The Anti-Antichrist (3) MARK Father, I feel I should tell you right away that we’re not deeply religious people. I myself haven’t been to church in . . . well, ever. But we’re both deeply concerned by our daughter’s behavior over the last few days. My wife believes she may have been possessed by a demon or demons. I don’t know if that’s the truth, but I’m all out of ideas. O’GRADY I understand, I understand. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with a case like this. First, I must study the girl alone. Then I can decide whether there’s a case for exorcism or not. Is the wee lass upstairs? MARK Yes, tucked up safely in bed. O’GRADY Then if it’s all right with yeselves, I’d like to get started. The most important thing is that, no matter what ye hear, ye must keep away. I can’t be disturbed. Is that clear? MARK Yes, of course. O’Grady smiles warmly and heads for the stairs. Audrey pops some prescription pills into her mouth. INT. JENSON HOUSEHOLD – STAIRS – NIGHT O’Grady carefully ascends the steps. They CREAK ominously under his feet. INT. JENSON HOUSEHOLD – UPPER HALL – NIGHT O’Grady walks down the hall to the room at the end. His grip TIGHTENS on his bag. He enters the room. INT. JENSON HOUSEHOLD – DEBBIE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT The priest steps into the darkened room. The LIGHTS suddenly come on. He sees Debbie lying on the bed, looking very young and afraid. O’Grady places his bag on the floor and approaches the bed. O’GRADY Little Debbie, are ye awake? She sits up, looking as INNOCENT AS AN ANGEL (or at least the classic image of them). Only her mischievous grin suggests otherwise. DEBBIE Who’re you? O’GRADY I’m Father O’Grady, from the church. I’ve come to help ye. DEBBIE You mean save me from my parents? They’ve been mean to me. They call me Satan’s child, but it’s not true. I haven’t done anything wrong! O’GRADY Ye wouldn’t lie to me, would you Debbie? DEBBIE No, father. She begins to cry, and holds out her arms. O’Grady sits down and hugs her. He strokes her hair tenderly. O’GRADY Oh, me poor child. I’ll help ye. DEBBIE (snuffles) Can I ask you something? O’GRADY Of course ye can. DEBBIE How fucking stupid are you servants of God? O’Grady recoils as her eyes GLOW RED. He holds up his CROSS to keep her at bay. O’GRADY Stay back, devil’s child! DEBBIE Eat me, you fuck! O’GRADY I shall cast the demon out of ye! He PRESSES THE CROSS to her forehead. There is no effect. DEBBIE (giggles) Your holy idols cannot harm me. We see sudden MOVEMENT BENEATH DEBBIE’S SKIN, like MONSTERS glimpsed beneath the surface of a lake. She SNARLS, AND PUNCHES O’Grady in the face. He falls to the ground. Debbie laughs again. O’Grady rises back up as if by magic. His facial expression and tone of voice instantly change. O’GRADY I tire of playing with you, Astrygll. DEBBIE (baffled) What the fuck? O’GRADY You were only supposed to keep an eye on my son, not indulge in childish and attention- grabbing pranks. The demon inside Debbie realizes with horror who the priest really is. DEBBIE Master, I didn’t disobey you! I watched the boy, but all he was doing was hanging out with some Satanists. I had to amuse myself. It’s been so long since I was in human form. O’GRADY You’ve had your fun. But I was forced to steal the body of this priest to find you, and you know how much I hate human form. I had to hide away deep inside him, or I risked giving him an embolism. So it’s back to Hell for you. O’Grady waves his hand and Astrygll’s true form is PULLED OUT from Debbie’s body. The demon lies whimpering on the floor. ASTRYGLL Please . . . . have mercy! O’GRADY Of course. He clicks his fingers and Astrygll’s body is TURNED INSIDE OUT. The demon remains alive even with his slimy green organs on the outside. O’GRADY Now go home, and think about what you did. Astrygll fades away with a final cry. O’Grady/Callow takes a final moment to study Debbie, who lies unconscious on the bed. O’GRADY Hmm, cute kid. Might make a fine concubine in a few years time. He leaves, not even bothering with his exorcism bag. INT. JENSON HOUSEHOLD – HALLWAY – NIGHT Audrey and Mark wait anxiously at the bottom of the stairs as O’Grady rejoins them. MARK What was all that noise? Is our daughter all right? O’GRADY (bored) Fucked if I know. He casually walks past them and out the house. CUT TO: INT. HANK’S HOME – BEDROOM – NIGHT Hank wakes up in the middle of the night. The house is dead quiet, but something seems out of place. He climbs out of bed and gets dressed. He notices Jemma’s clothes piled on the floor. Something SPARKLES, catching his eye. He picks it up. It’s a crucifix. Confused, Hank walks downstairs. INT. HANK’S HOME – HALLWAY – NIGHT Hank approaches the kitchen door. He hears a VOICE murmuring quietly. He sneaks into the room. INT. HANK’S HOME – KITCHEN – NIGHT The kitchen is a complete mess. Jemma stands with her back to Hank. She talks on a cell phone, oblivious. JEMMA No, I don’t think he’s any threat to our Lord. He’s a weak-minded, ineffectual bore. (beat) No, he doesn’t suspect a thing. As far as he’s concerned, I’m a loyal Satanist. (beat) Yes, it would be easy to dispose of him, if that’s what you think is best. I could do it while he sleeps. Hank backs away in horror. He knocks a plate off the counter and it shatters on the floor. Jemma drops the phone and whirls round to face him. She looks slightly surprised, but also cold and unemotional. HANK (in disbelief) You’re . . . one of them. JEMMA If you mean a Christian, then yes. I assumed this identity and waited on that road for you to pick me up. It was all part of the plan. HANK What plan? Why? JEMMA You are the next potential Antichrist. Someone had to keep an eye on you. You couldn’t be allowed to join your father. HANK I don’t want to join him. JEMMA For what it’s worth, I believe you. I almost like you, even though I degraded myself in your presence. Being a Satanist made me sick to my stomach. My mission is over, and I can’t leave any loose ends. I’m sorry. She raises a SHARP KNIFE in her hand. JEMMA May God have mercy on your soul. HANK Jemma, no! She LUNGES AT HIM, and Hank narrowly DIVES out of the way. She SLASHES AGAIN, and CUTS HIM across the arm. Hank grabs her hand and they wrestle for the knife. She falls on top of him. She lifts the knife above his head. Hank stares at her meekly. HANK But I loved you . . . His pleas seem to get through to her. Then the KNIFE LUNGES DOWN. Hank SCREAMS in pain, but the blade has just passed through his shoulder. JEMMA I can’t kill you. But if you don’t stay out of the way of God’s agents in the next few days, Hell will be the last thing you have to worry about. Goodbye. She leaves him lying there in his own blood. HANK (weak) Help, somebody help! He blacks out for a while. When his sight comes back, he sees SOMEONE standing over him. It is Callow, in his original body again. He looks down at Hank sadly. CALLOW Such a pathetic sight. My own son tricked and defeated by a common religious fanatic. HANK (groggy) Help me up? CALLOW Why not? The knife POPS OUT of Hank’s shoulder and he is PULLED UPRIGHT by invisible hands. Callow puts his palm on Hank’s wound, and the bleeding stops. CALLOW It may leave a scar, but you’ll live. HANK Why did you come back? CALLOW Isn’t looking after my offspring enough reason? Very well, I shall tell you the truth. (beat) The forces of Heaven are rising, as you must be aware. I’m no longer strong enough to stand against them alone. I need you with me. HANK Look, I may have had a bad couple of days, but I’m still not ready to turn evil. CALLOW How many times do I have to tell you? Your notions of good and evil bear little relation to the reality. Callow gets a dreamy look on his face as he remembers back to the past. Visions of his various escapades fade in and out of the scene. CALLOW I’m not the bad guy, unless you believe that rubbish in The Bible. The truth is I was God’s loyal right hand man for thousands of years. Then we had a disagreement over the Great Flood. I didn’t think it was right to wipe out the many for the sins of the few. For daring to challenge the word of the Almighty, my wings were removed and I was banished into the bowels of the Earth. I slowly recovered and created my own kingdom down there. I took in any poor souls that were rejected by Heaven. Not just those deemed evil, but also the atheists and anyone who didn’t fit into God’s puritanical world. You see, Hell isn’t a prison or a punishment. It’s just an afterlife where people are free to be themselves. That will all end, unless you help me prevent the second coming. HANK (derogatory) What do we have to do – slaughter all the first born sons? CALLOW Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not a mass murderer. All it requires is for Hell to have a strong new leader, and God and his cronies will back down. I will give you anything you want, if you just accept me as your father. What do you say? HANK It does sound good. But I wouldn’t even begin to know how to act unchristian. CALLOW Then I suggest you go and see an acquaintance of yours. I believe his name is Aaron. He’ll show you everything you need to know about not being one of the angels. HANK I thought you said I didn’t need to be evil? CALLOW You don’t. But a little mischief and chaos never hurt anyone. Will you do this for me? Hank reluctantly nods. Callow smiles in relief. CALLOW Thank you. I have some business to take care of, but I hope we’ll talk again soon. CUT TO: EXT. SCUMMY APARTMENT BLOCK – DAY Hank approaches the building in a rundown, dangerous part of town. He climbs the stairs. EXT. SCUMMY APARTMENT BLOCK - CORRIDOR – DAY Hank walks down the corridor to a room at the end. He checks the number with one he has written on a piece of paper. He knocks on the door. It is opened a moment later. A GUN is SHOVED into his face. HANK (terrified) Whoa! Don’t shoot! It’s me, Hank! The gun is lowered, and Aaron peers out. AARON Hank? What you doing here? HANK I wanted to ask you something. Can I come in? Aaron considers this for a second. AARON (nods) All right. He lets Hank inside and slams the door. INT. AARON’S APARTMENT – LIVING ROOM – DAY The room is a complete pigsty. Aaron looks tired and dishevelled. AARON Sorry about that. I was expecting some . . friends. So, what’s up? You don’t want me to cover for you at the shelter, do ya? Cause I don’t do that shit anymore. HANK It is a favor, but not that. AARON What then? HANK I was wondering if you could show me how to be an . . . asshole. AARON (laughs) You shitting me? HANK Not at all. I want to learn how to stop being a nice guy, just like you told me. AARON What makes you think I’m the guy to show you? HANK They always say learn from the biggest asshole. AARON I should shoot you for that. Hank flinches. AARON But I like ya, so I’m not gonna. He puts the gun down. HANK So, how do we do this? AARON Why don’t you follow me around for the day? Watch how I act. HANK Sounds good. When do we start? AARON We have already begun. Aaron has a big shit-eating grin on his face. BEGIN MONTAGE SEQUENCE "I’m an Asshole" by Dennis Leary plays over the following scenes. INT. AARON’S CAR - DAY Aaron drives Hank around in his huge, gas-guzzling car. He CUTS other drivers up, almost RUNS OVER cyclists and pedestrians, and gives the FINGER to anyone and everyone he passes. CUT TO: EXT. MALL – DAY Aaron parks his car in a handicapped space. They get out and walk towards the mall. They pass a BLIND BEGGAR and Aaron scoops up all the money from his bowl. INT. MALL – DAY He walks round the mall with Hank. Aaron brazenly ogles all the cute girls shopping in there. They get into an elevator with a group of TEEN GIRLS. Aaron PINCHES the buttocks of one. She SCREAMS AND SLAPS him, but Aaron just laughs. The two men go into a pet store. Aaron makes an ANGRY FACE at the PUPPIES behind the glass and makes them cower. He makes the same face at a LITTLE GIRL and she runs away, crying. Hank and Aaron walk round a music store. Aaron picks up a CD with a security tag and drops it into the bag of a PASSING SHOPPER. The innocent man walks out of the store and the ALARM goes off. Aaron walks