Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Page #11

DUKE and GONZO run down the corridor. GONZO LAUGHS WILDLY.

GONZO:

Spooked! They were spooked! Like

rats in a death cage!

INT. MINT HOTEL SUITE - DAY

DUKE and GONZO CRASH into their hotel suite -- BOLT THE DOOR.

GONZO stops laughing.

GONZO:

Goddamn. It's serious now. That

girl understood. She fell in love

with me.

END FLASHBACK.

43.

INT. MINT HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT

SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! GONZO with the BIG HUNTING KNIFE --

sliced grapefruit segments everywhere.

GONZO:

Let's go up there and castrate that

f***er!

GONZO pauses -- A MAD THOUGHT -- turns to DUKE.

GONZO:

(squinting suspiciously)

Have you made a deal with him? Did

you put him on to her?

DUKE:

(backing slowly

towards the door)

Look you better put that blade away

and get your head straight. I have

to put the car in the lot.

DUKE (V/O)

One of the things you learn, after

years of dealing with drug people,

is that you can turn your back on a

person, but never turn your back on

a drug. Especially when it's

waving a razor-sharp hunting knife

in your eyes.

INT. CASINO/LOBBY MINT HOTEL

The MAGAZINE REPORTER is on the telephone.

MAGAZINE REPORTER

Las Vegas at dawn. The racers are

still asleep, the dust is still on

the desert, fifty thousand dollars

in prize money, slumbers darkly in

the office safe at Del Webb's

fabulous Mint Hotel...

DUKE walks past the REPORTER -- into THE CASINO, THE SAD,

MEAGRE CROWDS AROUND THE CRAP TABLES. No joy. DUKE watches.

DUKE (V/O)

Who are these people? These faces!

Where do they come from? They look

like caricatures of used car

dealers from Dallas.

(MORE)

44.

DUKE (V/O; CONT'D)

And, sweet Jesus, there are a hell

of a lot of them at four-thirty on

a Monday morning. Still humping

the American dream, that vision of

the big winner somehow emerging

from the last minute predawn chaos

of a stale Vegas casino.

DUKE stops at the Money Wheel, puts down a two dollar bill

on a number, the wheel turns, he loses.

DUKE:

You bastards!

DUKE (V/O)

No. Calm down. Learn to ENJOY

losing.

INT. MINT HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT

DUKE walks back into the room. We hear the LOUD STRAINS OF

THREE DOG NIGHT'S "JOY TO THE WORLD."

He walks to the bathroom and opens the door.

INT. MINT HOTEL SUITE BATHROOM - NIGHT

Submerged in green water, GONZO WALLOWS in the steaming tub.

Soap labels and grapefruit rinds float on the surface. A

large empty pack of Neutrogena soap lies on the floor. The

shower is on -- the tub overflowing. THE TAPE RECORDER

PLAYS, from where it's plugged into the razor socket over

the sink.

DUKE turns off the shower -- notices a HUGE HUNK OF CHEWED

UP WHITE BLOTTER.

DUKE:

You ate ALL THIS ACID?

No answer.

DUKE:

(turning down the volume)

You evil son of a b*tch. You

better hope there's some Thorazine

in that bag, because if there's

not, you're in bad trouble.

GONZO:

Music! Turn it up. Put that tape

on.

45.

DUKE:

What tape?

GONZO:

Jefferson Airplane. "White Rabbit."

I want a rising sound.

DUKE:

You're doomed. I'm leaving here in

two hours and then they're going to

come up here and beat the mortal

sh*t out of you with big saps.

Right there in that tub.

GONZO:

I dig my own graves. Green water

and the White Rabbit. Put it on.

DUKE:

OK. But do me one last favor, will

you. Can you give me two hours?

That's all I ask -- just two hours

to sleep before tomorrow. I

suspect it's going to be a very

difficult day.

He switches on the tape. "WHITE RABBIT" begins to build.

GONZO:

(coolly)

Of course, I'm your attorney, I'll

give you all the time you need, at

my normal rates:
$45 an hour -- but

you'll be wanting a cushion, so,

why don't you just lay one of those

$100 bills down there beside the

radio, and f*** off?

DUKE:

How about a check?

GONZO:

Whatever's right.

DUKE moves the radio as far from the tub as he can and

leaves, closing the door behind him.

INT. MINT HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT

DUKE goes across to the sofa and crashes -- exhausted.

Suddenly a great ripping and crashing noise in the bathroom.

GONZO (V/O)

Help! You bastard! I need help!

46.

DUKE JUMPS up -- crosses to the bathroom door, muttering.

DUKE:

Sh*t, he's killing himself!

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

DUKE RUSHES IN. GONZO flails -- trying to reach the radio

with the shower curtain pole which he has ripped from its

mounts.

GONZO:

(snarling)

I want that f***ing radio!

DUKE GRABS THE RADIO.

DUKE:

Don't touch it! Get back in that

tub!

GONZO:

Back the tape up. I need it again!

Let it roll! Just as high as the

f***er can go! And when it comes

to that fantastic note where the

rabbit bites its own head off, I

want you to THROW THAT F***ING

RADIO INTO THE TUB WITH ME!

DUKE stares down at GONZO.

DUKE:

Not me. It would blast you through

the wall -- stone dead in ten

seconds and they'd make me explain

it!

GONZO:

BULLSHIT! Don't make me use this.

HIS ARM LASHES OUT OF THE WATER, HOLDING THE KNIFE.

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