The Gentleman Gunman

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Friday. 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 15 of AFTERHOURS, in the aftermath of the bloody attempted mutiny, hostage-taker Danny Peel surprises the celebrities when he sends rogue cop Vin Vargas out to get food for everybody ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - MAIN LOUNGE - EARLY MORNING
Easy sits in the corner
of a banquet, in pain.

Chugs from a bottle of scotch.
We see a big, ugly scar
on his arm socket.

Sky, Angel, Bettie, Casey,
Mia and Angel sit around him.

Danny and Vin sit at the bar,
facing them, guns aimed.

SKY
(whispers to Casey)
Nothing like seeing a guy
getting his arm blown off
to sober you up.

Casey nods, in a daze.

DANNY
Not as much fun as
sitting at the bar, I know.
But your priviledges have been revoked.
(low, to Vin)
What did you do with his arm?

VIN
(whispers)
In the VIP room with the dead guy.

MIA
(to Danny)
Could I get some ice for his shoulder?

DANNY
No. Nobody moves.
Tried being nice and it didn’t work.

SKY
What if we have to go to the bathroom?

DANNY
Then you pee in your pants.

BETTIE
Shit.

DANNY
That, too.

VIN
I’m really hungry, Danny.

DANNY
Then do some more blow.

VIN
Nah. That shit fucked me up.
Stomach’s tied up in knots.
What if I go outside
and see what’s going on?
If the coast is clear
I could go get some food.

DANNY
Are you fucking crazy?
It’s too risky.

MIA
There’s a Twenty-Four-Mart
a couple blocks away.
He could go behind the stores
in the alley.

VIN
Yeah?

DANNY
(looks at his watch)
It’s still dark out --

VIN
C’mon. Let me go take a look.
I’ll creep up the stairs
real careful like.
Nobody will see me.

Pause.

DANNY
Okay. But be careful.
(looks at the group)
I supposed you’re all hungry.

VIN
Are you kidding?
After the shit they pulled?
Let ‘em starve.

CASEY
I don’t see why the rest of us
should be punished for
Tango and Cash’s shenanigans.

Danny looks at her a long beat.
Narrows his eyes.

DANNY
(to Vin)
What the fuck.
Get enough stuff to make
sandwiches for everybody.

SKY
I’m a vegan --

DANNY
You’re lucky you’re fucking ALIVE.
You’ll eat whatever grub you’re given.

VIN
You wanna feed them ALL?

DANNY
Why not.
Good faith gesture.
Maybe the media will call me
‘The Gentleman Gunman’ or some shit.

VIN
You’re fucking crazy.

DANNY
Crazy like a fox.
If their bellies are full,
they might not get so desperate again.
(to the group)
Right?
(off their nods, to Vin)
Get a couple loaves of bread,
some cold cuts and chips and shit.

VIN
Okay.

He starts heading for the door.

DANNY
Be careful.

Vin nods.
Unlocks the door.

Slowly opens it.
Peers out.

Then leaves.
Shuts the door behind him --

Shades of Grey

Happy Thursday, 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 14 of AFTERHOURS, after stopping Sky and Easy's attempt to grab Danny and Vin's guns and blowing off Easy's arm at shoulder, Danny has to deal with stopping the gushing wound ...


INT. AFTER HOURS CLUB - EARLY MORNING
Casey stares in horror at the blood.
Easy's missing arm on the floor.

CASEY
Holy fucking SHIT.

ANGEL
(to Mia)
TOWELS. GET SOME TOWELS.

MIA
They’re IN THE LAUNDRY.

ANGEL
PAPER TOWELS, NAPKINS -- ANYTHING. HURRY.

Mia reaches under the bar,
grabs a stack of paper towels,
hands them to Angel.

He RACES over to Easy.
SHOVES them on the gushing wound.

Danny gets up.
Thumbs a couple of shells
into the sawed-off.

KA-CHINKS them into the chamber.
Aims it at Easy.

DANNY
And I thought we were
getting along so well.
(aims it at Sky)
And YOU. You’re PATHETIC. Weak.
This isn’t a fucking MOVIE.
(to Vin)
You okay?

VIN
Yeah.

EASY
Joke’s on you.
Movie star’s got HIV.

VIN
Who gives a shit.
So we got another faggot.
Fucking Hollywood --

DANNY
He means the blood on your face.

Vin reaches up. Touches his face.
Looks at his hand. Sees it.

VIN
What the FUCK?

He RUNS toward the men’s room.
Danny aims his gun at Sky.

DANNY
Okay, junkie. Go sit with the others.

Sky slowly gets up.
Trudges over to the bar. Sits.

CASEY
(nods at Easy)
We’re gonna have to cauterize his wound.

DANNY
Or what? He’ll lose his arm?

ANGEL
No, she’s serious.
He’ll lose too much blood.

DANNY
(looks at Easy)
Hope that wasn’t your jerking off hand.

Vin walks back in, wiping
his face with a paper towel.

Walks over to Sky.
JAMS his gun against his head.

VIN
If I get AIDS, I’m gonna fucking
KILL you, fucking FAGGOT.

DANNY
Vin. He’s not gay. He’s a junkie.
(off his look)
Needles?

VIN
Oh.
(beat)
Right.

DANNY
(nods at Easy)
We gotta cauterize the wound.

VIN
Why? Just let him bleed out.
He fucking attacked you for crissakes.

DANNY
(to Mia)
What kinda stove you got in the kitchen,
gas or electric?

MIA
Electric.

DANNY
Perfect.

EASY
Oh, no. You can’t -- do that.

DANNY
Oh yes we can. You wannna live, right?

EASY
Can I get back to you on that?

DANNY
(to Angel)
GQ. Help me bring him into the kitchen.

Angel nods. Walks over.

DANNY
(to Vin)
You keep an eye on the gang from Cheers.

VIN
Okay.

Danny and Angel help Easy up.
Start walking toward the back.

EASY
Why are you helping me?

DANNY
Shades of grey, Mr. Pro Athelete.
Sometimes the bad guy
shows a glimmer of compassion.

VIN
What about his arm?

DANNY
You deal with it.

They leave. Bettie slides out of the booth.
Starts weaving toward the bar.

VIN
(sees her)
And just where the fuck
do you think YOU’RE going?

BETTIE
(sits)
Excuse me, but that was some intense shit.
I need a drink.

CASEY
I don’t think that’s a good idea.

BETTIE
Like I could give a flying fuck
what you think.

MIA
She’s right.
It’s probably not a good idea.
You’ve had a lot --

BETTIE
Pour me a fucking DRINK, barkeep.
I’m a ROCK STAR. It’s what we DO.
(sees the powder on the bar)
You guys were DOING COKE?

She licks her finger,
wipes it through the residue.
Rubs it on her gums.

BETTIE
Now we’re fucking TALKING.
Is there any more?

VIN
(points his gun at her)
Shut the fuck up.
You’re giving me a headache.
(to Mia)
Give her a fucking drink.
Maybe she’ll pass out again.

Mia’s eyes flash angrily.
She grabs a glass.
Starts pouring.

From the kitchen, we hear Easy
CRY OUT IN PAIN.
EASY (O.C.)
AHHHHHH --

Trigger Happy

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Hump Day. 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 13 of AFTERHOURS, the shit hits the fan when celebrity hostages Easy and Sky try to grab Danny and Vin's guns, which erupts into a bloodbath of epic proportions ...


INT. AFTER HOURS CLUB - EARLY MORNING
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.

Mia stares at him.
Eyes fill with tears.

She leans down.
SNORTS a hit.

Lays down the straw.
Rubs her nose.

DANNY
See?
That wasn’t so bad, was it?

UNDER THE BAR
Easy taps Sky’s leg.
Slips him a folded napkin.

SKY
Looks down.
Carefully opens it.

THE NAPKIN READS
‘I’ll grab Danny’s gun.
You get Vin’s. When I say NOW.’

SKY
Crumples it up.
Looks around nervously.

AT THE BAR
Danny looks at Mia. Smiles.

DANNY
How do you feel?

MIA
(eyes burning)
I don’t like it.
It burns my throat.

He stares at her a long beat.
Then breaks into a big smile.

DANNY
Well, now you can say you’ve tried it.
(big smile)
More for me.

Danny leans down.
SNARFS up the last line.

EASY
NOW.

In rapid-fire succession --

Easy LEAPS off his stool.
GRABS Danny’s sawed-off.

Tries to YANK it away.
Danny tries to YANK it back.

At the same moment,
Sky JUMPS off his stool.

GRABS Vin’s gun.
They WRESTLE for the weapon.

Mia SCREAMS.
Casey and Angel GASP.

Easy and Danny roll around on the floor,
struggling for control of the gun.

Danny JERKS it toward Easy’s face,
but Easy’s STRONG, and starts
JERKING it back toward Danny’s.

Vin YANKS the gun away from Sky,
PISTOL-WHIPS him on the head.

Blood FLIES from the wound,
SPLATTERS Vin’s face.

Sky tries to PUNCH him, but Vin
KNEES him in the groin, HARD.
He goes down, writhing in pain.

Easy and Danny both grip the sawed-off,
KICKING and CLAWING at each other.

Vin aims his gun at Easy --
just as the shotgun FIRES --

BLOWING OFF HIS ARM at the shoulder. BANG.
A GEYSER OF BLOOD SPRAYS IN THE AIR.

IN THE BOOTH
Bettie wakes up.
Sees the mayhem.
Tries to focus.

BETTIE
What’s -- going on?

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.

Getaway Plan

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 11 of AFTERHOURS, while bonding with the hostages, Danny Peel discovers that Angel the bouncer owes money to a loan shark, and that he's on his way to collect his debt ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - MAIN LOUNGE - EARLY MORNING
Angel sits on a stool
next to Mia behind the bar.

Danny sits near Casey, Easy and Sky.
Vin sits at the other end
with a bottle of scotch,
pants back on.

Everybody is quite buzzed.

CASEY
(to Danny)
You used to be a cop.

DANNY
Is it that obvious?

CASEY
Why did you leave the force?

DANNY
I didn’t leave.
I was shit-canned.

CASEY
What happened?

DANNY
Long story.

CASEY
Do you have a getaway plan?

DANNY
Jesus.
You movie people.
‘Getaway plan.’

CASEY
No, seriously.
Maybe we can help.
You drove to the house, right?
Where’s your car?

DANNY
Parked on one of those narrow,
winding streets up in the hills.
It’s stolen, so I don’t know
how much longer it’ll be there.

EASY
But all you gotta do is wait
until the coast is clear, right?

DANNY
(nods)
Figured I’d walk back up and get it,
then drive down and
pick up Vin and the money.

VIN
(to Danny)
Hey, chief.
Sorry to interrupt
bonding with the hostages,
but is there any way we can
get some fucking food?
I’m starving.
(to the group)
Any twenty-four hour
fast food joints around here?
Hell, I’ll go get it.

DANNY
Too risky.
We don’t know what’s
going on out there.
(thinks)
Wish we had some blow.
Take the edge off.

ANGEL
I’ve got some.

DANNY
You do?

Angel pulls a decent-sized bag
of cocaine out of his pocket.

ANGEL
Little bit.

DANNY
How the fuck does a bouncer
afford that much Toots and the Maytals?

ANGEL
Mickey was giving me some credit.

MIA
Another loan --

ANGEL
Shut up, Mia.

MIA
(to Danny)
He got a lot more with
money from a loan shark,
but it got stolen --
and now he’s late paying them back.
His goons are gonna be here any minute.

ANGEL
Mia --

DANNY
(to Angel)
That true?
You got loan shark thugs on your tail?

ANGEL
(sheepish)
Yeah.

Danny KA-CHINKS the sawed-off.

DANNY
Well, now they’re gonna
haveta fuck with me --

Risky Business

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Friday. 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 10 of AFTERHOURS, in the aftermath of rogue cop Vin Vargas shooting Mickey Mertz, Danny reassures his celebrity hostages that he's got things under control ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Danny looks at Vin,
holding his head,
slowly getting up.

DANNY
You okay?

VIN
Yeah.
(looks at Easy)
Asshole.

EASY
Self-defense.
You attacked me.

DANNY
(to Vin)
Apologize to the man.

VIN
What?

DANNY
You heard me.
Apologize.

VIN
For what?
He started it.

DANNY
Vin.
The first rule of
holding people hostage
is to gain their trust.
You lost your temper
and lost their trust.
In order for us to
maintain a sense of order,
they need to trust
we’ll stay cool.

SKY
(to Vin)
Yeah.
Like randomly shooting
one of us.
Did wonders for
my confidence in you.

DANNY
You hear the movie star?
Apologize to the man.

VIN
WHAT?

DANNY
You heard me. Apologize.
Unless you want this
to become a
Lord Of The Flies situation,
we need to remain civilized.

Vin looks down.
Shakes his head.

VIN
I don’t fucking believe this.

DANNY
Vin.

VIN
Jesus fucking Christ.
(low)
I’m -- sorry.

DANNY
Good boy.
Now take care of your leg
and put your fucking pants on.
This ain’t Risky Business.

Trigger-Happy

Happy Thursday, 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 9 of AFTERHOURS, the shit hits the fan when rogue cop Vin Vargas 'accidentally' shoots and kills gay Silverlake hipster drug dealer Mickey Mertz ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Danny picks up his drink. Takes a slug.

DANNY
It was a home invasion.
We ripped off a dirty cop
up in the hills.
Thought it’d be a cinch,
two against one,
but he was in bed with some slut,
and trigger-happy over there --

BANG.

Everyone JUMPS.
Turns and looks at --

MICKEY
Lying on the floor.
Half his face, gone.

DANNY
RACES over.

DANNY
What the FUCK, Vin?
What the fucking fuck did you DO?

Vin stands next to Mickey’s body
in his tighty-whiteys
holding his gun,
lower lip quivering.

VIN
He -- made fun of my underwear.

DANNY
I thought he was gonna cut your pants.

VINCE
Changed my mind.
Gay guy with scissors
anywhere near my crotch?
No fucking way, Jose.

AT THE BAR
Angel hugs Mia,
silently sobbing in his arms.

Casey joins them behind the bar.
Easy looks at Sky.

EASY
(whispers)
We gotta do something.

SKY
(whispers)
You gotta plan?

EASY
I’m thinking, I’m thinking --

NEXT TO MICKEY’S BODY
Danny berates Vin.

DANNY
You fucking idiot.
We were all getting along
and you had to fucking RUIN it.
Now they’re afraid of us.
Now they think they’re gonna die.

VIN
Well, aren’t they?

DANNY
(low)
No. We want them to TRUST us.
This will go ALOT
easier if they cooperate.
Now we have to watch them
in case they try and pull something.

VIN
I don’t see what the big deal is.
Dead fag. So what?

DANNY
That man was a HUMAN BEING, Vin.
And if you weren’t so homophobic,
he’d still be alive --
and your leg would be taken care of.

VIN
So I’ll splash some booze on it
and tie a tourniquet around it.

DANNY
Suit yourself.
But first get him the fuck out of here
before they freak out any more.

VIN
Alright, alright.

He grabs Mickey’s body by the ankles
and drags him out of the room.

All eyes follow him.
Danny walks back to the bar.

Sticks his gun in his his waistband.
Takes a seat.

DANNY
I’m really sorry.
My associate has an itchy trigger finger.
I promise I’ll keep him under control.

Danny grabs the bottle.
Pours himself another drink.

Takes a big gulp.
Vin comes back in.

VIN
I put him in the VIP room.
(off everyone’s silence)
It was an accident, okay?

EASY
You shot him because he was gay.

VIN
No I didn’t.

EASY
Yes you did.
I heard you call him a ‘faggot.’

SKY
Yeah, I did too.

CASEY
I like to fuck girls.
You gonna shoot me, too?

Danny shoots her a look.

VIN
What the fuck IS this?
(to Danny)
You gonna let them talk to me that way?

DANNY
Well, if the shoe fits.

VIN
What the fuck is THAT supposed to mean?

DANNY
You just fucking shot someone
because they’re gay
right in front of their eyes.
I think they’ve got the right
to give you shit about it.

VIN
Wait a minute.
Whose side are you ON?
It was an accident, okay?
The gun just went off.

EASY
Was it because he was
a little bit effeminate?
What if he was macho like me?

VIN
What?

EASY
If you found out I was gay,
would you shoot me?

VIN
You’re not GAY.
You’re a pro baseball player.

EASY
That’s true.
And I’m married.
(smiles)
But I also like to suck cock.

DANNY
Check out Easy Washington
coming out of the closet.
Now that took guts.

VIN
Bullshit.
He’s just fucking with me.

EASY
I’d prove it, but you’re not my type.
Don’t go for the greasy Italian thing.
Hate the taste of pepperoni.
(laughs)
Better check the oil.
Looks like you might be a little low.

VIN
HEY.

Vin CHARGES him.
Easy PUNCHES him in the head, THWUMP.
Vin HITS the floor.

Danny WHIPS out his gun.
Aims it at Easy.

DANNY
Thanks.
I’ve been dying to do that all night --