A Quiet Place Page #7

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John yells EVEN LOUDER.

JOHN:

APRIL!! APRI-

APRIL (O.S.)

(faraway)

--DAD!? DADDY!?

JOHN RUNS TOWARD THE VOICE.

JOHN:

I’m coming.

EXT. WIND FARM - DAY

John makes a sudden right turn through the field of dead

leaves.

EXT. MARSH - DAY

Another sudden turn, this time left, into MARSHLAND. John’s

feet trounce loudly through puddles. Mud splashes everywhere.

EXT. CREEK - DAY

John lands at the edge of a CREEK and sees -APRIL

STANDING ON THE OTHER SIDE. WAITING FOR HER DAD.

EXT. TURBINE - DAY

THE ALIEN WRENCHES ITSELF FREE FROM THE TURBINE.

...and then it WAITS and LISTENS.

60.

EXT. CREEK - DAY

The creek is too wide to cross over. John and April race

along the bank on opposite sides.

The creek starts to narrow bringing them

CLOSER CLOSER:

CLOSER CLOSER:

CLOSER CLOSER:

CLOSER:

John jumps over the narrow part of the creek and catches his

daughter. The momentum carries him and April into a mountain

of crops.

EXT. CORN FIELD - DAY

Leaves and stalks slap them from all directions as they run.

John slows down, gains control of his breathing. Hears the

WHEEZY PURR of the alien nearby. Not sure what direction.

Could be anywhere.

April loses her dad for a moment through the dense corn. She

gets tangled and falls. Starts to panic.

April turns as a SHADOW PASSES OVER HER.

A HAND GRABS APRIL’S HAND.

Will pulls April to her feet. They run together. Will never

lets go of her hand.

John stumbles into a harvest tract. He can see the top of the

farmhouse materializing through the crops.

April and Will appear twenty feet away in the same tract.

They’re searching for John.

John tries to motion them over but -- THUD.

A SCARECROW DROPS OUT OF THE SKY AND LANDS BETWEEN THEM - AS

IF THROWN BY THE ALIEN. EVERYONE DUCKS. FRIGHTENED AND

SILENT. MUSIC SCORE RISES.

THERE IS MOVEMENT ALL AROUND THEM.

BUT WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

61.

IT’S COMING...

FROM BEHIND...

MIA (V.O.)

April?

A LINE FORMS IN THE CROPS. THE KIND OF LINE MADE BY SOMETHING

TRAMPLING THROUGH A FIELD. HEADING DIRECTLY TOWARDS APRIL.

APRIL STARES AT THE THROWN SCARECROW. IT’S THE ONE SHE LEFT

BEHIND EARLIER.

HER EYES BIG AND FULL. CONCENTRATING.

MIA (V.O.)

Can you hear me?

FLASHBACK:
INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - DAY

Mia watches as a DOCTOR adjusts April’s new HEARING AIDS at

an AUDIOLOGIST OFFICE. John stands quietly in the background.

APRIL:

i can hear you

The Doctor inspects April’s ears with an OTOSCOPE.

MIA:

How’s it feel?

APRIL:

stings

DOCTOR:

Your ears are going to be extremely

sensitive for a while.

MIA:

(quietly to John)

You should say something.

John opens his mouth as if to talk, but he can’t find the

words.

FLASHBACK:
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY

They leave the doctor’s office.

John tries to place a comforting hand on April’s shoulder.

She pushes his hand away.

62.

FLASHBACK:
INT. FARMHOUSE, UPSTAIRS - DAY

April stands sadly in the hall, studying playful letters on a

bedroom door which spell out “Iris”.

A noise grabs her attention -

FLASHBACK:
INT. FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM - SUNSET

April moves through the house, testing the volume on her

hearing aids.

She is taken with all the SOUNDS around her. THE HUM OF THE

AIR CONDITIONING. THE REFRIGERATOR BUZZ. THE CROWS OUTSIDE...

APRIL RECOILS. A STRANGE HIGH-PITCH RINGING PULSATES IN HER

EAR, LIKE AN IRRITATING, PAINFUL WHISTLE.

