Carnival Page #5

---

PARKING LOT:

Zodiac comes out of her trance.

ZODIAC:

Flowers were bought in a flower

shop downtown. “Elysian Fields”.

SHIV:

I’m driving.

As they climb into the truck...

A hand GRABS Dante’s hand -He

turns, finds Marion standing right in front of him.

29.

Shiv notices how she takes off his mask... how he turns his

back so nobody but her can see his face... how she kisses him

without caring about his charred facial skin...

Shiv keeps staring, mesmerized, as we -

CUT TO:

EXT. BABYLON STREET - NIGHT

The CARNIE TRUCK weaves along traffic, speeding past shinny

SPORTS CARS, BUZZING CASINOS and loud TITTY BARS.

The ugly and rusted vehicle contrasting with vibrant

surroundings that ooze luxury and sensuality.

TRUCK’S BED

Dante and Goliath sit side by side.

Dante’s eyes take in his surroundings with careful scrutiny.

City lights reflect off his polished mask, caressing the

white porcelain ceramic with a multicolored splash.

Goliath chews tobacco. Turns to the sound of THUMPING MUSIC

booming from:

Two spoiled PARTY GIRLS in a shiny CONVERTIBLE, driving by

the truck’s side. They notice Goliath and shamelessly check

out his muscled body.

He stares back with a smile, CONTRACTING and RELAXING his

right bicep rhythmically, “dancing” to the beat of the music.

The driver turns down the volume - Goliath’s bicep FREEZES.

She turns up the volume - the bicep resumes its “dance”.

Girls GIGGLE and drive off.

Still smiling, Goliath turns to Dante, taking in his somber

expression.

GOLIATH:

Something wrong, friend?

DANTE:

Just a feeling.

GOLIATH:

What feeling?

30.

DANTE:

That there’s something the Fortune

Teller isn’t telling us.

(then)

Or is it just me?

GOLIATH:

Doesn’t matter. If you’re worried,

I’m worried.

DANTE:

(smiles)

That’s why I got you on the team.

TRUCK’S CABIN

Shiv drives. Zodiac rides shotgun, still holding the BLACK

ROSE.

SHIV:

(re:
the flower)

Give it another try. Maybe you can

pick up something else.

ZODIAC:

Doesn’t work like that. I can’t

push it so much.

SHIV:

How does it work?

ZODIAC:

Sometimes I see too little.

Sometimes, too much. Sometimes

visions come to me in dreams.

Sometimes, when I’m awake. It can

be triggered by touching something

or someone, by reading palm lines,

or for no reason at all.

(bottom line:
)

I’ve no idea how it works.

She hands the flower back to him. But he doesn’t take it.

SHIV:

Keep it. It’s for you.

ZODIAC:

(chuckles)

You’re giving me a flower?

She casually throws the flower out the window -

31.

THE ROSE:

Falls to the pavement... rolls to a stop by a GUTTER.

TRUCK’S CABIN

She lights a JOINT.

Off Shiv’s look:

ZODIAC:

What? Want me to smile? Tell you

you’re sweet? Get your hopes up in

vain? That would be cruel.

Off Shiv, trying to process her twisted logic...

CUT TO:

EXT. “ELYSIAN FIELDS” - NIGHT

Flowers on display are a spatter of color against the dull

greys of this grimy block.

A FLOWER SHOP in a quiet part of town.

The CARNIE TRUCK pulls up into view. Shiv’s circus flier

glued to its side.

INT. ELYSIAN FIELDS - LATER

Shiv stands before the OWNER (60s), a man with a glass eye

and a charming smile. He inspects the black rose Shiv just

gave him.

OWNER:

Of course it’s ours. Our baccaras

are a very dark shade of red,

actually. But we deepen their color

with a unique burning method -

SHIV:

I need to know who bought it.

OWNER:

Many customers buy these.

SHIV:

Let’s start with the last batch you

sold.

32.

OWNER:

Oh, he’s a regular. He’s supposed

to pick an order tonight. Wait a

second.

