Freedomland Page #6

But the fact of the matter is,

it's been almost 24 hours.

So the odds of him still

wandering the streets...

...not getting picked up by now

are not so good.

Now, we looked at the map

earlier today, and we came up...

...with four possibilities where a kid

could conceivably get lost...

...or hide out for a whole day

or night and not get noticed.

And then we drove around,

we eliminated three of them.

This is a golf course.

This is a cemetery.

This is a ball field.

There's no cover, no place

to hide, if that's what he's doing.

Which leaves us...

...Freedomland.

Freedomland?

It's an old state children's home

in the back of Cotter's Woods.

It was like a foundling asylum,

like some kind of a youth house.

- It's been shut since the '50s.

- It's not far from Armstrong.

- Cody could have...

- Yeah, okay. Okay.

So Freedomland?

I feel good about Freedomland

for this one.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Freedomland it is.

- You're coming too, right?

- Absolutely.

What the hell's all this?

- I just need to get her to Freedomland.

- And you will.

It's not gonna work if you

make a beeline for it. Trust me.

Meanwhile, we have a little problem.

Look, you're here,

you might as well get out.

Just let us open the door.

How about that?

Excuse me, ladies.

Hey, Brenda. How you doing?

Heavenly father, we ask for your

blessing and guiding hand today...

...as we send these volunteers down...

...to help the mother of Cody Martin

find her child...

...and safely bring him home.

And we ask for the courage

and fortitude...

...to see this task successfully done.

In the name of the Father,

and of the Son...

...and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Amen.

Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

- Cody!

So where's her bug bands?

Karen doesn't wear bug bands.

Jesus. Anything bit Karen,

it'd lose its mind.

Really? Why?

Because Karen's son was abducted.

Our first kid.

You mean, Kent?

Ten years ago.

Tina here was a baby.

We all knew each other

from the neighborhood.

- Karen got us together.

- Cody Martin!

We had no idea what the hell

we were doing...

...but we wound up combing

every goddamn forest...

...field, drainpipe, creek, culvert...

Oh, everywhere.

And you know, we...

We still post flyers.

Well, what can I say? We...

We got better at it with practice.

Karen knows who took him too.

The cops just can't prove it.

- We can't prove it.

- Yeah.

God.

Me and Kent went to school together.

So like...

...I know he's my own age and all.

When we find him, I'm still

expecting him to be 8 years old...

...like the last time I saw him.

Cody!

- Cody!

- Come on, Cody!

So why you all triple-teaming me...

...while Karen's got Brenda

by herself all up in her ear?

Why?

- Sympathy.

- Sympathy.

I never lost a child, Lorenzo.

Did you?

- Cody!

- Cody Martin!

Hey, Cody!

Cody Martin!

- Cody Martin!

- Cody!

Watch that.

Stay together.

Watch your step. I've got you.

- All right.

- Keep moving.

I'm so tired.

What do you want from me?

We're gonna have a look around.

It's a little dangerous. Half of these

floorboards can go at any minute.

So I want you to stay in here

and wait for us, okay?

What are you doing?

Just wait for us.

I can't be alone.

I swear to God,

I feel like they're still here.

I tell you, when...

When they finally padlocked

this place, it was...

It was like shutting down hell.

Do you have any idea

of the generations of children...

...who suffered in here?

Thousands.

Thousands who were neglected...

...and abused...

...forgotten.

Just...

Just wasted.

Even your own family turns on you

after a while.

You come downstairs,

the other kids are like:

"Mommy, are you gonna

be sad today?"

That's the only thing that can

bring you back to some...

...charade of normal life,

when it hits you...

...what you're doing to your

other kids, to your marriage.

But with me, I couldn't even

rally for that. I couldn't fake it.

This bastard, Jimmy,

he took away my life.

He took away my family.

My husband's like, you know,

"Come on, Karen...

...you gotta think about

the other kids. Think about me.

We gotta get on with

the business of living."

That's what he called it,

"the business of living."

See, men, they always cave in.

Talk to you about

the business of living...

...tell you to,

"Think about the others.

The rest of us." Them.

And then they leave.

Because they just don't

have the belly for it.

They just don't have the heart.

We...

We are the hunters, Brenda.

What can I say to my other kids?

They're with my husband now.

All I can tell them is the truth:

If it had happened to them

instead of their brother...

...I would be the same way for them.

I want them back, my family.

But until someone can tell me

that my son is gone...

...here I am.

And here I'll stay.

Sometimes I just wanna grab...

...that murderous, perverted

son of a b*tch and say to him:

"Look, Jimmy, you took him.

I know it and you know it.

Now, don't say a word,

just nod your head.

Is he dead? Yes or no?

Do that for me,

I will never bother you again.

No one's gonna nail you

for nodding your head.

I swear I will go away.

You will never see me again.

Is he dead?

Just nod your head.

I need to know.

I need to know now, Jimmy.

Is he dead?

Sweet Christ in heaven...

...won't you please just tell me?

Just nod your head."

A nod of the head,

such a little thing.

And night becomes day.

Is he dead? Yes or no?

That's all I ask.

Yes or no?

Put my heart at rest.

Put my heart at rest, Brenda.

It's so hot.

I feel like I'm in hell.

When I said I just wanted to know...

...if my son was dead or alive,

that's not completely true.

I would like to give him

a proper burial in sanctified ground.

The thought of him

lying in some ditch...

...in some shallow grave in the forest

where the animals can...

Sh*t.

My boy wasn't like

those children in there.

- Okay.

- He was loved.

He was cherished.

Okay.

He's not here.

You're in the wrong park.

Thank you, God.

Thank you.

Is he dead?

- What?

- Yes.

- How?

- He drank a bottle of cough syrup.

- When was this?

- Two nights ago.

- The night you came to the hospital?

- The night before that.

- Did you see him drink the syrup?

- No, I wasn't there.

Was anybody else..?

He was all alone.

He was... He was all...

All alone.

Where is he, Brenda?

He's not here.

Brenda.

Where is he?

Oh, God, please.

Oh, God. Please.

- God, I can't find him.

- Just try to stay calm.

I can't find him.

I can't find him.

Come here.

I think we've got something.

Copy that. We're on our way.

This is subsoil.

It should be about two feet under.

And this formation here,

this is man-made.

- Is this it? Is this where he is?

- Yes.

- This is where you buried him?

- Yes.

- You dug this up?

- Yes.

- You dug this up?

- Yes.

- And then what'd you do?

- What?

- You pile all these rocks on here?

- Yes.

- All these stones.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes