Mysterious Skin (2004) - full transcript

♪♪

(boy)
The summer I was eight years old,

five hours disappeared from my life.

Five hours... lost.

Gone without a trace.

(rapid breathing)

Last thing I remember,
I was sitting on the bench

of my little league game.

It started to rain.

What happened after that
remains a pitch black void.

(girl)
Brian?



Brian?

(door creaks)

You dork, what the heck
are you doing in there?

Hey... you're bleeding.

(thunder rumbling)

Whoo! It is terrible out there!

Mom!

Well, hello, sweetheart.

What happened to you?

Brian got a bloody nose
hiding in the cellar.

Whatever on earth
were you doing down there?

Are you okay, sweetheart?

Ohh, oh, you poor
little baby.

They had me cooped up all night
in that awful mail room.



I didn't even know it was
raining till I got off work.

- Hold still.
- Ow.

Didn't one of the other moms
give you a ride home?

I'm going to bed.

I hope you're happy.

I knew he'd get hurt
playing sports

out there in the field.

You know,
when I was a kid,

I wasn't exactly
a star player, either,

but at least I gave it
my all... I wasn't a quitter.

Sorry, Dad.

(sighs)

Good night.

I told your father that
little league thing

was a stupid idea.

Hold your nose.

(water bubbling)

Mom made me quit baseball
the very next day.

(thunder rumbling)

(breathing hard)

(gasps)

This was when
the nightmares began...

...and the nose bleeds.

I wet the bed several times...

...and then there were
the blackouts.

I'd feel my eyes
roll back in my head.

I'd crumple to the floor
like a dropped puppet.

The darn thing's
not even a year old yet.

Maybe it's screwed up from
all the lighting last week.

Oh, your father's going
to be overjoyed about this.

(girl)
What time's Dad getting home?

Not for another hour,
at least, honey.

Mom, Deborah, come look!

It's a UFO!

Oh, please, it's just
a weather balloon or something.

No, look what it's doing to the TV.

(static)

It's flying over the house!

Let's go up on the roof.

No, wait!

Children, be careful!

(crickets chirping)

(Brian)
That summer,

those were the two things
I'd never forget.

The cramped, stale darkness
of the crawlspace

and, equal in power
and mystery... that UFO,

out there somewhere,
traveling across the universe.

The summer I was
eight years old,

I came for the first time.

I was watching my mom
going at it with her boyfriend

of the moment, Alfred,
in my old swing set.

Alfred was all Marlboro man,
dumb as a fucking rock.

What I would, years later,
come to call "my type."

(Alfred and mother laughing)

And only the most boring,
stupid things

would ever come
out of his mouth, but...

seeing him like this,
whimpering and grunting

like a helpless animal,

I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

(Alfred grunting)

(groans)

(grunts)

(sighs)

I'd been masturbating for years,
but it wasn't

till that summer
that jizz actually

squirted out my dick
when I came.

Couldn't wait to show Coach.

Oh, maybe I should start
at the beginning.

Back in June, my mom signed me
up for Little League.

Well, it was Alfred's idea...
a way for them to fuck freely,

without the expense of a sitter.

Are you excited?

(mother)
Coach Heider?

Desire sledgehammered me.

He looked like the lifeguards,
cowboys and firemen,

I'd seen in the "Playgirls"
that my mom

kept stashed under her bed.

Back then, I didn't know
what to do with my feelings.

They were like, a gift I had
to open in front of a crowd.

- Hello.
- Hello.

I'm Ellen McCormick.

And this is my son, Neil.

Hello, Neil.

Honey, don't you want to say
hello to your new coach?

(laughs)

Don't worry, it takes him
a while to warm up to strangers.

I quickly became
the team's star player.

Which wasn't saying much,
considering the other kids

were a bunch
of hopeless spazzes.

Our first game,
bottom of the eighth,

I whacked a triple
with bases loaded.

The crowd went fuckin' nuts.

But I didn't care about that.

All that mattered
was it made Coach proud.

After that first victory,
the coach called my mom

to tell her he was taking
the team out to a movie

to celebrate.

(doorbell rings)

Hey, big guy, ready to go?

(Neil)
Coach?

Yeah.

Where's everybody else?

Well, it looks like it's just going to be
you and me today, bud.

Really?

Yep.

Cool.

I picked "Blood Prom."

It's an R-rated slasher flick...

tons of cool gore
and murders in it.

When this one really annoying
blonde chick

got her head chopped off,
I cheered.

After the movie,
we we picked up a pizza

and headed back to Coach's.

Coach's house was awesome!

He had a giant TV,

an Atari with Donkey Kong,

Asteroids, Frogger.

All my favorite games.

(video game beeping)

(laser blasts)

- Ohh!
- Ha, you exploded.

My turn.

(video game beeping)

Sure your mom's
not expecting you?

Ah, she works.

She's probably got a date
with Alfred afterward.

My guess is you spend
a lot of time by yourself, huh?

Yeah, but I kind of like it.

I just ride my bike
and watch TV.

It's cool.

(video game blooping)

Oh, shit.

You made me mess up!

Sorry.

Hold on.

Come here for a sec.

Oh, bring one of them
bottles of Peach Nehi.

(crickets chirping)

Okay... this might seem
a little weird at first,

but I need to record
my team's voices,

especially my best players.

Okay?

Take this.

Now just speak into it using
your normal voice.

Well, what should I say?

(Coach)
Whatever you like.

Start with your name.

Neil.

Now take a big sip of pop...
and belch.

Uhh! Shit.

(chuckles)
Good.

Say that again.

Shit.

Again.

Shit, shit, shit.

- Keep going.
- (belches)

Shit.
(belches)

Hell! Damn!

Now, um, look up
into the camera.

Now stick your tongue out.

(camera clicks and whirs)

Make a...
make a funny face.

(laughing)
Good, good.

