Sometimes I write fiction. And by write fiction, I mean I get about 2 pages into a novel that I never pick-up again. Instead of just letting them moulder on my hard-drive, I’ve decided to start a feature on Dang Dude, What the Heck? where I occasionally publish these beginnings. In doing so I’m offering them up to the public. Feel free to use them to start writing your own stories. Take whatever part of them you like, if any, and use it as your own. I won’t tell. Or just read them and take them for what they are. This one takes the form of a movie script. That’s why it’s formatted weird. It’s the fifth one: A Broken City
DAY
Darren Sands enters a room. He’s wearing a uniform with a crest of a badger on it. The room is ornate but incredibly shabby. On the wall there is a painting of a woman, clearly someone important. He moves the painting and behind it is a safe. He looks at a combination written on his fingers and opens the safe. He grabs a package wrapped in brownpaper. Before he closes the safe door he tears off his crest and throws it into the safe. He leaves a note in the safe as well. He closes the safe door. An alarm goes off. Sands doesn’t freak out but starts his escape. He leaves the mansion, entering a mostly ruined city. Skyscrapers are everywhere, but are visibly falling apart. He starts to get chased by people wearing similar uniforms as him. He runs toward and then across a bridge. Sands dodges through parked cars, a package is strapped to his back. We see that Sands is running away from a city and toward a forest.
LEAD COMMITTEEMAN
Just give it back Sands. All will be forgiven.
Sands keeps running
LEAD COMMITTEEMAN
Lady Margoth forgives those who repent. You’ll never make it in the wilds alive. The drop off the bridge is too far. You’ll die. Come back to the fold. Come back to the Committee.
Sands reaches the end of the bridge. We see that it breaks off, not reaching the other side of the water. The river roars beneath him. He turns around, looking at the hoarde of Committeemen gaining on him. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a detanator. He raises it up in his fist.
DARREN SANDS
Tell Lady Margoth that she can go fuck herself and her Committee. The eight gates of hell are waiting for her and everyone on her side.
Sands presses down on the trigger and several of the cars explode, stopping the advance of the hoarde. Sands leaps off the bridge plunging into the water.
LEAD COMMITTEEMAN
Grab him! Don’t let him get away!
GO TO BLACK OPENING CREDITS
SIX YEARS LATER
Darren is asleep in a hut in a large green decidious forest. He’s grown a beard and wears rougher clothing, but looks fundamentally fine. We see him going about his day, cutting wood, getting animals from traps, farming, sleeping, eating. The brown paper package he took from the safe is on a roughhewn table in the hut. Then one day he sees some signs/hears other approaching. He goes up into a tree. Looking down he sees three committeeman.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Let me have some of that water.
PRIVATE JACOBS
You just had a drink. This needs to last us the entire mission.
PRIVATE GREER
Have some of mine. And shut up, The Deserter Sands could be here.
PRIVATE JACOBS
Do you actually think so? I heard that he was in Rodanth?
PRIVATE GREER
Last patrol you told me he had snuck back into the city and was secretly controlling the Committee.
PRIVATE JACOBS
Whatever. I just don’t like this mission anyway. Why do we need this guy? He’s The Deserter. He betrayed Lady Margoth and The Committee. Let him rot. Or, better yet. Let me kill him. Slowly.
PRIVATE GREER
And then what. Come back with a dead guy? Those are not our orders. You think you know better than The Committee?
PRIVATE JACOBS
I’m just saying. This guy is dangerous. You saw what he did when he escaped. Blew up damn near half the city just to get away.
Darren drops down silently behind the three. They continue chatting, unaware of his presence.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Will you two quit it? Can we make it through one damn mission without you bickering? We know The Deserter Sands is out here because Lady Margoth said he was. So shut your holes and keep looking.
Darren Sands comes up behind them, takes out a knife and holds it up to the neck of Private Greer
DARREN SANDS
Privates. Captain. How goes it?
Private Greer tries to draw his weapon, but Darren presses the knife deeper into his captive’s throat.
DARREN SANDS
Captain, if she sent you to get me then something is up. I’ll hear what it is you have to say. But I’m not taking any risks. Remove your equipment and toss it over here. Got it?
They all nod.
DARREN SANDS
Okay then. Start with your weapons.
They start removing their equipment.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
We have a message for you, from Lady Margoth. It reads as follows
DARREN SANDS
It better not be the same message as last time. I’ve had enough of her messages.
