DEAD BEAT

By
Richard Sloat

SCENE 1

INT. HOUSE - DAY

An old radio Alarm clock hisses loudly with static and
garbled music, it reads 9 AM. After a few seconds a hand
slaps it until it turns off.
DISSOLVE
The Alarm clock reads 12:45 PM. Non-diegetic music plays to
end of scene
In an unkempt bedroom HIT MAN, A man in his late twenties
lays semi-conscious on his bed. He wears the clothes from the
previous night; brown suit trousers and a crumpled black shirt.

MONTAGE (EQUAL LENGTH)

1) Legs swing over the side of the bed and slip into boots
2) A Black necktie is snatched from the floor.
3) A stained cup is placed on a kitchen counter
4) Hit Man slips his tie over his neck
5) A Tea bag is dropped in the cup
7) sugar scooped from bag
8) A Jacket is pulled from a stack of reference books
(forensics, anatomy, British national formulary)
9) Kettle is switched on
10) Hit Man straightens a battered cigarette
11) Hit Man Brushes his teeth in a lackluster manner
12) Jacket is pulled on

13) Hit Man Spits in sink

14) The Kettle boils
15) A Blue peter badge on the jacket is adjusted
16) A lot of Milk is added to tea
17) Television is switched on
18) Cigarette is lit from the stove
INT. LIVING ROOM
Hit Man sits on his sofa wearing a tatty brown suit, staring
blankly at the television in front of him.
Wearing a morose expression he slurps milky tea from a mug
grasped in his right hand; alternately taking drags from the
cigarette dangling from his left.
The title "dead-beat" is imposed at the bottom of the frame
for 3-4 seconds.
Hit man places The Mug on the floor next to his feet.
He drops the remains of his cigarette in the mug and stands
Up.
Hit Man reaches his front door. He pauses to check his
pockets then starts to walk back; he grabs a set of keys and
a fistful of surgical gloves.
Hit man leaves, pulling the door closed behind him.
SCENE 2
INT. PUB - DAYTIME
A Juke box is turned on, Music plays faintly in the
background.
A Drink is poured, a triple measure of dark rum, topped
up with coke.
The Pub is dark, rough around the edges and almost empty. HIT
MAN leans on the bar facing away from THE BARMAN and
surveys the room.
The Barman sets the drink on the counter; Hit Man picks it up
without looking and takes a sip.
HIT MAN
My one o-clock still here?
Hit man speaks in a dead-pan monotone. He leans around and
palms THE BARMAN a few tightly folded notes, turning to look
him in the eye as he does it. THE BARMAN tucks the notes into

his back pocket and points toward THE CUSTOMER with his
free hand.
THE CUSTOMER is a nervous looking, middle aged man wearing
dark glasses and dressed in a fleece jumper and khaki
trousers. He sits at a small table with one spare seat
and nurses a half pint of beer. 2 empty half pint glasses
and a brown a4 envelope rest on the table.
Hit Man looks at the Customer then sags visibly; he takes
another swig of his drink and strides over.
HIT MAN
You my one o'clock?
The Customer Pauses awkwardly and looks Hit Man up and
Down.
CUSTOMER
I don't know, am I?
Hit man Sighs
HIT MAN
Well, You're the only shifty
bloke with a big brown envelope
aren't you?
The Customer looks down at the crisp brown envelope. Hit man
casually sits down on the opposite side of the table.
CUSTOMER
Its just you don't really look like
a...
HIT MAN
Well I find it's best not to dress
up like one.
Hit man reaches over and tugs at the envelope. The Customer
grabs on to the other edge. Hit man sighs.
HIT MAN
I don't care if you believe me or
not. Make a decision.
Pause
The customer lets go of the envelope, hit man opens it up and
browses through the contents, he speaks without looking up.
HIT MAN
And take the sunglasses off, it's
fucking January.
Hit man pulls a pen from his pocket and starts writing on the
palm of his left hand. The Customer takes off his sunglasses,
composes himself as best he can for a few seconds and sips his

drink. After waiting patiently The Customer speaks,

CUSTOMER
You see Im only doing this
because..
HIT MAN interrupts,
HIT MAN
When do you want it done?
Today?

