Silverado Page #10

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EXT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAWN

Langston hurries up the street after the Stable Boy.

INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAWN

Deputy Block bolts the front door.

PADEN (O.S.)

(shouting)

Hey! What are you doing, you crazy

kid? Don't do it!

Block draws his six-gun and edges suspiciously toward the

door to the cellblock.

PADEN (O.S.)

Oh, Jesus! Somebody stop him!

Block turns the doorknob and pushes the door open with his

foot, gun ready. He moves into the cellblock.

INT. CELLBLOCK - DAWN

Block moves cautiously to where he can see the cells. A

strange look crosses his face.

Jake is hanging by the neck from the overhead bars, two belts

forming the noose, his head at a disgusting angle from his

body. One foot gives a final twitch and he is still.

PADEN:

Cut him down! For God's sake, cut

him down!

Block is confused, uncertain. He doesn't want to go in there.

PADEN:

Hurry up! You might be able to save

him!

BLOCK:

What for? So we can hang him?

Paden, sincerely desperate now, looks up at Jake, whose face

is turning blue.

PADEN:

I think I'm going to be sick... when

I see what Langston does to you when

he gets here.

Block lets it sink in, then takes some keys from his belt.

BLOCK:

(to Paden)

You get way back there.

Paden moves back quickly, motioning for Block to hurry. Block

holsters his six-gun, opens Jake's cell door, and goes inside.

He gets up on the cot, pulling a knife from a sheath. He

strains up against Jake's body, stretching to cut the belt.

Suddenly Jake can stand it no longer: he sputters to life,

his long-held breath blasting in Block's face. Block,

startled, stumbles backwards off the cot, raising the knife

threateningly. Jake grabs the overhead bars, swings up, and

kicks Block in the chest. The deputy careens across the cell

and hits the bars. He throws the knife outside the cell and

draws his gun, ready to shoot Jake.

As Block's finger pulls the trigger, Paden's thumb intrudes

between the hammer and the firing pin. Paden has reached

through the bars behind Block to grasp the gun with his right

hand. Now with his left he grabs a handful of Block's hair

and slams the deputy's head hard back against the bars. As

Block slides unconscious to the floor, Paden keeps the gun,

wincingly uncocking it.

PADEN:

Got to be real quiet here.

Jake has unhooked himself and is freeing his makeshift noose.

He rubs his reddened neck.

JAKE:

(a hoarse whisper)

Right.

EXT. GALLOWS - DAWN

Langston huffs to a stop next to the Stable Boy, his

countenance a picture of outraged befuddlement. He, the Stable

Boy, and just one other surprised citizen are the only

witnesses:
the gallows is aflame, burning like a pyre.

Langston considers this phenomenon, a suspicion slowly growing

in his mind.

EXT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAWN

Paden and Jake come out warily. The street is deserted. Paden

straps his holster on; he's glad to have it back at last.

Not as glad, however, as Jake, who seems to have a nearly

religious relationship with his rig, an elaborately tooled,

double gunbelt with two pearl-handled Colts.

JAKE:

That's the longest I ever did it.

'Bout bust a gut.

PADEN:

(finger to lips:

"quiet")

What now?

JAKE:

We wait.

The two men move carefully off the porch and into the street.

A wood stair goes up the outside of the jail to a door. Now,

high behind Jake, Deputy Kern comes out, nightshirt flapping,

cocking the carbine in his hands. He has thumped down five

steps before he focuses on Jake and Paden. He starts to raise

the carbine.

Both men see the deputy, but Jake's reaction is so fast that

Paden need only watch. Jake spins and, before he has stopped,

both his Colts are erupting in his hands. The carbine flies

out of Kern's grasp and clatters down the steps. Jake

continues to fire -- the stair at Kern's foot splinters and

he steps backwards and up. Jake continues to splinter the

steps at Kern's feet, until he has made the deputy exactly

retrace his steps and retreat back through the door. The

firing stops.

Paden gives Jake an odd look. Paden may have seen someone

this fast and good before, but he can't remember it. He puts

his finger to his lips -- "shhh".

PADEN:

Where's your brother?

JAKE:

(reloading fast)

He'll be here.

A bullet WHIZZES between the two men as we hear shots from

the far end of the street. Langston is coming toward them

firing. They move back to the cover of the jail porch.

ALLEY ACROSS THE STREET. Emmett roars into view, riding his

horse and leading two others: Paden's bay and the pinto.

A window above the jail breaks open and Kern starts firing

at Emmett.

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