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               A Screenplay by
               Sean Ryan
               Blood Trail
                
               Copyright 2006
               Registered with the 
               Screenwriter's Guild
               All Rights Reserved

               Contact: seansshack@oceanfree.net



               EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - DAY

               A white mustang drives on an empty stretch of highway. The
               day is as perfect as a painting, blue skies and high
               temperatures.

               The driver of the car is ELLIE JACKSON, mid thirties.
               Pretty, slim, average height.



               INT. MUSTANG - MOMENTS LATER

               Ellie taps the steering wheel in tandem to the load music
               playing on the radio, visibly in good spirits.

               Her smile soon fades as she notices the gas meter reads
               almost empty.

                                   ELLIE
                             (talking to herself)
                         Shit!



               EXT. HIGHWAY - MOMENTS LATER

               The Mustang pulls into a gas station and parks by a pump.

               A man approaches the car. He is DAVID DEVIN, early forties,
               average height, slightly overweight. David is the station
               attendant.

               Ellie starts to approach the gas pump.

                                   DAVID
                         Don't you mind little lady. Slow
                         day, I'll get that for you.

               David starts to pump gas into the car.

                                   ELLIE
                         Thanks.
                             (pause)
                         That was a close call. Another
                         couple of miles and I would've
                         been driving on fumes.

               Ellie smiles. David stares but doesn't respond to her joke,
               just looks at her for too long, staring, not talking.

               Ellie's smile fades as she looks down at the car.

                                   DAVID
                         So what's a pretty little thing
                         doing all alone in these parts
                         anyhow? Bit of a dangerous past
                         time these days. Don't ye think?

               Ellie doesn't reply for a moment.

                                   ELLIE
                         Just visiting a friend. Down
                         Santa Monica way.

               David nods.

                                   DAVID
                         Long ways to go just yet. Your
                         accent is a bit different to what
                         we're used to down here. New
                         York, right?

                                   ELLIE
                         Yeah, why?

                                   DAVID
                         Well a New York gal, driving a
                         Boston registered car, driving
                         alone on her way to California.

                                   ELLIE
                         You ask a lot of questions.
                         Didn't know you had to be a cop
                         to work in Gas station. Officer.

               David smiles.

                                   DAVID
                         Just habit I guess. I watch too
                         many of those reality cops shows
                         on TV.

               Ellie places both hands on the back of her head.

                                   ELLIE
                             (smiles)
                         Just passing through officer.

               David laughs.

                                   ELLIE
                         How much I owe you?

                                   DAVID
                         Thirty bucks.

               Ellie's eye catches the display on the gas pump, the
               numbers barely visible under dirt and sand. It reads twenty
               dollars. 

               She smiles.

               Ellie hands him some cash. 

                                   ELLIE
                         Here, keep the change.

               David looks at the notes, counting them.

                                   DAVID
                         Mighty generous little lady.
                             (pause)
                         Mighty generous.

               Ellie turns to enter the car, her rear end watched with
               every step by David.

               Ellie gets in and drives away.

               Sand kicks back to were David stands, fingering through the
               extra cash in his hands.

               He looks past the cash to something that catches his
               attention on the ground. A small pool of red. 

               He leans down and places a finger in the pool. His finger
               mixes with blood and sand.

                                   DAVID
                         Shit!!



               INT. MUSTANG - MOMENTS LATER

               Ellie notices what is happening in her rear view mirror.

               David runs towards the gas station shop.

               She turns the car aggressively in a hand brake skid.
               Turning back towards the station at full speed.

               The Car all but disappears in a wave of sand and dust.



               INT. GAS STATION SHOP - MOMENTS LATER

               David reaches the counter as the Mustang comes to a loud
               skip outside.

               David turns to see the car and then scrambles behind the
               counter. Frantically searching for something.

                                   DAVID
                         Oh Jesus.

               Ellie walks in and without hesitation rips a fire axe from
               the wall and walks over to the counter.

               David fumbles with something below the counter. 

               He raises a old .45 Pistol from under the counter, turns
               and points it at Ellie. His hand shaking widely.

                                   ELLIE
                         You know what they say about
                         killing a snake?

               Ellie approaches David swinging the axe which connects
               squarely with the man's forehead. 

               Before he can squeeze the trigger, he is dead.

                                   ELLIE
                         Cut off the head first.

               The axe embeds into his skull and brain. Blood splatters
               onto Ellie's face and white T-shirt, as David falls
               backwards, dead.

               Ellie grabs the pistol from his hand as he falls.

                                   ELLIE
                         No point having a gun if you
                         can't use it. 

               She spits in his face.

                                   ELLIE
                         Nosey cunt.

               A bell on the door behind her rings as a customer enters.
               Ellie turns and shoots, without hesitation. 

               The bullet connects with the female customers head.

