Lou Page #14

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Hannah looks up from her tantrum.

LOU (CONT’D)

You’re scaring the dog.

78.

HANNAH:

(regaining herself)

Sorry Jax.

CUT TO:

INT. CAVE (PHILIP AND VEE) - NIGHT

Philip and Vee hunker down beside a small fire inside a

shallow cave. He makes SHADOW PUPPETS against the wall. Vee

GIGGLES, her lips covered in white fluff.

PHILIP:

Quack, quack!

VEE:

A duck!

Vee holds up her hands.

VEE (CONT’D)

Do me!

Philip can barely open Vee’s sticky fingers as he forms them

into a dog. He shows her how to make the dog’s mouth move.

VEE (CONT’D)

Woof! Woof!

(beat)

Another one!

PHILIP:

I have something else we can do.

Philip reaches forward, taking a charred stick from the fire.

He presses his hand against the wall of the cave and uses the

stick to draw an outline of his palm.

Then he takes Vee’s small hand, presses it against the wall

and draws her palm outline inside of his.

PHILIP (CONT’D)

You and me. We go together.

VEE:

Okay, Dad.

She places her small hands on either side of his face and

kisses his nose before settling back into his lap. Philip

looks down at her.

79.

PHILIP:

(quietly)

I didn’t know if I’d be any good at

this. The whole dad thing. I didn’t

have a great role model. My dad, he

wasn’t a nice guy.

Vee eyeballs the open FLUFF JAR. She doesn’t understand what

Philip’s getting at.

PHILIP (CONT’D)

So this is exceeding my

expectations.

Philip smiles, pleased with himself. He looks back down at

Vee. She’s scooping fluff directly from the container into

her mouth.

EXT. NIGHT SKY - NIGHT

A THICK CLOUD COVER moves quickly over the dark sky, offering

momentary glimpses of the bright stars and moon beyond.

EXT. WOODS (RANKIN) - NIGHT

Rankin drives quickly through the woods. If Bigfoot can’t go

over something, Rankin finds he can easily go around it. He’s

going so fast he doesn’t notice a STEEP DROP in the terrain.

The ATV flies off the ground, sailing through the air. It

lands with a THUD. Rankin lurches forward over the handlebars

and when he leans back, he has a HUGE SMILE on his face, the

first we’ve seen.

RANKIN:

Oh, come on, I didn’t have the time

to find a helmet, Millie.

He REVS the engine and continues on.

EXT. CLIFF (LOU AND HANNAH’S CAMP) - NIGHT

Lou and Jax rest against a tree, watching a SMALL FIRE burn.

Lou sips from a water bottle. She tries screwing the cap back

on but her hand shakes too much.

Across the fire, Hannah notices.

HANNAH:

Can I get some of that?

Lou hands her the water and the cap. She knows Hannah’s

covering for her.

80.

LOU:

At first, growing old was charming.

I knew more. I was wiser. Didn’t

sweat the small stuff. But then, at

some point it switched. And every

year meant knowing less, doubting

myself, feeling weaker. Having too

much time to reflect.

(remembering)

I use to think I was spectacular,

Hannah. Absolutely spectacular. And

then one day realized I wasn’t

anymore. That maybe I never was.

Hannah reaches over, squeezing Lou’s hand. Lou’s very

uncomfortable with this physical gesture but Hannah holds on.

HANNAH:

My grandma used to knit. I mean

really knit, these beautiful

scarves and sweaters. They looked

so good, they looked like they were

from China. You know what I mean?

LOU:

They were -- intricate.

HANNAH:

Yeah. Exactly. Real intricate. Then

one day she had a stroke. No more

knitting. It broke her heart even

more than Pop-Pop passing. Is it

like that? Wanting to knit but not

being able to?

LOU:

Sounds similar.

Lou settles onto the ground, closing her eyes.

HANNAH:

Lou?

LOU:

Go to sleep.

HANNAH:

I can’t. I’m worried about Vee.

LOU:

Worrying won’t help.

81.

HANNAH:

But I’m always worried about Vee.

That she’ll end up like her dad,

all bad and no good.

This comment gets Lou’s attention.

LOU:

What’s she done to make you think

that? Torture a squirrel?

HANNAH:

Nothing like that.

LOU:

You wake up with her standing over

your bed with a knife?

Hannah glances at Lou, horrified by the thought.

HANNAH:

‘Course not.

LOU:

Then go to sleep.

HANNAH:

But what if she changes?

LOU:

You’d already know. A mother always

knows. That’s what they say right?

HANNAH:

I guess so.

(beat)

Hey Lou?

LOU:

Yes?

HANNAH:

Can I sleep with Jax tonight?

LOU:

Be my guest.

Lou nudges Jax, encouraging him over to Hannah. She receives

him with wide opened arms, burying her face in his fur.

HANNAH:

You sure you won’t get lonely?

82.

LOU:

I’ll be fine.

HANNAH:

Promise?

LOU:

Don’t worry about me.

HANNAH:

Wouldn’t do me any good anyway.

Lou smiles to herself as a log breaks in the fire, sending a

plume of SPARKS into the dark night air.

INT./EXT. VEE’S PLAYHOUSE/CAVE - NIGHT

Philip looks inside the playhouse at Vee. She’s sound asleep.

Mr. Hippo is beside her, his eyes wide-open, staring out at

Philip.

Philip holds a finger to his lips, telling Mr. Hippo to keep

quiet as he closes the playhouse door.

EXT. CLIFFS (LOU AND HANNAH’S CAMPSITE) - NIGHT

Hannah and Lou sleep beside the RED EMBERS of the fire.

SUDDENLY -- Lou’s eyes flick open, an instant before a GLOVED

HAND clamps across her mouth. She reaches for her handgun but

a knee pins her arm to the ground.

Philip grabs Lou’s gun and points it at Hannah. He leans

down, WHISPERING into her ear.

PHILIP:

I don’t want her to die now. So

let’s be quiet about this, okay?

Lou nods her agreement. Philip releases her mouth. Over his

shoulder, Lou sees JAX STEALTHILY APPROACHING.

Philip reaches down to help Lou to her feet. She accepts his

hand. Standing, she motions for Jax to lie down. He doesn’t.

Lou motions again and he finally obeys.

EXT. WOODS - MOMENTS LATER

Lou stands next to a tree; her arms wrapped around its trunk.

She watches Philip bind her wrists together with a zip tie.

Next to them, are the STIFF BODIES of Philip’s earlier

victims. Philip catches Lou staring at the men’s contorted

faces.

83.

PHILIP:

Oops.

Lou scowls. Unflappable. Philip gently cups her face.

PHILIP (CONT’D)

Sometimes I wondered how much you

knew about me. If you even cared to

know anything.

LOU:

I know who you are. I know what

you’ve done.

PHILIP:

So you know I followed in your

footsteps? Well, maybe not exactly

but in the same general direction.

He shines his flashlight onto Lou’s face, inspecting it,

taking his time. Finally--

PHILIP (CONT’D)

I have your eyes, Mom.

(he tilts his head)

Maybe a bit of your nose? Dad had

the stronger features. Handsome

features. I’m sure he wasn’t your

worst assignment.

Lou whips her head to the side, pulling her chin from

Philip’s grasp.

LOU:

Leave Vee’s coordinates with Hannah

and do what you want with me.

PHILIP:

You want me to kill you?

LOU:

You didn’t tie me to a tree so you

could give me a hug.

PHILIP:

Sorry. I’m not in the martyr making

business.

Philip sits. He encourages Lou to do the same, watching as

she shimmies her arms awkwardly down the tree trunk. He finds

it amusing.

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