Price to Pay

Price to Pay

by

JMFP

INT. RICHARD’S HOUSE - DAY

TITLE OVER: Two weeks ago

RICHARD, dressed semi-formally sits across from ASHTON.

Though these men are equals Ashton clearly seems to have the

upper-hand and more power.

ASHTON

I told you to do this earlier, it’s

not my problem.

RICHARD

You’re better connected than me, I

need your help on this one.

A beat.

ASHTON

I understand. But like I said

there’s only one thing to do.

RICHARD

He deserves it. I have to take arms

against his trouble.

ASHTON

Despite Henry?

RICHARD

That’s my only regret.

ASHTON

Henry’s played down before, but

this is more serious.

RICHARD

I know my situation. If this

doesn’t happen, I’ll regret it.

ASHTON

I understand. But I warned you.

RICHARD

Yeah, thanks.

ASHTON

I’ve got a solid deal; my friend

hooked me up with a good contact,

you can trust it. Keep me out of

this though.

2.

EXT. PARK - DAY

A gym bag sits at the side of an empty park bench. DAVID, a

smart-looking man, approaches the bag, picks it up, and sits

down. He opens it to find it filled with money and a folder

which he opens to see a picture of an innocent-looking man,

TOM, smiling back at him and other various papers.

TITLE OVER: Price to Pay

BLACK SCREEN

KYLE

It all started with Richard Hart.

INT. HENRY’S HOUSE - DAY

A folder is exchanged between two hands. The receiver opens

to see a picture of RICHARD HART, a handsome man with the

looks of someone who’s about to about to steal your lunch

money. Not the fat guy that steals your lunch, the

cool-looking jock.

EXT. RICHARD’S BACKYARD - DAY

Richard sits in a hot tub with two girls, telling an

exciting story that can’t be heard.

KYLE

Richard was the kind of guy who

could open his own door-

OFFICER

Let’s start with your name.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT

TITLE OVER: Now

On one side of the table a DETECTIVE sits, decently dressed

in a white collared shirt. On the other side is a disheveled

KYLE GREEN, clearly exhausted with blood spatter on his

shirt and messy hair. He wears pajamas.

OFFICER

Please go ahead, start off by

saying your name to the camera.

Kyle looks into the crappy camcorder set up to record him.

KYLE

My name is Kyle Green. Now as I was

saying, it all started with

Richard.

3.


RICHARD sits in a hot tub with two beautiful girls. He is

relaxed and exerts a confidence that can only be found with

the presence of someone who seems to control life. Party

music plays from some speakers.

KYLE (V.O.)

Richard Hart, drug-lord.

RICHARD

-and I have him in the corner, he’s

unarmed, I can blow this guys

brains off by putting some pressure

on a single finger. But I decided I

wanted to make it interesting this

time, so I turn the gun around and

hold it out to him and say, "Shoot

yourself". And of course he tries

to aim the gun at me but I grab his

wrist and hold it to his chin, I

don’t touch the gun at all,

meanwhile saying "do it man do it".

He did it. It was nasty, I’m never

doing that again.

A FRIEND of Richard enters into the backyard.

FRIEND

Hey, you’ve got someone out front.

RICHARD

Thanks. Excuse me ladies.

Richard exits the hot tub and puts on a bath robe, before

entering into..


The music quiets down immediately when he enters the house

but doesn’t fade entirely. Richard walks into the kitchen,

where a girl is bound to a chair and gagged, clearly in bad

condition, and passes her.

KYLE (V.O.)

Richard had a girl with him at the

time, Kristen Parks, wife of Henry

Parks, my employer.

Richard walks to the front door, the music progressively

getting softer. He opens the door without hesitation.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 4.

RICHARD

Where’s Hen-

Richard is cut off mid sentence when Kyle pulls out his gun

and shoots him in the head. He falls back immediately. Kyle

nonchalantly enters the house. As he passes Richard he

shoots him a few more times in the chest. He then leaves the

room. A few more gunshots resonate followed by short combat

sounds and he returns with Kristen, who he exits the house

with.

Richard stares absently at the ceiling, a puddle of blood

forming around his head. A deep red bullet wound bleeds

slowly on his forehead.

KYLE (V.O.)

