Day 14 Assignments

[Joe Donato]

After outlining, I added some scenes, and some placeholders. I think I’m understanding the value of outlining those scenes and then filling in the scenes in between later. For me, its a mix of outlining and also just writing linearly without knowing where it’s going. When I was hung up on, what should happen for the 2nd key scene, I just started writing linearly, and THAT allowed me to discover where the key scene should go and how it should play out.

Here’s six pages, including key scene 3…

Key Scene 2: Protagonist makes a plan and executes it.

They somehow use the vehicle as bait, to “trap” the renegade car. They successfully divert the car and the mother/son flee safely.

But then its back! Following them.

The car reappears for 2 more scenes, and Chuck and Ruth save the day. Finally, Chuck decides he’s had enough of this, and with the help of another RV owner, they successfully take down the car. they think they’ve put an end to the threat.

Key Scene 3: Not only does their plan fail, but…

The kid suddenly appears in his car, and this kid is not reserved like Chuck: he’s willing to risk it all. And now its personal, he going straight for the RV in his own vehicle like a hungry shark.

Key Scene 4: Now that Chuck realizes he’s up against an inferior member of the human species, he is ready to take him on and he’s also ready to risk the RV (which means risking delivering his wife to the promised land).

CUT TO:

RV. HIGHWAY. SAME.

They’ve switched places. Chuck turns the car around and they drive West, into the setting sun.

INT. RV

RUTH

I gotta admit, it sure as hell felt good that we saved that mother and child like we did.

CHUCK

Hell yeah.

Chuck looks at the gas gage. It’s approaching EMPTY. The “low gas” alert DINGS.

RUTH

Running low huh?

CHUCK

We should make it.

She sighs heavily.

RUTH

This ONE time, if we run out of gas… you have a good excuse.

CHUCK

You have my blessing to turn your phone on. Look for a gas station with that app the way you do.

RUTH

It’s not so hard to use. I can probably teach you.

CHUCK

You know my thumbs are too big to do that right.

RUTH

What if the zombie car comes back?

CHUCK

Hell or Highwater, I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to get you safely to San Diego, Zombie car or not!

They hear a car approaching and turn their heads to see the Zombie car appear and whip past them in the other lane, heading West into the sunset.

RUTH

Speak of the devil.

Chuck stops the car. His fingers tremble.

CHUCK

Where the hell is it going?

RUTH

Do you want to just quit? We can go to Las Vegas and just get a room there until the authorities take care of it.

CHUCK

Ahhh, this is bullshit. That high-tech tinker-toy don’t own us!

He starts up again and drives on.

INT. RV DASHBOARD

The “EMPTY” light flashes.

HIGHWAY

the RV putters slowly putters to a stop.

RV

Ruth checks her phone app: Gas station is 1/2 mile up.

RUTH

We’ll walk together.

GAS STATION

Ruth and Chuck fill a tank at the pump. Behind them electric cars are plugged in, charging.

BACK AT CAR

Ruth and Chuck fill RV with gas together. Behind them a scrawny 20-year old plugs in an electric car with the license plate “RAM-R”, and then walks into the convenience store, never once looking in their direction.

CHUCK

Call me an old fart, but I’d never put something like that on my plate, even when I was his age.

RUTH

What? Ram, are, wha, I dont– Oohh.

INT. GAS STAIION FOODMART – CONTINUING

Chuck brings a pack of twinkies to the counter. The TV is on in the background as an opinionated host delivers their shpeil for the night.

TV HOST

Apparently they claim that people can hijack a smart car and basically reprogram it to do its bidding with a simple app downloaded from the dark web. Have you ever heard of those zombie snails that get taken over by parasites and force the snail to climb to the highest tree, so birds can eat them, and become a host organism for more viruses? Well, these are zombie cars. If your car doesn’t have a computer in it, its safe. But if you have a smart phone, look out! It can track you through various travel apps and literally start to take over your phone, just like a virus on a computer.

In the background, the kid exits the store, making sure

to pull his hood fully over his face as he leaves.

