Sero

WRITTEN BY HARRIOT BENTATA

 SCENE 1 1
The screen is black. It feels empty for a moment.

LISA (V.O)
Nothing prepares you for a day like that. They say
nothing can surprise you these days, but I can’t
agree with that anymore. Not after Wendy…
TITLE CREDITS SEQUENCE
-- Sharp shots of the vicar scribbling in his diary,
-- Candle being blown out
-- photos being taken
-- looking her up on the internet
-- looking at photos of her
-- wondering around the church
-- zoom in shot on binoculars
-- looking through binoculars shot.
EXT: THE PARK – DAY
WENDY is grabbing a coffee and walking towards Lisa. She sits
next to her on a bench/picnic table/table.
LISA (V.O)
Wendy. Brilliant, Generous, funny, kind, a little
naïve, but hopeful and sweet. Could drink a grown
man under the tale. We’ve known each other forever –
since school – One chemistry lesson sat next to each
other, and that was it. Bonded for life. People used
to think we were sisters.
Lisa’s voice over fades off as they have a real conversation.
WENDY
Hey Lisa how are you doing?
LISA
Oh, you know, living the dream.
WENDY
How’s work?
LISA
 2
Never mind that, how’s that man of yours, Father
what’s-his-face? I saw him just now. (she laughs)
WENDY
(laughing at the teasing) Don’t call him that! He’s
not my man and anyway we don’t call our vicars
‘Father’.
LISA (V.O)
In the past couple of months, WENDY became all
churchy. She had a bit of a breakdown last year and
she met this vicar when she was doing some sort of
group therapy. Now she spends all her spare time at
the church. He’s very ‘nice’ if you know what I
mean?
LISA
Wait so, what do you call him? Your worship?

WENDY
Don’t take the pee. He’s done a lot for me, really…
how’s the job going?

LISA
It’s going well actually, that contract came through
on Thursday and as long as that’s in order it should
get published in July… (the conversation fades out)

LISA (V.O)
The vicar was never really my cup of tea. I can’t
quite put my finger on it. A slightly odd man, weird
eye contact – but Wendy really liked him, and he
helped her work through a lot of things. He smells
of digestive biscuits, and church. It’s probably
just the God thing that bothered me, that preachy
tone. When I first met him he said, “If you change,
the way you look at things, the things you look at
change” and then stared at me for an unnatural
period of time. Weird. His congregation absolutely
 3
loved him though, didn’t set off any of their alarm
bells.

INT: CHURCH – DAY

Wendy is helping the vicar tidy up after a service – putting
the prayer books away etc.
WENDY
Lovely service today Andrew

VICAR
Thank you Wendy. You were actually the inspiration
for some of it.
WENDY

Really! Which part? No…don’t tell me, I don’t think

I want to know (laughs)
VICAR
Well, it wasn’t the part about the wickedness.
WENDY
That’s a shame, I’ll have to resolve my inner
wickedness another time! Not a bad turnout today,
our work in town has obviously paid off. Anyway, I
best be off. See you next week.

She accidentally leaves her scarf on the pew.

The vicar watches her walk out the door and takes photographs
of her all down the road.
INT: INTERVIEW ROOM – NIGHT
LISA (V.O)
I’d never have thought him capable, he was ‘nice’,
you know, a bit wet and feeble, but in a sort of
friendly, non-threatening way. But I suppose that’s
the point…to appear non-threatening.
INT: CHURCH – DAY 4
The vicar is in his office, seemingly doing some admin, but
when we zoom in we see that he is gathering his collection of
photos (of Wendy) and writing in his diary – he writes a
letter to himself “from Wendy”, he then scribbles it out and
then following that he writes letters to God – asking for
forgiveness.
He picks up her scarf that she left and holds it to himself.
He sniffs it and then opens the draw. He puts the scarf in the
draw, and we see some other items in there which he starts
flick through. (there in an array of weird things (possibly
instead of a shrine)
VICAR
Why are you doing this to me Wendy? I know you left
it on purpose. I know you want me to come to you.
God wants me to come to you. He wants me to lead you
to him, but it’s too soon Wendy, too soon. I will
pray for you.
He touches the scarf one last time, closes his eyes, takes a
deep breath, and closes the draw.
LISA (V.O)
The first time I noticed it I was driving past
Wendy’s house, and there he was, lurking, he was
taking photos through her window.
The camera snaps photos.
INT: INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT
LISA
I acknowledged it, of course it was weird, but I
thought maybe it was a favour, taking photos of the
house – I knew Wendy was thinking of putting the
house up for sale. It was just a fleeting moment as
I drove past.

But then there he was again.

Flashes of the vicar scribbling letters and diary entries.

 LISA (V.O) 5
And again. Wherever we went, we always happened to
bump into him.
More flashes of photos and Wendy’s items. Other shots of him,
near her car, outside her house (different clothes/times of
day). Lisa is at the window of Wendy’s house drinking a cup of
tea and she sees him walk past.

LISA (V.O)
I don’t know why it took me until that moment to put
the pieces together. Somehow I still couldn’t
believe it, I felt as though I was being
judgemental, I felt like I was harsh on him. I just
wanted to go and talk to him. Look him in the eye
and ask him why he was always there.

FINAL SCENE
INT: CHURCH – DUSK
Lisa is looking for the vicar, in the church to confront him
about leaving Wendy alone.
She texts Wendy.
“HEY, DON’T FREAK OUT. I’M JUST POPPING IN TO SEE YOUR VICAR.
WILL EXPLAIN LATER XXX”. (time stamp on message 9pm)

She goes to what she thinks is the office but when she opens
the door she stumbles across a shrine dedicated to Wendy.
It consists of:
-- sneaky photos of her
-- A used coffee cup with Wendy’s lipstick on.
-- a scarf
-- bags of unknown liquids
-- letters he has written to her
-- photos of her from school.
-- recent proper photos (i.e. not sneaky, but maybe with
Lisa cut off, or him stuck on…. one of her asleep in her
own bed (that could be the one that freaks Lisa out)
 6
She looks further around the space and finds a diary, the
inscription on the inside is “The diary of Eric Andrew
Porter”. Lisa is spooked.
LISA
(Whispered) Eric?

She opens the diary to the first entry, it reads:

VICAR (V.O)
“Dear God.
Thank you for Wendy. I have been so patient, but I
believed, and I knew that one day you would answer
my prayers and deliver her to me.
I have never shared my deepest desires, but I know
that you Lord, see everything. That you bring her to
me, knowing that I will bring her to you is a sign.
Wendy needs peace and soon she will know the warmth
of your eternal love.
Forgive me for what I must do to show her the light.

Your humble servant

Eric Andrew Porter
The Vicar”

Lisa slams it shut and gets her phone out. She walks down the
road, she tries to call Wendy, but she won’t answer, she
leaves a message “Wendy - pick up. Call me please!!”
She then texts:
“WENDY STAY AWAY FROM THE VICAR. DO NOT LET HIM IN TO YOUR
HOUSE –HE IS DANGEROUS– I’M COMING OVER RIGHT NOW. LOCK THE
DOORS UNTIL I GET THERE”. (Make sure to correct time stamp
messages)
INT: HOME – DUSK 7
An establishing shot of the outside of the house first. Her
phone is plugged in, and she doesn’t pick it up (so she
doesn’t get Lisa’s messages. She is in her pjs at the kitchen
sink rinsing out a glass. Shot from inside = dark window. Shot
from outside = him looking in to fully illuminated Wendy at
the kitchen sink.
Then she goes up to bed, maybe here’s a noise on the way up,
quick look outside but) see’s nothing. Next shot, he’s inside
in the hall. She’s going to bed , then she hears a noise. She
gets up to investigate.

She opens her bedroom door slowly, then she opens the door to
the spare room and no one’s there. She creeps up to the other
spare room door, and opens it. No one there, except we can see
that the vicar is right behind the door, (shot with them
literally standing next to each other with the door between
them) with his hand over his mouth, trying to stay quiet. (His
breathing is quite loud to the audience)
Wendy shuts the door and goes back to bed. She shuts her door
but stands next to it for a moment. He’s standing right
outside the door. She snatches the door open, but he is not
there. She almost laughs at herself. Satisfied nothing is
there she gets into bed.

Beat.
the vicar is standing next to her, he is still and silent.
Wendy wakes up and screams.

Lisa’s car pulls up outside.

VICAR
Don’t be frightened Wendy. I love you.

We see the vicar raise a knife (or an axe/a weapon) high above
his head.
 8
We see Lisa running out of her car and banging on the front
door while we hear the VO below – The picture fades out.
LISA (V.O)
I was too late; I was just too late. Deep breath.
Eric Porter. How did I not see it. He was such a
creepy little weirdo at school. Always following
Wendy about…
She looks away, looks like she’s going to cry.
And that’s the end of her story, but… that’s when I
started thinking…
What if she wasn’t the only one?
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR – PHONE CALL
Good evening Miss Fletcher, I’m investigating the
Wendy Clarke case, please do not panic we have
reason to believe you are in danger, lock your
doors, we have an officer on the way…

THE END

END CREDITS