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© 1996 by Jack Harris-Bonham
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FADE IN: EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - EARLY MORNING MAN, late forties, good looking, freshly shaven face, long hair blowing in the wind, dressed in a suit, is walking "with the traffic" along the highway. Highway is empty. He puts his hand to his forehead touching the fresh gash above his left eye. He winces from the tenderness of the spot. The Man turns and looks down the highway. A large truck in the distance is coming down the highway in his direction. The Man is walking faster, on the edge of the road this time. SEMI HORN AS IT BLASTS. The semi passes him, his hair flying wildly about, his suit flapping in the wind. The Man turns his head and looks behind him again. A car is approaching. The Man turns back around, stays on the edge of the highway and keeps walking. Is that a smile on his face, or a grimace? The car passes swinging wide into the other lane. CUT TO: EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EARLY MORNING The white Jeep cuts easily through the morning air. The road is empty except for the Jeep. The man inside rolls down his window. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EARLY MORNING CLOSE ON GREGORY ALLEN, late forties, clean-shaven, dressed in overalls and a t-shirt and work boots. Greg's hair falls down his back in a long braid. With the window down, he's enjoying the morning air. He opens the console, grabs a tape, opens the box. The tape falls into the console behind the other tapes. Greg reaches in, trying to pull the tape out. Useless. He pulls the tapes out and throws them on the passenger's seat. He stops, staring into the console. CLOSE-UP of Greg as his breathing becomes rapid. He starts taking long slow, deep breaths, trying to regain some composure. He pulls a toy gun from the bottom of the console. CUT TO: EXT. GREG'S BACK YARD, WILDORADO, TEXAS (FLASHBACK) - DAY BOBBY, eight years old is being chased around the yard by JORDAN, four years old. Jordan doesn't have a gun, so he uses his finger and shoots his older brother. JORDAN Bang! Bang! Bobby lets the gun, that Greg now holds, slip from his hand as he falls in the grass. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE (BACK TO PRESENT) - EARLY MORNING Greg retrieves the tape from the bottom of the console. He slams it into the cassette player. ROLLING THUNDER and DRUMS in the bg. Then, NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE chimes in. Voice comes up the bg. VOICE (ON TAPE) (wise old Native American voice) Spirit Guides are around you all the time. Maybe you think you gotta go up on the mountain, ya know, look under rocks, gaze up into trees to find your Spirit Guides. It's not true, never was, never will be. Greg stares at the toy gun that is sitting on the passenger's seat. VOICE (ON TAPE) Spirit Guides are all around you. All the time. Most people don't see them. Why? Greg takes the map off the dashboard and covers the toy gun. A red highlighter has marked Greg's route on the map. VOICE (ON TAPE) It's simple, they look like everything else, 'cept they're not. You wanna Spirit Guide? Keep your eyes open. Greg reaches under the map and flings the toy gun out the passenger's window. Greg flinches. GREG Oh Jees! CUT TO: EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - EARLY MORNING The toy gun sails by the Man's head barely missing him. MAN'S POV as the Jeep that has just passed him shows brake lights, then accelerates out of there. The Man stops walking and looks down. The toy gun lies on the ground. The Man kicks at it with his boot. CLOSE ON the Man's right hand as it reaches up and pulls his jacket away from his body exposing a Beretta Model 92F slung into a shoulder holster. The Man looks surprised! CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EARLY MORNING VOICE (ON TAPE) It's important to remember that not all Spirit Guides know they're Spirit Guides. Greg looks into the rear view mirror. INSERT: Rear view mirror and its view of the Man diminishing in the bg. VOICE (ON TAPE) Some Spirits can guide us regardless of their conscious participation in our lives. When you meet your Spirit Guide the journey begins. Greg reaches up and punches the tape out of the tape player, then starts beating the steering wheel and SCREAMING. CUT TO: INT. GREG'S CAR (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT ESTABLISHING SHOTS as we see the two boys in the car with Greg. It's RAINING HARD. Greg is wiping the windshield with his hand, then rubbing his hand on his ragged face. Bobby, strapped into the seat on the passenger's side, looks at his father. BOBBY You okay, daddy? Greg looks over at the boy and smiles a silly smile. GREG Yeah, heck, I'm peachy. How about you? BOBBY I wanna go home, daddy. Jordan, strapped into one of those child carriers in the back, speaks up. JORDAN (chanting) Home, home, home, home, home-- CUT TO: EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY (BACK TO PRESENT) - EARLY MORNING The Man walks on down the highway. A red pickup truck passes on the other side of the road headed toward Texas. The old geezer inside BLOWS THE HORN and waves. The Man starts to wave back, but doesn't. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EARLY MORNING Greg, extremely agitated, is chanting over and over again in a low voice. GREG (whispering) Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better. Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better. Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better-- CLOSE ON Greg's eyes as we-- DISSOLVE TO: INT./EXT. WILDORADO (FLASHBACKS) - MONTAGE INT. LIMOUSINE - DAY Greg, dressed in a suit sits next to his wife, MEGAN, mid- thirties, petite woman with perfect blond hair cut short. She's dressed in black and has on a floppy black hat. They look the successful couple, then we notice, she's been crying. Greg looks over at his wife. She remains staring ahead. He reaches over and puts his hand on hers. She looks down at his hand on hers, then gently removes her hand to her lap. GREG The flowers were nice. MEGAN Hot house roses! GREG Pretty though. MEGAN The stunk of fertilizer and insecticides. GREG I didn't notice. MEGAN You didn't get close enough to notice. GREG I was right there. MEGAN You didn't say good-bye. GREG It wasn't them. MEGAN (rage) It's all we have left of them. GREG There's nothing left, but ... us. MEGAN Are you trying to depress me? CUT TO: INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASS ROOM - DAY Greg is standing in front of a class room of High School Seniors. On the black board, along side a map of the United States, are the words, "The Timetables of History". GREG You can't think of History as simply a bunch of dates to be memorized and thrown back at me on the day of the test. I mean, you can think of it that way, but what good will it do? Take the date 1876 for instance. One hundred years after the signing of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Just a date, huh, till we think of the events that happened in that same year, 1876. Wild Bill Hickok shot in the back while playing poker in Deadwood Kansas, holding the famous aces and eights, later known as the deadman's hand. He looks at the class. Half of them seem asleep, the other half like he's speaking Greek. Greg wanders over to the windows that look out on the flat Texas prairie. An older man in a suit silently comes into the classroom closing the door behind him. The students who see him sit up straight. The kids that are asleep are given a shake. They, in turn, seeing the older man, come to attention in their seats. GREG (CONT'D) Colorado becomes the 38th state to join the Union. Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer is printed for the first time. Kellogg makes his first cereal. The first National League baseball game is played. Heinze puts ketchup in a bottle, and General George Armstrong Custer is defeated by Sitting Bull and other Chiefs at the Little Big Horn. All this in 1876. CLOSE ON Greg with the classroom in the bg as his mind begins to wander. INDIAN YELLS, GUNS FIRING, ARROWS WHIZZING THROUGH THE AIR in the bg as Greg says to himself. GREG (almost a whisper) Just imagine the same ketchup we use in the cafeteria coming out of bottles for the first time as the blood is oozing from Custer and his men as they go down in defeat. (louder) History is, then, the accumulation of events that occur in an order that at the time seems random, and maybe even cruel, but once occurring have a sort of fatalistic and oddly comforting charmed form to them. And we are apart of that charmed form. Greg simply stands there looking out the window as the class sneaks looks between the older man and Greg. CUT TO: EXT. GREG'S HOUSE, WILDORADO - DAY Megan is out front transplanting rose bushes. She dressed in a coat, scarf, gloves and wears a baseball hat. You can see her breath. Greg drives up in the driveway and gets out of his Jeep. Megan looks at her watch. MEGAN What are you doing home? It's only third period. GREG I've been given a leave of absence. He walks toward the house. MEGAN With pay? Greg turns half way to the house. GREG Yes, a sabbatical of sorts. Maybe I'll take a trip-- He turns around and heads for the door. GREG (CONT'D) (to himself) Or simply kill myself. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE (BACK TO PRESENT) - EARLY MORNING Greg is still mumbling along in that distracted chant, except now tears are flowing down his cheeks. GREG Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better. Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better. Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better. He sees a side road up ahead, SLAMS ON HIS BRAKES and takes the road. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT SIDE ROAD - EARLY MORNING The Jeep SKIDS making the turn too quickly, spraying gravel and dust. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EARLY MORNING Greg is laughing hysterically now. Tears are still flowing down his cheeks, but the laughter is nearly maniacal. He SLAMS ON THE BRAKES and the Jeep slides to a stop. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT SIDE ROAD - EARLY MORNING Greg is out of the Jeep with the driver's door open. He's unlocking the hatch in the back. He pulls a bag from the stuff in the back and digs down deep in the canvas bag. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - EARLY MORNING The Man is walking down the highway. He's passed by a line of cars. He stops and licks his lips. He looks down. There on the road are skid marks that lead off down a side road. He stares down the side road in the shimmering heat. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT SIDE ROAD - MORNING The Man is walking down the dirt road. Up ahead of him about 30 yards is the Jeep Cherokee, it's ENGINE RUNNING. CUT TO: EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - MORNING MAN'S POV as he walks up on the Jeep. A section of garden hose has been duct taped to the exhaust pipe, leading to the vent window in the Jeep. A hole has been punched in the vent window. Duct tape covers the portion of the hole that isn't occupied with hose. The Man walks up beside the driver's window. There sits Greg his head rocked back on the headrest, a peaceful expression on his face. The Man reaches up and taps on the window. A startled Greg jumps in the seat, then rolls down his window a little bit. Exhaust fumes plume from the open window along with the SOUND OF NATIVE AMERICAN DRUMMING AND FLUTE. The Man steps back away from the noxious fumes. GREG (coughing) Yes? The Man turns his face toward the Jeep. These men could be brothers. MAN How ya doin', man? GREG I'm fine. Thanks. MAN Hey, ah, I think I'm in trouble. GREG I've got my own problems. Greg rolls his window back up and puts his head on the head rest. The Man taps on the window again. Greg rolls the window down and gives the Man an exasperated look. MAN That's very 90's of you, man, ya know, to be so into your problem that you can't see my problem. GREG What!? MAN I mean, who knows, maybe your problem wouldn't be so bad if it was my problem and, visa versa. CLOSE ON Greg as a light comes on in his head. The door of the Cherokee pops open. Greg steps out of the Jeep, as if surrounded by fog. The Man smiles. MAN (CONT'D) That's cool, man. That should be in a rock video. Ya know, guy pulls up, gets out of his car like he's stepping from a cloud. Greg COUGHING. GREG What you said just now, about my problem not being so bad if it was your problem. Do you know any Alfred Hitchcock? MAN The fat guy who used to be on t.v.. Sure, I've seen the reruns. GREG STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. The Man shrugs. GREG (CONT'D) The movie, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, one of Hitchcock's early works. That's what this is like. MAN Cool. Greg extends his hand to the Man. GREG Greg's my name. The Man looks at Greg's hand, but doesn't take it. Greg finally pulls his hand back. The Man looks at Greg. MAN I thinks that's my name, too. GREG I'm sure there's more than two of us running around. MAN Greg! GREG Yes? MAN Your first time out this way? GREG My wife thinks I'm crazy. MAN But what does she know, huh? Greg laughs. MAN (CONT'D) Where you headed? Greg looks back at the tape job on the Jeep. MAN (CONT'D) I mean before this unexpected turn of events. GREG Camping trip. MAN You want me to drive? I know some great spots. Greg looks at the ground. GREG Ah, no thanks, I think I've just about circled the wagons. The Man pulls the Beretta out and pushes it into Greg's ribs. GREG (CONT'D) You want my money? The Man pulls an envelope from his inside pocket. He hands it to Greg. GREG (CONT'D) What's this? MAN In your entire life, you've never seen this much money. INSERT: An envelope stuffed with hundred dollar bills. GREG Where'd you get this? The Man takes a good look at Greg. MAN Honestly? I don't know. I woke up a couple hours ago and I can't remember shit. But, I got this horrible feeling someone wants me dead. Greg hands the money back to the Man and backs away. GREG You're going to kill me, aren't you? MAN Well ... yeah ... I am. MAN (CONT'D) What's the matter? GREG I don't wanna die. MAN Considering what I know of you, Greg, this comes as quite a surprise. GREG I'll give you a ride, I'll help you get away, maybe we can trade places like you suggested. The Man walks toward Greg with the Beretta in his hand. MAN Did I suggest that? Damn, I'm smart. Greg grabs the barrel of the gun. They struggle. The Man's hand is on the trigger, but he doesn't shoot. Finally the Man jerks the gun from Greg's grasp and backhands him with it. Blood runs from a cut above Greg's left eye, as he slumps to his knees on the desert road. On the verge of passing out, Greg looks up at the Man. GREG (strained) Please ... no! The Man gently pushes Greg's shoulder and Greg falls back in a slump. LATER. The Jeep Cherokee sits on the side of a dirt road with both doors open in the heat. In the bg we can HEAR the GRUNTS of someone hard at work. CAMERA FOLLOWS a path down from the road to an arroyo. From the top of the arroyo we can see what must be Greg in his overalls busy with something. CUT TO: EXT. ARROYO - DAY The Man, dressed now in Greg's overalls, pulls Greg to a sitting position and sticks Greg's arm through the arm hole of the jacket. He talks to Greg as he puts the jacket on him. MAN Carbon monoxide don't work, ya see, cause I need time. We look a little alike, I'll give ya that, but to buy enough time, I got to shoot ya in the face. I'm sorry, that's the way it is. The Man looks over in the arroyo. There lying beside the other dress clothes is the shoulder holster and the Beretta. MAN (CONT'D) Shit! The Man pulls the coat off Greg. He grabs the shoulder holster and straps it on Greg. MAN (CONT'D) If I'm gonna shoot myself I got to be wearing the gun, right? He slips the jacket back on Greg, then grabs the pants. The Man pulls a bandanna from the back pocket of the overalls. He wipes the sweat from his face. The Man pulls the bandanna away from his face in disgust. The bandanna is caked in snot and boogers. He throws the bandanna away and starts wiping his face with his hands. CLOSE ON Greg's eye lids as they flutter, or is there a breeze blowing through the arroyo? The Man grabs the suit pants and starts trying to pull them over the shoes on Greg's feet. MAN (CONT'D) It's gonna feel good when you commit suicide. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT - DAY We're back up with the Jeep Cherokee. SINGLE PISTOL SHOT and the SOUND OF SOMEONE SCRAMBLING up the path. Greg tops the arroyo's edge, pulling up the pants and trying to run at the same time. He's got the Beretta in his hand. He makes it to the Jeep and he's PANTING WILDLY. He takes one look at the gun, one look back toward the arroyo and he YELLS at the TOP OF HIS LUNGS and FIRES the BERETTA TWICE into the air. He jumps in the Jeep, STARTS IT UP, and SCRATCHES OUT, rocks and sand spinning from the tires as he heads out toward the highway. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - DAY Greg is coughing as the exhaust pours into the Jeep through the garden hose that remains taped into the broken vent window. Greg rips off the duct tape and pushes the hose out the window. CUT TO: EXT. MAIN HIGHWAY - DAY The Jeep Cherokee turning wildly onto the main road, SKIDDING a little, then barreling on down the highway, the garden hose trailing from the tail pipe. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - DAY Greg is touching the gash over his left eye. He winces in pain. He reaches up and takes the map off the dash. INSERT: There in red highlighter the way is marked. CUT TO: EXT. PARKING LOT, VISION QUEST SIGHT - DAY ESTABLISHING SHOTS of the parking area that is mostly pine boughs on dirt. Eight to ten other vehicles of various descriptions are parked there. Above the parking facilities and at the base of a mountain is the cabin. Cabin is a misnomer for a fairly palatial log structure that looks more like a hotel. CAMERA MOVES BACK to reveal the Jeep Cherokee raising a dust cloud and coming up the long dirt road that extends from the highway. Jeep pulls up and parks. CUT TO: INT. JEEP CHEROKEE - DAY Greg sits there for a moment without moving. The only SOUND is the AIR CONDITIONING in the Jeep. Greg's hand reaches up to the steering column and turns off the ignition. Greg pulls the Beretta Model 92F from the shoulder holster and lays it on his lap. CAMERA FOLLOWS a trickle of sweat that rolls down his temple and past the corner of his twitching mouth. CAMERA MOVES BACK to reveal Greg hefting the gun in his hand and smiling. He reads the name of the gun out loud. GREG Beretta. 007, license to seriously fuck-you-up! He starts to HUM what he thinks might be the theme of one of the James Bond movies. He STOPS HUMMING. GREG (CONT'D) Shirley Bassey, where are you when we need you? He pops the clip out of the Beretta. Checking the pockets of the coat he finds additional shells which he slides into the clip. He slams the clip back in. There's a TAPPING ON THE WINDOW. Greg bobbles the Beretta as he simultaneously juggles with it and tries to hide it. CUT TO: EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY JONATHAN WINKS-A-LOT, 60's, Native America, dressed in Chinos, work shirt and straw cowboy hat stands right outside Greg's window. Jonathan's looking off in the distance. The Jeep's window is rolled down. Greg looks at Jonathan who is still busy looking off in the distance as he says-- JONATHAN You're gonna miss the Pipe Ceremony if ya don't hurry up. GREG Pipe Ceremony? Looking at Greg, Jonathan steps back away from the Jeep like he's seen a ghost. Greg gets out of his Jeep and opens the back door. GREG (CONT'D) Are you an Indian? JONATHAN You know who I am. GREG Refresh my memory. JONATHAN I'm Jonathan Winks-a-lot, the only one up here that don't hafta play at being Indian. GREG Will you be doing the Pipe Ceremony? JONATHAN No, Harvey's Main Wind, Miss Suzanne does that, but you know that, too. Greg turns to Jonathan as Jonathan walks off toward the mountain. GREG What's a Wind? Jonathan turns on the path. JONATHAN I like the act, it's pretty faultless, and the Jeep's a good touch, but don't ya think ya shoulda changed clothes? Greg looks down at the suit and brushes some of the dust off. GREG I had car trouble. Jonathan turns and looks at the Jeep with the twenty feet of garden hose trailing behind it. JONATHAN (more to himself) White Man's crazy, always has been, always will be. CUT TO: EXT. CABIN PORCH - DAY Greg aggressively takes the steps that lead to the porch. Once on the porch, he touches the bulge in his jacket where the Beretta lies sleeping. He looks around as if there might be someone up here that needs killing. GREG Name's Bond, James Bond. He reaches down and opens the door. CUT TO: INT. MAIN CABIN - DAY Greg comes in and shuts the door quietly behind him. In the bg, SOME CEREMONIAL MUMBLING. Greg walks through the vestibule to the main room and peeks in. CUT TO: INT. MAIN ROOM, CABIN - DAY ESTABLISHING SHOT of the Pipe Ceremony. The main room is a long rectangle. About 8-10 men and women are sitting on the floor in front of the large fireplace at the far end. SUZANNE, late thirties(?), knock-out figure on the verge of going over-the-hill, stands with a red clay and wooden pipe extended out in front of her. Suzanne sees Greg, smiles, and nods in his direction. Greg smiles back, then checks to see if there's someone behind him. Suzanne extends the pipe over her head as she speaks to those in the sacred circle. SUZANNE There are two sacred laws. Everything is born of woman and... CLOSE ON GREG as this line sinks in deep. SUZANNE(O.S.) (CONT'D) Do nothing to harm the children. CUT TO: EXT. CEMETERY (FLASHBACK) - DAY The Texas prairie rolls out like a giant tawny carpet. Two black holes have been punched in the flatness and two small coffins are poised over these holes. A Woman, mid-thirties, dressed in black, surrounded by family is WEEPING openly. Standing off from her, almost by himself, is Greg Allen. Greg is not crying. CUT TO: INT. MAIN ROOM, CABIN (BACK TO PRESENT) - DAY The people are milling about, CHATTING, greeting one another. Suzanne moves through the crowd, making her way to Greg. Greg seems a bit in the ozone. Suzanne extends her hand to Greg. SUZANNE Hi, I'm Suzanne. He takes her hand and she whisks him off to a side room, behind a blanketed doorway. CUT TO: INT. SMALL ROOM - DAY Light filters in through several windows, but the room seems filled with smoke. SUZANNE (urgent) What are you doing here!? GREG Huh!? SUZANNE I don't know what game you're running, but it's dangerous, dangerous for all of us! Greg's grasping for some meaning here. GREG I don't know ... I don't know what you're talking about! Suzanne kisses him, her tongue running in and out of his mouth. She breaks as violently from the kiss as she began. Greg stands there his mouth still raw and open. SUZANNE Where's the money? GREG Money? Suzanne starts going through Greg's pockets. SUZANNE Don't tell me you lost the money. Greg shrugs. GREG I think I killed a man. She pats him on the shoulder as she leads him out of the small room. SUZANNE (sarcasm) That's good. That's real good. CUT TO: EXT. THE DESERT (HELICOPTER SHOT) - SUNDOWN Off in the west there is a spectacular show of colors, clouds and lightning. RUMBLING THUNDER in the bg. We're flying low over the desert. To our left is the main highway and behind us the cabin and mountain can be seen. Quickly now, speed-o-light, we're hovering over the arroyo where the Man dressed in Greg's overalls lies spread eagle on his stomach. To the North more thunderheads and LOUD THUNDER roiling in. CUT TO: EXT. ARROYO - SUNSET The Man is lying on his stomach. He MOANS and rolls over. The small entry wound in his left cheek is surrounded by the blue/black discoloration of powder burns. In his right cheek, the exit wound, is blown out in a much larger, ragged hole. Blood has discolored the sand beneath where his face has been. CLOSE UP of the Man's face as his eyes roll back and forth beneath his eyelids as we-- CUT TO: INT. MAIN CABIN (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT The Man, dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt is moving quickly through the hallway of the Main Cabin. There's panic in his face. He's opening doors, turning on lights and looking into each room he comes to. About half-way down the hall, he comes to a door that's locked. He looks down. The light is already on in this room. He gets down on the floor and looks under the door. MAN (to himself) My God! He starts to get up, but before he can a boot connects with the left side of his face. Everything goes black. CUT TO: EXT. MAIN CABIN - NIGHT The SOUNDS OF BEING DRAGGED. The Man is being dragged down the front steps of the Cabin in the moonlight and through the parking lot. CLOSE UP of his eyes as they open momentarily. MAN'S POV as a big, bald man pulls him along through the parking lot. CUT TO: EXT. ARROYO (BACK TO PRESENT) - SUNDOWN CLOSE ON the Man as his eyes open and he seems to be coming back to himself. LOW ROAR in the bg. Man squints his eyes as he tries to decide what he's hearing. LOW ROAR GROWING LOUDER. A moment of recognition on the Man's face as he tries desperately to get up. ROAR GROWING LOUDER. Man looks up the arroyo. A wall of water carrying with it massive amounts of desert debris is roaring toward him. He's swept away by the wall of water. CUT TO: INT. CABIN KITCHEN - NIGHT Greg sits at the kitchen table. Suzanne sets a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. SUZANNE Do you remember anything, anything at all? Greg takes the cup of coffee away from his lips without taking a sip. GREG I remember waking up in the desert. This man is dressing me and talking about killing me. I think ... I killed him. SUZANNE What did he look like? GREG I couldn't see his face. SUZANNE You think he took the money? GREG How much money did I have? SUZANNE How should I know? Suzanne sits down with her cup of coffee. GREG I looked at the Map in the Jeep. I guess it's his Jeep and I drove straight here. Suzanne smiles. SUZANNE Is this some kind of self-defense thing you're working on? Greg jumps, spilling his coffee. GREG It was self-defense. He was going to kill me. Suzanne is up and at the sink. She returns with a sponge, wiping up the coffee. SUZANNE Take it easy, Greg. Greg looks at her. GREG Is that my name, Greg? She takes his head in her arms and cuddles it. SUZANNE We'd better carry through what you've started. GREG What did I start? SUZANNE You've got to go up on the mountain with the others. Greg gets up, goes to the window and looks up at the mountain. LONG SHOT through the window of various lights making their way up the mountain. GREG(O.S.) What the hell are they doing up there? Suzanne joins Greg at the window. She looks up at Greg as he looks up at the mountain. SUZANNE Looking for answers no one has. Playing Indian. Who cares? The bottom line is we don't supply 'em with one God damned thing 'cept a mountain and little mumbo-jumbo and for that, they pay $1000 a piece. Greg looks at Suzanne. GREG I'm not going up there. He turns around and she holds him. CUT TO: EXT. EDGE OF THE ARROYO - NIGHT The water that surged through the arroyo is gone as quickly as it arrived. SPUTTERING NOISE. At the edge of the arroyo, among the debris, an arm reaches out. The Man emerges from the tangle of branches and trash. He COUGHS A WATERY COUGH, then THROWS-UP. He pulls himself to the top of the arroyo, it's painful and slow. At the top of the arroyo, the Man stands, but then collapses beside the dirt road. CUT TO: EXT. SUBURBAN HOME, WILDORADO, TEXAS - DAY ESTABLISHING SHOTS as we get a look at the neighborhood. It's not exactly the richest neighborhood in town, but it's by no means the slums. The people who live here incur a lot of bills and pay most of them. Meg Allen, dressed in shorts and a tank top, kneels beside one of the blooming rose bushes that line her driveway. She scoops some iron filings from a small bucket and sprinkles them into the soil around the rose bush. Then, taking her hand spade she turns them into the soil. In the bg, a car pulls up and stops at the curb in front of Meg's house. Meg looks up and with her gloved hand she wipes the sweat from her brow. CUT TO: INT. COUNTY VEHICLE - DAY CLOSE ON a pile of papers that lay on the passenger's side of the car. The floor of the car is littered with candy bar wrappers. A hand enters the frame and carelessly shuffles through the files that lay there. ROGER WESTLIN, late-thirties, mostly clean shaven, except for patches of beard that he's missed, sits behind the wheel looking through the papers. Roger wears a cheap suit and the collar of his 50% cotton, 50% polyester shirt is way to big for him - serious case of chicken neck. The look on his face indicates that he's found the file he's looking for. INSERT. A file marked GREG RUSSELL ALLEN. CLOSE ON an air-conditioning vent in the county car as Roger's hand goes to it and points it more in his direction. His hand feels the air that coming from the vent. Roger rolls the window down and cuts off the car. Roger looks at Meg standing there watching the car. CUT TO: EXT. SUBURBAN HOME, WILDORADO, TEXAS - DAY CLOSE ON Meg as she shields her eyes from the sun. ROGER(O.S.) Mrs. Allen? MEG Yes. ROGER Is your husband at home? MEG Who are you? Roger reaches into his back pocket and pulls out an old, scarred wallet. He flips the wallet open, there some sort of badge pinned on the inside. He flips it closed just as fast. ROGER I'm Roger Westlin, parole officer for Oldham county. She turns to the roses that are in full bloom along the driveway. MEG (re: roses) They're beautiful, aren't they? Roger looks at the roses. ROGER Roses, yeah, nice. MEG I won't use them for his funeral. She reaches out and gently touches one of the blossoms. MEG (CONT'D) They weren't blooming when the children died. I would have used them, then, but not now. She looks directly at Roger. MEG (CONT'D) He can't have everything, can he? Roger tilts his head to the side. ROGER Do you know something I don't know? Meg looks Roger Westlin up and down. MEG More than likely, yes. CUT TO: INT. SUBURBAN HOME, WILDORADO, TEXAS - DAY MOVING SHOT as we travel through the vestibule, living room and back into the den. In front of us walk Meg Allen, followed by Roger Westlin. CLOSE ON one picture as we pass. It's one of those big frames with all the sections cut out so that it holds at least twenty different shots. All the photos are of two toe-headed children in various stages of being babies to the ripe old ages of four and eight - both of them boys. CUT TO: INT. SUBURBAN HOME, DEN AREA - DAY Through the louvered windows, off to one side, we can see a grape arbor covering a patio. The sun makes patterns on the windows and the Mexican tiles that cover the patio. Meg sits on the love seat by the empty fireplace. Roger takes a seat on a black sofa. MEG Would you like something to drink? Iced tea? A beer? Roger's looking above the sofa. There's a shrine to Greg Allen above him. Pictures of Greg from the time he was a boy, through his college years, right through two tours of duty in Vietnam, his medals(Bronze Star, Purple Heart, "Airborne" patch, etc) all nicely framed, then pictures of he and the boys together. MEG (CONT'D) Mr. Westlin? Roger comes back to himself. ROGER Tea, please. Meg walks around the corner to the kitchen. We can HEAR the REFRIGERATOR DOOR OPEN. Roger stands and takes in the Greg Allen shrine, especially the pictures of Greg in Vietnam. ROGER (CONT'D) Your husband was quite a hero, wasn't he? Meg answers from the kitchen. MEG(O.S.) Is quite a hero, Mr. Westlin, is. Roger makes a face and mimics her saying to himself, "Is quite a hero, is." Roger goes to the windows. A rototiller sits in a rather large, partially tilled, area. Meg enters, a beer in one hand and a glass of tea in the other. Roger points to the freshly turned soil. ROGER Future roses? MEG Yes, future roses. Roger takes the iced tea and downs half of it, then sits. MEG (CONT'D) The accident took us all by surprise, but it doesn't change anything. I mean, it changes everything, but that's the same as changing nothing, isn't it? She smiles wanly and takes a slug from her beer. Roger seems confused. ROGER Your husband's been like clock work with his visits to me every week. Never protested a single time when I made him pee in a bottle and now, out of the blue, he's gone. MEG I know. ROGER And you're not worried. MEG Of course I'm worried, Mr. Westlin. Why would I think he was dead, if I wasn't worried. Gregory does things as only Gregory can do them. He'd started studying alternate pathways of understanding reality-- ROGER Drugs!? MEG No, not drugs. He became interested in the nearly 200 Native American cultures that flourished in this country before we showed up. ROGER And? She takes a long pull from her beer. When she pulls the can away, there's a fine little foam circle on her upper lip. MEG And he thought he'd found a way out. ROGER Out of what? MEG Surely, with that file in your hand, you don't have to ask obvious questions, do you? ROGER So why think he's dead? MEG You don't really know Gregory, do you? Of course not. He was, and perhaps, still is, one of those people who have the ability to begin again, wholeheartedly, in any direction. It's just ... after the ... ah ... accident, it seemed like there were few directions left that didn't include a whole bunch of painful memories. He thought he'd found a way-- ROGER Did he tell you where he was going? MEG No, he didn't. Roger stands. ROGER If he's left the state of Texas, he's in violation of his parole. MEG He's not really a criminal, you know? ROGER He broke the law, a jury found him guilty. Due to the delicate and personal nature of the crime, and your loss, he was paroled. MEG Do you have any children, Mr. Westlin? ROGER I'm not married. He could go to jail ya know? Meg smiles at the corners of her mouth. MEG I don't think that concerns him, Mr. Westlin. Roger looks at her with a hard look. ROGER It should. Huntsville's no joking matter. She smiles big. MEG He has a get-out-of-jail-free card. ROGER Beg pardon? MEG You see, if it doesn't work, this other path, I'm quite certain he'll kill himself. CUT TO: INT. OLD PICK UP - MORNING A MEXICAN, late 20's, is driving along a dirt road. He's SINGING some TEJANO FAVORITE. He STOPS SINGING, and puts the brakes on. The Mexican looks up the road. There, lying beside the dirt road, is a man. He looks dead. MEXICAN (under his breath) Madre de Dios! CUT TO: EXT. DIRT ROAD, DESERT - MORNING The truck moves slowly up beside the body of the Man. The truck comes to a stop beside the body. The passenger door opens. CUT TO: INT. OLD PICK UP - MORNING The Mexican leans from the driver's seat and pokes the Man with an aluminum baseball bat. The Man simply lies there without moving. The Mexican pushes on the Man's body one more time. MEXICAN Esta morte, si? CUT TO: EXT DIRT ROAD, DESERT - MORNING The Mexican slams the door. The Man's right hand twitches, and claws at the dirt. MAN'S POV as the truck pulls away throwing dirt on him. CUT TO: INT. OLD PICK UP - MORNING The Mexican tries to get back into his SONG, but this time his WHISTLING is ALL AIR. He looks up into the rear view mirror. INSERT. The Man has raised his head and is crawling after the truck. The Mexican SLAMS ON THE BRAKES and crosses himself. CUT TO: EXT. DIRT ROAD, DESERT - LATE MORNING SOME TIME LATER. A Life Flight Helicopter has the Man strapped onto one of the pontoon gurneys. Off to the side a HIGHWAY PATROLMAN, early 30's, Hispanic, muscle man, is talking to the Mexican. Everyone grabs for his hat as the Life Flight Helicopter's rotary wings kick up the desert sand. CUT TO: INT. CABIN BEDROOM - MORNING Greg lies sleeping on his stomach with only the sheet partially covering his naked body. The morning light filters in through the gauze curtains giving the room a soft, sexy feel. The bathroom door opens. Suzanne steps from the bathroom naked, drying her hair. She wraps the big towel around her and walks over to the bed. She sits on the bed next to Greg. He MOANS. SUZANNE Ough, I like the sound of that. Greg reaches up and puts his hand between her legs. She grabs his hand. SUZANNE (CONT'D) Your gauge has got to be on full after last night. I know mine is. Greg rolls over and grabs her around the waist. GREG That's the great thing about amnesia, everyone's a different person, even me. She moves to the chest of drawers, pulling on some under pants underneath the towel. SUZANNE You were weird before, but now, Jesus, you're out there. Greg up on one elbow. GREG I've done something bad, haven't I? SUZANNE Define "bad". He sits up and touches his chest. GREG I feel it here. She turns on him and shoots this at him with some venom. SUZANNE Well, I guess you'll just have to raise the dead and give back all that money you supposedly lost! CLOSE ON Greg as he looks at her in earnest. GREG Look, if I don't remember, I don't remember. There's no sense in trying to make me feel like I'm pretending not to remember. Suzanne pulls on a pair of jeans and whips the towel off. Rummaging through a drawer she pulls out a white t-shirt and pulls it over her head. She comes over and sits down on the bed beside him. SUZANNE Harvey didn't trust you from the beginning, and me, well hell, Harvey was older and not nearly as cute. Okay, I fell for you, but then you started snooping around. Harvey kicked the shit out of you and the next morning he left with all the money. First time in his life he felt it was time to trust a bank. 'Cept he never made it to the bank. Never made it to town. I suspect he never made it off this ranch. But what I can't figure, what puzzles me beyond belief, is you coming back here. Greg shrugs. GREG You lost me. Suzanne has a tear rolling down one cheek. SUZANNE Yeah, well, you lost me, too. It was good last night, though, wasn't it? GREG The best I can remember. SUZANNE (heavy sarcasm) That says a lot. The SOUND OF CARS SCREECHING TO A HALT outside in the parking lot. Suzanne pulls the curtain aside revealing the scene out there to Greg. There are several County Sheriff cars with dust clouds roiling around them. Sheriff Deputies with their weapons drawn are approaching the house. In the back of one of the cars sits Jonathan Winks-a-lot with his hands cuffed behind him. The bedroom door BURSTS OPEN as SHERIFF LOWELL NEWLAND, 30, skinny with the complexion of pistachio ice cream, enters. Sheriff Newland is flanked by armed Deputies with their weapons drawn. SHERIFF NEWLAND Gregory Blanes, a.k.a., Gregory Barnes, a.k.a., Blake Gregores, a.k.a. God knows what, you're under arrest for the murder of one, Harvey Trotting Horse. Sheriff Newland turns to Suzanne. SHERIFF NEWLAND (CONT'D) They found the body over by Arroyo Secco in Greenlee County. Floods last night must have washed him into Arizona. Not a stitch on him, no money, his face was cut off! Suzanne LETS OUT A MEWLING SOUND. SHERIFF NEWLAND (CONT'D) Sorry. He turns his attention back to Greg. SHERIFF NEWLAND (CONT'D) You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a lawyer of your choice, if you can't afford one, one will be appointed to you by the County. Do you have any questions? Greg's being cuffed buck-ass naked by the Deputies. GREG Can I put on some pants?! CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S CAR - DAY Jonathan Winks-a-lot is sitting there quietly, when he sees something. He WHISTLES LOW. JONATHAN Oh boy! The door is jerked open, Greg, naked, is pushed into the back seat and the door is slammed. Greg and Jonathan sitting there both of them looking straight ahead. JONATHAN (CONT'D) All dressed up and no place to go, huh? CUT TO: INT. LATE MODEL VOLVO - DAY Meg Allen downshifts into third and ZOOMS around slower traffic. Someone BLOWS A HORN at her, but she merely grimaces and whips the car back into the next available slot. From the traffic she's passing, she is not going the speed limit. SIREN in the bg. Meg looks into her rear view mirror. INSERT. The red lights of the authorities flashing back there. Meg slows down. MEG (under her breath) Shit! A county vehicle moves up beside her in the outside lane. The SIREN STILL BLARING, and the light flashing. Without looking over, Meg starts to pull over. HORN BLOWS a friendly, "SHAVE & A HAIRCUT" from the county vehicle. Meg looks over. There sits Roger Westlin in his county car. The portable light thrown on top. He's all smiles. He signals her to follow him. Roger WHOOPS HIS SIREN and shoots out in front of her. Meg grabs the wheel and stomps on the gas. CUT TO: EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY Meg is making her through the parking lot like a drill instructor. Roger walk/runs up beside her. She looks at him, but does not smile. ROGER We cut through that bit of lunch hour shit, didn't we?! Meg does not turn to talk to him, but keeps heading across the parking. MEG Mr. Westlin, if you're looking for a thank you, then thank you, but really I've got other things on my mind right now. ROGER I don't need your permission to see him, you know? She steps in front of Roger. He has to step to one side to keep from running into her. She's right in his face. MEG Where's your compassion, Mr. Westlin? Huh, where is it? Roger looks away from Meg Allen. ROGER You think I enjoy this? MEG Yes, I do. She walks through the Hospital doors and they fly back and almost knock Roger Westlin down. CUT TO: INT. WILDORADO HOSPITAL - DAY Roger yapping behind her like some mongrel dog. ROGER Well, I don't enjoy, no ma'am, I don't, but someone has to speak for those innocent boys and when the parents are the cause of great harm, sometimes it's only the State that can speak for them. CUT TO: INT. ELEVATOR BAYS - DAY Meg pushes the up button. MEG (whispering) If you think that for one minute this man has stopped hearing his son's screams, then you're a bit crazier that I first thought you were. DING of ELEVATOR BELL. Elevator doors open and they step in. Others gathered around also crowd on. Meg is crowded back into the rear of the elevator with Roger right beside her shoulder to shoulder. ROGER (whispering) Just because he tried to kill himself, doesn't mean that the State's phase of punishment is over. A man next to Meg looks her way. Meg gives Roger a look that would kill a more conscious human being. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY The DOCTOR, early 50's, trim build with a full moustache, stands looking at the Man's chart. The Man is lying back in a partial sitting position in the bed. His face is entirely bandaged by gauze bandages. There's only eye slits and a slit for the mouth. The door to the room opens. MAN (raspy voice) Hey, Doc, look! The Doctor turns toward the door. Meg Allen and Roger Westlin are standing there. MAN(O.S.) (CONT'D) (raspy voice) It's Claude Rains meets Ward and June Cleaver. CUT TO: EXT. LUNA, NEW MEXICO - DAY Luna is just west of the Continental Divide and at the tail end of the Colorado Plateau. It looks dried up and ready to blow away. ESTABLISHING SHOT of the town square which is nothing more than a dry well surrounded by flat stones and dust. LONG PAN of all the glaringly white/adobe houses that surround the square. Everything lifeless in the noonday heat. A scrawny dog moves its tail end out of the sun and back into the ever decreasing shade. The dog is lying beside the Jail. Several Deputies cars are parked out front. INSERT. Sign above the wooden door that reads, Luna Jail, below that it reads, Sheriff Lowell Newland. CUT TO: INT. LUNA JAIL - DAY A deputy sits at the main desk and appears to be reading a magazine. Another Deputy is lying on a long bench asleep. CAMERA MOVES TOWARD a wooden door with no windows in it. CAMERA GOES THROUGH that door as we-- CUT TO: INT. JAIL CELLS - DAY Down a long windowless corridor that spills into the cell area. There are three cells. There are no walls between these cells, merely bars that separate the large room into three equal spaces. The first one is empty. The second one is occupied by Greg Allen who is lying on the bunk with his forearm over his eyes. Greg is now dressed in what looks like a Deputy's uniform without the insignia. In the third cell sitting on his bed is Jonathan Winks-a- lot, dressed in the same manner. Greg moves his arm off his eyes, and glances in the direction of the Indian. Greg up now on one elbow. GREG You know I'm not him, don't ya?! JONATHAN Sure, I'd have to be blind, or a white man, not to know. GREG You got to tell them, you've got to clear this thing up for me. JONATHAN This thing you need clearin' up is the only thing you got goin' for you. GREG They've arrested me for murder! JONATHAN The important thing is you got out of that place. The only visions quested there were greed and death. Greg looks at him distractedly. Jonathan moves closer to the bars that separate them and WHISPERS. JONATHAN (CONT'D) There is someone who can help you. Greg moves a little closer to the bars. JONATHAN (CONT'D) My grandfather. GREG Does he live around here? JONATHAN (CONT'D) He don't live anywhere any more, cause he's dead. Greg looks at Jonathan like he's crazy. GREG Your dead grandfather's going to help me? JONATHAN If I call him, he'll help. Greg lays back down and puts his arm over his eyes. GREG (laughing to himself) That's great! Great! You call him here, okay? Then there'll be three of us to figure this thing out; one with amnesia, one that's crazy and one that's dead. Jonathan leans even closer to the bars. JONATHAN There's only one problem. Greg's LAUGHTER GOES BALLISTIC. GREG (through the laughter) Only one!? Jonathan looks at Greg strangely, but continues. JONATHAN He can't come during the day. It upsets people when they see him walking through walls. Greg stops laughing and looks seriously at Jonathan. GREG Then, you set it up for him to come at night okay, with all the other ghosts and goblins. Jonathan is serious. JONATHAN Maybe he'll bring some of the others, but I doubt it. Greg snorts another laugh as he lays down and rolls away from Jonathan. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY A large AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE, late 20's, shaved head, is pushing the Man down the hallway. The Man still has the bandages on his face. A feminine hand comes into the frame and rests on the Man's shoulder. The Man reaches up and pats the hand gently. Meg Allen walks briskly alongside the wheelchair. MEG It's me that's getting you out of here. I hope you know that. The Doctors wanted to keep you until your face had healed, but I told them, "How is he supposed to remember who he is, if you keep him isolated from everything that he is." They didn't have an argument for that one. CUT TO: EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY Meg has taken off into the parking lot t FADE IN: The Man sits watching her walk off. AFRICAN AMERICAN You're a lucky man, yes sir, a lucky man! Um ummm! She's a fine looking woman, yes she is. The Man's head tilts like a dog that doesn't quite understand what it's hearing. The Man starts to stand up. The African American's hand comes down on the Man's shoulder. AFRICAN AMERICAN (CONT'D) You got to sit here nice until your ride comes, man, them's the rules. EXTREME CLOSE UP of the African American's hand as the Man's hand grabs it and twists. CUT TO: INT. LATE MODEL VOLVO - DAY Meg is driving up to the Hospital entrance. She downshifts the Swedish car and applies the brakes. Meg's expression goes to one of puzzlement. CUT TO: EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY The Man is standing behind the wheelchair where the African American is slumped and unconscious. The Man gets in and closes the car door. CUT TO: INT. LATE MODEL VOLVO - DAY Meg sits there not driving away from the curb. MEG What happened? The Man points straight ahead. MAN (raspy voice) Drive. CUT TO: EXT. INTERSTATE 40 OUTSIDE OF WILDORADO, TEXAS - DAY Establishing shots of the two of them sitting in the car as they speed along the Interstate. CUT TO: INT. LATE MODEL VOLVO - DAY Meg looks over at the Man. MEG I wish you would talk to me. The Man turns slowly and looks at her. She looks away. MAN (raspy voice) Somewhere out in the desert near the New Mexico, Arizona border, some sonabitch tried to blow my head off. MEG Darling, they think the Mexicans might have taken your Jeep, but the wound looks self-inflicted. MAN (raspy voice) Where's my stuff? MEG It's there in the back. Man pulls the gym bag up front. He's rifling around inside the bag. MAN (raspy voice) Where's the gun, huh? If I tried to kill myself, how did I get rid of the gun? MEG They think the Mexicans must have taken that, too. The Man pulls a brown envelope from the bag and wags it in the air in front if him. MAN The Mexicans took my Jeep, they took my gun, but lookie here, those stupid spicks forgot the hundred thousand bucks! SCREECH OF TIRES. CUT TO: INT. VOLVO, SIDE OF THE ROAD - DAY Megan sits there with the money spread out over her lap. She's smiling. She looks up at the Man. MAN (raspy voice) Don't ask me where I got it. I don't know. I don't know you. I don't know me. All I know is some son of a bitch tried to kill me. Meg's hand caresses the Man's leg. The Man reaches down and gently takes her hand. MEG That would explain the missing Jeep. MAN (raspy voice) You're damned right it would explain it! MEG But how do you remember having the money, if you don't remember anything else? MAN (raspy voice) Who are you, Perry Mason? I remember what I remember. I rest my case. CUT TO: EXT. VISION QUEST SIGHT - AFTERNOON ESTABLISHING SHOTS. The main cabin with Suzanne sitting on the front porch reading in the dying light. The parking lot with ten to twelve cars parked in it. The mountain behind the house where various fires curl their lazy smoke skyward. Suzanne looks up from her book.(She's reading Carrie Fisher's Surrender the Pink.) She looks off down toward the main highway. A rooster-tail of dust is being thrown into the desert sky. Suzanne puts her book down and walks down off the porch into the parking lot. CUT TO: EXT. PARKING LOT ENTRANCE, BY THE DIRT ROAD - DAY Suzanne comes to a stop and waits there. TIRES ON GRAVEL/DIRT SOUND in the bg. The Sheriff's car as it comes barreling toward her. Suzanne stands there not moving. Sheriff's car comes skidding to a stop right beside her. SOUND OF INSIDE LOCKS BEING RELEASED. Suzanne gets in. CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF NEWLAND'S CAR - DAY Sheriff Lowell Newland sits there grinning. SUZANNE(O.S.) What the hell are you doing here!? The smile disappears from the Sheriff's face. SHERIFF (babbling) I got ... reasons ... a crime's been committed ... it's not like-- Suzanne gives him one of her killer looks. SUZANNE Shut-up! The Sheriff looks down at the floor of the vehicle. SUZANNE (CONT'D) This is a difficult period, Lowell. Many things are happening at the same time. The important thing is you've arrested the man that killed Harvey. SHERIFF When you planning on having the funeral. SUZANNE Won't be any funeral. Sheriff Newland reacts. SUZANNE (CONT'D) You know Harvey was quarter Sioux. We'll put him up on a burial rack and let the animals and nature do the rest. SHERIFF That's good! That's real good. SUZANNE You can count on our continued support in the next election if certain things happen like they're supposed to. Certain things are still going to happen, aren't they? SHERIFF I'm scared, Suzanne-- Suzanne opens her door. SUZANNE That's good. Scared is not a bad way to be right now, Lowell. She smiles a winning smile, then gets out and closes the door. CUT TO: INT. MEGAN'S DINING ROOM - EVENING The Man is seated at the head of a table that seats six. Steaming pots of vegetables and potatoes are already on the table. Meg looks through the small round porthole that separates the dining room from the kitchen. She sticks her head into the dining room. MEG Supper'll be ready in about five minutes. She disappears back into the kitchen. The Man gets up and wanders over toward the living room. CUT TO: INT. MEGAN'S LIVING ROOM - EVENING The Man is picking up various knickknacks and looking at them, placing them gently back in their spots. CUT TO: INT. MEGAN'S HALLWAY - EVENING The Man turns on the hallway light. He walks slowly down the hallway. He stops at one point and examines the walls. There, on the walls, are squares and rectangles of discoloration, as if, pictures had, until recently, hung there. The Man outlines one of the rectangles with his finger. MEG(O.S.) Supper's ready! CUT TO: INT. MEGAN'S DINING ROOM - EVENING The kitchen door swings open as Meg comes through with two sizzling steaks on a platter. MEG I did them in the stove. I know how you like them charcoaled, but I didn't think you'd want to wait for the coals-- She places the biggest steak on his plate. MAN They're fine. I mean they look great. But I can't eat it. MEG Why not? You love steak! MAN I was shot in the mouth. It's gonna be a while before I can chew anything like that. MEG I knew that. What's wrong with me? I knew that! The Man reaches out and grabs her hand. MAN Bring your plate down here. He pats the table beside him. She retrieves her plate and walking back to him smiles a small smile. MAN (CONT'D) The lights hurt my eyes, do you mind? She's at the wall turning the rheostat down. MAN (CONT'D) Little lower ... lower ... a little lower. MEG We'll be eating in the dark. He pulls a zippo lighter out and lights the candle on the table. She reaches out and takes the lighter from him. MEG (CONT'D) Where did you get this? MAN When you gonna realize that every question you ask me is gonna get the same answer? Meg is holding the lighter and she turns it in her hand. MEG Did you start smoking again? MAN That I can answer. Not in recent memory, but I think, I'd love to. MEG I don't smoke. He digs into his vegetables. MAN Good for you. CUT TO: INT. LUNA JAIL CELLS - NIGHT Greg is still laid out on his cot. Jonathan is sitting up on his and he looks anxiously toward the door leading to where the Deputies are. The door opens. Sheriff Lowell Newland hauls an OLD INDIAN, 80's?, long braids down either side of his shoulders, into the room. The Indian's face is like a clown's as he croons, "HOME ON THE RANGE". OLD INDIAN "Hooommmme, hooommmme on the range, where the deeeeer and the antelope plaaaaay." Sheriff Newland simply unlocks the first cell and pushes the Old Indian in. SHERIFF Looks like it's a full house, boys! The Old Indian stumbles and falls onto his bunk and keeps singing. OLD INDIAN "Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skyyyyys are not cloudy all daaaaay!" Sheriff exits. Jonathan reaches through the bars and pokes Greg. JONATHAN We've got a visitor. Greg looks out from under his arm at Jonathan. Jonathan gestures toward the Old Indian. JONATHAN (CONT'D) Welcome. Greg turns to the Old Indian. There sits the Old Indian cross-legged on his bunk. He's no longer swaying and slurring his words. He sits there quietly then speaks these words. OLD INDIAN "Give me a home where the Buffalo roam." He pulls a bottle of muscatel out from under his big shirt and smiles at the two men. CUT TO: INT. MEG AND GREG ALLEN'S DINING ROOM - NIGHT She's about half way through her steak when she looks up at the Man. He's not eating. The Man gets up and moves over to behind Megan's chair. Megan looking up at him with an unsure smile on her face. He begins to massage her neck. She closes her eyes and her head rolls around easily on her shoulders. MEG You're not hungry? MAN Oh, I'm hungry, all right. CUT TO: INT. LUNA JAIL CELLS - NIGHT Greg is sitting up on his bunk and looking at the Old Indian. The Old Indian holds the nearly empty bottle of muscatel and takes a sip before passing it through to Greg. GREG (slurring a little) He sneaks a bottle into the jail. Hey, the man's a genius. Now what?! Did you stuff a couple sticks of dynamite up your ass, cause that's about the only way we're gonna get outta here. OLD INDIAN You might be right about the dynamite. The Old Indian lifts one cheek of his ass off the bunk and makes a face. FART SOUND. OLD INDIAN (CONT'D) False alarm. Jonathan CRACKS UP WITH LAUGHTER. At first Greg just sits there watching Jonathan laugh, then the Old Indian FARTS AGAIN and the Old Indian starts LAUGHING. Finally, Greg STARTS LAUGHING. Jonathan wipes the tears from his eyes. JONATHAN (re: Greg) Is he the one? OLD INDIAN He's the one. JONATHAN It doesn't look like him. OLD INDIAN It could, but it doesn't matter. He's the one. GREG Hey, you guys mind telling me what's going on? OLD INDIAN You look like someone I once knew, a long time ago. GREG Everybody says I look like somebody else. OLD INDIAN I think you are that person. GREG I never been this way before. OLD INDIAN It's not what I see here. He points to his eyes. OLD INDIAN (CONT'D) It's what I feel here. He touches his heart. OLD INDIAN (CONT'D) A long time ago, I had a dream about you and it came true. Now, I have another dream and here you are, ready to come true again. GREG You got me confused with this other fellow, same as the law. When they catch him, you'll have your man. JONATHAN Greg, this is the man I was telling you about. GREG Your grandfather? Jonathan nods. GREG (CONT'D) (starting to laugh) The dead man? JONATHAN The same. The Old Indian gets up from his bunk and does a little dance. GREG (laughing some more) What's your name, dead man? The Old Indian stops dancing and looks directly at Greg. OLD INDIAN Sitting Bull. Greg lets go with a peal of hysterical laughter as he stands up and extends his hand. GREG (through the laughter) Yeah, glad to meet ya, I'm General George Armstrong Custer. Sitting Bull pulls an old Colt 45 from beneath his loose shirt, COCKS IT and points it directly at Greg. SITTING BULL To be more precise, you are the reincarnation of General George Armstrong Custer. CUT TO: INT. MEG AND GREG ALLEN'S DINING ROOM - NIGHT One of the Man's hands goes beneath her blouse as the massage continues. The top button on her blouse pops off and bounces onto her plate. MEG This is my best blouse. He continues to massage as she puts up some resistance. MEG (CONT'D) I want you to stop. She starts to get up and he holds her down. MAN I don't wanna stop! She gets up and pushes him back away from her. She walks calmly to the edge of the dining room, then turns. He's after her as she rushes toward the hallway. CUT TO: INT. MEGAN'S HALLWAY - EVENING Megan makes it to the first room on the right, slams the door behind her. We hear a CLICK as the door locks. The Man is at the door twisting the doorknob back and forth. MAN Let me in. MEG(O.S.) Go away! MAN Let me in, or I'll break down the door! MEG(O.S.) You don't want to come in here, believe me. MAN I'm gonna count to three. MEG(O.S.) For your own good, stay out! MAN One-- MEG(O.S.) No-- MAN Two-- MEG Please-- MAN Three-- He shoulders the door and it easily pops open. CUT TO: INT. THE BOY'S ROOM - EVENING The room is in shadows. Megan stands at the far end near the windows. Light seeps in through the partially drawn curtains. The Man reaches up and flicks on the lights. Bunk beds along one wall. Toys placed strategically on the beds, along the floor. MAN What? He goes to the chest-of-drawers. There lies a stacks of framed photographs. INSERT. A photo of the boys, Bobby and Jordan with Megan and Greg. MAN (CONT'D) Whose kids are these? MEG Ours. MAN Where are they? Why aren't they here? Megan walks up beside the Man and puts her arm around him. MEG I'm going to the store and get you some cigarettes. CUT TO: INT. LUNA JAIL CELLS - NIGHT THE SAME NIGHT. THE SAME TIME. Greg stands there with the Old Indian, who's calling himself Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull still has the old Colt Revolver pointed at Greg's mid-section. GREG Okay, so you snuck a pistol and a bottle of booze into the jail! Greg smiles and takes another hit from the bottle. GREG (CONT'D) What are you going to do, sneak out by shooting the lock!? Old Indian UNCOCKS the pistol and put it back under his shirt. SITTING BULL Don't need to. He walks over and pushes his cell open. Greg and Jonathan go to their cell doors. They both look at each other, then push. BOTH DOORS OPEN! Greg pulls his cell door closed. GREG There's something wrong here! Jonathan steps from his cell. JONATHAN You'd better come along. Grandfather rarely makes a trip for nothing. GREG You go ahead. Nice to meet ya, grandad. The Old Indian enters Greg's cell. Greg is backing away from him. GREG (CONT'D) What do you want? What are you doing? SITTING BULL Let me see. First question. I don't want nothin'! It don't do no good wantin' anything when you're dead. Second question. I'm doing what needs to be done, in the order that it needs doing. Any other questions? GREG They're going to shoot us when we try to escape. Laughing, the Old Indian walks down the hallway toward the inner office door. SITTING BULL Come on, girls. GREG I'm not going anywhere. You guys are crazy! CLOSE ON Sitting Bull's hand as he reaches out and grabs the door to the outer office. His hand on the door knob. He turns the knob. LOUD CLUNKING SOUND as the door knob gives and Sitting Bull pulls the door open. Fog rolls in from the outer office, lots of fog. It crawls along the floor into the cells. Greg watches the fog rolling toward his bunk. He picks up his feet so that they don't touch the fog. GREG The place is on fire! Sitting Bull stands in the doorway to the outer office. SITTING BULL The past is a smoldering thing. What are you afraid of, white man!? CUT TO: INT. GREG'S CAR (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT ESTABLISHING SHOTS as we see the two boys in the car with Greg. It's RAINING HARD. Greg is wiping the windshield with his hand, then rubbing the moisture on his ragged face. Bobby looks at his father. BOBBY You okay, daddy? Greg looks over at the boy and smiles a silly smile. GREG Yeah, heck, I'm peachy, how about you? BOBBY I wanna go home, daddy. Jordan,in the car seat in the back, speaks up. JORDAN (chanting) Home, home, home, home, home-- CUT TO: INT. LUNA JAIL CELL (BACK TO PRESENT) - NIGHT Greg looks horror stricken. GREG I wanna go home. SITTING BULL You know where home is, white man? Jonathan opens Greg's cell. JONATHAN Come with us. GREG Are we going home? Jonathan over by Greg's bunk, extending his hand to him. JONATHAN Sure, if that's where you wanna be, that's where we'll go. Jonathan is leading Greg down the short hallway toward Sitting Bull. CUT TO: INT. OUTER OFFICE - NIGHT The room is filled with this heavy fog. The Deputies on duty are all asleep in different positions, either at their desks or laying on the floor. Sitting Bull, Jonathan and Greg come walking through the doorway. Sitting Bull and Jonathan are on either side of Greg. Greg smiles and looks around. GREG Cool dream. SITTING BULL It's all a dream, asshole! Sitting Bull stops by the front door. He turns to Greg and takes Greg's face in his hands and look directly into his eyes. SITTING BULL Outside this door, is the past. GREG Uh-huh. SITTING BULL The past is like a long road. GREG (asian accent) "The past is rike a wrong load, glasshopper." SITTING BULL People think you can't go back. Ordinarily you can't, but sometimes, you must ... go back ... explore ... see again what happened ... to try and understand. You ready? Greg smiles a big, goofy smile. GREG Lead the way, Bull Sitter! Sitting Bull shakes his head and opens the front door. There is a RUSH OF HOWLING WIND and as they fight this wind we-- CUT TO: EXT. OPEN HIGHWAY - NIGHT ESTABLISHING SHOTS as Sitting Bull, Greg and Jonathan find themselves along a deserted highway. Sitting Bull starts walking down the highway. It starts raining. Greg's expression changes as he looks around, then he catches up with Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull and Greg walk down the shoulder of the darkened highway. SITTING BULL There's something you should know. Greg moves closer to Sitting Bull so that he can hear over the DOWNPOUR OF RAIN. GREG Yeah? SITTING BULL We can't do anything about the past. We can't change anything. GREG Why? SITTING BULL Because we'll have to pay a price and there's no telling what that price might be. GREG Next thing ya know, I'll be running into myself somewhere in my past. Sitting Bull gives Greg a strange look. CLOSE ON Greg as he remembers-- CUT TO: INT. GREG'S CAR (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT Greg and the boys are speeding along on the rain-swept highway. BOBBY I'm thirsty, daddy. GREG Yeah, me, too. He points up ahead of the car. GREG (CONT'D) Well, lookie there! CAMERA SHOOT THROUGH the windshield to the bright, dancing neon light of a road house. CUT TO: EXT. RENDEZVOUS - NIGHT Cars are parked on a gravel parking lot. Some rowdy customers, dressed in cowboy clothes and cowboy hats run from the bar, through the pouring rain and yelling get into their pickups. Greg's car pulls into the lot, Greg's face lit by the dancing neon. CUT TO: INT. GREG'S CAR - NIGHT Greg turns to the boys. GREG I'm going to go inside and get you boys a coke-cola. Jordan chants. JORDAN Coke, coke, coke, coke, coke-- GREG I'll just be a second, okay. BOBBY I wanna go home. GREG Yeah, but you want something to drink, too, right? Well, am I right!? Bobby squirms in his seat. BOBBY Can't we go in with you? GREG No, it's the kind of place that doesn't let little boys in, just daddies. BOBBY Okay. Greg gets out and locks the door. CUT TO: EXT. RENDEZVOUS PARKING LOT - NIGHT Greg standing there in the rain. He's simply standing there like he's about to remember something important, but is getting soaking wet, then he walks inside. CUT TO: EXT. OPEN HIGHWAY (BACK TO PRESENT) - NIGHT Greg walks along the roadside, then suddenly stops. Sitting Bull and Jonathan continue to walk. Sitting Bull and Jonathan stop and turn around. Greg simply stands there staring. Greg seems horror stricken. Up ahead, through the blinding rain, are the dancing neon lights of the Rendezvous. Greg tries to run past the two men and they grab him. Sitting Bull and Jonathan are holding onto Greg as he struggles. GREG You don't understand, I remember. I remember who I am, now. CUT TO: INT. RENDEZVOUS (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT Greg is bellied up to the bar. Someone, wearing a Stetson, is slapping him on the back as Greg downs another shot and follows it with a chaser of beer. Greg says something WE CAN'T HEAR to the man with the Stetson, then walks over to the window. He pulls the curtain aside. His two boys are asleep in the car. Flash of lightning. Greg looks at his watch. He walks back to the bar, throws some money down and says his good-byes that can't be heard over the SOUNDS OF THE JUKE BOX AS HANK WILLIAMS SINGS, "I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY". CUT TO: EXT. HIGHWAY DITCH (BACK TO PRESENT) - NIGHT The rain is pummeling the three men. Greg is being held by Jonathan as Sitting Bull SCREAMS in Greg's face. SITTING BULL You can't change anything without changing everything. One thing is balanced upon another and on down the line. If Custer hadn't died at the Little Big Horn he never would have had his vision, his ultimate vision. GREG And what was that ultimate vision? SITTING BULL You still don't know, do you!? GREG What are you talking about? How the hell would I know what Custer's ultimate vision was? Okay. Okay. I get it. Greg relaxes in Jonathan's grip. GREG (CONT'D) This is one of those dreams where not one fucking thing makes sense. SOUND OF A CAR APPROACHING in the bg. Greg jerks loose from Jonathan and scrambles up the embankment toward the road. Jonathan starts out after him, but Sitting Bull grabs his arm. CUT TO: INT. GREG'S CAR (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT Greg is accelerating fast down the highway. He looks over toward Bobby who is asleep against the passenger's door. He musses Bobby's hair. BOBBY Where's my coke? GREG We'll get a coke at home. He glances into the rear-view mirror. Jordan is bent like a pretzel, asleep in his car seat. CUT TO: EXT. OPEN HIGHWAY (BACK TO THE PRESENT) - NIGHT MOVING SHOT with Greg as he makes the top of the ditch and starts flagging his arms wildly at the approaching car. GREG (running) Stop! Stop! You fucking drunk! Greg out into the road. CLOSE UP of Greg's face as he remembers-- CUT TO: INT. GREG'S CAR (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT The same horror-stricken face, but inside the car this time. There in front of him on the road, a man waving his arms wildly. Greg twists the steering wheel. CUT TO: EXT. OPEN HIGHWAY (BACK TO PRESENT) - NIGHT Greg standing there as the car sideswipes him. Greg falls in the road, but turns to watch the car as it-- CAREENS into the ditch on the left and up the other side, rocketing into the air. SLOW-MO as the car twists in the air and a man falls from the car. The car hits the ground and rolls over and over. Greg gets to his feet in the road, but his leg gives way and he falls back. CUT TO: EXT. ALONGSIDE THE HIGHWAY (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT Greg running in the grass. He's holding his bloody right arm and he's scratched up. He's running toward the car which has come to rest on its crushed roof. CUT TO: EXT. GREG'S CRUSHED CAR - NIGHT Greg comes running up. GREG (screaming) Bobby! Jordan! He's banging on the shattered windows with his left hand. He bends down and tries to see in the car. BOBBY(O.S.) (weak) Daddy, help me! The SOUND OF A BABY CRYING inside the car. Greg tries to kick the windows in. GREG (screaming) Bobby! Bobby, I'm gonna get you outta there. Greg running over to a small stream and grabbing a slippery, large rock. Greg carries the rock a little ways, then drops it. Greg bends over to pick up the rock. SOUND OF FLAMES BURSTING TO LIFE. Greg's head whips around. The engine is on fire and the flames are rushing back toward the fuel tank. CUT TO: EXT. OPEN HIGHWAY (BACK TO PRESENT) - NIGHT Greg straddling the white line on the highway, trying to pull himself in the direction of the wreck. CLOSE UP of Greg's face as we hear a VOICE SCREAM in the distance. VOICE(O.S.) (screaming) Bobby!! EXPLOSION in the bg. We see the flash of it on Greg's face before we HEAR IT. Greg's eyes big a saucers as he faints dead away there in the road. CUT TO: INT. LUNA JAIL - EARLY MORNING ESTABLISHING SHOTS. Jonathan is there on his bunk. He's awake and sitting up. The Old Indian, the one we've known as Sitting Bull, is lying back on his bunk. It looks like he might be asleep. Greg is lying, covered by a blanket on his bunk. He's asleep. The inner office door opens. There stands Sheriff Lowell Newland. He's balancing three breakfast trays. He sets the first one down for the Old Indian, then slips it under the cell door. He walks to Greg's cell and stops. SHERIFF Hey! You! Prisoner! Greg doesn't move. Sheriff appeals to someone he knows. SHERIFF (CONT'D) Hey, Jonathan, wake that one up. Jonathan reaches through the bars and pushes on Greg. Greg comes up off the bunk like he's ready to fight or run. His leg gives way and he falls to the floor. SHERIFF (CONT'D) (laughing) You missed your calling, boy. You could take that on the road and get some serious laughs. Greg, lying there on the floor, looks at the Old Indian. Scrambled eggs cover the Old Indian's chin as he wolfs down his breakfast and stares blankly at Greg. Greg grabs his leg and tries to stand. He looks back over at Jonathan who looks away. SHERIFF (CONT'D) You ain't havin' no bad dream, asshole. You're in jail. That's a fact. The Sheriff slides Greg's breakfast under the door and does the same with Jonathan's. SHERIFF (CONT'D) Eat. We'll be headin' out in about 20 minutes. Sheriff heads to the door at the end of the hall, opens it. The door shuts behind him. Greg stands up. GREG How did we get back here? Greg limps over to the other side of his cell and looks in at the Old Indian. The Old Indian looks at him. GREG (CONT'D) You're Sitting Bull, Jonathan's grandfather, aren't you? The Old Indian is looking at the plate of eggs that Greg has left sitting in the middle of his cell. OLD INDIAN You want your eggs? Greg picks up the plate and tries to get it through the bars without spilling the eggs. He can't do it. OLD INDIAN (CONT'D) Here. The Old Indian holds his hands between the bars and Greg dumps the eggs into his hands. The Old Indian eats the eggs directly from his hands. GREG You walked us out of here, last night. You walked us down the road of the past. I know who I am now. I remember it all. Jonathan is smiling. JONATHAN You workin' on your defense, is that it? Gonna plead insanity. Shit, that's a natural defense for a white man. Greg flings his empty plate at Jonathan, it RICOCHETS off the bars with a TWANG! GREG Don't tell me none of this happened. It happened. You were there. Your grandfather, Sitting Bull, was there! JONATHAN You had a dream. Good for you. The dream told you something about yourself. Also, good for you. Maybe I was in your dream. Maybe I wasn't. You got it right about my grandfather being Sitting Bull. My father was a little boy when he saw my grandfather die. They thought grandfather was one of the leaders of the Ghost Dance. Jonathan does a little piece of a dance around the jail cell. JONATHAN (CONT'D) He was just a tired old Indian. They tried to arrest him. Outside his cabin something went wrong. Somebody thought he was escaping. They shot him in the back. His horse, the one Buffalo Bill Cody had given him, started trotting in place, just a prancing. The Indian Police ran away. They thought the horse was doing the Ghost Dance. Turns out he was just doing what he'd been trained to do, prance around whenever a pistol was fired. Greg points at the Old Indian. GREG This isn't your grandfather!? JONATHAN I like it. You look crazy as hell when you do that, but you gotta have one of the Deputies, or some other white man, see you doing this stuff. They'll never take my word on it. GREG But my leg. My leg! I got hurt in the dream and now I can barely stand on my leg! OLD INDIAN Chief Charlie Horse! Greg looks at the Old Indian. GREG You remember, huh? You were there. OLD INDIAN Chief Charlie Horse, that's what we'll call you! The Old Indian starts a BRAYING LAUGH that's rather infectious. Jonathan starts laughing. Greg is standing there looking back and forth between the two Indians. Greg beats on his leg. GREG Chief Charlie Horse! CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S CAR - DAY The car is bouncing along a rather bumpy dirt road out in the desert. Greg is sitting in the back seat trying to hold on, even though his hands are cuffed. BOOM! - they hit a dip and Greg's head crashes into the head liner. GREG Hey! Slow down! Sheriff Lowell Newland glances at his watch, then frantically turns the wheel trying to keep the late model sedan on the road. CUT TO: EXT. HIGH BLUFF - DAY A BIG MAN, early to mid-50's, with a bald head and massive shoulders stands looking out over the desert floor below him. The Big Man raises some binoculars to get a closer look. INSERT. A rooster-tail of dirt flies into the air behind the Sheriff's car. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT FLOOR - DAY The Sheriff's car comes sliding to a halt. The Sheriff jumps out and walks around the car as he looks into the surrounding hills. CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S CAR - DAY Greg follows the movement of the Sheriff as he walks around the car. The BACK DOOR OPENS. SHERIFF(O.S.) Get out! Greg doesn't move. Sheriff bends down so that he can see Greg. SHERIFF (CONT'D) Didn't you hear me? Get out!! GREG Go to hell! The Sheriff reaches into the back seat and grabs ahold of Greg. Greg kicks at the Sheriff. Sheriff smashes the back of his head on the ceiling, knocking his Cowboy hat off. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT FLOOR - DAY The Sheriff grabs the back of his head and rubs it hard and quick. Sheriff draws his gun and points it into the car. SHERIFF Get out of the God damn car! Greg looks out from his corner in the back seat. GREG If you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it! SHERIFF There's a set of prints over in that arroyo. I think they'll match your footprints. So get out of the car, please, I'm gonna check 'em. Greg slides to the edge of the seat, near the open door. GREG Who put you up to this, Sheriff? SHERIFF Come on, stand up. Greg stays seated with his feet on the desert floor. GREG You're not a bright man, are you Sheriff? The Sheriff COCKS HIS WEAPON. GREG (CONT'D) That's what I mean. If I keep it up, you'll kill me right here with the cuffs on, seated in your cruiser. Now that's not what they wanted, was it? The Sheriff sweats profusely as he looks at the surrounding mountains and bluffs. Greg reaches down and picks up the Sheriff hat and pulls it hard down over his own head. The Sheriff looks back at Greg. SHERIFF Hey, that's my-- Greg butts the Sheriff and they tumble back together onto the desert floor. The Sheriff's pistol flies off into the desert. CUT TO: EXT. HIGH BLUFF - DAY The Big Man with the massive shoulders has a bolt-action 30- 06 balanced on the top of the pick up and is sighting down a raised notch-sight. BIG MAN What the hell! CUT TO: EXT. DESERT FLOOR - DAY Greg and the Sheriff rolling over and over toward the arroyo. Greg, still wearing the Sheriff's hat, jumps up and points his cuffed hands at the Sheriff as if he were holding a pistol. The Sheriff smiles. SHERIFF Bang! Bang! Is that it? Greg glances up, under the Sheriff's hat, toward the bluffs. GREG That's it. The Sheriff, realizing too late, turns toward the bluff. SHERIFF Nooo! A fountain of blood spews from a wound in the Sheriff's head as he goes down like a bag of rocks. RIFLE SHOT off in the bg. CUT TO: EXT. HIGH BLUFF - DAY The Big Man pulls the bolt back and an empty cartridge RATTLES OFF the top of the truck. He grabs his binoculars and takes a look. BIG MAN Damn! He shoves another round into the breech. CUT TO: EXT. DESERT FLOOR - DAY Greg runs with a limp and dives for the cover of the Sheriff's cruiser as a round rips into the fender. RIFLE SHOT off in the distance. Greg is up and limping around to the driver's side. CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S CRUISER - DAY Greg starts the car and heads out before he even has the door closed. GLASS BREAKS as a round rips through the right rear window and buries itself in the back seat. DOOR SLAMS on the cruiser as Greg does doughnuts in the loose dirt. CUT TO: EXT. HIGH BLUFF - DAY The Big Man looking through his binoculars. BIG MAN Sonofabitch! INSERT. The view through the binoculars - a cloud of dust and nothing more. CUT TO: EXT. SHERIFF'S CRUISER - DAY Greg cuts back the way they came using the dust cloud as cover. CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S CRUISER - DAY Greg is sailing down the Interstate in the Sheriff's Cruiser toward the Texas border. He's still wearing the Sheriff's cowboy hat. CLOSE ON Greg's cuffed hands holding the bottom of the steering wheel. CAMERA PANS the other side of the Interstate as a New Mexico Highway patrol car whizzes by. The Officer inside raises a hand in salute. Greg nods. Greg searches in the rear view mirror. INSERT. There in the rear view mirror the black and gold Highway Patrol car keeps on getting smaller. The CLICK, CLICK, CLICK of the blinker in the cruiser. There's an old sign along the exit. It reads: "End-of-the-Trail sky diving. Sam Kates and Son, left under the Interstate at the end of the road." CUT TO: EXT. UNDERPASS - DAY The Sheriff's cruiser makes the turn under the Interstate and disappears up the road toward the mountains. CUT TO: INT. MEGAN'S HALLWAY - DAY The Man, still with the bandages on his face, is walking slowly down the hallway. Dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt, he's smoking a cigarette. He's holding a stack of framed photographs that's he's placing back on the wall where they belong. Meg rounds the corner from the kitchen. She plucks the cigarette from his lips and takes a drag. He stops as he straightens one of the pictures. INSERT. A picture - Meg and the boys having fun at the beach. MEG(O.S.) You took that. We were in Galveston. INSERT. A picture - the boys burying Greg in the sand. MEG(O.S.) (CONT'D) The boys loved to bury you. You pretended to hate it. They laughed and laughed. INSERT. A picture - Greg, holding the Youngest, as the older boy runs with them into the ocean. MEG (CONT'D) You taught them both to swim. He takes the cigarette back from her. INSERT. A picture - the four of them squinting into a setting sun. MAN Who took this one? MEG Some old man on the pier. CLOSE-UP of the Man as tears roll down his cheeks. Megan kisses his tears and puts her head on his chest. MEG (CONT'D) I love you. He pulls her face away from his chest and looks at her. MEG (CONT'D) What is it? MAN What happens when you see my face and remember that it's me? The man who killed your children. Will you love me, then? He reaches up to caress her face, but she backs away from him and walks off down the hall. CUT TO: EXT. END-OF-THE-TRAIL SKY DIVING SCHOOL - DAY ESTABLISHING SHOTS of the hanger where an old Piper Dakota missing the right hand door sits back in the shade. The Main office is covered in dirt and sand. A windsock billowing listlessly in the noonday heat. The short runway plays out away from the mountains toward the Interstate that, from this distance, looks like a line drawing. The Sheriff's cruiser pulls up and comes to a stop. Greg is out of the cruiser in a flash, carrying a shotgun. CUT TO: EXT. MAIN OFFICE DOOR - DAY Greg blows the lock off the door and is inside before the door has finished banging open. CUT TO: INT. MAIN OFFICE - DAY Dust flies through the room. Greg stands there with the shotgun trained on one corner of the room. There sits SAM KATES, 60's, in his desk chair with his pants down around his ankles. An astonished look is on his face. His bare ass is hanging out the back of the chair and on the desk are several Playboy centerfolds open to their three- page height. Sam looks down at his penis. SAM It ain't loaded. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL - DAY Doctor, 50's, trim with a full moustache, the same one that we originally saw with the Man, stands with scissors in his hand. The Man sits on a examining table. Meg to one side. The Doctor snips away at the bandages. The Man cuts his eyes to Meg. Meg looks away. The SOUND OF THE MAN GETTING UP AND WALKING. MAN(O.S.) How do I look? Megan can't look at him. MAN(O.S.) (CONT'D) Megan? Meg turns in the direction of his voice. She sees his back as he looks into the mirror. Meg comes up behind him and we can see her in the mirror looking at him. A rather faint scar runs down his right cheek and disappears under his jaw line. The Doctor exits. The Man stands there looking at Meg in the mirror. MAN (CONT'D) Have I changed? Do I look different? She comes around in front of him, blocking his mirror image. She reaches up from behind him and caresses the scar. MEG A rose is a rose is a rose. CUT TO: EXT. END-OF-THE-TRAIL SKY DIVING SCHOOL - DAY They're walking out toward the hanger where the Piper Dakota sits in the cool shade. A parachute is slung over Greg's shoulder as he keeps the shotgun trained on the old man, Sam Kates. CUT TO: INT. END-OF-THE-TRAIL SKY DIVING SCHOOL HANGER - DAY Greg holds the shotgun to Sam's chest as Sam squeezes the bolt cutters and SNAPS THE CUFFS off Greg's wrists. Greg rubs his wrists. SAM Are ya sure ya wanna do this? GREG You don't even know what I'm going to do. SAM Well, it ain't too difficult, son, even for an old jerk-off like me. Ya got yourself arrested for something, I assume those prison pants ain't your idea of fashion, ya got away, and now-- Sam gestures to the parachute that lies at Greg's feet. SAM (CONT'D) You're about to jump outta my aircraft and cause God knows what kinda havoc. Sam points at the shotgun. SAM (CONT'D) Is'at your only form of armament? GREG What if it is? SAM Ton of wind resistance. GREG You got any weapons. SAM (blushing) The only gun I got, ya already seen. Greg looks around the hanger. In the far corner there's a work bench with a vice-grip. LATER. The shotgun is clamped in the vice-grip. CAMERA MOVES BACK to reveal Sam sawing away on the barrel of the shotgun. SAM (CONT'D) Why do I hafta do the work!? GREG It was either cut this off-- Greg points at the shotgun. GREG (CONT'D) Or cut that off. Greg points at Sam's crotch. Sam saws faster. A LITTLE LATER. Greg and Sam walking toward the aircraft. GREG Are the tanks full? Sam looks at Greg. SAM How far ya plannin' on goin'? GREG Just this side of Amarillo, little town called Wildorado-- SAM Weren't no jail you escaped from, was a mental institution! A LITTLE LATER. Sam has the nozzle of the gas pump hooked up the Piper Dakota. SAM (CONT'D) This little plane can't make it that far. GREG It'll make it. SAM If we don't get a head wind, if we don't run into weather, if the gods are willin' and if the creek don't rise. GREG Like I said, it'll make it. CUT TO: EXT. END-OF-THE-TRAIL SKY DIVING SCHOOL RUNWAY - DAY The Piper Dakota bounces to the end of the runway, skidders around and sits facing the wind. SOUND OF THE ENGINE REVVING in the bg. Dakota begins its run down the tarmac. Tail section comes up as it reaches speed. Piper lifts off and banks hard to the left as it heads for Texas. CUT TO: INT. MEGAN ALLEN'S BEDROOM - AFTERNOON From the PANTING and SIGHING it sounds as if everyone is in sync here and that a mutual agreement as to when these festivities will end is about to be reached. That agreement is reached with a mutual MINI PRIMAL SCREAM. Megan's face is streaked with tears as the orange hues of the Texas sunset filter through the bamboo blinds. A man's hand enters the frame and brushes away the tears. TWO-SHOT of Megan and the Man as he, with a genuine look of concern, looks into her eyes. MAN Ya all right? She reaches up, takes his hand and kisses it. MEG Never better. He smiles. MAN Got to tell ya something. She puts her index finger to his lips. MEG Shhh. He pulls her hand down. MAN I gotta feeling that I never, ever had anything like this before. Or if I did, I didn't know what I had. Let's start over. You're a young woman, to me a new woman, and to you, I'm like a new man. Let's just live and love each other, what do ya say? She smiles and we know what she's thinking, but before she can speak-- DOOR BELL in the bg. CUT TO: EXT. MEGAN ALLEN'S HOUSE, WILDORADO, TEXAS - SUNSET There stands Roger Westlin leaning on the door bell. DOOR BELL SOUNDS in the bg. Door jerks open. The Man stands there in a bathrobe. Roger smirks. ROGER Catch you at a bad time? Voice comes from behind the Man. MEG(O.S.) Who is it, darling? Roger's smirk becomes a lear. ROGER (to the Man) Like ridin' a bike, ain't it? The Man says back over his shoulder. MAN It's nobody. Roger's smile disappears. Roger's pokes his finger into the Man's chest. ROGER You're gonna wish it was nobody. CUT TO: INT. PIPER DAKOTA, SOMEWHERE OVER NEW MEXICO - SUNSET With the door off, there's a LOT OF WIND NOISE and the men have to SHOUT to be heard. SAM (pointing ahead of them) I don't like the looks of those. About forty or fifty miles in front of them, their anvils glaring with the resplendent sunset, are a line of thunderheads. Greg's face shows the reflection of those beautiful clouds. GREG What's not to like. They're beautiful. SAM Take a look below us. Greg looks out. Below them is the highway. SAM(O.S.) (CONT'D) That's Interstate 40. Leads through Tucumcari and on into Texas and your Wildorado(he pronounces the word with a long "i" sound). GREG That's Wildorado.(said with a short "i" sound) SAM Not tonight it ain't! I estimate those thunderheads to be right outside Wildorado(still said with the long "i"), stretching roughly fifty miles in either direction. GREG So? As Sam speaks the clouds roil and lightning streaks from cloud to cloud and several powerful strikes to the ground. SAM So! So! Those anvils peak out at about 35,000 - 50,000 feet, that's at least eight thousand feet higher than Mount Everest and way past the capabilities of this old Piper. GREG Go around. Sam taps the fuel gauge with his finger. SAM Not enough fuel! GREG Then, I guess we've got no choice. Sam smiles. SAM Turn around? GREG No! Through the middle! Sam grabs the end of the sawed-off shotgun and places it against his side. SAM Go ahead and shoot me, partner, cause we'll never make it through those storms. Greg pulls the sawed-off shotgun away from Sam's side. Sam smiles again. SAM (CONT'D) You're not the killer you'd like me to believe ya are! GREG Get as close to Texas as you can. I'll bail out, and hitch hike the rest of the way in. SAM You really wanna get to Texas bad, don't ya? Greg nods in agreement. SAM (CONT'D) Why? Tell me why? GREG You have any kids!? Sam looks ahead to the thunderheads. SAM A son, but he don't speak to me no more. These things happen. GREG I had two boys. SAM We're gettin' close, better give me the Reader's Digest version. CUT TO: INT. SUBURBAN HOME, DEN AREA - TWILIGHT Roger Westlin sits on the sofa under the war paraphernalia, insignia, etc. that belonged to Greg. Across from him sits the Man and Megan. Megan is dressed in a blue nightgown that is made from several layers of sheer material. Roger is staring at Megan. ROGER They did nice work on your face. MAN How would you know? You ain't really looked at me. Roger, almost blushing, looks at the Man. MAN (CONT'D) Honey, why don't you go fix us some coffee. Roger smiles. ROGER I'll have some iced-tea like the last time I was here. MAN Yeah, tea's fine. Megan leaves the room. The Man sits forward in his chair. MAN (CONT'D) You're a real asshole, aren't ya? Roger sort of scoots back into the couch. ROGER