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“DESERT, THOUGHTS & SHADES”
By J A Parker

Copyright © All Rights Reserved

FADE IN:

EXT. DESERT LAND - DAY

Blinding sun beams onto the cracked solid ground of a desert. The blue sky is unlimited meeting the desert sand at the horizon point miles away. Haze makes it hard to focus on any one place.

				ZACHERY (V.O)
		Collect a thought... just one thought. 		Hold it. Keep it there and let it dwell 		for a while. Let it eat at you and 			inhabit your mind so much that, even 			with all your willpower and strength... 		and concentration and focus, you just 			can’t seem to think of anything else 			but that thought... that one thought. 			Let it dwell for a while... and you’ll 		come to find something... something so 		amazing it’s hard to believe. But 			that’s it... that is the thing I’m 			telling... I’m saying... you come to 			trust that thought... you come to 			accept it. Belief is a tricky 				subject...

ZACHERY, late twenties, slicked back brown hair with a face of such innocence and tranquil, steps into view facing us. As if he’s looking into a camera with the setting background behind him looking slightly less real, Zachery smiles, teeth showing.

				ZACHERY
Hi, hello... I’m Zachery Montague. I’ve recently made a startling discovery... a discovery I found mostly on my own within a bizarre and slightly unnerving story. I’ve been studying this subject ever since, you see, the works of this subject... the simple feelings and senses that can trigger this subject to...

Zachery rotates his head to look at the scene behind him. Again, it seems he’s in front of a static picture. It doesn’t look real.

He looks back with another smile.

				ZACHERY (CONT’D)
Oh, what am I saying...? Let’s just say it’s now my life investigating and teaching others this subject... this is my story and I’d like for you all to see it.

Zachery steps out of view leaving the scene behind him look that little bit more realistic.

Suddenly, the picture comes alive. Zachery is seen walking slowly into view. Sliding his feet and scraping them across the dirt and sand. His face, with a shirt wrapped around his head, is looking dry and pale. It looks as though Zachery has been walking for some time.

The sun beaming down on him, Zachery takes a stumble. He regains himself and keeps himself steady enough that he doesn’t fall. His eyes focus on the scene ahead of him. He looks to his right slowly and then to his left. Breathing heavily, he licks his dry lips with a relatively dry tongue.

Zachery groans. He begins walking again. His pants have been torn to make shorts it seems and he wears only a white tank top with the shirt wrapped around his head. His shoes are scuffed.

Zachery continues to saunter. Moving slower and slower, he’s almost at pace where if he moves any slower he’d be walking backwards. He stops inevitably and takes a moment.

His eyes suddenly focus on something ahead. A clear expression of surprise and slight confusion demonstrates his mind has not completely fried with the heat. Zachery licks his dry lips once more.

EXT. DESERT LAND - DAY

With its bottom quarter dug into the desert sand, a fridge is visible. A typical white, metal fridge situated in the middle of nowhere. It seems as though the fridge has almost crashed like a meteor into the ground and quite recent by its, still new, look.

Zachery enters view. He walks to the fridge with a medium pace and his legs seem to have more strength with purpose. He reaches this white, clean fridge and hugs it.

Zachery’s cheek sinks into the metal. He gives a slight smile with teeth showing. He gives the fridge a kiss before kneeling down in front of it. He stares at the bottom of the fridge.

Noticing the fridge is slightly buried in the ground, Zachery tries to open the fridge anyway. He grabs the handle and pulls. It’s stuck. Zachery looks back to the bottom and begins to scrape and dig away the sand and dirt. 

Faster and faster the fridge becomes freer. Zachery won’t stop and continues to dig the fridge free.

Soon enough, the fridge has enough space to open. Its entire body is visible now as Zachery wipes his hands and dusts himself off.

Looking to the handle, Zachery grabs it and pulls once more. The fridge opens slowly as he pulls it back toward him. His eyes widen and his mouth opens with anticipation.

Zachery’s eyes almost begin to fill with tears. He stares inside to find four large shelves inside the fridge, each with around twenty-five to thirty bottles of water on them. They’re all compact together yet some have been slightly disturbed and out of place. Zachery reaches inside and grabs a bottle.

He pulls it out and rubs it on his face, all over.

				ZACHERY
			(dry, broken voice)
		I... love you.

With all his strength left, which isn’t much, Zachery twists the head of the bottle and throws water down his mouth. He takes his time after a few more gulps then pores some on his head, arms and hands.

Placing the top back on Zachery takes moment. He breathes softly again and again calming himself down.

He looks into the fridge holding onto his bottle. It certainly looks quite cool inside so he slowly leans his head forward and into the fridge as far as he can go. Before hitting the shelved bottles of water, Zachery lets off a long, hard sigh of relief.

Putting his bottle on the ground he tries to fit most of himself into the beginning of this fridge and sort of succeeds. He rubs his body against the water and insides of the fridges metal.

EXT. DESERT LAND - DAY

Zachery unties and pulls out his shoelace from his right shoe. He takes off his tank top and seals up the two arm holes by folding them into each other. He then twists the fabric and begins to wrap his shoelace around it tightly. He ties both ends of the shoelace together and shows that he’s just created a small carrier.

Taking out around ten bottles of water one by one, Zachery places them inside the carrier and closes the fridge.

He stands to his feet picking up the carrier he’s just made. It’s slightly heavy but he pulls it up and over his shoulder like a sack.

Looking at the fridge he smiles then chuckles. He takes a moment and looks to the sky. It’s infinitely blue it seems and bright with the sun.

Zachery looks back to the fridge. He gives it a consoling tap on its side and begins to walk off with a bit of a smile.

Slowly walking to the left of us, Zachery walks out of view and for a moment the fridge is alone.

Suddenly, from the right, Zachery comes back into view walking back toward the fridge. He stops and notices the fridge. Rapidly looking back, to where he’s just appeared from, he seems further confused. Dropping the carrier with the bottles of water in it, Zachery looks to the fridge as he runs to it.

Opening the fridge, he sees that it’s the exact same fridge with about ten bottles missing. He’s stunned and steps back. Looking inside the fridge, he’s puzzled.

After a moment he closes the door and takes a breath.

Zachery steps to the left where he began walking the last time and begins walking again. Slower this time, he cautiously keeps his footing straight in line. 

He monitors his own strides as he steps out of view from the left then--

-- He appears from the right again and immediately stops staring at the fridge with awe and further confusion. He growls and groans frustratingly and almost pulls out his hair.

Licking his lips and breathing normally for a moment, Zachery calms down.

				ZACHERY
Take your time <breath>... take your time.

He makes a sudden dash forward to where he’s walked twice before and runs out of view--

--But as quick as he went he runs back in view from the right. He slows but doesn’t stop as he notices the fridge again. Zachery seems determined and runs full speed out of view again--

--Back he comes from the right but he continues to run out of view from the left then back in from the right again and again.

EXT. DESERT LAND - LATER

The sun has slightly moved from the centre of the sky to a lower position.

Sitting leaning against the fridge on the right, where the sun can not get to, consequently shading that part, Zachery sips some of his bottled water. He stares into the vast nothingness that is the desert beyond him. He seems tired and he’s sweating from the forehead slightly but not dripping with it.

Zachery suddenly feels that he hears something and listens attentively. He looks up into the sky as if he wants it to be a plane or something. The faint sound of something resembling a small plane engine can be heard but it’s not a definite sound.

The blue sky is clear still. Zachery pours some water on his face as the sound ends. He just sits there.

EXT. DERSERT LAND - LATER

Zachery is standing near but behind the fridge. He’s taking a piss. It’s a long one and from the time he begins to the time the flow ends Zachery lets the sun beam onto his face as he looks up to it. The sound of a zip being pulled up is heard and Zachery turns and walks back to the shaded part of his new metal friend.

EXT. DESERT LAND - LATER

The sun is still burning strong. The shade from the fridge has grown longer as the sun moves further down toward the horizon yet it could still be some time before night comes.

