1317½ Chapter Five: Three Days

ACT I, SCENE I:  Introduction
It is a cold November morning.  Chris, Cami, Jason, Greg, Arps, and Scott sit in the living room of 508, extremely high.  The remnants of their rituals are strewn across the coffee table and floor.  No one talks.  They sit, silently, staring into space.

ACT I, SCENE II:  Upstairs
Cut to Johnson in his room, which was formerly Arps’.  Johnson is sitting naked on his bed, folding a sheet of paper in half.  And then in half again.  And again.  When it gets too small to fold, he discards it, where it falls in a pile of similar scraps.  He grabs a fresh   sheet of paper and repeats the process.

ACT I, SCENE III:  Downstairs
Cut to the Psycho Killer in the basement.  The Psycho Killer is standing, rolling a nice fat joint.  He drops it and the joint falls carefully into place, joining more joints on his newly rebuilt altar.  The Psycho Killer grabs a fresh rolling paper and repeats the process.

ACT I, SCENE IV:  A Change Of Reality
Cut to Chris sitting on the sofa, taking a whippit.  His eyes widen, drawing us in as lights flicker against the black backdrop of his pupils.  We flash back to the gang, taking hits in the kitchen.  Then Chris is suddenly floating in utter blackness.  He can see himself perfectly, but can see no light source.  The only sound is a low, vibrating hum.

ACT II, SCENE I:  Victims
Just as suddenly, Chris is back in the Psycho Killer’s realm.  The Psycho Killer is whispering words in Chris’ ear and Chris is understanding what must be done.  He looks up to see Johnson standing there.  In the background Deanna sits naked, folding paper like we just saw Johnson doing.

ACT II, SCENE II:  The Message
Chris realizes that he was wrong.  He didn’t understand what the Psycho Killer was telling him.  It was gibberish, the buzzing of ten thousand flies over the screams of tortured children.  He now knows the truth.  He had been forced to believe that the Psycho Killer’s mission was clear.  He was being groomed to aide the fiend.  But that could only mean one thing.  The Psycho Killer was in his head again.

ACT II, SCENE III:  THREE DAYS
Cut to Chris, now back from his hallucination.  We back out of his shiny pupils, quickly, almost violently, expelled.  Cami, Jason, Greg, Arps, and Scott are all in the exact position they were in prior to his vision.  Only now they’re somehow at 1317-1/2.  Chris, panicked, looks at his watch to see how much time has passed.      It’s been three days.

ACT II, SCENE IV:  Howdy, neighbor!
The camera exits the apartment and heads down the stairs, entering Donny’s apartment.  Donny’s not home, but the Psycho Killer is, tending to his shrine.

ACT III, SCENE I:  The Dead
The Psycho Killer looks up, smiling.  Crowded into one corner of the room, Deanna, Chi Chi, and Stuart huddle in fear, still bearing the marks of the violent demise.  The Psycho Killer giggles, and then his head shoots a glance to the ceiling.

ACT III, SCENE II:  Panic Attack
The camera shoots up through the ceiling, passing effortlessly through the wood like a specter.  The gang is freaking.  They’re disoriented, scared, and helpless.

ACT III, SCENE III:  Parting Shot
The gang sees a flash outside the window.  Too scared to care if it’s a cop, hoping it is if anything, they run; across the room to the front window.  Cami grabs the cord and rips open the blinds.  Chris, Cami, Scott, Jason, Arps, and Greg look down as Johnson and Donny look up, shuffling grotesquely onto the lawn and then disappear into the entryway.

12/31/03