Dark Thunder

By Kalika

“DARK THUNDER,” an erotic thriller, is set in Birmingham, Alabama, around the end of the 20th Century, and begs the question: “Should you forgive your spouse when wedding vows have been broken?” Throughout history there has never been a unanimous answer to this age old dilemma.
Jewel and Melvin Brown are practically newlyweds when Melvin blindsides Jewel by breaking their marriage vows and challenging her religious beliefs and upbringing. Because of the scandalous nature of the incident, they both decide to keep it a secret, but this decision causes a slow burning volcano of guilt and shame to split Jewel’s psyche right down the middle and create a secret life of her own; and she becomes a "Lady of the Evening" as a way of getting back at Melvin .
Melvin is a successful and respected criminal attorney, and Jewel, barely out of her teens when they married, has centered her life around Melvin, her one and only love. Jewel struggles to understand Melvin's sexual needs and forgive his betrayal, but there’s a part of her that simply won’t allow it, and she leaves him.
Although Jewel ignores his efforts to reconcile, when she is injured in a tornado and loses her memory, Melvin brings her back home to live with him. Jewel’s family strongly disagrees with this rationale and sees Melvin as a spineless coward taking advantage of Jewel’s fragile condition. Nevertheless, Dr. Harris has warned them all to let Jewel recover her memory on her own or risk serious consequences, so they are forced to acquiesce.
Melvin is very grateful for this second chance with Jewel and is convinced all will be well, having no idea that though his wife has returned home, she did not come alone, and has brought with her the wrath of a demonic entity named “Robin.”
Robin is vicious and shrewd, weaving a web of destruction which resurrects a relationship with an old girlfriend of Melvin’s, Angela Peete, who calls upon him to represent her after being wrongly accused of murdering her husband, a wealthy real estate developer. Melvin eagerly takes Angela’s case, seeing it as a wonderful and promising career move until he is tied to the murder himself. Jewel is unaware of her part in this deception and remains the devoted and supportive wife while her alter, Robin watches gleefully from a distance, feeling triumphant and thinking she has won the battle to destroy both Jewel and Melvin so that she can finally have a life on her own, but fate has other plans for Robin, and steals her thunder when she least expects it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kalika
• Release date: Dec 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465908148

Kalika

Kalika is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles California.

Book preview

Dark Thunder

Dark Thunder

Kalika

Copyright 2011 Kalika

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Preface

Hello, valued readers. Did you know that by reading my screenplay you're taking part in entertainment history? Well, you are. And you might be thinking, Who buys screenplays when you can see them as films on the big screen? That's like what I said when I first read The Exorcist back in the 20th Century. I said, This could never be made into a film. But, it was, and became a runaway hit. It's old news that books are often turned into screenplays, but it's cutting edge to read the screenplay before it has been produced. So, get used to it, because it's the wave of the future! Reading a screenplay can be as enjoyable as any best selling novel you might read.

Because this screenplay is meant for e-publication and not as a shooting script, out of necessity, the formatting had to be changed, and I've been careful to make it suitable for reading by the lay person by also eliminating camera shots, although I had to put certain things in, and I'll explain them now, so that when you run across them you won't be scratching your head wondering what's going on. For instance:

FADE IN signifies the beginning of the screenplay.

EXT. indicates a scene taking place outside the location.

INT.: indicates a scene taking place inside of a location.

DISSOLVE TO: simply means the ending of a scene with time passing.

PARENTHETICALS indicate what an actor is feeling or thinking and how and when he says his dialogue and/or who he is talking to.

BEAT simply shows the director or actor, and in this case, you, the reader, that there is some emphasis, some emotion which follows the dialogue.

MONTAGE means a short series of events taking place in quick succession, spanning either a short period of time or maybe even years. Sometimes these scenes are without sound and sometimes they are with sound.

(O.S.) means the sound or voice comes from off screen, but nearby.

(V.O.) means the sound comes from a place other than the location.

MOS it means mit out sound, coined by Erich von Stroheim around the time of the first Talkies.."

Now, the good part about this is, you won't have to spend your life trying to get through hundreds and hundreds of pages. Also, since, mine is an unproduced screenplay, you can eagerly look forward to seeing it on the big screen and even think about who you'd like to see portraying these characters. And I'll consider your suggestions when it's time to cast the film. But, whether you have any ideas or not, I'd love to know how you felt after reading the last page. You may contact me at [e-mail] or visit my website to read more of my screenplays at www.limitlessskyfilms.com.

Thanks so much for your taking the leap into screenplay reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.

DARK THUNDER

Written by

K A L I K A

EXT. BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - NIGHT

ANGLE - CITY STREET

A LOUD CLAP OF THUNDER mingles with the SOUND of RAIN COMING DOWN IN SHEETS on hard pavement. A FLASH of LIGHTNING leaps across the sky, scattering dark clouds in all directions.

A RED JAGUAR maneuvers its way through the deserted, wet streets of downtown Birmingham, Alabama.

JEWEL, a young beauty in her early twenties, strains to look through the rain cascading off her windshield and sees the historic Tutweiler Hotel towering royally in the distance. JEWEL is alone in the car, a look of confusion on her face.

JEWEL

I can’t do this...What am I doing here anyway?

JEWEL’S car suddenly lurches forward and rounds the circular driveway leading up to the ENTRANCE of the hotel and comes to a dead stop.

INT. TUTWEILER HOTEL - NIGHT

A clock on a wall is striking midnight, and the HOTEL LOBBY is silent and deserted as the fierce wind pushes JEWEL through its heavy brass-trimmed doors. Jewel tries not to drench the floor as she struggles to close her umbrella.

The lone DESK CLERK behind the counter rushes to JEWEL's side, gently removing the umbrella from her damp hands and placing it into a receptacle.

JEWEL (to Desk Clerk)

Thanks.

JEWEL tries to dry her hands by rubbing them together. The DESK CLERK pulls out a nice white handkerchief from his breast pocket and snaps it high in the air to open it, and floats it down to JEWEL's grateful hands.

JEWEL

Oh good, thank you.

Before the DESK CLERK can respond…

DESK CLERK

My pleasure…

JEWEL hurries out of SHOT. The Desk Clerk stares curiously after her and sees her standing awkwardly in front of the elevator bays. JEWEL pushes the UP button and waits, not seeming to notice the DESK CLERK has his eyes on her. JEWEL starts talking to herself.

JEWEL

This is a bad idea.

The SHARP CHIME of the ELEVATOR BELL startles JEWEL. The doors open wide. Jewel stares into the empty elevator and suddenly feels cemented to the floor. Her legs won't move.

The DESK CLERK is discretely straining to look as JEWEL makes a false start to step inside the elevator, then changes her mind and backs off. The doors begin to close.

Suddenly Jewel looks back over her shoulder and sees the DESK CLERK gawking at her. He looks concerned and starts tentatively walking from behind the desk toward Jewel.

JEWEL suddenly jumps into the elevator just as the doors are closing. The DESK CLERK shakes his head as if perhaps he'd just imagined it all.

The elevator buttons begin to light up as it travels to the 8th Floor and stops. JEWEL emerges from the elevator a newly confident woman. She has removed her trench coat, and there’s a sway in her hips now as she strides down the quiet hallway, her long, wavy red hair dancing lightly down her back.

JEWEL stops for a moment, takes a compact from her purse and checks herself. Her makeup is flawless, but she puts on more lipstick and a sexy stroll as she begins to work her six inch stilettos down the hallway.

JEWEL stops in front of Room 839 and knocks on the door. The door opens and HERB stands in the doorway looking at her.

HERB

ROBIN?

JEWEL

That would be me.

JEWEL smiles seductively at HERB and brushes her body up against his as she boldly walks past him through the door.

HERB is short, with an athletic body, boyish grin, extremely masculine; in his thirties. Herb has an abundance of hair sprouting from his chest and pouring out the top of his black silk robe. JEWEL stares at him, a bit put off at first.

JEWEL

Herb, right?

HERB

You got it.

HERB stands back, looking Jewel up and down, a satisfied look on his face.

JEWEL

May I use your phone to call the agency?

HERB nods in the direction of the phone on a stand. JEWEL grabs the phone and makes her call.

CINNAMON (O.S.)

(southern drawl)

Hello. May I help you?

JEWEL

(suddenly nonchalant)

Hey, Cinnamon. It's ROBIN. I'm here.

CINNAMON (O.S.)

Okay, girl. Everything okay?

HERB has walked back into the room and is now standing in front of JEWEL, checking out her long legs. He smiles at her, expectantly; Jewel returns a teasing smile as she talks to CINNAMON.