RONIN Page #30

DEIRDRE:

I don't know. I was thinking...Maybe the

three of us might partner up -- guns for

hire, that sort of thing.

VINCENT:

I'm up for that...

The two of them turn to Sam, but he shakes his head.

SAM:

Not me. You work too often with the same

people and you become friends -- clouds

your judgement.

DEIRDRE:

Come off it, Sam -- if we weren't friends

already we wouldn't be here now, would

we?

VINCENT:

She's got a point.

(playing a trump card)

Besides, I know of a job that's

available.

Sam can't help it -- he's interested.

SAM:

How much does it pay?

SLAM CUT TO:

EXT. OUT ON THE RIVER SEINE - MEANWHILE

SILENCE AND FOG. A RIVER FERRY does a slow ghostly glide

down the river, and in seconds it approaches -

THE RIVERSIDE CAFE, which appears through the mist, looked at

by --

A SLEEK PAIR OF SUN GLASSES attached to a young PUNK in a

leather coat, and the Punk is looking at - Sam, Vincent, and

especially:
Deirdre. Sam looks up and shouts a warning as -

The Punk pulls a shotgun from beneath his leather coat, pumps

the gun and screams out at Deirdre with an Irish accent -

PUNK:

This is for Seamus!

BOOM! The Punk pulls the trigger, a blast of fire as - Sam's

gun is already out, TWO QUICK SHOTS squeezed off and - The

Punk is capped twice in the head, dead, sailing away on the

Ferry which never stops as -

THE CAFE goes wild, CUSTOMERS running, screaming, WAITERS

dropping their trays. But - Sam doesn't run, and neither

does Vincent. Sam stands, stunned by what he sees - Deirdre

lies on the ground, hit full on in the chest: she's dead. A

BEAT OF PURE SILENCE - Broken by SIRENS in the distance, but

quickly growing closer. Now - Vincent looks at Deirdre's

corpse, then at Sam, who is unable to move. For maybe the

first time in his professional career, Sam is staggered by

the loss of a life. Vincent gently takes Sam's arm.

VINCENT:

(soft yet urgent)

We have to go, Sam, we can't be here.

Sam looks at Vincent, and for a moment Sam struggles to find

something to say, but he can't find a goddamned thing. The

SIRENS are getting louder -

VINCENT:

(a little louder, bordering

desperation)

Let's go!!

Vincent literally drags Sam away and now the SIRENS have

arrived, followed quickly by - THE GENDARMES, who come

running into the Cafe but - It's empty except for Deirdre's

body. Now -

THE STREET ABOVE THE RIVER -

Sam and Vincent are running through patchy fog, Vincent

leading the way, and now -

We're CLOSER ON Vincent as he runs and runs and runs until he

feels he's far enough away from the scene of the crime to

relax. He collapses against a stone wall, chest heaving,

shaking out two cigarettes, one for himself and one for Sam.

VINCENT:

(thrusting the cigarettes out to

Sam)

Doctor's orders...

But Sam isn't there to take the cigarette -- Vincent looks

around, trying to see what happened to his friend, but the

fog has covered any sign of Sam. Vincent stands there,

stunned, alone, the cigarettes in an outstretched hand that

slowly falls back to Vincent's side as he realizes that Sam

has left him on purpose. Then - Vincent lights both

cigarettes at the saem time and throws one of them over the

stone wall - THE GLOWING CIGARETTE arcs through the air until

it lands in the river where it extinguishes with a hiss.

VINCENT (O.S.)

Goodbye, Sam...

BACK AT THE CAFE -

The Gendarmes have secured the scene (there isn't much to

secure since everyone has run away). A majority of cops

surround Deirdre's dead body, but - One GENDARME wanders

around the cafe, looking about, and then he sees something -

ON THE STREET ABOVE -

A SHAPE IN THE FOG. The wind blows and the fog clears for a

second, and we see that it's - Sam. Getting one last look at

Deirdre. Quickly - The Gendarme points Sam out but as he

does the wind continues to blow and - THE FOG swallows Sam.

Seconds later the fog clears again, and when it does - Sam is

gone.

FADE OUT.

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