Alec is wandering through the swamp, when he suddenly spins round in a determined fashion, then walks forward towards something. Through some foliage he comes across a small clearing, which is filthy and littered, and obviously used as a trash dump.
WANTED: HOUSEKEEPER:
Light work...must like outdoors
“Something must be hidden here.” He intones, since it’s obvious the swamp has led him here. He surveys the mess around him: old tyres, broken porcelain; corrugated metal sheets; cartons and all manner of litter. He bends down and puts a hand to the earth, rummaging around. He then gets up again, and with a new-found resolution, moves to a pile of objects. Tossing a broken sink out of the way, he gropes for something buried underneath, in the ground, and retrieves an aluminium valise.
Somehow, Alec just couldn't see the idea of
being a botanic mutant young executive catching on
Holding it up and resting it on his thigh, he opens it a little. Inside it is money.....vast amounts of 100 dollar bills! He quickly snaps the case shut again.
"Woo Hoo! Look guys!!....There's
enough here to make the next series!"
Back at the Langford house, Jim is in the garden fixing his bike. As he starts seeing to the back wheel, he hears the sound of running water and looks up. A man is in the garden, drinking from the hosepipe and washing his face. Jim gets up and approaches him. “Would you like some with ice in it....from the house?” he offers, but the man shakes his head. “Sure could use the bathroom, though.” He tells Jim, before switching the hosepipe tap off and wiping his hands on his jeans. He then offers his hand to Jim to shake. “Name’s Buckholt.” He introduces himself. “Jim.” Jim reciprocates. “People call me Bucky.” The man smiles in a friendly manner and walks past Jim and sits down on the porch steps. “You come from around here?” Jim asks him, sitting down beside the man. Bucky nods, indicating backwards with his thumb; “I was born in this very house.” He contemplates for a moment; “My mother threw me out when I was 17....” he gives a sigh; “....Nicest woman this side of heaven, just....couldn’t stand my lying ways.” This seems like an obvious parallel to Jim. Bucky pauses and thinks. “I wonder where she moved to?”
"Jeez, man....my acting's not *that* bad, is it?"
Jim looks a little downcast, but it goes unnoticed as Bucky suddenly doubles up, clutching his stomach and chest, his face contorted, and gasping in agony. “What’s the matter?” Jim asks with concern. Bucky gasps again and seems to recover a little. “Maybe you know my mother?” he says, changing the subject back; “I don’t think she would have moved out of this town. She loved it so.” He’s still grimacing in pain, but manages to pause wistfully; “....and the whole town loved Mrs. Langford.” Jim looks taken aback, and the two stare at one another. Bucky’s noticed the look on Jim’s face; “You do know her!.....Know where she’s moved to?” he asks, but Jim looks sad and downcast again. “She didn’t pass away?” Bucky begins to suspect. Jim just closes his eyes and nods slowly. Bucky looks sad and shocked, before suddenly doubling up in pain again, this time with acute nausea. Putting his fist to his mouth and almost retching, he tells Jim that he really needs a bathroom. “It’s upstairs.” Jim says, getting to his feet and going inside, and Bucky follows him hurriedly.
"Hmmm....'lonely, writer-ignored stud muffin
seeks dangerous blonde psycopath for romance,
attention and better plots'.....that you, kid??"
At the waterfront, Oboe walks past the boathouse and steps into a rowboat. As he kneels down to begin sanding a bench seat, a blonde woman
approaches him; smartly dressed in a dark suit, and looks down at him from the jetty. She’s attractive...yet harsh looking. “Hey, beautiful!” she
quips, and he looks up from his work. “Did you rent some guy a motor boat this morning?” she asks, standing in an arrogant pose, hand on hip. Her
tone of voice is a bit abrupt. “I don’t rent motor boats.” Oboe replies calmly; “Rented a row boat, though.” He adds, as she walks along the roped
off jetty, surveying him. He just goes back to work. She doesn’t give up easily though. Kneeling down between the boathouse and the prow of the
boat, she addresses him again; “He’s a big guy.....carrying an aluminium valise.” Oboe looks at her, but says nothing, merely returning to his work;
“He used to live here years ago.” She adds. Oboe just shrugs. “Must have been before my time.” He comments, going back to his sanding. “He’s
not *that* much older than you!” she says, irritation clearly creeping into her voice. Oboe just ignores her. “Then could you tell me where the
Langford house is?” she says with condescending frustration. “It’s right over there.” Oboe just points in a general direction without even looking at
her, irritation present in his own voice. As she leaves, he just goes back to his work again, as though nothing has happened.
Back at the Langford house, Jim is sitting on the floor, outside the bathroom. He’s waiting with some concern. Suddenly, he hears a thud from
inside, and promptly gets up and goes to the door. He knocks reticently. “Bucky?” he calls, but there’s no reply. He knocks again. “Hey,
Bucky!.....Anything wrong in there!?” Still there’s no reply. Jim tries the door handle, but it’s locked. He looks around, thinking fast, and goes to the
end of the landing, to Tressa’s room, where he picks up what looks like a long, metal nail file. Returning to the bathroom, he puts the file into the
lock on the handle, and prises it open.
As he enters, he sees Bucky sprawled on his back on the floor.....unconscious. Jim kneels down beside him. There appears to be a slight movement
as Bucky rolls his head a little.
As Bucky’s vision returns, he sees Jim above him. “Bucky?” the boy says worriedly. Jim’s image seems to shift in and out of focus. “Sorry....”
Bucky apologises weakly; “....I know stealing’s bad.....” he pauses to get his breath and some strength for another few words; “.....but I had to
make Eleanor happy.” The man is either rambling, or making some sort of confession. He gives a little ironic smile as he looks at Jim. “You know,
killers are so hard to make happy.” His words are faint and mumbled. “What happened?” Jim asks; “Did you fall?” The boy is either ignoring the
man’s words, or is more concerned with Bucky’s current predicament. “Like a ton of bricks!” Bucky grins, forcing himself to sit up. He’s clearly
still referring to his previous words, and not his state of health. He leans himself against the tiled wall by the shower and continues his explanation;
“The moment I saw her....” he gives a sigh; “....but I couldn’t afford her. Jim doesn’t seem to be paying him much attention; “Why are you on the
floor?.....Are you sick?” He’s still preoccupied with Bucky’s health, and not the man’s story. “I’m dying.” Bucky gasps, getting to the point;
“Doctor said....” he swallows and collects himself; “.....heart failure......and Eleanor said ‘Do something unselfish before you die’.” He looks at Jim;
“So I stole a ton of money for her.....” Jim regards him silently; “....but I changed my mind about giving it to her. And now she’s after me.” He sighs
again, and smiles peacefully, looking straight at Jim. “Now getting killed’s no problem for me....but she’ll torture me first.” He stops as the pain
comes again, and he clutches his chest, grimacing; “Unhhhh!!....Go call my mom, will ya!?” He cries. Jim just stares blankly; “I told you she’s.....” “I
got a sister!” Bucky adds quickly, remembering and correcting himself; “.....Tressa!” Jim looks downwards; “She’s not here now.” He replies.
“Who?” Bucky enquires, and Jim pauses as he wonders how to break the news to the man. “My mother.....Tressa!” Bucky starts to laugh quietly at
the irony of this; “Ah! Hell of a way to meet family for the first time!” he holds out his hand weakly to shake Jim’s again; “Say hello to your.....” He
manages to take Jim’s hand, but never finishes the sentence, as he collapses gently back to the floor again. Jim makes his mind up and gets to his
feet.
"Oh come on! Get up. I promise
I'll try to emote more, OK!?"
Jim is running through the swamp as fast as he can. Nearby, Alec opens his eyes from his meditation and becomes aware of the boy. He looks
round cautiously to see Jim rushing towards him. “You gotta come to the house!” the boy shouts. Alec is still and silent. “My uncle’s dying!!” Jim
continues; “Will you come!?” Alec shrugs and gives a little shake of the head; “The risk.....if someone should see me!?” he says uneasily. “I guess I
should have called for an ambulance.” Jim comments, not having thought things through properly. “Why didn’t you?” Alec asks the obvious. Jim
pauses and gives a little sigh; “He said he stole a ton of money....I was afraid they’d arrest him before my mother got to see him.” Jim explains. Alec
sighs wearily and ponders for a moment; then gets up and trudges off in the direction of the Langford house, in resignation. Jim follows.
