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EXT. DROP INN CAFE - DUSK
The guys go outside, get on their bikes and start them up. The
Sheriff and one of the deputies follow them out and get in the police
car. Mr. Buford comes running up and opens the passenger door
of the police car.
MR.
BUFORD
(to
the deputy)
Git
in back.
DEPUTY
(shakes
his head)
Uh-uh.
I always ride shotgun.
MR.
BUFORD
(exasperated)
Fine.
Mr. Buford climbs in back. The bikes drive slowly up the street,
the police car trailing right behind them.
Stan and the two deputies beside him watch from the front of the cafe.
INT. POLICE CAR - DAY
Mr. Buford leans forward on the seat facing the Sheriff.
MR.
BUFORD
So?
SHERIFF
So,
I don' know. I mean, I questioned 'em and they
didn't
seem like they knew nothin', but then again,
maybe
they do.
MR.
BUFORD
So
you arrested one of 'em?
SHERIFF
He
lipped off t' me, what was I supposed t' do?
MR.
BUFORD
Get
'em all outta town, that's what I thank. But now
that
y'all got one of 'em, make shore ya arrest that
other
one, the one with LuAnne.
SHERIFF
For
what?
MR.
BUFORD
I
don' give a damn for what, jus' do it!
The Police car stops abruptly in the middle of the road near the edge
of town. The motorcycles keep going and slowly turn left on Route
66.
SHERIFF
(upset)
Now
look here, Gus! Don' ya be tellin' me my
job
now! I'll do what I thank is right!
MR.
BUFORD
Shit,
Alex, have y'all gone plumb crazy? We could
all
be in a lotta trouble, an' that includes you! Now
arrest
that boy and find out what he knows! We'll
question
both of 'em separate, that way we'll be shore
t'
git the truth.
Mr. Buford gets out of the police car and slams the door. The
Sheriff and the Deputy sit there in the stationary automobile.
They watch as the motorcycles disappear from view driving west on Route
66.
EXT. ROUTE 66/TEXAS - DUSK
When the bikes get out of sight of the town along Route 66 they stop
and turn around. Jason looks concerned.
JASON
What
about Virgil?
BUD
He's
gotta be back soon. We have to wait for him.
Can
you believe that? Of all the dames he goes
an
picks up the Sheriff's daughter?
JASON
They
acted like they knew each other.
BUD
How
would Virgil know a girl from this podunk town?
It's
not possible.
DEWEY
What
we got us here, fellas, is a situation.
JASON
We
can't let 'em keep Stan. He'll do time for sure.
BUD
(nods)
Let's
just wait a few minutes and see what happens.
They all nod and take out their cigarettes.
EXT. DROP INN CAFE/MAIN STREET - DUSK
The two Deputies escort Stan away from the cafe and his motorcycle.
They march him up the street, each deputy with a hand on Stan's shoulders.
Stan glances at each of them and they're both facing ahead, not taking
Stan seriously.
Stan sees his moment. He grabs each of the deputy's wrists, snaps
the right deputy's arm down hard throwing him off balance while simultaneously
pushing the other one out and away. Stan kicks the deputy to his
left solidly in the balls, then lets him go and he drops to the ground.
Stan grabs the other deputy's wrist with both hands, spins him around
in a full circle and lets go. The deputy catapults through a store
window with a tremendous crash.
The deputy on the ground takes his hand from his crotch and goes for
his gun. Stan kicks him solidly in the nose, then hastily takes
off running back toward the cafe.
Stan jumps on his motorcycle, rolls it off the kick-stand, kicks the
starter, turns the throttle, it putters and doesn't catch. Stan
looks up and sees . . .
. . . The deputy on the ground holding his bloody nose and pulling his
pistol. The other deputy comes staggering out the door of the
shop he crashed into, dazed and covered with blood.
Stan kicks the starter again, it putters, coughs and dies. The
deputy with the bloody nose rises unsteadily to his feet, his pistol
raised and fires a shot.
The bullet whizzes past Stan's ear. Stan kicks the starter again
and still nothing.
Now both deputies are charging toward him.
Stan pulls the choke, gives it another
kick and it starts. The engine revs, the furious deputies are
getting close, another shot is fired, Stan floors it, fishtails and
speeds down the street away from his pursuers. Several blocks
up the street Stan sees the police car just sitting there a quarter
of a mile up. Stan frowns, pulls a quick U-turn heading back toward
the bloody, pissed-off deputies.
