Room 101
by
Kevin Brown
WGA #tbd

Kevin Brown
11448 Brawley Rd
Oak Hills, CA 9234
760-956-5980
kevinbrown33@verizon.net
fade in:
A COUPLE, RON, MID 30’S, AND MARY, EARLY 30’S, BOTH DARK HAIR, WHITE, pull into the THRIFTY MOTEL.
EXT THRIFTY MOTEL, LATE AFTERNOON
Ron and Mary get out of their car and go to the front desk to check in.  They are dressed in polo shirts and khaki pants, nice but not too nicely dressed.
int clerks office
A male clerk, 40’s, pepper hair, stocky, greets Ron and Mary.
clerk
Good day sir, looking for a room?
ron
My wife and I yes, for a few days.
clerk
This is not the best part of town you know.
ron
That’s ok, we’re on a budget.
clerk
It’s $50 a night, fifth night free. I need to see some ID.
Ron and Mary pull out their ID’s, their fingers slightly cover their photos. The clerk reads the names.
clerk
Ronald Booth, and Mary Sheldon.
mary
We’ll be paying cash if that’s OK.
Ron pulls out two $100 bills. And puts his ID back in his wallet. The clerk hands a register for them to sign in on.
clerk
No refunds on prepaid nights.
ron
As long as the AC works, it looks like it’s getting hot out for a few days.
clerk
Summertime in the desert? Yeah it’s hot, and yeah we have ac.  Must not be from around here.
Ron
We’re doing some scientific research here for a few days.
mary
The rooms have deadbolts for night time?
clerk
Yes, ma’am.
The clerk fills out a receipt and hands it to Ron and Mary.
clerk
The ID said Ron but you signed Don, should I make the receipt to Don or Ron Jackson?
Ron
(Flashes a look to Mary) My friends call me Don, but for tax purposes you can make it out to Ron Jackson.
The clerk opens a drawer and hands them a key.
clerk
Room 101. 1st door on the left.
ron
Thank you very much, is there a breakfast bar?
clerk
Yeah, at the mickie dees down the street.
Ron and Mary exit the clerk’s office. They take their luggage around the corner where they see, MIKE, 6 FOOT, DARK HAIR, sitting in an open doorway drinking something out of a large paper bag. Ron and Mary quickly look away and go inside Room 101, we hear the deadbolt lock.
int room 101
Ron turns on the AC, Mary starts hanging clothes.
ron
You think we can do this in 4 days?
mary
Last time took 5.
ron
What do you think about that guy next door?
mary
Mr. Forty ounce?
ron
He looks like a real winner.
mary
Yeah, sure.
ron
That’s a nice blouse, you should wear that one tomorrow.
mary
It’s short sleeved my arms will get burned.
ron
We won’t be out there that long.  Just enough to do tests.
Ron unpacks a large case, in it is a MICROSCOPE, AND OLDER COMPUTER WITH A GRAPH LIKE SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT.
RON
We really got nice stuff this time.
mary
Yeah it’s better than what we got in El Paso.
Just then we hear some heavy guitar playing through the wall.
ron
You think that’s our neighbor?
mary
Yeah, he had a good rock and roller look.
ron
I always wanted to be a musician, you can be my backup singer.
mary
Let’s get our work done first before we start booking gigs.
fade out
fade in, ext thrifty motel, early mornig, next day
Ron and Mary come out of their room with their cases of scientific equipment; they get in their car and drive off.
Mike comes out of his room, he walks over to Room 101 and checks the door, it’s locked, and he goes back to his room.
ext, desert
Ron digs a hole with a shovel, Mary sits in the shade with an umbrella.
ron
Do I always have to dig the hole?
Mary
We’ll go to San Diego next, we can use the ocean.
ron
Oh yeah, maybe get a boat, do some sailing, the water will be good.
Mary
So, should we invite big forty over for dinner?
ron
No, he’ll come over by himself, he has that curious look on his face.
Mary
You think he’s got a girl with him?
ron
Yeah, probably turns tricks at night.
fade out
EXT THRIFTY MOTEL, DUSK.
Ron and Mary pull in the parking spot in front of room 101. Mike sits in his doorway with a GIRL, STRINGY DARK HAIR, SKINNY, DRESSED LIKE A STREET WALKER.
RON
Howdy.
mike
Howdy, what ya’ll doing?
ron
Scientific work, tracking chemicals in the ground around here.
mike
My name’s mike. This here’s my girl Suzy.
ron
I’m Ron, most people call me Don, this is my wife, Mary.
suzy
Howdy. Ya’ll should come over for a beer after dinner.
Mary
Ok, can we bring something?
mike
The Chicken Coop has good fixin’s.
ron
Huh?
mike
It’s a fast food joint, round the corner.
ron
Oh, ok. We have to get cleaned up first.  Maybe in an hour or so?
suzy
We ain’t going anywhere.
Ron is out of the shower trying on pants, they are a little too small.  Mary comes out in a towel.
Mary
Gaining weight?
ron
Pants are too small, I don’t know why I took them.
Mary
Part and parcel of what we do. I’ll wear this dress, does it look ok on me?
ron
Yeah, at least your clothes fit.
Mary grabs a dress off a hangar and goes inside the bathroom and closes the door.  Mike squeezes into his tight worn jeans.
fade out
ext thrifty motel, dark.
Ron and Mary cross the parking lot with two big bags of food.  Suzy and Mike sit out front of their room.
ron
Hey guys, you weren’t kidding. That Chicken Coop has great food, and cheap.
mike
Well thank you very much, I don’t have much beer or soda pop.
Mary
Oh that’s ok, we got a twofer.
mike
What’s a twofer?
Mary
You know, a twofer, a twenty four pack of beer.
mike
Why you call it a twofer?
Mary
Well, because it has two four beers in it.
Mary points to the letters on the box, “24”.
mike
Oh you’s being funny.
Mike and Suzy laugh, they follow Ron and Mary inside room 101.
int room 101, later
Empty beer can’s line up the the counter, chicken bones and empty tater salad containers are in a pile.
ron
So, we were in Canada for awhile…
Mary
Doing research on water…
ron
And then we got some work down here in the desert areas.
suzy
So you’re Geologists.
Mary
Not really, just study water and chemicals, write reports.
suzy
Where did you go to college?
Mary
(hesitates)Morehouse College in Atlanta.
suzy
So you’re a southern girl too?
Mary
No, an army brat, I travelled a lot with my parents.
mike
You got a fine woman there Don, things ain’t so good for us lately.  
ron
Well you got your music.
mike
I used to play in a small band, the manager run away with my money.  They thought we were going to be the next Lynard Skynard.
ron
Wow, why didn’t you get a lawyer?
mike
Guy died by the time we found him, spent all the money. Can’t squeeze blood from a  turnip. I got my Suzy-Q though.
Mike give Suzy a peck on the cheek.
Suzy
We should be going now, thanks for dinner ya’ll.  We’ll return the favor somehow.
Mary
No problem.
The girls hug, the guys shake hands.  Suzy and Mike leave.
Mary
I don’t know about this one.
ron
Don’t get weak on me Claire.
fade out
MORNING, EXT THRIFTY ROOM 101
Ron and Mary exit their room, they have backpacks, nothing else, they get in their car and leave.  Mike is peering through his window and watches them leave.  Mike goes over to Room 101, the door is left open a crack, he peeps in and sees the miscroscope case inside.
fade out
Dusk, inside clerk’s office
Ron and Mary are talking to the clerk.
ron
So there’s no surveillance cameras?
clerk
Nope.
Mary
What about insurance?
clerk
I haven’t had insurance in 10 years, should of locked your door.
ron
Our door was locked, and dead bolted. Maybe someone has a spare key?
clerk
I have the spare key, and it’s locked in this drawer.
ron
We lost some very expensive equipment sir, maybe you should do something about it.
clerk
I can throw you out.
Mary
That’s rude, we’ll be contacting the police.
clerk
There is a payphone at the chicken coop.
Ron and Mary walk outside, along come Mike and Suzy with some bags of groceries.
ext, clerks office. thrifty motel, dusk
mike
Howdy ya’ll.
Suzy
Howdy ya’ll.
ron
Our room got broken into, did you guys see anything?
mike
Been downtown at the welfare office all day, if I saw anything I would have stopped them.
Suzy
We got some beer, come over and have a drink.
ron
No, no thanks.
mike
Hey I’m sorry buddy about your microscope thing, file a police report, maybe it will turn up.
Mary
We’re just upset, thanks for the offer though, we just need some sleep.
Suzy and mike walk into their room and close their door.  Ron and Mary give each other a “I told you so look”.
int, room 101
ron
We should do it tomorrow, get out of here, go onto the next job.
Mary
I agree.
int room 101, next morning.
Ron and Mary are in their room. Mike and Suzy are arguing next door, then the door slams. Ron and Mary are quiet, they go out to their car.
ext clerks offfice, cont’d
Ron and Mary get in their car, they see Suzy walking away.
Mary
Do you need a ride hun?
Suzy
Yes I do.
They drive off.
Mary
You OK?
Suzy
Yeah, we got some money from (hesitates) welfare, and he blew some of it on dope. I told him we should get a bus back home, maybe record a new album.
ron
Record a new album on a welfare check?
Mary
Well, you know, record some songs, play some gigs, join up with a group, do something besides sit here.
Suzy
Can ya’ll drop me off at the bus station, I got enough for a ticket.
Mary and Ron glance at each other.
Mary
Well, go to work with us today, we’ll pay you enough to catch a plane flight.
Mary
What do I have to do?
ron
Take soil readings with Mary, a lot of paperwork, with 3 people we can get done faster.
suzy
Ok, you know I went to college in Atlanta?
Mary
Really. 
suzy
What college did you say you went to?
ron
I went to Georgia State.
The car drives down the road, and makes a turn off.
fade out
ext, room 101, dusk, same day.
Ron and Mary get out of their car.  Ron has a scratch on his cheek with some blood. Mike paces nervously in front of his room.
ron
What’s up buddy?
mike
Suzy and me got in a fight, she been gone all day.
ron
What happened?
mike
She, took some of my welfare money and wanted to go buy some dope, I told her no.
mike
I hate to get in the middle of things, it’s just that we saw her and she asked us for a ride to the bus stop.
Mary
The bus doesn’t leave for awhile, we could give you a ride.
mike
Oh would ya, that’d be awfully nice of ya. We been together many years, sometimes I act stupid, I just want to apologize.
Mary
Yeah get in the car.
Everyone gets back in the car and drives out.
ext, dirt road, night.
All three are in the car, they drive slowly and stop.
mike
What we doing here?
ron
I left my backpack here, I just need to grab it real quick, can you give me a hand?
mike
Sure, let’s not miss that bus.
Mary
We won’t.
The three get out of the car. By the car is a big hole. Mike walks over and looks down. He sees Suzy, tied up, and beaten in the hole.
ron
Suzy, what are you doing.
Suzy
Screaming through her gagged mouth.
Just then Ron swings a shovel and hits Mike; Mike falls to the ground unconscious.  Ron pulls out Mike’s wallet, he takes cash and his ID.  Mary pushes Mike into the hole. Ron pulls out a PAWN RECEIPT FROM MIKES WALLET.
Ron
He only got $400 for the scope.
Mary
Stupid rednecks.
Ron
Start filling it in, we got to move out tonight.
Mary
The manager will think we left because our stuff got stolen.
Ron
EZ money.
Ron and Mary pull out their ID’s and put them in Mike and Suzys wallet and purse.  Ron and Mary start shoveling dirt into the hole where Suzy and Mike are.
fade out
another hotel, afternoon, a few days later.
A buzzer rings at a clerk’s office, a FEMALE CLERK, ASIAN, walks into the office from a backroom. We see the backs of two people in Rock and Roll tshirts with two guitars.
clerk 2
May I help you?
female voice
Yes, We’re in town for a music gig for a few nights, what’s the rate?

clerk 2
$60 per night. ID please.
Ron and Mary pull out their ID’s, their thumbs slightly cover the pictures.
clerk
Suzy White, and Michael Huff. Please sign here. 
The male signs the register, Don Huff.
clerk 2
Is it Don or Michael?
male voice
My friends call me Don, but make the receipt to Michael, for tax purposes.
clerk 2
So what kind of music do you play?
male voice
Lynard Skynard.
The camera pans up, it’s Ron and Mary.
fade out