Saku: The Other Life

Summer Sundown the day before the alien invasion. Trees are swaying and people are heard laughing. The city is starting to slow down and a few people are walking the streets. A door is heard swinging open and some people look back. A teen,14, LONG black hair, green eyes, black and torn sweatshirt, red shorts, and black basketball shoes comes running out of the store with candy. The owner comes out after him.

SHOP OWNER: "Hey you little son of a-"

MC #2, Saku is swerving through the crowd of people with a mouth full of candy.

He runs past and bumps into a few people. The shop keeper stops chasing.

SHOP OWNER: "DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU AROUND HERE EVER AGAIN! YOU HERE ME?!"

Saku chuckles and runs home. He is crossing streets and going through alleys. He then goes through the park. On his way through he sees something and stops. It's a dead bird. Saku looks at the bird with his depressed looking eyes. He goes over and starts to dig in the dirt with his hands. He places the bird in the hole and covers it back up. There is a 3 second pause.

SAKU: "You're the lucky one if you ask me. No more worries. But I'm sure a bird's life is a lot easier than any humans."

He gets up, pats the dust off his hands, and starts to walk. His stomach growls and he holds it.

SAKU: "Man, should have gotten something other than sugar. But every other place knows my face by now. Maybe Mom…(chuckles) yea right."

He goes into the ghetto parts of the city. There is spray paint and graffiti on the sides of buildings. Dogs are barking and people are yelling in the background. Saku gets home to his apartment building. He walks up to the 3rd floor and unlocks the door. He closes it quietly and tries to sneak to his room a few feet from the door.

SAKU'S MOM O.S: "You're late."

Saku looks over. His mom, 35, dark and greasy hair, in large clothing, and bags under her eyes is laying on the couch in the other room just enough to see his door. Bottles of whiskey and wine are all on the floor. There is an ashtray full of cigarettes. She is visibly drunk.

Sakus drunk mother gets up and stumbles towards him.

SAKU: "I told you yesterday I was going to be out a little later."

She still is walking towards him with anger as she sips from the bottle.

MOM: "Don't give me that crap. I told you to be here half an hour ago."

She takes another sip from the bottle she's holding.

SAKU: "No you didn't Mom you're drunk just let me go to my room."

She slaps his face and he falls trying to grab the wall. Brown marks from his hands are streaked down the wall.

MOM: "You don't tell your mother when she's drunk or not! Look now you put dirt marks all over the damn walls. Go clean them off then go to your room and do your homework or whatever."

Saku fights back tears and clenches his dirty fists. He gets up and walks into the kitchen. His mother goes back to the couch and watches TV. She lights a cigarette. Saku washes his hands and then grabs paper towels. He wets the paper towels then walks to the wall and wipes the marks off the wall.

MOM: "You didn't fold your laundry the right way either."

She takes a sip and almost throws up, but holds it back.

SAKU: "I folded them and their away. What did you go into my drawers to find something to yell at me about?"

MOM: "You watch your mouth. I was checking for drugs. I'm not dumb Saku I always smell it on you. Now give me some."

Saku walks until she can see him through the doorway.

SAKU: "I don't have anything and even if I did I wouldn't give you any."

She snickers in disgust and takes another sip. He walks into the kitchen to throw out the paper towels and then back out. He looks at her. Staring at her in silence.

MOM: "Going to stare at me all night like a creep or are you going in your room like I said?"

Saku gets even more mad.

SAKU: "Do you even know what tomorrow is?"

She closes her eyes and downs a sip of whiskey.

MOM: "Are you going to make your 100th steal? What's it going to be expensive shoes? A bike?"

Saku is walking into his room. He looks at her with a similar looking stink eye.

SAKU: "You know I only steal food."

He slams the door.

MOM: "You can thank your father for that one! And for leaving me with your ungrateful ass."

Saku comes out in anger.

Saku: "No Mom you can blame yourself because while you're sitting depressed and getting drunk your son is starving! I steal food because I don't have food here and I don't have the money! You don't do anything but work and get drunk! How do you not buy food?! What they hell do you eat?! If anything you're as bad as my father!

A bottle is thrown at him and it smashes against the wall he just cleaned. Saku looks in horror.

MOM: "Get the hell out of my house. GO GET OUT! I didn't want you in the first place! My life is like this all because of you! I knew I should've scrapped you out!"

Saku looks at her in disgust. He runs into his room. Grabs his sweatshirt lifts his mattress and grabs a brown paper bag and puts it in his sweatshirt. He leaves his room and opens the front door but before he leaves…

SAKU: "This is the best birthday present you've given me."

He slams the door.