The Continuum: Beware, The Red Desert Dwellers Have Returned...

By Ronnie Shantz/Robinson

Somewhere in the Midwest lies the little town of Sanctuary. Somewhere in the Midwest a brutal gang of mobsters went on a secret trek to extort money from the elderly citizen of the town of Sanctuary. Somewhere in the peaceful little retirement community they disappeared, never to be seen again. Now, as word reached Chicago, an angry band of their associates decided to visit the little retirement community to...correct the situation. Beware you embark on the road of vengeance in the realm of The Continuum...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365966415

Book preview

The Continuum

THE CONTINUUM

The Continuum. Copyright 2002, 2016 by Ronnie Robinson

All right reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

FADE IN:1

INT. A BARREN DESERT—DAY

A sweltering desert.

A scorpion pops its head out of the sand, looks up at the sun and quickly pulls back in.

Appearing like a mirage in the warped distance, a vehicle fades in. A black jeep with black windows spins through the sand, slows and stops. The engine snuffs out.

INT. JEEP

Four men and a little girl, HELENA, are inside the jeep. Teary eyed, she is terrified and vaguely trembling.

A bloodied and tortured man in the rear, HARRY, groggily regains his composure. He is viciously punched the moment he recognizes his companions.

HELENA

(cries)

Daddy… !

A man in a blue suit in the front, ARON ROCKER, takes a gold case from his pocket and lights an expensive cigar.

SHARK

What do you want us to do with him, Mr.

Rocker?

ROCKER

(beat)

What would you do if you were in my

predicament, Harry?

HARRY

Please… I had no choice… Sheriff Williams

knew all about the investment scam… I

didn’t breathe a word about it… he and

his deputy already knew… I had nothing to

do with it, I swear…

HELENA

Daddy…

2

ROCKER

I believe you, Harry. I’ve already had it

checked out. Our associates simply want

a scapegoat for the lost revenue, you

know how it works. It’s nothing personal.

HARRY

Why Helena… she’s got nothing to do with

this… please… don’t hurt my baby…

Aron Rocker runs his fingers through Helena’s hair.

ROCKER

I don’t know what else to do, Harry. After

what she’s heard today, I’m left with

little option.

HELENA

Daddy… !

Shark methodically puts on black gloves, the intention clear.

HARRY

Oh god… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, baby…

Daddy really messed up…

HELENA

It’s okay…

HARRY

Please forgive me?

HELENA

I forgive you…

KNIFE

(snorts)

How touching.

HARRY

Please, I can make it up to you. There

must be something I can—she’s just a

child.

3

Aron Rocker touches Helena’s nose.

ROCKER

You understand I’m not a bad person,

don’t you, Helena?

HELENA

Yes…

ROCKER

Problem is, if I let you go, I would be

pushing up daisies by the end of the

week, and then my little daughter

wouldn’t have a father. You wouldn’t

want that to happen, would you?

HELENA

No…

ROCKER

And her little Brother Joey wouldn’t have

a father, either. You wouldn’t want little

Joey to be fatherless as well, would you?

HELENA

No…

ROCKER

You’re such a brave little girl… I’ll make

sure everyone knows how brave you are,

and I’ll make sure you have some flowers

planted in your memory. Okay?

HELENA

(cries)

Ok…okay…

Aron Rocker hands Helena’s hand to Knife. He takes it and pops open the door.

HARRY

No! God no, please!

4

HELENA

Bye, Daddy… I love you.

Shark and Knife get out and Shark walks her out into the desert toward some boulders.

Harry desperately tries breaking after her. Knife jumps back inside, holding him back.

HARRY

Helena… !

Shark and Helena disappear behind a huge boulder.

HARRY

HELENA!

ROCKER

Get control of yourself, Harry. I’d be more

concerned with yourself over the next

few minutes.

HARRY

You’re an animal… you people aren’t

human!

A shot is heart, and Shark calmly walks back from the boulders, alone.

HARRY

Oh god… oh god…

SHARK

(vague admiration)

What a sweet little girl. She asked God

for a wish before I ended it, can you

believe it?

KNIFE

Yeah? What.

SHARK

Something about animals and a zoo, I

don’t know. What a cutie.

Shark picks up an attaché case, pops it open, and small torture devices are seen inside. He grabs

one of Harry’s hands, opens up a finger device and sticks his fingers into the holes.     5

ROCKER

Who has the letter, Harry?

Harry doesn’t respond.

ROCKER

Harry, the letter. Who has the letter? And

what happened to our associate, Mr. Hammer?

He’s missing, last seen in your presence two

days ago.

Harry looks at him. A sudden change comes over him. Cold rage filters into his demeanor, the kind of rage that no torture device could come close to intimidating.

Rocker nods. Shark presses a lever, and a couple of Harry’s fingers are crunched and broken.

Harry squelches a yell, his rage deepening. Shark repeats it. Two more of Harry’s fingers are crunched and broken. This time there’s no sound from Harry, his eyes passing beyond the point of rage.

Knife annoyingly wipes blood from his jacket.

KNIFE

Great. This’s a five hundred dollar suit.

Shark presses it a third time and all of Harry’s fingers are crunched and mangled.

Suddenly a bizarre, cold smile crosses Harry’s face. He hums something to himself and begins laughing.

Shark puts his other hand in the torture device.

ROCKER

One last time, Harry. Where is our associate,

and who has the let—

HARRY

You’re all going to wish you were dead.

They become transfixed to Harry’s face, realizing they went too far with his daughter. Rocker nods to Shark, and he pulls out a revolver.

EXT. THE BARREN DESERT—DAY     6

PAN away from the jeep. A shot