Suspect Zero Page #9

A typical honky-tonk in a town called Sleeper, Missouri. Just

across the street from O'Ryan's cheap motel...

43 INT. BAR - SLEEPER, MISSOURI - CONTINUING 43

Low-lights, dust on the floor. Pool tables.

LORETTA is a pretty 19-year-old who stands at the jukebox,

weighing her choices. She's got a thick curtain of hair, which

she wrangles with a CHIP-CLIP. It's a habit.

She chooses a country-rock tune, then heads for the bar,

walking to the beat. It's fun being 19 and beautiful.

44 AT THE BAR - CONTINUING 44

The BARTENDER'S a stocky guy with a broad smile.

LORETTA:

(re:
song)

How's that?

BARTENDER:

Little cute for my taste, but I can stand

three minutes of it.

LORETTA:

I'll have a seven and seven, please.

BARTENDER:

Seven and seven. Got some i.d.?

She half-laughs, as if she hasn't been carded in a decade, and

throws that curtain of hair from one side to the other, re-

fastening that chip-clip. It's her best move.

LORETTA:

It's in the car. No one's asked me for it

for a couple years now.

BARTENDER:

If ya hurry, you'll still catch the end

of the song.

She eyes him:
are you really carding me? He smiles: nothing

personal, Sugar. So she heads for the door.

...on her way, she passes a booth. In it we find a familiar

face - Virgil Ray Starkey...

He remains still, as if he hadn't noticed her. But behind

his eyes, something primal just took place. He rises, heads

for the door.

45 EXT. BAR - MOMENTS LATER 45

Loretta walks to her VW Bug. Starkey exits the bar. She

doesn't notice. We TILT UP: the lights are off in O'Ryan's

motel room...

46 EXT. AT LORETTA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER 46

It all happens pretty fast: That chip-clip hits the ground

beside the open VW door. A battered PICK-UP speeds away,

kicking up gravel.

CUT TO:

...Loretta's eyes, wide with terror and dread.

47 INT. STARKEY'S PICK-UP - MINUTES LATER 47

We're off-road. Missouri's woods can be seen through the

windshield. And Starkey is staring at us. Pawing at us...

LORETTA:

Please, Mister...

Starkey's hand shoots out, banging Loretta's head against the

window, hard. That makes things start to swim. Starkey tears

at her clothes, lowers himself on to her.

She whimpers. WE CARRY THE SOUND OF IT INTO:

48 INT. MACKELWAY'S APARTMENT - SAME 48

This is where you go when you've just moved to Wichita Falls

and money's tight: spotty shag carpet, chipped Formica kitchen

table, scuffed blinds.

...and one sleepless agent, having one lousy night.

Mackelway sits on the edge of his bed, almost able to hear

Loretta's helpless cries. Some nights are like this. His head

is POUNDING again. Down go four more Bufferin.

Above him, covering the bedroom mirror, is the MAP he took

from that Hope House basement. O'Ryan's map, UNFOLDED.

It's HUGE:
6-feet-wide, 4-feet-tall, obscuring the mirror.

As we glimpsed while still in that basement, this map his been

written on, in pen. O'Ryan's notations cover it:

Over a THUSAND CITIES on it have been CIRCLED, by hand, in

RED. Each of those circled cities has a DATE written beside

it, also in red:
("4/6," "5/19," "10-26," etc.)

Mackelway studies it, his face working. Another of those

WHIMPERS from Loretta seems to hang, suspended. Mackelway

shakes it off, certain that he's imagining it.

He won't sleep a wink tonight. We LEAVE HIM, returning to:

49 INT. STARKEY'S PICK-UP - RESUMING 49

The attack continues, its terror unimaginable. Loretta sobs.

It hurts. Starkey's too powerful to fight off. We stay on her

face:
dazed, her mind simply checking out.

...until a look of cognizance comes over her, brought on by a

SHADOW that just passed by.

Then the window behind Starkey simply EXPLODES.

Glass flies everywhere, and TWO ARMS reach into the pick-up.

They grab Starkey by the neck and yank him out of the pick-up,

his back sliced open by shards. He screams.

She can't resist coming to the window, where she sees:

50 EXT. WOODS - STARKEY'S PICK-UP - CONTINUING 50

Starkey lies, face up. Shocked. Squirming. Bleeding. Standing

over him, looming large as a Grizzly... is O'Ryan. A long

HUNTING KNIFE extends from his hand.

But his tone, to our great surprise, is conversational:

O'RYAN

Hey, listen, I'm sorta new in town. Ya

know where I can find a good donkey show?

Starkey has no idea how to respond to this maniac:

STARKEY:

Huh?

O'RYAN

Oh. Forgot. Wrong country... In America

animals have rights.

(pointedly)

Don't they, Virgil?

STARKEY:

How the f*** should I know?

O'Ryan half-smiles, then kicks Starkey right in the head.

Loretta's eyes go wide. Another kick follows, to the ribs.

Then one to the groin. Then:

O'RYAN

(at Loretta)

Turn around.

He said that without looking at her. But he can tell that she

hasn't moved - too frightened. So he eyes her.

O'RYAN (CONT'D)

(again)

Turn around!

She turns away, lying face down on the seat, covering her

head. No idea what kind of terror is to come next. We STAY

WITH HER... able only to hear what follows:

The sound is animal, awful - like a pig being gutted - a

horrible SQUEAL, covering the GRUNTS coming from O'Ryan.

In goes the knife again, prompting another agonized cry from

Starkey. Loretta's crying too: from fear, shock... She keeps

her face buried, shutting her eyes tight. The sounds of

savagery fill the night.

Then, one last gasp from Starkey... followed by an awful

silence... and the assault is over.

Loretta's too afraid to look up - certain that the maniac with

the knife will be coming after her next.

But then she hears FOOTSTEPS, trailing away. So she rises,

peeking over the edge of the window. WE STAY ON HER FACE, as

she sees what's become of her attacker.

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