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Blackthorne
Cinemagenic 112
Gunshots
“I’m from a part of town where clowns get beat
down, and all night you hear gunshots.”
--Mickey Spillane.
1(medium close-up) The scraping sound made his
skin crawl.
2(sound cue) coronet, cello and banjo.
3(cut to medium wide shot--flashback) Buck
remembered riding into a gulley at the base of a
tall cliff in Texas that was paved with buffalo bones;
thousands of white bleached ribs curving up into an
indifferent sky, picked and chewed clean, hundreds
of skulls, their eyeless sockets still witness to all
wanderers, their jaws shattered, their cries long
silenced.
4(cut back to a two-shot) Salina held a flickering
lantern for the doctor, and handed him his silver
instruments as he called for them. She pulled them
from a pan of lukewarm water. They both wore long
white aprons that fit over their heads, and tied at
the waist. There were blood smudges in the middle
of Salina’s garment, below her breasts. The
doctor’s apron was covered in blood. He looked like
a butcher, a meat carver. He was bent over
Johnny’s knee, tweezing after a piece of lead.
5(sound cue) piano and violins.
6( dolly into waiting room, another two-shot) Buck
walked over to Wallace. The storekeeper opened his
eyes: Bet you thought I was asleep.
Buck: I think I’m going to step out for a bit. I need to
shake the blood out of my butt and get some air.
Wallace: Uh-huh...just keep in mind that the Sheriff
asked for you to wait on him before you did anything.
I mean, you’re not fixing to do something foolish, right?
Buck: Hell no, I’m just going to stroll over to Pedro’s
for a swallow or two. My mouth is so parched, I feel
like I got a cactus sprouting in it.
Wallace: If you’re going to pay Bronson a visit, take
me with you.
Buck: Ease up, Henry. I’ll be fine. I ain’t jawing with
Bronson without Hop at my side--and he should
be here soon. You wait here, if you would. I need
you to look after Johnny. Those fucking gunslingers
might want to finish the job.
7(sound cue) Three shots rang out, one on top of
the other, cracking loudly then echoing over snare
drum rolls and blues guitar slide.
8(wide two shot) Buck bolted for the door with Wallace
on his heels.
The doctor glanced up at Salina when they heard the
shots. He sighed sadly and kept probing in the red
flesh and ivory cartilage, his eyes on his work. Salina
nodded, moving the lantern closer. She heard Buck
and her father rushing from the room.
9(cut to the stair landing outside) They paused, peering
down into the street.
10(cut to a wide shot, from behind them) There was a
noisy crowd in front of Pedro’s Cantina.
They started down the stairs with Buck in the lead.
11(close up) Buck flicked the leather thong off of the
Thunderer’s filed trigger.
12(overhead crane shot) Two dark figures rushed
across the street, past the freight office, heading
toward the CHINA DOLL. Buck noticed that one fell
behind the other, limping badly.
13(sound cues) castanets and guitar riffs.
14(cut to a wide shot) Buck pushed his way through
the throng to the front door of PEDRO’S. There were
a knot of porch wranglers outside,
15(cut to interior of the Cantina) There were farmers
in dirty clothes and vaqueros in fancy duds inside.
Buck saw the owner, Mateo. lying on the floor. A
husky charro held his head. There were two bullet
wounds in Mateo’s chest. The front of his white
peasant shirt was crimson. One of the wounds was
over his heart, and it was pumping his life out onto
the rough plank floor. Buck knelt beside him. Mateo’s
eyes flickered recognition. Saliva was dripping from
the side of his mouth, dampening his pointed chin.
Blood flowed from one of his ears, snaking it’s way
in a tiny trail down his cheek to his neck.
Buck: What happened here?
Glenn Buttkus
Posted over at d'Verse Poets Pub OLN
11 comments:
More surgery to come, me thinks. Nice one.
That’s a striking image, Glenn, the gulley paved with buffalo bones, ‘thousands of white bleached ribs curving up into an indifferent sky, picked and chewed clean, hundreds
of skulls, their eyeless sockets still witness to all wanderers, their jaws shattered, their cries long silenced.’
Salina and the doctor were working so hard and doing well. Buck was right when he said that the gunslingers might want to finish the job – just before the shots rang out - he must have a sixth sense. But why would they shoot Mateo?
I had the same question that Buck had at the end. Nice build up of suspense.
Fantastic touch of suspense in this one, Glenn. My theory is that by shooting Mateo they wanted to send out a message or perhaps a warning to Buck and the others. Waiting eagerly to read and find out what happens next!š
What happened here? Heck, I think he's been shot! LOL
Johnny's still alive. Yes. This is compounded cliffhangers! Waiting for the next chapter will be difficult. I love the section about the buffalo bones. So poetic and tragic.
Well, that was quite a bloodbath! I really liked the buffalo bones description.
What happended indeed. This was a good gripping one Glenn. Hope all is well.
Blood ties it all together.
Masterful description, and intensifying suspense! Love it!
I didn't have the time to write anything for OLN but I had to read the next installment... now you really left me wondering what the next piece of the action is going to be.
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