Sin

A homage to Flannery O'Connor, this short (and sweet?) script with a short (and sweet?) title examines the overbearing burden of a well-formed conscience, and our differing responses to moments of grace.

Sin by Kyle Patrick Johnson An Original Screenplay KyleJohnsonScripts@gmail.com Represented by: Contact: Phone: Fax: Email: Website: Canton Literary Management Eric Canton 866.429.3118 888.843.7193 Ecanton@prodigy.net www.CantonLiteraryManagement.com FADE IN: EXT. CITY SIDEWALK – NIGHT Cold frozen breath hangs in the air. A dull flickering glow of a broken streetlight. the straining bulb. A hum from A hooded head swivels back and forth, a ceaseless vigil, a lookout. Hands rub vigorously. A frozen exhale. The streetlight suddenly flicks on full. SARAH (20s), gangsta wannabe, jumps against a storefront. She shrinks into the shadows under cut wires leading to an old-fashioned burglar alarm bell. Her head continues its perpetual motion. The streetlight fails again. Sarah steps back out into the dark street. behind her: “Goldinger’s Jewelry.” She glances at her watch. Boom. A muffled gunshot. The store’s sign Sarah’s eyes are confused, troubled, panicky. INT. GOLDINGER’S JEWELRY Security cameras hang lifeless, dangling from cords. MATTHEW (30s), cold-faced viper, stands behind a broken glass jewelry counter, holds a gun. SCOTT (20s), younger than he looks, white with fright, crouches by a safe in the back wall. He slowly turns his head, looks at Matthew. Matthew spits at a dark, huddled body in a side wall’s open doorway. MATTHEW We don’t have time. Let’s go. 2. Scott scoops up a small garbage bag, scurries towards the front door. Matthew jerks his head, internally furious, swearing to himself. He kicks the body. Scott goes out the front door. pocketing his gun. SIDEWALK Sarah opens the two passenger-side doors of a small car as Matthew and Scott hurry out of the store. She circles the car, sits in the driver’s seat, starts it up with trembling fingers. Matthew and Scott leap headlong into the car as it starts moving. The doors close as the car speeds away. INT. GARAGE - NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER) The car sits idling as the garage door closes. The garagedoor-opener machine casts a sickly yellow light. Sarah turns the car off, still trembling, still in shock. Matthew aggressively opens his door, gets out, slams it shut. Scott, ashen, gets out of the car. Tosses the garbage bag on a workbench. Sits on the car’s front bumper, thinking. Matthew upends the bag, dumping loot, jewelry, cash all over the workbench. He sorts it. Cash in one neatly stacked pile, jewels and gold in another. He looks back at Sarah. MATTHEW You cold, or what? Quivering, Sarah shakes her head. She gets out of the car. Matthew follows close behind, Matthew hands her the pile of cash. MATTHEW You did good. Get out of here. Sarah pauses, then takes the money. She stands, waits. Matthew points to an interior door, emphatically. 3. MATTHEW I said, get out of here. leave when we’re ready. We’ll The door closes. Sarah turns, slowly, goes into the house. Locks. Matthew stuffs all the valuables into his pockets. MATTHEW I’ll find the fence. few days. See you in a Without looking at Scott, Matthew goes to an exterior door and leaves. Scott remains on the bumper, stock still. The garage-door-opener light goes out. In the dark, Scott gropes his way to the exterior door. exits, closes it softly behind him. INT. SCOTT’S APARTMENT – DAY Scott sits forward on the couch, remote in hand, eyes anxious. Watches TV. TV ANNOUNCER (O.S.) …the brutal murder of a robbery gone wrong. Police are still trying to identify what is missing from the store. The victim has been identified as… SAME – NIGHT Scott leans back on the couch, hair tousled, eyes bleary. licks dry, chapped lips. Watches TV. TV ANNOUNCER (O.S.) …if you know anything about this crime, the police ask you to call their crime task force hotline at… SAME – DAY Scott’s throat is dry and thick. He tries to swallow, can’t. His lips are involuntarily drawn back across his face, his bloodshot eyes glued to the glowing screen. He He 4. TV ANNOUNCER (O.S.) …no progress at this time. Police Commissioner Smith reports that every available unit is combing the streets… SAME – NIGHT Scott looks like Death. He pulls his eyes open with his hands. TV ANNOUNCER (O.S.) ...difficulty of finding criminals without eyewitnesses. If you saw anything suspicious, you are asked… Scott presses a button on the remote. The TV clicks off. Starts to fall He leans forward, puts his head in his hands. asleep. Slaps himself in the face, forces himself awake. He staggers to his feet, collects his thoughts, heads for the door. EXT. CATHOLIC CHURCH – NIGHT Scott stumbles up the steps to the massive front door. tries to open it. Locked. He tries a smaller door to the side. Another. Locked. Scott swings his head like a wounded animal looking for escape. He awkwardly lopes down the steps to the building next door, the -EXT. RECTORY Every window is dark. A motion-sensitive light flicks on as Scott approaches the front door. Blinded, Scott reaches for the doorbell, can’t find it. He bangs on the front door. No response. He knocks with all his might, both hands. Finally, a light inside. The front door opens. Locked. Locked. He 5. FR. REYNOLDS (40s), soft hands and soft heart, pokes a sleepy head out. What? FR. REYNOLDS Yes? The Scott pushes past Fr. Reynolds, bullies into the house. outer door squeals as it is forced open. Fr. Reynolds stumbles back. INT. RECTORY - FOYER Scott whirls around, towers threateningly over the smaller priest. Fr. Reynolds placidly stands his ground. Yes? FR. REYNOLDS Before speaking, Scott tries to swallow, still cannot. Fr. Reynolds nods. FR. REYNOLDS Let’s get you a glass of water, son. Watch that loose rug in the kitchen. KITCHEN Scott sips a glass of water as though swallowing is painful. He stands on an old, frayed rug with upturned corners. Fr. Reynolds leans against a counter, patient, waiting. Scott puts the empty glass down. SCOTT I gotta get something off my chest. FR. REYNOLDS You’re in the right place for that. FADE TO BLACK. INT. SCOTT’S APARTMENT – DAY Scott sprawls across his couch, limbs splayed. A key in the door. Asleep. The door opens: Matthew enters. 