A Wildwood by the Sea
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CUT IN:
TITLE OVER BLACK SCREEN IN WHITE LETTERS:
"A well told lie illuminates the truth in far better clarity
than a simple recitation of the facts ever can."
- Harlan Ellison
CUT TO:
EXT. - PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - ATHLETIC FIELD - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - MORNING - 2001
STUDENTS of a private high school, varying in age from 14-18,
play on the athletic field before class.
The New York City skyline shines in the background. It is a
perfect day.
TRAVIS, 15, catches a football.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
A few days ago, a friend of mine
posed a very interesting question.
If you could return to any point in
time, where would you go?
He throws the ball to RYAN, 15.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I couldn't answer the question.
Yet.
Ryan throws the ball back to Travis.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
The question was answered on this
day.
Travis tosses the ball back to Ryan but he misses it. The
ball rolls away from him.
He chases after it.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Third day of freshman year began
like any other day. I was still
making friends and meeting new
people.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
So why do I remember it like
yesterday?
Ryan picks up the ball and hesitates for a moment.
Travis glances at his watch.
8:46 AM.
Ryan tosses the ball.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I thought everything would be
alright. Don't panic, I said.
The World Trade Center towers shine just over Travis'
shoulder.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Everything will be just fine in the
end. Right?
Travis makes the catch. Behind him, the World Trade Center
explodes.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Please put your trays in the
upright position for your own
safety and the safety of others.
Smoke starts to billow from the tower.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - MORNING - 2001 - MOMENTS LATER
The smoke from the North Tower of the World Trade Center
extends for miles.
TITLE OVER:
September 2001
EXT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - ATHLETIC FIELD - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - MORNING
Travis stares at the smoldering tower.
A crowd begins to form around him looking at the burning
tower.
TRAVIS
Holy shit.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Was it an accident? A careless
mistake?
Suddenly, the South Tower of the World Trade Center explodes.
The students standing on the field begin to panic.
Travis stares at the World Trade Center in shock.
EXT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - ATHLETIC FIELD - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - MORNING - 9/11/01
The smoke from both fires engulfs the entire skyline.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Or an attack?
Travis runs towards the school.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
No matter what it was, I knew that
it wasn't good. Something terrible
has just happened.
Travis gets to the school's entrance.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I didn't know that this was only
the beginning of something much,
much bigger.
INT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING - 9/11/01
Travis runs down an empty hallway. He spots DAN, 15.
TRAVIS
What the hell happened?
Dan shrugs.
DAN
I don't know yet. Someone hooked a
television up in the library. I'm
going there now.
Travis nods.
TRAVIS
I'll come with you.
INT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - LIBRARY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING - 9/11/01
Ten or so students are crowed around a small television set.
Dan and Travis walk towards them.
Everyone is completely silent.
The television plays the second plane crashing into the South
Tower from every imaginable angle.
TRAVIS
Holy shit.
Travis scratches his head in shock.
REPORTER
(V.O, filtered)
This what we do know. Two hijacked
planes have crashed into the World
Trave Center in New York City.
Smoke has engulfed all of Lower
Manhattan.
Travis shakes his head in disbelief.
REPORTER
(CONT.)
The NYPD and FDNY has recalled all
officers to the scene. The FAA has
grounded all flights, an
unprecedented act. Government
officals...
As he says this, the South Tower of the World Trade Center
collapses on screen.
The students gasp.
There is a long pause.
REPORTER
(V.O, filtered)
Ladies and gentlemen, one of the
towers of the World Trade Center
has just disappeared. There's only
one building still standing. The
south tower is no more.
Travis collapses.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I kind of fell apart after that.
He lays on the ground.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Travis sits on a couch next to Dan.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
In the days, months, and years
after September 11th, I tried to
hide it as best I could.
He rolls a joint and lights it.
He takes a long drag.
A GIRL walks up to them. She hands Dan a drink and sits down.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I still hung out, hooked up, I did
all the stuff that a "normal" high
school student should be doing.
Travis hands her the joint. She takes it, smiles politely,
passes it to Dan, and puts her hand on Travis' leg.
Dan puts down his beer.
Travis shakes his head no and awkwardly throws the girl's
hand off him.
She shrugs and turns toward Dan. He nods, and they both
leave.
Travis sits, alone. He takes a sip of the beer that Dan left.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I covered up who I really was just
so I could be normal again.
INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Travis sits on a large sofa. He holds a bottle of beer.
He finishes it off and tosses it on the floor.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Looking back on it, perhaps I tried
a little too hard to fit in.
Ryan is passed out on the floor.
Travis blinks a few times and shakes his head. He appears
confused.
On the coffee table in front of Travis lays fifteen or so
empty beer bottles, a few lines of cocaine, and other
assorted drugs.
Travis' eyes begin to close. He struggles to keep them open.
Suddenly, Travis begins to shake wildly. He knocks into a
table.
A bottle rolls off the table and shatters on the floor.
NICK, a 17 year old stoner, walks into the room. Travis is
having a seizure.
NICK
Shit!
He runs over and kneels over Travis. He tries to shake him
awake but Travis goes into shock.
Nick takes out his cell phone and dials 911.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - DR. COLONA'S OFFICE - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - NIGHT
DOCTOR WILLIAM COLONA, a 42 year old psychiatrist sits behind
a desk.
He takes notes while Travis speaks.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
They called it "post traumatic
stress disorder" or something like
that. My parents took me to many
different "specialists," who all
tried to cure me.
Colona nods.
He speaks to Travis, but he doesn't listen. Colona looks down
at his notebook again.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Doctor Colona called September 11th
my "trigger." Supposedly I was on
the road to a complete mental
breakdown anyway. The attacks just
precipitated my condition.
Travis slams his fist onto Colona's desk.
He picks up a computer printer that is on Colona's desk and
throws it across the room. It breaks.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I didn't trust him.
He sits back down and buries his head into his hands.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
But I had to believe the man, no
matter how much I distrusted him.
EXT. - BLOOMFIELD AVE - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Travis is now 16. He walks down Bloomfield Ave. He wears a
golf shirt, khaki pants, his hair clean cut.
There are hundreds of American flags flying in front of every
house and business.
The cars that pass by all have American flags hanging on the
radio antennae or a flag sticker on the back window.
He walks by a restaurant. On the front is a huge banner that
reads, "God Bless America!"
He pauses for a moment to admire the flags.
He laughs and continues to walk down the road.
The flags that decorate the houses begin to dissappear one by
one.
By the time he reaches the bottom of the hill, all of the
flags are gone.
Travis is now 18, dressed in a black hoodie, faded jeans,
black Converse, his hair long and disheveled.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Four years later, everything was
back to normal. The years of
therapy changed me back into an
upstanding citizen.
He smirks.
He reaches an intersection. He waits for a moment and then
crosses the street.
When he reaches the other side, he spots a small tattered
flag laying on the ground.
He picks the flag up and walks over to a trash can. He throws
it out.
EXT. - TRAVIS' HOUSE - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT - FOUR
YEARS LATER
There is a party at Travis' house.
INT. - TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Travis, now 18, walks through his living room. He greets
people as he passes by.
He walks over towards the kitchen.
INT. - TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
The room is pitch black.
Travis flips the light switch on but the lamp does not turn
on.
TRAVIS
Hello? Anyone in here?
SOMEONE is standing in the corner of the room, concealed by
the shadows.
TRAVIS
Who the hell are you?
The figure turns and reveals himself.
He is TRAVIS, too.
TRAVIS
(in the shadows)
You did this, Travis. You screwed
everything up. She had to die and
you obliged.
The Travis hidden by the shadows laughs and disappears.
Travis looks around the kitchen, perplexed until he sees that
across the kitchen, in the middle of the floor, is a BODY.
Travis slowly walks towards the body.
There is one gunshot wound to the head. Blood seeps out and
spreads into a puddle across the floor.
Travis kneels over the body and turns it over. He recognizes
who the person is and recoils backwards in shock.
INT. - TRAVIS' HOUSE - BEDROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
An alarm clock begins to RING. Travis jolts out of sleep.
TRAVIS
Son of a bitch.
Travis takes his pillow and covers his ears with it. The
alarm keeps on going off.
He sighs and gets out of bed. He slams his hand on the snooze
button.
INT. - TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Travis walks over to a table. He reaches under it and grabs
his backpack. He slings it on his back and grabs his car
keys, cell phone, and wallet. He pauses for a moment and
yawns.
He leaves the house.
EXT. - TRAVIS' HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Travis walks to the front of the driveway. He picks up a
newspaper.
Without even looking at it, he tosses it from the driveway on
to the front steps of the house.
He gets into his car. He drives off, heading to school.
EXT. - PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY MORNING
Travis drives past the front of private high school. He
drives through the parking lot and exits school property.
EXT. - STREETS - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
Travis parks his car and turns his engine off.
He gets out, grabs his backpack out of the back seat, and
begins to walk to school.
On the way, he is interrupted by Nick
NICK
Hey Travis!
Travis keeps on walking and ignores him. He tries to catch
up.
NICK
You don't call. You don't write.
It's like you don't know me
anymore.
Travis stops and turns around. He glares at Nick.
NICK
But I do know that you need what I
have.
Travis shakes his head.
TRAVIS
What the hell do you want, Nick?
NICK
I don't know. Peace on Earth? A
million bucks?
TRAVIS
Don't fucking get sarcastic with
me.
NICK
Chill man. Here, I got something
that I think you'll like.
Nick reaches into his pocket and pulls out a large bag.
Travis crosses his arms and shakes his head in disapproval.
TRAVIS
Get that shit away from me.
Nick extends the bag to within Travis' reach. Travis bats it
away.
NICK
Come on. It's on sale cheap today,
just for my main man.
Travis thinks it over. After a moment, he grabs the bag.
NICK
I always knew that I could count on
you to make the right decision.
Travis throws the bag down the street.
NICK
What the fuck?
TRAVIS
Go fuck yourself.
NICK
What the hell is your problem?
TRAVIS
I just fucking recovered from what
happened. Don't start this with me.
I don't need your shit anymore. It
was hard enough recovering the
first time.
Travis points in the direction that he threw the bag.
TRAVIS
Now, get the fuck out of my sight.
Nick walks away from Travis to grab his bag. After Nick is
far enough away, he turns around.
NICK
(O.C)
Fuck you!
TRAVIS
You come near me again and I'll
fuck you up, you waste of life!
Travis shakes his head and walks away.
INT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAYS - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Travis walks down the hallway. Many uniformed students pack
the cramped and crowed hallways.
Many students walk past Travis and greet him. Travis nods his
head in reply.
Travis walks over to his locker and opens it.
There are stickers all over the sides of the locker
advertising such political campaigns as John Kerry for
President and bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Green Day.
Ryan walks behind Travis.
RYAN
What's up, Travis?
Travis turns around.
RYAN
What's going on this weekend?
TRAVIS
I have no clue, bro. I'll think
of something we can do.
They stand there for a moment in silence.
RYAN
Anything tonight?
TRAVIS
Yeah. We'll do something.
RYAN
Sounds great.
TRAVIS
I'll catch you at the end of
the day.
RYAN
Alright, great. I'll see you
later.
Ryan turns around and leaves.
Travis grabs his books out of his locker and shoves them into
his backpack. He turns around and starts to head to class.
As Travis walks the halls, a fight breaks out between two
sixteen year old FIGHTERS.
Punches are thrown.
STUDENTS, fifteen to eighteen, are beginning to crowd around
the two fighting students.
STUDENTS
Fight! Fight! Fight!
RYAN
(O.C)
Kick his fucking ass!
A TEACHER spots the fight. He runs over to break it up.
