REINDEER GAMES

                        RUDY
           ... ttt..tt ... two out of three?

Gabriel grabs his jacket and hurls him backward. Rudy CRASHES into
a chair, flanked by video games.

                        GABRIEL
           What'd you tell that casino manager?

                        RUDY
           Nnn...nothing...

                        GABRIEL
           You were talking to him! What'd
           you tell him!?

                        RUDY
           Nothing... I promise-nothing...

                        GABRIEL
           MAYBE SOMETHING ABOUT A ROBBERY?

                        RUDY
           NO!

Gabriel spins to the dartboard, pulls out a fistful and wheels. He
whistles a dart at Rudy's head. it SMACKS-the wall beside his ear.
He whistles another. It TRUNKS right above his head. A third HITS
the wall by his chin.

                        RUDY
           He thought I was some gambler...
           he didn't know me ... he didn't
           recognize me!

                        GABRIEL
           I been driving rigs a long time,
           Nick. Four, five million miles of
           road. Worked for people who
           wouldn't keep me on less I was
           driving fifteen hours a day. Tell
           'em I needed sleep, I needed rest,
           shit, they'll hire someone else...

Gabriel flings another dart. Just misses Rudy's other ear.

                        GABRIEL
           ... Dispatcher's screaming for me
           to haul ass, he's got a load on the
           runback for me. Shipper's making
           me wait for the pickup, receiver's
           bitching 'bout the count...

Another dart NAILS the wall, right through Rudy's hair.

                        GABRIEL
           ... Got the cops at the bottom of every
           mountain, got the DOT at the top. And
           every day, every day, I see all those
           faces in their little airbag Hot
           Wheels, moms and pops and jam-faced
           kiddies, giving me that look to go to
           hell and get off their happy goddamn
           highway. Hey. They don't gotta get two
           thousand miles by sundown, or the
           gang don't eat come sunrise.

Gabriel strides to Rudy, sitting stock-still, his head ringed by
darts. Stares him down.

                        GABRIEL
           It's time for me...to be working for me. I
           want mine, Nick. And I need you.
                 (frightening calm)
           Did you tell your manager there's gonna
           be a robbery?

                        RUDY
           No, Gabriel ... no...

Gabriel pulls the darts free. Backs away again.

                        RUDY
           ... he ... he asked me...how I'd
           heard about his place ... he didn't
           know it was me...

Gabriel raises a dart to throw

                        RUDY
           I PROMISE YOU HE DIDN'T KNOW IT
           WAS ME!

--and then lowers it. Believing he's gotten a reprieve, Rudy
relaxes, his shivering coming under control.

                        RUDY
           Man, Monster ... just...just don't
           start trying to hit me...

                        GABRIEL
           Nick. I been trying to hit you.

Gabriel rears back and WHISTLES another dart. It plugs into Rudy's
chest. Rudy screams. Gabriel FIRES another, skewering him in the
ribs. Then a third, fourth and fifth.

Rudy howls in pain, his body too numb to defend itself. Five darts
protrude from his chest, colorful plastic feathering and spreading
rivulets of blood.

                        GABRIEL
           Maybe that'll help sharpen your memory.

Gabriel stalks close.

                        GABRIEL
           Tonight we're gonna take another
           look at that map. And this time
           you're gonna tell me what I need
           to know.

INT. RUDY'S ROOM - DAY

Rudy gets hurled inside by Merlin and Jumpy. He hits the floor
beside the bed, where Ashley sits prisoner. Pug sits guard,
watching "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" on TV.

                        ASHLEY
           Nick! Jesus, Nick--

She falls to his side. Merlin cuffs Rudy's ankle again to the
bedframe. He and Jumpy head out--

                        MERLIN
           Pug.

Pug's engrossed in the cartoon. They're singing in Whoville.

                        MERLIN
           PUG!

Pug snaps to. Shuts off the TV, spits some chaw on the floor
and gone. Rudy and Ashley are left alone.

                        ASHLEY
           Nick, oh my God, what'd he do to
           you? What'd he do?

She touches his bloodied chest. Rudy winces badly.

                        RUDY
           He had some points to make...

Ashley helps pull his shirt off, sees the wounds:

                        ASHLEY
           Jesus Christ, stay here, don't move,
           stay right here--

                        RUDY
                 (near-delirium)
           All I wanted...was to make it home...
           for a little of Dad's turkey, and Mom's
           stuffing ... Aunt Lisbeth's acorn gravy...
           Aunt Mary's cranberry buns...

Ashley has leapt to the bathroom. She brings wet washcloths back
to clean and dress-

                        ASHLEY
           We'll get there, baby ... we'll
           get there...

                        RUDY
           ...Haven't had cranberry buns... in five whole
           years...

                        ASHLEY
           Shh, now. Rest now. Two years,
           Nick. You haven't had cranberry
           buns in two years.

She kisses him softly. Rudy meets her eyes. Staring to get his
bearings back...

                        ASHLEY
           You saved my life.
                 (beat)
           You could have run, but you
           didn't. You saved me.

                        RUDY
           You saved me

                        ASHLEY
           I saved you because I love you, Nick.
                 (smiles)
           Why'd you save me?

Rudy studies her hopeful face, attending to his wounds. still weak
and distant:

                        RUDY
           Guy I was in with...car thief...I
           used to read your letters to him.
           I know they were private...I know, but...
           you spend twenty-four hours a day
           with somebody, you gotta talk,
           y'know? You gotta share. Or the
           room gets even smaller.
                 (beat)
           And sometimes, I'd be reading them,
           and he'd close his eyes, get a smile
           on his face ... and I'd know somewhere
           inside he was pretending you were
           writing to him - He'd see your
           face, your pictures on the wall ...
                 (beat)
           Some nights I think he fell in love
           with you, too.

Rudy touches a hand to her hair.

                        RUDY
           You gave a couple guys hope, Ashley.
           And with hope, there ain't nothing you
           can't survive.

Ashley stares, touched, still kneading the cloth into his chest.
Rudy struggles up, his face level with hers. She kisses him
tenderly. Lingering.

And this time Rudy responds, mouth seeking, working down her neck.
Her eyes flutter closed.

                        ASHLEY
           I'm sorry, Nick ... I'm so sorry...

                        RUDY
           Don't say my name...

                        ASHLEY
           I love you, Nick...

                        RUDY
           Ash. Don't say it. Don't say my name.

Ashley hesitates. Carefully strokes his chest. He's still kissing
her, softly, still somewhat delirious.

                        ASHLEY
                 (a small frown)
           I love you...

As he returns to her lips, mouths joining. Ashley's eyes close
again, as they fold into each other...

... and move slowly, tenderly, back to the floor.

EXT. KNIGHTS INN HOTEL - DUSK

A bitter cold sunset. Through a room's window, Rudy and Ashley lie
tangled in sheets on the carpet.

INT. RUDY'S ROOM

Ashley nestles against him. Rudy stares skyward. Hard.

                        RUDY
           They'll have guns.

                        ASHLEY
           What?

                        RUDY
           You said they've run guns, in their
           trucks. So they'll have guns. To do
           this robbery. They'll have serious
           guns.

                        ASHLEY
           I don't know...

                        RUDY
           We'll need one.

Ashley frowns. There's a new look in Rudy's eyes.

                        RUDY
           I'm going to have to be inside
           that casino. When it happens.
           I'll need to be part of it. I
           can't just be drawing some
           map.

                        ASHLEY
           Nick, what are you talking about?

                        RUDY
           we need to find a way to make me
           part of it.

                        ASHLEY
           Part of...with them?

Rudy meets her eyes.

                        RUDY
           If we're helping them with their
           robbery, we're gonna be doing
           more than just walking away. Like
           that's some Christmas bonus.

He nods, scheming the way he's always known.

                        RUDY
           You want him outta your life?
           You want a real New Year to look
           forward to?
                 (bravely)
           If we're gonna do this ... we're
           gonna do it to get it all.

INT. KNIGHTS INN RESTAURANT - NIGHT

A medieval-themed biergarten. A happy FAMILY of five sits at a
booth, singing along to "Good King Wencelas."

