| Animehem |
GENRE: Comedy Adventure Thriller.
STATUS: Script written.
LOGLINE: Ashley and her friends get all dressed up to attend the much anticipated Anime convention which is everything they expected – cosplay, costumes, entertainment, panel discussions, and… oh yeah, a serial killer on the loose!
COMPANY NOTES: The concept for this movie evolved after Jon Brekke visited a comic book convention and discovered that there has not been many movies made featuring cosplay characters who are actually attending a cosplay convention. In the video above YBS’ young star in the making, Brandi Taylor, dressed up in her wings and pink hair, makes a plea for funding through Kickstarter so she can find the killer of Wonder Woman! The video was written and produced by Jon, who also wrote the complete script.
In the video above, YBS young actress Brandi Taylor, cast as Ashley, the winged avenger of the anime convention (…not), appeals to her Kickstarter audience to please look beyond the obvious typecasting 🙂 and give money so she can save her friends!
Script Treatment
Ashley, a shy, 15-year old girl, transforms from an ordinary looking teenager into an Anime costumed wonder. Her step-sister, Tamra, 24, meets her, also dressed in full Anime garb, a kind of school girl look. They are joined by David, 16, dressed in a Gothic costume with a silver plated head band. Together, they hop into Tamra’s father’s 1980 Dodge Ram Truck and off they go to the Anime Convention! Something that Ashley’s mom has no idea she’s going to, for Ashley told her they were going camping. “I’m an evil stepsister,” Tamra laments, “I can’t believe I’m lying for you.”It’s not a real lie,” Ashley rationalizes, “You are going to take care of me, right?” David utters the proverbial ‘I’ll be right back’ line when he says, “What’s the big deal? You girls are acting like we are going to a rave or getting into trouble. It’s just an Anime convention. How much trouble could we get in?”
They park in the garage of the convention center. Ashley, Tamra, and David walk towards the door leading out of the parking garage. But then Tamra stalls and tells the others to wait. She walks back to the truck, reaches under the fender, and places her car keys atop the tire. As Ashley and David wait for her, a Young Man meets another Young Man nearer to the door. We hear their dialogue. “I just came from work man! The foreman let me go a bit early because I volunteered to take scrap wood from the construction site to the dump.” “But it’s still in your truck.” “Yeah, well the dump’s open all weekend. I’ll go tomorrow or Sunday. Let’s go!” As they continue walking they see Margaret and her assistant, Greg. Margaret, the director of the convention, laments as to why she does this every year and asks Greg, who listens to her every word and walks always one step behind, for an answer. “For the money?” Greg responds. Margaret perks up. “Money money, snot nose money. For every little kid I see? Momma take away-eth. ALL THEIR MONEY!” And with a witch’s laugh, Greg depresses the elevator button and says to Ashley and Tamra, along with David, as the door closes on them, “Menopause. Something to look forward to ladies.” Inside, a voluptuous Wonder Woman, dressed in a sexy costume, pulls her 8-year-old daughter, Sara, by the arm and opens the door to her hotel room. “Now what is mommy going to do?” She asks. “Be a star,” Sara responds. “And what do you have to do so mommy can make that happen?” “Stay in the room.” Wonder Woman closes the door, leaving Sara alone inside. Later, Wonder Woman notices a Cameraman filming and sashays up to him. He notices her and his camera takes all of her in; from her boots to the top of her lovely assets. She seductively walks away knowing his lens is trailing everything about her. The Cameraman ejects his capture card and replaces it with another and walks away. He looks around and exits into the emergency exit stairwell. At the registration table, Margaret chastises the Employee who dresses the table. “Thank you for doing a job that should have been done yesterday.” But she immediately transforms into her big “Happy Days” smile as Ashley, Tamra, and David approach, welcoming them and reminding them about the costume contest that starts in two hours.
