Mitchwriting

INT. MASTER BEDROOM, PINNACLE HOUSE - NIGHT

Mitch wakes up. He is sweating and his breathing is strained. Tears run down his cheeks.

He turns to look for Rosie. She sleeps soundly beside him. Mitch sits up in bed and rubs the sweat from his brow. He touches his chest, feels his racing heartbeat.

INT. MASTER BATHROOM, PINNACLE HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Mitch walks into the bathroom. He rinses his face and neck and examines his pale skin in the mirror.

He puts his hand on his chest again, grimacing in pain. He takes two pills out of one of the prescription bottles and swallows them down without water.

INT. OFFICE, PINNACLE HOUSE - night

Mitch sits by the dim light of a desk lamp and types on his computer.

MITCH (V.O.)

Alex Ruger races his Ducati up a steep mountain passage, recklessly careening through the darkness.

ext. mountain road - night

ALEX RUGER, Mitch's fictional hero, rides his motorcycle up a steep, narrow road, leaning into the road as he makes sharp turns.

MITCH (V.O.)

The house appears at the end of the road, rising out of the trees as he approaches the gate.

Ruger rides through the iron gates in front of a large stone mansion. He parks his bike and removes his helmet revealing a strong jaw, piercing blue eyes and the slightest hint of silver hairs at his temples.

MITCH (V.O.)

He approaches the house and knocks authoritatively on the front door. It swings open, revealing the shapely curves of Diana Lumiere. Her dress catches the light from inside.

As the door of the mansion opens for Ruger, Shana Hartnett, dressed as the sultry seductress DIANA LUMIERE, stands in the doorway. The details on the inside of the house are lost in the darkness behind her shimmering dress.

diana

You're late.

Ruger

You're lucky I came at all.

DIANA

He'll be back soon.

Ruger

I'm strictly here on business. It won't take long.

Diana intentionally puts herself in Ruger's path as he steps inside. They slide past each other in the tight hallway. Ruger turns to face into the mansion.

INT. LIVING ROOM, PINNACLE HOUSE - NIGHT

Ruger and Diana are suddenly standing in the foyer of Mitch's house, facing into the clean white livingroom.

INT. OFFICE, PINNACLE HOUSE - NIGHT

MITCH

What? No! Concentrate.

Mitch closes his eyes and massages his temples.

MITCH (V.O.)

Ruger follows Diana's swishing hips down the darkened corridor toward the library.

int. lumiere mansion - night

Diana leads Ruger into a large two-story room. The walls are covered with bookcases. Long library ladders stretch up toward the heavy, wood beam ceiling high above.

Ruger

Your hubby has a quite a book fetish.

DIANA

Only for the expensive ones.

Ruger

I would have assumed that, based on everything else he likes to keep.

DIANA

See anything you like in the collection?

Ruger

What I'm looking for is quite rare.

DIANA

How does this one suit your taste?

Diana pushes an old book across the table toward Ruger. He keeps his eyes locked on Diana as he picks up the leather-bound edition. He opens to the center of the book and breaks his stare to look down at it.

On an aged page in the center of the book is the drawing of Pinnacle House lost in the swirling vortex with the foreign words scribbled around the edge.

INT. OFFICE, PINNACLE HOUSE - NIGHT

MITCH

Dammit! Map, Mitch. It's a God-damned map.

Mitch tugs at his hair. He takes a deep breath and shakes his wrists out. He continues typing.

INT. LUMIERE MANSION - NIGHT

The book in Ruger's hand now displays a hand drawn map. Ruger turns a few more pages and finds a wad of money stuffed into the book.

Ruger peers at Diana over the leather cover.

INT. LIVING ROOM, PINNACLE HOUSE - NIGHT

Ruger and Diana are suddenly both standing in the livingroom of Pinnacle house again. The book in Ruger's hand is the only trace of the library they were last standing in.

DIANA

You'll find everything you need right there.

INT. OFFICE, PINNACLE HOUSE - NIGHT

MITCH

Fuck!

Mitch lurches back in his chair, overcome by frustration. Rosie nudges the door open and pokes her head into the room.

MITCH

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up.

ROSIE

You didn't. I was having crazy dreams.

MITCH

You too, huh? What were yours about?

ROSIE

I was coming home with Ari, just like any other day. Only when we opened the front door, our livingroom wasn't on the other side, just this big emptiness. It was just white all around us. And then I saw you and we walked toward you, but the closer we got the more you faded away, until you were gone.

(beat)

Then when I woke up and you weren't there, I got a little freaked.

MITCH

I didn't go very far.

ROSIE

I just had to make sure.

Rosie gives Mitch a sad smile. He leans back in his chair and opens his arms to her. Rosie sits down and snuggles into his lap.

They sit a moment, holding each other.

ROSIE

What were you dreaming about?

MITCH

Oh, you know. I was on set and about to call action, when I suddenly realized that the DP didn't even have a camera and the actors hadn't read the script.

ROSIE

And then you remembered that you had a final to take in a class that you hadn't been to all semester, and when you got there you didn't have any pants on.

MITCH

You know the drill.

ROSIE

We'll probably be getting up this early when we're eighty anyway, right? So, what's the harm in starting now? Coffee?

MITCH

No thanks. I'm trying to cut back.

ROSIE

Will you at least come watch the sunrise with me?

MITCH

Sure.

Mitch closes his laptop and they both get up to leave.

MITCH

We might even get outside before Wesson today.