To Protect And Swerve

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In Chapter 20 of GUN-WILD, robbery/homicide detectives Bobby Teen and Taya Ralls check out the Venice Beach location where the bank robbers spent some of the loot. Meanwhile, right down the street, things get bloody in the heisters RV when Rod wakes up to find Hondo blowing him, which sends Cam off the deep end ...

EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY
A tiny, sleepy joint.
LOCALS shuffle by STREET VENDORS.

A pair of HOMELESS KIDS hold up a sign:
FUCK MILK. GOT POT?

INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - CONTINUOUS
Detectives Bobby Teen and Taya Ralls
speak with the STORE OWNER (50’s),
a wiry, angry-looking Armenian.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
You mean to tell me I’m out a hundred bucks?

BOBBY
(holds up the bill)
I’m sorry, but it’s evidence.

He zips it into a glassine bag.
Puts it in his pocket.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
But that’s my MONEY.

TAYA
I’m sorry, sir.
It’s standard procedure.
You’ll get it back.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Yeah, right -- it’ll get put
in some fucking evidence locker,
and will get mysteriously LOST.

BOBBY
EXCUSE ME?

TAYA
Could you describe the young woman
who spent the bill?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
She was a young girl, early 20’s.
Boardwalk’s full of ‘em.
They all look alike. Blonde.
T-shirt and jeans. Flip-flops.

BOBBY
(squinting at something on the wall)
That your license to sell beer and wine?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Uh -- yeah.

BOBBY
Boy, I’d bet business would go WAY down
if you couldn’t sell Colt 45 and Thunderbird.

Pause.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
She was kinda strange.
Kept giggling to herself.
Bought all kinds of junk food,
and a ton of beer and wine.
Surprised she could carry it all.

TAYA
Was she wearing a baseball cap?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Yeah. Yankees cap.
Don’t see them that much around here,
come to think of it.

BOBBY
What about her T-shirt?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Some band shirt. My Life With --

TAYA
My life with?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Some cult.

BOBBY
A cult? But you said it was a band --

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
The Thrill Kill Kult. That’s it.
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.
With a cartoon of a -- stripper or something.
Dominatrix shit.

Bobby and Taya exchange glances.

BOBBY
Thank you very much.
You’ve been most helpful.

TAYA
Don’t worry about the money.
I promise we’ll have it dusted for prints
and mailed to you in a couple of days.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
(still pissed)
Okay.

Bobby and Taya amble outside onto --

THE BOARDWALK
Bobby pulls out the bag.
Takes out the hundred. Smiles.

TAYA
What are you doing? That’s evidence.

BOBBY
(waves it at her)
Already dusted for prints.
C’mon, let’s go grab a slice to eat
while we canvas the area.
I know a great place right down the street.

TAYA
You’re evil.

BOBBY
To protect and serve -- ourselves.

INT. WINNEBAGO - UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - A LITTLE LATER
The joint has become a true opium den.
Windows blacked out.
Debris scattered around.

Some Buddha Lounge chill thumps softly in the haze.
A lone candle flickers in the shadows.

Net lays next to Cam, snuggling.
Cam is out cold, a dreamy smile on her lips.
Net strokes her hair, softly humming.

Rod lays at the end of the bed, face up.
Hondo’s on his knees beside him -- giving Rod head.

Slowly, up and down. Up and down.
In heaven. Having a gay old time.

Net puts her arm around Cam’s waist.
SQUEEZES tight.

NET
Mmmmmm.

CAM
(awakens)
OW.
(looks)
HEY. Get the fuck OFF ME.

She WHIPS Net’s arm away.

NET
What? What’s wrong?

CAM
(awake now)
FUCKING DYKE.

Rod stirs from his opium-laced reverie.
Sees what Hondo is doing. FREAKS OUT.

THROWS Hondo off of him. PUNCHES him.
Hondo HITS the floor with a CRACK.

HONDO
HEY, ow, FUCK!

ROD
What the FUCK do you think you’re DOING?

HONDO
You seemed to like it.

CAM
(looks)
What’s the fuck’s GOING ON?

HONDO
(to Cam)
He was fucking BLOWING ME!

Cam SCREAMS. GRABS her gun. Takes aim.
SHOOTS Hondo in the chest, BANG.
A red stain starts growing on his t-shirt.

HONDO
You SHOT ME. Fucking BITCH!

NET
HONDO!

Net races over to him.
Cam fires again. BANG.
In the neck.

Blood starts SPRAYING.
Net tries to stop it with her hands.

CAM
That’ll teach you to mess with MY MAN.

ROD
CAM? WHAT THE FUCK!?

NET
(looks at Cam)
You fucking CUNT! You SHOT HIM!

CAM
Those are your last words --
(SHOOTS HER)
Bitch.

Net falls over. THWUNK.
Shot in the head.

The arc of blood from Hondo’s neck FLIES OUT --
onto the open bag of money.

ROD
Jesus fucking Christ, Cam.
Jesus fucking CHRIST.
Look what you did.
We’re FUCKED. FUCKED.
(beat)
Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod.

Cam stares at the bodies.
A strange look in her eyes.

CAM
(a whisper)
Shot his head -- clean off.

ROD
(sees)
Oh, SHIT. FUCK. The money!

He LEAPS out of bed.
Grabs the case.
Takes it into --

THE BATHROOM
Where he THROWS it in the bathtub.

TURNS ON the shower,
spraying water on the money.
He RACES back into --

THE BEDROOM
Where Cam stands over the bodies.

Fondling the gun.
Rod comes up behind her. Looks.

CAM
(spooky)
Where’d you go, honey?

ROD
We gotta clean the money.
It’s covered in BLOOD.

CAM
You mad at me?

Be careful here.

ROD
No, I’m not mad at you.
(sighs)
We’ve gotta figure out what
we’re gonna do with the bodies.
(thinks)
First we need to get the fuck outta here.
Someone must of heard the gun shots.

We hear a loud KNOCKING
on the door downstairs.

Something inside Cam CLICKS back on.
She turns, looks at Rod.

CAM
Don’t worry, honey.
I’ll take care of it.

PUSH IN ON Rod. Scared shitless.

ROD
That’s what I’m afraid of --