[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[HoE] Deadlands: From the Ashes: "A Savage Race"
DEADLANDS: FROM THE ASHES
"A Savage Race"
TEASER
FADE IN:
EXT. HIGHWAY
where our favorite group of refugees is trudging west. A short distance
behind, Levi slowly guides his tractor over the broken surface of the
highway. An improvised flatbed on the rear of the tractor carries some of
the refugees. A beat to establish, then
ELIAS
Levi!
ELIAS enters frame, waving down LEVI. Levi pulls the long-nose to a stop,
and leans out his window. Levi and Elias both shout to be heard over the
engine.
LEVI
Yeah?
ELIAS
We've spotted a town on the
North horizon. I want you to
take a few people and check it
out. We need food and rest.
Badly.
LEVI
You got that right. Get these
people out of the flatbed, though.
Neighbors ain't always neighborly
these days, and I don't want to
worry about 'em.
ELIAS
What about Gerry?
LEVI
He's staying up here with me.
I'm not letting that kid out of my
sight.
Elias smiles and moves toward the rear of the vehicle. Levi bellows
LEVI
Jarrod! Grant! Bart!
(beat)
Saddle up!
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTLEMENT WALL
A mish mash of metallic bits- mostly car parts. As Levi pulls his truck up
to a gap in the wall, an armed man steps out from behind the wall into the
gap. The rifle he's carrying is pointed at Levi's head.
Levi stops the truck.
SENTRY
Step out of the truck!
Levi complies, as do BART, GRANT, and JARROD.
SENTRY
Advance and be recognized!
Another sentry steps from the other side of the gap, gun slung at his side.
He doesn't appear ready for action: his long, many-knuckled fingers are
wrapped up in knots. As he approaches the posse, he rapidly untangles his
digits. Call him FINGERS.
FINGERS
(to sentry)
Ease off, buddy. The army hasn't
paid you in years.
Sentry loosens up a bit- but only a bit.
FINGERS
Welcome to-
(beat)
umm...
(beat)
Welcome to our town. What's
your business?
JARROD
We need food and a place to rest.
We're willing to trade for it.
FINGERS
I don't think that'll be a problem.
JARROD
For about forty people?
Fingers stares at Jarrod for a beat, and we
CUT TO:
INT. SETTLEMENT
as Levi, Jarrod, Grant, and Bart walk in. The improvised structures are
built of similar stuff to the wall- discarded car parts.
JARROD
(quietly)
They must be scrounging from the
highw-
Whereupon Jarrod is interrupted by a hail from the shadows of a building's
entrance. The speaker is Jim CRABTREE.
CRABTREE
Mallery. Jarrod Eliot Mallery. Been
a long time since I've seen a Templar
out this way.
Jarrod- currently clothed in rags- shuts up and looks up. We hold on his
confusion for a beat, and
FADE OUT
END TEASER
ACT I
FADE IN:
EXT. CRABTREE'S PLACE
as our heroes approach Crabtree.
JARROD
Jim? Jim Crabtree?
CRABTREE
You never were very good at that
part. The disguises, I mean.
Crabtree steps out of the shadows, revealing his Templar's tabard. It,
along with the rest of his clothing, is stained, torn, and generally beat
to hell. Despite all of that, it still carries a certain majesty. The
Maltese cross of the Templars is still a rich, blood red.
Jarrod laughs out loud and takes Crabtree in a rough embrace. A beat
passes, and Crabtree disengages.
JARROD
You never told me that part was
important! You taught me to fight,
to judge, and to die, but never how
to hide the damn cross right!
As Grant, Bart, and Levi look on astonished, Crabtree grins.
CRABTREE
Ingrate. C'mon in.
As Crabtree leads the group into the makeshift building behind him, we
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY
as Levi and company return. Jarrod isn't with them. Elias meets the group
as they debark from Levi's truck.
ELIAS
I hope you have good news for
me.
GRANT
Yes. It seems as if Jarrod has
an old friend out there.
ELIAS
Oh?
GRANT
An old Templar friend. From the
sounds of it, he was Jarrod's men-
tor. Which means Jarrod's a Templar,
too.
ELIAS
I know.
LEVI
You knew?
ELIAS
It was his business.
CUT TO:
INT. CRABTREE'S PLACE
as Crabtree speaks to Jarrod.
CRABTREE
(grimly)
Gateway went down, then.
JARROD
Yeah.
CRABTREE
(sighs)
That's going to make things hard.
We traded with Gateway for a lot
of our food. We're gonna have to find
another source.
JARROD
And you're still willing to trade some
of it back to us?
CRABTREE
It's only right. We got a lot of it from
you to begin with. Besides, with things
as bad as they are now, we all have to
look out for each other.
Crabtree sighs heavily, and stands. He moves to a window, and looks out at
the settlement.
CRABTREE
We are all each other's keepers.
JARROD
Is that why you've been in this town
for so long?
CRABTREE
Six months ago, they needed a
champion. These are good people,
so I helped them. Afterwards, I stayed
around. With things like they are, I
couldn't just walk away. It was only
a matter of time before they needed me
again.
(beat)
And I'm tired.
Jarrod listens, silent.
CRABTREE
I've been a Templar for almost six years
now, nearly from the beginning. I've walked
from one end of these wastes to another,
and I've seen more than maybe even Simon.
I need to rest. Maybe retire. And this is as
good a place as any to do it.
He takes off his sword and lays it on his desk. The sword appears to be a
marine's saber. As Crabtree draws it from the sheath, we see it has been
sharpened to a razor's edge. Crabtree looks at his reflection in the
blade, turning it back and forth a couple of times.
CRABTREE
And maybe, someday, I can lay this sword
down.
JARROD
Jim-
Crabtree sheaths his sword.
CRABTREE
It's been so damn heavy lately.
Crabtree puts his head in his hands. Jarrod reaches across, and lays his
hand on Crabtree's shoulder. We hold for a beat on teacher and student,
and
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTLEMENT
inside the walls, as Elias exits Crabtree's place. He moves toward the
waiting refugees, and announces
ELIAS
We can stay here for the night.
Find an empty building, and sack
out.
As the crowd disperses, Jarrod steps up to Elias.
JARROD
And food?
ELIAS
Taken care of. We'll trade for
whatever this town can spare.
JARROD
Good. Rest easy, Elias.
ELIAS
One more thing, Jarrod.
(beat)
Your friend Crabtree is carrying
a lot of guilt around. Why?
JARROD
I don't know.
(beat)
Maybe I should.
CUT TO:
EXT. SURVIVOR SETTLEMENT
night. A beat to establish, and
CUT TO:
INT. JARROD'S ROOM
as he awakens. As he sits up and shakes off the cloud of sleep, we hear a
dull, metallic sound. Jarrod throws off his blanket, and throws on his
tabard. As he rushes out, we
CUT TO:
EXT. LEVI'S TRUCK
where we can see someone rummaging around in the flatbed, where containers
of food are stacked. A beat passes, and Jarrod enters frame, shortly
followed by Bart, Grant, and Crabtree.
GRANT
What's happening?
JARROD
Someone's stealing the food.
As the four watch, a man leaps from the flatbed to the ground, a bundle
under his arm. He looks up and sees our heroes, and our heroes see him:
"Fingers" MacPhee.
CRABTREE
(shouts)
Fingers!
When Fingers hears Crabtree, he bursts into a weighted down run. Our
heroes pursue, and Jarrod tackles Fingers.
FINGERS
(almost whining)
No! You have to let me go!
Shortly, Crabtree grabs Fingers by the arm and hauls him to his feet.
CRABTREE
C'mon, Fingers. You know the penalty
for theft. Food theft, especially.
Jarrod walks alongside.
JARROD
The penalty?
CRABTREE
Death.
CUT TO:
INT. CRABTREE'S PLACE
where Jarrod is on a tear.
JARROD
-can't just execute him! We
caught him, no harm done!
CRABTREE
Not to you. But this town holds
together because of its laws. Be-
cause people know the penalty for
breaking them. If we ignore them,
this town is going to come apart at
the seams. I won't allow that.
JARROD
These people are worth protecting,
Jim. You said it yourself.
CRABTREE
These people are. Fingers *was*.
Now he's a thief. But not for long.
Crabtree steps outside, sword in hand.
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTLEMENT
where a pair of burly men hold fingers. A small crowd is gathered,
including a few of the refugees. As Crabtree approaches the group, they
part for him, and the burly men push Fingers to his knees. Bart and Elias
watch, but Grant is absent.
FINGERS
I was hungry, Jim! Don't-
(beat)
The rations aren't enough!
Crabtree unsheathes his sword, and draws it across the back of Fingers'
neck.
FINGERS
I'm sorry, Jim! Ple-
Crabtree strikes.
FADE OUT
END ACT I
ACT II
FADE IN:
EXT. SETTLEMENT
still night. As the crowd disperses, Jarrod intercepts Bart and Elias.
JARROD
We can't stay here. I don't
know him anymore.
ELIAS
Agreed. We'll leave first thing
in the morning.
JARROD
I don't know if we can wait that
long.
ELIAS
We have to. I would remind you
that many of us are old, or injured,
or crippled. We need to rest here.
