ASHLY and LINDA 4 страница

 

 

An evening mist drifts out of the woods and cloaks the

shed as ASHLY carries LINDA's body outside for burial.

He lays the body upon the ground and picks up a shovel.

Harsh floodlights from the corners of the cabin create

strange shadows on the ground as ASHLY digs LINDA's

grave. She lies on her back during the digging. One of

her eyes opens. It is white. ASHLY drops the shovel

and looks at her. She appears to be dead.

 

87 IN - M.R.

 

 

Inside the cabin, CHERYL begins slamming her fists

against the trap door in the cellar again. She wants

out. The screws holding the hatch in place begin to

loosen.

 

88 EN - CAB

 

 

ASHLY places LINDA's corpse in the grave, oblivious to

CHERYL's pounding. He begins to cover her with dirt.

 

89 IN - M.R.

 

 

CHERYL has ripped out all but one screw which holds the

trap door in tact.

 

90 EN - CAB

 

 

ASHLY glances to the grave and sees LINDA's necklace on

top of the dirt mound. He reaches down to pick it up

when LINDA's hand shoots up from beneath the grave and

grabs him! She pulls herself up out of the grave scream-

ing and clutches ASHLY's leg with a black and bloodied

hand. He twists around, trying to free himself, but she

will not let go. By now, LINDA is almost completely out

of the grave. With her fingernails, she rips into ASHLY's

leg, tearing his skin. Screaming, he picks up a large

log nearby and swings it roundhouse into her face again

and again, breaking the wood into smaller bits. She grabs

the log with him clinging to the other end, lifts him

up and throws ASHLY log and all, away from her. ASHLY

hits the ground with considerable force and for the

first time begins to comprehend the power of this thing

he is dealing with. Thick black ooze pours from LINDA's

nose and mouth as she turns toward ASHLY sprawled on

the ground.

 

 

ASHLY

 

Stay back.

 

 

His hand gropes for the handle of the spade. LINDA

advances toward him, laughing.

 

 

ASHLY

 

Linda please, if you can still hear

me. Keep away.

 

 

His fingers tighten on the wooden handle. With a scream,

she lunges toward him. From the ground, ASHLY swings the

spade upward, lopping off her head. The head falls into

the mud, but the body falls upon him, grabbing and jerk-

ing about spasmatically. Thick black ooze pumps from

her neck and ASHLY manages to pull himself out from

underneath the body. He backs away in disgust and falls.

He picks himself up again and sees LINDA's necklace

upon the ground. ASHLY stashes it in his pocket and

staggers back to the cabin.

 

91 IN - M.R.

 

 

Inside, he looks to the main room beyond SCOTT's body.

 

 

ASHLY

 

Oh.....

 

 

It is a moan from deep inside him. The trap door is open

and CHERYL is gone. ASHLY walks over and kicks it shut.

A slight breeze sweeps through the front door causing

SHELLY's bedroom door to creak open. ASHLY picks up the

rifle again and cautiously moves to the door.

 

92 IN - S.B.

 

 

He enters. The room is dark and the closet door bangs

back and forth because of the breeze. ASHLY moves toward

it, grabs the handle and slowly opens the door. Only

clothes are inside. He turns toward the other end of

the room and CHERYL pops up in the window right by him.

He swings and fires, shattering the window. CHERYL

backs away and spots the open front door.

 

 

ASHLY

 

The door...

 

 

He makes a mad dash through SHELLY's room.

 

93 IN - M.R.

 

 

In the main room, ASHLY races for the door.

 

94 EN - CAB

 

 

Outside, CHERYL is almost upon the door.

 

95 IN - MR

 

 

ASHLY arrives in time, but CHERYL has already started

reaching in. He slams the door on her fingers and rams

his gun butt down upon them. Horrible screams are heard

as CHERYL withdraws her hand. ASHLY is able to slam

the door and bolt it. He runs to the back entrance lead-

ing to the shed and locks it also. On his way back to

the main room, he pumps his rifle in preparation. It is

his last shell.

 

 

ASHLY

 

(To himself) More shells. Where did

I see that box of shells?

 

96 IN - C

 

 

From the basement, the trap door lifts open and ASHLY

decends. The bottom step, now rotten, breaks under his

weight, and ASHLY sprawls to the floor. Slowly, he picks

himself up and walks through the dividing stone doorway

beneath the water pipes to a small table. On it, he finds

the box of shells and quickly loads them into the gun.

He ascends the steps and enters the main room once more.

