EXT. SUBURBAN HOME – DAY
Police cars line the curb with lights flashing outside a brick rambler with painted shutters. Officers take cover behind their car doors, guns drawn.
OFFICER NUMBER ONE emerges from the front door and shakes his head. He motions with his hands for his peers to drop their weapons.
OFFICER NUMBER TWO steps away from his car and holsters his gun.
OFFICER NUMBER TWO
Wrong address?
OFFICER NUMBER ONE
The house changed hands two
years ago. Nathan Smalls doesn’t
live here any more.
INT. SHERIFF’S PATROL CAR – DAY
Moving vehicle. The Sheriff keys the radio mic. Dale rides shotgun.
SHERIFF
(into mic)
Ten-four.
DALE
What happened?
SHERIFF
Right house. Wrong time.
Nathan Smalls is on the run.
Highway patrol spotted the stolen
truck heading westbound.
EXT. MARY’S TRAILER HOME – DAY
Dirk, Nathan, and Mary arrive in the stolen truck. Nathan and Mary approach the trailer. Dirk drives away. The spinning tires kick up dirt and gravel.
INT. MARY’S TRAILER HOME – DAY
Mary helps Nathan to the sofa. She ducks in the back room and scoops her crying baby on her shoulder.
MARY
She’s burning up.
Nathan GROANS in agony on the sofa. He pulls his shirt off and cups his hand on his stomach wound. He stands up and meanders about the room.
NATHAN
It shouldn’t hurt this bad.
Mary opens the refrigerator to find a half bottle of formula beside an empty milk carton and some rotten fruit.
She takes the bottle and tries to feed her baby, but the baby won’t have it.
NATHAN
She won’t take it cold.
Mary puts the bottle in the microwave. Nathan paws through a cabinet and finds a first aid kit. He opens it and tears through the contents for gauze bandage and tape. Mary bounces, tries to sooth the hysterical baby.
MARY
(to baby)
Shhhh. Mommy’s here.
It’s all right.
I’ll never leave you again.
Not ever. I promise.
The timer dings. She takes the bottle out and shakes it. She dribbles formula on her arm.
MARY
Shit.
The formula’s too hot. She unscrews the bottle and adds tap water to cool it off. Shakes it again and stuffs the nipple in her baby’s mouth.
Nathan tapes a wad of gauze bandage to his stomach. He’s gaunt. Shaky. Sweating profusely.
MARY
What are we gunna do?
NATHAN
I don’t know.
Long beat. Nathan swallows hard.
NATHAN
They’ll find us eventually.
MARY
Not if we get out of here.
NATHAN
And go where?
MARY
Anywhere. Someplace safe.
Until this mess blows over.
Nathan forces a smile. The futility of his situation sinks in. He’s dying and he knows it.
NATHAN
Dirk killed a cop. They’ll never
stop looking for us.
EXT. STOLEN TRUCK – DAY
Dirk’s truck sits on the shoulder of the road with two flat tires and bullet holes in the tail gate. STEAM ESCAPES FROM THE HOOD. BEHIND THE STEAM, we see Dirk in the front seat with his hands off the wheel. The truck is surrounded by Sheriff deputies, Florida Highway Patrol, and local city police. Sheriff Thorton brings the megaphone to his mouth.
SHERIFF
Throw out your weapon and come
out slowly with your hands where
we can see them.
INT. STOLEN TRUCK – DAY
Dirk sits with his hands in his lap, holding the .357 revolver. Through the windshield and the steam he can see the crowd of armed officers facing him.
DIRK
Fuck you.
EXT. STOLEN TRUCK – DAY
Sheriff Thorton lowers his megaphone and looks at Dale who’s standing beside him.
SHERIFF
What about the other two?
DALE
An APB went out an hour ago.
INT. STOLEN TRUCK – DAY
Dirk opens the diaper bag and pulls out the zippered money bag out. It’s flat. He frantically unzips it and FINDS IT EMPTY. He starts laughing.
Dirk empties the .357 cylinder. Shell casings roll off the seat and onto the floorboard. He reloads his last few bullets. With the gun in his lap, he points the muzzle toward his chin and shuts his eyes for a second.
SHERIFF (VO)
You have thirty seconds to
tell us where the others are.
