Transition from menu to intro - eye blinks. When it opens, we zoom on it, and it no longer reflects the city skyline - instead it reflects the outside of the Verlac home, and by zooming in that's where we transport to. In the lower half of the screen, the following letters fade in - "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. --H.P. Lovecraft" - and then fade out. We zoom in on the dining room's window, and see a silhouette doing something... PLACE - the Verlac house, downstairs, Dining Room Close up on Edward Verlac. His face is puffy, and his eyes reddish, like he's been crying about some dreadful business. There's a kind of dreadful resignation on his face. We can see, just barely, that he's occupied with something - his face also betrays it's deadly importance. Close up on his hands - he's loading the shotgun. VERLAC - No more... no more... there's no other way... damn it! The "damn it" concides neatly with the click of the shotgun being readied, and we zoom out for a near-global view of the room. Near-global means the camera is centred on him, but we only see him from the waist up. He just stands there, for a minute, and cocks his head slightly, as if he's listening to something else. We see him ready to give in to whatever he's being told, but then he violently shakes his head from side to side, in terrible negation. When he speaks, his voice is not as frail as it was, nor as weepy, but still as confident. VERLAC - No! It's enough! We're all damned, every last one of us. He can't return, if there's no one to return to! He darts towards the door. Global shot of main hall. We see him coming from the dining room, and up the stairs. Close up on his climbing feet. He starts off in a hurry, but as he goes he looses speed. However, is footing is still as sure as it was. Close up on a door, so that we see about the top three-quarters of it. We also see the dorrknob. From behind the door we hear Julia gently lulling the baby to sleep. We also hear, much closer and getting closer still, Edward's footsteps. They halt as he arrives at the door - still we don't see him. But we hear him, and his voice is devoid of everything except love, love for everything that he's about to leave and sorrow for what he's been forced to do. VERLAC - I'm sorry, Julia. But whatever comes after, I swear, I'll be there for you. With you. And it'll be me. Finally, it'll be just me. JULIA (from behind the door, merrily, but with a hint of worry in her voice) - Edward? Is that you? We hear Julia saying to the child JULIA - Sleep tight, honey. And remember how much mommy and daddy love you. just as we see Edward's hand (and arm) reaching for the doorknob, and opening the door. As the door opens, we clearly see Julia's stopped talking and is kissing the child's forehead. Then she looks up, smiling, and moves toward Edward. She is halfway there, asking him if everything's all right, when she notices the gun in his hand. Her face fills with horror and fear, and we close up on the child, looking at the mother. We're looking straight at the child in her bed (I disremember how old she was, originally. Let's make her fourteen), facing her. We see her opening her eyes (she was ready to go to slee), and then looking towards the right, from whence we see a flash and hear a thump. We hear the child scream in fear, but it is short - the scream stops at the same time we hear another report, and the whole screen goes white. CUT TO PRESENT DAY Close up on Mike and Laura's car, facing them. Laura's staring at mike, who's driving. LAURA - He what?! MIKE - Yeah, I also reacted like that. But think about it, isn't it wonderful? Just when we're looking for a home, someplace to settle down, BANG, some distant cousin twice removed, or something, who I didn't even know existed, decides to off himself. And naturally, as the only relative, I get the poor sod's house. Convenient. LAURA - Don't joke about it, Mike. (She looks at the road ahead) My god! How could he do it? MIKE - Well, he DID have a shotgun... (Glances at LAURA, who sighs in exasperation) Sorry, honey. They drive on in silence for a while. LAURA - What's the name of the town, again? MIKE - Anchorhead. We shouldn't take too long, now. They drive on in silence for a while. CUT to another perspective of the car - we see through Mike's window, from the outside to the inside, slightly diagonal so we can also see Laura) LAURA - This is going to be our home, right? MIKE (Glances at LAURA, worriedly) - Hon... LAURA - We ARE going to stay more than a month in this house, right? MIKE - Hon, let's not... LAURA - It's not like it'd be a first. I