INT. TRAIN – NIGHT
Lyle sits alone in the compartment, playing on his phone. He looks up – no one around.
LYLE: What's taking everyone so long?
Lyle exits his compartment. He looks around. No one. He slides the compartment door closed behind him as he enters the passenger area.
We follow Lyle – he stands in the passenger car – still no one in site. Well, no one except for the bum still sleeping on the seat in the rear. The train BUCKS – it picks up speed. The trees are whirring past the windows faster than ever.
LYLE: What's with the conductor?
He heads for the front of the train, towards the conductor. He knocks on the door to the conductor's area.
LYLE: Excuse me – have you seen my friends? A film nerd and two cute chicks? Hello?
He peers in through the window of the doorframe – THE CONDUCTOR'S FACE SMASHES UP AGAINST THE WINDOW, HIS THROAT CUT AND EYES GAUGED OUT!
Lyle jumps back into the passenger car.
LYLE: Oh shit!
He stares at the conductor's body as the train continues to pick up speed.
Behind him, the bum rises out of his seat. But it's no bum. The head lifts - - GHOSTFACE. The masked killer glides out from between the seats like a phantom. He stealthily glides up behind Lyle, STABBING him in the back!
Lyle screams, swatting around.
LYLE: Help! SOMEBODY –
Ghostface grabs him by the shirt, SMASHING his head through the window of the now-speeding train. Lyle's head is sticking out of the train, getting plastered with rain. He gags, struggling to scream. He squints his eyes open – they widen.
LYLE: NO!
A massive tree branch is incoming. Lyle struggles. Ghostface IMPALES him down with his knife, keeping him in place. Lyle struggles as the tree trunk is incoming –
THUNK!
The sheer force of the trunk literally KNOCKS Lyle's head from his body. Ghostface yanks his knife out from the twitching body, allowing Lyle's headless corpse to collapse backwards onto a seat.
CUT TO:
INT. STAB-A-THON BARN – NIGHT
Stab 3 is now on. The partygoers cheer as they watch the scene from the prior movie where Ghostface tortures an actress live in front of an audience.
KIRBY: (sipping a cup) Best opening. Everrr.
Charlie comes up behind her, hands in his pocket. She sees him.
KIRBY: Charlie-boy! Another excellent Stab-A-Thon, if I do say so. Come on – have a drink!
Charlie smiles at her. He feels much more refreshed, energized. He takes a cup from her, downs it one gulp.
KIRBY: Wow, Charlie – chugging like a champ! Didn't know you had it in you …
CHARLIE: There's lots of things you didn't know I had … but I'd love to show you.
Robbie's kill seems to have given Charlie a new high. He's bold, confident … assertive. Kirby raises an eyebrow.
KIRBY: Confidence is very alluring on you, Charlie.
CHARLIE: Look, you wanna get out of here? You and me – take a walk or something?
KIRBY: You mean like a romantic date …? Cause you know, in this light with about ten drinks in me, you are kinda cute … (she peers out a window) But it looks like it's gonna storm out there.
CHARLIE: Afraid of a little rain, Kirby?
KIRBY: More like I don't want to get wet.
Charlie raises his eyebrow and she starts laughing.
KIRBY: Okay, a walk.
She puts her drink down and links her arm in his.
KIRBY: But what about Robbie? I haven't seen him around.
CHARLIE: Oh … I'm sure he'll drop in …
The camera zooms in on Charlie's face … he grins.
INT. MANOR HOUSE – NIGHT
Gale retraces her steps. She finds the old room leading to the dungeon.
GALE: Rebecca! Rebecca, you still around?
A WALL BURSTS OPEN NEXT TO HER! A figure – wearing the same executioner's hood – BURSTS OUT. AN AXE LODGES INTO THE WALL, NARROWLY MISSING TAKING HER HEAD OFF BY INCHES.
Gale scrabbles out of the way. She turns, racing down a corridor, now regretting she didn't take the chance to escape when she could have.
The SLASHER grabs his axe handle. With a grunt, he pries it out of the wall, turns and gives chase.