Back in the stairwell, Wonder Woman is posing for the Cameraman again and we realize that they know each other… well. She asks him, “Do we have all three judges?” Upon getting a positive answer, she calls him over for a reward, “Now turn that camera back on so you can see what makes mama so wonderful.” As it records them in a tryst right there on the stairway landing, they are interrupted by a sound. Turning to it they see a shadow exiting through the closing door. “My camera!” The Cameraman man exclaims and shuffles towards the exit while pulling up his pants. He opens the door and sees an older man dressed up as a Pirate, who stabs his chest with his sword. “You were simply too easy of a target, one that my sword could never resist.” But the sword is fake and the Pirate swishes away like a drunk. Back in the stairwell, Wonder Woman has returned her skirt to its proper high thigh place and is doing her makeup. The sound of the door slightly opening again irritates her. She walks over to it and opens it wide. “Stop trying to scare me!” But as soon as she does the shadow of a samurai sword goes all the way through her and she collapses to the floor… dead. Later in the hallway we get the Killer’s POV and see her lifeless face being dragged across the floor. In another hallway, the Cameraman scours the halls with a Reporter and is a total mess. His camera seems lost forever. Back with Ashley, Tamra, and David, we see them taking pictures with their cell phones of each other and everything around them. Not paying attention to her surroundings, Ashley bumps into two older “Angels” who cast a look of death upon her. Having fallen to the floor, Ashley gets up and apologizes. The Angels’ attentions are quickly diverted when a Photographer asks to take their picture. Ashley is saved by the bell, but her costume is not. Her wings are damaged and she is close to tears. But Tamra and David use some ingenuity and a metal hanger and her wings are as good as new… well, almost. We then see a computer screen and watch the animated transformation of Wonder Woman kissing in the stairwell. It looks like an animated cartoon and we see the scene of her killing, complete with her body being dragged along the floor and being propped into a closet, next to a mop and a variety of cleaning products.
Back in her room, Sara, bored, opens her mother’s suitcase and begins to make herself a costume. Back in the convention, Ashley, Tamra, and David watch in awe as the costume contest gets underway. Margaret, going crazy backstage directing all of the contestants, needs a break. She tells Greg, “You know what, I can’t do this anymore, I need a smoke break, take over!” As Margaret smokes outside in an alley, she is the focus of a camera that films her. Back at the contest there’s a break and everyone dances to the music of a D.J. Tamra is a natural dancer. Ashley and David are… not. As they do Sara meanders onto the dance floor. Later as the contest concludes the three finalists are whittled down until the Angel is beat out by the Transformer. Ashley grimaces in disappointment. Ashley consoles the Angel before she leaves through the exit door. Outside, the Angel in tears, is the focus of the camera. “What are you doing? Why are you shooting me crying?” She asks. Getting no response she suddenly realizes she is in danger. She turns and runs and we follow her through the frame of the camera. A sword stabs her in the back and her body is later dumped into a large trash bin. Ashley leads Tamra and David outside, and unbeknownst to them, Sara follows always just out of sight. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.” The Angel is nowhere to be found, just bits of feathers from her costume. While her disappearance is strange, they assume she must have left for home in disappointment and go back in. Inside they finally feel a presence and slowly turn around to see Sara. They inquire about her and her mother and now they have a fourth member of their party.
In the hallway, two kids trying to find a place to make out open a closet door and scream! There, sitting frozen atop a mop bucket, is the dead Wonder Woman! At a noodle shop Ashley, Tamra, and David eat pho with Sara and ask her about her mom. Outside the convention center, the police have arrived and the reporters are starting to film their live breaking news. “We are standing in front of the Anime convention where this is no longer an arena for kids, fun, and games. This year will forever be linked with death.” The murder of Wonder Woman is now the talk of the convention. Later, Ashley, determines that the floor and room where Sara came from by asking her simple questions, and takes her back to her room. But when they get there the door is blocked by yellow tape. “We did not decorate it like this,” Sara says. Ashley realizes that Sara’s mom is dead and Sara too finds this out when she inadvertently sees her mom’s body on the news of another person’s room whose door is open. Elsewhere in the hotel a young couple dressed in Anime costumes exit a hallway and are all over each other. It’s all they can do to get into their room before undressing and throwing themselves on the bed. As the woman makes love atop her man, the Killer’s hand places an electronic room key next to the knob which unlocks the door. As the couple are in passion her face turns into a grisly mask of death. The man sees what has happened and tries to get up. But before he can his throat is cut. Back at the convention Margaret convinces the rest of the participants to stay despite the evening’s horrible development. But Ashley, Tamra, and David feel that it’s time to go. However, they can’t leave Sara, who pleads with them to stay a little longer. So they do. We cut back to the computer screen and the Killer has finished another short movie. This one is now about the murder of the couple in bed. Back inside, we are in the middle of a dance contest and Tamra dances her way to a tie for first place. After the dance Margaret goes into the alley for a smoke break.
Back inside the Pirate tries to hit on some of the other Angels backstage and gets slapped in the face. He trips on a mop bucket and then sits on it. Ashley, seeing this, begins to think suspiciously of the Pirate. She walks over through the crowd. But before she gets to him he is pulled under the stage and the only thing she finds is the mop bucket he was sitting on. Strange. As she looks about she doesn’t notice the tip of the Pirate’s sword disappearing under the draping that surrounds the stage. A hand reaches out and touches her. She screams. It is David, followed by Tamra, and she berates them for scaring her. After she collects herself she asks them if they think the Killer could still be around? They express their doubts. Why would he risk it? Ashley shakes off the concern and agrees. As they walk away, under the stage the Pirate’s body is dragged away and in so doing his cell phone slides out of his lifeless hand. As Ashley talks with Sara, assuring her they’ll find a safe place for her the next day, she notices the Fix-It Guy leaving the back stage area carrying the bucket. He uses a sash that looked to be what the Pirate was wearing to wipe his brow as he looks around. Ashley sees his behavior and rushes towards him but he vanishes in the crowd. She then makes her way back to the back stage area, with David and Tamra following her… just because. Ashley looks around the area again not knowing exactly what she’s looking for, but then looks under the stage and decides to crawl through. David and Tamra, perplexed, follow her, with Sara in tow. They discover the Pirate’s cell phone, which is vibrating with a call coming in. David takes it and says they “just” need to crack the code. As dubious as this is, they try a variety of possibilities, “Anime,” “Cosplay,” “Pirate,” “Black Beard,” and none work. Ashley suggests, “Johnny Depp,” and it still doesn’t work. Tamra says, “Depp,” and amazingly they’re in! Ashley reads through the Pirate’s text messages and discovers pictures of girls in sexy outfits (of course). Nothing seems suspicious until she sees one picture that shows the Fix-It Guy in the background with his mop bucket and it hits her why she has suspicions, “Why would the repair guy bring a mop bucket into a carpeted room?” Ashley is convinced. The Fix-It Guy is the murderer! While Tamra is against the notion of playing detectives, Ashley and David are gung ho. Ashley tells her all they have to do is watch the man. Tamra tells her she has one hour before she calls the police. Ashley and David smile.
It is “Mission Impossible” time as the gang watch the Fix-It Guy enter an elevator and then rush over to look at the floor light up and then stop. Third floor. Up the stairs they rush. Through the door she opens, Ashley watches the Fix-It Guy exit the elevator and go to a room and use his key to enter. They rush up and listen first but then rush back around the corner to watch him exit and return to the elevator. They watch the lights again and notice that it now stops on the basement floor B. They take another elevator down and as it opens Ashley peeks out to see the Fix-It Guy walking towards an office in the parking garage. He turns back and they have to hide. They take the elevator back up to the first floor, then take the stairwell again back down, exit and look around. In his office, the Fix-it Guy goes through his routine of transferring his video footage into the software that turns his murders into an animated cartoon, and in so doing he is revealed to be the “Killer.” Suddenly, he gets a call on his radio from dispatch saying Margaret needs him in the ballroom. He mutters his disgust for her and lets the computer continuing transferring as he leaves and locks his door. Ashley and the gang hide behind a pillar and watch him enter the elevator and disappear. They run up to his office and peer into a window to notice the computer working at transferring something. They try to get in but everything’s locked, except a small opening on a higher window around in the back of the office. Later, Sara walks on top of Ashley’s back, up onto Tamra’s back, and up onto the shoulders of David and easily opens the window wider and slides inside.
Later Ashley clicks around the computer and looks for clues through its history as the rest watch. Aside from appearing he likes to take pictures of sexy young women the man doesn’t seem to be any different than any All-American jerk, but then they come upon a Cosplay woman in a murdered position and then hear the sound of the computer ramping up. David says, “He’s running something a bit more substantial through this than social media.” Ashley agrees and quickly flies through the desktop, searching for the program and finds something called, “Anime Mayhem” and clicks it. What opens up is an electronic edit suite, with a play back monitor and a record monitor side by side. The one on the left is the actual video footage playing, while on the right monitor we can start to see that it is a cartoon copy of the actual footage. At first this transformation appears cool. But after a while Ashley starts to realize that this is the murder footage. She sees Wonder Woman kissing just before the kill. Tamra notices too and guides Sara out of the room. Ashley and David decide to make a copy (to protect the crime scene) which they will take to security. Tamra tells them to text her when they’re done. Ashley finds a thumb drive and inserts it and starts a copy. It reads, 20 minutes remaining. As the time counts down a man exits the elevator that has David and Ashley terrified, but it is just a man with a briefcase. The transfer, painfully slow, is under five minutes remaining. But later the elevator doors open again and this time it IS the Killer. He notices David looking out to see who’s around but he doesn’t see anything. Inside the transfer is complete and Ashley pulls the thumb drive out. They open the door and are scared by the man with the briefcase crosses them, scaring them. They collect themselves and walk, with Ashley texting, “on our way to security.” They follow the man carrying the briefcase into the elevator. But before the doors can close, the Killer enters!
Ashley and David are terrified. The Killer talks ominously with them, asking if they’re having a good time at the convention. Ashley and David respond politely. They choose to get off on the same floor as the businessman but so too does the Killer. Ashley and David run to the end of the hall to the exit stairwell and turn around just in time to see the Killer stab the businessman in the neck and toss his dead body into his room and takes his card key, letting the door shut. Ashley and David look back in surreal shock. The Killer confidently shouts, “Your time is up!” Ashley and David bolt through the doors and the Killer charges after them. Ashley’s phone goes off as she and David run to the bottom and out of the doorway and into the alley and hide behind the trash bins. There she answers her phone. It is Tamra who is at the security desk of the center. Ashley tells Tamra that the killer knows about them and that they’re in the back of the hotel. Knowing things will be dangerous, Tamra, whose grown attached to Sara, kneels and explains that she has to leave her with the security person because she has to do something and Sara can’t be there. Sara understands. She nods. She’ll be all right. The Killer exits the stairwell, looks around and approaches the trash bins. He taunts them out loud, evidencing the fact that he is a madman. He lunges behind the bin but Ashley and David are gone. They are in fact inside the bin and lie terrified as next to them is the body of the dead angel. The Killer looks up and smiles. “Could it be you’re having a little snuggle with my other angel?” He starts to lean over the edge, when we hear Tamra say “Hey!” He turns to see Tamra. Angered, he now approaches her. David peeks out and throws a can to distract him. The Killer turns and throws a knife that sticks in the bin just below David’s face. He then throws another knife that sticks through Tamra’s clothes and pins her to the wall. He gleefully tells Tamra not to go anywhere while he takes care of David first.
As he approaches, Ashley has been “MacGyvering” a plan. She’s found an opened can of paint thinner which she uses to douse a feather she’s plucked from the angel, and then searches her for a cigarette lighter! As the Killer arrives at the bin, he fights off David who has been unsuccessful in prying the knife out. The Killer then pulls the knife out. But just then Ashley yells, “Here’s your dang footage,” and tosses the thumb drive in the air. As the Killer reaches for it, Ashley rises and splashes paint thinner onto his face and with the lit wing, whips his face, setting his face on fire.
The Killer screams, drops the knife and spins around, trying to use his hands to put out the fire upon his face. Ashley and David jump out and Ashley picks up the knife from the ground and places it behind her back into her waist. Together they run to Tamra and free her from the wall. They escape back into the convention center where they run into the backstage area, and then up to a Security Officer, a 70-year old man with old gray hair and then Margaret, with Greg coming up and listening. They follow them back out to the alley to find nothing. No killer, no angel in the trash bin, and after Margaret tells them the “murder weapon” is her personal prop knife from her costume rental booth, not only are they viewed as kids just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame, but are even threatened with being reported to the police for theft if they do anything to disrupt the convention again. As Margaret leaves, with dutiful Greg following behind, the gang are left dumbfounded. They know who the killer is but are powerless to do anything about it, particularly because the Killer has the thumb drive that has all of their evidence. But what is more unbelievable to them than that is Ashley’s determination to go back to the Killer’s office and recopy the footage. Back in the parking garage, the Killer, his face scarred and burned, is in pain. He can walk but his lack of sight causes him to bump into parked cars. He finds his own van, wherein lies the remains of the Pirate he murdered. He jumps into the back and shuts the door behind him.
Back in the Killer’s office the computer reads 10 minutes. Ashley is inside copying the video footage. “How much longer?” Tamra asks. “Ten minutes,” Ashley responds. “Make it five please,” says Tamra as she closes the front door and returns to standing guard with David. They are spooked by something. Tamra pulls David into a lip locking kiss to hide their faces. A car passes them. False alarm. Tamra releases David, who is dazed. “If you tell a living soul, you will not live to see another woman again.” Tamra threatens, “I could go to jail for this.” David tries to act cool, even though he’s blushing. Tamra inquires again. “Two minutes,” says Ashley. David smiles, “Here comes another car.” Tamra gives him the eye. Back in the distance of the parking lot the car parks in a stall and two Party Goers in costumes get out and head toward the elevators. The Killer, now dressed as a pirate, walks in pain and with difficulty and joins them, and upon being asked by them if he’s all right, assures them that he is and enters the elevator with them while knowing Tamra has her eyes on him. As the elevator doors close Ashley tells them the transfer is complete. But instead of going back to security, the plan is to take it to the police. They need to get to Tamra’s truck on the 5th floor. They go to the elevators, press the button and the wait is agonizingly long. The Killer comes out of the nearby stairwell and sees them standing at the elevators. Tamra notices the pirate and at first thinks nothing of him, just another costumed crusader. The Killer approaches. Tamra takes a closer look. As he nears, his eye patch starts to reveal the clue to Tamra. He has a scar surrounding the patch. He senses she is realizing who he is and rushes towards them. The elevator door opens and they rush in but find another dead body! They exit back out and head down the garage driveway. Tamra yells, “Run!”
The Killer, with another knife in his hand, runs still a bit blind, hitting a parked car around the turn and falling to the ground. He gets up and rounds the corner and stops. Not a sound. He listens, searches, and begins to walk slowly down the ramp. “I’m afraid you three little bears have been tampering with MY BED!” He says as he looks about. He checks under cars and continues talking, saying what he will do, his words revealing the mind of a genuine lunatic. As he does he monologues the reason behind his maniacal ways. “This is my convention center! Never has there been more mayhem around here than when you and that wicked witch started showing your faces in my neighborhood. You want me to do this, do that, and then I go do this and you kids are having sex right in my garage! In your cars, right next to my office! Disgusting!!! So, I planned my own theme for your shin dig here this year. A most appropriate theme I like to call Animehem!” The Killer continues to stalk the parking lot knowing they must be around somewhere. From afar Ashley feels helpless as she sees that he is closing in on David. But then she notices next to her, fortuitously bizarre, is a truck where the back is filled with old wood, some with nails sticking out. Back where David is, he knows that the Killer is near, but not that near. As he slides around on all fours the Killer approaches him from behind holding his camera in one hand and the knife in the other. “Any final words?” The Killer asks. David turns and is terrified. He crawls for his life. The Killer revels in the moment and shoots him with his camera as he follows. “Ahh, this is good, you’re very dramatic, will transfer well into my movie…”. David readies for his death. The Killer starts to make a slashing movement, when he screams in pain, his mouth agape. David squints confusion. As the Killer turns we see that Ashley has smacked him with her wood, lodging the nails into his back. Ashley runs and picks up David, Tamra joins them as they run back up the parking garage ramp and away from the Killer as he tries to free himself from the wood, but failing that, he goes back on the chase with the wood hanging from his back. Ashley, David, Tamra, with Sara in tow, run back to the elevators and press the button. As the door opens, Ashley runs inside and presses every button and then runs out and leads the group into the nearby stairwell, watching through the crack in the door.
The elevator doors close as the Killer approaches. He watches their elevator stop on the fourth floor. Then the other door opens and out steps Margaret. Greg stays in the elevator and says he’ll be right back with her medicine and the door closes on him. Margaret comments that it won’t be too soon and starts to smoke another cigarette. She looks at the Killer and sees only the Fix-It Guy and goes into hyper bitch mode, complaining about trying to get a hold of him, of bulbs that need to be replaced, and what in the world is he doing in that stupid pirate outfit. The Killer becomes an actor and tells her he was drugged by some stupid kids and made to dress this way and then turns and reveals the wood stabbed in his back. Margaret screams and proceeds to dislodge it from him as he screams in pain. She nonchalantly returns it to him and mentions how he shouldn’t play with kids and just do his work. At which time the Killer hits her with his wood and leaves it impaled on her forehead. The Killer gleefully sings “The Wicked Witch Is Dead,” and then spots the opening in the stairwell door. “Say cheese!” He shoots them with his camera and the chase is on again. Ashley and her gang run frantically away. They run down the stairwell and this time they go out the door and onto the streets and continue running, disappearing into the dark and foggy night. The Killer exits. Standing silent and listening, he can hear the distant running and heads into the darkness after them.
They get to the police station and realize that the new station is three blocks away. Tired, they have no recourse. They continue running and disappear into the mist again. Soon after, the Killer arrives. He is not that far behind. He listens and knows they’ve proceeded to the new station. He continues on. At the police station, the cops there get a dispatch telling them all available units must go directly to the convention center as there is a double homicide and the Killer could still be there. The two officers look at each other and rise from their desks. We see their vehicle speed off with the siren on and their blue lights flashing just as Ashley and the gang reach them frantically trying to wave them down. They watch the car speed off then go to the locked door of the station and find a sign there that reads, “Call 911.” They can’t believe it. “Really?” Ashley looks on incredulously, “The only officers in the station left the building.” They look around to the lonely streets. “We have to go back to the convention center.” Ashley says. David thinks she’s lost it. “What? Are you out of your mind?” “Yes, I am, let’s go!” Ashley takes off running through the foggy streets.
They end up in Chinatown and catch their breath. Tamra asks, “So, why must we go back there?” Ashley reasons that they must have found more bodies so they’ve summoned all available cops because a serial killer is literally taking lives as we speak, which is true. So the center is where all of the police will be. At that point they are startled by the applause from the Killer, who praises Ashley for being smart, bug alas that’s too bad for soon she and the rest will be dead. Ashley defiantly stands up to him, asking what is wrong with him, mocking him that maybe his mother left him, or his dad beat him. Of course the Killer partakes in the banter simply because he doesn’t care. He takes out a samurai sword. Suddenly Ashley goes to a nearby trash can and takes the lid. Tamra and David look around and pick up anything they can hold in their hands. The Killer laughs and steps forward, but then the three, separate and surround him. He lunges toward Tamra, but then Ashley throws the lid that knocks him onto the ground. He gets up and rushes Ashley but then David runs up behind him and knocks a stick across the back of his legs, and the Killer falls again. Ashley picks her trash can lid up again. The Killer slowly gets up again when BOOM! Tamra knocks him across the back of his head with a brick. He’s out. Wow, surprisingly that was easy. They stand over him. David says, “You know, I think this is the time when we are supposed to kill him, because if we don’t the monster always…” Ashley is already on the phone to 911, “Hello, we’re on the corner of Bishop and Hotel Street. We caught the convention center serial killer. My name is Ashley.” Ashley explains a bit more and adds that he’s not dead so they might want to hurry. She hangs up and tells Tamra that if he wakes to hit him again. Tamra decides that maybe they should just hit him now. David agrees. So she starts to bring the brick down again but her hand is caught by the Killer! He pulls her down and into his lap, and reveals his knife, pointing the edge into her neck. Ashley and David stand frozen in shock. “Give me my thumb drive!” He demands. Ashley hands it over. The Killer, now in total control, explains the plan. They’ll all go back to the convention center where Ashley and David will get his computer so that he can then take his van and escape into the night. He adds the emphasis of Tamra’s blood from a prick he makes with the point of his knife into her neck. Ashley and David understand.
Ashley and David walk ahead of the Killer, who hugs Tamra around the neck as if she were his girlfriend, but of course he does this to keep the point of his knife right on her jugular. In spite of the situation, Ashley defiantly reasons with him. She tells him that going back to the scene of a crime is always a big mistake. The Killer laughs and says normally it would be but that everybody there will likely be coming to where they just left because of Ashley’s call. And it is somewhat true. As they disappear into the night we hear a bevy of sirens. Ashley continues to reason. “How are you ever going to get your computer and van? There is no way that they pulled everyone away from your crime scene.” The Killer laughs. “Oh, I’m not going back in there angel. You two are!” Back at the convention center, they all watch from behind the throngs who try to get a glimpse of the dead body being wheeled to the ambulance. Ashley, caring only to save her sister, confirms the plan, “So, you want us to sneak in, get your computer, then your van, and drive around to meet you in the back alley?” The Killer says, “Yes Ma’am. Now go!” Ashley and David in fact do head for the center, but their first destination is to the first cop they see. The Killer gets tense and pushes the blade close to the squirming Tamra. As the Police Officer nods and heads in their direction, Ashley gives a thumbs up to the Killer, who squints confusion. But then he sees where he’s going. He goes to the trash bin where the dead angel lies and he breathes easier. The Officer sees the angel and gets on his cell phone and calls it in. Ashley and David run into the center. Ashley and David retrace their earlier steps, and avoid being too conspicuous to get back to the Killer’s office. But because everybody is under scrutiny they have to hide and avoid the Security Guard and a Police Officer who are patrolling around. Despite some very close calls they eventually make it into the garage and then up to his office. They manage to stay ahead of them until they actually make it into the office, where men’s curiosity make them check the office from the outside and test that the door is locked. It is. They walk away. In the back of the office, under the window, Ashley and David exhale relief and continue attempting to get in through the top window in the back of the office. Ashley looks up at the window and back at David, determined. She runs right at him. David squats down as Ashley jumps onto his hands. He rises up and extends his hands almost tossing her up toward the window. She grabs the ledge perfectly. She looks down and smiles, then starts to pull herself up when suddenly a cat leaps across her face out of the window. She screams and is left dangling, holding on with one hand. She then carefully calms down and pulls her other hand onto the ledge and guides herself up and through the window. Inside, Ashley grabs the computer and the hard drive and exits quickly, handing them to David. “Okay, now the van.” She says.
Back in the alley the Killer is getting nervous. With more cops arriving to check into the trash bin, it is time to back Tamra out into the back exit of the parking garage. In the parking garage the van sits waiting. On one side of the parking structure walk Ashley and David. They watch as on the opposite side the Killer and Tamra appear. They walk slowly toward each other and the Killer smiles. They all continue walking toward the van, watching each other. Ashley and David open the van and set the computer inside when suddenly Greg bursts out! “I’m going to get you for killing Margaret!” Greg is dressed in full green army soldier fatigues, with an arsenal of weapons. He’s Rambo, complete with a large knife, machine gun, and hand grenades. He is an unbelievable sight. Greg walks down the center of the driveway ramp and readies his machine gun. Tamra takes the risk and flees the Killer’s grasp. The Killer tries to go back after her when Greg rains fire with his machine gun! “You think you’re the only one who can play dress up with the big boys!” Greg fires at the car the Killer is hiding behind. Ashley rushes into the arms of her sister and they all watch on. He monologues how Margaret might have been a bitch but she made kids dream and he liked her. He continues firing until he’s run out of bullets. The Killer comes out from behind a car and smiles. Greg takes out his Rambo knife and throws it at the Killer, who ducks to avoid it. It sticks in the wall. The Killer runs and retrieves it and now rushes Greg. But Greg isn’t through. He pulls a hand grenade from off his weapons belt. But his belt falls to the ground and he throws it like a girl. His Rambo moment was short lived. The grenade explodes and when it clears, Greg has vanished. Everyone hops into the van. Ashley and Tamra switch seats so that Tamra drives. They pull out onto the ramp, when the Killer stands directly in front of them. “Okay, perfect, let’s play chicken and see who’s left standing,” says Tamra as she steps on the gas. The Killer then throws the Rambo knife directly at Tamra’s face. It lodges into the glass and causes panic and the van then crashes head on into a parked car. David flies through the windshield and lands on the hood of the parked car. Tamra hits her head onto the steering wheel and is knocked unconscious. Ashley has the wind knocked out of her from the tightness of the seat belt around her. She gasps for air. In the side mirror, she can see the Killer picking up Greg’s weapon belt and wrapping it around his waist. She slows her breathing down, as he continues walking towards them.
The Killer pulls a pistol from the belt. Ashley unbuckles her seat belt, opens her door, and slides outside. He fires his pistol at her. She vanishes. He rushes along her side of the van, stops to look around, and then walks back around to the driver’s side. Just then David starts to moan from his injuries. “Okay, go run away like a scared little girl while I torture and kill your friends!” The Killer shouts maniacally. He pulls David off of the hood, not caring about the pain that he is causing and readies to execute David like he was the target of a firing squad. He unbuckles Tamra, and pulls her half unconscious body out of the van and onto the cement to the side of the van. Ashley’s expression registers an idea and she turns and runs away. She runs to Tamra’s truck, grabs the keys atop the front tire and hops inside. Back at the van the Killer has pulled David to rest right next to Tamra. “I think if we stage this just right, it will be like the death photo of Bonnie and Clyde!” Ashley is having a hard time driving the Dodge truck around the turn, but she does so, and puts her foot to the gas. David and Tamra can barely make sense out of what is about to happen, but then look helplessly at each other. “Two bullets remain,” the Killer says with glee, “Who says we don’t live in a perfect world!” He is so into his killing ritual he cannot hear the speeding Dodge truck approaching. The Killer describes how he’s going to shoot them after taking three steps away, then turning and firing. Ashley sees them in the distance and floors the pedal. As he counts he is walking away from them while remaining oblivious to the fast approaching truck. His count goes “One… two… THREE!” But as he turns to fire he realizes that Ashley has driven the truck right upon him and it’s too late. The Dodge truck smashes into him, and sends him flying over the edge of the building and falling five floors down and onto the cement, as Ashley then turns the wheel and smashes the truck into the cement wall. The Killer is already dead as he falls, and his body is then sprawled onto the concrete below. Ashley opens her eyes to no injury and unfastens the seat belt. Sirens start and we see police cars in the distance approaching. Ashley checks on Tamra and David. They’re badly hurt, but they’ll be all right and they smile. “Our guardian angel saves the day,” Tamra says as she grimaces. As they help each other get back to the convention center, Ashley’s mom calls to check up on her. Ashley tells her they’ll be leaving their camp site soon. Mom tells her to make sure Tamra doesn’t let her drive. They all smile. Suddenly the elevator door opens and Greg is back and dressed like the Kung Fu master! He lets out a loud and intense, “Ki-ai!” When David tells him to chill out because Ashley already done in the bad guy, Greg transforms out of his superhero character and says, “Oh okay, did someone call 911 yet?” On the streets below the flashing lights and sirens of the police are everywhere.
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