The Order of the White Worm

Sequel to "The Lair of The White Worm" screenplay.

Adam Salton, heir to a sinister family legacy, believes he’s left the dark past of the White Worm cult behind. Settled at Salton Manor with his wife, Lilla, and their young son, Alexander, Adam is pulled back into a world of occult horrors when Sir Nathaniel, a member of the Covenant of the Sword and Flame, warns him that the ancient cult of the White Worm has resurfaced with a prophecy involving his son. The cult plans to use Alexander as a vessel for the resurrection of Lady Arabella, their serpent goddess.

At the onset, Lilla is haunted by disturbing visions and memories from her childhood, when she witnessed horrifying cult rituals performed by her own family. Her visions grow darker, conjuring the presence of Lady Arabella, whose twisted bond to Lilla’s bloodline pulls Lilla deeper into a psychological spiral. Sensing the threat to his family, Adam begins investigating with Sir Nathaniel, uncovering the cult’s infiltration into the highest levels of society, including influential figures like Lord Pembroke and Lord Whitaker. The Covenant, a centuries-old secret society sworn to protect humanity from the White Worm, urges Adam to formally join their ranks as they prepare to confront the cult.

The investigation leads Adam and Lilla to a grand ball where high-society members, many with hidden ties to the Order, subtly reveal their knowledge of the cult’s dark rituals. Meanwhile, Sir Nathaniel, caring for Alexander back at Salton Manor, explains the Covenant’s ancient history, keeping a vigilant eye on Reverend Carter, a newly risen High Priest of the Order who exhibits a disturbing zeal in advancing the prophecy. The Reverend covertly manipulates Lilla, drawing her closer to her family’s bloodline obligations to the Order and the White Worm.

Increasingly tormented by visions of Lady Arabella, Lilla feels a compulsion toward the cult, weakening her resolve and sowing tension between her and Adam. At the ball, Adam and Lilla’s mutual confessions of fear, attraction, and defiance strengthen their bond, but the dark pull of Lady Arabella’s presence remains pervasive. Their fears are validated when Lilla succumbs to Arabella’s influence, overwhelmed by the pull of her ancestral ties. The influence of Lady Arabella threatens to bind Lilla and her son to the Order in a horrific prophecy that promises resurrection through blood.

In the climactic sequence, the Covenant storms the Order’s secret temple, where Reverend Carter and his followers prepare to sacrifice Alexander in a gruesome ritual meant to finalize Lady Arabella’s return. A brutal battle erupts, with Adam and Sir Nathaniel fighting through cultists to reach the altar. But Lilla, now fully under the White Worm’s control, begins a horrific transformation, her body morphing into a serpent-like creature as Arabella’s presence overtakes her.

Realizing that Lilla’s humanity has been consumed by the White Worm, Adam is forced to make an unthinkable decision. With a final, heart-wrenching act, he plunges his dagger into her side to save Alexander and break the ritual. For a fleeting moment, Lilla’s humanity returns, and she pleads with Adam to protect their son before her life fades. As she dies, her transformation dissipates, and the ritual’s power wanes. Reverend Carter, seeing his plans crumble, attempts to flee, but Sir Nathaniel delivers a fatal shot, ending his role in the cult’s power.

In the aftermath, the remaining cultists scatter, and the Covenant leaves with Adam, who is haunted by the loss of Lilla. Though the threat seems temporarily defeated, Adam realizes that the White Worm’s influence may not be so easily vanquished. He rides away from the ruins of the temple, vowing to shield Alexander from the lingering curse of the White Worm, but the shadows around them hint that their family’s battle with darkness is far from over.