Carnival Page #14

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SHOWERS:

Zodiac joins Shiv at the shower.

SHIV (V.O.)

And closer.

SHIV’S TRAILER

Zodiac and Shiv in bed.

SHIV (V.O.)

And closer.

MIDWAY:

Shiv listens to Zodiac.

SHIV (V.O.)

You tried to talk me out of going

after Ace in order to stop the war.

To stop your vision from happening.

I didn’t budge, true -

He hands her the train ticket.

SHIV (V.O.)

But I gave you a ticket out. Yet

doubt was eating you alive because

of what you had told me before:

93.

CARNIE TRUCK:

Zodiac talks MOS, mouthing exactly:

SHIV (V.O.)

“Fate has a way of correcting

itself.”

TIGRA’S TENT

Zodiac hands the train ticket to Tigra.

SHIV (V.O.)

You’re the scorpion on the frog and

you had to sting. You helped them

weave the web I’m now caught in.

BACK TO:

BASEMENT:

Zodiac listens to every word.

SHIV:

All to make sure I don’t kill Ace,

that there won’t be a war, and that

you won’t get killed in it. But

when you just read my hands you

couldn’t find the stash, because

there was one vision blocking out

everything else:
you still die. And

now that you betrayed me, you

figured out who’s the killer: me.

(then)

What did I miss?

ZODIAC:

What we had... it was real.

SHIV:

Whores don’t count.

ZODIAC:

(to the thugs)

Make sure those ropes are tight.

LATER:

Ropes are tight.

WHAM!

94.

LATER:

Interlude. Shiv is alone once again.

His eyes fixed on a RAT scurrying along the PIPE.

He SWINGS his body - raises his legs - and this time:

Success!

His legs swing back down - a squirming RAT now trapped

between his feet.

He brings his legs up again so his tied HANDS take the rat.

CRACK! - he SNAPS the rodent’s neck.

And then uses the rat’s sharp incisors to SCRAPE the rope

binding his wrists.

LATER:

Bare feet hit the ground -Shiv

is FREE.

He goes to get his knife sheaths.

CUT TO:

EXT. ACE’S NEW HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT

Ace RUNS for his life - thugs dropping dead all around him -

a SHITSTORM of flying knives coming hard at them -Thugs

FIRE blindly behind their backs - but they keep getting

hit - blades WHIZ out from the blackness - as if thrown by

the night itself -

Ace blasts through the PICKET FENCE’s gate.

A thug CLOSES it and makes a stand.

But Shiv HURLS knives at the thug’s legs - brings him down

screaming to his knees as -Shiv

LEAPS onto the goon’s back...

Hurtling himself into the air...

Flying over the fence...

95.

On course to pounce on the fleeing Ace...

Unsheathing TWO KNIVES in mid-flight... like a falcon

readying its claws to dive for prey...

Ace turns... spots Shiv... realizing this is the last thing

he’ll ever see -SWASH!

- Shiv STABS Ace in the back with BOTH BLADES.

Ace GASPS.

And then, with his last breath:

ACE:

You’ve no idea who you’re messing

with. The Thorn will -

Shiv yanks the knives out - shutting him up as we -CUT

TO:

ZODIAC:

Breathing hard with her eyes milk white. Bad vision.

EXT. THE CARNIVAL - ROAD - NIGHT

She stands in the middle of the road, facing the distant CITY

LIGHTS. The moon hangs low in the sky, rising BLOOD RED.

Tigra joins her, growing concerned as well.

TIGRA:

What is it? What’s wrong?

ZODIAC:

Everything.

DESERT MOUNTAIN RETREAT (VISION)

In his study, The Thorn hands out WOODEN BOXES to FIVE Black

Rose LIEUTENANTS.

ZODIAC (V.O.)

The Thorn put a bounty on our

heads. The reward is Ace’s

position.

Lieutenants open the boxes, finding ROSE CLIPPERS inside.

96.

ZODIAC (V.O.)

Shiv merely cut one rose...

They all take the clippers without hesitation.

ZODIAC (V.O.)

There are many others in the bush.

CUT TO:

EXT. TRAILER AREA - NIGHT

A circus CROWD gathers in awe to watch Shiv’s return.

He paces along without a word, dragging Ace’s DEAD BODY.

Zodiac and Tigra can’t believe their eyes.

Tigra steps in his way, making him stop. They trade hard

stares.

TIGRA:

You brought war upon us -SHIV

You started this mess. Take some

responsibility -TIGRA

I don’t answer to you, brat -SLING!

- Shiv unsheathes a KNIFE --

Tigra UNFURLS her WHIP -Zodiac

opens her deck of cards in a FAN --

Sh*t about to get ugly when:

DANTE (O.S.)

ENOUGH!

Dante steps between them to prevent the fight.

DANTE:

The Black Rose is coming! You think

we can survive a full scale attack

if we don’t stand together?

Goliath steps in as well.

97.

GOLIATH:

He’s right.

(spits tobacco)

Group hug. Now.

Shiv SHEATHES his knife. Shoots one last look at Tigra and

Zodiac. And then continues on his way.

EXT. THE CARNIVAL - OUTSKIRTS - NIGHT

Shiv drops Ace’s body into the remaining empty grave.

Starts shoveling dirt.

The three graves he dug are now filled.

LATER:

Shiv has just finished digging a NEW GRAVE.

He throws the shovel and walks away.

ZODIAC AND TIGRA

Watch from the distance with a chill running down their

spines. They look at each other. Which one will it be?

CUT TO:

EXT. THE CARNIVAL - ROAD - NIGHT

Shiv stands just outside the carnival grounds, checking on

Zodiac as she feels the road with her hands.

Her eyes are rolled back. She’s seeing something. Something

disturbing.

ZODIAC:

They’re coming.

SHIV:

How many?

ZODIAC:

An army.

98.

POLICE STATION (VISION)

SCUMBAGS pour out the front door and jump onto a couple of

CHEVY PICKUP trucks waiting for them.

ZODIAC (V.O.)

They emptied the jails.

As they do, a Black Rose LIEUTENANT with a MISSING FINGER

hands them MOLOTOV COCKTAILS.

SLUMS (VISION)

Two LIEUTENANTS with missing fingers distribute KNIVES and

GUNS to the HOODLUMS jumping onto the bed of two CHEVY

PICKUPS.

ZODIAC (V.O.)

Gutters.

DINGY DRUG DEN (VISION)

Another LIEUTENANT with a missing finger hands BATS and

CHAINS to the METH HEADS hopping onto two more CHEVYS.

ZODIAC (V.O.)

Crack houses.

CARNIVAL ROAD:

Shiv turns to go -

SHIV:

I’ll warn the rest.

ZODIAC:

Shiv.

He stops.

ZODIAC:

I’m sorry.

SHIV:

No, you’re not. But you will be.

ZODIAC:

Tigra won’t wait for you make the

first move. She’ll try to kill you

first.

99.

SHIV:

I know.

ZODIAC:

I could be your eyes again. I could

help you.

He LEAVES without another word.

Off Zodiac, sensing the walls of Fate closing in on her...

CUT TO:

EXT. THE CARNIVAL - NIGHT

Closed to the public. Lights out. The night is quiet as the

calm before the storm.

BACKSTAGE TENT:

Shiv gets ready, sheathing knives. We’ve never seen him

carrying so many.

ZODIAC’S TRAILER

Zodiac downs a glass of scotch and then picks her TAROT

CARDS.

MIDWAY:

Tigra marches along, whip in hand, followed by a squad of

burly ROUSTABOUTS carrying WOOD PLANKS and TIRE IRONS.

A general leading the troops.

PERFORMANCE RING

Goliath unhooks a nasty TOW CHAIN from a TRUCK.

BACKSTAGE TENT:

Dante and Marion grab their TORCHES and FUEL BOTTLES.

ROAD TO BABYLON:

Headlights glow in the distance. The Black Rose is coming.

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