Asleep in My Palm (2023)

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Asleep in My Palm (2023)

Post by bunniefuu »

All right then.

Here's my version,

adapted from the film,

remastered, and

updated by yours truly.

Go.

Once upon a time, there was

this kid named Chicken Little.

OK.

He's basically the most

adorable, little chicken

you've ever f*cking seen.

Mm-hmm.

He's got glasses and

a little rooster mohawk.

Imagine a little

prepubescent chicken,

homunculus hybrid creature.

OK, I got it.

I see it in my brain.

So our little

guy lives in this town

full of sentient animals.

Aren't all animal sentient?

Well done, but these

can talk and distinguish

between each other.

They bicker, have pecking

orders, go to w*r,

all the bullshit humans do.

But it's cats, dogs, goats,

foxes, f*cking wildebeests.

Every creature you can possibly

imagine exists in this town.

OK.

So one day, Chicken

Little starts yelling,

the sky is falling!

The f*cking sky is falling!

For real?

Well, that's what he says.

So of course, everybody

starts freaking out.

They're breaking

sh*t, running around.

It's all-out chaos.

But this one animal--

maybe he's an armadillo--

says, wait a second.

I can see the sky.

It's right where we left it.

Everything seems fine.

What the f*ck is going on?

And Chicken Little says, I

was standing by this tree,

and some sh*t fell on

my head, something huge.

So the whole town goes

out to where Chicken

Little says the sky is falling.

And what do you know?

All they find is

a bunch of acorns.

So Chicken Little's dad, Papa

Little, of all creatures, says,

is this what fell,

you little moron?

And Chicken Little

says, no, that's not it.

That's a f*cking acorn.

But everyone, including

the dad, says,

nah, this kid's full of sh*t.

And suddenly, the whole

town hates our little guy

because they think

he cried wolf.

But who would lie

about the sky falling?

No one, but who would

believe it, you know?

No one.

Right.

So years later, he's in school,

and he's getting seriously

bullied.

There's this little

fucker named Foxy Loxy.

And her and her friend Loosey

Goosey are habitually b*ating

the sh*t out of Chicken Little.

She's honestly a

first-rate, little f*cking

bitch, a completely

merciless individual.

But years of hate and

all-around attrition

have hardened Chicken Little.

He's not the same little guy who

yelled about the sky falling.

He's not scared of sh*t.

None of his friends

go to school with him

because they're all older,

from the street, outcasts,

just like him.

He even fell out

with his old man

because he couldn't handle how

his dad threw him under the bus

because real dads don't

do that, you know?

No.

So our boy CL is living

in the animal town equivalent

of Paterson, New Jersey--

--with a washed-up

noise musician

and a 60-year-old bouncer.

And all he can think of

is what he saw that day

and what's coming to

every m*therf*cker

who didn't believe him.

Dad?

Yeah?

How does he eat?

He sells sh*t

like your old man.

OK.

You see, everybody's

got their breaking point.

I've got one.

You've got one.

God's got one.

And Chicken Little's

got one, too.

So one day, after years of

putting up with everyone's

sh*t, he rallies his pack

of marginalized badasses,

and they roll up to the

school with the intention

of laying out old Foxy

Loxy and Loosey Goosey.

But just as all the v*olence

is about to go down--

Keep going.

Just as they're about

to wreck those f*ckers,

we hear this massive,

deafening cr*ck,

like all the thunder

ever uttered by the sky

combined into one

monumental sound.

Everybody runs outside,

and sure enough,

the sky is cracked open.

And you bet your

ass it's falling.

Everybody is freaking

out and crying.

They're all hysterical

because death is inevitable.

But Chicken Little just looks

up with this enormous f*cking

grin.

Because as far as

he's concerned,

he's been dead for years.

And the last thing he'll

see is every m*therf*cker

who rejected him eating sh*t.

End of story.

All right, go to sleep.

I'll see you in the morning.

Wait, Dad.

How did Chicken Little

know the sky was following

the first time and not

just like one of the acorns

falling from a tree?

Maybe early on, he saw

this tiny cr*ck in the sky

that nobody else could see.

What about birds?

What birds?

You said there's

every animal imaginable.

There weren't birds

flying around that saw?

You little fucker.

It's not that they

weren't capable of seeing.

It's more that they

weren't looking.

No one was.

He saw sh*t that others didn't.

Well, he could have

just pointed and avoided

all the f*cked sh*t.

Maybe he was wrong

the first time.

An animal world god

wanted to punish

the animal world town for how

they treated the little fella.

Maybe their meanness made

him right, like the town

created its own fate.

I-- I like that.

Phew.

I'm off.

Love you, Dad.

Please be safe.

I love you, too.

Sweet dreams.

Come lock it from the inside.

Hey, Joey.

What time is it?

1:50.

Nice.

Listen, I'm a

little low on cash.

You mind if I take a sh*t?

I promise I'll buy

something double next time.

Knock yourself out.

Thanks, man.

Home is a complicated

thing, mostly bullshit,

but it's basically

the best we get.

We build it and hate

it and then get pissed

when the world

inevitably fucks us out

of it with uninvited change.

And then we go and build

it again somewhere else.

Where did

you live before me?

Before you, my

home was loneliness.

That was my home.

And I never really destroyed

that place, you know?

You're still lonely.

Hey, man.

A couple of smokes?

