Punks and Vilains

EXT. BLUES BAY STRIP BAR

A neon sign reads “BLU S BAY”, the ‘e’ is burned out. The camera pans down to an alleyway with a door at the end. It is dark, like night, and everything is bathed in blue and purple neon light. A MAN IN YELLOW walks down the alleyway. The camera follows him over his shoulder as he walks up to the door and goes inside.

INT. BLUES BAY STRIP BAR

The bar is smoky, and strippers dance, but nobody seems to be paying attention. A group of six men are playing poker. a drunk is passed out on a table. A man with a turban sits drinking and smoking, a laptop out in front of him. A guitar case is in his lap.

The man in yellow walks up to the table where the man in the turban sits and takes a seat.

MAN IN YELLOW

You’re Elija Tales.

The man in the turban slowly closes his laptop.

ELIJA TALES

I have been.

MAN IN YELLOW

You shot Mr. Mellows.

ELIJA TALES

I don’t recall.

MAN IN YELLOW

I’m here to kill you.

ELIJA TALES

I see.

MAN IN YELLOW

Have you got any reason why I can’t do it now?

ELIJA TALES

None.

MAN IN YELLOW

Got anything to say?

ELIJA TALES

Nothing anyone would care to hear.

MAN IN YELLOW

Alright.

ELIJA TALES

My guitar.

MAN IN YELLOW

Yeah.

ELIJA TALES

It’s my dad’s.

MAN IN YELLOW

He’ll get it.

ELIJA TALES

And my computer.

MAN IN YELLOW

He’ll get that too.

ELIJA TALES

No. burn it.

MAN IN YELLOW

Alright.

The man in yellow nods. Takes out a cigerette, lights it, and offers one to Elija Tales.

MAN IN YELLOW (CONT’D)

Might as well.

Elija shrugs and smiles.

ELIJA TALES

Might as well.

Elija takes the cigeratte from the pack and lights it. He inhales deeply and closes his eyes. He exhales with a sigh.

ELIJA TALES (CONT’D)

There’s a story I heard once. It didn’t seem true - not real - when I heard it first. Now, though, I think I’d like to hear it aloud again.

MAN IN YELLOW

We’ve got the time.

ELIJA TALES

There’s this man. He’s in the woods, gathering wood. He’s got a rifle on him, though, to be safe.



THE CAMERA MOVES TOWARD THE TABLE, AND BETWEEN TWO BOTTLES OF BEER A TINY RED CURTAIN IS HUNG. THE CAMERA SETTLES DOWN INFRONT OF THE CURTAIN. IT DRAWS BACK TO REVEAL A STAGE.

INT. FOREST STAGE

It’s dark. There are tall beams of iron covered in rivets at random intervals and with crossbeams coming out at odd angles. A man in a tri-corner hat and an automatic rifle comes out from behind a large iron statue of a naked woman carrying a pile of wood.

ELIJA TALES (O.S.)



He’s not looking for any trouble. He’s gathering his wood when he sees this wolf in a clearing at the bottom of a hill.

One of the large ‘iron trees’ moves slightly, as if the perspective changes. The man in the tri-corner hat drops his wood. A man in a long grey fur coat and a charcoal top hat is revealed from behind the tree. The grey coated man is picking his teeth with a hatchet.

ELIJA TALES (O.S.) (CONT’D)



He figures he’ll take a shot at the wolf. He shoulders his rifle, aims, fires, and misses.

The man fires a volley of bullets at the wolf. He holds down the trigger, and for thirty seconds the shots rattle the stage. The iron trees all around the wolf sparks as the bullets fly past. The firing stops with a few ‘click’ ‘click’s. The wolf doesn’t budge an inch until after the firing stops, then with wide eyes turns toward the man.

INT. BLUES BAY STRIP BAR

Elija Tales takes a drink from one of the bottles making up either side of the stage, and the whole scene collapses. He smacks his lips and nods with approval to the beer.

ELIJA TALES



The wolf comes after this guy. So the guy climbs a tree.

EXT. FOREST

The man in the tri corner hat is up a tree, razor blades are the leaves, and the wolf is waiting with a wicked grin at the bottom.

ELIJA TALES (O.S.)

The wolf is just waiting for the man to come down, so he can eat him, so the man can’t come down.

WOLF

Come down so I can eat you!

MAN IN TRI-CORNER HAT

No.

WOLF

I can wait.

INT. BLUES BAY STRIP BAR

The man in yellow watches Elija Tales.

ELIJA TALES

The man and the wolf starved to death, to make a long story short.

MAN IN YELLOW

You’re not up a tree.

ELIJA TALES

I know.

MAN IN YELLOW

Would you like to know how you die?

ELIJA TALES

Yes.

MAN IN YELLOW

I poisoned your cigarette. Enjoy your beer.

The man in yellow gets up, Takes the guitar and the laptop, and leaves.