Away From Home Ep.2 (act 3 of 3)

ACT 3

INT PLANET-THE MINE

FURLIN and ROGER stand up straight and they all raise their guns again, they slowly move in the direction the GRIMLAAR RAN, with TONY, JOANNA and NATHAN in front and ROGER and FURLIN behind them.

SOUND: DISTANT GROWLING IN PAIN


ROGER (enthusiastic)
I guess we hurt it.

FURLIN
Yeah but how badly?

JOANNA
Enough to make it run off.

The growls in pain continue.

JOANNA
And be in pain.

NATHAN
And probably enough to piss it off so shut up and concentrate.

JOANNA glares at NATHAN but keeps quiet. The GRIMLAAR’S growling gets louder, they walk round a soft corner and into a wide open area of the mine. The ceiling is high and the GRIMLAAR is at the far end, its back to them. It is holding its shoulder and chest where they shot it, silvery blood is seeping from the space between its fingers. TONY and NATHAN get down on one knee, all of them had their guns aimed at the GRIMLAAR. Slowly they begin to move closer, separating as they went. ROGER walks carefully to the left, his eyes never leaving the GRIMLAAR, when his foot suddenly hit’s a small rock, the sound echos throughout the open area. The others glare at him for a moment before turning back to the GRIMLAAR. The GRIMLAAR hears the noise and turns around, its expression turns from pain to anger.

ROGER
Ah shit!

The GRIMLAAR rushes towards them.

TONY
FIRE!

They all fire at the GRIMLAAR, but it jumps out the way and onto a wall high near the ceiling. With their assault rifles they follow the GRIMLAAR’S movement, but when they get close to hitting it, it jumps out the way again this time downward behind a pile of large rocks. They stop shooting and wait for the GRIMLAAR to emerge.
JOANNA
Did you guys see the way it jumped?

TONY
Afraid we did.

NATHAN
Yeah but I’m thinking its scared of us otherwise it woulda came at us. Not away.

ROGER
Maybe its biding it’s time, waiting for us to run out of ammo.

JOANNA
Well then we’ll just have to kill it before that happens.

A silence greets them as they wait for the GRIMLAAR.

SOUND: LOW GROWLS

Suddenly the GRIMLAAR jumps up from the rocks towards them, they shoot it again, and it screetches in pain. The GRIMLAAR lands several feet in front of them and then jumps at them. They continue shooting but dive out they way when it gets close, the GRIMLAAR lands where FURLIN was before he dived out the way and it is now next to JOANNA. JOAANA backs away from the GRIMLAAR and keeps shooting it. The GRIMLLAR screams in pain and jumps out the way again but not before swiping at JOANNA with its clawed right hand and hit her in the stomach. JOAANA screams and falls on her back, the GRIMLAAR has gone back behind the rocks. They all rush to JOANNA.

TONY
JOANNA!

ROGER opens his medi-kit. TONY places his arm under her head and she leans her head back to rest on it. ROGER first takes out a tiny ball of wool and uses it to clean the blood from the wounds. FURLIN and NATHAN keep their guns aimed on the rocks the GRIMLAAR is hiding behind. ROGER puts the now bloodied ball of wool back in his medi-kit.

TONY
Tell me something good doc.

ROGER
I’ll tell you something great, the cuts aren’t deep enough for any permanent damage. She’ll live.

TONY looks relieved and sighs. JOAANA gives a pained smile.

JOANNA
It still hurts though.

ROGER
I could give you something for that.

ROGER reaches back into his medi-kit but JOANNA stops him.

JOANNA
Don’t bother doc. The pain lets me know I’m alive.

ROGER takes his hand out the medi-kit and closes it. NATHAN looks around the open area then his eyes settle on a large rock sticking out of the ceiling directly above where the GRIMLAAR is hiding.

NATHAN
Hey Furlin. How bad would it be if say, a piece of the ceiling is destroyed?

FURLIN thinks for a few long seconds.

FURLIN
Well, I’d think that this part of the mine would be gone and maybe a bit of one or two tunnels around here.
(eyes NATHAN suspiciously)
Why?

NATHAN
Well, you see that…?
(points to the rock)
… I’m gonna try and break it so it falls on the Grimlaar.

FURLIN
That’s insane, that’s stupid… that might actually work.

NATHAN sniggers. TONY and ROGER help JOANNA to a seated position, then they move next to FURLIN and NATHAN.

NATHAN
Captain the plan is-.

TONY
We heard, how do we get it to work though?

NATHAN
Well you guys just make sure the things stays behind those rocks and I’ll worry about getting those rocks to hit him.

ROGER
How do you know it’ll kill it?

NATHAN
I don’t but bullets don’t really seem to work so…

ROGER
Oh that’s reassuring.

TONY
On the count of 3 ok?

They all nod their heads.

TONY
1...2...3!

TONY, FURLIN and ROGER shoot at the rocks the GRIMLAAR is hiding behind while NATHAN shoots the sticking from the ceiling just above it.

SOUND: GRIMLAAR SCREAMING.

