Logic

A scruffy, longhaired girl about eighteen, Stephanie, is driving. Her music is blaring loud and she's kind of jiving to it as she drives along. She glances at the clock. It's fifteen past eight.

STEPHANIE

Shit.

She speeds up.

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - EVENING

The car goes zooming past the camera. It goes around a large turn in the road and we can hear the tires SKIDDING.

INT. CAR - EVENING

STEPHANIE'S POV:

Suddenly, a car coming from the opposing line of traffic swerves into her lane.

STEPHANIE

What the...What the hell is this guy doin'?!

Stephanie swerves to miss the other car and ends up swerving off the road. The end result is just out of view but we hear the sound of the car's horn BLARING continually.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. SHANNON'S LIVINGROOM - NIGHT

Car horn BLARING turns into a French horn BLARING loud on a similar note. Playing the horn is a pretty, red-headed, girl in her early 20s named CARRIE. The Camera pulls back to reveal a small band gathered in a living room with furniture pushed to the sides to create a stage area. There's GARRET, a British guy on guitar, MARCIE, holding a mic as lead singer, and SHANNON sitting on the couch (drums). They're playing some song they've made up, and somewhat poorly too. They finish within a minute of the scene opening.

MARCIE

(with a sigh)

Well I think that's good for that one.

GARRET

I think it's sounding better.

CARRIE

(with a scowl)

You're obviously tone deaf.

MARCIE

Now, Carrie, be nice. It's a new one-it'll take awhile before it sounds good.

Carrie mouths the words "Tone Deaf" to Shannon. Shannon puts a hand to her mouth to cover a silent giggle.

GARRET

(oblivious)

Shannon I think your clock has stopped working.

Shannon looks at the clock on the wall. It's showing 15 past 8.

GARRET

It's got to be at least 9 by now...

SHANNON

Battery must have gone dead. Here let me check my cell phone.

Shannon takes her cell phone out of her pocket and opens it.

SHANNON

Well...that's funny. I know I checked the time on this thing earlier. It's showing the same as the clock-8:15.

CARRIE

Wooooo, spooky.

(She laughs.)

MARCIE

That's not funny. You know they say clocks stop when something terrible has happened. I think someone we know has died.

CARRIE

That has got to be the most illogical thing I've ever heard. Marcie, people are dying left and right every fucking day. If the clock stopped every time somebody croaked then it'd never work at all.

SHANNON

Well it's a bitch if the clocks aren't working. I've got to be to work at 9.

GARRET

Then we'd better call it a night because I'm telling you that thing said 8:15 over a half hour ago.

MARCIE

He's got a point. We'll call this a wrap and go. I'm spooked now.

CARRIE

Spooked Shannon's clock gremlin is going to eat you?

MARCIE

Carrie, you can just shut the hell up with your cynicism.

CARRIE

Sheese, I was kidding. Why are you always such a square about things?

Carrie feels down beside the couch for the case and puts the horn in it. She then reaches for a retraceable cane in front under her feet and flicks it out. She stands.

MARCIE

I'm not a square. Just because something isn't logical to you doesn't mean it can't be real. You just refuse to believe beyond what you see. Not everyone is as close minded.

CARRIE

Beyond what I see?

(while shaking the cane at her)

And just what do I see Marcie?

Marcie stars at her dumbfounded for a moment unsure what to say.

MARCIE

I...I didn't mean it offensively... I wasn't thinking-

CARRIE

(laughing)

Oh really, Marcie, it's fine. I find it amusing you calling out a blind person for not being able to believe beyond what they see.

Carrie clasps Marcie on the shoulder.

Garret and Shannon are putting stuff away and moving the furniture back.

INT. SHANNON'S KITCHEN- NIGHT

Carrie stands by the door. Shannon comes in, dressed in a work uniform.

CARRIE

Well, dumbass isn't answering her cell phone.

SHANNON

You know I'm most likely already late if you need me to drop you off Carrie.

CARRIE

Oh, I'll be fine. My sister's probably just running a little late as always.

SHANNON

You're sure?

Carrie nods.

Okay. I'm gone then. Make sure to lock the door when you leave.

CARRIE

Of course.

They say their goodbyes. As Shannon turns to leave we switch to Carrie's POV.

Carrie's perception is the conceptual abilities of a blind person made visual. Thus, visual is mostly shapes

and almost no color and audio is much louder and

clearer. Shannon's house being a place she knows well there's a lot of detail that's there from her memory and some from her guesswork of what could be there.

