Red Planet Page #6

RACHEL:

That's enough of that kind of talk!

LOUIS:

I just said--

RACHEL:

I know what you just said. Ellie,

clear your place.

ELLIE goes slowly back to the table.

ELLIE (sets the plate down)

I'm scared. What if school here isn't

like in Chicago! I'm scared and I want

to go h-h-home!

ELLIE bursts into loud tears and puts her hands over her face.

INT. THE KITCHEN, A NEW ANGLE (FEATURES LOUIS AND RACHEL)

THE CAMERA FOLLOWS as they go to the table to comfort ELLIE.

RACHEL:

You'll be fine, Ellie. Now you can be

excused. Go and wash your face.

LOUIS:

And Church will be fine.

ELLIE (anxious)

Do you promise, Daddy?

LOUIS:

Well, honey...you know that...

RACHEL:

Don't shilly-shally, Louis. Give

the little girl her promise.

LOUIS (reluctantly)

Church will be fine. I promise.

ELLIE:

Yayyyy!

She runs off, cheered up. And RACHEL is cheered up, too.

RACHEL:

Thank you, Louis.

LOUIS:

Oh, you're welcome. Only if some-

thing should go wrong while he's under

the gas--it's a one-in-a-thousand shot,

but it happens--you explain to her.

He gets up and leaves the table. She looks after him, stunned and

a little frightened.

INT. GAGE

GAGE (conversationally)

Here, Durch!

He picks up a large glob of scrambled eggs from his tray and

throws it in the direction of the cat-carrier.

INT. THE CAT-CARRIER

CHURCH is close to the mesh, looking out. Scrambled eggs hit the

mesh, driving him back, surprised.

EXT. THE CREED HOUSE MORNING

The school bus pulls up, red lights flashing. ELLIE runs toward it

across the lawn, with her lunch-box.

EXT. LOUIS, RACHEL, AND GAGE, IN THE FRONT DOORWAY

RACHEL:

Have a great day!

LOUIS grabs GAGE'S hand and makes him wave it.

GAGE:

Bye-bye!

EXT. THE BUS

ELLIE climbs aboard. The red flashers go out and the bus pulls

away.

EXT. THE CREED DRIVEWAY MORNING

The station wagon is parked there. LOUIS comes out with a heavy

briefcase in one hand and the cat-carrier in the other. He opens

the wagon's doorgate.

A small car turns into the CREED driveway and parks beside LOUIS.

A rather sour-looking middle-aged woman gets out and crosses the

front of her car. Her color is bad. This is MISSY DANDRIDGE. She

looks at the cat-carrier.

MISSY:

Gonna get his--

LOUIS:

--nuts cut, yes. Thank you, Missy,

for introducing that colorful phrase

into my daughter's vocabulary.

MISSY:

Don't mention it.

She opens the passenger side door of her car and we see a big neat

pile of folded sheets. She reaches for them, then winces and

presses her hands against her midriff for a moment, as if with an

attack of indigestion.

LOUIS (sees this)

How's that belly-ache of yours?

MISSY (gets the sheets)

No better and no worse.

LOUIS:

You ought to see a doctor about it.

MISSY:

It'll pass. They always do.

She starts toward the house with the sheets.

EXT. THE SIDE YARD MORNING

RACHEL hurries past MISSY, who turns to look and then goes on into

the house. LOUIS has just put the cat-carrier into the back of the

wagon and closed the doorgate as RACHEL reaches him.

RACHEL (anxious)

Still friends, doc?

LOUIS appears to consider this seriously for a moment...and then

he smiles and hugs her. They kiss.

RACHEL:

Thank God. I was a little worried

there. Have a great first day at

school, doc. No broken bones.

LOUIS (smiles)

Not so much as a sprain.

EXT. VICTOR PASCOW AND FRIENDS MORNING

PASCOW is in a blanket that is being carried by three boys and one

girl. They are all yelling at each other not to joggle him, not to

drop him. A small knot of horrified college kids moves with the

bearers.

