FADE IN:
ON BLACK:
"On October 20, 1961, a Soviet Golf-Class submarine launched
the first submarine-launched ballistic missile, unilaterally
ending the moratorium on nuclear testing agreed to by both
the Soviet Union and the United States.
"On October 22, 1961, a U.S. official and his wife were
detained by East German troops as they tried to enter East
Berlin to attend an opera, thereby initiating the Berlin
Crisis.
"In just a few days, nearly a hundred Soviet and American
tanks faced off against each other for sixteen hours in what
would be the most volatile moment of the Cold War before the
Cuban Missile Crisis.
"As tensions mounted, each superpower relied on its hundreds
of "interceptor aircraft" circling the skies across Europe,
Asia, and the Arctic Circle.
The pilots' mission was to cut off and shoot down any
encroaching enemy bomber carrying nuclear weapons."
FADE OUT.
"You get used to everything -- even Hell."
-- Russian proverb
FADE OUT.
Wind HOWLS. Beneath that: the low CRACKLE of radio static.
STEPHEN (O.S.)
(over radio)
Blue Leader! Blue Leader this is
Tumbleweed! I'm hit!
A buried response, lost in the ROAR.
STEPHEN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
(over radio)
Blue Leader! I...ah, FUCK!
ON BLACK:
"We do the impossible everyday."
-- United States Air Force recruiting slogan
FADE IN:
1 INT. F-102 DELTA DAGGER - COCKPIT - DAY 1
CLOSE ON
LT. STEPHEN RADCLIFFE (aka TUMBLEWEED), 40s, his face
obscured by a flight helmet and oxygen mask. His eyes BULGE
as he struggles against the massive g-forces.
Alarms BRAY around him. A voice CRACKLES over his radio, the
words buried under the cacophony.
STEPHEN
Come Back, Blue Leader! Come back!
This is a May Day! May Day!
Wind RUSHES through the cracked canopy overhead.
2 EXT. FOREST - DAY 2
EXTREME WIDE
Snow covers the dense black pine trees lining the rocky
mountainside.
The sound of a jet engine RISES...RISES...
A sudden STREAK. Seconds later, an EXPLOSION rips through the
blue sky.
3 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - DAY 3
ECU
Stephen. Unconscious. His oxygen mask hangs free. Blood pools
on his upper lip and trickles down from beneath his helmet.
MCU
He SNORTS. His eyes flutter and open. Stephen looks up with
bleary eyes.
WS - LOW ANGLE
The parachute FLAPS overhead. Straps coil around a thick
branch.
MCU (SAME AS ABOVE)
He looks down.
EWS
The ground is a good two meters beneath his feet.
STEPHEN
Shit.
He hawks and SPITS a stream of frothy red saliva.
CU - ARM
He tries to reach into his flight suit, then SCREAMS and
clutches his left arm.
WIDE SHOT
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Goddamnit!
He swings there, helpless. He looks around, trying to get a
better sense of his surroundings.
EXTREME WIDE SHOT - FROM REAR
The dense forest envelops him -- nothing but trees, snow and
sky.
MCU
He reaches up with his right hand and
ECU - PARACHUTE LATCH
Fumbles at the latch to his parachute harness. It's frozen
fast.
MCU
He GASPS in pain, pulls his hand away. He looks down.
POV - CU ON HAND
Blood wells from his finger. The nail hangs from a strip of
meat.
MWS
He takes a deep breath and reaches -- slowly -- with his
right hand
CU
WINCING
CU KNIFE
as he fumbles for the knife strapped to his side.
CU
He HISSES in pain
CU KNIFE
as he pulls it from its scabbard--
--It slips from his grasp
POV - HIGH ANGLE
and disappears into the snow below.
MCU
He gazes down at it. Dumbstruck.
4 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - DAY - LATER 4
WS - HIGH ANGLE
Stephen sways in the tree, clutching his shattered right arm
tight to his chest and gazing upward.
POV MWS - LOW ANGLE
A CANVAS PACK dangles from another branch directly overhead,
entangled in the parachute.
WS - FROM FRONT
Stephen gently rocks his body back and forth
MS
pulling lightly at the parachute straps.
CU - LOW ANGLE
The branch jostles. The canvas pack sways.
ECU
The strap slides almost imperceptibly down the shaft.
MS
Stephen subtly increases the rocking motion.
ECU
The pack inches forward.
CU
STEPHEN
Come on, you whore.
WS - HIGH ANGLE
Stephen rocks.
ECU
Again....
Again--
CU - LOW ANGLE
The pack slips off the branch and plummets towards him.
MS
WS - HIGH ANGLE
He pistons his right arm out, SNATCHES it just before it
falls into the snow.
CU - CHEST AND ARM
It bangs against his chest, then SLAMS into his right arm.
CU
He SCREAMS in agony.
WS - HIGH ANGLE
CU - FINGERS
The pack slips from his fingers.
CU
MCU
He lunges,
CU - HAND AND KNEE
WS - HIGH ANGLE
grabbing it by the strap just before it hurtles out of reach.
CU
He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath,
CU - HAND AND KNEE
MCU
then very carefully lifts the pack.
MCU - LEFT HAND
With a muffled WHIMPER of pain he manages to grip it with his
injured left hand.
MCU
He flips it open and rifles through it.
OTS - MS
Inside are several K rations, sticks of gum, tubes of beef
jerky, safety pins, gloves, fishing line, a first aid kit, a
wool blanket, etc.
MCU
He removes the gum and slips them into his vest pockets. He
keeps digging--
CU - PACK
A pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter.
MCU
He slips both into his vest, keeps digging--
CU - PACK
A box of shells.
MCU
CU - POCKET
He, slips the shells into another pocket.
MCU
Keeps digging--
OTS - PACK
--A PRC-63 RADIO BEACON.
MCU
He slings the pack over his left arm
CU - HANDS
Extends the antenna
CU - PROFILE
and raises the radio to his mouth.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Boston Tower. Boston Tower, this is
Tumbleweed. Do you copy?
A BURST of static.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Boston Tower, this is Tumbleweed.
Do you copy?
STATIC.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I... uh, if you copy, I went down
over...well, I think it was Sweden.
Or maybe Finland. I don't...
CU - OBLIQUE - POSSIBLE POST DIGITAL ZOOM (SHOOT IN 4K)
He blinks rapidly, shakes his head.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
It was Sweden. It had to be Sweden.
Last I...ah, let's see, last I
checked in I was...
He trails off.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I, uh...well, I don't quite
remember. I...I think I must have
hit my head or something. I
don't...
He blinks, looks around.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I don't know what happened.
CU/POV - RADIO
The radio CRACKLES. No response.
Long moments.
CU - OBLIQUE (END OF ZOOM)
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Well, shit, Boston Tower.
(beat)
I hope you got that.
MCU
He turns the beacon on
WS - LOW ANGLE
and slips the unit into the pack.
5 DREAM/FLASHBACK. EXT. TARMAC - DAY 5
Stephen strides across the tarmac towards his plane.
ANNIE (O.S.)
Hey!
He turns. ANNIE BEAUMONT -- 20s, dressed in a nurse's uniform
and with her hair up in a bun -- hurries after him. He grins.
STEPHEN
Well, where'd you come from?
She smiles and throws herself into his arms.
ANNIE
Captain O'Leary likes me. He said I
could come out and say goodbye.
Stephen LAUGHS.
STEPHEN
Jesus Christ, Annie--
She SLAPS his shoulder.
ANNIE
Don't you be taking the Lord's name
in vain, Lieutenant. Not if you
want that second date!
He CHUCKLES and kisses her.
STEPHEN
You know, Captain O'Leary doesn't
like anybody.
