Nocturnal Animals Page #4

LAURA:

Just let them go. Let them go.

The three men in the car are staring at the family and

laughing.

TONY:

India, don’t look at them. Don’t

give them any reason.

The man in the passenger side of the car is looking at India

with a lascivious grin on his face. The other men in the car

are laughing.

INDIA:

Why is he smiling like that?

Suddenly the green GTO lunges sideways towards Tony’s car,

forcing him to swerve. The GTO then pulls in front of the

Mercedes and cuts them off.

TONY:

He’s crazy.

LAURA:

Oh my god.

Tony pulls out to pass the car but as he does the car in

front swings left to block his way and Tony hits his brakes.

As Tony swerves back to the right the GTO cuts him off again,

preventing him from passing. In a surge of rage Tony steps on

the gas.

A loud metallic crashing noise. He hits them.

19.

TONY:

F***.

Tony, shocked at what has just happened steps on the gas, and

gets around the other car. As he passes the GTO the driver is

waving madly and screaming at him to pull over and stop.

LAURA:

Oh god, Tony.

The lights of the GTO grow distant as Tony speeds away. The

car is quiet as the family sit stunned at what just happened.

TONY:

India, is your phone working yet?

INDIA:

No, but I took down their license

number.

As Tony checks his rear view mirror he sees a pair of

headlights beginning to gain on him.

TONY:

No.

Laura looks in the side view mirror and sees the car

approaching.

LAURA:

Oh no.

The GTO now roars up beside them on the left and the guy in

the passenger seat is waving his arms violently at them,

shouting, shaking his fist and pointing. The car swerves

towards them and tries to force Tony onto the shoulder. Tony

keeps his foot on the peddle and keeps his hands gripped

firmly on the steering wheel.

The green GTO suddenly rams into the Mercedes, pulls back and

then rams them again and again forcing Tony to move towards

the shoulder of the road as he begins to loose control of the

car.

Another crashing sound against his left fender and he feels

the damage. The GTO pushes against him continuously and holds

steady. The loud raw grating noise of metal ripping at metal

is deafening.

20.

Tony’s steering wheel begins to rattle and shake as the other

car forces him off of the road and lands in front of him in a

cloud of dust and gravel.

20

INT. MORROW RESIDENCE - SUSAN’S BEDROOM. NIGHT --20

CONTINUOUS.

Shaken by what she has just read, Susan tries to catch her

breath. She turns the page...

21

EXT. HIGHWAY, WEST TEXAS. NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS. 21

As the dust settles as we can see clearly that the Hasting’s

car is blocked in by the other car. Laura looks back to make

sure that India is okay as the second car, the convertible

that was lagging behind, comes into sight. We see the wide

grin of the shirtless driver as the car slows and then speeds

away.

The family sits in shock trying to figure out what to do.

The driver’s side of the old Buick opens and a man, RAY

MARCUS late 20s, rough looking yet surprisingly handsome,

steps out. Laura reaches for Tony’s arm. The other men in the

car are looking on but we do not make out their faces

clearly.

TONY:

Sit still. They’ve probably got a

gun.

LAURA:

Please Tony. Pull out.

TONY:

I can’t move. He’s blocked the car.

The man walks around to the back of his car to survey the

damage. He begins to talk to the man in the front passenger

seat.

TONY (CONT’D)

What’s he doing?

He then walks over to Tony’s car. Slowly. He is wearing a

western shirt, jeans and bright green cowboy boots. He looks

at the front of Tony’s car and comes to the window.

21.

LAURA:

Don’t get out of the car.

TONY:

I’m not getting out of the car

sweetheart.

Ray motions for Tony to roll down his window. Tony does this

reluctantly.

RAY:

Good evenin.

Ray smiles.

TONY:

Good evening.

RAY:

You’re supposed to stop when there

is an accident.

TONY:

I know that.

RAY:

Then why didn’t you stop then?

The man leans down and looks inside the car at Laura and

India. India is trying to get a signal with her phone again.

RAY (CONT’D)

That won’t work. No signal here.

He looks at Tony again.

RAY (CONT’D)

You’re not supposed to leave the

scene of an accident. It’s a crime.

LAURA:

After the way you were driving?

TONY:

Laura...

RAY:

What did you say?

22.

Ray’s hand is resting on top of the Mercedes. He is tapping

his fingers on the roof of the car over and over. We can see

clearly the twinkle of a pink diamond heart shaped girl’s

ring on his little finger. His dirty nails are long and that

of someone who plays the guitar. He has the swagger of a

seventies rock star.

LAURA:

Just that the way you were driving

was crazy.

Ray bangs his hand on the roof of the car and spits.

RAY:

Hey Turk!

The doors on the right side of the Buick open and the two men

get out. TURK who is the smallest of the three and LOU who is

tall and thin with a dead look in his eyes. Both men wear old

baseball hats.

Ray puts his hands on the half opened window and leans in.

LAURA:

Don’t come any closer.

TONY:

Alright sweetheart, it’s alright.

The other men begin approaching the car.

LAURA:

You know what, please just get back

in your car. Leave us alone.

RAY:

Lady, lady, lady... Calm down. We

got an accident to report, that’s

all.

One of the men shines his flashlight at Laura.

LAURA:

Leave us alone.

TONY:

It’s just a flashlight sweetheart.

It’s just a flashlight. It’s

alright.

23.

RAY:

Jesus Christ.

The other two men are inspecting the front of Tony’s car

putting their hands on the hood and leaning down under the

car. We cannot see what they are doing.

TONY:

Okay. All right. Let’s exchange

information.

RAY:

Information? Let’s exchange

information?

Ray lowers himself down on his knees and rests his arms

across the car door. He smiles.

TONY:

Yeah. Alright. Open up the glove

compartment sweetheart.

RAY:

Let’s exchange information. Okay.

I’m a Gemini, my favorite color is

petal pink, and I like long walks

and kittens.

Ray breaks into hysterical laughter as he claws with his

nails at the window imitating a kitten. The family sits

dumbstruck, as the other men laugh along with Ray.

TONY:

You know what, we should call the

police.

RAY:

Oh? It’s a great idea. It was your

f***in fault, right?

LAURA:

It doesn’t matter whose fault it

was Tony.

The two men in front walk around to the side of the car.

24.

TURK:

Hey Ray, this guy’s got a flat

tire.

TONY:

Oh come on!

Ray goes around to look. The men all start to laugh.

RAY:

Well what do you know? Well sure

thing.

TONY:

What?

Someone kicks the tire and the car rocks a bit.

INDIA:

Don’t believe it, dad.

The three men come to the driver’s window.

RAY:

Yep. Your left tire is flat, sure

is.

TURK:

Flat as a pancake.

RAY:

You must have busted it when you

was shoving us off the road.

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