[…] July is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to get …read more […]

Scott, thank you for this opportunity. I'm working my way through these... aiming to have all twenty done before the 31st, but will definitely have ten. I've completed seven so far and am catching up now. I really want to do Core-Class Character, and probably either SCENE, THEME or TIME depending... ideally, I finish all twenty in time, register for the first one, then work through that course and hopefully from there determine which one I need most after that. :)

SCENE 19 (PROMPT: A scene with a flashback.) INT. HOUSE – DAY WALLACE (65) scans the mantle, his eyes coming to rest on the photo of his WIFE. They’re young. In love. The brightest futures ahead. His eyes reflect the sadness from within. He picks up the frame, his finger stroking the face of his wife. FLASHBACK: EXT. POND – DAY Wallace and his WIFE, forty years earlier, stand in front of a pond on their wedding day. They smile for a camera. The camera FLASHES – FLASHBACK: INT. HOSPITAL – DAY Wallace holds his wife’s hand as she gives birth. DOCTOR: And push. She screams. Wallace’s face lights up as his son is brought into the world and – FLASHBACK: EXT. HOUSE – DAY Wallace teaches his SON (7) to ride a bike. They look back and smile to Wallace’s wife on the porch. She pulls out a camera and takes a photo – FLASHBACK: EXT. HOUSE – NIGHT A policeman stands at the door with Wallace’s son (17). Wallace brings him into the house where his wife is crying. Wallace removes his belt and moves to the kid – FLASHBACK: POND – DAY Wallace’s son (25) stands in FULL UNIFORM (Navy) with his soon to be WIFE. Wallace’s wife snaps a photo and – FLASHBACK: EXT. FUNERAL – DAY A full military funeral. Wallace’s wife stands with his son’s WIDOW and their two boys (5+3). They both cry. Wallace just stares down at the casket. Numb. FLASHBACK: INT. HOUSE – NIGHT Wallace’s wife (54) lies in bed. A BOTTLE OF PILLS sprawled out next to her. FLASHBACK: INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT Wallace stands in the hospital with a DOCTOR who shakes his head regretfully. PRESENT: INT. HOME – DAY Wallace lies on the floor, one hand grabbing at his chest, the other clutching the photo of his wife. HIS GRANDCHILDREN (now 30+32) run in to help him. Wallace stares up at us, his eyes filled with so many memories. BLACK.

SCENE 10 INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT A lava lamp glows on a wooden dresser. A clump of blankets sits on a bed, presumably, a body lies underneath. RING! – A cell phone goes off on a night stand. The blankets move – an arm pokes out. He reaches out – knocks the cell phone to the ground. It still rings. The blanket swings up and off the bed – reveals CLIFF (24), fully clothed in a football jersey and jean shorts. The whole bed is covered in hundred dollar bills. Cliff itches his back, pulls out a bill and is shocked to see it. He jolts up – fully awake now. Grabs all the money – can't believe it's real. The phone RINGS again. He ignores it as he looks around the room. THE ROOM – A smashed glass on the floor. – Red liquid streaks across the wall. – A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN lays in a bean bag chair. Cliff stands. He feels his pockets, unsure of what to do. The phone RINGS again. Finally, he picks it up and answers: “Hello?” PHONE: Cliff Kensing, how does it feel?! Cliff looks confused. PHONE: One quote. Please. We're going to print in one hour!! Cliff looks at his phone – his face lights up. It all comes back to him. MONTAGE – FLASHBACK – A NIGHT ON THE TOWN - Cliff sits at the bar. Bummed his favorite football team just lost. - A national lottery drawing comes on the TV. - Cliff pulls out his ticket – all the numbers match! - Cliff dances atop the bar! - Cliff runs down the street with a bottle of wine. - He makes out with the Beautiful Girl we saw earlier. INT. BEDROOM – FLASHBACK Cliff smashes the wine bottle on the ground. Red streaks splash against the wall. He tosses hundreds of dollars in the air as he flops down on the bed with the beautiful girl. CUT TO PRESENT TIME. Cliff smiles as he hangs up the phone. He flops down into the pile of money. It's not a dream. His smile gets even wider. Not. A. Dream.

#19-7/25 INT. ART INSTITUTE - DAY Jay turns the corner into the Modernist section. He stops and looks at a painting. PAUL comes up behind him with his DATE. Jay tilts his head, smells something, slowly inhales. He continues to rotate towards the fragrance. He sees the DATE (slim brunette,38) they hold eye contact. INT. BOOKSTORE - DAY Pauls Date, five years younger walks into an independent bookstore, snow falls. Jay, now 38, sits behind the register. KAT-Hi, I’m Kat. I have a job interview. INT. BOOKSTORE - DAY Jay and Kat unpack the weekly new books. KAT-So my husband just got a new job, and now he doesn’t know if he can come with on the fourth of July... JAY-That sucks. Me and Jenna are gonna watch from a friends roof if he wants to see the fireworks. INT. BOOKSTORE - NIGHT The store is closed, they’re locking up. JAY-Walk you to your place? She smiles. KAT=Sure. EXT. PARK - NIGHT They sit on a park bench, wearing heavier clothing than the last scene. The leaves are beginning to change. JAY-Wow, I am so sorry he treats you like that. That’s not normal dude. You don’t deserve it. She turns to him. KAT-How often do you think about m... JAY-...too much. It’s been freaking me out. I’ll help you however I can, but I’m not hurting Jenna. She lightly kicks his shoe. KAT-I don’t want you to. EXT. PARK - NIGHT A HUMAN SIZED SCARECROW sits on the bench. Kids in Halloween costumes walk by it. The scarecrow jumps up. JAY-BOO!! A bright light flashes, the kids run off. Kat is taking photos from a flash bulb camera that was made in the forties. She laughs while wearing a witches hat. INT. APARTMENT - LATER The witches hat is on the floor, as is some straw. Kat sips a beer at Jay’s table, surfs the internet on his laptop. JAY-Dude, this is so fucking itchy. I gotta shower, or straw is gonna end up in Jenna’s bed. That’d be bad. THE SOUND OF THE SHOWER TURNING ON IS HEARD. The bathroom door swings shut, but it is not closed all the way. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Christmas lights are up in Jays apartment. Kat sits on his couch as if she’s been spending a lot of time there, she holds a present. Jay sits too close to her, also holding a present. The slowest exchange of gifts to ever be filmed happens. INT. APARTMENT - LATER On the coffee table are the unwrapped gifts. One, a framed xeroxed copy of divorce papers. The other, a bottle of perfume. EXT. BAR - NIGHT Jay stands outside a bar while wearing a plastic St. Patrick’s day hat. He YELLS into his cell phone. JAY-Dude what the fuck?! I haven’t seen you since fuckin’ January? You get a new job, a new life, and that’s it?! Tell ya what, next time you need help getting out of a loveless fucking marriage, call someone else ok?! INT. ART INSTITUTE - NIGHT Jay and Kat continue to lose themselves in each others presence. PAUL(O.S.)-Uh, you two know each other? JAY-Nope. Kat tilts her head, sad. JENNA (O.S.)-Kat?! Oh my god?! It’s been years!!

SCENE NINETEEN INT. BEDROOM – AFTERNOON JULIE stands in front of a floor length mirror, wearing a gorgeous, intricate wedding gown. MARLEE fusses with Julie’s dress and hair, moving quickly around her while Julie stares at her reflection. Marlee looks at Julie’s expression and straightens up, hugging Julie from behind and meeting her eye in the mirror with a smile. MARLEE: He’s gonna have a heart attack when he sees how beautiful you are in this dress, Jules. Julie smiles wistfully. CUT TO: EXT. PARK – NIGHT, FLASHBACK DERRICK sits with his back against a tree while Julie lies with her head in his lap. He strokes her hair, looking down at her. DERRICK: I don’t know, I think that’s like, the deciding moment or something. You know, she’s got on the super fancy dress that cost way too fucking much and he’s got the shitty rented tux or whatever. And it’s the best either of them will ever look, the most effort either of them will ever put in. And if they don’t have that first moment of just uninterrupted bliss, where they know they’re right for each other, it’s doomed from the start. Julie looks off, contemplating, for a long moment before starting to laugh. JULIE: That is without a doubt the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Derrick smiles and playfully pushes her with his leg. DERRICK: I’m serious though! My dad swears by it. He used to tell me that even in their darkest times, he always thought about the first time he saw my mom in her dress and all the reasons he loved her would come flooding back. As if in that one moment, he cemented all the things he loved about her from the beginning, so that even when they grew older, he’d never forget why they chose each other. Julie smiles, looking up at his face, and they lock eyes. JULIE: So when I’m old and chubby and cranky and we have three screaming, whiny children that are in their worst stages, you can picture me in a frilly white dress and remember that I was once this beautiful, lovable, perfect girl? And poof, all the problems we have then will disappear? Derrick laughs. DERRICK: Yeah, something like that I guess. Julie sits up and kisses him tenderly. JULIE: I like that. That first look better be perfect then, or else there’s no point in getting married at all. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM – AFTERNOON, PRESENT There is a KNOCK at the door. Marlee runs over and cracks it open, sticking her head out. We can hear her whispered end of the conversation. MARLEE: No, dumbass, it’s bad luck! … She’s beautiful of course, but you’ll have to wait … Cause I said so, and I’m the maid of honor! JULIE: Marlee, just let him in. We already talked about it. Marlee looks at her for a long moment, before shrugging and pulling back the door. Julie turns around, a radiant, expectant smile on her face. MARK enters quickly, shaking his head with a smile. MARK: I swear if I hear one more speech from an old man who is confusingly, distantly related to one of us about embarking on a journey, I’m going to need a lot more wine than what we paid for. Julie’s smile falters as he kisses her on the cheek. She offers a forced laugh. MARK: Just a few more hours, though, and then it’s nothing but us for two whole weeks! God, it’s gonna be great. MARLEE: Okay, that’s enough now. Us ladies have some more prep work to do, so out you go. Marlee ushers him to the door. He turns and smiles at Julie. MARK: You look beautiful, Jules. Julie smiles at him as he exits, but something is missing in her eyes.

SCENE 19_M________________________________ EXT.RAILWAY STATION A thin man in blue shirt with pink polka dots, cream shorts and yellow hat with a black suitcase swifts off the running train. And heads straight to the exit. EXT.STREET.DAY He stands there with his back to the CAMERA in front of a door like a statue. People pass by looking at him. He sighs, his hand moves to ring the doorbell and the screen turns black and white and except his hat, his clothes change to white formal shirt and black pants. He rang the doorbell and the door opens without a host, he slides in. By the wall on the staircase, high heels click as the CAMERA PANS with them. It pans up to the lady's body, revealing a thin legged but plump and old woman with white hair and rimmed round glasses. The lady stops at the last stair and they both stare each other as a strange silence drifts in. The man clears his throat. He is about to speak but changes his mind as his head kneels down before the lady. MOM Come on now! Don't waste my time… what d'you want, Charlie? CHARLIE Mmmm…… (Beat) Money He sighs MOM How much? CHARLIE (gesturing with his hands) Around…just half a million… He makes a puppy dog face to his mother. MOTHER Get outta here. CHARLIE Moooom! MOTHER GET OUTTA HERE! He snaps out of the memory as the colour fades in, doorbell about to ring. He hesitates, gives up. He bangs his hand on the door. And yells with anger throwing his suitcase on the floor as it opens empty with a fancy card reading, The Best Mom in the World. Releived as the anger is released. But now its time, His hand reaches the doorbell and it rings. TING TONG! FADE TO BLACK ________________________________________ Thank you for reading. Please comment and let me know how it could've been better. Thanks again =)

SCENE 19 INT. KITCHEN - DAY IRENE starts the coffee maker. She grabs plates and silverware and sets the small kitchen table. She moves to the fridge, pulls out a carton of milk. She sets it on the table. On the side of the carton, a little girl smiles out from a grainy black-and-white photograph. The word MISSING blares out above her, a litany of information below. Irene tilts the carton, staring at the picture on the side. She sighs, sets it down, goes over to the sink. She stares out the window. BETHANY: Mom? Irene turns - the little girl (BETHANY) from the milk carton is sitting at the table. IRENE: Yeah? BETHANY: Who’s that? IRENE: Who? Bethany points to the side of the milk carton on the table. Irene comes over, looks at a picture of a little boy around Bethany’s age. IRENE: That little boy’s missing. BETHANY: Why’s his picture on the milk? IRENE: They’re hoping that someone who’s seen him might see the picture. Then they’ll know he’s missing, and they can call the police and he can be found. BETHANY: But what if nobody calls? IRENE: They’ll still keep looking. Like when you lose something, and you ask Dad or me to help you. You’d still look anyway, but it’s easier when you’ve got other people looking. Bethany’s silent for a minute. BETHANY: Sometimes when I lose things, I don’t find them. She looks up at her mother, her eyes wide. BETHANY: They’ll find him, won’t they? IRENE: They’ll certainly try. And they’ve got all of the people who drink milk helping them look. BETHANY: That’s a lot of people, everyone who drinks milk. IRENE: Yeah, it is. BETHANY (definitively): They’ll find him. Irene goes back to the sink, glances at the kitchen window. RICHARD: Irene? Irene turns around. RICHARD is standing in the doorway, watching her. The chairs around the kitchen table are empty. RICHARD (CONT’D): You OK? Irene glances at the milk carton, hesitates. IRENE: Yeah, I’m fine.

Scene 11 (Day 19) INT. BEDROOM- EARLY MORNING ERICA, 25, glowing mocha skin, beautiful, lies asleep amongst disheveled sheets. She stirs herself awake. She stretches as a smile creeps across her face. She reaches out for someone next to her, but the bed is empty. Her hand finds a folded piece of paper propped on the pillow. She opens it. It reads: Last night was amazing. Call me. She holds the note to her lips, then inhales..... INT. LOUNGE/CLUB- NIGHT FLASHBACK The music is pumping. People are in various states of club-goer ecstasy. They dance and drink. Some are making out. Erica, clad in black leather pants and a white shirt with the collar popped, stands with her back against the wall. She takes a sip of her cocktail. A woman stands in front of her, one hand placed on the wall by Erica's head. This is BETH, 26, tight jeans, midriff t-shirt, and even tighter abs. They are in a flirtatious discussion. Beth nurses a Corona. Beth leans in close and whispers in her ear. Erica laughs. Beth is slow to pull back. Erica inhales slightly and smiles as her fingers graze Beth’s rippled core. Their lips brush slightly as their faces pass. Intentional? Maybe. Beth goes in for the kiss. Erica melts into the wall. FLASH CUTS: Hands caressing tight abs. Jean button plucked open. Lips kiss someone’s neck. Tongues tease lips. Bodies press together END FLASHBACK INT. BEDROOM- EARLY MORNING Erica rolls on her side and hugs her arms closes to her body. She sniffs the note one more time and closes her eyes. Back to the dream.

Scene 19 Today’s prompt: A scene with a flashback. EXT. CARLISLE FARM Cop Cars, EMT vehicles, Corner Van, lights flashing. Gates sits in the back of the ambulance, head bandaged. Arm rolls past on a gurney, medics walk at his side. Gates walks over to Arm. GATES: How you feeling? ARM: A little rough. Thanks. GATES: She was all evil. Arm smiles. ARM: Clear something up for me. You told me Michael died of cancer. But that’s not entirely true. GATES: No. That’s true. ARM: Shep said he overdosed. Oxycodone. GATES: We were just starting our life. FLASHBACK INT: SLOCUM HOME MICHAEL (25) gaunt, sickly, lays in bed. Gates (25) at his side. GATES (V.O.): One day planning a family. Next cancer. MICHAEL: I want you to live a full life. Please let me do this. GATES (V.O): We were married less then a year. GATES: I want to be here. With you. This is where I belong. GATES (V.O.): It metastasized very fast. Constant pain. MICHAEL: No. We’ll never be apart. But you have to do this for me. Go build a family. And the life we dreamed. Remember I’ll always be with you. Gates sobbing, nods, places the bottle of pills in Michael’s hand. GATES: I love you so much. Gates kisses him a long good-bye, crying. GATES (V.O.): I’d pleaded with him but in the end I knew it was the right thing to do. For him. Gates stands, runs out. EXT. SLOCUM HOME Gates runs to her Firebird, screams away. PRESENT EXT. CARLISLE FARM Tears stream down Gates’ face, she wipes them away. GATES: So you see, I couldn’t tell anyone. ARM: I’m so sorry. What are you going to do now? GATES: Call Alexis. You get well Arm. We need good guys around here. Arm nods. The EMTs load Arm into the ambulance. Gates looks to the kitchen INT. KITCHEN Gates dials the phone. GATES: Hi Alexis. It’s me Gates. Do you have a moment? Gates sits at the counter.

SCENE 19-(this is taken from the script I’m working on, all except for the flashback scene) Liam and his neighbor Makenna are getting to know each other over lunch when Liam asks what prompted her to pursue medicine. Makenna’s admission of practically being forced to do so by her controlling father forces her to confront in flashback how she didn’t fight for her dream to teach. LIAM So what made you become a doctor? MAKENNA My father wanted it. LIAM Seriously? MAKENNA Well to be fair, medicine was not my first choice. I wanted to teach elementary school but my dad pressed me to pursue medicine. LIAM Damn. You spent a long time in school pursuing something you aren’t passionate about. MAKENNA Oh I like it now. Do I love it? Can’t say that, but it’s an honorable profession. LIAM Yeah it is. But so is teaching. Makenna doesn’t say anything, just looks away. FLASHBACK INT. MAKENNA’S CHILDHOOD HOME-DINING ROOM-EVENING Makenna just found out she has been accepted to medical school. She is seen at a celebratory dinner with her father and stepmother. GEORGE This is a momentous occasion. My daughter is going to medical school! MAGGIE I propose a toast. To the most beautiful and smartest future MD on the planet. Salut! MAKENNA Guys enough already. MAGGIE Are we embarrassing you? MAKENNA Yes you are. GEORGE Makenna you should be extremely proud of yourself. The University of Washington medical program is very hard to get into. MAGGIE It sure is. Revel in your accomplishment. GEORGE I know what this is about. You’re still mad at me for urging you to pursue medicine rather than teaching aren’t you? MAKEENNA Dad don’t be ridiculous! GEORGE Makenna, medicine is going to open so many doors for you. Way more doors than teaching ever could! MAKENNA So you’ve said. But what about my being happy? Does that mean anything to you? GEORGE Ok Makenna, I’ve about had enough of this whining and mopey behavior. MAGGIE Let’s cut the cake now. Makenna? MAKENNA Let’s cut the cake. MAGGIE I’ll go get some plates. When Maggie leaves, George and Makenna sit in silence each consumed with their own thoughts.

