EDDINGTON

By

Ari Aster

- A COVID-19 Western -
EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

A highly composed tableau: a vast canvas of stark DESERT,

sparsely ornamented by a pitiful circuitry of lights
(belonging to lonely houses, stores, and a few roaming cars).

Off-screen we hear a hoarse, aggressive voice:

MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)

There it is!

The source steps into frame. It is a BLACK MAN (late 40s) in

clothes that haven’t been changed in weeks, perhaps months.
His eyes are manic. He speaks directly to us. This is LODGE.

LODGE
Ever’body and their little box. And I
know who set ‘em there. They think it's
theirs and they did it, like ever’thin
here is from them and theirs to keep.
This is the sign--

He CLAPS suddenly/fiercely, as if to seize our attention.

LODGE (CONT’D)
(quickly)
This is the sign and the damnation and
in three years I own every little box!
You don't bilieve me? Come work for me
and see! I WILL MAKE YOU FIFTY MILLION
DOLLARS AND I WILL OWN EVERY BOX!

EXT. DESERT/PLAZA - NIGHT

Another tableau. We are now closer to the circuitry of lights -

close enough to make out the dwellings. It is TEN SQUARE BLOCKS
OF GLOWING STORES, all illuminated by cool streetlights. The
surrounding desert is pocked by isolated adobe homes. Lodge,
once again, is front and center.

LODGE
More boxes! Soon I’LL be the one
inside, and will YOU’ve humbled yerself
prostrate to me and Lord God Almighty
when you got the chance?? Answer
yerself that. Would you work for me? Or
is God’s words but shit to you? Answer
yer godless rotten self just that!

EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT

Yet another tableau. A lamp-lit street lined with local shops

(including a movie theater, closed until further notice).
Centered in the composition is the SHERIFF’S OFFICE. Inside, a
black trainee (MICHAEL) sits at a desk, masked, streaming
cartoons on a laptop. Lodge addresses us in FG, crazed as ever.
 2.

LODGE
I see yer guts and I see the rot and I
see no skin! The skin hides the filth!
If I promised you sixty million dollars
in seven days, would THEN you listen?
All you need is to quit yer arrogance
and work for me. The money is comin
here. I seen it. There’s devils that
can get you rich in two minutes if you
just knowed what they wanted. MY EYES
HAVE X-RAYS!

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

An empty street. A STRETCH LIMO sits idle, engine humming. The

back door opens and MARK ZUCKERBERG steps out, eyes glowing
subtly in the dark. He holds a map and looks about, scrutinizing
the potential spoils. This is the only tableau in the sequence
that will NOT feature Lodge; it’s presumably from his POV.

LODGE
Just last week I saw one a the King
Demons, he was HERE, lookin at them
boxes, thinkin thinkin. He had his map
and his people and he was tellin ‘em
the boxes he wanted. I'M the one that
knows, the one that saw, with the
vision entrusted by GOD to see, and in
two years it is HIM that will buy them
from ME! Think about it!

EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

A fenced-off stretch of dead earth. A SIGN on the wire fence:

“PRIVATE PROPERTY; DEVELOPMENT INCOMING”. Lodge stands in front.

LODGE
You don’t take me serious. But if I
shown it to you, if I shown you how to
make hundreds a millions a dollars in
seven days, you’d come beggin on your
knees! This is your interview! The path
is not lighted! You got treasures to
lose! That makes you sick!

EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

A final tableau. Two neighboring houses glow in an otherwise

vast vacuum of desert. Lodge stands before them. One is a
very nice, large house.

LODGE
You will be learned yer true feelins
and what they hide! Them that let
themself get bamboozled will see!
 3.

Lodge walks off to the side and we PAN with him, away from the
house, to alight on a tall HILL in the middle of the desert.
At the top of the hill looms a blinking CELL PHONE TOWER. An
old man, GIL, wearing two surgical masks, stands at the base of
the tower with a leashed DOG at his side. In the BG are the
HEADLIGHTS of an approaching car.

LODGE (CONT’D)
The Lord God will show His will to them
that look up with the pride a pigs, and
all the pigs will listen when it's too
late! The pigs and whores and liars
will burn forever when it's too late
and all their boxes will be dust! Here
comes one pig now!

Lodge leaves frame as the headlights reveal themselves to belong

to a POLICE CRUISER. It pulls up to the base of the hill.

A TITLE APPEARS OVER THE PICTURE: LATE MAY, 2020

Gil and his dog approach the car.

Sheriff JOE CROSS (late 40s), an overweight man with friendly

eyes, emerges from the cruiser, inciting the dog to bark. Joe
retreats back into the vehicle.

GIL
Sorry there, she’s harmless!

Gil leashes the dog. Joe comes back out.

GIL (CONT’D)
She’s super friendly. She don’t bite.

JOE
That’s all right.

Gil gestures meekly to Joe’s unmasked mouth.

GIL
Say, you wouldn’t mind if we both
had on our masks?

JOE
We’re good. Six feet.

GIL
...Yeah, sure. Fair ‘nuff.

JOE
(gesturing)
You’re the driver.
 4.

EXT. TOP OF THE HILL - MINUTES LATER

Gil leads Joe up the hill to the cell tower.

GIL
So I’m walkin Sammy on our route and
I seen Mitchell’s car up here with
him on his wheelchair, and then Sammy
goes barkin all a the sudden and I
see flames go up at the bottom a the
tower, and then they just kinda died
out quick.

They arrive top of the hill. Joe, winded, pulls an INHALER

out of his pocket and takes a puff (he’s asthmatic).

To the side of the tower is a WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VAN. At

the base of the tower is a fire-mangled electric wheelchair,
at the foot of which is a CHARRED CORPSE. The smell hits both
of them. They cover their nose.

JOE
Mitchell live alone still?

GIL
Yeah, he got his crazy Youtube. He got
a equally crazy brother up Tucumcari
that comes out to check on ‘im.

JOE
Stay put.

Joe walks over to the corpse (whose figure is incidentally

similar to Joe’s), shining his flashlight. Its hand grips a
LIGHTER. A gasoline canister rests beside the lightly charred
base of the high-speed cell tower. Ten feet away is a smartphone
on a tripod plugged into a laptop on the ground. It’s aimed
toward the wheelchair.

GIL
(realization of death)
You think he coulda done it hisself?

Joe pulls out his smartphone and takes a photo of the corpse.

JOE
Is this tower 5G?

GIL
Oh! I think he mighta actually did
a Youtube ‘bout that.

Joe goes to the van and shines his flashlight. On the passenger
seat: hand sanitizer and cold/sinus medication. Popping the
trunk, he finds more wheelchair gear and, strangely, a pair of
children’s underwear.
 5.

JOE
Mitchell doesn’t have kids, does he?

GIL
Uh - not that I rickaleck.

The SOUND of an approaching car. Joe looks off to see HEADLIGHTS

in the distance. A POLICE CRUISER, its light-bar flashing.

GIL (CONT’D)
Oh, here they go.

JOE
You called someone else?

GIL
No sir. Just the Reservation police.

JOE
Why would you do that?

GIL
Just for if they needed a look.

JOE
Why? It’s a Eddington police
matter. You already called me.

GIL
Yeah, but, my property is on the
county line here. Half of me’s the
Reservation, the other half is
Eddin’ton. I even got papers that say.

JOE
That tower falls on you, you said.

GIL
Yeah, but the body...

Gil gestures to the body and then points to a red-painted rod

in the ground five feet away, signifying the property line.
The body is exactly aligned with it.

GIL (CONT’D)
That pole’s the property line.

Joe is gobsmacked.

MOMENTS LATER

The cruiser mounts the hill and comes to an abrupt HALT

twenty feet away, sending a wave of dust into Joe and Gil.
The car bears a BIA insignia (“Bureau of Indian Affairs”) and
holds two officers.
 6.

The siren shuts off, and OFFICER LAKOTA (30s) steps out. He’s
a broad-shouldered mass of muscle. He wears a face mask. His
partner (older) stays in the car.

LAKOTA
Didn’t know this was a party!

JOE
Sorry Lakota, you’re too late.

LAKOTA
(ignoring Joe)
Mr. Browne?

GIL
Yeah, hi there, I called you boys,
but now I’m not sure...

LAKOTA
Not sure about what?
(shines light at body)
That’s a dead body, right?

Lakota starts toward the van. He looks disdainfully up at the

tower, mumbling “tumor tower,” and then eyes Joe, confused
but amused.

LAKOTA (CONT’D)
What brings you to our neck, sheriff?

Lakota gets to the car. He shines a flashlight into it.

LAKOTA (O.S.) (CONT’D)

What’s this? Kid clothes?
(then)
Shit!

Lakota has found a child’s T-shirt. It bears the insignia for

White Bear Elementary School.

LAKOTA (CONT’D)
(to his partner)
We got a shirt from our school!

Lakota shines his flashlight in Joe's face.

LAKOTA (CONT’D)
Take a hike, sheriff. This is a
Reservation incident.

JOE
No, Lakota, it’s not.

GIL
‘S both.
 7.

Lakota turns his light to Gil’s face.

GIL (CONT’D)
The body’s on the property line. This
is Eddin’ton and the Reservation.

LAKOTA
The fuck’s that s’posed to mean?

JOE
Means I got here first.

The OLDER OFFICER (50s), also Native American and double-

masked, sticks his head out of the Reservation police car's
passenger window.

OLDER OFFICER
What’s happening??

MINUTES LATER

The Older Officer looks over PAPERS that explain (with

images) that the house rests on both EDDINGTON and PACOAJE
INDIAN RESERVATION soil. He looks up to face Lakota and Joe.

OLDER OFFICER (CONT’D)

All right, so there’s no way of
determining this. We’re on the border,
it’s up for grabs.

JOE
Look: the tower was his obvious target,
that’s Eddington. The chair, where he
plainly started, is also on the tower
side, I was the first to arrive--

LAKOTA JOE (CONT'D)

You’re not but one mile away!
The clothes belong to a
indigenous kid-- We don’t know that!

LAKOTA
THE KID’S FUCKIN INDIAN! That
shirt’s from OUR school and we got
two kids missin since last year!

OLDER OFFICER
All right, shut up! We don’t know what
this is and the jurisdiction’s mush, so
there’s two ways: We go by the book and
wait for the machine to flip a coin, or
we skip it and flip it ourself.
(to Joe)
What do you say?
 8.

JOE
(not getting it)
About what?

MINUTES LATER

The Older Officer carves a BIG SQUARE into the sand with a
stick. The equivalent of a boxing ring. Lakota steps into it.

LAKOTA
Mask first!

JOE
Don’t got one.

The Older Officer tosses him a surgical mask. It lands on the

ground.

JOE (CONT’D)
I got asthma. I can’t breathe in it.

OLDER OFFICER
Your breathing’s liable to get even
worse when you’re in line for a
ventilator.

Joe grudgingly picks it up and puts it on - under his nose.

He steps into the square.

OLDER OFFICER (CONT’D)

Okay: no scratching, no biting, no
kicking. At any time you can tap
out: that’s a forfeit.

LAKOTA
Don’t pull my fuckin hair neither.

Lakota is referring to his queued ponytail.

OLDER OFFICER
Okay: on three!
(pause)
One... two... thre--

Lakota moves swiftly toward Joe with the intent of knocking

his head off. Joe reacts by RETREATING. He backs desperately
out of the square and turns to storm off.

JOE
Fuck you.

Joe speed-walks away. Humiliated.

LAKOTA
C’mon, Sheriff! At least lemme earn it!
 9.

INT. JOE’S CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT

Joe BLASTS past the development sign on the fenced off

desert. Fuming, he shakes his head, boiling. He TURNS ON HIS
CAMERA on his mounted PHONE. It’s aimed at him. His attitude
changes for the camera.

JOE
Hey guys, gals, what have ya. This is
sheriff Joe Cross, droppin in from a
nighttime near-MISS. Wrong jurisdiction
if you ask the Reservation police.
MISTAKEN jurisdiction - STOLEN jur--

STATIC hisses from the police radio.

VOICE ON RADIO (V.O.)

Dispatch. Just got called of a nuisance
in town. Lodge again.

Joe picks up the radio.

JOE
I’ll take it.

VOICE ON RADIO (V.O.)

Sheriff? You sure? It’s at Garcia’s.

Joe hesitates.

JOE
I’ll take it.

EXT. ROAD - NIGHT

Joe's car roars over a hill, passing a GREEN HIGHWAY SIGN for
the town of EDDINGTON, NM (Population: 3,135). The title
“EDDINGTON” remains illuminated on the sign after the
headlights pass it.

Beyond the sign holding our title: the ten-square-block

collection of adobe shops.

The police cruiser continues toward this.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

A lonely sidewalk on “EDDINGTON STRIP,” which is comprised of

five square blocks of local stores (restaurants, a bar, a
barbershop, a one-screen theater, etc). This is the business
sector and essentially the heart of the town.

Two handsome TEENAGED BOYS stand by a fire hydrant. They are

ERIC GARCIA (19), Latino, and BRIAN (18), white. They pass a
joint back and forth, while Brian watches a TEEN GIRL pointing
to progressive captions (accompanied by Don Toliver) on TikTok.
 10.

ERIC
Blonde sluts named Sarah think
they’re Rosa Parks.

BRIAN
What would I DM her if I was goin to?

ERIC
Take a pic of you with me. Show that
you’re a ally.

BRIAN
She’ll proba’ly recognize you from
school.

JOE’S CAR peels up to the curb. Eric stubs out the joint as
Joe emerges.

ERIC
No mask, bro?

JOE
Nah, I’m good. “Bro.”

As Joe walks past them, making his way toward the corner:

ERIC
Please maintain six feet, please!

EXT. BAR - CONTINUOUS

Joe rounds the corner to approach a saloon called GARCIA’S.

This is the only bar in town, as well as its social nucleus.

Standing outside the bar is LODGE, who pulls mercilessly at

the locked front door.

LODGE
This box is no temple! It is a joke
on you! I am the one inside! Your
lies are just screaming noise!

INT. GARCIA’S - SAME TIME

Standing behind the bar is TED GARCIA (50s), a handsome Hispanic

man wearing a KN-95. Beside him is his advisor WARREN (early
40s), a masked Hispanic man. Sitting at the bar is PHIL (60s), a
portly town council member. They are ignoring Lodge, who bangs
away in the BG.

TED
And then, but the spillover: two, three
hunnerd construction jobs, ongoin. And
the solar offset’s a whole ‘nother
development. That’s big city money
comin HERE--
 11.

PHIL
Sure, but we let ‘em build this -
whatever it is, data complex - and they
up and close it for whatever reason? We
gotta eat that?

WARREN
Hell no! There’s clawbacks on
everythin. Gross receipt taxes, payback
a property. Big Tech’s already took
over, Phil. Ain’t no wishin it away.
This is our shot at jumpin on the ship.

Joe, who has lingered outside the window through this, TAPS
on the glass. Ted starts walking over, adding:

TED
We can count on your “yay” tomorrow?

Phil wavers. Ted gets to the window.

JOE
There a problem here?

TED
(re: Lodge)
Your eyes broke?

JOE
He’s outside.

TED
I locked the door to keep him out.
He’s blockin the entrance.

JOE
Whose entrance? What’re you even doin?
I thought it’s take-away drinks only.

TED
Those are town council members.
That’s essential business.

JOE TED (CONT'D)

You can’t just call whatever
you want essential business.
This is a bar, not fuckin
Town Hall. It’s a council meetin
wherever council people
congregate. It’s the Mayor’s
Office when I’m inside.

LODGE (O.S.)
You will have the lovin God beat into
you! Your arrogance is His design!
 12.

JOE TED
You got a payin customer bein
locked out, wantin to make a Payin?? With what?! He’s
purchase. insane! He stinks like shit!
He needs to be locked up--

JOE
He needs help! These are your streets!

TED
What the fuck? They’re YOUR streets! To
make safe! And you never have a mask!

JOE
That’s ‘cause I WON’T ever have a mask!
I got asthma! I can’t goddamn breathe!

While this argument has mounted, Lodge has managed to wiggle

the door open. He is now inside.

PHIL (O.S.)
Shit!! He don’t have a mask!!

Joe instinctively runs inside and goes to Lodge, who is now

reaching over the bar to grab a bottle. Phil and Warren have
retreated to the corner.

LODGE
Look, I fuckin paid! I paid!

Lodge is referring to a torn five dollar bill (stained brown

with dry blood) that he slapped onto the counter.

Joe seizes Lodge by the arm and begins to forcibly usher him
out. It is messy.

LODGE (CONT’D)
I paid! GOD SEES THIS!

Lodge’s struggle intensifies until he and Joe are on the ground.

As they wrestle clumsily, Joe sees Eric behind the window,
FILMING this on his phone. A goofy smile lights his face.

Joe gets up - his shoulder hurt - and DRAGS Lodge out.

TED JOE
(exasperated) (almost in tears)
THANK you. Satisfied?

Lodge runs off. As he does so:

LODGE
FUCK you, pigs! You’ll SEE what I am!

Joe now trudges off, dusting his clothes, rubbing his twisted
shoulder. He passes Eric, still wielding his phone.
 13.

JOE
(with disdain)
You get your little Instagram there?

ERIC
(mockingly)
Yeah, I got my little “Instagram.”

INT. JOE’S HOUSE - NIGHT

A framed photo portrait of a severe, uniformed SHERIFF (60s)

sitting upright. This was RICHMOND. It is mounted onto the
wall of a FOYER with an incense holder at its base and a
miniature memorial garden (small plants) underneath. There is
a candle burning beside the garden.

Off-screen we hear an older WOMAN rattling off statistics.

WOMAN (V.O.)
And another simulation - Clade X -
2018 - a pandemic modellin exercise by
Jons Hopkins. Now how d’you simulate a
pandemic ‘fore the pandemic even
happens? Ask yourself that. And ask
yourself why it happens on May 15,
2018 - exactly 666 days before the
pandemic got declared.

The portrait is illuminated by APPROACHING HEADLIGHTS from

outside. The off-screen sound of Joe’s cruiser idling to a stop.

WOMAN (V.O.)
Now how ‘bout Tom Hanks, the first
movie star to get the virus. He's in a
movie called The Inferno, ‘bout a
billionaire obsessed with
depopulation. What’re the odds a that?

The front door opens and Joe trudges in. He walks to the LIVING
ROOM, where the fold-out couch has been converted to a bed,
taking up nearly all the space. One wall is dominated by
HANDMADE DOLLS IN DIFFERENT OUTFITS and another with strange
EMBROIDERY. If the art is on the amateurish side, it also
functions as evidence of a teeming creative mind.

DAWN (70s), a stern woman in a nightgown (and the woman whose

voice we’ve been hearing), sits on the fold-out mattress,
RECORDING A YOUTUBE VIDEO OF HERSELF on her phone. A laptop is
plugged into a printer, which holds a dense stack of paper.

DAWN
And what’re the odds that that movie
comes out on Bill Gates’ birthday?

Joe enters and she pauses the recording, frustrated.

 14.

DAWN (CONT’D)
What time is it??

JOE
You need to get your own computer, Dawn.

DAWN JOE (CONT'D)

Right. When you never used
this once...! When am I gonna use it? Pry
it from your hands...
And you’re out at godless
hours!

JOE (CONT’D)
Out doin my job. Payin for the
house you’re livin in.

DAWN
You think I don’t know your job? I
know how it’s done.

Joe hesitates, but leaves it.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Joe enters to find LOUISE (late 40s), a beautiful but worn

woman, in bed, putting the finishing touches on a handmade RAG
DOLL. (A Late Night interview plays on the TV). As with the
living room, handmade dolls adorn one wall of the room.

Louise’s eyes stray to Joe as he struggles to disrobe. She

takes in the sight of her husband’s body with barely concealed
distaste.

LOUISE
Did it end up bein a body?

JOE
Was a mix-up. Wasn't my jurisdiction.

LOUISE
Weren’t you gone a while, then?

JOE
Got another call straight after.
Just a nuisance at the bar.

Louise becomes alert - almost pale - at the mention of the bar.

LOUISE
With Ted?

JOE
No. Not with Ted. Really. Just the
millionaire again.
 15.

LOUISE
...You didn’t tell mama?

JOE
Ha!

Joe awkwardly finishes undressing. He sees a NEW EMBROIDERY

on the table. It’s an image of a girl’s back, standing in the
corner of a room with one window, on the other side of which
is an identical girl’s back.

JOE (CONT’D)
What’s this one about?

LOUISE
I dunno. Just a image I had.

JOE
(“I like it!”)
Weird!

It’s clear that Joe doesn’t know how to talk about it, but is
eager to be supportive.

LOUISE
I sold two more a the new series.

JOE
What?! Incredible! Which ones?

LOUISE
The fireman and the doctor.

JOE
Incredible! Congratulations, Weez.
That’s great.

Joe sees a stack of printouts from the internet on the dresser.

Blogs/articles with titles like “A History Of The CRIMES Of The
FEDERAL RESERVE. The Sinking Of The Titanic Was No Accident.”

JOE (CONT’D)
Jesus. Can’t she just email you?

LOUISE
She does, but then she checks my
phone to see if I opened ‘em.

JOE
That’s why I said to put a passcode.

LOUISE
Some of what she sends is more real
than others...

He climbs into bed, curls up to Louise. She subtly shifts over.

 16.

JOE
You remember the deal when she moved
in? ... About it bein ‘til April?

LOUISE
You remember there’s still a pandemic?

JOE
I told you I’d set her up in a room
nearby. If she was a invalid, that’d be
one thing. You even said it feels like
she’s watchin you all the time.

LOUISE
I said it’s like I’m bein watched
all the time. Not just by her.

JOE
I understand it feels that way, rabbit,
but I promise it’s not. I promise.

He extends a peace offering of a kiss. She submits to the

kiss, but not with great enthusiasm.

JOE (CONT’D)
(seductively)
Okay?

He tries again. She gives him a longer kiss to appease him.

His hand reaches over to her breast.

LOUISE
Pudge...

JOE
(sensually)
Yes?

Frustrated, she plops her arms. Not in the mood.

JOE (CONT’D)
(pulls hand away)
Okay. Got it.

LOUISE JOE (CONT'D)

You just always pick the
worst times. No, you’re right. I’m sorry.
G’night.

Joe turns around.

LOUISE JOE (CONT'D)

I’m sorry. Not at all. I’m sorry.
G’night.
 17.

Joe discreetly goes to his phone. He starts scrolling through

Facebook. First up, an article: “Many Towns in NM Have Seen
Zero Cases of Covid-19. So Why Are We Condemning Their
Businesses to Death?” Joe clicks “like”.

Then a post: “Eddington bisuneses are SUFERING. Meanwile the

town bar is doing just fine. Definetly not a conflict of
intrest for our mayor!” Joe ‘likes.’

Finally a blog headline: “19 NM Mayors Call For Businesses to

Reopen ASAP. So Why Isn’t Eddington’s Mayor One of Them?” Joe
clicks on this to read.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - NEXT MORNING

Joe wakes groggily in an empty bed. Commotion from the

kitchen blares through the wall.

DAWN (O.S.)
They push the window tiny bit by tiny
bit, ‘til we think it’s normal!

LOUISE (O.S.) DAWN (O.S.) (CONT'D)

I know, mama! You don’t know! You accept
it! They’re gonna all be in
Gitmo before you finally get
it.

Joe deflates. Grabs an INHALER from his bedside table and

takes a puff.

INT. KITCHEN - MINUTES LATER

Dawn stands at the sink, washing dishes. She lectures Louise,

who sits at the table in her nightgown.

LOUISE
Mama, even that thing you sent me last
week said the numbers ain’t fake--

DAWN
The numbers...! The tests come up
positive be it COVID or the common cold
- except now you gave the government
your DNA! And if it is COVID, then you
better pray, ‘cause they’re suppressin
treatments and you handed over every
right you have! You think this is
different from fluoride in the water?
Only in industrial countries! Buildin
up the iron in our bodies. Iron’s what
kills people!

LOUISE
I did read about the iron. That is scary.
 18.

DAWN
It IS goddamn scary! Wake up!

Joe enters.

JOE
Woke me up...

As Joe starts helping himself to breakfast, he sees an empty

prescription bottle for “Haldol.”

JOE (CONT’D)
You outta this?

Louise doesn’t answer, which is a “yes.” Dawn hands her the

laptop.

DAWN
Read this all the way before you argue.

Louise grudgingly starts reading.

DAWN (CONT’D)
Where d’you think I’m gettin this
stuff anyways? It ain’t outta thin
air. Daddy knew all these things.

Louise steels herself at the mention of “daddy.” Dawn is

sensitive to it.

DAWN (CONT’D)
What does that mean? Don’t you dare. He
knew too much about the corruption.

Louise reads, ignoring Dawn. Dawn looks to a recent EMBROIDERY

(by Louise) hanging on the wall. After puzzling over it:

DAWN (CONT’D)
You know what you should do is a
art piece about the hospital in
Alamagordo, killin healthy patients
to get the numbers up.

Joe sits with his plate, and opens his phone. He goes to The New
Mexican website and scrolls to find an article about Ted Garcia
signing his name on further mandates set forth by the governor.

DAWN (CONT’D)
You were at his bar last night?

Joe looks at Louise. “You told her?” He returns to his phone

and tries to read in peace.

DAWN (CONT’D)
It was his complaint, right? He rings
his little bell and you come runnin.
 19.

LOUISE
Mama...

Dawn walks to the framed photo of Richmond and replaces the

burning candle which has almost melted to the base. (This
flame never goes out; even when it’s replaced, one must light
a new candle before blowing out the old one.) Meanwhile, Joe
takes Louise’s hand under the table.

DAWN
That fact you can just stroll on
over there...
(to Louise)
And you don’t seem too perturbed by
it. Your silence, his gain.

Louise and Joe focus on their breakfast. Dawn returns to the

table. Silence. Then:

DAWN (CONT’D)
(to Louise)
Where even is your anger?
(then to Joe)
Where’s YOURS?

LOUISE
Mama! Please!

INT. JOE’S CAR - MORNING

Joe drives past a ghostly line of shuttered storefronts. His

mounted SMARTPHONE plays Tucker Carlson.

TUCKER CARLSON (O.S.)

Just so you know, we're coming to your
house, seizing your children, and quote-
“isolating them in a safe and dignified
manner.” Now that's not something that
under normal circumstances officials
casually drop during briefings. It's
the kind of statement that might
trigger violence. People don't respond
well when you threaten to take their
kids, but Ryan said it like it was no
big deal, and that's how the media
treated it! His threat didn't make
headlines in any of the major
newspapers in this country. That's the
kind of moment we're in.

As this drones on, Joe note a couple things that make his
blood boil...

Standing outside a closed shop (bearing the sign “CLOSED FOR

NOW! STAY SAFE!”) is a crazy man screaming "WHY ARE YOU CLOSED?!
 20.

WHY?! WHY ARE YOU CLOSING YOUR DOORS TO THE PUBLIC?! WHAT RIGHT
DO YOU HAVE?! BY WHAT RIGHT DO YOU EXCLUDE THE POPULATION?!"

In a window, a campaign sign: “RE-ELECT MAYOR TED GARCIA, 2020”

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - SAME TIME

The Eddington sheriff’s office is a large white space with a

BARRED PRISON CELL in the back corner. One side of the room is
devoted to several modest bookshelves (holding a few hundred
books) and a sign above them: “EDDINGTON LIBRARY.” There is one
tattered chair reserved for readers. An old masked man sits in
it, reading a Tony Hillerman novel. On one wall: a framed photo
of RICHMOND, Joe’s deceased mentor and father-in-law, looms
imposingly. (This is the same man memorialized in Joe’s foyer.)

There are three desks. Joe’s is empty. The others belong to

MICHAEL (20), a young Black trainee (whose uniform reads
“TRAINEE”), and GUY (30), a self-serious officer with swagger to
spare (it was his voice on the radio). His uniform is pristine
and he sits upright - threateningly so. Guy is sitting across
from MR. KURTH (late 60s), an emotionally fraught man.

GUY MR. KURTH

Yeah, but again, we don’t
police water rights. That
ain’t us. In the middle a’a drought?!
The drought is always, sir.
This is New Mexico. I got a ‘pletely dead field!
I’ll hardly get one cut a oat
this year, but the mayor’s
goddamn illegal tree gets all
the water it needs??

Joe enters. He walks over to Michael’s desk.

MR. KURTH (CONT’D) JOE

Sheriff! You gotta do
somethin... Sorry Gene, I’m in and out.
Guy’s got you over there.

GUY
And I already informed him ten times!

Joe leans over Michael’s shoulder.

JOE
Mikey, do me a favor. Can you get a
different friend to buy one a
Louise’s dolls? I’ll pay ‘em
straight back, plus fifty percent.

Michael goes to an AMATEUR WEBSITE featuring all of Louise’s

dolls and embroidery. They are priced at either $40 or $50.
 21.

MICHAEL
Yes can do. Which one?

JOE
One from the farmer series? Or just
one a the older ones. Doesn’t matter.

Michael scrolls around. Guy notices, competitive.

GUY
What’s he helpin you with, sheriff?

MICHAEL
Oh, and so you know: I brought this
back. Signin it back in.

Michael gestures to a PISTOL on his desk.

JOE
How’d you do?

Michael pulls up a TARGET SHEET bearing five bullet holes.

JOE (CONT’D)
That’s at three hundred feet?

MICHAEL
Two hundred.

JOE
Keep practicin. You took out two,
though, right?

MICHAEL
Was gonna practice on the other
tomorrow. Didn’t get a chance yet.

As Michael says that, Joe pins the target sheet onto the side-
wall of Michael’s desk (putting it on display), and then
starts walking off.

JOE
Runnin to the market! We outta anythin?

EXT. GROCERY STORE/PHARMACY - MORNING

A line of six people has formed outside the grocery store

entrance. Joe stands in the middle.

A customer emerges from the store and an OLD MAN, the next up
in line, steps forward to enter - with no mask. The masked
EMPLOYEE manning the front door gently stops the man.

EMPLOYEE
Mask mandatory.
 22.

OLD MAN
I can’t breathe.

EMPLOYEE
I’m sorry, sir. We offer complimentary
masks. ‘S store policy.

OLD MAN
I can’t breathe with it.

EMPLOYEE
Then I can’t let you in. Store policy.

The Old Man tries to enter, anyway.

TED (O.S.)
Whoa! Fred!

Joe looks back to see that TED is at the back of the line.

FRED (O.S.)
Hey hey!

Joe looks forward to now see that the Employee has SEIZED the
old man, FRED, by the arm. Joe, suddenly inspired to action,
steps out of line.

JOE EMPLOYEE
HEY! What’re we doin? You
can’t handle him like that.
Get your hands off. I’m sorry, Sheriff.

JOE
Let ‘im in.

EMPLOYEE
Sheriff, ’s store policy.

JOE
’S not enforceable. Let ‘im in.

TED JOE (CONT'D)

Damn it, Joe. There’s a
mandate. And this man can’t breathe in
the mask. I can’t neither.
Let ‘im in.

A loaded beat. Fred steps inside. The employee doesn’t know

what to do.

TED
Fred! You need a mask!

Joe, triumphant, re-joins the line.

 23.

INT. GROCERY STORE/PHARMACY - MINUTES LATER

Joe, maskless, walks up to the pharmacy booth. The eyes of

masked customers hang on him.

JOE
(to the pharmacist)
Just need a refill.

PHARMACIST
Hi sheriff. Name and date a birth.

Joe notices FRED being ushered out of the store by the masked
OWNER, leaving behind his grocery cart. A few masked customers
clap their approval. Joe turns back to the pharmacist.

JOE
Louise Bodkin. September 18, 1976.

PHARMACIST
Haloperidol?

Joe nods and the pharmacist goes off. The STORE OWNER steps
up to Joe.

OWNER
‘Scuse me, sheriff. I’m sure sorry,
but you need a mask if you’re gonna
be in here.

Ted stands just behind him.

JOE
I’m good.

A middle-aged female customer pipes up:

CUSTOMER
We only reach herd immunity if you
wear a mask!

JOE
That ain’t right, honey. That’s not
what that means.

TED
Joe--

JOE
(correcting)
“Sheriff.”

TED
80 percent a folks wear masks, the
number a deaths goes down to half.
These’re plain facts.
 24.

JOE
All right: you got your little
statistics that change ever’ day to
keep the cattle in line, but this is
about choice--

TED
There’s a state mandate.

JOE TED (CONT'D)

Not enforceable! It is enforceable! The
governor and the Department a
Health made it so.

JOE
Well, New Mexico State Police won’t be
citin people that don’t wear ‘em!
That’s the policy they made! We just
fuckin did this dance last night, man.

Joe, feeling the eyes on him, grabs some nearby sewing

needles and thread. Ignoring everyone, he sets them on the
counter and pulls out his phone.

Continuing to ignore the attention, Joe scrolls through his

Facebook timeline. He comes across the headline for a LIGHTNING
ARROW NEWS article: “BURNED CORPSE FOUND AT 5G TOWER.
Investigation Underway.” A photo of OFFICER LAKOTA is featured.

The pharmacist arrives with his prescription.

PHARMACIST
Here y’are, sheriff.

JOE
(adding needle and thread)
And these.

Joe then notices Fred’s left-behind grocery cart, and adds:

JOE (CONT’D)
And whatever Fred was tryin to buy
before you kicked him out!

The pharmacist rings him up. Painfully awkward.

JOE (CONT’D)
(to Ted, re: meds)
You know who these are for?
Remember my wife?

Ted just glares.

MOMENTS LATER
 25.

Joe walks out of the store, holding two bags. Fred is

standing outside, extremely distraught. He is taking manic
photos of the grocery store on his phone.

Joe walks up to him and hands him a bag of groceries.

FRED
What’s this?

JOE
You have a nice day.

Fred is stunned. As Joe walks off toward his car:

FRED
Sheriff! Wait! A pitcher! A pitcher!

Fred runs up to Joe to take a PHOTO together. Joe smiles for

the photo and then continues to his car.

FRED (CONT’D)
THANK you! THANK you, sheriff!
DECENCY!!! DECENCY!!!

INT. JOE’S CAR - MOMENTS LATER

Joe gets into his car and starts driving. He is fraught.

Wavering between feelings of humiliation and pride.

His phone then DINGS with a notification. He has been tagged in

a photo on Facebook. He opens it to see that it’s a photo posted
by FRED BROWN; the photo that was just taken. The caption: “One
DECENT man left in Eddington!!!! Thank you, sherrif!!!!”

Joe smiles. He drives for a stretch - thinking, thinking,

thinking - and then pulls over to the side of the road. He turns
on the CAMERA of his dash-mounted phone, and begins recording.

JOE
Ladies, gentlemen, what have ya - this
is Joe Cross, Sheriff a Eddington
county, and FIRST off: allow me to
SAY: I’m asthmatic. I cannot breathe
in these masks. Second off: there is
no COVID in Eddington. Yet a state
mandate says I cannot shop for food
without riskin a asthma attack. If you
also cannot breathe and are concerned
about the harm caused by constantly
takin in your own C.O.2., I am here to
announce that as sheriff I will not be
enforcin the mask mandate...and in the
next months I will in fact be runnin
for Mayor! I served you as Sheriff for
seven years and it’ll be my honor to
serve you as Mayor.
(MORE)
 26.
JOE (CONT'D)
Don’t fall for the lies. It’s time to
reopen our businesses. COVID may be a
problem, but it sure ain’t our
problem. And this destroyed economy
and the casual robbery a’our freedoms
is now everyone’s problem. Thank you.

Joe stops recording. He then starts playing it back.

JOE (V.O.)
(playing on the phone)
Ladies, gentlemen, what have ya - this
is Joe Cross, Sheriff a--

WE CUT TO:

EMAIL SUBJECT HEADING: “INVITATION: COUNCIL MEETING @ TUES,

MAY 26, 2020 1:30PM - 3PM (MT)”

INSERT: A ZOOM LINK IN AN EMAIL BODY.

CUT TO:

ZOOM MEETING

A glitchy image of TED fills the screen. (To the side of the
screen is a CHAT thread, which has citizens chiming in -
mostly in confusion.)

TED (ON ZOOM)

This is a new economy we’re in and
we’re already in the rear view. And
cloud-computin - not just that, but
telehealth, remote learnin, things
that’ll make things BETTER are here
now, they’re it, whether you wanna do
your research or not--

A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN cuts in, her image taking over the

screen. This is PAULA.

PAULA (ON ZOOM)

And forfeittin 30 years a property
taxes?! What is that?!

TED (ON ZOOM)

When it brings this level a
investment?! Makin us grow, givin
us a future?! Hell yes!
 27.

PAULA TED (CONT'D)

But who the heck is it?
Facebook?! Google?! Goddamn
Gmail?! He can’t say! Or he That is Google.
Won’t say! But he wants a Yes
from everyone here! Look for
who benefits!

TED (ON ZOOM) (CONT’D)

We all benefit, Paula! Enough! This is
not just about bringin in jobs, which
this does. It’s about solutions to
this pandemic! And now I gotta call
the question. You call it, Phil.

PHIL, whom we met at Ted’s bar, now takes over.

PHIL (ON ZOOM)

Okay, uh: item 50. Third readin a’a
resolution -

PAULA (ON ZOOM)

Escuse me??

PHIL (ON ZOOM)

- approvin a series a six industrial
revenue bonds for the construction a’a
proposed data campus in Eddin’ton.
Council member Garcia moves approval,
seconded by council member Ross--

PAULA (ON ZOOM)

No, damn it, what is this? A
question needs to get seconded and
I am the agreed-upon Chairwoman--

VOICE (V.O.) PAULA (ON ZOOM) (CONT'D)

By who?! Illegally! And BEFORE we proceed, I
wanna make sure that we’re
ALL present for our votes to
be counted and that folks
ain’t gettin kicked outta the
meetin like last time.

TED (ON ZOOM) PAULA (ON ZOOM) (CONT'D)

If you disrupt the meetin,
you will be removed off it,
Paula. Anyone who disrupts! It’s only the Chairman that
can remove people, Ted! You
have no authority!

PHIL (ON ZOOM)

Point a order!
(slams gavel)
(MORE)
 28.
PHIL (ON ZOOM) (CONT'D)
Council members MUTE themself until
it’s their turn to speak, and I now
call the question! Item 50--

PAULA WARREN
Nuh-uh! That is NOT how this
works! How this works is we
all, ALL get a chance to
speak! And you cannot just And you did!
call the question without it
bein seconded-- Second! Second!

PHIL PAULA
The question was called and I
got my second. Ted Garcia has turned off
people’s lights in the middle
Point a order! of a global health pandemic!

INT. WARREN’S HOUSE - SAME TIME

Warren sits at his laptop in his living room. His WIFE washes
dishes in the other room. As Paula launches into a diatribe,
Warren hesitates and then goes for his phone.

PAULA (ON ZOOM)

And now we talkin about some big
secret Tech deal? Ted: you got a NDA
or some magic piece a paper that YOU
signed? Good for you! What about us??

Warren TEXTS Phil: “get her off”

As he sends that, he receives a TEXT from Michael: “just

warning! I didnt know!” Followed by a LINK. Warren opens it.
It’s Joe’s announcement video.

PAULA (ON ZOOM) (CONT’D)

You’re makin decisions about what to do
with OUR town and you can’t say what,
but you want us to vote Yes ‘cause it
means money?

INT. TED’S OFFICE - SAME TIME

Ted sits at his desk, facing his computer. The zoom bangs on.

PAULA (ON ZOOM)

For who? Money for you I got no doubt,
straight in your pocket - but what
about your constituents? What about
their businesses? You don’t wanna hear
it! But every other year you go around
beggin people for their votes--
 29.

Paula DISAPPEARS mid-sentence. She is replaced by a confused

OLD MAN.

OLD MAN (ON ZOOM)

Where’d she go? Did she get kicked off??

Ted texts Warren “thank you! finally!”, but immediately

receives a TEXT in response. It is a LINK to Joe’s
announcement video, along with the text “dont kill the
msseenger.” Ted mutes himself on zoom, pops an earpod into his
ear, and listens. He gradually goes PALE. Meanwhile:

VOICE (V.O.)
Fuckin A! Right on!

PHIL (ON ZOOM) OLD MAN (ON ZOOM)

Okay. You may now elect a
chairman. No they goddamn can’t!!
‘Cause the vice chair is
here, so I take charge--

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - SAME TIME

JOE ENTERS, full of energy. Guy and Michael both look to him
expectantly. They were just watching his announcement while
eating lunch.

GUY
Sheriff? Is this real?

JOE
We gotta make up for lost time.
(to Michael)
Michael: get goin on a sign. You
got Photoshop, right?

MICHAEL
My uncle does, but I think it expired.

The PHONE starts ringing.

JOE
Un-expire it and then go to Kinko’s
in Taos. “Joe Cross for Mayor.” Can
either a you draw?

Joe has gone to a BLACKBOARD to write at the top “SLOGAN

IDEAS.” His E looks like a Disney E.

MICHAEL JOE (CONT'D)

I can sorta do like stick
cartoons. Draw me a man wearin a face
mask but he’s got X’s for
eyes ‘cause he’s dead.

Joe answers the phone. He MUTES it momentarily to tell Guy:

 30.

JOE (CONT’D)
We gotta get goin on signatures.
Get ourself on the ballot.

Guy nods, obviously not understanding. Joe UN-MUTES the phone:

JOE (CONT’D)
Sheriff’s office!

TED (V.O.) (PHONE)

Joe, I’m outside your office.

EXT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Joe steps out to find Ted around the corner, wearing a mask.

JOE
Mister Mayor. Spreadin joy?

Ted takes a moment to form his words.

TED
I just wanted to apologize...if I
offended you this mornin, or last
night--

JOE
No apology needed. You didn’t.

TED
Okay. ‘Cause if I did...then that
might help me unnerstand.

JOE
Unnerstand what?

Brief pause.

JOE (CONT’D)
Look, Mayor: I been thinkin about
runnin for a long time. It's not the
least personal, and I honestly think
you done a mostly okay job! I just got
my own vision a what this town can be,
and I know I'll regret not at least
attemptin to try an’ execute that.

Beat.

TED
Listen. We never talked about it. The
whole...whatnot, before you was with
her...

Ted fumbles for the words. Joe plays dumb.

 31.

TED (CONT’D)
Do we just have it out right here?

JOE
I got no idea what you’re tryin to
say. But this is not that.

TED
Okay. I think it is.

JOE
Well, you don’t think too good,
Mayor. But here’s what I think. You
know what you actually are. And I
know what you actually are. So let’s
just show folks what the other man
is, and let them decide. Sound fair?

TED
Joe--

JOE
My name is for my friends. I’m the
Sheriff. And you’re the Mayor.
Until you’re not.

Ted laughs to himself (”I tried”) and starts walking away.

TED
You’re makin a mistake.

JOE
Is that why you ran here all panicked?

TED
I ran here to save you.

JOE
(mock-touched)
I’m tearin up!

TED
You made a mistake.

EXT. JOE’S HOUSE - DAY

Joe’s car rolls up to the house.

He hops out - a pep in his step - and pulls a handmade “Joe

Cross for Mayor” SIGN out of the trunk. Its slogan is “I
CAN’T BREATHE” and features a cartoon of a dead man wearing a
mask (with X’s for eyes) on his back, clutching his throat.

He PLANTS the sign in front of the driveway.

 32.

INT. JOE’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Joe steps in, now holding flowers and the pharmacy goods, to
the sound of hysterics in the other room.

DAWN (O.S.) LOUISE (O.S.)

Baby, he won’t win. There’s
no chance. That’s not what I’m scared
about!
You gotta know what you know,
baby. They said I can’t have
stress!

INT. KITCHEN - SAME TIME

Dawn is standing at the locked door to Joe’s bedroom,

speaking to it, trying to “soothe.”

DAWN
So STOP the stress. You KNOW this
man! You KNOW his colors!

Joe peers in, hiding behind the corner. He sees the laptop on
the kitchen table. It’s open to Joe’s announcement video -
posted on Facebook.

LOUISE (O.S.) DAWN (CONT'D)

I can’t slip again! I can’t! So goddamn DON’T.
I swear: that you can even BE
with this man!
PLEASE don’t start that
again! No! It’s the mystery a my
life! After the father I gave
you! I swear--

LOUISE (O.S.)
OH, WHAT FUCKIN FATHER D’YOU THINK
YOU GAVE ME???

Dawn is taken aback. Suddenly furious:

DAWN
EXCUSE ME?!

Joe enters now.

JOE DAWN (CONT'D)

Weez?! (fired up)
OH!

Dawn storms up to him and snatches the flowers from his hand.

DAWN (CONT’D)
A bouquet! Sheep’s clothing!

She jams the flowers into the trash.

 33.

DAWN (CONT’D)
How DARE you?? Has she not endured
far enough?? Have you not seen her
drove deep enough into the floor??

LOUISE (O.S.)
Mama, stop it!

DAWN
Stop WHAT?!
(to the door)
You can’t hit the alarm and then tell
me stop! When do I protect MYself?!
(to Joe, seething)
And you still wear that badge?! Her
father brought you up! He passed his
torch to you! And how d’you thank him??

JOE DAWN (CONT'D)

(going up to the door)
Louise?!... Lou?! Here come the words! The
words are next! Let them not
in!

Joe leaves.

EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Joe has rounded the house to go to the WINDOW of his bedroom.

Louise is sitting near the window, but when she sees him, she
rises to go to the corner and faces the wall.

JOE
Louise baby?

LOUISE
You say you want me better and then
you make her worse! You're watchin for
the tiniest slip-up and then you push
me off a cliff.

JOE
I’m NOT watchin you, baby.

LOUISE
You’re always just waitin for it to
happen again! You don't let her ever
forget.

JOE
How do I do that?

LOUISE JOE (CONT'D)

She can’t even go outside! Try to stop sayin “her,”
baby. Try to say “me.”
 34.

LOUISE
(suddenly scared)
What do you mean??

DAWN (O.S.)
What goddamn worms are you puttin
in her brain?!

Joe turns to see Dawn is now outside, standing halfway

between him and the front door.

DAWN (CONT’D)
You see what you done?? She was better!

Joe walks away, rounding the next corner to go to ANOTHER

WINDOW nearer Louise. She stands beside it, turning away.

LOUISE
Why would you do this to me?

JOE
I’m doin for us. We’re in a rut, baby.
We’re nowhere. I wanna lift us up.

LOUISE JOE (CONT'D)

I was better. Now people are
lookin here, they’re waitin
for me to lose it again. No they’re not.

LOUISE
I don’t want it with Ted. That’s YOUR
thing, and mama’s. ‘S not mine.

JOE
I’m defendin you, rabbit.

Joe is drawing out a pill from the prescription bag.

LOUISE
I can’t let myself slip again...

JOE
I know.

LOUISE
She knows it wasn't Ted. She knows
who it was.

INT. CAR (MOVING) - SAME TIME

DRIVER’S POV: We are on a road approaching Joe’s house, but

we slow down to observe Joe talking to the window and Dawn on
the other side of the house, spying on the conversation.

We now reveal that ERIC is the driver. BRIAN sits passenger.

 35.

ERIC
These fuckin people, bro...

EXT. PARKING LOT - EVENING

A “party” at an isolated, outdoor parking lot (in the middle

of the desert). Many young people from the surrounding small
towns (late teens to early twenties) have gathered to smoke
weed and drink beer. They mostly wear masks on their chins.

Brian and Eric enter the scene. As they do, they pass
MICHAEL, who leans against his car with a beer. He watches
the party from a slight distance.

ERIC
Tricycle pig. Two o’clock.

BRIAN
Is he like spying?

Eric calls out to Michael:

ERIC
Hey bro!

Michael waves.

ERIC (CONT’D)
Keepin the peace over here?

Michael, aware he’s being teased, just gives a tight-lipped

smile and nod.

ERIC (CONT’D)
(”rock on” signal)
Hell yeah.

Eric and Brian continue on. Annoyed, Michael sips his beer.

LATER

Brian and Eric stand together, holding beers. Brian is ogling

a PRETTY GIRL (18) standing with her friend, confidently
holding court. She’s holding the book Women, Race and Class
by Angela Davis. (This is the girl from the Tik-Tok that
Brian was watching when we first met him.)

BRIAN
I love her.

ERIC
I dunno, bro. She's woke as fuck.
In like a annoying way.

BRIAN
She can be as woke as she wants.
 36.

Brian has started looking something up on his phone. He finds

the Wikipedia page for Angela Davis.

ERIC
(going off)
I’m gettin another beer.

BRIAN ERIC (CONT'D)

Dude, you have to drive us
back. Fuck you.

Eric walks off to a table with beers.

Brian works up the nerve to approach the girl. This is SARAH.

BRIAN
Oh shit, I love that book.

SARAH
Oh dope.

BRIAN
You know she was awarded the Lenin
Peace Prize by the Soviet Union?

No response.

BRIAN (CONT’D)
I’m Brian.

SARAH
Hi.

BRIAN
I know you’re Sarah. You were like
a year above me, I think.

The girl’s friend (TINA) speaks up.

TINA
(to Brian)
I’m Tina. I’m from Las Cruces.

BRIAN
(to Sarah)
It’s weird to be gathering, right?
Feels like this’ll be in the news
in a few days. Super-spreader...

SARAH
Yeah, six feet is super important.

Brian nods and then self-consciously takes a step back (in

case she just gave him a hint).
 37.

BRIAN
You guys want a beer?

They sort of nod - not really.

Brian awkwardly recedes and heads over to the BEER TABLE.

We now shift our attention to MICHAEL, who watches Brian.

From his POV, Brian gathers three beers and then turns around
to see something that makes him FREEZE. Our POV pans over to
the object of Brian’s attention...

Eric is now conversing with Sarah. She looks reticent at

first, but then Eric says something that provokes a LAUGH. We
PAN back to Brian, who watches this with anger. After staring
for a moment, he begins to walk over.

Michael looks very irritated.

We shift our attention to ERIC and SARAH as Brian approaches.

BRIAN (CONT’D)
Hey dude.

ERIC
This is Tina apparently. Her uncle
died a COVID last week.

TINA
(been waiting to talk)
Yeah, in Orlando. No pre-existin
conditions AND he was always masked.
People wearin masks still got a 70%
chance a catchin it from COVID-
positive people with no mask.

Brian has turned to look for Eric and Sarah, but they’ve
distanced themselves as Eric shows Sarah funny memes that he
saved on his phone. They LAUGH.

SARAH
Bernieeee, whyyyy???

TINA (O.S.)
She’s just tryna make her shit-ass
boyfriend jealous.

Brian turns back to Tina.

BRIAN
She’s got a boyfriend?

TINA
Sorta, not really. She dumped him
after she got dragged for like a month
on her socials ‘cause he’s a cop.
 38.

She gestures to MICHAEL, who is now staring daggers at Eric

and Sarah.

BRIAN
Him??

TINA
Yeah. Michael. But she doesn’t fuck
with cops.

Brian is already looking this up. He’s gone to Instagram.

BRIAN
What’s his last name?

In the BG, Michael gets into his car and drives off.

MINUTES LATER

Brian and Tina are back with Sarah and Eric. Eric waxes cynical
about the social justice sacred cows. Sarah looks impressed.

ERIC
Yeah, just seein all these white people
- not like you, you guys are chill -
but like so many privileged white kids
suddenly cryin about “anti-racism”--

SARAH
No, totally, I know.

ERIC
It’s just kinda like, what the fuck?

SARAH
Totally. I try to be super aware of
the hypocrisy of me even TRYING to be
like a fake activist.

ERIC
Good.

Brian looks irked.

BRIAN
But like, at the same time, not all
white kids are all that privileged
either. Like, there’s different sortsa
privilege. Like just the difference
between race and, like, class.

Sarah and Eric look at him. He’s skating close to thin ice.

ERIC
You drop your red cap back there, Bri?
 39.

BRIAN
(laughs, embarrassed)
Shut up! You know what I mean.

They all laugh, but Brian is clearly annoyed.

LATER

Eric and Brian are walking back to their car.

BRIAN (CONT’D)
You have a nice time cock-blocking me?

ERIC
Bro, what? We both took a shot.

BRIAN
You know I like her. Makin me sound
like a fuckin Trumper?? You know the
shit with my parents.

EXT. TED’S HOUSE - PORCH - NIGHT

Ted sits on the porch with his advisor, Warren. Both masked.

WARREN
I’m not worried about the sheriff.
Just the shit with his wife - you
can shut him right down.

TED
Listen to me: I don’t wanna go
there.

ERIC’S CAR drives up and parks in the BG during the

following:

WARREN
So you don’t go there. You just
threaten. He doesn’t want you goin
there, either. You say “you don’t
touch this and I won’t touch that.”

TED WARREN (CONT'D)

Doesn’t even matter She’s
already rung the alarm bell.
Yellin “Big Tech.” Not publicly. That’s where we
gotta keep it.
And if it does get out there,
we just say “yeah, and Tech
means jobs.” No. You can’t say
“jobs.” Not when you’re
lockin everyone down.

ERIC has walked up to the porch.

 40.

TED
What is this? We stealin my car now?

ERIC
You said I could.

TED
I said what? Where the hell were
you? Look how late it is.

ERIC
I told you. With Brian.

Eric enters the house.

