Kids' Day
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - NIGHT
It’s dark and scary. The night is noisy with crickets and other strange noises, and the kids are cold and hungry. There’s nothing around but trees and blacktop and it seems to go on forever. There’s a loud snoring sound.
DIANA
(startled)
What’s that?
ERIC
Bears.
They hurry on in the loud silence of the night.
TEDDY
hungry...hungry...I’m hungry...
DIANA
Shut up, Teddy! We’re all hungry!
PENNY
He can’t help it, Diana. He’s only
seven.
DIANA
Well, I’m only twelve.
ERIC
Yeah. Me too.
TEDDY
...hungry...hungry...I’m hungry...
ERIC
(scornfully)
hungry...hungry...hungry...shut up
you little twerp before we eat you!
Man, I wish Dad was here.
BOBBY
If Dad were adult enough to be here,
we wouldn’t have to be.
ERIC
This is all your fault, Diana. You
and your stupid wish!
DIANA
You didn’t think it was so stupid
yesterday, you jerk! Just shut up!
Bobby pulls up short and holds out his arms to stop the rest of them from moving.
BOBBY
Shhh. I hear something!
Everyone stops complaining and listens. Slowly, it comes into focus: the sound of a motorcycle coming toward them. They all jump for the bushes and hide behind the trees, except for Teddy. The bike is getting closer and the other kids are well hidden, but Teddy is standing right out there in the open watching everyone else dive for cover.
DIANA
Teddy! Come here!
Teddy looks in her direction, but he can’t see her. He doesn’t move.
DIANA
Teddy! Now!
The reflection of the headlights from three motorcycles is on the road ahead of them. In just a second, Teddy will be spotlighted. Diana is about to jump out of the bushes and grab him, but Penny is ahead of her. She piles into Teddy, knocking him to the ground and staying down in the grass as the bikes zoom by. They wait breathlessly to see if they’re safe. After a moment, Penny gets off Teddy and helps him to his feet.
ERIC
Hey! Watch it!
The bikes’ brake lights come on and Penny and Teddy are highlighted in red. She grabs his hand and pulls him into the pitch blackness of the woods.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
They are all hurrying as fast as they can to get away from the road and the voices of Ripley Jones and his gang.
PUNK 1
This way! They went this way!
RIPLEY
How do you know it was them?
PUNK 1
I saw the girl and the little kid.
Come on, let’s get
‘em!
Diana is pushing her way through the brush, feeling her way in the dark. A branch comes out of nowhere and whips her across the face.
DIANA
Ow! Be careful!
BOBBY
Shhh! This way!
She heads toward his voice and meets up with the others. It’s so dark they can’t see anything, but they recognize each other by their voices.
PENNY
Here. Over here.
ERIC
Where?
BOBBY
Shhh. If we be real quiet, they
won’t be able to find us. It’s
too dark.
TEDDY
(moans)
I’m scared.
The gang of teenagers is getting closer, beating the bushes and calling to each other.
RIPLEY JONES
It’s too dark!
They are trembling in the dark.
PUNK 2
I’m going back for a light!
Bobby starts to move again, trying to get as far away from the sounds of pursuit as possible. He grabs Diana’s hand and puts it on his sleeve, then slowly moves forward. Diana reaches behind her for Penny’s hand and sets the fingers in the cloth of her shirt. Teddy holds onto Penny and Eric grabs a handful of his shirt. In a line, they move through the dark woods, following Bobby blindly. Behind them, they can hear the boys talking as they wait for the light. They hear the sound of the motorcycles moving. Then suddenly, off to their left, the woods are awash in the light of the headlights. They can just barely see each other in the reflected light. Quickly, they move away from it and go deeper into the woods. Bobby pushes a branch off to the side, reaching for Diana’s free hand so that he can show her to hold it out of the way. Diana passes under the branch and shows Penny’s hand how to hold the branch out of the way, and so on down the line. Teddy doesn’t follow through apparently because Eric yelps.
BOBBY
Are you okay, Eric?
TEDDY
(loudly)
Oh, sorr...
ERIC
Shhh! Get out of my way!
