Metal Grave

FADE IN INT. LOUISIANA FARM HOME - SMALL BEDROOM - DAY

 FADE IN INT. LOUISIANA FARM HOME - SMALL BEDROOM - DAY

MICAH
MULLIS, almost eighteen, is typing on a Braille translator device
hooked to a PC at her study desk. Wearing no makeup, she is naturally
attractive, five foot four, and bright.

ON
COMPUTER SCREEN Micah’s words appear:“For years I have wanted to
work for FEMA. Helping unfortunate people survive disasters is my
calling in life.”

Micah
takes a moment to stop typing to listen to some perceived sounds. She
then continues typing. Micah’s words appear:“Since my accident I
have mastered Braille and distinctly remember the sights and sounds
of the English language. I would like to have a chance to prove
myself working for you. Enclosed is my resume.”

Micah’s
attention is again pulled away from her typing as if she hears
something out of the ordinary. Arching her neck left and moving her
head in the direction of the sounds, she strains to listen further.
Swirling SOUNDS of WIND increasing and decreasing in volume fill her
auditory canals. Her facial features reveal she senses danger
approaching.

EXT.
OUTSIDE LOCATION ON THE MULLIS FARM - DAY

SPENSE
MULLIS, Micah’s dad, has just put up some horses in his barn
stable. Strong and weathered, he is a proud man who likes to use his
hands and brain. He speaks a weak brogue of Cajun. He stretches his
head to listen to some weak SOUNDS of THUNDER that are making him
uncomfortable.

He
steps outside to watch a green, grayish sky developing to the west.
Sniffing to smell moisture, he starts to hear the faint SOUNDS of
WHIPPING WIND. His eyes tell the story of fear.

INT.
AUTOMOBILE ON HIGHWAY CLOSE TO FARM - DAY

GINA
MULLIS, Micah’s mother, is hurrying home. She has the radio on
listening to reports of an approaching mega storm. She is
five-foot-five, overweight, and with an anxious personality. Her
voice erratic, overzealous, and Southern. Her boss at the Louisiana
State Bank has released all employees to go home fearful of the
consequences of the storm.

Gina,
a good worker but obsessed with her religious views, pulls a tract
from her pocketbook. She begins reading it and trying to drive at
the same time.

GINA’S
TRACT GINA MULLIS (V.O.): Isaiah 4:6 “And there shall be a
tabernacle for a shelter in the daytime from heat, and for a place of
refuge, and from a covert from storm and from rain.”

Suddenly,
her attention is drawn to some debris and a small calf wondering on
the highway in front of her. Her eyes widen as she swerves to miss
them both.

Once
back driving straight on the road she forgets again her careless
attention to driving and continues reading the tract.

GINA
MULLIS (V.O.): Ezekiel 38:22 “With pestilence and bloodshed I will
enter into judgment with him and I will rain upon him and his hordes
and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and
hailstones, and fire and sulphur.”

At
its conclusion she looks up and back on the highway. Sweating, her
face shows worry, confusion, and anxiety. She grips the tract tightly
revealing reddened knuckles.

EXT.
FRONT PORCH OF MULLIS FARMHOUSE - DAY

Spense
is running as fast as he can displaying a slight limp that he
received from an earlier accident. The family cat, SPIKE, a brown
tabby Maine Coon, is on the porch. Spense stops to address it.

SPENSE
MULLIS: You better find shelter little fellow. I’ve got to take
care of Micah first.

SPIKE:
Meow!

INT.
MULLIS FARMHOUSE - DAY

Spense
Mullis is in the house now. He enters Micah’s bedroom out of
breath.

SPENSE
MULLIS: Micah! There is a terrible storm coming. I want you to get
into the shelter. I didn’t think we’d have to use it so quickly.

Micah
has already risen from her desk chair. She reaches for her walking
stick. Her speech, clear and precise, like a radio announcer.

MICAH
MULLIS: I know. Where’s Mom? I’m sure she must be on her way home
by now.

SPENSE
MULLIS: She’s probably trying to pray the storm away. I’ll call
her if I can get through on her cell phone. You get your things.
You’re going in the shelter now.

Micah
starts moving about her room instinctively knowing how to pack her
things.

INT.
MULLIS FAMILY KITCHEN - DAY

Spense
goes to the kitchen telephone on the wall and starts dialing. The
phone is busy. He looks out the window to watch as the conditions for
the storm worsen.

INT.
GINA’S AUTOMOBILE - DAY

Gina’s
cell phone is laying on the seat beside her with the name of a
minister appearing in the digital read. She apparently forgot to cut
the phone off after talking or waiting for an answer.


EXT.
ONE MILE FROM THE MULLIS FARM - DAY

The
rain has picked up heavily. She hits debris on the highway flattening
her right front tire. The car wobbles to a halt on the side of the
road.

INT.
GINA’S AUTOMOBILE - CONTINUOUS

Gina
is frantic with fear. Fumbling and shaking she tries to use her cell
phone again. She makes a call.

INT.
MULLIS FARMHOUSE KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

The
telephone rings, but no one answers.

INT.
GINA’S AUTOMOBILE - CONTINUOUS

Gina
is now in a state of bad nerves. She says a silent prayer to herself
and then gets out of the car. Now getting soaked with cold rain, she
precedes to walk to her home. A few cars pass her on the highway, but
no one shows mercy to be a Good Samaritan.

INT.
MULLIS FARM BARN - DAY

The
storm is getting darker and more menacing. LIGHTNING is CRACKING and
THUNDER ROLLING as if the storm has moved faster than expected. The
light outline of a distant tornado is seen.

Spense
has taken Micah to the barn. He decides to release the horses now
that the storm appears a danger to leave them trapped.

SPENSE
MULLIS: You wait here while I get the shelter opened and ready. I’ve
got to get some food and water in there just in case.

MICAH
MULLIS: Just in case of what?

SPENSE
MULLIS: No time to talk. Just get down low until I get back. Hear me?

MICAH
MULLIS: Yes, I hear you. Please, be careful.

EXT.
MULLIS BARN - CONTINUOUS

Spense
leaves the barn as fast as possible trying to run in his heavy work
clothes back into the house. He trips and falls a few times before
reaching the farmhouse again.

INT.
MULLIS BARN - DAY

Micah
is laying on the hard earth of the barn. She hears other animals like
the donkeys in stalls somewhere in the barn.

MICAH
MULLIS (V.O.): Oh, no. Dad forgot the donkeys. I’ve got to free
them.

She
gets up from her laying position. She can’t find her walking stick.
She proceeds to find the donkey stall. She starts sticking out her
hands in front of her. She moves them almost rhythmically backing and
forth to find her way. As she moves along the wooden stalls there is
a large pitch fork sticking out. She is moving rapidly into the
pitchfork’s direction unaware that if she continues moving that
way, she will ram her hands into the sharp protrusions of the tool.

Micah
is almost upon the pitchfork when she stops just inches from the
sharp spikes and piercing herself. She stops as if some instinctive
sense has warned her of impending danger. She moves away from the
danger to unbolt the stall holding the donkeys.

They
go running out already scared by the sounds of the storm almost
knocking her down.

EXT.
ENTRANCE TO THE MULLIS FARM - DAY

Gina
has made it to the entrance of the farm. She is soaked to the bone,
tired, and becoming sick from the weather, sneezing and coughing. She
senses the manifestations of a multiple-vortex tornado moving towards
the farmhouse from the rear. She starts running in the direction of
the house screaming and crying.

GINA
MULLIS: Micah! Micah? Please get out of the house. Spense! Please
help get Micah out of the house. It’s terrible. We can’t outrun
it.