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by Ken Derrick (halfway_crook@hotmail.com)

Rated:

Genre: Miscellaneous User Review:

Ashley Gerald is an aspiring actress who ran away from home on bad terms with her parents. Four years later, she finds out her parents were recently killed in a neighbourhood shooting. Going back home, she befriends a cop, Holt Dresden, who will do anything to bring the criminals to justice, including killing them. Unfortunately, the investigation is going nowhere until an old friend of hers, Valderon Divershell, is arrested for killing a man he claims had something to do with her parent's murder. Now, the three of them must work together to figure out who was involved and bring those responsible to justice. By any means neccessary.

FADE IN:

INT. MITSUBISHI CARISMA 1.8 GDI CLASSIC HB (MOVING) - DAY

ASHLEY GERALD, red-haired, mid 20s, sits behind the wheel of
a Mitsubishi Carisma 1.8 GDI Classic HB, coloured red.
Beside her, VALDERON DIVERSHELL, dark-haired, mid 20s, is
working on a crossword puzzle.

VALDERON
(to himself)
Devious, Circuitous...where do I
know that from...

He pulls out a small pocket dictionary from a bag in the
backseat of the car. He flips through the pages and reads
out a definition.

VALDERON
Ah, here we go. Roundabout. Ten
letters, adjective, deviating from
a straight course, marked by
obliqueness or indirection in
speech or conduct. It fits.

ASHLEY
(peeved)
Congratulations.

Valderon notices her impatience with him.

VALDERON
Want me to drive?

ASHLEY
No.

Valderon searches for a peace offering. Something to appease
Ashley.

VALDERON
Music?

ASHLEY
Do you have a CD?

VALDERON
Tons.

Valderon reaches back into his bag. Pulls out a stack of
CDs, he flips through the first few, then finds one he
likes. He pulls it from the rest and places the other CDs

back in his bag. He carefully replaces the zipper before
turning back around and pulling the CD he chose out of the
case.

After placing the CD in the player. He closes the case and
places it in the glove box along with his crossword and
dictionary.

ASHLEY
What CD is this?

VALDERON
This is my own personal mix. It's
a list of all these songs that
remind me of certain girls I've
come across in my life.

ASHLEY
What, do you like jerk off to it
or something?

Ashley laughs at her own joke.

VALDERON
No, you sick bastard. It's sort of
like, a reminder of every girl
I've met so I don't end up hitting
on them again.

ASHLEY
Oh, so these are all songs about
every girl that's ever rejected
you.

VALDERON
You know, there's no way I can
come across as good in this
so...just shut up and listen to
the music.

Ashley doesn't bother to hide her smile. They share a
silence. Neither of them speak as 'Out of Reach' by
Gabrielle plays throughout the car.

ASHLEY
Who's this song about?

Valderon is staring out the window, unable to look at her
during his story.

VALDERON
First girlfriend. Three weeks
before prom, she stopped talking
to me. Of course, I made no effort
(MORE)

VALDERON (cont'd)
to talk to her but I knew it was
over.

ASHLEY
Why'd she stop talking to you?

VALDERON
There was this whole thing about
my friend who liked her and he
made a move on her and she told me
and I told this other friend and
somehow it got back to the first
guy and he got all pissed at her.

ASHLEY
Why would the first guy get mad?
He was the one that hit on her.

VALDERON
Yeah, I know.

ASHLEY
Why didn't you just talk to her?

VALDERON
You know, it's been 8 years. I'm
over it. And I really don't wanna
get into it again.

ASHLEY
Fine.

'Out of Reach' is still playing.

            ASHLEY
      (testing the
       waters)
Am I on this?

VALDERON
The CD?

ASHLEY
Yeah.

VALDERON
Yeah, you are.

ASHLEY
Really? What song?

VALDERON
Here...

Valderon reaches over and skips a few tracks. He settles on
track seven.

'Cryin'' by Aerosmith starts playing.

ASHLEY
Oh My God, I love this song.

VALDERON
Yeah, it's good.

ASHLEY
This song reminds you of me? Why?

VALDERON
Not sure. It just does.

ASHLEY
I know why.

VALDERON
Why?

ASHLEY
Cause you loooooove me.

Valderon smiles as Ashley laughs. The car speeds off into
the sunrise. 'Cryin' still playing over the scene.

INT. "SATIN LACE" DINER - DAY

The place isn't packed, about three or four groups spread
out throughout the diner. A quiet din lulls over the place.

Valderon and Ashley are sitting in a booth. They've got
burgers and fries in front of them. Valderon's got a root
beer. Ashley's got a Sprite.

They're in the middle of a discussion that quickly
escalates. Dialogue is said like a debate. One person
listening to reason then firing back with a retort.

ASHLEY
It's still getting good reviews,
isn't it?

VALDERON
From experience, reviews don't
mean shit. I watch something
first, form my own opinions then
(MORE)

VALDERON (cont'd)
read the reviews to see what
others have to say.

ASHLEY
I don't know. Your opinion on the
first Batman movie comes to mind.

VALDERON
That movie sucked, ok-

ASHLEY
-I don't know how you don't like
it.

VALDERON
I explained why it sucks. Explain
to me how it's good.

ASHLEY
It's good because Jack Nicholson
is brilliant as the villain. It's
gritty and feels like a comic
book. It was original and Michael
Keaton was good. And even though I
don't read the comic books, I like
it when it's very campy like that
or it's very realistic.

VALDERON
Ok, I'll admit Keaton was good as
Bats but you can't seriously buy
him as Bruce Wayne. Especially
with the hair. He looked like a
pussy with horribly shaved pubes.
Secondly, Jack Nicholson wasn't
funny or entertaining, he was
silly and stupid. And it wasn't
dark or gritty, it was just like
all of Tim Burton's movies, fucked
up. Also, you can't call it
orginal since it was adapted from
a comic book.

He takes a long sip from his root beer and places it back
down on the table. Popping a fry in his mouth, he continues.

VALDERON
You like it because it's campy?
How can it be gritty and campy?

ASHLEY
It balances, that's what's good.

VALDERON
It wasn't gritty. I mean, the
fights sucked.

ASHLEY
How so? It's not even centered on
the fighting.

VALDERON
Exactly, Batman is a fighter in
the comic books. He's got no super
powers. His only way of taking out
the bad guys is using his
detective skills and his
hand-to-hand combat.

ASHLEY
Ok, you gotta look at the times
here. If you were a kid and you
saw it, it's something you grew up
liking. You're comparing it to
modern day movies which are
exponentially different from those
before 2000.

VALDERON
But now, why does that matter? If
you can't compare a movie from the
past to movies in the present than
you can't say it's a classic, can
you? I mean if it was good then,
it should still be good now but
that's the thing. It's not good
now, is it? And I don't think it
was even that good then.

ASHLEY
It is good, though.

VALDERON
No it's not. And as far as
nostalgia goes, I liked 'Forever'
cause it was actually funny. Jim
Carey as The Riddler was funnier
than Jack Nicholson as The Joker.

ASHLEY
Nicholson was a good Joker for
'Batman' though.

VALDERON
He was a horrible Joker.

ASHLEY
Who would've made a better Joker
then?

VALDERON
Someone tall, lean, pale and
maniacal. Nicholson's got the
maniacal down pat but I don't
think he looked good as The Joker.
And plus he wasn't funny. The
Joker from the comics was funny.
The Joker from the animated series
three years later was funny.
Nicholson's Joker wasn't funny.

ASHLEY
No, Nicholson's had some funny
roles. Example: 'As Good As It
Gets'.

VALDERON
I'm not insulting Jack Nicholson.
I liked him in 'One Flew'. I'm
just saying that wasn't one of his
funny roles.

ASHLEY
You should be praising him for his
great roles.

Valderon notices that Ashley seems to be ignoring what he's
actually saying.

VALDERON
Yeah, just not in 'Batman'.

ASHLEY
I haven't seen a bad Nicholson
role in my opinion...yet.

Valderon is a bit angry now.

VALDERON
I never said Nicholson sucks, ok,
so drop it. I said 'Batman' wasn't
one of his funny roles.

ASHLEY
But you're sort of saying he does
since you said he wasn't good as
The Joker. So you're saying his
acting is somehow bad in that
movie.

Valderon chooses to go on the defensive.

VALDERON
I can't dislike one of his
performances without insulting ALL
of his work in acting? That's what
you're saying?

ASHLEY
A good actor can make good out of
bad material, therefore, you're
disrespecting his acting ability
by saying that if the material was
bad, he didn't make it any better.
Which it wasn't.

VALDERON
Ok, fine, I'll agree to that. He
didn't make shitty material any
better, doesn't mean I don't like
him in other roles, doesn't mean I
don't like him as an actor. It's a
seperate entity. I didn't like him
that one time.

Ashley attempts to move on from the topic she started.

ASHLEY
Well there are other movies we
don't agree on. Like 'Forrest
Gump'.

VALDERON
'Forrest Gump' sucks.

ASHLEY
How?

VALDERON
Cause he's not a likeable
character. I can't watch a movie
for two hours hating the guy
eating up all the screentime. I
mean, come on, the movie's named
after his character. It's torture.

ASHLEY
How isn't he likeable?

VALDERON
Tell me how he is? I think he's
annoying.

ASHLEY
So you're prejudiced against
mentally challenged people?

Valderon is a race car in the red. He could blow.

VALDERON
See, there we go again. Because of
ONE person, all of a sudden, I
don't like EVERYONE.

ASHLEY
Well, you can't deny that it's
because of like five to ten people
that you hate the Middle East.

Valderon gets taken aback at this new development.

VALDERON
Well, that's different, those
people affected me personally.
We're talking about actors and
movies.

ASHLEY
There's more than 10 or 20
countries in the Middle East with
varying cultures, therefore, that
isn't a valid argument.

VALDERON
Well, I can't tell the difference
between every Middle Eastern
person that's screwed me over, so
how do I know which are from which
culture. For all I know, I've been
screwed over by a representative
from every one of those countries.

ASHLEY
But why does one person represent
the entire culture?

VALDERON
It's not just one person. It's
every Middle Eastern person I've
come across in my lifetime that's
done something to piss me off. And
since I can't tell who's from
where, I have no choice but to
classify them within a single
group.

10.

Ashley has won.

ASHLEY
That's racism.

VALDERON
So what if it is? I'm not hurting
anybody. The only person being
affected by my hatred for the
Middle East is me. I mean, it's
not like I seek out Middle Eastern
people just to hurt them and shit.
It's not like I flip them off when
their backs are turned or I spit
in their drinks when they're not
looking. All it is, is if I can
avoid them, I'll do it.

ASHLEY
But you will start to affect
people if you keep it up.
Prejudice turns into
discrimination. Everything affects
people. Everyone should realize
this. Every action has a reaction.
You should stop being so ignorant.

Valderon is now full blown pissed. His voice is raised.
Certain people sneak glances at him.

VALDERON
How the fuck am I being ignorant?
We were talking about movies and
then you bring up this shit about
me being racist. I didn't start
talking about it. I noticed the
fucking Pakis across the room
eating their fucking food when
they fucking came in and I didn't
say a fucking word cause I've
accepted the fact that even if I
don't like them, I still have to
live with their existence. So tell
me how the fuck am I being
ignorant when I know enough not to
let my horrible tendencies show
and keep that shit to myself.

ASHLEY
I meant you're ignorant by
thinking it doesn't affect anyone.
Even keeping it to yourself,
you're making it so that one day,
all that pent up aggression is
(MORE)

11.

ASHLEY (cont'd)
gonna explode and you might do
something stupid. So even if it
doesn't affect the rest of the
world now, it'll affect it sooner
or later since you're a part of
that world. I mean look at right
now, we were having a conversation
and you started screaming at me.
What does that say about you?

Valderon stops. And thinks about it, still seething.

VALDERON
That I have pent up aggression
about you?

ASHLEY
And why is that?

A long pause hangs in mid-air.

VALDERON
Cause I like you. And you've got a
boyfriend.

ASHLEY
Is that all?

Valderon's voice is quiet like a child. It even breaks a
little.

VALDERON
It doesn't help he's Middle
Eastern.

Ashley picks up her coat and slides over to the edge of the
booth.

ASHLEY
I don't think we should stay on
this trip together. I'll take your
stuff out of my car and when
you're done eating, you can pick
them up and I'll just leave.

Ashley gets out of the booth and proceeds to walk to the
exit. Valderon sits and stews for a while. He realizes she
just sandbagged him.

VALDERON
Fuck.

12.

CUT TO:

CREDIT SEQUENCE:

INT. VALDERON'S APARTMENT (HALLWAY) - DAY

TITLE CARD (OVER BLACK) - FOR THE GIRL

DEREK WALTERS, late 20s, light hair, wearing a black leather
jacket, looking very nervous, stands in an empty hallway in
front of apartment 1027.

            DEREK
      (sighs, then in a
       faux Spanish
       accent to himself)
Is game time.

He knocks on the door more confident. Shuffling can be heard
through the walls. Finally:

VALDERON (O.S.)
Who is it?

DEREK
It's Derek.

VALDERON (O.S.)
I don't know a Derek.

DEREK
Your dad killed my dad.

