Breakdown Page #8

JEFF:

No one’s going to hurt you, Billy.

Just tell me what you saw.

Billy glances around nervously, swallowing.

BILLY:

She came in on a truck. A big

white one.

JEFF:

Yes...

BILLY:

Then she... she got in another

truck.

(CONTINUED)

45.

CONTINUED:

JEFF:

Another truck? With who?

BILLY:

Dunno. Some men. Bad men. They

say I’m a dummy, but I ain’t. I

see things.

Jeff reels, struggles to stay focused.

JEFF:

Do you know where they went?

BILLY:

Uh-huh. Route seven. Up by the

river.

JEFF:

Where by the river?

BILLY:

Dunno. They don’t tell me that

kind of stuff.

JEFF:

Who doesn’t? The bartender? The

men in the truck?

Billy’s expression darkens. He starts backing away.

BILLY:

I ain’t talking to you no more.

JEFF:

Billy, I need you to come to the

police. If you tell them what you

saw, they’ll be able to help me.

Billy laughs.

BILLY:

Man, you’re the dummy.

Jeff looks at him, confused.

BILLY:

Don’t you git it? The police is

the ones in on it!

Billy turns and runs back into the diner. ON Jeff’s

sickened reaction, we -

CUT TO:

46.

INT. CHEROKEE -DAY

Jeff drives flat-out, his face grim. The speedometer

reads 100 mph.

Keeping his eye on the road, he thumbs through the pages

of a pocket address book. He picks up the handheld

cellular phone and dials.

JEFF:

C’mon... work, goddammit...

The "NO SERVICE" INDICATOR BEEPS.

JEFF:

F***.

EXT. CROSSROADS -DAY

The highway intersects Route 7. The Cherokee slows just

enough to take the corner without tipping over.

It flies past a sign: "Route 7 -North."

CUT TO:

EXT. ROUTE7-DAY

The road ascends into the rocky hills above the desert

plain. The route is narrow and windy, forcing Jeff to

reduce his speed.

INT. CHEROKEE -DAY

Jeff drives, desperately searching for any sign of a

truck. There are no other vehicles on the road.

He keeps pressing the "REDIAL" button. The "NO SERVICE"

INDICATOR BEEPS over and over.

EXT. MOUNTAINS -DAY

The road curves through a tunnel, then climbs higher,

past sharp cliffs and drop-offs. Jeff follows the signs

for "Route 7."

INT. CHEROKEE -DAY

Something catches Jeff’s eye on the cell phone. For the

first time, the "SERVICE" indicator blinks green. Jeff

immediately grabs the phone again and presses "REDIAL."

(CONTINUED)

47.

CONTINUED:

There is a burst of STATIC, then we hear a SCRATCHY

RINGING. The call is going through.

JEFF:

(thank God)

Yes.

He waits for an answer.

JEFF:

Hello, Steve? It’s Jeff Taylor...

Listen, I --don’t put me on hold!

I need a favor... I’ve gotta talk

to that friend of yours at the

F.B.I... No, it’s about Amy, she’s

missing -

There is a burst of STATIC. The reception is very poor.

JEFF:

I said Amy’s been -

More STATIC.

JEFF:

F***!

Jeff holds the phone tight to his ear.

JEFF:

Yes, I’m still here. No --don’t

call back --Steve?! Steve?!

The SIGNAL CUTS OFF. Jeff slams the phone against the

dash, furious.

JEFF:

Goddammit!

He punches redial, gets the "NO SERVICE" BEEPING, then

glances up, sees a -

CHAINLINK FENCE:

covered with high-visibility markers stretched across the

road. The sign:
"ROAD CLOSED."

BACK TO JEFF:

He mashes the brakes. The CHEROKEE SKIDS to a halt just

short of the fence. Jeff stares at it.

(CONTINUED)

48.

CONTINUED:

JEFF:

Sh*t!

He grinds his teeth. Beyond the padlocked gate, the

highway continues as an unpaved dirt road.

He deliberates, then throws the Cherokee in reverse and

does a three-point turn so he’s facing back in the

opposite direction.

He looks up, sees -

DODGE RAM PICKUP TRUCK

has been hiding in the bushes off the road. It lurches

forward and stops in the middle of the road, blocking

Jeff’s escape. Jeff’s eyes widen in fear as he

recognizes the vehicle and its driver: Earl.

Earl gets out of the cab with a hunting rifle. He raises

it to his shoulder.

EARL:

(calling out)

Out of the car! Put your hands

where I can see ’em!

JEFF:

swears, panicking.

EARL:

I said get out, dammit! Now!

Jeff stares into the rifle, deliberating. His hand moves

to the gearshift.

He jerks it into reverse and floors the gas!

CHEROKEE:

peels out in reverse, snaking wildly side to side, aiming

for the chainlink fence.

It BURSTS the FENCE! Poles and chain mesh go flying!

JEFF:

cranks the wheel and brakes hard. The rear end of the

Cherokee swings wide to the edge of the road.

He throws the shift into drive and punches the throttle.

49.

EARL:

jumps in the Ram and takes off in pursuit.

JEFF:

GUNS the ENGINE. The Cherokee bounces wildly on the

rutted, storm-damaged road. He yanks the four-wheeldrive

lever.

DIRT ROAD:

The huge pickup streaks after the Cherokee, its 7.5-LITER

V10 ROARING, oversized tires devouring the terrain.

JEFF:

GUNS the ENGINE on the washboard road surface, the

vibration nearly shaking the suspension apart while -

RAM:

keeps pace in the dust from its wake. Inside the cab,

Earl can be seen speaking on a CB transmitter.

JEFF:

throws the Cherokee into a sharp turn in the road. As

the car rounds the bend, he looks up, reacting, as -

IDLED BULLDOZER:

blocks the road at a construction site. More unattended

earthmoving equipment fills the road beyond.

JEFF:

brakes wildly. To his right, a cliff goes straight up;

on the left, a guardrail protects a steep ravine.

He cuts the wheel left, CRASHES through the GUARDRAIL and

plunges into the ravine!

CHEROKEE:

bounces wildly as it hurtles down the slope, CRASHING

through sagebrush and manzanita.

50.

JEFF:

clings to the wheel, tossed about violently, as suitcases

and packing boxes go everywhere.

The Cherokee hits a bump on the steep slope and CRASHES

through the upper branches of a willow grove.

As the leaves part, we see... a river.

CHEROKEE:

lands on the passenger side with a SPLASH and comes to

rest half-submerged in the RUSHING WATER.

EARL:

jerks the Ram to a halt, leaps out and runs to the edge

of the road to look down on the Cherokee in the river.

EARL:

Sonofabitch...

He grabs the rifle and begins making his way down the

slope.

INSIDE CHEROKEE:

The world is sideways. Water rushes into the car. Jeff

is strapped into the driver’s seat by the seatbelt. The

AIRBAG DEFLATES with a HISS.

Jeff grimaces in pain. He looks around, blinking. The

river is flowing right through the Cherokee!

Luggage, styrofoam hamburger clamshells and empty Coke

cans bob on the surface of the water.

Jeff fumbles with the seatbelt release. The belt comes

free and he drops suddenly into the water on the

passenger side.

He gets to his feet, reaches overhead to unlatch the

driver’s side door and pushes it open.

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