One Night Stand (script)

LOGLINE: "Ahead of the inescapable heat death of the universe,

a quiet observer attempts to accept her fiery end with the accompaniment of a poorly-timed hookup."

---

OVER BLACK.

SUPERIMPOSE: PROLOGUE.

We hear bodies pushed against walls. INDECIPHERABLE BANTER, LAUGHTER. RAGE MUSIC in the distance.

Then, the JOSTLING OF KEYS.

FADE TO:

INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT

MALLORY, a shaggy-haired 20-something, stumbles in. Drunk as ever. Nearly drops her KEYS.

AYDEN slides in. Attempts to be cool and catch her keys, but almost trips. Recovers. Makes it into something endearing but also charming.

They both burst into a fit of drunken GIGGLING. 

Mallory pulls Ayden back toward the bed. Her dorm is decorated with tasteful gothic accents and YELLOWED PAGES OF POETRY along the walls.

Plus, some weathered SPACE POSTERS. Ayden notices, with a SNORT:

AYDEN: "Perfect time to pick that up, aye? Just dabbling in it, I'm guessing?"

MALLORY (slurring): "Was' preoccupied with what passes us long before the news caught up with it..."

Mallory turns and pushes him onto the bed. Playful.

AYDEN: "So, what's the expert opinion? Are me and you going to go out in a fiery inferno?"

MALLORY (suggestive): "...Something like that."

Mallory starts to engage. Ayden flips their positions. Joking, mocking:

AYDEN: "Say it's real. Would you spend your last night alive with me?"

Ayden gets closer to her, trying to make her LAUGH. He succeeds. With a sly smile:

MALLORY: "Mhm, sure."

This isn't serious and they both know it. Mallory pulls Ayden down by his shirt.

We hear FUMBLING as the CAMERA TILTS UP to the window, to the beautiful night sky. THE SOUND MIX FADES OUT.

MALLORY (O.S.) (muffled): "Let's let this be just a tonight thing."

Ayden HUMS in agreement (O.S.).

SUPERIMPOSE: ONE NIGHT STAND. The sprinkling of stars fades out - except one.

FADE OUT. 

OVER BLACK.

TICK, TICK, TICK.

SUPERIMPOSE QUOTE:

"All the fear and the fire of the end of the world, 

Happens each time a boy falls in love with a girl."

-Andrew Hozier-Byrne

WARNING SIRENS BLARE.

HARD CUT TO:

INT. DORM ROOM - LATER

The couple jerks awake, alert and alarmed at once.

AYDEN: "WHA–"

AYDEN, in BOXERS, wide-eyed:

AYDEN (progresses from calm to panic): "This isn't happening... This isn't happening. This isn't happening! This Isn't Happening! ThisIsn'tHappening, ThisIsn'tHappening, tHIS ISN'T HAPPENING–"

Ayden continues to pace and SCREECH in the background. An OLD TELEVISION FLICKERS to life, broadcasting a MUFFLED message from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (O.S.).

MALLORY sits so still in Ayden's SHIRT. Pale. Shell-shocked.

MALLORY (faint): "...Shit."

INT. DORM ROOM - 2 MINUTES LATER

THE PRESIDENT (O.S.): "...Supernova...immediate threat... We estimate casualties to be in the billions. Please stay tuned to this channel for further information. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States–"

AYDEN rocks back and forth on the ground. Tries to text his mom but there's no signal. He LAUGHS and pulls at his hair.

Suddenly, BARS AND TONE APPEAR ON THE TV. 

The DIGITAL CLOCK GLITCHES. It counts down from 10 minutes.

PAN OVER to MALLORY. Regaining the ability to speak and breathe. Clenches and unclenches fist. 

Ayden's LAUGHTER hits a new peak as he stares at his dormant phone. Mallory twitches.

AYDEN: "I was, I was supposed, I had–Nothing. Nothing! I hadn't done anything. Anything! aNYTHING–"

On impulse, she grabs an EMPTY WINE BOTTLE and chucks it at the wall.

The SHATTERING jerks Ayden out of his crisis. He stares, jaw slightly slacked.

MALLORY: "What? Does it matter? Don't think the grim reaper will be giving much of a shit what we break on the way out! WhAT DOES IT FUCKING MATTER???"

Mallory throws a VASE. A MUG. A PLATE. A FORTUNE COOKIE. Another PLATE. With little force comes the grand finale: a SMALL MIRROR.

Mallory, now in a sweat, throws her hands up in exasperation. No longer angry, she steps on her GLASSES on the way down beside Ayden.

Mallory looks over at Ayden. Trying to be humorous at the end:

MALLORY: "No need for those."

Ayden HUMS. Still doesn't make eye contact. Trying:

MALLORY: "Why was it easy to see that 2012 wasn't the end of the world?"

AYDEN: "Why?"

