SINNER’S MOON Podcast Episode 4 - THE CRACKS THAT FORM
By
Frank Juchniewicz
Copyright: 2021 Frank Horror,
LLC
SINNER’S MOON PODCAST EPISODE 4 - THE CRACKS THAT FORM
SCENE 1: NO ONE TOUCHES THIS ONE.
SHE’S MINE.
INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT
NARRATOR
Torn from sleep by the ringing of the cell phone, Robin scrambles to gather up the fragments of her dream, but with each passing moment of the waking world taking root, she finds she’s left only with impressions in her mind: The mansion. Her roommates parading around naked with the musicians in some sort of unsettling ritual. Her inability to call out to them. And a mysterious woman whispering in her ear that she can’t help them...
SOUND: CELL PHONE RINGING
ROBIN
(GROANING SOFTLY)
Hello...?
BRIANNA (E.V.)
(UPSET)
Robin, thank God you answered. I tried calling a couple of times before you answered. I’m so sorry to wake you. I just...
ROBIN
Brianna?... What time is it?
BRIANNA (E.V.)
I’m really sorry. It’s late, I know. It’s just...
(A BEAT)
BRIANNA (E.V.)
Can you come get me?... I need help.
ROBIN
(SHARPLY AWAKE NOW)
What’s wrong?
BRIANNA (E.V.)
I need you to come get me. This isn’t fun anymore. I just... I want to come home.
ROBIN
Where’s Christine?
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 2.
BRIANNA (E.V.)
She’s not leaving. Can you just come get me, please?
SOUND: BED COMFORTER BEING SLOUGHED OFF. THE GROAN OF BEDSPRINGS AS ROBIN SITS UP IN BED.
ROBIN
Yeah, okay. Let me just get dressed.
BRIANNA (E.V.)
(ON THE VERGE OF TEARS)
Please, can you just hurry? I don’t want to be here anymore.
ROBIN
What’s going on, Brianna?
BRIANNA (E.V.)
The whole night’s freaking weird and Christine’s being a bitch. She got really mean with me, called me names. I’ll tell you the whole story in the car - please just get here.
SOUND: RUSTLING OF FABRIC AS ROBIN SLIPS INTO HER CLOTHES.
ROBIN
Okay, yeah. I’m on my way. I can be there in five.
BRIANNA (E.V.)
Thank you.
NARRATOR
At 3AM the bars have emptied out; everyone has settled in for wherever they intend to spend the night; the streets are deserted, especially the stretch of road on the outer edge of Cayuga Lake that parallels the cliffs. When Robin reaches Thorne Manor, she finds Brianna alone and loitering in the road at the mouth of the long driveway - as far from the mansion as possible. In her haste, Brianna has a hold of the door handle and hops in before the car barely even comes to a stop.
SOUND: CAR SLOWING TO A STOP. DOOR HANDLE BEING PULLED AND THE CAR DOOR OPENING TO LET IN THE SOUNDS OF THE NIGHT OUTSIDE JUST LONG ENOUGH FOR BRIANNA TO HOP IN. CAR DOOR SLAMS SHUT, MUFFLING THE NIGHT SOUNDS.
NARRATOR
The wreck of her face, a smear of makeup and dried tears speak volumes. For her, the party’s over. Brianna slouches silently in the front seat, avoiding Robin’s gaze.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.
ROBIN
Are you okay?
NARRATOR
She nods. Everything about her demeanor signals her reluctance to engage. Robin has questions - so many questions, but they can wait. Right now Brianna seeks refuge in silence, so Robin indulges her. Allows her to slip into a wordless cocoon. And together they pull off into the night, leaving the cliff-side mansion behind for the safety and normalcy of their apartment.
SOUND: STEADY HUM OF A CAR ENGINE DRIVING ALONG AT A GOOD CLIP. THEN FADE OUT.
