Ghosts of Elkhorn
by
Rachel Singer
EXT. DENVER STREETS - EVENING -
A black Buick glides down city streets. The driver, ROMAN
PHILLIPS, is tall, broad-shouldered, handsome, around twenty.
His eyes flit nervously to the rearview mirror, to his
passenger in the back. HARRY LEIGHT, is small, blocky and
tough, a streetbred Limey in an expensive suit. He checks
the chambers of a heavy Webley service revolver and slips it
back under his coat. He thinks better of it, puts it in a
side pocket of the car.
ROMAN
...So...might makes right...
HARRY
No, might is right...
(He pats Roman's
shoulder.)
Stick with me, kid. You'll have
more than you ever dreamed of.
ROMAN
More what?
HARRY
More...everything.
Roman looks more unnerved than pleased. He's late reacting
to another driver making a dumb move but he maneuvers around
him expertly, banging on the horn and cursing. Harry smiles.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Chip off the old block, you are.
ROMAN
...Harry...uh, I was
thinking...about...things and...
HARRY
Here! Pull into the alley.
Roman swerves into the alley and stops at a gesture from
Harry. Harry leans over the seat, angry.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Don't be thinking about "things"
when you're working. You'll end up
having no use for them. You'll be
dead. Now, let's go.
He gets out of the car. Roman stays put. Harry leans in
the front passenger window. The paternal air has disappeared.
HARRY (CONT'D)
(threatening) Don't disappoint me,
Roman. It wouldn't sit well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.
Harry heads for the back door of a speakeasy. Roman starts
to follow. The DOORMAN blocks him with a massive arm.
DOORMAN
Ain't you gonna wait in the car,
kid?
Harry puts a gloved hand on the Doorman's arm.
HARRY
He has to learn the social graces
sometime.
Roman shifts uncomfortably. The Doorman scowls, unsure if
it's an insult. They push past him into the smoky bar.
INT. SPEAKEASY - HARRY, ROMAN
Harry focuses on the BARTENDER. The man sees him and looks
around nervously. They reach the bar. Harry stares straight
at the Bartender.
BARTENDER
Harry...Mr. Leight. Good to see
you.
HARRY
Good to see you, Fred.
BARTENDER
What'll you have?
HARRY
Mr. Moran if he's around.
BARTENDER
He's on the way. Something to drink?
Harry turns around and scans the room warily. Couple of
guys in the corner have hard stares. He turns back. The
Bartender is pouring him a drink.
BARTENDER (CONT'D)
Scotch whiskey. The real thing.
Just off the boat.
HARRY
The boat comes to Denver?
The bartender laughs nervously. Harry lifts the glass, sniffs
it, puts it down without drinking.
BARTENDER
Something for you, kid?
ROMAN
I'm no kid.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.
Roman glances at Harry nervously. But Harry is watching a
man approach. Tall, rugged, tough; the owner, JIM MORAN.
MORAN
Harry. Good to see you.
HARRY
You kept me waiting, Jim.
MORAN
Ah...you know, business.
HARRY
This...is business.
Moran is looking Roman over, frisking him with his eyes.
HARRY (CONT'D)
He's with me. Roman Phillips.
Moran leans past Harry and shakes Roman's hand. He looks
into his eyes, hard and scary. Roman tries to meet his stare.
MORAN
New line of work for you, Roman?
Roman tries to withdraw his hand but Moran keeps hold of it.
ROMAN
I...drive for Mr. Leight.
MORAN
So you do.
Moran looks down at Roman's hand in his. The difference is
unsettling; Roman's soft, youthful hand in his enormous paw.
He looks at Harry. Harry is outwardly calm but his eyes
have scaled over.
MORAN (CONT'D)
What else he do for you, Harry?
Harry's stare is response enough.
MORAN (CONT'D)
He take care of those fine English
clothes?
HARRY
You do have a point to make, Jim...
MORAN
I do. It's...progress. It's the
new West now, Harry. Men don't
operate alone anymore.
HARRY
I started this place, Jim.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.
MORAN
And I'll always be grateful.
HARRY
I started you.
MORAN
But you can't stop me. We have to
move on. Try this...
(He lifts a glass of
whiskey.)
It's really quite good.
HARRY
It's not scotch.
MORAN
No. It's not scotch. But it is
good. You see, Harry, these
folks...they don't care about scotch.
They don't care about English
suits...or the War. They're
Americans. They like things American.
They fought for what they got. And
they don't like some, well, some
foreigner, with his foreign ways,
comin' in here with his suit and
his...boy, taking away their good
money.
The crowd starts to edge away. The men in the corners stay
put.
HARRY
They don't like it?
MORAN
I don't like it. I don't like your
attitude.
HARRY
You don't.
MORAN
I run this place. I make it work.
Why should I pay you? For what?
Because you're so tough?
HARRY
Because I set you up and you owe me.
MORAN
I've paid you enough.
HARRY
Because I'll break you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.
MORAN
Who, you and the kid?
HARRY
Just me.
MORAN
Well, okay. Let's see what you really
learned in the trenches.
HARRY
You may just do that.
Moran moves back down the bar, revealing a pistol...lying
between them. Harry looks at it, looks around him. It's
just what they want him to do.
HARRY (CONT'D)
The kid leaves.
MORAN
You both do. You're a smart guy,
Harry.
Harry looks around, looks at the kid...the crowd, the gunmen.
He picks up his homburg and puts it on. He lifts the glass,
sips...
HARRY
It's not good stuff, Jim.
He turns and pushes through the crowd. Roman, red-faced
with fear and embarrassment, follows him. The piano rags
them out.
MORAN
(yelling)
Harry...
(Harry turns.)
Come back sometime...for a drink.
HARRY
I'll do that. Real soon.
He turns to go, followed by two gunsels.
ENTRANCE - LOBBY
Harry steps through the door first,
steps to the side. As the others
step through, he cold-cocks one man.
The other tries to bring his gun to
bear but Roman's in the way. Harry
steps around Roman and beats him
unconscious with three vicious blows.
Roman is terrified.
Harry grabs their guns. The Doorman puts his hands up in
silent plea. Harry smashes him in the head.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.
He slumps to the floor.
Roman starts to beat it out the door. Harry grabs him back.
He wedges the unconscious men in the doors, hands a gun to
Roman and takes off down a side corridor fast. They take a
left, through a door and come out in the alley a hundred
feet down from the car.
EXT. ALLEY
Roman turns off but Harry stops him. He points to something
in the alley that Roman cannot see. They sneak across in
the shadows, make their way down a garbage gulley and come
out at the car on the other side.
Now Roman sees it; the ambush. One man with a shotgun,
another with a rifle, at opposite ends of the alley behind
garbage cans, zeroed on the space between the entrance and
the car.
Harry tucks the gun away. He does a doughboy crawl into the
shadow and up to the car from the opposite side. Roman sights
his pistol on the rifleman.
THE CAR...
Harry reaches the running board and slips the door open. He
crawls onto the back floor, reaches under the seat. He pulls
out something black and evil - a Thompson submachine gun and
two drum magazines. He slips one drum in his pocket and
slaps the other one in place on the gun. He cocks it, sits
up, straightens his clothes...He turns, nods to Roman.
EXT. CAR...
The door opens. The ambushers look up in surprise. Harry
steps out calmly. He blasts the man with the shotgun. The
shotgun goes off, blowing a hole in the car door.
Roman fires three fast shots at the rifleman from behind.
They miss close enough to get his attention. He stands up
to swing around on Roman when Harry's second volley shreds
him from the rear. Roman looks up. Harry is gone.
INT. LOBBY
One of the gunsels is searching for his missing gun when a
burst of submachinegun fire blows him through the doorway
into the saloon.
INT. SALOON
People turn in shock as Harry and the gun step in. He fires
straight at them. They hit the floor as his burst goes over
their heads and shatters the bar. They crawl out of the bar
unharmed as, in burst after burst, he blasts the bar into
kindling. His gun clicks empty..he slaps the magazine off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.
Moran's head appears from behind the bar. He sees Harry
reloading...He grabs the big horse pistol and comes out
firing. Big, booming shots slam in beside Harry. Harry
looks up. Moran firing, moving forward at him. Harry looks
down, calmly clicks the new mag into place as the pistol
shots whip through his clothes. One blows his hat off as
Moran comes into point blank range. Harry looks up, pulls
the cocking lever and blows Moran away.
He walks behind the bar. The Bartender is there, cowering.
Harry reaches past him for the money bag.
ENTRANCE
Harry, bursting out, runs into Roman,
creeping in. He throws the money bag
to him.
HARRY
Hold this.
EXT. ALLEY
They start for the car when screaming police cars block the
alley at both ends. Harry turns on one, lets loose a
stuttering blast that shatters the front patrol car, stops
it dead.
HARRY
Come on.
He ducks back into the speak. Roman hesitates. On the front
seat of the car, another money bag. He springs across and
grabs it. He looks outside. Scattered police shots ding
off the pavement. He turns, fires out the back window, then
breaks for the door. It shatters behind him as he dives
through.
ROMAN
Harry?!
No Harry. Spooked, he darts into the smoke-filled Speakeasy.
INT. SPEAK - ROMAN
He trips over Moran's bloodied body, turns, backs away from
it.
Caught from behind, he screams, wrenches loose, swings the
gun. It cracks the Bartender's head. He goes down. Roman
runs through dark corridors...
ROMAN
Harry!...Harry!...Wait for me!
A door smashes open. Light streams in, blinding him. He
fires at the figures. They fire back. A blast from the
Thompson settles the thing. The doorwway is empty. Roman
dives over to Harry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.
He slips on something, lands on top of him. Harry grunts in
pain. Roman looks at his hands - blood.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
God, Harry!
HARRY
Shut up, kid.
ROMAN
The cops are all over...you're
bleeding!
HARRY
You got the money?
He coughs up blood.
ROMAN
Jesus! Was it worth it?
HARRY
Sure it was, kid. They gotta
remember!
ROMAN
Remember what?
HARRY
...One thing...
(coughs)
Nobody fucks with Harry Leight.
A volley through the doorway. Roman ducks lower. Harry
frantically checks his gun and his coat pockets.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Where is it?
ROMAN
What?
HARRY
The magazine! I must've dropped it.
ROMAN
I'll find it.
Under scattered fire, he crawls back, searching the floor
with his hands.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
I can't see anything.
HARRY
Hurry! They're coming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.
ROMAN
I can't find it!...Here it is!
He grabs it, stands up in triumph. A cop steps through the
doorway, swings a gun at Roman. Harry blasts at him.
Reciprocal fire slams around him as Roman falls back into
the shadows.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Harry!
His voice draws fire. Roman gathers himself. Harry hasn't
moved. Roman darts for him. The ground between them erupts.
Roman is driven back to cover.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
(whispering)
Harry...Harry!
Harry lies there, completely still...Roman sees the shadows
move closer...rustling around behind him...voices moving in.
He looks at Harry. Shots ring in close by. That decides
him. He grabs the money and slips away, crawling through
the dark corridors of the speak. He comes on another back
exit, gathers himself, bolts for it, hits a fence...trapped.
COP
He's back here!
COP2
Block him!
Hole in the fence. Roman's coat catches. Shots whiz by
above him. His coat rips away. He's through.
BACK IN THE DARK - HARRY
His eyes open.
HARRY
Kid?...Where are you, kid?...Roman?!
Where's my money?!
Footsteps and voices outside. Harry rolls over and drags
himself...to...a gutter...a drainage ditch filled with water.
He slides down into it...out of sight.
INT. LAINIE'S ROOM - NIGHT
ROMAN staggers through the window. LAINIE bolts up in her
bed. She screams. Roman ducks, looks in back of him, gun
out. Nothing.
ROMAN
What is it?
Lainie turns on the light. She's pretty, innocent looking.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.
LAINIE
You.
He turns back to her, out of breath and scared.
LAINIE (CONT'D)
What is it? What's happened?
She sees the gun and the bag.
LAINIE (CONT'D)
What's that?
ROMAN
Never mind. Just get your things.
We gotta go.
She looks at him, frightened now.
LAINIE
Where? What are you talking about?
ROMAN
With me. Away.
LAINIE
...I can't just leave.
ROMAN
Why not? That's what you wanted.
LAINIE
...How can we? We have no money.
He throws the bag at her. She opens it, gasps.
LAINIE (CONT'D)
Whose is it?
ROMAN
It's ours now.
LAINIE
Harry...You took Harry's money!
ROMAN
He doesn't need it anymore.
LAINIE
He'll kill you!
ROMAN
...No he won't. He won't kill
anybody. He's dead, Lainie. Harry's
dead.
Lainie heaves inward at the shock.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.
LAINIE
You...
ROMAN
It wasn't me, it was the cops.
She stares at him, in shock.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
I have to get out of here right now.
LAINIE
...Oh my God, Roman...
Her knees are weak. He goes to her, holds her, tries to
give her strength.
ROMAN
He never would've let you go. If he
found out about us, he would've killed
us both.
Sirens in the distance. She shudders, unable to move. Roman
starts grabbing her things, stuffing them into a bag. She
watches him.
LAINIE
...Where?
ROMAN
I don't know.
He pushes by her, opening a bureau, grabbing clothes...He
notices a photograph hanging on the wall.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Anywhere...until I can think.
HIS POV - THE PHOTOGRAPH
A couple stands in front of a barbershop circa 1890. A sign
in the background reads ELKHORN. Handwritten in the corner
of the frame: To Lainie, Love Grandma and Grandpa.
ANGLE ON ROMAN
He smashes the glass with the gun handle, pulls the picture
out, stuffs it in his coat.
LAINIE
Not Elkhorn...
ROMAN
Why not?
LAINIE
It's a ghost town. There's nothing
there. Just dead people.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.
ROMAN
Perfect.
DISSOLVE...MAIN TITLES OVER...
WIND...Lulling, hynotic..
FADE IN - YELLOW GOLD...
A pointillist mash of color...PULL BACK...It becomes a stand
of Aspen. Yellow leaves blowing, losing hold, sweeping down
the mountain...into the valley below...kicking up dust on
Main Street...ELKHORN.
A GHOST TOWN...Dilapidated remains creak in the wind. A
cliff face cuts a swath through the town. Half the buildings
have dropped away...into the canyon below. The survivors
slant into the abyss, flaps to the wind.
MEUNSTER'S FUNERAL PARLOR
The last solid glass in town. Through
the window, a FIGURE, barely visible,
swathed in purple, laid out like a
corpse.
INT. FUNERAL PARLOR
The "Corpse" lies on a bed, wrapped in a purple shroud. Red
longjohns stick out at the neck...white beard and moustache,
goldwhite hair splayed out on the pillow behind him - an OLD
MAN, a Wild West Corpse - THE WIND RIVER KID.
THUD...Something heavy falls...WHOOSH...A RED GLOW washes
over the body...CLANK. Metal on metal, followed by heavy
footsteps.
THE KID'S EYES POP OPEN. They dart to the side - the
direction of the sound.
ANGLE - OLD COAL STOVE.
The trap is open. A new log has been tossed in. A coffee
pot sits on top, just placed there.
The Kid doesn't move. His eyes scan the room.
KID
...Awake...shit.
THE LOG POPS
KID (CONT'D)
Creed?...
PERK. The coffee pot is heating up. He stares at it.
KID (CONT'D)
Bastard. Where are you?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.
Nothing. Just wind. He pulls out a whiskey bottle, takes a
slug, winces, scans the room.
KID (CONT'D)
I'm gettin' to old for this shit.
You're gettin' too dead.
He takes another pull from the bottle.
KID (CONT'D)
I told you I'll make my own goddamned
coffee.
He looks around, pours in a double shot of whiskey.
KID (CONT'D)
You make it all wrong, always did.
EXT. FUNERAL PARLOR - MORNING
THE KID steps out, stopping at the edge of the porch. He
checks the sky carefully then heads down into the sunlight.
He takes a sip of coffee, puts the cup down on a log and
heads down the street.
A BELCH echoes...A KNIFE BLADE cuts through wood. The Kid
spins around.
ADEN CREED sitd on the porch of the Great Northern Hotel,
draped in a deerskin capote. His huge, satiny skull shines
in the sunlight.
CREED
Mornin', Younker.
The Kid tries to be angry but he's glad to see him.
KID
You're at it early.
CREED
Yup.
His blade doesn't miss a stroke. A reindeer is emerging
from the wood. Creed spits on the knife, hones it. The Kid
looks round like he's misplaced something.
CREED (CONT'D)
It's back there, on your log.
KID
(pissed) What?
CREED
Your coffee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.
KID
Thanks. And I don't need you makin'
it.
CREED
Just tryin' to help.
KID
You ain't helpin'!
CREED
You gonna be that way.
He stands up, spits into the dust, steps off the porch and
ambles up toward the trees. He pauses.
CREED (CONT'D)
Better get my old Hawken rifle down,
clean it up.
KID
Why?
He gestures up at the graveyard.
CREED
Scar came down last night. Not a
calmin' thing to see in the night.
I called out to him in Injun.
KID
I don't suppose he said what he
wanted.
CREED
Might have. I never did learn to
speak bear. Pawin' at the graves
though. Believe that's a bad sign
in any man's language.
The Kid grunts. Creed walks into the evergreens, fragmenting
in the sunlight, appearing and disappearing - vaporish.
KID
Damn bear's as dead as you are!
Creed merges into sunlight. The Kid's so pissed, he doesn't
see it coming. A soft whistle, an airborne missile, coming
in fast. He knows instantly but it's too late.
WHAP!!! The Kid is down, rolling in the dirt, scrambling,
then up with a rock in his hand. THE FALCON is already out
of range, screeching his victory. The Kid touches the rising
lump on his skull.
KID (CONT'D)
Damn you! Damn all of you! Damn
this whole fucking town!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.
MS - GRAVESTONES
Some still standing. Others in
pieces, or crumbling to dust.
CU - MARKER...
Del Studer 1842 - October 17, 1869 A good friend and honest
But not too smar Killed and part et by a grizz.
The Kid squints at the marker then stops in front of Lucie
Jean Markham. Huge claw marks have ripped up the grave. He
lays his hands over them. They're huge, twice the size of
his own hands.
KID
Son of a bitch! He shot the damn
thing in eighty-eight.
CREED
(O.S.) Eighty-seven. And he weren't
no cub then.
The Kid spins around, trips over a broken marker. CREED is
sitting on his own gravestone:
ADEN CREED, MOUNTAIN MAN 1822 - July 17, 1892 Killed by Owl
Hoots
CREED (CONT'D)
Easy, Kid.
KID
Damn you! Stop sneakin' up on me
like that.
CREED
Can't be helped. Quiet sort of comes
natural to a man in my condition.
The Kid fidgets, nervous.
KID
That bear comes into Elkhorn, I'll
kill it.
CREED
He's here already. And he ain't
like me. He's still got his claws.
He'll tear down this place board by
board. Won't die 'til it's gone.
The Kid looks at him.
KID
You never did talk sense.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.
CREED
Weren't no point to it. You never
would listen...All these graves are
gettin' me depressed.
He heads down the hill toward town. Sunlight dances through
his body.
KID
(to himself)
That's it.
(yelling, to Creed)
You can have it, you hear! The town!
the bear! everything! I'm
leavin'!...you hear me?! I'm gone!
INT. GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL - PRESIDENT'S SUITE - NIGHT
THE KID pulls a white shirt off a hanger, shakes the dust
into the room, puts it on. Then, black trousers, string
tie, leather belt, black vest with red trim. He hauls his
boot bag out of the wardrobe. A velvet cloth falls to the
floor.
Glowing in the dim light, a .44 Colt revolver. Worn bone
grips - coiled snakes smooth as piano keys.
FLASH - A Wild West Gunman whirls and draws his gun.
VOICE
(O.S.)
Strap it on, Kid.
The Kid spins. CREED is standing in the doorway.
KID
Goddamn you.
CREED
Not very friendly words from a boy
to his father.
KID
Never knew him. Don't think my mother
did either.
CREED
Man who brought you up - that's your
father.
KID
Nobody asked you.
CREED
You were too dumb to ask. Still
are.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.
KID
You were invited to dinner, not to
watch me dress.
The Kid rewraps the gun, shoves it away.
CREED
Out of sight, out of mind, eh Kid?
Just as well. Too late for anything
else.
The Kid stares at him. He pulls a coat off a hanger, shakes
it and puts it on. He adjusts his tie, picks up the oil
lamp and walks out. Creed steps aside for him, then follows.
INT. HOTEL DINING ROOM - THE KID
A half-dozen oil lamps light the scene, flames dancing inside
milky glass. Table cloths glow like old gold. He strolls
to his table next to the fireplace, lights a cigar. Creed
walks out of the kitchen and joins him.
CREED
(wistful)
Smells great.
KID
(sipping his drink)
There's enough for two.
Creed chuckles. The Kid starts for the kitchen. A horrific
ROAR stops him. CRASH!!! Wood being smashed - by something
enraged. The Kid is terrified but he feels Creed's eyes on
him. The eyes make him turn, move to the lobby, the front
door. He opens it, sticks his head out...ROAR!!!...CRASH!!!
He flies back in, slams the door.
CREED
(whispering, close)
Scar...
He sounds as if he's right there but when the Kid turns,
Creed is sitting by the fire.
KID
No bear lives that long.
ROARRRR!!! The Devil as bear. The horrible voice pounds
through walls. Somewhere a building is being demolished
board by board...
KID (CONT'D)
You brought him back, you bastard!
He grabs the Hawken off the wall, runs to the door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.
EXT. HOTEL - NIGHT
The town ia veiled in mist. The Kid stares into it,
terrified. Then he sees it, a glowing, blood-red eye. He
collapses into the shadows, his knees turned to jelly.
KID
Go away...go away...
He peers out. The eye is gone. Some sort of miracle. The
Kid doesn't move...the silence lengthens...
ROAAARRR!!! Giant claws WHAP him across the head, tossing
him like a rag doll.
KID (CONT'D)
Aaaiiieee!!!
A beam smashes down on him, laying him flat, protecting him.
He peers out. The Bear's abyssmal jaws yaw and scream down
at him, guided in by his blood-red eye.
But the attack doesn't come. The red eye fades. The jaws
become the cowl of Creed's capote. The mountain man lifts
the huge beam off him, helps him to his feet.
CREED
He'll be back. Grizzlies have an
unforgiving nature.
KID
Shut up, damn you!...Damn you!!
(his nose twitches)
Damn!!!
HE RACES INTO THE HOTEL
INT. KITCHEN - THE KID
Smoke pours out of the oven and the top of the stove. He
jerks open the oven door. Smoke engulfs him.
VOICE
(O.S.)
...It won't work, your leavin'.
Creed stands in the smoke, looking like the ghost he is.
KID
We'll see.
But Creed is gone.
KID (CONT'D)
Gotta have the last word, don't you?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.
CREED
(O.S.)
Sort of comes natural to a man in my
condition.
KID
Bastard.
CREED
(O.S.)
That your last word?
The Kid thinks about it for a minute, then grins.
KID
Come to think of it, it is.
EXT. ELKHORN - EARLY MORNING
The barbershop has been mangled, half the front wall knocked
out.
The KID turns away, climbs aboard his old Appaloosa horse
and plods down Main Street. He doesn't look back.
A tinny piano beckons from Angelina's Victorian Palace. He
reins in on top of Damnation Hill, twists around to look.
Angelina's laugh floats up at him.
KID
...Wolves...C'mon, horse.
DISSOLVE...
EXT. MOUNTAIN CITY
A place in transition - from 19th century mining outpost to
20th century town. The Kid's dilapidated wagon looks out of
place in front of the brand new Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
Across the street, Weldon's General Store is being converted
into a gas station.
THE KID emerges from the Piggly Wiggly and dumps a sack into
the wagon.
KID
Well, horse, I guess we can go
wherever we want. Eat our way across
the whole damn country.
Across the street, LEWIS WELDON walks out of his store, sees
the Kid.
WELDON
Well, I swan, if it ain't the Wind
River Kid. My palms've been itchin'
all day. Now, I know why.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.
KID
Afternoon, Lewis. Thought I'd stock
up.
WELDON
You made it just in time. Snow
comin'. Might not get out again.
KID
(gesturing at the
store)
What's going on with your store?
WELDON
Just sold it all at auction. Business
is gone to dust - just like Elkhorn.
KID
What the hell's goin' on?
WELDON
The future. The goddamn future.
He spits a wad of tobacco and goes back inside.
The Kid takes the reins and leads the Appaloosa down the
street, gazing at the busy, well-dressed townspeople. Some
kids come running out of an alley and spot him.
BOY
Hey! Hey, the spook's here! The
spook's here!
KIDS
Spook! Spook!
They fall over each other laughing, staring at the
dilapidated wagon, the old man. The Kid ignores them, keeps
walking. People stare, then look away.
MUSIC OVER - PIANO - LAUGHTER...
A FRONTIER VICTORIAN HOUSE...Girls flutter behind lace
curtains. A sign says "DAISY'S FRENCH SALON".
KID
Jesus...
He tethers the Appaloosa to the picket fence and takes a
deep breath. He gazes fondly at the house, closing his eyes
to prolong the sensation. When he opens them, a lovely young
woman in a long dress is coming down the steps. He swings
the gate open for her, doffing his hat and flashing her a
lascivious grin. The girl returns the smile, flirting openly.
KID (CONT'D)
Don't run off now. The best is yet
to come.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.
But the girl is gone, transformed into a dour, middle-aged
matron. Outraged, she stalks off in a huff. The Kid is
confused, unnerved. Then he sees the female forms fluttering
behind the curtains. He moans, races up the steps and walks
in without knocking.
INT. DAISY'S
THE KID stops, stares at the women fluttering about the
parlor. They turn, smile at him. He can't contain himself
any longer, throws his hat into the air.
KID
Hide your women, guard your kin!
I'm...
A LOUD GASP...Suddenly, the young women are gone. THREE
DOUR MATRONS with dull eyes stare at him, appalled. They
all wear hair curlers and sport a layer of mud on their faces.
KID (CONT'D)
Jesus...
He backs away. DAISY emerges from a back room - a big-boned
country girl who wears her fifty years easily.
DAISY
(groaning)
Oh no...
KID
(shocked)
Daisy!
She flashes a knowing smile at her customers, then snatches
the Kid by the arm and herds him out through a back door.
EXT. DAISY'S
As the Kid is propelled out the door.
KID
Hey! Hey! It's me, goddamnit! The
Kid!
He grabs her by the arm, forcing her to look him in the eye.
KID (CONT'D)
Don't you recognize me?
DAISY
Shush!
She shoves him down the back steps.
KID
What in hell is wrong with you, woman?
(MORE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.
KID (CONT'D)
I brought enough for a good time.
Name your price.
She looks perplexed, then incredulous. The Kid digs into
his poke, pulls out two gold nuggets.
KID (CONT'D)
These ought to weigh in pretty good.
DAISY
(softening)
...You mean you ain't heard?...
KID
Heard what? Ain't heard nothin,
ain't smelled nothin, ain't touched
nothin by way of a woman since the
spring of '24, He holds out the
nuggets. Daisy looks at them, at
him, laughs.
DAISY
Oh, Jesus, ain't you the berries. I
ain't in the trade no more, Kid.
She closes his fingers around the gold.
DAISY (CONT'D)
Them days is over.
KID
What're you sayin'?
DAISY
I took me a mail order course.
Hairdressin' and such. Went into a
respectable business for myself.
The words don't register.
KID
...I brought gold...two of the best
I ever found...saved 'em just for
you.
DAISY
I'm sorry...Look, why don't you go
buy yourself a bottle. Have a good
time...dream. That's what I do...I
gotta go.
She spins around, rushes back inside. He stands there,
finally, stuffs the nuggets in his poke and walks away.
DISSOLVE...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.
EXT. NIGHT - FULL MOON - DAISY...
Much younger, her face glowing in the moonlight...laughing,
her hands all over THE KID.
DAISY
Oh, ain't you the berries, Kid...
KID
Daisy, Daisy, look at you...
Daisy's face ages cruelly, becomes that of a local madman
and hermit - LODE BENEDICT. He's wrinkled and unwashed but
harmless, kind even. He smiles, takes a swig from a bottle
and passes it to the Kid who is propped up against the tree.
The Kid takes a swig, passes the bottle back, looks down to
Lode's cabin and, beyond it to the lights of Mountain City.
KID (CONT'D)
...I'm dyin'...I just realized it.
How'd I go this long and not see
it...Seems you ought to see it comin'
in snatches, not all at once like
that.
He takes another pull from the bottle.
KID (CONT'D)
...It's all just gone...We're
dead...We just don't know it yet.
Lode keeps smiling. The Kid slips down off the tree trunk
and curls into himself.
KID (CONT'D)
...I'm scared...
(It's new to him.)
Scared...shit.
A shadow flits across his face. He looks up. A SHADOWY
HULK moves away into the darkness - CREED.
KID (CONT'D)
(horrified) You can't come here!
But Creed is gone. The Kid bolts up, outraged.
KID (CONT'D)
What're you doin' here, you bastard!?
You can't come here!...You can't
come here!
Lode looks at his friend who is talking to the trees. He
takes a blanket, drapes it over his shoulders.
DISSOLVE..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.
EXT. FOREST
THE KID wakes up on his horse, surrounded by trees. The
Appaloosa stumbles. Something hard knocks against the Kid's
thigh. He pulls a bottle out of his pants, looks at it for
clues. None. He pops the cork with his teeth and takes a
long draught.
KID
Where the hell are we?
Finally, he comes to...
KID (CONT'D)
Jesus! You're goin' back to Elkhorn,
you idiot!
He yanks the reins. The Appaloosa keeps his course.
KID (CONT'D)
Goddamnit! Stop! You worthless son-
of-a-bitch!
EXT. MOUNTAIN - LATE AFTERNOON
Heavy snow is falling.
KID
...You knew all along, didn't you?
The Appaloosa snorts, paws at the ground.
KID (CONT'D)
Well, you got it. Back to Elkhorn.
Just don't let it go to your head.
It's temporary.
He settles back in the saddle, takes a pull from the bottle.
KID (CONT'D)
Her soul was a ribbon that no man
could tie, Her demeanor was gentle,
her manner was shy, And I was a young
man, so brave and so bold, And I was
a roamer who yearned for the gold.
So, farewell, Lorena, It's free I
must be, Farewell, Angelina and sweet
Rosemarie...
EXT. ELKHORN - EVENING
The Appaloosa pauses on top of Damnation Hill, then picks
its way down the hill and speeds up along Main Street, heading
straight into the livery.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.
EXT. LIVERY - NIGHT
The Kid closes the livery door and heads up the street to
the hotel. The moon pours through a cloud. Coyotes start
yipping. The Kid looks around.
KID
...Creed?...
Nothing. He walks around to the side entrance to the hotel
INT. HOTEL DINING ROOM - DARKNESS
A SCREAM splits the silent depths of the dining room. An
ORANGE LIGHT is followed by a deafening EXPLOSION.
KID
Jeeeesuuusss!!!
He lunges to one side, ploughing into something. The GUN
fires again and again. A chair behind him explodes. A piece
of china disintegrates.
KID (CONT'D)
(screaming)
Aaiiiieeee!!!
VOICE
(high-pitched,
screaming)
Aaaiiieeee!!!
The gun fires, and fires, and fires...Then it is silent.
The lobby door flies open. A MAN carrying a lantern runs
in, brandishing a revolver - ROMAN.
ROMAN
Lainie!?
The light finds LAINIE huddled in front of the fireplace.
She points at the Kid who is hiding beneath a table amidst
the debris.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Hold it right there, you bastard.
The Kid throws up his hands, shows himself slowly.
KID
Don't shoot.
Lainie starts to cry. Her hands clutch awkwardly at the
.45.
LAINIE
I didn't mean to, Roman. It just
went off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.
Roman moves closer, holds up the lantern.
ROMAN
What the hell?...An old man. Just
an old man.
The Kid studies him. He's acting tough but it's obvious
he's very scared. Lainie too.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Who are you? Who sent you?
KID
Name's Kid. Wind River Kid.
ROMAN
Wind River Kid?...Kid?
He moves to Lainie, trades guns, reloads the automatic.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Well, "Kid", you're trespassin', you
know that? You could get killed
that way.
He snaps the magazine into place.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Cops sent you in, didn't they?
They're out there waiting for a
signal...aren't they?
He zigzags into the lobby, peers out.
KID
There ain't nobody out there...and I
ain't trespassin'.
Roman edges back in.
KID (CONT'D)
This is my town. My town! You're
the one who's trespassin'!
Roman moves to the Kid, patting him down.
ROMAN
You have a gun?
(no gun)
Hell, the cops'd have to be desperate
to hire the likes of you.
(He looks at Lainie.)
Damn! We can't afford to waste
bullets.
Lainie huddles in an armchair, thin and fragile.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.
LAINIE
It wasn't my fault, Roman. (She
holds up the gun.) Here, take this
one too. I don't want a gun.
Roman walks to the window, looks back at the Kid.
ROMAN
How do I know there isn't some other
old coot holed up here?
KID
'Cause I told you so. Go out there
and see. Go out and don't come back.
ROMAN
Don't get smart.
The Kid grabs his bedroll and sack.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
Goin' somewhere?
KID
Puttin' up my things.
Roman intercepts him, blocking his exit to the lobby.
ROMAN
What things?
KID
My things.
Roman grabs the burlap sack, upends it. A cornucopia of
food and hard goods pours out.
ROMAN
Jesus. This is too good to be true.
LAINIE
(chiding, softly)
Roman...it's not ours.
KID
If you have to remind him, it's no
use.
ROMAN
I'm no thief! But the fact is, we
have to eat.
LAINIE
(to the Kid,
embarrassed)
We can pay you, Mr...we got money.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28.
ROMAN
Lainie!
He glares at her, shakes the bag out. A newspaper falls
open. Roman sees it, turns the color of ash. Lainie jumps
up, runs over and looks at the front page:
HEADLINE: POLICE HUNT MOBSTER HARRY LEIGHT AFTER SHOOTOUT
A photograph shows a smiling Harry smoking a cigar.
ROMAN (CONT'D)
(horrified)
He's alive...
LAINIE
Oh my God, Roman!
The Kid walks over, looks down at the paper.
KID
Must be the original curly wolf.
He moves away, toward the side door.
ROMAN
Where are you going?
KID
I got a bed in the funeral parlor.
ROMAN
You sleep right there on the
floor...Is there a garage in this
place?
KID
So that's how you got here...I'll be
damned. There's never been a car in
Elkhorn. You're the first.
ROMAN
Where can I put it inside?
KID
Livery, I suppose. Course, that's
where my Appaloosa stays. If he
don't mind...
Roman hands Lainie the .38. She shrinks from it. He closes
her hands around it, urging her with his eyes not to show
weakness. He turns to the Kid as he checks the Browning and
jams it in his pocket.
ROMAN
Don't get any ideas.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29.
KID
Haven't had an idea in years.
ROMAN
Just remember, she shot once. She'll
shoot again.
Lainie clutches the gun. The door slams. Sounds of a motor
grinding, the car starting.
KID
...Boy has an edge to him.
LAINIE
You don't understand...
He moves to the fireplace sags into a chair. Lainie keeps
the gun on him.
KID
You mind pointing that thing somewhere
else?
He gestures at the newspaper.
KID (CONT'D)
The boy shoot him?
LAINIE
No! The police. There was a
shootout. He thought Harry was dead.
The side door swings open. Roman walks in, snow melting on
his head, falling off his coat. He throws it across a chair,
takes the .38 from Lainie and moves to the hearth. His cheeks
are sunken from tension and lack of sleep.
ROMAN
(to Kid) Why don't you go to sleep.
KID
Thought I'd eat first.
LAINIE
There's pork and beans on the stove.
Roman glares at her. Lainie glares back, defiant. The Kid
smiles despite himself. He follows Lainie into the kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN
Lainie stops, turns to the Kid.
LAINIE
Don't think I'm takin' sides against
Roman. I just feel bad. I almost
killed you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30.
KID
Shoot me, then give me my last meal.
In the old days, it was the other
way around.
She shoves a bowl at him. He ignores it and eats right from
the pot.
KID (CONT'D)
(surprised) Jesus, good
beans...molasses.
LAINIE
(flustered) ...Cookin' and sewin' is
about all I'm good for...and bein'
bad.
Nearly in tears, she rushes out. The Kid dives for the
pantry, pulls out a hidden bottle and takes a long swig.
KID
Aaaahhh...
He turns to see Roman staring at him.
ROMAN
Come on, you old coot.
KID
Good beans.
ROMAN
Jesus, I'm glad you liked 'em. Now,
can we go to sleep?
He blows out the lantern and walks out. The Kid follows
him.
INT. DINING ROOM
Lainie is wrapped in a cocoon of blankets by the fire. The
Kid sees his own bedroll across the room. He settles into
it, watches Roman roll into his and blow out the lantern.
DISSOLVE...
A MUFFLED VOICE - ARGUING WITH SOMEONE CU - ROMAN AND LAINIE -
ASLEEP - MORNING - DINING ROOM
The voice continues, muffled, insistent. Lainie's eyes open.
She listens...looks at Roman, sneaks out of bed, tiptoes to
the window, terrified. She peeks out.
POV - LAINIE - THE STREET
THE KID is talking to someone. But there is nobody there.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31.
EXT. STREET
The Kid