THE CHAMELEON KID

Written by
C.J. Schwartz

FADE IN.
INT. PRISON CELL EARLY AFTERNOON
The rays from an afternoon sun slide through a barred window
and onto a dirty table separating two men. Both are silent,
still. JOSEPH WALKER, 41, watches as flakes of dust dance in
the jaundiced light.
Across from him sits a man coated in soot, ash, and blood.
CUT TO:
INT. WALKER HOMESTEAD, DINING ROOM PREVIOUS NIGHT
Walker and FLOYD WATKINS, 33, are sitting in silence with a
table between them. The soft glow from a hearth flatters
their handsome faces. Floyd looks up as ANA WALKER, 38,
clears his plate. Floyd smiles a thanks.
ANA
Congratulations again Floyd. Its
such wonderful news.
FLOYD
Youre too kind.
ANA
And youre too modest.
FLOYD
All Ive done I owe to your
husband.
Stop it.

WALKER

FLOYD
I mean it Marshal. You showed me
that a good man protects his
family, and a great man treats his
friends as such.
WALKER
Ya just need to keep an eye onem.
FLOYD
True. But who else couldve brought
the cut crews to the table? Not me,
and Im chief railway engineer.

2.
WALKER
They were mighty rowdy after that
second wage train.
FLOYD
End of an era Pinkerton said! Three
weeks later, lose a-hundred grand
in gold and the lives of two
conductors.
ANA
They killed two conductors? Why?
WALKER
They decided to be bold.
Beat.
A back room door CREAKS open. CLEMENTINE, 10, peaks out. The
adults turn -Papa.

CLEMENTINE

ANA
What is it Clem?
CLEMENTINE
Papa you promised.
WALKER
Ill been there in a minute
darlin.
Clementine eyes her father suspiciously before slipping back
behind the door. Floyd resumes the conversation -He.
Im sorry?

FLOYD
ANA

FLOYD
He killed two conductors. There
is no they.
One man?

ANA

3.
FLOYD
Thats why when they saddled up and
headed north they didnt recognize
some passerby asking directions
towards fort worth.
ANA
How do they know thats the man?
FLOYD
Thats the rumor.
ANA
They saw him. At least they know
what he looks like now.
WALKER
(shaking head)
They cant get their stories
straight. By all accounts, they all
saw someone different.
FLOYD
Out here feels more and more like
the edge of civilization.
ANA
Maybe. But thats all men like you
can do. Push the edge.
WALKER
Lest we push too hard.
FLOYD
Whats that?
WALKER
You saw the men after the wage
train heist. One minute patiently
waiting. The next? Out for blood.
(beat)
No, civilization stands on the edge
of knife.
FLOYD
Youre not saying every mans on
the edge?
WALKER
I am. Its just out here, alls he
needs is a nudge.
FLOYD
And this outlaw? Hes the nudge?

4.
WALKER
I dont know. But he sure knows
the quickest way to make a mob.
FLOYD
And whats that?
WALKER
Steal from the common man.
Beat.
A door CREAKS OPEN. Clementine and her younger sisters, CLARA
and CHARLOTTE peak out.
CLARA
You promised.
The men stand, sharing a vigorous handshake -WALKER
Tomorrow Ill make sure to meet the
newest addition to team Watkins.
FLOYD
(smiling)
Promises, theyll always get ya.
Ana ushers Floyd out. Walker turns towards the bedroom door -CLEMENTINE
Tell it from the beginning.
WALKER
If its good enough for God.
CHARLOTTE
God doesnt jump around. YOU DO.
WALKER
(jumping around)
I dont know what youre talking
about.
ALL THREE DAUGHERS
(groaning)
PAPA!
Walker chuckles as he enters the bedroom.
On the homestead a stillness falls.

