Hitchhiker

1

Hitchhiker

By

Alex Newman

Email: apollonaught@outlook.com Telephone: 01349 593912 Mobile: 07793 238921

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INT. DEAN'S CAR - COUNTRY ROAD - NIGHT It's dark and not much can be seen outside. DEAN and his daughter MARY are sitting silently in DEAN's car. DEAN is driving. MARY leans on her elbow, staring absent-mindedly out of the window.

DEAN Did you have a good weekend? Nice seeing your mother?

DEAN takes his eyes off of the road for a second to look at his daughter.

DEAN (CONT'D) I know you don't always enjoy going to her house, but I know she really appreciates seeing you, okay?

DEAN rests an assuring hand on his daughter's shoulder as his eyes return to the road. MARY doesn't react to start with, but then looks up as if she sees something peculiar.

MARY Is that someone walking by the road?

DEAN What? Where?

MARY points at a young girl with long black hair, carrying a backpack walking beside the road. DEAN tuts.

MARY What would she be doing out this late?

DEAN I'm going to pull over.

CUT TO: EXT. SIDE OF ROAD - NIGHT DEAN's car pulls up beside the HITCHHIKER, who stops and turns to look. DEAN rolls down the window.

DEAN Excuse me! Are you lost?

HITCHHIKER seems surprised that someone would pull over for her, and her mouth cracks in a slight smile.

HITCHHIKER Uh, I think I know where I am, but I haven't made this walk in the dark before. I might be alright?

DEAN Don't be silly. Hop in the back,

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we'll give you a lift.

HITCHHIKER looks grateful and begins to enter the car.

DEAN (CONT'D) You live far from here?

HITCHHIKER No! Not at all, I'm about 5 miles down the road, I think.

HITCHHIKER closes the car door and DEAN begins to drive.

CUT TO: INT. DEAN'S CAR - COUNTRY ROAD - NIGHT The car is quiet, save for the radio playing quietly.

Eventually a house is visible alongside the road.

MARY Do you think this is her house?

DEAN Perhaps.

MARY turns to clarify with HITCHHIKER. MARY Is this your houMARY stops before finishing her sentence. She turns back around slowly, white as a ghost.

MARY She's not there.

DEAN What? How can she not beDEAN turns around to check. Sure enough, HITCHHIKER is nowhere to be seen.

DEAN (CONT'D) Oh. MARY Do you think we should check the house anyway?

DEAN looks off into the distance, as if he were thinking about something. He sighs.

DEAN I guess.

CUT TO:

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EXT. OUTSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT DEAN's car pulls into the driveway, and DEAN and MARY step out of the car. They walk cautiously up to the front door. The house looks like a relatively modern home, with big windows and a large wooden door. There is an old, rotten pumpkin sitting on the lawn, suggesting this might be a few weeks after Halloween. DEAN raises his hand to knock on the door, but hesitates.

DEAN Are you sure about this? We're knocking on a stranger's door.

MARY Maybe they'll have some idea what is going on.

DEAN sighs, again. He knocks. An older couple, FRANK and JANICE, looking to be in their mid-to-late 50's answers the door.

FRANK Hello! Is everything okay?

DEAN and MARY stand uneasy.

DEAN I don't quite know how to start...

MARY Do you have a daughter? By any chance?

FRANK and JANICE exchange looks. They look serious.

JANICE You'd better come inside.

CUT TO: INT. FRANK AND JANICE'S HOUSE - NIGHT DEAN and MARY sit on a sofa adjacent to a burning hearth, opposite FRANK and JANICE who sit on an identical sofa. The front room they are in looks very cosy and homely. There are various trinkets and knick-knacks dotted around the room, and MARY is looking around while FRANK and JANICE explain. Some time has passed, as everyone has a cup of some warm drink.

FRANK And you said she had black hair...?

DEAN Yes. Really straight and quite long.

FRANK takes his wife's hand and looks at her.

FRANK Sounds like her, doesn't it?

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JANICE simply nods. FRANK turns back to DEAN and MARY, who look quite confused.

FRANK A few years ago, our daughter left the house to travel for a year. She was walking around the area you saw her when we last saw her. We never heard back from her. Police couldn't find her.

At this point, MARY is quite involved, and looks a little shocked.

FRANK (CONT'D) This is actually the second year in a row this has happened.

DEAN and MARY take their turn to exchange looks.

MARY Second year? What do you mean?

JANICE You see, today would have been her birthday.

DEAN and MARY look rather shocked and surprised.

FADE OUT