“Wendie” Clif Mendivel

2WENDIE

Clif Mendivel | 2nd Place

EXT. GREAT CITY OF GIZA - DAY SUPER: EGYPT: 25 to 75 BCE. The great SPHINX sits with the HEAD of ANUBIS. It is surrounded by palm trees, temples, and pyramids. PEOPLE shufe throughout the city as it fourishes with life from the Nile. EXT. SUNDECK - CONTINUOUS QUEEN AMUNET, 30s. Her body is painted gold and black like the Egyptian Cobra. She saunters onto a sun deck overlooking GIZA. HORUS (V.O.) Queen Amunet was the ruler of the great city of Giza. And all of Northern Egypt. Her beauty was so bright. No man could ever win her heart. Many have tried, all have failed. OMAR, 9, dashes out onto the sun deck hugging Amunet frmly. HORUS (V.O.) (CONT’D) For Queen Amunet’s heart belonged to her only son, Omar, the future Pharaoh.

INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET - CONTINUOUS Amunet stands in front of a polished gold refecting dish. She leans in for a closer look. HORUS (V.O.) Amunet had it all: power, beauty, wealth. But it wasn’t enough; she wanted more. Amunet places a single fnger near her eye. HORUS (V.O.) (CONT’D) Amunet wanted eternal life. Never aging, staying young and beautiful forever. But Amunet is beginning to see the early stages of aging, as time waits for no one. She pulls her skin upwards removing her wrinkles. INT. CITY OF THE DEAD - RITUAL ROOM -NIGHT A dozen KEMITES surround Amunet on their knees praying as she reads from the Book of The Dead.

HORUS(V.O.) The only god dark enough to grant such a wish would be the great god of the underworld, Typhon. Amunet knew it would not be easy. For the price of eternal life requires the soul of a Pharaoh.

INT. TEMPLE OF THE PHARAOHS - DAY THE GREAT RED CROWNED PHARAOH, 50s, sits on a thrown-over-looking Egypt. HORUS (V.O.) The Red-Crowned Pharaoh hears of this Queen of Giza. Seeing a chance to unite all of Egypt under his rule.

The PHARAOH’S SON, 20s, kneels in front of his father. HORUS (V.O.) (CONT’D) He dispatches his eldest son to bring word that Queen Amunet will be his bride or his slave.

EXT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET -NIGHT The Pharaoh’s son, and a MESSENGER, 50s, ride their horses straight to the temple doors. They come to an abrupt stop. The Pharaoh’s son speaks from his horse. PHARAOH’S SON I have come with a message from the Great Red-Crowned Pharaoh for your queen.

INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET - CONTINUOUS The Pharaoh’s son stands in front of Amunet.

AMUNET (Ancient Egyptian) I was expecting your father. Amunet lifts her right heel as she removes her robe. The Pharaoh’s son is mesmerized by Queen Amunet’s beauty. AMUNET (O.S.) (CONT’D)

But you’ll do. The Pharaoh’s son steps forward. INT. TEMPLE OF THE PHARAOHS - DAY The messenger shivers in fear. He hands over a box to the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh opens the box. We see his son’s decapitated penis along with a letter. SUPER: COME NORTH AND THE NEXT COCK I CUT WILL BE YOURS. HORUS (V.O.) The Pharaoh orders the advancement of his entire army north to Giza.

EXT. EGYPT - DESERT -NIGHT The moonlight illuminates a desert sea of sand. The Pharaoh rides leaving behind a

plume of dust. EXT/INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET - SUN DECK -NIGHT Amunet stands on the sun deck. A sea of fames lights up across the desert. The Pharaoh’s army is vast. One of the Queen’s MEDJAI, 50s, bursts into the room. MEDJAI

My Queen— Amunet turns around.

AMUNET

Prepare the men for battle.

MEDJAI But my Queen, the Red-Crowned Pharaoh’s army vastly outnumbers us! Amunet turns back around gazing into a sea of red fames. AMUNET

Where is my son?

EXT. THE GREAT CITY OF GIZA - CONTINUOUS The Pharaoh stands in front of his army. He overlooks the massive city of Giza. He raises his sword high above his head. A great horn is heard echoing throughout the city. PHARAOH (Yells)

Victory or death! With the lowering of the Pharaoh’s sword, the army dashes forward. INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET -NIGHT The Pharaoh pushes open Amunet’s chamber DOORS. He strides straight to Amunet. PHARAOH (Ancient Egyptian) Be my bride, Amunet. And together, we can rule— Amunet draws her sword. The Pharaoh stops, drawing his sword. Amunet steps down from her throne. They begin to circle one another. The Pharaoh strikes up, left, down, right. Amunet blocks the attacks. She swings back slicing the Pharaoh’s cheek. PHARAOH (CONT’D) (He wipes the blood)

Nice defense, my Queen. (He smile/smirks)

My turn. The Pharaoh swings his sword. Amunet blocks, countering with an attack. The Pharaoh knocks the sword out of Amunet’s hand. The sword slides across the foor. The Pharaoh punches Amunet. She drops onto her back. He places the tip of the blade near Amunet’s throat.

