‘Murderous make-up’

By
Izzy Topham
INT. COSMETICS STORE – DAY
Fade in, close-up on MARIAs hands fidgeting. Pan up to her face.

MARIA
And you are sure this will work? It cannot be traced at all?

JULIANE
The proses is gradual and completely untraceable. The symptoms are too similar to the
Influenza, it will seem as if he is passing due to natural causes.

JULIANE studies MARIA as she sits anxiously, as if trying to decide if MARIA could be
trusted.
JULIANE
We have been over this, Maria. When he does die, you must demand a post-mortem
examination, you cannot appear even the slightest bit guilty.
Hundreds of women have come to me for an escape, if you cannot go through with this
then you are putting them all in danger.

MARIA sit’s up straighter, a wave of confidence washing over her.

MARIA
I want to do this. I need to.
You can trust me, I promise. I can do it.

With a short nod, JULIANE disappears behind a red curtain and returns with a small
glass flask.

JULIANE
 To anybody else, this appears to be Manna of St Nicholas, a healing oil. Preferably,
you should be the only one to touch this.

JULIANE hands the bottle to MARIA.

EXT. FIELD – DAY

MARIA walks home, doubt creeping back into her mind as she fidgets with the bottle in
her hands.

INT. MARIA’S HOUSE – EVENING

MARIA decides against putting the poison in her husband, JOHNs, meal last minute,
pushing the glass flask away before she brings the soup over to him as he waits
Impatiently at the table.

JOHN
Where is my drink?

JOHN shouts, startling MARIA. She glances over to the bottle on the kitchen counter, a
sad expression on her face.

While fetching a drink for her husband, MARIA adds a drop of the poison she had
recently discarded.

JOHN
Where were you today?

JOHN grumbles when MARIA sits down at the opposite end of the table to eat.

MARIA
I-I went shopping.

MARIA stumbles as husband scowls at her.

JOHN
I did not give you permission to do that. You are my wife; you belong to me. You have
to ask for my permission.
JOHN rants angrily, grimacing towards his wife as he lifts his glass up to his lips.
MARIA watches closely as JOHN takes a sip of his drink.

Fade out on a close-up of MARIA. A montage begins of every night MARIA adds a drop of
her poison into JOHNs meals.

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

JOHN lies in bed, clearly ill and groaning in pain. MARIA sits by his bed, holding
onto his hand with a look of guilt on her face.

MARIA
I’m so sorry

MARIA mutters under her breath.

JOHN
What did you say?

JOHN strains, his voice hoarse as he glances at his wife.

MARIA
This is all my fault, I’m so sorry.

MARIA cries, looking helplessly into JOHNs eyes.

JOHN
I have the flu, MARIA. What are you talking about?

JOHN asks with a tone of annoyance.

MARIA looks away from her husband, crying.

JOHN
What did you do!

JOHN shouts, yanking MARIAs hand towards him. A sound effect of a heartbeat steadily
quickening plays subtly in the background.
MARIA
I-It’s poison. I am so sorry. I poisoned you, I’m so sorry.

MARIA admits, crying and breathing uncontrollably.

JOHN reaches up to slap MARIA before struggling and stumbling out of bed.

JOHN
You will not get away with this. You don’t know what you’ve just done Maria, I-

JOHN yells as he struggles to walk away, collapsing on the ground mid-sentence. The
sound of the heartbeat stops abruptly, the room falling into complete silence.

MARIA stares at her Husbands dead body on the floor with a look of shock on her face.
MARIA looks around the room, as if searching for what to do, before taking a deep
breath to regain her composure. Brushing her messy hair back, she leaves the room,
stepping over her husbands body.

Camera fades out to black then fades back in to MARIA looking out of the window as the
sound of sirens gets further away.

MARIA walks over to the kitchen table, sitting down with a teacup.

The camera zooms out with MARIA smiling slightly as she brings the dainty cup to her
lips.

THE END