An Opiate

 

Scene 1

[Small Bachelor Pad, studio apartment with a bed and a coffee table. A non-descript poster hangs on a barren beige wall. Grey carpet with a small window casting the morning sun into the room through cracked blinds. An alarm clock sits next to his bed on the floor.]

Joe wakes up without the alarm going off; he lays there for a moment contemplating as the camera descends from the ceiling closer to his face. He looks to his left and catches a glimpse of the sun and outside world.-

Joe Narrates:

Everyday, lying there in a cold sweat, the same revelation would pass casually through my mind. My disassociate stare was un-wavering, panning solemnly across the doorway of this room. This is oblivion; no more then this fruitless empire of sloth-esque manner. The daunting reminder that would creep into my head was of a most certain death, a death I couldn’t care less about. I don’t care about dying because I just don’t care about living. In the absence of purpose there is nothing but wishful thinking to die. The same position everyday, the same disgust for the world and a tart case of insomnia. When the essence of humanity can wander in and out of your life, and you see the inane “necessities” others “require”, you can almost appreciate living as a cruel joke or chemistry experiment gone awry. Semen to fertilize, babies to young men, adulthood to death. The routine and consequences are inevitable.

-He sits up and hangs his legs over the side of the bed. The camera follows his face and shoulders then pans out to show him sitting. He reaches under the bed for a bottle as the camera follows his hand rummaging underneath then cuts to his hands opening the bottle then a side shot of his face drinking the alcohol. The bottles already less then half empty. He rubs his eyes and stands up slowly, he takes two little shuffle steps over to the coffee table and shuffles through a few pieces of mail and picks up a yellow priority express envelope, he tears it open and inspects the check stub.-

Joe:

Fuckers…. (Under his breath)

-He rests the check back on the table and walks over to the bathroom. -

Scene 2

Joe walks out of the bathroom fully dressed in casual clothes. He walks over to the table, picks up the check and leaves out the front door. The camera directed at the keys inserted into the car door, hand on the handle, keys in the ignition, hands gripping the steering wheel and the car reversing out of the apartment parking lot.

He pulls into a Bank of America parking lot and walks inside. He walks out folding a handful of bills into his pocket with a very smug look on his face, the camera focuses on the smile then rotates to the back of his head and follows him out into the parking lot toward his car.

Scene 3

-He walks up the sidewalk to his apartment, there’s a girl with him, he unlocks the door and the camera is already inside the house as he and the woman enter. He sits on the bed and scrounges for the bottle of the bed, hand to cap, bottle to mouth. Wide shot of the two sitting on the bed, she’s being slightly coy and he doesn’t much seem to buy into it. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small balloon of heroin. He stands up and tosses it on the coffee table and walks over into his bathroom and returns with a belt, a spoon and a syringe. He places them on the table and walks toward the bathroom again.

Joe:

Have fun…

 

Woman:

Oh, I will.

 

Joe:

Uh huh, well don’t do too fucking much, nobody likes a comatose bitch.

-He walks back into the bathroom and takes a piss and the camera takes another wide shot, with both him taking a leak and her back to the camera heating up the heroin with the spoon and fiddling with the belt. Jerking movements with her head as she tightens the belt and slaps her veins hard. The camera never actually sees the needle break the skin, only the back of her body sitting on the floor making the movements. After she takes the belt off, she puts her hands back to support her and just lets the rush come in. By this time Joe has washed his hands, and just started drying his hands, he sits on the toilet and takes of his shoes. He stands back up and looks at his face in the mirror, takes off his shirt and walks out to find a dead whore lying on the ground.

Joe:

Sweet fucking Christ; do not fuck with me!!

-The body lies limp and useless, Joe doesn’t quite panic. He nears the body slowly, bends over, picks up the syringe and facing away from the camera, sticks the needle in his left arm and takes a small, straight hit.

He stands silent for a moment after throwing the syringe on the ground.

Joe:

FUCK, fuck, fuck!

