SIN CITY

WRITTEN BY JALEXANDER

INSPIRED BY THE NOVEL “SHIPWRECK” by JALEXANDER

Note: Author JAlexander is putting together a team of film professionals to promote and successfully turn his over 30 novels and short stories into films.

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Overview:

This story is about a young business man named David who learns a valuable life-changing lesson about the choices he makes, and how they affect every aspect of his life.

FADE IN

SCENE 1 – EXT. EXITING A ROAD CALLED GRIEF – FRIDAY – 2002

THE OPENING SCENE SHOWS OUR main character David McMasters (who is unconscious and dreaming) is given a choice to spend some time in a place called Sin City, or to keep traveling on the road to happiness and find the love and peace of our Lord and Savior.

AFTER A SHORT REST, David got to his feet and in the distance noticed a sign up ahead. He could only make out the larger words that said: “WELCOME TO SIN CITY.” He gathered his strength, and with a little will-power, he sprinted down the road. It wasn’t until he was within a few feet that he could read the small print:
WELCOME TO SIN CITY NOTICE
It is highly recommended that you “Do Not” enter here; because you may not be able to return to the main road and you could spend “Eternity” in this God-forsaken place.

David (O.S.)
Welcome to “SIN CITY.” It is highly recommended that you “Do Not” enter here; because you may not be able to return to the main road, and you could spend “Eternity” in this God-forsaken place.

AFTER READING THE SIGN, David noticed that many of his fellow travelers gladly entered the exit without looking back. The few that did talk to him queried,

Someone in David’s group (O.S.)
“What’s wrong with you? You have a chance to rid yourself of your burdens, so come on; you’d be crazy to pass up a great opportunity like this!”

BEING A BUSINESS MAN, David was aware that making the right choices, at the right time, could determine whether, he would win or lose. But as he thought about his present situation, he knew he could either continue on the road carrying his burdens or join his fellow travelers in restorative rest and recuperation. It didn’t require much thought and besides, as far as he was concerned, he’d live his life however he chose to live it.

DAVID’S MIND WAS definitely made up as he looked down the road called “Grief”. He saw people struggling to keep going, while this rest stop looked so sunny and bright. Without further thought, David joined the line to the exit ramp. He did notice one thing: the exit lane was a One-Way. There was a road leading back to the main highway, but it was covered with bushes growing through its cracked pavement. It was obvious to David, that, that road was not used very much, so that’s why it didn’t require ongoing maintenance.

DAVID DECIDED that if he didn’t like this place, he could leave any time he wanted to. He could just follow the unused road back to where he started. He did notice another good thing: his grief load was getting lighter the further he veered off the main highway.

SOMEONE behind David shouted,

Someone in the crowd (O.S.)
“Hey! What is going on up at the front of the line? I can hear people laughing and having fun; let’s keep the line moving!”

DAVID WAS SO TALL that he could see over the heads of everyone in the line in front of him. Without turning around, he said out loud,

David (V.O.)
“I see a circus and lots of signs, but I can’t make out what the people are saying. The line is starting to move faster, you’ll get there soon enough.”

WHEN DAVID REACHED the front of the line, he started smiling; something that he hadn’t done since he started his journey.

A MAN IN A bright colored coat shouted as he took off his roaring twenties, white straw hat said,

The man at the gate (V.O.)
“Step right up!”

MAKING A SWOOPING gesture, he invited David to enter through the archway saying,

The man at the gate (V.O.)
“Welcome my friend, your troubles are over. From now on, you will be living the life you were meant to live, without worries or burdens; just partying with your friends 24 hours a day. You don’t even need money, everything is free!”

DAVID LOOKED AT THE guy and asked,

David (V.O.)
“What if I get tired of all of this and I want to leave?”

The man at the gate (V.O.)
“Oh! You’ll never want to leave this place, but if you do, you will join that line over there.”

David (V.O.)
“What line? I don’t see anybody.”

The man at the gate (V.O.)
“Exactly, nobody ever leaves here; it’s a place where dreams come true!”

AFTER A FEW moments the guy asks,

The man at the gate (V.O.)
“Well my friend, do you want to enter?”

JUST THEN SOMEONE behind David shouted,

Someone in the crowd (O.S.)
“Come on; if you don’t want to go in, get out of the way and give us a chance to enter.”

JUST BEFOREE DAVID stepped into the arch, he heard a commotion to his left. A man who looked like a wine-o was trying to get to David. He was screaming,

A drunk man (V.O.)
“Don’t come in, it’s a trap. I once had the world at my feet and look at me now; this will happen to you. Take warning my friend; you’ll never get out of here alive!”

TWO MEN IN UNIFORM grabbed the drunk and started to drag him away. He was staring directly at David and trying to signal him to look at the back of the two security guards. David didn’t know if it was the lights or all the excitement going on, but he thought he could see tails and wings on the guards. He shook his head, and when he looked back in their direction, they were gone. The guy with the hat motioned him to move along. The last words David heard as he was gently pushed forward were,

The man at the gate (V.O.)
“Welcome Traveler”

ONCE INSIDE, David couldn’t believe his eyes. Nothing he could dream up compared to what he was seeing; not even Vegas.

David (O.S.)
“I need to go slow; I’ll just have a little fun and then I will be on my way.” There’s, so many things to do, but it didn’t matter, because everything was free.

DAVID LOOKED AT the different names on the hotels, places like Greed, Corruption, Loser, Bad News, and of course old faithful, Heartbreak Hotel.

AFTER CONSIDERING EACH hotel, David chose a local bar called “Revenge.” Although he had never been in a place like this before, he was sure from the way he was greeted at the front door by the two lovely ladies dressed in their sixty’s outfits, that he was going to feel right at home. Everyone in the hotel greeted him like a long-lost brother.

DAVID COULD USUALLY hold his own when it came to drinking, but he wanted to keep his wits about him, so he told the waitress to bring him a soda. “I’m sorry sir,” the waitress said;

The waitress (V.O.)
“the only way you can get a soda in here is in a mixed drink. You know: a rum and coke, rye and ginger…”

David (V.O.)
“Fine, I’ll have a beer.”

THE WAITRESS asked,

The waitress (V.O.)
“What size?” “We have large, extra-large, super-large and the one that all the men order called “Two Hands Nelly.” You don’t look like much of a drinker, so maybe you should start with a large; or maybe you can only handle a woman’s drink like a “Pink Pussycat” or would that be too much for a little man like you?”

WITH EVERYONE staring at him, David he said,

David (V.O.)
“I’ll have an extra-large beer!”

THE WAITRESS patted David’s head and said,

The waitress (V.O.)
“Coming right up, Sir!”

EVERYONE COULD HEAR her call out to the bartender, “

The waitress (V.O.)
Hey Charlie; “we got a live wire on table 13!”

THERE WAS A STEADY line up of people wanting to sit and talk to David. But it was the ladies that wanted to be close to this big handsome man. The time passed by quickly and before David realized it, the bartender was hollering out,

The bartender (V.O.)
“Last call; last call to the bar!”

DAVID ORDERED MORE, but before he could finish it the waitress took it off the table and told him,

The waitress (V.O.)
“We’re closing now Sir, but we open again at 6:00AM. You have to be out of here in five minutes!”

WHEN David stepped outside, he found himself in a cold, dark place that looked like a compound surrounded by big stone walls. He turned to go back into the bar, but he couldn’t find the door; it had turned into a solid wall. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, David could see that someone had lit a few fires. He made his way to the one that was closest to him. There he saw four or five guys standing around an oil barrel. The flame didn’t give off much light and even less heat. David pulled up the collar on his coat, and then stepped closer to the small flame.

AFTER SAYING “Hello” a few times, David tried to get between two of the men so at least the front of his body would feel a little warmer. But nobody moved to let him in, so, all he could do was put his hand through a small space where two bodies came together.

HE THOUGHT thought to himself,

David (O.S.)
“I can’t stay here like this until the morning”. “I need to find some place warm so I can get some sleep!”

DAVID GOT EVEN colder the further he was from the fire.

THE NIGHT WAS DARK, but David could still make out forms. He could even see people lying down on the ground, but he couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. After what seemed like hours, David heard a woman’s voice say,

Woman in the shadows (V.O.)
“I’ll share my blanket for a drink of whatever you have.”

DAVID HESITATED FOR A moment, but then decided to move on. He was going to say,

David (O.S.)
“I don’t have anything to drink!”

BUT THAT WOULD have only been half of the reason why he wouldn’t lay with this woman.

David (O.S.)
I know my Emily wouldn’t approve, actually, she would kill me if she found out. But “she’s not here; she’s gone, and I can do whatever I want!”

DAVID KNEW IN HIS heart that it wouldn’t be right to be with someone else, and how would he explain himself if there was a “Heaven” and he met his Emily there! He shook his head and reminded himself,

David (O.S.)
“I guess where I’m going there is not much chance of seeing any of my friends, let alone my precious Emily.”

NOT WATCHING WHERE HE was going, David tripped over someone and landed on the ground in a pile of garbage; or at least it smelled like garbage. Feeling around, he did manage to find some papers, maybe newspapers. It didn’t matter because once he put some over his cold shaking body, using a few more as a pillow, he soon drifted off to sleep. It was not a good sleep, maybe closer to a nightmare; a nightmare that would haunt him every time he closed his eyes.

THE BRIGHT LIGHT of the sun stirred David from his restless sleep. After rubbing his eyes, he got his first sight of his sleeping quarters. To his surprise, what he thought was a garbage dump was actually a barnyard, and his newspaper pillow was some old dirty hay. He kept wondering how he got from a big bustling city to a farm in the country.

A MALE VOICE broke through the silence asking,

A stranger (V.O.)
“Who are you and what are you doing on my property? I have a shotgun with a load of buckshot, and it’s got your name on it; so, if you don’t want to leave this world in several pieces, you had better get your butt out of here!”

DAVID GOT UP slowly and without looking at the man or his gun, he quickly left the farm and headed down the road. David had to decide which way to go! After walking for a short time, he sat down on a big rock and closed his eyes. He quickly opened them when he heard a voice ask,

A man in a truck (V.O.)
“You going into town, Mister?”

DAVID SHOOK his head, confirming the question without talking.

A man in a truck (V.O.)
“You’ll have to ride in the back with Mable.”
AS DAVID CLIMBED INTO the back of the wagon, he was face-to-face with the largest pig he had ever seen! Not that he had ever seen a real live pig before, only in pictures. Slowing down the gates to “Sin City.” the driver said,

A man in a truck (O.S.)
“Here’s your stop!”

AFTER THANKING the driver, David watched as the old creaking wagon lumbered out of sight.

AFTER WALKING THROUGH the unguarded gates, David’s thoughts were on his stomach and how much he needed food, but strangely enough, his mind was also telling him he needed a drink. David couldn’t imagine wanting a drink this early in the morning, or at any time of the day for that matter. He saw the sign “Revenge Hotel” then said to himself, “I had a good time there last night even though they closed early; maybe they will stay open later tonight?”

WITH A BIG SMILE David started walking into the hotel, but was stopped at the door by a heavy-set bouncer who said,

Hotel bouncer (V.O.)
“Buddy, you smell like a pig, so you can’t come in here. I won’t have you upsetting our fine clientele; go find yourself another place to drink.”

AFTER TRYING FOUR OR FIVE MORE places, David was ready to give up, but then he saw a rundown building with a little sign that read,

THE PLACE LOOKED like it had been condemned by the board of health, but David couldn’t find their sign. After stepping over a few drunken bodies, he found a place to sit at an empty table near the bar. The scar faced bartender grumbled,

The bartender (V.O.)
“What are you drinking, Sir!”

THEN HE SPIT ON A glass before wiping it with a dirty cloth. He didn’t direct the request to anyone in particular, but David knew he was talking to him.

WITH A VERY dry voice, David ordered,

David (V.O.)
I’ll have two beers and a shot, please!

THE “Reject’s Tavern” BECAME David’s home during drinking hours. Because of the way he looked and smelled, this was the only drinking spot in town that would serve him.

THE MORE DAVID DRANK, the more he looked like the town drunk. The only time he had a clear head was in the morning just before he started drinking. But even then, his mind was far from crystal clear.

ONE MORNING ON HIS WAY to his favorite drinking spot, David decided to take a detour. The sun was shining and it was warm and he didn’t feel like sitting in that dingy low life cesspool. Sitting on the sidewalk, deep in thought, David heard a gentle voice behind him asking,

Stranger’s voice (O.S.)
“Do you need a friend?”

WHEN DAVID TURNED around, he saw an old man sitting in a doorway. Confused David asked,

David (V.O.)
“Are you talking to me?”

The stranger (V.O.)
“Yes, I am son, and I know what you’re going through. I’ve been where you are. As a matter of fact, I’m still there! I can also tell by the way you look that “Sin City” is not what you thought it would be. I’m sure you’ve asked yourself a thousand times, how did I ever get this low, and will I ever escape…