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Reckoning
by Mary-Cade Mandus

I've taken the liberty of adding a second door in the warehouse (I've always thought it would be highly unlikely for criminals to box themselves in a room with only one exit. And, I don't know about the building/fire codes in NYC but here a building must have more than one exit to pass fire inspection). While watching the warehouse tape for the umpteenth time I noticed a lot of debris piled around the walls and imagined another door hidden behind. So I put one there. I hope no one will mind.


Warehouse
Interior
Dialogue
Diane � "Don't make me shoot you, Denby. You don't want to die"
Denby - head cocked�listening to some inner voice�weighing options
Balance beam of ice
Then�
His groan of resignation�endorsed by their sighs of relief�reprieve
Gun�slides, glides, skates across floor�an offering
Liberation�Manuel's body sinks into its earlier pose
Denby � remains kneeling�in supplication�before
Diane - his nemesis, his savior, his�damnation
She shifts forward to claim his gun
Their eyes�lock�angel to devil�never wavering
Her body crouches, arm stretches, hand reaches�
Freezes
Denby watches as�her eyes Faye Wray�Up, up, to a point behind�him
No need to turn.
It�s all there�written
in an emotional kaleidoscope flickering across the pale screen of her face
He knows�a gun is pointed�at his back
His muscles - tensing�preparing
Timing�synchronizing�
Watching�only she can show him the way
Her gun goes up�left, his body launches�right
Bullet gouges�shoulder�Denby�s teeth clash�
Stunned, vulnerable�body cringes�prepares�for the next one
Reverberating, echoing, fusing with gunfire�Her cry�
Harrrry!
Dannnny! Nooo!
Her gun�firing, discharging�
Missing
Danny�staggering�crumpling
Collapsing, anyway
Eyes wrapped in a blindfold of pain�still�Denby sees
In the open door�behind Diane
Andy�
Smoking gun�steady hand
Falling tears


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