All Richard wanted was a ransom for

Kristen, then life would just go on

as nothing happened.

INT. HENRY’S HOUSE - DAY

TITLE OVER: 3 Days before

The living room is slightly messy but it is clear that HENRY

has money. There are bags of chips and other various food

items scattered across the tables.

David is seated around one of these tables while Henry looks

through some drawers. After a few tries he finds what he’s

looking for - a small folder. He take it and sits across

from David.

HENRY

There you go.

Henry hands David the folder and David opens it to look at

some pictures of Richard and Kristen.

KYLE (V.O.)

Kristen’s husband, Henry, didn’t

like that.

HENRY

Its gotta be by tomorrow. Kristen

dies at seven tomorrow night if the

money doesn’t get in.

DAVID

How do you know he’ll carry it out?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 5.

HENRY

I know him. It wouldn’t be the

first time he’d done something like

this.

David looks up when he says this, registering the response.

DAVID

Okay, so here’s what’s going to

happen. I have a safe in my car,

which needs two locks. You’re going

to put the money down and one lock

on the safe and I’m going to put

the other lock on. I’ll get the

money when I return Kristen.

EXT. EMPTY PARKING LOT - DAY

David and Kyle sit at the edge of a parking lot, drinking

from glass soda bottles with their cars parked nearby. David

hands Kyle the folder that Henry gave him and Kyle looks at

it.

KYLE (V.O.)

David was my business partner. He

handled the business aspects while

I carried out the tasks.

KYLE

Richard?

DAVID

I know, not exactly what I

expected.

KYLE

What happened?

DAVID

There’s a whole deal. I guess Henry

pissed Richard off, so Richard took

his wife for money to settle.

KYLE

There’s something wrong with these

people.

DAVID

Noo wayy.

KYLE

No, I mean they’re on the same

side. Most people at least stay

loyal to each other.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 6.

DAVID

Yeah, you’re not wrong, but what do

you expect from these kinds of

people?

KYLE

Less killing each other and more

killing other people.

DAVID

I’m sure there’s at least some

reasoning behind it.

KYLE

Even if there is, its messed up

that it can even be justified. Like

how low would I have to stoop for

you to put a bullet in me?

DAVID

I’ve considered it.

KYLE

No, seriously though.

DAVID

I don’t know, this isn’t something

I really think about.

KYLE

Exactly. And here we have people

taking each other’s wives and

blowing each other’s heads off, I

mean it made sense when we killed

Tom, Tom screwed everyone over.

DAVID

Well they were still killing each

other then, it’s not really

different.

KYLE

That’s true, but the lengths these

people have to go to need to kill

their own friend in the first

place, I mean shit man, that’s

gotta be pretty messed up.

DAVID

Okay, okay. So you’re good for

tomorrow?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 7.

KYLE

I’d rather not be, but yeah. I just

need you to help me drop off this

chick, I don’t really want to deal

with Henry.

EXT. RICHARD’S HOUSE - DAY

David pulls up to Richard’s house with Kyle in the passenger

seat.

DAVID

All I’m saying is that if he had

just made sure he knew who was

behind the painting before shooting

their damn head off..

KYLE

That’s the point though, some

asshole too stupid to do anything

logical. He pays the price for

killing the wrong guy.

Kyle loads a pistol, then stuffs it into his jacket pocket.

DAVID

I hate that shit.

KYLE

Be right back.

Kyle exits the car and starts walking to the front door.

KYLE (V.O.)

The problem was, me and David

didn’t know how connected Richard

was, we just wanted the money.

Richard was the kind of guy who

could kill a man’s sister and

expect an apology from the guy

because his sister was an asshole.

He would open his own front door,

something that no one in this

business does, simply because he

could do it without anyone shooting

him.

When he approaches, he rings the doorbell, then waits. After

a brief period, Richard opens the door.

RICHARD

Where’s Hen-

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 8.

Richard’s voice cuts short and he drops dead to Kyle’s

raised gun.

KYLE (V.O.)

Well, except for me.

Kyle enters into..


He shoots Richard as he passes him, then proceeds into the

kitchen where Kristen is tied to a chair. He proceeds out

to..


