The Barrens & Others (54 page)

ELLIOT: (nervously) I'm not sure I want to know. Maybe we should get going before it comes back.

CARL: Not so fast. It's learning an awful lot about us. Let's see if we can find out a thing or two about it. My dad always said a good hunter knows his prey.

The CAMERA FOLLOWS as the two men warily pick their way over the scattered books toward the main stacks at the rear.

CUT TO:

INT: MAIN FLOOR OF THE LIBRARY – REAR SECTION – DAWN

Carl and Elliot push through the doors. Elliot pauses by the stacks as Carl moves out of frame.

ANOTHER ANGLE

A TIGHT LONG SHOT of Elliot slowly WIDENS to reveal the back of someone else's HEAD staring in his direction. As if sensing the scrutiny, Elliot turns toward the camera and reacts with horror.

ELLIOT: Oh, Lord! Carl! Carl!

CUT TO:

A MED. SHOT of the horrified Elliot as Carl rushes into the frame.

CARL: What–?

ELLIOT: (pointing, his mouth working to keep from retching) Look!

SLAM CUT TO:

INT: SEVERED HEAD – C.U.

A severed head stares into the camera with glazed eyes, the bloody stump of its neck resting on a bookshelf.

INT: MED. TWO-SHOT

ELLIOT: Oh, Lord, I know him! That's Doc Spruill!

Carl grabs Elliot's arm and begins to drag him toward the rear of the library.

CARL: It gets worse.

CUT TO:

INT: THE LIBRARY – REAR SECTION – DAWN

A QUICK PAN across one of the big oak reading tables revealing a headless, bloody, dismembered corpse – just enough to give a horrific impression without dwelling on it. The table is red with blood, the chest and abdomen are open, intestines are exposed. The pan is intercut as follows:

ELLIOT'S FACE – E.C.U.

Elliot reacts with horror and revulsion and begins to turn away.

SLAM CUT TO: CONTINUATION OF THE PAN

SLAM CUT TO: CARL'S FACE – E.C.U.

Carl's expression is grim but tougher. He has gutted his own kills before, so this isn't the first time he's seen this sort of thing.

SLAM CUT TO: FINAL SEGMENT OF THE PAN

INT: MED. TWO-SHOT

Elliot has turned away but Carl still stares at the table.

CARL: (awed) Looks like my garage after me and my dad dressed a couple of bucks.

INT: REVERSE ANGLE

Glim-Glim suddenly appears before them, waving his tentacles and emitting a LOUD WARBLING noise. He looks fearsome and threatening.

INT: MED. TWO-SHOT OF ELLIOT AND CARL

Both men react with terror. They turn and begin running toward the front of the library.

CUT TO:

INT: THE LIBRARY – FRONT SECTION – DAWN

Carl and Elliot burst through the swinging doors from the rear, run past the charge desk, and out the front doors. Behind them, Glim-Glim slowly SHUFFLES to the charge desk. He picks up the transcribing cube.

GLIM-GLIM (v.o. with echo) Continuing ship's log for Scout 4-2- 6-cube-3. Fifth local cycle since crash landfall. Have identified the lethal pathogen. It is virus 6-square-9, indigenous to our intestinal tracts but obviously extremely deadly to these unfortunate aliens. (feeling enters voice) Is so tragic. All my fault. Worse – force field will fail soon due to dying batteries. Then virus will contaminate entire planet. (exerts control again) Note: Made contact late last cycle with a surviving native – a young female who does not fear me. Must pursue that contact. But cannot bring my voice down to level she can understand. Must find other way.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: THE LIBRARY CELLAR – DAY

Amy is hugging a snow-dusted Elliot. Behind them, Carl lowers himself into the cellar through the open window.

AMY: What took you so long?

ELLIOT: We had to wait outside. The alien was just leaving. We didn't want him to spot us.

Next to them, Carl places his bags of groceries down on a table, then opens his jacket and withdraws two .45 automatics and a box of shells.

ELLIOT: Where'd you get those?

CARL: (with evident self-satisfaction) While you were looking for an extra can-opener, I paid a visit to Murphy's Gun Shop. That was the last time I run from that monster!

As the grinning Carl works the slide on the pistol, the CAMERA MOVES IN on Amy's worried face.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: MAIN FLOOR OF THE LIBRARY – FRONT SECTION – NIGHT

Glim-Glim stands at the charge desk like a librarian, the pulsing cube in his tentacle. Over his WARBLE we hear…

GLIM-GLIM (v.o. with echo) Continuing ship's log for Scout 4-2- 6-cube-3. Night of fifth local cycle since crash landfall. Trying to find way to overcome the survivors' hate and fear…

As Glim-Glim's words continue, the camera TRACKS across the cluttered charge desk, slows when it reaches a PENMANSHIP BOOK (preferably Palmer Method) where the lesson indicates a series ofinterconnecting loops. Just a little further on we HOLD ON C.U. of a tentacle grasping a pencil and trying to imitate the lesson – and doing a miserable job of it.

GLIM-GLIM (continuing without break from above) …is of the utmost importance that they learn to trust me. The blood systems of these three have successfully produced antibodies to fight the 6-square-9 virus. If they will give me some of their blood, I can duplicate their immunity and save their race. If not...

The pencil breaks in Glim-Glim's tentacle with a SNAP. As the tentacle coils and uncoils in frustration, the ANGLE WIDENS. Recording cube in tentacle, Glim-Glim moves away from the desk (SHUFFLING sound) toward the library's front window where he stops and looks out. Over his WARBLE we hear:

GLIM-GLIM (v.o. with echo) Personal note: The local moon is rising and snow is falling again. Reminds me of home. Long to be back with my younglings, but fear I shall never see them again. Am trying to learn to duplicate their markings but with little success. Must search for another way – try to find a symbol that will show them I mean them no harm. I must! How will I bear the guilt of causing the death of an entire species? Would have to destroy myself!

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: THE BASEMENT – NIGHT

All is quiet. Amy is asleep in her cot. When we hear a faint WARBLE from upstairs, her eyes snap open. We follow her as she gets up and slips into the duct.

CUT TO:

INT: MAIN FLOOR OF THE LIBRARY – THE GRATE – NIGHT

We see Amy's face appear behind the grate. She looks up.

AMY: Hi!

REVERSE ANGLE – AMY'S P.O.V.

Glim-Glim shuffles forward and holds piece of paper toward the grate with one tentacle, and the penmanship book in another. The paper is full of indecipherable scrawls.

REVERSE ANGLE – GLIM-GLIM'S P.O.V.

Amy looks at the paper, then up at him through the grate.

AMY: You call that writing?

GLIM-GLIM'S TENTACLE unlatches the grate and it swings open on its hinge. She begins to crawl out.

AMY: Here. I'll show you. I always got A's in penmanship.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: MAIN FLOOR OF THE LIBRARY – FRONT SECTION – NIGHT

Amy and Glim-Glim stand together at the charge desk.

AMY: Hey, this is working great! You keep pointing and I'll keep writing.

C.U .OF AMY

AMY: So far we've got that the you're from somewhere in Orion, the sickness was an accident, and you need our help to make a medicine to save everybody else. Okay. What can we do?

CUT TO:

INT: THE DESKTOP

Glim-Glim's tentacle points to letters in the penmanship book.

AMY: (v.o.) B...L...O...O...

She stops speaking when the tentacle rests on "D".

C.U. OF AMY

AMY: You need blood? How much? (looks down at table) L...I...T...T...L... (looks up again) A little. Okay. I... I guess I could help some, but it'll take an awful lot of convincing to get Carl and my Dad to come around. (looks down at table again) Tell... them... friend. (looks up again) No. They'll never believe. You'll have to show them! But how?

ON GLIM-GLIM

GLIM-GLIM: (warbles)

ON AMY

AMY: (excitedly) Hey! I know! I know! How could I forget! Wait here and I'll get a picture to show you!

As Amy rushes off, the CAMERA LINGERS on the silent Glim-Glim.

