abnormal heights pilot

7/31/2019 Abnormal Heights Pilot

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ABNORMAL HEIGHTS

PILOT

FADE IN:

EXT. CORNFIELD -- NIGHT

Stalks of corn are moving rapidly due to the amount ofwind being blown. Bright lights and loud high pitchedbuzzing noises are seen and heard above the trees inthe distance. A little boy is seen running through thecorn field toward a house nearby he is unclothed andlooks traumatized.

CUT TO:

INT. DARK BEDROOM -- NIGHT

A teenaged male sits up in his bed, breathing heavy.The moonlight illuminates his blue green eyes as heruns a hand through his dark hair and he puts his legsover the side of the bed and his feet touch the floor.He puts his head in his hands as a gold cross on achain dangles from his neck.

REED - (V.O.)It was always the same dream. Night afternight. It never changed, never becamedifferent, never became less scary or lessconfusing. I still didnt know what itmeant and I was beginning to wonder if Iever would.

(Main character, REED CARAVELLA, 17 athletic build butstill lean, dark hair, which he wore sometimes shaggy,sometimes spiked up depending on his mood. Blue-greeneyes and olive colored skin.)

REED lays back down in his bed and closes his eyes. Hestruggles for a moment and then drifts back off tosleep.

BLACKOUT

FADE IN:


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INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY, LOCKERS - MORNING

REED is opening his locker, he touches the combinationlock, but doesnt turn it. He pulls the silver handleand opens the locker.

REED - (V.O.)(SMILES)

That never gets old. Ive done it so manytimes yet no one has ever noticed. I cantsay Im not surprised. What with all thepromising students we have

REED looks out the window onto the lawn of the side ofthe school, where some of the kids went to get high.

He shakes his head as he turns back to his locker andunzips his backpack and switches books out of it forbooks inside his locker.

AVERYYoure gonna have to show me that lockertrick sometime.

(AVERY HAMILTON, 17 slim but curvy. medium lengthplatinum blonde hair, blue eyes, fashion forward.)

REED jumps a little where he is standing as he turnsaround to face her. He smiles.

REEDYoure going to have to stop doing that.

AVERY(SMILING)

What?

REEDSneaking up on people.

AVERY

Oh, I didnt know you were so sensitive.

REEDIm not, Im just saying

AVERYYeah, yeah.

She tickles him a little bit and he pulls away from


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her in jest. They are both laughing now. Just then thefootball team comes walking down the corridor in theirlettermans jackets tossing a football back and forthbetween them and laughing very loudly. REEDS smilefades from his face as he gets a vision.

VISION: The captain of the football team comes up toAVERY and starts hitting on her as two of the otherteam members hold him against the lockers. They taunthim while the captain is inappropriately touchingAVERY.

REED comes back into reality as the team gets closerto them, he grabs AVERYS arm and starts leading herdown the hallway.

AVERY(CONFUSED)

Whats wrong with you?

REEDJust keep walking.

She listens to him and they start walking faster, hecan hear every step and squeak of their shoes on theslick floor getting closer and closer to them. Thesound is louder and louder in his ears and he cannotturn it off. His face becomes wrenched with pain atthe noise their rapid walking is making. As they nearthe nook where the bathrooms are, he backs AVERY upand pushes her into the bathroom, not giving her anyexplanation. He stands against the door. The footballteam stops and looks at him, they are angry.

REEDYouve got something to say DEAN, you sayit to me. Not her.

DEANWhat are you talking about Caravella?

(DEAN MACKENIZIE, 18, tall, built, jock, captain ofthe football team. Cocky. Arrogant.)

REEDYou know what Im talking about. Now whydont you and your drones go do somepushups or something.

DEAN(GETS IN REEDS FACE)

Dont push me Caravella. You have no idea


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what I could do to you.

REED(NOT BACKING DOWN)

Im guessing not much since you just turned18 and you wouldnt want to ruin that

football scholarship now would you?

DEAN punches the wall behind REED as he backs off andhe and the other guys walk away. REED is relieved ashe opens the bathroom door and lets AVERY out.

AVERYAre you okay?

REEDWho me?

(SMILES)

Im fine.

He puts his arm around her and they walk down the hallto their classroom.

CUT TO:

INT. HISTORY CLASSROOM -- MORNING

Everyone takes their assigned seats, AVERY sitting infront of REED. The teacher sits at her desk untileveryone is seated and then she begins roll call.

REED (V.O.)Another day going on very little sleep.That same damn dream waking me up nightafter night is getting old. Yet here I sit,in this classroom trying to seem normalwhen I know for a fact I am not.

(BEAT)Because I know in about 5 seconds theteacher is going to pull down the map andshes going to point to Japan and shesgoing to call on AVERY to answer thequestion and AVERY wont know the answer. Ican hear the vibrations of the cell phonesin every backpack in the room. I can hearevery scribble of the pen or pencil someoneis using on their piece of paper. I cansmell fresh tomatoes from the lunch roomdownstairs , I can smell the oven burners asthey are being turned on and heated up, I


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can even smell the milk through the cartonsthat they keep in the refrigerator. Now Iask you, is that normal?

(BEAT)Heres a real mind bender for you, everytime I hurt myself it heels like it never

happened. When I was younger, I fell out ofa tree and I broke my leg, the bone wassticking out and everything and when myparents finally found me it was as ifnothing had ever happened. I later foundout that I could do this to others as well,but for fear of what they would think of meI only ever did it once and it was onAVERY. She never remembered what happenednor that I had done anything. All she knowsis she fell off her bike and didnt scrapeher knees.

(BEAT)God, her hair smelled good. I had to wonderwhat she used because it drove me mad everysingle time I had to sit behind her in thisclass. And with my heightened sense ofsmell it was like an aphrodisiac. My ownpersonal aphrodisiac. My feelings for herremained a secret and would stay that wayuntil I felt like revealing them. I hadenough going on right now I didnt need thesting of heartache to be added to it.

The loud speaker goes off asking REED to come to themain office. He looks confused as he packs up hisbooks and leaves the classroom. He walks down thehallway toward the office and sees his mother standingoutside the door crying. He drops his backpack andgoes to her.

REEDMom? What is it?

(TOUCHES HER ARM)

MARIA Its your father.

(MARIA CARAVELLA, 40, long dark hair, brown eyes,thin, youthful face)

REEDWhat happened?

REED (V.O.)For some reason I couldnt see anything,


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except my mothers tears.

MARIA He took a turn for the worse.

REED hugs her, then picks up his backpack as they head

out the front doors and to the car.

REEDIll drive mom.

He lets his mother into the passengers side of thecar. He walks around to the drivers side. He gets inand starts the engine and begins to drive.

REED (V.O.)Oh, did I forget to mention that my dad is

sick? Well, he is. Hes been battlingcancer for some time now and hes been inand out of the hospital more times than Ican count. My healing ability seems tohave no affect on him, though I have triedmany many times. Hes the only father Ihave ever known, and I say this because Icant remember a damn thing before theCaravellas adopted me. But I must havebeen about 10 when they did that. Theresnothing before that. Nada, zip. It was likeI just woke up one day in their house,strange and bizarre just like my life.Anyway I am getting off of the point. Hesbeen a great dad. Has always worked hardand been there for me and for my mother.And it wasnt fair that this was happeningand there was nothing that I could do tohelp. And to make matters worse. I knew, intwo days hed be gone and there wasnt onething me or Mom could do about it. And nota thing I could do to turn off this head ofmine. When it saw the future. It saw it upclose and personal. I hated that I couldntchange it. Why see it if I cant change it?Never made much sense to me. There was moreabout my father that was fuzzy. A talk wewere going to have, couldnt quite make itout but it was there. I looked forward toit. It would be the last one we would have.

