CYCLE
Written by
Quinn Paul Higby
EXT. LONG WINDING ROAD- MORNING
Time has stopped.
Ahead of us, we see a sleek black Dodge Challenger that wears
mud-like makeup, covering up its growing rust marks.
The Dodge has struck a cyclist.
The car devouring the cyclist’s bike knocks the cyclist over
the hood and into the air.
The cyclist was wrapped in a neon green bodysuit, with a brand
name too wrinkled to see, all the while equid with a backpack.
The cyclist's body is contorted and twisted, resembling a
broken action.
As if waking up from a long slumber, the Cyclist's face is
calm, he shows no sign of fear or agony, yet he is attentive;
alert.
His eyes show that he is aware, he knows that he's going to
die, yet he shows no fear.
Instead, the Cyclist slowly closes his eyelids, accepting his
face.
JOHN'S MEMORY
INT. BEDROOM- MORNING
John awakes in a large bed, dripped in Kashmiri sheets, and
equipped with a hole where his wife would be.
John is a young man, built well, but constantly looks like a
pebble in his shoe.
John is a man too young to have his best years behind him,
yet that is John.
CUT TO:
INT. FRONT ENTRANCE- MORNING
A hallway with a lavish dining set decorates the backdrop as
John, now dressed in his Neon green Nike brand cyclist suit,
complimented by his helmet.
2.
John's house is decorated as a rich person would, not lavish,
but the burgundy hardwood floor and white-painted walls
screams that one of the spouses is a serious bread winner.
John approaches the door; he stops and looks at the neon pink
sticky note guards his exit.
John rips the sticky note from the door and brings it close
to his face.
JOHN
“Don't forget to attend tonight's
ceremony! Ten years is a big
occasion!” Your loving wife, Susan.
John's face twitches as his eyebrows tense and curve,
deciding whether to be angry or confused.
John decides neither and becomes stoic.
John crumbles up the sticky note and throws it behind him.
Exiting the house as he does so.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARK- MORNING (7:20)
John stands alone in a small yet well-kept park with a
jogging trail winding through.
John stands at a water fountain with his back towards his
bike.
From a distance, Emerging from over the hill, from under
John's chin, we see a young, extremely fit man jog towards
John.
As the man gets halfway toward John, he begins to call out
John’s name.
MAN
John! John!
John's head perks up and turns like a rabbit acknowledging
his predator.
As if John’s feet were cement, John goes to hop back on his
bike only to fall over onto his side.
MAN (CONT’D)
John, wait! John!
3.
Hopping off the ground, John stumbles to get his bike up
before successfully riding away.
John ignores the calls behind him, trying desperately to
outrun the man chasing him, only barely hearing the man's
final words to him.
MAN (CONT’D)
You can't run away from your
problems John!
CUT TO:
EXT. FARMSIDE ROAD- MORNING (7:46)
John rides on an empty road, focusing hard on the pavement in
front of him.
John’s veins bulge from concentration.
As if automated, John takes a ninety-degree turn down a dirt
road.
John disappears from sight.
All that's left is a small dust cloud and a few tire tracks
down the dirt road.
John returns with a backpack now filled with an unknown
object.
John continues to an unknown destination.
FADE TO:
EXT. ACROSS THE STREET
Hidden underneath the brush and leaves of a low-hanging
branch stalks a rusted, window-tinted Dodge Challenger.
Slowly the beast creeps forward from the shade and into the
light.
It makes its way to the road and stops directly behind John;
the black tinted windows stare at the back of John.
As soon a John goes over the hill, leaving the vehicles
sight.
4.
The car leaps in pursuit, following the dusty trail left
behind by John.
CUT TO:
EXT. LONG WINDING ROAD- MORNING (8:00)
John continues through the winding path heading to his
destination, unaware of the pursuer behind him.
The car growls as it pulls up behind John, narrowly bumping
the back of the bicycle.
John waves his hand, signaling the car to go around, furrowing
his brow in confusion.
The black, rusted Dodge pounces, launching John forward,
nearly running him off the road.
Fear covers John like a blanket; panic sets in faster than he
can breathe.
John's pedaling becomes rapid, almost as he believed he could
outrun the car.
Inside the beast of a car is a yellow nicotine-stained smile,
surrounded by smoke and torn headrests.
John, with a face full of desperation, changes course.
John goes off into the forest, legs spread wide, allowing the
pedals to move wildly.
Striking a rock halfway down the hill, John is launched
towards the road further down.
CUT TO:
EXT. LOWER WINDING ROAD
John lies prone on the road with his now bent bike.
Slowly, John begins to move, pulling the bike close to him
using it to prop himself up.
John's face is now bruised and cut, with a small layer of
dirt coating John's cheeks.
Finally making it to his feet, John looks around to see his
revealing his destination.
5.
JOHN
I made it...
Across the road is a memorial with a picture of a young blonde
woman, barely twenty, in the center of a beautiful bouquet of
flowers.
John's face is void of fear and has now been replaced by
dread.
John begins to remember why he originally came here.
JOHN’S MEMORY
EXT. HOUSE PARTY- NIGHT
John’s memory is blurred from intoxication, only remembering
flashes of light and the silhouettes of people at a party.
Approached by friends, John exchanges goodbyes.
Yet, the only sound that escapes from their mouths are
gibberish and mumbles.
In a blurry haze, John stumbles over to his sports car,
entering the vehicle.
John proceeds to erratically speed out of the driveway and
down the road.
CUT TO:
EXT. LONG WINDING ROAD
The road begins to shake, and John closes his eyes for near-instant.
When he opens them, it's too late.
The woman is already there.
CUT TO:
INT. JOHN'S CAR- NIGHT [DRIVING]
John twists the wheel as far as possible, but the impact
occurs.
CUT TO:
6.
EXT. JOHN'S CAR- NIGHT [DRIVING]
The wheels turn, ripping the tires' rubber, screeching out.
Still, the impact ensues.
The woman disappears over the hood of the car.
The violent crash of the woman echoes throughout John's ears.
The car turns perpendicular to the road, effectively
stopping.
CUT TO:
INT. JOHN'S CAR- NIGHT [DRIVING]
As the car stops, it is met with silence.
Then a splat.
John winces at the sound.
Afraid to move, John stays still, hands clenched around the
steering wheel.
After a minute, John finally decides to move.
CUT TO:
EXT. WINDING ROAD- NIGHT
John stumbles over to the woman, her body broken and
contorted.
She's as young as John, wearing a dress meant for partying.
Her eyelids are open as blood pours from her head.
John feels sick.
John has to hurl but chokes it down.
Sobering up, John now stumbles his way to his car.
John drives off in a calm and collected manner, barely
hitting the speed limit.
END OF JOHN'S MEMORY
7.
EXT. LOWER WINDING ROAD
John, back to the present, begins to cry.
His crying becomes sobbing.
John tries his best to stand, propping himself up with his
bike.
CUT TO:
EXT. UP THE HILL OF THE LOWER WINDING ROAD
The wheels of Dodge roll up behind John.
Stopping fifteen feet behind John, the window of the Dodge
begins to the creek down.
An old short hair bearded man sticks his upper torso out of
the car.
The older man's face shows that he's not long for this word.
John turns.
John's entire body feels as if the heat has been sucked out
of it.
OLD MAN
Do you know who I am? No? I’m that
girl’s father.
The man says without emotion, not showing even a hint of
bloodlust.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
You come here every day except the
day of her death.
The man pauses as if waiting for a response.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I've seen the way you've acted
here, and I can tell you’re not
suffering from grief, you’re torn
up from grief.
John breathes out heavier with each second, becoming increasingly
louder.
8.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
Now I'm only going to ask you this
once, did you kill my girl?
John’s breathing is now rapid, as if the air was being sucked
from his lungs.
The bike is the only thing keeping him up.
John's face contorts in confusion.
His eyes show that he is debating whether he should lie or
not.
CUT TO:
EXT. SKY- DAY
The sky above clears up, revealing the holy light of the sun
above.
John looks up at the sky above, his breathing now controlled.
John stands straight.
Without blinking, John looks the Oldman in the eyes.
JOHN
Yes. Yes, I did. And I'm sorry.
The Oldman is stunned by John's honesty.
Quickly composing himself, the Oldman goes back into his car.
The engine roars as the beast takes off, leaping towards
John.
John shows no fear or despair.
John, instead, is at peace, having a significant burden taken
off his shoulders.
The car strikes John, knocking him and his bike into the air.
Ripping John's backpack pedals fly out, revealing the
package John had initially picked up.
A bouquet of roses flies out of John's bag, revealing a card
in the center of the flowers.
9.
It reads, "I'm sorry."
CUT TO:
EXT. PAVEMENT- DAY
John's body slaps against the ground.
John is still as the car drives off in the distance.
The camera pans up away from John's body and towards the
smiling picture of the girl.
The wind hollows, blowing the little flower card onto the
smiling picture, the words "I'm sorry" upright.
The wind blows again, sending the card off-screen.
FADE TO BLACK.
