Ridgy vast landscape with low bushes, running in miles in
any direction until meeting large mountains in the far
background.
A desolate place. Not even animals in sight.
It's mid-summer, sun's about to loosen on the heat for the
day.
Scarred woman hands grabs onto the rocks. Heavy BREATHING.
An areal view over dozens of tubes locked one to another
stretch as far as the eye can follow the trail.
A pipeline of some sort. As the outback, desolated - no
Humans, no machinery in sight.
Quality sport shoes, dusty, almost torn apart step hard onto
the spiked rocks. SOMEONE tries to run upwards really hard.
Following the pipeline for some distance a doom emerges upon
us, just a click on the right.
A man-made, 90 degree VERTICAL STRIP like never seen before-
slipping thousands of feet down to infinity.
A place you would not like to find your whereabouts.
We are now close down. Half-wrecked, aluminum sign reads
"DANGER AHEAD - WATCH YOUR STEP", hung on a stick, looks
like been ages since there.
Over the slope verge - bloodied hand jerk in, gasping to get
a grip over something - anything.
It grabs onto the sign and tears it off the ground.
WOMAN'S full body arises over the verge.
She is somewhat mid-20s, athletic build.
Her promountaineer gear and cloths are all torn up, dirty
and smeared with blood.
Her face is mutilated, with one ear almost completely
severed off, hanging only by a tiny skin thread.
She is at the limit of her strength, desperately aiming to
the top of the strip.
She takes a last grab at the rocks but senses she's not out
of trouble yet.
She slowly looks back in horror.
Woman's final SCREAM echoes the unsettlingly peaceful
landscape as a SHOT follows.
An eye slips down the optical sight of a rifle. Measuring
the shot.
It backs off, revealing the glancy face of an 28 year old
LORA. If an amazon warrior would settle among civilians -
she would be it.
She takes the rifle down and then unpluggs the ear-pods from
her head.
RANGE MASTER passes by, raises the thumb up. Lora just
glances at him, giving a slight nod.
As she gears off, SOMEONE taps her on her back. She turns
around providing sunshine over her face.
LORA
Oh my fucking God!
Hurls into juicy hug of that someone - IVAN, 35, big, crisp
male specimen.
He is in his clean filed Canadian army uniform, perfect
match for his persona.
IVAN
Hi sis...
(beat)
Taking lessons, I see...
Lora backs off. She takes a head to toss a million year
haven't seen look at her brother.
LORA
You bet! Not bad for an amateur.
(coming to her senses)
How did you know I was here? I mean
when did you come back? Why didn't
you call, you prick!
IVAN
Got some days off before I settle
my paperwork. Didn't know myself
until the last minute.
(beat)
Did my best guess...I did send you
the last tape coupla a weeks ago.
LORA
That funny Russian name one?
IVAN
It's Dragunov...have some respect.
Takes a look at the rifle on the ground.
IVAN (CONT'D)
Whatcha been working on? Shit, that
ain't USM1 I hope?
Lora slaps him over his shoulder.
LORA
Well, hook me up with some real
deal power!
IVAN
Uh, you'd be surprised what I came
with from over there...
(beat)
Wanna grab a cup of coffee?
Modest Canadian munching joint. Everyone about their daily
routine, be it serve or being guests there.
Lora and Ivan sit by the window. Ivan's away, looking
anywhere beyond the glass.
Lora sips from her cup.
LORA
So...won't be awkward to ask you
how was it there?
IVAN
(smiles)
No, sis...It was a job...mostly.
You get ups, you get downs...pretty
much a routine.
(beat)
Glad you are improving at the
range.
LORA
Well, thanks to your instruction
tapes...could've sent me a warm
letter time to time...normal
brothers do that you know...
IVAN
One can never be less prepared.
LORA
Whatever you say, Indiana Jones...
Ivan takes a sip from his cup.
IVAN
Say, how is George?
LORA
Prick...you are doing this on
purpose. His name is Jack.
IVAN
Ok. How is Jack?
LORA
Fine. Just fine.
IVAN
Are you going anywhere with this?
LORA
Hey! You don't have to be my big
brother on love issues.
(beat)
Yea, we're going...we're going to
Macedonia, ain't we? Healing trip.
IVAN
Well, thank you for the invite,
but...
LORA
Oh, no! Don't wanna hear it. You're
going too. Period.
IVAN
I dunno, Lora...Wanna get onto some
job...mingle around...
LORA
You can do that after we get back.
C'mon, I need you on this...
IVAN
Like a...love issues advisor?
LORA
Fuck you!
Ivan bursts into LAUGHTER.
LORA (CONT'D)
Sides, you are the only one to
speak the language...you'll
definitely come in handy.
IVAN
Se za tebe, duso moja...
Ivan takes a sip of his cup, Lora's like "huh"?
Lora, Ivan, and some dude having a great time at some of the
Skopje's sightseers.
They take pictures at the Millennia Cross.
They walk on the fortress wall edge at Kale.
They visit Mother Theresa's house, downtown.
SCREAMING and LAUGHTER of the people enjoying themselves.
A significant atmosphere captures our attention at an
outdoor table.
Six people around, sitting three by three on each side. Food
and booze galore.
LAUGHING, JOKING, some English, some Macedonian.
One of the sides sits Lora,Ivan and JACK - the dude, early
30s, a preppy - all American guy.
Opposite to them sit a trio of HOSTS, also two guys and a
gal, all three domestic 'bout their looks.
As their names won't be needed any further beyond this
scene, let's just call them GRUMPY, GOOFY, and LADY HOST.
A competition is ongoing, one of the male hosts providing
Lora with some local drink.
Lora takes a sip - SCREAMS her ass off, bursts into
LAUGHTER, all other follow.
GRUMPY
(really bad English)
A? Good? You can take this?
Lora wipes her mouth, mixed with grin and pleasure. Ivan has
attention on her, wouldn't let her go too far.
LORA
Jebi ga! What the fuck was that?
All three of the hosts burst into LAUGHTER. Exchange some
words among them.
One of them, a guy sitting at the end, opposite to Ivan
points out his shirt. Text reading : "RAKIA - CONNECTING
PEOPLE"
Ivan and Jack roll eyes, not too impressed, Lora's on cloud
nine.
GOOFY
Best we have around here! You will
never try anything like!
LORA
Sure of that!
GRUMPY
So how do you like Macedonia?
JACK
Lotta fun, gotta get back sometime.
GRUMPY
Food good?
Jack and Ivan exchange looks.
JACK
Don't know why everyone around here
keep asking us the same all the
time, but yes...food's great.
GOOFY
(to Ivan)
But I understand you come from
here, right?
IVAN
Yea...not born&raised, but my
sister, Lora and I have...uh,
domestic heritage.
Hosts look blunt.
IVAN (CONT'D)
Ah...roots...our grandparents were
from around here.
GRUMPY
So you climb mountains?
JACK
No, no...we're backpackers.
Blunt looks again.
JACK (CONT'D)
Ah shit...
IVAN
Nie sme a v a n t u r i s t i.
Hosts now understand. All nod.
GRUMPY
You good!
IVAN
Yea, I try...
LORA
(finishing her munch)
Actually, we're visiting the St.
Trinity monastery tomorrow.
JACK
Yea, lotta praises. We heard 'one
of the oldest places around?
Now the hosts exchange looks. But not well.
GRUMPY
Yes, yes, very old. A more of five
century. Lot of tourists go there
to visit.
(beat)
We do not like so much...
LORA
Yea? Why?
GOOFY
Not into religion so much. We
enjoy...new times, yes?
All nod as having mutual agreement. They all get back to
their meals when suddenly, the female host comes alive.
LADY HOST
(slightly better English)
There's a legend of the
monastery...
JACK
Ain't it always...
LADY HOST
No, this one is very strange...
A BEARDED MAN, 60, folk robe, prowls around the dense
forest. Something caught his attention. He looks beyond the
fern.
LADY HOST (V.O.)
(narrating)
Very long ago, during the war time,
a head of the monastery found a
young girl hiding in the woods
nearby. He realized she was hiding
there for months in the wilderness
as her family was killed by the war
party.
A young GIRL, 20s, sits crumpled, dirty, clothes torn apart.
LADY HOST (V.O.)
(narrating)
She survived by eating leafs and
bugs and was almost like a wild
animal. The monk admired her
strength and will to survive so he
housed her back in the monastery
and soon she became his wife and
they had a baby boy.
— ①
EXT. BACKCOUNTRY - DAY
Ridgy vast landscape with low bushes, running in miles in
any direction until meeting large mountains in the far
background.
A desolate place. Not even animals in sight.
It's mid-summer, sun's about to loosen on the heat for the
day.
