EXT. outside the village - mounTIANS - day.
An unidentified person, dress in black, hangs securely from a line. An unidentified person pulls out a small device from a pocket and places it inside a small crevices in the mountain.
The small figure repels down the mountain and scurries off.
EXT. TWO-STORY HOUSE – BACK DECK – DAY
The sun rises, catty-corner, across the street sits a light blue chevy sports vehicle.
An unidentified person sits inside the car, dress all in black.
TODD, 34, average height, medium built, dress in a lightly color shirt, beige cargo shorts, and flip-flops.
He relaxes in a lawn and garden chair, sips a cup of coffee.
A phone lays on a small, round table that sits to his right.
SARAH, 29, petite, athletic built in a sundress sits diagonally across from him. Her feet lay on top of his legs.
The phone RINGS 3 times. It vibrates across the table.
Todd picks up the phone.
Todd
Hello
An unidentified person
Voice in disguise.
Hello Todd, I see you sitting there with your lovely wife
Sarah leans in closer. Todd turns to look at her with the phone against his ear.
ToDD
Where?... I won’t... I give you my word... OKAY... I KNOW...
Sarah’s jaw drops.
Todd stands up quickly, knocks her legs off. He puts his phone in his pocket. He runs off the deck.
Sarah stands up abruptly, rushes over and leans over the bannister.
Todd disappears around the house.
Sarah follows him.
ExT. driveway - daY.
Todd hops into his pickup truck and drives off.
Sarah texts her friend, KATIE, 37, Tall, short dark hair. Katie texts back: I’ll be there ten minutes.
EXT./int. Highway - truck - dAY.
Todd turns the corner at the end of the street. He drives five more blocks and turns another corner. Todd turns left at the third traffic light. He weaves in and out of traffic. He takes the ramp and heads east on the highway.
EXT. old beat up car - DaY.
Katie pulls up in the driveway, and hops out.
Katie
What’s going on?
Sarah
I can’t talk now, I need you to watch my kids.
Sarah opens the garage door, she jumps into her red 1990 Toyota, Celica. She starts the car. The radio plays music. Backs out of the driveway. She drives up to the second stop sign and pulls over. She pulls out her phone and clicks on an app. She places the phone in the holster. The phone shows: “HWY
79
east”.
Sarah pulls out and follows the location on the phone.
She drives down to the end of the street and turns. She drives another five blocks and turns the corner. She turns left at the third traffic light. She follows the signal all the way to the highway and exit the east ramp.
Ext. sheetz gas station - dAY.
Todd pulls into the
Sheetz
gas station, pops open the gas cap, jumps out of the truck, and pulls out his wallet. He grabs his gas card, slides the card, pushes number 87, the phone three times Rings.
Todd answers it, while he turns the gas cap.
TODD
Hello?
Man’s voice (v.O.)
Why, you stop?
TODD
I had to get some gas.
MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)
I told you not to make any stops.
TODD
I know. My truck is almost sitting on empty.
MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)
Hurry up and pump your gas and get moving.
TODD
Okay.
Todd puts the pump into gas hole, and pumps.
Todd hears a dead silent on the other end of the phone.
MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)
Do you have a tracker on your phone?
TODD
Why, do you ask?
MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)
Call your wife.
TODD
What for? She doesn’t know anything.
MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)
Call her and tell her good-bye.
TODD
DON’T YOU DARE LAY YOUR HANDS MY FAMILY!
MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)
Call her and tell her to stop following you. I’ll be watching.
Todd pulls out the pump and hangs it back up. He hops back into his truck and calls Sarah.
EXT./int. HWy - celica - day
Sarah speeds down the highway. The phone RINGS. She weaves in out of traffic. The phone RINGS. She get caught behind a big track trailer. The phone RINGS.
ExT. ShEETZ GAS STATION - day
Todd with his phone against his ear. He starts the engine, and pulls out of the sheetz’s parking lot.
TODD
Come on, come on, pick up.
EXT. HWY - CELICA
Sarah happens to look at her phone. It reads: “TODD”. She turns up the MUSIC. She moves around the big truck and picks up more speed. The phone cuts off.
EXT./INT. side road - truck - day
Todd gets a voice message: This is Sarah, I can’t come to the phone right now, please leave a message.
TODD
SARAH, WHEN YOU GET THIS MESSAGE CALL ME!
Todd exits onto the highway. He heads east.
Todd pass ten exits. He gets off on the eleventh exit and turns right. He drives down a long, windy, country road. He passes farmlands, forests and drives through one small village.
EXT./INT. HwY - CELICA - daY
Sarah glance at her phone. The red dot that shows Todd’s location has stop.
She pushes down on the accelerator and passes the same ten exits. She turns off on the eleventh one, turns left and drives down the long, windy, country, road. She passes farmlands, forests, and one small village.
EXT. Mountians - DAY
Half way up the mountain. Sarah pulls into a rocky parking lot. She hops out of the car. Two men dress all in black, jump her and throws her into a blue Plymouth van.
INT. Van - dAY
Katie and Sarah’s two small girls all in the van.
Kristen, 8, crawls over to her.
Kristen
Mommy, where are these big men taking us.
SARAH
I don’t know, sweet. Come here Lizzy.
Lizzy, 4, moves over by her mother.
Ext. Van - dAY
One man a little on the chubby size. His face is covered. He speaks into his phone.
Terrorist
Do you love your wife?
Todd on the mountain.
TODD
Don’t you lay a hand on her.
TERRORIST
Do you love her?
TODD
Don’t hurt her!
Todd yells into the phone. He almost looses his grip. He pulls up onto ledge and stops to take a break.
The terrorist hops into the shotgun’s side.
INT./ext. vaN - dAY
We wee only their backs. The terrorist turns back to look at Sarah and her girls.
TeRRORIST
To other man
You know what to do.
He hops out of the van. The van drives off. The phone rings.
The terrorist is looking up at the mountain with the phone against his ear. Todd answers.
TERRORIST (CONT’D)
You are almost there. It is either your family or the village, who will you save.
TODD
YOU LET THEM GO, YOU, BASTARD.
TERRORIST
You can’t save them both, what are you going to do Todd.
TODD
OW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME. WHO ARE YOU.
TERRORIST
I know everything about you, Todd, where you work. Where you live. What you drive. I even know what time you go bed at night.
TODD
Please don’t hurt my family.
TERRORIST
It’s too late for that, Todd. You should have thought of that before you decided to be a hero, for the village. It will all be over soon. They wouldn’t feel a thing. I will make it quick and easy.
INT. abandoned building - dAY
Two gunmen faces cover. They push Sarah and her two children into a small room with chair and a window. One of the gunmen grabs the back of Katie’s collar. She screams.
The doors shuts and locks. Kristen runs over to the window and stands on her tippee toes.
Ext. VAN - dAY
Kristen looks out the window. Her head barely above the windowsill. The first gunmen shoves Katie into the van. The second gunman hops into the driver’s side. The first one slams the door shut and jumps into the shotgun side.
The van speeds off down the road.
EXT. MOUNTIANS - dAY
200 feet up the mountain. Todd reaches inside a small knocks and pulls out a small device. He steady himself. The phone rings. He answers.
The van pulls up. Three get out of the van. Katie’s head cover.
TODD
Hello.
TERRORIST
Can you see me?
TODD
Holds onto the rope and turns to look.
Yes.
TERRORIST
Look over towards the van.
Todd slowly turns his head. He sees three people standing there beside the van.
TODD
That’s not my wife!
TERRORIST
Smart guy, but I am going to teach you a lesson.
TODD
I’ll come down, don’t kill her.
Todd repels down the mountain. The terrorist looks over at the gunmen and Katie. He watches Todd repel down the mountain.
InT. aBANDON BUILDING - DAY
Sarah jiggles the doorknob. Kristen looks over at the window. Lizzy sits in the middle of the room.
KRISTEN
Turns to look at her mother. Sarah tries to open the door.
Mommy, I think I climb through this window.
She looks out the window. Sarah turns and looks. The phone RINGS.
SARAH
What did you say, sweetie?
KRISTEN
Looking out the window. The phone RINGS again
I think I can crawl through.
Sarah walks over to the window and looks out.
SARAH
And it’s not that far from the ground. Here let’s grab that chair and bring it over to the window.
Sarah and Kristen walk over the chair and drag it over to the window. Kristen stands up in the chair and looks out the window. The phone RINGS a third time.
KRISTEN
No one is out there.
Sarah pulls out her phone and answer it.
Sarah
Hello?
TODD (V.O.)
Oh thank God, you are alright.
SARAH
I’m find, what’s going on. I saw you climbing a mountain...
Lizzy
Jumping up and down.
Who is it, is it daddy!
KRISTEN
Let me speak to him.
She tries to grab the phone.
TODD (V.O.)
Is everybody fine?
SARAH
Yes, we are all okay... stop girls.
Kristen and LiZZY
Daddy! Daddy!
TODD (V.O.)
Where did they take you?
SARAH
To an old abandon building down the known, but I don’t know where. I don’t think we are that far from the mountain, It felt like a short drive.
TODD (V.O.)
I think I know which one it is. I’d pass by an abandon building when I drove down here three weeks ago.
SARAH
What’s going on Todd, why do these men want to hurt us.
TODD (V.O.)
They want to hurt me, Sarah. They want to teach me a lesson. They say if I interfere with their plans they will kill you and the girls. They shot Katie.
Sarah drops the phone and clasps.
TODD (V.O.)
Sarah, Sarah, are you there. Lizzy bends down. She picks up the phone.
LIZZY
When you coming to get us, daddy, I’m scare.
TODD (V.O.)
I know baby, I know. Is mommy, okay.
Lizzy sees Sarah crying.
LIZZY
Mommy’s crying. Why’s she crying? I don’t like it when she cries.
TODD
I need you to hand the phone back to mommy, sweetie.
Lizzy walks over and shakes Sarah. Sarah looks up. Lizzy smiles.
LIZZY
Everything is going to be okay.
She hands her the phone.
TODD (V.O.)
I’m coming to get you, Babe.
The phone hangs up. Kristen looks out the windows. She tries to remove the latch. It won’t budge.
KRISTEN
I can’t open it.
SARAH
Here let me try.
She puts her phone in her pocket.
EXT. dirt road - truck - day
Todd follows the blue van. They pass by farmland, and tun down another country road. Todd follows at a good distances behind. They turn down another road and pull up to abandon building. Todd slows down to an almost stop. He waits for them to go into the building. He drives slow into the dirty parking lot.
InT. AbANDONed BUILDING - daY
First gunmen
Let’s go have some fun.
TERRORIST
Wait.
FIRST GUNMEN
You say I can have her when I get back.
TERRORIST
Right now, I’m telling you to wait.
FIRST GUNMEN
You just want her for yourself.
Int. Locked room - daY
Sarah hits her palm up against the window. The door knob rattles. She stops. She quickly moves the chair back and sits down.
Lizzy climbs into her lap. She buries her head into her mother’s breast. Kristen cleans on tight. The door slowly opens. A gunmen peeks into the room.
Todd comes up behind him. And knocks him to the ground.
Kristen runs over to him and hugs him. Sarah gets up, holds Lizzy in her arms. She walks over and hugs Todd. An office comes up behind Todd and grabs the gunmen.
Kristen pulls the chair back over to the window, she gets up on the chair and looks out.
EXT. ABANDONed BUILDING - day
The officer ducks the last gunmen’s head down into the patrol car. He turns and waves out the four Of them who are standing outside the Building.
Sarah turns and looks at Todd.
Sarah
You shouldn’t have come for, Todd. All those people lost. It just isn’t right.
Todd stick his hand into his pocket.
SarAH (CONT’D)
So many families lost.
He opens up his hand.
SARAH (CONT’D)
She looks down at is hand.
What’s this?
TODD
The chip to the bomb.
Sarah looks up at him and smiles.
Ext. Grave site - Raining -three day- later
Family and friends gather around Katie’s coffin.
SARAH
I’m going to miss you, Katie.
Todd pulls her in close to him. They turn around and walk away. Others follow.
Celica
HWY
Lizzy
app
sheetz
Inches Away
Written By
Dorine
Lester
Short film
Todd
Katie
Sarah
Man’s voice
Kristen
Terrorist
Lizzy
Kristen and LiZZY
First gunmen
An unidentified person
(V.O.)
(O.S.)
(O.C.)
(CONT'D)
(SUBTITLE)
Int
Ext
I/E
EXT./INT
DRIVEWAY - BLACK, FORD, PICKUP TRUCK
HIGHWAY
HIGHWAY - TRUCK
OLD BEAT UP CAR
SHEETZ GAS STATION
HWY - CELICA
SIDE ROAD
MOUNTIANS
VAN
ABANDON BUILDING
DIRT ROAD - TRUCK
ABANDON BUILDING - LOCK ROOM
LOCK ROOM
ABANDON BUILDING - PATROL CAR
GRAVE SITE
TWO-STORY HOUSE – BACK DECK – DAY
Day
Night
Afternoon
Morning
Evening
Later
Moments Later
Continuous
The Next Day
DAY.
TRUCK
THREE DAY- LATER
RAINING -THREE DAY- LATER
Cut To:
Fade In:
Fade Out.
Fade To:
Dissolve To:
Back To:
Match Cut To:
Jump Cut To:
Fade To Black.