NARRATOR
Once they’re home, Robin whips up two cups of hot cocoa. Brianna sits on the couch with her legs tucked up tightly towards her chest, but uncurls enough to accept the steaming cocoa. Settling next to her, Robin places her palm on Brianna’s back. The cocoa and the gentle reassurance of her touch coax Brianna out of the place behind her eyes where she has retreated. She meets Robin’s gaze now for the first time since being picked up in front of Thorne Manor. And slowly she comes back into herself, finds her words...
BRIANNA
There was more coke tonight. More alcohol. They were playing one of their albums on the stereo - "The Thirteenth Key." Christine takes her clothes off, so then we all get naked and we’re dancing around. And I’m
... alive. I’m in the flow. Christine and I... we’re kissing everyone. And then we’re making out with each other. Things just kind of spun off that way. It felt right in the moment, you know?
(A BEAT)
BRIANNA
So then we all link hands and we’re laughing and marching around the mansion - up the stairs, through the rooms, back down the stairs. Everett leads the way. He’s wearing this wooden kind-of-a tribal mask he grabbed off the wall. And he’s calling out this kind of chant that he’s making up off the top of his head, and we all-together repeat it after him. We carry on like that, going room to room, holding hands, marching along, chanting after Everett and laughing. Laughing so hard I thought my lungs would split. But then, all of a sudden, this feeling of deja vu hits me like a wave and I remember what you said I was doing when you found me sleep walking in the kitchen last night. This is it!
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 4.
BRIANNA (cont’d)
This is exactly what I was doing in my sleep, but now I’m doing it for real. It’s like some fake ritual, you know? Just playing around.
ROBIN
How do you know it’s fake?
BRIANNA
...What?
ROBIN
Go on. What happened next?
BRIANNA
When I realize I’m acting out the same scene from my sleepwalking the night before, my head starts spinning, real bad to the point where I’m nauseous. Everything get... confusing. The music doesn’t even sound right anymore - it sounds sour. Everything seems wrong all of a sudden, like nothing makes sense anymore. Next thing I know they’re arguing over who gets Christine. And that’s when Everett tells all of them, “No one touches this one. She’s mine.” He claims her, like she’s some kind of property or something. And Christine... she’s all smiles like she’s loving this, but I just want to get away. I want to scream, I think.
ROBIN
Did they... did they do something to you?
(A PAUSE)
BRIANNA
Keith, the drummer-- he puts his hands on me, on my
arms and tries to steer me away, but then Doug jumps in
and they start arguing over who gets to sleep with
me.And now they’re shoving each other around and it’s
really heated. Everyone is yelling, the whole scene is
chaos and I just want to get away. And there’s
Christine on the stairs, just laughing and laughing.I
tell her this isn’t right. None of this feels right. I
tell her we should go. She starts arguing with me, says
I’m ruining everything. She calls me a selfish bitch... She isn’t herself, Robin. I’ve never seen her act like this. I’m upset now. Really upset and she lays into me, making fun of me for crying. So I run for the door and they’re calling me names, some of them. I got out of there fast and out to the road, away from that mansion and away from all of them. That’s when I called you.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.
ROBIN
I’m glad you did. You did the right thing.
BRIANNA
We thought they were awesome because they’re rock stars, Robin. We thought they were so cool because they’re famous. But they’re really just assholes. That’s all they are. And now Christine is an asshole, too.
ROBIN
We’ve gotta talk to her. Get her away from them.
BRIANNA
Yeah,you talk to her. Do whatever you want; I’m done with her... She can go to hell for all I care.
SCENE 2: THE CRACKS THAT FORM
INT. THORNE MANOR - MORNING
SOUND: ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR RUMBLING OUT HEAVY METAL RIFFS, BUT THEY ARE SLOWER, LAZY AND SANGUINE IN THEIR EXECUTION.
NARRATOR
Morning sun arrives at Thorne Manor once again, harsh and glaring through the array of windows, relentlessly exposing the excesses of last night. The bitter, earthy scent of freshly-brewed coffee fills the air. Dylan rubs his eye, digging at the pain that sits in the recess of his eye socket. He squints and shuffles through the house, down the stairs, past a slew of scattered articles of clothing and empty beer bottles strewn about. Shirtless and hungover, he follows the source of the music straight to the back room they’ve converted into a makeshift recording studio. It’s there that he finds Doug.
(DYLAN JUMPS ON A LULL BETWEEN NOTES TO INTERJECT. DOUG CEASES PLAYING LONG ENOUGH TO OFFER A CURT RESPONSE)
DYLAN
You’re at it early.
DOUG
(ANNOYED)
Yep.
(DOUG STARTS UP A RIFF AGAIN BUT IMMEDIATELY HALTS WHEN DYLAN SPEAKS)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.
DYLAN
You put that coffee on already?
DOUG
Mm-hmm.
(DOUG GETS A NEW NOTE OUT AGAIN BEFORE GIVING UP IN FRUSTRATION WHEN DYLAN CONTINUES TALKING)
DYLAN
Man, this place is a mess. Looks like a war zone out there.
DOUG
(SARCASTIC)
Yeah, if only we had a cleaning lady who could take care of something like that.
(A BEAT)
DYLAN
What’s up your ass?
DOUG
Nothing. Not a thing. Just playing my music.
(A LONG BEAT)
DYLAN
(CHUCKLING DISMISSIVELY, WITHOUT HUMOR)
Yeah, okay.
DOUG
What did we come here for, Dylan? And I’m not just being a dick, I’m being serious. That’s a serious question and I’m wanting an answer ’cause... I sure as shit can’t figure it out. Can you?
(A BEAT)
DOUG
You know,I thought we were here to lay down some tracks, to record the album. I mean, that is what we talked about and what we all agreed on...buuuut, I guess that’s changed, huh?
DYLAN
You know the history of this place. The shit that went down here. And you know the occult is at the core of our music - it’s who we are. That’s our thing, man, and it’s not just about slapping mystical symbols on our album covers for the sake of marketing. We have to live it. We’ve gotta walk the darker path, man.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 7.
DOUG
Yeah, that’s all great. That’s great. And what that amounts to is Everett sitting around in the basement all day with his tuning forks waiting to be inspired, or the spirits to talk through him or whatever-the-shit he’s doing, while we just lounge around in our creepy mansion staycation NOT MAKING MUSIC... Oh, and then at night it’s party time, and Everett bangs the cleaning lady. What “occult path” is that exactly? Because I’d really like to know... how all this is helping our music.
(A BEAT)
DOUG
I’m feeling really inspired now. How about you, Dylan?
(A LONG BEAT)
DYLAN
Oh, I get it. This is about that girl you were hooking up with. Because she walked out last night, no tail for you and now you’re all salty.
DOUG
(SARCASTIC)
Yeah that’s it. You got me.
DYLAN
See now, how you’re all pissed off and edgy? You got that angst in you. Maybe that’s part of the energy here in this place, hmm? Think about it. Maybe that’s the point, Doug. This angst you got- don’t let that go. Unleash it in session. Let that beast run... I can talk to Everett, make sure we do recording sessions more regularly. But coming to this mansion was the right thing. Hell, you got something to say now, don’t you? Say it through those guitar strings.
(A BEAT)
DOUG
You’re a real shit, you know that?
DYLAN
(AMUSED LAUGH)
That I am. But I’m right, and you know it.
SOUND: ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR BELTING OUT HEAVY METAL AT MORE OF A FURIOUS GALLOP NOW.
(TRANSITION TO...)
8.
SCENE 3: THE WALK OF SHAME
INT. THORNE MANOR, EVERETT’S
BEDROOM
SOUND: CONTINUATION OF THE ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR PLAYING FROM DOWNSTAIRS, SOMEWHAT MORE MUFFLED AND DISTANT
EVERETT
(STIRS, WAKING)
Uhhhh. What the hell...?
CHRISTINE
That’s your wake-up call. Sounds like your band is trying to tell you something.
EVERETT
What time is it? Eh, don’t answer that. Doesn’t matter.
CHRISTINE
It’s late. It’s time for me to do the walk of shame.
EVERETT
You’re coming back tonight, right?
CHRISTINE
(PLEASANTLY SURPRISED)
If you want me to.
EVERETT
I want you to.
CHRISTINE
I was hoping you’d say that... Look, I’m really sorry about my friend last night. She’s cool and all, she’s just a little weird, you know?
EVERETT
Forget it. It’s cool.
CHRISTINE
I mean, I doubt she’ll come back again.
EVERETT
Whatever. As long as you’re here.
CHRISTINE
I would do anything to be here, Everett. This is where I belong.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 9.
EVERETT
Yeah?
(MAKING A SATISFIED PURR)
Good girl.
SCENE 4: FALLING OUT
INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - DAY
NARRATOR
Christine wasn’t known for always making the smartest choices, but she was far from dumb; after the shenanigans of last night, she knew to avoid the apartment. She knew there would be fallout the minute she bumped into her roommates, and so she steered clear. Robin, for one, was relieved at this; she was tired and in no mood for conflict. Just as any long-term friends were bound to experience, there had been minor squabbles in the past, but the girls had always been able to smooth them over afterwards. This schism seemed bigger, though, and Robin worried the path back from this might be a little thornier.
NARRATOR
No doubt aware of Brianna’s schedule, Christine laid low for the greater part of the afternoon until Brianna left for her shift at the Brewery. It wasn’t until then that Robin heard Christine slip into the apartment and make a beeline directly for her room. Robin made no move to intercept her. There would need to be a hard talk with Christine, but if she approached things too soon she would likely be met with evasiveness and resistance. No, they all needed a little time to let things settle, let the wounds scab over. That being the case, there was still a sense of urgency behind the warning that needed to be delivered. With each passing day Christine was growing more enmeshed with the band and with Thorne Manor. It was one thing to play peacemaker and try to bridge the rift between them; it was another feat altogether to try and convince Christine to abandon her newfound friends. Robin felt a lot less confident about that and grappled with how to even approach the topic without getting discounted immediately. Then of course there was the possibility that Christine would approach her first, try to discuss the events of last night... She felt as if she should be prepared for this, for Christine’s knock at her door. But the penitent knock never came; instead, she heard the front door as Christine slipped back out without a word. The tension in Robin’s chest eased and she set her resolve towards having the conversation with Christine tomorrow. It was almost certain she would return to Thorne Manor that evening to spend the
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: | 10.
NARRATOR (cont’d)
night. That would give Robin another to mull it over, to rehearse her approach. Perhaps, by then, Brianna might be past her resentment enough to participate in the discussion, too. Two voices expressing their concerns held much more weight than one.
NARRATOR
While Robin was right in her assumption that Christine intended to return to Thorne Manor again that evening, what she didn’t predict was the one stop Christine made along the way. During change of shift before the dinner rush, Christine knew she would find Brianna setting up bar for the nightly shift, and that before things got busy this would be the best time to approach...
SCENE 5: I GUESS I WAS HIGH
INT. BAR - DAY
SOUND: CLINKING OF BAR GLASSES BEING PUT BACK IN PLACE. A METAL SCOOP SLIDING INTO A TRAY OF ICE. VERY LITTLE BACKGROUND CONVERSATION AS THE BAR IS MOSTLY EMPTY.
CHRISTINE
Hey... So what does a girl need to do to get a drink around here?
BRIANNA
(COLDLY)
What do you want?
CHRISTINE
Look, I’m sorry about last night.
BRIANNA
Yeah? Good for you. I’m working here, so...
