A Pair of Aces
Page 13
It does, too. It matters a lot. And…I don't know exactly how to say this, but…I know you believe these are not ordinary dreams. And I am trying to understand that.
Monty moves restlessly around the room. He turns the sound off the TV.
MONTY (CONT'D)
(hesitant, nervous)
Obviously, I haven't handled this right. I want to start over; I want to listen to you. And I want to refrain from my…my pop sociologist manner. Which clearly pisses you off. I want to apologize.
She looks up now, deciding to get into this, but, from her voice, we see she's not giving him any slack.
BECKY
Monty…..I know it's hard to understand. I guess if it hadn't happened to me…that's the hard part to get across to you, or anyone else.
She looks right at him with no expression at all, speaks in a calm manner, with no emotion at all.
BECKY
See, they stuck their dicks in me, Monty. Got it? They were not friendly or invited dicks. Yours has been the only invited dick for some time.
MONTY
Becky…
BECKY
Oh, and they stuck them up my ass too. Did I mention that? It hurt. Real bad.
She's getting it all out now.
BECKY
Since Clyde did that to me I have been in tune with him, Monty. He's got–some kind of electricity in that thing and it must have wired me to him somehow…
MONTY
For god sakes, Becky–
BECKY
No. You wanted to get into it. It's really happening, Monty. I am seeing him and he is dead. I see him hang himself over and over and over and–he's in here.
(taps her head) In here with me.
She is on her feet now.
BECKY
I see the others, too. Out at the dock I had a vision. Twilight Zone shit. They are coming for me, these…these goblins, or whatever they are.
FLASHES OF THE IMAGES SHE SAW AT THE LAKE, delivered semi-automatic quick, and then we're–
BACK TO SCENE
MONTY
Honey–
BECKY
Shut the fuck up, Monty. You wanted to talk, and I've heard all your bullshit before. So listen to me now. This is my goddamn Waterloo. This cabin. You have taken me straight to it. Driven me to my end. It would have happened at the apartment if that old man hadn't heard me scream. And now, here I am, right where you've brought me, and you know what, I don't think there's a damn thing we can do about it. And I don't know if I even care anymore!
Monty looks sour, as if the world's biggest fart was trapped in his intestines. He starts to speak, but there really isn't anywhere for him to go with this, so he holds it.
Becky shows a moment of pain.
BECKY
There's another world out there, Mr. Sociologist. A terrible fucking world. It is not in my head it is there. And the minute I close my eyes I'm there too…
She's started to cry. She turns around, collapses on the couch, not looking at Monty.
Monty slides up to her, reluctantly places a hand on her shoulder. This time, she doesn't jump. She turns, faces him, but doesn't look directly at him.
MONTY
I…haven't been a whole lot of help, have I?
BECKY
I can't argue with that.
She and Monty laugh a little with this comment. Nothing to throw a parade over but something.
Becky tries to pull herself together.
BECKY
Want some breakfast?
MONTY
Good idea. I'll start the eggs.
Becky reaches up and wipes a finger of foam off his face.
BECKY
No, you go…look at the lake or something.
She walks away.
MONTY
You sure?
THE TV SCREEN
As they part, we see past them to the TV screen. An announcer is talking, and though we can't hear him, the big headline at the bottom of the screen reads: GALVESTON COUPLE TORTURED AND SLAIN.
GO CLOSER ON TV on the announcer talking, and then shots of the apartment house. Police moving about. Photos of Eva and Dean Beaumont take over the screen.
The screen sputters, crackles…goes back to normal.
Monty is outside now, closing the sliding glass door at the back of the house, and Becky has departed to the kitchen. We hear pots and pans banging. Obviously, they don't see any of this.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE HIGHWAY PATROL CAR.–DAY
Ted and Larry are driving through a small, slightly run-down residential district next to the highway.
LARRY
Shit, Ted, soon as we stop at another two, three hundred boogie shacks, I'd like to get something to eat, it's all right with you.
Ted sighs, shakes his head.
TED
What else we got to do?
LARRY
You haven't figured it out yet? You don't know it's niggers killed Trawler? Niggers aren't going to turn in other niggers.
TED
All right. That's it. Pull the car over.
LARRY
What?
TED
Pull the car over, I'm gonna stomp a goddamn hole in your ass.
LARRY
Already got one. Listen, we're on duty.
TED
You sonofabitch, you ought to be pitching tents at a KKK retreat, not riding around in a law car.
LARRY
We are gonna get something to eat, right? I know a place got the finest chicken fried steaks made by clean white hands.
Ted, exasperated.
TED
You just stay in the car. I'll interview.
EXT. THE PATROL CAR
Larry and Ted have stopped before a modest house with a garage next to it with a sign on it that reads: MECHANIC WORK. They remain sitting in the car.
LARRY
I'm backup. You don't know what you're going to walk into.
TED
Right. I'll ask the questions, you stay out of it.
TED
gets out of the car, walks up to the house, steps onto the porch, knocks on the door. Within moments, a big, elderly black man, MALACHI, answers. He has on blue khaki mechanic clothes and is covered in grease. He is smoking a cigar.
TED
Afternoon. Wonder if I could ask you a few questions. Mr…
MALACHI
Call me Malachi. My mama did.
TED
Won't take but a minute.
MALACHI
Sure. Ask away. But make it pretty quick if you can. I got to get back to the shop. Got a car waiting.
ANGLE LARRY
He has rolled down his window and is sitting with the door partially open, as if he might need to come running at any moment.
TED
A highway patrolman was shot and killed not far from here. He described a 66 Chevy before he pulled it over. Said it had several passengers in–
Malachi is already nodding his head.
MALACHI
I saw it.
TED
You sure? I mean, it's been a couple of days.
Malachi shivers, drops his cigar on the porch and steps on it.
MALACHI
Wasn't two days though, it was one.
MALACHI'S FlASHBACK
and as he talks, we'll have him relive the event.
Malachi going back into his house–
MALACHI V.O.
Seen that car about one or so in the morning. Big storm coming in. Some kind of weird cloud behind it. Maybe just a low storm cloud. But it was like it was dragging that thing. Or the cloud was chasing it.
Malachi walking through the house, coming to his bedroom, being careful as he turns the doorknob to enter.
MALACHI V.O.
Saw the lights, heard…hell, felt that car coming, just like some kind of black cat, carrying bad omens…
INTERCUT IMAGES
Lightning illuminates everything. T
he car with searing white head lights. Brian at the wheel, seems to jump out and right into Malachi's eyes as he stands on the porch. But he doesn't look like Brian. He looks demonic.
BACK TO MALACHI
Opening that door. Easing into the room.
MALACHI V.O.
I saw the people inside. If they was people…
OUT OF FLASHBACK
TED
Now what's that supposed to mean?
MALACHI
You can think me crazy if you like, but them wasn't people in that car, they were Evils. At least some of them were.
TED
What did they look like?
MALACHI
Felt them more than saw them.
TED
You sure about the car, the time and all?
BACK TO FLASHBACK
Malachi in his bedroom. He leans down. His elderly wife is in the bed, a book fallen on her chest. Her mouth is slightly parted, eyes wide open. Hold for a moment.
MALACHI (V.O.)
Mister, I can't forget. I'm going to my wife's funeral this afternoon. That was the night she died. No sir, I'm going to have that night in my head a long time.
OUT OF FLASHBACK
TED
I'm sorry about your wife.
MALACHI
Not half as sorry as I am. Now, I got to get back to work. I got a funeral to pay for.
Ted walks back toward the car, and Larry rolls up the window and cranks the engine. Before Ted gets inside the patrol car, Malachi calls out.
ON MALACHI
MALACHI
Officer? That car…it turned off toward Minnanette. That's all I know. Except it's evil…
Ted nods and slides inside the car.
INT. THE PATROL CAR–MOMENTS LATER
They're gliding back toward the highway.
LARRY
Da evuls be comin, lawdy me!
TED
Have some respect. His wife died…
They may not be from hell or anything, but they're evil enough for me. They blew Trawler's brains all over the highway.
LARRY
You finally got a point I can agree with, Teddy.
DISSOLVE TO:
THE WOODS
CAMERA WINDS THROUGH THEM
We hit a trail and on the trail is the Black Chevy. And we go close on the Chevy, and we can see shapes inside, and we–
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CHEVY
Everyone is asleep in there. Stone up front. Loony in the back, his head thrown back. Angela and Jimmy pushed up together.
But Brian.
He's awake. At the wheel. Hands on the wheel. Just staring. Waiting. Brian turns to the mirror, thumps the effigy of Clyde.
CLOSE ON EFFIGY
As it swings back and forth, and we–
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POP'S STORE–EARLY EVENING
Pop inside the store, looking out the window at the fast-falling dusk and his–
POV
is the little road in front of the store, and beyond that a large field with woods on either side, and beyond that field, clear shot, the highway. He watches cars go by. One of them, and we'll go CLOSE ON THIS, is the patrol car with Larry and Ted in it.
BACK TO SCENE
Pop sings softly to himself (YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE, MY FUCKING SUNSHINE), picks up a girly magazine, BOOBS AND BUTTS, and digs in, and we–
CUT TO:
A FIELD NEARBY–EVENING
MOSES FRANKLIN, a black man, standing outside his pickup, at the open tail gate. A lazy looking spotted hound, BUFFY, is in the back of the truck leaning toward Moses. Moses has his shotgun lying in the truck bed and he's holding a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other. The patrol car passes by on the highway. Moses looks up at the fast-rising moon.
MOSES
Look out, possums. Hide your children, Here I come…
And as he turns back to his sandwich, he finds that most of it is gone. He looks at Buffy standing in the truck bed near him. She's chewing.
MOSES
Buffy, you bitch.
DISSOLVE TO:
A CRICKET SOUND–NIGHT
LIGHTS. Two of them. Coming right at us. Growing. Growing. Overpowering us. And then we realize it's THE CHEVY cruising with a cat-like roar. It is on the little road in front of POP'S. It glides into the station in front of the pumps. Everyone gets out. They act rowdy. Except Jimmy and Angela. They have a kind of rabbit in the headlights look.
INCLUDE POP
as he comes outside, and he doesn't like what he sees.
POP
Help you boys?
LOONY
Boys? Hey, old man, you call an alligator a lizard?
POP
No, but I call a pile of shit a pile of shit, and you look like maybe someone stacked an extra pile on you. All you turds, get back in that chunk of iron and get your gas somewhere else.
BRIAN
Ooooooh. You are so bad.
POP
Fuck with me, you little bastard, and you'll wake up with a crowd around you. Now get the fuck out of here.
Pop turns and stalks off.
Brian's hand clamps down on Pop's shoulder. Pop wheels, slaps the hand off, and slaps Brian.
Brian puts his hand to his face. A slow crooked smile works its way into place.
BRIAN
You're tough for an old dried up turd that–
POP hits Brian with an uppercut to the gut. Brian goes down on one knee, wheezing. Loony comes out of nowhere, hits Pop in the head with his fist and knocks him down. Brian stands, one hand on his stomach. Pop comes up on one knee.
BRIAN
You're going to wish you hadn't done that, old man.
POP
Am I?
Loony kicks Pop in the head, while Brian stands over him, grinning.
BRIAN
Oh, yeah, you're going to regret it, all right. Loony, pull this fucking senior citizen over to the pump.
Loony drags a limp Pop by the collar, and Stone grabs Pop and helps.
JIMMY AND ANGELA
They are huddled back by the car, terrified.
BACK TO SCENE
Loony starts filling up the car. Stone stands by while Brian kicks Pop hard.
Between kicks.
BRIAN
How about that? Kick it and it farts. Give me that nozzle. Loony, Stone, hold him.
Stone does. Loony passes the nozzle to Brian.
BRIAN
Jimmy, don't just stand there.
JIMMY BY THE CAR
He reaches out and takes Angela gently by the arm. She is standing with her arms crossed, amazed she has allowed herself into this business.
JIMMY
You do what you want, I'm not going to try and stop you…but you go on and do it without me and Angela. Just do your thing, but I'm not hurting anyone, not me.
INCLUDE ALL
BRIAN
Sure. I understand.
Loony gives Brian an amazed look, but says nothing.
BRIAN
Loony. Get over and help Stone with the old man.
Brian looks at Jimmy and Angela. They both look sick. Brian leans down and looks at Pop with false concern.
BRIAN
You doing okay, geezer? You look a little queasy to me.