The Omega Man Page #4

MED. CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE

SHOT is across chessboard, through pieces from busts POINT OF VIEW. Neville is grinning sardonically. He raises the rifle in salute.

NEVILLE:

Hall Caesar! And what do you suppose Brother Matthias is going to say about that?

CUT TO:

MED. LONG BOOM SHOT - NEVILLE AT TABLE

SHOT is from outside window. CAMERA IMMEDIATELY PULLS BACK farther and farther until we SEE Neville's penthouse, a circle of brilliant light in an ocean of surrounding darkened buildings, no street lights. CAMERA HOLDS when penthouse is only a small glimmer of light. (Matte)

DISSOLVE TO:

CLOSE SHOT - FIRE IN FOG.

Fire flickers as CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal that it Is made 'up of burning books. CAMERA PANS titles: Molecular Biology, Astrophysics, etc. In B.G. we see many members of the Family systematically wrecking scientific and computer equipment.

MATTHIAS (O.S.)

Three? You're sure? Not three.

ZACHARY (O.S.)

Three, Brother. Two were inside the garage when he brought down the door, We heard the shooting. Then Joshua...

CAMERA TURNS RIGHT, bringing Matthias INTO FRAME, CLOSE SHOT, head and shoulders. Matthias has dead-white hair, complexion, wears enormous sunglasses with reflecting lenses.

MATTHIAS:

The light, you have to stay clear of the light...

CAMERA PULLS BACK, revealing Zachary. He Is like Matthias, white with sunglasses. But his hair Is natural and his features clearly African. Zachary speaks defensively.

ZACHARY:

Brother, there wasn't no light... That cat hit Joshua in pitch black...

MATTHIAS:

He cant see in the dark-...anymore than we can In the light.

Zachary shrugs.

ZACHARY:

Go tell him. Brother. He sees good enough, dark or light.

Matthias walks in the glare of flames, wrecking continues In B.G. His dialogue is delivered sadly, reasonably at first.

MATTHIAS:

One creature... caught in a place he can't stir from in the dark. One lone man...

ZACHARY:

He ain't a man, Brother.

MATTHIAS:

No, no, you're right. But he is alone, outnumbered hundreds to one, with nothing to live for but memories ...nothing to live with but his gimmicks and gadgetry, his guns and ears...and yet the whole Family cant bring him down out of that...that...

ZACHARY:

Pig-paradise, Brother?

MED. CLOSE TWO SHOT - MATTHIAS AND ZACHARY

Matthias smiles sadly.

MATTHIAS:

Forget the old ways, Brother, the old hatreds, the old pains. The Family is one...

Zachary nods, matching Matthias grin.

ZACHARY:

Hog heaven, then...

But Matthias is getting worked up.

MATTHIAS:

Its not a joke, Brother. Remember the word! That thing, that Neville, is a creature of the wheel! He uses forbidden weapons, to6.ls! He has the power of Hell In those evil things!

CLOSE SHOT - ZACHARY

He is agitated, tired of hearing this. He has told them before that he can bring Neville down. He tries again.

ZACHARY:

Well, let me put the power on him. Look...

CAMERA FOLLOWS his pointing finger. In a glass-fronted refrigeration unit are flasks of nitroglycerin. CAMERA SNAPS BACK to ZACHARY.

ZACHARY:

...or there's cannons. I can go to the old Guard armory. I could get a rocket-launcher ... Just turn me loose...

MED. SHOT - GROUP - MATTHIAS AND FAMILY

We SEE that a group of five or six others who are like Matthias have gathered around while others continue destruction in B.G. The group mumble amongst themselves, shake their heads. Matthias answers him, as if he were explaining to a child.

MATTHIAS:

Oh, yes, Brother, you could do that. Any one of us could. But if we did, the curse would begin once more, don't you see that?

CLOSE SHOT - ZACHARY

Zachary is sullen.

ZACHARY:

I see that bastard living In the light like God whilst we rot and hide down here like grubs ... What do you reckon will happen if he hunts as out while We sleep?

MED. GROUP SHOT MATTHIAS, ZACHARY, OTHERS

MATTHIAS:

Put it out of mind, Brother. He will be destroyed. But not by guns and explosives. They are forbidden. They are never to be used again. When we have cleansed the word the flood of our righteousness will sweep it all away...

As Matthias speaks he picks up a book and hurls it toward the fire, knocking elaborate glass structure down.

MATTHIAS:

And Neville will be brought down... down to the Family and judgment. For blasphemy, for murder...

As he speaks SLOW DISSOLVE from fire, grown larger now, engulfing whole building behind, to brightly lit top story of Neville's apartment.'

VERY LONG SHOT TOP STORY OF NEVILLE'S APARTMENT

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

MED. LONG SHOT - EMPTY STREET, EARLY MORNING

The street is one of those with many apartment-hotels, etc., as on portions of Wilshire Blvd. SHOT is through trees, grass is tall in the-lawns, etc. We HEAR NOTHING at first but BIRDS. Then we HEAR the SOUND of someone RUNNING. CAMERA TURNS, finds a LONE FIGURE RUNNING TOWARD IT. SHOT. should be made INTO RISING SUN, sun rays refracted and diffused around dark silhouette of figure.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE RUNNING

He is in sweat suit, the shirt has JOHNS HOPKINS in large letters on front, his stun gun is on sling over shoulder, canteen and pouches in utility belt at waist. Flashlight, knife, etc. There is also a small tape recorder hung on belt. Neville continues to run, looking from time to time at numbers on buildings. At last he stops in front of a building, inspects it. He is breathing hard.

NEVILLE:

...And Big Bob Neville shakes off the last of the tacklers and scores with fifty thousand fans tearing up the stands... Another six for Hopkins...yea. Neville.

He squats, pulls map from pouch, studies it, speaks into small tape-mike. CAMERA MOVES OUT FOR MED. LONG SHOT OF NEVILLE, down ANGLE from building POINT OF VIEW.

NEVILLE:

This is 6306 Rimini Boulevard, sector two. The last six blocks have been clean. In the 5500 block, some signs they'd been foraging for food in a small drive-in grocery.

(sardonically)

You'd think prices would keep them in the super markets.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE

He unlimbers stun gun, checks it, sets it down, checks flashlight. Then he opens canteen, squats and drinks. Assumption is, it's whiskey. He gargles a little, spits it out, studies the building narrow-eyed. Talks into recorder.

NEVILLE:

You've got to hand it to the bastards. They cover their tracks. It's been a damn year now.

Drinks again, lets mike-hang, eyes distant in thoughts

NEVILLE:

If I could find the nest, find where he stays there’d be an end-run, and an end game, sure enough...

He gets up, closes canteen, picks up equipment.

NEVILLE:

But what would I do then...?

CUT TO:

SERIES OF SHOTS - NEVILLE SEARCHING

He moves through dark corridors, into rooms. He is very efficient in his checking, spending only a few moments in each place.

MED. SHOT - INT. ROOM

Dark, dusty, light falling through half-closed blind. SHOT is ACROSS BED. Neville kicks open door, sees bed. There is someone or something apparently in it. Neville jerks back sheet, stun gun ready.

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