Shannon exits and Carrie stands in the doorway looking out as Shannon leaves. Her steps on the side walk echo as she walks to her car. She pulls out her keys and clicks the unlock button. The car, which we couldn't see well before, pops into focus but just as a silhouette as it responds with a click. Shannon opens the driver door which brings a basic outline to the design of the car. She calls goodbye one last time and then gets in the car and drives away.

Carrie closes the door. She walks to the table and sits down in a chair muttering death curses to her little brother for his lateness. She can hear the drip of the sink and the hum of the air conditioner but other than that everything is silent. She sighs. Then the clicking starts. It's a clock's tick but erratic rather than steady. Carrie looks to the source-the clock on the wall. It appears distorted to her since the ticks aren't behaving properly.

CARRIE

(muttering)

Stupid clock gremlin.

She takes out her cell phone to call her sister again. The other end picks up but there is no sound.

CARRIE

Steph? Hey, can you hear me?

There's silence on the other end-then the sound of the clock ticking, coming out of the cell phone getting louder.

CARRIE

What the ...

She holds the cell phone out and we can hear it even from this distance. The cell phone light goes out and the phone dies.

CARRIE

(sighing)

creepy clock gremlin.

Carrie goes to the door and opens it.

EXT. SHANNON'S BACK PORCH - NIGHT

Carrie steps out on the porch and listens.

CARRIE

Damn that girl takes forever.

STEPHANIE

Sis?

Carrie visibly jumps.

CARRIE

When did you become the master of silence?

STEPHANIE

Sis...there's...I...

(beat)

The car broke down.

Still Carrie's perception but not necessarily from her POV.

CARRIE

What? Well I tell you when it rains it pours. My phone just died. I tried calling you.

STEPHANIE

The phone was in the car. Which kind of broke down...against a tree...

CARRIE

Broke down by a tree huh. When are you going to learn to drive?

STEPHANIE

Well, its not too bad. I...we can walk to a gas station and phone home.

CARRIE

(with a sigh)

The nearest gas station is over a mile away. You know had you gotten here earlier we could have had Shannon drop us off. Would it kill you to be on time for once? I don't fancy a long walk at night in the ever friendly neighborhood of Memphis.

STEPHANIE

I know... I...I'm sorry.

She gives her a pat on the shoulder.

CARRIE

(in a kind tone)

Eh, it'll be alright. I've got my 'ittle sister to protect me. Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we'll get there.

EXT. BESIDE A ROAD - NIGHT

The world appears more and more basic as they walk along. Carrie pats along the sidewalk in front of her with her cane. Rocks and twigs and old beer bottles appear as the cane hits the ground, new stuff with every fall of the cane. Wind SWOOSHES past them and the trees get more detail as the leaves rustle about.

They come to an intersection with stop signs.

CARRIE

What road are we at?

STEPHANIE

Pleasant Hill. The car is wrecked just over the hill there.

CARRIE

Ah, the truth comes out. Wrecked not broken down.

STEPHANIE

Um... you should come see it.

CARRIE

Why? Let's get to a gas station and get it over with, we've been walking for a fricken hour as it is.

STEPHANIE

Just come see it.

CARRIE

Well, I won't be seeing anything, but alright we'll go have a 'look'.

Stephanie starts off up the side of a hill. Cautiously Carrie follows her. The car's front end is smushed against a tree. Ahead of her, Stephanie opens the driver side door and details of the car's outline appear. We can see all the bends and tears in it.

CARRIE

How in the world did you get the car like this? Are you sure you're okay?

STEPHANIE

Well, I was always a notorious driver.

Here, come feel this.

CARRIE

Sure, whatever.

But as she steps forward her cane hits something unexpected object protruding from the car. She bends down.

CARRIE

What the hell did you do to this poor machine. I mean real...

She stops as her hand brushes the object. Details fill out to reveal it's kind of like a person but we can't really make it out.

CARRIE

What in the world...I

Her eyes open wide as she begins to understand.

CARRIE

But that's not possible. Stephanie?

Her hand goes over the object and it's defiantly a person. Carrie starts shaking.

CARRIE

(in a shrill voice)

Stephanie?!

STEPHANIE

Don't be afraid, Carrie.

The scene snaps out of Carrie's perception. Stephanie's body is toppled out of the car. There's a smear of blood here and there and her neck is bent at an odd angel. The other Stephanie, the ghost one, isn't seen at all. Carrie manages some unintelligible sounds but can't manage anything else.

Carrie bolts upright and stands paralyzed to her spot.

CARRIE

(in a shrill voice)

But that makes no logical sense...it can't...

She jerkily swings her cane through where the ghost Stephanie had been standing. It hits nothing. She realizes now what the truth must be-that her sister is dead. She reels backwards and flees back toward the road.

THE END.