Zachery’s fallen asleep. Leaning against the fridge he’s motionless but for his breathing.

He suddenly hears something that disturbs him and wakes him. Fire’s crackling near him as he leans against the shaded part of his companion, the fridge. Zachery stands with all the strength he’s got and looks around him except his blind spot, which is behind the fridge itself.

Zachery turns and takes a peek around his metal friend. His eyes widen. Total and utter bemusement is written right across his entire face. He takes his water and walks away from the fridge. He makes it this time without reappearing on the opposite side. The fridge is alone again.

EXT. DESERT LAND - SAME

A plane crash, still slightly burning, has disturbed the almost perfectly flat ground of the desert. It’s a smallish, more private plane than anything else. Its left wing is crushed to the dirt as the other lies neatly on the ground. The tail is detached from it but they lie close to touching each other. It looks like it has recently crashed here.

Zachery comes into view. He’s cautious in the way he steps toward it. Noticing the front of the plane is still slightly alight, he walks toward the back of the plane where the tail has been snapped off, leaving a large hole.

INT/EXT. SMALL PLANE/DESERT LAND - SAME

Peeking his head around the corner into the plane, Zachery takes heed to the fragility the plane gives off. He slowly steps inside and takes a long stare at everything within.

There are no bodies and no signs of life. The cockpit is broken but the seats are almost in perfect shape. Someone could easily have survived this. In the back where Zachery is amongst are what looks to be a whole cargo hold of kitchen appliances strapped to the floor. Cookers, dish washers, clothes washers and even kitchen sinks are present.

He looks a little less confused at this point.

Sitting down on one of the pilots’ seats in the small cockpit, Zachery checks out all of the dials, buttons and levers that are used to fly a plane. He notices the radio but the cord is snapped and the receiver is clearly broken.

				ZACHERY
			Shit!

EXT. DESERT LAND - LATER

Exiting the plane, Zachery steps away from it and begins to scan the vast area of desert land for survivors. With his hand covering his eyes for shade, he sees noting but mad heat haze.

EXT. DESERT LAND - LATER

Zachery is at the fridge. He’s got a hold of it with both arms. He tries to lift it from the ground. Pulling harder and groaning with pain. The fridge won’t budge. Zachery steps back and looks at it.

				ZACHERY
		Why won’t you budge?

As if he’s waiting for an answer, Zachery continues to stare but soon becomes aware nothing’s going to happen. He opens the fridge door and grabs a fresh bottle and begins to walk toward the plane.

EXT. DESERT LAND - LATER

Zachery squirts water on the small fire that was beginning to spread on the front of the plane. It goes out quickly. With the small amount of water left in that bottle, Zachery takes a drink.

INT. SMALL PLANE - COCKPIT - LATER

With a couple of bottles or water near him, Zachery has fallen asleep on the pilot’s seat. The sun is creeping in through the window to his right and it’s starting to make his head sweat. He begins to breathe heavily for a moment.

				MALE VOICE (O.S)
		Zachery...?

Zachery’s eyes flicker open slowly.

				MALE VOICE (O.S)
		How are you?

Zachery looks to his left toward the other pilot seat. He seems startled and sits up straight immediately.

On the adjacent seat sits a rather familiar man. Late twenties, slicked back brown hair with a face of such innocence and tranquil, it is ZACHERY TWO.

Zachery two stares at Zachery with a comforting smile. Zachery looks dazed.

				ZACHERY TWO
		Hey, how are you feeling?

Zachery tries but is unable to utter even a mumble.

				ZACHERY TWO
		You’ve been sleeping a while.

				ZACHERY
		What?

				ZACHERY TWO
		Can you hear me?

				ZACHERY
Yeah, I mean yes. I can hear you, what do you want?

				ZACHERY TWO
I just wanted to hear your voice. It keeps me calm. I’m so sorry... I’m sorry.

				ZACHERY
		What?

				ZACHERY TWO
Are you sure you’re okay? You’d been gone for so long.

				ZACHERY
		Who are you? What do you want?

				ZACHERY TWO
		Oh no. No, no.

Zachery two grabs a fresh water bottle near him and opens it. He gives it to Zachery. 

				ZACHERY TWO
		Drink this.

Zachery takes it willingly from himself and drinks some. Zachery keeps his eyes on Zachery two.

				ZACHERY TWO
		Feel better?

				ZACHERY
		I guess so.

				ZACHERY TWO
		Do you know who I am?

				ZACHERY
				(puzzled)
		Yes.

				ZACHERY TWO
		Who am I?

				ZACHERY
				(beat)
		Me.

Zachery takes another drink of his water.

EXT. DESERT LAND - LATER

Zachery walks into view coming from the plane it seems. He walks back to the shaded part of the fridge and sits down. He leans against the metal with the bottle of water in his hand. He stares into the vastness once more.

				ZACHERY (V.O)
In such a place... so vast, so empty... only one thought runs through ones mind. You’re alone, you’re alone... there’s no one with you and the sole feeling of solitude will eat you up inside and inhabit you. Say... if you come to trust a thought... that you are indeed alone, then who can you talk to but yourself?

INT. SMALL PLANE - COCKPIT - FLASHBACK

Zachery is piloting the plane. The noise of the engine is heard. Next to him, a beautiful woman, same age with long blonde hair and a wonderful smile, stares at him. She laughs.

				ZACHERY
		I love you, you know?

				WOMAN
I hope so hubby... we’re not moving to another country together for laughs.

				ZACHERY
		I hope we are.

Zachery looks to her and smiles. She leans to him and they kiss.

				WOMAN
		I love you too.

EXT. PLANE - MID AIR - FLASHBACK

The front of the plane is giving off smoke. The engine cuts off and the plane begins to plummet to ground. The woman is heard screaming for her life.

The plane is dropping further and further toward a vast desert land below.

EXT. PLANE CRASH - FLASHBACK

The woman is kneeling on the ground. She doesn’t seem hurt but she’s crying. Zachery walks to her kneels in front of her. He holds her.

				ZACHERY
		Don’t worry... we’ll be fine.

She continues to cry on Zachery’s shoulder.

EXT. DESERT LAND - FLASHBACK

Zachery is walking away. He looks angry as the woman follows him with a similar look on her face. She spits on the ground as she stops watching Zachery walk away from her.

				WOMAN
			(shouting)
I can’t fucking believe you’ve just done that. We’ve been here for twenty-four hours and no one has come.

Zachery stops and turns to her.

				ZACHERY
			(shouting)
I told you from the start this was going to happen. It’s all your fault you fucking bitch!

Tears begin to fill up in the woman’s eyes.

				WOMAN
So you break the fucking radio? You break our only hope. I can’t believe you.

				ZACHERY
Static Ashlyn... it was static. I can’t believe you can blame me. Fuck off and keep your fucking plane.

Ashlyn begins to cry. Zachery walks off away from the crash.

				ASHLYN
		Where are you going?

Zachery doesn’t take any notice. He continues to walk away.

EXT. DESERT LAND - FLASHBACK

Zachery’s walking. In no particular direction he wonders.

Breathing heavily, Zachery falls to the ground and lies there facing up looking to the sky. He looks very dazed. His eyes slowly close.

EXT. DESERT LAND - FLASHBACK

Zachery’s eyes snap open. His pupils adjust to the blinding light and he pulls himself up. Dusting himself off, he scans the desert -- nothing but mad heat haze.

				ZACHERY
		Where? What the...?

Zachery seems confused. It doesn’t seem he knows where he is.

After a moment, he begins to wonder once more. Zachery continues to walk as he takes his shirt off and gradually wraps it over his head.

INT. SMALL PLANE - COCKPIT - LATER

Zachery is looking at himself in the other seat. Zachery two’s eyes begin to fill up with tears. Zachery just stares puzzled still.

				ZACHERY (V.O)
If you dwell on a thought... if you come to trust that thought... that you are indeed alone, then who can you know but yourself? Who can you talk to but yourself?

FADE OUT:

THE END