Evil Dead

Chapter 21 - Ruined

David  enters the kitchen, Eric behind him.

Natalie stands in the middle of the room, one hand on the electric knife.

She turns towards them as they discover her other arm dangling by a thread of muscle and tendon.

David covers his mouth, horrified.

The floor is bathed in blood. Natalie looks at her bofriend. "I had to do it. I feel so much better now."

Her left arm detaches and falls heavily to the floor.

It's completely healthy. There's no sign of infection. Natalie's diamond engagement ring twinkles on the disembodied hand on the floor.

David and Eric are frozen in terror.

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** CELLAR -  NIGHT **

In a corner of the basement, hidden among the shadows, Mia laughs, flashing her teeth in a sick and twisted way.

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** MASTER BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER **

The cabin is dark.

A grotesque bloodstain in the hallway leads to the master bedroom.

There's blood on the floor, an empty bottle of alcohol, and scraps of duct tape.

David finishes wrapping the rest of the roll over the wound where Natalie's arm used to be.

She's blank-faced and lifeless, as destroyed as David's spirit.

"Hold on, baby.. Hold on, please. Eric and I... We're gonna put a stop to this, okay? And then we can all go home... Wouldn't you like to be going home? I bet you'd life that, wouldn't you? We'll be ordering Chinese from the place around the corner, and I'll even let you pick the movie. Everything will be fine."

He kisses her dry lips and turns towards Eric.

"She just cut off her fucking arm. Does that sound 'fine'?" Eric calmy says aggressively.

David gives him a look that reveals how utterly destroyed he is.

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** LIVING ROOM - NIGHT**

Eric has the book open on the living room table. It's illuminated by the light of an old kerosene lamp.

David is pacing, resigned to the inevitable.

"These inscriptions are confusing and sometimes contradictory. But they're consistent about one thing: To stop this, the posssessed must suffer a horrible and agonizing death."

The pages are filled with handwritten words and passages.

"...givie me a fucking break..."

 "The suffering as she dies has to be so terrible that even the demon inside her can't take it. That's what will expel it from her soul."

David no longer has the strength to argue.

"The book mentions three specific ways."

Words are scawled on the pages stained with mud and dirt:

Bury him alive! Suffocate the son of a bitch! Vivisepulture!

"A live burial..."

Eric turns the pages again.

There are huge stains of blood on the pages.

Cut him into pieces! Chop the motherfucker!

"...bodily dismemberment.."

He turns the pages for the last time.

The pages seem to have been slightly burned on the sides:

Burn them! Burn, burn, burn! Set him on fire!

"...and purification by fire."

"This is a fucking nightmare." David looks up and walks over to the window.

"I wish there was some other way. But the inscriptions are very clear about this. The original host must suffer a terrible and agonizing death. "

"Mia."

"What?"

"Say that again, but use her fucking name!"

"What? Why!"

"Just say it, for fuck's sake! Say it!"

Eric slowly understands.

"Okay. Mia must suffer a terrible death."

A beat.

"Are you sure that this will work? And she'll be at peace?"

"Am I sure? Of course not. This is no science book... But I'm sure of one thing. Whatever is inside Mia is the cause of all this.. And if she dies, this thing dies with her."

David runs his hands over his face, violently. He's extremely confused. "Fuck, Eric. And what if Mia just lost her fucking mind? What if she just needs a damn doctor and not some gruesome death? Fuck! I can't believe I'm even considering this."

"David, this is real--"

"Eric. My mom died in a mental hospital claiming she was an apostate of hell. But she was just a crazy person, a lunatic who watched too much TV. Nothing..... supernatural or demonic."

"Okay, Mia went crazy too then! But how do you explain Olivia?"

"I wasn't there..."

"I was there, for Christ sake!"

"So maybe you fucking lost your mind too."

Eric is in shock. "You know what? I'm gonna burn this fucking place down, and end this nightmare. So why don't you run away and hide beneath some rock somewhere. You're great at that."

This hits David like a bullet.

Suddenly, a strange sound comes from the hallway.

CHAP! CHAP! CHAP! CHAP!

They both turn towards the hallway and discover NATALIE STANDING IN THE SHADOWS.

"Baby?"

Natalie takes a few steps in their direction and a ray of light illuminates her face.

She's completely disfigured by the DOZENS OF NAILS imbedded in her skull.

She holds the nail gun out in her remaining hand. She lists it and points it directly at them.

"What...?!"

CHAP! CHAP! CHAP!

Eric stumbles back. FOUR NAILS get buried in his forearm.

Before they can react, she shoots again. CHAP! CHAP! CHAP!

David gets hit this time, three nails to his ribs. CHAP! CHAP! Two more bury themselves deep in his knee, forcing him to the ground.

Eric crouches and crawls behind the couch.

Next to Eric, the tips of five nails poke through the backside of the couch, just a few inches from his head. Eric jerks back and leans against the wall.

Natalie steps right over the couch and unloads dozens of nails into his arm and chest. Eric SCREAMS IN PAIN. He falls on his back and pushes himself away from her. Natalie comes closer.

David JUMPS ON TOPO OF NATALIE. Both of them fall to the ground, the nail gun dropping out of his hands of his demonically possessed girlfriend.

As he falls against the floor, David screams in pain when the nails in his side are pushed in deeper. Steps away, Natalie is face-down, unmoving.

David looks at the nails buried in his skin. The pain is terrible.

He looks back at Natalie. But--

She's gone.