5.
INT. DARK BEDROOM CONTINUOUS
All is BLACK. From somewhere comes a distant rumble,
COMMOTION, coming closer as
SUNLIGHT flickers through rising dust and waving limbs. A
blue clad soldier drags a man through a crowded camp.
WALKER (V.O.)
Spy what is your name?
But back in the bedroom -Three girls dressed in white huddle in the black. Their eyes
holding steady on something in the darkness catch the
reflection of a single tallow candle.
THE KID (V.O.)
(southern accent)
If I am what you suspect me to be,
it follows that the name I claim is
probably anothers or in-fact, no
onces at all.
Suddenly -A GENERAL and several officers emerge from a large and
centrally located tent. Walker the soldier clad in blue
drops a soiled man before them.
WALKER (V.O.)
Your rank then.
Gazing down upon the unfortunate, the General looks back at
Walker with questioning eyes. Walker answers that questioning
look by taking from his pocket a neat roll of incriminating
documents.
THE KID (V.O.)
I am without
Walker comes forth from the inky black. Clementine delights
in the dramatic effect, Clara and Charlotte display the more
traditional facial trappings of fear and apprehension.
WALKER (V.O.)
You are an irregular combatant?
Walker pushes the Kid into a dingy boxcar lit up by the
setting sun. Walker locks the Kid inside and stands guard.
THE KID (V.O.)
That I have never been called but I
find it fitting.

6.
The sun has set. Walker sits with his back against the
boxcar, eyeing the dying fire with heavy lids. Soon duty
yields to nature and he falls asleep.
On the side of the boxcar is a grated window. From it,
disembodied hands emerge, fingers wrap around the iron bars
like ivy viewed on time lapse, graceful, and disturbing
deliberate.
Behind the bars, the Kid comes into view. He looks down at
Walker, then up at the PROVOST MARSHAL on approach
THE KID
For the sake of formalities and the
conclusion of your generals
memorandum, my name is
CUT TO:
INT. GENERALS TENT NIGHT
Outside the tent a storm rages, wind warps the walls like a
Dali painting.
The general writes at a small table, the scratch of pen
mingles with the drum of rain on canvas. Walker stands
beside. Before them lies the Kid, bound and bloodied, his
back against the tents supporting pole.
CLEMENTINE (V.O.)
(whisper)
The Chameleon Kid.
Beat.
THE KID
Sergeant Elijah Ash.
WALKER
Of what regiment?
THE KID
The public safety regiment.
The scratch of writing stops.
GENERAL
Such a regiment does not exist.
THE KID
The confederacy would disagree, for
every southerner is an honorary
member.

7.
The General and Walker share a glance this is a type of
confederate not previously encountered.
GENERAL
You are not without wit.
THE KID
Come morning, youll find me dull
enough.
GENERAL
What makes you think youre to die
tomorrow morning?
THE KID
Among spies caught by night, that
is the custom.
WALKER
So you admit then that you are a
spy?
THE KID
Yes, but I mostly come for the
rations and stay for the company.
The general stops writing and hands the finished memorandum
to Walker.
GENERAL
Take this to the provost marshal.
Walker shoots an inquiring glance in the Kids direction.
WALKER
What of him?
GENERAL
You have your orders.
Walker steps out into the storm. Across the Kids face crawls
a bone chilling sickle of a grin.
GENERAL (CONTD)
Its a bad night.
For whom?

THE KID
CUT TO:

8.
EXT. PROVOST MARSHALS TENT CONTINUOUS
The rain has slowed and a full moon cuts through a patchwork
of thinning clouds. Walker hands the message to a SENTRY who
stands outside the provost marshals tent.
WALKER
For the Provost Marshal.
SENTRY
Ill present it when he returns.
WALKER
Where is he now?
SENTRY
The Generals tent.
CUT TO:
EXT. GENERALS TENT CONTINUOUS
The provost marshal approaches a tent where inside, the
general GESTICULATES frantically and SHOUTS in rage. His
features, projected on the burlap walls by the tallow candles
within, display a man in gruesome transformation.
The provost marshal enters with caution -INT. GENERALS TENT CONTINUOUS
The tent is in disarray. Around and around the Kid, the
general paces, scattering maps, upturning tables. To the
provost marshal, the general resembles a hurricane and the
Kid, the eye of the storm.
PROVOST MARSHAL
General whats going on in here?
GENERAL
(to Kid)
Him.
Your spy?