She grins, slightly lascivious, up at him.
ANNIE
He likes me, Daddy-O. Everybody
likes me. And, besides, I told him
I'd get him a date with Sheila this
weekend.
(beat)
Now you get back here safe. I've
got my heart set on going out
dancing with you tonight, so don't
you go crashing this thing.
He winks.
STEPHEN
Wouldn't dream of it.
She pecks his cheek, disentangles herself from his arms and
glides away. He watches her go.
She glances back over her shoulder, sees him watching. She
grins, waggles her fingers, puts a little jiggle to her walk.
MWS - COWBOY
He smiles. From somewhere, nearly inaudible: a WOMAN CRYING.
The smile slowly melts from his face.
SOUND BRIDGE TO:
6 BACK. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - NIGHT 6
MWS - COWBOY (MATCH CUT FROM PREVIOUS SCENE)
Stephen's head SNAPS up.
MCU - CHEST UP
Moonlight spills through the treetops overhead, forming a
silvery latticework pattern across his face. His beacon
FLASHES on and off, on and off...
POV - LOW ANGLE
Branches RUSTLE in the wind.
Beneath that, from somewhere: CRYING.
EWS
STEPHEN
Hello?
Nothing.
MCU
Stephen gazes into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the
direction of the sound.
OTS - TREES
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
H...hello!
The crying fades away.
7 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - MORNING 7
ECU
Stephen sleeps, shivering in the cold.
MCU - CHEST UP PROFILE
The blanket lies draped across his shoulders. The pack,
knotted tight around his right arm, dangles at his side.
CU
His eyes flutter.
MCU - CHEST UP PROFILE
MWS - LOW ANGLE
He blinks, bleary-eyed, looks around.
POV
Snow and trees. Nothing else.
CU
MCU - LOW ANGLE
His gaze drifts down--
MWS - HIGH ANGLE - FEET AND SNOW
Footprints. Small, delicate, about ten yards away.
8 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 8
ECU - OBLIQUE - LATCH
Stephen struggles with the parachute latch. It's still frozen
tight.
ECU - OBLIQUE - FACE
He gives up with a SIGH of frustration.
9 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - A LITTLE LATER 9
MCU - FEET SWINGING
MCU - CHEST UP
Stephen gnaws on a chunk of some disgusting potted meat.
ECU - MEAT AND MOUTH
ECU - OTS - MEAT
It's frozen solid. He sucks on it like a lollipop,
MCU - CHEST UP
then takes a swig of water from his canteen.
10 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 10
WS - INSERTS OF WILDERNESS
CU - PROFILE RADIO IN HAND
Stephen clutches the radio in his shaking hands, listening to
the HISS of static. There's a VOICE in there, mumbled and
indistinct.
CU - PROFILE
He raises it to his mouth.
STEPHEN
Boston Tower, this is Tumbleweed.
Over.
Nothing.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Boston Tower, this is Tumbleweed.
Over.
Nothing. He SIGHS.
11 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 11
CU - FACE
ECU - ZIPPER
Stephen struggles with the zipper to his flightsuit. He
wrestles it down to his waist. The metal is frozen.
ECU FACE PROFILE
He SIGHS
WIDE SHOT - BEHIND
unleashing a stream of urine
CU SNOW
into the white snow below.
12 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - EVENING 12
CU - FACE PROFILE
Stephen dozes.
CU - PROFILE RADIO
The radio HISSES in his hand.
OTS - WOODS
Something SNAPS in the woods.
MCU - FACE
His eyes pop open.
OTS MCU - RADIO
The radio CRACKLES suddenly to life.
VOICE (O.S.)
(through radio, Russian
accent)
Blue Leader, Blue Leader, this is
Tumbleweed! I've got MIGS on my
tail! Oh SHIT!
MCU - FACE
Stephen blinks, confused.
The radio CRACKLES.
BLUE LEADER (O.S.)
(through radio)
Tumbleweed, Tumbleweed, this is
Blue Leader--
MCU - PROFILE FACE
Stephen presses the transmitter button.
STEPHEN
(shouting)
Blue Leader, that's not me! He's
lying! This is Tumbleweed. I'm down
somewhere between Boden and Tornio!
Come back, Blue Leader!
The radio CRACKLES.
VOICE (O.S.)
--Oh Fuck, they're firing at me!
MCU - FACE
The RAT-TAT-TAT of gunfire--
VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Oh God!
BLUE LEADER (O.S.)
Tumbleweed! We're coming to get
you! What are your coordinates--
MCU - PROFILE FACE
Stephen presses the button.
STEPHEN
(screaming)
BLUE LEADER, THAT IS A BOGEY!
REPEAT! THAT IS A BOGEY! COME THE
FUCK BACK GODDAMNIT!
OTS MCU - RADIO
The radio CRACKLES.
MCU - FACE
He waits.
Nothing.
EWS
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
SONOFABITCH!!
His voice echoes across the mountain.
MCU - FACE
OTS - WOODS
Another SNAP. The radio SPUTTERS and goes dead.
MCU - PROFILE
Stephen shakes it, pounds it against the palm of his hand.
Nothing.
EWS
He tosses it into the pack and stares off into the trees.
13 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - EVENING 13
INSERT
The sun sinks behind the trees.
MWS - COWBOY
Stephen sleeps.
WS DIRTY - WOODS
From far away: a woman CRIES.
MCU
Stephen slowly raises his head.
OTS WOODS
Another voice, this one SINGING. The tune mournful, wordless.
MCU
STEPHEN
(hoarse)
Hello?
POV - WOODS
CRYING...
SINGING...
EWS
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Hello! Hey!
MCU/MWS
POV
A third voice. Maybe LAUGHING...
MWS - PROFILE
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
(beat)
Please! Help me!
OTS
The voices fade into the distance.
14 FLASHBACK. INT. DANCE HALL - NIGHT 14
Stephen and Annie DANCE cheek to cheek. A COUNTRY BALLAD
plays in the background.
SINGER (V.O.)
...But if the moments we've been
stealing mean just half as much to
you as they mean to me...then I
won't give up any chance that I
might have of making love with
you...
Annie pulls away, smiles, and looks deep into Stephen's eyes.
15 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - NIGHT 15
ECU LATCH
ECU FACE
Stephen struggles with the parachute latch, blanket wrapped
tight around his shoulder.
MCU
His teeth CHATTER.
CRYING....
Then: a CRACK! Stephen's head jerks up.
Silence. He looks around, narrowing his eyes against the
darkness.
OTS
CRACK! Something falls with a BOOM.
WS
MCU
Stephen spins in his harness, struggling against the straps.
OTS
A low, animal GROWL. Heavy FOOTSTEPS crunch through the snow
toward him.
ECU PROFILE - LATCH
ECU FACE
Stephen jerks at the latch with his right hand, trying
desperately to pull himself free.
WS
The growl thunders into a ROAR.
MCU
Stephen looks frantically around.
OTS
A SHADOW moves slowly through the trees.
POV
Big. Black.
MCU
CU - HAND
Stephen's hand drifts down toward the revolver jammed into a
holster on his side as
MCU
the radio suddenly CRACKLES inside the pack.
VOICE (O.S.)
(in Russian)
Beehive. This is Dirt Worm. Over.
OTS
SOMETHING ELSE flits through the trees -- white, delicate,
feminine.
MCU
The radio CRACKLES again. A babble of words, lost in the
static. Then:
VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
...Sukhoy Nos...
OTS
The black thing HUFFS wetly, then falls silent.
MCU
Stephen blinks.
POV
OTS
It's gone as if it had never been there.
MCU
WS
Shivering, Stephen stares out into the dark.
16 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - MORNING 16
MWS - PROFILE
Stephen sleeps.
INSERTS OF WOODS AND TREES
The woods are silent, still. A very low breeze WHISTLES
through the trees.
MCU OBLIQUE
Stephen SNAPS awake with a GASP.
MCU OBLIQUE REVOLVER
His hand still rests on the revolver.
MWS
The blanket slips from his shoulders and flutters toward the
ground.
MWS - LOW ANGLE
He makes a feeble attempt to grab at it.
MCU - LOW ANGLE
He looks down.
CU - BLANKET ON GROUND
The blanket has landed on snow that has been crunched and
churned up by heavy feet, stained RED with blood.
MWS - HIGH ANGLE BEHIND HIM AT SNOW
Glistening white BONES lay in a pile directly beneath him.
17 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 17
CU - RADIO IN FOREGROUND
Stephen fiddles with the radio.
ECU RADIO ANTENNA
He twists up a gum wrapper around the antenna, vainly trying
to extend the signal.
OTS RADIO
It SQUAWKS once.
MCU OBLIQUE - SUPER SLOW DIGITAL ZOOM
He shakes it, then lifts it to his mouth.
STEPHEN
Boston Tower, this is Tumbleweed.
(beat)
I've been picking up Ivan's
transmissions. I couldn't make out
much, but I did manage to get
something. Sounded like Sukhoy Nos.
That seemed familiar, but I don't
know why.
(beat)
Could be it's close to where I went
down. Maybe somewhere near the
Kola. I don't know. I guess that's
probably a stretch.
(beat)
Fuck it. I, ah...
(beat)
Well, I'm praying that you're
picking up the beacon. Because if
you're not...I don't know. I, uh...
(beat)
...I think I may be fucked.
OTS
He slides the radio back into the pack.
18 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 18
ECU TEETH
Stephen swallows some more frozen meat,
MCU
washes it quickly down with a swig of water.
OTS
MOVEMENT in the trees.
MWS COWBOY
He quickly lowers the canteen,
MCU
looks.
POV
Nothing.
MCU
OTS
Then:
Two FEMININE FORMS glide toward him, almost invisible against
the brilliance of snow.
EWS - GIRLS IN FOREGROUND OUT OF FOCUS
They stay hidden in the trees --
POV
Stephen can only make out a hint of a pale skin, flowing
white dresses, hair pulled back in braids.
EWS - GIRLS IN FOREGROUND OUT OF FOCUS
STEPHEN
Hello!
They stop, crouched in the trees, and watch him.
MWS COWBOY
OTS
MCU
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I...shit, uh...
(clumsy Swedish)
Do you speak English? Uh...
(clumsy Finnish)
Do you speak English?
OTS
No response.
EWS - GIRLS IN FOREGROUND OUT OF FOCUS
POV
A SNAP of a twig, and we see two more FORMS, further back,
also watching.
EWS - GIRLS IN FOREGROUND OUT OF FOCUS
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I, uh, I don't know where I am. I
thought I was over the Bothnia,
which means I should have gone down
in either Sweden or Finland. But...
MWS COWBOY
He looks around.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
(increasingly desperate)
I...ah...none of this looks...it
doesn't look like any of the
topographical maps, and...
OTS
They start to back away.
MCU
He thinks quickly.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Sukhoy Nos! Am I near some place
called Sukhoy Nos?
OTS
They back away.
EWS - GIRLS IN FOREGROUND OUT OF FOCUS
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
(beat)
I...ah, please. At least give me my
blanket!
POV
They fade into the trees.
MCU
He stares after them.
Moments.
EWS
EWS FROM BEHIND
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING CUNTS! GO
FUCK YOURSELF!
(beat)
GODDAMNIT!
MCU
His voice cracks on the last word, on the verge of tears.
19 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 19
CU OBLIQUE
Stephen dozes.
CRYING. Close by now.
His eyes flutter open.
POV
One of the women stands at the treeline, her back to him. A
heavy dark braid cascades down the pale length of her back.
Her shoulders HEAVE with the force of her grief.
OTS LAUREN TO MORSE
STEPHEN
(soft)
Hey.
POV
She CRIES.
WS MORSE
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Hey. It's... it's okay.
OTS MORSE TO LAUREN
She runs off into the trees.
20 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - EVENING 20
EWS
Stephen swings from the branch, struggling with the latch and
shivering as he watches the sun sink behind the treetops.
MCU - LOW ANGLE
He clutches the radio, gazes down at the blood and the bones.
Far away: CRYING.
CU RADIO
Stephen presses the transmitter button.
CU
STEPHEN
Boston Tower, this is Tumbleweed.
I'm...ah, well, I'm pretty sure
this isn't Sweden or Finland.
The WEEPING rises in volume.
VARIOUS WILDERNESS INSERTS
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I don't know where I am. I keep
turning that phrase -- "Sukhoy Nos"
-- over in my head. It's Russian,
right? Gotta be Russian. And I know
I've seen it before.
(beat)
I close my eyes and I see a map. An
island. Somewhere in the Barents,
which makes no Goddamned sense, but
there's...well, none of this makes
any Goddamned sense and I'm pretty
much all out of ideas. So...
OTS WOODS
He stops, listens to the sound of the woman crying.
CU
Thinks. After a moment he presses the button.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I don't know what to say, Boston
Tower. I don't think you can hear
me, anyway.
(beat)
I'm sorry I crashed your plane, I
guess.
INSERT - SUN GOING DOWN
With that, the sun sinks below the trees.
21 FLASHBACK. INT. F-102 DELTA DAGGER - COCKPIT - DAY 21
Wind ROARS through the cracked canopy. Stephen fights against
the g-forces, pulling hard on the stick.
STEPHEN
Boston Tower! Boston Tower! I'm
hit! I'm...ah, FUCK--
The wind ROARS...
ROARS...
ROARS...
22 BACK. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - NIGHT 22
ECU
ROARS--
Stephen's head snaps up.
OTS - SCARY WOODS
The roaring BUILDS -- low, mammalian, vicious.
MS COWBOY
MCU
CU HAND ON REVOLVER
Stephen fumbles for the revolver--
MS COWBOY FROM BEHIND
The roaring subsides to a thick, catlike PURR.
MS COWBOY
Stephen's eyes scan the trees, find nothing.
OTS
The thing SNORTS.
CU
ECU
Incredibly close. Behind him.
CU HAND ON REVOLVER
Stephen slowly pulls the revolver from the holster.
MS COWBOY FROM BEHIND
Another SNORT, followed by an ear-splitting BELLOW.
CU
He CRINGES as heavy FOOTSTEPS crunch through the snow toward
him.
OTS WITH SHADOW
CU GROUND
Something wet SPLATS to the ground.
CU
POV SCOTTY MONSTER FACE
A MONSTROUS WOODEN FACE lunges into his field of vision.
CU
Stephen JERKS backwards
MCU PROFILE
Stephen raises the revolver and fires -- BANG!
OTS
STEPHEN
FUCK YOU!
BANG BANG--
EWS
BANG BANG BANG!
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
FUCK YOU!
MCU
He keeps pulling the trigger -- Click. Click. Click--
OTS
The shadow is gone.
POV
Instead, one of the WOMEN stands in the trees, watching him.
Her braids lie heavy on her shoulders.
WEEPING in the distance.
MWS COWBOY
Stephen pulls the trigger -- Click. Click. Click.
OTS
POV
The woman SNARLS suddenly, showing a row of JAGGED TEETH.
WOMAN
Stuh‡c!
OTS
With that, she's gone.
MWS COWBOY
23 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - MORNING 23
MWS LOW ANGLE
Stephen gazes dully at the ground--
POV
--WET RED MEAT. VISCERA. BLOOD. The tattered remnants of an
ANIMAL PELT.
VARIOUS GROSS INSERTS
Bones, slick with gore, jutting up through the carnage.
CU REACTION
24 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 24
CU GUN
CU GLOVE
CU FACE
Stephen cradles the revolver in the crook of his left arm as
he pulls his gloves off his hands.
ECU FINGERTIPS
We see the encroaching black of frostbite on his ice-blue
fingertips.
MCU
CU
He fumbles with the box of shells, his fingers sluggish and
uncooperative in the cold.
MS PROFILE
CU REVOLVER
He manages to slip one into the revolver's chamber, reaches
for another--
--The box tumbles from his fingers, followed by his gloves.
CU GROUND
They land in the red mess beneath him.
CU PROFILE
MS PROFILE
Stephen stares, expressionless, then slips the revolver into
his holster.
CU HANDS
He rubs his hands together, WINCES dully at the pain in his
fingers and shattered right arm.
25 FLASHBACK. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT 25
Moonlight STREAMS through the window.
Stephen and Annie make love, bodies entwined in a shimmering
mass of rippling muscles beneath skin dappled with sweat.
He kisses her deeply. She MOANS in ecstasy.
26 BACK. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - EVENING 26
CU
Stephen jerks awake. The tip of his nose and a spot on his
cheek have turned black like his fingers.
MS OBLIQUE
It takes him a moment to realize the blood-spattered blanket
has been wrapped around his shoulders.
CU HAND
He reaches up with his left hand -- the fingers almost
entirely gone to frostbite to the second knuckle -- and pulls
it tight.
CU MORSE LOOKS DOWN
OTS (HIP) MORSE TO MARY DIRTY
One of the WOMEN kneels in the snow near the death pile, her
face downturned, the hem of her white dress soaking in the
congealing blood.
CU
ECU PROFILE MARY
ECU HANDS
ECU MORTAR
VARIOUS OTHER ECUS
She works a mortar and pestle, grinding SOMETHING into paste.
CU
Stephen watches her for a moment, waiting for her to
acknowledge his presence.
OTS (HIP) MORSE TO MARY DIRTY
She doesn't.
MCU
STEPHEN
What is Stuhac?
OTS (HIP) MORSE TO MARY DIRTY
She MUTTERS to herself, her voice too low and husky for her
lithe frame.
MCU
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Hey, Goddamnit, I know you can
understand me. What is Stuhac?
OTS (HIP) MORSE TO MARY DIRTY
She sets the mortar on the ground and strides off into the
trees without a word.
27 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - LATER 27
MS
Stephen shoves the last of his rations into his mouth.
CU PROFILE
He fumbles with the canteen, tips it awkwardly up to his
mouth.
CU LEFT HAND
His hands are completely black, the fingers twisted into
claws. The canteen disgorges a few drops, but that's it.
EWS
He SNEERS and throws it off into the trees.
28 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - EVENING 28
WS
OTS
Stephen swings from the branch, listening to sound of far off
WEEPING.
MCU
The black has engulfed his nose, stained his cheek from jaw
to eyelid.
ECU PROFILE
He raises the dead radio, manages to push the button with his
dead thumb.
STEPHEN
Boston Tower. This is Tumbleweed.
I, uh, I think I'm going to die
soon. I guess, if you hear this,
please...
(beat)
Please tell Annie that I forgive
her.
The crying RISES in volume.
29 FLASHBACK. INT. CHURCH - RECTORY - DAY 29
Stephen, wearing his dress blues, bursts into the room.
Annie sits on a stool in a long white wedding dress, CRYING.
Three BRIDESMAIDS hover over her. None will make eye contact
with him.
STEPHEN
Annie. I don't--
She looks up, her eyes red with tears.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
Come on. Everyone is out there
waiting, Baby.
She SOBS and shakes her head.
30 BACK. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - EVENING 30
OTS
Other voices RISE to mingle with the crying: SINGING, CRYING,
LAUGHING.
