A Preemptive StrikeA Screenplay by ScottTheScreenwriter A down-on-his-luck Advertising Executive devises a plan to prevent his wife from receiving spousal support. All copyright belongs to the author, Scott Turner. INT. AVERY HOME - DEN - EVENING SUPER: One out of every two marriages in the United States end in divorce. In an at-fault divorce in the state of Pennsylvania, a spouse who is found guilty of infidelity will be barred from seeking spousal support. SUPER: NEW CASTLE, PA, 2003 CLOSE ON FRAMED PHOTO A photo of a bride and groom. Both are smiling and holding one another. The CAMERA SLOWLY PANS over the wall to reveal more framed photos. The couple at the beach. A New Year's Eve party. A family barbecue - the man is grilling. Another wedding photo, the couple feeding each other cake. The last frame is empty. A man is sleeping on the couch below the photos. He is JOHN AVERY, a successful businessman in his mid-40s. He has a short, stocky build and his head of brown hair is beginning to go bald. CLOSE ON ALARM CLOCK The time is 11:29. As the time changes to 11:30, the ALARM BEEPS and John immediately turns it off, as if he's been waiting for it. BACK TO SCENE John throws the covers off, revealing that he's still fully dressed. He wipes the sleep from his eyes and runs a hand through his messy hair. INT. JOHN'S CAR - LATER JOHN'S POV The snow is coming down heavy, drifting across the highway and obscuring his view. The combination of snow and dark highway driving gives off a claustrophobic feeling. FADE TO BLACK INT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - LATER A man is seated at a booth in a fairly run-down bar. He's drinking a pint of beer and he appears bored. The man is ANTON BRODY, a tall, attractive man in his early 50s, with tan skin and a very light beard. He has close-cropped dark hair with specks of grey. The man finishes his drink and looks around the room for the waitress. He catches her eye and signals her to come over with a wave of his hand. WAITRESS How ya doin' hun? Can I getcha' 'nother? ANTON BRODY Yeah, that'd be great. Actually, get me two. I'm expecting company. WAITRESS Two cold ones, comin' right up! The waitress grabs the empty pint glass and walks away. Anton stares at her a*s as she walks. Anton is distracted by the flash of headlights coming through the front window of the pub. A moment later, John walks through the front door wearing a heavy winter jacket, a winter hat and heavy winter gloves. John clumsily removes his gloves and takes out his cell phone. He dials a phone number and hears the jingle of a RINGTONE in the distance. John investigates the source of the noise while holding his phone out in front of him awkwardly (and unnecessarily) until he comes upon Anton's table. ANTON BRODY You made it. JOHN AVERY The roads were a mess. Haven't been to Pittsburgh in years. John smiles nervously. ANTON BRODY Well, you're one of the lucky ones then. (beat) Go on, take a seat. I don't bite. John sits down across from Anton, leaving his jacket and hat on. Anton stares at John. ANTON BRODY So things didn't quite work out, huh? My condolences. JOHN AVERY What's that? ANTON BRODY Your marriage. Jesus, I hope that's why you're here. Steve said -- JOHN AVERY Oh! Yeah, well... that's not really... I'd prefer not to get into that. ANTON BRODY It's why we're here, isn't it? Anton grins at John. JOHN AVERY What's the plan here? ANTON BRODY Well, that's what we need to figure out, isn't it? The waitress brings two beers over to the table. ANTON BRODY Good timing. Thanks so much. WAITRESS Cheers, boys. Anton raises his glass in cheers, holding it in mid-air, waiting for John to reciprocate. JOHN AVERY Oh, no thanks, I'm actually not really much of a drinker. ANTON BRODY Well, all things considered, now would be a great time to start. Anton pushes his drink forward a bit in mid-air, spilling some on John's side of the table. ANTON BRODY Cheers. Anton takes a long gulp of beer and sets the mug down on the table. JOHN AVERY So... the plan. ANTON BRODY Well, I guess the plan is for me to f**k your wife, isn't it? What specifically do you want to talk about? JOHN AVERY (quietly) Jesus Christ! Do you mind? John motions to the elderly couple sitting near to them, afraid that they might overhear. JOHN AVERY I was told you'd be professional about this. ANTON BRODY You know what I do, right? John nods. ANTON BRODY And you know this isn't my first time doing this, right? JOHN AVERY Listen, I know, I'm just... I mean, are you sure it's gonna work? ANTON BRODY Well, you can never be totally sure, John. If you need some statistics, which I'm assuming you do, I'd say my success rate is... seventy... maybe seventy-five percent. Those are pretty good numbers, all things considered. I take pride in those numbers. JOHN AVERY And what if I'm one of the twenty-five percent? ANTON BRODY Then you'll get your money back, don't worry about it. My word is my bond. Speaking of money, though... JOHN AVERY Oh, right. John reaches into his winter jacket and pulls out a large Manila envelope. He passes it across the table. ANTON BRODY Great, the hard part's over then. Now, I will need a few things from you before we move on. JOHN AVERY Sure, like what? ANTON BRODY Well, first of all... does she have any hobbies outside of the home? JOHN AVERY What kind of hobbies? ANTON BRODY I don't know, John, I'm not the one married to her. Oh! Before we even get into that... I need the name and photo. Did you bring that? JOHN AVERY Her name's Rachel and... John reaches into his pocket and pulls out a photo. JOHN AVERY That one's pretty recent... about 6 months old. ANTON BRODY That's perfect, thanks. Hey, you guys make a pretty cute couple. CLOSE ON PHOTO John and Rachel are at the beach, cuddling under a blanket. BACK TO SCENE John frowns at Anton. ANTON BRODY Anyway... hobbies. I can't just bump into her at Circuit City and ask for a quickie behind the battery stand. That usually doesn't work too well. I need a good reason to talk to her. What's her routine like? John takes a moment to think. JOHN AVERY She's been going to Yoga for the last few weeks every Wednesday night. I'm not sure where, though. Some place in town, that's all I know. ANTON BRODY Here in Pittsburgh? JOHN AVERY In New Castle... I thought you were told... I know it's a bit of a drive, but -- ANTON BRODY Somehow that part was left out. Don't worry about it, I'll figure out where the place is. Might have to bill you for the mileage though. John looks confused. ANTON BRODY That was a joke. JOHN AVERY So... is that it then? Anton winks at John and takes another drink. ANTON BRODY Here's the deal; we're gonna meet back here next week, same time, same place. Everything should be taken care of and you'll be one step closer to freedom, my friend. John nods and gets up to leave. ANTON BRODY See you next week, John. And don't worry, I'll pick up the tab... ha ha! Anton nudges the envelope that John gave him. JOHN AVERY Put that away before someone sees it. John puts his gloves back on as he walks to the exit with a look of deep concern on his face. INT. JOHN'S CAR - LATER CLOSE ON CLOCK RADIO The time reads 1:32. BACK TO SCENE The glow of the street lights flicker across John's face as he drives. He looks extremely concerned about the meeting that just occurred. He runs a hand through his hair and rubs his forehead. EXT. AVERY HOME - LATER John pulls his BMW into the driveway of his home, a large modern looking-house on a cozy suburban street. INT. JOHN'S CAR - CONTINUOUS John takes off his gloves and rubs his hands together to warm them up. He looks down at the ring on his finger. He fiddles with it, taking it off and putting it back on again. EXT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS John exits the car and walks to the front door of the house. He struggles with getting the key in the lock and ends up dropping the key ring on the porch. JOHN AVERY Damn it... John picks up the keys and unlocks the door. INT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS FRONT DOOR The house is dark. As John opens the door, a BEEPING noise begins. John turns to his left and turns off the house alarm by punching in the code. MASTER BEDROOM John opens the door to the bedroom slightly, letting in a bit of light from the hallway. His wife, RACHEL AVERY, an attractive woman in her early 30s with long dark hair and a thin build, is asleep in the middle of the bed. There are two pillows on the floor in front of the doorway. John stares at Rachel for a few moments and then stares at the floor. He reaches down and picks up the pillows. DEN All of the lights are off in the room and John's face is illuminated with bright, white light from the television screen. John is looking off to the side with half-closed eyelids, not really paying attention to what's happening on the screen. TV From New York, the greatest city in the world, it's The Late Show with David Letterman! Tonight, Executive Producer of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, Peter Lassally and a musical performance from Doc Severinsen! Plus, Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra! And now, the youngest Gabor sister, David Letterman! (applause) INT. AVERY HOME - DEN - MOMENTS LATER The room is dark and John is lying down on the couch. He looks at his ring finger again, removes the ring and puts it in his pocket. CUT TO BLACK INT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - LATER Anton is sitting by himself at the same table he's been sitting at all night. There are now four empty beer mugs surrounding him. Anton takes out his flip-top cell phone and scrolls through his contacts until he gets to "Dafino, William". He dials the number. INT. DAFINO'S HOUSE - DEN - CONTINUOUS WILLIAM DAFINO, a man in his late 60s with a buzz cut and a pot belly, answers his phone. WILLIAM DAFINO Yeah? INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION. ANTON BRODY Hey Bill, how ya doin'? Listen I need a bit of a favor from you. WILLIAM DAFINO I'm listening... assuming it's a paid favor. ANTON BRODY You'll be paid, don't worry. I need you to put a tail on a Rachel Avery of New Castle. Husband's name is John Avery. He owns some advertising firm down there. See where she goes, what her routine is like. I hear she likes Yoga. Get back to me when you have something. WILLIAM DAFINO Of course, Anton, ANYTHING for you. Dafino's sweet, elderly wife walks by, picks up an empty beer can and replaces it with a fresh one. Dafino smiles at her and blow her a kiss. ANTON BRODY Thanks pal, I owe you one. WILLIAM DAFINO You don't owe me ONE, you owe me MONEY. A BEAUTIFUL GIRL walks into the bar, heavily bundled in a winter jacket. She walks toward the bar. Anton glances at the woman, distracted. ANTON BRODY Right, that's what I meant. Anyway, I gotta go. You say hi to Phyllis for me OK? Take care. Anton hangs up the phone and takes a sip of his beer, never taking his eyes off of the woman. INT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - CONTINUOUS Anton reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded photograph. He unfolds it and glances back and forth between the photograph and the girl. CLOSE ON PHOTO A young man and the beautiful girl, laughing and hugging in Las Vegas in front of the MGM Grand Casino. BACK TO SCENE Anton gets up from the booth and wanders over to the bar. He stands next to the beautiful girl and tries to get the bartender's attention. The WELLINGTON'S PUB BARTENDER walks over. ANTON BRODY Uh, Rolling Rock please. The Wellington's Pub Bartender nods and walks away. Anton looks around the room and glances at the beautiful girl. They catch each other's glance for a moment and they both smile. WELLINGTON'S PUB BARTENDER five fifty. Anton throws down a five dollar bill and two singles and takes the beer. ANTON BRODY (to the bartender, as the bartender walks away) Cheers. Anton scans the bar area as if searching for an empty seat, even though there's one beside the beautiful girl. ANTON BRODY (to the beautiful girl) This seat taken? The beautiful girl flashes Anton a wide smile and shyly shakes her head no. BEAUTIFUL GIRL (O.S.) Ohhh YES! YES! HARDER! FASTER! INT. ANTON'S APARTMENT - LATER BEDROOM CLOSE ON BEAUTIFUL GIRL'S FACE She moans loudly while moving up and down excitedly. BACK TO SCENE She and Anton are having sex. She is on top of him. BEAUTIFUL GIRL Oh God! Oh my God! The headboard is wobbling back and forth as the girl uses it for support. The moaning reaches its high point and suddenly stops, as the girl climaxes. On the floor of the apartment there are clothes strewn about. Next to a pair of wrinkled jeans is the folded up photo of the beautiful girl and her husband. FADE TO BLACK INT. ANTON'S APARTMENT - LATER Anton and the girl are lying in bed, both seemingly asleep. The girl opens her eyes and looks to her side to see if Anton is asleep. She creeps out of bed slowly and starts putting her clothes back on. She steps on the photo but doesn't notice. The girl puts on her jacket and shoes and leaves the apartment, quietly opening and closing the door behind her. Anton opens his eyes as soon as she leaves. He gets out of bed and watches out the window as she gets into her car. He smiles to himself, scratches his head and starts walking across the room. On his way, he steps on the photo as well. Anton bends down and picks it up. He shakes his head and tosses it in a garbage can. He wanders over to the dresser where a small video recorder is hidden among a pile of clothes. CLOSE ON VIDEO RECORDER'S BUTTONS Anton hits the 'stop' button. CUT TO BLACK EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - AVERY ADVERTISING - DAY FLARE TO WHITE The three-story office building is home to several businesses, including Avery Advertising. The windows are floor to ceiling. Snow is falling and the landscape and sky are mostly white. INT. AVERY ADVERTISING - BOARDROOM - CONTINUOUS John, dressed in a suit and tie, is seated beneath an Avery Advertising wall sign, staring at his computer, playing online poker, while the other three men in the room are talking loudly. KYLE, a heavyset man with boyish features, looks as though he's about to explode. His eyes bug out when he gets excited and he has a tendency to stutter as he speaks. KYLE (speaks with a stutter) The bottom line is, they just don't know what the heck they want! I put the lemon on the top of the bottle and they say it's too dominant. I put it on the middle of the bottle and they say it's too focused. I'm tired of moving this f*****g lemon! MATT, a geeky 30-something, nods his head in acknowledgement of the issue at hand. MATT Why don't we suggest a bunch of waves or... I don't know... a water droplet? That's good, right? People see water, they think fresh. It's like a subconscious thing. KYLE We've already been over this, they want a tropical feel to this thing and water isn't tropical. I can go to the kitchen right now and pour you a glass of water, I don't have to be in Honolulu to see a water droplet. DEREK, a chubby 20-something with a beard that probably should have been trimmed months ago, looks frustrated by the whole conversation. DEREK And a lemon is tropical? My wife buys lemons every week and last time I checked, FoodLand didn't have a tropical theme going on. MATT F**k, is it still snowing out there? DEREK Yeah... never ends. MATT I don't know, this is a lost cause. I'm hungry, are you guys hungry? I could go for some Roti right about now, anyone wanna grab some Roti with me? DEREK That place down on Verlander? I went there last week with Stevens, something was off. KYLE Well I guess it doesn't have to be a lemon. What about a pineapple? The spikes might be a bit too much, though. MATT You nuts? That place is great, it's never off, it must have been a fluke. DEREK I had diarrhea for three days, I'm not going back there. KYLE Cantaloupe? Kiwi? (beat) Avocado? KYLE John, you wanna weigh in here? John looks up with a blank stare on his face. He looks tired. JOHN AVERY Uh, yeah. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to Jennifer later about this and get it all straightened out. Listen, why don't we all take an hour for lunch, meet back here at 1? KYLE I'm sorry John, I'm just frustrated. JOHN AVERY I know, it's fine. KYLE People don't realize, I'm a senior graphic designer, I can make a decision on where to put a f*****g... (beat) Never mind. See you after lunch. Everyone nods, stands up and goes toward the door except for John, who remains seated. DEREK (O.S.) I'm not getting the runs again, forget it. John opens up his instant messenger program and clicks on Steve Peters' contact icon. A window pops open. John types: "I met with the guy. Wanna grab a bite?" John stares outside at the bright, winter day. The snow is falling quickly and creating a fresh layer on the parking lot outside. INT. AVERY ADVERTISING - LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER John is walking out of the building and passes the front desk. He walks past ELIZABETH REISENFELD, the secretary at Avery Advertising. Elizabeth is a young woman in her mid-20s with curly blonde hair and a perpetual smile. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Psst. John turns around. JOHN AVERY (dismissive) Oh, hey Liz. ELIZABETH REISENFELD How ya doin'? You wanna grab lunch with me today? JOHN AVERY Uh, no. No, that's OK, thanks, I'm a bit busy. You faxed that memo to Jennifer yet? ELIZABETH REISENFELD Well, no, I -- JOHN AVERY Well, get it out before 1, I have a meeting with her this afternoon. Actually, if you could just do it now... ELIZABETH REISENFELD Sorry... John stares at her with a defeated look. JOHN AVERY Just... John looks like he wants to say something, but instead waves her off and walks out of the building. Elizabeth stares at him as he walks away, looking far too hurt for simply forgetting a fax. INT. RESTAURANT - LATER Two plates of food are placed on a table. The food looks unappetizing. It's mostly unrecognisable pub grub. WAITRESS Anything else I can get you? JOHN AVERY No... no, thank you, I think we're good. STEVE PETERS, a balding, paunchy man in his mid-40s, starts eating hungrily. John fidgets in his chair. STEVE PETERS This Chicken-Fried Chicken is amazing. You wanna try? JOHN AVERY That's quite possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life. STEVE PETERS All right, I'll agree, it's not five-star dining, but it gets the job done. What's up with you anyway? You've had a sour puss on since you walked in here. JOHN AVERY Just tired, I guess. Been sleeping on the couch all week. Steve grins as he chews noisily. STEVE PETERS I know how it goes, buddy. You're making the right choice though, you know. JOHN AVERY Yeah. STEVE PETERS So how'd that go, anyway? You met with him, everything's cool? JOHN AVERY Yeah, last night. We talked it out, he seemed real OK with the whole situation. We're gonna meet up again in a week. STEVE PETERS Yeah, I told you... the guy acts fast. I don't know how he does it. Well OK, he's a sexy f*****g guy, that's how he does it. If I looked like him I'd be getting all kinds of p***y too. JOHN AVERY You sound like you've got a little thing for him there, Steve. STEVE PETERS Hey, there's nothing wrong with a man admitting that another man is good looking. Shows you're comfortable with your own sexuality. JOHN AVERY Yeah, well, when you describe him as "f*****g sexy", it doesn't help your case. Steve laughs with his mouth full of food. Some of it sprays out. STEVE PETERS Whatever, man. Oh, hey, I didn't tell you... the divorce was finalized on the weekend. JOHN AVERY No kiddin'? STEVE PETERS Yeah, done deal. I'm a free man! JOHN AVERY So, it worked then? STEVE PETERS Oh, it f****n' worked. Don't have to pay a dime going forward. Yeah, she got like thirty percent out of the shared account, but it wasn't the end of the world. I like to think of it as a one-time fee to buy back my freedom. Smooth sailing from here on out. You'll see, you'll be there soon too. I just wish I was there when she saw the tape. She probably s**t her pants! Steve laughs to himself. JOHN AVERY Yeah... STEVE PETERS Hey, I'm tellin' ya man... it's gonna be fine, just keep your chin up. John picks at his food. STEVE PETERS You see Liz at all this week? JOHN AVERY Naw... John stares at his food. STEVE PETERS You kidding? She's a piece of a*s, John. And, let's not forget, you're a free man. Well, let me rephrase that. A free man in the making. Have fun, why not? You deserve it, buddy. The waitress walks up. WAITRESS Aww you didn't like your food? JOHN AVERY It's all right... I'm just not real hungry, I guess. WAITRESS I'll get you a doggy bag. Always good for a midnight snack, right? The waitress smiles and walks off. John's CELL PHONE BUZZES in his pocket. He pulls it out and reads the message. ELIZABETH REISENFELD (text message) Did I do something wrong? Why won't you return my calls? John flips his phone closed and puts it back in his pocket. JOHN AVERY Hey, listen, I think I'm gonna get back. STEVE PETERS Jesus, you just got here! John throws down a twenty dollar bill and stands up, putting his jacket back on. JOHN AVERY Sorry, I've just got a lot on my plate right now. I'll talk to you later. STEVE PETERS Let me know how it goes! As John walks away, Steve is in the background reaching across the table with his fork to pick food off of John's plate. FADE TO BLACK INT. ANTON'S CAR - EVENING SUPER: Five days later Anton is driving on a dark highway. The snow has stopped briefly, but the road is still slippery. Anton's CELL PHONE RINGS. He answers it. ANTON BRODY You got it? INT. DAFINO'S CAR - CONTINUOUS WILLIAM DAFINO Yeah, I got it. She's in there now. "La Vida Yoga", it's on main street here. INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION. Dafino is sitting in his car outside of the Yoga Studio, watching as people go in and out. ANTON BRODY Aw, sounds like a cute place. Maybe you should pop in for a few, work off some of that beer gut you've been nurturing for so long. WILLIAM DAFINO I drag my a*s out to this podunk town for you and now you're gonna sass me? ANTON BRODY Ha ha! You know I'm only kidding. I'm pretty sure you used to have a sense of humor. WILLIAM DAFINO Must have left it back in Pittsburgh. We good here? ANTON BRODY Yeah, we're good, you go home, get some rest. Good work tonight. WILLIAM DAFINO Good luck. Anton closes his phone and puts it in the cup holder. He lays his foot on the gas and speeds away. INT. LA VIDA YOGA - LATER A group of about forty men and woman are all exercising in unison to the tune of a slow, relaxing MELODY. Several people look like they are about to pass out. One man, overweight and in his 40s, is checking the messages on his phone while doing as little effort as possible to make it appear as though he's trying to touch his toes. Rachel Avery, on the other hand, is clearly giving it her all. She has a look of determination on her face as she stretches. The music suddenly stops. She stops exercising in unison with the rest of the class. The YOGA INSTRUCTOR at the front of the room is an intimidating broad-shouldered woman in her 50s with frizzy grey hair. YOGA INSTRUCTOR I'm still seeing a few of you in the back there not really trying... if you're not going to give it your all, you might as well just go home. Everyone else though, great effort! I like what I'm seeing. The lazy, overweight man rolls his eyes and his wife, who is sitting beside him, gives him a hard nudge with her elbow. YOGA INSTRUCTOR Two minute break and then back at it! ANTON BRODY (O.S.) Hell of a workout, isn't it? Rachel looks to her left to find an attractive man with a tan complexion and greying hair sitting beside her. She smiles awkwardly. RACHEL AVERY I suppose so. ANTON BRODY She never tires out, does she? Must be fun being married to her. RACHEL AVERY Right.. ANTON BRODY You a regular here? RACHEL AVERY (dismissively) Once a week. ANTON BRODY This is my first time... thought it might help with my back... I get these cramps sometimes... Rachel looks away and stretches in the opposite direction of Anton, trying her best to ignore him. ANTON BRODY Hey, I'm sorry, I'm talking your ear off, aren't I? The Yoga Instructor is slamming back a purple energy drink, spilling some of it onto her leotard. ANTON BRODY I'm Anton. Nice to meet you...? Anton extends his hand, prying for Rachel's name. RACHEL AVERY Rachel. Nice to meet you, Anton. She shakes his hand lightly. ANTON BRODY You've got great form, you're a natural at this. Your Downward-Facing Dog... it's very refined. RACHEL AVERY Excuse me? Anton smiles. RACHEL AVERY Wow. I don't know who told you that'd be a good pick up line, but you might want to rethink your strategy. And next time, think about who you're hitting on. Rachel flashes her wedding band at Anton, gives him the finger and then stands up. She grabs her workout mat and moves it a few rows back. Anton chuckles to himself and scratches his head. YOGA INSTRUCTOR OK everyone, back at it! We're going to kick it up a notch. Twenty more minutes and we'll call it a day. The MUSIC starts back up again. Anton glances back at Rachel, who's already begun to stretch again. He smiles to himself and goes back to stretching as well. He winces in pain as he tries to touch his toes. The overweight man stands up and leaves the room. The Yoga Instructor shoots him a nasty look as he passes by, shrugging his shoulders at her. EXT. LA VIDA YOGA - LATER The Yoga class is being let out and people are filing out of the building. Rachel emerges and starts walking toward her car, which is parked at the side of the street. ANTON BRODY Hey, I'm sorry about before. Hey, hey! Wait up! Anton jogs to catch up, as Rachel starts to walk faster after hearing his voice. ANTON BRODY Listen, I'm sorry about before, I was out of line. I didn't know you were married. Rachel stops and turns around. RACHEL AVERY Would it have stopped you if you knew? ANTON BRODY Probably not. Anton grins. RACHEL AVERY I figured. Rachel starts to walk away again. ANTON BRODY Can I buy you a coffee? Rachel stops again. RACHEL AVERY You serious? ANTON BRODY As a peace offering, nothing more. Rachel cracks a slight smile. RACHEL AVERY It's a little late for caffeine, isn't it? ANTON BRODY A beer then? RACHEL AVERY You're really something, you know that? ANTON BRODY I am definitely a handful. RACHEL AVERY Exactly. I'll see you next week, Anton. MAYBE. Anton smiles. ANTON BRODY Next week, then. Rachel grins slightly. RACHEL AVERY Don't be so sure. Anton turns around and walks away with his hands in his jacket pockets. Rachel shakes her head and walks toward her car. INT. RACHEL'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Rachel slides into her car. She takes her phone out of her purse and flips it open. There's one message from John: "We need to talk about this, Rachel. Enough is enough." Rachel SNAPS her PHONE shut and tosses it on the seat next to her. She closes her eyes and lays her head back on the headrest. A beat. She takes her ring off and throws it in the glove compartment. Rachel starts the car and does a quick U-turn. She drives up next to Anton and rolls the window down. RACHEL AVERY One beer. Anton gives her a big smile. INT. JOHN'S CAR - LATER John is sitting in his car in an empty mall parking lot. He's rubbing his hands together and listening to the weather report on the radio. RADIO Yeah, that's right Kelly, we're calling for, you guessed it; snow, snow, snow! No reprieve from the white stuff this week, I'm afraid. Time to pass it on over to Bill now at the Sports Desk to get an update on tonight's Penguins game. How'd they do Bill? Headlights flash in John's rear-view mirror and a white sedan pulls up next to his car. John turns the radio off. The driver looks over at John and frowns. He gets out of his car. The SNOW CRUNCHES as the man walks around John's car. John looks nervous. The man opens the passenger door and gets in. The man is FISCHER, a man in his mid-30s with short, curly dark hair and a dark complexion. A dangerous looking person. FISCHER Let's have it. John nods and reaches into his back seat. He produces a Manila envelope, similar to the one given to Anton previously. He hands it to the man. The man looks confused as he takes the envelope from John. The man opens it and leafs through the money inside. He gets to the end and leafs through the bills one more time. FISCHER The f**k is this? JOHN AVERY Now... I know that's not -- FISCHER That's less than half! JOHN AVERY Listen, I'm trying to explain. I've had some personal issues that were... out of my control. I had to -- FISCHER Are you f*****g kidding me, man? I don't give a f**k about your problems! Where's my money? JOHN AVERY Listen, I can have it for you next week, plus interest, if you'll just -- The man punches John in the face and grips him around the throat with leather-gloved hands. FISCHER You little piece of s**t. You're telling ME how this is gonna go down? We're going to an ATM right now and you're givin' me the rest of my money. Don't think for a second you can get away with s**t like this. I let you in on that game as a favor, you did this to yourself by not knowing when to quit. The man releases his grip on John's neck. John leans forward, coughing and gasping for air. FISCHER Let's go. Drive. John, still coughing loudly, glares at Fischer. Fischer opens his jacket and shows John his pistol. FISCHER Drive. John puts the car into drive. EXT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS The car leaves the parking lot, leaving tire tracks in the newly fallen snow. CUT TO BLACK INT. HOTEL ROOM - LATER A dark room. There's a COMMOTION in the hallway and the door suddenly swings open, illuminating the room. Anton and Rachel are kissing passionately. They move to the bedroom and begin undressing one another. Anton playfully pushes Rachel down onto the bed. He discreetly reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out the video recorder, which he quickly sets up on the hotel room desk, hiding it behind the coffee maker. RACHEL AVERY What are you doing? Get over here! ANTON BRODY Just looking for a rubber babe, one sec. Anton goes into his wallet and pulls out a condom. He moves onto the bed. Rachel puts her hand behind Anton's neck and forces him down on top of her. Anton is on top of Rachel, removing the rest of her clothes, kissing her passionately. CLOSE ON VIDEO RECORDER FADE TO BLACK INT. FLASHFORWARD - OFFICE BUILDING - DAY A pane of glass in a nicely decorated office building. After a moment, blood starts running down the glass in long, gooey streaks. CUT TO BLACK EXT. FLASHFORWARD - RIVER - EVENING A garbage bag is floating in the water. It's unclear what is in the bag, as it thrashes against the turbulant activity of the water. Suddenly, the bag is tossed violently against a rock and an arm appears, jutting out from the side of the newly torn bag. CUT TO BLACK EXT. FLASHFORWARD - PARKING LOT - EVENING An icy pavement surface painted with yellow parking lines. Suddenly, blood begins to TRICKLE and SPURT horizontally down the surface of the ice. Exasperated GASPING can be heard as the blood begins to pool on the ice. CUT TO BLACK INT. AVERY HOME (BACK TO PRESENT) - LATER FRONT DOOR The JINGLING of keys can be heard outside. Rachel enters the house quietly and closes the door behind her. KITCHEN She walks into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of milk. She glances in the den and sees John sleeping on the couch. The TV is still on. She stares at him with a thoughtful look. An infomercial is playing in the background: TV (O.S.) For all the work it does, this machine should sell for over four hundred dollars. You know you're not gonna spend four hundred on it, you're not gonna spend three seventy-five or three fifty, not three twenty-five or even three hundred. Not two seventy-five or two fifty, not two twenty-five or even two hundred dollars, like you're already thinking. Rachel suddenly notices that there's an ice pack on John's face. He stirs in his sleep and the ice pack falls to the floor. DEN Rachel sets the milk down on the counter and walks over to the den and picks up the ice pack. She stares in confusion at John's swelling face. John opens his eyes. RACHEL AVERY (startled) Jesus! JOHN AVERY Rachel... RACHEL AVERY What the hell happened to you? John's face wells up with tears of pain as he slowly sits up. JOHN AVERY Just... an argument with someone. It's nothing. RACHEL AVERY For some reason I don't believe you. What really happened? John shakes his head and puts his face in his hands. RACHEL AVERY You know what... I don't want to know. Rachel starts to walk away. KITCHEN She stops, her back to John. RACHEL AVERY I want you out of here. JOHN AVERY I'm not going anywhere, this is my house too, Rachel. John slowly rises from the couch. JOHN AVERY Can we PLEASE talk about this? RACHEL AVERY I have nothing to say to you. John moves into the kitchen. JOHN AVERY Rachel, I told you a thousand times that what I did -- Rachel interrupts him by knocking over the glass of milk as she runs upstairs. The GLASS SHATTERS on the floor. John stares at the spilt milk. A DOOR SLAMS upstairs. John bends down and starts picking up the broken shards of glass. FADE TO BLACK INT. AVERY HOME - AFTERNOON FLARE TO WHITE DEN John wakes up with a splitting headache. The light is blinding in the room, forcing him to squint. His right eye is a deep purple and swollen and there's a slight red mark around his neck. John looks over at the alarm clock. It reads 3:55. JOHN AVERY Jesus... John stands up and knocks over a few beer bottles that were standing on the floor beside the couch. He stumbles and almost loses his balance. SHOWER ANGLE ON John in the shower, he's leaning against the wall of the shower stall with his head in his hands. KITCHEN John is sitting alone at the dinner table eating Kraft Dinner while pressing a bag of peas against his swollen right eye. The sun is now starting to set, illuminating the room in an orange glow. INT. JOHN'S CAR - LATER The snow is coming down fast and hard ahead of John's car. The glow of passing street lights flash over his face, one by one. His right eye is dark and puffy and he can only really see well out of his left eye. EXT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - MOMENTS LATER John pulls into the parking lot of Wellington's Pub. INT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - MOMENTS LATER The door of the pub opens and John enters. He takes off his winter hat and gloves and stamps his feet on the mat to get rid of the excess snow. He walks into the bar and finds Anton sitting in a familiar spot. Anton pretends to look at his watch, even though he's not wearing one. ANTON BRODY I'm impressed, you're actually on time. JOHN AVERY Yeah. I left early on account of the storm and all. As John moves closer, Anton notices John's face. ANTON BRODY Jesus, who's Cheerios did you piss in? JOHN AVERY What? ANTON BRODY I'm referring to that crater in the middle of your head, John, what the hell happened? JOHN AVERY Oh, that's... I had a bit of an argument with someone, that's all. ANTON BRODY I'd hate to see the other guy. Sit down, take a load off. John sits down across from Anton, his puffy winter jacket barely fitting in the booth. JOHN AVERY So, it's done then? Anton reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a DVD in a plastic case. The DVD has 'Avery' scrawled on it in black Sharpie. He places it in the middle of the table. John takes the DVD and stares at it, as if he's not sure he wants to hold it. An awkward beat. ANTON BRODY You thirsty? Can I get you a beer or something? JOHN AVERY Oh, no, that's OK. Like I said before, I'm not really much of a drinker. ANTON BRODY Right... Anton turns around and signals the waitress by holding up one finger. She points back and smiles. ANTON BRODY You wanna tell me what really happened? That's one hell of a shiner you're sporting there. JOHN AVERY Listen, I really can't stay, I need to be heading back. John starts to get out of his seat. ANTON BRODY She still wears her ring, you know. John stops, and slides back into his seat slowly. JOHN AVERY Beg your pardon? ANTON BRODY Her ring. Anton points to his ring finger. ANTON BRODY She was wearing it last night. At the yoga studio. There's a moment of silence between the two men. ANTON BRODY You know, she really is a great girl. You should try to patch things up before you do something you'll regret. The waitress comes by with a beer and sets it down in front of Anton. ANTON BRODY Thank you. Anton takes a long sip of his beer. JOHN AVERY Listen, I appreciate your help in this, but really, this, uh... this isn't any of your concern. If you don't mind, I think we're done here. ANTON BRODY Hey, of course. Sorry for meddling. Listen, good luck. I mean it. Anton extends his hand. John shakes it. ANTON BRODY And hey, listen, I always say that the greatest compliment my clients can give me is a solid reference. I can't exactly list this gig on my resume if you know what I mean so, you know, if you have any buddies that, God forbid, are going through a tough time, you feel free to drop my name, all right? Or if your next marriage doesn't work out... John frowns. ANTON BRODY Ha ha! But seriously, keep me in mind. JOHN AVERY Yeah, whatever. ANTON BRODY Now you go on home and play nice! I'd hate to see you get a matching pair. Anton points to his eyes. John slides out of his seat with a frown and walks away. The waitress walks back over to Anton. WAITRESS What the hell happened to your buddy? ANTON BRODY Marriage happened. Anton smiles at the waitress. FADE TO BLACK INT. BERNSTEIN'S OFFICE - DAY John's divorce lawyer, ETHAN BERNSTEIN, is sitting behind a large oak desk. Bernstein is a portly, Jewish man, with thinning grey hair and large, round glasses. He is dressed in a blue suit with a matching blue tie. He's reviewing a document closely. John is sitting across from him, wearing dark sunglasses to cover his swollen eye. ETHAN BERNSTEIN Now, if I understand you correctly, Mr. Avery, which I think I do, you're saying that you're seeking an at-fault divorce against your wife... what is it... Rachel? JOHN AVERY That's right, yeah. Bernstein looks up at John, his glasses perched on the edge of his nose. ETHAN BERNSTEIN You do understand, Mr. Avery, that such a thing can't just be... conjured up from thin air. A good deal of proof is required to determine that such a course of action is, uh... what's the word I'm looking for... Bernstein snaps his fingers in thought. JOHN AVERY Warranted? ETHAN BERNSTEIN Sanctioned, yes. The point I'm trying to get across here, sir, and forgive me for speaking in absolute truths with you, the point I'm trying to get across to you is... it's not going to be just a walk in the park. Absolute proof will be required to determine that she did indeed conduct this alleged, uh... malfeasance. The commission of unlawful act, if you will. JOHN AVERY Actually, I do have proof. Pretty solid proof, as it happens. You see, there's a video... ETHAN BERNSTEIN A video? JOHN AVERY A video, yes. Of my wife. Bernstein looks confused. JOHN AVERY With another man. ETHAN BERNSTEIN Well! Mr. Avery, I would say that is a rather irrefutable piece of evidence, if such a thing were to exist. This video, how did it come to be in your possession? JOHN AVERY I hired someone. A private investigator. Listen, when can this be done? I'd like to get moving on this thing right away. ETHAN BERNSTEIN Well, I'm afraid, sir, it's highly unlikely that anything more can be done today. There's all manner of paperwork that needs to be filed in order to forge ahead in such a manner. This video you speak of, might I ask where it is? JOHN AVERY Oh, I left it at home. S**t, I wasn't sure if I should -- ETHAN BERNSTEIN And that's exactly where it belongs, Mr. Avery. I would caution you to keep a close eye on that particular piece of evidence, don't let it out of your sight, if at all possible. What I can do for you, is set up a follow-up appointment in, say, one week from today. Let's call it seven days; five business days. That should allow for ample time to get all of our proverbial ducks in order, hmm? JOHN AVERY Ducks? ETHAN BERNSTEIN Mmm, yes. Mallards. Waterfowl. They must be in order, Mr. Avery, in order for us to proceed. JOHN AVERY Look, there's gotta be some way we can speed this along, I mean, come on, a week? ETHAN BERNSTEIN As I explained, there are all manner of processes and procedures in place that do need to be followed to the letter. I's to be crossed and T's to be dotted, that sort of thing. Patience, in this case, would be of a virtue, Mr. Avery. Let's agree to meet again in one week's time. Five business days. I would ask that you bring the video with you at that time so that it can be entered as evidence. JOHN AVERY Fine, one week then. Bernstein smiles as John gets up to leave. ETHAN BERNSTEIN "Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence." John stops briefly to listen to Bernstein's parting words before continuing his exit with a frown. INT. ANTON'S APARTMENT - LATER BEDROOM CLOSE ON Anton's face. He's lying on a bed, which is shaking violently. He looks disinterested, and lost in thought. WOMAN Oh God, Oh God! Baby, I'm almost there! ANTON'S POV A busty WOMAN is grinding her hips against Anton's. WOMAN Ahhhh! The woman slides next to Anton and slips under the sheets. WOMAN That was... exactly what I needed. Mmm, I'm so sleepy now. I think... I'm just gonna... Anton looks over at her and sees that her eyes are already closed. He pokes her gently. ANTON BRODY Hey. Hey, wake up. WOMAN Mmm... what's up baby? ANTON BRODY You're just gonna fall asleep? I thought maybe we could, I dunno, talk for a bit or something. WOMAN Mmm....OK. What about, baby? ANTON BRODY I don't know, just, anything really. Where are you from? Originally? WOMAN Aww, that's boring! Who cares about that stuff? ANTON BRODY I do... sort of. I mean, It'd be nice to know a little bit about you. What sort of things are you into? Maybe we have a few things in common, who knows? WOMAN Well we both like to f**k each other, we have that in common. And we're both GOOD at it! The woman flashes Anton a devilish smile as she reaches for his crotch. Anton squirms away from her reach. ANTON BRODY Ha ha! Well, yeah. That's not really what I meant but... good point. How long have you been married? WOMAN Ugh! Why do you want to talk about that? You're really being a bummer, you know. I know what we should do instead and if you ask real nice, maybe I'll let you do that thing we talked about. ANTON BRODY Actually no, I'm good, I'm a bit worn out right now, babe. WOMAN Whatever. The woman turns around, away from Anton and lays her head down on her pillow. A beat. ANTON BRODY I don't know, you ever feel like... here you are, you're living your life the same way you've been living it for God knows how long and it just doesn't call out to you any more? It's just the same old thing, day in and day out. For me, I guess life's just become routine, paint by numbers, clock in, clock out. I don't know, I've never really... committed to something before. Or someone, for that matter. Maybe I've just been afraid of getting hurt. I always tell myself, Anton, you need to get out there and try new things, meet new people. What is it all leading up to, you think? There must be some higher purpose, some reason for us to be here doing what we're doing. Otherwise, what's the point? You know what I mean? Silence. ANTON BRODY Babe? You know what I mean? Anton looks over and sees that the woman is fast asleep. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He gets out of bed, puts on his boxer shorts and walks to the bathroom. BATHROOM Anton is splashing water on his face. He dries his face off with the hand towel and leans against the sink for a few seconds, lost in thought. As he's leaning on the sink, he glances into the trash can. CLOSE ON PHOTO The crumpled up photo of John and Rachel is lying in the trash. Only Rachel is visible in the photo the way it's been folded. BACK TO SCENE Anton reaches down into the trash can and pulls out the photo. He tears off the left side of the photo containing John's image and throws it away. He continues smiling as he stares down at the image of Rachel, which smiles back at him against the backdrop of the bright, sunny beach. INT. LA VIDA YOGA - EVENING YOGA INSTRUCTOR And now we're gonna stretch all the way down... and hold. Keep holding for five... four... three... two... one... and release. Rachel releases her pose and is catching her breath as she sits on the Yoga mat. The spot next to her is empty. A woman wanders over to the empty spot and starts to sit down. Rachel moves her purse over to block her. RACHEL AVERY Sorry, this one's saved. The woman scowls at Rachel and walks away. Rachel looks around the room, searching for Anton. She doesn't see him and she looks disappointed. YOGA INSTRUCTOR OK everyone, next up is the Ustrasana pose. Make sure you pad those knees, if you mess this one up, I promise you, you're gonna feel it tomorrow. Everyone in the class starts doing the pose in unison, except for Rachel. She's still looking around the room. A beat. Rachel gives up her search and joins in with the others. EXT. LA VIDA YOGA - LATER Rachel is leaving the Yoga studio, bundled up in a heavy winter jacket. She heads toward her car and notices someone walking behind her. Rachel turns to find Anton grinning ear to ear. RACHEL AVERY Wasn't sure I'd see you again. ANTON BRODY Is that right? RACHEL AVERY I figured maybe you'd had your fun and you were done with me. On to your next conquest. ANTON BRODY I'm afraid my life isn't nearly as exciting as you seem to think it is. Rachel smiles. RACHEL AVERY You missed an interesting class. Maxine started to lose it on this woman in the back that wasn't paying attention, I was sure she was gonna throw her right out the window. ANTON BRODY Something she's certainly capable of. That woman is truly a man among men. Rachel laughs. RACHEL AVERY I've been thinking about last week... ANTON BRODY Oh really? And what about it were you thinking about? RACHEL AVERY Just... all of it, I guess... ANTON BRODY It was certainly all worth remembering. You know, I was just thinking, I know this great place around the corner from here, really fantastic place to enjoy a glass of wine. Interested in joining me? RACHEL AVERY I don't think I'm really fit for public consumption right now. Look at me, I'm in my LuLus! ANTON BRODY I don't think they'll mind. Besides, I like you in your LuLus. Makes your a*s look fantastic. Rachel puts her hands on Anton's face and kisses him. RACHEL AVERY My a*s always looks fantastic. They both laugh. EXT. LA REVE RESTAURANT - MOMENTS LATER Anton holds Rachel's hand as they walk up the slippery stairs to the front entrance of the restaurant. The name on the front of the building is "La Reve". Anton grabs the door for Rachel. RACHEL AVERY What service! Anton has to keep holding the door as people come and go, oblivious to the fact that he's not the paid doorman. An ANGRY WOMAN in her 60s stops abruptly, right in the middle of the doorway. ANGRY WOMAN Frank, COME ON! I'm leaving, let's go. The woman stands there, searching feverishly through her purse. ANGRY WOMAN We have to be at my mother's in twenty minutes! I don't care if the Penguins are playing, you can listen to it in the car! (beat) Oh for f**k's sake! Anton gives Rachel a look of discomfort and Rachel bursts out laughing. The woman turns to Rachel and then to Anton. She shakes her head and storms out of the building in a huff. INT. LA REVE RESTAURANT - MOMENTS LATER Rachel and Anton are standing over the booth they've been led to. Anton removes Rachel's jacket, revealing her workout clothes beneath. The Maitre'd gives them an unapproving look and walks away. Rachel and Anton take a seat across from each other. RACHEL AVERY Wow, this really is a nice place. Real classy. Usually when I go out for dinner it involves a dollar menu and a ball pit. ANTON BRODY (smiling) I've never felt as sorry for someone's life as I do right now. RACHEL AVERY Excuse me? MY life? My life's not so bad, you know, let's talk about YOUR life. Just who are you, Anton Brody? I feel like I don't know anything about you. ANTON BRODY That's because you DON'T know anything about me. RACHEL AVERY Well, OK, so tell me. What do you do for a living? Let's start there. The WAITER approaches, a tall snooty Frenchman in his 30s with a dirty little mustache. WAITER Good evening, my name is Pierre and I'll be serving you tonight. Have you had a chance to look at our drink menu yet? ANTON BRODY I'm in the mood for a red. We'll have a bottle of red... something. I don't know, something with a woody nose. The woodier the better. Anton smiles at the waiter. WAITER (awkwardly) Very good, sir. The waiter walks away. RACHEL AVERY You know, some girls don't like a man that orders for them. What makes you think I even like red wine? ANTON BRODY Well, Rachel, it just so happens that everyone likes red wine. It's a scientific fact. Look it up if you don't believe me. RACHEL AVERY I'll choose to believe you. A woody nose, though? ANTON BRODY I just like f*****g with these pretentious waiters. I bet he goes back there and freaks out when he can't find one that says 'woody' on the bottle. RACHEL AVERY I bet he does. Back to you, though. What DO you do for a living? ANTON BRODY A variety of things. RACHEL AVERY Well, that's very mysterious. A variety of what things? ANTON BRODY Well, right now I'm actually working on a novel. RACHEL AVERY So... you're a writer? Wow I would not have guessed that. If I had to guess I'd have said... travelling salesman. ANTON BRODY Seriously? RACHEL AVERY You've got a look about you. Have you written anything I might have read? ANTON BRODY No, I highly doubt that. So far my resume consists entirely of unpublished works. RACHEL AVERY Oh OK, so you're a broke writer. I get it. ANTON BRODY (winks) I get by. RACHEL AVERY Have you always lived in Pittsburgh? ANTON BRODY Yeah, my whole life. I gotta tell you though, lately, this weather has really started to get under my skin. To be honest, I've always wanted to live on the West Coast. Spend my days out in the warm sun and my nights relaxing on the beach. Maybe open up a little coffee shop or something and work on my writing in my spare time. I don't know. it's a pipe dream, I guess. RACHEL AVERY That sounds perfect. Maybe I could come visit. Anton smiles wide at Rachel. The waiter walks up with a decanter of wine and two glasses. He pours a small amount of wine into Anton's glass and offers it to Anton. Anton takes the glass and swirls it around pretentiously under his nose. ANTON BRODY I thought I asked for a woody nose? WAITER I'm sorry sir, I -- ANTON BRODY Don't worry about it, this will have to do. The waiter looks annoyed. He pours two glasses and walks away. ANTON BRODY I notice you're not wearing your ring. Rachel awkwardly hides her ring finger and puts her hands under the table. RACHEL AVERY You're right. I'm not. ANTON BRODY How long have you been married? Do you mind if I ask? RACHEL AVERY Far too long... Rachel looks around the restaurant awkwardly. ANTON BRODY Hey, I'm sorry, that's a s****y subject, we don't have to talk about that. RACHEL AVERY No, it's OK. It's the elephant in the room, right? (beat) I found out he's been... John, my husband... I found out he's been cheating on me. ANTON BRODY No kidding. RACHEL AVERY No kidding. He, uh... he came home late one night. Well, a few nights actually. Said he was putting in a lot of overtime, some big new client that had to close by the end of the week. I bought it, why not right? Made sense at the time. The Friday of that week though, I borrowed his car first thing in the morning to run out to get some milk. I looked in the back seat... she left her purse behind. ANTON BRODY Ouch. How did you react? RACHEL AVERY How do you think? The second I got home I screamed at him, asking for an explanation. He made up some bullshit excuse. I can't even remember what it was now, it's not important. I could tell he was making it all up on the spot, he's a terrible liar. Rachel stops to wipe away a tear. RACHEL AVERY Anyway...what's done is done. And now, here I am, sitting with you in this fancy restaurant. And all the while it seems like I should feel like a total a*****e for being here with you, but... I just don't care. I don't feel the least bit guilty about it. It feels right, somehow. ANTON BRODY Hey, listen... Anton lifts a glass. ANTON BRODY To new beginnings. RACHEL AVERY I can drink to that. They CLINK their GLASSES together and they each take a swig of wine and smile at one another. Rachel puts her hands back on the table and Anton puts his on top of hers. RACHEL AVERY It tastes a bit woody, I guess. They both laugh. INT. AMANDA GRANT'S OFFICE - DAY HALLWAY Rachel is walking down a long office hallway with many doors on either side. She comes to a door labelled "Amanda Grant LLP". OFFICE Rachel opens the door to find AMANDA GRANT seated at her desk, talking to someone on the phone. Amanda is a thin, well-maintained woman in her mid-40s with an intimidating, harsh look. She has a slight British accent, which makes her seem even more intimidating. AMANDA GRANT Well I can't, Harry. No, I can't, I told you, I've got meetings until at least seven o' clock. Amanda looks up and sees Rachel. She waves her in. AMANDA GRANT Well, you'll just have to get her ready yourself. The skates are hanging up in the basement. Honestly, it's not that hard. Yes, well, that's very unfortunate but I have faith in you. Listen, I have to go, I have a client here. Chicken tonight, OK? Oh for f**k's sake, it's in the freezer. Goodbye! Rachel makes an awkward face, to appear sympathetic. AMANDA GRANT Honestly, the man has his Ph.D, he can perform open heart surgery but getting our daughter to skating practice is an ordeal. Rachel laughs nervously. RACHEL AVERY Men, right? AMANDA GRANT Makes me remember why I do what I do. Amanda sighs loudly. AMANDA GRANT Rachel, right? How are you? Come, sit down. Amanda extends her hand. AMANDA GRANT Amanda Grant. You can just call me Amanda. Rachel shakes Amanda's hand lightly and sits down in front of her. RACHEL AVERY I'm fine, I'm just here to get some information, really. AMANDA GRANT Certainly. What can I help you with? RACHEL AVERY Well, obviously... I'm thinking of... divorce... AMANDA GRANT Let me stop you right there. Now, there's a few different ways we can run with this thing and I'd like to make sure we're on the same page. What's the reason for the divorce? An awkward beat. RACHEL AVERY Infidelity. Amanda CLAPS her hands together, excitedly. AMANDA GRANT That's FANTASTIC. Rachel gives her a disturbed look. AMANDA GRANT Oh, not for your marriage, of course, but from a legal point of view... let's just say that it gives us many, many options. Have you spoken to your husband about this yet? RACHEL AVERY No, no, we... we really haven't spoken about anything in a while, to be honest. AMANDA GRANT Good. Keep it that way. RACHEL AVERY Excuse me? AMANDA GRANT Don't talk to him. About anything! And by anything, I mean anything at all. Don't ask him to pick up milk on his way home, don't ask him why he's such a slob, don't even yell at him when he leaves the toilet seat up. Total silence. RACHEL AVERY OK. Why is that so important? AMANDA GRANT You don't want to give him any indication of what you're about to do. No indication whatsoever! It's important that he has no forewarning of your intentions. Rachel looks concerned. AMANDA GRANT Now... tell me everything. Amanda leans forward eagerly on her desk, smiling widely. INT. AVERY ADVERTISING - DAY LOBBY John walks into the lobby of his office suite. He's wearing sunglasses to cover his eye. He walks past the reception desk. Elizabeth is on the phone with a client. ELIZABETH REISENFELD We can totally help you with that. Um, did you want to talk to a sales associate now, or... OK. OK, sure! She gives John a small smile as he passes. JOHN'S OFFICE John enters his office. He removes his sunglasses and jacket. At the same time, Steve enters. STEVE PETERS Hey buddy, how are ya? Just wanted to give you a heads up on... (beat) Jesus John, what the hell happened to you? Please tell me you haven't been... Steve lowers his voice and rubs his fingers together, giving John the "money" signal, hinting at John's gambling habit. John sighs loudly and shakes his head. JOHN AVERY Got into an argument with Rachel last night about you-know-what. I had it coming. It's no big deal. John shrugs. STEVE PETERS Wow she really popped you good. She's a real force of nature. Anyways, uh... you know what, I'll give you some space. Talk to you later, all right? John leans back in his chair and stares at a clock mounted on the wall. The CLOCK TICKS away, second by second. CLOSE ON THE CLOCK The second hand slowly reaches the twelve and then... BACK TO SCENE John's PHONE RINGS and he jumps in his chair at the sudden noise. John picks up the phone. JOHN AVERY Avery Advertising. FISCHER (V.O.) It's me. JOHN AVERY Jesus, what are you -- FISCHER (V.O.) Shut up and listen. I need to make the pick-up this week a bit earlier, something's come up. Can I come in for a second? JOHN AVERY What are you talking about? Are you... you're not HERE, are you? John swings around in his chair and looks outside, not seeing anything suspicious. FISCHER (V.O.) I'm coming up or you're coming down, what's it gonna be? John glances around the office and then stares out the window again. EXT. AVERY ADVERTISING - MOMENTS LATER John is walking through the parking lot with his heavy winter coat on. He approaches Fischer's car. Fischer gets out of his car and walks towards John. FISCHER You got it here or we takin' a trip again? JOHN AVERY What the hell's goin' on here, you said we'd always do this at night, in a private place. This is not -- FISCHER Don't tell me my f****n' business, Avery. Don't ever raise your voice at me like that again. Don't forget who's doin' who a favor here. I'll ask again. You have it or we goin' for a ride? John is fuming, but he reaches into his jacket and pulls out another Manila envelope. He looks around the parking lot and then hands it to Fischer. FISCHER See you in a week. Put a steak on the eye. JOHN AVERY Hold on. Hey, hold on, I wanna talk to you. FISCHER What is it? JOHN AVERY Do you think you can get me a spot at the table this Saturday? FISCHER What? JOHN AVERY If I could just get another chance, I know I could -- FISCHER You've already fucked me over once, it's not gonna happen again! The best thing for you to do right now is to march your little a*s back in there, put your head down, and get to work. Don't forget how much you owe me. Start selling some f*****g ad space. Fischer gets into his car and drives off. John stands in the snow and watches him drive away. ANTON BRODY (O.S.) John? John turns quickly around to find Anton standing behind him. John stares at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. JOHN AVERY What the hell? ANTON BRODY We need to talk. You have a few minutes? JOHN AVERY Is everyone in my life conspiring against me today? What do you want? Anton motions to his car. INT. ANTON'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER ANTON BRODY Who was that guy? He looked pissed. JOHN AVERY What do you want, Anton? What are you doing here? A beat. ANTON BRODY It's Rachel. A look of concern washes over John's face. JOHN AVERY What, what do you mean? Is she OK? ANTON BRODY I love her, John. An awkward beat. John scoffs. JOHN AVERY What? ANTON BRODY Look, I know, it's crazy, right? I didn't' expect it, you sure as hell didn't expect it but it's the God's honest truth. I love her, John. More than I've ever loved anyone before. JOHN AVERY Wait, why are you telling me this? Anton reaches into the back seat and grabs a Manila envelope, the same one that John gave him originally, and hands it back to John. John opens the envelope cautiously and sees that it's full of money. John looks confused. JOHN AVERY What the hell is this? ANTON BRODY It's money. JOHN AVERY I know it's f*****g money, why are you giving this to me? ANTON BRODY I'm not giving it to you. I'm buying back that disc from you. JOHN AVERY Oh no, no you're not, we're done! The transaction or whatever you want to call it, it's DONE. ANTON BRODY If she sees that tape, John, she'll -- JOHN AVERY She'll what? Realize who you really are? What your intentions were? Yeah, you're right, she will. But that's not my problem. You agreed to do this, you're the one that's supposed to be a... a... 'professional', whatever the hell that means in this situation. John throws the envelope back at Anton. JOHN AVERY I don't want to see you around here again. John opens the car door and begins to make his exit. ANTON BRODY I'll give you double your money back. John pauses and turns back around. JOHN AVERY A hundred-thousand. Anton laughs to himself. ANTON BRODY That's more than ten times... Anton stares at John, who is staring back at him with a frown. ANTON BRODY Fifteen. JOHN AVERY One hundred. You have my number if you decide she's worth it. John gets out of the car and marches away, SLAMMING the CAR DOOR behind him. The CRUNCHING of SNOW is heard as Anton shakes his head. Anton reaches into his jacket and pulls out his cellphone. He punches in a number. ANTON BRODY Hey pal, how are ya? Everything good? Ha ha! That's great. Listen, I need a favor. Think you can meet me tonight? Anton looks at his watch. ANTON BRODY I dunno, a couple hours or so? My place. All right, great, see you soon. Anton flips his phone closed. He starts his car and drives off. INT. FLASHFORWARD - OFFICE BUILDING - DAY Blood is dripping down a pane of glass. It reaches the floor of the room and starts to collect on a pamphlet. The logo on the pamphlet is for Avery Advertising. In the background, through the glass, we can see people running frantically. CUT TO BLACK EXT. FLASHFORWARD - RIVER - EVENING A garbage bag, with an arm poking out, is floating in a body of water. A heavy wave suddenly pushes it violently onto a strip of icy land. A young boy and his parents are building a snowman nearby. The young boy runs over to have a look and screams when he sees what's inside the bag. CUT TO BLACK EXT. FLASHFORWARD - PARKING LOT - NIGHT The blood is pooling on the icy pavement of the parking lot, spurting and spraying all over the place. A GRUNTING NOISE can be heard and suddenly a bloody arm comes INTO FRAME. And then another. Someone is crawling along the ice. The bloody arms come to a stop at a pair of shoes, clawing at them, frantically. A LOUD GUNSHOT. The arms go limp. CUT TO BLACK INT. ANTON'S APARTMENT (BACK TO PRESENT) - EVENING RACHEL AVERY I was thinking, maybe tonight we could go out and watch a movie. What do you think? ANTON BRODY Baby, that sounds like a fantastic idea. Anton and Rachel are cooking dinner together in Anton's tastefully decorated apartment. Rachel is chopping carrots and onions while Anton is searing some meat on the stove top. RACHEL AVERY You're gonna love this recipe, I used to make it all the time. One might say it's my speciality. ANTON BRODY Well, it smells fantastic already. I'm tempted to just eat right out of the pot. RACHEL AVERY No way! You're gonna wait it out, no cheating. So, what movie you wanna see? Anton's CELL PHONE RINGS. ANTON BRODY Hold on, babe. Anton flips his cell phone open. He checks out the caller ID. "Dafino, Bill" WILLIAM DAFINO (VO) I'm here, you wanna let me in? ANTON BRODY Uh, yeah, actually, tell you what... I'll come down to you. Give me a minute. Rachel frowns. RACHEL AVERY Who's that? ANTON BRODY That there was just a friend of mine. I haven't seen him in ages. I'm just gonna whip down and say hi to him, I'll be two seconds. RACHEL AVERY Why don't you just invite him up? ANTON BRODY Listen... to be perfectly honest... he's a bit of an a*****e. There's a reason I haven't seen him in a while. Between you and me, I can't stand the guy. Just let me go down, say hi, and I'll get him out of here, OK? RACHEL AVERY Sure... Anton kisses Rachel on the forehead. ANTON BRODY Love ya babe! Be RIGHT back! Don't eat without me! Anton throws on a heavy jacket and heads out the door. INT. DAFINO'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER It is snowing heavily outside. William Dafino is sitting in his car, sipping on a coffee. He doesn't look happy. The passenger door opens and Anton slides in. ANTON BRODY Sorry, old-timer, got some company up there. You know how it is. WILLIAM DAFINO Well, I hope you're having a good time. Me? I just drove my a*s through the goddamn blizzard of the century. Took me two hours to drive ten miles. Whatever this is better be worth it. ANTON BRODY Well, it's actually about a girl... WILLIAM DAFINO And it's not usually? ANTON BRODY No, it's not like that. As it turns out, I'm out of the business. For good. I'm throwing in the towel. Dafino scoffs. WILLIAM DAFINO I've heard THIS story before. ANTON BRODY Hey, listen, I know what you're thinking. It didn't exactly work out the last time but that doesn't mean it won't work out with Rachel. I'm on my hands and knees here, Bill. I need your help. Dafino frowns at Anton. ANTON BRODY Ten Grand. Cash. I can get it to you tomorrow. WILLIAM DAFINO I'm listening. ANTON BRODY There's a disc, I need you to get it back for me. Well, a disc and probably a computer or a laptop, too. There's a video that I need to make sure doesn't get out. Dafino is still frowning. ANTON BRODY The house'll be empty. Should just be a quick in and out. Oh... and if you could, you know, just make it look like a robbery... WILLIAM DAFINO All right, Anton, I'll do this thing for you, but this is it, man. After this, I'm done. I'm gettin' old, in case you haven't noticed. You can consider me retired after this. ANTON BRODY Hey look at us, a couple of old retired farts. That's great, really! You told Phyllis yet? WILLIAM DAFINO It was her idea, mostly. ANTON BRODY Haha, sounds like a great idea until she realizes she has to put up with you all day long. How's she doing these days? She still having a tough time with her dad? WILLIAM DAFINO Oh you know, he's in and out of the hospital. Surprised he's not racking up frequent flier miles in that goddamn place. Worst part is, she drags ME there every single weekend. You know that hospital smell? That moth-bally pungent smell? Makes me sick every time I go there. I love the man, he means the world to Phyl, but goddamn it... that smell. ANTON BRODY That's a shame. I'm sure he'll pull through, though, he's made of tougher stuff than you and I. WILLIAM DAFINO Well, it's the cancer now, too... eating through him like a shark. Doctors gave him nine months but he's holding strong. F****n' don't know how I'd handle that. Hook me up to one of those machines, you might as well kill me right then and there. F**k that. Promise me that ever happens, you'll take my gun and put me out of my misery. ANTON BRODY You're not the type to die like that Bill, don't worry. Phyllis'll kill ya before the cancer ever will. Both men laugh. WILLIAM DAFINO Well... you seem happy, Anton. For someone as sick as yourself, that's really saying something. Don't get delusional though. One woman can't change the world. ANTON BRODY Ah, that's where you're wrong old-timer. I'm sure Phyl used to put a spring in your step back in the day. You play the tough guy now but I bet you were a real charmer back in the eighteen hundreds. Anton laughs. Dafino takes out his gun and waves it around playfully at Anton. WILLIAM DAFINO Bang bang, you're dead. Both men continue laughing together inside the car. FADE TO BLACK EXT. AVERY HOME - LATER Dafino pulls his car up to the curb a few houses down from John and Rachel's. Dafino is dressed all in black and wearing white surgical gloves. Dafino opens his phone and punches in Anton's number. WILLIAM DAFINO Send the message, I'm here. INT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS John is watching TV when his CELL PHONE VIBRATES. He picks it up and sees a text message from Rachel: "I'm ready to talk. Meet me at the coffee shop? I'm so sorry. I love you." John stares at the message on the phone and breathes a heavy sigh of relief. EXT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS Dafino is staring at the Avery home, waiting for John to leave. Suddenly, the only light in the house goes off and John exits. John gets into his car and backs out of the driveway, taking off in a hurry. Dafino slides out of his car and opens the trunk to retrieve a large satchel. He closes the trunk and walks towards the home. He walks around the side of the house. The side gate has been left open. He makes his way to the back door, lightly kicking aside a snow shovel that's in his way and begins picking the lock. A beat. The LOCK CLICKS and the door swings open slightly. A loud BEEPING noise is heard, signifying that the house alarm will sound shortly. WILLIAM DAFINO (Calmly) Oh, for Christ's sake... INT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS Dafino walks at a steady pace to the front door. He bends down and reaches into his bag, pulling out a multi-purpose screwdriver. He attempts to unscrew the panel from the wall with the bit that's currently in the screwdriver, but the bit head is too large. He swaps it out with a slightly smaller one and tries again, successfully. The PANEL slips off and falls to the floor with a metallic CLANG. He puts the screwdriver back into his bag and pulls out a pair of wire cutters. He thinks to himself for a brief moment before clipping the red wire. The beeping noise stops. Dafino looks around the room, triumphantly, with a slight smile on his face. INT. JOHN'S CAR - CONTINUOUS John is driving in a hurry to the coffee shop. He suddenly sees his own bare hand on the steering wheel. He isn't wearing his ring. JOHN AVERY S**t... s**t! John rubs his bare finger. With his other hand, he searches the pockets of his jacket and pants, but comes up empty. He does a sudden U-turn and heads back home for his ring. INT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS FRONT DOOR Dafino picks up his bag and stares up the stairwell to the second floor. He walks slowly up the stairs. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY Dafino, now on the second floor, looks in each room, one by one. The master bedroom, the two guest bedrooms and finally the office, the room he's looking for. He starts to enter the office before remembering something. He steps back into the hallway and heads into the master bedroom. MASTER BEDROOM He lazily grabs a handful of necklaces and bracelets from the dresser and throws them into his bag. OFFICE He goes back to the office, where he carefully unplugs the laptop and places it in the bag he's been carrying. He continues looking for the DVD but can't find it on the desk. He sees a filing cabinet next to the desk and begins to rummage around in it. EXT. AVERY HOME - MOMENTS LATER John pulls into his driveway. He gets out of the car and approaches the front door. He fumbles for his keys, dropping them once before finally finding the right one. He opens the door and sees the cover for the alarm system resting on the floor in front of him. He looks panicked, but isn't moving. His eyes are searching the first floor of his house. Everything else appears normal. He closes the door behind him very slowly and quietly. INT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS John very slowly and very quietly heads for the kitchen at the back of the house. KITCHEN He reaches into a cabinet and pulls out a small six-shot revolver. It's not loaded. He frantically searches for the bullets. He searches through three or four boxes of junk, trying to make as little noise as possible, before he comes across the right one. He clumsily loads the gun with six bullets. He has a look of terror on his face as he stands in his kitchen with the loaded weapon. John slowly and carefully searches the main floor of his home. He doesn't find anything out of place. FRONT DOOR As John approaches the stairs, he hears a loud THUMP. Dafino is emptying the filing cabinet, dumping it's contents on the carpeted floor upstairs. John holds his breath and slowly ascends the staircase. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY As John reaches the top of the stairs, he knows that the sound is coming from the office. He walks slowly down the hallway towards it but stops suddenly, frozen in fear, as the HOME PHONE RINGS loudly from the master bedroom. The RUSTLING stops in the office. John is holding his breath. Dafino moves quickly to the master bedroom to find the source of the noise. His back is to John as he moves. John stares, horrified, as Dafino moves to the bedroom, unable to speak. He raises his gun, but doesn't fire. He has a direct line of sight to Dafino at this point. MASTER BEDROOM Dafino finds the phone on the bedside table and takes a look at the call display. Beside the phone is the DVD. He lets out a chuckle and grabs it. He turns around to leave, but instead finds John aiming the gun at him. Neither men say a word. After a beat, the PHONE RINGS again. John fires his weapon in reflex. BANG! The bullet hits Dafino in the shoulder and he falls to the ground with a loud grunt, clutching his arm. Horrified, John rushes into the bedroom and stands over Dafino. Dafino, gasping for air, slowly reaches under his shirt for his own gun. JOHN AVERY (whimpering) No... Dafino grabs his silenced pistol but before he can bring it up to shoot, John fires another round into Dafino's chest, killing him. John drops to his knees and puts his hands on his head, letting out a howl. The phone stops ringing. John suddenly remembers Dafino's GUN and bats it out of the way. It smacks against the wall with a THUD. John shuffles over top of Dafino's body and hovers his hands over him, as if he's about to give him CPR. He doesn't know where to place his hands, there's too much blood. He realizes there's no point. John reaches into Dafino's jacket and pulls out his wallet. He reads the driver's license and shakes his head in confusion, not recognizing the name. John reaches into Dafino's pants pocket and finds his cell phone. He flips it open and looks at the most recently contacted number: "BRODY, ANTON 212-555-1253" John looks shocked. He pockets the phone. John grabs the DVD and puts it back in the office on top of his desk. He then goes back to Dafino's body and kneels beside it. He lightly puts his hands on Dafino's shoulders and starts to drag him. John notices the mess he's making, as Dafino's blood smears all over the carpet. John stops immediately, stands up, and walks out of the room. INT. AVERY HOME - SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY - LATER John now has Dafino's body wrapped in drawstring garbage bags. One end covers his head, the other covers his legs and feet. His torso is showing because the bags aren't long enough. John begins dragging Dafino down the stairs. He doesn't realize how heavy Dafino is and almost loses his footing. John stops and calms himself before trying again. This time he gets three or four stairs down before Dafino's body starts sliding on its own. John loses his grip and Dafino's head takes out John's legs, causing him to tumble down the stairs awkwardly. John SMACKS his HEAD on the hard ceramic floor. Dafino's BODY SLAMS against the WALL head-first, putting a large dent in the drywall. John's eyes flutter briefly for a moment before he passes out completely. Blood is trickling down his face. FADE TO BLACK INT. AVERY HOME - MORNING FLARE TO WHITE FRONT DOOR John opens his eyes, squinting, to find that it's now light outside. There is dried blood all over his head, face and shirt. John sits up and blinks several times to bring the room into focus. John looks around the room and sees the body wrapped in garbage bags. There is a large pool of blood on the ceramic floor under the body. Everything suddenly comes rushing back to him. He stands up in a hurry, nearly falling on his way up. John rubs his face, smearing blood all over his cheeks. John grabs hold of Dafino's feet and drags him slowly to the door leading to the garage. He leaves a bloody smear all across the floor as he drags the body. He makes it to the door after some struggling and leans up against the wall, panting. He catches his reflection in the mirror on the wall. JOHN AVERY Oh my God... KITCHEN John stumbles to the kitchen, grabs a tea towel that's hanging from the oven and wipes his face off. He throws the towel in the sink and takes his shirt off, turns it inside out, and puts it back on. John stares with a look of concern at the body lying slumped against the door to the garage. INT. AVERY HOME - GARAGE - MOMENTS LATER John reverses his car into the garage. A beat. The trunk pops open. INT. AVERY HOME - LATER CLOSE ON SUDSY WATER A persistent RUBBING noise. Suddenly, the water becomes discolored with red liquid. The red liquid slowly diffuses into the water and the water turns a dark pink color. BACK TO SCENE John, wearing large yellow rubber gloves, is scrubbing the ceramic floor near the front door of the house and ringing the bloody rag into the bucket of soapy water. MASTER BEDROOM John is soaking up the blood in the rug and scrubbing at it wildly. CUT TO: John is firmly scrubbing the wall of the bedroom, attempting to remove any trace of the blood splatter. STAIRS John is scrubbing the stairs frantically. MASTER BEDROOM John is back at the carpet, scrubbing wildly. There are cleaning products all around him now. GARAGE John is cleaning the cement floor of the garage with a mop. BASEMENT John is taking his clothes off and putting them in the washing machine. MASTER BEDROOM John continues scrubbing wildly. Even more cleaning products are littered around him now. He pauses briefly, and then throws up into the bucket. He continues scrubbing, more slowly than before. John picks up the bucket and heads out of the room. SHOWER John is showering, the blood and grime is quickly swirling down the drain. He splashes water over his face and holds his hands there, covering his eyes for some time. EXT. AVERY HOME - LATER John is walking down the street in his heavy winter jacket with a key belonging to Dafino's car. John approaches a Ford Focus and attempts to open it. The key doesn't fit. He looks further down the street and sees a beat up old Ford Escort. John walks up to it and tries the key, looking around first to make sure no one's watching. The key fits. John gets in and drives the car around the block. He gets out of the car and walks back to his house. INT. AVERY HOME - EVENING DINING ROOM It's now dusk and the dining room is cast with an orange glow. John is sitting at the dining room table. He is staring intently at the table. JOHN'S POV The contents of Dafino's pockets are all laid out neatly in the middle of the table. The pile includes his cell phone, his keys, an after-dinner mint and a couple of scrunched-up receipts. John takes out his cell phone and tries calling Rachel. He gets no answer. Suddenly, there's the sound of a RINGING CELL PHONE. John tries to answer his cell phone but the sound continues. CLOSE ON DAFINO'S PHONE The display reads "Blocked Number". BACK TO SCENE John stares at the phone, unsure of what to do with it. A long beat. John quickly grabs the phone and answers it. JOHN AVERY Yes? ANTON BRODY (V.O.) Where have you been, Bill? I thought you said you'd call when you had it taken care of. Is it done? JOHN AVERY It's done. An awkward beat. Neither men say a word. ANTON BRODY (V.O.) You all right, Bill? JOHN AVERY Mmmhmm. Another awkward beat. ANTON BRODY (V.O.) So, I'll see you soon then. Wellington's. The call disconnects. John stares forward with a concerned look on his face. EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - WELLINGTON'S PUB - LATER It's a crisp, cold night. No snow is falling and it's eerily quiet. The Wellington's pub fluorescent SIGN is BUZZING incessantly. INT. JOHN'S CAR - CONTINUOUS John is sitting in his car, wearing his heavy winter jacket, gloves and winter hat. He's situated in the darkest corner of the parking lot, watching people entering and exiting the front door of the pub. The time on the radio says 5:52. John turns the radio on and Bohemian Rhapsody is playing, loudly. RADIO Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me John jumps, startled by the noise of the song. He turns the volume down and flips the channel several times, stopping on a talk radio station. RADIO (old man talking) Now, see, the prospects of the DOW are, in my opinion, directly related to the state of the economy. What's happening here, and, by all means, correct me if you think I'm wrong, but what's happening here is that the economy has been improving steadily enough, for long enough that... John looks around impatiently as the old man on the radio mumbles about the DOW Jones. He turns the radio off. EXT. JOHN'S CAR - CONTINUOUS The moon, barely visible, become more and more discernible as it races past the ever-brightening stars in the night sky. INT. JOHN'S CAR - LATER Back in the car, John is still sitting and waiting. His eyes are barely open and his mouth is ajar. His breath is creating puffs of vapour in the cold winter air. The clock in front of him now reads 12:54. John stirs in his drowsy state and rubs his face with his gloved hands. He puts his keys in the ignition. Just at that moment, headlights fill his car and the first car in an hour enters the lot. It parks on the opposite end of the lot in a similarly darkened area. John is staring at the car with great interest. For the first time in hours, he's alert. Anton steps out of the car and looks around. He takes out his cellphone and looks at it for several seconds before walking towards the front door of the bar. He opens the door and steps inside. John's breathing quickens and his hands start to move quickly. He takes the gun out from his jacket pocket and checks that the bullets are still loaded, as if they somehow might have jumped out when he wasn't looking. He nods to himself and puts the gun back in his jacket pocket and removes the key from the ignition. EXT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - CONTINUOUS John opens the car door and quietly closes it behind him. He begins walking slowly towards the building, trying to walk casually but instead walking with an awkward limp that would look strange to anyone watching. John approaches the front door of the bar and pulls it open. INT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - CONTINUOUS With his hands in his pockets, John walks slowly over to the booth where he met Anton previously. Anton appears to be sitting there with his back to John. John, with a look of fear on his face, standing over the man, fumbles around for the gun in his pocket. Suddenly, the man turns around. It's not Anton, but a man much younger. MAN (in a southern drawl) You got a problem, friend? JOHN AVERY No, I just... sorry. An awkward beat. ANTON BRODY (O.S.) Look who it is. Anton is standing behind John. John doesn't turn around. ANTON BRODY Imagine finding YOU here. For someone that doesn't drink, you're here more often than I am. I'm about to sit down for a drink with an old friend, but seeing as how he hasn't shown yet, how about you and I catch up? John turns his head to the side, seeing Anton with his peripheral vision, and lets out a stunted laugh. Anton walks past John and orders two beers at the bar. John stands still, staring at Anton. Anton stares back at John, never taking his eyes off him, while the waitress pours the drinks. The waitress taps Anton on the shoulder and he pays her. Anton walks over to a booth near John and sits down. He sets one beer down in front of himself and one on the other side of the table. John slides slowly into the booth, his hands still in his pockets. Anton picks up his beer and raises it in the air. ANTON BRODY To new beginnings. John slowly raises his drink and Anton clinks his glass against John's. Both men take a drink. As soon as John sets his glass down, his hand goes back into his pocket. ANTON BRODY I really do care about her, John. I want you to know that. This isn't just some fling, it's real. And it was tough for me to come to you like that, on my hands and knees. I really wish we could have made a deal. We still can, if you want. JOHN AVERY Really. Anton takes a drink. ANTON BRODY That shiner's lookin' better. You put a steak on it yet? I hear that helps. JOHN AVERY You're not getting it back. ANTON BRODY I hope you change your mind. JOHN AVERY I won't. ANTON BRODY That's too bad. I don't know what I'll tell Rachel when she finds out. It's gonna be tough. John shifts in his seat. Beneath the table, John is slowly pulling out his gun. Anton's eyes go down towards John's pocketed hand. His eyes wince and he takes another drink. ANTON BRODY This is your move, is it? John stares down Anton, his face going red. ANTON BRODY I figured you'd at least wait until I was out in the parking lot. Might be fewer witnesses that way. I'm sure you already thought of that, though. John continues the stare-down. ANTON BRODY Well, just go ahead and do it then if you're gonna do it. I don't know what you're waiting for. Aim for the stomach, one good shot and that's all it'll take... although I doubt you've ever fired that thing before. Bet the safety's still on, too. Come on, I want you to do it. I