Snatched

by Peter Ackers

café owner

  Probably. Ain’t no rugby fan welcome there, though. And United played Partick Thistle today, so don’t go wearing yellow or you’ll get your teeth handed to you on a plate. Anyway, that’s your five minutes, mate.

  Nick takes a long last look at the screen. Then he rises.

  EXT. dual carriageway - NIGHT

  Nick rides. We see that he’s heading towards a city. He passes a sign reading “WELCOME TO SHEFFIELD.”

  EXT. SHEFFIELD - NIGHT

  Brightly lit, very busy, despite the time. Mostly People heading between clubs, judging by their swaying and their NOISE. Nick rides slowly, head turning, looking. A clock on a building he passes says “01.09 a.m.”

  LATER/ELSEWHERE

  Nick still riding. At one point he has to circumnavigate a bunch of DRUNKEN REVELLERS all staggering across the road at the same time, swaying and LAUGHING and SINGING.

  LATER/ELSEWHERE

  Another Sheffield street. Nick riding and scanning.

  He sees, across the road, a bunch of YOUNG MEN wandering down the street, all eating chips from bags, and all wearing the same shirt as Doki in his profile picture, the Sheffield United top. He passes them, leaving them behind. Then he turns to look back as we hear a SHOUT, some garbled FOOTBALL CHANT.

  We see a taxi cruise up behind Nick, passing the Young Men. An arm is extended from the side of taxi, its owner probably the guy who shouted. And across the road, the Young Men give some kind of CHANT right back.

  Nick slows his bike as the taxi closes. The taxi blares its HORN as it goes past Nick. Nick flicks up his visor so he can stare into the taxi as it goes by.

  THROUGH TAXI WINDOW

  We see Three Guys in the back, all wearing the Sheffield United football shirt.

  Nick is hooked by this. He allows the taxi to pull ahead, and he falls in behind it.

  EXT. pub - NIGHT

  A pub on a corner. There are about fifteen Drinkers outside, most smoking and most wearing the same football shirt.

  Nick is still following the taxi. He pulls over on the other side of the road as the taxi turns into the car park. The Three Guys disgorge and head up to the door. One shakes hands with someone he knows.

  Nick raises his visor to watch. But none of the guys is Doki. He sits on the kerb, behind his bike, a safe distance from the pub.

  A BIG GUY in an apron comes to the doors.

  big guy

  Landlord’s orders, fellas. Fags out, get inside anyone who’s staying. Doors locked in two minutes.

  Nick checks the clock on the bike’s dashboard.

  insert:

  CLOCK, READING: 01.32.

  The Drinkers toss their cigarettes and file inside. The heavy door is slammed shut. Then curtains are pulled across the windows.

  Nick puts his helmet on the bike’s seat and rushes across the road, to the pub’s big window. He tries to look through, but the curtains are pulled tightly. He doesn’t know what to do.

  Eventually he races back to his bike and climbs on. Puts on his helmet. Starts the engine. Seems to hesitate. Snaps his visor up again and stares at the pub. Nothing’s happening.

  For a moment Nick seems to consider getting the hell out of there, but then he turns off the engine. Decision made. He takes off his helmet again and sits on the kerb. Going to wait this one out.

  LATER

  Nick REACTS up as the pub’s front door opens and Drinkers start to pile out, all loud and staggering. Nick gets on his bike. He’s watching the guys, but none seems to be Doki.

  The guys are dispersing their separate ways. Nick checks the clock on the bike again.

  insert:

  clock, reading: 02.08.

  The mass thins as the pub empties. Now they’re leaving in twos and ones. Nick is watching and growing impatient. He starts his bike, throws on his helmet, and pulls out into the road. One last glance at the pub, and Nick pulls right back to the kerb, having seen something. He flicks up his visor.

  A final Drinker is coming out, and he’s with an oldish guy, the Pub Landlord. They talk and the Drinker doesn’t seem drunk at all. He wears a football shirt.

  Thin and gangly with short hair: DOKI. It says “DOKI” on the back of his shirt. Doesn’t look like the sort of hardman we imagine him to be.

  Doki moves past the pub and down the road.

  SOON AFTER

  Doki approaches. . .

  EXT. garage - NIGHT

  A late-night garage. Doki walks across the forecourt and inside. Nick pulls up on the bike, parks around the side. Still in helmet, he moves around the front, watching.

  THROUGH THE WINDOW

  We see Doki in the shop, looking for something to eat maybe. He pulls his phone, starts talking into it. Nick’s face is hidden, but his body language says he’s interested in this call. He goes in.

  INT. garage - NIGHT

  Just Nick, Doki, and a middle-aged ASIAN SHOPKEEPER are here. Doki’s nodding into his phone, as people do: being told something. The moment Nick enters the shop, the Shopkeeper waves at him.

  shopkeeper

  Hey! Helmet! You, remove the helmet.

  And he points over his head, at a large and imposing CCTV camera: yes, you’re being watched. There’s also a digital clock behind the counter. It reads: 02:53.

  Nick reluctantly removes his helmet. And worst of all, Doki is watching. Once he’s seen Nick’s face, however, the drama is over and he goes back to checking the sweets displays.

  doki (into phone)

  Sorry, dude, distracted. Look, that’s about right for that slapper. I told you you had it coming. She thinks monogamy is some sort of wood. Listen to your man with the info next time.

