NAILED: The Truth Hurts
Page 8
BETTY
What the fu - Richard?
Richard’s car swerves and spins around to face Harry’s car.
Harry and Trey face the car.
TREY
Who’s that?
HARRY
Oh my God…
They all stand still, looking back and forth at one another.
INSIDE RICHARD’S CAR:
Richard can hardly see straight. He’s drunk. He’s furious.
His eyes are flooded with rage, and he glares through the windshield at Harry.
OUT IN THE PARKING LOT:
Richard’s car bursts forward, the wheels spinning furiously, rampaging towards Harry’s car.
TREY
Shit!
Trey pushes Harry out of the way and they fly off to the side, crashing onto the pavement.
Richard’s car does not stop. It carries forward and crashes at full speed into Harry’s car.
The two cars collide into a whirlwind wreck of broken glass and metal pieces, meshing together and tumbling onward into the ditch. The sound of screeching wheels and tearing metal pierces the night, jolting everyone in the area.
Betty races forward.
BETTY
Richard! Richard!
Harry gets up and runs to the car.
HARRY
Richard!
Together, Harry and Betty open the driver’s door and help Richard as he stumbles out of the car.
BETTY
Richard, why did you do this?
Richard moans. His head is bleeding.
They drag him up and out of the ditch lay him carefully on the parking lot.
BETTY
What the hell are you doing?
HARRY
Baby wake up!
Betty looks at Harry, her head cocked to the side and an eyebrow raised.
BETTY
Who the fuck are you?!
Trey stands and looks at Lilly, who has not left where she was standing. He walks forward to her.
TREY
That’s your fiancé?
LILLY
Did you even see that crash?
Are they okay?
Richard awakens and fights both Harry and Betty off of him. He stands dizzily to his feet.
TREY
(looking at Richard)
Holy shit!
LILLY
Do you know him?
TREY
That’s my boss!
Betty wraps Richard’s arm around her shoulder and helps him stand..
BETTY
Richard I can’t take you like this anymore!
Harry hesitates.
HARRY
Are you going to tell her Richard or should I?
Lilly hears this.
LILLY
Oh my God. That’s him.
TREY
Who’s him?
HARRY
(to Betty)
Me and your husband -
we’re in love!
LILLY
Oh shit, Harry, no…
Betty looks back and forth between Harry and Richard.
Harry keeps his eyes on Richard, and he watches him in a desperate, begging way.
HARRY
Richard…
But Richard is getting angrier. His blood pumps harder as he looks upon Harry. His fists clench, and everything he sees becomes covered in a shade of red.
HARRY
I do still love you!
Richard throws Betty away from him and charges forward at Harry.
RICHARD
Shut up!
Betty stumbles backwards, but her feet can’t keep up with the momentum that Richard gave her, and so she lands on the pavement near her car. She sees the board with nails next to her busted car tire.
RICHARD
You son of a bitch!
Richard tackles Harry down to the ground, wraps his hands around his throat, and begins choking him.
LILLY
Harry!
Trey and Lilly race forward.
Lilly grabs Richard’s hair and pulls at him, but he whacks her hands away from him and then punches her in the stomach.
Trey catches Lilly as she falls. She cannot breathe.
Harry gasps for air.
HARRY
(wheezing)
Baby please!
And Harry looks into the face of the man that he loves.
Richard keeps one hand around Harry’s throat, and he raises the other into a tight fist and swings it down across Harry’s face, bludgeoning him. Harry bleeds from his mouth and broken jaw, and Richard’s knuckles are stained with this blood.
Lilly finally catches her breath and breathes deep. She sees Harry lying still on the pavement.
LILLY
Oh God!
Trey tries to hold her back, but she pushes him off her and runs back towards Harry.
Richard sees her and stands up, and when she reaches him he grabs her by the throat.
TREY
Let her go!
Trey is running forward to the fight.
But before he reaches them…
Betty races to Richard from around her car, carrying the board with nails. She screams madly and swings it!
