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AWAKE S1 - E1 PART ONE
INT. HOSPITAL – NURSES STATION - NIGHT
TIFFANY
Kassandra Blake is awake..
NURSE
Shut the f-
INT. BLAKE HOME – MASTER BEDROOM – NIGHT
Marquise brushes his teeth in the bathroom doorway and tries to listen to his wife’s phone conversation.
Sonay hangs up the phone.
Marquise questions her with his eyebrows.
SONAY
That was Tiffany with the hospital.
Apparently, there’s been an incident with
Vrail, and Kassandra is awake.
Marquise immediately spits in the sink and rips his night shirt off. Sonay heads to the closet.
INT. HOSPITAL – NURSES STATION – NIGHT
MOS (this means without sound).. The DOCTOR shakes his head in apology. Marquise catches his wife as she collapses nearly to the floor.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME
Sonay’s wailing is heard from down the hall.
Sean is startled from his doze on Blake’s stomach.
INT. HOSPITAL – NURSES STATION – NIGHT
Sean emerges from Blake’s hospital room, wobbly kneed. He meets Sonay on the floor and they sob together. Marquise is left shaking his head in disbelief, face in hands.
MARQUISE
What about Ravyn?
How is she doing?
DOCTOR
I can’t really—
TIFFANY
She’s stable. In and out of consciousness.
The doctor can’t hide the look of genuine shock on his face at Tiffany’s disregard for hospital protocol. Tiffany’s unfazed.
TIFFANY (CONT)
The Narcan worked on her, so she’ll live,
though she’s in bad shape.
Headache. Shivers. Nausea.
​
MARQUISE
Does Kassy know..
about Vrail?
SEAN
(absently)
Yea..
Marquise nods and heads to his daughter’s room. Vacant eyed Sean holds Sonay in his lap on the floor.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Blake’s head tilts like a confused puppy when her father walks in crying.
He grabs her hand, sits beside her, kisses her palm.
Blake watches him cry. Her eyes search his for all the memories she’s missed.
They stare at one another for some time, then Blake grabs his hand and draws a “V” in his palm with her finger. He swallows down the desire to sob and shakes his head.
Blake tosses his hand aside.
Her disappointed eyes search the far wall for a way to escape this place.
INT. HOSPITAL – ICU ROOM – SAME
Lieutenant Taylor approaches James’s bed just as he’s waking.
LT
Hey there, tough guy.
Thought we lost you for a sec.
JAMES
Oh.. You can’t get rid of me that easy.
​
He smiles away the wince his chuckle evokes.
LT
Well, try this on.
I have some good news, some dark shit
and a whole lot of bad in between.
What you want first?
JAMES
Let’s just start at the bottom and
work our way up to the top.
End on a good note.
LT
Fair enough.
Your daughter is emerging
from critical condition after a near
fatal fentanyl overdose.
JAMES
Fentanyl?
Where did she—
LT
Apparently, someone laced
the marijuana she was smoking with
your son and Vrail Blake.
The Narcan brought her back
from the dead..
It was not successful in doing the
same for Mr. Blake.
JAMES
Lord.
Those poor people.
Where is Sean?
LT
He’s with the Blakes.
There’s silence for a few moments, then..
LT (CONT)
We have no idea who attacked you
outside your home. They
took out your Ring camera
before the attack. All we saw
was something hit it. Can’t tell what.
JAMES
Damn.
Well, what’s the good news.
LT
Not there yet.
We lost contact with
Sandra Jacobs and
Dagen Daniels
sometime last night.
Without him, we might
not be able to make this thing
stick to his piece of sh—
(she clears her throat)
-work stepfather.
James timidly awaits more bad news.
LT (CONT)
All that being said and what it is,
guess who’s awake.
James shakes his head questioningly afraid to guess.
LT (CONT)
Kassandra Blake.
James’s eyebrows can’t hide his shock. His face goes white. His eyes roll back in his head. He suffers a seizure. His machines go off with ALARMS.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME
Blake tries her damnedest to get out of her bed. Marquise tries twice as hard to keep her there. Sonay walks in on the struggle.
SONAY
Take your hands OFF of her.
Marquise immediately steps back, hands up.
Blake watches with wide eyes as her mother approaches. Her shaky fingers and glazed eyes search her mother’s face, ready to lose her damn mind.
SONAY (CONT)
Come on, baby.
Let’s go see Bubba.
Tiffany and Sonay help Blake out of bed.
SONAY (CONT)
Hun, can you grab a
wheelchair for—
Before she can finish, Sean slams through the door with a chair in tow. Marquise nods his head as impressed as he could be under the present circumstances.
INT. HOSPITAL – ICU – NIGHT
Sean heads directly for the door to Vrail’s room. The guard attempts to stand in his way, but he pushes through the door, Sonay follows, pushing Blake’s chair. Tiffany waves the guard off.
INT. HOSPITAL – ICU ROOM – CONTINUOUS
Sonay pushes Blake up beside her brother’s lifeless body. Sean and Marquise help her up out of her chair, and she climbs into the bed with Vrail. She lays her head on his chest and caresses his face.
Her fingers find one of Vrail’s dreadlocks. She twists it soothingly between her fingers and smells his neck.
Marquise sits in the chair beside Vrail’s bed. Sonay sits on the bed opposite of Blake.
Sean leans back against the wall and tries not to cry.
After a while of trying to figure out what to do with herself, Tiffany leans in beside him.
TIFFANY
Have you seen your sister
since she woke up?
BLAKE
Ravyn?
Shock is painted on everyone’s face.
Blake searches Sean’s face to no avail, so she turns to her mother.
BLAKE (CONT)
Ravyn?
Sonay shakes the shock off with a literal head shake.
SONAY
Ravyn? You wanna see Ravyn?
Blake sniffles and swipes a tear from her own eye and seats herself back in the chair. She braces herself and nods. Sonay turns the chair around.
SONAY (CONT)
Let’s go see Ravyn.
INT. NIGHT CLUB VIP SUIT – NIGHT
Leyden, sweating through his clothes and spewing spit all over everything, loses his shit trying to stop the girl he “rented” for the weekend from dying in his arms.
SERIES OF SHOTS
- He pats her cheek, desperately pleading with his sweaty lips brushing her ear..
LEYDEN
Please don’t die
Please don’t die
Please don’t die
- heaves her limp body over his shoulder
- drops her in the shower
- shower on
- sprays her face
- screams in her face
- straddles her corps in the shower, shaking her shoulders, hollering obscenities
END SERIES
INT. NIGHT CLUB VIP SUIT – BATHROOM – SHOWER – NIGHT
RUNNING SHOWER
Leyden flings himself back off that poor girls corps, shoves a pistol in his mouth and pulls the trigger BLOW
INT. LEYDEN’S BEDROOM – SAME
Leyden snaps up out of sleep, sweat clinging to the sheets. Leyden checks his phone. No messages.
SERIES OF SHOTS
- he struggles out of the sheets, exposing a nude woman passed out beside him
- slams the toilet seat up
- scratches his bare ass and hocks a loogie in the toilet
- TOILET FLUSH
-splashes water on his face at the sink
- stares at his reflection in the filthy, imported mirror
END SERIES
​
LOCATION UNKNOWN – TIME UNKNOWN
Ravyn stares in awe at the work laid out before her eyes.
RAVYN
Oh. So, they’re all wrong.
BLAKE
Make sure you let them know
when you see them.
Blake chuckles.
SAME – SOMETIME LATER
Ravyn stays stuck for a while before she snaps out of her own little vision trip.
BLAKE
Welcome back.
Ravyn’s eyes well to the brim with tears, but the pride of what she’s seen and who’s shown it to her prevents a single tear from fallings. When her wondered eyes find Blake’s she’s unable to hold back her excitement.
Her grin extends from ear to ear, all knowing and fearless. Finally, she can fly.
Blake spits some seed shells out on the floor, stands, dusts off her jeans, stomps the dirt from her boots, and kicks a rock from the sole tread.
She offers her hand to her friend.
BLAKE
So, love. Ready to go?
Blake can’t remember if the kiss started before, during or after the response, but it lasted forever and promised even longer.
Ravyn’s lips brushing Blake’s ear, her neck, her lips. They kiss.
RAVYN
You know it.
Ravyn takes off holding Blake by the arm.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Blake wakes up with a jolt, like coming back from the dead. She startles Sonay from her doze in the chair.
BLAKE
Where’s Ravyn?
Sonay motions to the other bed.
Ravyn sleeps soundly.
Blake smiles through her shivers.
SONAY
Why are you shivering, baby?
RAVYN
Come here.
Blake moves too quickly for her mother’s comfort. Sonay hovers behind her ready to brace any fall. Blake climbs warily into bed with Ravyn.
Sonay watches them in relief. They cozy up and drift off to sleep.
Sonay can’t pin a thought down, but she welcomes the apparent peace and watches her daughter and her very best friend sleep.
A genuine smile chased by a deep yawn sends Sonay directly into the other bed and off to slumber for what feels like the first time in years.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Sonay wakes and struggles to free herself from underneath Marquise who’s slumped across her drooling, shoes on, feet hanging off the edge of Blake’s hospital bed.
His heavy head sinks into the pillow when Sonay wiggles free. She turns to head to the restroom, but stops dead in her tracks.
Blake stares, unflinchingly into a distant, unseen reality. Sonay catches herself.
SONAY
What are you doing
awake, sweetheart?
BLAKE
I didn’t know I was.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – BOTH
TIME-LAPSE
Blake and Ravyn sleep over the span of several days. The rest of the world goes on around them.
Sonay, Marquise and Sean are all in and out, asleep and awake. They eat, talk, play games, watch tv etc.
Tiffany checks on the two patients.
END TIME LAPS
​
Sonay reads in a chair near the window.
Lt. Taylor peeks her head in the door.
LT
Ok to come in, ma’am?
SONAY
Oh sure, um.. lieutenant , right?
LT
Yes ma’am. Lt. Taylor.
Sonay sets her book aside and shakes LT’s offered hand.
LT
Wow. These two still catchin up, huh?
SONAY
You would think after being in a coma
for as long as she was, she’d be tired of
the bed by now.
They share a short laugh. The girls continue to slumber.
LT
I was really hoping to get a
chance to talk to them, especially
Kassandra. Our case is in
jeopardy of falling apart.
Our only other witness
has disappeared into thin air
Without her statement,
the judge might turn our
suspect loose as soon as Monday.
SONAY
The good news just doesn’t seem
to end around here, does it?
LT
Afraid not.
SONAY
How’s Detective Shannon doing?
I tried to check on him
a couple of days ago, but they
wouldn’t even let me on his floor.
LT
Well, he had a stroke and spent a half
a day in a coma. He’s stable and awake now,
but unable to speak just yet.
He’s on a secure floor because
we still don’t know who tried to kill
him or why. I hate to be so
blunt about it, but as the lead detective
on Kassandra’s case, if we lose him
we have little to no chance of
conviction at this point.
SONAY
They won’t even tell Sean anything.
Poor kid is beside himself.
At least I can relay the
good news about his
father being awake.
LT
I can get him in to see him
anytime.
LT hands Sonay a card.
LT (CONT)
Tell him to call me when he’s ready.
Sonay slides the card under the cover of her book.
SONAY
I will definitely do that.
She offers a faint smile to bridge the growing silence.
LT
Well, I won’t crowd you, but
let me know if you need anything,
anything at all. Are the arrangements
set for Vrail’s services?