Back at the house, downstairs looks empty. “Mom!?” Jim calls from outside, as he opens the front door. There’s no answer or movement. Jim
enters and checks that the coast is clear. “You home?” he calls out again to make sure. When he’s certain that she isn’t, he beckons Alec to enter,
and a huge shadow is seen entering the room, behind Jim. As Jim wanders across the room towards the stairs, Alec follows; and they both head up
the stairs towards the bathroom.
Meanwhile, as all good plans are usually foiled, Tressa’s car pulls up at the house as she returns from her shopping in Houma. She gets out, carrying
some clothing that she’s purchased, and proceeds towards the house.
The guy's got heart failure and wakes up to this
view..... and they wonder why he gets worse!?
Back in the house, oblivious to this, Bucky is still lying in the bathroom on his back. As consciousness returns, along with his vision, he becomes
aware of the blurred upside-down image of Alec standing over him. The image becomes focused and sharp, then blurred again. Meanwhile,
Tressa’s in the house, and is hanging the clothing on the banister at the foot of the stairs. “Jim?” she calls up. In the bathroom, Jim turns in surprise.
“Where are ya?” Tressa’s voice calls out again. Jim immediately hurries out of the bathroom, leaving an equally startled Alec, who suddenly looks
way out of his depth. Alec’s gaze darts sideways to latch onto Jim leaving, and he decides that this is a jolly good idea; getting up and leaving too.
“Jim!?” Tressa repeats, puzzled, as she goes to the stairs and ascends them. Meanwhile, Jim and Alec are skulking in the shadows, hiding in Jim’s
bedroom. Tressa’s now on the landing, and walking past the bathroom.....to Jim’s bedroom. As she stops by his door and starts to turn the handle,
Jim and Alec press themselves further against the wall, trying to hide that little bit more.
Just then, by miraculously good timing, there is a loud groan from the bathroom, which distracts Tressa. Cautiously, she goes to investigate. First,
she listens at the door, before pushing it open just a little....then a bit more; until finally she goes inside.
The obligatory ensuing scream can be heard clearly in Jim’s room
In the bathroom, Tressa is looking on in abject horror at Bucky lying on the floor. “Go to her!” Alec commands Jim, who complies immediately.
By the time Jim gets down the stairs, Tressa is already in the hall, pacing around and holding the phone in her hand; “I think he’s dead;” she paces a
bit more, agitated; “Get here fast, will you!?” she hangs the phone up and replaces it on the hall table. She suddenly becomes aware of Jim standing
behind her, and turns to him sharply; “Where have you been? Didn’t you hear me calling you!?” she says, still flustered and agitated. “I heard you
scream. It woke me up.” He lies calmly. “Who is that up there? How did he get there!?” she asks all the obvious questions. “I let him use the
bathroom.” Jim explains casually. Not surprisingly, this doesn’t calm Tressa down; “And then went and took a nap!?!?” she exclaims in amazement.
Her voice grows a little angry; “What’s going on here!!?” she rushes past Jim to go upstairs, but he puts a hand out to stop her. “He’s your
brother!” he tells her. She doesn’t sound impressed; “For your information, Jim....” she puts her hands on both his shoulders and stares him in the
eyes; “....I don’t have a brother!” she then hurries upstairs, and Jim follows.
"No, Jim! Enough with the lying. I don't believe
that my long lost brother's in there dying, any more
than your last story about your having prostate
trouble.....It's *MY* turn in the bathroom!!"
“You told Dr. Arcane your mother had a son!” Jim argues as the get onto the landing. “I just said that to be hostile!!” Tressa snaps back as she
approaches the bathroom and goes in. Jim pauses outside, before going to his room....but Alec’s not there.
Back in the bathroom, Tressa is kneeling down by Bucky, examining him. Jim returns and stands in the doorway. “Is he alive?” he asks. “By a
thread.” Comes Tressa’s reply. “Did he tell you he was my brother?” she asks Jim, getting to her feet. The boy nods in affirmation. They both look
at the unconscious man carefully, and Tressa shakes her head, as though trying to recall something. “Uh...he looks like...um...he could be the son of
a housekeeper we had years ago.” She looks closer, nodding this time; “That’s who it is! Buckholt!” Just then, they hear a siren, and Tressa
immediately dashes off. Jim stays in the bathroom. “Jim!” Bucky’s weak voice calls to him from the floor, and Jim kneels down beside him. “There’s
a dump out in the swamp...it’s been there since I was your age....” he swallows hard; “the money’s under the sink.” “Wh....what are you telling me
for? I don’t want it.....What would I do with it!?” Jim argues, unhappy at being involved in this.
