Bruce Wayne
by: Zachary Freeman
[Exterior shot: story opens, sun is rising , Bruce is sleeping on the ground on top of the old well. He begins to wake up, looks around, he does not know how he got outside. Gets up, looks down, sees he is on top of the old well. He turns around and walks toward what reader can now see is Wayne manor. He opens the front door]
Alfred: “Master Bruce?”
Bruce: “Hiya Alfred”
Alfred: “sleepwalking again sir?”
Bruce: “yeah”
Alfred: “did you wake up on top of...”
Bruce: “the old well, yes.”
Alfred: “why do you always return to that same spot I wonder sir”
Bruce: “I don’t know, it scares me”
Alfred: “It is always scary to not know master Bruce”
[Later that night: Bruce’s bedroom: Bruce is sleeping in his bed]
Bat-monster: “wake up... Bruce”
[Bruce gets up and walks down the stairs, following the voice]
Bat-monster: “I’ve been watching you”
[Bruce gets down the stairs, opens the front door and leaves the house]
Bat-monster: “come closer”
[Bruce gets to the old well, there is the bat monster silhouette standing over it.]
Bat-monster: “10 days, , 4 hours, 7 minutes and 28 seconds, that is when your world will end”
[Scene cuts; early morning, sun is rising, Bruce is yet again sleeping on top of the old well]
Thomas: “Bruce”
[Bruce wakes up]
Thomas: “Martha, Alfred, he’s over here, the old well again”
Bruce: “dad?, mom?”
[Thomas picks Bruce up, he and Martha hold him]
Thomas: “are you alright son, what happened?”
[Narration box: Bat-monster voice: 10 days, 4 hours, 7 minutes and 28 seconds, tat is when your world will end]
[Scene cuts: Thomas and Martha are putting Bruce back into bed]
Thomas: “we will be downstairs son, call us if you need us.”
Martha: “try to get some rest son”
Thomas: “Alfred, would you mind waiting outside the bedroom until Bruce falls asleep?”
Alfred: “of course sir”
[Thomas and Martha leave bedroom, Thomas puts his hand on Alfred’s shoulder]
[Scene cuts: Thomas and Martha are sitting on couch downstairs in living room]
Thomas: “This is the tenth night in a row Bruce has been sleepwalking”
Martha: “we need to get him to a Dr. Thomas, do you know anyone from the hospital?”
Thomas: “No one I trust with Bruce. However Mrs. Elliot just told me about the Dr Tommy has been seeing since that incident at camp. She said he is very young, very good but very young”
Martha: “What was his name?”
Alfred: “Sir, Madam, please come quickly!”
[Thomas and Martha get up and run up the stairs, back to Bruce’s bedroom, Bruce is screaming, Thomas opens the bedroom door.]
Bruce: “No, no, leave me alone, horrible bat!, nooooo”
[Thomas, Martha and Alfred look at each other]
Thomas: “Dr Crane, Jonathan Crane....he is the chief psychiatrist at Arkham.
Martha: “Arkham?”
Bruce: “Nooooo....I don’t want my world to end!”
[Martha and Thomas look at each other]
Martha and Thomas: “Arkham”
[Scene cuts: Bruce sitting on couch talking to Dr. Crane]
Crane: “ So... bruce, your mother and father tell me you’ve been sleepwalking and your scared because...... a giant bat monster ?!? I hate bats”
Bruce: “ It keeps telling me my world is going to end”
Crane: “ please, tell me more”
Bruce: “ 10 days, 4 hours 7 minutes and 28 seconds it says, again and again”
Crane: “When was this?”
Bruce: “2 days ago”
[Scene cuts: Wayne Manor; hand rings doorbell; Alfred comes to answer it]
Alfred: “yes... oh! Master Elliot”
Tommy: “Hiya Alfie, is Bruce ready to go to the movies?”
Alfred: “I shall go find at once young sir, one moment please”
[Alfred leaves and go upstairs to go get Bruce, knocks on his bedroom door]]
Alfred: “Master Bruce?, Master Bruce?”
[No answer, Alfred opens bedroom door, Bruce is drawing, he still does not respond, Alfred taps his shoulder and he snaps out of it]
Bruce: “Oh... Alfred, hi....hi”
Alfred: “Hello, Bruce, master Elliot is here to pick you up for the movies”
Bruce: “thank you Alfred”
[Alfred goes to leave]
Alfred: “Are you alright master Bruce?”
Bruce: “ 6 days, 7 hours, 4 minutes and 28 seconds is how much time I have left, until my world ends.”
[Bruce crosses another October 22nd off his calendar, October 28th is circled and my world will end is written there]
Bruce: “4 days left”
[Alfred puts his hand on Bruce’s shoulder]
[Scene cuts: Bruce and Tommy are at the movie theater]
Tommy: “oh boy, oh boy, I am so excited, I have been waiting to see this movie for so long. I can’t believe mother is letting me see it”
Mrs. Elliot: “nor can I”
Tommy: “aren’t you excited Bruce?”
Mrs Elliot: “ Hush boys, the movie is starting”
[Movie reel begins..4.3.2.1; Bruce looks up. Movie trailer: “In cinemas October 28th Douglas Fairbanks stars in The Mark of Zorro. A masked man, fighting crime and protecting the innocent.]
[Bruce turns to talk to Tommy; Bruce: “ that looks....” Bat-monster is there instead]
Bruce: “ you!, what did you do with Tommy!?!”
Bat-monster: “don’t be afraid Bruce”
Bruce: “How do you know my name?”
Bat-Monster: “I know much about you Bruce Wayne, you, your mask and our destiny”
Bruce: “ I am not wearing a mask, I don’t want a destiny and I don’t want you. Go away!”
[Bruce closes his eyes as he yells, looks up at Tommy who Bruce was apparently yelling at]
[Scene cuts: Bruce is sitting with Dr. Crane]
Crane: “Hello Bruce, how are we today?”
Bruce: “I am ok Dr. Crane, how are you?”
Crane: “fine Bruce fine, thank you for asking. Now your parents told me about the....episode at the movie theater yesterday, you were yelling at your friend?”
Bruce: “I wasn’t yelling at Tommy”
Crane: “oh no, thats good thats good, who were you yelling at then?”
Bruce: “ the monster”
Crane: “ ah, him again. Bruce do you know what hypnotized is?”
Bruce: “yes, I have seen Zatara hypnotize people before, he is my favorite magician. Will it hurt?”
Crane: “No Bruce, not at all. First step is to lay down, close your eyes and listen to my voice.
[Bruce lays down and closes his eyes]
Now, your eyes are getting heavy, you are getting very tired, sleepy. I am going to count backwards from 10 now Bruce, when I get to 1 you are going to be asleep. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, ready to sleep, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Bruce? Bruce can you hear me? Are you sleeping?”
Bruce: “yes”
Crane: “excellent, now i am going to ask you some questions, alright Bruce?”
Bruce: “10”
Crane: “ Bruce, we already counted down”
Bruce: “4”
Crane: “Bruce, when i snap my fingers you are going to wake up”
Bruce: “7”
[Crane snaps his fingers as Bruce eyes opens. Crane goes over and is shaking Bruce who is staring blankly]
Crane: “ Bruce, are you alright?, son can you hear me?, can you see me?”
Bruce: “No..... but I can see him”
[Bat-monster is standing behind Crane staring back at Bruce”
[Scene cuts: 3 days left, Thomas and Martha are outside Bruce’s bedroom door]
Thomas: “Bruce you have not come out of your room since the Dr.s yesterday”
Martha: “won’t you please come out sweetheart, your father and I want to spend time with you.”
Bruce: [yells from inside bedroom] “if I come out, he might get me, my world might end”
[Thomas and Martha look at each other]
Thomas: “we will be right here son, when you are ready to come out”
[Time passes, day turns to night, Thomas and Martha leave one at a time, no one is outside Bruce’s door]
Voice: “Bruce”
Bruce: “I told you I am not coming out”
Voice: “You cannot ignore me”
[Bruce realizes the voice is the Bat-Monster]
Bruce: “watch me”
Bat-Monster: “you cannot ignore your destiny?”
Bruce: “what do you want?, why cant you just leave me alone?”
Bat-Monster: “I can never leave you.... I must show you your destiny.
[Bruce and Bat-Monster look at each other for several panels, Bat-Monster offers Bruce his hands, After several panels Bruce takes his hand. Flashes of future as hands touch. Bruce sees images of a gun, his mothers pearl necklace broken on ground and blood on the floor, a Joker smile, a questions mark, a cat, the letter R and tombstones, Bruce lets go of Bat-Monsters hand]
Bruce: “what was that?”
Bat-Monster: “destiny”
[Scene cuts: 2 days left, morning at Wayne Manor, Thomas and Martha are at table as Alfred serves and cooks breakfast, Bruce walks into dining room]
Thomas: “good morning son, how are you feeling?”
Martha: “good morning sweetheart”
Alfred: “master Bruce, good to see you”
[Bruce sits down at table and makes himself a bowl of cereal]
Thomas: “Halloween is coming up soon son, any idea of what you might dress up as?
Bruce: “I have been working on a costume upstairs”
Thomas: “oh. we would love to see it”
Bruce: “It’s not ready yet”
Thomas: “Bruce, your mother and I have been talking”. [Thomas and Martha look at each other]
Martha: “we know you’ve been... upset lately son, we would like to help you cheer up”
Thomas: “ That’s why we bought tickets for you and Tommy to see The Mark of Zorro tomorrow night at the Monarch movie theater.”
Martha: “your father and I will be going too of course”
Bruce: “and Alfred?”
[Thomas and Martha look at Alfred]
Alfred: “I am afraid not master Bruce, someone needs to tend to Halloween’s boys and ghouls tomorrow night while they trick or treat”
Bruce: “can we all dress up and pretend like its special?”
Thomas: “Of course son, that’s a splendid idea”
Martha: “I will wear the pearl necklace you got me last Mother’s day Bruce”
[Bruce pictures broken pearl necklace on bloody ground]
Bruce: “ perfect”
[Bruce gets up and leaves table]
Bruce: “Thank you”
[Bruce comes back to table and hugs and kisses parents, hugs Alfred’s legs]
Thomas: “we love you Bruce”
Martha: “always”
[Bruce puts hands over eyes begins to cry, leaves the kitchen, yells from stairs as he returns to his bedroom]
Bruce: “don’t make promises you can’t keep”
[Bruce opens bedroom door and goes inside, he is crying and begins drawing]
[Scene cuts: My world will end; Morning, Bruce’s bedroom, Thomas knocks on Bruce’s door]
Thomas: “son... Bruce... are you awake, Alfred made your favorite, blueberry pancakes]
Bruce: “ I will be down in a few minutes dad”
Thomas: “alright son, try to hurry up, get em while they’re hot and all that”
Bruce: “dad?, did you say blueberry pancakes?”
Thomas: “a special breakfast to begin a special day”
Bruce: “daddy?”
Thomas: “yes bruce?”
Bruce: “can I have bacon with my pancakes?”
Thomas: “I’ ll ask Alfred, see you in a few minutes?”
Bruce: “yes, daddy. Daddy... I love you”
Thomas: “I love you too Bruce”
[Time passes; Bruce eats breakfast, Bruce watches Grey Ghost with Thomas, helps Alfred clean, eats lunch with family, is read to by Martha, plays toys with Thomas, eats dinner with Thomas and Martha. Family gets ready for movies, Bruce helps Martha put on pearl necklace, door bell rings, Child is at front door with bandages around head, he begins to take them off t reveal Tommy Elliot .]
Tommy: “hi, can we go?”
