THE LEGEND OF JIGSAW
WRITTEN BY GRAHAM WALDROP
INT. BLACK
A figure in a small space wakes up having no idea where it is. It begins to breathe. There are sounds of it banging around. There are screams. It is a woman. She begins to cry, after a moment and screams again and then continues to beat on the walls. She stops and just continues to breathe quietly and cry. She hits something that is not a wall and sounds like an electronic device. There are sounds of her breathing becoming more rampant. She looks over to the right and sees a flashlight. There is the sound of the flashlight turning on. The light illuminates the area, as her environment is shown. She is in a small coffin. The flashlight shoots over to the right and there is a tape recorder on the wall. She grabs it and presses the play button.
JIGSAW/BILLY
Hello (name bleeped out), I want to play a game. You might not be able to tell where you are. You're in a place similar to the place that you've kept those important to you in. You have alienated them, causing them to abandon you because of the way you isolated them. Now it is you, who is in isolation. There are many ways to lose this game, (name bleeped out), but there is only one way to win. Somewhere inside of the coffin there is a lock, there is also a key to that lock,(name bleeped out), that can free you. You'd better hurry though, the coffin in which you are in is located inside of a room. Inside of the room, there is a door that is on a spring timer. Once it is four o' clock, (named bleeped out), the timer will go off and that door will shut forever. The question you have to ask yourself is this, which key is the key to your freedom? (the flashlight pans up showing that there are many keys attached to the top of the coffin. She begins to cry even more) If you can find the key in time (name bleeped out), then I promise you that when you are free, you can look forward to seeing the ones that you have claimed are so important to you. If you don't, then you'll only have one thing to look forward to… death. By the way, that flashlight that you're holding doesn't have much power left in it, so I would save its energy if I were you. Or you can take the quick and easy way out, (named bleeped out), you can choose to end your suffering now, but the problem is this: Can you reach the knife that is so far away from you? I'm giving you a chance, (name bleeped out), a chance to endyour life the way it should end, alone. (tape turns off)
She begins to breathe hard, as she looks around at the keys. She begins to panic and begins to kick at the side of the coffin, she begins to squirm around, her entire body is almost in a convulsion as a wave of terror sweeps over her as it feels like the small coffin is closing in on her. She cries even more and screams again. She stops and begins to breathe hard again, she then goes into another fit and squirms around knocking on the coffin, beating on it, kicking it and screaming. Her breathing becomes so loud and she doesn't know what to do. She stops and looks up at the keys. She looks around quickly for a lock and sees that it's at the end of the coffin on her the right side of her body. She looks back up at the keys, there are at least twenty of them attached to the top of the coffin. She begins to cry and goes into another fit. She drops the flashlight. She screams once, and then again, and again. With each scream it gets louder and louder. She calms down again, and tries to reach the flash light. She does and points it back up to the top of the coffin. She rips a key off of the wall. She tries to move towards the bottom of the coffin but can't and gets stuck. She begins to breathe hard again and sobs quietly. She gets to the point where she's stuck in the middle of the coffin. She screams one loud scream and then another and another. With each scream, her voice gets louder. She has dropped her flashlight. She keeps kicking and banging around constantly. Suddenly the flashlight begins to dim.
WOMAN
No, no, no.
The flashlight continues to fade and then completely goes out.
WOMAN
No.
She continues to scream as there is nothing but the sound of her screaming, crying, breathing and her banging around. Each scream is louder than the next.
SCENE I
INT. ROOM
The room is dark. Two figures can barely be seen in the middle of a room. Slowly fade in from the ceiling to one of the figures who lies unconscious. The figure that is focused on wakes up. He sits bolt upright. He looks around, terrified.
He begins to crawl forward, with every movement there is the sound of a chain dragging on the floor. He gets to the point where he can't move any more and is restrained by something. He winces in pain, not expecting that. He pulls at his ankle and feels the chain. He pulls at it some more, in desperation. He stops. He turns around and crawls the other way. He feels some more chains but they seem to be suspended in mid air. He feels down one of the chains and feels something new. He jumps a little.
VOICE
Who is that? What are you doing?
SEAN
Jay?
JAY
Sean? Is that you?
SEAN
Yeah, what the fuck is happening?
JAY
I don't know, I can't move my legs.
SEAN
What?
JAY
I can't move my legs or my arms. What the fuck is going on?!
SEAN
I don't- I don't know.
JAY
I can't see shit in here, it's so dark. Can you move?
SEAN
Yeah I can move, but not too far, I've got some chain or something on my ankle.
SILENCE
LIGHTS IN THE ROOM TURN ON ONCE THEY STOP TALKING. THEY ARE BLINDED BY THEM.
SEAN
Fucking shit, oh god. (responding to the brightness of the light)
JAY
Ah. (winces)
SEAN
Holy shit Jay, what the fuck?
They are in a very small room, it is just open space. Jay has four shackles connected to both his wrists and ankles. One of the links of the chain connects to one of Sean's ankles. Another link that is connected to Sean's chain is attached to the wall on the other side of the room. Jay is basically hanging in mid air, suspended by the chains. In front of them, sits a TV. The TV turns on with a loud sound, Sean quickly turns and looks at the TV. A puppet appears on the screen. He slowly turns his head towards them.
JIGSAW/BILLY
Hello Jay (looks at Jay) Hello Sean (looks at Sean) you might not remember me, but I most certainly remember you. Jay, you have done nothing in the past three years but either use or sell drugs. You seem to be friendlier to the thing that is going to eventually kill you, then the person that every day tries to save your life. You have brought your brother here on your own will, as you suffer so shall he. Jay, on this night you shall either be saved by your brother, or for the first time he can stand up for himself and finally leave what is truly a pathetic waste of human life. You might not know why you are in the situation you are in but do not worry, your lives are being used for something far more important then you can possibly imagine. I warn both of you, you have until 4 on the clock to get out this place, if you do not then the door to your right shall shut and this room shall become your tomb, and I will leave you in here to rot. Remember, X marks the spot for your freedom. Live or die? Make your choice, and let the game begin. (The TV turns off)
SILENCE
SEAN
Ok, look, he said X marks the spot, so that has to mean something. I'm going to look around.
Sean gets up and winces a little as his threshold to move is very small. He sees a small box to his left. On the BOX are the words, "OPEN ME." He tries to reach it but struggles.
JAY
You see anything?
SEAN
Yeah! There's a box over here.
JAY
Can you reach it?
SEAN
I'm trying. (he lies down on his stomach and reaches for it but his fingers only catch the lip of the box.) Goddamn it! (he grasps the lid again and has a firm hold on it, he pulls it over towards him)
JAY
You got it?
SEAN
Yeah.
(he opens the box)
Inside are two envelopes, and a mirror. One envelope says, "The Key to your freedom." Another says, "Rules of the game."
JAY
What's going on?
SEAN
I… I opened the box.
JAY
What's in it?
SEAN
Will you relax?
JAY
How can I relax when these fucking chains have me hanging over the fucking ground? (silence) What's in the fucking box?
SEAN
Will you shut the fuck up, for just one second?
SEAN (picks up the mirror and looks at himself, he puts it to the side, he picks up the envelope that says rules of the game. He opens it. There is a letter. It reads, (Jigsaw V.O.) "This is your wakeup call Sean. For years you have protected your brother, you have stuck your neck out for him and all he does to repay you is absolutely nothing. Inside the other envelope is your key to freedom, but I warn you, it is not what you expect. Those chains that bound him (he looks over at Jay) are slowly pulling him apart. You must find the keys to those chains and of course, your own. The clues are all around you, but you do not have to be the one who finds them. I'll give you a hint, it's one of the most important things that both of you possess. How far are you willing to go to save the very thing that has destroyed your life?")
Sean reaches down and opens the other envelope. A pair of pliers falls out of it, so does a scalpel, a tissue falls out of there as well.
JAY
What is it?
SEAN
I don't know. (Sean looks at the items for a minute and then gets very angry) Fuck this shit! (He throws the pair of pliers across the room and then throws the mirror as well. He falls down next to Jay with his head in his hands.)
JAY
What now?
SEAN
I don't know Jay. I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!
SILENCE.
SEAN (looks around, he sees the other note on the ground. He crawls over to it, he picks it up and opens the tissue, it reads, "There is one more thing you can do to win this game, and that is to kill your brother. End his suffering and you shall be free to go. There are rules to every game Sean, and I abide by my rules, you have my promise that as soon as I see that he is dead, you shall be free.")
Sean looks over at Jay actually contemplating on whether or not he should kill him or not. He looks down and sees the scalpel. He looks back at Jay. Jay looks over at him. Sean looks away quickly.
JAY
What are you doing?
SEAN
I'm just thinking.
JAY (Struggles to look over to his right.)
What is that?
SEAN
Another note.
JAY
What does it say?
SEAN
Just some more bullshit from whoever put us here. (he looks up and sees a digital clock on top of the television, it reads 2:37.) We're running out of time.
JAY
Why, what time is it?
SEAN
2:37.
JAY
WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM US? LET US GO!
SEAN
SHUT THE FUCK UP! (he walks over to him quickly and stands right over him)
Listen to me you fucking faggot. You're the whole reason we're here and I don't care that you're in chains. You have to help us get out of here. Now look for an X and shut the fuck up.
SILENCE.
Jay cocks his head a little bit and looks around the disgusting room. He puts his head back again. Sean looks around as well. He looks past Jay on the walls and doesn't see anything resembling an X. He sits back down.
SEAN
Goddamn it! What the fuck are we supposed to do with this shit?
JAY
I don't know.
JAY
Who the fuck would do this to us?
SEAN
I don't know. Can you remember anything?
JAY
Can you?
SEAN
No, I asked you first, do you remember or not?
SCENE II
FADE OUT TO A CAR DRIVING UP A HILL AND LETTING JAY OUT.
(Jay gets out of the car and shuts the door, he staggers off towards the house.)
Jay continues to walk towards the house, drunk as shit. He gets near the door and trips over the step.
JAY (laughs, he stays on his knees)
Shit (laughs again)
He stumbles into the door, The lights are off in his house. He walks very slowly. He goes into the kitchen. He stumbles around some more and opens a cabinet. There are glasses inside, he gets one out and walks over to the refrigerator. He gets some water out of it and tries to pour the water into the glass but most of the water falls to the ground, missing the empty glass. Some water does go in there though and when enough does he raises the glass shakily to his mouth. He drinks.
He walks out of the room and looks around. He then walks down the stairs very slowly. He walks over to the couch and flops down on it. After a moment he gets up and starts walking over towards the hallway. In the hallway there is a small door. Jay walks near it and plans on walking past it. Once he walks right next to it, the door opens very quickly and a figure in red leaps out and grabs him.
CUT TO BLACK.