The Thing Page #7

The tape fades to black again and the picture reappears.

This time they have marked off the large oval area with

flag sticks.

Closer shots show three of the men digging a deep hole

into the ice. There is a small patch of something dark

and metallic at the bottom.

MacReady leans forward, intrigued.

The men are now sinking something deep into the ice at

various points around the markings. MacReady squints and

mumbles to himself.

MACREADY:

Decanite...? Thermite charges...?

The tape jump cuts again showing a long shot of the

markings. No Norwegian in sight. An explosion kicks up

the ice. A beat as the ice sprays to the ground. Then

the camera appears to shake as the ground beneath it

quivers.

Another immense explosion follows. An earthquake-like

force throws the camera to the ground.

MACREADY:

What in...

The tape continues, distorted, unviewable. A distinct

crack in the lens. MacReady lets go of his companion and

quickly rewinds. The deflating mannequin is sent

sputtering around the room.

INT. KENNEL - NIGHT

Most of the dogs are sleeping or lounging. The new dog

watches them calmly, silently.

He takes several steps towards a group of about five dogs

and sits upright. Completely still. He stares at them.

A beat. The dogs are aware of something. They begin to

seem a bit confused, uncomfortable.

The new dog continues to stare. Sitting rigidly,

unnaturally still. His eyes dead, lusterless black

spheres.

Bewildered, a few dogs start to pace. As if sensing

something:
a portent. A danger. But so odd. They begin

a soft, purring growl.

The new dog remains a statue. The growling builds. More

dogs begin to pace. Nervously. Faster, encircling.

Emitting hisses, snarls. The lack of response driving

them into a frenzy.

Barks. Growls. More frenetic pacing. The din

escalating. Three dogs start to close in on the stranger.

They attack.

THE SHADOW OF THE NEW DOG

against the kennel wall. The shadow suddenly lurches

upward, seeming larger.

The kennel roars.

INT. PUB

MacReady is still going over bits of the same footage,

fascinated. He hears the far-off clamor of the dogs.

INT. NAULS' QUARTERS

He, too, bothered by the noise, tosses and turns in his

sleep.

INT. CLARK'S QUARTERS

Clark snores. MacReady has entered.

MACREADY:

Clark.

No response. MacReady nudges him. Clark rolls away,

annoyed.

MacReady pinches his snoring nose, cutting off the air.

Clark sits up, groggy.

MACREADY:

Dogtown's going nuts. Take care of

it.

INT. TUNNEL

Clark, sleepy, irritated, makes his way down the freezing

corridor. The wind soughing loudly overhead.

CLARK:

reaches the kennel door. The savage outpouring of noise

from within baffles and angers him. He unlatches the

door.

CLARK:

What's got into...

Smack! Just as he opens the door, two dogs, as if

jettisoned from a cannon, knock him off his feet. Growls,

barks, snarls. And a screeching from within.

INT. KITCHEN

MacReady is fetching himself a beer. The sound of the

far-off screeching. He freezes. A beat. He turns and

sprints.

HIS BEER CAN:

as it smashes the glass of the fire alarm. He pulls the

lever.

INT. TUNNEL

The alarm is blaring throughout the camp. MacReady,

Garry, Norris run through the narrow tunnel led by Clark.

MacReady carries a shotgun. Garry, half-dressed, has his

.44. Clark, a fire ax.

CLARK:

I don't know what the hell's in

there, but it's weird and pissed

off, whatever it is.

INT. HALLWAY

Chaos. Men, half-naked, bounce from their cubicle.

Pulling on their pants, digging into shoes.

INT. CHILDS' CUBICLE

Childs is grappling with his belt buckle.

CHILDS:

Mac wants the what?!

BENNINGS:

(at the doorway)

That's what he said. Now! Move!

Bennings is off.

INT. TUNNEL

as the men approach the locked kennel door. The two dogs,

thrown into Clark, back ferociously and scratch at the

door trying to get back in. One is badly bloodied.

The fight inside rages on. MacReady and Clark brace

themselves by the narrow door. Norris and Garry hold back

the two hysterical dogs. Clark undoes the latch and he

and MacReady enter the kennel.

The light has been broken and it is pitch black. MacReady

snaps on his flashlight. Norris and Garry can't contain

their animals and the dogs burst into the room. They

smash into MacReady and send him sprawling. Total

confusion:
the dogs; the men; the screeching; the

blackness.

CLARK:

Mac, where are you?

MacReady gropes for his flashlight and rights himself. He

finds Clark. Then shines it around the cramped room

trying to get his bearings.

The light finds a mass of dogs in a wild melee in the

corner.

Barking mixed with hissing, a gurgling, a screeching.

Dogs being hurled about and then charging back into the

fray with a vengeance.

The flashlight illuminates parts of some "thing." A dog.

But not quite. Impossible to tell. It struggles

powerfully. Garry pokes his head into the blackness.

GARRY:

What's going on, damn it?

MacReady aims his shotgun at the entire pack.

MACREADY:

I'm going to shoot.

CLARK:

No! Wait!!

Clark wades into the pack, grabs at dogs' hides and throws

them back. He then wields his ax into the fray, chopping

and hacking away at the gurgling, hissing silhouette.

From out of nowhere, a large, bristly, arachnid-like leg

springs up and wraps around Clark's ax. It sends Clark

smashing violently into the wall.

OUTSIDE:

More men running, nearing the kennel. Several squeezing

in with Garry, trying to get a look.

INSIDE:

MacReady fires several rounds. A dog is flung at him,

knocking him and his flashlight once more to the ground.

Garry squeezes in and begins blasting away in the

direction of the hissing and screeching. A dog is hit.

MacReady crawls for his flashlight.

MACREADY:

Clark? Where are you? Clark!

Blam. Blam. Garry continues firing at the silhouette.

INT. TUNNEL

Childs, huffing and puffing, lugs the huge industrial

torch toward the crowded kennel doorway.

CHILDS:

What's happening?

MACREADY (O.S.)

Childs, you got the torch? You get

your ass in here!!

INT. KENNEL

Childs scrunches in, disoriented by the blackness, and

bumps into Garry, knocking him off balance.

CHILDS:

Where are you?

MacReady signals with his flashlight and then points it at

the gathering of snarling dogs.

MACREADY:

Torch it over there!

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