Blood Simple Page #16

The gun trembling in the foreground. His knuckle whitens

over the trigger.

The trigger releases and we hear the dull click of an empty

chamber.

LOW SHOT RAY:

Staring blankly down at Marty.

SIDE SHOT:

Of Marty's gun hand as Ray slowly sinks down on the lip of

the grave, bracing himself with the shovel. His hand reaches

for Marty's. Marty squeezes off two more empty chambers.

Ray's hand slowly closes over the barrel of the gun.

As he pulls, the gun slides from Marty's fingers.

CLOSE SHOT THE BLADE OF THE SHOVEL

Biting into the earth.

MED SHOT RAY:

Furiously shoveling dirt into the grave.

HIGH SHOT THE GRAVE

Marty barely visible under the dirt.

MED SHOT RAY:

Shoveling, panting.

HIGH SHOT THE GRAVE

Half full.

MED SHOT RAY:

Working furiously. His breath comes in short gasps.

HIGH SHOT THE GRAVE

It is filled. Ray is packing down the earth, slamming the

shovel furiously against the bare patch of earth.

CLOSE SHOT THE BLADE OF THE SHOVEL

Being slammed down against the earth. Again and again.

EXT. OPEN FIELD SUNRISE

The staccato beat of the shovel slamming against earth drops

out at the cut. There is perfect quiet. The sun is just

peeping over the horizon. In the foreground Ray is sitting

in the open door of his car, smoking a cigarette. His gaze

is fixed on a spot offscreen.

HIS POV:

A house. Quite near by.

The house and its perfect green rectangle of lawn are set

incongruously in the middle of the open field.

BACK TO RAY:

Staring, without emotion.

He takes one last, fierce drag on the cigarette, then flicks

it away. He takes the shovel, walks over to the grave and

stares at it for several seconds, shovel clasped firmly in

both hands.

He walks back to the car.

HIGH SHOT:

House, car and grave. Ray throws the shovel into the car,

gets in, and turns the ignition.

The engine coughs weakly and dies.

He tries again. Same result.

One more time. The engine coughs, sputters, and fires to

life. The car runs over the grave and rattles on across the

rutted field towards the highway in the distance.

INT. RAY'S CAR DAWN

As Ray drives down the straight empty highway in the flat

early-morning light.

CLOSE SHOT RAY:

Pale and unblinking.

RAY'S POV THE HIGHWAY

In the distance we see a beat-up white station wagon

approaching. It's headlights wink on, then off again.

BACK TO RAY:

He squints at the approaching car.

RAY'S POV

The car is closer. It's headlights wink again.

BACK TO RAY:

His jaw tightens. He stares intently at the car. Then,

abruptly, he looks down at his dashboard.

CLOSE SHOT HEADLIGHT KNOB ON THE DASHBOARD

His headlights are on. Ray's hand enters frame and pushes in

the knob.

SIDE ANGLE RAY:

Watching the approaching station wagon. As it passes we catch

a glimpse of its occupant. He grins and c*cks a you-got-it

finger at Ray before roaring out of frame.

EXT. DESERTED GAS STATION

HIGH ANGLE:

The station hasn't opened yet. Ray's car, empty, stands alone

in the lot. Flat prairie stretches to the horizon. No movement

in the frame.

At the cut we hear the faint sound of a phone ringing through

a receiver. After four or five rings the phone is picked up

and we begin a slow crane down.

ABBY:

(through phone;

sleepily)

Hello?

RAY:

(present; very hoarsely)

Abby... you all right?

ABBY:

Ray?... What time is it?

RAY:

I don't know. It's early... I love

you.

A beat.

ABBY:

...You all right?

RAY:

I don't know. I better get off now.

The continuing crane down reveals Ray in a phone booth in

the foreground.

ABBY:

Okay, see ya... Thanks, Ray.

RAY:

Abby--

The phone disconnects.

INT. ABBY'S APARTMENT

CLOSE SHOT ABBY:

Her sleeping head on a pillow. Offscreen we hear a door open

and shut. A moment later Ray's dirt-caked hand comes into

frame and gently brushes a wisp of hair back for Abby's face.

We hear Ray walk across the apartment and a moment later the

sound of water running.

Abby stirs. She looks offscreen.

LONG SHOT RAY:

Standing in the doorway to the bathroom. He is wiping his

hands on a towel.

ABBY:

(sleepily)

...Ray?

RAY:

You're bad.

Still half asleep, Abby smiles.

ABBY:

...What?

RAY:

I said you're bad.

There is a long pause. Finally:

ABBY:

(smiling)

...You're bad too.

Ray swings a chair out and sits down behind a table at the

far end of the room. He leans back and props his legs up on

the table. He is staring across the room at Abby.

RAY:

We're both bad.

FADE OUT:

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes