GAS By Matthew Orobko FADE IN EXT. DESERTED HIGHWAY –- DAY We move down a deserted highway at high speed. We turn corners and pass through lanes, the sound of the engine revving. The stretch of road is empty, nothing except the sound of crows crowing. Then, a speck comes over the hill, a red speck that gets bigger every second. The sound of an engine begins to sound, getting louder as the speck is coming into view. A red sports car whips past us and drives into the blazing sun, a trail of dust follows it. INT. RED CAR –- DAY A man in a white t-shirt is at the wheel. He is wearing shades and has his hair tangled. He looks back to see if anybody is riding his tail, nothing. The man reaches his arm into the back seat and fishes around. He keeps his eyes on the road. He recoils his arm, this time holding a bottle of water. The man uses both hands to unscrew the cap and begins drinking it. EXT. DESERTED ROAD –- DAY The red sports car makes its way through the twists and turns of this backcountry road. This small red car is the only car for as far as we can see in all directions. The car rips past us. INT. RED CAR –- DAY The man throws the empty bottle of water on the floor of his car to join the rest of the pile. The man sighs and turns on the radio. The only sound coming from the speakers is static. The man turns the station, static. The man tries one more time. This time he can juts make out music but the static drowns most of it out. The man turns the radio off. The soothing sound of the soft engine will have to do. EXT. DESERTED ROAD –- DAY A coyote comes to the edge of the road, sniffing the asphalt. The sound of the red car’s engine is enough for the coyote to poke its head up and run across the road to safety. The red car drives by. INT. RED CAR –- DAY The man down to the glove compartment and opens it. He feels around and comes out with a cell phone. The man pulls up the antenna with his teeth and begins dialing a number. He finishes his dialing and holds it up to his ear, nothing. He pulls it back and looks at the face of it. A word is flashing: RANGE. The man sighs and throws the cell in the back. EXT. DESERTED ROAD –- DAY The red car comes over a hill and turns. We pull back to reveal the car pulling into a dilapidated service station. An old Mexican woman sits in a rocking chair, watching the road. The red car parks in front of the old-style pumps as the engine is shut off. The man with the shades opens the door and gets out. He stretches and takes his shades off. He hangs his sunglasses on his shirt and walks towards the old Mexican Woman. MAN Excuse me, do you have a phone here? The Mexican woman says nothing. MAN Phone? The man makes a phone symbol with his hand and holds it up to his ear. The Mexican woman points around the building. MAN Thank you. The man walks around the building and enters a very small phone booth. The man takes the phone off the hook and listens for a dial tone. The man pulls a quarter out of his pocket and inserts it. He dials the number, the ringing stops. MAN Hi mom, it’s David. (a beat) I’m fine, how’s dad? (a beat) That’s great. Listen, I won’t be able to make it there tonight. It turns out it’s a longer trip then I thought, but I should be there by tomorrow. (a beat) Ok. (a beat) Ok. (a beat) Well, you tell dad to hang in there and wish him a happy birthday for me. (a beat) Ok. Bye, mom. David hangs up the phone and puts his shades back on. David walks back around the building and sees the Mexican woman tinkering around under his hood. David runs up to the car. DAVID Hey! What the fuck are you doing! Get away from my car! Get away! David pushes the Mexican woman out of the way. She falls on the ground and begins speaking Spanish gibberish to him. DAVID What did you do to my car? What? The Mexican woman stands up and quietly strolls into the service station. DAVID Jesus Christ. David gets into the car and, to his surprise, the engine starts. David peels away and down the road. David’s car is blasting through the vacant road, kicking up dust in its tracks. A light at a train crossing begins to flash, the bell rings. We hear a train whistle blasting in the background. The arms at the crossing fall and David’ s car stops at them. The train approaches fast. David waits for the train to pass. In the background we see a black pick up truck quickly approaching. The black pickup truck stops behind David’s car just as the train begins to pass. INT. RED CAR –- DAY David looks in his mirror and then looks back. David pushes a button in the car and the roof begins to fold. The car is a convertible. EXT. TRAIN CROSSING -- DAY David still waits for the train to pass. He stretches his arms and leans back. David is shocked as the black pick up truck blares it horn. David looks back and points to the train. The truck blares again, this time revving its engine. David yells at the truck. DAVID What do you want me to do? I can’t move! The truck blares again and then turns off the road and drives over the grass and dirt the truck disappears. David watches with his mouth open. The train passes the crossing and the lights, bells, and arms stop. David drives over the tracks and continues down the road. The red car drives on the vacant road. David’s hair whips in the wind. He turns his head to the left and sees the black pick up truck in the distance, keeping up with him. David stares at the truck, kicking up the dirt. The truck disappears into a cornfield. BANG! David swerves out of control. The tires screech and leave marks on the road. David madly fights for control of the wheel as the car turns into the cornfield. David screams as the car rips past the stocks, some hitting him in the face. The car swerves again and stops, in the cornfield. David is breathing hard, his shades off his face. David has a few scratches but nothing serious. David wipes the blood off his lip and gets out of the car. He tries to open the door, but it’s stuck, so David hops out. He brushes the dirt off of him and leans down to inspect the tire. The tire is completely ruined. It’s not even there. David gets up. DAVID Shit! That’s when David sees the smoke, pluming from the hood. David walks over to the hood and lifts it up. A huge cloud of smoke causes him to pull his face away. DAVID Fuck. Back on the road, everything is normal. The tire tracks and the giant hole in the cornfield are the only things that look strange. There is no sign of any cars coming in both directions. Corn stalks lie on the road. The black tire marks run from one side of the highway to the other. Suddenly, David emerges from the hole in the field and looks both ways down the road, nothing. David sighs and then sits down, on the asphalt. He hears the rumble of an engine. David’s head perks up. He looks to his right, nothing. He looks to his left, a giant semi truck is headed is way. David gets up and begins waving his hands in the air. The semi sounds its horn and stops in front of David. A man with a red ball cap and a tattoo on his arm leans out the window. TRUCK DRIVER Car trouble? DAVID You can say that. TRUCK DRIVER You hurt, boy? DAVID No, I’m fine. The truck driver gets out of his truck and closes the door. TRUCK DRIVER Well, where’s your car? David points to the hole in the field. DAVID In there. The truck driver looks into the hole. TRUCK DRIVER Jesus Christ. You been drinking, son? DAVID No sir. The truck driver takes off his ball cap and scratches his baldhead. TRUCK DRIVER Well, let me just get my truck off of the road and I’ll see what I can do. The truck driver walks back to his truck. DAVID Thanks a lot. The truck driver waves his hand and gets into his truck. The red car sits, demolished in the field. Suddenly, David and the truck driver emerge out of the stalks. DAVID I was just driving along when I hit a nail or something in the road and I crashed in the field. The truck driver leans down to the wheel and takes his cap off. TRUCK DRIVER Good God. Well, this car has sure been through hell. The truck driver stands up and puts his hat back on. TRUCK DRIVER But, I think I know who can fix it. DAVID Somebody close? TRUCK DRIVER About 20 miles from here. DAVID Great, but how are we going to get my car out of here? TRUCK DRIVER I have a winch, we can pull it out and I can tow it behind me. I guess I could give you a lift. DAVID Ok, thanks. EXT. HIGHWAY –- DUSK The semi truck drives past us, David’s car behind it. INT. SEMI TRUCK –- DUSK David sits beside the truck driver. DAVID Listen, do you know this guy who’s going to fix my car? TRUCK DRIVER Nope, I just drove by the place. DAVID So you have no idea about how much it’s going to cost? TRUCK DRIVER Nope. Pause. David shakes his head. DAVID My name’s David, by the way. David sticks out his hand for it to be shaken. TRUCK DRIVER My name doesn’t matter. David pulls back his hand. EXT. HIGHWAY –- DUSK The semi roars down the road as the sun begins to set. EXT. DILAPIDATED HOUSE –- NIGHT The silhouette of a dilapidated house stands out against the stars of the night. The peaceful quiet is ruined by the semi roaring down the road. It turns into the driveway. The truck stops and the engine is turned off. David gets out, followed by the truck driver. The truck driver heads to the back of the truck. A man’s voice is heard. MAN (off screen) What you want? David looks up and squints his eyes. DAVID Oh, Hi. My name is David Cross. My car broke down and I was told by the driver of that truck that you would be able to fix it for me. The man comes into the light. He is wearing blue mechanic’s overalls with the nametag reading Otto. He wipes oil of his hands with a rag. OTTO Well, I sure as hell can’t fix ‘er now. It’s too late. Otto throws the rag on the ground. DAVID Oh, yeah I understand that! Maybe I could just store it in your garage and I ’ll find a place to sleep. Maybe you can fix it in the morning. The truck driver comes back. TRUCK DRIVER Well, that car’s un-hitched. I better head out. Before the truck driver gets in his truck Otto stops him. OTTO You with this boy? The truck driver climbs back down. TRUCK DRIVER Well, all I did was tow his car over here and gave him a ride. Otto looks at David and then at the truck driver. OTTO I’m sure I can fix it tomorrow. David smiles. DAVID Great! Is there a motel near here? Pause. OTTO Not for another 300 miles. David sighs. OTTO You could pitch a tent up in my house. Got plenty of room, live alone. DAVID Would it be too much trouble? OTTO Hell no! David smiles. He turns to the truck driver. DAVID Ok, thanks a lot for the lift and all the help. I really appreciate it. David hands the truck driver two 50$ bills. TRUCK DRIVER Thanks, very much. It was no trouble at all. The truck driver starts up the motor and begins backing up. The truck drives off. DAVID Well… Otto comes down the steps. OTTO You wanna put that car in my garage? David looks at the car. DAVID Uhhhhhhh, yeah. David and Otto get behind the car and begins pushing the car, towards a wooden garage. OTTO You can call me Otto, by the way. DAVID Ok, and you can call me Dave. They stop pushing as Otto walks over to the garage and opens the two big wooden doors. OTTO We’ll just wheel ‘er in. The two men wheel the car in and close the doors. OTTO Now, you look you could use a cold one. DAVID You read my mind. INT. OTTO’S HOUSE -- NIGHT The two men sit at a table, knocking back beers and talking. DAVID A year ago my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Couple of weeks ago I get this call from my mom. She says that the doctors gave my dad 2 months. Today was his birthday and I thought I’d drive down there for his birthday. Otto smiles. OTTO Little to late for that. DAVID Yeah, I know. David takes a swig of his beer. OTTO So, just what the hell did happen to your car? It’s pretty beat up. David shakes his head. DAVID I don’t know. I was driving, I got distracted, ran over a nail or something, tire popped, sent me skidding into a cornfield. I think there’s something wrong with the engine, though. Otto nods his head and takes a sip of his beer. OTTO Yep, these roads will kill you. DAVID I doubt that. OTTO Well, you never know. DAVID Yeah, well I haven’t died on these roads yet. Otto and David laugh. Otto knocks the table. OTTO Knock on wood. We pull back to reveal that the place is a complete slop, cans, bottles, and papers are thrown everywhere. David takes one last gulp and slams down the bottle. DAVID Well, I’m done. Otto finishes his beer. OTTO Yep. Pause. Otto is pulling out a mattress from inside a couch. He unfolds it and throws a pillow and blanket on it. OTTO Well, you can sleep out here. It doesn’t look like much but it’s pretty comfortable. I’ll be in the bedroom, which is just past the kitchen, so give me a holler if you need anything. The bathroom is just in that door. DAVID Thanks. David sits down on the bed. OTTO And, as soon as I wake up I’m starting on that car. DAVID You don’t have to do it that early. OTTO Ah, it’s no problem! I like a good fix-up to get my up in the morning. DAVID Listen, Otto, I really appreciate all of this. OTTO No problem, Dave. Otto exits and shuts the door behind him. David begins to undress. The next morning… INT. OTTO’S HOUSE -- MORNING David wakes up to sunbeams, shining in his face. David rubs his eyes, then yawns. He gets up and stretches. He picks up the white t-shirt and slaps it on. David wanders into the kitchen to the table. He looks at a crossword puzzle that Otto has been working on. Only two answers are written in. David walks up to the window that looks into the driveway. David is shocked to find the black truck, parked in the driveway. David moves along and looks out of another window. Otto is talking to the Mexican woman that was fooling around with his car. Otto is drying his hands with the rag as the Mexican woman speaks. They say bye and the woman heads to the truck and speeds off. Otto turns back and walks into the garage. David has a puzzled look on his face. He walks to the front door and puts his shoes on, then exits. He walks around to the garage where Otto has been working on his car. Otto looks up. OTTO Oh, hey! Good sleep? David is suspicious. DAVID Yeah… OTTO Great! I’ve been working on your car. I replaced the tire and I’m working on the engine. David just stares at Otto. OTTO If you want some breakfast just root around the kitchen I’m sure you’ll find something. David walks away and into the house, as Otto gets back to work. David slips off his shoes and begins heading to the cupboards. David looks in one quickly and then shuts it. He looks out the window again. He walks back to the couch and puts the rest of his clothes on. Then, David glances at Otto’s bedroom door, opened a crack. David looks out the window, he can’t see Otto. David pushes Otto’s door open. The room is completely submerged in darkness. David clicks the light. The light reveals a bed and nothing else, not even a window. David steps in and briefly looks around, then he is shocked when he hears Otto open the front door. David quickly shuts the light off and closes the door. He peeks around the corner to see Otto getting a bottle of water. David walks in and Otto is shocked. OTTO Hey, Dave, did you find anything? DAVID No, I’m not hungry. Who was just here? OTTO Who? DAVID The Mexican chick in the black truck, who was she? Otto puts down the bottle of water. OTTO Oh, she’s just a friend of mine. Is there a problem? Pause. DAVID So, how’s the car coming? Otto heads for the door. OTTO It’s coming along. Otto leaves as David sits down at the table. He stares straight ahead. Hours, later… EXT. OTTO’S HOUSE --DAY David’s car sits motionless, in the garage. David and Otto stare at it. OTTO It’s free of charge. David stares at the car, which is very banged up, but works. DAVID Well, it looks the same. David gets in and closes the door. He turns the keys, which are already in the ignition. The motor purrs like a cat. David smiles at Otto, Otto smiles back. David extends his hand, Otto shakes it. DAVID Thanks for everything. OTTO No problem. David backs up and turns out of the driveway. The red car speeds off, into the distance. EXT. DESERTED ROAD -- DAY The wind whips in David’s hair as he smiles and drives down the road. He reaches back and picks up his cell. He pushes a button and dials a number. This time, the phone doesn’t say: range, it rings! After it rings 5 times we can tell that David gets the machine. DAVID Hi, mom It’s just me. Listen, I’m going to get a little later than I thought. My car br- David happens to glance at his mirror. A black dot appears and is quickly approaching. David stares at the black dot. DAVID I’ll call you back. David hangs up and throws the phone in the back. He steps on the pedal and goes faster. Ever so often he glances at the mirror, revealing the black truck, riding his tail. DAVID What the fuck? The black truck honks its loud horn. David gets mad and pulls over, as does the truck. David gets out of the car, leaving the motor running. David begins walking towards the truck. The Mexican woman exits the black truck. DAVID Oh, it’s you! What the fuck is your problem? You have been following me for 30 mile- The Mexican woman hits David with a jack handle. The screen turns black. INT. DARK BASEMENT –- DAY David is lying unconscious, in a dark basement. A liquid falls on his face. David twitches and opens one eye. David is lying in the only lit part of a basement. A small window directs light at David. Otto stands in front of David, spraying gasoline on him. OTTO Wake up, beautiful. David moans, he hands and legs are tied together with seat belts. He tries to break free. OTTO Did you have a nice nap, Dave? David turns, revealing the giant bruise from the jack handle. He struggles to talk, his words only come out in mumbles. OTTO I’m sorry. Otto leans in and tries to hear David more clearly. David begins talking clear. DAVID What are you going to do? Otto gets back up and smiles. OTTO A movie is only better if the ending is a surprise. The devilish grin spreads on Otto’s face. Otto pulls out another seat belt from his pocket. OTTO Now, if you excuse me, I have to put this around your mouth so you don’t scream. Otto leans in and buckles the seat belt around David’s head and over his mouth. David screams as Otto pulls the cord to make the belt tight. Otto gets back up. OTTO Now, you are going to stay here, quiet, and maybe you’ll get a treat. Otto disappears into the darkness in front of David. We can hear Otto’s creaking footsteps up a flight of stairs. Then, a door is opened an the basement is flooded with light for a few seconds as Otto leaves. The basement is dark again. David breathes hard as he begins to cry. He tries to struggle free, but no use. David looks around him and sees nothing but darkness. He turns to his left and kicks to see if he’s near a wall. His feet hit a dead body, which falls into the light, at David’s feet. David screams. He looks away. The body has been kept in the basement along time. It has begun decomposing. Like David, the corpse has seatbelts around its head, feet, and hands. David is shocked when Otto’s footsteps are heard from up stairs. As he takes a step, dirt falls from the floorboards and hits David’s face. We can hear another door open. Otto’s voice is muffled as he talks to a woman. The door is shut and they cannot be heard. David listens for more footsteps, but nothing. David reluctantly looks back at the corpse and stares at the seat belt around his head. A buckle that’s at the back of his head holds the belt. The buckle has a giant button. David’s eyes go wide. He looks to his right and sees a nail sticking out of the wall, at his height. David begins shimmying over to the nail. He gets there and presses his head against the wall. He misses the nail and tries again. This time, the nail connects with the button on the buckle. David pushes harder and the nail pushes the button down, releasing the buckle. The belt falls of David’s face. David stretches his mouth and gets saliva back in his mouth. David begins sliding back. His eye catches a shard of glass, lying on the basement floor. David pulls his arms and luckily grabs the shard. David begins cutting the seatbelt hat binds his hands. It cuts through and the seat belt falls to the ground. David pulls his hands back and messages the life back into them. He then begins untying the belt that holds his feet together. He rips it off. David stands up and dusts himself off. He looks through the cracks in the floorboards. He walks forward and hits a string, hanging from the ceiling. He pulls backs in shock. David pulls the string and the entire basement is flooded with light. David’s eyes go wide. Several rotting bodies are tied up against the wall. They are all dead. David backs up. He looks up at the stairs and then back at the dead bodies. He slowly backs up and trips over the first step on the staircase and falls back. This causes David to run up the stairs. INT. HOUSE -- DAY David slams the door shut behind him and takes a deep breath. We faintly hear an old man’s voice singing country on the radio. Directly in front of David is a kitchen table. Half eaten TV dinners are slapped everywhere on the table. Flies buzz around them. David begins to wander around the house, scooping the scene out. He finally looks out the window and sees his car, parked in front of the house he used the phone at. David looks behind him and then runs out of the house, not looking back. EXT. ROAD -- DAY David hops into his car and is lucky to find that the keys are still in the ignition. David starts the engine up and blasts down the road. The wind whips through his hair as he smiles in triumph. David puts the pedal to the metal and roars down the road. In the distance a black spot comes into focus. The black truck is zooming down the highway. David’s eyes go wide. He freezes in fear as the two vehicles pass each other. David looks at the window and spots the Mexican woman, staring at him. David picks up speed and burns away from the black truck. David breathes hard as he looks in his mirror. The black truck spins around and begins gaining. David turns off road and begins to travel on a narrow dirt road. David looks behind his shoulder but only sees the cloud of dirt his car is kicking up. David looks back forward and slams on the brakes. He hits a small hill, which causes his car to fly forward. His car skids along the gravel and slams into a phone booth. David is thrown forward. He hits the ground and rolls a bit then comes to a stop. He is knocked out cold. We hear the rumble of an engine. The black pick up comes cruising down the dirt road. It drives up to David and stops within inches of his face. The engine is turned off. The Mexican woman and Otto exit. They round the vehicle giggling. Otto walks up to the motionless David and kicks him in the gut, it causes David to roll on his back. MEXICAN WOMAN You need to tie him up better. OTTO Hey, we got him back, didn’t we? Pause. MEXICAN WOMAN We’re lucky we spotted him. OTTO Let’s just get him back to the house. The Mexican woman and Otto reach down and pick up David. They throw him in the truck. MEXICAN WOMAN What do we do with his car? OTTO Fuck it. It’s a piece of shit, now. C’mon. The two enter the car. The engine is started and the truck roars down the dirt road. The black truck burns down the road. Its engine blares. David opens his eyes and turns over. He reaches over to the door latch and lifts it. The back swings open, leaving David a view of the straight highway. David breathes hard and wipes blood away from his eye. David closes his eyes and takes he deep breath. David rolls off the truck, falling onto the asphalt. Right before David slams into the asphalt… …black. The sound of a crow. EXT. CORNFIELD –- DAY David’s closed eye takes up the entire screen. Suddenly, it opens. It moves around. David is sitting in his mangled car in the cornfield from the beginning of the film. He looks around. It was all a dream. David gets out and looks back at the clear path from the road to where he is. He limps onto the road. David looks both ways. His hub cab lies on the road. Then, the same semi from the beginning comes roaring down the road. David stands still. The truck comes to a stop in the middle of the road and a bulky female driver exits. She chomps on a piece of gum. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Something wrong? Pause. DAVID Yeah, I crashed my car in this field. It won’t start. The female truck driver spits out her gum. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Let’s take a look. David leads the female truck driver into the field. The female truck driver walks up to the car. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Shit. Well, your first problem is a flat tire. The female truck driver bends down to look at the tire. David’s cell phone rings. David reaches for it and answers. DAVID Hello? (pause) Hi mom. The female truck driver whispers to David. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Do you have a jack? David turns around and covers the speaker with his hands. He whispers. DAVID Trunk. The female truck driver turns. David continues to talk with his mom. In the background we see the female truck driver open the trunk. She stares into the truck but doesn’t reach in. Then, she closes the trunk and hurriedly walks back over to David. She whispers. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER No jack. I have one in my truck. The female truck driver leaves the field as David continues to talk. DAVID No mom, really I’m ok. (pause) Yeah, I have someone helping me now. (pause) A woman. (pause) No. (pause) Mom! (pause) Mom! (pause) Bye mom. David hangs up the cell and turns around to see the female truck driver with a shotgun pointed in his face. David’s face turns to horror. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Back up. David is in shock. DAVID What the fuck- The female truck driver reloads the gun. David throws his hands in the air. The cell flies through the air and lands on the grass. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Shut up! I called the cops with my CB. They’ll be here soon. Back up against the car and keep your hands up. DAVID What the fuck is going on? David leans against the trunk. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Open the trunk. David has a puzzled look on his face, he turns around. The female truck driver screams. FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER With one hand facing me! David snaps forward and does as told. The trunk flies open. David looks. There, sitting in the trunk, is the mangled corpse of Otto the mechanic, a horrified look on his face. David goes breathless. DAVID What the fuck is going on? FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER Who is he? DAVID What the fuck is going on? FEMALE TRUCK DRIVER You shut up until the cops get here. David screams. DAVID What the fuck is going on???!!! Black. EXT. HIGHWAY -- DUSK Four police cars are huddled around the cornfield. A cop directs traffic around the semi, blocking the road. Two policemen escort David, who has a very stunned look on his face, to a police car. The traffic director waves his hand. A BLACK PICK UP TRUCK rolls slowly past David. David raises his head and sees, to his horror, the Mexican woman, smiling pleasantly. David tries to break free. Tears begin pouring down his face. He begins screaming as the black truck rolls out of sight. DAVID You fucking bitch, you fucking bitch!!!!!! The last image we see is the black pick up truck, cruising down the road. FADE OUT Roll credits. THE END Written By Matthew Orobko