Season 01, Episode 09: "Triggerfinger"

"God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash

*The scene opens with Jace waking up on the side of the road. He looks dirty, worn out, and bloodied. He is gripping something gold in his hand, but then he quickly puts it in his pocket. Jace gets up and dusts himself off and looks down the road.

We see Jace entering a house, crossbow in hand, pointing it down empty hallways. He secures the kitchen then starts rummaging through cabinets for anything he can find. He finds a few boxes of Poptarts, canned foods, among some other things. Jace collects them and puts them into his bag.

Jace walks out of the kitchen, into a new room. He sees a man leaning against the wall, gun in hand, with what seems to be a self-inflicted wound to the head. On the wall behind him are splatters of blood, with a message. On the once white wall written in blood is the message: "Never Let Them Take You Alive." Jace smiles, walks up to the man, takes the gun and checks it for ammo. Jace then tucks it into his belt and says, "Thanks. I don't plan on it." Jace then turns around to meet a walker sneaking up from behind. Jace pulls out his knife and stabs it through the head, kicking it down to the floor. Jace wipes off the knife then makes his way out of the house.

We then see Jace from behind, crossbow on his back, continuing on down the road as he starts to walk up onto a walker feeding on it's victim. Jace takes his knife out of his pocket and stabs the walker through the head. He looks down at the victim and smiles. Jace starts to take the vest that the victim corpse is wearing off. He holds up the vest; it was a member of The Aces & Eights. Jace smiles even more, looking at the dead walker, saying, "Thanks," as Jace dusts off the vest and puts it on.

Jace is now seen sitting on the side of the road, eating some Poptarts. He starts to touch a cut on the side of his left eye, stinging a little bit. Jace winces, and finishes up the Poptart, gets his crossbow and continues on.

Jace is seen walking into a group of walkers. The walkers don't seem to have too much fight in them, as they snarl and growl at Jace. Jace just stands there as the walkers start to surround him. Jace smiles, pulls his crossbow off of his back, and the scene cuts.

We then see Jace pulling an arrow out of a walker's skull. There are about 6 to 7 slain walkers laying around him. Jace smiles, puts the arrow away and continues on as we get a close up at the vest that he has on.

Jace walks up to an entrance to what seems to be the border of a crossroad and a forest. A sign is posted high up on a tree, reading: "All Trespassers Will Be Dealt With. Play Your Hand At Your Own Risk." Jace smiles, pulls the crossbow off of his back, loads it up and enters the forest, as the scene fades to black.*



*The scene changes to show Jace inside of the Toys R Us. He is holding a gun to a biker's head while about twenty other members of The Aces & Eights are pointing guns at him. Jace takes a step back, his finger shaking on the trigger as one of the members of the biker gang puts down his gun and steps up.*

"My worst nightmare, huh? I think you're in your own nightmare, kid. What do you think is going to happen? You think you're gonna walk outta here alive? There are twenty plus guns pointed at you."

"I'll kill him." Jace says, his hand shaking while holding the gun.

"You think we care?" the biker says, as members of the gang start to surround Jace. "You're trapped. You are surrounded, no way out of here, and your ace up your sleeve is holding that weak piece of shit hostage?"

"PLEASE, BROTHER! DON'T LET HIM KILL ME!!" yells the biker Jace has at gunpoint.

"You're not my brother. My brother wouldn't be so weak. You have wounds everywhere. You're as good as dead. Even if we save you, you're no good to us," says the biker, raising his gun at the injured biker. He looks at Jace and smiles. "I'd keep my gun pointed at his head if I were you. He means nothing to me. He is dispensable. And you, you are no one to me. I could kill this man, this man that I've called my brother...I don't even know you." The biker starts to put his finger on the trigger, his skin wrapping around the cold steal.

"PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!" screams the injured biker.

"Why shouldn't I? You are weak. And I hate the weak. You failed. You led him here, didn't you?" the biker looks straight at the hostage. The hostage looks down in shame, as the biker smiles. "I knew it. You're weak. You've always been weak, Jason. Now you've put us in a situation, a situation that YOU caused! Why should I show you any mercy?"



*Suddenly a voice is heard in the background. A door opens and closes, as we see a silhouette of a man. The man takes a few steps forward. Lurking in the shadows the man stands up straight.*

"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him," says the man lurking in the shadows. The man starts to make his way out from the back, and steps into the sunlight. He is revealed as a bald, tall, skinny man, holding a revolver, tattoos covering him from head to toe. He has the design of a skull head on his face. He licks his lips, smiles and takes a step forward.

"BOSS! PLEASE DON'T LET HIM KILL ME!" screams the hostage biker.

