Cliffhanger Page #21

HAL:

There is. You might not like it much.

Hal points

FURTHER DOWN:

A steep two hundred yard downhill climb leads to a wire that

bridges the two mountains. The same wire we saw at the

beginning -- left behind from Susan Collins' botched rescue.

TOP OF BLUFF - HAL AND TRAVERS

HAL:

Of course -- we'll have to do it hand

over hand. Seems I forgot my harness.

Sorry.

TRAVERS:

Don't be. Lead on.

Hal is surprised to see Kynette pull a harness out of his pack

-- the one Travers used earlier. Disappointed, Hal leads the

downward climb, looking several hundred yards to

THE CRACK:

running up, and through, the bluff, coming out on this side.

HAL'S FACE

registers a thought -- will he? -- then dismissal. Nah. He

couldn't.

INT. THE CRACK/CHIMNEY - CLOSE ON GABE'S FACE

Gabe is sweating, straining in the dark, climbing up -- this'd

be a good spot to pull back and take in the view, except --

THE CHIMNEY:

-- there's nowhere to pull back to. There's about two inches

of clearance between Gabe's chest and the rock, and about the

same between his back and the rock. To the right, there is no

light. At all. To the left, there's no light. Even above,

there is no light, because the crack isn't straight -- nature

isn't that obliging -- it zig-zags up. Gabe is well within the

mountain rock. Nothing could be closer to being buried alive

Gabe snakes through a spot where the crack goes straight up --

he takes out his penlight and turns it on --

GABE'S POV - INSIDE THE CRACK AROUND HIM

even this dim light reveals scores of bats hanging on the

wall, surrounding him, up and down, left and right --

GABE'S FACE

is stuck somewhere between nausea and the realization that

he's made a big mistake.

GABE:

I didn't need to see that. I really

didn't.

Gabe cuts the light and slithers up through the dark.

EXT. RESCUE HELICOPTER - DAY

Maggie and Frank are flying low and fast, over treetops and

snow -- both are intently staring down --

THEIR VIEW:

is nothing but empty wilderness. But a BUZZER goes off --

MAGGIE AND FRANK

turn their attention to the helicopter's heat scope, which

shows something alive beneath them.

FRANK:

Got 'em -- they're under the trees --

Maggie smiles and slows the copter over a clearing --

EXT. WOODS/THE COPTER

touches down. Maggie is out of it before the rotor has stopped

turning, running into the trees.

MAGGIE:

Hal! Gabe!

Maggie runs into the trees, headlong into

A PACK OF WOLVES

that are preying on -- a body. A pair of legs are gruesomely

sticking out from the feast. One wolf turns to SNARL at Maggie

-- but Frank runs up and pulls a gun from a holster.

Frank aims high and FIRES twice to scare the pack -- the

wolves run off. Maggie goes to the body -- Frank holds her

back, but she goes ahead anyway, worried it might be Gabe --

TIGHT ON MAGGIE:

as she examines the body --

MAGGIE:

It's Evan.

(she stands, looks up)

Parachute failed.

FRANK:

(not unkindly)

Damn fool. Why would anybody try that

in the middle of a storm.

MAGGIE:

Why would anybody try at all.

(sighs)

Get the bag.

INT. BLUFF CRACK/CHIMNEY

Gabe has a quick climbing rhythm now. He pulls himself up with

his hands, then braces his body with his back, and pulls

himself up again -- he's not looking up, because he can't see

anything yet anyway -- naturally, this leads to --

A head and rock collision. Gabe's head crashes against a new

part of the crack, as the passage thins out. He gropes up.

The passage is narrowing to the point that he can't get

through it. Dead end.

GABE:

Should've taken that left turn at

Albequerque.

Gabe backs down, and starts to slide across the side. With

his back wedged against the rear wall, he uses his feet to

push against the forward wall.

GABE'S POV - BLACK

Zero visibility -- Gabe can't see what he's shoving toward.

There has never been light of any kind in here.

GABE:

blindly pushes to the side, rattled by the difficulty of doing

this in the dark.

GABE:

It's just like any other side move --

you can't see where the f*** you're

going, that's all --

Gabe stops and fishes out his penlight. Turning it on, it's

clear those batteries haven't gotten any more potent in the

last few hours. Gabe shines it to the side.

GABE'S POV - THE LIGHT

is fading fast. A match's last gasp is brighter.

GABE:

exasperated, puts the penlight in his mouth and moves on.

GABE:

(garbled)

Much better.

Gabe inches on to the side. Looks up to see if the crack has

gotten wider. It hasn't. Gabe mumbles something phonetically

near "motherf***er" around the flashlight, aiming it up --

GABE'S POV - UP

No opening larger than a mail slot --

GABE:

still cursing, still looking up, still moving to the side --

he gets the opening he wants, but not where he wants it --

The crack suddenly, drastically widens as he moves to the

side -- since he's been bracing his back against the wall,

Gabe falls out of control, twisting around, face down --

Gabe bounces down the walls for several yards and catches

himself by bracing his arms and legs against the crack. It's

now five feet wide as he painfully brakes himself --

GABE'S POV - THE PENLIGHT

falls out of Gabe's mouth and tumbles down, ping-ponging from

one side of the crack to the other as it tumbles a long, long

way down -- even after the light is gone, we can still hear

the penlight's receding clattering against the walls --

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