Lost Highway Page #12

We move into the eye sockets and beyond.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. TWO-LANE HIGHWAY - NIGHT

We see a clean moving POV illuminated by headlights. We are

floating down an old two-lane highway through a desolate,

desert landscape. This gliding, eerie POV continues until

the headlights illuminate a figure standing at the side of

the road. This figure is a man, PETE DAYTON. Pete turns,

unsettled, as he looks directly at us as we move closer to

him.

The ghost image of a house appears behind Pete. There is a

girl, SHEILA, standing on the lawn in front of the house.

She is afraid and is trying to communicate with Pete. Pete

doesn't seem to hear her and continues to stare directly at

us. Now Pete seems to move toward us as we move toward him.

His head fills the screen.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PRISON - FRED'S CELL - NIGHT

Fred's blank face begins to contort and take on the

appearance, feature by feature, of Pete Dayton.

Fred Madison is becoming Pete Dayton.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

EXT. PRISON - DAWN

We watch the sun rise outside the prison, ascending over the

strands of barbed-wire above the wall.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - DEATH ROW - MORNING

A GUARD is making his early morning rounds. He stops at each

cell and looks in, making a mark with a pencil on a piece of

paper on a clipboard. when he comes to Fred's cell, he is

about to make a check-mark, but looks in again and appears

confused. THE MAN INSIDE IS NOT FRED.

GUARD:

Who are you? What are you doing in

this cell?

The MAN in the cell sits still on the cot, staring straight

ahead. The man is thin, younger than Fred.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - DEATH ROW HALLWAY - MORNING

The guard hurries over to the guard station. He picks up the

telephone and dials. He begins to sweat.

GUARD:

This is Johnny Mack at station 8.

Yeah, look, somethin' crazy's

happened. No, I mean, Madison ain't

in his cell. No, there's somebody

in there, but it ain't Madison! Right,

right. Okay... Captain Henderson's

comin'?... Right.

Johnny Mack hangs up. He sweats. He walks back down the row

and looks in again at Fred's cell.

JOHNNY MACK:

F-u-u-u-ck me!

He walks back to the station. A supervisor arrives, CAPTAIN

HENDERSON.

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

Now, Mack, what's the situation?

JOHNNY MACK:

I'm not entirely certain, Captain.

You'll have to see for yourself.

Together they walk quickly to Fred's cell and look in.

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

That's not Fred Madison?

JOHNNY MACK:

No, sir, it's not.

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

Who is it?

JOHNNY MACK:

I couldn't say, sir... Captain

Henderson?

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

Yeah, Mack?

JOHNNY MACK:

Captain... this is some spooky sh*t

we got here.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - WARDEN'S OFFICE - DAY

Captain Henderson is standing in front of a desk, behind

which the Warden is seated. A nameplate on the desk reads:

WARDEN MARSHALL R. CLEMENTS.

WARDEN:

Repeat that, Bill.

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

Warden, it's not him. It was not

Fred Madison in that cell.

WARDEN:

Of course, it's Madison!!! Who else

could it be?

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

I don't know. The guards say they've

never seen him before.

WARDEN:

Where is he now?

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

He's in the infirmary, being examined.

WARDEN:

Did you ask him who he is?

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

He... He can't talk. it appears as

if he can't talk, anyway.

WARDEN:

If he's not Madison, then where's

Madison?

CAPTAIN HENDERSON

I've got men searching the building

and the grounds now.

The Warden stands up and comes around the desk.

WARDEN:

I want to take a look at this man

myself.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - INFIRMARY - DAY

The man from Fred's cell is just finishing being

fingerprinted.

The doctor with serious eyebrows - DR. ROGOFF - is inspecting

the man's face. The Warden enters with Captain Henderson.

GUARDS are standing by the door and at strategic spots in

the room.

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