I Smell A Rat

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In today's chapter from NOWHERE GIRLS, agents Cherry Nation and April Street are trapped beneath Honey Almond's underground lair in a sub-basement ... where they're being attacked by rats. Meanwhile, above ground, FBI agents Max Cargo and Sunday Sparks have finally penetrated Honey's 'sugar walls' ...


INT. MANN’S CHINESE THEATER - SUB-BASEMENT - NIGHT
A dimly lit bunker. Shelves of supplies on one wall.
Water DRIPS from the ceiling onto the cement floor.
We hear the faint sound of something
scurrying about in the shadows.

Cherry and April HIT the floor with a SLAP, THUD.
They groan. Sit up.

Massage their bruised muscles. Look around.

CHERRY
What is this place?

APRIL
(peers in the dim light)
Looks like some kind of --
storage room or something.

CHERRY
Looks more like -- a bunker.

APRIL
Maybe it’s a bomb shelter.

Cherry feels something on her leg.
SHAKES it. Looks.

CHERRY
Ohmigod, a RAT.

APRIL
WHAT? WHERE?

She pulls out her lighter,
FLICKS it on, to reveal --

The room is FILLED WITH RATS.
Surrounding them.

They SQUEAL at the light.
Then JUMP on Cherry and April.

The girls try to BAT them away
as they get BITTEN all over their bodies.

They SCREAM. Try to WHACK them away.

CHERRY
SHIT, NOOOOOO GET OFF.

APRIL
GET OFF ME. GET OFF ME.

CHERRY
THE SHELVES, OVER THERE.

They RUN to a wall filled with shelves,
start climbing them.

The rats cling to their legs,
nipping and tugging. SQUEALING.

April gets half-way up,
BANGS her leg, knocking them off.

Cherry does the same.
They climb to the top.
Look down, see --

A HOARD OF RATS,
undulating like a wave,
moving toward them.

CHERRY
SHIT, this is like WILLARD.
What are we GONNA DO?

APRIL
I’m thinking, I’m THINKING -- .

EXT. MANN’S CHINESE THEATER - AT THAT MOMENT
Two more teams are drilling holes in the sidewalk.
Gruff tech walks over to Sunday and Max.

SUNDAY
Anything yet?

GRUFF TECH
Yeah. We found agent Nation’s daughters.
They’re okay.

An INTENSE TECH off to the side looks up from his scanner.

INTENSE TECH
BINGO.
(to Sunday and Max)
I’ve got Honey Almond.
In her office. Come take a look.

INT. HONEY’S UNDERGROUND LAIR - OFFICE - AT THAT MOMENT
Honey sits at her desk. Pours scotch into a cut-glass tumbler.
Downs it. HICCUPS. Dabs a tissue to her eye.

Monsterburg sticks his head in the room. Concerned.

MONSTERBURG
Chief. Are you okay?

HONEY
No, I’m NOT okay.
My own daughters REJECTED me.

MONSTERBURG
Well, if they survive the -- thing downstairs,
maybe they might change their minds.

HONEY
Are you fucking KIDDING ME? It’s OVER.
(beat)
And nobody has EVER survived -- down there.

MONSTERBURG
Is there anything I can do?

HONEY
Thanks doll, no.
I need some private time to myself.

MONSTERBURG
Call me if you need me.

And he leaves. Honey sniffles. Pours another drink.

ANGLE ON --
The wall to her left. We see a small hole.
The tip of the snake is sticking out.
A tiny camera slowly BLINKING.