FLASHBACK:
EXT. CORN FIELD - SUNSET

April follows the RINGING outside.

Hundreds of CROWS flock away from the corn field.

April sees her father placing a SIGNAL GENERATOR on one of

the SCARECROWS.

The high pitched sound is coming from the generator. It holds

uncomfortably resonant in April’s ear.

April approaches the SCARECROW and turns OFF the SIGNAL

GENERATOR.

JOHN:

What are you doing?

APRIL:

hurts my ears

John turns the generator back ON. Walks away.

April turns it OFF again, defiant.

JOHN:

April, what are you doing?

APRIL:

hurts my ears

JOHN:

No it doesn’t. Only animals can

hear this. Go back inside.

63.

John turns it back ON. Walks away again.

APRIL:

I hate you.

John stops.

APRIL:

I wish you died instead of her.

BACK TO:

STALKS BREAK AND BEND BEHIND THE CHILDREN.

THE ALIEN KNOWS THEY’RE CLOSE.

April crawls to the THROWN SCARECROW.

Will looks at his sister like she’s crazy.

April reaches into the body of the scarecrow and retrieves:

THE SIGNAL GENERATOR

April and John lock eyes.

John sees where she’s going with this...

April is going to use the signal generator against the alien.

John nods, encouraging her.

April sets the FREQUENCY DIAL on the signal generator to 500

GHz - its max setting.

The alien steps out of the corn.

April cranks the OUTPUT to 100%.

John gives April a thumbs up.

They are finally working together. They are finally starting

to communicate.

April’s finger hovers over the ON/OFF switch.

She can feel the alien’s breath on the back of her neck.

WITH THE FLICK OF A SWITCH, APRIL TURNS THE GENERATOR ON!

But nothing happens...

John and April look on in horror.

64.

She hits the switch again. Nothing.

April flips the generator over and pulls out the BATTERIES.

They are CORRODED. John can’t believe it. It’s all over.

MIA (V.O.)

What are you thinking about?

JOHN (V.O.)

Nothing.

The alien hears April’s breathing change. Her hands start to

tremble.

MIA (V.O.)

Why won’t you talk to us anymore?

JOHN (V.O.)

I don’t know.

April goes white. She stares helplessly at her father.

MIA (V.O.)

You just disappear sometimes...

(beat)

Into a quiet place.

PUSH IN ON JOHN’S FACE, AS WE REALIZE,THE FLASHBACKS ARE HIS

MEMORIES. THEY CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO AN OVERLAPPING

CACOPHONY OF VOICES AND IMAGES. BARELY COHERENT. AGGRESSIVELY

SENTIMENTAL. FOCUSING ON THE THINGS WE STRUGGLE WITH ON THE

INSIDE. ALL THE THINGS THAT GO LEFT UNSAID. A MONTAGE OF THE

SUBCONSCIOUS. THE UNSPOKEN. THE QUIET PLACE OF OUR MINDS:

APRIL (V.O.)

How come you and Daddy don’t talk?

IRIS (V.O.)

I think I like it better when you

don’t say anything to me.

MIA (V.O.)

You act like she doesn’t exist.

APRIL (V.O.)

I hate you.

JOHN (V.O.)

She knows I love her.

MIA (V.O.)

She needs to hear you say it.

65.

JOHN (V.O.)

I need to tell you something.

IRIS (V.O.)

What is it?

Tears form in the corners of John’s eyes. He knows what he

has to do. John silently backs away. Opens his mouth. And

says with everything in his lungs:

JOHN:

I love you.

And with that, the alien turns its focus from the kids to

John. This is John’s final sacrifice for his family.

April and Will look up through tears. They see the alien rip

across the tract toward their father.

Just before the alien LUNGES, Will turns the volume all the

way down on April’s hearing aid, drowning out John’s CRIES as

OUR WORLD GOES SILENT.

EXT. CORN FIELD, CLEARING - DAY

SLOW MOTION:
April and Will escape into the corn.

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