Bruce: “lets go”
[Boys run to car, Thomas and Martha follow, Alfred watches them go]
Alfred: “have a wonderful time sirs and madam”
Thomas: “thank you Alfred”
[Thomas closes door behind him]
Alfred: “you’re welcome sir”
[Scene cuts: Bruce and Tommy in movies with Thomas and Martha next to them, credits roll]
Bruce: “ I think I want to be Zorro when I grow up”
Tommy: “if you’re Zorro then I am Zorro’s sidekick”
Bruce: “sidekick, Zorro doesn’t need a sidekick”
Tommy: “alright then Zorro, then I am the bad guy”
[boys pick up sticks and start to pretend sword fight, car honks, Tommy puts down stick]
Tommy: “that would be mother. Coming mother. Thank you for having me Mr. and Mrs. Wayne]
Martha: “your very welcome Tommy”
Tommy: “ bye Bruce”
Bruce: “bye Tommy”
[Tommy leaves and gets into mothers car]
Thomas: “ I take it you liked the movie son?”
[Family turns down and starts to walk home]
Bruce: “liked it, I loved it”
Thomas: “ good, we were hoping it would help take your mind of of that dreadful ................ [Gun is seen in street light] .....nightmare”
[Bruce sees image in head of gun]
Gun Man: “ wallet jewelry. Now!”
[Thomas goes to hand gun man his wallet, it falls on ground. Gun man sees Martha’s necklace]
Gun Man: “I said jewelry”
[Thomas gets up quick to protect Martha, gun man shoots, Bruce watches, Thomas falls, Martha screams....
Martha: “Thomas!”
[Gun man grabs Martha’s necklace and breaks it off her neck, shoots again, Martha fall down, Bruce sees same image of necklace broken on bloody ground, gunman runs away, Bruce gets down on knees and cries over parents bodies]
Bruce: “ are you happy now, my world is ended, you and your stupid destiny”
Bat-Monster voice: “our destiny”
Bruce: “where are you, show yourself.”
Bat-Monster: “you already know where to find me,... return to where it all began”
[Bruce gets up and begins to run. Scene cuts, Bruce is outside Wayne Manor, runs through gates. Alfred, who is at door sweeping and sees him]
Alfred: “ Master Bruce?”
[Bruce runs towards old well, sees Bat-monster standing over it. Bruce steps on old well and it breaks, Bruce falls down, screaming as he does. He lands, gets up slowly, blurry eyed, Bat-Monster is there]
Bat-monster: “home at last... let it begin”
[A bat comes through the bat monster and begins to attach Bruce, then many bats, Bruce is screaming and crying]
Epilogue:
3 days later
[Bruce’s bedroom, Bruce is in bed with the covers over his head, Alfred is sitting next to him]
Alfred- “Master Bruce, its Halloween sir, I know your parents would want you to carry on sir, lead a normal life, the best life you can”
Bruce: “a normal life?, they’re gone Alfred, I’ll never have a normal life ”
Alfred: “small steps master Bruce, a normal child would go out and trick or treat sir. why not put on that costume you’ve been working so hard on sir? get yourself some candy hmm?”
Bruce: “My costume......my costume, I almost forgot. They would want me to carry on wouldn’t they Alfred?”
Alfred: “I know it sir”
Bruce: “I’ll always miss them Alfred....always. you’re right though, I need to carry on, to honor them, I’ll carry on”
Alfred: “thats the spirit master Bruce. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes sir, change into your costume”
Bruce: “I’ll be right there Alfred.”
[Alfred begins to leave]
Bruce: “thank you Alfred”
Alfred: “I am proud of you sir, I will see you downstairs then”
[Bruce nods, Alfred leaves room, Bruce gets out of bed and is wearing all of his costume already/ all but the mask. Reader can now see costume is a long bat like cape / all black, Bruce reaches over to get mask and looks at it, it is a batman-esque mask made from paper and cardboard/ also resembles bat monster. Bruce looks at mask]
.........ends
...... begins
