Hearthville Serial: Book 8 Episode 2

                                             FADE IN:

EXT. BEACH - DAY

Police cars drive on to the beach with their lights
flashing. SOUND: Police Sirens.  DANIEL BARE gets out of one
of the police cars.  He looks around.  He motions for ARTHUR
RAMSEY, STEED RAMSEY, and ALICE MALOKEY to walk up to them
from where they are standing with a crowd at the shoreline.

                      DANIEL BARE
          We have several reports of a boat
          exploding.

                      ARTHUR RAMSEY
          Yeah.  I don't know who was on the
          boat.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Victor Duddley had pulled up near
          to the boat shortly before the
          explosion.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Do you think Victor had anything to
          do with the explosion?

                      STEED RAMSEY
          No.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          The real Victor has been caged.  We
          don't know who this Victor is.  He
          could be a demon.

                      STEED RAMSEY
          Victor had alters.  The
          conspirators could not cage the
          alters.  So I think Victor is
          basically the personality that is
          made up of one or more alters.

                      ARTHUR RAMSEY
          But Alice could be right.
          Especially given what just happened
          out there on the lake.  Victor
          could be a demon.

                      STEED RAMSEY
          I don't think so.

                      DANIEL BARE
          I don't know what to do.  What if
          this murder has been sanctioned?

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          We don't know who was killed yet.
          But what if it was sanctioned by
          the Space Alien Witch Council?
          What if it was sanctioned by the
          newly formed Earth Witch Council?
          What if it was sanctioned by the
          League of Satan and Belial?

                      DANIEL BARE
          Exactly.  I do not want to cross
          any of them.

                      ARTHUR RAMSEY
                (nods)
          We need to find out who was on the
          boat that exploded and  also on
          Victor's boat.

EXT. HEARTHVILLE LAKE - DAY

A red, burnt creature is shown swimming toward the Hotville
side of the lake. As the creature reaches a swampy area it
crawls from the lake into the murky swamp. Its eyes are as a
burning fire.  Its teeth are white, looking more so from the
mouth of burnt flesh.

CAMERA MOVES DOWN FROM HEAD, DOWN ARM, AND FOCUSES ON THE
FINGERS OF THE CREATURE.

The fingers look like fingers but then they begin to
transform.  Each finger changes into a hissing snake that
has small but scary looking fangs. The creature begins to
walk with his fingers touching growth in the swamp to push
the growth out of his way.  Then one of his hand of snakes
touches a bent, leaning, rusty sign that reads, WELCOME TO
HOTVILLE. POPULATION 30,000.

EXT. DUDDLEY BOAT AND DOCK  - DAY

VICTOR DUDDLEY jumps from the boat, onto the dock, and
begins tying the boat. LEROY BARE helps JUDY DUDDLEY from
the boat.  Their eyes meet and then they both quickly look
away.  Still Leroy, continues to help Judy from the boat.
ELLEN DUDDEY walks down the dock to where Victor is securing
the boat.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          What the hell happened out there.?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          The boat of Professor Wilcox
          exploded.  Professor Wilox, Mini
          Wilcox, and their son Bachus were
          killed.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          Oh my God.  What caused the
          explosion.

                      LEROY BARE
          My guess is that a bomb was planted
          on the boat.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          Murdered?

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          I would guess.  Dad blamed the
          explosion in the lab on chemicals
          but Professor Wilcox said he was
          not using any chemicals that should
          have caused an explosion. He talked
          to us.  He got back on his boat.
          We went our ways.
                (screams in tears)
          And then there is the explosion.
          And he and his family are dead.

Ellen Duddley hugs her daughter and looks over Judy's
shoulder to look at Leroy Bare.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          What is this world coming to?

                      LEROY BARE
          Something none of us ever wanted to
          see, but here it is.

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          What?

                      LEROY BARE
          Satan.  Belial.

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          You are talking crazy.

                      LEROY BARE
          I know.  But out there on the lake
          you also looked into the fires of
          hell.  An awful murder.  Do you
          feel sane?

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          No.  I feel like I am in a
          nightmare.  Have I always been in a
          nightmare and I am just now
          realizing it.  Victor.  How many
          times when you are having one of
          your episodes have you said that
          this has to be a dream.  I now know
          what you mean.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          Victor, I left your book in my
          chair on the beach.  I don't think
          I should have done that.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          It is okay.  If it gets lost I have
          copies and I can make more copies.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          What if someone reads it?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          It is just a story.  No one is
          going to believe it.  You don't
          believe it.  Do you?

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          I don't know what to believe but I
          think, no matter how crazy it
          sounds, Leroy spoke the truth.

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          I don't understand.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          There is an evil taking control of
          earth.  The balance of power has
          shifted while God sleeps and Jesus
          sits on his wall, not knowing what
          to do.

ALICE MALOKEY walks out on the dock and toward where
everyone is standing.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Never underestimate Jesus.  He is
          not that sad hebrew pansy in the
          bible who allowed himself to be
          crucified.  He is a Hercules of a
          man who has endured much and has
          had to lick his wounds but he has
          fought satan before and won.  He
          will win again.

Alice Malokey smiles.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Such hopeful words that for a
          second I felt hope.  If only I
          could trust your words.

                      LEROY BARE
          You can trust his words.  You can
          also trust that Jesus has an army
          of men and women who are ready to
          fight for him and to fight for
          earth.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          But does that army even know that
          there are real battles and real
          dangers. Are they so blinded by
          that Hebrew story they can't ever
          know the real Jesus, that Hercules
          of a man. Are they so brainwashed
          as a death cult, that they are so
          wanting for the world to end, that
          they think surrendering to evil is
          their road to salvation.

                      LEROY BARE
          When Hercules comes, they will know
          that he is part of a living God,
          that his power comes from a living
          earth, and only if earth can be
          saved can there be any salvation.

SABIAN BLACKROCK appears out of no where.

                      SABIAN BLACKROCK
          Such words.  Pure fiction.  How can
          such a sinful young man speak such
          words with a straight face?

                      LEROY BARE
          Why are you here?

                      SABIAN BLACKROCK
          My grandson is missing.  I need
          help.

                      LEROY BARE
          From whom?

                      SABIAN BLACKROCK
          I am desperate.  I need Alice
          Malokey to help me.

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          I have got to be dreaming.  This
          has got to be a dream.

Sabian suddenly notices Victor Duddley.  They stare at one
another.

                      SABIAN BLACKROCK
          What the hell?

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Exactly. And that is the reason
          that I am not helping you.

                      SABIAN BLACKROCK
          I am confused.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Yeah.  You can stay confused.  Get
          the hell away from me.

Sabian Blackrock vanishes.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          I know I sounded heartless just
          then but I couldn't help him find
          Winston even if I wanted to help
          him.  I have people looking for
          Rabbit and Winston but don't tell
          him that.

                      JUDY DUDDLEY
          Is this real?

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          It is best if you just pretend that
          it isn't real.  That way they might
          not erase your memory.

                      ELLEN DUDDLEY
          We will pretend.

Alice Malokey smiles.  She then vanishes.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Leroy, take my mother and sister
          home.  I will pretend I was the
          only one on the boat.  I expect
          Daniel Bare will be coming to speak
          to me fairly shortly.

                      LEROY BARE
          I will take them home.

EXT. HOTVILLE SWAMP - DAY

The burnt monster, the demon, dives into the murky, muddy,
swamp water and begins to swim.  An alligator quickly moves
to get out of the water.  Chirping birds begin to screech
and flap their wings.

EXT. DOCK - DAY

SOUND: Sirens.  Flashing lights. Three police cars pull to
the end of the dock. DANIEL BARE exits one of the police
cars.  VICTOR DUDDLEY is standing alone. Judy, Leroy, Ellen
are no where to be seen as the CAMERA moving about reveals.

                      DANIEL BARE
          We need information.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I will give a statement.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Whose boat exploded?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Professor Wilcox, Mini Wilcox, and
          their son Bachus were on the boat.
          They didn't survive.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Did you have anything to do with
          the explosion?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          No.  You know about the explosion
          in the lab of Professor Wilcox  at
          Hearthville college. Right?

                      DANIEL BARE
          Your father said that it was caused
          by an eccentric Professor mixing
          the wrong chemicals.  He said it
          was just an ordinary accident and
          we didn't need to investigate.  We
          were not given the name of the
          Professor involved.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          My father didn't think there was
          any foul play involved.  He
          reported what he believed.

                      DANIEL BARE
          What did you and Professor Wilcox
          talk about when your boats were
          approximate to one another?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
           Professor Wilcox was afraid he was
          going to be fired.  And I was going
          to try to talk my father out of
          firing him but if he was fired, I
          was going to hire him.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Did you consider Professor Wilcox
          smart?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Very.  He had a very brilliant
          mind.

                      DANIEL BARE
          What was he working on?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Something Satan and Belial would
          not like, a cure for covid.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Leroy has already done that, hasn't
          he?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          You know my situation.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Not really.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I am an alter.  I am George.
          Victor has been caged but I wasn't. 

                      DANIEL BARE
          Leroy was on the boat with you.
          Wasn't he?  Someone reported that
          Judy and Leroy were with you when
          you got on the boat.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          They are mistaken. I was on the
          boat alone.  Leroy and Judy were
          going to go out with me but then
          they did not.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Do you trust Leroy?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I trust Leroy.  I trust you.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Do you think trying to protect my
          cousin Leroy will earn you any
          brownie points with me?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I don't really give a flying fuck
          about you.  Why should I want to
          earn your  brownie points?  I am
          pretty sure Victor hates you.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Why does he hate me?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I am sure I don't know.

Other policemen walk up. Daniel motions for them to turn
around return to the police cars.

                      DANIEL BARE
          The explosion was accidental.  An
          accident with a gas can.  That is
          the way we will write it up.

After the policemen walk off Daniel Bare gets in the face of
Victor Duddley.

                      DANIEL BARE
          That is the way we write it up for
          the humans.  But do not be shocked
          if someone sanctions your murder.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I am not as smart as Victor. And I
          don't have his magic powers.  But I
          am quite capable of sanctioning
          murders all on my own.  Don't fuck
          with me.

Daniel Bare pushes Victor away from him.

                      DANIEL BARE
          And you don't fuck with me.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          So I guess you and I will not be
          having any homosexual sex.

                      DANIEL BARE
          You sound disappointed.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Aren't you married now?

                      DANIEL BARE
          It is an open marriage.

SOUND: Daniel Bare's phone.  He answers.  He turns it to
speaker.

                      DANIEL BARE
          How is the search and rescue going?

                      OFFICER RIOT
          We've recovered two badly burned
          but intact bodies.

                      DANIEL BARE
          There is a third.  Name again?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Bachus Wilcox.  But you will not
          find his body.

                      DANIEL BARE
          I thought you said there were no
          survivors.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          A demon has taken over the body of
          Bachus.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          What has your witness there been
          smoking?

                      DANIEL BARE
          Office Riot, put Officer Carney on
          the phone and you walk away.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          Seriously.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Do as I say.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Do you want me to make the calls to
          get Monster Hunters involved.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Other than you, do we have any
          others on the force?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          No.  Mallory quit when Sabian
          Blackrock was put over the Hunter
          Division for the Witches Council.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Sabian Blackrock is now in charge
          of the hunters.  Son of a bitch.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          I considered quiting.  But what are
          we going to do.  Our police force
          is not set up to handle demons and
          other monsters.

                      DANIEL BARE
          We may have to establish our Hunter
          Unit.  I don't want to deal with
          Sabian Blackrock on anything.
          Alice Malokey, if you can hear me,
          get back here.

Alice Malokey appears.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Were you listening.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          I was listening. I will call my
          husband and son, who are hunters,
          to work with you independent of the
          Witches Council.  But I will tell
          you that the three of us may end up
          having to leave earth.

Turns and looks at Victor.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          I know you are not Victor and you
          say you are an alter.  Can you help
          us?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Money wise.  Yeah.  But I don't
          have magical powers. Author Ramsey
          and Steed should be brought on
          board if they will agree.  I will
          definitely help but I need your
          help to get some people uncaged.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Well sure but that is easier said
          than done and when we uncage the
          real Victor, I suspect all hell
          will break lose.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          I am pretty sure all hell has
          already broken lose.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Okay.  Let me see if I can recruit
          my husband and son.  Are you all
          going to bring Quentin Darko into
          this?  They don't like Quentin.

                      DANIEL BARE
          He is not my favorite person
          either.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          But I think he is going to have to
          be brought in to what we are doing.
          If we don't have the Space Alien
          Witch Council on our side, we are
          going to need the Earth Witch
          Council and he runs that.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          That is going to be a sticking
          point.  And maybe it would be
          better if they remained completely
          on the inside with the Witches
          Council.

                      DANIEL BARE
          They are earth witches.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          My husband Phil Clyde is an earth
          witch.  My son Stephen is my son
          and I am from the planet Malokey.

                      DANIEL BARE
          But my point is, how can earth
          witches continue to be hunters for
          a Witches Council that is now all
          Space Alien Witches because the
          earth witches have all been purged.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          Understood.  But I will repeat my
          husband and son do not like Quentin
          Darko.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Okay.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          I will talk to them.  I don't
          really know if they will be on
          board to be hunters where they
          might have to answer to Quentin.

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          They will not have to answer to
          Quentin.  They will not have to
          have anything to do with Quentin.
                (laughs)
          You will have to deal with Quentin
          and then you will have to deal with
          your husband and son.

                       ALICE MALOKEY
          Oh, gee, thanks.  Why would you
          think I would want to deal with
          Quentin?

                      VICTOR DUDDLEY
          Because our ultimate goal is to
          send Satan and Belial back to hell,
          remove Sabian Blackrock from power,
          and give earth some level of
          freedom again.  The monsters can
          not be left in control.

                      ALICE MALOKEY
          I think I might easily forget that
          you are not the real Victor. If
          there are any arguments from my
          husband and son, I will convince
          them to work with you all.

                      DANIEL BARE
          Good.

EXT. HEARTHVILLE LAKE, BOATS - DAY

Three boats surround the burning Wilcox boat. The burnt
bodies of Professor Wilcox and Mini Wilcox are load out on
the deck of one of the boats.  Two of the boats are hosing
the burning boat down.

                      OFFICER RIOT
                (looking down at the
                 bodies)
          There is something weird here.  And
          not just what I heard of the phone
          when I was talking to Daniel.  I
          made the joke Victor Duddley was
          smoking weed, but now I have me the
          shivers.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Burned victims are an awful sight.

                      OFFICER RIOT
                (points to the burning
                 boat)
          There was an explosion right.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Yeah.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          The boat did not sink.  And it is
          still burning.  We have been
          putting water on it, and it is
          still burning.  And it has not
          sank.  It has not sank.  Let me
          repeat.  It has not sank.  Don't
          you think it should have sank.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Are you going to cause Daniel
          problems on the way he told me to
          write the report up.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          I am a team player. I will do what
          you tell me to do.  I need this
          job.  I have already be fired in
          two cities.  I don't even know why
          Daniel hired me.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          I may let you learn some things on
          this case.  And you may hear me say
          some things that will blow your
          mind.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          I am thinking my mind mind is
          already blown.

A couple of officers in diving suits climb aboard the boat
where the bodies are.  They start pulling their diving suits
off.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          We saw no sign of a third body.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          We saw no sign of Bachus Wilcox.
          Do you he and I used to play pool.
          I first thought he was queer.  He
          was the first time I heard the word
          INCEL.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          I know how you teased him.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          I liked him.  He was a good guy.
          Look at his parents.  God.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          You two don't start crying like a
          bunch of pansy homosexuals.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          Suck my dick.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
                (laughs)
          In your dreams.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          So what happened here?  That boat
          is still burning.  And why can't we
          find the body of of Bachus.  Are we
          sure that he was on the boat?