  Nick moves down the aisle slowly, pretending to be interested in the confectionary. It’s where Doki stands, also perusing crisps. He selects three bags in one hand. But Nick makes sure he’s looking at the other side of the aisle, so the back of his head is to Doki.

  doki (into phone)

  Not tomorrow, mate. Well, could meet up in the afternoon. Show you my new bulging wallet, treat you to a pint.

  (MORE)

  (CONT.)

  (beat)

  Wouldn’t you like to know. Let’s just say I got a payday coming. I go collect when I get up tomorrow.

  (beat)

  Mo, not today. Pedantic. I say the day starts when you get up. So I mean tomorrow.

  Nick heads out of the shop as Doki moves to the till.

  EXT. garage - NIGHT

  Doki exits the garage, no longer on the phone. He’s eating crisps. He moves along the side of the garage, and Nick’s here, on his bike, engine running. His helmet is back in place. We note that he doesn’t wear his left glove. He’s bent over, fiddling with the engine.

  Doki walks past with barely a glance, then stops, looking down. Something gold on the ground. He bends to pick it up.

  That’s when it happens. Nick sits up, guns the bike, kicks up the front wheel, shoots forward. Doki’s alcohol-muddled brain sees the bike come at him, but doesn’t have the skill to dive aside. The raised front wheel hits his chest, knocking him on his ass against the garage wall. The bike’s front wheel drops between his legs, pinning his chest against the wall. The engine revs as Nick applies pressure and Doki CRIES OUT IN PAIN.

  Nick eases back the throttle and the NOISE, but the brakes are on, and Doki cannot force the heavy machine aside. He’s trapped. Nick raises the visor on his helmet. Then holds out his gloveless left hand.

  nick

  First of all. The ring. The wife gave me it. It means a lot to me.

  Doki struggles, but cannot free himself from the torque of the bike holding him in place. The engine revs, which scares Doki into holding out the gold object he found. Nick leans forward to take it, and he slips it deftly onto his ring finger using one hand. Then takes the glove from his pocket and dons that, too, one handed.

  nick

  Next, something else my wife gave me. Something important beyond my fear of prison. In
other words, give it to me or I’ll crush you to death with this bike. Eighty horsepower, three hundred pounds of torque. The human ribcage collapses under a hundred pounds of torque.

  Probably bullshit, but Doki’s face doesn’t show he knows this.

  nick

  My son. A baby, taken tonight by three bastards who do your dirty shit. Where is he?

  doki

  You don’t know who you’re messing with.

  Engine revs. Nick loosens the brakes, applies some more forward thrust. Doki GRUNTS, finding it hard to breathe.

  nick

  It’s very dangerous right now for you to think a man whose baby child is in trouble will give a damn who you are. You’re some guy who controls a bunch of thugs. But they aren’t here. You answer me or I’m going to give this the full revs and cut you right in half.

  doki

  What baby? My guys do their own thing. I don’t know what they get up to.

  nick

  Empty your pockets. Don’t just pull things out, empty them. Pull out the linings. Now. I want your phone.

  He revs the engine to stress his point, and Doki obeys. Both hands, both pockets. Onto the concrete falls a wallet, a phone, house keys, some bit of yellow plastic, and a packet of condoms.

  nick

  That watch and the phone. Pass both over.

  The fight is gone from Doki now. He takes off his cheap plastic watch and hands both it and the phone over. Nick slips the watch in his pocket and plays on the keys of the phone. All still one-handed while holding the throttle.

  close up:

  phone

  Nick’s finger accesses the phonebook and scrolls. All the names seem to be listed as AAA.

  BACK TO SCENE.

  NICK

  What’s with the triple-A names?

  doki

  They’re my boys. So I don’t know who’s who. I just send orders out to random ones. It’s a security thing.

  nick

  You saying you don’t know who you got to take him? Bullshit. Tell me now. You better start talking to me, or -

  doki (interrupting)

  I don’t know! For fuck sake, you’re looking at the phone. Look at the names. I don’t know.

  nick

  These bastards have money for you. Money for my son, you bastard. How much? How much?

  doki

  Ten grand.

  nick

  And who did they give him to? Where? Who’s paid you?

  doki

  They handed him over at a McDonald’s, that’s all I know. Some guy arranged it all. I never met him. He said snatch this kid at this address and hand him over at this place at this time. That’s it.

  nick

  That’s it, eh? Like handing over a bag of groceries. That was my son. He needs his mother. You’re all animals. Pieces of shit.

  doki

  So I’ll go to hell. Many years from now. Now get this fucking bike off me. I’ve told you everything.

  nick

  So how did this guy get hold of you, find you? Not some advert in the paper. You know this guy.

  doki

  No I don’t. I’m known as a guy who can do things. People know me. I got a call, out of the blue. Check the name Doki and quake in your boots. Maybe he knows you. End of the day, it’s your kid they wanted. You must have fucked someone off. Like you’re fucking me off. Maybe you had this coming.

  close up:

  Nick’s eyes.

  Is he wondering if Doki has a point? Did the kidnapper do this because he’s pissed off at Nick? But Nick’s a normal guy, never hurt anyone, and he looks like he’s wondering what he could have done to annoy someone enough to snatch his baby child?