SCENE 19 INT. TAXI - DAY MARCUS, a dressed-up business man, sits in the back of a taxi, bored out of his mind. Just then, he sees a gorgeous blonde on the side of the road, waving the taxi down. MARCUS Pal, go pick her up, would ya? TAXI DRIVER You kidding me? I do one passenger at a time, this isn’t a bus service. MARCUS Bud, how about you tack on an extra twenty to my fare, yeah? The taxi driver sighs, then pulls over to the side of the road. The gorgeous blonde gets in. BLONDE Thank you so much, I need to get to Times Square, please. TAXI DRIVER Times Square? You fucking mad, lady? That’s out- MARCUS Just take the lady to Times Square, pal. You gonna leave a pretty lady like that standing on the side of the road, all by herself in the middle of NYC? The blonde smiles at Marcus. TAXI DRIVER Alright, get in. But Times Square and that’s it. The blonde steps in, taking the empty seat next to Marcus. MARCUS Marcus Scott, and you are? BLONDE Oh, my name’s Tifanny. MARCUS Tifanny, gorgeous name. Where you from? BLONDE Oh, is it that obvious I’m a tourist? MARCUS Yup. They both laugh. BLONDE Chicago. Born and raise. MARCUS Hmm. Chicago. Never been. BLONDE And you? MARCUS Los Angeles. BLONDE Really? You don’t seem like the type. MARCUS What type do I seem like to you? BLONDE You look like you’re from here, like you belong. MARCUS Good god. That’s an insult, I fucking hate the people that live here. Except you, Adnan. The taxi driver grunts, his name clearly not Adnan. A bit of a silence between the two, as her comment clearly seems to have struck a cord with Marcus. He stares out the window, looking saddened. INT. TAXI - FLASHBACK We see 12-year old Marcus, sitting in an older taxi, staring out the window. Next to him are his mom and dad, the three of them cramped into the back row of the taxi. Driving the taxi is a middle-eastern gentleman that looks identical to the one in present day. FATHER Excuse me, but this seems like we’re going out of the way. Where’s Times Square? TAXI DRIVER Just sit and relax, there’s only one way. You take taxi’s back where your from? FATHER We’re from LA, so no. TAXI DRIVER Exactly. Well, this is how it’s done. I’ll give you a pass because you’re foreigners. Marcus’ father is silenced. MOTHER Marcus, why are you being so quiet? Bill, why is he being so quiet? FATHER He’s upset. I promised him we’d go to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. MOTHER Well, Marcus, you can see both from our hotel. And besides, I already told you, this isn’t a fun vacation, this is just a quick layover on the way to Paris. Marcus stares out the window, sullen. Later on, the taxi pulls up in front of a hotel. Marcus’s father and his mother step out of the car, getting out on the side facing the sidewalk. MOTHER (CONT’D) Marcus, help daddy take the suitcases. Marcus, not paying attention, gets out on the side facing the street. EXT. TIMES SQUARE - DAY He is standing in the middle of the street, and he looks up, seeing an army of yellow taxis facing him, honking their horns. TAXI DRIVER 1 Get the fuck out the road kid! TAXI DRIVER 2 Move it or lose it! Marcus is frozen. Unable to do anything, he begins to cry, then huddles up into the fetal position on the street.

SCENE 6 INT. GUN RANGE – NIGHT Gail stands at the gun range, earmuffs on. Raises her gun to the target with steely determination. GAIL'S POV: The BLURRY target crystalizes into a mugshot of Evan. Gail stiffens, then crumples as she's hit by a wave of morning sickness. MUSIC UP: ONE BY U2 EXT. UPSTATE U QUAD – AFTERNOON – FLASHBACK Happier times with Gail and Evan, the two of them twirling around in the leaves at the school gala. INT. GAIL’S BEDROOM – NIGHT - FLASHBACK Evan runs in to comfort 16 year old Gail from her nightmares. EXT. ART MUESUM – NIGHT - FLASHBACK Gail running tearfully away from a masked ball, her cheap dress torn at the bottom. A TRUCK pulls up to her, following her as she wipes away her tears. REVEAL Evan at the wheel, offering her popcorn, tossing some at her, trying to cheer her up. Finally, whisking her away, Gail laughing as they speed off. INT. GUN RANGE – NIGHT Gail's hand is shaking so badly that she DROPS the gun, choking back sobs. Theo picks it up. Puts it back into her hands, gripping it firmly with his own. Pulls back her earmuffs to whisper - THEO You have to choose for yourself. Not for the past. Not for those who you think controls you. Just let it go - and you will find peace. CLOSE IN ON Gail's face. Full of emotions: regret, anger, despair, and finally, determination. Looks straight ahead. BANG! She fires her first shot – way off the mark. Undeterred, she nods to Theo. Gail Let go. Theo steps back. Gail lines up her second shot with an alert, pissed off look – BANG! Theo CLAPS, impressed. THEO Bullseye! Gail turns back to the target. Lines up her shot, then in rapid succession – BANG BANG BANG! Nails every one.

Scene 14 EXT. STREET – DAY Small city. A young boy steals an apple from a street vendor and sprints away. STREET VENDOR: stop that boy (yells) Two strong hands grab the boy, causing his apple to fall onto the ground. The strong hands belong to a cop. He picks up the apple and hands it to the boy. COP: I don’t think returning this apple will help anyone. Here it’s yours. The little boy grabs it, takes a huge bit and wants to run away but the cop doesn’t let him loose. He stares at the boy. He might be 8. He looks like he hasn’t seen any shower for a few days. COP: don’t steal again. What’s your name boy (boy looks afraid) don’t be afraid. BOY: 12 Cop smiles. He doesn’t believe the kid. COP: where is your mum? (boy shakes his head) dad? Boy shrugs. COP: Let me bring you home. Where do you live? Boy is aware of the trick question. He thinks a few beats. BOY: there He points in the direction of an old factory COP: it’s a closed area. What’s your name? BOY: Andy ---Sullivan COP: you’re the youngest brother of the Sullivans, living in Nyrode Street? Boy nods yes. Cop gets impatient. He tightens his grip. COP: okay listen, Nyrode Street doesn’t exist. Tell me the truth Boy: I’m with the Sullivans Cop gets pissed off. COP: Where do you live? The boy points in another direction. Cop follows his finger. There are no houses there save for an old building. COP: you know what. You’re going to show me where you live or I have to call child services. Boy gets anxious. He tries to run away but the cop is too strong. Boy: let me go. My mum is waiting for me. COP: you don't have a mother--you told me so Boy: I have. Let me go. Cop ushers the child to his car. COP: show me where she is and I’ll bring you there. At that moment, four other kids of different ages come up. They start a street fight. Huge fighting. The cop pushes the boy into the car. COP: don't move. Cop runs to the boys but then they run away. COP: hey! He gets an ugly feeling and turns to his car. It’s empty. The boy has disappeared. He looks around. He’s nowhere to find.

-SCENE 19- INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT LIZ (25) and LIAM (9) eat dessert. Liam is in a button up shirt with a silver paratrooper pin over his heart. Most other guests are gathered in the adjacent living room. LIAM: I'm going to do what Jon does. LIZ: Be an engineer? LIAM: Yeah, but for the IDF. LIZ: Not a paratrooper? LIAM: Well maybe. I don't know yet. LIZ: So you liked Israel? LIAM: I did… It was scary. We went into the shelter a lot, because of the rockets. And sometimes we didn't make it to the shelter, so we huddled the living room. INT. ISRAELI COFFEE SHOP - DAY - FLASHBACK A YOUNG LIZ (9) sits with her MOTHER (41) at the counter, eating a pastry. A BLAST is heard. LIZ: What was that? MOTHER: A sonic boom. Remember we heard some yesterday… from the jets? BACK TO PRESENT LIZ: This was in Tel Aviv? LIAM: Yep, but we only stayed there a few days. We got scared. I kept asking, "Why did we came to Israel," and saying I wanted to go home. We couldn't, so we caught up with my dad's Birthright group instead. INT. ISRAELI COFFEE SHOP - DAY - FLASHBACK Another BLAST is heard. People run into the shop shouting, some covered in blood. An EMPLOYEE opens a door behind the counter. EMPLOYEE: Bo-oo Le?mata! Le?mata! Liz's mom picks her up. LIZ: Mom? MOTHER: It's going to be okay. Close your eyes. CUT TO BLACK. A third BLAST is heard. BACK TO PRESENT LIZ: You're not going to be scared when you go back? LIAM: … I'll be braver when I grow up... And I'll be smart. Nobody died when we were there, but- My dad told me about this woman. She was dumb. She heard a siren, but she didn't go to shelter. She went to the window to look at the sky, and she died. LIZ: That's terrible. LIAM: Yeah, so the trick is: you have to be smart. LIZ: And lucky. You have to be lucky too.

Scene 5 VOICE OVER WITH THE SCREEN BLACK YOUNG JACOB: You're not gonna actually leave are you? INT. LABRATORY – DAY The laboratory houses shelves of equipment and cradles the display of a large lawnmower-looking device. JACOB, late 40s, is doing last minute tinkering on a device. His hair is thinning and his face is determined. OLIVIA, early 20s, is putting on a suit that looks like she might be ready for space travel. She looks like a professional who knows what she's doing. OLIVIA (VO): Jacob...I can't stay here. FLASHBACK EXT. PARK – DAY Olivia is sitting on a bench. She looks exactly the same as she did before. Across from her is YOUNG JACOB who has just turned 18. They kiss deeply but quickly. She leans on him and he holds her. OLIVIA (VO): What's your progress? PRESENT TIME INT. LABRATORY – DAY The lawnmower-looking machine is not as complete here. We see Jacob at a worktable examining a mechanism that will become part of the machine. JACOB: Hm. I've hit an impasse but it shouldn't be too difficult to figure it out. What was the good news you wanted to tell me? OLIVIA: Good to hear. We might have angels on our side soon. JACOB: I don't believe God would approve of our meddling with time in such a way. OLIVIA (stares): I meant investors. JACOB (looks up at her and smiles): Oh, right, ha. Yes that is good news. OLIVIA (VO): Do you even believe in God? FLASHBACK INT. DORMROOM – NIGHT Young Jacob is lying on the bed with Olivia's head on his stomach. YOUNG JACOB (shrugs): I always thought...that if there was someone looking out for me, it wasn't a dude in the sky. OLIVIA: So who would it be? YOUNG JACOB: I don't know. But sometimes I get the feeling I'm being watched over—looked out for. Olivia turns over to face him. OLIVIA: Maybe you are. JACOB (VO): I am not crazy. PRESENT INT. LAB – DAY The contraption isn't built at all. It's just the workstations and lots of papers and blueprints around. JACOB: It can be done. I know it for sure. OLIVIA (looking around): So why me? There are people who are more...qualified for this. JACOB (looks at her, smiles to himself): I honestly don't know why you. I just know it has to be you. Olivia gives him a weird look. YOUNG JACOB (VO): Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy? FLASHBACK INT. BAR – NIGHT Young Jacob and Olivia at a bar. Full of people Jacob's age (at that time). OLIVIA (laughs): Probably because you are. YOUNG JACOB (smiles): Probably. Doesn't mean I'm wrong though. OLIVIA (shakes her head): It sure doesn't.

