The Ghost and the Darkness Page #12

CUT TO:

REDBEARD AND PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. A lot of tension.

REDBEARD:

The best way to ensure the kill

when you're using trackers is for

one to shoot while the other uses

the trackers to force the lion

toward the shooter. Have you ever

led trackers?

PATTERSON:

(He hasn't)

I can try.

REDBEARD:

(no good)

Samuel says you killed a lion.

PATTERSON:

It was probably luck- I'd rather

you did the shooting.

REDBEARD:

You'd never force the lion to me-

and nobody ever got a lion with

one shot by luck.

(points- hand out

straight)

Around there's a clearing- you'll

know it from the anthills- get

there and hide and listen to the

sounds- I'll make the lion come

directly to you.

(He gestures for

Patterson to take

off and as he does-)

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS as Redbeard goes to them-

REDBEARD:

(as Samuel translates)

-all of you- spread the width of

the clearing- no gaps- go-

(claps his hands once)

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, spreading apart.

CUT TO:

THE SUN. Starting to appear more strongly on the horizon.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, running like hell.

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, moving quickly, silently.

CUT TO:

A THICK CLUSTER 0F THORN TREES.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, ducking his head, blasting through.

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, starting to cover the entire width of the thicket.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, quickstepping over rocky terrain.

CUT TO:

SAMUEL staying close to Redbeard. The fear is there.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD, studying the position of the Warriors, who are almost

ready.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, circling now, racing toward a clearing, picking up

speed.

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, spread out. They look to Redbeard.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD. Not yet.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, racing into the clearing, glances around- lots of

anthills.

CUT TO:

AN ANTHILL, eight feet high. It casts a long shadow.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON. Holding Hawthorne's marvelous rifle, he slips silently

into the shadow.

HOLD ON PATTERSON- it's almost as if he weren't there.

CUT SHARPLY TO:

REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Suddenly screaming and

CUT TO:

SAMUEL, screaming too and

CUT TO:

THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, suddenly moving forward, all of them

shouting and screaming and pounding on their drums and it is loud.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON in the shadow. The noise is faint- but he can hear it.

CUT TO:

A DOZEN DRUMMERS, moving forward, banging away.

CUT TO:

A DOZEN MORE DRUMMERS, even louder.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD, moving forward, his eyes flicking ahead-

CUT TO:

THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON. Just the least bit louder now.

CUT TO:

THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, screaming and pounding and

CUT TO:

SAMUEL- the fear worse, dogging Redbeard's steps.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD. His eyes flicking ahead.

CUT TO:

THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON. It's a lot louder now. He's totally still. And he's

ready.

CUT TO:

THE DENSEST PART OF THE THICKET we've seen yet.

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, slashing their way through, drumming and shouting

and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD, at their head, eyes, as always, flicking.

CUT TO:

THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD- starting to suddenly get louder and point-

-because something is there-

CUT BACK TO:

THE THICKET AHEAD, and we didn't see it before, only Redbeard saw

it before-

-but now something begins to move and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and it's all going crazy now, and

they're starting to move faster and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON IN THE SHADOW.

The noise has kicked up and all the time it's coming closer and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and the movement up ahead is more

distinct and the Warriors are almost in a frenzy as we

CUT TO:

A FLASH OF THE GHOST IN THE THICKET- eyes bright- it starts to

move away from the sound-

-and toward where Patterson is waiting.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD. Faster, screaming louder and

CUT TO:

SAMUEL and the fear starting to leave and he screams louder too

and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON- he fingers the weapon.

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, angrily retreating faster from the sound- and now

instead of going straight back it begins to veer left and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD, immediately spotting the shift, gesturingto the Warriors

to get left and

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, shifting over as Redbeard directed, blocking The

Ghost's intended path and

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, shifting, trying to go the other way this time and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD; he spots that too, gestures for the Warriors to shift

the other way and

CUT TO:

THE WARRIORS, racing to thier new positions, blocking the animal's

path again and

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, rattled, upset, and now it starts retreating back in

the original direction- toward Patterson and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD AND THE WHOLE LONG LINE OF MEN, and it's as if mass

hysteria has gripped them, because their sound keeps building and

sure, their throats must ache and yes, their arms must tire, but

you couldn't tell that from what they're doing-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON. Waiting by the anthill. Waiting. Then, at last-

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, backing into view, staring back at the sound, unaware

of Patterson's existence behind him.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON. Noiselessly he steps away from the anthill into the

sunlight. He raises Hawthorne's gun.

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, backing toward Patterson.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, sighting along the glistening barrel.

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, starting to turn.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, ready to fire.

CUT TO:

THE GHOST IN CLOSE UP, CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF THE RIFLE. And

now its lips go back as it sees Patterson.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, CLOSE UP, and this is it, this is the moment and as he

squeezes the trigger-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON AND THE GHOST, and a totally unexpected sound- a dull

snap- Hawthorne's rifle has misfired.

CUT TO:

THE GHOST, unharmed and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON desperately workingthe rifle, trying to make it function

and

CUT TO:

THE GHOST. It stares at Patterson.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, and the goddamn gun won't work and he's a dead man and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON AND THE GHOST-

-and for a moment, they might be frozen in some horrible tableau-

-THEN THE GHOST ROARS-

CUT TO:

REDBEARD as he hears it, breaking into a wild run-

REDBEARD:

Shoot for chrissakes!-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON standing his ground as now THE GHOST takes a step toward

him.

CUT TO:

REDBEARD, firing, reloading on the move, and up ahead is the

clearing and as he reaches it-

CUT TO:

THE GHOST. Its great head turns in the direction of Redbeard and

CUT TO:

REDBEARD's position- anthills block him from getting a clear shot

at the animal- he curses, races for a better position and

CUT TO:

THE GHOST. One final stare at Patterson-

-then it makes an effortless leap intothe thicket-

-and it's safe and free and gone.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Rocked.

The low point of his life.

CUT TO:

SAMUEL, catching up to Redbeard.

SAMUEL:

Did you ever see a lion that size?

REDBEARD:

Not even close.

(Now he moves to

Patterson)

What happened?

PATTERSON:

(a whisper)

...misfire... it jammed...

REDBEARD:

Has it ever done that before?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes