#i literally watched the movie last night

[harvard-said-no]

I’m Scared to Close My Eyes

Rating: T

Warnings: Major Character Death

Relationships: Jesse Coste/Eugene Labao

Here, have a Blair Witch Project AU:

In October of 1994, three high school students disappeared into the woods near Kings Row Boys School while shooting a documentary.

A year later their footage was found.

---

Eugene: Hey, is that camera on?

Nicholas: Yeah, bro. Is that Jesse’s house?

[Car engine stops, car door opens.]

Eugene: Yeah, hold on, let me go grab him.

[Knocking on door, door opens. Muffled conversation.]

Nicholas: Yo! Gene! You guys coming?

Eugene: I’m trying! Jesse, why the fuck did you pack this much? We’re only going to be gone for a few days.

Jesse: Excuse me for not wanting to live like a medieval serf.

Eugene: You know you’re going to have to carry all of this stuff, right?

Nicholas: Seriously, guys, hurry up! We were supposed to be out of here at 8:30!

Eugene: Okay, we’re coming, we’re coming.

---

Jesse: We are now entering Boundvic Point, Connecticut, formerly Blair. You can see King’s Row over there. Almost 350 years ago, this region was settled by about twenty families, most of which still reside here today, in the town or on the hill.

[Muffled voice says, ‘cut!’]

Eugene: Nice, I think we got what we needed.

Jesse: I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.

Nicholas: Talk you into this? It was your idea, wasn’t it?

Jesse: I was joking! Do you think I actually wanted to go trekking through the woods to make a documentary about a stupid local legend?

Nicholas: You sure sounded like you wanted too!

Eugene: Hey, both of you, cut it out. Let’s just get to the motel. We’ve got a lot of people to interview in the morning.

---

Jesse: Have you ever heard of the Blair Witch?

Man: Oh sure, I’ve heard of it. My grandmother used to tell stories about it. Don’t stay up past your bedtime, or the Blair Witch will get ya. That sort of thing.

Jesse: Have you heard the legend of the Blair Witch?

Woman: Yeah, I heard of her.

Jesse: Where did you hear about her?

Woman: Oh, around. From the people who live here. I think there was also a documentary I saw, on Discovery Channel or something like that.

Jesse: What do you know about the Blair Witch?

Man: Well, there is this story about these kids who went missing, way back in 1940 or something like that. All these children, and no one knew what happened to them. And then, one day, this old hermit walks into town and says, ‘I’m finally finished’.

Jesse: What did he mean by that?

The police went up to his house, and they found the bodies of all those children in his cellar. Completely disemboweled. People said he would take them up there in twos, and lead them down to the cellar. He would make one of them stand in the corner while he killed the other, then he would go and kill the one in the corner.

Jesse: Oh my god. How could he do something like that?

Man: Well, get this. The guy said there was an old woman who lived in the woods around his house, and she was the one who told him to do it.

---

[Car engine stops, several car doors open and close.]

Eugene: Well, we’re here. Let’s get our stuff and get going. We want to get to coffin rock before it gets dark.

Jesse: Fuck, this bag is heavy.

Nicholas: Well, that’s what you get for overpacking.

Jesse: Shut up, Cox.

Eugene: Whoa, cool it, you two. Let’s just get going.

---

Jesse: Okay, I think we can use that footage.

Eugene: Yeah, it sounded pretty good. C’mon, let’s get the campsite set up.

[Sounds of tent being erected, muffled cursing.]

Nicholas: Oh fuck.

Eugene: What? Oh, c’mon. Seriously?

Nicholas: Bro, this cannot be happening.

Jesse: What’s going on?

Nicholas: It’s raining. It just started to fucking rain. There’s no way we’re going to be able to get a fire started in this weather.

Eugene: Well, let’s get everything covered up.

Jesse: Wait, wait, wait. What about food? How are we going to cook if we don’t have a fucking fire?

Eugene: Babe, we still have plenty of dried stuff. We’re not going to go hungry.

Nicholas: Yeah, babe.

Jesse: Shut the fuck up. And anyways, that junk tastes like dirt. Don’t we have any actual food?

Eugene: Sorry, babe, I don’t think we have anything that doesn’t require cooking.

Jesse: Well, this is off to a great start.

---

Nicholas: Dude, do you hear something?

[Rustling.]

Eugene: Did you seriously have to wake me up? What time is it?

Nicholas: I dunno, like 3 am? But did you hear that?

Eugene: No. Go back to sleep, Nick.

---

Jesse: Okay, where the fuck are we?

[Sounds of map being unfolded.]

Nicholas: We’re right here.

Jesse: No, we’re not. It would have taken us two hours to get there from coffin rock. It’s been four hours. We’re not even on a trail!

Nicholas: I told you, we have to go off trail for a bit to get to the cemetery.

Jesse: A bit? It’s been hours, Nicholas, hours! Admit it, you have no idea where we are.

Nicholas: I know exactly where we are. And we need to go this way.

Jesse: Like hell I’m trusting you. Give me the map.

Nicholas: No.

Jesse: Give me the fucking map, I swear to God-

Eugene: Jess, calm down a second. Nicholas knows where we are.

Jesse: Oh, so you’re taking his side now?

Eugene: I’m not trying to take anyone’s side. But I think we should go this way for a little bit longer at least.

---

Nicholas: Guys, I think found something, come check this out.

Eugene: Whoa, it looks like some sort of ancient burial ground or something.

Jesse: It looks like a bunch of piles of rocks.

Nicholas: Idiot, they were obviously put here for a reason. Gene, are you getting this on camera?

Eugene: Yeah, let me just get a little closer.

[Rocks clattering.]

Nicholas: Dude, seriously?

Eugene: Sorry man, I’ll put them back. You guys go and set up camp.

Nicholas: Alright.

---

[Laughter from outside the tent.]

Nicholas: Okay, I’m definitely hearing something. Jesse, hand me that flashlight.

Jesse: Mm no. Sleep.

Nicholas: Seriously dude, I can definitely hear something out there.

Eugene: Here’s the flashlight.

Nicholas: Do you hear it? It sounds like little kids, or something.

Eugene: Yeah, that’s kind of freaky. Maybe it’s just the wind?

Nicholas: Or maybe… I’m going to go check it out.

Eugene: Wait, we’re going to go with you. Jesse, c’mon.

Jesse: No.

Eugene: Jess, babe, please. Let’s go.

Jesse: Uh, fine.

[Rustling, tent flap unzipping.]

Nicholas: Oh my god that sound is so freaky.

Jesse: Holy fuck.

Eugene: Guys, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

Nicholas: Wait, over there…

Eugene: Nick, no-

Nicholas: Oh my god! I think I see something!

Eugene: No, Nick! Jesse, c’mon!

[Heavy footsteps. Panting.]

Jesse: Shit, shit, shit.

Eugene: Nick, you okay?

Nicholas: Yeah, I’m fine, but I swore I saw something.

Eugene: Let’s just go back to the tent, okay?

Jesse: Yeah, let’s go, this place is creepy.

---

Nicholas: Guys, where’s the map?

Eugene: I thought you had it.

Nicholas: I did, and I always keep it in the same place. And it’s not there. Which means one of you guys must have it. Jesse?

Jesse: I didn’t take your fucking map.

Nicholas: You wanted it yesterday, though.

Jesse: Because you had no idea where the fuck we were going! But I didn’t take the map.

Nicholas: If this is some sort of joke, it’s not funny.

Nicholas: It’s not funny!

Eugene: Whoa, calm down. Are you sure you didn’t misplace it or something?

Nicholas: Yeah, I’m sure.

Nicholas: Seriously, if one of you guys took it…

Jesse: We didn’t!

---

Jesse: Oh my god. We’re so lost. We’re so fucking lost.

Nicholas: We’re not lost. We just need to keep going south.

Jesse: We’re going to die out here.

Nicholas: It’s literally impossible to get lost in America these days. If we keep walking, we’ll find something.

Jesse: My dad’s going to kill me if I don’t survive this trip.

Nicholas: Well, maybe if I still had the fucking map…

Jesse: For the last time, I didn’t take the map!

[Eugene begins laughing.]

Jesse: We’re so dead. We’re so dead.

[Eugene laughs louder.]

Nicholas: Seriously guys, where’s the map?!

Eugene: I- I threw it in the creek.

[Laughs.]

Jesse: What.

[Continues laughing.]

Eugene: I went, and I threw it in the creek! It was useless! Neither of you could read it, and you were just fighting, so I threw it in the creek.

Jesse: Oh my god. OH MY GOD! HOW COULD YOU FUCKING-

[Muffled shouts.]

Nicholas: Guys, guys stop! There’s no point in fighting now!

Jesse: HE! FUCKING! MY OWN FUCKING BOYFRIEND!

[Eugene continues laughing, slightly manically.]

Nicholas: Jesse, get off him! Jesse!

---

Jesse: Guys, I hear something outside the tent.

Nicholas: No. No. I’m not doing this again. I am staying inside the fucking tent tonight.

---

Eugene: Guys? Do you see this?

Nicholas: Yeah, we see it.

Eugene: Were these there when we made camp last night?

Nicholas: No, they weren’t.

Eugene: Are you sure?

Nicholas: I think I would have noticed if we made camp directly in the middle of three piles of rocks.

Jesse: Just ignore it, and let’s focus on getting the fuck out of this place.

---

Nicholas: Eugene, are you getting this?

Eugene: Yeah.

Jesse: What the fuck are those?

Nicholas: They look like some sort of witchy thing.

Jesse: Oh my god, this is getting out of hand. Actual witchcraft? Seriously?

Nicholas: Do you have a better explanation?

Jesse: I don’t know, maybe some locals put them here to scare us?

[Silence.]

Jesse: It was just a thought!

Eugene: Bro, there’s so many of them.

Nicholas: This is so fucking cool. Eugene, come over here and get some footage of this one.

Eugene: Do you think the witch put them out here?

Jesse: There is no witch!

Nicholas: I dunno, man. Here, watch this.

Eugene: Oh my god, don’t just take it! What about the witch?

Nicholas: There’s so many, no one will even notice. Besides, who cares? They’re just sticks tied together.

---

[Muffled sounds of footsteps outside the tent.]

Nicholas: Okay, I’m going to go figure out what the fuck that is.

[Sound of tent unzipping.]

Eugene: Dude, no, that’s such a bad idea.

Nicholas: Chill, I’m just going to shine the flashlight around outside a little bit.

[Silence.]

Eugene: Do you think he’s-

[Shouts.]

Eugene: Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

Eugene: Jesse, c’mon!

Jesse: Which way did he go?

Eugene: It sounds like he’s over there!

Jesse: Why did he leave?!

Eugene: I think we’re getting closer. Nick!

Jesse: Nicholas! Where are you?!

Eugene: Nick!

Jesse: I don’t hear anything anymore.

Eugene: Let’s look for a little bit longer, and then we’ll head back.

Jesse: Nicholas!

Eugene: Nick!

---

[Sound of tent flap unzipping.]

Eugene: Well, it’s morning and he isn’t- What the fuck is that? Oh no.

Jesse: Gene?

Eugene: Oh fuck no.

Jesse: It’s a bundle of sticks? And is that-? Oh my god.

Eugene: Nick’s flannel.

Jesse: Is that blood on it?

Eugene: I- I don’t know. I’m… going to take this away. You pack up the campsite.

Jesse: Okay.

[Footsteps walking away.]

Eugene: Oh my god, oh my god. How- how did this happen?

Eugene: Okay. Okay. You just gotta see what’s inside it. Nick is fine. Nick is fine.

[Sound of branches rustling.]

Eugene: Fuck. Fuck…

[Sobs.]

Eugene: Oh my god, this is my fault. This is my fault. Nick…

[Louder sobs.]

Eugene: My fault. My fault. My fault.

---

[Muffled screams.]

Eugene: Jesse, wake up! I hear him!

Jesse: Who?

Eugene: Nicholas! I can hear Nicholas shouting! C’mon, we have to go!

[Sound of tent unzipping.]

Jesse: Are you sure it’s him?

Eugene: Who else could it be? Grab the flashlights, let’s go!

[Hurried footsteps.]

Eugene: I think I hear it coming from somewhere up there!

Jesse: Nicholas!

Eugene: Nick! Buddy! Where are you?!

Jesse: Oh my god, is that a house?

Eugene: I think that’s where it’s coming from.

Jesse: Nicholas! Are you there?!

Eugene: It looks pretty abandoned.

[Door creaks open.]

Eugene: I don’t think anyone’s been in here in like, forever. Nick, bro, you there?

Jesse: Nicholas!

[Floorboards creaking.]

Jesse: Oh my god are you seeing this?

Eugene: Are those handprints? Really tiny handprints?

Jesse: Kids handprints. Oh my fucking god.

Eugene: Nick, where are you?!

Jesse: It looks like there’s the rest of the house, and then the basement.

Eugene: I’ll check the basement. You check the upper rooms.

Jesse: Okay.

[Footsteps go down the basement stairs.]

Eugene: Nick, are you here?

Eugene: Nick?

Eugene: Oh fuck, fuck-

[Static.]

Jesse: Nicholas! Look, I know I was being an ass, but this isn’t funny! Seriously, just come out already!

Jesse: Nicholas?

Jesse: Gene?

Jesse: Guys?

[Footsteps go down the basement stairs.]

Jesse: Oh my god, Gene-

[Static.]

---

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