Travis walks by the fight without even reacting.
Dan catches up to Travis in the hallway.
DAN
Morning, Travis.
TRAVIS
Hey, how's it going? I didn't see
you this morning at your house. I
thought you needed a ride?
DAN
Nope. Got it done.
DAN
Doing anything tonight?
TRAVIS
Yeah, I was thinking of having
Some people over. Want to come?
DAN
I'm going to my shore house.
TRAVIS
That's too bad.
DAN
Now's the perfect time to go,
too. It's always empty because
it's so early in the season.
TRAVIS
Yeah. You know, if you're ever
in Wildwood, stop by. We can chill
or something.
DAN
Sounds like a plan.
TRAVIS
I got to get to class. I'll talk
to you later.
They part ways.
INT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - ROOM 232 - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Bored SENIOR ENGLISH STUDENTS, seventeen to eighteen years
old, apathetically listen to the lesson that their ENGLISH
TEACHER is currently giving.
Some students yawn, others sleep, and still others doodle.
Travis taps his fingers on his desk. He stares at the clock
for a moment, desperately wanting to get out of school for
good.
It is 2:41.
He coughs and closes his eyes for a moment.
He mouths, "Fuck" and shakes his head in an attempt to stay
awake.
The teacher writes "Macbeth" on the board.
Travis glances at the clock one last time.
It's finally 2:42. The end of the school day. And to the
seniors, the end of the school year.
The public address system turns on. The fifty year old DEAN
OF MEN begins to speak.
DEAN OF MEN
(FILTERED)
One final announcement for this
school day. On behalf of the entire
administration, we'd like to wish
the Seniors a restful and enjoyable
break. We will see you at
graduation.
Travis smiles.
A bell rings over the PA. The bored students are lifeless no
more -- they are now invigorated and excited.
INT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Travis walks through the hallways of the school for the final
time.
Seniors are saying goodbye to their fellow classmates.
He blows past everyone -- he just wants to get the hell out
of the school.
Ryan sees Travis from his locker and follows him.
EXT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - FRONT ENTERANCE - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - AFTERNOON
Travis bursts out of the front door of the school. He throws
his arms up in victory. School is done.
EXT. STREET - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
Travis walks over to his car. He unlocks his car doors via a
keyless entry device.
He opens the back door and throws his backpack into the car.
Ryan walks over towards his car, a "riced out" Honda Civic.
Ryan walks across the street.
Travis sees him and waves.
TRAVIS
You want to come over tonight? My
parents are out of town.
RYAN
Uh, sure, I guess.
Ryan gets into this car. He turns it on and rolls down the
window.
TRAVIS
Come over around ten tonight. Don't
forget to bring the drinks.
RYAN
Don't worry, bro. I never do.
Ryan smiles.
RYAN
I'll see you at ten.
Ryan drives away rather recklessly. He swerves around
corners. He narrowly avoids a student who is walking down the
street.
He almost hits a car pulling out of a parking spot.
Travis laughs and shakes his head. He walks back to his car.
He gets in and drives away.
EXT. PROSPECT AVE. - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
Travis drives home from school.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. TRAVIS' CAR - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
Travis appears completely different than before.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
It's tough keeping all this under
control.
He is no longer happy and excited; instead he appears
preoccupied and upset.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Lately, I've been living this lie.
Everyone still thinks that I
have this great social life. Party
until morning and not give a fuck
about anything.
Travis turns his blinker on and makes a left hand turn.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
But that's not me anymore. I'm a
changed man, I swear. I wouldn't
even consider it after what
happened to me.
EXT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Travis pulls up to his house.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I keep on getting this one dream
that I can't shake. I'm in a
kitchen and there's this body in
the middle of the floor. I don't
recognize who it is until I walk up
to her.
He turns off the ignition and gets out of the car. He takes
his backpack out of the back seat.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I can only hope that I can figure
this out soon.
He looks next door.
Dan is getting out of his car. He waves, but Travis ignores
him.
Travis walks up to the front steps and takes out his keys. He
unlocks the front door and walks in.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Why do I have this feeling like
it's only the beginning?
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
He drops off his backpack. He walks over to the staircase.
Travis appears sick to his stomach.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - BATHROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Travis walks over to the sink. He blankly stares at himself
in the mirror for a moment.
He turns on the faucet and fills up a glass with water.
He opens up a cabinet and takes out a container of pills. It
is a bottle of Zoloft, an antidepressant.
He opens up the container and takes out two pills. He puts
them in his mouth and quickly takes a gulp of water.
He stares at himself again in the mirror. He's himself again;
animated and happy. He smiles at his reflection. He closes
the pill container and returns the bottle to the cabinet.
He turns off the faucet and returns the glass to its original
place. He closes the cabinet.
He leaves the bathroom.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Travis enters the kitchen.
He glances over at the phone. The answering machine has two
messages on it.
He ignores them.
Travis walks over to the fridge.
On a dry erase message board hanging on the fridge is the
line, "Where is Donnie?" Travis laughs quietly at the
message.
He wipes the message off the board.
He opens the fridge. He pulls out a Coke and leaves the
kitchen.
EXT. ROUTE 10 - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - LATE NIGHT
Ryan's Civic drives down a small four lane highway. He drives
extremely recklessly, swerving in and out of lanes.
Luckily, there is no one else on the road because it is late
at night.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. RYAN'S CIVIC - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - LATE NIGHT
Ryan reaches down and pulls out a lighter. He flicks it.
It illuminates his face -- a cigarette sticks out of his
mouth.
He lights the cigarette.
He beats his hands on the steering wheel, however his radio
is not on.
The traffic light in the next intersection is red.
Zoom! Ryan blows straight through it. He turns back to look
at the intersection and laughs.
Ryan's cigarette is extinguished.
RYAN
Fuck!
He sighs and reaches into his pocket to pull out his lighter
again. The lighter hits the ground in a large THUD.
RYAN
Jesus-fucking-Christ.
Ryan reaches down, straining to locate the lost lighter. He
smiles and picks it up. He flicks the lighter and re-lights
his cigarette.
Ryan look back at the road. He heads straight for the
concrete median.
CUT TO:
A BLACK SCREEN
SCREECH! The sound of screeching tires. CRASH! Metal CRUNCHES
as the car crashes.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Travis wakes up in a cold sweat. He looks around the room,
dazed and confused.
He realizes that he just had a really bad dream.
He breathes a sigh of relief and brushes the sweat off his
forehead.
EXT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Ryan walks up to the house. He rings the doorbell.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
The doorbell rings. Travis jumps up. The bell rings again.
TRAVIS
I'm coming, I'm coming!
He walks over to the front door and opens it.
Ryan stands there, holding two cases of beer.
RYAN
Let's get this started.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Travis and Ryan sit alone in a dark room.
They have been playing Texas Hold 'em for a while -- Travis
has a large stack of chips compared to Ryan.
Travis shuffles a deck of cards and throws two chips in.
RYAN
Nice to have you back.
Ryan throws in one chip as Travis stops shuffling and looks
up.
TRAVIS
It's good to be back.
Travis deals two cards to himself.
Ryan takes a drink of his beer and a puff from his cigarette.
TRAVIS
Do you have to smoke in here? My
parents are going to be all fucking
over me if they find ash in the
carpet.
Ryan rolls his eyes. He puts the cigarette out in an empty
beer bottle.
Travis deals two cards to Ryan.
Ryan takes a drink from his beer as he glances quickly at his
cards.
He puts on his sunglasses and stares at Travis.
Travis stares at his cards for a moment.
When he looks up, he sees that Ryan is just staring at him.
TRAVIS
What?
Ryan shakes his head.
RYAN
What the hell happened to you, man?
TRAVIS
What are you talking about?
Travis discards a card and deals the flop. It's a two of
diamonds, a three of spades, and a five of hearts.
Ryan glances at his cards again before continuing.
RYAN
You were so different when we were
younger. I used to think that you
were the coolest son of a bitch I
ever met.
Travis discards another card and deals the turn card. It's a
nine of hearts. He sighs.
RYAN
But now, I don't even know you.
Travis shrugs.
TRAVIS
I don't know what the hell you're
talking about.
Travis deals the river. It's the king of spades.
RYAN
You've changed a lot. Not in a good
way.
Travis scoffs.
TRAVIS
Whatever. Show your cards.
Travis has pocket aces, Ryan has a pair of threes.
RYAN
You suck as a dealer, too.
Travis laughs and takes the rest of Ryan's chips.
TRAVIS
I need the money.
RYAN
Bastard.
Ryan takes another drink. He is somewhat intoxicated.
TRAVIS
You're drunk.
RYAN
So fucking what?
TRAVIS
You alright?
RYAN
You're not my goddamn parents. What
time is it?
Travis looks at a clock
TRAVIS
After midnight.
RYAN
Shit, I got to get home.
Ryan stands up and goes over to the coffee table. He picks up
his keys.
Travis yawns.
TRAVIS
You going to be alright?
RYAN
You already asked me. I'm fucking
fine.
Ryan begins to walk towards the door.
TRAVIS
You sure?
RYAN
(to himself) This is what I mean.
(to Travis) Are you retarded? What
did I just say?
Travis smirks.
TRAVIS
I'm just looking out for my boy.
Ryan shakes his head.
RYAN
Whatever.
TRAVIS
See you later.
Ryan begins to walk out the door but stops and turns around.
RYAN
I'll be fine.
He turns back around and walks into the door.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - TRAVIS' BEDROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Travis lies in bed, on his back, asleep. He opens his eyes.
He lays there for a moment and doesn't move for a few
seconds. He seems really tired.
Suddenly, he jolts up and sits up in bed. He stands up and
leaves the room.
INT. TRAVIS HOUSE - BATHROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
Travis walks into the bathroom. He stares again blankly into
the mirror.
He opens up a cabinet and takes out a container of pills. He
takes two of them.
He stares at himself again in the mirror. He closes the pill
container and puts it back.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
Travis enters the room and walks over to the fridge.
Travis walks to the fridge and takes out a carton of milk. He
takes a drink.
Travis walks over to the kitchen table. He glances at one of
the newspapers.
He quickly skims the front page article.
EXT. ROUTE 10 - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - LATE NIGHT
Ryan's Civic crashes straight into the concrete median.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
Travis drops the newspaper.
The title of the newspaper article is, "LOCAL STUDENT DIES IN
HIGH SPEED ACCIDENT."
Ryan's picture, and the picture of the accident, are next to
the article title.
Travis stumbles over to a seat and sits down.
He buries his head into his hands.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Until April 29th, my life was fine.
Everything was, dare I say, easy.
No worries. Then this.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - DR. COLONA'S OFFICE - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - NIGHT
Travis sits in some sort of office.
At a desk across the room is Doctor Colona. He takes notes
while Travis talks.
TRAVIS
I fucking told him. I told him not
to drive home! He came to my house
to have a good time, not to get
killed.
Colona nods.
TRAVIS
It's my fault. I could have, no, I
should have stopped him. He could
still be alive. I could have saved
his life!
Colona looks up and puts his pen down.
COLONA
Why do you blame your-self? What
happened was tragic, yet completely
and totally unavoidable. You're
being rather melodramatic.
He adjusts his glasses and coughs.
COLONA
Listen, Travis. You did all that
you could do. He didn't listen.
There's no use blaming yourself
for something you have no control
over.
TRAVIS
Doctor Colona, I knew what was
going to happen. I could have
prevented this, but I did nothing.
COLONA
Hindsight is 20/20.
TRAVIS
You're not listening to me.
Travis looks away.
He glances at Colona's medical degrees from Columbia,
Harvard, and Stanford.
