CHINA RED
CHINA RED
Written by
Bruce W. Durbin
Based on the screenplay, CHINA RED, by Bruce W. Durbin
CHINA RED
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2018 Bruce W. Durbin Printed in the United States of America Copyright Page
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2018 Bruce W. Durbin
ISBN: No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, and/or organizations is coincidental and not intended by the author.
WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS PROFANITY, VIOLENCE, AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG ADULTS.
DIPICTION OF ANY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.
CHAPTER 1
"In face of evil, one would rather be a jade broken than a brick intact." Chinese Proverb
“This is the way the world ends; not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door.”
Amanda Hocking, Hollowland Loud, blaring Rock & Roll music begins playing.
In a remote area, at night, Man, whose face is obscured, but dressed in present day attire, runs across an open, remote field, with a FULL MOON providing light.
Man chances a look over his shoulder, but sees nothing.
As he turns back around, he stumbles, falling to the ground.
Man staggers to his feet and then stops, as he slowly starts to look up. He sees General Tong, in his 20's, dressed in ancient Chinese armor, which is predominately black, giving him the appearance of some supernatural demon.
Man hears a noise and jerks his attention in the other direction, seeing General Zhou, in his 20's, who is also dressed in ancient Chinese armor, which is predominately red, in color.
General Tong and General Zhou raise their hands, with massive armies appearing behind them.
General Tong and General Zhou draw their swords, pointing at each other. Suddenly the two armies start to charge each other.
CHAPTER 2
The music cuts.
In the same location, in the late afternoon, Timothy, in his 30's, dressed in cargo pants and jacket, looking like a nerdy INDIANA JONES, looks down at an electronic notepad. He reviews some notes, then looks up, seeing what appears to be an ancient Asian temple.
The walls have crumbled down and are overgrown with vegetation.
Timothy moves closer and looks at the walls, then down at his notepad. As he looks up, he has a big smile.
Seth, "This the place?"
Timothy slightly turns, seeing Seth, in his 20's, having the look of former military and holding a rifle in his hands, with a rope draped over one shoulder. Seth has an impatient look, on his face.
Timothy smiles, then looks back, "Yes, I think we've found it."
There are soft murmurs in Chinese, with Seth turning and seeing several CHINESE WORKERS, who are standing there, with blank looks on their faces, as they softly talk to each other, pointing at the temple, with fear etched on their faces.
Timothy, almost to himself and with excitement, "Yeah, yeah, this is the place."
Timothy puts the notepad away and then moves inside the walls.
CHAPTER 3
Inside the semi-darkened temple, the roof has collapsed many, many years earlier, with the temple now open to the sky.
Timothy picks up a stick and begins to poke around the debris in the center of the temple. Seth moves in closer, watching Timothy, who suddenly stops and kneels down.
Timothy takes out a knife and scrapes away some more debris, seeing some flat stones on the ground. He pries one of the stones up, then another. He stops, takes out a small flashlight and shines it down into the opening.
Perspective switches to under the temple, seeing the flashlight beam and then Timothy's smiling face.
Timothy, excited, "This, this is it. Give me the rope."
Seth takes the rope from his shoulder and looks around. He moves, tying an end of the rope to a large portion of the wall. He takes the other end over to Timothy, who has widened the hole in the floor.
Timothy removes some more stones, making the opening large enough for him to fit.
Timothy reaches into a pocket, taking out a small GAS MASK, which he quickly puts on. Timothy secures the rope around him.
He reaches into a pocket and pulls out some GLOW STICKS. He breaks a couple of them and then tosses them below. He looks down into the hole, seeing the GLOW STICKS, with shadows indicating some large crates.
Timothy smiles, then carefully begins to enter the hole.
CHAPTER 4
Inside the temple, below the ground, Timothy reaches the bottom and lets go of the rope. He takes out a flashlight and begins to look around the area, seeing several crates, marked in Chinese.
Timothy, reading, "China...White." Timothy smiles, moves and delicately runs his fingers over the Chinese printing.
Timothy, lovingly, "After all these years...you're, you're finally...mine."
Timothy looks around, then moves to the opening, looking up towards Seth.
Timothy, "Seth? Have the workers come in here. Hurry, I don't want to wait."
Seth, "On it, Timothy."
Timothy turns back and looks around the cavern. He seems to see something and moves some crates to the side. He stops, seeing some apparent paintings on the walls.
He brushes some dirt away, with the images becoming more clear. The images show two armies of ancient soldiers, one army dressed in RED armor and the second army dressed in BLACK armor.
Timothy looks at the images and then sees some Chinese writing. He brushes away some more dirt.
Timothy, reading, "China White...China Black...Only the Emperor is safe."
Timothy moves to brush away some more dirt, when a tile falls from the wall.
Timothy moves and looks, seeing a hole in the wall.
CHAPTER 5
It's night at a busy Chinese Cargo Airport. CARGO AIRPLANES arrive and depart, as busy crews load and unload the airplanes.
Inside a warehouse, CHINESE WORKERS move AIR CARGO CONTAINERS around the warehouse, on small trucks, and then towards a waiting airplane.
