Bird Box Page #13

I’ve seen one.

Malorie grabs Girl and pulls her close.

She makes a soft yelp in alarm.

They hear the man laugh.

MAN (O.S.) (CONT’D)

They aren’t as ugly as you’d think,

Miss. Just, well, no way to

describe them. You gotta see one.

The Man’s arm reaches in, moving to caress Malorie’s cheek...

She senses it a moment before-And

swipes with a survival knife in her fist-Suddenly

it’s a closed-quarters fight-

The Man trying to pull her overboard--

Malorie struggling, stabbing with the knife-

76.

MALORIE:

Stay away from us-MAN

(O.S.)

I’ll make you all look-He

grabs onto the knife, tearing it from her grip.

And Malorie shoves off the bank. Hard.

The boat gets loose from the Man.

He was too busy grappling for the knife.

Malorie sacrificed it to escape him.

And now they’re in the current again.

MALORIE:

Keep your eyes closed!

MAN (O.S.)

Where are you going to go?

She’s rowing now. Faster.

MAN (O.S.) (CONT’D)

Are you going to cry every time you

hear a stick crack?

(shouting)

Who’s the crazy one? Kids, your

mother is not well, take off those

blindfolds! See the world!

Malorie paddles.

They’re moving dangerously fast now.

MALORIE:

What is the rule. Tell me.

BOY:

I didn’t look.

GIRL:

I didn’t either.

She brings them into a tight hug.

MALORIE:

You did so well.

They hug back. Beat.

77.

GIRL:

Malorie? Was that the man who sings

all the music?

Malorie lets out her tension with a laugh.

MALORIE:

No, honey. No it was not.

The faint crooning of FRANK SINATRA fades in-

INT. GREG’S HOUSE - DAY

The living room radio plays the music.

Returning to five years ago. The room is crowded with

listeners, including Malorie, Donald, Cheryl, and Gary.

The furniture in the room has been moved since last time.

A thin line of SUNLIGHT slices into the room from the

curtains hanging on the picture window. This is the only sign

of sun in the room, possibly the whole house.

At the bar counter leading to the kitchen, Lucy stands and

stares at the calendar. September 3 has an ‘X’ through it,

along with the next two days after it.

IN THE LIVING ROOM, Sinatra ends and the deejay returns.

DEEJAY (V.O.)

Well. That was the whole album.

Probably my favorite of his.

(beat)

I don’t know if anyone’s listening

anymore. No one’s talking, that’s

for sure. Cell towers are dead. No

chatter on the shortwave. September

third came and went without a sign

of the Guard.

There’s a pause. Like the Deejay is out of things to say.

Nervous at the silence, Cheryl stage whispers:

CHERYL:

I wish we could call him.

DONALD:

It’s a digital switchboard. He

doesn’t have a landline like us.

CHERYL:

How come the landline works?

78.

DONALD:

It’s a “land line.” Physical wires,

not cell towers and satellites. And

you don’t need juice to use them.

DEEJAY (V.O.)

Whatever is out there, maybe it got

everyone. Maybe all that’s left is

me, Sinatra, and those things.

There’s a mechanical sound over the radio, and it prickles

Malorie’s nerves. A slide locking.

She goes to the landline phone on the end table. The phone

book is opened to a page with the radio’s call-in number.

Malorie starts dialing while the others listen.

DONALD:

Malorie, didn’t you hear what I

just said?

MALORIE:

I have to try. One more time.

DEEJAY (V.O.)

There is a lot I don’t know...

Malorie paces with the phone, frantic.

MALORIE:

(sotto)

Come on, come on...

DONALD MALORIE:

What are you doing--Shut up!

DEEJAY (V.O.)

But I do know one thing. Those

monsters aren’t going to get the

satisfaction of doing me in.

(beat)

Sing it, Blue Eyes.

MALORIE:

No, no-- Gary, turn it off, turn it

off right now!

Sinatra’s dulcet tones kick in. “Softly As I Leave You.”

GARY:

What? It’s fine.

And then, muffled-- A GUNSHOT.

79.

Everyone jumps as if electrocuted by the sound.

Malorie slams the phone down in anger. This is what she was

desperately trying to stop, futile as it was from here.

CHERYL:

Oh my god.

MALORIE:

I told you to turn it off!

Tom enters, hearing the flaring tempers.

TOM:

What happened?

Felix finds a dry humor way to it, trying to cope:

FELIX:

Someone just ruined a perfectly

good Sinatra song for me is what.

(off Tom’s look)

We lost our news guy.

Overhead, the lights flicker Everyone looks up.

DONALD:

Power grid has been down for days.

We need to keep the generator

running, and we’re out of diesel.

Isn’t that right, Tom.

FELIX:

How long can we last with what

we’ve got?

TOM:

A day. Maybe less.

The room erupts into ARGUING, voices overlapping-

FELIX TOM:

--not even with meal --can’t point fingers now-assignments-

DONALD MALORIE:

--told you we are too many----just turn everyone away?

It escalates quickly when Donald and Cheryl square off-

CHERYL:

And I’ve been trying to keep the

place tidy all week-

80.

DONALD:

But that’s all you do, you just

move furniture around and run the

vacuum, you aren’t making a real

difference here!

Before Cheryl hisses a response, a sound shuts them up.

The sounds of CHIRPING. The budgies. In their cage. Set by

the front door.

Everyone gets very quiet. Watching the birds freak out.

Then:
A SHADOW blocks the strip of sunlight from the picture

window. Something looms close by.

Olympia puts her hands over her face. Felix comforts her. But

everyone keeps waiting.

The shadow leaves. The sliver of sun returns.

And the budgies quit CHIRPING.

Olympia spasms on the couch, snaking her hands around her

belly. Grimacing in pain.

OLYMPIA:

Oh. Oh no.

FELIX:

What?

OLYMPIA:

That. That was a contraction.

DONALD:

You’re not due for two more weeks.

Olympia starts to panic at this statement.

Malorie gives Donald a look: Shut the f*** up, Donald.

Then she goes to Olympia and grabs her hand.

MALORIE:

Hey, it’s fine, it’s probably just

Braxton Hicks. You get those early,

like little tremors.

This starts to calm Olympia down again. She exhales slowly.

Tom addresses the group.

TOM:

We need to make another run, right

now. For fuel and any medical

supplies to help with childbirth.

I’ll volunteer. I need three more.

81.

Tom grabs the Scrabble pouch and holds it out.

Everyone looks at the bag with dread.

LUCY:

Tom shouldn’t be the only one to

volunteer. I’ll go again.

Not wanting to be outdone by Lucy, Felix steps up.

FELIX:

Fine. If she’s going so am I.

And then Cheryl steps next to Felix.

CHERYL:

I’ll go.

Said right at Donald with a glare.

Donald gives her a look back: Good for you.

TOM:

All right, so us four.

SERIES OF SHOTS:

1) Lucy grabs a baseball bat from an upstairs exercise room

she’s claimed as her bedroom. A sleeping bag drapes over a

stationary bike and a knapsack hangs as a punching bag.

TOM (V.O.)

I have a new plan.

2) Tom holds open a shoebox with holes cut in the sides. He

gingerly takes a budgie from the cage and transfers it.

TOM (V.O.)

We find a manhole cover and take to

the tunnels. If they’re clear, it

gives us direct routes into town.

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