<< OUTSIDE - CATHOLIC CHURCH -- MORNING >>

3 Weeks later.

Sunday morning. A large somber statue of the Virgin Mary with open arms sits high above the large double doors of a church.

A woman trailed by a man holding a small child, rushes quickly and quietly through the doors into the church.

The marquee out front says: "OUR LADY OF SORROWS."

<< INSIDE - OUR LADY OF SORROWS CHURCH >>

The church is decorated in a very ornate, but cozy fashion, with large stained glass windows and small statues of holy figures in every alcove of the walls.

Parishioners of all ethnicities and ages, with no uniformity in dress; from casual to Sunday best, fidget and settle in the pews.

Altar servers; two teen-aged boys and a preteen girl, shift in their seats as the priest passionately gives his homily. FATHER HOLLOWAY. He paces the open platform in front of the altar with conviction. His graying brown hair, and pale skin contrast his bright jovial face.

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“...We mustn't hide from the things that challenge our faith. God sends trials, sometimes by pain and by fire. And it's not so he can see what we're made of, He's known that before time began. He wants us to see for ourselves what we're made of.”

Erika sits next to Gennard in a center pew. They both attempt to look like they are listening earnestly, but they are stealing glances at each other like coy school children.

Erika's eyes meet Gennard's and she turns away quickly, blushing.

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“Government mandates won't end us. It's not the first time the Catholic church has had to weather opposition to our core values. It won't be the last by far. But it will separate the chaff from the wheat, the mice from the men so to speak. Who will still be standing, proudly Catholic when they start arresting us for not

violating our conscience? When priests start being arrested for not conforming like in Canada? It's all the same challenge. We as the body of Christ will either stand in truth, bend to secular culture, or break.”

Father Holloway sits down for a moment. Everyone is silent. He stands up again.

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“Let us profess our faith.”

          The entire congregation stands and recites together, "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth..."

<< INSIDE - KELLY AND ERIKA'S DORM ROOM >>

Kelly walks in dragging two large bags of laundry. She sings and moves along to an audible, but indiscernible pop song. As she turns to shut the door, she gets tangled in the long white cords of her headphones.

She flings her arm to untangle herself from the cords and bumps into Erika's desk. A can of hairspray is knocked to the ground and rolls underneath Erika's bed.

Quickly, Kelly drops her bags onto her bed, rushes down onto all fours, and reaches her right arm far under the bed to try to fish the can out.

She struggles to reach the can, which is just inches from her fingertips. She lays flat on her stomach to get closer.

As the music seeps from her headphones, she doesn't hear The Chair creak as it turns slowly towards her on its swivel. The footrest of The Chair stops and hovers about 6 inches above Kelly's back.

<< INSIDE - OUR LADY OF SORROWS CHURCH >>

The priest raises his hands over the chalice of communion wine and bowl of wafers on the altar.

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles: 'I leave you peace, my peace I give you.' Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.”

CONGREGATION

“Amen.”

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“The peace of the Lord be with you always.”

CONGREGATION

“And with your spirit.”

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“Let us share with one another a sign of Christ's peace.”

          The congregation members begin to hug, shake hands and greet the people around them all over the church, while the priest makes silent prayers over the bread and wine.

Erika and Gennard give each other a small hug and say "Peace be with you", then begin to shake hands with the people around them, smiling.

A cantor sings the "Lamb of God."

Father Holloway prays over the bread and wine.

He lifts up a large communion wafer and the chalice.

FATHER HOLLOWAY

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the lamb.”

CONGREGATION

“Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

          Erika opens her mouth to say the words with the congregation, but begins to cough. Gennard looks at her with concern, but she smiles and nods at him reassuringly. He smiles back.

People begin to form lines in the aisles to receive communion. The priest and other serving lay people behind the altar share communion with each other, then take positions in front of the lines to give bread and wine to the congregation.

<< INSIDE - KELLY AND ERIKA'S DORM ROOM >>

Kelly just touches the can, but she inadvertently taps it further under the bed. She wiggles a little further under the bed.

The Chair's foot pedal depresses and the footrest slowly lowers onto her back with the low sound of the hydraulic air releasing. The footrest touches Kelly's back.

Startled, she bumps her head under the bed and starts to jerk herself around to get out from under the footrest, which immediately presses hard into her back, pinning her down. She cries out in pain and shock.

On the floor behind her, the headphones pop out of her mp3 player by themselves, and the music volume somehow gets very loud, drowning out her screams.

<< INSIDE - OUR LADY OF SORROWS CHURCH >>

Erika and Gennard get in line in the center aisle about 30 people from the front. Erika's complexion looks a little green.

As Gennard and Erika walk toward the front of the line, Erika stumbles a bit. Gennard grabs her arm to catch her.

GENNARD

“Erika, are you ok?”

ERIKA

“Yeah, I'm ok. Just a little dizzy all of a sudden.”

          The line moves forward and Erika goes up and receives

communion. She takes the bread then the wine at the next server and begins to walk back down the side aisle of the church.

As she walks, she looks up at a statue of Mary looking down at her in one of the alcoves. She immediately clasps one hand to her mouth, grabs hold of her stomach with the other hand, and runs out of the sanctuary.

<< INSIDE - OUR LADY OF SORROWS CHURCH - BATHROOM >>

Erika runs into a stall. The sudden sound of vomit violently hitting toilet water fills the small, 2-stall, bathroom. There's a bang as Erika hits the stall wall with her hand.

Through the foot of space underneath the stall, we see she is kneeling down in front of the toilet, lurching, and something that looks like green pea soup splatters on the floor as well as into the toilet.

There's a knock on the main bathroom door.

GENNARD (O.S.)

“Erika? Are you alright??

          Erika starts to try to speak, but only a groan comes out, and she immediately begins to vomit again.

<< INSIDE - KELLY AND ERIKA'S DORM ROOM >>

Happy music blasts as Kelly cries out in pain, writhing back and forth to free herself from under The Chair's footrest, which only digs deeper into her back.

Blood forms, soaking through from underneath her white shirt where The Chair has a hold.

Flailing her hands wildly, struggling to grab hold of

something for leverage, she hits the underside of the bed which just falls back onto her hitting her in the head.

She gasps for air, with strained asthmatic breaths, making a desperate stretch to grasp the leg of the bed.

The Chair presses harder. With tears streaming down her now bright red face, Kelly grips the metal bed frame, and wedges one knee up, putting her foot on the base of The Chair.

She strains, slowly managing to slide herself to the left, scraping an even deeper gash into her back as she slides.

Halfway free, Kelly manages to get her other leg against the base of The Chair and with one big shove, she launches herself out from under the footrest, knocking herself into her dresser with a BRACK!

The music stops.

Gasping for air and sweating, she scrambles to her feet looking incredulously at The Chair and at the blood on the floor.

Her look of shock turns to fear as she wipes her hand quickly across her back and looks down at it. Her hand is covered in blood.

As she looks at her bloody hand horrified, The Chair slowly turns towards her on it's swivel and begins to reset itself to the tall setting with a soft yet sinister hiss of its hydraulics.

Kelly's eyes widen with terror as the height lever moves by itself. Her eyes blink as she snaps into realization, grabs her keys off her dresser and bolts out the door.

<< INSIDE - OUR LADY OF SORROWS CHURCH - HALLWAY >>

Gennard stands outside the bathroom looking concerned. The sounds of flushing and a faucet running come from inside the bathroom. After a moment, Erika comes out holding her stomach, looking really ill.

GENNARD

“Oh wow, are you ok?”

ERIKA

“I don't know, I've been feeling really ill lately, maybe it's stress.”

          He helps her to a bench in the hallway where her purse is already waiting and sits down next to her.

GENNARD

“Have you...? Is it possible that you could be...?”

          He trails off and gives her a knowing look, making a subtle belly gesture with his hands. Her eyes open wide in surprise as she catches his meaning.

ERIKA

“Oh no no, I don't, I never, no…”

          Gennard exhales quietly.

GENNARD

“I'll go back with you. The youth ministry can meet without me for one Sunday.”

ERIKA

“No the bus will be here soon, I'll be fine.”

          She starts to try to get up, but she's very unsteady and wobbles.

GENNARD

“No, just sit right here.”

          He ushers her back down.

GENNARD

“Mass'll be over in a minute. It's not good for you to go back by yourself if you don't feel well. Just sit. When you feel ready we'll head to the bus.”

          Gennard and Erika sit on the bench in silence, he with his hands folded over his knees, she holding her head. The sounds of Mass ending distantly behind them.