I-I. CRY, LITTLE SISTER
SOUNDSCAPE: THE DRAMATICALLY APPROPRIATE SOUNDS OF A LONELY CANYON ROAD AT NIGHT.
STRANGER: (voice-over) The year is 1955. The place, a moonlit stretch of road cutting and weaving through a weed and bramble-choked canyon somewhere in California.
SFX: A CLASSIC ROADSTER APPROACHES, ROARS PAST, AND AWAY.
The car, meanwhile, belongs to the young man behind the wheel — Benny Sierra. But while his eyes are on the road, Benny’s attention and affection both belong to the charming young woman seated beside him.
SOUNDSCAPE: THE ROCK ‘N ROLL INTERIOR OF A 1955 BEL AIR AS IT SPEEDS DOWN A LONELY CANYON ROAD AT NIGHT.
NATALIE: Benny… I had a really nice time tonight.
BENNY: (smiles) Me too, Natalie. (putting on the charm) So, uh… what was your favorite part?
NATALIE: (considers this) Well… I want to say it was the part where I got to share a moonlit picnic by the lake with a dark, handsome stranger.
BENNY: S’that right?
NATALIE: (smiles) Mm-hmm. (teasing) But…
BENNY: (wait. what?) “But”? Wait. What? Why’s there a but?
NATALIE: (bigger smile, pressing on) But… I gotta say, I kinda wish I stayed with that Mutant fellow with the big brain.
BENNY: Laws, that was an awful movie!
NATALIE: (laughs) Did you hear that man sitting behind us?
BENNY: Hear him? I still can’t get his bad jokes out of my head. He was talking through the whole movie!
NATALIE: (snuggles close) I guess it’s a good thing we left early, huh?
BENNY: Yeah. I guess it was.
AND THEN…
SFX: WOOP-WOOP! A POLICE CRUISER FLASHES LIGHTS AND SIREN.
BENNY: Aw, man. What now?
NATALIE: Benny, you better pull over.
SFX: THE BEL AIR PULLS TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, STOPS.
SOUNDSCAPE: THE UNCOMFORTABLE AMBIENCE OF AN UNWARRANTED TRAFFIC STOP ON THE SIDE OF A LONELY CANYON ROAD AT NIGHT.
SFX: OFFICER (JIMMY) APPROACHES, TAPS ON GLASS.
SFX: BENNY ROLLS, CRANKS DOWN WINDOW.
OFFICER: Please step out of the car, Sir.
BENNY: Excuse me?
NATALIE: (to OFFICER) Jimmy?
OFFICER: Hey, Nat. This’ll just take a second. (to BENNY) Sir, please. Step out of the car.
NATALIE: Jimmy, what are you doing?
OFFICER: I’m sorry, Nat.
SFX: DEPUTY CLARENCE MIDDLETON EXITS THE CRUISER, APPROACHES THE BEL AIR.
CLARENCE: The man asked you to step out of the car twice now. Don’t make him ask you a third time.
NATALIE: (furious) Clarence!
BENNY: Aw, shit.
SFX: NATALIE STORMS OUT OF THE CAR, AT CLARENCE.
CLARENCE: Natalie. You get back in there. This ain’t got nothing to do with you.
NATALIE: Like Hell!
SFX: SLAP! CLARENCE STRIKES NATALIE ACROSS THE FACE.
NATLIE: (pained scream)
BENNY: Natalie!
CLARENCE: See what you’ve made me go and do, Mr. Sierra? Think you want to step out of that car now?
SFX: BENNY STEPS OUT OF THE CAR.
CLARENCE: That’s a good boy. (to NATALIE) See? Was that too hard? All I wanted was a little pow-wow with our mutual friend.
BENNY: What do you want, Clarence–
CLARENCE: Deputy Middleton. (To OFFICER) Jimmy. Escort my baby sister back home.
OFFICER: Come along, Nat.
NATALIE: (pulls away) What? No!
BENNY: What do we have to talk about? Was I speeding? You gonna give me a ticket?
CLARENCE: No. We’re past that, Mr. Sierra.
SFX: CLARENCE UNHOLSTERS HIS SIDEARM, PISTOLWHIPS BENNY.
SFX: BENNY DROPS LIKE A ROCK WITH A BROKEN JAW.
BENNY: (pained, broken grunts)
NATALIE: Benny!
CLARENCE: Yeah. I bet that smarts.
OFFICER: Clarence…
CLARENCE: Jimmy. Wouldn’t you agree that there is a God-given order to the world? A purpose. A plan. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
OFFICER: Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. But, uh… Clarence, I don’t think–
CLARENCE: Nor should you. Didn’t I order you to take Natalie home?
OFFICER: Yeah. But…
CLARENCE: Then I suggest you mind your place and do your job.
OFFICER: Yes, Sir.
CLARENCE: And you, Mr. Sierra. We’re going to see if we can sort out exactly where you belong.
SFX: CLARENCE KICKS BENNY IN THE RIBS.
BENNY: (pained grunts)
NATALIE: (sobs) Benny!
OFFICER: Clarence! Stop this!
CLARENCE: Jimmy, I told you–!
SFX: BENNY TACKLES CLARENCE TO THE GROUND.
OFFICER: Clarence!
SFX: BENNY AND CLARENCE WRESTLE, STRUGGLE OVER GUN.
NATALIE: Both of you! Cut this out right this instant!
SFX: BENNY PINS, PUNCHES CLARENCE. ONCE, TWICE…
SFX: BANG! A SINGLE GUNSHOT ECHOES THROUGH THE CANYON.
NATALIE: (frightened gasp)
SFX: BENNY DROPS DEAD.
AN UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE.
NATALIE: (broken) Oh, God…
OFFICER: Clarence… Clarence, what did you do?
SFX: CLARENCE RISES, DUSTS HIMSELF OFF.
CLARENCE: Eliminated the threat.
OFFICER: You shot him, Clarence. He’s dead. He ain’t supposed to be dead. But you shot him, and now he’s dead.
CLARENCE: Then I guess he knows his place now, don’t he?
OFFICER: (shakes head) This is wrong. This is all wrong.
CLARENCE: The only thing wrong, Officer, is that you’re disobeying a director order. Get Natalie home. Now.
OFFICER: What are you going to do?
CLARENCE: It’s like I said: a place for everything, and everything in its place. And someone’s gotta take out the trash.
SFX: OFFICER ESCORTS A BROKEN NATALIE INTO THE CRUISER, DRIVES AWAY.
FADE.
TO BE CONTINUED…