From the attic window, Alec looks out and sees the police and ambulance waiting outside. He also sees Eleanor sneaking around furtively a little
way away. Hardly the ideal opportunity for him to try and get out of the house. He watches the woman, and sees her going into her handbag, where
she checks that she’s got a small hand gun, which after reassuring herself, puts back into the bag, before creeping nearer the scene of activity.
Bucky is carried out of the house on a gurney by two paramedics, followed by Jim. He’s being watched by Tressa and Sheriff Andrews.....and
Eleanor, who’s now sneaking behind a parked car to get a better look at things. Jim and Tressa watch the scene from the steps, and Tressa puts her
hands on the boy’s shoulders comfortingly. “Jim!” Bucky manages to call out as he’s being carried away. The boy turns to his mother, who nods
that it’s OK to go to him, which Jim does.
"Heh heh, kid! You're out after this season....
I get to come back as a Russian cameraman!!"
With the boy beside him, Bucky makes his confession; “I lied.” He confides to the boy, as Jim puts his ear close to Bucky’s mouth to hear what
he’s saying. “I used to wish Savannah Langford was my mother. She wouldn’t have let my father beat the crap out of me seven days a week....” he
catches his breath; “As for the money...you....give it to the Indian mission.” Jim nods, and Bucky holds Jim’s head gently; “That’s what I was going
to do with it.” He admits.
Meanwhile, Eleanor is watching all this from her vantage point.
The paramedics break up the conversation, as Bucky is just about lapsing out of consciousness anyway; his hand falling weakly from Jim’s head.
They lift the stretcher down and put him into the ambulance. Jim just watches, as does Eleanor. As the ambulance leaves, Jim gives an upwards
glance to the attic window, where he sees Alec. He pauses, then turns to go back inside.
"Mom? Why do all the psychos in
this series keep picking on me??"
"Your acting ability, Jim honey!"
“Excuse me a moment.” Eleanor rushes up and cuts off his retreat; “I’m with the news.” Her voice is hurried, but doesn’t have quite the sharp
aspect from previously. “May I ask you?....” Jim glances away from her to look at the ambulance that’s leaving, as Eleanor just continues; “....How
does it feel...a person your age; to hear a man’s last words?” She asks tactlessly, though making a fairly convincing cover. Jim just shrugs;
“Um...doesn’t feel like anything...not anything I know the feeling of.” He shrugs again. “What did he say?” she presses further, more haste creeping
into her voice. “Um....nothing important.” Jim just replies dismissively. It’s as though he does sense something now, and is being evasive; “Excuse
me.” He says, slightly sullenly, as he moves away and tries to get past her. “He told you about the money!” Patience doesn’t seem to be a great
virtue of Eleanor’s, as she says sharply, dropping the pretence; but Jim merely refuses to answer her, and looks to the porch. She reluctantly has to
let him go since it’s too public here to do anything. Jim leaves, as does she.....in something of a hurry!
Back in the attic, Alec’s not happy. He’s been shut away in the attic too long. His hand is pressed to the window and he’s gasping.
“Uhhh.....I...need the sun.” He moans, putting his other hand to the window to absorb what little light is coming in.
Later that night, Jim seems half asleep in his pyjama pants, sitting cross-legged on the bed, hunched over. “Jim!” Tressa calls, and he groggily looks
up to see her in the doorway. “Oh, what’s wrong?” she asks him. “I dozed off reading.” He mumbles, folding up a comic book in front of him;
“Goodnight, mom.” She leaves, and he then crawls across the bed and switches off the bedside lamp. But rather than getting into bed, he then
sneaks over to the doorway and looks out across the landing to Tressa’s room, where he sees her shadow walking around getting ready for bed.
For now, all he can do is wait, so he goes back to the bed and sits down again, picking up his comic and continuing from where he left it.
