The Thing Page #11

MACREADY:

Now go easy on me, Esperanza. I'm

just a beginner.

The set answers for Esperanza.

CHESS VOICE:

Rook takes bishop at Queen four --

Rook take pawn at Queen two --

Rook takes Queen at Queen one --

Checkmate.

MACREADY:

Aw sh*t.

He flips open the circuitry panel in disgust. He tosses

his screwdriver on the board and grabs his drink, downing

it.

MACREADY:

Sorry, hon.

He reaches inside his ice bucket. Empty.

MACREADY:

Never any damn ice around here...

EXT. MACREADY'S CABIN - NIGHT

MacReady exits. He swacks at a nearby bank of ice with a

small ice pick.

MACREADY:

Now in Mexico... Tahiti... They got

ice... They got ice coming out of

their ears.

The sound of a clanking. He turns his attention. Metal

against metal. Strange. MacReady listens. It appears to

be coming from far off below, near the camp.

MACREADY:

as he makes his way down with the aid of the steadying

ropes. The clanking louder now. He senses the direction.

MACREADY:

at the bottom near the main compound. The sound has

stopped. He looks around in the near blackness. A beat.

THE CHOPPERS:

sitting idle in the dark. MacReady approaches. The door

to one of the cockpits is slightly ajar. He opens it

cautiously.

INT. CHOPPER

MacReady slips in. He turns on a flashlight. The

controls have been mangled. Beaten with something heavy.

Bang!! MacReady, startled, turns. Like the sound of a

gun. Coming from the main compound.

INT. COMPOUND - MAIN ENTRANCE

Confusion. Shouts. MacReady enters. He grabs Palmer as

he and Bennings rush by.

MACREADY:

What's...

PALMER:

Blair. He's gone berserk.

BENNINGS:

He's in the radio room. Got a gun.

Beat on Sanchez something fierce.

HALLWAY - RADIO ROOM ENTRANCE

The men are on either side of the open radio room doorway.

Garry peeks his head in. A gunshot blast forces him back.

RADIO ROOM:

Sanchez lies on the floor, groaning. Blair holds the gun

on the door. He wields a fire ax with the other hand and

smashes down on the radio.

BLAIR:

Anybody interferes, I'll kill!

Nobody's getting in or out of this

camp...

HALLWAY:

MacReady has joined the others.

MACREADY:

He smashed one of the choppers up

good. Childs, go check the other

one and the tractor.

Childs is off.

RADIO ROOM:

Blair crunches the ax down once again, while keeping an

eye on the door.

BLAIR:

... You think I'm crazy? Fine!

Most of you don't know what's going

on -- but I'm damn well sure some of

you do!

(crunch)

BACK TO HALLWAY:

NORRIS:

The back window. A couple of us

could maybe surprise him.

MACREADY:

Too damn dangerous.

BACK TO RADIO ROOM

BLAIR:

... You think this Thing wants to

become an animal? Dogs can't make

it 1000 miles to the sea. No skua

gulls to imitate this time of

year... No penguins this far

inland... Don't you understand?! It

wanted to become us!

He brings the ax down hard on the radio.

BACK TO HALLWAY:

Childs runs up, out of breath.

CHILDS:

He got both choppers and the

tractor... I don't know how bad yet.

Garry readies his large .357 Magnum.

MACREADY:

No, wait a minute.

(to Norris)

The fuse box.

Norris double-times down the hall.

MacReady turns the corner and into the rec room. He grabs

one of the thick card tables.

MacReady returns with the table to the hallway.

BLAIR:

... Can't you see...? If one cell

of this Thing got out it could

imitate every living thing on Earth.

Nothing could stop it! Nothing!

MACREADY:

(humoring)

Look Blair, maybe you're right about

this. But we've got to be rational.

We've got to talk this over. I'm

unarmed and I'm coming in.

BLAIR:

No, you're not! I don't trust any

of you!

NORRIS:

reaches the fuse box. He opens it.

HALLWAY:

MacReady readies the table like a shield.

MACREADY:

If you're right we've all got to

stick together.

The lights go out. MacReady charges into the black room.

Blair fires. MacReady barrels into him, knocking him to

the ground. He pummels him with a right hand and manages

to control the gun.

The others dive in and pile on.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMPOUND

Heavily-clothed, MacReady, Fuchs and Dr. Copper help a

dazed Blair to a toolshed some seventy-five yards from the

main compound.

INT. TOOLSHED

More spacious than MacReady's. Very livable. Two

windows. Blair has been placed on the cot. Dr. Copper

injects him with a sedative.

BLAIR:

Why am I here?

DR. COPPER

It's for your own protection, Blair.

MACREADY:

And mainly ours.

EXT. SHACK

Fuchs and MacReady nail boards over the windows.

MACREADY:

Leave a bit of an opening so he can

see out.

Blair's droopy-eyed, heavily drugged features loom up at

MacReady through the window.

MACREADY:

How you doin', old boy?

BLAIR:

(softly)

I don't know who to trust.

MACREADY:

(humoring)

Know what you mean, Blair. Trust is

a tough thing to come by these days.

Just trust in the Lord.

BLAIR:

(beat)

Watch Clark.

MACREADY:

What?

BLAIR:

Watch him close. Ask him why he

didn't kennel the dog.

Blair's face disappears from the window.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMPOUND - DAY

Harsh and grey. Getting very dark as winter takes a

stronger hold. Bennings is dumping the trash in a large

hole in the snow which acts as the trash dump.

Bennings finishes and drags the empty bins past Palmer and

Childs, who are fixing the wounded choppers.

INT. RADIO ROOM

The radio looks a mess. Norris and Sanchez, a bandage

wrapped around his head, examines the damage. He is in

pain and still looks a little groggy.

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