The Junkyard

by Terry Black

[An excerpt from the TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode "Korman's Kalamity," 1990]

FADE IN:

EXT. -- BURNT-OUT BUILDING -- DAY

Shabby, overgrown with weeds, cinderblocks crumbling on a cracked foundation...a real fixer-upper.

Suddenly we hear the sound of MACHINE-GUN FIRE...but not really. It's a KID making gunfire noises.

KID

BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA pa-KOW!

PULL BACK

to find a FURTIVE FIGURE crouched in the doorway, wearing a G.I. Joe helmet and cradling a PLASTIC UZI.

He's armed. He's deadly. He's eight years old. His name's BUTCH.

BUTCH

All clear, men. Let's MOVE OUT!

Butch steps out into the open, followed by a MOTLEY CREW of six- and seven-year-olds with boots, helmets, and lifelike WEAPONS.

BUTCH

Sawyer, Fastball, come with me. Craig, take the south flank.

He's turning away when a HAND tugs his sleeve.

BUTCH

(turning)

What is it?

DOUGLAS P. WINTHROP

is the RUNT of the gang, smaller and punier then his cohorts, wearing ragged clothes and Coke-bottle glasses.

Instead of the other kids' high-tech weapons, Douglas has only a COWBOY SIX-SHOOTER with the barrel broken off.

DOUGLAS

Can't I come with you?

The gang GROANS at this oft-heard appeal. Butch SHOVES him aside.

BUTCH

Beat it, Four-eyes. We're on a dangerous mission.

DOUGLAS

But can't I at least --

BUTCH

Let's MOVE OUT, men!

The kids RUSH through the ruins, firing wildly.

BUTCH

SPLAM! SPLAM! Spweee-OW!

SAWYER

POW, POW, pa-POW POW POW!

FASTBALL

Ka-BLAMMO!

Douglas turns away, disheartened.

DOUGLAS

(bitterly)

Who needs them anyway?

He WANDERS OFF through the wreckage, idly kicking at a soda can, SNIFFLING with little-boy despair.

Then something goes CLUNK. Douglas wipes his eyes, looks around.

DOUGLAS

Butch?

But it's not Butch. It's an

OLD REFRIGERATOR,

the rustier, dirtiest, most horrible OLD FRIDGE in the history of junked appliances.

There's another CLUNK and it...moves. Just a little.

DOUGLAS

Is...is somebody in there?

He approaches it ever-so-cautiously, like an unexploded land mine.

DOUGLAS

My mom says you shouldn't play in old refrigerators. The door could close and you could get stuck inside.

He grasps the handle.

DOUGLAS

You could die.

Continued on the next page

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