Pitch Black Page #14

FRY:

Imam. Slow down.

IMAM:

What?

FRY:

Don't stop, just slow down. Little more

space 'tween us and them.

IMAM:

I would rather we all stay--

FRY:

Do what I say. Please.

EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

RIDDICK:

What's her name, anyway?

JOHNS:

What do you care?

Riddick shrugs. "I don't."

JOHNS:

Then let's not name the Thanksgiving

turkey, okay? I assume you still got a

shiv.

RIDDICK:

What, you 'spect me to do it?

JOHNS:

What's one more to you? Like this is the

one that sends you to Hell?

RIDDICK:

Oh, you're a piece of art, Johns. They

oughtta hang you in a museum somewhere.

Or forget the museum -- maybe they should

just hang you.

EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

As Fry and the others keep slowing.

EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

JOHNS:

Awright. You do the girl, I'll keep the

others off your back.

Riddick stops. Reconsiders.

JOHNS (CONT'D)

Aw, don't tell me you're growin' scruples.

RIDDICK:

(shakes head)

Just wonderin' if we don't need a bigger

piece of chum.

JOHNS:

Like who, Mr. Chrislam?

EXTREMELY TIGHT on both men: In their eyes, we see the new

partnership splintering apart: "Like Mr. Johns."

Riddick makes a play for the shotgun. It BLASTS skyward.

EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

As the fight erupts:

FRY:

Bring the light!

AUDREY:

What're they doing? What're we --

FRY:

Leave the sled, let's go, go, go!

EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

FIGHT SCENE:
Johns' light hits the ground, creating an arena of

illumination. FAST CLICKING nearby. Still struggling, Riddick

and Johns somehow manage to gang-aim the shotgun and BLAST THE

CLICKING AWAY.

The shotgun goes free. Johns lunges for it, but Riddick kicks it

into the night. And then pulls his shiv.

RIDDICK:

Gotta stay in the light, Johns. That's

the only rule.

Johns circles inside the light. F***ing with him, Riddick starts

poking and jabbing, backing him up against the wail of dark.

Johns stumbles over something. A bone. A club.

Riddick finds his own bone-club, and now they go at it like two

cavemen. Riddick beats on Johns' club-hand, breaking fingers,

forcing him to drop the bone. Just trying to get away now, Johns

makes a desperate lunge for the light, but...

Riddick shivs open his back.

RIDDICK:

Remember that moment?

Gushing blood, Johns starts crawling pathetically with the light.

Riddick dogs him.

RIDDICK:

Shoulda never took the chains off, Johns.

You were one brave f***, before. Now look

at you. Oh, yeah, you were Billy Bad-ass

with your gauge...with your chains....

Johns finds the shotgun. "And I'm still Billy Bad-ass." He

sweeps it around with the light, ready to kill...

Blackness. Where'd Riddick go?

CLICKING behind Johns. He whirls to see...

Something big coming for him. Johns BLASTS IT back into the

night, dropping the light as he does. Eyes in the back of his

head, he whirls again and takes aim on...

Another bull-rushing predator.

Johns triggers a bad round. Crazed, he ratchets and levels the

shotgun for another try. He's too late.

BIG CLOSEUP as the ejected shell rolls to a stop. It's red.

Johns loaded a morphine shell in the dark.

RIDDICK'S POV:
With Johns skewered by the armpits, the predator

lifts him off the ground and "stares" with a deceptively gentle

CLICKING-COOING SOUND.

PREDATOR'S POV:
Of Johns' final expression.

RIDDICK'S POV:
The predator rears back its head -- then slams

forward, hitting Johns with the full force of its skull-blade,

splitting him in two.

EXT. NIGHT

Fry, Imam, Audrey, Pilgrim #1. They're running, stumbling,

trying to backtrack the sled marks. Checking for pursuit, Fry

looks over her shoulder...

And crashes into Riddick. He was just standing in the dark,

waiting for them.

RIDDICK:

Back to the ship, huh?

FRY:

Get out of our way.

RIDDICK:

So everybody huddles together till the

lights burn out? Until you can't see

what's eating you? That the big plan?

IMAM:

Where's Mr. Johns?

RIDDICK:

Which half?

IMAM:

You mean....

Conflicted, they all look back. Audrey starts to puddle up.

AUDREY:

Gonna lose everybody out here....

RIDDICK:

He died fast. And if we got any choice,

that's the way we should all go out.

(to Audrey, softly)

Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare.

EXT. CANYON RIM - THE GAUNTLET - NIGHT

BLACK SCREEN. We hear the canyon in full cry now -- CLICKING...

BATTLING BONE-BLADES...MATING CRIES...the RENDING OF FLESH

and SNAPPING OF TENDON. Far below, twin flames appear as the

survivors reach the gauntlet. Predators perch in FOREGROUND,

just hulking silhouettes "watching" from a canyon rim.

EXT. START OF GAUNTLET - NIGHT

They are but five: Fry, Riddick, Audrey, Imam, and Pilgrim #1.

CLOSE on each face as they listen to the CANYON. There must be

countless predators ahead.

FRY:

How many you see?

RIDDICK:

One or two.

FRY:

Audrey?

AUDREY:

Three full bottles. But almost time to

refill.

FRY:

Doesn't seem like enough to turn back on,

does it?

RIDDICK:

Only see one way. Turn the sled over and

drag it like that, girl down low. Light

up everything we got -- and run through

like dogs on fire.

A beat.

IMAM:

(understanding)

The sled as a shield....

FRY:

And what about the cells?

RIDDICK:

I'll take those.

She looks at him hard.

FRY:

We're just here to carry your light,

aren't we? Just the torch-bearers.

RIDDICK:

Let's drop back an' boot up.

EXT. BONEYARD - NIGHT

START on the power cells. They're been lashed together into one

queue.

Working amid the giant bones, Riddick crafts a new harness from

the old straps. Close behind him, Imam is MUTTERING IN ARABIC.

RIDDICK:

What're you doin'?

IMAM:

Blessing you like the others.

(off his look)

It's painless.

RIDDICK:

And pointless.

IMAM:

(a beat)

I see. Well, even if you don't believe

in God, it doesn't mean He won't be --

RIDDICK:

You don't see.

Riddick shrugs into the harness, snugs it down.

RIDDICK (CONT'D)

'Cuz you don't spend half your life in

lock-down with a horse-bit in your mouth

and not believe. And you surely don't

start out in a liquor store trash bin with

an umbilical cord wrapped around your neck

and not believe. Oh, absolutely I believe

in God. And I absolutely hate the f***er.

IMAM:

He will be with us. Nonetheless.

RIDDICK:

Give my blessing to the girl. She needs

a spare.

EXT. START OF GAUNTLET - NIGHT

The torches. Maxed out. Burning non-stop.

Fry and Imam. Sled chains on. Lapping up O2. Each holding a

torch.

Pilgrim #1. Clutching a handlight.

Audrey. Rolling under her sled-shield, becoming the turtle in a

metal carapace.

Riddick. Goggles on. He has no desire to see what horrors will

surround them. There's just one path, anyway: Straight through.

RIDDICK:

As fast as you can.

FRY:

You sure you can keep --

RIDDICK:

As fast as you can.

EXT. THE GAUNTLET - NIGHT

SLEW OF SHOTS:
Fry and Imam on the move, dragging the shield

fast. Audrey speed-crawling beneath. Pilgrim #1 tripping along

behind the shield. And Riddick behind them all, face already

tortured, pulling 200 pounds of stubborn-mule cargo -- yet

somehow keeping pace. The torch flames, stretched by the wind,

flank them in fire.

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