Hard Rain Page #7

EXT. ALLEYWAY

Jim pulls Ray, coughing, choking, bleeding, into the ski-

boat.

INT. SHERIFF'S STATION

The water level inside is rising fast. It hits the wall

sockets and there's a spit of sparks, then all the desk lamps

go dark. Light still comes from overhead fluorescent panels.

Tom sees...

TWO KEYS ON A KEY RING

Laying on the Sheriff's wooden desk. They're four feet away --

too far to reach.

EXT. CHURCH

Karen suddenly has a horrible thought and stops. She shakes

it off -- doesn't want to think about it -- and mutters to

herself.

KAREN:

They'll get him out.

EXT. MAIN STREET

Phil is clinging to the statue as the water surges by below

him.

EXT. PARK AREA

Wayne gets back into his boat. The Sheriff realizes something.

SHERIFF:

Wayne... You locked him in.

INT. SHERIFF'S STATION

Tom looks through the cell bars at wooden chairs bobbing in

the water. The Sheriff's desk lifts up, starts floating. Tom

gets an idea. He takes his belt off.

EXT. NEAR SHERIFF'S STATION

A telephone pole is half-submerged, being pulled along fast

by the current.

INT. SHERIFF'S STATION

Tom holds one end of the belt and tosses the rest of it at...

THE DESK:

Bobbing in the rising water. He misses the keys.

TOM AND THE DESK

Tom tries again. The belt lands on the desk top.

Tom very gently starts pulling. Too hard; the belt starts

slipping off the desk. He gets it just right and the desk

starts moving toward Tom. He reaches out with his hand,

stretching.

HIS FINGERS:

Touch the top of the desk, start pulling it toward him, and

he just gets a firm grip on the desk when...

THE TELEPHONE POLE

Smashes into a window, bending in the bars on the window,

shattering the glass, letting a torrent of water into the

room.

THE DESK:

Is moved by the rush of water, but not before Tom grabs...

THE KEYS:

And grips them tight.

TOM:

Tries the keys in the lock. They don't fit. He looks at them.

CU KEYS:

The tag is emblazoned with the Ford logo.

TOM:

Great! I can drive out of here!

Tom tosses the keys into the water and looks around at...

THE WATER LEVEL:

Rising very fast. A foot in ten seconds.

TOM:

Climbs up the cell bars, the water rising with him. He's

running out of room between himself and the ceiling. Three

feet. Two feet. He's being pushed up by the water toward...

FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURE

On the ceiling, caged in a wire cover.

TOM:

Is terrified, about to die. The water rises up past his face.

TOM'S HANDS

Pull his Maglite flashlight from his belt. He takes off the

lens and the battery cap, then shakes the batteries out.

TOM:

Sticks the flashlight tube up through the wire grate over

the light fixture.

He blows out the water -- like clearing a snorkel -- then

breathes. Reprieve for a few moments and then...

THE WATER:

Reaches the top of the flashlight tube and starts to trickle

in when...

THE FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURE

Goes dark. In the darkness, there's the sound of tubes

breaking and metal being wrenched.

TOM:

Looks up, astonished, to see...

THE FLUORESCENT FIXTURE

Being lifted up and away from above. Streetlight comes in,

silhouetting...

A FIGURE:

Standing on the roof. The figure leans down and starts tugging

at the wire cage over the inside of the fixture. In the light,

Tom sees that it's...

KAREN:

And she's pulling as hard as she can, but the wire cage isn't

budging. She pulls out a Swiss Army knife, unfolds a small

knife and starts taking out the screws holding the cage in

place. She gets two screws out.

TOM:

Pulls on the cage and it swings down. He climbs up it.

EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION ROOF

Tom surfaces in a hole in the roof. There's a vent duct laying

on the roof -- Karen must've kicked that over to get to the

light fixture. Karen helps Tom up. She sits and he lays down

on the roof, catching his breath.

TOM:

Thank you.

KAREN:

I owed you -- for hitting you and

all. But we're even now, okay?

TOM:

Even.

(beat, looks around)

What happened?

KAREN:

I don't know.

They get up.

KAREN:

Maybe another levee broke upriver.

They've been --

Just then...

A PROPANE TANK:

Explodes. The fireball rips across the dark sky, illuminating

everything, showing...

JIM AND HIS MEN:

Fifty feet away -- Jim, Mr. Mehlor and Ray in the ski-boat

and Kenny on the jet-ski -- guns aimed at Tom and Karen.

TOM:

Oh, God.

DARKNESS:

As the lightning passes, and in the darkness, the thunder

rolls.

JIM AND HIS MEN:

Switch on their lights and move forward. They pass...

CARS:

Floating down the street with other debris. The cars have

been damaged by the flood -- one is missing a door.

JIM AND HIS MEN:

When they get closer to the Sheriff's station, what they see --

or don't see -- makes them stop.

THEIR POV:

Tom and Karen have disappeared. Karen's boat is still moored

to the Sheriff's station roof, empty.

JIM:

They're in the water! Kenny, cut

your engine!

Kenny shuts off the engine of the one remaining jet-ski. Jim

shuts down the boat engine. They float in silence, scanning

the water with their flashlights. There's no sign of Tom and

Karen.

UNDERWATER:

Tom motions Karen to follow him. She's freaked and hesitates.

Tom grabs her hand and pulls her.

THEIR POV:

The ski-boat and jet-ski are right above them, flashlights

playing over the water.

JIM AND HIS MEN:

Reach the roof of the Sheriff's station. Jim looks around.

JIM:

Kenny, go that way. We'll go down

here.

LONG SHOT POV THROUGH CAR WINDSHIELD

Of Kenny and Jim heading off in different directions.

TOM AND KAREN:

Rise into view in a car. They gasp for air and keep low.

KAREN:

Tell them where the money is.

TOM:

I can't.

KAREN:

Well, I can.

She's about to call out. Tom grabs her hard.

TOM:

If they know where the money is,

they will kill us.

Before Karen can say anything, a flashlight beam comes

swinging toward them and they have to duck underwater.

JIM:

Watches as his flashlight beam washes over the car. Nothing

there. He guns his engine and heads off down the street.

THE CAR:

Floats off around a corner.

IN THE CAR:

Tom and Karen surface, catch their breath. Quiet for a few

moments as they both look around to see that Jim and his men

are gone.

KAREN:

So what do we do?

TOM:

I guess just drive around until we

run out of gas.

KAREN:

(pissed)

Look, I've spent the last eight months

of my life restoring that church,

and I just left it to come save your

ass, so spare me, okay?

TOM:

(beat)

When we get down here a little further

we'll find a place for you to hide.

(off her look)

I'm gonna get back to the truck and

wait for the National Guard.

(checks watch)

They should be there pretty soon.

Karen nods. Tom looks at her. She's shivering.

TOM:

Cold?

KAREN:

No, I'm fine. The heater just kicked

in.

Tom looks at her, gives a little grin. Their eyes meet for a

second, then they look away.

EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION

Phil climbs up onto the roof, exhausted. He sees the hole in

the roof and goes to look at it. As he's looking down...

SHERIFF (O.S.)

Is he dead?

Phil turns to see...

THE SHERIFF AND WAYNE

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