PHARAOH (CONT’D) (In ancient Egyptian) Last chance, my Queen. Join me as my bride. AMUNET (In ancient Egyptian)

Never!

EXT. THE GREAT CITY OF GIZA -NIGHT Balls of orange fames pierce the night, landing around the city exploding. People run wildly avoiding the explosions. INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET -NIGHT The Pharaoh brings his blade back. The room shakes from an explosion. At that Moment Omar dashes out lying on his Amunet’s chest. Amunet grips Omar frmly, hugging him tightly. The Pharaoh looks at Omar then grabs him by the neck, picking him up. Omar fghts the Pharaoh, the entire way. The Pharaoh saunters over to the sundeck placing Omar near the edge. PHARAOH You took my son. Now I shall take yours. AMUNET

No! The Pharaoh turns around.

PHARAOH Then be my bride, Amunet, and together we can rule it all. And you shall have whatever you desire. Amunet stands up and saunters over to the sundeck. PHARAOH (CONT’D)

It’s okay my Que— Amunet places her lips upon the Pharaoh’s lips, giving him a long kiss.

She slickly and swiftly removes a knife impaling the Pharaoh’s guts. AMUNET

Never! The Pharaoh backhands Amunet and releases Omar’s hand. Amunet reaches for Omar, just missing his hand. She watches as Omar falls. AMUNET (CONT’D) (Yells)

Omar! The Pharaoh then drops to his knees.

PHARAOH (Coughs up blood)

You bitch! Amunet stands above the Pharaoh.

AMUNET (angry) I love my people. I love my city. And I love my son! As for you. I have other plans. Amunet picks up the Pharaoh’s sword. She whacks him unconscious. EXT. EGYPT - GAZA STRIP -NIGHT Amunet escapes from the city with Omar’s lifeless body and the dying Pharaoh. She rides her chariot through the desert. Only a single fame pierces the night as she’s surrounded by a sea of darkness. INT. CITY OF THE DEAD - RITUAL ROOM -NIGHT Candles line the walls; their lights illuminate gold Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Pharaoh looks around, perplexed by his surroundings. PHARAOH

Wha— What is going on? A KEMITE, 60s straps the Pharaoh’s wrist down, Egyptian SYMBOLS surround him. PHARAOH (CONT’D) Release me now. You shall never... (Coughs up blood) ...have my soul! My Medjai will— The Kemite stufs a cloth into the Pharaoh’s mouth.

KEMITE (To Amunet, speaking Egyptian) We must hurry, my highness.

Amunet cuts the Pharaoh’s hand, drawing blood. She then cuts her hand, drawing blood into a cup. She hands the cup to the Kemite. INT. ALTER - CONTINUOUS Amunet begins to read from the Book of the Dead. AMUNET (In ancient Egyptian) Come forth and reveal yourself— A swirling tornado spins up from the ground. It forms the shape of TYPHON, the Demon of Death.

TYPHON Who has awakened me? For they shall pay the price with their soul!

AMUNET It is I, Amunet, Queen of Snakes and Ruler of the Great City of Giza.

TYPHON Speak, my Queen, for what do you desire? AMUNET I ofer you the soul of the Great Red-Crowned Pharaoh. All I ask— Typhon glances at the Pharaoh.

TYPHON —Your desire is more than what you ofer. AMUNET I bring forth one of the greatest, if not the greatest Pharaoh to ever walk Egypt.

TYPHON You cannot ofer something you do not possess. AMUNET (Desperate/Angry) Grant me eternal life. Return my son’s soul. And I will serve you for all eternity.

TYPHON The sun will rise above a new Egypt in the year sixty-two, sixty-two. Every soul of a frst born, born to a pureblood Pharaoh shall be mine. Or you will never lay eyes upon your son’s soul again.

Typhon brings forth Omar’s trapped soul. AMUNET (Happy/Crying)

Omar! Amunet drops to her knees.

OMAR

Mother? Where are you? Omar looks around perplexed, desperately trying to fnd his Amunet’s voice. TYPHON Do we have a deal, my Queen? AMUNET

Yes! Yes, we have a deal.

TYPHON Then drink from the cup, my Queen, and see your desire. Amunet drinks from the cup. With the slam of Typhon’s staf, the Pharaoh’s eyes rollback, his soul, is sucked out. Amunet swings a dagger, piercing her gut. With the opening of his palm, Typhon releases a red mist that Amunet inhales. BEAT: A FEW HOURS LATER... HORUS, 30s, the Pharaoh’s top Medjai, enters the ritual room followed by the HIGH PRIEST. Amunet, on her knees, the dagger protruding from her gut. The Pharaoh lies on the ritual table.

HORUS (Ancient Egyptian)

We are too late. The High Priest fnds the Book of the Dead near Amunet. TYPHON (V.O.)

Remember! A soul...

...for a soul! (Fading away)

It has begun! HIGH PRIEST

INT. BASE CAMP - RITUAL TENT -NIGHT Oil lamps illuminate the High Priest’s tent. He fips through the pages of the Book of the Dead.

BEAT: The High Priest silently reads from a passage. Suddenly, he closes the book and turns to a kemite.

Get me Horus...

...Now!

HIGH PRIEST (Ancient Egyptian)

(At the Kemite)

MOMENTS LATER: Horus enters the tent. INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET - RITUAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS Horus painted gold with black Egyptian symbols. He lies on the ritual table. HIGH PRIEST (Ancient Egyptian)

You will need this. The High Priest paints The Eye of Ra on Horus’s chest. HIGH PRIEST (CONT’D) The Eye of Ra will guide you to the Pharaoh. You must fnd him before Amunet does.

So where is his soul? HORUS (Ancient Egyptian)

HIGH PRIEST (Ancient Egyptian) Lost in another body. Most likely reincarnated. HORUS Have you done this before, old man?

BEAT:

HIGH PRIEST No! I have no idea what I’m doing! Horus’s eyes go wide.

HIGH PRIEST (CONT’D) (Taps Horus’s chest)

Good luck. The Priest begins to read from the Book of the Dead. Horus’s soul gets sucked into the Multi-soulverse.

INT. ROOM - BED - MORNING SUPER: THURSDAY, 10TH SEPTEMBER 2020: THREE THOUSAND YEARS LATER ETHAN, goes by “E”, 20s, springs up, sitting in a cold sweat. He wears a symbol of the Red Crown Pharaoh around his neck. Ethan’s cell phone rings. He reaches for it. Ethan sees a picture of his mom, ANA. RING: RING: FADING AWAY: RING:

EXT. EGYPT -GIZA - DAY FLASHBACK: A young Ethan, 6, sits on Ana’s lap. Ana holds an old Egyptian tablet with hieroglyphs. ANA Did you know this was the great city of Giza? Once ruled by the great Red-Crowned Pharaoh. The Pyramids stand tall in the FAR ground. YOUNG ETHAN

He was real?

As real as...

...your phone. MOTHER

(Kelly’s voice)

FLASHBACK ENDS:

INT. ROOM - BED - CONTINUOUS KELLY, 30s, lies in bed half-covered, exposing a thigh. She ass-bumps Ethan. KELLY(O.S.)

Baby, your phone Ethan reaches for his phone.

Wassup, John? ETHAN (Tired)

JOHN (V.O.) E! Where you at, man? You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. Ethan looks at the clock.

Shit! I’m on my way. ETHAN (Awake)

EXT. STREET - ETHANS HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

A black BMW sits parked on the corner of the block, the engine idling. We see Amunet in the driver seat. She watches Ethan.

POV: AMUNET: Ethan exits his house walking over to his CAR. He enters his vehicle. Ethan starts up his car, driving of. POV END: Amunet puts on a pair of sunglasses, then follows Ethan. INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Ethan enters the cofee shop. The shop is full of life. The sound of chatter is heard in the background. JOHN, 20s, waves from a table. Ethan waves back, he walks up to the counter. Amunet, unaged, turns to face Ethan; their eyes connect. INT. TABLE - CONTINUOUS John sits with his surface studio open. Ethan sits across watching Amunet. JOHN Bro, where were you? You’re like an hour late. ETHAN

I’ve seen her before.

JOHN (Looks back) Who? That hot Egyptian chick? ETHAN How do you know she’s Egyptian? JOHN How— How do I know she’s Egyptian? Bro, come on man. JOHN (CONT’D) She has tanned skin, silky black hair. Not to mention the black eyeliner.

ETHAN You can tell she’s Egyptian from all that? JOHN E! It’s like Ankhesenamun standing right in front of you, bro. ETHAN

Who?