Eric pushes past Teddy and separates him from Penny. At the same time, the punks get very still, listening for more noise. A movement in the leaves alerts them to the location of the kids and they move forward very quickly and quietly. Suddenly, Teddy is pulled away from Penny, and into the light.
TEDDY
Lemme go! Let go!
RIPLEY JONES
Well, look at what we have here.
PUNK 2
Where’s your big brother?
Teddy is kicking and hitting anything that gets close to him. His fist connects with Ripley’s nose and he drops him. Teddy turns, not knowing in which direction to run, and the other two teenagers taunt him.
PUNK 2
Whatsamatter kid? Lost your mama?
RIPLEY
Never mind him. Where’s the others?
In the trees, Bobby, Eric, and Diana are trying to figure out what to do next as Punk 1 picks Teddy up and dangles him in the air. Penny sees Teddy being manhandled and steps out into the light.
PENNY
Put him down.
PUNK 1
Why should I?
Bobby steps out into the light, a big stick in his hand.
BOBBY
Because she said so.
PUNK 2
Oh yeah, and you’re gonna make us,
right?
Diana, getting right to the point, slams a branch across Punk 1’s back, and he drops Teddy. From then on, it’s a free-for-all, with the five kids fighting the three larger boys. Punk 1 whirls on Diana and leaps at her, but she steps aside in time for him to crash into a tree. Eric swings a stick at Ripley who ducks and comes up with a fist that’s about to crash into Eric’s face. Fortunately, Bobby deflects it with his shoulder, knocking Eric aside and taking on the larger boy himself. Punk 2 is beset by both Teddy and Penny, who wrestle him to the ground. Teddy is sitting on him, hitting him with a stick when they realize that the fight is over and they’ve won. Quickly, they grab onto each other and start to run. Ripley gets to his feet and shoots a round into a tree. Everyone freezes.
RIPLEY
Turn around.
They do. Bobby eyes the weapon.
RIPLEY
Don’t even think it. Before you
touch me, I’ll kill at least one of
them.
DIANA
You’re sick.
RIPLEY
So? Who cares? I’ve got the gun.
And as long as all the cops are acting
like babies I can do whatever I want.
As Diana keeps him talking, Bobby backs up against some dead wood, breaking a large branch free. The sound is covered by the others kids shifting their feet in the leaves as well as the rumble of the motorcycles back on the road.
DIANA
But why do you want to do this?
Why do you want to hurt people?
ERIC
He can’t help it, Diana. There’s
something missing in his head--it’s
called brains.
Punk 1 moves toward Eric, ready to take his head off.
RIPLEY
Oh no. That one’s mine. Think you can
trip me up
now, Eric? Think you can take this gun?
Just then Bobby’s branch comes down on his wrist and knocks the gun into the bushes. The boys leap at each others throats. Penny lunges into the bushes and finds the gun. She fires it into the air and the fighting stops.
PENNY
Okay, you guys just back up against
that tree.
Ripley starts to move toward her and she stands firm, her finger pulling in on the trigger. He sees that she means it and moves back with the other two. Penny hands the gun over to Bobby who holds it on the gang as the others back up into the woods. They are about a hundred feet from the gang when Bobby stops and aims the gun at the boys. Diana and the others turn in time to see him squeeze the trigger.
DIANA AND ERIC
Bobby! No!
It’s too late. The shot is off and the bullet, followed in CU by the camera, is heading toward the three boys standing with their backs to a tree. Only it doesn’t hit anyone. Instead, it hits a large bee’s nest hanging from a branch above Ripley’s head. In slow motion the hive falls and cracks open. Hundreds of bees attack the gang. Shrieking, they run for their motorcycles. Teddy is jumping up and down and screaming for joy. Bobby winks at Diana and throws the gun into the thicket.
ERIC
That’ll teach ‘em to mess with us.
DIANA
Yeah!
The sounds of shrieks and motorcycles fade behind them. They move quietly through the woods then suddenly Bobby stops. Diana bumps into him.
PENNY
What is it?
Bobby lunges forward and the rest follow quickly into the darkness.