SNUFF

by C. B. Ingles

FADE IN: INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT A man lies passed out on top of a made bed. He's fully clothed, including shoes. Lights are dim and the blinds are shut. A bright LED glow cuts through the darkness as a cell phone rings from across the room. The man stirs but does not wake up. The ringing ends and the glow fades. Silence for a moment then the ringing resumes. The man stirs again. This time he wakes. He sits up and look around. in pain. He stands up and holds his head

AVERY JORDAN God, what happened? AVERY JORDAN stumbles over to the source of the ringing. The cell phone sits on a small table. He picks up the phone and stares at the screen for a moment before tapping it and putting it to his ear. AVERY JORDAN Hello? Avery! Julia!? JULIA JORDAN(V.O.) Avery do what he says! AVERY JORDAN Julia, what's going on!?

DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Listen closely. If you want to see your sister alive, you must do everything I say. AVERY JORDAN Who is this? DISTORTED VOICE(V.O) Do not attempt to communicate with me. Say one more word into this phone and she dies. Now, next to where you got the phone there should be a blutooth earpiece. Avery retrieves the earpiece from the table and examines it. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Put it in your ear and turn it on. Avery complies and places the earpiece into his right ear. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Now place the cell phone in your pocket and don't remove it.

2. Avery slips the phone into his right pocket. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O) Ok, the door to the adjoining room is unlocked. Go into the room and wait for your next instruction. Avery walks over to the adjoining door and opens it. walks in. He

INT. ADJOINING MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Avery steps into the room. It is just as dark as the previous room. Two bound individuals sit in the darkness, one on each of the twin beads. Not enough light is present to make out any features. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O) Flip the light switch by the door. Avery walks over to the light switch and flicks it on. The room illuminates. He turns toward the bound individuals. Their heads are covered with sacks. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Remove the sacks from their heads. Avery walks over to the individual on the left and removes the sack. It is a man, his mouth duct taped shut. Avery's eyes widen. He shakes his head. No. AVERY JORDAN No, no, no, no.

DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Shut the fuck up! Avery walks over to the other individual and removes the sack. It is a woman, her mouth also duct taped shut. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O) Do not say a word to them. Avery's jaw hangs open. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) I take it you recognize your parents. No need for introductions. MR JORDAN and MRS JORDAN struggle against their binds. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Next to the television, across from beds you will find two digital camcorders.

3. Avery looks, sure enough, two camcorders sit on the dresser next to the television. Also on the dresser is a large knife. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) On the back of each camcorder you will find a red, record button. Turn the left one on first, then the right one. Avery walks to the dresser. He momentarily looks toward his parents before turning his attention to the camcorders. He looks behind the camcorders and takes note of the "record" buttons. He reaches back and turns on the left, then the right. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Ok. Now, pick up the knife next to the camcorders. Avery picks up the knife. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Now you have a very important choice to make. If you want your sister to survive, you must kill either your mother or your father. You make the decision, but one of them must die. Avery looks like he is about to be sick. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) If you fail to kill either your mother or your father, I will be forced to kill your sister. Avery looks at his parents. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) You have one minute. Avery paces back and forth in front of his bound parents. He stops in between them. He puts his hands to his head, wracking his brain. He stares momentarily at each of his parents. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Hurry up. He looks to his mother, then his father. Back to his mother. Again to his father. Mother. Father. Mother. Father. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Do it!

4. Mother. Father. Mother. Father. Mother. Father

DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Do it now! Avery leaps onto his father, pinning him to the bed. He takes the blade to his throat. Slice. Slice. Slice. Blood spurts from his father's throat. Slice. Slice. Slice. Blood everywhere. Avery sits up, straddling his father's lifeless body. stares, in shock, at what he has just done. DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Good. Avery stands up. Good. Trembling. Knife falls to the floor. He

DISTORTED VOICE(V.O.) Turn off the camcorder on the right. Only the one on the right. Avery complies. A few moments pass. slowly turns. CREAK. The handle to the motel room door

The door swings open.

A young woman, JULIA JORDAN, is pushed into the room. She's not alone. A MAN, dressed in white coveralls, has her in a headlock. His other hand is pointing a small calibre suppressed pistol at her head. His face is covered by a white respirator. Latex gloves on his hands. White booties cover his shoes. He closes the door with his foot. Let her go. AVERY JORDAN I did what you wanted.

The man looks into Avery's eyes. POP! He blew Julia's brains out. AVERY JORDAN No! The man lets Julia's body fall to the floor. He rushes Avery and jams the business end of the pistol under his chin. POP! Dead.

He removes the blutooth from Avery's ear and the cell phone from his pocket. He walks over to Avery's mother, careful not to step in any blood. He puts the gut to her head. POP! Dead.

5. He walks back to Avery and places the gun in his hand. He goes over to the camcorders. He takes the one on the left. The one that is still running. He walks to the door. across the carnage. He turns and pans the running camera The

CLICK. He shuts off the camera, and exits the room. other camera is left behind.

FADE TO BLACK. THE END