Woman of the Night - Version 1

 WOMAN OF THE NIGHT

written by

Justin M. Vera

© 2021

Justin Moses Vera

Juanito Gongora St., Benque Viejo Del Carmen

Verajustin9@gmail.com

FADE IN:

Caption: 9:33 P.M. Corner of Joyce Blair St. and Juanito Gongora St., Benque Viejo Del Carmen, 1998-12-12

1. EXT. STREET CORNER. NIGHT

A red Toyota Corolla with tinted glass rocks back and forth. The rocking stops and 17-year-old HELEN opens the door, and comes out of the car with her hair in a mess and her blouse in her arms. She looks frightened. A male voice from inside of the car is yelling, but it is incomprehensible. She walks away from the car, and the car speeds off. A figure dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans came around the corner. It was her pimp 50-year-old David.

DAVID

               Where my money at Bitch?

Helen hands her a rolled-up bunch of ten-dollar bills.

HELEN

               Here.

He takes it but does not break eye contact with her.

DAVID

               Why the fuck aren’t you dressed?

HELEN

               I didn’t have time.

DAVID

               Bullshit! Give it to me.

HELEN

               Give you what?

DAVID

Listen here you little shit. Are you going to make me ask again?

HELEN

               It’s just my blouse.

Before Helen could continue David slapped her. The force behind his hand sent her to the ground. Hellen unrolls her blouse that is still in her hand and hands the pimp a wallet. David took the wallet, opened it and took out the money. He threw the rest of the wallet away. As he was turning around to leave, Helen said…

 

 

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

HELEN

               Can I have something?

DAVID

(Angry)

Who you think you working for Bitch? You know how much you fucken owe me?

     Helen hung her head.

HELEN

               No.

DAVID

               Get dressed, you look like shit.

David turns and walks away. As Helen gets dressed, he turns the corner. Another figure comes around the corner. KIMBERLY, Helen’s 17-year-old roommate. Kimberly runs to the aid of her friend.

KIMBERLY

(Softly)

               How you doing honey?

HELEN

(Holding back tears)

               I’m so tired. I want to go home.

Kimberly picks her up and does a motion with her head signalling “let’s go”. The girls walk up a hill…

2. EXT. HILLTOP. NIGHT

KIMBERLY

(Holding stomach)

               I’m so hungry.

HELEN

(Holding back tears)

               Me too, but I’m broke.

At the top of the hill the girls see HECTOR, the 60-year-old cotton candy vendor, going back home.

KIMBERLY

               I’ll go talk to Hector. Wait for me outside.

As Hector is about to go in, Kimberly stops him and talks to him just out of earshot. Helen sees that Hector and Kimberly walk into his house. Helen waits outside. She starts biting her nails and rubbing her face.

BEGIN FLASHBACK:

Caption: 9:33 A.M. Park 1986-12-12

3. EXT. PARK. DAY

AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOY and A FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL laugh and play on a seesaw.  

END FLASHBACK:

4. EXT. PARK. DAY

Kimberly burst out of the door with two bags of cotton candy and Hectors pants.

KIMBERLY

               Run!

It takes a while for Helen to get up. After She realizes the situation, she gets up and runs. The girls run further up the hill. Hector is out of breath and decides to let them go. He goes back inside and slams the door.

5. INT. HELEN’S HOUSE. NIGHT

The girls get home and open the door. They search the man’s pants and find two five-dollar bills and three dollars in coins.

KIMBERLY

               That’s all he had.

Kimberly stands up.

KIMBERLY

I’m gonna go buy something. You need anything?

HELEN

(Holding her cheek)

               Ice.

KIMBERLY

(Pointing to the Kitchen)

There’s some in the fridge.

Kimberly goes out the door and Helen walks into the kitchen. 

6. INT. THE KITCHEN, HELEN’S HOUSE. NIGHT

Helen is digging around in the freezer and finds a pack of ice cubes.

 

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

She closes the freezer door and walks out the kitchen. She was about to sit down as the front door opened. Kimberly brought some bags…

KIMBERLY

Let’s go upstairs.

7. INT. THE BEDROOM, HELEN’S HOUSE. NIGHT

The girls sit on the bed.

HELEN

               What’d you get?

Kimberly takes the things out of the bag.

 KIMBERLY

Some hotdogs, Snickers, and your favourite…a cookies and cream Hershey’s bar.

Helen smiles and reaches for the Hershey’s bar but flinches in pain. She holds her face.

KIMBERLY

I know what you need.

Kimberly jumps off the bed and stoops under and pulls out a box. She digs all the way to the bottom and pulls out a half full bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

KIMBERLY

Here.

HELEN

What do I do?

KIMBERLY

Drink some. I drink some on days that I can’t take the pain anymore.

     Helen stares at the bottle.

BEGIN FLASHBACK:

Caption: 9:33 P.M. Helen’s Childhood Home 1986-12-12

8. INT. THE KITCHEN, HELEN’S CHILDHOOD HOME. DAY

Helen’s father WILSON is very drunk. Two children are in the corner crying and covering their ears. Wilson grabs his wife VANESSA by the neck and throws her to the floor. He raises his fist to punch her…

END FLASHBACK:

9. INT. THE BEDROOM, HELEN’S HOUSE. NIGHT

KIMBERLY

Helen!

     Helen snaps out of it.

HELEN

Yeah?

KIMBERLY

               Are you gonna drink it?

Helen stares at it again…

HELEN

Yeah.

Helen opens the cap and takes a sip. She sets the bottle down and wrinkles her eyes close.

KIMBERLY

               Ready to go back?

HELEN

No. But it’s not like I have a choice.

 

10. EXT. STREET CORNER. NIGHT

Helen sits under a mango tree. Out of the shadows she sees a DRUNK GUY. He staggers to where she is.

DRUNK GUY

(In Spanish)

Nobody is, hic. The boss of me! Isn’t that right Beautiful.

     Helen ignores him.

DRUNK GUY

Hey, hic. You deaf?

Helen continues to ignore him.

DRUNK GUY

Hey, hic… Hey… Hey lady… Puta!

     Helen got mad and lashed out!

HELEN

What do you want?

The drunk man lunged toward her. He misses but trips and falls on top of her. On the ground he holds her down with his knees. Helen struggles for a while but she gives up and chooses to accept what is about to happen.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

She closes her eyes and stops resisting. He unzips his pants… he is kicked in the jaw! Helen opens her eyes. It takes her a while to focus because of the tears welling in her eyes. She sees twenty-five-year-old ANTONIO. He is wearing a sporty outfit. He has on a dark Gray t-shirt and navy-blue short pants, with matching navy-blue Nike running shoes. Antonio asks…

ANTONIO

Are you okay?

HELEN

Yes… thank you.

Antonio helps her up.

HELEN

Who… are you?

ANTONIO

Antonio Barreras. What’s your name? 

HELEN

Helen. You’re not from around here, are you?

ANTONIO

Nah. I am visiting the parish. I want to be a priest. I’m from Guatemala. You want to sit down and talk for a while?

Helen nods.

11. EXT. PARK BENCH. NIGHT

ANTONIO

So, who is Helen? The mysterious woman of the night.

HELEN

I ran away from my house… I was so young… I ran for so long that I got lost.

ANTONIO

How did you end up here?

HELEN

I rested on a park bench. A man gave me some food and water… I felt really sleepy. After I woke up, David had me in his house. He said that He found me in a coma. Ever since I’ve worked to repay him for what he did.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

ANTONIO

How has it gone?

     Helen looked down at the ground and slowly shrugged.

ANTONIO

Why do you keep working for him?

Helen was about to answer but found she had no words to respond, so she fell silent. After a long pause. She tries to justify things and tries to convince herself she was saying what she means.

HELEN

He says I owe him for a lot of things.

ANTONIO

Like what?

Helen looked down at the ground and shrugged. She looked up at him and stared at his face. Helen hung her head and started to cry.

HELEN

I don’t know.

Antonio hugs her and says…

ANTONIO

Come with me… to the church.

Helen looks up at Antonio with swollen red eyes and mucus slightly trickling to her upper lip. She wipes it away with her blouse and asks…  

HELEN

What about my friend?

ANTONIO

Let’s go get her!

12. EXT. STREET CORNER. NIGHT

Helen runs around the corner followed by Antonio. She screams at Kimberly…

HELEN

Kim! Kim! Kim, come with us.

KIMBERLY

Look dude, threesomes are a hundred extra… each. Where’s the money? You don’t look like you pack that kinda cash in those pants.

 

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Antonio looks at Kimberly in shock.

HELEN

No, he… he wants to help us.

KIMBERLY

He your new boyfriend? Remember what happened with the last one?

ANTONIO

I’m not her boyfriend. I’ll take you two to the church. Away from David and this life.

     Kimberly stared at them both and answered…

KIMBERLY

I don’t want to go.

HELEN & ANTONIO

What?

KIMBERLY

I don’t want to go… I don’t know how to do anything else. Going to the church isn’t for me. Go Honey, you never wanted this life. You’re meant for more.

David walks around the corner pointing a gun. Kimberly puts her hands up to her mouth. Antonio pushes David’s arm away and disarms him. Antonio tackles David to the ground, breaks his arm that is reaching for the gun on the ground and punches him out cold.

KIMBERLY

How’d you do that?

ANTONIO

With the power of God.

     Kimberly and Helen look at each other awestruck.

ANTONIO

I’m playing. I used to be a Kaibil.

HELEN

Let’s go Kim.

Kimberly shakes her head and stoops down to check on David. Antonio looks at Helen and says…

ANTONIO

Let’s go to your house and take your things out.

13. INT. HELEN’S HOUSE. NIGHT

Helen burst through the front door.

14. INT. HELEN’S ROOM. NIGHT

Helen finds an exercise book in Kimberly’s box and scribbles a letter to her. The words “I will always love you Kimberly” can be seen. She puts what little she has in a schoolbag and rushes out.  

15. INT. CHURCH. NIGHT

Fifty-year-old FR. NOLAN, wearing a full black robe with slightly visible wrinkles and slightly greying hairs around his sideburns, sits behind the confessional.

ANTONIO

Father Nolan. I brought you Helen. She’s seventeen.

FR. NOLAN

Thank you, Antonio. Good job. Let us begin, Helen.

16. INT. THE BEDROOM, KIMBERLY’S HOUSE. DAY

Kimberly sat at the table and ate a Hershey’s Cookies and cream bar. In the background, David with a cast on his arm walks upstairs and the radio plays. Kimberly gets up and turns the volume louder. The RADIO ANNOUNCER says…

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Today’s news is sponsored by Reimer’s Service Center. New arrivals of Motorcycle tires and tubes at Reimers Service Center. Call 823-0122 for more information. Available countrywide. Belize Electricity Limited sends crews to investigate unplanned power outage in Cayo. Murder rocks Punta Gorda Town again. Shooting victims at Cayo junction identified. Police investigate the emergence of a group of sex traffickers posing as religious leaders. Police have apprehended one individual under the alias of Antonio who refuses to cooperate with authorities. More tonight on Love F.M. News…

17. EXT. KIMBERLY’S HOUSE. DAY

At the front door a GROUP OF POLICE wearing bullet proof vests kick the door open.

18. INT. THE LIVING ROOM, KIMBERLY’S HOUSE. DAY

Police spread out into the different rooms.

19. INT. THE BEDROOM, KIMBERLY’S HOUSE. DAY

Police go into Kimberly’s room and surround her.

20. INT. THE BATHROOM, KIMBERLY’S HOUSE. DAY

Police kick down the bathroom door and see David on the toilet. An OFFICER points a shotgun to his head and says…

OFFICER

Mr. David, you are under arrest for Human trafficking. You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future.

21. INT. THE WAITING ROOM, POLICE STATION. DAY

Kimberly is sitting on a bench. The door opens and the officer that raided the house comes in.

OFFICER

Ms. Kimberly, we have David in custody. He will go to jail for a long time. We need you to help us. Your friend has agreed.

KIMBERLY

I don’t have any friends.

     The officer turns on his walkie talkie and says…

OFFICER

Send her in.

     The door opens and Helen runs to her friend.

     FADE OUT.