THE GORGE screenplay by Scott Nicholson Read Free Book Online
Authors: Scott Nicholson
around Castle’s shoulder and chest. Farrengalli comes out of the woods.
FARRENGALLI
I lost you guys.
DOVE
Bullshit. Where were you?
RAINTREE
Never mind that now. Looks like the bullet went through clean.
DOVE
Might have shattered some ribs.
Castle moans. Raintree pulls his leather medicine bag from the crotch of his drysuit. He puts a pill to Castle’s mouth.
RAINTREE
Take it. Here, better take two.
Raintree feeds him another. Castle swallows with difficulty as Dove gives him a sip from a canteen.
FARRENGALLI
Man, that looks like oxycontin. Horse pills.
CASTLE
This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you to go on without me.
FARRENGALLI
He’s right, he’s vampire bait. You heard Bowie. Once they smell the blood...
RAINTREE
No way.
FARRENGALLI
(to Raintree)
Who made you chief?
DOVE
Bowie did. And he’s right. We need to stick together. Where’s the Muskrat?
Farrengalli nods into the woods.
FARRENGALLI
I left it out there with my pack.
RAINTREE
You have the other hand pump?
FARRENGALLI
Yeah. Like I was getting paid extra to haul all this shit.
RAINTREE
We’ll have to try the river.
DOVE
In the dark?
RAINTREE
Better the river than the woods. Those creatures track by radar.
FARRENGALLI
Bowie said the rapids fuck up their signals. They can’t tell us from fish.
DOVE
Will the kayak hold four of us?
CASTLE
There’s...one other option.
The cell phone lays near the fire, open, its tiny screen still glowing neon green. They all look up through the trees, to the moist and rocky peak of BabelTower.
FARRENGALLI
(to Raintree)
Your call, Chief.
CUT TO:
EXT. ON THE RIVER. DUSK.
Rain. Ace is in the back of the raft, Clara in the middle. Clara and Ace have Maglites strapped to their helmets. Bowie is in front, struggling to guide the Muskrat. He’s the only one paddling. The wounds on his arms are red and wet. The water is wild, frothy, and brown.
ACE
How much farther?
BOWIE
We’ll never make it in the dark.
Suddenly, the raft skids into a long shelf of rock, throwing the three to one side. Clara clutches the grab loop circling the bow. Bowie is the first to regain his balance. He spins and slams the paddle against Ace’s head.
Ace flops against the bow and his Python bounces into the middle of the raft. As Ace and Bowie struggle over her, Clara scoops up the gun.
The raft bounces and plunges down the rapids. Clara steadies herself. Bowie has his arm around Ace’s neck, choking.
ACE
Shoot the bastard.
Clara moves the gun back and forth, rocking with the rapids. Bowie gives her a look, awaiting her decision.
ACE
(choking)
Shoot!
CLARA
I can’t.
Bowie reaches for the gun. Ace bumps him while he’s off-balance, knocking Bowie over the side. Two of the backpacks tumble into the water.
Bowie hangs onto the grab loop with one hand, his body trailing into the water and knocking against river rocks. Ace bends his head and bites Bowie on the hand, trying to get him to let go.
The Muskrat pitches on a swell of water and Clara is thrown forward, dropping the gun into the pool of water in the kayak. Ace looks up with a bloody grin, rain running down his face.
Bowie snags the grab loop with his other hand. Ace fumbles the Glock from his waistband.
CLARA
Don’t kill him!
Ace points the gun at Bowie, who stares into Ace’s eyes, cold, grim. The Muskrat enters calmer water.
ACE
(to Bowie)
Let go.
BOWIE
You better shoot me. I’m not letting go.
ACE
Maybe I’ll leave you both.
Clara clutches her belly.
CLARA
You can’t leave us. Ever.
ACE
(to Bowie))
See your ass on Judgment Day.
As Ace levels the Glock at Bowie’s face, Clara thrusts upward into Ace. He pulls the trigger and the shot goes wild. The shot echoes like thunder. In the hush that follows...
CLARA
I meant, you can’t leave us. I’m pregnant.
Far upriver, in the clouds: SKEEEEK .
CUT TO:
EXT. BASE OF CLIFF. DUSK.
SFX: SKEEEK carries
FARRENGALLI
I lost you guys.
DOVE
Bullshit. Where were you?
RAINTREE
Never mind that now. Looks like the bullet went through clean.
DOVE
Might have shattered some ribs.
Castle moans. Raintree pulls his leather medicine bag from the crotch of his drysuit. He puts a pill to Castle’s mouth.
RAINTREE
Take it. Here, better take two.
Raintree feeds him another. Castle swallows with difficulty as Dove gives him a sip from a canteen.
FARRENGALLI
Man, that looks like oxycontin. Horse pills.
CASTLE
This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you to go on without me.
FARRENGALLI
He’s right, he’s vampire bait. You heard Bowie. Once they smell the blood...
RAINTREE
No way.
FARRENGALLI
(to Raintree)
Who made you chief?
DOVE
Bowie did. And he’s right. We need to stick together. Where’s the Muskrat?
Farrengalli nods into the woods.
FARRENGALLI
I left it out there with my pack.
RAINTREE
You have the other hand pump?
FARRENGALLI
Yeah. Like I was getting paid extra to haul all this shit.
RAINTREE
We’ll have to try the river.
DOVE
In the dark?
RAINTREE
Better the river than the woods. Those creatures track by radar.
FARRENGALLI
Bowie said the rapids fuck up their signals. They can’t tell us from fish.
DOVE
Will the kayak hold four of us?
CASTLE
There’s...one other option.
The cell phone lays near the fire, open, its tiny screen still glowing neon green. They all look up through the trees, to the moist and rocky peak of BabelTower.
FARRENGALLI
(to Raintree)
Your call, Chief.
CUT TO:
EXT. ON THE RIVER. DUSK.
Rain. Ace is in the back of the raft, Clara in the middle. Clara and Ace have Maglites strapped to their helmets. Bowie is in front, struggling to guide the Muskrat. He’s the only one paddling. The wounds on his arms are red and wet. The water is wild, frothy, and brown.
ACE
How much farther?
BOWIE
We’ll never make it in the dark.
Suddenly, the raft skids into a long shelf of rock, throwing the three to one side. Clara clutches the grab loop circling the bow. Bowie is the first to regain his balance. He spins and slams the paddle against Ace’s head.
Ace flops against the bow and his Python bounces into the middle of the raft. As Ace and Bowie struggle over her, Clara scoops up the gun.
The raft bounces and plunges down the rapids. Clara steadies herself. Bowie has his arm around Ace’s neck, choking.
ACE
Shoot the bastard.
Clara moves the gun back and forth, rocking with the rapids. Bowie gives her a look, awaiting her decision.
ACE
(choking)
Shoot!
CLARA
I can’t.
Bowie reaches for the gun. Ace bumps him while he’s off-balance, knocking Bowie over the side. Two of the backpacks tumble into the water.
Bowie hangs onto the grab loop with one hand, his body trailing into the water and knocking against river rocks. Ace bends his head and bites Bowie on the hand, trying to get him to let go.
The Muskrat pitches on a swell of water and Clara is thrown forward, dropping the gun into the pool of water in the kayak. Ace looks up with a bloody grin, rain running down his face.
Bowie snags the grab loop with his other hand. Ace fumbles the Glock from his waistband.
CLARA
Don’t kill him!
Ace points the gun at Bowie, who stares into Ace’s eyes, cold, grim. The Muskrat enters calmer water.
ACE
(to Bowie)
Let go.
BOWIE
You better shoot me. I’m not letting go.
ACE
Maybe I’ll leave you both.
Clara clutches her belly.
CLARA
You can’t leave us. Ever.
ACE
(to Bowie))
See your ass on Judgment Day.
As Ace levels the Glock at Bowie’s face, Clara thrusts upward into Ace. He pulls the trigger and the shot goes wild. The shot echoes like thunder. In the hush that follows...
CLARA
I meant, you can’t leave us. I’m pregnant.
Far upriver, in the clouds: SKEEEEK .
CUT TO:
EXT. BASE OF CLIFF. DUSK.
SFX: SKEEEK carries
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