Some time later, Jim climbs into the attic and crawls across the floor to where he sees Alec lying down. “She’s asleep. Want to risk it?” he says. “I
have to. I need the swamp!” he groans; “...the nourishment...the air.” He places a hand on Jim’s shoulder; “Go back to bed. I can make it.” He sits
up weakly.. “You look like you need help.” Jim makes the comment. Alec just looks at him, so Jim gets up and leaves. As he goes, Alec tries sitting
up a bit more, with great difficulty, and reaches out weakly, looking like he really does need help.
In her room, Tressa is sleeping restlessly. A creak can be heard, and suddenly she sits bolt upright in shock as she obviously hears it, even if she’s
not sure whether it’s there or in her dream. Meanwhile, Alec’s on the landing. Aware of the noise he’s making, and that it’s woken Tressa, he stops
for a moment. But Tressa’s already up, and investigating. She leaves her room and goes over to the bathroom, as Alec hides in the shadows nearby.
She seems calmer now, clearly thinking it was merely a bad dream. In the bathroom, she runs some water in the sink and washes her hands,
bringing the water to her face to refresh her, as she looks at herself in the mirror. Meanwhile, Alec opens a door carefully and starts to sneak along
the landing....not very successfully it would appear as his huge, mossy feet make more squelching sounds and creaking floorboards (Alec was
clearly never destined to be a cat burglar!)
“Jim?” Tressa turns swiftly towards the sound of the noise; “er, is that you?” she asks, seemingly not too alarmed at this stage. This changes when
she receives no reply. She walks to the bathroom door cautiously, and looks right then left, onto the landing, before stepping outside. As she goes
back to her room and switches on the light, Alec is forced to retreat back behind the door to the attic, which he closes softly behind him. Tressa still
looks puzzled, and has a final look on the landing, but Alec’s now carefully climbing the steps back to the attic again. No escape from the Langford
house tonight, it would appear! Tressa eventually gives up....reluctantly, and switches off the light again, before going back to bed.
As time passes through the night, Alec is weakening; but as morning comes, sunlight pours in through the window, and he gets enough strength to at
least be able to begin getting up.
Meanwhile, outside the house, Eleanor’s car pulls up a little way away. With a determined look she gets out, handbag at the ready, and she makes
her way to the front of the house. Once she’s on the porch outside the front door, she rummages through the bag and produces a leather wallet of
implements.
Back in the attic, Alec is now standing. Meanwhile, on the porch, Eleanor has selected a lockpick from the wallet and is fiddling with the handle
lock on the front door. With a click, it opens, and she pushes the door open. She enters hurriedly. Back in the attic, Alec is still weak and has
over-exerted himself, as he collapses to his knees, then finally falls to the floor.
Jim is asleep in his room, kneeling by the foot of the bed, resting his head and arms on it. Eleanor enters, and upon seeing the boy, shuts the door
behind her and goes up to him swiftly. As she grabs him by the shoulder and turns him round, he wakes up with a start to see her standing over him.
“Tell me where the money is.....or this!” she says, in no uncertain terms, pointing the gun at him. Jim just stares as her expression changes to a cruel
sneer, and she turns the gun away from him; “No, kid....I’d never kill a minor.....but your mom’s over 21.....right!?” she gives a malevolent smile.
Jim looks upwards and she follows his gaze. “In the attic!?” she exclaims, and Jim realises the mistake he’s made. “NO! Honest!!” he says in a
panicky voice; “I MEAN IT, HONEST!!” Eleanor ignores him and simply turns to go towards the attic, but Jim grabs her by the shoulder. “It’s in
the swamp! He told me it’s in the swamp!!....in the dump, under the sink!” he tells her.
Pyjama parties at the Kipp house
were always an interesting affair!
Just then, as she’s staring down at him, the door opens and Tressa, who’s heard the noise, enters. “What the.....” she gasps, seeing what’s going on. Eleanor turns, and the whole scene goes into slow motion as she aims the gun and shoots. Jim is horror stricken, and the bullet hits Tressa squarely in the breast. With a shocked expression, she’s thrown back against the wall with enough force to knock down a nearby painting. “MOM!!!” Jim screams, still in slow motion, diving forward. Upstairs, in the attic, Alec hears the shot and gets to his knees. Back downstairs, still looking aghast, Tressa’s clutching the wound that’s spreading blood. Eleanor makes her escape, darting past Tressa and running out of the room. Tressa is still staring down at her wound in horror, the blood covering her chest and stomach. Alec is now moving down the stairs. Jim stares helplessly as downstairs, Eleanor flees from the house, and back upstairs, Tressa, still clutching herself, slides down the wall and finally collapses to the floor......dead!
Jeez! These producers could be tough
when it came to contract negotiations!
Jim is still looking on as Alec arrives and stands over Tressa’s body, then kneels down beside her, gently putting a hand to her head and moving the hair that’s obscuring her face. “Please....You gotta do something!!....Save her!!” Jim cries. Alec gently picks Tressa up and carries her to a window, where he sits down, still holding her. Jim watches as he places a hand on the wound in her chest and concentrates.
Ten out of ten for originality, Alec;
but it says a lot for a dating technique
when you have to wait till they're dead!
As he does so, there is a soft, luminous green glow that fills the area. This continues for a few moments, and as Alec and Jim both stare at Tressa, she begins to stir. The green glow disappears, and Alec removes his hand. The blood from her clothing is gone as well. Tressa collapses forwards in his arms. “She’ll be all right.” Alec reassures Jim, as he picks Tressa up again. Jim watches as he carries the woman back to her bed, where he carefully puts her back, before leaving.
Ah....the old smoothie!! Well, I guess unconscious
is a step up from dead.... so it is an improvement!
“Thank you.” Jim says, clutching Alec’s arm, as they meet in the doorway. “It’s just fortunate I was here.” Alec replies, leaving to return to the
swamp.
“Jim.” The boy hears Tressa calling from her room, and he goes to her. She’s lying back in bed, looking half asleep and very peaceful. “What’s the
matter?” she asks. “Nothing...why?” he asks casually. “I don’t usually wake up and find you standing in my doorway.” She says sleepily, her arm
reaching out to him. He climbs onto the bed with her. “I thought I heard you call me.” He lies gently, bending over her and kissing her; “Get some
sleep.” He advises. “What’s that green all over your hand?” she says, puzzled, as she takes his hand and examines it. “Beats me!” he just shrugs. It
doesn’t seem important, and she takes his other hand tenderly, stroking it. “I dreamed I was in the swamp.” She tells him. “Yeah.” Jim just
acknowledges; “....It held itself very close.....and pressed itself to my heart....and the bullet wound went away.” She says dreamily. “Bullet wound?”
Jim asks innocently. She nods. “In the first part of the dream, somebody shot me.” “Oh.” Jim just answers dismissively, then leaves. “....a young
woman, I think.” Tressa muses, alone, before falling asleep again.
Eleanor is creeping through the swamp, looking for the dump that Jim mentioned. It looks like she’s getting near, but there’s someone there already:
one of Dr. Arcane’s mutants: an ugly little creature with pig-like features for a face. It’s rummaging around, scavenging by an old torn tyre. As
Eleanor approaches, it hears her and turns, but she’s ready for it, holding the gun on the creature. Seeing it in her hand, it scurries off, afraid.
Now that her way is clear, she looks around and sees a sink on the ground. She rushes forward, and in her eagerness to get to it, puts down the bag
and gun behind her, since she’ll need both hands to retrieve the case. She lifts the sink and then looks down. Sure enough, under it is the aluminium
valise. Excitedly, she removes it from the hole it’s in.
Meanwhile, the mutant has been sneaking back, and has picked up her discarded gun. As Eleanor stares at the valise in delight, she’s unaware of
the creature behind her pulling back the hammer and preparing to shoot.
With a look of excited anticipation she opens the valise, but immediately drops it in shock and disgust when greeted by the sight, sound and smell of
it’s contents: Filthy blue-green putrid slime, muck and ooze, swarming and buzzing with insects and their larvae: a hive of decay.....
Instantly recoiling in horror, she crawls as fast as she can, backwards, away from the thing. As she turns away from it, the mutant shoots, and she
gasps, clutching her stomach in pain and shock. Blood immediately starts spreading from the wound. Still holding the gun, the mutant runs off into
the swamp.
A tomb with a view!
Eleanor is left alone, surrounded by filth and garbage. The pathetic situation isn’t lost on her, and despite the pain and her predicament, she manages
a coldly ironic smile. Looking up for the last time, she finds the strength to speak; “What a lovely place to die!” she manages a final, sarcastic quip
before falling forward......dead.