Dirk pops his eyes open. He slams his fist against the back of the seat. He shakes his head in disgust and opens the door. He steps out of the truck and fires at the police. The police return fire.
INT. MARY’S TRAILER HOME – DAY
Mary stuffs clothes and diapers in a suitcase. Nathan watches from the sofa, his breathing shallow and labored.
MARY
We’re going to get you out of here.
NATHAN
How?
MARY
Don’t talk.
Mary rummages through the empty cabinets for a jar of baby formula. She lobs the jar in her suitcase and unzips her jeans to pull out the zippered money bag (surprise), SPILLING CASH ON THE FLOOR.
MARY
We have to get you to a hospital.
Nathan swallows dryly. He clings to life by a hair. His eyes glaze over.
Mary tries to lift him off the sofa with his arm around her shoulder, but she can’t. The end is here and now.
NATHAN
(whispering)
Telllll…Rossseee. I–
(beat)
Love her.
Mary hugs him as the baby starts crying. Nathan forces his last breath. His eyes are fixed, lifeless.
MARY
(crying)
Tell her yourself God dammit.
Tell her yourself.
Mary wipes her eyes, throws a burp cloth on her shoulder, and scoops her baby from the box. She grabs her suitcase and walks out.
EXT. MARY’S TRAILER HOME – DAY
Mary walks several yards from the trailer when she HEARS A CAR APPROACHING FROM BEHIND. She stops. Turns to see Mrs. Abbott in the old Volare wagon with missing hubcaps. The driver HONKS and rolls by before CRASHING INTO A MAIL BOX AND STOPPING. Mrs. Abbott stumbles out of the car shit-face drunk. The driver gets out too. They stare at Mary.
MRS. ABBOTT
(to Mary)
What are you starin’ at?
Mary shoves her suitcase in the car and climbs behind the wheel. SHE RESTS HER BABY ON THE PASSENGER SEAT and slowly drives away.
EXT. MRS. ABBOTT’S TRAILER – DAY
Sheriff Thorton stands outside the trailer with Officer Dale and Mrs. Abbott.
Mrs. Abbott smokes a cigarette as she pours lighter fluid on a stack of newspaper in a CHARCOAL GRILL.
The Sheriff shows Mrs. Abbott a photo of Mary Patterson.
SHERIFF
You sure you’ve never seen this
woman before?
MRS. ABBOTT
Can’t say that I have.
DALE
And you’re positive?
Mrs. Abbott nods her head. She steps away from the grill and flicks ash.
MRS. ABBOTT
I’m pretty good with faces but
my short term memory ain’t what
it use to be.
SHERIFF
We have a reliable witness that
claims Mary Patterson lived here
with her boyfriend. We understand
they had a baby together. I don’t
suppose you ever heard a baby crying
around here?
Mrs. Abbott shakes her head.
MRS. ABBOTT
Can’t say that I have.
Sheriff Thorton turns away. Visibly frustrated.
SHERIFF
One more thing Mrs. Abbott.
A stolen car recovered at our
crime scene was spotted here,
yesterday, outside your trailer.
Our witness said she saw Mary
Patterson get in it with this man.
Sheriff Thorton shows Mrs. Abbott a photo of Nathan Smalls.
CLOSE ON: PHOTO OF NATHAN SMALLS.
SHERIFF
What do you think?
MRS. ABBOTT
I think your witness needs her
eyes checked.
Sheriff Thorton nudges the photo closer.
SHERIFF
Do you recognize this man or not?
MRS. ABBOTT
I seen him around.
The Sheriff frowns when he sees Nathan carried out in an open body bag.
SHERIFF
The car was used in an armed
robbery. I don’t suppose you
know anything about that?
Mrs. Abbott watches the police carry Nathan’s body away. She points at him with her cigarette and shrugs.
MRS. ABBOTT
Why don’t you ask him?
Mrs. Abbott flicks her cigarette on the newspaper in the grill.
CLOSE ON: THE Barbeque grill.
The newspaper catches fire.
Headlines above a photo of the diner read: POLICE STANDOFF ENDS IN VIOLENCE. ONE SUSPECT STILL AT LARGE.
Newspaper pages burn and curl, revealing a FAMILY PHOTO WITH MARY AND HER BABY and an assortment of BABY CLOTHES engulfed in flames.
THE END