BLACKOUT

FADE IN


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INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- MID MORNING

REED and his mother stand over a hospital bed, one oneach side. His mother is crying. The look on REEDSface tells us that he is trying hard to fight back

tears that he does not want to show.

VICTOR I need to speak with the boy alone.

(VICTOR CARAVELLA, 45, tall, dark brown hair that ismixed with grey. His eyes are blue and his usuallywell built frame is now replaced by slender sickly onewith sunken in cheek bones. His beard that matches hishair looks much fuller now.)

MARIA (TEARS FALLING)

I dont want to leave you.

VICTOR MARIA, please. Its only for a moment.

He rubs her hand and gives her a nod. She kisses hishand and reaches over to touch REEDS shoulder. Shethen leaves the room.

REED (V.O.)For once in my life I had no idea what wasabout to happen. It was liberating, yetscary as hell.

VICTOR Pull up a chair and sit down.

(COUGHS)I want to talk to you.

REED does as he is told. He pulls one of the emptychairs close to the bed and sits down in it as hisfather takes his hand.

VICTOR Do you know who you are?

REEDWell, yeah Dad Im your son.

(half smile)


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VICTOR No, I mean do you know who you really are?

REEDI..I dont know what you mean.

VICTOR You have to be prepared.

REEDPrepared for what?

VICTOR For whats coming

REEDIm conf

VICTOR (CUTS HIM OFF)And this, you wont be able to see beforehandnot like you usually do.

REED(LAUGHS UNCOMFORTABLY)

It must be the pain meds they have you on,because you arent making any sense.

He grabs REEDS arm. He looks at him intensely.

VICTOR You have to be ready. Youre the one. Theonly one.

REEDOkay, now I know its the medication.

VICTOR You know things before they happen. Youhave an extremely keen sense of smell, andcan hear things not even a dog can pick up.Most important of all, you can healyourself and other people.

The look on REEDS face is that of shock.

REEDDad how could you? I mean how didI nevertold anyone.

VICTOR I know because


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(BEAT)I have it too.

REED(SURPRISED)

What?!? But, youre not even my real

father, how could you

VICTOR (CUTS HIM OFF GENTLY)

They sent you to me.

REEDThey who?

His father points upward toward the ceiling. REEDlooks up and then back down at his father. There is

confusion on REEDS face.

REED(FRUSTRATED)

I dont get it? God? Angels? Who?

His father says nothing. He merely reaches down to theskin on his wrist and pulls it back exposing a lifeform unlike anything REED has ever seen before. It isgreen and it is bright and the light illuminates hisface. REED jumps out of his chair. He moves away fromthe bed as his father put his flap of skin back downand it heals back into place.

VICTOR Do you see now?

REEDWhat the hell was that? What are you?

VICTOR WE are the same.

REED(GROSSED OUT)

So youre telling me thats what I looklike under here?

(TOUCHES SKIN)

VICTOR Not you. Youre a half bREED.

REED(CONFUSED)


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A what?

VICTOR Theres no time for explaining anymore. Thetime is coming. You have to be ready!

REED(FRUSTRATED)

Ready for what dad?

His dad did not answer him.

REED(NERVOUS)

Ready for what dad?

His Dad grabs his chest as he presses the button forthe nurse to come into the room. As she does shepushes REED out of the way.

VICTOR (SHOUTS)

You have to be ready REED!

REED(PANICKED)

For what Dad?? Please tell me!

VICTOR For the invasion! Look for the MAN WHORADIATES DARKNESS. He has answers.

His dads eyes roll into the back of his head and theheart monitor flat lines.

BLACKOUT

TEASER!COMMERCIAL

FADE IN:

INT. REEDS BEDROOM -- MORNING

REED is looking into the mirror on the back of hiscloset door, adjusting his tie. AVERY appears in hisdoorway and knocks on the door jam. REED jumps alittle.

REED


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Jeez! You scared me!

REED (V.O.)How was it that I felt closer to her thananyone else, yet I couldnt sense when shewas coming or see anything in her future?

It was weird.

AVERYSorry, didnt mean to. I just came to checkon you.

REEDDont worry about me. Hows my mom?

AVERY(SHRUGS)

Shes holding up I guess. Everyone is

getting ready to leave for the service.

REED is quiet as he stares at himself in the mirror.AVERY walks over to him and touches his arm. She movesin front of him and looks up at him. He looks down ather. Suddenly he hugs her as tightly as he can astears start falling from his eyes.

AVERYShh, its okay.

(RUBS HIS BACK)

REED is still hugging her as he looks at theirreflection in the mirror. His eyes widen as he noticesevery fiber of his being is glowing, and nottheoretically but literally. A light green glow isilluminating his body. In a knee jerk reaction hepushes her away.

AVERYWhat? Whats wrong?

REED looks over her and into the mirror and noticesthat the glowing has stopped.

REEDNothing. Im sorry. Its just this wholething has me messed up. Did I hurt you?

(TOUCHES HER ARM)

AVERYNo. Im okay. But wed better go

(SOFT TONE)Come on.


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CUT TO:

EXT. CEMETARY GRAVESITE -- MID MORNING

The black casket sat above the dugout grave. Friends

and family gathered around the Catholic priest, alldressed in black. AVERY takes REEDS hand as theystand next to each other and the priest begins totalk.

REED (V.O.)So, here we were. He was gone. Just like Iknew he would be. Only there was no body.Yep. Thats right. The day my father diedhis body disappeared. No one knows whathappened to it, my mother has been ruinedby it. My only guess now was that it was

removed so there would be no evidence ofwhat he really was. Hell, I couldnt evenbring myself to say it let alone think it.So, today we are burying an empty casketthe only thing left of my father now werememories.

REED held tightly to AVERYS hand. He looks around atall who have come. His fathers words ring in hishead:

VICTOR (V.O.)Look for the MAN WHO RADIATES DARKNESS. Hehas answers.

REED (V.O.)Everyone here is wearing black. So, I thinkjust about everyone radiates darkness. Jeezdad, way to make it easy for me. And whatdid he even mean anyway? Answers to what?Answers to this supposed invasion? And whatwas I supposed to do about it? I was onlyone person. I couldnt possibly be expectedto stop an entire invasion, could I? But hesaid I was the one, the only one. What thehell did he even mean by that? I had somany questions and no logical answers. Iwished the man who radiated darkness wouldshow himself, at least maybe then Id knowsomething other than confusion.

REED looks down at his feet and kicks the dirt around.He looks back up at the crowd of people dressed inblack, they are suddenly all the same man.


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(He is tall, strong build, African American, withbright blue eyes)

REED blinks his eyes a few times. The multipleversions of this man stare back at him. He rubs his

eyes with his free hand. Everything goes back tonormal. He hears his fathers voice once again.

VICTOR (V.O.)It will all make sense in time my son. Intime.

REED (V.O.)I didnt know which freaked me out more,hearing my fathers voice or seeingeveryone here morph into the same person.Everything was becoming very strange, as if

my life wasnt strange enough already. Istood there, my heart shattering intopieces as I watched them lower my fatherscasket into the ground. I couldnt take it.I had to get out of there.

REED drops AVERYS hand and hurries across thecemetery lawn and to his car. He looks into the rearview mirror and his eyes widen with fear as he seesthe same man from earlier sitting in his back seat.His knuckles are white from gripping the steeringwheel so tightly. He is frozen with fear. He closeshis eyes and when he opens them again the man is gone.He starts the engine and as he drives away the tiresmake a skidding sound on the road as they slide onsome gravel. The car disappears into the distance.

CUT TO:

INT. REEDS KITCHEN -- AFTERNOON

REED is sitting at the kitchen table. His jacket offand his tie undone a bit. He is drinking out of hisfathers coffee mug and staring into space. Withoutwarning AVERY comes in letting the screen door slambehind her.

AVERYHere you are. Everyones been looking foryou.

REEDI had to get out of there.


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AVERY(TOUCHES HIS SHOULDER)

Its understandable. If you wanna talk..

REED

(CUTS HER OFF AND PULLS AWAY)I dont want to talk about it.

He stands up and walks into the living room. Shefollows him.

AVERYYou cant just keep it all inside REED. Atsome point youre going to have to face itall.

REED(LOOKS INTO HER)

Yeah? Well today isnt that day. You shouldjust go home.

AVERY(ON THE VERGE OF TEARS)

Im not leaving you.

REEDS mother walks into the living room. Her facelets us know she is livid.

MARIA AVERY, can you excuse us for a momentplease?

AVERY leaves the room, but stays close enough toeavesdrop. MARIA walks over to her son. She looks athim angry enough to burn a hole straight through him.

MARIA (STERN TONE)

I did not raise you to be thatdisrespectful young man.

REEDCome on Ma, it wasnt that big of a deal.

MARIA Wasnt that big of a deal? You left in themiddle of your fathers funeral. And youmade a scene when you did it. I have neverbeen more embarrassed in my entire life.


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REEDOh, now youre just being dramatic.

MARIA slaps REED across the face.

REED (V.O.)Wow. I did not see that one coming. Ididnt see any of this coming. I must havebeen distracted. But man did it sting.Literally and figuratively.

MARIA I buried your father today. Dont you darecall me dramatic.

REED(GENUINE TONE)

Im sorry mom.

MARIA You should be. So disrespectful.

REED(OUTBURST)

I couldnt take it okay? It was too hardfor me. I couldnt watch it. I didnt wantto lose it in front of all those people andmost of all in front of you. In case youhavent noticed. Im the man of the housenow. Im supposed to be the strong one, foryou. But how was I supposed to be strongwhile watching that? Huh? How?

(ON THE VERGE OF TEARS)

MARIA (SOFTENING)

REED.(TOUCHES HIS FACE WHERE SHE SLAPPED HIM)

Im sorry. I never looked at it that way.You dont have to be strong for me. Youremy baby and you always will be. Imsupposed to take care of you.

REEDI know mom, but I feel like I should betaking care of you. Dad would want me to.

MARIA Dad would also want you to take care ofyou.


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(BEAT)Come on now, get yourself together. Guestsare coming back to the house for a fewhours. You can do this

(BEAT)We can do this, together.

(EMPHASIS ON WE)

They hug each other.

BLACKOUT

FADE IN:

INT. REEDS BEDROOM -- NIGHT

REED pulls down his covers. He sits on the edge of the

bed. He opens his nightstand drawer and pulls out ablack box. He opens it. Inside there is a round goldmedallion with his name on the front. He turns itaround to reveal a bunch of markings that make nosense to him.

REED (V.O.)My father gave this to me on my fifteenthbirthday, along with a speech aboutbecoming a man and yada yada. I dont knowbecause I wasnt paying much attentionthen. I always thought it was ridiculouslooking and at the time I was far too coolto ever wear it. Especially with the weirdwriting on the back. It looked like somesort of foreign language and it always mademe laugh. But looking at it now, it didntmake me want to laugh and it definitelydidnt make me feel uncool. It made me feelcloser to him.

REED takes off the gold necklace which holds his goldcross. He puts the medallion on that same chain. Theynow hang in unison with one another. He puts the goldchain back on his neck. He rubs the medallion with hisfingers as he lays back in his bed and turns out hislight. He closes his eyes.

