1   COMPLETE BLACKNESS                      1

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER breathes calmly. DETECTIVE CHESSER sighs.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

Jesus Christ

 

FORENSIC CAMERA BULB charges and fires, showing the pale, bloodied, dirt encrusted hand of a corpse for a moment, and then blackness.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

Were they a couple?

 

FORENSIC CAMERA charges and flashes again, the white light lingers for a shorter time and we see a shoed foot, lying on the blue cement of a drained swimming pool.

 

OFFICER THOMAS

Yeah, you could say that. According to the ID we found, the male’s a certain Kaydon Jones, last seen by friends Friday night in Metropolis. The girl was with him.

 

As OFFICER THOMAS speaks, flash. An EXTREME CLOSEUP of ALECK’S dead glinting eye, and then darkness.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

And who is the girl?

 

OFFICER THOMAS

Tanya Lane we think-

 

The FORENSIC CAMERA charges and then fires off dozens and dozens of flashes, one after another in quick succession, showing us what feels like hundreds of photos of TANYA’S corpse, CLOSEUPS of hair, eyes, mouth, throat, all as bloody as the last, the flashes blinding us.

 

OFFICER THOMAS (CONT.)

-17 years old.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

Goddammit it.

 

Another flash, but this time it doesn’t dissolve into blackness, but into the next scene.

 

2   EXT. BOY’S VILLAGE CRIME SCENE – DAY    2

 

A rundown holiday camp reclaimed by nature, and now a crime scene.  

 

LOW ANGLE SHOT of DETECTIVE CHESSER and OFFICER THOMAS, OFFICER THOMAS dressed in a suit, DETECTIVE CHESSER dressed in jeans and a trench coat. Both have ID tags. The pair are leaning against the side of the swimming pool, both looking grimly down at something behind our camera. Our camera is slowly pulling back the entire time.

 

The FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHER, masked and dressed in a white plastic coverall, pushes in-between DETECTIVE CHESSER and OFFICER THOMAS, in order to get a picture of whatever the pair are looking at. Our camera keeps slowly pulling back as the FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHER puts the FORENSIC CAMERA to his eye. KAYDON and TANYA’S corpses enter from the bottom of the frame, just as the FORENSIC CAMERA charges and flashes, and everything turns to white. KAYDON is sitting at the wall of the pool, blood welling from his chest and smearing up the wall, CHESSER and OFFICER THOMAS standing in the corner of the pool, TANYA lying on her back, feet towards KAYDON. The screen remains white, and then intense club music begins to slowly get louder and louder as the title fades into existence on the white screen: ‘SHOT’ written in big black capitals.

 

The club music continues to get louder. The title gets blacker and blacker, until the ‘ink’ seeps out of the letters and fills the screen, corrupting it and filling it with blackness once more. The music remains playing, loud and bursting with energy and life, louder and louder and seemingly undying as we cut straight to:

 

3   INT. THE STULTUS CLUB (FLASHBACK)       3

 

The club music and diegetic sounds from the last scene remain.

 

A multitude of dynamic shots are employed here, a montage of rapid TILT and ZOOM shots, all cutting into each other, changing so fast it is sickening and disorientating, the only constant entity the beat of the music.

 

As this goes on, each dark bloody photograph of ALECK and TANYA’s bodies flash up for the briefest of seconds, interspersed in between the shots of people dancing and laughing, each photo flashing up so quickly the audience may think it’s a mistake on the film at first.

 

And then we see ALECK and TANYA, sitting with their drinks in a booth. Our camera is steady as it slowly, voyeuristically zooms in on the couple. We’re nearly halfway over to them when:

 

STAIGHT CUT TO:

 

4   EXT. BOYS VILLAGE CRIME SCENE – DAY 4

 

Unexpectedly we’re yanked back to the present day. But the music remains, playing non-diegetically.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER is squatting down at eye level with KAYDON’S sitting body, looking at KAYDON’s ID. OFFICER THOMAS is out of focus in the background.

 

OFFICER THOMAS

 (Calling Over)

You know what I think?

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

(Doesn’t turn around)

What?

 

5   EXT. BOYS VILLAGE – THOMAS’ THEORY – NIGHT 5

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(Voice Over)

I think he lured her out here…

 

Shot through windscreen of KAYDON driving TANYA in his car. His face is hard-set, determined, TANYA vulnerable and scared.

 

 OFFICER THOMAS

(Voice Over Cont.)

 …lured her out to the ass end of nowhere…

 

KAYDON’s silver car pulls up by the trees outside LAD’s VILLAGE. His door opens. CUT TO Tanya’s door opening, as she climbs out of the passenger side

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(Voice Over Cont.)

…and filled her with three shots from the 9mm…

 

HIGH ANGLED shot of KAYDON standing above, on the edge of the corner of the swimming pool, with a murderous look in his eye, the SILVER HANDGUN held towards the camera. CLOSE UP of TANYA falling back, her face bloodied.

 

6   EXT. BOYS VILLAGE CRIME SCENE – DAY 6

Back to scene 4

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(Cont.)

and then he does himself in with the other one.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

And where’s the motive in that?

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(Off side)

He was high! Probably was anyway, off his mash on Ecstasy no doubt. They’re all the same, Chesser, just this other day-

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

(Examining the body, tilting the head)

So a guy shoots his girl and himself because he’s high?

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(Off side)

Yeah, exactly!

 

CUT to TANYA’s dead eye. FLASHES going off as we slowly zoom in on her eye.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

(Off side)

It’s never as simple as black and white, Thomas, and it’s never as simple as that.

 

STRAIGHT CUT TO:

 

7   INT. THE STULTUS CLUB (FLASHBACK)       7

 

The music continues to play uninterrupted as we resume our slow ZOOM SHOT towards ALECK and TANYA.

 

STAIGHT CUT TO:

 

8   EXT. BOYS VILLAGE CRIME SCENE – DAY 8

 

The music continues to play uninterrupted.

 

POV shot of DETECTIVE CHESSER looking at KAYDON’s ID and KAYDON’s face. The focus shifts from the ID to the face, and then camera TILTS up to see OFFICER THOMAS strutting along atop the pool.

 

OFFICER THOMAS

Yes, CHESSER, it is often as simple as that. I’ve seen this sort of thing happen all the time, some dumb whore is attracted to some psychopath’s bad boy persona and then boom! Nasty #*!$ like this turns up on your desk.

 

(to a passing forensic unrolling POLICE TAPE)

 

Hey, don’t worry about it, just bag ‘em!

 

POV of OFFICER THOMAS looking over at DETECTIVE CHESSER. LOW ANGLED SHOT down.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

(getting up)

What, what?!

 

STRAUGHT CUT TO:

 

9   INT. THE STULTUS CLUB (FLASHBACK)       9

 

The music continues to play uninterrupted as we resume our slow ZOOM SHOT towards ALECK and TANYA.

 

ALECK says something. TANYA laughs wildly.

 

The ZOOM SHOT is spliced with CLOSE UP footage of TANYA’S dead face, beset by the blue fabric of a BODY BAG. A gloved hand zips her up forever, and then we’re back in the club.

 

The ZOOM SHOT is interrupted a second time by ALECK’s dead face being zipped up, and then we’re back in the club.

 

10  INT. CORONER’S VAN                  10

 

There are two blue body bags on the floor. Standing in the doorway is OFFICER THOMAS, and behind him is a furious DETECTIVE CHESSER.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

You can’t just do this!

 

11  EXT. REAR OF CORONER’S VAN - DAY    11

 

OFFICER THOMAS

I can…

 

OFFICER THOMAS slams one door shut, violently

 

12  INT. CORONER’S VAN                     11

 

OFFICER THOMAS

And I will…

 

He slams the other door shut, and blackness.

 

13  INT. THE STULTUS CLUB (FLASHBACK)      13

 

POV of TANYA, holding KAYDON’s hand ontop of the table.

 

EXTREME CLOSE UP of TANYA’s mouth

 

TANYA

(subtitled)

Hey, I know a place…

 

POV of TANYA. KAYDON looks up.

 

14  EXT. REAR OF CORONER’S VAN - DAY    14

 

OFFICER THOMAS begins to walk around to the passenger door. KAYDON’s silver car can be seen in the background, the FORENSICS swarming around it.

 

The camera tracks back, DETECTIVE CHESSER following him THOMAS.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

But stuff just doesn’t add up! The evidence, it, it’s wrong…

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(stops, back still to Chesser. The Camera swings around)

 

What do you mean, Chesser?

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

Like the pool. Why did he shoot her in the pool? That would amplify the sound, that would make the gunshots be heard for miles around…like he wanted people to hear…

 

OFFICER THOMAS

(Turning around)

Maybe he did, he’s mad remember…

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

And the guns…why would he have two guns? Why would he shoot someone three times, and then kill himself with a separate weapon? And the steel 9mm still had seven bullets-

 

OFFICER THOMAS

Just leave it! It’s obvious what’s happened here, we profiled the guy on the database… he’s got a history of violence and mental health problems. I won’t have you wasting anymore time investigating this case, it’s closed!

 

OFFICER THOMAS is climbing into the van the whole time. He slams the door closed as he says “closed”.

 

OFFICER THOMAS climbs into the passenger side of the Van and it is driven off, leaving DETECTIVE CHESSER alone.

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

(Under his breath as he turns and starts walking towards KAYDON’s forensic-covered car)

Bastard

 

FORENSIC 1 is already walking towards him.

 

15  INT. THE STULTUS CLUB (FLASHBACK)      15

 

TANYA pulling KAYDON through the crowd.

 

Flashing strobe transition, and then TANYA’s pulling KAYDON through an ALLEY WAY that opens to a parked silver car.

 

KAYDON

$#&% man, that thing’s yours?

 

TANYA

Pretty fly, huh?

 

16  EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE OUTSKIRTS – DAY 16

 

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

Hey! Hey! Have you guy’s searched the car yet?

 

FORENSIC 1

Well, well we were, but Officer Thomas ordered the…

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER

Yeah, yeah I know. Listen, just let me give it a look

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER doesn’t stop walking for the entire conversation. He ducks under the POLICE TAPE and climbs into the car.

 

17  INT. THE SILVER CAR (FLASHBACK)    17

 

ECU of TANYA’s hand twisting the ignition, slamming her foot on the accelerator

 

Camera is attached under the car as it whips around and begins to drive forwards, engine roaring.

 

Shot of KAYDON in the passenger seat

 

18  INT. THE SILVER CAR                 18

 

ClOSE UP. DETECTIVE CHESSER has his head awkwardly to the seat.

 

CLOSE UP of DETECTIVE CHESSER’s hand feeling around under the seat, his hand wraps around a PINK CAMERA that is lying on the floor and pulls it away.

 

CLOSE UP of DETECTIVE CHESSER’s face as he turns it on, brow knitted with interest.

 

19  INT. THE SILVER CAR (FLASHBACK)   19

 

Shot from behind headrests as TANYA pulls up outside Lad’s Village.

 

KAYDON

(A bit weirded out)

Is this the place?

 

CUT TO POV of KAYDON, TANYA holding the PINK CAMERA up to take a picture of both of them

TANYA

It sure is!

 

 

ECU of the PINK CAMERA taking a picture of them, their faces appearing on the screen.

 

ECU of the PINK CAMERA being thrown under the driver’s seat

 

20  EXT. BOY’s VILLAGE OUTSKIRTS – NIGHT (FLASHBACK) 20

 

CUT TO TANYA RUNNING, the silver car and KAYDON behind.

 

TANYA

Come on!

 

ECU of TANYA’s shoe jumping over the fence.

 

KAYDON

(Voice Over)

Hey Tanya, wait!

 

21  INT. SILVER CAR                      21

 

DETECTIVE CHESSER still sat awkwardly in the footwell, scrolling through the pictures found on the PINK CAMERA.

 

ECU of the PINK CAMERA. The screen shows the picture TANYA took of KAYDON.

 

DETECIVE CHESSER

What’s he doing in the passenger’s seat…?

 

ECU of the pink camera, CHESSER pressing the button to scroll to the next picture. It shows a second picture of KAYDEN and TANYA together. Next picture. A different day, the picture shows another boy in the passenger seat with TANYA’s head next to theirs. Next picture, another boy. Next picture, another boy. Next picture, another boy.

 

Midshot as CHESSER, almost absent mindedly, gets out of the car, eyes glued to the PINK CAMERA. He looks towards the trees.

 

22  EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE OUTSKIRTS – NIGHT (FLASHBACK) 22

 

KAYDON is wandering through the trees. Long shot, camera sliding amongst tree truncks.

 

KAYDON

(Calling)

Tanya? Tanya?

 

He looks up, turning around.

POV of the trees stretching up all around above him.

 

TANYA

Come on!

 

Out of nowehere Tanya appears, grabs him by the hand and pulls him on through the trees.

 

POV as they run through the trees, pushing aside the branches until they arrive at Lad’s Village.

 

KAYDON

Wow

 

Midshot of them at the treeline.

 

KAYDON

What is this place?  

 

23  EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE – DAY        23

 

ECU of DETECTIVE CHESSER’s hands scrolling through the pictures saved on the PINK CAMERA as he walks.

 

The first few show TANYA with more unknown people, some girls, and then TANYA taking a photo of herself with what looks like a pile of bodies, and then a photo of one of the Lad’s Village buildings…

 

CLOSE UP of DETECTIVE CHESSER stopping in his tracks, frowning and looking up. In-front of him is the same building on the PINK CAMERA. He begins to walk towards it…

 

24  EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE – NIGHT (FLASHBAK)24

 

KAYDON is sitting on the edge of the pool, smoking a cigarette.

 

KAYDON

(calls over shoulder)

So what is this place anyway?

 

CUT to TANYA, standing in the doorway of the building, looking for something.

 

TANYA

(not stopping in her looking)

Oh I found this place years ago…

 

She pauses to pick up a rucksack hidden behind some fallen rubble.

 

TANYA

I come here a lot, like when Dad’s beating Mum…or when I want to have some…fun

 

Close up of KAYDON, giving a knowing smile.

 

KAYDON

And what kind of fun are you looking for, exactly?

 

Mid Shot of Tanya in the doorway of the building as she takes a bottle of Vodka from the bag, drinks it, throws it to the ground where it shatters, takes out a cigarette lights it, smokes it, throws it down and then finally pulls out a BLACK HANDGUN.

 

TANYA

Oh you know.

 

She loads it.

 

25  INT. LAD’S VILLAGE BUILDING     25

 

Over the shoulder shot of Detective Chesser walking through the entrance…

 

26 EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE - NIGHT(FLASHBACK) 26

 

KAYDON looks around, shivering slightly. He climbs down into the pool, looking about. He looks to his right, and the camera follows. Nobody there.

 

KAYDON

Tanya?

 

He looks left, the camera swings left. Nobody there. He walks forwards and when he is about in the middle of the pool, he looks to the right again and suddenly, somehow, there stands TANYA on the poolside, the BLACK HANDGUN pointed right down at him.

 

TANYA

Get back against the wall.

 

KAYDON

Jesus Tanya, is that gun?!

 

The camera begins to circle behind KAYDON as TANYA drops down into the pool and walks towards him, KAYDON automatically taking a step back.

 

TANYA

Not what you expected huh? Not what you thought I’d be giving you?

 

KAYDON

“W-what?”

 

TANYA

“Don’t play games, you followed me here for one thing you sick bastard, just like the others, just like all the others!”

 

27 INT. LAD’S VILLAGE                  27

 

Over the shoulder shot of DETECTIVE CHESSER walking slowly into the building, slight camera tilt.

 

Cut to CU of his concerned face, slow camera tilt.

 

28 EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE - NIGHT(FLASHBACK) 28

 

Longshot from roof, KAYDON about a meter away from the wall, Tanya approaching.

 

High angled shot of TANYA. Her voice acts as a sound bridge from scene 27.

 

TANYA

Well no more! No bloody more

 

 

Extreme Close Up of Tanya flicking off the safety.

 

Slow ‘approaching’ zoom on KAYDON’s face, Tanya’s POV

 

KAYDON

No wait, please!

 

Long shot of the trees the pair past to get to Lad’s village, framed by the decaying buildings. Birds tear up into the air as a gunshot tears the night asunder.

 

Midshot of KAYDON falling back against the wall, clutching his shot belly. He slides down, a smear of blood up the wall, shallow breaths, he is dying. He looks up at TANYA, who stands behind the camera.

 

TANYA

(mocking and off-side)

You really thought we had something didn’t you!

 

KAYDEN tries to speak but is too badly wounded, he looks up, covered in sweat, his brow knitted in confusion

 

From his POV we see TANYA standing in the pool, the gun pointed dead at the camera, but in KAYDEN’S head, the pool is filled with water, and TANYA is standing there, her hair floating up around her. She is saying something, but her mouth is moving very slowly, her words, to KAYDEN’s ears, incredibly slurred.

