Hard Rain Page #9

KENNY:

My dad'd sure be pissed off, huh?

JIM:

Your dad'd just want you to lay still

while we got you some help.

KENNY:

Hey -- hey the pain's goin'.

(relief)

Oh, man.

He looks up at Jim and grins.

KENNY:

When you said I was gonna be okay, I

thought you were just shittin' me.

JIM:

See? You gotta trust me.

Kenny's shivering stops. It stops because he's dead. Jim

slowly lets go.

INT. HENRY AND DOREEN'S ATTIC

Henry and Doreen have brought everything into their attic --

a TV, some silver and china, bowling trophies. A Coleman

lantern lights the room.

DOREEN:

(sarcastic)

Well, isn't that just wonderful! Now

these bastards are gonna want to

kill us, too! Why the hell did you

have to come to this house?

KAREN:

We thought it was empty.

DOREEN:

You know what? The house next door

is empty. So whaddya say we go back

downstairs and you two keep moving?

HENRY:

We are not going to send these people

out to the wolves.

DOREEN:

Oh, we're not, are we? Then what's

your plan, General Schwartzkopf?

HENRY:

I -- I just don't think --

TOM:

It's okay. I have to go anyway.

They look at him, surprised.

TOM:

The National Guard'll be at the truck

in about fifteen minutes. I'm gonna

go wait for them.

DOREEN:

You can't swim that far in fifteen

minutes.

HENRY:

He could take our boat.

DOREEN:

Henry!

HENRY:

(to Tom)

I'll go get it ready for you.

DOREEN:

Henry, he is not taking our boat.

Henry ignores Doreen. He pushes the attic stairs down, heads

down them.

DOREEN:

(grabs TV; to Tom)

Here. You want a TV too? How about

some china? Maybe our silver?

(sets TV down)

Henry! Henry, you leave the boat

where it is!

Doreen heads off down the stairs. Tom starts down the stairs,

stops.

TOM:

Karen?

(she looks at him)

I'm Tom.

They shake hands.

KAREN:

Watch yourself, Tom. I really don't

wanna have to save your life again.

Tom nods and goes down the stairs.

EXT. HENRY'S HOUSE

Henry stands on the roof of the back porch, steadying a small

rowboat as Tom gets in. Doreen nags from the window.

DOREEN:

You give away our only boat in the

middle of a flood. You are a genius,

Henry. A goddamn genius.

TOM:

(whispers to Henry,

re:
Doreen)

You wanna come with me?

Henry looks at Tom, entertaining the notion...

DOREEN:

Jesus, Henry, what are you waiting

for -- a kiss goodbye? Get back in

here.

Henry sighs and lets go of the boat. Tom rows off.

LONG SHOT OF TOM

We see him in silhouette, crossing the gap between two houses.

JIM AND HIS MEN:

Are watching, from the shadows on the dark side of the street.

RAY:

Why don't we just get him?

JIM:

If our resourceful young friend hears

us coming, he'll electrocute us or

sink us or one of you'll shoot him.

Besides...

(glances at watch)

...I know where he's going. What I'd

like to know is where he came from.

EXT. CHURCH

The Sheriff sits in his boat, moored to the wall of sandbags

around the church. Wayne's boat is tied up next to it. The

floodwater is trickling over the top of the wall. The gas-

powered pumps inside the wall are keeping the waters at bay.

WAYNE AND PHIL:

Come out of the front doors of the church.

WAYNE:

They're not here.

EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN - WELCOME SIGN

Tom rows up to the truck and "Welcome" sign. His flashlight

shows just the top of the truck and sign. Tom looks at his

watch, ties the rowboat to the sign, jumps into the water.

A few moments pass, then Tom surfaces, holding a shotgun.

Then he senses something behind him and turns to see...

A COW:

Floating in the water, tongue out, eyes glassy.

TOM:

Kicks away, horrified. And then he hears an engine. He looks.

TOM'S POV

Jim's ski-boat is coming over the water. The engine cuts out

and the ski-boat drifts, a hundred feet from Tom.

JIM:

(yelling)

Son, before you go underwater and do

something tricky, there's something

I'd like you to see!

A flashlight comes on, the beam swivels, illuminating...

HENRY AND DOREEN

Standing in the ski-boat, blinking in the light.

TOM:

Slumps.

JIM:

Now, I know it's your job to protect

that money, and maybe you'd even be

foolish enough to give your life for

it. The question is, are you willing

to give their lives for it?

Jim puts a pistol to Doreen's head.

JIM:

Drop the gun and get into the boat.

TOM:

Thinks for a second, then throws the shotgun away and pulls

himself into the rowboat.

JIM:

Excellent choice.

TOM, JIM, HENRY AND DOREEN

As Tom and Jim call to each other across the water, Doreen

goes at Henry.

TOM:

I'll take you to the money, but you

gotta let them go.

DOREEN:

I hope you're proud of yourself,

Henry Sears.

HENRY:

Shh.

JIM:

I think it'd be best if --

DOREEN:

I told you not to give him the goddamn

boat.

HENRY:

Doreen, please.

JIM:

I think it'd be best if we all stayed

together.

TOM:

You say all you want is the money?

Prove it. Let them go.

JIM:

I don't know if that's --

DOREEN:

We could be safe in our home instead

of out here in a boat with these low-

life scumbags!

JIM:

(after a look at

Doreen, nods to Mr.

Mehlor)

Let 'em go.

EXT. MAIN STREET

The Sheriff, Wayne and Phil motor past the statue. Wayne is

driving his boat; Phil is with the Sheriff. The water is up

to the General's neck.

EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN

Tom helps Henry and Doreen over into the rowboat. As he does,

his face comes close to Henry's for a second.

TOM:

(whisper)

Karen?

HENRY:

(shakes head, whispers)

In the attic. They never saw her.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET

Karen swims down the center of the street.

EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN

Tom is in the ski-boat with Jim. He looks out at...

HENRY AND DOREEN

As Henry rows them off into the darkness.

DOREEN:

(disappearing in dark)

Faster, Henry! The bastards might

change their minds! Stop lily- dipping

and move it!

Henry starts to turn the boat around.

DOREEN:

What're you doing?

HENRY:

I'm gonna row back there and see if

he'll shoot you. Or me. Fine either

way.

DOREEN:

Henry...?

HENRY:

Do you want me to get us out of here?

DOREEN:

Yes, of course, I --

HENRY:

Then shut the f*** up.

Henry turns the boat around and rows off. Doreen is silent.

JIM'S SKI-BOAT

Jim shakes his head. Tom looks at Ray, coughing and at Kenny,

dead. Tom doesn't know what to say.

TOM:

I...

JIM:

The only thing I want to hear from

you is where the money is.

EXT. STREET

The Sheriff and Wayne are motoring fast down a street, the

Sheriff leading. The Sheriff sees something in the water in

front of him. He curses and throttles down fast.

KAREN:

Is in the water, exhausted and cold.

EXT. CEMETERY

Jim pilots the ski-boat into the cemetery. All are aghast.

A DOZEN CASKETS:

Are floating in the water. Half of them have drifted up

against the fence; the others are headed that way.

JIM:

I wonder where they think they're

going.

RAY:

What the hell's going on?

MR. MEHLOR

This happened in a flood in Georgia.

The ground gets soggy, and the caskets

are air-tight -- anyone who hasn't

been planted too long just pops up.

RAY:

You teach your students stuff like

that? No wonder they kicked you out.

MR. MEHLOR

I didn't teach my students anything

at all.

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