The Red Kaleidoscope Rainbow Part III
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Let's finsish...
INT. THE CELL - DAY
Mike sits up against the wall with his legs crossed. Dr. Row sits on the chair, turned away from him slightly.
DR. ROW
I'd like to talk about your past, your childhood. What do you think?
Mike apprehensively nods, yes.
DR. ROW
You only talk about what you want to. If at any time you want to stop just say. Don't push yourself, ok.
Mike nods, yes.
DR. ROW
Ok, so how far back can you remember?
MIKE
Not that far. I think I can remember being twelve.
She gestures for him to continue.
MIKE
Um... I'm on a bus, and I've got headphones on. My hood is down, everything I see should be making a lot of sound but... I suppose I'm in control of that.
DR. ROW
That's good. Where were you going?
MIKE
To school.
DR. ROW
Did you like school?
MIKE
I just went. I remember it filling a lot of empty time. I didn't mind that.
DR. ROW
Was there anything in particular you liked about school? A lesson, a teacher, a friend?
MIKE
I liked... uhh... wood work.
DR. ROW
So building things?
He nods.
DR. ROW
Ever make anything good?
MIKE
I just liked planning things. I finished one thing when I was about fifteen: a box with finger joints... the best I managed.
DR. ROW
Did you do a lot of this work?
MIKE
A few years, not too long. Until I was sixteen.
DR. ROW
How about friends, what were they like?
MIKE
I saw them around. Spent break with them.
DR. ROW
No best friend?
MIKE
Did you?
DR. ROW
Have a best friend?
(pause)
Sort of.
MIKE
How about now?
She smiles.
DR. ROW
Look at this. Starting to ask me questions now.
Mike shrugs his shoulders.
DR. ROW
How about... if you ask me a question and I answer, so must you?
Mike nods, yes.
DR. ROW
All right then. No, I do not have a best friend right now. Your turn.
Mike laughs and shakes his head.
DR. ROW
What's so funny?
Mike shrugs again.
DR. ROW
Back to it. What did you like doing outside of school?
MIKE
Not much. There was a park near my house. I used to spend a lot of time there, but couldn't go much after a while.
DR. ROW
Why not?
MIKE
There were these older kids.
DR. ROW
How old were you?
MIKE
I don't know. Maybe seven or eight.
DR. ROW
What would these kids do?
MIKE
You ever bullied as a kid?
DR. ROW
I suppose.
MIKE
When?
DR. ROW
In high school.
MIKE
Why?
DR. ROW
They didn't like my shoes.
Mike laughs.
DR. ROW
I'm serious.
MIKE
I don't think so.
DR. ROW
You owe me two.
MIKE
What?
DR. ROW
Where you ever bullied? By that group?
MIKE
They made me eat mud. Nasty dry stuff, got stuck in my teeth.
DR. ROW
That's horrible.
MIKE
Wasn't that bad.
DR. ROW
Why do you say that?
Mike shrugs his shoulders.
DR. ROW
It couldn't have helped with home life. How long did that go on for?
MIKE
Not long. Your turn.
DR. ROW
Uhh--
MIKE
Why did they bully you?
DR. ROW
I don't know. I guess you have to tell yourself there was no reason.
MIKE
Why?
DR. ROW
Otherwise they can get to you. You start thinking that what people say about you is true, that it matters, or counts for anything.
MIKE
And it doesn't matter?
DR. ROW
For a child it certainly shouldn't... I think.
Mike shrugs his shoulders.
DR. ROW
You owe me quite a few now.
He shrugs his shoulders again. Her smile fades slightly.
DR. ROW
It's all right, we can pick it up another time.
Mike nods.
Dr. Row stands and makes her way to the door.
DR. ROW
That was good today, thank you.
He nods again, Dr. Row leaves.
The door slams shut.
Mike looks around at the four walls and then at the barred window.
His shadow, stood behind him, sighs before turning around and shoving his hand into his trousers.
INT. CELL - NIGHT
Mike lies in bed staring at the stone patterns on the wall. Restless, he turns over to see Dr. Row's shoes slide before the wooden chair.
The shoes are empty.
INT. OFFICE
Legs up to her chest, Dr. Row sits at her desk watching a muted television show on her computer.
She looks beyond the desk to a giant mirror position on the wall opposite her.
Within stands a luminous white female figure.
She stares at the mirror with visible confusion.
INT. THE CELL - DAY
Mike sits watching the door. The big clock is on the wall again and Mike is humming his tune.
The plastic hands jerk their way around the clock face.
The door swings open. Mike stops humming and perks up.
Nothing enters. He remains enthusiastic.
Footsteps.
Dr. Row walks in; happy and light on her feet.
She stands before Mike and smiles widely, her features glowing with warmth.
Mike looks up at her, scrupulous.
She exhales a musical sigh and looks out into the darkness. Wood slides on stone. Dr. Row watches the chair come in and stop behind her before she sits.
MIKE
Hey!
DR. ROW
What is it?
MIKE
Who are you?
Dr. Row frowns before transforming into the Woman in the Red Dress.
Mike stands, about to order her--
BOOOM
The door slams closed.
WOMAN IN RED
Please. Come on. Let me talk.
MIKE
Out! Now!
WOMAN IN RED
Oh, honey... please.
MIKE
I'm not your honey. Out!
WOMAN IN RED
That's enough! The door is closed and I'm staying.
Mike slumps back down onto his bed, annoyed.
They sit in silence.
WOMAN IN RED
How are you feeling?
Mike grunts.
WOMAN IN RED
Are you an ape or a gorilla? Where are you words?
MIKE
Don't talk to me like that.
WOMAN IN RED
A chimp then, maybe a little mon--
MIKE
That's enough.
WOMAN IN RED
Oh. I'm sorry, hon. I was just trying to cheer you up.
MIKE
Stop with the hons and honeys.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm sorry, can we talk?
MIKE
No.
WOMAN IN RED
(pause, then under her breath)
But, you'd talk to her.
MIKE
What are you saying?
WOMAN IN RED
Nothing, nothing.
MIKE
What have you done!?
WOMAN IN RED
Nothing, nothing!
Mike stands above her.
MIKE
What did you do?
WOMAN IN RED
I promise you, nothing.
She stands and puts her hand on Mike's shoulder, he brushes it off.
WOMAN IN RED
Listen to me, I'd never do a thing like that.
She puts her hand back on his shoulder.
WOMAN IN RED
Trust me, hon, just sit down. I wouldn't do a thing like that to you. Are you crazy?
Mike sits, as does she.
MIKE
I told you to stop with the hons and honeys.
WOMAN IN RED
Ok, I'm sorry.
Pause...
MIKE
Stop with that too.
They sit in silence again.
MIKE
Why are you still here?
WOMAN IN RED
(offended)
What's wrong with my being here?
Mike looks down at the covers and twiddles his thumbs.
WOMAN IN RED
Exactly, nothing.
MIKE
(softer)
What do you want?
WOMAN IN RED
Do I really need to -
MIKE
What do you want?
WOMAN IN RED
I want to be with you. I want you to want to be with me.
Mike scoffs.
WOMAN IN RED
Hey!
MIKE
Hey what?
WOMAN IN RED
Don't do this.
She slides off of the chair and takes a seat next to him in the bed.
WOMAN IN RED
Listen -
Mike shifts away from her.
WOMAN IN RED
No, you're not going to do this.
She pushes up to him and forces him right up against the wall.
WOMAN IN RED
There.
MIKE
Would you give me some space.
WOMAN IN RED
(pause)
Sure.
She budges over, but their legs still touch a little. Mike watches the gap between their knees ebb.
WOMAN IN RED
Listen, my boy -
MIKE
I'm not your boy.
WOMAN IN RED
(trying to take his hands in hers)
Yes, you are.
MIKE
Stop.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm your mother. That's all I ever could manage. You can't take that away from me.
MIKE
You never deserved it.
WOMAN IN RED
Oh, don't say things like that.
(she tries to make eye contact)
Hey... you remember when you were little--
MIKE
No.
WOMAN IN RED
Here. Like the movie...
She presses her palm against his. She watches tears well in his eyes through their fingers...
SHADOW
(whispering to himself ashamedly)
God, that's embarrassing...
... he pulls his hand away.
MIKE
That's enough.
He wipes his eyes.
WOMAN IN RED
Oh, don't start, you'll get me going.
MIKE
Don't bother.
Mike leans forward to get up but the Woman in Red holds him down.
WOMAN IN RED
All those years ago -
MIKE
Yeah all those years ago, when you hated me, you beat me -
WOMAN IN RED
No, no, no. Don't say things like that.
MIKE
Why?
WOMAN IN RED
Please.
MIKE
Why?
WOMAN IN RED
Please, we were doing so well.
MIKE
Maybe I don't want us to be doing well.
WOMAN IN RED
Why?
MIKE
(scoffs)
Please.
A moment of silence.
The Woman in Red turns to Mike and puts both her hands on his head.
MIKE
What are you doing?
WOMAN IN RED
Shh.
She pulls him in for a hug. Though he tries to cut it short, she hugs him tight and begins to cry. Mike keeps his hands to himself.
WOMAN IN RED
(squeezing him tighter)
Hey!
MIKE
Hey, what?
WOMAN IN RED
Come on.
Mike raise his hands and taps her back three times.
WOMAN IN RED
I don't think so, boy.
Mike hugs her back properly. The Woman in Red bursts into tears, a few well in Mike's eyes too.
WOMAN IN RED
I missed you so much it hurt. I don't know how I got by without you. I'm so sorry, I want to make it up. You're my boy and I love you.
A silent moment.
WOMAN IN RED
Don't you love me?
Mike loosens his hug.
WOMAN IN RED
(hugging tighter)
Do you?
Mike gently pushes her away.
The Woman in Red pulls her knees up to her chest and starts sobbing anew.
Mike stands. He's unable to look at her.
WOMAN IN RED
You never did say it. I told myself you did but it's hard, you know. Sometimes you, by yourself, isn't enough. You need other people's... Right?
MIKE
I don't know.
WOMAN IN RED
What does that mean?
Mike shrugs his shoulders.
WOMAN IN RED
Why?
MIKE
How many times must we do this? Why, what?
WOMAN IN RED
Why would you never say it?
MIKE
I don't know.
WOMAN IN RED
Bullshit! Why!?
MIKE
I don't know!
WOMAN IN RED
Tell me! Please! You must know.
Mike shrugs his shoulders.
WOMAN IN RED
Why!
MIKE
Because I don't!
WOMAN IN RED
What?
MIKE
I don't love you. I never did.
WOMAN IN RED
How can you say that?
MIKE
Because it's true.
WOMAN IN RED
No. That's a lie.
MIKE
(annoyed)
No, it's not.
WOMAN IN RED
Yes, it is. You know it is. You're lying to me--you're lying to yourself. You used to tell me that you loved me all the time when you were little.
MIKE
I didn't know what it meant! It was just a word.
WOMAN IN RED
Of course it's just a word. But that's all we have to describe it.
MIKE
Bullshit! You don't know what love is.
WOMAN IN RED
And you do?
MIKE
Of course not.
WOMAN IN RED
What?
MIKE
Are you deaf or stupid?
WOMAN IN RED
How can you do this?
MIKE
Leave me alone.
The door swings open.
WOMAN IN RED
But -
MIKE
Leave!
WOMAN IN RED
I -
MIKE
LEAVE!
The Woman in Red slowly walks toward the door, practically begging Mike to say something more.
She gets to the door and turns around.
WOMAN IN RED
Please.
MIKE
Just... go...
The Woman sobs and takes a few steps forward before turning back again.
The door slams shut.
Mike hides his eyes and gets under the covers.
His shadow exhales deeply before reluctantly lying down behind him.
INT. THE CELL - DAY
Mike paces in front of the huge clock on the wall. His face is vacant, the hands spin faster than ever.
Mike just hums his tune.
INT. THE CELL - DAY
Mike sits cross legged against the wall still humming his tune.
Dr. Row looks at him with dismay.
INT. THE CELL - DAY
Mike is still on the bed, humming his tune.
He watches the foot of the door. Trays of food come and go, but are never touched.
CUT TO:
Mould grows over a plate of food at the door.
Mike's shadow kneels, picking up a rotten piece of bread and a knife. He begins shaving the white and green blotches away.
CUT TO:
Sunlight glints off of the sharpened blade of an axe.
CUT TO:
Mike's hand brushes through moss-covered ground.
CUT TO:
A child drinks from a large glass of milk.
CUT TO:
A huge vat of white liquid swirls.
Thick, viridescent goop is injected into the swirl.
CUT TO:
An empty glass, spotted with rot, is placed upon a table.
CUT TO:
The moss seizes Mike's hand, surging up his arm.
CUT TO:
BAM
The axe strikes the tree. It does not make a mark. The blade has been replaced with a thick sheet of rusted iron.
Blood drips from the blunt metal.
INT. THE CELL - NIGHT
Mike lies asleep on his bed. The Woman in Red stands above him.
Moonlight streaks through her short, grubby hair, accentuating the cuts and scars all over her face.
In her hand, she holds the Red Band.
She wipes a tear from her cheek then bends down and puts the Red Band back on his wrist.
She stands back up. Wood scrapes on stone, she sits down.
Mike wakes up.
He sits up to see the Woman in Red cowering slightly. He looks her up and down, disgusted.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm sorry. I had to do it.
Mike stares at her confused, then looks down at his wrist.
Upon seeing the band he repeatedly screams 'NO'.
The Woman in Red watches him try and get it off, crying and shaking her head, constantly mouthing: 'I'm sorry'.
All of a sudden the Red Band starts consuming Mike again, growing up his arms around his neck, enclosing him in a cocoon.
The Woman in Red jumps out of her chair and backs against the wall.
