The Unbelonger
After becoming stranded in the desert, an outcast soldier is attacked by
a stranger who looks just like him as he struggles to make contact with his base.
Sometimes, finding out who you are requires a journey, a mini-vision quest. Traveling outside your comfort zone. Exploring new places, and indulging in activities and occupations which might seem out of character. And even... inexplicably strange.
Some young adults do that by trying on different personalities, new clothes. In a way, that’s what Leon Forsythe’s been doing for the last five years. As a teen, disappearing on a five day bender in the desert, and returning with a new, difficult attitude. A cryptic tattoo on his hand, too.
Now in his twenties, Leon’s off on another life detour: enlistment in the Army. His “new clothes”? A uniform.
That’s an unexpected decision which leaves Leon’s relatives disturbed. Sister Chelsea’s worried. And Leon’s dad – majorly pissed. Called to base, Leon takes off yet again. Driving through the desert, he calls Chelsea to try to put the family’s mind at ease:
CHELSEA (O.S.)
I don’t always take his side. I’m
just saying, most kids don’t get
all drugged out and disappear in
the desert for five days and scare
the shit out of their parents.
LEON
I was fifteen--
CHELSEA (O.S.)
I thought he was going to kill you
and when he saw that tattoo... man.
(laughs)
What did it mean again?
Leon looks down at the tattooed four dots on his hand.
LEON
How should I know, I don’t even
remember getting it...
CHELSEA (O.S.)
That’s so you.
Ah, sibling banter. A bond which survives beyond all else.
Unless – one loses reception, which Leon’s bluetooth abruptly does. Followed by his car engine dying. It’s an overload of Murphy’s Law which leaves Leon stranded in grueling heat. And no civilization in sight. Though radio towers on the horizon beckon...
Leon trudges towards them, and manages to gain enough of a signal to 911 his base for help. Thankfully, the call lasts long enough for Leon to relay a Staff Sargeant coordinates before the connection’s lost.
Help’s coming. Or is it? And will it be in time? As heat and dehyration take their toll, Leon witnesses ever stranger visions. A plane crash in the distance. The base calling back briefly, and claiming they checked the coordinates, but found no-one near Leon’s car.
Leon heads towards the crash and any possible survivors. What he finds there seems bizarre. WHO Leon meets there’s even worse: a gunman who looks just like him… right down to the t-shirt he wore as a teen.
Is the heat making Leon delirious? Maybe it’s another drug trip, doing a number on Leon’s mind? How much of what Leon knows is real?
But this is no time for contemplation. Leon finds himself forced to fight for his life. Or maybe it’s someone else’s life… ? Read Brandi Self’s The UnBelonger to find out.
Taking place entirely in the desert, UnBelonger requires a bit of post, and minor FX. But the result could be a Science Fiction gem. Directors, crack open this script. It may be the “Vision Quest” you’ve been journeying for!