Life Page #9

PIKE:

You just committed suicide, boy.

INT. BORDELLO HALLWAY -- NIGHT

Ray walks slowly down the hallway to Room 13. He is about to

knock when he hears the sound of lovemaking from within.

INT. SYLVIA'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT

Ray opens the door and peeks in. Sylvia's on top and in

charge. Claude is concentrating real hard. Ray smiles to

himself and closes the door.

INT. JUKE JOINT -- NIGHT

Claude hitches up his suspenders as he comes down the stairs.

He finds Ray having a drink at the now-empty bar.

CLAUDE:

Hey, Ray. I've been looking for you.

RAY:

Here I am.

CLAUDE:

Guess we better get going, huh?

RAY:

Still got that ten dollars?

CLAUDE:

Well, not exactly. See, I met this

girl. Real nice girl. God-fearing

girl. Her name's Sylvia.

RAY:

That jelly you were talking to right

here?

CLAUDE:

She's in a tight spot. Her mama needs

this operation, and they ain't got

the money for it. Their church took

up a collection but they were still

short...

RAY:

So you made a generous contribution.

CLAUDE:

What can I say? When the spirit moves

me.

RAY:

That was mighty charitable of you,

Claude. Looks like we both got f***ed

tonight.

CLAUDE:

What are you talking about?

RAY:

While you were upstairs doing God's

work, I was getting jack-legged by a

fool with four threes.

CLAUDE:

You lost all our money in a card

game?

RAY:

He even got my daddy's watch.

CLAUDE:

F*** that cheap-ass watch --

(off Ray's glare)

I mean, how the hell are we gonna

get home without any money?

RAY:

We've still got 36 cases of rum.

That's better than money.

EXT. BACK ALLEY -- NIGHT

Ray and Claude head down the alley.

CLAUDE:

You sure the truck's this way?

(looking over his

shoulder)

I swear it was back that way.

Suddenly, the bloodied figure of Winston Hancock lurches

from the shadows and grabs Claude by the lapels. Claude is

too scared to scream, staggering backward. But the man's

grip loosens and he slips to the ground.

CLAUDE:

(croaking)

Ray... Yo, Ray...!

Ray turns back to find Claude trembling with fear and covered

in blood. He just points down. Ray eyes widen. He kneels

down and turns Winston's body over.

CLAUDE:

I think he's hurt pretty bad.

RAY:

He's dead.

CLAUDE:

Oh, man, I've never seen a dead body

before!

Much to Claude's horror, Ray starts rifling through Winston's

pockets.

CLAUDE:

What do you think you're doing?! The

man's been dead for two seconds!

Don't you have any respect?

RAY:

It ain't here.

CLAUDE:

What ain't there?

RAY:

My daddy's watch. This is the dude I

was telling you about --

Suddenly, the glare of two bright headlights from a pickup

truck freeze Ray and Claude in a guilty tableau. FIVE WHITE

MEN appear at the end of the alley.

MAN WITH LANTERN

What's going on here?

Ray gingerly releases Winston's lifeless body.

MAN WITH LANTERN

What's wrong with that one?

RAY:

Him? He's just drunk.

CLAUDE:

Yeah, nobody puts 'em away like old

what's-his-name.

RAY:

Winston. His name's Winston.

CLAUDE:

Come on, Ray, better get Winston

back to the truck.

Claude and Ray hoist Winston's body to its feet. The man

raises his lantern, takes a closer look at Winston's face.

MAN WITH LANTERN

This fella looks dead.

Ray and Claude check for themselves.

CLAUDE:

Would you look at that, Ray. Winston

up and died on us.

RAY:

Hell with him then. If he can't share

the driving, he can't ride in the

truck.

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