OLLY ANDERSON holds aside one of the makeshift draw curtains (perhaps they're only blankets hung up on clotheslines for this occa-

STORM OF THE CENTURY 205

sion) so that ANDY ROBICHAUX can step through. ANDY has got CAT in his arms. He carries her toward one of the cots. Following ANDY comes MOLLY and MRS. KINGSBURY.

When they reach a cot fairly deep in the room and away from most of the other sleepers, MOLLY strips back the blanket and top sheet. ANDY puts CAT down, and MOLLY pulls the bedclothes back up over her. They SPEAK LOW, so as not to disturb the other sleepers.

ANDY ROBICHAUX Whoo! She's really out!

MOLLY gives MRS. KINGSBURY a questioning look.

MRS. KINGSBURY

They're very light sleeping pills . . . any lighter, Doc Grissom said, and I could buy them right over the counter. I think it's just shock. Whatever she's done, or whatever's been done to her, she's away from it now. That's probably best.

MRS. KINGSBURY bends, and, perhaps surprising herself, puts a kiss on the sleeping girl's cheek.

MRS. KINGSBURY Sleep well, dear.

ANDY

Do you think someone ought to sit with her? Like a guard?

MOLLY and MRS. KINGSBURY exchange a bewildered glance that sums up just how out of control this has become. Put a guard on inoffensive little CAT WITHERS? It's nuts.

MOLLY She doesn't need guarding, Andy.

ANDY

But

MOLLY Come on.

206 STEPHEN KING

She turns to go. MRS. KINGSBURY follows. ANDY lingers by the cot for a moment, not so sure. Then he follows.

150 INTERIOR: THE BASEMENT "LIVING ROOM" AREA OF THE TOWN HALL.

MOLLY, ANDY, and MRS. KINGSBURY come out through the draw curtains. To their left, forty or fifty people, many now in their pj's or nightgowns, are watching the fuzzy TV. To their right are the stairs. Coming down them are SANDRA BEALS, MELINDA HATCHER, and JILL ROBICHAUX. SANDRA is terrified; MELINDA is frightened and grim; JILL is on the verge of hysterics but holding it in ... at least until she sees her husband. She throws herself into his arms, CRYING.

ANDY

Jill? Honey? What's wrong?

A few of the TV watchers look around to see what's up. MOLLY looks at MELINDA'S pale face and knows something else has gone wrong . . . but this is no time to stir up the others, who are finally settling down for the night.

MOLLY Come on. Upstairs. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it there.

They go up, ANDY with his arm around his wife's waist.

151 EXTERIOR: THE INTERSECTION OF MAIN AND ATLANTIC NIGHT.

The Island Services vehicle comes along, trudging through the snow. It's making progress, but it's also crashing through drifts that are nearly hood high. It won't be making many more trips through this blizzard.

152 INTERIOR: THE ISLAND SERVICES VEHICLE, WITH MIKE, URSULA, JOANNA.

JOANNA

I'm so scared.

MIKE So am I.

STORM OF THE CENTURY 207

153 INTERIOR: OUTSIDE THE TOWN HALL LADIES' ROOM.

Standing back from the door, arms around each other, are ANDY and JILL ROBICHAUX. Closest to the bathroom are MELINDA HATCHER and MOLLY. SANDRA BEALS stands between the two pairs.

SANDRA

I'm sorry ... I can't. I can't take any more.

She brushes past JILL and ANDY and hurries back down the aisle.

154 INTERIOR: THE TOWN OFFICE NIGHT.

SANDRA, weeping now, hurries into this area, meaning to go downstairs. Before she can, the front doors open and MIKE comes in, covered with snow and stamping more snow off his boots. He is followed by URSULA and JOANNA. SANDRA stops and gives the new arrivals a wild, startled glance.

MIKE Sandra, what is it? What's wrong?

155 INTERIOR: THE LADIES' ROOM, ANGLE ON THE DOOR.

It opens slowly . . . reluctantly. MOLLY and MELINDA come in together, huddled shoulder to shoulder for comfort. Behind them, we see ANDY and JILL ROBICHAUX. MOLLY and MELINDA look, faces filling with horror and wonder.

MELINDA

Oh, my dear God.

156 INTERIOR: THE WASHBASINS, FROM MOLLY AND MELINDA'S POINT OF VIEW.

Kneeling in front of one of them is CORA STANHOPE. The basin is full of water, and CORA'S white hair floats on its surface. She has drowned herself in the basin. Written above it in lipstick, on the line of mirrors, is the same old song: "GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND I'LL GO AWAY." Flanking it at either end, CORA has drawn BLOODY LIPSTICK CANES. Of the real cane, the one with the wolf's head, there is no sign.

FADE TO BLACK. THIS ENDS ACT 4.

Act 5

157 EXTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE NIGHT.

Waves still crash against the headland rocks hard enough to splatter the lighthouse with foam, but the tide is on the ebb, now, and things are better than they were. Temporarily only, however, because:

158 INTERIOR: LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM NIGHT.

The lights still BLINK and FLASH, but some of them are now BEADED WITH ICE from the spray, and little drifts of snow are piling up in the corners of the room. The WIND WHISTLES, and the anemometer is still topping sixty MPH.

SOUND: A HIGH-PITCHED COMPUTER BEEP. THE CAMERA MOVES IN on a computer screen that has gone RED. White letters appear on the screen: "NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURGE WARNING FOR ALL OUTER ISLANDS, INCLUDING CRANBERRY, JERROD BLUFF, KANKAMONGUS, BIG TALL, AND LITTLE TALL. HIGH TIDE AT 7:09 AM. MAY PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AND LOWLAND DAMAGE. OUTER ISLAND RESI-

208

STORM OF THE CENTURY 209

DENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MOVE TO INLAND AREAS OF HIGH GROUND."

As if to punctuate this, an especially powerful wave SPLASHES IN through the broken windows and splatters this computer screen with foam.

159 INTERIOR: LOWER ATLANTIC STREET NIGHT.

Godsoe Fish & Lobster is totally gone, except for the ragged stump of the building. So is the town dock. The waves slap the rocks where the dock was. Splintered pieces of lobster traps float back and forth . . . and a single waterlogged bale of pot BOBS AND SURGES.

160 INTERIOR: THE TOWN OFFICE NIGHT.

URSULA is comforting SANDRA. MIKE is heading for the meeting hall section of the building, when JOANNA steams past him. He grabs her arm.

MIKE Slow down, Mrs. Stanhope easy does it.

The door between the meeting hall and the office area opens. MOLLY and MELINDA HATCHER come through. MOLLY'S distress turns to gladness when she sees MIKE, and she almost hurls herself into his arms. He hugs her hard. JOANNA, meanwhile, doesn't give a shit about "easy does it." She dodges past MELINDA and heads down the aisle that leads to the toilets. URSULA and SANDRA walk to where MIKE and MOLLY are drawing apart a little.

161 INTERIOR: TOWN MEETING HALL NIGHT.

ANDY and JILL are sitting on a bench about halfway down. ANDY has got an arm around his wife, offering what comfort he can, when JOANNA hurries past toward the ladies' room.

ANDY

Joanna, I wouldn't

She pays no attention, simply hurries on down the aisle.

210 STEPHEN KING

162 INTERIOR: LADIES' ROOM, FEATURES THE DOOR.

It opens. JOANNA stands there, eyes widening, mouth dropping open. After a moment, MIKE joins her. He takes one look and then moves her away. As the bathroom door starts to close on its pneumatic hinge:

MIKE Moll. Help me.

163 INTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL.

MIKE gently passes the stunned JOANNA to his wife, who walks her up the aisle as far as ANDY and JILL There JOANNA stumbles and utters a little CRY OF BEWILDERMENT AND GRIEF.

JILL Let me.

JILL sits her down and puts an arm around her. JOANNA begins to WEEP.

MOLLY starts back toward the ladies' room. MIKE comes out, his arms wet almost to the elbows. MOLLY looks at him questioningly. MIKE shakes his head and puts his arm around her shoulders. As he leads her past the trio on the bench:

MIKE Andy? Can I borrow you a minute?

ANDY looks questioningly at JILL, who nods. She's busy comforting JOANNA.

164 INTERIOR: RESUME TOWN OFFICE AREA.

MIKE, MOLLY, and ANDY come in. URSULA and SANDRA stand nearby, looking the expected question at MIKE.

MIKE

She's dead, all right. Sandra, can you get me a couple of blankets to wrap her in?

T

STORM OF THE CENTURY 211

SANDRA

(making a big effort) Yes. I can do that. Two shakes of a lamb's tail.

MIKE is struggling hard to stay calm and do as many of the right things as he can. There's a sense of him making up the procedure as he goes along, but why not? What kind of procedure is there for a situation like this?

SONNY BRAUTIGAN and UPTON BELL come up the stairs, curious about what's going on now. MIKE spies them.

MIKE Billy Soames you're sure he's dead?

SONNY

Yeah. Now what?

MIKE Old Mrs. Stanhope is dead, too. In the ladies' room.

UPTON BELL Holy God! She have a heart attack? Stroke?

MOLLY

Suicide.

MIKE Is Billy still out there in the supply shed?

SONNY

Yeah. Seemed like the best place. We covered him up. What the hell

SANDRA comes up the stairs with an armload of blankets. Someone else needs covering up now.

MIKE

Andy, you and Sonny cover Mrs. Stanhope. Take her out and put her with Billy. Use the back door of the meeting hall. I don't want folks to see a corpse going through, if I can help it.

212 STEPHEN KING

SONNY

What about Jonas? Her son? I seen him downstairs, gettin' ready to turn in

MIKE

Let's hope he does. His wife can tell him in the morning. Upton Bell?

UPTON

Yessir.

MIKE

Go downstairs and pick out five or six men from those that are still up. Guys who can walk through half a mile of deep snow without having a heart attack, if it comes to that. Don't tell 'em anything except that I want to see 'em. Okay?

UPTON

Okay!

Hugely exited, UPTON heads back downstairs.

165 INTERIOR: THE ISLAND MARKET NIGHT.

HATCH, JACK CARVER, and KIRK FREEMAN are sitting at a card table they've set up in the canned goods aisle and are playing gin rummy. HATCH looks up at:

166 INTERIOR: THE SECURITY MIRROR, FROM HATCH'S POINT OF VIEW.

The mirror is now positioned in such a way that HATCH can see into the constable's office. HENRY is behind MIKE'S desk, leaning back in the chair, chin down on his chest, arms crossed, dozing. ROBBIE sits off to one side, watching LINOGE, who is back in his same old position heels up, knees apart, head down.

167 INTERIOR: RESUME CARD PLAYERS.

Satisfied, HATCH draws a card, smiles, and spreads them out faceup.

HATCH Gin!

r

STORM OF THE CENTURY 213 KIRK

Aw, boogersnot!

168 INTERIOR: THE CONVEX ANTITHEFT MIRROR, CLOSE-UP.

ROBBIE looks up into the mirror, trying to ascertain if he is being watched. He decides he isn't. Now he reaches over to the corner of the desk, picks up the pistol that's still lying there, and GETS UP.

169 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.

HENRY is dozing. The men in the market are playing cards. ROBBIE approaches the cell with the gun. LINOGE sits where he is, watching him come. When LINOGE speaks, he does so in the voice of an OLD WOMAN ROBBIE'S MOTHER.

LINOGE

Where's Robbie? I want to see my Robbie before I go. He said he'd be here. Where are you, Robbie? I don't want to die without someone to hold my hand.

HENRY stirs a bit in his doze, then sinks deeper. ROBBIE reacts with surprise, horror, shame . . . and then his face hardens.

ROBBIE I think this town's had enough of you.

He raises the gun and points it through the bars.

170 EXTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL NIGHT.

A side door opens, and a number of MEN come out, ready to augment the crew already at the store. As promised, they're wide-bodies: UPTON, SONNY, JOHNNY HARRIMAN, ALEX HABER, and STAN HOPE-WELL, DAVEY'S father. STAN is a lobsterman we saw briefly in Part One, battening down for the storm on the now nonexistent town dock. They head for the Island Services vehicle, fighting their way through the snow. Two more figures linger in the doorway: MIKE and MOLLY. MOLLY'S wearing a shawl and hugging it to her against the cold.

MOLLY

Is it that man? The one who grabbed Ralphie in the market? It is isn't it?

214 STEPHEN KING He doesn't answer.

MOLLY

(continues) You'll be all right, won't you?

MIKE Ayuh.

MOLLY

That man ... if he is a man ... is never going to see the inside of a courtroom, Michael. I know it. You do, too.

(beat)

Maybe you should get rid of him. Make him have an accident.

MIKE

Go on inside, before you freeze your tail off.

She kisses him again, a little more lingeringly.

MOLLY Come back to us.

MIKE I will.

She closes the door. MIKE starts down to the truck, walking in the tracks the others have made and bending forward against the RELENTLESS WIND.

171 INTERIOR: A SUNLIT BEDROOM DAY.

This is a beautiful room, full of light. The window is open and the curtains BELL OUT LAZILY toward the bed in a summer breeze. HENRY BRIGHT comes out of the bathroom, wearing only pajama bottoms, with a towel slung around his neck. As he crosses to the window, FRANK BRIGHT, his son, pokes his head around the side of the door.

FRANK

Mom says come downstairs and get breakfast, Daddy!

STORM OF THE CENTURY 215 Above FRANK'S head, CARLA'S now appears.

CARLA

No Mom says come downstairs and get breakfast sleepyhead Daddy!

FRANK puts his hands over his mouth and GIGGLES. HENRY smiles.

HENRY

I'll be there in a minute.

He goes to the window.

172 EXTERIOR: LITTLE TALL ISLAND, FROM HENRY'S POINT OF VIEW DAY.

It's beautiful as only a Maine island can be at the height of summer blue sky over long green meadows that slope down to blue whitecapped water. We can see a few fishing boats out there. GULLS CRY AND SWOOP overhead.

173 INTERIOR: RESUME BEDROOM, WITH HENRY DAY. He takes a deep breath, holds it, then lets it out.

HENRY

Thank God for reality. I had a dream that it was winter . . . there was a storm . . . and this man came to town . . .

LINOGE (voice) This scary man . . .

Surprised, HENRY turns.

&

174 INTERIOR: LINOGE, FROM HENRY'S POINT OF VIEW.

Although it's summer in HENRY'S dream, LINOGE is dressed as he was when we first saw him on Atlantic Street, in front of MARTHA CLARENDON'S house: pea coat, watch cap, bright yellow gloves. He GRIMACES INTO THE CAMERA, revealing A MOUTHFUL OF FANGS. His eyes GO BLACK. He thrusts the SILVER HEAD OF HIS CANE at HENRY, and the head COMES ALIVE, snapping and snarling.

216 STEPHEN KING

175 INTERIOR: THE SUMMER BEDROOM, WITH HENRY.