Moribund. by Jesse Cowell. Phone (250)

Moribund by Jesse Cowell Phone (250)-727-9146

INT. APARTMENT COMPLEX HALLWAY - DAY Rows and rows of grey, dull doors fill the narrow hallway. TIBER, 32, reserved, dour, bespectacled, drags a wheeled cart down the hall like a suitcase. Cart full of groceries. He walks leisurely. Checks his watch, it reads 11: 59. INT. S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY Large, disorganized kitchen. Stacks of dishes scattered over the sink and counters, paper plates stacked on a table near the wall. TELEVISION can be heard, someone s FULL-THROATED LAUGHTER. Empty bottle of guinness sits atop television. Television small, but new. A sitcom plays. Hear keyboard TYPING. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY Seth walks farther, stops in front of apartment 409. Seth straightens the hem of his shirt, pins a homecare nametag to his breast pocket, takes off his glasses. Takes a key from his pocket, unlocks the door. INT. S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY VITELLI, 26, boyish, confident, lies on a converted hospital bed facing the TV. He weighs in excess of 600 pounds. Ben s sausage-like fingers type adeptly on a laptop resting on his stomach. Earphone hangs from his left ear. Seth enters, swings open the door then wheels in the cart. Ben yanks the headphone out of his ear, mutes the TV. Seth starts towards the kitchen. Can you get that stuff, I hit deadline in like... Ben checks the time on his laptop....forty. (CONT'D)

2. Seth marches into the KITCHEN Seth stops the cart in front of the fridge. Starts unpacking bread, bagels, and crackers onto the counter. What s it on? (O.S.) Oh nothing, just a fluff piece. My editor throws it at me yesterday, and expects me to drop everything. LIVING ROOM Ben reaches for a beer, drinks while typing one-handed without looking away from the screen. He thinks I don t have anything... That I m not writing for anyone else. So he just piles shit on. KITCHEN Seth piles beer, dairy products, and massive amounts of quickcook meals into the fridge. (O.S.) Speaking of... LIVING ROOM I got a new clipping, remember that thing I did about Njornison? KITCHEN Seth stops packing, crouched. Rests his hands on his knees. Yeah.

3. LIVING ROOM Ben searches through a mass of papers and newspaper clippings on a table beside his bed. Seth silently enters the living room, waits with his hand held out for the clipping. Could you put it in with the others... Ben finds the clipping, turns around, notices Seth is standing next to him. (CONT'D)...If you have the time. Third box from the right? Second. Seth nods. INT. S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY The bedroom is musty, mostly unused. An old bed sits in a corner, its legs cut off laying on the ground. An old weight training machine sits in the other corner, looks unused. Seth enters and walks to the closet. Opens it, drags out the second of three cardboard boxes and removes the lid. His fingers search through several scrapbooks, finds unfilled one and deposits the clipping into an empty slot. Seth re-lids the box and slides it back into the closet. Seth stands, walks to the weight training machine, presses a button on its panel, and a big 0 flashes up under highest weight record. INT. S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY Seth passes Ben on his way to the kitchen. The sound of him PUTTING THINGS AWAY can be heard.

4. Ben types for a bit longer. Eventually hits the enter key with exuberance. Done. Fluff piece begone. Ben folds up his laptop as Seth exits the kitchen and wheels his cart to the door. (CONT'D) Seth, wait a sec. Seth halts. Ben puts his laptop on the table beside his bed. Ben motions to get up. No, you don t have to- Ben struggles to his feet and levers himself off the bed, he breathes heavily. Sorry. I see my guests to the door. No exceptions. Ben extends his hand, Seth shakes it. Seth frowns as he feels something odd on Ben s hand and looks more intently at Ben s wrist. (CONT'D) Same time next Wednesday, same bat chan- What is that? The bottom of Ben s wrist is discoloured and dark. Looks unhealthy. Ben looks at his wrist. What? You need to get that looked at. Well, we re looking at it. Seth gets his cart and opens the door.

5. Call a doctor. Have a good week too, Seth. I ll send you the new grocery list. Seth leaves and closes the door. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY Seth puts his glasses on, puts his nametag away and wheels his cart away. FADE TO: EXT. GROCERY STORE - DAY The sun is new and bright in the morning sky. The grocery store is big, full of high arches and long aisles. Seth marches into the grocery store s automatic double doors with his wheeled cart. INT. GROCERY STORE - AISLE - DAY Seth stands in the frozen food section, reading off a computer-printed list. Seth looks at the vast majority of listed food with disdain. Takes a pen and crosses some out: starburst, steak, pork chops, etc. Revises others. INT. APARTMENT COMPLEX - ELEVATOR - DAY Watch reads 11:58 Seth stands in a cheap, unimpressive elevator with his cart now full. He reads the paper, an article by Ben Vitelli. As the elevator reaches his floor with a DING, Seth folds up his newspaper and puts it in the cart. PHOEBE enters the elevator. Phoebe, 26, bubbly, pleasant, dressed very much like a prostitute. Red-brown leaf tattoos cover her arms and hands. Seth frowns as she enters. Makes his way around her and exits.

6. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY Seth walks his cart down to apartment 409. Seth straightens the hem of his shirt, pins a homecare nametag to his breast pocket, takes off his glasses. Takes a key from his pocket, unlocks door to apartment 409. INT. S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY Seth hauls out food onto the counter again, following his earlier routine. What re you watching? INT. S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY Ben watches TV while drinking a beer. Nothing. Cop show, or something. Silence except for the television. (CONT'D) Hey, wait for a sec. Seth walks into the living room, leans against the wall. (CONT'D) You need to be somewhere else? Hmm? Seth shrugs. Like, you come here, you put groceries away, then you go. You need to be somewhere? In about an hour. You re just... efficient.

7. The corner of Seth s mouth smiles. Its something I m working on. A smile? Didn t know you had it in ya. C mon. Watch a show. It might be about cops. Sure... C mon, Sit down. Seth pauses. Goes into the kitchen, brings back a chair sits next to Ben. (CONT'D) I hate cop shows. Ben picks up the remote, flicks the channels around. (CONT'D) Any preference? Not horror. Really? Not a thriller fan? Didn t peg you for a screamer. Ben finds a channel, lays the remote on his stomach. Sounds of LAUGH TRACK flicker in and out of their conversation. Fine with thrillers. Just hate gore. My girlfriend s the same. Like, covers her eyes at all the violent parts. The best parts. Ben takes a drink, Seth looks askance at him. No. It s not about violence. My stomach can only take so much.

8. You, ah, got a girl? Guy? No. To both. So, ah, why this? This line a work? Fell into it. Thought... The world just needed groceries? It d be selfish. Not to. Silence until Ben laughs at something on TV, Seth smiles. Seth nods. (CONT'D) Your article was good. The one in the herald. You found that? Did you get the clipping? I did, I did. Seth moves towards Ben, holds out his hand. I can put it with the others. Ben grabs a clipping from the table beside his bed. Thanks. Seth grabs the clipping and gets up. INT. S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - DAY Seth enters and walks to the closet. Opens it, drags out the third of three cardboard boxes and removes the lid.

9. His fingers search through several scrapbooks, opens the last one, winces and frowns. The box he opened is a catalogue of old porno mag articles, written by Ben Vitelli. Seth closes the box, and deposits the clipping into the correct box. INT. S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY Seth exits bedroom, hesitates. Eventually Sits back down beside Ben. They watch for a while. Ben picks up the remote to turn the volume up, and stretches his arm towards the TV. Seth sees the small, discoloured dark patch has spread up Ben s arm into his sleeve. Looking more closely, Seth can see the dark patch reaches Ben s shoulder, peeking out from his collar. Ben. Hmm? That isn t a burn. What? Rotates his arm around to see the dark patch, looks at it. Shrugs. Okay. (CONT'D) Didn t you check that? We checked it. I m not joking.

10. Dr. Marsh came and went. Said it d be fine. He s wrong. Get someone else. Okay. Sure. It s nice to know you care. Ben smiles, Seth frowns. They watch in silence. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY Watch reads 11:37 Elevator opens and Seth exits, wheeling his cart down the hall. Walks to apartment 409. Seth straightens the hem of his shirt, pins a homecare nametag to his breast pocket, takes off his glasses. As Seth opens the door to go inside, He glimpses a naked Pheobe lying atop Ben on the hospital bed. Phoebe yelps a startled scream. Ben is obscured by their blanket. Seth recoils back into the hall, slamming the door shut. Leaving the cart at the door, Seth paces back to elevator, clenching and opening his hands. He turns and stares at Ben s door. Apartment 409 opens, and Phoebe exits. She Looks back into the apartment. PHOEBE Shut up (laughs). You re such a pervert. She closes the door behind her. Notices Seth. PHOEBE (CONT'D) Hey, you Seth? Sorry bout that. I never remember to lock the fucking door. My bus came early. I didn t mean to... Intrude.

11. PHOEBE I m Phoebe. Ben s girlfriend. Guess you figured that already. Phoebe smiles. Extends her hand to shake. Seth chews his tongue, eventually shakes back. Silence. PHOEBE (CONT'D) So, Homecare. Great fucking choice! How d you get into that? PHOEBE (CONT'D) Just curious. Couldn t be a doctor. Phoebe s head turns quizzically. (CONT'D) Hate blood. Couldn t stand the, ah... fluids. PHOEBE Sucky. Funny, huh. Both of us. What? PHOEBE Our jobs. I mean, shit, they re kind of simila- -No. They re nothing alike. PHOEBE Okay... I m gonna go. Nice meeting you, Seth. Phoebe walks down to the elevator, exits. Glancing down at the elevator, Seth walks his cart down to apartment 409. INT. S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY Seth enters, wheeling his cart to the kitchen. Ben s hospital bed is empty.

12. INT. S APARTMENT - BATHROOM - DAY The sink s water is RUNNING. Ben s large hand turns off the cold tap. INT. S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY Seth puts away groceries in the same order he always does. The sound of the bathroom DOOR CLOSING carries to the kitchen. (O.S.) Seth? You here? Yeah. (O.S.) Hey, did you ah... did you run into Phoebe? Not right into. Ah. (O.S.) Seth begins packing things into the fridge. Ben s HEAVY FOOTSTEPS make their way across the living room, growing slightly louder as they near the kitchen. Seth throws a slop of old food into the garbage, bloated flies are startled from their stillness in the trash. Seth turns back to face the living room and stops. His jaw clenches, his face pales, and he clamps shut his hands. Ben s skin is blackened, rotting, and necrotic. The flesh around his mouth has peeled, leaving his teeth bared and yellowed. His hair has fallen out. There s a hole in his cheek. He does not breathe. Ben casually leans against, and blocks, the archway between the living room and the kitchen. (CONT'D) Look, uh, I know it... It kinda started as just... (MORE)

13. (CONT'D) But I think it s more. Now. She, uh, doesn t ask for... pay anymore. Seth s knuckles are painfully white. (CONT'D) Did you find that quick-chicken? Seth opens the fridge door, blocking Ben from his sight. He s muttering something over and over again. No. Ben lumbers towards Seth, Seth s breathing quickens with each STEP. Ben s rotted side can be seen past the edge of the fridge door. I was kinda thinking... I dug out Dead Alive. I figured it d be a good way to, like, man up your gore factor. Do you, ah... No. I... I have plans. Next week? Maybe. I figured you wouldn t just want gore, but its like a half-comedy. There s this part- Ben chuckles to himself, his stomach hits the fridge door, Seth winces like a bomb went off by his head. Tears leak out his clamped eyelids. (CONT'D) Sorry. Did I bump you? It s fine. One of the dangers of gourmet living. Ben turns away, makes his way to the living room. Rests at the archway, then exits the kitchen.

14. Seth s breathing slows as Ben leaves. Seth closes the fridge, puts his hands on its surface. Stays motionless until he finds the courage to move. (whispers) Move. Move. Move... LIVING ROOM Seth enters slow, cautious. Hands closed. Ben sits on the edge of his hospital bed. Chewing something Seth can almost see through the hole in his cheek. Ben smiles. (speaks through chewing) I always thought it was funny. Either, you live healthy, and you die. Or, you live unhealthy, then you die. Ben grabs another perogie off a plate sitting on his bed. Seth sees him eat it, watches his teeth tear it apart. (CONT'D) No-brainer, right. Seth s breathing quickens again. Silence. (CONT'D) (chewing) Like, we wouldn t know each other, probably wouldn t, if I uh... (swallows) You okay? (CONT'D) Wanna sit down or something? Ben struggles to get up, Seth recoils and backs against the wall. Don t touch me!!! Ben startled, stops. His eyes widen.

15. What... What d- Stop it! Stop pretending you re- Seth? What... Don t fucking touch me. Ben rises from his bed. At the motion, Seth throws open the door and bolts out of the apartment. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY Seth slams the door behind him, lock it with his key and runs down the hall. His nametag falls off in his hurry, and falls to the floor. The door begins to open BLACKOUT.