TV HOST

The only way to stop it is to simply take out the car. If you ask me, its another argument for the need for guns for self defense. Cars are not designed to be weapons, but you could say the same about sticks or stones, or fire, or nuclear power. Otherwise, what else would you use? Which is worse, having a gun for self-defense, which you can use to shoot out a tire of an evil zombie-car, or another car? As of now, it seems that the only way to stop a bad guy with a zombie car, is yet again, a good guy with a gun.

CLERK

Is that all?

CHUCK

You don’t sell guns do you?

The clerk looks up at him.

CHUCK

No wait, tack. Uhh, I mean nails. And uhh… chains maybe, and other large blunt objects, yeah!

EXT. UNDEFINED SECTION OF HIGHWAY 4

The zombie car appears to be stranded with blinkers on. Another car has pulled up behind it and two adults approach with flashlights.

The RV suddenly pulls up 100 feet in front of zombie car.

INTERCUT BETWEEN RV AND ZOMBIE CAR ON HIGHWAY

Chuck turns his phone on and places it in Ruth’s trembling hands.

The couple turns their flashlights to the RV.

RUTH

Not yet.

The zombie car’s blinkers shut off and it starts moving, beelining towards the RV, away from the approaching couple.

RUTH

OK now.

Chuck floors it, and the RV merges onto the highway, with the Zombie car in pursuit.

They weave through busy traffic, mostly 18-wheelers, some honking at them. The RV creaks and shimmies with each turn.

The zombie car weaves in and out effortlessly. Chuck floors it to get past all the trucks.

CHUCK

OK, shut it off.

Ruth kills the phone.

RUTH

OK, so now what,are we gonna do this all the way to the Pacific?

CHUCK

I got another idea. It may be smarter than my car, but I’m still bigger than him.

RUTH

You can’t just throw stuff out the back and have it spill all over the road it’ll hit all the other cars!

CHUCK

Right, right. I’m well aware of that. That’s why we gotta get it off the road!

The zombie car drives up next to them. Chuck turns into it. Metal sheers on metal. Ruth covers her ears. Chuck continues to push the car off the road.

Some high tech function of the car prevents it from crashing into a giant sign, but at least it’s temporarily grounded as Chuck drives off.

NEW SCENE PLACEHOLDER:

Zombie car reappears again and tries to take out the guy from the rest stop with the High-tech RV. Chuck and the RV guy team up to take down the car for good.

Chuck puts his phone into a knapsack, climbs on the top of that guy’s RV.

He starts swinging the knapsack over his head. He then releases it, flinging it into a ravine.

The zombie car follows it. Chuck and Ruth watch as the car flies through the air.

The zombie car crashes into the bottom of the ravine, seemingly totaled.

CUT TO:

INT. TESLA

The screen of the scrawny kid’s phone displays error message “SIGNAL LOST”. The kid starts panting heavily.

He starts the engine, disengages autopilot and floors it.

BACK TO RAVINE

Chuck and Ruth hug each other. The other RV owner comes up to them and shakes his hand.

RV OWNER

Dude, you saved my life! You saved my family’s summer! Here.

He pulls out a wad of cash.

RV OWNER

I got 300 dollars cash, towards your new phone purchase.

Chuck accepts.

CHUCK

Much obliged.

RV OWNER

I uhh, I better go get the family now.

CHUCK

Absolutely. we should both get out of here, quickly.

The RV guy hops in his car and drives off.

Chuck and Ruth watch him drive off, while holding each other.

RUTH

We should probably get out of here too.

CHUCK

That’s right. California, here we come!

As they head back to the car, they don’t notice another car speeding towards the ravine.

But by the time they are in the car, it’s clear someone, or something, is headed straight for them.

CHUCK

Do you see that?

RUTH

Drive!

CHUCK

OK.

He gets it in gear and heads to the road, just as the Kid pulls up to the edge of the ravine.

The kid gets out and observes the wreckage down below. He begins to breathe heavy. His face turns red. He even sheds tears.

Shaking, he turns and sees Chuck’s RV driving fast away from the scene.

He gets back in his Tesla and heads straight for the RV, his license plate clearly visible: RAM-R.