Courage in the Teeth of Death

Greek Muse

poem by jd glasscock

in moments, in slips of sand burned sharp, fear was a beast cutting bone.......heavy, weighted, breaking limbs and courage, heart losing beats, but her eyes, her eyes, signs, rhythms tapping veins, so beautiful.....warm........wondrous, .her arms, haven, thighs, home.......in her step, fear lost teeth, hunger, in her soul, there was only love

One of the two shorts of mine i most want to shoot...

Short Film

Courage in the Teeth of Death

By JD Glasscock

INT> HALLWAY -- EVENING

An older Detective walks up an apartment hallway with a young nervous wet behind the ears detective in tow behind him. There is a uniformed officer next to a door yellow taped. The older detective looks back.

DETECTIVE KELLY

Up ahead is the only reason you’ll ever need as to why we do our job.

The young detective scoffs.

DETECTIVE

don’t get it? Isn’t it just the last vic of the serial killer we caught.

Kelly turns back with a feroscoious look that cows the young detective

.DETECTIVE KELLY

We didn’t catch shit or shinola you worthless pup so Stick a fork in your gumbo. What your about to see is more heart then you’ll ever bone up on your best day.

The young detective looks credulous.

DETECTIVE LUCHA

If you say so sir.

The old detective sneers.

DETECTIVE KELLY

I do say! Now bumpkin punch us both a solid and zip those flapping gums Time to open up those walled off dumbos you call ears. Who knows, you just might pick up something in that kiddy pool sloshing around in that skull.

They both approach the door, the uniformed nods at Kelly. Kelly nods back then rips off the yellow tape.

INT. APARTMENT -- EVENING

Detective Kelly ducks under the yellow tape into the small apartment, blood along the wall next to the door forming a trail across the floor leading into the kitchen. He stops and surveys the whole scene right inside the door looking towards the kitchen his eyes following it back to the wall next to the door. The young detective follows him in and stands behind him. He stares at the wall his fingers barely a breath above the stains on the wall. He looks over at a broken window on other side of living room leading to a firescape then back to wall. Kelly looks at Lucha.

DETECTIVE KELLY

This is where he surprised You coming in the door. He was waiting, broke in and waited. You were the eighth girl, seven others in tombs before you. But he hadn't counted on you. You had been his first and final mistake. He wanted another sheep and got a tiger.

He hand again strokes the blood.

DETECTIVE KELLY (CONT’D)

This is where his fear started. He pulled you to the wall thinking another lamb to the slaughter. This is where you showed him different. The blood shows it all. He tried to stab you but you fought him off, took two cuts to your forearm and hand but clawed his face, his skin under your nails. (He moves to the floor a few feet away) You break way from him and fall. (He kneels down on the floor to another blood trail.) His fear turns back to predator, back in his wheel house. He falls on you thinking the kill is his. (He stops, and looks back to the wall and back to the blood on ground and smiles.) Again you show him different. This is where we think you broke your foot and his jaw. This is the key to it all. It's how we caught him. Broken jaw, had to goto hospital with a shattered jaw. (He turns sad.) He stabbed you multiple Times here. Once in your thigh, more in your forearms and hands. You were still fighting, still the tiger. He hits you in the shoulder. But this is where he told us you clawed so feircly you got his eye, a scratched cornea, and escaped, again. (He eyes the trail of blood back to the kitchen)

Kelly is staring off so hard at blood trail to Kitchen. Lucha is behind him babbling but it is walled off sound, wala wala as Kelly is absorbed in what he sees. He looks back at Luscha still babbling walled off sound, till wala wala shuts off

DETECTIVE KELLY (CONT’D)

Your starting to learn pup. Now keep it zipped and wired.

He gets up and does a slow walk onto the kitchen where the biggest pool of blood is and the entire kitchen is covered in splatters.

DETECTIVE KELLY

You made your way here and found a knife. Now you waited, you were the predator, him the sheep. When he came around the corner, you stabbed him in the shoulder, and arm, twice(Smile). His face, if I only could of seen his face, the fear in His eyes. (Sad) It wasn't enough. He stabbed you 3 more times, twice in the stomach and the final time, in the neck, yet still, you fought, till the end. ( HE looks at all the blood splatters all over the kitchen.) You took your last breaths here. (He kneels down at back of kitchen in a large pool of blood) A tiger. Your courage in the teeth of death put an end to a beast, made you the last blood he will ever have. He is now in a cage he will never leave. You, you were his fall, his nightshade. You are everything that says, hero. I wish i could of known you, wish I could of met you. Rest in love and peace, (His eyes water, and a smile comes across his face) Tiger. You saved many.

