"The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own', or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life-the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one's 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination." - Clive Staples Lewis

We hear the sound of a BOXING BELL followed by the sounds of punches landing and grunts of exertion interspersed with calls of encouragement and the padding of feet on a raised platform.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

CLOSE ON: A massive right hook to the face of RAY KELLER. The punch rocks his head backward, knocking his headgear sideways, as spit and sweat arc through the air, backlit by bright gym lights. The sound of the fight continues over -

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

Soft morning light spills in through slatted window blinds. The bars of shadows stretch across a queen-size bed. KATE, a beautiful woman in her forties, lays with her back to Ray, a middle-aged, out-of-shape man sitting on the edge of the bed. Ray sits unmoving, his chin resting in his hands.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

WIDE ON: The boxing ring. Inside the ring, Ray is on his knees in the middle of the ring. He punches the canvas, frustrated with himself. Ray pops back up to his feet. We can see the determination in his eyes. Ray's opponent is much younger than him and clearly in better shape. Both men are sweaty. The fight has been going on for a little while. RICK, a tough-looking, bald man wearing sweats, is leaning over the ropes from Ray's corner, shouting instructions. On the floor around the ring, a group of trainers and other fighters stopped what they were doing to watch the men in the ring.

The sound of the fight continues over -

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

Ray stands up and walks to the bedroom door. He pauses and looks back at Kate, still with her back to him. Ray exits. Kate's eyes are open, and she stares angrily at a framed photograph on her nightstand of a younger Ray and Kate exchanging vows in a little church. Kate reaches out and lays the photograph face down on the nightstand.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

Ray's opponent moves in, throwing jabs. Ray avoids his thrusts and advances, throwing a flurry of quick shots. Ray's punches land repeatedly, pushing the younger man back into the ropes.

Ray ignores Rick's instruction and keeps working on the younger man's body. Ray moves from a shovel hook just below his opponent's ribs to a devastating right hook to his cheek, followed by a left uppercut that sends him bouncing off the ropes. The sound of the fight continues over -

INT. TROPHY ROOM - MORNING

Ray stands, looking over the promotional posters of his old fights and photographs of him in the ring. Mounted on the wall is a Golden Gloves Diamond Belt. In one of the photographs, we see Ray hoisting the Diamond Belt above his head while his manager, LARRY, a man a little older than Ray, stands on Ray's left, smiling. Larry has his arm around Ray's shoulders and looks as proud as a father. Both men are looking straight ahead at the camera. With her arm around Ray's waist, Kate stands on the other side of Ray. She is smiling and posing for a photographer off to the trio's right.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

As the ropes propel the man toward Ray's swing, he slips under Ray's arm at the last second, stepping out and around him. Ray turns just in time to catch a straight jab to the chin. The scene in front of Ray tilts wildly and slows down to a crawl. Ray's heartbeat is the only thing we can hear over the muted yelling of Rick. We see Rick leaning over the ropes shifting in and out of focus. The scene snaps back to full speed, and the sound of the fight rushes back just as Ray's opponent begins pummeling him. The sound of the fight continues over -

INT. TROPHY ROOM - MORNING

Ray notices Kate in the reflection of the glass of the photo. He turns to face her.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

Ray lowers his head and puts his forearms up around his head to buffer the swings of the other man. The sound of the fight continues over -

INT. TROPHY ROOM - MORNING

They yell at one another silently, gesturing angrily. Kate slaps Ray. Ray's fists tighten at his side. Kate turns away. Ray reaches for her arm to turn her around. She jerks away from his reach, spitting some unheard curse in his direction.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

Ray rushes forward, trying to catch his opponent in a clinch. The other man sidesteps, avoiding Ray. The sound of the fight continues over -

INT. TROPHY ROOM - MORNING

Ray advances, trying to embrace Kate. She puts her arm out, stopping him. She laughs at him, derision on her face. She shakes her head, pushing him back and walking from the room.

INT. BOXING GYM - DAY

A left hook for Ray's opponent drops Ray back down to the canvas. The sound of Rick shouting fades as the spreading blackness eclipses Ray's vision. The boxing bell rings and continues over -

INT. FOYER - AFTERNOON

We watch over Ray's shoulder as Kate, now dressed for the day, makes a sanctimonious show of walking out the front door. Light spills in from the outside world and is suddenly cut off as the door slams shut, leaving Ray cloaked in the murky half-light.

INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY

Ray is sitting on the bench in the locker room. He has removed his gloves. They lay next to him on the bench. Ray's wrists are still wrapped; sweat is running down his face. Ray wipes his face with the towel draped over his shoulders. Ray picks up one of his gloves and examines the worn-out palms. Ray sticks a finger from his right hand through a hole in one of the gloves. He notices a black discoloration on the tips of his fingers. He pulls his hand out to examine it. It has dark lines following the capillaries in his fingers from the ends to the base of his knuckles. The fingers flex and twitch. Ray clenches his fist and lowers it as Larry enters. Larry looks a little older and rougher than he did in Ray's photograph. He's carrying a bag of ice.

Larry tosses the bag of ice to Ray. Ray catches it and puts it on his knee.

Larry sits down across from Ray.

Larry notices Ray's hand twitching.

Ray holds his hand up.

Larry sighs.

Larry looks down.

Larry stands up in front of Ray, looking down at him.

Larry turns to leave.

Larry exits, leaving Ray sitting, shoulders slumped on the bench. Ray holds his hand up. It is still shaking and jerking. Ray hits his glove off the bench and sends it flying against the lockers.

EXT. DOCTORS OFFICE - DAY

Ray's car pulls up in front of a doctor's office and parks.

INT/EXT. RAY'S CAR - DAY

Ray's right hand is on the steering wheel. His fingers are flexing and digging at his steering wheel. He holds his hand up. The dark lines are now running the entire length of his fingers. The fingers are trembling and flexing, seemingly out of his control. Ray looks to his gym duffle bag in the back of his car. His boxing gloves are visible through the open zipper. Ray looks back at the hospital. He holds his hand up and concentrates hard. We can see his muscles straining as he fights to open his hand. Ray is able to get his fingers to obey him and open up, but as soon as he relaxes his concentration, his fingers go back to flexing and clawing at random. Ray's cell rings. He picks it up, and looks at the number. The caller is UNKNOWN. Ray tosses the phone to his passenger seat, and looks back at the doctor's office again.

EXT. DOCTORS OFFICE - DAY

Ray's car pulls off.

INT. THE ROAD - DAY

Ray is driving down the road, looking preoccupied and watching his hand on the steering wheel. He comes to a traffic light that has just turned red and has to stop quickly. Ray stretches and sighs, rubbing his face and closing his eyes. After a few moments he opens his eyes, and looks at the road ahead of him.

EXT. THE ROAD - DAY

A man and a woman are crossing the road in the crosswalk in front of Ray. A young girl is holding both of their hands and alternating between walking and swinging as the man and woman swing their arms and smile. The little girl is laughing. They get to the opposite side of the street, and Ray continues to watch them as they walk off. Ray is startled back to himself when the car behind him honks its horn, letting Ray know the light has turned green.

INT. TINY APARTMENT - EVENING

Ray opens the door to his one-bedroom apartment and flips on the light. His dog KATIE (a rottweiler), meets him at the door, her stump tail wagging happily. Ray reaches down and scratches her head.

Ray notices a wet spot on his floor.

He looks at Katie. The dog cocks its head to the side, trying to look innocent.

Ray walks to his cupboard and grabs cleaning spray, a plastic bag, and paper towels. As he bends down to clean up the mess, Katie licks his face. Ray tries to clean up the spot with his right hand, but he gives up and uses his left hand.

Ray smiles and scratches her head, again using his left hand.

INT. TINY APARTMENT - COUCH

Ray and Katie are both sitting on the couch in the dark. The flickering lights of the television illuminate them. Ray is eating crappy noodles out of a styrofoam cup, and Katie has her bowl of kibble beside her. Ray clumsily twists the noodles with his left hand and leans down to suck them off the fork. The noodles unwind and drop from his fork. He sighs and sits back. Ray reaches up and absent-mindedly scratches his left cheek with his right hand. His fingers dig into his cheek too hard and draw blood.

Ray looks down at his hand. The index, middle, and ring fingers are moving in what seems to be a more intentional way. Rather than just twitching, they flex and strain as if trying to separate themselves from the rest of Ray's hand. The dark lines are seeping into the top of the palm of his hand, and they seem to pulsate under his skin. Ray shakes his head and shoves his right hand between the couch cushions. Ray's cell phone rings again with the UNKNOWN number. He answers it.

The phone hangs up.

Ray points at the TV excitedly with his left hand.

There is a knock at Ray's door. Ray and Katie both look in the direction of the door. Ray stands up and walks to the door, still watching the television. He's walking backward.

Ray's right-handed uppercut ends with his fingers sticking up stupidly. Ray scoffs, then turns and opens the door. Outside is CLIFF, a thin man, roughly Ray's age wearing a casual button-down shirt and khaki shorts. He is smoking a cigarette.

Ray looks back into his apartment at Katie sitting on the couch.

Cliff tosses his cigarette and pushes past Ray into the apartment like he owns the place. He can't seem to stand still. He's constantly in motion, his hand moving and shoulders shrugging.

Ray reaches up with his left hand and touches his cheek. He looks at his fingertips and sees the blood there. He wipes at his cheek, cleaning it off.

Cliff plops down on the couch next to Katie and rests his head in his hand.

Cliff slaps his knees and pops up off the couch.

Ray looks hesitant.

Ray relents and grabs his keys as Cliff pushes him out the door.

The door shuts. Katie groans and lays her head down on the couch.

INT. BAR - NIGHT

Ray and Cliff are sitting in a busy, dimly-lit bar. The bar has many antique wooden fixtures and bourbon barrels doubling as tables. 1920'S/1930's JAZZ plays in the background. Ray is seated at one of the barrels sipping water. Cliff comes back from the bar carrying two Manhattans. He sets one down in front of Ray. Cliff holds the other up in front of him, looking at the light dancing through the golden liquid.

Ray stares hard at Cliff.

Ray picks up the glass away with his right hand. His entire hand has dark lines extending from his fingertips down to mid-palm, and is shaking so that the liquid is sloshing back and forth in the glass.

Cliff is nodding his head in that way only the inebriated can as if he is intently ignoring whatever is said to him.

Cliff lifts his glass.

Cliff laughs and takes a drink. When Ray doesn't share his humor, Cliff realizes he's not joking.

Cliff sits back, getting very serious for a moment.

Ray leans back on his stool and looks up.

Cliff laughs drunkenly. Ray gives up arguing.

Cliff enthusiastically slaps the table in front of him and raises his glass again, waiting for Ray to toast.

After a moment, Ray grabs the glass with his left hand and clinks it against Cliff's. DRINKING MONTAGE Volume on Jazz increases over the scenes. - Ray and Cliff slam down empty glasses. The Luxardo cherries bounce around inside. - Cliff is talking to Ray in an exaggerated way and laughing. - Ray reaches for a full Manhattan with his right hand. His hand just won't cooperate, and he ends up knocking the glass over. He sets it upright quickly, smiling and laughing. - Close-up of Ray's lips drinking down the last of his drink. - He sets the drink down with his left hand. - Close-up of Ray's eyes, his lids getting heavy, as he begins to scan the bar. This is intercut with slowed down and alternately blurred and clear visions of the people in the rest of the bar. - Ray's right hand is resting over his left wrist. The fingers of his right hand dig into his left arm and scratch them. When Ray notices, he swings his right hand drunkenly away from his left arm. - Ray tucks his right hand, palm down under his leg on the stool. END MONTAGE

INT. BAR - NIGHT (LATER)

Closing time. A few stragglrs are still drinking at the bar. The music is quiet, and the bartender is cleaning up his area. Ray walks unsteadily to the bar, and begins bouncing his credit card on the wood.

Ray turns away from the bartender and leans against the bar for support. The bartender walks away to run the card and returns a few moments later, holding the card out to Ray.

Ray turns back to the bartender.

The bartender stands there, holding the card up. Ray looks at it momentarily, but when the barman is not relenting, Ray snatches it from his hand. Ray flips it around in his fingers a couple of times before shoving it into his pocket.

Ray stares at him.

Ray pulls out his phone.

Cliff walks up behind Ray.

Cliff reaches past Ray with his credit card.

Ray pushes Cliff's arm out of the way.

Ray clenches his jaw. Cliff reaches past Ray holding out his card. He puts his hand on Ray's shoulder.

CUT TO:

BLACK We hear a solid thunk of Ray leaning his shoulder heavily against a door followed by the sound of keys jingling and grinding in a lock.

INT. TINY APARTMENT - NIGHT

Ray opens the door to his one-bedroom apartment and flips on the light. Katie is lying on the couch. She lifts her head and watches Ray stumble into his bedroom. She lays her head back down.

INT. TINY APARTMENT - BEDROOM

Ray's face is placid and unreadable. He opens the drawer of his nightstand. He pulls out a SIG SAUER P365 pistol with his left hand and lays it on the top of the nightstand. He leaves the drawer open, staring at the gun, his eyelids heavy with alcohol. He sighs and reaches for the gun with his right hand. His hand stops clawing toward him and, instead, flexes, reaching for the gun. Ray stops, taken aback by the first time his hand has stopped moving uncontrollably. His hand seems to be stretching with all of its strength to get to the gun. Ray pulls his hand back, and the hand turns once more toward Ray. Cautiously, he moves his hand closer to the gun, and again, his hand strains to reach the weapon. He takes a deep breath, drops his right hand, and reaches for the gun with his left hand instead. He holds it, bouncing it on his palm, feeling the weight of it. His stare intensifies on the weapon. He is lost in thought. PHONE RINGS. Ray snaps back to reality, picking up his phone. The screen shows the UNKNOWN number. Ray notes the time, two after midnight, and answers the phone.

Ray is stunned and silent.

Ray hangs up the phone and stares at it for a moment before setting it on silent. He tosses it on the nightstand next to the pistol and falls back on the bed. Almost without thinking, he wedges his hand between the headboard and the bed to keep it from moving and closes his eyes. He falls asleep, still in his clothes. SLEEPING MONTAGE - Ray is lying on his back, his right hand extended above his head, the hand still flexing and moving on its own. Laying beside him on the bed, Katie is asleep, and her legs are kicking as she dreams of chasing some dream animal. - Ray rolls over onto his side. The green numbers on his digital alarm clock in the background read 2:13 a.m. - Ray's right hand struggles mindlessly between the wall and mattress. END MONTAGE Ray rolls over onto his back, dislodging THE HAND from its prison. It surreptitiously crawls across Ray's sleeping body. The black veins have reached Ray's elbow, and his hand and forearm drag the rest of Ray's arm lifelessly behind it. Ray suddenly awakes as the hand clamps onto his neck, tearing the skin.

Instinctively Ray grabs his right hand with his left and pries it off his neck, leaving bloody nail marks. Ray's relief at breathing again is short-lived, as his right hand crushes his left hand. He pulls his left hand while lifting his right upper arm away from his body. The Hand continually tries to reach Ray, but the elbow (which still seems to be obeying Ray) anchors it, slowing it down. The right arm swings around from his elbow and reaches for his right shoulder and neck. As Ray strains to pull his head away, he falls off the bed to the floor. Ray's dog rushes in and grabs his right hand, shaking violently. Ray screams.

Katie tightens her grip and pulls, shaking her head.

Katie lets go of The Hand, which hangs limp, dripping blood, before jerking back to life. Looking around, Ray spots the open drawer. He grabs his right wrist with his left hand and throws his right hand into the drawer as he hurls his body against it, slamming the drawer shut and trapping his hand. The arm continues struggling to escape. Katie growls at the commotion going on in front of her. Ray notices the gun sliding around on the nightstand beside his phone.

Hopelessness washes over Ray's face as he picks up the gun on the nightstand. The cell phone next to the gun lights up, showing the notifications for the many missed calls and texts that Tracy left. One text message, in particular, catches his eye: "I can't believe you're such a coward that you won't even meet with me." Ray puts to gun down and picks up the phone. He re-reads Tracy's text.

Ray puts the phone back on the nightstand. While struggling to keep the drawer closed on The Hand, he unbuckles his belt and pulls it off with his left hand. With quite a bit of effort, he slides the end of his belt around the wrist of his right arm and then back through the buckle, tightening the leather loop around the base of The Hand. Ray takes a deep breath and opens the drawer. The Hand immediately begins attacking him. Ray pulls the belt quickly away from his face and neck while using his shoulder to lift his elbow in the opposite direction, suspending his arm out in front of him. The Hand struggles against the belt helplessly. Ray chuckles sardonically. Ray stands up and goes to the kitchen.

INT. TINY APARTMENT - KITCHEN

Once ray gets into the kitchen, he takes his place near the sink and transfers the belt from his hand to the ground under his right shoe, which he uses to continue to apply pressure on The Hand. Using his foot to hold the belt, he opens the cabinet under the sink and pulls out a rubber dish glove with his left hand. He puts the glove in his teeth and moves to the opposite counter next to his stove. He drops the glove from his teeth onto the counter. Ray flips on his gas stove burner. The CLICK, CLICK, CLICK of the lighter is replaced by the WOOSH of the gas as the burner explodes into blue flame.

Ray slides open one of the drawers and rifles through the contents until he comes out with a large cleaver.

Ray drops the cleaver down on the flame of the burner.

He wraps one of these around his bicep tightly in a makeshift tourniquet and pulls it tight by leaning down and pulling with his teeth.

Ray picks up the cleaver. Its blade glowing red from the flame.

Ray takes a deep breath and grits his teeth. He adjusts his body to swing the cleaver sideways at his arm while still standing on the belt to hold it in place. He extends the cleaver as far as he can and starts the swing.

CUT TO:

BLACK We can hear the Ka-chunk of the cleaver hitting meat and the sounds of pain from Ray. After a few moments, there's another whack followed by a quick third hit. We hear sizzling meat followed by the sound of the knife hitting the floor. Ray sobs.

INT. DINER - DAY

Ray opens the door to a bustling diner. He is wearing a leather jacket. The right sleeve is empty. His neck has gauze taped over the spot that The Hand attacked. The scratch on the left side of his face, where he scratched himself before going out with Cliff, is still there and has no bandage covering it. He looks around for a moment, scratching his left cheek absent-mindedly,and spots a young woman sitting alone in a booth by the window. He walks over.

Ray sits down.

Tracy looks uncomfortable.

She indicates his arm.

Ray looks down at his empty sleeve.

Tracy looks incredulous.

She sighs, looks down, and swallows hard.

Tracy pulls the right-hand sleeve of her sweater back and holds her hand up. The skin is mottled and whithered by burns from long ago. She still won't look at Ray.

Ray leans back and looks around.

Tracy looks up at Ray

Ray looks down.

They sit in uncomfortable silence.

She doesn't answer.

Tracy nods.

She smiles at Ray. The scratch on Ray's cheek is beginning to bleed a bit.

CLOSE ON TRACY'S HAND: she is wiping the blood on Ray's cheek with her napkin. Ray smiles.

CUT TO:

BLACK END.