Hostage
Shane A Ward

 







            ( words in prenthesis are never spoken )




         ( Costa Rica - setting, time- 6:00 A.M., date- Friday, January 20, 2016 )



         Cast: ( Cassidy, Zach, pilot, General ( Wally ), Colonel ( shane ), Mr. Thomas )






          ( single engine plane flies overhead, 3 people are seen. Pilot, General, Colonel )



   Pilot: We're approaching the jump point !!

   General: If Cassidy dies, I'll kill you myself !!. And remember, no killing anyone.

   Colonel: You know me General !!

   General: I know, that's why I'm saying it !!
   
   Pilot: Sir !, are you ready ?

   Colonel: Yeah !

   ( the colonel jumps into the water with closed-circuit scuba gear on. He then swims 1 mile to the insertion point.)


   Colonel: General, I'm at the insertion point. I can see a few guards entering the main bunker.

   General: Excellent, you have the green light to proceed.

   Colonel: By the way how is my radio working ?

   General: I can hear you loud and clear on this end.

   Colonel: Roger that, everything checks out on this end.

   
   
   ( The colonel enters the main bunker undetected. He then notices one guard making his rounds and decides to
      wait for the guard to walk near him so he can ask where the hostage is. )



    ( The col. grabs the guard by the neck and holds a knife to his chin. )



     Colonel: Hi.

     Bunker guard: Who the "hell" are you ?

     Colonel: I'm the boogeyman.

     Bunker guard: ( in a nervous voice ) Who ?

     Colonel: I'm going to ask you a question, OK ?

      ( guard nods head )

     
      Colonel: Where is the female hostage ?
       
      Bunker guard: I don't know.

      
      ( The col. cuts the guards chin with the knife )



      Colonel: Wrong answer !!

      Bunker guard: OK, OK, we moved her to a shack not far from here.


      ( He knocks the guard out and takes his uniform )

      
       Colonel: ( to himself ) Thanks buddy.


       ( little one room shack just north of bunker )

       ( four guards, Cassidy, and one fake guard )

       ( Colonel enters shack )


       Cassidy: What do you want ?

       ( colonel removes mask )

         
       Cassidy: Who are you ?

       Colonel: I'm on your side.


       Cassidy: How do I know that ?

       
        ( The col. and Cassidy talk as a truck collecting potatoes arrives headed for Panama City. )


        Colonel: I have an Idea.


        ( the colonel puts her in a bag and loosely ties it so she can get out, but that it doesn't look suspicious, and loads it onto the truck. He climbs in as per
           "orders", kills the driver silently with a knife, and takes off. )



         ( Meanwhile at the shack... )


           Guard 1: The prisoner has escaped, sound the alarm !!!.


            ( guard 2 sounds the alarm )


          ( As the gates leading out of the compound close, the guards holler for the truck to stop. By this time Cassidy has climbed into
             the passenger seat and is covering her head while ducking to avoid the full-auto rifle fire going through the window. )


         ( The truck comes to a stop on a small beach which is the designated insertion/extraction point. )
  
          
        Colonel: What is your E.T.A. ? ( estimated time of arrival )

        General: We'll be there in 60 seconds.

        Cassidy: I can't swim. ( She says this as the colonel puts his flippers on )
   

         ( an assault rifle round goes off coming just inches from hitting her and instead hits the colonel's shoulder.
            He returns semi-auto, Desert Eagle gunfire to keep the guard pinned down behind a rock . He then swims her out to sea with him. )


          ( 2 minutes later the UH-60 Blackhawk Troop Transport helicopter pulls the two out of the water. )


          ( back at the compound we meet the leader, Zach. )


          Zach: She may have escaped but she left a critical item.

          Guard 1: What did she leave ?

          Zach: A picture of her mother
            



         ( Part 1 over )




    



( Part 2 )










( back at U.S. HQ which has been recently attacked. )



Colonel: ( to a wounded U.S. soldier ) What happened here !!!?


Wounded soldier: He...

Colonel: Don't you dare die on me !!

Wounded soldier: Took... General's wife... Sunset Point.


( soldier dies of single gunshot wound to chest )


Cassidy: It's me Zach wants, not my mom.

Colonel: I'll go with you...


Cassidy: ( interrupting ) No, I can't ask you to go with me.

Colonel: You don't have to.

Cassidy: What do you mean ?

Colonel: I want you to think back 10 years ago...



( flashback to 2006 )


( 2006, math class, Mr. Thomas )



Shane: Are you worried about Zach ?

Cassidy: I'm not afraid of him.

Shane: Don't worry, if he comes back, I'll take care of him...


( back to 2016 )


Cassidy: Shane, is that you ?

Shane: In the flesh.

Cassidy: I haven't heard from you in 10 years.


( As the two continue to reunite )


Cassidy: You never did say that you would protect me.

Shane: Yes I did, I just never said those exact words.

Cassidy: I still don't want you to get mixed up in this, I mean you did get shot trying to save me.


Shane: I don't care, I promised to protect you and I always will.



( Shane drives Cassidy to the meet in a 1968 black Pontiac GTO. When they arrive, a situation has come up that requires Shane's immediate attention.)



( An argument starts in the General's office. )


General: Colonel, I'm going to need you on this drug bust and you know it !