Muffled obscenities can be heard through the door.

VALDERON (O.S.)
What are their names?

DEREK
Your father, James Divershell,
killed my father, Leonard Walters.

More obscenities.

VALDERON (O.S.)
What do you want?

DEREK
I need a favour.

13.

            VALDERON (O.S.)
      (brief pause, puts
       it together)
How much?

DEREK
I don't wanna discuss it out in
the open.

A long pause. Nothing is heard. Finally the door opens.

DEREK
I'm not here to kill you.

Valderon makes way for Derek. Derek goes inside.

INT. VALDERON'S APARTMENT - DAY

Valderon's apartment looks fairly neat. There are piles of
magazines and newspapers stacked as neatly as possible on a
coffee table. Derek makes his way to the couch as Valderon
locks the door. Valderon opts to sit on the arm of the comfy
chair.

VALDERON
How much?

DEREK
I don't want money.

VALDERON
So what's the favour?

DEREK
I need your help.

VALDERON
With what?

DEREK
I got into some bad shit after I
found out about our dads. Fell in
with a bad crowd. We did some
things...I want out.

VALDERON
Ok.

DEREK
First tell me, you ever go to that
SWAT training you said you were
gonna do?

14.

VALDERON
Yeah. Didn't make it though.

DEREK
Why not?

VALDERON
Fourteen years, secondhand smoke.
My lungs are fucked up. Why?

DEREK
You know how to handle a gun?

Light dawns on Valderon. He puts it together, figures it
out.

VALDERON
You want me to kill those guys?

DEREK
Basically, yeah.

Valderon gets up and starts pacing the room.

VALDERON
Whoa, fuck you, no.

DEREK
Come on, I need your help on this
man. I know too much, they'll come
looking for me, they'll find me
and they'll kill me.

VALDERON
How bad are we talking about?

DEREK
What?

VALDERON
These guys, we talking,
bookie-hedging-a-bet bad, gangland
bad, low-level muscle bad, or
crazy, psycho killers bad?

DEREK
...Psycho killers bad.

VALDERON
WHAT?

15.

DEREK
Just one of them. And this guy who
went crazy in 'Nam but he's calmer
now. And the other three are
pretty ok.

VALDERON
You want me, someone who couldn't
even make it into a SWAT team to
go after five guys, one of them
being a Vietnam veteran and
another being a psycho killer? The
fuck is wrong with you?

DEREK
You're my only hope, man. And
look, it's not like you gotta go
against these guys all at once.
Play it smart, take 'em out
one-by-one. I got their stats, you
can take them.

VALDERON
Why can't you do it?

DEREK
It's too risky for me. I'm already
on the run from the cops, now I
gotta hide from them?

VALDERON
Whoa, whoa, you're on the run from
the cops? Where did that come
from?

DEREK
I told you, I fell into a bad
crowd and we did some shit-

VALDERON
What kind of shit?

Derek fights an internal battle. Decides to come clean.

DEREK
You know the Gerald family. On the
news?

VALDERON
You're fucking shitting me? A four
year old? You killed a fucking
four year old?

16.

DEREK
I never pulled the trigger, me and
Phil just hung back for back-up.
It was the old guys, they shot the
parents then Paul and James went
into the kids room and closed the
door, all of a sudden, we hear a
scream and a gunshot, BAM, one of
the kids are dead.

VALDERON
Whoa, wait, one of the kids? How
many kids were there?

DEREK
There were two.

VALDERON
The news only said one, where's
the other one?

DEREK
They've got him.

VALDERON
Oh this is just fucking beautiful.
You want me to kill a murderer, a
kidnapper, a lunatic, a war
veteran and from what you're
telling me, a rapist?

DEREK
Some of those are the same person.

VALDERON
Get the fuck out of my house. Why
the fuck am I listening to this
shit? You think I owe you some
debt for my dad killing your dad?
Here it is, I'm letting you go,
then I'm gonna call the cops. Go,
we're even.

Valderon heads over to the door, unlocks it and opens it for
Derek to go through. Derek stands up, walks over, closes the
door and looks Valderon in the eye.

DEREK
We're not even, ok? You're gonna
kill them for me because I know
you. You wanted to kill them, you
just needed a step in the right
direction. Well, here it is.

17.

VALDERON
You don't know shit.

DEREK
You think I'm stupid? You think I
don't recognize the name? I
fucking picked it out. Gerald.
Like that girl we met that night.
Even with all the shit that
happened that night, I still
managed to notice you giving her
the eye. Giving her the look that
told her you wanted to give her
something else.

Valderon throws a punch at Derek. Derek recoils as Valderon
tackles him to the ground. Valderon is throwing punches
anyway he can.

DEREK
(through the pain)
DO IT FOR HER!

Valderon lets up. He's out of breath. He gets up, heaving,
and backs away from Derek, still lying on the floor.
Valderon walks over to the door, closes it properly and
locks it.

VALDERON
What are their names?

EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY

Regular phone booth, Valderon is holding the receiver to his
ear.

            VALDERON
Hello?
      (pause)
Yeah, I wanna call in an anonymous
tip.
      (pause)
Regarding the Gerald family
murders.
      (pause)
Yeah. I got the names of the
people involved.
      (pause)
Ok, Paul DeMassey.
      (pause)
D-E-M-A-S-S-E-Y.
      (pause)
His son, Phil.
            (MORE)

18.

            VALDERON (cont'd)
      (pause)
James Malbury. M-A-L-B-U-R-Y.
      (pause)
Jeremy Holden. H-O-L-D-E-N.
      (pause)
And Noel Carrington. N-O-E-L,
C-A-R-R-I-N-G-T-O-N.
      (pause)
That's it.
      (pause)
Ok, thank you.

Valderon hangs up and exits the phone booth. We follow him
as he walks towards the "All Saints" Supermarket across the
street.

INT. "ALL SAINTS" SUPERMARKET - DAY

The doors slide open as Valderon enters the Supermarket.
It's night out so there are fewer people buying groceries.
Only two stations are open, people buying water or food for
a party.

Valderon moves past the cashiers and starts walking to the
end of the store. Peering into each aisle as he passes them
by, he goes from one end of the store to the other.

Disappointed, he starts walking back to the opposite end of
the store, rechecking each aisle. Still no luck, he heads
back to the cashiers. He doesn't recognize anyone although
the cashier, a blonde, looks fairly pretty.

The doors slide open, PHIL DEMASSEY, in his late 20s, enters
the store. He's moving fast and heads past the cashier.
Valderon follows him with his eyesight but loses him when he
turns a corner.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the list of names.

            VALDERON
      (mutters to
       himself)
Phil.

He puts the list back into his pocket and goes after Phil.
Phil is no longer in the aisle Valderon saw him go in so
Valderon walks to the end of the aisle. He spots Phil by the
frozen food section, looking at meat. He walks over to him.

VALDERON
Phil? Phil DeMassey?

19.

Phil is surprised that he's been recognized but he doesn't
show it, he just keeps looking at the meat.

PHIL
What?

VALDERON
Val. We went to North High
together?

PHIL
Did we?

VALDERON
Well, you were a grade ahead. We
didn't really hang out.

PHIL
I figured.

VALDERON
Still don't remember?

PHIL
No.

VALDERON
Well, I do. I remember a lot of
things. You used to go out with
Serena Moraine, remember that?

Phil strolls down memory lane.

PHIL
(emphasizing "her")
Serena? Yeah, I remember her.

VALDERON
Yeah, she was fucking gorgeous. I
always envied you for that. She
went missing, didn't she?

PHIL
Look, what do you want?

VALDERON
Oh, am I keeping you from
something? Sorry 'bout that, man.

Valderon backs up slightly, feigns leaving. Phil stops
looking at meat and turns to face Valderon.

20.

PHIL
What'd you want?

Valderon steps closer to Phil.

VALDERON
Alright, look. A couple of weeks
ago, you and five other guys,
including your father, went to The
Gerald family's house and shot the
mother, the father and their four
year old son. I'm here to kick
your ass for that.

PHIL
What?

Before Valderon even finishes his speech or Phil has time to
react, Valderon is throwing a fist at Phil's face. Phil
reels back but Valderon keeps going after him. He goes for
another punch then tackles him to the ground. As the two men
wrestle on the ground of the supermarket, another customer
sees them and runs to tell the cashiers.

Both men continue fighting as a few people come over to
watch them. Valderon and Phil exchange punches, neither
getting the best of the other. The two men make their way
out of the frozen food section, still throwing punches, and
into the cereal aisle.

Phil manages to throw an uppercut straight into Valderon's
chin. Valderon collapses to the ground as Phil staggers
back. Phil is clutching his abdomen as he struggles to stay
standing. Valderon begins to stir and is soon sitting up.
Phil walks over to him and launches a kick straight into his
chest but Valderon grabs Phil's leg in mid-air and pulls him
downward.

On the same level once more, the two men go at it again.
Valderon grabs Phil's face and smashes it several times on
the metal grating of a container housing items on sale.
Blood has been spilled.

Valderon manages to make his way to his feet and grabs Phil
by his arms. Phil seems to be unconscious since he offers no
resistance to Valderon pulling him by the arms. Valderon
continues dragging Phil as the cashiers and customers,
either powerless to stop them or don't care to, look on.
Valderon finally stops pulling and leaves Phil at the front
of the store.

Valderon heads over to the rack of shopping carts and
proceeds to pull one out, intending to use it to run Phil

21.

over. He soon realizes that the shopping carts are connected
to one another and require a quarter for their release.

Abandoning the shopping carts, he walks back over to Phil
who seems to have regained consciousness. As Phil struggles
to sit up, Valderon kicks him right in the face prompting
Phil's head to fall back to the floor.

Valderon looks around the store past the numerous people,
including the pretty cashier he noticed earlier. His sights
finally fall on the shelves full of five gallon bottled
water. Like a madman, he walks over and pulls one off the
shelf. Carrying it with both arms, he walks back over to
Phil, ignoring the cries and pleas of the onlookers.

Slowly, he raises the bottled water and plunges all five
gallons onto Phil's skull. A trickle of blood exits the spot
where the container hit Phil's head. Weakened by his
efforts, Valderon struggles to lift the water bottle again.

He takes a moment to regain his strength, then he manages to
raise it and drop it onto Phil's head several more times
before finally collapsing to the ground. The water bottle,
falls to the ground, tips over and rolls away from Phil's
lifeless body.

The store is silent, no one daring to breath. Police sirens
can be heard in the distance as Valderon sits on the ground,
breathing heavily. Unexpectedly, he pukes. The sirens grow
closer, Valderon looks at the entrance of the store.

EXT. "ALL SAINTS" SUPERMARKET - DAY

Valderon is being hauled away, arms behind his back, by
HOLTER DRESDEN, in his early 30s. Police have taken over the
Supermarket parking lot, interviewing witnesses, cordoning
off the area and heading in and out of the store.

Holt reaches the Dodge Charger, opens the door and proceeds
to shove Valderon into the vehicle, Valderon protests,
however, and he ends up with one leg in the car and the rest
of his body sticking out.

VALDERON
The Gerald murders, I phoned in
the tip.

HOLT
(skeptical)
What?

22.

VALDERON
That guy I just killed, That's
Phil DeMassey. I-I phoned in the
tip, the names of the people who
killed the Gerald family.
That's-that's one of them. There
was James Malbury, uh...Jeremy
Holden...Noel Carrington, Paul and
Phil DeMassey. I killed Phil.
That's Phil. He was one of the
guys.

Holt, exasperated, calls over one of the beat cops, who
couldn't be older than 25.

HOLT
Did you hear about the call that
came in about the Gerald murders,
the anonymous tip?

BEAT COP
Yes, sir. They forwarded the names
to everyone in the precinct.

HOLT
And they said they were gonna send
out photos and anything they found
from the search as soon as it came
in, right? Can you go check on
that for me?

BEAT COP
Yes, sir.

The beat cop runs off in the direction of his squad car.

HOLT
(to Valderon)
Even if it's true, you're still in
trouble.

VALDERON
I was doing it...for their
daughter...Ashley.

HOLT
What?

VALDERON
The Geralds, they had three kids.
Twin boys and a daughter, Ashley.
She's twenty-three years older
than the twins. She...she ran away
from home a little bit after the
(MORE)

23.

VALDERON (cont'd)
twins were born cause of an
argument with her father. She-...I
know her...I was doing it for her.

HOLT
Did she ask you to kill them for
her?

VALDERON
No...I just thought that-

            HOLT
      (interrupting
       Valderon)
-that that was what she wanted.
Right.

The beat cop comes running back to Holt.

BEAT COP
They sent out the rap sheets. You
can check it out on your computer,
sir.

HOLT
Thanks, listen, can you hold on to
this for me?

Holt passes the Valderon over to the uniformed officer. He
swings around the Dodge and gets inside the driver's seat.
Valderon stands, unmoving, waiting for Holt to resurface.

After a few moments, Holt's head appears above the top of
the car again, he swings back around to where Valderon and
the cop are.

HOLT
(to the cop)
Thanks. You can get back to the
crime scene now.

The cop gives a slight nod, then returns to his post.

            HOLT
      (to Valderon)
Your story checks out about the
victim. The photo matches the
body. We caught the guy for a
misdemeanor charge a couple years
back. Looks like he upped his game
since then. However, we still
can't tie him to the Gerald
murders so for all I know, you
            (MORE)

24.

HOLT (cont'd)
just killed an innocent man. How'd
you even get the names in the
first place?

VALDERON
There's this guy. We used to be
friends. He came by my house
today, says he's in trouble and he
needs a place to stay and hide
from these guys. Then he gives me
the names and asked me to kill
them.

HOLT
He didn't give you a reason?

VALDERON
He knew what I'd do for Ashley.

HOLT
And how does he know these are the
guys that offed her parents?

Valderon fights an internal battle. He decides to come
clean.

VALDERON
He was with them when they did it.

Light dawns on Holt.

HOLT
You've been harbouring a known
fugitive?

VALDERON
I had to check out his story.
Wouldn't you?

HOLT
And what lead you here?

VALDERON
He said they're hiding out in this
warehouse but there's five of them
so it's useless to go after them
all while they're in there. Then
he told me about this supermarket,
it's a reasonable distance from
where they're hiding so they send
one of their guys out here once a
week to get supplies.

25.

HOLT
And you decided to take the law
into your own hands, take him out
on your own?

VALDERON
...Yeah.

HOLT
That's quite a story and I'm not
quite sure I believe it yet.

VALDERON
Then you're quite stupid.

Holt's face drops and grows intense.

HOLT
Listen, asshole. I think I've been
pretty fucking generous with my
time so excuse me if I'd like to
get confirmation on whether or not
that time was well wasted before I
go on a fucking goose chase based
on information from someone who
would do anything to get out of
taking a rap for murder. You got
more than a dozen witnesses who
saw you beat someone to death. How
the fuck do I know you're not
pulling my dick to avoid getting
one shoved up your ass?

VALDERON
Come to my apartment. He should
still be there.

HOLT
Should?

VALDERON
I left him there, told him, I'd
check out his story. He's on the
run from the cops and the guys he
committed the crime with, I don't
think he'd stray far.

HOLT
For your sake, he better the fuck
not have. Get in the car.

Holt shoves Valderon into the car, walks around to the
driver's side, gets in and starts driving.

26.

INT. VALDERON'S APARTMENT - DAY

Derek is sitting on the couch watching TV when Holt and
Valderon walk in through the door. Holt has taken Valderon's
handcuffs off.

DEREK
What the fuck is this?

VALDERON
Holt, Derek. Derek, Holt.

HOLT
Sit the fuck down and shut up.

DEREK
I AM sitting.

HOLT
Good, stay that way.

DEREK
(to Valderon)
What's he doing here?

HOLT
I asked you to do two things.

DEREK
Fuck you.

VALDERON
He's a cop.

DEREK
WHAT? What the fuck are you doing
bringing a cop here?

VALDERON
Couldn't help it.

DEREK
Did you bring him here to arrest
me? Is that what this is? You
fucking snitch, you ratted me out?

HOLT
See, what you're doing right now.
(to Valderon)
Derek, is it?

VALDERON
Derek.

27.

HOLT
You're showing your entire hand
before we even start the game. So
sit down, shut up and wait for our
fourth to arrive.

DEREK
Our what?

VALDERON
Someone else is gonna come here.

DEREK
What, another cop? Or did you find
one of those guys I fucked over
and you're bringing him here to
get us both caught?

VALDERON
Calm the fuck down, Derek.

DEREK
Fuck you, calm. I'm not gonna be
able to walk out of here without
cuffs, am I?

Holt, who has been circling the room the entire time,
finally reaches Derek. As soon as Derek turns to face him,
he launches a fist straight into Derek's face. Derek grabs
at his face in pain.

DEREK
Ow, what the fuck?

HOLT
(to Valderon)
I was hoping to knock him out.

VALDERON
Try again.

DEREK
WHAT?

Holt fires another punch at Derek. Derek is in even more
pain but still conscious. He's screaming in pain now.

VALDERON
Oh, Jesus Christ. Here, we'll both
do it.

Valderon walks over to the both of them.

28.

VALDERON
You punch one eye, I'll punch the
other.

Both Valderon and Holt punch Derek at the same time but
their punches connect one after the other. Derek, still
conscious, is in hell from the pain.

VALDERON
We gotta time it so it hits
together.

HOLT
Ok, ok, come on, just do it. This
is starting to piss me off.

Valderon and Holt launch another barrage of fists. This
time, they both hit milliseconds from each other. Derek
falls over on the couch, unconscious. Holt and Valderon
shake their hands in pain. Holt cracks his knuckles.

HOLT
Fina-fucking-lly.

VALDERON
When's Ashley getting here?

HOLT
She was getting in the car when I
talked to her.

VALDERON
How long has it been since then?

HOLT
I don't know, 10 minutes?

VALDERON
So, soon?

HOLT
Yeah, she'll be here soon.

VALDERON
Good.

HOLT
Why the fuck are you so antsy?
You're lucky she even vouched for
you.

29.

VALDERON
Oh, right, play the high and
mighty card on me. You're on the
fucking RIGHT side of the law and
you're willing to kill for her.

HOLT
Hey, this isn't about her. This is
about catching those sons of
bitches that killed her parents.
You're the one with a fucking
hard-on for her.

VALDERON
Can you blame me?

They break out in laughter.

HOLT
I guess not.

            VALDERON
      (coming down from
       the laughter)
Shit, I can't believe I almost
just went to prison.

HOLT
You should've fucking brought it
to Ashley first, then we could've
avoided this whole thing. Now I
can't even go back to the
precinct.

VALDERON
Which reminds me, how are we gonna
take out four guys on our own?

HOLT
One of them's pushing 70. Plus I
still got my team. They'll have my
back, at least for this job.

            VALDERON
      (emphasizing
       "these")
You have a team and you couldn't
catch these guys?

HOLT
None of it makes sense. Why would
they just break into the house,
kill the parents and kidnap the
kids? Usually when you kidnap
(MORE)

30.

HOLT (cont'd)
someone, you need the parents
alive to pay a ransom.

VALDERON
Derek said one of them's a rapist.

HOLT
It still doesn't make sense.
According to sleeping beauty here,
he was gonna rape the kid at the
house. And you don't need six
people for that.

VALDERON
Well, motive aside, why couldn't
you find anything on them?

HOLT
I wasn't assigned to the case, my
access to the neccessary
information is a bit limited.

VALDERON
So what would you have done
without me?

HOLT
I would've turned the world over
looking for anyone with any
information that could lead me to
the people on that list. Then I
would've killed them. But I'd do
it cleanly, not in a fucking
supermarket in front of twenty
people.

VALDERON
It was my first kill.

HOLT
Would it kill you to use a gun? Or
a knife or anything.

VALDERON
I wasn't planning on doing it. I
just...when I saw the guy. The one
I killed, Phil. I knew him. He
went to high school with me and
Derek. Something in me...just
snapped.

31.

A knock on the door draws their attention. Valderon walks
over to the door and opens it. Ashley walks through the
doorway and into Valderon's apartment as he closes the door
and locks it behind her. She looks at Valderon, her vision
switches to Derek, unconscious on the couch, and then
finally, to Holt.

ASHLEY
Is that him?

VALDERON
Yeah.

Ashley slaps Valderon hard.

ASHLEY
You knew he was there when it
happened and you let him stay
here?

VALDERON
I had to check it out first. See
if it was true.

ASHLEY
You could've told me and we
could've found out together.

Holt tries to help Valderon out.

HOLT
Look, it's been a long day.

ASHLEY
Then he should've had lots of time
to call me.

Holt gives Valderon a look of "Well, I tried".

ASHLEY
What's wrong with him?

HOLT
He talked too much so we had to
knock him out.

ASHLEY
What are you gonna do with him?

HOLT
I know what I wanna do, I'd like
to hear your opinion. But after
this, we're going after the rest.

32.

ASHLEY
So what are you asking me? To let
him go cause he came clean with
the information?

VALDERON
We could just send him to jail.

ASHLEY
With no proof?

VALDERON
He confessed.

HOLT
So you could go after his friends,
he'll change his story once we
mention jail to him.

ASHLEY
Ok. Shut up. Both of you.

She mulls it over in her mind.

ASHLEY
(unsure, weakly)
I-I want him to die.

HOLT
Are you sure?

ASHLEY
I-...I don't know.

HOLT
Well, I am. So if you don't want
to see this, you should go.

ASHLEY
Do we know he was there for sure?

HOLT
No, we don't. But his information
about one of the guys was right,
so obviously there's something
there.

ASHLEY
Can you...can you torture him or
something...get him to talk?

33.

HOLT
I think he's said everything he
needed to say. He can't give us
anything else except trouble.

ASHLEY
Is there any way we can make sure
he was there?

HOLT
Look, this is the first real lead
we've had since it happened. Now,
I don't know about you but I'm
tired of grasping at straws. And
I'm pretty sure we've exhausted
him as a resource. Now he's a
liability and he's the only thing
stopping me from going after the
other four guys. So let me just do
this and be done with it.

ASHLEY
But what if he's innocent. I...I
know I said I wanted him dead. All
of them dead but...

HOLT
But what?

Ashley screams as Derek lunges for Holt's gun. Derek manages
to grab it before Holt turns around and uses it to smash
Holt in the face. Holt falls back, reeling, as Derek aims
the gun at him and Ashley.

DEREK
YEAH! How the fuck do you like it?

ASHLEY
Oh My God! Where's Val, what did
you do to him?

DEREK
What?

A baseball bat comes careening down on Derek's head. The gun
falls to the ground as Holt, wiping blood from his nose,
watches Valderon swinging a bat several times over Derek's
body. He continues swinging as Holt and Ashley watch in
shock.

FADE OUT:

34.

FADE IN:

INT. MILLICENT'S HOUSE (LIVING ROOM) - NIGHT

TITLE CARD (OVERLAY) - FOUR YEARS EARLIER

Valderon and Derek, both four years younger, are at their
friend, KARL JENKINS' grandmother's cottage.

In the living room, Valderon, Derek and Karl are sitting on
a set of three couches; two adjacent to the middle couch
with the couches on the left and right facing each other.
Derek has a yearbook sprawled out in front of him.

VALDERON
Make a move.

KARL
I'm pretty sure there's nothing to
make a move on.

VALDERON
Are you saying she's flat-chested?

KARL
No. They're fine...I guess...

DEREK
Just do it and stop being a pussy.

KARL
Well, I don't know what to do, I
haven't even talked to her.

DEREK
Just be like, "Hey, Sarah, you're
that chick from 'The Notebook' and
I'm Ryan Gosling and this is the
rain scene and since you like that
movie, we're having sex."

Karl laughs.

VALDERON
Why don't you tell her to do a
triple axel into your pants?

Derek joins Karl in the laughter.

DEREK
Seriously, though, if you don't
make a move, I will.

35.

KARL
The hell you will.

DEREK
If you're gonna pansy out on me,
it might as well be me that steals
her out from under you.

VALDERON
If you even get that far.

DEREK
I mean, seriously, who else from
our graduating class is even worth
the effort?

VALDERON
Ever think we should just meet new
chicks?

DEREK
Every girl falls into a
stereotype, Val. And where are
most stereotypes the most
prevalent? High school. Once we
master all the girls in our
graduating class. At least the
ones who aren't whores, of which
there are few. Then we can go out
into the world ready for anything
it throws at us.

VALDERON
Nice use of the word, "prevalent".

DEREK
Thanks, now come on, round off the
names.

Derek passes Valderon the yearbook.

VALDERON
Ok, first up...Erica.

DEREK
Multiple boyfriends, whore. Next
one.

VALDERON
Didn't she have the same boyfriend
for all four years of high school?

36.

DEREK
It doesn't matter how many
different dicks have been in her,
the sheer number of times A dick
has been in her is enough to call
her a whore.

KARL
Isn't that a little bit harsh?

DEREK
Says the virgin, next one.

VALDERON
Sarah.

DEREK
Pierced by Pearson. Next.

VALDERON
Jessica.

DEREK
Boyfriend for three years, then a
slew of different suitors. Now she
goes clubbing every other weekend.
Whore.

VALDERON
Steph.

DEREK
That bitch is a tease. It won't
take long for her to digivolve
into a whore.

The three guys laugh.

VALDERON
Jennifer.

DEREK
Asian?

VALDERON
Yeah.

DEREK
No.

VALDERON
Other Jennifer?

37.

DEREK
White?

VALDERON
Yup.

DEREK
She's ugly, no.

VALDERON
Samantha.

DEREK
Too fat. I don't mind thick girls
but she's just over that line.

VALDERON
Marie.

DEREK
Fat whore.

VALDERON
Brittany.

DEREK
Small whore.

VALDERON
Alyssa.

DEREK
Stupid whore.

VALDERON
Rosalie.

DEREK
The OG whore.

KARL
I agree with that.

VALDERON
Chelsea.

DEREK
Ugly as shit.

VALDERON
Amanda.

38.

DEREK
Ugly as fuck.

VALDERON
Natalie.

TV ANCHORWOMAN
Bendable whore.

VALDERON
Christina?

DEREK
Crazy whore.

VALDERON
Megan.

DEREK
Big-titted whore.

VALDERON
Natasha, Annie, Melanie, Becky,
Krista and Dani.

DEREK
Tasha's a baby-faced whore which
would make any guy who fucks her a
pedophile. Annie's a camera whore.
She's got like a thousand photos
of herself, no tit shots. Melanie,
that bitch you went out with
Melanie?

VALDERON
No. The other three Melanies. I
already know the answer to that
Melanie.

DEREK
Let's just say anyone named
Melanie is a whore. Becky's a
whore and she likes black dick.
Krista seems like a nice person
but she's got the mouth of a
whore, therefore, she's a whore.
And Dani...Dani...she's the worst
kind of whore. She's the one you
think isn't a whore but then her
true colours shine on and what do
you see? A whore.

39.

KARL
Are you just calling anyone who's
had a boyfriend a whore?

DEREK
Yeah, but have you noticed? All of
their boyfriends are like 5 years
older than they are. That's a
telltale sign of a whore.
Remember, they were in high school
at the time. These guys are past
college, university,
apprenticeship, all that shit.

VALDERON
That is a good point.

DEREK
It's fucking sad is what it is
Hundreds of girls, all of them
whores.

KARL
So which ones aren't whores?

DEREK
Que?

KARL
You said there are a few girls
that aren't whores. You only
listed the ones who were whores.
Who isn't a whore?

DEREK
I might have been exaggerating.
Every girl is a whore. Eventually.

KARL
Even my grandmother?

DEREK
Just cause you didn't see it
happen doesn't mean she doesn't
have a past. For all we know she
could have boned JFK.

KARL
Before or after his assasination?

DEREK
You're sick, you know that?

40.

KARL
So you tell me.

VALDERON
I like Megan though.

DEREK
What?

VALDERON
You said Megan was a big-titted
whore. Fuck it, I love her for her
tits. I don't give a fuck, I'm
shallow.

DEREK
Wow, that had nothing to do with
our current conversation.

VALDERON
Well, of all the girls we listed,
the only other one who's got big
tits is Alyssa and she must've
fucked that ugly-ass boyfriend of
hers by now so I sure as hell
ain't touching her after that. All
of the other girls are whores but
they're not even that hot.

DEREK
Which proves my point, all girls
are whores. Even the ugly ones.

KARL
Christina's sorta got big tits.

VALDERON
She does? Why the fuck didn't
anyone tell me?

DEREK
Yeah but she's put on weight.
That's what that is, excess fat.

VALDERON
Know what I just realized? We are
all such assholes.

They all break out in laughter.

VALDERON
God, we're assholes.

41.

DEREK
Well, we have to be. To balance
out against all the whores.

VALDERON
Yeah, but man...all the shit I've
said about people. You remember
Dani?

DEREK
The whore?

VALDERON
Before she became one-

KARL
Is she hot?

VALDERON
Don't worry, you don't need to
know her. She's not attractive.

Derek bursts out laughing.

VALDERON
(smiling)
I remember this-this one time.
Cause we used to be friends, but
yeah, she broke up with her
boyfriend and she was all
depressed and shit and wouldn't
talk to me and it was starting to
piss me off so I don't know. I
wasn't even drunk or anything but
yeah, I just started writing to
her on MSN and I was like, "you're
gorgeous, you're beautiful, you're
pretty, you're average, you're ok,
you're ugly, you're shit". Then I
ask her, has she ever been called
"gorgeous" before? And she was
like, "Yeah, by my boyfriend", the
one who just broke up with her.
Know what I said?

DEREK
Whore?

VALDERON
No, I said, "He was lying".

Derek cracks up again. Karl is shocked but laughing.

42.

VALDERON
That's how much of an asshole I
am. Haha...after that, she got
back together with him and before,
right, she told me he cheated on
her. So I was like, "what the
fuck?". He cheated on you and you
go back to that prick?

DEREK
It's probably cause of what you
said. She saw what else was out
there for her and she decided that
the other guy was better for her.

VALDERON
That's fucking bullshit. I hurt
her feelings, he fucking cheats on
her. Which is worse? Now I'm not
saying what I did was right-

DEREK
It was damn funny.

VALDERON
But come on, worse than cheating?
Fuck that. I mean afterwards, she
even broke up with him and
gradually turned semi-whorish up
until she became a full blown
whore when she started dating that
guy who took steroids. What the
fuck's that all about?

DEREK
That's fucked up. But see, I told
you. Any girl who has a name that
starts with a letter of the
alphabet is immediately a whore.

KARL
What about those people in Africa
who begin their name with a click
of their tongue?

DEREK
Tongue-clicking whores.

Their laughter is interrupted by the doorbell.

KARL
The hell? We never get visitors.

43.

INT. FOYER - NIGHT

The guys enter the foyer of the cottage with a staircase
leading to the second floor directly in front of the main
door.

Karl's grandmother, MILLICENT MALBURY, is coming down from
the staircase.

MILLICENT
Karl, who is it?

Karl, who has been peeking through the window beside the
door turns to face his grandmother.

KARL
It's some girl carrying another
girl. I think she's hurt or
something.

DEREK
Don't just open it, it could be a
ruse to come in and ransack the
place.

KARL
We're not rich, Derek. What would
they steal?

DEREK
If you're not rich, then why do
you have a cottage? I don't have a
cottage.

KARL
It's my grandmother's house.

MILLICENT
Just open it, Karl, if she's hurt,
she needs help. Quickly.

Karl opens the door and Ashley walks through carrying RACHEL
WILSON, early 20s, by the arm. She seems to be unconscious.
Ashley almost collapses under the weight of her but Karl and
Valderon manage to help her up. Once inside, Karl passes
over his load to Derek.

ASHLEY
I just found her like this. Can we
put her somewhere?

44.

MILLICENT
Right in the living room, on the
couch. Over here.

Millicent ushers Ashley, Valderon and Derek into the living
room. Karl stays behind to lock the door.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Ashley and Valderon place Rachel gently on the couch. As
they back up. Karl rejoins the group.

MILLICENT
(to Ashley)
Please, sit down and tell us what
happened.

Ashley sits down as Millicent sits in the couch adjacent to
hers. Valderon and Derek also sit down while Karl remains
standing behind them.

ASHLEY
I was just driving on the road
when I saw her laying there with
these cuts and bruises. I stopped
to help and she said something
about her sister. Then she fainted
and I put her in my car. I didn't
know where the nearest hospital
was so I stopped here.

MILLICENT
And you don't know her?

ASHLEY
No. I just found her.

MILLICENT
Well, you did the right thing. I'm
gonna go call 911, do you want
anything, a drink or...?

ASHLEY
No, thank you, I'm fine.

Millicent shuffles out of the room. Ashley looks at the
three guys. Nobody's speaks for a long time. The silence
becomes unbearable.

ASHLEY
Do you all live here?

45.

DEREK
No. Just Karl, that's his grandma.

ASHLEY
Oh.

VALDERON
You sure you're ok? You look like
you've been crying.

ASHLEY
That was before I found her...I-
It's not important. I'm fine.

Millicent shuffles back into the room.

MILLICENT
The ambulance will be here in 30
minutes. She doesn't look too bad
so she should be ok until then.

ASHLEY
Thank you so much.

MILLICENT
Not a problem. That couch isn't
very comfortable, we have an empty
room upstairs. Boys, can you help
us get her up there?

VALDERON
Yeah, sure.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. FOYER - NIGHT

Valderon and Derek are sitting on the steps of the staircase
leading upstairs. Karl is leaning on the banister. Millicent
appears from the kitchen holding a cup of tea.

MILLICENT
She needs something warm in her
body.

Millicent heads upstairs past Valderon and Derek who let her
pass by. As Millicent ascends, Ashley is coming back down.
Valderon and Derek are once again forced to make room so she
can pass by. Derek leans over to whisper to Valderon.

46.

            DEREK
      (referring to
       Ashley)
I bet she also needs something
warm in her body.

VALDERON
Dude, shut up.

ASHLEY
How long has it been since your
grandma called for the ambulance?

KARL
About 8 minutes.

VALDERON
How's she doing?

ASHLEY
Good, I guess. She's not speaking
but at least she's awake.

KARL
What did you say your name-

The sound of the doorbell interrupts Karl before he can say
"was".

DEREK
Is that the ambulance?

Karl peeks through the window.

KARL
It's some guy. He doesn't look
like a paramedic.

VALDERON
The fuck are we scared of? Just
open it.

KARL
It could be the guy who did this
to that girl.

VALDERON
And how would he know she was
here?

DEREK
Open it.

47.

KARL
Fine but if we all die because of
this...

Karl opens the door to reveal a man in his late 40s. He's
sweating bullets and looks like he's been to hell and back.

VALDERON
Dad?

JAMES DIVERSHELL staggers across the doorway and into the
house.

VALDERON
What are you doing here?

JAMES D.
I need to...talk to you alone.

VALDERON
Ok...
(to Karl)
Karl, is it ok if we...?

KARL
Yeah, sure. Just go in the living
room.

Valderon and James head into the living room as Karl closes
the door and locks it.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Valderon and James sit down on the couch.

VALDERON
What are you doing here? What's
happened?

JAMES D.
I did something really stupid.

CUT TO:

INT. DEMASSEY HOME - DAY

James Divershell, his face clouded in darkness, looms over a
woman tied to the bedposts.

DENISE DEMASSEY, late 30s, eyes her captor warily, following

48.

his movements with a scared look in her eyes. As she speaks,
her voice starts to break.

DENISE
Why are you doing this?

JAMES D.
Your husband took something from
me. Eye for an eye.

Teras stream down Denise's face.

DENISE
Look, whatever my husband did, I'm
sorry, just please...DON'T KILL
ME.

JAMES D.
Kill you? That wouldn't begin to
ease my pain. No, you and your
little prick of a husband have to
suffer.

He walks over to a cabinet where a jacket is hanging over
the corner edge. He reaches in the pocket and pulls out a
cell phone.

JAMES D.
This yours?

Denise whimpers out a "yes" as the man moves closer and sits
on the edge of the bed.

JAMES D.
Don't mind if I see who you have
in your phonebook, do you? You
know, just to peruse until you
husband gets here.

Denise completely breaks down and starts bawling her eyes
out. Sounds from the phone mix with her sobs.

JAMES D.
Amy, Annette, Catherine...my
wife's name was Catherine. Let's
see who else we have here, Dad,
Gary, I'm guessing he's from work,
Jennifer, Judy...L? What's L stand
for?

James holds the phone closer to Denise's face.

49.

JAMES D.
Denise? Sweetie? What does L stand
for?

More crying.

JAMES D.
Denise? There's no way out of this
situation so crying sure as hell
won't help you. So I'm gonna ask
you again. What does L stand for?

Even more crying.

JAMES D.
WHAT THE FUCK DOES L STAND FOR?

Still more crying. The man gets up off the bed.

JAMES D.
Not talking, huh? Ok, alright,
we'll do this the hard way.

The man presses the cell phone and the number starts
dialing.

JAMES D.
This'll be good.

A man, probably early to mid forties, answers the phone.

MAN ON THE PHONE
Hey baby, I can't talk right now.

JAMES D.
Well, you better make time to talk
sweetums cuz you're in a whole lot
of shit now!

MAN ON THE PHONE
What? Who's this?

JAMES D.
The hooker you picked up last
night, why haven't you called?

MAN ON THE PHONE
Is this a joke? Who the fuck is
this?

JAMES D.
Does the name Denise DeMassey
ring a bell?

50.

MAN ON THE PHONE
Yeah, but this isn't her. Why do
you have her cell phone?

JAMES D.
That isn't important, what's
important is you tell me who you
are.

Denise screams out.

DENISE
LENNY!

The man on the phone, LEONARD WALTERS, hearing her, yells
back.

LENNY
DENISE, WHAT'S GOING ON?

            JAMES D.
      (on the phone)
Shut the fuck up.
      (turning towards
       Denise)
Lenny? So that's what L stands
for. Who the fuck is Lenny?

She starts crying again.

LENNY
Look, let me talk to Denise.

JAMES D.
How 'bout you go fuck yourself.
Are you her husband?

Denise screams again.

DENISE
LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!

            JAMES D.
      (to Denise)
You, shut the fuck up.
      (on the phone)
Are you her husband?

            LENNY
      (screaming to
       Denise)
DENISE, I'M COMING FOR YOU, JUST
HANG ON!

51.

Dial tone.

JAMES D.
SHIT! SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! SHIT!
You're fucking dead, right here,
right now, you're fucking dead,
bitch.

The man pulls out a gun and aims it at her face. The screen
goes black and we hear a gunshot.

CUT TO:

INT. MILLICENT'S HOUSE (LIVING ROOM) - NIGHT

We're back in Millicent's house as James finishes telling
his son, his story.

JAMES D.
I-I killed them both, Val.

VALDERON
Why? Why would you do that?

JAMES D.
I felt so angry. I wanted to hurt
him. That cop that ran over your
mom, I wanted to hurt him.

VALDERON
Dad, you killed a cop's wife.

JAMES D.
I know.

VALDERON
Who was the other man? The man
that you killed?

JAMES D.
I checked his wallet after I
killed him. His name was Leonard
Walters. I think he was sleeping
with the cop's wife.

Derek bursts through the kitchen door into the living room.

DEREK
Leonard Walters? You killed my
dad?

52.

JAMES D.
What?

DEREK
Leonard Walters is my dad, you
killed him!

Derek launches himself at James who does nothing to fight
back. Instead, he tried to shield himself from Derek's
blows.

VALDERON
Derek, get off him!

Ashley and Karl enter the living room just as Valderon pulls
Derek off of James. Derek turns around and punches Valderon
in the face.

DEREK
Don't touch me. Your dad killed my
dad.

Derek pushes through Karl and Ashley then exits through the
front door. Karl and Ashley are in shock. Valderon is in
tears as his father looks ashamed.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. FOYER - NIGHT

Valderon is sitting on the steps, his head against the wall.
Karl is sitting beside him but there's a huge gap between
them.

Ashley is standing up with her back against a wall. James
enters the foyer and clears his throat.

JAMES D.
I've decided to turn myself in.

VALDERON
What good'll that do?

JAMES D.
Your friend, Derek. He might do
something stupid, come after me.
No sense in ruining the rest of
his family's lives.

53.

The doorbell rings before James finishes speaking. Karl gets
up and walks forward towards the window beside the door. Not
saying a word, he opens the door.

A younger Holt Dresden enters the foyer. He flashes his
badge.

HOLT
Evening, folks. I'm Detective
Dresden. I'm here to get your
statements regarding the girl you
found.

ASHLEY
I found her, she's upstairs.

JAMES D.
Excuse me, Detective? When you're
through getting the statements,
I'd like to turn myself in.

HOLT
For what?

JAMES D.
I killed two people. They're on 37
Sour Creek Lane.

VALDERON
Dad, you don't have to do this.

JAMES D.
Yeah, I do, Val. Trust me.

James gives Valderon a look that silences him completely.

HOLT
What's the matter, had a crisis of
conscience?

JAMES D.
I just wanted to say goodbye to my
son.

HOLT
You don't seem very murderous. Is
it ok to leave you here while I go
check on the girl?

JAMES D.
I'm not going anywhere.

54.

HOLT
I'm just gonna get their
statements, shouldn't take long.
Then I'll report you.

JAMES D.
Understood.

Holt heads up the stairs as the four of them look on.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

EXT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Back in the present, Valderon and Holt are sitting on the
trunk of Holt's car.

A short distance away, a large, abandoned warehouse looms
ominously. A small glimmer of light can be seen from within
through the windows too high up to see who's inside.

The night is quiet.

HOLT
What you did back there...in your
apartment...

VALDERON
We discussed it in the car, we
don't need to go over it again.

HOLT
I'm just saying...thanks, you
know? For saving my life.

Valderon gives Holt a look that says "It wasn't for you".

HOLT
Right.

            VALDERON
      (after a brief
       moment)
Who's coming?

HOLT
My team. There's four of them but
only three of them's going inside
with us. The last guy is just
tech, he'll give us a way to
(MORE)

55.

HOLT (cont'd)
communicate when we go in.

VALDERON
Are they in on it?

HOLT
Shoot to kill? Yeah.

VALDERON
Must be nice.

HOLT
What?

VALDERON
Having friends.

HOLT
Is that why your apartment looks
so dingy?

VALDERON
I got a collection...of DVDs. All
I do is watch them. Every day.
Sometimes I go on the computer
but...that's my life. DVDs.

HOLT
Why'd you let it get to that
point?

VALDERON
Dad went to jail. He killed this
cop's wife. He wanted revenge for
the cop running over my mom,
killing her. He goes to the cop's
house and the wife's got this guy
she's sleeping with. He killed
them both. Turns out the guy she
was having an affair with was my
best friend's dad. That's why I
don't have friends. People are
scared the apple didn't fall far
from the tree.

A look of realization comes over Holt's face.

HOLT
(apprehensive)
How'd they catch your dad?

56.

VALDERON
He turned himself in. The night I
found out was the same night I met
Ashley.

HOLT
Nice way to make an impression.

VALDERON
I didn't. I didn't see her again
after that for about a year and a
half, two years. I saw her at,
this casino. She was celebrating
her engagement to this guy. He
turned out to be a fucking
asshole. Stupid. But when I went
up to talk to her, she didn't
remember me. I remembered her
though. I've always been good with
that; faces, names. Things that
matter to me.

HOLT
So what'd she say when she saw
you?

VALDERON
Not sure, it wasn't the best
conversation but...the next time I
saw her, she said hi. And that's
all it took...for me to fall in
love with her.
(switching moods)
Of course, I fucked it up. It was
that fucking guy. Some Middle
Eastern asshole. I fucking hate
the Middle East.

HOLT
Cause of that?

            VALDERON
Lot of reasons. My dad was worked
there for 12 years. Missed my
birth because of it. When I was a
kid, we used to live in this
apartment building and this kid's
family gave me a tricycle. Out of
the fucking blue, here's a
tricycle. I rode it once and the
next day, they took it back. Guess
where they were from?
      (chuckles)
            (MORE)

57.

VALDERON (cont'd)
9/11 didn't help either.

HOLT
Is that really enough to warrant a
hatred of all those people,
though?

            VALDERON
No, I guess not.
      (pause)
People always say that. It's never
enough. They never say what
actions warrants somebody's
hatred, though. I always said, "Do
they have to kill my entire
fucking family before I'm allowed
to hate them?"
      (chuckles a bit)
That cop that ran over my mom. I
recognized the name. I told you,
I'm good at that. Paul DeMassey.
He's the reason my dad went to
jail too. Well, maybe not the
reason but he didn't help...he
killed my entire fucking family. I
guess I'm allowed to hate him.

HOLT
Look, you've had a lot of shit
happen to you but who hasn't?
Everyone's got their own problems.
Some are just better at dealing
with them than others. You don't
have to live this way.

VALDERON
Yup, heard that one too.
Everyone's got a story. Some are
just more interesting than others.

HOLT
When this is over, me and Ashley,
we'll help you. You're in a rut,
we can help you dig yourself out.

VALDERON
Really? What are you gonna do,
send me to the same prison to be
with my dad? I know it was you who
arrested him. Remember? Faces.
Names. Yours is
fucking...memorable.

58.

HOLT
I was just doing my job.

VALDERON
Hey, no worries. I'm not mad. The
fact I'm not in prison right now
is cause of you so I figure we're
even...just tell me one thing.

Headlights from a car shines on them.

HOLT
What?

VALDERON
Why are you doing this? Who's it
for?

Gravel being pushed by a wheel. Engine stops, doors open and
close.

DOMINIC (O.S.)
Holt? Who's that with you?

Valderon doesn't wait for an answer. He turns his back on
Holt and his team.

Holt turns around to greet them. DOMINIC GREYCON, WALTER
CORSON, TERRENCE MAITLAND and LUCIEN JACOBS.

HOLT
That's Val, he's gonna be going in
with us.

DOMINIC
What is he, Fed? CIA?

HOLT
He's a civvie.

DOMINIC
Jesus Christ, can he handle
himself? Who is he, why's he in on
this?

HOLT
Dom, enough with the 20 questions.
He knows Ashley. He can handle
himself. He's going in with us to
give us an edge.

59.

DOMINIC
What edge? There's an old guy in
there, we don't need him.

HOLT
There's four of 'em, alright? Now
skills aside, I'd feel a lot
better knowing if it takes four of
us to get four of them down,
there's still one person alive to
tell Ashley we finished the job.
Alright?

DOMINIC
Yeah, yeah.

HOLT
Alright, so Walt, what'd you bring
me? Frankincense, myrrh?

The five of them walk around to the trunk of Walter's car.
Walter pops the trunk to reveal a cache of weapons.

HOLT
OH-Ho-ho! Gold, baby, gold.

DOMINIC
I call shotgun. Get it?

The men laugh as Dominic pulls out a Mossberg 12-gauge pump
action shotgun and a box of rounds. Walter pulls out an M4A1
carbine. Terrence picks up a M4 carbine with an M203 40mm
grenade launcher. They both load up on cartridges. Holt
chooses to wield dual Tec-9s.

With everyone packing, he picks up the last gun, a Beretta
92. Walt closes the trunk.

HOLT
Val! Come here.

Val who's been keeping his distance reluctantly steps
forward.

            HOLT
Let me introduce you to the guys-
      (pointing at, in
       order, Dominic,
       Terrence and
       Walter)
-that's Lemonhead, Carrottop,
Tomatoface and I'm cool as a
cucumber. And over there is
Lucien. We call him Cauliflower
            (MORE)

60.

HOLT (cont'd)
cause of his hair.

Lucien waves timidly. The others give Valderon a nod.

HOLT
This is for you. You know how to
use one of these, right?

Holt hands Valderon the Beretta. Valderon checks the
magazine and reloads the gun.

VALDERON
Point, shoot. Reload, reload!

Holt smiles and turns towards Lucien who's been eyeing
everyone's guns.

HOLT
Lucien. What do you got for me?

Lucien opens a container with four earpieces.

LUCIEN
I didn't know there'd be five of
you.

HOLT
It's ok-
(to Terrence)
-Ren, you can do without, right?

VALDERON
I don't need one.

HOLT
You sure?

VALDERON
Positive.

HOLT
Alright, everyone mount up.

Holt, Walter, Dominic and Terrence put their earpieces in.

HOLT
Check, check, 1, 2. Everyone copy?

The other three murmer a "yes".

HOLT
Luch, you know what to do.

61.

LUCIEN
Hide behind a rock?

HOLT
Good doggie.

The five men are finally ready for battle.

HOLT
When we get in there, Ren, you and
Walt head right. Me, Dom and Val
will go left.

VALDERON
How bout I go forward?

HOLT
Just cause you're a loner in your
regular life doesn't mean you
gotta be one during this raid.

VALDERON
I don't wanna get in the way.

HOLT
Then you can bring up the tail
behind Dom.

VALDERON
Whatever.

HOLT
Alright, we good to go? Let's do
this.

DOMINIC
This'll be cake. As in "piece of".

HOLT
Watch your backs.

Holt, Dominic, Terrence and Walter move forward. Lucien gets
back inside the car. Valderon goes after the other four but
lags behind.

            VALDERON
      (in a faux Spanish
       accent)
Is game time.

62.

INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Inside the warehouse, everything goes as planned. Terrence
and Walter head right. Holt, Dominic and Valderon head left.
As Terrence and Walter disappear from view, Holt and Dominic
move slowly ahead of Valderon.

The warehouse is darker than expected and there are crates
surrounding the place enveloping the middle of the warehouse
as if it was a fort. A few of the crates are labelled
"Dynamite" but not enough to warrant extra caution from Holt
and the others. They hardly even notice them.

The three of them make their way slowly through the crates,
careful not to make any noise. In the distance they hear
yelling.

MAN (O.S.)
(muffled)
Shit! Who the fuck are these guys?
PAUL!

Gunshots are heard. More muffled yells. More gunshots.
Silence.

WALTER (O.S.)
Holt! We got one! He's alone.

Holt and Dominic share a sigh of relief as they move more
quickly forward. Valderon attempts to chase after them but
he doesn't get two steps forward before a gun presses
against the back of his skull, sending a bullet through his
brain and killing him instantly.

A quick flash of Valderon's DVD collection followed by
Ashley's face.

FADE TO BLACK:

(OVER BLACK)

VALDERON (V.O.)
They say your entire life flashes
before your eyes the second before
you die. Which begs the question:
How worthless is a human life if
it can be summed up in one second?
The thing they don't tell you, is
how clear things become once
you're dead. You finally
understand so much of what was a
mystery. In other words, nobody
gets the whole story until they
(MORE)

63.

VALDERON (cont'd)
die.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

TITLE CARD (OVER BLACK) - THE WHOLE STORY

INT. JAMES' HOUSE - NIGHT

TITLE CARD (OVERLAY) - FOUR YEARS EARLIER

We're in JAMES MALBURY's house with him in it. He's sitting
down at a table with a drink in front of him. He's also
watching PAUL DEMASSEY pace around the room. Both men seem
to be in their mid 40s, although, James looks more youthful.

JAMES M.
Would you sit down, already?
You're making me nervous.

PAUL
(sarcastically)
Am I? Oh, I'm sorry, James. Sorry,
that for once in either of our
lives, I'm finally the one coming
to you with a problem. Sorry, I
thought I had built up a line of
credit which entitled me the
fucking right to be, however the
fuck I wanna be, given the
situation.

JAMES M.
I'm willing to help. Just sit
down.

PAUL
No thanks.

JAMES M.
What the fuck even happened? This
morning you were all ready to
sacrifice the queen and all that
bullshit.

PAUL
Yeah, I was going to let him kill
ONE person. There were two bodies
when I came home.

64.

JAMES M.
Two?

PAUL
Some guy, I never met him before
but I looked at his wallet. His
name's Leonard Walters.

James feels the need to ask a sensitive question.

JAMES M.
Do you think he...uh...

PAUL
Was fucking Denise? Seems pretty
fucking likely.

JAMES M.
Did you know?

PAUL
No, I didn't know. But why else
would he be there? He was dressed
in a suit so I know he wasn't
fixing the sink or repairing the
TV. What else would he be there
for?

JAMES M.
Ok, ok. So he killed your wife and
the guy she was having an affair
with. What's the problem?

PAUL
The problem is, now we know this
guy's unstable. He just killed
someone who didn't have anything
to do with his wife dying. Plus he
knows where I live so that means I
can't go back home.

JAMES M.
Well, you could stay here.

PAUL
Yeah, I was gonna ask. Just...I'm
shooken up. All cause of that
fucking woman. Everything's gone
to shit.

James tries to tiptoe around the subject but decides to just
go for it.

65.

JAMES M.
Hey, I know this isn't the right
time but...I got a problem too.

PAUL
What now?

Paul stops pacing as James walks over to the bathroom door
and opens it revealing two girls, tied up.

PAUL
Jesus Christ, again?

JAMES M.
I've been after these two for a
while now. Finally saw my chance
so I took it.

PAUL
I'm not a cop anymore, what do you
want me to do?

JAMES M.
Can I use your trailer?

PAUL
My trailer?

JAMES M.
Well, I'd go to your house but
that guy's there. Trailer's the
next best thing.

PAUL
Fine, whatever. It's gonna be
cramped there, though.

JAMES M.
It's alright. I won't keep them
long anyways.

Paul and James reach out their hands to each other and
exchange keys.

CUT TO:

INT. GERALD FAMILY HOME - NIGHT

Ashley's room is a mess. She's moving from her closet to her
bed where two gym bags and a backpack are being stuffed with
clothes and more of Ashley's possessions.

66.

SHANA GERALD, Ashley's mom is trying to plead with her
daughter.

SHANA
Why are you doing this? What the
fuck is wrong with you?

ASHLEY
Doing what? I'm tired of living
with that asshole. I'm 23, I can
do whatever I want.

SHANA
You know how he is and yet you
bring that boy into our home? What
did you expect, your father to be
happy?

ASHLEY
LEAVE ME ALONE!

KEVIN GERALD's voice comes through the walls from the master
bedroom.

KEVIN
Don't waste your breath on her.
She's a selfish bitch.

Ashley moves into the hallway.

ASHLEY
(to Kevin)
FUCK YOU!

Crying can be heard to her left. The babies have woken up in
the next room. Ashley goes inside and cradles one of them.

ASHLEY
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to
yell, I'm so sorry. Please, go
back to sleep.

The door to the master bedroom opens and Kevin walks into
the hallway. He's about to enter the babies' room but Shana
appears and stops him from going inside.

SHANA
Kevin, just go back to the room.

KEVIN
No, what did that little bitch say
to me? "Fuck you"? Fuck me? After
all the shit I've done for you.
Put a roof over your head, feed
(MORE)

67.

KEVIN (cont'd)
you, all those fucking shoes and
clothes you buy, fuck "ME"?

Ashley puts the baby down and rushes past Kevin and Shana.
She goes back to her room and continues packing. Shana tries
to reason with Kevin.

SHANA
Go back to the room. Just go,
you're waking the babies.

KEVIN
You mean those fucking babies that
that bitch doesn't even help with?
(to Ashley)
Your mother quit her job to take
care of those babies and you
haven't done jackshit to help her.

Ashley comes back out of her room.

ASHLEY
Yeah, like you're so much fucking
help. What have you ever done for
them?

SHANA
(to Ashley)
You, go back to your room and shut
up, you're not helping.

KEVIN
I fucking work every day to put
food on the table. When the fuck
have you ever fed me? You haven't
fed me yet!

ASHLEY
Well, great, now you'll be happy,
you won't have to feed me anymore.

Ashley goes back to her room to resume packing.

SHANA
Can both of you, please, just stop
yelling.

KEVIN
Why? I'm not allowed to be angry?
You saw what she did, she fucking
comes home at 2 o'clock, then she
brings that fucking Paki in here
and I'm supposed to smile and say
(MORE)

68.

KEVIN (cont'd)
"hi" to him?

SHANA
I know, just please, go back to
your room.

KEVIN
(to Ashley)
I want you out of this fucking
house. Get the fuck out!

Ashley reappears from her room, carrying the backpack and
the two gym bags, tears streaming from her eyes.

Shana has given up and is now on the ground in front of
Kevin, crying.

KEVIN
What's that, all the shoes and
clothes that I paid for?

Ashley moves quickly down the stairs. The front door opens
and we hear it slam shut.

CUT TO:

EXT. VELHALLA WOODS - NIGHT

Rachel Wilson, early 20s, ripped clothes, is running through
the woods as fast as she can. Her blonde hair gets stuck on
a branch forcing her to frantically claw at both her hair
and the branch to get it loose. Losing a clob of hair, she
continues running.

EXT. VELHALLA ROAD - NIGHT

Rachel has made it to the long stretch of road beside the
woods. She climbs over a girder and starts running the
length of the long road. Every now and then, she whips her
head back staring behind her. She never stops running.

After a few moments, she trips and falls face first onto the
pavement. Her head hits a girder and she rolls over losing
consciousness.

CUT TO:

69.

INT. MITSUBISHI CARISMA 1.8 GDI CLASSIC HB (MOVING) - NIGHT

Ashley is driving along Velhalla Road. She's still furious
and crying but she's determined to get as far away from her
parents as possible.

As she speeds along the road, she notices a limp body just
off to the side of the street. She slows down and passes it
by, looking for any sign of life. She stops the car
completely and gets out.

She walks over to Rachel's body and bends over.

ASHLEY
You ok?

RACHEL
My sister...he's
still...got...help her...

ASHLEY
What? Who has your sister?

Rachel slips into unconsciousness.

ASHLEY
FUCK!

Ashley grabs Rachel and drags her to her car. She opens the
passenger side door and places her in the seat. She straps
on the seat belt to hold her in place then closes the door.
She runs around to the driver's side, gets in and drives
off.

CUT TO:

INT. MILLICENT'S HOUSE - NIGHT

FLASHBACK SEQUENCE

FOYER

Karl opens the door and Ashley walks through carrying Rachel
by the arm. She seems to be unconscious. Ashley almost
collapses under the weight of her but Karl and Valderon
manage to help her up. Once inside, Karl passes over his
load to Derek.

ASHLEY
I just found her like this. Can we
put her somewhere?

70.

CUT TO:

Ashley looking at Valderon, Derek and Karl.

VALDERON
You sure you're ok? You look like
you've been crying.

ASHLEY
That was before I found her...I-
It's not important. I'm fine.

CUT TO:

Jame Divershell staggers across the doorway and into the
house.

VALDERON
What are you doing here?

JAMES D.
I need to...talk to you alone.

VALDERON
Ok...
(to Karl)
Karl, is it ok if we...?

KARL
Yeah, sure. Just go in the living
room.

Valderon and James head into the living room as Karl closes
the door and locks it.

ASHLEY
Do you know what's going on?

DEREK
No...but I intend to find out.

KARL
Reboot!

ASHLEY
What?

KARL
Inside joke.

DEREK
Not funny, Karl. I'm gonna go see
what they're talking about.

71.

ASHLEY
What, you're gonna go spy on your
best friend?

DEREK
He'd do the same for me.
(to Karl)
There's another door to the living
room, right?

KARL
Yeah, through the kitchen.

Derek disappears into the kitchen as Millicent appears at
the top of the stairs.

MILLICENT
Who is it, Karl? Is it the
ambulance?

KARL
No, it's Val's dad. He wanted to
talk to him alone.

Millicent gets excited at the thought of Valderon's father.

MILLICENT
Really?...well, call me when the
ambulance gets here.

KARL
Will do.

Millicent disappears into the second floor as Karl and
Ashley regain their positions on the stairs.

ASHLEY
So what were you asking me?

KARL
When?

ASHLEY
Before his dad came.

KARL
Oh, you never told us your name.

ASHLEY
It's Ashley. Ashley Gerald.

CUT TO:

72.

INT. HOLT'S CAR - NIGHT

Holt is in his Lumina. He's driving around the forests when
dispatch comes through.

DISPATCH
Attention, all units. We just
received a call about a young girl
found lying in the middle of the
road with cuts and bruises all
over her body. She was found by a
driver and taken to a cottage near
Velhalla Woods. Any units in the
area able to go over there and get
their statement?

Holt picks up his CB radio.

HOLT
Dispatch, this is Unit 1027,
Detective Dresden, I'm in the
area. Want me to head over there?
Over.

DISPATCH
Unit 1027, hold please. Are their
any uniform units in the area?

HOLT
Dispatch, I'm not doing anything
spectacular. If she was found on
the road, she must not have gone
far from where she got those cuts
and bruises from. I think I can
handle it. Over.

DISPATCH
Copy that, 1027. Any uniformed
units in the immediate vicinity,
please, head over there as soon as
possible to assist Detective
Dresden.

The radio crackles as other units respond to dispatch's
request. Holt returns his CB mic to its holder.

HOLT
Fucking pricks. I can do this.

CUT TO:

73.

INT. MILLICENT'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Holt is taking James to prison. As Holt's car drives away
from the cottage, Ashley, Valderon and Karl hear a loud thud
from upstairs. They rush up the stairs.

BEDROOM

Inside the bedroom, Ashley, Valderon and Karl see Millicent
on the floor. Rachel is nowhere to be seen but the window is
open.

KARL
Grandma, what happened?

MILLICENT
It was him...he took her...

KARL
What? Who took her?

MILLICENT
James...my son...

CUT TO:

INT. PAUL'S TRAILER - NIGHT

James is sitting at the table. Rachel and Erica, arms and
legs tied this time, are sitting across from him.

JAMES M.
Gave me quite a scare back there.
I was surprised how willing you
were to leave your sister behind.
(getting up)
Luckily, for me, I got a cop for a
friend.

James walks over to a counter, grabs a police radio and
slams it onto the table in front of the girls.

JAMES M.
He may be off the force but I
still get to play with some of his
toys. Of course, sometimes...

James grabs Rachel by the arm and picks her up.

JAMES M.
...I need someone to play with.

74.

CUT TO:

INT. MILLICENT'S HOUSE - NIGHT

KITCHEN

Valderon, Ashley and Karl are sitting across from Millicent,
who's drinking tea.

MILLICENT
Back in the old day, I was best
friends with these two gorgeous
girls, Vanessa Divershell and
Caitlyn DeMassey. We did almost
everything together, we played
together, we shopped together, we
ate together, we even helped each
other with our problems. And for a
while, everything was normal. That
all changed when our boyfriends
got drafted to war. It was hard
trying to maintain a long distance
relationship. It was even harder
not having the father of my child
present during birth. But Vanessa
and Caitlyn were there to offer
their support. When we got word
that their battalion was captured
by the Vietchong, we gave up hope
of ever seeing them come back to
us. So we moved on with our lives.
Vanessa and Caitlyn got new beaus
and I decided to raise the baby on
my own. Pretty soon, the other
girls became pregnant and we each
had a child to call our own.
Vanessa even had two darling boys.

Millicent pauses, trying to remember.

MILLICENT
It must've been three years after
the kids were born that Caitlyn's
ex, Noel Carrington, returned. He
was a different person, though. He
had endured horrible hardships
during the war, saw his best
friends die at the hands of the
Vietchong. But the thing that
screwed him up the most was what
happened to him during his
capture. See the Vietchong liked
to torture their captives. So to
(MORE)

75.

MILLICENT (cont'd)
get information, they castrated
Noel so that when he came back, he
was unable to father a child. The
girls and I did the best we could
to help him out. Just to show him
that somebody cared, we'd bring
him pies and each of us would
visit him at least once a month.
But it was no good. He was gone.
One night, Noel snuck into each of
our houses and kidnapped each of
our sons. He left a note saying
that he needed three boys for an
experiment he had always wanted to
try before he got drafted.
Naturally we were devastated at
the loss of our children. Vanessa,
in particular, became very
protective of her other son-
(to Valderon)
-your father, James. She even
stopped leaving the house. We
tried for years to find Noel and
our boys but we could never find
him.

She takes a sip of her tea.

MILLICENT
Then, about 16 years later,
Ronnie-
(to Valderon)
-your uncle, Vanessa's son, was
found hanging from a bridge with a
rope around his neck. At the
funeral, we saw them. The other
two boys, Paul and James. Me and
Caitlyn were ecstatic to see them
but they refused to say more than
two words to us and wouldn't
believe that we were their natural
born parents. I knew it was him,
though. My James. It was those
eyes, those big brown eyes. Those
were the same eyes I saw tonight.
He came in the room and he hit me,
knocked me down. Then he grabbed
the girl. I think-I think he's
going to kill her.

CUT TO:

76.

EXT. ROAD - NIGHT

Derek is walking alone on the street. It's dark out with a
few streetlights the only thing keeping him walking a
straight line. Suddenly, a Ford Pick-Up comes barelling down
the street. It zooms past Derek. Derek continues walking.

The pick-up, reverses, doubles back. It stops beside Derek
who stops in his tracks. The window's already rolled down,
JEREMY HOLDEN, 25 and loving it, sticks his arm and neck out
the window.

JEREMY
Need a ride?

DEREK
Rapist or killer?

JEREMY
Good samaritan.

DEREK
(to himself)
What the fuck.

Derek walks in front of the pick-up and around to the
passenger side. He opens the door and gets in the pick-up.
The door is barely closed before the pick-up is zooming down
the road.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

EXT. GERALD FAMILY HOME - NIGHT

TITLE CARD (OVERLAY) - FOUR YEARS LATER

Six figures are moving on a darkened street. They're walking
in rows of three at a liesure pace. The one at the
forefront, in between the two tallest, has a noticable limp.
The others slow down to accomodate him.

The figures get to the end of the street and stop moving.
They're in front of a fairly large house with a blue garage.
The six men are standing side by side now.

In order, from left to right:
James Malbury, NOEL CARRINGTON, pushing 70 with a noticable
limp, Paul DeMassey, his son, Phil, Jeremy Holden and Derek
Walters.

77.

They're staring at the lights coming from the house. Two
upstairs, one on the ground floor emanating from the TV.

NOEL
We sure this is the right place?

PAUL
35.

NOEL
How many are in there?

PAUL
Should be 4.

NOEL
You're not sure?

PAUL
They have a daughter but she moved
away.

NOEL
Aside from that, we got no other
variables?

PAUL
None.

NOEL
So the only real threat is the
father?

PAUL
Yeah.

NOEL
Alright, you know your parts,
Paul, Phil, you take point. Have
James and Derek back you up.
Jeremy, you climb the fence and
get into the backyard, cut off
their escape. I'll be out here, on
lookout.

JAMES M.
Wait a minute. Why am I just
backup?

NOEL
Cause Phil and Derek ain't
carryin'. If the father punches
through Paul, we need another gun
behind him. And I shouldn't have
(MORE)

78.

NOEL (cont'd)
to explain myself, just stick to
the plan and everything goes
perfect.

JAMES M.
Alright, alright.

The six men move into position. Jeremy climbs the fence into
the backyard and disappears into the dark. Noel stands in
front of the gate leading to the backyard with his back to
the wall.

The other four head over to the porch. Paul and Phil line up
on the left side of the door. James and Derek line up on the
right. Paul and James pull out their 9mm pistols with
silencers attached.

PAUL
Ready?

James nods.

PAUL
Do it.

James aims his gun at the lock on the front door. He glances
over at Paul then back at the lock. He fires a shot at the
lock then kicks the door in. Paul and Phil rush inside
followed by James and Derek.

INT. GERALD FAMILY HOME - NIGHT

Paul and Phil head forward and turn right as James and Derek
turn left into the kitchen. Paul sees Kevin Gerald spring to
life, awoken by the door being broken in but before he has a
chance to react, Paul fires three shots into his chest. The
sound from the TV works with the silencer on the gun to mask
their sounds. The light turns on in the kitchen as soon as
the shots are fired.

Kevin slides back down onto the couch as Paul walks over to
him and checks his pulse. He and Phil return to the front
door which is just across from the stairs. James and Derek
soon join them.

JAMES M.
Kitchen's clear.

PAUL
Hard part's over.

79.

JAMES M.
Get on with it already.

Paul and Phil move carefully up the stairs. James and Derek
slowly follow their lead.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT

Paul reaches the top of the stairs and motions for Phil to
stay put. He moves past the closed doors and aims his gun
into the open darkness of the bathroom. Satisfied, he turns
his attention to the door leading to the master bedroom.

He carefully turns the knob and peeks through the small slit
of the door. He sees Shana listening to music while folding
clothes.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Paul confidently strides into the room and aims the gun at
Shana who looks up just in time to see two bullets headed in
her direction. One bullet hits her in the neck, while the
other hits her just above her chin. Her limp body collapses
on the bed.

Paul stands there with his arm still outstretched for a
while longer. He stares at her lifeless body as a flash of
his wife, Denise, enters his mind. Then he slowly puts his
arm down. He exits the room, slowly closing the door leading
into it.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT

He gives a nod to Phil urging him to come up. Phil stands in
front of one of the closed doors as James and Derek's heads
pop up from the stairs. They make their way to the top and
stand in front of the other closed door.

JAMES M.
Which door do you want?

PAUL
Phil's already there.

JAMES M.
Alrighty then. Let's do this.

James and Paul, who has rejoined Phil, both turn their
respective knobs and enter the rooms. James and Derek

80.

disappear into the dark room as Paul and James find two four
year old boys sleeping in beds across from each other.

PAUL
Phil, go check on the mother.

PHIL
What, why?

PAUL
Just do it.

As Phil storms out of the room, James enters the room with
Derek in tow.

JAMES M.
Where's he going?

PAUL
Confirm the kill.

JAMES M.
You didn't check?

Paul pulls out a black bag. James understands.

JAMES M.
Derek, make sure Phil doesn't come
in here. You stay out, too.

DEREK
What?

JAMES M.
Just give me a moment.

DEREK
That's not the plan.

James points his gun at Derek. Derek backs out of the room
and sees Phil coming out of the master bedroom. He
intercepts him.

PHIL
What's going on?

DEREK
He pointed the gun at me.

PHIL
What, why?

81.

Phil tries to get past Derek as James closes the door to the
bedroom. They catch a glipse of the lights being turned on
as Phil pushes Derek away and starts banging on the door.

INT. CHILDREN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Throughout the scene, we can hear Phil banging on the door
and yelling but it's muffled.

The boys are awake and screaming. James grabs the one on the
right and passes him over to Paul. Paul places the black bag
over his head as the kid struggle to break free. Paul has to
restrain him using both arms but his screams are now being
muffled by the bag.

The other boy is backed up against the wall covering himself
up with the sheets. Tears are streaming down his face as
James walks closer.

            JAMES M.
      (smiling to
       himself)
It's too bright in here.

James walks over to the table and places his gun on its
surface. He turns the desk lamp on. Paul instinctively shuts
off the main light in the room.

JAMES M.
Much better.

James walks towards the boy curled up in his sheets as he
unbuckles his pants.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT

Derek gets in between Phil and the door.

PHIL
This wasn't part of the plan.

DEREK
I know. But what can we do?

PHIL
Jesus, Noel's gonna be pissed. We
should've been out by now.

A loud scream emanates from the room. Phil rushes back to
the door. Derek now joins him in the yelling to get in.

82.

PHIL
What's going on, what happened?

INT. CHILDREN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

James is clutching at his crotch. He's bent over in pain.
The kid is screaming again. Paul is struggling with the kid
in his arms.

JAMES M.
He bit me! The little shit bit me.

PAUL
Would you shut him up already? I'm
holding off an army here!

James waddles over to the desk, grabs the gun off the table
and aims it at the kid. He fires two shots straight into his
head.

PAUL
What the fuck are you doing?

JAMES M.
You told me to keep him quiet.

PAUL
Yeah, with the bag or something. I
didn't tell you to shoot him.

JAMES M.
He bit me!

PAUL
He's 4 years old, how big are his
teeth?

JAMES M.
He bit the part that connects the
head to the shaft.

PAUL
So what, you still have 7 inches.

JAMES M.
It's an open wound.

PAUL
How deep did he bite?

James checks.

83.

JAMES M.
There's no blood. It still hurts
like hell, though.

PAUL
Jesus Christ, I try to do you a
favour with my kid in the next
room and you fucking shoot him?

JAMES M.
Thanks for the concern.

PAUL
Fuck, Noel's gonna be pissed.

JAMES M.
What do we do now?

PAUL
Let's get the fuck out of here.

JAMES M.
What, and just leave him here?

PAUL
I don't think they'll care what
with the other two bodies in the
house.

JAMES M.
Yeah, but this is a kid. He'll
attract more attention than his
parents.

PAUL
You should've thought of that
before you measured his head with
a 9mm.

JAMES M.
Shit, let's go.

Phil and Derek are still pounding on the door and screaming,
so is the kid. Paul opens the door giving the boys a view of
the room and James a view of the stairs.

PHIL
What happened?

PAUL
Don't look.

84.

Paul moves past Phil and Derek, carrying the kid, and moves
down the stairs.

PHIL
Is that kid dead?

PAUL (O.S.)
(from downstairs)
I told you not to look.

Phil reluctantly follows his father down the stairs. Derek
looks in on the room. At the dead kid and at James.

JAMES M.
See something you like? Pervert...

James moves as quickly as he can past Derek. He starts to
make his way down the stairs but his head is still visible
from the room.

JAMES M.
You coming?

DEREK
Did you?

JAMES M.
(sarcastically)
Ha ha, very funny, ya fuckin'
comedian.

James' head disappears from view as he heads downstairs.
After a bit, Derek follows him.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. DODGE CHARGER (LX) - NIGHT

Holt is sitting behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger (LX) in
basic black parked at the side of the road with a great view
of an old house lifted up off the street. Beside him is
Dominic who's playing with the toothpick in his mouth.

HOLT
My old partner, Paul. This was
about four years ago. We were on
duty. I needed to make a personal
errand so we stopped at this bank.
Told him to keep the car running,
I'd be twenty minutes at the most,
depending on the line-up. So
(MORE)

85.

HOLT (cont'd)
anyways, he's waiting in the car,
I go inside.

DOMINIC
Let me guess. While you're waiting
in line, bank robbers enter the
bank. You go Super Saiyan and take
them all out?

HOLT
What? No. What the fuck's a Super
Saiyan? Don't interrupt.

DOMINIC
Sorry.

HOLT
So anyways, I'm inside the bank
right. Call comes through the
wire, couple blocks over, a
jewelry store's being knocked
over, robbers making a getaway.

DOMINIC
Wait, how do you know the wire
came through if you're in the
bank?

HOLT
Cause Paul explained what happened
afterwards at the hearing.

DOMINIC
Hearing?

HOLT
I'm getting ahead of the story.
Now shut up and don't interrupt.

DOMINIC
Alright.

HOLT
Robbers making a getaway a couple
of blocks over, Paul calls it in,
he's gonna go after them. Pulls
out, zooms away and we got a
chase. So he's driving right,
finally catches up with them, they
notice the tail, they go faster.
So Paul amps up his own speed,
starts zooming through the city.
Now, even then, going in a
(MORE)

86.

HOLT (cont'd)
straight line, I don't know how no
one got hurt but then the robbers
turn a corner so Paul follows
them. As Paul turns his vehicle,
the back end whips a little too
far onto the curb and hits a woman
smack dab into a brick wall. The
entire lower half of her body was
crushed and she died in the
hospital.

Dominic waits for the punchline. Holt doesn't deliver.

DOMINIC
And the point of that story was?

HOLT
Never leave your partner.

DOMINIC
Well, I wasn't planning on it.
Were you-were you planning on
leaving me?

HOLT
No.

DOMINIC
Good.

Dominic puts a few more pieces together.

DOMINIC
Wait a minute, that story doesn't
even make sense, what does you
going into the bank have to do
with Paul killing that woman. What
could you have done to save her?

HOLT
The car that Paul was driving was
the Lumina Z34. It has a V6
engine. Paul wasn't used to having
the lightest touch of the gas
pedal take you to such high speeds
so he didn't give himself enough
pressure off the gas pedal to make
the turn clean. I could've made
that turn. That woman would still
be alive.

87.

DOMINIC
Still doesn't explain why you told
it.

HOLT
Sometimes...I just like hearing
myself speak.

Holt laughs. Dominic looks at him like he's crazy.

DOMINIC
So what happened to Paul? Doin'
time?

HOLT
He had a clean jacket. I vouched
for him, told them I left my post.
They kicked him off the force and
I was reprimanded back to desk
work. Managed to work my way back
up to Detective the last four
years.

DOMINIC
That couldn't have gone well with
the public. How come I never heard
of it?

HOLT
Cause they covered it up. The
hearing, the reprimand, all of it
on the QT. Told the media that it
was the robbers that killed her.
No witnesses came forward saying
otherwise so nobody asked
questions. It could've been a PR
nightmare. We were lucky.

DOMINIC
And the robbers?

HOLT
Mexico.

Both of them fall silent. Nothing is moving in the night.
Dominic shifts in his seat, anxious.

DOMINIC
What's taking them so long?

88.

HOLT
They gotta make sure the place is
set up for a one-on-one. No
surprise visitors or nothing.

DOMINIC
What's his name again?

HOLT
Stylz Gilroy, first name Steven.
Calls himself Stylz cause he likes
to take still photographs of all
the women he's banging before and
after he bangs them.

DOMINIC
Nice gimmick. Who's he banging
now?

HOLT
Kayla Strong. Suburban white girl,
took a trip to the hood and
decided to stay.

DOMINIC
We sure he's the right guy?

HOLT
Why are you asking so many damn
questions?

DOMINIC
I just like hearing you talk.

Holt who has been staring out the window at the old house up
until then now looks at Dominic. They stare at each other
and burst out laughing.

DOMINIC
Tell me again, about the nickname.

HOLT
Whose nickname, the girl's?

DOMINIC
Yeah, what'd they call
her...'Eveready'?

HOLT
Yeah, 'Eveready'. Like the
battery.

89.

DOMINIC
Cause she likes to fuck? She's
ever ready?

HOLT
Naw, cause she goes through
batteries like Stylz, here, goes
through women. Good and plenty.