SONAY
Oh. His father and my husband are
handling the arrangements. They were all
three military men. It’s just been much
easier to let them deal with the VA.
LT
I can definitely understand that.
I’ll get with one of them to
see if there’s anything I can do.
I’ll check back in a day or two
to see if Kassandra is…
I’ll check in in a day or two.
SONAY
Thank you, Lt. Taylor.
LT
Feel free to call me LT.
Everyone else does.
Take care, Mrs. Blake.
I’ll see you in a couple of days.
Sonay goes back to her book as LT slides out the door.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Sloan stands motionless watching Blake and Ravyn sleep. She sets a bouquet on the table. Sean suddenly wakes with a deep inhale.
SLOAN
What’s good, cry baby thug?
SEAN
Hey, bitch.
SLOAN
The fucks goin on here?
SEAN
Kassy woke up a few days ago.
They been like that ever since.
SLOAN
Where yo big head boyfriend at?
SEAN
The morgue.
Sloan’s eyes grow to size of saucers.
SEAN (CONT)
Ya girl almost died too.
Somebody laced the tree
with fentanyl.
SLOAN
Shut the fuck up.
She’s not lookin much
like my girl. Looks like
the stand in is out.
You alright?
SEAN
Naw. Not for real.
Where you been?
SLOAN
I had to go see my mama.
Her husband kicked the bucket.
SEAN
Shame.
Her cocked head and raised eyebrow beg to differ.
SLOAN
When’s Blake’s funeral?
SEAN
Sometime next week. His
dads are handling the details.
SLOAN
Bet. Keep me posted.
You tryin to smoke?
SEAN
Naw. I’m straight.
SLOAN
Damn. I must have been gone
longer than I thought.
She chucks the deuce and dips out.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Sean sleeps in the chair by the window. Sonay sleeps in one bed, Blake and Ravyn in the other.
Blake suddenly erupts out of her sleep, hollering.
BLAKE
Ravyn!
Sean, Sonay and Ravyn jerk out of sleep all at once. Marquise busts out of the bathroom yanking his pants up.
MARQUISE
What’s going on?
Ravyn turns to face Blake.
RAVYN
You okay?
BLAKE
Fuck this.
She jumps out of bed and takes off out the door. Everyone looks around stunned, then they all follow her out.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
By the time they all make it out the door, Blake has sprinted the entire length of the hall and bends the corner. Everyone gives chase.
INT. HOSPITAL ICU – NIGHT
Sonay, Sean, Marquise, Ravyn, and Nurse Tiffany catch up with Blake in the room where Vrail died.
Blake stands in the middle, staring at the empty bed, crying and trying to catch her breath. Sonay approaches her from behind and startles her.
SONAY
What’s—
Blake spins around defensively, ready to protect herself. Sonay backs away.
SONAY (CONT)
What’s going on, Kassandra?
Are you okay?
BLAKE
Where is he?
Where is my brother?
Everyone looks around still stunned.
SONAY
He’s—
BLAKE
(frantically through sobs)
Vrail!
Where the hell did you go?
How am I supposed to find you?
You said you’d never leave me.
You said you’d always be there.
Vrail!
SEAN
(whispers to Tiffany and Ravyn)
How the hell did she run like that?
They both shrug.
VRAIL (O.S.)
Everything’s gonna be fine, B.
I’m right here.
Blake spins around startling the three whisperers into fidgets.
Vrail occupies the doorway. Blake starts toward him. Sean, Ravyn, and Tiffany flinch.
VRAIL (CONT)
Careful.
They have no
clue I’m here.
Blake stops and stares. Everyone else watch her, perplexed.
VRAIL (CONT)
Tell them you’re tired
and head back to your room.
SEAN
(through the side of his mouth)
What the hell is she staring at?
Blake turns suddenly and startles them again.
BLAKE
I- I’m not feeling too good—
VRAIL
No, no. Don’t tell them that.
You’re tired.
BLAKE
I mean, I’m feelin fine,
just a little tired.
SEAN
I bet you are.
Ravyn, Sonay, and Tiffany give him simultaneous, “shut the fuck up,” looks. He apologizes with a quick, clenched tooth smile.
Marquise steps in, scoops his daughter up in his arms, and heads out the door.
Vrail steps aside to allow him to pass.
VRAIL
Let Daddy take you back.
I’ll come wake you up when
we can talk some more.
Blake vaguely nods and nestles her face into her father’s chest.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Marquise lays Blake back down in her bed. He kisses her forehead and her right palm.
Blake reaches out for Ravyn. Ravyn crawls into bed with her and holds her tight. Blake falls asleep immediately.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT
Blake and Ravyn sleep snuggled together in one bed. Sonay and Marquise sleep uncomfortably in the other. Sean sleeps with his head hanging back, mouth gaped open in the chair near the window. Vrail stands watching just inside the door. Marquise starts to snore.
VRAIL
Psst… Psst.
Blake’s ears and eyes perk up. She glances over her shoulder and spots Vrail. He motions with his head and disappears through the door. Blake creeps out of bed and peeks out the door.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
Blake spots Vrail down the hall. No nurses in sight. She follows her brother without a sound.
INT. HOSPITAL MORGUE – NIGHT
Vrail and Blake search the lockers.
VRAIL
I knew you were gonna
try to make me do something
like this. Don’t you think—
BLAKE
You may as well save your breath, or
whatever. You’re gonna do it.
VRAIL
Here it is.
Blake slides the drawer open and checks the toe tag.
BLAKE
Yep.
She gives him an insistent look.
BLAKE (CONT)
Go head.
Vrail’s face protests, but he silently climbs onto the table. He straddles his body. He lays on top of himself. He wiggles around. He bounces up and down.
BLAKE (CONT)
Ok. Ok. Ok.
Get down.
VRAIL
I told you it wasn’t gonna work.
Don’t you think I would’ve climbed
back in already if I could?
This vessel is inoperable.
That shit they put in my
weed stopped my heart
and they couldn’t get it
started again.
BLAKE
What shit?
VRAIL
Fentanyl.
BLAKE
The fuck is Fentanyl?
VRAIL
A very potent synthetic opioid.
BLAKE
Who is they?
Vrail shrugs.
Blake squints.
BLAKE (CONT)
Bullshit.
VRAIL
Seriously.
BLAKE
Whatever.
Let’s go see James.
Blake slides Vrail’s drawer back in and heads toward the door. ELEVATOR BINGS
Blake goes to hide under the autopsy table. Vrail stops her.
VRAIL
In the office.
Blake ducks into the coroner’s office just in time.
INT. CORONER’S OFFICE – CONTINUOUS
Blake searches around for a place to hide.
VRAIL
Relax.
BLAKE
What if they come in here?
VRAIL
They won’t.
Blake glares unbelievingly.
VRAIL (CONT)
I got you.
Vrail disappears. Blake snoops around a bit in an attempt to quail her nerves. A scare stops her from further movement. She stands and waits for a few moments then puts her ear to the door and tries to listen.
BLAKE
I can’t hear anything.
VRAIL (O.C.)
No worries. They’re gone.
Blake startles at his voice as he reappears behind her. She hesitates at the door.
VRAIL (CONT)
You don’t trust me?
Blake squinches her nose and mouth.
Vrail’s jaw drops in surprise. ELEVATOR BINGS. Blake smiles and yanks the door open. Vrail shakes his head and follows.
INT. HOSPITAL STAIRWELL – NIGHT
Blake climbs the stairs, sucking air.
BLAKE
How much further?
VRAIL
Seven more floors.
Blake guffaws and plops her behind onto the next landing.
VRAIL (CONT)
What are you doing?
BLAKE
Dying, I think.
Vrail rolls his eyes and pinches his lips at her. She returns the expression.
BLAKE (CONT)
Bruh, I just woke up out of a
coma. I shouldn’t even be walking
let alone climbing eleven flights of
stairs. You’re trying to kill me.
Don’t do that to mama.
Vrail rolls his eyes again and sits down beside her.
VRAIL
Well, don’t sit too long, your
window of opportunity onto
James’s floor closes in about
five minutes.
BLAKE
I hate you.
VRAIL
Please.
Blake glares at him, hops up and continues the climb.
INT. HOSPITAL STAIRWELL – NIGHT
Blake grabs a doorknob, breathlessly.
BLAKE
This one?
Vrail nods. Blake cracks the door and peeks down the corridor.
BLAKE (CONT)
Let’s g—
She glances back at the empty stairwell.
VRAIL (O.C.)
Come on.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
She looks back down the corridor. Vrail waves her on, hurriedly, through a set of double doors marked: “SECURE”
Blake takes off in his direction. Vrail’s eyes widen as the doors begin to shut. Blake squeaks through the crack just in the nick of time.
Blake produces a syringe from her robe pocket.
VRAIL
Where’d that come from?
BLAKE
Coroner’s office.
VRAIL
What’s it for?
Blake responds with a devilish smirk.
VRAIL
Negative.
BLAKE
How you go stop me, Casper?
VRAIL
Casper?
BLAKE
What was Patrick Swayze’s
name in that movie? Sam—
VRAIL
You’re not funny.
BLAKE
You sure?
VRAIL
I’m not gonna let
you do anything stupid.
Vrail stops in his tracks. Blake chuckles.
BLAKE
I don’t need your help.
VRAIL
You sure?
She chuckles and bends a corner.
TIFFANY
Kassandra?
Blake freezes with a grimace, tucks the syringe in her robe pocket, turns and faces the nurse.
TIFFANY (CONT)
What are you doing up
here?
Blake shrugs and swallows.
TIFFANY (CONT)
How did you get up here?
BLAKE
Do I know you?
TIFFANY
Oh, I suppose not. I know
you though. I was your
brother’s nurse.
BLAKE
Vrail?
TIFFANY
Umhum.
BLAKE
You the one that
let him die?
Tiffany’s expression fails to hide her discomfort with the question.
TIFFANY
No, actually. I wasn’t his
nurse then. I was his nurse
last year when he was shot.
BLAKE
What?
TIFFANY
You didn’t kn—
BLAKE
Who shot my brother?
TIFFANY
Um.. maybe you ought to
ask your parents these questions.
How did you get up here again?
BLAKE
I honestly don’t know.
I think I might have been
sleep walking. I just kind of
came to and had no clue
where I was.
TIFFANY
Well, let me get you back
down to your room.
With a hand on Blake’s back, Tiffany leads her towards the elevators. Blake squirms a bit under the control, but accepts it. She glares at Vrail as he steps aside and lets them pass. He tilts his head in reply.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – EARLY MORNING
Marquise steps out of the bathroom shaking his head. Sean checks the window.
SEAN
This shit don’t even open.
RAVYN
We gotta go find her.
Ravyn hops out of the bed. Sonay yanks the door open.
Tiffany is pulled into the room, hand on the knob. Blake scoots in from behind her.
Ravyn and Sean sit with a sigh.
MARQUISE
Everything ok?
TIFFANY
Sure, Kassandra might have
been sleep walking and found
herself on the wrong floor.
BLAKE
I would appreciate if
everyone could stop calling
me that.
SONAY
Excuse me?
BLAKE
Please don’t take it
personal, ma.
MARQUISE
What would you like to
be called?
BLAKE
Blake is fine.
SONAY
Blake?
BLAKE
Yes, ma’am.
Sonay reluctantly drops the conversation with a nod.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Blake and Ravyn play cards on one bed. Sean plays on his phone in the other.
BLAKE
I’m tired of this damn room.
Let’s just bounce.
RAVYN
We can’t just leave.
BLAKE
Why not?
SEAN
You have to be discharged.
BLAKE
Who asked you, Jeffery?
RAVYN
Jeffery?
BLAKE
Looks like a Jeffery to me.
RAVYN
That’s Sean.
Blake shrugs.
BLAKE
Draw four.
KNOCK at the door
Seyren peeks his head in.
SEYREN
Kassandra Blake?
Blake snarls and stares.
SEYREN (CONT)
(chuckles)
You’re with me.
We got PT.
Blake returns his chuckle and continues her game.
Seyren looks for help from Sean and Ravyn. They watch without offering intervention.
He sighs and pulls the wheel chair up beside the bed.
SEYREN (CONT)
Hop in.
BLAKE
(to Ravyn)
Tell this guy
I’m not going anywhere
with him.
RAVYN
She’s not going anywhere
with you.
SEYREN
You’re gonna have to.
Blake continues her game.
Seyren reaches for Blake’s arm.
She breaks his nose with a single palm blow. He covers his face.
SEYREN (CONT)
Ok. Alright.
Seyren drags the chair out the door behind him, face in hand, blood trailing down his arm.
Blake continues her game. Ravyn chuckles. Sean gapes in disbelieve.
Sonay blasts in.
SONAY
The hell in going on
in here, Kassandra?
Blake continues her game.
Sonay holds back her mounting rage.
SONAY (CONT)
Answer me, Kassandra.
BLAKE
That dude put his hand on
me and got one back,
and I respectfully
asked you not to
call me that.
Sonay excuses herself without another word.
BLAKE (CONT)
Draw four more.
RAVYN
Ruthless.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
TIFFANY
Ok, so Seyren went ahead
and authorized your release from
physical therapy. I need your
signature here, then you’re
pretty much good to go.
Sonay goes for the clipboard. Tiffany smiles and presents it to Blake. Blake clicks the pen three times while she reads the discharge instructions.
TIFFANY (CONT)
Any questions, hun?
Blake signs the form and hands the pen back to Tiffany.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – NURSES STATION – DAY
Sonay pushes the elevator button. Marquise pushes Blake up beside her in the wheelchair. Tiffany pulls Ravyn aside as she passes the desk.
TIFFANY
Have you given any more
thought to what we discussed
the other day?
RAVYN
(pulling her arm free)
No.
Ravyn catches up to the group.
INT. BLAKE HOME – DAY
Marquise holds the front door open. Blake enters slowly and quietly. Sonay follows. Marquise shuts the door behind them. Sonay and Marquise watch Blake ease into the family home.
LIVING ROOM
Blake stands staring at a huge family picture mounted on the wall. She slowly crosses the room and retrieves a picture of her and Vrail from the mantle. She holds the frame to her chest as she proceeds down the
HALLWAY
Sonay and Marquise hold one another and watch from the living room. Blake passes her mother’s dark room and enters
MARQUISE’S OFFICE
Blake browses her father’s belongings like she’s in a thrift shop. She finds a hat, smells it, and puts it on her head. She shakes a tambourine then puts it back where she found it. She flips an hour glass, sits behind the desk, and puffs on an unlit tobacco pipe.
BLAKE’S BEDROOM
Blake swings the door open, catches a chill when she sees her reflection in the vanity mirror, and immediately shuts the door without entering.
VRAIL’S’ BEDROOM
Blake peeks in through the cracked door. She adjusts her hat and puffs on the unlit pipe. She wanders around much as she had in her father’s office. In the closet, she finds one of Vrail’s uniform blouses. She smiles as the name tape, “BLAKE.”
She puts it on and checks herself out in the mirror. Upon checking the pockets, she finds a joint and lighter. A mischievous smile overtakes her face. She shoves a blanket into the crack across the bottom of the door, flops back onto her brother’s bed and lights the J.
She coughs until her eyes water. She stares at the barely burning joint.
BLAKE
Stale weed is better than no weed.
Hopefully, this ain’t got
no fentanyl in it.
VRAIL (OC)
It doesn’t.
Blake chokes on her surprise. Vrail stands staring out the window.
VRAIL (CONT)
That’s not good for my
nephew, B.
BLAKE
Oh, shit! I forgot.
She stops short of actually putting the joint out and hits it again.
Vrail tilts his head questioningly.
BLAKE (CONT)
I mean.. may as well
get good and high. This
might be my last time.
VRAIL
Might?
Blake laughs and hits the joint again.
BLAKE
Could be worse.
At least it ain’t a blunt.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
Blake hops off the bed, and crushes the joint out.
SONAY (OS)
Foods ready, Kassandra.
Blake nods her head and lights some incents.
KNOCK, KNOCK
SONAY (OS) (CONT)
Kassandra?
Blake yanks the door open and stares at her mother.
SONAY
Are you burning something
in here?
BLAKE
Yea, I found some incents
in Vrail’s things.
SONAY
Smells like marijuana, Kassandra.
BLAKE
As I recall, Vrail’s
things typically did.
SONAY
Umhum.
Don’t play with me, little girl.
You not go be foolin around in
my house, child.
BLAKE
Listen, mother. I know
I was a child the last time
you saw me, but that changed
real quick. I’ve been through
things that you’ll never have to
know about. One thing I’m not
is a child. You don’t want me
foolin around in your house;
that’s fair. I will do my best to
respect that, but don’t mistake
me for the child you lost.
Kassandra is dead. She passed
on a long ass time ago. I’ve suffered
lifetimes without her, and will
likely endure many more.
Sorry, mama, but I am not
your little girl anymore.
Sonay stares back at Blake searching her eyes and her heart. Blake peers out from her daughter’s unflinching gaze.
SONAY
Your father fixed us
a late lunch.
You hungry?
BLAKE
Starved.
INT. BLAKE HOME – VRAIL’S BEDROOM – EVENING
Ravyn tosses a little green container to Blake and flops onto the bed. Blake catches it and turns it over in her hand while emptying the tobacco guts from a cigarillo into the trash.
BLAKE
Fancy.
This shit ain’t go
kill us, is it?
VRAIL AND RAVYN
It’s clean.
BLAKE
How you know?
RAVYN
I got it from my step pops.
BLAKE
So? Where you get the
shit that killed Vrail?
RAVYN
Sean got that.
Pops got this from a dispensary though.
It’s definitely clean.
BLAKE
The fuck is a dispensary?
Blake breaks up the flower and proceeds to roll a fat ass blunt.
RAVYN
It’s like a liquor store, but
they got all kinds of cannabis
products. Flower, concentrate,
edibles, anything your little heart
could possibly desire.
BLAKE
I don’t know what half of
that means, but I feel
like we need to hit up
one of these dispensaries
mañana.
RAVYN
Too easy. We just gotta
get you an ID first.
Blake presents her blunt to Ravyn for inspection.
RAVYN (CONT)
Not your best work…
She adjusts the seam with her lips and tongue.
RAVYN (CONT)
But it’ll smoke.
She produces a lighter and flicks it. Blake grabs her hand.
BLAKE
Let’s go for a drive.
Moms got her go go gadget
sniffer on today.
INT. SEAN’S CAR – NIGHT
Ravyn drives. Blake lights the blunt and hits it while trying to find something on the radio. Vrail leans into her ear from the back seat.
VRAIL
The worse it gets..
Blake chuckles and turns the music up.
RAVYN
It’s cool.
I’ll play something
off my phone.
BLAKE
Fancy.
This is a really nice car.
What kind of job you got?
RAVYN
Thanks. It’s Sean’s
and technically I don’t
have one.
BLAKE
Oh. What does Sean do?
Ravyn chuckles.
BLAKE (CONT)
That’s a funny question?
RAVYN
He sells things.
BLAKE
What kind of—
Ravyn hits the blunt and blows it in Blake’s face.
BLAKE (CONT)
Oh. Gotcha.
If you’re driving his
car, what’s he driving?
RAVYN
Your brother’s truck.
BLAKE
Why’s that?
RAVYN
Sean’s Vrail’s next of kin.
BLAKE
I don’t get it.
RAVYN
They were basically married.
BLAKE
Huh.
So much has changed
while I was away.
RAVYN
Girl, you have no idea.
BLAKE
Where we goin?
RAVYN
You’ll see.
She turns down a dark road with a smile.
EXT. GRAVEYARD – NIGHT
Sean’s car pulls up to the fence. The headlights fall on the tombs, graves, and crosses, casting long shadows on the spooky landscape.
INT. SEAN’S CAR – CONTINUOUS
Blake’s face light’s up with genuine delight.
BLAKE
A woman after
my own heart.
Ravyn chuckles and they both push their doors open.
EXT. GRAVEYARD – CONTINUOUS
A police cruiser swoops in beside Ravyn’s door. The spot light hits Ravyn dead in the face. Ravyn and Blake throw their heads back and wait for the officer to approach.
A uniformed officer approaches Ravyn’s open door.
OFFICER
The cemetery’s closed
after dark, ladies.
RAVYN
Evening, officer.
We’re sorry. We didn’t
realize-
OFFICER
Aren’t you Shannon’s
daughter?
RAVYN
Yes, sir.
Blake rolls her eyes so hard you can hear it. Ravyn chuckles under her breath.
OFFICER
How’s he doing?
​
RAVYN
Better.
OFFICER
I heard he woke up,
but ended up having
a stroke?
RAVYN
Yes sir, but
he’s awake now and
able to feed himself.
He’s not talking too well
and can’t walk really,
but he starts physical
therapy in the morning.
The doctors are hopeful
he’ll make a full recovery.
OFFICER
That’s good news.
When you speak with
him, please let him know
we’re all praying for him
and still investigating
the attack. We’re going
to find the people
responsible.
RAVYN
I’ll definitely let him know, sir.
OFFICER
All right, young lady.
You two get out of here.
This is no place for good
folks to be after dark.
The officer returns to his cruiser. Blake and Ravyn shut their doors.
INT. SEAN’S CAR – CONTINUOUS
BLAKE
Lame.
Blake produces another blunt and flicks her lighter.
BLAKE (CONT)
Where to now?
RAVYN
We can go to the apartment.
BLAKE
Make it happen, captain.
Ravyn pulls onto the road, and Blake lights the blunt.
INT. SLOAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Blake packs a bowl and takes a huge bong rip.
VRAIL
I thought you were
going to stop smoking.
BLAKE
I’m not doin this with
you right now.
RAVYN
Doin what?
BLAKE
Naw. I was talkin to
myself.
RAVYN
You’re crazy.
BLAKE
That’s accurate, but enough
about me. You said
I had no idea how much
I’ve missed. Care to fill me in?
Ravyn heads to the kitchen.
RAVYN
You want a drink?
BLAKE
Naw. It’s bad enough
I’m smokin all this ganja.
RAVYN
Oh shit.
I shouldn’t be drinking
either.
BLAKE
Why not?
RAVYN
Same reason you’re not.
BLAKE
You can’t drink cuz I’m pregnant.
Blake takes another rip.
RAVYN
No. Cuz I am.
Blake chokes. Her watering eyes beg the question.
RAVYN (CONT)
Vrail.
Blake chokes uncontrollably.
Sloan emerges from the back room.
SLOAN
You’re what?
Ravyn stares at her girlfriend with dismay plastered across her face.
RAVYN
Sloan.
Where have you been?
When did you get home?
SLOAN
My fuckin father died.
Did you just say
you’re pregnant and
that Blake is the father?
RAVYN
Sorry about your dad.
​
SLOAN
I’m not, and you know it.
Please stop avoiding
my question.
