SHADOW OF THE MIND
Written by Life Uncommon

FADE IN

OVER BLACK:

"Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield all witnessed in gruesome detail the horrors of the experimental T-Virus, a mutigenic toxin so powerful and devastating, it wiped out the entire city of Raccoon. Two months after the escapade at the Umbrella Antarctic Base, these four survivors gathered together for one night of terror... and popcorn."

INT. JILL'S LOFT - NIGHT

Very swank and very chic. Large, spacious, filled to the brim with whatever-items-someone-like-Jill-would-have. It's very nice, to say the least.

LEON and CLAIRE (we don't need character descriptions, right? we all know what these characters look like) are seated on the sofa, eating popcorn, watching a show about a certain vampire slayer.

LEON
What's her deal?

CLAIRE
She slays vampires.

Beat.

LEON
Oh. Well, what's his deal?

CLAIRE
He's a vampire.

Another beat.

LEON
What about that chick with
the red hair?

Claire quickly changes the channel to 'Friends'. She throws Leon an annoyed glare.

LEON
I don't get this show.

CLAIRE
(annoyed)
JIIILLLL!!

JILL (O.S.)
I'm coming, I'm coming...

JILL appears from the bathroom, brushing her hair, which is now a little past her shoulders.

JILL
Chris here yet?

CLAIRE
Not yet. He said around 7.

JILL
What time is it?

CLAIRE
8:30.

JILL
Lovely.

LEON
So, uh... Chris is coming
with the movies, right?

Claire and Jill look at Leon. He demures under their stares.

LEON
Well, is he?

CLAIRE
He's supposed to be bringing
'Orgazmo'.

JILL
I thought he was bringing
Twin Peaks.

CLAIRE
Oh, come on. Twin Peaks was
as over-rated as that video
game.

LEON
What video game?

CLAIRE
You know, the one with the
town, and how it's all infested
with beasties from hell, and
the guy's trying to find his
daughter...

LEON
Ohhh. I kinda liked that
game.

CLAIRE
Well, there's no accounting
for taste.

There's a KNOCK at the door. Jill quickly moves toward it, smoothing out her shirt.

JILL
How's my hair?

LEON
Fine.

JILL
Okay.

She clears her throat, brushes back some hair behind her ear, and looks through the peephole.

JILL'S POV: A distorted view of Chris, looking mighty handsome, waiting patiently in the hallway outside.

JILL
Ooh! It's Chris! How's my
hair?

LEON
Still fine.

Jill opens the door, and, of course, Chris is there.

CHRIS
Hey pretty lady!

She giggles, throwing her arms around Chris, consuming him in a huge bear hug. Claire and Leon get up.

CHRIS
Ow. You're stronger than
you look.

Jill lets go.

JILL
If I wasn't, then I'd be
stuck in the wastelands
of Raccoon with all the
other decimated bodies.

Awkward silence. Jill's face reddens.

JILL
Sorry. Inapporpriate joke.
(changes subject)
What movie did ya bring?

CHRIS
Well, I brought-

CLAIRE runs up and grabs him a crushing hug. He reels back, oxygen escaping him. She lets go.

CHRIS
Okay, rude much?

CLAIRE
'Rude'? I was just giving
my big brother a hug.

CHRIS
You were crushing my insides,
Chyna.

CLAIRE
Funny.

Leon stands there, looking awkward and uncomfortable. In a small voice:

LEON
Hi Chris.

CHRIS
Hey Leon. Nice seeing you in
some civvie clothes for once.

LEON
(embarassed)
Yeah... well, um, I... uh..

He trails off, saying nothing, getting lost in his thoughts. Leon just gives a little smile and sits back onto the couch. Jill shrugs. Claire just looks concerned.

JILL
So, Chris...?

Chris reaches into his bag and pulls out two DVDs.

CHRIS
Night Of The Living Dead
and Aliens.

The women's expressions sour.

CLAIRE/JILL
WHAT?

CHRIS
Come on! They're classics.
And they're strangely familiar
in atmosphere and plot...

CLAIRE
Haven't we all seen enough
zombie-action?

JILL
And Night Of The Living dead
had a disheartening and somewhat
depressing final act!

CLAIRE
And Aliens was gross!

JILL
And Sigourney Weaver looked
like a man!

CLAIRE
I mean, hello! Get a stylist!

CHRIS
LADIES! Please. I got Wuthering
Heights and Titanic for you
gals, too, alright?

Jill and Claire look at each other, with momentary looks of satisfaction, then they turn back to Chris in disgust.

JILL
'Wuthering Heights'?

CLAIRE
'Titanic'??

CHRIS
Oh, jeez...

Chris crosses over to the living room and sets his bag of DVDs on the coffee table and slumps onto the sofa next to Leon. Leon becomes rigid.

CHRIS
So hows everything, Leon?
You up for a little Romero
and Cameron?

LEON
Huh? Oh. Yeah. I'm up,
alright.
(cringes at that)
Claire, can I see you in
the... bathroom?

Leon gets up, grabs Claire, and begins tugging her in the bathroom's direction.

CLAIRE
What? Ew!

LEON
I need help with my, uh,
my... problem... thing.

CLAIRE
(gets it)
Oh. That.

She turns back to a bewildered Jill and Chris.

CLAIRE
(too happy)
He needs help with his
problem thing! We'll just
be-

Leon GRABS her again and pulls her out of frame. Chris turns to Jill, shrugs.

CUT TO

INT. BATHROOM - CONTD

Claire locks the door. Leon paces about nervously.

CLAIRE
Okay, what the hell was that
about?

LEON
Chris. It's Chris.

CLAIRE
Yah, I figured. But you were
never this hippity hoppity
before.

LEON
I know! But I... okay, I don't
know. It's really getting to me.

Claire smiles at him warmly, puts her palm against his cheek.

CLAIRE
Nobody's forcing you to tell
him how you feel.

LEON
I've never really felt this
about, you know, another *guy*
before. And you can tell he's
into Jill and all that...

CLAIRE
Well, I'm sure there are plenty
of other bi-men out there like
yourself looking for-

LEON
A screw?

CLAIRE
I was gonna say pre-marital casual
sex.

LEON
Well I don't want that! I want
a, a nice, kind, loving relation
ship.

Claire sighs.

CLAIRE
Chris is a nice guy. Really, he
is. But he's kinda, straight.

LEON
(whining)
But whyyy?

CLAIRE
I don't know. He just is. And
you're gonna have to get over
it somehow. I'm sure somebody
as blazingly attractive as you
will find some nice man or
woman or, whatever, to be with.

LEON
(grumbles)
Sometimes I think it'd be easier
to be straight.

CLAIRE
Well, believe me. It ain't.

They hug, and share a nice loving lovely moment. A beat, then:

JILL (O.S.)
You guys done making out?
Aliens is ready to play.

LEON
Yeah, just let me give
Claire her panties back.

Claire instinctively smacks Leon across the face, albeit lightly and playfully.

LEON
Ow...

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTD

Chris is on the floor, Jill is sitting on a reclining leather chair, getting comfy. Leon and Claire enter and take their spots on the couch and wrap a blanket around them.

JILL
Okay, so the movie's in, we
got popcorn, and chips, and
drinks... what else?

CHRIS
I think we're set.

JILL
Fabulous. I hope none of you
plan on falling asleep.

CLAIRE
Believe me, after what happened
in December...

LEON
...and in September...

CHRIS
...and in August...

JILL
Yeah, yeah, alright.

She's about to press 'play' on her remote, when...

JILL
Ooh! Ice cream! I forgot
the ice cream.

The rest of the gang groans as Jill hurries into the kitchen.

INT. KITCHEN - SAME

She rips open her freezer and grabs a couple of containers of Ben and Jerry's, as well as some spoons.

JILL
I hope you guys like cookie
dough...

Jill moves to the counter.

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTD

CLAIRE, LEON and CHRIS are all dead asleep.

INT. KITCHEN - SAME

JILL is slumped over the counter, snoring loudly.