This story should be
done with a six-panel-grid.
Page 1
Panel 1
This double sized panel takes up the first row of the page.
We’re in a big room and we’re not alone. There’s Heinrich, the inhabitant
of said room, sitting on his bed. He’s about thirty years old, with long
hair, a wild beard and untidy clothes. A man who’s ten years older and
well-groomed is aiming at him with a silenced pistol. His name is Howard.
A third man, William, stands besides them and is very close to a nervous
breakdown. He’s the youngest of the three.
Unlike his owner, the room is tidy. Well, there are lots of books and
other stuff on the shelves, but it isn’t chaotic. And there are a lot of
shelves. Among them a small one with some photos and souvenirs (some mussels,
a statue of Buddha...)
William:
COME ON! I KNOW YOU TOOK IT!
William:
I KNOW YOU STOLE THE KEY!
Title & Credits:
THE KEY
WRITER: YANN KREHL
ARTIST: …
...
Panel 2
For a man who’s looking into the barrel of a gun, Heinrich is pretty
calm.
Heinrich:
YOU KNOW ME. I WOULD NEVER STEAL ANYTHING FROM YOU.
Panel 3
We zoom out, so we can see Howard as well. He’s not looking at Heinrich
but into the direction where we assume William to stand.
Howard:
YOU’RE SURE HE TOOK IT?
Panel 4
William is raising his hands towards the sky.
William:
I CHECKED EVERY PLACE. THRICE.
Panel 5
Back to Heinrich and the gun, seen from Howard’s POV. Now the man sitting
on the bed is angry.
Howard:
OKAY. YOU GOT THREE SECONDS.
Heinrich:
NO, YOU GOT THREE SECONDS TO LEAVE MY ROOM AND...
Page 2
Panel 1
This panel looks almost like the last panel, only that Howard has pulled
the trigger a few seconds ago. Heinrich is lying on his bed with a big
hole in his forehead.
Panel 2
Howard is putting the gun back into his shoulder holster. William stands
behind him, looking pretty shocked.
William:
ARE YOU INSANE?
Panel 3
William has grabbed Howard by the shoulders and is shaking him.
William:
I SHARED MY APARTMENT THIS GUY FOR TWO YEARS! HE WAS MY FRIEND, YOU
ASSHOLE!
Panel 4
Howard is pushing the other man away violently. We can expect William
to sit on his ass in a second.
Howard:
NOW LISTEN TO ME FOR A SECOND.
Howard:
IF THIS JUNKIE HAD BEEN YOUR FRIEND, HE HADN'T STOLEN THE KEY.
Panel 5
And now William is sitting on his ass. Howard is offering him his hand
in order to help him up.
Howard:
I’M ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOU HERE.
Howard:
I’M NOT THE ONE WHO’S GOING TO GET KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS.
Panel 6
William is on his feet again. We look over their shoulders so we get
a good view of the room and all those shelves.
William:
AND NOW?
Page 3
Panel 1
Same angle as the last panel. But we’re not looking over the shoulders
of the men anymore. They’ve searched the room for the key by now. The books
were torn off the shelves and lie on the floor now and so on. It’s a mess.
Howard is standing among the chaos with his arms crossed, thinking.
William is furious.
William:
FUCK!
Panel 2
He destroys a small shelve with some photos and souvenirs (some seashells,
a statue of Buddha...) with an angry kick.
William:
FUCK FUCK FUCK!
Panel 3
The rage has passed and dull fear has taken its place. William is looking
down to the ground gloomily.
William:
I’M A DEAD MAN. THE BOSS WILL KILL ME FOR LOOSING THE KEY TO THE LOCKER.
Panel 4
Howard is smiling. Seems as if he had an idea.
Howard:
HE HAD NO CHANCE TO GET THE KEY OUT OF THIS ROOM.
Panel 5
William has raised his head and looks at the other man.
Howard:
SO IT’S STILL IN HERE.
Howard:
KNOW WHERE THEY HIDE DRUGS TO GET THEM ACROSS THE BORDER?
Panel 6
He’s smiling and presenting a butterfly knife to us/William.
