The Thing Page #13

THE SNOWMOBILES:

as they move through a valley of newly-formed dunes and

tall ice cliffs. The last of the sun obscured, the

headlamps are turned on and pointed at the tracks.

The men look behind, in front, and from side to side, as

they proceed cautiously through the maze. Up ahead

MacReady spots:

A DOG:

It sits, its back to them, unconcerned, heedless of their

arrival. It is munching on the other half of the dog

carcass.

The men stop their machines some twenty yards from it.

They are hemmed in at the valley's narrowest point.

Childs, carrying the torch, and MacReady, armed with a

thermite bomb, wade awkwardly but carefully toward the

animal in their snowshoes. Bennings stands back by the

snowmobiles.

Childs and MacReady spread out some dozen feet from the

dog. It continues to pay them no mind, content to chew

its food.

CHILDS:

Where's the other one?

Bennings surveys the tops of the snow bluffs that encircle

them with his flashlight.

MACREADY:

(to dog)

Where's your buddy, boy? Huh?

No response. MacReady searches the near vicinity with his

light. All three are growing uneasy.

MACREADY:

Let that thing fly, Childs. Don't

let up until he's ash.

Childs turns on the gas and lights the tip.

Bennings is still watching the bluffs. Something from

beneath the snow reaches up and grabs his feet. He is

ripped back down through the hard snow in one incredibly

powerful motion. He screams, his head the only thing

sticking out of the ice.

Childs and MacReady turn, confused, unable to see anything

be Bennings' screaming head. They rush toward him.

MacReady stumbles.

The sound of a snapping, a crackling to MacReady's rear.

He freezes; turns back to the dog. Its back is still to

him; its coat of hair sticking up like that of a

porcupine. It snarls; its face turns slowly toward him.

Its skin splitting; its mouth ripping open wildly.

MACREADY:

Childs!!

Childs stops, confused as to who to help first. He

notices the dog hunched and ready to spring. He steps

back toward MacReady. The dog/Thing leaps for MacReady;

an incredible jump of some twenty feet.

Childs lets loose a blast, hitting the dog in midair; the

force of the spray knocking it back and tumbling to the

ice in flames.

MacReady throws his thermite canister. It discharges and

engulfs the screeching animal in fire.

BENNINGS:

howling in pain. The ice underneath him thrashes

violently. Childs and MacReady stand by helplessly,

unable to see what has him or what action to take. Childs

moves closer to help.

MACREADY:

(pulls him back)

Stay back!!

Bennings' head disappears with a sudden jerk through the

ice. The ice continues to rumble like boiling water,

moving in different directions. Part of Bennings' body

pops up in a different area and is just as quickly pulled

back down.

MacReady and Childs watch on in frustration and anger.

CHILDS:

What we going to do?!

MACREADY:

How the f*** do I know?!

Bennings' head and shoulders then surface near one of the

snowmobiles. Something has him. Unclear as to what. The

jowls of a dog. But huge. Bennings' heavy clothing

begins to rip, tear, as if his skin underneath was bulging

out. The jowls seem to be absorbing his head.

MacReady runs for the snowmobile.

MACREADY:

Torch them!!

CHILDS:

But...

MACREADY:

He's gone already! Do it!

Childs blasts away. The ice begins to melt as Bennings

and whatever has him catch fire. A screeching.

MacReady grabs cans of gas from the snowmobiles. Suddenly

a steel-like, arachnid-shaped arm shoots out in pain and

with incredible force pierces the fiberglass chassis of

the snowmobile. MacReady is knocked back. He recovers

and dumps cans of gasoline on the writhing mess.

He dives and rolls away from the lunging appendage.

He and Childs watch on as Bennings and The Thing roar in

flame. Behind them, the other dog/Thing continues to

burn. The screeching, mewing and gurgling wails on, all

about them.

They look to each other in disbelief, their faces

illuminated by the flickering flames. The strident sounds

beginning to subside.

THE SUN:

Its slim, orange arc sets, signaling the start of the

Vernal Equinox. And the beginning of six months of

darkness.

CUT TO:

INT. COMPOUND - REC ROOM

The men are interrogating Clark. He is frazzled and

defensive.

CLARK:

... I'm telling you I don't remember

leaving the kennel unlatched...

Childs is holding the industrial torch directly in his

face.

CHILDS:

Bullshit! You left it open so they

could get out!

EXT. TRASH DUMP

MacReady, waist-deep in trash and snow, searches for

something.

INT. REC ROOM

The interrogation continues.

CLARK:

... Would I even have told you they

were gone if I had anything to hide?

GARRY:

But why didn't you kennel that dog

right away?

CLARK:

I told you I couldn't find...

(pushes torch away)

... get that out of my face.

Childs grabs him by the collar and rips him off his chair.

CHILDS:

Don't you be telling me...

Nauls steps between them.

NAULS:

(to Childs)

Lighten your load, sucker. You

ain't the judge and executioner

around here!

CHILDS:

Who you trying to protect,

mutherfucker? I'm telling you this

S.O.B. could be one of them.

Garry breaks it up, pulling them apart. MacReady enters

from the outside. A bundle is tucked under his arm.

GARRY:

Hold on, damn it. We're getting

nowhere... If this bit of Blair's

about absorbing and imitating is

true... then that dog could have

gotten to anybody.

DR. COPPER

And if it got to Clark... Clark

could have gotten to anybody.

MacReady moves over to the table.

DR. COPPER

Theoretically any of us could be

whatever the hell this thing is.

Norris shakes his head, rubbing his chest in slight

discomfort.

NORRIS:

It's just too damn wild -- I can't

believe it.

MacReady pushes his sombrero back over his head.

MACREADY:

Well, you can believe it now.

He drops the bundle he had been holding on the table

between the men. It is the shredded pair of long johns.

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