Desperation Page #5

I guess...

Guess you might say so.

In an unofficial way.

I like history.

Local history, especially.

Up until now, that is.

I found some stuff to eat.

Well, this

should certainly...

Take care of

hunger in America.

It's sardines.

Not great, I guess.

Bet this boy and I'd settle...

for woodchuck pt.

Pass it around, David.

Would anybody mind if

I said a prayer first?

Sort of like a Grace?

Go for it, Davey boy.

God bless this food

we're about to eat.

Bless our fellowship.

Take care of us.

Deliver us from evil.

Especially my mom.

Please let her be OK.

Please.

Amen.

Amen.

You really believe

this, don't you?

Don't you?

Well, there's enough

for everyone.

Honest.

Appears he's right, ma'am.

We were headed to Tahoe...

when all the tires

went flat.

And then

he pulled up behind us...

and gave us

some story about...

a crazy in the desert...

who was disabling vehicles, and...

and shooting folks.

And... and then

he looked at Pie.

When he smiled at her...

Your...

Your daughter

dropped her doll.

Ellen couldn't

stop her from crying...

But...

David made her feel better.

He always could.

So how do we

get out of this?

I mean, do we just...

wait for the wind

to die down, or what?

Waiting's a bad idea.

Why do you say that?

Well, because...

somebody should've

gotten out of here...

and nobody did.

There's something...

Loose here...

and if we hang around...

I think it's... its

apt to eat us alive.

I'm not going anywhere

until I find out...

what happened

to my mom!

- No, David, no.

- No!

It won't do

your mom any good...

for you

and the rest of us...

to die trying to find her.

It's true, son.

It's a crock!

That's what it is!

None of you care

about my mother.

Not even you, Dad.

You know that's not true.

If we leave, it'll be

too late to save her.

I know that just like...

I knew how

to use the soap...

To get us out

of the cell.

Why don't

you pray?

I can't.

Right now,

I'm too pissed.

At God?

At Santa Claus.

Is that really how

it was, Mr. Billingsley?

All those white miners...

and Chinese miners

working together?

Pretty much, I guess.

Oh, come on.

They didn't call it...

The Chinese-American pit, did they?

Why don't you

tell us about it?

You think

you know it all...

Mr. High and mighty!

Why don't you tell it?

You're the big

storyteller.

I'll tell you about Vietnam.

You tell us

about desperation.

Talk about it.

Every... town has a sister.

And every town

has its secrets.

We're here. We want

to know about it.

Tell us about it.

Well, you'll all

think I'm crazy.

After what we've seen?

Anybody think Tom's crazy...

raise their hands.

Well, about a month ago...

An A.N.F.O. crew uncovered...

the old Rattlesnake Shaft...

while they were

shooting blast holes.

They dug the Rattlesnake...

a good 150 years ago.

It caved in

about three months later...

And the miners...

All but two of the Chinese...

were buried alive...

along with

whatever they dug up...

when they started working

the mine again last month.

Whatever they woke up.

I think it's...

a waisin.

An earth demon.

Now that the shafts

are open again...

All of those animals

we're seeing...

I think...

They're its eyes and ears.

Now, the Chinese

were treated badly...

in California,

but here in Nevada...

they were damn near

part of the community.

They were working to support

their families back home...

and to buy land

of their own.

Nobody forced them

down into the mines.

What about

the two survivors?

How'd they get out?

Well, they just

beat the cave-in.

Pure luck.

Then they left town, I guess.

And nobody tried to pin

the cave-in on them?

Now, why would they

try to do that?

Well, from my experience...

The best scapegoats

are those...

who can't

speak English.

You know, that's all

ancient history.

But they've been finding

some damn strange stuff...

down in that hole...

in the last couple of weeks.

Carvings and such.

I think...

something came

out of that mine.

Something that...

never died.

And never will.

Now, I know

how that sounds...

but you asked for it.

I...

I have

to take a leak.

I'll be back

in a minute.

Take this with you.

Thank you.

If you know he's

got a bottle stashed...

In the boy's room,

why didn't you stop him?

Because I think

he needs a drink...

to steady himself...

and one's all he's

gonna take, for now.

Did you used to drink,

Mr. Marinville?

No, David,

I used to drown.

It was a way

of putting out...

the dreams after the war.

David?

This god of yours

performed a miracle...

on your friend, right?

Yes.

Have you stopped

to ask yourself...

why god would want

to hurt a child...

to say hello?

I asked Reverend Martin

about that.

and I asked him how

to keep my promise.

What promise is that?

That if God saved Bryan,

I'd do something he wanted.

Anything he wanted, really.

And this is it?

That something?

You think this

is for the best?

That God is good and

this is for the best?

I don't know anymore.

It's so much harder now.

Reverend Martin says...

that faith isn't

just believing in God.

Believing God is sane.

I think I understood that.

But he killed my sister!

He took my mom!

We have to get

out of here, David.

That's what

I have faith in.

We have to.

What was that?

My, God!

It's the old man!

David!

Pie...

Pie, wait up!

Oh! Oh, my God!

Shoot it, Steve!

Blow its head off!

I don't want

to hit the old man!

Then blow its ass off!

It's killing him!

John Ford said...

"If you have a choice

between truth or legend...

print the legend."

Come on!

There's not much time.

Hey!

Come on!

Somebody get it!

Shoot it!

Kill it! I...

I can't get it!

Somebody

shoot this thing!

Get it off me!

- Shoot him, Johnny!

- Don't hurt Steve!

Somebody shoot

the damn thing!

Thanks, boss.

Where's David?

Where's my boy?

David?

David!

You, go find David.

I'll stay with him.

David!

David! Where are you?!

What if the cop's got him?

Why are you here?

For the same reason

everyone's here.

To love God and serve God.

What am I

supposed to do?

Look, David. See.

David?

David?

He's in there.

Oh, s-s-scared.

Oh, gosh.

Tom.

It's OK.

Please,

somebody help me.

Ellen, is that you?

Who else would it be?

Trouble with these bodies

is how fast they wear out...

but you should last a while.

Come on, David.

Come on back.

Tom is dead.

Mary's gone.

You think

it was the cop?

Course it was.

I just don't know why

he didn't trash us.

He's afraid of us.

And there is no "he."

It's a thing

from the mine.

Collie Entragian

is dead.

So is my mother.

David, honey, we

can't give up hope.

I have a lot to tell you.

Just don't want

to do it in here.

Yeah, it is

pretty creepy here,

But he... it's

out there some place.

No.

It's in the pit.

It took the head

of the assay crew...

That uncovered

the Rattlesnake Shaft.

His name was Cary Ripton.

That's how it started.

He followed a trail of

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