 

97 IN - M.R.

 

 

The sound of ticking catches ASHLY's attention. He looks

up to see the old grandfather clock slowly winding back-

wards. He watches and waits tensely. Turning carefully,

ASHLY tries to monitor all the windows. The ticking grows

louder. A shadow passes in the window before him and he

fires, shattering the glass into a million pieces. Wind

whips through the cabin swirling glass and leaves to the

floor. ASHLY waits, leaning against the front door for

something to happen. He is tense and more determined

than ever to survive. He whispers to himself.

 

 

ASHLY

 

C'mon, c'mon, get it over with, why

are you torturing me like this?

 

Placing his hand to his side, ASHLY discovers something

in his pocket. He lifts it to his eyes. It is LINDA's

necklace.

 

 

ASHLY

 

...Linda. (He whispers)

 

 

The ticking stops. He tilts his head for the slightest

sound. All is silent. From behind, two arms rip through

the door and grab him. ASHLY tears away and falls to

the floor. The necklace is tossed away in the confusion.

CHERYL's hands pull away and she looks through a hole

in the door. From the floor, ASHLY raises his rifle and

fires at her head.

 

98 EN - CAB

 

 

Clutching at her face and screaming horribly, CHERYL

is jolted from the door.

 

99 IN - M.R.

 

 

ASHLY places a dresser and chair against the holes in

the door. Behind ASHLY, SCOTT's corpse sits up and opens

its white eyes. It stands and moves toward ASHLY. He

turns with the gun, but SCOTT knocks it out of his hands.

Desperately, ASHLY grabs a table lamp and shatters it

across SCOTT's head, then jams the exposed socket into

his face, shocking him. SCOTT staggers back several

steps, then continues after ASHLY.

 

100 EN - CAB

 

 

Outside, Cheryl is now pounding against the front door.

 

101 IN - M.R.

 

 

ASHLY picks up a small table upon which are the Book Of

The Dead, and the professors journal. He throws it at

SCOTT. This does not affect him, and he advances closer.

The Book Of The Dead lands near the fireplace and edges

of the paper darken from the heat. SCOTT picks up ASHLY

and begins to throttle him as if he were a rag doll. The

front door begins to give under CHERYL's pounding. ASHLY

brings his hands to SCOTT's eyes. With a crash, CHERYL

breaks through the front door and begins to push the

dresser away. Pages from the Book Of The Dead are smolder-

ing now. ASHLY jams his fingers into SCOTT's eyes and

slips from the grip. SCOTT clutches his eye sockets and

his back begins to smolder. ASHLY now sees the book. Its

pages burn at the edge. CHERYL topples the dresser and

enters the room. Her face is partially torn away from

the shot gun blast. ASHLY rushes to throw the book onto

the burning logs, but CHERYL, smoldering also, gives

him a backhand blow across the head, and he is sent

sprawling to the floor. She grabs a fireplace poker with

her crushed fingers and turns back to ASHLY who is crawl-

ing toward the fireplace. When almost in reach of the

book, SCOTT grabs his leg and begins to pull ASHLY back-

ward. CHERYL approaches with smoke pouring from her

clothes and slams ASHLY across the back with her poker.

ASHLY screams. A glitter catches his eye. It is LINDA's

necklace. Grabbing it, he tosses the end with a clasp

toward the book. It slides off the cover. SCOTT pulls

him back once more as ASHLY swings the necklace in a

last desperate attempt. CHERYL raises the poker for the

final blow. The necklace drapes over the book and as

ASHLY is dragged, the clasp hooks the cover and pulls

the book with him. With a yank, he seizes the book and

tosses it upon the blaze.

 

CHERYL and SCOTT freeze. The Book Of The Dead burns in

a bluish green flame. Smoke pours from SCOTT and CHERYL

as distant demonical screams are heard from the woods.

The fireplace poker slips from CHERYL's hand and sticks

into the wood scarcely an inch from ASHLY's head. The

bodies of SCOTT and CHERYL then begin to cave inward

upon themselves, collapsing to the floor in smoldering

heaps. Finally, nothing is left but the burnt clothing

and a blackish grey ooze on the floor where their bodies

once were.

 

The old clock begins to tick again, normally. ASHLY slowly

climbs to his feet to stand above the fuming debris. Open-

ing his hand, he looks down at LINDA's necklace. The force

retreats from him, out the door, slowly returning to the

darkness from which it emerged. Gradually, the natural

sounds of the forest swell and trees lose their gloom as

Autumn colors return. The first rays of sunlight gleam

over the woods beyond the cabin. Daybreak has finally

come.