REINDEER GAMES

                        JACK BANGS
           He's not Nick Mason...

The smile fades from Gabriel's face.

                        JACK BANGS
           Nick Mason ... worked for me two
           years ago. This man...
                 (a spark of recognition)
           ... he's some cowboy...

Gabriel grabs Rudy, slams him against a wall. He glares at Ashley
for answers. She stares in disbelief.

Rudy meets her eyes.

                        RUDY
           Fucked the wrong guy, Ashley.
                 (shrugs)
           Story of your life.

Back to Gabriel:

                        RUDY
           I did time with Nick Mason, Monster.
           Told you that from the start.

Ashleyls putting it all together...

                        ASHLEY
           You ... you ... YOU--

                        RUDY
           We still gonna spend Christmas
           together?

Ashley CHARGES him. Gabriel stops her; Merlin and Jumpy help hold
her back. Gabriel spins on Rudy with his rifle:

                        GABRIEL
           You are lucky, convict. You're
           spending Christmas with the
           birthday boy himself--

                        RUDY
           Hey! HEY! THERE IS A POWWOW SAFE!

Gabriel hesitates. Doesn't fire.

                        RUDY
           I did time with Nick Mason, remember?
           I knew he worked here, didn't I!?
           Well, some shit he told me!

Rudy steels himself for the shot. It Still doesn't come.

                        RUDY
           Nick told me his manager kept a safe
           in his office, his stealing safe.
           His Powwow Safe.  I swear, please...
           Nick told me.
                 (looks to Jack Bangs)
           Behind the liquor cabinet.

Jack Bangs dully meets Rudy's eyes.

Gabriel steps to the liquor cabinet, feels at the shelves. They
split in the middle. And there is a combination safe mounted in
the back. Gabriel turns to Jack Bangs:

                        GABRIEL
           Open it.

He pulls him off the desk. Jack Bangs wavers, struggling. He looks
at Gabriel. Then at Rudy.

                        JACK BANGS
           I can't go back to Vegas ...

                        GABRIEL
           OPEN IT!!!

Jack Bangs steps to the safe. Spins the lock. Spins back. Spins
forward. Click. Jack Bangs looks at Rudy.

                        RUDY
                 (nods)
           Pow.  Wow.

And Jack Bangs opens it--

--reaching inside in the same swift motion, so that as the safe swings
open to reveal it's a rack of WEAPONS that lies inside, Jack Bangs
already has an Uzi in hand--

                        JACK BANGS
           VEEEEGGGGAAAASSSS!!!

BULLETS as he turns back to the room--

--sending Gabriel, Ashley, and Merlin diving for the floor! Jumpy
can't get down, as BULLETS riddle him dead--

--and BLOW OUT the smoked windows overlooking the casino--

Jack Bangs keeps turning in a madman's circle--

--BLOWING OUT the windows to the parking lot, shattering the
liquor, sending Rudy scrambling under his desk-

                        JACK BANGS
           I CAN'T! GO BACK! I CAN'T!
           GO BACK! I CAN'T! GO BACK!

                        GABRIEL
           GO!!!

He and Ashley both scramble for the windows, jumping out with two
of the money sacks--

TO THE CASINO FLOOR

--and landing on poker tables below, overturning them--

Jack Bangs keeps FIRING, into the casino, SHREDDING the tables but
missing Gabriel and Ashley

--as he JUMPS right after them.

BACK IN BANGS' OFFICE

Merlin scrambles to his feet, whirling with his gun, looking for
Rudy--

--just as Rudy slams into him. Merlin's SHOT hits the ceiling.
The two of them CRASH down, wrestling and rolling toward the
parking lot window. Two guns spill to the floor. Rudy grabs
one, just as Merlin kicks out, leaping up--

--and freezes, seeing Rudy's got a pistol on him.

Before Merlin can make a move, Rudy fires--

--and a thin stream of water shoots out. Leaving a stain on his
shirt. It's the water pistol. Rudy stares blankly.

As Merlin swiftly snatches the second gun, a real gun, off the
floor. Rudy's dead to rights.

                        MERLIN
           Hell. I'm gonna take pleasure in this...

With the gun on Rudy, Merlin finds a cigarette in his pockets.
Pops it between his lips, raises a lighter's flame--

--and hesitates. Sniffing the air. Looking down.

At the stain on his shirt. His lighter still lit--

                        RUDY
           Me too.

--and Rudy fires the water pistol again, this time catching
Merlin's lighter, which turns the stream into a ARC OF FIRE! He's
filled alcohol in the gun!

FLAMING LIQUOR shoots into Merlin's face and eyes. He drops the
handgun. Rudy keeps squeezing the squirt gun, spreading the fire
down his neck and chest. Merlin howls wildly--

--and staggers back, blind and helpless, pinwheeling himself--

OUT THE PARKING LOT WINDOW

--and CRASHING down on the hood of a Pontiac, head through the
windshield, boots on the bumper, dead. Flames flickering.

                        RUDY
           Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

IN THE CASINO

Gabriel and Ashley have scrambled to the Nova, tumbling in with
the money sacks. Jack Bangs gets up, stalking toward them, still
FIRING and babbling.

Gabriel FIRES back, hitting Bangs in the chest. He staggers, but
stays upright. His bullets RIDDLE the car, shattering the
windshield, but Gabriel and Ashley keep their heads down,
slamming it into reverse--

--and burning rubber backwards out the casino entrance, into the
parking lot, and speeding out of sight.

Jack Bangs stops shooting.

He staggers back toward the bar, totters there, and turns, gun
still raised.

Rudy stands at the base of the stairs to the security level. He
puts his hands up, until he sees the dying look in Bangs, face.
The uzi drops to the ground.

A silence. Even the slots have stopped.

                        RUDY
           I'm sorry.

Jack Bangs stares blankly. Surveys the wreckage of his poor man's
empire. And gives a small shrug.

                        JACK BANGS
           That's why they call it gambling.

He slumps against the bar and hits the floor. Dead.

EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Rudy ambles out into the snowy night. The lot is quiet. He takes a
few wary steps toward the road--

--and hears a CLICK. He turns to see Ashley standing behind him,
with a gun. Shaking her pretty head.

                        ASHLEY
           Your turn.

Rudy shuts his eyes for the end.

EXT. RESERVATION ROAD - NIGHT

The Nova drives up a ramp into the back of the truck, in reverse.
Gabriel gets out, pulls shut the trailer. Ashley collects the
hazard triangles. They hurry to the cab.

EXT. MICHIGAN HIGHWAY - NIGHT

The Motor City monster storms through the night, passing a couple
POLICE CARS, sirens wailing, speeding the other way.

INT. GABRIEL'S RIG

Gabriel and Ashley inside, with the money sacks:

                        GABRIEL
           With the wrong fucking guy! We
           took the place down with the wrong
           fucking guy! Is that Christmas?!
           Huh?!  Is that Christmas?!

He grabs Ashley, kisses her wildly. Then turns back--

TO THE SLEEPER COMPARTMENT

Where Rudy lies sideways, hands bound with his Santa belt.

                        GABRIEL
           God bless us every one...

EXT. RIDGESIDE ROAD - NIGHT

A winding two-lane road, overlooking a small ravine at a grassy
overlook. The road is dusted with snow; there's been no traffic
here for awhile.

The Motor City Monster steams to a stop beyond the overlook. Then
starts backing up, such that the gate of the trailer is fifteen
feet from the edge of the ridge.

A hundred-foot drop into the ravine below.

Gabriel and Ashley pile out of the cab. They lift the trailer
gate, extend the tire ramps. The ramps run from the trailer to
five feet away from, the ravine drop.

IN THE CAB

Gabriel pulls Rudy out of the sleeper. Marches him back--

TO THE RAVINE'S EDGE

--and gives him a look. Forces him to his knees. Ashley is in the
truck trailer, splashing the inside of the Nova with a can of
gasoline.

                        GABRIEL
           You almost got away with it, Santa.
           Got outta the Tomahawk, got to your
           car, got halfway to Canada till you
           caught some ice in the road. By the
           time you hit bottom down there,
           whole car was burning like a comet.
           Musta burned up all that money too.

Rudy glances to the trailer. Ashley tosses a couple handfuls of
bills into the car.

                        GABRIEL
           Buncha guys in red suits busted in,
           they'll say. Started shooting.
           They won't be able to remember...
           if it was three, or four ... or five.
           Four dead Santas and some burned-up
           cash. Merry Christmas, The End.

                        RUDY
           Was it your plan, Monster? Or was
           it hers.

Gabriel smiles at him.

                        GABRIEL
           She told me 'bout the convict
           magazines. Had to figure there'd
           be some boys in the pen with some
           useful knowledge. With nobody to
           talk to. Nobody to listen. So we
           stocked up on stationery.

Ashley hops down. Gabriel puts an arm around her.

                        GABRIEL
           Hard life being a trucker's girl.

Rudy eyes Ashley. She stares darkly back.

                        RUDY
           I saved your life.

                        ASHLEY
           You shouldn't have.