PROVOST MARSHAL

THE KID
I belong to no one.

9.
GENERAL
(disgust)
How ironic. Yet here you lie,
fettered so by a twist of fate.
PROVOST MARSHAL
Is everything all right General?
GENERAL
(scattering maps)
How can I win a war when my maps
are out of date and this old
compass just spins around?
Sir?

PROVOST MARSHAL

The generals darting eyes settle on the Kid.

GENERAL
Marshal. How is the weather?
PROVOST MARSHAL
The rain has passed and the moon is
shining.
GENERAL
Good. Take a file a men, conduct
him at once to the parade ground,
and shoot him.
Beat.
PROVOST MARSHAL
What of his rights under military
law?
GENERAL
He is, irregular, not confederate
nor federal. He has no rights.
PROVOST MARSHAL
Spies are hanged, general.
GENERAL
Marshal heed my orders.
PROVOST MARSHAL
I cannot heed orders
GENERAL
(interrupting)
then I will see them through.

10.
The General grapples for his saber while the provost marshal
reaches for his pistol.
CUT TO:
EXT. UNION CAMP NIGHT
Walkers pace quickens as the Generals tent comes into view.
Inside we can see the shadows of two motionless men.
Within the tent, the shadows move like lightning. SCHWING.
Metal grinds. BOOM. FLASH. Powder explodes. A candle inside
flickers then dies.
The tent collapses, enveloping the struggling forms beneath.
Burlap rises and falls like the ocean where sea monsters
clash beneath the waves.
Walker rushes forward.
He pulls at the fallen tent and beholds the carnage.
The provost marshal has a sword through his throat, the
general, a bullet in his belly.
And the Kid?
Gone.
Walker spins wildly, gun in hand, scanning the small crowd of
soldiers that has formed around the scene.
A SOLDIER from the crowd steps forward.
SOLDIER
Captain whats going...?
WALKER
WHERE IS HE?
SOLDIER
(stepping closer)
Captain. Give me the gun.
Walkers eyes settle on a man in the growing crowd. The man,
the Kid, stares back and neither player betrays any hint of a
next move.
CUT TO:

11.
INT. DARK BEDROOM NIGHT
The girls stare at their father.
CLEMENTINE
Why did you hesitate?
WALKER
I was the one who caught him, yet
he choose to save my life...
CUT TO:
EXT. UNION CAMP NIGHT
Walker sleeps on a crate with his back to a freight car.
On approach is the provost marshal.
From the freight car window the Kid begins to whistle to the
tune of Oh My Darlin Clementine. Walker stirs from the
sound, then jolts awake.
Walker turns and stares up at the Kid in disbelief. Both men
know that sleeping at ones post is a crime punishable by
death.
WALKER (V.O.)
So when the time came
CUT TO:
EXT. UNION CAMP NIGHT
The Kid steps backward into the crowd. He raises a bony
finger to his lips. A display of the presumed quid-pro-quo.
An understanding passes between them. Walkers gun trembles.
His agreement is his silence and the Kids departure signals
the bargain struck.
CUT TO:
CLEMENTINE
You hesitated.
Walker nods.
CLARA
How does waking you up count as
saving your life?

12.
WALKER
Sleeping at ones post is an
offense punishable by death.
CHARLOTTE
What happens next?
Walker shrugs.
CLARA
Come on! You made the story up! You
know what happens next!
Did I?

WALKER

Beat.
Walker blows out the candle and the children scream.
Moments later the bedroom door flies open. The children gasp.
Walker too seems startled.
ANA
Joseph! Children, get to bed!
The children scramble. Walker eyes Ana sheepishly as she
tucks the three girls in.
From a crack in the doorway, Walker watches as Ana sings the
girls to sleep. From Anas gentle cadence and folksy rhythm,
we recognize the song as Oh My Darling Clementine.
ANA (CONTD)
In a cavern, in a canyon,
excavating for a mine/ Lived a
miner, forty-niner, and his
daughter Clementine.
ANA (CONTD)
Shine she did, with golden hair,
and blazing bright blue smiling
eyes/ That gazed upon you and
sanctified you and made you glad to
be alive.
ANA (CONTD)
With a mind as sharp as diamond and
a thousand-year-old soul/ She could
out-preach John The Baptist and
wash your feet all clean of coal.

13.
ANA (CONTD)
Like her dear, departed mother, she
so patient and so kind/ They both
tried their best to save me, and
Im the only one alive.
FADE TO:
INT. DINING ROOM MORNING
We overhear a tense conversation as day breaks upon the
Walker homestead -ANA
Did you make it up?
WALKER
The girls wanted scary war stories.
So I made up a monster and put him
in a war.
ANA
You make it sound so innocent. As
if war needs more monsters.
WALKER
Ive been tell the girls stories
for years.
ANA
Not like this. Now every night the
girls run for their lives from an
abyss in boots.
But back in the house -Beneath the table, three pairs of little legs swing like
fleshy pendulums.
In a frying pan, three eggs sunny-side-up crackle and spit.
From a tin cup steam rises, carrying that roasted aroma on
currents sent a-swirl.
Ana prepares breakfast as the girls hum softly to last nights
lullaby. Walker sits dejected, like a smart man who just lost
an argument to his smarter wife.
ANA (CONTD)
I cant wait to meet Floyds wife
and little one. Do they have a name
yet?

14.
We hear a faint sound, the creak of a gate and clink of a
latch. Walker stands -Not yet.

WALKER

Theres a knocking at the door. Walker strides towards it

while latching his gunbelt. He opens it to reveal -SHERIFF DAVIS and his three DEPUTIES.
Marshal.
Sheriff?

DAVIS
WALKER

DAVIS
(peering around Walker)
Hello Miss Ana. Girls.
WALKER
What can I do ya for Sheriff?
Davis eyes flick to Walkers family. Walker takes one last
look at Ana before following Davis out.
The front door closes. Caroline and Clara start to hum as
Clementine rides sings along with lyrics of her own -CLEMENTINE (V.O.)
On the high plains, you cant hide
trains, daybreak warms a fog frost/
In the mist, there twists a
tricker, with a posse of unwashed.
Ana turns her eyes, filed with a motherly forboding, hold
on Clementine.
CUT TO:
EXT. JAILHOUSE DAY
Walker follows Davis up the jailhouse steps. Lawmen stand
idly about, uniforms soaked in the grime of war, vacant eyes
starring out from blackened faces.

15.
CLEMENTINE (V.O.)
Shovel coal into the furnace, keep
the boiler running hard/ Its a
straight shot into Frisco, through
that milky waving arm.
CUT TO:
INT. JAILHOUSE CONTINUOUS
Victims of the train heist form a line that extends outside
the jail. Inside, a sketch artist listens to mourners as he
draws faces onto wanted posters.
Beside the artist a women weeps, her tears splashing his
artistic rendition of the man shes described.
He puts the finished poster tears and all atop a pile of
posters and motions the next person forward. The weeping
woman is ushered away by a gentle deputy. A weeping man takes
her place beside the sketch-artist.
To Walker, the scene looks like an assembly line of sorrow.
As he passes, he notes that every poster has a different face
but the same name, The Chameleon Kid.
CLEMENTINE (V.O.)
Your soul screams not to do it, but
your brain has frozen numb/ So you
break and you behold, a stranger
slinging finger guns.
CUT TO:
INT. BACK ROOM JAIL CELLS CONTINUOUS
The duo walk down a hall with three cells, the first two are
filled with what used to be men. The creatures babble
incoherently, howling at the passersby with beady eyes.
CLEMENTINE (V.O.)
He stands fearless, fiercely
smiling, taking dead aim down his
thumb/ Whispers boom, and fires
thunder and his mindless posse
swarms.
They come to the last cell where a man sits alone.

