Two Winters Past

Scene 14

EXT. HIGHWAY.

COOLEY 1&2 are returning with HELLER. COLE watches with binoculars. ZACH and JIMMY wait on him.

COLE: Turner will attack when he finds out. We ain’t going to have a secret weapon against that.

COLE puts down binoculars.

ZACH: Turner has less guns than us, and less hands to fire them. He got his men spread across three mountains. Turner wants a war, we can win it without no secret weapon. The Castle is best keeping quiet.

COLE sighs, turns to JIMMY.

COLE: Once we let these things out, you lead them to Remmy right away.

JIMMY: I know the plan.

COLE: You don’t stop to threaten no one, you got me? Lembeks getting what they deserve only. Am I clear?

ZACH: The Lembeks hate us. They want to kill your families. They spread lies about us. If your prince can’t convince you that you’re doing God’s work, I will.

COLE: Shut up.

COOLEY 1&2 arrive with HELLER.

JIMMY: I know you, Heller. You one of Turner’s boys.

HELLER: Zach Cooley. Turner sent me with a message for the King.

ZACH: (to COLE) Turner believes in a king.

HELLER: A Muslim army is coming north from Damascus.

JIMMY: Where the hell is Damascus?

COLE: Pennsylvania, near the border. I went to school close to that.

ZACH: Ain’t no Pennsylvania anymore. Who gives a shit about Damascus? Them towelheads a hundred miles from here.

HELLER: The army is attacking towns along the border. Turner thinks they plan to raid Parlor City.

JIMMY: Nothing in Parlor City but zombies.

COLE: What’s he got?

HELLER: Four hundred fighting men, or more, and they have been training a year. If that kind of force enters the County, no one of us will be able to hold them off. Turner wants to bring together everyone he can. He’s called all his men back to the Castle.

ZACH: All but you.

HELLER: Alliance between the Castle and the Cooley family. That's what I came to secure.

ZACH: Alliance with King Elijah, you mean. You asked the Lembeks?

HELLER: Lembeks ain’t nobody.

COLE: Got twenty guns.

HELLER: Five guns at best.

ZACH: Ain’t what we bin told.

HELLER: I didn’t come to talk about Lembeks.

COLE: You want to see my father.

ZACH: You come with us, we take you to the king.

COLE: What?

ZACH: We got an errand. You come with us and we take you back to Elijah.

HELLER: We don’t have that kind of time!

ZACH: How long is it take to move 400 men a hundred miles? People down there ain’t going to let that army pass. We ain’t even know they coming here. (Beat) We got time to run an errand.

COLE points.

COLE: Follow this road, it leads to the compound...

ZACH: (stern) He’s coming with us. (Soft) Woods here full a zombies.

HELLER: (hesitates) I should move on. Turner said speak with the king.

JIMMY: Turner ain’t in command here.

COLE: I am. I say he continues on.

HELLER: (hesitates) What don’t you want me to see, Cole?

COLE: Nothing to hide from you. Turner ain’t in command here.

ZACH: See now? This boy wants to come with us. Wants to see us Cooleys can be trusted to play by ourselves.

HELLER: What’s this errand?

ZACH: Check a well down on the tree line. Thinking them Lembeks may have left us a surprise.

HELLER: You leave the Lembeks alone. Turner told Remmy if any sovereign houses are attacked, the Castle will intervene. You can play kingdom on your little farm, but the rest of us still live in America.

JIMMY chuckles.

JIMMY: There ain’t no America left.

FADE TO BLACK