Two days later.
10:07pm, the Mance's place.
The pale crescent moon shines like a silvery claw in the night sky accompanied by the nearby chirping of crickets and faraway hooting of owls.
ELVIS: Alright, Elena. Mom's asleep, dad ain't coming home tonight. The coast is clear. What's the plan?
ELENA: We're going to CHHS tonight to exhume Peggy's body. (Pausing briefly, sharing a look with her brothers) Why are you two silent?
ERIC: Do you understand what you're saying? We should dig up a dead body? Have you gone nuts? Why don't you let the cops handle it?
ELENA: The cops have got a lot on their plate.
ELVIS: And you feel we can just go about digging up graves?
ERIC: Without authorization?
ELVIS: What the fuck you saying, man? Even if we were authorized, it's a grave we're talking about... a grave! With a coffin, and a corpse... a decomposing corpse. Fuck!
ELENA: What? Are you scared?
ELVIS: Don't even do that.
ELENA: Do what?
ELVIS: Pulling the reverse psychology card on me. Don't!
ERIC: In her note, Peggy never mentioned anything about a grave.
ELVIS: She said she was buried. I'm not an English A+ student but I'm pretty sure wherever someone's buried is called a grave.
ERIC: Technically. But remember she was murdered and buried in school. You don't expect her to be given an open casket funeral, do you?
ELVIS: I see your point.
ELENA: I'm glad we're finally on the same page.
ELVIS: Uhm... nope.
ERIC: We don't remember agreeing with you. This is risky, and it's late.
ELENA: If you two aren't gonna help, that's okay. I'll do it alone... well, not alone. At least Sheen will be with me.
ELVIS: And what makes you think we'll just let you leave?
ELENA: Who's gonna stop me? You two? Why don't you try? (She makes a fierce face which gets the boys laughing) What's funny?
ERIC: You should see what you look like. (He continues laughing briefly then stops) Fine, we'll go with you.
ELVIS: Speak for yourself, man.
ERIC: Dude...
ELVIS: I hate the fact that she has to guilt trip us whenever she wants something. That's messed up.
ERIC: He's right. You do this a lot. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know?
ELENA: Excuse me? Your worlds should revolve around me.
ELVIS: And there's the arrogance.
ELENA: Call it what you want. You coming or not, Elvis?
ELVIS: Lemme grab my jacket.
ELENA: I love you too.
ELVIS: Dork! I never said I love you.
ELENA: You just did.
ELVIS: When?
ELENA: Now.
ELVIS: What???
ERIC: Can you two shut up before I change my mind?!
ELENA: Maxx would be here soon. We'll be making use of his car so I asked him to drop by.
ELVIS: Asked or guilt tripped?
ELENA: Are you still on that?
ERIC: Is Maxx coming with us?
ELENA: Nope. We're only borrowing his car for tonight, he'll take a taxi back home.
ELVIS: Why can't we just take a taxi? What's the point of using his car?
ERIC: I get it. We're going to dig up a body, we're gonna need tools.
ELVIS: What does that have to do with my question?
ERIC: You're a taxi driver, you pull up in front of a house, late at night to pick up some kids with shovels and other weird stuff. What's gonna run through your mind?
ELVIS: Oh, I see your point. To avoid unnecessary questions and suspicions.
ERIC: Exactly. Good thinking, Elena. But there's only one problem.
ELENA: What?
ERIC: Who's gonna drive?
ELVIS: I am.
ERIC: You don't even have a license yet.
ELVIS: Tyler and I have been practicing with his dad's truck for a while now.
ERIC: And you two left me out, great.
ELVIS: We didn't think you'd be interested...
ELENA: He's here.
She looks out the window of her room, seeing two bright headlights approaching their house. The headlights go off and a guy steps out of the car.
Fifteen minutes later. The kids and the dog are seated in a silver colored 2009 Honda Civic as Elvis moves at a regular pace.
ELVIS: You know what I think? Peggy's a complete idiot! (Taking a left turn and adjusting the side mirror close to him, while Eric laughs)
ELENA: What's so funny? Why would you call her an idiot?
ERIC: Isn't she? She never shows up when you need her. Shouldn't she have appeared in this car? She's supposed to direct us to the exact spot where she was buried. Instead she's making us figure it out all by ourselves like it's some treasure hunt.
ELVIS: Or Easter egg hunt. (He and Eric share a laugh)
ERIC: I don't even get why you're so vested in this ghost. Don't you have better things to do? (Turning to the window and resting his head, watching the streetlights as they drive past)
ELENA: But she wants us to avenge her...
ELVIS: Hold it right there. She wants you, okay? You. Not us. We're only helping you out because you're our little sister, that's all. Left for me, this whole thing is beginning to freak me out. Now I understand dad's view on this.
ELENA: Okay, okay... I'm sorry, guys, for having you involved in this. And you, Sheen, I'm sorry... Sheen... Sheen? (She pauses, confused, staring at her dog's watery eyes, wondering why he's so quiet)
ELVIS: Something wrong with him? (Looking at their reflection through the rear view mirror)
ELENA: Dunno... Uhm... do dogs cry?
ERIC: Dogs can be sympathetic creatures, they share our joys and sadness with us. They could whine and whimper to express happiness or pain, to communicate or seek attention. So judging from...
ELENA: Stop sounding like a vet, I asked a simple yes-or-no question.
ERIC: Let me finish!
ELENA: My bad. Go on, professor.
ERIC: As I was saying before your unnecessary and inexcusable interruption, judging from the way dogs shed tears, the reasons could be various but emotional reasons aren't part of them so you can't use the term 'cry' to refer to dogs.
ELENA: So, in summary, dogs don't cry?
ERIC: Apparently. (He laughs while Elena glares at him for wasting her time)
Shortly.
ERIC: You guys go ahead (passing the shovels to them and closing the trunk) I'll stay back and fix the flat tyre.
ELVIS: Not gonna happen. We should stick together, I just saw a weird creature.
ELENA: Oh my geez! Where? (Looking around, Sheen barks)
ELVIS: Relax, not physically. It was just a blur vision.
ERIC: What's with the visions you've been having lately?
ELVIS: I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. So like I said, let's just stick together, alright? (Joining Eric to fix the tyre while Elena waits for them)
10:58pm. It is just the three of them and the dog, wandering around in the poorly illuminated school premises with shovels in their hands, examining the whole place, not sure where to start digging.
ELVIS: There's something huge over there!
ERIC: Where?! (Immediately pointing his flashlight to that direction but he sees nothing unusual) it's just an oak tree, man. Don't scare us.
ELVIS: I can swear on grandpa's grave that I just saw something. (Going closer to the tree)
ELENA: Are we just gonna stand here and gawk at this tree? We've got a body to dig up, remember? Tick tock!
ELVIS: You talk like you know exactly where the body is.
SHEEN: (sniff... sniff...)
ELENA: Sheen... smell something?
He takes off, binding forward before she's able to say anything else. She runs after her dog as her brothers follow suite. Sheen sprints across the sophomore quad, leading them behind the boiler room. He stops abruptly, circling several times around a spot and barking continuously, with his eyes wide and a vibrating deep growl in his chest. The kids share a look.
ERIC: Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking? (Raising his shovel)
Half an hour later, thereabout.
ELVIS: Dude! These look like someone's fingers. (Focusing his flashlight on what he's looking at as he brushes off the thick sand covering it) Fuck! Did we just find her body?
ERIC: You shouldn't be touching that with your bare hands, take this. (Passing him a pair of rubber gloves) You're gonna need this too. (Taking out two bandanas from his jacket's breast pocket, handing one to Elvis and keeping one for himself to cover his nose)
ELVIS: You came prepared.
ERIC: Sure... gross! Here's starting to stink.
In no time, they are able to bring out the body, Elvis drags it to a different spot away from where it was dug up.
ELVIS: Uhgrrr! Why's she so heavy?
ERIC: Corpses weigh more because they're lifeless and no activity goes on in the body. No respiration, blood flow, nothing. Once the heart stops beating, the body becomes dense and stiffens. (Using sand to fill up and cover the spot they just dug so it won't be noticeable)
Sheen whimpers, tears rolling down his eyes.
ELENA: You said dogs don't cry, yeah?
ERIC: Well, I can't figure out what's wrong with Sheen. If he were to be injured, I'd have easily concluded that he's expressing pain. I don't get the message he's trying to pass across but...
"GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" They are suddenly interrupted by something that sounds like a loud growl and a roar.
ELVIS: What the hell was that? (Panicking, Sheen starts barking again, running after something)
ERIC: I dunno! It was freaking loud. Sent chills down my spine. Elena did you see that?... Elena? Elenaaa?! (Looking around)
ELVIS: Where the hell is Elena? (Pointing his flashlight in all directions)
ERIC: Oh no... something just took her... something very fast. (Looking in front of him, seeing a trail of dust ahead)
"ELENAAAAA!!!"