Apt Pupil Page #9

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DUSSANDER (CONT'D)

That's right, kitty-kitty. That's right.

After a moment the cat edges up to the bowl. Its tail twitches

nervously. Finally, it begins to lick up the milk. Dussander

crunches the cigarette out in his empty glass. His movements

are slow and patient. From under the blanket he pulls a pair of

yellow rubber gloves. He begins to put them on. The cat jumps

back for a moment. Dussander freezes. He waits the cat out.

Soon the animal is back at the bowl. Dussander continues with

the gloves. He watches the cat's tail. As the animal gets

comfortable, its tail flips under the rail of the rocking chair.

Dussander slams the chair back. The CAT SHRIEKS. Dussander

flips the blanket on top of the cat and wraps it into a tight,

squirming, HISSING bundle. He stands out of the chair.

DUSSANDER (CONT'D)

Gotcha.

INT. BECKY'S TOYOTA - ROADSIDE - NIGHT

It is later. Becky sits behind the wheel. Todd is next to her.

A different song is on the RADIO. They sit for a moment in

silence, clearly uncomfortable.

TODD:

I'm sorry.

BECKY:

It's all right. Maybe you'll be more in the

mood later.

TODD:

I don't know. That's never happened before.

Becky lights a joint. She takes a puff and exhales toward Todd.

TODD (CONT'D)

Can you blow that the other way?

BECKY:

Maybe you don't like me.

TODD:

No, I do.

BECKY:

(exhaling out the window)

Maybe you don't like girls.

For a moment it is as though Todd's face were purple with rage.

But a moment later the expression is gone. Todd turns away.

Becky sees that her comment has hurt him.

BECKY (CONT'D)

That was a lousy thing for me to say. I'm

sorry, honey.

She kisses him on the cheek. He nods reluctantly.

TODD:

Let's just go home.

INT. DUSSANDER'S KITCHEN - NIGHT

Dussander bursts through the door with the bundle. A single paw

emerges from the corner of the blanket and flails at Dussander,

clawing him across the neck.

DUSSANDER:

Oww, you mother-f***er.

They move across the room to the stove. With difficulty,

Dussander pulls open the oven door, revealing the glowing red

interior. The animal SCREAMS and claws at Dussander's neck and

arms, escaping more and more from the blanket with every

gyration of its body. With a mighty shove Dussander plunges the

cat toward the opening, but the animal braces its paws on the

edge of the stove. The two are deadlocked. But Dussander's

hands are too close to the heat. He screams. His grip loosens

just enough. With a desperate cry, the animal charges up

Dussander's body, over his head, and leaps to the floor.

Dussander dives after it.

DUSSANDER (CONT'D)

Come here!

But the animal is too swift. In a second, it is atop the

counter and out the open window above the sink. Although

defeated and exhausted, Dussander cannot contain his excitement.

His panting gives way to a twisted, hearty laugh.

TODD'S DAYDREAM:
INT. EXAMINATION ROOM - DAY

This is a 1940's laboratory. Todd is in his boxer shorts.

Dussander is next to him, wearing a lab coat and his S.S.

officers hat. Todd looks down on the examination table. A

YOUNG GIRL, about 16, is held to the table with clamps. She is

naked, staring at Todd. Behind the table is a glass window and

behind that is another room where OTHER SCIENTISTS are

monitoring equipment.

Over Dussander's methodical voice, Todd's dream shows flashes of

what is being done: some sort of sexual experiment on the girl.

DUSSANDER:

(to other scientists)

Test run eight-four. Electricity, sexual

stimulus, metabolism. Based on the Thyssen

theories of negative reinforcement.

Dreamlike SOUNDS and images pass before us: Todd's breathing,

the girl's cry, electrical equipment, naked flesh, maybe

Todd's, maybe the girl's.

DUSSANDER (CONT'D)

Subject is a young Jewish girl, approximately

sixteen years of age, no scars, no

identifying marks, no known disabilities --

Inside the control room, a SCIENTIST monitors a volt meter,

calling out the readings as Dussander yells for the voltage to

be increased. As the meter rises, the girl SCREAMS more

violently. Perhaps her eyes roll back, her tongue flutters in

her mouth. Through all of this, the scientists call out and the

record heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, voltage, etc.

Todd's eyes close. His breathing accelerates as does the motion

of his hips until...

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

Todd snaps out of his daydream. His trigonometry class is

having an examination. He sits at his desk, staring blankly at

the paper before him. Most of the answer spaces are empty. He

knows he is going to fail another test.

EXT. OUTOOOR SHOOTING RANGE - DAY

Todd is blasting away, rapid-firing the rifle down range at an

unfortunate paper target. The protective headphones lay on the

counter beside him, as does his backpack. He stops shooting

when a voice snaps over the P.A. speaker next to him.

VOICE (O.S.)

You, on lane twelve. You need to have your

headgear on at all times. (click) And no

rapid firing.

Todd looks over at the man frowning at him from inside a small

booth. Todd puts on the headgear, and after a moment, the man

goes back to reading a newspaper. Todd looks up and down the

range. One or two other shooters are concentrating on their

targets. Todd quickly hoists his rifle up and aims it at the

man in the booth. He snaps off a single dry round. Todd smiles

weakly at the sound of the click. Unnoticed by anyone, he turns

back toward the target, strangely comforted.

INT. DINING ROOM - BOWDEN HOUSE - DAY

Thanksgiving dinner. All the Bowden's are there, including

Dick's parents, VICTOR and AGNES. Dussander sits at the head of

the table, Todd next to him. The family has finished dinner and

is having coffee. Dick and his father smoke cigars. Todd's

mother, MONICA BOWDEN, still pretty at 36, pours Dussander some

more coffee.

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