CUT TO:

EXT. CORNFIELD -- NIGHT

The wind is blowing hard. The lights and noises comingfrom above the trees are louder than ever. Above the


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trees there is a humming connected to a large ovalobject, hovering. The lights are multi-colored and arespinning. The stalks of corn are bending and wavingunder the power of the wind. A little boy comesrunning out of the woods through the cornfield, he isnaked and traumatized. He is running toward a house in

the distance, but is stopped by the MAN WHO RADIATESDARKNESS. The little boys face is confused. In aninstant his surroundings have completely vanished andhe is no longer a boy, but a grown up REED. He isstanding in the middle of outer space with thismysterious MAN OF DARKNESS. The man is pointing to aplanet off in the distance.

MAN OF DARKNESSThat is home. Your home.

REED

I dont understand.

The man disappears.

CUT TO:

INT. REEDS BEDROOM -- NIGHT

REED does not wake up from this dream, he insteadstays in a restless state of sleep as a figure standsat the side of his bed. The figure is disguised,cloaked in a black robe with a hood. There is a greenlight coming from inside the robe. REED tosses andturns in his sleep. Suddenly and slowly a long greenhand with only three fingers emerges from the robe andreaches out to touch REED and as he does his fingersbrush over the medallion on his neck and an electricshock is sent through his body. The creature squealsand backs away from the bed, then disappears. REEDsits up in his bed in a cold sweat. He immediatelygrabs the medallion. It is hot and glowing. REED looksup and sees the MAN WHO RADIATES DARKNESS standing atthe foot of his bed.

MAN OF DARKNESS

The time is nearing. You must be ready.

REED(FRUSTRATED)

Then make me ready!

He disappears.

BLACKOUT


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FADE IN:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA -- AFTERNOON

REED sits at the back table. He picks at the food on

his tray. AVERY sit across from him. She looks at himconcern on her face.

AVERYYou okay? You look like shit.

(LAUGHS)

REED(LAUGHS A LITTLE)

Gee, thanks.

AVERY

No, really. What gives?

REED(SHRUGS)

Didnt sleep very well.

AVERYAgain? REED, this has been going on longenough now, dont you think you ought tosee a doctor or something?

REED(STRAIGHT FACED)

A doctor cannot help me with this.

AVERY(TOUCHES HIS HAND)

Then maybe I can.

REED(HALF SMILE)

Id love nothing more babe, but..

AVERY

But what?

REED (V.O.)I couldnt tell her. Shed think I wascrazy. Between the MAN WHO RADIATESDARKNESS, my father being anoh god I stillcouldnt say itand me being half of one,shed flip.


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AVERYREED?

REEDDont worry about me okay?

(SMILES)

Ill be fine.

AVERYShut out again.

(SIGHS)

They begin to eat their food in silence. REED looksacross the cafeteria and sees the MAN WHO RADIATESDARKNESS. He blinks a few times and he is still there.He begins to walk away.

REED

Ill be back.

REED gets up quickly and follows him. He walks out thecafeteria doors. The man is walking toward thegymnasium. REED runs after him. They walk next to eachother in silence as they reach the locker room. Theman walks around, looking for others. When no one isfound he locks the door and corners REED. REED,overwhelmed by his presence sits down on the bench infront of him and looks up at him. He knows he is aboutto tell him what he wants to hear.

REED(NERVOUS)

Who are you?

MAN OF DARKNESSDont worry, Im your friend.

REEDWhy are you here?

MAN OF DARKNESSTo help prepare you.

REED(CONFUSED)

For what exactly?

MAN OF DARKNESSDont you know who you are?

REED


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I thought I did.

MAN OF DARKNESSYou are the son of LEHHS, ruler of theplanet Sokak. In a galaxy much differentthan this one.

REEDLEHHS? As in the word lies?

MAN OF DARKNESSYes.

REED (V.O.)I would later find out that they didnteven have a word for lies in theirlanguage. So they had no idea how offputting that name was!

REEDAnd my mother?

MAN OF DARKNESSYour mother was an earthling. Your father abducted her, held hercaptive. Impregnated her. You were born. When she saw the way heintended to raise you, she sent you to VICTOR.

abnormal heights pilot

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