Deer X-ing

EXT. road in a forest - evening 

The sun is starting to set. It is lonesome and quiet. Trees line the street, and a singular car has veered off the street and into the dirt. The front of the car is damaged, and the driver's side-view mirror is close to coming off. 

Inside the car, only MARTHA (mid-20s) is thin and worn. The shadows under her eyes are dark and her wiry hair has a mind of its own. Her nose is red and her lips are cracked. Martha is frozen in her seat. 

Her hand shakes. She lowers the window. Martha tenses her body in fear of what she might see. There in the middle of the road is DEER, a white-tailed deer with no antlers. It is small and thin like Martha. No one can see Deer's face or limbs, only the frail, damaged body that struggles to breathe. 

Martha averts her eyes away from Deer and moves her hand away from the window and back to the steering wheel. She lets go of the brake and steps on the gas. The car can still drive. She moves her car off of the dirt and onto the street she has veered off of. 

INT. HALLWAY OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING - SAME NIGHT 

Martha hugs herself and walks with a long stride in a hurry to get back to her apartment. She slows and observes a couple. The Mother holds a newborn Child that sleeps in her arms. Martha sees the newborn at peace and envies it. She blinks away tears that start to form, preventing them from falling. The Father unlocks the door and leads his family inside. 

Martha picks up her pace after the family shuts the door. She fumbles through her keys, but the anxiety and cold make it difficult. She finally grabs the right one to unlock her door. She swings open the door and slams it behind her. 

INT. MARTHA'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Martha takes a breath to calm herself, but she is still trembling. She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths, but gives up after a few seconds. 

Her apartment is a cramped and cluttered studio. The bed is unmade, dishes are in the sink, and last week's laundry sits in a pile on a chair. 

Martha puts her keys and wallet down on the counter next to her door. 

She cannot steady herself. Martha climbs into bed without taking her work clothes off or washing her face. She pulls the covers over herself and stares at the ceiling. 

Martha dreams. She sees the crash and Deer who struggles to breathe. Then Deer's movement stops. 

Martha wakes up from her dream. There she is face to face with an apparition of Deer. Its eyes are wide and innocent like a child's. The apparition startles Martha out of bed. She kicks the sheets off in a hurry in order to run from the ghost. When she looks back to where Deer once stood the apparition has disappeared. 

The trembling has gotten worse. 

Martha is cautious and careful when she opens a cabinet next to the sink. She keeps scanning the room waiting for Deer to reappear. Martha opens the cabinet keeping an eye on the side of the bed where she last saw Deer. She grabs a salt shaker. 

She takes the salt and starts from the right side of the bed where Deer was and coats the hardwood floors with it. 

Her bed now has an outline of salt surrounding it. After waiting a couple of beats, shaking and scanning the room for Deer, Martha steps over the salt and rushes to get under the covers once again. 

Martha tries to steady her hands and her breath, but nothing works. Her apartment is too cold for her to relax and the disturbing image of Deer's dying body remains in the back of her head. 

Once again she tries to close her eyes and take deep breaths. This is interrupted by an apple that falls off the table and onto the ground with a thud. 

Martha is too scared to open her eyes because she knows what pushed it off. She tightens her eyes shut. Her heart is beating faster than ever. 

She opens her eyes and Martha sees Deer, who is staring back at her with those same child-like eyes. Even as a ghost, Deer is the very picture of innocence. Martha weeps. She turns away not wanting its look to haunt her. 

Deer continues to stare at her and refuses to look away. 

Martha throws the sheets off her body. She gets out of bed for the second time that night and grabs the keys and wallet on the counter. She steps over the salt and runs out the door. 

INT. HALLWAY OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 

Martha runs down the hallway where she saw the family earlier. It is silent. She looks behind her and there is no sign of Deer. 

Martha leaves her apartment and is greeted by bustling nightlife. 

EXT. CITY STREETS - NIGHT 

The sun has now completely set and it is dark. The world around her is active. Martha walks past a group of friends who hug and greet each other by a parked car. They all smile in a way Martha has not in, what seems like, months. 

Martha looks behind her again and there is no sign of Deer, only people. 

A man in a suit passes by with a bouquet of flowers. Her eyes stay on the flowers until she walks into another person. Martha looks down and continues her steady walk. 

She passes by a bar with outdoor seating. Every seat has been filled and is loud with the voices of people watching a game. 

She walks by a duo of performers at a corner. One person is singing while another plays guitar. The song sounds sad and slow, but people stop by to hear it. Martha slows her speed to listen to the words. Someone drops money in a hat on the ground. Her walk starts to slow but returns to a steady pace when she passes the crowd of people who have gathered around the performers. 

Martha crosses a street. The song fades as she walks away. She looks behind her again, but takes in the see the life of the city and forgets to check if Deer is there. 

Martha contemplates her next moves as she faces the busy street. She cannot stop and watch the game at the bar, Deer will catch up. She cannot stop and see the performers because Deer might already be there. There is nowhere she can go, she can only continue to walk. Martha shivers and hugs herself. She turns her back to the street and begins to walk forward, but stops and looks back again. She’s missing out on life. 

Martha takes a deep breath and crosses the street she came from. Deer reappears by the performers. 

Her walk is slow as she approaches the performers. Deer does not move, but when Martha is with the crowd of people watching the performer, Deer has disappeared. The song they are playing is a newer, more exciting one. Martha stays for two more songs and claps when both are finished. She searches her pockets for cash and finds a crumpled-up five-dollar bill. She places it in the hat at their feet. 

Martha is once again slow as she continues her walk. Her trembling has stopped. Deer stops in front of the bar. She goes inside and avoids looking at Deer. 

INT. BAR - CONTINUOUS 

Inside she takes a seat and orders a drink. She watches a football game on TV. Suddenly the bar and a WOMAN next to her cheer, so Martha does as well. The woman smiles at her. 

EXT. CITY STREETS - CONTINUOUS 

Time has passed as the performers on the corner are gone and the outdoor seating has thinned out. There are fewer people on the streets. 

Martha and the woman leave the bar together. After giving Martha

a piece of paper with her number on it, the woman waves goodbye to her and Martha returns the wave. The woman walks in the other direction, opposite Martha's apartment. This is the first time Martha has smiled. 

Martha turns towards her apartment. However, she is stopped when the apparition of Deer is waiting for her. She steps away and brings her arms up in defense, but Deer is still. Deer tilts its head. Martha lowers her arms. She steps around Deer who turns around to face her. She takes a step back and Deer walks with her. Martha scrunches her face in confusion when Deer does not attack her. She looks down into Deer’s eyes. 

Martha finds that its gaze no longer haunts her. Deer does not try to harm her. It is like a loyal dog waiting for a command. 

Martha walks home. Deer follows close behind. 

INT. HALLWAY OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 

Martha goes back down the hallway leading to her apartment. Deer skips ahead as if it knows where Martha wants to go. Deer waits at the front door. Martha, with steady hands, grabs the right key and unlocks it. 

INT. MARTHA'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 

Deer walks ahead of Martha. Deer goes to the apple that fell and attempts to bite it but passes through. Martha chuckles. She picks up the pajamas on the ground and changes into them. Martha lets her hair down and brushes it. Deer watches, but it does not startle Martha. 

She kneels down and hopes the animal can sense how sorry she is. She reaches a hand out and the apparition does not back away. Martha attempts to pet Deer, but her hand passes through the ghost. 

Martha grabs a blanket on the floor and spreads it on her bed. This extra blanket will make the bed as warm as she needs it. She yawns and lifts up the covers ready to go inside. Though she steps on her circle of salt. 

Martha looks back to Deer who stands on the edge of the circle, not daring to pass. Martha backs up and grabs a broom and dustpan that lean against the refrigerator.

Martha sweeps away all the salt. She sweeps her mess into the dustpan and throws it away. She lifts up the covers once more and for the last time tonight she gets into bed. She does not shake from the cold or from nerves. She is steady and still. 

Deer makes its way over to Martha's bed. Deer jumps onto the bed and makes itself comfortable. As a young white-tailed deer there is enough space for it to lie down next to her. 

Martha and Deer are warm and at peace. Finally, they sleep.

THE END.