Wild Things Page #9

Ken stops, puts on a serious face.

KEN:

Well, I'm glad you did. And I'm sorry.

(folding his hands before

him)

Why don't you tell me about it.

Sam looks at him. He starts to speak, then checks himself.

SAM:

What did you do to your neck?

Ken puts a hand to his throat, as if aware of the brace for the

first time.

KEN:

Oh this... chiropractor did a number on

me.

He takes the brace off, tossing it on his desk.

KEN (CONT'D)

I don't really have to wear the thing

all the time.

(beat)

A guy from the insurance was here.

Ken smiles. Sam looks slightly ill.

KEN (CONT'D)

Go ahead, Sam. Shoot. Let's see what

we've got here.

EXT. A BLUE HAY RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Trendy nouveau. A valet parks Sam's Jeep.

INT. RESTAURLNT - SAME

Sam walks across a tiled entry. He looks tired, but smiles at

the maitre d'.

SAM:

Georgie, hey. I'm meeting Barbara. She

here yet?

GEORGE looks stiff, maybe a little nervous. Sam picks up on it.

He scans the room...

ANGLE ON ROOM:

Dimly-lit, crowded, but we PICK OUT Barbara, stunning in a

delicate white sun dress, tanned arms resting upon a table.

Sam starts toward her. George reaches out to touch his arm.

GEORGE:

Mr. Lombardo.

Sam ignores him, threading his way among the people at a lavish

bar, then stopping short as he sees who Barbara is with -- her

father, Tom Baxter.

Tom Baxter sees Sam, gets to his feet.

BAXTER:

This is not appropriate Lombardo.

Sam steps to one side, makes eye contact with Barbara.

Barbara has tears in her eyes. She looks at Sam, then shakes her

head, looking away.

SAM:

Barbara...

BAZTER:

You're finished in Blue Bay, Lombardo.

You've been scratching at the door long

enough...

(as Sam faces him)

I ever see you around my daughter,

you're going to be finished, period.

The two men square off, but already we can SEE Georgie, trailed

by a pair of beefy characters in blue blazers making their way

across the room.

Sam sees them too. He takes a final look at Barbara. When she

refuses to meet his eye, he pushes past Baxter, through the crowd

and out of the restaurant.

EXT. AN EVERGLADES ROADHOUSE - NIGHT

Red neon identifies it as Jim's Recovery Room. A handful of

trucks sit in a dirt parking lot, Sam's Jeep among them.

INT. ROADHOUSE - NIGHT

The air is thick with smoke. Locals shoot pool. The walls are

decorated with dusty fishing nets and inflated blowfish.

An aging BARMAID -- good-looking -- once, runs a rag around a

pitcher, looks down the bar, smiles, finding...

Sam, alone, awaiting service.

BARMAID:

Sam, honey... Haven't seen you in a

while. How's life treatin' you?

(off Sam's look)

That bad, huh? Well, you came to the

right place.

EXT. ROADHOUSE - LATER

Sam walks outside. He stands in the red glow of neon light,

looking toward the road... On the opposite side of which...

... sits a sorry little collection of whitewashed stucco

bungalows, identified by a green neon sign as the Glades Motel.

Beyond the motel are the Everglades, a great expanse of darkness.

Sam stares at the motel. At last he gets in his Jeep. As he

EXITS the lot, a second pair of headlights flashes on.

EXT. EVERGLADES - NIGHT

A deserted two-lane road cuts through the swamp. Trees bearded

with moss appear as ghostly shapes in the lights of Sam's Jeep.

INT./EXT. SAM'S JEEP - MOVING - SAME

San drives -- a tired face. Soft MUSIC on the RADIO.

Something APPEARS in the road, caught for a moment in the

headlights. Sam swerves, whirls his head around, sees...

A GATOR sliding of the shoulder and into the murky water.

Sam lets out some air, relaxing a bit, then catches sight of

something else -- Headlights finding reflection in his rearview

mirror, coming fast. Sam watches as the lights get closer. He

looks back to the road -- an approaching curve...

Sam is into the curve when the lights catch him. A black Range

Rover moves out to pass, then turns suddenly into Sam's lane,

cutting him off.

It happens quickly. Sam swerves to avoid hitting the larger car,

but the road affords little margin for error.

The JEEP slides across a narrow shoulder, then plummets down a

steep embankment, CRASHING through cattails, rolling over to SLAM

BACK DOWN on its tires in a swampy gulch.

Sam slumps back from the steering wheel. Somewhere over his head

he can see headlights shining into the trees.

He hears a CAR DOOR SLAM, the SOUNDS of someone scrambling down

the embankment.

Sam tries to get out of his seat harness. Someone is

approaching, splashing through the muck. Suddenly a hand reaches

through the broken driver's window, helping him.

MAN'S VOICE

Are you all right?

The hands get him loose. Sam stumbles from the car.

SAM:

Yeah, I'm okay.

He looks up to find -- Frankie Condo, looming over him.

FRANKIE:

That's too bad.

He grabs Sam, pulling him OUT OF FRAME. What we are left with is

the SOUND of FISTS THUDDING INTO FLESH -- then Sam, hitting the

hood of his Jeep, slumping down into the muck.

Frankie is breathing hard. We HEAR him SLOGGING back up the

embankment. We HEAR a DOOR SLAM, the RANGE ROVER driving away,

leaving only darkness, and the EERIE SOUNDS of the swamp.

EXT. THE STRIP MALL - DAY

Dazzling light. Sam's smashed-up Jeep is parked before Ken

Bowden's office, next door to the Mongolian Beef Bowl.

INT. BEEF BOWL - SAME

Sam and Ken eye one another over a green plastic table -- Ken

with his neck brace, Sam with a bruised face.

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote