Scene 2 - Family Values

EXT. JOHNSON’S HOUSE (1980’S) - DAY
... Two boys outside in a backyard.

The neighborhood is early 1980’s, upper-class suburbia in mid-spring. The sky has a few clouds, light and fluffy, dream like. One of the boys is six. His name is Aiden. He has sandy blond hair and his face is flush with running. The flush of his face brings out the blue in his eyes. He is short for his age and still has some baby fat. He chases, huffing and wheezing after his older brother...

Noah, 12. He is also quite short for his age, but has a much more athletic build than his brother. His mid-length brown hair streams behind him as he runs. His bright green eyes flash in the bright sun. The two of them play cops and robbers. Aiden holds a stick that is shaped vaguely like a gun. Noah just holds his fingers in a gun shape. As they run around making GUNSHOT noises and LAUGHING, a pretty voice rings out.

NORA (O.S.)
Aiden! Noah!

The boys run to the front of the house, onto a wrap around porch where...

Nora, their Mother, is sitting drinking a glass of lemonade. A pitcher is next to her with two glasses. She pours a glass for each of them. As she does this she smiles a radiant smile, the kind that reassures you that everything is OK with the world. Her blond hair flows on a gentle gust of wind and her blue eyes sparkle more than the glass. The pitcher sweats in the late spring heat, droplets of water reflecting the bright sunlight.

NORA (CONT'D)
Who was winning? The cops or the robbers?

YOUNG NOAH
Everyone knows the cops always win, mom!

YOUNG AIDEN
Nuh UH!

Aiden jumps up and runs down the steps at the front of the wrap around porch. Halfway down the steps the family dog is sleeping. Aiden trips on the dog. It GROWLS at Aiden and gnashes it’s teeth. Aiden cowers in fear. Nora smacks the dogs nose. The dog bites her hand so hard it starts bleeding.

NORA
Son of a bitch!

Aiden and Noah’s father, Steven, comes out of the front door and sees Nora pulling her bloodied hand out of the dog’s mouth. Steven and Noah looks very much alike. Steven runs up to her, pulls the dog away by its collar.

STEVEN
Nora, honey, are you alright?

NORA
That stupid dog tried to kill Aiden! I told you we should’ve put it down!

Steven drags the dog around back to tie him up in his dog house. The sky clouds over. Noah follows his father with a concerned look on his face. Nora YELLS from the porch.

NORA (CONT’D)
Steven! How many times have I goddamn said it? One day we’re going to find that the dog has killed something. We need to get rid of it!

Steven walks into the house. Nora follows him and continues screaming. The words are now unintelligible, but there is obviously a large fight going on between Nora and Steven. Noah sees that Aiden hasn’t picked himself up off the ground. Tears are silently running down Aiden’s cheeks.

YOUNG AIDEN
He bit mommy.

YOUNG NOAH
She’ll be fine.

Noah slowly helps Aiden up. They start walking into the woods next to their house.

EXT. THE WOODS (1980’S) - DAY
As they walk down a steep path into the woods, Noah puts his arm around Aiden. Aiden stops shaking with his brothers touch. They push their way through branches and bushes until they reach a tree house in the middle of a clearing. A rope swing hangs from the tree. Noah sits in it while Aiden sits at the bottom of a tree.

YOUNG NOAH
You OK?

YOUNG AIDEN
Mommy was mad at daddy for not getting rid of Bruno wasn’t she?

YOUNG NOAH
Mom and Dad will sort things out. Don’t you worry about it.

Noah starts to swing more. As his does this the swing CREAKS and the NOISE of the crickets get louder and louder. The sounds rise to a crescendo...

FADE TO:

INT. YOUNG NOAH’S BEDROOM (1980’S) - NIGHT
... The crescendo falls again.

Noah sleeps peacefully in his bed. CRICKETS are heard through the open window and a slight breeze ruffles his hair. A door SLAMS somewhere.
Noah stirs but doesn’t wake. A SQUEAL drifts up into the window, followed by the swift CRASH of an axe. Noah wakes
alarmed.

YOUNG NOAH
Mom? Dad?

Noah climbs out of bed and picks up his flashlight. He walks quietly down the stairs into the moonlit corridor, turning the light on only when he gets to the bottom of the stairs. He turns the front door handle slowly and pushes the door open.

EXT. JOHNSON’S HOUSE (1980’S) - NIGHT
Noah quickly flashes his flashlight around to see if there is anyone outside. No movement.

YOUNG NOAH
Bruno?

He walks around the back of the house to Bruno’s dog house. His flashlight picks up something dark on the ground. He kneels down to get a closer look. Blood. He shines his flashlight’s beam up following the blood to see the mangled corpse of their old dog Bruno. He SCREAMS!

CUT TO:

INT. NOAH’S BEDROOM (2006) - DAY
Noah’s eyes start open. He looks around in all directions. His girlfriend, Sarah, lies next to him, still asleep and purring softly. He looks at the clock. The time reads 5:42 AM.

NOAH
Damn it.