Introduction Continued (Script)

                                        FADE IN: 

INT. NEWT'S TRAVEL STOP EAST - EARLY MORNING 

Lloyd sits in Newt's Travel Stop East eating breakfast. The

travel stop sits directly between Canyon Lake and Kitbay

Creek. Lloyd is swirling his coffee with a spoon, ignoring

the plate of eggs and toast set in front of him. He is deep

in thought. He has wet hair from a shower and dirty sand-filled clothes on. 

INT. LLYOD'S TABLE - MOMENTS LATER 

Monty approaches Lloyd's table while he is still distracted

and sits across from him. She's dressed in a T-shirt and

jeans. He can tell she is driving, unlike him.                                                                

                         MONTY

            Hello

Lloyd was startled but didn't jump. 

                         MONTY (cont'd)

            Where did you get your hat?

Monty stared at Lloyd's baseball cap that had the logo for

vintage chocolate brand Moonies.

                         LLOYD

            Well to be honest with you I found

            it in my room last night. 

                         MONTY

            Here at the motel?

                         LLOYD

            Yes ma'am.

Monty sits back in the booth and crosses her arms with a

smirk 

                         MONTY

                    (mocking his

                    accent)

            Well sir don't keep me guessing now

                         MONTY (cont'd)

                    (regular voice)

            Where was it? 

                         LLOYD

            It was sat on the shelf in the

            closet, nothing special... but now

            you got me wondering if I should be

            walking around with this thing on. 

                         MONTY

            Honestly? Probably not. 

Monty stood up to leave. 

                         LLOYD

            Now wait just a second.

                    (Lloyd stands up

                    but doesn't leave

                    the booth)

            Why'd you say such a thing and leave

            me with it? 

                         MONTY

            If you're headed west I'd assume you

            know what you're heading into, no? 

Lloyd sat back down and nodded a thank you towards Monty,

but she hesitated to leave. 

                         MONTY (cont'd)

                    (after a moment)

            I suppose you could use a ride? 

                         LLOYD

                    (tugging at his

                    shirt)

            What gave it away? 

INT. MONTY'S CAR - AN HOUR LATER 

Lloyd finishes up his story on why he left his hometown and

how he found his old diary. 

                         MONTY

            So how do you think the diary got to

            you? 

                         LLOYD

            Hmm. It's so hot out there I must've

            forgot I had it with me and tripped

            on it.

                         MONTY

            I thought you said you walked into

            it, like it was in front of you

            right? 

                         LLOYD

            No use in rationalizing then. Gotta

            admit I have no clue.

                         MONTY

            That's not necessarily a bad thing.

            Do those things scare you? 

                         LLOYD

            Course, who wouldn't be thrown off

            by something like that. 

Monty considered for a bit. They were an hour outside of

East. 

INT. MONTY'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER

Monty leaned forward, lowering the radio and restarting the

conversation.

                         MONTY

            I don't wanna scare you but you know

            I gotta ask. 

                         LLOYD

                    (laughing)

            Can't help but think that's a

            terrifying way to ask a question. 

                         MONTY

            Okay, okay. But... why Canyon Lake?

Lloyd adjusted in his seat. Monty kept her eyes on him for

a moment, forgetting the road. 

                         LLOYD

            To tell you the truth I dunno. I had

            a plan to get out but I didn't have

            a plan on where to go. You grow up

            being told it is not a great place,

            and then you grow up and you're

            being told it's this great new thing.

            Guess I wanted to see for myself. A

            city is a city, and I've been to all

            of em this side of the country.  

                         MONTY

                    (struggling to

                    watch the road)

            A city is a city? Wh- hold on, hold

            on. What's your name again? 

                         LLOYD

            Am I so forgettable Miss Monty? 

                         MONTY

            C'mon for real. 

                         LLOYD

            It's Lloyd. Not all too forgettable.

                         MONTY

            Okay Lloyd I'm sorry but I need you

            to listen to me. 

Lloyd sat sideways staring at Monty while she spoke, eyes

now glued to the road. 

                         MONTY (cont'd)

            I'm from Canyon Lake, right? Born

            and raised. My dad is literally the

            mayor okay, I'm not trying to be...

            deceitful?... I don't know. You get

            what I mean? 

                         LLOYD

            Sure. 

                         MONTY

            I love the place. It's beautiful and

            full of kind people. But I left for

            a reason.

                         LLOYD

            Alright then, you gonna tell me the

            reason? 

                         MONTY

                    (hesitating)

            It's not that simple. 

                         LLOYD

            Sure it is. 

                         MONTY

            What I can tell you, East is

            different from the towns. I haven't

            spent nearly enough time there to

            tell you many positives of it. "A

            city is a city", but East isn't a

            city in that sense. You'll

            understand when you get there, just-

                         LLOYD

            well, now I'd prefer to know about

            the towns. Think I'll handle the

            city just fine. I've been running

            through em for... who can count the

            years now. 

                         MONTY

            I don't know, Lloyd. You're not

            getting it. 

                         LLOYD

            What's there to get? You grew up

            here, you hate the place. Got some

            kinda problem with it even though

            you see the positives. 

                         MONTY

            We're going in circles. 

                         LLOYD

            Alright, I'll shut up and you go

            ahead there and break the cycle. I'm

            listening. 

                         MONTY

            Your diary showing up, whatever

            feeling that put in your chest,

            that's what exists in Canyon Lake.

