INT. SKI CONDO IN SUN VALLEY, IDAHO - DAY
Lawrence eats cereal and watches television. He's
wearing a shirt with an iron-on on the front and jeans
that are too tight.
His cell phone vibrates in his pocket.
It's a pain in the ass to pull it out. But he does.
Hoping it's a message from his girl.
CU PHONE: "YOU NEVER MAILED ME A LETTER TO OUR ADDRESS.
FROM, LORA."
Lawrence swallows. Put the phone down.
The television beeps the Emergency Alert System. A
scroll moves across the screen under the silent sitcom.
Lawrence ignores it. He sits back and rests his eyes on
the couch. No longer hungry.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
There's a theory that the world will end
on August 22nd, 2006. 10 days from now.
And if that's the case, I wonder how long
it'll take, the end I mean, to reach
Idaho. And how will it end? And why?
The scroll across the bottom of the screen reads.
"TERROR ALERT RAISED TO ORANGE FOR ELAINE COUNTY."
EXT. OUTTER SPACE - N/A
A giant asteroid barrels towards a tiny blue planet in
the distance.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
If every person who paid federal taxes
got to name a bomb headed for the Mid
East. I would name mine Lora. And I
would insist they drop it on a children's
hospital. But everyone wants to die by
fire.
EXT. STREET, NEW YORK CITY - NIGHT
Lawrence walks past a bar, over and over. Up and down
the street, smoking.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
If I was in New York again, it wouldn't
feel like my city anymore. Not for a
while.
It begins to snow.
LAWRENCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
And everywhere I'd see the backs of girls
I used to love, walking away. Some sewer
drain steaming in the distance. And it'd
remind me of why I left. Do you see what
I'm saying?
INT. SKI CONDO, IDAHO - DAY
Lawrence reads his text messages again. What a simple
and unnecessary little sentiment she sent him.
Nate walks by, in his running outfit.
NATE
Dude, it's your script. Just conjure
Cecily to Idaho and she can help you
through this. That's the relationship
you guys have anyway.
LAWRENCE
That's not how I work. She does not
deserve my grief. I will work it out on
my own. If I need her to stay the hell
away from Lora, I am not strong enough to
be in a relationship with anyone.
NATE
Fine, do what you want. But you need
someone besides yourself to talk to. And
I guess Hilary doesn't make cameos
anymore.
LAWRENCE
Nope. She's a life coach now. We barely
speak.
Lawrence gets up and walks outside.
NATE
Well, I'm going to run.
Lawrence closes the porch door.
EXT. PORCH - DAY
Lawrence lites a cigarette. Sits back and thinks.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
Dear Hilary. The last time we really
spoke, I was on a bus to go rescue the
woman I loved from the man that was
hitting her. I was really hard on myself
back then. I lay off myself more these
days. I have no reason to do so, except
maybe acceptance. Here's what I allow
myself. Time. I never had enough time
and everything made sense because of
that. Now that I have all the time in
the world, the world becomes more
complex.
He puts on his headphones. Presses play on his new
phone. "Simple Man" by Lynard Skynyrd" comes on.
EXT. STREET, NEW YORK CITY - NIGHT
A man walks in the snow, bumps into Lawrence. This man
is barely 15 years old, darkly attractive and carrying a
Frame-pack backpack.
Lawrence stops and turns around. Waits for the man to
pass by the bar Lawrence has been pacing in front of for
the last hour or so.
But he doesn't. He walks into the bar.
Lawrence walks up to the window and looks in. There are
only two people in the bar at this hour.
Lawrence can't really see, but now he's nervous.
EXT. PORCH - DAY
Behind Lawrence is a bright burning light in the sky.
He's still listening to his sad songs.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
And here's what I do instead of texting
her back. Instead of calling her and
having it out because you know there
still shit I want to say. But it's all
just one broken heart reminding another
that it's still broken.
And I don't want to be there. I want to
be mended. All better.
Lawrence walks back into the house. The national news is
on. The headline says, "TERROR LEVEL INCREASED TO RED
NATIONWIDE!"
He walks right past the TV dialing a number on his phone.
He brings it to his ear.
INT. APARTMENT, NYC - NIGHT
A bed. A MAN and a WOMAN lay in bed, wrapped in each
other. A cell phone buzzes on the desk. Buzzes right
off the damn desk.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Who is calling at this hour?
MAN'S VOICE
I don't give a fuck.
INT. SKI CONDO, IDAHO - DAY
Lawrence turns off the TV without seeing what's on. Only
an image of a giant shinning asteroid headed at the
camera. The headline is "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!"
Lawrence throws the phone on the couch, looks around.
He's alone. He pops open his computer and surfs around
with his left hand. His right is down his pants.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
Lora washes dishes. The DARK MAN who walked in is
sitting at the end of the bar with his backpack beneath
him.
DARK MAN
I need to go home.
LORA
What'd you say?
DARK MAN
I'm not happy and I need to go home.
LORA
(seems sad)
Then go home.
EXT. BUS STATION, NEW YORK - NIGHT
Lawrence waits at the Port Authority with his bags. He
looks younger than he did in Idaho, more hopeful.
He holds a ticket to Minneapolis, MN. Dated August 29th,
2005.
He lites a cigarette. Calls someone on his cell phone.
The person on the other line is TONY.
TONY
What up bro?
LAWRENCE
I'm doing it man, I'm at the station.
