Elle Page #3

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MICHELLE:

Don’t.

IRENE:

He’s an old man, Michelle.

MICHELLE:

Well, he’s still breathing, so notold enough, apparently.

IRENE:

There’s are some connections that

can never be broken...

MICHELLE:

I walk through the door here...

IRENE:

...Never! No matter what.

MICHELLE:

...and it’s one horror after another.

IRENE:

He’s having another parole hearingnext week...

MICHELLE:

Enough. OK?

Irene looks hurt. Michelle sips her coffee, notices somethingby her chair. She holds it up.

MICHELLE (CONT’D)

Your stud forgot his hernia belt.

18 EXT. MICHELLE’S HOUSE -- DUSK 18

Getting groceries out of her car, Michelle is politelyaccosted by her neighbor REBECCA, a very pretty, large-

bosomed woman in her mid-30s. Conservatively dressed, perky.

13.

REBECCA:

Michelle, glad I caught you. I’mputting these on everybody’s door.

(presses a Flyer in

Michelle’s hand)

It's about the neighborhoodcoucil's new trash-separationpolicy.

MICHELLE:

Oh, thank you.

Rebecca’s handsome husband, PATRICK - a man with the look of

a high school quarterback just starting to go to seed - iswrestling a large Xmas creche out of his car’s hatch-back.

REBECCA:

They're levying a pretty steep finenow if recycleables aren't properlysorted and we're having a blockmeeting Wednesday to organize ouropposition.

MICHELLE:

But you're on the council, aren'tyou?

PATRICK:

I've tried to point that out to herthat it's hard to be "we" and

"they" at the same time.

MICHELLE:

It's an interesting position

anyway.

REBECCA:

That's how I like to look at it.

Michelle smiles politely and finds herself sharing an amusedlittle look with the man carrying the creche. She givesRebecca another smile and tosses the flyer in the car beforeshe shuts the door.

19 INT. MICHELLE’S HOUSE -- NIGHT 19

Michelle comes in. A LOCKSMITH works on the front door.

LOCKSMITH:

This is the last one. Your new set

of keys is there on the table.

14.

MICHELLE:

Great. Thank you... Did you notice

the side door doesn’t close properly?

LOCKSMITH:

The wood’s warped. Might be

possible to shim under the hinge

plates, fix it that way.

MICHELLE:

Oh?

LOCKSMITH:

I don’t do that. I just do locks.

Michelle nods. Of course.

20 INT. MICHELLE’S HOUSE -- LATER THAT NIGHT 20

Michelle sits on her stairs, absently stroking Marty the cat,

staring at the entry hall where the rape took place.

21 FLASHBACK TO- INT. MICHELLE’S HOUSE -- DAY 21

Michelle is walking through the living room with a cup ofcoffee. She hears the cat loudly WHINING. She follows thesound and sees that the pantry door is standing slightlyajar. Michelle puts down her coffee and goes out onto theside patio to retrieve the cat. Marty jumps into her arms.

MICHELLE:

How’d you get out there, numbskull?

Michelle tries to close the door but finds she’s havingtrouble. The weather-warped door won’t close properly. She’sin the middle of her third attempt when the door suddenlybursts inward, knocking her back, making her drop the cat.

A MASKED INTRUDER now steps into the house. Eyeing her,

flings the door closed behind him.

For a moment, Michelle is frozen by terror. Then the Intrudertakes a step toward her and she rediscovers her legs. Sheruns but the Intruder catches up to her in the hall. She’s nophysical match for the much bigger man and, soon, all she cando is keep screaming as the Intruder takes her, Martywatching on, an indifferent witness.

15.

22 BACK TO- INT. MICHELLE’S HOUSE -- NIGHT 22

Michelle closes her eyes, opens them. Like a ritual purging.

She holds up the cat, makes him looks at her.

MICHELLE:

If you couldn’t claw his eyes out,

you could’ve at least scratched

him. I’m just saying.

23 INT. MICHELLE’S HOUSE - STUDY -- NIGHT 23

Michelle is looking at a preliminary animation on her laptop.

More Lovecraftian monsters. She gets a TEXT MESSAGE.

She looks at her phone. Unknown caller.

Just as she’s about to retrieve the message, her phone dies.

She curses to herself as she has to get up and plug in hercharger. It takes a moment for the phone to reboot.

When it does, she finds an ominous message staring at her:

“You were tight for a woman your age.”

Michelle feels ice water down her spine. She moves to thewindow, looks out. A few more Xmas lights twinkle in thestreet but nothing stirs.

24 INT. GUN SHOP -- DAY 24

Michelle talks with an orange-vested SALES ASSOCIATE in frontof a case filled with PEPPER SPRAYS. She’s handling one.

MICHELLE:

So this is the most powerful?

SALES ASSOCIATE:

With pepper sprays power can be

measured in terms of potency and in

terms of distance...

MICHELLE:

I want both.

25 INT. GUN SHOP -- MOMENTS LATER 25

On her way to the checkout counter, Michelle passes a displayof HATCHETS. She tosses one of those in her basket too.

16.

26 EXT. STREET -- DUSK 26

Michelle can’t find a parking space. She attempts a parallelparking job anyway, backing in hard. Her rear bumper makes anaudible CRUNCH. She keeps going anyway, forcibly moving theother car to make room for hers.

27 INT. RESTAURANT -- DUSK 27

Entering, Michelle finds RICHARD, her ex, a ruggedly handsomeman around fifty, already here. They kiss.

RICHARD:

You want to sit outside? We can sit

down right now.

MICHELLE:

Fine with me.

Richard motions to the HOSTESS. She nods back to him. Richard

and Michelle follow her through the restaurant.

RICHARD:

So you told Vincent you’d front himthe rent on that place?

MICHELLE:

I said I’d help for a while.

RICHARD:

Well, I hope you’re not expectingme to pitch in. I’m f***ing broke.

MICHELLE:

I was the one who made the promise.

They arrive at a table. The Hostess sets out menus.

RICHARD:

I don’t know what possessed you.

They should struggle a while. It’dbe good for him.

MICHELLE:

His psychotic won’t tolerate anystruggling.

RICHARD:

She is a psycho. I will add,

though, that kind of girl is oftenvery good in bed.

The Hostess smiles to herself as she opens napkins for them.

17.

MICHELLE:

What does that mean anyway? “Goodin bed.” I’ve never known.

The Hostess splits. Michelle sits down.

RICHARD:

Did you get a chance to read myproposal yet?

Michelle seems distracted as she settles in at the table.

MICHELLE:

Richard, would you say I was tightfor a woman my age?

Richard’s taken aback by the question. Before he can answer,

they’re joined by Anna and her husband, ROBERT.

ROBERT:

What up, loser?

28 INT. RESTAURANT -- DUSK 28

RICHARD:

(amid the hugs, kisses)

You're just in time to hearMichelle avoid telling me what shethought of the game idea I pitchedto her.

MICHELLE:

No - it was very interesting.

ROBERT:

(to Bus Boy)

Four glasses of champagne... no, abottle.

Anna sits next to Michelle. She can tell there’s somethingwrong. She mouths “are you ok?” Michelle half-smiles,

distantly.

RICHARD:

It is interesting. It's set in atime when dogs have been wiped outby a virus, so people have roboticcanines as pets. You play as theSpartacus of the robot-dog world.

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