16.

You
you
the
Kid

CLEMENTINE (V.O.)
go down without a sound, before
join the great beyond/ He blew
safe, he blew the train, the
was there, then he was gone.

DAVIS
And heres your dune dog.
Davis inserts a key into the lock -My what?

WALKER

-- the jail door grinds open.

DAVIS
When we found them they were
rolling in the gore and howling at
the midday sun.
Davis steps aside so Walker can enter.
Walker sits at a table. Across from him sits a prisoner, his
tattered clothes soaked in soot, ash, and blood. His head
hangs low, greasy mud-caked-hair obscures his face.
Floyd?

WALKER

Floyd makes no sound. Only the gentle rise of his chest

betrays any sign of life.
But slowly ever so slowly SOMETHING comes forward.
Walker feels ITS presence and his posture straightens.
WALKER (CONTD)
Sheriff Davis say
Floyd brings a trembling hand to his face. He presses two
ashen fingers against the bridge of his nose.
FLOYD
Pissssss on Sheriff Davis.
WALKER
Im told youve done that already.
FLOYD
Thats because I mistook him for
someone else.

17.
WALKER
Who would that be.
Floyd opens one bloodshot eye.
FLOYD
The Marshal.
Floyds head rears back as laughter rolls from his tongue.
WALKER
So much mirth for a man charged
with arson, murder and the
destruction of state property.
FLOYD
What state property?
WALKER
Sheriff Davis is quite fond of his
state issued garments.
Floyd giggles.
WALKER (CONTD)
Floyd we both know this has to be
a mistake.
FLOYD
(grinning)
Do we?
Floyds grin turns to a grimace as he leans across the table.
Do you?

FLOYD (CONTD)

DAVIS (O.S.)
Theres no talkin toem Marshal.
Cant reason with a man without a
motive.
WALKER
What makes you think theres no
motive?
DAVIS
Didnt steal nothing. The only loot
for this lot is insanity.
FLOYD
(to Davis)
You think we dont matter

18.
FLOYD (CONTD)
but no one knows him better.
WALKER
Knows who better?
FLOYD
It doesnt matter where
where you stand cause
stranger that is within
above you very high and
come down very low.

you sit or
the
will get
you will

DAVIS
For chrissake.
WALKER
What happened to the train Floyd.
FLOYD
A man protects his family Marshal.
Thats why I burned my own.
Walker is taken aback.
FLOYD (CONTD)
I couldnt let them! I wouldnt let
them see!
See what?

WALKER

FLOYD
Theres always a price for peaking!
Always, always...
WALKER
Did you see the men who robbed the
train?
FLOYD
Men? I saw a man. A man who aint a
man at all. Is that who you mean to
keep an eye on?
DAVIS
Whatd this man look like?
FLOYD
He takes no face. CHAMELEONS TAKE
NO FACE. But Ive seen him once
before every place Ive been.

19.
WALKER
(yelling)
FLOYD! What did you see?
Across Floyds face crawls a bone-chilling sickle of a grin.
FLOYD
(to Walker)
The Chameleon Kid, with his gang of
(to Davis)
Dune Dogs.
DAVIS
Did he kill my men?
FLOYD
Nonononono. He just dulls the noise
to ease your mind.
Floyd lifts his cuffed hands and gestures toward his
surroundings.
FLOYD (CONTD)
Do you reckon hes the one who
wiped away the whole horizon?
DAVIS
Did you kill my men?
FLOYD
No one killed your men they just
forgot how to live.
WALKER
How do we find him.
FLOYD
(sniffing air)
Just follow your nose Marshal.
Youll smell him in the air, that
sweet decomposition.
FLOYD (CONTD)
(stamping feet)
Just stand still, and youll feel
him in your boots, that trembling
earth.
FLOYD (CONTD)
Marshal, are you a man of faith, of
God and his religion?
WALKER
I cant say I am.

20.
FLOYD
Then you wont find him. Hell find
you.