This was awesome, visuals seemed amazing

Was the boy the flashback?

Scene 19 EXT. TOWN SQUARE - NIGHT TONY CARINO (27) sways as he saunters down Main Street. Wrinkled and stained clothes, greasy hair, he's on the wrong end of a two day binder. He crosses the street to a corner coffee shop. Lights out, the place is closed. He presses his forehead against the glass door and cups his hands around his face. TONY'S POV A small seating area, chairs on top of the tables. FLASHBACK INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Tony is seated at a table, reading a well-worn book on poetry. He glances up to catch SARAH (23), looking at him with her beautiful hazel eyes. He darts his eyes back down to his book, slowly drifts his gaze back up to see her smiling at him. BACK TO PRESENT Tony drops his arms and lurks away. He trips over a chair in the patio area, looks down at the metal table. FLASHBACK Tony and Sarah are having lunch at the table. Tony nervously rubs his arm as they chat. He notices Sarah chewing her lower lip with a shy smile. BACK TO PRESENT Tony buries his face in his hands as he stumbles into the street. HONK! A car stops short of hitting him. He turns and looks at the vehicle, glassy-eyed. The car honks again but Tony doesn't budge. FLASHBACK INT. CAR Sarah is at the wheel, honking at the traffic ahead. She lets out a frustrated sigh and leans back in her seat. Tony reaches over to rub her back, they share a smile and he kisses her shoulder. BACK TO PRESENT The car angrily swerves past the drunken man. He just watches it go, continues on his way. LATER Tony walks past a fancy restaurant, stares through the window. The place is packed. Well-dressed people are inside enjoying dinner, having a laugh, enjoying life. FLASHBACK INT. RESTAURANT Tony watches as a waiter sets down a covered platter in front of Sarah. The waiter dramatically whisks open the lid and there - a ring box on the plate. Sarah brings her hands to her face as her eyes water. She begins shaking her head - YES! BACK TO PRESENT The same waiter from the flashback is at the window, furiously shooing the vagrant away from the restaurant. Tony, sullen, tears in his eyes, walks away. LATER Tony is walking along a bridge. Sobbing uncontrollably, he barely manages to not fall on his face with each step. FLASHBACK EXT. BRIDGE - DAY Sarah is crying, shaking, as she tries to take off her ring. Tony stands in a daze, she puts the ring in his palm but he lets it fall to the ground as she walks away. BACK TO PRESENT Tony is at the ledge of the bridge. He lifts up his arms like the wings of a bird, sways back and forth a beat, then topples forward to his death.

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY MATT, 21, JOE, 21, and twins CHRIS and SEANN all sit in Matt’s downstairs living room. Joe and Chris are playing a video game, and intently focused on doing so. Sounds of EXPLOSIONS, ENERGY BLASTS, etc. coming from the television. MATT: This really is awesome. CHRIS: Yeah it is. SEANN: I’ve been waiting for something like this for a while. It’s kind of like Mortal Combat, but with superheroes. MATT: I can’t believe I have to go back for final period with fucking Senorita Fuckface. Joe, are you done for the day? JOE: Yezzir. Fuck! Joe tosses the controller on the ground, the sounds on the TV clearly indicating his character has just been killed. MATT: Asshole, that’s my controller. CHRIS: Not a single one of you can fuck with me. Seann walks around and picks up the controller. SEANN: Let’s do this. CUT TO – SCREEN A character selection list has popped up. There is one blank spot in the bottom right-hand corner. There are multiple superheroes and villains on screen. Chris has chosen a slavering, skinless demon with three arms and a tongue lolling over its razor-teeth named AZAROTH. SEANN: Who’s the blank spot in the corner? JOE: It’s fucking Captain Conqurion. You have to unlock him though. SEANN: Damnit. I wanted to be him, I didn’t know you had to fucking unlock him. JOE: Dude, can you imagine if this other thing existed in real life? Like, Conqurion was going around Main Street in Philly eradicating a demon-mage named Azaroth instead of just merc’ing normal dudes? CHRIS: I’ve always wondered about that. I still cannot believe we are in a world where an actual, real-life superhero exists. He’s basically Batman, for Chrissakes. Makes you wonder if shit like Azaroth is on the way. JOE: He doesn’t have any actual superpowers, man. He’s basically just a high tech special forces dude. MATT: How is FLYING not a superpower? JOE: Dude, he’s got a jetpacky, glider-thing. Or something. MATT: Do you even know the kind of training, focus, and dedication it takes to reach that kind of level of technical and athletic prowess- JOE: Or money, to buy a bunch of cool shit. MATT: -Take the highest level of athlete in every event in the Olympics, and this dude is equal to or BETTER than NINETY percent of them. Add in the martial arts and weapons training and the fact that he continuously pilots a fucking clearly barely-tested jetpack, and the man is a SUPERHERO. JOE: Jeez dude, ride his dick a little more. CHRIS: Dude, Conqurion saved him when he was a kid. Joe turns and looks wide-eyed at Matt, who is clearly worked up and upset. JOE: No he didn’t. SEANN: Yeah, he did. JOE: Did he? MATT: Yeah. FLASHBACK TO: EXT. INDEPENDENCE HALL – DAY There is a massive traffic jam outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia. There are cars on fire at regular intervals. Helicopters can be heard overhead ZOOMING BY. One of the burning cars has t-boned a Toyota Camry, inside of which there are two trapped pedestrians. The pedestrians are 7 YEAR OLD MATT and his mother, LAUREN. INT. CAR - DAY Lauren is screaming and crying. Matt is silent but clearly very scared. His head is bleeding from impact with the window. His mother’s side of the car has been collapsed by the flaming car, and she is strewn terribly over the middle console, covered in glass and blood. There doesn’t seem to be any police officers even near enough to get over the stack of crashed cars and through the other, surrounding explosions. CONQURION, heavily muscled and in golden armor and facemask, suddenly SLAMS DOWN from the sky, landing with massive force outside of Matt’s window. Matt screams. Conqurion’s golden wings retract elegantly into the massive jetpack on his back. He strides over to the car and grabs the edges of the door next to Matt. Two extensions from his gauntlets shoot out like bullets, cracking into the metal of the door like pistons. He pulls and with a mighty effort RIPS the door off, and pulls Matt out. He shoves the other seat away and climbs through the car door, through which he barely fits. He examines Lauren, gets out and goes around the car to the driver’s side, jumping onto the hood of the flaming car. He is nearly engulfed in flames as he does the same maneuver with the hood of the car, prying it open like a tuna can. He extends his wings to block the flame and gingerly removes Lauren from the seat, jumping off of the top of the car, grabbing Matt by the arm and carrying them both at a full sprint away from the scene. The car behind them explodes again in a ball of fire. INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY JOE: Holy. Shit. He ripped a car door off? MATT: Don’t tell me that somebody that can do that is not a superhero.

