Nocturnal Animals Page #16

81

FLASHBACK:
INT. TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL CLINIC, AUSTIN TEXAS,81

1997. DAY.

Rain pounds on the window. Hutton helps Susan on with her

coat. A nurse can be seen walking away from them.

82

FLASHBACK:
INT. MERCEDES COUP, PARKING LOT, TRAVIS COUNTY 82

MEDICAL CLINIC, AUSTIN TEXAS, 1997. DAY -- MINUTES LATER.

It is raining. The windshield wipers are on. Both Hutton and

Susan are wet. Hutton is sitting in the driver’s seat. Susan

is in the passenger seat.

100.

HUTTON:

Are you okay?

SUSAN:

I’ll live to regret this. I regret

it now.

Susan shakes her head. She is staring down at her knees. She

is fingering the small gold cross at her neck.

SUSAN (CONT’D)

You know, I don’t even believe in

abortions. I’m Catholic.

HUTTON:

I’m so sorry, Susan. I feel

useless.

SUSAN:

You’re anything but useless. You

always seem to know exactly what to

do. Thank you.

Hutton reaches across and clenches Susan’s hand.

SUSAN (CONT’D)

I don’t think I can ever look at

Edward again. It would kill him to

know that I’ve done this to his

child. It’s killing me.

Susan begins to cry. Hutton reaches across and holds her.

HUTTON:

He’s never going to know about it.

Susan is sobbing now and is trembling.

SUSAN:

What have I done?

Hutton leans over and holds Susan tight as she cries.

HUTTON:

It’s okay. I promise it will be

okay. I’ll make it okay.

As the windshield wipers flick the water off of the

windshield we see that there is a man standing next to his

car in the rain across the parking lot. It’s Edward.

101.

As Susan looks up, she sees Edward staring directly at her.

SUSAN:

Oh my god no. Edward.

Our camera lingers on Edward’s face.

END FLASHBACK.

83 EXT. ANDES CABIN, WEST TEXAS. NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS. 83

Our camera is on Tony’s face as he stares down at Lou’s body.

He stands still, seemingly in a trance. Andes walks over to

him. Tony places his hands up to his face as he begins to

breathe erratically. The sounds coming from deep within his

body are guttural and animal-like as he cries out. His

sobbing becomes hysterical. Out of control. He is gasping for

air.

ANDES:

Tony. You know I had to shoot him.

TONY:

I don’t give a god damned f*** that

you shot him! I’m glad that you

shot him! I’m glad that he’s dead!

I should have done it when I had

the chance. I should have protected

them! I should have seen it coming!

I should have stopped it! I should

have stopped it.

Tony drops down onto his knees. Andes kneels down and puts

his arm around Tony who continues to sob uncontrollably.

ANDES:

It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re okay.

TONY:

I should have stopped it Bobby!

ANDES:

Look at me. You’re okay. You’re a

good man.

Tony sits still and slowly catches his breath. His face is

wet with tears.

102.

ANDES (CONT’D)

Come on. Get up. We have to go. If

Ray gets to the road he’ll

hitchhike. We need to catch him

before he gets a ride. When you get

to the fork in the road turn left.

That goes back towards where he

took your folks. He might hide

there although I doubt it. I

suspect he’s headed towards the

highway. I’ll go that way.

He hands Tony a gun.

ANDES (CONT’D)

Here. Take this. I have another one

in the car.

TONY:

Are you in trouble for all of this?

ANDES:

I don’t know. I don’t give a sh*t.

I’m dying, remember?

He watches Andes get into his car and start it up. As Tony

backs out his headlights rake across the body lying in the

dirt.

84 INT. TONY’S CAR, DIRT ROAD, WEST TEXAS. NIGHT -- LATER. 84

Tony drives down the dark road. As his lights illuminate the

brush on either side of the road we see the trailer ahead.

Tony slows down for a moment and stares at the trailer. It is

dark, unlit. After a few minutes he stops the car and thinks.

He turns off his lights and backs the car slowly down the

road and eases it into a small clearing.

85 EXT. DIRT ROAD, WEST TEXAS. NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS. 85

Tony quietly gets out of the car and slowly starts towards

the trailer. He silently slips up the steps and inside the

unlocked door.

103.

86 INT. TRAILER, WEST TEXAS. NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS. 86

In a sudden move he pushes the door open. There on the bed is

Ray, who sits up on his elbows shocked. Tony points the gun

directly at him.

RAY:

Christ. You. Where’s your pal?

TONY:

He’s on his way.

RAY:

Your cop friends?

TONY:

They’re around.

RAY:

Are they here?

Ray sits up and looks out of the window. Tony flicks on the

light.

TONY:

Just me for the moment.

RAY:

You and that f***ing gun that you

don’t know how to use. What

happened to Lou?

TONY:

He’s dead.

RAY:

What? That son of a b*tch killed

him! That’s big trouble for your

friend, you know that?

TONY:

I don’t think so.

RAY:

Oh you don’t think so? And so just

what do you want. You and that

silly gun. I’ve seen how handy you

are with that thing.

Ray stands up. Tony c*cks the gun.

104.

TONY:

Sit the f*** down! Sit down or I

will f***ing kill you!

Ray is stunned by the tone of Tony’s voice and backs up to

the bed and sits back down.

RAY:

Listen man. Why does a nice guy

like you hang out with a guy like

Andes. He kills people.

TONY:

You kill people.

Ray looks at Tony in disgust.

RAY:

They had it coming to them. Your

f***in wife. That kid.

Tony is livid. He is invigorated.

RAY (CONT’D)

But you got me wrong man. It was an

accident.

TONY:

Accident! It was an accident!

RAY:

I got a certain pride in how people

talk to me and there are certain

things I don’t put up with. Let me

tell you man, when someone accuses

me of something, that’s an insult.

It gives me the right. If my woman

accuses me of f***ing somebody

else, then I go f*** somebody else.

If your f***ing daughter thinks I’m

a rapist, then she gets raped.

Tony is livid.

TONY:

Nobody gets away with what you did.

Nobody.

RAY:

They don’t?

105.

Tony is pointing the gun directly at Ray and closes his eyes

for a moment as he squeezes the handle of the gun. He is

almost in a trance.

TONY:

Nobody. Nobody. Nobody.

RAY:

So why don’t you just kill me? Come

on man, you don’t know nothin. It’s

fun to kill people. You of all

people ought to try it sometime.

Ray is quietly sliding his hand under the pillow on the bed.

He has hidden a metal rod of some kind there and we see his

fingers slide around the handle.

TONY:

Fun! Did you have fun killing my

wife and daughter! Get up. It’s

time for you to go.

TONY (CONT’D)

Go. Go on.

Ray surveys Tony and the room. He stands up slowly. One hand

is holding the fire poker behind his back.

Ray looks Tony in the face. He begins to grin.

RAY:

Your wife. Yeah, I remember your

f***in wife. I remember f***in your

wife, but you’re too weak. To

f***in weak. You’re too weak to do

anything about it.

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