Signs Page #11

Mrs. Nathan stares at the four-year old.

MR. NATHAN (O.S.)

Thirteen!

Everyone turns to the front of the store where Mr. Nathan

points to the TV screen. A Coke Cola commercial is on.

Beat. Mrs. Nathan turns back to find Morgan holding out the

extraterrestrial book to her.

MORGAN:

I'll take it.

CUT TO:

EXT. STATION WAGON - AFTERNOON

Merrill, Morgan and Bo are waiting in the parked car. Beat.

The driver's side opens and Graham sits in.

MERRILL:

Pharmacy crowded?

GRAHAM:

I don't want any one of you spending

time with Tracey Abernathy alone. Is

that understood?

Beat. Everyone nods, "yes."

Graham puts the key in the ignition and turns the car on.

Merrill watches as Graham's hand goes to put the car in

reverse -- and then stops.

Graham is staring out the windshield. Merrill follows his

stare to a thin, thirty-year old man in a LEATHER JACKET

coming out of a store. Merrill's face changes expression

too. They both stare as the man passes in front of the car.

MORGAN:

(soft)

Is that him?

MERRILL:

(soft)

Yeah.

Everyone in the car watches the man in the leather jacket as

he steps off the sidewalk towards the truck. It's here that

he notices the stares. He glances up to see the faces watching

him from the station wagon.

The leather jacketed man keeps moving to his truck. He gets

in, turns it on, and without looking over to the station

wagon, backs out of the parking lot.

Beat. The Hess family sits quietly.

BO:

Who is he?

Nobody says anything for the longest time.

MORGAN:

He's the man who killed mom.

Graham puts the station wagon in reverse and backs out into

the street.

CUT TO:

EXT. HESS HOME - AFTERNOON

THE SKY IS GOLDEN RED. The crops sway hypnotically in a gentle

breeze.

The Hess station wagon pulls into their driveway. It comes

to a stop in front of the house. The engine goes off. No one

gets out.

CUT TO:

INT. STATION WAGON - AFTERNOON

All four sit quietly not getting out.

A MUFFLED SPIKE OF NOISE IS HEARD FROM THE BACK SEAT.

Graham and Merrill turn and see Morgan pull the baby monitor

out of his jacket. He holds it in his lap.

Beat.

MORGAN:

What if Bo's baby monitor is picking

up signals from the extraterrestrials?

Beat.

MERRILL:

All this crop stuff. They did it

twenty-five years ago. It was a joke.

THE MONITOR SPIKES WITH A SUDDEN CRACKLE. MORGAN PULLS IT

AWAY FROM HIS EAR.

GRAHAM:

It's just static Morgan. Turn it up

and see.

Morgan turns a knob on the side.

THE VOLUME SUDDENLY JUMPS UP ON THE MONITOR. WE HEAR BEEPS

IN THE STATIC. THE RED LIGHTS ON THE FRONT OF THE BABY MONITOR

LIGHT UP WITH EACH BEEP.

MORGAN:

It's a code.

GRAHAM:

Let me see that please.

Morgan hands Graham the monitor in the front seat. THE BEEPS

COME AND GO AS THEY GET COVERED BY THE STATIC.

MERRILL:

It's noise.

GRAHAM:

It's broken Morgan. It'll just keep

doing this.

(beat)

Let's get out of the car okay?

MORGAN:

We might lose the signal.

GRAHAM:

We can't just sit in the car in our

own driveway like this.

MERRILL:

We'll look like mental patients.

Beat. Nobody gets out of the station wagon.

GRAHAM:

I'm getting out now.

MORGAN:

Don't do it.

Graham pulls the handle. His door opens. He waits before

getting out. The other three station wagon doors open right

after.

OUTSIDE CAR:

Graham stands and closes his driver side door.

THE MONITOR CHANGES SOUNDS. THE BEEPING DISAPPEARS. THE STATIC

BECOMES LOUDER, BECOMING A MOVING, SWIRLING SOUND TEXTURE.

MORGAN:

Nobody move!

Everyone becomes frozen, standing next to the station wagon.

Three of the doors are open.

IN THE TEXTURE OF SOUND, JUST FOR A MOMENT, WE HEAR SOMETHING

THAT SOUNDS LIKE...

MORGAN:

Voices. Did you hear that?

Everyone stares at the baby monitor in Graham's hand.

MORGAN:

Not English though. You heard the

voices right Uncle Merrill?

BO:

I heard them Morgan.

Graham doesn't move his arm. He keeps it out in the air where

he had it as he closed his door. Graham looks to Merrill

over the roof of the station wagon.

GRAHAM:

It's probably picking up another

baby monitor.

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