TRAVIS
Can I tell you something?
COLONA
That's what I'm here for.
TRAVIS
I had a dream before Ryan came
over. It seemed so real. I was
there. I was in that car. I saw it
happen.
COLONA
You saw?
TRAVIS
Ryan's accident.
Colona shifts uncomfortably in his chair.
There is a moment of awkward silence.
TRAVIS
I could have saved him.
Colona nods and begins to take notes again. He sighs, puts
the cap back on the pen, and closes his notebook.
Colona stands up and walks over to Travis. He puts his hand
on Travis' shoulder.
COLONA
You can't blame yourself for
something you have no control
over.
Colona walks across the room, back to his desk.
He pulls out a pad, scribbles a prescription on it, and rips
it out of a sheet. He hands the paper to Travis.
TRAVIS
What's this?
COLONA
I'm increasing your dosage a
few milligrams.
TRAVIS
Why?
COLONA
That's all the time we have for
today. Is your father here?
TRAVIS
He should be in the waiting room.
Travis stands up and leaves the room without acknowledging
Colona.
Colona follows him soon after.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - DR. COLONA'S WAITING ROOM - NORTHERN
NEW JERSEY - DAY
Two people sit in the waiting room at opposite ends.
JEFF, 47, rocks back and forth in his chair.
At the other end of the room is DAVE, 53, Travis'father. He
flips through a magazine, paying attention to the pictures as
opposed to the articles.
Both look up when Travis and Colona walk into the room.
Travis heads straight for the exit. He stops at the door and
turns around.
Colona looks at Jeff.
COLONA
(to Jeff)
You may come in now. I need to
speak with these people for just
a moment.
JEFF
About fucking time.
Jeff gets up and stares at Travis for a moment. Travis looks
away ashamed.
Jeff stops staring and walks into Colona's office.
As soon as the door closes, Dave gets up and walks over to
Travis.
DAVE
How is he, Doctor? Still crazy?
Dave punches Travis in the arm and laughs. Colona laughs,
too.
COLONA
He's doing okay. We're going to
increase his dosage a bit. It'll
help him cope with his friend's
death.
Colona looks over to Travis. Dave seems confused about
something.
Colona then looks back over to Dave.
COLONA
Before you go, Dave, there's one
last thing I'd like to talk to
you about. (to Travis) Can you
excuse yourself for a moment?
Travis shrugs.
TRAVIS
I guess so.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Travis exits to the hallway. He leaves the door open a crack
so he can hear what his father and Colona are saying back in
the waiting room.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - DR. COLONA'S WAITING ROOM - NORTHERN
NEW JERSEY - DAY
Dave and Colona stand across from each other. They talk about
Travis.
As soon as Colona is sure that Travis is out in the hallway,
he begins to speak.
COLONA
Two things. First, I don't want
Travis to go to his friend's wake
or funeral. This could trigger the
setback that we've been so afraid
of. This might ruin all these
months of work.
DAVE
I never met Ryan or his family.
I don't know where they met or
how Travis even knew him. I
haven't seen anything about his
death in the paper. When I ask
Travis to show me the paper from
the day of his death, he refuses
to give it to me. He says that he
lost it.
COLONA
Let him be. It's difficult to
understand the reasonings of a
disordered mind.
DAVE
Isn't that unhealthy?
COLONA
Let me put it this way: it's for
his own good that he doesn't go. I
was wondering, do you own a
vacation property or some shore
house of any kind?
DAVE
We weren't planning to go this
year.
COLONA
Travis needs to clear his mind.
He's going to go back into that
post-September 11th state. You
don't want that to happen, do
you? He's going to relapse. I
have a feeling. He might not be
able to recover from this one,
either. Do any of his friends
from school go to the same town for
their vacations?
DAVE
He knows this one girl from
Pennsylvania. We've known her
family for over fifteen years.
COLONA
That's great. Here's the
bottom line. I want your family
to go on a trip. Enjoy
a quick vacation before Travis
graduates in June. Let this break
take his mind off of everything
that's happened recently.
DAVE
William. You know I can't do that.
COLONA
Why not?
DAVE
If I do this, I'm going to have
to take off work for a while.
I can't just walk away from my job!
I'm in the middle of a very
important..
COLONA
(interrupting)
It's the best for Travis. Don't you
want the best for him?
DAVE
Of course I do!
COLONA
Then you'll do this. It will save
his life.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Travis leans on one of the walls next to an elevator. Dave
and Colona are still arguing about the trip the next room
over.
Travis seems frustrated about the argument. He wants to go
home.
Travis pulls out his cell phone. He begins to type in a
message.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Are you at the shore?
Travis stands there a minute. His phone beeps.
JESSICA
(O.S)
Yeah. Why?
Travis types in another message.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I think I'm coming down in a few
days.
Dave bursts out of Colona's office. He is unbelievably mad.
Travis turns off his phone and puts it back into his pocket.
He presses the elevator button.
Travis and Dave exchange glances but that's all. After a few
seconds, the elevator doors open. They both enter.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - ELEVATOR - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Travis and Dave stand at opposite ends of an elevator. They
ignore each other.
Suddenly, Dave turns and looks straight at Travis.
DAVE
Travis, the doctor believes that
it would be to your best interest
to avoid Ryan's wake. That your
attendance there would be
detrimental. So, we're going on a
trip to the shore tomorrow. It'll
get your mind off the whole
situation.
Travis is about to reply, but as soon as Dave finishes the
elevator doors open.
INT. OFFICE COMPLEX - LOBBY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Travis and Dave leave the elevator and walk into the lobby.
TRAVIS
Alright, I guess. I understand that
you listen to Colona's advice with-
out even hearing my feelings.
I mean, that is why you spend 150
dollars an hour, right? For his
"expert" opinion?
DAVE
Don't fucking get sarcastic with
me.
Two ELDERLY PEOPLE walk by them and hear the conversation.
They stop and stare at Dave.
Dave realizes that he is out of line. He shakes his head and
stops walking.
DAVE
Travis, I'm sorry.
The two elderly people shake their heads and walk away.
Travis ignores his father and walks through the lobby exit.
Dave sighs and follows him.
EXT. OFFICE COMPLEX - PARKING LOT - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Travis leans on his father's brand new BMW.
We see a rabbit being chased by a large black cat. They run
around for a few moments.
The cat pounces and begins to maul the rabbit.
Travis sees what's going on and springs to action.
He runs over to scare the cat away.
The cat looks away from its prey, looks at Travis, and runs
away. The rabbit doesn't move. Travis stands over it.
Travis, who believes it to be dead, walks back to the car.
The rabbit hops back to life behind him. It sprints off the
field and into the middle of an adjacent street.
It is almost home free... but a truck hits it.
Dave sits inside the car. Travis gets in.
INT. DAVE'S BMW - ROUTE 287 - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Travis sits in the passenger's seat, eyes closed.
Travis reaches over and turns on the radio. Steve Sommers
from WFAN 660 AM talks about the New York Mets.
DAVE
Turn off the radio, I want to
talk to you.
TRAVIS
Why? All I want to do is listen
to this. Leave me alone.
DAVE
I wish you would lay off me.
TRAVIS
What the hell are you talking
about?
DAVE
You're so goddamn difficult
sometimes. I just don't understand
you.
Travis shakes his head in disbelief.
TRAVIS
You hired that douche bag Colona
in order to understand your crazy
fucking son.
DAVE
You're not crazy. You're troubled.
We didn't hire that "douche bag" to
better understand you, we hired him
to help you. I thought that you
needed someone to talk to.
Travis shakes his head.
TRAVIS
Whatever.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
Sitting at the kitchen table is Dave. He's reading the Wall
Street Journal. Travis enters.
Neither make eyes contact.
Travis walks to the fridge and takes out a slice of cold
pizza.
Travis takes a bite and sits down at the kitchen table across
from his father.
TRAVIS
Where's Mom?
DAVE
Upstairs packing. Did you take your
medicine this morning?
TRAVIS
Yeah.
DAVE
Don't you feel so much better than
yesterday?
TRAVIS
I guess so.
DAVE
That's good to hear. Now, get
ready. We're leaving at one.
Tell Mom what you want brought
down.
TRAVIS
I don't care. Surprise me.
Travis leaves the kitchen. Dave spots Travis' pizza lying on
the table.
He picks up Travis' half eaten pizza and begins to eat it. He
resumes his paper reading.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Travis enters the room. He's cheerful.
Suddenly, he completely changes. He now appears angry. He
opens up his right hand; in it are two of his pills.
He opens up the front door and tosses the pills out the door.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - STAIRWELL - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
CASSIE, 52, Travis' mother, stands in the stairwell. She
watches, in silence, as Travis throws the pills away.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Travis turns around, away from the door and smiles
nefariously.
TRAVIS
Fuck the dreams. I'm taking this
into my own hands.
He walks back to the living room and sits down on the couch.
EXT. GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
We see Dave's BMW traveling to Wildwood on the Garden State
Parkway.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. DAVE'S BMW - GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
- AFTERNOON
Travis' family rides together in the car. In the front seats
are Dave and Cassie.
Sitting in the back seat, squished between a cooler and the
side door, is Travis.
Travis is listening to his iPod, completely oblivious to the
conversation his parents are having. He closes his eyes.
CASSIE
I caught him tossing pills.
DAVE
Did you say anything to him?
CASSIE
No. I didn't want him to know. He's
hiding something from us, David. I
just know it. Something is going on
in that mind of his that we don't
know. It's not good. The only thing that can save him, he's ignoring.
Dave and Cassie drive in silence for a few moments.
A black pickup cuts them off.
DAVE
What the fuck?
The pickup sideswipes the front of Dave's BMW. It careens out
of control.
Dave attempts stop the car, but fails.
Travis' door sheers off. Since he is not wearing a seat belt,
he is ejected from the car.
INT. DAVE'S BMW - GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
AFTERNOON
Travis wakes up, shocked. His rips the iPod earbuds out of
his ears. Dave and Cassie are talking.
CASSIE
I caught him tossing pills.
DAVE
Did you say anything to him?
Travis realizes what is going to happen.
TRAVIS
Stop!
Cassie turns around.
CASSIE
What's the matter, Travis?
TRAVIS
Dad, pull over. I have to take a
piss.
DAVE
Are you kidding me? You're going to
make us late! We're already behind
schedule.
TRAVIS
What the hell do you want me
to do? Piss all over the fucking
backseat?
Dave sighs and drives on the shoulder.
DAVE
Get out. Go.
Travis opens the door and gets out.
EXT. FOREST - GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Travis walks over to a tree. He turns around and watches a
black pickup blow through traffic.
He breathes a sigh of relief and walks back to the car.
INT. DAVE'S BMW - GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
AFTERNOON
Travis gets in and puts on his seat belt. Dave pulls back
onto the road. After a few moments of driving, traffic stops.
Dave slams the horn.
DAVE
What the fuck is this now?
TRAVIS
Turn on the radio. You'll find out
what happened.
Dave turns on the radio. The "Golden Oldies" are playing.
DAVE
This trip is a waste of time.
The traffic report comes on.
OLDIES ANNOUNCER
...and now, with your Jersey Jam
Cam is Matt Brooks!
BROOKS
Hey everyone! I would definitely
avoid the Garden State Parkway.
There's been a fatal accident. The
police are currently investigating.
Folks, this won't be cleared for a
while. Please consider alternate
routes.
Travis closes his eyes. He knows that he has just saved his
own life.
Dave slams his fist on the steering wheel.
EXT. GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
They soon pull up to the accident.
The pickup is completely totaled. Three bodies are covered by
tarps.
EXT. GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - WILDWOOD, NJ - AFTERNOON
The BMW travels to Wildwood. After a few minutes of driving,
the car gets off at Exit 4B: Wildwood.
EXT. RIO GRANDE AVE - WILDWOOD, NJ - LATE AFTERNOON
The BMW turns away from the off ramp and goes onto Rio
Grande.
MONTAGE: The landmarks of Wildwood: the ferris wheel, the
wetlands, the Wharf, the Dockside, etc. A "Welcome to the
Wildwoods" sign.
EXT. SUMMER HOUSE - MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - LATE
AFTERNOON
The BMW pulls in front of Travis' summer house at 3 Miami
Ave. The second the car parks, Travis exits the car.
He stretches and yawns.
TRAVIS
We're here!
Dave turns off the car and he and Cassie get out.
DAVE
This place hasn't changed in
seventeen years.
Travis nods. He appears nervously excited.
Dave opens the trunk and then walks over to the front door.
Travis grabs his bag.
Dave opens the house up.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
AFTERNOON
Travis drops his bag on his bed. He begins to unpack.
After a a minute of unpacking, he pulls out his cell phone.
He begins to type a message.
TRAVIS
I just got down. Want to go do
something?
JESSICA
(O.S)
Work, be back at 11!
Travis paces back and forth for a few moments. He leaves the
room.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - HALLWAY - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - AFTERNOON
Travis walks down the hallway to the bathroom.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - BATHROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - AFTERNOON
He walks into the bathroom and turns on the light.
Travis grabs a glass and fills it with water.
He opens the medicine cabinet and pulls out two pills. He
takes them quickly. He turns off the water and puts the glass
back.
He turns off the light and leaves the room.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ
AFTERNOON
Travis enters the room.
He walks over to his bed and lays down on it. He picks up the
remote control and turns on his TV.
VH1's "I Love the 90's" is on.
TRAVIS
It's amazing how people are so
trapped in their past.
He picks up his cell phone.
He types another message.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I'll see you at 11, I guess.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis watches television. He glances at his watch and yawns.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
JESSICA walks down the street. She walks towards Travis'
house. She rings the door bell.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
The door bell rings. Travis jumps up and opens the door.
TRAVIS
Oh, hi Jessica!
Jessica walks in.
She closes the door behind her and hugs Travis.
JESSICA
I was wondering when you were going
to come down.
TRAVIS
Just got down today.
JESSICA
You're down a little early.
TRAVIS
Something happened. They wanted
me to take some time off.
JESSICA
What happened?
TRAVIS
I'd rather not talk about it.
JESSICA
Oh. Okay.
They just stand there for a moment kind of awkwardly. Travis
points to a chair.
TRAVIS
Here, sit down, relax.
JESSICA
Actually, I was wondering if you'd
come over to my place.
Travis shrugs.
TRAVIS
Okay.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis locks up his house. He turns around and walks over to
Jessica, who is standing in his driveway.
They walk slowly towards her house.
JESSICA
So, what did you do this year?
Anything good?
TRAVIS
Nah. Nothing much. I'm kind of
boring, you know?
Jessica laughs.
JESSICA
At least I know that my life isn't
the most boring in the world.
It's apparent that Travis doesn't appreciate that comment.
JESSICA
I meant that in a nice way.
INT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ
NIGHT
Sitting on opposite couches are Travis and Jessica. They are
watching the movie Butterfly Effect on TV.
Travis takes a drink from a beer. He is hooked on the movie.
TRAVIS
(to Jessica)
You know, I used to think that
Aston Kutcher was so miscast. He's
not that bad!
Travis takes another drink.
TRAVIS
It's hard to believe that this is
the same guy from Punk'd.
The sequence on the screen is the Healing Scars scene. The
little kid calls the father a "fuck bag"
TRAVIS
Dude, you're getting punk'd!
He looks over to Jessica. He hasn't reacted to anything that
Travis has said.
She is laying down.
TRAVIS
(to Jessica)
You alright?
He stands up and looks over. Jessica is asleep.
Travis stands there for a moment, awkwardly. He thinks about
what to do. He does not want to make the wrong move.
He goes over to the television and turns it off. He walks
over to the lamp and turns it off.
TRAVIS
Good night.
He leaves the house as quietly as possible so he doesn't
disturb Jessica.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis is walking home. He turns around and looks back at the
house.
TRAVIS
(to himself)
I hope I did the right thing.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis hops into bed. He takes out his cell phone and types
in a message.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I didn't think I was that boring!
Just kidding, have a nice night.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
EXT. SUMMER HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Cassie and Dave are in the BMW together, the car packed.
Travis walks over to the car.
TRAVIS
Why are you leaving?
CASSIE
Doctor's orders.
TRAVIS
It doesn't make any sense.
CASSIE
(changing the subject)
You have all the emergency numbers,
right?
TRAVIS
Yeah. You don't need to worry about
me.
Cassie smiles.
CASSIE
I always worry about you, Travis.
Travis looks away. Dave looks over to Travis.
DAVE
No wild parties while we're gone,
Travis.
TRAVIS
That won't be a problem. See you
in a week.
He walks away from the car. Cassie rolls up the window and
they pull away.
Travis watches the car drive away. As soon as it's out of
sight, he walks back towards the house.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
MORNING
Travis sits down on the sofa and covers his eyes with his
hands. He falls asleep.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM CLOSET - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - YEARS AGO - AFTERNOON
YOUNG RYAN and YOUNG TRAVIS, both seven, are playing hide and
seek. Travis stumbles into the closet.
YOUNG RYAN
(O.S)
Ready or not, here I come!
Travis feels a shoe box with his feet. He picks it up and
opens it. The closet door swings open.
YOUNG RYAN
Got you!
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
MORNING
Travis wakes up from his dream.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis gets ready to see Jessica. He puts on a nice golf
shirt and pants.
He looks at himself in the mirror and starts to play with his
hair.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis strolls down the street. He eventually reaches
Jessica's house.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
NIGHT
Travis walks up to the front door. He knocks on the door a
few times.
He stands there for a few moments. The door opens and Travis
turns around.
In the doorway is MARK CAMERON, 46, Jessica's father. They
exchange pleasantries.
MARK
Oh, hello, Travis! How have you
been?
TRAVIS
I've been good, Mr. Cameron. I was
wondering, is Jessica back from
work?
MARK
You just missed her, Trav. She just
went to bed. She's been working
real hard lately. I'll tell her
that you came by.
TRAVIS
Oh. Okay. I'll talk to her
tomorrow, I guess. Have a nice
night.
Travis turns away dejected.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis walks home. He appears upset.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - THE
NEXT NIGHT
Travis stands by the door. Mark opens the door.
Mark shakes his head no.
Travis turns around and walks away.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - THE
NIGHT AFTER THAT
Travis knocks on the door. No one answers the door.
Travis turns away, dejected.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis walks home one final time.
TRAVIS
(to himself)
Why the hell am I trying so hard?
It doesn't matter, anyway. Fuck
her.
Travis walks in front of his house.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis lays on his bed. He stares out of the window, after
another night of rejection.
Except for the light from the street light outside, the room
is completely dark.
There is still some traffic outside.
An AIR RAID SIREN begins to sound.
Intrigued, Travis picks up the remote control and turns on
the television.
REPORTER
(O.S)
...nuclear meltdown at Oyster Creek
Nuclear Power Plant in Southern New
Jersey.
Travis gets up and looks out the window. A large, sepia
colored mist forms in the distance.
Travis looks back toward the television.
REPORTER
(O.S, CONT'D)
A cloud of radioactive material is
heading straight for..
The reporter is cut off.
INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT
The mist moves towards the reporter, blocking the camera's
view of him. He begins to scream in an unworldly voice.
The mist passes by. The reporter sits in his chair, his skin
removed. The skeleton stares at the screen.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
The television screen cuts to a test pattern. A long drawn
out BEEP is the only sound heard.
It blends with the AIR RAID SIREN.
Travis runs over to the window. The mist has overtaken the
street. He looks down and sees a PERSON run out of the mist,
severely disfigured.
EXT. ATLANTIC AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
A car crashes. A DRIVER runs out of the car, screaming, his
upper chest removed. Through a tattered shirt, the man's ribs
and beating heart can be seen.
Another PERSON attempts to run away from the mist. She trips.
The mist quickly engulfs her. She screams.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis slams the windows shut in a panic. He takes the sheets
off his bed and tries to plug the door shut.
He dials 911.
OPERATOR
(O.S, filtered)
All lines are currently busy.
Please try again later.
Travis looks over to the window. The gas enters his room.
Travis is trapped.
He backs up against a wall. The mist touches him. He screams
in pain.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
- TRAVIS' P.O.V.
The gas is gone.
Travis stumbles over to a mirror.
The right side of his face has melted off. His left arm is
nothing but bone.
Half of Travis' shirt is missing; on that side, there is nothing but rib cage and bone.
Some skin and muscle still sit on sections of bone.
Travis screams in agony.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis lays on his bed.
Travis' phone begins to ring.
He jumps awake and answers the call.
TRAVIS
Hello?
DAN
(O.S, filtered)
Hey, it's Dan. I'm in Cape May
right now. I got nothing to do.
I need to ditch this boredom.
TRAVIS
And I need the company. Sure,
come on over.
EXT. SUMMER HOUSE - BACKYARD PATIO - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
NIGHT
Dan and Travis are sitting on a backyard patio, behind
Travis' Summer House.
They're drinking a few beers. They've both had a few. Travis
sighs.
DAN
"The key to a good time is
alcohol, friends, and being
able to tell the difference
between the two."
Travis laughs quietly. He takes a sip from his drink.
TRAVIS
I wish I knew.
DAN
You do know, man. We wouldn't be
doing this if you didn't.
TRAVIS
I'm not talking about this. Dan,
I've known her for fifteen years.
That's almost a lifetime. I thought
we were good friends.
DAN
Things change. Times change. People
change. Hell, we change.
TRAVIS
It's not just that. There's
something else going on. I just
have this feeling that I did
something wrong, yet I know I
didn't.
DAN
Maybe she's just looking for
attention.
TRAVIS
Or she's just trying to torture me.
Travis takes another drink.
DAN
C'est la vie. This is how life
goes. You can't kill yourself every
time something goes wrong. You
really like her, right?
TRAVIS
Yeah.
DAN
Then tell her!
Dan pauses for a moment, carefully trying to select the right
words to use.
DAN
Tell her that you are attracted to
her. Remind her how great your
relationship has been over these
past fifteen years.
TRAVIS
What are you, my matchmaker?
DAN
Trying to get her to remember you
again.
Travis frowns.
TRAVIS
And if she doesn't want to
remember?
Dan shrugs.
DAN
Then fuck her. It can't get any
worse than it is right now.
Dan takes a sip from his beer.
DAN
You have a choice here. Take the
risk or don't. It's up to you. If I
were you, though, I'd take the
risk. It'll be worth it.
Travis nods.
TRAVIS
I hope so.
Travis finishes his drink.
DAN
You're not the only one that has
gone through this, you know.
Dan looks at Travis for a moment.
DAN
You're not alone.
TRAVIS
Oh?
DAN
I know from experience.
Travis laughs.
TRAVIS
I'm sure you do.
DAN
Let me explain. A girl I knew did
the exact same thing to me. I did
what I told you to do.
TRAVIS
And what happened?
DAN
I got a beer soaked shirt and a
slap across the face.
Dan finishes his drink.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis stands at the door. Outside, Dan's car pulls out of
the driveway.
He begins to wave. Dan honks his horn. As soon as he leaves
Travis' sight, Travis closes and locks the door.
He walks upstairs.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST - MORNING
Travis lays on his bed. He stares at the ceiling. He pulls
out his cell phone and just sits there.
