And Now for Something Completely Different…
Well, not totally. Because I’ve been so busy, I decided a teaser would be best, but I figured I’d give you something completely different. How about some of the script I wrote for last year’s Script Frenzy? It’s called Resolution and it’s a paranormal, young adult kind of thing.
Little to no editing has been done on it, so please excuse typos and other issues. It’s the first and only script I’ve written. This is the opening scene. Let me know what you think!
/Gah! Sorry the formatting is wonky. I don’t have the time at the moment to fix it. Hopefully it’s not totally unreadable.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
EXT. AN OVERGROWN WOODED PATH – EARLY EVENING
RED Converse sneakers SLAM against the leaf covered ground.
The sounds of dry leaves crackling and snapping twigs are
almost drowned out by the sound of HEAVY PANTING.
The feet stumble as they change direction slightly, trying
to keep on the path because veering off would only slow them
down.
They continue to POUND the earth before one tip gets caught
under an exposed root.
The running body pitches forward. Knees and palms hit the
dirt, putting holes into clothing and skin. Skid marks and
indentations are left in the ground as she struggles to get
upright.
The shoe is stuck. Long blonde hair whips in the wind as she
turns to look over her shoulder.
Trembling hands move quickly but fumble as she unties the
shoe. Soft WHIMPERS escape her as she tries to pull up on
the root to allow room to slide her foot out of shoe.
SUCCESS. A multi-colored stripped sock appears and there’s a
loud SIGH. A hand reaches for the shoe.
The obvious sound of running is getting closer.
The shoe is forgotten as the feet set off back down the
path. Injuries and missing a shoe makes the pace slower, but
as the familiar expanse of the black roadway comes into
view, she puts on a burst of speed.
The camera around her neck bounces against her chest. She
raises a hand to try to hold it still. The camera is
important and she can’t risk it being damaged.
EXT. A SMALL TOWN MAIN STREET – CONTINUOUS
All the small shop windows are dark. The streets are empty.
A piece of newspaper blows in the wind.
The extra speed she put on to leave the woods has her shoe
covered foot making loud sounds against the asphalt in the
quiet night.
She makes a split second decision to slow down and pull off
the other shoe, throwing it so it lands in a bush next to
the lattice worked bottom of the white bandstand that held
the small town’s summer concerts.
Her shoeless feet make no sound as she sprints down the
empty road. Glancing over her shoulder, she sees nothing
but hears a rattling in the brush behind her. She has not
lost her assailant.
Head whipping back and forth, she searches for a light, any
light, to show that someone may still be in one of the
shops, regardless of the fact that it’s a holiday. She is
out of luck.
Knowing the longer she stays out in the open, the harder it
will be to lose the person chasing her, she decides hiding
is her best option. She takes a QUICK left and DUCKS into a
dark alleyway between two brick buildings.
EXT. A DARK ALLEY – CONTINUOUS
She spots a bright green dumpster and runs to the far side.
For a moment, she leans against the brick wall before
SLIDING down to hide herself. CROUCHING next to the
dumpster, she tries to catch her breath. Her arms are
wrapped tightly around her knees as she tries to make
herself as small as possible and keep from shaking. The
brick wall is cold against her back and scratches at her
skin where her jacket has lifted up when she slid down the
wall.
The sound of hard soled shoes slap outside the mouth of the
alley and stop. She holds her breath and shuts her eyes,
but opens them quickly, thinking she wants to know if
something is coming.
As the feet begin to move again, the sound is fading and she
knows they are walking away. Remaining crouched, she lets
go of her knees and puts her hands behind her, palms against
the wall so she can get up.
SLOWLY she raises and looks over the top of the dumpster.
The mouth of the alley is empty and she hears nothing but
her own harsh breathing which has not calmed down much.
Her shoeless feet allow her a nearly soundless journey from
the dumpster to the mouth of the alley. She stops right
before stepping out to look to her left. Nothing is there.
She turns her head to the right and before she can even
gasp, a large hand SHOOTS out and covers almost her entire
face, pushing her back into the darkness of the alley.
One of her hands tries to remove the man’s hand covering her
face while the other reaches out toward her attacker’s face.
Fingernails rake against his stubble covered cheek. The man
grunts and pushes her back HARD against the brick wall.
The back of her head connects with the brick causing a THUD
that sounds deafening inside her head. She feels a sticky
warmth begin to bloom. When he pulls her head away from the
wall, she feels strands of hair sticking to the coarse brick
work.
She flails and kicks out with her leg, hoping to catch him
in the crotch, but catches him in the shin instead. He
growls and SLAMS her head against the wall another time.
Eyes flutter shut as her body sags a bit in his grasp. He
brings his other hand up around her throat, removing the
hand covering her mouth.
He brings his face very close to hers.
CAROLINE
(crying)
Please. Please don’t hurt me.
MAN
What did you see?
CAROLINE
(shaking her head as best she
can in his grip)
Nothing! I swear I saw nothing.
He grabs at the camera around her neck.
MAN
Oh, I beg to differ my dear.
CAROLINE’s eyes grow wide and panicked as he tightens his
grip around her neck.
With his other hand he fumbles to turn the camera around so
the LCD screen faces him. Pressing the power button causes
the screen to light up, casting an eerie glow on the man’s
face.
She feels lightheaded as her airway is being
constricted. She gives a feeble attempt to pry his hand
away, but she no longer has the strength.
He fumbles some more, removing the small memory card from
the side of the camera and putting it in his pocket.
The glow from the camera’s screen now casts a blue light on
his skin.
His eyes flick up from the screen to glare at her.
MAN
(shakes his head and makes a
tsk’ing sound)
I don’t like liars, sweet Caroline.
(sighs)
Such a shame to have to kill you,
but since I can’t remove the image
from your mind like I can this
camera, you leave me with no
choice.
He reaches up and caressed her cheek as if they were lovers
before shaking his head again.
MAN
Really…What a damn shame.
Caroline gives one more attempt to break free realizing this
would be her last chance at saving her life. She manages to
kick his knee cap, causing him to stumble a bit and loosen
his grip.
With tears flowing freely, she JABS her hand out, trying to
blind him in an eye.
He turns his head and her nails leave a long bloody gash
running from right above his eyebrow to almost his ear.
He HISSES in pain.
MAN
Bitch!
She sees the rage in his eyes but can do nothing in the
split second it takes him to reach both hands up and TWIST
her head, SNAPPING her neck.
The man sighs loudly as Caroline’s head dangles down, her
eyes still wide open in shock. Grabbing her by the waist, he
hoists the dead weight over his shoulder, her dead eyes now
stare at his back.
As he steps forward, he feels something hit against the back
of his legs before hearing the sound of something hitting
the ground.
Glancing over his shoulder he sees the camera as slipped off
of Caroline’s neck and lies on its side. He pats his
pocket, checking for the memory card. Feeling the slight
bulge it creates, he turns and continues out of the alley,
leaving the camera behind.