The rocks sticking from the ceiling suddenly break in pieces and fall, the GRIMLAAR looks up just as the rocks fall onto it. They stop shooting and wait, there is only silence.

JOANNA
…did we win?

Before anyone could answer the mine starts rumbling.

TONY
No time to find out, lets go!!

They all stand up and run for the exit, TONY goes to JOAANA put her arm around his neck and carries her and follows the others. Rocks from the ceiling and walls fall to the ground and shatter into tiny pieces.

TONY
GO! GO!

They keep running as the wave of falling rocks behind them catch up. The rocks stop falling as they reach the exit and a cloud of dust surrounds them, they cough heavily until the cloud disappears. Outside it is now daytime and they see all the inhabitants around them, staring at them.

TONY
Did we do something wrong?

JOANNA
Not that I can think of.

TONY
Then why are they looking at us like we should be crucified.

JOANNA
I have no idea.

TONY helps JOANNA to stand but she still leans on him for support. One member of the crowd moves forward and walks to TONY, before they can do anything the man hugs TONY and the rest of the crowd shouts out in cheers, their arms raised high as they threw things into the air. The crew all look at each other in surprise, unsure of what to do. The man lets go of TONY then hugs JOANNA, who tightened her hold on TONY to stay standing then lets her go too.

MAN
I thank you all for what you’ve done. We have been trying for days to get rid of that Grimlaar.

TONY
We’re just glad we all survived.

MAN
My name is Zalarynn, I’m the operator of this mine planet, and for your service I am prepared to give you anything you want free of charge.

They are surprised by his offer and are in silence for a short while

TONY
That’s umm, extremely kind of you, we’ll just take a few needed supplies and be on our way.

ZALARYNN
Don’t be foolish, take whatever you wish.

TONY
(raising his hands)
No, we don’t want to be greedy.

ZALARYNN smiles gratefully and walks back to the crowd, the crowd opens and lets him pass. NATHAN bursts into laughter, they all stare at him.

FURLIN
What’s so funny?

NATHAN
Its just that we did all that for money for supplies and-
(laughs)
And now this guys says we can have it for free.

One by one they all start laughing until they all were.

INT THE SHIP-CARGO BAY

NATHAN and KARGEN is carrying several small food crates into the CARGO BAY and carefully puts them on the ground with ten other crates of varying sizes. NATHAN is out of breath and groans and stretches when he lets go of the crate.

NATHAN (hopeful)
Is that the last one?

KARGEN
Yes

NATHAN relaxes.

NATHAN
Oh thank God.

INT THE SHIP-DINING AREA

SAM is sitting down, looking down at her hands with a sad expression on her face. TONY comes in and sees her expression.

TONY
Sam…?

SAM looks up at TONY.

SAM
Yeah?

TONY
What’s up?

SAM
Nothing its…
(beat)
… its nothing.

TONY walks further into the DINING AREA and grabs a chair, moves it and sits down so he is facing her.

TONY
Come on tell me.

SAM
… its… its just that I can’t stop thinking of what happened to Jo.

TONY nods his head in understanding.

TONY
You’re thinking that I might not have happened if you came with us.

After a moments hesitation SAM nods and looks back down to her hands.

TONY
Or, just for the sake of maybe, what might have happened is that the Grimlaar might have hit you instead of Jo and you might have died.

SAM’S expression worsens.

SAM
I hadn’t thought of that.

TONY
Exactly, but I don’t care about the ‘mights’ and ‘maybes’, I just care about the ‘dids’ and ‘didn’ts’. for example Jo did come with us but didn’t get killed. That’s what matters to me most.

SAM gives a weak attempt at a smile.

SAM
Thanks Captain.

TONY
No problem, now be ready ‘cause we’re leaving soon.

TONY leaves the DINING AREA. SAM smiles again as he leaves.

INT THE SHIP-COCKPIT

JOANNA is sitting in her seat flicking a few switches to start up THE SHIP. She starts reaching high above her when pain in her stomach hit her and she holds it groaning in pain.

SAM
Still hurts?

JOANNA turns to see SAM standing just inside the COCKPIT, a worried look on her face.

JOAANA
Just a little.

SAM moves in further and sits in the co-pilot chair, JOANNA reaches up again, this time without any pain and presses a button to bring the exit ramp up, then she sits back down.

SAM
Hey Jo, listen-

JOANNA
Before you say anything can I say something?

SAM
o-k…


JOANNA
I’m fine with you not coming along, you aren’t cut out for the fighting and gun battles and things like that. I know that you are sorry about this…
(pointing to her injured stomach)
… but remember I chose to go with them, so its no one’s fault but my own.

SAM
Thanks.

Silence stays around them for a while as THE SHIP lifts from the ground and exit’s the planet.

JOANNA
Well, you got your wish at least.

SAM looks at JOANNA in puzzlement.

SAM
What wish?

JOANNA
Remember earlier you wished that we could find some alien that liked us.

SAM
Yeah?

JOANNA
Well now, we have an entire planet of aliens that like us.

SAM
Heh, I guess you’re right.

SAM looks out to the stars ahead of them.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF ACT 3

END CREDITS