JOHN Ankhesenamun! Brandon Frasier? The Mummy, The Mummy two, and three?

ETHAN You know she was only in the frst two, right? The actress is from Venezuela. She’s Venezuelan. Not Egyptian. JOHN

Really?

Fuck! (Murmur)

EMPLOYEE (O.S.) Medium black, no sugar, almond milk for, A? Ethan gets up.

ETHAN Besides she looks more like Ruby. Ethan WALKS over to the counter. He reaches for the cup. A hand reaches also. Amunet looking down at her phone.

Oh, I’m sorry. AMUNET

ETHAN No, it’s fne. I think he said, “E.” The employee places another cofee cup down on the counter. EMPLOYEE (O.S.) (At Ethan) —I didn’t say, “E.” But I have another medium black... Ethan looks at the employee.

EMPLOYEE (CONT’D) ...no sugar, almond milk for, E? ETHAN (At employee)

Thanks.

(Turning toward Amunet)

Have we met— A MAN, 40s, now stands next to Ethan.

No, can’t say we have. MAN

Ethan watches as Amunet opens the door, exiting. John leans on Ethan’s shoulder, with his cell phone in hand. JOHN You’re right, she does look like Ruby. ETHAN I’m telling you. I’ve seen her before. JOHN Where have you seen her before? Ethan looks at John.

ETHAN In my dreams, for the past 20 years. Ethan walks of.

INT. TEMPLE OF AMUNET -NIGHT DREAM: FLASHBACK: EGYPT: 25 - 75 BCE Ethan pushes open Amunet’s chamber doors. Amunet stands wearing only a robe. AMUNET (Ancient Egyptian) I’ve been expecting you! Ethan strides straight to Amunet. Amunet lifts her right heel as she removes her robe. INT. RITUAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS Candles line the walls; their lights illuminate hieroglyphs. Ethan looks around perplexed. A KEMITE, 60s straps his wrists down. Egyptian symbols surround him.

ETHAN (Confused)

Wha— What is going on? The gust of wind blows through the room. The candle fames are unmoved. AMUNET (O.S.) Hello, Ethan. I’ve been searching for you, for many, many moons.

DREAM ENDS: FLASHBACK ENDS:

INT. ROOM - BED -NIGHT Ethan springs up, sitting in a cold sweat. He looks at the clock. SUPER: 3:00 A.M.

Ugh! Ethan lies back down. ETHAN

INT. CLASS ROOM - DAY Ethan sits at a desk with his Surface Studio open staring at a picture of Queen Amunet. The world goes silent.

AMUNET (V.O.) (Faded whisper)

Ethan! John sits next to Ethan. Ethan jumps to a startled refex. JOHN Whoa, whoa, whoa! You okay there, E? I called your name like fve times. Ethan looks at John and nods.

JOHN (CONT’D) Hey, so I wanted to ask you. When you said you dream of that Ruby chick—

—Who? ETHAN

JOHN The hot Egyptian chick from the cofee shop. You said you dream of her. Now, did you mean that metaphorically, like you dream of meeting an Egyptian girl or do you really dream of her? At that moment Amunet enters the classroom. John looks towards the front of the class. JOHN (CONT’D)

No fucking way!

ETHAN

What? Ethan sees Amunet, his eyes wide, his pulse racing, palms sweaty. JOHN (bites tip of the pen) Twenty bucks say I nail her before the end of the semester. Amunet begins writing on the whiteboard, pauses. JOHN (CONT’D) I’ll be getting an A from... (Winks and kisses at Amunet)

...Ruby. Amunet continues to write on the board. She turns around.

Hello, class.

AMUNET (Ancient Egyptian)

AMUNET (CONT’D) My name is Professor Wendie Amunet. I’ll be your Egyptian Historian this semester. Amunet locks eyes with Ethan. John looks at Ethan, with a smile. THE END

INT. CITY MORGUE -NIGHT The song “Zombie” is heard in the background. Bloody autopsy utensils lie carelessly on a mayo tray. A hand reaches for an autopsy instrument. The coroner, RICKY, 30s, takes a bite from his sandwich. A BODY, male, 30s, lies dead on a cold table. Suddenly, it springs up.

Ah...! MALE

Ah...! RICKY (Scared)

Yes! Yes! I am alive!

It worked, old man! HORUS (Ancient Egyptian)

(Laughs)

RICKY (CONT’D) (Still Scared)

Ah...! Horus looks around perplexed.

HORUS (CONT’D) (Ancient Egyptian)

Where... Where am I— Ricky’s eyes roll back before passing out.