-He bends over to drag the body towards the bathroom, the camera still with a clear view of the bed and the bathroom. Shot to the corner of the room, Low angled floor shot, scraping the girls’ body right next to the camera. Dragging the body completely through the view. Then back to the full room side shot, to watch him drag her into the bathroom, then the camera moves from the fixed position to follow his shoulders peering over to see what he’s seeing. As he lifts her up and places her in the bath tub, he turns on the water and seals the drain and sits on the toilet. Side shot of his face, he stands up and walks out but the camera stays there, then peers into the tub as the water starts to fill then moves back into its position as he ambles back to the toilet into the original shot with his alcohol and finishes off the bottle. The bathroom light suddenly goes red; he looks surprised and stands up. He walks out into his main room where the light is red also; he looks outside and glances at the scenery. Everything appears to be ok. Yet the red light still burns. He walks back into the bathroom and looks at his face in the mirror. He’s sweating nervously, and washes his face in the sink. There’s trickling water starting to overflow out of the bathtub.

Joe:

SHIT!

-He shuts off the water and lets a little bit drain out, he pushes her head under the water and walks out of the room. Suddenly he hears splashing and a girl screaming, he runs back into the bathroom and finds her un-moved and very dead. He just stands there and shakes his head.

Joe:

I’m losing my goddamn mind.

-He grabs his keys and walks out the front door, as he walks over to his car a dog runs up to him followed by an owner. He’s a young guy, waving a leash but seeming very polite.

Owner:

Hey, he likes you…

 

Joe:

Yeah….

 

 

Owner:

Well uh thanks for standing there…

 

Joe:

Okay…

 

Owner:

You know if I were in your position I’d just fucking END IT ALL!

 

Joe:

What the hell did you just say to me?

 

Owner:

Thanks, have a nice day?

 

Joe:

Just fuck off asshole.

 

Owner:

Hah you were born to lose.

 

Joe:

What the fuck is that supposed to mean, you pig?

 

Owner:

Take care?

 

Joe: UH huh

-He walks his confusion off towards his car. He gets in and drives out of the parking lot.

Scene 4

-He drives into a parking garage, this is his place to think and get shit together. He holds it with a certain reverence. He drives to the top of the garage, parks, and then walks to the opposite end. The camera stays put by his foot as he steps out of the car and watches him walk to the other side, time lapsed/cut with atmospheric music. When he reaches the other side, the camera slides up quickly on a rolling board. The focusing on the side of his face and peering out over the side of the wall down three levels.

Joe Narrating:

“Well, this could be it. It could be as simple as hopping this wall and a quick little fall. No more shit, just a nice solitude. God knows I’m not doing so well as it is, but that fucking girl. She’s ruined everything. I’m royally fucked.”

-The camera looks down the side again then moves back to his face. He puts his hands in his face and walks back to the car. The camera follows and circles around him then fades to black.

-Darkness…

Joe:

“I’ll go out, [pause] but not before I have a little fun” [smile while saying it]

Scene 5

[A large pit, 5x5x3, filled with logs and wood aflame, Joe sits near the pit, a 9mm gun in his hands, he’s sitting with the gun pressed above his temple. Editing note: Glimpses of fire, him, gun, a body wrapped in white sheets, bloody knife]

[Joe stands up, a blood soaked bed sheet wrapped around a body, and he lifts it up over his shoulder out of the trunk and tosses the body into the flames]

Joe:

If its gonna happen, its gonna happen now…

[He raised the gun to his forehead, taking a last glimpse at the moon, pulls the trigger and click, nothing happens]

Joe:

What- the? [Examining the gun, he dislodges the cartridge and finds his clip completely full]

[He puts the gun to the side of his head and pulls the trigger, click, nothing. He raises the gun in the air, screams and pulls the trigger over and over again until the clip emptied]

Joe Narrating:

“I shot bullets into the stars, I dislodged the fragments of reality, and I couldn’t even kill myself. Maybe I need another drink”

 

Scene 6

Joe:

Yeah, hey man, what chu up to?

