SCENE 25
EXT. STREET ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE—DAY
Jacob marches along the overcast street, case in hand, past pushcarts, shabby little shops, and tenement buildings. He continually throws nervous glances over his shoulder.
SCENE 26
INT. JACOB’S ROOM—DAY
A tiny, dirty room, the furnishings sparse and shabby.
CLOSE ON THE CASE as Jacob throws it down onto his bed. He looks up at a portrait of his grandmother, which hangs on the wall.
JACOB
I’m sorry, Grandma.
Jacob sits down at his desk, hanging his head in his hands, downcast, tired. Behind him, one of the catches on the case flies open. Jacob turns . . .
He sits down on the bed and examines the case. The second catch now flicks open of its own accord, and the case begins to shake, emitting aggressive animalistic sounds. Jacob slowly backs away.
Tentatively, he leans forward . . . Suddenly the lid flies open and out bursts a Murtlap—a rat-like creature with an anemone-style growth on its back. Jacob grapples with it, holding it tightly in both hands as it struggles.
We whip back to the case, which flies open once again as an invisible being shoots out, crashing into the ceiling before smashing through the window.
The Murtlap lunges forward, biting Jacob on the neck, sending him crashing through furniture and tumbling to the floor.
The room shakes heavily, and the wall holding the picture of Jacob’s grandma begins to crack before exploding, as more creatures escape off-screen.
SCENE 27
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH, MAIN HALL—MONTAGE—DAY
A dingy wooden church with darkened windows and a high mezzanine balcony. Modesty is playing a solitary variation of hopscotch, skipping in and out of a chalked grid.
MODESTY
My momma, your momma,
gonna catch a witch,
My momma, your momma,
flying on a switch,
My momma, your momma,
witches never cry,
My momma, your momma,
witches gonna die!
As she sings we see the church is full of group paraphernalia—leaflets advertising Mary Lou’s campaign, and a large version of the group’s anti-witchcraft banner.
SCENE 28
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH—DAY
A pigeon coos from a high-up window. Credence steps forward, staring up toward it before mechanically clapping his hands. The pigeon flies away.
We follow Chastity as she moves through the church and opens the large double doors onto the street.
SCENE 29
EXT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH, BACKYARD—DAY
Chastity emerges from the church and rings a large dinner bell.
SCENE 30
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH, MAIN HALL—DAY
Modesty continues playing hopscotch. Credence pauses, looking past her and out toward the door.
MODESTY
. . . Witch number three,
gonna watch her burn,
Witch number four, flogging
take a turn.
Young children stream into the church.
TIME CUT:
Brown soup is being ladled out to the children, who jostle each other to get near the front of the line. Mary Lou, wearing an apron and looking on approvingly, squeezes through the little crowd.
MARY LOU
Collect your leaflets before you get food, children.
Several of the children turn toward Chastity, who waits primly, handing out campaign leaflets.
TIME CUT:
Mary Lou and Credence ladle out soup, Credence looking intently into every face.
A boy with a birthmark on his face reaches the front of the line. Credence stops his work and stares at him. Mary Lou reaches out to touch the boy’s face.
BOY
Is it a witch’s mark, ma’am?
MARY LOU
No. He’s okay.
The boy takes his soup and leaves. Credence stares after him as they continue to serve.
SCENE 31
EXT. BUSY STREET ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE—AFTERNOON
CLOSE ON A BILLYWIG—a small blue creature with helicopter-like wings on its head—flying high above the street.
Tina and Newt walk along the street, Tina carrying the case.
TINA
(on the verge of tears)
I can’t believe you didn’t Obliviate that man! If there’s an inquiry, I’m finished!
NEWT
So why would you be finished? I’m the one that’s—
TINA
I’m not supposed to go near the Second Salemers!
The Billywig zooms over their heads. Newt spins, horrified, watching it.
TINA
What was that?
NEWT
Er—moth, I think. Big moth.
Tina finds this explanation dubious. They round a corner to find a crowd gathered in front of a crumbling building. People are shouting, others are hurriedly evacuating the building. A policeman is standing at the center of the crowd, being harassed by disgruntled tenement dwellers.
JUMP CUT TO:
Newt and Tina move around the outskirts of the crowd. At the back, a tipsy hobo is trying to attract the policeman’s attention.
POLICEMAN
Hey . . . Hey—quiet down—I’m trying to get a statement . . .
HOUSEWIFE
. . . I’m telling you it’s a gas explosion again, I ain’t taking the kids back up there until it’s safe.
POLICEMAN
Sorry, ma’am—There ain’t no smell of gas.
HOBO
(drunk)
It warn’t gas—hey, Officer, I seen it!—it wuzza—a gigantic—a huge hippopotto—
Tina is looking up at the ruined building, and misses Newt sliding his wand from his sleeve and pointing it at the hobo.
HOBO
—gas. It was gas.
The others in the crowd around him agree.
CROWD
Gas . . . It was gas!
Tina again catches sight of the Billywig. Taking advantage of this distraction, Newt runs up the metal steps and inside the ruined tenement building.
SCENE 32
INT. JACOB’S ROOM—AFTERNOON
Newt enters Jacob’s room and stops, staring: The room is completely destroyed. Footprints, broken furniture, shattered glass. Even worse: A massive hole in the opposite wall—something huge has blasted its way out. We can hear Jacob groaning from the corner.
SCENE 33
EXT. TENEMENT STREET—AFTERNOON
CUT BACK TO TINA as she looks around and realizes that Newt has disappeared from the crowd.
SCENE 34
INT. JACOB’S ROOM—AFTERNOON
Newt crouches beside Jacob, who lies on his back, eyes closed and moaning. Newt tries to examine a small red bite on Jacob’s neck, but Jacob keeps unconsciously batting him away.
TINA (O.S.)
Mr. Scamander!
CUT TO TINA, running with purpose up the staircase of Jacob’s building.
CUT BACK TO NEWT, who desperately performs a Repairing Charm. The room is righted, the wall repaired, just in time before Tina enters the room.
SCENE 35
INT. JACOB’S ROOM—AFTERNOON
Tina hurries inside to find Newt, trying to look innocent and composed, sitting on the bed. He calmly seals the latches on his case.
TINA
It was open?
NEWT
Just a smidge . . .
TINA
That crazy Niffler thing’s on the loose again?
NEWT
Er—it might be—
TINA
Then look for it! Look!
Jacob moans.
Tina drops Jacob’s case and makes straight for the injured Jacob.
TINA
(about Jacob, worried)
His neck’s bleeding, he’s hurt! Wake up, Mr. No-Maj . . .
With Tina’s back turned, Newt makes toward the door. Suddenly Tina emits a guttural scream as the Murtlap comes scuttling out from under a cabinet and latches onto her arm. Newt spins, catching the creature by the tail and grappling it into the case.
TINA
Mercy Lewis, what is that?
NEWT
Nothing to worry about. That is a Murtlap.
Unnoticed by either, Jacob opens his eyes.
TINA
What else have you got in there?
JACOB
(recognizing Newt)
You!
NEWT
Hello.
TINA
Easy, Mr.—
JACOB
Kowalski . . . Jacob . . .
Tina takes Jacob’s hand to shake it.
Newt raises his wand. Jacob recoils in fear, clutching at Tina, who moves protectively in front of him.
TINA
You can’t Obliviate him! We need him as a witness.
NEWT
I’m sorry—you’ve just yelled at me the length of New York for not doing it in the first place . . .
TINA
He’s hurt! He looks ill!
NEWT
He’ll be fine. Murtlap bites aren’t serious.
Newt puts his wand away. Jacob retches into the corner, while Tina looks at Newt in disbelief.
NEWT
I admit that is a slightly more severe reaction than I’ve seen, but if it was really serious—he’d have . . .
TINA
What?
NEWT
Well, the first symptom would be flames out of his anus—
Terrified, Jacob feels the seat of his pants.
TINA
This is balled up!
NEWT
It’ll last forty-eight hours at most! I can keep him if you want me to—
TINA
Oh, keep him? We don’t keep them! Mr. Scamander, do you know anything about the wizarding community in America?
NEWT
I do know a few things, actually. I know you have rather backwards laws about relations with non-magic people. That you’re not meant to befriend them, that you can’t marry them, which seems mildly absurd to me.
Jacob is following this conversation, openmouthed.
TINA
Who’s going to marry him? You’re both coming with me—
NEWT
I don’t see why I need to come with you—
Tina tries to lift the only partly conscious Jacob from the floor.
TINA
Help me!
Newt feels obliged to help.
JACOB
I’m . . . I’m dreaming, right? Yeah . . . I’m tired, I never went to the bank. This is all just some big nightmare, right?
TINA
For the both of us, Mr. Kowalski.
Tina and Newt Disapparate with Jacob.
We focus on the photo of Jacob’s grandma, once again hanging on the wall. Eventually the photo gives a little shake before falling and revealing a hole in the wall, inhabited by the Niffler.