Slow West Page #7

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A group of ten folk sit round the fire. JAY recognises none

of them

(We recognise this posse. They are PAYNE's posse from theridge)

They all look up at JAY

THE KID, SKELLY, PEYOTE JOE, THE MINSTREL, TATTOO MAN

MARIMACHO with the TWO SWEDISH KIDS from the trading post

THE KID stands up, knife in hand itching to leap on JAY and

cut him up

JAY:

What have ye done with SILAS and

PAYNE?

Sitting next to THE KID, SKELLY, oldest of the gang and 2ndin charge after PAYNE

Nudges THE KID

SKELLY:

Back down kid, Payne needs himalive, you’ll get your chance

THE KID reluctantly obeys and sits back down in a huff

JAY confused, not realising he's wandered the wrong way and

entered the wrong camp

JAY:

What have you done with the river?

PEYOTE JOE, bulging crazy eyes from way too much Peyote,

answers JAY with an ominous tone

PEYOTE JOE:

They took it

JAY sits down in the circle of folk, between TATTOO MAN and

PEYOTE JOE:

The SWEDISH GIRL watches him, recognising him from the

trading post

JAY doesn't recognise her

JAY turns to PEYOTE JOE

41.

JAY:

Who took it?

PEYOTE JOE:

Didn’t see their faces

MARIMACHO sees the SWEDISH GIRL stare at JAY

MARIMACHO:

Kid!

The SWEDISH GIRL breaks her stare and obeys MARIMACHO,

crawling under a blanket with her brother

MARIMACHO tucks them in

SKELLY, sitting next to THE KID on the opposite side of thefire to JAY, continues a conversation

SKELLY:

All I’m sayin’ is in my day we

tried to keep out o’ the papers.

You youngsters tryin’ to get in em

makes no sense

THE KID:

And all I’m sayin’, Skell, is I

want folks to respec’ me. What's

the point in dyin’ if nobody knows

you dead. Same goes for killin’

SKELLY spits a gob of chewed tobacco into the fire and looksaround at his audience and clears his throat

SKELLY:

I partnered with a youngling once

upon a time, by the name of Bill

Allson. Dying to be famous,

actually, killing to be famous.

Come to me one time and he said..

44 EXT - WILD WEST STREET - BRIGHT HOT DAY 44

A stereotypical Wild West street, a younger SKELLY (teeth inand shaved) and another man (BILL ALLSON)

BILL ALLSON is cut from the same cloth as THE KID, new

generation cowboy, good-looking, cocky swagger, fame-seeking

The men walk and talk

(SKELLY is still telling the story but the characters mouththe words)

42.

BILL ALLSON (SKELLY'S V.O.)

“I killed thirty men and countlesssavages, and I still ain’t got meno wanted poster”

SKELLY (SARCASTIC)

Where's the justice in that? I says

Its a one horse town and it looks deserted, dream-like

The men approach a makeshift wooden shack, operating as thetown saloon

SKELLY (V.O.)

So I’m thinking, the only way tostop this kid croakin’ more

innocents is to draw up a poster.

Let him find it

A hand draws a wanted poster - BILL ALLISON, WANTED ~$500DEAD OR ALIVE, its a crude poster, badly drawn

45 EXT - WILD WEST STREET - DAY 45

SKELLY hammers up the wanted poster on the outside wall ofthe saloon

SKELLY (V.O.)

The next morning I put the posteroutside the waterin’ hole he was

drownin’ in. Wasn’t long afore he

sees the poster - “BILL ALLSON, 500DOLLARS DEAD OR ALIVE” He yells me

over

BILL ALLSON looking at the poster

BILL ALLSON:

Skelly!

SKELLY (V.O.)

And what he says chills me to thebone

CUT TO:

46 EXT - NIGHT - POSSE CAMP 46

THE KID:

What he say?

SKELLY:

Be a thousand by tomorrow

CUT TO:

43.

