by Peter Ackers
DISSOLVE TO:
insert:
sat nav reading: “you have arrived at your destination.”
REVEAL:
EXT. estate, street #2 - NIGHT
Nick is on the bike, stopped. WE SEE that he’s outside a small restaurant: BALTI WORLD.
flashback:
The same sign, seen from under a blindfold.
BACK TO SCENE
This is the place he saw seemingly so long ago. It’s busy inside. He checks the time on his new watch.
insert:
watch
11.27
He jams the helmet on. He moves away on the bike, slowly.
EXT. estate, street #3 - NIGHT
Still cruising slowly, Nick passes an OLD PROSTITUTE who says something to him, but we don’t catch it because of the bike’s engine NOISE. She stands on a corner, awaiting trade. Nick turns the corner, out of sight.
EXT. estate, alleyway - NIGHT
Nick rides into a dingy alleyway and parks. The alleyway is dim, deserted, trash-filled. Nick climbs off the bike, removes his helmet. He seems to stop to think. He looks around the littered alleyway, finally bending to pick up a discarded Pepsi cup.
CUT TO:
Nick is laying under his bike, using the Pepsi cup to catch oil draining from the engine. The oil stops flowing, empty.
EXT. estate, street #3 - NIGHT
Walking, Nick approaches the Old Prostitute. She’s standing right where we left her. He stops some thirty metres away as a CAR CRUISES BY and beats him there. The Prostitute talks to the driver, and then she climbs in. The car moves off, taking the corner.
Nick runs after it. He takes the corner, onto. . .
EXT. estate, street #4 - NIGHT
A darker street, not so many houses. The car drives a short distance and pulls into a dark spot by the recessed gates of some business. Nick hangs back, hiding where he can. He leans against a wall, knowing he has a wait.
LATER
The Old Prostitute exits the car, flips the driver the bird as he drives away. She straightens her clothing and stands there, awaiting the next customer. Nick approaches, holding his Pepsi cup of oil as if it’s actually got Pepsi in it.
She sees him and gives a smile. She has black lipstick, Nick notices. One of Eli’s girls.
old prostitute
Hi, honey. Looking for a good time? I don’t kiss, by the way.
nick
That seems to be a theme.
Before another word can be said, Nick throws the engine oil on her. Hair, face, clothing, all covered. Then Nick is running away, followed by the Old Prostitute’s CURSES.
Nick hides around the corner. He watches. The Old Prostitute doesn’t give chase. She tries to clean herself, but this is oil, and it’s a lost cause. Eventually, she crosses the road, heading somewhere, and Nick follows.