 

Cut to a side-view of KAYDEN underwater with TANYA standing over him with the gun.

 

Cut to an extreme close up of TANYA’s mouth, moving slowing, bubbles coming from between her teeth, saying slurred, meaningless things.

 

Midshot of Kayden, underwater, shaking his head to try and clear the illusion.

 

EXTREME CLOSE UP of TANYA’s mouth, moving at normal speed, the pool now empty, the illusion passed.

 

TANYA

But you see, you’re my way out of here…

 

Camera on the floor as she kneels and forces the BLACK HANDGUN into KAYDON’s hands.

 

CU of her face as she works

 

TANYA

I’ve had my fun, I’ve killed exceptionally, and now I need only plant the evidence with you and…”

 

Camera on the floor again as she gets up and turns away, KAYDON, his movements sluggish, tries to shoot her with gun.

 

CU of TANYA from front, tracking shot. She smiles.

 

TANYA

Only one bullet I’m afraid. That’s all it takes you see.

 

CU of KAYDON, who looks a brush away from death.

 

KAYDON

What...what are you on about?

 

 

TANYA’s tracking shot resumed.

 

TANYA

(ignoring KAYDEN)

And when they find the others I’ve killed, and they find you here as well, dead, with the murder weapon, well, it’s only natural that they’d assume it was you…

 

LONG SHOT if them from rooftop, KAYDEN begins to push himself up the wall.

 

CU of KAYDON pushing himself up the wall

 

KAYDON

(acts as sound bridge. He struggles to slide himself up the wall)

Others? You…you’ve killed…others?

 

29 INT. LAD’S VILLAGE SLAUGHTER ROOM    29

 

Tracking shot through pillars as DETECTIVE CHEESER walks into a room, horror covering his face. He steps up into the room, and walks towards the centre, the camera swinging around to see what he sees: A pile of 7 bodies, blood everywhere. He falls to his knees, and drops the PINK CAMERA upon the floor. As the camera swings around, the club shots of people dancing are interspersed for miliseconds.

 

30 EXT. LAD’S VILLAGE -Night (FLASHBACK)30

CU of KAYDON dying

 

KAYDON

They’ll work it out…they’ll never think that I…

 

TANYA

Oh but they will…I’ve checked you out Kaydon, and I must say you are rather perfect…your history of violence, your drug use and (your resulting madness, it makes you…it makes you perfect…)

 

CUT to KAYON’s POV. TANYA is seen from behind, underwater, the camera at a drunken island, her voice long and drawn out and nonsensical

 

CUT to KAYDON, in the dry, breathing sharply with the pain. He looks down (8 seconds, sound used for next scene)

 

CUT to Extreme Close up KAYDON’s hand  going to his belt, he pulls out a SILVER HANDGUN…   

 

Midshot of KAYDON holding the gun from the front.

KAYDON

Hey…hey Tanya…

 

The focus shifts onto the gun. The safety clicks off.

 

CUT to midshot of TANYA walking away. She stops dead when she hears the click, eyes wide with fright.

 

CUT to two-shot of them, from the side, standing in the underwater pool, KAYDON holding the gun pointed right at her, TANYA standing with her back to him.

 

Extreme Closeup of KAYDON’S HAND, squeezing the trigger. A strange underwater gunshot is heard.

 

CUT back to two-shot. Nothing has changed, except now blood is coiling up from TANYA’s stomach.

 

CUT to another long shot of Lad’s village, another gunshot. Another longshot, further back and another gunshot. A third longshot, a third gunshot. Only this one has birds flying up, echoing away.

 

Cut to midshot of KAYDON, holding the smouldering SILVER HANDGUN to the camera.

 

Cut to TANYA laying dead, KAYDON out of focus in the background. The camera focuses on KAYDON as he dies, his raised arm going limp.

 

 

CU of his final breath

 

31 INT. LAD’S VILLAGE    SLAUGHTER ROOM    31

 

CLOSE UP of DETECTIV CHESSER’s face. CHESSER is breathing heavily at the grotesque scene. His face is out of focus, the focus instead on the body pile. The focus switches to his face as he looks down.

 

CU of PINK CAMEREA, upon the begrimed and bloodid floor, slow zoom. On the screen is a picture of TANTA with OFFICER THOMAS.

 

FADE INTO CREDITS

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