Shoes crunch on the ground of a neon alley as JAMIE (30’s, White top and jeans) tears down the alley, staring down at her phone, trailed by HANNAH (30’s, beautiful, jeans and converse).

Jamie! Slow down. I don’t think he saw us.

Of course he was going to be there. It’s whatever.

Jamie aggressively taps on her phone, holds it to her ear.

Pick up... coward...

It goes to a man’s voicemail.

It’s Todd, you know what to do. BEEP.

Hey. Can you just --

Hannah grabs it from her and hangs up in one motion.

I thought you were doing no contact.

Hannah, can you give that back.

She gestures at the phone in Hannah’s hands.

Okay? Let’s go get something to eat. Midnight Cookie? I know that’s your favorite!

Fine. Midnight Cookie.

For the record I always hated that bar. It’s so pretentious.

Just like him.

Hannah rolls her eyes and does an impression of Todd.

But they have truffle fries they’re the superior spud--

A voice on her phone interrupts them.

You have arrived at your destination.

But, there’s nothing there it seems like.

Jamie, Where are we?

Jamie makes guilty eye contact with Hannah and takes her phone back.

No. Come on. Don’t tell me you actually believe the Red-- He’s just some loser!

Jaime checks her phone. Nothing. She sighs.

I know Hannah. Okay?

He was no good for you, and you know that. Deep down. Right?

Jaime just looks at Hannah with a deep tiredness. Hannah looks around the dark alley.

Jamie. I don’t like this. Can we go?

Hannah grabs Jamies hand to leave, but freezes in place.

A door has formed behind them where one wasn’t before. Hannah is gobsmacked, stuck in place. Jamie makes a bolt for the door.

Jamie! Wait!

Hannah chases Jamie over to the door. She’s already there, hand on the handle. Hannah slams her hand on the door, holding it shut.

Hannah. I just wanna see if the story’s real, okay?

She tugs at the door and Hannah presses it back again.

That lactose intolerant douchebag doesn’t want you anymore! He said so!

Jamie turns her fury at Hannah and SHOVES her friend back and onto the pavement.

Hannah is stunned. Jamie pulls the shrill metallic door open and turns to Hannah.

I’m sorry! I’ll be right back.

Jamie steps through the door.

Jamie steps down one step at a time into a murky grey concrete room and peers around.

Hello?

Her words echo into the hollow space. Jamie takes another step down and in and unwittingly steps on a single small red thread on the final step. She looks through the grey.

Is this it?

What sounds like single LEAF DROPS, muted against the concrete floors.

I thought there would be someone here.

She takes the final step into the room, both feet now on the thread. Somewhere behind her a door SLAMS shut. Jamie jumps, turns to face the path back up the steps.

Hannah!?

But there’s no reply, only stillness. The sound of her breath. Jaime peers back into the darkness of the room.

The Red leaves in the corner have multiplied. They RUSTLE again. A small pile.

Are you here?

The Red leaves in the corner are large enough to take form, they’re a coiled and rust red pile.

Yes.

The pile elongates and twists into the form of a human dressed in effulgent red draped cloth. It shivers and shakes in a mesmerizing twist of crimson. Leaves falling off of it.

What are you?

I am.

Jamie freezes in place and looks at the figure in awe.

The RED MASS is a tall and slender woman, covered in Red satin, silk, and glossy cloth. The billowing cloth drapes around her skin and flows onto the floor. On her face a smiling, kind eyed, but otherwise featureless red mask.

Sit. We begin.

Suddenly a table with two chairs is drug with a CLATTER into the center of the room from apparently nowhere.

Jamie can’t see it, but there’s almost invisible tiny red strings attached to the table and chair, manipulated by Red.

Jamie shakes her head in disbelief. She puts her hands on the table in awe.

How’d you do that?

It says nothing.

Jamie rolls her eyes in frustration, sighs, and straightens herself out.

I want to--

Look.

Jamie, startled, dries her eyes and looks down at the table curiously. She rubs her hands over the grooves in it.

Is this Todds table? Where he dumped me. Wow. How did you?

Jamie looks up at the dimly lit crimson mass and really takes it in for the first time.

What are you?

You know what I am.

I guess I thought you’d be scarier.

The demon takes a red gloved hand and touches the mask.

Would you like that?

Jamie recoils. There’s a SKITTERING sound of leaves, as if the demon is releasing a small chuckle.

No. I’m good. I’m good.

Red relaxes its hands and gestures to the side. Jamie and Red sit.

So, You must know why I’m here. It’s my boyfriend. Todd, says he needs space. But I can’t stop thinking of him. I want it to be like it was before, like when we started. It was so good then. We were like magic, and I know this is it for me. Wwhen you know you know. I think if he just stops for a second--

You feel empty without him.

Well. I don’t think I’d put it that way.

You want to be filled.

Jamie is gobsmacked.

Inhabitation.

She leans back, offended.

Look. You don’t understand.

She begins to cry, Red reaches its hand across the table in a most unnaturally elongated manner to catch a tear on her red gloved hand. Red withdraws its hand. Jamie waits.

I can help you. It can be done.

Are you for real?

Beat.

You mean Todd?

Yes. He’ll return.

Beat.

Okay what’s the catch--

Red claps. It sounds like THUNDER hitting a tree branch. Jamie winces instinctively, closing her eyes.

After a moment, she opens them to see sitting on the table a drippy cinnamon roll, and a gooey chocolate chip cookie.

Jamie peers at them quizzically. Then looks up at the Red thing with incredulity.

Dessert?

After a beat.

Wait! Our favorites?

Beat.

Jesus, they’re both fresh. I mean, I love cookies!

She instinctively reaches for the cookie, pauses, the looks over at the cinnamon roll. Understands the choice between her favorite, and Todd’s favorite.

It’s clearly my favorite or his, right? I want to pick the cookie.

Red is unmoved.

Choose.

I-- I really can’t. This doesn’t feel right.

The treats sit. Red is unmoved.

You must choose

Jamie stares, squirms in the chair, looks to one plate, and then the other.

On the floor, we see Red threads ‘sewing’ the table to the floor, slowly. Vining around Jamie’s chair, and up.

Can I could try just a little of both?

A small insistent RUSTLING of wind and leaves.

You have to choose.

Jamie pulls the plates toward herself with a small scrape. Jamie hesitates.

The sounds of a large RUSHING WIND fills the room for a moment. Red bristles.

CHOOSE.

No. I-- I shouldn’t have come here.

She stands up and scrapes the chair backwards. Turning to leave the room. The wind relents just as she reaches the stairs.

Jaime?

Jaime freezes, Todd is in the stairwell above her, descending just like she was.

I thought that was you.

He walks down the stairs towards her as she is totally frozen.

Todd. What are you doing here?

I saw you at Fat Sal’s and came looking for you. Hannah said you were down here. What are you even doing here? Some abandoned basement?

He’s down the stairs now and holding her hand.

I-- I thought you said you needed space?

I guess I was wrong.

Then why haven’t you called me? Texted me?

I was scared of how real this felt Jaime. I’m sorry for how I acted. But I’m ready this time. Really ready. Finally.

Are you sure?

He leans in and grabs her by the nape of the neck and she closes her eyes and leans in for a kiss.

As she opens her eyes she’s ALONE in the room again.

Alone with the RED THING behind her. She turns to face it. It is unmoved.

That was cruel.

It’s what you want, isn’t it?

Jaime sulks over to the table and looks over the two plates.

Okay. Okay.

She scoots the plates even closer to herself. Looks at them both.

It’s just desert right?

She nervously straightens herself out. Looks over at red.

Right?

It says nothing.

She picks up the cookie. Looks over at the stairwell. He’s standing there again. Leaning against the railing watching her choose.

She puts the cookie down and picks up the cinnamon roll, reluctant. With one last guilty look over at Todd she sinks her teeth into it.

Her expression immediately softens. It’s euphoria. Comfort. Acceptance in a bite.

This... Oh my god. It’s better an any cinnamon roll I’ve ever had.

Correct.

Jamie relaxes a bit and continues in the cinnamon bun. Maybe she’s gotten this whole thing wrong?

As she gleefully munches, Red soaks it in silently, unnervingly still.

We see the threads on Jamie’s chair crawl up even further, starting to entangle the chair.

How does it taste this sweet?

Just enjoy.

Jamie looks back at Red as it leans forward.

What’s going on here? Isn’t there some sort of price?

Eat. Have another.

Another roll and cookie are suddenly in front of her, crowding the first.

Jamie shifts in her chair. The cinnamon bun drips sugar in her hands.

I don’t understand.

Jamie slowly takes the last bite of the roll viscerally enjoying it. She wipes her hands on her dress.

Red lifts its hands and claps again.

Another cinnamon roll and cookie appears on the plate in front of Jamie. She considers it, pulls the second roll over and sinks her fingers into it. Playing with it.

Where’s todd? Real todd?

Eat.

Jamie rolls her eyes and takes both hands this time and grabs the roll. Icing oozing out through her hands, down her forearms.

Ugh, Fuck, I want another one of these.

She licks sugar off her fingers, looking for another one. And somehow there’s another plate and roll and cookie. She eyes the cookie just a bit, and then greedily grabs the roll, speaking with a mouth full.

So what’s going to happen? Are we going to make a deal?

Red makes a sound that approximates a laugh. Jamie is gorging herself on cinnamon rolls now, helplessly voracious, icing running down her chin and neck, staining her dress top.

Will I still be in control? Still me?

Please Jaime. Were you ever?

Jamie slams the table angrily and several plates of cookies fall off the side. Roll still in hand, gloopy, chomping on it.

Quit with acting dumb. Tell me what’s happening to me? Am I still in control of my life?

No less than before.

Jaime’s arms now have small tendrils of thread creeping onto them as she’s entranced by another cinnamon roll. She digs into it, brushing her hair back and smearing cinnamon sugar icing across her face. Red’s dress billows, the wind from nowhere flowing it around the room.

I feel so alive. I could eat a million of these things.

True. You can eat a million of them and never feel full. Never be sated.

Jaime looks down and sees the pile of cookies she’s left all over the table and the floor.

Suddenly A CRASH startles Jamie, and in the corner, a broken plate with a cookie on it. We hear another Jaime’s voice, as if from a dream. Etherial.

NO! Not again. NOT AGAIN. Todd, you don’t mean it. Do you?

What’s going on?

The red thing gestures. Into the room walk many different versions of Jaime, all dressed in various attire, holding a solo cup, wearing a too skimpy outfit, haggard and tired, each different from the last.

It’s alright. I can skip my appointment for your show--

Do you like this one better?

It’s what I thought you wanted.

A thousand moments where she picks someone else instead of herself.

Red cackles and CLAPS and it’s all gone just as it appeared.

Why are you showing me all this?

Red creeps forward, unnaturally, flowing like webbing. It towers over Jamie.

Jamie tries to stand up but can’t! Only now notices the strands of thread weaving her onto her chair. She yanks on them and sees that she’s connected into the room!

No!

Red makes a sopping wet lip licking sound.

No! Make it STOP. LET ME OUT. I DON’T WANT THIS ANYMORE. I WANT OUT. I NEVER AGREED TO THIS!

You DID.

Jamie, hobbles the chair over and breaks free of it. She tries to stand but finds she can’t. She trips and falls, covered in icing, clambering across the floor, slipping and sliding on the icing over to the stairs.

She starts climbing up the stairs on her hands and knees.

I didn’t want this. This isn’t what I thought it would be.

The threads, trailing but interwoven with her skin, wrap fully around Jamie’s arms and legs.

The red thing follows her, large, towering, billowing. As jaime crawls the stairs, covered from head to toe in icing.

