Bare Knuckle Page #5

---

From behind a Confederate wraps a rifle firmly against

Kieran’s throat. Kieran is dragged back weaponless, his

musket still attached to the dead man’s stomach.

They struggle and fall to the ground. Kieran is being choked

and is quickly running out of breath.

He reaches around in all directions with panic. His hands

find nothing. He gives one last shot at elbowing his enemy’s

ribs, but the grip stays tight.

As the light begins to fade on Kieran’s life, an unmanned

horse dragging a shattered wooden coach runs rampid towards

the entangled soldiers.

As the wild horse passes by, Kieran reaches out and grabs the

trailing wagon. Both men are dragged and the Confederate

soldier’s gun is flung to the grass.

He brazenly holds on to Kieran, not wanting to let his enemy

get away. Kieran viciously elbows him in the face and finally

the enemy falls and rolls through the field.

24.

Kieran pulls himself up onto the carriage and leaps onto the

back of the horse. He pulls the reigns.

KIERAN:

Woah, woah!

The horse stops and Kieran looks around at the carnage.

Across the way he sees a bevy of enemy soldiers bearing down

on Cillian.

He scans the field with haste for a weapon. He looks back

into the wagon. Under a mess of supplies is an AXE.

Cillian lowers his stance ready to take on the Confederate

mob. He blocks the first man’s strike with his bayonet and

throws him to the ground.

The second man bull rushes him, but Cillian stays on his feet

and struggles with him. Three more soldiers reach them and

they put Cillian flat on his back.

BAM! A musket smashes Cillian’s face. The soldier picks up

Cillian’s bayonet and raises it high overhead ready to plunge

it in Cillian’s heart.

KIERAN (CONT’D)

HEY!!!

Riding at full steam Kieran leaps from his horse’s back and

buries his axe into the almost killer’s chest.

Kieran moves swiftly, blocking several swipes from the angry

infantry and countering with devastating blows.

He swings his axe with the precision only a lumberman could.

Cillian watches this display of bloody heroism from his back.

Blood soaks the grass where the chopped up Confederates lay.

Kieran helps Cillian to his feet.

Kieran stands, looks, and breathes as a beast. He and Cillian

move out into the fray ready for more.

EXT. STREETS OF NEW YORK - NIGHT

Destine huddles behind a crate in the putrid streets where

men piss in corners and whores f*** in alley ways.

Destine curls up in a ball shaking, alone and afraid.

25.

EXT. MALVERN HILL - NIGHT

Kieran sits by a fire, his skin, even his face, coated in

blood. He uses his bayonet to carve notches into the handle

of his bloody axe. Cillian watches from the shadows.

CILLIAN:

What are those for then?

KIERAN:

Each man I kill is a lesson. I want

to remember all I learn here.

EXT. ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH - MORNING

All that remains of the church is black rubble. The postman

walks up to the ruins with Kieran’s letter in his clutches.

He reads Destine’s name and looks around confounded.

EXT. STREETS OF NEW YORK - DAY

Destine’s filthy withered body lays against a brick warehouse

baking under the sun. A PASSER BY weasels up to her. He puts

his stinking hands on the collar of her dressing gown and

pulls it down to take a peek.

WHAP! The man’s head is kicked into the bricks. Two strong

hands grab Destine and pick her up.

BAD JACK:

I got ya now. Jack’s gonna make

everything alright.

INT. BAD JACK’S SUITE - EVENING

Destine is freshly bathed, ravaging a feast of chicken and

vegetables in Jack’s giant apartment above the saloon. He has

lavish furniture, paintings, a large piano, and the best

linens money can buy.

Jack’s cock of the walk confidence he portrays in the ring is

just as effusive in his bedroom with a woman.

BAD JACK:

I see you’re enjoying the food.

DESTINE:

(mouth full)

Very much. Thank you.

26.

She washes the bite down with wine. Her plate is clean. Jack

immediately fills her empty glass with more wine.

BAD JACK:

Drink up and forget the pains of

your former life.

DESTINE:

Former life?

BAD JACK:

I thought this was clear. I mean to

have you for my own.

Destine gulps her wine as her demure turns reticent.

DESTINE:

I told you, I am promised to

another.

Jack stalks his prey.

BAD JACK:

Can you not see, I only want what’s

best for you. Your circumstance is

quite dire. Without me you’ll end

up dead or selling your fruitful

vine for nickels? Is that what you

want?

DESTINE:

No.

He strokes her hair and touches her face. She lets him.

BAD JACK:

I’ve never seen such a precious

thing in all my life. I will give

you everything. Let me take your

troubles away.

DESTINE:

I cannot give you something I do

not have. My heart is with Kieran.

It forever will be.

BAD JACK:

If your man is still alive, do you

not think he is doing whatever it

takes to get back to you, no matter

how ugly, no matter how hard. His

hands are not clean either.

Destine turns away. Jack leads her face to look at his.

27.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

If you truly loved him, you would

do whatever it takes to survive

until his return.

Jack moves in and kisses her. She lets him. He backs away.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Then we are clear?

DESTINE:

(painfully)

Yes.

Jack lifts her out of her seat and carries her to his bed. He

throws her down and rips her dress from her body. He pulls

his trousers down, turns her over, and mounts her from

behind.

She digs her fingernails into the fine sheets as she is taken

roughly. She lets her mind go, separating it from her body.

She goes blank as she says goodbye to that former life and

painfully embraces a new one.

EXT. UNION CAMP - DAY

WHACK! An axe explodes through a log sending the two pieces

flying off the chop. Close in on the blood stained metal.

Then move up the handle with over a hundred notches.

Kieran now with long hair and beard sets up another log and

smashes through it with his favored killing weapon. Patches

of melting snow are scattered around his feet.

He stops and turns hearing soldiers yell and cheer on the

other side of camp. A crowd has formed to watch something.

Kieran goes to inspect, taking his axe with him.

CROWD:

Kieran moves through the crowd to the center where rowdy

soldiers are bare knuckle boxing.

An overexcited spectator rushes back, knocking into Kieran,

bouncing backwards off Kieran’s strong Irish frame.

Kieran grabs the soldiers collar. The soldier looks down at

Kieran’s notched axe with fear and tries to remove Kieran’s

grip, but it is too strong. Kieran stares like a madman.

CILLIAN:

Kieran! Come watch from up here!

28.

Kieran sees Cillian and a few soldiers atop barrels of

provisions. Kieran releases his grip and the soldier scurries

away. Kieran jumps atop the barrels next to Cillian.

CILLIAN (CONT’D)

An entire winter fighting in

Virginia has taken its toll.

The soldiers below are punching each other bloody and loving

it.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote