The Butterfly Effect Page #3

Evan nods and sticks his arms straight up in the air. Mr. Miller downs his drink and helps Evan off with his clothes. Suddenly --

HARD CUT TO:

INT. MILLER'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY

Evan comes to in an unfamiliar place. The rec-room/basement. Evan's eyes dart from the fireplace to Mr. Miller's camera lens and finally to Kayleigh, whose ashen face trembles slightly.

Panic spreads across Evan's face.

EVAN:

Where am I? What happened? Where did we all go?

MR. MILLER

Calm down, kid. Stand still.

Evan backs up and awkwardly scurries around the basement, grabbing his clothes. Panicking.

EVAN:

I was just somewhere else - how did I get here?

MR. MILLER

Quit acting like some retard or I'll call your mother and tell her what a naughty little sh*t you've been.

EVAN:

Kayleigh? What happened?

Kayleigh's eyes are unable to leave the floor. She begins adjusting her disheveled clothing. Evan trembles.

EVAN:

What's wrong with me?

Tommy silently watches from the top of the basement stairs, absently wringing the head off one of his sister's dolls.

INT. SUNNYVALE INSTITUTION - DAY

Dr. Redfield places Evan's CAT-scan slides on the light box. Andrea squints, unable to interpret them.

DR. REDFIELD

Well, the good news is that the results are negative. I've found no evidence in the way of lesions, hemorrhaging, tumors...

ANDREA:

And the bad news?

DR. REDFIELD

Unfortunately, we've got nothing to work with. It's harder playing detective now.

ANDREA:

But you must have something to go on?

DR. REDFIELD

If I had to guess, I'd say the blackouts are stress related.

ANDREA:

But he's seven. What kind of stress can he have?

DR. REDFIELD

Plenty. Who knows? Maybe he's got severe coping problems about not having a father. Did you say the last blackout occurred when he was with his friend's dad.

ANDREA:

Come on, I doubt the answer's that simple.

DR. REDFIELD

You'd be surprised how often they are.

ANDREA:

Well, he has been pushing me to meet his father, but I've been putting it off.

DR. REDFIELD

It's worth a shot. I can arrange a controlled meeting. A careful dose of sedatives for Jason, some security, you and I monitoring. Evan comes in for a quick visit and with any luck, no more missing father complex.

ANDREA:

How soon?...

INT. ANDREA'S CAR - COUNTRY ROAD - DAY

Evan, dressed in his Sunday best, writes copiously in a journal marked "AGE 7."

EVAN'S DIARY

April 15. Today I get to mete my father. His name is Jason and he is crazy. I hope he lets me call him dad.

INT. SUNNYVALE INSTITUTION - DAY

Andrea tightly grips Evan's hand as the pair follow Dr. Redfield down a corridor. Evan's enthusiasm is dampened by the sounds of distant screams and bloodcurdling laughter.

EVAN:

Dad lives here?

DR. REDFIELD

Not in this wing, actually. No.

ANDREA:

Now your father may seem sleepy to you, but that's just because of his medicine, okay?

EVAN:

Okay.

They walk to the end of the corridor and come to a "Visitor's Chamber". Dr. Redfield leads Evan inside. Andrea begins to follow, but the doctor gestures that she stay outside.

INT. SUNNYVALE - VISITOR'S CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS

Evan takes a seat at a long rectangular table. His eyes are fixated on the door on the other side of the room. Finally, a dark figure can be seen through the opaque glass.

JASON, thirty and haggard looking, enters the room. His eyes want to sparkle at seeing his son for the first time. But tranquilizers have dulled the effect.

Evan's eyes fixate on the leg-restraints and handcuffs that hinder Jason's movement. Finally Jason sits.

He smiles warmly and speaks in over-enunciated tones.

JASON:

It's okay. I won't bite. You've seen pictures of me, right?

EVAN:

Uh-huh. Mom says I have your eyes and your --

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. SUNNYVALE - VISITOR'S CHAMBER - DAY

Evan "comes to" in another unfamiliar place. Rather than seeing his father across a table, he's looking up at a ceiling.

Blocking his view of the ceiling is Jason, whose face is now monstrous with rage, and whose cuffed hands are wrapped around Evan's throat, choking the life out of him.

JASON:

(through clenched teeth)

I...love...you.

Suddenly, ORDERLIES tackle Jason from both sides and wedge a baton under his jaw to wrench him away. Andrea frantically struggles to rescue Evan from Jason's clutches.

JASON:

(panicking)

He has to die! You don't understand! It's the only way to stop it!

Jason wrestles the baton from under his chin, hits an orderly in the kneecap and comes for Evan with the baton!

Orderly #2 acts quickly, beating Jason with his baton. As Jason makes another desperate grab for Evan, Orderly #2 is forced to bash him in the skull. Down for the count.

Andrea hugs Evan, now in shock.

ANDREA:

I'm sorry, Evan. I'm sorry.

And ALARM sounds and Andrea tries to cover Evan's eyes, but through her fingers he can see a quick blur of a pool of blood spreading from Jason's head.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

EXT. CEMETERY - DAY - 1989

Dressed in black, Andrea and Evan watch Jason's casket being lowered into the ground. Andrea's tears soak through her veil. A few feet back, Kayleigh stands behind Evan.

PRIEST:

Ashes to ashes...dust to dust.

Evan watches the coffin descend, disappearing from sight. Kayleigh steps up to Evan and takes his hand. A moment. And she softly whispers in Evan's ear.

KAYLEIGH:

You're better off anyway.

A rumble of thunder. Evan looks up at the brooding dark clouds.

EXT. CEMETERY - DUSK

Gray skies. Andrea drives the children home. Evan stares at the passing tombstones that flutter by like a white picket fence. The flickering strobe effect that intensifies into a white blur is hypnotic.

SLOWLY DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. MILLER'S HOUSE - DAY - 1995

Bright and sunny. The lawn freshly cut. A Toro lawnmower has been carelessly left in the grass-strewn driveway.

TITLE:
SIX YEARS LATER

CRANE DOWN to the window of the --

INT. MILLER'S HOUSE - BASEMENT

Evan, Kayleigh, Tommy and Lenny are now THIRTEEN. Evan exhales cigarette smoke, taps his ash and finishes sketching a portrait of Kayleigh in his journal.

Tommy wears a leather jacket and now has traces of peach fuzz on his upper lip. Kayleigh's hair is longer now, albeit stringy and unkempt.

Evan closes his journal and coolly ignites a STRIKE-ANYWHERE MATCH with his thumb and lights Kayleigh's cigarette. Everyone but Lenny smokes in the basement.

Tommy, now with longer hair, ransacks his father's army locker looking for something.

EVAN:

Tommy, I'm bored shitless over here. What's up already?

TOMMY:

Hold your horses, man. It's here somewhere. I saw it when I was a kid.

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