*CHAPTER 11 SİMGE PAST*

*CHAPTER 11 SIMGE PAST - EXTENDED*

*11:00 AM - IN FRONT OF THE ADU ENTRANCE GATE*

_The class had finally arrived in Aydın after a 1 hour and 45 minute bus ride. Bus was empty, driver was not there, bus drove itself? No one questioned. In this dead world, bus still worked. Weird._

_Everyone got off the bus one by one, legs numb, silent. Road was empty, no cars, no sound. ADU gate huge, empty._

_The last one to get off was Ömer. Out of breath, because he carried bags._

_In front of them, on the ground, in front of gate: Kerem. On his back. Lying like he fell from sky. Face pale white, lips blue. Not moving._

_MEHMET - pointing, stepping back:_

"Isn't that Kerem? Holy shit that's Kerem! How did he get here before us? We took bus!"

_ASLIHAN - ran, shook his shoulder, glasses falling:_

"Kerem? Are you okay? Kerem! Wake up!"

_FURKAN - kneeling, flipped him over carefully, hand under back:_

_On his forehead: the devil's mark clenched in fists. Same as Haydarcan and Cenk but different, fists closed, angry. Faint red. Blinking like heartbeat. Not constant, blinking._

_MEHMET - stepped back fast, scared, voice high:_

"Holy shit. This one's cursed too. Third one! I knew it! I knew we shouldn't have come to Aydın! This city is cursed!"

_BEYZA - voice low, but standing over Kerem, protective:_

"We're not gonna kill him this time, right? We are not doing that again, right?"

_BOOOOM - loud electric hum_

_The power pole right next to ADU gate creaked. Wood cracking, wires sparking blue. The pole leaned towards them, towards Kerem._

_SIMGE - saw it first, shouted with all her lungs:_

"GET BACK!!! POLE! GET BACK!!!"

_CRASHHH_

_The pole fell, 10 meters tall, heavy, right where they were standing 1 second ago. Dust. Glass from lamp exploding. Wires hissing on ground, sparking. They escaped by 1 second, by Simge's scream._

_MEHMET - eyes reddened, pointing at Kerem on ground, who is still unconscious, cursed:_

"Here we go again! See! See! I know you're against it Beyza but we have to kill him! We have to! Before it kills us! Haydarcan and Cenk died and accidents stopped! You saw!"

_BEYZA - stepped forward between Mehmet and Kerem, arms open:_

"NO! We are not killing anyone! We already killed two! We are murderers already!"

_MEHMET - grabbed her arm hard, shaking her:_

"Don't be stupid. There's 12 of us here. We can't risk 12 people for 1 person! It's math! 12 bigger than 1! Don't be naive!"

_SHATTERRR_

_The windows of the security booth in front of the entrance gate suddenly exploded outward, not inward. Glass shards flew, grazed past Aslıhan's cheek, cut small. Everyone ducked._

_MEHMET - lost it completely now, grabbed Kerem by the throat while Kerem unconscious, lifting him:_

"Beyza don't be naive! We're gonna die! Don't you see pattern! Every time cursed person near, things explode!"

_SIMGE - turned to the class, voice loud, finally, after days of silence, after Haydarcan and Cenk:_

"Stop! Stop! Maybe there's a way to break the curse! We can't kill people for no reason! You already killed Haydarcan and Cenk! Doesn't your conscience hurt at all? Did you sleep last night? I didn't! I saw their faces!"

_SIMGE (inner voice) - looking at her hands shaking:_

"That day and yesterday I stayed silent. I watched. I let you kill them because I was scared too. Today I won't. Today I won't be my father."

---

*5 YEARS AGO - INSIDE A HOUSE - FULL SCENE - EXTENDED*

_INSIDE. Evening. A half-finished apartment, smell of concrete._

_MIDDLE-AGED OVERWEIGHT MAN 5'7" BLACK HAIR, belly hanging over belt, gold watch. SITTING ON THE COUCH that is covered in plastic, LEGS CROSSED, smoking._

_PHONE: Loudspeaker, talking to another contractor, laughing._

_CONTRACTOR DAD - laughing, belly shaking:_ "How'd we screw those suckers huh hahaha! We sold them that broken-down house for 1 million. 1 million! That house is made of sand and spit! It'll collapse in 2 years anyway, maybe in first earthquake, but who cares! We will be in Bodrum by then hahaha!"

_HE HANGS UP. Still laughing, coughing from smoke._

_SIMGE: 15 years old. School uniform still on. She was behind the kitchen door, heard everything. She walked out from behind the door, bag still on shoulder, face red not from cold, from shame._

_SIMGE - voice small but clear:_

"Dad, what you're doing isn't right. What you said..."

_CONTRACTOR DAD - put the phone on the table, surprised, then annoyed that daughter eavesdropped. Put on father face._

"What's wrong, Simge? Why you listening to adult talks? Go do homework."

_SIMGE - looked straight into her father's eyes, not looking away, even though he is big and she is 15:_

"You're scamming people with the dream of owning a home. They save for years. You steal it."

