Animal Kingdom Page #11

There's things you don’t talk to girls

about, mate. Doesn’t matter how

special they are. Doesn’t matter what

you have or haven’t done. They get

scared. And they natter, you know?

They can’t help it. It’s the way the

world works.

J looks up at Smurf and Darren and nods.

EZRA:

Good on ya, mate. There's really not

much to understand. Just, you know...

shut up.

SMURF:

Are you clear with all that, honey?

J:

Yep.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 63.

CONTINUED:
(2)

EZRA:

Nothing to worry about. You want adrink? I've got lots of differentkinds of drinks.

Pope watches J like a snake watching a mouse.

92 EXT. RURAL HOUSE - MORNING 92

A loud BLAST rings out. Craig laughs, holding a shotgun. He'sspeeding and hasn’t slept. He has just blasted a chunk out of anold tree beside an isolated bush house.

CRAIG:

F***in monster!

He aims and fires again, tearing a hole in the tree's trunk.

CRAIG:

Can we go hunting this arvo?

RICHARD COLLIS (30s) stands nearby, nervous, his arms foldedover his dressing gown. He's wearing gum boots.

RICHARD:

Maybe. I got some things I gotta dotoday. Can you not blow my tree up?

CRAIG:

It’s f***ed. Look at it. It’s written

off.

(offers Richard the gun)

Give it a whirl.

RICHARD:

It just needs a good rain. Mybrekkie's going cold. You wanna comeinside?

Craig takes aim and fires, tearing into the tree again.

93 INT. KITCHEN / RURAL HOUSE - MORNING 93

Richard sits at the table, poking his breakfast. His wifeDACINTA stands behind, watching. They are wary of Craig at thetable, tuning his radio scanner, scatter-brained.

RICHARD:

How long were you wanting to stay?

Where's Kelly?

CRAIG:

We split up. Ages ago.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 64.

CONTINUED:

RICHARD:

Sh*t, mate.

CRAIG:

Yeah, it was mutual though, so it'sfor the best and everything.

(re:
the scanner)

Stupid f***in... Maybe I'm too far outto get signals, d'ya think?

RICHARD:

Is everything OK, mate?

Craig doesn't respond. He keeps fiddling.

RICHARD:

What’s with the scanner?

CRAIG:

I’ll fight through, mate. I’ll fightthrough.

Dacinta exits, making stern eye contact with Richard.

RICHARD:

I think it's fair enough to say, ifyou're gonna stay here for a while,

you know, it's only fair that you tellus what's this all about... Is that

fair?

CRAIG:

I don't know what's going on, mate.

He works at the aerial while the scanner emits STATIC. Richard's

dogs are outside, BARKING. Craig stops fiddling and listens. Notonly can he hear the dogs barking out in the yard, but he canhear them through the scanner as well.

CRAIG:

You hear that?

RICHARD:

Hear what?

CRAIG:

I can hear your dogs.

Craig jumps up and heads outside. Through the windows, Richardcan see him walking close around the outside of the house,

examining the walls and windows.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 65.

CONTINUED:
(2)

DACINTA:

What's going on?

RICHARD:

I don't know.

DACINTA:

Tell him he can't stay here.

RICHARD:

I can't tell him anything.

Then, through the scanner, they hear Craig’s VOICE.

CRAIG (O.S.)

You c*nt motherfuckers!

After a loud CRUNCH, the scanner returns to steady STATIC.

Craig bursts back in, near hysterical, dangling wires.

CRAIG:

What the f*** is this, Rich?

RICHARD:

What is it? I don't know!

CRAIG:

It's a bug. There's a bug on yourfuckin house.

RICHARD:

I don't know about it.

CRAIG:

Bull-f***in-sh*t, Rich! How couldthere be a bug on your house within,

like, 24 hours of me telling you I wascoming?

RICHARD:

Maybe they were tapping your phone orsomething. I don't know how it gotthere. I'm not lying.

CRAIG:

F***!

Craig grabs his shotgun and paces.

CRAIG:

F***!

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 66.

CONTINUED:
(3)

His eyes fill with childlike despair. Richard and Dacinta areboth wary of the shotgun he holds by his side.

CRAIG:

What I am supposed to do now?

RICHARD:

I don't know, mate. Maybe you should

think about leaving.

DACINTA:

What’s going on?

Craig paces, then stops, on the verge of tears.

CRAIG:

Maybe I should get outta here.

Craig picks his bag off the ground. He sweeps his scanner intoit and looks around the room.

CRAIG:

What else did I bring?

94 EXT. RURAL HOUSE - DAY 94

The screen door swings open, smacking against the front of thehouse. Craig stumbles down off the porch and opens the back doorof his car, throwing his bag inside. He scrambles around in thebackseat for shotgun shells. He begins loading them into theshotgun, fumbling, dropping them.

His ears prick. He sees a convoy of unmarked police carsapproaching fast down the long, dirt drive.

He crouches against the car and loads more shells. He looks tothe house in panic. Richard's at the window, looking back.

Craig stands and runs into the bush behind the house.

The cars come to a stop at the house. Detectives with shotgunsclimb out and chase Craig into the bush.

Craig breathes heavy, sprinting through the undergrowth. Hetrips, smashing his knees into a log. He squeals in pain andgets to his feet. He tries to run but can't, hobbled.

He turns, raises his gun. Detectives are close behind. They stopand fire. Craig is hammered by a blast and knocked down.

SILENCE but for SINGING BIRDS and the ECHO OF GUNSHOTS.

Detectives, guns by their sides, approach Craig’s bloody bodyface down in the dirt.

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 67.

95 INT. KITCHEN / BROWN-SAYLES HOUSE - DAY 95

Pope stands holding Evie like he's never held a baby before.

Cath searches the fridge, nervous and drunk.

POPE:

Where should I put this?

CATHERINE:

Just set her back down.

Pope sets Evie down in her a bassinet and lets her grip hisfinger. Cath fixes a drink at the kitchen bench. She puts thelid back on a bottle of tonic.

POPE:

Aren’t you getting me a drink?

Cath shakes her head.

POPE:

Why not?

CATHERINE:

I don’t know I want you to stay.

Cath sips nervously, looks out the window. Pope watches her.

CATHERINE:

I want free of this sh*t, I think.

POPE:

What sh*t?

CATHERINE:

See that little thing you're pokinglike she's a dog? Her dad's dead.

POPE:

Everything's good now.

CATHERINE:

Stop saying everything's good. What'sgood now? I got cops on my door allhours of the f***in night. When doesthe good bit start?

Pope steps to her. He takes the drink out of her hand and pullsher close. She's uncomfortable. They almost imperceptibly slowdance for a moment. Pope whispers.

(CONTINUED)

Animal Kingdom - GREEN REVISIONS 68.

CONTINUED:

POPE:

You're not thinking of doing anythingstupid, are you?

Cath pushes him away.

CATHERINE:

Get the f*** out of my house.

Pope stands awkward, staring. Cath holds her ground.

Pope exits. Cath picks up her drink and sips, unnerved. Sheflinches as the door SLAMS.

96 EXT. BROWN-SAYLES HOUSE - DAY 96

Pope heads down the drive. A neighbour waters his lawn.

POPE:

What the f*** are you looking at?

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