Dominic laughs.

DOMINIC
HI-YO!

Holt chuckles a bit, settles down, then gets serious.

HOLT
Alright, look, we're nearing time.
Ren and Walt should be in place.
You know what to do once you get
in there?

DOMINIC
Watch your back then man the
doors.

HOLT
Good Doggie.

            DOMINIC
      (mutters under his
       breath)
Yeah, yeah...

Holt exits the vehicle followed by Dominic. They head
towards the house.

INT. STYLZ GILROY'S HOUSE - NIGHT

STEVEN 'STYLZ' GILROY, a drug dealer and gangbanger in his
mid 20s is sitting on his reclining chair in house clothes.
Directly in front of him, standing up is Holt. Behind Holt
is Walter and behind Stylz is Terrence.

HOLT
You hit Crown'D, didn't you?

STYLZ
I don't know what you talking
bout, man!

90.

HOLT
We just found, Crown'D, a.k.a.
YOUR competition with an 'S'
carved on his chest.

STYLZ
Boy liked Superman, you know.

HOLT
Yeah, well that 'S' was just to
distract the eye from the straight
line across his neck.

STYLZ
He dead? Shiiit...he had it
coming. Bout fucking time.

TERRENCE
We know it was you, you piece of
shit. We found your jewellry at
the crime scene.

STYLZ
You found my piece? Man, I've been
looking everywhere for that, shit
cost three hunded dollas. More
importantly, though, it was a gift
from my girl.

HOLT
Yeah, well it's going into
evidence now. And we're gonna use
it to put you away.

STYLZ
You idiot, I said it was missing,
could've been anyone in that
house. How you gonna link me to
the scene if I was never there?

WALTER
How'd you know we found him in a
house?

Stylz thinks for a moment. Knows he made a mistake.

STYLZ
Man, my lawyer ain't here, you
can't do shit.

HOLT
We're arresting you, you dumb
fuck. Anything you say can and
will be used against you in a
(MORE)

91.

HOLT (cont'd)
court of law.

STYLZ
Gonna need more than that if you
wanna put me away. Even a punk ass
like you know that.

HOLT
You mean, like a confession?

STYLZ
Man, get outta here. How you plan
on getting that?

HOLT
I thought you'd never ask.

Holt hurls a punch at Stylz, he recovers and spits at Holt.

STYLZ
Three against one? Bring it on,
bitch.

HOLT
Naw, I got something else planned,
Ren, cuff him.

Terrence steps forward and grabs Stylz hands. He slaps cuffs
on him and moves back to his original position.

STYLZ
Fucking nigger ass cop. Lockin' up
your own kind. Niggers like you
oughta be castrated. If you ain't
gonna help a nigga, you don't
deserve to fuck like a nigga.

TERRENCE
Castrated? That's a mighty big
vocabulary for a nigger. Where'd
you learn that?

Terrence and Holt laugh.

STYLZ
Man, what youse doin'? Let up offa
me or take me to the station house
already.

HOLT
We're gonna watch a little movie.
Now it's homemade so you'll have
to excuse the production values
(MORE)

92.

HOLT (cont'd)
but the story's amazing.

Walter heads over to the TV, pops open the DVD player and
places a DVD on the tray. He closes it and a static menu
screen appears on the TV.

WALTER
Do you want the Theatrical or
Unrated version?

STYLZ
What the fuck is this shit?

HOLT
Let's go with unrated, I think
we're all mature enough to handle
it.

Walter presses a button on the remote and the video starts
playing.

A white girl, about 25, it's Kayla Strong, appears on screen
in her bedroom. She's looking directly at the camera. She
takes off her shirt and gets on her bed.

STYLZ
Kayla?

A man appears on screen and gets on the bed on top of her.

STYLZ
Are you shitting me?

HOLT
Fast-forward to the good part.

Walter fast-forwards the video and soon two more men appear
on screen with Kayla.

HOLT
Now THAT'S what I call a three on
one.

Holt leans in close to Stylz, nose to nose.

HOLT
But that's nothing to how me and
my boys are gonna fuck you. You
think you're untouchable? Look
closer. That boy on the left is
Crown'D. Now we've got motive.

93.

Holt backs up and begins pacing the room.

STYLZ
You ain't got shit except
halitosis, I didn't even know
about this shit till now.

TERRENCE
Damn, now that is a mighty big
vocabulary for a nigger. Whatchu
got? Word of the day wraps? Puff
and learn?

STYLZ
Yo, your moms a great teacher. I
ain't even have to pay her or
nothin', just return the favour.
Teach her some moves...you know...

Terrence makes a move but Walter quickly stops him. Holt
eyes Terrence warily and resumes pacing the room.

HOLT
You know. You're right. All of
this shit is circumstantial. We go
to court with this, you walk.

STYLZ
Hell ya!

Holt stops and leans in close to Stylz again.

HOLT
(smiling)
Know why I'm smiling though? It's
simple.

Holt leans in closer and whispers into Stylz's ear.

HOLT
We're not gonna let this go to
court.

Holt backs away and stands beside Walter who has resumed his
original position.

HOLT
You know Ren here? Crown'D was his
brother.

STYLZ
What?

94.

Terrence walks around the reclining chair and stands in
front of Stylz. He aims a gun at his head and fires two
shots.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. CAFE - DAY

TITLE CARD (OVERLAY): LOS ANGELES

A large cafe with about 15 to 20 people in it. A Middle
Eastern man in his late 20s, SEAN VIRK, sits alone with a
cup of coffee in front of him. He scans the room and returns
his gaze to the front entrance.

After a few moments, two women, Ashley Gerald and a blonde
in her mid 20s, LUCY FREMONT, enter the cafe. Sean's
expression rises at the sight of Ashley but drops when he
notices Lucy behind her.

The two girls sit down in front of Sean with Lucy pulling a
chair from another table for herself.

SEAN
What's she doing here?

ASHLEY
Protection.

SEAN
We're in a cafe with dozens of
people. What the fuck am I gonna
do?

LUCY
Blow it up?

Sean gives her a look of pure hatred.

ASHLEY
Protection for you. She's the only
thing keeping me from slapping you
right now.

SEAN
Oh come on, 5 years and you act
like I'm the fucking bad guy here.

95.

ASHLEY
You are the bad guy. Or did you
forget where you dick has been?

SEAN
I'm pretty sure that list includes
you.

LUCY
Can we change topics now? I'm a
bit uncomfortable here.

SEAN
If you're uncomfortable listening
to two grown-ups talk, maybe you
should leave.

ASHLEY
The second she leaves, so do I.

SEAN
Why are you being such a bitch
right now?

Now he's done it, Ashley's pissed.

ASHLEY
Excuse me? I'm the bitch when
you're the fucking asshole who
owes my mom money.

SEAN
I told you to pay your mom back
with the money from the ring.

ASHLEY
(raising her voice)
That was a fucking present. Why
would I pay my mom back when
you're the one that owes her.

SEAN
You said you were gonna pawn the
ring.

ASHLEY
Yeah, it's my ring and I can do
whatever I want with it. You, on
the other hand, owe my mom money.

SEAN
Know what, I'm out of here. I
asked to see you, not your little
friend here. And I don't need to
(MORE)

96.

SEAN (cont'd)
be yelled at either.

Sean gets up, grabs his coffee and makes to leave. Ashley
stands up to follow him prompting Lucy to get up as well.

ASHLEY
Where do you think you're going,
you owe my mom money.

SEAN
Call me when you wanna meet alone.

Ashley lunges at him but Lucy manages to restrain her.

LUCY
Ash, you're making a scene, that's
what he wants. Come on, we'll get
him some other time.

ASHLEY
(yelling at Sean)
YOU ASSHOLE. I'LL FUCKING TELL
EVERYONE. I'LL TELL EVERYONE WHAT
AN ASSHOLE YOU ARE AND I HOPE YOU
AND THAT SLUT DIE.

People are staring at Ashley and Lucy as Sean completes his
exit. Before the workers at the cafe reach them, Lucy
manages to get Ashley out the door but they head in the
opposite direction of where Sean went.

INT. ASHLEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Ashley comes home from a long day. She stumbles through her
routine. Keys, bags, coat, all dropped along the way to the
kitchen. She makes her way to her fridge, peers in, closes
it and opens the freezer.

She pulls out a microwave dinner, opens the corner of the
container, pops it in the microwave and sets the timer for
five minutes. She exits the kitchen and heads to the living
room. She collapses on the couch, sits in silence for a few
seconds then leans over and grabs the remote. She turns the
TV on.

CUT TO:

It's five minutes later, the microwave is buzzing. Ashley
has settles for a rerun of "Friends" on TV. She picks
herself up, walks to the kitchen and pulls the microwave
meal out of the microwave.

97.

She sets the container on to a counter top and reaches for a
fork. She places the fork through the opening she made in
the corner of the container. Pressing the fork to keep the
container steady, she peels back the top of the container,
opens a cupboard underneath the sink and places it in the
trash.

She returns to the fridge, pulls out a container of apple
juice and reaches for a cup. She pours herself a glass,
replaces the container of apple juice in the fridge and
grabs the microwave meal and the fork.

She returns to her spot on the couch and places her entire
meal down on the coffee table. The TV is showing a news
bulletin during the commercials. She starts to stir her
food.

TV ANCHORWOMAN
-news of a suburban family gunned
down in their own home. The father
and mother were found dead along
with their four year old child who
was killed in his bed. Also, we
have an update on the seventeen
year old girl who went missing
after a night out with her
friends. We'll have more on that,
at 11.

CUT TO:

It's almost 11 now. Ashley has finished her meal and is
talking on the phone. "Friends" has ended but she hasn't
bothered to change the channel. She's immersed in
conversation with Lucy.

ASHLEY
Didn't I tell you what an asshole
he was?

LUCY (O.S.)
Well, if he bothers you that much,
just forget him.

ASHLEY
I'm not gonna forget. What? All
the bullshit he put me through?

LUCY (O.S.)
Well, I don't like talking about
him so can we just change the
subject?

98.

            ASHLEY
      (ignoring Lucy's
       comment)
All the lying and the cheating and
he still owes me money.

LUCY (O.S.)
I thought you said he owed your
mom money.

ASHLEY
I just said that so he'd give me
the money. I haven't talked to my
parents in like...almost four
years now.

LUCY (O.S.)
Really? Why?

ASHLEY
Some bullshit reason, we had this
argument...it was over that
asshole too. Man, I can't believe
all the shit I gave up for him.

LUCY (O.S.)
You never told me this. We've been
best friends for how long now and
you've never mentioned your
parents or running away or
anything.

ASHLEY
Well, I moved here to get away
from them, I'm not just gonna go
complaining about them to other
people...

LUCY (O.S.)
Well, still, I think I warrant at
least a mention of them. I mean,
we gotta stick together in this
business we're in. We gotta make
friends and share secrets-

TV ANCHORWOMAN
-the Gerald family was found dead
in their own home.

Ashley notices the TV. Curious, she grabs the remote and
begins to turn up the volume.

99.

LUCY (O.S.)
-we face rejection every day so it
helps to have someone in your
corner to-

ASHLEY
Luce, shut up for a second, I just
heard my name on TV.

LUCY (O.S.)
Oh My God, really? Is it the
commercial? What channel are you
watching?

ASHLEY
Shh!

TV ANCHORWOMAN
-was found dead on the couch with
three bullets lodged in his chest.
The mother, Shana Gerald, was
found upstairs in the master
bedroom with two bullets in her
face and neck. The most gruesome
sight, however, was that of four
year old, Timothy Gerald-

Ashley gasps at the name "Timothy Gerald" as tears begin to
stream down her face.

TV ANCHORWOMAN
-found in his bed, with a bullet
lodged in his head. The police
have no leads currently but have
given the formal statement that
this was a random neighbourhood
shooting. Some personal effects
were missing, mostly jewellry and
some small electronics but there
are no signs that this was
premeditated.

LUCY (O.S.)
Are you crying? Ash? You still
there? What channel are you
watching? What's going on?

Ashley lets the phone slip out of her hand as she buries her
face in a pillow, crying.

FADE OUT:

100.

FADE IN:

EXT. GERALD FAMILY HOUSE - DAY

Ashley is sitting on the curb with her head on Lucy's
shoulders. Tears are streaming down her face. Lucy tries to
hold back tears of her own but fails.

Valderon walks in front of them.

VALDERON
Remember me?

Ashley picks her head up. She tries valiantly to remember
his face but the tears make it harder. It takes her a few
moments before her eyes focus and she sees him.

ASHLEY
Val?

VALDERON
I heard what happened. Figured,
I'd pay my respects.

ASHLEY
I can't believe they're gone.

VALDERON
Anything I can do?

ASHLEY
You could leave.

Valderon swings in place for a moment then he walks away.
Ashley places her head back on Lucy's shoulder. Holt appears
in front of them. Followed by Dominic.

HOLT
Are either of you Ashley Gerald?

ASHLEY
I am.

HOLT
Detetive Holt Dresden. This is
Detective Dominic Greycon. You're
scheduled to meet with a Detective
Baker today, we're just checking
to make sure you got here ok.

101.

LUCY
Thank you, officers. Can you just
give us a moment?