Eleven Fifty One

8/6/2019 Eleven Fifty One

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ELEVEN FIFTY ONE

By

Hafsah Mijinyawa


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PART TIME POSITIONS FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS! WORKGUARANTEED."

She grabs the phamplet off the pole. Looks back to see if henoticed.

Yep. Hes facing her, having just been ignored by anotherpedestrian. He saw. But his face is expressionless.

Lights green. Victoria tucks the phamplet under hershoulder, hurries across the street.

INT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT/LIVING AREA - DAY

CLOSE ANGLE - PHOTOGRAPHS and NEGATIVES spread out on thecoffee table. Some sketchbooks. Some mail. A carelesslyopened electric bill.

Victoria, studying the photographs. Glances up when --

THE PHONE RINGS.

RING. RING. RING.

Victoria, still studying the photos.

RING. RING. RING.

Then -- with a subtle electronic CLICK -- the lights go off.

The TV goes off.

The FAN goes off.

Victoria looks around -- what the hell? -- and rises. Walksto the...

LIGHT SWITCH ON THE WALL

She switches it on and off a couple of times. No effect. Sheleans against the wall beside the switch. Closes her eyes.

VICTORIA (CONTD) (a murmur)

Shit.

INT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT/LIVING AREA - NIGHT

Victoria lies under a blanket on the couch. She watches theSHADOWS on the wall. They move, altered by the cast of carheadlights outside.

A SLIVER OF LIGHT moves across the PHAMPLET on the table.Bringing the businesscard stapled to it in prominent view.

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She eyes it. Reaches over and picks it up.

THE CARD, a simple white business card. Completely blank onthe back. On the front, in elegant type, letterpressed:

1151 SYCAMORE CIRCLE, ANN ARBORContact: Ms. Evelyn HollingsworthTHE LLC

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY

The front door of a nice house. Isolated. Expensive.Door #1151. The numbers are set into the door, just above abrass door knocker.

GLOVED HANDS use the knocker. Victoria. She glances around.Unsure.

No answer.

She knocks again, a little louder.

No answer.

She stalls. Whats she doing here anyway. This is dumb.

Shes going to turn and go when the door UNLATCHES from theother side. It opens slightly. A BESPECTACLED LADY in hermiddle years peers out.

VICTORIAHi...Im looking for aMs...Hollingsworth?

The lady regards Victoria for a brief moment. Then, openingthe door, and with a warm smile...

EVELYN I think that would be me, sweetheart. Come on in.

INT. EVELYNS HOUSE/LIVING AREA - DAY

Evelyn pours two cups of tea. Moves the cup across thecoffee table to Victoria who sits, somewhat uncomfortably,in an opposite sofa.

EVELYN (CONTD) I understand youre here about a job.

Victoria regards the tea -- and Evelyn -- suspiciously.

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VICTORIAApparantly so. I...was given aflyer.

EVELYNA flyer?

VICTORIA Yeah, some guy downtown...he was handing them out. Your card was in it. With this address. I would have called but there was no...

EVELYN...phone number, yes I know. Ourcompany is rather between numbersright now. We always have a centrallocation in the area so that we canconduct interviews with potential

employees. Makes it more personalanyway, I think, than a phone call.

Evelyn puts down the tea, reaches for a tablet of herstationary.

EVELYN (CONTD)...What did you say your name wasagain?

VICTORIA Victoria Winters.

Evelyn jots something down on her tablet.

EVELYNThats a very pretty name. How oldare you?

VICTORIA Twenty seven.

Jotting again.

EVELYN

And you said you were a student,yes?

VICTORIA (CONTD)Yes.

EVELYNStudying?

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VICTORIAPsychology.

EVELYNMm, that was my minor back in theday. Are you on any medication,

recovering from any surgeries,anything like that?

VICTORIANot that Im aware of, no.

EVELYNDo you have any family in theimmediate area?

A pause.

VICTORIA

No.

EVELYNWhats your income level?

VICTORIAWell, Im a student. So not much.

EVELYNAre you married?

VICTORIANo.

(a beat; then...)Sorry but -- I kind of thoughtyoud be asking questions morealong the lines of..."tell me aboutyourself; why do you want this job;why should we hire you..."

Evelyn looks at her for a moment. Then takes off her glassesand places them on her lap.

EVELYNWell darling. You are a young

unemployed collegiate lady. Theassumption is that you came to myoffice for the explicit ofacquiring work, and as the phampletsaid, work is guaranteed.

Victoria just stares, a bit surprised, then --

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VICTORIA (CONTD)Well...um...then maybe, in thatcase, I should, I may, rephrase myquestion.

EVELYN

Yes, you may.

VICTORIAHonestly Ms. Hollingsworth, Imkind of vague as to what kind ofwork it is, exactly, that yourCompany does. Could you maybeexplain that a bit?

Evelyn regards Victoria critically.

EVELYNAt some point, Ms. Winters, an

employee must trust that heremployer has her best interests atheart.

Victoria. A glare. This is getting weird(er).

VICTORIAI dont think Id be out of line toask what exactly Id be doing. Isthis canvassing, is ittelemarketing, am I killing people?

(nervous laugh)I mean...what is The Company?

Evelyn begins writing something on her stationary.Victoria, frowning. This lady is fuckin weird.

EVELYNThe opportunities that you will begiven during your work with thisCompany will take you far, farbeyond wherever it was that sentyou to this point. To my door. Intothis office.

Evelyn carefully tears the piece of paper out of herstationary. She hands it to Victoria.

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EVELYN (CONTD)And if you are indeed interested inaccepting the position offered toyou -- and which I have no doubtwhatsoever that you will be morethan qualified to undertake -- then

that will be all youll need toknow.

Evelyn takes up her tea, sits back in her chair, and regardsVictoria. Suddenly the nice lady has become calculating,aggressive. A little scary, even.

EVELYN Please sign and date on the bottom.

Victoria hesitates...this isnt what she expected. And shestill has time to get the fuck out of there.

...pensively, she scribbles her signature and date.

Evelyn smiles and nods crisply.

EVELYN You will be contacted sometime this week by a Company representative. He or she will fill you in on all the details youll need to officially begin working.

Evelyn sticks out her hand. Hesitantly, Victoria takes it.

EVELYNCongratulations Miss Winters.

INT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT/STUDY - DAY

PAINT squirts onto a palette.

Victoria dips a sable brush in water.

Across from her, a window is open, blinds drawn, lettingsunlight surge in. A DARK CAR sits by the side of the block.

Its windows dark -- tinted. A DARK MAN in a trench coatemerges from the car.

She sees him, and is distracted from her painting. Makes abad stroke. But the man seems more interesting at the moment.She watches him cross by the window...

...follows the trajectory of his walk with her eyes as the...

...DARK MAN disappears around the building. She looks towards

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the front door, the brush in her hand suspended. Shes quiet.Nervous.

AT THE DOOR, FOOTSTEPS....then, a soft SHUFFLING. A LETTERslips under the crack of the door. FOOTSTEPS pad softlyaway.

Victoria looks back towards the window. The DARK MAN walksback around the building, across the street, steps into hiscar and drives away.

VICTORIAS APARTMENT/THE FRONT DOOR

The door opens. Victoria looks down at the letter on theground. She picks it up, opens it.

An EVENT PASS and a BROCHURE. Tri-folded and glossy.

INSERT - BROCHURE: Attend the Alekson LLC Professional

Administrative Seminar at the Kass Peterson; a fabulousrooftop venue located in the heart of downtown Montreal.

EXT. KAAS PETERSON ROOFTOP VENUE - DAY

Victoria emerges from an (elevator/doorway) onto the roof,looking confused. She explores, cautiously glancing around.Theres a sound. Faint...but its there. The musicalRINGTONE of a not-too-distant cellphone.

She walks towards the sound. Crosses the path of a BIZARRELOOKING STATUE and some furniture. She stops suddenly.Startled. Frozen.

A BODY. A man, sprawled flat, face down. The ringingcellphone perched on his back.

Victoria stares, numb. She takes a step back...thenhesitates...should she? Shouldnt she?

She steps gingerly forward. Leans towards the body. Picks upthe phone. Answers.

VICTORIA...hello?

A pause...then, a mechanically distorted voice intones:

DISTORTED VOICE There is a car parked in the lower level of this building. The trunk is empty. There is a junkyard off of South Nelson. Take the car and its contents there. If all goes well, a representative will be

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contacting you regarding your payment and next assignment.

CLICK. Victoria lowers the phone. Looks around. Looks at thebody. Well, fuck.

EXT. EVELYNS HOUSE - DAY

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Victoria raps the knocker.

The door opens. But its not a nice middle-aged lady -- itsan irritated looking GUY. Hes barefoot, in his shorts andholding a bottle of Heineken.

GUYYeah?

She regards him for a second -- then:

VICTORIA Hi there, listen, I have a bone to pick with Ms. Hollingsworth, is it possible I could see her today?

The Guy -- a blank, slightly stoned stare.

GUY ...dude, Im not totally sure thats even a name.

VICTORIA Look, I know this is her address, I

need to see her. Its urgent.

GUY Sorry, nobody named "Hollingsworth" lives here lady.

He starts closing the door. She stops it with her hand:

VICTORIA Hey -- listen, one way or another Im going to get some answers! If I have to call the cops --

GUY Back off before I call the fucking cops!

He slams the door.

INT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT - DAY

THE KITCHEN

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The sink faucet drips. Drip. Drip. Drip.

On the kitchen counter, a knife, wet with the juice ofthe halved apple lying next to it.

THE LIVING ROOM

A bottle of Coke on the table. The television on. Victoria,on the couch, her finger against her temple. Lost inthought about her increasingly complicated life.

Her attention is drawn towards the door. SHUFFLING.Something hits the door.

She glances over. Hesitating. She grabs a nearby broom,brandishing it like a weapon and heads carefully forthe door.

Slowly...stealthily...she opens the door.

SEEN THROUGH THE DOOR CRACK - Mr. Nobody. All is clear. Butdown, lying at her feet...whats that?

She opens the door wider.A small box.

AT THE COFFEE TABLE

Victoria opens the box. She stares into it for a moment. Wedont see whats inside just yet. She removes a letter fromthe box. Opens it and pulls out a thin slip of paper.

FROM HER POV, we see the letter, positioned over the openbox. Its a check. Signed to her. With a lot of fuckingzeros. Six in front of a one, to be specific. One Million.

She stares at it. Then theres a SOUND, like a vibratingcellphone.

FROM HER POV, her hands move away so that the letter nolonger obscures the box.

Inside the box, a SWITCHBLADE KNIFE and a CELLPHONE, which

is vibrating.She hesitates. Its the roof all over again. But this timeshe makes her decision quickly and picks up the phone.

VICTORIA

...hello?

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DISTORTED VOICE A person of interest requires a reliable escort out of town before tomorrow. You will be able to meet him at the Lamplight Club tonight at 8:30.

VICTORIAAnd what if I dont? What are yougoing to do then?

She waits for the response. No answer. Not even breathing.

VICTORIA (CONTD) Listen to me whoever you are. Im not taking orders from you anymore. Im getting rid of this phone, and I wont take your money. I want no part of this. Dont contact me

again.

She flips the phone shut and drops it in the box. Clasps herhands. Shes shaking. Shes fucking scared.

INT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT/LIVING ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT

She lies awake on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

ON THE CEILING

A blank white ceiling.

ON VICTORIA

Staring. Still. AMBIENT SOUNDS drift in...WHISPERS...FAINTMUSIC.

ON THE CEILING

This time -- A DARK FIGURE LOOMS OVER HER! It stands againsta stark blue sky. Surreal and eerie.

ON VICTORIA, staring at it. Her face a blank. Like asleepwalker.

The FIGURE raises a old fashioned camera with a mounted flashattachement. Victorias face is FLUSHED with INTENSE,BLINDING LIGHT as...

...the FIGURE depresses the shutter.

FLASH -- the figure. FLASH -- Victoria. FLASH -- the figure.

Each flash, the SOUNDS intensify and are intermittently cut

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by a FRAME OF AN IMAGE: random numbers; flashing coloredlights; the retreating back of a FIGURE; the word "EXECUTE".

ON VICTORIA, the sounds abruptly stop.

ON THE FIGURE -- but it isnt there anymore. Its just the

dark living room. Empty. Full of shadows.

Victoria sits up.

A MONTAGE: She zips up her jacket. She pulls back her hair.We move with her, close and jerky, as though we are perchedon her shoulder. She opens the front door and walks intoBLINDING LIGHT. As she moves, the lights color changes,swirling, nebulae-esque.

Beyond her, in the light, the faint frame of a MANSBACK. She walks towards him, concentrating. Aware. As we

move with her, the light dims out, draining into blurredforms in motion and distant flickering light. Atmospherepours in through the dim haze, and as that faint musicswells, it becomes apparant that we are on a...

INT. NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT

...crammed dance floor. A blinding whiz of colorful strobelights. Full of moving bodies. Victoria walks steadilytowards...

...THE MAN, who still has his back to her, oblivious. As sheapproaches, he turns right into her. They regard each other

for a moment, then his expression changes. He looks sick.

Victoria steps back from him, jerkily. He clutches hisbelly. She looks down.

Shes holding a KNIFE.

The man collapses. Beyond the strobe lights and thumpingbeat, nobody notices. Victoria conceales the knife under hersleeve and shoves through the crowd.

EXT. NIGHTCLUB - DAY

A SIGN outside of the club doors reads: THE LAMPLIGHT CLUB.

Victoria heads down the sidewalk, towards THE DARK CAR.The passenger side door opens.

She stands staring into the car for a moment, then enters it.The door shuts.

INT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT - THE NEXT DAY

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THE KITCHEN

ANGLE ON - A tea kettle, WHISTLING.

THE LIVING ROOM

The TV on. Entertaining no one.

THE BATHROOM

Victoria is sitting on the toilet lid, cellphone cupped toher ear. The door is open a crack.

Caked RED is still on her hands. Shes shaking. Her eyes redfrom crying.

VICTORIA...I dont know what I did last

night.

FRIEND (V.O) Were you drinking?

VICTORIA (CONTD)No. I dont...I dont think so. CanI come over?

FRIEND (V.O)Id kick your ass if you didnt.Im worried about you. Want me to

come get you?

VICTORIANo...Ill be fine. See you in alittle bit.

EXT. VICTORIAS APARTMENT - DAY

Setting down a couple of bags, Victoria locks the frontdoor. She swings her gear over her shoulder and turns to go-- but stops suddenly.

The DARK CAR is parked in front of the building. Thepassenger side door opens. The vague FIGURE OF A MAN isinside.

INT. THE BLACK CAR - DAY

Victoria sits stiffly in the passenger side seat,regarding...

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...THE DARK MAN. His face is cast in shadow.

THE DARK MANI sense you have a...yearning tobecome more than what you are, am Icorrect?

Victoria just stares at him, a mix of fear and anger...andmaybe curiosity.

THE DARK MAN (CONTD)We are more than willing to giveyou that opportunity. You were notcalled or summoned in any way,Miss Winters. This is you, takingyour life and your career into yourown hands. Your...desperation hasbrought you here. Allow itto bring you just a little further.

He passes her an unmarked envelope.

THE DARK MANGo to the Espresso at exactly 12:30PM. You will meet a man named Tashthere. You are to accompany him toone of our warehouses. Drop him offwith the secretary. At thatjuncture your current contract withus will be done. Ask no questionsand complete your assignment in atimely manner, before 2PM. Any

later and you forfeit compensation.I would not recommend accessing thelocal authorities or informinganyone else about the nature ofyour business between the time ofthis assignment or at any pointafterward.

(a beat)We know everything about you, Ms.Winters, and would hope that youreventual separation from ourCompany will remain on...good

terms.A dark, gloved hand sticks out towards her. Hesitantly, sheshakes it.

THE DARK MAN Its been a pleasure, Ms. Winters.

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EXT. ESPRESSO - DAY

Victoria walks up to the window of the cafe. Through thewindow, she sees a LONE MAN sitting at a table, stirring acup of coffee. TASH.

INT. ESPRESSO - DAY

Victoria enters the cafe and heads towards Tash. Sheapproaches his table. He doesnt seem to notice her, justkeeps stirring his coffee.

She sits down in front of him. He keeps stirring the coffee.She regards him -- the way Tash is hunched at the table seemsodd. His left hand is holding his belly. The hand is coveredwith crimson.

Victoria visibly numbs. The man in front of her is bleeding

to death.

Tash laughs weakly to himself, as if understanding what shesjust realized. He groans in pain a bit. Looks right at her.

TASHYou know what youre doing, right?You know this isnt a joke. Ivebeen where you are. Whatd the nicelittle lady tell you? That theydtake you to the next level? Thattheyd change your life? Bullshit!Youre clueless, vulnerable and

poor. You make a mistake, kindlyMs. Hollingsworth isnt gonna helpyou. When the cops get you -- andthey will eventually -- because youdont have a fucking clue whatyoure doing -- the "Company" that"hired" you wont come help youeither cuz you know what? Itdoesnt exist.

The bloody hand shoots out -- grabs her wrist! She flinchesbackwards as he leans in.

TASH Help me. Get me to a hospital. I can make all of this stop. Thats why they want me dead. You still have a choice.

His eyes plead to her.

TASH

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Please.

His eyes plead to her. Victoria sits, numb. Realizing thegravity of her situation. And how important her next choicewill be...

CUT TO:

THE DARK CAR.

Sitting in a...

EXT. WAREHOUSE LOT - DAY

...bare warehouse lot. Victoria stands beside the vehicle.Checks her watch.

Another car pulls up and parks. A woman emerges -- THE

SECRETARY. She joins Victoria by the Dark Car.

THE SECRETARY Is Mr. Tash well?

A beat. Victoria regards the Secretary icily.

VICTORIA Hes in the car.

The secretary nods. Understands. Removes an unmarked envelopefrom her coat and passes it to Victoria.

VICTORIA Am I free to go?

THE SECRETARY You are, Ms. Winters. ...But there is one last thing.

EXT. PLAZA - DAY

A GUY walks down the plaza. Ipod blaring in his ears. In hisown world.

We follow him down a familiar sidewalk -- the same whereVictoria was first passed the flyer.

...and here she is, a stack of flyers in hand. Trying to passthem off to passersby.

VICTORIAHey, opportunities for a summerjob, check it out.

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The guy breezes by, absent-mindedly snagging a flyer as hegoes.

Victoria watches him as he heads down the block, across thestreet.

FADE OUT

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Eleven Fifty One