Howard:
IN THEIR STOMACH.
Page 4
Panel 1
Almost the same panel as the last panel. Howard’s pose hasn’t changed,
but his position has. Now he’s standing in front of the bed where Heinrich’s
corpse lies. His expression has changed, too. He’s no longer smiling.
He didn’t chance his clothes, but he needs to. There’s blood everywhere.
Howard:
SO HE DIDN’T SHOVE I UP THE OTHER WAY EITHER.
Howard:
THE GUY’S SMARTER THAN I THOUGHT.
Panel 2
William is standing as far away from the bed as possible and looking
away from the scene. It looks as if he’s going to throw up any second now.
William:
YOU’RE SICK.
Panel 3
Howard is walking towards him, with the bloody knife in his bloody
hands.
Howard:
BETTER SICK THAN DEAD, EH?
Panel 4
He’s putting his hand on William’s shoulder. William refuses to look
at him.
William:
FIRST YOU KILL MY FRIEND AND THEN YOU DISEMBOWEL HIM AND…
Howard:
ONLY TO HELP YOU, PAL.
Panel 5
William has turned around and is yelling at Howard.
William:
WHAT’S NEXT, YOU SICK FUCK?
William:
ARE WE GONNA EAT HIS BRAIN TO FIND THE KEY?
Panel 6
William has raised his fists.
William:
OR SHALL I LEAVE THE ROOM SO YOU TWO HAVE A LITTLE PRIVACY?
Page 5
Panel 1
Almost the same panel as before. William has a black eye and is bleeding
from his nose and mouth. His fists were raised, but he’s lowering them
now.
William:
THIS IS SO USELESS.
Panel 2
He’s sitting down on the floor.
William:
I’LL NEVER FIND THAT KEY.
Panel 3
Howard is standing in front of him, showing no signs of a fight. He
isn't even sweating.
Howard:
HAVE WE CALMED DOWN NOW?
Howard:
GOOD.
Panel 4
He’s kneeling down in front of William who has buried his face in his
hands.
William:
I’M A DEAD MAN.
Howard:
WE’LL JUST SEARCH THE WHOLE APARTMENT ONE MORE TIME, OKAY?
Panel 5
He’s still kneeling there and waiting for an answer from William, who’s
starting to laugh. Nervous breakdown.
William:
I’M A DEAD MAN.
FROM THE OFF:
HELLO? MR. FINDER, I'M OFFICER CARTER.
Panel 6
Howard stood up and is grabbing for his pistol.
FROM THE OFF:
YOUR NEIGHBORS HEARD SOME NOISE. IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?
William (yelling):
Page 6
YOU'RE TOO LATE! I’M ALREADY DEAD!
Panel 1
Howard’s lying on the floor. The blood on his clothes and on the floor
isn’t only from Heinrich anymore. His gun is lying on the floor, just a
few centimeters away from his outstretched hand. He’s dead.
It may be difficult, but I want this picture to look as similar to
the last panel as possible.
Panel 2
Two policemen are standing in the room. William is no longer here and
we can’t see the bed from this angle.
Policeman 1:
WHAT THE FUCK DID HAPPEN HERE?
Policeman 2:
I HAVE NO IDEA.
Panel 3
A photographer is taking pictures of Heinrich’s corpse. You should
choose an angle that doesn’t show too much of the recently deceased’s corpse.
Policeman 2 (Off):
BUT IT SURE WASN’T NICE.
Panel 4
Policeman1 is scratching his head.
Policeman 2:
THE GUY WITH THE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN LIVED HERE.
Panel 5
Policeman2 is pulling one of these plastic evidence bags out of his
pocket.
Policeman 2:
SO DID THE GUY ON THE BED.
Policeman 1:
DRUGS, MAYBE.
Policeman 2:
DON’T THINK SO. WE SEARCHED THE POCKETS OF THE GUY WHO CRACKED.
Panel 6
And he’s presenting us the bag and its content. A key - a key to a
locker.
Policeman 2:
NOTHING SPECIAL - APART FROM THIS.