6. Matthew bounds into the apartment, plops down on the couch, pokes Scott in the ribs. MATTHEW Hey, Scott. Great news. man. Come on, Scott opens an eye, stretches, yawns, not ready to wake. Matthew punches him in the leg. MATTHEW Scott, man. I dusted it all! We’re home free. Matthew pulls a wad of hundred dollar bills from a pocket. Sprinkles them on Scott. MATTHEW That’s your half. I got an idea for our next -No. SCOTT Matthew waits, perplexed. MATTHEW I think we oughta hit -No. SCOTT Matthew’s eyes narrow. MATTHEW Oh, you don’t want Sarah along this time? I thought she did -SCOTT No, that’s not it. We killed him, man. That’s not cool. We can’t just do another job now, pretend it didn’t happen. Matthew is taken aback, looks at Scott with contempt. MATTHEW What should we do? What, you’re okay with stealing but not with killing? What’s the difference? SCOTT I went to see a priest. 7. Matthew’s eyes instantly turn icy. He pulls a gun from a pocket, points it between Scott’s eyes. Scott doesn’t seem to even notice. MATTHEW Man, you didn’t. SCOTT Stealing didn’t hurt anyone. MATTHEW Are you an idiot? Of course it did. That’s not the point. You tell him? SCOTT I confessed, yeah. MATTHEW We’re going to jail for life now. SCOTT No, he won’t tell anyone. can’t. Rules. He MATTHEW I don’t believe it. He’s gonna. This can’t happen, man. Matthew cocks the gun, straightens his arm. MATTHEW Who’s the priest? Scott shakes his head. No. But his eyes stray to the window. Matthew looks over the back of the couch, over his shoulder, out of the window. He sees a church across the street. He grits his teeth. He turns back to Scott... who is not there. The front door is open. Matthew leaps off the couch in pursuit. HALLWAY Scott races to the stairwell, throws open the door, fairly flies down the steps. 8. Matthew rockets out of the apartment, pocketing the gun. runs after Scott. STREET Scott weaves across the busy street, dodging cars. RECTORY Scott heads straight for the rectory door, not knocking, pushes it open. The door squeaks. RECTORY FOYER Scott swings the door closed behind him as he runs in. door fails to fully close. SCOTT Fr. Reynolds! FR. REYNOLDS (O.S.) (mouth full) In here. STREET He The Matthew races across the street, narrowly missed by a honking truck. RECTORY KITCHEN Fr. Reynolds stands at the sink, eating a bowl of ice cream. Scott bursts in. Ah, Scott. pleasure. FR. REYNOLDS Sorry, my guilty He holds up the ice cream, winks. SCOTT (breathless) Matthew, the guy, I said in confession, he knows, he’s coming to kill you. FR. REYNOLDS Son, I don’t remember anything you said in confession. It’s grace. Remind me. 9. SCOTT I stole, my friend killed someone, I can’t get forgived till I turn myself in, he’s gonna kill us. FR. REYNOLDS It’s absolution, not forgived. The outer door creaks. He’s here! SCOTT Too far. Fr. Reynolds looks at his phone. FR. REYNOLDS Then there’s just enough time to pray. Matthew slams open the kitchen door. Points the gun at Fr. Reynolds, points it at Scott, back to the priest. MATTHEW You’re stupid, Scott. stupid. No. SCOTT He said I had to. Stupid, FR. REYNOLDS There’s always time to do the right thing, Matthew. Your sin -MATTHEW No such thing. FR. REYNOLDS It seems real to Scott. MATTHEW Scott’s gonna put me in jail, so I don’t give a damn what he thinks. SCOTT It’s the only way to forgiveness. MATTHEW Piece of... I killed her, I killed her, not you. What -SCOTT It was my fault. store. I picked the 10. FR. REYNOLDS One sin leads to another. They’re both commandments, you know. Matthew looks as though his head will explode with rage. God! MATTHEW Matthew raises the gun one last time at Fr. Reynolds. A noise from the hallway, the outer door opening. Matthew wheels, running to get a firing angle into the hallway against the intruder. He trips on the loose rug. SLOW MOTION The gun slips forward out of Matthew’s hand as he tries to maintain balance. Matthew flies horizontally, reaching out for the gun. The gun twists and tumbles in air. Matthew’s groping hand reaches the gun, grabs it too tightly. The gun is backwards. Matthew lands on the ground. His hand clenches. The gun goes off against his head, muffled. BACK TO SCENE Matthew lies on his stomach, bleeding profusely onto the rug. He gasps for air. FR. REYNOLDS Oh, son, oh, son. Scott stares in horror. Fr. Reynolds, as though perfectly used to such situations, briskly walks over, kicks the gun away from Matthew’s hand, kneels down beside him. FR. REYNOLDS (to Scott) (to Matthew) (MORE) 911. 11. FR. REYNOLDS (CONT'D) You still have a chance, son. Aren’t you sorry at all? Matthew looks up at him with fading eyes. Sorry? Matthew dies. The kitchen door opens... Sarah stands there, her eyes red with prolonged weeping. SARAH I heard someone in here. need to confess. I just FADE OUT. MATTHEW