FADE IN:
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
The kitchen is a disgusting mess. Pots, pans, plates, glasses, and silverware lay dirty on the counter tops. The white of the walls are stained yellow in places, and a towel calendar from the year 1979 hangs ripped at the corner, and nearly falling off its nail.
Three boys are seated at the kitchen table, which is actually two card tables placed together and no table cloth. JOHN, male, 14, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and blue jean cut-off shorts, is sitting at the “head” of the tables. PETER, male, 12, wearing the famous black AC/DC lighting bolt t-shirt and jeans ripped at the knees, is on John’s right. And SAM, male, 10, black eye glasses taped at the nose piece, badly colored in by a brown magic marker, khaki slacks cut off at the knees, and a pajama shirt missing its top button, is on John’s left.
The three of them are eating sandwiches off paper towels, and taking turns dipping into a large bag of Dorritos. Two dirty glasses of water sit in front of John.
PETER
Let me have some water.
JOHN
Finish first.
SAM
(to Peter)
Did you buy it today?
PETER
(to John)
You didn’t tell him?
JOHN
I bought it.
SAM
Really? You got it?
JOHN
Shut up and finish now.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
MARCUS, male, 51, very skinny, lays on his back, sweating, topless, half covered by a yellow stained white bed sheet, in a double size bed. He is asleep and mumbling incoherently at the sky. He rolls from side to side, never turning over.
The small bedroom contains only Marcus and his bed. The brown carpeted floor is covered with mens underwear, a belt, white sweat socks, and white t-shirts, some looking newer than others. The dark gray sky is visible through the one window to the outside world at the foot of the bed. A portion of the farm yard is also visible, as it is framed by a dirt road and rows of wheat.
Small droplets of water start to slowly cover outside portions of the window. Marcus continues his mumbling, and sweating.
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
Peter finishes off his sandwich.
PETER
I’m done.
John places one of the glasses of water in front of Peter. Peter gulps the water rapidly spilling a small amount down the corners of his mouth.
JOHN
Easy! That’s all you’re getting ‘till dinner.
Sam finishes his lunch and John places the last glass of water in front him. Sam downs the glass quickly.
SAM
Why you never drink water?
JOHN
I have mine in the middle of the day, not to worry.
SAM
I want mine in the middle day too.
JOHN
You need it to wash down your meal. You’re still growing.
SAM
You done growing?
JOHN
Sam, get your shoes on.
PETER
What we got to do today?
JOHN
We still haven’t cleaned the second silo.
The faces of the three boys pale as the rain TAPS on the roof grow louder and faster.
PETER
Shit, it’s raining!
SAM
He’s going to start again!
JOHN
(to Peter)
Did you get the wood I asked you to get?
PETER
Pine. We could only afford untreated, and the nails. The trucks nearly out of gas too.
A loud SCREAM from Marcus in the bedroom reaches the kitchen and echoes through the small house.
JOHN
I wish he was better at predicting the weather than telling it.
We can hear the POURING RAIN outside. The boys jump up from the tables and exit into the living room.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
The three boys enter the bedroom where Marcus is writhing on the bed. Marcus lets loose a loud SCREAM of horror.
JOHN
Dad! Relax, it’s just rain!
Marcus doesn’t show that he even knows the boys exist let alone hear them. Marcus continues to squirm as if inflicted with Cerebral Palsy. One arm doesn’t move with the rest of his body, and the leg on the same side is pointed in an awkward position.
PETER
How much longer we going to let him be like this?
SAM
Are you going to do it?
JOHN
I’m not ready.
PETER
When then?
JOHN
I don’t know! You want to do it?
PETER
It’s up to you. You did get it, right? You never showed me.
JOHN
What’s to show?
Marcus screams.
JOHN
He is getting worse.
SAM
Maybe we shouldn’t.
John leaves the room.
PETER
Sam, maybe you should leave?
SAM
I’m old enough.
PETER
Since when?
SAM
Since Daddy took me hunting last year after Mama went.
Marcus screams.
PETER
This is different. We ain’t hunting.
SAM
I know that.
John enters holding a handgun.
PETER
Is it loaded?
JOHN
It’s loaded. Sam, maybe you should go to the barn and fix hay?
SAM
No, I’m old enough. Besides it’ll be too wet now.
JOHN
You should do it Peter.
Marcus screams.
PETER
I don’t want to do it.
JOHN
He should of died that day.
SAM
We been through it a hundred times.
PETER
It’s what he would want us to do, like Franklin.
JOHN
You remember Franklin, Sam?
SAM
He was real sick.
PETER
Daddy had to put him down, wasn’t nothing else to do except let him suffer.
Sam sits down on the edge of the bed. Marcus continues to wail. John and Peter sit down on the floor facing Sam. John places the gun on the floor next to him, and leans forward cross-legged. Peter leans back on his hands.
SAM
Daddy ain’t no cow.
JOHN
We know, Sam. But you got to see that it’s the same thing.
SAM
What about after?
Marcus screams.
JOHN
We plan to put him next to Mama, he’d want it.
SAM
You sure it’s loaded?
A very loud CRASH comes from outside the front of the house, shaking the contents of the bedroom.
PETER
Shit! What was that?
John and Peter leap up and run out of the room.
INT. FRONT DOORWAY - DAY
John swings open the small front door. Through the screen door, a large piece of aluminum has collapsed onto the front porch.
PETER
Damn!
JOHN
Dad was going to fix that roof. You should of reminded me.
PETER
I can’t remember everything.
JOHN
Nothing to do about it now.
PETER
We can’t lift that.
JOHN
You think the screaming is because of this?
PETER
Every time it rains, it’s like he’s trying to say something.
JOHN
We’ll figure out...
An ear shattering GUNSHOT frighteningly echoes throughout the house. John and Peter reel around and run to the bedroom.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
John and Peter enter the room to see Sam holding the gun in his hand. Sam’s face is expressionless and pale.
SAM
I seen it loaded.
JOHN
Sam?
SAM
I told you I was old enough.
The wall behind Marcus’s head is now stained yellow and bright glossy red. The red is spattered in a radiant pattern from his head. Peter begins to cry and walks out of the room.
JOHN
Put the gun down Sam.
SAM
He’s out of pain now.
JOHN
You’re right, Sam. Now put down the gun.
SAM
We going to put him next to Mama, ain’t we.
JOHN
Yes, Sam. That’s what we going to do.
Sam holds the gun out for John. John takes it and empties the chamber. The five unused bullets slide into his hand, and he pockets them. John stuffs the gun half way into his pants.
The sound of the rain outside grows louder still.
JOHN
We need to get this cleaned up before it dries.
SAM
Did you make Daddy’s box yet?
John refuses to cry through the welling of tears in his eyes.
JOHN
Peter and I will do that now. Help me move this to the middle of the room.
John and Sam move the bed to the center of the room.
JOHN
I suspect you’re old enough to clean up that wall.
(toward the door)
Peter!
John walks out of the room. In the hallway, you can hear him start to CRY.
Sam stares blankly at the bed and Marcus. He drops to his knees and begins sobbing into his hands.
FADE OUT.