CUSTOMER

HIT MAN purses his lips and inhales sharply

HIT MAN
Hows Monday? I'm not really in the
mood today
The Customer looks distraught
CUSTOMER
no!... no, you see, It has to be
today because..
Hit man puts his pen back in his pocket and passes The
Customer the envelope, interrupting him again.
HIT MAN
All right! Spare me the
exposition, how do you want it
done?
The Customer stares in confusion,
CUSTOMER
How do I want, I thought, you
just, y'know...
Hit Man counts with his fingers as he lists the options.
HIT MAN
you've got options. I can do it
messy, I can do a disappearance,
maybe a suicide, whatever tickles
your fancy.
Hit man picks up his drink and takes a sip
CUSTOMER
What do you recommend?
HIT MAN

Messy's your cheapest, all I

really do there hit them with a
brick, 5, maybe 6 times.

Hit man gestures wildly with his hands spilling some of his
drink on The Customer.
CUSTOMER
I just need them, gone. I don't
want them to suffer; I'm not a
monster.
Hit Man chuckles to himself
HIT MAN
I'm sure you're lovely, You want
a disappearance. little more than
the bludgeoning, but its clean,
and I get shot of the uh,
Hit man searches for a euphemism, but soon gives up
HIT MAN (CCONT'D)
Corpse
CUSTOMER
Uh, That one. They, they wont
feel anything will they?
HIT MAN
Well, there's gonna be some
discomfort in the neck area
Long Pause
HIT MAN
O.K, Let me see...
Hit Man puts his drink down, pulls a calculator from his
pocket and holds it close to his face; He begins tapping
aimlessly at the keys.
HIT MAN
You've got your...call out
charge...corpse disposal...
The Customer looks around nervously as the hit man pretends
to tally up. Hit man takes the opportunity to size The
Customer up one more time.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
Labour...expenses going to be about
two
The Customer nods
CUSTOMER
Thousand? that's cheaper than I
imagined
HIT MAN
Probably two and a half... with the

VAT.
SCENE 3 Human recourses
FADE FROM BLACK
INT. OFFICE. DAY
Chair legs, Hit Man walks past and sits down
SECRETARY
Yea, yea, I know, it's awful,
Telephone on a desk, the receiver is off
SECRETARY (CONT'D)
Now...Well Now they're saying she
might have to have the whole thing
removed, listen, I've
A white coffee mug full of pens
A small plaque on the desk reads human resources
SECRETARY (CONT'D)
I've got to go; I'll...I'll see you
Tuesday, tata
The receiver is replaced.
THE SECRETARY, a woman in her thirties sits behind her
cluttered desk, in a crampt office with a sickly looking
spider plant on top of a filing cabinet. Hit man sits on
a chair opposite her.
SECRETARY
I've had another complaint about
You..
HIT MAN
I had a lovely Christmas, thanks
for asking
SECRETARY
Do you want to go back to the
abattoir?
The Secretary stares at Hit Man, he tries to stare her
down for a couple of seconds but eventually cracks.
HIT MAN
First blow, his head busted open, a
bit went in my mouth.
Hit man mimes a skull cracking open. Secretary rubs her
temples.
SECRETARY

And the arson?

HIT MAN
Well I wasn't going to clean that
up; client all over the place.
Secretary makes a money gesture with her free hand, HIT MAN
Pulls a wedge of notes from his inside pocket and hands it to
her.
SECRETARY
Retard, He was supposed to
disappear, not combust. What did
you use? a brick?
Secretary starts to count the money, hit man looks down and
picks at his tie for a second, then coughs.
HIT MAN
So yea, can of petrol seemed like
the most elegant..
SECRETARY
You forgot to dig a hole
Secretary counts the money again
HIT MAN
I wouldn't say forgot,
Hit Man looks up; Secretary Glares at him then puts the cash
in a drawer.
HIT MAN
I mean he is dead after all, they
paid in book tokens, what do they
expect, fucking Leon?
Secretary plucks a printed pay-cheque from her drawer, it
Instantly catches the hit man's attention.
SECRETARY
You're lucky Savage Allan had that
accident, or you'd be out of a
job.
HIT MAN
Yea yea, This placed fall apart
without me.
(pause)
SECRETARY
You're working this afternoon.
HIT MAN
I'm doing college road at 4, for
that shifty bloke.

SECRETARY
It's just a quote, perfect for you.
Take five minutes, trust me.
The Secretary waves the pay-cheque. Hit Man sighs.
(Pause)
HIT MAN
Fine, the bus stop, in an hour
Hit Man snatches his pay-cheque and tucks it into his top
pocket. The Secretary smiles.
SECRETARY
One near the park?
Hit Man stands to leave
HIT MAN
The one near the shop. gotta
get some bits
SCENE 4 Karma
EXT. STREET - AFTERNOON
A Girl in her late teen's stands at the edge of a bus
shelter. Hit man enters the shelter with a shopping bag and
sits down, watched by The Girl.
HIT MAN
You the one I'm here to see?
The Girl sits down next to The Hit Man and stares at the
floor.
GIRL
You're late.
Hit man jostles his tesco bag
HIT MAN
Too me half an hour just to find
the bog roll. What is it you're
after?
THE GIRL
revenge
HIT MAN
That's original, how do you want it
done?
GIRL

I want you to fuck him up, I want

retribution.
Hit Man looks quizzically at The Girl; he seems almost
impressed. The Girls gaze stays fixed on the floor.
HIT MAN
You've come to the right man, I
can show him his intestines if
you can afford it.
GIRL
The thing is, I'm on a fixed
Budget.
HIT MAN
How fixed is your budget?
GIRL
Eight hundred
Pause, Hit Man looks unimpressed
HIT MAN
I can throw in an eye gouging,
maybe cut him up a bit, but for
eight hundred I'm not spending all
day about it.
Deal.

GIRL

HIT MAN
Who's the lucky fella?
GIRL
The man who killed my dad,
Hit man sighs,
HIT MAN
Who is..
GIRL
I don't know, I thought you could..
Hit Man stands up, The Girl looks up.
HIT MAN
Five minutes my arse. i'm goin'
home
GIRL
What about my dad
Hit Man turns to walk away
HIT MAN

Fuck him. Come back when you've

got something
GIRL
I've got cash, nearly 2 grand.
Girl pulls an envelope from her pocket, Hit Man stops dead as
if he can smell the lucre
HIT MAN
Maybe I can help you, what's your
old man's name?
GIRL
Garrick, Dave Garrick.
Hit Man's eyes widen as he makes a realization. The Girl
looks up at him, deep in thought.
GIRL
In our own home, in broad
daylight, some sick fuck smashed
his head in,
Hit Man sits back down
HIT MAN
That. Is. Terrible, what did the
police say?
GIRL
they were no use, by the time they
got the fire out they couldn't even
say for sure it was him.
Hit Man smiles

HIT MAN
You've come to the right man. Trust
me.

The Girl smiles, Hit man snatches the money.

SCENE 5 Confrontation

INT. KITCHEN
A radio sits on a kitchen counter, its tuned to radio 4, The
Archers theme can be heard, a mobile phone chirps, a hand
covered with a surgical glove places a half eaten sandwich on
the counter in front of the radio and turns down to a quiet
hum.
HIT MAN
Allright... yea, I spoke to her, I

suppose you think it's fucking

funny
Camera slowly pulls back to reveal HIT MAN standing in a
kitchen. He is wearing latex gloves and lent casually against
the cabinets.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
Laugh it up, Of course I took the
money, well.. no,
The camera pulls back further. He has shopping bags tied over
his feet.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
Yea.. But I'm going to string her
along for a bit... I'm at the
propper job... yea, working
through my lunch break
The camera pulls back again, hit man hops down from the
counter. A body size mass wrapped in black plastic and duct
tape twitches on the floor by his feet.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
Relax... I've got the key and
everything, piece of piss
Hit man takes the last bite of his sandwich as he kicks the
black plastic mass, it stops twitching.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
Loads of time... what do you take
me for?
The hit man starts to wander around the kitchen, casually
opening and closing cabinets, he winces.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
There's no need for that
He pauses at one
packets with his
braces the phone
bottle and pours

cabinet, he rifles through various pill

spare hand, studying the labels. Hit Man
between his chin and shoulder, opens a
the contents into his pocket.

HIT MAN (CONT'D)

No blood, all bagged up... I can
have the teeth out, chuck it in the
hole and still make back for you've
been framed. No thanks to you.
HIT MAN places the bottle back in the cupboard and closes
it.
SCENE 6
INT. HIT MAN'S HOUSE

A knife gripped tightly in a hand chops violently.

Hit man stands at his kitchen counter, wearing an apron,
chopping celery. A pot of soup simmers on the stove next to
him.
The door knocks loudly, hit man looks startled, He approaches
the door wearily, knife in hand, the bell rings again.
HIT MAN licks the palm of his hand and rubs it on his
trousers. He looks through the spy hole and sighs deeply,
It's The Girl. He opens the door and yanks her inside.
HIT MAN
'fuck are you doing here?
THE GIRL
You haven't returned my calls, I
wanna know how its going
Hit Man rubs his temples with his fingers
HIT MAN
No. I mean what are you doing HERE?
Where I live, ideally you're not
supposed to know that.
THE GIRL
I moved round the corner after the
fire, saw you coming home
Hit Man sighs.
HIT MAN
In that case you better come in
Hit man reaches over The Girls shoulder and shoves the door
closed.
Hit man stands in the kitchen, the television can be heard,
he shouts toward the doorway.
HIT MAN
Cup of tea?
Hit man puts a teabag into a cup and follows it with a
fistful of pills.
Long pause
No thanks,

THE GIRL

Hit man sags, and shoves the cup away. He looks around his
kitchen, Hit man looks at the knife resting on the counter
top, then at the half chopped celery.

THE GIRL
So have you got any leads?
He picks the boiling broth and looks to the doorway, pauses,
then smells it then sets it back down on the hob.
HIT MAN
A few, but these things take time.
Hit man grabs a dish rag from the counter, he studies it
for a second, pulls it taught, and tucks it into the back
of his trousers.
THE GIRL
How much time? Have you got any
names?
HIT MAN
A week, look I'm trying to cook my
dinner, surely someone's wondering
where you are?
Hit man
THE GIRL
I made something up, hardly going
tell anyone about this am i?
The Girl pokes her head into the kitchen just as hit man
turns to walk back out. He ushers her out and the pair
stand in the living room.
Hit Man smiles
HIT MAN
Very shrewd, trust me. i'll have
it done by friday night... meet
you by the canal
THE GIRL
You better not be fucking me around,
Ive paid a lot of money for this
murder.
HIT MAN
And youll get one, trust me.
Hit Man ushers her, once more, towards the front door.
THE GIRL
Remember, I know where you live.
Hit man sighs, offended by The Girls attitude he abandons any
pretence.
HIT MAN
Christ, are you suicidal?

THE GIRL
What?
HIT MAN
I can't be arsed with this any
more, I'm sick of humoring you. I
killed your Dad, allright? You
can't have your revenge, or your
money but you can, fuck off.
Hit Man gestures to the door
THE GIRL
I don't believe this, I knew
something wasn't right about you
HIT MAN
Oh, How perceptive. Look, I really
don't want to kill you right now;
I've got a soup on the go, they
don't collect the bins till...
The Girl interrupts the hit man. He decides to kill her.
THE GIRL
The reak of gin, and that cheap
suit, I mean you don't even look
like the real thing
Hit man chuckles and picks up the television remote.
HIT MAN
This is your dad's suit, your mum
threw in on the deal.
The Girl stares in disbelief at the hit man for a moment; Hit
Man turns up the television in preparation.
THE GIRL
You sick fuck!
Behind his back HIT MAN pulls the Dishcloth from his belt.
HIT MAN
You're the one reveling in this
Shit; I'm a psychopath; got the
certificate and everything, what's
your excuse?
The pair are seen in long shot. The Girl seethes with anger.
HIT MAN turns up the television once more and tosses the
remote. Their voices are all but drowned out by the sound of
the television.
THE GIRL
Ill fucking kill you!
HIT MAN tugs the dishcloth taught behind his back and sighs.

HIT MAN
Don't tell someone you're going to
kill them, just..
The Girl spins round looking for a weapon, Hit Man pulls the
dishcloth tight across her throat, they struggle as the life
slowly drains from The Girl.
HIT MAN (CONT'D)
...Do it mid-sentence, otherwise
they know it's coming.
moment.

The Girl finally collapses, Hit man walks out of frame for a
He returns with a plastic bag and roll of duct tape, he pulls
the bag over her head and peels off a length of tape.
The roar of the television fades to silence
FADE TO BLACK
SCENE 7 - 'equilibrium restored'
FADE FROM BLACK
HIT MAN sits on his sofa cheerfully counting his money next
to an empty bowl of soup, an after dinner cigarette dangles
from his lip.
Non Diegetic music starts and continues over credits.
CUT TO BLACK