Hero Page #9

RICHIE:

He's in there! He's hurt!

In the plane? In there? BERNIE looks at the plane, reacts...

BERNIE:

In there? Listen, kid, the cops

are coming... and the firemen.

They, uh, they got equipment and

stuff for this kindathing, they're,

uh, experts.

The sound of SIRENS, still. a ways off. RICHIE clutches at

BERNIE.

RICHIE:

Please, sir! Please! It's on fire.

He can't move.

BERNIE stares into the desperate face... and suddenly,

recklessly, BERNIE loses it, forgets he's BERNIE, acts like

someone else.

BERNIE:

Where is he?

YOUNG BOY:

Inside! He's in the plane, he...

BERNIE:

I know he's inside. Which way?

What's his name?

INT. NEAR THE EXIT/MAIN CABIN/727 - MOMENTS LATER (NIGHT)

Chaos and confusion. The smoke is thicker, LESLIE is upset...

LESLIE:

Sir, you can't go back in. Sir,

you're blocking passengers. Sir,

no...

BERNIE, his muddy face unrecognizeable, is pushing his way into

the plane, shouldering coughing PASSENGERS aside.

BERNIE finds himself standing in the choking darkness,

PASSENGERS pushing past him. Holy smokes! This is ridiculous!

What's he doing here? Thicker smoke, can barely see anything,

VOICES cry out in pain and fear. Just then he spots something.

A flashlight lies on the floor sending a useless knife of light '

into the smoky darkness. He grabs for it, drops it urgently.

BERNIE:

Jesus Christ!

The light is in a hand! He reaches again, snatches the light

and points it revealing FREDDY, the other Flight Attendant,

lying semiconscious on the floor, bloody, GROANING.

BERNIE hesitates. Then he leans down, still gripping the light

and half hauls FREDDY toward the nearby exit where LESLIE is

supervising PASSENGERS.

BERNIE:

Hey, somebody, grab him, willya?

Help this guy, willya, goddamnit!

A MAN reluctantly turns and, with the help of LESLIE they manage

to shove FREDDY out the exit. LESLIE instructs the MAN...

LESLIE:

Get him away from the plane, help

him.

LESLIE turns back in time to see BERNIE heading back into the

darkness, struggling around the stream of PASSENGERS.

For half a second, LESLIE'S face reveals her amazement at seeing

somebody go back into the the nightmare a second time. Then

she's helping the next passenger out... SUSAN and KELLY...

SUSAN:

There's (cough cough) a woman back

there. She's caught.

LESLIE:

Get as far away from the plane as

you can.

Urgently LESLIE shoves them through the door.

INT. "UP THE SLOPE"/MAIN CABIN/707 - NIGHT

BERNIE is struggling aft, up the steep slope of the nose-down

plane, coughing and cursing in the dark, calling out...

BERNIE:

MISTER FLETCHER! HEY, MISTER

FLETCHER! MISTER FLETCHER, HEY

BUDDY, WHERE ARE YA, GODDAMNIT?

BERNIE pans the flashlight ahead of him. The blade of light

only cuts a few feet through the thickening smoke, revealing

only empty seats.

BERNIE:

FLETCHER! HEY (cough cough) HEY,

FLETCHER, SPEAK UP, WILL YA? DON'T

BE AN A**HOLE!

No answer.

BERNIE pans the light, turns and...

A SHARP GROAN!

BERNIE stumbles. He stepped on someone.

BERNIE:

Fletcher?

Pans the light down.

BERNIE:

Sh*t!

A woman! GALE. Semiconscious, in pain, she opens her eyes.

GALE P.O.V.:
BERNIE'S MUDDY FACE

Looking up, all GALE can see is a vague vision of a muddy face

dimly visible in the spill of the flashlight.

BACK TO SCENE:

GALE:

My leg's caught.

BERNIE points the light toward her leg, overpans the leg, the

blade of light discovering her purse. Then he corrects the beam

back to reveal her leg wedged between two seats.

GALE:

Can you... can you get me out of

here?

BERNIE pans the light back to the purse again.

BERNIE:

Yeah, sure. I think.

BERNIE puts down the light and struggles her leg loose while

GALE groans in pain. Her head is near the floor lights, her

eyes open.

For a moment BERNIE'S face passes through the stationary beam

of the flashlight and GALE gets a glimpse of a smoky, muddy face

leaning close to her...AN OBSCURE VISION!

BERNIE:

Okay, lady. You gotta make an

effort here. I don't happen to

be a goddamn bodybuilder.

BERNIE retrieves the flashlight lying near her purse. It's out

of her line of vision, behind her head. He only hesitates for

half a second before his hand shoots out for the purse, conceals

it under his jacket, and gets to his feet.

INT. EXIT/AREA/MAIN CABIN/727 - SECONDS LATER (NIGHT)

LESLIE is helping ANOTHER MAN out the exit.

LESLIE:

Get away from the plane quickly.

It may explode.

Now she's alone. Heroically she turns back and probes the smoky

interior with her flashlight.

The blade of light is blunted by the smoky darkness. There's

nothing.

LESLIE hesitates. Should she run, save her own life or...?

Suddenly BERNIE steps into the beam of her light, emerging from

the thick smoke hauling GALE over his shoulder, his face

smudged, unrecognizeable, AN HEROIC VISION SHE'LL REMEMBER!

BERNIE:

Gimme a (cough cough) hand, willya,

honey?

EXT. BRIDGE/HIGHWAY - NIGHT

SIRENS scream and lights FLASH as more Emergency Vehicles join

the ones already parked close to the bridge at a safe distance

from the burning tail of the plane. A FIRE CAPTAIN shouts "Move

that piece-a junk" at three FIREMEN who are already pushing

BERNIE'S Toyota off the bridge and away from the airplane while

a confusion of PARAMEDICS and POLICE hurry to the aid of dazed

PASSENGERS in torn and bloody clothing.

FIREMEN train hoses on the fiery tail of the plane while the

FIRE CAPTAIN shouts...

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