EXT. THE STRIP - SAME TIME
Scarred woman hands grabs onto the rocks. Heavy BREATHING.
EXT. ON THE TRAIL
An areal view over dozens of tubes locked one to another
stretch as far as the eye can follow the trail.
A pipeline of some sort. As the outback, desolated - no
Humans, no machinery in sight.
EXT. THE STRIP - SAME TIME
Quality sport shoes, dusty, almost torn apart step hard onto
the spiked rocks. SOMEONE tries to run upwards really hard.
EXT. DOWN THE PIPELINE
Following the pipeline for some distance a doom emerges upon
us, just a click on the right.
A man-made, 90 degree VERTICAL STRIP like never seen before-
slipping thousands of feet down to infinity.
A place you would not like to find your whereabouts.
EXT. THE STRIP
We are now close down. Half-wrecked, aluminum sign reads
"DANGER AHEAD - WATCH YOUR STEP", hung on a stick, looks
like been ages since there.
Over the slope verge - bloodied hand jerk in, gasping to get
a grip over something - anything.
It grabs onto the sign and tears it off the ground.
WOMAN'S full body arises over the verge.
She is somewhat mid-20s, athletic build.
Her promountaineer gear and cloths are all torn up, dirty
and smeared with blood.
Her face is mutilated, with one ear almost completely
severed off, hanging only by a tiny skin thread.
She is at the limit of her strength, desperately aiming to
the top of the strip.
She takes a last grab at the rocks but senses she's not out
of trouble yet.
She slowly looks back in horror.
EXT. BACKCOUNTRY - SAME TIME
Woman's final SCREAM echoes the unsettlingly peaceful
landscape as a SHOT follows.
EXT. SHOOTING RANGE - DAY
An eye slips down the optical sight of a rifle. Measuring
the shot.
It backs off, revealing the glancy face of an 28 year old
LORA. If an amazon warrior would settle among civilians -
she would be it.
She takes the rifle down and then unpluggs the ear-pods from
her head.
RANGE MASTER passes by, raises the thumb up. Lora just
glances at him, giving a slight nod.
As she gears off, SOMEONE taps her on her back. She turns
around providing sunshine over her face.
LORA
Oh my fucking God!
Hurls into juicy hug of that someone - IVAN, 35, big, crisp
male specimen.
He is in his clean filed Canadian army uniform, perfect
match for his persona.
IVAN
Hi sis...
(beat)
Taking lessons, I see...
Lora backs off. She takes a head to toss a million year
haven't seen look at her brother.
LORA
You bet! Not bad for an amateur.
(coming to her senses)
How did you know I was here? I mean
when did you come back? Why didn't
you call, you prick!
IVAN
Got some days off before I settle
my paperwork. Didn't know myself
until the last minute.
(beat)
Did my best guess...I did send you
the last tape coupla a weeks ago.
LORA
That funny Russian name one?
IVAN
It's Dragunov...have some respect.
Takes a look at the rifle on the ground.
IVAN (CONT'D)
Whatcha been working on? Shit, that
ain't USM1 I hope?
Lora slaps him over his shoulder.
LORA
Well, hook me up with some real
deal power!
IVAN
Uh, you'd be surprised what I came
with from over there...
(beat)
Wanna grab a cup of coffee?
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
Modest Canadian munching joint. Everyone about their daily
routine, be it serve or being guests there.
Lora and Ivan sit by the window. Ivan's away, looking
anywhere beyond the glass.
Lora sips from her cup.
LORA
So...won't be awkward to ask you
how was it there?
IVAN
(smiles)
No, sis...It was a job...mostly.
You get ups, you get downs...pretty
much a routine.
(beat)
Glad you are improving at the
range.
LORA
Well, thanks to your instruction
tapes...could've sent me a warm
letter time to time...normal
brothers do that you know...
IVAN
One can never be less prepared.
LORA
Whatever you say, Indiana Jones...
Ivan takes a sip from his cup.
IVAN
Say, how is George?
LORA
Prick...you are doing this on
purpose. His name is Jack.
IVAN
Ok. How is Jack?
LORA
Fine. Just fine.
IVAN
Are you going anywhere with this?
LORA
Hey! You don't have to be my big
brother on love issues.
(beat)
Yea, we're going...we're going to
Macedonia, ain't we? Healing trip.
IVAN
Well, thank you for the invite,
but...
LORA
Oh, no! Don't wanna hear it. You're
going too. Period.
IVAN
I dunno, Lora...Wanna get onto some
job...mingle around...
LORA
You can do that after we get back.
C'mon, I need you on this...
IVAN
Like a...love issues advisor?
LORA
Fuck you!
Ivan bursts into LAUGHTER.
LORA (CONT'D)
Sides, you are the only one to
speak the language...you'll
definitely come in handy.
IVAN
Se za tebe, duso moja...
Ivan takes a sip of his cup, Lora's like "huh"?
EXT. CITY - VARIOUS LOCATIONS
Lora, Ivan, and some dude having a great time at some of the
Skopje's sightseers.
They take pictures at the Millennia Cross.
They walk on the fortress wall edge at Kale.
They visit Mother Theresa's house, downtown.
EXT. CITY BAZAAR - NIGHT
SCREAMING and LAUGHTER of the people enjoying themselves.
EXT. OUTDOOR TABLE - CONTINUES
A significant atmosphere captures our attention at an
outdoor table.
Six people around, sitting three by three on each side. Food
and booze galore.
LAUGHING, JOKING, some English, some Macedonian.
One of the sides sits Lora,Ivan and JACK - the dude, early
30s, a preppy - all American guy.
Opposite to them sit a trio of HOSTS, also two guys and a
gal, all three domestic 'bout their looks.
As their names won't be needed any further beyond this
scene, let's just call them GRUMPY, GOOFY, and LADY HOST.
A competition is ongoing, one of the male hosts providing
Lora with some local drink.
Lora takes a sip - SCREAMS her ass off, bursts into
LAUGHTER, all other follow.
GRUMPY
(really bad English)
A? Good? You can take this?
Lora wipes her mouth, mixed with grin and pleasure. Ivan has
attention on her, wouldn't let her go too far.
LORA
Jebi ga! What the fuck was that?
All three of the hosts burst into LAUGHTER. Exchange some
words among them.
One of them, a guy sitting at the end, opposite to Ivan
points out his shirt. Text reading : "RAKIA - CONNECTING
PEOPLE"
Ivan and Jack roll eyes, not too impressed, Lora's on cloud
nine.
GOOFY
Best we have around here! You will
never try anything like!
LORA
Sure of that!
GRUMPY
So how do you like Macedonia?
JACK
Lotta fun, gotta get back sometime.
GRUMPY
Food good?
Jack and Ivan exchange looks.
JACK
Don't know why everyone around here
keep asking us the same all the
time, but yes...food's great.
GOOFY
(to Ivan)
But I understand you come from
here, right?
IVAN
Yea...not born&raised, but my
sister, Lora and I have...uh,
domestic heritage.
Hosts look blunt.
IVAN (CONT'D)
Ah...roots...our grandparents were
from around here.
GRUMPY
So you climb mountains?
JACK
No, no...we're backpackers.
Blunt looks again.
JACK (CONT'D)
Ah shit...
IVAN
Nie sme a v a n t u r i s t i.
Hosts now understand. All nod.
GRUMPY
You good!
IVAN
Yea, I try...
LORA
(finishing her munch)
Actually, we're visiting the St.
Trinity monastery tomorrow.
JACK
Yea, lotta praises. We heard 'one
of the oldest places around?
Now the hosts exchange looks. But not well.
GRUMPY
Yes, yes, very old. A more of five
century. Lot of tourists go there
to visit.
(beat)
We do not like so much...
LORA
Yea? Why?
GOOFY
Not into religion so much. We
enjoy...new times, yes?
All nod as having mutual agreement. They all get back to
their meals when suddenly, the female host comes alive.
LADY HOST
(slightly better English)
There's a legend of the
monastery...
JACK
Ain't it always...
LADY HOST
No, this one is very strange...
EXT. WOODS - FLASHBACK
A BEARDED MAN, 60, folk robe, prowls around the dense
forest. Something caught his attention. He looks beyond the
fern.
LADY HOST (V.O.)
(narrating)
Very long ago, during the war time,
a head of the monastery found a
young girl hiding in the woods
nearby. He realized she was hiding
there for months in the wilderness
as her family was killed by the war
party.
A young GIRL, 20s, sits crumpled, dirty, clothes torn apart.
LADY HOST (V.O.)
(narrating)
She survived by eating leafs and
bugs and was almost like a wild
animal. The monk admired her
strength and will to survive so he
housed her back in the monastery
and soon she became his wife and
they had a baby boy.