Holding the Line

Holding the Line

Holding the Line

IVAN AND LORA'S POSITION
Later

Ivan and Lora lay resting. All quiet around them. Ivan is

breathing heavily and resisting the pain as much as he can.

Lora raises her head. Ivan sensing she might instinctively

get up, pushing her steady.

She notices the quietness.

LORA

Maybe...he left?

Ivan shakes his head in disagreement.

IVAN

He...can only see this stone. That

is why he is not firing.

LORA

How can you know that?

IVAN

Believe me...I've seen sniper

operate before.

(beat)

Whoever this guy is he's not keen

letting us get outta this hill

alive.

LORA

Oh God...what can we do?

Ivan looks at the rocks above them.

IVAN

It's best...we split...

Lora's worst fears came to live.

LORA

What?! No! No way! We will go

together! I will carry you if I

need to!

IVAN

Lora...

LORA

I said NO WAY! Iam not leaving you

here!

IVAN

Listen to me...please...

(beat)

If we continue together, it is easy

prey...I cannot move fast like

this...you're too weak to carry me

fast...

LORA

No!

IVAN

Listen, God damn it!

(beat)

I...will go up again. Iam slow, but

I can take care of myself. I know

how to avoid him...I'll reach out

to the other phone try get to

network and call for help...

(beat)

You wll move faster on your own.

Just continue zig-zaging 'till you

hit the road. Then seek help...you

will be outta his reach...

Lora senses the inevitability of this. Cries.

LORA

Ivan, please...

IVAN

No other way, baby...He cannot

track us at same time...He'll see

me as an easier target, go with

me...You'll have plenty of chance

to reach safety.

LORA

What if there are two of them?

IVAN

We gotta take a chance...

Lora sinks into her brother's body. Cries to oblivion.

Ivan confronts her. Tears rushing down his dirty cheeks.

LORA

You promised you won't leave me!

You fucking promised me!

IVAN

I promised I would get you to

safety...I'll do that...just let me

be on this...

LORA

No! You gonna die...you gonna die

like mom and...I can't be

alone...not anymore...

IVAN

Lora...maybe good to know this

now...our parents didn't die...

LORA

What?

IVAN

I'm talking about our real

parents...

LORA

How can you say this?

IVAN

We were adopted...very young...Mom

told me when she thought I could

handle it...she said to keep it

away from you...you were so

sensitive...

LORA

Who were they? Our real parents?

IVAN

Nobodies...at least no ones who

could care for us mom and dad did.

(beat)

I was angry at mom for telling me

at the time...tried to find

(MORE)

IVAN (cont'd)

them...but I realized we had what

we had because we were left by

those people...and we had enough

with mom and dad...

(beat)

Sometimes...destiny takes you to

the best outcome...but you gotta

trigger it...let me trigger it...

LORA

No...

IVAN

(coaching)

Hey! You've managed through applied

math at St. Georges...you'll manage

this!

(beat)

I'll start crawling...gimme couple

of minutes 'till I disappear above

the verge, and you start running

down...and you don't stop, you hear

me? Whatever happens, you don't

stop...

Ivan rolls aside from the stone. Checks surroundings.

He tears himself outta Lora's gasp and starts crawling

slowly.

Lora observes him moving. She is all in tears. Still, she

obeys him. Stays tucked below the stone.

Slowly, drag by drag, Ivan disappears above the verge.

Lora awaits the sounds. There are no bullet zips. She calms

herself into working on this. She gets ready.

She sprints down.

LORA'S POSITION
RUNNING

Lora blazes downhill, zig-zaging faster than ever before.

She doesn't stop, she doesn't look back, just a straight run

to the road.

She shakes from time to time, but does not fall.

The road becomes more and more flat as she pushes toward the

end of it.

IVAN'S POSITION
SAME TIME

Ivan stops crawling. His arm hurts him like hell, showing

off severe bleeding under wraps.

He takes a chance by stranding up, trying to move on his

feet.

The rocks crumble and roll below, making him slide down on

each step.

A bullet ZIPPING comes along, swinging just above his head.

Ivan drops on his knees. Gathers his strength and stands up

moving in a zig-zag manner, the faster up.

LORA'S POSITION
RUNNING

Lora suddenly stops, and immediately gets down. She listens

around like a squirrel in the open.

