Author Gabriela Vazquez: The Sick and the Dead

		Short Stories—Average Monster coming soon in Sisters-in-Crime Anthology *Murder in La-La Land, Top Publications, May 2010 Screenplays... Excerpt from Screenplay, Access Denied:* EXT. PARIS—DAY A Paris street filled with older buildings, in the distance between ornate eighteen-century structures, a section of the Eiffel Tower looks like a giant erector set. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT BUILDING/LOBBY—DAY Ric walks into the quiet marble floored lobby. A steel cage elevator rises through the center of a circular staircase. He opts for the stairs. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT BUILDING/3RD FLOOR—DAY Ric moves onto the landing. Above him, VOICES echo in the staircase. He ducks into Julia's doorway. The CRUNCH of the elevator door closing shatters the quiet. Turning his back to the elevator, Ric KNOCKS on the door, an ordinary visitor. The elevator glides up behind him. Ric KNOCKS again. No answer. He pulls a lock pick out of his pocket and struggles with the lock. No luck. He grabs the doorknob. It turns. It was UNLOCKED. Rolling his eyes at himself, Ric steps into... INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/LIVING ROOM—DAY Not exactly Home Beautiful. Serviceable furniture. No decorative touches. A sling weighted down with a rack of climbing gear hangs on the wall. Ric notices something amidst the nuts and cams. He grabs the handle of... A JUMAR ASCENDER like the ones the terrorists used to climb out of the laser. Ric moves through the apartment. Every flat surface is cluttered with climbing books and magazines. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—DAY Ric walks around the bed. The right side looks very slept in, the left side, virtually made. A COMPUTER sits in an alcove partially obscured by a curtain. Ric boots the computer. He picks up a framed photograph of Julia executing a difficult climbing move on an overhanging wall. Ric's eyebrows come up, he's obviously impressed. The computer asks for a PASSWORD. Ric hunts and pecks his way through a few commands. The computer responds by shutting down. SIGHING, Ric sits down in front of the computer. This is going to take time. EXT. LEFT BANK STREET—NIGHT JULIA WALLACE, wearing a business suit, juggles her briefcase and a bag of groceries as she walks down the street. A baguette protrudes from the bag. She maneuvers it to her mouth and takes a big bite. As Julia nears her apartment building, she notices two SHADOWS loitering across the street. She conveniently shuffles her armloads and gets a better look. The glimpse convinces Julia they're watching her. She knows what they're after. Apparently unperturbed, she continues down the street. THUG #1 watches Julia enter her building. Tensing, he looks to Betenoir for instructions. Betenoir, his albino hair backlit by a street lamp, plays with a white mouse. He lets the creature scamper on the metal railing. BETENOIR Not yet. The Thug relaxes. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT BUILDING/STAIRCASE—NIGHT All pretense gone, Julia TEARS up the staircase. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT In the alcove, Ric's face is lit by Julia's computer screen. He hits the enter button. Instead of letting him into the hard drive, the computer shuts down. He gives the screen his mildly irritated 'Is that really necessary?' look. He hears the SWOOSH of the front door opening as if it were saying Honey, I'm home. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/LIVING ROOM—NIGHT Paused in the open doorway, Julia scopes out her apartment. She cautiously enters, checks behind the door and in the closet. No one. Dropping her armloads on the floor, Julia rips open her briefcase and grabs her wallet. She's halfway out of the room when she doubles back. Breaking the end off the baguette, she shoves it in her mouth. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM#151;NIGHT Julia dashes in and stops abruptly. Sensing something's amiss, she scans the room. Slowly squatting, she looks under the bed. Nothing. She tiptoes to the alcove and gingerly pulls back the curtain. No Ric. The computer looks untouched. She relaxes. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT ALCOVE WINDOW—NIGHT Ric stands on the ample ledge outside Julia's window. Inside, he sees Julia tearing off clothes. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Dressed in underwear which reveals all but the essentials, Julia chews on her baguette and jerks casual duds off their hangers. Moving to the bed, she catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and reflexively tightens her abs and presses her hand to her flat, flat stomach. The phone RINGS. Julia freezes. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT ALCOVE WINDOW—NIGHT Ric moves closer to the window. He's working very hard at NOT admiring her figure. The phone RINGS again. INT. RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL ROOM—NIGHT Mark Gillman holds the phone to his ear. He's laid out on a massage table. A large Samoan masseur works on Mark's legs. The phone RINGS a third time. INT. JULIA'S BEDROOM—NIGHT Letting the ANSWERING MACHINE pick up, Julia frantically shoves her legs into faded jeans. INT. RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL ROOM—NIGHT Mark Gillman lets out an annoyed SIGH. GILLMAN Aren't women pests? Understanding no reply's necessary, the Masseur continues working as Gillman dials another number. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT BUILDING—NIGHT Betenoir flips open a vibrating cellular phone. MARK GILLMAN V.O. (from phone) Go ahead. Bring her in. Betenoir doesn't need to be told twice. Pocketing the phone, he moves. Thug #1 follows. On the stoop behind them lays Betenoir's white mouse, his head nearly ripped off. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Julia flips through her wallet. She pulls out a PASSPORT, a CREDIT CARD and an ATM CARD and shoves them in her back pocket. From the hallway, she hears the SQUEAK of a door hinge. Trapped, she rushes to the window and throws it open. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/ALCOVE WINDOW—NIGHT Ric draws his gun and nudges the alcove window open. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Betenoir strolls into the room. No sense of urgency. Thug #1 leans on the doorjamb. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM WINDOW—NIGHT Julia sticks her head out the window. There's a ledge but no way up or down. She goes for it anyway. Halfway out the window, she spots RIC. He holds his finger over his lips, SHHHHHHH. Her expression says, 'Who the FUCK are you?' She hesitates. A conundrum: the killers inside or the lunatic Peeping Tom outside. She doesn't get a chance to solve the problem. BETENOIR'S HAND clasps her hair and jerks her in head first. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Not considering her much of a threat, Betenoir leads her into the room and twirls her around by her hair, a demented dance. BETENOIR Leaving so soon. Your party guests just arrived. Julia spots the butt of a GLOCK sticking out of Betenoir's waistband. He's vastly underestimated her. She picks her moment and lunges for his chest. Her hand finds the gun. Betenoir lets go of her hair and clenches his hands over hers. The gun is still tucked in his pants, but her finger is on the trigger. She looks straight in his eyes, without blinking. JULIA Careful, I'm not real good with guns. I might just blow your balls off. Betenoir's rage lowers his eyelids to half-mast. He lets her take the gun and step away from him. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/ALCOVE WINDOW—NIGHT Ric watches every move, assessing this woman. So far, he's impressed. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Julia motions for Thug #1 to move closer to Betenoir. JULIA Drop your gun. Thug #1 smiles not really taking her seriously. Julia SHOOTS. The bullet barely misses. It surprises Julia. She was aiming to REALLY miss. Betenoir notices the break in her composure. He sees her weakness. She's no killer. Her scare tactic works on the Thug. He pulls his gun from his waist and drops it at his feet. Julia's not stupid enough to reach for it. JULIA (continuing) Kick it over to me. He hesitates. Her finger squeezes the trigger. He does it. Julia picks up the gun and tosses it out the open window. JULIA (continuing) This is the part where you guys let me leave. Betenoir shakes his head. BETENOIR No. This is the part where you hand over my gun. Julia CACKLES convincingly. Betenoir moves toward her. Her lips curl into an evil close-lipped smile. She aims and SHOOTS. The bullet WHIZZES by Betenoir. He's not a bit deterred. He keeps moving. Showing a slight frazzle, Julia SHOOTS again. This time the bullet misses him by miles. Letting his anger rip, Betenoir SMACKS her, a back-handed slap. Julia's head whips back, taking her body with it. She spins into the open window. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT BEDROOM WINDOW—NIGHT Her upper body hanging out the window, Julia drops the gun. It SMASHES on the street below. She turns to Ric, who gives her a 'nice try' look. She can't believe this. He half smiles. Julia's head jerks back. She SCREAMS in pain. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Betenoir has Julia's thumb in his hand and he's bending it back, nearly breaking it. Suddenly compliant, she moves like a puppet. Betenoir smiles; he likes this better. RIC throws open the alcove curtain and levels his gun at Betenoir. BETENOIR maneuvers Julia in front of him, a HUMAN SHIELD. Ric and Betenoir lock eyes. This dance feels familiar. RIC Is she expendable? BETENOIR Compared to me? Yes. RIC Well, I could give a cat's crap about her, so, I guess you lose this one. BETENOIR Fine. Kill her then. Betenoir defiantly waits for Ric to shoot. Ric smiles with eerie composure. He's forcing Betenoir's hand. Julia's caught in the same lunatic/killer conundrum. BETENOIR flings Julia at Ric. She stumbles forward, falling into Ric's gun. THUG #1 leaps across the bed, shoves Julia out of the way and pounces on Ric's Beretta. JULIA hits the floor on her butt. She looks up in time to see Betenoir almost on top of her. She kicks at him. 'Uncle' isn't in her vocabulary. RIC Slams Thug #1's head into the wall. The Thug doesn't let go of Ric's gun. Instead, he rams Ric's knuckles against the dresser. THE GUN springs out of Ric's hand and RATTLES between the wall and the furniture. Thug #1 goes after the gun. Ric goes after the Thug. He lands a left hook. Thug #1 CRASHES into the mirror. A shard of glass wedges into his skin above his eye. He sees his splintered reflection. Blood gushes into his eye. Ric knocks him back into the mirror, which finishes shattering. Glass CLINKS to the floor. Ric throws the Thug across the room and moves in to finish him off. BETENOIR grabs Julia's kicking legs and lifts her off the floor. She hangs upside down, her head even with Betenoir's lower leg. She buries her teeth in Betenoir's shin. Betenoir SCREAMS and drops her on her head. Julia lands on the broken mirror. Shards of glass gash her palms. RIC'S punch lands in the center of Thug #1's face, breaking his nose. The Thug's head whip-lashes into the wall. Lights out. Ric lets the Thug's body slump to the floor. BETENOIR comes in behind Ric with a sweeping kick. Ric feels the wind shift before he sees the foot coming. He ducks out of the way and surprises Betenoir with a blow to the stomach. Hardly fazed, Betenoir recovers and throws alternating punches at Ric's face. None of them land. JULIA, delighted to see her conundrum answering itself, races out the door. RIC, backed up against the wall, blocks Betenoir's persistent blows. One slips through, connecting with Ric's jaw. Ric's cheek SMASHES against the wall. Blinking, groggy, Ric slides to the floor. BETENOIR, fights his longing to kill Ric. He doesn't have the time. Julia's getting away. Leaving Ric slouched on the floor, Betenoir chases after Julia. EXT. JULIA'S APARTMENT—NIGHT Julia bursts through the front door and sprints down the street. The Eiffel Tower glows over the trees. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT/BEDROOM—NIGHT Ric shakes his head clear. He fishes for his gun behind the dresser. He gets it and moves to the window. He sees Julia running toward the Champ-de-Mars. Betenoir's not far behind her. Leaving the unconscious Thug, Ric jumps over the bed and bolts from the room. EXT. CHAMP DE MARS—NIGHT Julia runs like hell through the deserted park. She hurdles a bench and heads for the trees. Betenoir, moving fast, loses sight of Julia in the shadowy trees. EXT. STREET BORDERING CHAMP DE MARS—NIGHT Ric crosses the street into the deserted park. No sign of Julia or Betenoir. Gun in hand, he keeps moving. EXT. EIFFEL TOWER—NIGHT JULIA reaches the bottom of the tower. She jumps onto the concrete pedestal supporting the metal legs. Bloody handprints smear on the concrete as she lifts herself to the metal structure. She quickly climbs up the steel framework. BETENOIR races up to the Tower. He stops directly beneath her and peers into the darkness. After a moment, he runs toward the Quai Branly skirting the Seine. JULIA watches him leave. She relaxes a moment, is about to climb down when she spots... RIC cautiously approaching the Tower. As he passes the concrete pedestal, he notices the bloody handprints. Without looking, he aims over his head. He meets Julia's eyes looking down at him. RIC Get down. Wordlessly, Julia climbs down. RIC (continuing) Hold your hands away from your body. Julia holds out bloody, mangled palms. Sweat mixes with the blood oozing from a cut in her scalp. RIC (continuing) Who are you working for? JULIA Franchip. RIC (almost a whisper) Don't fuck with me. The reddish sweat streams down her face. She wipes it back, spreading bloody red streaks across her cheeks, like war paint. JULIA Who are you working for? RIC Don't you remember? We took an elevator ride together. Recognition lights Julia's eyes. JULIA You're CIA. Does that make you a good guy or a bad guy? RIC That's up to you. POLICE SIRENS wail in the distance, getting closer. Ric takes Julia's arm and leads her away from the encroaching Police cars. JULIA Why are we running away from the police? RIC Because we don't know if they're good guys or bad guys. Keeping Julia just in front of him, Ric hurries through the park.