A Prison Inspection at Guantanamo

- By Lindsay M. Levesque

"One of the detainees had described being taken out and tied to a post and having rubber bullets fired at them. They were being made to kneel cruciform in the sun until they collapsed." -Australian lawyer Richard Bourke, AP, OCT. 8, 2003

EXT. GUANTANAMO BAY MILITARY PRISON - DAY
A huge gray wall with a large iron gate. GUARDS with guns stand at the gate. A man in the uniform of a Red Cross employee, TED, 30, walks past. A WHIP CRACKS and WAILING from inside is heard.

PRISONER (OS)
Oh, God! Please stop!

Ted runs to the gate. The guards level their guns at him.

GUARD
Halt!

TED
Okay, okay!

Ted backs up with his hands in the air.

GUARD
What do you want?

TED
I'm Red Cross Worker Ted, and there's a man in there who needs help. Can't you hear that?

GUARD
Hear what?

PRISONER (OS)
No, please! I don't know anything!

More WHIPPING.

GUARD TWO
Who needs help?

A CORPSE flies over the wall and lands at Ted's feet.

GUARD
You're obviously mistaken. Just move on there, Cowboy.

TED
I'm not mistaken! A body just came flying over the wall! There's a reason the U.S. hasn't allowed prison inspections-

Another SCREAM.

PRISONER (OS)
The water torture!

TED
Oh my God! You have to stop this!

GUARD TWO
Stop what? What are you talking…Oh, God, I can't hide it anymore! Yes! Yes, we are torturing pri-

The first guard SHOOTS Guard Two. He falls on top of the corpse.

GUARD
Move it along!

TED
You shot him!

GUARD
I did not!

Ted crouches down and checks for a pulse.

TED
He's dead.

Another CORPSE flies over the wall. This one hits Ted as he's crouching by Guard Two's body.

GUARD
He's on break. Move it along.

TED
No, I will not "move it along!" There is a pile of bodies here. Torturing prisoners is a violation of international law!

A GENERAL, 60, runs to the scene.

GENERAL
Hey, Hey! What's all this yelling? Haha, did someone mention "international law?"

Guard points at Ted.

GUARD
Him, Sir.

TED
Sir, I am Red Cross Worker Ted, and I have reason to suspect that you are torturing prisoners-

GENERAL
Tut tut tut.

He playfully pokes Ted on the nose.

GENERAL
No, we aren't, you Silly Ol' Bear.

PRISONER (OS)
Please, stop! Not the rubber bullets!

MACHINE GUN SHOTS are heard from inside the wall. More SCREAMS.

TED
Do you hear that?

He rumples Ted's hair.

GENERAL
No, and neither do you, you Big Misguided, Funnycake.

TED
Yes, I did! I also heard a whip, and there are corpses being piled up over here.

GENERAL
You're joshin', Silly Goose!

He playfully punches Ted on the shoulder.

A TRUCK pulls up. The DRIVER leans out the window.

DRIVER
Someone called for a corpse pickup?

GENERAL
I don't know anything about that!

The general motions for the driver to get out of the truck. The driver does. The general takes the driver aside.

GENERAL
You're a few minutes early today.

PRISONER (OS)
I don't know anything! I'm not al-Qaida!

A deep, gruff voice respond from inside the wall.

VOICE (OS)
You sure look like al-Qaida!

More SHOTS are heard.

GENERAL
Sounds like they're just finishing up.

DRIVER
I can wait.

Dozens of CORPSES fly over the wall, one by one, landing in heaps.

TED
Oh, my God! Look at this carnage! These bodies are riddled with lash marks and bullet holes. The general runs back to Ted.

GENERAL
There's been an outbreak of a very strange rash-

TED
I've gotta go out and report this!

Ted turns to exit.

GENERAL
Hey, Dapper Dan, why don't you come on in and take a look?

The general puts and arm around Ted's shoulders.

TED
Huh?

GUARD
Huh?

DRIVER
Huh?

GENERAL
Yeah, sure. You won't be satisfied until you see for yourself, right, Funny Face? You think the United State's is abusing its power because no one can stop us-

TED
Yeah, I guess that's what I think…

GENERAL
Well, Champ, I think it would be helpful to have a Red Cross professional check out that rash all the prisoners have. Right, Fellah? The rash?

The general winks at the guard.

GUARD
Oh, the rash-

DRIVER
The rash-

GENERAL
Right. The rash.

TED
Well, I guess I'll have a look…

GENERAL
Well, c'mon in, you Crazy Nut. You'll have to excuse the mess.

The general turns and whispers to someone behind the wall.

GENERAL
Ready, Bone-Crusher?

He turns back to Ted and opens the gate.

GENERAL
After you, you Big, Silly, Funny…

Ted walks through the gate. The general takes a large whip out of his belt and starts to follow Ted inside. He turns and addresses the driver.

GENERAL
Wait a couple minutes. I got one more coming.

The general exits through the gate.

FADE TO BLACK Lindsay M. Levesque is 21 a dramatic writing major and Spanish minor at New York University. She appreciates feedback at: LML246@nyu.edu