Snow Storm
FADE IN:
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
Snow flurries dot the road in front of the car. In the distance, large grey clouds move in over the mountain while dirty sedan climbs a muddy mountain road.
INT. 2010 SILVER FORD FOCUS SEDAN - DAY
JOHN A. WILLIAMS, is 30, he’s handsome, and he wears a thick grey wool sweater with jeans. He sits in the drivers seat and both his hands on the steering wheel.
HELEN B. HOLT, is 25, and beautifully, holds up an open compact and looks at her face. She touches up her lipstick and mascara. Helen puckers as she applies lipstick on her lips, and she steals a quick glance at John.
JOHN (serene)
I can’t wait to get home! How do you feel about moving to my new place?
HELEN (smiles)
Don’t tell my parents.
JOHN
No worries. My house is secluded.
MOUNTAIN ROAD
PAH LAYTON, 80, a fit, grotesque man with blue flesh, warts, tall, and deep dark eyes glares at them as he sprints across the road in front of the sedan.
John flinches in surprise. He wildly spins the steering wheel. The car skids on the side of the road, then slides down a steep embankment and abruptly stops in a ditch.
JOHN (apprehensive)
Ow, hey, you okay?
HELEN (painfully)
Yeah, what happened?
JOHN I think I hit something on the road.
Helen rubs her neck.
HELEN
Oh, how long have we been out?
JOHN
I’m not sure.
John looks at his wrist watch. He taps the watch.
JOHN
I think it’s broken.
He pushes buttons on his cellular phone.
INSERT PHONE DISPLAY WINDOW
OUT OF SERVICE AREA
BACK TO DRIVER’S SEAT
JOHN
We have to get out of here.
He shivers and slides his arm inside his jacket.
HELEN
Where are you going?
JOHN
I’m going for help.
HELEN
I don’t want to stay here alone. I’m going with you.
John pushes the door. The door remains shut. He smashes the door with his shoulder. John crawls out the window, then quickly crawls back inside the car.
JOHN
Brrr. Too cold!
HELEN
What are we going to do?
She grabs for his arm.
JOHN
I saw a house through the trees across the field. I’m going to check it out. Wait for me here.
HELEN
I’m not staying here. I’ll freeze to death. I’m going with you.
Helen puts on her coat and crawls out behind John. The wind howls around both of them as John, and Helen walk in deep snow.
EXT. WOOD - DAY
HELEN
I’m really cold.
JOHN
We’re almost there. Keep going!
HELEN
I can’t see anything!
JOHN
I see a bridge. Hold on to me!
She grabs John’s arm and leans close to him.
HELEN
I have to stop and rest.
JOHN
No, we have to keep going.
Helen pushes through the heavy snow.
HELEN
I can’t go on. Let’s turn back.
JOHN
If you stop, you’ll freeze to death!
She lets go of John’s arm.
JOHN
Keep up!
Helen walks behind John. John watches her fall behind. John rushes and pulls her by the arm.
HELEN
It’s no use, I can’t continue!
JOHN
Come on, don’t quit now! You can do it! You have to try!
Helen walks behind John, then disappears.
JOHN
Helen! Helen! Helen!
AT THE BRIDGE
A raging river flows below the bridge. John steps on a plank. The plank breaks. John’s foot falls through the rotten planks. A large splinter gouges the inside of his thigh. John claws his leg in pain.
JOHN
Ahhh!
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
John lies in bed. MAH LAYTON, a scraggly woman of 70, enters the room. Her skin is blotchy. She has veiny flesh, and she’s clad in a dress with a shawl around her shoulders. Her face wrinkles are deep and her dark eyes peer behind her long white hair.
MAH
How are you doing honey?
JOHN
I’m Good. Where am I?
MAH
You’re home. Supper is ready.
John pulls back the covers. His thigh wound has a bandage.
JOHN
Ow, my leg hurts.
MAH
Careful, we took out the splinter.
JOHN
Thanks. Did you find Helen?
MAH
(bewildered)
Who? You were alone when we found you.
Mah zips out of the room.
LATER
John gets up slowly from the bed and shuts his bedroom door. He hears a THUMP coming from the hall. He opens the door and walks out into:
HALLWAY - DAY
He approaches a door at the end of the hallway. He pushes the door, but the door does not budge. He sees a key on a nail in the wall next to the door. He opens the door with the key. The door opens slowly with a CREEK. A large MAN man sits in a fetal position in the middle of the room. The man sways.
JOHN
Mister? Are you okay?
The man twitches, then in one movement the man jumps on his feet and crouches. The man’s torso in a mass of slimy worms with multiple glowing red eyes inside a vortex whirl of tentacles that shoot out from inside the torso and wrap around John. The tentacles pull him closer. The man has a large eye, and a small eye. The large red eye fixes on John.
MAN (guttural)
So you want to know what I am!
Mah stands behind John with a stock prod and pokes the creature. The creature SCREECHES, and releases John.
MAH
Get back! Get back! Back!
The creature skitters in a dark corner and whimpers.
JOHN (horror)
What was that!
MAH
My baby, don’t touch my baby.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
John limps down the stairs. Mah brings a steaming tray of beef fillets and puts the tray on the table.
MAH
You ready to eat honey?
JOHN
Wait, you think I’m your son?
MAH
Make your Pah happy.
She beams a smile.
JOHN (whispers softly)
He’s not my father.
MAH (pensive)
Your Pah...I...was sad when you left for school and got lost in the snow that day, but all that matters is that you’re back after all these years. Son!
Pah opens the front door carrying a cord of wood in his left arm and an axe in his right hand.
PAH
What the hell you talking about boy! Wipe that smile off your face.
JOHN
Sorry.
PAH
You think I don’t know? Hell, I’ll kick you to the ground if you leave us again.
Pah drops the wood by the fireplace and faces John.
MAH
Son, apologize to your Pah.
PAH
No Mah, I’ll learn the boy manners my way!
Pah lifts the axe and swings the axe at John. John flinches as the axe lands by John’s foot.
JOHN
Oh heck!
John turns and runs out the door. Pah throws the axe and hits John in the back with the blunt head of the axe. John falls and crawls in pain on the floor. He struggles on his feet and wobbles on the stairs.
JOHN
No!
His reaches the bedroom door. He pushes the door. The door does not open.He pounds the door on the other side. The door opens. He runs inside, kicks, and trips over a black plastic bag. Pah and Mah enter the room and lock door behind them.
PAH
What’s the matter boy! Ain’t I been a good father?
Pah repeatedly hits John with a belt. Pah binds John’s hands and ankles. Mah reaches for the plastic bag and unwraps the plastic bag. She reveals Helen in a straight jacket with duct tape across her mouth.
HELEN
Mmmph!
JOHN Helen, God no, don’t hurt her!
Tears and trails of mascara across Helen’s face. Mah draws back a large curtain and reveals a large wooden post stuck in the floor. Pah strips Helen of her shirt. He lifts her up and impales her on the hooks that attach on the wooden post.
HELEN
Ahrg! I’m sorry Pah!
PAH
So now you remeber to call me Pah, do you?
Mah takes out a bull whip from the closet and whips Helen. CRACK. Mah tears Helen’s flesh, Helen’s blood splashes all over the room.
MAH
Teach you to runaway you whoring bitch! We knew you run away, ha!
PAH
Open wide.
Pah forces Helen’s mouth open with pliers. HE breaks her teeth and pulls her tongue. He pinches her tongue. Her tongue bleeds.
MAH
That’ll teach you not to lie! You liar!
Helen gurgles.
HELEN (trembles)
Suh...suh...sorry Mama!
MAH
I’ll get your baby brother so he can eat!
JOHN
Nooo!
John loosens his bindings. Pah grabs a club, land smashes him over the head.
PAH
You’re next boy. Helen disappoints me!
Pah turns his attention on Helen.
John jumps on his feet, pushes Pah against the wall. Pah falls back and hits his head on a book shelf, then falls on the floor. John grabs Helen and eases her from the post.
JOHN
Come on!
Blood oozes from her mouth and back.
HELEN
I’m having a hard time standing.
John wraps Helen in blankets. Helen grabs John’s arm.
EXT. FARM HOUSE - DAY
John and Helen wearily walk in the deep snow. Pah walks steadily behind them with an axe in his hand.
JOHN
The bridge is out. We’re going to have to find a place to cross.
They splash across the frozen river. Helen falls. John picks her up. On the bank of the river, Helen falls in the snow. Her blood turns the snow red.
JOHN
Helen, I can’t do this. I have to leave you. Please understand. I’ll get help.
HELEN (sobbing)
No, don’t leave me alone. I don’t want to die!
JOHN I’m sorry.
John turns his back on Helen. Helen screams. John walks away and faces the treeline.
INT. JOHN’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
John stretches out on a couch and watches television
ON TELEVISION
ANCHORMAN
In other news, the state highway patrol found missing person Helen Holt. A corner’s report confirms she froze to death in her car.
BACK TO COUCH
John hears a knock on the door, John gets up. He opens the door, and faster than his mind can comprehend, a frozen, grey, decaying skeletal Helen lunges towards him, hugging, and kissing John.
FADE OUT.
THE END
Copyright © 2014 by Francisco M. Martinez