the first 10 pages of

WASHED IN THE BLOOD

by
Steven J. Weller

Steven J. Weller
512 S. Hobart Blvd. #205
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(323) 799-8004
steven_weller01@hotmail.com

FADE IN:
EXT. MAIN HOUSE/BACK YARD - EVENING
BRITA, late 20s and lovely in a slightly exotic way, kneels
over a patch of freshly-turned earth about the size and shape
of a grave. She holds a heavy cast bronze plaque, but the
inscription isn't quite visible.
She places the plaque, face up, in a shallow depression at
the head of the plot. Sad but placid, she stands and dusts
off her gloved hands and the front of her pants.
Against the house - a handsome two-story Victorian - leans a
shovel, with some dirt still clinging to the blade. She
smooths over where she was kneeling, sliding loose soil and
snow over the plaque, covering it completely but not deeply.
A moment of silence, and she turns to the back of the
CARRIAGE HOUSE. An old wooden HUTCH built onto the wall
shows several bright-eyed RABBITS sniffing the chilly air.
Taking off her gloves, she reaches into one of the
compartments and takes out a RANDOM RABBIT, walking out of
view of the others with it cradled in her arm.
By the back door to the house, she turns the rabbit over onto
its back.
Her eyes now shining black, and
puts the rabbit's throat to her
trickling from the edges of her
rabbit kicks, briefly, and then

suddenly sporting fangs, she

mouth and bites, blood
lips and onto the snow. The
is still. She drinks.

INT. MAIN HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT

The blood-stained rabbit lies on the counter by the sink as
Brita - her eyes and mouth back to normal, save for a smear
of blood on her lips - pulls a cooking knife out of a block.
She efficiently chops off the rabbit's feet, tossing them
into a plastic food dehydrator next to several others,
already dried.
Just as efficiently, she skins and dresses the rest of the
carcass, ready for cooking. Flour and other ingredients are
already out on the counter.

2.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/DEN - NIGHT
Brita sits in front of an impressive computer monitor, a
dinner of fried rabbit, a baked potato, and some steamed
veggies on a plate next to the keyboard.
As she eats, she clicks through a series of photographs of
RENTAL HOUSES, each one tagged with words like "secluded" and
"private." It's an assortment; some very traditional, some
ultra-modern, but none show any neighboring houses.
She pulls an email forward on the screen, highlighting a
sentence that reads "one year from now." She changes it to
read, "six months from now" and hits send. Outside of the
window, snow quietly falls in the darkness of the forest.
Licking her fingers, she drops the last clean bone onto the
plate and clicks on a ChatPlanet icon. A full screen pops
up, with a grid of twelve video images. Ten show RANDOM MEN
and WOMEN wearing headset mics; two are blank.
Brita, with a big smile, slides on her own headset as she
clicks one of the blank boxes.
KATHY (V.O.)
...planned to get out of the-- Oh,
hey, Brita's here!
A few others chime in with friendly greetings.
SCOTT (V.O.)
Brita, how's it goin'?
Brita speaks with a very light, not-quite-identifiable
European accent.
BRITA
Hey, everybody. I'm good, Scott,
thanks. Didn't mean to interrupt,
Kat.
KATHY (V.O.)
No problem, Brita, good to see you.
SCOTT (V.O.)
Hey guess what, Bree? I'm gonna be
in Rome next week! We should get
together, do a Real Life.
BRITA
Oh, so sad, but I'm not in Rome
right now!

3.
SCOTT (V.O.)
Well, damn. Where are you?
BRITA
(with a chuckle)
Don't be a stalker, Scott.
As Scott starts to react - also with a chuckle - an alert
beeps and a box reading PRIVATE pops up under Kathy's feed.
Brita clicks it, and Kathy's picture expands to fill the
screen.
BRITA (CONT'D)
What's up, Kat?
KATHY (V.O.)
You're in a good mood tonight.
Brita raises her wineglass to her webcam.
BRITA
Top of the world.
KATHY (V.O.)
Y'know, I've met Scott, Real Life.
He's okay. I mean, he's not-BRITA
Oh, I know. Just messing with him.
Cool.

KATHY (V.O.)
So, where are you?

