ARE WE ALONE? (4 page)
Authors: Bruce Durbin
ANTHONY (CONT’D)
The house should be the last house.
The car moves a short distance and nears a dead end, with a
small house at the very end, with no other houses nearby.
ANTHONY (CONT’D)
That’s it.
The car pulls up in front of the house and stops.
GINA
This is it. Is everyone ready?
CHAZ
Uh, we’re interviewing a crazy guy,
not someone important, like...
The President of the United States?
CHAZ
Uh, I said important. Anyway,
everyone, please remember what I’ve
told you. I’ll do the principle
filming and you guys do side views.
Got it?
Yeah.
YASMINE
Yeah.
ANTHONY
Point the camera and shoot. Yeah,
I got it.
Chaz films, as the other STUDENTS get out of the car,
gathering their equipment.
PERIODIC JUMP OF POV FROM ONE STUDENT TO THE OTHER, AS THEY
APPROACH THE HOUSE.
They walk up to the door. Just as Gina is starting to knock
on the door, the door is jerked open, scaring the teenagers.
They see AUTHOR (70’s), sipping a cup of coffee and looking
at them.
AUTHOR
You don’t look like the normal
media team, sent by corporate
America to discount my claims.
Perhaps, looking like college
students is just a ruse, in order
to win my confidence.
AUTHOR (CONT’D)
Sorry, a little cynical. Can I
help you?
I’ve seen your picture before.
Really? Where?
ANTHONY
On the jacket of your book.
AUTHOR
Let me guess, you were using the
book to prop up an old wobbly chair
and saw my picture?
No, I read your book.
AUTHOR
Really? Tell me, what did you
think about my observations that
Martians were on the moon, during
the first moon walk?
ANTHONY
(slight smile)
I believe you referenced that it
was travelers from Venus, not Mars.
Everyone, including Author, looks at Anthony, studying him.
Author looks at the other STUDENTS, with POV moving from one
STUDENT to the next, watching Author.
Please, why don’t we go inside.
INT. AUTHOR’S HOUSE
Author and Anthony are talking, as the others set up the
equipment. Gina moves closed to Chaz.
GINA
What the hell is he doing? I’m
suppose to be doing the interview.
CHAZ
Maybe, Anthony’s just getting him
warmed up.
Gina looks at Anthony and gives him a hard stare, as he
continues talking with Author.
Our documentary is actually in
response to one of my favorite
quotes in your book. Let me see if
I can get it right--
(pause)
It is my belief that if a change is
to be implemented to make our
neighbors welcome amongst us, the
change will have to come from the
people, never from our governments.
AUTHOR
It is by a fallacy and
misunderstanding of our monetary
system that our cosmic neighbors go
to our government to ask for
permission to come. It is like
asking---
ANTHONY
Caesar to relinquish his throne,
and I do not think that Caesar will
be too eager to do that.
Author smiles
SFX: MUSIC BEGINS PLAYING.
Anthony and Author continue talking, with Author gradually
becoming more agitated and looking around, as though someone
is watching.
Author is still apparently agitated, as he gets up and
motions for everyone to leave. He almost pushes the group
out of the door. Anthony turns and looks at Author.
ANTHONY (CONT’D)
I’m sorry, if I said something to
offend you, but...
AUTHOR
You’ll discover, when you talk to
people, real people, not actors
reading from a script, that the
truth can’t be hidden.
(beat)
That space travelers not only
exist, but they’ve visited us and
will continue to visit us.
I have several more questions and
Gina was actually suppose to be
conducting the interview and...
Author frowns, looks around, then moves up to a shelf. He
pulls out a piece of paper and returns to Anthony, holding
out the paper. Author moves closer to Anthony and whispers.
AUTHOR
This is a map, which details some
of the landing locations, as well
as some eye witnesses, but...
Author turns and looks around the house, then stops, staring
at a wall, as though he sees something. Author jerks back,
with a frightened look on his face. He leans even closer
towards Anthony and whispers.