MALLORY: "Doomsday had 20/20 vision."

Ayden CHUCKLES at the stupid joke. Mallory smiles. Quips:

AYDEN: "Is a couple years off."

Mallory elbows him in the ribs. The moment fades and replaces itself with grimness.

MALLORY: "Do you have a dollar?"

AYDEN: "Why would you–"

MALLORY: "Just do it."

(softer)

"Please."

Ayden complies. Mallory catches his WALLET with one hand.

Rifles through his wallet:

MALLORY (incredulously): "Your middle name is Ewan?"

AYDEN (sheepish): "Like McGregor...Mom is a big fan of Star Wars."(sinking)

"...Was."

MALLORY: "No more of that. She's still here."

AYDEN (distant): "She's gonna die."

MALLORY: "We're all gonna die."

(gentle pleading)

"Please. I don't want my skin to melt off while the tears and snot are still drying. Let us have this."

He looks at the clock: 7 minutes. Concedes. Holds back.

AYDEN: "Okay."

Mallory reaches over and grabs a LIGHTER. Sets the FIVE DOLLAR BILL alight.

AYDEN: "Surprised you didn't choose to set the curtains on fire."

MALLORY: "Wanted to make a capitalist metaphor instead."

AYDEN: "Smart."

The flame goes out. strangely calm:

MALLORY: "What would you have spent it on?"

AYDEN: "I would've taken you to this nice breakfast place..."

(beat)

"Gotten to know you better."

Mallory playful rolls her eyes and gives him a look. They both have their doubts about that. Avoiding:

MALLORY: "The one on 9th?"

AYDEN: "N-No, the one by the pottery studio."

MALLORY: "There's a pottery studio?!?"

AYDEN: "Yeah, I...took classes there for a couple weeks."

Ayden grabs his phone. Starts scrolling through his camera roll.

MALLORY: "Why a few weeks?"

AYDEN: "Didn't catch on."

He holds up his phone. There's a photo of him where he's smiling and holding up a wonky pot. 

AYDEN: "I tried pottery and candle making. Soap art. Had a stint in interpretative dance."

Mallory, in awe of him:

MALLORY: "What were you recently?"

AYDEN: "A whittler–"

MALLORY: "–No–"

AYDEN: "–I was decent but I always wanted to be a comedian."

MALLORY: "You should've been."

AYDEN: "I'm not funny enough."

MALLORY (in agreement): "You aren't."

AYDEN: "What'd you get into?"

MALLORY: "I practiced finance."

Ayden raises his eyebrows.

MALLORY: "It was easy enough."

AYDEN: "Besides that?"

MALLORY: "Not much else besides..."

(nodding towards posters)

"Parties?"

AYDEN: "Doesn't count."

MALLORY: "Well, shit. Poetry."

(beat)

"I should've picked up train hopping."

AYDEN: "Oh?"

MALLORY: "We could've gone to Montreal."

AYDEN: "Or Paris."

MALLORY: "Or Rome."

AYDEN: "Or Cancun."

MALLORY (voice breaking): "Or Australia."

Mallory breaks. SOBS into her hands. Ayden holds her. Whispers:

AYDEN (quietly): "Well, we're going down under one way or another."

She barks out a LAUGH through the sobs. Punches him.

MALLORY: "You're awful, you know that?"

AYDEN: "Oh, I'm horrendous."

Mallory leans into him. Quiet, slightly shaking:

MALLORY: "I haven't lived my life yet."

AYDEN: "That's okay. I haven't either."

(beat, trying to convince himself)

"Doesn't matter on the other side."

Mallory shakes her head.

MALLORY: "What I wouldn't give for one more minute with you."

AYDEN: "Good thing you have four."

Mallory SOBS again. Turns over and holds him. He CRIES too.

Beat. The light flickers. He picks her up and sets her in bed.

MALLORY: "Wha–"

AYDEN (gently): "Let's fall asleep."

Mallory holds back another sob. Nods. Pulls him in. Tucks the covers over him.

Face-to-face, hand-in-hand:

AYDEN: "You would have made a great poet."

MALLORY: "And you a stand-up."

AYDEN: "I wish we met earlier. That this wasn't real."

MALLORY: "This is real. Even if–"

Ayden softly kisses Mallory. THE LIGHTS FLICKER AND SHORT OUT.

OVER BLACK.

AYDEN: "Dream of Rome."

MALLORY: "Of Pompeii."

AYDEN's BREATH eventually goes even. After a couple beats:

MALLORY: "I'm glad it was you."

MALLORY sniffles. Moves without jostling Ayden (O.S.). She evens out her BREATHING after a couple of seconds.

She sleeps.

TICK.

TICK.

TICK.

TICK.

TICK.

THE ALARM CLOCK RINGS. MALLORY GASPS.

FADE OUT. 

LA FINE.