Thane lunges after him .. . and finds himself in a
gas station men’s room. Alone.
SMASH CUT TO
EXT - BLIZZARD - DAY
as Tom emerges, cradling Cat, into
knee-deep SNOW, in the midst of a HOWLING STORM.
FADE OUT
END OF ACT III
ACT IV
EXT. - BLIZZARD - DAY
Tom cradles Cat in his arms as the storm HOWLS
around them. It’s day, but the sky is DARK, the sun hidden from sight. The wind
drives the snow into Tom’s bruised, battered face. In b.g., we glimpse the
mountains. Tom SHIVERS. He’s not dressed for this kind of cold.
TOM’S POV
as he turns, slowly. The world is a stark
white wilderness of ice and snow and rock, with no shelter in sight.
RESUME
Already frost is forming on Tom’s eyebrows.
He picks a direction at random, and begins to WALK, carrying Cat.
DISSOLVE TO
SERIES OF SHOTS - TIGHT ON TOM’S LEGS
as he struggles through knee-high
snowdrifts, up ice-slick slopes, over rocks, sometimes staggering, fighting for
every yard as the storm rages around him.
DISSOLVE TO
INT. - CAVE - DAY
As caves go, it isn’t much: a hole, half
hidden by an overhang of rock, a dead tree near its entrance. But it’s shelter.
Wearily, Tom carries Cat inside, lays her down on the hard-packed earth floor,
out of the wind.
He’s covered with caked snow, trembling. He
picks up some fallen branches from the dead tree near the cave mouth, begins to
gather wood for a fire.
DISSOLVE TO
INT. - CAVE - HOURS LATER
Flames crackle and dance near the mouth of
the cave. Outside, the snow has finally stopped falling. Tom washes the blood
off Cat’s face with a handkerchief wet with melted snow.
ANGLE DOWN ON CAT - TOM’S POV
Cat’s eyes are open. She’s looking up at
him.
TOM
Good morning. How’s
the head feel?
CAT
Hurts.
TOM
Yeah. My face feels
like chopmeat. Your friend Thane’s got quite a punch.
CAT
Not my friend.
She struggles to rise.
RESUME
Tom helps Cat to her feet. She crosses to
the mouth of the cave, looks out. Beyond is a white wilderness of snow and ice.
Cat SHIVERS, hugs herself.
TOM
Grim, isn’t it? You’re
sure the doors don’t open in both directions?
CAT
Sure.
TOM
I was afraid you’d
said that,
(beat, weary)
Maybe I traded us a
quick death for a slow one.
CAT
Slow is better.
More living.
TOM
Even if it’s only
for a few days? A few hours?
CAT
Even if.
She cocks her head sideways, regards him
curiously.
CAT
Why?
TOM
The door was
closing.
CAT
Still. Why?
TOM
Some things you
have to do.
Cat thinks about that. Then she moves
closer, HUGS him with all her strength.
We can see TEARS in her eyes. Tom can’t.
CLOSE ON CAT
Her arms wrapped around Tom, holding him
tight.
RESUME
Cat finally breaks the embrace, steps back.
Tom looks as awkward as he feels. Maybe he doesn’t know what that hug means.
Maybe he’s thinking of Laura.
CAT
Some things you
have to do.
That brings a smile to Tom’s face.
TOM
What we need to do
is make plans. The firewood won’t last long, and we’re
not dressed for
skiing.
CAT
Not knowing skiing .
TOM
It’s where you pay
a lot of money to strap boards on your feet and slide
down a mountain.
He moves to the cave mouth, studies the
outside world. The black, overcast sky. The howling wind. The deep drifts of
snow and overhangs of ice.
TOM
I don’t like the
look of that sky. Darkness at—
(glances at watch)
—ten twenty-seven.
Blizzards in September.
ANGLE ON TOM
Tom moves away from the wind and the cold,
picks up a stick, prods the fire.
TOM
Maybe there was a
geographical shift. Maybe we’re in Greenland ...
Antarctica ...
SERGEANT (O.S.)
Try Wyoming.
REVERSE ANGLE
as Tom whirls
Humberto Fontova
Suzanne Downes
Chloe Cole
Sandra Brown
Amber Garza
Elizabeth Lee
Joe R. Lansdale
Tori Carrington, Leslie Kelly, Janelle Denison
John Marsden
Marliss Melton