               The woman doesn't even see it coming and is dead before she
               hits the floor.

                                   ELLIE
                             (shouting)
                         Now that's how you use a fucking
                         gun.

               Ellie walks to a shelf and takes a garbage bag from the
               shelf, along with some cleaner solution.

               She removes her T-shirt and walks to the counter. Cleaning
               the handle of the axe with the bathroom solution. 

               She places the bottle and shirt into the bag.

               She starts to drag David's body towards the other victim. 

               She wipes her spit from his face, rapidly looking for other
               traces on his body.

               Looking down she notices a blood pool on the floor.

                                   ELLIE
                         This is going to take some time.

               Slowing Ellie begins to change the crime scene, staging it
               by repositioning, cleaning and moving.

               She places the gun in David's hand and fires a shot into
               the body of the other victim.

                                   ELLIE
                         Not perfect, but will confuse the
                         shit...

               A car starts to park outside.

               Ellie leans her heads slightly to one side. Examine the
               scene like an animal.

                                   ELLIE
                         Fuck! 

               Ellie walks back to the counter and empties the till. She
               quickly checks the surveillance video recorder, ejecting
               the contained tape with a covered hand.

               She places the tape in the garbage bag and walks back
               towards the exit.

                                   ELLIE
                         Rough day at the office.

               Turning she removes the gun once more from David's hand and
               walks outside.



               EXT. GAS STATION - MOMENTS LATER

               Ellie walks out and approaches the car. The look of
               surprise on the face of the driver, as Ellie produces the
               gun.

               Ellie shoots the woman, man and two children sitting in the
               back of the car. Four shots ring out as four bullets hit
               their targets with brutal precision.

               She keeps the gun raised for several seconds, waiting for
               signs of life.

               The driver moves. Another shot from Ellie's gun puts a stop
               to any sign of life.

               She waits a further couple of seconds. All the time
               watching around for anyone else.

               Finally she lowers the gun and places the gun into the
               trash bag.

               Ellie turns, opens the trunk of the Mustang and throws the
               trash bag onto the back onto a body laying face down
               inside.

               The body that was the source of the blood stain.

                                   ELLIE
                         Still causing me problems.

               She moves plastic sheeting under the body, around the back
               and covering the body completely. 

               She close the trunk and walks around to the drivers side.
               Inspecting the area for more cars.

               Ellie gets back into the mustang and drives away.



               INT. MUSTANG - MOMENTS LATER

               She rubs a spot of blood from one of her fingers as he
               adjusts the volume on the radio.

               Music grows loader as she once more taps the steering wheel
               in tandem to the music.

               Ellie starts to sing.



               TITLE: ONE YEAR PREVIOUS.



               INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY

               Crowds of people are held back from a crime scene by Police
               officers.

               Yellow tape cordons off the doorway to a bathroom.

               An detective, BILL RICE, late forties, with poorly
               maintained appearance and body, walks over to a uniformed
               officer.

               The UNIFORMED OFFICER, African American, tall early
               twenties turns.

                                   BILL RICE
                         What we got?

               The uniformed officer checks his note book.

                                   UNIFORMED OFFICER
                         Six year old girl strangled and
                         raped.

                                   BILL RICE
                         Let me guess. In broad daylight,
                         but no one saw anything?

                                   UNIFORMED OFFICER
                         You know the drill. No suspects.
                         We just managed to drag the
                         father out of here. Poor guy had
                         to be sedated.

                                   BILL RICE
                             (ignoring the comments)
                         Ant sign of the fucking crime
                         scene guys yet?
                             (looks beyond the
                              officer)
                         I am in need of some lunch. Got a
                         name on the vic?

                                   UNIFORMED OFFICER
                         Fathers name is one Sam Payne. No
                         details of the girl as yet. The
                         father wasn't making much
                         sense...

                                   BILL RICE
                             (cutting him off)
                         We may need to talk to him.
                         Wouldn't be surprised if he did
                         it.

                                   UNIFORMED OFFICER
                         Here's one of your crime scene
                         guys now.

               Rice turns around to see the man approach.

                                   BILL RICE
                         Rob. I thought you had moved to
                         San Francisco or somewhere gay
                         like that ?

               ROB GATES, early thirties, average height and build with
               graying hair approaches the bathroom door.

               Rice puts his hand out to shake.

               Rob raises one hand to show he is wearing rubber gloves and
               walks past Rice towards the crime scene.

               Rob looks through the door.



               INT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER

               The body of a young blond girl lays on the bathroom floor.
               He turns to talk to Rice.

                                   ROB
                         You even examine the scene, the
                         body, interview any one yet?

                                   BILL RICE
                         Hey!
                             (looks at watch)
                         I'm on a break.

               Rice raises his hands in the air and walks away.

                                   UNIFORMED OFFICER
                             (whispers)
                         Asshole.

                                   ROB
                         Oh yeah. Class A don't give a
                         fuck about anyone type of
                         asshole. A classic example of a
                         Cop just collecting a pay cheque
                         and doing only what they have to.

               Rob enters the bathroom. He starts to examine the scene,
               looking from floor to wall, to body.

               Leaning over he places his jacket over the little girls
               legs.

                                   ROB
                         Fucking animal.

               He shouts back out to the officer.

                                   ROB
                         Can you start interviewing the
                         people outside? This place is a
                         hive of evidence, getting away
                         didn't appear to enter the
                         killers mind. I need to know if
                         anyone saw anything or was in
                         here.
                             (visually examines the
                              scene)
                         Someone had to have seen
                         something.

               Officer sticks his head in the doorway.

                                   UNIFORMED OFFICER
                         Got it. Think we'll catch the
                         guy?

                                   ROB
                         No doubt. Broad daylight in a
                         public place....

               Rob continues to collect evidence and bag his collections.

                                   ROB
                         We are dealing with an animal, an
                         out of control animal. The risk
                         wasn't even factored in. He just
                         needed to feed his thirst and
                         this poor little thing was in the
                         wrong place at the wrong time. If
                         the evidence here is clean. We
                         should be able to trace and
                         hopefully convict.
                             (pause)
                         Never that hard to get people to
                         put in overtime when a child is
                         involved. We'll make it our
                         number one case.

               He places a hand on the girls forehead. Running his hands
               down, he closes her eyes.

                                   ROB
                         Rest easy.

               Rob continues to process the scene, as the officer begins
               to organize and interview the people outside.



               INT. CRIME LAB - LATER

               The lab is a collection of high tech equipment. The wall is
               covered in various pictures of crime scenes and victims. 

               All looking very much like an organized mess.

               Rob enters the lab and places his bag onto a desk in the
               centre of the room.

               He is greeted by MIKE POWER, early twenties, tall and
               skinny and dressed in a white lab coat.

                                   ROB
                         Mike, process my bag and be sure
                         everything in one hundred and
                         fifty percent. I don't want any
                         mistakes on this one.

                                   MIKE
                             (looking slightly
                              annoyed)
                         Always 100%.

               Rob rubs his face with both hands in a vain attempt to
               freshen himself up. The strain and tiredness clear on his
               face.

                                   ROB
                         Sorry Mike, that was a little
                         unfair. Been a rough day at the
                         office. You know what I mean?

                                   MIKE
                         No need to explain boss. I heard
                         about the girl. Will give it the
                         full a.

                                   ROB
                         Thanks.
                             (yawns)
                         I getting a coffee before my eyes
                         fall off my face.

               Rob leaves the lab as Mike starts to process the contents
               of the bag.

               Rob plugs ipod earphones into his ears, dancing to the
               extra loud music as he works.



               EXT. RETIREMENT HOME - DAY

               The building is poorly maintained, with cars parked outside
               clearly costing more than the home's annual budget.



               INT. RETIREMENT HOME - MOMENTS LATER

               Ellie dressed in an orderlies uniform helps a old man down
               a hall into a chair.

                                   ELLIE
                         There you go Tom.

               She very gently lowers the man into the chair. He is TOM
               ROCHE, early seventies, small and too skinny.

               Tom shakes wildly in the chair for a few seconds.

                                   ELLIE
                         Bad day Tom?

               Tom attempts to control his shaking.

                                   TOM
                         Never you mind little lady. Head
                         off home and don't be wasting
                         your free time on me. 

               Ellie looks at her watch.

                                   ELLIE
                         Guess if they paid me overtime.
                         But there is no rush.

               She kneels down in front of the man.

                                   ELLIE
                         Any visitors today?

                                   TOM
                         No. All too busy I guess.

               Ellie looks the man in the eyes and see the clear sign of
               sorrow and disappointment there.

                                   ELLIE
                         Maybe tomorrow huh?

                                   TOM
                         Maybe.

               Tom's eyes look up the hall towards a son visiting his
               Father.

                                   TOM
                         Maybe.

                                   ELLIE
                         Time for your meds. Stay still
                         and I'll just be a few minutes.

                                   TOM
                         Not going anywhere honey.

               Tom looks down at his legs, frail, skinny and no longer
               able to support his weight. A sad look on his face as if
               thinking of days when they better served him.

               Ellie stands up and starts to walk down the hall.

               Her eyes catch the collection of  photographs on the wall
               at different sections of the long hallway. 

               Each one of different people at different times in their
               lives. All have a common theme, showing younger, happier
               and healthier people, surrounded by family members.

               She looks at a few and then the lonely older patients
               sitting below their photographic colages. Alone frail and
               sick.

               She drops her head, clearly saddened by her thoughts as she
               walks the remains of the long corridor.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.