Colonel: General, are you listening to me !? Cassidy is at the rest stop alone...


( At the rest stop where Cassidy's mom is being held hostage )

Cassidy: Mom !! Are you OK ?

Mom: I'm fine. Listen you have to run, it's a trap !!

Cassidy: What... ?


( before she can finish her sentence 2 armed guards take her hostage )


( Zach steps from the shadows )


Zach: So glad you decided to show up. Why don't you have a seat ?


Cassidy: I prefer to stand.


( one guard hits her in the back of the head with his rifle. She ends up falling to her knees in pain. )

Guard: When the boss tells you to sit down, you sit down !!

Zach: Leave her be, if she doesn't want to sit down, she doesn't have to.

( Cassidy decides to sit down anyways rather than be smacked around again. )

( She glances over at her mom who is being put in a van. )


Cassidy: ( in a half crying voice ) It's me you want, not her.

Zach: She will be fine and so will you as long as the General pays the ransom of 3 million dollars.


( back at HQ )


General: Colonel if we don't make this bust, I lose my job !!

Colonel: But what about your step-daughter, don't you care at all about her !?

General: Don't you think I thought of that !!?

Colonel: Then what is it !?

General: I hate this as much as you do, but the President of the United States says that making drug busts is more important than protecting family.

Colonel: What !?

General: I hate that idea too, but there's nothing I can do at the moment.

Colonel: Then let me go alone and save her.

General: I wish I could, but according to new protocol I can't.

Colonel: Then General, accept my resignation.

General: I'm not letting you resign. If you go alone it will be added to your permanent file that you disobeyed protocol and you will have no support from me when you go to save her.


Colonel: Fine, I guess I'm going alone then.



( The colonel gets in his GTO and races for Sunset Point. When he arrives he sees the situation )


( There are 13 guards, 2 hostages, and 1 madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. )


( He sees that the 13th guard is a sniper on the roof of a small storage unit. He sneaks up on the guard, breaks his neck, and checks the gun.
   He sees that there is only one bullet left in total and all he brought was a Desert Eagle with 10 total rounds for it. )


Shane: ( to himself ) Better use this wisely.

Cassidy: ( after having regained her courage ) You know what Zach, this act is lower than dirt, YOU are lower than dirt.

Zach: ( with a smirk on his face ) You know what ?


( he smacks her across the face )


Zach: That was your one warning.

Cassidy: ( with a little more courage now ) Is that the best you can do ?

Zach: ( now with a slight amount of anger in his voice ) No, it's not.


( he pulls out a knife and prepares to slit her throat with it. Cassidy turns her head to the the side and whimpers like a wolf that just got attacked.
    Shane steadies his arm and fires at Zach's elbow. This causes him to drop the knife. )


Zach: ( in a pained voice ) Find that sniper.

( six guards rush the roof and are all quickly shot by shane. Zach holds cassidy at gunpoint with a 9mm as shane jumps from the roof. )


Shane: It's over Zach ( as the other six guards run away. )

Zach: No it's not ( with a little more anger in his voice )


( A fouteenth guard that shane did not see, steps from the shadows holding Cassidy's mom at gunpoint also with a 9mm. )

Zach: Put down your gun or they will die.

( Shane puts his gun down )

Shane: OK, but at least let one of them go free first.

Zach: No !!

Shane: OK, you win, just don't hurt them, I'm more valuable, you can take me instead.

Zach: One hostage for letting two go doesn't seem fair to me. But we can always make it even. Guard !

( the guard shoots Cassidy's mom. )

Cassidy: No !!!

Zach: Now, one more attempt at hostage negotiation like that again, and she gets shot too.

Shane: Hey !, before you go crazy think about what you just did.

Zach: I did, now I'm going to make it more fair and shoot her too.

Shane: No !!!, don't do it man, put the gun down and you can walk away from here scott free.

( As shane says that, the police and swat teams arrive. Shane takes this opportunity to wrestle the gun from a distracted Zach. )


Shane: Cassidy run !!!

( As Cassidy runs, the gun goes off and a bullet hits her in the back of the neck and she drops to the ground. )


Shane: No !!!!!!!!!

( The police are able to pull shane off of zach and take both zach and the guard into custody. )

( Shane runs over to check on Cassidy. He turns her over and sees where the bullet is lodged. Cassidy trys to move. )

Shane: Don't move, just be still.

Cassidy: I'm going to die aren't I ?

Shane: No, whatever it takes I will save you.

Cassidy: ( struggling to get the last few words out ) It's... my... fault... this... happened.

Shane: ( nearly crying ) No, it's not your fault, don't ever say that.

Paremedic: Sir, we have to take her now.


( Shane looks at Cassidy as she falls unconsious )



( As another paramedic checks shane, he looks over at Cassidy's mom who is being put in another ambulance. )



( End of Story )







(Aftermath)

( Later that day as shane sits in the hospital waiting room, a surgeon comes out to tell him that even with their best efforts neither Cassidy nor her mother could be saved from the wounds they had recieved. )


( Zach was charged with 2 counts of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to death, but later had his sentenced reduced to life in prison with absolutely no possibility of parole.)


( The General drank himself to death in his hotel room in California and was found by a hotel maid. )








The End











                                                                                          Or is it... ?
















      

      

      

 

 

Copyright © 2006 Shane A Ward
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"