BRITA
Stateside for a while. It's a...
(her mood slips, a little)
It's a family thing. We back?
In reply, the full-screen image of Kathy shrinks back to
reveal the grid.
DOUG (V.O.)
...worth anything at all is
Manchester United-All of the other members - including Brita - respond,
virtually in unison.
BRITA
NO FOOTBALL!!!

4.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/DEN - MORNING
Brita, stretching and cracking her back, walks back into the
room with a mug of hot tea. Outside the window, the sky is
just starting to get light.
She sits back in front of the monitor, now silent, and closes
up a couple of boring-looking folders and tabs. She folds up
the headset and turns the computer off.
At the window, she looks out to the snow-covered forest,
admiring the tranquility of the view for a moment before
pulling the curtains closed.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/BATHROOM - MORNING
The mirror over the sink is empty, reflecting only the shower
curtain across the room. Brita's head comes up, her hair
pulled up in a scunchie and a foamy toothbrush in her mouth.
She brushes some more, then spits and rinses.
Wiping her mouth on a washcloth, she leans in and examines
her eyes in the mirror, then picks up a bottle of
moisturizer. She squirts a drop on a finger and dabs it on.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/BEDROOM - MORNING
Peeling back the heavy down comforter, Brita - now in
comfortable sleepwear - climbs into the big bed and pulls up
the covers. She reaches out to her alarm clock, checks the
setting, and switches it to ring.
Plugging in her iPhone and depositing it on the nightstand,
she clicks off the bedside lamp and snuggles in.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/DEN - NIGHT
Sitting on the couch in sweatpants and a tee-shirt, Brita
watches the local news with a bowl of cereal in her lap.
A loud knock at the front door catches her by surprise. She
puts the bowl down and grabs the remote, muting the TV as she
gets up. She looks confused, but not upset.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/FOYER - NIGHT
Brita looks out through the peep hole, still looking puzzled.
She opens the door.

5.
On the front porch stand JOSH and ANNA. Both in their mid20s, plain-looking and with conservative haircuts. Even
bundled up against the cold, Josh still looks a little pudgy.
Yes?

BRITA

ANNA
I'm so sorry we're so late! I
wouldn't have let Josh knock at all
but I could see that the lights
were on so we took a chance-JOSH
We had some trouble finding the
place, there's no Google Maps or
anything out here and I didn't have
GPS coordinates or anything... I
think we got turned around at least
a couple of times.
Anna tries to look past Brita into the house, but doesn't
seem to see what she's looking for.
ANNA
You're... Gertrude?
Brita, careful not to betray anything, puts on a smile.
BRITA
No, Gertrude is away at the moment.
There's an awkward moment as Anna and Josh look her over.
Josh notices the effect of the cold under Brita's thin teeshirt; Anna notices Josh noticing, and looks at Brita with a
little disdain.
JOSH
Well, look, we don't want to keep
you up or anything, so if you can
just point us to the guest
house...?
Brita makes the decision to bluff it out.
BRITA
Oh, my goodness, is that today?
Josh and Anna sigh with palpable relief.

6.
ANNA
Yes, it should have been this
afternoon, really, but Josh had a
hard time getting going this
morning-JOSH
And Anna insisted that we find a
church, so-ANNA
Well, I certainly wasn't going to
make the last leg of this journey
without asking for God's blessing-Brita leaps in, if only to slow down the torrent of words as
they all stand in the open doorway.
BRITA
No, of course not.
She steps out onto...
EXT. MAIN HOUSE/FRONT PORCH - NIGHT
Brita closes the door behind her, holding herself against the
cold. A car idles behind them.
BRITA
(pointing)
Pull in right past there and down,
the guest house is just around the
back. Just give me a moment to
catch up, I'll help you with the
luggage and-JOSH
That's awfully nice of you-ANNA
Oh, no need, ma'am, we can manage-Brita, back in control, puts on a warm and inviting smile.
BRITA
I insist. I want to make sure the
place is ready for you; I honestly
didn't realize that this was today.
ANNA
We hate to put you out, so late and
all--

