January 15, 1999

Awaiting......each of us; a cold...dark...lonely place.

Deny its finality. Deride its totality. Dread the inescapable

inevitability......it will arrive.

The BLACK SILENT SCREEN senses this moment before a distant blues harp introduces a contemporary band's cover of Blood, Sweat, and Tears' campy, yet haunting, gospel, "And When I Die."

As the Introduction closes, RESONATES... A FLASH OF LIGHTING!

A CRACK OF THUNDER!

Everyone in the theatre jumped

CUT TO:

INT. ALEX'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE - BED

An airline ticket is tossed INTO FRAME beside a suitcase; "EURO-AIR. FLIGHT #180. New York City (JFK) - Paris, Charles de Gaulle (CDG.) Departure: Thursday 13May. 16H25 - Arrival: Friday 14May. 05H40."

"And When I Die" Continues throughout the MAIN TITLES:

AN OLD TABLE FAN

swivels beside and open window. Outside, a humid spring THUNDER STORM drops warm, ominous rain. The figure of a seventeen year old boy, ALEX BROWNING, packing for a trip, passing the fan...

THE BED

A Paris guidebook is tossed atop the plane ticket. CAMERA PUSHES IN ON THE BOOK as the fan's breezes flip through the pages.

THE TABLE FAN

turns, head swiveling away from the bed.

TIGHTER - THE GUIDEBOOK PAGES

stop flipping, REVEALING A GUILLOTINE from the Reign of Terror.

As an American passport is dropped beside the guidebook...

THE TABLE FAN

swivels, returning towards the guidebook on the bed.

THE GUIDEBOOK PAGES

FLIP. FLIP. FLIP. Alex's faint shadow continues moving about the room. The fan head swivels away, allowing the pages to settle... upon a Louvre masterpiece, Francisco de Zurbaran's Lying-in-the State of St. Bonaventure.

CAMERA CREEPS IN, teasingly on the dark faced corpse. The pages begin to turn once again.

TIGHTER, OMINOUS ANGLE - THE DESK FAN

There is more of a hint of coincidence as the blades whirl and head swivels. The boy's figure passes, blocking the breeze.

THE GUIDEBOOK PAGES

stop dead on... Jim Morrison's decorated tomb in the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise. A pilgrim has spray painted "This is the End." Which in fact, it is... of the MAIN TITLE.

"That was cool!" Exclaimed Kevin

BARBARA

Alex...

CAMERA ADJUSTS, to fully reveal Alex Browning as he turns toward the bedroom door. Alex is an average kid; handsome. A high school "everyman."

"Thats me." Said Alex as Carter Hugs him on the side.

One the wall amongst Yankee and Knicks posters, hangs a pennant;

"Mt. Abraham High School, New York. The Fighting Colonials!"

Alex's mother, BARBARA, 45, walks in, excited and a bit anxious.

BARABRA (Cont'd)

Tod and George's dad just called,

he's picking you up at 10 in the

morning. Bus leaves the high school

for JFK at noon.

Barbara moves towards the suitcase to help him pack. Alex's father, KEN BROWNING, 48 appears, leaning against the door threshold, smiling enviously at his son.

KEN

My suitcase workin' out for ya?

Alex nods and buckles it. Barbara reaches in to tear off an airline baggage I.D. ticket attached from the previous flight.

ALEX

Whoa! Whoa! Mom, you gotta leave

that on. It's like... the tag

made the last flight without

crashin' or anything, right?

So, it should stay on, or with,

the bag for good luck.

BARBARA

Where would you get a nutball

idea like that?

"Wouldn't you like to know." Mutters Alex. Nick looks over at him, realizing how much he sees himself in Alex, and promises to himself if he evers meets him outside of this to act fatherly to him.

EXTREMELY CLOSE - THE AIRLINE BAGGAGE MARKER

is torn away from the suitcase handle.

RETURN

As Barbara picks up the suitcase to place it on the floor... a dozen old baggage I.D. tickets spill from the outer compartment. She looks at Ken, as if "you?" The guilty party shrugs.

KEN

I'm still here.

Barbara shakes her head as Alex smiles at his dad.

KEN (Cont'd)

Seventeen and on the loose. Ten

days in Paris. In the springtime!

Live it up, Alex...

CAMERA INCHES INTO KEN as he winks at his son...

KEN (Cont'd)

Got your whole life ahead of you.

ALEX

CAMERA CREEPS IN as, oddly, the words strike him portentously...

CUT TO:

INT. ALEX'S BEDROOM - LATER

The storm has ceased. The room is QUIET.

As if itself a presence, CAMERA CREEPS across the dark and motionless room TOWARD Alex, sleeping soundly. CAMERA CRANES DOWN to the level of the bed until Alex is in the f.g. and the room is visible behind him.

On the rear wall, the Fighting Colonials pennant begins to flutter slightly, as if affected by the moving breeze. The path of which is continued toward the bed, rustling the sheets, subtly blowing Alex's hair and continuing OVER CAMERA.

Even in his sleep, Alex shivers from the passing cold. His eyes open surprised to be suddenly awakened. He considers for a beat, then looks toward...

"Are the windows open?" Asked Olivia

THE WINDOWS

which... are closed.

"Thats creepy." says Molly

ALEX

puzzled, checks...

THE TABLE FAN

which is off.

ALEX

perplexed, rolls over toward his digital clock. It's 1:00 a.m., however... the middle digit bar in the first zero faintly flickers so this time appears to read... 1:80.

Alex remembers all of this and starts to look worried.