Peter Schuyler – Writer – Los Angeles, CA

EXT. PLANE – DAY

Penn sits in the second seat.  The goggled PILOT turns around to him.

PILOT
No gas. We must return.

Penn looks down and sees Henry and Carl.  He taps the pilot’s shoulder who shakes his head.  Penn brings a handgun up to the pilot’s head.  They circle.

GROUND

Carl and Henry grab their stuff and run for cover.

PLANE

Drops in altitude.  Penn leans out with his rifle.

GROUND

Henry and Carl run hard for the trees.  The plane closes on them.  It swings around so that Penn has a clear shot. Henry and Carl are feet from the trees.  Henry stutter steps then falls.  Carl hears the shot.  Looks back to see Henry on the ground.  Drops everything and turns back.  The ground where Carl stood explodes from a bullet.

PLANE

The plane banks.  Penn curses the miss.  He slaps the pilot and indicates a circle.

GROUND

Henry moans in pain doubled over his foot.  The bullet passed through Henry’s calf and into his foot.

Plane has finished it’s bank.

CARL
Now.  Henry.  Get up.

He pulls on him.  Henry tries but collapses.  Carl looks up to the

PLANE

Penn chambers a bullet.  The plane begins it’s bank.  He looks along his sights toward the

GROUND

Carl realizes there’s no time.  He looks at the woods at his stuff lying on the edge of them.  Looks back at the plane.

CARL
Henry.

Henry, pain heavy on his face, shakes his head and motions for Carl to go.

Carl squats,  heaves Henry up in his arms,  squeezes his eyes in pain and hurries as best he can to the safety of the woods.  Looks over his shoulder at the plane as it approaches.  He can see Penn drawing a bead on them.

He hurries and half trips into the woods as the first bullet splinters a tree beside him.  A splinter sticks into the side of his face.

He takes ten more steps and half drops Henry to the ground.  The sound of the plane engine fills their ears.  Carl nears the edge of the tree cover and looks up.  The plane banks again.

PLANE

Penn slaps the back of the pilot’s head then the side of the plane over and over. Points down to the edge of the woods. The plane passes over.  Penn looks down but can’t make them out.

PILOT
Shoot me or we go down with no gas.
Either way we die.

Penn screams in frustration.

GROUND

Carl waits.  The engine noise fades away.  Carl gathers their gear and returns to Henry.

HENRY
You shoulda left me.

CARL
I shoulda never run for office is what I shoulda done.

He looks over Henry’s wound.  Rips open the pants over the calf wound.

HENRY
What you ruinin my pants for?  My foot is what hurts.

The wound seeps blood.  Carl takes his canteen and pours water over the wound.  Now Henry notices his calf.

HENRY
Lord have mercy.

CARL
He better.

Looks around.

CARL
Give me your belt.

HENRY
What? He shoot you too?

Carl smirks at him.

CARL
Got to stop the bleeding.

Henry pulls off the belt and Carl cinches it tight just under the knee.  Henry grimaces and stifles a scream.

CARL
Isn’t as much fun on the receiving end, is it.

HENRY
Receiving end?  You don’t know nothing about the receiving end.

Carl takes the end of belt and hands it to Henry.  Henry looks at it then at Carl.

CARL
Gotta get this boot off.

Henry looks scared.  Slowly, he bites the belt.  Carl eases the laces out. Henry moans in pain.  Sweat pours down his face.  Carl tenderly takes the foot in his hands.  Just the movement brings more moans of pain.

CARL
You ready?

Henry looks at Carl for a moment. Pain and fear paint his face.  He nods.  Carl adjusts his hands.  Henry pulls the belt out of his mouth.

HENRY
Just a minute.  I need a minute.

He breathes hard. Carl relaxes.

HENRY
You the one always gettin hurt.  Why me?

CARL
You’re too slow.

HENRY
Too slow?

Henry relaxes.

HENRY
Too slow?  I could run to that hill and back in the time it take you to run past the trees.

CARL
You think so?

HENRY
Think? I know…

Carl rips the boot off.  Henry’s scream is heard through the forest.

Carl peels off the sock and stares at the wound.  He almost vomits.

HENRY
It okay?

CARL
It’ll be okay.

Henry peeks at it.  He falls backward, pulls the belt tight as he does.

Carl gathers his wits.  Looks around him.  Looks in his back pack.  Finds the last clean shirt he has.  Looks heavenward and shakes his head.  Rips the sleeve off and binds Henry’s foot.  Henry grunts in pain.

CARL
Look, we have to get out of here.  You can lean on me.  Three legged race.  Okay?

Henry tries to stand.  Falls.  Carl supports him.  Henry’s pain skyrockets.  He collapses.

HENRY
I ain’t going nowhere.

Carl gathers all of their stuff.  Tosses out unnecessary items and crams the rest in one back pack.  Puts that on Henry’s back.

CARL
Let’s try something. Piggy back

HENRY
How far you think you can carry me?  It’ll kill you.

CARL
So will they.

HENRY
First, get that chunk of tree out of your face.

Carl touches his face and notices it for the first time.

HENRY
Bring yourself down here.

Carl leans over.  Henry yanks the splinter out.

He stands Henry up again.  Squats down.  Henry leans heavily on his back and Carl stands up, Henry’s legs in his arms, Henry holding on to Carl’s shoulders.  Carl’s face shows the strain.

CARL
Light as a feather.

HENRY
Where to?

CARL
No idea.