CHAPTER 2: "CRASH"
FADE IN:
INT. CAR – EVENING The car speeds forward. City lights streak past the windows. Keise stares out, face sullen. Valdemar beside him, eyes fixed on the road.
KEISE (angrily) What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?
VALDEMAR (cold, eyes never leaving the road) Shut your mouth. We're going home. We'll talk about everything there.
A moment of silence. Valdemar's gaze flicks to the comic book in Keise's hand.
VALDEMAR (cont'd) And what's that in your hand? A comic book… Have you finally started something new?
Keise looks at his father in surprise. Then down at the comic book. He had picked it up when he bumped into Setsuko; he was still holding it.
KEISE (smirking, muttering to himself) When we get home… Yeah, when we get home.
He turns his gaze back to the window. Something stirs inside him. Anger, hurt, curiosity… all mixed together.
EXT. HOUSE FRONT –EVENING The car stops in front of the house. Before the door is even fully open, Keise jumps out. He strides quickly toward the entrance.
He opens the door and storms inside.
INT. HOUSE – HALLWAY –EVENING As soon as Keise enters, EİDA sees him from the stairs. Her face is full of worry.
EİDA (rushing toward him) Keise! Keise, what happened?
Keise doesn't answer. He just stops, breathing heavily. His eyes stare into nothing.
From outside, VALDEMAR slowly steps out of the car. He stands at the doorway, his voice filling the entire house.
VALDEMAR (booming) Keise! Get over here right now! We're going to talk!
At that moment, TUNU (16) comes down the stairs. The obese brother watches quietly, curiously. From upstairs, KAELİRA (21) calls out.
KAELİRA (shouting from the stairs) What's going on? Dad, why are you yelling?
VALDEMAR (sharply) Keise, you come here too!
EİDA stands shocked, watching everything. She doesn't know what to do. Caught between her brother and father.
Keise pauses for a moment. Takes a deep breath. Then slowly turns and walks toward the door.
Tunu quietly steps aside, looking at his older brother. Fear and curiosity mix in his eyes.
INT. HALLWAY – DOORWAY – EVENING Keise reaches the door. Valdemar stands on the threshold. Their eyes meet.
VALDEMAR (cold) Come inside. We're talking.
KEISE (defiant) Let's talk then. What are we talking about?
Valdemar steps inside. Keise watches him. Then glances at EİDA from the corner of his eye. His sister is still in shock, hand over her mouth.
KEISE (inner voice) Yeah… let's talk.
INT. HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – EVENING Keise slowly enters. The whole family has gathered. EİDA stands in a corner, hands clasped tightly. KAELİRA leans against the wall, arms crossed. TUNU stands quietly at the bottom of the stairs.
Everyone has gathered in one place. Waiting.
Valdemar stands in the middle. A file in his hand. He takes a step toward Keise.
VALDEMAR (cold, waving the file) What are these images? They came from the school principal. You beat up a kid… and humiliated him. In the cafeteria. In front of everyone.
Keise can't hold back. His eyes flash.
KEISE (harsh) So what? What happened? He came and talked nonsense to me. I gave him what he deserved.
VALDEMAR (voice rising) You don't get to decide that, Keise!
KEISE (laughing, but anger in his eyes) So I don't decide, huh? So I don't decide…
He pauses. Looks at everyone. Eida, Kaelira, Tunu. Then back at his father.
KEISE (cold) You'll see then.
He turns and walks out quickly.
INT. KEISE'S ROOM – EVENING Keise storms into his room. Opens the drawer, grabs the CAR KEYS. Without anyone noticing…
No one sees him. Everyone is still in the living room, talking about the incident.
KEISE (whispering to himself) You'll see…
He leaves his room. Quietly, on tiptoes. No one notices.
EXT. HOUSE – EVENING Keise slips out of the house silently. Gets into his car. Starts the engine.
Rain begins to drizzle. First drops hit the windshield.
The car speeds away.
INT. CAR – EVENING Keise drives fast. The rain intensifies. Water streams down the windows, wipers working furiously.
Suddenly… the rain pours harder.
He stops at a red light.
His eyes are distant, staring ahead. Then suddenly…
SETSUKO.
She's walking on the road. Holding that comic book. Somehow, she has the same comic book.
Keise rubs his eyes. Is this real?
He quickly opens his own comic book. The pages… are COMPLETELY BLANK.
Nothing there. Just pure white pages.
KEISE (stunned) What the hell is this?
He rolls down the window. Rain pours in. Cold, wet.
KEISE (shouting) Setsuko!
Setsuko stops. Turns. Under the rain, holding the comic book, soaked, shivering… but smiling.
SETSUKO (surprised) Keise? What are you doing here?
KEISE (urgent) Come on, get in the car! It's pouring! And… are there pages in your comic book?
Setsuko doesn't hesitate. She gets in the car. Her wet hair sticks to her face.
SETSUKO (surprised) Of course there are? Why are you asking?
Keise's hands tremble. He looks at his own comic book. Still blank.
KEISE (to himself) How is this possible?
The green light turns. Keise floors the gas. The car speeds forward. Setsuko looks at him with worried eyes.
SETSUKO (worried) Keise… what's wrong? You're driving way too fast, do you realize that?
KEISE (angrily, shouting) Shut up! Do you know what happened? Because of that damn friend of yours! That's why all this happened to me!
SETSUKO (trying to calm him) Keise, calm down, please. Look, I don't know which friend you're talking about right now. What are you saying?
Keise's eyes fill with tears. Anger, hurt, helplessness… all mixed together. But deep down… Setsuko was right. What was he even saying?
He presses the gas harder. The speedometer climbs. The car accelerates.
CAMERA focuses on the speed. The road comes to an end.
At the same moment, the COMIC BOOK begins to glow. A greenish light seeps from the pages. The blank pages in Keise's hand start glowing too.
As the car races down the four-lane road—
A HUGE TRUCK appears from the left. Its headlights blind them.
SETSUKO (screaming) KEISE!
Keise tries to swerve but it's too late.
BAMMMMM!
The car goes under the truck, spins out. Flips in the air. Crashes into a building.
Everything goes silent.
The comic book pages are still glowing. Green light fills the inside of the car. Keise and Setsuko's bodies are enveloped in light.
Then…
SCENE GOES BLACK.
FADE TO BLACK.
[CHAPTER 2 END]