Kyle shoots the two girls in the hot tub. He enters back

into..


He runs into Ashton’s friend and engages in very short

combat with him, ultimately coming out victorious.

He unties Kristen and removes the tape from her mouth. She

immediately spits out a large wad of cloth when the tape

comes off.

KYLE

You alright?

Kristen’s face shows a mixture of relief and fear; she nods

her head. Kyle helps her out of the chair and the two walk

past Richard’s body, Kristen looking at Richard as they

pass, and out to..

EXT. RICHARD’S HOUSE - DAY

Kyle opens his car door for Kristen, then gets in on the

passenger side and David drives away.


OFFICER

David Stark was driving the

vehicle?

KYLE

Yeah, he drove. I didn’t want to

deal with Henry, so David did that.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 9.

OFFICER

Okay, continue.

KYLE

We stopped, got food, and then got

to Henry’s house around 2 hours

after we visited Richard.

EXT. HENRY’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Kyle’s car parks across from Henry’s house and David gets

out and starts to walk toward the house.

KYLE

David.

David stops at Kyle’s window. Kyle holds up a gun, and David

takes it from him.

DAVID

Five minutes. It takes any more

than that you get your ass in

there.

David glares at Kyle for a second then walks to Kristen’s

side of the car.

DAVID

I’m going to go in, make sure

everything’s okay before we both go

in.

David leaves and walks to Henry’s front door. He knocks, but

the door falls ajar as he does so. Realizing something isn’t

right, he raises his gun before he steps into...

INT. HENRY’S HOUSE - NIGHT

The house is completely silent apart from David’s footsteps

as he walks down the hallway slowly, gun raised. He arrives

at the living room, where he met with Henry only two days

before, to see Henry, sitting in the exact same spot that he

sat when he met David, with several bullet wounds in his

torso, bleeding vibrantly on a white shirt. A picture of Tom

sits on the table in front of him. David stares, a mixture

of disbelief and disgust, and notices footsteps a moment too

late. As David turns his head toward the footsteps, the

sound of a suppressed gunshot resonates and he falls over.

10.


Kyle and Kristen are sitting in the car, the stopwatch of

Kyle’s phone reading around 2 minutes while Kyle watches

Henry’s house.

They sit in silence for a few seconds before Kristen speaks.

KRISTEN

Why didn’t Henry pay the ransom?

KYLE

I don’t know. He spent more money

the way he did it.

KRISTEN

Yes, but that’s not the point;

killing Richard Hart is not the

better of the two options.

KYLE

Why not? This way you’ll never have

to deal with him again.

KRISTEN

Do you know anything about Richard

Hart?

KYLE

I worked for him once.

KRISTEN

Yes, but do you actually know

anything about him?

KYLE

I don’t know, David handles that

kind of thing.

KRISTEN

What kind of thing?

Kyle notices a figure running from Henry’s house wearing all

black.

KYLE

Open the glove compartment and hand

me the gun.

KRISTEN

What?

11.

Kyle impatiently reaches over and retrieves the pistol

himself. He exits the car to chase after the man, who runs

to a car and gets in. As the vehicle begins to move, Kyle

chases it. He stops to aim his gun, but brings it down after

a short pause, realizing his attempt is futile.


KYLE

They had connections everywhere and

knew almost everything. But worst

of all, they knew me.


Headlights pull up and tires screech to a startled Kyle

standing in the middle of the road. Kyle quickly moves out

of the way.


Kyle enters the front door cautiously and stealthily, gun at

ready. He walks down the hallway in the direction of the

living room but stops when he sees the safe from David and

Henry’s deal sitting in the middle of the hallway with both

locks smashed off. He opens the safe to find it completely

empty except for a single piece of paper with two words

written on it: "Kyle Green". He then stands up and finishes

his walk down the hallway to the living room, where he sees

David and Henry both shot dead.

EXT. EMPTY PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Kyle sits next to Kristen, holding a glass bottle of soda

and the piece of paper he found in the safe. He smashes the

bottle across the pavement. He looks at the piece of paper

for a second, then abruptly discards it.

KYLE (V.O.)

I had officially reached new levels

of being screwed.

KRISTEN

What do you know about Richard?

KYLE

Like I said, I worked for him once.