As they exit the warehouse, Supervisor, in his 50's, with a hard look, verifies a BAR CODE on each container, with the Workers then moving the containers to the airplane, which are then loaded.
Inside a Cargo Airplane, Workers stack and strap down the containers.
The last container is loaded and then the cargo door begins to be closed.
Inside the cockpit of the airplane, Chin, in his 20's, has earplugs in his ears, as he checks equipment.
Kao, in his 30's, is going over some papers.
Supervisor's voice, in Chinese, "You're loaded."
Kao motions to Chin, who turns off the music and takes out the earplugs.
Supervisor's voice, in Chinese, "All weighed and accounted for."
CHAPTER 6
Inside the Cargo Airport Office, Supervisor stands at a small counter, going over some papers, as he talks on the radio.
Kao's voice, in Chinese, "Any bio-hazard?"
Supervisor, in Chinese, 'No."
Kao's voice, in Chinese, "Any perishable items?"
Supervisor, in Chinese, "No."
Kao's voice, in Chinese, "Any LIVE cargo?"
Supervisor looks through the papers, in Chinese, "No."
Supervisor looks up and through the window, seeing the cockpit of the airplane, with a partial view of Kao and Chin.
CHAPTER 7
Inside the cockpit, Kao looks at Chin.
Kao, in Chinese, "Any...prohibited items?"
There is silence, with Chin and Kao both smiling.
Kao, in Chinese, "Good, then we can take our time."
Supervisor's voice, in Chinese, "Sure, sure, but you still have a schedule to
keep."
Kao, in Chinese, "Sure, sure, but we don't have to kill ourselves." Kao looks at Chin and they both laugh.
Kao moves and turns on a small radio, with music beginning to blare.
CHAPTER 8
At night, the cargo airplane sits at the end of the runway, waiting to takeoff. Inside the cargo area, in semi-darkness, the various containers, one by one, come into view. Whether it's the airplane or something inside, several of the containers slightly shake.
Outside, the airplane takes off down the runway, then lifts off.
Inside the Cargo Airport Front Desk, Supervisor is filing some papers at the main reception area, when Timothy walks in, looking nervous. He goes up to the counter and starts talking with Supervisor, who just shakes his head and points up to the sky.
Timothy tries to talk with Supervisor, but he just shakes his head, then walks away.
Timothy looks around, then hurries outside.
CHAPTER 10
Outside the airport, at night, Timothy scans the sky, then stops, seeing some blinking lights, as an airplane banks and then starts to move away. Timothy runs to his vehicle.
CHAPTER 11
Inside the cargo airplane's cockpit, Kao is flying, as Chin looks at the gauges and then TAPS one of the gauges.
Kao looks over at Chin, who again TAPS the gauges. On Chin's ring finger there is a golden wedding band. Chin also has a single, gold chain, hanging from around his neck.
Kao, in Chinese, "Uh, Chin, what are you doing?"
Chin, in Chinese and with sarcasm, "Uh, Kao, what do you think I'm doing?"
Kao, in Chinese, "Looks like you're trying to test an electronic gauge by tapping on it, something only a moron would do."
Chin, in English, "Something's not right. I don't like it."
Kao, in English, "And, I don't like flying nights and I don't like hauling cargo that probably is..."
Suddenly, the airplane jerks, with Kao struggling with the yoke.
There's a brief pause and then the airplane steadies out.
Chin, "See? Something's not..."
Suddenly, the airplane jerks again, with Kao struggling with the yoke.
Kao, We're turnin' around. Radio control and..."
Chin works and then his face instantly breaks out in a sweat.
Kao, in Chinese, "I can't turn it...I'm not, not in..."
Timothy's voice, "Control."
Still at the airport, Timothy is standing by his car, as he talks on a cell phone, and looks up to the sky, as a jet passes overhead, causing him to almost yell.
Timothy, "I said, I'm not in control. The airplane left. We'll have to wait, until it lands and then pick up the...package. I know, I know, but what the hell can I do? As long as it's in the air, we're safe. I'll get some people and we'll meet the plane, when it lands."
CHAPTER 13
Inside the airplane's cockpit, lights are flashing, with terror contorting Chin and Kao's faces, as they fight to control the airplane.
Chin looks out of the window, seeing that their flying over a remote area, with no lights and no cities coming into view.
In the near distance, the faint glow of a campfire comes into view.
The airplane violently jerks and drops down.
Outside the airplane, it has dropped down and is flying at a very low altitude.
CHAPTER 14
Doug, Tommy, a Chinese male, and Rachel, all in their 20's, are sitting around a small campfire.
Tommy toys with a gold ring, which has a red ruby in the middle, around one of his fingers. Rachel picks up a bottle of beer and takes a sip, then slightly makes a face.
Tommy, slight Chinese accent, "Hey Rachel, know what's worse than hot beer?"
Rachel, smiling, "No, Tommy, what's worse than hot beer? Stale jokes?"
Doug looks at Rachel and tries to stop her.
Doug, "You shouldn't have fell into his trap."
Tommy, "Finding half of a cockroach in your soup."
Tommy looks from Rachel to Doug, then back to Rachel, with a smile, "Get it? HALF of a cockroach means you already ate the other half."
Doug shakes his head, as Rachel looks at him.
Doug, "I tried to warn you."
Tommy, to Rachel, "Want to know the history, the history of this place?" Tommy lightly pats the ground, "I mean, you're a journalist and..." Rachel, "Photo-journalist...I let my photos tell the story."
Tommy, "Photo-journalist...so? That's a NO?"
Tommy looks at Rachel, giving her a mischievous smile, as Doug looks away, trying to restrain his laughter, as though he knows what is coming.
Tommy, "I mean, what I could tell you, you wouldn't be able to...take a photograph. Yeah, I guess, a big time PHOTO-journalist wouldn't..."
Rachel, with a smile, "Okay, okay, tell your damn story."
Tommy, smiling, "Well...if you insist."
Doug laughs, with Tommy and Rachel looking at him.
Doug, "Sorry."
Tommy, giving Doug a hard look, "I've already told Doug, who didn't seem to be interested in ancient Chinese history."
Doug, "Oh, I'm interested the first time, even the second time, but come on, after the tenth time, it seems a little dry."
Tommy, "Ignore Doug, the only culture he understands is the culture of strip clubs."
Rachel gives Doug a questioning look.
Doug, "You started it."
Tommy turns and looks back at the ground and lightly pats it. He then looks around the area.
Tommy looks out over the remote area.
Tommy, "Thousands of years ago...there were two armies, led by two men."
CHAPTER 15
In the open, remote area, at night, General Zhou, dressed in ancient armor, but his helmet removed, stands on a small hill, with his long hair slightly blowing in the wind. His armor is red.
Tommy's voice, "General Zhou...he was the good guy, then..." General Zhou looks across the wide expanse, seeing another small hill, as General Tong, also dressed in ancient armor and his helmet off, walks to the top of the hill and stares across the field, at General Zhou. General Tong's armor is black.
Tommy's voice, "There was General Tong...the bad guy."
General Zhou slightly smiles, as he puts on his helmet, with General Tong also putting on his helmet.
They slowly start to walk down the hills, as armies behind them, begin to follow.
Tommy's voice, "One day, they decided to settle their differences, man-toman or mono e mono...see which would win....good or evil."
As General Zhou and General Tong reach the bottom of the hills, they take out their swords, raise the swords, scream, and charge at each other, as their armies also charge.
General Zhou and General Tong slam into each other, with an intense fight beginning, as the soldiers of their armies also meet.
Tommy's voice, "Zhou and Tong, they were pretty much equally matched..."
General Zhou and General Tong show their fighting skills.
Tommy's voice, "But, Tong, he had a trick..."
General Tong blocks a sword strike from General Zhou, then delivers a powerful sword strike, with General Zhou barely being able to block it.
General Zhou recovers and drives the sword straight at General Tong, who isn't quick enough, with the sword cutting General Tong.
General Zhou stops, looking at General Tong, who reaches down, touching the wound.
In slow motion sequence, blood drips from General Tong's fingers to the ground.
As sequence returns to normal, General Tong looks up at General Zhou and begins to smile.
General Zhou seems to sense something and he quickly
raises his sword.
Freeze on General Zhou's ring.
CHAPTER 16
At the campfire, Tommy is fingering his ring, which is identical to the ring worn by General Zhou.
Rachel, "And?"
Tommy looks up at Rachel, starting to smile.
Doug, "He died."
Rachel looks at Doug, who is starting to laugh. She looks back at Tommy, who is also starting to laugh.
Tommy, laughing, "You can't lose, if you're dead."
Rachel looks at Tommy and shakes her head, "I should have known."
Rachel takes out a ZIPPO lighter and begins to open (FLAME) and close it, with a camera dangling from her neck, coming into view. Rachel opens/closes the ZIPPO, as though she's thinking.
Doug, "Have to ask. You don't smoke, but..."
Rachel looks down at the ZIPPO, then back up at Doug, with a smile. Rachel, "I was embedded with some Marines in Afghanistan." Tommy, shocked, "You were in bed with Marines? As in plural?"
Rachel looks at Tommy, with a smile, "No, I was assigned to their group...EMbedded...not IN bed."
Tommy looks to Doug, with a questioning look, "Isn't that the same thing?"
Doug, "No. Rachel? Go on."
Rachel looks down at the ZIPPO.
Rachel, "The Marines, they gave it to me, when...I did smoke."
Rachel looks up, with a frown.
Rachel, "They were all killed."
Rachel looks down at the ZIPPO, flipping it open and then closed.
Behind them is a helicopter. Looking around the area, it's revealed that it's a very remote area, with no lights in the distance.
CHAPTER 17
Tommy looks at Rachel, then clears his throat, with Rachel looking up. Tommy, "Afghanistan? Reminds me of this time, where I was in the middle of the desert, with no water. So..."
Rachel, bored, "Let me guess...you drank your pee."
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