7.
JOSH
If it's not too much trouble-BRITA
Not a bit. I'll meet you in front
in just a moment.
She turns back to the door and heads in.
JOSH
Thanks ever so.
ANNA
God bless you, ma'am.
She vanishes into the foyer, closing the door behind her.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/FOYER - NIGHT
Leaning against the door, Brita rolls her eyes as she
recovers from the onslaught of words. "What the HELL?"
She grabs a pair of boots and a coat from next to the door
and heads back into the house.
INT. MAIN HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT
The coat and boots on, Brita looks over a row of hooks on the
wall, with keys on marked rings. She pulls off the one that
reads GUEST HOUSE.
She rummages through a drawer full of assorted junk and comes
up with a flashlight, grabs a box of wooden matches from near
the stove, and heads out the back door.
EXT. GUEST HOUSE - NIGHT
The car, idling, sits facing the smaller structure, the
headlights illuminating the front of the building. It's very
similar in style to the main house, but somewhat newer.
Anna struggles with a large suitcase, muscling it to the
front door.
At the open trunk of the car, Josh sorts through the rest of
the bags without actually lifting any of them.
Brita stops short, seeing that the front door of the guest
house is standing open.

8.
BRITA
You already have a key?
ANNA
Yes, ma'am, Gertrude mailed it to
us along with the rental agreement.
The power's not on, though...
As she struggles with the heavy bag, Josh walks up with a
smile and a much smaller, lighter suitcase slung over his
shoulder.
JOSH
Oh good, you've got a flashlight.
Help me find the breakers?
BRITA
You two go ahead, I'll just be a
moment.
She heads to the back of the structure, disappearing into the
darkness.
Josh watches her go, for a beat too long.
AT THE BACK
In the bright round beam of her flashlight, Brita brushes the
accumulated snow and leaves off a weathered breaker box. She
opens the front and switches on all of the breakers. A
window lights up.
JOSH (O.S.)
That's the one!
BACK AT THE FRONT
Brita comes back around to find Josh finally carrying a
couple of suitcases, while Anna struggles with a clunky older
desktop computer and a CRT monitor. The keyboard starts to
slip out of her tenuous grasp.
ANNA
(a swear substitute)
Sugar!
Brita steps in, catching it before it falls.
Got it!

BRITA

ANNA
Thank you, ma'am.

9.
BRITA
"Ma'am," please, call me Brita.
Anna, a little reluctantly, struggles to get a hand up for a
handshake.
ANNA
Nice to meet you.
Josh, the suitcases deposited mere inches inside the door,
steps up and shakes Brita's hand before Anna can manage.
JOSH
Thanks ever so.
help. Josh.
And Anna.

'Preciate the

BRITA
My pleasure.

She leads the way in, headed for...

INT. GUEST HOUSE/MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
The compact kitchenette is open to the comfortably furnished
main room of the cozy little cottage. A couple of doors lead
off, to the bedroom and the bathroom.
Brita steps up to the apartment-sized gas stove, the box of
matches in hand.
BRITA
The pilot lights should all be out,
but give me a moment...
She props up the top of the stove and strikes a match,
lighting the tiny central flame.
She looks around the mostly-unfamiliar space.
BRITA (CONT'D)
The furnace is probably the most
important thing for tonight...
Anna deposits the computer on the couch, looking the place
over with a critical eye. Not quite disapproving, but
certainly in that ballpark.
Brita spots a narrow door, to a utility closet off the
kitchen space, and heads for it.
ANNA
So, Brita, are you the housekeeper?

10.
She kneels inside the doorway, striking a match to light the
pilot on the small furnace, and on the small water heater
next to it.
BRITA
(distracted)
No, Gertrude's my granddaughter...
Anna and Josh exchange looks.
it.

Only Josh sees the humor in

JOSH
Wow, you're really well-preserved.
Brita looks up at the two.
Hmmm?

BRITA

ANNA
You said that Gertrude is your
granddaughter.
BRITA
(covering)
No, I'm... she's my grandMOTHER.
I'm HER granddaughter.
Anna's still not happy - with any of it.
ANNA
And where did you say she is?
Brita puts the matches away and heads for the front door,
casually.
BRITA
I don't think I did. She's been
very ill recently; she's away
getting treatment so I'm looking
after the place for her. She felt
it would be best, with strangers in
the guest house, not to have the
main house empty. No offense, of
course.
Anna seems a little flustered by the suggestion.
ANNA
Well, she knows that we're good
Christian people--