Bird Box Page #7

Greg marches for the door-

GREG:

Oh for god’s sake, let her in.

But Tom advances, grabbing a blanket from the back of the

sofa on his way-

TOM:

Wait, hang on.

(through door)

I’m going to open the door just a

little and hand you a blanket. There

are two porch lamps on either side

of the door, you need to hang this

on ‘em to block the view, okay?

OLYMPIA (O.S.)

Okay.

TOM:

(to room)

Look away.

They obey, as Tom opens the door a crack and tosses the

blanket outside, then closes it again.

A moment later, after some shuffling outside:

OLYMPIA (O.S.)

Okay? I think it’s up now.

Tom opens the door just a crack and peers outside. Through

the narrow view of the front porch:

A woman. Blonde, put together. Carrying a Hello Kitty travel

bag full of clothes. A timid 30 going on Sweet 16. A scarf

hides her face. She pulls it up and blinks at Tom.

OLYMPIA (CONT’D)

Hi.

Tom opens the door for her and she steps in.

39.

OLYMPIA (CONT’D)

Oh wow, there are a lot of you.

She sets her bag down, revealing her round belly under her

dress. She’s pregnant.

GREG:

You’re... uh.

Olympia nods, caressing her bump.

OLYMPIA:

Due September 20.

FELIX:

Wow, you two are a week apart.

Malorie and Olympia make eye contact.

Malorie instantly dislikes her.

MALORIE:

Where did you come from?

OLYMPIA:

My husband is in the Air Force, he

was deployed last month, so I was

staying at a friend’s down the

block the day everybody started

freaking out. She went out to get

groceries, uh, that was two days

ago. So I went outside, and-

Tom starts to shut the door when a HAND pushes back, keeping

the door open.

In steps EDGAR:
60s, weathered and scarred, facial hair, a

war veteran’s thousand-yard stare. Dressed for mountain

hiking. Wearing dark shades.

He plants his feet next to Olympia and takes off his shades.

OLYMPIA (CONT’D)

...and I ran into Edgar.

DONALD:

What were you doing outside?

FELIX:

Is it safe to go out?

EDGAR:

Don’t be stupid.

Felix looks to the others: What the hell?

40.

EDGAR (CONT’D)

You listen to me, and listen good.

There are at least two of those

things out there. Maybe more.

DONALD:

Are they hostile?

EDGAR:

They don’t have to be. Looks like

you all got a good thing here. Keep

it that way. Stay the hell inside.

TOM:

How do you expect us to get

resupplied?

EDGAR:

With your eyes closed. Nearest

store is the Super Target, five

blocks south, two blocks west. Had

plenty of food as of Tuesday. Find

the curb, follow it. And keep your

goddamn eyes shut. Who’s the owner?

GREG:

I am.

EDGAR:

You got an attic?

GREG:

Yes. It’s uh, we made it a game

room for my nieces-

EDGAR:

Whatever. That’s where I’ll be.

Edgar starts up the stairs. Donald calls out:

DONALD:

Hang on, old man. You talk like you

dealt with those things out there.

Edgar levels his glare at Donald.

EDGAR:

You don’t “deal” with ‘em, you

avoid ‘em.

DONALD:

What the hell are they?

41.

EDGAR:

Devils. Monsters. Spirits. Take

your goddamn pick.

DONALD:

Which is it?

EDGAR:

Doesn’t matter.

DONALD:

So you don’t know anything, really.

EDGAR:

That’s how they get you. They wait

around for you to get curious. They

don’t gotta lift a finger to kill

us off. Our need to know will do it

for ‘em.

With that, Edgar disappears upstairs. The room listens to his

footfalls all the way up to the attic floor, until a door

slams shut.

OLYMPIA:

Um. Do you have any food?

Everyone returns to the immediate problem.

INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

A Scrabble boardgame sits on the coffee table and Tom shakes

a velvet bag in his hands. The contents click like plastic

pieces rattling together.

The rest of the group is gathered around Tom.

TOM:

We need to get enough supplies to

last to September three. That’s all

we gotta do. National Guard rescue

day. I’ll volunteer to go but I

figure we need at least four to

make it quick and safe.

FELIX:

Tom, you’re a nice guy, but I don’t

think anyone else is gonna

volunteer to go out there.

TOM:

That’s what the tiles are for. Draw

a letter ‘E’ and you’re exempt.

(MORE)

42.

TOM (CONT'D)

But there are three ‘S’ tiles. Draw

one of those, and you’re going

shopping with me. All right?

CHERYL:

So it’s just random?

DONALD:

That makes it fair.

CHERYL:

(muttering)

I’m never good at these games.

Tom holds out the bag for Cheryl to draw first.

TOM:

Go on.

Cheryl reluctantly reaches in... Pulls out a tile. Reads it.

Lets out a breath. It’s an ‘E’.

Tom faces Donald next. Donald reaches in. Pulls out with his

hand in a fist.

Opens his palm:
another ‘E’ tile.

DONALD:

Exempt.

Tom offers the bag to Lucy.

TOM:

You next.

LUCY:

Fine.

Lucy reaches in. Pulls out a tile trapped between two

fingers. Angles it so she can see:

Another ‘E’ tile.

Tom shakes the bag and offers it to Olympia next.

OLYMPIA:

I have to do this too? I was just

out there.

TOM:

We’re all in this together.

Olympia looks from face to face, searching for sympathy.

Finding none, she draws a tile.

43.

In her palm:
an ‘S’ tile.

OLYMPIA:

This isn’t right.

DONALD:

It’s the only way to be fair.

Donald speaks like someone already exempt.

LUCY:

Since no one’s gonna be the

gentleman, I’ll do it. Here.

Lucy takes Olympia’s tile and gives her the exempt one.

FELIX:

Can you do that?

TOM:

I don’t see why not.

SERIES OF SHOTS:

1) Greg draws an ‘E’ and lets out a breath.

2) Felix draws an ‘S’ tile.

TOM (V.O.)

Just one more now.

3) Edgar throws a tile on the table and stomps off.

4) The tile on the table: another ‘E’. Exempt.

ANGLE ON MALORIE

The last one to draw.

MALORIE:

Well. I guess we know.

Tom upturns the bag and the remaining ‘S’ clatters.

She looks around the room, hoping for a volunteer trade.

The other exempt members don’t dare meet her look.

FELIX:

Sorry, Malorie.

GREG:

What I want to know is how you plan

on making the trip.

Tom grins, ready for this one.

44.

INT. GARAGE - DAY

ANGLE ON A CAR:
A Cadillac. Upper-middle-class luxury. But

American. The product of living close to Detroit.

Tom climbs in. Others from the group spill into the garage,

trying to figure it out.

CHERYL:

You’re gonna drive there?

TOM:

It’s faster. Easy to stay together.

And it’s safer.

DONALD:

How is it safer to drive blind?

Tom starts up the car.

The in-dash GPS navigator boots up.

Tom smiles.

TOM:

We’re not blind.

SERIES OF SHOTS:

-Tom cuts up a cardboard box with a pair of scissors.

- Black electrician’s tape spreads over the windshield.

-The top of a pillowcase catches as a window seals up.

-More tape secures the pillowcase to the window.

-Tom removes the rearview mirror with a wrench, to remove

any tape-gaps in the windshield.

INT. GARAGE - DAY

Tom’s last flourish: taping over the tiny camera above the

license plate on the back.

Tom stands with his arms crossed, nodding at his work.

Lucy, Malorie, Donald and Greg all stand with him.

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