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Description
EXT. GRAVEL ROAD THROUGH A FOREST- EARLY MORNING/DAWN

An old pickup truck winds along the gravel drive up to a run down and small HOUSE. A young woman is driving. We see the sun coming up and birds starting to chirp, flitting from branch to branch.

The woman parks TRUCK and slides out, locking it immediately behind her. She leans her forehead against the door for a second, taking a deep breath before she turns and walks up to house and unlocks door. She is very tired.

INT. HOUSE-CONTINUOUS
YOUNG WOMAN's phone vibrates as she carefully shuts the door and locks it behind her, almost obsessively, but also habitually. CASSIE pulls phone from pocket and reads text: "did you get home ok?"

CASSIE

(typing out reply: "at home. call later. love")

Ugh, why do I even?

She waits for the reply to send, blinks hard as if to squeeze the sleep from her eyes and then tosses phone to counter.She notices a pile of mail and flips through it slowly. Rummages around in a drawer looking for something as she slips off her shoes.

CUT TO

A CARDINAL hops on the forest floor. He tilts his head and then viciously grabs a bug to devour. Audience sees his glinting eye, and then in a flurry of red he flies away. Forest floor is now empty and suspenseful. A few beats and then...

CUT BACK TO INT.HOUSE

The old floor of the kitchen creaks as Cassie moves to open mail. Audience sees a shot of her bare feet shuffling across the floor. They stop, and then back up quickly.

A shot of a dead cardinal, sitting in a pool of blood on the white counter.

CASSIE:

(whispers)

Oh, God...(then screaming)Elle! Oh god, Elle!! Someone get Jem. Oh...

Sound of feet hitting the floor and running down the stairs. A TEENAGER GIRL in her pajamas appears at the top. She jumps the last three steps and reaches for Cassie. Either to hold her or to receive help or comfort, we aren't sure. Cassie suddenly slips past ELLE and becomes calm and collected. She is instantly resolute. It leaves the audience feeling estranged from her character.

CASSIE

There's a bird. We have to go.

Shot of Elle's wide eyes and Cassie's hard stare.

Let's go, Elle. Call Jem for me. I have to get the things.

ELLE:

(accusing)

Why do I have to call Jem? You're the one who can actually get him to listen. Jesus! What's wrong with your life, Cassie?

CASSIE throws CELLPHONE at ELLE. She gives her a narrowed look and then throws open a PANTRY and starts grabbing canned food and throwing it into a old KNAPSACK readily sitting next to the food.

CASSIE:

Don't give me your typical 18 year old complaints now, Elle. Just call him...I was just with him all night anyways, he should be in a good mood.

ELLE:

You're the only one that sees him in a "good mood". But whatever, I'm dialing. Just get the bags upstairs, I'll finish this. And get pillows for you. I'm driving because I know you didn't sleep."

CASSIE heads up the stairs, trying to take two steps at a time but giving up half way out of exhaustion. BAGS are stacked neatly at the top of the stairs, as if prepared beforehand. There are a few small items on the bathroom counter as Cassie pushes the door open violently and grabs an empty laundry HAMPER. She throws the items in at random, rushing through the house and placing things in the hamper as she goes. By the time she is done the house is eerily empty, as if they never lived there. Back downstairs we hear Elle.

ELLE: (OS)

Cass-IE!

CASSIE:

(coming down the stairs quickly)

I'm here. Here, (handing hamper to ELLE, who already has the knapsack of food over her shoulder) load this into the truck. Did you talk to Jem?

ELLE:

Yeah, your basketcase of a best friend is on his way. We're meeting up at the Shell. And he wasn't in a good mood for your information.

CASSIE:

Don't sass me, chica. I'm running on six hours of sleep this week. Get the keys.

We see the two girls load up the truck and prepare for a road trip. It seems as if they have done this before.

CASSIE: (V.O)

12 times I have done this.

The truck backs up and revs down the gravel drive, leaving the screen door of the house hanging open. It appears as if no one has lived there in months.

CASSIE (V.O)

And for the 13th time, my family and I are driving away. Away from nothing and away from everything. That is it.

A shot of Cassie's forehead bouncing against the car window. We see a tear run down her face. She closes her eyes.

CASSIE (V.O)

When I meet someone new, they ask me, "So, what do you do?" And I usually answer with something normal and unassuming.

Shot of trees and telephone poles running by. Shot of Elle's hands on the steering wheel.

CASSIE: (V.O)

"I'm going to school for Elementary Education." I say. Or "I work as a receptionist at Chic Salon. You know the one in town?" But everytime I feel like telling the truth.

Shot of Cassie's lips as she bites them. Shot of the road from inside the car as they drive.

CASSIE (V.O)

My lips open to say, "I leave. I am a professional runner away. I drive from place to place so that the rest of the people I love can stay with me and stay alive. I run so that I can have a family."

Shot of Cassie smiling sadly in a daydream.

CASSIE (V.O)

"How about you? What's your line of work?"

Shot of Elle reaching for Cassie's HAND. They grasp eachother's hands and hold on tight. We see a tatoo of a cardinal on the inside of each of their wrists.

CASSIE: (V.O)

I really do run when I see dead birds. Because when I see a dead bird, soon afterwards, I too often see a dead person.

The screen starts to fade to black.

CASSIE: (V.O)

And the lifeless body that I find is never mine. Which plagues me every waking and sleeping moment. So I drive away.

Title appears on Black Screen: DRIVE

Description
EXT. GRAVEL ROAD THROUGH A FOREST- EARLY MORNING/DAWN

An old pickup truck winds along the gravel drive up to a run down and small HOUSE. A young woman is driving. We see the sun coming up and birds starting to chirp, flitting from branch to branch.

The woman parks TRUCK and slides out, locking it immediately behind her. She leans her forehead against the door for a second, taking a deep breath before she turns and walks up to house and unlocks door. She is very tired.

INT. HOUSE-CONTINUOUS
YOUNG WOMAN's phone vibrates as she carefully shuts the door and locks it behind her, almost obsessively, but also habitually. CASSIE pulls phone from pocket and reads text: "did you get home ok?"

CASSIE

(typing out reply: "at home. call later. love")

Ugh, why do I even?

She waits for the reply to send, blinks hard as if to squeeze the sleep from her eyes and then tosses phone to counter.She notices a pile of mail and flips through it slowly. Rummages around in a drawer looking for something as she slips off her shoes.

CUT TO

A CARDINAL hops on the forest floor. He tilts his head and then viciously grabs a bug to devour. Audience sees his glinting eye, and then in a flurry of red he flies away. Forest floor is now empty and suspenseful. A few beats and then...

CUT BACK TO INT.HOUSE

The old floor of the kitchen creaks as Cassie moves to open mail. Audience sees a shot of her bare feet shuffling across the floor. They stop, and then back up quickly.

A shot of a dead cardinal, sitting in a pool of blood on the white counter.

CASSIE:

(whispers)

Oh, God...(then screaming)Elle! Oh god, Elle!! Someone get Jem. Oh...

Sound of feet hitting the floor and running down the stairs. A TEENAGER GIRL in her pajamas appears at the top. She jumps the last three steps and reaches for Cassie. Either to hold her or to receive help or comfort, we aren't sure. Cassie suddenly slips past ELLE and becomes calm and collected. She is instantly resolute. It leaves the audience feeling estranged from her character.

CASSIE

There's a bird. We have to go.

Shot of Elle's wide eyes and Cassie's hard stare.

Let's go, Elle. Call Jem for me. I have to get the things.

ELLE:

(accusing)

Why do I have to call Jem? You're the one who can actually get him to listen. Jesus! What's wrong with your life, Cassie?

CASSIE throws CELLPHONE at ELLE. She gives her a narrowed look and then throws open a PANTRY and starts grabbing canned food and throwing it into a old KNAPSACK readily sitting next to the food.

CASSIE:

Don't give me your typical 18 year old complaints now, Elle. Just call him...I was just with him all night anyways, he should be in a good mood.

ELLE:

You're the only one that sees him in a "good mood". But whatever, I'm dialing. Just get the bags upstairs, I'll finish this. And get pillows for you. I'm driving because I know you didn't sleep."

CASSIE heads up the stairs, trying to take two steps at a time but giving up half way out of exhaustion. BAGS are stacked neatly at the top of the stairs, as if prepared beforehand. There are a few small items on the bathroom counter as Cassie pushes the door open violently and grabs an empty laundry HAMPER. She throws the items in at random, rushing through the house and placing things in the hamper as she goes. By the time she is done the house is eerily empty, as if they never lived there. Back downstairs we hear Elle.

ELLE: (OS)

Cass-IE!

CASSIE:

(coming down the stairs quickly)

I'm here. Here, (handing hamper to ELLE, who already has the knapsack of food over her shoulder) load this into the truck. Did you talk to Jem?

ELLE:

Yeah, your basketcase of a best friend is on his way. We're meeting up at the Shell. And he wasn't in a good mood for your information.

CASSIE:

Don't sass me, chica. I'm running on six hours of sleep this week. Get the keys.

We see the two girls load up the truck and prepare for a road trip. It seems as if they have done this before.

CASSIE: (V.O)

12 times I have done this.

The truck backs up and revs down the gravel drive, leaving the screen door of the house hanging open. It appears as if no one has lived there in months.

CASSIE (V.O)

And for the 13th time, my family and I are driving away. Away from nothing and away from everything. That is it.

A shot of Cassie's forehead bouncing against the car window. We see a tear run down her face. She closes her eyes.

CASSIE (V.O)

When I meet someone new, they ask me, "So, what do you do?" And I usually answer with something normal and unassuming.

Shot of trees and telephone poles running by. Shot of Elle's hands on the steering wheel.

CASSIE: (V.O)

"I'm going to school for Elementary Education." I say. Or "I work as a receptionist at Chic Salon. You know the one in town?" But everytime I feel like telling the truth.

Shot of Cassie's lips as she bites them. Shot of the road from inside the car as they drive.

CASSIE (V.O)

My lips open to say, "I leave. I am a professional runner away. I drive from place to place so that the rest of the people I love can stay with me and stay alive. I run so that I can have a family."

Shot of Cassie smiling sadly in a daydream.

CASSIE (V.O)

"How about you? What's your line of work?"

Shot of Elle reaching for Cassie's HAND. They grasp eachother's hands and hold on tight. We see a tatoo of a cardinal on the inside of each of their wrists.

CASSIE: (V.O)

I really do run when I see dead birds. Because when I see a dead bird, soon afterwards, I too often see a dead person.

The screen starts to fade to black.

CASSIE: (V.O)

And the lifeless body that I find is never mine. Which plagues me every waking and sleeping moment. So I drive away.

Title appears on Black Screen: DRIVE