THE RUNNER SCREENPLAY, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [phonics reader .TXT] 📗

going to be happy until he starts a war with Jerome McLemore and the State Street Boys and I would put my money on Jerome. Edwinna is one of Jerome’s main people and I don’t think Jerome is going to let this slid. I’ll set up a meet with Jerome and Pops and see what I can find out.

Sergeant Reginald Lundqrin met with Pops, Cinque, Ted, Marque and Madame Bourneis at Juanita’s Lounge
REGGIE
A wino reported the abduction of Edwinna, any word?

JEROME
No, nothing.

REGGIE
Do you know a kid named Bobby Randall?

POPS
(surprised)
Yeah,” he’s one of my guys.

REGGIE
Sorry, they just found his body in the river.

POPS
He was abducted right after Edwinna by some Italian ass holes.

CINQUE
How did he die?

REGGIE
I talked to the Medical Examiner who conducted an autopsy and he believes that he died from an asthma attack, but there were bruises on his face, but nothing that would cause his death.


CINQUE
Those garlic eating cocksuckers got to pay for Bobby.

REGGIE
The commander had a meeting with Vinnie and was told that Vito is acting on his own and is angering a lot of people. Wait and let Vinnie take care of Vito.

TED
By the time Vinnie get involved, Edwinna could be dead.

The sergeant knew that Ted was probably right. Even if Vinnie did get involved, it would be too late.

REGGIE
Well, I guess you got to do what you got to do, but I’ll tell you this, if there is a war and innocent people get hurt or killed the commander will come down hard on everyone involved.

JEROME
We know that.

The sergeant gazed at Madame Bourneis smiled and again he saw the long fangs.

POPS
What we goin’ to do Mr. McLemore?

JEROME
Get your dago customers to find out where they’ve got Edwinna and we will go from there


POPS
Done.

Pops and Cinque left the lounge.

Edwinna sat in the dark room wondering about Bobby and hoped that he had gotten to the hospital in time. A plate of spaghetti and meatball sat on a table but Edwinna could not eat she was afraid and alone. She heard the muffled conversations of the men in another room, but she could not make out what they were saying. She knew that Jerome had to be worried and looking for her, she just hoped he would come soon. Two hours after leaving the lounge, Cinque called Jerome.

CINQUE
We got word that Vito’s crew is holding a black woman at 2626 South Halsted, 2nd floor, and the word is they plan on raping her and sending her head to you.

Jerome told Ted, Madame Bourneis and Marque about the call.

Louie Parelli and Tommy Mascino returned to the apartment and told Vito that they had dumped Bobby’s body on the Chicago River bank.

VITO
Good, after we leave I want you boys to have some fun with that black bitch, then kill her and cut off her head, call me when it’s done, caprice?

PARELLI
Been a long time since I had some black pussy.

Parelli started rubbing his groin. Louie Parelli and Tommy Mascino were wannnabee. They were loyal to Vito and hoped that this loyalty would eventually lead to a better position with the crew. They were tired of being gophers, running errands, getting coffee and doing other menial jobs for the crew. This was a big job; Vito usually assigned most murders he ordered to high-ranking members.

TOMMY
That black bitch is a little too old to fit my taste.

PARELLI
Mine too, but pussy is pussy.

Edwinna was lying on the bed in the room when the men entered. Tommy moved closer to the bed and leaned over Edwinna.

PARELLI
Take your clothes off bitch!

EDWINNA
Fuck you!

TOMMY
.
That’s just what you are going to do fuck us.

Edwinna looked at the two men; both were young enough to be her sons. Why would theses young men want her she thought?

Tommy tore Edwina’s blouse off, while Louie was pulling down her pants. Edwinna struggle, but the two young men were too strong. Tommy had removed Edwina’s blouse and bra and Louie had taken off her pants and underpants, while Edwinna continued to struggle.

TOMMY
Get some tape and tie this bitch up, she’s making me lose my hard.

Tommy hurried out the room while Louie lay on top of Edwinna, holding her down. A strong wind blew through the slightly opened window in the room; the little light bulb went out. Edwinna struggled trying to get from under Louie, when she heard a deep growl. Louie winded from trying to contain Edwinna heard the growl also. It was a sound he had never heard before he had heard strays dogs roaming the Patch barking and fighting over the spoiled meat on the sidewalks but they never sounded like this. Tommy ran back into the room.

TOMMY
What happened to the light?

LOUIE
(trembling voice)
Don’t know it just went out.

They heard the growl again.

LOUIE
What the fuck was that?

Louie jumped off Edwinna and pulled his gun.

TOMMY
Probably some asshole kids fucking around.

Tommy stopped as he approached the bed. There was something in the room with them.

TOMMY
Whose here?
Tommy pulled out his gun. Tommy saw a shadow by the window and the door close.

TOMMY
Whose here?

Tommy began waving his gun around the room. Edwinna felt the presence also, but for some unexplained reason she was not afraid. She slowly slid off the bed to the floor, covering herself with a dirty blanket. Tommy shot three times at the swiftly moving shadow. Suddenly, a pain exploded in his brain. Blinded by the pain, he shot two more times into the ceiling before falling to the floor clutching his stomach as his intestines poured out. There was another growl and Louie saw a swift movement. Louie’s mind was blurred, almost useless, his thoughts shattered.

LOUIE
Who are you…, but his breath was caught short as throat was ripped out.

The room became quiet as two puff of wind blew out the window. Edwinna put on her clothes. As she opened the door to the room, she saw the headless bodies of Tommy and Louie. She staggered into the kitchen, the pot of spaghetti and meatballs was still on the stove and a bottle of red wine and a loaf of Italian bread sat on a table. Suddenly, the front door flew open and Cinque, Pops, Ted and Jerome burst in with guns drawn. Seeing Jerome, Edwinna collapsed in his arms. Cinque, Pops and Ted went into the room. From the hall lights, they saw the bodies.

CINQUE
Shit!

JEROME
Let’s go!

Vito got the word from Willie Capani a member of his crew.

WILLIE
(shaking)
When got to the spot to relieve Tommy and Louie, the front door was open and there was this terrible smell. We called out for Tommy and Louie and when we went in; there they were on the floor in the room where the black bitch was. Louie pants were down over his ankles and there was blood everywhere. Their heads were gone and it looked like something had bitten them off the young soldier said shaking.

Vito hands shook as he listens to Willie. He tried to light a cigar but his hands were shaking to bad. Jimmy was reclining on his favorite couch, listening. In a moment, Vito waived Willie out his office and tried again to light his cigar. Jimmy got off the couch strolled over to his boss and held a lighter under Vito’s cigar. Vito inhaled deeply and blew out a blue haze of smoke. Jimmy poured Vito a glass of Chianti and sat down opposite his desk. Jimmy gave Vito a minute to collect himself and nodding for Willie to leave.

JIMMY
What the fuck is going on boss?

VITO
Fuck if I know! Them Nigras got some kind of black magic shit, some kinda of African bullshit. Maybe we should let those Nigras be.

Vito was quiet. He sipped his wine and took another deep pull off his cigar. There was a knock on the door. Willie went to the door and returned with a gift-wrapped black box in his hands.


WILLIE
The delivery guy just delivered this for you boss.

Bignose gave the box to Jimmy. Jimmy placed the box on Vito’s desk as Vito walked around the desk and studied the box from different angles.

VITO
Call Willie.

Willie came into the office.

VITO
Open the box.

Willie noticed that Vito and Jimmy had moved far away from the desk.

WILLIE
What you think is in there?

JIMMY
How the fuck am I suppose to know, open the muthafucker.

Willie glared in the direction of the box. His eyes were fearful and there was a fleck of saliva at the corner of his mouth. Bignose carefully removed the red ribbon and tape and slowly pulled back the flaps. When he looked inside the box, Bignose jumped back and covered his mouth. Satisfied that the box was not a bomb, Jimmy and Vito looked inside the box and saw Louie and Tommie’s head. Their bloodshot eyes were open and their face twisted in fear.


JIMMY
What the fuck, what the fuck!

Vito stared at the heads and for once did not rebuff Jimmy for repeating himself.


INT. JEROME’S OFFICE

Edwinna was sipping tea Ted was sitting next to her and Madame Bourneis and Marque were standing in a far corner. Jerome sitting behind his desk asked Edwinna what happened.

EDWINNA
I was on my way home from the grocery when this car pulled up and two men grabbed me, hit me in the head knocking me out, and threw me into the car and drove off. They blindfolded me and tied my hands behind my back and when we got to this building, they threw me into this dark smelly room. I heard other men in the apartment talking and laughing and I smelled something cooking. Shortly, an Italian man came into the room, removed the blindfold and untied my hands. A few minutes later, they threw this young kid in the room. The kid told me his name was Bobby Randall and he was a drug dealer for the State Street Boys. His face was bloody and he had a black eye. After a while, Bobby began wheezing and seemed like he couldn’t catch his breath. He told me was having an asthma attack and he needed his inhaler, but the men who grabbed him threw it away. I called out for help and this guy; I heard one of them call him Vito, told two other men to take the kid to the hospital. The next day, two young men came into the room, they tore my clothes off me and this one young man was going to rape me. A strange wind blew into the room from a window that was partly open. I heard what sounded like a growl, the light went out and I heard screams, terrible screams. The next thing I knew you was coming into the room. Have you anything about the young boy