always said we should get us a trailer, that'd make moving so much easier. MIKE - There's no need to... LAURA (She explodes, and fully faces MIKE) To WHAT, Michael? There's no need to WHAT? There's no need for me to tell you I''ve had enough of moving in and moving out? There's no need for me to tell you the past five months have been just a succession of houses and town and places and people with no meaning whatsoever? There's no need for me to tell you I don't know how much more I can take? There's no need for me to say I'm TIRED, Michael? Towards the end, she's started weeping. As she finishes, she looks at him awhile longer, and then faces the road again. She fishes a kleenex out of the car's glove compartment, and cleans her face with it. MIKE (in a "reasonable" tone, and looking straight at her, occasionally glancing at the road in order to drive) - I know it's been hard, hon. But this is the last time. I swear. I've got a good job proposition, here, and from what that agent told me, it looks just like the place for me to finish that novel. She doesn't answer, but her face's softening. We close up on her. MIKE - We've had some hard times, and I'm sorry, but... this is the place. I know it. I feel it. We can be happy here, Laura, and I'm telling you we will. Laura starts to smile, and looks at Mike.) MIKE - Mike... But then she stops, and looks surprised. We close up on MIKE, who is gazing forward, at the road, and right into the camera. He seems to be almost in a trance, but not quite. His voice has grown paused and disconnected. MIKE - It's going to be all right now. We're coming home. We're really coming home. LAURA (alarmed) - Mike? Michael, are you all right? MIKE shakes his head briskly, and looks at Laura with semi-dazed eyes. MIKE - Hmmm? Sorry, honey, got a bit distracted back there. LAURA - It's okay. He looks back at the road. After a short while, we cut to the car's outside, seen in profile. We hear Mike's voice. MIKE - Hey, wait a minute! Is that a sign? The car slows down, and we see a sign post go by. MIKE - What did it say? LAURA - "Anchorhead, twenty miles". I think that's what it said, it was really old. Cut to the car's outside see by the rear. MIKE - Twenty miles. Hon, we're twenty miles away from our new life. LAURA - (ater a pause) Step on it. The car speeds up, and it disappears at the top of the screen. ********************************* The screen fades to black. In the darkness, the following letter fade in, in white - THE FIRST DAY and then, the following letters fade in, also in white - I was far from home, and the spell of the eastern sea was upon me. -- H.P. Lovecraft ********************************* Everything fades out. Then the first room fades in, already raining and with the use interface visible. We hear a car approaching, then breaking. We hear a car door open and close, the sound of an umbrella opening, and then the scene changes to a dialogue-style screen - the frame, the "sketchy" look. We see Mike in the car, looking out at Laura, who is standing in the rain with her umbrella open. One of Mike's hands is on the steering wheel, the other isn't visible - his elbow is, though, sticking out of the open window. Laura just stands there, looking at Mike. The camera is position behind Laura's head, so we see Laura on the right, Mike on the left lower than Laura. We see some of the car, in profile, but not all. All dialogue in this place, like in other dialogues, is to be sierra-style. MIKE - That's the real estate agent's office over there. I hope. All these streets look the same. Hon, I've got to get to the university real quick, ok? I won't be long, just check in, report to duty, salute a couple of big guys, and be back before you know it. In the meantime, hon, you go inside and take care of business... LAURA - Are you sure you gave me all the papers? MIKE - Pretty sure. But I don't think Mrs. Benson will be too formal. We already covered all the technicalities yesterday on the phone. Basically, you just go up, prove you're my wife, and get the house keys. If she insists on having more ID, you could always show her the big "M" you've got branded in your right thigh. If that doesn't prove your my wife, nothing will. LAURA You haven't "branded" me yet, Mike. Your iron didn't get that hot yet. MIKE - Guess I'll have to try harder, huh? Is the lady available tonight? LAURA - I don't know. I guess we'll find out, mr. Cowboy. Pause MIKE - Well, this cowboy has a real rodeo waiting for him. I'll just ride away into the sunset, shall I? LAURA - Be my guest. MIKE - Later, honey. I love you. I love you too, Mike. BEGIN THE GAME