The Omega Man Page #10

LISA:

God Almighty, Countermeasures to what...?

DUTCH:

To somebody poisoning your well.

Neville grins.

NEVILLE:

Where did you pick up on that?

DUTCH:

Med school, I was a senior when they scratched the whole world. I was going to apply to Biowar Labs for a post-doc, but the next term never came.

Neville is surprised, touched.

NEVILLE:

I'm sorry you didn't make it.

LISA:

If you all are done with the mutual admiration, you reckon we can go on Into Richie?

NEVILLE:

Richie?

They walk toward house.

DUTCH:

Lisa’s brother. He looks like he’s about to go over.

CLOSE SHOT NEVILLE

He frowns uncomprehendingly.

NEVILLE:

Go over...?

TWO SHOT- DUTCH AND NEVILLE

They have reached house now head down hall into darkened bedroom.

DUTCH:

Oh, that's right. You've only seen the tertiary cases ... We’re primary, you see.

Neville is stunned. It simply has not occurred to him that the young people are also victims of the plague.

DUTCH:

When it hit, the older people either died outright or went to the third stage pretty fast. You know: blindness in light, albinism, psychotic delusions, occasional stages of torpor: like Matthias and his gang.

NEVILLE:

And you?

DUTCH:

Some of the younger people had a kind of resistance. We...hold out. One or two of us are a little bit light sensitive, but otherwise all right. But Ritchie’s going. He's advanced secondary.

GROUP SHOT - AT DOOR OF BEDROOM A girl comes out.

LISA:

How is he?

GIRL:

(shaking head)

No better. The color is gone from his skin, Lisa. He’s almost white.

Lisa shakes her head.

LISA:

If he wasn't out of his head already, that’d really blow his mind.

Dutch laughs without humor, lights a candle. They step INTO darkened room, close to bed. They look down to see a BOY lying on bed, tossing. His skin Is light- not dead white, but very light--though his features are African. His hair is natural, but also light His eyes, when he opens them, are white, but only iris is missing. Pupil is still visible. Neville leans down over him, studying him. This is our first chance to see Neville as Doctor.

LISA:

Well...?

NEVILLE:

Shut up.

SERIES OF SHOT - NEVILLE AND RICHIE

He goes over Richie carefully, checking vital signs, blood pressure, reflexes, etc.

DUTCH (O.S.)

He could hold here for weeks and then come up one of Matthias' monsters--or he could go over in ten minutes.

NEVILLE:

(still examining Richie)

So they go through fever and delirium passing from your state to Matthias'? And then, At Matthias, they hold again. Indefinitely.

CLOSE SHOT - DUTCH

DUTCH:

I've seen them go over before. I almost got killed last summer by a friend. He went over without any warning. When I looked away. he was kind of pale and: his hair was going. When I looked back he didn't have any eyes.

MED. SHOT - GROUP

NEVILLE:

(looking up)

What did you do...?

Dutch shrugs, looks At Neville steadily.

DUTCH:

Why doctor, I did like you do. I killed the son of a b*tch.

LISA:

(insistently)

Listen, if the Masonic rites are over, how about Richie?

Neville rises and they walk INTO NEXT ROOM. Other KIDS sit around reading, playing guitar, eating.

NEVILLE:

We'll take him to my place. I've got most of what I need there.

LISA:

(scornfully)

Is there anything you can do, Doctor? You’ve lost 200 million patients already.

Neville studies her a moment.

NEVILLE:

I don't have it.

LISA:

Have what? Time, a care?

NEVILLE:

I don't have the plague. I'm immune.

REACTION SHOT - GROUP OF YOUNGSTERS

Even Lisa looks awed. Dutch frowns, confused.

DUTCH:

Everybody...has it

NEVILLE:

(quietly)

Everybody but me. There was a vaccine. Only an experimental batch. We never thought...

PAN SHOT - YOUNGSTERS

They watch Neville expressionless

DUTCH:

If' you're immune, then your...

NEVILLE:

My blood could be a serum. At this stage the antibodies might turn it around ... stop it...

DISSOLVE TO:

LONG SHOT - OLD TRUCK ON FREEWAY

MED. SHOT - BACK OF TRUCK, NEVILLE, LISA, RICHIE, OTHERS

Richie is completely covered to keep him from the light.

MED SHOT - BACK OF TRUCK - TWO SHOT Neville and Dutch are talking.

NEVILLE:

...nothing with drugs. Its got to be the serum.

DUTCH:

Couldn’t you reconstitute the vaccine?

NEVILLE:

I tried. Have you got any Idea how many steps it takes to synthesize an antibiotic specific to this bag?

SERIES OF FLASH CUTS INTERCUT DURING SPEECH

Showing Neville CAPTURING one of Matthias creatures, RESTRAINING him, INJECTING him with various drugs. CLOSE SHOTS of Neville’s face, the creatures face. As Neville INJECTS him again, the creature breaks loose, smashes a flask over Neville’s head, RUNS toward elevator, falls, clutching throat, dies.

NEVILLE (CON'T)

I caught one of. Matthias creatures. I used everything on the shelves

DUTCH:

And...?

NEVILLE:

He goddamned near killed me. And then he died very badly himself.

MED. SHOT - BACK OF TRUCK - ANOTHER ANGLE

DUTCH:

So it's...

NEVILLE:

Very tight, doctor. Very tight, Indeed.

LONG-SHOT - TRUCK IN CITY STREETS

MED. SHOT -TRUCK AT NEVILLE'S PLACE'

They are at garage door unloading Richie carefully.

MED. SHOT INT. APARTMENT

Elevator DOOR OPENS. Reaction of Lisa, Dutch, small girl, others to apartment. They STEP OUT, amazed at the art, the beauty of left side. Lisa turns, sees arsenal, lab.

LISA:

I see where you do your heavy thinking.

MED. SHOT - NEVILLES ART, BOOKS IN B.G.

NEVILLE:

That side keeps this side going. You can't have one without the other.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - LISA, ARSENAL, LAB IN B.G.

LISA:

(sardonically)

Like love and marriage...?

CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE

NEVILLE:

(sardonically)

That’s the way they used to sing the song.

GROUP SHOT:

They take Richie down through lab side of apartment. At end is a door, OPENS, another room there. Bed, etc.

NEVILLE:

The guest room.

Lisa looks at dust, cobwebs.

LISA:

You weren't expecting us...

Neville pauses in helping put Richie in bed, looks up at Lisa.

NEVILLE:

No, I wasn't expecting you.

MED. SHOT - NEVILLE AND DUTCH IN LAB AREA

We SEE Lisa still in B.G. through doorway looking after Richie, youngsters looking everywhere in apartment.

NEVILLE:

I’ll need some help.

DUTCH:

This place spooks the kids. They're used to the country.

FLASH CUT OF SMALL GIRL AWED BY-LAB EQUIPMENT

MED. SHOT - NEVILLE AND DUTCH IN LAB AREA

DUTCH:

Lisa is all the help you’ll need. You'll make out just fine.

They exchange glances.

NEVILLE:

Id almost forgotten how it was to have people that matter to you.

DUTCH:

That's all the mattering there is.

MED. SHOT - EXT. PLAZA

As the youngsters climb back into truck, one, a little girl, comes to Neville who stands with Lisa. Dutch stands nearby. She looks up At Neville.

CLOSE SHOT - CHILD

CHILD:

They come at night, the Family; they come in the dark, and some of the kids say they’ll take Ritchie’s soul and put it in a bag, and give it to the Devil! That's what some of the kids say

Rate this script:4.0 / 1 vote