he wind's knocked the damned antennas down! Over here . . . over there ... all over the island, most likely.

HATCH (staticky radio voice) Ursula, do you read me? Come on back.

URSULA I'm here! I read you! You gettin' me, Alton Hatcher?

HATCH (radio voice)

You're breaking up some, but it's better than it was. What's your problem?

URSULA

Ferd Andrews says Lloyd Wishman has killed himself over at the firehouse

HATCH (radio voice) What?

URSULA

only it doesn't sound like any suicide I ever heard of ... Ferd says Lloyd cut his own head open with an axe. And now Robbie Beals and Henry Bright have gone over there. To investigate, Robbie said!

HATCH (staticky radio voice) And you let 'em go?

i

STORM OF THE CENTURY 141 CARLA takes the mike from URSULA.

CARLA

There was no way to stop Robbie. He practically shanghaied my husband. And there could be somebody there! Where's Mike? I want to talk to Mike!

18 INTERIOR: THE ISLAND SERVICES VEHICLE, WITH HATCH.

He sits behind the wheel, holding the mike and thinking this over. Events are spinning out of control here, and HATCH knows it. At last he raises the mike to his lips again.

HATCH

I'm calling from the truck Mike's inside. With the man who . . . you know, the prisoner.

CARLA (very staticky voice) You have to send him down there!

HATCH

Well . . . we got us a little bit of a situation right here, you see, and . . .

19 INTERIOR: THE TOWN OFFICE NIGHT. MOLLY grabs the microphone from CARLA.

MOLLY

afe, Is Mike all right, Hatch? You come on back and tell me.

20 INTERIOR: THE ISLAND SERVICES VEHICLE, WITH HATCH.

Poor guy actually looks relieved. Here, finally, is a question for which he can provide a satisfactory answer.

MOLLY

He's fine, Moll. That's a big 10-4. Listen, I have to go. I'll pass on the message. This is Island Services.

He lowers the mike, looking simultaneously perplexed and relieved, then racks it. He opens the door and gets out into the HOWLING STORM. MIKE has parked the vehicle next to GODSOE'S truck. Now, as HATCH looks up, he sees LINOGE'S ghastly, grinning face peering

142 STEPHEN KING

out at him from the snow-caked driver's side window of the pickup truck. LINOGE'S eyes are DEAD BLACK.

HATCH GASPS and staggers backward. He looks at the window of the truck again. Nothing there. Must have been his imagination. He starts toward the porch steps, then turns and looks back, like "it" trying to catch one of the other children moving in a game of Red Light. Sees nothing. Goes on.

21 INTERIOR: LINOGE, CLOSE-UP.

Grinning. He knows perfectly well what HATCH saw in GODSOE'S truck.

22 EXTERIOR: THE FIRE STATION NIGHT.

The side door is open FERD didn't bother to close it when he fled the sight of his partner's corpse and the emergency lights inside the garage are throwing their glow out onto the snow.

A HEADLIGHT appears; the WASPY WHINE of a Sno-Cat accompanies it. The Sno-Cat pulls up. ROBBIE gets out from one side (the driver's side, naturally) and HENRY BRIGHT from the other.

STORM OF THE CENTURY 143

HENRY I don't know about this, Robbie

ROBBIE

You think we can wait for Anderson? On a night like this? Someone's got to take charge, and we happen to be the ones on the scene. Now come on!

ROBBIE strides in through the open side door, and after a moment, HENRY BRIGHT follows.

23 INTERIOR: THE FIREHOUSE GARAGE.

ROBBIE is standing to one side of the nearest pumper. His hood is pushed back, and he has once again lost most of his pompous authority. In one hand he holds his little gun, and now he waggles the barrel at the floor. HENRY looks, and the two men exchange an uneasy glance. FERD left BLOODY TRACKS when he fled.

ROBBIE and HENRY are both reluctant now, but as ROBBIE pointed out, they're on the scene. They walk around the back of the pumper.

24 INTERIOR: ROBBIE AND HENRY.

As they come around the pumper, their eyes widen and their faces KNOT WITH REVULSION. HENRY claps both hands over his mouth, but that isn't going to keep it in. He bends out of the frame, and we hear the SOUND OF VOMITING. (Sort of like the SOUND OF MUSIC, only louder.)

ROBBIE looks at:

25 INTERIOR: THE BLOODY AXE, FROM ROBBIE'S POINT OF VIEW.

It lies on the floor, beside one of LLOYD WISHMAN'S boots. THE CAMERA TRAVELS UP the side of the pumper to the words printed there in paint as red as blood: "GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND I'LL GO AWAY."

26 INTERIOR: ROBBIE BEALS, CLOSE-UP.

Wide-eyed. Beginning to pass fear and perplexity and into the land where panic dwells and really bad decisions are made.

144 STEPHEN KING

27 EXTERIOR: ANGLE ON ATLANTIC STREET NIGHT.

The STORM IS HOWLING. We hear a LOUD, RENDING CRACK, and a tree branch falls into the street, crushing the snow-covered roof of a parked car. Conditions are still getting worse.

28 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.

JACK CARVER and KIRK FREEMAN are looking at LINOGE, fascinated. MIKE is still standing by the desk, looking at the weird crossword puzzle on the PowerBook. He's still got the Polaroids in his hand. When JACK takes a step toward the cell, MIKE speaks without looking up.

MIKE

Don't go over there.

JACK stops moving at once, looking guilty. HATCH comes in through the market, shedding snow at every step.

HATCH Ursula says Lloyd Wishman's dead over at the firehouse.

KIRK FREEMAN

Dead! What about Ferd?

STORM OF THE CENTURY 145

HATCH

Ferd's the one who found him. He says it's suicide. I think Ursula's afraid it might be murder. Mike . . . Robbie Beals took Henry Bright over there. To investigate, I guess.

JACK CARVER claps his hand to his face. MIKE, however, hardly reacts. He's holding on to his cool, and thinking furiously.

MIKE

Streets still passable? What do you think?

HATCH

In a four-wheel drive? Yeah. Probably until midnight. After that

HATCH shrugs, indicating "Who knows."

MIKE

You take Kirk and go on over to the fire station. Find Robbie and Henry. Keep your eyes open and be careful. Lock the place up, then bring them back here.

(long look at LINOGE)

We can keep an eye on our new pal while you do that. Can't we, Jack?

I dunno as that's such a good idea

MIKE

Maybe not, but right now it's the only idea. I'm sorry, but it is.

None of them look really happy, but MIKE is the boss. HATCH and KIRK FREEMAN head out, zipping up their coats. JACK has gone back to looking at LINOGE.

When the door is closed, MIKE starts shuffling through the Polaroids again. Suddenly he stops, looking at:

29 INTERIOR: THE POLAROID OF MARTHA'S CHAIR, CLOSE-UP.

Bloody and spooky as an old electric chair, but empty. MIKE'S HANDS shuffle to the next photo of the chair. In this one, the chair is also empty.

146 STEPHEN KING

30 INTERIOR: MIKE, CLOSE-UP. Surprised and puzzled. Remembering.

31 INTERIOR: MARTHA'S LIVING ROOM, WITH MIKE (flashback).

He has just pulled the drapes across the broken window and anchored them with the table. He turns back to MARTHA'S chair, raises the Polaroid, and TRIGGERS IT.

32 INTERIOR: THE WOLF'S HEAD CANE, CLOSE-UP (flashback).

It stares at us with its bloody teeth and eyes like a ghost wolf in a stroke of lightning, then FADES.

33 INTERIOR: RESUME CONSTABLE'S OFFICE, FEATURES MIKE. He's got three two pictures of MARTHA'S chair, side by side.

MIKE It's gone.

JACK What's gone?

MIKE doesn't answer. He shuffles a fourth photo out of the stack. This is the one featuring the message written in MARTHA'S blood, and the rudimentary drawing of the cane. MIKE looks slowly up at LINOGE.

34 INTERIOR: LINOGE.

He cocks his head and puts his forefinger beneath his chin, like a girl being coy. He smiles a little.

35 INTERIOR: RESUME CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.

MIKE walks toward the cell. As he goes, he hooks a chair to sit in, but his eyes never leave LINOGE'S face. He's still got the Polaroids.

(nervous) Thought you said to stay away.

STORM OF THE CENTURY 147

MIKE

If he grabs me, why don't you shoot him? Gun's there on the desk.

JACK glances that way, but makes no move for the pistol. The poor guy looks more nervous than ever.

36 EXTERIOR: THE ISLAND DOCKS NIGHT.

They have been pretty well erased by the POUNDING OCEAN.

37 EXTERIOR: THE HEADLAND LIGHTHOUSE NIGHT.

It stands straight and white in the SHEETING SNOW, its big light going round and round. WAVES CRASH HIGH around it.

38 INTERIOR: LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM NIGHT.

It's completely automated, and empty. Lights BLINK and FLASH. The SOUND OF THE WIND outside is very strong, and the anemometer is flickering between fifty and sixty-three MPH. We can hear the place CREAKING and GROANING. Wave-spume splatters the windows and beads up on the glass.

39 EXTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE NIGHT.

A big wave a monster like the one that destroyed PETER GODSOE'S warehouse strikes the headland and all but inundates the lighthouse.

40 INTERIOR: LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM NIGHT.

Several windows shatter, and water SPRAYS ACROSS THE EQUIPMENT. The wave withdraws and everything continues working ... so far, at least.

41 EXTERIOR: THE SIDE OF THE FIREHOUSE NIGHT.

ROBBIE BEALS and HENRY BRIGHT come out, shoulders hunched against the storm. They're not the men they were when they went in ... ROBBIE is especially shaken. He takes out a huge ring of keys (ROBBIE has keys to almost everything on the island, town manager's perogative) and begins to fumble through them, meaning to lock the

148 STEPHEN KING

door. HENRY puts a tentative hand on his arm. Once again, both men SHOUT to be heard above the HOWL OF THE STORM.

HENRY

Shouldn't we at least check upstairs? See if anyone else

ROBBIE

That's the constable's job.

He sees the look HENRY'S giving him, the one that says, "You sure changed your tune," but he won't back down; it would take a lot more man than HENRY BRIGHT to get ROBBIE upstairs after what they just saw downstairs. He finds the right key and turns it in the lock, securing the firehouse.

ROBBIE

We ascertained that the victim is dead, and we have secured the scene. That's enough. Now come on. I want to get back to the

HENRY

(pedantic, fussy)

We never really made sure he was dead, you know . . . never took his pulse, or anything . . .

ROBBIE

His brains were all over the running board of Pumper Number Two, why in God's name would we have to take his pulse?

HENRY

But there might be someone else upstairs. Jake Civiello . . . Duane Pulsifer, maybe . . .

ROBBIE

The only two names written on the duty board were "Ferd Andrews" and "Lloyd Wishman." Anyone else in there would likely turn out to be a friend of that Linoge, and I don't want to meet any of his friends, if it's all the same to you. Now come on!

STORM OF THE CENTURY 149

He grabs HENRY by the coat and practically drags him back to the Sno-Cat. ROBBIE fires it up, guns it impatiently as he waits for HENRY to clamber in, then turns it in a circle and heads back for the street.

As he does, the Island Services four-wheel drive conies trudging out of the storm. ROBBIE corrects his course, meaning to go around, but HATCH sees his intention and cuts him off neatly.

42 EXTERIOR: FEATURES SNO-CAT AND ISLAND SERVICES VEHICLE NIGHT.

HATCH gets out of his vehicle, flashlight in hand. ROBBIE opens the canvas-sided door of the Sno-Cat and leans out. He has recognized HATCH and has regained his previous hectoring authority. Once again, EVERYONE SHOUTS to be heard over the SOUND OF THE WIND.

ROBBIE

Get out of my way, Hatcher! If you want to talk, follow us back to the town hall!

HATCH

Mike sent me! He wants you over at the constable's! Henry, you too!

ROBBIE

I'm afraid that's impossible. We have wives and children waiting at the town hall. If Mike Anderson wants either of us to stand a watch later, that's fine. But for the time being

HENRY

Lloyd Wishman's dead . . . and there's something written on the side of one of the fire trucks. If it's a suicide note, it's the weirdest one I ever heard of.

KIRK comes around to the front of the Island Services truck, holding his hat down with both hands.

KIRK

Come on, let's get going! This ain't no place for a discussion!

150 STEPHEN KING

ROBBIE

(annoyed)

I agree. We can have our discussion back at the town hall, where it's still warm.

He starts to close the door of the Sno-Cat. HATCH grabs it.

HATCH

Peter Godsoe's dead, too. Hung himself, (pause) He also left a weird suicide note.

ROBBIE and HENRY are dumbfounded.

HATCH

Mike asked me to come get you, Robbie Beals, and that's what I'm doing. You come on and follow me back to the store. I don't want to hear any more sass about it.

HENRY (to ROBBIE) We better do it.

KIRK

Coss you better do it! Hurry up!

HENRY

Peter Godsoe . . . my God in heaven, why?

ROBBIE is being driven in a direction he doesn't want to go, and he hates it. He grins without humor at HATCH, who stands pudgy and determined behind his flashlight.

ROBBIE

You're the one who keeps putting that department store dummy on the porch of the store. Do you think I don't know that?

HATCH

We can talk about it later on, if you want. Right now the only thing matters is that we've got bad trouble tonight . . . and not just the storm. I can't make you pitch in and help if you don't want to, but I can make sure that when this is over, people know you were asked . . . and you said no.

STORM OF THE CENTURY 151

HENRY I'll come, Hatch.

KIRK

Good boy!

HENRY opens the door on his side preparatory to getting out and joining HATCH and KIRK. ROBBIE grabs him by the jacket and hauls him back into his seat.

ROBBIE