Stan ducks low as both deputies open fire on him. One bullet hits
Stan in the thigh, another shatters one of his mirrors. He veers
away from the deputies and drives up a thin alley between two buildings.
EXT. THIN ALLEY - DUSK/NIGHT
Stan is going way too fast. He's holding the handlebars with one
hand, the other tightly grasping his wounded leg. As he tears
up the thin alley with garbage cans lining both sides he goes out of
control plowing into the garbage cans.
EXT. DESERT - DUSK/NIGHT
Stan comes out of the alley with cans rolling out in front of him, then
blasts out into the vast expanse of open desert.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
The deputies both take shots at Stan up the alley, but he's too far
away and rapidly getting farther and farther. Both deputies are
furious.
EXT. DESERT - NIGHT
Stan's got the motorcycle flat out, head down, tearing across the darkening
flatlands. Suddenly-BOOM!!- the engine blows. Flames erupt
and he loses all power. Stan jumps off the moving motorcycle,
lands on his good leg, hops several times, then falls on his face.
The bike rolls along on its own momentum and the gas tank explodes.
It keeps rolling off into the darkness, a bouncing ball of flame.
It finally becomes a small yellow spark, then falls over.
Stan pounds his fist on the hard dirt.
STAN
S-s-son
of a b-b-b-b . . . Shit!
EXT. THE PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
The Panhandle Saloon looks like an old western saloon: fancy woodwork,
wooden sidewalk, bat-wing doors. Virgil's Harley is parked in
front.
INT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
Inside, Glenn Miller is playing on the jukebox and a bunch of young
people are Jitterbugging-LuAnne and Virgil among them. The two
of them dance very well together and do a lot of snazzy between-the-legs
and over-the-shoulder moves. They're the best dancers in the joint.
The older folks watch from the security of their seats. Virgil
and LuAnne perform a big finale and the song ends. It's replaced
by a slow number and most of the young people, LuAnne and Virgil included,
sit down. Several older couples get up and dance.
LuAnne and Virgil sit at a table and take big swigs of beer.
LUANNE
Where'd
y'all learn t' jive like that?
VIRGIL
In
the Marines.
LUANNE
Is
dancin' part of basic trainin' now?
VIRGIL
Naw,
when we were out in the middle of nowhere and
there's
nothing to do, we'd practice dancing sometimes.
LUANNE
Ya
mean, two boys?
VIRGIL
They're
not boys, they're Marines, and generally there's
no
gals around and a lotta spare time.
(shrugs)
Where'd
you learn to dance?
LUANNE
With
one a my girlfriends. None of the boys in this
town
know how, as you just saw.
VIRGIL
So
what's it like living here? What's there, five hundred
people?
LUANNE
There's
five hunert an' seventy-three. Well, there ain't
much
t' do here an' ever'body's purty closed-minded
'bout
most ever'thang, so . . . I thank it all stinks. Ya
see,
this place's even worse'n it seems. Somethin's eatin'
it
up from the inside out. That's why I don't wanna live
here
no more. That's why I want ya to take me with
you
when ya go. 'Member, y'all said ya would?
Virgil looks right at her, then nods.
VIRGIL
I
remember. Okay.
LUANNE
(surprised)
You
will?
VIRGIL
I
just said I would, didn't I?
(curious)
Now,
what it is that's eating this town up?
LuAnne looks long and hard at Virgil.
LUANNE
Well,
'bout six months ago, this feller come ridin'
into
town on a motorcycle and . . .
The bat-wing doors swing open and in steps the Sheriff and his Deputy.
The Sheriff looks around, spots LuAnne and Virgil, and he and the deputy
march up to their table. The Sheriff takes LuAnne by the wrist.
SHERIFF
Come
on, girl, you're goin' home!
LuAnne yanks her arm away.
LUANNE
No!
Uh-uh!
Virgil just watches.
The Sheriff considers the situation, then nods to the Deputy who steps
up to Virgil.
SHERIFF
That's
jus' fine, LuAnne, ya do what ya want, but
I'm
takin' this boy t' jail.
The Deputy reaches toward Virgil who quickly jumps to his feet and backs
off, his hands up in front of him.
VIRGIL
Now
hold on a second. What're you talkin' about?
I
didn't do anything.
LUANNE
(emphatically)
That's
right!
The Sheriff steps up to Virgil.
SHERIFF
This
little girl ain't of legal age, mister.
