Carnival Page #13

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SHIV (V.O.)

Zodiac’s words come back to hit me

like a punch in the face... “Fate

has a way of correcting itself”.

CUT TO:

EXT. ACE’S NEW HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT

A luxurious RESIDENTIAL COMPOUND in Babylon’s outskirts.

Window lights glow in the mist - bright yellow halos in the

darkness of night.

A few GUARDS patrol the inside perimeter of a PICKET FENCE.

SHIV (V.O.)

I’m supposed to get the product and

be at Ace’s place by midnight to

make the exchange.

Shiv’s shadowy FIGURE slinks toward the house, approaching

its surrounding fence.

86.

SHIV (V.O.)

But instead I show up two hours

early with nothing on me but the

nagging feeling that this is the

night she dies in my arms, just

like in her vision.

He watches the PICKET FENCE from a distance.

Focuses on the light spilling through the cracks. A passing

shadow betrays the position of a sentinel patrolling the

other side.

His eyes follow that shadow as he readies a knife.

Then THROWS --

The blade flies with a furtive whistle --

Slips through a crack in the fence with surgical precision.

And TAKES DOWN the guard on the other side.

LATER:

Shiv jumps over the fence unnoticed, lands without a sound.

Approaches the HOUSE, knives ready.

Spots a GUARD turning from around the corner - DROPS him.

Spots TWO GUARDS on the roof - DROPS them.

KITCHEN:

Three GUARDS playing cards. They hear a noise - turn - spot

Shiv at the door:

One THROW - three KNIVES fly at once - spreading in flight --

Guards go down.

LIVING AREA:

A GUARD watches TV - the light of the tube spilling his

stretched shadow across a fur rug.

A DESK FAN whirs some cool air at him.

Looking THROUGH its spinning BLADES we get intermittent

glimpses of an intruder:

87.

Shiv sneaks along behind the guard’s back. Silent as the

night until -CREAK!

- f***ing floorboard --

The guard turns - reaches for his gun -Shiv

takes aim - no time for a better angle - THROWS -

HIS KNIFE:

Whooshes across the darkened room...

Towards the guard...

Slipping THROUGH the spinning fan blades with perfect timing.

And STABBING into the guard’s chest...

CORRIDOR:

Shiv reaches an elbow, presses his back against the wall.

Holds a KNIFE out, using the blade’s reflection so he can see

around the corner.

Spots an armed GUARD coming his way.

Approaching in 3... 2... 1...

Shiv breaks cover and SLASHES open the guard’s throat.

As he watches him fall to his knees and die...

A GUST of wind blows through an open window - a CURTAIN flows

into view - OBSCURING our sight of Shiv for just one second --

When the curtain retreats, Shiv is GONE.

BASEMENT:

Dark. Dank. Rat-infested.

A high window spills moonlight over ZODIAC, tied by her

wrists to a RUSTED PIPE above her head.

The door WHINES open. Shiv sneaks inside.

She turns, a tad embarrassed. Her face caked with dirt.

88.

ZODIAC:

Tried to leave, but they snatched

me at the train station.

He CUTS her loose. Her knees falter, he CATCHES her.

SHIV:

Don’t worry. You’ll be alright.

ZODIAC:

I know.

SHE TAKES ONE OF HIS KNIVES AND STABS HIM IN THE BACK!

Shiv GASPS for air - takes a few steps back - wide eyed.

He trips and FALLS - bleeding fast - getting weaker.

Unable to read her poker face.

SHIV:

Why did you...?

Ace emerges from the shadows with a victorious grin.

Shiv’s eyelids grow heavy.

His view of them distorts to a BLUR.

Until his mind finally slips into a thick --

BLACKNESS.

FADE IN:

A RAT:

Scurrying along a RUSTED PIPE. Stops. Grinds its SHARP TEETH

together.

INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

Now it’s Shiv the one tied and hanging from the PIPE.

His torn clothes reveal fresh stitches on the cut on his

back. Probably infected. Lousy job.

His eyes flutter open to see:

89.

TIGRA:

Where’s the stash?

SHIV:

I burned it.

She SWINGS her WHIP - it coils in the air like a snake -WHOOSH-

CRACK! - cuts a GASH across Shiv’s chest.

LATER:

Shiv now answers to Ace and his THUGS.

SHIV:

I burned it.

WHAM! - a flying fist SMACKS Shiv’s face hard.

LATER:

Interlude.

Shiv, alone, opens his eyes. Takes in every inch of the room.

Spots TWO RATS darting along the pipe just ABOVE his head.

He SWINGS his body back and forth - back and forth - raises

his legs - tries to CATCH one of the rats between his feet --

But it scurries free at the last second.

LATER:

WHAM! - Ace and his thugs are at it again.

SHIV:

Bring in the fortune teller. She’ll

tell you -

WHAM!

ACE:

Where’s the fun in that?

LATER:

A THUG tries another approach, goes to a corner where Shiv’s

sheathes lie on a chair. Picks a knife.

Then CUTS Shiv’s chest -

90.

But, to his surprise, this seems to relax Shiv.

SHIV (V.O.)

Oh, how I needed that.

WHAM! - back to the punching.

LATER:

Interlude. Shiv SWINGS his body. For some reason, he wants

really badly to catch a rat between his feet.

Misses again.

LATER:

Shiv opens his swollen eyes, finds Zodiac standing in front

of him.

ZODIAC:

Where’s the dope?

He just looks at her, his stare cutting like his knives.

She nods to a couple of THUGS.

They cut Shiv down - he drops to the floor - a bloody mess.

Zodiac takes Shiv’s hands and does a palm reading.

Her eyes go white.

She concentrates really hard. She clenches her teeth. Doesn’t

like what she sees.

She looks up to meet his gaze.

That glare. It’s getting on her nerves.

ZODIAC:

Stop looking at me like that.

You’ve no idea what’s going on or

why I had to do what I did -SHIV

You were the one who figured out

Mirage was a mole.

FLASH TO:

91.

THE BONFIRE:

Mirage holds Zodiac’s hand as they dance - as she SPINS away

from him, her eyes turn white and her smile suddenly DIES.

SHIV (V.O.)

He had everyone fooled but wasn’t

counting on your gift.

TIGRA’S TENT

Tigra GRIPS her whip TIGHTER as she listens to Zodiac talk.

SHIV (V.O.)

So you ratted him out to Tigra who

then ratted him out to the Black

Rose.

CARNIVAL - PARKING LOT

Mirage starts a TRUCK.

SHIV (V.O.)

She sent him on an errand knowing

pretty well he’d never come back.

From the distance, Tigra watches the truck about to take off

when... Brake lights. The truck stops. Ayleen comes running

over and hops into the passenger’s side.

She frowns. This wasn’t in the plans but:

SHIV (V.O.)

She didn’t give a damn if something

happened to my sister as well.

Zodiac joins Tigra, sees the parting truck. Trades an uneasy

glance with Tigra. They watch the truck leave as...

SHIV (V.O.)

And neither did you.

ROAD TO BABYLON:

Zodiac’s hands feel the tire tracks on the dirt.

SHIV (V.O.)

You helped me find the body to get

me off your back and go back to

ignoring me as soon as possible.

92.

ZODIAC’S TRAILER

Tigra takes Zodiac’s face in her hands.

SHIV (V.O.)

But then Tigra bullied you into

helping her take down Kayne.

CARNIE TRUCK:

Zodiac rides shotgun as Shiv drives.

SHIV (V.O.)

And you found yourself by my side

once again. Getting closer.

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