KRISTEN

Yes, but what do you actually know.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 12.

KYLE

Your husband is dead.

KRISTEN

That’s not important.

KYLE

Right. Okay. And it’s not important

that David is dead too then?

KRISTEN

This is about us now.

KYLE

What do you want?

KRISTEN

Do you recognize the name Ashton

Gray?

Kyle pauses, trying to recall the name.

KYLE

No, doesn’t ring a bell.

KRISTEN

But you’re definitely familiar with

Henry and Richard?

KYLE

Yes.

KRISTEN

There are four, now two people in

collaboration. Richard, Henry,

Ashton, and someone else. As long

as Ashton and the fourth guy are

alive, we might as well consider

ourselves dead.

KYLE

What are you saying?

KRISTEN

We’re going to die, unless they die

first.

13.

KYLE’S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Kristen sleeps on a couch.

KYLE (V.O.)

We decided we’d take one night in

my house before getting on the

move, Kristen said there was no way

they’d react that fast anyway.

A door creaks open. A pair of legs in jeans approaches the

edge of the couch; a hand drops low enough to see a knife

between its fingers

KYLE’S BEDROOM - DAY

Kyle lays asleep on his bed. His alarm goes off and he stirs

but makes very little movement to turn it off until a few

seconds go by and he lazily shuts it off.

INT. KYLE’S KITCHEN - DAY

Kyle exits his bedroom, with pajamas and messy hair, and

walks to the kitchen where he sees Kristen sitting at the

table, the handle of a knife through her forehead. Ashton

Gray sits next to her, a pistol comfortably dangling in one

hang, and a soda in the other. A stack of money sits on the

table next to him.

KYLE (V.O.)

She, of course, was wrong about

that.

ASHTON

(smiling)

Kyle! It’s nice to finally meet

you.

KYLE

Pleasure to finally meet you.

ASHTON

Would you like a soda? I’d offer

you something fancier but

apparently you don’t drink.

Ashton gets up to walk to the fridge

KYLE

Are you going to kill me?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 14.

ASHTON

We haven’t gotten that far yet,

relax.

Ashton takes out a soda and throws it to Kyle. He walks back

to his chair.

ASHTON

Sit down.

Kyle stays put.

KYLE

Are you here to kill me?

A beat.

ASHTON

No.

KYLE

Then why should I sit down?

ASHTON

Because I want you to, and I have a

gun.

KYLE

But you’re not going to kill me?

ASHTON

I have a much more sophisticated

idea in mind perfect for you.

KYLE

I don’t care, shoot me. Don’t make

it too hard for yourself, avoid the

struggle.

KYLE (V.O.)

When you have a gun on someone, you

want to keep a reasonable distance

between yourself and your hostage.

Kyle walks forward and sets his soda on the table.

KYLE

I want you to shoot me.

Kyle kneels down in front of Ashton and grabs his hands to

hold the gun against his head.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 15.

KYLE

Shoot me.

ASHTON

Listen, I have a much-

KYLE

SHOOT ME!

Ashton fails to react. Kyle pulls

back on the gun and releases it

from Ashton’s hands. He stands back

up, now armed. Ashton shrugs and

puts his hands in the air.

KYLE (V.O.)

When such a distance is allowed,

you avoid any chance of being

disarmed.

Kyle pulls back on the trigger and the gun clicks.

ASHTON

I told you I wasn’t here to kill

you.

Kyle tosses the gun aside.

KYLE

Well, you’re here. Do you want any

breakfast?

ASHTON

What do you have?

Kyle walks to the kitchen, and opens some drawers.

KYLE

Uh.. Cheerios, oatmeal..

ASHTON

I’ll pass.

Kyle pours himself a bowl of Cheerios, then pulls a gun out

of another drawer. He returns to his seat across from Ashton

with both. Kristen continues to stare into space.

KYLE

Why are you here?

ASHTON

That’s my business.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 16.

KYLE

Apparently not. Tell me why I

shouldn’t kill you right now.

ASHTON

Two reasons. The first is I have

another job for you. You do this

one and I permanently agree to cut

all communication and let you free.

And also you get your money for

killing Richard. Now I don’t

believe that appeals to you very

much but the second reason might.