Yeah...
yes, Neil, yes.

Yes.

(camera whirring)

Open your mouth real wide.

♪♪

Neil, that's perfect.

♪♪

(Neil)
July 2nd.

We had a 7:30 game
against Hutchinson Taco Hut.

I know you're gonna
kick their butts tonight.

You gonna knock one out
of the park for your poor,

hard-working mom?

So you're gonna get
a ride home with Coach, right?

- Yeah.
- Mm-mwah.

(zany cartoon noises on TV)

(door opens and closes)

(door opens)

You're mine, and I love you,
and don't you ever forget it.

(grunts)

(kiss)

(door closes)

Boy, were you on fire tonight.

It's the best you
ever played.

Thanks, Coach.

Hey, can we play some more of
those game cartridges tonight?

Sure, we can.

But I gotta show
you something first.

♪♪

(laughing)

Ew... I look stupid
in this one.

No.

You look perfect...
your expression.

Like you're having
a wonderful dream.

Neil...

I've been thinking
a lot about you this week.

I'm hungry.

Sure.

You want a pizza?

I might have something here
you'd like.

Whoa!

What'll it be, little buddy?

My mom never
buys these things.

She says they're a big
waste of money.

Let's eat then.

(grunts)
Which one do you want?

I don't know,
what are you having?

Corn pops.

Then I'll have, uh...

Cocoa Krispies.

(silverware clattering)

Uhh!

Shit.

Sorry.

(laughing)

You do one.

(laughing)

Whoo, good one!

Whoo!

Here we go.

(cereal crunching)

I like you, Neil.

I like you so much.

When I really,
really like someone...

...there's a way I show them
how I feel.

Shh.

Angel.

There's nothing wrong with
kissing someone like this.

Don't ever let anyone
tell you that it's wrong.

(Neil whimpering)

(Neil)
It happened.

That's what I told myself.

It just happened.

And after it was over,

I looked down
at the mess on the floor.

It was like a kaleidoscope
had shattered.

And when I swallowed,

the taste of Coach's tongue
seared my mouth.

You liked it.

It's okay that you liked it.

Everything's
gonna be okay.

(wolf howling)

(thunder sound effects)

♪♪

Do you know him
or something?

(Neil)
I met Wendy Peterson when I was ten.

She was 11, one grade
ahead of me in school.

What are you doing?

Damn, no razor.

You're insane.

If I wasn't queer,
we would have ended up

having sloppy teenage sex
and getting pregnant,

contributing more fucked-up,
unwanted kids to society.

But instead,
she became my soul mate.

My... one true partner in crime.

Let's kidnap him.

His mom says we're supposed
to take him home.

(kids shouting indistinctly)

Wh-where are you taking me?

A house with lots
and lots of candy.

Goody.

(haunted house sound effects)

(woman)
Beware...

Beware...

Bewaaaare.

These are the eyes of
the axe murderer's victims.

Come on, Satan.

Hurry up, chicken.

Brian...

(Brian)
I never much cared for Halloween,

but this particular year,
I couldn't shake the feeling

that something horrible
was gonna happen.

And there was nothing
I could do to stop it.

Wait outside for me.

I'll be done in a minute.

(indistinct chatter)

All right, you hold him
while I go get something.

What are we gonna do?

Have some fun.

(door shuts)

(indistinct dialog on TV)

(gunshot on TV)

♪♪

What's the matter, Satan?

What did you say, Punk?

(grunts)

What a loser!

(glasses break)

(all)
Loser! loser!

(shrieking and laughter)

(panting)

(twig snaps)

(Coach)
Brian?

Brian?

I thought that was you.

(Brian panting)

(thud)

(Neil)
Lie down.

Lie down, retard.

Wh-what are you doing?

Shut up... shut up,
or we'll kill you.

Point the beam over here.

Open your mouth.

I said open your mouth!

Now, keep these
in your fuckin' mouth.

And you better do
what we say,

or I'll kill you, I swear.

Now give me the matches.

Wendy, come on, give me
the damn matches!

(Brian grunting)

(loud explosions)

(dog howling)

Shine the flashlight on him.

♪♪

Neil, he's gonna tattle!

Don't worry,
I know what to do.

There are things we can do
to get him on our side.

That's it.

Just lay still for a minute.

You're my
little green buddy,

and there's this cool thing
I wanna show you.

When I was little,
a man used to do this to me,

and you're really
gonna like it.

There, that's it.

That's my boy.

Wendy never looked at me
quite the same after that night.

I mean... sharing this part of myself

I'd never shown anyone else,
ever before.

And I knew we'd be bound
together... forever.

(Brian)
I woke up...

once again not knowing
where I was

or what had happened to me.

By the time
I made my way back,

Deborah said I'd been missing
for over an hour.

But I couldn't
remember a thing.

All I knew was that it
was somehow linked

to the other time,

the night I woke up
in the cellar.

And I also knew that,
no matter how long it took,

I had to find out what
had happened to me.

I had to find an answer
to the mystery.

When I was 15,
I overheard some kids at school

talking about a place.

A place that you could find
even in a dumbass hick town

like Hutchinson.

Bingo.

Here we go.

How's it going?

Okay.

I'm Charlie.

Neil.

Wanna go for a ride?

Sure.

You got cash?

I'll pay 50, no higher.

You gotta be careful
out here.

The cops patrol
this whole entire area,

and they got brains enough
to know what's up.

I'm in Hutchinson on business.

I supply snack foods
to the local markets.

Go ahead.

Take whatever you want.

Hungry, huh?

(door squeaks)

(man)
We've only got an hour.

So we better get busy.

Wait.

Let me.

Beautiful.

So, uh, what do you like to do?

Tell me what you
want me to do.

Whatever.

You like older guys, huh?

Tell me.

(noncommittal)
Yeah.

Mmm, that feels nice.

You are such a beautiful,
beautiful boy.

(breathing heavily)

(grunts)

(panting)

♪♪

I'm gonna come.

(panting)

I'm gonna come.

Agh!

(man gulping)

(both panting)

(gargling)

(spits)

I know what
you're thinking.

That wasn't safe.

But we're in Kansas,
thank God,

not some big city
full of diseases.

Plus...
you're only a kid.

(sighs)

Boo.

Maniac!

You scared me.

Thanks for meeting me.

Yeah, well,
this better be good.

My mom will kill me if she
finds out I snuck out this late.

I have something
I wanna show you.

(door squeaks loudly)

Ew.

Look.

Yeah, so?

That's me.

You're such a liar.

I don't believe you.

I'll prove it.

(scoffs)
Okay, how?

Oh, my God,
what are you...

Put that back in your pants,
exhibitionist.

Look.

No way, perv.

Look what the guy
did to me.

(bike clatters to ground)

Are those bruises?

Fucker
gnawed on my dick

like it was a fuckin'...
candy cane.

I didn't even realize he was hurting me
till after I blew my load.

Well, you better
watch out, McCormick.

Next time someone might
chomp the whole thing off.

Seriously.

Even Hutchinson has
its share of freaks.

You trick with the wrong guy,

and I'd find pieces
of you everywhere.

Okay, "Mom."

I wish there's a movie
showing right now.

Me too.

A film about our lives.

Everything's that's
happened so far.

And the last scene would
just be us standing right here.

Just you and me.

Yeah.

I hear something.

It's the voice of God.

♪♪

I hear him.

(gunshots)

Mom!

It's about to begin.

All right, I'm coming.

Ahh. VCR on?

Checked it twice.

(sighs)
This is probably gonna be a little silly.

The commercial
showed this crazy old man

claiming aliens beamed him
right up out of his bathtub.

(TV running indistinctly)

If you're going to make fun,

I'd just as soon
watch it by myself.

Shh, it's starting.

(TV announcer)
Tonight on "World Of Mystery,"

we investigate
the terrifying world of UFOs.

Is it mass hysteria
or something all too real?

They kept me prisoner
for hours!

They examined me
like I was a...

a frog in biology class.

And then they stuck a probe
in my stomach.

I still got the scar
here to prove it.

Look at that.

I always got scared

anytime I watched movies
about UFOs.

Even "E.T." scared me.

Poor thing.

She looks so homely and sad.

- Shh!
- Avalyn Frisen

lives in the tiny,
ordinary town of Inman, Kansas.

"Inman."

That's only 30 miles away.

32 years old,
she is unmarried,

lives with her father,

and works part-time
as a secretary.

But there is something
unusual about Avalyn.

For as long
as she can remember,

things have happened to her,
things she cannot explain.

I'd heard about people

who've experienced
missing time.

Whole chunks of their lives
they couldn't account for.

Under hypnotic regression,

I learned that I had been
abducted more than 20 times.

- Oh, please!
- Quiet.

The first time was when I was 6.

I was on my way home from
a picnic with my grandparents.

It was dark, and we got lost
driving down a dirt road.

Grandpa lost control of the car,

and we went into a ditch.

There was this
blinding white light.

But the aliens weren't
interested in my grandparents.

They floated me up out of the car

using some sort
of gravitational ray.

(shimmering sound effect)

That's it...
I've had enough.

I'm gonna get some ice cream.

- Want some?
- No, thanks.

I remember lying on a table.

It was cold,
smooth and shiny.

The aliens surrounded me.

They were bald,
with huge,

marshmallowy heads
and tiny arms.

But the worst part
was their eyes.

The only way
I can describe them is big,

black diamonds,
all liquidy and jellyish.

(crickets chirping)

♪♪

I can't believe
I'm finally getting out

of this fuckin' nowhere town!

You better let me know
the second you're settled.

Or else.

You better come,
or else.

New York City.

You're so lucky.

Hey, ass face.

What you gawking at?

(laughing)

Faggots!

Shit, just go,
go, go, go, go!

(horn blaring)

Fuck you!

(cackling)

♪♪

Remember the guy
I told you about last week?

White Camaro?

That's him,
parked by those trees.

I've fucked every single john
in this park.

Except for White Camaro.

So it's time for you two
to get lost.

Stop scaring
my business away.

You want us to come
pick you up later?

Yeah, if you want.

I'll be done by,
like, 7:00.

We'll meet you.

Speak for yourself, Eric.

I gotta get home
and start packing.

All right,
call me tonight.

I'll see you later.

You better be careful.

Of what?

I'm serious, Eric.

You're not in Modesto anymore.

I see the way
you look at him.

He's so beautiful.

I can't help it.

He's like a god.

You don't have to tell me.

I was infatuated
with him, too, once.

But I know all Neil's secrets,
and there's shit there

you don't even want
to know about, trust me.

(engine starts)

Once I'm gone,
you'll be all Neil has,

and you have to understand
one thing.

Where normal people
have a heart,

Neil McCormick
has a bottomless black hole.

And if you don't watch out,

you can fall in
and get lost forever.

(sighs)

(screams)

(door closes)

(mother)
Brian?

Brian, you home?

Yeah, Mom... in here.

(knock on door)

No class today?

I've got English Comp
discussion group at 7:30.

Hmm... you have mail.

Looks like one
from your sister.

And one from "A. Friesen"?

I can't believe
she wrote me back.

Who?

Avalyn Friesen,
the woman on TV.

Well, she didn't
have to go dump

a whole gallon of perfume
on it, now, did she?

What does she say?

She wants me to visit her
in Inman.

(horn honks)

Well, thanks
for the ride, Preston.

Later.

(door slams)

(applause and music on TV)

Ah, you just missed it,
sweetie.

This little old lady
just won both showcases.

Oh, yeah?

What did she get?

She got a trip to Scotland,
beautiful living room set,

a brand-new car.