VIRGIL
We
were just dancing, there's no law against that,
not
even in Texas.
SHERIFF
You
bought her liquor. That's aidin' t' the delinquency
of
a minor. Careful I don't add statutory rape. As it is
you'll
prob'ly only do thirty days.
VIRGIL
(laughs
sardonically)
Thirty
days, huh? How much you wanna bet?
SHERIFF
Now
look here, I already got your stutterin' friend in jail.
How'd
the two of you like t' do some real time?
Virgil's hit his limit. His jaw muscles knot and his fists clench.
VIRGIL
You've
got my friend in jail?
The Sheriff nods. The Deputy's hand goes to his pistol.
Virgil takes a step up to the Sheriff so that they're face to face.
Virgil points in his face.
VIRGIL
(intense)
I'm
gonna walk right out of here, go over to your
jail
and get my friend! Then me and the rest of
my
buddies are gonna ride outta this little piece of
shit
town of yours! And I'd just try and stop me if
I
were you!
Virgil starts to walk toward the door. The Deputy makes a move
to grab him. Virgil swiftly snaps his elbow into the Deputy's
throat, kicks him solidly in the stomach, then grabs him by the hair
and slams his face down onto the table.
The Sheriff has his gun out and is just bringing it up as Virgil swings
his fist in an upper-cut smack into the Sheriff's jaw-BAM!! The
Sheriff sails across the bar, hits a table, flips over backward and
lands on the floor with a thud. Both cops are momentarily knocked
senseless.
Everyone in the bar is in stunned silence.
Virgil looks into LuAnne's helpless and pleading eyes and indicates
the door. She makes no move to leave. Instead, she dashes
over to her Father.
Virgil's out the door.
EXT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
Virgil comes running outside, leap-frogs onto his bike, kicks the starter,
twists the throttle, sprays gravel across the front of the saloon and
blasts up the street.
INT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
LuAnne takes her father's head and puts in her lap.
SHERIFF
Daddy,
please, y'all right?
The Sheriff sits up rubbing his jaw as the Deputy, now sporting a broken,
bloody nose, also sits up. The Sheriff looks at LuAnne and grimaces.
SHERIFF
(disdainfully)
You're
just like your Mama -- a tramp! Ready to
run
off with the first stranger you see! Git away
from
me!
LuAnne stands, looking down on her Father, pain in her eyes.
LUANNE
Y'all
don' un'erstan' nothin'! I truly did love ya till
just
this very minute, but I don' no more! An' you'll
never
see me again!
She bolts out the door.
EXT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
When she gets outside Virgil is long gone. LuAnne looks all around,
not knowing which way to go or what to do. She runs up the street
with tears streaming from her eyes.
INT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
The Sheriff and the deputy are both on their feet. The Sheriff
makes an announcement to everyone in the bar.
SHERIFF
I
need as many deputies as I can git tonight. I'm
gonna
put all a these weird-lookin', motorcycle
boys
in jail. If you wanna help, go get a gun and
meet
me at the police station.
All of the older men immediately head for the door, their women in tow.
All of the younger men and women stay where they are.
The Sheriff doesn't like what he's seeing.
SHERIFF
What's
a matter, ain't you young-uns got no guts?
A YOUNG MAN wearing a natty sweater, a bolo tie and a crew cut speaks
up.
YOUNG
MAN
We
young-uns didn't kill that feller on the motorcycle,
y'all
did. Now y'all kin deal with his friends.
A girl wearing bobby socks and saddle
shoes drops a nickel in the jukebox. Artie Shaw comes blaring
out. Several couples get up and start Jitterbugging.
The Sheriff and the bleeding Deputy stomp out of the saloon.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil tears up Main Street, occasionally throwing a glance over his
shoulder. As he passes the police station he sees two deputies,
both wearing bandages, standing on the porch. Virgil zips right
by as they yell at him.
EXT. ROUTE 66 - NIGHT
As Virgil nears Route 66 he sees flashing lights to his right.
It's the other guys on their bikes flashing their headlights.
Virgil rides over to them.
VIRGIL
They
arrested Stan, huh?
They all nod.
JASON
How
do you know?
VIRGIL
The
Sheriff told me.
BUD
(surprised)
He
did?
VIRGIL
Yeah, right before I kicked the shit outta him.
DEWEY
(smiles)
All
right, Marines!
JASON
Now
what're we gonna do?
