The Keeping Room Page #4

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Sh*t.

He pulls a BATTERED FLASK out from his coat. He takes a

sip and WINCES. And then another. He clears his throat.

(CONTINUED)

20.

BLACK RIDER (CONT’D)

I miss the sound of a woman’s voice.

‘Specially the tough ones, cause they

still smooth in they way. The sound of it

when they wake up wantin’ some.

He remembers. He takes another swig.

BLACK RIDER (CONT’D)

Want a drop?

Suddenly Bill’s face CHANGES -

He senses something we cannot.

And then, the sound of HORSES GALLOPING.

Quickly, he stamps out the fire and pulls his horse to

the ground. The horse bristles and bays under the

surprise of the motion, but as the Black Rider lays down

on the horse’s neck, it finally submits, lying quietly on

the ground under his master.

SILHOUETTES of MEN ON HORSES pass like thunder.

The Black Rider’s face and the face of his horse are so

very close together, lying there on the cold ground,

disappeared in the darkness.

EXT. KEEPING ROOM - THE NEXT MORNING

CRACK!

An AXE and LOG descend into frame.

The axe is held by Augusta.

A piece of wood SPLINTERS in two.

Augusta resets with a new piece of wood and her axe. This

is ritualistic for her. She knocks the axe gently into

the piece of wood, the axe catching in it. Then she

raises her arms, wood and axe as one, and...

CRACK!

Augusta takes another log. Notches the Axe. Reels back.

And...

CRACK!

But there’s a SOUND behind the sound.

(CONTINUED)

21.

SHE STOPS. Listens. Did she hear it?

Nothing.

She resets -Raises

the axe and log over her head, and --

A SCREAM:

Not too far off.

She drops the axe and wood, grabs her RIFLE, and runs.

EXT. WOODS - SAME

Mad is running just up ahead of her. Augusta runs past.

They come upon Louise, on the ground, WAILING. A fresh

RED WOUND shines on her leg.

AUGUSTA:

What happened?

She looks around, trying to discover the danger.

Louise won’t focus. Augusta bends down.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

(grabbing her)

Louise! What happened?

LOUISE:

(just barely)

...raccoon.

Augusta looks around once more, but there’s nothing.

She looks at Mad.

AUGUSTA:

(to Mad)

She was supposed to be workin’ with you -

MAD:

Can’t keep my eyes on her all the time.

There’ work to do and she’s gotta learn

what’s right --

Augusta stands and SLAPS Mad.

Mad shows no sign of pain.

(CONTINUED)

22.

THEN --

Mad SLAPS Augusta.

Augusta holds her face. A long moment. She’s about to say

something, to apologize, but then --

AUGUSTA:

We best get her inside.

The women struggle to lift Louise.

INT. FARMHOUSE / BEDROOM - MORNING

Louise SWEATS and MOANS in the bed. Her eyes are half

open, searching. Augusta sits by her side, mopping her

brow. Mad stands at the foot of the bed.

Augusta lifts up the sheet to look at the bite.

It’s worse now. Swollen and angry.

AUGUSTA:

We need some medicin’.

MAD:

Maybe they got somethin’ at the Weaver

place.

Louise MOANS. Mad comes around and sits on the other side

of her. She takes the cloth from Augusta and gently wipes

Louise’s face.

MAD (CONT’D)

(to Augusta)

You should go.

Over this --

The sound of HORSE HOOVES pounding earth, gradually

getting louder, taking us to -

EXT. ROAD - MORNING

Fern goes as fast as her old body can.

Augusta rides, following the old dirt road past countless

trees and hills -- so many shades of green and brown --

that roll out BIG and QUIET around her.

23.

EXT. ROAD - LATER

The SUN is beginning to move past the center of the sky,

casting shadows, playing tricks on the world around her.

She’d almost forgotten how big some hills, how big some

trees can be. She’d almost forgotten about the world

outside her world, about the shadows and the secrets that

lie beyond the boundaries of her land.

How even during the day, the BLUE and PURPLE MIST can

fill the sky and cover the mountains with such longing

and mystery.

EXT. ROAD - LATER

As Augusta makes her way down the road, she approaches a

SMALL, ONE-STORY HOUSE set back against a clump of tall

trees.

This is the WEAVER HOUSE.

EXT. WEAVER HOUSE - SAME

Augusta dismounts Fern and drops the reigns; the old

horse isn’t going anywhere.

She approaches the HOUSE.

EXT. WEAVER HOUSE - SAME

Augusta moves to the door and knocks. It creaks open

under the weight of her fist.

AUGUSTA:

Hello?

Beat.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

Mary?

Beat.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

Clara?

Augusta goes inside.

24.

INT. WEAVER HOUSE / FRONT HALL - SAME

Augusta moves through the front hall of the house.

It doesn’t look lived in. Just the opposite: this place

has been abandoned. No noise. Just dark and quiet.

AUGUSTA:

Mary? Clara?

She goes into one of the bedrooms.

INT. WEAVER HOUSE / BEDROOM - SAME

She rummages through the cabinets, looking for something,

anything to help Louise. Problem is, she doesn’t know

what she’s looking for.

All she finds are a tintype of a baby, some sewing tools

and some unidentifiable dried HERB.

She smells the herb and sticks it in the belt of her

skirt, just in case.

She looks up and she catches a glimpse of something in a

mirror -It’s

just her own reflection. She steadies herself.

The SOUND OF FLIES slowly fades up...

INT. WEAVER HOUSE / FRONT HALL - SAME

Augusta goes back through the hallway. Now she notices

the FLIES on the WALLS and flying in the air around her.

INT. WEAVER HOUSE / ANOTHER BEDROOM - SAME

Augusta pushes open the door.

In front of her is a WOMAN sitting motionless in a CHAIR.

She leans to one side, her arm hanging down.

FLIES are EVERYWHERE.

Augusta goes to her.

AUGUSTA:

...Mary?

MARY is motionless. Her eyes WIDE OPEN.

(CONTINUED)

25.

The WOMAN is DEAD.

The DIN from the FLIES is UNBEARABLE.

Augusta SWATS them away, kneels in front of her.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

Mary.

Augusta follows her lifeless arm down to the floor where

a bottle lies, broken. Some kind of POISON.

Augusta picks up the bottle and places it on the table

next to the bed. She sits Mary straight up, not sure what

else to do.

AND THEN -Closes

her eyelids. Puts Mary’s hands in her lap.

She steps back and looks at her work.

EXT. WEAVER HOUSE - AFTERNOON

Augusta walks quickly out of the house and away from it.

Once outside, she stops and stands for a moment, trying

to catch her breath.

Is the whole world this way now?

EXT. ROAD - LATER

Augusta rides. The wilderness begins to subside.

Fern is tired. Augusta, too.

EXT. CALEB’S - LATE AFTERNOON

For all the farms and houses in the outlying areas,

Caleb’s serves as the closest thing to a town. The needs

of most are met with Caleb’s whores and Caleb’s liquor.

While it’s a stand alone building, there are usually

people and horses filling the road in front.

But now it’s virtually deserted. Augusta had no idea.

She approaches the building and sees a dog, THE DOG,

sitting out front.

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