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DonnyFox

Ellis Parsons: A Normal Life - Issue #4

DonnyFox
Aug 16th, 2019
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  1. INT. SECURITY CHECKPOINT - NIGHT
  2.  
  3. Ellis looks down at his phone, then at the empty hallway in
  4. front of him. He holds a depressed look in his eyes. He
  5. scrolls through his contacts.
  6.  
  7. "Mica" appears as one of the names. He looks away.
  8.  
  9. ELLIS (V.O.)
  10. I don't want to be lonely...
  11.  
  12. He skips the name and stops on a contact that reads "Cait".
  13.  
  14. Ellis eyes the contact, then looks back down at the hallway
  15. in front of him.
  16.  
  17. He texts her.
  18.  
  19. ELLIS (TEXT)
  20. Hey, how've you been?
  21.  
  22. Ellis puts the phone back on the table.
  23.  
  24. He puts his head in his hands and takes a deep breath.
  25.  
  26. Ellis opens his laptop once more and continues to write a
  27. project titled "The Things We Protect".
  28.  
  29. He checks his phone, then the time.
  30.  
  31. It reads "10:00AM".
  32.  
  33. Ellis gets up, then puts his backpack on.
  34.  
  35. He goes to
  36.  
  37.  
  38. INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY
  39.  
  40. Ellis changes out into jeans, a T-shirt, and a button up
  41. shirt. He puts his baseball cap on, then puts his Glock 19
  42. into his inner waistband holster.
  43.  
  44. His phone vibrates on the bench next to him.
  45.  
  46. Ellis checks it.
  47.  
  48. CAIT (TEXT)
  49. Hey Ellis, I've been good.
  50. Yourself?
  51.  
  52. Ellis closes the locker and grabs his phone.
  53.  
  54. ELLIS (TEXT)
  55. I'm great, yeah. I've been really
  56. busy though.
  57.  
  58. He puts his backpack on and steps out.
  59.  
  60.  
  61. INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - DAY
  62.  
  63. Ellis walks down the hallway. Other scientists and security
  64. guards walk by him.
  65.  
  66. CAIT (TEXT)
  67. That's good. It's been awhile,
  68. hasn't it?
  69.  
  70. ELLIS (TEXT)
  71. It has. You want to call me
  72. tonight?
  73.  
  74. CAIT (TEXT)
  75. Yeah, that sounds good.
  76.  
  77. He walks over to an elevator and pushes the call button.
  78.  
  79. The elevator opens.
  80.  
  81. Matthews makes out with a secretary, MICHAELA, (early-20s)
  82. in an elevator. Aster stands in the corner and holds a mop in
  83. discomfort.
  84.  
  85. Ellis looks around him.
  86.  
  87. ELLIS
  88. Fuck it, I want to go home.
  89.  
  90. Ellis steps in the elevator and reaches his hand between the
  91. making out couple.
  92.  
  93. Ellis clears his throat.
  94.  
  95. The couple covers up the buttons.
  96.  
  97. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  98. Fuck sake.
  99.  
  100. Ellis slams his hand above the elevator buttons.
  101.  
  102. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  103. Mind letting me get to my damn
  104. floor?
  105.  
  106. Matthews looks over at Ellis.
  107.  
  108. MATTHEWS
  109. Well, fuck you, you kill joy.
  110.  
  111. ELLIS
  112. Jesus christ. No wonder Cait left
  113. your ass.
  114.  
  115. MATTHEWS
  116. You better watch the next words you
  117. say.
  118.  
  119. ELLIS
  120. Okay, retard.
  121.  
  122. Ellis backs up next to Aster. The two eye each other down
  123. while Matthews holds his woman.
  124.  
  125. MATTHEWS
  126. You only wish you had this.
  127.  
  128. ELLIS
  129. Cait would beg to differ.
  130.  
  131. Matthews's eyes wide, his face goes red.
  132.  
  133. Ellis stares down Matthews.
  134.  
  135. The elevator doors open.
  136.  