RAVYN
You heard what you heard.
I didn’t mean for you to find
out that way, but it is what it
is. You were the one in there
listening to a conversation
that wasn’t yours.
Blake sits back and covers her mouth.
VRAIL
Think they’re gonna fight?
Blake shrugs and twists her hair in her fingers.
VRAIL (CONT)
Doesn’t she look familiar to you?
BLAKE
(tilting her head)
Is that Sevryn?
SLOAN
Excuse me?
BLAKE
I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to..
Don’t mind me.
SLOAN
No, by all means.
You have something to say,
say it.
BLAKE
You just look like someone
I met in a dream.
SLOAN
(to Ravyn)
She fuckin serious?
BLAKE
Yea. I am.
You were in the Army,
weren’t you?
SLOAN
Yea. So. Everyone knows
that. That’s where I met
your brother.
BLAKE
You were stop-lossed.
Sloan wrings her hands and squints at Blake.
BLAKE (CONT)
Your commander raped you,
repeatedly for months, until he
put you in the hospital.
RAVYN
What?
SLOAN
How the fuck could you know that?
RAVYN
That’s true?
SLOAN
Who the fuck are you?
BLAKE
I’m Blake.
SLOAN
Apparently so. Your brother, Blake,
is the only person that knows
anything about that.
BLAKE
I also know why you hate your
mother’s husband.
Blake offers Sloan the bong. She waves it off and pulls a rolled blunt out of a case. She lights it, hits it, and puts it in rotation.
INT. SLOAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Sloan, Ravyn, and Blake all laugh hysterically. Ravyn chokes until she cries laughing.
BLAKE
I’m being serious.
We can kill him. I just
need your help to find him.
RAVYN
You gotta stop.
SLOAN
I wouldn’t know
how to find him anyway.
He was convicted and
not just for what he did to me.
The hope is that he’ll never
see the light of day as a free
man again.
BLAKE
He’d better hope so.
Ravyn starts to roll another blunt.
BLAKE (CONT)
Damn. We really goin
hard on these little
embryos of ours.
If we have two retarded
babies, we’re really gonna
break my poor mother’s heart.
RAVYN
I’m not sure I can go through
with it anyhow.
BLAKE
You can’t kill my
dead brother’s baby.
I’m the one carrying the
spawn of a sadistic rapist.
The fucked up part about
it is that I don’t even know
which one. Speaking of.. that
nurse, what’s her name again?
SLOAN
Which nurse?
BLAKE
The one that took care of
Vrail. Oh, that too. Who shot
my brother?
Sloan and Ravyn exchange concerned expressions. Blake questions Ravyn with her eyebrows and a head tilt.
SLOAN
She’s gonna find out eventually.
I think it would hurt the least
coming from you.
Ravyn shakes her head in adamant protest.
BLAKE
Did y0u do it?
RAVYN
Hell no.
BLAKE
Sean?
RAVYN
No. Why would?
Ok, I understand why
you might.. ok, no.
Listen, before I tell you
this, I need you to understand
that it was a complicated situation
and Vrail more or less already
forgave him.
BLAKE
Him who?
SLOAN
James.
Ravyn’s jaw drops. Blake squints and bites back a kneejerk reaction.
BLAKE
James, your daddy, James.
Ravyn nods. Sloan hits the blunt and passes it to Blake. Blake slumps back in her seat and hits the blunt thoughtfully. Ravyn watches her closely. Sloan heads to the kitchen.
SLOAN
I know this is incredibly
irresponsible of me, but
when in Rome. Ya’ll want
a drink? I got some whisky,
some vodka, some rum,
and pretty much any
mixer you want.
BLAKE
Fuck it. I’ll take one.
Maybe it’ll make me lose
this bastard miracle
occupying my womb,
and I won’t have to
decide on what to do.
That nurse, what did you
say her name was again?
RAVYN
Tiffany.
BLAKE
Yea, that one.
She told me I’m so fucked up
inside, it’s more than a miracle
that I was able to conceive at
all, let alone carry to full term.
SLOAN
I belong to a support group
that I think you might really
like. I mean, no pressure,
but you’d fit in. Our meetings
can sometimes get dark,
but the women are dope as
fuck. All things considered, they
have surprisingly good senses
of humor about the things they’ve
been through.
BLAKE
I’m not sure if I really want to—
RAVYN
They’re a bit of a book club
as well.
BLAKE
Oh yea?
SLOAN
Yea, we tend towards dark humor.
BLAKE
I might be down to
check it out. When’s your
next meeting?
SLOAN
Tomorrow evening actually.
You can roll with me if you’d like.
I have a ten o’clock appointment
before that, but I can
pick you up after. We should
make it to the meeting at 1700.
BLAKE
Damn, that’s a long as appointment.
You have surgery or somethin?
SLOAN
Naw. I’m doing a tattoo.
Working on this back piece.
Sloan produces her phone and scrolls to a picture and hands it to Blake.
BLAKE
You did this?
SLOAN
Yep. We should be finishing
up tomorrow.
BLAKE
I’ve always wanted a tattoo,
and I have a grip of scars
I’d like to cover up.
SLOAN
Ew. Scar tissue tends to
hurt.
BLAKE
Oh, don’t worry about that.
I don’t feel much pain at all
anymore.
RAVYN
Really?
BLAKE
Yea. I think I might be
half dead. Pain is mostly
in your head, and I learned
how to entirely escape this
reality while I was being
kept in captivity.
Ravyn offers a sympathetic nod. Sloan hands Blake her drink.
RAVYN
On second thought,
that looks amazing.
I’ll take one too, I think.
Sloan smiles and heads back from the kitchen with two more glasses. They clink them together and suck em down like their competing in a bottoms up contest.
BLAKE
Damn. This is fucking delicious.
RAVYN
Sloan was a bartender when
she first got out of the army.
That’s how we met.
BLAKE
Get the fuck outta here.
You didn’t meet through Vrail.
SLOAN
Naw. Blake and I lost touch after
we got out. I felt hella guilty
about him putting his career
on the line for me. It wasn’t until
Ravyn and I got close that I
found out they even knew
each other. Definitely
felt God’s hand in our
connection from the beginning.
BLAKE
I can definitely relate to that.
So you think you can tat me up?
SLOAN
Oh yea. I got you.
You know what you want?
BLAKE
Oh yea.
Blake accepts the blunt from Sloan, relaxes into her seat, hits the blunt, and passes it Ravyn.
INT. SLOAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
VRAIL
Psst. Psst.
Vrail stands above Blake passed out on the couch. He chuckles at his own failed attempt to smack her foot.
VRAIL (CONT)
B, wake up.
Blake cracks her tired eyes and smiles wide.
VRAIL (CONT)
Come on, girl.
Get up. I need you to go
grab my truck keys and come with me.
I got something to show you.
BLAKE
What? Where?
VRAIL
First to my apartment
right quick to get—
A light KNOCK at the door interrupts him. The lock turns. Blake stares in surprise. Sean peeks his head in. He notices Blake awake and stands up straight.
SEAN
Oh. Hey, Kass.
BLAKE
Jeffery.
SEAN
(through a nervous chuckle)
Sorry, kid.
Is it cool if I call you B?
BLAKE
Sure, boss.
What’s goin on?
Sean produces the key to Vrail’s truck.
SEAN
This might sound strange,
but I just had a dream about
Vrail. He asked me to bring
you these.
Blake glances at Vrail as she accepts the keys from Sean.
SEAN (CONT)
Can you drive?
BLAKE
I guess we’ll find out.
SEAN
You want me to give you
a lesson?
Vrail shakes his head. Blake offers a convincing smile.
BLAKE
Naw. I’ll let you know,
but I kind of need to be
alone for a bit. Thanks
for the ride.
SEAN
You leavin now?
Blake smiles, grabs her bag, her hat and a small container of tree, heads out the door and chucks the deuce behind her.
INT. VRAIL’S TRUCK – NIGHT
Blake shuts the door and starts the ignition. Vrail tries to change the music to no avail.
BLAKE
Damn. Bubba impotent
as fuck, huh?
Vrail squints and suddenly the truck shuts off.
BLAKE (CONT)
You do that?
Vrail smirks.
BLAKE (CONT)
Well played.
She restarts the vehicle and throws it in reverse.
BLAKE
Where to, Miss Daisy?
VRAIL
Mama’s house.
INT. BLAKE HOME – NIGHT
Blake peers down the hall. Vrail tilts his head at the dark room door. Blake looks around, quickly enters and shuts the door quietly behind her.
INT. BLAKE HOME – DARKROOM – CONTINUOUS
The lights flick on. Blake turns to Vrail. He smiles big.
VRAIL
I can’t do much, but
I can effect electronics
quite well.
She nods and heads to the photos lining the far wall.
BLAKE
What the fu—
VRAIL
Mom might have been
a tad bit obsessed with
that uber driver.
BLAKE
For very good reason.
VRAIL
I’m aware.
Vrail searches the photos quickly.
VRAIL (CONT)
This one.
He points out a black and white picture of Leyden exiting an F-150 in front of a cabin.
VRAIL (CONT)
See the address?
BLAKE
(squinting at the photo)
Yea.
VRAIL
Bet. Grab it. Let’s shake.
Blake carefully removes the photo, places it in her bag, and heads out.
EXT. LEYDEN’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Blake parks the truck across the street.
INT. VRAIL’S TRUCK – CONTINUOUS
VRAIL
Grad the piece from
under this seat.
Put it in your bag.
Blake reaches under the seat. Her eyes widen at what her hand finds. She smirks.
EXT. LEYDEN’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Blake goes around the back and peeks inside the garage window. There are no vehicles inside.
BLAKE
He’s not here.
VRAIL
Good. Let’s go inside,
see what we can find.
INT. LEYDEN’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Blake looks around. She goes for a picture frame.
VRAIL
No. Don’t touch
anything at all.
Blake smiles her embarrassment away. She notices a full coffee cup on the end table. She feels it with the back of her hand.
BLAKE
It’s cold.
VRAIL (OC)
Come check this out, B.
INT. LEYDEN’S KITCHEN – NIGHT
Blake puzzles at the food left on the table, covered in magots and flies.
BLAKE
Looks like he hasn’t
been here in a while.
VRAIL
Chances are he left in
quite a hurry.
BLAKE
Maybe we should get out
of here.
VRAIL
We’re not leaving until
we find what I came for.
BLAKE
Which is..
Vrail disappears. Blake goes looking for him.
INT. LEYDEN’S HOUSE – OFFICE – NIGHT
BLAKE
What are we looking for, Vrail?
VRAIL
There’s a key around here
somewhere.
BLAKE
What kind of key?
VRAIL
A key to your boy’s
cabin.
Blake searches her surroundings. She covers her hands with her sleeves and goes through the desk drawers. She finds a dagger and stashes it in her bag.
BLAKE
Maybe he took it with--
She spots a shiny silver bookend shape like a skull . She shakes it. Something rattles inside. She smirks with a raised eyebrow. She turns it over. There’s a plug in the bottom. She pulls it out. Out falls a set of keys and a silver coin among other things.
​
VRAIL
That’s the one, kid.
Let’s kick rocks before
this bum shows up.
Blake pockets the key and coin, puts the skull back, shines it with her sleeve, and leaves.
INT. VRAIL’S TRUCK – NIGHT
Blake searches through the radio. It suddenly cuts off. Vrail appears in the passenger seat.
VRAIL
Where you goin?
Don’t you wanna get some rest?
BLAKE
I’ve slept long enough. I have a
couple of stops I wanna make
before everyone else wakes up.
Vrail peers out the window.
BLAKE (CONT)
Music, please?
Vrail squints at her. She raises her eyebrows and motions towards the radio. It cuts back on, and Vrail vanishes.
INT. SEAN’S APARTMENT – DAY
Sean fixes some breakfast in the kitchen. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK at the door. Ravyn enters without waiting for an answer.
SEAN
Well, good morning.
RAVYN
Is Kassy here?
SEAN
Better not let her
hear you call her that.
RAVYN
Shut up.
Is she here?
SEAN
No. She’s probably at her
parents’ house.
RAVYN
How would she get there?
SEAN
I let her take the truck.
RAVYN
What? Why?
SEAN
Vrail asked me to.
He turns his back on her matter of factually and stirs his eggs.
RAVYN
The fuck you mean?
You know what, I don’t
even care. Let me use your car.
SEAN
Hell naw.
Let me finish my breakfast
and I’ll take you over there.
Y’all not bout to leave my ass
stranded.
RAVYN
Fuck it. Fine.
Make me some eggs then.
She slouches into the couch, puts her feet up, and pulls out her cell.
RAVYN (CONT)
I need to get that girl a phone.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME
James hits the nurse call button thrice.
JAMES
(hollering)
Hello!
A uniformed officer pops in the door.
OFFICER
What’s going on,
Detective Shannon?
Is there anything I can
help you with?
JAMES
Perhaps. Something
might call the bee together.
OFFICER
Excuse me?
James throws his hand up and throws a bit of a fit. He squeezes at his face and pulls at his hair.
OFFICER (CONT)
Oh shit. Let me get you
some help, sir.
INT. HOSPITAL – NURSES STATION – DAY
OFFICER
I need a nurse in
Detective Shannon’s room
ASAP.
NURSE
What’s going on?
OFFICER
I can’t understand what
he’s trying to say and
he’s losing his shit.
The nurse nods and puts the phone receiver to her ear.
INT. BLAKE HOME – KITCHEN – DAY
Sonay sits down at the table with her cup of coffee.
SONAY
Help yourselves to
whatever you’d like.
There’s fresh coffee in
the pot.
RAVYN
You sure she isn’t here?
SONAY
Last time I saw her, she was
leaving with you. How would
she get in the house?
We lock up at night.
SEAN
Well, she has Vrail’s truck.
He has a house key on
there as well.
RAVYN
I’m gonna go check the room.
SONAY
Suit yourself.
Sloan grabs a mug and pours herself some coffee.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME
Tiffany walks in with a smile. James glares back.
TIFFANY
Good morning,
Detective Shannon.
What’s going on?
James utters a guttural growl of sorts and motions for her notepad.
TIFFANY (CONT)
I guess speech therapy is
slow coming with the
progress, huh.
James glares in response. Tiffany hands him a pen and pad. He clicks the pen thrice and hurriedly scratches down his frustrated transmission.
He thrusts the notepad into Tiffanies unprepared hands. She squints at the chicken scratch for a second and chuckles.
TIFFANY (CONT)
I’m quite sorry your feeling
so frustrated, Detective Shannon.
I’ll see what I can do about getting
you assigned to another speech
therapist, but I can’t make any
promises. Now as for physical
therapy, you are absolutely correct.
Your session was scheduled for
over an hour ago. Let me go
check and see what the issue is.
INT. BLAKE HOME – KITCHEN – SAME
Sonay and Sloan laugh and drink coffee at the table. Sean hops up on the counter with his.
SONAY
Boy, you better get your behind
off my counter.
SEAN
(hopping down)
Sorry, mom.
Ravyn returns.
SLOAN
No luck?
RAVYN
Nope. She’s not here.
We definitely need to get
her a phone.
SLOAN
Or a lojack.
SEAN
Or a microchip.
SONAY
That’s not funny.
They all chuckle anyway.
EXT. CABIN – DAY
Vrail’s truck tires crunch up the driveway.
INT. VRAIL’S TRUCK – CONTINUOUS
VRAIL
What are we doing here?
Blake smirks back at him, shuts the truck off, and shoves her door open.
INT. HOSPITAL – NURSES STATION – SAME
Tiffany speaks on the phone.
TIFFANY
His vehicle is here, but he is not?
I guess just keep me posted.
She hangs up.
INT. CABIN – DAY
Blake breathes hard and swipes sweat from her forehead. She slams the door shut and locks the deadbolt.
VRAIL
This seems hella stupid.
What if Leyden shows up?
BLAKE
Then I guess I won’t have to torture
this guy to find out where he is.
Vrail shakes his head at Seyren passed out on the floor. Blake grabs Seyren's wrist and drags him down the hall.
​
AWAKE S1 - E1 PART TWO
EXT. BLAKE HOME – NIGHT
Blake stops on the porch and rubs on the thighs of her jeans. Vrail raises an eye brow at her with pinched lips.
VRAIL
You being serious right now?
You think you can rub the
damn bloodstains out?
Blake shrugs and pushes through the front door.
INT. BLAKE HOME – LIVINGROOM – CONTINUOUS
Blake b-lines it for the back.
Sonay and Marquise exchange perplexed looks from their cuddle position on the couch. They struggle to their feet.
INT. BLAKE HOME – HALLWAY – NIGHT
Marquise catches up to Blake with her hand on Vrail’s bedroom door knob. Sonay follows.
MARQUISE
Where have you been?
BLAKE
Around.
MARQUISE
Where did all of that blood
come from?
BLAKE
It’s not real.
MARQUISE
Oh no?
SONAY
Well, here did all of that
fake blood come from?
BLAKE
A haunted house.
MARQUISE
A haunted house?
BLAKE
Umhum..
I was driving around and
happened upon a haunted house.
MARQUISE
It’s June.
BLAKE
Right?
Sonay gives an unamused expression.
BLAKE (CONT)
They were filming a movie.
SONAY
A movie?
BLAKE
Yea. They let me be an
extra, but I probably won’t
make the final cut. There
were a lot of us.
SONAY
Alright, child.
Blake exhales sharply through the nose, like a scoff.
MARQUISE
Watch yourself now.
SONAY
I think you better give me
those keys. It doesn’t seem to
be such a good idea for you
to be driving.
BLAKE
And?
SONAY
Excuse me?
BLAKE
What effect does your opinion
have on the situation?
MARQUISE
As your parents—
BLAKE
As an adult,
your opinion is just that.
And that’s not your vehicle.
Respectfully, I don’t care
what you think.
SONAY
You don’t have a license.
BLAKE
I’ll be sure to rectify that issue
first thing in the morning.
Blake pushes the door open and stops dead in her tracks.
INT. BLAKE HOUSE – VRAIL’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Jason hops off the bed in only shorts.
JASON
Kassy.
BLAKE
Don’t call me that, Jason.
JASON
Sorry, Kassandra.
BLAKE
My name’s Blake.
(turning back to address her father)
What’s he doing here?
JASON
I wanted to be close for tomorrow.
Blake shakes her head questioningly.
SONAY
Your brother’s funeral?
BLAKE
Right.
I guess my license will
have to wait one more day.
Blake pushes past Jason, grabs some clothes out of Vrail’s dresser, and heads to the bathroom.
INT. BLAKE HOME – BLAKE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Blake tosses her soiled clothes on the small chaise in front of the vanity. She yanks the blanket off the bed and covers the vanity mirror.
VRAIL
What are you going to
do about Seyren?
Blake shrugs.
VRAIL (CONT)
What if Leyden shows up
before you get back there?
She shrugs again and collapses onto the bed with a sigh.
INT. BLACK LIMO – DAY
Blake stares out the window in the back seat across from her mother doing the same. Marquise wraps his arm around his wife. Sonay leans into his embrace.
EXT. MILITARY CEMETERY – DAY
A ceremonial 3-gun salute sounds off beside a casket draped in an American flag.
INT. BLACK LIMO – DAY
Marquise holds a tri-folded American flag in one arm and Sonay with the other. Sonay stares blankly out the window, tears streaking down her cheeks. Blake does the same.
EXT. BLAKE HOME – DAY
Blake sits on the porch and rolls an enormous blunt. Ravyn plops down beside her and offers a weak smile. The one Blake returns is even weaker. Ravyn kisses Blake’s cheek.
Sloan takes a swig from a flask and passes it to Sean. He does the same and offers it to Ravyn. She refuses it. Blake smiles at that and lights the blunt. Sean takes a couple more swigs for them and passes the flask back to Sloan who takes a couple more.
Blake laughs.
RAVYN
What’s funny?
BLAKE
Vrail just said progress not perfection
SEAN
Vrail’s here?
BLAKE
Vrail’s always here.
SLOAN
I’ll drink to that.
VRAIL
She’ll drink to anything.
Blake chuckles. Sean notices and watches her closely.
VRAIL (CONT)
I’m being real. Watch, tell her somethings never change.
BLAKE
I’m not sayin that.
RAVYN
Not sayin what?
BLAKE
Huh? No. Nothin.
SLOAN
No, say it.
BLAKE
Naw.
SLOAN
Come on.
Blake hits the blunt a couple of times and studies Sloan’s face.
BLAKE
Somethings never change.
SLOAN
And never will. I’ll drink to that.
BLAKE, VRAIL, AND SLOAN
And always will.
Ravyn and Sean marvel in disbelief. Sloan kisses Blake on the cheek.
VRAIL
Tell her, yuk.
BLAKE
Yuk.
Sloan covers her face. She lays her head on Blake’s shoulder and covers it in tears.
EXT. EUROPEAN BISTRO – DAY
Leyden holds a cell phone to his ear and downs a drink.
LEYDEN
I don’t know. They’ve disappeared.
MALE VOICE (V.O.)
Well, you’d better do the same.
Leyden stares at the phone. The call has disconnected. He flags down the server and rattles his empty glass. The server nods and disappears into the bistro.
INT. BLAKE HOME – BATHROOM – EVENING
Blake stares back at her reflection in the mirror.
BLAKE
Do I look high?
VRAIL
Absolutely.
Blake chuckles and thrusts the door open.
INT. BLAKE HOME – HALLWAY – CONTINUOUS
Jason leans against the far wall.
JASON
You talkin to yourself.
BLAKE
Definitely not talkin to you.
Jason sucks his teeth and pulls the bathroom door shut hard behind him.
INT. BLAKE HOME – LIVINGROOM – CONTINUOUS
Sonay gets up and heads to the kitchen shaking her head.
MARQUISE
But Epstein didn’t kill himself.
UNCLE RICK
Who killed him then?
MARQUISE
Probably Trump.
UNCLE RICK
Oh here we go.
Blake exits quickly and shuts the door behind her.
EXT. BLAKE HOME – CONTINUOUS
BLAKE
Is Jeffery Epstein dead?
RAVYN
How do you even know who that is?
SLOAN
Yea, that fucker’s dead.
SEAN
Supposedly killed himself in jail.
BLAKE
Jail? How would Trump
have access to him there?
RAVYN
You know who Jeffery Epstein is,
but you don’t know Donald Trump
was the president?
BLAKE
The president of what?
RAVYN
Of the US.
Blake hops off the top step of the porch and lands hard in the yard.
SEAN
The hell are you doing?
VRAIL
You’re not dreaming.
BLAKE
Thought I could fly.
Ravyn and Sloan help Blake up off the lawn.
BLAKE (CONT)
Can’t believe I’m stuck in this bitch.
VRAIL
You’re not dreaming.