VIRGIL
(simply)
We're
go gonna get Stan outta there.
DEWEY
I
betcha they're puttin' a whole goddamn army
together
right this very minute.
VIRGIL
I
bet they are.
They all look at each other, then each of them, except Jason, reaches
into his saddlebag or rolled-up sleeping bag. One by one they
all pull out Army-issue .45 caliber pistols. Dewey pulls out two.
Jason is shocked.
JASON
Hey!
What the hell is this all about? We can't
take
on a whole town.
VIRGIL
Really?
Why not?
JASON
(confused)
Well,
I don't know.
VIRGIL
Look,
nobody's gonna fuck with one of our
buddies
and get away with it. Am I right?
Everybody nods.
DEWEY
Fuck
these guys!
BUD
Absolutely!
Fuck 'em!
Jason is in a panic.
JASON
But
Virg, we just can't!
VIRGIL
(dead
serious)
We've
both known Stan our whole lives. He's
got
that plate in his head 'cause of me. I let him
down
once, I'm not doin' it again.
Virgil reaches into his saddlebag and comes up with a .38 snub nose.
He holds it out to Jason.
VIRGIL
You
can wait right here if you want. No loss
of
honor. And I'd prefer it.
Jason looks at all of them, then nods and reaches for the pistol.
JASON
Nobody's
leaving me behind.
Jason takes the gun and snaps out the cylinder.
Everyone else pops their clips, checking to make sure they're loaded.
They are. They all snap the clips back in and cock their weapons.
VIRGIL
We
got anything else worth havin'?
DEWEY
I
did a little reconnoiterin' while you were gone
an'
found these.
Dewey holds up a case of long-neck beer bottles and a rubber tube.
Bud begins to cut a shirt into strips with his knife.
Virgil puts a new stick match in his teeth.
VIRGIL
Let's
take this fuckin' town out!
DEWEY
Let's
do it for Horace!
EVERYBODY
(they
all nod)
Yeah!
Jason hesitantly reaches out and touches Bud's shoulder. Bud turns
to see what Jason wants, but all Jason wanted to do was touch him.
Bud gives Jason the O.K. sign and winks.
VIRGIL
All
right. Listen up. These guys are gonna be
bunched
up, you can just bet on it. Dewey,
you'll
take the south side of town, Bud, Jason, the
center,
I'll take the north. Here's what we're gonna
do
. . .
EXT. POLICE STATION/MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Twenty-five middle-aged and older men, all wearing cowboy hats and boots
and holding hunting rifles, stand on the street in front of the police
station in a group. They look nervous, fingers on the triggers,
eyes darting all around. The Sheriff is out in front. The
left side of his face is black and blue and swollen. The three
deputies beside him look like the walking wounded.
SHERIFF
Let's
jus' spread out here a little bit. Your all
bunched
up like a herd o' cows.
The men begrudgingly do as they're told and slowly move out along the
street in both directions.
LuAnne comes walking up the street. She's been crying, but looks
more disturbed than sad. She sees all of the men in the street
and it's a moment of decision for her. Finally, she walks up to
her Father.
LUANNE
Daddy,
what're y'all doin'?
SHERIFF
(flatly)
I
thought I weren't ever gonna see you agin? Shore
didn't
last long.
LUANNE
What's
goin' on?
SHERIFF
Those
friends a yours are lookin' for trouble, and
they're
gonna get it, too.
LUANNE
They
weren't lookin' for no trouble, you started it
with
them. If ya just tell ever'body t' go home they
will.
SHERIFF
I'm
sick and tired of you an' ever'body else tellin' me
what
t' do! Now you go home an' let me do my job!
LUANNE
(pleading)
But
Daddy, ya can't do this!
SHERIFF
Can't
I? I aint lettin' no city fellers on motorcycles
punch
me in the face an' get away with it, ya can
count
on that! Now git!
LuAnne looks like she's like to say more, but can't figure out what.
She runs away up the street, then suddenly stops. Where is she
going? She turns around and there is the store with the shattered
front window. She goes into the store and watches the street.
Mr. Buford in his Lone Star Petroleum truck drives up to the crowd and
stops in front of the Sheriff.
MR.
BUFORD
Jesus
Christ, Alex, what happened t' you?
SHERIFF
I
had a little run-in with that feller with LuAnne.
MR.
BUFORD
(anxious)
Did
ya talk to him? Find out what he knows?
SHERIFF
I
talked to him. But he weren't very cooperative
with
his answers.
MR.
BUFORD
An'
jus' what'cha thank's gonna happen now? That
these
five fellers're gonna come back and attack a big
group
like this? Y'all gotta go after 'em.
SHERIFF
(infuriated)
I
do, huh? Since you an' ever'body else is so big
about
tellin' me my job, why don't you git down
here
an' help?
MR.
BUFORD
'Cause
it ain't my job, it's yours.
SHERIFF
Then
stop tellin' me how t' do it! I ain't responsible
for
any of this anyhow, you are! And if they do know,
it's
'cause you killed their friend.
MR.
BUFORD
T'weren't
jus' me. Ever'body shot him.
SHERIFF
But
you shot him first. I shoulda done somethin' about
it
at the time and damn I'm sorry I didn't. I honestly don't
think
these motorcycle fellers know a damn thing about
what
happened here. But whatever it is we gotta deal with
it.
Now get down here an' help!
MR.
BUFORD
(panicking)
I
thank you're plain wrong and ya know what, I'm gettin'
outta
here.
Mr. Buford starts his truck and is about to put it in gear when there
is the loud sound of a revving motorcycle to their right, somewhere
in the darkness. All the men stop moving and turn right.
Then there's the sound of a motorcycle to their left. Some men
turn left, some don't. Then there's a motorcycle somewhere in
front of them, then another one.
The Sheriff, Mr. Buford and all the others are looking back and forth,
all around, feeling surrounded and trapped. And then there is
the sound of a gunshot. Every man in the street opens fire all
at once in every direction. Mr. Buford ducks down in the cab of
the truck.
Virgil and Dewey are at either end of the street, behind the edges of
buildings, revving their throttles. Virgil has his smoking .45
in his hand aiming upward. Bullets slam into the bricks and through
windows all around them.
Jason and Bud are behind the buildings across the street from the police
station, also revving their engines. A bullet comes through the
back window of the building beside Jason. Yep, those are real
bullets, all right. This is no game. Jason gulps and nervously
pulls back the hammer of his .38.
The good old boys are in a shooting frenzy, slamming their bolts back
and forth, shells flying, blue smoke filling the air. There is
the distinct sound of a ricochet and the fellow next to the Sheriff
is hit in the chest and drops dead.
SHERIFF
(yelling)
They're
shootin' back!
The shooting frenzy continues.
Virgil can't believe what he's seeing. He takes the match from
his teeth, strikes it on the wall and lights a Molotov cocktail.
He puts a new match between his teeth and throws the Molotov cocktail.
It smashes into a pool of fire at the feet of several of the old men.
Panic sets in and the ones nearest the fire run back toward the others.
Dewey throws his Molotov cocktail from the opposite direction.
It explodes sending them back the other way.
Jason and Bud let theirs fly.
Fireballs come sailing over the buildings, one smashing on the ground
right in front of the Sheriff, the other going through the police station
window. The building rapidly ignites.
Bud looks at Jason in exasperation.
BUD
Stan's
in there.
Jason looks embarrassed.
JASON
Shit!
Sorry.
Virgil lights another Molotov cocktail, replaces the match, and throws
this one across the street, through a store window. The building
goes right up in flames. Three more Molotov cocktails come sailing
out of the darkness, smashing through the windows of businesses.
The mob of armed men panic and run for the safety of any building they
can get into, burning or not. The Sheriff and the deputies dash
into the flaming police station.
Virgil puts his index and baby fingers in his mouth and whistles really
loud.
The roar of motorcycles is deafening as they come blasting in from four
directions, pistols blazing. Anyone in the street is shot down.
Jason has a guy right in sights, but doesn't shoot. He seems horribly
confused as he goes past.
Mr. Buford, still ducking down in the cab of his truck, sees his moment.
He grinds the stick into gear and takes off up the street.
The motorcycles come back through for another pass, this time with more
Molotov cocktails. They throw them through all the business windows
that aren't already on fire.
A man in the street is down on his knee, his rifle leveled and tracking
Virgil. Just as he's about to pull the trigger, Jason comes by
from behind and shoots him. The man falls back, dead. Jason drives
away holding the smoking .38, breathing fast, his eyes blazing.
Bud, having just thrown his Molotov cocktail, finds Mr. Buford in the
pick-up truck driving straight at him. Bud reaches for the pistol
in his belt, but there's no time as the truck swerves to hit him.
