NATURAL BORN KILLERS

     Mickey and Mallory, separate aisles, alone in an enormous sea of
     fluorescence, foaming.

     ON THE TV:

                         WAYNE TV
               Tonight I'm standing on Highway 666 -- running
               through towns like Cortez, Colorado, Shiprock,
               and ending in Gallup, New Mexico.  To some it's
               a beautiful stretch of the American landscape,
               but to Mickey and Mallory Knox, who are still
               at large, it is literally a candy lane of
               murder and mayhem...

     The moments are expanding in the Pharmacist's eyes as -- not
     yet, but almost -- thoughts begin to cross over into neighboring
     compartments.

     HOME MOVIE MONTAGE -- TV

     On the TV -- a MONTAGE OF Home Videos.  These are films of Mickey
     and Mallory living a normal life.

     -- MALLORY -- very introverted -- with her PARENTS who look
     really weird -- doing something weird like feeding the fish.  Or
     all three are smiling, Mallory in the middle.  Her father holds a
     chicken drumstick.  Mallory's taking a bite out of it.

     -- MICKEY in his high school yearbook photograph or elementary
     school.  Very innocent, sweet.  Possibly a photo in Santa's lap.

                         WAYNE TV
               Once they were average citizens, living drab,
               nothing-ever-happens lives, but then these
               sweethearts began a cross-country murder spree
               that has lasted only three terrifying weeks but
               has left.

     -- PHOTOS: BLACK & WHITE of bloody VICTIMS -- both men and women

     -- PHOTO:  BLACK & WHITE of a bloodstained police chalk outline.

                         WAYNE TV
               ...forty eight known bodies in its wake.
               Including...

     TIGHT over the DRUGGIST in enormous diopter as MICKEY approaches
     the CONTROL BOOTH, staggering.

     A PHOTO OF MALLORY'S PARENTS -- MOM and POP.

                         WAYNE TV
               Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wilson -- who are -- or rather
               "were" -- Mallory's Mom and Dad!

     The Pharmacist's terrified eyes carry from the television to
     Mickey trying to get his attention out the booth.  Up close
     Mickey looks like shit, pale, sweating, waving a handful of
     rubbers at the Druggist.  His mouth voicing words through the
     ventilated "bullet-proof" glass:

                         MICKEY
               Hey you... 'scuse me?  Aloha?

     The Pharmacist in zombied terror approaches.

                         MICKEY
               Hey!  Chief -- this rattlesnake took a chunk
               out of us a ways back. My lady friend and I are
               pretty sick...I think we're dyin', but you
               never can tell these things... so how's 'bout
               ungluing your fat ass from the boob tube and
               getting us some snakebite juice, okay??

     The Pharmacist nods and silently pushes the ELECTRONIC ALARM
     beneath the counter with his fat finger.  In a daze of his own,
     he complies with Mickey's request, meandering to the medicine
     shelves.

     ON THE TV:

     WAYNE in front of a 7/11 store.

                         WAYNE TV
               Mickey and Mallory started off as armed
               robbers, but their idea of robbery is a little
               different than you or I -- in fact it is an
               assault.

     ON TV CONT.

     INT. 7/11 STORE - DAY

     This scene is shot through the store's black and white
     SURVEILLANCE CAMERA high angle corner.

     MICKEY and MALLORY are in the 7/11, cocking their shotguns and
     shouting things.

                         MICKEY (on video)
               Money! Money!  Money!  Fast!  Fast!  Faster!
               Faster!

                         MALLORY
               Mickey!

     Mickey shoots a CUSTOMER.

     Mallory blasts the Young CLERK who flies into a comic book rack.

                         MICKEY (not noticing the TV, impatient)
               You fuckin' find it yet?

     The Pharmacist, stalling, fiddling with bottles, ultranervous
     about the naked TV staring at Mickey, trying to distract him.

                         PHARMACIST
               Have...have you tried the hos... hospit...tal
               yet.

                         MICKEY
               What the hell is this?
                    (sicker)
               You fuckin' find it yet!

                         WAYNE TV
               They'd storm in with shotguns and kill every
               customer in the place without hesitation.  But
               they always leave one clerk alive.  To tell the
               tale of...

     ON TV --

     The surveillance camera revealing Mickey and Mallory tearing out
     the 7/11 leaving one OLD INDIAN behind.

     CUTTING to PHOTOS, BLACK and WHITE, of:

     MICKEY and MALLORY -- high school sweetheart photos

     Staring right back at him.  It finally reaches MICKEY who can't
     help but be flattered.

                         WAYNE TV
               Mickey and Mallory!

                         MICKEY
               I'll be damned. (then) You piece of shit!

     He goes for his gun.

     The Pharmacist, all 300 pounds of him, hits the floor in one
     giant sumo fireball.

     Mickey blasting the window with his gun -- bullets careening off
     the hi-strength glass.

                         MICKEY (come alive)
               MALL!!!  COPS!  Get the fucking car out front!
               I'll get the snakeshit!

     Mallory, reinvigorated by the mention of "cops!" -- gets back to
     her feet and with pure, groggy will tears herself outside like a
     cyborg.

     Mickey with successive gunblasts, shatters the COUNTER GLASS and
     climbs in...

     The Pharmacist, hands hitting the ceiling, begs for his life.

                         PHARMACIST
               Ppppppplllll.....eeeezzzee.

                         MICKEY
               Snake juice!

     The Pharmacist shits --

                         PHARMACIST
               We don't carry...hosppp...ital... I'm the only
               clerk left...I'm the onnnnlllly clerk left ...

     Mickey trashing the counter in any case, cramming every
     prescription drug into a shopping bag, comes close.

                         MICKEY
               Yeah, but you forgot one thing...

                         PHARMACIST
               Whhhaaaat's th...thhhaaaat?

                         MICKEY
               If I don't kill you, there's nothing to talk
               about, is there?

     The Pharmacist gets it.

                         MICKEY
               Fuckin' squid!

     Blows his 300 pounds through the gut.  Octopus flesh flying in
     gobs in every direction.  Mickey tears out of there...

     FLYING POV CAMERA -- ripping down the aisle, Mickey's POV --
     there's a honk from outside.

     Mickey tearing past vitamin displays, knocking down a rack of
     stuffed animals.  His strength is fading.  Snake juice coursing
     through his veins.

     FLASH -- THE DEAD INDIAN

     FLASH -- THE SUN.  BUDDHA...some sign of spiritual hope.

     He gets to the door, swings out through the glass.  Sees it:

     EXT. PHARMACY AND PARKING LOT - NIGHT

     Mallory is slugging it out toe to toe with a COP.  Another COP
     lies on the ground at her feet, dead.  TWO COP CARS.

     THREE MORE COPS in windbreakers are tearing up - simultaneously
     spot MICKEY in the doorway.  They hit the pavement pulling their
     guns.

     Mickey is faster.  Whipping down, his .45 out, blazing away...

     Tearing a hole through one COP...

     Taking out ANOTHER with a headwound.

     Bullets CRASHING through the pharmacy glass, shattering the
     frontage of the store.

     INT./EXT. PHARMACY - NIGHT

     MICKEY scrambling back into the aisle, protected.  Looks back and
     sees:

                         COP (O.S.)
               Throw your gun down!  And get on the floor!
               Now!

     AN EXIT PATH -- out the rear of the store.

     But back to MALLORY as she is engulfed by TWO MORE COPS,
     altogether beating the shit out of her with guns, fists,
     nightsticks, and dragging her behind one of their cars.

     The look on Mickey's face.  Heartbroken.  He's gotta stay.  He's
     gotta go down with her.

                         MICKEY
               Awright!  Awright!  I'm coming!! But don't
               fucking touch her!  You hear me or you got a
               few more dead pigs on your hands!

     COPS, crouched behind protection, looking at each other.

                         MALLORY (yells)
               Mickey!  Take off!

                         COP (O.S. to Mickey)
               Okay! Okay! She's secured!

     Their POV -- Mickey's TWO GUNS come skittering out from behind
     the aisle.

     Mallory, blood pouring out of her, looks, moved by his action --

                         MICKEY
                    (standing, arms in the air, full exposure)
               So...come'n get the big bad wolf.

     SCAGNETTI suddenly appears from behind one of the cars -- nice
     suit, a gun in his hand, the "look." Even down to the fingernail
     scars on his cheek.

     A LIGHT pops on.  A LOCAL NEWSCREW filming as:

     Three more COP CARS arrive.  POLICE are pouring in.

                         SCAGNETTI
                    (on bull horn)
               Put your hands where I can see them.  Step out
               into the light and lay down on the ground.
               Now...

     With Scagnetti in the lead, the video camera tracks behind the
     THREE COPS in windbreakers crashing towards Mickey, guns drawn,
     overdoing it a bit for camera in a "COPS" TV docudrama style.  A
     "recreation" already of an event that is just traspiring.

     Mickey has a smile on his face as Scagnetti hauls him around and
     cranks up his arms behind his back, trying to cuff him.

                         SCAGNETTI
               You're outta business Knox you fuckhead!
               You're gonna die, you piece of shit!

     Mickey, never out of surprises, joker smile and all, wrenches one
     hand free.  He whips out his BUCK KNIFE and swings it behind him.

     He hits COP 1 in the eyes.  COP 1 screams and falls on the
     ground.  Blood smears his face and hands.

                         COP 1
               My eyes!  My fuckin' eyes are out!

     Scagnetti has jumped back, alarmed.

                         SCAGNETTI
               Don't kill him! I wanna fuck him! He's mine!

     Mickey stands there, knife in hand, toying with them.  As he
     drops the knife:

     The TWO OTHER cops pull out their TASER GUNS and fire lots of
     volts into Mickey's torso.  It's an extraordinary sight!

     CU on Mickey on fire, electrified, spinning, spinning...till he
     sees stars, millions of stars.

     The CAMERA WHIRLING with Mickey as he crashes to earth.

     Unsatisfied, the Cops pull out their clubs and beat him
     mercilessly -- with all the pent-up righteous rage of so many
     good men killed in the line of duty against this raging
     psychopath asshole.  Galaxy bandit.  Forever outlaw to the race
     of man.

     The NEWS CREW films.  In the wake of Rodney King, the Cops don't
     really pay attention.

     Mallory, bloodied to her pulp, watches from the ground, on her
     knees, arms squeeze-cuffed behind her, a nightstick through her
     elbows.  She SINGS to herself.

     Scagnetti crosses to her, jerks her up by the hair, examines her
     as coldly as a bug.

                         MALLORY (sings, ignoring him)
               "These boots are made for walkin
               That's just what they're gonna do
               One of these days these boots are gonna
               walk over you"

     She doesn't bother to look at him.

                                                     FADE TO BLACK:

                              ACT TWO

     EXT. BATONGA PRISON - DAY

     SUBTITLE:  "A YEAR LATER"

     TWO MEN move toward us -- SCAGNETTI and a Deputy Warden,
     WURLITZER, in uniform.

                         WURLITZER
               ...always wanted to meet you Scagnetti.  I
               respect you and you know what, I even bought
               your book and I read the whole goddamn thing!

     As they walk past us, revealing the medieval-looking prison in
     background, they come to a standing tower of a man, Warden
     DWIGHT McCLUSKY -- suit and tie, a man of iron from another era
     -- with another Deputy Warden, KAVANAUGH, in uniform.

                         WURLITZER (introducing)
               Warden...Jack Scagnetti.

     McClusky giving him an iron handshake.

                         MCCLUSKY
               ...Dwight McClusky.  Welcome to Hell.

     Scagnetti playing top dog, supercop cool.

                         SCAGNETTI
               Good to meet ya Dwight.  How the hell are my
               two favorite assholes?

                         MCCLUSKY
               We got the two rat fucks back in there.  I
               guess you wanna see  em.

     INT. PRISON CORRIDORS - DAY

     A door slams, giant reverb down the halls.  Echoes of keys
     clinking, eyes of GUARDS.  McClusky waves his arms as he moves
     and gates slide.

     As they move, we sense a tense prison -- the nervous demeanors
     and eyes of GUARDS, silent scary PRISONERS in close proximity.
     The TWO DEPUTIES, Wurlitzer and Kavanaugh, tag along, wary
     protection, despising the inmates, ADLIBBING to their many
     requests.

                         MCCLUSKY
               I seen you on TV.  I even went and read your
               goddamn book.  I'm impressed.  That E. Scarwin
               case was something.  You put an end to a
               nightmare, Scagnetti...

                         SCAGNETTI
               It was no big deal, Warden, just business as usual.

                         MCCLUSKY
               I'm surprised Hollywood ain't found you yet.
               Your story would make a better movie than that
               "Serpico" shit.  But I tell ya Scagnetti, in
               all my years in the penal business -- and I
               tell ya that's no small number    Mickey and
               Mallory Knox are without doubt the most
               twisted, depraved group of shitfucks it's ever
               been my displeasure to lay my eyes on.  I mean,
               these two rat fucks are a walkin' reminder of
               just how fucked up our system really is.

                         SCAGNETTI
               Don't get me started, Warden.

                         MCCLUSKY
               Dwight, you call me Dwight, Scagnetti. You up
               to date?

                         SCAGNETTI
               They been separated since incarceration --
               couple of places?

                         MCCLUSKY
               Semanko and Jessup...

                         SCAGNETTI
               They killed a shitload of inmates and guards?

                         MCCLUSKY
               Three inmates, five guards and a shrink all in
               one years' time.

                         SCAGNETTI
               Psychiatrist?

                         MCCLUSKY
               Yeah.  Mickey's better half -- Miss Mallory
               strangled his ass when he made the dumbass
               mistake of askin' her what her parents done to
               her -- and she done it all shot up on
               tranquillizers!

     FLASHBACK -- PRISON CELL - DAY

     The dead PSYCHIATRIST lying on the floor, tongue sticking out of
     his face.  MALLORY cuffed to a chair, beaten, right into CAAERA
     at the milling, freaked out COPS:

                         MALLORY
               You gonna give me some more time?  I already
               got life.  What else you got?  Death?  I'd like
               to see you fuckin' try!  I haven't met one
               motherfucker here who's shown me shit!!

     They WHACK her good.

     BACK TO:

     INT. PRISON CORRIDORS - DAY

                         SCAGNETTI (sarcastic)
               Oh yeah.  Her parents.  Her father was doin'
               her.  So she drowned him in a fish tank.

     FLASHBACK - INT. MALLORY LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

     CLOSE on a home aquarium with fish swimming around.  Suddenly
     Mallory's FATHER'S head is shoved into the tank.

                         SCAGNETTI
               The mom they stuffed a sock in her throat and
               torched the bitch!
                    (laughs, cynically)
               Her kid brother they left alive.

     FLASHBACK - INT. MALLORY'S PARENTS' BEDROOM - NIGHT

     Mallory's MOTHER mouth is stuffed with a sock, held down.  A gas
     nozzle pouring gasoline all over her.

     BACK TO:

                         MCCLUSKY
               Yeah.  My old man beat the tar out of me -- but
               I didn't kill him.

                         SCAGNETTI
               Well, it was because they wouldn't give 'em
               their blessing to get married.

                         MCCLUSKY
               You gotta be kidding!

                         SCAGNETTI
               No.  Ain't love grand?

                         MCCLUSKY (roars)
               "Ain't love grand."  Ain't that the truth!
               It's like that other lie -- "love makes the
               world go round."

     They laugh together as they go past a new door. A nervous GUARD
     whispers to Deputy Wurlitzer.

     Suddenly FOUR GUARDS come out of a cell, carrying a badly bloodied
     PRISONER.  He's been stabbed over and over.  They hustle him past
     McClusky and Scagnetti who keep talking, ignoring the filthy looks
     thrown at McClusky from every PRISONER in the cell block.

                         MCCLUSKY
               ...so how does a guy like you become a
               specialist in psychos?

                         SCAGNETTI
               Well, Dwight, for starters I'd recommend having your
               mother killed by one. After that happened, I developed
               a rather keen interest in the subject.