2. EXT. ASTORIA - DAY
Astoria, Oregon. The sky is grey and the day’s last few
raindrops mist over the old part of the town. It’s a hilly
place with a beautiful body of water at its side and across
the water are mountains covered by luscious green forest.
Most of the homes in town are built on the upward slant of
the landscape, making them look as if they are stacked atop
one another.
EXT. SALTY LEAF CAFE / BACKLOT - DAY
The cafe is the bottom portion of a two story brick
building with an old fire escape on its side and a wooden
menu board out front that reads "Today’s Special Poor Man’s
Lobster".
Most of the storage seems to be in the back of the
building, it looks like a junk yard scattered with milk
crates, propane tanks, broken ovens, stacked chairs and a
makeshift meat smoker made mostly out of car parts.
A BUSBOY in his twenties steps out the back entrance of the
cafe wearing a tie-dyed Bob Marley shirt partially hidden
by a drenched white apron and a wool beanie atop his purple
hair. He is carrying a large bin that is loaded with half
eaten food and napkins.
BUSBOY
Ughhhh, people are so nasty.
He walks over to the dumpster struggling with the bin as he
tries reaching for his phone.
In the shuffle he drops a thick wad of cash and it rolls on
the pavement as he continues to walk.
After emptying the bin he looks down at his phone, a can
falls in the distance and his head pops up glaring over to
the meat smoker. He returns to his phone, there’s a text
bubble from KRYSTAL reading "Hey Vince, r U busy ;)?"
BUSBOY
Bitch must want my dick, aha ha ha.
He passes the smoker on the way back, grinning as he thumbs
about his phone, stepping right past his roll of money.
The door closes and GORDON steps from behind the smoker. He
scans the area as he makes his way to the dumpster. Gordon
is an old man with a full white beard that pops out from
3. 2.
the layers of dirty jackets he wears. He has numerous scars
on his face, most of which blend into his wrinkles, except
for a dominant scar that passes through his right eyebrow.
He looks down at the green bills for a moment, then glances
over to the back door before he starts rummaging about the
dumpster.
Eventually he pulls out a heavy stained blanket, examines
the damage then quickly folds it.
Gordon takes in a long scan of the area and carefully lays
the backpack down, draping the blanket over it.
He continues digging head first into the dumpster picking
up a decent looking apple only to turn it around showing a
deep dark spot of mold. Gordon drops the apple when his eye
catches something, he goes back into the dumpster tossing
old food until he appears again pulling out a newspaper. He
looks it over it intently as he scratches at the scar on
his eyebrow. He is unable to close his mouth, showcasing
his rotten left over teeth.
Across from him the back door opens and the busboy steps
out holding another bin while propping his phone in-between
his ear and shoulder.
BUSBOY
Hey Krystal, you looking to chill
later or something, maybe watch a
movie?
His grin starts to fade away.
BUSBOY
Oh, you want weed?
He then notices Gordon in the distance stuffing the blanket
into the bag.
BUSBOY
Seriously bro?! Get the fuck out of
here.
He drops the bin and pockets the phone, then reaches over
for a bat alongside the door frame. The bus boy takes the
bat and shatters a nearby bottle leaving class trickle
about all the junk in the lot.
BUSBOY
I’ve busted up bums before man,
trust me.
4. GORDON
I don’t need trouble kid.
The busboy takes a couple steps forward pointing the bat
and Gordon look back, his bushy eyebrows lowering to his
eyes.
5. 4.
BUSBOY
Better not catch you again.
GORDON
(To himself)
You can bet on that jelly head.
Gordon walks off and the busboy notices his money on the
ground. He quickly checks it and looks up at Gordon walking
off in the distance.
He glances down to the newspaper on the ground, there’s a
picture of a clean cut man with a scar on his brow on the
cover with a slug line that reads "Portland Ponzi Schemer",
the busboy looks back at the man.
Then checks his cash again by counting it.
Gordon goes on walking, occasionally stopping to look back
towards the cafe. All at once he starts to cough and can
barely take in a breath.
EXT. LITTLE GIRLS HOME/BACKYARD - DAY
From a short distance a little GIRL with pigtails plays at
a swing set in the backyard. Her MOTHER watches her while
taking pictures with her phone.
Gordon slows his pace for a moment and watches the
interaction. The two laugh with each other until the mom
notices Gordon, she quickly picks up the girl starting to
walk to the house, before making it to the door her head
turns back at Gordon. The look of disgust slowly comes out
of her expression.
MOTHER
(Mouthing)
Worthless.
He glares at the woman as he spits on the ground and
continues to walk away towards main street.
EXT. MAIN STREET ASTORIA - DAY
Bikes pass by on the wet street as Gordon walks by the
building looking down at the ground trying to avoid the
stares that surround him.
A couple at a bus stop across the street laugh with each
other as they watch Gordon walk, all he can see is their
mouths moving as they both tilt their heads back laughing.
6. 5.
An old man with a VFW hat walks past him, he up downs
Gordon as he vigorously chew his gum, shaking his head as
he passes him.
Two TROUBLEMAKERS blast by on skateboards nearly hitting
Gordon.
TROUBLEMAKER 1
Watch the fuck out!
TROUBLEMAKER 2
(laughing)
Dirty piece of shit.
Gordon continues to walk until he comes up to the end of an
alley. There is an elderly HOMELESS WOMAN underneath an
overhang, she is covered in blankets with most of her
belongings arranged against the building she is laying in
front of. She wears glasses with a missing lens, her hair
greasy locks and the remaining pieces of teeth poke out
from her dark grey gums.
There is an empty pizza box with a few dollars in it, on
the inside of the box it reads "Please help I have lost
everything I once had. God bless." The two look at each
other but Gordon is quick to look away.
Gordon walks past to the beginning of the alley, when he is
abruptly forced to step aside as the same troublemakers
dart past him again.
They stop in front of the elderly woman and start grabbing
all the money from the box.
HOMELESS WOMAN
(yelling)
Stop, stop, that’s mine.
TROUBLEMAKER 1
Get a job grandma.
One of the boys kicks the empty pizza at Gordon, they
laugh.
TROUBLEMAKER 2 Dude,
now we gotta enough for a dime
bag, we’ll hit up Purple at
Salty Leaf.
TROUBLEMAKER 1 Thanks
lady haha, hope his bud is the
color of his hair this time.
7. 6.
The boys pass by looking at Gordon as he stand there. The
homeless woman signals Gordon to stop them.
HOMELESS WOMAN Do
something! You just going to let
them do that?
She tosses her hands up in the air.
HOMELESS WOMAN I need
all I can get, aint got a fancy
bag like you do.
Gordon looks down at her for a moment and readjusts his
backpack. Then keeps walking toward the alleyway stepping
onto the pizza box on his way.
HOMELESS WOMAN
Way to watch out for your own.
EXT. ALLEYWAY - DAY
Water drips down from stairwells and Gordon starts moving
items around by a trashcan. A rat scurries around in-
between two cans, stopping and looking up at Gordon.
Gordon takes a moment and looks around the alley before
going back to the search.
While moving garbage he notices something moving under a
piece of tarp, as he moves it he sees a dog caught up in a
bundle of rusted barbed wire. One of the dogs hind legs is
badly cut up from struggling.
The dog looks up at Gordon, not making a noise and unable
to free itself. Gordon makes sure no one is around and
pulls the blanket from his backpack.
In doing so, we see a wad of one hundred dollar bills fall
to the ground. Quickly he grabs it and we see that the bag
is close to overflowing with cash.
He looks over the area again when one of the exit doors
blasts open echoing in the alley, Gordon zips his bag back
up and puts it on.
TWO LARGE MEN wearing black throw a DRUNK MAN out of the
bar. The man scrapes against the shiny pavement, his
expensive button up shirt now wet and torn. He is a tall
man, with big arms and broad shoulders, short hair with
frosted tips.
DRUNKEN MAN
8. 7.
Fight me you pussies, c’mon!
The door slams shut and the man punches the door, screaming
up at the grey sky. His upper lip is swollen and he
continues to punch the door leaving blood stains from his
fists.
DRUNKEN MAN I
wasn’t done with my fucking
drink. That I payed for.
The disorderly man stumbles to the ground as he tries to
kick the door open.
Gordon a few yards away attempts to unwind the barbed wire
and free the dog. As he unwraps the last barb, he realizes
the dog is unable to walk.
The barbed wire is so tightly coiled from struggling that
bone is exposed on one leg, the dogs hair is matted, ribs
visible and isn’t moving, just looking up at Gordon slowly
blinking.
The irate man notices Gordon by the trashcan. He wipes the
snot and blood from his face in one loud motion before
spitting on the ground.
DRUNKEN MAN
Hey! You been watching
me.
Gordon looks up at the man and starts to walk away, locking
eyes with the dog as he attempts to leave him and the
disorderly man.
DRUNKEN MAN
Where you think your going bum?
GORDON
Just let me by.
DRUNKEN MAN
You trying to piss me off old man,
I ought to teach you a lesson for
eating out of garbage cans.
Gordon picks up the pace but the man lunges out grabbing
his bag, causing Gordon twist around. The man takes Gordon
buy the throat pulling him in closer.
DRUNKEN MAN
(laughing)
9. 8.
Ooh, that got you going, let me
guess you must live in this bag.
He easily throws Gordon down to the ground and spits on
him.
We see his backpack fall to the ground and slide on the
pavement, a few more wads of cash fall from the bag. Gordon
looks down for a moment, the drunk still locked on him,
oblivious to what is now laying on the floor.
DRUNKEN MAN
(teeth clenched)
Hit me, hit me.
Gordon looks up at the man locking eyes with him. His
breathing is raspy as he grimaces in pain.
GORDON
You are looking at a dead soul just
let me be.
The man slaps Gordon across his face.
DRUNKEN MAN
If you fight me I’ll let you go.
Now the bag has finally come into view for the drunk and
his eyes go wide, showing his pearly white teeth as he
laugh. He then peers over to Gordon.
DRUNKEN MAN
Fine. I’ll take be taking that bag
then.
Gordon stares down the man, he makes it to his feet but is
disoriented and he reaches into his jacket.
He pulls out a led pipe and cracks the man in the teeth
knocking him out on the second swing. In the distance
police sirens can be heard and Gordon raises his head.
He starts to leave the area when the dog barks at him, he
stops and looks down at the dog.
The siren is getting closer by the second.
He drops down to the ground and picks up the blanket. The
dog looks over at him attempting to bark but not making a
sound.
A police car drives down the alley.
10. 9.
The drunk man is now sitting up against a dumpster and is
groaning on the ground slurping the blood pouring from his
mouth.
Gordon wraps the dog up in the blanket and cradles him in
his arms as the officer steps out of the vehicle notices
the intoxicated man then Gordon.
OFFICER
Sir, I’m gonna have to have a word
with you, can you step up to the
vehicle please?
Gordon struggles to hold the dog while picking up the bag,
he acts like he can’t hear the officer.
OFFICER
Sir, I asked you to stop!
Gordon looks at the officer in a daze his eyes wide open
looking at the exit.
OFFICER
You will get tazed if you resist
me.
The drunk man stands up noticing what is happening and
takes a mad dash past the officer, who leaps out tackling
the man to the ground, crashing into the trash cans.
In the chaos the drunk man punches the officer in the face
and gets up.
The officer pulls out his taser gun and locks onto the man
filling him with high voltage, Gordon sees his opportunity
and runs out of the alleyway.
OFFICER
(Into radio handset) I
need backup down here behind
Milo’s Bar.
The officer cuffs the man and leaves him on his stomach.
Red foam fills the drunks mouth and drips to the pavement.
He peers off in the distance seeing Gordon making his
escape, and takes off after him.
OFFICER
Sir! I’m asking you to stop!
EXT. MAIN STREET ASTORIA - DAY
11. 10.
Gordon hits the corner drops his bag while struggling with
the dog and stops dead in his tracks.
The red and blue lights splash on the walls at the entrance
of the alleyway as Gordon looks down at the homeless woman
once more. She lays there sleeping, with her blankets
almost masking her face.
Gordon looks at her then he hears the footsteps of the
officer getting closer. He then looks at the bag and
without hesitation he slides it towards the old woman.
More sirens can be heard in the distance and Gordon goes
back into survival mode darting across the street. A car
almost flattens him as he make it across the street.
He makes his way down another alley before vanishing around
the corner.
The officer makes his way to the end of the alleyway still
yelling, causing the old woman to wake up. He is unable to
catch his breath, the woman notices the blood pouring down
from his nose.
OFFICER
Ma’am did you see a man with a dog
run through here?
HOMELESS WOMAN
No sir.
She then looks down and pulls the bag next to her, the
office calls again for backup. As the woman opens the bag
she gasps for a breath and holds it to her chest. Her eyes
bulging out.
The backup car arrives and parks in front of the lady, in
the backseat are the two skateboarders and the bus boy they
are arguing until one of them recognizes the old lady
outside the car.
The woman looks up and laughs with her mouth wide open, she
then gets up shaking the blankets from her. With only the
backpack on her she leaves her home and walks down the
street still laughing.
