Lake Placid Page #11

HECTOR:

This is a setback.

KEOUGH:

You don't want to cut me down.

'Cause I'll kill you.

CUT TO:

EXT. BEACH - NIGHT

Kelly and Jack.

KELLY:

Hard to believe there could be a

monster under such peacefulness.

JACK:

I thought I might track the

shoreline tomorrow, look for

prints.

She just stares out as if she didn't hear. And he fixes his own

stare on her. Feeling it, she turns, catches him looking at

her, he diverts the stare. She feigns a non-reaction. A beat.

JACK (CONT'D)

You know they say the brain

confuses fear for passion.

KELLY:

Excuse me?

JACK:

When you get scared, the brain

releases a chemical, same chemical

it releases when somebody's...

(a beat)

in high school, the thing to do was

to take the girl to a scary movie.

KELLY:

What are you talking about?

JACK:

I'm saying between the moonlight,

a beautiful lake and a monster that

bites heads off... you look good.

KELLY:

Gee, that was so poetic, Jack. I'm

all moist.

JACK:

Forgive me for trying to be nice.

KELLY:

Nice? Nice would be "you look

pretty," nice is not some man-

eating monster has tricked my brain

into making you look good.

JACK:

I didn't say it like that.

KELLY:

You did, you--

JACK:

I was trying to pay you a

compliment, I was guising it as

science 'cause I know you're

comfortable in that arena.

Science.

KELLY:

A man just died, you're hitting on

me with science.

JACK:

Just forget it.

HECTOR:

(arriving)

Beg pardon? Sorry to intrude but

Hank seems to have gotten himself

stuck in a tree.

EXT. CAMPSITE - SECONDS LATER

Hank hangs still, upside down, from the tree, as Hector, Kelly,

and Jack approach.

HECTOR:

I probably could've accomplished

freeing him myself but he had a

look of mayhem on his upside down

face.

They arrive. Hank says nothing, he hangs there perfectly still.

KELLY:

Hank?

KEOUGH:

(calmly)

Yes.

The three exchange looks.

KELLY:

Are you okay?

KEOUGH:

(calmly; almost sweet)

Other than feeling slightly

embarrassed, I'm perfectly fine.

(then)

Could you cut me down?

HECTOR:

Promise you won't kill me, first.

KEOUGH:

(calmly)

I have no interest in ever looking

at you, Hector.

(again)

Could you please cut me down?

Jack gives Kelly a knife.

JACK:

You cut, we'll hold him.

Hector and Jack grab hold, Kelly cuts, they lower him to the

ground. He rises.

KEOUGH:

(calm)

Thank you.

(then)

I lied.

And he charges after Hector, who runs toward the beach. Keough

chases, Jack and Kelly pursue, trying to stop him. And

suddenly, exploding out of the woods, a ferocious charging

GROWL. An attack. Screams all over, a half-second of confusion

before we SEE it's a large BLACK BEAR jumping out of the

darkness, right at Hector. Hector dives out of its path.

Screams, panic, shouting, as the bear rears up on his hind legs.

Seemingly about to lunge when... exploding out of the water

the giant jaws of a crocodile.

In a flash instant, the beast engulfs the bear, twisting it,

slamming it on the ground and then pulling it into the water.

The bear fights back ferociously for a second but there can only

be one outcome here. In a matter of seconds, both bear and

crocodile have vanished. And the water is calm again.

ANGLE THE FACES:

Utter catatonia. Shock. Whatever they expected to find in this

expedition, they weren't remote prepared for that. There are

no words here. Shock is pre-empting every other human sensory.

What they just saw... a crocodile head measuring five feet rise

up out of the water and gobbled a f***ing bear. A beat. Then--

KEOUGH:

(admitting)

Okay. It's a crocodile. I'll

admit it.

A beat as they gulp air.

KELLY:

(to Jack)

You're cut.

There is a little blood over Jack's right eye. He dabs it.

KELLY (CONT'D)

(to Hector)

He was an Indo-pacific.

HECTOR:

(daunted)

Are you sure?

KELLY:

Scales were oval. It was an Asian

crocodile.

KEOUGH:

Asia? How... how could he get

here?

HECTOR:

Obviously some a**hole in Hong Kong

flushed him down a toilet.

KELLY:

He had to be thirty feet long.

Another beat.

JACK:

(charged)

Hank. The little cannon you

brought, get it. Guard the

shoreline. Otherwise, we're done.

We made the I.D., our job is

finished.

KEOUGH:

Alright, Ms. Paleontologist. I

wanna know why that monster is

here. You got a theory?

KELLY:

Why he's that big, I don't know.

Why he's here... the wetlands are

being developed, crocodiles are

moving. Australia, Fiji, the

things have started to cross

oceans.

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