 

Eddie:

Ah, the same old shit. How you doin?

 

Joe:

Not too good, I got a little situation.. You busy?

 

Eddie:

Right now I am, I can be over in about three hours, should I be expecting some heavy shit, and if so, how fuckin’ heavy?

 

Joe:

Well, I’ll take a gram of panda, and bring a clean nine.

 

Eddie:

What’ve you done?

 

Joe:

Never mind. I’ll explain later.

 

Eddie:

I’m on my way.

 

Joe:

Thanks

-Camera watches Joe’s face, focusing in on mouth at pivotal moments. Camera on Eddie focuses on the back of his head and upper shoulders but never reveals his face. Fade out.

[Knocking]

[Joe opens the front door]

Eddie:

Man, when I was on my way over here some fucker swerved into my lane and just about knocked me off the goddamn road. I swear drivers in this state suck, myself and present company excluded of course.

 

 

 

 

Joe:

Heh, tell me about it. I don’t think I can drive 5 miles without some dickless bastard cutting me off or giving me some macho static. People like that are the reason I know you.

[Both laugh]

Eddie:

What’s the damage?

 

 

Joe:

Well, it’s been a raging shit storm these past couple days. I get fired, I try to get laid and the bitch overdoses, fuck, I’m down as shit. So bad, I drove out to memorial the other day and burned the cunt’s body in a pit like we used to do when we “associated” with the hombres. I ate some shrooms and I think I tried to kill myself.

 

Eddie:

No shit, well what’re you still doing here then?

 

Joe:

Thanks a lot you concerned prick! For your information the gun wouldn’t go off. I fired eleven rounds into the air but couldn’t budge one into my skull. You should’ve seen how hard I was pulling the trigger.

 

Eddie:

I’m not going to end up with a dead pal if I give you this gun, am I?

 

Joe:

I don’t know. I just feel like I can’t catch a break. I can’t even die man.

 

Eddie:

Bullshit, I guarantee it man. Don’t mess around, alright, this is for protection and protection alone.

 

Joe:

Yeah well, shit, if you don’t believe me, watch this…

[Joe takes the gun out of Eddie’s hands and pulls the trigger with the gun resting in his mouth, the trigger clicks and nothing happens.]

Eddie: Holy shit. I’d call you a lunatic if I hadn’t just seen that. Let me see that thing.

[Eddie takes the gun back and unloads the clip, a full stocked magazine rests in his hands, he slowly moves the gun up to Joe’s face again and pulls the trigger, a surge of blood sprays out of the back of his skull onto the wall. The camera focuses on his face from the gun’s pov then moves onto the wall as the un shoots and sprays a mess of blood over the wall. You hear his body drop and hit the floor. ]

Eddie:

FUCK! Oh my god, what the fuck….

 

Scene 7

-Eddie’s sitting on the end of Joe’s bed, face in hands, freaking out. The camera moves in a circular motion around the room from his face to the blood splattered all over the wall. Music plays in the background, Eddie stands up (35 seconds into the scene) the camera abruptly focuses on his knees as he walks out the front door. The camera stays still, aiming at the door, slowly panning back to the blood on the wall then back to the doorway as Eddie returns. He’s carrying a brown bed sheet which he uses to wrap Joe up in, he then takes the body over his shoulder and makes his way out the door. The camera follows; the dog owner is back walking his dog again.

Owner:

That looks like some serious luggage you’ve got there.

 

Eddie :

Why don’t you mind your own business…?

 

Owner:

Hah, alright, no chance making peace with a doomed man anyways.

 

Eddie:

What do you mean by that?

 

Owner:

Nothing really, it’s just a saying. Just try to have a nice day…

-The dog owner continues walking away as Eddie just stands there, trying to deal with the situation and contemplating what the dog owner may or may not know. He comes back to his senses and walks over to his car and shoves the body in the trunk, gets in and drives off. The camera stays in the car seat next to Eddie, he lights a cigarette and turns on the radio, nothing but static. Fade to black.

Scene 8

-The camera fades back in; his car is parked next to a chain link fence, the camera cuts to him walking down a canal with the 9 mm in his hand. Music is playing. Editing Note: Time lapse walking from the end to front of the canal. When he gets to the camera he sits on one of the sides and reclines his back against the concrete. He looks tired.

Donny:

Hey, where you been?

 

Eddie:

Over to Joe’s, he was into some trouble and I went to give him a hand.

 

Donny:

Yeah? What kind of trouble? How is he?

 

Eddie:

Well, he’s not to good Marco, he’s dead.

 

Donny:

Fuck man, how?

 

Eddie:

Suicide it looks like, 9mm I sold him earlier today. I left, he blew his brains as soon as I stepped out the front door, BAM, I turn around walk back into the house and one of half of his apartment is now a bright red. Shit, I don’t know what’s happening anymore…

 

Donny:

Damn, I haven’t seen that guy in months. He was working for that pharmaceutical company right?

 

Eddie:

Yeah but they fired him for illegal use of company funding. He never really went into detail about what it was they gave him the boot for but it was along the lines of a painkiller with hallucination like effects. That’s as much as I could gather anyways.

 

Donny:

That’d be interesting to get a hold of, did you ever see that movie with Samuel L. Jackson, Formula 51?

 

Eddie:

Yeah with that “I would do anything for love” guy?

 

 

Donny:

Ha-ha yeah, I always thought that shit was cool. I think I might’ve been like Joe and done the same thing if I went to college and did all that shit.

 

Eddie:

Pfft you fucking burnout, you couldn’t pass a piss test let alone get a degree.

 

Donny:

Ha-ha yeah you’re right about that. So, what did you call me over here for?

 

Eddie:

Well, over in my car, in the trunk, is Joe. What should we do with it?

 

Donny:

We? Don’t even get me involved. Oh, and “he” is not an “it”.

 

Eddie:

HE is DEAD, HE is in my TRUNK, and HE needs to go. I called you to help me, now what should we do?

 

Donny:

Fuck if I know. I don’t care; just don’t include me in this shit.

 

Eddie:

Look, he was your friend too, you may have not seen him for awhile but I remember there was a time when he was the only person you or I could count on when we were short on rent or needed a place to sleep off a hang over. Man, you can’t disrespect him like that. Corpse or not, he wasn’t a rat like us.

 

Donny:

If you’re gonna be all serious about it like that… (Interrupted)

 

Eddie:

Fuck you, serious? He’s dead asshole!

 

Donny:

Alright, like I was saying lets take him out to the fields and bury him. Nobody will find him and it’s respectable enough.

 

Eddie:

If he’s fuckin’ a farmer.

 

Donny:

Motherfucker, I don’t hear you coming up with any great ideas. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s like the ocean of the desert.

 

 

Eddie:

Shut the fuck up, smartass. Walk with me, we’ll take my car and stop by my place to get the shovels.

-They walk down the canal shooting the shit with each other.

Scene 9

3 Weeks Later

 

-Eddie’s over at Joe’s apartment, he’s moving out the bed with Donny. They lift it up from both ends and start to carry it out the front door. The camera stays in the room while they load the bed in a truck and pans over the wall where the blood once was serving as a reminder of what happened. They walk back in and notice there’s a white t-shirt tied around something.

[Eddie walks over to the object]

Eddie:

Hmm what’s this?

[He picks it up and unties the twine wrapped around the white t-shirt. It’s a small medicine bottle with 15 pills in it. No indication as to what it contains]

Donny:

Hey, do you think that’s what got him fired?

 

Eddie:

I do believe so. Let’s get out of here and see what all the fuss is about.

 

Donny:

Sounds good to me.

 

Eddie:

Where are we going to go?

 

Donny:

Let’s just go over to your place

 

Eddie:

Alright

[Fade out]

Scene 10

[Back at Eddie’s apartment, they walk through the doorway. Eddie immediately goes over to his television and turns on the news, just as background filler. They both sit down on his couch; Donny takes the pills out of his pocket and begins examining them.]

Eddie:

You want something to drink?

 

Donny:

Yeah, sure, just water.

 

[Pause while Eddie returns with two glasses of water]

 

Donny:

I don’t know man, I’ll try just about anything once, but I have a really fucking bad feeling about these things.

 

Eddie:

I know what you mean, I’ll tell you what, I’ll try one first and be the guinea pig. If the first hour goes well, then you pop one too… Alright?

 

Donny:

Okay then.

 

[Eddie slams one down and guzzles about half the glass, then gets comfortable in a reclining position]

 

Donny:

Anything?

 

Eddie:

Nah, maybe it’s like mescaline or something… (His voice dies and he starts humming)

 

Donny:

Eddie, what the fuck man?

 

Eddie:

Hmm? Just be very still.

 

 

Donny:

Ha-ha I can tell how the next couple hours are going to be.

 

Eddie: I need a piss..

 

[He urinates on the couch, as soon as Donny realizes he’s relieving his bladder on the same couch as him, he darts up to the otherside of the room]

 

Donny:

Come on, you stupid chicken fucker!

 

Eddie:

He-he I warned you.

 

Donny:

Fuck, that shit must have put you in another place altogether.

 

[From Eddie’s POV, the room’s shaky and every light emanates a red glow.]

 

Eddie:

Man, I’m so goddamn comfortable; it must be an opiate of some sort. This is like fucking heroin and vicodin. I’ve never gotten so out of my skin before either.

 

Donny:

I think I might pass this wonder drug up.

 

Eddie:

Nah, you gotta feel this. I have no control. The lights pour down the lines in my face, the air feels like a wet towel in my mouth, my hands feel sensitized. I’m so small, the rooms so big.

 

Donny:

Fuck, I hope it isn’t long lasting.

 

Eddie:

Put on some music, I want to get that connection feeling, man.

 

Donny:

You got any grass around here?

 

Eddie:

Yeah, over in the pantry, in the oatmeal container.

 

[Donny turns off the T.V. and starts up the stereo, he turns it up midway then walks out of the frame into another room and comes back with a couple joints. He sits down on the floor against a wall and lights one]

 

Donny:

You know, I just can’t get over Joe dying. So sudden too. I mean, I know he was in some shit and life wasn’t exactly green acres for him but damned if that’s the way to go… I mean, he still had some shit going for him, he was brilliant.

 

Eddie:

What?

 

Donny:

Never mind, anything I say now is way over your head.

 

Eddie:

He didn’t kill himself though; I watched my hands pull the trigger. There’s no denying it, I made a mistake but he had tried to die.

 

Donny:

What the fuck are you saying? You murdered one of your closest friends?!

 

Eddie:

Well he put the gun to his own head in front of me and pulled the trigger. Nothing fucking happened! So I thought it was a defective pistol.

 

Donny:

So what? You shot at him.

 

Eddie:

Well, I wasn’t exactly thinking straight. I was kind of confused; the safety wasn’t on or anything. That was un-explainable!

 

Donny:

No but motherfucker, you killed him. You destroyed a life, how the fuck can you just brush it off like that?

 

Eddie:

It was a fucking accident.

 

[Eddie motions with his fingers a gun pointing at Donny then makes a firing sound]

Donny:

Man, I think you’ve lost touch. Fucking PRICK!

 

ASSHOLE!

 

Eddie:

Come on, it was like he wanted me to do it. Kind of…

 

Donny:

Fuck you! There’s no way… Maybe he did have the safety on, maybe your finger slipped but goddamn it, you fucking murdered him.

 

Eddie:

Well, what can we do about it now?

 

Donny:

(Silent for a moment, jokingly) An eye for an eye, take your own fucking life.

 

Eddie:

(He sits up, looking conflicted yet entertaining the notion) Yeahhh, maybeee…

 

Donny:

Ah fuck man, I was just kidding…

 

Eddie:

No, I think you’re right. That guy with the dog even thought so…

 

Donny:

Huh? What the fuck do you mean?