SCENE 10! INT. NORTH HIGH CONSTRUCTION SITE- UNDERGROUND - NIGHT Darkness. JASON, 15, wakes up packed in dirt. BURIED ALIVE. Bugs crawl around him. With much effort, he can wiggle his fingers. Breathing is shallow. He whimpers. Breathing slows. FLASHBACK - A SERIES OF MOMENTS: Five-year-old Jason playing with a vibrant ANNA, his mother, at a park. Anna, walking slowly, assisted by an attentive RAY, her husband and Jason's father. Her hair and frame are thinner. A frail Anna wheezing in bed with loved ones around her, holding back tears. Anna’s closed casket funeral, a near stoic Ray, and a hysterical Jason, carried out by two MALE RELATIVES. JASON: Mommy! I want my mommy! Please! His desperate flails and screams elicit tears from his relatives. Ray remains facing forward, tears streaming but unyielding to his son. A teary Aunt Dee holds Jason to her bosom, rocking. It does little to assuage his pain. AUNT DEE: Be strong, baby. She would want that. Hear me? Be strong for her. Her words, "Be strong," repeat, gentle and distant. BACK TO PRESENT Jason’s CRYSTAL starts glowing, faint, then brighter. He manages to open his eyes. Empowered by anger, he pushes . . . pushes. . . moves the dirt by inches, then feet. It's a momentous task. He struggles upward, until- SURFACE. FREEDOM. RAIN pours down overhead. He gasps, breaking through the ground. He collapses prostrate, breathing erratic. Thankful. Outraged.

@heathenistic scene 19 INT. FAMILY HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY. James, late 20s, fit, strong back, stands alone in the hallway - he's facing one of the closed doors in the hall. His face reads terrified. He slowly reaches out for the handle, turns it. It opens with a CLICK. Pulling open the door, he peers inside - it's the stairs to the pitch-black basement. As if summoning the courage to do so, he takes a first step down. then another. He reaches the bottom, fumbles around feeling for the light-switch. Eyes darting around the room, terrified. His fingers find the lightswitch. FLICK it on. In a flash, the light is BLINDINGLY BRIGHT. A flash of the lit empty basement, save for a dirty couch, then James squeezes his eyes shut. FLASHBACK - SAME BASEMENT ROOM - MORE FURNITURE An old man sits on the dirty couch, watching television - a YOUNGER JAMES stands behind him, shaking but unnoticed. Young James suddenly grabs the throat of the old man, viciously strangling him, shaking and squeezing with all his might. The old man struggles as-- PRESENT BASEMENT James quickly opens his eyes, staring again at the empty couch. Takes a deep breath. exhales.

INT. CAR - DAY RYAN sits behind the wheel of his truck, WINDOWS DOWN IN THE HEAT. The traffic is slow and dense. Ryan crawls to a halt in the line of traffic at the lights, behind a beat-up FORD EXPLORER. The lights turn to green but the traffic doesn’t move. A CAR HORN BLASTS to the right and Ryan’s head snaps over to look at an ANGRY DRIVER - an angry, bald-headed middle-manager. ANGRY DRIVER: (Shouting) Get a goddamn move on! Ryan looks back to his own lane. The FORD EXPLORER has disappeared, replaced by an ARMY HUMVEE, covered in dust. The HUMVEE EXPLODES. Ryan looks again to his right again. The middle-manager gone, replaced by JAKE FLEMING, sitting in the passenger seat of the truck. JAKE: (Shouting) Get the fuck out! Outside the truck is a fog of brown dust. The HUMVEE gone, the traffic gone, the road gone. A hand suddenly lands on Ryan’s shoulder. WORRIED DRIVER (O.S.) Dude! Ryan is back in his truck. All the traffic is gone. WORRIED DRIVER stands at his window, a hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

INT. CAVE 3000 B.C - DAY CAVEMAN pokes at the embers of a fire. CAVEWOMAN enters the cave with a moose slung over her back. CAVEWOMAN: Ugh, ugh, ugh! CAVEMAN: Ugh. Cavewoman plonks the moose down, skins it, removes the entrails. She throws a lump of moosefat onto the fire. Caveman gazes into flames that begin to flicker. FLASHBACK VARIOUS Caveman stalks through trees, makes bird calls, catches a bird. Alone. Caveman swims in a waterfall's splash pool. Alone. Caveman hunts a mammoth, kills it, eats the raw meat, satisfied and alone. Caveman flints a fire, thrilled with himself when he ignites it. Smoke billows from the fire, he coughs a bit, but is happy and alone. Caveman runs across a plain, climbs a small mound. He stands atop it and flicks his long caveman hair in the sunlight like a supermodel. Nearby a primitive big wildcat shrieks, he turns to see Cavewoman wrestle with the big wildcat, she gains the upperhand. Caveman blinks at the vision, hypnotised. FLASHFORWARD Cavewoman notices a shell necklace beside Caveman. Cavewoman: Ugh ugh? Caveman: Ugh. He places the necklace around her neck. Cavewoman hands Caveman slippers made fresh from the skins. He tries them on, they fit snugly. Caveman: Ugh, ugh. Life ain't so bad.

