Say My Name

It's night.

A sister and brother are driving down a back road.

The sister is driving.

The brother is in the passenger seat staring out the window.

Music plays low on the radio.

No one is talking.

Until…

Derrick: Are you mad?

Melissa: You didn't have to do that to Trevor?

Derrick: I was just playing?

Melissa: You were being a bully. This is why I don't like you drinking. You get mean.

Derrick: I only had two beers.

Melissa looks over at Derrick and gives him a, stop lying, look.

Derrick: Whatever.

Derrick turns his head and stares back out the window.

A minute passes.

Then…

Derrick: I'm sorry.

Melissa looks over at Derrick.

Derrick: I don't want to be a bully.

Derrick makes a pouty face.

Derrick: You forgive me?

Melissa smiles.

Melissa: You're silly.

Derrick's phone beeps.

Melissa looks back at the road.

Derrick checks his cell.

He laughs as he says…

Derrick: Have you seen this, say my name, email?

Melissa: Yes, it's just a stupid chain letter.

Derrick: It's ridiculous.

Derrick excitedly sits straight up in his seat.

Derrick: It says I have to forward the email to three people and then say this witch's name three times to release her. Or, get this…

Derrick smiles big, he can't help himself, he thinks this is so funny.

Derrick: I'll be cursed.

Melissa: Or, ignore it like I did. I don't seem to be cursed. Except, maybe by your twisted sense of humor.

Derrick: This is so dumb. I have to do it.

Melissa: Derrick, don't.

Derrick goes quiet. Starts typing on his phone.

Melissa's phone beeps.

She checks it.

Melissa: Why'd you forward this to me? I've already seen it.

Derrick: Carmelita

Melissa: What are you doing?

Derrick: Carmelita

Melissa: Derrick stop.

Derrick: Are you scared? Boo…

Derrick jumps towards Melissa shaking his hands in the air.

Startled, Melissa swerves the car.

Derrick: Wow, wow.

Melissa straightens the car back up.

Derrick: I'm glad this road is always empty.

Melissa looks at Derrick annoyed.

Melissa: That wasn't funny. And neither is this witch thing.

Derrick: Oh, yea. One more time.

Melissa: Don't Derrick. Stop, seriously. It's not funny.

Derrick: Wouldn't you want to be freed if you were trapped somewhere?

Melissa: Maybe she's trapped for a reason.

Derrick: So, you do believe.

Derrick says smiling.

Melissa: Just stop. OK.

They stop talking.

The music plays low.

A minute passes.

Two.

Then…

Derrick: Carmelita.

Melissa angrily…

Melissa: Derrick.

Suddenly the lights go out.

Derrick: What just happened?

Melissa: I can't see. It's dark.

Derrick: Turn the lights back on.

Melissa: I'm trying.

Derrick: Are you slowing down? Good, pullover so we can figure out the lights.

Melissa: I'm not doing it on purpose. The car stopped working. I can't pump the gas.

BOOM!!!

Melissa and Derrick jolt forward as Melissa slams on the breaks.

The car screeches to a stop.

Derrick: What was that?

Melissa: I think I hit something?

Slowly.

They both turn and look out the back window.

Derrick: I don't see anything.

Melissa: Whatever it was, maybe it got up and ran away.

Derrick: It was probably a deer. They're a problem out here. Remember, granddad, hit one once. Wrecked his car.

Derrick opens the door.

Melissa: Where are you going?

Derrick: To check and see what we hit.

Derrick gets out of the car.

Melissa: Derrick get back in the car.

Derrick leans his head back down into the car.

Derrick: I want to make sure we hit an animal.

Melissa's face becomes worried.

Melissa: You think I could have hit a person?

Derrick: It's doubtful at this time of night. But, hitchhikers and the homeless have been known to walk this road. So, I just want to be sure there isn't some person lying on the side of the road needing our help.

Derrick turns and walks off.

Melissa: Be careful!

There are no street lights on this road and the trees from the forest make it even darker outside.

Melissa watches Derrick as he slowly walks down the road.

He carefully walks where the road meets the grass.

Derrick stops thirty feet from the car, looks around.

He turns back towards the car and yells…

Derrick: I don't see anything.

He walks into the middle of the road, looks around.

Turns back towards the car and…

Derrick: Nothing here either.

Derrick crosses to the other side of the road, stops, and looks around.

Melissa's face turns from worried to scared as Derrick starts walking towards the forest.

Tap tap.

Melissa turns around frightened.

She looks out the front window where the sound came from.

Nothing is there.

She turns back around.

Derrick isn't there.

Melissa: Oh my god, oh my god.

Fear and panic take over as Melissa lunges over to the glove department and pulls it open. She grabs a flashlight.

Tap tap.

Melissa spins around, pointing the flashlight at the driver's side window.

Derrick covers his face from the light of the flashlight.

Derrick: Hey, it's me.

Melissa turns the flashlight off, her heart racing.

Melissa: You scared me.

Derrick: Sorry. Let me get the flashlight. I want to check the front.

Melissa pushes the button, but the window doesn't move. The car is still off.

Melissa opens the door and hands, Derrick, the flashlight.

Derrick turns the flashlight on and walks to the front of the car.

Tap tap.

Melissa spins around, looks out the back window.

Nothing.

The passenger door opens.

Melissa jumps.

Her back pressing against the driver's side door.

Derrick slides into the car, turns the flashlight off, then sees Melissa.

Derrick: Are you ok?

Melissa: Did you hear that tapping?

Derrick: No. I didn't hear anything.

Derrick puts the flashlight back into the glove department.

Derrick: There's a dent, it's not big. I don't think mom and dad will freak out about it.

Tap tap.

Melissa: You heard it, right?

Derrick: It came from the back.

They turn around.

Nothing.

Suddenly.

The car turns on.

Music starts playing.

Then…

A deer bolts across the road.

Melissa and Derrick jolt back into their seats.

Derrick: That scared me.

Melissa: Me too.

Derrick: How'd you get the car to start?

Melissa: I didn't. It turned on by itself.

Derrick: Let's get out of here.

Melissa pulls off down the road.

Melissa: That tapping was the witch.

Derrick: Melissa, you're the older one. You're supposed to know witches aren't real.

Melissa: Then what was that tapping?

Derrick: I don't know. A squirrel.

A pair of gray-ish leathery hands slowly slither up from behind Derrick's seat.

Then quickly wrap around his face.

Squeezing tight, and pulling his head back against the seat.

Derrick grabs the hands and struggles to pull himself free.

Derrick: Mmmhhh.

Melissa: Stop playing.

Derrick: Mmmmhhh.

Melissa: You're not funny.

Melissa looks over, her eyes widen with fear when she sees what's got a hold of her brother.

She swerves the car. Then slams on the breaks.

The witch flies backward, smashing into the back seat.

Freeing Derrick from her grasp.

Melissa throws the car into park, bringing it to an abrupt stop on the side of the road.

Derrick turns around, his back against the glove department.

Melissa's pressed against her driver's side door.

The witch slowly comes up.

Her skin, ash gray and leathery.

Her hair is long, black, and greasy.

Her eyes are a mass of black.

The witch opens the door and gets out of the car.

Derrick hops in the back seat and slams the door shut.

Derrick: Lock the doors.

Melissa hits the button. The buttons click, locked.

Derrick scoots back to the other door.

Sitting across his sister in the driver seat.

Derrick: Where'd she go?

Melissa: I don't know. I don't see her.

Derrick: I'm sorry. This is all my fault.

Melissa: It's no one's fault.

Derrick: I love you, Mel. Tell mom and dad I love them too.

Melissa: Stop talking like this is the last time I'm going to see you.

Melissa leans up and starts the car.

Melissa: We're getting out of here.

Melissa puts the car in reverse and starts backing up.

The car turns off.

The music stops.

Everything goes silent.

Melissa slides back against the driver's side door.

Melissa: Do you see her?

Derrick: No.

Tap tap.

Melissa and Derrick lock eyes around the driver's seat.

Tap tap.

It's coming from Derrick's window.

Melissa crying…

Melissa: Derrick, don't.

Derrick slowly turns around.

And…

Nothing.

Derrick: I don't see her. Do you?

Melissa looks around.

Melissa: No.

Derrick: Try the car again.

Mellisa leans over to the steering wheel.

Derrick heads back up to the passenger seat.

BOOM!

The door is ripped off as the car begins to flip over.

Derrick's yanked out of the back seat.

Melissa flies up banging into the ceiling then her head slams back into the steering wheel as the car flips completely over landing back on two wheels.

The car slowly rocks itself still.

Melissa lies unconscious in the driver seat.

Derrick is nowhere to be found.

Then…

The car turns on.

Music plays.

Melissa frantically wakes.

She hops out of the car screaming into the dark of the night.

Melissa: Derrick! Derrick!

A month later.

It's night.

Derrick has a big smile in his Missing poster photo.

Posters cover the front doors to his high school.

A pair of lights come shining through the empty parking lot.

The car parks.

Melissa gets out.

A bat, lock, and long metal chain in her hands.

She puts the bat on the hood.

Then wraps the chain around the bumper of the car.

Takes a key out of her pocket.

And locks the other end of the chain around her waist.

Melissa pulls out her cell and starts recording.

Melissa: I am Melissa Jones. I am not crazy. I know what I saw. I am going to try and get my brother back. If I disappear tonight I want you to see what took me.

Melissa walks over to the side of the car and props her cell up against the front window.

She grabs the bat off the hood and walks around to the front of the car.

Melissa: Carmelita. Carmelita…….. Carmelita!