Hired Guns 2

HIRED GUNS
ISSUE 2
By John Alexopoulos

PAGE ONE: (5 Panels)

Panel 1:
Shot from the ground upwards, looking at Flash’s perplexed face as he looks down, past us.

FLASH:
Well look at that.

Panel 2:
Flash turns around, El Doble beside him, and looks at the crowd of townsfolk. In the background, behind the townsfolk, is the front of the Clay River Bank. A water trough and hitching post sit out front. Nothing about the backdrop is out of the ordinary.

FLASH:
I’m sorry folks, but I’m not sure what you expect from us.

Panel 3:
Shot facing El Doble and Flash, standing side by side. Only blue sky can be seen behind them. Flash looks disappointed to let them down; El Doble’s face is hidden beneath his hat.

FLASH:
We’re gunslingers…

Panel 4:
Shot from behind Flash. We look past his holstered pistol at the nervous and scared crowd.

Panel 5:
Establishing shot of the Hired Guns standing in front of a large hole that has swallowed several buildings of the town’s main strip. Several other smaller holes appear to have taken individual buildings here and there. Overall, the town looks pockmarked and half empty.

FLASH:
…we don’t do holes.






PAGE TWO: (5 Panels)

Panel 1:
Side shot of El Doble (above) and Flash (underneath) descending in darkness on a rope. The light from the lanterns at their belts illuminates a sphere that reveals our two heroes and the sheer rock face in front of them. They are slowly rappelling, feet against the vertical rock wall. El Doble has a backpack on over top his dual shotguns.

CAP:
Well, money is money.

Panel 2:
Shot from just above Flash, as he looks down beneath him. The lanterns illumination ends quickly, and nothing but an inky abyss can be seen below him.

CAP:
And if some desperate people want to give us their money to climb down a hole and tell them there ain’t no Bogey Man, we’ll take it.

Panel 3:
The rock beneath Flash’s foot crumbles, sending his foot into mid-air.

Panel 4:
Thrown wildly off-balance, Flash has lost his grip on the rope. A fall to his death seems inescapable

Panel 5:
Close up of Flash’s face. He has closed his eyes, and looks scared.

CAP:
Easy money.






PAGE THREE (5 Panels)

Panel 1:
Similar to last panel. One of Flash’s eyes is opened cautiously. He is nervous wondering why he hasn’t died yet.

Panel 2:
El Doble has leaned back, and grabbed the front of Flash’s shirt. Flash is dangling in El Doble’s single-handed grasp, eyes wide in shock and relief.

Panel 3:
Flash has grabbed the rope, and is sliding down slowly, hand under hand.

FLASH:
Thanks buddy.

Panel 4:
El Doble and Flash have reached the bottom. They stand on a slope. They are picking up their lanterns and looking up.

Panel 5:
View of the top of the hole, a tiny circle of light, far away in the darkness. The rope fades into the darkness.

FLASH:
Lets get this over with.



PAGE FOUR: (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
El Doble and Flash stand side by side, looking at the tunnel before them. It is a large circular cave approx. 30’ in diameter. The sides of the tunnel are smoothly and evenly ribbed, concentric rings that travel down the tunnel’s length.

FLASH:
Well gaw-damn.

Panel 2:
Flash is wrinkling his nose at the odour.

FLASH:
Whew. Smells like a Union latrine down here.

Panel 3:
El Doble and Flash are walking through this ringed tunnel. There should be a slightly disorienting feel to this picture.

Panel 4:
Shot of the two heroes walking through the dark cavern. The light from their lanterns fades into the blackness.

FLASH:
What do you think made--

AFX:
SKWELCH

Panel 5:
El Doble is lifting his boot to look at the mess he has stepped in. We can see on the ground below him, a partially stepped on man-turd. A fair bit is spread over the sole of El Doble’s boot.

EL DOBLE:
Shit.

Panel 6:
Flash is looking at El Doble apologetically. He has a half smile, and is shrugging his shoulders.

FLASH:
Well at least we know that someone’s been around here lately.






PAGE FIVE: (5 Panels)

Panel 1:
We can now see glimmers of light from ahead in the tunnel. The light reflects off the ringed walls of the tunnel.

Panel 2:
Sitting along the tunnel are the missing building from the town (approx. 12). They are intact, exterior and interior lanterns lit, casting an eerie glow over the tunnel. No one is around. Littered on the street are everyday items: a kettle; a doll; a rifle; a hammer. There are also more feces scattered around. There are no signs of life.

Panel 3:
Flash sticks his head into the doorway of Abel’s Barbershop. They are near the centre of the buildings.

FLASH:
Anyone home?

Panel 4:
Flash and El Doble hold their lanterns high in the middle of the buildings. It’s like a subterranean ghost town.

Panel 5:
Flash and El Doble have moved past the town buildings. Ahead of them are lumpish mounds (bodies) draped in shadow. We can’t quite make out what they are.





PAGE SIX: (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
The lumps are the bodies of the missing townsfolk. Some lie with spears in them, others have had limbs sheared off. Arms dangle from shoulders, or are completely separated. Legs are severed. Throats are opened to the backbone. No more than 6 men, women and children total. Beyond them, we see that the concentric rings of the tunnel turn into a normal cavern. The cave continues with uneven and rocky walls and ceilings, dirt and pebbles covering the floor.

Panel 2:
Flash and El Doble stand staring at the bloody mess in front of them. Flash has a confused look on his face, trying to make sense of the scene before him.

FLASH:
Jesus.

Panel 3:
Flash is staring at the figure of a dead child. The body is obscured by the bodies of adults, but from a hand/arm/leg/foot it is evident that it is a dead child that has Flash’s attention. Flash’s face is cold and emotionless as he tries to contain his vengeful anger.

FLASH:
Think it was the red men?

Panel 4:
El Doble is bent over, lifting up a partially severed arm. Claw marks, clearly animal-like, run down the arm, having shred cloth and flesh. His shadowed face is turned towards Flash, showing him the arm.

Panel 5:
Flash is facing the rocky cavern before them, as El Doble approaches him from behind.

Panel 6:
El Doble kneels in front Flash, pointing out something on the cave’s floor.







PAGE SEVEN (4 Panels)

Panel 1:
We see tracks leading away into the darkness. We see people’s boot prints, and bare foot prints. There is also a clawed foot-print, in a kind of shovel shape.

Panel 2:
Close up of Flash’s hand, drawing his revolver.

Panel 3:
Close up from behind of El Doble pulling his dual sawed-off, double-barrel shotguns over his shoulders.

Panel 4:
Large panel. Classic hero shot. Flash and El Doble are standing tall, staring into the darkness. Flash has his lantern in one hand, and his six-shooter pointed forward with the other. El Doble has both shotguns aimed forward. His lantern hangs from the barrel of one (either by a hook on the underside of the barrel or by just looping the lantern handle over top of the barrel). Flash has a look of distaste on his face, partially caused by the gored people and children, partially by the prospect of facing a feral and brutal creature. El Doble’s face is, as always, shrouded in shadow.

FLASH:
Let’s go earn our money.






PAGE EIGHT: (5 Panels)

Panel 1:
Flash leads El Doble through the rocky cave. Flash stares ahead into the darkness, trying to see what is beyond the light of their lanterns.

Panel 2:
Shot from far ahead of the two. The silhouette of a rocky outcropping in the foreground blocks part of the heroes’ pool of light. The area that is lit by their lanterns should be small, compared to the foreground and general size of the panel, or at least reflect the distance. It should give a sense of being very alone, a tiny speck of light in a universe of darkness.

Panel 3:
El Doble places a giant hand on Flash’s shoulder, stopping him.

Panel 4:
We see that the tracks split. The large group of boot, foot, and claw prints continue forward, while a smaller group of  tracks move off into a smaller side-cavern.

FLASH:
I’ll check this out. I’ll catch up with ya after.

Panel 5:
We see the backs of both heroes, bathed in their own pool of light, walking into their respective tunnels.





PAGE NINE: (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
We follow Flash as he walks through the narrow passage. The tunnel twists and turns, negating any illumination that his single lantern may provide.

FLASH:
Great idea, wandering around down here alone.

Panel 2:
Flash looks annoyed with himself for being in such a dangerous situation.

Panel 3:
Flash stares out into the darkness, part scared, part alert, trying to find the source of the noise.

AFX:
snff
-sob-

Panel 4:
Flash holds his pistol ready as he continues forward.

FLASH:
Hello?

DAISY: (op)
HELP ME! PLEASE!

Panel 5:
Flash turns the corner to find a little girl, DAISY, about 8 years old, her clothes shredded and her arms and face cut. Her blonde hair is pulled out of the pig tails she had been wearing. She is huddled in a rocky fissure along the rock wall, hugging her knees.

FLASH 1
I’m here.

FLASH 2:
I’m here. You’re okay now.

Panel 6:
Daisy is looking past Flashes shoulder as he kneels down in front of her. Flash has set his lantern down on the ground as he reaches out to Daisy.

DAISY:
They’re behind you!






PAGE TEN (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
Flash spins around, gun ready, but as he does he kicks over his lantern. At the edge of the light, we can see several humanoid forms. They are indistinct, and little should be revealed, except a rough humanoid shape.

Panel 2: (Inset near the lantern in Panel 1)
The light in the lantern gutters as it extinguishes, just the tiniest flickering flame.

AFX:
Tssssss

Panel 3:
This panel, as well as panel 4, and 5 should be very similar. The muzzle flash from Flash’s pistol barely illuminating his targets, the instant of his shot. The panels don’t need to be large, and little detail should be visible.

We see a figure leaping at Flash. It is a Naked Mole Man. His face is dominated by large jaws holding 4 giant incisors, opened wide. The top of his head is blown off.

AFX:
BAM

Panel 4:
We see two more figures taking a tumble as they are shot dead. A clawed arm flies up as one Naked Mole Man is spun around.

AFX:
BAM
BAM

Panel 5:
The last figure holding a spear is shot through his barrel-like wrinkled belly twice, as he falls backwards.

AFX:
BAM
BAM

Panel 6:
Dark Panel







PAGE ELEVEN: (7 Panels)

Panel 1:
Dark panel

Panel 2:
A match flares to life in Flash’s hand as he leans close to Daisy, reaching for the lamp.

AFX:
Fwisssssssss

FLASH:
We’re okay now. Don’t worry.

Panel 3:
Daisy is crying and in shock. Flash is quickly (without looking) reloading his pistol.

DAISY:
They took my momma and poppa --sniff--

Panel 4:
Daisy face is raw with grief and fear.

DAISY:
Mr Davison grabbed me and we tried to run away --sniff-- but… they…. he… Wehaaaaaaa…

FLASH 1: (op)
Shhhh.

FLASH 2:
You’re safe now.

Panel 5:
Flash has his hand under Daisy’s chin, holding her head high so that she is looking in his eyes. Daisy, although her face is still wet with tears, seems to have stopped crying, soothed by Flash’s reassurances.

FLASH:
My name’s Flash. What’s yours?

DAISY:
D-Daisy.

Panel 6:
Flash is smiling kindly at Daisy, trying to connect with her, and calm her down.

FLASH 1:
That’s a pretty name.

FLASH 2:
Okay Daisy, I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. We’re going to go and fetch my friend, and then high tail it out of here. Okay?

Panel 7:
Flash has now picked up Daisy. She sits on the arm that holds the lantern. Flash still has his gun out. Daisy is looking at Flash.

DAISY:
Okay.






PAGE TWELVE: (3 Panels)

Panel 1:
Flash is smiling, trying to look confident and reassuring.

Panel 2:
Flash is walking back out of the little cavern, back the way he came. Daisy has her arms held tightly around Flash’s neck, her head buried in his shoulder. In the foreground we see the bloody carnage of the shootout. We also see the bloodied face of Mr Davison, frozen in death, a mask of horror: eyes wide and mouth gaping.

FLASH:
Just hold on tight and we’ll be out of here soon.

Panel 3:
Similar angle and shot as Panel 2. Flash and Daisy are turning a corner, and the light is fading. Soon a shroud of darkness will cover this scene of death forever.







PAGE THIRTEEN: (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
We are now with El Doble. He is continuing down the main tunnel, shotguns out, and lantern hanging.

Panel 2:
El Doble walks past another massacred body, turning his head to inspect, but not slowing down.

Panel 3:
El Doble’s trek through the darkness continues.

Panel 4:
El Doble slows as he sees light coming out of a large cave off the side of the tunnel. It is a fair distance away.

Panel 5:
El Doble has set his pack and lantern down, turning a dial on the lamp, dimming the light.

Panel 6:
Shot of El Doble, a shadow in the dark tunnel, creeping towards the lit entrance.






PAGE FOURTEEN: (4 Panels)

Panel 1:
El Doble has his back pressed tight against the wall beside the entrance. He is preparing to enter the lit cavern. Noise can be heard from the hidden room.

AFK:
SQUIIK
SQUEEK

VICTIM: (op)
AW GAWD!!!! NOOO--AIEEEEEEE--HMPH--

Panel 2:
We are facing El Doble. He has jumped into the cavern doorway, shotguns levelled. He is not prepared for what he sees (op).

Panel 3: (Large Panel)
We are looking into a large cavern with a giant fire burning on a plinth at the rear. We can see Naked Mole Men everywhere. Some are carrying spears, others seem to be milling about. In the centre of the room, in front of the plinth, is the Queen Mole. She is extremely large: 18’ long, 6’ diameter. She is lying on her back, legs splayed. Strapped to her teats via leather harnesses are the captured townsfolk, naked, and forced to suckle. Those suckling are being transformed into Naked Mole Men. Some are still clearly human, while the rest show a progression of transformation, becoming more tubular, faces transforming, eyes shrinking, jaws and teeth growing. All of the victims appear to be asleep, except the (clothed) FARMWIFE they have just strapped on near the hind legs. She still struggles against her captors.

Panel 4:
Naked Mole Men near the entrance have noticed the intruder have reacted by lifting their spears.

AFX:
SQUIK
SQUEEK
SQUIII







PAGE FIFTEEN: (1 Panel Splash)

Panel 1: (splash)
The colony has erupted with activity. Naked Mole Men charge at El Doble, spears raised and claws extended. The Queen, fearful of the intruder, is flipping her gigantic body over, flipping the humans about who are attached by their faces to her body. She crushes most of the humans strapped to her, or snaps their necks (not Farmwife though).

El Doble is small compared to the ocean of Naked Mole Men warriors crashing towards him. They are about 20’ away.

AFX: (Naked Mole Men)
RIYAAAAAAAAA!






PAGE SIXTEEN: (5 Panels)

Panel 1:
El Doble fires his shotguns, dropping a 6-10 Mole Men at the front of the rush. They go down in a bloody, pulpy mess. There are still many more times that number charging.

AFX:
CHOOM-CH-CHOOM
CHOOM-CH-CHOOM

Panel 2:
El Doble tosses his shotguns off to either side. The avalanche of Naked Mole Men is only about 15’ away.

Panel 3:
Farmwife is desperately trying to unbuckle the leather harness that fastens her to the Queen. The Queen is rearing up, the broken bodies of the human/mole hybrids dangling limply.

Panel 3:
El Doble is drawing his dual pistols out of his hip holsters, hidden beneath his poncho. The Naked Mole Men are less than 10’ away.

Panel 4:
El Doble is firing into the crowd of Mole Men, without aiming, simply firing into the mass of bodies.

AFX: (from guns)
BLAM
BLAM
BLAM

BLAM
BLAM
BLAM
BLAM

Panel 5:
El Doble empties his pistols into the Naked Mole Men who are almost within arms reach.

BLAM
BLAM
BLAM

BLAM
BLAM







PAGE SEVENTEEN (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
Farmwife has released herself from her bonds. She is kneeling beside the Queen.

Panel 2:
Farmwife gets up, and steps forward, shouting to El Doble, who can barely be seen through the mass of Naked Mole Men that separate them. The Queen is beginning to make her way to the rear of the cavern, away from the fight.

FARMWIFE:
HELP!

Panel 3:
We see El Doble has engaged the Naked Mole Men with a pair of Bowie knives. They fall before his onslaught. He has lost his hat revealing his face. He has long black hair, and a mean looking Hulk Hogan handlebar moustache. He is a mean looking man. He has claw marks on his face and is bleeding, not just from his facial wounds, but various body wounds through tears in his poncho. He is looking up, mid-fight, and looking at the desperate Farmwife.

FARMWIFE:
OH GAWD HELP!

Panel 4:
Overhead shot as El Doble begins to fight his way through the crowd of attackers, towards the Farmwife. He is now surrounded. The Farmwife runs through the crowd, shoving, elbowing and knocking off balance the Naked Mole Men between them.