"Jason, please. He won't lay a finger on you," says the tattooed man. He looks at the other biker who is still pointing his gun at the hostage. "Axcel, I'm shocked. You would really kill your own brother? For what? His weakness? Isn't that a conundrum?" The tattooed man starts to pace between Jace, the hostage, and the biker holding up his gun. "We seem to have a problem here that is bigger than an intruder in our home. We have two brothers, in a dilemma, but one brother finds no value in the other, while the other is struggling to convince his brother that there is still value on his life." The tattooed man pulls holds his revolver up, scratching his chin with the tip of it. "What to do, what to do. The way I see it, it's the pot calling the kettle black. And I have no patience for hypocrites."

At that very moment the tattooed man shoots Axcel through the head. He then points the gun at the hostage, Jason, and smiles. "Boy, I'd keep my gun pointed at his head if I were you. That may have been the smartest thing Axcel ever said. You see I will not tolerate the weak calling others weak. And Axcel, well he was power hungry. The only way to curb that hunger was with lead. Now, you obviously want something from me, and I'm assuming you haven't brought one of my own men into a toy store in order to get your hands on a Boba Fett action figure; so that begs the question, what do you want?"

"I want the girls."

"You'll have to be more specific than that, I'm afraid."

"The two girls your men kidnapped this morning. One in her early twenties, Alexa. The other is a little girl. Goes by the name Hannah," Jace says. Jace holding Jason close, his finger twitching on the trigger.

"Why'd you have to go and do that? It just ruins the allure of everything when we know what they are called. Boy, you have just ruined my day even more. Well, since we know their names, what's yours?" The tattooed man takes a step closer. Jace takes a step back with Jason, still at gunpoint.

"What does that matter?" Jace asks.

"I want to know what to tell the girls. I want to know who the dashing young hero is that came into my house holding a gun to my brother's head. I also want to know what to put on your gravestone."

"My name is Jace. And I'm not leaving here without those girls."

"Well Jace, allow me to introduce myself," the tattooed man puts his gun down, holding it by his side. "The name's Tattooie. I see you've already met my boys. We're the Aces & Eights. We're a simple group. We rob, pillage, rape, kill. Not specifically in that order, mind you."

"I want the girls, now," Jace says, taking a step forward.

"Or what? You kill Jason? Then what? I kill you?" Tattooie points around at the rest of the group. "Or they kill you? We all kill each other?"

"How about you hand over the girls, and I hand you him?" Jace proposes.

"That's your bargaining chip, kid? This watered down piece of shit? He's damaged goods. He's about thirty minutes from bleeding out. This is what you want to trade for? Kid, you are wearing a red jersey at a Raider game. Luckily when we spill your blood your jersey won't get stained."

"TATTOOIE! PLEASE! JUST GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTS!" yells Jason.

"I don't think I negotiate with terrorists. Especially ones who bring such a horrible hand to the table. You want a trade? You've got nothing."

"I have your brother."

"No. You had my brother," Tattooie says as he shoots Jason through the head. He then quickly points his gun at Jace. "You've got nothing now, kid. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. Now, you've already ruined my morning by busting in here. Three of my men are dead now, two by my hand. And now you have ruined my appetite by telling me their names. You really think I'm just gonna hand them over to you and let you walk, Jace?"

*We hear screams from the back rooms. A loud shriek fills the air, as we hear someone scream out "JACE!"*

"ALEXA!" yells Jace, as she steps forward. Tattooie points his revolver right in Jace's face.

"Well now. I think I found my ace up my sleeve. You put your gun down otherwise the girl gets it."

Jace reluctantly puts his gun down on the ground, putting his hands up. "Please. Just let them go. I'll do whatever you want. Just let them go."

Tattooie walks up to him, smiling. "I like the way you beg, boy." Tattooie then hits him in the face with the butt of his gun, cutting Jace across his face. Two members of the Aces & Eights run up to Jace and pick him up, holding him by each arm. Tattooie takes another swing at him, punching him in the face, then in the gut. Jace now bleeding from the cut, and from his lip, barely able to stand up.

"But Joseph said to them, 'Do not fear, for am I in the palace of God. As for you," Tattooie walks up to Jace and holds his face with one hand, looking into his eyes, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today," we hear Alexa screaming in the back as Jace looks over to the back rooms. Tattooie forces Jace to look at him again, as a smile forms across his ink clad skin. "So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.'" Tattooie then punches Jace again in the stomach. "Take him away."

*The Aces & Eights take Jace to the back room, as the door slams shut, and the scene cuts out.*



*The scene reopens with Jace chained up to a stone wall. Tattooie enters the room and smiles at Jace. He holds Jace's face with one hand again, and smiles at him.*

"I trust we had a good night's sleep, princess? I hope her screams didn't keep you up."

