The Blinding Light

INT. MYSTERIOUS MAN WAKES ON THE BUSY SIDEWALK - AFTERNOON

A mysterious man is face first on the sidewalk of a city. Tall buildings are all around with no trees or grass, only sidewalks, roads, street signs and stop lights. The man is wearing layers upon layers of mismatched clothes all torn up with some parts showing his dirt stained skin. He has a mysterious hole in the back of his head that is projecting light. The cars in the roads have all stopped to see this mysterious man. People on the sidewalk are quietly watching the man lay face first. Every business man is dressed in a black business suit with a white under shirt and red tie with a brown suit case and black shoes. All of the women are dressed in red business thigh cut dresses and red high heels. One man kneels over the man. He looks into the hole in the back of the man’s head. A business lady walks up behind the man as if she is waiting in line. The business lady taps the business man on the back and anxiously asks him a question.

BUSINESS LADY

What do you see? 

The business man arises from the hole and looks around at the crowd of people all dressed like him. He drops his suitcase and pushes his way through the crowd without saying a word. A line forms behind the next business lady in line. She removes her heels, tosses them on the ground next the suitcase, and walks away without a word. The streets become cluttered with cars with all of doors open. An endless line grows waiting to see what the meaning of this light is. The line is in a specific order: male than female. A business woman whispers to a business man.

BUSINESS WOMAN # 2

Why do you think he came here?

BUSINESS MAN # 2

 To bless us...

When there is only one person left in line, there is a pile of suitcases inching up a few stories high with paper scattered all over the streets. There are red heels piled up next to the suitcases and the man. The last person in line is another business man. He kneels down with a suit case and inches his eye towards the light from the hole. He feels a sudden tug at his tie.   He looks down to see the man pulling his face towards the business man with his left hand. The man turns himself over with the support of the business man’s tie and mumbles weakly and slowly.

THE MAN

Help me. [Pause] I’m sick. I need help.

The business man is in shock. He has never seen a man so hideous or impure. The business man tries to respond with a reasonable answer but can’t.

BUSINESS MAN # 3

Uhh uhh I uh I uh.

The cave dweller pulls the business mans face closer to his. 

THE MAN

Help me. I need help. [Speaks slowly] There is a light inside of me...

The business man throws the man to the ground and runs down the street.

EXT. THE BUSINESS MAN RUNS DOWN THE CITY STREET FULL OF ABANDONED CARS 

INT. BUSINESS MAN # 3 RUNS INTO HIS OFFICE BUILDING

The business man runs into the office building where  he works and finds that no one is there. All of the desks are empty. He screams for anyone. 

BUSINESS MAN # 3

Hello!

He runs up the stairway to the fifth floor. He runs to the cubical he works in. He sees no one typing at their computers or answering phones. The office is dead silent. The business man yells at the top of his lungs. 

BUSINESS MAN # 3

What the fuck is happening to me!

He picks up the computer at his desk and tosses it through the fifth story office window. He kicks over the large office printer. He knocks over all of the cubicals in the office. He stops and walks to the hole in the window from the computer. Breathing heavily with his hands on his knees he sees mysterious man dragging himself through the street full of abandoned cars. He yells out the window.

BUSINESS MAN # 3 

Hey! I need to see the light! I need to see the fucking light!

He throws a computer keyboard out of the window aiming it at the man but the man keeps dragging himself along.

EXT. THE BUSINESS MAN RUNS DOWN THE STAIR WELL - AFTERNOON

INT. THE ONE MAN RIOT - CLEAR NIGHT

The  business man is in his white unbuttoned dress shirt, his red tie loosened, and no shoes on. He whistles and dances with joy while he is pushing a shopping cart full of molotov cocktails. He whistles and pulls one out of the cart. He pulls out his lighter and is whistling “This Land Is Your Land.” He puts a cigarette in his mouth and lights it. He speaks loudly.

BUSINESS MAN # 3

You want the truth?

He pulls the cigarette from his mouth and puts the cherry to the cloth of the molotov cocktail. It catches on fire.

BUSINESS MAN # 3

I fucking hate this place.

He throws the molotov cocktail into the window of a ten story bank. He jumps up and clicks his heels as he watches some of the building burn. He pushes the cart down the street a little further. He lights another one with his cigarette. He throw one into another building window. He looks up at the sky laughs violently and hysterically.

BUSINESS MAN # 3

[Screams] Why am I all alone here?

The business man falls to his knees and pulls at his hair. He begins to cry uncontrollably with his head in between his legs. A small piece falls from the burning building into the shopping cart full of molotov cocktails. With the business man still crying he doesn’t notice. One of the molotov cocktails catches fire along with others. The business man falls backwards with his legs giving out on him and the cart falls over covering him in flames. 

EXT. THE BUSINESS MAN BURNING IN THE STREETS

INT. THE BUSINESSMAN IN THE SHOPPING CART - CLEAR MORNING

The business man wakes to the mysterious man pushing him through the woods the shopping cart. He wakes startled and feels his skin. It feels tender but it does not look burnt. The business man studies the light coming from his head.

THE MAN

I saved you...

Silence rises between them and they come upon an opening in the woods. It’s an open field full of hot air balloons with thousands of people loading them up with their possessions.

THE MAN

I figured you didn’t need to grab anything.

The business man grins and thinks of his business suit and brief case. 

BUSINESS MAN # 3

Who are you?

The man looks towards the sky and climbs into the hot air balloon. The business man jumps out of the shopping cart and hops in the hot air balloon. All of the hot air balloons take off at once.

EXT. THE SKY IS FULL OF HOT AIR BALLOONS HEADING FOR THE CLOUDS