Red stands taught and the strands of thread pull and cinch on Jaime. Wrapping around her wrists. She struggles to walk up the stairs.

You. Empty thing.

The strands drag her down and onto the concrete floor, prone, facing up to the face of the RED thing. It wraps around her and restrains her down.

Her voice is muffled as the threads wind and wind around her neck and mouth.

You are mine.

Jamie turns to the demon in horror. It stands, trailing crimson robes covering one side of the room. They seem to move and seek the edges of the space, billowing.

You are Inhabited.

Jamie muffled SCREAMS

Red removes its mask in a FLASH of bright red light Jamie cannot look away from.

Its FACE IS HER FACE!

Slowly Red approaches her with the mask, and places it on Jamie’s helpless face as she SCREAMS beneath the crimson threads.

Black Screen.

Jamie Screams--

Jaime is threaded covered in a cocoon like state, hung as if a crucifix on the side of the stairs. The red demon climbs the stairs.

A howling laugh, as we move through a fancy Hollywood hotshot party full of glittering people

We pause and see Jaime walking down the stairs of the ADU next to the party, she’s wearing a stunning crimson dress.

She walks down and into the crowd and is sucked into a conversation immediately.

Oh I love your dress! It looks stunning!

She nods politely, vacantly.

Stunning.

She wanders into another group, almost stumbling and bumping a man with a handful of champagnes, who reflexively hands her one.

Champagne for you dear? You look radiant!

Yes.

The waiter disappears and Jaime joins a conversation in progress.

-- They found her in her living room with all these lamps, and get this her eyes were bleeding

Jaime nervously GIGGLES.

Oh my god it’s the most beautiful woman in the world! You look so vibrant!

A huge laugh from the circle.

We’re inside Jaime’s POV. We see the bokeh of glitter, glitz. Glamor. As she walks through the crowd we hear the muffled sounds of people speaking to her as she walks through the space, holding her champagne.

We’re looking from afar now as a crowd is around Jaime, adoring her. We’re over Hannah’s shoulder actually, as her friend is talking to her, she’s distracted.

Do you know her or something? She’s got this aura to her. Just glowing.

Hannah sighs and downs her drink.

I thought I did. Once. But I’m not sure.

Beat. Hannah looks almost jealous.

She looks so happy now that they’re back together.

We’re in the thick of it now, seeing Jaime surrounded.

A dashing man (TODD) comes up to her and puts his hand on her arm as she’s nodding and listening to someone else, somewhat vacantly.

A red ribbon TIGHTENS across Jaime’s arm, making her whine and cry. She’s tortured.

Close on Todd’s touch.

-- There’s my birthday present! Isn’t it time to unwrap you?

Yes. Unwrap me.

Jaime looks vacant. Defeated as Todd leads her off.

We’re back with Hannah.

It must be nice to have all that adoration. Everyone really loves Jaime.

Hannah shrugs.

Sometimes I worry about her. She was so totally crushed over Todd and now they’re back together it’s like it never happened.

In the distance, Todd sits on a bench with Jaime and starts gesticulating and talking AT her.

For a moment, it seems almost normal, but then, in a flash. Jaime looks over her shoulder in their direction, holding eye contact with Hannah.

Her face registers nothing. She’s looking right through her. Into the nothingness inside.

The crowd LAUGHS and someone passes in front of our view.

We see now as TODD is sitting not with JAIME, but RED, who stares, eerily, at Hannah, dress billowing in the wind.

We’re in the room now. We see Jaime is the prisoner there. The ribbons tighten and snap on her body as she’s sobbing. Struggling.

A single tear drops from the eyes of the mask, as we see her panic in the eyeholes.

Her arm strains the threads and snaps one or two of them.

Jaime smiles at Todd. She hand feeds him a cinnamon roll.

My favorite.

Our favorite.

Jaime falls to the floor, arm out of the cocoon. She rips the mask off and gasps. She looks, across the floor.

A cookie on a plate.

She army crawls for it.