            It's not that I think it is a bad

            thing, but I do think it is

            something to be intimidated by. 

                         LLOYD

            So... okay, go on. 

                         MONTY

            I went to college 4 hours away

            because that power that lives

            here... people wanna just ignore it.

            That hat you got yeah? 

                         LLOYD

            This beauty?

                         MONTY

            It's an old brand of chocolate. It

            was mainly handled by the churches. 

                         LLOYD

            And that's a concern because? 

                         MONTY

            You've learned about the state in

            school right? 

                         LLOYD

            Yeah, course. It was a booming place

            back, well back whenever right. But

            then-

                         MONTY

            Yeah. But then. 

                         LLOYD

            What's your opinion of the history? 

                         MONTY

            I'm gonna tell you what I know

            because, and listen to me now okay? 

                         LLOYD

            Copy. 

                         MONTY

            Only because I'm trying to work

            through my own thing and I know the

            second we pass this state line it'll

            be harder. I could use an unbiased

            opinion. 

                         LLOYD

            I'll do my best to keep up. 

                         MONTY

            Ha-ha. 

                    (shaking her head)

            Okay so, When I'm here, I can tell

            there's things I'm misremembering.

            Or not remembering at all. 

Monty stops talking for a bit to gather her thoughts. She

sounds as though she's questioning herself. 

                         LLOYD

            How is this related to the history?

            Maybe better to start there. You

            seem a bit jumbled up. 

                         MONTY

            Okay sure, context would probably

            help. So you learned all about the

            state's beliefs and- 

                         LLOYD

            And creatures? 

                         MONTY

            Sure if that's how you wanna put it.

                         LLOYD

            I'm sure I do. 

                         MONTY

                    (quiet)

            Well then I'm not sure I'm worried

            anymore. 

Monty turned the radio back up and they sat silently until

Lloyd reached forward and clicked it off. 

INT. MONTY'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER

                         LLOYD

            Are they bad?

                         MONTY

            They will be if you're so fast to

            judge. 

                         LLOYD

            No Monty, I'm not laughing. What do

            I need to know? I got nowhere else

            to go. 

Monty considered for quite a while. 

                         MONTY

            I don't know who you mean or what

            you've been told, but the dangers in

            town are not the people okay? The

            general beings here, they are

            people. And you should know better

            than me, mind yourself and you'll be

            fine. But I suggest you take that

            hat off and listen really clearly.

Lloyd throws his hat into the footwell and looks ahead. 

                         MONTY (cont'd)

            The beliefs are still very much

            prevalent in all of the state. But

            let the divine help you if anyone

            finds out okay?

                         LLOYD

            Why?

                         MONTY

            I guess that's what I'm trying to

            understand. You've got rules right.

            Places you can and can't be, what

            time of the night to avoid the

            train. What places in East are off-limits. But I can't quite figure

            this one out. 

                         LLOYD

            Can't you ask your dad?

                         MONTY

            So that's the weird thing. He will

            tell me anything about anyone, even

            the messy stuff. But bring up the

            Moon and it’s suddenly all, "Oh Monty

            you know better than that. How would

            your uncle Jake feel"... and... 

                         LLOYD

            Who's your uncle Jake? Soft spot? 

                         MONTY

            Sure. 

                         LLOYD

                    (after a moment of

                    hesitation)

            You got one of those giant houses

            with the big mayor man libraries? 

                         MONTY

                    (forcing a laugh)

            Yeah, yeah I kinda do. 

                         LLOYD

            Remind me why you left then? 

                         MONTY

            To figure out why I needed to leave.

                         LLOYD

            Now that right there is poetic. 

                         MONTY

            Okay, better than you could do with

            that accent. 

They shared a laugh while Monty visibly struggled with

something on her mind. 

                         MONTY (cont'd)

            Maybe it's a given being a governor's

            daughter, but I know he's lying to

            me. And I don't think it's related to

            any being that could find themselves

            here, you know? I think it has to do

            with, with the beliefs and... he

            worked at the research center. 

                         LLOYD

            Oh right, we learned about that too.

            The one that got blown up? That

            whole town. 

                         MONTY

            Yeah. He worked there with my uncle

            Jake and their friend Tom. 

                         LLOYD

            Lemme guess. They didn't make it. 

                         MONTY

            I guess that's what I'm not so sure

            I believe, but it's unfair to ask.

            Just in case it is the truth. 

                         LLOYD

            But it’s not, is it? 

                         MONTY

            Yeah. I'm certain it isn't. 

Monty turned the music back up as the signs for East began

rolling in. They share a smile over the skyline and just

drive for a bit. 

EXT.  EAST - AFTERNOON

Monty leans on the hood of her car while Lloyd gathers up

his belongings. 

                         MONTY

            Well if you do get ahold of a

            computer, you should write down my

            email anyways. 

                         LLOYD

            I think if East is anything how you

            describe, it won't be long before I'm

            on that train looking straight into

            the eyes of a college degree. 

                         MONTY

                    (mocking him again)

            Well of course not!

                         LLOYD

            I'll keep my head down. 

                         MONTY

            You know where to find me. But

            Lloyd, if you decide to leave East,

            just don't take the train around

            4 am. 

                         LLOYD

            I won't ask. 

Lloyd nods a sincere thank you and heads forward on foot

towards the city. Monty gets back into her car and waits to

make sure he didn't forget anything. The hat is still

sitting in the footwell. She sets off for Little Ivywood.