_CONTRACTOR DAD - gave a bitter smile, the smile adults give when they think child is naive, leaned back:_

"Listen to me Simge. Morality doesn't put food on the table. Morality doesn't pay for your private school, your iPhone, your dance classes. I figured that out when I was your age. Sooner or later you will too. You're still young. Naive. You think world is fair. The world isn't as pink as you think it is. It's shit. You either eat or you get eaten. I choose to eat."

_SIMGE - shoulders straight, fists clenched, tears but not crying:_

"Maybe the world is a shitty place Dad, you're right. Maybe everyone scams. But just because the world is shit doesn't mean we have to be part of that shit. We can choose not to be shit. We can be... we can be good even if world is bad. That's what makes us human!"

_CONTRACTOR DAD - shook his head, disappointed, stood up, tall shadow over her:_

"You won't understand me right now Simge. You are 15. You read too many books. As you grow up, when you have to pay rent, when you have kids, you'll understand me and you'll say 'my dad was right'. Every kid says that. Come, give hug."

_SIMGE - stepped back, didn't hug:_

"No."

_SILENCE_

_CLOCK: TICK TOCK. Loud. Concrete walls echo._

_He looked at her, then sat back down, waving hand like "go away"._

---

*1 DAY LATER - EXTENDED*

_AFTERNOON - IN FRONT OF A NEWLY BUILT HOUSE - FRONT YARD - The house looks beautiful from outside, white paint, small garden, but smell of cheap paint._

_The door opened. It smelled like fresh paint, too fresh, chemical. A YOUNG MAN: 28, worker hands, eyes shining with hope. He squeezed his wife's hand, who is pregnant, 4 months, belly small but visible._

_YOUNG MAN - voice shaking with happiness:_

"Baby, we finally made it. After 6 years saving, working in Germany, we have our own house. We won't have to pay rent anymore. Our kid will have a room."

_YOUNG WOMAN - eyes welled up, resting head on his chest, hand on belly:_

"Thank God. Thank God, we have a home. No more landlord shouting."

_FOOTSTEPS FROM BEHIND - quick, determined. Simge, same uniform, bag heavy, ran from school directly, no sleep._

_She couldn't take it anymore. All night she didn't sleep thinking of that couple she saw in father's files. She knew they come today._

_SIMGE - called out from behind them, voice trembling but clear, loud:_

"Excuse me, ma'am, sir. Could you wait one minute? Please! One minute!"

_THE COUPLE TURNED AROUND. Surprised. Saw a 15-year-old girl, panting._

_YOUNG WOMAN - soft:_ "Can we help you, dear? Are you lost?"

_SIMGE - breathing hard, looking at house, at pregnant belly, then at ground:_

"Sir, ma'am, please don't buy that house. Please don't sign. That house is rotten. It will fall."

_The young man looked confused, then frowned, protective over wife._

_YOUNG MAN:_ "What do you mean rotten? This is new building. We checked. Contractor said best materials, earthquake safe. We paid 1 million!"

_SIMGE - stepping closer, voice lower, scared father will see from window:_

"The contractor cut corners on materials. The concrete, the columns... all made from the cheapest materials. He used sea sand. He didn't put enough iron. I heard..."

_The young woman shook her head, hand on belly, instinct mother protecting:_

"How do you know that? Are you... who are you?"

_SIMGE:_ "I overheard someone talking yesterday. In that house. My father. He is... he is the contractor."

---

_YOUNG MAN - His fists clenched. He gritted his teeth. Face changed from happy to red. He understood. He was scammed._

_YOUNG MAN - voice low, dangerous:_

"What did you hear, sis? Tell us exactly. What did he say?"

_SIMGE - Eyes welled up but she didn't cry, she forced herself to say:_

"Sir, yesterday someone was talking on the phone in front of the house. I accidentally overheard. He said 'we watered the concrete, don't worry, the house will last 2 years, after that not our problem, they can't sue'. He laughed. He said you are suckers."

_YOUNG WOMAN - put her hand to her mouth, other hand on belly, whisper:_

"2 years...? My baby... our baby will be...?"

_YOUNG MAN's face turned bright red, veins. He went ballistic with rage, not at Simge, at house, at father inside. He turned._

_Without saying anything else, he QUICKLY went inside the house, door open. Simge tried to stop but he pushed._

_The door SLAMMED shut. LOUD._

_VOICES CAME FROM INSIDE, shouting, muffled through cheap walls._

_YOUNG MAN - yelling, echoing:_

"Who the hell are you trying to scam?! You trying to kill my family?! My wife is pregnant! You sell us grave?!"

_CONTRACTOR DAD - confused, then seeing young man, trying to be calm, salesman voice:_

"What's going on? Sir, calm down, what's..."

_As the young man shouted at him, grabbed his collar, the contractor turned his head toward the window for a split second; looking out, he saw Simge standing in yard, with pregnant woman. His daughter. Betraying him. His eyes met Simge's. And in that second, he understood everything. His face changed from salesman to monster._

_Then he nodded slowly, in the direction of his house. A small nod that meant: "Wait till we get home."_

_Simge saw that nod. And for first time, she was scared of her own father. But she didn't run. She stood next to pregnant woman and held her hand. Tight._