47 EXT - OUTSIDE SHACK / BAR - DAY 47

SKELLY crosses the street towards the saloon

SKELLY:

Next morning I go get the poster,

to pin in up the next town. Theposter ain’t there

SKELLY looking at the bit of wall, four corners of the posterremain, the poster ripped down

SKELLY (CONT’D)

I hear a gun shot and a body hitdirt. I spin around and see a meanson-of-a-b*tch leanin’ over a blob

CUT TO:

48 EXT - POSSE CAMP - NIGHT 48

All the posse captivated by SKELLY's story

SKELLY:

I presume this bastard seen theposter, thought it real an’ gunneddown Bill for the reward

CUT TO:

49 EXT - WILD WEST STREET - DAY 49

SKELLY walks to the middle of the street, pulling out his sixshooter without breaking his stride

The man leans over the blob

SKELLY fires, hitting the man in the back

SKELLY (V.O.)

So I walk and I shoot, and BANG, he

falls to his knees and dies

The man is on his knees

CUT TO:

50 EXT - POSSE CAMP - NIGHT 50

JAY lost in the story

SKELLY:

On his knees like he's prayin’ to

be alive again

44.

SKELLY'S tone now sad

SKELLY (CONT’D)

As I walk towards the dear

departed..

CUT TO:

51 EXT - OUTSIDE SALOON - DAY 51

BILL ALLSON staggers out of the saloon

SKELLY:

Bill Allson steps out the saloonacross the street! Alive as you an’I - bottle o’ whiskey in one hand,

the wanted poster in the other

SKELLY steps up to the kneeling dead man

SKELLY (CONT’D)

I step up to the prayin’ dead man

and nudge him with my boot and hefalls, revealin’ a dead lump of fur

and meat

SKELLY kicks over the dead man, revealing a dead black bear

CUT TO:

52 EXT - POSSE CAMP - NIGHT 52

SKELLY:

It was a God-damned black bear

Smiles and shake of heads around the camp fire

SKELLY (CONT’D)

You know what Bill Allson says tome?

TATOO MAN:

What he say?

SKELLY:

He says “you jealous bastard,

trying to get your own poster”

PEYOTE JOE giggles

THE KID does not

THE KID:

Bullshit

MARIMACHO smiles

45.

MARIMACHO:

That's a good ‘un Skelly

Most agree with mumbles

JAY rouses out of the story and the silence sobers him up

He looks around the camp, now alarmed

JAY:

There's been an appallingmisunderstanding. I’m at the wrongcamp!

JAY scrambles to his feet

JAY (CONT’D)

Good night - good riddance

JAY runs off into the darkness

A gentle strum of a banjo and THE MINSTREL begins to sing

THE KID, now standing again, drops his knife into the dirt in

anger

(To the tune of One man went to mow)

THE MINSTREL:

The good Lord brings the rain..

To wash away our troublesThe devil adds the lightningTo show us he's still near

So the good Lord sends some thunderTo warn us of the devil

But devil's gonna blow us all

away..

53

EXT -CAMP IN FOREST BY RIVER - NIGHT 53

JAY returns to his own camp

PAYNE has long gone

SILAS is swaying, drunken, deep in thought

JAY (O.S.)

Silas! There's people in the woods

SILAS turns to JAY

SILAS:

You love her?

JAY:

Who?

46.

SILAS snaps

SILAS:

Rose!

JAY:

Yes

BEAT. SILAS sways

SILAS:

Then go home, kid

JAY stares at SILAS, excitement becomes anger

JAY:

She's mine

SILAS:

She's nobody's

A BEAT then JAY lunges at SILAS

JAY:

Fighting talk

JAY tries to hit SILAS but SILAS just smothers JAY's actionsas he tries to calm him

SILAS:

Shhh!

JAY calms, sobbing

SILAS lays him down on his blanket, like a baby

JAY cries

JAY:

You’re always shushing me!

SILAS:

Cos you’re always running yourmouth off

A loud crack of thunder

JAY'S gun on the ground

Ants are marching into the barrel as the first drops of rain

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