TED
It’s too fuckin late. It’s quarantine,
not playtime. You represent more than
just you.

Eric, now in the kitchen, gathers the mail.

TED (CONT’D)
Wash your hands! COVID stays alive on
paper for at least 5 days!

INT. ERIC’S ROOM - MINUTES LATER

Eric sits at his laptop. He’s on reddit. The door opens. Eric
closes his laptop and turns to see TED popping his head in.

TED
Where were you at?

ERIC
I told you. With Brian.

TED
Where with Brian?

ERIC
To a outside thing. We wore masks and
stayed distanced. No one was there.

TED ERIC (CONT'D)

You don’t seem to get this.
What’s the rule? No
gatherins. Bro! We were distanced!

TED
(suddenly dark)
...What’d you just call me?

ERIC
I obviously meant dad. Or Sir.
 41.

Ted enters the room, closing the door behind him.

TED
Don’t get confused. I’m not your
little pal.

ERIC
You think I’m confused about that?

Ted’s eyes burn. He then notices a hand-written LETTER on

Eric’s desk.

TED
I know that’s not homework.

ERIC
Yeah. ‘Cause it’s summer.

TED
Who’s it for?

ERIC
(shrugs)
...Her birthday’s this week.

TED
Where would you even send it? She
ain’t dropped us any pins.

ERIC
Well, that must be why it’s there
and not sent.

TED
You think you’d even remember her
birthday if she was here? You forgot
my birthday last month. She could be
dead in one of the hospital COVID
tents for all we know.

ERIC
(can’t help it)
...She’s a fuckin bitch.

TED
Yes, she is, and watch your mouth. When
someone dumps you, you say “good
riddance,” not birthday wishes. A
person like that is a tumor. You cut it
off or it infects your whole life. And
you sure as hell don’t cry when it
disappears on its own.
(getting heated)
And it’s past midnight. I’m the one
forcin lockdown, and now I got this
gringo pig goin up against me--
 42.

ERIC
What does that mean?

TED
Look up from your phone! The sheriff
is runnin for mayor. And now my own
son?? Underminin my policies?

ERIC
I’m not even! I was masked! I was
distanced! Nobody even saw me!

TED
And I’m not your fuckin bro.

Eric just nods, exasperated.

TED (CONT’D)
Fuckin 1 AM. If anyone saw you out,
everythin I’m doin here is
contradicted. Don’t be selfish. Think
about others. I love you.

Ted leaves, slamming the door. Eric flips off the door.

INT. BRIAN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Brian lies in bed, scrolling through his Twitter timeline,

liking several meme posts in a row.

He then scrolls past a Time article: “In a First, Twitter Adds

'Unsubstantiated' Warning to 2 of President Trump's Tweets.”

He then arrives at a meme with two images. The first, captioned

“My Plans,” features young Macaulay Culkin smiling sweetly in
My Girl. The second, captioned “2020,” features a swarming
beehive. Brian LAUGHS. He LIKES and QUOTE TWEETS “lol”.

He then scrolls to an ARTICLE that reads: “Hundreds Demand

Justice In Minneapolis After Police Killing Of George Floyd”

He scrolls past this, ignoring two more posts about Floyd’s

murder, and then...

He arrives at a quote of the same article POSTED BY SARAH

with the text “BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!!”

Brian hangs on this. An idea seems to be kindling.

He LIKES the tweet.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Joe is slipping FLIERS under shop doors on Main Street.

 43.

INT. CROSS HOUSE - NIGHT

Joe comes home to a DARK, EMPTY HOUSE.

JOE
Lou?

He walks to his bedroom, whose door is shut. He tries turning

the knob, but it’s LOCKED.

JOE (CONT’D)
Rabbit?

Joe roams away from the door, confused.

JOE (CONT’D)
Dawn?!

INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING

Joe is asleep on the fold-out couch. Warm morning light plays

on his face.

The sound of a CAR idling to a stop outside. This WAKES Joe.

He looks to the window to see Louise and Dawn returning.

The front door opens, and Dawn and Louise enter.

LOUISE DAWN
Oh, you’re up. Back to sleep, Joe.

Louise walks past him, avoiding eye contact.

LOUISE
’S okay, pudge. Don’t let us wake you.

JOE
What’s okay?

She arrives at the bedroom and tries the knob, but it’s
locked. She looks confused.

DAWN
I got it.

Dawn walks up to the door and UNLOCKS it with a key.

JOE
You locked it?

DAWN
You forfeited your right to that
bed yesterday.

Louise starts getting undressed. She is reading something on her

phone. Joe walks to the doorway. Louise has her back to him.
 44.

JOE
You just gettin back?

LOUISE
She needed me to drive her.

JOE
To where?

LOUISE
Just a sorta concert thing in
Albuquerque. I needed to get out
anyways. I’m so tired.

Louise climbs into bed. Joe stares at her. Feeling his gaze,
she keeps her back to him.

LOUISE (CONT’D)
...I’m so tired.

Beat.

JOE
I love you.

LOUISE
Me too.

Joe goes back to the couch, climbs in, and pulls the LAPTOP from
the side table. He opens it to be faced with an endless lineup
of INTERNET TABS. Currently open is a BLOG about government
cover-ups and the strategic distraction of the pandemic. This
was written by “Vernon Jefferson Peak” (photo included).

Joe sighs and closes that tab, only to be faced with another
article: “Is Hillary Already In Gitmo? (And Before You
Answer, Remember: She Has A Body Double)”. He closes that to
find another article about deaths connected to 5G, etc etc.

Joe now searches Google - the internet is in incognito mode -

for the “open letter to NM governor”.

MINUTES LATER

Joe sits up, now wearing a strapped “posture corrector.” The

laptop is propped on his lap, and he’s looking at a word
document titled “Open Letter to Governor Lujan Grisham (a
response to HER response to prior open letter).”

Joe begins typing. He then STOPS, and pulls out his phone. He
starts recording dictation.

JOE
Dear Governor, I have read your
response to the open letter that was
signed by nine of our state's most...
 45.

Joe types “respectible” into Thesaurus.com. He is corrected

with “did you mean respectable?” Yes he did. After gathering
the results:

JOE (CONT’D)
...esteemed representatives, and even
though the current Mayor of my town
refused to sign his name, I hopen to
retro-additively add my name to the
letter, and to now give my response
to your response.

EXT. ROAD - MORNING

Joe is jogging as his dictation continues in voice-over.

Midway through the scene he will pass another jogger wearing
a face mask. They both nod hello.

JOE (V.O.)
You say the letter quote-"elides the
glarin fact that New Mexico’s success
in combatin the virus is due to the
fact that the present administration -

INT. BATHROOM - MORNING

Through the next stretch of V.O., Joe struggles through sit-

ups while the shower heats up...then vigorously scrubs
himself in the shower...then trims his beard at the mirror.

JOE (V.O.)
- has taken strong steps to protect New
Mexicans from the kinda proudly anti-
scientific bluster and misjudgment
encapsyulated in the letter"-unquote.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - MORNING

Joe, new-and-improved, pops his head in. Louise, lying in bed

with her back to Joe, is reading something on her phone. It’s
a block of text on a Reddit thread (with many words in
emphatic CAPS). In the headline, the words “Where We Go ONE,
We Go ALL.”

JOE
Let’s have a night together. Just
you and me.

No answer from Louise.

JOE (CONT’D)
Rabbit? Tonight? I’ll cook.

LOUISE
(turning face in pillow)
Oh god, you’ll cook...!
 46.

JOE
...7:30?

Silence from Louise’s back, then:

LOUISE
Fine.

JOE
Yes??
(no answer from her)
Okay, tonight! 7:30!

He leaves with a spring in his step.

EXT. ANTIQUE/HARDWARE STORE - MORNING

Joe, in uniform, stands outside a closed HARDWARE STORE doubling

as an ANTIQUE/SECONDHAND SHOP, talking to the owner. The front
window features a racist LAWN JOCKEY welcoming visitors. Joe
extends an “I CAN’T BREATHE” sign toward the owner.

JOE (V.O.)
Well, allow me to respond by repeatin a
point made in the original letter,
which actually made a heck a’a lot more
sense than you made it sound...

The Owner shakes his head no.

EXT. GUN STORE - MORNING

Joe is hanging his sign in the window of a large gun store,

watched by the owner.

JOE (V.O.)
The so-called “science” is disputed
worldwide. No one can agree on anythin.

EXT. HOUSES - MORNING

Joe introduces himself (as a candidate) to DIFFERENT PEOPLE

on their respective lawns. Always distanced.

JOE (V.O.)
Our president’s takin hydrochloriquine
many times daily and feels great,
while others claim it to be Satanic
poison or some other such nonsense.

One homeowner enthusiastically gives Joe his signature.

HOMEOWNER
GOOD for you, damn it!
 47.

INT. GROCERY STORE - MORNING

Joe is shopping for dinner recipes at the market. He selects

the most expensive gourmet options.

As his groceries get rung up, he shakes hands with the masked
cashier, and then introduces himself (as a mayoral candidate)
to another masked worker.

JOE (V.O.)
New Mexico towns borderin Texas now
have their residents runnin ‘cross the
border to patronize their businesses
at the expense a’our own. Why?

Before leaving the store, he turns back to add:

JOE
I see you wearin ‘em, but I will NOT
police face masks. It’s your right
to do what you believe is right!

INT. JUANITA’S RESTAURANT - DAY

Joe is now talking to Paula, who owns the town’s most popular
restaurant, Juanita’s. They are both masked. In the BG, a
masked Latino Man hands take-away food to customers.

JOE (V.O.)
Beause you condemned our businesses
to death in the name a what I see as
a clear LACK a scientific honesty.

EXT. JUANITA’S COURTYARD - LATER

Joe sits with Paula at one of the tables in the lovely

courtyard. They are deep in conversation; Paula spilling
beans about the data center tax incentive resolution vote:

PAULA
I’m goddamn sure he’s gettin
kickbacks. No way possible he’s not.

Joe is nodding, eyes wide.

PAULA (CONT’D)
And now we’re savin some mystery company
millions, maybe BILLIONS? Gettin Ted a
new house? While us yokels can go kick
rocks? And I’m s’posed to shut up??

INT. POLICE CAR (MOVING) - MORNING

Joe is now driving down a highway, continuing the speech by

dictating aloud to the voice recorder on his phone. He passes
a HIGHWAY SIGN that reads: “Taos - 23 Miles”
 48.

JOE
Masks, which’ve been declared useless
against the virus for-basically-ever,
are now legally required -

INT. KINKO’S (TAOS) - DAY

Joe is talking up the owner of a Kinko’s (whose front door

bears the notice: “One Customer At A Time”) while Michael
gathers a new set of signs. There are four different stacks.
One reads “KEEP BIG TECH OFF OUR LAND. No More Ted Garcia, No
More Corruption.” Another reads “Dont let Eddington, NM become
Facebook, NM.” Another reads “Keep TECH’s Business Out Of YOUR
Business.” The last reads “YOU ARE BEING MANIPULATED!”

JOE (V.O.)
- but there’s been a Radical Left ban
on the one single miracle cure we got,
simply ‘cause our President has got
behind it? I'm sorry, ma’am, but I
don't know if I should laugh or cry.
And don't get me STARTED on the
discrimination against quote-unquote
non-essential businesses.

INT. POLICE CRUISER - DAY

Joe’s car is parked outside the county courthouse. He is on

his phone, reading over his draft in an unsent email. He then
copies it and pastes it onto Facebook...

JOE (V.O.)
It is my opinion that all businesses
in this great country should be
celebrated as essential.

...and POSTS it.

EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY

Joe now stands on the steps of the county courthouse. Beside him
is his new “KEEP BIG TECH OFF OUR LAND. No More Ted Garcia, No
More Corruption” sign. He speaks into a karaoke microphone
(which is plugged into a miniature amp) to a void of onlookers.
Only Michael and Guy are present. Michael FILMS Joe on his phone
while Guy finishing painting a big sign on the sidewalk.

JOE
And I mean All businesses. Not just
your Big Tech empires in the blue
counties that keep the gravy trains
runnin come election time. Who are you
responsible to, gov’nor? Us the people?
Or them? That’s the question you and
Mayor Garcia needs to ask yourself...
 49.

Eric rides up on a bike, holding out his phone and filming

Joe. He comes to a stop.

ERIC
Bro, who’re you talkin to? There’s
no one here.

Michael hides his face from Eric, not wanting to be filmed.

JOE
And here - we got a Eddin’ton youngster.

ERIC
(to Michael)
Who you workin for, bro?

JOE
(continuing)
He hasn’t entered the workforce yet, so
he doesn’t know what it’s like to hear
“you will DIE if you go back to work.
Unless you work for Facebook!”

ERIC
Hey, tell ‘em about the time you had to
arrest your wife!

Eric rides off on his bike.

JOE
(rattled)
But folks...that is what they’re sayin.

Joe, now feeling challenged and humiliated, suddenly addresses

people that are not there (for the benefit of Michael’s video):

JOE (CONT’D)
Pardon me, please.
(to Michael)
Pause! Delete that last shit.

Joe puts down the mic and runs to his car.

ERIC, meanwhile, is riding away. As he does, he notices on the

street to his right: A SMALL GATHERING, including BRIAN and
SARAH. Eric idles to a stop. Brian and Sarah are standing with
six other kids (none Black), all touting signs and tepidly
protesting.

PROTESTER
Black lives matter! Black lives matter!

Eric hesitates, compelled to approach the group, but then he

notices behind him: JOE’S CRUISER pulls out of its parking
space.
 50.

Now scared, Eric pedals away, fleeing the scene.

INT. JOE’S CRUISER (MOVING) - SAME TIME

Joe has started driving to follow Eric, who now races away in
the near distance.

JOE
Oh yeah?

Two blocks ahead of Joe, Eric turns right.

JOE (CONT’D)
Oh yeah??

Joe accelerates and SWINGS RIGHT at the next street, clearly

planning to catch up to Eric, but sees the assembly of
protesters in his immediate way. He HITS THE BRAKES to avoid
running into them.

JOE (CONT’D) PROTESTERS

CHRIST! BLACK LIVES MATTER!

Joe steps out of the car and walks toward the pitiful
gathering. Brian holds up his phone and films Joe’s approach.

JOE SCRAWNY KID

What’s goin on here, guys? Hands up, don’t shoot!

SARAH
We have a right to assembly!

JOE
Okay. What’s the issue?

BRIAN
We’re protesting George Floyd!

JOE
Why? What’d he do?

A scrawny kid yells:

SCRAWNY KID
Black Lives Matter!

JOE
(startled)
Okay! Jesus!
(starting to recede)
You know you need to file these?
County commission needs to sign off, I
need to sign off. I’ll look the other
way ‘cause I agree with that -
(points to BLM sign)
- but, for next time, you gotta file.
(MORE)
 51.
JOE (CONT'D)
If you kids need water or somethin,
let us know.

Joe goes back to his car, oblivious but unnerved. He drives back
toward City Hall. We hear the Scrawny Kid: “Enough is enough!”

EXT. ALLEY - SAME TIME

Eric stands in an alley between two buildings. He is hiding

from Joe, but also searching Instagram on his phone.

He finds that Sarah ACCEPTED HIS FRIEND REQUEST. He goes to

her page.

Posts about George Floyd and #blacklivesmatter dominate her

profile. One post is a memorial video of Floyd against a Muni
Long song. Another is an advertisement for a free-to-download
book, The End of Policing. Eric “likes” every post.

Eric then clicks on her STORIES. One story is a flyer for an

EVENT that she is attending: “Black Lives Matter Eddington.”
It was posted by “black.lives.eddington.brian”.

INT. CITY HALL - SAME TIME

Guy is still painting a SIGN on the ground. Michael stands

above him, taking a photo on his phone.

GUY MICHAEL
I don’t need pictures, I need
help. ‘S like you got no
purpose. You yelled when I tried to
help. And this is a progress
update. Sheriff asked.

Joe’s car pulls up.

JOE
Michael, there’s a ‘ssembly round the
corner back there. If they don’t got
a permit, can you disperse ‘em?

GUY
I can go.

JOE
I asked Michael.

EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER

Michael rounds the corner to find the protest, where Sarah is

currently distracted by a TikTok she’s found on her phone:

SARAH
Oh my GOD! They’re shooting rubber
bullets! He was just walking home!
 52.

Michael slows down when he sees Sarah (not to mention that

she’s with Brian). Now nervous, he hesitates, then:

MICHAEL
Hey there.

Brian freezes, knowing Michael’s connection to Sarah.

SARAH
You coming to join us?

Michael arrives.

MICHAEL
Sorry, but can you show me like a
permit that says you can do this?

SARAH
We don’t need police permission to
protest police violence, Michael.

MICHAEL
I could need to disperse you, then.

SARAH
How you plan to do that? By force?
(then)
How do you feel about what happened,
Michael? Not as a cop.

MICHAEL
...’S outragin. ‘S a terrible incident.

SARAH
You’re wearing a uniform of a system
built on hundreds of years of
institutionalized racism!

Michael hesitates. A lot is going on behind his eyes.

MICHAEL
Okay. Well. I still just gotta make
sure. I’m just gonna...

Michael has gestured to the end of the block. He walks there

and stands awkwardly. As he does so, Sarah turns to Brian:

SARAH
How many people did you invite?

BRIAN
More than this. It’s still early.

Sarah rolls her eyes. “It’s not THAT early.” Brian pulls up
his video of the recent Joe interaction on TIKTOK.
 53.

BRIAN (CONT’D)
Oh shit, we already got over 300 likes!

SARAH
Yeah, but that’s also just like Not
Enough. There’s a protest at the
Round House in Santa Fe. That’s where
the numbers start to count. Look:

Sarah has pulled up a video of the Santa Fe protest. She

shows Brian.

SARAH (CONT’D)
And it can’t just be today! It's good
we’re protesting, but like, it needs to
be a daily practice and it needs to be
widespread and systemic, the same way
white supremacy is.

BRIAN
Yeah, I mean, I obviously agree with
that.

Sarah pulls up a chart on her phone and shows it to Brian.

Michael lingers uneasily in the BG.

SARAH
Here: these are the eight white
identities. Right now you’re white
critical. MAYBE you’re a white
traitor, but not yet. The goal should
be to become white abolitionist, which
is “changing institutions, dismantling
whiteness -

INT. BRIAN’S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - EVENING

Brian sits at the dining table for dinner, explaining the

eight white indentities to his MOTHER and FATHER (both 60s).

BRIAN
- and not allowing whiteness to
reassert itself.” But we’re all
basically light-years away from that.

Long silence.

BRIAN’S FATHER
Are you fuckin retarded? You’re white.

INT. CROSS HOUSE - EVENING

The clock on the wall, in the kitchen, reads 6:40. Through

the window, Joe’s car is seen pulling up to the house. Joe
runs in to hustle to the kitchen...
 54.

JOE
Lou?! Dawn?!

Silence.

Joe smiles, plops down the groceries and starts filling a pot
with water.

INT. JOE’S KITCHEN - EVENING

Water boils on the stove while Joe, in a shirt and underwear,

chops vegetables. A sauce pan has onions and garlic
simmering. Joe’s laptop, on the kitchen table, displays a
ZOOM CALL WITH GUY.

JOE
It’s a bad apple across the country, in
Minneapolis. ‘S nothin to do with us!

GUY (ON ZOOM)

This one’s bigger! Fuckin riots
already? Listen to this video:

Guy plays AUDIO off his phone:

PROTESTER (V.O.)
Indigenous nations gonna have
resurgences and be buildin back up and
tearin shit down! We gonna need treaty-
buildin and a fuckin brick in both
hands! Abolition, bro! I'm a fuckin
communist, bro!

Joe’s phone DINGS with a new FACEBOOK NOTIFICATION. He clicks on

it to see a NEW MEXICAN article about him. Its headline: “Small-
Town Sheriff Runs for Mayor and Pens Open Letter to Governor.”

Joe CLAPS with excitement.

GUY (ON ZOOM)

(reading phone)
Oh shit: it’s started. Two cops killed
at a protest in Portland.

INT. JOE’S BATHROOM - LATE AFTERNOON

Joe stands bare-assed over the toilet (his pants around his
ankles) while trimming his pubic hair with an electric trimmer.
The laptop is turned to face the wall as they all keep talking.
(A photo of Louise’s father hangs over the toilet.

GUY (V.O.)
Holy God! Lookit this! ANTIFA sendin
masked militants into small towns -
Texas, Missouri, North Carolina.
(MORE)
 55.
GUY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Settin fire to buildins, blowin people
up! Snipin! Shootin bystanders! Read
this shit! They just found a quote-
“cache a explosives--

INT. BEDROOM - MINUTES LATER

Joe is now getting dressed in front of a mirror. He tries on

two different shirts. His laptop is on the bed. Guy is
currently giving a play-by-play of a video he’s watching.

JOE
What do you think, Mike? Not as police.

MICHAEL (ON ZOOM)

I mean...it’s complicated. I unnerstand
the human aspect of it. Losin a loved
one in that kinda manner...

The hallway has started to fill with smoke and the SMOKE
ALARM goes off in the kitchen. Joe runs to attend to it.

GUY (ON ZOOM)

Fuckin fentanyl in his system, too.

The clock reads: 7:02

LATER

The clock now reads 7:28

Joe has set the table (including flowers) and is now placing
a hot bowl of freshly prepared pasta in the center. He looks
expectantly out the window.

LATER

The clock now reads 9:33

A half-empty wine bottle rests beside an empty one. A plate

has been placed atop the pasta bowl to retain heat/freshness.
Joe’s laptop is now on the table and playing live Fox News
coverage of the George Floyd protests. Joe is ASLEEP.

The SOUND of an approaching car is followed by HEADLIGHTS

shining through the window, momentarily illuminating Joe,
before continuing past and parking on the other side of the
house. This WAKES Joe.

Outside laughter precedes the DOOR OPENING to reveal Dawn and

Louise with THREE FRIENDS. Two men and a woman. Dawn sees Joe
and doesn’t miss a beat.

DAWN
Aw shucks! Whadya know?!
 56.

Louise, upon seeing Joe, is stricken by guilt.

LOUISE
Oh, Joe, I forgot!

DAWN LOUISE (CONT'D)

(to the group)
Don’t blame me, but this is (to Joe)
my son-in-law. Joe, these are our new
friends. We were at a potluck
and thought to invite ‘em.

Dawn, who is clearly tipsy, strolls into the kitchen to see

the set-up.

DAWN
He already made food, it appears.

VERNON (60s), a handsome older man, looks embarrassed. He is

covered in TATTOOS. (Attentive viewers will recognize him from
the blog that Joe found on his computer.) The other two, WILL
and NICOLETTE (50s), are a little too drunk to feel the tension.

VERNON
We don’t need to stay. It’s been a day
already.

DAWN
Guff!
(assessing the kitchen)
How much did you make? Are we even
that hungry? After the midday gorge!

VERNON
(offering his hand to Joe)
Hello. I'm Vernon, and this is
Nicolette and her husband Will.

JOE
(shaking his hand)
Joe. Welcome to my home.

DAWN
Yessir, god forbid you don't know
whose home.
(lifts plate to expose pasta)
Cold!

INT. JOE’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Everyone sits around the kitchen, having picked apart Joe’s

pasta. Vernon, carrying his plate, walks idly around the room.
 57.

NICOLETTE
Did you know: in 1919: the Federal
District Court of Missouri pronounced
white flour unfit to human
consumption. Just like seed oils now.

DAWN
Yet people listen to Fauci and the CDC
like their very breath depends on it.
(struck by a thought)
Wait. Who was born in 1919?

Vernon notices the wall of Louise’s dolls. He walks along them,

admiring.

VERNON
These are somethin.

DAWN
Those’re all Lou! She been makin ‘em
just like that since she was ten.

VERNON
(to Louise)
You’re a compulsive artist.

LOUISE
‘S just a hobby.

DAWN
Ever’body needs one! The worst
times a my life was when I fell
outta function with my hobbies.

Vernon comes to an embroidery of a peculiar scene: a girl’s

back, sitting on grass. Cast over the girl is the imposing
shadow of a man.

VERNON
You can call art-making a hobby, but
it’s higher than that. God speaking
through you. You speaking back.

JOE
(eyes on Louise)
...I agree with that.

Vernon now comes to a photo of Richmond.

VERNON
This one gets a lotta real estate.

DAWN
That’s Lou’s father, Richmond. The
original sheriff! Passed away seven
years ago.
(MORE)
 58.
DAWN (CONT'D)
(to Joe)
You were with ‘im.

Joe nods. A fraught memory.

NICOLETTE
I’m sorry to hear that.

DAWN
Heart just stopped in his chest. Who
knows if he coulda actually made it...

JOE
(coolly defensive)
I do.

Vernon is watching this dynamic with curious eyes.

VERNON
Generations of law enforcement.

Dawn rolls her eyes at that idea.

Vernon looks to Louise, whose head is down, as if in

contemplation of the floor at her feet.

LATER

Will is currently recounting his life story with eerie calm.

Everyone sits around, drinking coffee and eating pie.

WILL
You got the Ninth Circle...then
there's Octopus - that’s an arm of
the Vatican. As a child victim of
mind control, I had to go through
endless years of treatment. When my
abuser died, my brain totally reset.

NICOLETTE
They announced it as suicide, but
he was absolutely murdered for not
adequately programming him.

Louise and Dawn listen to this with horrified expressions.

Joe looks more bemused.

JOE
What did he do?

Will hesitates. Vernon steps in.

VERNON
Will was one of many children who were
kidnapped and taken to a secret hunting
party in Northern California.
(MORE)
 59.
VERNON (CONT'D)
A privately owned forest grove, where
they were stripped nude, raped, hunted
down...killed in just about every case.

JOE
This sounds like a whole gang a
pedophiles. You were just talkin
about one guy.

WILL
He’s the one I got assigned to. It was
his duty to kill me after, but he
couldn’t do it ‘cause he was in love
with me. He was the father of an actor
you know. I don't dare say whose name -
(points meaningfully to all
the phones in the room)
- but he has two Oscars. Three other
movie stars' parents died that same week.

NICOLETTE
All confirmed Luciferians.

Louise, who has been listening with rapt attention, has started
wagging her foot. The story has gotten her wired. Joe notices.

NICOLETTE (CONT’D)
We go to Brussels next. Our complaints
are under review by the International
Common Law Court of Justice.

Genuinely moved, Louise can’t help herself:

LOUISE
It’s evil. You gotta look at the kids
first. To see how a society treats its
people. Always it starts with kids.
(to Will)
What happened to you. And to so
many others -

Vernon looks at her seriously. Taking her seriously.

LOUISE (CONT’D)
(to Nicolette)
- and you! Little girls...

Dawn’s eyes narrow.

LOUISE (CONT’D)
Like what’s happenin in -- I showed
you the piece. In DC?

Louise goes to the laptop and pulls up an article.

 60.

LOUISE (CONT’D)
(reading)
The senators...there’s senators and
men in Congress - they enlist normal
men or men on lower levels - but
fathers! All fathers a little girls -
just like yours was a father. Right?

Dawn leans forward now, hesitant. The word “father” jabs at her.

DAWN
Lou. Sometimes it’s just to listen...

LOUISE
(finding the info)
And they invite ‘em into their clubs
and throw money at ‘em and give ‘em
government jobs, and in return the
fathers give their daughters over -
to do whatever they want with.

Will sees Dawn trying to get a word in edge-wise. He assures her:

WILL
This is good. This is what it is.

LOUISE
(getting feverish,
finding new articles)
And everyone just thinks they went
missin. These’re the girls on the milk
cartons!
(finds an article)
Look! This one!

DAWN
Lou...!

LOUISE
This girl was just fourteen years old.
She was gave away to the Secretary a
Defense, whose shoes - look: his red
shoes are made from a baby - he’s on
tape braggin about it, you can hear the
whole thing - and he made his daughter
pregnant - at thirteen! - he gave her
hormones and he raped her - they always
rape their fuckin kids - and he gave
away her baby for another sacrifice!
(tears in eyes)
And the mothers get silenced and if they
interfere, they get disappeared! Like
the wife a the Oregon governor - she
went missin. Her body’s missin, but
ever’body knows! It’s a system! Bohemian
Grove! They bring their own daughters--
 61.

Dawn BURSTS out of her chair.

DAWN
OKAY!!

Dawn goes to the sink and loudly DROPS her cup and plate into
the pile of dishes.

DAWN (CONT’D)
(addled, to the room)
I’m sorry. I feel offended for you
people. You tell your stories, very
personal things - it’s hard enough! You
don’t need histrionics to compete with.
(to Louise)
I’m sorry! But you gotta see
yourself! You need to be aware.
(to the room)
I’m sorry.

Dawn walks out of the room to her fold-out mattress.

DAWN (CONT’D)
I need to go to bed. I’m ruinin the
night now. I’m sorry.

She gets into bed, turning her back to them.

DAWN (CONT’D)
I’m sorry.

Will and Nicolette and Vernon look uneasy. Louise is humiliated.

LOUISE
(to them)
I didn’t mean to take over...

Will and Nicolette smile kindly at her and shake their head.
“Not at all. You did nothing wrong.”

VERNON
(quietly to Louise)
Those things are real.
(louder, an announcement)
It’s late!

EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

FROM JOE’S POV: Louise sends off Vernon and the others. She
hugs them goodbye.

Joe stands at the window, watching this.

 62.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Joe climbs into bed. Louise is lying down already. After a

bout of silence:

JOE
Can I ask you...there’s a question
I’ve had, ever since...

Louise doesn’t turn to him.

JOE (CONT’D)
That baby. I’ll never mention it
ever again.

Louise’s eyes are blank.

JOE (CONT’D)
What possessed you?

LOUISE
...I was takin her to the police. I
thought she was lost.

Beat.

JOE
I did see the security footage.
After I picked you up.

LOUISE
After you arrested me.

JOE
(defensive)
Did I handcuff you? Did I take you
to jail? I just showed up. If I
didn’t, it woulda been worse.

LOUISE
Yeah, you said.

JOE
But you don’t agree.

Beat.

JOE (CONT’D)
You saw her with her father...

Louise keeps looking at the ceiling. She shakes her head.

LOUISE
No.
 63.

JOE
I saw, rabbit. You watched her dad go
round the corner and you took her
outta the carriage and you walked
straight out.

Louise is silent.

JOE (CONT’D)
You can tell me. You know I’m on
your side. Always. No matter what.
I just wanna understand.

LOUISE
I thought she was lost. I was takin
her to the police.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - MORNING

Joe wakes up in an empty bed.

INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING

Joe, dressed in his uniform, steps out to find Dawn on the

couch, watching a Youtube video providing evidence that COVID
is a mandmade virus designed to eliminate 90% of the world
population.

JOE
Do you know where she went?

Dawn ignores him.

EXT. STREET - MORNING

The stake for a SIGN is driven into the earth of a sidewalk by

Guy. The sign reads: “TOWN HALL TOMORROW! At Juanita’s! 6 PM!
Joe Cross For MAYOR! Free Food! Open forum! Lets get into it!”

Over at the sheriff’s office, Michael can be seen displaying

the sign in the window.

EXT. JUANITA’S RESTAURANT - LATE MORNING

Joe stands outside Juanita’s with his karaoke microphone. Beside

him is the Town Hall sign. His phone is on a tripod, recording
video. As he speaks, a stereo plays aspirational music. To his
side is a small queue of people waiting to order breakfast
burritos (one person allowed inside at a time).

JOE
Town Hall meetin, here, tonight, 6
pm. Free food. Free margaritas. Free
Eddington - from tyranny! Here in the
beautiful Juanita’s courtyard.
 64.

The camera tracks to the left of Joe to frame up on the open

entrance to the beautiful COURTYARD, in which Michael and
Paula are assembling fold-up chairs, all facing a microphone.

INT. GROCERY STORE - DAY

Joe pushes his cart down an aisle, gathering platters and extra
drinks for the Town Hall meeting. As he does so, he wears a
bulky TOWN HALL SIGN, draped over his front and back.

Up ahead, he sees that a few people have congregated below

the MOUNTED TV. Hushed outrage among them.

MAN’S VOICE (O.S.)

The fuck’re these fuckers doin?

Joe approaches to investigate. It’s NEWS footage of a BLACK

PICKUP TRUCK driving into a city CHURCH, smashing down its doors
at 80 MPH. This is followed by a PUNCHED-IN FREEZE-FRAME of the
driver: it is a masked man dressed in black. “Antifa gear.”

OTHER MAN’S VOICE (O.S.)

They’re drivin into churches!

Finally, footage of black-clad “protesters” lighting a SIGN

OF FLAMES on a wall that reads “DEFUND PIGS”.

MINUTES LATER

Joe is being rung up at the register. A CALL comes in from

GUY. He takes it.

JOE
Y’ello?

GUY
It’s here, sheriff! The riots are
fuckin HERE!

JOE
Guy, relax. I saw ‘em yesterday...

A CALL from “John - antique store” come in.

JOE (CONT’D)
Hold up.

Joe answers the new call.

JOE (CONT’D) ANTIQUE STORE OWNER (V.O.)

John-- Where in the hell are you
people?! All my goddamn
windows smashed to hell and I
can’t get a fuckin--
 65.

INT. CAR (MOVING) - DAY

Joe is speeding from the market. Platters are stacked on the

passenger seat. He’s on speakerphone with Paula.

PAULA (V.O.)
We gotta cancel this!

JOE
Paula, it’s nothin. We’ll disperse it.

Joe NOTICES the gun store to his side. His campaign sign is no
longer up. In fact, it’s been replaced by another sign: “The
Future Is Knocking? Well, Ted Garcia Wants To Open The Door!”

JOE (CONT’D)
Fuck. Our sign got took down at the...

As his head swivels, tracking as he overtakes the hardware

store (while slowing down), someone JUMPS in front of his
car, slamming on the hood.

Joe BRAKES and looks ahead to see:

A boy with an “I CANT BREATH” sign. He runs past the cruiser

to round the corner ahead.

JOE (CONT’D)
The hell?

PAULA (V.O.)
What’s wrong?

Joe starts idling toward the corner.

JOE
A kid was carryin our sign.

Confused (and a little hopeful), Joe rounds the corner to now

see a PROTEST of about forty young people (many holding signs
of police brutality). ERIC stands at the front, holding a
SIGN which he turns around to hide from Joe’s view.

JOE (CONT’D)
Fuck. I gotta...

Joe gets out of the car and approaches the peaceful protest.
In the BG, Paula’s voice is heard: “what is happenin?” As Joe
approaches, Eric hands his phone to a kid, instructing him to
film the following interaction.

JOE (CONT’D)
Eric?
(to the others)
Hey guys.
(MORE)
 66.
JOE (CONT’D)
(to Eric again)
What’s goin on?

ERIC
This is our right! We’re exercisin our
right! This is a PEACEFUL protest!

JOE
Okay, uh. I told you already, though.
You gotta file this with the county
commission.

ERIC
We’re havin this argument right now
on stolen land!!

JOE
What?

ERIC
We call for the defundin and
abolition of the police state!

JOE
What fuckin police state? You wanna
see my budget??

An IRATE MIDDLE-AGED MAN in overalls steps out of the

ANTIQUE/HARDWARE STORE down the block. One of its windows has
been smashed.

ANTIQUE STORE OWNER

Sheriff, LOOK at this! Look what
they done!

A YOUNG PROTESTER yells at him.

YOUNG PROTESTER ANTIQUE STORE OWNER (V.O.)

So don’t put racist-ass lawn
jockeys on your fuckin
window, Nazi! Fuck you! Who’s a Nazi?! I’M a Nazi?!
You're the ones out here
destroyin property!

Joe now sees that two protestors have been training their
smartphone cameras on Joe.

JOE
Jesus.
(walking away)
Okay. Exercise your right! I’m
respectin. As you were. As you are.
(to John)
ONE SECOND, JOHN!
 67.

Joe retreats to his car, starts rounding to the driver door,

but then STOPS, goes to the “I CAN’T BREATHE” bumper sticker
on his back bumper, tries to tear it off, fails, and then
runs into the car to drive off.

Eric has taken his phone back from the kid who filmed all
that. He immediately TEXTS the video to SARAH, accompanied by
a solidarity fist emoji.

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - DAY

Joe arrives at the office. Guy, standing defensively in the

back, is wearing RIOT GEAR. He is clearly in a panic. Michael
sits at his desk.

JOE
Why aren’t you out there?

GUY
I was! But they’re filmin, and I
didn’t want movies a me doin
somethin or not doin somethin--

The phone rings and Michael answers.

MICHAEL
Dispatch.

Joe rushes to his desk. He fetches his fancy sheriff’s

regalia (the one he saves for ceremonies). Affixed to its
lapel is a series of small pins: U.S. flag, NRA, ‘thin blue
line,” Blue Knights law enforcement motorcycle club pin, a
9/11 memorial pin, and an Israeli Civil Guard pin.

On the TV is coverage of a Santa Fe protest on the local news.

Guy yells at the TV while Joe changes clothes in the corner.

TEEN GIRL (ON TV) GUY

This happens constantly and
so many people were not named
because we don’t have footage
of them being murdered in What footage? There’s no
front of us. We don’t want to footage ‘cause it happens
hate police. They are once a year!
supposed to be here to
protect us. But when we’re We are fuckin protecting you!
seeing all these bad
incidences, it is fueling the
fire and everyone is trying
to divide us and we need to Who’s dividin who? We just
come together and have a fuckin woke up to this!
conversation about “why can’t
we ever talk about this?”

GUY (CONT’D)
Fuck you!
 68.

Guy changes the channel to Fox News, where Tucker is goin’ at it:

TUCKER CARLSON (ON TV)

In San Jose, looters armed with
crowbars stormed the highway and
attacked vehicles, trying to pull
drivers from their cars. In Portland
Oregan, a man was beaten, apparently
for daring to carry an American flag in
public. He never released the flag...

Michael gets Joe’s attention.

MICHAEL
Sheriff... I dunno.

Joe has turned to him, now wearing his regalia.

JOE
You dunno what?

MICHAEL
I dunno, nothin. Just - news article.

Joe storms to the computer, where a HEADLINE reads: “A New

Photo Reveals Police Brutality In Eddington, NM.”

JOE
What does that mean “police brutality”?

Michael has found a new POST FROM ERIC, which has gone semi-
viral. It is the PHOTO, taken by Eric, of JOE WRESTLING LODGE
(from the beginning of the movie). The caption reads: “We let
Sheriff Cross disgrace the Badge. We about to let him
disgrace the Mayors Office now too??!!”

JOE (CONT’D)
FUCK!

GUY
(looking over Joe’s shoulder)
What the hell is this, Michael?

MICHAEL
What the hell is what?

GUY MICHAEL (CONT'D)

Sheriff sent you out to kill
this yesterday, so why's it
ten times bigger today?? It’s ten times bigger
everywhere! It’s spreadin
But you're the one that everywhere!
dealed with it and now it's
so much worse. And meanwhile,
what're they protestin? We
ain’t blind! The fuck does that mean?
 69.

GUY
(to Joe)
One question, sheriff: are you gettin
those pictures he’s takin? ‘Cause he’s
took pictures a everythin we done.

Joe has looked up from this to see an IRATE WOMAN (50s)

marching up to the station. She opens the door.

IRATE WOMAN
What the hell’re you DOIN in here??
There’s a riot happenin right in
front a yer face!

TUCKER CARLSON (O.S.)

And in Chicago, protesters fought
systemic racism by running through a
Nike store, stealing shoes.

EXT. STREET - MINUTES LATER

Joe, looking officious in his regalia, walks down the street,

approaching the protest two blocks away. The irate woman
follows him. As does Michael.

JOE
(to Michael)
Okay, find pictures of the cops
that’ve been killed so far in the
protests. Make a sign--

As he gives these instructions, Paula bounds over to Joe.

PAULA
Sheriff!

JOE
Paula, I know. It’s a total setup.

PAULA JOE (CONT'D)

What setup? That’s you in the
picture! That’s the man on
the street! I know. It’s a fake.

PAULA
How can it possibly?!

JOE PAULA (CONT'D)

Like a goddamn - I dunno, a
whatever, DEEPFAKE! Please!
I’m takin care of it-- I abhor violence, sheriff, I
can’t endorse this. I can’t
be the place for your rally.
It’s not a rally, it’s a Town
Hall meetin. Well, I’m not Town Hall! I
can’t endorse this!
 70.

JOE
You’re NOT endorsin! I’m bein framed.

Joe is speeding ahead, appealing to Paula as he accelerates:

JOE (CONT’D)
I’ll see you in ten minutes! It’ll
be good! It’ll be okay!

EXT. MAIN STREET - MINUTES LATER

Joe turns the corner onto Main Street to see...

The PROTEST has already gotten bigger. Lodge, coughing, is among

the protesters, although they avoid him like the plague.
Meanwhile, an OLD MAN is yelling at the protestors. Off to the
side is a WOMAN (40s) with a rifle strapped across her chest.

WOMAN
Y’wanna fuck around and find out?!

One TEEN GIRL from the protest screams:

TEEN GIRL OLD MAN

If you're not with us, and
you're not for Black Lives
Matter, then get the fuck (to the crowd)
outta here!!! Then stop fuckin burning the
fuckin town down!!!

The Old Man sees Joe walking past. He appeals to Joe:

OLD MAN (CONT’D) JOE

Antifa is HERE, sheriff! (walking past)
Who’s stoppin this?? I know, Greg. Don’t worry. We
got it.

OLD MAN
Got WHAT? You didn’t get John!

Joe spots ERIC, holding his BIG SIGN. He now sees that it’s a
blown-up photo of Joe wrestling Lodge. Standing beside Eric is
now Sarah. Joe instructs Michael to follow him, and then STOMPS
toward the kids, pointing at the sign. Michael stops a bit short.

JOE
That’s misrepresentation!

ERIC
What is it?

JOE
That’s slander! It’s libel. And it’s
not true. I can arrest you.
 71.

ERIC
For what?

JOE
For disturbin the peace. Misleadin
the public. HE pulled ME down! You
saw exactly how it happened!

Sarah jumps in:

SARAH
This is an inconvenience for you, but
the man that got killed for no reason
can’t ever be inconvenienced again!

We CUT AWAY for a moment to BRIAN, who is watching this from

a block away. He looks livid. His thunder stolen.

TEEN GIRL (O.S.) OLD MAN (O.S.)

And he was only the one that
got VIDEOTAPED! There are
thousands more! THIS IS SOROS!!

Back to inside the crowd, where Joe is being cowed into silence.

ERIC
Police violence in Eddington!
Police violence in Eddington!

A kid trains his phone on Eric as he chants this. Joe clocks

this, panicked. He tries to find Michael to bring him into this.

The owner of the antique store calls out to Joe.

ANTIQUE STORE OWNER JOE

SHERIFF! WHY THE FUCK IS (calling out)
NOBODY HERE?! I’ll be right there, John!

ANTIQUE STORE OWNER

Thousands a dollars a shit they took!

Joe addresses Eric:

JOE
Has your dad even told you why he’s
got a problem with me?

ERIC
Asides from you takin his job?!

JOE
Okay: no: I’m exercisin my
Constitutional right to run for
office. Just like him when he ran.
(re: the sign)
But that’s a hoax you’re startin.
(MORE)
 72.
JOE (CONT'D)
That’s a lie. Do you know who your dad
actually is, Eric? Do you know what
he’s done?

ERIC
You mean to your wife?

JOE ERIC (CONT'D)

Maybe I do mean to her, but
I’m not talkin about her with
you. I know why you had to arrest
her!
‘Scuse me?? You don’t know
anything! Yes I do! Everyone does!

JOE
What about your mother? Where’d she go?
She didn’t just disappear into thin air.

Eric goes pale. Then:

ERIC
Your wife is a fuckin crazy whore!
Stealin babies?! Her batshit mom sendin
crazy shit to my house my whole fuckin
life! Maybe THAT had somethin to do
with it!

Joe now sees that a girl is training their PHONE on Eric as

he screams this! Joe SEIZES the phone, only to then realize
that he’s crossed the line.

JOE
I’m sorry, but just -

Joe looks into the camera and explains to potential viewers:

JOE (CONT’D) SARAH

I didn’t take it. I’m givin
it back. I just wanted to That’s assault! You grabbed
explain. her!

Joe gives the phone back to the girl.

JOE OLD MAN (O.S.)

You’re seein I’m givin it
back. I was kiddin. I SAW! HE GOT PROVOKED! THAT
WERE IN HIS RIGHTS!

Joe is walking backwards now...

JOE
(to antique store owner)
I’M FIXIN THIS, JOHN! STAY PUT! I...
 73.

Joe RETREATS. He motions to Michael to stay here.

Meanwhile, Brian starts roaming toward the crowd. He

awkwardly integrates, his eyes on Eric and Sarah. Sarah seems
to be consoling Eric, who now storms off. Sarah follows him.

INT. JUANITA’S RESTAURANT - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER

Joe, drenched in sweat, enters through the back door of the

kitchen. A Mexican woman, listlessly preparing food, eyes him
as he walks through.

EXT. JUANITA’S RESTUARANT - COURTYARD - CONTINUOUS

Joe stops in a corner, scoping out the courtyard. Panicked.

Only eight people are in the audience. Paula is a nervous
wreck, not sure what to do. Guy, still wearing riot gear, is
eating nachos at the snack table. He has one hand on his
holstered gun, paranoid.

Joe gets Guy’s attention. Guy walks over.

JOE
I can’t go out there.

GUY
Why? The protest? Or the turnout?

JOE
I can’t do this.

Guy nods, “understanding.” Not helpful.

EXT. JUANITA’S RESTAURANT - COURTYARD - MINUTES LATER

Joe now stands in front of the meagre crowd, lost. He picks

up an unnecessary microphone.

JOE
Guys, gals... Thank you for bein here.
Not sure if you saw what’s happenin
outside, but...we’re not gonna let ‘em
distract from the real thing...
(snapping to)
So! Would I be runnin for mayor if this
didn’t happen? If our economy wasn't
completely destroyed by a virus that
the Chinese already eradicated? And if
our whole town wasn't shut down to die
‘cause our Mayor’s got business in
lettin it die? Which I got evidence
for. Papers! Papers I’m workin with
lawyers to make ‘vailable, and when we
do, you’ll see he’s got plans - actual
and very real plans to replace every
shop here. With server farms.
(MORE)
 74.
JOE (CONT'D)
You know what those are? You’re sure
about to! And while he’s sellin you
away and stuffin cash in his pockets,
you're stuck inside your little adobe
box with a diaper on your face.

Beat.

JOE (CONT’D)
Let’s just open this up to a Q and
A. If anyone got any...

Joe looks up. Nothing from the audience.

JOE (CONT’D)
C’mon, folks. This is it. Let’s
have it out.

Guy raises his hand with a rehearsed question. Only him.

JOE (CONT’D)
Okay, well...
(beat)
Look: all right: this ain’t the
turnout I hoped for. Obviously. I
suddenly got this, whatever -
brutality accusation! Whatnot. Which
is rich! Anyone can see if they give
it two second’s ACTUAL... That night,
the night in question, Lodge - known
vagrant - you know who that is in the
picture - he pulled me down. I hurt my
shoulder that night. But people can
just say whatever they want now.

Uncomfortable silence in the audience.

JOE (CONT’D)
So: these protests... And yes, it’s a
real thing, the imbalance in this
country, what happened to that man -
no matter what he mighta done - it’s
purely undefensible. Absolutely
disgraceful conduct. You see videos
like that, of incidents like that, and
you think "first off: where was the
command staff that was checkin this
officer's record for a history
a excessive force?" This event that
happened: it didn’t have to. But
that’s also what officers wear those
cameras for! And that officer - the
individual that committed that action -
he is a very bad apple. Horrible bad.
Evil. Cut ‘im off the tree!
(MORE)
 75.
JOE (CONT’D)
But this crap on the other side?
Gatherin, lootin, scarin folks,
dividin...

Joe is starting to pace.

JOE (CONT’D)
And I’m not the problem here. If you
believe that, you’re just eatin outta
the palm. You think the police are
where the power is?? It’s with the
leadership. Leadership a this country!
On down to the leadership a this
community! Y’wanna talk brutality? You
think I’m brutal? I kept this town safe
for the better half a my life, but if I
got any shame - truly? - it’s in keepin
quiet about somethin that never set
right with me. About Ted Garcia. Our
mayor. Because the man is...purely and
simply...a predator.
(stops pacing, beat)
Ted Garcia...is a sexual predator.
(beat)
Okay?

People look around. Guy looks confused and a little panicked.

But Joe just nods.

JOE (CONT’D)
Yes. All right?... And how do I know?
Well, I should know. My wife? When she
was sixteen years old? He gets her
pregnant. Makes her pay for her own
abortion. Turns his back. Her life’s
ruined. His just started. But it’s a
big secret. “Nobody say nothin.” Can’t
endanger the golden boy’s big special
future. And for what? You just go ahead
and vote him back in. You’ll find out
for what. Just look at his own wife.
Which you can’t, ‘cause she’s gone.
Took off. People don’t just - with a
husband and child - you don’t just jump
ship like that unless the life you’re
leavin is well nigh unbearable. But
that’s none a my business. I can only
speculate. Look to history. But what
that man did to my wife: make no
mistake: that’s predator behavior.
(beat)
What’s more: it’s rape. Let’s face
it. Statutory. Ted Garcia. Let’s
call him what he is.
 76.

Joe nods, feeling some sort of momentum. The tiny audience is

stunned.

JOE (CONT’D)
And we’re gonna say it and we’re gonna
be sayin it over these next few days
and weeks. Because that’s what this
election is about. So vote Joe Cross.
Take back our community. Save our soul.

Joe looks both fired up and...unnerved. He steps off toward

the back corner, where Guy is waiting.

GUY
...Good?

JOE
...Post it.

GUY
Okay. Yeah?

Joe looks at him, ambivalent but addled.

JOE
Don’t make me think. Post it.

INT. JOE’S CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT

Joe drives home, still wearing his regalia. He is clearly

negotiating with himself: whether to be excited or worried?

He sees the protest marching down a residential street.

Avoiding it, he takes a side street.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - SAME TIME

The crowd of young protestors continues marching down the

street. Brian walks among them.

CROWD
(chanting)
NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!
NO RACIST PO-LICE!
NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE!
NO RACIST PO-LICE!

Brian’s phone VIBRATES with an incoming text. He checks it. It’s

from ERIC. He opens it to find a PHOTO OF ERIC KISSING SARAH in
the car (she is clearly unaware of being photographed), with the
attached text: “wish you were heeeere!!!”

Brian’s eyes harden with rage. He then notices recognizable

landmarks in the background of the photo (visible outside the
car window). He ZOOMS IN to the window, revealing the PARKING
LOT that served as the party site earlier. Gears begin turning.
 77.

EXT. CROSS HOUSE - NIGHT

Joe’s cruiser peels up to the house, its headlights shining

onto the front door. The gear is put in park. The engine
turned off. Joe sits, bracing himself.

JOE
Okay.

He opens the car door. As he begins to step out, the FRONT

DOOR SWINGS OPEN AND LOUISE COMES RUNNING STRAIGHT AT HIM.

LOUISE
YOU FUCKIN BASTARD!

JOE
Baby! Wait a minute!

Dawn comes chasing after her. She carries a BIG DUFFEL BAG.

DAWN
Lou, he just texted! He’s on his way!

Louise arrives at Joe and starts hitting him.

LOUISE JOE
YOU BASTARD! I’m sorry, I’M SORRY!

LOUISE
HOW COULD YOU?! HOW COULD YOU?!

JOE
Sweetie, he can’t get away with it!

LOUISE DAWN
THEY’RE GONNA COME HERE!
THEY’RE GONNA FIND ME! Nobody’s comin here, damn it!

Louise collapses into a heap, weeping. Joe bends down to

comfort her. She throws his arm off.

LOUISE DAWN (CONT'D)

NO! Stay back, Joe! You’re done!

JOE
I’ll fix it--

LOUISE
YOU CAN’T!

DAWN LOUISE (CONT'D)

Enough now! This is good,
Weez. It’s a good thing! They’re gonna come here.
They’re gonna dig it all up.

A PICKUP TRUCK appears in the distance.

 78.

DAWN JOE
Okay, look: he’s here! Button
it up now! He’s here already! We can’t let him get away
with it, Lou! He can’t just
get away with it!

LOUISE
You KNOW it wasn’t him! Neither a you
can admit it! The one that did it is
burnin in fuckin HELL right now!

The pickup truck arrives, kicking dust toward them. VERNON

steps out, silhouetted by harsh headlights as he approaches.

DAWN
Thank you! Thank you! Please! Take her!
She needs to not be here right now.

Dawn helps Louise stand up and Louise goes to Vernon. Vernon

looks to Joe, as if to ask “Is this okay?” Joe is too
dumbfounded to respond. Vernon takes Louise in his arms and
brings her to his car. He eases her into the passenger seat.
(As she steps into the car, one of her handmade DOLLS falls
from her pocket. She doesn’t see it on the ground.) Vernon
looks again to Joe.

DAWN (CONT’D)
It’s okay! Thank you! Please! Just
get her away! Thank you!

JOE
(to Vernon, helpless)
I’m sorry.

Vernon takes this “I’m sorry” as permission. He walks to the big

bag by Dawn’s feet, picks it up, brings it to his car, climbs
in, and DRIVES OFF. As he drives away, his TIRE rolls over the
doll that fell from Louise’s pocket, leaving a tire mark across
its torso.

Joe and Dawn are left alone together.

DAWN
The way you did it was repugnant,
but tonight’s the most you ever
done for that girl in your life.

INT. CROSS HOUSE - SECONDS LATER

Dawn and Joe enter the house. Dawn points to the portrait of
Richmond. It’s been turned to face the wall.

DAWN
Behold the result. Ten minutes
after your little announcement.
 79.

Dawn turns the portrait around. Re-hangs it.

DAWN (CONT’D)
She went and hid the rest of ‘em.

Joe goes into the LIVING ROOM. The dolls in Louise’s

collection have all been taken.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Joe, stunned, takes two SLEEPING PILLS. Then he takes ANOTHER.

He lies in bed. Closes his eyes. But then he hears outside:

DAWN (O.S.)
Shame on you!

Joe sits up to look out the window: Dawn is in the backyard,

where she has discovered another photo of Louise’s father,
hidden in bushes.

DAWN (CONT’D)
(cleaning off the dirt)
Shame on you...

INT. CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT

Brian drives his parents’ car through the desert. A PODCAST

(featuring a young woman’s voice) plays on his stereo:

PODCAST VOICE
--and white progressives need to
make it a daily practice for the
rest of our lives to study our
unconscious racisms in order to
actually and TRULY effectuate anti-
racist practices.

He rides up to the edge of a modest hill, which overlooks the

isolated PARKING LOT where he and Eric met Sarah. He SHUTS
OFF his headlights.

Eric’s car is the only car parked on the lot.

EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Brian sneaks up on Eric’s car, crouched down (to not be seen)

as he speed-walks.

He arrives at the car, smartphone camera at the ready. He

rises very slowly to peer into the back passenger window...

Inside, Eric and Sarah are having sex - Eric on top (wearing
clothes, but his pants lowered to his thigh, exposing his
buttocks), Sarah beneath him (still wearing a dress).
 80.

Brian looks heartbroken. After staring at this with dead eyes

for a beat, he raises his phone and begins taking a VIDEO.

EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

A very stressed Michael stands outside, holding and aiming a

rifle. He FIRES it at a target sheet 100 ft away. The first
shot misses.

INT. MICHAEL’S APARTMENT - MINUTES LATER

Michael enters his apartment, resting the rifle by the door.

He goes to a wall and proudly PINS UP THE TARGET SHEET to be
displayed. A bullet hole marks the target’s head.

Michael steps back, pulls out his phone, and trains his phone-
camera on the target sheet to take a photo. As he does this,
he receives a MESSAGE REQUEST on Instagram.

After taking a photo, he opens Instagram. It’s an obscured

VIDEO MESSAGE from an unknown account. Michael opts to VIEW
the video, revealing Brian’s video of Sarah and Eric having
sex.

Michael, heart in throat, stares at the video.

Tears in eyes, Michael goes to his contacts to find Sarah’s

number. He hesitates and calls her. No answer. It goes to her
VOICEMAIL.

SARAH (V.O.)
Hey, you reached Sarah! Leave a
message and I’ll call you back.

Emotional, Michael opens his mouth to speak, but can’t. He

hangs up.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - AFTERNOON

Joe is asleep - alone - in his bed. The sun is shining

brilliantly outside. It’s 4:16 PM.

His phone BUZZES with a text. Joe wakes up. Another BUZZ. Joe
reaches for the phone.

His phone has dozens of texts from several outraged sources,

all furious about the protest, property damage, etc.

One text is from GUY: “You ok sheriff? Im so sorry. Cant

imagine how your feeling”

Joe TEXTS: “Sorry why”

Joe suddenly becomes anxious. He sits up. Opens Facebook.

MOMENTS LATER
 81.

Joe is watching a LOCAL NEWS CLIP featuring LOUISE being

interviewed by a reporter.

LOUISE (ON VIDEO)

Unfortunately the sheriff’s
recollection is not correct.

REPORTER (ON VIDEO)

You’re saying what he said wasn’t true?

LOUISE (ON VIDEO)

No. It wasn't and it couldn’t be. I
am, in fact, medically not able to
have children.

Joe’s stomach drops.

LOUISE (ON VIDEO) (CONT’D)

I did go to a specialist, round the
time a my husband’s story, for a
procedure, but that was a
completely different issue.

REPORTER (ON VIDEO)

Why do you think your husband
might’ve made these claims?

Joe’s eyes are dead.

LOUISE (ON VIDEO)

I can’t say, but I felt I must in
good conscience--

DAWN (V.O.)
YOU DON’T DIRECT THIS CONVERSATION!

EXT. HOUSE - SAME TIME

Dawn is outside, pacing on the phone. She speaks through

gritted teeth.

DAWN
Your husband did the one honorable
thing a his life last night and you
erased it. It wasn't just NObody’s
fault what happened to you and you
today failed yourSELF! You removed
accountability off a scoundrel!

Joe has stepped up to the back door to watch this.

DAWN (CONT’D)
Enough with the cryin! Shame on you!
Shame on your tears! You took your
own biggest life lesson in vain!
 82.

Joe gets a CALL from Guy. He answers.

JOE
Hi.

GUY (V.O.)
Sheriff, you okay?

No answer.

DAWN (O.S.)
Don’t you DARE collapse! You think
you’re the only one suffered through
that? You drug us all through HELL!

GUY (V.O.)
Got a noise complaint on the mayor’s
house. I guess he’s doin a fundraiser.

JOE
Okay.

GUY (V.O.)
I just didn’t know - is it too, uh -
touchy? Do we leave it?

DAWN (O.S.)
Don’t you utter his name! He sacrificed
EVERYTHIN for his family! -- What?? NO!

Louise clearly said something that Dawn can’t handle. She

immediately HANGS UP, absolutely fraught. She looks stunned.

JOE
I’ll go.

GUY (V.O.)
Oh, well, I can go, too! Just
wanted your say-so --

JOE
I’m goin.

Joe hangs up.

INT. JOE’S CRUISER (MOVING) - LATE AFTERNOON

Joe drives down Main Street. It’s very quiet. He drives past
Ted’s bar before passing the ANTIQUE STORE, whose shattered
window has been boarded up.
 83.

EXT. TED’S HOUSE - EVENING

An outdoor PARTY at Ted’s house. Several tables of food (each

outfitted with an industrial tub of hand sanitizer) have been
set up, and about 50 people are mingling (most of them
wearing masks). Signs enforcing “6 FT APART” abound.

Joe pulls up to DOUBLE-PARK his car, leaving the gumball

lights flaring. The red and blue flares streak across the
party, disturbing the atmosphere.

Joe emerges, chest puffed, to walk through the party. Warren,

manning a sign-in table, smiles at Joe. Behind him a FLAT-
SCREEN TV plays the video of Louise calling Joe a liar on loop.

Joe finds Ted, across the lawn, and approaches.

JOE
(to Ted)
What’re we celebratin here? The
collapse a’our economy?

Ted just stares at him.

JOE (CONT’D)
I’m here about a noise complaint.

TED
Not on rape charges?

Joe arrives. Beat.

TED (CONT’D)
The hell d’you fuckin want?

JOE
The noise. Can you not hear me over
it?

TED
The sun’s still up. We’re doin this
outside. We’re doin it accordin to
state regulations--

JOE
Regulations you’re enforcin.

TED JOE (CONT'D)

As would you if you were
mayor. As should you, as Regulations that are hostile
sheriff-- to your businesses!

TED
What is this now? Another campaign
stunt?
(re: onlookers)
(MORE)
 84.
TED (CONT'D)
How’s this for a audience? Should I
get more people for ya?

JOE
I’m here about the noise. Your
neighbor complained--

TED
What neighbor?
(pointing)
That neighbor?! Whose dog barks all
night EVERY night, and when I ask
him to take it inside, he tells me
to fuck myself? The neighbor who’s
presently suing me ‘cause a my tree
interferin with his view?

JOE TED (CONT'D)

A tree you planted without
consultin him! I know all A la mierda! He gave me
this stuff. He was here permission for the tree! He
thirty years before you had no problem with it ‘til
shoved in and started throwin the job was done! Then I get
your weight around. a call from a lawyer--

JOE
I don’t give a shit about your fuckin
tree shit! Turn your party down NOW!

TED
This is down. We’re in the middle a
nowhere.

JOE
Then you're goin to jail.

Beat. Ted turns sharply and walks toward the speaker system.
Joe stays where he is.

Ted arrives at the speaker and turns OFF the music. A hush
falls clumsily over the party.

Ted returns to face Joe. Confused partiers observe.

TED
What else?

JOE
That’s it.

TED
No it’s not. If you ever talk about
my wife again--

JOE
What about my wife?
 85.

TED
You talk about my wife EVER again, I
don’t care what fuckin badge you got
on, I’m gonna reach my arm so far
down your throat I’m gonna grab your
fat stomach and I’m gonna pull your
guts outta your fat little face.

JOE
(playing unhurt)
Okay. That’s a threat. Logged.

TED
Yeah, that’s a threat--

Ted SLAPS Joe across the face.

TED (CONT’D)
So what’s that?

Joe is stunned. Beat.

JOE
Are you--

Ted SLAPS him again.

TED
What’s that? Log that. With your
statutory piss.

A look of shock is plastered onto Joe's face. Everyone is

silent. He stands motionless for a long time, blank-eyed, and
then SMILES a tight-lipped smile.

JOE
Yeah.

TED
(smiles)
Yeah.

Joe stiffly turns around and starts toward his car. As he

passes Warren:

JOE
You’re a lawyer, aren’t you?
Y’wouldn’t call that assault?

Warren doesn’t know what to say. As Joe keeps walking, he

looks off to see ERIC standing at his window, watching him.
SARAH sits on Eric’s bed behind him.

Joe arrives at his CAR and opens the driver side door. He
turns sharply back to Ted.
 86.

A sudden RUSH of purpose overtakes him - to do what? Return

to Ted? He hesitates. That kills it. Still buzzing, he enters
the cruiser and shuts the door.

Joe sits. Conflicted. Aware that everyone is staring at him.

After a beat, he JAMS the key into the ignition and drives off.

INT. JOE’S CRUISER (MOVING) - NIGHT

Joe drives down Main Street, simmering with rage. He turns a

corner to see a couple TEENS WITH SIGNS worriedly watching
something inside Ted’s bar. When they see Joe’s cruiser, they
run away, turning down an alley. One of them drops his police
violence protest sign.

Now alert, Joe comes up on TED’S BAR. He sees that ONE OF THE
WINDOWS HAS BEEN SMASHED.

Joe stops the car, unholsters his gun, and steps out. COUGHING
is heard from within. Joe carefully approaches the bar.

INT. TED’S BAR - CONTINUOUS

LODGE, sweating and red-eyed, stands behind the bar. He

COUGHS violently. It is extremely hoarse. More like a bark
than a cough. He holds two bottles of liquor - vodka in one
hand, whiskey in the other. His chin glistens with booze.

Joe has entered, gun poised. Lodge sees him, coughing.

LODGE
Who CARES?! You think I see that?!
I’m SICK!

Joe now PAUSES, suddenly aware of what this could be. Lodge
swigs from a bottle.

LODGE (CONT’D)
Look!

Lodge swigs from the other bottle.

LODGE (CONT’D)
There’s no difference!

He drinks from both again. Then smells both. It’s hard to

tell if he’s scared or giddy:

LODGE (CONT’D)
They’re the same! It’s like nothin!
Like water! I taste only wicknedness!

JOE
All right, Lodge. Put it down.
 87.

LODGE
YOU called this plague!!

Lodge COUGHS and then squeezes his head. He SLAMS it against

the counter.

LODGE (CONT’D)
My BRAIN!! I’m sick and no single
ONE a you cares! Nobody nobody
NOBODY fuckin CARES ABOUT ME!!!

That sends Lodge into a horrible fit of coughing.

JOE
(starting to retreat)
Okay, stay here! Put those down.

Joe leaves.

INT. JOE’S CAR - SECONDS LATER

Joe opens the door, digs into his glove compartment and finds
a FACE MASK and then finds another. He straps one on, and
then puts one over that one.

Joe then turns to see the one intact WINDOW OF THE

ANTIQUE/HARDWARE STORE. On display is a FACE SHIELD.

SECONDS LATER

A BRICK is thrown through the WINDOW of the hardware store.

INT. TED’S BAR - SECONDS LATER

Joe enters, now wearing the two masks and a face shield. Lodge
stands defiantly in front of the bar, holding a vodka bottle.

JOE
All right, Lodge. Let’s come on out.
I just wanna help you.

LODGE
So come help me. Come save your box!

Joe starts edging toward Lodge, gun trained on his head.

LODGE (CONT’D)
You gonna shoot my head?

Joe stops.

JOE
Lodge. Just come out with me. Stop
escalatin this.

Lodge stays put. He COUGHS in Joe’s direction.

 88.

JOE (CONT’D)
Don’t.

He COUGHS in Joe’s direction again.

JOE (CONT’D)
Don’t DO that, Lodge.

He COUGHS again. And again.

Joe has had enough. He STRIDES FORWARD - eliciting an offensive

barrage of coughing from Lodge - and he grabs a fistful of
Lodge’s shirt to start pulling him out. Lodge defensively
SWINGS the vodka bottle onto Joe's head. The bottle SHATTERS.

Joe stumbles back, drenched in vodka. In a daze, he wipes the

liquor from his eyes (the face shield getting in the way) and
feels for his head. It’s bleeding. Mesmerized, he looks at
Lodge. They stare at each other, STUNNED.

LODGE
I didn’t!

Joe SPRINGS for Lodge. He grabs Lodge's hair and furiously

wrestles him to the ground. Lodge coughs uncontrollably. Joe
turns his head away from the coughing, sucks in air from
above, holds his breath, and wraps his hands around Lodge's
throat. He begins to STRANGLE him.

Lodge reaches frantically for the BROKEN BOTTLE, which is

just beyond his grasp. He finally grabs hold of it, and STABS
Joe in the shoulder. It doesn't go very deep.

Joe seizes Lodge's hand, which holds the broken bottle. Lodge
struggles, but Joe's strength is greater. He turns the jagged
BLADES of the half-shattered bottle inward, and pushes them
into Lodge's STOMACH. Lodge screams as Joe pushes the shards
deeper into his gut. He then PUSHES. And PUSHES.

Lodge’s hands flail, pushing Joe’s face, his chin, his shoulder,
his arms. Joe pulls the bottle out, and frantically stabs Lodge
in the CHEST, in the JUGULAR, in the THROAT. He then stays on
the throat. Stabbing. Stabbing. Stabbing. Lodge gurgles and
resists, but Joe continues stabbing. This is no longer self
defense. Joe doesn’t stop stabbing until Lodge has ceased
moving.

Joe bounces back and desperately scampers backwards. He then

STOPS, twenty feet away from the body he just destroyed. Now
motionless, he watches to make sure. Lodge is dead.

JOE
All right.

Joe steps forward to make certain.

 89.

SECONDS LATER

Joe, now shirtless, dispenses ten pumps of PURELL onto his

palms. He then wipes it all over his face and neck. Then his
forearms, then the back of his neck, etc.

Joe takes a bottle of ABSINTHE, swigs it, GARGLES and spits

it out. He repeats.

INT. ANTIQUE/HARDWARE STORE - MINUTES LATER

Joe enters through the smashed window. He finds a SHOVEL.

Then TRASH BAGS. Then CLEANING SOLUTION, BLEACH and a MOP.
Then, finally, a DISPOSABLE PROTECTIVE COVERALL SAFETY SUIT.

EXT. BACK ALLEY - MINUTES LATER

The alley behind Ted’s bar.

Joe, now basically wearing a Hazmat suit, pulls his car up.

MINUTES LATER

Joe DRAGS Lodge’s corpse out the back of the bar. The trunk
of his parked car is open and layered with trash bags.

INT. TED’S BAR - LATER

Joe mops up all the blood.

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT

Joe, still wearing his Hazmat suit, furiously digs a HOLE in

the ground.

LATER

Joe opens the back door of his car. Next to him: the GRAVE he
just dug.

Joe, having dragged Lodge's body from the car, unceremoniously

PUSHES it toward the grave. It rolls gracelessly in.

INT. TED’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

It’s the end of the night.

GIANT WINDOWS and a WIDE SLIDING-GLASS DOOR distinguish one

wall of the living room. They overlook a BACKYARD (littered
with Dixie cups, paper plates, and a few unretired snack
tables), and beyond the backyard: A TALL HILL.

Ted enters, now wearing exercise shorts and a T shirt. He

plops down onto his recliner, holding a drink. He turns on the
TV by remote.
 90.

He watches TV for a second, but then notices a PURSE on the

coffee table. He stares for a moment.

TED
Eric?!

Off-screen, from his room:

ERIC (O.S.)
What?!

After a moment, Eric appears at the doorway.

ERIC (CONT’D)
Yes sir?

TED
We agreed nobody in the house.

ERIC
Yeah. I know.
(beat)
What?

TED
(re: purse)
So what’s that?

ERIC
Am I supposed to recognize it?

TED
You think I didn’t see you with that
white girl?

ERIC
Uhh. Okay. I mean. But we were outside--

PING!

A BULLET zips through the sliding-glass door (preceded by a

MUZZLE FLASH from the hill in the distance) and strikes the
back of Ted's chair. A HOLE is blown out of Ted's chest. He
isn't dead. He gurgles blood, screaming inaudibly. His eyes
are monstrously wide.

Eric is frozen with terror.

Another bullet goes through the glass door, missing Eric. It

hits the wall. This bullet SHATTERS the glass door.

Eric snaps out of his horrified trance. He RUNS for the exit.

Another shot is fired. The bullet STRIKES Eric in the back. He

is blown to the floor, killed instantly.
 91.

The TV sounds continue.

ELEVATED POV (a scope’s CROSS-HAIRS dead-center): a high angle

view of the living room. The back of Ted’s chair - motionless.
Eric’s corpse lying face-down, blood pooling beneath him.

EXT. HILL - SAME TIME

JOE rises from his belly, lifting a SCOPED RIFLE with him. He
looks down to survey the stagnant, blood-spattered scene from
his elevated perch. He still wears the coverall safety suit.

After a still moment, Joe starts down toward the house. With
every step, there is a rattling sound - like a small metal
ball bouncing against tin.

INT. TED’S LIVING ROOM - SECONDS LATER

Joe carefully walks through the obliterated sliding-glass

door. He stands for a moment, observing the room.

He crosses the room, stepping over Eric's corpse, making sure

to avoid stepping in Eric’s expanding pool of blood. He peers
down the HALL.

INT. TED’S ROOM - SECONDS LATER

Joe enters. The room is mostly empty, save for a bed and a desk.

Joe crosses to the closet, opens it. Many shirts are hung.
There is a mess on the floor.

Joe goes to the desk and finds a WEDDING RING. Inside the
ring, an inscription: “To my precious Ted. I will always love
you.” Joe POCKETS the ring.

INT. LIVING ROOM - SECONDS LATER

Joe returns to the living room, pulling an AEROSOL CAN OF SPRAY

PAINT out of his pocket. This is the source of the rattle.

Joe walks to a naked wall, shaking the can. He begins to SPRAY

the wall, writing something. Then a thought occurs to him and
he switches the can to his left hand - to disguise his
handwriting.

As Joe continues spraying, we return our attention to Ted’s

corpse, continuing to bleed profusely. We return to Eric’s
corpse, pitiful in its arbitrary face-down position.

Joe has finished writing. He steps back to judge his work.

Spraypainted on the wall: “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE”

 92.

EXT. JOE’S SHED - NIGHT

Joe, in his underwear, stuffs his bloody sheriff’s uniform and

the safety suit into a BBQ grill. He squirts lighter fluid all
over the clothes, strikes a match, and ignites the heap.

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

Joe enters the house, in his underwear. He STOPS when he sees

Dawn waiting in the dark, illuminated by the glow of a laptop.

DAWN
She’s not answerin. I left ten
messages.

Joe just stands there, processing.

DAWN (CONT’D)
Why ain’t you dressed?

JOE
...our clothes got contaminated.

Dawn just looks at him.

JOE (CONT’D)
Someone got sick. Protocol.

DAWN
Could they’a had the virus?

Joe starts walking.

JOE
No.

He is moving toward the bathroom.

DAWN
You ain’t heard any from her?

JOE
No.

Joe enters the bathroom. Closes the door. The sound of the
shower turning on.

DAWN
She’s so goddamn selfish.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - MORNING

Joe violently WAKES UP to the sound of a vibrating phone.

Still no Louise.
 93.

He looks at the phone. It’s been bombed with panicked texts and
missed calls - from Guy, from Bob, from John, from Michael, etc.

Joe tries calling Louise. It rings once and then goes to her
answering machine. A CALL FROM GUY comes in over this. Joe
answers it on speakerphone.

JOE
Yeah.

EXT. TED’S HOUSE - MORNING

Joe’s car pulls up to the front of Ted’s house. Michael waits

for him on the lawn. Brian waits far off to the side, looking
terribly anxious. The Antique Store Owner is also waiting for
Joe, very upset. Three other people (in their 60s) stand
nervously behind him.

Joe emerges from the car, wearing a mask. His eyes are
buzzing with nervousness.

ANTIQUE STORE OWNER

Sheriff, what’s goin on?! How much
longer you gonna sit right back?

Michael walks up to Joe.

MICHAEL
Hi sheriff.

Guy emerges to see Joe’s mask.

GUY
(re: mask)
What’s this about?

INT. TED’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MORNING

Joe - now maskless - stands between the corpses of Ted and

Eric. Guy stands behind Joe, taking in the room. (Michael is
taking photographs of the other room.)

GUY
Like I had a crystal ball! This is
what comes when you don’t smash it
down at the very hint!

Joe looks out the window to SEE...

LAKOTA is perched on the hill from which Joe fired the shots.

JOE
What the hell?

GUY
Yeah, guess who Michael called!
 94.

Speaking of Michael: he’s entered from the other door.

MICHAEL
I had to.

JOE
Had to for what?

MICHAEL
‘Cause - the hill. ‘S Reservation land.

JOE
What do you mean?? This is Eddington.
(gesturing to Ted’s corpse)
He's the mayor a Eddington!

MICHAEL
But the shells was on the hill. Where
the shooter shot from.

INSERT: A SIGN ON THE HILL announcing that this is the border

between Eddington and the Reservation. Ted’s house looms in the
BG.

BACK TO THE GARCIA LIVING ROOM.

Lakota has descended the hill to enter through the back. He

holds a ZIP-LOC BAG containing spent RIFLE CASINGS.

LAKOTA
Found three shell casings. How many
impacts?

This was directed at Michael, to whom he’s clearly been

talking. He all but ignores Joe.

MICHAEL
I think four? Or three if that one on
the floor’s the same ‘t hit the chair.

GUY
(to Michael, incredulous)
Why don’t you give ‘im your fuckin
salary, too?

Lakota strolls over to the spray-painted sign. He notices the

idiosyncracy of the E.

LAKOTA
Gotta call in a handwritin expert.

JOE
How long’a you been here?
 95.

LAKOTA
Enough to’a found where your
shooter was. Footprints up there,
too. Took pictures.

Joe is frozen. Lakota is talking about the shoes Joe’s

wearing right now.

GUY
(to Joe)
Def’nitely connected is another lootin
at Ted’s bar. All smashed up. John’s
store got broke into again, too.

Joe is stuck on the shoe thing.

MICHAEL
You okay, sheriff?

Joe snaps out of it. He sees the PURSE on the coffee table.
It bears a BLM pin.

JOE
What’s that?

GUY
Wife’s purse?

JOE
The wife’s gone.

Lakota takes a photo of the purse on the coffee table. Michael

follows suit. Guy, wearing gloves, opens the bag. Searches it.
Finds the ID.

GUY
Sarah Allen.

Michael is frozen at the mention of Sarah. Joe takes the ID

and studies it.

JOE
She’s the kid’s age.

GUY
BLM pin, too.

Guy turns to see the OLD MAN peering in through the window.

GUY (CONT’D)
Hey! Away the goddamn window!

Behind them, BRIAN steps into the room. He sees Eric’s corpse
and SCREAMS.
 96.

BRIAN JOE
(weeping)
Oh my God! What the fuck?

Guy gestures firmly to Michael, who rushes over to Brian and

starts leading him out.

GUY
Lock this shit off, damn it!

Michael and Brian leave. Lakota can’t believe this mess.

JOE
(dazed)
...forgot somethin in the car.

EXT. JOE’S CRUISER - MINUTES LATER

Joe is in the back seat, covertly removing his shoes, then

covering them with newspaper. He hastily slips into old boots
caked with dry mud.

Lakota emerges from the house in the BG and starts toward the
car. Guy follows behind.

Joe steps out of the car, making it look like he was just
searching for papers.

LAKOTA
You find it?

JOE
It’s not here. I thought I
remembered somethin...

LAKOTA
Maybe you’ll remember it later.

Michael roams over, having ejected Brian and sent him off.

JOE
(to Lakota)
Anyone on the Reservation that
mighta done this?

GUY
Yeah, BLM’s basically your thing, too.

LAKOTA
(ignoring that, smiling)
Seein how no one on the Reservation’s
ever heard a your Mayor, I can only
speculate. Anyone fightin with ‘im in
this town? Maybe in competition with
‘im? Mighta had a reason?
 97.

Guy, speechless, is amazed at the gall. Joe, feigning

casualness, turns from Lakota to address Michael:

JOE
You hold the fort with our friends.
(to Guy)
Let’s get Sarah Allen her purse back.

INT. JOE’S CAR (MOVING) - DAY

Joe drives, pulling out of Ted’s property. Guy sits passenger.

As they peel out, they pass Brian, who stands off the dirt road,
his back turned stiffly to the vehicle. Joe notes him.

Guy looks to the rear view mirror to see Lakota’s cruiser

following behind. He boils.

GUY
You should slam the brakes. Smash ‘im
through the windshield straight-back
to his teepee.

Joe just drives, not amused. Guy, self-conscious, goes quiet. A

moment later he turns to Joe, meaningfully:

GUY (CONT’D)
Sheriff? I know there’s nothin good
about this, but I wanted to share with
you: back at that house...I got a
feelin a somethin - like a...
(searching)
Like a feelin like maybe the reason
things’re so bad...is so we can really,
actually do our job. At the time when
it's needed the most.

Joe remains silent. Guy keeps looking at him, sentimental.

GUY (CONT’D)
I just wanted to share that feelin.
'Cause I almost got scared before,
but now I think that’s wrong.

Guy looks ahead, almost teary-eyed.

GUY (CONT’D)
The right thing right now is to be
excited. This is a excitin time.
We’re in History.

EXT. SARAH’S HOUSE - DAY

Joe and Guy stand on a PORCH. Joe looks back to see Lakota in
his car, parked on the other side of the street, watching them.

The door opens to reveal a MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN.

 98.

MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN
Hello?

GUY
Is your daughter Sarah Allen?

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - INTERROGATION ROOM - AFTERNOON

Sarah sits in a small wooden room - wearing a mask. Opposite

her sits Guy. They are six feet apart. A PHONE records video
of this on a tripod. Joe paces behind Guy.

JOE
Okay, let’s make this simple. Who in
your life’s got Far Left sympathies?

SARAH
(petrified)
...What about the Fifth Amendment?

JOE SARAH (CONT'D)

Your boyfriend is dead with a
hole in his back--! He isn’t my boyfriend!
Whatever this boy was to you:
you‘re there yesterday,
you’re in his house, and
later that night he’s dead
and his father’s dead and
your purse is in the room
with their bodies.

SARAH (CONT’D)
(buzzing)
Well, but, then - what’re you asking?

GUY
About Left sympathies!

SARAH
I have left sympathies!

GUY SARAH (CONT'D)

Well, believe us, little
girl: we got you on this
list. You’re our first stop. What list?? What do you mean?

GUY
We seen your social media. The little
donations you make? Antifa bail-outs?
Aidin riots? You ain’t done yourself
any-all favors--
 99.

SARAH
I’m just trying to help! I don’t know
the people rioting. None of the
protesters do!

GUY SARAH (CONT'D)

(reading phone)
How’s this quote, from you:
“free your communities, arm (now pleading to Joe)
yourselfs against the Out of context, out of
oppressor!” Dismantle this, context! Not literal arms!
defund that! Preachin riots
and lootin. Bein accessory to
terrorism. That is terrorism,
honey. Terrorism? The looters and
rioters are planted!

The gears are turning in Joe’s head.

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - SAME TIME

The middle-aged woman - Sarah’s mother - is waiting in the

mostly empty sheriff’s office. A sheepish Dwight keeps her
company. She is a nervous wreck.

GUY (O.S.)
Correct!! By Sorros!

SARAH (O.S.) GUY (O.S.) (CONT'D)

No, by the G.O.P.! They’re
making it look like it’s the (seething)
protesters so that scared old
white people won’t complain Why white people?! Always
when Martial Law happens! with the white!
Oh my God. Martial Law would
be like fuckin Christmas
THEY’RE SENDING FAKE PEOPLE right now!
IN TO CAUSE THE RIOTS AND THE
VIOLENCE! IT’S ALL PLANTED!

This is all coming from behind the closed interrogation room

door. The woman’s eyes are locked on this. She then senses
something outside. She turns to see: BRIAN standing on the
street, looking in with concern. He averts his eyes.

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - EVENING

Joe stands before TWO CAMERAS, manned by journalists, at the

sheriff’s office. He stands with Michael and Guy at his side.
Guy nods along. LAKOTA watches from off-camera, bemused.
 100.

JOE
First and foremost, on behalf a the
Eddington County Sheriff’s Office:
inexpressible condolences are sent to
the family a Ted Garcia and his son Eric
Garcia, who were gunned down in their
home last night between the hours a’11
and midnight - both a them struck by
cowardly sniper fire and both succumbing
to their wounds several hours before
they got discovered. I do believe we
have sufficient evidence to believe that
the perpetrator was a member - or
members - of the ANTIFA terrorist group,
usin the tragic recent events in
Minneapolis as a wicked excuse to sow
chaos. This was a organized attack meant
to spread fear and panic and to damage
our faith in the Second Amendment at a
vulnerable time a national unrest.

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

JOE’S PRESS CONFERENCE CONTINUES ON TV.

Dawn is watching this on the couch. Eyes buzzing with worry.

JOE (ON TV)

(continuing)
Now, to the criminals that perpetrated
this act: you will soon find out what
justice looks like in Eddington
County. You will find out. It will not
be tolerated. And to the individuals
plannin to take their criminal conduct
outta the streets and into the
neighborhoods: I would tell them that
if you value your life, you should
think twice, because the people a
Eddington like guns, I encourage them
to own guns, and they're gonna be in
their homes tonight with their guns
loaded. And if you try to break into
their homes to steal, to set fires, to
cause physical injury or death - I'm
highly recommendin they blow you outta
the house with their guns.

We cut to a News Anchor.

NEWS ANCHOR
Meanwhile, Albuquerque’s new public
safety department - designed to
relieve stress on the city’s police -
 101.

EXT. PRIVATE JET - NIGHT

A PRIVATE LUXURY PLANE COURSES WITH OMINOUS, SILENT PURPOSE

OVER DESERT TERRAIN.

The news anchor’s voice continues over this.

NEWS ANCHOR (V.O.)

- will deploy unarmed personnel
made up of social workers, housing
and homelessness specialists, and
violence prevention coordinators.

INT. PRIVATE JET - CONTINUOUS

A gloriously decorated private plane. Everything - from the

chairs to the carpet to the gilded mouldings on the ceiling -
suggests obscene wealth.

The TV continues to play the same news here.

We are creeping down the aisle, on the backs of TWO SITTING MEN
(one thin and one muscular). The plane is otherwise empty. The
thin man is less visible because he’s by the window, but we can
see he has a neck tattoo. Both men wear HAWAIIAN SHIRTS,
although this is only really made clear by the nearer man’s
VERY MUSCULAR, SUNBAKED ARM resting on the armrest. He sits
upright and is COVERED IN TATTOOS. We creep in on the nearer,
muscular man. A black, unapplied face mask dangles from his
ear. We push in toward the mask before CUTTING HARD TO:

INT. JOE’S BEDROOM - MORNING

A haggard Joe sits on his bed, in his underwear, fingering

Ted’s wedding ring. He is studying a NOTEPAD. It reads...

SUSPECTS

Sarah - BLM, purse, ANTIFA

Teds assistent - black (BLM?)

Eric friend

John? - revenge for vandilizing?

Joe thinks about the next name before writing it...

Dawn

Joe thinks, and then rejects the idea. He adds:

Dawn - BAD IDEA. LIVES IN YOUR HOUSE

But his expression suggests he hasn’t killed the idea.

 102.

INT. JOE’S KITCHEN - MINUTES LATER

Dawn, eyes baggy from lack of sleep (and sitting in the same
spot as last night), looks up to a uniformed Joe emerging
from his bedroom.

DAWN
Her phone’s not ringin anymore and
I think Vernon blocked me.

Joe just stares.

DAWN (CONT’D)
Can you try her again? See if it
rings for you.

JOE
I’ve been tryin. It doesn’t.

DAWN
So what’s that mean?? Did she block
it? Or did somethin happen to her?
Did you pay the phone?

JOE
It’s automatic.

DAWN
Maybe the card’s expired.

JOE
It’s the family plan. Just like yours.

DAWN
So what’s that mean?? She blocked us??

Beat. Joe has a thought.

JOE
Tell me everything about Vernon.
How you met him. Where it started.

Dawn hesitates. She pulls up her laptop. She finds a BLOG

belonging to “Vernon Jefferson Peak.”

DAWN
He was posting on Facebook and
directin people to his blog.

She then opens one of her videos. It’s called “The Meaning of
the Number 56. History Repeats Itself!!!”

DAWN (CONT’D)
This is the video I did where he
first commented.
 103.

JOE
How’d you start communication?

DAWN
In the comments. Then he messaged
me on Facebook.

JOE
Was Louise in your video? The one
where he first reached out?

Dawn thinks about it. The answer is yes. Dawn’s hand goes to
her mouth as tears rush to her eyes. “What have I done?” The
gears are turning in Joe’s head. Dawn then notices something
behind Joe. He turns to inquire...

JOE’S POV: A RESERVATION POLICE CAR is parked outside the

neighbor’s house.

EXT. JOE’S HOUSE - MINUTES LATER

Joe emerges from the front door to see Lakota standing on the
neighbor’s porch, questioning him.

MINUTES LATER

Joe approaches Lakota’s car as Lakota returns from the

neighboring house.

JOE (CONT’D)
What’s the big idea?

LAKOTA
Investigatin some murders. Yourself?

They arrive at each other.

JOE
Okay: this is my side. These are my
people. You look into your own.

LAKOTA JOE (CONT'D)

You wanna come over and look
into “my people”, I invite
you. Okay, don’t run with the “my
people,” you know that’s not
what I meant. And just ‘cause
you invite us over, doesn’t
mean you’re invited here.

LAKOTA
I don’t need your fuckin invite.
Someone fired a gun on my soil to
kill two people.
(MORE)
 104.
LAKOTA (CONT'D)
If it's one a mine, that's one thing,
but if it's on your side, then that
person committed murder on
Reservation land and that is my
fuckin business.

JOE LAKOTA (CONT'D)

(aggressive)
Then we might as well help
each other! What do you got? Oh, we might as well HELP
Any leads? now? Okay, great, sure:
leads? I might! How bout you?
Anyone convenient?

JOE
What does that mean? What’s convenient?

LAKOTA
I mean what's your next move, sheriff?
For example: d’ya always go around in
muddy-ass work boots? ‘Cause I go on
Facebook and suddenly you got on a
different pair in every picture.
What’s your size?

A TEXT FROM GUY hits Joe’s phone with a DING! Joe welcomes
the distraction. It reads: “Coem to office! Kid with info”

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - MORNING

Joe enters the office. Lakota not far behind him. The Antique
Store Owner sits in the corner. BRIAN, teary-eyed, sits at
Guy’s desk.

GUY
Hey sheriff.

Guy walks over to Joe. He says covertly:

GUY (CONT’D)
Kid says he’ll only talk to you. Been
avoidin eye contact like a junkie.

Joe looks to the Antique Owner.

ANTIQUE STORE OWNER

I ain’t movin ‘til somethin gets done.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - MINUTES LATER

Brian stands in a corner. Joe stands close, listening as

Brian struggles through a story.

BRIAN
Next mornin, after I sent the video
to - him, out there...
 105.

JOE
To Michael.

BRIAN
(nods)
The next mornin I went to Eric’s house
to see if, y’know, Sarah was there, if
she slept over, whatever. But that’s
when I saw the police was there.

JOE
Do you know Michael?

BRIAN
He went to our school, two years ahead
of us. He still goes to parties. When
I saw him at the last party - he was
the only non-kid, and he was starin at
Eric AND Sarah like...I mean, it
looked like he was gonna kill ‘em!

That does it. Joe walks to the door. Brian becomes very
defensive:

BRIAN (CONT’D)
(as Joe walks off)
But I obviously didn’t actually think
that! I never woulda ever sent the
video if I coulda even imagined!

Joe opens the door and calls out to Guy:

JOE
Guy! Just you. Come over here.

We go to MICHAEL, whose eye are wide with paranoia. Guy walks

over to Joe and enters the interrogation room. The door SLAMS
SHUT and we remain with Michael. He looks over to Lakota, who
looks back at him. Tense.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - SECONDS LATER

Guy, having just heard Brian’s story, is very amped up.

GUY
(whispering)
We gotta get to his place NOW.
Before he can flush anythin.

BRIAN
Can I leave? Can you not do anythin
with me here? If he knows it’s me...!

GUY
He ain’t doin shit to you, kid.
(to Joe)
(MORE)
 106.
GUY (CONT'D)
We do it now. Or else he gets ahead,
gets rid a evidence. Now or never.

JOE GUY (CONT'D)

But why would he do it? Why
would he do it? Why the hell WOULDN’T he do
it? You’re givin him a
special kinda credit, man.

Guy leans in to WHISPER INTENSELY:

GUY (CONT’D)
He coulda been infiltratin this whole
time. Part a this whole anti-white
campaign. You do it from the in-side.
Kill off the white leaders, blame it on
the system while you hide in the system!

JOE
Ted wasn’t white. He’s Hispanic.

GUY
Blacks fuckin hate Hispanics, too!
All the other colors is just fake
minorities takin their chances away.
They hate ‘em more than whites!

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - SECONDS LATER

Joe and Guy leave the interrogation room. They approach Michael.

JOE
Michael. Can I see your phone?

MICHAEL
What for?

JOE
You get sent a video recently?

MICHAEL
Like what?

JOE
Can I see your Instagram?

MICHAEL
I ain’t checked that for a while.

JOE
Records show that this particular
message - sent to you - was “Seen.”
Unless someone else had your phone?
 107.

MICHAEL
...I might not’a had it on me at
one point.

JOE
Can I see it? With your permission?

Michael hands him his phone.

JOE (CONT’D)
Can you pull up your Instagram?

Michael hesitantly goes to Instagram. He hands his phone to

Joe, who finds the message. Before he opens it:

JOE (CONT’D)
Okay, so this message was already
opened. Yes? As you can see?

GUY
(looking over)
I witness that.

Joe holds it up for Lakota, who is more interested in Joe

than the phone. Joe opens the message and the video.

MICHAEL
(re: the photo)
Is that the mayor’s son? That’s Eric?

JOE
You didn’t think to show us this?

MICHAEL
I didn’t know if it’d be helpful.

JOE
So you thought about it, but
decided it wouldn’t be?

GUY MICHAEL
(pointed)
That’s him with your girl,
right? Some cholo with your
little white girlfriend? What? No. I hardly know her.
We’re not a thing.

JOE
Not anymore?

MICHAEL
Not never.

Guy walks away, roaming outside. Lakota is watching Michael’s

interrogation with intense skepticism.
 108.

JOE
How old is she?

MICHAEL
...I dunno. Like eighteen.

JOE MICHAEL (CONT'D)

Like eighteen, but Not
eighteen? I mean - even if she not:
when it started, barely, I
was still seventeen.

JOE
How old are you now?

MICHAEL
Nineteen, but my birthday’s two
weeks ago, and she broke up before
I even started here.

JOE
So she ended it? But you didn't
stop wantin it?

MICHAEL JOE (CONT'D)

I did stop! We hardly even
started when I was seventeen!
We never even-- So that video didn’t bother
you?

MICHAEL
What do you mean?

JOE
You weren’t bothered by the video?

MICHAEL
I was bothered. By the idea a
someone TRYIN to bother me.

GUY (O.S.)
Sheriff! Goddamn! Come out here!

Joe walks OUTSIDE to see Guy standing by Michael’s car.

GUY (CONT’D)
C’mere. Look what’s on the back seat.

MICHAEL
(realizing)
I was bringin it back!

Joe walks up to Michael’s car, whose back window is open. A

RIFLE rests on the back seat.
 109.

GUY
What bullets was at the crime scene?

MICHAEL GUY (CONT'D)

I was takin it out for target
practice! You knowed I had
it! You told me to practice! Just a coincidence, right?!
Why would I ever use a gun Just the same gun with the
that I know you know I got?? same goddamn bullets!
I ain’t stupid!
(appealing to Joe)
Sheriff. Please. You gotta
believe me. I don’t know what
this is. I waked up and heard
about the murders just like
you. I did get the video last
night - two nights ago. I
did. But that gun is there Yes, you did, you did! Which
‘cause I didn’t even think is why you killed the KID in
about it. You think I’d keep the picture! With the gun
that shit there if I used it that uses the same bullets
to kill somebody?? that fuckin shot ‘em dead
that’s also in your fuckin
car right now!

Joe, processing this, looks to Lakota, who looks pointedly

back at him.

JOE
If you were returnin this, why is it
still in your car?

MICHAEL
It was a busy day. I was goin to. I was
thinkin about the murders. I forgot.

JOE
You forgot there was a gun in your car?
That you hid?

MICHAEL
I put it under blankets so nobody would
see it and steal it.

JOE
So you didn’t forget it was there! You
put blankets over it!

MICHAEL
Yeah! Before I drove over. My window’s
open, I obviously forgot!

JOE
...I think we need to search this
vehicle, Michael.
 110.

MICHAEL
What do you mean??

JOE
Or I can get a warrant. Or you can
let us search. Up to you.

Michael’s eyes are bulging.

MICHAEL
Sheriff: I got nothin to hide. But I
don’t know what this is. All I did
was go to bed and wake up.

JOE
Do we have permission from you?

MICHAEL
I got nothin to hide!

Joe has pulled out his phone and turned on the VOICE RECORDER.

JOE
Michael Ross: do I, sheriff Cross, have
your consent to search your vehicle?

MICHAEL
...Okay, ‘cause there’s nothin. But I
just - can it just be you and not Guy?

Guy’s eyes widen with rage.

JOE
That’s fine. I got your consent?

MICHAEL
...Ah’right. Yes.

Joe goes to the driver door. Opens it. Looks under the seat and
in the center cubby. He then crosses to the passenger door,
looking to Lakota, who watches Joe.

Joe opens the passenger seat and checks the glove compartment.
He looks under the seat, covertly reaching into his pocket to
pull out TED’S WEDDING RING. He carefully places it under the
seat, out of immediate view.

Joe then goes to the back seat and searches the floor. He
lifts the blanket off the RIFLE and turns to Guy.

JOE
This holds the same bullets.
(to Lakota)
You wanna look?

Lakota roams over and looks into the car, not seeming to buy it.
 111.

GUY
You lookin under the seats, too?

Lakota looks under the driver seat. Crosses over to the

passenger seat, shaking his head in deprecation. He looks under
the seat and PAUSES, eyebrow raised in surprise. He reaches
under the seat to pull out the WEDDING RING. He reads the
engraving and slowly, skeptically holds it up.

MICHAEL
What the fuck? I never seen that in
all my life! That was not there.

Guy walks up to Lakota to look at the ring. He reads the

engraving: “To my precious Ted. I will always love you.”

GUY
This is Ted Garcia’s weddin ring!

JOE MICHAEL
(feigning shock) (genuinely shocked)
What?! What?!

GUY
Lookit the engraving.

Lakota hands Joe the ring. He reads it. Looks nauseous.

GUY (CONT’D) MICHAEL

You know what that says,
Mikey? That is not from me!

Lakota, again, seems more interested in Joe than the ring.

JOE
What do you think?

LAKOTA
What do you want me to think?

GUY
(to Joe, incredulous)
The fuck else d’we need to see??

Joe takes that energy and turns to Michael:

JOE
Michael: you’re under arrest for the
murders a Ted and Eric Garcia.

MICHAEL
What??? No! What is that?! That ain’t
mine! You know me, Sheriff!
 112.

GUY MICHAEL (CONT'D)

You got the right to remain I never EVER seen that
silent. before!

Guy is approaching Michael with HANDCUFFS. Michael backs

toward the wall of the sheriff’s office.

MICHAEL (CONT’D) GUY

No! Please! That wasn’t me! The fuck’re you goin? You
walkin away from me?

Guy grabs Michael’s shirt and PUSHES HIM BRUTALLY into the
wall, his fist crashing into Michael’s neck. A mailbox breaks
off the wall, impacted by the back of his head.

GUY (CONT’D)
Hands! Gimme your fuckin hands!
Don’t fuck around!

Michael offers his hands as Guy brutally CUFFS him.

JOE
(racked by guilt)
I’m sorry, Michael.

Guy forcefully ushers Michael out of the room.

GUY
I move you and you fuckin MOVE!

JOE watches as Guy violently ushers Michael into the

sheriff’s office. We stay with him. Fierce ambivalence raging
in his eyes. He turns to Lakota, who is watching him closely.

LAKOTA
(gesturing)
After you, sheriff!

Joe walks ahead, entering the sheriff’s office.

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Michael is deposited into a TRULY TINY PRISON CELL (really just

a barred cage, the size of a closet) at the end of the office.

MICHAEL
Please--

THE BARS SLIDE TO A SLAM. Lakota stands at the front door,

watching as Joe hesitantly walks up to his desk.

MICHAEL (CONT’D)
Please! Sheriff! Who would I do it?
Why would I do it?
 113.

GUY
‘Cause you’re a fuckin double agent!

MICHAEL
What about my call?! I get a call,
don’t I?? I get one at LEAST, I
know that!

GUY
(doing a whiny voice)
“I get a call! I get, I get, I get!”

MICHAEL
Please, Sheriff! If I’m really
arrested, I need to call my uncle,
or my brother...

GUY
Call all the brothers you want. See
what good it does.

Joe has walked to his desk to pick up a CORDLESS PHONE. He

walks it to Michael. This is now seen from LAKOTA’S POV. Joe’s
body language betrays that he knows he’s being watched.

Michael takes the phone and moves to the corner of his cell. He
turns his back to everyone and dials a number.

Joe goes to his desk and turns to stare at Michael’s back.

Feeling Lakota’s eyes on him, Joe takes a wireless EARPOD (which
transmits Michael’s call) and covertly fits it into his ear. As
he does so, we hear RINGING. The call goes to VOICEMAIL.

MAN’S VOICE (V.O.) MICHAEL

You reached Jamie Ross. Leave
me a message and I’ll get (to Joe)
back to you soon as can be. If I leave a message, is that
my call?

Joe nods.

JOE
I’m sorry.

Michael hangs up. He calls again. Once again, as through Joe’s

earpod, we hear RINGING.

Lakota’s eyes have traveled from Joe to the CHALKBOARD of slogan

ideas. Lakota notices the style of the E. It matches the E in the
spray-painted sign at Ted’s. He HANGS on this. Joe can sense...

LAKOTA WALKS BRISKLY OFF. Joe’s eyes go to him, alert.

 114.

MAN’S VOICE (V.O.) GUY

You reached Jamie Ross. Leave
me a message and I’ll be back
to you soon as can be. He ain’t pickin up, man. He
must be at a peaceful
protest.

Meanwhile, Lakota has gotten into his cruiser and DRIVES OFF.
Joe abruptly STANDS UP. Guy looks over, confused. Joe is already
off to his car.

INT. JOE’S CRUISER - MOMENTS LATER

Joe gets into his cruiser, earpod still in his ear. RINGING
has re-commenced.

A few blocks ahead is Lakota’s diminishing cruiser. Joe starts

his car - headlights off - and ACCELERATES to catch up to
Lakota.

The ringing persists. As it does, Joe calls Louise on

speakerphone. It goes instantly to voicemail. He hangs up.

When Joe is a block and a half behind Lakota’s car, he slows

down to maintain a healthy distance.

As he does this, he notices: to his side, a block away, is

the pathetic “City Hall” building. A VIGIL has assembled
before it. WARREN stands at a microphone before the crowd.

WARREN
The meanin a’a candlelight vigil is
different for everyone. When
candles get lit one-by-one -

Joe, who has slowed down to take this in, now SPEEDS PAST.

INT. CITY HALL - CONTINUOUS

The vigil (in memory of Ted and Eric) is in progress. Most

people haven’t yet lit their candles, but the space is
already warmly illuminated by the glow of the illuminatas.

Warren stands at the mic. He is instructing the crowd as they

light their candles:

WARREN
- it is symbolic for spreadin a
message a support from one person to
another. As we are surrounded by
darkness - a good man and his bright
son, struck down before they could do
their work towards Real Progress in
this town - work that’ll STILL be
done, and we will see TO it that it’s
done, in their memory and their honor.
 115.

SARAH, shell-shocked and traumatized, stands among the crowd,

looking dissociated.

WARREN (CONT’D)
We walk along a path no man has yet
trodden. And we need leaders ready to
walk the way a THIS path, not the
streets a the past...

LATER

Brian, very nervous, walks up to the lectern (having handed PHIL

his smartphone, discretely asking him to take video). Brian’s
speech will earn an increasing amount of jeers and vitriol.

BRIAN
Eric was my best friend... We coulda
been better to each other, but he was.
He was my best-best friend... And his
dad beat the system! He was a Person a
Color that beat the odds to become a
Person a Power...and they got killed by
that same system! Even the killer’s a
victim of it! And I’m a PART of it! I’m
just another privileged white kid and my
job is to sit down and LISTEN, which is
what I plan to do after makin this
speech, which I have NO right to make!

WOMAN (O.S.)
Oh Jesus -- ENOUGH!!!

BRIAN
Their murders got FRAMED on a true and
real cause, and if you believe the
lies, then you helped pull the trigger!

MAN (O.S) WOMAN (O.S.)

FUCK THIS! YOU’RE the lies!
ANTIFA!!!

Warren comes up to pull Brian away, but Brian seizes the mic:

BRIAN
THIS VIGIL IS HAPPENING ON STOLEN
GROUND!!!

MINUTES LATER

Joe is still tailing LAKOTA, who arrives at the driveway to

JOE’S HOUSE. Joe idles to a stop on the side of the approaching
road, having a distant but clear view of his own property.

PHONE RINGING, as heard from Joe’s EARPOD, starts again.

 116.

JOE’S POV: Lakota has parked his car in front of the house. He
roams about, peering in through windows, and then seems to be
caught by something. He circles to the front door to meet DAWN
on the porch. Dawn, wearing her nightgown, looks distraught.

While Joe watches this with increasing alarm, the SOUND of

Michael’s UNCLE finally answering the phone invades the scene:

MAN’S VOICE (V.O.)

Mike?

MICHAEL
Uncle Jamie--

UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

(brusquely)
I really can’t be on the phone right
now. Tina been sick and we been
waitin on the doctor to call us back--

Whimpering sounds from Michael.

UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

Mike?... What’s goin on?

MICHAEL (V.O.)
I been arrested.

UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

What the fuck?!
(more whimpering from Michael)
Arrested for what? Mike?

MICHAEL (V.O.) UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

They think I did it. They
sayin I killed the mayor and
his son. I think they planted
shit. They planted his ring.
It was in my car, but I never The fuck?? What ring? Where
seen it before! are you? Did the cops you
work with arrest you?

CRYING sounds from Michael, playing in Joe’s ear.

UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

Mike, where are you?

In Joe’s POV: Dawn is desperately telling Lakota a story.

Lakota looks overwhelmed.

MICHAEL (V.O.)
I didn’t do this, Uncle Jamie.

UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

Ah’right, don’t say a word,
y’unnerstand? Not to no one.
(MORE)
 117.
UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
No matter what they ask or what it’s
about. I’m callin a lawyer.

Joe, utterly guilt-stricken, looks like he’s going to be

sick. He looks down, continuing to listen. What am I doing?

MICHAEL (V.O.)
I miss Mom and Dad.
(more crying)
I don’t know why this is happenin
to me... I want Mom and Dad.

Joe becomes desperate. Trying to think. He starts searching

the car. He goes to the glove compartment, where he finds the
DOLL that fell out of Louise’s pocket and bears Vernon’s tire
mark. He hangs on this.

UNCLE JAMIE (V.O.)

Mike... Son, listen to me--

DAWN (O.S.)
JOE!!!

Joe looks up to see the jarring image of DAWN running toward

him in a mad panic. Lakota is chasing after her.

DAWN (CONT'D)
They took the car!

Joe steps out of the car to receive the hysterical Dawn.