FADE OUT

ACT III

FADE IN:

INT: THE BASEMENT – DAY

Carl has been cleaning a pistol and Elliot has been tinkering with a short wave radio. Both look up at the ceiling, listening to Glim-Glim's SHUFFLE.

CARL: What d'you suppose he's been up to all day?

ELLIOT: (shrugging) I don't know, but he's certainly been busy.

CARL: Yeah. Must've gone in and out a dozen times already. Almost sounds like he's building something.

ELLIOT: (shuddering) I'm not going up to look, that's for sure!

Carl laughs.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: THEBASEMENT – NIGHT

A quick pan of the basement shows Carl and Elliot sleeping, but Amy's cot is empty.

CUT TO:

INT: THE LIBRARY – FRONT SECTION – NIGHT

The camera is in the rear section, looking out through the open doors at the front section. Amy and Glim-Glim are framed in the doorway, looking toward the camera.

AMY: Awesome! They gotta know you're a friend when they see that!

(we don't see what she's looking at)

CUT TO:

ANOTHER ANGLE

As Amy shuts the doors, Glim-Glim proffers a sheet of paper. Amy takes it and looks at it.

AMY: Hey, your writing's getting better but... (her voice trails off)

CUT TO:

INT: ANGLED SHOT OVER AMY'S SHOULDER

We see the note. Large crude letters form the words: "YOU PLEASE GIVE ME BLOOD NOW?"

Amy's smile falters as she looks up at Glim-Glim.

AMY: Yeah, well, I did promise, didn't I?

GLIM-GLIM (warbles)

AMY: And it'll save the whole world, huh?

INT: GLIM-GLIM – AMY'S P.O.V.

GLIM-GLIM (another warble)

AMY: (jittery, with a pained expression) Ooooh...okay. But don't hurt me!

A tentacle gently caresses her cheek.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: THE BASEMENT – ELLIOT'S COT – NIGHT

As we hear a faint WARBLE from Glim-Glim, Elliot stirs in his sleep.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT: THE LIBRARY – C.U. OF AMY'S ARM – NIGHT

Glim-Glim's tentacle places a clear, hollow 2-inch diameter globe over AMY'S ARM, inside the elbow.

AMY: Ouch!

QUICK CUT TO:

INT: THE BASEMENT – ELLIOT ON HIS COT – NIGHT

AMY: (v.o. – far away) Ouch!

Elliot's eyes snap open. He sits up and looks around in the dark.

ELLIOT: Amy?

He gets up and stumbles to Amy's cot. When he finds it empty, he becomes worried.

ELLIOT: Amy?

Suddenly he faintly hears GLIM-GLIM'S WARBLE and whirls toward the duct.

ELLIOT: (louder now) Oh, God! Amy!

He rips the duct away from the wall and leaps to the exposed grate.

CUT TO:

INT: ELLIOT AT THE GRATE – SIDE VIEW

Elliot stretches his neck to see through the grate. Light from the library shines on his eyes.

CUT TO:

INT: FRONT LIBRARY – THRU THE GRATE – ELLIOT'S P.O.V. – NIGHT

We see Glim-Glim looming over Amy who's back is to us. The globe is attached to her arm. The globe is red now.

CUT TO:

INT: AMY'S ARM – E.C.U.

We see the globe half-filled with blood.

CUT TO:

INT: ELLIOT – THRU THE GRATE – C.U.

Elliot reacts with mute horror.

CUT TO:

INT: GLIM-GLIM'S P.O.V.

Elliot's horrified face is visible through the grate.

CUT TO:

INT: FRONT LIBRARY – TWO-SHOT

WARBLING as he moves, Glim-Glim glides past Amy toward the grate. As he lifts a piece of paper from the charge desk, the blood-filled globe pops off her arm and smashes on the floor.

CUT TO:

INT: FRONT LIBRARY – THRU THE GRATE – ELLIOT'S P.O.V.

Glim-Glim is approaching the grate, WARBLING and waving a piece of paper, filling the frame.

CUT TO:

INT: THE BASEMENT – NIGHT

Panicked now, Elliot turns and races across the basement toward the window.

ELLIOT: (near hysteria) It's got her! Good Lord, it's got her!