Jarrod opens his mouth to speak, but Elias holds up a hand to silence him.
ELIAS
We will leave first thing in the
morning.
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTLEMENT
morning. Jarrod finds a PASSERBY, and inquires
JARROD
What did they do with Fing-
(beat)
with the body?
The passerby cocks his head behind him, and answers,
PASSERBY
It's on the hill.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE HILL
which is apparently a graveyard. The only headstones appear to be single
white rocks about the size of a man's head. Many of the stones have a
black mark painted on them. As Jarrod enters, we find a WOMAN placing
another stone- Fingers' stone.
JARROD
Is that Fingers?
WOMAN
Yes. He was a good kid.
She reaches down and dips a paint brush into a half-empty can of black
paint. With a single stroke, she marks Finger's stone black.
JARROD
What's the paint for? A lot
of these stones don't have it.
WOMAN
The white stones are for most
folks. The ones that die from disease,
or in an attack, or from a gunshot.
JARROD
The black ones?
WOMAN
Criminals.
Jarrod's eyes widen. As he- and we- look around the cemetery, we find that
the white stones are no longer for "most folks". The black stones
outnumber the white.
JARROD
(whispers)
Oh my God...
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTLEMENT
as Jarrod moves into frame. He's in full Templar dress, it's late morning,
getting on till Noon. We hold for a beat, and Crabtree steps outside as
well.
CRABTREE
Morning, Jarrod.
(looks closely at Jarrod
for a beat)
What's up?
JARROD
This isn't how we do things,
Jim.
CRABTREE
(beat)
You just came from the hill,
didn't you.
Jarrod doesn't respond; he only stares.
CRABTREE
I'm sorry you had to see that,
but it's necessary.
JARROD
For what? We're supposed to be
fighting against the Reckoners,
Jim. Against fear. But you're worse
than any Walking Dead I've ever seen.
This people are living in your shadow,
because you've convinced them it's
the only thing that'll protect them
from the sun.
(beat)
Maybe it's time they saw the light
again.
CRABTREE
We can talk about this later. I've got
things to do.
JARROD
This is important, Jim!
Crabtree points to a gathering crowd, who surround two men holding a third.
The whole scene looks damn familiar.
CRABTREE
So's that.
And Crabtree stalks toward the crowd.
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTLEMENT
with the crowd, as Crabtree approaches, Jarrod close behind.
JARROD
Don't do this, Jim. It isn't
right.
CRABTREE
(spins to face Jarrod, furious)
It is right because *I* say it's right!
I am a Templar- *we* are Templars,
and we are the best shot at salvation
these people have!
Crabtree turns back toward the prisoner, who is now on his knees, and draws
his sword. As he draws back to strike, Jarrod says
JARROD
Yeah. I guess we are.
And intercepts the killing blow with his own sword. Quickly, the prisoner
scrambles out from underneath the two Templars. The two men who were
holding him begin to move toward Jarrod, but Crabtree waves them off.
CRABTREE
This is how it's going to be then?
JARROD
This is how it has to be.
And Jarrod strikes.
What follows isn't a duel. It isn't a dance of parry and thrust. It's a
street fight. It's dirty, it's ugly, it's brutal, and it's mean. And
finally, it's over. Crabtree goes down, Jarrod's sword plunged deeply into
his chest. As his blood begins to seep into his tabard, the Maltese Cross
becomes less and less definable among the red, until it seems to disappear
all together.
Jarrod, chest heaving, kneels over his fallen mentor and closes Crabtree's
eyes for the last time. As Jarrod is wracked with silent sobs, we
END ACT II
TAG
FADE IN:
EXT. THE HILL
where Jarrod stands in front of a freshly filled in grave, a brisk wind
snapping at his tabard. Stoically, he stands and waits, until a man
approaches the grave with a stone. A familiar sort of stone. The man
places the stone at the head of the grave, and dips a brush in a can of
black paint.
Jarrod puts his hand on the man's shoulder.
JARROD
No.
The man looks up at him, confused.
JARROD
No more black stones.
We pull back slightly, to see Jarrod's pack on the ground behind him. The
corners of another Tabard poke out of the pack, and a second sword is slung
along side Jarrod's.
The man shrugs, drops the brush back in the paint can, then leaves.
We hold on Jarrod for a beat, alone on the hill. Abruptly, he turns,
swings his pack over his shoulder, and begins to walk away. As he moves
past the camera, we PAN to follow him, revealing the refugees of Gateway in
the distance. As he looks down the hill at the people, he stops and says
to no one in particular,
JARROD
No more black stones.
With the faintest twinge of doubt in his voice.
FADE TO BLACK
[As always, questions, comments, and concerns are welcome.]