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There's something in the wind I can feel it blowing in It's coming in hotly And it's coming in strong
TAXI CAR Jay climbs into the backseat of the car. The driver closes the trunk and climbs into the driver's seat. It's been randomly opening and closing all day, causing the driver to be frustrated. He starts the car, zooming away from the hotel building. Outside the window, boys are playing ball in the street. They steal glances towards the car and Jay.
Jay's had some time to think things over. You can say the movie The Adams Family Values helped her create a plan. It's a stupid plan but she's willing to try anything. She's currently headed to a pool. She hasn't been there since she was fourteen, but she still remembers the address. It's where she had her first beer; she remembers throwing up the entire night. The driver stops in front of a red light, waiting for cars to pass.
Jay's view shifts as the car lurches around, riding the bump of the soft curb. The driver accelerates and guides the car down the street. She turns away and stares ahead with tears in her eyes. They speed along Interstate 75 - going south. Jay only sees the road racing towards her as the scenery changes.
The only sound comes from the car's engine. Deeper and deeper into the city they drive. They pass exit signs for mile roads and duck under rotting overpasses. Broken buildings wave from the edge of the expressway as gutted plants momentarily block out the harsh sun.
Dangerous streets and alleyways loom along their path. Jay's solemn and quiet. The hum of the road hypnotizes her. Her and the driver sit in silence as they drive on.
STREETS Storefronts, boarded houses, rotting factories and empty lots fill the area. Jay slowly moves through the poor neighborhood. She looks out at the half empty neighborhood. A large duffle bag is slung over her shoulder, followed by a television and boom-box that sits in her hands. These are all items she stole from her hotel room.
OLD POOL BUILDING Several groups of inner-city children laugh and play in the clean water of the old pool.
SUBURBAN STREET Beyond the barren trees of the middle-class suburban neighborhood, the concrete towers of a nuclear power plant are visible in the distance as smoke rises. Blue light from the distant lamps shine a cold glow over the empty park. The trees are now barren.
Dead but colorful leaves cover the ground. Jay moves forward along the sidewalk. Up ahead, a man rakes his front yard. A few children build a fort out of the fallen leaves. Lines of red and orange across the grass. Far behind Jay, a teenager in a coat marches slowly along the edge of the road. Jay stares out at the autumnal suburbia. It's pretty and clean.
When she was a little girl, her mother would not allow her to go south of 8th mile. And she did not know what that meant til she got a little older. She started realizing that, that was where the city started and the suburbs ended. She used to think how shitty and weird that was. She even had to ask permission to go to the state fair with her best friend and her parents only because it was a few blocks past the border.