want you to take charge of the situation, show me who's boss. One good shot and it'll all be over, I'll be gone for good. BAM! Anton SLAMS his HANDS down on the table as he says it, causing John to jump in his seat. Several bar patrons look over to see what the commotion is all about. Anton grins and takes another drink. John lowers the gun and quickly puts it back inside his jacket pocket. He gets up from the table, clutching the gun awkwardly inside his pocket. ANTON BRODY You know, it's weird. My friend is really late, I wonder where he could be? This isn't like him at all, I should give him a call. Anton gives John a knowing glance while he takes another swig of his beer. John walks away in a hurry, still awkwardly clutching the gun. ANTON BRODY Always a pleasure, John. Anton relaxes his right arm and we see that he was holding a gun on John the whole time. Anton places the gun on the seat cushion next to him. He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. EXT. WELLINGTON'S PUB - CONTINUOUS John is speed-walking to his car, clutching the gun in his pocket. He nearly slips on the icy pavement as he walks, but manages to maintain his balance. INT. JOHN'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER John gets into the car and lets out a primitive scream. He takes the gun from his pocket and beats it against the steering wheel several times in anger and frustration. He screams again. The air bag suddenly inflates and fills the front seat. John struggles with it for a good ten seconds before finally managing to deflate it. John starts the car, feeling utterly defeated and pulls out of the parking lot. INT. JOHN'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER John approaches a red light at an intersection. He isn't paying attention and nearly hits an old lady crossing the street. He slams on the brakes at the last second, bringing the CAR to a SQUEALING stop The old lady looks extremely annoyed and gives him an evil stare, muttering to herself and shaking her head dramatically. John puts his hands on his head, and rubs his face. The light turns green. After several moments, the CAR behind John's begins to HONK. The driver gets impatient and drives around John, giving him the finger as he goes. John regains his composure and continues driving, more carefully now than before. EXT. AVERY HOME - LATER John is driving down a street in his neighbourhood, the same street where he parked Dafino's car. He drives by and notices a portion of the street untouched by snow. It's where Dafino's car was parked. JOHN AVERY What the hell... John pulls over suddenly and gets out of his car. He stares at the empty parking spot. EXT. AVERY HOME - MOMENTS LATER John runs down the street, searching for Dafino's car. It's nowhere to be found. John puts his hands on his head and has a look of panic on his face as he scans the street frantically. EXT. AVERY HOME - MOMENTS LATER John is now pulling into his driveway. He slides out of his car and approaches the front door in a hurry. He's about to insert his key when he pauses to think twice about it. John takes the gun out of his jacket pocket and walks around to the back of the house through the side yard. He peers in the windows as he goes. The house is pitch-black inside. John approaches the back door and very quietly opens it. The house is deadly quiet. He closes the door quietly behind him. INT. AVERY HOME - CONTINUOUS KITCHEN John walks into the kitchen and notices that the bloody rag is still in the sink from when he wiped his face with it. John lets out a deep sigh. JOHN AVERY Jesus. John takes the rag and throws it in the trash bin under the sink. DINING ROOM John walks by the dining room table and notices that the contents of Dafino's pockets are no longer there. John's eyes go wide as he realizes that someone has been in his house. He raises the gun and points it forward as he scours the rest of the main floor of the house. FRONT DOOR John stares up to the second floor, looking trepidatious about his next move. A beat. John walks slowly up the stairs, expecting there to be another intruder. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY John peers into each bedroom as he walks down the hallway. John peers into the office. CLOSE ON DESK The DVD and laptop are both missing. Sitting in their place is a photograph. BACK TO SCENE John walks over to the desk with his gun at his side. CLOSE ON PHOTO The photograph shows what appears to be divorce documents signed by Rachel with an empty spot for John to sign. On the papers is a section labelled "Fault Divorce" citing infidelity as the reason. BACK TO SCENE John stares at it with an emotionless glare. He picks up the photograph and looks it over carefully. He flips it around. Written on the back in black Sharpie is written "to new beginnings". A beat. John begins to chuckle. He slinks down to the floor and continues laughing, the sound getting louder and more exaggerated. He tilts his head back and stares up at the ceiling, making a strange, giddy noise, like a child at Christmas. He's clearly lost his mind. There is a ceiling fan rotating quickly above, John stares at it as his laughter slows until all that's left is the sound of the FAN WHIRRING overhead. FADE TO BLACK INT. AVERY ADVERTISING - JOHN'S OFFICE - DAY John is staring up at the fluorescent lights above with baggy eyes. He seems mesmerized by it. The PHONE RINGS. John lazily looks down at it. After three rings, he picks it up. JOHN AVERY (monotone) Avery Advertising. John Avery speaking. The voice on the other end of the line isn't audible. JOHN AVERY Right. Yes, that's right. Well, we're working hard to get that done by the end of the week. Yes. Yes. All right, good. Thank you. John holds down the telephone hook for several seconds. He takes a moment to put on a fake smile and then dials a three digit extension. JOHN AVERY Hey. How are you doin'? That's good. Oh really, again? Geez. That's just... that's.... An awkward beat. JOHN AVERY I was wondering... are you busy tonight? No? Do you feel like grabbing some dinner with me? An excited tone can be heard on the other end of the line. JOHN AVERY Great, I'll pick you up around six? OK, sounds great, see you then! John's smile immediately disappears as he hangs up the phone. He leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. INT. MOTEL ROOM - EVENING A door opens into a dark room, letting in the swirling snow from outside and the harsh light of a parking lot light fixture. Two figures are standing in the doorway. The intense wind outside is causing the TRASH CAN outside the motel room to RATTLE violently in it's metal cage. John and Elizabeth enter the room. Elizabeth is laughing and holding John's arm. John flips on the light to reveal the cheaply decorated interior of the motel room. John takes off his heavy winter jacket and Elizabeth hands him hers. He places both on the chair next to the bed. John turns to face Elizabeth. She has a huge grin on her face. She runs over to him and starts kissing him, eagerly. She leans into him and they both fall backwards onto the bed. Elizabeth starts unbuttoning John's shirt while they kiss. She unbuttons her own shirt as well, to reveal a red lacy bra underneath. ELIZABETH REISENFELD I've missed you so much. They continue kissing passionately. John squeezes her breasts and she moans. FADE TO BLACK INT. MOTEL ROOM - LATER John and Elizabeth are lying next to each other in the darkened room. Elizabeth has her eyes closed and John's are wide open, staring at the ceiling. JOHN AVERY Liz? John nudges her slightly. She doesn't respond. JOHN AVERY Hey, you awake? John nudges her harder. She opens her eyes slowly and smiles. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Hey, you. Oh my God, are you ready to go again already? She reaches down under the covers to grab him. He shifts his weight away from her. JOHN AVERY Actually, I'm still recovering from round one. Can I talk to you about something for a minute? Elizabeth sits up with a smile on her face. ELIZABETH REISENFELD What's up? JOHN AVERY I haven't told anyone this yet but... my wife and I... we're getting a divorce. Or... maybe a separation, I'm not sure what it is yet. An awkward beat. ELIZABETH REISENFELD I'm sorry. I'm not really sure what to say. I mean... I didn't mean for that to happen, you know that right? JOHN AVERY I'm not blaming you. I made the decisions that I made and it's not like I would change things. It's complicated now though, because it seems like she might try to use you. ELIZABETH REISENFELD What do you mean? Use me how? John shifts uncomfortably in the bed. JOHN AVERY I think she's going to get you to testify against me. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Testify? What does that mean, exactly, testify? About what, about us? JOHN AVERY Well, yeah, about us. See, she'll have a real strong case if she can prove that you and I were together. The laws, they're real strict when it comes to this sort of thing, so you have to promise that you won't -- ELIZABETH REISENFELD That I won't what? What are you asking? You want me to lie? To like, a judge or something? JOHN AVERY Hey, now, listen... I don't even know if it'll come down to anything like that. If it does though... there's only one way we can get out of this, we gotta be real certain we're on the same page here. ELIZABETH REISENFELD You want me to just pretend this didn't happen? I... I can't do that, John. How am I supposed to do that? I'm not comfortable with any of this. JOHN AVERY I can't afford this right now, Liz. There's just too much going on in my life. You really gotta help me here. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Wait, wait, wait... is this why you brought me here tonight? To convince me to lie so you don't f**k up your life even more than it already is!? You know what, you're a f*****g a*****e John. I should have seen it before. Elizabeth gets up from the bed. JOHN AVERY No! I -- ELIZABETH REISENFELD And here I thought you really wanted to see me again. I thought there might be something real here. I'm such an idiot, I should have known you'd do something like this. JOHN AVERY Liz, no. That's not why! Listen, I do have feelings for you, I just -- ELIZABETH REISENFELD You brought me here so you could F**K me one more time and then convince me to help you win your f*****g court case. This isn't my fault, OK? None of this is MY fault. Elizabeth finds her clothes on the floor and starts getting dressed. JOHN AVERY Liz come on. What are you doin' there? ELIZABETH REISENFELD I'm getting the f**k out of here, that's what I'm doing. Elizabeth is almost fully dressed when John gets out of bed and starts putting his clothes back on too. JOHN AVERY Hey, c'mon, can't we just stay a bit and talk about this? ELIZABETH REISENFELD There's nothing to talk about! John grabs his jacket and throws it on quickly. The gun slides out of his pocket and thumps against the dresser near Elizabeth. She stares it in confusion. ELIZABETH REISENFELD What is that? JOHN AVERY It's nothing. John quickly crosses the room and picks up the weapon, putting it back in his pocket. ELIZABETH REISENFELD You brought a gun? Is that for if I decide not to cooperate? That's your backup plan? JOHN AVERY No... Jesus Christ, no! I only have this because -- ELIZABETH REISENFELD Stay the f**k away from me! Elizabeth opens the door and storms out. Her shirt is half-buttoned up and she's struggling to put her jacket on as she runs. John starts to run after her. JOHN AVERY Liz! Wait! EXT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS Elizabeth is almost to her car when she slips on the icy pavement and falls, face first into the ICE, with a loud THUMP. John stops running and goes wide-eyed. JOHN AVERY Oh God! John sprints over to her as fast he can on the icy pavement. Her nose and jaw are broken and there's blood spurting out and starting to pool all over the ice in front of her. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Don't.... don't.... stop.... She's coughing up blood as she tries to form words. John is hysterical. He has his hands over his mouth and his eyes are wide. He looks at Elizabeth and then back at the motel. No one is around, it's a pitch-black evening and the snow is falling quickly now. John takes out his phone and dials 9-1-1. 911 OPERATOR 9-1-1, what's your emergency? JOHN AVERY I'm... I need... John closes his eyes and tries to think. 911 OPERATOR I'm sorry sir, you'll have to speak up. Are you in trouble? John opens his eyes with a look of realization on his face. He disconnects the call and puts the phone back in his pocket. Elizabeth's eyes are barely open as she looks up at John for help. John takes his gun out slowly from his jacket pocket and looks down at it. His hand shakes as he holds it but he's not pointing it at her. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Call... help... call... Elizabeth is crawling towards his leg and grabbing at it with her weak hands. Blood continues pooling all around her. John slowly points the gun at her and squints his eyes. She doesn't react, she just stares back at him, moaning. John pulls the gun back to his side quickly, his hand still shaking violently. He crouches down to steady himself, afraid that he might pass out. Elizabeth continues clawing weakly at his leg, grabbing at his arm now. ELIZABETH REISENFELD Phone... She's trying to reach into his pocket for the phone. John stands up again, causing Elizabeth to lose her grip and fall to the ground. She crawls forward again and tries to grip his legs with her weak hands. John puts his hand over his mouth to keep from screaming, aims the gun at her again and pulls the trigger. With a muted BANG, the sound lost to the wind, her body goes limp, lifeless. John stares at Elizabeth's body for several seconds, his hand still over his mouth. He slowly removes it after he finds that he's not making any noise. There is a look of numb horror on John's face. He's in complete shock. John stares at Elizabeth's body as the falling snow quickly begins to cover the evidence of what just occurred. John calmly turns around and starts to walk to his own car. He suddenly appears very calm and at ease. It's obvious by his body language and demeanour that he's not in the right state of mind. John gets into his car and drives off into the dark, snow-filled night. INT. AVERY HOME - MASTER BEDROOM - LATER John is lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling with a dead look in his eyes. He doesn't blink. EXT. AVERY HOME - LATER The moon outside goes down beyond the horizon and the sun begins to rise. INT. AVERY HOME - MASTER BEDROOM - MORNING John is still staring at the ceiling with the same look on his face. His ALARM BEEPS and he just lies there, ignoring the annoying sound, staring at the ceiling, unmoving, unflinching. EXT. MOTEL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER A large METAL OBJECT is RATTLING around and snow is tumbling forward in front of it. A snow plow is the cause of all the commotion, working hard to get rid of the previous evening's snowfall. INT. SNOW PLOW - CONTINUOUS A SNOW PLOW DRIVER in his 50s with a grey beard is smoking a cigarette, listening to "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams. He's singing quietly to the music as he bounces in his seat. SNOW PLOW DRIVER (singing quietly) When tears come down like falling rain You'll toss around and call my name You'll walk the floor the way I do your cheatin' heart will tell on you EXT. SNOW PLOW - CONTINUOUS CLOSE ON METAL PLOW. Snow continues piling up and flying madly to each side. INT. SNOW PLOW - CONTINUOUS The man removes the cigarette from his mouth to cough violently. He rolls down the window and spits out of it. He then replaces the cigarette and continues puffing. Suddenly there is a jolt and he drops his cigarette between his legs. SNOW PLOW DRIVER Whoa! He grabs the cigarette and puts it back in his mouth. The SNOW PLOW starts to make a GRINDING noise as it moves along. The driver comes to a stop, puts his cigarette out in the ashtray of his cab and steps out. EXT. SNOW PLOW - CONTINUOUS The driver walks forward, before realizing how cold it is. He goes back to the cab and grabs his large winter hat and gloves. He closes the cab door and takes out his cigarettes, lighting up a fresh one. He puts on the hat and gloves and starts humming the song again. He walks around to the front of the cab to see what the problem could be. Everything appears normal at first glance. The driver digs at the large pile of snow with one hand in front of the plow. Still, everything seems fine. He digs further, now with both hands, until he finally finds deep in the pile what appears to be hair. SNOW PLOW DRIVER The heck... Brushing away the snow, he realizes with horror that it's the head of a young woman. CLOSE ON HEAD A face frozen in eternal horror. The driver runs to the hotel in the background, out of focus. The music from the snow plow's radio can still be heard. "Your cheatin' heart will tell on you". INT. AVERY ADVERTISING - MORNING LOBBY John is walking into work through the lobby of Avery Advertising. He has a day's worth of stubble on his face and his shirt is wrinkled. His eye is still quite purple from the earlier incident. He seems calm, given the current situation. STEVE PETERS Hey, how are you doin' buddy? JOHN AVERY Hey, Steve. John glances uneasily at the receptionist's desk as he walks by. John heads straight to his office and closes the door behind him. JOHN'S OFFICE John opens his laptop lid and goes to a local news website. He scrolls through the list of top stories. He reaches the bottom of the page and breathes a sigh of relief. Just then, Steve walks in. John pushes his laptop screen down. STEVE PETERS Oh, hey, sorry... didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to ask about the Anderson project. Amanda called earlier this morning, she was wondering if it could be done by the end of the week. John doesn't appear to be paying attention. STEVE PETERS Um, also, I don't know if you've heard, but Chantel at Upper Philly was fired last week, so we're going to be dealing with Allison from now on. I can forward you her contact info. John nods, uninterested. STEVE PETERS John. You OK, buddy? You look like hell. Wild night last night? John makes eye contact with Steve. JOHN AVERY Yeah, uh, I'll... I'll take care of it. Listen, I need to make a few phone calls, so... STEVE PETERS Oh, geez, yeah, I'm sorry, I barged in didn't I? I'll talk to you later, all right? John forces a fake smile and nods as Steve turns to leave. STEVE PETERS Oh, sorry, one last thing before I let ya go. Elizabeth never came in this morning. Want me to give her a call, see if she's feeling OK? JOHN AVERY No! No, that's... that's OK, Steve. Actually, we talked last week and she's just taking some time off. That's all. STEVE PETERS Time off? Jesus, she just got back from Cuba a few weeks ago. How much vacation time does a secretary get around here? (a beat) Well, who's covering for her? I need some s**t faxed out ASAP and I don't know how to work the goddamn thing. John doesn't respond, he's staring into space. Steve gives up and leaves the room looking upset. John opens his laptop again and continues scrolling through the list of stories. He suddenly stops scrolling when he comes across a story titled "Body found in Moraine State Park". John's eyes go wide. He clicks the link and begins to read the story: "A body was found on the shores of Lake Arthur, yesterday, just outside the city of New Castle. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but it is considered suspicious, New Castle Police said. A concerned parent, whose seven-year-old child spotted the body, called police. "Police were contacted and confirmed it was a body," said Staff-Sgt. Richard Levy. "It is being treated as suspicious. Anyone with any information is urged to contact police." BACK TO SCENE There's a KNOCK at the DOOR. John jumps in his chair and looks up. STEVE PETERS Sorry bud, there's someone here for you. Steve walks away before John has a chance to ask who it is. LOBBY A man in a brown puffy winter jacket and large fur hat with flaps is hovering over Elizabeth's desk, flipping through an Avery Advertising brochure. The man is DETECTIVE HARRIS of the New Castle police department. He's a middle-aged man with stark features and a pale complexion. A static noise comes out of Detective Harris' walkie talkie and he responds back to it. DETECTIVE HARRIS Yeah, I'll only be a few minutes up here, Laurie, sit tight. John approaches the man cautiously. JOHN AVERY Can I help you, sir? The detective spins around with a smile. DETECTIVE HARRIS Mr. Avery? JOHN AVERY Yes. DETECTIVE HARRIS Nice to meet you, Mr. Avery, I'm Detective Harris with the New Castle police department. I'm sorry to barge in like this, I'm sure you're a busy guy. Your name IS on the wall after all! The detective motions to the "Avery Advertising" logo on the wall. John laughs nervously. DETECTIVE HARRIS Would you mind if we talked somewhere in private for a few moments? JOHN AVERY Oh, I'm actually awfully busy this morning. I have a few calls to make and I really need to -- DETECTIVE HARRIS I know the feeling. I'm awfully busy too, Mr Avery, but this will only take a few minutes. I promise. Then you can kick me on outta here! The police officer gives John a pleasant smile. John glances nervously at Elizabeth's desk and then back at his own office. JOHN AVERY What's this all about? DETECTIVE HARRIS Well, thing is, I'd actually rather not say at the moment. Mind if we step into your office? Like I said, I just need a minute or two of your time and I'll be outta your hair. John nods hesitantly. JOHN AVERY Yeah, OK... right this way. DETECTIVE HARRIS (pointing to the Avery Advertising brochure) Mind if I take one? JOHN AVERY Sure... Detective Harris looks John up and down and inspects the various offices as he walks behind him to John's office. JOHN'S OFFICE John closes the door behind them. DETECTIVE HARRIS Mr. Avery, when was the last time you were in contact with Miss. Reisenfeld? John stares at the officer, offering up a terribly fake smile. He's cornered, and he knows it, it shows on his face. STEVE'S OFFICE Steve is watching intently as John and the officer are discussing something. STEVE PETERS The hell's goin' on here? The officer starts writing something down on a notepad, before continuing to talk to John. John starts rubbing his face with his hand as the officer continues talking. John puts a finger up as if to say "one second". Detective Harris brings his walkie talkie to his mouth. John reaches into his jacket pocket, pulls out his gun and before the officer can reach for his own weapon, shoots him in the side of the face with a loud BANG, splattering blood all over the glass windows of the office. A look of horror comes over Steve's face and he gets up quickly from his desk and rushes into the hallway. John also runs out into the hallway towards the front door. One of the graphic designers, Kyle, is standing in the way. John shoots him in the shoulder with another loud BANG and barges through the door. Detective Harris is lying on the floor in John's office, blood spurting from where the bullet pierced the side of his face. Everyone runs into the hallway after hearing the gunshots. People are screaming and cursing. Utter chaos. STAIRWELL John is running down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time. He trips and falls at the bottom of one of the flights of stairs but only falls down a few to the next landing. He manages to get back up with only a few scrapes to his leg and continues running full tilt down the stairwell. He has a look of madness on his face. What little bit of sanity he entered the office with is now long gone. EXT. AVERY ADVERTISING - CONTINUOUS John bursts through the side door of the large office building and runs around to the back of the building, searching for his car. His running is slow because of all of the snow from the previous night. He trips and falls again, this time taking a few seconds to regain his composure and get back on his feet. COP Stop! Stop where you are! Drop your weapon and put your hands on your head! John looks behind him and sees the female officer aiming her gun at him. Beside the officer is the police cruiser that Detective Harris and herself arrived in. John aims haphazardly at her and FIRES, but the bullet doesn't hit her. The officer FIRES back, the first shot missing it's intended target and the second hitting him in the leg. JOHN AVERY No! Nooooo! Arghhhhhhh! John is screaming like a child, holding his leg in pain, while at the same time trying to inch his way forward toward his car. The officer runs over and kicks his gun away. She then handcuffs John while trying to reach her partner on the walkie talkie. COP Detective Harris, please respond, I've got a man down in the parking lot. Detective Harris, please respond. Repeat, I've got a man down, possibly Mr. Avery. People come running out of the building looking horrified. The female officer signals that they shouldn't come any closer. FADE TO WHITE The following text fades in over white: One Year Later INT. AVERY HOME - DAY The front door of the house opens and an ALARM SYSTEM starts BEEPING. The REAL ESTATE AGENT, a slim woman with dark hair and a fake tan, reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper with the alarm code on it. She punches it into the system and it stops beeping. REAL ESTATE AGENT OK! Come on in, folks! A middle-aged ASIAN MAN and his younger wife step into the home. REAL ESTATE AGENT As you can see, the house has a very open feel to it the moment you walk in. It's VERY inviting! The Asian couple don't seem to be overly impressed. REAL ESTATE AGENT I should also mention, the alarm system does come with the house. Well, shall we take a look around? ASIAN MAN There's a hole. REAL ESTATE AGENT Beg pardon? The Asian man points to the area of the wall where John and Dafino had previously fallen down the stairs. ASIAN MAN Hole in wall. Oh... oh my! You're right, I did not notice that. You know what, it's probably just from when the movers were here. A little bit of patch work and it'll be good as new! Let's go check out the rest of the home. You're going to love the kitchen! The Asian man and woman exchange a glance. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY REAL ESTATE AGENT Now, there are three bedrooms up here. I believe one of them was being used as an office. Do either of you ever work from home? The Asian couple shake their heads in unison, still looking unimpressed. REAL ESTATE AGENT Well then, maybe you could turn it into an exercise room! If you'll come right this way, we'll take a peek at the master bedroom. MASTER BEDROOM The three of them walk into the master bedroom. As they walk in, they all notice the dried up blood still on the carpet. REAL ESTATE AGENT Oh my... must just be a bit of paint. That should come right out, I'd imagine. The Asian couple look VERY unimpressed. INT. BEACH HOUSE - EVENING It's early evening and Anton and Rachel are lying on Anton's couch together. Rachel is clearly pregnant. RACHEL AVERY The house finally sold today. ANTON BRODY You're kidding, that's fantastic. RACHEL AVERY I feel like the last of it's behind me now. Anton hugs Rachel tightly and rubs her belly. The baby kicks. ANTON BRODY Did you feel that? RACHEL AVERY Of course. She's a feisty one. Just like her daddy. ANTON BRODY Her? Rachel smiles. RACHEL AVERY According to the ultrasound... ANTON BRODY You said they couldn't tell! RACHEL AVERY (smiling widely) Surprise! ANTON BRODY We're gonna have a baby girl... Anton smiles. He leans over and kisses Rachel. He then leans down and kisses her belly. ANTON BRODY C'mere. Anton helps Rachel get up from the couch and they walk outside using the double French doors at the end of the room. It's dusk on the beach and the sun is just disappearing behind the Pacific Ocean. Anton and Rachel lie down on matching recliners and stare out at the waves. FADE OUT. THE END
© 2014 ScottTheScreenwriterAuthor's Note
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ScottTheScreenwriterWaterdown, Ontario, CanadaAboutI'm a screenwriter based out of Toronto, ON. I began writing in 2013 and have quickly developed a love for the craft. It's something that I take very seriously, while at the same time enjoying every m.. more..Writing
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