AUTHOR (CONT’D)
They’re watching...they’re always
watching...if, if they think
you’re, you’re not...sincere, then,
then...be careful...
out of the house.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
POV is from Chaz, who is filming Anthony and Author, standing
in the doorway.
CHAZ
What a weird, old guy...
Suddenly, AUthor exits the house, looks around, then looks at
the group.
ANTHONY
On our way over here, we met an old
man, out on the highway. He showed
us a rock. Said it was from
Aliens. He also told us a story of
being inside a spaceship and having
a...
AUTHOR
Track imbedded into his hand. That
would be old man Hardt
Author looks towards the students.
AUTHOR (CONT’D)
Old man Hardt lost his wife to
cancer and, well, grief has made
him believe in things that aren’t
true.
The existence of aliens?
Author looks back towards Anthony.
AUTHOR
The existence of aliens is a given,
a documented truth, but people
often attribute their experiences
as being somehow connected to
aliens and alien visitation, when
it’s just life playing out the
game.
What about the rocks?
AUTHOR
Their monitoring devices often
appear to us to be just rocks.
Monitoring?
Author looks around, then looks back at Anthony, shaking his
head, “NO.”
AUTHOR
I, I’ve said too much...read my
book or...find out on your own...
Author turns and hurries back inside the house.
SFX: HORN HONK.
driver’s seat and giving Anthony an impatient look.
Anthony walks over to the car and gets inside, as Chaz also
gets into the car, continuing to film Author, who stands,
watching them.
GINA
Did you have a nice little chat?
I asked him about the rocks. He
said that the rocks could be like
landing lights on a runway.
Yeah, okay.
Gina puts the car in reverse and almost spins the tires, as
she backs away from the house.
GINA (CONT’D)
We’re fucked. The bulk of our
presentation was to be the
interview and now...we have
nothing.
He was right.
Gina looks at Anthony, with a hard look.
ANTHONY (CONT’D)
You are impatient.
Gina gives Anthony an even harder stare.
GINA
We have a limited amount of time
and the good Professor is a bastard
in grading.
ANTHONY
Take it easy. We do some
interviews of random people, maybe
some who claim to have witnessed
aliens and U-F-O’s, and then we do
another interview, where we present
him with the substance of the
interviews. I think it will make a
more compelling presentation, then
just having him recite from his
book.
I think...
YASMINE
Anthony’s right. Some candid
interviews will add that personal,
unscripted touch.
Like that old man.
(smiling)
With a tracker in his finger.
CHAZ
It would also lengthen the
presentation and would definitely
be more interesting, then listening
to some crazy guy, who’s only
written a book.
I think...
Gina stops and looks at Anthony, then Christina, then
Yasmine, and finally Chaz.
GINA (CONT’D)
We’ll do some interviews and look
at some of the locations, where
spaceships reportedly landed.
THEN, do another interview with
that...crazy author.
Anthony looks at Author, whose mouth moves. Anthony begins
to softly speak, as though he’s translating what the Author
is saying.
ANTHONY
(softly)
Instead of trying to prove the
reality that aliens have
visited...You should be trying to
ascertain WHY they visit. Not all
aliens have noble reasons for
visiting earth.
The car parks, with the students getting out with their
cameras. They look around, trying to find a person to
interview. They see MAN (30), who is spinning a thin sign,
reading “FAMOUS ALIENS.” They walk up to the Man, with the
POV alternating between the four cameras.
Who’s the most famous alien?
MAN
(big smile)
Elvis.
Man spins the sign and then plays the sign, as though it was
a guitar. He does some signature Elvis moves and then spins
the sign back around.
MAN (CONT’D)
Little known fact that Elvis came
from a small planet on the dark
side of Venus. Being close to
Venus, gave Elvis an understanding
of what females...
MAN (CONT’D)
From ALL worlds want.
GINA
Which is?
MAN
Sex and rock and roll.
GINA
Have you seen any aliens?
