Cry Baby Cry

One man kneels on the ground. He's got a burlap sack over his head. Hands tied behind his back. Legs tied at his knees and ankles. He's wearing a worn USC hoodie and boxers. No shoes. His knees are scraped. Bloody from the dried lake bed below him.

The other man circles him. He's wearing jeans, sneakers, a black t-shirt. This is STEVEN.

In the background a Suburu Outback is parked, it's hatchback still open.

Steven walks over and takes the sack off the guy's head. Revealing SETH.

Steven throws the sack on the ground. Seth squints, his eyes adjusting to the blinding morning Sun.

SETH - What time is it?

Steven checks his watch.

STEVEN - 6:47.

SETH - Fuck, that's early. Can't remember the last time I was up this early.

STEVEN - Yeah. It's -- early.

SETH - So -- what are we doin' out here, Stevey?

Steven walks over to the Suburu. Grabs a can of gasoline out of the back. A USC duffel bag. Full. He doesn't answer.

SETH - You grab me in the middle of the night, Brandy's asleep next to me, drag me out to fuckin'...

He looks around.

SETH - Fuckin' wherever the hell we are, the least you could do is tell me why?

Steven still doesn't respond. He just sets down the can of fuel and duffel bag in front of Seth. Stares at him. A deep sorrow in his eyes. That, and a hint of madness.

SETH - So that's it? No explanations, no fuckin' excuses. Nothin'?

Silence.

SETH - Wow. Wow. That's -- bullshit.

STEVEN - Is it? Is it "bullshit"?

SETH - Yeah. It is.

STEVEN - And what constitutes "bullshit", Seth? Huh? Who makes up those rules? Those guidelines? You? You make that shit up?

SETH - Look, bro, you need to calm down. Just cut me loose and let's go back to the city.

STEVEN - Fuck you, "calm down". You're not calling the shots now! Not anymore!

SETH - You're goddamned right, I am! I could be tied up to the fucking Titanic and if you're with me, I'm calling the shots! You never have, Stevey. Not now, not ever. You just always been the weak one.

This "hits" Steven. Hard. His eyes are welling up. Seth notices.

SETH - See? Look, I hate to say these things but it's true, bro. You don't have the stomach for it.

STEVEN - Please, stop calling me that.

SETH - What?

Steven runs up to his face.

STEVEN - Brother!!!!

Seth is silenced. Steven walks over to the duffel bag. He unzips it. Pulls out a sheet of glass. A bag of gravel. A baseball bat. Some leather work gloves. Seth sees this -- trying to piece together what the hell is going on.

STEVEN - I was 23 when I first saw her. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was walking to work, I think.

A tear runs down his cheek.

STEVEN - I didn't really know what to say to her, so I thought honesty might be the best tactic. I mean, what the hell do I know about tactics. I ran over, maybe a bit too fast, cuz I scared her. Made her jump. "Sorry about that." I said. "That's ok. If you weren't so cute, I might be pissed." I smiled and basically said what I was feeling at the time. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." I remember her eyes. They were so blue. Like some lake in the sierras. Like they were made from snowmelt. She didn't know what to say. So she kissed my cheek. It was the happiest moment of my life.

Seth listens. Shakes his head.

SETH - Dude, is this all about Michelle?

Steven just slowly looks at Seth. Something "switched" in his brain.

STEVEN - When I got the call to come identify her body, I collapsed on the ground. My legs lost all feeling. I couldn't get up. I was just sitting there in the entry way, paralyzed. Shaking. -- I remember grabbing the phone and hitting my legs with it. Trying to get some feeling back. Cracking it against my kneecaps. My shins. Every time I'd hit them, a little bit would come back. Little by little, I eventually made my way to the car and drove down to the coroners. They uncovered her body.

Steven picks up the baseball bat.

STEVEN - I could barely recognize her. The CHP was waiting there and he explained what had happened. How she was thrown through the windshield doing about 60. But before she went through it, her legs buckled and hit the dashboard. That's what broke both shins. Snapped her tibia like it was nothin'.

His grip tightens on the bat. He glares at Seth. Seth finally sees that he can't talk his way out of this. He rolls onto his back and then rocks to stand up. He gets to his feet.

SETH - Look, Steven, I know you're upset but this is not the way to deal with this. She's gone, man.

STEVEN - Seth, sit down.

Seth slowly backing away. Inching away.

SETH - I'm serious, brother. Just relax and --

STEVEN - SIT THE FUCK DOWN! NOW!

Seth sits down.

STEVEN - I now see that taking that sack off your head was a bad idea.

Steven drops the bat, grabs the sack. Seth struggles as he's fit with the sack again.

STEVEN - Don't worry. You're only going to have to wear it for a couple seconds.

Steven backs up a good ten paces. Methodically. Leans over and grabs the bat.

Through Seth's veiled sight --

SETH - Steven, what the fuck are you gonna do? Don't do anything stupid.

STEVEN - I won't, Seth. I just think you deserve, at the very least, a good scare.

SETH - A "what"?

Steven gets a running start, bat behind his shoulder. He stutter-steps the last few feet and heaves the bat into Seth's shins!

CRACK!!!

Both legs bend immediately. Like tin foil, they collapse.

SETH - AAAGHHHH!!!

Steven takes the sack off of Seth's head. Both his legs severely broken. He rolls back and forth on his back in agony. Steven walks over and drops the bat. Grabs the thick piece of glass.

STEVEN - The only good thing was that it all happened so fast, they said that her mind probably didn't have time to register the pain of the broken legs before she went through the windshield. Sorry that I can't speed this up at all for you. Unfortunately, I don't think it's humanly possible. Unless there were a couple others and it was well choreographed.

Through his coughing, his spit, his fear --

SETH - Br--broth...

STEVEN - Don't say it.

SETH - St-steven. I'm sorry, man. I'm so fucking sorry.

STEVEN - I know you are, Seth. For the first time, I see how "sorry" you really are -- And to think I envied you all these years, when it was you who envied me. Wanted what I had.

SETH - It was an accident. Honestly. It was an accident.

Something about the word "accident" connects with Steven. Snaps him back in to the moment. But everyone lives their moments differently. As where Seth's "moment" is in the desert, Steven's -- is in a wrecked Volvo off River Road and Creston Ave.

Steven walks over and grabs the piece of glass. The gloves. Looks back at Seth.

STEVEN - You know the average windshield isn't just a piece of glass. It's two. Two pieces.

Inches towards Seth.

STEVEN - They put them together like a sandwich, and put a layer of plastic in between them. Makes it stronger. Prevents the whole thing from going if one of them cracks. About a quarter of an inch, total thickness. Pretty thick shit.

As Steven stands above Seth, he looks at the glass. Through it, at Seth.

STEVEN - Do you know the amount of force you would have to possess to go through it.

Seth says nothing.

STEVEN - No, I'm asking. That wasn't rhetorical.

SETH - Please, Steven. Don't do th --

STEVEN - 60 miles per hour, I don't know what that is per inch. Pressure-wise.

Seth tries to roll onto his stomach but Steven stops him with his foot. Rolls him back over and steps on his shoulder. Pinning him to his back.

STEVEN - 60 miles per hour is pretty fast.

SETH - Nooo!!!!!

Steven raises the glass and slams it down onto Seth's face! It cracks. Smashes him over and over again. Seth's face becomes more and more bloody. Until finally the glass can't retain it's shape. Limp like a towel. Steven tosses it aside.

Seth is a mess. Not unconscious, but he should be. Steven breathes heavy, sits down on the ground. Next to Seth.

STEVEN - Why, Seth? That's all I want to know.

Seth stares up at the sky. The sun. A bird passes through it. A buzzard. Seth takes a breath.

SETH - Be...because.....I......could.

This stings Steven.

SETH - Yo...you are right....about me. I am not you. I wanted...what you had. I'm....not good. Never have been. I take.

Steven shakes his head. Catches his breath. Walks over and grabs the bag of gravel.

STEVEN - Upon flying over the hood she hit the gravel road, face first. Didn't have any time to react and put her arms out, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. They would have broken on impact and just delayed the inevitable.

Back to Seth.

STEVEN - The figured, by the marks on the ground, that she slid about 35 feet before stopping. Mostly on the right side of her body, judging by the exposed ribs and exposed parts of her skull. You'd think, after all of that, that she'd of been unconscious.

Seth doesn't even have the strength to scream now. He's just waiting for it all to be over.

Steven raises the bag over his head -- then stops. Lost in a thought.

STEVEN - You take. You took.

SETH - I...know.

STEVEN - It wasn't enough that you fucked my wife, you had to kill her too.

SETH - I know.

Steven lets the bag of gravel fall to the ground. He collapses to the ground.

STEVEN - You took her from me. In every way you could.

Seth doesn't know what to say. But he sees his little brother. The torment on his face. There's really only one way to go.

SETH - D...don't stop.

Steven looks at him.

SETH - You brought me out here to kill me -- keep going. Kill me

STEVEN - I can't. I'm not like you.

SETH - I'm not happy. Do it for me.

Steven is about to "give in", when a realization hit him.

STEVEN - "For you"?

He stands.

STEVEN - You were right about me. I almost did it. Did what you wanted me to. Killed you -- Not today. Not ever.

Steven walks back towards the car. Grabs his "supplies" and tosses them all in the back of the car.

SETH -Where are you going?

STEVEN - The Sheriff's deputy patrols these dry lake beds every afternoon. One of them will spot you.

SETH - Steven, no. Come back here! I deserve to die!

Seth starts crawling towards the car. Weakly, but he's moving.

Steven just gets into his car. Shuts the door and just sits. He turns on the ignition and a song comes on. A CD. "Cry Baby Cry" by the Beatles. This song resonates with Steven. He becomes lost in a beautiful dream -- remembering when he met Michelle.

The music plays -- He runs up to her on the street. Scares her, but she laughs. The music plays --

While lost in his memory, Seth drags himself towards the car. Dragging his limp legs. Closer and closer.

Steven remembers their first kiss -- how soft and lovely it was. How perfect it was.

Seth inches closer. Finally reaches the back of the car. Sits himself up and leans against the bumper. He leans a bit, loops his tied wrists over the top of the trailer hitch. Sighs. Relaxes against the bumber, listens to the words of the song --

Steven, lost in his blissful memories of Michelle, listens to the words of the song --

"Cry Baby Cry, make your mother sigh, she's old enough to know better..."

Steven opens his eyes. Seth opens his eyes.

Steven puts the car into gear ---