TRAUMA by Mark Kinsella

FADE IN: INT. UNDERGROUND STATION PLATFORM On the platform, a young MAN (20s) stares directly ahead of him. In a daze, dissociated, in his own world, whatever you want to call it. He pulls himself out of his reverie and looks left into the distance where others wait, then right to see a similar scene. He and a nearby COMMUTER (30s) exchange looks, but the commuter quickly retreats to his paper. The young man shuffles his feet, but the daze comes back to him. The train roars into the platform; its busy, but not yet crammed. He stands politely to one side of the train hiding behind the commuter as they let passengers off first. The young man takes a deliberate moment to muster his courage. The commuter enters, the young man follows and steps on just as a PASSENGER runs off last minute and bumps into his shoulder. He spins round, but the passenger is already off. PASSENGER Oi, watch it! The doors close, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP! INT - TRAIN CARRIAGE - CONTINUOUS Distressed, the young man goes to the far corner, the passenger swearing at him out the window. He scans the crowd of those around him, no one else seems to pay much attention, except the commuter who gives him a sympathetic smile before returning to his paper. The young man leans against the side by the door. The train jerks forward, the tracks screech and the young man tries to calm down after the minor confrontation, but it's difficult. He looks at the faces of those on the carriage this Saturday night, a cacophony of voices, laughter, drunken stumbles, trying to get above the din of the train. Their laughs and eyes bulge. He glances from one to the next to the next, his face heating up.

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The next station, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, more passengers, the train jerks forward. More laughter, someone else knocks him. He spins round, but no idea who it was. He retreats to his corner. Next station, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, the doors close and the extra push of people crowd in around him. His heart palpitates, BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM. Hes on high alert, his pupils dilated, breathing heavily, a light sweat about him. The commuter looks up and can't help but notice his unsettling behaviour. The young man closes his eyes then turns his attention away from the crush around him and out the window. Out the darkened window, sparks from the rails shower out. The screech and roar of the ride intensify and merge into the sound of gunfire, explosions and people screaming. VFX: The sparks through the window turn into tracer bullets screaming across a nights sky, nearby booms mushroom to the heavens, the race of people in the street trying to get away echo the commuters jostling next to him. Then a horrific face, a man tied to a chair, a brutal interrogation. The commuter watches from across the crowd. The young man's face shows the strain until another heartbeat enters the mix and crescendos at a slightly higher pitch, BABOOM, BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM. The young man looks round, sensing it first and trying to find its source. The commuter follows his gaze. And there she is. A young WOMAN (20s) at the far end of the carriage. She grips her handrail tight like him. The young man watches her utterly captivated. She is in a mild state of panic, of tension, pupils dilated, breathing heavily, a light sweat about her. Her attention turns to the window, where the dark tunnel races past. VFX: Over the darkened window, her scene of horror. A DISHEVELLED MANs face (30s), close on his stubble, sweat, his grunts and groans, hand over her mouth, the ceiling behind him, her hand pushed back down to the floor. Her muffled cries over his intensifying groans. She looks up and notices the young man looking at her. BEGIN SLOW MOTION: Everything slows down, eyes locked onto one another across the crowded train. All sound drowns out.

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The shake of the carriage does not seem to affect them. The young man blinks, she blinks. The commuter watches mesmerised from afar. In a surreal moment they are the only three people in the carriage, suddenly empty of passengers, the commuter caught in the background of this intimate moment. Something in her look changes, and the young man gives her the hint of a reassuring smile. It settles her, and she smiles slightly back. At the next station, more people enter, the carriage once again full of people. The commuter takes a slow-motion step to his side to keep watching. With shy, hesitant looks, the young man and woman are slowly pushed towards the middle, closer to one another. Their hands reach out to take hold of the central pole, her hand just beneath his, the lightest of touches, briefest of brushes as one finger touches the other. Shy smiles again. The bodies press in around them and they are pushed closer together into what could almost be called an embrace. She almost nestles into his shoulder. He almost rests his head on top of hers. Comfort... END OF SLOW MOTION. Then-The train jolts, theyre both knocked and she falls onto his arm. Instinctively he chops her hand away, hyperalert, the adrenaline pumping. She looks at him in shock, herself triggered in response. The commuter watches in disbelief. The young man looks at her gradually coming out of his hyperalert state. It registers what hes just done. Her eyes fill with tears. But the doors open. He looks apologetic. She runs off. He hesitates - should he follow? He runs out after her. The commuter hesitates - should he follow? He too jumps out the door nearest him.

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INT - UNDERGROUND STATION PLATFORM - CONTINUOUS The young man chases after her, but shes too fast, already at the top of the escalator. From the bottom of the escalator, he stares up at the space she just vacated, lost. The commuter catches up and watches from round the corner of the passageway as the young man's head drops, resigned. He turns to walk back towards the platform and the commuter slips into a parallel passage out of sight. Another train pulls into frame and the young man walks to the edge of the platform. But a faint heartbeat enters the mix, BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM, BABOOM. He turns to look straight at the commuter caught watching from the passageway behind him. Their eyes connect, the commuter not sure how to react. The young man gives him the hint of a reassuring smile. Then the doors open, the young man takes a moment and steps inside. The commuter steps towards him, but the doors close and the train pulls away. He stares after the train, waiting until the next arrives. INT - TRAIN CARRIAGE - MOMENTS LATER In the next train, the commuter takes his place in the corner by the door in front of the darkened windows. The carriage knocks slightly from side to side, PFUTT-TUT, PFUTT-TUT, but it barely registers with him; hes in his own world, dissociated, whatever you want to call it, thinking presumably about what just happened. VFX: Faint images appear far off in the window behind him, indiscernible shapes, forgotten traumas, but coming ever closer; the sound levels rise in the mix as part of the approach. As the sound levels rise to a deafening roar, his head rises, aware that something is behind him. He slowly turns to face the images. FADE OUT.