The sweet old man reaches under the counter, looking for

something. He keeps smiling his charming smile as:

He takes out a SHOTGUN and aims it right at Shiv’s face.

OWNER:

I’m sure he’ll be most pleased to

meet you.

INT. GREENHOUSE - NIGHT

Moonbeams slice through the dark. Shiv, at gunpoint, enters

the greenhouse located in the shop’s BACKYARD.

The owner’s HELPER (30s) watches in silence while operating a

PULLEY that opens the GLASS SKYLIGHTS in the ceiling.

EXT. “ELYSIAN FIELDS” - NIGHT

Goliath and Dante sit on the truck’s bed, waiting for Shiv to

come out. But instead they see:

Two BLACK HUMMER TRUCKS pull up in front of the shop.

DANTE:

Not good.

INT. GREENHOUSE - NIGHT

Shiv watches as ten THUGS enter the greenhouse. Piercings on

their skin. GLOCKS in their pants.

Their leader, DOUG (50s) is the one with most piercings of

the group - even the ROTTWEILER he’s got on a CHAIN LEASH has

f***ing piercings.

Drool hangs from deadly canine teeth - the dog lets out a

deep guttural GROWL, hungry for some Shiv.

DOUG:

Damn, it’s just a kid. How’d you

find this place, boy?

SHIV:

You the hitman?

33.

DOUG:

We hold the guns. We ask the

questions.

SHIV:

I need to know who did the magician

and his girl.

DOUG:

Alright. Let’s start again.

(to one of the thugs)

Shoot him in the knee.

The THUG takes out his gun, about to fire when -Shiv

HURLS a KNIFE.

It flies - CUTS the pulley’s rope - SKYLIGHTS close too fast:

CRASH! - SHOWER OF GLASS!

Shiv DIVES under a table for cover as -Deadly

GLASS SHARDS rain over the goons.

Stabbing.

Screaming.

Doug hits the floor with a sharp SHARD OF GLASS stuck into

his back - his hand LETS GO of the leash -

The ROTTWEILER starts after Shiv - BARKING - flashing teeth

sharp like knives - its CHAIN LEASH thrashing behind its back

like an angry snake -

Shiv sees it coming - no time to run - raises the table as a

SHIELD -THUD!

- the rottweiler SLAMS against the wood - knocks Shiv

down as -

In a FLASH - Shiv grabs the leash - STABS a knife through a

chain link - PINS the chain against the wooden floor - ROLLS

out of the way - the ROTTWEILER going after him again but --

The leash goes TAUT - stops the dog - its POWERFUL JAW snaps

shut millimeters away from Shiv’s face as -Injured

SURVIVORS turn their guns to Shiv -But

he melts into the shadows. Gone.

34.

They SPLIT. Prowl the darkened aisles. Moonlight glinting off

polished silencers. Where is he?

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! - a knife comes flying from the darkness -

SWASH! - stabs into a thug’s neck -A

fleeting GLIMPSE of Shiv - melting back into the shadows

like a ghost.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! - there comes another one - SWASH! - another

thug goes down -PANIC!

- everyone FIRES blindly into the dark - flower POTS

blown to FLYING PIECES -

Muzzle FLASHES create a STROBE EFFECT as we get glimpses of:

Flower petals floating in the air.

Shiv THROWS blade after blade after blade -Flying

knives SLICE flowers on their way to their targets...

Stabbing backs... throats... chests...

Foes falling one by one... victory is close...

But then the shop’s OWNER spots Shiv -BOOM!

- fires his shotgun - Shiv DIVES out of the way --

KACHUNK-BOOM! - he reloads and FIRES - Shiv DUCKS --

KACHUNK-BOOM! - flower pots EXPLODING --

KACHUNK-BOOM! - Shiv running for his life -Enter

GOLIATH - SWINGING his tow chain --

The HOOK flies in a wide arc...

CRASHING through a flower pot... two flower pots... three

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote