"THE DESCENT" (2005)

The Dark

by Neil Marshall

Revisions 3rd September 2004

Contact:

Christian Colson Celador Films 39 Long Acre London WC2E 9LG

Tel 0207 845 6800

Silence, initial credits come up, white on black,helvetica caps, cut on, cutoff, very minimal. A single, low frequency note builds and cutsoff before we

Lurching headlongover the edge of a fall we are thrust into the heart of the action,pile-driving down the rapids with an exuberant Americanat the helm! JUNO KAPLAN, fiesty, sexyand hard as nails is steering the rubber raft as her friends SARAH and BETH paddle frantically on each side.

The team continuetheir journey downstream at a frantic pace, tossed around on thewater like rag dolls, barely able to maintain control against the current, treacherous rocky outcrops hurtling by on either side, boulders beneath the surface, lying in wait to snag flesh or break bones.

JUNO is loving everydangerous second of it. SARAH and BETH are less certain. Eventually, they make it through, into calmer water. But it is thecalm before the storm.

Ahead of them liesone final challenge...

The full horror ofthese falls becomes more apparent the closer they get to edge..

They back-paddle toslow themselves down...unsure.

SARAH looks aheadand sees at the bottom of the rapids, standing on the river bank,are her husband PAUL (35ish) and her daughter JESSICA (5)

JUNO clocks this aswell...

PAUL kneels besideJESSICA...

SARAH takes a deepbreath,

They paddle in earnest toward the brink. There’s no going back now!

With a stomach-churning drop they go over, into the fray. Almost immediately they lose control, spinning through the narrow confines of the rocks.

SARAH and BETH struggle against the current as they are thrown back and forth, bouncing off the rocks!

Finally emerging from the ‘Meat-Grinder’, they drift toward shore, where PAULand JESSICA come to meet them.

JUNO, glowing withthe thrill of it all, pats SARAH on the shoulder...

SARAH and BETH arein fit of hysterical laughter. Glad to be alive. JUNO standsup in the boat, clowning around for JESSICA’s sake.

They both push JUNOover and she falls backwards into the water. PAUL grabs her handsand pulls her to shore, as JESSICA greets her Mum with a bighug.

BETH, dragging theraft to shore, clocks the look JUNO gives PAUL as he pulls herTOO CLOSE. It’s just a moment. It could be nothing, but it could be something. Then it’s over.

They are all laughing as it begins to rain. Thunder booms overhead.

PAUL and JESSICA head back to the car.... JUNO turns to SARAH.

SARAH turns and hurries off after PAUL and JESSICA.

PAUL, driving, isdistant, his mind elsewhere. He recoils when SARAH touches hishand. Nothing deliberate or nasty, but his mind is on somethingelse, someone else.

Moving across thefront windscreen as the wipers clunk and whine back and forth, wePULL FOCUS to JESSICA, playing in the back, then PULL FOCUS again to see Paul turn from glancing at her to the road ahead.

We look out of thefront windscreen with SARAH on the left, PAUL on the right. Traffic speeds past in the opposite direction, throwing more wateragainst the windscreen. Another CAR is travelling ahead ofthem. They are moving at speed.

Suddenly, the CARin front of them veers left into the curb. It bounces back acrossthe road and into the oncoming lane slamming into the back endof a passing VAN. The impact is enough to knock the speedingVAN off course, sending it hurtling directly toward US!

SARAH screams out,PAUL tries to steer clear but the VAN collides HEAD ON athigh speed!

The VAN is loadedwith scaffolding, and the force of the impact causes one of thescaffold supports to hurtle forward like a missile, through thecab of the VAN, through both windscreens and into PAUL’s face, impaling his head!

In the chill calmof the winter countryside, sit the two mangled vehicles. A pool ofBLOOD oozes from the car like an oil slick, flowing slowly towards the CAMERA.

CUT TO

SARAH, lying in intensive care, broken and bruised but alive, wired up to all manner of equipment. A heart monitor bleeps regularly.

JESSICA. Illuminatedby five flickering candles on the birthday cake in front of her, she giggles slightly as she turns to look at someone behindher...

CUT TO

ECU - SARAH’s eyesopen wide. She doesn’t jump. It is as if waking from a slumber. She looks around at this strange, unfamiliar room, atthe tubes and needles in her arms.

As she begins to pull them out, the heart monitor flat-lines and gives off a steady,constant tone.

She gets out of bedand we

The entire buildingis apparently deserted as SARAH emerges from her room. She pauses, looking each way, the pure white of the fluorescent lightsalmost glaringly harsh.

Suddenly, beyond her, the furthest FLUORESCENT light flickers and dies, leavinga gaping black hole at the far end of the corridor. SARAH turns to it, entranced by the shadows. We can hear something within the darkness, a scratching sound, then breathing...

SARAH backs away....Another light goes out, the next one along, extending the darkness toward her, following her as she retreats, walkingat first, but when a third light goes out, she quickens her pace.

Again we hear thesounds coming from within the darkness, mixed with her own gaspingas she breaks into a run, the light switching off in succession behind her, the darkness pursuing her along the corridor and catching up. No matter how fast she runs, she cannot getaway from it, until at last she glances behind her and thelight above her goes out!

Now she is in thedarkness, running after the light. She glances back. There is aharsh rasping shriek, coming at her from the shadows, and she turns back she runs headlong into BETH!

SUDDENLY everythingreturns to normality! They are in a busy hospital corridor.All the lights are on. People come and go, and SARAH is stilljust outside her hospital room.

But SARAH is a quivering wreck, unable to fathom reality, clinging to BETH forsupport.

We look over BETH’sshoulder at SARAH’s eyes, blank, staring as WE

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FLYING low acrossthe treetops we follow a CAR, its headlights on full beam, winding its way along a deserted road high in the mountains.

SUBTITLE:

1 YEAR LATER. APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, USA.

BETH drives. Nextto her SARAH, her hair cut shorter, stares blankly out at thepassing road. BETH is fiddling with the radio from which some swampy, twangy music emanates

She twists the dialagain and we hear the bellows of a preacher.

BETH switches offthe radio. SARAH stares out at the gloomy dusk, oblivious.

Suddenly an overhanging branch bangs against the windscreen, startling SARAH. BETH looks at her and stops the car at the side of the road. Thereis that total, rural silence that accounts for the in-breedingand the high suicide rate.

A motorcycle zoomsup out of nowhere, two shaven-headed local guys on it. As theirheadlights pick out the girls in the stationary car theyscream and holler, the back passenger raising a clenchedfist in salute. The noise and the bikers are swallowed up by thegathering darkness.

SARAH straightensup, pulling herself together.

BETH smiles, relieved. She starts up the car and they continue on their way.

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The same car drivestowards us and pulls over, its headlights in ECU. We pull backas they switch off and Sarah steps out of the passenger side. BETHgets out too, stretching.

On the veranda infront of this log cabin JUNO waits for them.

She strides towardsthem, radiant and confident as ever. She sweeps SARAH intoan embrace, catching BETH’s eye as she does so. BETH looks backat her, cool.

JUNO holds Sarah’sface in her hands. She’s warm, intense, compelling...

She takes SARAH’sbag and pushes her towards the light and laughter. Once Sarahis out of earshot, JUNO looks at BETH.

Picking up her bagshe walks past Juno.

And they head towards the door past a large window, through which we can see women gathered around a roaring log fire, drinking, talkingand laughing.

Rebecca Van Ney (tall, athletic, Scandinavian, mid 20s) has her arm around SARAH.

A smaller versionof Rebecca runs into the room.

SARAH gets up to embrace her. It is clear from the expression on her face that allthe lights, the people, are slightly too much for her.

But Sarah is staringinto the fire, distracted. JUNO shrugs and walks off. SAM laughs at BETH.

BETH swipes at herplayfully...

And in walks HOLLY,about 18, in skate clothes, with rings everywhere and spikyhair, smoking some home-grown. She is incredibly attractive.

Rebecca laughs

She waves her jointand all the girls laugh, tensions dissolving. HOLLYsmiles at SARAH.

She hands SARAH anold slightly battered photo. It shows three teenage girls - JUNO, SARAH and BETH - with their arms around each other, elated,against a blue sky.

The lodge, its windows lit up, looks invitingly warm against the forbidding backdropof the vast forest. We can vaguely see the women enjoying themselves inside, the sound of their laughter and conversation fading on the breeze. We HOLD on this for a moment and then veryslowly begin to TRACK IN on the window.

The girls are sitting around, relaxed. A large number of empty wine bottles.

There is an awkwardsilence. Rebecca squeezes SARAH’s hand.

Holly looks at her.

No-one can think ofanything to say. JUNO fills the silence:

She stretches herimpossibly long legs.

Rebecca laughs, realizing that Juno’s comment is directed at her. She continuesthe joke

They all laugh.

REBECCA and JUNO arepadding around preparing for the morning. REBECCA has an impeccably tidy pile of gear at the foot of her bed. JUNO a pile ofclothes and a map.

HOLLY is lying onher bed while SAM packs. A low lamp is burning. HOLLY isin a very brief T-shirt with ‘KILL ALL THE HIPPIES’ on it, andSAM is in PJs. They are pretty drunk.

HOLLY has a crappymini stereo playing tinny surf/punk music. She is smoking a joint and swigging from a hip flask that she passes to SAM.

HOLLY picks up a photo of her boyfriend which is by the bed.

Walking past the bedroom JUNO overhears.

Juno lingers by thedoor, eavesdropping...

SAM pats HOLLY’s hand.

HOlLY hands the photo back to SAM

JUNO walks away looking pissed off, bumping into REBECCA who has clearly overheardas well.

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BETH is asleep. SARAH is in her bed awake, staring, glassy-eyed.

The wind whistlesthrough the trees and the moon lights up the night as we

SARAH is still awake. She gets up and goes to look out of the window, her eyes straining in the dark. Through the trees she can see a flickerof light, a flash of yellow, and on the wind she hears the giggleof a child. SARAH presses her head against the window, the coldcondensation easing the pounding in her head and SMASH -

A scaffolding polecomes straight through it impaling itself in her head and spurting blood everywhere!

As she awakens boltupright in her bed.

She falls back heavily on the pillow.

Very early. The skyis a leaden grey, with a pale yellow streak on the horizon. Allis still.

Feet, jogging. Wetilt up to reveal JUNO as she runs to the LODGE, leaps up thesteps onto the veranda and into the lodge.

Juno breezes in toher room.

REBECCA is sittingup in bed, wearing sunglasses, and looking severely hung-over.

REBECCA wanders intothe bathroom, turns on the shower full blast and COLD, removes her gown and steps in. She screams.

The scream can beheard from next door as BETH stands before the mirror in her bathroom looking rough, checking her bloodshot eyes. She sticks hertongue out. Checks her breath....It’s foul.

We see a foot reflected in the mirror. It lowers and another one comes up. HOLLY thehuman rubber band is stretching.

ANGLE on view fromHolly’s bathroom window: JUNO is stretching on the porch, litheand sinuous. But not a rubber band. HOLLY is watching her.

Holly’s face popsup in the mirror, smiling, with first one foot by her ear -

And then the other.

HOLLY) Long live the queen.

And she sticks hertongue out at herself in glee.

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REBECCA is walkingpast the door, drying her hair with a towel as she goes.

SAM puts the lastpieces of equipment in her pack.

REBECCA walks pastsees SARAH knock back some pills and grimace as she swallows, dry.

HOLLY is at the bottom of the steps, setting up a camera on one of the JEEPS parkedup front.

The others begin toassemble on the steps, carrying PACKS loaded with kit. There isan edgy, fragile, hung-over vibe coming off everyone except JUNOand HOLLY. BETH comes out last, looking pissed off and anxious. REBECCA is fiddling with SAM’S kit. SARAH is looking distractedly at the rather jaundiced dawn that is now breaking. BETH sighs.

She smiles directlyat BETH.

And she runs roundto join them...

And flings herselfinto their midst.

CLICK, the pictureis taken and the image freezes.

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Looking out over thevastness of the landscape, WE tilt down, gliding above thesprawling canopy of trees until we pick up the trail of a forestroad, following its snake-like course until we find TWO 4x4’s makingtheir way into this bleak wilderness.

JUNO is driving, with SARAH beside her and BETH in the back. It’s bumpy. SARAHis gazing out of the window, distant, her vision slightly blurred.

A streak of yellowout of the corner of her eye - she turns her head quickly but there’s nothing there.

REBECCA is drivingwith SAM beside her and HOLLY filming the journey on her CAM-CORDER.

SAM Grabs the bottle, distracted by fiddling with her plastic retro Spiderman watch.

HOLLY smirks in theback. She finds a mountaineering magazine with REBECCA’S nameprinted on a label on the cover. It’s full of glossy crampons,over elaborate tents, geek gear etc.

The 4x4 swerves atspeed, turning off the road onto a dirt track heading deep intothe forest.

The second vehiclefollows the first, at speed, kicking up a cloud of dust as itswerves radically onto the dirt track.

JUNO is pushing thevehicle hard as she races through the landscape. SARAH looks a little uneasy about JUNO’s driving, but doesn’t say anything.

The 4x4 charges round another bend, throwing up dirt in its wake.

We see various shotsof the two vehicles driving hard along this rough and ready mountain track. They round a tight bend and we

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The front wheel ofthe first 4X4 comes to an abrupt halt.

The second 4x4 bearsdown upon the first 4x4, veering around it, hitting the brakesand skidding in the mud as we

Its occupants lurchforward as they grind to a halt alongside the first 4x4.

We see a rapid series of shots depicting the women getting their kit together, sorting their packs, picks and boots out.

We see JUNO put herCAR KEYS behind the SUN VISOR, before pulling out her ownpack and strapping it on.

She slams the doorclosed, and as they head off, we look inside and see a dog-earedPAPERBACK BOOK lying on the seat.

Trekking upward through the forest, led by JUNO. BETH and SARAH bring up the rear.

Beth smiles and pulls out an old whistle that is tucked into her top, brandishing itwith a flourish. She gives it a couple of loud toots and shouts out:

SARAH laughs.

SAM, near the back,turns to REBECCA.

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White water crashesdown this narrow gully. Rebecca is still lecturing

Sam rolls her eyeballs.

JUNO, up front, pushes through into a clearing.

CROWS scatter andburst up into the air in a wild flurry. The rotting corpse ofa giant ELK lies washed up on the rocks, its huge bulk deflatedand gaunt, its fur matted with blood and mud. HOLLY takes picturesof the dead creature as the others gather around, some lookingon with interest, others with disgust.

SAM bends down totake a closer look.

SAM examines it andwe see that its eyes are yellow.

Continuing on theirtrek, they climb up the side of a waterfall to a rocky area above. Deviating from the course of the river, JUNO takes them through a stand of trees.

Fighting through theheavy foliage, JUNO emerges at the edge of a great SINKHOLE,a gaping black opening in the ground.

They are high up now, the mountains stretch out behind them.

Looking up at thedaylight from the depths of the cave, the last of three ropes dropstoward us, straightening as it comes and hitting rock beneathus.

All six women arefully kitted out. Some are wearing warm, figure hugging climbing tops and leggings. JUNO is wearing a wet-suit top withthe arms cut off. They have lamps on their helmets, extra torches in their packs, along with flares, rope, food and water andtheir PICKS.

JUNO is ready to godown and leans back over the brink.

Turning on her HEADLAMPshe drops away into the unknown.

With the beam of herlamp flashing this way and that, JUNO descends a hundredfeet or more into the cavern, before finally hitting rock bottom.Unhooking herself from the rope she looks around with a child-like glee before calling up to the others.

Her voice echoes andresonates about the massive chamber. She looks around, awestruck. Now she is truly in her element.

REBECCA double checks SARAH and BETH’s harnesses and they go down together, sideby side.

Coming down the rope, SARAH looks around in amazement before landing safely nearJUNO. BETH is just behind her...

JUNO smiles in quietsatisfaction as from high above comes a loud WHOOP! They look up as we

REBECCA looks downon US as we descend into the cave!

HOLLY comes down therope at high speed, her CAM-CORDER attached to her helmet, howling all the way! At the last moment she slows herself and landslike a cat in front of JUNO and SARAH

SARAH shakes her head in dismay as JUNO steps in

Rebecca fusses overSam’s harness. SAM drops down and REBECCA follows her over thebrink.

REBECCA overtakesSAM and lands softly, unhooking herself from the rope before SAMlands beside her. HOLLY is filming the group with her CAMCORDER.

JUNO stands beneatha steady drip of water, the light from the surface shining downon her upturned face, soaking her brow.

SARAH is looking atwhat appears to be recent scratch marks up the side of the rock, as if some animal had fallen into the cavern and was making a desperate attempt to claw its way back to the surface. Herattention is drawn to a dark crevice in the cave wall, from which a quiet chirping noise is coming. SARAH moves closer to thehole, listening carefully.

The others turn toher as SARAH turns her attention back to the HOLE, aiming her TORCHBEAM into the shadows. Suddenly, the HOLE erupts with BATS!Hundreds of them, swarming out and around a very panicky SARAH.A hand grabs her and pulls her clear. It’s Juno, nonplussed bythe BATS.

SARAH looks upwardsto see the BATS swirling around the funnel of the cave entrancein an elegant spiral. After the shock, it’s an eerie yet beautiful sight.

From a high vantagepoint, we watch the group make their way downwards, into thecave.

Water dripping fromthe rocks all around the ENTRANCE CAVERN gathers at its lowest point and flows into a crack in the cavern floor. This is whereour intrepid CAVERS must go.

They are in a narrow, vertical shaft with plenty of footholds all the way down.The water drips heavily down the side of the shaft, as the womenhead deeper into the mountain.

Further down the tunnel levels off to a shallow downward slope.

With each step thetunnel randomly fluctuates in size and shape; sometimes it’s talland very thin, sometimes it’s wide and low so that they muststoop or even crawl to pass through, and all the way water dripsfrom the roof above their heads.

They laugh togetheras we

We see various shotsof the group making their way deeper and deeper into the cavesystem until at last they emerge into a vast chamber and we

JUNO takes out oneof the many PHOSPHOROUS FLARES they have and lights it up. Nowthe chamber is filled with a hot white light, throwing hard shadows of countless stalactites across the walls.

The roof and floorof this new cavern are littered with gigantic stalagmites and stalactites, pillars of rock formed over millions of years;sediment building upward and downward until some of them bridgethe entire cap. The colour of the new rock is yellow with sulphur and red with iron. The entire chamber is an amazing spectacle.

The group spread outas they enter this grand subterranean cathedral, almostgothic in its design, each of them eager to explore their owncorner of the cave.

From a HIGH LEDGE,we look down on the group, spread around the chamber: Six individual pools of light, moving here and there. In the centre, theFLARE burns steadily.

In the right foreground, we become aware that what we thought was a rock, is infact something else, SOMETHING ALIVE, moving slightly. Breathing.Watching.

SOME TIME LATER

Five members of thegroup are having a bite to eat and something to drink as HOLLYsnaps away with her camera beyond them.

She sighs, its thefirst time we’ve seen her anything other than in control.

SARAH and JUNO sharea look...

SARAH gets up.

SARAH picks up hertorch and moves past HOLLY, who has been observing her andJUNO’s exchange.

Elsewhere in the cavern, SARAH skirts the bright light source of the flare, movingamong the harsh shadows of stalactite and stalagmites it creates. The sound of water dripping echoes around her, the voices of the others are a murmur. She is lost in her surroundings,fascinated by the cave.

SARAH hears a noise, she spins and aims her TORCH. A rock falls from a ledge and bounces down scree slope, clattering to the ground.

SARAH, moves forwardinvestigating, curious. There is an opening in the cave wall.SARAH listens, intent - the sound of laughter?

SARAH appears suddenly at JUNO’s shoulder, startling her...

At the far end ofthe chamber, the walls converge to meet at the base of a small heapof scree. At the top of the scree is a narrow fissure. Itis into this that the women must now go. They gather before thescree.

And again, that giggle, high pitched, child like. She looks around but its clearthe others haven’t heard.

The others spreadout and look for her, calling for Sam. The echoes bounce back.After a tense moment, a voice comes from behind a rock.

The group all laughat SAM’S predicament.

HOLLY worms her wayahead in front of JUNO

HOLLY discards a half-eaten CANDY BAR and heads into the fissure hooked onto a rope,which JUNO feeds in after her.

HOLLY edges furtherand further into the fissure. As the rocks funnel inward, shemust first stoop, then crawl, then lie flat and wriggle into this tiny passageway through the rock.

BETH looks apprehensive as she shines her torch along the narrow crawl-way.

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HOLLY crawls headfirst through this intensely claustrophobic passage, barely bigenough for her to move, contorting herself through the most awkward spaces imaginable. Slowly but surely she edges through,until at last the CRAWL SPACE opens out and she emerges in another tunnel, this time with high sloping walls and a sloping floorrunning diagonally along its length.

HOLLY quickly turnsabout and part-crawls back into the HOLE.

JUNO heads into thefissure as REBECCA turns to the others...

We see each character’s progress through a difficult and highly constrictive space.JUNO is next through, then SAM, then REBECCA, then BETHand finally SARAH, bringing up the rear.

The FLARE burns inthe background as, in the immediate foreground, a silhouetted hand, humanoid, reaches down and picks up the half eatenCANDY BAR. Off screen, whatever it is, sniffs the CANDY and we

JUNO crawls out tojoin HOLLY, then helps SAM out.

REBECCA squeezes through the tightest part, not noticing the dust falling fromthe rock above.

BETH is next through. It’s very tight, but she makes it. Again, dust falls from therocks above her head.

SARAH seems to behaving more difficulty than the others as she is the most uncomfortable in such a claustrophobic environment. Still, she shufflesalong as best she can until she reaches a point at which, toget through, her head must twist to one side and half submergein a pool of muddy water. It is here that she wedges herself stuckand can no longer move forward. The more she fights, the moredust falls down from the roof inches above her head, hittingher face.

At first she’s justagitated and annoyed, but soon she begins to panic. She beginsto breathe heavily and fast, the muddy water getting in her mouth.

REBECCA is pulledout as JUNO begins to explore the cavern they are in.....

BETH stops, waitingfor SARAH..

The more she struggles, the more dust rains down on her. BETH, in a wider part ofthe fissure, manages to turn herself around and crawls back toward SARAH.

HOLLY, at the farend, wants to know what’s keeping everyone...

BETH, now face toface with SARAH, continues to try and calm SARAH down as herpanic attack grows more desperate. She splutters and gagswith the mud in her mouth and writhes against the rock, wedgingherself even further.

BETH can see the dust falling from the rock above and knows the danger SARAH is in.She focuses completely on her, soothing, magnetic:

SARAH, despite herself, is distracted...

SARAH begins to calmdown...

SARAH complies, edging toward BETH until she feels herself becoming unstuck.

SARAH uses her feetagainst the wall to push herself the last foot or so, but withone final push her boot kicks away some rock, and the ceiling of the cave suddenly drops about 2 inches toward both theirheads...but stops!

SARAH and BETH freeze in horror. There is a moment’s hesitation, then BETH acts.

She grabs SARAH’scollar and heaves her free, then the two of them frantically race along the narrow fissure, the roof cracking, threatening to collapse on them at any moment.

SARAH glances behindher, into the darkness, which seems to be chasing her alongthe fissure! From the darkness comes a terrifying SHRIEKand then it gives, collapsing on the spot where SARAH was trapped.

But the cave-in continues, following them along the fissure, gaining on them...

JUNO knows exactlywhat’s happening as REBECCA grabs her and pulls her away fromthe fissure.

A cloud of dust erupts from the entrance to the fissure, and we

Five Candles. A cake. Jessie, in a yellow party dress, laughing.

BETH (O.S.)

Sarah...

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JUNO’s helmet lampshines on SARAH’s face as she comes around, coughing and spluttering on the water REBECCA is giving her. The air is still fullof dust and around her, the others are picking themselves up.

Torch beams flashthis way and that. Everyone is choking, disoriented, shockedand frightened.

REBECCA grabs herbaby sister and clutches her tightly

REBECCA checks herover, comforting her as best she can.

SARAH gets to herfeet as all eyes, and torch beams fall on the spot HOLLY is looking at: The fissure is completely blocked.

They fall silent,taking in the implications.

JUNO has turned awayfrom the them....

JUNO turns around,awkwardness and defiance etched on her face.

REBECCA knows exactly what she means. SARAH has distanced herself from the group, she stares out into the darkness, alone.

And she waves hertorch irritably, catching HOLLY in its beam, obliviously exploring their surroundings.

Behind her the argument rages as SARAH sweeps her TORCH BEAM across the cavern.She catches something bright in the beam, just for a fleetingmoment, something HUMANOID, looking back at her. By the time sheregisters this and sweeps the TORCH BEAM back to the spot,it’s gone.

She looks around,to see if anyone else saw it, but they are far too self-absorbed.

HOLLY) (matter of factly) There may not BE a way out.

JUNO is walking around frantically examining every nook and cranny. BETH followsher, furious.

JUNO starts to speak, but bites her words back. BETH is on her, and shines the torchright in her face

JUNO’S face says itall. A beat.

BETH absorbs this.She looks at JUNO in disgust, keeping the torch right on her

JUNO turns and walksback to the others in an effort to regain control.

Slowly, the womenpick up their PACKS and other gear, preparing to move off. SARAHstands apart from the others, staring into the darkness, hopingfor another glimpse to put her mind at ease. The darknessis taking hold.

JUNO leads the waydown a steep slope of jagged rocks and loose boulders. Around them grows a low rumble, and the steady drip and splash of falling water.

JUNO scans the area,checking on the others, while SAM, eager to press on, overtakesher and moves toward US.

SAM stops dead, andeveryone else does too.

JUNO, takes off herpack and removes a FLARE, quickly striking it up.

What it reveals isthat the floor drops away beneath SAM’s feet. A RAVINE, about 20feet across, and so deep they can’t see the bottom, but can hearthe rumbling from far below.

SAM picks up a rockand drops it over the edge; a long, long pause; then a distant clattering and a splash.

JUNO strikes up aFLARE and throws it across the chasm, where it strikes the wall andlands on a ledge, highlighting another ledge and cleft inthe rockface. A possible way through...

REBECCA stares atthe ravine and the ceiling above them.

SAM is apprehensiveon her sister’s behalf. The OTHERS look at REBECCA with a mixture of hope and admiration. All except JUNO, who is already rigging a safety-rope for REBECCA.

REBECCA attaches therope to her harness and pulls on heavy leather GLOVES - flexing her fists.

At this end, the crack is low enough to reach. She tries it. Puts her fist in.Clenches. Swings her feet off the floor and hangs by one arm.

REBECCA begins herperilous free-style crossing of the canyon roof, hand over hand, wedging her fist into the fissure and hanging by it. She’shooked onto a safety line which she attaches to PITONSalong the way.

She is now hangingdirectly above the chasm! It is an incredible feat of stamina, muscle power and raw physical grit. Swinging from hand to hand,finding the best purchase, swapping her weight from one handto the other, then doing it all again. Two foot at a time, atmost. Every so often, stopping, taking a PITON from her belt,placing it in the narrow crack, attaching a CARABINA and hookingon her safety line, all whilst hanging by one hand!

Slowly, terrifyinglyedging her way toward the far side.

HOLLY films her allthe way, as best she can in the given light.

Passing the halfwaypoint, REBECCA stops dead. Something just ahead has her absolute attention.

It is a PITON, anold one, hammered into the fissure, invisible to the others, butclear enough to her as evidence that someone, at some time, haspassed this way before. But she pauses too long and JUNO sensessomething is up.

Their voices echoaround the cavern. REBECCA glances back toward JUNO and their eyesmeet. It’s a knowing glance, but JUNO isn’t fully aware of whatshe’s supposed to know.

REBECCA turns backto the job at hand. In order to disguise the PITON, rather thanraise unnecessary questions or concerns in the minds of the rest of the team, she hooks a CARABINA to it, just as she’s doneto the others she’s placed.

Two more swings andshe’s reached the far side. She drops down onto the ledge abovethe one with the FLARE on it. Beyond the ledge is a tall butnarrow crack in the rock, just big enough for them to squeezethrough.

REBECCA quickly hammers in a final PITON and secures a SAFETY LINE, before hookingherself on.

JUNO steps up to theedge of the drop and hurls a coiled rope across to REBECCA.Unfurling as it goes, REBECCA leans out over the bottomless dropto catch the flailing end of the rope in one hand! She succeeds,and very calmly ties it on to a secure PITON, pulling therope taut across the canyon.

SAM steps forward

SAM attaches the CARABINA of her SAFETY HARNESS to the TRAVERSE LINE, and an extraCARABINA to the SAFETY LINE strung across the roof of the CAVERN.Now, using the SAFETY LINE to pull herself across while the TRAVERSE LINE holds her weight, SAM makes her way across the roofof the CANYON CAVERN.

