G O L E M (shortplay)
by Csaba Bene Perlenberg

INT. KITCHEN, APARTMENT - NIGHT
A male hand uses the handle of a KITCHEN KNIFE to BEAT a piece of meat, so as to soften it up.

INT. TV-AREA, APARTMENT - NIGHT
DAVID, 24, sits and watches TV. He's eaten dinner; the plate is in front of him on the table. He's nodding off.

A LOUD KNOCK, followed by several more, is heard from the other side of the APARTMENT DOOR, from out in the hallway.

David COMES TO LIFE. He looks at his watch. 23:46. He hesitates to get up, but makes up his mind when yet another group of HARD KNOCKINGS are heard, this time sounding as if fists were beating on the door. He MUTES the TV, and HURRIES to the door and presses his face against it, looking out through the peephole.

A WOMAN, 30-something, is turned with her back against us, looking out toward the stair house.

She TURNS AROUND. Her face is BLOODY and BATTERED, and she's BANGING on the door yet again, constantly looking over her shoulder.

David QUICKLY unlocks the door and opens it. She FALLS into the hallway, crashing to the floor. She looks up at him, pushes herself up, SLAMS the door shut and locks it. She also switches the light-switch off, and the corridor falls into DARKNESS. The FLICKERING LIGHT of the TV lits them both.

She takes a deep breath and slides down to the floor again, with her back leaning towards the door. Blood is dripping from her face.

David doesn't know what to do. He stares in disbelief for THREE SECONDS, before he slowly kneels in front of her to take a closer look of her wounds. Her left eyebrow is cracked; she has bruises which look like handprints on her throat, and a big bruise on her cheek. A moment of pause.

Another HARD KNOCK is heard on the door. The woman jumps about, of fear. David is a little bit shocked, too. She looks upwards, and presses against, the door. He opens his mouth and forms his lips to say something, but she signals him to stay silent by putting her finger against her lips.

MAN (O.S.)
I know she´s in there! Open the door! NOW!

They both look up towards the peephole. Fists are
hurled at the door. It shakes.

MAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
I know you're in there! We're not finished, come out here! I need to talk to you!
(Beat.) (CALMER:)

Please. I just... I just need to talk to you. Please? Sweety?

David looks at the woman's bloody eyebrow, and then rises SLOWLY to look through the peephole. Halfway up, the woman GRIPS David's shirt, and tugs it downward. He looks down at her, and she adamantly shakes her head. His hand goes to hers, holding it, to comfort her. He stands besides the peephole, without yet looking through it, slowly moving his head so he
can get a look. The door shakes again, which makes David STOP. He looks down to the woman again. She shakes her head with even more resilliance this time. David moves his head towards the peephole.

MAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
FINE! That was your last chance!

The LOUDEST and most VIOLENT BANGING on the door to date. David trembles, and doesn't look through the peephole. Instead, he looks down to the woman again. Her stare is cold, not reacting to the flowing blood. The man outside WALKS AWAY (footsteps).

INT. KITCHEN TABLE, APARTMENT - NIGHT
The woman sits with a stale demeanor on a stool. David is kneeling in front of her, wiping clear the blood from her face with a wetted piece of cloth. She doesn't react. He takes her hand and makes her aware of the fact that she has to press the cloth towards the wound, to stop the blood-flow.

He looks towards the hallway. There's an eerie SILENCE in the apartment.

David takes a deep breath and moves towards the phone. He picks it up, and starts dialing a number. SUDDENLY, he feels her hands on his arm, pressing the phone down to it's docking port, thus cutting of the call. She slowly shakes her head. David is FRUSTRATED, he want's to help her. Tears come from her eyes. He tries to comfort her by taking a grip
around both her arms. THEN, a LOUD KNOCK is heard.

She FREAKS and breaks away. David is shocked, since he doesn't understand what he did wrong. He tries to calm her down, but she BACKS away from him as he approaches her, moving towards the hallway. David shakes his head. It wasn't his intention to upset her...

Then, a CALM KNOCKING. The woman is thus trapped between the door and David. Another CALM KNOCK.

MAN (O.S.)
Are... Are you in there? I´m... I didn´t mean to... I love you, you know that.

(Beat.)

(CONT`D)
Don´t you?

David's look is switching back and forth between the woman and the door.

MAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
I just need to talk to you. It won't happen again. It won't, I promise.

David walks towards the woman, inadvertingly driving her towards the door. He halts when he realises what he's doing. But she continues, backing towards the door. David shakes his head, saying "no, please, don't do it", with his expression.

She reaches the door. David is still halted. She looks down to the door lock, and then back up to David. Her hand goes to the lock, feeling it.

MAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
I would never do anything to hurt you.

Her face.

(Beat.)

Davids face.

(Beat.)

Her hand UNLOCKING the door.

SMASHCUT TO:
BLACK.