She checks her surroundings. She is alone.

She continues to run down.

IVAN'S POSITION
SAME TIME

Ivan grabs onto rocks with all his might using only his

solid arm.

ZIPPING is now all around him.

He sees the rattled backpacks still laying on the same place

where they left them.

He goes back into the crawling mode now. Slowly and

carefully approaching the equipment.

He reaches a backpack. Rips it open. All handy junk scatters

around.

Ivan searches for the cell phone. He finds it.

He checks the network - still none.

He turns his attention to one of the ground WALLS margining

the strip - the one facing the direction of the bullet zips.

He crawls to it, taking both backpacks with him, using his

hurt arm.

He SCREAMS in pain, feeling the baggage on his crushed bone

but his doesn't stop. A lion hart on this fella.

He reaches the wall. Takes one backpack all the way next to

it.

Then, takes a pause to catch his breath from the pain.

He takes another backpack and places it on top of the first

one.

He exhales deeply easing the harsh pain.

He takes the cell phone in his good hand and starts climbing

the wall pushing himself off the backpacks, and exposing

himself in a clear view.

He pushes up as far as he can.

VERGE OF THE WALL
CONTINUES

Ivan's hand with the call phone comes off the verge,

exposing itself to the plain grassy ground above.

All of the sudden, the phone comes ALIVE announcing there's

network on a reach.

Ivan below gasps at the sound. He completed the mission.

His fingers above try to push the right buttons for help.

He goes for 1...1... Can't reach 2.

A ZIP comes by, extremely close to his hand.

Ivan does not blink. He does another push of the button -

right spotting number 2.

Call is established giving a standby sound.

A very faint VOICE is heard from the other side, cannot even

be heard, but Ivan hears it.

IVAN

(yells out)

Help!...HELP!!! HELP!!!

He figures he's way beneath to reach the speaker. He takes

his breath and goes for his win.

Ivan's head arises from the wall verge coming to the cell

phone.

But instead of speaking in it, Ivan gazes on the bushes and

hills straight ahead enhanced by an invisible enemy who is

so present around.

A bullet ZIP'S straight toward Ivan's head.

Cell phone splattered with blood goes down alongside Ivan's

body.

LORA'S POSITION
SAME TIME

Lora reacts to the GUNSHOT heard.

She stops immediately sensing what this could mean. He face

crumples into pain as she bursts into tears.

LORA

Ivan!...No...no, no NO! NOOO!!!

She drops down, crying. Nothing matters at the moment, just

letting her pain overcome her.

TRAIL/STRIP RAVINE
Evening

ZIPs of water come to drop at a few seconds scale first,

then faster and faster.

Lora jerks her head up, surprised by the rain. It's looks

like she's been sleeping for a while on the end of the trail

lost in her exhaustion and pain of losing her brother.

She feels the rain on her face, as being reborn on a

baptizing ritual.

All is quiet around her except for the water DROPPINGS on

various things.

Lora spots a near puddle. Starts drinking with all her

might.

She slowly stands, dirty up to her neck but unsure where to

head to.

The downhill is behind her - in front of her a goat path to

unknown among more dense bushes and higher trees.

Lora goes on the goat trail.

TRAIL/WOODS
Nighttime

Lora pushes herself through the branches and the rain. She

constantly looks around but more of finding something to eat

than checking her whereabouts.

Visibility is low, but the trail is still ahead.

Lora tries calming herself from any sounds except for her

walking. Tears overcome her from time to time, but she

pushes it back.

She stops. Concentrates on her hearing. No notable sounds.

She continues.

TRAIL/WOODS
Later

Lora sits down leaned on a tree. She fights her desperation,

but won't cry. Doing her best to keep it together.

She spots something on the ground. Like a cat of prey, she

quickly snaps it with her hand and moves it closer to her

face.

It's a fairly juicy centipede. Lora's mouth tremble of

disgust, but her hunger is taking over her instincts.

She takes a huge bite at the centipede, cutting it in half

with her mouth.

As she munches it uncomfortably, a SOUND comes along.

Lora stands up immediately, and looks around.

The SOUND gets closer, and it seems like dog BARKING.

Lora's first urge flushes her into seeking help.

LORA

Hey! HEY! OVER HERE! HELP! HELP ME!

She stops realizing that this might not be helpful on

arrival.

She starts moving away from the sound, but now it's getting

real close - vicious BARKING without halt.

Lora turns to RUN.

TRAIL/WOODS LORA'S POSITION
MOVING

Lora sprints through the branches and bushes, a menace being

on her trail.

She looks back to measure the distance, but keeps the pace,

no stopping.

A dark shadow of an animal flushes out from the vegetation,

running straight after her.

It approaches closer and closer, no way it can be outrun.

Lora does not lose her strength. Just keeps moving forward

as fast as she can.

A bone-chilling ROAR and the animal makes a jump at Lora.

TRAIL/ROAD

Lora backs off, but cannot dodge the attack. A vicious,

BARKING German shepard is on her, making her fall from the

trail straight to the open road they have been on before

traveling the minibus.

Lora is down on the ground doing her best to avoid the

mighty jaw from snapping her neck.

The dog is trained one, goes straight for the most

vulnerable part of the victim's body.

With the corner of her eye, Lora sees a bigger, broken

branch lying beside.

She takes it just in time to stick it into the shepard's

mouth before it takes a bite outta her.

The dog does not give up. It goes through branch snapping it

in half.

Now, it's Lora's neck turn. The dog goes after it when --

-- A LOUD BANG is heard.

The dog is swiped away from Lora, taking the shot in the

head.

It crumbles to the ground, motionless...dead.

Lora instinctively looks ahead in the direction of the shot

and stands up.

A dark figure of a corpulent male stands in front of a large

terrain vehicle.

He lowers his rifle, and comes closer to Lora. She backs up.

As he closes by, he is being recognized - the MAN with his

family on a picnic, as seen before by the trio.

THE MAN

Are you all right?

Lora takes a few moments to gather from the attack and

figure the situation.

She then bursts into plea.

LORA

Oh, my God, please help me! My

brother is...is up there, my

boyfriend is dead...We gotta go to

the police!

THE MAN

Calm down...Come with me...

He takes his oversized jacket and wraps Lora in it, almost

covering her in total.

He takes her to the jeep. Let her go inside.

He's on the driver's door.

The jeep starts moving.

— ⑧

1.

EXT. IVAN AND LORA'S POSITION - LATER

Ivan and Lora lay resting. All quiet around them. Ivan is

breathing heavily and resisting the pain as much as he can.

Lora raises her head. Ivan sensing she might instinctively

get up, pushing her steady.

She notices the quietness.

LORA

Maybe...he left?

Ivan shakes his head in disagreement.

IVAN

He...can only see this stone. That

is why he is not firing.

LORA

How can you know that?

IVAN

Believe me...I've seen sniper

operate before.

(beat)

Whoever this guy is he's not keen

letting us get outta this hill

alive.

LORA

Oh God...what can we do?

Ivan looks at the rocks above them.

IVAN

It's best...we split...

Lora's worst fears came to live.

LORA

What?! No! No way! We will go

together! I will carry you if I

need to!

IVAN

Lora...

LORA

I said NO WAY! Iam not leaving you

here!

IVAN

Listen to me...please...

(beat)

If we continue together, it is easy

prey...I cannot move fast like

this...you're too weak to carry me

fast...

LORA

No!

IVAN

Listen, God damn it!

(beat)

I...will go up again. Iam slow, but

I can take care of myself. I know

how to avoid him...I'll reach out

to the other phone try get to

network and call for help...

(beat)

You wll move faster on your own.

Just continue zig-zaging 'till you

hit the road. Then seek help...you

will be outta his reach...

Lora senses the inevitability of this. Cries.

LORA

Ivan, please...

IVAN

No other way, baby...He cannot

track us at same time...He'll see

me as an easier target, go with

me...You'll have plenty of chance

to reach safety.

LORA

What if there are two of them?

IVAN

We gotta take a chance...

Lora sinks into her brother's body. Cries to oblivion.

Ivan confronts her. Tears rushing down his dirty cheeks.

LORA

You promised you won't leave me!

You fucking promised me!

IVAN

I promised I would get you to

safety...I'll do that...just let me

be on this...

LORA

No! You gonna die...you gonna die

like mom and...I can't be

alone...not anymore...

IVAN

Lora...maybe good to know this

now...our parents didn't die...

LORA

What?

IVAN

I'm talking about our real

parents...

LORA

How can you say this?

IVAN

We were adopted...very young...Mom

told me when she thought I could

handle it...she said to keep it

away from you...you were so

sensitive...

LORA

Who were they? Our real parents?

IVAN

Nobodies...at least no ones who

could care for us mom and dad did.

(beat)

I was angry at mom for telling me

at the time...tried to find

(MORE)

IVAN (cont'd)

them...but I realized we had what

we had because we were left by

those people...and we had enough

with mom and dad...

(beat)

Sometimes...destiny takes you to

the best outcome...but you gotta

trigger it...let me trigger it...

LORA

No...

IVAN

(coaching)

Hey! You've managed through applied

math at St. Georges...you'll manage

this!

(beat)

I'll start crawling...gimme couple

of minutes 'till I disappear above

the verge, and you start running

down...and you don't stop, you hear

me? Whatever happens, you don't

stop...

Ivan rolls aside from the stone. Checks surroundings.

He tears himself outta Lora's gasp and starts crawling

slowly.

Lora observes him moving. She is all in tears. Still, she

obeys him. Stays tucked below the stone.

Slowly, drag by drag, Ivan disappears above the verge.

Lora awaits the sounds. There are no bullet zips. She calms

herself into working on this. She gets ready.

She sprints down.

EXT. LORA'S POSITION - RUNNING

Lora blazes downhill, zig-zaging faster than ever before.

She doesn't stop, she doesn't look back, just a straight run

to the road.

She shakes from time to time, but does not fall.

The road becomes more and more flat as she pushes toward the

end of it.

EXT. IVAN'S POSITION - SAME TIME

Ivan stops crawling. His arm hurts him like hell, showing

off severe bleeding under wraps.

He takes a chance by stranding up, trying to move on his

feet.

The rocks crumble and roll below, making him slide down on

each step.

A bullet ZIPPING comes along, swinging just above his head.

Ivan drops on his knees. Gathers his strength and stands up

moving in a zig-zag manner, the faster up.

EXT. LORA'S POSITION - RUNNING

Lora suddenly stops, and immediately gets down. She listens

around like a squirrel in the open.

She checks her surroundings. She is alone.

She continues to run down.

EXT. IVAN'S POSITION - SAME TIME

Ivan grabs onto rocks with all his might using only his

solid arm.

ZIPPING is now all around him.

He sees the rattled backpacks still laying on the same place

where they left them.

He goes back into the crawling mode now. Slowly and

carefully approaching the equipment.

He reaches a backpack. Rips it open. All handy junk scatters

around.

Ivan searches for the cell phone. He finds it.

He checks the network - still none.

He turns his attention to one of the ground WALLS margining

the strip - the one facing the direction of the bullet zips.

He crawls to it, taking both backpacks with him, using his

hurt arm.

He SCREAMS in pain, feeling the baggage on his crushed bone

but his doesn't stop. A lion hart on this fella.

He reaches the wall. Takes one backpack all the way next to

it.

Then, takes a pause to catch his breath from the pain.

He takes another backpack and places it on top of the first

one.

He exhales deeply easing the harsh pain.

He takes the cell phone in his good hand and starts climbing

the wall pushing himself off the backpacks, and exposing

himself in a clear view.

He pushes up as far as he can.

EXT. VERGE OF THE WALL - CONTINUES

Ivan's hand with the call phone comes off the verge,

exposing itself to the plain grassy ground above.

All of the sudden, the phone comes ALIVE announcing there's

network on a reach.

Ivan below gasps at the sound. He completed the mission.

His fingers above try to push the right buttons for help.

He goes for 1...1... Can't reach 2.

A ZIP comes by, extremely close to his hand.

Ivan does not blink. He does another push of the button -

right spotting number 2.

Call is established giving a standby sound.

A very faint VOICE is heard from the other side, cannot even

be heard, but Ivan hears it.

IVAN

(yells out)

Help!...HELP!!! HELP!!!

He figures he's way beneath to reach the speaker. He takes

his breath and goes for his win.

Ivan's head arises from the wall verge coming to the cell

phone.

But instead of speaking in it, Ivan gazes on the bushes and

hills straight ahead enhanced by an invisible enemy who is

so present around.

A bullet ZIP'S straight toward Ivan's head.

Cell phone splattered with blood goes down alongside Ivan's

body.

EXT. LORA'S POSITION - SAME TIME

Lora reacts to the GUNSHOT heard.

She stops immediately sensing what this could mean. He face

crumples into pain as she bursts into tears.

LORA

Ivan!...No...no, no NO! NOOO!!!

She drops down, crying. Nothing matters at the moment, just

letting her pain overcome her.

EXT. TRAIL/STRIP RAVINE - EVENING

ZIPs of water come to drop at a few seconds scale first,

then faster and faster.

Lora jerks her head up, surprised by the rain. It's looks

like she's been sleeping for a while on the end of the trail

lost in her exhaustion and pain of losing her brother.

She feels the rain on her face, as being reborn on a

baptizing ritual.

All is quiet around her except for the water DROPPINGS on

various things.

Lora spots a near puddle. Starts drinking with all her

might.

She slowly stands, dirty up to her neck but unsure where to

head to.

The downhill is behind her - in front of her a goat path to

unknown among more dense bushes and higher trees.

Lora goes on the goat trail.

EXT. TRAIL/WOODS - NIGHT

Lora pushes herself through the branches and the rain. She

constantly looks around but more of finding something to eat

than checking her whereabouts.

Visibility is low, but the trail is still ahead.

Lora tries calming herself from any sounds except for her

walking. Tears overcome her from time to time, but she

pushes it back.

She stops. Concentrates on her hearing. No notable sounds.

She continues.

EXT. TRAIL/WOODS - LATER

Lora sits down leaned on a tree. She fights her desperation,

but won't cry. Doing her best to keep it together.

She spots something on the ground. Like a cat of prey, she

quickly snaps it with her hand and moves it closer to her

face.

It's a fairly juicy centipede. Lora's mouth tremble of

disgust, but her hunger is taking over her instincts.

She takes a huge bite at the centipede, cutting it in half

with her mouth.

As she munches it uncomfortably, a SOUND comes along.

Lora stands up immediately, and looks around.

The SOUND gets closer, and it seems like dog BARKING.

Lora's first urge flushes her into seeking help.

LORA

Hey! HEY! OVER HERE! HELP! HELP ME!

She stops realizing that this might not be helpful on

arrival.

She starts moving away from the sound, but now it's getting

real close - vicious BARKING without halt.

Lora turns to RUN.

EXT. TRAIL/WOODS LORA'S POSITION - MOVING

Lora sprints through the branches and bushes, a menace being

on her trail.

She looks back to measure the distance, but keeps the pace,

no stopping.

A dark shadow of an animal flushes out from the vegetation,

running straight after her.

It approaches closer and closer, no way it can be outrun.

Lora does not lose her strength. Just keeps moving forward

as fast as she can.

A bone-chilling ROAR and the animal makes a jump at Lora.

EXT. TRAIL/ROAD

Lora backs off, but cannot dodge the attack. A vicious,

BARKING German shepard is on her, making her fall from the

trail straight to the open road they have been on before

traveling the minibus.

Lora is down on the ground doing her best to avoid the

mighty jaw from snapping her neck.

The dog is trained one, goes straight for the most

vulnerable part of the victim's body.

With the corner of her eye, Lora sees a bigger, broken

branch lying beside.

She takes it just in time to stick it into the shepard's

mouth before it takes a bite outta her.

The dog does not give up. It goes through branch snapping it

in half.

Now, it's Lora's neck turn. The dog goes after it when --

-- A LOUD BANG is heard.

The dog is swiped away from Lora, taking the shot in the

head.

It crumbles to the ground, motionless...dead.

Lora instinctively looks ahead in the direction of the shot

and stands up.

A dark figure of a corpulent male stands in front of a large

terrain vehicle.

He lowers his rifle, and comes closer to Lora. She backs up.

As he closes by, he is being recognized - the MAN with his

family on a picnic, as seen before by the trio.

THE MAN

Are you all right?

Lora takes a few moments to gather from the attack and

figure the situation.

She then bursts into plea.

LORA

Oh, my God, please help me! My

brother is...is up there, my

boyfriend is dead...We gotta go to

the police!

THE MAN

Calm down...Come with me...

He takes his oversized jacket and wraps Lora in it, almost

covering her in total.

He takes her to the jeep. Let her go inside.

He's on the driver's door.

The jeep starts moving.