By David Walker
EXT. OLD TIME/RUNDOWN GAS STATION. MIDDLE AMERICA
Rain streams down as if the heavens have opened. The heat in
the air causes the rain to mist reducing visibility to only
60 or so feet.
AUSTIN, mid twenties, shoulder length unkempt hair, a black
faded baseball cap, scuffed work boots, denim dungarees and
a no-longer white t-shirt. The archetypal gas attendant.
Reclining on a lounger, underneath a sun umbrella, off to
the side of the forecourt, waiting for cars to service. He
looks up then down the road, there are no cars, or sun.
AUSTIN (V.O.)
Look at that sad son of a bitch,
just sitting there in the middle of
the ass end of nowhere.
He reaches into one of his pockets and lifts out a vapour
cigarette, a device entirely at odds with his surroundings,
demeanour and appearance. He starts to puff away on the
vapour cigarette.
AUSTIN (V.O.)
One minute you're up, the next.
Well... the next you're here.
He looks up and down the road again, still no cars.
A SERIES OF VIEWS OF THE GAS STATION.
-A poster, curled round the edges, a can of "new coke" sits
atop flaming ice with large bold words "The Best Just Got
Better..!".
-Leave piles and random debris piled up by the edges of the
forecourt lanes, weeds growing up through cracks in the
concrete.
-An old ice cream cooler now stuffed with trash.
-An outhouse/side toilet, coated in the muck of a lifetime
of visits. Utterly disgusting. A copy of Sports Illustrated
swimsuit edition 1986 sits unit by the sink, Elle Mcpherson
is on the cover.
AUSTIN (V.O.)
A shit-hole!
He looks up and down the road again, still no cars and no
sun. The boredom is palpable.
The rain lets up a little, clearing the view.
He looks up and down the road, one long road that stretches
for miles, hemmed in on both sides by forest.A black car off
in the distance can be made out.
AUSTIN turns his head to look directly in the direction of
the car and squints his eyes, yip definitely a car.
The car comes into view. A gleaming new Chevy Suburban,
black tinted windows, new york plate. AUSTIN stands up ,
steps out from under the umbrella, fixes his attention on
the car and walks over to the pump. Eyes still on the car.
The car pulls off the road into the forecourt and puls up by
the pump closest to the road. The drivers window rolls down, just a crack.
DRIVER
Regular, fill'er up.
AUSTIN turns round reaches for the pump, the fuel cap on the
car is pops open, he jams the pump into the filler tube squeezes
the pump trigger and stands back.
DRIVER
Windows need done!
AUSTIN turns down by the side of the pump and picks up a
squeegee from a plastic bucket and starts running it across
the front windscreen. The car's clean, clearly a new
vehicle. The gas pump counter ticks away, CLICK CLICK CLICK
CLICK.
He tries to look into the car but the tinted windows prevent
it, all he sees is his own reflection in the black surface
of the windscreen. He is starting to look nervous.
The rain stops. The fuel filler clicks and the counter
stops. Silence.
DRIVER
Tyres!
AUSTIN backs away from the wind screen and slowly bends down
by the front tyre, unscrews the cap.
DRIVER
This is some place.
AUSTIN
Uh hu.
DRIVER
What is it? Family owned?
AUSTIN
Yeah, something like that.
DRIVER
Is it just you here?
AUSTIN
Nah, couple o boys are in the back.
DRIVER
What do you all do?
AUSTIN
Lotsa stuff need dooin to keep this
place runnin.
DRIVER
That's some accent!
AUSTIN looks momentarily flustered. quickly recovers his
composure.
AUSTIN
Got it from me paw. He came through
here looking for gas, saw maw and
the rest is history.
AUSTIN
He was from the bronx originally.
DRIVER
Is that so?
AUSTIN
Yip, seen maw and stayed.
AUSTIN tries to change the subject
AUSTIN
That's a nice car you got there.
DRIVER
You ever been up that way yourself?
AUSTIN
No sir, born an raised right here.
DRIVER
Is that so?
AUSTIN
Sure is.
DRIVER
The thing is, you look familiar.
AUSTIN
Yeah, I get that alot. People say I
look like Tim McGraw, the country
singer?
DRIVER
I don't know him, but you look
familiar.
Rear driver side window opens by a few inches. It's not far
enough to see inside.
PASSENGER
Ever been to Joju's?
The passenger's voice is distinctive, low and gravely.
AUSTIN, crouching by the rear drivers side tyre, recognises
it immediately.
AUSTIN
Shit!
AUSTIN Pulls a concealed gun from nowhere, fires two shots through the
rear passenger window, one directed at the passenger the
second at the driver. The window shatters. AUSTIN quickly
dives behind the gas pump.
BEAT
AUSTIN takes a tentative peak round the pump.
BEAT
Austin steps out from behind the pump, gun in hand stretched
out in front. He looks in through the smashed window. The
DRIVER slumped over the wheel, dead, the PASSENGER is
clutching on to his neck, blood poring from between his
fingers.
AUSTIN takes a look up the road, a number of cars, just like
this one, are hurtling down the road. He takes a step, looks
at the PASSENGER and raises his gun, deliberating whether to
shoot him or not, decides not to, changes his aim and instead
shoots the tire he was crouching at just seconds before.
He turns on his heels and runs across the forecourt to the
ice cream cooler, lifts the tray that is stuffed with trash,
revealing a camouflage military style backpack, its big and
looks full/heavy. He lifts the backpack out and puts it on
his back while running to the side of the station building.
Stopping as he gets to the tree line he looks back at the
car, the PASSENGER still in view but is slumped to low to
take a shot at, looks at the gun. To late to go back now.
AUSTIN (V.O.)
One minute you're down, the next.
Well... you're back in the game.
Aims at the gas pump, he fires. one shot and the forecourt
explodes in a bright oranges fire ball.
Fixing the straps of the backpack he turns back to the
treeline and, with a smile, starts running. In an instant he
disappears into the forest.