Richard freezes. His eyes are wide and his mouth opens, but he is silent.
Betty begins screaming as she backs away from him.
Lilly releases herself from Richard’s grip and rubs her throat, catching her breath.
Trey stands still, staring at it all with his mouth hanging open.
Richard stands in the middle of all of them. The board with nails is now lodged into the back of his head. His eyes roll back and he falls to his knees.
Richard falls forward, face down, dead.
They all look quietly upon the mess.
BETTY
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
She looks around frantically, her head spinning and thoughts racing, and then she walks forward to Lilly.
BETTY
Give me your keys!
LILLY
What?
Betty slaps Lilly across her face, stunning her, and holds her arm.
BETTY
Give me your fucking car keys!
Lilly hurriedly hands her the keys.
Betty presses the button on the keys, and Lilly’s car lights up as it unlocks. She sprints to the car. She takes a last look at her husband’s dead body, and then she jumps inside and slams the door shut.
The engine starts.
Betty races Lilly’s car out of the motel parking lot and then speeds away down the highway and into the rainy night.
Trey and Lilly stand still.
Harry coughs up blood and begins wheezing.
Lilly kneels next to him and holds his head in her lap.
LILLY
Harry… I’m sorry.
Trey kneels next to Lilly. He looks up and sees motel guests standing outside their rooms, watching the horror. One of them is on a cell phone.
Then, in the distance the sound of police sirens approaches. Blue and red lights come flying down the highway towards the motel.
Trey and Lilly see the police lights, and then they look at each other.
LILLY
Should we leave?
Trey shakes his head.
TREY
Someone’s gotta tell the truth… for once.
Lilly looks down at Harry, and she starts crying.
Trey holds her face up and looks into her eyes.
TREY
Lilly… it’ll be okay.
He holds her hand.
TREY
It’ll be okay.
Lilly nods.
XVII
“NAILED”
AT THE END OF THE NIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT OF MOTEL 9:
Sheriff Jackson glares forward at Lilly and Trey. Behind him is the dead body of Richard covered by the black sheet.
SHERIFF JACKSON
So that’s it huh?
Trey
and Lilly nod.
Sheriff Jackson spits. He smiles, though it is an awkward, forced smile.
SHERIFF JACKSON
Thank you.
He walks away from them.
The Deputy approaches him and they walk together back towards the Sheriff’s police car.
DEPUTY
Other witnesses confirm their story.
It was the wife that nailed him.
What do we do with the other two?
SHERIFF JACKSON
What we ought’a do with ‘em…
(pause)
Take ‘em to the station so they
can give their statements.
(pause)
Any word on the wife?
The Deputy shakes his head.
SHERIFF JACKSON
Eh, we’ll get her.
What about that other guy? He live?
DEPUTY
Paramedics just radioed us. He made it
to the hospital alive. He’ll make it.
Sheriff Jackson opens the door to his squad car.
SHERIFF JACKSON
Well alright then.
DEPUTY
Why do you think she did it?
The wife? Why’d she kill him?
Did she just snap?
SHERIFF JACKSON
Who knows?
Probably.
(pause)
People are messed up, kid.
You learn that after a while.
He gets into his car and lights a cigarette.
The Deputy looks back at the dead body.
Trey and Lilly don’t speak. They lean against the motel wall, and both of them look down at the ground.
And the rain keeps pouring…
MEANWHILE, OUT IN A GRAVEYARD NEAR THE EDGE OF TOWN:
Sam sits alone under a tree. Rain pours over the empty graveyard.
He stares forward, seemingly sad.
SAM
I almost killed myself tonight.
He puts his hand in his pocket and is surprised to find the note he had written earlier. He stares at it. That would’ve been the last message he’d ever given…
… but it won’t be now. He tears it to shreds and tosses it on the dirt.
Slowly, his expression shows happiness.
SAM
Almost.
FADE OUT.