The Captain takes out a leather pouch from his pant’s pocket. It contains a slip of parchment. He tries to hand it to Sands, but Sands keeps the knife on the other Private’s neck.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
The message has changed. The Lady is asking you back. She needs your help. We’re under attack and she wants you to lead the defense.
DARREN SANDS
She wants my help? Me? The Deserter? When I left, I told her she could go fuck herself. No one gets away with that. And my opinion of her hasn’t changed.
The Captain reaches into a different pocket and pulls out a ring. He holds it out to Sands.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Here, The Lady gives you this as a sign that she wishes for nothing more than your friendship and help.
Darren pushes his captive away and takes the ring. Looking it over. He holds it up to the light and a brillant rainbow pours out of it as the sun touches it.
DARREN SANDS
The Marvarium? She gave you the Marvarium?
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
And it’s yours to keep, wether you accept her invitation or not.
DARREN SANDS
(taking the ring)
Let me see this letter then.
Darren puts his blade back into a sheath and takes the letter. He’s careful with the parchment, but reads it thouroughly.
DARREN SANDS
Okay, come with me. We need to talk.
INT: DARREN’S HUT
Darren and the soldieres are sitting around a rough wooden table in a hut in the middle of a clearing. Darren looks at the men, his hand playing over the Marvarium
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
We’ve tried to keep them at bay, but our forces are no match. We don’t know where they’re getting their tech from, but it’s kicking our asses.
DARREN SANDS
How can the Galish be back? The Committee defeated them twenty years ago. Wiped them off the face of the planet. Formed the city from the ruins of their land. They’re dead. Dead and gone.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Not The Committee, Darren. You. You defeated them. Or at least everyone thought you did.
DARREN SANDS
I thought I did too.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
The Committee voted to absolve you of your crimes agaist civilization. The Lady Margoth wants you back. The city needs you Darren. We’ll be overrun.
DARREN SANDS
Absolve me of my crimes? My crime of leaving a corrupt city. My crime of not bowing down to power? My crime of refusing to be ruled by a petty dictator wrapped in the trappings of decay?
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Once the city falls, civilization is next. You know the Galish. You know them better than everybody. They’ll stop at nothing.
DARREN SANDS
What about the Committee and the Lady? How have they been spinning this? What lies have they been spreading?
PRIVATE JACOBS
(standing up)
I will not hear you deign the name of the Lady nor the Committee in my presence. I-
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Oh shut up. They tried at first, but soliders talk. Espcially injured ones. The news got out quickly enough. This is their last play. Bring back the hero.
DARREN SANDS
I’d need complete control. Over all military forces. No backstabbing, no treachery, no lying. And I’d need my old unit back. If they’ll have me.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
It’s all yours. Anything you need. Just beat these bastards into the ground. As for your unit well...
DARREN SANDS
What?
PRIVATE JACOBS
The Reavers? Most of them are dead. Or in jail.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Private, if I have to ask you to shut the fuck up one more time I’ll personally deliver your head to Lady Margoth on a platter and beseech each and every one of the patron gods to deny you entry past the Gates of Eternity.
PRIVATE JACOBS
Yes, sir.
DARREN SANDS
I see your tongue hasn’t lost its edge.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
When obstreperous Privates insist on sticking their fat fucking feet into their fat fucking mouths needs must.
DARREN SANDS
And my Reavers?
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
What the Committeeman said, unfortunately is true. Most tried to follow you after your bridge stunt. All of them died.
DARREN SANDS
I told them not to follow me.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Well the Reavers were never known for their ability to follow orders.
DARREN SANDS
The rest?
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
A few stayed and tried to foment revolution. You seemed to have put some funny thoughts in their heads about The Lady and the Committee. We rounded them up pretty quickly and they’ve been in The Cages ever since.
DARREN SANDS
The Cages? Those men were heroes. Heroes of the city. They saved the Committee time and again and now they’re in the Cages.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
They tried to overthrow the Committee. You know what the punishment for treason is. Their being heroes is the only reason they’re still alive.
DARREN SANDS
I want them out immediately.
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Come back to the city with me and they will be.
DARREN SANDS
It’s really them? The Galish are really back?
CAPTAIN MARK HANSON
Yes, they’re back. And Sands? They’re fucking terrifying. I know you hold no love for our Lady and the Committee, but Galish are even worse. You know that.
DARREN SANDS
I remember. I’ll meet you at the bridge in two days.
The Expendables XIII.