He types in a message.
The message is, "I can take a hint. I'll leave you alone
now."
He reads over it and sighs.
Travis throws his phone across the room. It slams into the
wall in a THUD.
It breaks on impact.
Travis gets up and leaves the room.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - BATHROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis walks over to the medicine cabinet. He grabs his
entire bottle of pills and puts the container into his
pocket.
He quickly leaves the bathroom.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
We watch Travis walk down the street towards the beach.
He reaches the end of the street and takes the stairs down to
the beach.
EXT. BEACH - WATERFRONT - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis walks down the beach in a trance like state. When he
finally reaches the water, he pulls the pill container out of
his pocket.
He tosses it up and down in his hand.
He winds up and hurls the container towards the ocean. It
splashes into the water.
Travis smiles.
He turns around and walks back home.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis is walking home. He is laughing to himself, quietly
amused about what he has just done.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis passes Jessica's house. He stops in front of the house
and stares at it, perhaps to reflect on what happened between
them.
Suddenly, a fireball erupts from the house. Windows shatter.
Glass flies all over the place. Travis is thrown backwards.
A second explosion. Jessica's house is now completely
engulfed in flames. Travis is in disbelief.
He is stares at what is left of the building.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
MORNING
Travis jumps awake. He quickly realizes that it was just a
dream.
He gets up and walks over to the other side of the room. He
glances at his cell phone. He begins to read the message on
the screen.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I can take a hint. I'll leave
you alone now.
He realizes that the dream is going to come true.
TRAVIS
Christ!
He drops the phone and sprints out of the room.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis runs to Jessica's house to warn her.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis finally reaches Jessica's house. He runs up the steps
and begins to bang on the door.
A voice is heard from the inside of the house.
JESSICA
(O.C)
Alright, alright! I'm coming!
Give me a minute. This better
be fucking important.
Jessica opens up the door. She wears a hooded sweatshirt and
flannel pajama pants. She has just woken up.
JESSICA
What do you want?
TRAVIS
Listen. Don't say anything. You've
got to get out of the house.
Something is going to happen. I
can't explain it to you right now,
just get out!
JESSICA
What the hell are you talking
about?
She turns around and begins to shut the door. Travis grabs
the door. Jessica spins around.
JESSICA
What the fuck are you doing? Get
off me!
She pushes on Travis. He grabs her arm.
TRAVIS
Listen to me. You've got to get the
fuck out of here or else you're
going to die. You have to trust me,
goddamn it.
JESSICA
What the hell is this, some sort of
sick joke? I'm going to give you
ten seconds to get the hell away
from...
Travis reaches over and grabs her other arm. He begins to
drag Jessica out of the house and into the street.
She begins to scream, curse, kick at Travis, and flail
around. He pulls her behind a car.
JESSICA
Get off me!
Travis lets go of her.
TRAVIS
You're safe now.
JESSICA
You better have a good fucking
reason for this. This better not be
some sort of sick...
Her last word is cut off as an explosion rocks her house,
exactly the same way as in Travis' dream. The windows of the
car they are behind shatter. Glass rains down on them. A
second fireball completely destroys the house.
Jessica glares at Travis.
JESSICA
How? How the hell did you know?
She begins to walk towards the house.
JESSICA
How the hell did he know?
Travis begins to follow her. She turns around, crying.
JESSICA
You saved me.
She embraces Travis.
JESSICA
Thank you.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
EVENING
Travis and Jessica sit together on a sofa, watching
television. Her arm is around his shoulder.
INT. NEWS STUDIO - NEWS ROOM - PHILADELPHIA, PA - EVENING
The ANCHORMAN sits behind the news desk. It is the six
o'clock news.
ANCHORMAN
And our top story tonight... A
gas leak at a Wildwood house
could have ended in tragedy today,
but due to the heroic efforts of
one teenager, the disaster was
averted.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - EVENING
A REPORTER stands in front of what remains of Jessica's
house. There is not much left at all.
REPORTER
At around 11:20 this morning, a
gas leak at 13 Miami Ave caused
a massive explosion, effectively
destroying the home and setting
fire to two neighboring houses.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - EARLIER
The reporter interviews an elderly WITNESS.
WITNESS
There was just a huge fireball.
There's nothing left now. Look at
it. It's all gone.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - EVENING
The reporter is back. He stands in front of Jessica's house.
REPORTER
And due to the heroics of an
eighteen year old, the only
occupant of the house survived.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - EARLIER
The reporter interviews Jessica. Travis stands nervously next
to her.
JESSICA
My parents went back home but
I stayed. If it weren't for
Travis, I'd probably be dead.
I owe him everything.
She kisses Travis.
EXT. JESSICA'S HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - EVENING
The reporter wraps up his news story.
REPORTER
The explosion is still under
investigation. For KYW3 News at
this is Andy Kept.
INT. NEWS STUDIO - NEWS ROOM - PHILADELPHIA, PA - EVENING
The anchorman sits behind the news desk.
ANCHORMAN
And in other news...
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
EVENING
Travis and Jessica sit together, happy and content.
EXT. BOARDWALK - NORTH WILDWOOD, NJ - NIGHT
Travis and Jessica play a skill game at the boardwalk.
The nineteen year old GAME GUY hands Travis a basketball. He
shoots... and he scores!
He pumps his fist in victory.
GAME GUY
And we have a winner!
Jessica laughs.
GAME GUY
What thing do you want?
TRAVIS
I'll take the, uh, rabbit.
The Game Guy pulls a gigantic white rabbit off the wall. He
hands it to Travis.
Travis smiles and hands the rabbit to Jessica.
They leave the booth and begin to walk down the boardwalk,
holding hands. A tram car passes by.
TRAM CAR VOICE
Watch the tram car, please! Wa-Wa
Watch the tram car, please!
The boardwalk is an unbelievably noisy place. MUSIC and the
CONVERSATIONS of passers-by overpower Travis and Jessica's
attempts at conversation.
After a minute or so of walking, Jessica pulls Travis over to
a set of stairs that lead to the beach.
EXT. BEACH - NORTH WILDWOOD - NIGHT
Travis and Jessica walk down the beach.
JESSICA
It's so much nicer down here. No
people, no noise. Just us.
TRAVIS
Yeah.
JESSICA
Travis, can I ask you something?
TRAVIS
Sure.
JESSICA
How did you know about the house? I
mean, I was in the damn place and I
had no clue. It's just, well,
bothering
me.
TRAVIS
Are you willing to keep an open
mind? You going to trust me on
this?
JESSICA
Of course. I owe you everything.
TRAVIS
Alright.
Travis sighs.
TRAVIS
Here goes nothing. You're really
not going to believe this.
JESSICA
I don't care. I just want to know.
I want to know how. I want to know
why.
TRAVIS
I had a dream before I came over.
It was so real. I saw things that I
never wanted to see. It's a
blessing or a curse. I don't know
which.
JESSICA
What do you mean?
TRAVIS
I knew. I just knew that something
was going to happen. Call it a
hunch or a premonition or
something.
There is a long silence. Travis is looking at the moon while
Jessica is sitting next to him, staring a him in shock.
JESSICA
I owe you so much. Thank you.
The midnight fireworks begin to go off above them.
TRAVIS
I need to thank you too.
Jessica looks at him confused.
JESSICA
For?
TRAVIS
I'm free, Jessica. You freed me
from my personal hell. I feel like
a different person. I feel
liberated.
They look into each other's eyes.
TRAVIS
Here's to a new beginning.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Redemption for you, Ryan.
She smiles. They stand up and head back to the boardwalk,
holding hands.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
I finally did something right.
It is now pitch black. The moonlight has been blocked out by
the clouds.
EXT. STREET - NEAR BOARDWALK - NORTH WILDWOOD, NJ - LATE
NIGHT
Travis and Jessica walk across the street.
It begins to rain.
Jessica drops the rabbit in the middle of the street. She
doesn't realize it.
A car drives through the intersection.
Jessica turns around.
The car runs over the stuffed rabbit.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - LATE NIGHT
Jessica pulls up to Travis' house in her car, a mid 90's
Chrysler.
Travis and Jessica get out of the car. They run under an
awning.
TRAVIS
You want to stay here?
JESSICA
I kind of have to.
Travis laughs.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
Travis lays on his back in bed.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
- TRAVIS' P.O.V.
Travis looks to his right. He sees that Jessica is next to
him.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NIGHT
He smiles.
Travis is ecstatic.
He glances at the clock.
It is 3:17.
There is a sudden knock at the bedroom door. Travis gets out
of bed and opens the door.
Ryan stands there, bloodied and injured.
TRAVIS
What the fuck?
Ryan points at Travis.
RYAN
It's your fault Travis. You caused
this and now you have to fix it.
TRAVIS
What? What the hell did I do?
RYAN
What the hell were you thinking?
TRAVIS
What do you mean? What the fuck are
you doing here?
RYAN
You and Jessica are supposed to be
dead.
I'm here to set things straight.
Travis stumbles.
TRAVIS
This can't be happening.
RYAN
I'm going to explain something to
you. It's rather important; I'd
advice that you listen carefully.
Ryan walks into the room and sits behind Jessica. He begins
to pet her hair.
RYAN
Everyone has their time on Earth.
Each person has a distinct,
predetermined time here to do what
they want with their life. The
Greeks called this "fate." Who you
are, who you've been and who you
will be is all predestined. What
you do with that time is up to you.
Travis is confused.
TRAVIS
I don't understand.
Ryan shakes his head.
RYAN
Do I need to fucking put this in
black and white so you can
understand it? There's one problem
with this setup.
TRAVIS
What do you mean?
RYAN
Ten minutes after conception, a
human being is given, genetically,
everything. Height, weight, sex,
everything.
TRAVIS
What the hell do you mean,
everything?
RYAN
Everything. What you do with your
life. Everything. Everything is
predestined.
TRAVIS
So what does this have to do with
me?
RYAN
If someone screws this
predestination up, there's no
emergency protocol. No way to fix
the errors in mankind's decision
making process. This error can go
on and destroy other people's
predestination. We can detect the
flaw, but fixing it is the
responsibility of the guilty.
Travis sits down.
He doesn't yet fully comprehend the enormity of his past
actions.
RYAN
You created a chain reaction which
fate has no control over when you
saved Jessica. The illusion of free
will, something that we spent
millions of years trying to
perfect, is no longer an illusion.
Once this reaction reaches a
certain point, the universe ceases
to exist. Poof. Oblivion.
TRAVIS
So, what are you trying to tell me?
RYAN
You were supposed to die in that
car accident. Jessica was supposed
to die in that house explosion.
Travis looks away. He shakes his head, trying to wake up.
TRAVIS
No. I don't believe you.
RYAN
You know what to do.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
MORNING
Travis awakes in a cold sweat, alone in his bed. He gets out
of bed and walks out of the bedroom.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - HALLWAY - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis walks down the hallway.
He gets to the stairwell.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - STAIRS - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
Travis walks down the stairs.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
MORNING
Travis enters the living room. Jessica is on the sofa,
watching the television.
Travis stops in the middle of the room and stares at her. She
is oblivious to his presence in the room.
RYAN
(V.O)
You know what to do.
Travis leaves the room.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - KITCHEN - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - MORNING
A knife lays on the counter.
Travis walks over to it and picks it up. He glares at himself
through the reflection on the knife. He smiles dastardly.
He slowly shuffles out of the kitchen in a trance.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
MORNING
Travis shuffles closer and closer to Jessica. She is
oblivious to the fact that Travis is stalking her from
behind.
Travis takes the knife and raises it above his head,
preparing to jam it into her.
Suddenly, he grabs his head and begins to scream. He drops
the knife.
TRAVIS
Get out of my mind!
Jessica turns around and stares at Travis.
JESSICA
Are you okay?
TRAVIS
I can't go through with this!
JESSICA
What's wrong, Trav?
Travis falls to his knees. Ryan suddenly appears across the
room.
Time freezes in the background while Travis and Ryan argue.
RYAN
You have to do it! Do you want to
be the sole cause for the end of
the world?
TRAVIS
No! I won't do it! I can't do it!
Ryan begins to walk towards Travis. Ryan towers over Travis'
hunched body.
Suddenly, he breaks away.
RYAN
Don't worry, Travis. The choice
isn't yours to make.
Travis is surprised by this comment.
TRAVIS
What?
RYAN
You remember the rabbit, don't you?
You saved it from the car. But what
happened to it in the end?
TRAVIS
It died.
RYAN
That's right! It died! There's no
avoiding fate, Travis. It is
inevitable.
TRAVIS
I won't let it happen. I can't let
it happen!
RYAN
The choice has been made for you
already.
TRAVIS
I thought you said that fate
couldn't fix what I started.
RYAN
Who said that I couldn't fix what
you started?
Ryan disappears.
Time speeds back to real time.
JESSICA
What's wrong Travis? What happened?
TRAVIS
Nothing. Nothing happened.
Jessica appears unsure about what just transpired. Travis
sits down next to her.
TRAVIS
You know, I would give up the world
for you.
JESSICA
That's unbelievably cliche.
Travis laughs.
TRAVIS
I know, but its true.
He stands up.
TRAVIS
Come on. Lets go somewhere.
They both get up and leave the room.
The television is left on. The screen of the TV suddenly
turns blue. There is a message on the screen.
INSERT: Television screen. It reads: "A category five
hurricane has formed in the Caribbean. The path of the storm
will take it straight towards southern New Jersey. Due to the
extremely early formation of this system, no chances will be
taken. Winds are estimated at more than 147 Miles Per Hour."
Travis picks up the television remote control and turns off
the TV.
He leaves the house.
EXT. BEACH - CAPE MAY, NJ - NOON
Jessica and Travis fish off a dock. They're not catching
anything at all.
Travis' line suddenly pulls forward as if he's caught
something. He brings the line in
and he's caught nothing but
seaweed.
Jessica starts laughing at him.
Travis looks at the seaweed and begins to laugh, too.
He takes it off his line and throws the weed behind him on
top of a huge pile of seaweed that he has collected from only
a few hours of fishing.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
The days begin and they don't end
for weeks.
He sighs, completely content with his world right now. He
throws the line out again, but the pole slips out of his
hand, landing in the water.
He gets up and walks over to the water.
EXT. BEACH - WATER'S EDGE - CAPE MAY, NJ - NOON
Travis looks down. A form begins to materialize in the water.
EXT. BEACH - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NOON
Travis and Jessica are sitting together on the beach.
RYAN
(V.O)
Watch. Watch carefully.
Clouds begin to form over them as if a huge storm is coming.
Soon, the sun is completely blocked out and it is pitch
black.
Lightning crashes and the wind howls. A huge storm is
brewing.
Suddenly, a wave begins to form on the horizon. It doesn't
appear too large but after only a few moments, it is huge.
The wave approaches. It's getting closer and closer.
The sound of rushing water is overbearing.
The wave hits the coast in a thunderous roar. It wipes out
the beach.
RYAN
(V.O)
You like what you see?
INSERT: A satellite picture of New Jersey. It is almost
completely flooded.
EXT. ATLANTIC OCEAN - UNDER WATER - AFTERNOON
Travis drowns. He screams, but nothing comes out of his mouth
except for air bubbles.
RYAN
(V.O)
You want this to happen? Prevent
this. End this before it starts. Do
not let the world die!
EXT. BEACH - WATER'S EDGE - CAPE MAY, NJ - NOON
Travis stares at Ryan, who is standing on top of the water.
TRAVIS
"It would have died hereafter.
There would have been a time for
such a word. Tomorrow, and
tomorrow, and tomorrow. Creeps in
this petty pace from day to day,
to the last syllable of recorded
time. And all our yesterdays have
lighted fools the way to dusty
death."
RYAN
Macbeth. Well done. At least you
paid attention in class. But
remember this: you have only damned
yourself. You will not live.
TRAVIS
"Life's but a walking shadow, a
poor player that struts and frets
his hour upon the stage and then is
heard no more. It is a tale told by
an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing."
RYAN
This is your last chance. Love or
existence. What is your choice?
TRAVIS
(In Latin)
Love conquers all.
Travis turns around and walks back to Jessica.
EXT. DOCK - CAPE MAY, NJ - AFTERNOON
Travis walks over to Jessica.
JESSICA
Were you just talking to someone?
TRAVIS
No.
JESSICA
I heard you talking to someone. Who
was it?
TRAVIS
No one. Forget about it. Lets get
the hell out of here.
They walk away.
EXT. RIO GRANDE AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - AFTERNOON
The road that leads out of Wildwood is completely packed with
cars.
EXT. GARDEN STATE PARKWAY - OCEAN CITY, NJ - AFTERNOON
The northbound side of the Garden State Parkway is bumper to
bumper and is not moving.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - AFTERNOON
Jessica's car drives down the street. It pulls into the
driveway in front of Travis' house.
EXT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
AFTERNOON
The sky gets cloudier and cloudier, The entire area to seems
dark and surreal.
Jessica and Travis get out of the car.
Jessica looks up at the sky. She appears a little nervous.
JESSICA
This is kind of weird. There's
nobody here. I haven't seen anyone
since this morning.
TRAVIS
There's nothing wrong. There can't
be. We'd find out if there was.
JESSICA
It's just really odd.
The wind begins to pick up. A newspaper blows down the
street. Jessica and Travis enter the house.
EXT. WILDWOOD CREST - STREETS - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
AFTERNOON
The town is now almost completely dark. The storm is coming.
The streets are completely deserted.
EXT. BOARDWALK - NORTH WILDWOOD, NJ - AFTERNOON
The boardwalk is completely empty.
The booths are boarded up and closed for good.
EXT. BEACH - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - AFTERNOON
Waves beat against the coast. The wind howls.
EXT. ATLANTIC AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - AFTERNOON
The traffic lights are turned off on this completely deserted
street.
They blink endlessly yellow. Restaurants, hotels, and other
assorted storefronts are abandoned and boarded up.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
AFTERNOON
Travis is sitting on the couch, staring at the television.
WEATHERMAN
(V.O)
...the Wildwood area has been
evacuated as of 3 o'clock. All
surrounding roads have been closed.
The governor has issued a travel
ban for all of south Jersey until
the storm passes...
Jessica walks into the room.
JESSICA
What's going on?
WEATHERMAN
(V.O)
... making this one of the most
powerful storms in recorded
history.
JESSICA
Where's this?
TRAVIS
Florida or something.
Travis turns off the television. He puts down the remote
control on the floor.
Jessica walks over to the window.
EXT. STREET - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ AFTERNOON JESSICA'S POV
There is a deluge of rain.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ -
AFTERNOON
Jessica still looks out the window.
JESSICA
It's really coming down out there.
The room lights up due to a bolt of lightning. Thunder
follows a few moments later.
The thunder echos through the deserted streets.
Jessica walks over to Travis. She grabs the remote control.
JESSICA
Something isn't right.
Travis stares at the turned off television. Jessica sits down
next to him. The room lights up again via lightning.
The thunder sounds, but this time it follows the lightning
almost instantaneously.
Travis turns to Jessica.
TRAVIS
"This blow might be the be-all and
end-all here. But here, upon this
bank and shoal of time, we'd jump
the life to come."
Jessica turns on the television. She looks at Travis with a
perplexed look.
JESSICA
What are you talking about?
Travis points to the television.
TRAVIS
Listen.
Jessica looks at the television.
The power fails.
Jessica is confused.
JESSICA
Travis? What is this? What's
happening?
TRAVIS
We're going to die, Jessica. This
storm is going to kill us.
Jessica is emotionless.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
Fate's a bitch, isn't it? It's so
funny that one decision, one moment
out of an infinite, could fuck up
everything.
He laughs weakly.
TRAVIS
I need to tell you the truth about
me. I take medicine for "emotional
difficulties." After I started
taking them, I kept on getting
dreams that later came true.
JESSICA
You told me about your dream
already.
TRAVIS
I didn't tell you the consequences
of my actions. I didn't know until
now.
JESSICA
So, what are you trying to tell me?
TRAVIS
I ruined fate, Jessica. I fucked up
the only system in this world that
dictates our very existence.
Travis stands up.
TRAVIS
Christ, I don't even know how to
tell you this.
He pauses for a moment trying to think of the best words to
use in this delicate situation.
TRAVIS
We have to die. I didn't realize
what was happening at the time.
This hurricane was sent here to
kill us.
Travis walks across the room and stands by the window.
TRAVIS
Even if we survive this, something
else will come and will keep on
coming until both of us are dead.
Jessica stares off blankly, unable to interpret the impact of
Travis' statement. She begins to cry.
Travis walks over to her, but she brushes him off.
After a moment, she looks up.
JESSICA
I didn't trust you once. We both
know how that turned out.
She walks over to Travis.
JESSICA
This is the end.
TRAVIS
Just for us. Only for us.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - TRAVIS' ROOM - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - LATE
NIGHT
Travis is asleep. For the first time, he actually wakes up
calmly. He smiles.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
That night, I had one final dream.
This storm reached the house. Wave,
flood, lightning, wind, and all.
It was the best dream I've had. The
storm came and took us both.
Travis sits up in bed.
TRAVIS
(V.O)
We saved the world. I knew it.
Travis lays down. He rolls over on his side and puts his arm
around Jessica.
TRAVIS
We did it.
He falls asleep.
EXT. WILDWOOD, NJ - NOON
The town is completely destroyed. Houses are knocked over,
water flows through the streets like rivers. There is
absolutely nothing left standing.
A seagull calls out. It's voice echoes through the empty and
destroyed streets.
EXT. MIAMI AVE - WILDWOOD CREST, NJ - NOON
A boat travels down Miami Ave. A RESCUER is it's pilot.
Pieces of plywood and other materials from destroyed houses
float around.
The only sound in this area is from the rescuer's motor.
The rescuer looks around, trying to find survivors. He pulls
in front of Travis' house, or at least what's left of it. He
shakes his head.
RESCUER
Jesus Christ. There's nothing
fucking left.
He is about to turn around when suddenly a hand shoots out of
the debris. The rescuer recoils back in surprise.
RESCUER
We got a live one!
EXT. MIAMI AVE - DESTROYED SUMMER HOUSE - WILDWOOD CREST,
NJ - AFTERNOON
Three FIREMEN congregate in front of the destroyed house.
They remove sections of it, trying to reach a body.
They pull a lifeless body out of the debris. It's Travis.
BRIAN ACKERMAN, a twenty-four year old reporter, walks in
front of the house.
ACKERMAN
This is Brian Ackerman, reporting
for KYW3 news at 5. The hurricane
hit directly on Wildwood exactly as
forecasted. It was the earliest and
the most powerful hurricane ever to
hit New Jersey. Sections of some
towns are reported to be completely
destroyed. Although there was some
sort of early morning, hundreds are
believed to be killed.
Ackerman shakes his head.
ACKERMAN
Through all this tragedy, there is
some good news. A woman was pulled
out of the wreckage of this house
behind me barely alive.
The three firemen pull the body of Jessica out of the debris.
ACKERMAN
(V.O)
Her name is Jessica Cameron... Her
name is Jessica Cameron... Her name
is Jessica Cameron...
CUT TO:
TITLE OVER WHITE SCREEN IN BLACK LETTERS:
"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who
find it."
- Andre Gide
COLONA
(V.O)
This is probably the saddest case
here.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - TRAVIS' ROOM - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - DAY
Laying on his back, in a completely white room, is RYAN aka
Travis.
There is a circular scar on his right cheek.
Peeping through a small glass window, is Doctor Colona.
Behind him are seven or eight young psychiatry STUDENTS. They
analyze Ryan and take notes.
COLONA
Ryan Murphy, age eighteen. Honor
roll student 1500 SAT score. In
other words, an extremely bright
future.
Colona pauses for a moment and turns to the students.
COLONA
Institutionalized September 11th,
2005 for murdering his girlfriend
Jessica Cameron and best friends
Travis Rhodes and Daniel Durtan, on
April 29th, 2005. Suffers from
acute schizophrenia. According to
Ryan, he is a seventeen year old
who has dreams that come true and
who blames himself for the end of
the world. In reality, Travis was
one of Ryan's friends.
Colona shakes his head.
COLONA
Ryan is convinced that he
is Travis. He is highly violent and
paranoid. He has been completely
and totally unresponsive to any
treatment and inaccessible. We're
going to attempt one final
treatment.
EXT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
There is a steady snowfall.
RYAN
(V.O)
I don't remember how I got here but
apparently, my struggle has been
long and difficult. I have freed
myself from my dreams and future.
Was I cursed? I don't dwell on my
past. I don't even know who I
really am anymore.
He laughs quietly.
RYAN
(V.O)
I just know that there's nothing
left for me outside the hospital. I
knew what happened, just not what
really happened. I feel betrayed by
reality.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - SOLITARY CONFINEMENT -
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - LATE AFTERNOON
Sitting in a wheelchair, staring out a window, is Ryan. Snow
is falling steadily outside. A television plays 2001: A Space
Odyssey behind him, sound muted.
Ryan's arms are bound to the wheelchair. The wheels are
locked by padlock. He rocks back and forth.
Dr. Colona walks into the room.
COLONA
Good morning, Travis.
Ryan doesn't respond.
RYAN
(V.O)
I can't talk anymore. Something
that they did to me really fucked
me up.
Colona pulls a key out of his pocket.
COLONA
You've made such terrific
improvements lately, Travis.
RYAN
(V.O)
He still calls me Travis. How
quaint.
Colona unlocks the wheelchair's wheels. He pulls out a tape
recorder. He turns it on.
COLONA
(to the tape recorder)
Patient Ryan Murphy. His
pacification has been a success so
far. All that's left to be
forgotten is his former name.
I will be continuing treatment and
begin to see if there will be any
effect on his memory. Today will be
the first day of the complete
reconditioning.
Colona turns off the recorder and puts it back into his
pocket.
COLONA
Today's a big day for you!
RYAN
(V.O)
I bet.
Colona begins to push Ryan.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - AFTERNOON
Colona pushes Ryan down a long hallway.
COLONA
Do you want to go through with
this?
RYAN
(V.O)
He was keeping the illusion of free
will alive. I knew that I had no
say in this matter.
COLONA
Everything will be just fine.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - LAB - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Colona pushes Ryan into the lab. In the middle is a bed with
straps on it.
RYAN
(V.O)
I didn't believe him. I never
believed him.
Colona and two LAB TECHNICIANS unstrap Ryan from his
wheelchair. They carry him over to the bed and put him on it.
They strap him in and attach wires to his head. The lights
dim. Colona walks over to Ryan.
COLONA
You won't remember much.
RYAN
(V.O)
What kind of reassurance is that?
COLONA
You'll feel some moderate
discomfort but nothing serious.
Everything is just fine. You're in
good hands.
Colona leaves the room. The lights turn off. A P.A. turns on.
COLONA
(over the P.A.)
Set it to 114. Inject him, then
I'll turn on full power.
A technician walks over to Ryan and injects him with a
needle. His eyes close.
CUT TO:
TITLE OVER A BLACK SCREEN IN WHITE TEXT:
"Our envy of others devours us most of all."
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
RYAN
(V.O)
I remembered everything only to
have it leave me. The hurricane,
the crash, the relationship. Back
to the beginning. I might get to
know what really happened.
INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
An alarm clock begins to RING. Ryan wakes up slowly. He
groans.
RYAN
Son of a bitch.
Ryan takes his pillow and covers his ears with it. The alarm
keeps on going off. He sighs and gets out of bed. He slams
his hand on the snooze button.
INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Ryan walks over to a table. He reaches under it and grabs his
backpack. He slings it on his back and grabs his car keys,
cell phone, and wallet.
He pauses for a moment and yawns. He leaves the house.
EXT. RYAN'S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
We watch Ryan walk to the front of the driveway. He picks up
a newspaper. Without even looking at it, he tosses it from
the driveway on to the front steps of the house.
He gets into his car. He drives off, heading to school.
EXT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
We watch Ryan drive past the front of a private high school.
He drives through the parking lot and exits school property.
EXT. STREETS - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - MORNING
Ryan parks his car and turns his engine off. He gets out,
grabs his backpack out of the back seat, and begins to walk
to school. We watch Nick walk away from TRAVIS, formally
Ryan.
NICK
Fuck you!
TRAVIS
(O.C)
You come near me again and I'll
fuck you up, you waste of life!
Nick walks towards his bag. He picks it up and turns around.
Ryan walks up to him.
RYAN
What was that all about?
NICK
Nothing. Here, I got something for
you.
Nick shows the bag to Ryan.
NICK
Fifty bucks.
Ryan nods. He looks around for a moment. He pulls his wallet
out and takes out a fifty dollar bill. He folds it and hands
the bill to Nick. Nick hands Ryan the bag.
NICK
Pleasure doing business with you.
Ryan nods.
RYAN
I'll see you later.
Nick nods. Ryan turns around and walks towards school.
INT. HALLWAYS - PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
MORNING
Ryan walks down the hallway. Hundreds of uniformed students
pack the cramped and crowed hallways.
Ryan walks over to his locker and opens it. The locker is a
complete and total mess. He takes his coat off and puts it in
his locker.
He struggles to close the door. He has to kick it before it
closes completely.
Ryan begins to walk down the hallway. He spots Travis at the
other end of the hall. He walks up behind him.
There are stickers all over the sides of Travis' locker
advertising such political campaigns as John Kerry for
President and bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Green Day.
RYAN
What's up, Travis?
Travis turns around.
RYAN
What's going on this weekend?
TRAVIS
I have no clue, bro. I'll think
of something we can do.
They stand there for a moment in silence.
RYAN
Anything tonight?
TRAVIS
Yeah. We'll do something.
RYAN
Sounds great.
TRAVIS
I'll catch you at the end of
the day.
RYAN
Alright, great. I'll see you
later.
Ryan turns around and leaves.
A fight breaks out between two sixteen year old fighters.
Punches are thrown
Students are beginning to crowd around the two fighting
students.
Ryan walks over and joins them. They laugh and egg them on.
STUDENTS
Fight! Fight! Fight!
RYAN
Kick his fucking ass!
A teacher spots the fight. He runs over to break it up. He
restrains one of the students. As soon as the fight ends,
Ryan leaves. He walks to class.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - LAB - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Ryan is still on the table. Colona is leans over him.
COLONA
More?
Ryan nods again.
The technician walks over to Ryan and injects him with a
needle. His eyes close.
INT. PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL - CREATIVE WRITING CLASSROOM -
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
Ryan sits in class. The CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER stands at
the front of the class.
The Creative Writing teacher spots Ryan sleeping. He turns
around and picks up a pen off the shelve of the white board.
The kids in the class turn around and look at Ryan. They
begin to laugh.
CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER
Just wait for it.
The teacher turns around to write on the board but instead
does a 180 and tosses the pen. It nails Ryan in the forehead.
He wakes up. The laughter increases.
A small bead of drool falls from Ryan's mouth. It lands on
his desk. Travis, who is sitting next to Ryan, laughs.
TRAVIS
He just fucking owned you, bro.
Ryan yawns and shakes his head.
RYAN
Shut up.
Travis keeps laughing. The teacher picks up another pen.
TRAVIS
You're just getting ripped apart.
The teacher tosses the other pen, nailing Travis in the face.
Now Ryan is laughing at Travis' misfortune.
CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER
Now what did we learn?
The bell rings. Ryan gets up and leaves the room.
EXT. STREETS - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - AFTERNOON
We see Ryan walk over towards his car, a Honda Civic, which
has been heavily modified. Ryan walks across the street.
Travis sees him and waves.
TRAVIS
Party at my place on Saturday.
Everyone's coming.
RYAN
Great. I'll be there.
TRAVIS
See you then.
Ryan nods and walks over to his car. He gets in and turns it
on. Ryan changes gears and drives away rather recklessly. He
swerves around corners.
RYAN
(V.O)
This is how it started the first
time.
Ryan narrowly avoids a student who is walking down the
street. We watch as he almost hits a car pulling out of a
parking spot.
EXT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - GARAGE - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Jessica, Ryan, and Travis sit in a garage watching Fight
Club.
Jessica sits on Ryan's lap. Travis sits on another chair.
RYAN
I have no idea why, but I'm really
excited about tomorrow.
Travis coughs. He looks at Jessica.
She nods back.
JESSICA
Yeah, tomorrow sounds like fun.
Travis gets up.
TRAVIS
I got to take a piss.
Ryan shrugs.
Travis walks out of the garage. He stops at the door. He
motions to Jessica to follow him.
Jessica smiles to Ryan. Travis looks away and then leaves
completely.
Ryan and Jessica kiss.
Jessica soon walks out of the room. Ryan turns around and
watches her leave. He sits there for a moment confused.
He returns to the movie, oblivious.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - LAB - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
LATE AFTERNOON
Ryan's eyes open again. He appears confused.
RYAN
(V.O)
Where the hell am I?
COLONA
(over the P.A)
Turn up the power all the way. Lets
see what we can do.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Ryan stands in the corner of a darkened kitchen, concealed by
the shadows. Across the room, in the middle of the floor, is
the dead body of Jessica.
Ryan begins to slowly walks towards the corpse. As Ryan gets
closer, the features of the body become revealed.
There is one gunshot wound to the head. Blood spreads across
the floor.
Ryan kneels over the body and turns it over. He recoils back
in horror. Something metallic CRASHES on to the hard wood
floor.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - LAB - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Ryan gasps and struggles to breathe. A technician rushes into
the room. Ryan begins to convulse.
COLONA
(over the P.A)
His brain patterns are off the
charts! We're losing him! Turn it
off! Turn it off, Goddamn it!
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Ryan looks down. He sees Jessica's lifeless body. Laying next
to the corpse is a handgun.
RYAN
What the hell have I done?
EXT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL DAY
Snow falls outside.
RYAN
(V.O)
The world is fresh and new once
more.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - SOLITARY CONFINEMENT -
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Ryan once more sits in his wheelchair. He stares out the
window. Again, Doctor Colona walks into the room. He seems
upset and preoccupied. He grabs a chair and sits in front of
Ryan. Ryan ignores him.
Colona clears his throat.
COLONA
I want to help you. Not hurt you.
Colona points to Ryan's head.
COLONA
I wish I knew what was going on up
there. I want to help you remember;
I want you to find out who you
truly are.
Colona shakes his head.
COLONA
You were a normal kid who lived a
normal life. You never got dreams
that came true. Ever.
Ryan mouths, "I know."
Colona stands up.
COLONA
Let's finish this.
Colona unlocks Ryan's wheels and pushes him out of the room.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - LAB - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
AFTERNOON
Ryan lays on his back. He's strapped to the table.
RYAN
(V.O)
This would be the be-all and end-
all here. But here, upon this bank
and shoal of time, I'd jump this
life to come.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Ryan is walking through Travis' house, carrying a beer. We
see people partying and generally having a good time. Some
people are smoking, others are drinking. It's a typical
party.
Ryan sits down. He takes a sip of his drink. We see Travis
walk towards Ryan. He sits down next to him.
RYAN
I am so sorry.
TRAVIS
What?
RYAN
Nothing.
They sit there for a moment in awkward silence.
We see Jessica. She spots Travis and Ryan and she too comes
over. She sits down next to Ryan. They kiss.
TRAVIS
Jessica.
JESSICA
Hey. I'll be right back.
Jessica gets up and leaves. As she goes, we see her make some
sort of head gesture to Travis. He mouthes, "five more
minutes." Jessica nods. She walks upstairs.
Travis stands up.
TRAVIS
I'll be right back.
Travis leaves the area. Ryan looks at the table in front of
him and sees a picture frame. Travis heads upstairs and goes
into the bedroom.
INSERT: The picture frame holds a childhood picture of Ryan
and Travis together from when they were both five.
Ryan looks up and sees Jessica enter the upstairs bedroom. He
gets up and goes up the stairs, to follow her.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Ryan walks down the hallway. He faintly hears a COUPLE having
sex in a nearby room. He can't quite pinpoint where the noise
is coming from.
He walks up to a closed door and puts his ear up to the door.
The noise is coming from that room.
Ryan laughs to himself.
RYAN
Not behind that door.
He continues down the hallway.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - BATHROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Ryan peeks his head into the bathroom.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - TRAVIS' BEDROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Ryan peeks his head into Travis' bedroom, looking for
Jessica.
RYAN
Jessica?
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - HALLWAY - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Ryan slowly makes his way down the hallway. He walks up to
the door where the noise is coming from. He sighs and closes
his eyes. He opens the door.
JESSICA
Shit!
TRAVIS
Jesus Christ, man!
Ryan is in shock.
TRAVIS
Listen, bro, we can explain
everything.
RYAN
(calmly)
Go downstairs. We'll talk down
there.
Travis throws on a pair of pants. Jessica is already dressed
and out the door.
RYAN
Now.
Travis leaves the bedroom. Ryan is surprisingly calm. He
walks over to the closet.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM CLOSET - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - YEARS AGO - AFTERNOON
Ryan hides in the closet. Travis walks by. He suddenly throws
the closet doors open.
TRAVIS
(O.C)
Found you!
Young Ryan picks up Travis' father's handgun and analyzes it
in shock.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM CLOSET - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - PRESENT - NIGHT
Ryan opens up the closet door. The gun is in the exact same
place as it was years ago. Ryan picks it up and puts it into
his pocket.
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - KITCHEN - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - NIGHT
Travis and Jessica stand in the kitchen, talking to each
other. Ryan bursts into the room.
Travis turns towards Ryan. He sighs.
TRAVIS
Ryan, bro. I am so sorry.
Ryan reaches into his pocket.
TRAVIS
Look at me, man! I'm fucking drunk!
Travis points to an empty can of beer. He laughs nervously.
TRAVIS
Ryan.
Ryan doesn't respond.
TRAVIS
Ryan. We didn't mean anything by
it. It's nothing. She's still
yours.
JESSICA
No...
Travis gives Jessica a dirty look. She shakes her head.
JESSICA
Fine. Nothing at all.
RYAN
Why the hell did you do this to me?
Travis crosses his arms.
TRAVIS
We were only having some fun.
Ryan reaches into his pocket and pulls out the handgun.
Jessica and Travis react in shock to the weapon.
TRAVIS
What the hell are you doing with
that?
Ryan aims the gun at Travis.
JESSICA
What are you doing, Travis? You're
going to throw everything away for
what, jealousy?
Ryan cocks the gun. Travis looks over to Jessica and then
gives an angry glance towards Ryan. Suddenly, the door opens
and Dan walks in.
DAN
What the fuck?
Ryan turns around and shoots Dan in the chest. He grabs his
chest and falls backward, out of the room.
JESSICA
Shit!
Travis tries to jump Ryan and wrestle the gun away. The gun
goes off, hitting the lamp. The room is now completely dark.
We hear people running away.
The gun goes off again. The bullet hits Jessica right in
between the eyes.
She collapses, dead.
Ryan and Travis stop fighting. Ryan walks slowly over to
Jessica's body.
RYAN
Look at what you made me do!
Ryan pivots and in a blind rage tackles Travis.
He starts pistol whipping Travis.
After a few hits, Ryan wipes the sweat from his brow.
RYAN
Was it worth it, bro? Everything
for this? Why the fuck did you do
this to me?
Ryan towers over Travis, gun aimed at Travis' head.
Travis just glares at Ryan.
RYAN
Look at what you made me to do her,
Travis! Look at what you've done!
Travis returns a blank stare.
RYAN
Look at her! Look at the pain
you've caused! Look at the
suffering.
Ryan hits Travis in the face with the pistol.
RYAN
Was it worth it?
Travis smiles but ignores him.
Ryan hits Travis in the face again.
RYAN
I asked you a fucking question! Was
she fucking worth it?
TRAVIS
It was the best I ever had, faggot.
Ryan blinks in shock. He shoots Travis in the face.
RYAN
I still have judgment here.
He fires again. And again. And again. He keeps on trying to
fire even though there are no more bullets. The hammer CLICKS
as he tries to fire.
Ryan stands in the corner of the kitchen. He is hidden in the
shadows. He slowly walks towards the corpse.
As he approaches, the features of the body begin to be
uncovered.
Ryan turns the body over.
He falls to his knees and drops the handgun.
The clatter of metal on hardwood floor echoes throughout the
now empty house.
RYAN
(V.O)
What the hell have I done?
INT. TRAVIS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
NIGHT
Ryan lays on a sofa watching television.
In one hand is the television remote, the other the pistol
that he used for the murders.
Dan's body still lies in the background.
We hear a car pull up. Two doors open and close.
The front door unlocks.
DAVE RHODES, 49, Travis' father, and CASSIE RHODES, 52,
Travis' mother, walk into the house.
CASSIE
Travis?
Ryan looks up. Cassie walks upstairs.
DAVE
What happened?
CASSIE
Looks like someone had a party
while we were gone.
DAVE
That son of a bitch.
Dave walks across the room.
Empty beer bottles and containers are strewn across the
tables and floor. Beer is spilled on the carpets.
DAVE
(to Cassie)
Is Travis up there?
CASSIE
(O.S)
No, honey.
Dave picks up a beer bottle.
DAVE
This place is a fucking mess.
He tosses it onto the ground.
He spots Ryan laying on the couch.
DAVE
Who the hell are you? Where's
Travis?
Ryan stands up.
RYAN
Right here.
Dave turns around.
DAVE
What are you talking about?
RYAN
You don't recognize me? Dad, its
me, Travis!
Dave glares at Ryan for a moment, confused.
DAVE
What the fuck are you talking
about?
RYAN
Don't you recognize me?
DAVE
No.
Ryan shakes his head no.
DAVE
What are you trying to pull? You're
drunk.
RYAN
Not exactly.
Cassie walks into the room.
She walks towards the kitchen.
CASSIE
Travis, are you in here?
She enters the kitchen. A moment later, she staggers out.
CASSIE
Oh my God! Travis!
Cassie faints.
Dave sees this and runs over to her. He looks back up to
Ryan.
DAVE
What did you do to my son?
Dave runs over to the kitchen. He sees the bodies.
He staggers back, stunned.
RYAN
I did what had to be done. To set
things straight. Just like you've
always told me.
Dave picks up a phone and dials 911.
RYAN
He shot me in the heart, Dad. I
shot him in the head.
Ryan sits back down on the couch. He turns the television
back on and lays down.
INT. COURT HOUSE - COURT ROOM - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY - DAY
Ryan is on trial for the murders of Jessica and Travis.
The BAILIFF walks into the court room.
BAILIFF
All rise.
Everyone in the court room stands up except Ryan.
An elderly JUDGE walks to his chambers. He looks at Ryan who
still has not stood up.
When the Judge sits down, everyone else follows.
The Judge glares at Ryan.
JUDGE
(regarding Ryan)
What's his problem?
Ryan's LAWYER stands up.
LAWYER
Your honor, my client is mentally
unfit.
The lawyer clears his throat.
LAWYER
He is unable to stand trial for his
crimes.
The Judge looks over to the older and more experienced
PROSECUTION LAWYER.
JUDGE
Is he?
PROSECUTION LAWYER
After reviewing his psychological
analysis, the state reluctantly
agrees with the defense.
The judge scratches his head.
JUDGE
Ryan Murphy, how do you plead?
Ryan doesn't look up.
The Judge begins to get angry.
JUDGE
Son? How do you plead?
Again, Ryan doesn't respond.
His lawyer realizes what is going on.
LAWYER
Not guilty by means of insanity.
The Judge sighs. He turns to the prosecution lawyer.
JUDGE
Is the state willing to supply an
expert to verify this?
The prosecution lawyer nods.
PROSECUTION LAWYER
Yes we have, your honor. Doctor
William Colona, head of the
psychotic ward at Greystone Park
Mental Hospital. He will be placed
in the Criminally Insane ward under
Doctor Colona's supervision.
The Judge nods in agreement.
PROSECUTION LAWYER
Doctor Colona will analyze and aide
in Mr. Murphy's treatment.
JUDGE
And the moment that Doctor Colona
feels that Mr. Murphy is competent?
PROSECUTION LAWYER
Then he will stand trial.
The Judge nods again.
JUDGE
That's good enough for me. Mr.
Murphy will stay at Greystone until
further notice.
The Judge bangs his gavel.
A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY walks over to Ryan. He pulls handcuffs
out.
Ryan stares at the Deputy for a moment.
Ryan then spots a handgun in the Deputy's holster.
He puts his arms out.
The Deputy lowers the handcuffs towards Ryan's wrists.
Ryan suddenly lunges toward the Deputy's gun. He pulls the
weapon out and aims it towards his head.
The Deputy falls backward, hands in front of his face.
Ryan smiles and pulls the trigger.
The gun goes off. The bullet blows through Ryan's cheek,
injuring, but not killing, him.
Two other DEPUTIES jump over and disarm him. Blood pours out
of his mouth.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - LAB - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY -
DAY
Dr. Colona takes the wires off of Ryan's head.
RYAN
(V.O)
After all that, I finally knew the
truth. I found out who I was and
why I was here.
Colona takes the straps off of Ryan.
Ryan sits up.
RYAN
(V.O)
But even truth itself needs to
lie.
Colona helps Ryan into his wheelchair.
RYAN
(V.O)
It wasn't about the world coming
to an end. It was about a world
that I knew and that I lived in.
Colona straps Ryan into his wheelchair.
RYAN
(V.O)
A world that no longer existed.
Two tears trickle down the right side of Ryan's face. The
tears stop moving when they touch the scar.
INT. GREYSTONE MENTAL HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY - DAY
Dr. Colona pushes Ryan down a long, sterile corridor.
RYAN
(V.O)
I was denied life by betraying
realities. One was what I wanted to
be, the other what I truly was. I
couldn't have both.
Ryan stares forward.
RYAN
(V.O)
But I'll always have me.
He smiles.
CUT TO:
TITLE OVER BLACK SCREEN IN WHITE LETTERS:
"The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
CUT OUT:
THE END
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