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Colette

LIFE W/O PAROLE
by
COLETTE NELSON




Colette Nelson SheRoar Films LLC 503 N. Quw Blvd
Belgrade, MT. 59714
(406) 388-0108
(406) 599-0751
Only1tigress@hotmail.com

© 2006, Colette Nelson

FADE IN:

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

Orange prison garb, cuffs and shackles, an OFFICER follows ADRIAN into the room.
Five PROFESSIONALS remain seated at a conference table.

ADRIAN (V.O.) I'm a changed man.

They face mostly empty chairs where ROXANNE sits rigid, three seats behind OFFICER LAYLA listening and writing.
The women study his gorilla posture, muted facial expressions.

Adrian looks Roxanne in the eye - her eyes close.
MONTAGE - ISABELLE FROM BIRTH TO DEATH (SPAN 14 YRS)

ADRIAN (V.O.) Prayer...

HOSPITAL - Roxanne strokes the cheek of a NEWBORN. Layla enters, an old camcorder to her eye.

ADRIAN (V.O.) Anger management...

KITCHEN - ROXANNE kisses (5) ISABELLE's bandaged knee.

ADRIAN (V.O.) Group therapy...

TRUCK/DRIVEWAY - Roxanne and ISABELLE (8-10) smudges on her faces, tinker under the hood of Roxanne's truck.

ADRIAN (V.O.) Counseling...

STREET - DAY - (Teen) ISABELLE fights ADRIAN dragging her away, (5yr) TAM screams as she watches.

DECREPIT BASEMENT - Layla slides down wall next to garbage can of (teen) Isabelle's protruding bloody remains.

ADRIAN (V.O.) Psychotherapy...

MORGUE - NIGHT - Roxanne buckles in anguish before (teen)Isabelle's mangled form, frozen and uncovered on the table. Layla goes to the floor rocking her friend.
CEMETERY - DAY - Roxanne lies near a fresh grave, fingers clawing grass.

ROXANNE Just dig another one here.

Layla plops next to her on the grass, rubbing her back.

A HEAVY door SLAMS-

BACK TO SCENE - snapping roxanne's eyes open.

The lone chair stands empty.
Layla stands, The panel ignoring her. Roxanne continues breathing - stay calm. Layla clears her throat.
The annoyed group looks up expectantly.

LAYLA I'm Sheriff Layla Jenk--

CORRECTIONAL REVIEW OFFICER Save your breath Sheriff. Every prison in the nation's overcrowded. You're sending us more criminals than we can fiscally handle and every human rights organization is breathing down our necks about cramped living conditions. Every necessary precaution will be taken to ensure the safety of the public.
Layla - deep breath.

LAYLA Precautions so effective he's doing time again.

The group averts their eyes, shifting paperwork. Roxanne bursts from her seat and races for the table.

ROXANNE YOU CAN'T DO THIS! SIX YEARS IS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE!

Roxanne climbs the table, grabbing ties and getting in bewildered faces.

Two SECURITY GUARDS burst through the door.

ROXANNE HE'LL DO IT AGAIN!Guards fight her arms and wrestle her to the door.

CORRECTIONAL REVIEW OFFICER This is a closed session! Get her out of here!

ROXANNE THE BLOOD'LL BE ON YOU'RE HANDS!

Layla shoots one last glance at the panel and hurries after Roxanne, being dragged forcefully out of the room.

LAYLA Let her go!

SUPERIMPOSE - EIGHT YEARS LATER
EXT. AUTO MECHANIC SHOP - DAY

Driving, Roxanne locks eyes with Adrian rolling tire to door.

LAYLA (V.O.) His mother's sick, of course he's living here! He's working, has an apartment, a girl, what more do you want? He's at church every Sunday for cryin' out loud!
INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY

Layla's desk between her and Roxanne, Roxanne picks up a photo frame laying face down - TAMARA AND ISABELLE, arms wrapped around each other and laughing.

LAYLA Stop following him! If he presses charges, you'll be the one behind bars.
She picks up another photo, just Tamara this time.
INT. ICE CREAM SHOP - DAY

Roxanne enters and goes to the counter.

ROXANNE Half a gallon of Rocky Road.

Roxanne turns to ADRIAN and his DATE at a table, her back to Roxanne.Adrian watches Roxanne approach, lean over and startle the woman, whispering-

ROXANNE You must be new around here, watch out, he's a real lady killer.

Back at the register, she tosses $ to the counter, whisks the ice cream from the counter and exits.
EXT. QUIET SIDEWALK - DUSK

Tamara rocks to a beat in headphones, pushing a quiet lawnmower down the sidewalk.
She breaches an alleyway entrance - Turning her head - her eyes make contact with dark glasses behind the wheel of an old muscle car -

just as Adrian RAMS the gas pedal to the floor - and swings his door open simultaneously.

The DOOR SLAMS TAMARA'S SIDE and mower, throwing them a short distance - knocking the wind from her.

The car stops - Tamara fights for air!

Menacing boots approach - she tries to get up - collapses!

A fist lodges in her hair, Tamara screams but nothing comes out.

TAMARA (faint whisper) help!! help!!

Tamara's hands fly to her scalp to alleviate the strain.
In excruciating pain and fury Tamara screams and fights Adrian like a hellcat.

He struggles against her beating fists, dragging her to the open door.
He pulls her close in effort to bind her arms, cheek to cheek.

Like a pit bull, she SINKS PEARLY WHITES DEEP INTO SOFT FLESH and holds- he utters an ANGRY CRY, blood gushes.
He grabs her hair again, yanking her head back hard, her teeth dislodge, her hair slips through his fingers.
In spite of all pain, Tamara throws her head back and forward in effort to HEAD BUTT her opponent.
SMACK! Her head rolls back in a stupor.

Adrian tosses her limp body across the front seat.
CRIME SCENE - LATER

Three OFFICERS hover over Layla, studying the blood spots on pavement, not far from the mangled mower. She springs to her feet, screaming and bouncing off the officers.

DISPATCHER (V.O.) Repeat, APB out on a missing female. Seventeen, long blonde hair, green eyes, five foot three, slender build.
INT. ROXANNE'S TRUCK - NIGHT

A large heavy duffle bag flies across the front seat. Roxanne jumps in.

DISPATCHER (V.O.) Last seen at five thirty this evening leaving 690 Oak Street.
INT. ROOT CELLAR - NEXT

Adrian draws a knife along trembling neck flesh, releasing a blood trail. A whimper escapes her lips.

TAMARA Please, just-just stop.

Tools of torture hang bloody from the ceiling and walls. A high bloody table nearby, laid out with tools of menace. A dusty wood stove roars with fire in the corner.
EXT/INT. ROOT CELLAR DOOR - NEXT

Blood curdling SCREEEAAAM from within. Digital camera in hand, Roxanne takes a deep steadying breath, pulls down her mask, and kicks in the door with amazing force.

She steps in SNAPPING PICTURES fast-
SNAP!

Adrian even looks into the camera - SNAP!
ADRIAN What the hell-

Adrian mashes Tam's face away but her mangled image flashes in the LCD screen. Roxanne gags but clicks - SNAP!

ADRIAN Why you!

Fumbling with pants, Adrian ROARS and charges for her -

TAMARA HELP ME PLEASE GOD HELP ME!!

Roxanne BOLTS out the door and steps to one side.
Following, a baseball bat SMASHES Adrian's face -knocking him to the ground, unconscious.
EXT. HOSPITAL FIELD - SAME

Tamara slows to a stumbling walk. dirty, bloody tears stream down her cheeks.

ROXANNE (V.O.) Tam, tell them you got away. I had nothing to do with this. Nothing. Understand?
INT. ROOT CELLAR - LATE

Bound to a chair, lying on his back, Adrian eyes a naked bulb. His pantlegs rolled to knees and sleeves cut off at elbows. A fire extinguisher rests near Adrian's shoes and the open woodstove.

ADRIAN Little bitch tasted like chicken... Think this ends here?

Roxanne hovers an axe above his ankle. Their eyes meet, she raises the tool Samurai style.

ROXANNE For you.

Adrian strains unsuccessfully against taunt rope.

ADRIAN But not for you.Axe swings -
INT. HOSPITAL/SHOWER - NIGHT

Tamara scrubs with a soapy wash cloth-

Scrubs harder-

Scrubs faster-

Pours more soap on the cloth -

Scrubs harder!

Water runs into the drain glistening with a red hue.

Tamara SCREAMS in utter frustration.
EXT. HOSPITAL BATHROOM DOOR - SAME

Layla rests her head against the door in agony at the scream.
INT. ROOT CELLAR

Blood squirts -

severed limb into the woodstove -

Axe swings -

blood squirts -

limb into stove -

Ice water dumps over Adrian's face, he comes to sputtering.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - SAME

Dumbstruck, Layla sits before she falls and searches the face of the DOCTOR.

LAYLA There's no boyfriend. Isn't there something?... The morning after pill? Something?
DOCTOR #1 You sure that's how you want to handle this?

Layla's eyes dart from object to object in the small room as the sound of a wailing baby passes in the hallway.

LAYLA Doctor, she- NO ONE can ever know about this.
INT. ROOT CELLAR

Roxanne snaps on a fresh pair of latex gloves.

Surgical scissors snip veins from an eyeball. Pulling it free, Roxanne places it next to it's twin on a cloth.

The hot fiery poker moves in. Black smoke and the sound of sizzling rise from the table.

A tongue and thirty-two teeth rest next to the eyeballs..

ADRIAN glglglglgglglgg.

Roxanne leans, whispering menacingly into Adrian's ear.

ROXANNE You would have been safer serving out your life sentence.

FADE TO BLACK

ROXANNE now you'll spend the rest of your days in darkness, unable to walk, write, or chew, unable to recognize another face or sound. you will piss and crap yourself the rest of your life and nurses will curse you everytime they have to clean you up. You will live, trapped inside with only your own warped mind to keep you company...

A sharp tool penetrates an eardrum, digging around forces the voice to become cloudy and only reaching one ear.

ROXANNE For a long time.

The other ear receives same gouging, and hearing is lost.
BACK TO SCENE

Roxanne stirs cooking, shredded meat on the woodstove, cell phone to her ear.

ROXANNE I mean it, Come alone Lay.
EXT. DESERTED PRAIRIE HIGHWAY - DAY

Gloved, Layla fingers a photo stapled across Adrian's face.

Standing behind her friend, Roxanne grimaces.
Layla rips the photo from his face, a mass of cooked shredded flesh spills from his mouth with a low moan.

Layla stands, rips her gun from her holster and aims at Adrian's head.
Roxanne steps between them.

LAYLA Move!

ROXANNE This! THIS is a life sentence, It's irrevocable.

Layla fires a shot at Roxanne's feet. Roxanne flinches.

LAYLA That's my baby! MY GIRL!-I want-I want him to... I want my turn!

ROXANNE THIS IS YOUR TURN! Don't send him to hell just yet, let his mind do him in.
INT. HOSPITAL LOBBY - LATE

Layla and DOCTOR observe Adrian's bandaged form through a viewing window.
DOCTOR He's useless to the investigation. He can't whisper a name, identify a photo, write a clue, or even point a finger. Not a strange fingerprint, hair follicle or even a dead skin cell on this guy. He'll live out his life in some twisted recurring nightmare.

LAYLA See that he lives forever Doctor.

Layla walks away.
INT. TAMARA'S HOME/BEDROOM - SAME

Roxanne leans forward planting a light kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead.
She tiptoes from the darkened room, leaving a teddy bear on the dresser.
INT. ROXANNE'S BADASS TRUCK - NIGHT

The radio blares the local news as Roxanne's headlights shine on the road ahead.

ANNOUNCER The FBI has been called in on a bizarre case as a fifth repeat sex offender has been found completely incapacitated with incriminating evidence stapled across what used to be his face.

Roxanne etches a tally mark across four lines in her dash.

FADE OUT.

CREDITS: with faces of real life murdered children and the dates of their deaths.