  137. Aster steps out.
  138.  
  139. The two continue to eye each other.
  140.  
  141. MATTHEWS
  142. You're just jealous that you can't
  143. hold a relationship, Ellis.
  144.  
  145. ELLIS
  146. Five chicks in five months isn't
  147. exactly stability there, Bill
  148. Clinton.
  149.  
  150. MATTHEWS
  151. Unlike you, I got family that gives
  152. to shits about me.
  153.  
  154. Ellis's eye twitches.
  155.  
  156. The elevator door opens.
  157.  
  158. Ellis steps out.
  159.  
  160. MATTHEWS (CONT’D)
  161. Stay here.
  162.  
  163.  
  164. INT. PARKING GARAGE - DAY
  165.  
  166. Ellis walks out, his head down and his hands in his pockets.
  167.  
  168. MATTHEWS
  169. So you think you can talk shit to
  170. me and walk away from it? Is that
  171. it?!
  172.  
  173. Ellis raises one middle finger as he walks off. Ellis looks
  174. at the ground below him.
  175.  
  176. He walks up to his car, opens it, and gets in.
  177.  
  178.  
  179. INT. ELLIS'S CAR - DAY
  180.  
  181. Ellis starts his car and gets out of the parking space.
  182.  
  183. He looks in the rear view mirror and sees Matthews flip him
  184. off.
  185.  
  186.  
  187. EXT. ELLIS'S CAR - DAY
  188.  
  189. Ellis's car pulls up to "James's".
  190.  
  191.  
  192. INT. ELLIS'S CAR - DAY
  193.  
  194. Ellis bursts out into tears.
  195.  
  196. ELLIS
  197. I'm such a fuck up, I'm such a fuck
  198. up, I'm such a fuck up...
  199.  
  200. Ellis cries into the steering wheel of his car, then takes a
  201. deep breath.
  202.  
  203. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  204. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
  205.  
  206. He slams his hand into the steering wheel and holds his head
  207. in his hand.
  208.  
  209. IND VOICE
  210. You're not doing good enough.
  211. Helena left you for being fucked up
  212. person and now everyone's giving
  213. you shit for it.
  214.  
  215. Tears run down Ellis's eyes. He looks down.
  216.  
  217. Ellis gets his composure back.
  218.  
  219. His phone vibrates. Ellis checks it.
  220.  
  221. CAIT (TEXT)
  222. My ex was talking about a fight he
  223. got into at work. You okay?
  224.  
  225. ELLIS (TEXT)
  226. Been worse. Sometimes I wish I had
  227. a range accident with that guy.
  228.  
  229. CAIT (TEXT)
  230. Did he hit you?
  231.  
  232. ELLIS (TEXT)
  233. I wish. Might actually have an
  234. excuse to waste him.
  235.  
  236. CAIT (TEXT)
  237. Well, come see me before you do
  238. that.
  239.  
  240. ELLIS (TEXT)
  241. Wait, what?
  242.  
  243. CAIT (TEXT)
  244. ;)
  245.  
  246. Ellis looks back up from his phone.
  247.  
  248. ELLIS
  249. What the fuck, man?
  250.  
  251. Ellis gets out of his car and goes into
  252.  
  253.  
  254. INT. JAMES'S - DAY
  255.  
  256. Ellis walks in, the dried tears still in his eyes. He wipes
  257. his face with his sleeve. Other people look around at the
  258. guns on the walls,
  259.  
  260. JAMES O'REILLY, (26) looks at Ellis with concern. James wears
  261. a Hawaiian shirt with jeans.
  262.  
  263. JAMES
  264. Jesus, Ellis. You okay?
  265.  
  266. ELLIS
  267. Yeah, been worse. Rough day at
  268. work, don't worry about it.
  269.  
  270. JAMES
  271. I can fucking tell, dude. You just
  272. spent 10 minutes crying in your
  273. car.
  274.  
  275. Ellis looks upset by this comment.
  276.  
  277. ELLIS
  278. Yeah, I fucking know.
  279.  
  280. James's eyes widen.
  281.  
  282. JAMES
  283. You want to talk about it?
  284.  
  285. ELLIS
  286. No.
  287.  
  288. JAMES
  289. Alright, well in that case.
  290.  
  291. James reaches behind the desk and takes out an M16A1. He
  292. takes the magazine out, checks it, then beckons Ellis over.
  293.  
  294. JAMES (CONT’D)
  295. Come on, look at this thing. We
  296. just got it in. One of the old
  297. boomers fucking croaked and he
  298. happened to have a pre-86 MG.
  299.  
  300. ELLIS
  301. No shit?
  302.  
  303. James passes the rifle to Ellis. Ellis looks at the fire
  304. selector.
  305.  
  306. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  307. No fucking shit.
  308.  
  309. It has a full auto switch on it.
  310.  
  311. JAMES
  312. I'm gonna put the sign up today.
  313. I'll let you shoot it, half off.
  314.  
  315. ELLIS
  316. How much?
  317.  
  318. JAMES
  319. Ten for two mags. Actually...
  320.  
  321. James reaches for a 100 drum.
  322.  
  323. ELLIS
  324. You had that thing full the entire
  325. time?
  326.  
  327. JAMES
  328. Yeah, but you want to do the
  329. honors? 30 for this or 10 for the
  330. two mags.
  331.  
  332. ELLIS
  333. Sure.
  334.  
  335. Ellis takes some cash out and passes it to him.
  336.  
  337. JAMES
  338. Get yourself set up.
  339.  
  340. James passes Ellis some electronic ear protection. Ellis
  341. adjusts his glasses and puts on the ear pro.
  342.  
  343. ELLIS
  344. Thanks man.
  345.  
  346. JAMES
  347. No problem. Get yourself setup on
  348. two.
  349.  
  350. James passes him the rifle, then the magazine. He walks to
  351. the range.
  352.  
  353. JAMES (CONT’D)
  354. And Ellis?
  355.  
  356. Ellis looks back.
  357.  
  358. ELLIS
  359. Yeah?
  360.  
  361. JAMES
  362. Feel better, man.
  363.  
  364.  
  365. INT. SHOOTING RANGE - DAY
  366.  
  367. A paper target sits there.
  368.  
  369. Ellis loads the 100 round drum, then chambers the round.
  370.  
  371. He flicks the safety selector to semi.
  372.  
  373. Ellis shoulders the rifle into his left shoulder, then fires
  374. a few rounds into a target at 50 meters.
  375.  
  376. The holes appear on the silhouette target.
  377.  
  378. Ellis grins, then flicks the switch to full auto.
  379.  
  380. He braces the rifle and fires into the target in bursts.
  381.  
  382. The target looks progressively more and more shot up.
  383.  
  384. ELLIS
  385. YOU WANT TO PLAY ROUGH?! OKAY, I'M
  386. RELOADED!
  387.  
  388. Ellis pulls the trigger. Rounds exit the barrel, the muzzle
  389. flash shines as he does so.
  390.  
  391. The magazine empties.
  392.  
  393. Ellis carries a look of accomplishment in his eyes, then
  394. looks at the target again.
  395.  
  396. Most of the shots are raised about the torso, but still
  397. scatter themselves across the target.
  398.  
  399. Ellis reaches over to the target mechanism and moves it back
  400. to himself. He takes the a close look at the target.
  401.  
  402. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  403. It's alright.
  404.  
  405. Ellis takes the target down, then throws it in the trash.
  406.  
  407. Ellis takes the magazine out of the rifle.
  408.  
  409. He clears the rifle, inspects it, then flicks the safety on.
  410.  
  411.  
  412. INT. JAMES'S - DAY
  413.  
  414. Ellis sets the rifle and the magazine on the table.
  415.  
  416. JAMES
  417. How'd it feel?
  418.  
  419. James checks the rifle and clears it.
  420.  
  421. ELLIS
  422. Good man, it was good. Thanks.
  423.  
  424. JAMES
  425. Glad you enjoyed it. Come by next
  426. time, hopefully I'll have something
  427. new.
  428.  
  429. Ellis walks out to
  430.  
  431.  
  432. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
  433.  
  434. Ellis sits in his chair and continues to write The Things We
  435. Protect.
  436.  
  437. A /k/ tab sits open next to his Writer Duet tab.
  438.  
  439. His phone vibrates.
  440.  
  441. CAIT (TEXT)
  442. Hey, you want to call?
  443.  
  444. Ellis looks at the phone, then takes a sigh.
  445.  
  446. ELLIS (TEXT)
  447. Yeah, sure.
  448.  
  449. Ellis calls her.
  450.  
  451. CAIT (O.S.)
  452. (phone)
  453. Hey Ellis.
  454.  
  455. ELLIS
  456. (phone)
  457. Hey uh- Hope I wasn't bothering you
  458. or anything.
  459.  
  460. CAIT (O.S.)
  461. (phone)
  462. No, nothing like that at all. Heard
  463. Ronnie tried to pick a fight with
  464. you.
  465.  
  466. Ellis looks down.
  467.  
  468. ELLIS
  469. (phone)
  470. Yeah, something like that.
  471.  
  472. CAIT (O.S.)
  473. (phone)
  474. Don't let him get to you, Ellis.
  475.  
  476. ELLIS
  477. (phone)
  478. Yeah. I know.
  479.  
  480. The two continue to talk. Ellis face changes to that of
  481. happiness in the call.
  482.  
  483. FADE TO BLACK.
  484.  
  485. CAIT (O.S.)
  486. (phone)
  487. ...Anyway, Ellis- I'm gonna head
  488. off to bed.
  489.  
  490. ELLIS
  491. (phone)
  492. Alright, yeah- Hang on. Hey, Cait?
  493.  
  494. CAIT (O.S.)
  495. (phone)
  496. Yeah?
  497.  
  498. ELLIS
  499. (phone)
  500. Well, now that Ronnie ain't in the
  501. picture anymore, and that I don't
  502. have to worry about some dipshit
  503. with more bullets in his gun than
  504. brains in his skull...
  505.  
  506. Ellis struggles to put together next few words.
  507.  
  508. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  509. (phone)
  510. I think that- I want you to know-
  511.  
  512. CAIT (O.S.)
  513. (phone)
  514. Come on, be blunt about it. You can
  515. say anything to me.
  516.  
  517. ELLIS
  518. (phone)
  519. Well you're hot and I've always
  520. wanted to fuck you.
  521.  
  522. Ellis's eyes widen. He realizes in this moment what he's
  523. said.
  524.  
  525. Cait giggles on the other end.
  526.  
  527. CAIT (O.S.)
  528. (phone)
  529. I said be blunt, but... Jesus,
  530. Ellis.
  531.  
  532. ELLIS
  533. (phone)
  534. Hey, if that's creepy- I know that
  535. was a lot more forward than-
  536.  
  537. CAIT (O.S.)
  538. (phone)
  539. No, no-
  540. (Cait giggles)
  541. I didn't know you could be that
  542. forward with women. Anyway, I got
  543. work in the morning. I'll send you
  544. something you might like.
  545.  
  546. Ellis chuckles and scratches the back of his head.
  547.  
  548. ELLIS
  549. Wait, what?
  550.  
  551. CAIT (O.S.)
  552. (phone)
  553. Good night, Ellis Parsons.
  554.  
  555. Cait hangs up.
  556.  
  557. Ellis's eyes are wide. He puts his phone upside down on the
  558. table next to his laptop.
  559.  
  560. ELLIS
  561. What the fuck just happened?
  562.  
  563. His phone vibrates once more.
  564.  
  565. A picture of Cait in a bikini.
  566.  
  567. ELLIS (CONT’D)
  568. Holy shit.
  569.  
  570. FADE TO BLACK.
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