Reindeer Games Page #29

Merlin frowns, takes a suspicious look around the room. The

window's open. Rudy continues his card game.

Merlin watches him for a long time. Then pulls the door shut.

Once he's gone, Rudy collapses to the floor. Breathing hard,

heart pounding. The cards go flying.

INT. RUDY'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

The LIGHTS go out. Rudy creeps back to the window, checks

outside... and stops still. In parking lot...

...a cigarette glow burns inside the Nova. From the driver's

seat. It's Merlin. Now watching.

Rudy steps back into the shadows. Closing window and watches

the falling snow. Caged again, after all.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. RUDY'S ROOM - NIGHT - LATER

Pitch dark. Rudy asleep on the floor, as Ashley creeps back

in.

Seeing he's asleep, she lies beside him, pulls a blanket

over them both, nestles into his body and kisses him.

ASHLEY:

Merry Christmas-Eve, my love. My

love, my love. Merry Christmas-Eve...

Ashley closes her eyes. With a smile.

A moment later, Rudy's eyes open. Turning to look at her

smiling, sleeping face... with a convict's vengeful stare...

INT. KNIGHTS INN LOBBY - DAY

CLOSE ON DESK CLERK

In a elfin cap, smiling cheerfully:

SMILING DESK CLERK

Hello, gentlemen. And how can we

help you on this holiday morning?

CLOSE ON GABRIEL, MERLIN AND PUG

Three grim faces.

GABRIEL:

Checking out.

EXT. KNIGHTS INN PARKING LOT - DAY

The three truckers stride to the Nova, where Jumpy guards

Rudy and Ashley. In the b.g., the Ice Fishermen are by their

car, wondering how the hell it switched parking spaces

overnight.

Gabriel marches straight to Rudy and SLUGS him in the gut.

Rudy hits the snow --

ASHLEY:

Gabriel!

GABRIEL:

That's for the hundred bucks worth

of pay-per-view.

(then KICKS him)

And that's for the two hundred you

took outta your minibar.

RUDY:

(chokes, pained)

You guys were paying for the room, I

just figured --

Gabriel KICKS him again, then pulls a handgun, points it at

Rudy's head. Ashley screams, rushes him --

-- as Gabriel's gun SHOOTS a thin stream of water into Rudy's

face.

It's a forty-five caliber squirt gun.

GABRIEL:

(cruel smile)

You wanted a weapon, convict? You

got one.

Gabriel tosses the water pistol onto Rudy's chest. Jumpy and

Pug haul him up. With venom:

GABRIEL:

Merry Christmas-Eve.

EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY

The Motor City Monster cruises the snowy landscape, with

Lake Superior beyond. Pug drives the Nova in convoy.

INT. GABRIEL'S RIG

Gabriel hands copies of Rudy's sketched map to Merlin and

Jumpy.

Rudy and Ashley are in the sleeper.

GABRIEL:

Commit this thing to memory. Every

guard, every exit... don't tape it

to your f***in, wrist: remember it.

That's the Gospel right there. The

Gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke and

John...

Rudy watches them studying his made-up map. Ashley strokes

his arm, gives a loving smile. Rudy stares at her.

He smiles right back.

EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY

The rig and the Nova blow by a roadsign: "Now Entering

Powahachee Indian Reservation Lands."

INT./EXT. TRAILER DAY - PREPARATION MONTAGE

The storage locker with the Santa suits SLAMS open.

Merlin's hands PULL automatics and shotguns from the weapons

chest. Pug's hands UNLOAD ammo.

A red-and-white Santa coat gets PULLED ON and BUTTONED UP.

Jumpy's hands apportion GUNS and AMMO on a picnic table.

Black Santa boots STAMP TIGHT in the snow.

A shoulder-strap ASSAULT RIFLE gets hidden under a Santa

coat.

AMMO CLIPS are taped inside a fat black buckle-belt.

A HANDGUN gets tucked under a Santa hat.

And the rig's trailer doors come CRASHING SHUT.

EXT. LAKESIDE REST AREA - DUSK

Lake Superior shimmers in the dying light. The rig's in the

empty rest area lot. On a nearby bank, four men in Santa

Claus suits and one woman without sit scattered at picnic

tables, guns at their sides. Staring out at the lake.

RUDY AND ASHLEY:

sit apart from the rest. Rudy in a red suit, black boots,

cap in hand. Ashley's head is in his lap, watching the sky.

ASHLEY:

Where should we go, Nick? When we're

gone from here... where should we

go...

The Nova drives into the lot. Pug gets out, carrying several

fast-food bags. Hurrying to stay warm:

PUG (O.S.)

Okay, who had the cheeseburger with

bacon; what about a roast beef, I've

got two roast beefs here --

JUMPY (O.S.)

Cheeseburger 'n bacon's mine --

MERLIN (O.S.)

I got a bacon too; there another

bacon in there?

PUG (O.S.)

I got a bacon for him and a bacon

for me; there's four cheeseburgers

and two roast beefs --

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