SCENE 1 - EXT - NIGHT - THE CORPUS CHRISTI BAYFRONT
- This scene will serve to introduce OSCAR and RITCHIE, two friends who meet up, apparently ready to to head downtown to grab some drinks at the bars. RITCHIE pregames, sipping a beer from a paper bag, while OSCAR drinks hot tea or coffee from a mug. Both are and sitting on the seawall or a bench by the waterfront.
OSCAR is quiet and seemingly distracted, RITCHIE is loud and boisterous.
- OSCAR brings up the question of whether evil is a thing that can truly be confronted and destroyed, or simply part of the human psyche. The question leads OSCAR to tell an old story from his families' past...
SCENE 2 - EXT - DAYTIME/EVENING MAGIC HOUR - THE BORDERTOWN OF ARIDO
- Over OSCAR'S narration, we learn that the town has been threatened by the appearance of a supernatural evil that manifested itself through a series of gruesome murders at the hands of upstanding citizens and the subsequent appearance of strange, half-glimpsed creatures at night. The mayor has declared that the forces of Satan have descended upon them, and the priest has retreated into his church, where he hasn't been seen in weeks. The citizens are desperate for help and turn to a local Karankawa tribe, who have related stories of a mysterious stranger who has helped them with such problems in the past. THE SENTINEL is introduced as he glides in slow-motion in towards the shore as he stands in the center of a dugout canoe, a white man with piercing eyes and an unblinking stare, flanked by the tall, proud Karankawa warriors and their 6-foot tall cane bows.
- He steps off, and from a large sack removes a severed and bleeding coyote head and tosses it to the tribe. They catch it, eyes wide in shock and fear. THE SENTINEL says something to them in their language, short, evenly delivered instructions, and they nod their fearful assent and quickly retreat in their canoe.
- As the town gathers around this new stranger, most are afraid of him, but a young HECTOR, age 8, looks at him with interest.
- THE SENTINEL quickly surmises the situation, then says he must get to work immediately. He confirms that a great evil has seized upon the town. He asks for quarters and a place to prepare. He looks toward a twenty-foot tall cross atop a hill overlooking a graveyard, and mutters to himself, 'yes, that will serve us well.' He looks at the rising moon and tells them time is short; the evil must be cleansed before the moon rises full, only a few days away. When the town mayor asks why, a sidelong, silent glare from the SENTINEL ends any further questioning.
Scene 3 - INT - NIGHT - THE SENTINEL'S QUARTERS IN ARIDO
The SENTINEL prepares for battle, shadowboxing with a strange sword and preparing strange potions and elixers by flickering candelight. Peering into the tent is young HECTOR, who offers to help as the SENTINEL's squire. The SENTINEL initially dismisses the boy, but eventually is convinced that the boys knowledge of the town and its people will be valuable. To be truely useful to him, however, the SENTINEL offers the boy a tea made from the twisted mushrooms of the deepest corners of some foul forest, and other strange ingredients. This potion will temporarily imbue the boy with 'The Sight', the ability to see the evil that lurks in and around men, and other supernatural menaces. He drinks the tea, and as the SENTINEL continues to prepare HECTOR begins to see strange lights and visions.
Scene 4 - EXT- NIGHT - THE TOWN OF ARIDO
As the pair walk through town, toward the church, the SENTINEL warns the boy of what he will see. He tells him that the evils of men will now be visible to him, as strange goblins or demons (think the creatures from THE GATE) perched on their shoulders, clinging to their backs, or slinking alongside them as they walk, barely visible in the shadows. Sure enough, the boy sees them, strange creatures that glow a strange blue color, with large eyes that reflect the light like a cat. He sees them on Mr. Reisher, the man widely known to have killed his wife, and on Senor Torno, a local loan shark known for shady business connections. As the fearful townsfolk gather, HECTOR sees the little gremlins running and coursing about their feet, jumping onto their backs when they can get a hold.
The SENTINEL makes a bold speech to the town warning them that their souls lie in the balance, but that the evil that holds them lies within the church and can be defeated. He promises to find the root of this evil and free them or die trying. Together, he and young HECTOR enter the church.
Scene 5 - INT - NIGHT - THE OLD CHURCH ON THE HILL
The pair enter the church; to Hector's vision, a grim evil red or green light flows from the church and the area is covered in an evil mist. As they enter he watches, transfixed as THE SENTINEL combats and slays evil demons with his seemingly magical sword, all relayed in a slow motion montage narrated by OSCAR. The pair fight their way to an old iron door, and breaking through it find dank stairs leading to a dark cellar.
At the bottom they find the OLD PRIEST, a poor broken shell of a man, overcome by an evil that seized the town he loved so much and was too weak to confront. Without ceremony the SENTINEL seizes the OLD PRIEST, declaring that an end must be put to the town's suffering. HECTOR points out, though, that the OLD PRIEST has no visible demon upon him, and that HECTOR knew him as a good and just man.
THE SENTINEL laughs bitterly, and states that 'evil doesn't work the way people want it to; there isn't some grand monster that can be slain to drive away sin...evil is attracted to the hearts of men, and the hearts of men are swayed by what they believe. So I've learned to give them what their heart craves to free themselves of their evil, their guilt. It's the same for the Indians, the same anglos up North, the same here. The gods may differ, but the hearts are the same. You'll come to see this is true.'
As he delivers this speech, however, he begins to act strangely, making vaguely dog-like actions (growling between words, licking lips, moving strangely), and is finally overcome by it, falling to the floor.
A terrified HECTOR asks what is happening, as The Sentinel retreats to the shadows, partially bathed in the light pouring in through the window from a now-full moon. He cries 'I told them this had to be finished before the full moon! I have run out of time. In my travels I have fought many battles against evil....and not all have I won. This is a demon I must face alone. You have the Sight now boy, and the means to use it. You must finish what I have started. You know what to do!'.
With that, the Sentinel emerges from the shadows, to HECTOR's eyes fully transformed into a wolf, and bolts through the door, knocking over a lantern as it runs away, starting a fire that quickly builds to a blaze. The boy helps the preacher up, and the pair flee the building.
Scene 6 - EXT - NIGHT - THE TOWN OF ARIDO
HECTOR and the OLD PRIEST wander down from the burning church to stand before the shocked townsfolk. The OLD PRIEST wordlessly falls to his knees, overcome, and grateful to the young boy who saved him.
But HECTOR, minding THE SENTINEL's words, bellows to the town an impassioned speech laying the blame upon the OLD PRIEST, accusing him of killing the valiant SENTINEL with evil magic, and of being possessed by a vengeful demon. SACRIFICE is demanded!
The townsfolk, incensed by the boy's words, quickly tie the terrified OLD PRIEST to the cross, and light it ablaze. The result is a truely horrifying scene in which the poor old man is burned alive. As HECTOR watches, the demons visible only to him release their various grips on the townsfolks, and slink away into the shadows at the edge of the flames, and are not seen again.
SCENE 7 - EXT - NIGHT - THE BAYFRONT OF CORPUS CHRISTI
And so OSCAR finishes his tale, asking again whether RITCHIE believes that evil can truely be confronted and destroyed. When RITCHIE balks and tries to turn to lighter conversation, OSCAR presses the point, saying that, 'This is important, because the gift of the Sight has been passed down through my family, father to son, for 5 generations, and we have fought the evil we find in the world ever since. And that is what has brought me here tonight, because I can see the evil within you.'
At that point, he puts down the cup of tea he has been drinking, and we see that strange mushrooms are floating inside it. He stands over RITCHIE, who suddenly realizes the situation has turned deadly serious. As the camera slides over, looking at RITCHIE from over OSCAR's shoulder, we see that a strange glowing demon with reflective eyes sits atop RITCHIE's shoulder.
'I know you killed her, Ritchie. I know you killed Pam. Your own sister. I can see the evil in your soul. I can see your guilt.' With that, an enormous, ornate knife appears in his hand.
'No!' cries RITCHIE, terror in his eyes. 'My God, how can you say that?? None of us know how she died! I think about it every night, man! How can you..'
But with that, OSCAR slides the knife, in slow motion, direct into RITCHIE's guts. He pulls it out, then slides it in again, in extreme slow motion, capturing the beauty and serenity of this new sentinel's face, of justice in action, of the howling demon, of the bloody knife, entering again...
...the camera cuts abruptly away, and in normal time, we see no demon, no glory, just a fast paced, homicidal psychopath stabbing his best friend, over and over, more than twenty times, then unceremoniously dumping his body into the harbor a few steps away.
As he walks away, the camera pans down from a beautiful image of the Corpus Christi skyline, bold and beautiful, as RITCHIE narrates something to the effect of...
'There may still be evil walking the streets of this town, but as long as I, and someday my child, continue this fight, and make use of Sight, evil will have no place to rest in the hearts of men...'
At that point we pan down from the skyline to RITCHIE's back, walking toward the city, and see a strange glowing blue creature attached attentively to his back.
:: FADE OUT::
