Crush The Cockroach FADE IN: INT. DEBORA'S ROOM - DAY ANGLE ON - SCREEN (CLINT WILLIS (early 20's) runs around the room, frightened.) POV - CLINT (DEBORA GRANT (early 20's) with a fierce look pursues Clint.) DEBORA You bastard! BACK TO SCENE (Debora presses him into the corner.) CLINT (screams) No, help me. Please, don't do it. DEBORA Shut up! What did you do? CLINT No, I didn't do anything bad to you. DEBORA Liar! Eat this. (Debora shows Clint a cockroach pinched between her fingers and shoves it in his face. Clint is scared.) CLINT (screams) No! Keep it away. I hate cockroaches. DEBORA Confess. Who is the girl? Where did you stay last night? CLINT (gasps) Please, forgive me. Oh no. (screams) INT. DEBORA'S ROOM - NIGHT (Debora types on her laptop computer. SANDY HAYTER (early 20's) stands behind Debora and looks into the screen with amazement.) SANDY What kind of story is it? A comedy? DEBORA No, it's a love triangle. Clint betrayed Debora. He is leaving her. SANDY And Debora threatens him with her pet cockroach? You're really a unique person. DEBORA Thank you. SANDY Don't forget we are making a horror movie. DEBORA Yes. After Clint leaves, Debora is so disappointed she crushes her pet cockroach in despair. Like this. (Debora gestures to raise the slipper and smash the cockroach on the floor.) DEBORA The cockroach is smashed and liquid spatters all over the floor. Oh, scary! SANDY Give me a break. Why a cockroach? DEBORA Because, we don't like to offend animal rights activists. SANDY I'm afraid you are in the wrong class. DEBORA Oh, our submission is due tomorrow. I won't be able to sleep tonight. SANDY Good luck anyway. (Sandy stands up and picks up her bag to leave. Debora gets frightened.) DEBORA Where are you going? SANDY I have a date with my new boyfriend. I told you. DEBORA But our assignments are due tomorrow! SANDY I've completed my film. DEBORA Sandy, you're my friend, aren't you? I can't stay here without you. SANDY C'mon! The cockroach never bit you! DEBORA But I hate it. If it comes out, I can't hide in the computer. SANDY Why should I cancel my date for your pet roach? Help yourself. DEBORA But it's awful, and so creepy. SANDY (chuckling) You've gotta worry about rats and mice. They're gonna eat you. DEBORA Don't scare me. SANDY You must keep out if they show up. They might really mess you up. Or destroy the cable and break the computer if you are out. (snickers wickedly) DEBORA Oh, no! Sandy, please stay with me. SANDY Sorry. (Sandy exits. Debora looks at the closed door and sighs. She resumes typing, but soon holds her head.) DEBORA No. I can't decide on an ending. She should kill this guy. (Debora notices something wriggle behind her. She becomes frightened and slowly looks back. She sees a cockroach crawling on the floor.) DEBORA (screams) INT. CLINT'S ROOM - NIGHT (Sandy and Clint sit down on the coach and drink wine.) SANDY (laughs) Debora is desperate. She is the last person who can write a tragic story. She makes everything a comedy. CLINT Yeah, she is a born lunatic. SANDY She can't even touch a cockroach. She runs away if she sees one. Pet roach? She sucks! CLINT She is nuts. SANDY Yes. Natural and additive-free nuts. CLINT (laughing) It's useless to give her an opportunity. As useless as feeding a cockroach. (The telephone rings. Clint answers it.) CLINT Hello? DEBORA (V.O.) Clint! Come up to my room right away. They are on a rampage! Sandy's gone and nobody is here but the cockroaches and me. (Clint looks at Sandy, snickering. Sandy puts her arms around Clint and kisses his neck.) CLINT (briskly) You can handle them, can't you? DEBORA (V.O.) No! They're dropping from the sky and making my head spin. CLINT I heard you had a pet roach, right? DEBORA (V.O.) No teasing, Clint. Have a heart and help me. I want you to come here right away. (Clint hangs up, smiling at Sandy.) CLINT Natural nuts! (Sandy wickedly chuckles and hugs Clint.) INT. DEBORA'S ROOM - NIGHT (Debora holds the telephone, puzzled.) DEBORA Oh, shit! He hung up. Clint isn't so nice these days. I've gotta buy him a beer after this assignment. (beat) How did he know my pet roach story? Are cockroaches suddenly popular at pet shops? No way ... Oh, damn! Somebody is stealing my story! (Debora finds a cockroach crawling on the floor.) DEBORA (screams) INT. CLINT'S ROOM - NIGHT (Sandy and Clint lie on the bed, kissing. The telephone rings.) CLINT Oh, shit! (Clint reaches to pick it up but Sandy stops him and shakes her head. The telephone keeps ringing. Clint sighs and picks it up.) CLINT (indignantly) Hello! DEBORA (V.O.) Clint! The mouse was crushed. Come here. CLINT Mouse? Not cockroach? DEBORA (V.O.) Yes. We have both in our apartment. Mice, rats and cockroaches. Lots of them. (On the bed, Sandy irritably lights a cigarette.) CLINT You are breaking my heart. (Clint is about to hang up. Debora yells out.) DEBORA (V.O.) It's screaming. Sandy set a trap and one mouse seems to be stuck there. I saw it behind the computer. CLINT Don't yell. All computers have a mouse. (Clint and Sandy mock Debora in silence.) DEBORA (V.O.) No, not a computer mouse. A live one. It's running around in front of me. I saw it behind the computer and hit the computer because I wanted to scare it towards the trap. But I missed it. It was thrown onto the floor and crushed. CLINT Don't worry, then. The mouse is free. DEBORA (V.O.) Not the mouse. The computer. CLINT You mean you've broken the computer? DEBORA (V.O.) Right. Help me. (Sandy motions Clint to hang up the phone.) CLINT How? I can't fix your computer. DEBORA (V.O.) No, not mine. It's Sandy's. Give me a hand, would you? Take it out in your car and throw it away in the mountains or somewhere, so she'll never find it. Otherwise, she'll kill me when she comes back and finds it broken. SANDY (indignantly) My computer! INT. DEBORA'S ROOM - NIGHT (Debora sits at the computer and types on the keyboard. The door is thrown open and Sandy dashes in, followed by Clint. Debora turns to her with a smile.) DEBORA Hi, Clint... (Debora is surprised but Sandy doesn't look at Debora.) SANDY Where is my computer? (Sandy straightforwardly goes into her room.) DEBORA Sandy. Aren't you on a date...? (Debora looks at Sandy and Clint in turn. Clint says nothing.) DEBORA (puzzled) Clint, why are you with her? (Clint also goes into Sandy's room and both bring out her computer.) SANDY (to Clint) The computer is okay. Beware. This dope told us a lie. DEBORA Oh, no! Sandy, you...? SANDY Yes! Clint is my new boyfriend! DEBORA No! Clint is my... SANDY Not any more. You got on his nerves. Clint loves me now. DEBORA You're kidding me, right Clint? SANDY No, we're serious. Do you think you can keep him? Better take a good look at yourself in the mirror. (Sandy and Clint carefully bring the computer out in front of Debora.) SANDY Keep away from my things. I'll be back to pick them up. (beat) You're losing everything. Your boyfriend and the class. I prefer not to go down with you, loser. (They exit and slam the door. Debora is dumbfounded and watches the closed door in tears.) DEBORA (murmurs) My life is a nightmare. INT. SCHOOL - THEATER - DAY (Sandy cheerfully talks with a gaggle of friends. Debora disappointedly nudges into the room. Sandy and her friends stop talking and steal a glance at Debora. Debora takes a seat, and Sandy and the others chuckle. Debora, exhausted, doesn't respond.) (INSTRUCTOR comes in and students become silent. The Instructor stands in front of the screen.) INSTRUCTOR Hi, today you're going to have the result of your assignments. Before the announcement, please remember that the motivation to drive the characters into action must not be ignored. Most of you didn't get this, except one. (The students look at Sandy. Sandy proudly smiles.) INSTRUCTOR So, the best producing and editing award of our horror movie class goes to Debora Grant. (The students look at Debora in surprise. Sandy especially is amazed. Debora looks up at the Instructor in astonishment, as well. The Instructor smiles at Debora.) INSTRUCTOR Debora, your character has enough motivation to kill her boyfriend. I wonder where you got the idea for such an abnormal couple. (chuckles) Anyway, let's see her work. (The Instructor gets ready to show the film.) INT. DEBORA'S ROOM - DAY ANGLE ON - SCREEN (The same scene as the beginning of this story. Clint is scared and runs all over the room.) POV - CLINT (Debora with a fierce look pursues Clint.) DEBORA You bastard! BACK TO SCENE (Debora presses him into the corner. Debora is in a sexy costume, holding a slipper, with a cigarette in her mouth.) CLINT (screams) No, help me. Please, don't do it. DEBORA Shut up! What did you do? CLINT No, I didn't do anything bad to you. DEBORA Liar! Take this. (Debora raises the slipper and smashes it down. The camera pans from to her furious face and upper body to her waist.) CLINT (O.S.) (screams) No! Help me. DEBORA You cockroach! Cockroach! (Debora furiously slaps him.) DEBORA Where did you go? Where did you hide last night, eh? CLINT (O.S.) (gasps) Please, forgive me. (Debora pulls her cigarette out of her mouth and throws it aside. The cigarette sizzles off-screen with smoke.) CLINT (O.S.) No! (screams) DEBORA Are you leaving me? CLINT (O.S.) (crying) No. I love you. DEBORA You're mine, do you know that? CLINT (O.S.) (crying) Yes. Forgive me. Forgive me. DEBORA You'll stay with me. Forever. (Debora looks down at Clint and smiles.) EXTREME CLOSEUP - CLINT'S HAND (Is handcuffed to the bed.) CLINT (O.S.) (screams) CLOSEUP - FLOOR (The blood (or ketchup) spatters all over the floor.) FADE OUT: