Season Two

Episode One: In My Shadow

By Sci Fi Karis

Act Three

CUT TO:
INT. NYC POLICE DEPARTMENT – OFFICE

Steven Rhodes is sitting at his desk looking at various files scattered around him. A laptop sits open before him, and he takes occasional glances at it as he reads.

PAN AROUND to the DOOR as George Harris enters, papers in hand.

HARRIS
Steven, I have some new leads.

George lays the papers down in front of Steven. PAN DOWN to reveal pictures of Dean exiting his motel room and the Irish Sea Bar. Steven grows excited.

STEVEN
That’s him!

HARRIS
You sure?

STEVEN
I know it’s him. It has to be. The description the witnesses gave . . . and I saw this man right before the murder of Miss Collins.

HARRIS
The artist?

STEVEN
And our latest murder. Even if this isn’t our guy, it wouldn’t hurt to bring him in for questioning. Where are the pictures from?

HARRIS
The pictures came from our agent we had scoping the areas around where the murders took place, and this guy popped up at all of them.

STEVEN
Do you have an address?

HARRIS
The guy doesn’t have an address.

George slides a paper over to Steven. Steven reads the paper and raises an eyebrow at George.

STEVEN
A motel?

HARRIS
No permanent address. He’s been here since last night. Signed into this motel under the name Daniel Johnson. Before that he was in over a dozen hotels over the past four months. All in New York City.

STEVEN
Got a name on this guy?

HARRIS
Dean Winchester. The most interesting thing about this guy is this.

George passes another paper over to Steven. PAN DOWN to reveal a death certificate.

STEVEN
You’re kidding.

HARRIS
I’m not. He was found shot to death two years ago. He has a brother, Samuel Winchester. Also deceased. Samuel died just four months ago. We found his headstone. Father is John Winchester, a retired Marine. We can’t find any trace of him anywhere.

STEVEN
(pointing to death certificate)
How is this possible?

HARRIS
Beats me. Maybe he faked his death?

STEVEN
How can you fake this?
(beat)
We have to find this guy.

HARRIS
I’ll send some guys to the motel.

STEVEN
Hold that thought.

He stands, quickly grabbing his coat and gun.

STEVEN
I’m going with them.

CUT TO:
INT. MOTEL

The door bursts open, and a bunch of cops led by Steven Rhodes stream into the darkened room, guns ready. One of the cops ducks into the bathroom.

STEVEN
This is the police! Come out with your hands up!

PAN AROUND the room. It is dark, empty. Several bottles of beer lie on the writing desk and the bed is rumpled, looking as though someone has slept in it. The cop comes out of the bathroom and shakes his head.

STEVEN
(disappointed)
All right, men. Looks like he flew the coop. Search the place. I want anything else you can find on this guy.

CUT TO:
EXT. MOTEL – PARKING LOT

Dean pulls into the parking lot in the Impala and cruises by the four parked police cars, staring suspiciously. He puts his sunglasses on and exits the parking lot.

CUT TO:
INT. IMPALA

Dean is driving, and Sam is sitting beside him.

DEAN
This complicates things.

SAM
That hasn’t stopped you before.

CUT TO:
EXT. NYC STREET

The Impala zooms past the camera and merges into the busy city traffic.

FLASH CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL – OFFICE

Dr. Heitmeyer is sitting in a plush leather chair in his office, notepad in hand. Dean sits across from him on a couch.

DEAN
I feel like I’m being pulled in two different directions.

HEITMEYER
What makes you feel that way?

DEAN
(beat)
I don’t know. Something isn’t right. I have to fix it.

HEITMEYER
Since you’ve come here you’ve said many times that things don’t feel right. I can prescribe some more –

DEAN
No! No. No more drugs.

Dean rises from the couch, angered. Heitmeyer looks uncomfortable and glances at the open door. An orderly pokes his head in at the outburst.

HEITMEYER
All right. No more drugs.

Dean slowly sits back down and Heitmeyer nods at the orderly, who disappears behind the doorframe.

DEAN
I need to get out.

HEITMEYER
You’re not ready to leave, yet.

DEAN
I have to. I have to get out. These walls . . . they’re closing in on me.

HEITMEYER
What would you do if you were to leave?

DEAN
(grins)
Lots of things. Hunt bad guys. Shoot things.
(beat)
Fun stuff.

Heitmeyer is alarmed.

DEAN
I’m kidding, doc. Just kidding.

By the look in Dean’s eye we can see that he is not kidding. PAN IN towards Dean as he gives the doctor a slow grin. Something is off.

FLASH CUT TO:
EXT. NYC STREETS – NIGHT

Dean walks out of an alley carrying his knife, blood covering his hands. He looks back and forth and takes a cloth out of his pocket, wiping his hands, then throwing the cloth on the ground.

A few people on the streets scarcely take notice of him. He continues walking down the sidewalk, shoving his knife into his pocket.

A scream cuts through the night behind him. He keeps walking, calm and demure.

The people walking the sidewalks pause, and a few start towards the alley Dean has just exited.

CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY

A man comes to the entrance of the alley, curious, and sees a woman leaning over a body on the ground. Blood covers the ground.

MAN
Dear God in heaven . . .

As he moves closer, he sees it is a man lying on the ground, the woman’s fiancée. He is dressed in a tuxedo, she in a beautiful evening gown. Her face is stained with tears.

WOMAN
Call 911!

The man fumbles for his cellphone, still staring at the body on the ground.

WOMAN
No, no, no! You can’t die! Stay with me, honey! Please!

MAN
(on cell)
Hi . . . uh, there’s a man here . . . it looks like he was stabbed.

FADE TO:
EXT. NYC ALLEY – NIGHT

Police car lights flicker through the alley and yellow tape is all around. Steven Rhodes stands over the body, the woman sobbing and refusing to leave her fiancée’s side. He kneels beside her, his hand on her shoulder.

STEVEN
Ma’am, we need to let the paramedics in here.

WOMAN
(sobbing)
I can’t leave him!

STEVEN
I’m sorry for your loss.

He pauses, then turns her to face him and looks her dead in the eye.

STEVEN
Believe me when I say that I will do all that is within in my power to hunt this guy down and make him pay for the lives he has taken.

CUT TO:
INT. NYC POLICE STATION – INTERVIEW ROOM

Steven is sitting at a table, and across from him is the woman whose fiancée was killed. She has been crying.

STEVEN Did you see the man that attacked you?

WOMAN
(beat)
Yes. He was . . . he was young. Handsome. In his twenties, maybe. He seemed very nice, very polite . . . and out of nowhere, he just –

She breaks down, sobbing again, unable to finish the gruesome tale.

STEVEN
Ma’am, if you got a clear picture of him, do you think you could I.D. this guy if we brought him in?

The woman nods. Steven grins- “got him.”

CUT TO:
INT. NYC MOTEL

The lights are dim, and Dean sits on the edge of the bed, flipping a gun in his hand, a bottle of beer in the other hand. The television is broadcasting the most recent murder in the background. PAN OUT to reveal Sam sitting on the other bed, staring at Dean.

DEAN
I can’t do it, Sammy.

SAM
Yes, you can, Dean.

Dean slowly points the gun to his head and closes his eyes. Sam grows concerned and moves from his bed to sit next to Dean.

SAM
Dean, don’t do it.

DEAN
I can’t go on, Sam.

SAM
Dean, you’re so close. You have to finish the hunt.

Dean lowers the gun and turns to look at Sam, his eyes shining with tears.

DEAN
Sammy . . . I can’t do this without you. The hunt . . . the hunt is over.

SAM
The hunt will never be over. You told me that yourself. There is always something out there to hunt. There is always going to be some evil out there. You’re the only one that’s left now. You’re the only one that can stop it.

DEAN
I can’t.

SAM
Don’t say that.

DEAN
It’s different now. I . . . I’m barely holding it together . . . I’m not holding it together . . . I mean, look at me!

He gestures to the gun and throws the bottle against the wall. It crashes, shattering against the wall. There is a long silence.

SAM
Dad won’t be able to hunt without you.

DEAN
(beat)
He’s stronger than I am.

SAM
You should call him.

DEAN
No. He . . . he didn’t look me in the eye.

SAM Dean?

PAN IN towards Dean as he gets a faraway look in his eye, remembering.

DEAN
He couldn’t look at me, Sam! Not after you . . . you . . .

Dean can’t finish, and he looks down at the gun, cocking the trigger and raising it towards his head again.

SAM
Dean, you can’t.

DEAN
You can’t stop me.

SAM
(beat)
I’ll never forgive you.

Dean freezes.

SAM
You can’t do this to yourself. The world needs a hunter like you, someone strong, someone who can do the job and not take the credit. Someone who isn’t afraid. Someone who can know that even though you make sacrifices every day, it isn’t something that you advertise.

DEAN
I’m not the person you’re talking about, Sam.

SAM
But I believe you are. I believe in you.

Dean looks at Sam, lowering the gun.

DEAN
Do you really believe that?

Sam gives Dean a small, sincere smile.

SAM
I do, Dean. I believe every word.

Dean flicks on the gun’s safety.

DEAN
Then let’s finish the hunt.

FLASH CUT TO:
INT. NYC POLICE STATION – OFFICE

Steven Rhodes is sitting at his desk, studying some papers.

POV. looking straight down on Steven’s desk to see various pictures of Dean exiting a motel, the Irish Sea Bar, and walking down the street. Steven has a map of New York City set over all of the pictures with various circles drawn across its surface. He draws one more circle, looking at a crime scene photo of the latest victim and tagging it with the number four.

He scans the map, referencing a list of motels at his side, and begins making more circles. Slowly, a shape begins to form on the map – a larger circle. He connects the circles together and grins.

STEVEN
Bingo.

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