12 Monkeys Page #10

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She waves back as she hurries to her black ACURA, one of the last

cars left in the lot.

The outside lights of Breitrose Hall go off.

RAILLY seems to be alone in the lot as she fishes keys from her

purse, unlocks her car door, starts to open it when...

Suddenly, she's grabbed from behind in a choke-hold by a large

shadowy MAN looming out of the darkness behind her.

MAN'S VOICE

Get in!

Unable to scream, she writhes and kicks as he forces her into the

front seat.

MAN'S VOICE

I've got a gun.

RAILLY freezes, terrified, as he opens the rear door and

scrambles in behind her.

INT. ACURA/PARKING LOT

Fighting to suppress the quaver in her voice, RAILLY says...

RAILLY:

You can have my purse. I have a lot of

cash and credit...

MAN'S VOICE (o.s.)

Start the car.

Glancing in the rear view mirror, RAILLY sees penetrating eyes

peering out of the shadows, no other features.

Half-turning in the seat, she holds out the keys to him.

RAILLY:

Here! You can have the keys. You can...

He grabs her hair and yanks her head back hard, speaking fiercely

into her ear, his face last in shadow.

MAN:

START THE CAR! NOW!

EXT. ACURA/PARKING LOT

The engine STARTS, the Acura backs up, then heads for the exit.

INT. ACURA

Steering fearfully, RAILLY hears him speak more calmly now.

MAN'S VOICE (o.s.)

I don't want to hurt you. But I will.

I've hurt people before when...when I

had no choice. Turn left.

As she makes the turn, RAILLY glances in the rear view mirror,

sees him unfolding a tattered map. His face is lost in darkness

but she glimpses ragged, torn clothing as he tries to read the

map by the intermittent glow of passing street lights.

RAILLY:

Where... where are we going'

MAN:

I need you to drive me to Philadelphia.

RAILLY:

(startled, horrified)

But that's... that's more than 200 miles!

MAN:

That's why I can't walk there. Turn

here... I think...

RAILLY obeys. She glances in the mirror again, hesitates, then

boldly switches on the dome light, holding her breath fearfully

for his reaction.

He grunts appreciatively. Relieved, she looks in the mirror

again, trying to get a better look at him, but now his features

are concealed by the map.

RAILLY:

If you make me go with you, it's

kidnapping. That's a serious crime.

If you let me go, you could just take

the car and...

MAN:

I don't know how to drive! We went

underground when I was nine, I told you

that. When you come to the corner,

turn right.

Startled, RAILLY whirls, looks right at him.

He's lowered the map. It's COLE! Haggard, unshaven, dirty.

RAILLY:

Cole! James Cole! You escaped from a

locked room six years ago.

COLE:

1989. Six years for you. There's the

sign! Right here!

COLE is indicating a freeway entrance.

RAILLY turns the wheel sharply.

EXT. FREEWAY - NIGHT

The Acura veers up the ramp and onto the freeway.

INT. ACURA/FREEWAY - NIGHT

RAILLY glances in the mirror, sees COLE settling back wearily

against the seat. She says carefully...

RAILLY:

I can't believe this is a coincidence,

Mr. Cole. Have you been...following me?

COLE:

You told me you'd help me. I know this

isn't what you meant, but...I was desperate...

no money...bum leg... sleeping on the streets.

I probably smell bad. Sorry about that.

But then I saw your book in a store window

with a notice about your lecture.

(sudden pride)

I can read, remember?

RAILLY:

Yes, I remember.

(a beat, then)

Why do you want to go to Philadelphia?

COLE:

It's the next step. I checked out the

Baltimore information, it was nothing.

It's Philadelphia, that's where they

are, the ones who killed everyone.

(pointing suddenly, eagerly)

Zs that a radio? Does it play music?

RAILLY turns on the radio and immediately WE HEAR the SOUND of SURF

and the CRIES of gulls, background to an oozing baritone COMMERCIAL.

COMMERCIAL/RADIO (o.s.)

This is a personal message to you.

COLE sits up, alert, listening intently.

COMMERCIAL/RADIO (cont. o.s.)

Are you at the end of your rope? Are

you dying to get away?

COLE'S eyes narrow, concentrating on this personal message.

COMMERCAIL/RADIO (cont. o.s.}

The Florida Keys are waiting for you.

COLE frowns as the SOUND of breaking SURF and crying GULLS fills

the car. It's confusing! He blurts out...

COLE:

I've never seen the ocean!

Observing his confusion in the mirror, RAILLY assumes her

professional tone.

RAILLY:

It's an advertisement, Mr. Cole. You

do understand that, don't you? It's

not really a special message to you.

COLE frowns. He did think it was for him, but she's probably right.

COLE:

You used to call me "James".

RAILLY:

You'd prefer that? ... James...you

don't really have a gun, do you.

COLE:

(cynical laugh)

Everybody's got a gun. In this city...

He breaks off reacting to the RADIO MUSIC! FATS DOMINO singing

"BLUEBERRY HILL"! COLE grins, mouth agape, eyes wide like a kid's.

COLE:

Can you...can you make it louder? I

love hearing twentieth century music!

Hearing music and breathing air!

As RAILLY cranks up the volume, she watches the mirror

incredulously, sees him stick his head out the window into the

wind, mouth open, "eating" the air hungrily.

EXT. FREEWAY/ACURA - NIGHT

"BLUEBERRY HILL" BLARES as the Acura, COLE'S head out the rear

window, zips past a sign at 65 mph.

The sign says, "PHILADELPHIA 233 MILES."

INT. ACURA/FREEWAY - NIGHT

RAILLY glances in the mirror at the nut in the rear seat with his

head out the window. what can she do? Just then, while she's

trying to figure something out, an ANNOUNCER'S VOICE breaks in...

ANNOUNCER/RADIO (o.s.)

This just in from Fresno, California:

emergency crews are converging on a

cornfield where playmates of nine year

old Ricky Neuman say they saw him

disappear right before their eyes.

COLE pulls his head back inside with a frown, troubled now.

ANNOUNCER/RADIO (cont. o.s.)

Young Neuman apparently stepped into an

abandoned well shaft and is lodged somewhere

in the narrow 150 foot pipe, possibly alive,

possibly seriously injured. Playmates claim

they heard him cry out faintly but since then

there has been no contact with...

COLE:

"Never cry wolf!"

RAILLY:

What?

COLE:

My father told me that. "Never cry

wolf." Then people won't believe you

if...something really happens.

RAILLY:

"If something really happens"...like

what, James?

COLE:

Something bad. Is that all the music?

I don't want to hear this stuff...

RAILLY glances at him as she scans stations.

RAILLY:

Did something terrible happen to you when

you were a child? Something so bad...?

COLE:

Ohhhh, that one! Can we hear that one?

It's IVORY JOE HUNTER singing, "SINCE I MET YOU, BABY".

IVORY JOE/RADIO (o.s.)

"Since I met you, baby,

My whole life has changed...

Ecstatic, COLE sticks his head out the window again.

EXT. ACURA/FREEWAY

COLE'S POV:
the heavens, glittering with a million stars and a

lover's moon as IVORY JOE croons the achingly romantic lyrics...

IVORY JOE/RADIO (cont. o.s.)

"-- cause since I met you, baby.

All I need is you..."

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