Freddy’s dead – Final Nightmare
JACOB Yes, sir.
DAVID Okay. Dinner in two hours. Why don’t you go meet the rest of the gang.
KAREN Thanks, David.
MARY I’ll go fix up the spare bed in Wesley’s room.
David gets up. He gives Jacob a final once-over.
DAVID And take a shower, for chrissakes.
David leaves the room. Karen gives Jacob a huge grin.
INT. FOSTER HOME – THE TV ROOM – DAY
Karen leads Jacob into the room. There are two teenagers on the couch: WESLEY is a fifteen-year old, curly hair, kind of small. GINA is also fifteen, brunette hair, seems pretty happy.
KAREN Hey, guys, I got someone for you to meet. This is Jacob. Jacob, this is Wesley and Gina.
JACOB Hi.
WESLEY Welcome to fun central.
KAREN He’s going to be staying with us for a while.
GINA Oh yeah? How’d you get through the blockade?
Another kid, SCOTT, pops into the room. He’s sixteen, dark hair, with a tough-guy I could give a shit attitude. He doesn’t seem to care about anybody in the room, except for Karen.
SCOTT Hey, beautiful. How’s it going?
KAREN Hi, Scott.
Scott notices Jacob and frowns. Karen is a little annoyed.
SCOTT Who’s Barney Rubble?
KAREN This is Jacob Johnson. He’s a new resident. At least temporarily.
SCOTT He better not be rooming with me. I value my privacy.
KAREN No, I believe that honor goes to Wesley.
WESLEY Good. I could use the company.
SCOTT So what’s your story? Divorce? Custody battle? Your parents just plain assholes?
JACOB They’re dead.
KAREN Mellow out, Scott. Give him a chance to settle in.
SCOTT Just curious.
Scott reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. As he lights one up, Wesley’s cheerful attitude suddenly turns grim. He gets up from the couch and quickly leaves the room. Karen gives Scott an angry look.
JACOB Is he alright?
SCOTT He’ll be fine. He just has a problem with cigarettes.
GINA His parents used to use them as a sick kind of discipline. That’s why he’s here.
JACOB If you know that, then why do you smoke in front of him?
SCOTT It’s not my problem.
This really pisses Jacob off. These two are not going to get along very well.
JACOB Just what is YOUR problem, then?
SCOTT I took care of my problem. That’s why I’M here.
Scott lets out an aloof puff of smoke and leaves. Jacob gives Karen a confused glance.
KAREN His dad used to beat him. One day he couldn’t take it any more.
JACOB What happened?
KAREN He killed him with his father’s gun. Self-defense.
Jacob sits down on the couch and lets that sink in. Gina scootches away from him on the couch, then gives him a glum look.
GINA Everyone here has a fun tale to tell. Isn’t that right, Karen?
Karen is staring out the window. She has that spaced-out expression we saw before when she was hiding behind the bush.
KAREN Yeah. Right.
No one has anything left to say. Gina turns the sound on the TV back up as the three sad kids start to watch cartoons.
INT. FOSTER HOME – THE TV ROOM – NIGHT
Jacob is alone in the dark watching some kind of NICK AT NIGHT b&w sit-com re-run. A cheerful family lovingly banters away on the flickering tube. Jacob just stares blankly.
Karen sleepily shows up at the doorway in a long tee-shirt with a glass of milk.
KAREN Why don’t you go to bed?
JACOB I can’t sleep.
KAREN You need to talk?
JACOB No. I’m fine. Thanks.
Karen gives him a worried look and heads off to bed. Jacob continues watching TV with a creepy glean in his tired eyes.
INT. OLD WAREHOUSE – DAY
The kids are here cleaning up the building. The guys throw rotted lumber into trash bins while the girls sweep up. We catch Jacob and Scott tossing some debris into a wheelbarrow. Jacob looks pretty ragged.
SCOTT Come on. Let’s hop to it. Gotta make
way for those new indoor tennis courts. The fate of the world lies in the balance. Okay, this load’s full.
Jacob grabs the handles of the wheelbarrow and shakily picks it up. Scott sneers.
SCOTT (cont’d) You got that?
JACOB Yeah, no problem.
SCOTT I don’t know. Maybe you should think about switching to de-caf or something.
Jacob ignores him and pushes the wheelbarrow along. Scott takes some time off to smoke a cigarette. He spots Karen across the room bending over with a dustbin. Scott lingers on this view for a long time.
AT A DUMPSTER
Jacob pulls up with the wheelbarrow and starts to unload the junk. Gina is next to the dumpster sweeping. She tries to push a large crate aside by herself, but slips and falls.
Jacob jumps over to her, reaches out, and grabs her arm to help her up.
JACOB You okay?
Gina SCREAMS.
GINA No! Yes! Let go of me!
She shakes off his grip and he jumps back. She runs away with a wild look in her eyes as Karen steps up to a confused Jacob.
KAREN She doesn’t like to be touched.
JACOB No shit!
KAREN Don’t take it personally. It’s not her fault.
JACOB What happened to her?
KAREN Her mother was a hooker. She forced Gina to carry on the tradition. When she was thirteen…
JACOB Jesus.
Jacob looks off at Gina with genuine concern. Karen gives him the same expression.
KAREN You look terrible.
JACOB (smiling) Thanks.
KAREN I’m sorry…I just wish you’d tell me what happened to you, that’s all.
JACOB I can’t talk about it right now. I’ll tell you later. I promise.
KAREN Okay. Why don’t you sit and rest for a bit. The supervisor’s not around. You look like you could use it.
JACOB I think I will.
He gives her a gentle squeeze on the forearm, and Karen likes it. Jacob spots a pile of wood next to a wall and heads off for it.
ON SCOTT
He’s watched the entire interchange between Jacob and Karen, and he DOESN’T like it.
WITH JACOB
as he goes around the stack of lumber and sits down facing the brick wall. He lets out a heavy sigh and stares at the inside of the building.
JACOB’S POV – THE BRICK WALL
sits there quietly for a few beats until:
IT EXPLODES
