STRAY

by Jeremy Paterson

Short Film
Email: jezza7777777@hotmail.com

Stray – a wife’s fidelity takes its toll on her meek husband, in strange and psychologically obscure ways. What happens next is the physical manifestation of male guilt, repression and a thriving inner violence.

STRAY
Written by JEREMY PATERSON, September 2007
93 Sea Acres Drive, Long Beach, NSW, 2536, Australia
Ph: 0417 622 937
Em: jezza7777777@hotmail.com
1 EXT. SUBURBAN HOME - DAWN
The world has not woken.
A wiry and unassuming man, RONNIE, edges open his front
door. He has on a stained brown jumper. He lights a smoke.
INSERT TITLE: MONDAY
He creeps across the porch to a Mercedes parked at the end
of the driveway. He yanks the passenger-side door handle,
but it is locked. Ronnie fiddles inside his jacket pocket,
pulling out a thin piece of coat wire. He picks the lock.
2 INT. MERCEDES - CONTINUOUS
Ronnie slinks in the front seat, reaching inside his jacket
pocket again. He finds an object wrapped in a hand towel.
He glances at it, expressionless.
He slips it inside the glove box.
3 EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - CONTINUOUS
Ronnie runs away from the car, vanishing into an empty park.
4 EXT. SUBURBAN HOME - MORNING
INSERT TITLE: TUESDAY
Ronnie - wearing a dressing gown - is with his wife, MOLLY,
in the driveway. She is wearing a smart business suit.
MOLLY
I’ll see you tonight, Ronnie.
RONNIE
Six? I’m making a stir fry.
MOLLY
I’ve got a late meeting. Just
leave it in the oven.
RONNIE
No problem, Molly. I love you.
MOLLY
Ditto.
Molly drives away, melting into the rising sun.
Ronnie stands in silhouette - motionless.
5 INT. MERCEDES - NOON
INSERT TITLE: WEDNESDAY
It is a beautiful day. Molly is driving. Ronnie is in the
passenger seat, wearing a light blue parker. He laughs.
RONNIE
Is that so?
MOLLY
For sure, honey. And November’s
coming soon. I was thinking Bali?
(Ronnie balks)
Ok - Fuji.
RONNIE
You know me too well.
Molly smirks. They share a mutual pause.
MOLLY
Oh, I forgot. Lisa’s pregnant.
RONNIE
Really?
MOLLY
Strange, huh? The sperm donor’s
some dimwit cameraman from Sweden,
or Switzerland, whatever. She met
him during post-production and
after three champers, you know how
things go...
RONNIE
(legitimately surprised)
She’s having a baby?
MOLLY
(annoyed)
Yeah, I just thought you should
know. But I don’t wanna hear it,
ok? We’ve been through this. We
can wait. We have our whole lives.
Ronnie cringes in embarrassment.
MOLLY (CONT’D)
This weather’s supposed to go any
day. We should use it while we can.
Ronnie does not respond, he keeps staring out the window.
2.
6 EXT. GAS STATION - DAY
The Mercedes pulls in next to a gas pump. Molly grabs the
keys, going to fill the tank. Ronnie reaches for his wallet.
MOLLY
(as if to a lost puppy)
It’s ok...
(Ronnie tries to smile)
It’s ok.
Ronnie heads towards the bathroom.
RONNIE
Back in a sec.
7 INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
This is a seedy urine swimming pool. The light bulb is
flashing sporadically across the piss-stained walls.
Ronnie urinates. He zips up, turning to wash his hands.
He locks still, hearing a soft growl...growl...
Ronnie jerks across to the other side of the cubicles.
There is a man - a HOBO - hunched inside the shadows.
Ronnie balks in hear, turning to leave.
HOBO
No. Stay.
Ronnie gapes at him, petrified.
HOBO (CONT’D)
Stay.
RONNIE
What do you --
HOBO
(matter-of-fact)
This is the end...
No response.
HOBO (CONT’D)
This is the end.
Ronnie stays for a moment, then sprints outside. He stops.
Molly is waiting outside the car. Ronnie looks ahead at her.
3.
8 INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
INSERT TITLE: THURSDAY
Through the window we see clouds pushing through the
enveloping sunlight. Ronnie flings a doona onto the bed.
Molly stands outside the doorway of the on-suite wearing a
new business suit. Ronnie is dressed in a plain blue jacket
and pants, rifling through a few film scripts on the floor.
He shoves them in a sports bag, kissing Molly on the cheek.
RONNIE
I may need your car today, I’ve
got an audition --
MOLLY
I’m sorry, honey, I have a
meeting at four. They’re talking
about re-shoots. Extensive
layoffs. You know how it is.
(Ronnie withdraws)
I didn’t mean it that way...it’s
beyond my control, sweetheart.
Ronnie wipes his sweaty brow.
MOLLY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Ronnie. Are you ok?
9 EXT. HOUSE - LATER THAT DAY
The clouds have covered the sunlight.
Ronnie stands outside his front door. He looks towards the
driveway, expressionless. Molly’s car is still there.
Ronnie pulls out his keys, but a gush of wind rushes past,
blowing open the door for him. He steps through the hallway.
RONNIE
(calling out to Molly)
I left my...my lines.
(louder)
I left my lines. In the bedroom.
There is no response.
10 INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
The on-suite door is closed. The shower is running.
RONNIE
You had a shower before I left.
4.
MOLLY (O.S.)
It’s important to look my best.
RONNIE
Yes.
Ronnie surveys the room. The doona is now sprawled on the
floor. He breaths in deeply, gently opening the closet door.
A well-built man is inside the closet, crouched in the corner
wearing nothing but his underwear. Ronnie stares at him,
drooping his eyes. The man stares back at Ronnie in guilt.
Ronnie closes the closet door on him, turning to leave.
RONNIE (CONT’D)
Bye, darling.
MOLLY (O.S.)
See you tonight!
11 EXT. BUS STOP - DAY
Ronnie waits patiently. The bus arrives. Ronnie walks on.
DRIVER
Where you heading?
No response.
DRIVER (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Hey buddy, where you headed??
12 INT. GAS STATION BATHROOM
INSERT TITLE: FRIDAY
SNAP! A bright light...a POLAROID PHOTO.
-- The gas station urinal. The colours are saturated.
SNAP! CLOSER: blood is dripping from the wall.
SNAP! A detective samples the blood.
SNAP! The tap - still running.
SNAP! CLOSER: a hand is inside the sink.
SNAP! The left corner - a silhouette.
SNAP! It is the Hobo. Smeared against the wall.
SNAP! The Hobo’s face is covered with blood.
-- He is smiling.
5.
13 INT. LIVING ROOM - DUSK
INSERT TITLE: SATURDAY
Ronnie and Molly sit on each side of the designer couch.
Ronnie is nearly comatose, unkempt.
NEWS REPORTER (O.S.)
Following on from yesterday’s brutal
murder of Sid Mansfield - a homeless
man synonymous for residing within
public bathrooms - police have
uncovered new evidence as to the
killer’s methods. Using only his
bare hands, the culprit, believed to
have been involved in four other
slayings over the past month, killed
the victim via brutal torture --
MOLLY
(turns the TV off)
Horrible...
Ronnie’s eyes remained glued to the dead screen.
14 INT. BEDROOM - LATE EVENING
INSERT TITLE: SUNDAY
The lights are dimmed.
Lighting crackles outside, but there is no thunder.
Not a sound. Now murmurs. A body is face down on the bed.
RONNIE
Wait.
He convulses against the mattress. Against Molly.
He enters her. Her mouth moans but no sound comes out.
Ronnie digs deeper. THUNDER. He screams like a beast.
He retreats, slumping to the left side.
Molly closes her eyes in sadness.
MOLLY
Are you ok?
RONNIE
(mechanical)
Yes. I am perfectly fine.
Awkward pause.
6.
Ronnie lights a joint. Molly coughs up the second-hand smoke.
RONNIE (CONT’D)
(whispers in Molly’s ear)
This is the end.
MOLLY
Of what?
Ronnie closes his eyes and falls asleep.
Molly remains on the other side of the bed. She is crying.
BLACK SCREEN
Something is being scrambled from a drawer. Something metal.
HOBO (V.O.)
...the end...bitch.
15 INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
INSERT TITLE: MONDAY
Outside, there are murmurs of clouds, slowly dispersing
into the sunlight, which shines past a tree truck and
through the window, hitting onto the bed, and Molly’s eyes.
She shudders awake.
MOLLY
I had the most horrible dream --
But Ronnie is gone.
16 INT. MERCEDES - LATER THAT MORNING
There is an upbeat tune on the radio. Molly sings along.
She flips open her phone, hardly noticing the road.
MOLLY
(on phone)
Hey sexy...when?...should be
ok... strange thing happened,
Ronnie’s gone off the rails...
tell you later...I know! Ok, bye!
She slips the phone into her pocket, laughing to herself.
17 EXT. GAS STATION - CONTINUOUS
The Mercedes stops next to a gas pump. Molly steps outside.
An abnormally large shadow creeps over the car.
7.
18 INT. MERCEDES - LATER
Molly drives back onto the highway. She switches the radio
on, continuing to sing along to the same song.
Pulling back - there is that same shadow over the back seat.
Looking closer - it is the silhouette of a man.
Molly is blissfully unaware.
The Hobo LUNGES onto her from the back seat.
MOLLY
Who are you...?
The Hobo growls, reaching into the glove box, finding the
gun wrapped in the hand towel. The Hobo clenches it tightly.
19 EXT. HIGHWAY - MERCEDES - CONTINUOUS
The car swerves to the side, bumping gently into a tree.
Moving closer through the glaze of the front window and the
glare of the sun which now shines down blocking our view, we
can just barely make out that the Hobo is on top of Molly...
...BANG!
The cars on the highway rush past.
CUT TO BLACK
8.

Download Script