David-Matthew Barnes is the award-winning author of several novels and collections of stage plays, monologues, scenes, and poetry. His screenplays and teleplays have been official selections in the Hollywood Screenplay Contest, the Inspired Minds Short Film and Screenplay Competition, the Shore Scripts Screenwriting Competition in London, and the Film Makers TV Writing Competition in Los Angeles. He has been an arts educator for more than a decade. For more information, please visit http://www.davidmatthewbarnes.com.
BOXCAR
A screenplay for a short film
Adapted from the one-act play
EXT. AN ABANDONED TRAIN YARD; A SMALL AMERICAN TOWN – NIGHT
The night is providing a false sense of calm.
The hour is late.
Beyond a quiet, remote gas station is a cemetery for trains.
Stillness blankets the train yard. Empty, rusted rail cars litter the space, discarded and long forgotten.
Beyond the perimeter of a broken chain linked fence, the landscape is sparse and the horizon is endless. In the distance, a faint glow and flicker of lights indicates civilization exists in the form of a small town.
From opposite ends of the yard, two young men approach.
AUSTIN, 17, approaches from the left. He’s not as tough as he looks.
HARLEY, also 17, approaches from the right. Despite what he’s been through, he still has hope.
They meet in front of a rail car.
It’s clear they do not need words to speak.
Austin climbs up to the rail car. He reaches down and offers a hand to Harley.
INT. ABANDONED BOXCAR TRAIN – CONTINUED
The interior of the boxcar is dimly lit. Spill from the nearby neon gas station sign mixed with moonlight seeps in through cracks, creating an ethereal glow.
The boys find a place to sit.
AUSTIN
I think you had the right idea comin’
here, Harley.
HARLEY
When the whiskey kicks in, maybe it
won’t be so scary.
AUSTIN
What are you scared of?
HARLEY
Nothing. (Beat.) Coyotes.
AUSTIN
They won’t mess with you unless you
mess with them.
HARLEY
Tell that to my cousin Francine.
AUSTIN
What happened to her?
HARLEY
She got attacked by a pack of ‘em.
They almost ripped her face off.
AUSTIN
(trying to convince them both)
I don’t think there’s coyotes in the
train yard.
HARLEY
If you say so.
AUSTIN
You don’t believe me?
HARLEY
I think they’re everywhere.
AUSTIN
I wish some of ‘em would make their way
over to the dance. Devour those fuckers.
HARLEY
I wonder why they call it Homecoming.
AUSTIN
It has to do with football.
HARLEY
Doesn’t everything?
AUSTIN
Spirit week. You ever seen such a bunch
of idiots?
HARLEY
We grew up with them. We’ve known they
were dumb since childhood.
AUSTIN
You know…you could’ve gone if you
wanted to…to the dance, I mean.
HARLEY
Why would I?
AUSTIN
Everybody else is.
HARLEY
You’re not.
AUSTIN
That’s because…
HARLEY
Because?
AUSTIN
I’d rather be here with you.
(Beat.)
You feelin’ the same?
HARLEY
I think I’m feelin’ the whiskey now.
AUSTIN
It’s the cheap stuff. It’ll hit ya hard.
HARLEY
Lately it seems everything does.
AUSTIN
You gotta toughen up.
HARLEY
Like you?
AUSTIN
Yeah. Otherwise, those coyotes…
they’ll tear your heart out.
HARLEY
What would’ve happened?
AUSTIN
What do you mean?
HARLEY
If we would’ve gone to the dance tonight.
(Beat.)
Both of us.
(Beat.)
Together.
AUSTIN
I don’t wanna think about that.
HARLEY
You’d think we’d be dead my morning?
AUSTIN
No. (Beat.) By midnight.
HARLEY
I should’ve drank more whiskey.
AUSTIN
I wish we had a radio.
HARLEY
What for? Neither one of us can sing.
AUSTIN
Naw. But we can dance.
HARLEY
You’re outta your mind.
AUSTIN
I am. (Beat.) That’s why you like me.
HARLEY
Among other reasons.
AUSTIN
Name ‘em. The reasons.
HARLEY
You want the entire list?
AUSTIN
Top five.
HARLEY
You’ll have to settle for three.
AUSTIN
Fine. I’ll take what I can get.
HARLEY
I like you because you do my World
History homework for me.
AUSTIN
That’s because it takes you too long. I
finish it so we can spend more time
together.
HARLEY
I like you because I’m the only person
who’s ever seen you cry.
AUSTIN
Now, don’t go tellin’ people about that.
I’ll deny it. You hear me?
HARLEY
I like you because you’re good to me,
Austin. You take care of me.
AUSTIN
Always have. Always will.
HARLEY
I like you…because you’re still here.
You’re still alive.
(Beat.)
You didn’t die on me.
AUSTIN
That’s four things. You said I was only
getting three.
HARLEY
I’ll tell you the rest later.
AUSTIN
There’s no rush. We got all night.
HARLEY
And then what?
AUSTIN
The sun comes up.
HARLEY
And it’s just another day.
AUSTIN
Hey, at least we got each other.
HARLEY
If anybody ever found out…
AUSTIN
Did you hear that?
HARLEY
No. What was it?
AUSTIN
I think it was a coyote. Outside.
HARLEY
In the train yard? I thought you said…
AUSTIN
Maybe it’s hungry. I bet he’s looking
for food.
(Beat.)
You want me to hold you?
HARLEY
Why?
AUSTIN
Because you looked scared.
HARLEY
Not as scared as you do.
AUSTIN
I’m actually hungry.
HARLEY
Yeah, I forgot to eat dinner, too.
AUSTIN
In the morning, let’s go to Marie’s.
We can get glazed donuts and chocolate
milk.
HARLEY
Okay. They open at five a.m.
AUSTIN
Even on a Saturday?
HARLEY
Oh, shit. Maybe they open later on the
weekends. I don’t know.
AUSTIN
We’ll go by there when the sun comes up.
HARLEY
Are we spending the night here?
AUSTIN
Yeah.
HARLEY
Together?
AUSTIN
You don’t wanna be with me?
HARLEY
Of course I do. It’s just…we’ve never…
AUSTIN
I think I’m ready now.
HARLEY
I think I am, too.
(Beat.)
Maybe.
AUSTIN
Oh yeah?
HARLEY
You should’ve brought a radio.
AUSTIN
Or a gun.
HARLEY
Why would you say that?
AUSTIN
Not for me. To protect us. From the
animals.
HARLEY
Who’s going to protect you?
AUSTIN
I don’t have anyone else.
HARLEY
Exactly. So, don’t go doing any more
crazy shit like last weekend.
AUSTIN
I’m okay now.
HARLEY
No, you’re not.
AUSTIN
It’s only because I wanted to take you
to the dance. It’s not fair.
HARLEY
We don’t make the rules. We gotta go
some place where love is legal.
AUSTIN
When do we get to have a say in somethin’?
HARLEY
Once we get the hell outta here.
AUSTIN
(after a moment)
I tried.
HARLEY
I know you did.
(Beat.)
But you left something behind.
AUSTIN
I’m sorry.
HARLEY
We made a promise. Doesn’t that mean
anything to you?
AUSTIN
It kept me alive.
HARLEY
I didn’t see it coming, Austin. I knew
you were sad and fucked up over the shit
you had going on at home. But I didn’t
know how bad it was for you. Cecilia
said something was wrong with you. I
told her, “Yeah, but that’s why I like
him so much.” She told me to keep an eye
on you, to look out for you. She didn’t
realize you were doing that for me. That
I couldn’t even take care of myself, let
alone you.
INTERCUT – MONTAGE
As Harley speaks, we see the following sequence of events unfold:
-VERONICA, also 17, rushes into and through Harley’s ramshackle house, searching for him. She is frantic when she finds him in his bedroom. Immediately, Harley knows something is wrong.
-Austin is working in a retirement home, serving food to the residents. It’s clear he likes his job. It’s clear they like him.
-Austin is leaving a military recruiter’s office, defeated.
-Veronica is driving Harley to the hospital. The mood is tense. Veronica chain smokes, while Harley fears the worst.
-Harley and Veronica arrive at the hospital. Eventually, they take an elevator to the seventh floor. There, Harley approaches a locked metal door. Austin’s sad eyes appear in a narrow, small window in the door, pleading for love. They two boys speak with their eyes.
HARLEY (V.O.)
So, when Veronica showed up at my
house that morning, I had a feeling.
I knew she’d been crying and we both
know she never cries. I thought maybe
something had happened to her aunt or
maybe Rico and Candi had broken up
again. I never imagined it was you.
She said afterschool on Wednesday you
went to the recruiters downtown because
you were planning to join the Army. I
called her a liar because you promised
me you’d never leave me behind in this
place. I told her you loved working in
the cafeteria at the old folks home
because you know they need you there.
You know how to make tapioca just the
way they like it. She said the Army
rejected you. They turned you down. They
didn’t want you. Is that why you did it?
Or was it because people are figuring it
out? They know what’s going on between
Do we even have a word for this, for
what me and you are to each other? What
do you call us, Austin? In your head, I
mean. In your dreams. The wild ones. I
went with Veronica to the hospital
because I didn’t believe her. I had to
see you with my own eyes. We drove their
in her uncle’s big ass car. She chain
smoked and we listened to the radio. I
don’t remember what song was playing
because all I could think about was you.
Finally, Veronica said, “Talk, Harley.
Say something. Anything.” So, I did. I
told her I realized there was no way in
hell you’d ask me to go to Homecoming with
you. I was better kept as a secret, tight
HARLEY (V.O.)
(cont’d)
and hard, close to your chest. I told her, “Austin said I was the best kisser. He
wants to spend forever in each other’s
arms and blah, blah, blah.” She wasn’t
listening to me. She was thinking about
her brother who blew his head off
last Christmas Eve. She told me once
she found him underneath the tree.
(Beat.)
I felt empty when we got there. We got
lost in the hospital looking for you.
Then, some nurse told us you were in
the psych ward on suicide watch on the
seventh floor. As we rode the elevator
up, I remembered it was spirit week at
school. Nobody cared about nothing except
that stupid football game and the dance
that’s happening right now. I had more
important things on my mind, like why was
I watching my friends get pregnant, flunk
out, overdose, be banished away to
boarding schools by step-mothers whose
smeared lipstick says it all.
END OF FLASHBACK/MONTAGE
We are back in the boxcar.
HARLEY
They wouldn’t let me in to see you. But
you were there on the other side of that
metal door. All I could see were your
eyes through that small window. Just a
little rectangle of glass. But that was
all I needed. To see your beautiful eyes.
And then I knew. The sadness inside of
you was too much for you to bear.
AUSTIN
It still is.
HARLEY
I know.
(Beat.)
That’s why I’m here.
AUSTIN
I can’t make sense of it sometime. Of
what I feel for you.
HARLEY
Then I guess it’s a good thing we got
each other.
AUSTIN
I would’ve asked you…if we were at
Homecoming…I would’ve asked you dance.
(Beat.)
What would’ve you said?
HARLEY
I probably would’ve said you’re a crazy
son of a bitch.
AUSTIN
We already know that.
HARLEY
You know I can’t say no to you.
Austin stands. He extends a hand down to Harley. It’s an invitation.
AUSTIN
Then don’t.
Harley accepts the unspoken invitation by placing his hand in Austin’s. He stands.
Slowly, the two men begin to sway together, as if they were dancing to a love song only heard by them.
In the distance, the haunting cry of a wild coyote is heard.
They ignore the warning.
FADE OUT