Kelly looks back at Luscha who has a tear in his eye.

DETECTIVE LUCHA

I think I understand sir.

DETECTIVE KELLY

Your beginning to kid, your beginning to

.Kelly then turns back and stares back at final place of courage, Luscha blurred. His hands reaching out and touching blood.

INT. APARTMENT -- LATE NIGHT(The Following scene will be cut into scene above in flashbacks)

Lucy enters her apartment in a sexy evening dress from out partying, a purse in her hand, keys opening up door. Apartment is extremely dark. SHe just closes door when someone rushes at her, his hand grabbing her throat.

KILLER

I’ve been watching you kitty. The next pet in the menagerie. Take your tomb soft and quietly. (He rubs the blade on her cheek. Her eyes are fear but then turn to anger)

He raises the knife back to stab she punches him hard in the face. He looks shocked then angry. He stabs at her, she raises her arms and takes cuts. She claws his face causing him to release her. She pushes away and moves around him but he trips her still holding his face. She falls to ground, turning to her back, still feroscious trying to scoot back. He looks at her and his predatory smile is back.

KILLER (CONT’D)

Ahh, this is where the grave is runed. Come let me whisper a song.

He moves on her knife raised. SHe growls which cause him to halter, but then he pounces, She kicks up keeping him back taking some cuts to her legs.

LUCY

Ill take your heart, Ill take your fucking heart.

He looks confused but then pounces her foot connects with his jaw, and he yells out in pain. The knife falls down numerous times, her blood flying, her still fighting.

KILLER

Broke my jaw(Mumbled) Whore.

Her, bleeding all over, him above her just pulling blade from her shoulder. Her eyes go crazy.

LUCY

(Primal scream)I’m your death!!!! Your death!!!!!!! You won’t have me!!!!!! won’t have me!!!!!!!

She berserks clawing his face in a frenzy, he falls off her and she crawls away pulling herself over to kitchen around corner, his eyes bleeding.

KILLER

What are you whore? Just fucking accept the corpse!!!!!!! You god damn hurt me!!!!!! You dont understand the game!!! Your playing it all wrong!!!!!!

(All mumbled)He gets up, bleeding eyes, face, jaw broken. He runs around corner blade raised, crazed, not paying attention and right into Lucy lunging up a knife now in her hand, her blade hitting him over and over, his eyes shock.

LUCY

Im not a corpse!!!!! Not a corpse!!!!!!!IM the god damn moon!!!!!!!! I am Creation!!!!!!!

Her blade brings blood to all parts to him. He is fear personified. He slams his blade into her stomach again and again. The third hit to her stomach, she leaves knife in his shoulder and falls to ground against cabinet.

LUCY (CONT’D)

(Whisper)I am womb.

He puts his blade into her neck. Death claims her. He is bloody mess, he pulls knife out of his shoulder, dropping it. He looks at her in shock. He stumbles towards broken window.

KILLER

She played all wrong. Im the killer, not her, not her.

Carnage in a lullaby (Poem in beginning of my short film Blade n Blood)

Poem by JD Glasscock

His first steps in the mud she carved worthless on his bones, on his soul, threaded scars spelling runes that whispered "Men are weak, men are nothing" Mother was the word she demanded, with respect, with careful bent knee reverence of tonality......then years expounded upon the skein, and her age came bruised upon her flesh and she dug her own grave in blood and bitterness and he wandered, lost, forsaken, even the agony she caressed his shriveled spirit with was something, better then nothing, ........lost......a dream broken and disused, then, the seductress, the femme fatale, her keen eyes seeing his torture, her skilled hands roaming his unfinished canvas, and she picked up the crown left in tombs of mothers and forged him, crafted his steps into horrors and twisted paths that brought her covetous jewels and wealth and the ending of threads, of looms of men that clawed her memories of a father's too intimate touch that was the mythos of her past......he was her blade, her rumination, her ruination, her veangence, her purge of too many groping hands on her nubile youth..........and they strode together like Gods, like giants in a meadow of sheep.........till the day the seventh thread of a seventh corpse found it's end by his grasping touch.....and in that moment, and in that stretch of sand trickling glass, she had reached too far, stretched the lie too much, and her life was broken upon a blade that cuts in both directions......and a revelation, an ennui of momentum and clarity writhed, inked within his tatts, within his history, and the birth of a demi divine icon of murder stepped forth, one goal, one road, balance and salvation, a killer of killers, all things must find truth.......and the shadows have never found more midnight within their folds....