Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade Page #12

INDY:

Oh, rats...

Elsa gasps as the rats scamper between her legs.

Indy moves forward through the rat-infested water as Elsa

follows, still gasping in horror. Suddenly he slips into a

hole. Recovering his balance, he reaches out to Elsa.

INDY:

Come on!

She gasps once again, terrified. Indy lifts her and carries

Elsa as he moves forward.

THE CATACOMBS - THE HOLE IN THE WALL

Kazim and his men step to the opening Indy made earlier and

shine their flashlights through to the rat-infested water.

ANOTHER PART OF THE CATACOMBS

More rat-infested water as Elsa, now walking again, follows

Indy through another passageway lined with skulls and bones.

Indy reaches for a wall to steady himself and inadvertently

grabs a skeleton. A bone comes loose in his hand as rats

scurry about and leap at him from all directions.

He takes a moment to compose himself, then steps across the

water to Elsa's side. He steps into the water, then reaches

up to help Elsa do the same.

INDY:

Come here.

LARGE BURIAL CHAMBER

The chamber is flooded with black, briny water.

INDY:

Look...

In the center of the chamber, jutting up above the water, is

what amounts to an "island altar" on which SEVERAL ANCIENT

COFFINS rest. They move toward the altar.

Indy and Elsa begin to inspect the ornately carved COFFINS

like the scholars of antiquity that they are. These are big

oak caskets held together by straps of etched brass.

INDY:

It must be one of these...

ELSA:

Look at the artistry of these carvings

and the scrollwork.

One coffin is elevated above the others.

ELSA:

It's this one.

Together they begin to push on the lid -- STRAINING and

GROANING until it slides away and BANGS against the stone

platform.

INSIDE THE COFFIN

Lie the DECOMPOSED REMAINS of a KNIGHT IN ARMOR. Indy and

Elsa look in... Elsa gasps.

INDY:

This is it! We found it! Look -- the

engraving on the shield. It's the

same as on the Grail Tablets. The

shield is the second marker!

Indy unfolds a piece of paper and holds it over the shield.

ELSA:

What's that?

INDY:

It's a rubbing Dad made of the Grail

Tablet.

The missing portion of the rubbing is completed by the shield.

ELSA:

Just like your father -- giddy as a

schoolboy.

Indy laughs.

ELSA:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if he were

here now to see this?

INDY:

(chuckles)

He never would have made it past the

rats! He hates rats! He's scared to

death of them!

CLOSE - A HAND

As it lights a match.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL KAZIM

Dropping the lighted match into the oil-slick water.

INDY AND ELSA:

Elsa holds the torch. Indy looks around. Listens. Something

is wrong. And then he sees the GLOW OF FIRELIGHT dancing

across the Catacomb walls.

This is followed by THOUSANDS OF RATS FLEEING from around

the corner of the Narrow Passageway, STAMPEDING toward Elsa

and Indy -- SHRIEKING and SQUEALING as they approach.

The rats literally wash over them -- like a rodent tidal

wave -- in their efforts to escape a:

HUGE ORANGE BALL OF FIRE

ROARING around the corner hurtling towards them -- feeding

on the oil slick; consuming the oxygen.

Elsa SCREAMS.

INDY:

Get back! Back against the wall.

Indy braces his back against the altar and TOPPLES THE COFFIN

with his feet. It CRASHES against the stone platform and

SPLASHES into the water.

INDY:

Quick! Under it!

They jump into the water beside the bobbing, overturned

coffin.

INDY:

Air pocket!

Elsa hesitates. Indy literally DUNKS her and pushes her

underneath.

UNDER THE COFFIN

Elsa surfaces into the air pocket created by the coffin,

SPUTTERING and SPITTING.

Now Indy pops up into the air pocket. He looks at Elsa --

they are both soaking wet.

INDY:

Don't wander off.

ELSA:

What?

Indy disappears under the water and swims out from under the

coffin.

ELSA:

What?

UNDER THE WATER:

Indy swims, looking for an escape route.

UNDER THE COFFIN

The rats are beginning to force their way inside, swimming

through the water and climbing on Elsa, who squirms and

screams in terror.

Indy pops back up through the water.

INDY:

I think I've found a way out. Deep

breath.

Elsa groans. They take a deep breath and both dive under the

water.

EXT. VENICE PIAZZA - OUTDOOR CAFE - DAY

The perfect picture postcard -- St. Mark's Square and the

Grand Canal beyond. Cafe customers are startled to see Indy

and Elsa climb out of the sewer, wet and smelly. Indy looks

around at the postcard-perfect setting and smiles.

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