Bare Knuckle Page #6

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KIERAN:

A bunch of cockered louts, wasting

their energy.

A giant brawny soldier stands looking for an opponent.

GIANT:

Who wants to fight?

CILLIAN:

They saw the headline and decided

this was the best way to get out

their frustrations.

Cillian grabs the HERALD laying on an ammunition crate and

hands it to Kieran.

CILLIAN (CONT’D)

Bad Jack won again. Bloody killed

the man.

Kieran looks at the nearly full page picture of Bad Jack

raising his hand in Victory.

CILLIAN (CONT’D)

A true farewell fight for James

Sullivan.

Kieran looks closer to see Jack accepting a KISS FROM

DESTINE.

GIANT:

Nobody?

Kieran’s eyes go red with rage. He jumps off the barrels and

paces with fury, taking deep breaths of violent anger.

GIANT (CONT’D)

Bunch of Ninny’s!

The anger seethes and grows until it boils over. Kieran

pushes through the soldiers to the giant.

29.

KIERAN:

I’ll fight you!

Kieran digs a line in the dirt with his axe, then tosses it

aside and toes the scratch.

The second the giant’s foot hits the line, Kieran unleashes a

fury of cracks to his jaw. The giant throws back, but is slow

and Kieran dodges.

Three full power haymakers send the giant flopping to the

mud. The soldiers hoot and holler with bluster.

KIERAN (CONT’D)

Get up, ya dandy!

The giant flings some dirt into Kieran’s eye and whacks him

with a heavy punch to the temple.

Kieran shakes it off and returns fire, smashing the flubby

soldier’s face until he falls on the flat of his back. He

scoots away, wanting no more from the lumberman.

KIERAN (CONT’D)

Who’s next! I said who’s next!

None of the soldiers dare engage with this barbarian. Kieran

stares with an unrelenting need for violence.

INT. KNOW NOTHINGS SALOON - NIGHT

A bunch of drunkard gamblers crowd the stage at Bad Jack’s

saloon, getting their kicks from TOPLESS WOMEN BOXING.

Wearing gloves, the women bounce up and down with no skills,

just instincts. Blood and spit fly as they batter each other.

Bad Jack sits with Destine. Lester is reading The Herald just

behind them.

BAD JACK:

How do you like the new business?

DESTINE:

I prefer the c*cks.

BAD JACK:

You cheeky beauty.

Jack grabs the low cut collar of Destine’s dress and pulls

her in for a sloppy drunken kiss.

30.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Anything about me in the herald

today, Copper?

LESTER:

It’s been nothing but war

propaganda all winter. Headline is

about a lumberman who uses his axe

to chop off Confederate heads in

the night. Puts a notch on the

handle for every kill.

DESTINE:

A lumberman?

Jack snatches the paper from Lester and scans the article.

LESTER:

It’s all bollucks. Doesn’t even

give his name.

One of the rowdy gamblers is pushed back into Destine,

hitting her harshly. Jack drops the paper and rises.

BAD JACK:

You spongy maggot-pie!

Jack violently smashes his head into the gamblers nose over

and over until they are both covered in blood and the man

falls limp to the ground. He looks dead.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Get this glock out of my saloon!

Gideon runs up and drags him away. Jack looks at Destine.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Are you alright?

Destine shakes her head “yes.” Jack looks down at his blood

drenched clothes.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

F***ing hell.

Jack strips off his clothes and head upstairs to change.

Destine picks up the Herald and tucks it under her arm.

Lester sits next to Destine. She does not hide her disdain

for him. Her body language is crystal clear.

LESTER:

I’ve never seen Jack go all

deranged for a woman. Not ever.

(MORE)

31.

LESTER (CONT'D)

You got some kind of magical muff

down there?

Lester touches Destine’s hair. She knocks his hand away.

DESTINE:

Don’t you ever touch me, pig.

LESTER:

You have grown confident since Jack

shoveled you up off the streets.

Make no mistake, lass, Bad Jack is

a grizzly bear. It feels safe

behind those deadly fangs of his,

but one day you’ll wake up and

those teeth will be gnawing at your

flesh, eating you alive.

Destine sneers and turns back to the female boxers who

continue beating the piss out of each other.

EXT. ONE MILE OUTSIDE THE UNION CAMP - NIGHT

Kieran is leading a horse though the woods, careful to be

quiet, constantly looking over his shoulder.

CILLIAN:

They hang ya for stealing horses

‘round here.

Kieran sighs seeing Cillian waiting for him with a satchel.

KIERAN:

Don’t try and stop me. I’ve made my

decision.

CILLIAN:

And here I was thinking you had

become a true blue patriot.

KIERAN:

I have no choice. I won’t let my

woman get used up and tossed away

by Bad Jack.

CILLIAN:

You aim to desert then?

KIERAN:

Desert? I am not capable of

desertion. I am not a soldier, I am

a prisoner.

(MORE)

32.

KIERAN (CONT'D)

I have fought every battle beside

you as if I were a member of this

brigade. Have I not earned the

right to go save her? Tell me I do

not deserve that and I will stay.

CILLIAN:

You won’t get ten miles in that

uniform.

Cillian holds out the satchel. Kieran takes it and pulls out

the plain clothes inside. He changes quickly.

CILLIAN (CONT’D)

There’s no point in killing Bad

Jack if his boys are going to put

you down right after. Be smart.

They embrace as brothers. Cillian nods to Kieran’s axe.

CILLIAN (CONT’D)

The story of the lumberman and his

notched axe has become legend.

Careful not to be drawing any

unwanted attention.

KIERAN:

Aye.

Kieran mounts the horse.

CILLIAN:

I’m taking furlough back to my farm

at the end of spring. The address

is in your trouser pocket.

KIERAN:

You’re a farmer?

Cillian slaps the horse’s haunch and Kieran bolts off into

the black night.

INT. BAD JACK’S SUITE - NIGHT

Destine gets out of Jack’s bed, tiptoeing as not to wake him.

She pours herself a large chalice of wine, drinks half the

glass, and fills it up again.

BAD JACK:

Still not comfortable in my bed?

She turns with jump.

33.

DESTINE:

Thirsty is all.

BAD JACK:

Pour me one.

She does and hands him the glass. She sits back against a

window and they look at each other.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Do you want to know how I got the

name Bad Jack?

DESTINE:

From prize fighting?

BAD JACK:

No. It’s a much darker tale.

Jack chugs his wine.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

I never met my mother. She died

during my birth. My father blamed

me. Said I murdered his wife. From

my first breath, and every one

after, the only thing he felt for

me was hate.

For the first time, Destine looks at Jack with pity.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

He would lock me in a cage like an

animal. I was six years old and I’d

been locked up for three days

without being aloud to relieve

myself. I cried for him to let me

out. I held it as long as I could

until I...

Jack hesitates to continue. Destine’s sympathy permits him.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

I pissed and sh*t all over myself.

When he saw, there was no pity,

only shame. He dragged me out by my

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