Lake Placid Page #10

Suddenly about thirty feet away... we SEE fish breaking water.

KELLY (CONT'D)

Sh*t!! Hank!!

The boat is zooming toward her. It arrives. As Keough and

Burke go to pull her aboard, we see a dark shadow rising.

BURKE:

(screaming)

Look out!!

And Jack explodes out of the water, it was his shadow. Keough

and Burke pull them both aboard.

KEOUGH:

(back to Kelly)

Are you alright?

KELLY:

I think. My hair.

(then)

Where's Hector?!

(to Jack)

Where is he?

JACK:

We went in different directions.

That water is thick, you can't see

through it!

EXT. UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Hector is swimming toward the surface. Suddenly... a shadow

looms over him. He looks up.

HIS P.O.V.

There is no boat. We can't see it, just a big shadowy mass.

RESUME HECTOR:

He's scared.

CUT TO:

EXT. LAKE - CONTINUOUS

KEOUGH:

(into headset)

Hector! Hector, we got dragged off

position, when you surface, you

gotta yell.

EXT. UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Hector is still charging toward the surface. The lack of

visibility is frightening, something could be six feet away and

he wouldn't know it.

EXT. LAKE - CONTINUOUS

KELLY:

(pointing)

There's bubbles over there! Look!

Keough quickly maneuvers the boat to where Kelly indicated,

under--

KELLY (CONT'D)

There he is. Here he comes!

And Keough has the boat to him as Hector breaks surface.

And they quickly pull Hector on board, all attention is on

Hector as they lean over to rescue him. On the far right... two

eyes... moving closer to the oblivious rescuers.

Slowly moving in, everybody is so preoccupied with Hector,

Deputy Burke, at the end of the boat, is leaning way over to see

Hector. If only he knew what he's not seeing. The eyes come

closer. They're now in the water right below Burke's head. How

can he not see it? A beat. Another beat. Then... suddenly, a

mouth, a dragon, teeth, something, flashes from the water--

snap. And Deputy Burke's head is simply gone as his limp body

hangs over the boat. Kelly screams in horror.

In a microsecond, Burke's head and life are both gone. OFF

their stunned faces, as Kelly continues to scream we:

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMPSITE - SUNSET

Burke's body is being loaded into an ambulance. People move in

silence, the wake of tragedy. A few State Troopers are on the

scene.

KEOUGH:

(giving a statement)

Nobody actually saw it. It

happened sudden.

PAN TO FIND Kelly, staring almost blankly, as Jack, finishing a

phone call, approaches. He measures her expression, she's still

in shock.

JACK:

You okay?

(nothing)

Kelly?

KELLY:

Yeah.

(then)

Nobody saw anything?

JACK:

No.

(then)

U.S. Wildlife is on their way.

KELLY:

That's probably good.

JACK:

Police want to keep it quiet, if

the press gets word... lake

monster. They just want us to sit

tight.

ANGLE KELLY:

She is visibly undone, she appears almost to be fighting off

shock. Jack puts his hands on her shoulder to steady her.

JACK:

Are you okay?

KELLY:

Um... y'know...

(swallows)

Yeah.

Jack can see she's willing herself to be stoic.

JACK:

A man died. You don't have to be

so tough.

She nods, appreciatively. Part of her would love to collapse

into him but a bigger part demands that she remain stoic.

KELLY:

I'm fine. I uh... I'm fine.

PAN TO FIND Keough, walking. Still visibly shaken. He

unwittingly approaches Hector. They hold a look.

HECTOR:

(genuine)

I'm sorry.

A beat.

HECTOR (CONT'D)

Was he a good man?

KEOUGH:

Yup.

HECTOR:

Whenever somebody dies I consider

it such a waste that I didn't know

him better.

A beat. Then--

KEOUGH:

(fighting off disbelief;

shock maybe)

His head was just... bitten off.

HECTOR:

(sadly)

I used to have this recurring

nightmare that I was headless.

Keough turns to stare at him with incredulity.

HECTOR (CONT'D)

(quietly rattling it off)

I'd be on the ground looking up at

my body, no head, walking around

bumping into everything. And my

parents wouldn't let me in the

house 'cause they'd just bought all

these new antique lamps and they

were afraid I'd knock them over,

made sense, and meanwhile, the

neighborhood bullies would see my

round little head on the ground

looking like a ball, and they'd

come rushing over to start up a

game of soccer. I'd actually feel

grateful just for being allowed

into the contest, that's esteem for

you, what are your thoughts?

Keough has had enough of this guy.

KEOUGH:

(a powder keg)

You know, Hector, I'm sure you're

a fine person in your own mental

way. But I think it would be best

if you and I didn't speak.

And Keough heads off. He takes about four steps... then SNAP.

Up goes his upside-down body like a rocket. He's stepped in

Hector's spring-bow trap. A beat. He swings upside-down like

a pendulum. Another beat.

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