Ares Page #11

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53.

DANNY:

Like...two weeks ago? I dunno.

EVAN:

So Mom said not to tell me?

Danny’s scared of his Dad’s anger. Evan kills the engine.

DANNY:

What are you doing?!

Evan huffs out of the plane. Danny screams as Evan walks away.

DANNY:

You said we’d go flying!

EVAN:

Well the mission got cancelled. Let’s

go!

He tears off his headset and continues toward the house.

BEHIND HIM -- Danny switches into the pilot’s seat.

Evan hears the ENGINE ROAR back on. He spins around.

EVAN:

Danny! Turn the engine off! DANNY!

His eyes widen as Danny accelerates onto the empty road. Theirmake-shift runway. Evan bolts after it.

EVAN:

(screaming)

Wait! Danny, stop! Please, Danny!

He watches in horror as the plane TAKES FLIGHT.

The worst moment of Evan’s life.

EVAN:

DANNY! No, no, NO -He

shoves his headset back on. Yells into it. Wild-eyed.

EVAN:

Danny? Can you hear me? I can helpguide you down.

Evan runs after the plane. Desperate to keep it in sight.

EVAN:

I’m so sorry. Just talk to me, OK?

The prop plane turns back. DESCENDS toward the road.

54.

EVAN:

You’re coming in too steep. Danny!

The plane -- a blur of motion -- about to crash -- becomes -SMASH

CUT TO:

The STOLEN SEDAN. SCREECHING to a sudden stop outside

A SOCCER FIELD - DIRE DAWA

Chloe jumps out, leaving Evan in the car with his hands stillbound in front of him.

EVAN:

Wait! Where’re you going!

Chloe spots eight 14-year-old boys sprawled out across thegrass fifty feet away. She sprints toward them.

CHLOE:

Danny!

They sit up, bleary-eyed. Some hold joints and cans of beer.

BOY’S VOICE

Aw f***. It’s my mom!

The boys race toward their bikes, shouting “RUN! GO!”

BACK AT THE CAR:
Evan struggles to unlock the door with hisbound hands. He falls from the car as he awkwardly shoves open

the door.

Meantime:
DANNY (14, disaffected, scarred face) reaches forhis bike when one of his FRIENDS overtakes him and rides off.

DANNY:

Solomon! You dick!

But his friend is gone. Danny keeps running from Chloe.

CHLOE:

Danny! You stop right now!

Desperate to stop him, she pulls out the gun and fires intothe ground beneath her.

BANG!

Danny stops and spins around. He gapes at the gun.

DANNY:

Oh my God.

55.

And now, brandishing it, she gets to ask the question allmothers wish they could ask:

CHLOE:

Why do you never pick up my fuckingcalls?!

DANNY:

Mom! What the f***?!

Chloe softens, lowers the gun, and approaches her son.

CHLOE:

I’m sorry. You had me so worried.

C’mere...

She tries to hug him, but he backs away. Scared.

DANNY:

Why do you have a gun?

CHLOE:

Something terrible has happened.

DANNY:

What?

CHLOE:

Your father came back.

Danny finally looks past her and sees EVAN approaching.

Evan stops short as he sees his son. So much older now. Whitesplotches of hair grow from burn scars on his scalp.

Danny, in turn, realizes that he’s looking at his own father,

who looks like a shipwreck survivor. Danny looks a littledisoriented... is it the weed?

DANNY:

What happened to you?

He takes a step toward Evan. His voice sounds dazed.

CHLOE:

Don’t get too close, Danny -

DANNY:

You’re all messed up...

He reaches down and ties Evan’s untied shoe. He dusts off

Evan’s shirt. Trying to clean him up. Trying to make him lookmore like the father he remembers.

56.

DANNY:

(his voice breaking)

What happened to you?

Danny seizes Evan’s shoulders and hugs tight. Nearly squeezesthe breath out of him.

FLASH TO:
Evan pulls Danny (11) out of the crashed propplane’s burning wreckage. Danny is unconscious. Blackened.

Evan wants to hug Danny back but can’t with his hands tied. He

buries his face in his son’s hair.

Chloe -- affected by it. Says nothing. Just watches.

EVAN:

You smell a little more like pot thanI remember.

Danny’s crying. Tears of joy.

DANNY:

I’m sorry. Dad. I’m so sorry.

EVAN:

For what?

DANNY:

That we left you behind.

As Danny hugs him, Evan awkwardly glances at Chloe. She lookshurt and conflicted.

INT. HOSPITAL - HOUSTON

Evan, clothes blackened from the burning plane, approaches aroom. Through a glass wall he can see DANNY, lying in ahospital bed with an oxygen mask. Chloe's hunched over him.

He knocks on the door. Chloe looks back. Her face is swollen

and red from crying. She comes to the door. Opens it a crack.

Evan is about to apologize, but Chloe doesn't give him time.

Her eyes are as sharp as broken glass.

CHLOE:

Stay away from us. If you don't, I'llpress charges of endangerment andneglect and get you in jail, whereyou probably belong.

She starts to shut the door. Evan stops it.

57.

EVAN:

Wait, Chloe, I -

CHLOE:

-- I don’t want to hear another word

from you. Ever. Do you understand,

you selfish piece of sh*t? ...Do you?

A beat. Then finally he nods -- barely breathing.

She shuts the door hard. He slowly walks away. His expressionblank. Whatever fire was driving him has completely gone out.

BACK TO:

Danny starts untying Evan’s hands. Chloe springs forward.

CHLOE:

Stop! Danny, he’s committed some kind

of crime. The police are after him -

DANNY:

You said he was never coming back.

You’re such a f***ing liar!

Evan is startled by his harshness toward his mother.

EVAN:

She’s trying to look out for you.

DANNY:

(finishes untying him)

She’s crazy. I haven’t seen her in

months.

Evan shepherds Danny to the car. Chloe clutches the gun. Notsure what to do.

EVAN:

Your Mom’s telling the truth -- thepolice are looking for us. We have toget to the Embassy and theneverything will be fine -

Evan and Danny get in back as Chloe gets in the driver’s seat.

Chloe tries to turn the engine on, but the car stalls.

CHLOE:

Sh*t!

They look around... stuck in the middle of nowhere.

58.

EVAN:

Okay. We’re gonna be fine. Can you

call your husband?

DANNY:

Husband? She’s not married. She

doesn’t even have a boyfriend.

Chloe looks embarrassed.

EVAN:

Then what are the rings -

DANNY:

She just wears those to stop guysfrom hitting on her.

Evan looks relieved despite himself.

DANNY:

(to Chloe)

Did you tell him you were married?

Why are you so f***ing crazy?

CHLOE:

Everybody shut up! We need to findsomeone to take us to the Embassy.

Danny sees an ONCOMING CAR driving toward them. He leaps out,

practically jumping right in front of the car.

CHLOE AND EVAN:

(horrified)

DANNY!

The oncoming car stops just inches before hitting him. Dannyyells at the WOMAN behind the wheel in Amharic. The WOMANshakes her head and keeps driving.

CHLOE:

What are you doing?!

DANNY:

Getting us a ride.

Danny waves down a PICK-UP TRUCK. Exchanges Amharic with thesharp-eyed DRIVER.

DANNY:

He says he’ll take us to the Embassy.

EVAN:

What if he knows the police arelooking for us? He’ll turn us in.

59.

Chloe pulls out her wallet and thrusts money into the Driver’s

hands. Evan hesitantly climbs into the bed of the pick up.

EVAN:

Lie down. We can’t let anyone see us.

As the family lies in the truck bed -- with Danny betweenChloe and Evan -- the Driver guns the TRUCK back toward Addis.

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