"Where is Alexa?" Jace asks, gritting his teeth.

"Now, boy. Don't you worry yourself with those little details."

"Where is she?"

"She's fine. She's resting, in my bed. She had a long night, boy. Didn't you hear it? She's quite the screamer." Tattooie says, smiling from ear to ear.

"Go to hell."

"And the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death...and Hades. Kid, not only am I already in hell...I'm the fucking king. I am Satan himself, and you, you are just a poor lost soul."

"You gonna kill me now?" Jace asks, barely able to keep his head up.

Tattooie smiles, stands up and motions for his men to unchain Jace. They hold Jace up, as Tattooie rubs his chin again. "After last night, I think you've been through enough. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them." Tattooie walks up to Jace and holds his face once again. "I am the keeper, and you will die when I see fit." Tattooie punches Jace over and over until Jace passes out.

One of the members of Aces & Eights walks up to Tattooie. "Should we kill him?"


"Sleeping Sickness" by City And Colour

*The scene changes, to show Jace, tied up, and being put in the back of a car. The Aces & Eights cover his face with a pillowcase. They slam the door shut and drive off. Jace collapses in the back seats, barely able to keep his eyes open. The car starts up and their journey begins.

Jace looks through the pillowcase, flashes of light and shadows taking turns as Jace's eyes start to close. Jace tries to remember every bump and turn, but eventually Jace cannot stay awake, as he dozes off. They drive Jace out pretty far, as they pull over on the side of what appears to be a country road. They open the door, and pull the pillow case off of his face. We see the men start to dispose of Jace as we hear Tattooie's words in the background.*

"No. Leave him on the side of the road, far away from here," they drop Jace to the floor and begin to untie him. "Let him live with his failure. Knowing that he couldn't do anything," the men finish untying him, then kick him in the stomach. "Knowing that he wasn't able to save his precious Alexa," they then throw his crossbow at him, smiling. "Having to live with knowing that he may never see her again," the men then get back into the car, start it up, and close the doors, driving away. "That is a fate worse than death. He will long to die," Jace rolls in pain, he starts to pass out on the side of the road. "But death will flee from him, because he will hold on to hope...or he will hold on to revenge."

*Jace's breathing gets heavier, as he starts to wince, then finally passes out, as the scene fades to black.

Jace wakes up after a while, rubbing his head. He realizes that he is holding something, as he quickly puts it in his pocket. He holds his head in his hands and begins to cry. He gets up and looks around as he sighs. He picks up his crossbow and begins to run back in the direction that he came.

We get a close up of Jace, as his breathing becomes heavier, labored, as his legs give up, and he falls to the floor. He gets up and wipes his face, road rash covering his right cheek as the blood starts to leak from his wounds. He looks around and realizes a couple of walkers coming at him from out of the trees. Jace gets his knife out of his pocket and stabs one walker through the head. He then hits another in the head with his crossbow as he falls on his back. He begins to cry again as he rolls over, trying to pick himself up, but falls. He lays there on the ground, face down, as he closes his eyes.

We see a man and a little girl running down a road. The man is hitting walkers in the head with a baseball bat, as the little girl screams. The girl is white, brown hair, wearing a baseball cap. The man, older, African American, bearded. He continues to smash walkers in the skull with a baseball bat. Even more walkers start to chase them, changing the direction that they were going in. The man kills a few more walkers as he grabs the girl's hand and runs down the road.*

We see one of the walkers Jace failed to kill crawling over to him, focusing on Jace's fingers. Jace's hand is palm down on the floor, fingers spread. The walker begins to growl, crawling closer and closer towards Jace, as the man and the little girl begin walking towards the scene. The little girl notices the walker and yells, "IT'S NOT DEAD!"

The man holds the little girl back, as he walks up to the walker as it inches closer to Jace. "Julie, stand back. I got this." The man holds the baseball bat above his head, the walker inching closer and closer to Jace, snarling as it opens it's mouth trying to bite Jace's fingers. The man smashes the walker's skull with the baseball bat. Blood splatters, getting all over Jace, as he groans and rolls over.

"Marcus. He's still alive," says the little girl, as the two stare at him. The man nudges Jace with his foot, as Jace rolls over onto his back, coughing and wincing. The man looks at the little girl.

*The scene starts pull out, showing the girl and the man looking at Jace, as the man bends down to pick Jace up. The scene fades to black.*

Music From This Episode:

"God's Gonna Cut You Down"

Johnny Cash

American V: The Man Comes Around

"Sleeping Sickness"

City And Colour

Bring Me Your Love