The Thing Page #10

Several of the men nearest the carcasses jump back

knocking over a chair.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT - CLOSE ON THE DOG CARCASSES

lying on the snow. Splash. They are being soaked with

gasoline.

FUCHS (O.S.)

(in violent

protestation)

You can't do this! You can't burn

these remains...

Pull back. Fuchs is beside himself. Childs has the large

torch. MacReady empties another can on the bodies. Dr.

Copper stands nearby.

MACREADY:

And the horse you rode in on, Fuchs.

(to Childs)

Light it up.

Childs lights the tip. Fuchs makes a determined move for

the torch.

FUCHS:

Well, I'm not going to let this

happen...

Childs struggles with him for a beat and then flings him

to the ground. Dr. Copper grabs him preventing him from

getting back up.

Childs splays the remains with a jet of flame. Fuchs

shakes his head in frustration and disgust.

FUCHS:

I just can't believe it... We're

going to go down as the biggest

bunch of a**holes in history...

MACREADY:

F*** history. At least we're going

to live to be an old bunch of

a**holes.

CUT TO:

INT. KENNEL - NIGHT

The night feeding. Clark dishes out the food. Blair is

taking blood samples from the remaining three dogs.

BLAIR:

(perplexed, bothered)

Clark, did you notice anything

strange about that dog? Just

anything at all? Any little thing?

CLARK:

No. Just that he recovered real

quick... That night when I found him

in the rec room, he had already

scraped off his bandage. Before I

put him with the others, I redressed

his wound and noticed it had healed

up real good...

A beat as Blair stares at Clark.

BLAIR:

That night?

CLARK:

(pets dog vigorously)

Yeah.

BLAIR:

What was he doing in the rec room?

CLARK:

Well, after I worked on him --

thought I'd let him rest. Left the

room for a bit. When I came back,

he was gone.

BLAIR:

Well, where was he? Where did he

go?

CLARK:

Don't know. Looked for him for a

bit... couldn't find him.

BLAIR:

(a long beat)

You're saying he wasn't put into the

kennel until the night?

Clark seems uneasy under Blair's intense gaze.

CLARK:

Well... yeah.

Blair stands, his eyes still glued to Clark.

BLAIR:

How long were you with the dog?

Alone, I mean?

CLARK:

Ah... He was hurt bad. Bullet

nicked an artery... I don't know...

An hour... hour and a half...

Blair's eyes glaze as if in revelation.

CLARK:

What the hell you looking at me like

that for?

BLAIR:

Nothing. Nothing at all.

He backs out of the kennel.

INT. HALLWAY - COMPOUND

Irritated, distressed, station manager Garry moves briskly

down the hall. Blair, worried and pale, tries to keep up

with him.

BLAIR:

... It could have gotten to

somebody...

GARRY:

Anybody sick?

BLAIR:

No, I... I don't mean infection...

or disease...

Garry stops at the entrance to the communications room.

GARRY:

Any luck yet?

Sanchez shrugs.

SANCHEZ:

Couple seconds of an Argentine disco

station.

GARRY:

Well, stick with it. I want you at

it round the clock. We got to get

help in here...

BLAIR:

(alarm)

No... No, you can't let anyone in

here... That dog was all over this

camp...

Bennings interrupts, entering the hallway, referring to

his meteorological chart.

BENNINGS:

(to Garry)

Travel-wise, tomorrow may be okay.

But after that some pretty nasty

northeasterly sh*t's coming in.

FUCHS:

... Goddamn fools...

The men outside come stomping through the hallway.

BLAIR:

(pleading)

Listen to me, Garry. Please...

GARRY:

(to MacReady)

If the weather clears enough before

we reach anybody -- I'm sending you

and Doc up to MacMurdo...

BLAIR MACREADY

No! You can't let I ain't going anywhere

people leave... in anything over forty

knots, Garry...

GARRY:

(snapping)

The hell you won't, MacReady!

BLAIR:

Don't you understand?! That Thing

didn't want to become a dog...

GARRY:

(fed up)

Damn you, Blair! You've already got

everybody half-hysterical around

here.

BLAIR:

You can't let anybody leave!

GARRY:

I've got six dead Norwegians on my

hands, a burned up flying saucer,

and we've just destroyed the

scientific find of the century. Now

f*** off!

Close on Blair, ashen-faced, falling silent. As if in a

daze, he watches the men as they continue to converse.

Suspicious, frightened.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMPOUND - NIGHT

Pitch black except for the barest of lighting which

outlines the building. Wind. The swirl of ice.

INT. MACREADY'S CABIN - NIGHT

Far away from the others, MacReady sits in his little

hovel putting the final screw into his mended chess set.

On the other side of the set, his busty, inflatable

companion has been propped up in a chair. His sombrero

hangs down her back, keeping her in place. Hawaiian music

plays from his tape deck.

MACREADY:

All set.

He puts down his screwdriver, holds up his glass and

offers a toast with a big grin.

MACREADY:

To us.

He clinks the drink he has made for her that rests on her

side of the board. He sips. He turns on the machine and

makes his first move.

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