Mirror Moves

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Monday. It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where your most violent fantasies become sins of the flesh, right here, where the hardboiled action is non-stop, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

In Chapter 26 of SPIRAL, safely back in Los Angeles after their visit to the dark side of New Orleans strip clubs, porn star Savannah and her stylist Dex hang out again with their friend Andy, and embark on another all-night drug binge ...


EXT. CLUB - NIGHT
Dex hails a cab and gets in.

INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
Shannon is onstage again, dressed
like a white vinyl cowgirl.

She gamely grinds against the pole,
briefly turns her head upstage and COUGHS.

EXT. BAR - SAME
Dex walks out of a
nasty looking bar, dejected.

He gets into the waiting cab,
which speeds off.

INT. CLUB - SAME
Shannon onstage again,
dancing like death warmed over
to scraping, vicious
Nine Inch Nails-like industrial music.

BLOOD drips out of her nose.
She touches it, sees the blood
on her fingertips,
and RUNS off the stage.

INT. DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT
Shannon RACES to her makeup table,
GRABS a Kleenex and puts it to her nose.

SHANNON
Shit, shit, shit...

JIMMY, a large, beefy bouncer walks in.

JIMMY
You okay, honey?
You ran back here like a jackrabbit.

SHANNON
No, I'm not okay.
My stylist was supposed to be
back here with, uh, my medicine,
and the little shit has been
gone for two hours.

JIMMY
'Medicine?'

The bouncer sees the Kleenex.
Then the cocaine fixings on the table.
Puts two and two together.

JIMMY
Oh, shit, honey.
Why didn't you say so?
I know where you can get
the best blow in the Quarter.

SHANNON
You do?

JIMMY
(flirts)
I sure do.
I'll tell you what,
why don't we go out for a drink
after the show and I'll
fix up you real good.

Shannon brightens.
Gives him her hundred watt smile.

SHANNON
You got it, sugar.
But first I need to ask you a favor.

EXT. BACKSTAGE DOOR/ALLEY - NIGHT
Dex approaches the rear
of the club through the alley.

Scared because he couldn't
find any coke,
he hesitates at the door.

The door suddenly FLIES open.
Jimmy walks out holding a
baseball bat in his hand.

JIMMY
(friendly, scary)
Well, there he is.
I've been waiting for you,
little fella.

DEX
Hey, wait a minute,
you've got the wrong person!

Jimmy GRABS Dex by the collar
and drags him away.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
SUPER - Day One.

Shannon, Andy and Dex sit on their
bar stools in front of the mirror.

Dex is bruised and bandaged,
He's a mess.

Top forty dance music
plays on the stereo.

Shannon is in the middle of doing
a large pipeload of freebase.

She BELLOWS out the smoke, leans back,
closes her eyes enjoying the rush.

DEX
I said I'm sorry.
I fucked up, okay?
I looked and looked and looked.
But I should have come back sooner.

SHANNON
I was so fucking mad at you.

DEX
I fucked up. I'm sorry.

ANDY
He really tried, Shannon.
I probably couldn't have done any better.

Silence. She takes a swig of her drink.
This arguing is messing up her high.

SHANNON
Alright, everybody shut up.
You're gonna ruin my little surprise.

ANDY
Surprise?

DEX
What surprise?

Silence. She's back in control.

She dramatically pulls out
a little white envelope, slowly,
painstakingly opens it,
and dumps a small mound
of white powder in the tray.

ANDY
It looks like coke.

DEX
Not smack.

SHANNON
Crystal meth. Crank.
Uncut, straight from the fucking Bayou.
(pause)
Fucking dancing life-support.