SLOAN
What do you mean?
RAVYN
She thinks she’s dreaming.
Blake flashes Ravyn a look that should saw her head off. Sean shivers. Blake turns her gaze on him. He hides his face. Blake finds her seat and hits a wax pen.
BLAKE
Where the tree?
Sean tosses her a container. Vrail shakes his head. She tosses it back.
BLAKE (CONT)
Raves, where yours at?
Ravyn chuckles at Sean and produces a blunt already rolled. She lights it to Blake’s delight, hits and passes it right. Blake accepts it and filles her chest with smoke and holds it in..
BLAKE (CONT)
So, when you say Donald Trump,
you’re talkin about the, “You’re fired!”
guy right?
RAVYN
Yep.
Blake stares directly into Vrail’s eyes, lets her breath out, takes another hit and passes the blunt to Sloan.
VRAIL
You’re not dreaming.
BLAKE
What happened with the black guy?
I’m tryin to remember his name. Don’t tell me.
Sloan starts to respond.
BLAKE (CONT)
I’m serious. Don’t tell me.
All I know is he said, “Yes we can,” and his
wife reminds me of that cop that came
to see me in the hospital.
Damn it, what was his name?
SLOAN
Br—
Blake clamps her hands over Sloan’s mouth.
BLAKE
Don’t tell me.
Sloan chokes on the smoke laughing. Sean chuckles. Ravyn shakes her head and shrugs.
BLAKE (CONT)
Don’t tell me. It’ll come to me.
She stares at the ground trying to pull the memory out of the ether. Eventually she shrugs.
BLAKE (CONT)
Any fuckin way.
Speaking of cops,
how’s your pops doing?
SEAN
He’s doin alright, but he
still can’t talk. It’s crazy.
BLAKE
How’s his physical therapy comin?
VRAIL
Now, you know damn well.
Blake chuckles.
RAVYN
What’s funny?
BLAKE
Just thinkin bout what I did
to his physical therapist.
Vrail and Ravyn side eye her.
RAVYN
That’s not funny.
SLOAN
What’d she do?
Blake chuckles.
SEAN
She broke his fuckin nose.
Sean and Blake laugh.
RAVYN
That’s not funny.
They laugh harder. Sloan holds her laughter in for Ravyn’s sake.
Ravyn and Vrail glare at Blake.
BLAKE
I bet he won’t ever touch me again.
SLOAN
I bet not. He’s missing..
BLAKE
Oh shit.
I hope he’s good.
All the laughter dies down. Blake takes her hit off the shrinking blunt. After several moments of silence, Blake snaps her fingers.
BLAKE
Barack Obama!
Vrail shakes his head. Sloan and Sean half chuckle. Ravyn stares at Blake in near disbelief. Blake looks from face to face questioning what she said wrong, then laughs a little too hard.
INT. BLAKE HOME – BLAKE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Blake leans on the vanity to pull her shoes off. The blanket slips. She stops it from exposing the mirror and secures it again. She lets out a deep breath with a long sigh and collapses onto the bed. Vrail watches her from the vanity chaise.
BLAKE
This really isn’t a dream?
Vrail shakes his head.
BLAKE (CONT)
So, Epstein is really dead?
Vrail nods.
BLAKE (CONT)
I killed a man in my sleep, Vrail.
VRAIL
Relax.
BLAKE
I remember it so clearly, so vividly, Vrail.
I watched the life leave his fuckin eyes,
felt his essence dissipate and
slither down to hell.
It sank like a heavy fog,
like sludge to the bottom of a tub.
It seeped down through the concrete floor.
I can’t believe that shit was real.
VRAIL
You gotta chill.
Blake thinks on it for a few.
BLAKE
We should release her.
Vrail questions her with a raised eyebrow.
She answers with a head bob.
VRAIL
Hell no.
BLAKE
Why not?
VRAIL
You know why.
Blake pouts.
VRAIL (CONT)
That’s not gonna work this
time, baby girl.
BLAKE
Fine. Be a little bitch.
Vrail’s visibly offended.
VRAIL
The masters told us to stay
away. She’s safer where she
is. We all are. If she were free,
she’d destroy everything. Literally.
Blake shrugs.
BLAKE
Guess I’ll be goin alone, again.
Vrail squints his disapproval.
INT. BLAKE HOME – BLAKE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Blake sleeps soundly. Her foot peeks out from under the covers. Slowly the blanket slides off the vanity mirror and lands with a soft THUD. Blake springs up out of her sleep in a daze.
She sways half-awake for several moments then lumbers to her feet and shuffles toward the door. The moment her eyes meet those of her reflection in the mirror she loses her shit. Hollering at the top of her lungs, she punches her reflection dead in the face.
She lifts the tiny chaise over her head, prepares to hurl it into the mirror. Jason slams through the door and grabs her from behind. The chaise falls. Blake grapples at the vanity. Her fist finds a shard of broken mirror glass.
With a swift twist, she releases herself from Jason’s grasp and slices through the meat of his underarm near his armpit. Jason withdraws and clenches the wound.
JASON
Son of a bi—
Marquise bounds in, breathlessly, trailed by a wide-eyed Sonay.
MARQUISE
What the hell’s going on here?
JASON
I think I’m about to bleed to death.
Blake’s eyes give no fucks.
SONAY
What the hell are you doing
in here, Jason? I knew it
was a bad idea—
JASON
She went berserk on the damn
dresser. I came in here to see
what the ruckus was all about,
and she attacked me.
Blake’s eyes still give no fucks. Sonay checks her for injuries. Marquise loosens Jason’s grip. Blood issues through his fingers in a pulsating spurt.
MARQUISE
Oh, fuck.
JASON
Shit. She finally killed me.
Blake stares unflinchingly.
MARQUISE
Babe, go grab the first aid kit.
Sonay replies with pinched lips.
Marquise shakes his head and sighs loudly.
MARQUISE
Jay, hold tight. I’ll be right back.
Marquise ushers Jason to the bed and sits him down then disappears out the door. Sonay glares as he falls back and stares at the ceiling.
Sonay turns the chaise upright and urges Blake to sit.
SONAY
Let me look at your hands, Kassandra.
BLAKE
Call me that again, and
I’ll cut your fucking face off.
Blake refuses to sit and pulls her hands away. She stares into the darkness outside the window.
Marquise reemerges. He hands his cell phone to his gape-mouthed wife.
MARQUISE
911.. I’m on hold.
He unpackages a roll of gauze and several gauze patches, packs the spirting wound, and wraps the gauze to secure it.
JASON
I’m gonna fuckin die.
MARQUISE
Shut up, Jason.
Vrail shakes his head and rolls his eyes.
Blake chuckles.
Sonay’s eyes blink into focus and she tries to shake the surprise out of her head.
MARQUISE (MOS)
The fuck?
JASON
I’m so sorry, God.
Please don’t let me die.
MARQUISE
Sorry? Sorry for what?
You do something to be sorry for?
JASON
I don’t even know.
VRAIL
He don’t know?
BLAKE
Right?!
Sonay and Marquise both nod, knowingly. Jason sniffles back tears. Blake huffs at the darkness.
911 OPERATOR (VO)
9-1-1. Sorry for the delay.
What’s the nature of your
emergency?
Blake dresses quickly.
Sonay questions her with her eyes.
SONAY
Yes. My son’s father is bleeding
quite profusely from a laceration
to his arm.
MARQUISE
Tell them it’s arterial.
SONAY
Apparently, it’s arterial.
(mouths to Blake)
Where are you going.
Blake evades Sonay’s grasp on her way out the door.
MARQUISE
Let her go.
Sonay’s glare disapproves of Marquise’s cavalier attitude.
INT. CABIN – DUNGEON – NIGHT
Seyren sits, legs crossed, head hanging to his chest. Dried blood spatter covers his chest, legs, arms, and face. A chain tethers him to ceiling connected to a band around his waist. Chains shackle his arms to the same band. They rest, uncomfortably by the looks, at his sides.
A bucket near the wall brims with dark urine.
A deadbolt engages with an echoing CLANG.
Seyren startles to his wabbly feet. The heavy door creeps open, and Blake slides in with a wide smile. Seyren collapses back to his previous position with a grunt.
BLAKE
You hungry?
SEYREN
No.
BLAKE
Thirsty?
SEYREN
Very.
Blake retrieves a fresh IV bag and replaces the empty one dangling from a hook.
BLAKE
Come here.
SEYREN
I can’t.
Blake shrugs, grabs the urine bucket, and dumps it down a drain. A cell phone SMACKS the tile, hard.
SEYREN
What was that?
BLAKE
(chuckling)
Your phone.
​
Seyren responds with a clenched jawed head nod.
Blake places the bucket back exactly where she got it from. Seyren watches with weary eyes.
SEYREN
I’m pretty sure this
IV is getting infected.
BLAKE
Let me look.
SEYREN
Hum.
Seyren gingerly offers his hand without leaving his position.
BLAKE
You know good and
damn well I’m not
coming over there.
SEYREN
I can’t get up.
BLAKE
You were standing up
when I walked in.
Hum.
Blake tosses him a granola bar. He catches it in his lap, bends at the waist, and rips it open with his teeth. He scarfs it down in two bites and discards the wrapper. Blake tosses a water bottle into his lap.
BLAKE
Sip slow.
SEYREN
Are you leaving?
BLAKE
Not quite.
SEYREN
What about my IV?
BLAKE
There’s nothing I can
do for you from across
the damn room, Leyden.
SEYREN
I told you I can’t move
and I’m not Leyden.
BLAKE
My bad. You just look
so much alike, and
I told you I don’t believe you.
Not that it matters.
Blake produces a syringe and vile from a nearby shelf.
SEYREN
What’s that?
Blake fills the syringe from the vile and injects it into Seyren’s IV tube?
SEYREN (CONT)
What is that?
Blake’s low eyes darken.
BLAKE
Time for you to give me
what I came for.
EXT. ALLEY – DAWN
Sean and a COUPLE OF GOONS beat the bricks with some LOSER.
Sean snarls in the loser’s face. The loser spits and shoulders blood from his eye.
LOSER
Now what?
SEAN
Now you give me what
I came for.
INT. CABIN – DUNGEON - DAWN
Seyren jumps to his feet and lunges at Blake. She erupts in laughter just beyond his reach.
He grapples for the IV, but can’t reach his hand. Finally, he snatches the IV out with his mouth. Blood spatters everywhere.
Blake calmly produces a taser pistol. She shoots Seyren in the face and tases him continuously as she approaches his convulsing body. She presses a second taser to his neck. He loses control of his bladder.
Blake tases him for several moments more before injecting some liquid from the vial directly into his vein with the syringe. She checks his pulse.
Nodding, she collapses against the wall and slides down to the floor.
INT. CABIN – DUNGEON – MORNING
Seyren’s voice continuously breaks in clear desperation.
SEYREN
M- M-My dog, Chaos.
He might know. He could know.
BLAKE
Your dog?
SEYREN
Chaos.
BLAKE
He knows where Leyden is?
SEYREN
He could.
Blake cracks her neck and shakes her head.
VRAIL
He can’t tell you what he doesn’t know.
BLAKE
Stay out of this.
SEYREN
Yes, ma’am.
BLAKE
Not you, Seyren.
SEYREN
Yes, ma’am.
VRAIL
You gotta let this be, B,
or it’s gonna change you.
BLAKE
Can’t change, just reveal.
Seyren looks around, over his shoulder; squints into the darkness.
VRAIL
Well, what is it, exactly,
that you are looking to
reveal about yourself
here, Sis?
BLAKE
The truth.
SEYREN AND VRAIL
I/He don’t know where
Leyden is.
BLAKE
Did you say you have a dog?
SEYREN
Chaos.
BLAKE
Where is he?
SEYREN
Home.
BLAKE
Oh, fuck.
INT. SEAN’S CAR – MORNING
The driver’s door opens. Sloan and Ravyn startle from their doze in the back seat. Sean gets in and starts the car.
INT. BLAKE’S TRUCK – MORNING
The driver’s door opens. Chaos watches her get in from the back seat. She starts the truck and rolls down the back window. Chaos smiles out the window.
INT. JAMES’S HOUSE – DAY
Sean, Sloan, and Ravyn squirm impatiently as James stumbles through his story.
JAMES
B-b-b but, on the way,
where’s Asa-assandra?
Sean’s empathy for his father ran to a sliver a while back.
SEAN
The fuck did he just say?
James CLICKS three times.
SEAN (CONT)
Not the clicking too.
Sloan swallows her laugh, but can’t hide her smile. Ravyn glares.
RAVYN
I think he meant,
“Anyway, where’s Blake?”
SEAN
Where the hell did
you get Blake out
of that?
SLOAN
Well, I think he tried to
say Kassandra, but--
RAVYN
But he meant to say
Blake.
SEAN
On the way? Lord.
Anyway, we were
hoping that maybe
you’d seen her.
James groans and mumbles inaudibly. Sean rolls his eyes. Sloan smiles. Ravyn glares.
INT. CABIN – DUNGEON – DAY
Seyren, still clearly distraught and incoherent, doesn’t recognize his own dog.
BLAKE
You think I got the wrong dog?
VRAIL
Naw.
BLAKE
I mean, this was the only
one at that address, and the
code worked for the alarm
and—
VRAIL
It’s his dog, B.
He just needs some
rest. I’m actually
pretty impressed
he was able to
recall his
address
and
security
code.
Vrail stares, speechless.
BLAKE
The fuck is he doing, Vrail?
VRAIL
He’s hydrating, Blake.
Seyren drinks from the dogs bowl. Vrail shakes his head. Blake laughs out loud.
BLAKE
Damn it. You think I broke him?
VRAIL
Naw. The real question is
who’s been feeding
the dog?
BLAKE
There was water
in the bowl and he
doesn’t seem to be
starving.
VRAIL
Exactly.
SEYREN
Maybe Tiffany fed him.
BLAKE
Nurse Tiffany?
Vrail nods knowingly.
SEYREN
Umhm. She lives up the
street and sometimes
watches Chaos for me.
She knows the code and
has a key.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Tiffany smiles through her frustration.
James makes great effort to calm himself from the trimmers coming in bursts of three.
TIFFANY
What I’m hearing, Detective
Shannon, is that you’re feeling
understandably frustrated with
the progress OR—
James attempts to interject, but Tiffany continues.
TIFFANY (CONT)
Lack thereof with your
therapy both physical
and speech.
JAMES
Yes. Yes. Yesss.
Tiffany shivers at James’s Kubrick stare. The door swings open and gladly grabs her attention.
Sean stops short of running into Tiffany.
SEAN
My bad, Tiffany. I didn’t realize
you were in here.
How are things going?
(leaning into James)
JAMES
(growling)
NOT Good. Good. Gooood.
Sean steps away from his father and pulls Tiffany aside.
SEAN
He been talkin like
this all morning?
TIFFANY
Correct.
SEAN
What the hell is goin on here, Tiff?
TIFFANY
We should—
She motions for the door. Sean nods and follows her out into the
CORRIDOR
Sean shuts the door behind them.
TIFFANY
Sean, I’m gonna be honest
with you. Right now, your
father seems to be regressing.
His therapy is not going well.
Seyren has gone AWOL,
and his understudy
seems to be obscenely
understudied, and James
has made it quite clear
on more than one occasion
that he believes the speech therapist
is using magic to control
him and keep him trapped here
indefinitely. He called him a wizard
leprechaun bitch, or at least that’s what
I sincerely believe he was attempting to say.
He refuses to write anything down or
use the tablet. Sean, Your dad’s being
a pure bread pain in my, um…
It’s been a character building morning
to say the least.
Sean chuckles sympathetically.
SEAN
Have you seen Blake by any chance?
TIFFANY
Blake?
SEAN
Yea. She had a little altercation
with Vrail’s sperm doner in the
middle of the night. Apparently
something triggered a flashback.
Long story short. She’s on the loose,
so to speak, once again.
TIFFANY
You need to put a tracking
beacon on that girl.
EXT. JAMES’S HOUSE – DAY
In the heavy rain, Blake pulls the truck up and blocks the driveway. Ravyn stops short and explodes.
RAVYN
The fuck are you doing?
BLAKE
I think that’s my line.
RAVYN
Things gotta get done.
BLAKE
Get in. I’ll take you
on a ride ‘round like
Miss Daisy.
​
RAVYN
You need some new material.
​
BLAKE
(shrugs)
Blake pulls up. Ravyn flips a bitch in the driveway.
INT. BLAKE’S TRUCK – DAY
Ravyn smolders in the passenger seat.
BLAKE
So, where to?
RAVYN
Well first, to ease
your mother’s
mind and heart. The
poor woman has been
worried sick. Where the
hell have you been?
BLAKE
I had to get outta that house,
clear my head, put as much
distance as humanly possible
between me and that fuck shit
Sonay used to fuck wit.
RAVYN
Don’t disrespect your mother
like that.
BLAKE
Sonay wasn’t my mother then.
RAVYN
Damn.
INT. BLAKE HOME – DAY
Red eyed yet beautifully aired, Sonay stirs her tea, taps the rim, and takes a sip. Marquise admires her in silence.
SONAY
Mmm.
She winks at her husband and snuggles down into the couch into his waiting arms. He kisses the palm of her hand.
Blake and Ravyn walk in and stop dead. Sonay stares at Blake for a hot minute. She hands off her tea to Marquise, halls off, and slaps fire out Blake’s ass.
Blake holds her mouth and unwavering eye contact with Sonay. Ravyn bows her head and shrinks away. Marquise grabs Sonay.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME
SEAN
Dad, I need—
Sean tries in futile to calm is increasingly agitated father.
SEAN
Bruh. Where the hell is Ravyn?
Sloan stretches and checks her phone.
SLOAN
She found B. Their at her peoples’.
She’s typing.
The phone vibrates in her hand.
SLOAN (CONT)
Oh shit.
SEAN
She ok?
SLOAN
Yea, but we gotta go.
JAMES
Wh- wh- wha—
INT. BLAKE HOME – SAME
Blake and Sonay smolder at one another. Ravyn tries to figure out what to do without moving. Marquise prays he won’t have to rely on overpowering one, both or either of them.
Ravyn starts toward Blake.
BLAKE
Feel better?
Ravyn returns to her previous position, surprised, relieved, and intently watching.
SONAY
How dare you?
BLAKE
One might ask you the same.
SONAY
Who do you think you are?
BLAKE
Blake.
MARQUISE
(deep breath)
All eyes on Marquise. He straightens up and adjusts his grip on Sonay. She breaks his grasp on her so easily it’s energetic. He steps aside and watches with Ravyn.
SONAY
Where is Jason?
BLAKE
(shrugs)
SONAY
(glares)
BLAKE
I left him bleeding in your arms.
This time Ravyn EXHALES a little too sharply. All are far less judgmental.
SONAY
I’m not sure
you’re going to be
welcome here much
longer. At least not like this.
BLAKE
(chuckles)
Blake briefly glances at Vrail standing beside Sonay.
SONAY
You think this is funny.
BLAKE
(silent smolder)
SONAY
What are you, mute?
BLAKE
I’m gonna go stay at Vrail’s.
Ravyn doesn’t look so sure. Blake doesn’t seem to care.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME
JAMES
Wa-wai-wait
Sean spins around, hand to chest.
SEAN
Ooooh.. look who’s coherent all of a sudden.
Aye, the hell is wrong with you? Why won’t you let these folks help you?
JAMES
Gibberish..
SEAN
The fuck is Ravyn??
SLOAN
Dude, I told you..
SEAN
Fuck this. Fuck him. Let’s fly.
INT. BLAKE HOME - VRAIL’S ROOM – DAY
Blake grabs a couple of things from the closet and throws them in a duffle bag. She does the same with each of the drawers. She finds a cell phone. She puts that in as well with the charger and ear pods.
INT. SEAN’S CAR – DAY
Sloan chuckles at her phone.
SEAN
What?
SLOAN
She think she
bout to come stay at
your spot.
Well, she said Vrail’s
spot.
SEAN
Hm.
INT. BLAKE’S TRUCK – DAY
RAVYN
You just go leave like that?
BLAKE
UmHm.
RAVYN
So, where are we going?
BLAKE
(side glance)
INT. VRAIL’S APARTMENT – DAY
Blake and Ravyn clammer in.
Sean rolls a blunt at the kitchen counter.
SEAN
What’s up, bitches?
Ravyn and Sloan exchange a look. Blake heads to Vrail’s room.
SEAN (CONT)
You can’t even speak when you
come in my shit?
Who the hell do you
think you are?
Blake turns and stands directly in Sean’s face.
BLAKE
I’m Blake,
and we all know this
ain’t your shit, Jeffry.
This my brother’s shit.
SEAN
Well, my name’s Sean,
and Vrail’s gone.
BLAKE
Yea? Whose fault is that?
SEAN
(chuckles)
Ravyn and Sloan exchange a look.
INT. BLAKE HOME – SAME
Marquise offers Sonay’s tea.
SONAY
I don’t want the damn
tea, Marquise.
He takes a sip.
MARQUISE
Well, what do you want?
Sonay snatches the tea.
SONAY
I want you to do something
about our daughter.
MARQUISE
What, exactly, would
you like for me to do?
SONAY
I don’t know, Marquise.
Think of something.
MARQUISE
Well, I think we should
at least agree to keep our hands
to ourselves from now on, Sonay.
Maybe, perhaps, try using our words.
SONAY
I know I shouldn’t have hit her, Marquise,
but now’s really not the time.
INT. VRAIL’S APARTMENT - SAME
BLAKE
Exactly.
Blake shows Ravyn the phone.
BLAKE (CONT)
How you turn this
thing on?
RAVYN
Umm. Like this.
Ravyn shows her and hands it back.
BLAKE
Thanks.
How do you..
Um, what’s the password?
RAVYN
Oh, umm. I don’t—
SEAN
Kassy.
Blake’s head snaps to the sound of her name voiced. She studies Sean.
INT. BLAKE HOME - DAY
MARQUISE
Listen, you knew this
was going to be difficult.
Kassandra’s been through
a whole lot. So much, she
done cancelled her own
damn name.
SONAY
That child needs help
we are not equipped to
provide.
I need help we aren’t equipped
to provide. I think we all need
counseling; Kassandra especially.
INTERCUT
INT. VRAIL’S APARTMENT/ INT. BLAKE HOME – EVENING
Blake’s head snaps to. She stares through Sean for a moment or so. He silently eggs her on. Sloan shakes her head. Ravyn tries to get into a better position.
SONAY (V.O.)
Seriously, there’s no
telling who’s going to get
hurt and how bad next time.
Blake charges Sean.
SONAY (V.O. CONT)
If that’s even possible.
For all we know.
Blake pulls a small dagger from nowhere in midstride. Sloan sees it and B-Lines to intervene.
SLOAN (MOS)
RAVES!!
SONAY (V.O.)
Jason could be dead
right now.
Blake Heisman’s Ravyn on her way past. She has the knife to Sean’s throat with intent. Vrail appears just beside him.
VRAIL
Stop.
Blake stops, blade to skin, face to face, eye to eye. She breathes on his face. He tries to hide his fear.
He swallows, putting his Adam’s apple in peril. He swipes blood from his neck. Can’t hide the trimmer in his hand now.
Sonay stares out the window and plays with her hair.
SONAY
What if she hurts someone else.
We still don’t even know
what, if anything, Jason
did to provoke her.
MARQUISE
I know exactly what he did,
and so do you. Whether or
not he did it again, last night,
is really inconsequential.
Ya boy’s lucky he disappeared
cuz I was getting about
ready to let her
get her licks back, so to speak.
SONAY
That’s insensitive, vulgar, and
highly inappropriate Marquise.
Our daughter is traumatized
and seems to be having
a hard time adjusting.
You can believe whatever you
like. You always have, but don’t
put me in that conspiracy shit.
There’s no proof whatsoever that Jason
had anything at all to do with
what happened to Kassandra.
Marquise stares at his wife, flabbergasted.
SEAN
Kassy.
Blake smiles, lowers the blade, and turns to go.
SEAN (CONT)
Or Kassandra.
One of th—
Blake turns back and buries the tiny blade between two of Sean’s ribs.
Sean SCREAMS.
Ravyn GASPS, grabs Blake, and pulls her away.
Sloan CHUCKLES once and immediately steps in to help Sean.
SLOAN
No. Leave it. Leave it.
Leave it in.
She rips Sean’s shirt the rest of the way off and packs it around the blade.
RAVYN
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Sloan shakes her head in silent-ish protest.
RAVYN (CONT)
Are you fuckin crazy?
Blake searches for the answer in Ravyn’s eyes.
BLAKE
Yes.
RAVYN
Not you.
(turns to Sean)
What the fuck were you thinking?
(to Blake)
Are you ok?
BLAKE
Umm. Honestly,
I’m a little thirsty.
Sonay accepts a mug of tea from her husband. He sips one of his own. They stare off in opposite directions, but at nothing in particular.
SLOAN (V.O.)
Look, I don’t know what
ya’ll got goin on over there, but
we might want to think about
getting him to a hospital
if I can’t get this bleeding
to stop.
BLAKE (V.O.)
He’ll be fine.
I didn’t hit anything
important. That blade
is hella short.
I just put it between his
ribs, so it hurts like a bitch.
Look.
Sonay and Marquise are both jarred from their not so peaceful reverie by the DEADBOLT TURNING and the DOOR SLAMMING OPEN.
Blake grabs Sloan’s wrist.
BLAKE (CONT)
Just…
(yanks up)
Pull it out.
Sean HOLLERS then WHIMPERS.
RAVYN
Okay. That nosy bitch upstairs
bringin 12 tonight for sure.
BLAKE
Eww. For future reference,
twist it a little bit like this,
really gently,
and it will hurt just a little bit
less on the way out.
Blake hands her a wad of gauze.
BLAKE (CONT)
Huh. Shove some of this in
there. He’ll be all right.
If you want it to hurt more,
twist like this.
The harder the better with
that one.
SLOAN
How the fuck do you know
all of this?
Blake plays with her hair.
Ravyn shakes her head at Sean.
Sloan cracks her neck to avoid shaking her head at Ravyn.
Sean’s heavy breathing slows. He GROANS softly off to sleep.
Sloan secures the patch job on Sean’s rib, relaxes, and lights a joint. She hits it a few times and offers it to Blake. She accepts, and does the same for Ravyn. She too accepts.
INT. BLAKE HOME – NIGHT
Jason stumbles in. Sonay pulls back from the stench that comes in with him.
SONAY
Woah. Where have you been?
Where’d you get that damn key,
and
SONAY AND MARQUISE
What the hell is that smell?
JASON
Hum?
Jason meanders past them and pinballs down the hallway to
VRAIL’S ROOM
By the time they catch up to him, he’s passed out on the floor in the doorway.
MARQUISE
When is he leaving?
SONAY
Tomorrow.
MARQUISE
Morning?
Sonay gives him a look that says, “don’t be cute.”
INT. VRAIL’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Sean snores on the couch. Ravyn, Sloan and Blake sit around smoking and drinking whatever.
​
SLOAN
She go say,
"For future reference."
​
RAVYN
Right?
​
BLAKE
(chuckles)
SLOAN
Damn, Marquise might
wanna look out. You stabbed
Jason last night.
BLAKE
Cut.
SLOAN
I stand corrected.
You cut Jason last night
and stabbed—
BLAKE
Jeffery tonight.
They all laugh. Ravyn feels bad nearly immediately.
RAVYN
Ok, ok, ok. Come on.
Don’t wake him up
on top of everything
else.
Blake and Sloan laugh harder.
BLAKE
Naw. Especially not
after blaming him
for getting stabbed to
his face, while he’s
still bleeding,
in his mind,
to death
from it.
SLOAN
Or, for stabbing him
in the first place.
BLAKE
I plead the fifth.
She takes a swig from a fifth of something.
BLAKE (CONT)
Are you a racoon?
RAVYN
Why, cuz you
think I’m cute till
I you get up close?
BLAKE
Naw, I think Racoons
are still cute up close.
Sloan takes a swig and Blake takes the bottle right back.
BLAKE (CONT)
Aye..
She waits for Ravyn to look at her.
BLAKE (CONT)
You remember that
day in the basement?
RAVYN
Remember?
My nightmares
always start and end there.
BLAKE
Well, not that part.
The absinth.
SLOAN
Absinth?
BLAKE
Umhum. This girl,
got me faded on
absinth in James’s
basement and
seduced me.
RAVYN
No. I. Did. Not.
It was your idea in
the first place.
BLAKE
I didn’t even know he had that.
RAVYN
The drinking was your idea.
BLAKE
What?
RAVYN
Remember,
you wanted to practice
taking shots?
BLAKE
Yea, with pickle juice and hot sauce.
Remember?
RAVYN
Oh, yea.
SLOAN
Oh yea?
How you make the
jump from
pickle juice to
fuckin absinth?
RAVYN
I didn’t know
what it was for real.
I thought it was like pucker
or something.
Sloan chuckles.
BLAKE
So, you either believe that,
or she got me faded to
take advantage.
RAVYN
That’s not funny.
BLAKE
No, I guess in light
of the events shortly to follow,
it probably isn’t funny at all.
She laughs anyway.
SLOAN
Dude, what happened to you?
Like, what the fuck did
they do to you.
Blake chuckles some more.
INT. NIGHT CLUB – NIGHT
MUSIC PULSATES LOUDLY. Leyden wades through the thick, vibing crowd.
He spots, Dagen and nods to a GOON.
The goon is stopped by a GOBLIN. Dagen discretely watches the ruckus. He scans the crowd.
Leyden disappears into the darkness.
The goblin whispers something in Dagen’s ear. Dagen nods just enough, but almost imperceivably.
The goon is lead back into another area.
Dagen returns to his previous festivities. He relaxes back and allows SOME GIRL to try to make him remember her while his eyes scan the THUMPING crowd.
Finally, Dagen dismisses the girl, downs his drink and discretely follows where his goblin took Leyden’s goon, followed by another ARM.
INT. VRAIL’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Sloan hesitates for a moment with her hand just behind Blake’s head.
SLOAN
Are you sure?
BLAKE
You’re good.
Blake lets Sloan run her finger along the thick, jagged scar.
SLOAN
Fuck.
BLAKE
Damn near decapitated, huh?
They chuckle under their breath.
RAVYN
That’s not funny.
BLAKE
Wasn’t meant to be,
but what do you have against
levity?
All great comedy
is born from it.
SLOAN
She’s got a point.
SLOAN AND BLAKE
(chuckle)
RAVYN
Sat ‘em both down
and I asked a few
questions.
Met last week and
they already best friends.
Oh Jack Harlow as bitches.
SLOAN
She sounds bitter.
BLAKE
Who?
SLOAN
Jack Harlow.
She talkin bout a rapper.
BLAKE
Oh, shit.
Put on some fuckin music.
RAVYN
Like?
BLAKE
The only thing I’ve missed
half as much as I missed
yo punk ass while I
was gone, is music.
I need you to show me
what I’ve missed.
SLOAN
Oh, shit.
You’ve come to the
right place my dear.
Here.
Sloan goes to stand up.
RAVYN
No. I’ll play the music.
SLOAN
Relax.
I was just getting up
to grab somethin to
eat. You don’t have to
be so mean.
RAVYN
Oh.
(chuckles)
BLAKE
Oh, now shit’s funny.
RAVYN
Shut up.
Blake and Sloan chuckle.
Ravyn rolls her eyes.
Sean groans and adjusts his position.
RAVYN
What was that
that you gave him?
BLAKE
I don’t know.
Some shit from Vrail’s
stuff.
Vrail appears stunned.
SLOAN
For real?
I wonder where he
got some shit like that.
Blake shrugs.
RAVYN
Any of that shit
left? That shit might—
BLAKE
No.
Where them snacks at?
Vrail and Sloan laugh.
Blake raises an eyebrow at Ravyn’s feigned disbelief.
SLOAN
Oh, Gawd.
You go do this shit now.
Why don’t ya’ll just
fuck and get
it over with
already?
RAVYN
Here you go.
Meet, Sloan.
She brand new.
Blake grabs something to smoke, heads outside, let’s the fight erupt in a confined space.
The door clicks shut.
RAVYN (CONT)
Look what you did.
SLOAN
What I did?
Ravyn goes for the door.
SLOAN (CONT)
Fuck, like that?
You just run after
her like a lost
puppy?
RAVYN
She’s fucked up, Sloan.
SLOAN
Blake ain’t the only one.
RAVYN
So, where’s your sympathy then?
SLOAN
We don’t all fuck
each other to show sympathy.
RAVYN
Who the hell is fuckin?
You the only one even
talkin about fuckin.
SLOAN
That’s why you’re
bringing up
songs about manages
and shit.
RAVYN
Oh, gawd.
EXT. VRAIL’S APARTMENT PARKING LOT – NIGHT
Blake’s taillights flick right quick as she dips out and bends the corner.
TIME LAPS
INT. BLAKE’S TRUCK – NIGHT/DAWN
As the sun rises, Vrail watches Blake drive
- Out the city
- Down a dark desert road
- Up a windy mountain road
- Through some forest
END TIME LAPS
EXT. CABIN – CONTINUOUS
Blake’s truck pulls up the gravel drive.
INT. BLAKE’S TRUCK – CONTINUOUS
Blake studies her own eyes in the rearview.
VRAIL
What are you getting
ready to do, B?
She throws the truck in park, sets her jaw, and heads into the cabin.
INT. CABIN – CONTINUOUS
Blake stalks through the dark domicile to the
DUNGEON
Seyren shivers and sweats in the fetal position. Blake approaches. Seyren retreats to the corner and cowers.
BLAKE
The fuck is wrong with him?
VRAIL
He’s in shock.
Don’t you remember?
Blake puzzles at Vrail. She shakes it off and advances on Seyren.
Seyren stands suddenly.
​
Something hits Blake fast and hard.
​
Vrail steps back, hands in a surrender position.
​
Seyren cowers in the corner.
​
Blake lays on the floor, out cold.
CONTINUES..