MCU
Stephen SNEERS, bitter.
ECU PROFILE
STEPHEN
Tell her I hope she and the Captain
are real happy together.
The SINGING rises, jubilant, as the sun sinks into the trees.
31 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - NIGHT 31
CU
Stephen sleeps. The wind HOWLS above him.
A SNORT.
He wakes, looks up.
OTS
Pale forms, barely visible in the dark.
MS
Stephen manages to reach into his pocket and pull out the
cigarette lighter. He clutches it in his gangrenous fingers,
manages to strike it against his wrist.
OTS
CU POV
The orange flame wavers, but the flickering light reveals the
women's blood-red eyes buried in the sallow flesh of their
eye sockets. They stand in the trees, watching him.
OTS
One of them points over his shoulder.
WOMAN
Stuh‡c.
CU POV
The woman smiles, revealing animal teeth sharpened to dagger
like points.
MS
Another SNORT, followed by a low growl. Heavy footsteps.
Stephen swallows and spins in the harness to look.
MS BEHIND
The flame FLICKERS.
POV
A HULKING FORM, naked, covered in furs and animal skulls
looms in the trees behind him.
The thing takes a step forward.
CU POV
One of the women CRIES. The others grin cruelly.
MS BEHIND
Stephen closes his eyes, spins back.
MS
CU
Something JOSTLES and tugs at him from below. He doesn't
resist.
CU HAND
The lighter tumbles from his dead fingers,
CU GROUND
snuffs out in the snow below.
Bones CRUNCH. Meat TEARS.
ECU AMY
The women watch.
ECU
Stephen smiles at them, dreamy.
32 EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - MORNING 32
CRYING.
ECU
Blood drips onto a shard of bone.
ECU
Stephen stares up at the sun, smiling. The low clamor of a
BOMBER rises, far away.
WS
Stephen dangles, still, over the carnage of bone and meat
below. His legs have been ripped off below the knee. Blood
drips from the torn sinew of his shins into the red mess.
CU
INSERT SKY
The bomber's engines BUILD...
OTS BEHIND MORSE DIRTY
Four pale forms glide through the trees, approaching. Stephen
pays them no mind.
CU
STEPHEN
(satisfied)
Sukhoy Nos.
The radio SQUAWKS. Stephen makes no move to reach for it.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
It's okay, Boston Tower.
OTS BEHIND MORSE CENTERED
The women emerge from the trees. One of them CRIES. The
others HUM a wordless, ancient melody.
CU
The engines BUILD. The radio SQUAWKS.
STEPHEN (CONT'D)
I know where I am now.
OTS BEHIND MORSE CENTERED
The woman begin to undulate around him -- half dancing, half
writhing. CRYING and SINGING combine into a sonorous melody.
MS MORSE CENTERED (GIRLS DIRTY)
The bomber's engines THUNDER overhead. The radio CRACKLES:
VOICE (O.S.)
(Russian)
FUCK YOU!
OTS BEHIND MORSE CENTERED
The woman raise their arms to the sky.
VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
FUCK YOU!
GUNSHOTS in the static.
CU CENTERED
Stephen smiles, closes his eyes.
VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
FUCK YOU!
POV
A pinprick of light swells between the trees. A thudding
BOOM.
OTS BEHIND MORSE CENTERED
A monstrous RUMBLE surges toward them.
The light expands until it becomes the universe.
FADE OUT.
ON WHITE:
"Sukhoy Nos: A cape on the northern island of the Novaya
Zemlya archipelago in the Barents sea, where on October 30,
1961 the Soviet Union detonated the Tsar Bomba -- code-named
VANYA -- the largest nuclear device ever created."
"Stuh‡c: A demonic creature in Slavic mythology that was said
to dwell in high mountains and barren tundras. No description
remains, but according to myth the Stuh‡c was believed to
wear boots made of human ligaments."
FADE OUT.
The End
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