True Romance

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 26 of EXIT, we reach the exciting conclusion of our story, in which fugitive gunman Danny Peel and his squeeze, Oscar-Winning screenwriter Casey Montana try to fend off the SWAT team that invades the club ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Suddenly we hear DRILLING from above.

CASEY
What the fuck's THAT?

DANNY
They’re coming in.

LUTHER
Fuck this shit.
I’m getting the fuck OUTTA here.

He shoots Danny in the belly.
BANG. BANG. BANG.

Sky SHOOTS Luther in the chest,
BANG. BANG. BANG.

Luther slumps against the bar,
SLIDES off his stool,
HITS the floor, THWUMP.

DANNY
(holding his stomach)
Motherfucker that hurts.

Casey rushes over.
Tries to stop the bleeding with her hands.

CASEY
Shit, shit, shit --
(gasps)
GODAMMIT.

The drilling gets LOUDER.
A circular piece of the ceiling FALLS,
hits the floor, BANG.

Grey GAS starts BILLOWING out from the hole.
Starts filling the room.

SKY
SHIT.
What do we do?

BETTIE
They can’t DO this.
We’re FAMOUS.

DANNY
Guess the joke’s on you.

MIA
I’ll go see if I can
break a window in the bathroom.

She RACES out of the room.
The smoke starts getting THICKER.

Everyone starts CHOKING.
Blood burbles out of Danny’s mouth.

DANNY
(to Casey)
They’re gonna be coming in any second.
Save yourself.

CASEY
No fucking way.
I’m not leaving you.

DANNY
You wanna fucking DIE?
You got your story. Go. NOW.

CASEY
But there’s NOWHERE TO GO.

DANNY
VIP room.
Separate ventilation.
For cigars --

CASEY
But, but --

DANNY
GO.

Casey looks into his eyes.
Bites her lower lip.

CASEY
I don’t wanna leave you.

DANNY
That makes two us.

CASEY
What we had was -- nice, wasn’t it?

DANNY
It was True Romance, baby.
But you gotta go now.
(off her look)
Do it for me.
Tell my story.

She gets up.
Wipes her nose with a bloody sleeve.

CASEY
I promise I’ll do you justice.

DANNY
(softly)
I know you will.
Now please, get the fuck outta here.

A tear trickles down her cheek.
She turns, RACES out of the room --
just as the door EXPLODES off it’s hinges.

Two dozen SWAT COMMANDOS
wearing full body armor and ventilators
STORM into the room FIRING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS.

Sky and Bettie try to RUN,
but get CUT DOWN in their tracks.

Danny’s body gets SHREDDED with bullets,
his body JERKING around like a puppet.

LEAD COMMANDO
CLEAR.

They STORM toward the back.

INT. VIP ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Even plusher than the rest of the joint.

We see Tough-Looking Female Cop,
tied and gagged.
Still out cold.

A pile of bodies in the corner.
Easy. Angel. Mickey. Vin. Harry. Pub. Ned.

And undereath them,
Casey, eyes closed.

The door gets KICKED IN.
A pair of COMMANDOS RACE in.

See the carnage.
Pull off their masks.
Walk over.

TALL COMMANDO
Holy shit.

BULKY COMMANDO
I think one of ‘em’s still alive.

A GIANT COMMANDO walks in.
Sees them. The bodies.

GIANT COMMANDO
We’re clear.
(sees the bodies)
Jesus fucking Christ.
And I thought the dead chick
in the bathroom was fucked.

Tall Commando bends down.
Feels Casey’s pulse.

She opens her eyes.
Looks at them.

TALL COMMANDO
Hold on miss,
we’ll get you outta here.

BULKY COMMANDO
(to Tall)
Smart girl.
Pretended she was dead.

TALL COMMANDO
(nods, to Casey)
Someday you’re gonna have
a great story to tell your grandchildren.

Casey stares at him a beat.
Her eyes flicker.

CASEY
Make a great movie, don’t you think?