A Little Help From My Friends

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Wednesday. 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 22 of EXIT, a cop comes knocking on the door of the after hours club where fugitive Danny Peel is holding a group of celebrities hostage, but in a strange turn of events, the celebs grab guns and help Danny confront him ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Danny stands near the door
holding the duffle bag.

Casey, Bettie, Sky and Mia
are right behind him.

DANNY
I’ll go out first, make sure
we can get to Mia’s car. Okay?

CASEY
Be careful.

Biff’s radio CRACKLES.

TIRED MALE VOICE (O.C.)
(electronic)
Finished the other side of the street.
You almost done?
Wanna go get some coffee?

CASEY
Shit. That must be his partner.

TIRED MALE VOICE (O.C.)
Biff, you copy that?
(beat)
Biff?
(beat)
You takin’ a piss or something?

CASEY
He’s gonna start looking for him.

SKY
We still can make it to the car.

BETTIE
Are you crazy?
He’s right nearby.

Danny walks over to the cop.
Grabs his radio.

CASEY
Danny, NO.
What are you doing?
Are you crazy?

He presses a button.
Speaks into it.

DANNY
Okay. Here’s the deal.
I’m the guy you’re looking for,
and I’ve got your partner on ice.
I’ve got two million dollars, give or take.
Half of it is yours if you help me.

TIRED MALE VOICE (O.C.)
What the fuck have you done
with my partner?

DANNY
Relax.
He’s just taking a little nap.
And I’ve got five more hostages,
one of ‘em is another cop.
If you don’t help me,
they die, capiche?

TIRED MALE VOICE (O.C.)
You honestly think
I’m gonna help a cop killer?

DANNY
Think about it.
That’s your salary for twenty years.
Tax-free.

Pause.

TIRED MALE VOICE (O.C.)
Where are you?

DANNY
Small white building on the corner.
Used to be a bank.
Can’t miss it.

TIRED MALE VOICE (O.C.)
I’m on my way.

Danny shoves the radio in his pocket.

DANNY
Okay, everybody.
We got company.

CASEY
This is fucking crazy.

SKY
No, it’s not.
It’s five against one.

BETTIE
(to Sky)
Yeah, but only you and Danny have guns.

CASEY
(realizes)
The cop’s guns --

She races across the room.
Finds his guns on the floor.

Picks them up.
Walks over to Bettie.
Hands her one.

BETTIE
Fucking COOL.

DANNY
Ever shot a gun before?

BETTIE
Hell, yeah.
Grew up in Texas.

DANNY
(to Casey)
How about you?

CASEY
Only in my dreams.

DANNY
It’s easy.
Just take aim,
take a deep breath
and squeeze the trigger.
Use two hands.
Sucker’s got quite a kick.

CASEY
(nods)
Squeeze the trigger.

DANNY
Okay, then. It’s settled.
We’re all in this together.

The buzzer RINGS.

DANNY
Places, please.
Aim at the door.

MIA
Don’t I get a gun?

DANNY
Get behind the bar, Mia.

She frowns.
Starts walking toward the bar.

Danny goes to the door.
Leans into it.

DANNY
Come in nice and slow.

The door slowly opens.
In walks Sergeant LUTHER JAMES (20’s),
African-American, tall, good-looking,
holding his weapon in a two-handed grip.
Danny points his sawed-off at him.

LUTHER
Looks like a standoff, cop killer.

DANNY
Not quite.

Casey, Sky and Bettie come into view,
weapons aimed.

DANN
I get by with a
little help from my friends --