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          I hope he is still alive.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          According to Victor Duddley, a
          demon has taken control of the body
          of Bachus.  I thought he had been
          smoking weed when I heard him say
          that.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          You think a demon caused the
          explosion and fire and is the
          reason the boat is still burning
          and has not sunk.  Do you think
          there are demons around us right
          now.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          I would say you all are crazy but
          that boat is still burning and it
          has not sank.  The explosion,
          described by the people on shore,
          should have obliterated the boat.
                (looks around with a
                 scared look on his face)
          Are there really such a thing as
          demons?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          There is such a thing.  And boys,
          if you keep an open mind, I am
          going to ask Daniel to bring you
          into something you are not going to
          want to believe.  Boys, you are
          about to become what is called
          Hunters.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          Hunters? What?

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          Why are we talking about hunting
          animals like deer now?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Not deer.  Monsters.  Things that
          go bump in the night.  Demons,
          Rogue vampires, witches who have
          broken the rules, and humans who
          practice the dark arts.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          Okay.  Okay. Okay.  Let us back up.
          Let us put this damn car in
          reverse.  This case.  Right now.
          What are we up against.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          We have reason to believe that a
          demon has taken control of the dead
          body of Bachus.  We have reason to
          believe that the demon actually
          caused the explosion and fire.
          Although demons can act on their
          own, they are usually directed by
          magic spells.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          So a witch is behind this?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Could be?  But it could also be a
          human practicing the black arts and
          calling themself a witch.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          You have me confused.  Isn't anyone
          who practices magic a witch?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          There are space alien witches.
          There are earth witches.  And there
          are human witches.  Human witches
          are the least powerful and have to
          use alliances with other
          supernatural forces to exact a
          spell.  An earth witch is in their
          self a supernatural force and can
          bend reality all on their own.  At
          times their magic does ping.  It
          doesn't work.  And then they may
          call on other supernatural forces.
          The same is true of space alien
          witches.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          Alright.  Putting the car back into
          drive.  So you are saying that we
          are going to be hunting both a
          demon and a witch of some kind.
          The witch is someone with a motive
          to want Professor Wilcox and his
          family dead.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          So this witch that we will be
          hunting, can they turn us into
          frogs?

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          Given that boat there, I would be
          more scared of them exploding our
          car or our house.  How do we
          protect ourselves?  We aren't
          wishes.  Officer Carney, are you?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          No.  But there will be witches who
          will be part of the Hunter Group
          that we are forming.  And they will
          provide you all with charms and
          such so that you can use human
          magic to protect you.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          Why are you bringing us into this?
          Shouldn't the Hunter Group just be
          made up of witches?

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          You are the eyes and ears on the
          ground.  You are policemen.  You
          will be called into cases that may
          or may not have supernatural
          elements involved.  Right now you
          are involved in case that involves
          the supernatural and I want you to
          understand that.  I want you to be
          able to work with the earth witches
          on this case.  You saw what
          happened here first hand. You are
          the first investigators on this
          case.  But if any of you want to
          walk away from this case, that is
          fine.  It is understandable.  Now
          tell me, who is in and who is out.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          I am in.

                      OFFICER CLOONEY
          I am in.

                      OFFICER RICHARDS
          I am in.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          So we are all in.

                      OFFICER RIOT
          Deep shit.

                      OFFICER CARNEY
          Yeah.
                (calls Daniel on phone)
          So Daniel.  Here is the deal.  The
          boat is still burning.  It has not
          sank.  There is definitely some
          supernatural stuff going.  And I
          have just recruited four police
          officers to be part of our Hunter
          Group.

EXT. INSIDE DANIEL'S DETECTIVE CAR - DAY

DANIEL BARE is holding the phone to his ear while he is
driving. Okay.

                      DANIEL BARE
           Good deal.  We will have a meeting
          at 3:00 PM in my office.  I will
          have Victor Duddley there with me.
          I can't decide for sure whether he
          is a suspect or whether he will be
          helping us.