s. Darko

Written byNathan Atkins2nd Draft w/ revisions

Property of Silver Nitrate Ent.

EXT. WHEAT FIELD - MORNINGSAMANTHA DARKO (18) opens her eyes. She squints as the summersun shrinks her pupils to pinhole size. She sits up slowly,looks around... and finds herself in midst of an endless wheat field.Sam is pretty and demure. Her coppery hair flows past hershoulders. Disoriented, she stands and gazes at the infinitegolden shimmer. Amber waves of grain. Patches of forest inthe distance. It’s quiet. Serene. Beautiful...She smiles, and starts walking.EXT. ARKANSAS HIGHWAY 40 - MORNINGShe emerges at the shoulder of a rural stretch of highway inArkansas. Adjacent to her position, on the other side of thedeserted lanes, is a TRUCK STOP.EXT. TRUCK STOP - MORNINGAmongst the TRACTOR-TRAILERS parked in the back lot is a white, late-80s model CHEVROLET CELEBRITY. Sam makes her wayacross the asphalt toward the vehicle...INT. COREY’S CHEVROLET - MORNINGCOREY RICHARDSON (18) is asleep, curled up in the reclineddriver’s seat of the car. She awakens when Sam gets in on thepassenger side and slams the door shut.Corey has the look of a typical rebellious teen: dyed hair,piercings, a little grungy. She rubs the sleep from her eyes,greeting the new day with something less than enthusiasm. Shefinds a soft pack of CIGARETTES and lights one.COREYWhat time is it?SAMEarly...Corey adjusts her seat. She takes a long drag and chokes,then spits out the window. She starts the car...

I/E. COREY’S CHEVROLET/HIGHWAY 40, VARIOUS - DAYCorey’s car cruises along the flat, open road. She cranks upthe VOLUME on the car’s CASSETTE DECK, nodding her head toearly-90s ALT. ROCK

(suggestion: Into Dust, by Mazzy Star)

...Sam looks out the window at the passing scenery: FARMERS at work in the fields; a BILLBOARD advertising a localrestaurant; ROADSIDE DITCHES filled with trash...She fixates on a MINIVAN travelling in the slow lane. Itcontains the all-American NUCLEAR FAMILY: MOTHER, FATHER andthree SIBLINGS, one of them being a YOUNGSTER. The Youngster makes a face at Sam as they pass by...INT. COREY’S CHEVROLET - LATER - DAYCorey glances at the CONTROL PANEL when she HEARS the enginestart to RATTLE. She sees that the TEMPERATURE GAUGE has hitthe red and her CHECK ENGINE LIGHT is on.COREYShit...EXT. OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY 40/COREY’S CHEVROLET - DAYBy the time they pull over on the side of the empty highway,steam billows out from under the hood. Sam gets out of thecar to check on it while Corey remains behind the wheel.Sam peeks under the hood, trying to clear the air of thesteam. It sounds like someone is rhythmically TAPPING theinside of the engine with a hammer.SAMTurn it off.COREY(poking her head out the window)What?SAMTurn off the car.Corey does so.SAM (CONT’D)Doesn’t look too good...COREYHow do you know?2.