Breakfast of Champions

Happy Tuesday, crime slicksters. It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where the girls are hot, the drinks are cold, and the hardboiled-pulp-noir action is non-stop, right here, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

In Chapter 12 of AFTERHOURS, killer on the run Danny Peel parties with his celebrity hostages and starts making them do lines of coke, but things get more than a little tense when bartender Mia Tanaka refuses ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - MAIN LOUNGE - EARLY MORNING
Danny finishes chopping up a series
of big, fat lines of coke on the bar.

Holds a rolled-up bill in his hand.
Smiles. Leans over. SNARFS one up.

Then another. HONK.
Hands it to Vin.

DANNY
Breakfast of champions.

VIN
Beam me up, Scotty.
(does a line)
Damn. That’s good shit.

CASEY
(to Danny)
Can I -- ?

DANNY
Hell, yeah.
We should all be
on the same wavelength.

Casey smiles.
Pulls a silver tube out of her bag.

Leans over. SNORTS a line.
Shakes her head.

DANNY
Check out the paraphenalia
on Miss Red Carpet.

CASEY
Present from my director.
(offers it to Sky)
Your turn.

SKY
Sorry. I’m clean and sober.

DANNY
Really? How long?

SKY
Three days.

DANNY
That’s all?
You can make that again
standing on your head.

SKY
I dunno. My sponsor --

DANNY
Tell ‘em you were held hostage
at gunpoint by a crazed gunman
and he made you.

SKY
(big smile)
Fuck, yeah.

He takes the tube from Casey.
Leans down. SNARFS up a line.
Then another.

Dips a finger in his drink.
Wets his nose.

SKY
That’s some righteous booger sugar.
(hands it to Easy)
Seventh Inning Stretch, my man?

EASY
(takes it)
Line drive, brother.
(does a hit, shakes his head)
Pun intended.
(does another)
Home run, bases loaded.

He swings the tube like a little bat.
Angel points at it.

ANGEL
My turn?

DANNY
(hands it to him)
But of course.
The bouncer needs a bounce.

Angel smiles grimly. Leans down.
SNARFS up a line. Then another.
Nods his head. Danny points at Mia.

DANNY
Now it’s your turn.

MIA
No, thanks.

DANNY
Aw, c’mon.
Join the party, doll.

MIA
I -- don’t do drugs.

DANNY
Oh, so you think you’re
better than us?

MIA
No. I just --
(looks at Angel)
Don’t do drugs.

DANNY
(aims his gun at her)
Well, now you do.
(hands her the straw)
C’mon. One little toot.
You’d make a dangerous criminal
VERY happy.

MIA
Please.

DANNY
(clicks the hammer)
DO IT. NOW.