BloodAPPLE
                                            By
                                     Jon-Luke Lourens

                                 A Nouveau-Gothic Romance



               FADE IN:



               EXT. METROPOLIS - NIGHT

               The city breathes out - The horizon still has a stripe of red
               where the sun escaped. 

               Traffic ebbs and flows; streaks of amber light. 



               EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

               Stilettos reflect neon as they stab their way along a dirty
               sidewalk. Shapely legs and a red mini continue the rhythm. 

               Her attitude disregards staring eyes and her heroin-chic
               makeup only highlights her sallow skin. This is EMMY.

               She is searching... for something, or someone.

               As Emmy slips through a shadow she's gone for a second - or
               is it her reflection in the shop glass that's not there?



               EXT. TRAFFIC LIGHTS - NIGHT

               EMMY stops. She looks up at the red sign and it changes to
               green - a minor annoyance. She continues walking.

               As her perfect legs pass a car flashes its lights. Emmy
               glances with disdain at the vehicle. The MAN BEHIND THE WHEEL
               smiles.

               She keeps walking leaving him with the image of her middle
               finger. He can only shake his head, blushing like a married
               man should - there's a ring on his finger.



               EXT. SLEAZY BAR - NIGHT

               THREE LOUD GUYS are hanging around the entrance laughing,
               joking and sucking on their beers. 

               PIERCE, the guy with the nose piercing, notices EMMY
               approaching;
               he gets the attention of the others: Holding his beer bottle
               between his legs, Pierce thrusts his hips forward in an
               exaggerated manner.

                                   PIERCE
                         Hey baby! You wanna drink? 
                             (Shuffles closer)
                         Huh?

               EMMY stops with an: "Are you talking to me" look on her face.
               His buddies snort and snigger.

                                   PIERCE (CONT'D)
                         Yeah baby! Why don't you cum down
                         here...
                             (points)
                         ...And get some!

               His BUDDIES burst out laughing.

               EMMY doesn't skip a beat: she smoothly glides right up to
               him. She slides her hand down to the bottle and grabs it. She
               slowly slides it up against his pants and up his body. 

               Now his buddies making oohing and aahing sounds.

               Pierce can only stand there and pretend to enjoy the
               attention.

               EMMY puts the bottle to her mouth and finishes what is left
               of the beer in two gulps.

                                   EMMY
                         Is that all you have for me?...
                             (fingers on his zipper)
                         ...Big Boy?

               The buddies echo: "Big Boy!"

               He smiles at them wrily not sure what to do next - Emmy turns
               his face back to face hers. There's a moment.

               An ASIAN girl in the arms of another man is watching from the
               shadows - What she is sees excites her and she kisses the
               man's neck.

               Emmy's lips are nanometers from his has she takes the lead

                                   EMMY (CONT'D)
                         Maybe we should leave these
                         children... My place maybe?

               Emmy takes his hand and leads him away.

                                   SLEAZY BUDDY #01
                         You have got to be kidding me!

               But Emmy and Pierce don't stop or turn around - She is
               definitely not kidding.



               EXT. ART DECO APARTMENT BLOCK - NIGHT

               EMMY'S finger presses the elevator button. A motor starts up,
               cogs and wheels move. A dial turns indicating floor numbers
               as the elevator drops to the ground floor.

               Doors open - LIGHT - Pierce puts his hand on her tight ass;
               they go in. She gives him an encouraging smile and grabs him
               closer. Her red nails dig into his black leather jacket.

               The elevator's doors close with a swallowing sound.



               INT. ART DECO ELEVATOR - NIGHT

               EMMY kisses him strongly, he starts to melt in her arms. He
               tries to respond, to regain control, but she is strong and
               passionate.

               The florescent lights flicker. 

               Her hand finds the emergency stop button.

               They writhe like animals; serpents...

               He tries to kiss her; but coyly she dodges his advances. His
               hand searches for her breasts. She takes his hand and moves
               it to her crotch.

               The atmosphere is electric - the lights flash and go out.

               Beads of perspiration form on his forehead - his veins bulge. 

               Her lips are close - so lose. He watches mesmerized as she
               slowly licks her lips.

               She inserts her thumb into his mouth and moves it around his
               tongue - he relaxes and goes with it as she goes down.



               INT. LEE-ANNE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

               Cuddled in bed, LEE-ANNE stares through her reading
               spectacles at a romance novel. She is a stylish young lady
               with blonde hair and a quirky nature, her kind eyes have that
               effect where all men want to protect her and all women want
               to be her friend.

               A freshly washed man with a lean runner's body and a naughty
               look on his face comes to bed. This is DAVID, bookish but
               handsome. He kisses her cheek.

                                   DAVID
                         Hi Hon.

               LEE-ANNE smiles but keeps staring at the page.

                                   LEE-ANNE
                         I'm reading.

               David moves the book away and shows her that he has taken off
               his shorts - he tosses them seductively.

                                   LEE-ANNE (CONT'D)
                         Babes, its been a long day...

                                   DAVID
                         Just a quickie?



               INT. ART DECO ELEVATOR - NIGHT

               PIERCE has his head held back, his neck and back are arched,
               his eyes tightly shut with delight and his mouth open in
               rapture as the moment cums.

               A bright electric - FLICKER -.

               Suddenly his face is contorted with pain - FLICKER -  then a
               mixture pleasure and pain. 

               He exhales ever so slowly - FLICKER - she lets his body slide
               down to rest - FLICKER - A thin trickle of blood draws a line
               from his mouth to the floor.



               INT. LEE-ANNE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

               DAVID lies on his side, thwarted. He stares into the
               darkness.

               Behind him LEE-ANNE puts down her novel and switches off the
               light.



               EXT. HIGHWAYS TO METROPOLIS - MORNING

               A traffic helicopter flies slowly by leaving a heat-haze of
               disturbed air in the huge orb of the rising sun.

               Familiar sounds of traffic, sirens and the morning radio
               traffic report - The roads are grid-locked as usual.

               Cars slowly pump their way through the red morning light,
               closer and closer to the heart of the city. A metal river
               flowing along the arterials.



               EXT. GRAVEYARD - MORNING

               An idling car spews clouds of warm exhaust into the cold
               morning air. The exhaust vapors drift through a fence into a
               quiet graveyard.

               The rows of stone tombstones lie unmoved under a carpet of
               damp autumn leaves.

               In a corner a stone angel is painted by the early morning
               sun. The angel's gentle face looks down on a gravestone that
               is not so unmoved: There are dark patches where leaves have
               been trampled and scraped aside revealing the moist dark
               earth below.



               EXT. ART DECO APARTMENT, DOOR NO. 54 - MORNING

               The sound of nails ticking down the parquet floor.

               Shadows and shapes move behind the frosted glass door.

                                   OLD JEWISH MAN
                         Okay Candy Girl - I'm coming.

               CANDY GIRL scratches at the door.

               The door opens to reveal an OLD JEWISH MAN wearing a dressing
               gown and badly worn slippers. He scoops up the greying poodle
               and clips a leash to her collar.

               The little dog pulls him out into the early morning sun;
               towards the elevator. He presses the button. Nothing. 

               Again - Still Nothing. 

               He hammers it a few times.

                                   OLD JEWISH MAN (CONT'D)
                         Damn thing's broken again.

               He picks up the Maltese and gathers the leash as he descends
               the stairs - not amused.

               As he reaches the bottom of the stairs his dog struggles out
               of his arms and falls to the floor - she quickly gets to her
               feet and dashes round the corner. He follows the trailing
               leash - to find the poodle licking a hand that is stuck in
               the doorway of the elevator.



               INT. OLD JEWISH MAN'S APARTMENT - MORNING

               Numbers are dialled on a telephone. 

               Short heavy breathing. 

               The Poodle is yapping and whining as she tugs on her leash. 

               The line just rings and rings...



               INT. LEE-ANNE'S APARTMENT, SHOWER - MORNING

               The TV can be heard playing in the background. 

               Water is gushing from the shower head, tiny steamy droplets
               in the morning sun. The water is turned off accompanied by
               the sound of shower curtains being drawn back



               INT. LEE-ANNE'S APARTMENT - MORNING

               LEE-ANNE is still fast asleep under the poofy duvet. The
               picture of cute - but her eyebrows betray her inner thoughts
               she is not entirely peaceful, there's some thing disturbing
               in her dreams.

               The TV starts the business report.

               DAVID walks in still dripping his eyes glued to the screen.

               He playfully shakes his wet hair over LEE-ANNE to wake her -
               she squeals and recoils.

                                   DAVID
                         I'm off!

                                   LEE-ANNE
                         What! No coffee?

               David dresses.

                                   DAVID
                         No! I'm late. Its past 7:30 already
                         and traffic sounds like murder
                         today.

                                   LEE-ANNE
                             (despairing)
                         No Coffee...

                                   DAVID
                         ...And no kisses.

               He blows her one, then he's gone - the door closes with a
               slam

               LEE-ANNE looks over at the alarm clock - 7:42 AM

                                   LEE-ANNE
                         Fuck, I'm late! 

               She jumps out of bed.

                                   LEE-ANNE (CONT'D)
                         Fuck, fuckitty, fuck, fuck, FUCK.

               She grabs things and goes into the bathroom and then comes
               out again - its morning chaos with no time to spare - she
               quickly grabs a bra from the closet and disappears back into
               the bathroom.



               EXT. BUS STOP - MORNING

               The ASIAN GIRL from the shadows downs the last of her coffee
               and tosses the cup into the trash. She looks totally
               different - almost innocent: She is a petite, feisty lady
               with an odd sense of style; corporate but with a hint of
               vintage porn lurking under that smart jacket; this is JADE

               She looks up the road - still no sign of a bus.

               Other commuters just stare blankly ahead - the morning wait.

               She takes out her mobile from her "Hello Kitty" handbag and
               punches in a message. On her wrist is a inky smudge of a
               nightclub stamp in the unusual shape of a black swan.

               A police car rushes past lights flashing and wailing.



               EXT. ART DECO APARTMENT BLOCK - DAY

               Tires complain as an unmarked police vehicle is brought
               smartly to a stand-still.

               DETECTIVE ANDREWS, 32, black, keen and polished steps out of
               the passenger seat and leads OFFICER MUDGE through the police
               tape.

               An ambulance, two black and whites and a morgue van are
               already parked in disarray. UNIFORMED COPS are securing the
               perimeter a CROWD is gathering

               ANDREWS rounds a corner as camera flash pops. 

               He sees the dead arm lying between the elevator doors.

               Andrews leans in.

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         How does it look?

               MILLER a gruff, seen-it-all-before-cop turns to reveal the
               body: The corpse is pale, drained of blood. There is a hole
               where the genitals should be. Bile and vile bodily fluids are
               seeping out.

               Andrews turns to a pot plant and promptly vomits his
               breakfast. He is stunned for a second and sinks to his knees.

               Officer Mudge tries to help him up and offers him a tissue.

               Andrews takes the tissue and pushes her away.

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS (CONT'D)
                         I'm fine!

               Miller looks at the hotshot with a mixture of disdain and
               amusement. 

                                   MILLER
                         You sure?

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         Yes. I'm fine... What's the story?

                                   MILLER
                         The story?

               Miller shares a "Here we go" look with his PARTNER; an
               equally gruff old-school cop.

               Andrews stares at them holding his ground.

                                   MILLER (CONT'D)
                         ... The call came in at about
                         seven. A resident had found a body
                         in the elevator. We get here to
                         find this.

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         You spoke to the resident?

                                   MILLER
                         Yeah. He said he was taking Candy
                         Girl for her morning toilet.

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         Toilet?

               Miller and his partner are really enjoying this now. Andrews
               wipes a last bit of gunk from his lip.

                                   MILLER
                         Yeah, you know... Doggie Poopie

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         Doggie Poopie?! Just tell me what
                         we have here.

               Andrews indicates towards the elevator but doesn't look
               inside. Miller his time with a good hard look inside and then
               turns back to Andrews.

                                   MILLER
                         Well we have a Caucasian Corpse and
                         it looks like his penis has been
                         removed. It could be the cause of
                         death but we are not sure at this
                         stage.

                                   OFFICER MUDGE
                         Are there any other wounds?

               Miller smiles at her - first intelligent question today.

                                   MILLER
                         Not as far as we can tell, but the
                         coroners report will tell the full
                         story.

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         Was there any ID on the body.

                                   MILLER
                         No. No money either, nothing.

               Miller's Partner holds up a plastic evidence bag. Miller
               takes it and shows them.

                                   MILLER (CONT'D)
                         We did find this though.

               Its a leather lady's purse; designed to look like a piece of
               fruit.

                                   DETECTIVE ANDREWS
                         So are you saying a woman did this?

                                   MILLER
                         Hey, I didn't say anything. You're
                         the Detective here...
                         For all I know we could have a
                         cross dressing nympho with penis
                         envy on our hands... The one thing
                         I will say: is that if it is a
                         woman I for one would be very
                         surprised. 

                                   MUDGE
                         Oh? And why is that?

               MILLER takes a condescending tone with her. He's not sexist
               but he can sense where this is going.

                                   MILLER
                         Our corpse here is not a small
                         gentleman. If he did in fact die
                         from his wound then the first
                         question I would have is: where is
                         all the blood? 

               MILLER pauses for effect.

                                   MILLER (CONT'D)
                         Don't you see, its obvious that the
                         killer must have been a man.

               MILLER can see that he needs to explain further.

                                   MILLER (CONT'D)
                         He was killed somewhere else and
                         then two or possibly three grown
                         men must have brought the body
                         here. This is not the work of a
                         woman.



               INT. LEE-ANNE'S CAR - DAY

               LEE-ANNE is leaving for work. A uniformed officer waves her
               through the police tape. Lee-Anne winds down her window.

                                   LEE-ANNE
                         What happened?

                                   UNIFORMED COP
                         A body was found in the elevator.
                         You're gonna have to keep moving
                         Ma'am.

                                   LEE-ANNE
                         Is it someone from the apartment?

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