BOOOOM
Dr. Row bursts into the room and immediately goes to work on getting Mike free.
Then the Burly Men enter.
DR. ROW
No! No! You can't!
They pick her up and take her out kicking and screaming.
B-BOOOOOM
The door slams closed.
The Woman in Red is left alone with Mike's muffled screams.
She slowly approaches him.
Mike stops struggling.
The Woman in Red bends down, trying to suppress her tears.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.
Mike turns manic. With all his might he tries to free himself to no avail.
MIKE
You fucking whore! You cunt! I want you to die, I can't wait to watch you fucking die! God give me a chance! It won't be quick! It won't be quick! You fucking whore! I hate you! I hate you!
The Woman in Red backs toward the door.
MIKE
You're stuck in here with me. Wait until I get free. I'm going to get my hands around your neck!
WOMAN IN RED
Please, no!
MIKE
Just you wait! There isn't going to be anything you can do! I'm going to end you! You hear me! You're going to die! You're going to die!
The Woman in Red slides down the door sobbing, shaking her head.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
MIKE
You're going to die! I'm going to fucking kill you! You're going to die! You're going to die!
INT. THE CELL - MORNING
The Woman in Red sits on the chair watching Mike sleep. Her eyes are heavy, she hasn't slept, and her jaw trembles. The Band is now just on his wrist.
Mike stirs.
The Woman in Red stands.
Mike opens his eyes and instantly locks on to her.
She backs against the door again.
Mike lifts his wrist up and starts to cry.
MIKE
Oh, god! Why?
He starts slamming his wrist against the bed.
WOMAN IN RED
Oh, honey, don't.
He doesn't hear.
She produces the pillowcase from behind her back and makes her way over to him.
WOMAN IN RED
Here, look.
She holds out the pillowcase.
Mike reaches for it, but his face hardens, he grabs her hand.
WOMAN IN RED
(pulling away)
No! Please, no!
Mike isn't letting go. He pulls her in closer and keeps her there.
WOMAN IN RED
Honey -
He grabs her by the throat and squeezes.
She shakes her head and pleads with her eyes.
Mike shakes his head, no.
Her free hand feebly claws at his arm.
Her face turns red... purple... blue.
Her legs go limp but her eyes are still open...
He lets go.
She pulls away and curls up in the corner.
Mike spits at her then wraps the pillowcase around his arm.
WOMAN IN RED
(croak and hoarse)
I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please believe me. I'm sorry, I never meant for it to happen.
There's a long silence.
MIKE
Do you know what? I'm sorry too.
WOMAN IN RED
What?
MIKE
I lied. And for that, I'm sorry.
WOMAN IN RED
It's... It's ok. I -
MIKE
I said I hated you, and I lied. I don't hate you. I don't care enough about you to hate you.
The door swings open.
The Woman in Red slips out.
BOOOOOOOM
Mike throws the covers over himself and curls up tight.
CUT TO:
An axe is raised, its razor edge glistening in the light.
CUT TO:
Red, dusty hands wipe a board of wood clean.
CUT TO:
The axe slams into the bark.
BAM
CUT TO:
Agonised, Mike takes a knee.
CUT TO:
Chips explode from a teetering tree.
CUT TO:
The axe descends for a final blow...
THWAK
CUT TO:
Excruciation erupts from Mike's chest, he hits the ground writhing.
CUT TO:
CREEEEE...
The tree falls.
CUT TO:
FLOP
Just one tree in an endless forrest, its insignificance is hard to fathom.
CUT TO:
Gasping for air, hands covered in blood, his flesh throbbing with anguish, Mike crawls beneath white sheets, looking for an opening out of the material casing.
INT. THE CELL - DAY
Dr. Row stands over Mike's bed.
INT. UNDER THE COVERS
Looking up through the sheets, Mike sees her figure and claws for an escape. His frail, bloodied fingers can only paw futily.
The figure backs away and into obscurity.
INT. THE CELL
Waking, Mike pulls his covers off.
MIKE
No, please don't -
BOOOOOOOM
The door slams shut.
INT. OFFICE
Dr. Row's desk lamp flickers on and off as she works.
INT. CELL
The pillow case slips through Mike's grubby fingers. He sits on his bed staring at the band on his wrist, eyes steaming with melancholic rage.
PTT-PTT-PTT-PTT
His attention snaps towards the door. Rubbing his eyes, he readies himself.
PTT-PTT-PTt-ptt-ptt-p...
The footsteps pass the door and fade away.
CUT TO:
EXT. BEACH
Mike stands between Dr. Row and the Woman in Red.
CUT TO:
As Mike stares at the Red Band, the giant clock appears on the wall.
TICK. TICK. TICK. TICK. TICK.
CUT TO:
A young boy's shoes struggle against the thick waters of time slowed down.
WOMAN IN RED
Slow down, my boy. Inside, inside. Feel inside. Slow down. Feel. Mum knows, mum knows.
CUT TO:
Mike balls his fist and stands up.
He looks at the door and then the clock.
He approaches the clock, his clenched fist balling tighter with each step.
CUT TO:
The first Rocky movie plays on an old, fat, grey T.V through a video player that sits atop it. Rocky's training montage plays. He runs along the dock, the tracking shot struggling to keep with him as his jog turns into a full blo--
The video comes to a sizzly stop.
WOMAN IN RED (O.S)
LISTEN!
CUT TO:
Mike stands before the clock humming.
The humming becomes more aggressive as his face hardens. Soon he's shouting the tune as loud as he can.
INT. THE CLOCK - SAME
We see Mike screaming his tune but hear nothing.
Mike stops. His face softens then goes vacant.
The ticking gets louder...
TICK...
TICK...
TICK...
... and louder...
TICK...
TICK...
TICK...
... until it's...
TICK...
... almost...
TICK...
... deafening.
Silence.
Mike fades away from zombification. And then, with a burst of anger, he...
CRACK
... punches the clock--
SMASH
He steps in and past us.
INT. THE CELL - SAME
Mike is his cell again, another clock renewed before him.
He looks behind him to see the shattered clock and his room beyond.
He screams out in anger, punching through the clock before him and stepping through it...
INT. THE CELL - SAME
... only to find himself before another clock.
Mike's arms tear outwardly, his forearms and biceps trembling, his vocal chords taut, his knuckles white.
His fist sails through the glass clock-face and countless transparent blades rain upon him as he explodes through their glistening curtain.
The glass bites through his skin and crunches beneath his feet. But, Mike does not stop.
Ceaselessly marching forward, Mike sacrifices his body to countless clocks.
CUT TO:
The devil, a mountain of muscle with crimson skin and with gigantic wings unfurling from his back, breathes a torrent of fire down at the puny human before him.
Unaffected in the never ending blaze of searing combustion, Mike throws a fist up at the devil, his knuckles sinking into the creature's palms.
Throwing another fist, again sinking his knuckles into another colossal palm, Mike searches for the eyes of the devil above him. Though the fire is blinding and though its heat bends the air, the devil locks onto the burning orbs in Mike's head.
The devil's eyelids tremble, threatening to shut. His pupils shift, threatening to look away. The creature roars hard, the scarlet beam of fire streaming out of his turning blue. The devil's eyes close.
Mike's eyes turn black.
CUT TO:
A young boy flinches, his face scrunching in on itself.
SMACK
A woman's hand strikes his face.
CUT TO:
Blood gushes down Mike's legs, soaking his feet entirely. He would surely slip if there wasn't so much glass protruding from his soles.
He continues to punch through the clocks, sprinting from room to room, his robes torn clean off of his body by now, until the stumps on the end of his arms gush blood and his slashed knees hit concrete.
Mike falls backwards onto a carpet of shards. His eyes turn up in his head as he sees, upside down, the path he has made for himself. He cannot see its end.
Mike's scored lips stretch into a smile that looks like a hyphenated line across his face.
CUT TO:
Mike lies before a brick wall. The cell is sealed. The clock still ticks.
Viscous, almost black, blood oozes through the glistening shards of glass around Mike. The blood exuding from his deepest wounds is so thick that it forms pitch mounds on his body.
TICK...
TICK...
TICK...
CUT TO:
Mike's dripping hand extends toward cold rusting metal.
His fingers grip handle of his cell door and he pulls.
Nothing. It doesn't budge.
Mike slumps against the door, staring out at the crimson marsh between himself and the centre of the room.
CUT TO:
The Woman In Red's lips part. She inhales.
CUT TO:
Mike's lips purse. He exhales.
CUT TO:
The clock hands melt into the clock-face before the entire device presses into the brick.
The cell door swings open, leaving Mike to fall into the void.
INT. RED ROOM - SAME
Mike lands on his feet in a room with vermillion walls. The ceiling and floor are mirrors.
Before him are three red arm chairs, in each sits a version of himself.
On the left sits Mike 1: comfortable as he is, sat with one leg over the armrest.
In the middle, Mike 2: looking dead, his face blank and his eyes black.
On the right, Mike 3: visibly paranoid, his legs pulled up to his chest, teeth gnawing at his nails.
From Mike's POV we watch.
MIKE 1
How are you?
MIKE 3
Shhhh.
MIKE 1
(through his teeth)
Fuck off.
Mike 3 puts his fingers back in his mouth. He turns back to us.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
(welcoming)
How are you, bitch?
We nod.
He waits for words or more of a response...
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
Well, whatever... you, my friend, are a fuck up.
(seemingly sincere)
We want you to know that. It's for your own good...
Mike 3, eyebrows arched, eyes averted, nods in agreement. Mike 2's eyes turn to us, his features stern.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
... we could have had her so long ago. Took her under the covers and--
Mike 2 sighs.
MIKE 3
(sharp whisper)
What are you talking about?
MIKE 1
(on deep, raspy breath)
We fuck her... good and proper!
MIKE 3
Dickhead.
He's dismissed with a wave of a hand.
MIKE 1
(back to us)
You've opened the door, you fell down the rabbit hole. What you gonna do now?
A moment of silence.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
(sighs)
I forgot. You're useless.
MIKE 3
We're going to have to let her in.
We shake our head.
MIKE 1
There's no question. She's coming. What you gonna do? We've been on and off, you've been crying like a fucking pussy, reciting that pseudo Shakespearian shit.
(looks over to Mike 3)
Not our greatest moments. And we almost killed the bitch.
(takes a bow)
We've also wasted a lot of time.
Mike 1 gestures at Mike 2, who does nothing.
Below Mike's feet and above his head, an endless stream of reflections stare back.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
We're trying to teach you about what riches you will find in darkness, don't you realise?
Behind the chairs a spider the size of a toddler inches along the wall.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
Blood, fear, suffering, we're having you take your steps; we're having you erase old steps. Why can't you get it?
The spider stops and lies flat, its legs extending, sending a web of fractures across the crimson wallpaper.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
It's time to wipe the tracks you have left in the red snow behind you...
We look down again.
MIKE 1 (CONT'D)
... lose the monster in the maze and walk out your own phenom. It's time to become a glad--
BOOOOOM
C-CRACK
Mike's foot slams down on his reflection.
MIKE 1 & 3
What are you doing!?
C-CRACK
Mike stomps down again, a visible fracture jutting from the impact.
Mike 1 & 3 launch out of their chairs.
All goes silent.
Mike 1 stands before us silently screaming. Mike 3 kneels by our side tugging at our hand and begging.
Mike's bare foot continues to stomp down--
CRACK
C-CRACK
C-C-CRACK
C-CRACK
C-C-C-CR--
MIKE 1
Asshole!
Mike 1 lunges. We fall back with him on top of us, him squeezing at what would be our neck, us watching manic confusion swell from his face and splutter from his lips.
All becomes blurred and begins to fade away...
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A clenched fist loosens.
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Stressed muscles relax.
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All the tension and torture in Mike's eyes fades away.
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The caterpillar cocoon withers, taken over by blue frost.
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Mike's cell. Clean, empty. A warm day gleams upon the stone and concrete.
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The vision of Mike 1's blind malice distorts and judders. He's suddenly gone. Mike can breath and he's being helped to his feet.
A haze clears. Mike 2 stands before us.
Mike 1 and 3 are back in their chairs, neither very happy.
Mike 2 produces a large sledgehammer from behind his back and hands it to us.
He smiles, his black eyes warm for a moment.
We nod back.
Mike 2 returns to his seat. Mike 1 stands to protest but Mike 2 gives him a quick backhand and all is settled.
Mike 2 glares at Mike 3 and he shrinks in his chair.
He sits and gestures for us to go on.
We nod again and turn our attention to the fractured reflection below.
The sledgehammer is brought down and through we fall, into darkness.
INT. DARKNESS
Mike's bare feet slide into a disc of light on black concrete. Hand shielding his eyes, palm outstretched, his robes push into the spotlight.
THUNK
Mike's outstretched hand hits a glass wall that cuts the spotlight in two. As his hand presses flat against the glass and his unshielded eyes soften, a red haze shifts.
The Woman in Red's hand lifts towards Mike's. Before her fingers touch the glass, his hand pulls away.
The two stare at one another. The Woman's finger tips rest against the glass. They recede and the white smudge they leave quickly shrinks, giving way to clarity.
WOMAN IN RED
Is it time?
Mike's chin hits his chest. Unable to look her in the face, his index finger and thumb circling before curling past one another. His balled fist comes to his cheek and wipes away the wet.
The Woman in Red steps forward. As does Mike.
Mike's dampened knuckles slowly arc toward the glass. The Woman in Red takes his hand, the glass gone.
Angered by her touch, Mike has his vehemence recognised. Her features harden, too, as she stares back.
The Woman in Red curls the Red Band back onto his wrist.
His palm...
SMACKs
... against her flesh as he grabs her arm, huffing death through his flared nostrils.
Silence...
WOMAN IN RED
You're a pathetic, conformist, pussy. You've never done anything for yourself. You're weak. You're not even a shadow of a real man, and you cower at the thought of the truth.
MIKE
I hate you.
WOMAN IN RED
I hate you.
MIKE
You're a resentful, unforgiving, cunt. You live off of the backs of others. You know nothing. If you had an ounce of humanity in you, you couldn't suck the lives out of so many people and with such relish.
WOMAN IN RED
I hate you.
MIKE
I hate you.
WOMAN IN RED
As impossible as you were, I still loved you. Who's the inhuman one?
MIKE
I suffered through everything you threw at me. I am who I am because of you. Is that my fault? Who else was I supposed to be?
WOMAN IN RED
I gave you everything. You have no right to complain.
MIKE
I never did.
WOMAN IN RED
But here you are. You can look me in the eye and say I'm the one in the wrong?
MIKE
I was only a boy.
WOMAN IN RED
In some ways you were. And in some ways you still are. But you are one evil son of a bitch.
MIKE
I could never be as malicious as you. It hurts to have to become this version... this monster that must deal with you.
WOMAN IN RED
You think I wanted this!? You think I woke up one morning and decided that this is where my life will go?
MIKE
Maybe not. But, you certainly lacked the foresight to see that this is where you were driving us. You also lacked the courage to look at yourself and see what you were becoming.
The Woman in Red pushes her hand through her short hair, and off slides the wig. Peeling off her hair net and letting loose her long hair, she sniffs away tears.
WOMAN IN RED
What happened to our family was nobody's fault. No one should have to go through what we did.
MIKE
What does that say, though, about what you have become? Are you saying none of this was your fault?
WOMAN IN RED
O, I don't know whose fault it is. Why must it always be someone's fault with you?
MIKE
Because - how can we move forward if we can't see where we went wrong?
WOMAN IN RED
Things went wrong, but we're human. We can't change that.
MIKE
What did I do?
WOMAN IN RED
When?
MIKE
I don't know when. But what did I do to land myself in the lap of such a failed and crumbling human? You say you love; you say you tried; you say you provided, but it was all nothing. You did the bare minimum as a mother, and you hated every moment of it.
WOMAN IN RED
How dare you assu--
MIKE
How dare I nothing. Even as I stand here, I know that you won't change, that, if this is supposed to get better, then it's all on my shoulders. I wonder if you could ever care to take a moment to understand me.
WOMAN IN RED
You don't know what I've been through. You couldn't even imag--
MIKE
It's always the past. It's always the impossible. It's always the intangible with you. Why can't you shut your mouth and sit through this with me?
WOMAN IN RED
I'm trying - whatever this is. Am I not on your team?
MIKE
I don't know. I don't know.
Silence.
WOMAN IN RED
Well... Where do we go from here?
MIKE
I suppose we start from the top: You're resentful and unforgiving. You're a cunt.
WOMAN IN RED
Only as much as you are pathetic and weak.
MIKE
You embarrass yourself.
WOMAN IN RED
You embarrass yourself.
MIKE
If I could, I would utterly destroy you.
WOMAN IN RED
And, if I could, I would turn the Earth on its axis to get back the boy I raised.
MIKE
You're so stupid!
WOMAN IN RED
You're weak!
MIKE
You know nothing!
WOMAN IN RED
You said that already, you dumb fuck! Who knows nothing now?
MIKE
Fuck you, you... you fucking degenerate...
WOMAN IN RED
Fuck you twice. In the ass! You fucking waste of space!
MIKE
You piece of shit!
WOMAN IN RED
You good for nothing prick!
MIKE
You self-centred--
WOMAN IN RED
You ignorant fool!
MIKE
You ignorant fool!
WOMAN IN RED
Stop repeating what I say!
MIKE
I would if you were worth even thinking about.
WOMAN IN RED
You mean you would if you were half as smart as you thought you were.
MIKE
Oooh. Great one. Why don't you just go and die somewhere?
She let's out a snort.
WOMAN IN RED
You're such a child.
MIKE
Yeah... you would say that. Retard!
She bursts out laughing.
WOMAN IN RED
Look at you. Look at how mad you are. Dumb bitch!
She continues laughing.
Mike's lost a moment.
MIKE
Yeah, well, you're a fucking... You're a--you're a--
WOMAN IN RED
(through laughter:)
Yurra--yurra-yurra... shut up...
Mike snorts.
MIKE
You shut up.
WOMAN IN RED
No, you.
MIKE
No, you, you dumb... bastard!
She screams with laughter.
Mike smiles.
WOMAN IN RED
Buffoon!
Mike cracks.
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The Woman in Red loosens her grip on the band. Mike releases her.
MIKE
I'm sorry. It's my fault.
WOMAN IN RED
Baby, you don't have to lie. I know I hurt you. You're still hurting.
MIKE
I don't know what to do with... I don't know what it is...
Their gazes meet. Mike's red eyes steam up. His features quiver.
MIKE
What do we do?
After a moment of silence, her hands clap against her sides.
WOMAN IN RED
(through a lump in her throat)
I'm here...
Mike adjusts the band on his wrist.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm so lost. I don't know how to look at you and tell myself that you're not mine. I don't know how to hear you and tell myself that I'm... that I'm not just this thing called mother. I think I know, and I just don't. I stand here blubbering and I don't know if I can be a person worth looking at in two days, two weeks, two hours. I don't feel like I'm inside. I'm somewhere else and...
Sorrow pours from her.
WOMAN IN RED (CONT'D)
... I'm sorry...
Mike pulls her into his arms. Her wig falls off and her hair cascades down her back and over Mike's hands.
MIKE
I'm sorry, too. I'm so fucked up. I'm so fucked up. I can't blame you. I can't be weak. I can't think I'm strong. I feel in my arms and my chest the power to pull myself over this... insurmountable... yet there's poison in me that pulls me down. It circulates, bubbling like acid, and I can't neutralise it. The burning doesn't go away. I'm so pathetic.
He presses his suppressed whimpers into her shoulder.
WOMAN IN RED
I'm so pathetic...
A wet chuckle dots her cries. She wipes her face with her sleeve.
MIKE
I'm so pathetic.
He, too, smiles through tears.
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Dr. Row, her eyes wet, smiles, her hands pressed against the glass which she watches Mike and the Woman In Red embrace through.
DR. ROW
I'm so tired--and pathetic, too.
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Mike's shadow blubbers and claws at the glass.
SHADOW
I'm a dickhead!
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The Woman In Red plants a slobbery kiss on Mike's cheek.
MIKE
Ewww...
He scrapes it off, and they continue to laugh quietly in their embrace.
INT. RED ROOM
All three Mikes stare...
... silent...
... gobsmacked.
INT. CELL - DAY
Mike's head lifts away from the grubby sheets.
The cell door groans open.
The wooden stool scrapes across the stone.
Dr. Row sits. She smiles.
Mike, hand over the Red Band, eyes on the ground, speaks openly to her.
She listens attentively.
Before Dr. Row stands a young boy holding The Woman in Red's hand.
Dr. Row's hand gestures towards the open cell door.
Mike's gaze rises up from the floor.
Dr. Row and Mike stand at the door before the pitch beyond. They both look into the cell behind them.
The Woman in Red picks up the little boy and turns towards the back wall. The boy looks toward Mike and Dr. Row over his mother's shoulder with tears in his eyes.
Dr. Row places her hand on Mike's shoulder.
Mike's cell's true state is revealed: no concrete, no stone, no metal. The small room is warm and furnished modestly, though unkempt. There is a wooden chair before a single bed, a small entirely unused desk, a second door (which we can assume leads to a bathroom), open curtains and a window. A clear, bright day peers into the room.
Dr. Row, and then Mike, turn back to the darkness.
Mike's bare foot crosses the threshold and a quiet hospital corridor is illuminated.
Dr. Row closes the door, labeled 'Temporary Accommodation 0003'.
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Another door. Room 3004: Mike.
Dr. Row stops Mike before his room. Over her shoulder he sees two burly orderlies walking towards them.
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Mike silently watches the shorter orderly talk to Dr. Row. The taller one returns with a pair of scissors in his hand.
Mike gives the orderly his wrist. The faded, pink wristband in snipped off.
The tall orderly smiles broadly as he shakes Mike's hand. The shorter orderly taps his shoulder as the two move on.
Dr. Row opens Mike's door. Within the larger, better furnished room, is The Woman in Red. She sits on Mike's bed, her hair down, dressed in a simple shirt and pair of trousers. She holds the Red Band.
Dr. Row turns to Mike with an open hand.
Face drooping speechlessness, Mike starts to shake her hand, but quickly breaks the nicety and pulls the doctor into a tight embrace.
She pats his shoulders whilst laughing.
Dr. Row leaves Mike to enter his room. She walks through the hospital corridors, waving hellos to patients, doctors, nurses and orderlies alike.
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Elevator doors open. Dr. Row steps out alone, into an abandoned corridor with flickering lights. She starts towards the heavy iron door at its end.
EXT. OUTSIDE
Mike sits under an oak tree. An axe rests against the trunk beside him. Sunlight pours through the canopy above.
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A brown cocoon dangles, drenched in the warmth.
>FADE OUT
END
