It's a New Day by Glen Marcus (epub e ink reader txt) 📕

ESTES RESIDENCE BACK DECK - SAME TIME

ADAM and SHELIA watch the budding romance from a distance.

ADAM

 

Young love is great, huh?

 

SHELIA

 

What, those two? I didn't know Sarah was interested in Tommy.

 

ADAM

 

Just give it time honey.

(Adam's attention is drawn to smoke coming from the tree line to the south.)

ADAM

(concerned look)

It's the Douglas' signal fire. Something's wrong.

CUT TO

ADAM runs down the steps into the back yard.

ADAM (cont.)

(loud voice)

Tommy, grab two horses and let's get over to the Douglas place!

CUT TO

ADAM and TOMMY quickly bridle and jump aboard the bareback horses. Riding out fast from the barn, SARAH makes her way onto the deck with SHELIA.

CUT TO

SHELIA

(concerned look)

I hope everything is alright.

CUT TO

EXT. PAVED TWO-LANED ROAD – A FEW MINUTES LATER

ADAM and TOMMY gallop hard towards the DOUGLAS HOME.

CUT TO

EXT. DOUGLAS HOME – TEN MINUTES LATER

ADAM and TOMMY bring their mounts to a sliding stop at the steps of the front porch. The white single-level home is older but well kempt. IRENE meets the riders at the open front door.

IRENE

(worried look)

It’s Jasper. He’s taken a nasty fall.

CUT TO

INT. DOUGLAS HOME BATHROOM – IMMEDIATELY AFTER

ADAM rushes into the bathroom to find JASPER stretched over the top of a closed toilet.

ADAM

 

Jasper, where are you hurt?

 

JASPER

 

Mostly in my pride area.

ADAM smiles with a sigh of relief, as IRENE and TOMMY watch from the open door.

JASPER (cont.)

 

Hell, you know Irene was just looking for an excuse to light that signal fire you set up for us the other day.

ADAM leans down and puts a hand on JASER’S shoulder.

ADAM

(in a whispering voice)

Can you get up?

 

JASPER

 

I’m not sure.

Slowly ADAM lifts JASPER off the toilet and places the seventy-seven year old's arm around his shoulder. JASPER places his weight on his right leg to find severe pain in his foot.

JASPER

(wincing)

My ankle.

CUT TO

INT. DOUGLAS HOME LIVING ROOM – MINUTE LATER

ADAM helps JASPER to the living room. The elderly man lies stretched out on the sofa. After removing his shoe and sock, ADAM examines the swollen ankle.

ADAM

 

Doesn’t seem to be broken. It’s swelled a little. Tommy, go get some ice in a towel.

 

JASPER

 

It’s nothing. Just an old man that can’t stand up anymore.

 

IRENE

 

You hush that kind of talk. Lay there and rest.

TOMMY brings the ice and stays with JASPER as IRENE and ADAM walk to the kitchen.

CUT TO

INT. DOUGLAS HOME KITCHEN – MINUTE LATER

IRENE

 

I hated to bother you but I didn’t know if he was hurt badly or not.

 

ADAM

 

You did the right thing. He seems a little groggy.

 

IRENE

 

We’ve run out of his medication and he’s having trouble with his balance.

 

ADAM

 

Do you want me to go to town and see if I can get some more? I’m not sure how the pharmacy stock will be after a week but I can try.

 

IRENE

 

That’s sweet of you ADAM. I’ll get you the empty bottle. I just wish I knew where Charlie was. I hope he’s alright.

 

ADAM

 

Don’t worry, I'm sure Charlie will be here before long. Getting to Dawsonville from Atlanta probably isn’t an easy job at the moment but he'll come.

 

IRENE

(smiling slightly)

My son is a smart one. I was so proud when he got that job with IBM. I just wish he had been working around here now with all this going on.

 

ADAM

 

How’s your food holding out?

 

IRENE

 

Oh lord, we’re fine. I got plenty of food canned from the summer and Danny is keeping us water drawn up from the well. You don’t worry about us. Let me get you that pill bottle.

CUT TO

EXT. DOUGLAS HOME FRONT YARD – TEN MINUTES LATER

IRENE

 

Y’all be careful and don’t worry about us old folks. We been making it around here for forty years...We’re tough old birds.

TOMMY AND ADAM mount their horses to leave.

ADAM

 

You just keep that fifty-five gallon drum full of oil rags like I showed you. Fire it up if you run into trouble.

 

IRENE

 

I know, I know and if it’s at night, fire off the shotgun in three round blasts.

 

ADAM

 

That’s right. Help is only a few shotgun shells away. Take care Irene.

Waving good bye, the two turn their respective mounts and leave.

CUT TO

EXT. PAVED ROAD TOWARDS HOME – FEW MINUTES LATER

Walking the horses, father and son have a conversation about the old couple.

TOMMY

 

Think they’ll be o.k. dad?

 

ADAM

 

You heard Ms. Irene didn’t you? They’re tough old birds.

 

TOMMY

 

I know but Mr. Douglas didn’t look so good.

 

ADAM

 

I ever tell you about when they moved up here to Dawson County from Atlanta?

 

TOMMY

 

I know they’ve been up here a long time.

 

ADAM

 

Back in the early seventies, let’s just say it was pretty white up in these parts. There weren’t any African-Americans living in this county and most people liked it that way. Jasper wanted to farm some land and had made a pretty good living selling real estate down in Atlanta. When he bought that house and thirty-five acres, it caused a pretty big stir.

 

TOMMY

 

So did people try to run him out?

 

ADAM

 

Oh, they tried but I remember my daddy telling me about the night a bunch of men surrounded his house. They were all pretty drunk and threatened to burn him out if he didn’t move. Jasper came out onto that front porch and stood there, big as you please, just daring them to come make him move. One by one, they’d make their way up on the porch and he just kept throwing them off the steps. Finally, they figured he was serious and left him alone. I guess he showed them he had just as much right as they did to live where he wanted.

 

TOMMY

 

How did Grandpa know about that story?

CUT TO

(shot of riders from the rear, picking up the pace to a trot)

ADAM

 

Because he was one of the men Tommy.

FADE OUT


CUT TO


EXT. CITY OF DAWSONVILLE – LATE MORNING DAY SEVEN

ADAM and SHELIA ride two horses into town hoping to get JASPER’S pills. They pull up their mounts and tie them in front of the RIDGETOP PHARAMCY and walk inside.

CUT TO


INT. RIDGETOP PHARMACY – A MINUTE LATER
The ESTES (2) notice most merchandise is gone from the store and the shelves are virtually empty.

GIRL BEHIND COUNTER

 

Can I help you?

ADAM walks over to counter, while SHELIA peruses the scant merchandise.

ADAM

 

I was wondering if I could get some of these pills for Jasper Douglas. I’d like to get as many as possible.

With a glum look on her face, the GIRL BEHIND COUNTER takes the bottle and walks back towards the pharmacy counter in the rear. ADAM finds SHELIA and they take a few minutes to wander through the dimly-lit store.

CUT TO


(shot of PHARMACIST walking up the isle towards the ESTES (2)

PHARMACIST

 

Hello. Is Mr. Douglas doing alright?

 

ADAM

 

He’s been out of his pills now for a few days. Irene says he’s a bit disorientated and groggy.

 

PHARMACIST

 

I was afraid of that.

The PHARMACIST holds up the brown pill bottle for ADAM to see.

PHARMACIST (cont.)

 

He has been prescribed Apresoline for his hypertension. It should be taken daily but if he misses it for more than a week, it could be life-threatening. I’m sorry to say, but we just don’t have any more stock of the drug.

 

SHELIA

 

Do you have a generic or a substitute?

 

PHARMACIST

 

I do have a limited supply of a drug that might work and under the circumstances it’s the best I can do. Seems that everyone is beginning to be in dire need.

 

ADAM

 

Yeah and we’re only a week into this.

 

PHARMACIST

 

My greatest fear is we won’t be seeing more shipments anytime soon. And it may get worse. Somebody tried to break into the pharmacy last night. The back door was pried off its hinges this morning when I got here. The inner security bars were the only thing that stopped them.

 

ADAM

 

Jasper would appreciate anything you can do for him, I’m sure.

 

PHARMACIST

 

I’ll get the medication and bring it up front in a few minutes.

CUT TO


EXT. STREETS OF DAWSONVILLE – A SHORT TIME LATER

A CROWD gathers in front of CITY HALL. ADAM and SHELIA take their horses by the reins and lead them over to see what the commotion is all about.


CUT TO

EXT. CITY HALL – MOMENTS LATER

Approximately one-hundred people of various ages are standing in a semi-circle around the front entrnace. The MAYOR is atop the concrete steps of the building. He is separated from the CROWD by four sheriff’s deputies.

CROWD MALE 1

(shouting as to be heard over others)

Where’s the food and water you promised us!

 

CROWD FEMALE 1

 

My little girl need medicine and the pharmacy is all out!

Mayor holds both his hands in the air, waving them to try and get the CROWD to quiet down.

MAYOR

(shouting over the CROWD)

Listen folks…LISTEN!

CROWD begins to quiet their murmurings slightly.

MAYOR (cont.)

 

I hopefully have answers to all your questions. Just give me a chance here. I have gotten together with some local farmers and we’ve put together a food bank that we'll be distributing from very soon. The two city water tanks are almost full to capacity and our utility crews are making modifications now to be able to give out the water by tomorrow. All we ask is that you bear with us.

CROWD begins to talk loudly amongst themselves again.

CROWD MALE 2

(shouting above the others)

Promises ain’t worth a hoot in hell. We need food now!

The deputies begin to have a concerned look and covertly move their hands to their sidearms.

CUT TO

ADAM places his two pinky fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly. CROWD goes virtually silent for a moment.

ADAM

 

Folks, I’m sure the mayor and his staff are doing everything they can. We’re all going to have to be patient and stretch what we have as far as we can for now. It’s not going to be easy but we can all work together and get through this.

A familiar voice to ADAM chimes in from somewhere in the crowd.

BOBBY JOHNSON

 

Well, well, look who’s presence has graced our fine town folks. The man that tells us to be patient and work together, while he sits out at his farm with all the food, water and transportation he needs.

CUT TO

ADAM scans the faces and sees BOBBY amidst the gathering to his right.

BOBBY (cont.)

 

Kind of easy to be patient when you’re comfortable but what about the ones of us that don’t have anything to eat right now.

ADAM aims his comment in BOBBY’S direction. The ire that has been between the pair for as long he can remember comes boiling out with the words.

ADAM

 

You, as well as anyone, know I’ve worked for what I have. If you’d taken better care of what you had, you wouldn’t be here in this shape.

CUT TO