Scene Nineteen.

SCENE 19: INT. CORP OFFICES – DAY: TONY (40s) is at his desk. His phone rings. Tony’s voice is drab and down. TONY: Hey Jake, how are you? JAKE (O.S.): Hey Tone. What’s up man? You sound down. Where’s the good old Tone? Tony looks around. The place is brightly lit. He’s completely out of it. There are banks of low cubicles as far as he can see. TONY: I’m living in the fucking white man’s Matrix. FLASHBACK: Tony is at home on his couch. His computer is on a table in front of him. He has a remote keyboard on his lap and a mouse on the table next to him. He types away and then dials his phone. He’s totally upbeat. TONY: Yo nigga. What’s up bro? JAKE (O.S.): Hey Tony, my man. It’s always good to hear your voice in the morning. TONY: Hey bro, I got that software you’ve been wanting. I’ll send a link. JAKE: Oh man! Way cool dude. I knew you’d hook me up. TONY: That’s what I’m here for bro. Later. He hangs up. - END FLASHBACK. TONY: What was I saying…? So yeah man. I can’t deal with this office shit an all these bright lights. I mean the people are really nice. But all they talk about is sports shit and how much money they make. Then they spend three hours a day driving home in traffic at 5 miles an hour. This is total insanity man. Three hours in traffic? What the fuck? JAKE (O.S.): Tell me about it. Hey Tome, didn’t your always do that yoga meditation thing to cut your stress? TONY: Not a bad idea bro. Yeah, I always had it together with that shit. Later. Tony hangs up, leans back in his chair, and closes his eyes. FLASHBACK: Tony is at home sitting on his couch with his head back. He is off in another world. MONTAGE: Fantastic images of colors and shapes moving in harmony with geometric patterns. Tony is completely relaxed, and hardly breathing. BOSSMAN: Mr. Frier. Mr. Frier! END FLASHBACK Tony opens his eyes his boss stands in front of him. BOSSMAN: Mr. Frier, we don’t pay you to sleep. Tony slowly comes out of it as the boss gets more inpatient with him. TONY: Oh that wasn’t sleep man. It was meditation. Did you know that it’s been proven that steel workers are 40% more productive with cat naps every two hours? BOSSMAN: No Tony. I didn’t know that. Are you suggesting…? TONY: Nothing boss. But I did have a vision. I just realized that everything this company does takes twice as long and is ten times as fucked up as what it could be. Not to mention that you spend 10% of your life in a crawling parking lot. The boss is bewildered. He has no response. TONY: That’ll be all. BOSSMAN: Your project… TONY: …was finished yesterday. Isn’t there a meeting…? BOSSMAN: Oh yeah, right. We’ll talk later. He leaves. TONY: Later.

Scene nineteen continues from yesterday's eighteen: INT. VAN - DAY Majo is tied and gagged, she cries. INT. SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK) Majo wears a schoolgirl uniform, she talks with José, he wears a schoolboy uniform. JOSé Hey, I just heard Christina was kidnapped. MAJO I know. Poor girl. I hope she's released. JOSé I'm grateful I'm not rich like her, or they would kidnap me and ask for ransom. MAJO We should go to a place people aren't kidnapped. Like America. JOSé Good idea. A nice vacation on the land of Mickey Mouse. MAJO I was thinking of a longer stay. JOSé How about going there to learn English. Together, you and me in the USA. MAJO Far away where people aren't kidnapped. To be continued...

DAY NINETEEN: A scene with a flashback. INT. LIVING ROOM – UNSPECIFIED The curtains are drawn tight. The shutters are closed, with a fine coating of dust that is just barely visible with the few bits of sunshine that get through the slats. The room is dark, an interesting shade of brown shading covering the room. In a corner, a figure is sitting at a desk, furiously writing at a desk. Zooming in, the figure is a young man: JOHN. His hair is long, but not wholly untaken care of – he just looks in desperate need of a wash and trim, maybe. He does, however, look like he hasn’t actually slept a full night for a few days at least. Maybe longer. Zooming in on the handwriting, we can see that he is writing a letter and we watch the words go by as he writes until they blur out of focus and into the flashback. JOHN (V.O.): Dear mom. Nothing makes sense. I’ve done what the therapist said. I have written down every little detail of what I remember. I wrote about the deserts, those empty deserts. All of the sand. I’ve written about the people that I helped and that I shot. I wrote about the women’s eyes and how they beautiful they must be and how I wish I could tell each one sorry for being in their country and forcing our lives on them. I wrote about him… FLASHBACK TO: EXT. KAMDESH, AFGHANISTAN (2009) During an intense battle, we see two men shooting out into the desert in front of them. There is a veritable hail of bullets all around them as men drop occasionally, crying out in pain, clutching at different wounds and ruined limbs. JOHN: They’re calling us back! C’mon, Jeremy! I have to leave! Jeremy keeps shooting as they try to run back. They make it a few feet before Jeremy abruptly falls to the ground, unmoving. John stares down at his friend’s body. The face is hauntingly calm, almost smiling. Jeremy’s eyes are closed. John is momentarily frozen before a bullet grazes his arm, pulling him back to reality. He runs and joins up with the rest of his troop. BACK TO PRESENT JOHN (V.O.): Momma, he didn’t have time to close his eyes.

Scene 19 (20th entry! Woo!) EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - ROOF - DAY JACK (30s) stands on the ledge. His arms outstretched ready for a swan dive. Then he LEAPS off the roof - head first to his life’s end... TIME SLOWS as the pavement approaches... JACK (V.O.) Nothing left to live for. Jack closes his eyes, his last seconds on earth. JACK (V.O.) How did it come to this? INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - FLASHBACK Jack scrolls through his DVR. JACK Nice, I’ve got a whole season of Game of Thrones waiting. Play all. The DVR deletes all. JACK (CONT’D) No, no they’re all deleted. Well... BACK TO PRESENT Jack is moments from hitting the pavement. JACK (V.O.) Damn, I guess I could have just bought the box set. Jack falls to his death.