 

Eddie:

No time to explain…

 

[Eddie darts out of the room, runs up the stairs, the camera following two steps behind in rigid motion. He goes into a room, opens a window and jumps out as Donny gets near the window]

 

Donny:

No! You crazy FUCK!!!

 

[Donny runs back down the stairs out the front door and around to Eddie’s body. He checks the pulse, he’ still breathing, Donny lifts him over his shoulder and gets him into the car parked several feet away]

 

Eddie:

Fuck it, man, I’m gonna die. Just take me out the ocean.

 

Donny:

You stupid bastard, you know we don’t live near a fucking ocean! I’m not driving you hundreds of miles away to let you, a dying piece of shit, see the ocean. You’ll probably die from a ruptured organ by then anyways. I’ll take you to the hospital.

 

 

Eddie:

No, fuck no! I’m too stoned, take me over to Joe’s just leave me there.

 

Donny:

Bad fucking idea…

 

Eddie:

Why?

 

Donny:

Without getting too into it what if some swinging dick sees me hauling your carcass ass into his place? You die and then I’m held responsible. No way.

 

Eddie:

Then back to the canals, I always wanted to die there.

 

Donny:

Shit…… Fine…

 

[They drive and the scene fades out with Eddie breathing heavy and whining in pain]

Scene 11

[Donny pulls into Joe’s apartment complex. He gets out and walks over to Joe’s doorway. He lets himself in and walks around the studio; he sits in the middle of the floor and thinks for a bit. The dog owner phrase plays, he thinks, he stands up and walks into the bathroom. He takes a leak. He looks under the sink and in the medicine cabinet, both are empty. He leaves the bathroom and walks out the front door; the dog owner is standing there, waiting. He hits Donny over the head with a lead pipe and hauls him back into Joe’s apartment.]

Fade out

Fade In

Blurry vision…

Owner:

So, where are they? We’ve searched the whole place… You and your friend are the only ones have been in here aside from Joe and that hooker.

 

Donny:

Eddie? Fuck, he’s dead. He killed himself.

 

 

 

Owner:

I’m assuming you haven’t tried them yet. Where are they? You’ve obviously seen the remarkable effects the pills have on the human body. Give them up and you wont die like your friends.

Donny:

Fuck you, remarkable? Like it’s something special? Fuck that! What will you do with them?

 

Owner:

That’s none of your business, this is a federal case and we need those pills. If they go into circulation, there could be terrible consequences when those pills reach the media’s knowledge. Where are they?

 

Donny:

Bullshit, who are you with?

 

Owner:

I’m a correspondent spokesperson from the FDA.

 

Donny:

I’ll assume bashing in peoples skulls are part of the FDA’s protocol.

 

Owner:

Quite.

 

Donny:

They’re gone, I destroyed them, like I’m going to sell those to anyone. I’m not fucking maniac like you rat bastards and your corporate scheming.

 

Owner:

Ah, so you’re one of those paranoids. We want this situation to disappear just like you do.

 

Donny:

Disappear? My friends are dead over this mess you funded him to create. You had to have known, you should’ve never approved him to work on the project,

 

Owner:

He was commissioned to create a cure for schizophrenia; he was allowed to use every resource including illegal substances under close supervision.

 

Donny:

Well what the fuck happened?

 

Owner:

He was deceitful and very secretive about what he began creating.

 

Donny:

What are you going to do now?

 

Owner:

Eradicate the parallels that keep this an open case.

 

Donny:

What does that mean?

 

[The dog owner pulls out a gun and shoots him in the chest twice. Low angled camera shot from Donny’s floor POV]

Donny:

(Gurgling blood over his face) Fucker…

 

Owner:

(On a cell phone) The situation has been neutralized. Send in a cleaner.

Fade out

Scene 12[Eddie’s lying on a bed in a room; it looks like a small makeshift hospital room. A guy walks into the room and sits in a chair next to his bed; he puts a finger under Eddie’s nose to check his breathing.]

Darren:

Shit. I never expected you to be in this position. No sir.

(Pause)

Mom always said I was the wild one, look at you.

( He cracks the slightest smile, somewhat desperate. He tries to shake him awake, he sits for a moment slaps him in the face and startles Eddie awake)

 

Eddie:

Motherfucker, man, I’m trying to sleep.

 

Darren:

You piece of shit, you don’t know how bad you scared the family.

 

Eddie:

(Sarcastically) Well send out some apology letters.

 

Darren:

Very fucking funny. Look Jerry Lee, I came here to see how you’re doing but if it’s gonna be all wisecracks and bullshit you can have one less person in your life who gives a fuck.

 

Eddie:

(Apologetically) Sorry, it’s just rough.

 

Darren:

No kidding. May I ask what it was that inspired you to test Mr. Newton?

 

Eddie:

Ha-ha it was Mr. Murphy.

 

Both:

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

(Chuckle)

 

Darren:

Seriously, what happened?

 

Eddie:

It was this nasty shit, something from a lab. You remember Joe, right?

 

Darren:

That goofy looking mongoloid that works over at the 7/11?

 

Eddie:

Fuck no! Back in high school he would take rags soaked in lighter fluid and stick them in people’s plastic mailboxes and watch them melt down, you gotta remember that!

 

Darren:

Oh yeah, how is that cat?

 

Eddie:

Well he’s dead, actually.

 

Darren:

No kidding… How’d it happen?

 

Eddie:

Uh, suicide I heard. Gun to his forehead.

 

Darren:

Fuck. Were you trying to copycat?

 

Eddie:

Very funny. No, as I was saying, he made these pills. Fucking out of this world, and me, being the drug fiend, got a hold of some that he left behind. They were killer, I have the faintest memory about them but what I do recall was this amazing body rush with an occasional numbness. Everything was comfortable but itchy at the same time, but you see that didn’t matter because it felt amazing when you’d scratch yourself.

 

Darren:

Shit, something like that could go pretty high with some of the junkies I know. Pills you say?

 

Eddie:

Yeah, but I’d cut the dosage in half or even in fourths.

 

Darren:

Where are they?

 

Eddie:

Oh, uh, I think they’re over at Donovan’s house.

 

Darren:

(Under his breath) Shit…

 

Eddie:

What?

 

Darren:

You haven’t heard yet…

 

Eddie:

Heard what?

 

Darren:

He was shot down in a drive by. They have a couple thuggish looking guys in custody but no definite culprit. It happened down on Central.

 

Eddie:

When?

 

Darren:

A couple of days ago. Right after you ended up here. I heard they’re going to have a memorial service.

 

 

 

Eddie:

I wish I could go, even if I could walk I still won’t even be able to leave fucking rehab. They’re gonna have me going in this clinic for like two years, they’re guesstimating. Fucking bummer huh?

 

Darren:

Well, in the long run, it’ll be good for you. I’ll send your condolences.

 

Eddie:

Thanks bud.

 

Darren:

Don’t worry about it. I gotta split, maybe I’ll go over snoop around Donny’s place, hopefully the pills weren’t taken when the police searched the house for evidence linking to his murder.

 

Eddie:

You know, it really meant a lot for you to come down here and check up on me.

 

Darren:

Well don’t get all sentimental on me now Typhoid Mary, but it isn’t a problem to come down and check on my little brother. Rest easy kid.

 

Eddie:

Yeah, take care man.

 

Fade out

Fade in

[Darren enters through the backdoor of Donny’s house, he looks around underneath blankets and chairs, behind photos, in the couch seats, in the bathroom]

Darren:

Pfft medicine cabinet.

[He looks inside the medicine cabinet and finds six or seven medicine bottles half filled with various pills. He distinguishes the opiate pills as the only ones unmarked. He stuffs them in his jacket, runs up the stairs and snoops around in his room, going through dresser drawers and his closet and comes out with a handful of cash and a small baggie of cocaine.

Darren:

Score.

Fade out as he exits the room.