How's your grandparent's house?
TONY
Fucking sucks man. Been sneaking across
the street to smoke weed.
LAWRENCE
I'm talking to you from one year from
now.
TONY
What?
LAWRENCE
You're going to be okay man. In a year
you'll be in love with a girl you already
know. And you'll be moving in with her.
TONY
What are you talking about man?
LAWRENCE
We're both going to be okay. I'm getting
on this bus, in my memory, and I'm going
towards this thing I want, but in a year
I won't want it anymore. I'm risking
everything for something I won't even
care to fight for in a year.
TONY
Is it still worth the trip?
LAWRENCE
I'm trying to figure that out.
EXT. BEACH - MORNING
Lawrence walks to the water. CECILY follows, wrapped in
a blanket, her hair blowing across her face.
Lawrence turns back to her.
CECILY
Do you like my ocean?
LAWRENCE
I love your ocean!
Lawrence plops to the ground. Cecily stands behind him.
Wraps the blanket around him.
LAWRENCE (CONT'D)
We're big blanket fans. We need a
bucket.
CECILY
How come it took you so long to put me in
your script?
Lawrence thinks about it, trying to act dramatic.
LAWRENCE
I don't know. I know, but I don't know.
See it's this strength thing. I'm trying
to be ready for you before we get to this
point. This...beach somewhere. Find out
before I can't really know, what I am,
alone.
Cecily walks to the water and scoops up some wet sand.
She sits in front of him, and plops the sand between
them.
She pulls her man towards her with a slight brush of his
cheek, smearing grey mud. She kisses him to get his
attention.
Her eyes looks down. She's smoothing the wet sand into a
flat square.
CECILY
Get me some more.
Lawrence gets up and walks to the water. Gets down on
his knees and pushes wet sand into a pile.
Once he's got a real pile going. He slides it towards
his woman.
INT. SKI CONDO, IDAHO - NIGHT
Nate, Ethan, Gabe and John sit on the couch staring at
the television.
The television is switched to a news program. The
headline reads "TERROR THREAT LEVEL: BRIGHT BLACK!"
Through the sliding door, Lawrence is on the phone.
LAWRENCE
Fantasize with me, Cecily, please. We
don't have much time left.
CECILY (O.S.)
Why do you say that? Why do you want to
end all life on this planet right before
you come to Olympia?
LAWRENCE
I don't know. Everything's in my head
now. All at once. And, God it seems
like you're so close. We're so close.
And something's going to fuck it up
before we ever allow ourselves to be
happy.
FLASH of Cecily and Lawrence building a sand castle
together.
Patting down the towers, poking little doorways and
windows near the bottom.
Digging a river from the ocean to fill the moat around
the castle.
CECILY (O.S.)
Do you ever want Lora back?
LAWRENCE
No.
CECILY
Then I don't understand why you have to
create the end days right before we
begin. You said shit on the phone like,
memories that never got to happen. What
was I supposed to say to that?
LAWRENCE
I don't want to spend my last moments
alive fighting with you about the past.
CECILY
They're not your last moments, Lawrence.
No one's dying.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
The patron falls off his stool. He's wasted. Lora walks
up and peers over the bar.
The patron swipes at his backpack, ripping it open.
LAWRENCE (O.S)
I'm not really sure what's real and
what's a dream in this script anymore. I
thought it was all a dream, but I think I
woke up somewhere. I think New York's
about to go down.
Just then, FBI bursts into the bar, as snow blows in
behind them. The drunk man pulls a case from his bag.
Lora hits the deck. They pounce on him. Struggling with
what he's holding.
Everyone's screaming, wrestling and the case goes flying.
INT. BUS STATION, MISSOULA - DAY
Lawrence stands at a tiny bus station, outside of
Missoula, MT. He holds another ticket. This one says
"OLYMPIA, WA AUGUST 29TH 2006."
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
One year ago. I remember what it's like
to start something. I know what it could
become. And I'm trying baby, I really
am, to make it not turn out the same way.
CECILY (V.O.)
I know you are. I am too.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
But I don't know everything. And I could
fuck this up or you could fuck it up. I
could be standing at a bus station next
August with another bus ticket. Doesn't
that make you sick to your stomach.
CECILY (V.O.)
No. It can be a wonderful day in
history. It's the last day we ever had
to make history alone. It's the hope
day.
The bus pulls up to the stop.
FLASHES of the beach. Lawrence and Cecily kiss over
their new castle. The first home they built together.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
The case is still in mid air. Everyone watches it in
slow motion. Lora stands up from behind the bar.
LAWRENCE (V.O.)
I'm the only person who can stop this.
EXT. BUS STATION, MISSOULA - DAY
Lawrence steps on the bus.
FLASH OF THE CASE EXPLODING AS EVERYONE HIDES THEIR EYES.
ZOOM WAY BACK. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE. THE METEOR FALLS
ON NEW YORK.
FLASH TO WHITE:
EXT. TREE LINED STREET - DUSK
Lawrence rides the bus. In the reflection on the
windows, the green trees of Olympia can be seen.
EXT. BEACH - MORNING
Lawrence and Cecily walk back to her car holding hands.
Leaving their sand castle behind.
The ocean rolls a wave over the castle, smoothing out
it's edges, flooding its moat. Brings the sand back from
wence it came.
FADE TO BLACK:
Friday, August 18, 2006
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