PASCOW'S head is upside down to the CAMERA, which retreats ahead

of the advancing students. Fixed eyes stare. Half of his head has

been shattered inward. Before the catastrophe he was a husky male

of about twenty. He's dressed in a U of M muscle shirt and red

jogging shorts.

THE CAMERA PULLS JERKILY TO ONE SIDE, allowing the bearers to

mount the steps of a brick building. The infirmary. The lookers-on

break to either side. The infirmary doors open.

EXT.. NURSE CHARLTON, AT THE DOORS

She's the head nurse, a tough old babe of about fifty.

CHARLTON:

Holy Jesus.

(turns)

Steve! Steve! Dr. Creed! Dr. Creed,

we've got a mess here! Stat!

The bearers sweep past her and inside, leaving a red smear of

blood across the midriff of MARCY CHARLTON'S uniform.

INT. THE INFIRMARY RECEPTION AREA

THE CAMERA will show us all we need to see, but its movements will

seem almost random; this is like being in the hotel kitchen after

Sirhan shot Bobby.

As the students bring in PASCOW, LOUIS comes running, followed by

STEVE MASTERTON, his P.A. Standing to one side are two student

nurses in candystriper uniforms. They're boggled and horrified.

LOUIS kneels. THE CAMERA RUSHES FORWARD, shoving between

onlookers. LOUIS looks at the wound. There's shattered bone and

pulsing brain tissue beneath.

There's a scream; the girl who was carrying one corner of the

blanket is having hysterics.

GIRL:

Vic! Vic! Oh Christ! Vic!

LOUIS (to CHARLTON)

Get her out. Get them all out.

CHARLTON puts her arms around the girl.

GIRL (struggling)

No! No! He can't die! He can't die!

THE CAMERA MOVES BACK DOWN as LOUIS takes an opthalmascope from

STEVE and shines it in PASCOW'S bulging, fixed eyes.

CHARLTON is just pushing the last of them gawkers and bearers out

the door.

LOUIS:

Steve, get the ambulance over here

right now. He's got to go to EMMC.

STEVE:

The ambulance is at Sonny's Sunoco

downtown, getting--

LOUIS:

--a new muffler, oh sh*t--

PASCOW makes a weird gargling noise. Blood suddenly spurts out of

his mouth. He begins to seizure.

One of the candystripers shrieks. THE CAMERA JERKS UP TO COVER the

student nurses. One turns and throws up on the wall.

CHARLTON rushes over.

CANDYSTRIPER:

I can't look at it...I can't stand it...

CHARLTON (slaps her)

Yes you by God can. Go get the hard

stretcher!

As they start away, one helping the other down the hall, and as

CHARLTON starts over to where PASCOW lies dying on his blanket,

THE CAMERA DROPS TO LOUIS AND STEVE.

LOUIS:

Help me hold him.

They hold PASCOW'S spasming body.

STEVE:

It wouldn't matter if we did have

the ambulance.

LOUIS:

It wouldn't matter if we had the SST.

PASCOW begins to quiet.

LOUIS:

He's going. Steve, go call the motor-

pool. Marcy, roll out the crash wagon.

CHARLTON:

It won't--

LOUIS:

I know it won't! But let's for God's

sake do it by the rules!

She leaves. LOUIS is alone with PASCOW. CHARLTON has drawn the

drapes, so the doctor and the dying man have complete if temporary

privacy.

INT. LOUIS AND PASCOW, A CLOSER SHOT

LOIS:

There wasn't even supposed to be a

sprain today, my friend--that's what

I told her.

PASCOW'S fixed eyes suddenly roll and his left hand bear-traps

LOUIS'S right wrist. The dying man pulls him slowly but

relentlessly down, until their faces are only inches apart.

PASCOW:

...Pet Sematary...

LOUIS recoils, breaking the grip of the hand...but he cannot quite

snap the grip of those bright dying eyes. Blood leaks from

PASCOW'S mouth.

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