INT. GYMNASIUM – NIGHT
COLIN stands tall in the center of the ring. The crowd is on their feet. BOBBY LEE stalks down the aisle. Suddenly TERRI breaks from the crowd. She throws herself across his path. BOBBY LEE hesitates. He doesn’t toss her aside as CECIL did.
TERRI
Please don’t do this. He’s going to hurt you. There’s no way he’ll let you out of that ring.
BOBBY LEE
I can take care of myself.
TERRI
You don’t understand.
BOBBY LEE
Yes, I do. I understand my Pa beat him years ago, and got his leg busted up for it. I understand Cecil was so scared he fought with cracked ribs. It ends now.
TERRI
Please?
BOBBY LEE
(pushing gently past)
If I come out of this okay, I hope you’ll still want to talk to me. Right now, I have something to finish.
BOBBY LEE continues to the ring and slides under the bottom rope. TERRI stands in the middle of the aisle, staring after him. OFFICIAL #2 places himself between COLIN and BOBBY LEE, watching both nervously.
OFFICIAL #2
Ladies and Gentlemen. We have a surprise change, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Brad Taylor was forced to withdraw from the competition, but you won’t go home without seeing a fight. Our challenger needs no introduction. Ten times Tough Man champion, undefeated and returning to the ring for the first time in six years – Colin Winslow!
The gym rocks with the sound of the applause.
OFFICIAL #2 (CONT’D)
(holds hands up for silence)
I can’t rightly call him the challenger, ’cause he’s also undefeated. His father stood in this very ring, God rest his soul, and lost one hell of a fight to Colin many years ago. You might say things are coming full circle.
COLIN glares at BOBBY LEE, who meets his gaze coldly. Both circle OFFICIAL #2, looking for a break to get past.
OFFICIAL #2 (CONT’D)
I ain’t going to get into the rules. These boys, know there ain’t any. May the toughest man win. Let’s DO this!
OFFICIAL #2 ducks out of the way, and COLIN and BOBBY LEE begin circling, moving closer with each pass.
COLIN
You shouldn’t have come back, boy. You should have stayed away. When this is done, you’ll pay for my farm.
BOBBY LEE
Didn’t do anything to your farm. My Pa burned...you think I did that?
COLIN
Makes sense to me. He never had the backbone to stand up for himself. Maybe you just got tired of him drinking and whining.
BOBBY LEE takes the bait. He lunges for COLIN who sidesteps and slams a fist into BOBBY LEE’s ear. BOBBY LEE staggers, hits the rope, and bounces up, only to catch another hard shot to the gut. He starts to double over, catches himself, and backs off. The crowd roars. COLIN grins as if he’s already won, and wades in. BOBBY LEE steps back, as if fighting for breath, and leans on the ropes. When COLIN reaches him, he feints left, rolls right along the rope, and swings his leg up hard, catching COLIN behind the head with a sweeping kick and driving him forward into the ropes. When COLIN spins back, BOBBY LEE sweeps a leg beneath the bigger man, and COLIN goes over backward, arms pinwheeling.
BOBBY LEE
My Pa kicked your ass. His only mistake was expecting you to take it like a man.
BOBBY LEE starts to drop down and swing on COLIN, but the bigger man rolls away, surprisingly fast. He’s on his feet in a moment.
COLIN
You’re going to wish you didn’t stop to talk.
A loud click sounds. BOBBY LEE turns, then backs away. COLIN glances over as well, and stands very still. In the corner of the ring, CECIL stands. HE has a very large handgun aimed straight at BOBBY LEE’s chest. COLIN moves toward him, and he swings the barrel to his father’s chest. Everyone is very still.
CECIL
I’m ending this. For good.
COLIN
Cecil, put that gun down and get ...
CECIL’s finger rests on the trigger and twitches.
CECIL
You take a step, and you’re a dead man. Makes no difference to me. I killed his Pa, adding mine to the mix makes no difference.
COLIN stands still. BOBBY LEE takes a step toward CECIL, and the barrel of the gun spins back again.
CECIL (CONT’D)
I’ll kill you where you stand.
The entire gymnasium is silent. No one speaks, and CECIL weaves the gun from one target to the next. His eyes are glazed and crazy.
CECIL (CONT’D)
Son of a BITCH why did you have to come back.
Suddenly there is a blur from the side. POSSUM dives from the crowd. He hits CECIL hard, driving him into the middle of the ring and down. The gun fires. CECIL and POSSUM roll on the floor. The gun flies off to the side, and POSSUM ends up on top. He grins down at CECIL.
POSSUM
Gotcha.
CUT TO:
Follow me on Twitter
