State of the Union

By
Thomas Stelzer

January 2014

OVER BLACK
NEWSREADER
(VO)
Confidence in Congress is at an
all-time low as new figures suggest
45% of the American population now
live below poverty lineREPORTER
(VO)
-Two Chicago police officers have
lost their lives in clashes with
protestors as Americas Second
Great Depression enters its second
yearTV HOST
-Tonight we ask - has society lost
faith in the political system?REPORTER
-Secession movements are gaining
traction, with the Pacific
Northwest the latest toRADIO PRESENTER
-The President has declared a state
of emergency and mobilised the
National Guard, as violent protests
continue over the countrys
financial meltdown...
EXT. STREET. NIGHT.
Chaos. Fires everywhere, cars overturned. Hundreds of
rioters try to smash through a line of metal barriers. On
the other side, fifty National Guard stand nervously in a
row, guns raised.
SUPER: Seattle, 2021.
Among the soldiers, DAN (40), hardy and impassive, watches
on. The rioters surge forward and a barrier crashes to the
ground. The soldiers recoil as the crowd charge through the
gap.
The CAPTAIN, terrified, calls to his troops.
CAPTAIN
Fire!

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.

The soldiers shoot at the rioters, mowing them down as they

push through the gap. Dan raises his rifle to his eye,
finger on the trigger.
CUT TO:
EXT. FOREST - PACIFIC NORTHWEST. DAY.
Dawn. DAN (40), now scruffy and careworn, crouches low in
the thick undergrowth with a battered rifle raised to his
eye. Silent. Practised.
He gazes downhill at a deer drinking from a thin stream.
Hes focused. He carefully brings the rifle up to his eye.
Finger gripped to the trigger. Small breath. He squeezes
and---the deer perks its ears and bounds away. Spooked.
Dan sighs and lowers the rifle and pulls himself to his
feet.
SUPER: One Year Later
EXT. STREAM. DAY.
Dan kneels at the same spot the deer just vacated. Low to
the ground. Searching.
He finds the deer tracks and follows them.
EXT. FOREST. DAY
Dan moves swiftly. He knows these woods. He freezes, looks
around.
He moves again. Slowly. Predatory. Raises his rifle. The
deers ahead. Unaware.
Eye to the scope. He takes a breath and-FIRES. The shot rings out through the trees.
The deer braces, stumbles for a moment, then falls to the
ground with a tiny thud. Dan lowers the rifle and looks at
his kill. Detached.

3.

EXT. FOREST CLEARING. DAY

Dan crosses the clearing. The deer draped over his
shoulders. Behind him, a burnt-out tank sits in the grass.
Overgrown.
EXT. FOREST. DAY.
Dan walks parallel to the stream. He clambers up the hill,
struggling under the weight of the deer. Grimacing.
He makes it to the top and pauses to catch his breath. Looks
out over the forest - lost in thought.
He slows. Almost home. He passes three unmarked graves.
Three crosses, whittled from sticks and rope. One large, two
small.
He barely looks at them.
EXT. SMALL CLEARING. DAY
Dam emerges from the trees and lets the deer slide off his
shoulders. Tools and clothes litter the ground, personal
effects - letters, books.
A dead campfire. A half-open sleeping bag under a basic
shelter of branches and tarp. Ammo and IEDs are stacked
nearby.
He lives here.
He sits on a crude wooden stool, handmade. He grabs a water
bottle, takes a long gulp, and replaces the lid, enjoying
the silence.
EXT. SMALL CLEARING. DAY
Dan skins the deer with a hunting knife. Methodical.
Efficient.
He wipes the blade clean on his pants and grabs his rifle.
He empties it and cleans the barrel. Daily routine.
He finishes, grabs the rifle and his water bottle and sets
off.

4.
EXT. FOREST. DAY
Hes checking the perimeter. He kneels down, rummaging
through the undergrowth. He pulls out a wooden rabbit snare.
Its empty.
He replaces it in the undergrowth.
He moves on and stops at a small, natural path. He prods the
leafy ground with his rifle and-WHOOSH- a rope noose flings up from the ground and sways in
midair. Its a hidden trap and it works perfectly.
Dan grabs the rope and resets the trap.
EXT. SMALL CLEARING. NIGHT
The campfire blazes - the deer cooks on a wooden spit.
Dan whittles a small stick.
EXT. SMALL CLEARING. DAY
Dan wakes from a fitful sleep. He sits up for a moment then
drags himself to his feet.
He grabs his backpack, loads it with his bottle, a handgun,
and an IED and picks up his rifle.
He rips a piece of cold deer meat off the spit and is on his
way.
EXT. STREAM. DAY
Dan reaches the stream, fills his bottle and washes his
face. He heads off in a different direction to the previous
day.
EXT. FOREST ROAD. DAY.
Dan reaches the treeline and stops. Checks his watch.
Cautious. He leans behind a tree, back to the road. Hes
heard something.
Around the bend, a rusted truck rumbles into view. Dan
braces. Tense.
The truck approaches. In the truck bed, two men. Automatic
rifles. Fatigues. Military.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

Dan closes his eyes. The truck roars past. He waits until
the noise fades into the distance. And hes alone again.
He crosses the road, and follows it in the direction of the
truck, careful to remain behind the treeline on the other
side.
EXT. ROAD CHECKPOINT. DAY.
Three armed guards patrol a rudimentary roadblock, talking
casually. Relaxed. Tinny music emanates from a nearby
guardhouse.
Dan watches from the trees, tracking their movement.
Waiting.
A faded bus appears around the corner and drives up to the
roadblock. Its full. Women and children. Theyre terrified.
Prisoners.
Two armed soldiers pace up and down the aisle.
The guards open the gate and wave the bus through.
GUARD 1
Close her up. Thats it for the
day.
As they lower the gate, Dan sneaks along the treeline to the
guardhouse. He enters, careful not to be seen.
Inside, a beaten CD sits on a messy table. Dan grabs some
alcohol and ammo from the table and stuffs them in his
backpack.
GUARD 2 (OS)
Turn the fucking music off.
Dan freezes as he hears one of the guards approach. He
crawls behind a nearby cupboard. Silent. The guard enters
and walks to the CD player. He pauses and Dan presses
himself against the wall. After a moment, the guard turns
the CD player off and walks out.
Dan breathes out, relieved. He pulls out the IED and places
it carefully on the table. He lights the fuse and scrambles
out of the guardhouse and into the forest.
He hurries through the trees and emerges on the road. As he
crosses a huge explosion echoes through the forest and fire
streams into the sky behind him.

6.

He walks on. Impassive.

EXT. FOREST. DUSK.
Dan huddles next to a small fire. Eating joylessly.
Teases the fire with a wooden torch. he suddenly perks his
head, alert to something in the trees. Carefully, without
lowering his gaze, he picks up and raises his rifle in one
arm and the now alight stick in the other.
He freezes for a second, taut.
DAN
Whos there?
His voice is rough, out of practice.
DAN
Whos there?
Theres no response.
DAN
Show yourself.
He raises the torch, its light barely reaches the tree
line. Nothing moves. Dan lowers the stick as a dark figure
emerges from the shadows, arms raised. Its TIM (30),
skittish.
DAN
Hold it.
Dan jerks the rifle at Tim, who stops abruptly.
DAN
Who are you?
TIM
Lower the gun.
DAN
Answer the question.
TIM
Tim. My names Tim.
Dan keeps the rifle raised. Suspicious.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

7.

DAN
Howd you find me?
TIM
I saw you earlier. Heard an
explosion and and spotted you near
the stream.
DAN
Whyd you follow me?
TIM
I didnt. I just... I wanted food.
He glances at the cooking deer.
DAN
Do you have any weapons?
TIM
No.
Dan drops the torch and approaches Tim. He pats him down,
looking for weapons.
TIM
I dont.
Dan reaches around Tims waist and pulls a revolver from his
waistband. He steps back, alert.
TIM
Listen, it doesnt work. I promise.
DAN
Turn around.
Tim remains still.
DAN
Do it!
Tim carefully turns on the spot. Fearful. Dan inspects the
revolver. Its old, but well maintained. He checks the
chambers. Its empty.
DAN
Where did you get this?
TIM
It was my old mans. The
mechanisms gone. I meant to ditch
it.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

8.

Dan pockets the gun, his rifled still aimed at Tim.

DAN
Whered you come from?
TIM
Portland.
DAN
Why are you here?
TIM
They took my family.
DAN
-Who?
TIM
Soldiers.
DAN
-Howd you escape?
TIM
I was out looking for supplies when
they came to round us up. I hid in
a store until they passed.
DAN
What about your family?
TIM
I dont know, I got home and they
were gone. I heard they were taking
prisoners north so I set off. Look,
I dont want trouble, Im just
passing through.
Dan watches him suspiciously. After a moment, he lowers his
rifle, satisfied hes telling the truth.
DAN
Alright. You can stay the night but
I want you gone tomorrow.
He places the rifle on the ground, rips off a piece of deer
meat from the spit and offers it to Tim.
DAN
Here. Eat.
Tim takes it, grateful.

9.

EXT. SMALL CLEARING. DAY

Dan and Tim sleep soundly.
A sudden CRACK. Dan wakes instantly. Alert to something
unseen. Distant voices. He springs to his feet, grabs his
rifle and pack and shakes Tim roughly.
DAN
Get up.
TIM
Wha- whats going on?
DAN
Someones here. We gotta go.
Dan hurries away, uphill. Tim struggles to keep up. They
continue uphill until the ground plateaus and Dan stops. He
opens his pack and pulls out binoculars.
Puts them to his eyes and looks down towards his camp. He
watches through the binoculars as soldiers spread into the
clearing and ransack his camp.
He lowers the binoculars, angry. He turns to Tim, grabs him
and slams him against a tree.
DAN
Were you followed?
TIM
No... I dont know.
Dan pushes him hard into the tree.
TIM
I told you. I dont know.
DAN
Fuck.
TIM
Whats the problem?
DAN
You know how long Ive been there?
One year. And not once did they
come close to finding me.