL FOREST US
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Help Prevent Forest Fires!”

EXT. WOODS –- MOMENTS LATER

The SUV pulls into the gravel parking lot, skidding to a stop, and then turns its lights off. PETERS exits the vehicle and lights a smoke. He tugs up the collar on his coat against a strong wind, then enters the WOODS.

Page 42

PETERS

Why wasn’t I informed? SHIT! Look, you’ve got to get me more time!

MORRIS

I didn’t make the call; it is out of our hands now.

PETERS

LISTEN!

MORRIS motions for PETERS to follow him into his office. He closes the door behind him and takes a seat while PETERS remains standing.

INT. CHIEF’S OFFICE –- SAME TIME

MORRIS

I’ve listened to you, now you listen to me. You have two days. After that, she’s going to court whether you are done with her or not. Shit, PETERS, you better promise me you aren’t becoming too attached to this “case” or I swear I’ll have you removed in a second! We need you working for us, not helping that lying bitch. We all ready have all of the hard evidence we need for this case; if it comes down to it, the DA can fabricate intent. After viewing the photos, there is no jury in the world that would release this woman back on the streets!

MORRIS pauses, and takes a long puff off of his cigar.

MORRIS

Two days. I suggest you get back to work.

PETERS

I’ll do what I can. But in the mean time, keep the DA off my back while I finish with her.

PETERS turns his back defiantly and heads out the door.