Man frowns at Gina, as he takes out a pamphlet, handing the
pamphlet to Gina.
MAN
Lots. Elvis, of course. You’ll
find the entire list of famous
aliens.
MAN (CONT’D)
It costs just five dollars.
Gina looks at Chaz.
GINA
Pay him.
CHAZ
Me? Why me?
GINA
I’ll pay you back.
Chaz hesitates, then takes out a five dollar bill and hands
it to Man, who looks at the bill, then quickly puts it into
his pocket, as he releases the pamphlet.
GINA (CONT’D)
Man starts to answer, but Gina quickly adds.
GINA (CONT’D)
Around here?
Man frowns and then nervously looks around. He looks back at
Gina and nods his head, “YES.”
GINA (CONT’D)
Where? When? What did they look
like? Did you talk with them?
Man shakes his head, “NO” and then grabs the pamphlet back
from Gina, takes out a pen, and quickly draws on the back of
the pamphlet. He looks at the pamphlet, then nervously looks
around the area. He hands the pamphlet back to Gina.
That’s a map, but...
Man nervously looks around.
MAN (CONT’D)
I wouldn’t go there. Aliens, they
don’t like to be found. They like
to do the finding.
spinning the sign, trying to get their attention.
GINA
This is going to be a waste of
time.
quickly moves to the Woman.
ANTHONY
Excuse me, we’re doing a class
project on aliens. Mind if I ask
you some questions?
back at Anthony.
WOMAN
How did you know?
Anthony looks at the other students, then back at Woman.
ANTHONY
How did I know what?
WOMAN
That they came to my house last
night.
Really? You saw aliens?
WOMAN
No, I didn’t see them, I just saw
what they did. If you want to see,
follow me.
Woman doesn’t waste any time and starts to walk away. The
students look at each other, then quickly start after Woman.
As they follow the Woman through the small town, POV
periodically switches from student to student. They finally
reach a small house, with Woman quickly moving towards the
back, which is a large area, enclosed by a fence. Woman
points towards the middle of the area.
WOMAN (CONT’D)
There. I came out this morning to
feed ‘em and that’s what I found.
Gina moves forwards and then stops, she turns around, with
her pale face being caught on Chaz’ camera. Gina pushes past
Chaz, bends over, and vomits.
focusing on three dead goats.
Anthony moves closer and looks down at the goats, seeing that
they’ve been torn apart, with their intestines laying to the
side, but the cut marks look very precision; not from another
animal.
WOMAN (CONT’D)
Sheriff says it was coyotes, but
all the coyotes I know, they all
leave tracks.
The students PAN the area, with their cameras, with the POV
alternating. There’s only signs of goat tracks and some shoe
tracks.
Most coyotes take what they kill.
Gina has recovered and moves over to Woman.
GINA
What makes you think that it was
aliens?
WOMAN
Last night, I was woke up by a
bright light comin’ through my
window. It went out as quick as it
came on. Figured it was maybe a
helicopter or maybe headlights from
a car. Didn’t hear no noise.
mouth.
WOMAN (CONT’D)
Came out this mornin’ and
that’s...that’s what I found.
The students look around the area, seeing that it’s enclosed
with high, tight knit metal fencing, with no open gates.
Chaz moves closer and films the three dead goats, focusing on
the bloody remains.
WOMAN (CONT’D)
Lived here for almost fifty years.
Seen their damn spaceships flying
overhead, but figured they were
just passing through, like people.
Heard stories about cattle being
cut up, mutilated, but...never
figured they, they’d touch my poor
goats.
Anthony move closer, looking at the dead goats.
ANTHONY
Look at the cut marks. It’s like
whatever was used, not only cut the
goats open, but cauterized the
wound at the same time.
YASMINE
The sheriff was probably right.
Just coyotes.
CHAZ
Coyotes wouldn’t have been able to
get through that fence.
height. He then focuses back on the dead goats.
CHAZ (CONT’D)
And, they would have taken pieces
of meat.