Two Scenes

EXT. OLD STRIP MALL – NIGHT

Andrew and Colby walk past empty store windows. A breeze blows scraps of paper by them.

COLBY
This place is spooky.

ANDREW
Are you afraid?

COLBY
No. Yes.

ANDREW
I told you, I will find her if I have to scour the universe.

COLBY
That is a stupid thing to say. Absolutely idiotic. You want to know why?

ANDREW
No.

COLBY
I’ll tell you why. The nearest star to the sun, Proxima Centauri, is 4.22 light years away. Light travels six trillion miles in a year, so we're talking 25 trillion miles, give or take 100 billion. Traveling at .1c, one-tenth the speed of light, it would take you 42 years to get there, not counting time for acceleration and deceleration. .1c is 10,000 times faster than any man-made craft traveled in the 20th century. Therefore scouring the universe would take you, let’s see. [He takes a calculator from his pocket and punches the buttons.] Yes, scouring the universe would take until 10 minutes past the end of time.

ANDREW
I just hope I don’t have to drive to Orange County.

They stop in front of a club painted all black. Throbbing bass comes from the club.

COLBY
(reading the sign)
‘Hellfire. Abandon all hope.’ All right!


INT. HELLFIRE – NIGHT

Andrew and Colby look at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. A crowd of DANCERS move in the gloom against dim red lighting.

A WOMAN IN BLACK LEATHER lounges in the corner flicking her cat o’ nine tails.

YVONNE, face powder white with black lips, falls into Andrew’s arms.

YVONNE
Would you stalk me in the black night, chasing me into an alley, where you threw my worthless body onto a pile of trash and raped me as rats scurried about us?

ANDREW
No.

YVONNE
Why not?

ANDREW
Because that would be evil?

Yvonne breaks away from him.

YVONNE
You pussy.

She disappears in the crowd.

ANDREW
What is this place?

COLBY
This is an S and M club. Your mysterious woman gets more interesting all the time.

Andrew sees Elise carrying a tray of drinks.

ANDREW
Elise! Elise!

Elise startles when she sees him. She flees into the crowd.

ANDREW
ELISE!