5 Minutes

5 Minutes

FADE IN:


Black.  A consistent tick...tick...tick.  An institutional style clock is illuminated.  The second hand ticks once more caustin ghte minute hand to adjust.  The clock reads 7:30.


CUT TO:


INT. WOMANS CAR -- NIGHT


A phone rings.  A YOUNG WOMAN's hand reaches for the phone.  The dash board clock glows: 7:30 pm.


YOUNG WOMAN

I know.  I'm late.  I will be there in 5 minutes...I swear, 5 minutes.


The phone clicks shut.


CUT TO:


INT. OFFICE -- NIGHT


An answering machine beeps. An awkward teenage BOY presses play.


MAN'S VOICE

Hey buddy.  Mom and I won't be making it home in time for dinner again.  I left a twenty on my desk for a pizza.


The boy reaches into the desk drawer and pulls out a gun.  Sits on the pretentious office chair.  A Grandfather clock reads: 7:30.  BANG. THUD.  The Boys' head crashes onto the answering machine.  It plays.


MAN'S VOICE (CONT'D)

Hey buddy. Mom...


CUT TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT


A tiny room.  Kept up as well as finances will allow.  An ELDERLY WOMAN and an ELDERLY MAN sit in their matching recliners.  A tiny piece of paper is crumpled in the Elderly Woman's hand.  A television glows.  A NEWS ANCHOR reports.


NEWS ANCHOR

It is now time, the drawing for 150 million dollars.  Our first number is 5.


The little lottery balls pop-up, one by one.  The Elderly Woman examines her ticket.


NEWS ANCHOR (CONT'D)

20. 34. 38. 45. 46.


The Elderly Woman's jaw drops.


ELDERLY MAN

Wasn't that fun?  You wasted another dollar.


The Elderly Woman has a burst of life.  Hops out of her recliner, jumps for joy.


ELDERLY WOMAN

We won! We won! We won 150 million dollars!


The Elderly Man grabs his chest.


ELDERLY WOMAN (CONT'D)

Pa. You okay?  Noooooooooooo....


The ticket floats to thte ground.  A clock reads: 7:31 pm.


CUT TO:


INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE -- NIGHT


A Don Juan, twenty-something, GUY.  Handsome, well dressed.  His foot shakes, nervous. A DOCTOR enters, chart in hand.


DOCTOR

I am sorry I have to tell you this.


GUY

Oh god.


DOCTOR

Your test came back.  You are HIV postive.  I'm sorry.


The Guy's head falls into his hands.  His watch reads: 7:32.


CUT TO:


EXT. DESERTED ALLEY -- NIGHT


A young college STUDENT; female, pretty, carrying books.  A walk she takes every night.  Glances at her watch, 7:32.  A lurking shadow, a MAN.  Grabs her, knocks her to the ground.


STUDENT

No!!! Help me!


MAN

Shut up!


He smacks her.  She quiets.  He rips open her shirt.  The buttons POP, one by one.  He UNZIPS her pants.  She cries, helpless, unheard tears.

                                                                           CUT TO:

INT. DELIVERY ROOM -- NIGHT


The laboring legs of a new mother.  An emerging head, a new life, taking its' first breath.  A DOCTOR hands the NEWBORN to its' Mother.  The Mother caresses her new baby.  The wall clock reads: 7:33 pm.


CUT TO:


EXT. CITY STREET -- NIGHT


A STREET GANG.  Initiation for a new RECRUIT.  A young African-American boy.  The Gang is pumping the kid up.  The hand him a revolver.


GANG

Go! Come on Go!


The Recruit turns the corner.  Swallows deeply enters into a Convenience Store.


INT. CONVENIENCE STORE


RECRUIT

Put your hands up.  Empty drawer.  Now.  I said hands up.


He lets off one round at the ceiling.  The CASHIER reaches down.  Pulls out a shot gun.  Gun fire.  Both fall to the floor.  The clock reads: 7:34 pm.


CUT TO:


INT. BAR -- NIGHT


A busy local bar.  A forty-something MAN stumbles off his bar stool.


MAN

See you all later.


BARTENDER

Hey, you sure you can drive?


MAN

I'm fine.


INT. PARKING LOT

The Man opens the door to his BLUE SUV.


INT. MANS' CAR

Climbs in, turns on the car.  The radio blares.  The dashboard clock reads: 7:34 pm.


CUT TO:


INT. WOMANS' CAR -- NIGHT


The dashboard clock reads 7:34 pm.  The Woman sings the song on the radio. CRASH.


EXT. WOMAN'S CAR


A fatal car crash.  Struck by a BLUE SUV.


CUT TO:


Black.  Tick...tick...tick.  An institutional style clock is illuminated.  The second hand ticks once more causing the minute hand to adjust.  The clock reads: 7:35.


FADE OUT


Comments:
 
foreverunwritten   foreverunwritten wrote
on 5/1/2013 4:19:06 AM
Pulchritudinous writing, Lindsay! Love how it was quite fast-paced.

Rob5679   Rob5679 wrote
on 9/22/2009 4:06:22 PM
Gripping. I would love to see this as a short film. It had an air of Stephen King about it for me and would definately have fit well in the TV show of Nightmares and Dreamscapes. (I know not everyone likes SK but I most certainly do).

DarlingNikki   DarlingNikki wrote
on 4/20/2009 11:36:14 PM
This is a fasted paced piece of writing! I liked it!

Rain   Rain wrote
on 1/30/2009 11:07:25 PM
No editing button, so..."but the "premise" hee hee

Rain   Rain wrote
on 1/30/2009 11:03:26 PM
I love brilliant creativity, and this had it. Needs an Editor/no big deal, but the primise...the plot...how you layed it all out was ingenious. I wish I'd wrote it. lol

123
lindsay
Screenplay
Shorts
writing lindsay
Hola! I'm the creator of WritingRoom and I am here to help. If you have any comments, questions or just want to say hi, send me a message. Enjoy!
Bookmark and Share

You must log in to rate.
Rating: 10.0/10

Synopsis
While a woman is running five minutes late, the lives of several people are changed forever.
A Word from the Writer
5 Minutes was produced into a short film in 2005. It was directed by Geof Pelaia and myself. A big thanks has to go out to Virginia Marti College and its' students.
© 2011 WritingRoom.com, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WRITING | POETRY WRITING | CREATIVE WRITING | WRITE A BOOK | WRITING CONTESTS | WRITING TIPS