Page One
Part of what makes this story work is darkness; Lee’s character is a little unknowable, so showing his face during many of these sequences would be to betray that mystery. The out of doors is dark, the inside of the barn is dark, and added to that Lee is wearing a hat drawn down low over his brow.
Panel 1;
It’s a damp, dark night. It’s raining, spattering the entire world with mud. A man rides on a horse, trotting- if it weren’t for being out in this downpour, it’d seem he’s got nowhere to get to. His name is Lee.
Silence
Panel 2;
Simple John is tall, 6’4, mildly autistic, gets hold of Lee’s Reigns as he swings his leg over his horse. An oil lamp sitting on a fence post lights the scene.
John: Lee.
John: Lee.
Panel 3;
Lee climbs down. John holds his horse steady.
John: McLaren boy’s up in the loft. He’s got the family scattergun, says he’ll use it on anyone comes in- then hisself.
Panel 4;
Lee undoes his gunbelt as John ties his horse to a post.
Silence
Panel 5;
Lee holds his belt out to Garrett like it’s a wet skunk, and John reaches out for it.
Lee: Hold my belt.
Page Two;
Panel 1;
Lee sticks his head into the dark barn; he’s in silhouette from dim light from an oil lamp.
Lee: Jamie- it’s Lee. I’m leaving my guns put, so don’t shoot.
Panel 2;
Jamie has a candle, and leans shakily over the edge of the loft. Jamie is young, 14-16, and he’s been crying.
Jamie: Hold.
Jamie: Don’t, don’t-
Jamie: No closer.
Panel 3;
Lee walks carefully towards the ladder leading up to the loft. He keeps his hands out and visible to show he’s unarmed.
Lee: What are your thoughts, son?
Panel 4;
Lee looks grim as he climbs up the ladder. His second two balloons come later in the panel.
Lee: I ain’t armed.
Lee: I’m coming up.
Lee: Don’t shoot me.
Panel 5;
Lee brushes the rifle away from his face as he reaches the top of the loft.
Lee: I ain’t coming at you.
Lee: You don’t need to point that.
Panel 6;
Lee walks to a spot close enough not to keep Jamie away, but far enough he doesn’t feel threatened.
Lee: What are your troubles?
Page Three;
Panel 1;
Lee, almost comically, the hint of a smile on his lips.
Lee: This ain’t over no woman, is it?
Panel 2;
Jamie snorts a response, a bitter smirk on his lips, but he don’t speak, or look up from the ground.
Silence
Panel 3;
Lee, on the borders of irritated, but still laid back, calm and quiet; the boy still has the scattergun.
Lee: All right, then, what?
Panel 4;
Lee leans in, going against his own druthers and being personable.
Lee: You want to speak, or you’d be already killed.
Panel 5;
Jamie fumbles with his words as he fumbles with looking Lee in the eye.
Jamie: Why- why didn’t you stop me?
Jamie; You could have got close, and took this rifle off me.
Page Four;
Panel 1;
Lee doesn’t smile underneath his hat, thought under some other light he might have.
Silence
Panel 2;
Lee moves slowly, aware that with the wrong tone what he’s saying will rile the boy, and points lazily at the hay.
Lee: I might stop you, take that rifle away and put you bleeding in the hay.
Panel 3;
Lee has a smirk on his face like he’s just heard a cruel joke.
Lee: But I won’t be here tomorrow; just ain’t no stopping a man wants it done.
Panel 4;
Lee’s all business, his eyes hard little coals.
Lee: Question’s why?”
Panel 5;
Jamie shudders, falls over; the thought of telling was enough he heaves dry into the hay; Lee doesn’t take advantage, use the moment to get at the gun, but sits back, and waits.
Silence
Page Five;
Panel 1;
Jamie speaks, and for a moment he’s clear, as tears come out his eyes.
Jamie: Sometimes pa, when he and ma was fighting, he’d come to me at night, real late.
Jamie: I didn’t like it, but he- he says I was his special boy, and it was our secret.
Panel 2;
Jamie struggles to get the next part out.
Jamie: I—
Jamie; I never told, only—
Panel 3;
Jamie empties his chuck at his feet.
Jamie (FX): Bleeeaurgh
Panel 4;
He sits back up, spitting, wiping at his mouth.
Jamie (FX): pittoo
Panel 5;
Jamie, uncomfortable, but pushing on.
Jamie: He stopped visiting me, started visiting my little brother.
Panel 6;
Jamie’s eyes are tired, bloodshot, pleading but convincing.
Jamie: I couldn’t—
Jamie: Not to him.
Page Six;
Panel 1;
Jamie holds the rifle out.
Jamie: It has to be this way. Like Jesus, dying for the weak, and defenseless.
Panel 2;
Lee looks unmoved, but doesn’t look Jamie in the eye as he starts in on his tale.
Lee: You’ve the look on you of a boy I met passing through Virginia.
Panel 3;
Lee is tired out just telling the story; he knows what it means, and what he’s telling the boy needs doing.
Lee: I found he killed his pa and his ma, little brother, two sisters.
Panel 4;
Lee takes no pleasure in it, but holds nothing back from the kid, either.
Lee: Killed his neighbors.
Lee: Killed until he got bored and killed himself.
Panel 5;
Lee’s eyes are cold and small, animal eyes; the boy don’t see reason, he’s going to take the gun from him and finish him.
Lee: Like a bear tasted the flesh of men, or a foaming dog- he gets that flavor, it don’t go away til he’s in the dirt.
Panel 6;
Jamie whimpers, wiping at tears coming down his cheeks.
Lee: You man up, now.
Lee: Life ain’t easy, or just.
Panel 7;
Lee: You’re fit for killing, do everyone the favor of dying alone and leave em behind.
Page Seven;
Panel 1;
Jamie blinks hard, armed with his reasons and words, needing none of them.
Silence
Panel 2;
Jamie puts his rifle to his chin. His face is truly pained, and he’s straining, trying to reach the trigger.
Silence
Panel 3;
He can’t quite reach the trigger.
Jamie: I can’t… help me… please…
Panel 4;
Lee’s face, solemn, somber.
Silence
Panel 5;
Lee takes his hand, and stretches his finger over Jamie’s, and they pull the trigger together.
Silence
Panel 6;
Same panel as the last, only blood pours over both of their hands.
Silence
Panel 7;
Same again; Jamie’s hand slides away, leaving Lee holding the rifle up.
Silence
Page Eight;
Panel 1;
Lee climbs down, each step of that ladder longer than the last.
Silence
Panel 2;
James Harper, Jamie’s father, is standing at the bottom, fuming, reading to cry and take his head clean off.
Harper: You didn’t stop him.
Harper: You didn’t even try to save my boy.
Panel 3;
Lee doesn’t make a move to tell it’s coming, but the fist comes hard and fast.
Silence
Panel 4;
Simple John doesn’t understand at first why Harper is on the ground, or why his mouth has gone soft and red. Harper touches his lips, and his fingers come back wet and sticky with his own ochre. He stares at Lee, confusion overtaking his anger.
Silence
Panel 5;
Lee can’t control his anger enough to glare down at Harper on the ground, but spits his words out.
Lee: I may be the one killed your boy, James, but we all got blood on our hands tonight.
Caption: End.
