Read My Lips

INT. BASEMENT - UNKNOWN AREA - AFTERNOON

Two young ladies sit across from each other almost 10 feet away. They are both between the ages of 12-14. One has dirty blonde hair. The other has brown hair.

The room is open, spacious, but dingy. The light is mostly coming from a window with bars on it. The bars are rusty. The floor is grey and the room has a large lock on the door.

Both of the girls have muffled chains locked on their arms above their heads. One of the girls is unconscious while the other waits for her to wake. The one awake keeps looking between the door and the unconscious girl.

She’s irritated but patient. The other girl is showing signs of waking.

The unconscious one opens her eyes but doesn’t speak. She notices the other girl and that her hands are bound. Then she notices her hands are bound.

She’s about to scream when the other locks eye contact with her and shakes her head.

GIRL ONE (mouths)

Don’t scream.

GIRL TWO (Confusion)

GIRL ONE (mouths)

Don’t speak. Not one word. Understand?

GIRL TWO (nods her head)

GIRL ONE (mouths)

I’m Britney.

GIRL TWO (mouths)

Like Britney Spears? She pretends to shave hair off.

BRITNEY (Nods)

GIRL TWO (mouths)

I’m Diana.

BRITNEY (mouths)

Like the Princess?

DIANA (nods)

The girls sit in silence for a moment yet it feels like a lifetime.

Diana mouths first.

DIANA (CONT'D) (mouths)

What is going on?

BRITNEY (mouths)

Honestly I don’t know, there were girls here before you, and one told me not to speak the other didn’t listen.

DIANA (mouths)

There were others?

BRITNEY (nods)

DIANA (mouths)

What happened?

BRITNEY (mouths)

The girl who mouthed to me tried to mouth to the other girl not to speak, but she got frustrated and screamed at her to shut up.

DIANA (mouths)

And?

BRITNEY (mouths)

A man came in. He first grabbed the girl who spoke then, came back for the frustrated girl. She began to scream that she was just trying to shut the other girl up, but the man didn’t listen.

DIANA (mouths)

What happened to them?

BRITNEY (shakes head & mouths)

I don’t know. But as he dragged her out she tells me not to speak, don’t utter a sound. It’s good you can read lips.

DIANA (mouths)

I’m a middle child, my siblings and I lip read all the time.

BRITNEY (mouths)

I’m the oldest of four, I guess I’m the teacher.

The girls for the first time both silently chuckle.

Diana looks at Britney and stares at the barred window. She nods towards it.

DIANA (mouths)

What about the window?

BRITNEY (mouths)

Never tried, but it has bars.

DIANA (shakes head & mouths)

Those bars are rusted, a heel can break them.

BRITNEY (confused)

DIANA (mouths)

A heel, a heel.

Diana begins to gesture to the bottom of her foot.

BRITNEY (mouths)

Oh okay, okay, I get it. But its high up.

DIANA (mouths)

We can do this together.

BRITNEY (mouths)

How?

DIANA (mouths)

We fight back.

BRITNEY (shocked)

DIANA (mouths)

We have to, it’s us or him.

BRITNEY (mouths)

But we don’t know what we are up against. What if it’s more than one guy, what if those bars are not easily broken? How do we fight him without him coming in to take us out?

Diana stays quiet and thinks. Her eyes move back and forth deep in thought. Her eyes squint.

DIANA (mouths)

The guy who grabbed the first girl, was it the same one to grab the second girl?

BRITNEY (nods)

DIANA (mouths)

How long did it take him to grab the second girl?

BRITNEY (mouths)

Maybe five to ten minutes. Why?

DIANA (mouths)

Theory is if there are more of them then a second guy would have grabbed he second girl, yet the first guy grabbed both. He maybe a lone wolf. But its theory.

BRITNEY (nods)

DIANA (mouths)

What was he wearing?

BRITNEY (mouths)

All black, even his face was covered up, but something else. Something that made me wonder.

DIANA (excited)

BRITNEY (mouths)

Ear muffs. He was wearing ear muffs. He seemed to get angrier the more the girl spoke.

DIANA (mouths)

Yes.

BRITNEY (mouth)

What?

DIANA (mouths)

Again only theory, but whoever this guy is he needs silence, as soon as there is sound or noise it bothers him. Look even our chains don’t make noise when we move. They are muffled.

BRITNEY (mouth)

Like it might pierce his ears the vibrations of sound.

DIANA (nods)

BRITNEY (mouths)

That could be a secret weapon we use against him if we must.

DIANA (nods & smiles)

BRITNEY (mouths)

Okay right.

DIANA (mouths)

Was he strong, skinny, short, tall, big, small?

BRITNEY (mouths)

Average but strong enough to have dragged the other girl. She was about my size. He struggled, but just a little.

DIANA (mouths)

Good, that means he can’t take us both at the same time.

BRITNEY (mouths)

But we are too far away to fight together, and lets not forget the chains.

DIANA (mouths)

How long have you been down here?

BRITNEY (mouths)

Two days.

DIANA (mouths)

And when you came there were three of ya’ll?

BRITNEY (nods & mouths)

Why, what are you thinking?

DIANA (mouth)

I’m thinking we should expect a third girl any day now.

The girls both look at the door.