<< OUTSIDE - UNIV. OF MARYLAND CAMPUS -- NIGHT >>

Thunder strikes and lightning flashes over the empty campus grounds.

The sound of fast footfalls hitting pavement and hard panting cuts through the silence as dirty, jean-covered legs run past a large roundabout with a huge letter "M" spelled out in flowers in the center.

From somewhere in the distance, the sound of honking horns and loud stadium tailgaters resonates.

A girl's bloody hand slams the large red button of a blue emergency phone pole with her palm.

Immediately, the bright blue light on top of the pole begins to spin and cover the area in light.

The girl's eyes desperately dart a look over her shoulder and back to the button. KELLY. Her long red hair and pale white skin are illuminated with the eerie blue tint of the emergency lights.

She hops around nervously in one spot, rolls up the sleeves of her navy blue "MARYLAND" logo hooded sweatshirt, and wipes her hands on her blue jeans.

She presses the button repeatedly with her index finger. After a moment, nothing but static comes from the pole speaker. She pushes off from the pole in frustration and runs across the street to the next pole several yards away.

Breathing heavily, visible clouds of vapor form as she exhales. At the next pole, she hits the red button, and as the pole lights up, she takes another frightened glance over her shoulder.

Between the trees, across the street behind her, a dark, vaguely human shape slowly stalks toward her. A look of terror comes over Kelly's face. She begins to push the red button faster, then hold it down.

As she hops on the spot, again nothing but static comes from the speakers. She quickly pulls a cell phone from her pocket, and runs toward the next pole, which is barely visible, much farther away.

She holds down the home button on the phone as she runs and the phone beeps twice. Kelly's voice cracks desperately as she yells into the phone.

KELLY

“Dial Gennard!”

          The phone beeps twice again and the automated voice answers.

CELL PHONE VOICE (V.O.)

“Voice Dialing is unavailable when there is no cellular connection.”

          Kelly looks down at the phone, confused. The blue Voice Control screen is displayed and the word "Searching..." appears at the top left corner where the signal bars and provider name should be.

KELLY

“Shit!”

          Kelly shoves the phone back into her pocket and runs faster.

Down the wide sidewalk, past a sprawling lawn and reflecting pool to her left, she reaches an emergency pole next to a large building with "McKeldin Library" etched in the stone lintel above the tall columns.

She presses the button several times in a panic. The blue light starts to spin then abruptly shuts off.

She looks up at the light in shock, then looks down the path. Slowly... steadily... the dark figure is getting closer... Kelly turns to run from the pole, but just then, the intercom phone starts to ring loudly.

She jumps back in front of the speaker, shifting her body to face toward the path. A female dispatcher answers.

DISPATCHER

“911. Do you need police, fire or ambulance?”

          Kelly begins to talk into the speaker in a hurried whisper.

KELLY

“Please come to Centreville Hall! It's trying to kill me!”

DISPATCHER

“Ma'am, who is trying to kill you?”

          Kelly hovers nervously back and forth watching the figure get closer.

KELLY

“He, she...I...”

          Kelly takes a deep shaken breath and starts to speak again slowly.

KELLY

“This is Kelly Khan. Please send police to Centreville Hall. If I make it, I...”

          The figure, now only a few short yards away, begins to stride faster.

Kelly begins to clutch the side of the pole unsteadily.

KELLY

“Uh- If I make it, I'm, I can't stay there... Just tell them to please hurry!”

          The dark figure, less than 20 feet away, begins to sprint toward Kelly. A metallic object shines, extending from one of its hands as it comes into the light. White pupil-less eyes flash in the darkness. It lunges toward her!

Kelly screams and drops her hands from the pole. She runs at top speed straight across the grassy lawn toward a path between two large buildings.

DISPATCHER

“Ma'am? Ma'am?”

<< MOMENTS LATER - UNIV. OF MARYLAND - NORTH CAMPUS >>

Kelly emerges bolting from between two large buildings. The stadium sounds have gone. She comes to a road on a large hill, and stops at the curb, gasping for breath, hands on her knees, face flush.

Lightning cracks the sky and suddenly a heavy rain begins to pour down. With an exasperated look, she quickly glances back to the empty path behind her.

Taking a deep breath, she darts across the street and starts to jog as hard as she can up the hill, against the rain.

<< OUTSIDE - CENTREVILLE HALL DORMITORY -- NIGHT >>

Kelly crosses the grassy center of a quad of five buildings. A large residence hall looms ahead in the darkness and rain. A bright flash of lightning reveals the engraved name on the building's stone lintel: "CENTREVILLE HALL".

Silently, quickly, Kelly runs up the front stairs and enters the building. She takes one last glance back at the empty quad before she closes the door.

<< INSIDE - GIRL'S DORM ROOM -- NIGHT >>

The small dorm room is almost pitch black except for a few streaks of light showing through the only window. Kelly is frantically, but quietly, throwing things from the top of a dresser into a black trash bag.

She bumps into a desk in her haste, making a small thud, but she continues rushing. Suddenly her cell phone vibrates. She jumps up startled, pulls the phone from her pocket, quickly puts it to her ear.

KELLY

“Hello?”

<< INSIDE - CENTREVILLE HALL - 4TH FLOOR HALLWAY -- NIGHT >>

The dark figure slowly stalks up the long, dark, empty hallway. Faint lightning through the window at the other end of the hall reveals for a moment, blood trails on the floor from a stairwell to the end of the hall.

<< INSIDE - GIRL'S DORM ROOM -- NIGHT >>

Kelly whispers hurriedly into the cell phone. Her voice wrought with desperation.

KELLY

“Hello? Jason? Jason?”

          There's a shuffling noise in the hall and she abruptly stops speaking. The man's muffled voice on the other line calls out to her, his words chopped by static.

MAN (V.O.)

“Kelly? Kelly, stay whe- you are, we're com- get you.”

          The phone cuts off with an abrupt click. Kelly leans toward the door and listens intently. Silence against the rain.

Thunder and lightning strike. She steps slowly toward the door, clutching the trash bag.

Suddenly the door bursts open! The dark figure lunges toward her and screams with a growl that sounds like two voices fighting to be one.

The person's face is obscured by darkness save for a glimpse of fiery white eyes and a super-wide, very distorted, red-lipped grin.

Kelly jumps backward, but too late as the figure slashes through the air with a long sharp metallic object straight into her side. The bag falls open to the ground and the items are scattered as Kelly cries out in pain.

KELLY

“No!!!”