Bird Box Page #5

At the next red light, they pull up alongside another car.

A YOUNG MAN drives with his pretty GIRLFRIEND.

13.

He nods at Malorie. Malorie nods back. They’re strangers, but

just checking in with each other. It’s okay.

Then:
A loud but distant CRACK. And a RUMBLE. Malorie looks

around -- it’s behind her.

Four blocks back and one or two over: A FIRECLOUD. Smoke

rising like black cellophane.

JESSICA (CONT’D)

Damn. Seriously?

MALORIE:

I don’t like this. Jess, can we

just go? Maybe we just drive.

In the adjacent car, Young Man with his panicked Girlfriend

does that:
he looks at cross traffic, and runs the red light.

Other traffic screeches and veers, HONKING.

MALORIE (CONT’D)

Jess-

JESSICA:

I’m not doing anything stupid.

You’re pregnant.

The light turns green a moment later.

Jessica mashes the gas.

EXT. SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY

Upper middle class. Not mansions, but trying.

Jessica’s car navigates the streets amid sparse traffic.

The clouds are the color of fresh bruises. Distant thunder.

INT. JESSICA’S CAR

Jessica and Malorie take the ride in silence. Tense. Malorie

fidgets nervously.

MALORIE:

Where is all the traffic?

JESSICA:

Okay you need to cool it because

you’re starting to freak me out

now, okay? And we can’t both be

freaking out.

14.

MALORIE:

Sorry.

A phone RINGS. Malorie looks down at her phone in her lap.

JESSICA:

Is it Dad?

MALORIE:

It’s not my phone-

JESSICA:

In back, in my purse-

It RINGS again. Malorie reaches back, into Jessica’s purse-She

opens the bag and digs for the phone as it RINGS-

Bent over, head down, Malorie finds the phone just as the

call screen switches to MISSED CALL and-

JESSICA (O.S.) (CONT’D)

OH MY GOD what was that, did you

see that what was it?

Malorie brings the phone up front, frowning-

MALORIE:

See what?

Jessica’s body language and posture changes.

Her muscles are rigid. Hands wringing the wheel.

And her eyes flit constantly. Her voice cracks-

JESSICA:

Back there I mean what I saw--

Malorie presses the RETURN CALL on the phone and puts it to

her ear while talking to Jessica-

MALORIE:

Okay, calm down, hey-

JESSICA:

What I saw it was, it was--

Malorie looks back as she listens to RING on the other end of

the line-

MALORIE’S POV:

A slight hill in the road prevents her from seeing anything

past the SUV half a block back, but it swerves violently-

15.

JESSICA (CONT’D)

I don’t care now I don’t care

anymore-

And now the phone is RINGING in Malorie’s ear and a seat belt

alarm is BEEPING and somewhere a truck’s HORN is honking the

engine REVS as Jessica picks up speed all the while looking

right at Malorie-

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