Lakota hangs slightly back to observe.

JOE DAWN (CONT'D)

(to Dawn)
What’s wrong? Someone took the car. It had
to be Louise! Who COULD’VE
asides from her? She’s got
the keys!

JOE
What do you mean? When?

LAKOTA DAWN
(to Joe)
You followin me? What you (answering Joe)
worried I’m gonna find? I finally got myself to sleep
- I was SLEEPIN! - and I woke
up to the sound a the engine
startin, and when I got
outside the car was speedin
away!

JOE
(unable to focus)
What do you mean?
 118.

DAWN
It was a speck in the background when I
got outside! And all her things’re
gone! Her clothes! Her sewin stuff! She
musta been inside with me asleep!!

Joe suddenly turns to Lakota. An IDEA madly brightens his

face. Derangement illuminates his eyes.

JOE
Vernon did this.

LAKOTA
What the fuck?

JOE
He abducted my wife. Then he killed ‘em.

LAKOTA DAWN
Your WIFE now?? Who the fuck (grave realization)
is Vernon? Oh my God. He DID, didn’t
he?!

JOE
(gaining in resolve)
Vernon brainwashed my wife. He knowed
the angles on Michael, he coulda
planted the ring--

DAWN
Who’s Michael??

LAKOTA
A scared, innocent-lookin black kid
this man just tossed in a jail cell!

STATIC HISSES FROM THE POLICE RADIO in Joe’s car, and then
GUY: “Sheriff? Come in, sheriff!”

JOE
He kidnapped my wife. I think he’s a
covert, high-level arm of Antifa.
Manipulatin people. Preyin on their
fears and trauma. And then he seduced
my wife by killin the man she hated!
She went missin straight after the
murders! After he woulda framed
Michael! We have to let Michael out!
We gotta let him out now!

Lakota just stares at Joe, eyes buzzing with suspicion and

disgust. THE CAR RADIO HISSES AGAIN.

GUY (V.O.)
Sheriff?!
 119.

Dawn, manic now, is in the grip of Joe’s “theory.” Hands

cupped over her mouth.

DAWN
Could she’a done it too, Joe?! She
couldn’t’a! What if she’s part of it?!

Joe’s phone starts ringing in his hand. It’s GUY.

LAKOTA
Take that.

Joe obliges.

GUY (V.O.)
Sheriff! Dumpster afire!! Someone
got the suspect out!

INT. JOE’S CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT

A now-frantic Joe drives past the VIGIL. (It has thinned out,
but is still in progress.) Lakota, as usual, is on Joe’s tail.

EXT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - NIGHT

Joe frantically parks, and runs breathlessly to the front door.

The DUMPSTER next to the building has been set afire. It blazes
intensely. GUY has been waiting for him outside, distraught.

GUY
Sheriff! I wasn't even gone but two
seconds!

Joe runs past Guy and into the building.

INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Joe enters and rushes to Michael’s cell, whose door has been
opened (the key still in the lock). The cell is now EMPTY.

GUY
I swear on God, sheriff. I warn't
even gone one minute.

JOE GUY (CONT'D)

You weren’t supposed to be
gone at all! I know, but the fire! I had
to put it out!
Put what out?! It’s still
goin! I couldn’t! It’s too big!
Plus, I needed you to see.

JOE
See what?? That you left the fuckin
- KEY?!
(MORE)
 120.
JOE (CONT'D)
(searching for the extinguisher)
Where the fuckin stinguisher at?

He tosses things around, looking for it.

GUY
I used it all up, it warn't enough.

Lakota has arrived at the door, watching intensely.

GUY (CONT’D)
The fuck d’you fuckin WANT, man?!

Joe’s mind is racing.

JOE
Lakota: you lock off both ends a
the street.

LAKOTA
‘Scuse me?

JOE
(to Guy)
You: go look for ‘im. I look, too.
He musta ran.
(to Lakota)
You too! Let’s work together!

Joe and Guy run to their respective cruisers. Lakota just

watches, incredulous.

EXT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Joe arrives at his cruiser. On the way, he sees BRIAN

standing at the end of the street, anxiously watching from a
distance (and gripping an unlit candle).

JOE
BRIAN?!

Brian backs away. He has only seen the fire, but it has him
worried. He FLEES.

INT. JOE’S CRUISER - CONTINUOUS

Joe jumps in, turns on the engine, and starts driving. As he

does so, he sees Lakota opening the trunk of his car to fetch
a FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

As Joe continues driving, he looks to his rear view mirror to

see Lakota SNUFFING OUT THE FIRE with the extinguisher. Ahead
of Joe, Guy’s car has gone RACING.

Joe makes a turn and drives for a moment in fraught silence.

His eyes are BUSY as they try to devise a plan.
 121.

In fact, for a moment, Joe looks hypnotized by panic. We hold

on his CU for a while, during which he TURNS to drive down
Main Street. As he does so, something gradually becomes
apparent to him . His face goes ashen white and a semi-distant
GLOWING (from an off-screen fire?) is subtly reflected in his
pupils. The car DECELERATES as he takes in the following
sight...

JOE’S POV: The words “PIG ROAST NEXT” have been WRITTEN IN
FIRE in huge letters (seven feet tall) across the length of
two storefronts.

Joe accelerates past, looking about with paranoid eyes. Where

are they? Who’s doing this?

He suddenly thinks he sees SOMEONE ON THE ROOF of a building

and he SLAMS on the brakes. He ducks under the steering wheel.
After a moment of inactivity, he rotates his head to look up.
It’s a little ZOZOBRA doll on a store’s rooftop (”White
Supremacy” written on its torso).

INT. MICHAEL’S APARTMENT - SAME TIME

The lights are off. Gumball lights flare outside the window,
intermittently illuminating the ceiling in blue and red.

THE DOOR IS KICKED OPEN to reveal GUY, gun extended.

GUY
FREEZE!

Guy rushes from room to room, establishing that the apartment

is empty. He notices the TARGET SHEET on Michael’s wall.

Guy runs out to the BALCONY and goes to the NEIGHBOR’S

APARTMENT. He BANGS on the door.

An HISPANIC WOMAN answers the door.

GUY (CONT’D)
IS HE HERE??

HISPANIC WOMAN
(terrified)
IS WHO HERE?!

Guy moves past her, into the apartment, to inspect it. He

goes from room to room.

HISPANIC WOMAN (CONT’D)

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHY ARE YOU
DOING THIS?!

He gets to the bathroom, where SOMEONE is in the SHOWER.

 122.

GUY
ANNOUNCE YERSELF!

HISPANIC MAN (O.S.)

QUE?!?!

Guy withdraws from the bathroom to move to the BACK TERRACE.

He then JUMPS OVER TO THE NEIGHBORING TERRACE to look through
the back window, which frames a kitchen where a SMALL FAMILY
is having dinner. They see Guy and SCREAM.

GUY
WHERE IS HE?! TELL THE TRUTH!

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER

Guy returns to his car and SPEEDS OFF.

INT. GUY’S CRUISER (MOVING) - MOMENTS LATER

Guy drives, using his blinding TORCHLIGHT to illuminate dark

alleys and to peer into black voids of desert. He’s like a
hellhound, determined to the point of possession.

He is driving up a HILL. Arriving at the TOP, he gains a

panoramic view of the surrounding earth. He sees a lone-but-
sizable FIRE BURNING in the desert. He ACCELERATES toward it.

INT. JOE’S CRUISER - MINUTES LATER

Joe - also using his torch to illuminate dark spaces, but

notably less eager than Guy (he is mesmerized by confusion) -
emerges from town to start down the HIGHWAY.

As he drives, he sees Guy’s cruiser in the distance. It’s

parked off the side of the road, headlights illuminating
Guy’s back, which stands twenty feet ahead of his car.

Joe pulls off the highway and drives toward Guy’s cruiser.

EXT. DESERT - CONTINUOUS

Joe pulls up to Guy’s parked cruiser. He steps out of his car

to see that Guy, now 30 ft ahead of his car, is standing with
his arms extended, aiming his gun at a desperate and
terrified MICHAEL (100 ft away), who stands alone in the
desert. He seems scared to move.

MICHAEL
PLEASE!

GUY
DON’T FUCKIN MOVE!
 123.

MICHAEL
I CAN’T! PLEASE! THEY PUT THINGS IN A
CIRCLE ALL AROUND! I’M SURROUNDED!

GUY
You stay right fuckin there!
(to Joe)
Sheriff, I got him!

JOE
Why is he out here?

GUY
‘Cause he’s fuckin stupid that’s why.

MICHAEL GUY (CONT'D)

Please don’t move! YOU don’t fuckin move!

MICHAEL
Please, no, they PUT THINGS--

At that moment, Guy EXPLODES into thousands of pieces of

bloody meat - as if he just stepped on a LANDMINE. (He did.)

JOE IS BLOWN 5 FT BACK BY THE BLAST. Chunks of Guy rain down.

Michael, still standing, is in shock.

Joe, covered in dust and viscera, sits up and struggles to

stand. Once on his feet, he staggers backward to fall on his
ass. He is coughing and has been momentarily blinded.

Joe looks for his gun on the ground, but can’t find it. He
then sees GUY’S BLOWN-OFF ARM, STILL HOLDING HIS PISTOL. Joe
pulls the pistol free from the disembodied hand. Joe then
stumbles back onto his feet, delirious.

Suddenly, something is IGNITED a couple hundred feet to the

left of Joe, followed immediately by a CONTROLLED FIRE
SPREADING RAPIDLY TOWARD JOE LIKE A FLAMING TRAIL OF
DOMINOES. It seems to be some sort of S.O.S. sign.

The flame trail reaches Joe and suddenly, violently ENCIRCLES

him. He seems to be surrounded by a FLAMING “O.”

Joe, panicked, jumps through the flames to now be outside of

the flaming sign, which continues to materialize as it
spreads briskly to his right.

Then, 500 feet to Joe’s left:

The SOUND of a CAR’S ENGINE STARTING. Joe turns to see a TRUCK

in the distance, parked beyond a nearby arroyo, its headlights
off (and a masked man at the wheel). Joe then SEES...
 124.

A thin, tattooed MASKED MAN - wearing an ALL-BLACK OUTFIT -

stands in the shallow arroyo, about two thirds of the way
between Joe and the truck, training his SMARTPHONE CAMERA on
the raging fire. His camera is aimed specifically at Joe.

Joe instinctively swings his gun upward and takes aim at the
tattooed man. The man sees this and turns away to RUN. As he
does so, his smartphone’s FLASHLIGHT accidentally turns on.

Joe FIRES his gun at the fleeing man. Misses him. Joe now
breaks into a sprint to pursue. His balance proves unreliable
and his leg is in pain. He TWISTS his ankle, FALLS to his
knees, and then AIMS his gun at the escaping man, who is
bounding toward the truck.

Joe FIRES his gun, missing again. But the fleeing man trips,
DROPPING HIS PHONE (visible because of the flashlight) and
continues toward the TRUCK. Leaving the phone behind. He
arrives at the truck and jumps into the passenger seat.

Joe rises and starts toward the truck, but the TRUCK
ACCELERATES IN REVERSE, and then, once at a dirt road, swings
out and speeds off to the right.

Joe stares for a minute and then realizes that he knows where
the truck is headed (its road leads to an intersection that
he can reach in half the time). Joe breaks into a painful
SPRINT back to his cruiser.

INT. CRUISER - CONTINUOUS

Joe climbs into the car, turns on the engine and kicks the car
into reverse. Careening away from the fire, Joe throws the car
into drive and guns it. (Michael remains alone in the desert.)

Joe speeds up to the top of a HILL, which overlooks the road

that the truck took. (It also overlooks the giant flaming
sign, which we can now read: “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE”.) Joe sees
the TRUCK down below. He notes the truck’s trajectory/speed,
and then hits the gas.

Joe speeds down the other side of the hill, moving toward an
INTERSECTION at the base. The converging road to the right is
obscured by a cliff’s base. Joe speeds up.

As Joe approaches the intersection, the glow of approaching

headlights becomes faintly visible - their off-screen source
blocked by the cliff base.

Joe’s foot jams the gas pedal to the floor. The oncoming
headlights (belonging to the unseen car) become BRIGHTER.

Joe drives straight into the intersection as the TRUCK APPEARS--

 125.

JOE’S CAR T-BONES THE TRUCK, demolishing its passenger side.

Both cars slide to a halt amid broken glass and car debris in
the middle of the intersection.

The Masked Men are momentarily stunned, the driver’s head

resting on the steering wheel and the passenger delirious. The
passenger then snaps to, and sees Joe. Joe turns his
HEADLIGHTS on, illuminating the Masked Passenger’s face. His
BLUE EYES glow ominously in the harsh headlights.

The Masked Man bends down for a moment, disappearing from

view. He then rises to pull up a SEMI-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT
RIFLE, and aims it at Joe. (The driver has lifted his head.)

Joe desperately throws the gear into REVERSE and steps on the
gas. As he drives backwards, Joe DUCKS under the dashboard,
just as the Masked Man FIRES THE MACHINE GUN AT JOE’S
WINDSHIELD, shattering it to bits and destroying Joe’s chair.
The car’s back smashes into a tree off the road, and the
machine-gun fire continues, riddling the car with bullets (even
the gumball lights atop the car are demolished). Joe,
miraculously, has not been hit.

Joe, still bent down, throws the car into DRIVE, and steps on
the gas again. The car speeds toward the truck’s passenger
side again, but the Masked Driver drives forward (clearing
Joe’s path just in time) and Joe’s head RISES from under the
steering wheel to SEE (too late) that he’s driving himself
off the road and over a hill.

Joe slams on the BRAKES, but this just causes skidding before
the car sails over the hill, FALLING fifteen feet, LANDING on
its nose at the base of a ditch, and FLIPPING PATHETICALLY onto
its roof.

Joe, who wasn’t strapped into his seat belt, lies upside-down
in an gnarled heap on the car ceiling, which is now the
floor. He hasn’t been badly injured, but he’s extremely
banged up. The ding-ding-ding of the “door ajar” bell chirps.

Joe reaches painfully for the driver door, which is bent

slightly inward. He tries to open it, but it’s JAMMED.

Joe goes for the passenger door, which opens with a harsh
CREAK. He crawls out in agony.

MINUTES LATER

Joe struggles to climb up the clay-like sand of the ditch.

It’s not easy.

EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

Joe arrives limping at the flaming sign. He walks to the

shallow arroyo, where he finds the THIN MASKED MAN’S
SMARTPHONE - its flashlight still beaming.
 126.

Joe picks up the phone, which is still recording VIDEO. Joe

stops the video and sits down on the dirt. He goes to the PHOTO
LIBRARY. There are many, many videos. Joe clicks on one.

It is a VIDEO of the muscular masked man - holding a BLM sign

- igniting the dumpster fire outside the police station.

After finishing this, Joe goes to another VIDEO. It features

the muscular masked man throwing a burning Bible into the
farmhouse window.

Joe goes to the next VIDEO. It is from the POV of someone in

the passenger seat of a truck, fixed at first on the black-
clad muscular man at the steering wheel. He laughs as he
accelerates and the camera now swings forward to face the
windshield as the car speeds toward the front of a Louisiana
CHURCH. The car smashes through the entrance, collapsing the
wall. People congregating inside scream and panic.

Joe cycles through a few more videos, each featuring acts of

domestic terrorism - throwing a molotov cocktail into a rural
police station, exploding a fire truck...and finally: a video
of another MASKED MAN IN ALL BLACK - thicker than the dead
one - firing a SCOPED RIFLE (from the roof of a building)
down at police officers.

Joe looks up from the phone, utterly defeated. His eyes are
blank with dissociation.

EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

Joe walks limping through the night, gripping the masked

man’s smartphone in one hand and his gun in the other.

EXT. BRIAN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

BRIAN, sneaking home, removes the screen from his bedroom

window and tries to slide the window open from the outside.
It won’t budge. He tries again. No luck.

EXT. BRIAN’S HOUSE - MINUTES LATER

Brian stands before his front door, working up the nerve to

enter. He reaches for the door. Hesitates. Then he opens it.

INT. BRIAN’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Brian steps in to find that his MOTHER is standing in the

hall, waiting for him. Behind her, Brian’s father is seen in
the kitchen, sitting at the table.

BRIAN
Hi mom.
 127.

BRIAN’S MOTHER
What are you doin? You just come in
and out as you please? Back from
your little protest?

BRIAN
We didn’t do it today.

BRIAN’S FATHER
Oh, you’re takin yourself a break?

Brian looks to his dad.

BRIAN
My friend got killed. I was at the
vigil.

BRIAN’S MOTHER
Oh, is that how you say it? Your
friend got killed?

BRIAN
Yes! My best friend got murdered!
Why are you yellin at me??

BRIAN’S MOTHER BRIAN (CONT'D)

Why am I YELLIN?? YOU killed
your best friend! YOU! What?? How could you say
that??
You goddamn BROUGHT this I didn’t want this! I was
here! protesting police brutality!

BRIAN’S MOTHER
Kill the boomers?? Abolish the
police?? You’re a stupid little white
RUNT fightin for the REMOVAL a whites!
And you will be the FIRST to get
removed! Y’unnerstand? If it keeps
goin like this, we will be shot in our
very beds!

BRIAN
They’re the ones shootin people in
their beds! Can’t you see??

Brian’s Father has come into the hall.

 128.

BRIAN’S MOTHER BRIAN (CONT'D)

Don’t you DARE! Your little
communist revolution is
funded by the Dems and by Oh, but innocent Trump - he’s
child traffickin PEDOPHILES! not doing ANYthing?
You think you’re fightin Pedophiles?? What about the
corruption?? You’re a ARM for thousand pictures of Trump
corruption! with Epstein?!
-- Oh my God, Epstein?!
That’s fuckin Clinton! Trump
is the only one TALKIN about
it! He’s the only one workin In your bubble! Only in your
to STOP it! QAnon bubble!
PIZZAGATE! PIZZAGATE!
ADRENOCHROME! That was disproved!!

BRIAN’S FATHER
ENOUGH!!!
(to Brian)
Real simple: You throwed away the
right to come in this house.

Brian’s Mother hesitates at that.

BRIAN
What do you mean??

BRIAN’S FATHER BRIAN (CONT'D)

You will not make us into
accomplices! I’M NOT AN ACCOMPLICE!

BRIAN’S FATHER
PEOPLE ARE BEIN KILLED NOW! BECAUSE A
YOU! BECAUSE A YOUR LITTLE PROTEST! AND
YOU STILL WANNA HOLD UP YOUR LITTLE
SIGN AND MARCH YOUR LITTLE MARCH??

As Brian’s Father said that, he was pushing Brian out of the

house - poking and prodding his chest with aggression. Brian
is now on the front porch, tears in his eyes.

BRIAN’S FATHER (CONT’D) BRIAN

You drew a line in the sand.
Get it? Not us. You did this. I’m just trying to do what I
think’s right--

BRIAN’S FATHER
Well, We Don’t Agree With You. GET
IT?? We will NOT Get Fuckin Took
Down By This.

Brian’s Father SLAMS the door in his face.

 129.

EXT. JOE’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Joe is walking toward his house, whose windows glow in the

distance. He’s still several hundred feet away. His uniform,
covered in blood and dirt, leaves a floating trail of dust in
his wake - as if he were steaming.

As he nears, he sees VERNON’S TRUCK in front of the house.

JOE’S POV: Illuminated by its headlights are Louise and Dawn

and Joe, arguing as they did on Louise’s final night. As if
the memory is living before us.

The sound of a phone VIBRATING. He looks at his hand carrying

the tattooed man’s phone. It is not vibrating. He then pulls
his smartphone out of his pocket. GUY is calling. He answers.

GUY (V.O.)
Sheriff! Dumpster afire!! Someone
got the suspect out!

Joe hangs up, bewildered. He looks back to the house. The

apparitions of Joe, Dawn and Louise are no longer there. Nor
is Vernon’s truck, although there is another CAR - a TAXI CAB
- parked in its place.

Joe stops at the cab. A Latino man waits at the wheel. He

nods respectfully to Joe, ignoring his insane appearance. Joe
looks back without recognition.

EXT. JOE’S HOUSE - BACK YARD - NIGHT

Joe, now SHIRTLESS, stuffs his uniform’s shirt into a BBQ

pit. He sets it afire.

His face illuminated by firelight, Joe looks ahead to see

LOUISE in the kitchen, framed by the window, watching him
with worried eyes.

INT. KITCHEN - SECONDS LATER

Joe, still shirtless, steps into the house. Outside the

window, the crackling BBQ fire continues to blaze.

Louise stands defensively, wearing a long overcoat and

holding two packed suitcases.

LOUISE
I couldn’t wait. If it’s not safe.
I can’t stay here.

Joe is too stunned to find words right away.

 130.

LOUISE (CONT’D)
What happened to you?
(fearfully)
Was that him?

He takes a step forward. Her weight transfers from the front

of her feet to her heels. He feels it.

JOE
I’m bein punished.

Louise doesn’t answer. Then:

LOUISE
Was it Vernon?? Is it him?

Joe just stares back at her. She looks very scared.

LOUISE (CONT’D)
What is he doin this for? Is she
with him? Could she be doin it,
too? And the boy you arrested? They
let him escape?

Beat. Joe can’t even think. He looks to her suitcases.

JOE
That doesn’t need to mean you’re
leavin. It can be you comin back.
Everythin is different. There is no
mayor now. You don’t have to think ever
about him again. We win by default.

Louise looks afraid.

JOE (CONT’D)
Please. I love you. I love you with all
my heart. So much. I’m runnin for you.
(realizing that’s pressure)
I’m doin it for me, too. For - to -
prove to us. To be somethin we can be
proud of. I don’t wanna just stay the
same. I know you can’t do that
anymore. I know that. I learned it
couldn’t just be words anymore. Every
marriage goes into crisis.

Louise, very nervous, glances to the WINDOW. Joe looks. He

sees, in the distance, TRUCK HEADLIGHTS arriving at the top
of a semi-distant hill. They then TURN OFF.

JOE (CONT’D)
That’s him?
(back to Louise)
His name’s not even Vernon.
(MORE)
 131.
JOE (CONT’D)
He’s lyin to you. He doesn’t love
you. He wants to use you.

Louise doesn’t seem to register any of this. She looks at him

with an eerie lack of recognition. Joe’s tone shifts. He sees
he must change tactics.

JOE (CONT’D)
Stay with me. I love you. Tell him
it’s over. I’m not upset. It’s my
fault. But everythin really is
changed now. We can be newylweds. We
can. We win.

Joe starts to recede.

JOE (CONT’D)
I’ll let you think about it. I’ll go
to the other room. It needs to be your
choice if you stay. Do what feels
right. I won’t even talk to him if he
comes. This is your choice.

Joe goes into a room that we have not yet seen. It is a

storage room of sorts, but the wallpaper suggests that it was
once a NURSERY. Boxes abound. In one corner is a BABY CRIB,
which has been filled with boxes and papers, etc. Joe eases
the door half-closed and stands in the semi-dark (some light
spills in from the hall).

As Joe stands, waiting for Louise to choose to stay, he looks

out the window. He looks up at the silhouette of the truck
perched on the horizon line of the semi-distant hill.

As he stares, he sinks back into his thoughts. His eyes fog

over, and then--

Harsh VIBRATION cuts through the silence. In his back pocket.

He reaches to pull out the tattooed man’s PHONE. A
“Restricted Number” is calling.

Joe stares at the phone as it vibrates a third time. And a

fourth. And a fifth. He ANSWERS it.

Holding the phone to his ear, Joe doesn’t speak. Neither does
the person on the other end. Not even breathing can be heard.
The only distinguishable sounds: night insects (cicadas and
crickets) and a rumbling, idle car engine.

After a beat, the other person hangs up.

Joe stiffly lowers the phone. And then: a brief FLASH on the
crest of the hill, followed promptly by--

SMASH! The WINDOW SHATTERS.

 132.

A bullet whizzes by the top of Joe’s head, striking the wall

behind him. Stunned, Joe incredulously looks to the shattered
window. Outside is dark night.

As Joe gawks stupidly, BLOOD dribbles into his eye, rendering

half of his POV dark red.

Joe touches his temple to realize that BLOOD IS POURING DOWN

HIS FACE. The bullet grazed the top of his head, causing a
FLESH WOUND which is nonetheless bleeding profusely.

Another SHOT is fired from well beyond the window (its

muzzleflash visible in the distance) and the bullet strikes the
crib in the corner.

Now activated, Joe throws himself to the floor. He looks to the

doorway to see: DAWN standing in the hallway as the door eases
open. She is wearing the SAME OVERCOAT that Louise was just
wearing. Was that a hallucination? Was it Dawn the whole time?

Joe starts manically CRAWLING on his belly toward the door,

but then remembers something, crawls to the desk, reaches up
to feel around. His hand finds his GUN. As he pulls it down,
another BULLET strikes the desk.

Now clutching his gun, Joe climbs manically into a run. He

goes to Dawn, who is frozen with shock, and TACKLES her to
the ground. This happens just as a bullet hits the hallway
wall, narrowly missing her.

Now that Dawn is on the ground, Joe starts scrambling on his

belly. He gets onto ALL FOURS and crawls desperately down the
hall, blood continuing to flow down his face.

JOE (CONT’D)
Stay down! Stay...!

Joe gets to the front door of the house...

EXT. JOE’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

...and stumbles onto his feet and RUNS to the taxi cab, whose
headlights are on and whose engine is humming. In the front
seat is a NOW-DEAD DRIVER whose chest has been blown open by
a bullet. The broadly-cracked windshield sports a bullet
hole.

Joe pulls out the driver’s corpse, spilling him to the

ground, and jumps into the car. He throws the gear into drive
and squeals out of the driveway. After driving past the
house, three more reports are issued from the rifle in the
distance. One round hits the roof of the car.

The next round (from a different source?) strikes the back

TIRE. It BLOWS OUT, forcing Joe to swerve and collide head-on
with a TREE.
 133.

Joe hesitates, looks at the REAR-VIEW MIRROR, which then

reflects distant muzzleflash. The BACK WINDOW SHATTERS,
followed by one more flash and the REAR-VIEW WINDOW EXPLODES.

Joe SWINGS OPEN the door, jumps out, FIRES his gun without
discipline in the general direction of the gunshots, and runs
to round the front of the car. Another distant gunshot is
followed by the plunk of a bullet hitting the metal of the
car body, just missing Joe.

Joe arrives at the front of the car, behind the tree, blocking
the sniper’s view. He crouches, trying to think. He looks left
and right, neither of which are viable options. Blood is
dribbling into his eye. He squints in pain, pressing his palm
into the wound on his head.

He looks AHEAD. A long stretch of black desert, beyond which

looms the TOWN, the circuitry of its streets glowing by
illuminatas.

Quiet hesitation and then--

ANOTHER SHOT is heard, definitely from a new source, equally

distant (to Joe’s side). The bullet hits the hood of the car.

Joe BREAKS for the town, running through a dense field of

bushes.

In the distance, the sound of TIRES spraying rocks as a car

accelerates over gravel.

Joe reaches the end of a ridge and runs down a steep incline,
careful to not fall - but not careful enough. He trips and
tumble down a sandy hill, getting back to his feet at the base.

Joe runs limping through the desert, panting heavily, wheezing

- half-blinded by the blood in his eye. He does this for a
while, until--

His leg gets caught on a CACTUS. He SCREAMS. Joe pulls out the
masked man’s smartphone and turns on the FLASHLIGHT to reveal
that he is standing at the beginning of a dense (and vast)
cluster of cacti. He aims the flashlight at his leg: his THIGH
is riddled with cactus thorns.

Joe retreats to run around the cacti. Just as he fully rounds

the cactus field and resumes running straight ahead, the
silhouette of a TRUCK appears atop the hill crest in the b.g.

Joe turns off the phone’s flashlight, limping desperately.

The truck reverses a bit (to correct its trajectory) and then
continues forward, its suspension jostling as it trundles
messily down the incline.
 134.

The truck reaches the base of the hill and picks up immediate
speed, its engine being pushed.

Joe looks back to see that the truck is accelerating mightily.

It bounces brutally over the rough terrain, gaining ground.

A muzzleflash suddenly appears in the distance, to Joe’s

side. The bullet kicks up dust near Joe.

Suddenly the truck (behind Joe) BLASTS through a giant cactus

bush, which explodes on impact, and the truck rides up onto
the vast tangle of cacti. The tires get caught, riddled now
with giant cactus thorns, and the truck finds itself suspended
atop the cacti. The driver leans on the gas, but the tires
spin impotently. The driver tries to go in reverse, but no
luck. The tires, two of which have blown, roll hopelessly
without traction. The truck is STUCK.

The HEADLIGHTS TURN ON, illuminating the cacti beneath the

truck and the desert ahead. Joe, running away in the
distance, is faintly visible.

The driver door opens (there is now no passenger), and a

MUSCULAR MASKED MAN - wearing all black, like the thin man -
leans out, propping himself up with one foot on the door’s
storage compartment. He hoists up a SEMI-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT
RIFLE, takes aim, and fires a rapid succession of rounds at the
fleeing figure of Joe. Orange muzzleflash strobes the desert.

Joe runs limping with total abandon (we track laterally with
him). A hailstorm of bullets kick up dirt all around, chewing
away at the surrounding earth. (Two more shots are also fired
from the sniper to the side.) None of the rounds impact Joe.
After a sustained onslaught, the bullets cease. Joe keeps
running, panting, crying - nerves shredded. We hold on this
desperate running for a prolonged beat.

The Masked Man, meanwhile, stands on the perch of his truck,

looking down at the web of cacti surrounding him. Wrestling
with whether or not to jump into it.

EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT

Brian ambles along the ghostly Main Street. He slows down at

the street leading to the police station, which has been TAPED
OFF. Nobody there.

Brian continues onward.

Brian arrive at a BENCH. He takes a pack of WIPES out of his

pocket, and proceeds to wipe down one end of the bench.

Brian then lies down on the bench, resting his head on the
end of the bench that he just sanitized.
 135.

Brian closes his eyes. Hold for a beat. A SOUND gets his
attention. His eyes open. He sits up.

It’s the sound of someone panting in the distance.

Brian turns in the direction of the sound. Moments later, at

the end of the street, JOE LIMPS INTO VIEW, drenched in sweat.
Half of his torso and pants are covered in the blood from his
head wound, to which he holds one hand. He drags himself along
the intersection, not noticing Brian. He continues out of view.

INT. PHARMACY - MOMENTS LATER

Joe arrives at the glass door of a pitiful pharmacy. He aims

his gun and FIRES at the base of the glass. It shatters.

Joe limps through the demolished door, delirious. One side of

his face is completely caked in blood. His eye sealed shut.

Seconds later, Joe - guzzling bottled water - finds RUBBING

ALCOHOL, opens it, and pours it onto his head. He SCREAMS.

Joe then finds a NEEDLE and THREAD (and Neosporin). Goes to a

standing mirror. He tilts his head toward the mirror and
takes in his ugly head wound for the first time. He then
raises the threaded needle to his head - preparing to stitch.

EXT. MAIN STREET - MOMENTS LATER

Brian is still alert on the bench.

A SHRILL WAIL OF AGONY emanates from within the pharmacy,

reverberating powerfully. Brian, blood curdled, stands at
frightened attention.

EXT. PHARMACY - MINUTES LATER

Joe - his head wound ineptly stitched up (truly ugly work) and
glistening with Neosporin - swings out of the front door,
looking both ways. Both sides of the street are empty.

Joe limps madly away. He has washed the blood off of his
face, but his torso remains caked in blood.

Joe is moving swiftly toward a GUN SHOP whose door and windows
have been BOARDED UP. As he limps across the street, MACHINE
GUN MUZZLEFLASH flares faintly in the extreme distance (veiled
by the darkness of the surrounding desert - from the south
side), followed by a slightly delayed tock-tock-tock-tock, and
then four bullets loudly chew the pavement. One bullet skips
off the ground and pings into the body of a parked car.

Joe fires his gun twice in the direction of the muzzlefash as

he runs. His breathing is starting to strain. His asthma
being triggered.
 136.

Joe arrives at the gun shop and desperately pulls at the PLYWOOD
covering the door. It takes a few harsh pulls, but Joe finally
TEARS the plywood off, and lifts it to throw it away. But before
he’s able to throw, a bullet PEGS it, exploding a hole through
the wood and knocking it dramatically out of Joe’s hands.

Joe fires his gun at the source of the muzzleflash, turns the
gun to the glass door and fires once - not quite shattering it
- and pulls the trigger again, but the gun clicks - EMPTY. He
kicks at the cracked glass door - folding the sheet out of its
frame and into the shop - and he then ducks under the
horizontal pull-handle to desperately enter.

INT. GUN SHOP - CONTINUOUS

Joe runs to the back of the store, where all of the LARGE
RIFLES are displayed. He hastily pulls an AK-47 off the wall,
trying to figure out what to do regarding ammunition.

He then moves to another gun, still gripping the AK.

EXT. STREET - MINUTES LATER

The street outside the gun shop. It’s quiet. Empty. Wind blows.

Suddenly Joe emerges manically from the shattered door, holding

a .338 NORMA MAGNUM MACHINE GUN. He has a full bandolier
(ammunition belt) strung slash-style over his shoulder.
Immediately upon exiting, Joe FIRES EXTREMELY LOUD ROUNDS into
the black desert beyond the town - the source of the
muzzleflash minutes ago. Joe then spins around to the other
side of the street and indiscriminately FIRES MANIC ROUNDS in
that direction.

Joe runs to the Main Street, where Brian’s bench rests. Brian is
now gone. An extremely paranoid Joe runs down the street, aiming
the gun in every direction. He comes up on the INTERSECTION down
the street of the police station. As he arrives, he aims his gun
at the north side of the street (opposite the sheriff’s office),
having heard the CROW of a bird. Then--

LAKOTA (O.S.)
HEY!!

Startled by this, Joe FIRES THE MACHINE GUN, spinning around,

riddling every storefront on the way with massive bullets...

INT. APARTMENT - SAME TIME

An apartment bedroom. Bullets shred the walls to ribbons.

A person - asleep in bed, his back turned to us - is struck

by three bullets. He is blasted apart.
 137.

EXT. MAIN STREET - SAME TIME

Joe finishes spinning around, still firing the immense gun.

Having turned 180 degrees, he fires unknowingly at Lakota.
Two rounds HIT LAKOTA IN THE LEG - one in the ankle, blowing
off his foot (which hangs by a visceral thread), and the
other in his thigh.

Lakota hits the pavement, screaming.

JOE
OH MY GOD!

Joe runs to Lakota, horrified.

JOE (CONT’D)
No! Lakota! I’m sorry! I didn’t!

As Joe arrives at Lakota, who is writhing in hysterical pain,

two distant GUNSHOTS are heard, followed by one bullet
hitting the pavement and then a second bullet striking the
top of Lakota’s crown, EXPLODING his head into a flap.

Joe spins to the source of the gunshot. He then sees a

single, distant MUZZLEFLASH (again, from the darkness of the
north side), followed by an echoey whump. A bullet impacts
the muzzle of Joe’s massive gun with a metallic ting (a
blinding SPARK flashes), sending vibrations through Joe’s
body and almost knocking him to the ground.

Then: ANOTHER BULLET (from a different source) hits the wall

beside Joe’s head, kicking plaster into his eyes.

In panicked response, Joe FIRES HIS MACHINE GUN at the

blackness of the desert, and RUNS in terrified retreat. Distant
muzzleflashes (from one direction, then another) send returning
fire: individual rounds that each come frighteningly close to
hitting Joe, eating at the pavement and sidewalk.

Joe, arriving at the end of the street, swiftly rounds the

corner - now safely out of sight. He leans against a building,
catching his breath. Deranged. He looks down to see that his
pant leg is covered in Lakota’s BRAIN MATTER. He kicks it off.

Joe looks up. Takes stock. He’s at the end of the business
sector. To his left and right: the backs of the stores
continue for a couple blocks either way (only on one side).
Beyond the other side of the street, ahead of him: dark
desert and a modest collection of semi-isolated houses.

Joe stands, searching the desert with manic eyes. Trying to

devise a plan.

His eyes settle on a SMALL ADOBE HOUSE about 400 feet ahead.
After a moment’s deliberation, he MAKES A BREAK for it. The
machine gun and bandolier RATTLE as he runs.
 138.

Joe arrives at the house and runs up the steps...

INT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

The door SWINGS OPEN and Joe begins to enter, when --

A SHOTGUN BLAST explodes the doorframe into splinters. Excess

shotgun-pellets pock Joe’s face and arm. He drops the machine
gun.

The shooter was a 65 YEAR OLD MAN. Seeing that Joe is the
intruder, he immediately lowers his shotgun.

65 YEAR OLD MAN

Sheriff, I’m sorry!

But Joe, startled deeper into panic, has picked up his

machine gun and runs desperately past the man. The giant gun,
now held horizontally (extending the width of the room),
drives into the old man as Joe runs. The old man is propelled
brutally onto his back.

Joe cannot slow down for him.

JOE
I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You okay??

Joe gets to the front door, quickly PULLS IT OPEN -

EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

- and he runs out onto the porch to rush down the porch steps.
He TRIPS over his own foot and TUMBLES to the ground, dropping
the gun. He then desperately CRAWLS to retrieve it.

Joe rises, aiming the gun. He scans desperately but

carefully. Where are they??

Joe starts backpedaling, looking around, pointing the gun

(which is obviously weighing on him) in all directions. He is
now having an asthma attack.

Suddenly he SEES SOMEONE RUNNING in the distance - from behind

one house to another. Joe laboriously aims the machine gun and
FIRES at the running target, who disappears behind the next
house. Joe doesn’t cease firing. He riddles the house with
bullets, continuing to fire in the presumed direction of the
runner, UNTIL--

The gun CLICKS. He’s fresh out of ammunition. Joe’s eyes

bulge and he THROWS the gun, now panicking. He looks around
the desert, feeling utterly exposed.

Joe starts to retreat back toward the Main Street, eyes

darting around (but mostly fixed to the house behind which
the running figure disappeared).
 139.

Suddenly Joe hears distant RUNNING - boots against gravel -

coming from the opposite side of Joe’s attention. Joe TURNS,
but before he can see the source of the running sound, A BULLET
KICKS UP DUST AT HIS FEET. Joe staggers, looking up to see the
MUSCULAR MASKED MAN running toward him, aiming a PISTOL.

Joe SCREAMS and the masked man fires another gunshot, again
just barely missing Joe.

Suddenly TWO BULLETS impact the earth by the masked man’s feet.
He’s being fired at by somebody in the distance (to his side).
The Masked Man turns to his right, still running, to see the 65
YEAR OLD MAN on his PORCH, aiming a rifle. The Old Man fires
one more missed shot before the Masked Man unloads his pistol
in the direction of the man. Five bullets miss, hitting the
porch, its balancing beams and roof, but one bullet STRIKES the
Old Man - directly in his STOMACH. He SQUEALS HORRIBLY,
doubling back.

The Masked Man, now closer to a paralyzed Joe (but still a

couple hundred feet away), aims his gun and pulls the trigger
- but it CLICKS. Empty.

The Masked Man drops the gun and swiftly reaches for his hip
to PULL A HUNTING KNIFE.

Joe starts to stagger backwards.

JOE
No no no, wait wait wait...!

The Masked Man swings the knife upward, poised to stab. He

arrives at a terrified Joe and SWIFTLY BRINGS THE KNIFE DOWN
ONTO JOE’S HEAD - landing with a deep grunt from Joe. The
blade lodges into the skull, not having gone very deep.

The Masked Man YANKS back the knife, brutally dislodging the
blade, and he SWINGS IT BACK DOWN INTO JOE’S TEMPLE. The Masked
Man releases the knife handle and lets Joe stumble backward,
moaning stupidly like a lobotomized cow. He falls onto his back.

Suddenly a GUNSHOT is heard in the distance, and a BULLET

hits a building just behind the Masked Man.

The Masked Man turns to see the source of the gunshot. It’s
BRIAN, standing beside the house that the figure hid behind,
but now about a 100 ft in front of it. He looks terrified as
he trains a PISTOL on the Masked Man while also training his
smartphone camera on his aimed pistol (the video resembles a
first-person shooter game). He FIRES again.

The bullet misses. The Masked Man wobbles into a defensive

stance. Brian jogs forward, FIRING his gun again. And again.
And again. (We see this from the POV of Brian’s video.)
 140.

The Masked Man desperately reaches for his belt. Brian keeps
firing his pistol over and over - HITTING THE MASKED MAN IN
THE CHEST OF HIS BULLET-PROOF VEST, THEN IN THE KNEE, IN THE
CROTCH, and finally IN THE FACE (which basically explodes).
He lands on his back, DEAD.

Brian is afraid to accept that the man is dead. He fires the gun
at the prostrate corpse three more times until the weapon has
been emptied. (He is still recording everything on his phone.)

Brian limps over to the Masked Man’s corpse to find that the top
half of his face has truly been obliterated, but his mask
somehow remains intact. It rests relatively cleanly on top of a
puddle of brain and skull.

The masked man’s neck, hands and forearms (all skin not
obscured by black clothing) are covered in TATTOOS. Notable
among them: the letters NWO crossed-out, and a Freemason
symbol. Under the man’s black over-shirt is a BULLET-PROOF
VEST, and poking out from under that: a Hawaiian shirt.

Brian then remembers Joe! He lies on the pavement several

feet away. The knife still lodged in his head.

BRIAN
Oh my God! Sheriff!

Brian runs over to him. Joe’s mouth is agape and he is

letting out a flat, protracted exhale. Brian leans down,
putting his ear to his mouth. Joe’s exhale sounds almost like
the inside of an industrial freezer. Brian sits up to inspect
his eyes. They are open but blank.

BRIAN (CONT’D)
Sheriff! Oh my God! I saved you!

In the BG, gumball lights approach (accompanied by distant

sirens).

EXT. AMBULANCE (MOVING) - NIGHT

Joe is in the back of an ambulance, joined by a PARAMEDIC who

tends to his head wound. Joe wears a face mask (identical to
the paramedic’s).

EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Joe is wheeled to the front of the extremely drab HOSPITAL. A

white-coated GUARD (double-masked and wearing a face shield)
stands at the front door. He reads Joe’s temperature with a
no-touch, infrared thermometer.

GUARD
One-oh-one!
(shaking head, shooing away)
Go ‘round!
 141.

Joe is carted away.

FADE TO BLACK

Hold on black, then:

A TIK-TOK VIDEO BEGINS PLAYING. The aspect ratio PHONE-SHAPED.

It is a heavily edited video of BRIAN, now six months older,

taking a road trip. It begins in JACKSONVILLE, FL, where he now
seems to live - with a GIRLFRIEND (whom we haven’t seen). The
following footage comprises the video...

- Brian and girlfriend packing up their car with luggage.

- They drive across the state line (oncoming highway sign

swings to selfie, wielded by girlfriend).

- They are stopped by the side of the highway to dance in

falling snow.

- They kiss while sitting beside a desert fire at night. A

heart emoji dances on the screen.

- Brian’s phone gets an incoming call: his DAD. Brian ignores

it and laughs.

- A TEXT on Brian’s phone: Dad again. It reads “please call

your mother. please. she is devastated.” A crying emoji
dances over this.

- Driving, Brian and girlfriend cross the EDDINGTON county line.

- Brian drives past his parents’ house, waving “goodbye”

callously. He is obviously not stopping here.

- Now driving past a giant development in the process of

being built in the middle of the desert. A server compound?

- Main Street. Most of the stores are now permanently shuttered.

Brian steps out of his car. The ANTIQUE STORE OWNER (John) walks
up to Brian to shake his hand. As his outfit makes apparent, he
is the new sheriff.

ANTIQUE STORE OWNER/SHERIFF

(to camera)
This boy’s a hero, you know that?

GIRLFRIEND (O.S.)
(from behind camera)
Oh I know!

- We zoom into the window of GARCIA’S SALOON to see that it is

now manned by Warren and Michael, both of whom stare daggers at
us.
 142.

Caption: “New Management!!!” Our camera swings up to a banner:

“GRAND REOPENING.” Dancing font appears below that: “RIP, Eric
and Ted!”

- Brian walks up to the Mayor’s Office. DAWN emerges to wheel

out JOE, who is consigned to a wheelchair. He is now
PARALYZED, mouth twisted into an unsightly contortion. Brian
bends down to hug him.

EXT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE - SAME TIME

Now a wide, objective view of Brian being greeted by Dawn and

Joe while his girlfriend films it. A SPEAKER outside plays
Dawn’s voice.

DAWN (V.O.)
Ever heard the name Jonas Salk?
Inventor a the polio vaccine? Jonas
Salk and Bill Gates: both born October
28, both Scorpios! The stinger! And
again, Elvis got the polio vaccine on
live TV October 28, 1956. That’s
interestin ‘cause it was ‘zactly 42
weeks after his own birthday, it was
Jonas Salk's 42nd birthday, and again
it was Bill Gates’ first birthday, who
now sits across the street from the
Space Needle in the 42nd state! 42!
And it's no accident that the Covid
vaccine went live in this nation on
December 14, the 42nd day of Bill
Gates’ age. This is Gematria. Numbers
to words. ‘S a science. And the word
vaccine? Equals 42. So again, on Jonas
Salk's 42nd birthday, on Bill Gates’
first birthday, 42 weeks after Elvis'
birthday -- and who remembers what age
Elvis died at?! 42!

Dawn, pushing Joe’s wheelchair, leads Brian into the

building. The girlfriend films a sign on the door: “Mandates
Will NOT Be Enforced”

We shift to SOMEONE’S POV a small distance away, watching

Dawn and Joe and Brian enter the building.

We reveal this to be MICHAEL’s point-of-view. He stands at

the entrance of Garcia’s, wearing a Garcia’s T-shirt. His
eyes are hard. He is different.

Behind him, inside, Warren seems to be overseeing a small

Town Council meeting at the counter. A modest shrine for Ted
and Eric looms above the bar.
 143.

INT. MAYOR’S OFFICE - DAY

Joe sits behind a large desk. Dawn sits beside him. Two framed
news articles on the wall behind them (only attentive viewers
will notice): “Sheriff Joe Cross found Not Guilty on all counts
in Eddington trial.” “Joe Cross launching initiative to combat
'lies' from powerful media outlets, names those he may sue.”

Sitting opposite them is Brian. Behind him stands the

girlfriend, who films their interaction on her phone.

DAWN
It’s not comin, it’s here. And we can
either USE it to lift us up and join
the world, OR we can watch helpless in
the rear view while the Tech Boom
bulldozes through. But I tell ya, if we
do it right: it WILL improve things -
telehealth, remote learnin - and with
this deal? We’re in the driver seat!

Brian nods for a while, and then turns to the girlfriend.

BRIAN
Was that too long? Will that fit?

GIRLFRIEND
It’ll just fit.

DAWN
You’re gonna post that by itself?

GIRLFRIEND
And we’ll prob’ly cut in video from
the protest and the attack, on
account a the 6 month anniversary.

DAWN
And so what ya just filmed -
that’ll get millions a people?

BRIAN
Oh, well, the one of me savin the
sheriff was a one-off. That got like
30 million.

GIRLFRIEND
But he’s got hundreds a thousands a
followers.

BRIAN
One video a few days back got
113,000 views.

DAWN
Golly!
 144.

BRIAN
Wanna go another one?

The girlfriend aims the phone and starts recording again.

BRIAN (CONT’D)
Let’s go back to your vaccine policies.

DAWN
Well, here’s your first problem: the
very people that made this virus,
they’re now givin you the cure.

Brian nods.

DAWN (CONT’D)
See, you’re noddin, but d’you know
what you agree with? We got no notion
a what this potion’ll do to us, but
there’s people - doctors, scientists -
that say the vaccine in your blood is
a dormant virus that waits in your
system, mutates your DNA, and will
suddenly make you sick when it’s been
long enough that you won’t ever ask
the question. And so when you GET the
virus, the virus you injected into
your own precious body that was
HEALTHY before, you’ll be sayin “thank
goodness I got that jab! It woulda
been SO much worse!”

Brian’s phone, resting in the desk, starts VIBRATING. It’s

his MOM. He discreetly turns it over.

DAWN (CONT’D)
It’s government-sanctioned, government-
run population control on a mass, mass
level. And it burdens my heart.

INT. RESTROOM - MINUTES LATER

Brian enters to go to the urinal. As he pees, he pulls out

his phone and finds a VOICEMAIL from “Mom.” He listens to it.

BRIAN’S MOM (V.O.)

Brian? Baby? We heard you’re in town.
Are you here, Brina? Please come back,
Brian. We was wrong. We didn’t see what
you was doin. Please come home. We miss
you, Brian. We’re sorry. We know now.
We’re so proud a you and we just wanna
be in your life. Your daddy can’t get
outta bed. He can’t eat. I can’t eat.
Please come back to us, Brian. Please
come back to your family, Brian.
 145.

EXT. MAYOR’S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON

The end of the day.

Dawn wheels Joe out of the building and toward a WHEELCHAIR-

ACCESSIBLE VAN.

EXT. DESERT - LATE AFTERNOON

Dawn drives the van up a dirt hill, arriving finally at a

MASSIVE, LAVISH HOUSE - only 1/3 built (the rest still under
construction). If it isn’t yet a mansion, it certainly will be.
A few masked workers are wrapping up a day’s work.

Dawn’s van parks in front of this, their new home.

INT. MASSIVE HOUSE - MINUTES LATER

The door opens and Dawn wheels Joe inside.

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING

An extremely large, renovated kitchen. One unfinished wall is

covered in tarp.

Dawn has positioned Joe in front of her laptop, which is

displayed atop the kitchen island. The are watching Brian’s
TIK-TOK VIDEO in which she expounds upon the dangers of the
vaccine. It already has over 3,000 likes.

DAWN (V.O.)
They wanna Build Back Better, ain’t you
heard? Plannin to knock the world
population down from 8 billion to a
manageable 500 mill. Get rid a the
“Wasteful Eaters”! That’s what they
call you!

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Dawn feeds Joe his dinner, while intermittently taking bites

of her own. A TV plays in the BG.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Seen from a respectful distance (at the end of a hall), Dawn

helps Joe use the toilet. This is visible through the
bathroom’s open door.

INT. BATHROOM - LATER

Dawn is now giving Joe a bath. She recounts an anecdote from

her day.
 146.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Joe, now in pajamas, sits in his wheelchair, a blanket draped

over his lap. He is facing a 90 inch TV, which plays John
Ford’s Young Mr Lincoln.

Dawn sits on the couch, laptop propped on her lap. She’s

currently searching Reddit. She exits a thread about seed
oils to browse another page.

After a moment, Dawn GASPS.

She has found an anti-government group - THE KNIGHTHOOD -

whose mascot is ONE OF LOUISE’S DOLLS. It wears the group’s
UNIFORM and INSIGNIA.

After a long silence, Dawn starts desperately searching for

more. She finally comes to an INVITATION TO A RALLY whose
main image is, once again, Louise’s doll. This is evidently
the group’s identifying image.

Dawn is audibly distraught. Joe, whose chair is turned away

from her, tries to look over, but is unable to move his head.

LATER

Dawn sits with Joe at a desk. They are both watching a VIDEO
on the laptop.

THE VIDEO: a RALLY taking place in a public park. On stage is

VERNON, who wears a mask and speaks with a voice distorter. It
is clear that it is him based on his TATTOOS. He makes an
impassioned speech at a microphone, preaching with intense
charisma. (Behind him is a GIANT, INFLATABLE VERSION OF ONE OF
LOUISE’S DOLLS, as well as TWO GIANT EMBROIDERED SIGNS, also
made by Louise. One reads “This Is Not A Game”, featuring
guerilla attackers climbing a beaten-and-bloody Illuminati
pyramid, and the other reads “Future Proves Past.”)

VERNON
And as a great man once said: evil is
powerless if the good are unafraid. We
are headed into the storm of all
storms, my friends, and we must fight
for our Authentic Freedom, and by God
we must LIVE. We must fortify
ourselves in Christ, and with the Holy
Spirit as our shield and Christ as our
sword - a sword we draw from the
sheath of our forefathers’ glory - may
we JOIN Saint Michael and all his
angels in defending God and sending
Lucifer and his henchmen straight-
right back to HELL where they belong!
 147.

The video cuts away to a few of the people sitting behind

Vernon. One is Nicolette, whom we met earlier. Another is an
obese man in a red bow-tie. The next is LOUISE. She looks
totally different. She has several tattoos on her arms, one
tattoo across her chest, and her hair is dyed. She is pregnant.

The video cuts away from Louise, and Dawn quickly rewinds it
to PAUSE on Louise’s image.

Joe and Dawn gaze upon this, utterly shocked. Their eyes well
with tears. Dawn suddenly becomes overwhelmed and SLAMS the
laptop shut. She makes an involuntary noise of distress.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Dawn, now in her nightgown, places Joe into a king-size bed -

with the assistance of hospital-grade equipment. He lies on his
back.

Once he is tucked in, Dawn crosses to the other side of the bed
and climbs into the same bed. She TURNS OFF THE LAMP - dropping
the room into darkness, save for the eerie moonlight.

Dawn curls up next to Joe. She rests her head near his. She
tenderly lays her hand on his chest.

Silence.

DAWN
G’night.