Stopping along theway to unclip and re-clip her SAFETY LINE as she passes each ofthree PITONS along the route, she soon makes it to the other sideand is pulled onto the ledge by REBECCA.

HOLLY is next acrossand we

Then BETH goes.

She reaches the OLDPITON, hammered into the rock, and when she passes it, the strain on the rope causes it to jar in its lodging. Just a little, but enough to warrant our concern.

JUNO and SARAH remain on the far side. JUNO checks she’s hooked on properly, and sends SARAH her across.

As she reaches themiddle, the OLD PITON begins to move again. With each tug it works its way loose.

SARAH manages to successfully pass it without dislodging it. It’s not long beforeshe’s reached the other side and REBECCA pulls her up besideher, where BETH is waiting.

JUNO hooks on andbegins her traverse.

Ahead of her the OLDPITON looks dangerously loose!

SARAH stands behindBETH, looking into the cleft, before turning back in dreamlikeSLO MO to look back at JUNO crossing.

Without warning theTRAVERSE LINE, which REBECCA is gripping tightly for safety,comes loose from the rock. The full weight of JUNO suddenly dropping pulls it through REBECCA’s palm, burning through herglove and tearing open the palm of her hand!

REBECCA cries outin agony and BETH grabs hold of the rope.

JUNO’s harness nowpulls taut, suspended from the SAFETY LINE. REBECCA wails in agony as JUNO hangs there momentarily, looking up at the SAFETY LINE.

Now the OLD PITONgives way, pulling free from the rock and dropping JUNO another ten feet toward her doom. But now the rope and pitons hold fast. SAM and BETH are holding the line.

JUNO can only lookup in bemusement as the OLD PITON slides down the SAFETY LINE toward her. She grabs it, looks at it, then looks up toward thepained face of REBECCA.

SARAH, BETH and SAMpull JUNO up onto the ledge with them. SAM immediately goes over to attend to REBECCA’s injured hand JUNO places the OLD PITONand CARABINA in SARAH’s hand.

SAM has bandaged REBECCA’s hand. This has stopped the bleeding but it is difficultto use now.

The women are at themouth of a winding, narrow tunnel. There is a sense of real trepidation about them now.

They all squeeze through the narrow cleft and soon it opens out into a strange sloping, angular cavern.

HOLLY is the firstout of the cleft, and as she enters this new cavern, somethingimmediately catches her eye. We don’t see what it is, but she stands there, staring past us....

One by one the others join her. Standing alongside of each other shining torches andheadlamps past US, gazing in awe and wonderment at...

CAVE PAINTINGS. Thebeams of the torches pick out fragments of a larger image. Ancient depictions of man and beast. Hunters and their prey. Figuresof humans, standing at the mouth of a cave. Across to the rightthere is a reversal of the image, similar but different, againshowing the mouth of a cave.

BETH is fascinatedby it, she moves closer, studying this prehistoric recordin greater detail.

JUNO steps into BETH’S light.

BETH has seen something new in the CAVE PAINTING as she backs away from it, tryingto take it all in, past the others...

JUNO reluctantly strikes up a WHITE flare and holds it up, illuminating the entire wall of the cavern.

They are off, renewed hope has quickened the pace a little as we

JUNO is holding theFLARE and leading the way, the others close behind, getting faster and faster, as the tunnel winds this way and that until theyround a bend, and the tunnel opens out and splits into THREE!JUNO, stops dead, the momentum lost.

The others gatherround.

HOLLY fumbles through her pocket... finds her lighter and gives it to JUNO, who takes each tunnel in turn, standing at its entrance holding thelighter and seeing if there is a breeze sucking air through.

The first does nothing. The second does nothing. But at the third the lighterflickers..

At that she takesoff down the tunnel.

They set off afterHOLLY, but she’s away and hurrying ahead of them, faster and faster until something catches her eye. She stops, turning offthe light in her helmet and her torch.

Up ahead, in the pitch darkness, she can just make out a faint blue glow. DAYLIGHT!

Before others cancatch up, she is off and running again, this time without any lights on! Using the DAYLIGHT to guide her.

But when she roundsthe bend and sees it isn’t daylight at all, but LUMINESCENT ALGAE growing on the wall, the floor drops away beneath her! It’sa SINKHOLE and she slides uncontrollably down the slippery rocktoward the brink.

JUNO quickly arrivesat the scene with the FLARE and dives toward where HOLLYwas last standing. She lunges toward the edge of the SINKHOLE, where the slippery rock forms an angled funnel in the floor of thecave. She jams her shoulder against a sharp rock and winces.

JUNO just managesto grab her hand, but HOLLY’s fingers are covered in slime,making it impossible to hold on. JUNO is pressed against therock which is cutting her arm. HOLLY is going. First her hand slips...

...then her fingerspull from JUNO’s grasp as HOLLY slides slowly, relentlesslydown into the funnel. There are countless other scratch marksaround her. She’s not the first to slide down here. She canonly look back at JUNO, helpless, out of reach, as gravityworks against her, pulling her down into the unknown darkness below. She can’t help but move!

SARAH and the othersreach the edge in time to look down as the terrified HOLLY slides over the brink and disappears into the SINKHOLE.

There is a dull thudfrom below as HOLLY lands upon something solid. JUNO looksat the others. All is not lost.

From below comes afaint sound of pain... It’s HOLLY. She’s alive.

HOLLY is slowly becoming aware that she is in pain. Extreme pain. She is lyingin a narrow tunnel half in and half out of an underground stream.

Groaning she reachesdown her leg to where the pain is greatest, and feels somethingprotruding.

Raising her head,she looks down, shining her HEAD LAMP on the spot, to see her shin bone has broken and burst through the skin! The wound isn’t bleeding but muscle and sinews are hanging out of her leg!

She falls back, gasping for breath against the pain.

JUNO is already onthe case, bleeding shoulder and all, hammering in PITONSalong with REBECCA as they prepare to tie on and climb down intothe SINKHOLE.

JUNO and SAM rapidlyabseil down through the SINKHOLE. REBECCA, BETH and SARAH arequick to follow.

HOLLY is deliriouswith pain as SAM continues her work and SARAH and BETH arrive atthe scene.

SAM takes a sharpCLASP KNIFE from a sheath on her belt and uses it to cut open HOLLY’s trouser leg, revealing the true extent of the wound.

They all do as she bids. SAM cradling the broken leg as gently as she can.

HOLLY groans as she’s slowly lifted out of the water and moved onto a rocky ledge. When she is put down the pain is unbearable.

BETH takes some spare clothing from her PACK and places it under HOLLY’s head as REBECCA and the others set to work binding and strapping the brokenlimb with the limited FIRST AID KIT they have available.

JUNO pulls the PICKfrom HOLLY’S RUCKSACK and unscrews the top. She intends to usethe handle as a splint.

REBECCA activatesa couple of SNAP LIGHTS, filling the area with soft BLUE LIGHT. SARAH has also distanced herself from the others and is watching JUNO. Just then she hears a noise, very faint, like a smallrock falling, from somewhere upstream along this DRAINAGE TUNNEL. REBECCA, BETH and SAM are too busy seeing to HOLLY’s leg totake any notice.

But JUNO and SARAHnotice, and SARAH sets off down the tunnel, cautiously, to investigate.

JUNO is distractedby SARAH....

JUNO joins the grouparound HOLLY.

HOLLY looks at her.Knows it has to be done.

SAM puts a leatherstrap between HOLLY’s teeth as REBECCA holds her legs and BETHand JUNO hold her arms, to stop her flailing around and makingit worse.

HOLLY is already sweating as she bites down on the strap.

SAM uses her fingersto open up the muscles and her thumb to force the bone backinto the leg! BETH cannot bear to look, as HOLLY, biting downhard, screams in agony as we

SARAH hears the scream, but continues regardless, exploring deeper and deeperinto this new network of tunnels.

Looking around, something lying up ahead in the stream catches her eye. The beamof her HEAD LAMP reflects off an old MINER’S HELMET wedged in acleft.

Picking it up shestudies it. It is badly damaged but a name is clearly painted inblack on the front of it. ED OSWALD.

Then she hears something else up ahead, something that sounds like the shriek ofa bird. Or a child. She looks up...

With one last effortSAM finally pushes the bone back into place and through the searing pain HOLLY spits out the STRAP and gasps in air.

JUNO looks up towardthe direction SARAH went in, and we

Searching the waywith the beams of her TORCH and HEAD LAMP SARAH notices something very vague catching the light in the distance. Whateverit is, it only stands out because it is a lighter colour thanthe rock around it.

The closer she getsthe more form it takes, but still it remains vague and unidentifiable. Is she seeing things? She begins to doubt it herself.

She moves on, theshape appears to be moving. Step by step she grows ever closer,until the shape begins to take definite form in the farthest reach of her torch light.

It looks human. Itmakes a sudden move then freezes, listening. SARAH starts, freezing herself, straining her eyes to see.

It is a figure, facing away from her, squatting low and hunched over, drinking fromthe water, its shoulders and head moving slightly. It is still very difficult to make out, but it looks incredibly gaunt andsinewy, pale yellowey white, and totally naked.

SUDDENLY a hand grasps SARAH shoulder! She starts and spins around, almost blinding JUNO with her lights!

She turns back andaims the torch along the tunnel, but it is now empty.

SARAH pointedly hands JUNO the helmet. She looks at it as SARAH heads back to jointhe others. JUNO watches her, concerned.

SAM has finished dressing HOLLY’s wound and uses the PICK HANDLE as a SPLINT.

REBECCA looks at herlittle sister with admiration. HOLLY winces as she tries movingher leg.

JUNO and SARAH return, in the middle of an animated discussion.

BETH is thinking along the same lines now, watching SARAH with concerned eyes.

She looks around atfive doubting faces

JUNO catches BETH’seye.

All the women in thegroup know she’s right, even BETH who gives SARAH an encouraginglittle nod of the head.

JUNO strikes up thelighter and it flickers... This is the way.

HOLLY is hopping along, in great pain, between BETH and SAM, while SARAH, JUNOand REBECCA lead the way upstream.

FURTHER UPSTREAM -They reach the bottom of a short waterfall, down which the stream bubbles from a larger chamber above.

JUNO is the firstto go, followed by the others. She slowly peers over the brinkto look upon the scene laid out before her in wide eyed horror.

Water is constantlydripping from various parts of the ceiling, forming the stream.But the chamber itself is flooded, about a foot deep, becausethe top of the waterfall is blocked by a DAM made out of BONES!

Each of the team make it to the top to look upon this scene of carnage with fearand amazement. Each of them scans the carpet of bones with theirtorch beams, picking out skulls and antlers!

SARAH spots a pieceof clothing, shredded, perhaps belonging to the missing cavers.But there are no human remains here.

SARAH approaches HOLLY....

HOLLY hands it over,and SARAH scans the entire area with it.

JUNO turns her torchto the rest of the cavern. It appears to be the centre of a honeycomb of tunnels leading off in every direction. Some carrying water to feed the stream, others dry.

JUNO is trying outthe LIGHTER again, but the flame is flickering from alldirections.

SARAH flits the INFRA-RED CAMERA from face to face in the darkness.

When we return toBETH, we see another figure standing at her shoulder. It’s vaguely human, very pale in the green of the INFRA-RED. It is totally hairless and gaunt. Its eyes appear to be sealed closed,and it has large mutated ears and a jaw line distended to accommodate a mouthful of jagged teeth. In the darkness it appearsready to strike at BETH’s back, but when JUNO’s torch lightsit up it rapidly retreats into the shadows!

This thing is a STYGIAN CRAWLER and this is its lair.

Now they’ve all seenit and react in horror and shock.

Torch lights flasharound the chamber trying to pin-point this strange apparition,but it’s too fast, darting left and right, up and across thewalls of the chamber, evading their attempts to get a good lookof it. It’s just a pale, agile figure, darting this way andthat, and letting rip a hideous, piercing shriek as it goes!JUNO struggles to light a flare, and once it strikes she holdsit up to illuminate the whole CAVERN, but just as quickly as it appeared, the CRAWLER is gone!

BETH aids HOLLY asthey head into the tunnel, but their progress comes to a rapid halt as a terrible and unearthly sound fills the tunnel ahead!It is a rasping, shrieking noise, and it’s coming their way...

They quickly backoff and choose another tunnel..

BETH and HOLLY areup front with JUNO bringing up the rear, constantly lookingback toward the ever advancing sound.

HOLLY and BETH lookbehind as the shrieks grow noticeably louder, meaning whatever is making the noise has reached the BONE DAM!

JUNO clocks the loudhissing of the FLARE, and thinks she may have a point. Thegroup pause as JUNO hurls the FLARE back along the tunnel towardthe BONE DAM.

BETH and HOLLY turnto face front once more only to run straight into one of the CRAWLERS, its eyes wide, its jaw stretched wide open revealing it’slethal fangs!

It is humanoid, butfar from human, and it shrieks wildly as it launches itself atHOLLY, the weakest of the team!

The nature and ferocity of the attack cause the woman to scatter in fear and run likeHell! They have no plan other than to get away from this spotas fast as possible. In the chaos, REBECCA and SAM flee in theopposite direction to SARAH and BETH and they all soon becomelost in the network of passageways.

Behind them the hideous shrieking mingles with HOLLY desperate garbled cries to form an appalling crescendo!

And JUNO rises tothe occasion, angry now, pulls out her PICK in an effort to defendHOLLY from the CRAWLER. The creature tears at HOLLY’s clothingand sinks its teeth into her neck, shaking her writhing thrashing form like a rag doll!

She lashes out atthe CRAWLER, cutting a gash down the side of its face! The CRAWLER hisses at her angrily, as we

SARAH leads the wayas she and BETH flee the scene. But BETH stumbles and falls!By the time she looks up, SARAH has gone!

SAM and REBECCA runand keep running, driven by fear.

Pick in hand, JUNOlunges again at the creature which is trying to drag HOLLY away.Shrieking at JUNO’s aggressive stance, the creature lashes outat her with sharpened, talon-like finger nails, ducking andwrithing to avoid the swing of JUNO’s pick as the two of them engage in a tug of war over HOLLY’s bleeding, body. The creaturehas her head and shoulders, while JUNO has one hand on her ankle. But the creature is very strong and JUNO begins to lose hergrip because of the thick gouts of blood oozing between herfingers.

JUNO is spitting blood, in a violent rage, when a second CRAWLER lunges out of thedarkness at her, grappling her to the ground!

Still managing tohang on to HOLLY’s ankle, even with the new CRAWLER on top ofher, JUNO wages a furious war.

She hacks away atthe CRAWLER as HOLLY is dragged away, still weakly struggling..

Panting and exhausted, REBECCA and SAM emerge into an unfamiliar CHAMBER. Realizationdawns on SAM.

BETH gets to her feet, disoriented, lost and afraid, not knowing where SARAH has gone...

She hears JUNO’s struggles echoing through the cave, drawing her attention....

JUNO watches horrified as HOLLY is dragged away by ‘SCAR’, the CRAWLER she maimed.She smashes the pick into her attacker, long enough to get it offher as she scrambles after HOLLY, but its not long before theattacker leaps on her back, pulling her hair, trying to sinkits teeth into her neck.

Still running, SARAHstumbles blindly in the darkness, the ground drops awaybeneath her and she slides down a long and slippery gradienttoward a precipice. She can’t stop.

She falls, but onlyabout ten feet, her head hitting the cold,wet stone witha sickening thud. She doesn’t move.

JUNO rolls onto herback, on top of the CRAWLER, smashing her head back into itsface, before turning over, driving her knee into its solar-plexus and, with fury in her eyes, bringing the pick down upon itshead. This is pure uncontrolled rage as she drives the sharp pick into the creature’s brain again and again, pummelling it to jelly until the CRAWLER finally stops twitching.

Seething with adrenaline, grief and hate, JUNO sits atop her kill, breathing deeply, sweating, shuddering.

She stands, and takes a deep breath. Silence. Then, She senses movement behind her.

She whirls around,swinging the bloody pick toward her new attacker!

WHACK!

It’s an uncontrolled, adrenaline-fuelled reaction and JUNO’s face instantly turnsfrom one of anger to one of stupefied horror as she findsBETH standing before her, looking at her with a blank expression upon her face.

Neither of them knowquite what has happened until BETH drops to her knees, pullingJUNO with her because the point of her PICK is embedded in BETH’s neck, and JUNO, in shock, can’t control her body enough tolet go.

Only as BETH slumpsto the ground does the PICK finally comes free. BETH is stillalive, blood gushing from her neck. JUNO staggers back, inhorror at what she’s done! The sound of CRAWLERS shriekingbefore her, advancing, she must get out of there, and quickly.

BETH looks at herincredulous, knowing what she is going to do. She reaches out toJUNO, but JUNO backs off. It’s her or Beth. Law of the cave.

BETH pants, desperate, hearing the crawlers, her hand to her neck, sticky withher own blood

JUNO backs away, turns and runs....

REBECCA and SAM cometo a stop, listening to see if they are being followed.

A shriek pierces thedarkness..

REBECCA pulls SAMafter her, and we

The CAM-CORDER islying on its side, filming SARAH lying unconscious. Her eyelids are flickering. We ZOOM in one the VIEW FINDER and

We see the same image again, five candles. JESSICA. Darkness. In the background, indistinctly, we see PAUL and SARAH smiling over JESSICA’s shoulder.Nightmarishly, discordantly we hear the strains of ‘HAPPYBIRTHDAY’.

SARAH wakes up anddoesn’t know where she is. Her HELMET LAMP is smashed and her TORCH nowhere to be found. All she can reach is HOLLY’S CAM-CORDER.

The first thing shespots is an old MINING lamp, a name painted roughly on its side- ‘TAYLOR’

She activates it andlooks through the INFRA-RED view finder at a horrifying sight.Human remains - a skull, and next to it, parts of a skeleton.Beyond that, more human remains, mixed among the animal carcasses and bones.

The cavern is likesome kind of underground ABATTOIR. Fresh animal carcasses oldand new litter the room, dumped here from above, ready to bestripped and devoured. Giant Elk, deer, even a cougar lie withtheir throats ripped out, blood everywhere. It’s a vision of Hell.

SARAH uses the camera to assess the cavern and find a way out, when she hears a noise from the gallery above, (where she fell down). She rapidlybacks into its darkest shadows, directly beneath the gallery.

There are more noises from above, then silence, and suddenly HOLLY’s CORPSE isdropped right in front of her! SARAH recoils in shock, as HOLLY,blood-soaked and battered, lies there, staring back at her.

A SNAP LIGHT attached to her belt is still working, and fills the cavern with aneerie GREEN GLOW!

JUNO staggers against a wall and throws up.

Behind her the sounds of CRAWLERS echo through the tunnels. She hurries on and we

REBECCA and SAM are hurrying away from the sound of the CRAWLERS, when REBECCA spots a LEDGE up in the side of the tunnel.

They waste no timein crawling into the tight space, in the hope that the CRAWLERSmay overtake them in the darkness. As they go, SAM drops the BLUECHEMICAL SNAP LIGHTS she is holding and they clatter to the floorof the tunnel. She tries to go back for them, but REBECCAgrabs her.

The two women crawlonto the high ledge, switch off their TORCHES and HELMETLAMPS and lie silently on the ledge, SAM behind, REBECCA infront, with only the BLUE glow of the SNAP LIGHTS to give themany sense of comfort.

SARAH hears a newsound, from all around. A lower, less aggressive rasp, asseveral CRAWLERS emerge from the shadows, into this LAIR, andapproach the fresh meat of HOLLY’s CORPSE. SARAH freezes, andwaits...

SARAH can only cowerand watch through the CAM-CORDER as the CRAWLERS gather around the fresh kill and begin ripping it apart. SARAH closesher eyes, gagging.

But one of the CRAWLERS, ‘SCAR’, between SARAH and HOLLY’s corpse, smells something new, and turns its attention toward SARAH!

SARAH, sensing something close, opens her eyes to see (through the CAM-CORDER) theCRAWLERS face, inches from her own, its eyes closed, sniffing theair. SARAH holds her breath. The CRAWLER opens its eyes wideto reveal two yellow eyeballs.

Following its nose,the CRAWLER rises upwards, to the rock face, then turns its attention back to the main course, but SARAH is trapped....

REBECCA and SAM liesilently together as they hear the sound of something approaching. It’s a CRAWLER, moving cautiously, hunting by sound,searching for them.

SAM gasps, and REBECCA quickly puts her hand over her mouth.

The CRAWLER is veryclose, climbing along the wall.

A gaunt, clammy handtouches the rock beside SAM’s face. The CRAWLER is movingalong the wall, right over them in the semi- darkness, skimmingpast their bodies. It seems totally unaware of the light sourceas its yellow eyes seem to glow in the BLUE GLOW. They try toremain absolutely still as the CRAWLER pauses briefly, right nextto REBECCA’s face. It’s so close she can taste its rancid breath in her mouth. It listens, senses nothing, and moveson.

REBECCA takes herhands from SAM’s mouth....

The seconds tick by,and in time the coast seems clear.

Then the terriblebleeping of a digital alarm! Along the tunnel, the CRAWLER spinsabout

SAM struggles andthrows the watch as far back along the tunnel as she can.

Almost instantly theCRAWLER rushes past in pursuit of the noise. REBECCA andSAM lie quiet and still, not daring to move a muscle.

A distant light appears in the pitch darkness, heading this way along dank, drippingtunnels.

JUNO, alone, movescautiously through the maze of caverns, trying to find traces of SARAH, REBECCA and SAM. Using a (silent) GREEN SNAP-LIGHT, she weaves this way and that, listening out forCRAWLERS, PICK in hand, ready for anything.

Reaching a junctionbetween several interconnecting tunnels, she notices an ARROW scrawled on the tunnel wall. It means something....

She looks and listens along each of the tunnels, and through one she can hear the faint whistling of a breeze.

A breeze means onething.....A WAY OUT.

SARAH is still trapped, and in the semi-darkness, lit only by HOLLY’s SNAP LIGHT,all she can hear is the sound of her friend being torn apart!It’s driving her insane, but she cannot give herself away.

SUDDENLY, from elsewhere, the sound of a falling rock echoes through the CAVERNS,then a voice....faint but audible....

The CRAWLERS turnto the sound, and in one sudden movement the pack dart out of theLAIR on the hunt again!

SARAH takes a deepbreath of rancid air, almost gagging on its foulness.

JUNO has arrived ata junction between two tunnels and doesn’t know which one totake.... There’s only one thing for it.

REBECCA and SAM hearher....

Together, they shuffle out of their hiding place...

SARAH carefully emerges from the shadows now that the coast is clear. She edges toward the fractured remains of HOLLY....

Carefully she pullsthe PICK HANDLE (used as a makeshift splint on Holly’s leg) freefrom the blood and gore, steaming in the cold darkness. It’sa grisly job. Once that’s free, SARAH now lifts HOLLY’s upperbody so she can remove her outer layers of clothing.

It’s tricky, icky,awkward work, but SARAH finally manages it, and allows HOLLY’sbody to slump back to the ground. Now she wraps the clothingaround the end of the PICK handle, then grabs the MINERS LAMP, unscrews the cap and douses her makeshift TORCH in oil.

Finally she takesout a lighter and strikes it up, lighting the TORCH and fillingthis killing house with a hot flickering orange glow.

Unable to climb outthe way she fell in, she moves deeper into the LAIR, carefullytreading between the detritus of death.

JUNO finds anotherARROW and again follows it backwards, to another junction andyet another ARROW.

She’s forgetting herself, carried away by the possibility of hope. But that hopeis shattered by the sudden SHRIEK of a CRAWLER in reply toher calls...

REBECCA and SAM hearthis too. They freeze and throw themselves against the wall,carefully edging toward the corner, from where the SHRIEK came from. This CRAWLER is getting closer.

Carefully, slowly,REBECCA peers around the corner, breathing hard and fast, thesweat running from her brow.... but the tunnel is empty.

SAM is looking theother way, covering their rear, as REBECCA turns back....

They turn the corner, but as they do, the CRAWLER appears, not from below but fromabove! It is hanging upside down from the roof and it lashesout at REBECCA, slashing her across the shoulder. She getsclear in time to swipe back at it with her PICK, but misses!In the BLUE of her SNAP LIGHT, the CRAWLER opens its yellow eyes and SHRIEKS loudly at them.

REBECCA backs away,SAM behind her, but the CRAWLER keeps pace with them, doggingthem as they retreat. REBECCA swipes the PICK at it whenever itgets too close.

But they quickly find themselves cornered, backed up against a wall with nowhereleft to run. If they try to move left or right, the CRAWLERcounters them.

In desperation REBECCA lunges at the CRAWLER, swiping with her pick with her LEFThand. The CRAWLER backs off, and SAM runs for it!

Almost immediatelySAM runs into something (OFF SCREEN) and comes to a startledhalt!

REBECCA swings thePICK at the CRAWLERS head but the CRAWLER grabs it and pushesher back against the WALL, holding her by the throat and opening its WIDE JAWS ready to take a bite!

SUDDENLY another PICK comes whooshing out of the darkness, spinning through theair and embedding itself in the CRAWLERS back!

The CRAWLER bucklesbackward, trying to pull the PICK out from between its shoulders!

REBECCA looks up just as JUNO (followed by SAM) appears from the shadows beyond, thenshe drives her own PICK into the CRAWLERS chest, and all threewomen attack the beast with whatever comes to hand! The CRAWLERlets out a piercing shriek, like a cry for help, as it goes down beneath the blows.

SARAH hears the cry.It sends a shiver down her spine, as she stops, listening,waiting....

JUNO finishes it offby caving its skull in with a rock. Bloody and desperate thethree exhausted women look at each other, a new found understanding between them.

SARAH, feeling moreconfident, moves on, carrying her burning torch. She is stillmaking her way through the low hanging vaults of the LAIR,nervously looking around, expecting the CRAWLERS to returnat any moment.

JUNO and REBECCA share a quick tight embrace.

The women are silent. No one can find anything to say as the horror of the situation settles over them. Then SAM looks down at the mutilated CRAWLER, the first one they have seen up close.

They look at eachother, the horror of this possibility dawning on them.

JUNO looks back ather....

SARAH scans the entire LAIR, sweeping the torch back and forth, looking for Beth.

As SARAH heads downtoward the far end of the LAIR she stumbles and falls. We TRACKacross the sea of bodies and bones littering the floor of thiscavern, towards Sarah.

As she starts to pick herself up SARAH realizes her hand is touching something.Something strange. She turns...

She is touching aHUMAN LEG. She clears away some debris to reveal the rest ofthe body. It’s lying face down, but we can tell it is the bodya woman. Some of the flesh has been stripped from the lower legsby razor sharp teeth.

Sarah already knowswho it is, but she reaches out anyway to turn BETH’s body over, revealing the gaping neck wound inflicted by JUNO.

SARAH raises BETH’supper body from the ground and cradles her in her arms.

As she lowers BETH’sbody back to the ground Beth’s eyes SNAP OPEN. She’s not deadyet. Not quite.

Sarah jolts in shock. BETH’s words are hissed out in a hideously laboured rasp.

140 SCENE DELETED 140

On the edge of therapids, JUNO clocks PAUL and JESSICA below.

There is a hint ofcruel mockery in JUNO’s eyes.

Sarah is almost trance like.

SARAH’s POV: PAULpulls the soaking JUNO towards him. For a moment their eyeslock with hungry lust, oblivious to their surroundings.

BETH coughs up blood. SARAH snaps out of her trance, looking blank, empty.

BETH removes the WHISTLE from around her neck and hands it to Sarah. Their handstouch as SARAH takes it from her. TEARS streaming down herface, SARAH places the whistle around her neck and tucks itinto her top, just like BETH wore it.

In the distance wehear the shriek of a Crawler.

BETH looks at herintently.

CLOSE on SARAH asshe realizes what BETH is asking her to do.

SARAH reaches downand finds a JAGGED ROCK. As she raises it we

WIDE SHOT: Sarah’stiny figure as she brings the ROCK down in a smooth, merciful,arc.

ECU OF SARAH’S FACE.EYES CLOSED. EXPRESSIONLESS.

She hears a noisefrom elsewhere in the cavern and grabs her TORCH, swinging itaround to see a lone CRAWLER, stealthily creeping up on her,about 20 feet away.

With a valedictoryglance at BETH’s dead body, SARAH bolts for it, running as fastas she can toward the first available exit. She’s a machine.

She spots a tunneland heads for it, but before she can reach it, the floor of bones gives way beneath her.

The lower end of theLAIR is a drainage pool, stacked high with animal carcasses,thick with clotted blood and covered in so much dust and debrisit looks like a solid floor, but it’s about 4 or 5 feet deep.

SARAH plunges headfirst into this blood-pool, her torch flying from her hand andlanding on the far side.

When SARAH surfacesagain, all trace of her beauty and humanity have vanished. Sheis covered in blood. After this Hellish baptism SARAH is nowas frightening as anything else in the cave.

She looks around,trying to spot the CRAWLER, but there is no sign of it. She turns and heads for the tunnel, but almost immediately the CRAWLER bursts up out of the blood-pool in front of her, bloody asHell.

It grabs her and thetwo of them disappear under the surface together.

For a moment the surface of the pool goes calm....then they re- emerge, engaged ina ferocious battle, lashing out at each other in savage fury. They have each other by the throat, squeezing tightly.The CRAWLER is stronger and tries to force SARAH’s head underagain. As she goes she reaches around with her free hand, trying to find something, anything, she can use as a weapon.

Just as her face disappears beneath the surface and blood flows into her gasping,open mouth, she grabs hold of a RIB BONE and thrusts its sharpbroken tip into the CRAWLER’S eye.

The CRAWLER wailsand SARAH spits out blood, pushing the RIB BONE deeper and deeper into the CRAWLER’S eye socket, forcing the CRAWLER underwater and keeping it there until it stops struggling.

Exhausted, SARAH fights her way to the edge of the pool, and with great efforthauls herself out onto the rim, where she collapses, face down, gasping in air.

Then, just beyondher, we see something move. Another CRAWLER has entered the LAIR. SARAH, looking toward us, becomes aware of its presence, andfreezes still. She’s still covered in blood, much like everythingelse in the lair.

She stays absolutelystill as the CRAWLER, sniffing the air, moves along the edgeof the pool toward her.

Then the CRAWLERShand rests on SARAH’s head, as it sniffs the air, listening forsigns of life.

After a moment itmoves on, and SARAH very slowly, very carefully reachesout toward a massive ELK THIGH BONE lying nearby.

The CRAWLER comesup close, sniffing the air before us, and behind it, we cansee the crimson form of SARAH rising up slowly, menacinglylike some savage goddess.

SARAH takes a deepbreath and lets it out, the CRAWLER sniffs the air, sensing thenew smell, and turns back toward SARAH just as she brings theTHIGH BONE crashing down on its skull, again and again, her eyesblinded by blood and rage!

Finally she stopsand slumps down. Drained.

Then she hears it,the distant SHRIEK of many CRAWLERS, coming from all around her.

She looks up, witheyes now cold and merciless.

145 SCENE DELETED 145

JUNO, REBECCA andSAM hear the SHRIEK too, but for them it is much closer, and coming their way.

REBECCA and SAM hurry off, finding the ARROWS and following them backwards. JUNO waits behind, wanting to be certain that the CRAWLERS are comingafter them. She shines her torch along the tunnel into the darkness, moving slowly forward as the SHRIEKS get louder, growingin numbers.

Then she sees them,all of them, CRAWLING out of the darkness toward her en masse.Moving fast, on all fours, along the ground, the wallsand the roof of the tunnel, twenty or more of them, heading thisway! At the front of the pack is SCAR!

JUNO turns -

SAM and REBECCA hita junction and quickly find the ARROW drawn on the wall.

JUNO stares hard atREBECCA, knowing she’s probably right.

SAM runs off ahead,while REBECCA waits to see if JUNO is following.

Once she sees JUNO’slight coming, she takes off after SAM.

Now WE too are running along the tunnels as fast as we can, weaving this way andthat, first ahead of them, then behind. SAM at the front, REBECCA in the middle and JUNO bringing up the rear, stopping briefly to check behind her, then taking off again at speed. It’sa frantic chase, with the CRAWLERS biting at their heels.

SAM finds anotherARROW and follows its course backwards, REBECCA is with hernow and JUNO not far behind.

SAM runs into a poolof water but keeps on going. REBECCA follows but stumbles, falling headlong, until JUNO grabs her and pulls her to her feet.

She’s limping now.

Then REBECCA noticesthat SAM has missed a turning and an ARROW, telling them to goin a different direction.

They follow SAM,JUNO supporting the injured REBECCA.

SAM crawls on handsand knees through a low tunnel and almost runs over the edgeof this vertical drop, but stops herself in time. The tunnelhas run out, and before her lies a deep gorge similar to the oneREBECCA crossed earlier, about twenty feet across, with no wayaround it.

On stopping so suddenly SAM has sent several rocks tumbling over the edge into oblivion. Now she hears them splash down in water far below.

Above her, the roofof the cavern arcs over the gorge, and there she sees herchance. Emulating her big sister, she sees a crack spanning theroof that could take her to the far side, and she’s desperate enough to try it.

She hammers in a piton, ties on a safety rope, climbs up and puts her hand intothe CRACK, clenches it and lets it take her weight! The pain isunbearable and she gasps as we

REBECCA and JUNO hurry after SAM, reaching the low segment of tunnel....

JUNO crawls in firstand REBECCA follows.

SAM is resolute anddetermined. Shaking with the strain, she pulls herself up farenough to secure the spring loaded GRAPNEL and hook on her safety line.

JUNO emerges fromthe low tunnel to see SAM is halfway across the void.

SAM looks back atJUNO with a mix of steely resolve and tears in her eyes, the painshe is enduring is unbelievable but she will not give in.

A CRAWLER lets outa loud SHRIEK, and JUNO traces the sound. It’s ahead of SAM.SAM looks up and sees it coming across the roof, upside down,toward her!

REBECCA, crawls outof the tunnel and sees it too!

SAM looks at the CRAWLER, looks at her own situation, and knows that she’s not goingto make it back to the near side in time. Then she looks directly at REBECCA across the void. No words are needed. REBECCA looks back at her in floods of tears.

SAM wedges in onemore GRAPNEL, hooks her SAFETY line on to it, and with her freehand, takes her CLASP KNIFE from its sheath and puts it betweenher teeth, before moving hand over hand directly toward theCRAWLER!

But SAM has deathin mind and she and the CRAWLER meet head on. SAM doesn’t standa chance, hanging above the gorge with only one free hand, butshe does manage to take a few slashes at the CRAWLER until it suddenly lashes out at her and, with its claws, rips open her throat!

SAM hangs their momentarily in shock as blood gushes out, then she looks up at theCRAWLER, hissing back at her, upside down!

She suddenly swingsher legs up and wraps them around the CRAWLER’S back before letting go with her hand.

Now she wraps herarms around its neck and, blinded by her own blood, drives herKNIFE into the CRAWLER’S heart.

REBECCA can only watch in horror and sorrow as her sister fights to the death.

The CRAWLER shrieksloudly and cannot hold on any longer. The weight of SAM pullsit from the roof and together they drop into the abyss.

The safety rope reaches its limit and SAM’s body is whip-lashed to a halt, while theCRAWLER keeps falling, shrieking as it falls, until it hitsthe WATER below with a loud splash.

SAM is left hangingat the end of the ROPE, swinging back and forth like a pendulum.

REBECCA is a quivering wreck as JUNO embraces her, forcing her to look away, a tearin her own eye as she looks at SAM, hanging from the end of therope.

REBECCA slumps against the wall as JUNO considers the more pressing matter oftheir own survival. She stands on the edge, looking down, thinking.

REBECCA is suddenlyyanked off her feet! She lands face down, the wind knocked outof her!

The CRAWLERS are here! They are pulling REBECCA back into the LOW TUNNEL.

The shock brings REBECCA back to her senses, and she claws at the rock and dirt!JUNO grabs hold of her BANDAGED HAND and REBECCA screams outin pain as she kicks at her attackers. But they grab her feetand pull her deeper into the tunnel!

But JUNO can barelyhold on to the blood-soaked BANDAGE as REBECCA is yankedforcefully backward.

JUNO cries out inrage as REBECCA is yanked free and dragged kicking and screaming into the tunnel, resisting every step of the way, scrapingher fingernails across the rocks, staring back into JUNO’s eyes until she vanishes from sight.

JUNO backs away fromthe tunnel toward the edge of the gorge. She knows they’llbe coming for her next. She knows she has little choice.

She doesn’t have time to scale the cavern roof. She turns and looks down. Preparing to jump.

POV - Coming out ofthe tunnel toward JUNO’s back, closer and closer until... JUNOswallows a breath and leaps into infinity.

JUNO drops away intothe pitch darkness. Silence. The vast deadly silence ofthe cave.

She disappears forwhat seems like an eternity until we

Looking upward frombelow as a faint glow appears, growing closer until JUNOhits the water, illuminated by the SNAP LIGHT she is holding.

JUNO floats to thesurface, intermittently lit up by the light from SAM’s torch,swinging back and forth high above her.

The pool itself isentirely enclosed, with water dripping and pouring down fromthe walls above.

From one side a small waterfall gushes steadily from a fissure in the wall, dropping about 15 feet into the pool.

JUNO, dazed by theimpact of the fall, flounders in the water,. Weak from exhaustion, she begins to sink, as she’s bathed in a warm fiery glow. Ahand reaches down to her...

JUNO weakly reachesup and grabs her hand. SARAH hauls her up and out of the water, onto the rocks.

JUNO looks up at hersaviour.

SARAH’s hair is hanging down across her face, matted and dishevelled. Her clothes, what remains of them, are tattered and torn, her bare armsand legs stained with blood and laced with cuts and bruises.She looks every inch the primal savage.

SARAH says nothingas she pulls JUNO up beside her. JUNO instinctively embraces her, but as she does she becomes aware of the matted blood inSARAH’s hair. She backs away, looking at her own hands, now covered in the same blood...

SARAH says nothing.She seems devoid of compassion. JUNO looks at this person before her, barely recognizable as the friend she once knew.

Sarah remains silent, half turning to leave.

There is an air oftension between them now. Juno follows warily as SARAH leads theway up past the WATERFALL and into the FISSURE as we

Finding HOLLY’s discarded PACK lying on the ground, JUNO hurries over to it and quickly pulls out all the FLARES left in it. About 6 in all. Shecombines them with the 4 she has left. SARAH finds BETH’s PICKand swaps it for her BONE.

Shrieks fill the caverns. JUNO and SARAH move on, stealthy as big cats.

JUNO lights a FLAREand throws it down at a JUNCTION before she and SARAH check theimmediate area and move off, cautious but urgent.

Behind them, theyleave a trail of hot burning FLARES, filling the caverns with smoke and throwing the CRAWLERS off their scent.

SARAH carefully peers around the corner.

Looking down the PASSAGE , the CRAWLERS are nowhere in sight.

JUNO doesn’t say aword as she looks back at SARAH and follows her lead.

SARAH holds her FIREBRAND out before her as they follow the breeze to its conclusion.

JUNO, holding herPICK, follows close behind. Always alert, always glancing behind.

They are CLIMBINGsteeply now, back up to the surface, through new and unchartedterritory, drawing them slowly onwards and upwards.

A nerve tingling SHRIEK can be heard behind them! They stop and turn, listening.

This SHRIEK is closeand they’ve nowhere to hide, and only one FLARE left. They hurry on.

The breeze seems tobe getting stronger. They are climbing as fast as they can through this winding, meandering passage, over rocks, up steep inclines and through pools of gathered water.

Then they hear another SHRIEK, closer still, and then another, and another. The CRAWLERS are so close.

They turn to hurryonward, only to find the way ahead blocked.

FOUR CRAWLERS liein wait for them. ‘SCAR’ at the front. It’s a trap.

JUNO strikes up theLAST FLARE and the first CRAWLER immediately launches itself froma high rock at JUNO, tackling her and bringing her downin a pool of water.

SARAH lets out a fearful, guttural ROAR of defiance and keeps the other THREE atbay with the FIREBRAND, thrusting it at them, waving it back andforth in desperation.

Behind her, JUNO isengaged in a battle royale with the first CRAWLER. Amidst thefrenzied movement and splashing of the water it is difficult totell the two violently thrashing forms apart, as JUNO pounds atthe CRAWLER with her PICK.

The other THREE arequickly learning to outwit SARAH by surrounding her. Asshe keeps TWO at bay, the THIRD attacks her from the rear.

SARAH and JUNO haveboth descended into pure savagery. This is a brutal, almost primordial struggle between two species. Neither side is about to godown without taking the other with it.

SARAH smashes herPICK into the side of her first attacker, followed by a kickin the head from her heavy boot. But this leaves an openingfor the other TWO to launch themselves at her, driving her to theground and knocking the FIREBRAND from her grasp.

JUNO and the FIRSTCRAWLER are now pummelling away at each other in a pool red withblood from both of their wounds. Eventually JUNO sees an openingand smashes the CRAWLER across the jaw with the PICK, shatteringthe handle and the creatures face - She grabs its limp formand smashes the skull of her attacker repeatedly againstthe rock with her bare, bloody hands.

SARAH swings her PICK, punching with her free hand and lashing out with her feet,kicking anything that gets in her way. She now has TWO CRAWLERSon top of her and is fighting like a tiger.

JUNO distracts ‘SCAR’ and they face off together, circling each other, leaving SARAHone on one.

The two of them goat their attackers hammer and tongs, laying into them with everyounce of strength they have left - The ferocity of theirattack is more than a match for the CRAWLERS, who rip and tear atthe women's exposed skin.

But the CRAWLER getsthe advantage over SARAH and, strangling her, holds her headunder water.

‘SCAR’ lunges at JUNO and she ducks and rolls, grabbing the FLAMING BRAND andshoving it into the CRAWLER’S wide open jaws! ‘SCAR’ shrieks wildly as JUNO, still holding the FIREBRAND, gets to her feet and stands over the hideous beast, bringing the point of her PICKdownward, driving it into her nemesis’ brain.

At the same momentSARAH manages to grab a rock and smashes it into the creature’shead, crushing its skull.

Finally it’s over.

The two women stareat each other, and they no longer recognize their former selvesin the apparitions that now stand here, filled with bloodlust.

They have become consumed by the darkness.

Only now, after thefight, can we see that BETH’s WHISTLE is hanging out of SARAH’S top. JUNO sees it and knows its significance. SARAHsees that Juno sees... The two of them lock eyes. JUNO eyes theWHISTLE nervously.

Then a loud shrieking from close by. JUNO turns to look. The PASSAGE is filledwith CRAWLERS! Waiting to strike, hungry for the kill! SARAH andJUNO are beyond exhaustion and cannot hope to outrun them, orfight again. They are doomed.

JUNO looks back atSarah just as in SLO-MO we see

A PICK swings downward in a sweeping arc, impacting with flesh and bone. The twowomen stand face to face. JUNO convulses in shock, eyes wide.SARAH’s face betrays no emotion. This is a cold, calculated,deliberate killing.

Without a word, SARAH breaks off and runs for it. JUNO collapses in agony, the PICKprotruding sideways from her KNEE! She’s not going anywhere, andthe CRAWLERS are closing in! She is easy meat.

SARAH never looksback as JUNO screams at her....

Then the CRAWLERSswarm in on top of her!

Juno wrenches thePICK from her own knee and makes her stand as she’s enveloped bya seething mass of CRAWLERS!

SARAH runs as fastas she can through winding passages in the rock, turning thisway and that, losing herself in the maze once more. She’s seeingCHALK MARKS at every turn, ARROWS contradicting themselves, pointing in opposite directions, she’s going insane whensuddenly the ground gives way beneath her and she falls...

She rolls down a steep FUNNEL, bouncing this way and that, rolling head overheels through cobwebs and stirring up dust until she comes toa crashing halt, lying semi-conscious in a new chamber, and we

ECU - Light shinesacross SARAH’s face.

There is a sense ofcalm about her now, as if she’s lost to some twisted inner peace,her eyes glazed over, staring up at the light.

In time she looksaround and sees bones, human bones, not just a few but hundreds,maybe thousands, piled up against the wall like a giant wastetip. The bones are ancient, brittle and white. Among the bones lie items of Native American paraphernalia.

But finally her attention is drawn to the source LIGHT that shines on her. Highabove, at the top of the BONE MOUNTAIN, daylight is shiningin through a cleft in the rock.

SARAH gazes up atit, drawn to it, the way out.

She begins to scramble up the mound of BONES, clawing her way upward, on hands andknees, toward the light...

At last, and withextreme effort, she reaches the top and climbs up through the narrow CLEFT, toward the daylight beyond.

SARAH emerges at themouth of the cave starkly silhouetted against the blindingSUNSET.

With the sunlightstreaming down through the trees, SARAH can hear the sound ofSHRIEKING echoing through the mountain canyons all around her. Sheruns wildly, pushing her way through the undergrowth in a fevered state of pure desperation!

She scrambles outof the tree line, colliding with and collapsing upon thebonnet of JUNO’s 4x4!

CU the keys go intothe ignition and we

SARAH fires up theengine and slams it into REVERSE

THE 4X4’s wheels skid on the loose dirt before gaining traction as we

We CRANE upwards asthe VEHICLE reverses towards us at speed before pulling a sudden 180 skid, turning to face forward, then power-housing it beneath US and away down the treacherous mountain track.

Driving in the samepossessed manner as she ran, SARAH has an expression of absolute resolve on her face.

The 4x4 smashes itsway through branches hanging across the road, lurching wildly on the uneven surface, threatening to lose control and hurtleoff the side of the road into oblivion at any moment.

The 4x4 reaches theend of the rough track as SARAH throws it around a tight bendand onto the MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY. With a high pitched squeal andthe pungent smoke of burning rubber, the 4x4 straightens up andheads off down the highway as we

Only now does SARAH’s resolve begin to weaken. The first tears begin to well up inher eyes as the events of the past 24 hours flood back. She ispsychologically overwhelmed and physically shattered.

Slowly but surelythe emotion sets in and she loses control. As she breaks down, shebrings the vehicle to a sudden stop in the middle of the emptyhighway.

The 4x4 just sitsthere, its engine purring softly, as we

SARAH slumps forwardonto the steering wheel in a state of overwhelming emotional turmoil. Torn by feelings of sorrow, anger, remorse andguilt, she can only attempt to gather some sort of composure.

When, in time, shedoes, she sits back on her seat, but JUNO is now sitting in thepassenger seat beside her, streaked in blood!

SARAH turns to herand gasps as we

ECU of Sarah’s faceas she jolts herself back to reality. She is back in the DARK CHAMBER that she fell into a few moments ago. Only we now see thatis not a BONE CHAMBER. Just a desolate ledge deep in theinterior of the cave.

SARAH, lost now tothe darkness, beyond saving, huddles up, drawing her legs close, her knees to her chin, rocking back and forth. Only her delusional mind and her fading FIREBRAND can give her any comfortnow.

She stays where sheis, staring at the flame, at one with THE DARK, as we CRANEdown toward her, from a high WIDE into an ECU on her eyes, highlighted by the flickering flame.

SARAH and JESSICA,together but alone in the darkness, sit in front of a birthdaycake with SIX flickering candles. We PULL BACK from them asthey blow out the candles, and at the moment they go out we

CUT TO BLACK

FADE UP ON:

170 GROUP PHOTO 170

CREDITS ROLL overthe black and white photograph HOLLY took of all the women on thesteps of the lodge, accompanied bySIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES -‘INTO THE LIGHT’.