In the booth beside, Merlin and Pug are holding court. Merlin's
puffing smoke rings. Pug watches dully, chewing:

                        PUG
           Knew a guy in Joliet, smoked ten
           packs a day like you. His lungs
           got so black they couldn't find
           'em with an x-ray.

                        MERLIN
           That right? Shit. I used to run
           rigs for a guy loved your chaw
           there. Shit rotted out his
           tongue, had to build him one
           outta silicon so the poor boy
           could talk. You ever see a
           motherfucker with a
           siliconfucking tongue?

The Happy Family stops singing. Pug considers, spits a wad.

                        PUG
           Hell. The guy from Joliet, those
           black-ass lungs were the least of
           his problems. Got so much smoke
           in him his lungs couldn't even hold
           it. Got into his system, man. Into
           his blood. Coming out his ears, man,
           coming out his eyes. Guy'd be
           walking the row, smoke'd be
           puffing out his skin.

The Happy Family trade discomfited looks. Merlin shrugs, takes
another drag.

                        MERLIN
           This trucker? Met a girl in a bar
           one night, she didn't know his
           situation. He's drunk, she's drunk,
           they get to mackin' hot and heavy
           and the woman swallows it. His
           tongue. Sucks it right down.

                        PUG
           My guy would walk into a room, set
           off the goddamn sprinklers.

                        MERLIN
           His lips went next. You ever see
           some silicon-fucking-lips?

The Happy Family flees their booth. Pug and Merlin glance over.
And grab their leftovers. Rifling the grub:

                        MERLIN
                 (with disgust)
           Vegetarians...

Behind them, Gabriel and Jumpy file into the biergarten, leading
Rudy and Ashley to the booth. Meeting commenced.

Rudy, battered and freezer-burnt, gets shoved in first. Gabriel
throws down the casino map:

                        GABRIEL
           Start singing.

                        RUDY
           I have no gifts to bring,
           pa-rumpum-pum-pum

                        GABRIEL
           Sing it in pictures, Nick.

Rudy takes the map, glances at Ashley, and then takes charge. For
the first time, he's giving the orders:

                        RUDY
           What you gotta worry about first
           is the guards. Place doesn't look
           much richer than when I worked
           there, so let's figure you're
           gonna have to deal with ten of
           'em. There'll be two on the floor,
           walking the room, that leaves eight
           up above. Eyes in the sky. They see
           something up, they're the ones
           who'll hit the silent alarm and
           you're fucked.

                        MERLIN
           How do we take them out?

                        RUDY
           You gotta get someone upstairs.

                        MERLIN
           How do we do that?

Rudy takes the map, points to the gaming tables area:

                        RUDY
           Across from blackjack, there's a security
           doorway. Keypad access.

                        GABRIEL
           What's the code?

                        RUDY
           Uh... they change it every month.
           I wouldn't know.
                 (beat)
           if there's trouble on the floor,
           you'll get security coming through.
           what you gotta do, is get inside
           that doorway once they do. You
           gotta draw 'em out.

                        PUG
           Without having them hit the alarms.

                        RUDY
           I got an idea on that one. Once
           you're up there, you gotta hold
           those guards down till some
           backup can get there. There's a
           security camera room that
           videotapes everything. You've
           gotta destroy every last one of
           those tapes.

                        MERLIN
           What about the money?

                        RUDY
           You lock down security, you move
           behind the cage. You hit the Count
           Room. There'll be a guy in there
           but he's got no guns; room's
           accessed by another code.
           Cashiers'll know it. They'll have
           alarms.

                        JUMPY
           What about the Powwow Safe?

                        RUDY
           What?

                        JUMPY
           The Powwow Safe. The secret safe.
           You said the manager's got a safe
           in his office where he hides skim money.

                        RUDY
           Oh. Right. Yeah. That's, uh
           upstairs. Uh. Here. Powwow Safe.

His confident manner wavers. Gabriel notices, narrows his eyes.
Rudy quickly grabs the map again:

                        RUDY
           So. You're gonna need a man
           through here, two men at the cage,
           one to cover the count. You're
           gonna need a lookout outside, a
           sweeper through the back, and a
           gun guarding the front.
                 (beat)
           You need six.

                        GABRIEL
           We got five. Putting Ashley outside.

                        RUDY
           You need six.