past smiling, as SECURITY grab the man. Aaron stands over a balcony and SPITS on the shoppers far below. He high-fives Hank when he HITS one. Aaron stands under a "NO SMOKING" sign, puffing away on a big fat CIGAR. They walk past a fountain and Aaron PUSHES an OLD LADY into the water. He runs off. Aaron stands under a "NO LITTERING" sign, eating a greasy burger out of a cartoon. He washes it down with a super large soda. When he’s finished, he tosses the trash on the floor. Aaron stands in a toilet cubicle. He URINATES all over the seat and the floor. Hank keeps watch outside. A CLOWN is putting on a show for the kids. Aaron PUSHES the Clown over then steals some balloons from a YOUNG BOY. EXT. MALL – DAY Hank and Aaron leave the mall. Hank holds the door opens for a WOMAN behind them. AARON No! Learn you nothing that I say? These feminist bitches don’t like men helping them. They want us to act like bastards. Hank reluctantly lets the door go, and it SLAMS in the woman’s face. They walk back to Aaron’s car. Along the way, Aaron SCRATCHES HIS KEYS along the side of someone’s Porsche. Aaron’s car soon screeches out of the mall. Several other cars have to SWERVE to avoid it, causing a minor PILE-UP. END MONTAGE SEQUENCE INT. AARON’S CAR – DAY They drive back home. Hank looks pleased. HANK I really want to thank you. I learned a lot today. AARON I’m a fucking fountain of useful information. For example: never work with children or animals . . . especially in a porno film. I learned that lesson the hard way. Hank laughs in disgust. AARON So, you gonna tell me what this was all about? HANK I can’t, not yet. But if it pans out, then the whole world will know. They ponder that in silence. CUT TO: EXT. BIG CITY STREET – DAY Callow walks down the bustling street, surveying all the activity around him. Large crowds of RELIGIOUS FANATICS have gathered in the excitement surrounding the approaching Apocalypse. Every belief seems to be catered for. Protestors clutch signs revealing their particular faith: "JESUS IS COMING BACK!"; "TIME TO GO TO HELL, YOU HEATHENS!"; "SATAN IS THE MAN!"; "SCIENTOLOGY RULES!"; "ALLAH WILL KILL YOU ALL!"; "ATHEISM IS THE ONLY TRUE FAITH!" and many more. The POLICE try and keep order between the opposing sides, but they are beginning to lose the battle. Callow sighs. He turns away from the crazy scene and looks at the skyscraper in front of him. The TOWERING RED BUILDING is his Earthly headquarters – S.A.T.A.N. Inc. He floats up towards an office window near the top. CUT TO: EXT. HANK’S HOME – DAY Hank arrives home in a jolly mood. His smile fades when he sees Gabe and Az waiting for him. They stare at Hank coldly. HANK Can I help you? GABE We are agents of God. HANK No thanks, I’m not buying. He tries to walk past, but Gabe stops him. GABE We have been seeking you for a long time. A loyal Christian informed us of your whereabouts. We are here to judge you, Antichrist. HANK I’m not the – GABE (interrupts) Maybe not, but you must be stopped. Gabe raises his hand menacingly. Az suddenly SPEAKS in a high-pitched, girlish voice. AZ Wait, we cannot kill him. He has not sinned. GABE (annoyed) Now you break your silence? He sighs and lowers his hand. GABE Yet you are correct. We cannot kill him . . . but we can send him where he cannot interfere with the Apocalypse. GOLDEN BOWS AND ARROWS suddenly appear in both angels’ hands. They point them at Hank and pull back the strings. He stands there, paralyzed. GABE Go back where you belong, son of the fallen one. They release the ARROWS. The BOLTS THUD into Hank’s chest. He looks at them, confused but feeling no pain. Then he begins to FADE AWAY, until he is completely gone. CUT TO: INT. S.A.T.A.N. INC. – CALLOW’S OFFICE – DAY Callow is meeting with various business partners in his office. He touches his forehead, as if he has a migraine. He quickly shrugs it off. He shakes the hand of a MAN IN A SUIT. CALLOW Pleasure doing business with you. But maybe you could start phasing Aspartame out of your products. It’s a little too evil for my liking. MAN IN A SUIT I’ll consider it. The Man leaves. Callow speaks into an INTERCOM. CALLOW Catsun, how many more meetings do I have? CATSUN’S VOICE McDonalds are at one o’clock, Time Warner at one-thirty, and the NRA representative is scheduled for two. CALLOW That last one can go back to dealing with God. Those guys give me the creeps. He turns away from the intercom. A BLINDING LIGHT suddenly fills the room. Callow falls to his knees. He is greeted by the arrival of Gabe. GABE Greetings, Devil. Callow gets to his feet, trying to make himself imposing. CALLOW It’s Mr. Devil to you. What do you want, you toady? GABE I just came to inform you that your battle is over. Renounce your sins and surrender, and the Almighty may be merciful. CALLOW Never! I still have my allies. GABE How do you expect to fight us, when your son is already lost? Callow looks at him in horror. CALLOW You lie! GABE No, I dispatched him myself. Search your black pit of a heart, and you will find it to be the truth. CALLOW (enraged) You fiend! I shall cast you into . . . GABE (smirks) I go in peace. The angel floats away. Callow clutches his heart in pain. He suddenly KEELS OVER. CUT TO: EXT. LIMBO Hank awakes to find himself lying in a SEA OF BLACKNESS. There is no sign of life anywhere around him. HANK Where am I? His voice echoes into eternity. Suddenly, a tiny PINPRICK OF LIGHT appears. It floats towards him, illuminating Hank’s face. VOICE Who are you? HANK I’m Hank, son of Satan. Who are you? VOICE I am the Guardian of Limbo. What do you wish? HANK I wish to go back to Earth. GUARDIAN That is impossible. The only places I can send you are Heaven or Hell. Or you could remain here with me. I do get very lonely, after all. Hank thinks for a minute. HANK Can I go to Hell, please? GUARDIAN Very well, if that is your wish. But you’ll have no privileges there. A trapdoor opens in the void below Hank. He PLUMMETS through it. CUT TO: INT. KINGDOM OF HELL – DUNGEON Hank LANDS WITH A THUMP on the cold, hard ground. He gets to his feet and checks out his surroundings. He is in an enclosed stone cavern. The shadows of FLAMES flicker on the walls. He can also hear the WAILS OF THE DAMNED faintly in the distance. He walks round the dungeon, searching for an exit. There is no sign of any way out. POSH ENGLISH VOICE I think you’ll find escape is impossible. Hank turns to see a well-dressed, unassuming TALL MAN step out of an alcove. He smiles at Hank. HANK Hi. Who are you? TALL MAN Do not be afraid, I am just a fellow denizen of the underworld. You may call me Jack. He offers his hand, and Hank shakes it. HANK I’m Hank. JACK Pleased to meet you. May I ask what you are in here for? HANK I’m Satan’s son. JACK (doesn’t bat an eyelid) Is he trying that tough love method with you, or something along those lines? HANK No, he didn’t send me here. I was attacked by these angels and wound up in limbo. JACK An unfortunate turn of affairs, to be sure. I suppose you would like to escape. HANK I thought you just said that was impossible? We are dead, aren’t we? JACK Death is just a state of mind. True, most average sinners never leave here. But you have the power of the Antichrist. Combine that with my cunning, and it should be no problem for us to return to the surface. HANK Really? JACK Yes. The first thing is to escape from this dungeon. Unleash your power and break us out of here. HANK Um, how do I do that? JACK Hold your hand up, and concentrate on splitting the molecules in front of you. It is that simple. HANK I’ll give it a try. Hank holds up his hand, palm out. He closes his eyes, concentrating deeply. The wall in front of him starts to SHAKE. The vibration increases. Finally, the wall EXPLODES outwards. Jack claps his hands slowly, impressed. JACK Bravo, bravo. I knew you had it in you. HANK I didn’t. JACK Let us depart, before any demon guards arrive. They escape through the hole in the wall. CUT TO: INT. KINGDOM OF HELL – TUNNEL Hank and his new friend make their way along the shadowy, deserted corridor. HANK
Copyright © 2001 Randall Flagg |