Kalifornia Page #14

Carrie nods toward the back seat. Brian turns and sees Adele

looking back at them questioningly. Beside her, Early rustles.

BRIAN:

What is it?

CARRIE:

Look again!

Brian notices that Adele's rummaging has revealed an automatic

pistol in the open canvas bag. Brian stares at it. Early's

eyes open.

EXT. PARKED LINCOLN - LATER

A deserted plain. It's very quiet here. Until the silence is

broken by the sound of gunshots. Reveal Early teaching Brian

how to shoot. A row of tin cans are set up on a rusty old

car. It's obvious that Brian's enthralled with the idea of

shooting the gun. Even if he isn't hitting anything.

EARLY:

Only thing my old man ever gave me

is that goddamn .45.

Brian fires off another shot, misses again.

EARLY:

Bri', you're jerkin' it when you

pull the trigger, hold it real steady.

Nearby stands an unhappy Carrie. Adele pulls her yoyo out of

her pocket.

ADELE:

Boys'll be boys.

Carrie doesn't respond. Adele offers the yoyo to Carrie.

ADELE:

You know any tricks?

Carrie shakes her head no. Adele withdraws her offer.

ADELE:

You wanna learn some?

Again Carrie declines. Her steely gaze returns to Brian.

ON EARLY AND BRIAN

Early helps Brian to hold the gun.

EARLY:

Steady... Breath in... now let half

of it out, and... fire.

BANG!! The can flies off the tree stump. Brian turns to Carrie

to see her reaction... but she's already on her way back to

the car, and she's furious. Concerned, Brian starts to follow

after her... But Early grabs his attention.

EARLY:

Bri, I want you to keep this gun...

consider it a present. Never know,

California could turn out to be a

dangerous place.

Brian gazes at the gun resting in the palm of his hand.

EXT. AN EMPTY HIGHWAY - DAY

The Lincoln rolling along.

INT. LINCOLN

Brian is driving. Carrie keeps to herself. In her side mirror

she catches a glimpse of Early curled up in Adele's lap. She

watches a moment longer... and realizes that they are making

out. Beginning to kiss and touch one another.

EXT. HIGHWAY NEAR ABATTOIR - LATE AFTERNOON

The Lincoln turns off the main highway onto a dirt road. In

the distance, we see a large rundown building.

INT. AN OLD DESERTED ABATTOIR - AFTERNOON

The Lincoln pulls up to the ramshackle structure. Brian

glances to the back seat to make a remark to Early and Adele

and sees that they are amorously engaged.

Brian and Carrie start to gather their stuff. Carrie opens

the glove compartment, inside are boxes of film... and the

.45 automatic. She takes a few packs of film, and closes the

glove compartment.

EARLY:

Tell ya Bri., I'm still a little

sleepy,... think Adele and me are

gonna take us a fiesta.

CARRIE:

(pissed off)

Siesta.

Carrie reaches over and takes the keys from the ignition,

locks the glove compartment and pockets the key. Both she

and Brian exit the car. As they start to walk toward the

structure Brian hears a sound, he turns back to see. Adele

leaning forward into the frontseat as the lincoln's big white

top starts to come up.

INT. ABATTOIR

Even in daylight, the interior of the dilapidated old building

is equal parts unnerving, austere, and menacing. The last

rays of sunlight stream through what remains of the windows.

The light falls on a long ominous row of wicked looking meat-

hooks hanging from the ceiling.

Carrie is getting her camera equipment ready. She's quiet

and uncommunicative.

NEW ANGLE:

CLOSE, on a small audio cassette player as it comes to rest

on a giant butcher block table in the center of the room.

Brian pops a cassette in the player.

CARRIE:

What's that?

BRIAN:

A copy of a tape they found. He

recorded everything.

Camera in hand, Carrie begins to move about, despite the

fact that this place repels her.

Brian presses a button on the audio cassette player. The

small tinny speaker plays a bad recording of something we

slowly come to realize is the unmistakable sounds of a woman

being tortured and pleading for her life.

FLASH!! FLASH!!

Carrie fires off a series of shots from different angles.

Brian scans the place trying to imagine what happened. Screams

from the audio tape bounce off the walls.

BRIAN:

(speaks into his small

hand held tape

recorder)

His mother had him working in here

before he was eight years old...

killing animals with a sledgehammer

that was bigger than he was.

Brian and Carrie walk through the remains of a doorway into

another room.

BRIAN:

When she was pissed at him, she'd

beat the sh*t out of him and lock

him in here overnight...

The pleas for help and screams on the tape subside to a steady

whimpering.

BRIAN:

(continuing)

...Eventually the boy wakes up one

morning, picks up that sledgehammer

and starts hurting back.

FLASH!! FLASH!!

Carrie takes a few more shots of the ominous interior. Then

she stops, turns and walks out of the room. She's had enough.

Brian follows after her.

BRIAN:

There's more...

CARRIE:

I'm finished.

Carrie stops to pick up the rest of her gear.

BRIAN:

Look... I know you're pissed off

about the gun, and I don't blame

you...

Carrie wheels around to face him.

CARRIE:

Brian, I'm not pissed off. God damm

it, turn that thing off.

She switches off the cassette player.

CARRIE:

I'm scared. A week ago you would

never have even thought to pick up

that gun. This afternoon you're out

there wielding it around like Clyde

f***ing Barrow, for Christ's sake!

What's with you?

BRIAN:

Okay, it was a cheap thrill, it was

stupid, I admit it, alright?

(pause)

But let's not blow this. Not now...

Let's just get the photos.

CARRIE:

I can't believe I agreed to do this.

OMITTED:

BRIAN:

Oh come on, don't give me that sh*t...

you wanted to take these photos as

much as I wanted you too.

CARRIE:

Wrong! I was willing to do whatever

it took to get you up off your ass

and on the way to California...

There's a big difference.

Carrie storms out of the place. She exits the tunnel, and

makes her way toward...

THE LINCOLN:

As she approaches it, through the rear windshield she sees...

Early and Adele f***ing wildly!

Carrie wants to turn away, but she can't stop watching them.

Fascinated, she raises the camera to her eye and zooms in on

them.

THROUGH CARRIE'S CAMERA LENS: ON EARLY AND ADELE

Early is sitting against the back seat. Adele is straddling

him. Carrie's finger finds the shutter button.

Early's arms move up under Adele's dress... Her hands press

up against the roof. She's trembling... Wavering... Carrie's

finger presses down on the button, CLICK!!

Then in one swift movement Early sweeps Adele onto the back

seat. Close on Early's face. He's sweating... Lips moving...

Talking dirty to Adele.

Keeping her finger on the button, Carrie rapid fires through

a whole roll of film. She's oblivious to the whine of the

motor drive once all the film is shot out.

Then unexpectedly!! Early looks directly into the camera, at

Carrie. And smiles... And continues to f*** Adele.

A chill rushes through Carrie, she almost drops the camera.

She runs back toward the tunnel... and right into Brian's

arms. He startles her. She pulls away from him.

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