Short screenplay for the Oct 2019 Crowded Grave contest.



The Wop

FADE IN:

INT. MODERN APARTMENT - DAY

It's kinda like the apartment in FRIENDS except different, 
there's a big couch and chairs, plus a little kitchen, all 
in the one room.  On the other side, a white door and a 
pink door.  The pink door has a sign, GIRLS ONLY.

The hallway door opens, and RICH enters with TOMMY.  They 
are both good-looking early 20s white guys who belong on 
TV.  Tommy drags a suitcase on wheels.

                      RICH
          So here it is, wha'da ya think?

AUDIENCE CHEERING TRACK plays, as if this is a favorite 
character returning.

Tommy is puzzled, he looks around, he looks up, where is 
it coming from, who's laughing?

                      TOMMY
          What?

                      RICH
          This is the living room, if you 
          hadn't already figured it out.

Rich points to the white door. 

                      RICH
          Our rooms are through there, yours 
          is second on the right, it was 
          Frankie's room.

                      TOMMY
          What happened to Frankie?

                      RICH
          We don't ask what happened to 
          Frankie.

Rich points to the pink door with the GIRLS ONLY sign.

                      RICH
          You never go through that door, 
          that's the girls' rooms, got it?

                      TOMMY
          Yeah I got it.

The pink door opens and DAISY steps out, 20s, a pretty 
blonde in a fluffy dressing gown with matching towel on 
her head.  She sees Tommy and puts her hand to her heart.

                      DAISY
          Oh, my!

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER AND CHEERING TRACK.

Tommy is wondering WTF is going on here?

Rich excitedly throws his hands at Tommy as if he's 
introducing a new stage act.

                      RICH
          I told you about Tommy, this is 
          him, this is the guy!

                      DAISY
          You didn't say you were bringing 
          him here this morning, why I could 
          have been naked.

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK.  Tommy is dazed.

                      RICH
          She's kidding, that's a rule, we 
          put clothes on if we're coming out 
          of our rooms, no walking around in 
          your boxers, got it?

                      TOMMY
          I'll try to remember.

Daisy moves daintily to the kitchen and switches on the 
coffee machine, while looking over her shoulder at Tommy 
with what might be interest.

                      RICH
          Where's Lana?

                      DAISY
          She's having a lie-in.  She was 
          out late last night, poor thing.

                      RICH
          She's out late every night, tell 
          me something I don't know.

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK.

                      TOMMY
          What is that, that noise?

Daisy beckons Rich over. 

                      DAISY
          Can I see you a moment? 

Rich smiles at Tommy, excuse me, and moves to join Daisy, 
they confer quietly, their backs to the room.

Tommy just stands waiting, he looks around, nice place.

The pink door opens and LOUIS, a big Italian guy with lots 
of black curly hair, wearing just his boxers, peeks out.

Louis sees Rich and Daisy talking with their backs to him 
and tip-toes to the white door like a pantomine figure.

He freezes halfway with one foot raised when he notices 
Tommy.  Louis frowns thinking, who the fuvk is this guy?

Louis raises a finger to his lips, shhh!  He opens the 
white door, steps through and closes it behind him.

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK.  Tommy searches for the source 
but can't find it.

LANA opens the pink door and enters, a pretty brunette 
wearing a DEATH death metal tee shirt and blue jeans.

                      LANA
          Hey y'all.

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER AND CHEERING TRACK.

                      RICH
          All bow, everybody, the princess 
          has arisen.

Lana slumps on the couch.

                      LANA
          Coffee would be great.  I got a 
          thumper of a headache.

She notices Tommy.

                      TOMMY
          Hey.

                      RICH
          This is Tommy, he's our new 
          roommate.  That's if you're all 
          okay with him moving in.

                      DAISY
          Where you from, Tommy?

                      TOMMY
          Ohio, this is my first time in the 
          big city.

                      LANA
          That's very interesting.  What do 
          you do?

                      TOMMY
          I'm working on a screenplay.

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK.

                      LANA
          No, I mean for a job.

                      TOMMY
          Ooooh, that.  I'm a service delivery 
          specialist.

                      LANA
          Hatch or bicycle?

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK.

                      RICH
          He makes enough to cover the rent.

                      DAISY
          Do you have any bad habits?

                      TOMMY
          Well if I did, I'd do them somewhere 
          else, not here.  I'm not going to 
          poop in my own nest.

                      LANA
          That's a quaint saying, very Ohio.

                      RICH
          Hey, where's the wop?

                      TOMMY
          Excuse me?

                      DAISY
          Don't call him that, what if he 
          hears you?

                      LANA
          Louis's our other roommate.

                      RICH
          Wait till you see this guy, he 
          thinks he's really something.  The 
          Italian fvcking stallion.  He's a 
          fvcking wop, is what he is.

                      TOMMY
          Dude, that's not cool.

                      RICH
          You one of them social justice 
          warriors, hey?

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK.

                      TOMMY
          Hey whoever's doing that, it's not 
          funny.

                      RICH
          Lighten up, man.
               (to Daisy and Lana)
          You wanna take that vote?  Who 
          says our friend Tommy gets to stay?

Daisy raises her hand.

                      LANA
          Maybe Louis should be here if we're 
          taking a vote.

                      RICH
          Louis, Louis, I'm fed up hearing 
          his goddamn name.  He shouldn't be 
          here, he doesn't belong here.

                      TOMMY
          Because he's a wop?

                      DAISY
          He's a bad person.

                      LANA
          He hurt me.

Lana bows her head and quietly cries.  Daisy moves to put 
her arms around her and comfort her.

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK. 

                      TOMMY
          Jesus will you stop that, whoever's 
          doing it?

AUDIENCE LAUGHTER TRACK GROWS LOUDER.

Tommy claps his hands over his ears.

                      TOMMY
          Quit it!


INT. THE TRUNK OF A SEDAN - NIGHT

Dimly seen movement... a shifting body groans...

The trunk suddenly opens!  Louis shines a flashlight.

Tommy lies tied up and gagged.  Light reveals he's sharing 
the trunk with Lana, they're eye to eye, he's lying on top 
of her!  But Lana isn't protesting because she's been shot 
through the head.  Tommy has a moment of horror as he 
realizes this.

Louis sticks the flashlight in his mouth and reaches in 
and rolls Tommy off her.  He drags Lana's corpse out of 
the trunk.

Tommy lies there, helpless, listening.

The unmistakable sound of a SHOVEL moving earth.

Between panting breaths, as he digs, Louis talks.

                      LOUIS (O.S.)
          Fvcking stupid bitch... 
          Couldn't keep your mouth shut... 
          Couldn't keep your nose out my 
          fvcking business... 
          Now I gotta... 
          Kill 'em all... 
          Fvck!

Tommy half-rolls over in the trunk and suddenly he's staring 
at Rich, whose swollen face bears marks of extreme violence.  
Rich is only wearing boxers. He's unconscious... or dead.

Tommy closes his eyes and whimpers at this nightmare.

THUMP.  The shoveling stops.

                      LOUIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)
          Jesus Christ, what the fvck?

Some more shoveling, and scraping.

                      LOUIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)
          Frankie!  You son of a bitch!  I 
          never thought I'd see you again!

Louis laughs, hard and loud.

                      LOUIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)
          I never realized I was right on 
          top of ya, sorry man.  It's a sweet 
          spot.  Plenty room for more, hey?  
          You like some company?  This is 
          Lana.  You'll like her, she's got 
          a great ass.

Tommy can't take it any more, he screams through his gag 
and kicks and kicks, making a hell of a racket. 

                      LOUIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)
          Hey hold up, we got a screamer 
          here.  I mean Jesus, like my night 
          isn't sh!t enough already.

Louis's footsteps thump back to the car.

He shines his flashlight in Tommy's face, causing Tommy to 
screw up his eyes.

                      LOUIS
          I never got your name, pal, but 
          you know what?  Doesn't matter.  
          You were in the wrong place at the 
          wrong time.  C'mere, a$$wipe.

Louis grabs Tommy and lifts him out of the trunk.


EXT. NEW JERSEY PARKLAND - NIGHT

Louis has been busy, there's a big hole, about to become a 
mass grave.

Dead Lana lies alongside the hole, ready to be rolled in.

At the bottom of the hole is a man-size bundle wrapped in 
black plastic.

Louis drags Tommy up and just chucks him into the hole.

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HOLE

CRUNCH!  Tommy falls onto the black plastic bundle.  He 
groans and squirms in pain.

Louis looks down at him from above.

                      LOUIS
          Say hello to Frankie.  Me and him 
          were like brothers.  Until he stole 
          from me.  Tell him about it, 
          Frankie.  Tell him how I waited 
          till you was taking a wizz, and I 
          put a bullet into the back of your 
          dumb head.

THUMP!  Dead Lana lands beside Tommy, just missing him.

Louis moves out of sight, back to the car.

Tommy lies there helplessly.

He frowns, his eyes swivel, he tries to look over his own 
shoulder, it's awkward, it's dark, but...

A tear in the black plastic... a glimpse of a collar and 
shirt and tie, worn by a rotting corpse.

Tommy's wrists are bound but he reaches inside, feels 
around.  His expression conveys his deep disgust. Ewww.

Louis comes into view again, dragging Rich to the hole.

                      LOUIS
          Incoming!  Ha ha!

He drops Rich down, Tommy rolls onto his side to avoid 
being struck, and--

BLAM!

Louis is puzzled, he looks down at his chest.  Sees a dark 
spot in his shirt, like spilled ink, spreading.

He pitches forward into the hole like a felled tree.

CRUNCH!  Louis just misses Tommy, lands on other bodies.

He stares at Tommy with unseeing eyes.

Tommy lies there, crying.  In his hand, a smoking pistol 
he must have taken from Frankie's corpse.  One shot, with
his hands tied behind his back.

Tommy rubs his face against his shoulder until the gag
finally rolls away from his mouth and he can shout.


EXT. NEW JERSEY PARKLAND - NIGHT

The open grave, seen from the sedan.

                      TOMMY (O.S.)
          Help?  Somebody?  Anybody?  Help?

FADE TO:

INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Daisy, hunched up in a blanket, big bruise on her face, 
she looks up as someone offers her a mug of coffee.  She 
accepts it with shaky hands, takes a sip.

                      DAISY
          Thanks.

                      POLICE DETECTIVE (O.S.)
          You said this guy's name is Louis?

                      DAISY
          That's right.  He's a wop.

                      POLICE DETECTIVE (O.S.)
          Excuse me?

FADE OUT

THE END

                                                        Oct 2019






October 2019 Contest results
Admin Southern_land

Okay folks, it's midnight on the 31st somewhere (and I think
all of the entrants have voted)

The scores

Southern-Land - Body in the woods....3
dpaterson - Bury me Deep...........8
TigerFang - Diggin' up bones........3
Southern-Land - Pandemic..................5
john - the credit bureau.......6
jmpowell7 - The wish...................1
dpaterso - the wop....................3
TigerFang - The chemist...............1

Thank you all for entering and a special thanks to those of you
who saw some value in "Body in the woods" and "Pandemic". There
are special places in heaven for you.