Not in a bad way,

if that makes sense.

We all need a

little bit of that,

almost like we were born for it.

And then everything

we accomplish

is just a way of

b*ating it back.

Thanks.

No problem.

If I could give

you anything, it

would be the ability to

need no thing and no one,

to be unbreakable.

To disappear if you have to.

I don't like

talking about this.

You want a story?

Yes, please.

I ever tell you

about Chicken Little?

Hello?

Hello?

How many is that?

Six, I think.

Ain't sh*t.

Those chick bikes?

It's what you wanted.

Yeah, that'll f*cking sell.

I'll need 200 for all of them.

Sounds good.

We can't bring the sh*t back

to my place this time, though.

Wait.

Why?

You remember my neighbor we

used to chill with, the dude

with the Panera hookup?

Chill with?

We hung with him twice, I think.

Yeah, whatever.

Remember how he had that old

buried school bus he was trying

to turn into a fallout shelter?

Yeah.

He forgot to

ventilate that sh*t.

You gotta love when

doomsday preppers

prep themselves to death, huh?

He suffocated?

Yeah, something like that.

Here's the snag, though.

It turns out that m*therf*cker

was deep into some sh*t

that I didn't really know

about 'cause the cops had been

digging up his whole place,

which basically means they've

been up in my neighborhood

for the past two days,

ripping sh*t up.

If reports go out

about these bikes--

that's why I gotta

dump them next day,

like the ones that don't sell.

We roll in there with

this haul, someone

will notice, for sure the

f*cking guy with the lawnmower

and that kid who's always

f*cking hassling me.

Was there someplace

else we can take them?

Yeah, dawg.

There's an abandoned

warehouse a few blocks

from where they do

the flea market,

way closer than my place.

I say we take them over there.

We'll load them up

into that building.

OK, fine.

Are you going to

f*cking help me?

Yeah, yeah, of course.

You're my partner.

I'll do anything for you.

f*ck these bikes!

Yeah, I, uh, shaved

off all my hair, man.

Yeah, I saw.

Look, can I drop

something on you?

Because you're my homeboy.

Go.

I'm like f*cking gone, man.

I don't give a sh*t

about anything anymore.

You can't say anything to that?

I'm just listening.

It's been two weeks.

Felt this way for

two f*cking weeks.

I'm sorry.

It's not all bad.

You think it would be, but it

isn't because I could just--

I could end it any time I want.

I don't have anyone to stop me.

I don't have any parents.

I don't got no girl.

Definitely no f*cking girl.

You know, you know that

song "Creep" by Radiohead?

Sure.

Yeah, that's how I was

feeling before I got real.

I went on this terrible

date with this chick.

And she told me that

was her favorite song.

I told her to f*ck

right off, yeah.

Because she liked the song?

Yeah.

Girls don't get to like "Creep."

That's-- it's like

appropriation.

You're saying that

girls can't wish

they were special in

the context of a person

that floats like a feather?

Aight, don't be a d*ck.

I mean, f*ck your women, right?

You know I have a

daughter, and I don't

like when you talk that way.

Yeah.

You know, how old is

she now at this point?

And can you ease

up on the gas?

What?

It's 7:00 in the morning.

There's nobody out here.

This is prime time for

rippin' sh*t up, man!

She's f*cking 16.

Now, please.

All right, all right.

It's just that, you know, I feel

like it's already over for me,

you know?

You know?

I don't, actually.

Are you saying you never

felt this way before?

Not in the way

you're describing.

Well, then, how?

No offense, but I feel no need

to talk about myself with you.

Maybe Beth-Ann is just what

I need, someone pure like that.

I don't think so.

I'm just f*cking

with you, man.

I know she's off-limits.

I just f*ck around, you know?

You know, when was the last

time you put yourself out there?

As in dated?

Yeah.

I don't know, 15 years.

f*ck, man.

Why?

I live in a storage unit

with my daughter, man.

I'm not going to be parading

women through there.

You must be like

horny as f*ck.

I don't think of myself

as a sexual person anymore.

Y'all ever get high together?

No.

That's cool.

Keeping it true.

Does Beth-Ann ever get restless?

As in how?

Just like-- oh, like looking

out and seeing other kids,

like college kids and sh*t.

Not that I've seen.

Maybe she is pure, you know?

It's like you did that.

I don't even know

what that means.

Like, you know, like, she--

that Beth-Ann turned

out good, and it's--

from where you how break.

I don't f*cking know, man.

I'm just talking out of my ass.

It's fine, man.

Can we just have a little

silence for a while?

And it feels like

every day the tide

pushes me further from that.

Like every minute, time just

gets me further from the place

where I was happy, you know?

Uh-huh.

Like, that's what

the color gray is.

Gray is nothingness.

I am gray, the absolute

bare minimum before becoming

invisible, you know?

Like, white is what it is.

I'm not white.

White's too distinct.

Black, too.

f*ck.

My old man was gray,

happened in a year.

His skin, his teeth, his hair.

He actually shaved off

his hair, too, before he--

you know.

But he was seriously

bitter, angry and sh*t.

That's not me.

No way.

God damn it.

Don't worry.

I'm sure this last

one will be open.

Yeah, it's going to

be the only open door

on the entire premises.

They can't all be locked.

Yes, they f*cking can.

That's why doors have locks.

What are we going to do, man?

I need to get back.

How about that, bitch?

Looks like sh*t's

starting to turn our way.

Yeah, life is

sorting itself out.

Now you can let

your hair grow back.

Yeah.

Sorry, man.

Hey, don't sweat it.

I'm Dark Mortius.

OK.

We're about to

set this roadkill on fire

if you guys want to join.

All right.

This is actually a

place where you could

go to get your car destroyed.

But now it's mine.

What up, friends?

I ain't your friend, bro.

f*cking hell.

Hey, turn that sh*t off.

Yeah, we're good.

Oh, you guys

should totally stay.

It's not like what you think.

Man, no one's

confused here, bro.

Were you the one talking

about the color gray?

Yeah.

That really

resonated with me, man.

You seem really wise and

honest and deep in it.

Well you don't know

jack sh*t about me, man!

I am roadkill, dude!

I know your entire head

is shaved like a god,

and I dig that journey.

Shouldn't you be lighting

kids on fire or some sh*t?

- Why the f*ck would we do that?

- I don't know.

Ask Satan.

This is f*cking poser sh*t, man.

That man was already dead.

What really brought you

to this door today, friend?

'Cause I think it was pain,

pain that brought you both here.

Yeah, we're just looking for

some temporary storage, is all.

I think I can allow that.

Wait, are any of y'all

students at the college?

And I graduated 10 years ago.

Varsity lacrosse.

Still in the ivory tower.

Hey, well, you know what?

Thank you for being so chill.

You're welcome.

We're going to run

and grab our stuff.

We'll be right back.

- Are you guys sure?

You want us to wait before

we blaze this roadkill?

Nah, nah, nah, you

guys do your thing.

We'll be one sec, in and out.

Because we can wait.

We're good.

Hand me the blowtorch.

Yeah.

Here you go.

Probably going to smell weird!

Hell yeah!

Light it up.

Light it up.

I hate Satanists, man.

A bunch of f*cking posers.

I didn't know you'd

conducted a study.

What the f*ck are we going

to do with these bikes?

Well, I don't know.

I was thinking, how would

you feel about holding

them at the storage unit?

That's where I live, man.

Ah, there's an extra

40 in it for you.

No.

Make it 50.

Dad?

It's me.

Open up.

Good morning.

Hey.

You doing all right?

I had this crazy dream.

Yeah?

I was walking in this

mansion, like the one

we broke into in Wellington,

but with these towering living

rooms and libraries

that never ended.

And I kept shouting and shouting

and shouting and shouting,

and no one was there to listen.

Where was I?

I don't think you existed.

Huh.

What do

you think it means?

It means no more

bedtime stories for you.

Now, listen.

I need you to get

up and get dressed.

Jose's outside.

OK.

Can you turn away, please?

Yeah.

Hey, what up, girl?

Long time no see!

Why?

Oh, sh*t, did I scare you?

No.

Just saying I got to

this place, you know?

Come on, man.

- I'm a primate, right?

- Yeah.

And it's just been

so long since the world has

seen me in my natural state.

You know what I mean?

Like, I'm not supposed to be all

covered up with this f*cking--

I said enough.

I've been listening to

this sh*t all morning.

Help with the bikes.

Bro, I'm talking

to your daughter.

It's been a sec.

It's just like I wanted

to show society that I'm

hip to what I am, you know?

I don't understand.

You're like beautiful, right?

Don't f*cking tell my

daughter she's beautiful.

It's like if the world

keeps telling me I'm ugly,

man, maybe I should fulfill

the f*cking prophecy.

Show the world that

I don't give a sh*t.

Like God is up there chucking

prophecies like lawn darts

at sex-starved 30-year-olds.

Maybe he is.

You don't f*cking know.

And it's like if I'm being

treated like I'm ugly,

I want to show the

world that I know.

Take control.

It's a f*cking cop-out.

The f*ck you talking about?

You're actually doing the

reverse of what you're saying.

Rather than tolerate the world

having a view of you that's

displeasing, you're determining

that view ahead of time

so that the blame

can go there, instead

of people forming

an objective opinion

of what you actually are.

What do you think, Beth-Ann?

I think I want to go

to McDonald's and poop

and brush my teeth.

Oh, you know, I'm trying

to score something to eat.

I can f*ck up a couple

of egg McMuffins.

I'm trying to get my $250.

Well, both these things

can happen, you know?

Yeah, they can.

I just don't want them to.

Only the you paying me part.

Oh, sh*t.

Whatever, man.

You know what?

Here.

Take it all.

That's all you

f*cking care about.

Look at us, Jose.

Of course it's all I

f*cking care about.

Bro, you've been acting

cold to me all f*cking day.

I'm sorry.

It's nothing personal.

I just haven't slept

since yesterday.

You know, maybe you should try

hanging with those Satanists.

That guy really seemed to

respond to what you're up to.

f*ck is that

supposed to mean?

He just seemed

to appreciate you.

Yeah, well, I'd

really rather die, bro.

Don't say that sh*t to me.

Satanists?

It just might be a

way for you to make

some new friends, is all.

You know what?

Maybe you should

reflect on your f*cking

situation, how it makes you not

give a sh*t about anyone else.

How about that,

you f*cking prick?

Some McDonald's?

Can we go to

Tiny Thai, instead?

My mind changed.

You got it, kiddo.

Avert your eyes or

behold the device

that brought you because I

don't give a sh*t what you see.

I know.

And just half of me.

Just half of you?

This is my favorite

time of year.

Why?

Students are all gone back to

their massive, decadent homes

in their f*cked coastal cities.

Some stay, despite

their parents.

Stage some hollow display of

adulthood by not going home.

Obviously, there are

exceptions, but mostly

what we see is fabrication.

What about us?

We are what we say we are.

School, bins, or both?

Both.

School first.

Ball.

Oh!

Oh!

Here we

go, down again.

The thoughts I had

are drowned again.

Take this hand to its end.

It'll feel like wind.

Whoa.

Dad?

What's down here?

Any guesses?

A fallout shelter for nights.

Yeah.

Yeah?

How about we bring

the bolt cutters

and have a hideout/banquet

type supper down here tonight?

Wouldn't that be risky?

There's nobody around.

Besides, you need

a little adventure.

OK.

Want to get some clothes?

Yeah.

See anything you like?

Not yet.

Does it work?

I don't know.

I've never seen you wear

anything feminine like that.

Holy sh*t.

Check this out.

It's worth like 150

bucks and a charger.

Can I have it?

Knock yourself out.

You got that key, Joey?

You gonna buy

something this time?

Yes, I am.

Done.

Snag us a couple of Gatorades.

All right.

You think it's

going to taste like lemon,

but it f*cking never does.

Can I have a sip?

Take mine.

I wasn't going to

drink it anyway.

More about keeping my word.

Spoken like a vet.

Heard it was hotter than

a m*therf*cker over there.

It was fine.

At least you had

schools sending

you juice boxes and sh*t.

No one gave a f*ck about us.

Sometimes you almost

wanted to get greased.

My father fought in

World w*r II, you know?

Right.

I bet you like

Rage Against the Machine.

We had Creedence.

I f*cking love Creedence.

Can we get our change?

Sure.

Why don't you ever talk with

him about stuff like that?

How about because

I don't want to?

But if--

It's mine.

Not his, not yours,

and not anyone else's.

Jesus.

Sorry.

Let's go.

2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.

So you guys saw Satanists?

It kind of turned

into a confrontation.

Like an argument?

More like Jose being

bitter and a little rascal.

Were they posers like he said?

Hard to say, maybe to him.

Satanism isn't so much

the worship of the devil

as it is the worship

of not God, which makes

for a pretty wide spectrum.

And there's really no

use in saying one form

is more valid than the others.

Unless, of course,

you're doing evil things,

but that's not what

actual Satanism is about.

What's it about?

In its most positive

form, expressing one's

ego or individualism in a way

that can still be ethical.

Rejecting the

Judeo-Christian notion of God

and the Abrahamic

religions as being

hypocritical and oppressive.

An American Satanist would

say, look at all the mortifying

sh*t that's been done

out of shame alone

in the form of God loving.

Maybe some beautiful things

can happen if we love ourselves

in the form of Satan loving.

So, yeah, if the

Abrahamic religions,

which are what again?

Christianity, Judaism, Islam.

And why Islam?

Because Ishmael was also

one of the sons of Abraham.

So if the Abrahamic

religions are about militating

against our basest

impulses, then Satanism

can be about protecting

and respecting

one's impulses while

still loving ourselves

for what we can't control.

It's not definitively

a sin to act

on impulse, that sort of thing.

Does that make sense?

Yeah.

Is that what you believe?

All religions are

just one religion

in conversation with itself.

Constant flux.

To what, I couldn't tell you.

Mostly our own

destruction probably.

Allah, Buddha, Yahweh,

f*cking Jupiter--

what does it matter?

But we're human, so we

k*ll each other over it

and then say God created

us in his own image.

Go figure that one out.

Maybe change is all that's true.

Suddenly you don't

recognize the person

you are anymore, and not in

relation to God, but yourself,

mostly for the worse.

What do I do

when that happens?

I have no f*cking idea.

Let's go.

Hey.

My daughter forgot her key.

You guys mind letting us in?

Yeah, I got you, bro.

You a freshman?

Yeah.

As she walks

in the room, scented and

tall, hesitating once more.

And as I take on myself

and the bitterness I felt,

I realize that love flows.

Wild white horses,

they will take me away.

And the tenderness I feel

will send the dark underneath.

Will I follow?

Through the glory of life,

I will scatter on the floor.

Disappointed--

You like it?

I think I do like it.

Twirl.

It must be rough

seeing your old man

pull off a dress like this

better than you could.

You're so f*cking hairy.

You're f*cking hairy.

Yeah, but that makes me like

a f*cking outlaw girl, you know?

I'm the king of the outlaws.

That's why I can pull off this

cheap-ass Halloween dress.

All right, give it here.

They will take me away.

And the tenderness I

feel will send the dark--

Who owned this

sh*t, you think?

I don't know.

Mickey Rourke.

Who the f*ck is that?

It's not important.

Come on, get dressed.

I want to get out of here before

the ogre gets back from dinner.

Shh.

Yo!

Open this sh*t up.

Come on, bro!

I can't wait--

Enough!

You're going to get us

f*cking hassled again.

What?

The filth is gone.

We can take the

bikes back to mine.

Now?

Yeah, right now, bro.

I got a guy who wants all six.

Got to move them in the morning.

We were about to have dinner.

Want to come?

Ha.

Nah.

I'm good.

I don't go where I'm not wanted.

Plus, I already had a

couple Uncrustables.

What's that?

It's like a peanut

butter and jelly pouch.

I got a whole box of them.

It's like loneliness

food, you know?

In a cold world--

- OK, all right.

Enough.

We'll be right out.

All right, you're good.

No, wait!

What?

You're just going to leave me

to unload this sh*t by myself?

That's right.

Nah, bro.

I saw you take that 250.

You're f*cking coming with.

You want $10 back?

It's not about the money.

It's about what kind

of man you are, bro.

Just go with him, Dad.

Fine, but you drive me back

to campus when we're done.

Yeah, I got you, bro.

I'll meet you in the basement

in about an hour and a half.

Remember, we got

that Beowulf dinner.

Now who's Beowulf?

Medieval dragon slayer.

I'll get the food.

You bring the bolt cutters.

Got it.

Love you, honey.

Love you, Dad.

You know, you feel like my

father sometimes, you know?

Oh, God, please.

Like, I look up to you, man.

Well, I'm not your father.

I said like.

Like my father.

Even though I pay you and sh*t.

That's why it hurts when you

dismiss me because I know

we both got sh*t on

each other, and you

could easily tip off

the filth, but you

know I'd do that sh*t to you.

You don't want to

lose your daughter.

You better tell me where

this is headed right now,

or I bail at the next stop sign.

Just be a little bit

nicer to me, you know.

Are you f*cking

threatening me?

You think I'm a f*cking idiot?

I know your deal.

I do.

Fine, I'll be nicer.

I mean, seriously, man.

Look, I didn't even recognize

Beth-Ann when I saw her.

She's growing up, dude.

Where are you going to be then?

I'll be fine.

Trust me.

I got real

smoke, Xanax boats,

won't jump the porch

without my pole.

Serving out the Texaco,

smokin' Pemex, lil Mexico.

Got big juice overflow,

Wokeisha that I'm 'bout to pour.

Hollows hit 'em in his throat.

k*ll that bitch!

Yeah!

I'm gonna run your ass over.

Do it again!

Do it again, m*therf*cker!

f*cking low-lives.

You know Domino's won't

even deliver here anymore?

One day, I'm going to

move out of this bitch.

I swear to God.

I've been saving up.

And I always gotta

deal with this f*cking

guy always taking a sh*t in

the back of my g*dd*mn trailer.

f*ck it!

It just helps to unload.

It really does.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Oh.

Hey, you ever watched

"The Fripples?"

The what?

"The Fripples."

It's like a show.

I don't own a f*cking

television, Jose.

Yeah.

Hey, let's take a

break for a sec.

I want you to

watch this with me.

Absolutely not.

Come on, please.

Please watch it.

Just a little bit with me?

No.

Come on, please.

Come on, come on, come on.

Hey, I'll tell you what.

Hey, you come

watch this with me,

and I'll drive you

home right after.

I'll finish doing

this sh*t myself.

- All right!

- Yeah!

That's what I'm saying!

-f*ck it.

Hey, you're going to love this.

Come on.

This is going to help

you understand what

I've been going

through, where I've

been at the last little while.

Yeah, that's great.

There's a red one

and a pink one and a blue one--

- No, I just take it really hard

when Mercury's in retrograde.

That's all.

It's a totally acceptable--

aloha.

Are you doing all right?

I'm just waiting for my dad.

Yeah, I feel

like we're all just

in a constant state of waiting

for our dads, you know?

My dad's dead.

That sucks.

We just came down to the

Cove to see if it was open.

f*ck!

It looks like the administration

f*cking locked it again.

So we will leave you to

your fatherly waiting.

Come on, you

f*cking dizzy goats.

Move.

I can open it.

What was that?

Yeah!

Yes!

Hey, come back.

Let's do this!

Come on come on come on.

Thank you.

Come on.

Come on.

Everybody in.

Let's light it up.

Hey, thanks again.

This was so major.

What's your f*cking name again?

Beth-Ann.

That's a very American name.

Is that some sh*t

someone made up,

or was that your grandma's name?

I don't know.

Don't be scared.

I'm Dark Mortius.

I gave myself that name

after I k*lled my parents.

Building a new name is part

of getting older, you know?

You k*lled your parents?

Spiritually, I replaced them.

But they're still here

in the physical world.

When did you replace them?

10 years ago.

I still have some of my sh*t at

their place I need to pick up,

but I'll just be super sparing

with my energy when I do it

so they don't get any

of this, you know?

We're just going to be

hanging here, drinking beers,

doing some f*cking kratom.

You want to join?

We got ketamine, too.

Does that entice you?

Do you guys have Gatorade?

Y'all got any Gatorade?

We got f*cking White Claw.

Sorry.

But you should still stay.

The guy to chick

ratio is f*cked.

I could send someone out for

you and get you some Gatorade.

No.

I'm just going to wait

for my dad upstairs.

You should stay.

I torched a raccoon

this afternoon,

so vibes are right

where they need to be!

Oh, wait.

Who am I?

What am I?

Am I myself or a

representation of myself?

Am I me?

What clothes I wear, the friends

I have, the things I like.

Am I me or a reflection

of me of what's around me?

What's real, and what's just

what we imagine to be real?

Or is nothing real?

Does the real me even exist,

or am I just this projection

of what I want others to see?

All right, hey, now

check out what this f*cking

chick says right here.

Of course you exist,

you silly button.

Who you want to be is you every

bit as much as who you are.

f*ck, right?

Like, that's like me and chicks

and like people I want to be

my friend, how they see me.

Like, it's all linked up.

That's great, Jose.

Like, we're all kids, right?

We're not actually.

- I'll be right back.

- Wait.

What?

f*ck me.

These are all parts of what

make up you and everyone.

And we all make up

the Frippley world.

So love the world because

whether you like it or not,

Buster, you're a part of it.

Can we go?

I got something for you.

Why?

More like I found something

and I want to give it to you.

I don't need anything, Jose.

Hell no!

What the f*ck?

- Chill.

It's all of his sh*t.

I don't want that man.

Put it away.

It's from the 1800s, man.

It's basically a toy.

See?

Come on, man.

I can f*cking see

that sh*t is loaded.

I'm out of here.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

No, I dug this out

of the ground, man.

It's f*cking duds, all of them.

Look at this sh*t.

Look how rusty this is.

You know more about this

sh*t than anyone I know.

Which is f*cking why?

How did you even find it?

With my metal detector, bro,

off the bike path last week.

Look, someone probably

used this sh*t

to rob a train or something.

Take me back and

leave that sh*t here.

All right, all right.

I'm sorry, man.

Just, you know, I thought

it would be-- you'd dig it.

Come on, man.

We watched your f*cking video.

I want to get back

and eat dinner.

Nice thing like a hip

antique or something.

It's fine.

Let's just go.

Oh, whatever.

It's like so

sensitive, you know?

No matter what I do, you

just f*cking find a way.

You know?

Geez, f*cking dying

pleasing you, man.

You know, you can't

please you, man.

You know?

Jesus.

I told you, you stupid assh*le.

You good?

God damn it.

OK.

Sorry to wake

you, Miss America.

How long has it been?

Hour and a half?

Hey, check it out.

I found him downstairs.

He was squeaking in one of

those little sticky traps.

And when I finally

cut him loose,

he had himself a little heart

att*ck right here in my hand,

dead.

He's bloody.

I had to use my pocket

Kn*fe to free him.

Me and the lads here are going

to ramble on to other digs.

We left one of ours in

the basement passed out.

Being that you're here

waiting for your dad,

do you think that you could

maybe check on her from time

to time, make sure she's OK?

OK.

You're a sweet lass.

What are they saying?

I just love the energy

that you get at night

when you make the light.

Mm.

Where's Mortius?

He said they were going

to ramble on to other digs.

They just f*cking left?

He told me to wait with you

because I was going to be here

anyway, waiting for my dad.

Right, you're the hot

chick that broke us in.

I don't get those guys.

Couldn't they just wake me up?

My bike got stolen

earlier this week.

My life is so f*cked right now.

Probably

at Rowan's house.

Rowan doesn't have a brain.

We used to f*ck, but he

reminded me of Grover

from Sesame Street, which made

me like constantly disassociate

and think about my parents, who

kind of suck, so no more Rowan.

Sorry, I'm still kind

of f*cked right now.

It's OK.

I love your outfit.

I would dress like that,

but all the sh*t my parents

buy me is stupid, and

then I feel stupid, so.

I think you--

What?

Look beautiful.

Are you a f*cking freshman?

No, I don't go to school.

I just-- I just live here.

In town?

Sort of.

How old are you?

Whoa.

You look way younger.

You also look like

several ages all

meshed into this beautiful

woman-shaped thing.

You're still waiting

for your dad?

He's on his way.

He should be here,

but he's on his way.

That's really wholesome,

except the fact that he's

meeting you in this

weird dungeon, which is

a little sketchy, but whatever.

Mortius thinks we should

host an orgy here.

I'm not going to

let that happen.

We like exploring places.

Like old buildings?

One time, we stole all this

furniture from a children's

hospital outside of Pittsburgh.

It caught on fire, the

hospital, not the furniture.

So it was shut

down and stuff, so.

We didn't even need to

break anything to get in.

You like live together?

Yeah, we got bookshelves

and a hot plate, two cots,

these cool lava lamps we

found, water cooler, speakers.

Where?

I'm not really

allowed to tell anyone.

Actually?

Only one other guy

knows, but he doesn't

have any friends, so it's OK.

Is your dad like a

f*cking spy or something?

He sells stuff.

Like what?

Mainly things people have

forgotten about and don't

need anymore or

sometimes don't realize

they don't need anymore.

So you guys break

in all over campus.

Kind of, yeah.

f*ck.

You probably know this

place better than I do.

I don't know about that.

Seriously, what's

the coolest place

you've ever been on campus?

Like somewhere I've never been.

Never would be allowed to go.

Do you want to see?

You got to be

f*cking kidding me.

Some f*gg*t called the cops.

Did you sh**t the incel?

No!

Well, some f*gg*t back

there called the cops!

Like they haven't

been up in our asses

all week with that

doomsday fella.

You going to sh**t me, too?

I didn't-- he sh*t himself!

Of course he did.

See?

That dude k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

He k*lled the incel!

No f*cking way.

Mortius would f*cking

flip over this place.

So would my friend Ultra.

She would make them

turn it into a community

center or something.

I'm going to send it to her.

This is Ultra.

She's so down to Earth.

She's like lower than the Earth.

She's always posting about how

the college hates poor people.

What's your Instagram?

I don't have a phone.

Holy sh*t.

That's like-- that's

really beautiful.

I would do the same

thing, but my parents

make me have one for safety.

Guys are repulsive,

even a supposedly

woke place like this.

This is where I like to sit.

A lot of little birdies

get trapped in here.

I bet if someone

tried to att*ck you,

you'd f*ck them

up with your bolt

cutters and your big-ass arms.

Maybe.

You don't get how

cool it is that you're

cut off from all of this?

I feel like people who have

phones turn into their phones.

Like sometimes I just

feel like a big-ass phone.

I'm guessing your

dad doesn't have one.

He saw some bad

things in the w*r,

and he kind of cut us off

from the material world.

Like Afghanistan?

Earlier than that.

And where's your mom?

She split before I could talk.

We don't even have

pictures of her.

Do you remember her?

Mm-mm.

Damn.

It doesn't stress you out that

he can't be reached, like,

in an emergency or something?

No.

Even on nights like tonight?

I just wait.

And what do you think about?

Sometimes I pretend

that when I blink,

time gets a little faster.

If only.

It's my dad's.

Waiting makes me feel

like a piece of clothing.

Like someone else decides

when I put on an emotion.

I hate feeling time go by.

Maybe you should try religion.

My dad says it's for people who

don't have ego, which is good.

Or a sense of

self, which is not.

Is your dad a professor?

He studied religion, I think.

And why did he go to w*r?

To learn about

people, he said.

Who goes to w*r to

learn about people?

My dad, I guess.

I don't think you have an ego.

I don't even think you

have a sense of self.

You know, what do you do,

other than worship your dad?

I look at people

like you passing by,

and I think you're all

going places I never will.

And I hate you all

for reasons I make up.

Please don't feel

shitty or lonely--

'Cause I see you guys.

I watch you when you get here.

You meet each other.

You get drunk.

You have these

lives like adults.

Trust me, you're way

more adult than any of us.

No, I'm f*cking not.

I'm sorry.

I'll be OK.

Oh, my God.

Was that--

No.

Please.

Please.

I like it.

You're not 20, are you?

How old are you?

I'm 16.

OK, I think it's time I go.

You don't want to go

back and meet my dad?

Maybe some other time.

Can I kiss you again?

Please?

I-- please.

Sure.

I really need to go.

This is me.

OK.

I hope your dad is waiting

for you when you get back.

I can't help but feel like I

did something really f*cked up.

And I'm sorry.

Can I come in with you?

No.

I'm sorry.

And it was like, I swear, I

was overflowing at both holes,

throwing my guts up.

And my dad had to come over.

And I was like crying out.

Like, I'm going to die.

I'm going to die.

It was like, I could've d*ed.

And it was just something

about, like, this, like,

this strange, like, slightly

muddled white color of a toilet

bowl that was just like--

like, I felt like it

was, like, talking to me.

And I had this, like, weird,

like, metaphysical, like,

pre-conscious moment

with the toilet bowl

where, like, it was insane.

Like, it just felt, like,

horrifying, but like kind

of beautiful experience.

Oh, my bad, bro.

And it was just--

I don't even--

I don't even know.

Oh, ho, ho, what

up, little lady?

Sorry for the frontal exposure.

Millah lives in a

substance-free hall,

if you could believe that one.

So usually everyone's

asleep by 10:00 PM,

but there's not anyone

here right now anyway.

What a f*cking

night, though, right?

You ever find your dad?

Not yet.

He'll turn up.

You're too much of

a little sweetheart.

He probably loves you more

than anything in the world.

That's what we're all

looking for, right?

Everything else

is a f*cking lie.

You got to hold on to

what's true, you know?

I was actually-- I was just

reading this thing about how

the condoms they gave

out in World w*r II

were the best condoms ever

made in the history of condoms.

So I was going to try one

of my homemades on Millah,

but she wouldn't go for it.

She's too, uh, rich.

Yeah.

Hey, Millah.

She forgot to give me her ID.

Millah!

If she fell asleep while

I was in the bathroom,

I'm going to huff and

I'm going to puff until I

do something to this door.

I don't know.

Millah!

Millah, I'm out here buck naked.

Millah, if you make me go

all the way back to Kipton

with my d*ck out, I'll

get r*ped by rednecks.

Millah, are you f*cking with me?

No one likes r*pe.

Hey!

What?

That bolt cutter chick,

she was waiting for you, so.

Paint better

be f*cking water-based.

Yeah.

Hey!

Hey!

Your dad around?

f*ck off!

Answer my question, honey.

He's not!

Now f*ck off!

Ease up.

It's important.

Tell your dad to come

around and see me.

No games!

Well, I haven't

f*cking seen him, so you

can tell him yourself, c**t.

f*ck it.

Holy sh*t.

Lock the door.

Things got really, really

f*cked up with Jose.

I promise I'll

explain everything.

But right now, we need to go.

I packed your things.

What's happening?

What's wrong?

Why do we have to go?

I promise I'll

explain everything,

but we need to leave

here right now.

And then what?

And then what?

Beth-Ann, we do not

have time for this.

Answer me.

We keep going, build a

new home someplace better.

America is a big place.

We'll have options.

I promise everything will be OK.

Beth-Ann, I know this is

scary, but before you know it,

we'll find someplace

extraordinary.

Let me show you something.

Look at this.

We'll be able to buy a van

like we've talked about.

I'll deck it out with

blankets and two beds.

I'll even throw a

curtain down the middle

so you can have your own space.

We'll go wherever we

want, just the two of us,

with no one to f*ck

with our world.

What-- what is happening?

I feel like my

head's been pulled off,

and I'm seeing everything

all f*cked and spun around.

I don't know anything

about people or anything.

All I know is that you--

Is that such a bad thing?

Haven't I done right by us?

We're invisible.

Which, trust me, is

the way you want to be.

I'm just a big, ugly,

stupid, f*cking kid who

scrounges and steals and lies.

No one's going to know me.

I don't even think there's

a single picture of me.

This is the picture of you.

No one's going to remember me.

Just you.

What happens when you die?

Beth-Ann, those people

who don't notice you,

they come and go and

come and go and grow old

and forget about each other.

Pictures?

They forget about each

other before they've

even met because people don't

matter to each other anymore.

So they need pictures

and phones to convince

themselves they even exist.

They're just vehicles for

selfishness and loneliness,

things to be f*cked and

sh*t on and pitted against

each other, commodified things.

But not us.

Because I have you,

and you have me.

You say you know isolation.

I'm telling you, you don't, not

until you've gone out and tried

to live in that merciless,

f*cked capitalist matrix

they've made.

That world needs your

loneliness because the worse it

makes you feel,

the more you go out

and buy their meaningless sh*t.

You think we're

poor and invisible?

Then I say yes.

And we've escaped

the world's biggest

f*cking monster because of it.

And I know because

I've seen it, stared

into its fire spitting mouth!

But Beth-Ann, we are

right back under its nose.

And if you want to

continue to escape it,

we need to leave here right now.

Why?

Jose is dead.

And the police are

going to come here.

And if they do, you

will never see me again.

That's a promise.

Did you k*ll him?

He sh*t himself.

It was an accident.

Is that his money?

Yes.

Did you want the

f*cking cops to take it?

So you didn't do anything?

Beth-Ann, I promise I

will tell you everything,

but I am begging you, we

need to leave here right now.

Okay.

Okay.

And you're sure it's

the same guy, sir?

Yeah.

Come on and join us.

Yeah.

I haven't seen her

in a week, at least.

That's how it happens sometimes.

And I'll see one

and not the other.

Is she armed?

I doubt it.

Hello?

This ain't even locked.

It's like I said.

She's in there.

That's how they do.

Little girl!

Little lady!

I need you to remain calm.

Take this.

What do I do?

Hide it on yourself.

Just do as I f*cking say.

Now listen to me.

There is no other way out.

Do you hear?

What will you do?

If there were,

I would take it.

But there is no other way.

I need you to move back

and climb on the bed.

Dad.

Just f*cking do it.

Honey!

Could you open the

door and come on out?

Nobody's going to hurt you.

Now when I run out of

here, you need to follow me,

and don't look back.

You're scaring me.

Honey.

It's OK to be scared.

Just plug your ears.

Dad, no, no.

Please, Dad.

We're coming out.

f*ck, that's him!

Weapons out!

Please.

Please.

I need you

to surrender yourself.

Right away.

Please!

Please, Dad!

Get back!

Grenade!

Get down!

Call an ambulance!

Jeannie!

Jeannie!

Call for backup!

Call for backup!

3972 radio, officer down.

OK, let's go.

Stay down!

Stay down!

Don't move!

Stop!

Stop resisting.

Beth-Ann, this is

federal agent Sam Wallace.

I flew in this afternoon from

Virginia just to talk to you.

The man you call your father

is headed to a holding

facility in Illinois.

Were you aware he was keeping

expl*sives in the storage unit?

No.

I believe you.

That's what he said, too.

It's a miracle he's

still breathing.

He'll either recover there

in the hospital, or he won't.

I want to see him.

This is a lot of money.

How did the two of you

come to possess it?

I said I want to see him.

You're not going to see

that man again anytime soon.

Then I don't answer

any of your questions.

I've been trying to find you

two for a long time, especially

you.

I promise I'm only here to help.

You recognize those people?

No.

Not at all?

I said I don't recognize them.

Those are your grandparents.

They assumed guardianship.

My dad's parents?

Your mom's.

It's all right here.

This is a picture of

your biological parents.

The man you've been living

with is not your father.

To be frank, we

thought you were dead.

Technically speaking, this case

has been inactive for 12 years.

Both your grandparents have

also since passed, or trust me,

they'd be here.

They left you something

of an inheritance.

Not much, but something.

To find you in

Ohio, of all places.

That little girl went

missing 14 years ago.

That's you.

Your real name is Lily.

But what about my dad?

Your parents d*ed--

My real dad.

I'm trying to tell you.

The man who raised me.

We had descriptions at

the time you were taken,

but no one's ever

been able to find

anything legally conclusive.

That said, that's

Joshua Cherkis.

He was dishonorably discharged

for desertion in 1991 following

two suicides in his unit.

Went missing, completely off

the grid couple of years later.

Became a ghost.

If you ask me, he

should be made a ghost

right now for what he did

to you, but never mind that.

So that's it?

I can understand

how this is.

Do you mind if I step

outside for a second?

After all you've been

through, you go right ahead.

Like the fella says, we got

all the time in the world.
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