INT/EXT. HALLWAY/DOORSTEP – DAY 1
There’s a LOUD KNOCK at the FRONT-DOOR.
CHARLOTTE CHESTER enters the hallway, approaches the front door. She opens it.
DETECTIVE LAKE RUTHERFORD, back to her, turns to face her. He smiles.
LAKE
Mrs Chester?
CHARLOTTE
Yes, Charlotte Chester. Um… who are you? I wasn’t expecting —
LAKE
My name’s Lake. Lake Rutherford. I’m… a detective.
He tucks a circular device into his coat pocket, holds out a hand to shake.
Charlotte eases, shakes it.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY 1
LAKE stands by the fireplace, admiring the ornaments.
CHARLOTTE returns with a cup of tea.
CHARLOTTE
Here you are.
Lake takes the tea, inhales the steam.
The door slams in the hallway.
Charlotte turns, looks into the hallway.
WILL CHESTER (16) stops in the doorway. He is wearing headphones, loudly playing music.
CHARLOTTE
You alright, Will?
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY/LIVING ROOM – CONTINUOUS – DAY 1
WILL nods back to CHARLOTTE, melancholic.
LAKE leans into frame.
LAKE
Hi.
WILL
Who’s this?
CHARLOTTE
This is Detective Lake Rutherford. Lake, this is my son, Will.
WILL
A detective –?
LAKE
I’m here to make sure the police didn’t miss anything.
Lake smiles warmly.
Will raises an eyebrow.
LAKE
Great choice of music, by the way. Is that hip-hop? I love hip-hop.
WILL
(he scoffs)
Some detective. It’s electro.
Will heads upstairs.
WILL (O.S.)
Prick.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM – CONTINUOUS – DAY 1
CHARLOTTE turns to LAKE. He sniffs his tea, doesn’t drink it.
CHARLOTTE
Sorry. He’s still very upset about his father.
LAKE
Speaking of which —
CUT TO:
EXT. GARDEN – FLASHBACK – DAY X
CHARLOTTE puts out the washing.
Loud electronic music blasts from the opened window at the top of the house.
CHARLOTTE (V.O.)
It was just a normal Saturday afternoon.
Charlotte looks up at the window.
CHARLOTTE
For god’s sake, Will!
A beat. The music is lowered.
Charlotte looks into the kitchen window.
MARK washes up at the sink. They exchange a look, roll their eyes, amused.
Charlotte continues hanging the washing.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN – DAY 1
LAKE stands next to the kitchen table, looking down at the floor in front of the kitchen sink. He turns to —
CHARLOTTE, standing in the doorway. She stares past Lake.
CHARLOTTE
And then, my husband was murdered.
CUT TO:
EXT. GARDEN – FLASHBACK – DAY X
CHARLOTTE continues to hang washing. She glances at the kitchen window, sees —
A FIGURE in black stands behind MARK, holding a knife.
THE FIGURE SLASHES MARK’S THROAT —
CHARLOTTE
MARK!
Mark falls out of frame.
The figure remains standing —
Charlotte runs into the house —
The washing basket tips, falls onto the grass.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN – FLASHBACK – DAY X
CHARLOTTE bursts into the kitchen, looks down at the ground.
She drops to her knees, wails —
MARK’s body lies on the floor, his face streaked with blood.
WILL rushes in, halts…
Mark’s bloody hand falls limply to the floor.
Close on Will, horrified.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN – DAY 1
LAKE swallows, lowers his cup of tea.
CHARLOTTE approaches him.
CHARLOTTE
As I was running inside, my son was coming down the stairs. How did the killer just disappear and-and neither of us saw him?
Lake looks to the floor where Mark died. He scratches his chin, then approaches Charlotte.
LAKE
May I speak to your son?
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY/STAIRWAY – CONTINUOUS – DAY 1
CHARLOTTE listens from the bottom of the stairs.
WILL (O.S.)
What do you want?
LAKE (O.S.)
Just to talk.
CUT TO:
INT. WILL’S BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS – DAY 1
WILL sits on the edge of his bed, headphones around his neck.
LAKE meanders around the room, looking over the ornaments. He holds up his circular device in hand. It beeps quietly.
WILL
What’s that thing?
LAKE
You should’ve seen the killer making their escape, but you didn’t.
Lake glances up from his device.
Will stands up, defensive.
WILL
Look, I’ve already told the police — I was here and then I hear mum screaming. I rush down — she’s in the kitchen, and dad’s… dead.
LAKE
Do you believe she’s telling the truth?
WILL
(he shrugs)
Why would she lie?
CHARLOTTE enters the room.
CHARLOTTE
Why are you questionning my son, Lake?
Lake holds up the circular device.
LAKE
I needed to verify the results on my scanner.
Charlotte glances the device.
Lake pockets it.
LAKE
(a beat)
Your husband’s killer did not vanish into thin air. In fact… they never left.
Charlotte and Will exchange a look of unease.
Lake smiles.
LAKE
I’m not really a detective. Not in the conventional sense anyway.
(to Will)
I actually worked with your father.
CHARLOTTE
He never mentioned you —
LAKE
And I’m sure he rarely mentioned anything to do with his job. We’re part of a secret organisation that hunts alien sleeper agents.
WILL
Alien sleeper — what?
Lake withdraws a weapon from his jacket, holds it against his shoulder.
LAKE
Aliens, yes, just like… your mother.
Lake aims his weapon at her —
Will steps in front of Charlotte, pushes the gun away.
WILL
Mum, what’s he talking about?
(to Lake)
What are you doing? Why do you have a toy gun?
LAKE
It’s not a toy gun, it’s just disguised as one. Sometimes I have to go through customs. They ask less questions this way.
(back to reality)
I’m sorry, Will, but I suspect your mother discovered your father’s occupation and activated.
WILL
Activated?
LAKE
She’s an alien sleeper agent and she has been for at least ten months — learning everything about Mark and what he does. Her mission is to integrate, then destroy.
CHARLOTTE
(she scoffs)
What are you talking about?!
LAKE
The real Charlotte Chester is dead. This is just her shell, taken over by an alien life form in her brain.
Charlotte shakes her head, as if overcome by a headache.
LAKE
And now we know, the alien is reawakening.
CHARLOTTE
No!
LAKE
Mark was dead long before you realised, Will —
CUT TO:
EXT. GARDEN – FLASHBACK – DAY X
CHARLOTTE drops the washing basket on the grass. Her head dips – a green glow lights her face as she activates.
She looks up, robot-like — sees MARK at the kitchen window.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN – FLASHBACK – DAY X
CHARLOTTE enters the kitchen, eerily quiet, calculated.
MARK glances over at her, smiles. She smiles back, picks up a kitchen cloth as he turns back to the sink.
MARK
I turned up the temperature on the oven.
Charlotte pulls a kitchen knife from the wooden block.
She walks up behind Mark —
MARK
Should be done anytime now —
Charlotte slashes his throat — steps away.
A thud as Mark hits the floor.
Charlotte turns to her side, swallows the knife whole! Then heads outside —
CUT TO:
INT. WILL’S BEDROOM – DAY 1
LAKE lowers the weapon, away from WILL.
LAKE
She then went back outside and the alien created a fake scenario in her head, so she’d make a scene – loud enough for you and the neighbours to hear.
Will stands in front of CHARLOTTE – she convulses, struggles.
LAKE
Will, you need to trust me. The alien knows we know now… she’s gonna reactivate. Please step aside.
WILL
No. You’re lying —
Charlotte stands straight, awakened.
Will turns —
Charlotte shoved Will — he flies into Lake —
They tumble — Lake bangs his wrist on the edge of a desk, he cries out in pain —
Charlotte darts out of the room, robotic-like —
WILL
Mum?!
Will runs after her —
CUT TO:
INT. STAIRSWAY/HALLWAY – CONTINUOUS – DAY 1
CHARLOTTE runs for the stairs — jumps —
She lands on the hallway floor — runs into the kitchen —
At the top of the stairs, WILL halts in shock —
LAKE stumbles behind clutching his injured wrist, still holding the weapon —
LAKE
Will, you need to take this.
He hands the weapon to Will. They descend the stairs —
CUT TO:
EXT. GARDEN – DAY 1
CHARLOTTE approaches the shed, tapping her watch. She speaks into it —
CHARLOTTE
(in an alien language)
I have been compromised. Send an evacuation ship.
A voice from the watch:
WATCH AI (V.O.)
(in an alien language)
Signal sending. Ten percent.
Charlotte lowers her arm, turns —
WILL and LAKE rush into the garden. Lake holds his circular device in his uninjured hand.
LAKE
Shoot her, Will. If she sends that message —
Charlotte coughs up the knife! Points it at Will.
He looks on, horrified!
CHARLOTTE
You wouldn’t shoot your mummy, would you?
LAKE
She’s not your mum, Will. The real Charlotte died months ago.
Will sobs, raises the weapon.
WATCH AI (V.O.)
Signal sending. Thirty per cent.
Charlotte steps forward.
CHARLOTTE
Will… listen to me, baby, I am still your mother.
LAKE
No – she isn’t. Shoot her in the head!
CHARLOTTE
Don’t listen to him. He’s a fraud!
WILL
Did you kill dad?
WATCH AI (V.O)
Signal sending. Forty per cent.
Charlotte edges closer —
CHARLOTTE
Oh. You were ever such a disappointment.
She raises the knife, ready to slashes down —
LAKE
Will!
Will pulls the trigger! BLAM!!
Blood splatters Will’s face —
Charlotte’s body hits the ground —
The knife drops into the grass —
Will drops to his knees, devastated.
LAKE dashes toward Charlotte, removes her watch.
WATCH AI (V.O.)
Signal sending. Seventy per cent —
He drops it on the ground, crushes it underfoot. The watch groans, sparks.
Lake turns to Will.
LAKE
Great job, Will!
He sees the look on Will’s face, gives him an awkward pat on the shoulder.
LAKE
Trust me, I’ve been in your position before. One day, you’ll realise you made the right decision.
Will glances up, distraught, offended.
Lake takes a handkerchief out of his coat, hands it to Will while also reclaiming his weapon.
LAKE
You’ve got a little… something on you there. Just —
Lake points to his own face, then looks back at the body.
LAKE
I’ll leave you to… grieve.
Will stands, clenches his fist.
LAKE
Lovely to meet you!
He darts off, exits out of the gate. Sirens in the distance.
Will approaches the gate, stares out, haunted.
Police car lights flash across his face…
CUT TO BLACK.
THE END
Written as part of a filmmaking challenge for Sutton Coldfield Moviemakers. The challenge was to make a film with three lines from a comedy film. My chosen film was Shaun of the Dead (2004) dir. Edgar Wright. The lines chosen are: “It’s not hip-hip, it’s electro. Prick.”; “Well, I think we’re all agreed that you did the right thing there.”; and “You’ve got red on you.”
This script was shot in February 2023. Watch The Vanishing Killer below!
KYLE SIMMS 