By Brynn Simon
EXT. DARK ALLEY, NEW YORK CITY – MIDNIGHT
MAN (V.O)
(humming an irish lullaby)
CAMERA, fade in from black, is focused on the stars in the sky then tilts down on the earth and closes in from above on dark New York City alley, the man is the center of focus. Keeps zooming in, long to medium shot.
CAMERA medium shot stays behind the man in the alley as he walks. He wears faded jeans and a worn brown leather jacket. There is a dirty necklace around his neck, his family coat of arms. His hair is mousy brown and overgrown; it’s starting to gray with age and stress, stops at his shoulder. He has gray stubble, maybe a week’s worth.His hands are dirty, all of his nails are bitten off.
CAMERA advances with him as he moves deeper into the dark alley which is only slightly lit by a streetlamp on the opposite street. One trashy car drives by every ten minutes. The tall building on either side of the alley create a slanted shadow on the alley, dividing it in half, dark and light.
The tips of his knives scraped against the dull white grout in between the grimey clay bricks, composing a gravely high pitched noise. Both arms are fully extended wings, his head tilted up to the star ridden sky as he walked down the alley.A car drives by and the glow of the headlights pass over him and the knives, illuminating them and the alley. A woman is also barely seen in the alley, she is crouched low and not moving near the corner of the left building at the enterance of the alley.
CAMERA closeup on woman in her twenties, her clothes match her black hair which is pulled up into a ponytail. She faces the man but stays close to the wall, crouching low- in the dark shadows of the alley.She lurks closer to him hesitantly not noticing the homeless man next to the dumpster because he looks like a pile of disgusting old blankets. The man with the knives doesn’t notice as she continues. There is a gleam in her eye, she is prepared for this and knows not to hesitate yet is taken aback by his soft, calming humming.
CAMERA goes to homeless man sitting against right side brick alley wall behind a leaky dumpster, peering behind it at the two people in the alley. He wears ratty ripped jeans and sweatshirts and is enclosed by many worn blankets.
CAMERA goes back to man.
MAN STOPS walking and humming abruptly and turns his head to the left side, looking over his left shoulder at the knife in his left hand, it is still connected to the grout. He is in pain but doesn’t let it show. The pain runs from the knives up his arms to his chest.
MAN
(in a raspy voice with a bit of humor)
Now who could it be this time?
CAMERA moves to woman.
WOMAN FREEZES and presses her back against the bricks, holding her breath.
CAMERA moves back to the man, zooms in on his face and left side of torso.
MAN
(soft chuckle)
Don’t be shy.
(pauses)
CAMERA flashes to woman breathing hard, her chest rises and falls rapidly but she is still not moving then goes back to man.
MAN
I know why you were sent here.
CAMERA zooms in on woman’s face.
WOMAN’S eyes clench shut. When she opens them the man is facing her and staring at her with his hands at his side. CAMERA FOLLOWS
ONE KNIFE reflects light as the man holds it parallel to his face. It is covering half of his grin, his teeth are straight and surprisingly white.He kind of looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. He LETS GO of the KNIFE and it falls in slow motion. CLATTERING against the grimy black top in a dirty puddle.
CAMERA goes to WOMAN’s grey eyes watching the knife drop then goes back to close up of knife in puddle on ground and the second knife falls in slow motion next to it.
GREEN CELTIC SYMBOL protruding from the metal handle on both knives is focused on by CAMERA.
MAN gently kicks the knives scattering down the alley way towards the woman. One of the knives hits her thick boot. She scrambles to pick it up, snatches it and stares at it like it is her last dying hope.
SHE stands fully, weighs it in her hand, stares at it still, getting a feel for it. Satisfied finally. Something she’s long waited to do.
CAMERA goes to the other knife. It’s gleam is shown under the dumpster, next to the homeless man’s blankets. HE picks it up and runs his dirty thumb over the celtic symbol loops over and over again. A warmth goes over him. He feels different.
HOMELESS MAN
(barely a whisper)
The stories are true.
HOMELESS MAN smiles grimly and lets out a raspy quiet chuckle.
CAMERA goes back to man who shoves his hands in his pocket and bow his head and says a prayer. He has done what he needed to.
CAMERA goes to WOMAN who looks up from the knife and at the man. She stops smiling. This man has made her the luckiest person in the world.
WOMAN
(shakes her head and mutters low)
Thank you.
WOMAN throws knife with precision and trained skill, killing the man, hitting him directly in the chest, in the heart.
His eyes are still closed when the knife hits. He looks down at it and falls to his knees before crumpling to the side then laying flat on the dirty blacktop.He doesn’t attempt to remove the knife. He looks at the stars as he dies, and finally feels at peace. Blood pours out of his chest and pools around him, warming him as he dies.There was more blood than suffering.
CAMERA goes to woman’s boots walking towards the man who’s laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. HER arm is seen entering the shot reaching down wrapping her fingers around the knife and pulling it out of his chest then wipes it off on her thigh.
CAMERA goes to THE BLADE as it gleams in the light streetlamp light, the green celtic symbol gleams brighter. The imprint of the celtic symbol is on her palm.
CAMERA ZOOMS OUT on knife to see the blade dragging along the grout between the bricks in her right hand as she walks away slowly, softly humming an Irish lullaby.
HOWLER LIT 