Panel 5:
El Doble, is down to one bowie knife, the other lost in the battle. He has reached out and grabbed the Farmwife by the collar of her dress.

Panel 6:
We see a spear being driven into Farmwife from behind, a fatal wound.








PAGE EIGHTEEN: (5 Panels)

Panel 1: El Doble holds up his hand, empty, save for a scrap of cloth from her collar.

Panel 2:
A Naked Mole Man has jumped on El Doble’s back. Another hangs off the arm holding the cloth. It should be apparent that El Doble is being overwhelmed.

Panel 3:
El Doble has been forced to his knees. But the two Naked Mole Men who had been dragging him down are sent tumbling away from him, as bullets impact. Four more Naked Mole Men surrounding El Doble fall. El Doble is looking back towards the entrance.

AFX:
BAM-BAM
BAM
BAM
BAM
BAM

Panel 4:
Flash is standing at the entrance, reloading as his spent casings fall to the floor. He has a cocky and amused smile on his face. He is in his element. Beside him lay one of the torches from the cavern, and the sack that El Doble had placed in the hall. The sack is open and its contents, TNT, are clearly visible, laying half out of the bag.

FLASH:
Howdy.

Panel 5:
El Doble is running towards Flash, scooping his hat up off the ground as he passes it. We see six more Mole Men fall as the group tries to pursue.

AFX:
BAM (x6)







PAGE NINETEEN: (7 Panels)

Panel 1:
Flash is reloading once again as El Doble, hat back on his head, bends over the bag of dynamite. Daisy is standing behind them.

FLASH:
Start running Daisy. Go get the lantern in the passage and keep running. We’ll catch up.

Alright partner, let blow these Naked Mole Men back to whatever hell they came from.

Panel 2:
Flash provides covering fire, keeping the Naked Mole Men at bay. El Doble has the dynamite stacked on his arm like a pile of firewood. His other hand holds out a bound chord of 4 or 5 sticks to the flame of the torch.

Panels: 3-6
We see sticks of dynamite, individual or in chords of 4-5, being tossed in various parts of the cavern, lit by long fuses. A couple get lodged high, on ledges in the walls. A couple land amidst the Naked Mole Men. One lands beside the Queen.

Panel 7:
Flash and El Doble are running down the cavern away from the Queen’s cave.

FLASH:
We’ve gotta hustle our--











PAGE TWENTY: (2 Panels)

Panel 1:
We are back in the town. Townsfolk are milling about nervously, awaiting the return of the Hired Guns.

Panel 2: (giant panel)
Long shot of dust pluming up from the holes that dot the town. People are knocked flat by the shockwave.

AFX:
HOWOOOOOF!





PAGE TWENTY-ONE (6 Panels)

Panel 1:
The townsfolk are in a frenzy as dust rises into the sky from the various holes around town. There is panic and concern.

AFX: (townsfolk)
Henry, what was that?--
--Lord help us--
-- We’re sinking!!!

Panel 2:
A crowd of some of the braver townsfolk is forming around the largest crater, the one Flash and El Doble were standing in front of on Page One. The rope is still anchored in the ground.

Panel 3:
Shot of one man, a blacksmith, leaning over the tunnel squinting down into the dust. Nothing can be seen past the lip of the hole, due to the dust.

Panel 4:
The group of townsfolk near the rope anchor point all jump back in surprise. Out of the dusty hole, Daisy (covered in dust) has been tossed, like a sack, onto the ground.

AFX:
Whu?!

DAISY:
-whoof-

Panel 5:
Close up of the rope anchor. Out of the hole, a hand has grasped the ledge.

Panel 6:
From above, we see that El Doble lying on the ground between the townsfolk and the hole. Flash is still pulling himself up, over the edge. Both of them are covered in dirt and dust.

El Doble:
-cough cough-






PAGE TWENTY-TWO: (1 Panel Splash)


Panel 1:
Flash is standing in front of the growing crowd of bewildered townsfolk. He looks like hell. Clothing ripped, dirty, in some areas burnt. El Doble, similar, but also bloodied, is still on the ground, recovering.

FLASH:
Y’all had one hell of a mole problem.




fin