When a Stranger Calls Page #11

SEAMAN:

So this will be your first time?

(laughs)

An old salt like you?

Duncan moves away, wanting to be left alone.

SEAMAN:

(still laughing;

slightly punchy)

You'll love it here. It's where they

make the bombs. It's where they make

the planes that carry the bombs; the

planes we saw over Singapore and

Manila.

He walks away laughing.

SEAMAN:

There she is. That's America.

DUNCAN'S POV

The coast of Southern California emerges through the mist. A

foghorn blows somewhere in the distance.

CLOSE-UP - DUNCAN

As he peers ahead with inscrutable interest.

CUT TO:

INT. ANOTHER ROOM - NIGHT

Dark. A little BOY is lying in bed, apparently asleep. This

is Curt Duncan as a child.

Some voices approach in the hallway outside the bedroom.

They are gruff, with heavy English accents, but subdued; a

MAN and a WOMAN, well into middle-age.

The boy's eyes open as he listens:

MAN (O.S.)

What's the matter?

WOMAN (O.S.)

Save it for later. Let's go out and

get some food.

MAN (O.S.)

What about the lad? You can't leave

him.

WOMAN (O.S.)

Curt's asleep. He'll never know we're

gone.

From outside, a key enters the lock of the bedroom door and

turns. The bolt slips and the door is securely shut.

The boy sits up in bed, apprehensive. In TIGHT SHOTS of the

floor we see a rat come out from under the bed, then another.

They make "chit-chit" noises as they begin to explore. One

of them maybe goes up on its hind legs and nibbles on the

bedpost. Then we see two more rats appear.

We go for a TIGHT SHOT of the boy on top of the bed. The

"chit-chit" noises grow steadily louder as the boy's

apprehension turns to fear, then to terror. The boy starts

to whimper.

Suddenly, we cut back to a WIDE SHOT of the room. The floor

is crawling with rats, hundreds of them. The "chit-chit"

rises to practically a roar as the boy, alone on top of the

bed, begins to wail.

The room seems to darken, and the boy becomes just a little

white speck in it. The focus is turned. The picture becomes

a black and white blur.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT - THE PRESENT

At first all that can be seen is a white blur against a black

screen. The previous sound of a boy crying increases. Then

the blur grows larger, coming more into focus as the entire

screen image moves toward normal definition. Finally, we

know we are back in the alleyway, that it is night, and that

the white blur is actually a little BOY lost, sobbing

uncontrollably.

CLOSEUP - DUNCAN

Awakening to the scene, coming back to reality. He is

confused.

WIDER ANGLE ON DUNCAN AND BOY

The boy continues sobbing, moving about in little circles.

Duncan, amazed at what he sees, slowly crawls out from the

wall on his hands and knees, crawls toward the weeping child,

staring at it with a strange look on his face.

Suddenly the boy stops crying and looks at Duncan quizzically,

hesitantly. They are less than a foot apart, almost face to

face. Together they form a kind of frozen tableau. Something

close to sympathy crosses the killer's expression, and the

boy, likewise, achieves a faint sense of recognition.

Then, just as suddenly, the boy starts wailing again and he

runs off down the alleyway. Duncan watches him disappear.

Then he slowly pulls himself to his feet.

EXT. STREET

Clifford is coming up the sidewalk. As Clifford crosses the

entrance to an alleyway, the boy comes running out and almost

collides with him. Clifford grabs the boy and looks down at

him. Then he passes the wailing child off on a nearby

PEDESTRIAN and runs up into the alley.

EXT. ANOTHER STREET

Duncan is hurrying along the sidewalk. Something makes him

look up.

POV - DUNCAN

He is looking at a neon "Jesus Saves" sign above the doorway

to an inner city mission.

BACK ON DUNCAN:

As he stares at the sign.

DUNCAN (O.S.)

Hey, Crazy Curt!

Duncan turns to see Cheater elatedly hobbling up to him.

CHEATER:

Hail fellow well met, and all that

jazz. It's our lucky day!

(taking Duncan by the

arm)

A friend of your's got money for

you. We got to get back to the park

and meet him.

Duncan pulls his arm free.

CHEATER:

C'mon. He'll be comin' for you, Crazy

Curt. S'got some money.

(reaching for Duncan's

arm)

We'll get us a little joy juice.

Duncan pulls free again and heads toward the mission.

CHEATER:

C'mon! Hey!! You really are crazy!

C'mon!

Duncan enters the mission and Cheater stands out on the

sidewalk for a moment, bitterly frustrated.

CHEATER:

"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!

Rage! Blow, you cataracts and

hurricanoes, spout till you have

drench'd our steeples and drown'd

the c*cks!"

Several PEDESTRIANS stop and gape at this sudden outburst.

EXT. ANOTHER STREET

Clifford comes out of a derelict hotel, looks up and down

the street and hurries off, not giving up the chase.

INT. MISSION - MOMENTS LATER

A MAN is leading Duncan to the bathroom. Duncan enters slowly

and goes to one of the wash basins where there is an old

razor blade and a can of shaving cream. Duncan picks up the

razor for a moment and looks at it. He is lost in thought.

Then he sets it down and turns on the tap water.

He glances at himself in the mirror and is suddenly transfixed

by his own image. He looks deeply into the mirror for several

seconds. Then he starts to cry, and having begun, a flood of

emotions comes pouring out of him. He drops to his knees.

The man comes running back into the bathroom. He holds Duncan

and helps pull him back to his feet.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Cheater is trudging along the sidewalk, hands in pockets,

head lowered. He looks up and sees something that brings him

back to life.

POV - CHEATER

Clifford is standing on the corner up ahead, looking around.

WIDE ANGLE ON STREET

Cheater calls out and starts to run toward Clifford.

Clifford turns, sees Cheater.

CUT TO:

INT. MISSION - NIGHT

The "sleeping dorm". It is a large empty room. Thirty or so

OUTCASTS are stretched out on the bare floor in the darkness.

Their combined snoring/wheezing creates a steady, ghastly

din.

The door at the far end of the hall opens. A figure steps in

and quietly closes the door behind him. He stands for a moment

taking in the scene, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.

Then he slowly creeps forward to the prone body of the nearest

sleeper.

CLOSEUP - FIGURE

It is Clifford. He moves stealthily from one body to the

next. In one hand he carries a small flashlight. He turns

the bodies over just long enough to shine the light in their

faces and identify who they are, or rather who they are not.

Then he moves on. In his other hand he holds a small, gleaming

Jimmy needle.

CLOSEUP - DUNCAN

He's sleeping, but his eyes suddenly open, sensing danger.

He turns over and sees the dark figure of Clifford slowly

advancing toward him.

WIDER ANGLE:

Clifford keeps coming, closer and closer to where Duncan

lies. He is but six or seven bodies away when Duncan jumps

up suddenly and bolts for the door.

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