Bud hastily veers out of the way, jumps the curb and crashes right through
the plate glass window into the billowing flames of a burning business.
Mr, Buford grins and makes a hard left into a thin alley.
EXT. THIN ALLEY - NIGHT
It's the same thin alley as before, clogged with garbage cans.
The truck smashes right into the cans, refuse and can lids flying everywhere,
then exits the alley.
EXT. DESERT - NIGHT
The pick-up truck comes crashing out of the alley covered in garbage.
A moment later Bud on his Indian explodes through the back door of a
burning store, covered with soot but no worse for the wear.
Bud sees Buford high-tailing it across the desert and goes after him.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Most of the buildings of Shamrock are in flames.
As armed men run from the burning buildings the motorcycles roar past
and pick them off.
Shots ring out from the police station. Jason takes a bullet in
his side and slides out on his bike.
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Flames are quickly engulfing the building. The Sheriff snaps the
bolt back on his rifle.
SHERIFF
I
got one of the little bastards!
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil sees Jason on the ground and his face knots up.
VIRGIL
(hollering)
JASON!!
Jason waves back, obviously still alive.
Virgil drives straight at the police station, bullets whizzing past
him. Virgil jumps the curb and smashes right through the barred
window.
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
The steel bars come right down on the Sheriff, then Virgil's Harley
drives over him. The three deputies are pressed against the walls,
their weapons raised, flames consuming the building around them.
Virgil spins around with his .45 and takes all three of them out without
missing a beat.
Virgil looks around, then drives through a doorway to the one and only
jail cell. He doesn't see Stan and cranes his head around.
VIRGIL
(yelling)
STAN!
STAN!
There's no answer. Virgil looks hurt and incredibly angry.
He pops the clip on his .45, snaps in a new one, seemingly uninterested
in the fact that the building is burning down around him. He rides
back through the doorway into the main room and sees the Sheriff feebly
attempting to crawl from beneath the steel bars and broken glass.
Virgil grabs the Sheriff's wrist with one hand while turning the throttle
with the other. He crashes through the door and out of the burning
police station, the Sheriff in tow.
EXT. POLICE STATION/MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil comes back out onto the street, lets go of the moaning Sheriff,
guns it, patches out and tears up the street.
A group of old men come barreling right at Virgil in a black Ford, firing
their rifles from the windows. Virgil takes a bullet in the shoulder
and flies off his bike. Dewey and Jason level their guns and both
fire at once.
The windshield of the Ford explodes. The car goes careening out
of control and veers directly into. . .
EXT. FINA GAS STATION - NIGHT
. . . the Fina gas station, smashing through both pumps and plowing
into the office. Two geysers of gasoline spew into the air.
EXT. GOODFELLOWS HALL/MAIN STREET -NIGHT
Shots ring out from the front windows of a brick building with a sign
that says, "Goodfellows Hall." A cloth banner reads,
"All-U-Can-Eat Pancake Supper, June 28th."
Our guys in the street hit the dirt. They are pinned down behind
their motorcycles.
EXT. LONE STAR REFINERY - NIGHT
The refinery is encircled by a corrugated tin fence. Mr. Buford
is doing 90 mph toward the closed and locked gate.
Bud is tearing up from behind him, his .45 leveled. He pulls the
trigger over and over, spent shells flying, emptying the clip into the
back of the truck.
Mr. Buford's pick-up bursts into flames just as it crashes through the
refinery gate.
INT. PICK-UP TRUCK CAB - NIGHT
Mr. Buford screams and covers his face as a pumping oil derrick rapidly
fills his view through the windshield.
EXT. DESERT/OUTSIDE REFINERY - NIGHT
Bud swerves away from the refinery just as there's a loud crash followed
by an enormous, Earth-shaking explosion. The concussion is so
powerful that it knocks the motorcycle and Bud to the ground.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil, Dewey and Jason, all pinned down behind their bikes, bullets
constantly thumping in. They turn and see . . .
. . . A giant fireball, not unlike an atomic bomb's mushroom cloud,
rising from the desert.
They're awe-struck faces are momentarily lit in orange.
EXT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
We can see through the front window of the Panhandle Saloon that all
the kids are up and dancing to the loud sounds of Benny Goodman's "Sing,
Sing, Sing" and its pounding Gene Krupa tom-toms.
In the distance behind the saloon the fireball rises majestically through
the dark blue sky.
