Make it a Large

1. INT. DRIVE THRU - NIGHT

Open to JAVI and JERRICK waking up in the back of an SUV. They both look at each other confused, and then the SUV’s engine fires up and begins steering by itself. Jerrick gets up, but the seatbelt retracts him back. Jerrick freaks out and starts strangling the seatbelt to wriggle himself out. Javi studies the inside of the SUV. Jerrick quickly hyperventilates not being able to free himself out of the clutches of the seatbelt. Javi SMACKS the back of Jerrick’s head.

JAVI

Bruh, get a grip!

Javi reaches over and slightly presses the belt buckle. CLICK. The seatbelt ZOOMS back to its hidey hole. Jerrick averts his eyes away from Javi.

JERRICK

S-sorry. Where are we?

Javi shrugs and unbuckles himself. CLICK. He squints outside the tinted windows. Then, he cups his hands onto the window and closely examines the outside. The window commences to reel down by itself. Javi sticks his head outside once the window is down enough,

JAVI

(Chuckles)

You ain’t gunna’ believe it, J. It’s a Jack-in-the-Box.

The SUV inching closer to the blood covered menu. Startled, Javi leans back a little. The menu has a bloody inscription that reads “ONE WAY.” The car passes the menu.

JAVI(CONT’D)

Damn, I really wanted a Jr. bacon cheeseburger.

Javi scrambles back up against Jerrick as soon as he sees the cash register window.

JERRICK

(Confused)

What? What! WHAA-

Javi quickly muffles Jerrick’s mouth with his hands. Jerrick’s shuffles around to see out the window, but Javi keeps forcing him back. Javi SHUSHES him.

JERRICK (CONT’D)

(Muffled)

Get off me!

The SUV reaches the cash register window, and dark mist leak into the SUV. No one moves a muscle as the dark mist slips around their pant leg. The SUV BRAKES in front of the cash register window, which rocks both around. The camera pans from the bottom of the window up to the cash register where a skeleton hand grabs the edge of the window. DEATH slowly peers out from around the corner in a black robe. Death RINGS the cash register and pulls out a scythe. Death gradually maneuvers the shiny, dull scythe out the cash register window and toward the SUV. Jerrick feels the car door for the handle. He latches onto the handle and jerks it, but it won’t open. Death’s scythe is just inches away from Javi’s body. Death BREATHS a cold mist, and he then brings out his other hand out the cash register window. Death sticks his head out, then suddenly jumps back when he peeks down. Death reels his scythe out the SUV’s window and he fishes something off the ground.

DEATH

(Grunts)

Sorry about that.

Death pulls up his scythe which has a headset on the blade. He fits the headset over his robe and EXHALES. He grabs an apron off the hook behind him and ties it on himself.

DEATH (CONT’D)

Are y’all ready to order? OoOOOoooOoOOh.

Javi and Jerrick both raise their eyebrows and glance at each other.

JAVI

What do you mean by “Ready to order?” Order what?

Death’s grimy skeleton finger taps a wooden sign on the top of the cash register window which reads “Hell-$5.99.”

JAVI AND JERRICK

FUCK NO! THE FUCK WRONG WITH YOU, BITCH!

Death raises his hand to his temple, shakes his head and EXHALES.

DEATH

This is gunna’ be a long night. WoooAoooAaAooOOHh.

Death peers his head out and peeps both ways. He then rests his arm on the windowsill and repeatedly taps it.

DEATH (CONT’D)

You’re lucky there’s no line, or else Imma have to do this the hard way.

As Death grips his scythe tighter, Jerrick rushes to the driver’s seat, knocking Javi back, and steps on the gas pedal. The momentum of the SUV throws Javi back further.

DEATH (CONT’D)

Come on, guys. Be nice. My shift is almost over.

Death shakes his head in disappointment.

DEATH (CONT’D)

That’s the last time I pick up the graveyard shift.

Disheveled, Jerrick brushes back his hair and smacks his face a couple of times. Javi picks himself up and slowly scooches to the passenger’s seat. Javi TUNES the car radio.

JAVI

Where we goin’?

Javi channels through STATIC and fixes the collar of his shirt.

JERRICK

ANYWHERE BUT HERE!

Jerrick drives with no sense of direction, squinting through the windshield.

JAVI

Bruh, stop actin’ goofy. You don’t even know where we goin’.

JERRICK

Bitch, how you so calm out here!

Javi

Nah, bruh. They got me FUCK UP, but I’m just vibing ‘till we know what’s goin’ on.

Javi continues going through STATIC. Jerrick SMACKS Javi’s hand. Baffled, Javi SMACKS the back of Jerrick’s head. They both go back and forth smacking each other for a bit. They both suddenly stop as soon as they realized they are pulling up to the same blood covered menu.

JAVI (CONT’D)

BITCH! Did you just make a whole ass circle!

JERRICK

What you mean! You saw me taking mad lefts and rights

The SUV stops at the cash register window where Death was frustratingly waiting.

DEATH

Are y’all done messing around now? Can I just take your order?

Just before Jerrick drives off again, Death instantaneously slithers into the SUV. One skeleton hand on the steering wheel, while the other hand hooks Jerrick’s musty shirt propelling Jerrick face to face with Death.

DEATH (CONT’D)

(In a demonic voice)

STOP.

Death scream at Jerrick, and his bellows are creating a burst of wind toward Jerrick. Death then lets Jerrick and the steering wheel go, COUGHS, and mists back to his post.

DEATH (CONT’D)

Oh, boy. It’s been a while since one of you mortals really pissed me off. Now please, is there anything I can help you with. AAAoooaoaooOOOoo!

Javi leans forward and points to the car radio.

JAVI

Yeah, you know how to fix this thing?

Jerrick shoves him back. Javi just throws his befuddled arms up.

JERRICK

Where are we? Why are we here?

DEATH

This, this is the in-between. You both are on the brink of death. Teetering over life and the aftermath of your demise. Think of it as a waiting room, so to speak.

(softly)

oooO!

Baffled, Jerrick turns to Javi for reassurance, but Javi is gazing out the blackened window. Javi knows Jerrick is looking at him, but refuses to acknowledge him. Javi just taps his foot with anxiety.

JERRICK

(Dishearten)

Javs…I don’t wanna’ die, man.

Javi’s foot tapping grows in intensity.

DEATH

What’s it gunna’ be, boys?

Jerrick spots a tear hiking down Javi’s face on the reflection of the passenger’s window. Javi brushes the tear away with hope.

JAVI

Hey, Jer. Switch seats with me, I got it. I know how we gun’ cheat the system.

Jerrick smiles and they both trade places. Jerrick does a little jig in his new seat and drums the dash, but stops when he notices Javi isn’t smiling.

JERRICK

Javs?

Javi just finds himself staring at the car mat, then he chuckles.

JAVI

Ayo, Grim. Let me take one Hell for 5.99.

Jerrick grabs and shakes Javi’s right shoulder.

JERRICK

(Angrily)

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOIN, JAVI!

Javi tosses up a stop hand signal to Jerrick.

JAVI

Chill, Cuz. I said I got it.

Javi makes direct eye contact with Death as he begins to ring up their order.

JAVI (CONT’D)

And make it a large.

Javi motions a finger gun at Death and CLICKS his mouth. Death stops and does a double take at Javi. Deaths LAUGHS maniacally and SNAPS his fingers. The passenger’s door unlocks, and it bursts open. A dark fog ignites from underneath Death’s robe and plunges in the SUV. The dark fog smothers Jerrick and starts yanking him out of the car, but Jerrick holds on barely to the rim of the car.

JERRICK

Javi, what did you do?

Javi pivots to Jerrick who is struggling to hang on. He reaches one of Jerrick’s hands and pulls him in slightly.

JAVI

It was an honor.

The dark fogs tugs harder making Jerrick other hand lose grip. Jerrick is dangling in midair by Javi and the fog. Javi lets go.

BEAT.

The fog hightails Jerrick out of the SUV as Jerrick hollers on his way out. The door shuts. Javi mean-mugs Death while Death just stares back. Death diverts his attention to the wooden sign. Death elbows the side of the cash register window and the wooden sign collapses revealing a smaller wooden sign that reads “Heaven-Paid.”

DEATH

(Annoyed)

Any last requests?

Javi opens his mouths.

DEATH (CONT’D)

(Interjects)

I’m already on it.

SNAP. More dark fog submerges the whole SUV, then it disperses to expose the transformation of the SUV to a white Escalade. Javi grins. A Jr. bacon cheeseburger poofs into his hands, and a baby panda emerges from under his seat. Javi picks up the baby panda and it tries to take a bite out of the burger, but Javi pulls the burger away in time. He circles back to the empty seat.

JAVI

You didn’t grant all my wishes.

DEATH

Sorry, I’m not allowed to bring your mother here.

JAVI

I just wanted to tell her I love her.

Javi sinks into his seat.

JAVI (CONT’D)

You think you could somehow tell her that?

Death shakes his head.

DEATH

Besides, she already knows.

Javi bobs his head while petting the panda bear. He bites into the cheeseburger, but mid chew, he detects headlights in the rear-view mirror.

JAVI

(Mouth full of food)

Is this it?

Death nods and unties his apron.  

JAVI (CONT’D)

(Gulps)

I know I can’t beat it…but can you at least let me go out swinging?

DEATH

My shift just ended, so do whatever you want. OOOaaAOhhh.

Death hangs up his apron and SNAPS. Javi stuffs the burger in the baby panda’s mouth, bolts to the back seat and pops open the sunroof. He settles himself in the turret that is on the Escalade and fires away toward the headlights.

JAVI

(Yelling)

C’mon, c’mon! C’MON! C’MOOON!

Still firing bullets, Javi lets one of his hands go to pick up the baby panda and bring him up too. The baby panda is on the roof of the Escalade wearing a bandana and an AK strapped around his shoulder. The baby panda stands on its hindlegs, and they both start spraying as the headlight beams shines more and more on them.

CUT TO BLACK.

2. EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Multiple gun shots go off as car tires shriek. The shrieking noises begin loudly but die off after a couple seconds.

BEAT.

Cut to Jerrick on the side of the road gasping for air at night. He pats his torso for any injuries. He scans over his left shoulder to see Javi’s still body under a dim, broken streetlamp.

Jerrick

(Whispers)

Javi?

Tire screeches can be heard off in the distance. As Jerrick crawls over to Javi, his hand lands in a puddle. He pauses and fixates at his hand, but then slowly peers back over to Javi. The broken streetlamp starts flickering to reveal Javi’s body under a pool of blood. Jerrick immediately doublebacks to his hand to see it covered in blood. He falls over backwards and desperately mops his pant leg with his bloody hand. A car’s engine roars louder and louder. Jerrick scrambles back up. A SUV’s headlights are growing in the background. His body is wandering back and forth, contemplating if he should grab Javi.

Javi (V.O.)

It’s okay.

Jerrick hyperventilates and brushes back his hair. Headlights shine on Jerrick’s face, and he books it down the street. He stumbles upon some bushes at the end of the street and runs toward them. Headlights shines throughout the bushes as Jerrick is blasting through the bushes. He slams his hands on a tall chain fence at the end of the bushes and he starts hauling ass up the fence. Just before Jerrick is about to jump off the top of the fence to the other side, he gazes back at Javi one last time.

Jerrick

(Panting)

Rest easy, Javs.

Jerrick soars off the fence and continues to run.

FADE TO BLACK.