THE GORGE screenplay (7 page)

Ace points the barrel of the pistol inches from Bowie’s face.

ACE

Don’t think I can’t get that raft down the river without you.

BOWIE

I’m dead either way. What does it matter to me?

Ace grins, face slick in the rain. He turns and jams the gun into Clara’s gut. She grunts in pain.

ACE

Suffer the children.

Bowie goes to the Muskrat and begins to untie it.

BOWIE

The water’s rising fast. We’d best get on with it.

CUT TO:

EXT.BABELTOWER. DUSK.

Farrengalli sits on the ledge beside Raintree and Dove. He peers over in the rain.

FARRENGALLI

You people are crazy.

RAINTREE

Where’s Castle?

FARRENGALLI

I went to get some firewood and he stole the raft. Can you believe it? A fucking federal agent.

DOVE

What, he pumped it up by himself? In that condition?

FARRENGALLI

He ordered me to. Wanted me to go with him.

RAINTREE

A wounded man without a gun?

FARRENGALLI

(shrugs)

He’s got a badge, man. Said he wanted to catch that bomber. Get revenge for his partner.

RAINTREE

He’s probably in shock.

DOVE

Or doped out of his mind.

Farrengalli and Dove look at Raintree, who touches his medicine bag. From upriver comes a distant
SKEEEK
.

RAINTREE

We don’t have much light left.

He stands and rolls up rope.

CUT TO:

EXT. CLEARING IN WOODS. DUSK.

Castle is groggy, fighting to stay awake. The fire has burned low. Rain ticks off the canopy. The woods are misty. The Muskrat is nearby.

CASTLE

(delirious)

Rook. Should I ride it out here or go for the glory?

Something moves in the misty trees behind him.

CASTLE (CONT’D)

Yeah, you’re right. Got a job to do.

Castle rolls over with a groan and drags himself toward the Muskrat. He crawls out from the canopy into the rain, mud covering his bandage.

CASTLE (CONT’D)

Partners are always there for each other.

Castle drags himself forward, the going is tough, the Muskrat is 20 feet away and he doesn’t know what he will do once he gets there.

The shadow moves and separates from the mist of the forest.

CASTLE (CONT’D)

Rook?

The Samford-thing skips and floats into the light from the campfire, showing its gray skin and ragged clothes and torn flesh. Its tongue flaps and it emits a hungry sigh.

SAMFORD-THING

Skeeee
.

It moves in on Castle, whose scream echoes up the face of BabelTower—

CUT TO:

EXT.BABELTOWER. DUSK.

200 feet above the river, and the top of the tower is lost in mist and rain.

Raintree is suspended on a rope, looped over a projectile of rock above and tied off below. He’s trying to set an anchor for the safety line. He drives the pick-hammer against the piton but the rock is too tough. More pitons are stuck in his belt, as well as the cell phone.

Below him, Dove and Farrengalli wait expectantly on a ledge, Farrengalli squinting into the clouds. He flinches and ducks as—

SKEEEEK
. A pair of the goregoyles explode out of the mist, swooping down the valley.

FARRENGALLI

Fuck!

DOVE

(whisper)

Robert! Don’t move!

(to Farrengalli)

Shut up. They’re blind, remember?

FARRENGALLI

Can they smell me shitting my pants?

Raintree freezes on the ropes, pressing flat against the slick stones. The creatures soar by and it looks as if they’re going to pass the group. The piton slips from Raintree’s grip and the metal spike pings off the rocks below.

In a flash, the goregoyles turn and soar toward the sound. One swings past the piton as it falls. The other slows, sensing Raintree swinging on the rope, trying to secure his grip.

The first soars up and disappears into the mist. The second swings in a loop, almost lazily, coming within 10 feet of Raintree, who shuts his eyes and holds his breath. The fingers of his free hand squeeze the medicine pouch.

When the creature passes, Raintree exhales in relief and—

SKEEEEEEE
. The first goregoyle divebombs from above, Raintree pulls a piton from his belt and spins so his back is against the cliff face. Braced, he thrusts the piton out and jabs the goregoyle under the chin.

The momentum carries the creature into Raintree and for a moment they are face to face, the creature’s teeth inches from Raintree, slobber and gray blood mixing with the rain.

Below, Dove runs to the rope and cries out.

DOVE

Watch out for the other one!

Raintree shoves the first creature away and it falls limply, slamming into the ledge a few feet from Farrengalli, who reels away from the goregoyle. The wounded creature tries to rise from its belly.

Dove throws a loop of rope around its neck and yanks its head back, planting one boot in its back like a crazed cowgirl. After a moment, Farrengalli joins the attack, lost in his blood lust as he kicks the creature’s head. His stomps punctuate his words.

FARRENGALLI

It’s—

(stomp)

Only—

(stomp)

Fucking—

(stomp)

Natural!

Above, Raintree is scrambling up the rope. He’s almost to the ledge—there’s a cave—he’s about to swing his leg over—

SPLAT
. The second creature plows into him from behind, smacking him against the rocks, dazing him. The teeth nuzzle his neck, claws rake his flesh. Raintree jabs the pick-hammer into its skull.

The thing takes the damage and still wants to feed, the jaws working, claws digging into Raintree, who slips a few feet down the rope, hanging on with one hand.

The creature’s added weight strains the rope, and it backs away momentarily, trying to lift Raintree into the air. Up a couple of feet, then Raintree delivers another pick-hammer blow. They slam back against the stone.

The goregoyle grabs the front of Raintree’s shirt but the fabric gives way and the claws rack down, snagging on the belt. For a moment, the creature’s weight is on the straining belt—the medicine bag and cell phone are attached to the belt.

Raintree grabs the medicine bag first, tucks it inside his shirt. He grabs the cell phone just as the belt breaks free—the creature hurtles into space, fluttering, trying to fly but ruined.

Below, Dove is yanked off-balance as the desperate goregoyle struggles free of the rope. Farrengalli draws his buck knife and slashes at the creature, opening its face to a spout of gray blood.

DOVE

Fuck with its head!

The creature rakes out, one dirty fingernail penetrating Farrengalli’s thigh. Enraged, Farrengalli thrusts the tip of the Buck knife into one milky eyeball, then twists it deeper. The creature lets out a hiss of pain.

FARRENGALLI

Can’t get no satisfaction, huh?

A snake drops onto Farrengalli’s shoulder. He jerks away and swings the dripping knife—

It’s a rope.

From above:

RAINTREE

Come on up. It’s a cave.

CUT TO:

INT.BABELTOWERCAVE. NIGHT.

The group—Raintree, Farrengalli, and Dove—are sweaty, barely visible in the cave. They sit apart from one another, Farrengalli holding his knife. His flashlight is in his lap, switched on and making a circle of light between them. Raintree flips open the cell phone. The green screen lights up his face.

RAINTREE

No bars.

FARRENGALLI

What if we can’t get a signal up there?

DOVE

We can defend this cave.

Farrengalli points his flashlight into the bowels of the cave.

FARRENGALLI

The Fed said those things live in caves. Might be some back there right now, just waiting to come out and turn us into sausage.

DOVE

I wish the reality show audience could see you now...you’d be voted off the island.

FARRENGALLI

Hey, honey, bet your sweet ass on it—I’ll be the last one standing.

Raintree stands, his wounds clearly visible, some of them oozing blood. More of Dove’s shirt is wrapped around one of his muscular biceps.

RAINTREE

I’ll scout it out.

DOVE

You should rest.

RAINTREE

No, Bowie is counting on me. And so is Castle, right, Farrengalli?

Farrengalli grunts and looks away.

FARRENGALLI

Maybe you’ll have one of your visions, Chief. Isn’t this what you came for? To play the brave warrior?

RAINTREE

(to Dove)

I’ll take first watch. Two hours. You sleep and he can watch the mouth of the cave.

Dove gently touches his forearm. Again their faces are too close.

DOVE

We should stick together.

RAINTREE

Yell if you need me.

(to Farrengalli)

Flashlight?

Raintree extends his open palm. Farrengalli glowers and lowers his head.

DOVE

Please?

With a snarl, Farrengalli slaps the flashlight into Raintree’s palm. Raintree heads deeper into the cave, the light bobbing and then fading.

FARRENGALLI

So, what’s on the menu? I’m hungry.

Dove leans against the rocks, wraps her arms around herself, and closes her eyes. Two coils of rope are near her feet.

FARRENGALLI (CONT’D)

You know I got a big appetite, don’t you?

DOVE

(eyes closed)

I think I’m dreaming there’s an asshole in my bed.

FARRENGALLI

Keep dreaming, sweet cheeks.

A moment passes. Dove is shivering. Farrengalli stands, strips off his shirt, and drapes it over her.

CUT TO:

EXT. GORGE. NIGHT.

The clouds break for a moment, letting in a purple wedge of moonlight. Three goregoyles swoop over the river. The water is swollen from rain, leaping its banks, carrying fallen trees, pounding in a froth of brown and white.

SKEEEE
. The goregoyles shriek in unison. Far below, a light bobs on the river—the Maglite on Clara’s helmet.

CUT TO:

EXT.RIVER. NIGHT.

Bowie struggles with the paddle to keep the Muskrat moving. Water slops over the sides and the raft is taking a beating. Clara hangs on for dear life. In the rear, Ace holds his pistol, stoic, the unused paddle in his lap.

They hit a calmer stretch. The raft is visibly sagging, riding low in the water.

BOWIE

The raft’s leaking. We can’t go any farther.

ACE

Pull it over.

Bowie paddles toward the sandy shore. The shrieks of the creatures penetrate even above the roar of the water.

CLARA

They’ll kill us.

BOWIE

There’s too much motion. They won’t detect us.

ACE

I told you, them’s angels.

BOWIE

So whose side does that put them on?

ACE

The right side.

CUT TO:

EXT. RIVERBANK. NIGHT.

Bowie gets out of the raft in knee-deep water and drags it to shore, then helps Clara onto land. Ace steps out and faces Bowie, who has his arm around Clara, supporting her.

ACE

Well, I reckon you’ve outlived your usefulness.

Bowie moves away from Clara and squares up with Ace like a gunfighter.

CLARA

(rubs belly)

It’s a little Bobby Wayne. I can tell.

BOWIE

(to Ace)

What’s going to happen to it?

ACE

That’s between me and her and God.

BOWIE

You keep talking about God. But God is merciful.

Ace’s jaw trembles, then he busts out laughing. He’s about to speak when the SKEEE erupts and a goregoyle swoops over the river toward them.

FX: ACEVISION
—From Ace’s POV, the goregoyle transforms into an angel in flowing white robes and wings, but the angel’s grin is slightly off—the teeth are too sharp. The river appears to be shimmering with fire.

Clara screams and runs for a tangled rhododendron thicket. While Ace stares at the “angel,” Bowie dashes for the fiery river and dives. Ace gets off one shot but Bowie’s gone into hell’s lava.

The creature flies by Ace as if Ace doesn’t exist, zeroing in on Clara, who struggles into the thicket that shimmers like a bonfire.

CUT TO:

INT. THICKET—CONTINUING

Clara hides in the tangled branches, ducking low, whimpering as the SKEE approaches like a guided missile. Suddenly the creature goes silent. Rain patters on the leaves. Clara’s trying to calm her breathing, but she rasps. She makes a Catholic sign of the cross.

CUT TO:

EXT.RIVER—CONTINUING.

Bowie breaks to the surface, gasping, 30 yards downstream. He struggles to swim toward shore. The river punishes him, making him work to survive. He slams off a rock, winces, and keeps churning for shore.

CUT TO:

EXT. THICKET—CONTINUING

Clara pants quietly, moving her head slowly, the Maglite cutting like a laser into the leaves above.

ACE (O.S.)

You ain’t good enough, Clara.

Suddenly the canopy explodes as the creatures shriek and slap against the leaves. Clara reaches up to flip off the Maglite—the creatures stop at the sound. Claws caress the leaves.

CUT TO:

EXT. RIVERBANK—CONTINUING

Bowie works his way through the trees at the edge of the river and sees the goregoyles thrashing in the thicket where Clara disappeared. Bowie jumps out into the open and yells at them, waving his arms.

BOWIE

Hey! Over here!

The creatures pause and sniff the air. Bowie picks up a stick and bangs it against a tree two times.

BOWIE (CONT’D)

Come on, you dumb fucks. Fresh meat here.

ACE

You ain’t fit.

Ace fires at Bowie but the shot goes wild. Bowie ducks behind a tree as the creatures return to their task.

CUT TO:

EXT. THICKET—CONTINUING

Clara tries to sink deeper among the tangled branches. A claw reaches down and snags her hair, yanking her upright. She struggles but the second creature has her by the arm, tugging her out of the thicket.