There is a car waiting outside,

with four armed men inside of it.

If you kill me, I can almost

guarantee you will be dead.

KYLE

What’s the job?

Ashton slides a folder across the table. Kyle opens it and

looks at it.

KYLE

(with a mouthful of cheerios)

This a work partner?

Ashton nods his head then promptly receives a bullet in it.

KYLE (V.O.)

Ashton never had any intention of

leaving my house alive.

EXT. KYLE’S HOUSE - DAY

Kyle walks out the front door wearing the same attire and to

his car, then drives away.

KYLE (V.O.)

He showed up with an empty gun and

the only car outside my house was

mine.

INT. KYLE’S CAR - DAY

Kyle slouches in the driver seat, his car parked on the side

of a random road, cell phone in one hand, open folder in the

other.

KYLE (V.O.)

Ashton’s folder told me the best

way to do this was to set up a

meeting, a coke deal.

17.

Kyle glances back and forth between the folder and the phone

as he dials a number.

EXT. PARK - DAY

Kyle’s car pulls up.

KYLE (V.O.)

Tony Wolfe, target.

Kyle approaches a park bench, where TONY is seated and sits

down.

TONY

What do you got?

KYLE

5 pounds, top quality. In my car.

Follow me.

Kyle leads Tony to his car’s trunk then stops and looks

around. He opens the trunk to see trash bags lining it. Kyle

continues to look around.

TONY

What the f-

Kyle wraps a chain around Tony’s neck and chokes him until

he passes out, he then puts him in the trunk.

EXT. SIDE OF THE ROAD - DAY

Kyle’s car is parked at the side of an empty street. He gets

outs of the driver side and opens the trunk, then shoots

Tony multiple times, spattering blood onto his shirt.

He closes the trunk and goes back inside the car.

EXT. EMPTY PARKING LOT - DAY

Kyle sits alone at the side of the parking lot, drinking a

soda and holding his cell phone. He stares at his cell phone

for a while, then dials 911.


OFFICER

Why did you report yourself?

KYLE

Well I figure the story needs to be

told somehow.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 18.

OFFICER

You are aware these crimes are

punishable by death?

KYLE

Yes, I am aware.


TITLE OVER: 3 days ago

Henry and Ashton sit in Henry’s living room.

ASHTON

Why?

HENRY

I know what he did, Ashton, I know

it was him.

ASHTON

You knew it had to be done.

HENRY

No it didn’t. We could’ve just cut

him out, Tom was a good guy.

ASHTON

Tom screwed us over. It had to be

done, if not to help us, for

revenge.

HENRY

Yeah well this is my revenge. You

know who I sent to do it? The same

guy who killed Tom, because I know

you or Tony will get him.

ASHTON

What about Kristen, you know she’ll

be done now too?

HENRY

She was a whore.

ASHTON

That doesn’t justify anything.

HENRY

To me it does. What are you waiting

for?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 19.

ASHTON

I’m thinking about retiring. With

Richard gone, and soon you, there’s

really hardly anything left of

this.

HENRY

You know there’s only one way out.

ASHTON

Yeah, but I’ve done everything I

need to do.

HENRY

Me too.

ASHTON

I think it’s about time that our

business closed.

HENRY

You’ll have to talk to Tony about

that.

ASHTON

Sooner or later, I’m either going

to kill Tony or Tony is going to

kill me. I don’t need that. If I’m

retiring I’m killing the business.

HENRY

I never thought I’d be responsible

for Richard’s death.

ASHTON

Yes, but you were. And I bet

Richard never thought he’d be

responsible for Tom’s.

HENRY

But he was.

The words sink in for a second.

ASHTON

Anything else you want to say?

HENRY

One of them is coming to drop off

Kristen and pick up the money in

the safe. They should be here in a

little. Do you mind if I get

something before?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 20.

ASHTON

Yeah, go ahead.

Henry goes to his stereo and turns on "We’ll Meet Again" by

Frank Sinatra, then goes to a wall where a picture of Tom is

framed and takes it down. He looks at it for a little then

sits back down and sets it up on the table in front of him.

HENRY

I’m ready.

Ashton shoots Henry.

*THE END*

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Price to Pay