CHRISTINE
Come on, Brianna. Give me a chance. I just... I didn’t mean what I said to you. I don’t know why I said that, I guess I was just high.
BRIANNA
That’s supposed to make me feel better?
CHRISTINE
I’m trying here.
BRIANNA
What do you want?
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 11.
CHRISTINE
I just want us to be good again. You’re important to me. You’re my best friend. You’ve been since middle school.
BRIANNA
Am I, Christine? It really didn’t feel that way last night.
CHRISTINE
I know. I just got caught up--
BRIANNA
It was messed up. The whole thing was messed up. And I’m telling you they laced the... (DROPPING HER VOICE)
They laced the coke with something.
CHRISTINE
They did not. They wouldn’t do that.
BRIANNA
You know, this has to be the shittiest apology I’ve ever gotten. And just so you know, I’ve gotten a lot of shitty apologies over the years.
CHRISTINE
I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I am. It’s just this thing with Everett- I’m his girl, and it means something. This is my big chance to be someone, to get out of this town. I just don’t want to blow it. I want him to like me. Like, really like me.
BRIANNA
You think he’s going to take you with him once they’re all done here? "The" Everett Nicholas? Robin was right: he’s got girls in every city just like you, lined up to throw themselves at him for just a taste of his life and his fame. I hate to burst your bubble, honey, but we’re just party girls to them. Generic, replaceable... forgettable.
CHRISTINE
No, Brianna. This means something to him, too. He told me that.
BRIANNA
Oh, I’m sure he did. Rock star or not, any boy will tell you the same thing to get in your pants. I mean, you should know that better than any... (trails off, stopping herself)
(A BEAT)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 12.
CHRISTINE
Ouchhhhh.
BRIANNA
Okay, so that wasn’t fair.
CHRISTINE
No. No, I had it coming.
BRIANNA
Look, I really hope things work out the way you want them to, I do. But you need to be realistic. I don’t want to see you get hurt.
CHRISTINE
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it sounds like you still care about me.
BRIANNA
(GROWLING)
I’m trying real hard to stay angry here.
CHRISTINE
How do you feel about coming out from behind that bar and giving a hug to your best friend?
SOUND: GLASSWARE BEING SET DOWN ON THE BAR AND THE ARM OF THE BAR BEING RAISED.
(A BEAT)
CHRISTINE
Mmmmmmm, that’s better. Are we good?
BRIANNA
What is that?! What are those marks on your arms?
CHRISTINE
Ohhhh, that’s nothing.
BRIANNA
And what’s THIS?! Christine, are these cuts?
(A BEAT)
BRIANNA
Is that a bite-mark on your neck?!
CHRISTINE
It’s... it’s rough. It’s consensual. It’s just... you know, it’s how we play.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 13.
BRIANNA
Play? With Everett? What kind of games are you playing where you end up with these kind of marks on your arms and legs?
CHRISTINE
Trust me, it’s fine. It’s okay.
BRIANNA
I don’t know. It doesn’t look okay to me... Are you sure?
CHRISTINE
Yeah. No, I like it. It’s ... We’re intense, that’s all.
(A BEAT)
CHRISTINE
Look, just don’t mention it to Robin. You know what she’s like, she’ll freak out.
BRIANNA
Oh, come on. No. Don’t put me in that position.
CHRISTINE
What position? It’s nothing, it’s harmless fun.
(A BEAT)
CHRISTINE
I’m not asking you to lie. Just don’t volunteer it, that’s all I’m saying. If she happens to see these TINY LITTLE MARKS and asks about it, then I’ll explain it to her myself. I swear.
BRIANNA
(SIGHS DEEPLY)
CHRISTINE
Don’t worry so much- it’ll give you wrinkles. I’m telling you, it’s fine.
NARRATOR
Those were the last words she ever spoke to Brianna, and that would be the last time either Brianna or Robin ever saw Christine alive again.
NARRATOR
The next day Robin and Brianna had a talk. Although reluctant, Brianna agreed to her role in what felt like an intervention. They hashed out the manner and timing on confronting Christine, intending to express how all
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: | 14.
NARRATOR (cont’d)
of this came from a place of concern and love. But the day came and went, and if Christine did the same it was brief and unnoticed. Was she still dodging them and the talk that she knew was coming? With the passing of time, Robin’s anxiety grew over Christine’s increasing immersion at Thorne manor. The recurring dreams, Brianna’s deje vu, the ominous warning from Robin’s client about that cursed place - all of it started to form an ugly picture that left her deeply unsettled and further pervaded her dreams...
SCENE 6: DEEPLY DISTURBED
(ETHEREAL MUSIC OR DRONING TO CONVEY A SURREAL STATE)
NARRATOR
The Dreamer moves from room to room in the dark, threading her way through Thorne Manor, all the while aware she’s not alone. Despite the high-ceiling halls, the marble-tiled floors, the regal-curtained windows and opulent decor, there is evil lurking here. She feels it in her bones, just as sure as she knows her very presence here puts her in peril. But despite the dangers, The Dreamer is determined to find something here... or rather someone. She glides past a grand window offering a glimpse into the yard. The way the moonlight paints the lawn makes it look wet and sickly. A little further off, a feline congregation sits poised in the grass facing the window. From their vantage point they study her intently, an expectant audience anticipating something grand about to happen. The big show they await is coming and, judging by the knot of dread in her gut, it’s going to be something shocking and abhorrent.
NARRATOR
The gathering of cats draws her attention for just a
moment, but that is enough of a distraction for The
Dreamer to miss the half-naked man wearing a wooden
tribal mask lurch out from around the corner. By the
time she notices him, he is rushing her, his bare feet
slapping along the tiled floor, the ax in his hands
hoisted aloft. She recoils, stumbling backwards, nearly
losing her balance. She tries to scream but the scream
sticks in her throat and sputters. When the ax
swings,it lands a heavy blow to the side of her neck.
He reels the ax back in - it doesn’t come away cleanly
- and she sees its blade coated with her blood. Her hand shoots up to her neck, to the spot of impact, touches wetness. A gushing wetness that immediately covers her hand. She grips the wound tightly, as if
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: | 15.
NARRATOR (cont’d)
trying to dam up a crimson sea, but it surges, slipping through her fingers. There’s a moment of stunned disbelief as she gawks at her attacker while he readies the ax for another strike. "He’s killing me," she realizes. "He’s killing me." That’s when adrenaline vaults through her like an electrical current. That’s when she snaps into action; she turns to run. But the tiled floor is slippery with blood and her feet go out from beneath her. She hits the floor hand, her breath momentarily snatched away.
NARRATOR
She crawls away, sliding belly-down through the blood, gripping at the floor with the fingertips of one hand in an attempt to pull herself along. Her left hand, meanwhile, remains clamped on her neck, covering the gushing wound, holding her head in place, as it seems to want to swivel away in an unnatural position. Nothing but raw panic now as she gasps like a fish out of water, as two bare feet step around her and cut off her egress. She wants to look up, to face her attacker, but if she dares to move her head in that direction her neck may split open even more. All she can see are his feet and her blood rushing to meet them on the tiled floor as she waits for the next blow of the ax to land. When it does, it comes down hard on her already savaged neck.
NARRATOR
The world blurs into a dizzying spin before coming back into focus several feet away. From her new vantage point she gains a clear view of her own headless corpse, surrounded by an expanding pool of blood. She sees now the shirtless killer in the tribal mask standing over her twitching body. And then blackness swirls around the edges of her vision before swarming in to take it all away. Plunged now into darkness, and into a sensation of absolute cold, the dreamer recognizes that her death is upon her...
ROBIN
(SCREAMS!)
NARRATOR
...and she awakens with a scream.
16.
TO BE CONTINUED