I can't remember the name of it,
but it cost over 27 grand.

Are you wearing cologne?

Was work okay?

It was the pits.

God when is our ship
gonna come in, huh, baby?

Soon, Ma.

It'll be soon.

Oh, Neil, don't forget.

Tomorrow's my date.

That hot Italian.

The guy who always comes
through my checkout lane.

Well, don't worry,
'cause I'll be at work.

It's the last tournament
of the season.

Vincenzo.

(laughing)

(game show host chattering)

♪♪

(dog barking)

Brian!

Brian, hey!

Patches! Patches, down!

Sorry, she gets a little excited.

Hi, you must be Brian...
I'm Avalyn, obviously.

Dad?

It's okay, Daddy.

This is the young man
I was telling you about.

Don't mind him.

He's just a little wary
of strangers.

I'm so glad you're here.

Come on.

It isn't showy,
but it's home.

Here, have a seat.

Have you eaten?

I was just in the middle of lunch,
I hope you don't mind.

No, go ahead.

I ate earlier.

So, you saw the show?

Several times.

I videotaped it.

They left some stuff out,
but they managed to get

the major points across.

I think I was taken too.

You mentioned that
in your letter.

You're at the point
I was a few years ago,

where you're just starting
to remember things.

There are many of us,
and we all have this drive

to know what happened.

So... you think that's
what happened to me?

Just from what I told you
about the missing time and...

Oh, I'm sure of it.

Feel like going on a walk?

What's that you're carrying?

It's a dream journal.

I keep a log
of all my dreams.

Whatever bits and pieces
I can recall, at least.

I... I feel like it's slowly
helping me remember.

That's a really
good idea.

Your subconscious is where
all your memories are buried.

For you and me
and people like us,

almost every single thing we do

stems from our
being abducted.

Come here, I want to show you
something they wouldn't allow

on "World of Mystery."

I've been tagged.

Part of their experiments.

Touch it.

When I was taken,
my leg was bleeding,

but I didn't remember
being cut, nothing.

Then, under hypnosis
is when I discovered

that's where they
implant the tracking device.

Now everything I do,
they know.

In fact, I wouldn't be
surprised if they were

spying on us right now.

When I was found that night,
my nose was bleeding.

The old up-the-nose trick,
so the scar can't be seen.

(crying)
Don't forget to write.

(sniffles)

Don't you forget
what I told you.

Okay.

You better come see me
soon, asshole.

Yeah, I will.

I will.

Stay out of trouble,
you two.

(sniffles)

Bye.

I can't believe it's so late.

My mom's gonna worry.

You still live
with your mom?

My dad moved out
seven years ago.

I don't see him much.

You wanna read me
one of your dreams?

Ah, I just, you know,

scribble them out
in the middle of the night.

Sometimes I can
barely even read them.

That's okay.

This is from two nights ago.

"There's a blue light.

"I'm in my
little league uniform,

and a tall alien
is hovering over me."

"Someone else is with me.

Another boy,
also in uniform."

A Panther?"

Um, that was the name
of my baseball team.

Let's see, uh...

"The alien has
big, black eyes.

"He's touching my face."

"I want to cry out
for help, but...

"I... I can't.

I... I can't."

You're on your way
to uncovering the truth.

Think of yourself as
a detective, following clues.

Maybe concentrate on the other
boy in your dreams.

He could help you find
the answers you're looking for.

(game announcer)
Two outs.

Third baseman Jackson up,
with Hinton on deck.

Jesus.

Check out that Jackson.

Hubba hubba.

Ew...
are you joking?

Nah, I'd fuck him for free.

(crowd groans)

Please return all foul balls
to the press box.

Thank you.

You don't think
Jackson's hot?

Dude, he's fat and bald.

Different folks,
different strokes.

(boy)
My Daddy hit this.

Well, come here, come on in,
collect your prize.

Thank you so much.

One second.

All right, what'll it be,
big guy?

Cash or bubbles?

You can't decide?

All right, come on,
hold out your hand.

One, two...

Thanks!

You're welcome.

See you later.

(crowd cheering)

What?

When kids do good,
you gotta reward them.

Oh, Christ,
it's Hinton...

a.k.a. "Ass of the Gods."

I am so fucking wasted!

Aah! Ohh!

(laughing)
Oh, shit.

Where's your mom?

Uh... she's probably out

with her new boyfriend,
Vincenzo.

Mm. Ohh.

I've got a wicked headache.

Do you have any pot?

Yeah, come on.

Here...
knock yourself out.

Uhh!

Oh, there's a porno in the VCR
if you wanna jack off.

Thanks.

You got a lighter?

Yeah... here.

(coughs)

(plastic crackling)

(Coach)
You like that?

(young Neil)
It tickles a little.

(Coach)
That feels good, doesn't it, Neil?

(young Neil)
Uh-huh.

Can we put the blanket over our
heads, like we did last time?

(Coach laughs)

Here we go.

♪♪

Find what you were looking for?

Uh... yeah.

Thanks a lot.

Glad I could help out.

I used to write
for my school paper too,

back in the day.

Yeah, well, this will
really make a big difference

in my article.

Maybe you'll win
a Pulitzer Prize.

Maybe.

Well, you just let me know if
there's anything else you need.

Mm-hmm, th-thanks so much.

You done already?

I'm on kind of a tight deadline.

Oh, well, good luck.

That's two outs,
Garfield the batter...

Heim on deck.

(crowd cheering)

(sighs)

(grunts)

(man)
Scoot your chair back a little further.

That's better.

(crowd cheering)

Wait, hold on a sec...
hold on.

And at the end
of three innings,

the score is Hutchinson
First National Bank, three,

Wichita Coleman
Industries, zero.

Okay. Go on.

(inhales deeply and groans)

Where have you been?

Sorry...
I should've called.

I didn't realize the time.

Well, your dinner's
cold as ice.

That's okay.

Brian,
what's going on?

You've been acting
so strangely.

Disappearing for hours.

It's just school, Mom.

College is way different
than high school.

Did you ever
call your father back?

I've been busy.

(phone ringing)

I'll get it...
you finish your dinner.

Hello... yes...

He's eating his supper
right now.

Who is it?

It's that UFO woman.

I'll... I'll get it in the hall.

Got it.

- Brian?
- I was just gonna call you.

I found a photo of the boy.

The one from my dreams.

That's amazing.

What are you doing
right now?

Uh, n-nothing.

There's something
I need to show you.

Something important...
can you come out here?

Sure...

Hi, honey...
how was work?

Fuck you.

I am so fuckin' sick

of this stinky little
butt crack of a town!

(dog barking)

Patches, shh, quiet!

You'll wake Daddy.

Brian, thanks for coming.

No problem.

I stole this from

the Hutchinson
Chamber of Commerce.

That's him...
the boy from my dreams.

Look at his face.

It's almost like you can
tell he knows something.

(glass shatters)

What are you doing?

"N. McCormick."

You can start looking for him
first thing tomorrow morning.

Maybe he still
lives in Hutchinson.

Meanwhile, I have
to show you something

only you will understand.

(rock music playing)

I've fucked every single guy

and his ugly uncle
in this Podunk town.

Twice.

You want one?

One of us has to drive.

I got a postcard from Wendy.

I think she's mad at me because
I owe her, like, three letters.

Yeah, her last P.S. is...

"Tell Fuckface to write me."

So you wanna hear
what she says?

"Hey, ass, so New York
is insane and crazy

in the best possible way."

(Australian man)
Pardon me.

Can we help you?

I was wondering if I might
buy you boys a drink.

Fuck off.

You heard me, fag.

Fuck... off.

Stuck up little pricks.

Harsh.

Wasn't he kind of your type?

Hate it when they look like
Tarzan and sound like Jane.

(laughs)

Let's get
out of this shithole.

But we just got here.

Patches.

Patches!

Patches, get away from there!

(dog whimpers)

Farmers have been finding
mutilated cattle like this

around here for years.

I told "World of Mystery,"

but they conveniently
edited it out.

Daddy says it's just a bunch
of Satan worshippers

going around
chopping up cows.

Ha!

Come here...
let me see your hand.

Feel that?

Its sex organs.

They're gone.

The aliens, they
experiment on cattle

because the poor things
are so defenseless.

Us, on the other hand,
they can't kill us,

so they just leave behind
the hidden memories

of what they've done.

Which, in a way,
is almost worse.

Notice anything else
strange?

There's no blood.

They took that, too.

Brian?

Oh, my God, Brian!

Brian!

Here we go.

Oh, my God,
Brian!

Tell him you like it.

(gags)

Brian! Oh!

Brian, are you okay?

Oh, God... Brian.

Brian...

Neil, what are you doing?

(scoffs)
Come on.

It's 2:30 in the morning.

You called me your fuckin'...

angel.

So you're sure Wendy's gonna
meet you at the station?

I don't want you getting lost
in that crazy city.

Ma, you don't
have to worry, okay?

Call me collect
the minute you arrive.

- All right.
- Promise me.

- Okay.
- Promise me, Neil.

Okay.

We should've at least
gotten you a decent hair cut.

I gotta take a piss.

Preston.

We'll be right back.

(door opens)

Fuck, man.

- What's the matter?
- I don't know, man.

Fucking dick itches like
a motherfucking... fuck!

Well, what do you want me
to do about it?

Just look down there.

Preston, come on,
help me out here.

(sighs)

What the fuck's wrong with me?

Dude...

you've got crabs.

I mean, it's no big, man.

You just go to the drug store,
get this stuff called Rid.

You better be playing safe.

I stay in control.

(door squeaks)

Honey, your bus
is boarding.

All right.

(buckling belt)

My baby.

You're all grown up.

You gonna be careful?

Yeah, I will.

You're mine and I love you...
don't you ever forget it.

(bus motor humming)

(air brakes hiss)

Come on, I'll buy you
a Dairy Queen.

So what are you gonna do
now that Neil's gone?

Kill myself, I guess.

Eric, that is not funny.

Well, I start Hutchinson
Community College next week.

Really?
That's so wonderful.

Pathetic is more like it.

Well, you know you
are always welcome

to come over to the house,
even without Neil around.

Thanks, Mrs. M.

I may just take you
up on that.

You'd better.

Who the hell is that?

Incognito Boy Scout?

(brake cranks,
car shuts off)

(doors open)

Can I help you?

Is this your house?

Yes.

I'm really sorry to bother you,

but I got your address
out of the phone book.

I've spent
the whole afternoon

checking every McCormick
in Hutchinson,

and you're the last one
on my list.

Anyways, I don't mean
to babble...

What do you want?

I'm looking
for an N. McCormick.

Are you F.B.I?

(scoffs)
Sorry, honey,

but it looks like
you are shit outta luck.

You mean there's no
N. McCormick living here?

I mean we just
put him on a bus

headed for New York City.

I'm Neil's friend Eric,
and this is his mom.

"Neil"?

His name is Neil?

Yeah.

I'm Brian.

Brian Lackey.

♪♪

(Eric)
So you still haven't written.

Big surprise.

But Wendy says you're doing
okay, which is cool.

I've been wanting to tell you
about this strange guy

I met 3 weeks ago.

No, we're not fucking.

Get your mind
out of the gutter, perv.

He's not even gay,
I don't think.

In fact, his vibe
is kind of weirdly asexual.

His name is Brian Lackey.

He lives in Little River and,
like yours truly,

attends Hutchinson Loser
Community College.

So anyways,
the day you left,

your mom and I found him
literally on your doorstep,

looking for you.

He says you and him played
Little League together,

like 10 years ago.

He was the worst player
on the team,

blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah.

He's full of questions
about you.

But, of course,
I haven't told him much,

i.e. about
your "line of work."

I did say you were
queer like me,

only because I figured
you wouldn't care.

But now, are you ready
for the good part?

He thinks that when
you and him were little,

you were both abducted
and examined by space aliens.

(laughing)
How brilliant is that?

But he was completely serious
when he told me this.

Like you should've seen
the look in his eyes.

So, what's the story, dude?

Were you abducted by a UFO
or what?

P.S., are your crabs
gone yet?

♪♪

(knock on door)

(mother)
Brian?

Yeah?

You have a visitor.

Hi, Brian.

I was just in the neighborhood,
and I thought I'd stop by

and see
how you're doing.

I'll be in the front room
if you need me.

Thanks, Mom.

Didn't care for that film.

That, I didn't see.

Your mom doesn't like me
very much.

She thinks I'm trying
to steal you away.

Any luck in your search
for "N. McCormick"?

I met his mom
and his best friend,

but he's in New York
right now.

New York, really?

Here, sit down.

Had any more of those dreams?

Yeah.

But they seem to be
slowly evolving.

Maybe it's just because I've
been spending a lot of time

with Eric, Neil's friend.

Mm-hmm.

But it's becoming clearer
and clearer that he...

Neil, that is, is a key figure
in all this.

Like he was there with me
the night it all happened.

Uhh! Agh! Ah...

- It's okay.
- I can't, I can't.

Don't, no.

I... I can't.

It's okay.

No... no, don't.

(echoing)
It'll feel good.

Don't!

I'm sorry.

You better go.

Please?

I'm sorry, Brian.

(grunting)

♪♪

I pay 120...
not a cent more.

Okay.

Shall we?

(distant siren)

Fuck me.

Fuck me up the ass with
your hot, teenaged cock!

Wait!

What the fuck
are you doing?

Okay, whatever.

(plastic tears, he spits)

I'll put it on for you.

(condom unfurling)

(snap)

There.

Well, come on, stud,
we're on the clock here.

(groaning softly)

(moaning)

(Wendy)
We're not in Kansas anymore, Neil.

You have got to be so careful.

I know.

Don't "I know" me,
Neil McCormick.

This is New York City.

You do the wrong thing with
the wrong person, and you die.

Period... end of story.

Just promise me
you'll be safe.

Okay.

Here.

♪ The world is full
of noise, yeah ♪

♪ I hear it all the time ♪

♪ And me, I am your dagger ♪

Stop it, you bastard!

(whimpering)

No... no, no, don't!

Are these the only kinds
of movies you watch?

Why?
You don't like it?

No, it's cool.

So, uh, has Neil
gotten back to you yet?

Let me explain the Universe
of Neil McCormick.

He's like a planet...
Saturn, say.

And we're all like
little moons orbiting around.

Now, do planets
write letters?

But I do know that he'll be
in Hutchinson for Christmas.

What?

His mom told me that
she sent him a ticket

to fly home for
Baby Jesus's Birthday.

So I'll introduce you then.

(mother)
Brian?

- (TV shuts off)
- Yeah.

Thought you two might
like a little study break.

Thanks, Mrs. Lackey.

Thanks, Mom.

(phone ringing)

It's 11:30.

(ringing continues)

Hey, if it's Avalyn...

tell her I'm not here.

Hello?

No, I'm sorry, Avalyn,
he's out with his friends.

No problem.

I thought you
kinda liked her.

I just... I don't know.

I think I just need a little
space from her right now.

Well, I always thought
she was a freak anyway.

So I'm off to bed.

Good night, boys.

♪♪

Hello.

Oh, I'm, uh, I'm Zeke.

From L.A.

Neil.

Hmm...

Neil, uh...

So hat are you doing
in New York City?

Oh, that's a...
that's a Vermeer.

Well... it's sort of a Vermeer.

(belt unbuckling)

(zipper unzipping)

You're exquisite.

(chuckles)

I guess it's my turn, huh?

(inhales deeply)

Hope, uh, these don't
frighten you too much.

They, uh...

have a habit of popping up

in the most
inopportune places.

Oh, I know.

Don't be worried.

This is gonna be the safest
encounter you ever had.

If you could
just rub my back.

Really, I need...
to be touched.

(moans)

(moaning)
Ohh, ho, ho... yes.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Oh, make me happy.

Make me happy,
make me happy...

(gasps)

(sighs)

Ohh... yes, yes,
yes, yes,

yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes.

Ohh... ohh...

Ohh, make me happy.

Ohh, yes.

(sirens)

♪♪

You were 100% safe,
right?

Yeah.

I told you,
I just jerked off.

He watched from
across the room.

It's the first time in my life
I'm bothered by it.

Maybe you should
try and find

some other, safer
way to make money.

You know,
like everyone else.

Yeah, maybe.

(slurps)

You're the only one I ever told.

I know.

I never told Eric...
or told my mom.

And some people might
think it's fucked up

or terrible
or whatever, but...

what happened that summer...
is a huge part of me.

No one ever made me feel
that way, before or since.

Like I... I was special,
you know?

Neil...
you were eight years old.

Yeah, but he
really loved me.

I mean, yeah, there were
other kids sometimes, but...

I was... his prize.

I was his one true love.

♪♪

Happy birthday.

You didn't have
to get me anything.

It's just a little something
I picked out.

Wow.

Cool.

I thought it'd go great
with your hair color.

It's so cool.

Thanks.

Whoa, whoa...

You all right?

I'm drunk.

(laughing)

I've never been drunk
in my life.

I'm corrupting you.

At last.

(snickers)

Hey... that's pretty good.

Yeah, sure.

No, really.

You have definite artistic
talent, my boy.

Hmm...

What?

That's an interesting touch.

So, what's the deep meaning
behind the baseball cleats?

I have no idea.

♪♪

Boo.

How was work?

Fuckin' boring.

You need a hand?

Sure.

So... I've got news for you.

Uh, hey, me too.

Okay, you first.

Look what my mom
sent me today.

She wants me to come home
for Christmas.

Uhh!

Your mom is the coolest.

Like mine would ever
do that for me.

I know, it's weird.

It's like I hate Hutchinson
more than anything but...

I'm kind of looking forward
to going back...

like, just for a short visit.

Plus, you get to see Eric.

Yeah.

So what's your news?

I think I found you a job.

A what?

I was talking to this friend
at work, Rachel, about you.

And it's only minimum wage at
a stupid sandwich place, but...

What?

You're not into it...
whatever.

It's cool.

No, no, tell me more about it.

Really?

Yeah, really, I wanna
hear more about it.

- You do?
- Yeah!

(giggles)

(motor purring)

(motor shuts off)

You sure you're
gonna be okay?

I'm just glad
my mom's working late.

Thanks for everything.

This has been...
the best birthday ever.

You're welcome.

(car approaching)

Oh, shit.

Who's that?

It's my Dad.

(car door slams)

(dog barking)

Dad?

Son... I caught you.

Your Mother said she didn't know
whether you'd be home or not.

Happy Birthday.

What are you doing here?

I'm not allowed to wish
my only son a happy birthday?

Dad, I haven't seen you
for, what, two years?

Well, maybe if you returned
my calls once in a while...

Maybe I don't want to return
your phone calls, Dad.

Maybe I just want you
to leave me alone.

Brian, don't be like this.

I drove all this way, I...

I just wanted to see
how you're doing.

Well, let me tell you
what I want to know.

Something happened to me
when I was little.

Do you know
what I'm talking about?

What happened to me
that night I woke up

bleeding in the cellar?

Where were you that night?

God, I can tell
you don't even remember!

You're drunk!

Quit avoiding the subject!

I was bleeding,
I kept passing out!

I wet my fucking bed,
and you never asked why!

And what about that Halloween
when I blacked out again?

Something happened to me
both those nights!

What do you know about it?

Tell me!

I'm sorry, Brian, I...

I can't help you.

(distant traffic noise)

(sniffs)

Welcome to Subz,
may I help you?

(mother)
Brian?

Deborah!

Redecorating?

Sort of, yeah.

So how ya been, Bri?

Good...
how's Berkeley?

Now, hold on, you two.

Why don't we continue
this conversation

in the front room over
the peanut-butter peach pie

I baked for this occasion?

Good to see you,
little brother.

You too.

♪♪

(distant siren)

(brakes squeaking)

Need a lift?

Sure.

Where we going?

My place...
don't worry, I'll pay.

It's Christmas Eve tomorrow.

No more talking.

(scoffs)

(sighs)

(engine shuts off)

(keys jangle)

Where are we?

Brighton Beach.

(dog barking)

Bedroom's this way.

(sniffs)

Do it.

(sniffs deeply)

Again.

(sniffs deeply)

(sniffing)

Strip.

(zippers unzip,
belt buckles clink)

Open wide and suck it,
slut.

What are you
waiting for, slut?

(grunts)

Suck it!

Oh, yeah.

You like that,
don't you, slut?

Take it deep.

Yeah.

Moan for me.

(gagging)
Wait, wait.

(retches)

(spits)

Get up!

Slut knows
what's coming next.

I'm gonna give the slut
just what he's begging for.

Wait, wait, wait, there's
some things I don't do.

Wait, wait,
I gotta take a piss.

Hold on,
I'll be right back.

Uhh! Agh!

You're getting fucked, slut,
whether you like it or not!

(grunting)

Slut!

(shouting in pain)

Slut! Slut! Slut!

Slut! Slut!
Slut!

(grunting)

God, you love it!

Take that cock
all the way up there.

Take it, slut.

Yeah! Yeah!

(grunting)

Are you ready?

Here it comes.
You ready?

You ready?
Ready?!

Aah! Aah!

Aaaah!

Ohh... ohh...

(sobbing)

Mom.

(traffic noise)

(lock rattling)

(distant siren)

(fire engine horn honking)

(grunting softly)

(inhales)

(sobbing)

Today is the day.

(car horn honks)

Brian, now where
are you off to?

I'm going out with Eric.

You don't want to stay and talk
with your sister a while?

I'll be back soon.

Well, don't be late,
young man.

Christmas Eve dinner's
at 6:00, sharp.

Okay.

(sighs)

Here we are.

Do I look okay?

Okay's a relative term.

I'm kidding...
you look fine.

Excited?

Yes.

And nervous.

Don't worry, I'm sure you guys
will hit it off great.

I hope you're right.

(knocks)

Ellen?

Oh, hey, Eric.

Hey, Mrs. M...
Merry Christmas.

You remember Brian.

Yeah,
of course I do.

- Hey, Brian.
- Merry Christmas.

So where's
the man of the hour?

Well, I was gonna call you.

Why?
What happened?

There's, uh,
been an accident.

Neil, he, uh,
he got mugged

on the way to the airport.

Is he okay?

He's gonna be fine.

He's asleep in his room.

Well, maybe we should
come back tomorrow.

Maybe.

Or you stay if you'd like,
have some cookies,

and we'll see if he's...

Oh, honey, you're up.

What the fuck you
staring at, Preston?

Brian says that you both
were in Little League together.

Hmm.

So how long has it been since
you two last saw each other?

Ten years...

five months and...
seven days.

Well, you must have a lot
of catching up to do.

Turn right off Main
by the fairgrounds.

So what the fuck happened?

It's a long story...
I'll tell you later.

Just drive for now.

It's nice to see New York
hasn't hardened you

one bit, McCormick.

So you're the legendary Brian.