No one inside notices.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
The shooting has stopped for a second. Virgil, Jason and Dewey
look at each other. Virgil slaps Dewey on the arm.
VIRGIL
Clean
'em out. We'll cover you.
Dewey nods, jumps to his feet and takes off running in a zig-zag pattern
toward the Goodfellows Hall. Virgil and Jason open up on the front
window of the building. Bullets hit the dirt all around Dewey's
feet. He gets to the edge of the building, out of range, and keeps
going.
EXT. GOODFELLOWS HALL/BEHIND THE BUILDING - NIGHT
Dewey sneaks around behind the building. He's flat against the
wall, his two .45's raised and ready. He spins around, kicks in
the back door and enters, his pistols blazing.
INT. GOODFELLOWS HALL - NIGHT
Eight men with rifles all turn just in time to see Dewey charging toward
them blazing fire. He hits five of them sending them sailing against
the walls and back through the big front windows.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil and Jason, both wounded and crouching behind their motorcycles,
see the old cowboys come crashing out of the front window of the Goodfellows
Hall into the street. Both brothers are supremely impressed.
VIRGIL
& JASON
(together)
Choice!
INT. GOODFELLOWS HALL - NIGHT
The other three guys Dewey didn't get all fire simultaneously shooting
Dewey three times in the chest with big slugs.
Dewey hits the wall, his head slumps, the pistols drop from his hands
and he slides to the floor leaving a big bloody smear on the wall.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jason and Virgil hear the shots inside the Goodfellows Hall. Bud
comes riding up out of the darkness. He pulls up beside Virgil
and Jason on the ground. Virgil points at the Goodfellows Hall.
VIRGIL
Dewey's
in trouble in there. Check it out.
Bud nods, turns his throttle and drives toward the Hall. Jason
and Virgil both continue to shoot at the shattered front window laying
down cover fire.
EXT. GOODFELLOWS HALL - NIGHT
Bud swerves around the bodies littering the front of the building, blasts
up the steps and crashes through the front door.
INT. GOODFELLOWS HALL - NIGHT
The three other men inside turn around just in time to see Bud shoot
them. They each drop in their spots.
Bud rides over to Dewey's slumped body sitting against the wall.
He's dead. A look of anguish crosses Bud's face.
BUD
Thanks
for tuning my bike, pal.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
More bullets come pounding toward Jason and Virgil from the other direction.
They both quickly scramble to the other side of their bikes.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
Muzzle flashes are coming from the survivors of the crash into the gas
station. There are three men crouched behind a tow truck.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil puts his foot on the starter of the bike which is lying flat
on its side, kicks it, revs, stands the bike up, jumps on and roars
up the street.
EXT. MAIN STREET/GAS STATION - NIGHT
Virgil drives straight at the gas station, swerving back and forth to
avoid the bullets being fired at him, while simultaneously emptying
the clip of his .45 at the tow truck.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
Bullets zing and ricochet off the metal skin of the tow truck.
The men behind it crouch low, covering their heads.
Gasoline is spewing up from the destroyed pumps. Virgil goes right
past the station, takes the match from his teeth, lights it off his
thumbnail and tosses it into the river of fuel. Flames shoot along
the gas like a fuse and when they hit the pumps the whole station goes
up in a giant fireball.
EXT. PANHANDLE SALOON - NIGHT
All of the young folks of Shamrock hear this explosion, stop dancing
and come running out of the Saloon to see what in hell is going on.
They find their town in flames.
EXT. GAS STATION/MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil turns around and stops. No shots are being fired.
Suddenly it's very quiet. Virgil looks up Main Street.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Flames light the sky from almost every building in town. Bodies
litter the street, among them the moaning Sheriff, his pistol in his
hand.
LuAnne can be seen hiding inside the
store. She hesitantly steps out the door.
EXT. GAS STATION/MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Virgil puts a new match in his teeth and grins.
VIRGIL
(to
himself)
Goddamn,
it's great to be alive!
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Bud comes riding back up to Jason. Jason looks around, stands
and raises his motorcycle back up. Bud looks at Jason sadly.
BUD
Dewey's
dead.
A look of pain twists Jason's face. He and Bud both turn toward
Virgil who is at the other end of the street.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
Virgil sees Bud and Jason, grins and waves.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
The Sheriff raises his pistol, aims and fires.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
The bullet hits Virgil right in the heart. His whole body goes
slack, the match drops from his teeth and he and his bike falls over
sideways.
Jason and Bud both fire their pistols at the same time. The bullets
hit the Sheriff lying on the ground, his body lurches and he's dead.
LuAnne comes running up to her dead Father. She stands there in
shock looking down, then quickly dashes over to Virgil.
Jason and Bud ride over to Virgil.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
Virgil is lying on the ground beside his Harley, blood pouring from
his chest. He's still alive, but his eyes have a glazed look.
LuAnne gets to him and gets down on her knees, tears streaming from
her eyes. Virgil look up at her and smiles weakly.
VIRGIL
I
never got that raincheck. I guess I never will.
LUANNE
(desperately)
Yes
ya will.
Slightly shakes his head.
VIRGIL
(weak)
Uh-uh.
Not a chance.
Jason and Bud ride up. Jason dashes over to his brother, crying.
JASON
(panicked)
Oh,
Virgil! Jesus Christ! You're really hurt bad!
Virgil reaches out and grabs Jason's hand.
VIRGIL
Do
me a favor, will ya Jas?
JASON
What?
Anything.
VIRGIL
Take
LuAnne with you. I promised her.
JASON
Sure.
Of Course.
VIRGIL
And
tell Mom and Dad I love 'em.
JASON
(sobbing)
No,
Virg. You tell 'em. When you get home.
Virgil's face twists in pain.
VIRGIL
Oh,
shit!
(opens
his eyes)
See
ya, Bud.
BUD
See
ya, Virg.
Virgil shakes his head sadly.
VIRGIL
(hurt
and angry)
This
whole fuckin' town wasn't worth Stan's life!
Blood gurgles out of Virgil's mouth, his head drops to the side and
he dies.
Everyone desolately look away.
Just then Stan comes wandering up the street and calls out . . .
STAN
H-h-h-i.
They all turn and look at Stan in utter disbelief.
JASON
(astounded)
You're
alive!
STAN
Y-y-yeah.
I g-g-got away.
They all look at each other in complete and utter disbelief. Stan
steps up to them and sees Virgil's body. Stan blinks several times,
then shuts his eyes and shakes his head.
The second gas pump at the gas station blows up behind them. Another
giant fireball rises into the sky.
All of them look at the burning town, then at each other.
Bud speaks everyone's thoughts.
BUD
Fuck
this place! Let's get outta here!
Everyone nods in agreement. Stan picks up Virgil's Harley, LuAnne
gets on Jason's bike, they kick their starters, rev their engines and
slowly cruise up the blazing embers of Main Street.
At the end of Main Street they encounter the group of young people from
the saloon. This is a very tense moment as they all face each
other. Our guys all have their weapons out and ready. A
Young Man steps forward.
YOUNG
MAN
Who
started it?
BUD
Who
do you think?
YOUNG
MAN
(nods)
What're
ya gonna do now?
BUD
Ride
outta here.
YOUNG
MAN
Are
you goin' with 'em, LuAnne?
LUANNE
Yeah,
I am. This town had it comin' and you all
know
it!
(points
at Jason)
His
brother's dead and my Daddy's dead. You gonna
start
somethin', Billy?
The Young Man Looks back at the rest of the young folks and they all
gravely shake their heads. He turns back to LuAnne and the bikers.
YOUNG
MAN
Go
ahead. Get outta here.
Our guys nod, lower their weapons and ride forward. The crowd
of young people parts and the motorcycles drive slowly through them.
The young people all come back together in a group, their faces lit
by the flickering orange flames of their burning town.
The motorcycles cruise up to Route 66.
EXT. SALT CREEK - NIGHT
We can see the motorcycle gang coming toward us, silhouetted against
the flames engulfing the town of Shamrock. The bikes turn right
on Route 66, the engines roar and they tear away.
As we follow them the rusty, root-like handlebar of the buried motorcycle
become visible in the foreground on the right. The flaming town
is on the left. The motorcycle gang disappears from view.
DISSOLVE:
EXT. A HILLY ROAD - DAY
The three motorcycles appear over the rise of a distant hill in a bright,
shimmering heat haze. They ride over the top the hill, then drive
down and disappear from view.
Jason and LuAnne reappear coming up the next hill, then Bud, then Stan
. . .
A moment later more bikers follow after
them -- dressed in black leather and chains and the whole regalia --
at least a hundred of them, probably more. They are the future
and they just keeping coming up the hill, roaring past, more and more
and more . . .
FADE
OUT:
THE END
|
