[LemonJam]

[TAABU is running through a cold, abandoned building, with an overwhelmingly grey palette. She is panicked, breathing heavily and sweat dripping down her face. She gets to a door and runs into it thinking it would open. She frantically repeatedly tries opening the door. She walks back ready to kick the door down. She begins to run up to it when someone on the other side kicks down the door, grabs her by the throat and slams her against the wall. TAABU looks at this man. The man is MAKSIMILIAN. She tries to wriggle out but is choking too much to make a valiant effort. MAKSIMILIAN smashes the gun into the top of her head, knocking her down to the floor. She looks around the room panting. There are two possible exits but no way she could reach them in time without being shot. She tries anyway, but MAKSIMILIAN almost instantly shoots her in the back of her knee. She screams in pain and falls to the floor, now crying. MAKSIMILIAN lets out a cold laugh.]

MAKSIMILIAN : 13 years you’ve been on the run. That is highly impressive. But yet, you could not escape me.
TAABU: You don’t even know why those men were after me, you’re just a cold man with no other purpose than to kill if you do this.
MAKSIMILIAN: Well I guess it’s your unlucky day. I am a cold man with no other purpose than to finish you.

[He shoots her directly in the chest. She flops to the floor lifeless. MAKSIMILIAN lets out a giggle. This then turns into manic laughter.]

MAKSIMILIAN: And now, I am complete.

[He points the gun to the side of his head, point blank with a sinister smile. Cut to MAKSIMILIAN sat in his minimalist and equally cold home. A gunshot and a fall are heard from the Television. MAKSIMILIAN has no reaction but the same sinister smile.]

__________

[Outside, DOMINIC, DULCIE, ANDRÉS, LANCE, LYLA and JANICE are stood out in the road MAKSIMILIAN walks outside of his house. He glares at DULCIE, who is avoiding eye contact. He smiles to himself and walks toward the middle of the road.]

MAKSIMILIAN: What is going on?
LANCE: Jonny Rotten called us out here.

[LYLA walks up to MAKSIMILIAN]

LYLA : If you lay even one finger on her...
DOMINIC: He doesn’t have a way to kill anybody.
MAKSIMILIAN: Ah, how admirable. Belle Sorenson Gunness has her own bodyguards.
LYLA: Who?
MAKSIMILIAN: The most notorious female serial killer, I imagine this cold woman is not much diff-
JEREMY: Shut it, Russki.

[They all turn to JEREMY, who is coming out of his house carrying a framed picture under his arm. He begins to walk towards the group. He holds the picture up.]

JEREMY: Can anybody tell me who this is?
LYLA: Kevin Federline’s dad?
MAKSIMILIAN: That is Winston Churchill you idiot!
JEREMY: Bingo, Russki. Now, this man may have been a Tory bastard, but this guy led us through one of the toughest times Britain has been through, the Second World War. This guy right here gave a simple but bloody inspiring quote; “Never, never, never, never give up.” Now, since we landed in this hell-hole, we’ve just accepted it, we’ve sat in a house with sweet piss all to do. And there’s so many questions about this place; like why are our houses the same as when we were in hell? Why are we never hungry and why is the food more questionable than Lyla’s bangers? We as humans have not even questioned our own existence here and I think it’s about time that we stood up for our rights as beings and put the bollocks into our own hands and squeeze all the juices out. Who’s with me?

[A long awkward silence ensues.]

LANCE: I don’t think we’re gonna find anything.
ANDRÉS: I don’t know, the black girl hasn’t been seen for ages. She may have even found something.

[DULCIE bites her lip awkwardly, knowing that TAABU is still around. JEREMY rubs his hand against his face in despair]

JEREMY: Yeah and she could’ve just left us is the process and buggered off by now.
LYLA: I don’t even know what her name is.
MAKSIMILIAN: Her name is Taabu.
JEREMY: Y’know what, I can’t be arsed with this. I’m leaving in a few hours’ time. If anyone changes their mind, feel free to knock on my door.

[He angrily walks back into his house. They hear him trying to kick a table but getting flung back into something else.]

JEREMY: [in distance] Oh for ****s sakes!
LANCE: So does anybody want to play a game of stare at the lava pool?
LYLA: Go for it.

[ANDRÉS, LANCE, LYLA and JANICE begin walking to JANICE’s house. DULCIE and DOMINIC go back to their houses. ANDRÉS notices DULCIE going back to hers, but continues to JANICE’s anyway. MAKSIMILIAN begins to follow the larger group slowly. He then veers to the right, towards TAABU’s house. He walks just past it and stares out into the road.]

MAKSIMILIAN: Hello TAABU.

[MAKSIMILIAN turns around and sinisterly smiles at TAABU, who has her arms folded leaning against her house with a disdained look on her face.]

__________

[In JANICE’s back garden, ANDRÉS, LANCE, LYLA and JANICE are sat watching the lava pool bubble. LYLA is telling a story and the rest are laughing along.]

LYLA: ...and by this point, I was just so off my face that I didn’t even realise my tits were sticking out and all these pervy old guys in the bar were screaming at me, oh God, it was so embarrassing.
ANDRÉS: I’m guessing you were a bit of an animal then.
LYLA: I still am, aren’t I?
LANCE: Yeah, a dog.

[The group laugh at the harsh comment, including LYLA, who slaps him on the arm jokingly.]

LYLA: So haven’t you guys been up to any wild stuff?
ANDRÉS: I don’t drink.
LANCE: Not really my sort of thing.
LYLA:What about you Janice?
JANICE: Oh, no, I didn’t really go out much.
LYLA: Really? I was popping pills and everything when I was your age.

[JANICE looks away.]

ANDRÉS: So honestly, when you guys say you’re just going back to your house to chill, do you actually-
LYLA: Watch your memory tapes?
ANDRÉS: Yes!
LYLA: What’s the first memory you have?
ANDRÉS: I’m playing... I don’t know the English, ‘escondite’ is the Spanish; it’s a game where one person counts to fifty and everyone else has to hide.
LANCE: That would be hide and seek.
ANDRÉS: Hide and seek? Well, we were playing that. I chose to hide in a cupboard above my mother’s bed. My brother Cesar had found everybody except for me. They spent 2 hours looking for me until my mother opened the cupboard to get something out. She screamed at me and the tape just ends there.
LYLA: What about you Lance?
LANCE: Believe it or not, I originally lived in South Korea. Me and my twin brother, Dougie were trying to climb the stairs.
LYLA: Hold on a second, you and your brother don’t have very Korean names.
LANCE: My parents knew we would move to America when we were older, so they decided to give us more Americanized names. Anyway, Dougie and I were trying to climb the stairs. Dougie was a pro at this, every time he would climb the stairs so quickly. By the third time he finished, I had nearly finished my first. This is when my father came in and praised Dougie and just completely ignored me.
LYLA: Aww, that’s really sad.
LANCE: I guess, but you know, with stuff like that I’ve learnt now I’m here that you just have to deal with it. It’ll only weigh you down.

[The camera pans from one side of the road to another. In TAABU’s back garden, it is a square of ground. MAKSIMILIAN and TAABU are sat outside awkwardly.]

MAKSIMILIAN: I am curious. What does your house look like, because you never really had a home?

[TAABU glares at him and looks away.]

MAKSIMILIAN: Have you noticed that everybody here speaks English? That’s very funny to me.
TAABU: What is your name?
MAKSIMILIAN: I never introduced myself did I?
TAABU: No. You didn’t even care. You just followed the cold orders of bad people.
MAKSIMILIAN: You’re talking like you care about people so much. You stole, lied and used people to survive when frankly you had nothing to live for.
TAABU: I chose to live to honour my family!
MAKSIMILIAN: And by being a killer you think you honoured them?

[TAABU closes her eyes and breathes heavily.]

TAABU: Please. Just leave me alone.

[MAKSIMILIAN pauses and chooses to swallow his pride.]

MAKSIMILIAN: Why are you so certain this is hell?
TAABU: There’s stuff here that... that I’ve never seen before. This place is supernatural and I can’t find anything that says otherwise.
MAKSIMILIAN: Were you not suffering more before you came here though?
TAABU: I-

[Suddenly, they hear footsteps. TAABU immediately runs off to the right hand side of the house. ANDRÉS walks around the left side.]

ANDRÉS: Hey man.

[MAKSIMILIAN nods.]

ANDRÉS: I thought I heard Tabby before.
MAKSIMILIAN: You mean Taabu? Oh no, I’m just waiting for her to come back.
ANDRÉS: I see.

[ANDRÉS walks away toward the other end of the street looking confused. He nods to BEATRIX walking towards JEREMY’s house. BEATRIX knocks on JEREMY’s door. JEREMY answers, surprised to see BEATRIX there.]

JEREMY: Yes?
BEATRIX: I’ve been told that you’re leaving.
JEREMY: Yeah, um, I’m gonna see what the hell is out there.
BEATRIX: I want to come with you.
JEREMY: I’m sorry?
BEATRIX: I’m fed up of just living with this. I know you’re not thrilled by my company but two minds are better than one. Besides, as stupid as this sounds, I want to give everyone else hope.
JEREMY: Who even told you about this?
BEATRIX: Lyla, of course. That girl couldn’t shut her mouth if all our lives depended on it.
JEREMY: Well, I’ll leave tomorrow. The sky by then will have gone from [he looks to the sky] orange to purple by then.

[BEATRIX laughs]

BEATRIX: Alright then, I’ll say my goodbyes.

[JEREMY nods and begins to shut the door.]

BEATRIX: Hey!

[JEREMY opens the door again.]

BEATRIX : Maybe you should say your goodbyes too.

[BEATRIX walks back to hers. JEREMY scowls behind her back, but then looks down and considers what she says.]

__________

[Meanwhile DULCIE opens her door to see ANDRÉS.]

DULCIE: Hey!
ANDRÉS: Hey, is it alright if I come in and talk for a bit?
DULCIE: Sure thing, come in!

[ANDRÉS comes in wiping his feet. Outside from his house, DOMINIC is watching. ANDRÉS closes the door.]

DULCIE: So what’s up?
ANDRÉS: I’m just really curious and have to ask you this; Why didn’t you go with Jeremy? It’s just there’s some crazy Russian guy chasing you and I thought you’d wanna get away from here.
DULCIE: I don’t want to go. There’s no reason for me to go. I mean, it’s not like he’s going to kill me, he has no way to do it that we know of.
ANDRÉS: I guess you’re right actually.
DULCIE: Why didn’t you go?
ANDRÉS: I’m just a coward.
DULCIE: I think everyone is just as scared. Honestly, I seriously doubt if there is a way out of here. I mean, you remember dying right?
ANDRÉS: Vaguely, yeah.
DULCIE: Thanks for coming to talk to me anyway. I appreciate the thought.
ANDRÉS: Is it okay if I talk to you about something else as well? I kind of... trust you.

[DULCIE’s smile comes off her face.]

DULCIE:Um, sure, sit down.

[They both sit down on DULCIE’s sofa.]

ANDRÉS: Have you... seen any relatives while you’ve been here?

[DULCIE looks shocked and looks to the floor]

DULCIE: Um, I can’t honestly say I have.

[ANDRÉS sighs, realising he’s alone with this problem.]

DULCIE: Have you?
ANDRÉS: Yes bu-
DULCIE: What did they say?
ANDRÉS: It was my mother, my mother but she didn’t look right, she looked so messed up I-

[He bites his lip and looks away]

ANDRÉS: She said my name and then she disappeared.

[A tear rolls down his face.]

ANDRÉS: And, I’m just so worried sick, I feel like something’s wrong.

[DULCIE puts her arm around him.]

DULCIE: I know, your mother has lost a son. But if your mother if anything like you, she’ll stay strong and make sure everyone else is alright before she realises she isn’t.
ANDRÉS: [he laughs] much like you right now actually.

[DULCIE begins to well up]

ANDRÉS: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.

[ANDRÉS hugs her.]

DULCIE: No, honestly I’m an absolute wreck since I’ve been here, I’ve cried well over ten times now.
ANDRÉS: Honestly, I think nearly everyone’s cried. I don’t think they’d admit it.

[They disconnect from their hug.]

ANDRÉS: You know, we want our families to stay strong and be able to move on from this. Maybe we should do the same.

[DULCIE looks up to him. They stare at each other for a few seconds. DULCIE kisses ANDRÉS on the lips. They stare at each other again. They both lean in and kiss more passionately. DULCIE grabs ANDRÉS neck and pulls him down on the couch.]

__________

[Meanwhile, MAKSIMILIAN is still sat outside in TAABU’s back garden. The sky is burgundy and dark. MAKSIMILIAN hears footsteps and looks up to see TAABU returning.]

MAKSIMILIAN: For a runaway, you’re not very subtle.
TAABU: I wasn’t trying to be subtle.
MAKSIMILIAN: Why did you run away when Andrés came here?
TAABU: You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

[She sits down in front of MAKSIMILIAN]

MAKSIMILIAN: Have you not realised where we are? I can believe many things now.

[TAABU lets out a breath of laughter and wipes her face.]

TAABU: I want to give these people hope that there is a way out of here.

[MAKSIMILIAN smiles and nods.]

MAKSIMILIAN: I misjudged you.
TAABU: Thank you.
MAKSIMILIAN: You’re a lot more of a coward and much more stupid than I thought.

[TAABU rolls her eyes and looks away.]

MAKSIMILIAN: What’s the point in giving hope if you’re not even looking for anything?
TAABU: Honestly, I didn’t look properly, because I’ve been determined to find out the name of my killer.

[MAKSIMILIAN laughs]

MAKSIMILIAN: And why would that benefit you?
TAABU: You wanted your goal completed in life by killing me before you were satisfied. Now it’s my turn to be satisfied.

[MAKSIMILIAN nods]

MAKSIMILIAN: My name is Maksimilian Khodkevich, I was born in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, hired by a gang in Nigeria to kill you before I killed myself.

[TAABU nods]

TAABU: That’s all I needed to know.

[She stands up.]

TAABU: Come on, let’s go.
MAKSIMILIAN: Go where?

[TAABU turns around.]

TAABU: We’re going to find a way to sort your little problem.

[MAKSIMILIAN smiles then lets out a malicious laugh.]
Abaddon.