We have a lot in common,
don't we?

I think so.

♪♪ (carolers singing indistinctly)

Make a left
at the next stop sign.

This starting to look familiar?

(car shifts into park)

Pick us up in a half hour.

Okay.

You ready?

Blue.

No one's home...
let's go around back.

We have to get in.

I know a way, here.

Voila.

You were the best player
on the team, weren't you?

Yeah, that's what
he always told me.

He-help.

(grunting)

(panting)

(Neil)
This was his bedroom.

Ah, at least the ceiling's
still the same.

I used to get lost for hours
staring up at all the patterns.

Whirls and speckly,
sparkly things.

Come on.

Oh, man, what's up
with these people?

He used to keep
these things stocked.

♪♪

Well, this is it, right?

So, why now?

Why... why did you
search me out?

I'm tired of it.

I want to dream about
something else for a change.

(carolers)
♪ Away in a manger ♪

♪ No crib for my bed ♪

"Away in a manger."

You know, it took till
I actually laid eyes

on you today
to remember you.

When Eric
wrote me about you, I...

I could only get the vaguest,

hazy picture in my head.

Like a staticky TV.

Same here.

But seeing you here
in this room...

I feel like he's
watching us right now.

I have no idea
what happened to him.

After that summer,
he just disappeared.

I don't even know
if he's alive or what.

Maybe it's his ghost
that's watching us.

Tell me everything you can.

(grunts)

I was his favorite.

Out of everyone, he picked me.

I know that sounds
kind of weird, but...

when it first started
happening...

I felt honored.

Go on.

I don't know, well,
this is where the big TV was,

all the cool video games.

That's the kitchen.

Our first time happened there.

It lasted that whole summer.

Just me and him.

I saw him one other time.

On Halloween,
a couple years later.

I was lost.

He said my name.

(Coach)
Brian?

Brian?

I thought that was you.

The game had just started.

I was sitting on the bench,
as always.

It started to rain.

Sprinkles at first,
then a downpour.

The ump called the game.

And no one came
to pick you up.

My mom was working
and my Dad...

Who knows?

Everyone else drove off
with their parents.

I was left there all alone.

And you were in the dugout
with me, and you said...

We'll take you home.

And we got into Coach's
station wagon, remember?

(thunder rumbles)

He brought us here.

(door opens)

It's all right, Brian.

We're just going to have
a little bit of fun.

(Neil)
And he didn't want you in the bedroom,

because that
was just for us.

So it all happened here,
in this room.

Keep going.

Don't stop until you've
told me everything.

Well, any time there
was another boy involved,

it was always the same.

Coach used me as a prop
to pull you in.

(laughing)

He'd take off my clothes,
and it was up to me

to make it seem like fun,

like this was a really
cool game we were playing.

Go ahead,
show him, Neil.

All right,
here are the rules.

First I kiss you,
then you kiss me back,

and then it's his turn.

Are you ready?

Here we go.

(whispers)
My God.

You want me to stop?

So I put my tongue
in your mouth,

just getting it
all wet and shiny.

And then it was his turn.

Watching his big lips
sucking your face,

I remember thinking,
"Ah, he's going to swallow

his head whole."

So, um...

we took off your clothes...

and you made this...

whimpering puppy sound
Coach always loved.

Coach and me
had this thing...

where he'd
open up his mouth and...

wrap it around
my dick and balls

and everything all at once.

He did that to me and...

then I tried to do it to you,
but I couldn't

'cause my mouth
was too small.

And then...

he went down on you.

For what seemed like
a really long time.

Your eyes were closed mostly,
but every now and then

they'd flutter open,
and...

just have this glassy,
faraway look.

And then I leaned in
and whispered...

It's fun, right?

Tell him you think it's fun.

We're almost finished, you...

You gonna be able to...

(weakly)
Yeah.

Then we played
the $5 game...

when Coach would ask me
to do things,

crazy sex things, and...

if I could do them,
he'd give me a $5 bill.

It's okay...
go ahead, Neil.

(grunting)

He made us fist him.

You know what that is?

I went first,
of course.

And on that night,
the $5 was mine...

if I could... ram
my little fist up his ass

and wring it all the way
to the elbow.

And God damn it,
I did it.

I'll never forget how it felt.

It felt like his whole body
was trying to suck me into it.

Devour me.

And then I did it too.

(sighs)

And then, uh, we drove
you back to Little River

and left you
in your driveway.

The End.

And my nose was bleeding.

How did that happen?

When it was over, and we
were getting you dressed...

your face looked like
you'd been erased.

Like you were
just empty inside.

And you just fell
face first on the floor... bam.

And when we pulled you up,
your nose was bleeding.

Like... like this?

(panting)

Like this?!

Shh, shh, shh.
Stop, stop, stop.

Stop, stop, stop.
Shh, shh, shh.

(sobbing)

(shuddering)

Shh...

(boy)
What are you doing?

Nobody's even home.

(second boy)
No, someone's there.

Shh... shh, shh.

(boy)
Look, I see them too.

(woman)
Children, what's going on?

(boy)
I think that someone's in there.

(indistinct chatter continues)

Shh, shh, shh.

(carolers)
♪ Silent night ♪

♪ Holy night ♪

♪ All is calm ♪

♪ All is bright ♪

(Neil)
And as we sat there

listening to the carolers,

I wanted to tell Brian
it was over now

and everything would be okay.

But that was a lie.

Plus, I couldn't speak anyway.

I wish there was some way for us
to go back and undo the past.

But there wasn't.

There was nothing
we could do.

So I just stayed silent...

and trying to telepathically
communicate

how sorry I was
about what had happened.

And I thought of
all the grief and sadness

and fucked-up suffering
in the world, and...

it made me want to escape.

I wished with all my heart
that we could just

leave this world behind...

rise like two angels
in the night and magically...

disappear.

♪♪