Tarantula Page #5

You should have seen them before the fire.

They lived on nothing but our nutrient.

A rat eight times normal size.

A guinea pig big as a police dog.

A tarantula...

Lost, all lost.

What about the tarantula?

Burnt.

All burnt.

Let's take him upstairs.

- He'll sleep for a while.

- Is there any hope?

Here's something to relieve the pain.

Give him one when he wakes up.

Where are you going?

Well, the tarantula...

There's something I want to check on.

I'll phone you when I get back.

- Just set it up, Jean. Then you may go.

- Yes, sir.

Well, that was a pretty accurate analysis

you made, Doctor.

Then it is insect venom?

Well, not precisely.

It's from a species called arachnida.

- A spider?

- Well, a tarantula, to be exact.

But I've never seen venom

in such quantity before.

You know,

there's more venom in this test-tube...

than you'll find in 100 tarantulas.

You mean a tarantula that could secrete

that much venom, would be...

100 times larger than normal?

At least that.

What would you say, Doctor,

if I told you I found pools of that venom?

Four and five feet across,

two to three inches deep?

I'd say you'd been having a nightmare.

Or that you're the biggest liar

since Baron Munchausen.

It's a nightmare all right, Doctor...

but not the kind you mean,

and I'm not lying to you.

- The tarantula film is ready, Professor.

- Thank you, Jean.

Now look, I know you didn't fly 200 miles

just for a joke...

but I simply can't believe

all you're telling me.

- Good night, Professor.

- Good night, Jean.

Well, under the circumstances

we might find this interesting.

TOWNSEND:
That's the largest of tarantulas,

from South America...

and it's only a foot in diameter

with its legs outstretched.

MATT:
I know.

Our Arizona species is even smaller.

TOWNSEND:
That's right.

Not more than three inches in size.

Now there it is, coming out of its burrow.

It's got eight legs

and can move faster than you think...

which assures him of a long life.

As long as 25 years sometimes.

That's the spider wasp...

the tarantula's deadliest enemy.

See? The wasp usually wins...

but don't count on it, because the tarantula

doesn't know the meaning of fear.

As you can see,

he'll back down a rattlesnake if he has to.

See?

MATT:
They're flesh eaters, aren't they?

TOWNSEND:
Yes, and desert beetles

are their usual diet.

Those powerful jaws are strong enough

to pierce a man's finger.

There. The venom is paralysing the victim.

Tarantulas predigest their food by flooding

the wound with a powerful solvent...

so that the flesh can be sucked

into the body.

MATT:
That would account for the bones.

TOWNSEND:
Dr. Hastings,

your imagination is showing.

So that's it, Doctor.

- How deadly is the venom?

- Not deadly at all.

About as poisonous as a hornet's.

No fun, mind you, but harmless.

The few deaths that have been reported

are the result...

of germs entering the wound

at the time of the bite.

- You make them sound like pets.

- Not pets, Doctor.

Just part of the world about us.

We must accept them as we do

the rest of God's creatures.

Each has a function in its own world.

But what if circumstances magnified

one of them in size and strength?

Took it out of its primitive world

and turned it loose in ours?

Then expect something that's fiercer...

more cruel and deadly

than anything that ever walked the earth.

How about Dr. Hastings' call

to Desert Rock?

I'm afraid I won't be able to get it for you.

The lines are down between Calamite

and Desert Rock.

Be about an hour

before they can resume service.

- How'd that happen?

- I really don't know, sir.

Do you want me to try again

in about an hour?

No. Never mind. Thanks.

ED:
Here you are, Jeb.

Going to be a murky night.

Yeah.

ED:
Do you think that was lightning we saw

over to the west?

JEB:
If it was, it's the first time

I ever seen lightning throw off sparks.

ED:
Maybe one of them college boys

short-circuited his nice new Geiger counter.

ED:
What was that?

MATT:
I'm at the airport.

SHERIFF:
Oh.

- Can you hear me now?

- Yeah, yeah.

Jack, we haven't much time.

I want you to round up every available man.

Arm them...

Do what? What are you talking about?

Jack, do as I say.

Notify the State Police to meet you

at the Deemer place.

Notify the State Police? You must be drunk.

No. I haven't been drinking.

- All I want you to do is...

- I know. Just call the State Police.

Please, Jack. Believe me.

All right, I'll do it.

Thanks. I'll see you.

He's coming, Matt, I can see it!

There's Matt's car.

- What's it all about?

- Jack, turn the cars around!

- What for?

- There isn't time. I'll tell you later!

Lieutenant, look!

Jumping Jupiter!

Get those submachine guns!

You boys, get back in the car.

They won't stop it!

Matt, if it follows the highway,

it'll come right into Desert Rock.

NOLAN:
Doc, keys in your car?

MATT:
Yeah.

NOLAN:
Doc and Miss Clayton

are coming with us.

Get in. You boys, try to slow it down.

- Lf you can't, take Doc's car and follow us.

- Yes, sir.

- Come on. Start it, man!

- I can't start it.

Come on, you'll flood it.

That is correct.

You've got at the outside

30 minutes to get everybody out. Over.

MAN:
[On radio] Desert Rock will be

cleared in 30 minutes. Over.

Do you think dynamite would stop him?

Get a truck over to Murphy's,

load up all the dynamite he has.

Bring it just north of Devil's Rock.

We'll be waiting for it.

Yeah, dynamite might work.

But what if it doesn't?

You got any other suggestions, Doc?

Lt'll be light soon.

If we could get a message to the air base

at Sands.

SHERIFF:
How are you going to do that?

- Somebody could phone from town.

- Unless the lines are down.

Sergeant, I want you to phone

the commanding officer at Sands Air Base.

Any special instructions, Doc?

Yeah. If the boys have some napalm,

tell them to bring it along.

Sergeant, tell them to load up with napalm,

rockets, anything they've got.

Hurry it up, boys!

- That's the last of it, Mr. Murphy.

- That's it, Joe.

There isn't another stick of dynamite

in the whole town.

Here. Prime them on the way.

- See you later, I hope.

- You will.

All right. Let her roll!

Don't forget to prime them!

NOLAN:
Pull her right in here, boys!

Pull her in here.

Right across the road. Come on!

Lend a hand, boys!

Watch it now! They're all primed!

Where do you want this dynamite?

- Across the road.

- Shake it up, boys! Lend a hand!

Watch it now! Put the boxes

right down there across the road.

All right, let's go.

NOLAN:
Come on, boys.

Get them down here!

- All right. Here we go.

- Come on, get that dynamite down here.

All right. Beautiful.

- Do you think it will work?

- Dynamite's tricky stuff.

It may blow it up.

It may just blow the highway up.

Doggone, I wish we had some nitro.

I'll have to see that tarantula

before I believe it.

You'll see it, Joe,

and you'll wish you hadn't.

Let's go! Get those wires hooked up.

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