CUT TO:
Gale races down the hallway. She tries door after door – all locked. She curses. Behind her, the Slasher is gaining ground. Gale reaches the end of the hallway – a miracle! The last door on the left opens. She staggers through, slamming the door shut. She locks it, barricading it with furniture.
She looks around – of all the rooms she could have chosen, she chose a room filled to the brim with medieval weapons. Swords. Knives. Staves. Axes.
GALE: Who are these people?!
THUNK!
The door to the room shatters! Gale hides in the shadows, grabbing a knife from a table. The Slasher hacks his way through into the room, looking around.
He passes by Gale, breathing heavily in his mask. Gale closes her eyes – and JUMPS from her hiding spot, sinking her knife into the Slasher's back. The Slasher staggers forward, hacking with his axe. He reaches behind him and calmly plucks the knife from his back, dropping it to the floor.
Gale looks left, right. She sees another knife on a table – THE SLASHER HACKS THE TABLE IN HALF! He advances on Gale, axe held in front of him. Slowly. Calmly. Taking his time. Enjoying this.
A shadow appears behind her - - LESTER.
LESTER: Please … not her … not again!
Gale looks at Lester, confused. The Slasher reaches up and plucks his hood off - - REBECCA.
REBECCA: Oh, hello Gale.
GALE: What. The. Actual –
REBECCA: Now Gale, I don't like that kind of language. (gestures around) And look at the damage you've caused to this room. All these priceless artifacts …
LESTER: Please … Rebecca …you promised no more … you said she could live here with us … not die …
REBECCA: (stroking Lester's cheek) My poor, dear, disturbed husband … just because this one is the real thing, doesn't mean I want her lurking around the house!
She slices into his leg with the axe – he howls with pain.
REBECCA: I am your wife! I went to great lengths to look like Gale, act like Gale, get a job like Gale … but no, it wasn't close enough to the original. You needed more.
She pushes further into his leg. He's on the ground now, writhing in pain.
REBECCA: (to Gale) Oh, you must be so confused. Lester here has never been able to successfully replace you – not even with me. He'd find a girl that would titillate him – bring them back – and she'd fail us. Not at all like the original. And then I'd have to do the messy dirty work of killing, chopping them, disposing of them. But you – ah, you were the real thing. But I am not (twists the axe more) going to let you steal my husband away! A few trysts with some Gale lookalikes, fine, I get it, a man needs to get his jollies rocked every so often. But this … this was a step too far …
GALE: Is that why you're hacking up kids in Woodsboro?
REBECCA: What? Woodsboro? What does Woodsboro have to do with anything? (realizing) Oh my goodness, there's a new murder spree happening isn't there?
Gale remains silent. Rebecca TWISTS the axe – Lester HOWLS!
REBECCA: Isn't there?
GALE: Yes, yes, just stop hurting him!
With a thunk, Rebecca pulls the axe out of his bleeding leg.
REBECCA: We'll get that looked at later, honey. But for now – it seems there's a news story in the making and I want to be right in the middle of the action. This could finally be my big break – and complete my final transformation into Gale Weathers …
Rebecca hoists up the axe.
REBECCA: And for that … you do have to die, Gale. There can only be room for one of us I'm afraid and your young, spunky days … well, they're kinda over.
With great effort, Rebecca hoists the axe up –
LESTER: NO!
He tackles Rebecca to the ground. He straddles her, struggling.
LESTER: I'VE NEVER STOPPED LOVING HER AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ONE AWAY FROM ME!
Gale watches as they struggle – Rebecca BITES into his arm. He howls, rolling off, holding his bleeding wrist. Rebecca stands up, axe raised.
REBECCA: Fine. If I can't be your Gale Weathers, no one can!
Rebecca SWINGS DOWN, bringing the edge of the axe right into Lester's chest. THUNK!
Gale's off, sweeping past them. She grabs a knife from another end table on the way out. Rebecca sighs as she pulls the axe out.
REBECCA: Don't make me chase you anymore, it's been a very long night …
INT. MANOR HOUSE – NIGHT
Gale raises down through the hallway, down a spiral staircase. Behind her, Rebecca slowly walks, taking her time, enjoying the hunt.
REBECCA: Oh Ga-aaalee. Come out and play-ay.
Gale reaches the bottom step – she looks around. Her purse is on an end table! They must've stuck it there after they moved her unconscious body. She grabs it, rifling through it. Her phone, her keys.
Rebecca appears at the top of the staircase.
REBECCA: Now you wouldn't happen to be thinking of leaving our little party, are you?
She takes each step one at a time, her demented grin growing.
REBECCA: Didn't your mother teach you it's very rude to leave a party unannounced Gale?
GALE: If you knew me at all, you'd know – I'm not one for polite manners!
Rebecca reaches the bottom step, still grinning with an unsettling, toothy smile. Gale backs up, reaches the door. She turns, unlatching it and racing outside.
EXT. MANOR HOUSE – NIGHT
Rain is pouring down hard. Gale races down the exterior steps – Lester's car is still there. She smashes open the window, manually unlocks it, ignoring the car alarm and tosses her purse on the passenger seat, and tries to start it up by hotwiring it.
Rebecca appears outside, axe in both hands. She slowly descends the steps.
Lester's car is sputtering. Gale hits the dashboard.
GALE: Come on you piece of crap, come on!
REBECCA: Oh, you won't be going anywhere …
She holds up her hand – the wires to the car's ignition are clenched in her fist. Gale stares at her, mouth open. She holds the knife in her hand tightly.
Rebecca approaches and SMASHES Gale's window open. Gale shrinks away. Rebecca calmly walks around the car, slicing into the hood.
REBECCA: I never liked this thing anyway.
Rebecca walks around to the passenger's side – SMASHES the passenger window in. She reaches in and manually unlocks the door, opening the passenger side.
Gale opens her driver-side door and staggers out. She falls on her rear. Rebecca stands up on the other side of the car. She comes around the other side, Gale crawling backwards. She staggers to her feet, turns and runs – towards the woods near the house.
EXT. WOODS – NIGHT
Gale races through the woods, darting between trees. She presses herself against a tree trunk and pulls her phone out of her purse. 50 missed calls from Dewey, at least 10 from Billy, 1 collect call from her mother … She tries to dial 9-11 – she looks down at the phone. No signal!
GALE: Damn it!
She looks around. The woods are silent. She slinks out from behind a tree, knife pressed closely to her chest.
WHIZZ! THUNK!
A branch from a nearby tree slices free, nearly taking Gale's head off. Gale steps back – loses her footing, slides down into a ravine! She gets tangled in thorns and briers, leaves in her hair.
Rebecca slides down the ravine. She stands over Gale, still smiling.
REBECCA: Gale … this is just … silly. Where's the gumption, where's that fighting spirit that your fans all know and love?
GALE: You know what – right here bitch!
She flings her knife at Rebecca. Rebecca sidesteps it and it bounces harmlessly off a tree.
REBECCA: Disappointing. You know what they say about how you meet your idols in real life and they turn out to not be all they're cracked up to be? Yeah, major feeling right now.
GALE: Then let's meet your expectations!
She WRENCHES a thorny brier from the ground, whipping up dirt. She grabs a handful and FLINGS it into Rebecca's eyes. Rebecca screams, dirt in her eyes, swinging her axe madly. She misses Gale – the axe is embedded in a tree trunk.
Gale's on her feet. She tackles her, holding her knife. She presses it up against Rebecca's throat. Rebecca stares up at her defiantly.
REBECCA: Do it if you have the guts!
Gale raises the knife – AND STRIKES DOWNWARD!
Rebecca's eyes go wide, amazed she actually did it!
But no – Gale stuck the knife into her shoulder.
GALE: You can go to prison, or an asylum, you crazy bitch!
She raises the knife again – KNOCKS Rebecca clean out with the butt-end. She sighs, catching her breath. She staggers to her feet, dropping the knife. She limps up, still somewhat entangled in the thorns and briers.
Behind her, Rebecca slowly rises, Gale's knife now in her hand. With a scream – she CHARGES!
Gale whips around, wrenches the axe free from the tree and swings with all her might!
SWISH! THUNK!
REBECCA'S HEAD FLIES FREE FROM HER BODY!
Her corpse sways, then collapses at Gale's feet. Gale drops the axe and stares down at her fallen foe.
WE SMASH TO BLACK!