American Outlaws Page #13

ZEE:

Where will you find such a girl?

JESSE:

Honestly, you'd do if only you had

the buck teeth.

Zee fakes a monstrous overbite.

JESSE (CONT'D)

(dreamy)

Finally.

The two move a little closer. Eye contact.

JESSE (CONT'D)

Ahem. "From this doctrine..." No,

ah... "From women's eyes this

doctrine I derive, they sparkle

still like ... shiny... sparkling

rocks..."

ZEE:

Sparkling rocks?

JESSE:

Little ones.

ZEE:

Is this one of Frank's Shakespeare

poems you're trying to quote?

JESSE:

Yep.

ZEE:

Were you planning on kissing me

when you finished quoting?

JESSE:

I've been planning on kissin' you

for a very long time.

They kiss. It's everything it should be.

BOOM!

Jesse and Zee are startled by a flash of light and sound.

They turn to look back --

EXT. YOUNGER BARN

The partygoers are RUNNING from the YARD to the BARN, which

is ON FIRE in several different places. As the Younger

brothers and Frank get close, they see a squad of masked

riders disappearing down the road. Some of the men SHOOT at

the riders, but the distance is too great.

Jim makes a run for the BARN, but Bob grabs him.

COLE:

BASTARDS! Come back here and face

me!

FRANK:

Get buckets!

Some of the crowd starts to form a bucket line to the well.

Jesse and Zee RUN UP. Frank turns to him.

FRANK (CONT'D)

Pinkertons. It's the railroad.

JESSE:

Ma.

Frank and Jesse bolt for their horses, swing into the

saddles and GALLOP OFF.

EXT. JAMES HOUSE

From a bit down the road, looking just fine. Jesse and

Frank reign in as relief rushes across their faces --

AN EXPLOSION tears the house apart like a pile of

matchsticks! Jesse and Frank urge their horses into a full

gallop.

EXT. YARD

Jesse and Frank leap from their mounts, trying to get close

to the house. The flames are too strong.

JESSE:

Ma! Ma!

Jesse's ventured so close his coat catches fire. Frank

tears it from him and stamps it out. Jesse ignores him,

still pacing back and forth in front of the inferno.

JESSE (CONT'D)

Ma! Please!

MA (O.S.) (O.S.)

(weakly)

Boys?

The brothers turn and nearly drop from shock. Ma is

stumbling toward them, half her hair singed off, brutally

BURNED.

FRANK:

Jesus mercy --

They reach her just as she collapses. Jesse is cradling

her, Frank with his arms around both of them.

MA:

Riders --

JESSE:

We know, Ma. Now we got to get you

to Doc Mimms.

MA:

Take care of each other, boys. You

say your prayers.

Jesse is openly crying. Frank has tears silently streaming

down his face.

JESSE:

Doc Mimms will --

MA:

Shush.

Ma's eyes turn up, and she half-smiles.

MA (CONT'D)

Well look at that. The Good Lord's

a bit shorter than I reckoned.

Ma gently stops breathing.

ANGLE ON:

The boys holding Ma, framed by the roaring flames of their

home. Jesse leans his head back and lets out a HOWL OF RAGE

AND PAIN AND HATE that goes on and on and on...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. JAMES FARM - MORNING

Frank and Jesse are staring at the smoking ruins of their

lives. Other townsfolk are milling nearby, including Zee and

the Youngers.

FRANK:

... We could move on. Rebuild. Make

a decent life someplace else.

JESSE:

Don't care.

FRANK:

Didn't think you would.

(turning away)

I'm going to go make the coffin.

JESSE:

Make a thousand of 'em. Still won't

be enough by the time I'm through.

Frank is gone.

COLE:

Our place, Clell Miller's, Sammy

Johnston, the Creeders. Will Hite.

BOB:

The sheriff says it was a gang of

drunk Kansas boys.

COLE:

I say we ride into town and kill us

some Pinkertons and railroad men.

JIM:

I like that.

JESSE:

No.

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