Setup Page #9

STATIC ON A POLICE SCANNER IS TUNED TOWARD CHATTER --

ZIGGY AND FINCH SLAP FIGHT EACH OTHER IN THEIR SEDAN --

KEYS JINGLE IN A PALM, BOSTON BRUINS KEYCHAIN DANGLING --

INT. DOUG’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

A doorknob twists. Doug opens the door, leading the girls

into his apartment. It’s surprisingly lived-in. Fish tank in

the corner. An unfinished game of Connect Four on the table.

TESS:

So this is where the enemy sleeps.

DOUG:

Who says we’re enemies?

TESS:

Feels like a safe term for

hostages, right?

DOUG:

I don’t think we need labels yet.

TESS:

So are we exclusive, or can I see

other kidnapping drug dealers?

DOUG:

Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t sign up

to be a kidnapper, but you didn’t

do us any favors by flushing the

drugs.

(MORE)

54.

DOUG (CONT'D)

You’re a part of this now, so it

would be a lot easier to keep you

safe if we worked together.

A beat as the girls silently acknowledge his point.

JENNA:

Sorry about the drugs.

Doug makes his way to the fish tank and diligently feeds his

TWO PET BETTA FISH. Tess follows, face up against the glass.

DOUG:

This f***er keeps messing with my

guy Reggie.

Jenna hangs back, browsing a table of PHOTOS, but calls out:

JENNA:

Betta fish fight. They’re

aggressive toward their own kind.

Doug regards his fish in a new light.

DOUG:

I feel your pain, Reg.

Jenna notices an upside-down PICTURE FRAME and turns it over,

revealing a photo of Doug and a WOMAN. Smiling. Domestic.

JENNA:

Who’s this?

DOUG:

Who’s what?

JENNA:

This girl who appears to be

spending time with you willingly.

Doug pulls a few PACKAGES OF DRUGS out from behind his fish

food. He and Tess walk over to look at the photo.

DOUG:

My girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend.

JENNA:

What happened?

DOUG:

She uh... cheated on me.

TESS:

F*** her then.

55.

DOUG:

It’s not all her fault. I mean I

know I should be angry, but... my

job came between us a lot. She

wasn’t the biggest fan of that.

JENNA:

Just because she doesn’t like how

you spend your time doesn’t mean

she has to be a dick.

Tess clocks this. Sounds familiar...

DOUG:

She doesn’t mean to be a dick. But

I can’t just bail on my job either.

I’ve been with these people a long

time, you know? They need me. She

didn’t really understand that.

TESS:

Sounds like she doesn’t understand

a lot of things.

She says this to Doug, although it feels meant for Jenna.

DOUG:

I don’t know. We might still try to

work it out.

A quiet beat as Doug combines the new packages into a kilo.

JENNA:

This is the plan? Won’t the latest

model of psycho be pissed about

these drugs an hour from now?

DOUG:

This dude once slit a guy’s throat

because he forgot to bring ice to a

barbecue. We can handle other

people being pissed. Not him.

Doug finishes taping up the new brick.

TESS:

How do you guys learn to pack those

in such tight squares, anyway?

DOUG:

I used to build igloos in the

winter when I was a kid. I mean all

day long.

(MORE)

56.

DOUG (CONT'D)

It was pretty much the only thing I

wasn’t a total loser at outside of

hockey. But being an amateur igloo

builder isn’t exactly gonna win you

any respect in Southie. But this-

He holds up the new brick. Good as new.

JENNA:

Impressive.

Doug agrees, admiring it with an oddly sweet sense of pride.

DOUG:

We better get going.

TESS:

Can we have guns?

DOUG:

No.

TESS:

A snack?

DOUG:

No.

TESS:

A jacket, at least?

Doug sighs and gives in, leading Tess to his room.

Jenna wanders near the kitchen as she waits, seeing a POST-IT

NOTE on the fridge. It reads: “JULIANA’S RESTAURANT. 8PM.”

JENNA:

Doug, this post-it is right.

DOUG (O.S.)

What?

JENNA:

The restaurant.

Jenna picks up the POST-IT, trying to understand it.

JENNA (CONT’D)

You didn’t go to the wrong place,

someone gave you the wrong place.

DOUG (O.S.)

Really? But why would they-

57.

Her gaze shifts to the counter, noticing a HOT MUG OF TEA.

JENNA:

Doug... do you have roommates?

DOUG (O.S.)

No, why?

A wave of tension rides up Jenna’s spine. She swiftly turns,

walking herself toward Doug and Tess.

CLICK. Jenna whips around to see BLAIR locking the front

door. She SPRINTS into Doug’s room as Blair SILENTLY FIRES --

BEDROOM:

Jenna locks the bedroom door behind her, distraught. Tess

turns, now wearing an OVERSIZED CELTICS WINDBREAKER.

TESS:

I’m about to catch mad dick in this

windbreaker.

JENNA:

A guy’s out there shooting at me!

DOUG:

What? What did he look like?

JENNA:

Does it matter?!

DOUG:

Yes!

JENNA:

Tall. Glasses. Holding a machine

designed to kill me.

Blair. Doug’s face falls as BULLETS fly through the door.

DOUG:

We gotta get the f*** outta here.

JENNA:

You think?!

TESS:

Do we need more stuff? Should I

grab anything? Guns? Snacks? Does

anyone else need a jacket?

JENNA:

SHUT UP!

58.

They scramble to the fire escape, avoiding incoming bullets.

EXT. DOUG’S APARTMENT - STREET - CONTINUOUS

Now on the ground level, they sprint over to Tess’ car --

Jenna reaches the driver’s side door first, fumbling with the

car keys. In the process, she notices a TRAIL OF WHITE POWDER

leaking out of the brick in Tess’ arms.

JENNA:

Tess, the drugs!

Tess rights the package, examining a BULLET HOLE in the side.

TESS:

It’s fine! It’s not that...

She looks onto the street and sees it’s left a TINY COCAINE

BREAD CRUMB TRAIL all the way around the corner.

TESS (CONT’D)

...bad.

BLAIR emerges from around the corner, eyes on the ground.

Clearly following the trail. He looks up and raises his gun -DOUG

Get in the car!

The trio jumps into the car and peels off, bullets flying.

INT./EXT. TESS’ CAR - MOVING - NIGHT

Jenna speeds out of the neighborhood and onto a main road.

DOUG:

Go, go, go!

JENNA:

I am going! I’m going as fast as

Tess’ broke-ass car allows!

TESS:

What did my car ever do to you?

JENNA:

I can think of at least six

specific incidents.

They curve around a corner and seem to have lost Blair. Phew.

59.

Doug opens a FIRST AID KIT, rummaging for BAND-AIDS. He

bandages the drugs, fixing the hole and reinforcing the tape.

Oddly, it looks like a DEMENTED HAPPY FACE.

TESS:

Aww, it looks like a little person.

Doug holds the brick up to his face, trying to be funny.

TESS (CONT’D)

You can’t have an adorable super

drug and not give it a nickname.

DOUG:

What, then?

TESS:

Crystal Pepsi?

DOUG:

No.

TESS:

Powder? From the movie Powder?

JENNA:

No.

TESS:

Gary Busey?

Jenna laughs, but Tess notices a STOP SIGN coming up fast --

TESS (CONT’D)

STOPPPPP!

She slams on the brakes -- but it’s no use -- they’re out.

JENNA:

The brakes are out!

Jenna BLOWS through the stop sign and a nearby COP CAR flips

on its sirens. In pursuit.

DOUG:

Blair must’ve cut them. He’s a

f***in’ psycho, he thinks like

fifty steps ahead. He used to play

chess with Bobby Fischer. Freaked

the kid so bad he went into hiding.

Rate this script:4.0 / 1 vote