October Gale Page #3

---

One sugar.

[PIANO SCORE]

[HEAVY RAIN AND WIND]

WILL:
Hey, hey, hey!

What are you doing?

We could use those!

HELEN:
I don't want a goddamn

crowbar used against me.

WILL:
They've got guns, what are

they going to want with an axe?

HELEN:
I don't want to find out.

WILL:
Okay, but I'm

keeping the crowbar.

We've got to do something

about the dock.

HELEN:
Come on.

WILL:
Nope. Lights are out.

HELEN:
It's a blown fuse.

[TESTS DRILL]

WILL:
Got it.

HELEN:
That's good.

HELEN:
Ah!

HELEN:
Maybe they

won't make it.

WILL:
Yeah, the

weather's pretty bad.

HELEN:
They might not make it.

[HOWLING WIND, RAIN AND THUNDER]

WILL:
You alright?

You want to play some cribbage?

WILL:
Good.

Not great.

Fifteen two, fifteen

four, fifteen six,

fifteen eight.

And a pair for the win.

[DISTANT THUNDER]

HELEN:
Who taught

you to play anyway?

Hm?

WILL:
Um, my brother.

Yeah, we used to play a lot.

HELEN:
Are you close?

WILL:
Yeah, we were.

You know, it's funny.

You think you can always

just turn it around.

Like no matter what, you

can just walk it back.

But you can't.

I know you know that.

But there's this

other part of you

that knows you've got

to get on with it.

Like you never forget about

it, you never forget.

But you've got to

get on with it.

You just decide that

this awful thing

you make it count.

From here on out,

you make it count.

HELEN:
Another round?

[OMINOUS SCORE]

[CLOSE THUNDER]

WAITRESS:
Can I get you a beer?

TOM:
No thanks, love.

WILL:
Hey, Will.

WILL:
Hey.

[BAR MUSIC]

TOM:
Any good?

WILL:
Yeah, it's good.

TOM:
622 affairs?

WILL:
Yeah, I'm not there yet.

The girl I was

seeing gave it to me.

TOM:
Did it work out?

WILL:
Oh no.

TOM:
Was it worth it?

WILL:
Yeah.

TOM:
I bought a Thunderbird.

WILL:
[LAUGHS]

WILL:
She need a lot of work?

TOM:
Nothing that

can't be fixed.

WILL:
How'd you find me, Tom?

You always think

there's going to be a little

bit more time, you know.

And it just runs out.

Sorry about this, Will.

[OMINOUS SCORE]

[HEAVY WIND AND RAIN]

[THUNDER]

[ALL SOUNDS SEGUE

TO A BOAT MOTOR]

AL:
There. That

one, right there.

HELEN:
I'm scared.

WILL:
I'm scared too.

Sh*t, but they found us.

HELEN:
Okay.

AL:
There we are.

TOM:
Where's the dock?

AL:
Oh. Looks like

she let her go.

TOM:
Well, do you think

someone could have found him?

AL:
Nah, no.

No, the power's out

in the whole region.

I mean they're there, right.

TOM:
We going to

have to wade in?

AL:
No way, the water's freezing.

We could uhh...

Well, right there.

How about that.

[DRAMATIC TENSION SCORE]

[APPROACHING BOAT MOTOR]

HELEN:
Oh God.

[BOAT MOTOR THROTTLES

UP THEN CUTS OUT]

[TENSE SCORE]

WILL:
F***.

HELEN:
Oh!

Oh, sh*t!

WILL:
Come on, come on.

HELEN:
Okay! I'm sorry.

WILL:
We need to separate. Use

the rifle, don't hesitate.

HELEN:
No, no, no. If we

separate, I can't protect you.

WILL:
He's not after you.

Get the f*** out of here.

Go! Go!

HELEN:
Will!

Sh*t!

AL:
No one there.

Must have gone

in the woods, eh?

So, if you want

I'll go around the outside

and you can shoot

right in there.

TOM:
Okay.

AL:
Yeah? Alright.

[TWIG SNAPS]

HELEN:
Sh*t.

[FOOTSTEPS]

HELEN:
Oh God.

HELEN:
Ah!!

Ah!!

Oh, God.

TOM:
Really?

TOM:
This is nice.

I like this.

I could get used to this.

I'm Tom.

HELEN:
Helen.

TOM:
Sorry you got

caught up in all this.

Well, this one's fun.

Is that your husband?

HELEN:
Yeah.

TOM:
He a good guy?

HELEN:
I think so.

TOM:
Got any coffee?

So what are you doing out

here all alone, then?

HELEN:
Peace and quiet.

TOM:
I can understand that.

I'm a city boy myself.

30 f***ing years, it wears

you down, I'm telling you.

It's become so uncivilized.

Do you know what I mean?

Thank you.

Did you love him?

How long were you together for?

HELEN:
32 years.

TOM:
A lifetime.

HELEN:
Not quite.

TOM:
Hm.

HELEN:
Huh.

TOM:
He's going to die tonight.

Will, he's going

to die tonight.

I mean we're all going to die.

But he's going to die tonight.

Which is funny.

Don't you think?

I mean to know

and then you get

up in the morning

you go about your day and then

it's all over.

You die.

He's nothing like

me, you know that.

I was proud of that.

And he was always a

little bit timid.

You know? [LAUGHS]

A little bit fearful.

He was sweet, really.

He always took people

at their word, you know.

He was a He was a literal boy.

He was a simple boy.

Done work all over Calgary.

A bit of roofing.

A bit of brick-laying.

[DOOR OPENS]

AL:
Hey, miss.

Hey, I'm not going to

find him by myself, right?

I need help out there, right?

I mean, it's pretty--

HELEN:
Ah!

TOM:
Yeah, he's probably

on his way to me anyway.

People go through their lives

they take them for

granted, don't you think?

I mean that

everything's going

to be fine and

you can only fall so far

and someone will be

there to catch you.

I never had that luxury.

I always knew it was

possible to fall

and to keep falling.

People like you and me, we can't

afford to make a single mistake.

HELEN:
No.

TOM:
It's true, that.

HELEN:
Yeah.

TOM:
Right?

HELEN:
Oh, my God.

[GASPING]

TOM:
You know, I always

wanted to be a dad

which is f***ing

ridiculous

when I think about it.

Now, I looked forward to it.

And I f***ing loved Will.

I f***ing loved him

like he was one of

my own, you know?

I took him in when he was what?

10 years old? 10 years old.

And I raised him up.

I thought it'd be good

for Chris, you know

to have an older brother.

Like, uh, someone

to look up to.

A good influence.

You know, I mean, he was

an angry little f***er

you know.

But I loved him.

And

I loved his mom.

And then when she died

he didn't have anyone else

so I just took him in

and I raised him up.

He's a lot like me, really.

Hard as f***ing nails.

But

he was supposed to

look after my Chris.

And do you know what he done?

Do you know what he

f***ing done instead?

He f***ing killed him.

And I don't care what

story Will told you

it's all a load of

f***ing bullshit

because my Chris

would never, ever

put his hands on

a f***ing woman.

I've had enough of this.

HELEN:
Oh, my-

Oh, my God.

WILL:
[HEAVY BREATHING]

TOM:
How are you doing, Will?

WILL:
I've been better.

[SOMETHING ROLLS

ACROSS THE FLOOR]

[RAIN FALLING]

TOM:
Come here.

Give me a hug.

WILL:
[GASPS]

WILL:
I'm sorry, Dad.

I'm sorry.

TOM:
Sorry about this.

[RIFLE BLAST]

WILL:
[GASP AND BREATHS]

[ETHEREAL MUSIC]

[PIANO SCORE]

JAMES:
Hey, my love.

You're not going to believe

what just happened.

Anyway I love you.

Call me back.

The sky is beautiful.

It looks like it's

going to rain.

You should have come with me.

WAITRESS:
Hi, Helen.

Table for two?

HELEN:
No. It's just me.

Coffee to go please.

WAITRESS:
Great.

HELEN:
Thank you.

WILL:
Hey.

It's nice out, huh?

HELEN:
Yes.

Beautiful.

WILL:
Yeah, it's

sunny so it's nice.

HELEN:
Just perfect.

I'll miss you.

Where will you go?

WILL:
I don't know.

Away I guess.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote